Although they look like two space cockroaches, the holographic image also provides relevant data, including the predicted length...
At least 1.4 kilometers.
Guarded by two "cockroaches" in the center, the beetle-like flagship has a top-heavy appearance, a seemingly detachable structure, and an overall length of about 3.5 kilometers.
These data made the atmosphere at the scene a little more solemn.
Because just looking at the appearance, it is very different from human warships and ships. It is obviously a fleet of alien races, or... a fleet.
If it is a fleet, then the specifications of the opponent's warships are comparable to those of cruisers and aircraft carriers.
As for the Punishment, it is only a light frigate less than 600 meters long.
Comparing the specifications and numbers of the two warships, the Punishment is at an absolute disadvantage.
The UNSC captain, whose face was extremely serious, asked: "Can the other party negotiate?"
Miranda shook her head slightly.
He also said: "We detected that the other party was driving out of the fault space, and we contacted the other party, but the other party still went its own way and did not give any reply.
Of course, we also uploaded relevant information as soon as the opponent appeared, and also applied for fleet support.
The Umbrella Second Legion and the 045th Fleet, which are closest to the Harvest Star, responded to our request for support and are expected to arrive in four hours. "
"Four hours?"
Hearing this, the paratrooper second lieutenant, who looked normal, looked at the three yellow dots on the star map and couldn't help but smile:
"We can afford to wait four hours, but I wonder if those space cockroaches can afford to wait..."
"captain!"
Before he finished speaking, a crew member sitting on the left side of the bridge, responsible for communications, turned towards the center console and shouted:
"The other party released some kind of pulse attack! As a result, our ship-based relay and the relay station on the surface of Harvest Star failed, making it impossible to contact the outside world! And the other party also sent a video message!"
"Put the video on the center console." Miranda said.
"yes!"
As the conversation progresses, the three yellow dots turn to red above the star chart, showing the video message from the other party.
The holographic screen showed the communication room or bridge of the opponent's flagship.
This allows Miranda, Gabriel and others to directly observe the internal structure of the opponent's ship.
The bulkheads and decks are full of purple tones, with curved surfaces and a curving style, unlike the square and flat shapes of human battleships.
The most important thing is that I also saw a "person" who was suspected to be the opponent's commander...
I saw that the "person" was also a humanoid torso with hands and legs, wearing very gorgeous brown-gold armor, and a helmet with a huge crown, and the details and gaps were emitting a faint purple light.
The face and neck that are not covered by the armor have a skin color that is dark blue and light gray. The most distinctive thing is probably "his" mouth with four lips.
Although his figure is somewhat slender and he has a severe hunchback, his height is still much higher than that of an ordinary person, about 2.3 to 4 meters tall.
The appearance of the opponent's commander completely confirmed that the three "cockroaches" and "beetles" were alien forces belonging to a non-human race.
"Ouch--~!"
The commander in golden armor let out a roar, and the expression on his facial muscles and eyes showed that "he" was in an extremely angry state.
Then "he" opened his mouth wide, waved his hands, emphasized in a low voice, and said some kind of warning or declaration of war:
"Chaku! The gas is stuck, Osangheli..."
However, everyone in the bridge could not understand what the golden-armored commander was saying.
Language barrier.
The entire video was less than half a minute long, and there was still less than fourteen minutes before the Punishment came into contact with the opposing fleet.
The holographic screen disappears.
Miranda then ordered: "Use the shipboard computer (low-intelligence artificial intelligence) to try to translate the intention that the other party wants to convey."
"Yes." A crew member responded.
"Good guy." The second lieutenant spread his hands and laughed at himself:
"I really have a crow's mouth. Just after I finished speaking, I didn't expect that the cockroaches... no, I should say the praying mantises really couldn't wait."
"This is obviously a declaration of war, and they can block communication methods that use fault space, which shows that the other party's technological level is not low..." the captain said worriedly.
"What's wrong with low-tech technology? Keep doing it as usual. The exercise just happened to be interrupted. Wouldn't it be good to use them as targets?" the second lieutenant still said indifferently.
"..." The captain was speechless.
After all, from the perspective of a Marine, the captain simply cannot understand the hell paratroopers who are known as "combat madmen".
"The second lieutenant is right." Miranda agreed: "No matter what the opponent's technology is, we must take the initiative to let them know that humans are not easy to bully.
