Episode 95: Major Offensive

The SU Fleet entered the asteroid field, full force.

The pirates panicked at the sight.

'Fuck, why now! We can't handle this many!'

'Activate the traps! Take down as many as possible!'

A pirate monitoring the edge of the asteroid field sent frantic transmissions.

Shortly after, a faint glow of explosions reached the location of the HAMANO ONNA, obscured by numerous asteroids.

Dawson now focused on maintaining control over his fleet, as the full-scale battle with the SU Fleet began.

'Launch. The enemy is a large fleet. Do not engage head-on. Strike from the side. This is an engagement within the asteroid field. Formations are ineffective. Hide behind asteroids and target enemy ships individually. Be prepared.'

Dawson issued the command and order, then initiated movement to circle around the side as the SU Space Force advanced.

Meanwhile, the HAMANONNA and the pirates appeared to have chosen to engage head-on, as if to halt the enemy’s advance.

Yet to fight head-on meant something different here—these were pirates, not a proper fleet.

Oine provided live commentary on the unfolding battle.

"An ambush by the pirates has activated. Space torpedoes hidden within floating asteroids are automatically launched in response to the approach of SU Space Force vessels. Immediately afterward, a super-sized asteroid is being maneuvered by propulsion systems and is now charging directly toward the SU Space Force fleet."

A coordinated attack combining torpedoes capable of crippling even a battleship if struck directly, and asteroid bombs whose massive mass made them difficult to counter.

Dawson considered what it would be like if he were the target of this trap, and nearly furrowed his brow at the difficulty of responding.

"The enemy fleet's movements should slow in the ambush. Use this opening to reposition for a flank attack. And, Bera."

"Yes? What is it?"

"Reprise your performance as Muraga Hunsa. This time, call for a ceasefire. The lines are simple."

"If that's the case, I'll give it a try."

Dawson composed several ceasefire appeals typical of an idealist, annotated each for situational use, and sent them to Bera.

Meanwhile, Bera had fully assumed the appearance of Muraga Hunsa.

After Dawson's fleet fired the first salvo at the SU space navy's old vessels, Bera transmitted a message toward the SU space navy.

Stop the fighting. Must you fight at the front line for those who seek to kill you? If you die, those who ordered you to fight will not thank you. They will only be relieved to be dead.

The effect of Bera’s speech seemed to slow the movement of the older vessels forming the front line of the SU space navy.

Then, from behind the SU space navy, dozens of Charged Particle Beam strikes arrived. Their light shattered most of the drifting asteroids nearby, but several passed near the older vessels.

Responding to the threat implied by the attack from behind, the older vessels resumed movement. They began firing beams and bullets with reckless abandon, destroying pirate ships and asteroids alike.

Better to die fighting the enemy than be shot in the back by allies. Whether soldier or civilian, survival is the priority.

No survival means no salary. No salary means no support for the orphanage.

And obeying someone who commands death is nothing but irritation.

Dawson became displeased. He adjusted his tactics slightly.

"Ida. Assign forty AI-equipped vessels. Destroy as many old-model ships as possible. Avoid fatal damage to crew."

"Demands are strict. But understood. After all, they are merely forced to obey at gunpoint. A minor malfunction in their ships will likely break their morale."

After handing command to Ida, Dawson led the Sparrow Hawk, the Escort Battlecruiser, and the Mozu—ten vessels in total—toward the boundary between the asteroid belt and normal space.

The destination made Dawson’s intent clear.

"Targeting the fleet pretending to be a rear-guard unit, is that correct?"

Dawson nodded, face grim, in response to Oine’s confirmation.

"Thinking of those damn nobles back home makes me furious. Let them learn this is a battlefield. No matter where they are, their lives are at risk."

"Indeed. Good at taking it out on others. But I feel the same way—can’t stand those who act so cruelly."

As the ten vessels of the Sparrow Hawk moved forward, the enemy rear fleet soon came into view.

The enemy rear fleet had advanced deep into the asteroid belt, positioning themselves to intimidate the older vessels at the front line with artillery fire.

Dawson perceived the perfect opportunity.

"Engage the enemy rear fleet. Scatter them. Without command at the front line, the older vessels will find it easier to raise white flags."

Following Dawson's orders, the ten vessels aligned their targeting systems toward the Imperial fleet.

Ten cannons, each targeting the sleek, clearly new armor plating, locked onto their marks.

"Fire!"

At Dawson's command, the Sparrow Hawk fired first, followed by the Escort Battlecruisers and the Mozu, then the remaining seven Orbit Patrol Cruisers discharged their Charged Particle Beams.

Less than half struck the asteroids, but the remainder still inflicted damage on the enemy fleet.

