The three T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruisers charged at the very fore; but just as they were on the point of colliding with the withdrawing Warhammer interstellar legion fleet, the three T4 Vermilion Birds scattered in an instant, each veering off in its own direction to skirt around the Warhammer interstellar legion fleet.
At the same time, the 12 4,000mm-caliber medium electromagnetic railgun main cannons and 88 pulse-laser rapid-fire secondary cannons fitted to the three T4 Vermilion Birds locked onto the target ships within attack range.
Open fire!
Though these two weapon modules were but the main and secondary cannons, one must understand that these were the main and secondary cannons of a T4-grade ship!
Not a single T2-grade interstellar warship could withstand even one shot.
As for a T3-grade interstellar warship — that would depend on whether it was lucky: were it struck at some already-damaged hull-position, or where the hull armor was thin, then it had best pray for its own good fortune.
If it was lucky, and got its star shield up to defend first, it might hold out a few more blows.
But even that depended on the case: if all the main and secondary cannons locked onto a single T3-grade interstellar warship, then star shield or no, there was only the one ending.
Only, this sort of situation rarely arose, for the T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser's sailing speed was very high; in this kind of high-speed mobile combat, it would as a rule simply lock, at random, onto an enemy within firing range.
To an outsider's eye, it looked for all the world like three muck-stirring sticks stirring away, firing off shots every which way.
But you couldn't take these three muck-stirring sticks lightly, or they might well teach you the meaning of "a whole hillside of blossoming havoc."
And against this high-speed-moving T4 interstellar warship, the overwhelming majority of T3 and T2 interstellar warships found that, as a rule, they'd only just locked onto the target and hadn't yet gotten a shot off before the other side had already left firing range.
To attack it, one could only pray it would drive, without dodging or weaving, straight into their own fleet formation.
"Report — those three T4 interstellar cruisers of the enemy's are too fast. Most of our interstellar warships simply can't lock onto them. And the few of our interstellar warships that can lock on find it very hard, in the short term, to destroy the star shield of a T4-grade interstellar warship." a crew member reported this state of things anxiously to the Golden Eagle commander.
The Golden Eagle commander scratched at his head in vexation; already a scatter of feathers had fallen about his feet.
In this bare not-yet-an-hour, he'd shed more feathers than in the whole of the past year.
"Have the interstellar frigates hold the formation on the outer ring; the fleet keeps breaking out — pay them no mind!" the Golden Eagle commander said, holding down his fury.
This, likewise, was the order the Pig King commander had given.
And so the Golden Eagle commander could only watch, wide-eyed and helpless, as his interstellar warships were destroyed one after another.
Whether those three T4 interstellar cruisers meant it or not, there were plainly three columns of breakout legion fleets, and yet they'd fixed, of all things, on his.
The legion fleets of the Pig King commander and the Giant Ape commander suffered very little harassment.
"Report — a batch of interstellar warships has welled up ahead. The number's over 5,000!" a crew member reported in a panic.
The Golden Eagle commander's eyes went huge: "Another… another 5,000? You can't be serious. Just where in the world are these interstellar warships coming from!"
Hard as it was for the Golden Eagle commander to believe this reality — that a pack of 'beggars' he'd looked down on should, of all things, have so many strong, advanced interstellar warships — his mood at this moment was as though he'd eaten a mouthful of dung.
"Keep breaking out!" the Golden Eagle commander said through gritted teeth.
Unlike the harassment of the three T4 interstellar cruisers before, this time it was upward of 5,000 interstellar warships, and the number was still climbing — projected to reach 7,000 and more.
It amounted to a 'flood-dyke' thrown across the withdrawal route of the Warhammer legion fleet.
Only, since the ones breaking out here were 30,000-odd Warhammer interstellar warships, this 'flood-dyke' plainly hadn't the span to bar them all.
But no matter — Charlotte had no greedy notion of wholly annihilating this legion fleet-group.
After all, the Dragon-Tiger Legion she led was not fitted with the high-quality interstellar warships the Owl Dragon Legion had in active service; it could count only as a weakened-version 'Owl Dragon Legion.' To wholly annihilate Warhammer's 50,000 interstellar warships would carry no small difficulty.
To return to the point.
The 7,000-odd Dragon-Tiger Legion interstellar warships spread into formation, the T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigates thrust to the very front, the T2 interstellar warships of every model behind them arrayed in battle-order.
And there were, besides, some T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers ready at any moment to sortie!
"Intercept this batch of enemy interstellar warships." Charlotte, on the interstellar holo-table, drew a red circle round those Warhammer interstellar warships withdrawing from the Warhammer interstellar legion.
It looked a simple enough circle — but for the Warhammer interstellar warships within it, it would be a fate of death.
The battle unfolded as foreseen; the 7,000 Dragon-Tiger Legion interstellar warships, for all the world like a pair of invisible giant hands, pressed down straight upon this galloping beast.
At the same time, the three T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruisers on the flanks suddenly veered, plunging headlong into these Warhammer interstellar-warship masses — for all the world like three flying knives shearing through a bolt of cloth.
"Charge through! The interstellar warships at the front — attack for me, tear open the enemy's defensive line!" the Golden Eagle commander roared hysterically.
Never had he imagined he'd be so luckless.
The enemy had but this one blockade-line, and it was he, of all people, who'd run headlong into it.
And at this moment, the other two Warhammer interstellar fleets on his two flanks sailed on forward; the whole formation looked for all the world like the character 凹 — an open-mouthed box.
At a glance, it was rather the 7,000 Dragon-Tiger Legion interstellar warships charged with the interception that ran the risk of being encircled.
"Get me the two commanders! Request their support!" The Golden Eagle commander, looking at the interstellar holo-table, at once got in touch with the other two commanders.
In this situation, on the strength of his own interstellar warships alone, it would be very hard to break out.
But with a little support from the friendly fleets on his two flanks, then perhaps not only could he break out, but he might even make those 7,000-odd enemy interstellar warships pay a grievous price.
But the unimaginable happened.
Beside him, a crew member looked at the Golden Eagle commander in disbelief: "We… we can't reach the other two commanders."
At this news, the Golden Eagle commander's body gave a shudder.
He at once used his own private channel to reach those two commanders.
But, of all things, neither could be reached at all.
"Report! To our rear, those 300 T2 interstellar missile ships within the enemy fleet are about to enter firing range. It seems they mean to launch a missile bombardment upon our interstellar-warship masses!" a radar crew member reported in a panic.
The Golden Eagle commander looked at the situation on the interstellar holo-table, and understood it, wholly and at last.
He, and these interstellar warships of his, had been abandoned…