Moreover, we are not at an absolute disadvantage. "
Having said this, Miranda moved her gaze upwards, looked at Gabriel who had unfolded his helmet and remained silent, and suggested:
"Platoon Commander Angelos, the Punishment will rely on its maneuverability to deal with the enemy fleet, creating an opportunity for Thutmose to jump to the enemy's flagship and carry out the beheading operation. How about it?"
"That's what I meant." Gabriel responded briefly without showing any emotion.
And as soon as he finished speaking, Gabriel closed his helmet, turned around and took steps that made a heavy "dong, dong" sound, and left the bridge first.
After looking at Gabriel's back, Miranda continued to the two lieutenants: "Captain, second lieutenant, please prepare your troops as well."
Hear the words.
"I can't wait for a long time!" The second lieutenant grinned, his mood slightly crazy.
"Just die, the Marine Corps is always ready." The captain nodded in response.
Then the two men also left the bridge one after another.
See this.
Miranda quickly returned to the captain's seat, looked out the porthole into the dark sky, and loudly ordered with a raised voice:
"Sound the alarm, put the entire ship into combat readiness, and check the main guns, secondary guns, and all weapon systems!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"The electromagnetic main gun and two plasma secondary guns are operating normally!"
"Ground crews are loading and making final checks on all carrier-based aircraft, which is expected to be completed in four minutes."
Next, on the bridge, mobilize all personnel of the Punishment to prepare for battle.
———————
…
In the hangar.
Ground crew members wearing dark yellow exoskeletons stood at the edge of the hangar, ready for attack. Next to them were equipment boxes or weapon racks containing various types of aerial bombs.
On the lowest floor and on the protruding decks on both sides of the hangar, there are various carrier-based aircraft parked with their engines started, just waiting for the order to attack.
15 Saker fighter jets that have been updated over decades, and 3 Viking fighters with deformed structures.
In the engine rooms of 4 Pelicans and 1 large transport boat were two companies personally led by the UNSC captain, and there was also a marine company left in the Punishment.
The hell paratrooper company led by the second lieutenant is located in the airborne preparation cabins on both sides of the Punishment's hull, waiting for the best opportunity.
The last one is the most important one, the Thunder III carrying a total of thirty Thutmose including Gabriel.
at this time.
The piercing alarm "Beep!" and the flashing red light above the hangar broke the pre-war tranquility.
Immediately afterwards, Miranda's voice came from the broadcasts of various parts of the ship and the communication channels of all personnel:
"All combat squadrons are ready to attack and cooperate with our ship in a quick raid to provide Platoon Leader Angelos and others with an opportunity to jump into gangs. The Marines and Hell Paratroopers are temporarily on standby.
besides! "Miranda's originally cold tone changed and she said passionately and forcefully:
"Let those space mantises see what a hymn to humanity is!"
"Hoo ha!" the Marines and Helltroopers yelled in unison over the comms.
"For humanity!" A bunch of Thutmose were among them.
"Then..." Miranda paused, and then said in a low voice: "Attack!"
The words fell.
The Saker and Viking, which had been prepared for a long time, slowly left the deck and sailed to the outside of the ship through the air valves installed on both sides of the bulkhead, which were like luminous films.
Thunder III carrying Gabriel and other Thutmose followed closely behind.
Outside the ship.
A total of eighteen Falcons and Vikings were divided into three squadrons and sailed to the left, right and above of the Punishment.
The Thunder III, which had just left the hangar, was flying close to the belly of the Punishment.
The Punishment and the carrier-based aircraft sailed alone in the vast starry sky, and fearlessly approached the three enemy ships at extremely fast speeds.
ri~----!
Phew~----!
Suddenly, a 3-ton tungsten iron projectile came out of the barrel with a shining blue light, instantly cut through the starry sky, and directly hit the 3.5-kilometer-long "Beetle" flagship.
But buzz~--! of.
A purple energy barrier helped the flagship successfully block the originally invincible tungsten iron projectiles.
This shot from the Punishment was like a wasp. The densely packed blue and purple carrier-based aircraft quickly poured out of the hangar of "cockroaches" and "beetles", like a swarm of bees.
Then thousands of enemy aircraft with round heads and shriveled feet that looked like space insects gradually broke away from their fleet, formed a huge overwhelming net, and pounced on the lonely Punishment.
The bridge at this time.
"Captain! The main gun cannot penetrate the shield of the enemy's flagship!" A crew member shouted in shock.
The atmosphere on the entire bridge was much heavier, because in the crew's perception, nothing could withstand an electromagnetic gun projectile.
