As the other four pirate forces began their raids, Nie Yun led his Ghost pirate fleet away from the Locke Conglomerate's densely populated star systems, slipping along a remote shipping lane...
At the sight of that barren yet achingly familiar planet, Spartacus's eyes involuntarily burned with fervor.
"Ryan Star! We... we're finally back!"
"Raaah!" "We're back! We're back!" "Sob..."
Cheers and more than a few sobs rang through their headsets.
The Ryan Race had waited far, far too long for this moment.
Although Ryan Star bore their name, it was not their homeworld. Instead, it was a vast prison that held the Lyonians captive!
And today, armed with advanced weapons and backed by a powerful fleet, they had returned... following the Ghost Captain who had given their race hope!
After the previous raid on Ryan Star, the Locke Conglomerate had deliberately strengthened its defenses. However, with the war against the Twin Stars going poorly, Kloros had drawn away another contingent, leaving only fifty warships behind.
Under normal circumstances, fifty warships would have been enough to deter most pirate forces, and more than sufficient to deal with the Ghost Pirate Gang that had attacked last time.
But the Ghost Pirate Gang was now a far cry from what it had once been...
"Everyone, maintain radio silence! Stay cloaked!" Spartacus ordered in a low voice. Only then did the excitement in the channel subside, giving way to silence.
Tens of thousands of Mecha activated stealth mode. Like assassins in the night, they crept toward the "jailers" guarding the prison, while their hearts surged like a mountain torrent about to burst its banks.
800,000 kilometers... 600,000 kilometers... 400,000 kilometers...
Only when they closed to within 300,000 kilometers did the radar of the fleet patrolling Ryan Star's high orbit detect faint anomalies, setting off