Chapter 162: Final Battle – Decisive Outcome on the Front Line
Knowing that Major Alm had committed to fighting to victory, even at the cost of consuming the pirates, Dawson decided to devise a method for an early conclusion to the battle.
"Divide the fleet into two units. One group with torpedoes, the other without. Transmit orders to each unit."
"Got it. Sending now."
Bela relayed Dawson’s plan without hesitation or doubt.
Oine, however, hesitated upon seeing the plan.
"Dawson. Isn’t this method quite dangerous?"
"We are fighting while hiding behind the cover of stars. To force a conclusion, there is no alternative."
An opponent with defensive capabilities is always formidable. It is difficult to defeat a soldier with a shield using only a sword. There is even a saying: fighting a fortified enemy requires three times the force.
Defeating an opponent with a shield requires increasing offensive capability—a standard approach. But when that method is unavailable, one must resort to dangerous tactics.
Dawson’s proposed operation was such a dangerous tactic.
"Why can't we wait for Major Alma to win and then join her in battle?"
"That would be too slow. The pirates will be reduced to too few. And once the outcome of the fight becomes decisive, the space fleet on our side will retreat without hesitation."
The nature of that fleet—abandoning allies when faced with unfavorable conditions—was confirmed during prior engagements with the Big Cock pirates.
The current situation is no different.
The fleet is caught between two forces—Dawson’s and Major Alma’s—positioned front and rear. Despite this, the S.U. Fleet divides into two units after the split, operating independently without coordinated action.
This arrangement implies a strategy where, in the event one fleet faces crisis, the other will retreat upon perceiving unfavorable conditions.
“This is the perfect opportunity to strike the S.U. Fleet. We might as well aim for maximum results.”
“That is the purpose of this operation, then.”
“If successful, it could result in victory with minimal casualties among our own.”
“If it fails, we’ll likely suffer heavy losses and become unable to continue fighting.”
“Then we’ll just have to avoid failure.”
Oine shrugged, accepting Dawson’s confident tone with resignation.
Dawson’s strategy, in truth, was not particularly unconventional.
Approaching under normal navigation required positioning behind a star used as a shield. Attacking at that point risked accumulating damage.
Yet fighting while hidden in a star’s shadow would only result in limited engagements from either side.
To achieve results quickly, movement outside normal navigation was necessary. Only then could the fleet hidden in the star’s shadow be targeted.
The only available method of movement for this purpose was short-range teleportation.
"Jumping to target location."
Immediately after Oine’s report, the Sparrow Hawk transitioned from normal space into jump space.
A brief glide across the boundary between three and four dimensions, then emergence back into normal space. Other vessels not equipped with Sparrow Hawk or torpedoes appeared one after another at the target location.
The location where Dawson's fleet emerged was behind the shattered star, the one destroyed by the Fleet's battle cannons.
Why had they come to a star reduced to debris?
A fleet of the Fleet, positioned just beyond the star's fragments, at the edge of effective firing range, faced Dawson's forces.
The fragments of the star were scattered. If projectiles passed through the gaps between them, they might reach their target.
At least that was the assumption the Fleet had made about Dawson's actions.
"Enemy fire incoming. Impact imminent."
Immediately after Kiwaka's report, the Fleet's projectiles struck the broken star fragments serving as cover for Dawson's fleet.
Fragmented material does not withstand conventional naval artillery. Two or three hits shatter it completely, rendering it useless as cover.
The Fleet maintains continuous fire, intent on destroying every fragment.
The successive flashes of artillery fire. The fragments vanishing into the light.
A formidable sight, yet neither Dawson nor the pirates show urgency.
They know, from Dawson’s instruction, that the sheer number of star fragments makes it difficult for the Fleet’s fire to penetrate through to the pirates.
"Good. Begin the operation. Keep the artillery fire in mind. There’s no guarantee a shell won’t slip through the gaps between fragments."
At Dawson’s command, the pirates move into position.
The pirate vessels present are almost all Orbit Patrol Cruisers or larger. The reason is not only that these classes lack torpedo launchers, but also due to a specific piece of equipment they carry.
That equipment is the Carryshu.
"Select fragments roughly the size of a vessel. Do not forget to transfer investigative authority to the Sparrow Hawk. Also, fire upon the military from our side. Make it appear as though the entire sequence is a series of attacks conducted while concealed behind stellar debris."
Following Dawson’s orders, the pirate vessels wrap the Carryshu they carry around the selected fragments.
