All of a sudden, an operator aboard the Dawn shouted, sweating profusely, "Captain, missiles! Missiles incoming from the starboard side! Based on trajectory calculations, they were launched from a position behind the enemy fleet. Their target is us! Estimated impact in ten seconds—we won't make it!"
"When?" Bargyll rose to her feet in shock and looked at the magnified image on the screen. More than a dozen ship-launched missiles were rapidly closing in on the Dawn. Not one of their tails was lit, and they left none of the long trails ordinary missiles would. With no heat signatures, they were like space debris, flying toward the Dawn solely on inertia after their initial acceleration. Their angle and trajectory happened to encompass the Dawn completely.
No, it would be more accurate to say they encompassed any warship that might sortie from the spaceport on that abandoned satellite at L4. The target of this missile barrage could have been the Archangel, the Eternal, or the Kusanagi. The Dawn had simply been unlucky; its sortie order and assigned position had put it in exactly this spot, making it the one facing the missiles.
The moment Bargyll saw that the missiles' thrusters were inactive, she understood everything. The more she understood, the more shocked she became, but there was no time to think. She immediately shouted, "Port thirty degrees, evade! Lock on with the automated turrets and intercept the missiles!"
As soon as Bargyll finished speaking, all the automated turrets on the Dawn's right side unleashed dense streams of fire. Countless shells raced toward the incoming missiles, instantly erupting into several bursts of flame beside the Dawn. The force spreading from the close-range missile explosions made the Dawn shudder.
"This is bad, they have scatter warheads!"
Bargyll's pupils contracted as she gripped the armrest