Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 152
The ship piloted by Epolyne broke free of Earth’s gravitational pull, reaching escape velocity and becoming another planet in the solar system. It continued to accelerate, passing through the orbits of Venus and Mercury, narrowly avoiding the sun—a blazing ball of fire—and then sped away in the opposite direction. The ship’s speed kept increasing, nearly reaching the speed of light. Soon, it would pass through the asteroid belt and enter a safe zone for warp travel. After that, a not-too-long journey would take her across millions of light-years, leaving this desolate region behind and returning to the Galactic Federation.
Then, something strange appeared before her.
It looked somewhat like the cyborgs created by Dr. Frank Shelley, but as Epolyne zoomed in with her optical telescope, she realized it was entirely different. The being was humanoid, silver-white in color, with dark patterns across its body. Its head resembled an asymmetrically cut gemstone, and a pair of feathered wings hung down its back. It floated quietly in space, as if it was meant to be there, making Epolyne feel like she was the intruder in its domain.
The humanoid creature slowly turned to face Epolyne. Its eyes were fiery red, like two giant red stars orbiting each other. As it turned, its wings fluttered, like a warrior’s cape—if that were the case, then the stars were its throne, and the starlight was its crown.
The ship was approaching it at near-light speed. Epolyne nervously gripped the controls, watching the rapidly changing numbers on the display and the three-dimensional curves that marked the ship’s trajectory. The creature was right in the ship’s path. Epolyne adjusted the trajectory data to bypass the creature, but as soon as she altered the course, the creature moved to block it, as if it could predict the ship’s path and was waiting to collide head-on.
Has this creature gone mad? Epolyne thought in frustration. Colliding with a ship moving at near-light speed would puncture even a space station. Is this creature suicidal?
The distance between them rapidly closed, and even without the telescope, Epolyne could now see the creature clearly. She gripped the joystick tightly and slammed it forward, pushing the ship’s speed to 99% of the speed of light! Even the surrounding space seemed to distort with the speed! Whatever that thing was, colliding at this speed would obliterate it! Of course, the ship would also suffer significant damage, but its external armor would absorb some of the impact. That unarmed creature couldn’t possibly withstand an interstellar ship!
The speedometer’s readings jumped wildly!
A second later, the ship collided with the creature! Epolyne barely had time to see the creature raise one of its arms—a bony, twisted limb adorned with sharp spikes. The spikes suddenly elongated, transforming into massive, razor-sharp blades. The blades reflected the starlight like divine swords of judgment, slicing the ship in half!
In her final moments, Epolyne realized what this creature was. It was the Yasha, the last and greatest creation of Old Earth’s mad scientists—the ultimate weapon designed to exterminate humanity, a sword of judgment forged by humans themselves.
Galactic Federation, Third Fleet Command.
General Surt stood on the bridge, a man in his sixties with a posture as straight as a spear planted firmly in the ground. His youthful vigor hadn’t faded, and his subordinates, inspired by his presence, also stood tall, as if slouching would earn the General’s disapproval.
The Third Fleet had long been stationed at the Federation’s borders, just a star system away from the Empire’s outer space city. They were always prepared to defend against an Empire invasion or to launch an attack themselves. Years of combat had forged these soldiers into the most elite forces, making the Third Fleet the undisputed strongest in the Federation. With them guarding the frontier, the Federation was effectively shielded by an invisible interstellar wall.
In recent months, the two sides had refrained from clashing, and there had been no skirmishes. The General knew this was because the Empire had diverted most of its forces to fight in its civil war. With the enemy’s defenses weakened, now was the perfect time to seize territory. But the Military Council had issued strict orders for the Third Fleet to hold their position and not deploy a single soldier to attack the enemy. This left the General feeling frustrated. Now that the Empire civil war was over, they would undoubtedly reinforce their border defenses. Watching the perfect opportunity slip away, any soldier would be seething with anger.
“Report!” The adjutant approached the General and saluted. “A ship from Neo Athens, the Prometheus, is requesting to speak with you!”
“Neo Athens?” The General frowned. “They’ve been sending out a lot of ships lately. I wonder what they’re up to… Put them through!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a young man’s face appeared on the bridge’s screen. The General knew that Neo Athens’s artificial intelligence was unmatched in the universe, and it had likely already infiltrated his flagship, waiting for his consent to initiate the communication.
“Greetings, General Surt.” The young man’s tone carried the confidence and arrogance of someone accustomed to command. “I am Nolin Titian, the current Archon of Neo Athens.”
“Oh?” The General raised a graying eyebrow. “I’ve heard Neo Athens’s Archon is quite reclusive. I’m surprised to have the honor of meeting one. What brings you all the way out here to this remote sector? Are you planning a diplomatic visit to the Empire?”
