Chapter 144

Jason continues to ascend.

The silhouette of the 4th Interstellar Fleet swiftly recedes below.

“Nisia, how’s the 4th Fleet reacting?”

“It’s quiet. No particular reaction—”

Nisia stopped her response mid-sentence and firmly pressed the earpiece of her headset.

She seems to be concentrating on the sound of silence, blinking her eyes several times.

“Correction, it seems the 4th Fleet has also detected the Cryptids approaching and has begun firing.”

“Is there no pursuit?”

“Yeah.”

“Great, everything’s going according to plan. Good job, everyone!”

The key condition that this operation hinged upon was ensuring the complete blockage of cooperation between the 4th Interstellar Fleet and the 1st Interstellar Fleet.

We sent false information through Torric, and the video message directed at the 1st Fleet instead of the 4th Fleet due to their limited manpower was all part of our strategy to maximize the already growing gap between the two fleets.

Thanks to those efforts, the distrust and resentment the 4th Fleet harbored towards the 1st Fleet flared up precisely as observed in our last negotiation, leading to the 4th Fleet losing trust in the 1st.

Achieving that was already a win in itself, but it was still too early to relax.

‘Things definitely seem strained between them, but in a real crisis, they’ll probably cooperate anyway.’

After all, they’re still aliens from the same origin.

Even if their relationship has soured, the natural inclination for cooperation in the long term is still likely.

In preparation for the off-chance the plan failed, there was the strategy of luring the 4th Fleet using prisoners from the 3rd Fleet.

This strategy, known as the Mob Drive Operation, involved provoking the Cryptid swarm patrolling the ground so that it chased after the 4th Fleet, which would be actively engaged in rescuing prisoners, leading to direct combat between them.

This would force the 4th Fleet to deal with the Cryptids, thus buying us more time.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure it would go this smoothly when I first heard about this strategy…”

Edward trailed off.

“Edgar, it seems like you truly have the Goddess of Victory on your side.”

“Eh? Goddess of Victory?”

“Haven’t you heard? They call you that in the forward base and among the Four Morning Stars.”

“Oh…”

Edward scratched his cheek. The comparison to deities made him slightly embarrassed, but it was nice to be appreciated.

As that thought crossed his mind, he wondered idly if the others also had this impression.

“Just out of curiosity, do you guys think the same?”

“Not to that extent, but there’s one thing that’s definite.”

Edward’s reply.

“What’s that?”

“There’s no one among your peers who sees you as anything other than extraordinary.”

“Huh? Really?”

As he turned his head to see the nods of everyone in the command bridge, Edward couldn’t help but feel curious about Sola’s nod.

“Exactly. An ordinary person could never mingle freely with such extraordinary individuals like the President or the Commander-in-Chief.”

“Hmm? Is that so?”

Upon reflection, Edward realized Nisia was right.

“Because you’re amazing.”

“Sita’s right. Edgar, you truly are extraordinary.”

“Indeed.”

As Jack nodded slightly with a faint smile in agreement with Nisia’s comment, Edgar felt an itchy sensation and scratched his cheek. Remembering they were in the middle of an operation, he refocused.

“This isn’t the time for this. Nisia, could you tell Ms. Freya our side is going well and her operation should proceed as planned?”

“Sure.”

Nisia skillfully handled the equipment.

“Jack, we should head towards the destroyer as planned.”

“Got it.”

The current condition of the 4th Fleet, under heavy attack from the Cryptids, left it exceptionally vulnerable, but we had no intention of attacking them.

After all, the 4th Fleet was, in some sense, a great friend acting as a levy by drawing attention away from the invaders and Cryptids.

Why sabotage such a friendlessly efficient operation?

Thus, our target was initially restricted to the 1st Interstellar Fleet alone.

And if everything went according to plan, our operation would ensure a decisive advantage against the two alien fleets.

“Alright, this is where the real game starts. Everyone, stay focused!”

Above the vast sky,

A red flagship at the center of a formation of golden ships draws attention.

The Earth flagship, the Red Lion.

This warship from the 3rd Interstellar Assault Fleet once stood as a symbol of the invader but has now been reclaimed by humanity as a weapon of defense and offense.

Inside the command bridge,

Preya, sitting still in the towering command chair, eyes closed, waited for a single piece of information without moving a muscle.

Time passed quietly.

“Admiral!”

The communication soldier’s voice interrupted Preya’s meditation. She opened her eyes slowly.

“Yes, is it Edu’s report?”

“It is! Colonel Edu has successfully completed the mission and is moving to join the decoy fleet!”

“Great! Then it’s our turn. All ships, mobilize and launch beyond the atmosphere!”