The Charged Particle Beams fired by the Sparrow Hawk targeted three separate vessels, each beam piercing directly through the center of its designated target.

"Continue fire. Maintain movement—shift position behind asteroids."

In response to Dawson’s new order, the ten ships executed coordinated maneuvers, alternating between firing and concealing themselves behind asteroids.

The flashes of Dawson’s fleet’s gunfire revealed their position, prompting a counterattack from the rear elements of the SU Space Force. The origin remained unclear, however. The enemy conducted broad-area fire, sweeping suspicious zones without precise targeting.

Firing across a vast spatial expanse made it difficult to hope for the luck of hitting a vessel in the open void.

In fact, enemy charged particle fire passed through locations entirely unrelated to where Dawson’s ships were concealed.

Only Dawson’s fire struck its mark. The SU Space Force’s fire missed entirely.

“Continue destroying enemy vessels in this manner. Push their rear fleet into the asteroid zone.”

“However, Dawson. The original plan was not to strike vessels likely to carry strong personnel or prominent figures, was it?”

Dawson did not revoke the order, despite Oine’s calm inquiry.

The reason I objected to killing the enemy’s elite was to prevent the navy and pirates from entering full-scale war. Yet the enemy advances with their entire fleet to destroy the pirates. The situation has already passed the point where deterring war matters.

If war between the navy and pirates is inevitable, then we might as well strike with full force.

On the contrary, inflicting heavy damage here could cause hesitation in the pirate suppression campaign. There is no reason not to destroy that enemy fleet with its unnecessarily elegant hull.

Dawson ordered the attack to continue. Ten vessels fired without pause.

The gunfire, concealed by asteroids, did inflict damage on the enemy fleet.

Yet only ten vessels were attacking.

The SU space fleet possessed hundreds of vessels, even among its rear units alone.

No matter how vigorously the ten ships fought, the overall damage inflicted on the SU space fleet remained negligible.

A conventional fleet would have dispatched a large number of vessels, accepting minor losses, to crush the ten ships.

But Dawson understood the enemy rear fleet would not make that choice.

"The SU space fleet's fundamental policy is to place outdated vessels and expendable crew members at the front lines of war. Can those who have been promised future advancement and who specialize in observing battles from the rear truly be expected to die here?"

Would individuals who valued their own lives above all else truly move into a position where death was imminent?

Dawson concluded it was impossible.

Recall the moment when the Orbit Patrol Cruiser Sparrow Hawk and fifty vessels were ambushed by SU Fleet’s rear forces.

At first, the SU Fleet advanced confidently. But upon seeing destroyers and orbit patrol cruisers destroyed by Dawson’s forces, they hastily retreated behind their barrier ships.

That caution-first behavior makes it clear: no one here would willingly face certain death.

“Hmph. So they brought out those barrier ships after all.”

The SU Fleet’s rear forces are under attack from ten vessels, including Sparrow Hawk. They deploy barrier ships to deflect incoming fire.

But this region is an asteroid belt.

Dawson knows the barrier ships’ mechanism. They cannot function effectively here.

Barrier ships have deployed for defense. But do you see the lightning flickering across the hull?

Dawson nodded in agreement to Oine’s question.

The original technology behind barrier ships was designed to deflect space debris. This location contains a vast number of asteroids and fragments. If the barrier must eliminate every obstacle of varying size, how much strain would that place on the system?

Dawson ordered a full salvo from the Sparrow Hawk’s Main Cannon—first a single barrage, then a second.

Six rounds fired in total from three Charged Particle Beams, front and rear.

At a previous engagement, such fire would have been effortlessly blocked by the barrier ships. Here, in the asteroid belt, a single barrage pierced through the barrier ship completely.

The durability appears to be less than half. At this hardness, it might not be impossible to destroy all barrier ships.

Dawson's assessment seemed to mirror the rear fleet of the SU Space Force. They had realized barrier ships were ineffective in the asteroid belt and began withdrawing en masse.

Dawson was disgusted by their pitiful retreat.

If you lack the resolve to risk your life, do not come to the battlefield.

Dawson muttered a complaint, yet was satisfied that the separation between the SU Space Force's advance and rear fleets had been achieved.

Now the rear fleet’s oversight was eliminated. Let us resume Bera’s speech.

Bera’s call was repeated. It was also relayed that there would be no more fire from the rear.

The vanguard force engaged in combat with the pirates appeared to have been compelled to fight. One ship, displaying unexpected resolve, declared its intent to surrender to the pirates. Upon observing that no fire came from the rear, the entire vanguard fleet surrendered in a sudden, cascading collapse.

From a distance, the Sparrow Hawk fleet continued surveillance, ensuring the enemy's rear fleet did not enter the asteroid field.