“My destination lies elsewhere. I’m just passing through and thought I’d remind you of something. Your Third Fleet is equipped with the Empire’s most advanced ships and weapons, making you unstoppable in war. But that’s also a source of disaster. I advise you to order all ships to shut down their warp engines and reduce their propulsion to sub-light speed.”
The General couldn’t help but sneer. “It seems Neo Athens’s Archon has grown bold enough to give orders to the Federation’s military?”
Nolin Titian remained calm. “Not orders, General, just advice and a warning.” His silver eyes glanced to the side, as if someone was speaking to him.
“It’s here, General.”
“…What?”
The General was puzzled. What’s here?
“Report, General!” The bridge lit up with red alarms. “High-speed unidentified object detected from the Ophiuchus direction! The Kilimanjaro has been attacked… The Kilimanjaro has been sunk!”
“What!” The usually composed General was visibly shocked. “Who’s attacking? Is it Neo Athens’s ships?”
Before the communications officer could respond, another report came in. “The Minsk sunk! The Stockholm sunk! The Vesuvius sunk!”
“What on earth is happening!” In all his decades of military service, the General had never encountered anything so bizarre. The ships were sinking before they could even send out a distress signal. What kind of weapon could destroy them so quickly?
“The Edinburgh sunk! The Beirut sunk! The Alexander sunk!” The names of the ships, accompanied by death notices, echoed throughout the bridge. The General and his staff were stunned. The navigator pulled up footage from the optical telescope, pushing Nolin Titian’s face into the corner of the screen to make room for the surveillance images.
In the footage, the Federation fleet resembled a graceful, winding river flowing through space, with each ship like a shimmering wave on its surface. But now, the river was burning. Continuous explosions flared up within the fleet—engines were being destroyed, leading to massive energy releases and subsequent explosions. It was as if an invisible Death was dancing through the fleet, effortlessly wielding its scythe to reap lives.
“Archon Titian! What is happening!”
Nolin Titian’s face filled the screen again. He shrugged. “Its current target is propulsion engines. The Prometheus also had to abandon warp and faster-than-light travel, switching to sub-light speeds.”
“What the hell is it!” The General, forgetting rank and protocol, roared.
“A monster. We’re here to destroy it. In any case, General, please order your ships to shut down their warp engines and reduce speed.”
The General’s face turned red with anger. “Do as he says!” he growled.
Soon, all remaining ships of the Third Fleet shut down their propulsion engines, not even daring to activate the deceleration systems. The reports of ship sinkings stopped, and the explosions on the screen ceased. What had just happened felt like an illusion, but the scrolling list of losses at the bottom of the screen was a stark reminder of the recent carnage.
The General took a deep breath. “Archon, now can you explain what’s going on?”
Nolin Titian looked frustrated. “Damn, it got away.” He muttered.
“What?” the General asked.
“Nothing. I was saying, please inform the other units to also shut down their engines and reduce speed. As you’ve seen, there’s a monster out there busy exterminating humanity.”
The Archon’s vague explanation only heightened the General’s irritation. “You’d better explain yourself! What is that thing? Is it some secret weapon of Neo Athens? Are you using it to threaten the Federation?”
“It’s not something we created!” Nolin Titian replied. “It’s a mistake humanity made in its youth, and now we have to clean up the mess. No more idle talk, General. I have to pursue it, so I’ll take my leave.”
The screen went black, and the Archon’s departure was as abrupt as his arrival. Before the General could even get angry, the Prometheus had entered warp and disappeared from view.
“Damn it! He makes us shut down our engines, then he takes off at full speed!”
The adjutant hesitantly asked, “Um… Sir, should we restart the engines?”
The General gripped his graying hair in frustration. He wanted to, but who could guarantee that the creature that sliced through their ships like butter wouldn’t return? In the few minutes that had just passed, the Third Fleet had lost twenty percent of its combat power, an unprecedented disaster in the Federation’s 1,300-year history. The General had no idea what to say, much less how to report this baffling calamity to his superiors.
Half an hour later, the General finally mustered the courage to report to the Military Council. The Council assured him that he had made no tactical errors and that not only would he not face a court-martial, but he would also be commended for his quick response. The Council informed him of the creature’s name: “It came from Old Earth and is called the Yasha.”
The name was unfamiliar to the General. Of course, it wouldn’t be long before the Yasha’s name would echo throughout the galaxy, known to all. The war against it would become known as the “Yasha War”. In this war, all Federation and Empire ships would be forced to shut down their propulsion engines. For the first time in 1,300 years, the two sides would achieve a complete ceasefire.
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