“Understood. All ships, mobilize and launch beyond the atmosphere!”

The deputy commander repeated Preya’s order.

The communication soldier relayed the message across the fleet, ships adjusting their angles skyward.

Massive engines roared, and the colossal ships ascended towards space.

The blue sky surrounding Earth gradually receded below them, replaced by the dark cloak of space enveloping the fleet.

All ships successfully crossed the atmosphere and settled at Earth’s satellite orbit.

“Let’s check the formation first.”

“Yes! Realign the formation!”

Though slightly disarrayed by the atmosphere crossing, the lines were quickly corrected as ships adjusted their positions to perfect the formation—a compact horizontal formation.

Preya understood a horizontal formation wasn’t ideal in a mismatched force scenario, but her plans weren’t limited by it.

“Formation realignment complete, Admiral.”

“All troops, battle stations.”

“Yes! All personnel, battle stations!”

Beeep—

A unique siren echoed across the ship.

Then the communication soldier’s voice broadcast throughout the ship:

“Battle stations, all personnel to their battle stations!”

Commanders and soldiers swiftly moved to their designated posts.

Experience honed by rigorous training paid off, and battle readiness was quickly established.

Moments later, the communications officer turned to Preya.

“Admiral, all personnel are in place and fully prepared for battle!”

“Fleet, full speed ahead. Let’s move toward the target!”

“Fleet, forward at full speed! Increase speed!”

Preya’s fleet confidently moved ahead.

Toward the coordinates where the 1st Interstellar Fleet was stationed, humanity’s first offensive began.

…

Wooom-

An ominous sound reverberated within the orbital station.

“Hm?”

Still scowling, Ligerda’s eyes slowly opened.

She turned abruptly toward the door.

Just then, the observatory door opened, and an insect-like alien rushed in.

The alien’s antennae trembled.

“Tumhan? What’s wrong?”

Always calm, Tumhan now seemed hurried, prompting Ligerda to speak, but he didn’t reply.

The kind of mistake he’d never usually make.

From that, Ligerda instinctively realized something unusual was happening.

“Admiral! Something serious has happened!”

“What is it?”

“The 3rd Fleet! No, enemies have appeared!”

“The enemies…!?”

Ligerda’s eyes widened.

“This place is dangerous. Let’s go to the command bridge!”

“Right, this way!”

Tumhan led the way, and Ligerda followed.

The lack of recent combat reduced Ligerda’s visits to the command bridge, making the setting feel slightly unfamiliar as she entered.

All soldiers stood up from their posts and saluted, but Ligerda gestured casually, signaling them to continue their work.

Feeling secure at the bridge now, Ligerda turned to Tumhan.

“So, what did you want to say earlier?”

“It’s just as I said. Ships belonging to the 3rd Interstellar Fleet are rapidly approaching from the front.”

“The 3rd Fleet… Could it be…?!”

“Yes, enemies.”

Tumhan’s response made Ligerda ponder carefully.

“What’s the enemy’s strength?”

“The estimate has just been finalized. They consist of two carriers, five battleships, twelve cruisers, twenty destroyers, and ten transport ships.”

“Hmm?”

Upon hearing Tumhan’s assessment, Ligerda tilted her head in bewilderment.

Suspicion crept into her expression, replacing her earlier deliberateness.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“Hmph…”

Ligerda was initially startled by the word ‘ambush.’

But after hearing the specifics of the enemy forces, her mind only grew more confused.

‘So, with just that kind of strength? Why?’

Though taking over the 3rd Interstellar Fleet was impressive, it had already been heavily weakened while performing conquest missions.

In contrast, Ligerda’s 1st Interstellar Fleet remained untarnished, still holding full strength.

Thus, in purely numerical terms, the 1st Fleet held a dominant edge.

“What’s the enemy’s projected time of arrival?”

“In twenty-five minutes, they should reach us. Just in case, I’ve already given the command to wake all ships from cryo-sleep.”

“Well done.”

Twenty-five minutes: relatively short or long depending on how one looked at it.

But there was ample time to prepare defenses against the foe.

‘Their plans must be more complex, but numbers don’t lie. So, I’ll face them openly while uncovering their real intent.’

Space was their main battlefield, after all.

Up to this point, Ligerda and the 1st Fleet had purposefully avoided combat but not out of fear but to avoid unnecessary losses.

“How much longer until all our ships are ready?”

“They should be ready in around fifteen minutes.”

“Once everything is set, we’ll deploy our formation to intercept the approaching enemy fleet. Prepare for fleet combat.”

“As you wish, Admiral!”