The next day.
Just as Chief Bajin had foreseen, the ground combat troops on the outer defensive line of the shelter base they occupied had all fallen. The wrecks of the few combat mecha lay toppled on the ground; within them were dwarf warriors already dead, and some not yet dead, letting out agonized screams. Overhead were Fire Salamander warship after Fire Salamander warship, every gun-muzzle trained on this underground shelter base.
The shelter base's great gate relied on the mountain body overhead as its cover. This would be their last line of defense.
Chief Bajin, clad in single-soldier exoskeleton combat armor, laser pistol in hand, hid behind a piece of cover, quietly watching the Fire Salamander warriors closing in outside. First to enter his field of view were, of course, the Fire Salamanders' combat mecha. 10… 20… 50… And around the mecha were some Fire Salamander soldiers.
Then look at their own fighting strength. A dwarf combat squad of fewer than 500, with only two T2 combat mecha and 15 T1 combat mecha left. This was all the fighting force that remained in their shelter base.
"Make ready to fight — we haven't much ammunition. Let those accursed lizards come in close before we fire. In close-quarters combat with the enemy, the lizards' warships won't dare provide fire support over our heads!" Chief Bajin issued the final battle order.
From the collar of his exoskeleton combat armor, Chief Bajin drew out a locket shaped like a pocket watch, holding a photo. Opened, inside was a picture of their whole family — him, his wife, and six children. The one smiling most brightly, in the middle, was their eldest child — the child they loved best, the most sensible of them all. A pity she'd gone missing half a year ago.
"Annie." Chief Bajin stroked the brightly smiling girl in the photo. He set the photo against his chest and gripped the laser pistol tight in his hand.
"Chief, the enemy's coming up!" the dwarf warrior beside him warned.
"Open fire!" Chief Bajin roared.
The laser pistol in his hand fired without cease; these laser pistols were plainly a good deal more powerful than the weapons in the Fire Salamanders' hands — for they'd all been upgraded and remade by dwarf artisans, their performance greatly improved. But quality, in the end, was no match for the enemy's numbers. The dwarf warriors around Chief Bajin began to fall, one after another.
FY System, Third Planet — Outer Space
The Fire Salamander fleet was waiting for word that the battle below was over. But before that word could come, an alert first sounded from the ship's radar. A high-speed-moving energy body was detected closing on their position.
"What's going on? Is it a warship?" The Fire Salamander commander watched the point of light on the radar approaching at an astonishing speed. Soon the answer appeared — for the source of that light-point had already come within range of what their ships' deep-space telescopes could observe.
"Report — a gray warship is bearing down on our position!" The Fire Salamander adjutant put up an image. In it was the likeness of a gray warship.
"What warship is that?" The Fire Salamander commander knit his brow.
"By our database's identification, this ship is 71% match to a T3 Hummingbird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser!" The adjutant put up the data on that T3 Hummingbird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser.
The commander shot it a glance and thought nothing more of it, taking it simply for a T3 Hummingbird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser. For in the Reef Star Region, no few old ships were heavily modded to boost their combat power, which left their hulls looking greatly changed from the original.
"Warn this warship of unknown origin at once: this is the engagement zone of our Fire Salamander clan; any warship that dares sail into it is as good as declaring war on us!" the commander said sternly.
The adjutant gulped and pointed at where this T3 cruiser was. "This ship has already entered our engagement zone."
The commander's expression froze; he coughed, then went on, "Then warn them to leave at once! Or we'll blow them to pieces!"
Suddenly! One of the T2 warships in the Fire Salamander fleet exploded, becoming a fireball gone in the blink of an eye.
The adjutant looked at the commander.
The commander stepped up and gave him a slap. "What are you standing there gaping for! Order the fleet to engage at once! Blow that T3 warship of unknown origin to pieces for me!"
The other side had, first thing, destroyed one of your warships outright — the attitude was plain enough. Whatever this T3 warship's origin, there was no need now for any more talk.
The Fire Salamander fleet began pouring fire on that T3 cruiser without pause. But the other ship had a star shield out in front, and those attacks simply couldn't harm it. Meanwhile, on the Fire Salamander side, T1 warship after T1 warship, T2 warship after T2 warship, kept being destroyed. The T1 warships above all — they all but blew up at a touch.
"Enemy ship about to enter our firing range; the Arkham-class medium cluster-laser main gun is ready!" the adjutant reported.
The commander grinned savagely. "A mere T3 cruiser, and it dares crow before me. This ship of mine is a T3 Arkham! One shot from me and I'll send you to your death!"
But just as it seemed that T3 cruiser was about to enter the T3 Arkham's firing range, an unexpected turn came. That T3 cruiser abruptly changed course.
"Chickened out?" The commander was startled — then discovered the T3 cruiser had skirted around the main body of their fleet and charged straight for the third planet of the FY System. The cruiser's speed didn't slacken in the least; like a comet entering an atmosphere, that vast, dazzling red glow was visible even to the people on that side of the planet.
The Fire Salamander T1 warships hovering in the air hadn't yet reacted, gaping foolishly at this colossus that had suddenly come charging in. Their tens-of-meters-long hulls counted for nothing before this warship of nearly a kilometer.
"All ships, attention! An unidentified T3 interstellar cruiser has entered our combat zone — on sighting it, attack at once!" It was only just then that the belated battlefield alert sounded on those T1 warships' bridges.
At this moment, in the minds of those T1 warship captains, there was but one thought.
Holy crap — you could've said so sooner!
The next second, that vast warship's close-in guns opened fire, destroying every one of the "mosquito"-like T1 warships around it, sending them plunging toward the ground like burning gnats.
At the same time, on the belly of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser, a hatch opened. Within hung 50 Blizzard-class interstellar drones, already at the ready. Like so many bats hanging upside down, once the hatch opened they dropped away one after another, spreading their wings in midair and unfolding into their full-body forms. Then they began their assault on the Fire Salamander warships all around!