The enemy fleet was a ragtag bunch.
I had only applied the brakes slightly at the front, but that alone was enough to throw their formation into utter chaos.
“Chris, accelerate to maximum speed!”
“Ravi—!”
Our ship did not slow down. If anything, it sped up.
*Zzzzz—!*
It felt like my body was stretching out like jelly, or perhaps like I was falling into a bottomless darkness.
“Main cannon! Fire.”
*Pew, pew, pew!*
Three cute little lasers fired in succession.
*Boom—!*
With just a single attack, the enemy ship lost its mobility. Since it was hit near the engine, it would take quite a while for it to return to the battlefield.
“Oh—! That’s a big one over there. Scrape them with the beam.”
“Relaying to the fire control team.”
I saw three ships tangled together. Because of their proximity, their shields weren’t functioning properly.
“Charging. 87%.”
“Fire now. No need to wait.”
If a laser was a weapon that fired in bursts, then a beam was a weapon that maintained a continuous stream.
Each had its pros and cons. A laser weapon neutralized shields, meaning the next attack could pierce through. However, because it lacked persistence, it didn’t deal massive damage to the enemy hull.
A beam also neutralized shields. The problem was that it stopped there. It couldn’t deal damage to enemies that still had active shields.
Conversely, it was a disaster for ships without shields. You could think of it like a long, slashing cut from a blade.
“Relay to fire control! Commencing attack.”
*Vrrrr—!*
*Craaaaash!*
“Attack successful.”
“Two ships heavily damaged. One ship is sinking.”
“Ohhh—!!”
The personnel in the situation room erupted in admiration. We had taken out five ships in an instant. We were performing a one-man massacre out there.
“Chris, change direction!”
“Rabbit up—!”
Powerful G-force slammed into us. Because this was a ship tuned by Yang Maru, it didn’t creak like it used to. Instead…
*Guaaaargh!*
*Heff! Huff! Hurgh!*
Everyone was being crushed by the G-force, unable to breathe properly.
*Gurgle.*
A few people even fainted.
“Ship No. 2, move to those coordinates. Ship No. 3 and No. 4, provide cover. Ship No. 1, make a wide turn to distract them.”
Amidst all this, I gritted my teeth and issued orders to the squadron.
The enemy’s formation became even more disorganized.
From their perspective, this must have been hell. A mosquito was buzzing around them, and they couldn’t catch it. The only problem was that a single bite from this mosquito carried malaria.
“Now. Fire everything.”
*Pew, pew, pew.*
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
*Pew, pew—!*
*Vrrrr—!*
Our ship spat out every weapon it had: main cannons, missiles, lasers, and beams. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Every shot we fired slammed into an enemy vessel.
“Three… shi-ips… su-unk.”
“Fi-ive… hea-vily… da-maged.”
“Six… enemy… ships… are… leaving… the… battlefield!”
“In addition… we have… inflicted… minor da-mage… on eleven… othersss.”
The situation officers struggled to report.
The enemies continued to tangle with each other, unable to utilize their shields properly. Since the distance was close, most of our hits were effective.
*Uwaaaa—!*
The personnel in the situation room let out… was that a cheer of joy? Saliva floated in the air. Everyone was losing their minds.
*Pew, pew—!*
*Vrrrr—!*
*Pop, bang!*
Despite the chaos, the attacks didn’t stop. In addition to our ship, the other allied vessels were succeeding in their attacks one after another.
“Missile count at zero.”
“Captain! The fusion reactor is at its limit.”
“We can’t sustain combat any longer.”
“Ship No. 4 of our squadron has been sunk!”
Unfortunately, we lost one ship. Judging by the massive explosion, it seemed they had taken a direct hit to the fusion reactor. Likely, more than 90% of the crew members were dead.
‘Is it still not over?’
I could see the enemies gradually getting used to our tactics. Their panicked crowding began to subside. They started grouping up in units of five to ten to mount a counterattack.
Just then…
*Kaboom—!*
A massive shockwave erupted from the direction of the space station.
“Dalib’s ship has successfully docked with the space station!”