There is, and the crew never knew it, a god's body piloted by the Primarch.
Miranda's facial expression, on the other hand, said calmly: "It's expected. There's nothing surprising about it. Continue to report the current status and how long it will take for the enemy carrier-based aircraft to enter the range of the close-range anti-aircraft gun."
With this calm captain, the crew no longer panics.
A crew member immediately reported: "It is expected to enter the range of the enemy in 75 seconds, Captain."
"Okay." Miranda nodded lightly, glanced at the small holographic screen on the right, and ordered based on the current situation:
"Let the two secondary guns continue to bombard the enemy's flagship without considering the overheating of the gun barrels. When the main gun completes charging, it can fire directly without asking for my order.
There is no unbreakable barrier in the world.
Then notify the pilots of all squadrons and ask them to protect the Thunder transport aircraft and let the Thunder close to the enemy's flagship at all costs.
As long as Thutmose can successfully join the gang, he will not hesitate even if the entire squadron, including the ship, is destroyed. "
"Yes! Captain!"
"Secondary battery locked...fire!"
"Boom-! Boom-!"
The noise of the 300mm secondary gun firing was transmitted into the bridge through the hull, and at the same time, two huge plasma cannons passed by both sides of the porthole.
boom-! boom-!
The artillery regiment "evaporated" everything in its path, and the enemy carrier-based aircraft without shields finally bombarded directly on the purple shield of the "Beetle" flagship.
Naturally, the enemy fleet would not be beaten in vain, and began to launch a counterattack against the Punishment.
I saw cannon groups of different sizes, purple, blue or green, similar to plasma technology, fired from the gun barrels of the three enemy ships.
Moreover, the two "cockroaches" were gradually leaving the formation. It seemed that they wanted to cooperate with the flagship to surround the Punishment.
Observe this space from a distance.
Against the background of deep space, artillery batteries of various colors flashed across, especially the attacks from the three enemy ships, which seemed to be engulfing the Punishment.
However, the Punishment's flexibility and maneuverability were obviously better than those of the three enemy ships, and it relied on its speed and irregular route to avoid most of the artillery attacks.
Even if it was hit by a small group of artillery, it could not seriously damage the Punishment, and it could only melt through the outermost armor.
But as the distance from the flagship and enemy aircraft groups continues to shrink, the pressure faced by the Punishment is also increasing.
Until the enemy plane is about to enter the range of the close-in defense artillery...
ri~----!
Phew~----!
The Punishment fired its main gun again, and the blue-light trajectory passed through the enemy aircraft group in the blink of an eye, and hit the flagship shield again...
Ka-...wha~la-!
This time, the purple shield began to rapidly collapse and dissipate at the impact point of the projectile, causing the Beetle flagship to completely "open wide."
Doing the math, the interval between the two attacks of the main gun is only about sixty seconds.
Fast, light, and high-attack are the characteristics of the Paris-class frigates, and the "fast" also includes the rate of fire of the main gun.
Boom-~!
Moreover, the much weakened projectiles still penetrated the outer armor and continued to cause damage to the interior of the flagship.
But this kind of damage is extremely insignificant to a 3.5-kilometer-class flagship.
But everyone on the Punishment didn't place their hopes on this either.
The bridge at this moment.
"Captain! The main gun successfully destroyed the enemy flagship's shield!"
"very good."
Miranda looked forward, looking at the flagship that occupied the entire porthole view and the densely packed enemy planes. She waved her left hand forward and ordered:
"Breakthrough at maximum speed! Inform the squadron not to worry about the harassment of flies (enemy planes) for the time being. Our ship will deal with it for them and focus on the escort mission!"
"yes!"
"The air defense system has completed the lock-on...fire!"
at the same time.
Twelve seven-barreled 35mm close-in defense guns were all aimed at the enemy planes that were attacking and harassing the Punishment, and then the gun barrels began to rotate rapidly.
ri~ da da da! !
Dense pulse shells were fired in all directions, forming a bullet net in reverse direction, extremely efficiently destroying enemy aircraft that Miranda described as flies.
Take advantage of this opportunity.
Three combat squadrons protected the Thunder III regiment in the center and rushed forward under the cover of the barrage.
When they were about to collide with the flagship, the eighteen Vikings and Falcons turned around at extremely high speeds, changed their flight direction, and evacuated.
Thunder III turned on the melt cannon and carried thirty Thutmose to join the gang.
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