The Rock System.
"We're finished!" Gazing at the dense sea of ships outside the system, Kinlock's face turned ashen.
Even with his complete lack of military knowledge, he had realized that his Rock System was as good as finished.
Five thousand pirate ships plus one thousand Twin Stars Warships-roughly three times their own numbers.
Such an overwhelming numerical disparity was enough to all but erase their defensive advantage.
Beside him, Kloros looked just as grim.
Though the Twin Stars had fewer warships, their combined combat strength was equivalent to two thousand pirate ships.
That meant he would have to divert some of his already overstretched defensive forces to intercept this enemy contingent. This was undoubtedly the last straw.
Under these circumstances, never mind holding out for a month until reinforcements arrived-even lasting two weeks would be a stretch!
Yet he simply could not understand it.
The Twin Stars had just suffered devastating losses and should have chosen to watch from the sidelines. Why had they joined forces with the pirates to attack them?
The wormhole was one thing; it was, after all, a strategic chokepoint on their doorstep. But the Locke Conglomerate's territory belonged to the Wulf Empire. Weren't they afraid of imperial retaliation for attacking it?
Who on earth had given them the nerve?
[Iris: "..." (Maybe me?)]
"Kloros! Is there any hope of holding out until reinforcements arrive?" Kinlock asked hoarsely.
Wasn't that asking a question he already knew the answer to?
Kloros looked at Kinlock in surprise, then froze.
Kinlock's face was ashen, but his eyes were bloodshot, like a gambler who had lost all reason.
After a long pause, Kloros slowly nodded. "Yes!"
Kinlock's eyes instantly lit up, regaining a little of their former spark.
"They may outnumber us, but I still have a few tricks