Chapter Summaries

The Kabart Empire launched its assault on Reo from Vite, and the Oakes defenders sacrificed their defensive line to destroy the Vanguard Fleet. The battle became a war of attrition, and the arrival of the Kabart forces from Sicil left Reo’s commander unable to reinforce either front.

• Hamid sent one million warships from Vite toward Reo, where they would join two million forces advancing from Sicil.
• Two years later, the Kabart fleet from Vite emerged at Reo, and the defenders concentrated their fire on the Vanguard Fleet.
• Reo’s commander chose to destroy the Vanguard Fleet even at the cost of letting the enemy establish a bridgehead.
• After the Vanguard Fleet lost more than 7,000 warships, the two sides began a fierce battle of attrition around the Star Path exit.
• As Reo’s commander considered moving 300,000 ships from the Sicil front, another Kabart army arrived from Sicil, preventing him from reinforcing the Vite front.

Reo's defenders were overwhelmed by the Kabart Empire's forces, so their commander ordered a charge into the enemy formation to avoid being flanked. The Oakes fleet fought to the last warship, and the battle ended when the final ship was destroyed.

• Kabart forces broke through the Vite defense and sent 400,000 warships to reinforce the Sicil front, leaving Reo's commander facing a two-sided attack.
• Reo's commander ordered 550,000 remaining warships to charge into the Kabart formation and fight at close range.
• Faris arrived with 400,000 warships and launched millions of fighters, turning the air battle against Reo's defenders.
• By the eighth hour, Reo's defenders had lost all their fighters and most of their warships, so their commander ordered them to ram Kabart ships if necessary.
• Oakes warships began colliding with the enemy, and in the twelfth hour the last Oakes warship was destroyed while charging a Kabart battleship.

The Kabart Empire captured Reo but suffered heavy losses, leaving the Oakes Empire in a worsening strategic position. Meanwhile, the Human Federation restored its four fleets and prepared to seize Horton and the Oakes interior, though Liang Xingchen questioned how they would withstand Kabart’s main army.

• Hamid reviewed the battle losses and troop deployments, which showed Kabart with a decisive numerical advantage over Oakes.
• The chapter explained that Oakes had to divide its forces between Kabart and neighboring Level 3 civilizations, while Lin Fan’s Energy Shields had helped Kabart capture two strategic strongholds.
• The Human Federation completed rebuilding its four fleets, with Jiang Hai commanding the Second Fleet and Quinn Klein commanding the Third.
• Lin Fan, Liang Xingchen, and Jiang Hai discussed a plan to take Horton, destroy the Fourth Imperial Guard Legion, and capture fifteen Oakes Star Systems, including its Capital Sphere.
• Liang Xingchen asked how the Federation’s 80,000 warships could hold Horton against Kabart’s millions, and Lin Fan said the matter had already been handled.

Lin Fan and Liang Xingchen arranged to seize Horton before the Oakes Fourth Imperial Guard Legion arrived, while the Federation fleets prepared to launch their assault. The chapter ended with the Federation forces en route as Horton’s combat alarm sounded.

• Lin Fan explained that the Federation had persuaded Kabart to relinquish its claim on Horton by offering resources and future weapons sales, while secretly planning to install backdoors in the weapons.
• Liang Xingchen’s officers estimated that the Fourth Imperial Guard Legion would reach Horton one to three months after the Federation captured it, and they discussed their attack plans.
• A week later, Lin Fan handed the Epsilon Eridani defensive line to Quinn Klein, and the First, Second, and Fourth Fleets launched toward Horton.
• Commander Aisa learned that Reo had fallen to Kabart forces and ordered his legion to reach Horton and avenge the defenders.
• The Federation fleets traveled toward Horton as Aisa’s legion approached, and Horton’s long-silent combat readiness alarm began to sound.

Yosel’s garrison defended Horton’s Star Path until three human fleets ambushed it with shielded Battlecruisers and annihilated the defenders. Jiang Hai, Liang Xingchen, and Lin Fan then captured Horton’s remaining forces, planets, and shipbuilding facilities.

• Yosel dismissed the need for the Fourth Imperial Guard Legion, confident that his thirty thousand warships could hold Horton’s Star Path against Kabart.
• Human fleets appeared behind both flanks of Yosel’s C-shaped defense and attacked the rear fortress, revealing forty thousand Battlecruiser-class ships with Energy Shields.
• Yosel ordered his carriers to launch fighters and his fleet to turn and fight, then sent Ross a final message.
• Jiang Hai’s Second Fleet destroyed Horton’s garrison and rear fortress without taking damage, while Yosel’s forces were annihilated.
• Jiang Hai advanced toward the shipbuilding bases as Liang Xingchen and Lin Fan sent their sub-fleets to seize the Resource Stars and Life Planets.
• Three hours later, the human fleets had defeated all resistance and taken control of Horton’s planets and warship manufacturing bases.

