"...This is the Gemini. We have received orders from headquarters to assist you in carrying out the 'Final War' plan. Please activate your deflection shields, guide our landing craft in, and hand over operational control to our personnel."
"This is the Orion... We have received your request and are confirming it with headquarters..."
"...Gemini acknowledged...(static)...Please respond as soon as possible..."
"Orion acknowledged... We are unable to verify the legitimacy of the order. We request arbitration by the Military Committee..."
"...Request denied. This is wartime. Our enemy is slaughtering our people. We do not have time to wait for the committee's arbitration. Execute the order immediately!"
"...(static)..."
"...Calling Orion, what are you doing? Our ship has detected unstable gravitational field fluctuations. Shut down your warp engine and deflection shields immediately! I repeat, shut down your warp engine and deflection shields immediately and submit to inspection!"
"...(static)..."
"...Good night."
Zhao Tianhe did not have many choices.
He was almost certain that from the moment he disobeyed orders, the neutron torpedoes aboard the Gemini had already been aimed at him and his subordinates, and they would definitely strike before he entered the hyperspace corridor.
If he chose to leave it to fate, he would be leading the entire Orion crew to their deaths and handing the tens of thousands of neutron torpedoes aboard the ship over to those blood-crazed lunatics.
For the Constitution he had sworn loyalty to, and for the survivors on the surface, he had no choice but to fire the neutron torpedoes from their launchers at friendly forces while activating the warp engine.
It had been his decision alone.
Though he had indeed received the tacit approval of all the officers and crew in his section.
They were the same kind of people as Zhao Tianhe: traditional soldiers among the