novelODS Chapter 69 Naval Battle at Lagrange Point on Mars!
Chapter 69 Naval Battle at Lagrange Point on Mars!
Chapter 69 Naval Battle at Lagrange Point on Mars!
Mars L4 outpost.
Fourth Fleet Commander Armand de La Roche stood in the center of the flagship's bridge, watching the three red pressure lines gradually tighten from the edge of the tactical map, his face extremely grim.
"The entire fleet is on first-level combat readiness."
He stared at the First Fleet's main course, his voice low and cold.
"Heavy cruiser formation move forward, destroyers deploy air defense arrays, frigates protect the carrier's flanks, and patrol gunboats do not leave the mother ship's fire control radius. All SA squadrons enter catapult standby, electronic warfare departments immediately cut off unauthorized communications, and any ship that turns without command's permission will be treated as a defector."
A chorus of responses quickly rang out from the bridge, and orders were relayed out one after another, but Armand knew it was already too late.
He recalled that two days earlier, Lucien Veders had stood on this very bridge and said they were fighting a war they could never win.
"Commander, if we save people but lose land, we can save both people and land."
Wade's voice was calm at the time.
"The Fourth Fleet is our last bargaining chip. As long as the Fourth Fleet remains intact, we still have the leverage to negotiate, or even go into exile."
"We should immediately lead our fleet out of the Mars constellation and into the asteroid belt to await Terra's response."
Armand nearly drew his gun at that moment.
The Fourth Fleet is the direct line of the Holy Cardinals and the last banner of the Holy Navy. How could it turn around and run away when the Sky Destroyers have just established themselves?
The entire army is now chanting the call to sacrifice themselves for the faith, preferring to die for the Holy Cardinals rather than surrender to the Sky Drive!
For Vader to suggest retreat at this time was tantamount to causing chaos in the army's morale. He originally wanted to drag Vader to the bridge and shoot him on the spot.
But the officers below all stood up to plead for him. Wade had a high reputation in the Fourth Fleet and was a captain who had risen through the ranks. Many people had been promoted by him.
If the enemy is executed at this point, the Fourth Fleet may face unrest.
More importantly, Armand and Vade were classmates since their youth, later joined the navy together, served at L4 together, and were promoted together by the Holy Cardinals.
So Armand finally suppressed his anger and only ordered Vader to be locked in the flagship's solitary chamber, to be dealt with after the situation stabilized.
The very next day, Vader ran off with a Watchtower-class destroyer.
Enraged, Armand dispatched four destroyers in pursuit. Ironically, the one that escaped and the four that gave chase managed to evade the first encirclement by the combined punitive fleet.
He himself, along with the main force of the Fourth Fleet, was blocked outside the L4 base by three fleets.
Worse still, the distress call sent to Terra also failed to yield any substantial results.
Terra first condemned the interim government of the Skydrives with righteous indignation, claiming that the Martian coup disrupted human order and damaged the stability of the solar system.
Subsequently, the Terran administrative council stated that an emergency meeting was needed to assess the situation on Mars and consider its next course of action.
Armand nearly smashed the terminal when he saw the response.
"These idiots!!!"
He muttered a curse under his breath, his eye twitching slightly.
The people in Terra were secretly delighted.
Those fools were convinced that the Martian political scene would be turned upside down, the College of Cardinals would be wiped out, the Navy would be torn apart, and for at least the next eight to ten years, Mars would have no strength left to pose any threat to Terra.
But even a fool like them should know that the Red Bandit leader sitting at the highest point of the Olympus Hub would be content with being just a Martian tyrant in a remote corner.
No, he would never!
This damned Red bandit leader is consolidating all the forces on Mars at a speed that no one could have predicted.
Once Mars is fully integrated, Terra will become his next, and inevitable, target for conquest!
Now is clearly the time for both sides to unite and suppress the Skydrives, yet those idiots in Terra still want to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight?!
Armand looked up at the tactical map.
The First Fleet's frontal pressure line has entered the brink of long-range engagement, the Second Fleet is cutting off the route back to the inner Martian zone, and the Third Fleet is positioned across the path to the asteroid belt.
If the three lines continue to advance, the Fourth Fleet will soon be forced into a narrow, immobile window.
He knew that Zhang Qiming had already put a knife to the neck of the Fourth Fleet.
"Commander, the joint punitive fleet has sent an ultimatum."
The communications officer's voice came from behind him. Armand didn't turn around, but simply said one word: "Read it."
The communications officer paused for a moment, then spoke: "The Supreme Commander of the Provisional Government of Mars orders the Fourth Fleet to immediately deactivate fire control, cease all unauthorized maneuvers, and grant bridge communication access and ship identification codes."
"Those who voluntarily relinquish control of their ships will retain their military status and be subject to reorganization into the new navy."
Upon hearing this, Armand's face instead revealed a cold smile.
"Retain military status?"