Aisa’s fleet entered the Horton Star System and discovered that humanity had seized Horton and deployed 60,000 shield-equipped warships to ambush the Fourth Imperial Guard Legion. Trapped inside the Star Path as wave after wave of carriers were destroyed, Aisa ordered the remaining carriers to release their fighters before reaching the exit.

• Aisa grew suspicious after Horton failed to send an update for seventeen days and ordered his fleets to prepare for an attack.
• Lin Fan commanded three Federal Fleets in an inverted triangular formation at the Barrell-direction Star Path exit, where 54,000 Battlecruisers opened crossfire on the emerging Oakes fleet.
• The Federal Fleets destroyed 10,000 ships in five minutes, and Aisa learned that the attackers were humans with shield-equipped warships.
• Aisa deduced that humanity had developed Warp Drive Engines and become a pseudo-Level 4 Civilization, while recognizing that his Fourth Imperial Guard Legion could not defeat the 60,000-ship fleet alone.
• Unable to turn back or maneuver inside the Star Path, Aisa ordered the remaining carriers to push their fighters out, sending tens of millions of fighters toward the exit.

Aisa’s forces tried to shield their fleet with wreckage and assemble at Star Path, but Lin Fan’s fleets warped to attack from both flanks and destroyed them. Before his flagship was destroyed, Aisa sent the Oakes Emperor a final message advising surrender to humanity; the battle at Horton ended with the Fourth Imperial Guard Legion annihilated.

• Aisa ordered the Fourth Imperial Guard Legion to charge through the human fire and use destroyed ships to form an isolation belt.
• Lin Fan ordered the Second and Fourth Fleets to warp to either side of the enemy assembly point while the First Fleet attacked head-on.
• Aisa realized the human ships had appeared on both flanks, and their converging fire destroyed the assembled Oakes warships.
• Aisa recorded and sent the Oakes Emperor a final message urging surrender, then waited as his flagship was destroyed.
• The First Fleet broke through the wreckage belt and fired on Star Path until the Fourth Imperial Guard Legion was completely annihilated.

Lin Fan’s Interstellar Blitzkrieg isolated the Oakes Capital Sphere as the Human Federation seized the surrounding Star Systems. Ross warned Ramiro that the Empire might already be cut off, but Ramiro refused to consider surrender as Lin Fan’s fleets advanced toward Rao.

• Lin Fan and Liang Xingchen captured Liers and Coelio, while Jiang Hai sent forces from Horton to seize nearby Star Systems.
• The Human Federation swept through the Oakes heartland, taking thirteen Star Systems and isolating the Capital Sphere by the thirty-second day.
• Ross brought Ramiro Aisa’s final message and warned that the Empire’s heartland might have fallen, urging Ramiro to consider surrender if the reports confirmed it.
• Ramiro rejected Ross’s advice and declared that he would rather destroy the Empire than surrender to humanity.
• Lin Fan and the other commanders established garrisons across the captured Star Systems and sent a combined 45,000 warships toward Rao.

After defeating Rao’s garrison, the Federal Fleet prepared to confront the Oakes Empire’s powerful Guard Fleet in the Capital Sphere. Lin Fan proposed isolating the capital and wearing down its defenders, but Quait condemned the strategy, so Liang Xingchen sent the dispute to Federation headquarters for a decision.

• The Federal Fleet overwhelmed Rao’s 100,000 defenders after the garrison commander and senior staff were killed in the opening attack.
• The four Federal fleets left Rao and jumped toward the Oakes Empire’s Capital Sphere, where the 200,000-ship Guard Fleet and 5,000 quasi-Level 4 warships awaited them.
• Lin Fan proposed luring the 5,000 most dangerous ships into an encirclement, or otherwise isolating Oakes Planet and exhausting the Guard Fleet’s supplies.
• Liang Xingchen, Jiang Hai, and Lin Fan supported the strategy, but Lieutenant General Quait called it despicable and insulting to Federation soldiers.
• Liang Xingchen arranged for the conference record to be sent to Federation headquarters so its leaders could decide whether to use Lin Fan’s plan.

After reviewing the frontline commanders’ meeting record, Lin Zhen approved Lin Fan’s tactic for the operation against the Oakes Empire’s Guard Fleet and ordered Quinn Klein removed from command. He also announced reforms to make battlefield service and military merit central to Federal Fleet promotions.

