Chapter 9

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Chapter 9: The Empire’s Counterattack

"Why are they declaring us as losers again?"

The commander of the red team had bloodshot eyes, filled with veins. The battles in recent days felt like an ordinary player competing with a cheater in a game. They pursued a near-impossible victory. After making several commanders cry and switching engineering and science teams three times, finally, he managed to capture and destroy the blue team’s flagship. It should have been a victory, right?

However, the directing team still declared them losers. The reason being, "The blue team’s flagship used a hive modular design. So, although your simultaneous shots successfully hit the opponent’s core area, it missed the command module. The enemy commander, after leaving the battlefield, reconstructed the command system rapidly using a skeleton structure within thirty minutes. You were left with less than 1/10 of your forces, with no chance of winning against the enemy’s advantage and encirclement."

Oh, come on! The red team commander was confused, "Wait, how could they rebuild a ship that was destroyed? This universality and accuracy are just too much, aren’t they?"

"You still don’t get it. Alien technology!"

"……."

Damn it! He was almost the last among the three red team commanders to break down. The American commander lost his mind first. This was no longer a drill; it was like an interrogation! Next was the Russian commander. They held on a little longer than the Americans but eventually collapsed, only saying, "Why don’t you go to the KGB?" before dropping out of the exercise.

However, the directorate did not continue their rehearsal. With each creative hurdle overcome, the original starship design draft was revised at least twenty times, eventually achieving the desired goal.

Continuing on, the challenge was not the experiences endured, but rather the continuous recruitment and the elite forces left standing after crumbling in the one-sided battles. This included not only the military elite, but also experts from various institutions. Those who had lost their minds were so numerous that they almost filled a madhouse.

After enduring such torment, some of the prototype warships were kept as memorabilia, some continued in service to bridge a temporary gap, and some were decommissioned after removing weapons. These might be sold to private companies to recover some costs and serve as prizes for the dawn of a new era of exploration.

Knowing capitalists well, these companies would not let the starships gather dust after acquiring them at discounted prices. They would harness their full creativity and enthusiasm, utilizing them in various ways, benefiting the nation and humanity as a whole.

Next, the officially approved starships began construction, and members of the newly established Space Force were selected. The elite who had excelled in the exercises were promoted to become key military officers. Together with additional elite personnel chosen from the air force, navy, and recruited from top universities (as operating high-tech weaponry requires certain qualifications), a solid foundation was established.

In the spirit of not putting all eggs in one basket, both China and the United States opted for opposite directions in terms of ship style and weapon selection. They also had different ideas on fleet formation, while Russia and Europe combined elements of both approaches, each with their own emphasis.

This strategy ensured that even if unexpected situations arose in future exercises, humanity would not be caught off guard. It allowed the survival of the human race for a while longer, even if just for a few years, "As long as we survive the initial wave, we can then adapt and overcome any challenges!"

Following a somewhat intense debate at the United Nations, the United States announced the simultaneous construction of three large and three small official starships. This included two main battle cruisers, one flagship, and three escort ships. The plan aimed to complete the construction of twenty main battle cruisers and six flagships within two fiscal years, along with complementary air-and-spaceborne crafts, landing craft, marine equipment, and ongoing logistics ship bidding, which at present, few capable companies had entered.

Soon after, China announced its shipbuilding plan to launch fourteen escort ships and a large starship in a single phase. Subsequently, over the next three years, they aimed to build one to two large starships annually and at least five escort ships. In comparison to the United States, China’s shipbuilding scale was not as extensive.

To be precise, not much investment has been made in battleships. After all, the starships are just the first version, there might be some big changes later. It’s better to wait and see what happens in the United States first, as they usually take the lead when things go wrong.

Afterwards, Russia and Europe have much smaller shipbuilding plans. Russia plans to have four large starships in service within three years, while the UK and France each plan to have two. The UK may consider increasing its plan in the third year, depending on the situation. This is not just about industrial or economic strength, but a very practical issue:

Their main ethnic populations are smaller, so there are fewer people to choose from for their Space Force. In modern Europe where ethnic and religious conflicts are prominent, their leadership wouldn’t hand over the starships to descendants of refugees or non-mainstream ethnic groups unless they’ve lost their minds. Imagine if the aliens never show up, but instead you have a space colony seeking independence, or a Space Force rebellion – that would be quite ridiculous.

Comparatively, Russia, with their strong governance but soft appearance, and the United States, seeming democratic and free but actually strict and authoritarian, seem to be better off. At least until their own strength declines significantly, no one dares to challenge them openly. This time, there’s no American Dad backing them up, and who knows, maybe the American Dad would welcome a clueless chicken to come forward and get dealt with – "Protesters? Washington Square, check it out."

The new version of starships doesn’t have many changes in appearance. For onlookers, any changes made are hard to notice. The overall design still follows geometric shapes that greatly reduce radar reflection, but it appears softer than before. The ship’s bow, sharp in shape perhaps out of habit or another reason, still remains flat at the bottom for landing, loading and unloading cargo, and hosting marines. The upper part gradually rises, forming a gentle arch, then sharply decreases at the waist before extending into a slightly sloped square stern.

There’s a noticeable waist-like structure in the ship’s middle that shrinks towards the center on both sides. From the official concept drawings, it seems like a passage for drones or carrier-based aircraft to enter and exit, or possibly slots for installing large weapons. The aft section appears almost elliptical in cross-section, housing the ship’s propulsion system for maximizing the use of the Space Displacer. The designers have cleverly combined this with the turbojet engines.

