The Yamato Cannon is Ready

"Stop them!"

Augustus made a decisive statement. "The Confederacy is indiscriminately slaughtering civilians; only we can stop them."

"Turn around." Raynor immediately issued the order to the entire Fleets: "Activate the hull guns, calibrate the aiming parameters, and open fire on all Confederacy warships that have Halsen System."

"Sir, the enemy's intentions are clear; they want to tie us down. If the Fleets gets bogged down and can't get out, the other Confederacy squadrons will arrive at Halsen and surround us." The speaker was one of Raynor's adjutants, a former leader of the local Confederacy Resistance Army on Antiga Prime, known for his calm and ruthless nature.

"Then they'll have to be able to hold us off," Raynor said.

Meanwhile, Augustus headed to the bridge of the Norad II, with Lieutenant Commander Pulaier and Kerrigan flanking him.

When Augustus arrived at the bridge of the Norad II, the massive warship was turning around and opening fire on the Confederacy warships attacking the refugee boats. As one of the few battlecruisers equipped with Defensive Matrix, the Norad II was able to withstand more enemy fire.

In an instant, orange-red flashes and brilliant fire erupted in the black depths of space. Nearly forty unparalleled human steel behemoths were engaged in fierce combat in Halsen's synchronized orbit, with thousands of cannons standing tall, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression. Countless bright orange laser beams flashed across the sky, like a densely woven net in space.

A space station that had survived the Zerg invasion was instantly reduced to fragments by the gunfire of Confederacy warships, bursting into terrifying flashes. One after another, the ships escaping from the space station were engulfed in the dense firepower of the Confederacy Fleets.

The shockwave from the nuclear explosion triggered by the space station's reactor completely tore apart the remaining supporting structure, frame, and dome of the giant alloy steel structure within seconds.

When he witnessed the space station crumble to pieces, Augustus sighed once more. More than 50,000 refugees and staff would perish, their once passionate hearts becoming a permanent part of the cold space.

The Confederacy Navy has ample reason and evidence to suggest that the space station is a rebel military base, or that its inhabitants have already betrayed the Confederacy. The Confederacy could also counter-accuse the rebels of carrying out a two-week massacre in Halsen, claiming that the inhumanity and brutality of these anti-government elements is appalling.

The flames from thousands of warship turrets and the exhaust plumes of space torpedoes intertwined in deep space as massive numbers of battlecruisers and fighters joined the massive battle. Even during the Guild Wars, such a large-scale Fleets battle between humans was rarely seen.

As the flagship, Norad II bore the brunt of the attack. Large beams of orange laser light, powerful enough to tear the fortress apart, slammed into the green shield field, creating deadly ripples of plasma.

Parallel to the Norad II was the Leviathan -class battlecruiser Thunder Child, its thick steel armor plating scorching with intense plasma, like sparks flying from the ship's hull.

The older Leviathan- class battlecruisers and most of the Behemoth-class Battlecruiser in service relied entirely on the thickness of their armor to withstand the fierce firepower of enemy ships. Every battle left indelible scars on their hulls.

The barrage of bullets from the Confederacy warships blotted out the sky, while the Revolutionary Army's firepower was equally formidable; the value of every shell dropped by both sides every second was immeasurable.

The agile Wraith and smaller assault boats weaved through the warships' barrage of fire, a mere glancing blow enough to turn them into fleeting fireballs. But even battlecruisers could not ignore these powerful aircraft carrying long-range air-to-air missiles, which had long since replaced the aging Avenger fighters as the mainstay of human Fleets warfare.

Standing at the bridge window of the Norad II, Augustus's face was occasionally illuminated by a barrage of dense laser cannon fire. This sudden war was bloody and brutal, with countless reddish plasmas being shot into space, bursting forth with infinitely dazzling light, like torches covering the mountains and fields in the night.

"They're still attacking refugee ships, and the channels on those ships are filled with cries of agony. Are the Confederacy commanders deaf?"

The speaker was Captain Jasper, captain of the Norad II. He came from a wealthy farming family on the Joss. Jasper had studied on the main planet Tarsonis and was therefore accustomed to the extravagance and glitz of Tarsonis's capital city.