• Lin Zhen showed the staffers and Marshal Sanders the combat meeting record, which revealed Lin Fan’s tactic for neutralizing the Oakes Empire’s Guard Fleet with minimal losses.
• Sanders and the staffers praised Lin Fan’s plan, then condemned Quinn Klein’s views after hearing the rest of the recording.
• Lin Zhen ordered Sanders to have Federal Fleet Headquarters relieve Quinn Klein of all duties and arrange temporary command for Liang Xingchen or Lin Fan.
• Lin Zhen announced that officers who had never served on a battlefield would no longer be promoted to general and that military merit would become the primary route to promotion.

Quait was relieved of command and confined after the bridge heard the recording that exposed his outburst at Lin Fan. A week later, with the Capital Sphere isolated, Ramiro imprisoned Ross for urging him to seek peace, just as a 65,000-ship human fleet appeared.

• Sanders relieved Quait of duty, ordered him confined, and placed the Third Fleet temporarily under Lin Fan's command.
• Quait accused Sanders of protecting Lin Fan because he was President Lin Zhen's son, but the meeting recording turned the bridge crew against him.
• Batlan confirmed the order, and guards escorted Quait to the detention room.
• Ross reported that the systems surrounding the Capital Sphere had fallen, but Ramiro dismissed his concerns and ordered him confined to his residence.
• A guard reported that a 65,000-ship human fleet had appeared within the Capital Sphere.

Ramiro tried to respond to humanity’s attacks across the Oakes Capital Sphere, but Lin Fan’s fleets repeatedly withdrew before the Royal Fleet could engage them. Unable to catch the human ships without risking his Aegis Fleet or leaving Planet Oakes exposed, Ramiro returned to defend the capital.

• Ramiro boarded the Emperor and ordered the Royal Fleet to attack the human subfleet at Oakes II.
• When the human ships fled, Ramiro refused to send the Aegis Fleet after them and redirected his forces toward Oakes IV.
• Lin Fan ordered one subfleet back to Oakes II to resume strikes while another fled from Oakes IV.
• Ramiro turned the Royal Fleet back toward Planet Oakes after the human fleets continued to evade him and attack elsewhere.
• Ramiro returned with the Royal Fleet to the orbital fortress above Planet Oakes.

Lin Fan’s forces captured the thirty-nine planets around Planet Oakes and cut off their supplies, forcing Ramiro to realize that the humans planned to starve out the capital and the Royal Fleet. When the enemy fleet finally deployed, Lin Fan had already prepared countermeasures.

• Lin Fan’s ground forces secured twelve modified Life Planets and twenty-seven Resource Stars, overcoming scattered resistance while avoiding unnecessary destruction.
• Ramiro waited for Lin Fan to attack Planet Oakes, but the human fleets stayed near the captured planets for weeks.
• A guard reported that Planet Oakes was running out of supplies, and Ramiro ordered its people to conserve resources.
• Piero warned Ramiro that the Royal Fleet’s supplies would last only another month because the humans had occupied the Resource Stars and cut off transport.
• Lin Fan and Commander Liang discussed how long the Oakes fleet could remain on combat readiness without resupply, and Lin Fan said he had prepared countermeasures.
• A report reached the Uranus that the enemy fleet had deployed.

Piero persuaded Ramiro to gamble on attacking Oakes II, hoping to force the humans into a decisive battle, while Lin Fan anticipated the move and ordered Plan Three. Both fleets began their planned maneuvers, leaving the outcome of the trap unresolved.

• Piero proposed that the Royal Fleet fake a pursuit before turning toward Oakes II, and Ramiro agreed to sortie with the entire fleet.
• Lin Fan learned that the Royal Fleet was heading for Oakes II and ordered Chris's 37th Division Fleet to execute Plan Three.
• Chris ordered Oakes II's ground forces to prepare for battle, and the troops deployed mechs along defensive lines.
• Chris's 37th Division Fleet fled Oakes II, and Ramiro ordered the Royal Fleet to pursue after confirming the human ground troops had not evacuated.
• Lin Fan and Ramiro watched the tactical display and each thought that the plan had succeeded.

Lin Fan lured the Aegis Fleet into a trap while the Royal Fleet bombarded the empty defenses on Oakes II. The Federal Fleet surrounded the Aegis Fleet, and Ramiro realized the humans had deceived him as the battle continued.

• Ramiro ordered the Royal Fleet to attack human bases on Oakes II, while Lin Fan began the next phase of Plan Three.
• The Royal Fleet destroyed a human base, then learned that the human fleet had warped to attack the Orbital Fortress around Oakes.
• Ramiro sent the five thousand Aegis Warships ahead to defend the fortress and ordered one thousand ships to remain behind and destroy the bases.
• Lin Fan's fleet vanished from the Orbital Fortress's range as the Aegis Fleet entered the preset ambush zone, where more than sixty thousand human warships surrounded it.
• The Federal Fleet destroyed two thousand Aegis Warships and lost four hundred ships, while Ramiro learned that Oakes II's bases and hangars had been empty and recognized the trap.