During normal operation, the nuclear reactor-powered rotors provide movement by conserving fuel and payload. This advanced technology engine gives power for forward and directional maneuvers when needed. In cases of emergency, the boost combustion system is activated, injecting high-temperature gas to further accelerate rotor speed and provide greater forward thrust. However, this overload flight mode causes significant damage to the engine and is only used in emergencies.

If we must say, the ship gives the spectators a feeling that if some swirling, whimsical curved panels are added outside, along with some hollowing of the hull and embedding of glass, it could pass off as a replica of a certain spearing weapon, at least from a distance it might look eighty percent alike. Ah, of course with a lot of LED lights and a golden hue added.

On the other hand, the American starships have a somewhat retro style, not really in line with their usual fashion sense. They look a bit like enlarged baseball bats, probably due to differences in the weapon and defense systems used by both sides. As for the kind of advanced technology or mischief hidden in these two starships, that’s something the onlookers wouldn’t know.

After all, they were just concept designs now; the shipyard hadn’t even started building the keel. This time, it wasn’t just a plastic toy ship with polymer keel. As for what the actual ship would look like, no one could guarantee. It’s like finding a movie online, being lured in by a beautiful cover, then after finally downloading it, as long as it’s not a scrambled cartoon it’s considered good, and it’s normal to see a completely different character from the cover.

In the year 2075, on October 15th, in the Imperial Capital of the Kloros Empire.

After a full half year had passed, His Majesty the Emperor only learned from his prime minister that the exploration mission to the faraway galaxy on the edge of the Milky Way, composed of the empire’s most elite navy fleet and the best Royal Guards, had failed. According to regulations, the exploration fleet would periodically launch a "message bottle" into the Dimensional Corridor, and after some time, the astronomers in the Imperial Observatory would receive the bottle, obtaining the fleet’s direction and a general situation report.

However, it had almost been 3 months since the last message bottle, and the exploration fleet still hadn’t received any communication. This couldn’t be explained by scenarios like the bottle being picked up or interfered with by other dimensional ships. Although the official government still kept the public in the dark, making them think the empire’s elites were conquering new territories, nobles, court officials, and others had already guessed that the exploration fleet was likely facing grave danger.

"Gentlemen, has there been any news from the fleet?" Emperor Claude, known as the "Lion," opened his clouded eyes and looked at the ministers below, a predatory air about him brewing with anger. "Is it a dimensional storm? Or an enemy ambush? Or…" The Emperor gazed over the silent crowd below, voicing what everyone had thought but dared not say, "…betrayal?"

Indeed, whether it be a dimensional storm or an ambush, such a large fleet couldn’t have vanished without a trace. With no information coming back, the only possibility was that the fleet had betrayed the empire, with the traitors taking control of the warships, arresting and executing all loyal to the Emperor. There was no option to escape or return on a spaceship once on board.

Therefore, if it was betrayal, it was entirely feasible that no messages would leak out. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, especially considering the Emperor descended from a former Vice Admiral of the navy. Surely, what led to his ascension to Emperor wasn’t entirely known, right? This was why the Emperor had his devoted Imperial Guard serve as marines.

Yet now, it seemed even the Imperial Guards might not be entirely loyal. No, the Emperor suddenly thought, "Perhaps the Guards are loyal to the crown, but… their second master might be one of my troublesome and incompetent sons."

As an Emperor with an exceptionally long reign, with his eldest son on the brink of becoming a grandfather, he knew full well the suffering his sons endured in the seemingly endless wait, hoping that one day he would close his eyes and never open them again, longing for his beloved elder brothers or dear younger brothers to join him once he shut his eyes.

To achieve this, there must be a base, a not too big or too small army, one that can quickly appear near the capital after an unexpected death, then control the Imperial Capital, and gain power in that position. Claude sneered in his heart, unable to see the cunning of those few underestimated fools. Yes, their efforts are commendable but… fools are still fools!

"Orders," Claude paused with his scepter, "The newly formed Eighth Fleet of the navy will set out immediately, searching along the direction of the exploration team. If encountering enemies who have destroyed the exploration team or confirming betrayal within the team, eliminate them without mercy." The Eighth Fleet, mostly made up of soldiers promoted from civilians after overcoming restrictions from the Senate, does not have as many factions and complex relationships as the older established fleets for now.

Clear about the abilities of his useless sons, even if they manage a couple of clever tricks, the idea of infiltrating an entire fleet in such a short time under his watchful eyes… Ha, to have that ability, he would have died in bed from a "sudden illness" long ago, with a "loyal" "dutiful son" holding the heirloom by his side.

"Come, let the emperor give you the most important lesson. Before having enough power to turn the tables, it’s best to keep your tails tightly tucked!" The emperor looked coldly at the messenger rushing out of the court to convey his orders. Despite the elite status of the exploration fleet, they only represent a quarter of one of the four governors’ star sector fleets in the empire. Faced with the fully equipped Eighth Fleet with the latest weapons and technology, their only fate is complete annihilation.

Empire, Imperial Capital military port

"General, the emperor wants you to depart immediately."

"Hmm, understood." A tall figure with bronze skin rose from the soft mattress, pushed away the serving slave by his side, put on the magnificent uniform as the fleet commander. Being a Nico, a conquered race of the empire, starting as a mere slave to now commanding one of the eleven main fleets of the empire except for the retired relics and martyrs, less than twenty naval admirals. It is truly a miracle.

Therefore, his loyalty to the emperor who elevated him from a slave to an officer and watched him grow into a fleet commander is beyond doubt. Similarly, for his former life as a slave, for all the suffering endured by the Nico, he holds the Senate and those conservative nobles accountable. Also, considering these damn nobles always looking down on him and the whole Eighth Fleet, Caste feels no psychological pressure in eliminating his former colleagues- those from the exploration fleet. In fact, he feels a hint of satisfaction and excitement.