T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship · the bridge.
"Report — the first wave of interstellar drones has returned and landed successfully. Estimated 60 seconds to re-arm."
"The first drone wave's combat report is tallied. Losses: seven T2 Killer-Bee-class Medium Interstellar Drones, one T2 Hornet-class Heavy Interstellar Drone. Enemy ships destroyed: two T1 Blue-Sparrow-class Medium Interstellar Cruisers, four T1 Vulture-class Medium Interstellar Frigates, two T1 Scythe-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers."
"Report — the enemy fleet has fixed our position and is coming at us full speed!"
The crewwomen on the bridge stood at strict readiness, reporting the moment's developments to captain and deputy captain without cease.
Charlotte stood off to the side, looking at Zhao Wan'er in the captain's chair.
Before this battle, Zhao Chen had contacted her privately and charged her that, when the fighting began, she was to hand full command over to Zhao Wan'er — unless Zhao Wan'er gave a wrong order, in which case she had the right to halt it.
Or, should the battle spin out of control, she had the right to take command herself.
So far, every order Zhao Wan'er had given had been a fine one.
And this young woman, sitting in the captain's chair at this moment, wore a cool, detached expression, not the least flicker of panic or nerves to be seen in her.
Nothing at all like a student not yet graduated — rather like a seasoned professional soldier.
"Begin releasing the T2 Baby-Bee-class Light Interstellar Drones to intercept the enemy fleet. Ship begins to move, on the preset heading, full speed; star-shield system, activate. Re-armed drones, prepare for the second attack wave." Zhao Wan'er gave her combat orders one after another, her eyes sweeping the data panels without pause.
Facing the vicious interstellar pirate fleet bearing down on them, the T2 Queen Bee began to accelerate away — but, being a heavy carrier starship, its top speed was only 30 star-knots.
There was no shaking off the pursuers behind at all.
At that same moment, a row of ports opened along the T2 Queen Bee's underside, and one T2 Baby-Bee-class Light Interstellar Drone after another was released.
In under 10 seconds, all 300 T2 Baby-Bee-class Light Interstellar Drones had been deployed.
The dense mass of T2 Baby-Bee-class Light Interstellar Drones began charging toward the pursuing interstellar pirate fleet behind.
The battlefield had by now split into two sides — one Blizzard Zero, the other the T2 Queen Bee.
But Blizzard Zero showed not the slightest intent of going to the T2 Queen Bee's aid.
On the contrary, it began to change its heading, sailing in an arc toward the right flank — and in so doing, Blizzard Zero entered the enemy ships' fire range.
Several of the interstellar pirate fleet's ships made ready to open fire at once, but the enemy ship's speed was too great, and locking onto it took a moment.
Changing the heading was an order Zhao Chen had given; otherwise, at Blizzard Zero's speed, these interstellar pirate ships could chase a lifetime and never catch it.
"Bring the T2 heavy 1200mm Devil-Croc cannon online," Captain Zhao Chen ordered.
"Understood; bringing the T2 heavy 1200mm Devil-Croc cannon online, 10 seconds required… 10…" the bridge crew carried out the order.
Blizzard Zero's bow giant gun bared itself now.
"Cut power to the starboard engines; full power to the port engines; turn in place. Bring our main gun to bear on that T2 Ishtar-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyer!" Zhao Chen commanded.
"Starboard engines cut, complete!"
"Port engines to full power, complete!"
Blizzard Zero, which had been sailing its arc, all at once threw a "brake-turn," its bow swinging straight around to face the pursuing interstellar pirate fleet.
This sudden move the pursuing pirate fleet had never anticipated.
Zhao Chen watched the targeting window his main gun was aimed through.
And the instant that red targeting ring overlapped that T2 Ishtar-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyer, he barked, "Fire!"
In an instant, the whole of Blizzard Zero gave a shudder.
Zhao Chen hadn't the leisure to check the result; he pressed straight on with the next order. "Restart the starboard engines; take Blizzard Zero into a 70-star-knot orbit around the enemy fleet — high-speed mobile hunting mode!"
"Understood!" the crewwoman at the helm cried confidently.
This so-called orbiting of the enemy fleet, this high-speed mobile hunting mode—
—was a tactic, when one's own ship held crushing speed superiority over the enemy, of relying on that overwhelming speed advantage to circle round and round the enemy fleet, keeping one's own ship, at any moment, within firing range of only a ship or two of theirs.
That way, one's own ship avoided taking the fire of the enemy fleet's entire strength all at once, and the risk of being hit was cut down enormously.
It demanded very high skill of the ship's helm — but luckily Blizzard Zero's speed was downright terrifying, and it held the absolute advantage!
Blizzard Zero was tearing along at high speed again; the whole maneuver took a mere 10 seconds, proof enough of the terror of this ship's mobility!
And only now did Zhao Chen find the moment to check the result of that shot.
He was somewhat surprised.
And some others, at this moment, were horror-struck.
For that T2 Ishtar's entire bow had vanished — where the bow should have been was now a great blasted crater, as though the ship had been beheaded.
And the surrounding interstellar pirate ships had witnessed the whole thing with their own eyes.
That target ship they'd been pursuing had suddenly wheeled about, and hard on the heels of the turn came a main-gun shot.
Against all expectation, one of the mere two T2 Ishtars in their whole fleet had, of all things, been slain in a single shot!
This, one should know, was a heavy interstellar destroyer.
"Heavy" meant a larger hull, stronger weapon firepower, and thicker hull armor besides.
And a T2 Ishtar-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyer of exactly that sort had, of all things, been killed by the enemy in a single shot.
"That's… that's a 1200mm cannon!" All at once, the captain of one of the interstellar pirate ships cried out over the internal shared comm channel.
The other pirate captains hurriedly brought up their deep-space telescopes to check.
And there, plain to see, at the bow of that target they'd been chasing, that Blizzard Zero — was a giant gun of terrifying caliber!
It was this very gun that had, a moment ago, destroyed the T2 Ishtar in a single shot.
"A single… T2 ship, and how could it possibly mount a giant gun of that caliber? Just what kind of monster ship is this!" The captain of a T1 Scythe-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer felt a chill crawl up his spine.
The higher-tier T2 Ishtar couldn't withstand that shot; his own T1 Scythe-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer, a tier below it — and a medium destroyer, at that.
Take one such shot, and the result could well be imagined.
"One shot every five minutes — let me count how many there are. One… two… three…" Zhao Chen counted off the enemy ships with a savage grin, for all the world like a man counting beans.