In the past, Jasper had angered the wealthy son of Tarsonis because of a woman. No one knew what Jasper had been through, but when Augustus met him, he had already enlisted in the Revolutionary Army at the recruitment site in the Umojan Republic, becoming Fleets soldier, and had been promoted to captain due to his outstanding performance in many battles and his exceptional talent.

In the Revolutionary Army, anyone with talent has no shortage of opportunities for promotion. In the Confederacy Army, however, the nobility and those who have risen to high positions based on seniority limit the promotion opportunities for commoner officers, and the Confederacy Army is not lacking in incompetent individuals who are jealous of talent.

"Three spaceships full of refugees are escaping the space station," said the second officer of the Norad II, who was sitting in the command chair, staring intently at the monitoring screen of another outer space sensor. The second officer is mainly responsible for security and radio communications on the battlecruiser, and he will also take over the first officer's position when the first officer is absent.

"The speed of the Wraith far surpasses that of these transport ships; laser weapons can catch up with them in the blink of an eye." Jasper had blond hair and dark green eyes, and the gilded Revolutionary Army whip ring insignia on his captain's hat and the golden ears of wheat on his ship's insignia gleamed under the bridge lights.

"A race against time!"

This is the consistent image of the Revolutionary Army's captains; they are not slovenly pirates, but respected warship captains. The officers in the Revolutionary Army are generally very young; they have practically grown up alongside this rebel army.

In the beginning, no one expected how the Korhal IV uprising would end, nor did anyone anticipate the success they would achieve.

Regardless, this army, originally composed of Korhal IV people, has now gathered idealists from various planets. These diverse individuals are gradually being forged by the blood and fire of the war in the Koprulu Sector into the very image that Augustus envisioned in Korhal.

"I can hear the refugees," Kerrigan said. "They're screaming and asking why human warships are attacking their own people."

"Help them," Augustus.

"Increase shield power output, move to area 5,71." Captain Jasper, understanding perfectly, ordered, "Five seconds countdown—"

After a dazzling flash, the Norad II moved sideways above the three refugee ships that were desperately dodging the gunfire, its massive shadow obscuring the tiny ships and the barrage of fire aimed at them.

Another deafening roar shook the entire bridge as missiles, trailing red flames, rained down on the Norad II.

"That's not all," Kerrigan continued. "There are nearly a hundred refugee boats scattered along Halsen's orbit, all of which are targets for Confederacy warships."

"Then let's start the war, let them know that their real enemy is the Revolutionary Army."

"Teach the Confederacy a lesson." Augustus's cold gray eyes swept over the hologram projected on the main screen of the bridge. On it, green Holographic Projection projections formed thirty-seven battlecruisers distinguished by red dots, along with countless missile paths drawn by a supercomputer.

"We haven't really hurt them yet, so these scumbags will know they'd better steer clear of the Revolutionary Army in the future."

"We are not what we used to be," Colonel Jasper said.

At that moment, the images of Jim Raynor and more than a dozen Revolutionary Army battlecruiser captains appeared on the main screen.

The captains were all dressed in crisp command uniforms. Some looked even younger Augustus, while others were old captains with gray beards, smoking retro-style pipes, occasionally stuffing them with tobacco and puffing out clouds of smoke.

"Swann says the Hyperion Yamato Cannon on the Hyperion are ready to fire," Augustus said in his coldest tone ever. "Whatever his reasons, get the gun crews moving now."

"The Yamato Cannon design is not yet perfect. If the main gun is to fire, other energy-intensive systems, such as the shield, must be shut down. Moreover, firing before testing is complete will certainly yield unsatisfactory results," Raynor said.

"Now it's time for the test." Augustus looked ahead.

"All I need to see is the Crimson Squadron's flagship reduced to a pile of scrap metal."

"Captains, you have only one mission: to draw the fire of the Confederacy warships and cover the Hyperion's firing," Augustus said, the red glow of the ship's guns illuminating his sharply defined face.

"Gentlemen, we firmly believe that this war, which will inevitably cause immense suffering, is just. The fate of 820,000 Revolutionary Army and millions of others rests on your every command."

"Yes, sir."

