Quyển 1 · Chương 38: Ba hạm đội phân khu

“Look at this structure, it seems meant for hauling ore or ice meteoroids?

But the interface standards look a bit strange...”

“Who cares? If the brass says add fuel, add fuel. If they say top off the compressed air, top off the air.”

The older foreman checked the pressure gauge.

“Still, this quantity... dozens coming in all at once. Did they discover some massive new mineral vein?

Is this place being used as a transit hub?”

“Doesn't look like ordinary mining vessels to me!”

Another worker narrowed his eyes, trying to make out some faded, seemingly deliberate markings scrubbed off the barge's hull.

“Feels... sturdier?

And listen, the load display on the berth's mooring chains is terrifyingly high. That's definitely not just empty hull weight...”

Though their discussion remained within their squad channel, it still seemed to catch the attention of a few nearby Imperial Army soldiers on guard duty.

A soldier wearing a sergeant's armband and bearing a cold, hardened face strode over, roughly slapping the foreman's helmet and barking gruffly.

“Hey!

What are you muttering about?

Get back to work! Don't look at what you shouldn't look at, don't guess what you shouldn't guess!

These are [Heavy Engineering Barges], transporting specialized equipment. Get it?

Fill the fuel to the mark, handle the rest of the maintenance according to the checklist, report as soon as you're done, and clear out of this berth area!

This sector is under direct military jurisdiction now. Any extra words or unnecessary movements will be treated as spying on military secrets!”

The workers instantly went quiet, lowering their heads to hasten their pace.

The sergeant scoffed, his alert gaze sweeping across the silent barges, his hand resting continuously on the grip of his blaster at his hip.

They didn't know, and had no way of knowing, that inside the largest and most unassuming "barge," an entirely different world lay hidden.

Beneath the rough, heavy shell rested smooth composite armor.

Concealed within the chaotic mess of external pipes and structures were advanced sensor arrays and point-defense turret mounts.

Inside the massive vessel's hull wasn't cargo space, but orderly hangars, armories, and power distribution centers.

And at its core sat a brightly lit bridge, filled with tactical screens and command terminals.

Colonel Zane Barrett, commander of the Bloodblade Flotilla, stood in the center of the bridge. Tall and imposing, a striking scar cut across his face.

At this moment, wearing an unreserved look of admiration, he spoke toward a humanoid projection.

“Brilliant! Truly brilliant, Lancaster!”

His voice boomed, echoing through the spacious bridge.

“Disguising ourselves as these slow, ugly mining barges, creeping along secondary routes...

Haha, those hidden Federation reconnaissance ships and monitoring stations probably wouldn't even bother giving us a second glance!

They surely think the only reinforcement coming to Savannah is your Obsidian Fleet jumping in with all that fanfare!”

Standing beside him was Colonel Ryan Lancaster, commander of the Obsidian Flotilla.

In contrast to Zane's ruggedness, Lancaster appeared sharp and composed. He smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over the starport's exterior feed and the quiet expanse of space on the main screen.

“Sometimes, force must be displayed openly to deter,”

Lancaster said in a calm tone.

“And sometimes, it must remain hidden in the shadows, waiting for a lethal blow.

Zane, your Bloodblade Fleet excels at direct assaults, while the Iron Curtain Fleet...”

He looked toward the other side of the bridge at a silent female projection and spoke slowly.

“Excels at defense and blockades.

Our three fleets have distinct traits. Jumping in simultaneously would create an energy signature far too obvious; the Federation isn't blind.

But now...”

He pulled up a strategic map of the Savannah system, clearly displaying several key nodes where the Obsidian Flotilla was openly stationed.

Meanwhile, Bloodblade and Iron Curtain were like venomous snakes coiled in the shadows, slowly moving toward the Savannah system from other sectors.

“Now my vanguard has arrived at Langkawi. Once my remaining sub-fleets and the Iron Curtain Fleet arrive,

we can assemble an overwhelming force to strike the Elvira system!”

Colonel Barrett spoke with excitement.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a cold female voice came from the other side of the tactical console.

“Making a mountain out of a molehill.”

It was Colonel Isabella Marlow, commander of the Iron Curtain Flotilla.

She didn't look up, her slender fingers, marked with faint scars, still sliding rapidly across the data screen before her.

Tall and slender, her silver-gray short hair was immaculate, her expression icy and severe.

The corners of her eyes bore the sharp edge and subtle exhaustion unique to those long stationed on grim frontlines.

“Admiral Strauss's caution is somewhat overblown.”

She finally stopped her hand and raised her head, her icy blue eyes looking directly at Lancaster before sweeping past Zane.

“To deal with a newly formed Federation border guard fleet—a fleet led by a 'rookie' commander just twenty-two years old, barely out of the Federation Academy—

we actually need to gather three of our flotillas?

Obsidian, Bloodblade, and Iron Curtain?”

She shook her head slightly, a clear tone of skepticism in her voice.

“Even if that youngster named Qin Beiwang relied on luck and his enemy's carelessness to fluke a total annihilation of Welsh's third-rate flotilla,

what does that prove?

Can Welsh's equipment, training, or command quality even compare to any one of ours?

This battle lost its suspense from the very start.

Even if we win magnificently, in the eyes of the Imperial High Command, it's nothing more than expected.

Three elite flotillas defeating a fleet of greenhorns—what is there to brag about?

Instead, it'll only make people think we took an unfair advantage, or... that our capabilities end right here.”

Zane Barrett crossed his arms, the scar on his face twitching slightly.

He seemed to agree strongly with Isabella's words, yet felt something wasn't quite right.

Lancaster didn't refute her immediately.

He walked to the main screen and brought up a brief but highly classified intelligence summary containing Qin Beiwang's dossier, brief as it was.

Bản ghi chuyển giao vật tư bất thường gần đây của hạm đội Elvira (mơ hồ).

Cùng một vài từ khóa đánh giá rải rác của Bộ lệnh chiến khu về người này ("táo bạo", "khó lường", "thân thế đặc biệt").

"Thượng tá Marlo, logic của anh nhìn từ góc độ so sánh quân sự thuần túy thì không có vấn đề gì."

Lancaster quay người lại, giọng nói trầm ổn nhưng gia tăng sức nặng.

"Nhưng trận chiến này chưa bao giờ chỉ là sự so sánh quân sự đơn thuần.

Nó liên quan đến uy hiếp chiến lược của Đế quốc tại khu vực này, liên quan đến sĩ khí của toàn bộ binh sĩ đang quan sát cuộc đọ sức này nơi tiền tuyến."

Gã khựng lại một chút, ánh mắt lướt qua hai vị đồng liêu.

"Phân hạm đội Wales bị tiêu diệt toàn bộ, bất luận ban đầu nó 'tam lưu' đến mức nào, nó vẫn giương cao lá cờ của Đế quốc.

Nỗi nhục nhã này cần phải được rửa sạch bằng phương thức triệt để nhất, không thể tranh cãi nhất.

Đại tướng Strauss điều động chúng ta đến đây không phải vì lo lắng không thắng nổi, mà là muốn đảm bảo một chiến thắng tuyệt đối hoàn hảo.

Thắng đến mức khiến mọi tâm lý may rủi mọc lên bên phía Liên bang phải dập tắt hoàn toàn, thắng đến mức khiến mọi thế lực đang dao động nơi biên giới Đế quốc nhìn cho rõ hậu quả của việc thách thức uy nghiêm Đế quốc là gì."