Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 42
After passing through the First Sea of Death, the Bayes fleet slowed down in the Windless Zone while arranging their formation. The Major General’s flagship, the Sword of the Queen, was centrally located, with Colonel Gilbert Gauss’s ship at the forefront. Major General Darius Bayes temporarily handed over command to Colonel Gauss, much to the latter’s satisfaction. Eager to make a name for himself, Gauss placed his ship in the vanguard position. In war, the vanguard always faced great risks but also had the best chance to achieve glory. Besides, this time, the enemy wasn’t a well-equipped Federation army but a group of unruly pirates.
Upon reaching the edge of the Second Sea of Death, Colonel Gauss found that the pirates weren’t within visual range. They were hiding among the asteroids and sparse interstellar material, planning to resist desperately like cornered thieves.
“Colonel, how about sending out small patrol boats and fighters into the Second Sea of Death to lure them out and wipe them out?” a staff officer suggested.
“No,” Colonel Gauss rejected the proposal. “That crazy bitch is very cunning and may not fall for it. Besides, we outnumber them significantly, so there’s no need to be so cautious. Change formation. I will lead the charge into the Second Sea of Death and give them a head-on blow!”
“But Colonel, we don’t have a map of the Second Sea of Death. Charging in recklessly might lead us into a trap.”
“What are you afraid of? How capable can a bunch of bandits be! Even if there are traps, we can still force our way through with brute force!”
Alois was piloting Doro, hiding behind a small asteroid. Several fighters were concealed in this asteroid field. The radar indicated that Fran and Rachel were above and to his left and right, respectively, while Liz and the sister ships from the Romantic Exile were hidden in another asteroid cluster. Between the two sparse asteroid fields was a wide open space, resembling a corridor. When the Empire fleet passed through, the six fighters would attack simultaneously.
Of course, confronting cruisers with fighters was challenging, but Joanna had devised a thorough plan. Their main objective wasn’t to defeat the enemy head-on but to lure them into the depths of the Second Sea of Death. This spacious corridor didn’t lead to Milantu but to a dangerous area filled with old mines. Alois and his team’s task were to lure the Empire vanguard into the minefield, letting Old Earth technology wreak havoc, then charge into the enemy’s main formation in the ensuing chaos.
“If we can force Bayes to retreat, that would be best,” Joanna had said. “But if he insists on continuing the attack, I don’t mind at all if you bury him in space.”
Alois steadied himself. The Empire vanguard was passing through the corridor. The radar showed a cruiser and three frigates had already passed his “checkpoint”. Now wasn’t the time to attack. He reminded himself to wait for Errol’s command. He couldn’t act rashly.
His hand rested on the control panel, palms sweating and quickly absorbed by the spacesuit. This wasn’t a simulation or a relaxed merchant ship robbery; it was a real war. It was laughable that he felt nervous—something Leo would mock him for a month.
How ironic that the enemy he faced now was Darius Bayes. The last time he saw him was two years ago, when he was still in the Royal Guard. Bayes liked to loiter around the palace as if it were his home (which it almost was), with no sense of “avoiding suspicion”. He also enjoyed mocking Alois in front of Prince Annot, from his hairstyle to his socks, until the prince had to intervene. “Hahaha, Darius, you and Lagrange seem very familiar. Everyone should get along well.”
As if! Alois wished he had never known this brat! If he had known they would be at each other’s throats today, he should have finished Bayes cleanly in school and reported to the teacher with feigned righteousness. “Cadet Bayes had an accident during survival training.” That would have saved a lot of trouble!
But the god of fate loved to play cruel jokes on Alois. Not only was Darius Bayes alive and well, but he also led a fleet to attack Milantu. Now, the vanguard of his fleet—three cruisers and seven frigates—had passed the checkpoint. Errol’s clear command came over the speaker. “Attack!”
Doro shot out from behind the asteroid like an arrow, leaving a trail of bright green particles. The other five fighters followed, forming a silvery-green stream in the dark space.
