From the moment the other party approached him, Huron never really wanted to hand over the Blackstone Fortress to the other party, no matter what it was. After all, there are not many such things in the galaxy now. Maybe he will dominate the Maelstrom and Ah in the future. Patton's key capital to fight against the enemy.
How could we hand over this kind of thing without risking our lives?
So if Soshyan can be defeated without using Blackstone Fortress, then there is still a way to say who the Blackstone Fortress belongs to. The original terms negotiated with the other party actually said that the war is over. As long as it does not end, then——
Huron's confidence did not come from nothing. He believed that his existing strength combined with the death map would definitely catch Soshiyang by surprise.
Soshyan was indeed a little surprised by the sudden appearance of the second mysterious hulk, but after looking at the power at hand, he felt that this problem was not that big. After all, he also had his own A killer one.
After several divisions, the central fleet led by him still has 68 capital ships!
This huge fleet includes 2 Oberon-class battleships of the Sun Fleet, 1 Emperor-class battleship, 1 Apocalypse-class battleship, 1 Jupiter-class battlecruiser, 4 Vengeance-class large cruisers, and 3 The Dictator-class cruiser and 5 Moon-class cruisers total 17 capital ships, and each battle group has more than 20 battle barges. Among them, the Minotaur battle group alone has 3 battle barges, and they are all modified from battleships. Come, at the same time they also have 8 strike cruisers, which is the most powerful fleet among the more than a dozen participating battle groups.
Next is the Astral Knight, which has one battle barge (Soulbringer) and three large cruisers (Eternal Loyalty, Unbound Soul, Silver Redemption - the original Red Pirate Executioner-class large cruiser Bloody Glory, in It was damaged and captured in the first naval battle of Angerstom. It basically completed the repair work before the decisive battle, left the dock at Angstrom and joined the combat sequence), 2 Lunar-class cruisers, and 6 strike cruisers (No. After the Second Angstrom Battle, there were only 2 ships left. Reza added 2 ships, and Ulan Huda added 2 ships.) Then there is the White Templar, which has 9 capital ships. The following battle groups are basically They are all 2-4 capital ships, and there are also some battleships of the Mechanicus.
The number of small and medium-sized warships is 110.
In terms of absolute quantity, it is less than the Huron, but in terms of firepower and quality, it can definitely crush the Huron. But that huge hulk is a big trouble. The Red Pirates can use its cover. If the battle line is dragged far enough to launch gang-hopping, then the empire's great disadvantage in military strength will be reflected. The number of Space Marines Soshyan can command is not enough to defend every capital ship, let alone those small and medium-sized ones. Once a battleship is jumped, it will quickly lose its combat effectiveness.
Therefore, it is easy to be blindly optimistic just by looking at the strength of the fleet. The actual situation is actually very serious.
However, the Red Pirates' fleet also has some serious problems. The first is that the space hulk is not fast. It is obviously difficult for such a big thing to get up fast, and the Red Pirates use it as a support point, and they will inevitably revolve around it. As it moves, the entire fleet's activity space is greatly restricted.
The second is that the combat readiness of the red pirate warships is poor, and many of them have experienced the second Battle of Angstrom and have not been completely repaired, and some of them have been activated from the ships sealed in New Badab. The commander and crew They are not completely familiar with each other, which results in a huge difference in the speed of the Red Pirates' ships. Once they take action or receive a sudden attack, the formation can easily become loose.
The greatest advantage of the imperial fleet is that it is in good combat readiness. The condition of each ship has been adjusted to its peak before the war, and Soshyan believes that everyone will execute every order he gives unconditionally.
Under this judgment, Soshyan formulated a "very classical" tactic and ordered the Minotaur fleet at the end of the fleet to launch an assault from one side to the side of the Red Pirates fleet. At the same time, the main fleet followed the Red Pirates fleet in a single column. Turn to the right.
If you don’t know the inside story, you might think that Soshyan is trying to kill someone with a knife. Although he does hate these guys, the reality is that only they can implement this tactic, because the Minotaur has the fastest speed and armor in the fleet. The three thickest battle barges, and they are also the best at this kind of group assault tactics.
Asterion had no objection or reply to Soshyan's order, but their fleet quickly broke away from the main fleet and used its speed advantage to quickly maneuver to one side.
At this time, the two sides had begun to exchange fire. The Apocalypse-class battleship with the longest range in the Imperial fleet was the first to open fire. This type of battleship is equipped with the most powerful tracking fire control sensor and a special energy processing device that can temporarily disable its side. The range of the spear array is doubled.
The dazzling red beam penetrated the darkness and hit the huge space hulk, but was blocked by the black energy shield.
More battleships and large cruisers followed suit, creating a dazzling light show in space. In response, the capital ships of the Red Corsair fleet fired back, but many of them were hiding behind the hulks. Or on the side or even below, its shooting range is disturbed to a certain extent.
The intense shelling from both sides quickly slowed down the space hulk. Some fire-piercing shields hit its twisted shell, and whether it was a brass pyramid or a crystal tower, they were all directly obliterated. , those crazy demons were helplessly strangled in the physical universe, and eventually returned to the subspace to wait to do evil again.
However, this was not enough to eliminate this huge tumor.
In less than twenty minutes of fighting, both sides began to suffer losses. On the Imperial fleet's side, two Lunar-class cruisers were sunk, one Vengeance-class large cruiser was sunk, and the engine of the battle barge Storm Daughter from the Lamenter was damaged. One third of the deck was caught in fire and had to withdraw from the operation. Eleven small and medium-sized ships were sunk or withdrawn from the operation. On the Red Pirate side, one large cruiser was sunk, and three cruisers were sunk and seriously injured. , the Absolution suffered heavy damage and the upper deck was caught in a fire. Its speed was reduced, and more than 20 small and medium-sized warships and Demon warships sank.
Judging from the battle damage, the Empire suffered a slight loss, but if you look at the hull of the ruined ship, which has been beaten into thick smoke, you know that it absorbed most of the firepower released by the Empire's single-column array.
Almost at the same time, the Minotaur fleet also launched their attack. Asterion put up a crazy formation, led by the flagship Daedalus, with two other battle barges forming the jaw, and eight strike cruisers. Forming horns, it rushed straight to the side and rear of the red pirate, its engines burning at full speed, and its macro cannon and light spear turret unleashing a hellish bombardment, completely regardless of what was blocking its path.
(End of chapter)