The Federal Fleet defeated the Oakes Empire’s Aegis Fleet and captured its last three warships for research. After Piero urged retreat, Ramiro killed him and ordered the Royal Fleet to fight to the last, leaving its soldiers shouting that they would rather die than surrender.

• The 37th Division Fleet retrieved its ground forces from the planet’s radar blind spot as it accelerated away from the Royal Fleet.
• Lin Fan ordered Wang Hu’s Guard Mech Squadron to prepare to capture enemy ships and directed the Federal Fleet to switch to precision fire near the end of the battle.
• The Federal Fleet captured the last three Aegis Warships after mechs and assault teams fought their way to the bridges.
• Ramiro learned that the Aegis Fleet had been defeated and that the humans had captured its final ships.
• Piero advised Ramiro to endure the defeat and rebuild the Empire, but Ramiro shot him and threatened anyone else who spoke of surrender.
• Ramiro ordered the Royal Fleet to prepare for battle, and its soldiers shouted that they would rather die than surrender.

Lin Fan lured Ramiro’s Royal Fleet into the Orbital Fortress, where a concealed nuclear trap devastated the fleet. The Federal Fleet then jumped in and destroyed nearly all the remaining Royal warships.

• Lin Fan ordered the Federal Fleet to attack the Orbital Fortress instead of Ramiro’s Royal Fleet, prompting Ramiro to rush to its aid.
• Federal mechas entered the fortress, then withdrew as the Royal Fleet approached; the Federal Fleet jumped away after recovering them.
• Ramiro split his fleet, sending 100,000 warships into the fortress to load supplies while the rest stood guard outside.
• Lin Fan triggered nuclear explosions inside the fortress, destroying the 100,000 warships within and damaging many of the ships outside.
• More than 60,000 Federal warships jumped around the scattered Royal Fleet and attacked, leaving fewer than 1,000 Royal warships after ten minutes.

With the Royal Fleet nearly destroyed at Planet Oakes, Ramiro tried to bargain with Lin Fan by threatening to expose humanity to the Babawi Empire. His threat failed, and after learning Lin Fan had killed Duolun, Ramiro ordered a desperate final assault that Lin Fan considered evading.

• Ramiro contacted Lin Fan and threatened to tell the Babawi Empire that humanity was nearing Level 4 Civilization status unless Lin Fan handed over Duolun’s murderer.
• Lin Fan explained that the Oakes Empire’s communications would take centuries to reach the Babawi Empire and admitted that he had killed Duolun.
• Ramiro ordered the Royal Fleet’s remaining warships to charge the Uranus and destroy Lin Fan’s flagship, despite the fleet’s inability to break through.
• As the Royal Fleet charged and fired everything it had, Lin Fan discussed whether to wipe it out during the attack or jump away and leave it to the surrounding fleets.

Lin Fan’s fleet destroyed the Oakes Royal Guard Fleet and began an assault on Planet Oakes. He ordered the airborne operation to eliminate the planet’s remaining population, leaving Liang Xingchen alarmed and Lin Fan prepared to bear the consequences.

• Lin Fan ordered the First Fleet to warp away just as Ramiro’s Royal Guard Fleet prepared to fire on the Uranus.
• Federal fleets trapped and destroyed the Royal Guard Fleet, and the Emperor exploded after taking concentrated fire.
• Debris from the destroyed Orbital Fortress devastated Planet Oakes, while the Federal Fleet targeted threats on the surface.
• Ross saw the attack from his prison cell, lamented that Ramiro had not listened to him, and died by suicide.
• Lin Fan rejected Liang Xingchen’s suggestion to seek the Presidential Palace’s decision and ordered the airborne operation to begin, demanding that no Oakes people remain on the planet in a month.

Lin Zhen’s government debated Lin Fan’s plan to eliminate the Oakes people, and most of the staff ultimately approved it. Lin Zhen dismissed Jellang Kutner and Io Lucio, then had Io arrested for threatening to expose classified proceedings.

• Tens of millions of mechs descended on Oakes Prime, destroyed the remaining resistance, and began a planetwide slaughter.
• Lin Zhen convened Ed, Saunders, and the staff to review Lin Fan’s battle report and his plan to eliminate the Oakes people.
• Six staff members condemned Lin Fan’s plan, but Saunders and Ed defended it as necessary to prevent a future threat to the Federation.
• Lin Zhen held a vote, and eleven of thirteen votes approved Lin Fan’s handling plan.
• Lin Zhen dismissed Jellang Kutner and Io Lucio; when Io threatened to tell the public about the classified meeting, Lin Zhen ordered his arrest for treason.