He raised his hand and pressed it on the command console, his gaze sweeping over the uneasy-looking officers on the bridge.
"The Skywards killed the Holy Cardinals, and now they want us to hand over our fleet and kneel before their commander like a pack of dogs?"
He suddenly raised his voice.
"Reply to them that the Fourth Fleet refuses to accept orders from the rebel regime. All ships, lock onto the main course of the First Fleet."
"Tell those Red bandits, we would rather die a glorious death than live a shameful life!!!"
The communications officer turned pale, but immediately sent the order to the entire fleet channel.
The next second, the fire control array of the Fourth Fleet flagship lit up, and the remaining four destroyers, twelve frigates, and twenty patrol gunboats simultaneously disarmed their weapons.
With the carrier's catapult track opened, fifty-six sea-based SAs began their sortie sequence, including more than ten heavy-armored assault SAs armed with anti-ship missiles, armor-piercing torpedoes, and close-range anti-ship missiles, which were launched directly toward the main course of the First Fleet.
Flagship of the First Fleet of the Joint Expeditionary Fleet.
Zhang Nanhai stood in the center of the command bridge, with Dongfang Yao, the commander of the First Fleet, standing to the side, and Zhang Qiming's virtual projection also appearing in the bridge.
On the tactical light screen in front of the bridge, the fire control signals of the Fourth Fleet lit up one by one, and the trajectory of the enemy's SA catapult was marked as a glaring red line.
Ares and Chiseiro gave their hints almost simultaneously.
The Fourth Fleet has refused to surrender.
[Enemy fire control system deactivated; capital ships begin locking onto the First Fleet!]
[Enemy sea-based SA launch completes; heavily armed assault SA carrying anti-ship weapons approaches!]
The Second Fleet has initiated electronic suppression and machine spirit interference.
[Saint Sophia is suppressing enemy carrier-based aircraft. Enemy sensor lock-on efficiency has decreased. Forward fire control lock-on has been released!]
[The Third Fleet has entered the strike zone; anti-ship SA has been deployed; the outer escape lane is now under fire control coverage.]
In Stellaris, SAs certainly can't engage in head-on combat with ships using conventional cannons like capital ships, but a mature aerospace tactical system never treats SAs merely as tools for dogfighting.
They are the fleet's high-speed anti-ship spearhead, relying on extremely high maneuverability to break through defenses, and then using heavy anti-ship missiles, armor-piercing torpedoes, and close-range anti-ship weapons to strike shield nodes, radar arrays, propulsion nozzles, and weak areas of the ship's hull.
The sea-based SA has the capability to directly destroy frigates and destroyers.
They can also cause localized paralysis against targets larger than cruisers, and even inflict fatal damage after a breach forms in the shields.
Zhang Nanhai looked at the approaching red trails, his voice steady.
"The joint punitive fleet received hostile actions from the enemy and determined that the Fourth Fleet had entered a state of active engagement."
He raised his hand and pressed down the operational authorization.
"First Fleet, enter engagement procedure—heavy cruisers advance, destroyers deploy medium- and long-range anti-aircraft barrages, frigates close to the outer edge of the aircraft carrier, and patrol gunboats suppress the close-range interception line."
"The electronic reconnaissance ship locks onto the enemy's catapult trajectory, and all air defense arrays prioritize clearing out the heavily armed assault SA."
"Long-range firepower opened fire according to the predetermined numbers."
The moment the order was given, the First Fleet's six heavy electromagnetic guns completed calibration, rows of vertical launch system covers on the destroyers opened, and the close-in weapon systems on the frigates began to rotate continuously.
There is no air in space, so the sound of the explosion cannot reach the bridge. Only the ripples of the shields exploding one after another and the exhaust flames of the shattered propulsion systems on the light screen look like a string of cut fire wires in the darkness.
The first batch of heavy assault SAs of the Fourth Fleet crashed head-on into the anti-aircraft barrage.
The frigates' point-defense lasers and the patrol gunboats' close-in electromagnetic railguns fired simultaneously, creating a dense barrage of projectiles that formed a crisscrossing fire net in deep space.
But the SA was not a cumbersome warship. A dozen heavily armed assault SAs changed course continuously, their propulsion backpacks spewing short white flames as the aircraft zigzagged rapidly along the blind spots of the fire control system, tearing a path of attack through the fleet's air defenses.
Only three SAs were destroyed on the spot.
boom-!!!
boom-!!!
boom-!!!
There is no sound medium in a vacuum, so these few booming sounds are somewhat imagined.
Death in space is always terrifyingly quiet; all destruction occurs silently in the vacuum.
Players from the previous generation found this silence very unsettling; fighting a battle felt like watching a silent film, offering no sense of immersion whatsoever.
So, once players had amassed their first private spaceship, the first thing they did was equip it with a full set of battlefield sound effects, all in order to experience the thrill of space battles with roaring cannons, just like in science fiction movies.