The chosen fragments are then gathered to a slightly distant location, to avoid destruction by military artillery fire.
While performing this task, the pirates fire upon the military only when they can take advantage of gaps between fragments.
The pirates' fire, advancing through the star fragments, targets the military forces. Yet, due to the edge of effective range, it is evaded.
As this work continues, the number of star fragments accumulates to a certain threshold.
"Nearly a thousand fragments now have 'Carishu' wrapped around them. Proceed to Phase Two."
Oine and Cori begin their work simultaneously, following Dawson's order. Oine handles the fragments wrapped in 'Carishu'; Cori faces the pirate squad assigned as a diversionary torpedo unit.
"Prepared."
"Got it over here too."
"Initiate countdown. Start from thirty."
On Dawson's command, the spatial projection monitor displays the number thirty. The count decreases in real time.
At the moment the number reaches zero, the fragments wrapped in 'Carishu' vanish—no, they jump.
The moment he saw the shape, Dawson issued a command to the pirate forces.
"Advance! Move through the fragments of the star and close with the enemy!"
Sparrow Hawk accelerated abruptly. The pirate fleet followed, delayed by a fraction of a second.
It seemed dangerous—like the fleet would draw fire from the space navy.
Yet no fire came from the space navy, even after Sparrow Hawk and the pirate fleet passed through the fragments.
The reason was simple: the space navy fleet was preoccupied dealing with the cluster of fragments bearing 'Carishu' and the pirates approaching concealed within those fragments, armed with torpedoes.
"Yet Dawson had thought, hadn’t he? If a jump reveals the destination, why not place a shield at that location beforehand?"
As Oine spoke, her tone suggested she had been surprised—Dawson’s strategy was, in fact, simple.
Transport debris to the enemy fleet’s side via jump maneuver using the *Cariesh*, then jump the pirate vessels carrying torpedoes into the shadow of that debris. After that, the torpedo-equipped pirates approach the enemy fleet using the debris as cover and deliver their decisive torpedoes.
The action is simple, but the effect is substantial.
“Caught off guard, the fleet is disoriented. Completely forgetting us, to the point of losing focus.”
Debris and pirate vessel appear nearby. The debris is moved by the *Cariesh*; the pirate vessel uses its own propulsion system. Both move toward the target.
It is understandable. The enemy’s attention is drawn to a threat just beyond the edge of range—so close it feels immediate.
But directing all attention toward that single point is a problem.
“Support for the torpedo carriers. Conduct fire to prolong enemy disarray.”
Sparrow Hawk and its subordinate pirate vessels fired consecutive salvos.
The naval forces showed signs of confusion. What had moments before been a prolonged engagement hidden behind stars now shifted to a short-term assault from two directions.
Frigates struggling to shoot down torpedo carriers. Frigates wandering aimlessly with their turrets. Frigates retreating to hide behind allies. Frigates jumping unpredictably to unknown locations. No coordination in movement.
The chaos settled within ten seconds. But those ten seconds were time the battlefield could not afford.
Because within those ten seconds, the pirate vessel carrying torpedoes had reached effective range.
'Torpedo! Jackpot mine!'
'Fire all torpedoes! Load fast—scatter them!'
All-you-can-eat! Full capacity—thank you!
The pirates shouted nonsense as they launched torpedoes toward the space fleet. They fired cannons as an afterthought.
Dawson watched the scene through the Sparrow Hawk’s cannon fire, frowning.
"Idiots. They’ve gone too far. After launching torpedoes, they should have pulled back into the debris field immediately."
As Dawson voiced concern, the space fleet began its counterattack, even as torpedoes struck their ships.
The pirates, having approached too closely, took the counterattack head-on. Significant damage resulted.
"Status of casualties?"
"About half the pirate ships carrying torpedoes sustained damage. Half of those are minor. The other half are heavily damaged or destroyed."
One quarter of the pirate ships carrying torpedoes were lost in the previous engagement.
Dawson felt frustration and disbelief toward the pirates for ignoring orders and destroying themselves.
The lack of training among the pirates was known. He had resolved to eliminate as many as possible for future operations. Yet this was the result.
The torpedo load had been exhausted in the last attack. Even if a few torpedo-carrying pirate ships were lost, the impact on future battles would be minimal. He could only console himself with that thought.
Dawson exhaled, adjusting his mood. He decided to join the pirate ships in a bombardment to destroy the remaining fleet that had survived the torpedo attack.