Following the training plan, Alois made a feint attack. The last frigate in the vanguard quickly fired lasers at him. Alois deftly dodged, while Titia emerged like a ghost from behind him, delivering a deadly missile into the frigate’s heart.
The explosion’s flash lit up the dark sea of stars, announcing another frigate’s demise. Ahead, several large asteroids moved aside, revealing the Princess Sophie and the Romantic Exile. Their main cannons, fully charged, fired dazzling white beams at the Empire fleet!
A cruiser’s side was grazed by the white beam, causing it to shudder, while an unfortunate frigate behind it was pierced through.
The Empire forces finally realized they were ambushed. Pirates lay in wait ahead, and the rear was cut off by elusive fighters. The fleet could no longer slow down, so the vanguard continued forward, engaging the pirates as they advanced. Dozens of fighters launched into space, swarming towards the pirate fighters like locusts.
Alois dodged enemy fire while heading towards the minefield. After downing two persistent enemies, he approached the main cruiser and fired a volley of missiles. Most were blocked by the ship’s force field, and the few that slipped through were shot down by secondary guns. But this tickling attack enraged the big mother ship, which accelerated forward, eager to reach Milantu and destroy the pirate base.
The bait worked! The ship entered the minefield!
Old Earth’s old mines were undetectable by modern sensors. The ship was like a child in a minefield, where each step could trigger an explosion. And it did. A mine, disturbed by the ship’s field, floated like a dandelion seed in the breeze before erupting in flames, engulfing the entire ship!
“Ha, got them!”
In the Lady of the Night’s command room, Joanna cheered. These mines were as sensitive as cats, reacting to the slightest disturbance. The successive flashes of explosions were a spectacle, but the pirate regretted that in the vacuum of space, there was no sound. In movies, even lasers made “pew pew” sounds!
All she could hear were reports from six control stations, exchanging damage assessments of the enemy and broadcasting confirmed results. The captain now knew that a main ship and two frigates were sunk, with another frigate lightly damaged, fleeing towards the Empire’s main fleet.
This was a major victory, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy and boosting their morale. But Joanna’s joy was short-lived, and her smile faded quickly.
The Empire forces were tricked? They were lured into the minefield? What did this mean? It meant the Empire forces didn’t know what awaited them; they didn’t have a map of the Second Sea of Death! But they safely passed through the First Sea of Death; why? Did they have incomplete intelligence? Was Darius Bayes reckless enough to invade Milantu with incomplete intel?
No, impossible. Bayes wouldn’t take such a risk. He never fought unprepared. So how did the Empire forces get a map of the First Sea of Death? Was there a traitor in the base? No, even if there were, Leo would intercept any sent information. Joanna was 100% confident in that. What gave Darius the confidence to invade Milantu with an incomplete map?
…invade Milantu?
“Damn it!” Joanna slapped the armrest and stood up abruptly. “We are the ones who were tricked!”
“What’s wrong, Captain?” Leo’s holographic image appeared beside her.
“Darius doesn’t need to enter Milantu because he’s already there!”
Six control officers stared at Joanna, eyes wide with shock and confusion.
“Damn! Damn! Damn!” The pirate wanted to pull her hair out. “I was too careless! Falling for a centuries-old trick! The Silver String! It wasn’t a merchant ship. It’s full of Imperial soldiers! That explains why the Empire forces crossed the First Sea of Death but lacked the Second’s map! The Silver String recorded its path and sent it to the Empire forces, but the quantum interference around the Second Sea of Death blocked their terrain data! This is a gigantic Trojan Horse, and I happily dragged it home! I’m an idiot!”
She shouted and furiously ordered, “All units, retreat! Don’t engage the Empire forces. Return to Milantu immediately!”
“Yes, ma’am!” The control officers resumed their tasks.
The captain told Leo, “Contact Milantu. Tell them to secure the command tower and eliminate any suspicious personnel!”
Leo bowed. “Yes, ma’am!” But soon he frowned. “… Captain, bad news…”
“What?”
“We can’t contact Milantu. Communication is cut off. Hackers have infiltrated Milantu’s central computer and taken control!”
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