The battle between Fleets on Halsen reached a fever pitch within minutes, Fleets the synchronous orbit engulfed in flames and the wreckage of warships forming a massive, metallic ring.

Regardless of the outcome of this war, this area will remain a frequent haunt of private salvage operators and interstellar Scavengers for a long time to come. Even a small fragment of a battlecruiser is worth a fortune, and at the very least, there will always be someone willing to pay a high price for maglev motorcycles and other souvenirs built from these "legendary" warships.

The two Fleets drew ever closer amidst the ongoing firefight, with tens of thousands of warplanes and ships clashing and maneuvering between them.

At 5 PM shiptime, Augustus could almost see the crimson deck and blue Confederacy flag of one of the Crimson Squadron.

"The bridge Command Island of the Hagen has been breached, and the first officer has taken command of the warship from Captain Roan." As Kerrigan reported to Augustus, the monitor screen of the Norad II showed that one of the warships in the Fleets, the Hagen, was severely damaged.

This warship was salvaged by Warfield from the ship museum in Abaddon, on the Edge World. At the time, the Confederacy Navy planned to convert this old warship, which had been retired for many years, into a prison ship to make the best use of it.

Now, even though the Revolutionary Army engineers have thickened the hull of the Hagen, it is still like an overly frail old man, teetering on the brink of collapse amidst a hail of bullets when deliberately targeted by Confederacy warships.

Meanwhile, two other Confederacy battlecruisers were kicked out of the battlefield by the Revolutionary Army warships. As Augustus looked toward the dazzling flash on the bridge, the Revolutionary Army's Behemoth-class Battlecruiser Ragnarok and King's Wrath had combined their strength to severely damage a Gamma Squadron warship. A space torpedo that struck the ship squarely on the bow tore a horrifying wound in its broad and majestic bridge.

Augustus simply watched all of this intently, occasionally issuing new orders to the various warships and Fleets through the communication system.

At 17:03, the Yamato Cannon on the Hyperion was fully charged. The muzzle, brimming with nuclear explosive energy, shone thousands of times brighter in a matter of seconds, releasing a light that resembled a small star. If the Yamato Cannon had been inside the atmosphere, the roar of its firing would have been incredibly awe-inspiring.

The Yamato Cannon was impressive when it fired, but the energy beam it emitted was not particularly large; it was just a fleeting red light, like a red comet moving at an incredible speed.

It was a focused and compressed nuclear explosion, releasing enough energy to destroy a city.

In the blink of an eye, the Augustus Yamato Cannon shot struck the Giant Jotun, the flagship of the Crimson Squadron.

This Behemoth-class Battlecruiser, regarded as a masterpiece by the Confederacy's military industry, adopted the latest generation of design, and its armor was the most outstanding of its time. Its design goal was to be able to withstand the Protoss's plasma cannons.

However, this focused, compressed, and nuclear explosion triggered an unprecedented nuclear blast upon contact with the Giant Jotun. The legendary warship, hailed as the pride of the Confederacy and the throne ship, burst into a massive fireball after a flash of intense light, breaking in two like a shattered cookie, with the remaining fragments scattering like a shower of stars.

With a single strike, the Hyperion destroyed this battlecruiser, a source of pride for the Confederacy Navy, greatly intimidating the other Confederacy warships and forcing them to retreat briefly.

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the Revolutionary Army Fleets's channel. Raynor, in his excessive excitement, slammed his hand on the sharp edge of the control panel, making a loud howling sound.

"Are all the refugees safe?" Augustus asked Kerrigan.

"They all evacuated from Halsen's synchronous orbit, and several of the warships also accepted some of the refugee ships," Kerrigan replied.

"Contact the flagship of the Tassadar Executive Fleets, the Star Shuttle," Augustus said at that moment.

"Tell the executive officer that we need their support and to deter the Confederacy." He continued, "Jimmy, take the Hagen, we're evacuating Halsen immediately."

"The destination is set as Mar- Sara... the place where it all began."

"The Protoss Fleets's bombardment turned the area into scorched earth, but the main cannon beams also unearthed crystal veins hidden deep underground, giving the minerals there certain special properties. This means that Mar- Sara still has colonization value."

"Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise," Raynor remarked.