"Fire Phoenix No.1, making ready to carry out the bombing mission." Within T3 Fire Phoenix-class Heavy Interstellar Stealth Bomber No.1, the main pilot worked the controls and began to accelerate into a dive. And it was at this moment, too, that the T3 Fire Phoenix's stealth function auto-canceled, and the T3 Fire Phoenix's form appeared before the enemy's eyes.
One could plainly feel the enemy ships' interception fire pouring toward their position as its focus — very much the posture of don't you come over here!
The co-pilot began to input, on the operating panel, the position after position where the interstellar bombs were to be dropped. "Target lock-on for the drop is complete; the first batch of 'candy' will be dropped in 15 seconds, the second batch of 'candy' in 30 seconds…"
Carrying out the same mission were, besides, several other T3 Fire Phoenixes. Before long, these T3 Fire Phoenixes entered attack range. And now, at last, the bellies of their streamlined craft began to open automatically, gate after gate appearing, within which were arrayed the 50 airborne particle-energy bombs. One interstellar bomb after another was dropped down.
Boom, boom, boom.
The crew within this T3 interstellar destroyer could hear a deafening din — that was the scene of interstellar bombs bursting upon the hull. Some crew within certain compartments fared worse still; the very instant they heard the sound, they were swallowed up by the terrifying explosion. For those bursting interstellar bombs tore open one breach after another straight in the hull — for all the world like a hunk of bread being nibbled away by piranhas.
After the rounds of bombing by 10 T3 Fire Phoenixes, this T3 interstellar destroyer was formally declared scrapped.
"Report — Fire Phoenix No.1 has completed the bombing mission; all interstellar bombs are dropped; now beginning the return to resupply." The pilot watched that T3 interstellar destroyer still burning.
Having finished her report, the main pilot said in a bantering tone to the co-pilot behind her, "Looks like this lot must be quite fond of our 'candy.'"
"Whether they're fond of it or not, they don't have the right to refuse it," the co-pilot said, overbearing.
The first batch of T3 Fire Phoenix-class heavy interstellar stealth bombers to finish their bombing began once more to enter stealth and return.
In this bare span of under five minutes of fire-strike, the T3-grade warships of the Fourth Fleet and Fifth Fleet had all lost the ability to fight. And of the remaining T2 warships, over half had fallen too! The two interstellar fleets, before they could even be said to have traded fire with the enemy, had been knocked flat outright.
T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship · bridge.
Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair, his face all calm, taking in this fine view. Before his eyes, too, was the list of the enemy's warships.
By the results of the last reconnaissance before the battle:
The enemy warships came to over 3,000 in all, grouped into six interstellar fleets. Every so often, one interstellar fleet would rotate to rest at the starport, while the surroundings were kept in a state garrisoned by five interstellar fleets. Each interstellar fleet had 500 warships — somewhat more, even, than a standard corps-grade fleet's establishment. For these slaver fleets couldn't match the quality of regular troops, and so they could only add somewhat to their numbers to raise their own combat power. Among these 3,000 warships, T3 warships numbered 30, T2 warships 1,000, and T1 warships 2,000. It had to be said, the T2-warship count of the slaver fleet was quite high indeed — a far more comfortable ratio than the fleets of that pack of second-rate powers in the Reef Star Region.
The T3 warships were one T3 battleship, two T3 battlecruisers, three T3 cruisers, 10 T3 destroyers, and 14 T3 frigates!
One T3 Dragon-Croc-class Medium Interstellar Battleship
Two T3 Flame Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Battlecruisers
Three T3 Horned-Rabbit-class Medium Interstellar Cruisers
Ten T3 Cavalier-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers
Fourteen T3 Sentinel-class Medium Interstellar Frigates
It had to be said, well over half of them were warships connected with the Starlight Empire's military; to say this band of slavers had no connection with the interior of the Starlight Empire — no one would believe it! As for the ratio of the T2 warships, it was much like the usual ratio, still chiefly T2 frigates and T2 destroyers.
Under this one round of Zhao Chen's attack—
nearly 20 T3 warships had been destroyed outright! Worth noting was that the two T3 Flame Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Battlecruisers — the flagships of the Second Fleet and the Third Fleet — had escaped the disaster, and had, of all things, not suffered the "assassination" of the first wave of T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bombers.
And the battle, having come to this point—
with Zhao Chen's side having lost only a few dozen T3 interstellar drones, had already annihilated over 500 of the enemy's warships! Mind you, there were, besides, close to 500 more warships that just now were still blocked within the starport, unable to come out.
Deputy captain Chitong could not hide the excitement and agitation of her own feelings; she watched, in the display, the scene of the enemy fleet being destroyed. She bit her lip, her hand gripping the saber-hilt at her waist. In her agitation, the blood of her bitten lip had already trickled down from the corner of her mouth.
It was as though she saw once more the scene of her home base under attack — of those companions of hers dying in agony and misery. And the scene of her own interstellar fleet, when it had been run down in pursuit, its ships chased by the enemy fleet, destroyed and falling one by one. The faces and voices, the smiles and laughter, of those companions who had once followed her surfaced before her eyes, like the figures on a revolving lantern.
Her eyes, of all things, had a certain hot, welling feeling to them.
A hand reached out just then and wiped away the fresh blood at the corner of her mouth. "Now is not the hour for you to bleed. It is the hour for them to pay the price."
Deputy captain Chitong looked at the smile of the Commander before her, and answered him with a heavy "Mm." That was right! She'd come now to take her revenge. She would watch these enemies of hers come to their end.
"Report — the enemy fleet's First, Second, and Third Fleets are about to enter the engagement zone! Nearly all our T3 Fire Phoenixes have completed the bombing-attack mission and are now returning to resupply. In five minutes our interstellar drones will need to return to resupply as well. In eight minutes, our T3 Phoenix-class interstellar fighter formation will need to return to resupply," Lilith reported from the side.
"Understood — execute our next stage of the combat plan," Zhao Chen said.
"Yes!" Lilith answered, and then began to give the orders for the second stage of the combat plan.
The interstellar fleet, with the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship as its core, began slowly to sail out into the open — not concealing its own position in the least, appearing grandly and openly before the enemy fleet. It was for all the world as though telling the other side:
My carrier starship is right here. If you've got the guts, come and fight?
The slaver starport.
"Report — an enemy fleet has appeared within our radar range! We've detected over 60 warships! Including one T3-grade heavy carrier starship!" a subordinate hurriedly reported this news to the Big-Eye King.
The Big-Eye King, too, had spotted it at the first moment — for the enemy showed not the least intent of concealment. He looked at that gray-hulled, giant warship in the display: that was a T3 carrier starship! Completely unlike any T3 carrier starship known to him.
Just what was the identity of these attackers?
Who, in the end, were they?