Finally, under countless expectant gazes, the new Enterprise and its Old Captain, James T. Kirk, ushered in the moment of their maiden voyage.
A grand "launch" ceremony was held at the orbital dry dock—even though starships are built in the vacuum of space and will never touch seawater, the ancient human tradition continued, referring to this moment symbolizing new beginnings as a "launch."
Osiris couldn't help but sigh; even in the Warhammer Universe he came from, forty millennia later with its incessant conflicts, humanity's term for a ship's departure remained unchanged, stirring a faint ripple in his heart about the continuity of civilization.
As a technical consultant who had made outstanding contributions to this starship, Osiris' massive, dark-red mechanical body naturally also appeared in the viewing area.
The new enterprise's streamlined hull gleamed under special lighting, its ceramic steel and adamantium composite skeleton giving it a calm and robust demeanor; compared to the Old Enterprise, it had less elegance and more of a sense of contained power.
Kirk, dressed in a brand-new captain's uniform, stood before what would soon be his bridge, addressing the Federation and all observers via broadcast, his face showing uncontrollable excitement and pride.
Osiris calmly observed the ceremony, his sensors recording every detail of the scene—the cheers of the people, the flashing media lights, the speeches from Federation high-ranking officials, and the unique aura emanating from the starship itself, a fusion of technologies from two universes.
He witnessed the continuation of a legendary name, the official end of an old era, and the beginning of a new one.
At the same time, he was also estimating that a preliminary, medium-to-short-range voyage accompanying this new enterprise would be sufficient to collect core operational data on the Level Eight Warp Engine, steady-state crystal, Void Shield, and directional reconstruction system in a true deep-space environment.
This first-hand data would far exceed the value obtainable from ground or near-Earth orbit tests.
"After a joint voyage, data collection is expected to reach 87.4%, meeting the requirements for preliminary technical verification and adaptive modifications," he calmly assessed. "At that time, preparations for returning to my original universe will also be largely complete."
He came to this relatively peaceful universe with clear goals: to acquire knowledge, verify technology, and accumulate capital for future survival and development.
Now, warp technology, matter recombination principles, dimensional shield theory, even the prototype of a quantum scanning-based repair system, and Genesis Technology… these valuable gains have greatly enriched his database and provided a solid technical foundation for the blueprint of his future flagship.
It was time to consider returning.
The conflicts of the Warhammer Universe would not cease because of his departure; he still had unfinished missions and challenges to face.
The maiden voyage of the new enterprise, for him, was both a climax of this cross-dimensional cooperation and about to become the starting point of his journey home.
He intended to formally bid farewell to Kirk and the Federation high command after this voyage.
However, Osiris knew clearly that this return did not mean a complete severing of ties with this technologically advanced, orderly universe.
On the contrary, he had already come to view it as an extremely valuable external technological reserve and research center.
Future cross-dimensional exchanges would not only not cease but would become a normalized strategic option.
This universe was technologically advanced, its civilization relatively rational and open, and its scholars were keen on the exploration and application of knowledge, rather than hoarding it or shrouding it in mysticism.
This environment was an almost ideal breeding ground for analyzing and replicating the Dark Age of Technology legacies that were already lost or on the verge of being lost in the Warhammer Universe.
"A circuitous path of inheritance," Osiris noted in his internal plan, "bringing those STC fragments, technological blueprints, which cannot be effectively utilized within the Imperium due to factional infighting, knowledge blockade, or simply a lack of understanding, to this place, and using the Federation' scientific research capabilities for analysis, replication, and even optimization."
He knew deeply that, although currently in the 31st millennium, the glorious era of the Great Crusade still saw many Dark Age technologies in operation, the deep-seated academic factionalism within the Adeptus Mechanicus, the rigid worship of "Sacred Forms," and the extreme fear of "heretical technology" had already sown the seeds of future technological decline.
Many technologies, even when discovered, were often monopolized by a certain Forge World, becoming its political leverage, or were sealed in the deepest archives, becoming "relics" to be admired by only a few, rather than applied technologies that could enhance the strength of the entire Imperium.
This inefficient flow and application of knowledge, in Osiris' view, was a huge waste of humanity's Dark Age of Technology legacy.
He was unwilling to sit idly by as the achievements of the Great Crusade, which he had personally participated in and made great sacrifices for, gradually withered over the next ten thousand years, eventually evolving into the terrible, rigid, superstitious state he foresaw, struggling for survival in an endless quagmire of war.
That would be the outcome all participants in the Crusade least wished to see.
Therefore, maintaining the connection with this universe, returning periodically in the future, bringing new "archaeological discoveries" and collaborating with the Federation on research, became a highly attractive strategic option.
He realized that cooperation with this universe meant far more than just utilizing external resources to accelerate his own technological advancement.
It was more like forging a unique path, a path that could offer an additional chance for preservation and continuation to those technological sparks in the Warhammer Universe that might otherwise be lost in conflict and ignorance.
He had long experienced the knowledge barriers and factional infighting within the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Many valuable discoveries would ultimately be locked away in the vaults of a certain Forge World, becoming symbols of power rather than steps towards progress.
Here, it was different.
The open-mindedness, rigorous methodology, and shared research spirit of Federation scholars made it possible to analyze and replicate complex, even dangerous, ancient technologies.
Just like that automatic repair STC, although the original version remained mysterious, a concrete and feasible research direction based on the principle of matter recombination had been established.
Perhaps, through this unique cross-dimensional channel, some wisdom that was destined to be lost in the original historical trajectory could be systematically recorded, understood, and even developed into new branches.
This preserved knowledge might, at some critical moment in the future, become an unexpected dawn in the darkness, offering humanity another choice, another ray of hope.
He had already set the coordinates for returning here and the necessary communication protocols as long-term missions.
Once he had dealt with matters in the Warhammer Universe, bringing new discoveries or challenges, this relatively peaceful starfield, these minds skilled at unlocking the shackles of knowledge, would still be an important reliance for him.