10 Opening Fire
The original plan had been for the Third Fleet's fleet to encircle the super-sized entity known as 'Stalt.'
Contact at the scheduled orbital zone. Tactical deployment plans and corresponding simulations.
Preparations were complete.
The operation was immediately thwarted by Stalt's overlight appearing directly in the fleet's center.
"Detecting spatial vibration! Super-massive overlight!"
"Full fleet turn! Evade!"
The fleet commander shouts from the bridge of the Longinus-class Mobile Battleship 'Gay Volk.'
The order is sound.
Yet there is insufficient time.
The super-sized entity appears at the fleet's core. Its length spans three hundred kilometers.
Any object of such magnitude appearing suddenly will inevitably displace what lies in its path.
Fleets become ineffective when too dispersed to respond instantly.
Thus, a certain degree of density is maintained.
What happens when the two are combined.
The warship is forced back by the sudden appearance of a colossal entity, colliding and entangling, its formation breaking apart.
The fleet commander issues orders, enduring the tremors.
Transition to Pattern D2! Realign all ship formations!
The operational plan includes scenarios such as this one—
The optimal scenario is a fleet encountering the enemy during standard navigation and encircling them.
The worst case this time, conversely.
The opponent has charged in before our preparations were complete.
"Forward to the shield vessel! Enemy fire incoming!"
Stalt shudders its massive frame.
The mere movement caused the Rosario-class cruiser still in contact to erupt in flames.
Amidst the crowded fleet, a shield vessel—specialized for etherfield deployment—steps forward.
Attack capability falls short even of a Nail-class destroyer, but defense performance claims to exceed that of a Lombardia-class battleship.
Glowing lights pulse across the gray, elongated body.
In response, the shield vessel begins deploying etherfields from each position.
An instant later, a brilliance like that of a star ignites at the vessel’s core.
Countless ether projectiles—too many to count.
One hit from an assault frame would obliterate it.
Even a Lombardia-class battleship would sustain critical damage if struck directly without deflecting the etherfield.
“Field deployment!”
‘Gay Volk’ cannot afford to stand idle.
The deployed etherfield deflects the shower-like barrage.
Yet one must not forget.
Even when Jin and the others encountered it before, they managed to evade.
The issue lies in the time.
Stalt can sustain an attack of this scale indefinitely.
In contrast, maintaining the fleet's Ether Field at all times is impractical.
A test of endurance favors no one.
Hence the shield vessel. Slow-moving, firepower negligible.
Yet its defensive capability is unmatched.
So too is its endurance.
Stalt's limits remain unknown.
Even so, by placing the shield vessel at the forefront, the fleet gains the freedom to maneuver boldly.
"Ether Cannon ready! Target data linked. Aim—enemy super-sized variant!"
The fleet begins targeting Stalt with their individual Ether Cannons.
Concealed behind the shield vessel, they channel Ether generated by massive reactors into the gun barrels.
A single target point on Stalt is relayed through the fleet's data link.
Simultaneous fire from dozens of vessels.
The artillery barrage, fueled by ether on a scale comparable to Stalt’s earlier assault—yet yielded negligible results.
……Indeed, ineffective against this magnitude.
Damage was undeniable.
Stalt’s armor, pierced by the ether-embedded rounds, ruptured and peeled away, exposing the interior.
But that was all.
The destroyed area amounted to a mere ten thousand cubic meters—equivalent to a hundred-meter edge.
Even at this rate, destroying a body three hundred kilometers long would require three thousand repetitions. Far from sufficient.
Moreover, regeneration had already begun.
The target was simply too large.
No matter how much surface material was removed, regeneration outpaced the destruction.
ASID regeneration had limits.
It did not create matter from nothing—only relocated material from another section of the body to fill the void.
Therefore. Theoretically, repeating this should be enough to bring it down—but by the time we do, the human side will have already conceded.
Still, damage is damage.
The human side surged—Stalt grew agitated.
“Here it comes!”
A voice alerts.
Jin’s earlier intelligence.
A super-large caliber weapon capable of sinking a warship in one shot.
If the target is a star, this time it will be a supernova explosion.
The concentrated, maximum-scale Ether Cannon pierces the shield vessel.
The Ether Field disperses the impact.
Horribly, the shockwave alone sank one unfortunate cruiser.
After what felt like an endless barrage.
The shield vessel—endured.
It withstood an attack that even a Lombardia-class battleship might not have survived.
We can make it.
That sense spread through the hull.
If there is a way to block the opponent's attack.
And if there is a way to penetrate this attack.
At least it will be a fight.
Even with such hope held in mind.
The second shot came.
The shield vessel barely endured the immediate aftermath—then collapsed under the strain.
Everyone had misjudged him.
That is a full-power attack even for a super-large-class unit. Therefore, rapid fire is impossible.
I had misjudged it.
The sheer scale of their combat capability had been entirely misjudged.
Enemy, adjusting reactor output prediction.
The observer reports, trembling.
Enemy Reactor output is twenty thousand Lammy—double the estimated value.
The bridge, during combat, lies in silence.
The only sound dominating the scene was the impact of shattered shield-ship debris against the hull.
The fleet commander's muffled laughter echoes.
At first, I thought I had brushed against something.
A response like this would not be surprising given the overwhelming disparity in force.
There was a reason everyone accepted it without question.
"Twenty thousand! That’s all it took to survive!"
He laughs, saying it.
The look questioning what he means.
"Stay calm. Output of that magnitude—"
"Y-yes, but even the highest output among the ASID units we encountered was Mersequeen’s four thousand. This is five times that."
"True. But the disparity we faced on our home planet was not of this scale."
The number is familiar to all.
It is part of the military history every recruit learns upon joining the defense forces.
"Our ancestors challenged a Queen-type of twenty thousand rami with only one rami of force. Compared to that, the current disparity is negligible."
Whether the record reflects reality or not, no one knows.
But the fact remains—because they did not yield to such overwhelming odds, the migrant fleet exists today.
Form up in pattern J6. Spread the ships apart to form a wide encircling net. Closing in together is dangerous with that firepower.
Even if mutual support becomes impossible at this range, the risk of multiple ships being destroyed simultaneously must be avoided.
The shield ships will move forward to reduce casualties among the rear fleet.
A complete gamble—but all that remains is to pray that Stalt does not continue firing what appears to be the main cannon, the Ether Cannon.
If hit by a barrage, no ship, no matter where it is, will survive.
And with the ships now spaced apart, another effect emerges—not just a secondary one, but the primary one.
The enemy's main cannon is powerful. That is precisely why its telltale signs cannot be hidden. Do not miss them.
If the signs of attack are recognized—if the timing can be read—
avoidance is not impossible.
Until just moments ago, the ships were too close together.
But at this distance, there is sufficient space to evade.
A Lombardia-class battleship evading while its port side burns.
Even a cumbersome battleship can now evade.
The wide encircling formation has made concentrated firepower on individual ships difficult.
More vessels have become untargetable due to angle.
But this is not a problem.
Because this fleet engagement was never anything more than a skirmish from the start.
No intention existed to resolve it through such exchanges.
To choose that path would mean a protracted war—disadvantageous for humanity.
"…Fellow officers. Once dismissed as mere dead weight, we now reclaim that ill name."
The fleet commander—the captain of the Longinus-class Mobile Battleship 'Gay Volk'—raises their voice.
"Positioning complete! This vessel now transitions to close-combat formation!"