Zhang Qiming had previously installed a complete battlefield sound system, so much so that now, when he sees this kind of deathly silent space battle, he always subconsciously imagines the corresponding explosion sounds.
At this moment, the remaining heavy assault SAs of the Fourth Fleet continued to advance. Just as they were preparing to strike the First Fleet's escort line, the First Fleet's own aerospace interceptor SAs rushed directly towards them.
Several enemy SAs were destroyed on the spot by the aerospace interceptor SA.
One after another, the red and black Mars II fighter jets simultaneously entered the battlefield, their propulsion exhaust streaking into short beams of light in deep space.
The two sides' SAs collided at the outer edge of the fleet's fire control circle. Beam rifles, anti-ship warheads, solid blades, and interceptor missiles erupted in an alternating burst. What was originally an anti-ship attack aimed directly at the ship instantly turned into a mobile strangulation battle in front of the fleet formation.
The interference from the Second Fleet also took effect at this time.
Saint Sophia's [Words of the Machine God] invaded the enemy's carrier-based machine soul along the tactical link laid out by Ares. The radar arrays of several escort ships of the Fourth Fleet briefly lost their synchronization, and the fire control lock box shook violently on the tactical map.
The missile launch window, originally aimed at the First Fleet, was delayed by several seconds. With the added boost from Zhang Nanhai's [Calm Strategist] ability, the First Fleet gained the initiative.
Meanwhile, [Artillery Mastery] + [Dragon Slayer Gate] maximized the damage output, and the First Fleet locked onto the large ships and flagship escort units at the forefront of the Fourth Fleet, launching a concentrated attack.
boom-!!!
The silent gunfire resumed.
The first salvo from the heavy cruiser's main guns tore through the shield of a frigate, and heavy electromagnetic projectiles penetrated the bow armor, causing the entire frigate to disintegrate from the bow section.
The second wave of destroyers followed up with vertical launch systems, and multiple anti-ship warheads streaked into the patrol gunboat group, instantly exploding three patrol gunboats into pieces.
The third round of long-range electromagnetic railgun fire was launched again, and the side of a destroyer attempting to cover the retreat was repeatedly penetrated. The reactor protection compartment was depressurized, and the hull broke in two in a brief flash.
That's the terrifying thing about having the first move and maxed-out attack speed!
Before the enemy's fire control system could fully lock on, the Sky Destroyers had already completed three rounds of saturation attacks. In just one round, the Fourth Fleet's vanguard defenses were completely breached.
Meanwhile, the Second Fleet also stepped up its efforts.
The Saint Sophia has already put the carrier-based aircraft of the Second Fleet into a highly active state. At this moment, the fire control computing links of the entire ship are unobstructed, and the main gun calibration speed is three times faster.
After the [Precision Strike] was superimposed on the fleet's firepower, the first round of flank salvo from the Second Fleet directly tore through the shield of a frigate in the Fourth Fleet. Subsequent anti-ship warheads penetrated the hull through the breach, and the entire ship burst into a white light on its side.
Almost simultaneously, Jonathan's Third Fleet had already completed a fatal diagonal cut from outer airspace.
With the speed buff from [Raging Wave Vanguard], the entire fleet drew a perfect interception arc.
Just as the opposing frigates were about to turn, Jonathan's exclusive trait [Bullet Time] suddenly triggered.
The entire battlefield slowed down to a gel-like state in his eyes—he observed the enemy ships' turning angles, the flames from their engine nozzles, the weak points in their shields' energy, and the best attack windows for anti-ship SAs.
So, JOJO began to micromanage his SA fleet.
"Anti-ship SAs, spread out and launch a mobile attack according to my instructions!"
As soon as Jonathan gave the order, the anti-ship SAs released by the Third Fleet spread out along the asteroid belt, like a flock of falcons flying close to the reefs, and darted in from the flank and rear of the Fourth Fleet.
At that moment, the fleet's first wave of armor-piercing torpedoes just managed to penetrate the stern shield of a frigate. Two subsequent SAs approached the breach and fired close-range ramming nails into the propulsion compartment, extinguishing the entire frigate's exhaust flames on the spot.
Another patrol gunboat attempted to turn around and intercept, but was locked onto by the Third Fleet's fire control radar and subsequently subjected to crossfire from three SAs. The ship broke in two in a brief flash.
The enemy fleet's rating also appeared before Zhang Qiming's eyes.
[Fourth Fleet: ★☆]
It's such a pity that we can't recruit a fleet of one and a half stars to our own use.
Zhang Qiming knew that the commander of the Fourth Fleet was not blind to the situation.
The other side certainly knew that the College of Cardinals was rotten to the core, and that surrendering now would still offer them a way out, but in the end they still chose to die for their faith.
I had no other choice but to give in to the other party's wishes.
"Armand, take your loyalty with you to the Holy Cardinals below, and remember to give them my regards."
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