Earlier, in space.
Three FTL Corvettes and twenty small sublight warships had spread out to surround the entire spaceport. Every weapon aboard them had been charged or loaded, and they waited quietly for the final orders.
Ning Zhiyuan stood on the bridge of the Galactic Throne.
To prepare for the coming battle, he had put the entire warship into a zero-gravity vacuum state, preventing a hull breach from causing sudden decompression and killing everyone aboard.
All crew members wore lightweight spacesuits, each containing enough supplies to sustain them through several hours of combat.
Ning Zhiyuan adjusted the magnetic pull of his boots to make sure he could walk freely in zero gravity, then connected his Smart Wristband to his spacesuit and projected its interface inside his helmet.
It's been five minutes and fourteen seconds since Xi Yan gave the order, Ning Zhiyuan calculated.
By now, the troops the Marshal had deployed must have begun their operation to take down Shoigu and the others in one fell swoop.
How merciless. Ning Zhiyuan vaguely remembered how all five of them, the generals, had doted on Xi Yan when he was little.
Remembering how Xi Yan had led a group of armed men to point their guns at him earlier, Ning Zhiyuan could not help feeling a little helpless.
Xi Yan had grown up. Now that he was Marshal, there were some things he simply had to do.
After Ning Zhiyuan stood thinking for a while and judged that it was about time, Xi Yan's orders arrived:
{Xi Yan: Attack point D! (retracted)} {Xi Yan: Follow my tactics and destroy every enemy warship.} {Xi Yan: Also, keep our three corvettes safe. As for the little ships, fight however you like. We won't build any replacements afterward.} {Ning Zhiyuan: Understood!} {Xi Yan: Then let's teach them a lesson.}
Safe travels, and good luck!
Ning Zhiyuan perked up at once. He switched on his Communicator and issued his orders. "All units, attention! Veronica's fleet, defend the forward flanks of the three FTL Corvettes as planned and intercept enemy torpedoes. All corvettes, stay at maximum firing range and fire at will!"
"Left Protector Ship and Right Protector Ship, protect the Galactic Throne in the center and take incoming fire for it. Make sure you wipe out the enemy fleet!"
The fleet was already in formation. The Galactic Throne attacked first, sending a straight beam of red laser fire through the office of Alexei, acting commander-in-chief of Shoigu's fleet.
One shot was enough. After all, this was their own nation's Starport, and they could not cause too much damage.
Then the two S-class Red Laser Emitters beside the flak cannons fired simultaneously, sweeping two searing red beams across the sublight warships packed tightly into the port.
The dazzling laser beams struck the docked warships and instantly burned huge holes through them.
Caught completely unprepared, the warships suddenly had gaping breaches torn into their hulls. Air was rapidly sucked out of their cabins, killing the crew inside in an instant.
That was the power of red lasers!
Energy weapons had always been extremely useful.
Red lasers were thermal weapons, and their intense heat could swiftly melt the hulls of these little sublight fishing boats.
But these warships had failed to activate their deflector shields in time, allowing the red lasers to punch effortlessly through their paper-thin armor.
It was easy to imagine how devastating decompression could be for a ship in space.
In an instant, all the air aboard an entire warship escaped through that massive hole. None of its crew were wearing spacesuits, and they were all killed on the spot.
The two Red Laser Emitters kept firing scorching beams, sweeping back and forth through the anchorage crammed with ships.
Dozens of warships had their hulls melted right then and there, and everyone inside died instantly.
Not only that, but the Left Protector Ship and Right Protector Ship launched their S-Slot Nuclear Missiles one after another, setting off tremendous explosions within the Starport anchorage.
The small sublight ships under General Veronica's command also launched small Space Torpedoes. A dense volley struck all those little ships, the violent explosions forming a stark contrast with the silent void.
Although few warships were destroyed outright, the wide blast radius inflicted varying degrees of damage on a great many of them. It was not fatal, but dealing with it would be a serious headache.
"What happened?"
"Why are we under attack?!"
The captains of these little sublight fishing boats jolted awake in utter bewilderment, only to discover that their allies had suffered heavy casualties and they themselves were in imminent danger.
Meanwhile, Alexei hurried into the temporary command room deep inside the Starport. His eyes nearly bulged with fury as he hastily began issuing orders.
"All warships, enter combat readiness, activate your deflector shields, leave the Starport immediately, and spread out!"
Although Alexei was very young, his command skills were still solid. Even without understanding what had happened, the captains who received his orders instinctively followed them.
The first volley alone had taken out more than a dozen warships, with countless others caught in the attack. Keeping Xi Yan's tactics in mind, Ning Zhiyuan ordered a change in formation.
"Veronica's fleet, spread out into a layered defensive formation. Galactic Throne, prepare to turn. Left and Right Protector Ships, adjust your angles to defend against incoming attacks!"
Ning Zhiyuan kept Xi Yan's instructions in the document firmly in mind.
The Galactic Throne-or rather, the only two red lasers and the flak cannons aboard it-was the most important asset, even more important than the ship itself.
In a typical space battle, striking first offered a huge advantage. A battleship fleet, for example, could inflict almost incalculable damage if its arc emitters got off the opening volley.
Their current situation was much the same. By catching the enemy's little ships with their shields down, the first volley of red laser fire could take out more than a dozen in one go.
By now, the enemy had most likely reacted. Once their deflector shields were up, they would offer some protection against energy weapons like red lasers, so it was time for Space Torpedoes and nuclear missiles to enter the fray.
Ning Zhiyuan sat in the center of the Galactic Throne's bridge, personally issuing orders from the command station.
The Holographic Screen displayed a live feed of the Starport anchorage and Shoigu's sublight fleet.
Faint blue ripples appeared over the hulls of more than sixty warships, signaling that their deflector shields had activated.
At the same time, these warships hastily fired up their engines and rushed to leave the Starport. With so little time to spare, many of them collided.
Alexei pounded the table in fury. "A bunch of useless idiots! The moment a real battle starts, they forget every last thing they learned in training!"
"Relay my orders! Spread out layer by layer, starting from the outside!"
Ning Zhiyuan watched coldly as the fleet threw itself into disarray and crashed together inside the anchorage. He could not help feeling relieved.
Preparation really was important. Their crews were all much the same, and if he had been in the enemy's position, he probably would have ended up in complete chaos too.
Regardless, he had seized the initiative. Logically, he should press his advantage.
But Xi Yan disagreed. His exact instructions had been to open up the distance immediately and get ready to run, lest the enemy recover and close in to destroy them.
Thinking of what they had already achieved, Ning Zhiyuan chose to trust Xi Yan. He did not know where Xi Yan had learned all this, but trusting him was the right choice.
The maneuvering thrusters along the Galactic Throne's sides spewed eerie blue light. The enormous corvette turned in place, pointing its massive rear and Ion Thrusters toward the Starport.
The Red Laser Emitters atop the warship tilted upward until they reached an elevation angle of 180 degrees, aiming directly aft.
It was a fairly primitive design, but at least it allowed the ship to shoot enemies behind it.
And as everyone knew, no ship in Stellaris could move backward. To ensure firepower and safety, ship weapons were fixed firmly in place and aimed only at targets ahead, with no weapon slots designed for flexible movement.
This made warships extremely unwieldy. They could only charge forward to attack, then start circling once they closed in.
So, in theory, the Galactic Throne was now the most advanced warship in the entire Sea of Stars! (Absolutely certain.)
Before you continue