That wasn’t docking. He had basically just rammed into it.
However…
This meant the game was over. Was there anyone in a backwater place like this who could stop Dalib in close-quarters combat? Most people would be nothing more than fragile frogs before a snake.
“Captain. The enemy fleet’s resistance is too fierce.”
I frowned. The space station had fallen, so why were they still fighting? The only logical answer should have been for them to run away.
The enemy was behaving irrationally. In that case, I had to think. Why?
“First Officer, take command for a moment.”
“Understood.”
First Officer Ciela’s face was pale. She had to process as much information as I did. Nevertheless, she took over command without a word of complaint.
‘What is it? Why aren’t they retreating?’
I quickly scanned the surrounding energy signatures. It would have been great to have a skilled observer, but they were as hard to find as good helmsmen.
“That’s it! Chris, turn the bow toward 290 degrees at 7 o’clock!”
“Ooohh—!”
The ship twisted its direction as if tumbling over.
“Ships No. 1, 2, and 3, follow me. Ignore the enemy.”
The space station had already been captured. We no longer had any obligation to keep the enemies pinned down. Even if the remaining enemies rushed the space station, Dalib wouldn’t die.
But…
“The enemy fleet is pursuing us.”
“As expected, they’re following.”
The silver lining was that our squadron consisted of light maneuverable ships. The misfortune was that the battle had dragged on, putting a lot of strain on the fusion reactors.
“Ahead! Eight unidentified ultra-large transport ships detected!”
“The trajectory of those transport ships… it’s estimated to be the sun.”
My suspicion was correct. For a moment, goosebumps broke out across my back.
‘Marshal Imperium already knew?!’
He knew Dalib had hidden in the Rabbit Constellation. He knew Dalib couldn’t move while waiting for his daughter to hatch. And he knew that Dalib would need the space station because of that.
He knew everything. That was why he had prepared such a protocol.
The order to discard the space station’s core components into the sun the moment they were attacked.
He knew that once Dalib obtained the space station, he would begin his activities. The first target would obviously be Marshal Imperium’s headquarters.
Then why not just move the space station itself? They were likely building the station long before Dalib arrived. It might have been fine for short distances, but transporting it over a long distance would have been a burden. It would have also been difficult to control information.
And…
He probably didn’t expect an attack like this. He hadn’t factored a variable like me into his plans.
“All ships, prepare to attack.”
Now, it was a race against time.
“Captain, our squadron is already at its limit.”
“We must stop them no matter what. Everything we’ve done so far will become meaningless. No, Dalib will kill us.”
If there was no space station, there was no reason to keep us alive. Could we just offer him the Ant Nest instead? The impatient Dalib wouldn’t believe us for a second.
***
Dalib had seized the space station. Many tried to rush him and his subordinates, but…
*Aaaargh!*
They were no match for him. He was the greatest military force in the Empire, after all.
*Screeech! Argh!*
His subordinates fought well too. Those with snake heads would stretch their necks out to bite the enemy’s throats if their initial attacks were blocked. They essentially had two weapons.
*Guaaaah!*
The control center was cleared in an instant.
“Check the positions of the ships first.”
At Dalib’s command, his subordinates sat at the consoles.
*Clack-clack-clack!*
As they operated the machinery, the surrounding ships were identified.
“Your Highness. Cargo ships are moving toward the sun. It appears they intend to self-destruct.”
The corners of Dalib’s mouth curled up.
“The strategist’s prediction was correct.”
Dalib had an excellent strategist. The only problem was that Dalib rarely listened to him.
“Fakyu’s squadron is in pursuit.”
“What?! They still have the strength for that?”
It was unexpected. It was already amazing that they had played around with 100 ships using only five. On top of that, they had sensed something strange and pursued the cargo ships. He was starting to see the insignificant human in a different light.
“How on earth did he know?”
Dalib couldn’t understand it. He felt that if he left the man alive, he would only become a nuisance in the future.
‘Should I kill him?’
No matter how much he thought about it, the guy seemed dangerous. At first, he thought Fakyu just carried some useful bodyguards. When Fakyu faced 100 enemies, he thought the kid was decent. But now, Fakyu even showed sharp intuition. He wasn’t going to remain just an average guy.
