Chapter 307: Attack
Seeing Hamis frowning in thought, seemingly asking himself questions, Novaul pondered for a moment before replying, “I would probably record it and report it back.”
“And then what happens next in the process?” Hamis pressed.
This time, Novaul also took a while to think. “I haven’t paid much attention to this before, but I suppose the issue would be sent to the Academy or a similar research department. They would analyze the flaws and make improvements. If there are results, the solutions would then be passed on to the space shipyards. These improvements would be reflected in the warships produced in the future.”
“And what about the warships produced before then?”
“That would depend on the severity of the issue. If it’s a minor problem, perhaps the engineers onboard could resolve it. But if it’s a structural flaw, those ships might have to be sent back to the shipyard in batches for upgrades and repairs.” Novaul shrugged, starting to grasp Hamis’s line of thinking.
“So, in their eyes, is the stealth coating flaw of the smart mines a major issue or a minor one?”
“That, I don’t know.” Novaul shook his head.
“Our intelligence indicates that the Swarm forces we’re about to face were sent out over 20 years ago. This means these forces have spent most of that time drifting through the void, where there are no Swarm shipyards,” Hamis said after some thought.
“But the previous Swarm units couldn’t detect the smart mines. Now, however, this new force seems to completely ignore their stealth coating. This suggests one of two possibilities: Either this issue was considered a minor flaw by the Swarm—which is unlikely, as radar upgrades are complex and not easily executed unnoticed—or…”