Counterfeit Hero

A flash of dazzling white light passed by, and another escort ship next to the Leray Destroyer was destroyed. Out of the six Leray Guardian Ships, only one remained, dragging its scarred body, accompanying the Destroyer.

Seeing this, all the Desic soldiers were speechless.

In the battles invading Leray, the Desic had clashed with the Leray Fleet multiple times. But never before had they deeply realized the price to pay to conquer Leray as they did now.

These Leray people are too fierce! They seem to never view death as the end of life. They always welcome death with a smile, whether it is in the smoke-filled land battlefields of the planets, in trenches, in the lightning-fast armored groups across plains, or in this vast space.

They were originally sheep enjoying three hundred years of peace.

But now, when they pick up weapons and stand on the national front, they become a pack of wolves, fearless and selfless!

Sly yet brave.

They are more suited for war than the soldiers harshly trained by the Empire.

They never compromise, never collapse in desperation. They always spit, curse, and then fight you to the death!

Such warriors deserve everyone’s respect!

When the human world has lost faith and honor in greed and desire.

When superpowers rely on robust ships and cannons to stride unhindered across the universe.

When soldiers begin to haggle, questioning the Commander’s orders.

The Leray people, however, have abandoned their pleasures, cast off their weakness, becoming purer, fiercer, more obedient, and unafraid of death! Through their performance, they tell their adversaries what it truly means to be a soldier!

What sustains them?

What turns these ordinary people, far from war, into monsters more terrifying than war machines?!

A small fleet, not even a contingent. Two Destroyers, six standard thirty-person escort ships, fought such a brutal battle in this star domain completely irrelevant to the war situation. What drove them to such madness?!

The cannon fire never ceased pouring down on the ”Blue Rose,” and the Desic soldiers silently watched this slowly moving Leray Battleship, feeling a loss.

”Ninety-five percent damage to the forward main gun room, sixty percent damage to the observation room three, turrets one and seven on the bow are destroyed, isolation doors are closed, pressure is normal, hydraulic system of the isolation room E-11 is damaged and cannot open properly, main beam at the bow is twisted, ten percent damage, armor damage level at twelve percent…”

The monotone voice of the central computer reported the damage of the ship.

There were no cheers for escaping the gate of hell, nor even a moment of hesitation. Everyone on the ”Blue Rose” immediately unbuckled their safety belts after the collision.

Messy footsteps echoed through the ship as soldiers rushed to their posts at top speed! Even the main gun room gunners without posts were not idle. If someone shouted for help, they would rush over.

The Power Cabin became the busiest and most tense department at this time.

The shock damage to the power engine from the collision needed repair. The backup Power Cabin needed to prepare power within three minutes. The main propulsion needed time to restart, and during these minutes, the steering propulsion and energy shield power supply must be ensured.

The Captain in charge of the Power Cabin, with blood-red eyes, assigned tasks while leading the way into the conduit damaged by the shock wave. The high temperature inside could almost cook a person!

In the control room, everyone was waiting.

To save energy, the whole battleship, except the energy shield, was in a halt, even the turrets did not fire a single shot.

The radar, electronic interference, and other functions had been disrupted since the appearance of the Western Alliance Fleet. Except for the Main Control Pilot and the second co-pilot staring intently at the power-ready lights, others had no work; yet, they must stay at their posts.

This waiting was undoubtedly a torment. To all the officers and soldiers in the control room, these two or three minutes seemed longer than two or three years.

If the power could not be prepared before the energy shield was breached or the cruiser distanced itself into firing position, it would all be over.

Would Fatty’s modification of the Power Cabin work?

Three minutes! Preparing power in three minutes. This usually insignificant performance index now became a matter of life and death! Had Fatty really done something here?

Helen continued her filming.

Enemy electromagnetic interference made the footage from her camera jitter and distort.

She focused most of her attention on Fatty, who was quickly inputting something on the console computer.

What kind of person is he?

A detestable Fatty, a mischievous bastard, a madman with wild thoughts, or a steel-hearted soldier, praying in a low voice for God’s blessing on Leray, leading everyone into certain death and then fighting his way out?

Another Energy Cannon landed on the left side of the ship, and amidst the violent shaking, the energy shield outside the porthole flickered like a candle in the wind, turning light red.

The lens scanned the silent control room, focusing on the large virtual screen on the console and the communication soldier beneath, frantically typing on the keyboard.

On the virtual screen, that lone guardian ship continued stubbornly shielding the ”Blue Rose” from the barrage. It ignored the tearful, flashing signal lights from the ”Blue Rose” communications soldier.

The energy shield on the escort ship changed colors rapidly.

The enemy warship’s ten-odd rotating turrets rained fire on the escort ship like a storm. The escort’s hull and armor were riddled with holes, but it still shielded the ”Blue Rose’s” flank without moving an inch.

Two more successive energy cannon shots hit the escort ship.

In the blinding white light of the exploding, disintegrating escort ship, which swept horizontally across the porthole and illuminated the entire ”Blue Rose” control room, a green light on the console came on.

Three minutes, power ready!

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There have been many recent events, causing delays. Seriously read the reviews from readers. I’ve also been brainstorming the following plots. As the book progresses, the attempt to flesh out this world more brings various issues. In my view, recent descriptions have been too monotonous, and I seem to have been a bit lazy, often overlooking much in writing.

These should not be problems. Saying this because while editing this chapter, there was a word count requirement, and I had to fill it with these words.

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