Once he defeated Imperium and took control of Sector 9, he planned to move on to Sector 16. At that point, this guy might become an obstacle.
‘He might even be more dangerous than that bastard Imperium…’
Then, a thought occurred to him.
‘What happens if those two team up?’
Dalib stroked his chin. That would be the worst-case scenario. From what he had seen, Fakyu was someone who held no loyalty toward Humildas. There was no telling how things would turn out.
Just as he was reaching the conclusion that it would be better to kill him…
“Your Highness! You should come see this.”
“What is it?”
“We’ve found something you’ll be satisfied with.”
His subordinate showed a suggestive smile.
***
Our squadron poured attacks toward the cargo ships. Conversely, the enemy fleet protected them.
“Captain! Ship No. 2 is heavily damaged. It’s leaving the battlefield.”
“Damn it…!”
Still, we managed to halt two out of the eight cargo ships. The remaining six were the problem.
‘When the hell are they coming?’
Dalib’s main force should have arrived by now. There was no way they hadn’t noticed us fighting so loudly. Even if they hadn’t noticed the fight, Dalib had seized the space station. He should have assessed the situation by now. Even if the main force was late, Dalib himself should have come.
“Ship No. 1, engine line hit!”
**[I’m sorry, Young Master!]**
Another ship left the battlefield. Even I couldn’t do any more than this.
‘Should I just bail?’
Just then.
“Captain! A communication is coming through.”
**[Sorry for the wait. Leave the rest to us.]**
A fleet of approximately 300 ships appeared. A sigh of relief escaped me instantly.
More importantly…
‘When did they get here?’
Even though we were in the middle of a battle, I hadn’t noticed them at all. As expected, Dalib’s subordinates were not to be trifled with.
“We’re leaving the battlefield. Commencing rescue operations immediately.”
“Disengaging! Target is the sunken Ship No. 4.”
At my command, everyone slumped in their seats. They didn’t even have the energy left to cheer.
*Woosh—!*
In the distance, I could see Ship No. 4 burning. White smoke was erupting from various points. That was likely from attempts to suppress fires inside the ship. It meant there were still survivors.
“Rescue them immediately.”
Our ship carefully approached the sinking vessel. We also sent out separate shuttles. They would focus on extinguishing fires in the most severe areas.
“We have rescued 67 crew members.”
A light maneuverable ship usually carries an average of 250 crew members. More than half were dead. Even so, this was more survivors than expected.
“Captain. Communication from Ship No. 1.”
**[Temporary repairs complete. We are operational.]**
“Captain. Communication from Ship No. 3.”
**[All crew members from Ship No. 2 have been rescued. Ship No. 2 is non-operational and must be scuttled.]**
Our squadron of five ships had shrunk to three.
“Captain. Communication from the control center.”
**[Fakyu. You’ve worked hard. I just received word that the detachment has secured the core components of the space station.]**
“That is a great relief.”
I ground my teeth slightly. It was just a guess, but I felt like they had left us hanging on purpose.
**[The general parts are here on the planet as well. We’ll be able to get the space station running in short order.]**
‘For now… has the strategy of pitting two tigers against each other succeeded?’
Throwing bait between two tigers to make them fight. Now, Dalib and Imperium would be at each other’s throats. I almost died, but the primary goal was a success.
‘He won’t be thinking of killing me now.’
No matter how reckless a person Dalib was, he needed a justification for war. Our request for help from Sector 16 would serve as a good justification.
**[Hurry and come over here.]**
As if I’m that crazy. Even if safety was secured, facing Dalib was uncomfortable.
“I think I must head to the other Marshals’ headquarters as I am. We need troop support to deal with Marshal Imperium.”
**[Don’t be so hasty. It will only take a moment. I have a gift for you, seeing as you worked so hard. Hahaha.]**
What? Why does he sound so pleased? He probably isn’t calling me over to kill me. If he wanted to kill me, he’d just come and do it openly.
‘What could the gift be?’
I was a bit curious.