60. Iron Fang Strikes (V)
But now, because of the Kushan Mothership's terrifying mass of over 370 billion tons, the gravity generated by this mass alone was enough to cause a hyperspace jump to fail!
Kuken's eyes were filled with despair. "They didn't charge at us and circle us to attack... they wanted to use their own gravity to prevent us from performing a hyperspace jump? They planned this from the very beginning? No... impossible!"
He roared frantically, "I controlled that coward Quinto immediately; not a single word was leaked! How did they know we were coming?!"
"Boss... could it be... that strange message we received earlier?" the First Mate whispered.
Kuken suddenly remembered that before they had even set out, their cruiser had received a string of strange messages that sounded like someone repeatedly tapping on a microphone. They had puzzled over it for a long time and compared it against all known codebooks, but since they couldn't identify it, they had simply dismissed it as noise.
Thinking back now, the only possibility was that the information had been leaked through that segment of noise!
"NO!!!!" Kuken roared in fury. "You're trying to scheme against me! It won't be that easy!! Even if I die, I'm taking you all with me!!"
He whipped around and screamed at the communications officer, "Send the intelligence from here to 'Black Sun'! Send it to Vigo Kash Garulan{Note 1}! I want them dead! I want them to die with me!!!"
The communications officer pressed several buttons, but there was no response. With a devastated face, he said, "It's no use! The electronic interference is too strong! The signal won't transmit..."
"Useless!!" Kuken raised his gun and shot the communications officer in the head, roaring, "Get someone else up here! Send the signal out!"
However, no one around him spoke. Kuken looked around and found everyone staring at the floor, none of them daring to look up or speak. The rage in his heart intensified. "Are you all useless? Someone, get over here!! I'll give you 10,000 Upi if you just send the message!!"
"You! Can you do it?" Kuken roared, pointing his gun at a pirate. The pirate shook his head violently, curling into a ball.
"You! Can you do it?" Kuken looked at another person, but that man also didn't dare sit in the blood-stained seat at the communications console.
"Boss... let's... surrender..." the First Mate said softly.
"Surrender?" Kuken had never considered that option. "This thing is our prey! You want me to surrender to our own prey?! Argh!!"
Becoming increasingly enraged, he pressed his pistol against the First Mate's head.
But the First Mate had reached his breaking point. He raised his hands, lowered his head, and shouted, "But surrendering at least means we live, Boss!!"
"Useless! All of you are useless!" Kuken kicked the First Mate to the ground and pointed out the viewport. "Can't you see? The opposition is just small ships and small planes! We have a chance to escape!! If we just move at maximum speed, we can pull away even if the ship takes damage!"
The other pirates snapped out of their trance and hurried back to their posts.
The engines of the Iron Fang cruiser began to accelerate. No longer entangling itself with the Mothership and the fighters, it flew desperately toward the outskirts of the Endo Galaxy.
Kuken grabbed another pirate, shoved him into the communications officer's seat, and roared while pointing a pistol at his head, "Keep calling! Don't stop until you've sent the intelligence to Lord Garulan!!"
Then he turned to the First Mate and said, "Those fighters are no threat now! Do we still have two point-defense cannons available? Assign heavy guards to those two cannons; don't let anyone get near them! Aside from the main bow cannon, aim all turrets at those three frigates—prioritize the fat one!"
The Iron Fang cruiser immediately began to turn. While the fixed bow main cannon lost its effectiveness, the other four twin-barrel turbine laser turrets could adjust their angles, pouring all their firepower onto the Hammer-class frigates!
The cruiser's firepower was ferocious. Now that it had abandoned the Mothership and focused its fire on other vessels, its true power began to manifest.
Under the continuous barrage, the Hammer-class frigate equipped with two turbine laser turrets was the first to have its shields destroyed. Even its heavy armor could not withstand several hits from the turbine lasers; after a violent explosion, the frigate disintegrated in space.
Tang Xiao piloted his Blade-class fighter, firing wildly at the Iron Fang. However, the Blade-class was essentially a kitbash; almost everything except the outer shell had been replaced.
The infrared laser cannons installed on the fighter were fine for dealing with other fighters, but against a large warship 315 meters long, they were barely more than a tickle.
Furthermore, the enemy had grown smarter; they stopped firing at the Mothership and focused all their firepower on the only three threats: the Hammer-class frigates.
"It's not enough! We're almost there! Qi Jian! How much shield strength does the enemy cruiser have left?" Tang Xiao asked loudly over the comms.
"According to the mainframe's scan, the enemy's shield strength should be below 10%!" Qi Jian replied over the comms. "But even if we break their shields, this cruiser won't be easy to sink, not to mention that Cun Te and the others are still on that ship."
"How many Gemini missiles do we have left in stock?"
"We have 30 left. The Mothership's production line is working at full capacity now. But since we've only just finished analyzing the Gemini missile technology, both production capacity and stock are insufficient."
"Get the Marines ready. Once the shields are breached, immediately use an Oro-class freighter to break into their hangar and conduct a landing operation!" Tang Xiao issued the command. "Additionally, send a T-850 to pilot a fighter equipped with a triggered nuclear bomb! If the Oro-class freighter can't get close, use the nuke to blast them first!"
"But the enemy's firepower is still intense; I'm afraid the fighter won't have a chance to ram them..." Qi Jian replied, shaking his head. "If we can't disable their turrets, a forced landing by an Oro-class freighter will mostly be a suicide mission..."
"Execute the orders! In any case, we absolutely cannot let this cruiser leave! This is our territory; there's no such thing as coming and going as you please!" Tang Xiao said decisively. "First Squadron, return! Load all the remaining Gemini missiles! Today, I swear they won't be coming back!"
"Wait! Hyperspace fluctuations detected! Another ship is approaching using a hyperspace jump!!" Suddenly, the radar operator beside him shouted loudly.
{Note 1}: Vigo is the title for a leading member within 'Black Sun'. There are a total of nine Vigos in 'Black Sun', each with their own territory and military force, holding a status second only to the Supreme Leader.
(End of Chapter)