At that moment, the Homeward Bound left Orange Star's thin atmosphere and entered space, an endless void whose vastness stretched beyond measure in every direction.
Its propulsion engine ran at full power as it hurtled toward Water Blue Star. The Homeward Bound used an Electromagnetic-Field Particle Accelerator Thruster, powered by a Second-Generation Controllable Nuclear Fusion Tower at its core.
The "outdated" Guardians could not match the Homeward Bound's acceleration and could not escort it, leaving it to fly alone through interstellar space.
This was despite the Guardian Type 2 Fighters having taken less than a month to go from blueprints to construction and deployment.
This was also Orange Star's first spacecraft to undertake a long-distance interstellar voyage! And its first domestically built armed craft.
The Homeward Bound's hull had a special coating, and it would maintain radio silence throughout its journey. Luo Qi, who primarily controlled Orange Star's systems, also continued tracking and observing Water Blue Star's warship through optical arrays.
The warship began accelerating away from Water Blue Star. Fortunately, it did not appear before Orange Star in an instant as he had feared.
Orange Star's defensive satellite network watched it accelerate to 700,000 kilometers per hour, then maintain a steady cruising speed.
It turned out to be a warship developed along conventional lines after all. Even if it did not need to decelerate on approach, it would still take at least 120 hours to reach Orange Star.
That was enough time for him to begin building defenses. Orange Star began preparing for war.
Luo Qi checked Orange Star's status. The satellite network surrounding the planet currently comprised more than a dozen generations of equipment.
They received a new version number almost every day, with nearly 200 regularly launched into orbit daily.
They ranged from ordinary observation and defense