Legacy of the Void Fleet

”No... no, no, no,” he muttered in despair, his voice cracking with fear. He realized with horrifying clarity that the energy build up was reaching its peak. If he didn’t quickly get away from the blast radius in time, the corvette would be nothing more than a speck of dust in the coming explosion—assuming the ship could even make it out of the hangar of the star fortress.

”What do I do… what can I do now?!” he whispered, his eyes darting frantically.

He was trapped in a race against a weapon that could most likely cause catastrophic damage to the fortress, which had already suffered heavily from the enemy’s attacks. If that next strike was even more powerful, and his gut told him it would be, then it could erase the fortress completely. And he was still miles away from the exit.

Then, like a flash of light, a thought passed through his mind. He remembered something he had forgotten in the rush: the star fortress shields. Though damaged, they could still take more punishment with their six-layer formation.

At the realization, his eyes gleamed with delight.

”This can be done,” he muttered. ”There’s a chance it could buy me time.”

As he focused on the idea, his nerves slowly began to calm. Little by little, he regained his composure.

No. They had to be activated now. There was no time to waste.

With that thought, he quickly ordered his clone to get to work, while he urged the pilot to speed up and activate the stealth drive, masking their presence as they prepared to escape.

Just as he was about to leave the hangar, the star fortress shook as the shielding system came online, enveloping the entire structure in six layers of shields covering it in a full 360-degree barrier. Seeing this, Helran sighed in relief, but the feeling didn’t last.

But it wasn’t enough.

Once again, he ordered his clone to divert all shielding power to the front of the fortress instead of spreading it across the entire structure. That way, the forward shields would have far more strength, able to endure brutal assaults for a longer duration, even against intense attacks.

Or so had been his hope. At last, the corvette he was aboard emerged from the hidden hangar of the star fortress. The moment it passed through the hangar gate, it vanished from the sight of anyone who might have been watching.

Slowly but surely, the corvette moved away from the battle-filled zone.

Even then, Helran, along with many of the Minotaur Wishing, kept their attention fixed on the cruel battlefield. They watched as, in a single moment, their own ship fell, its signature disappearing from their equipment. Enemy ships advanced toward their aloft complex, wiping out the battle line while shooting down several of their vessels. No more than four hundred of their ships were left, moving desperately toward the star fortress.

The star fortress was copiously spewing barrages of attacks from its serving batteries, but to no avail. It was unable to inflict any damage on the enemy ships. They were like divine vessels under some higher protection. No matter who attacked them, they would not fall.

Seeing this, the faces of every Minotaur hardened with fear and worry. They spoke their thoughts aloud.

”How are we supposed to fight something like that, something completely impervious to our attacks? No matter how we strike, even with full intensity, we can’t seem to penetrate their shields. Just how advanced are they?”

Another Minotaur added, ”They are most likely Tier One–level technology, and not just any Tier One, but the very peak of it. It’s even possible they’ve touched the boundary of the Super Tier One category.”

Seeing the doubtful looks of his compatriots, he continued, ”It’s not like we haven’t seen the power of Tier One weapons and systems ourselves, right? Even those would have long fallen if subjected to our attacks. After all, no matter how powerful Tier One technology is, it still has limits. But this… this seems beyond that. Haven’t you all noticed?”

Many who heard this wore expressions as if they had tasted something bitter. Yet what the Minotaur said was logical and hard to refute once they thought about it deeply.

Then someone spoke again, ”If that’s true, wouldn’t the Star Race, along with the coalition of four other Tier One powers, be at a disadvantage? Can they really do anything against this enemy?”

After a pause, the voice grew heavier. ”If not… then wouldn’t this be the end of us? Of our race?”

That… many Minotaur gasped upon hearing it, their breaths quickening as they shuddered. But before their thoughts could spiral out of control, another Minotaur’s voice rang out with urgency.

”Look! Look! Our battleships, Taurus Prime and the Horn-class battleships, are moving directly toward the enemy flanks. As I speak, they’re racing straight toward us!”

”What?” the Minotaur reacted as they regained their composure and lifted their gaze to the battlefield charts. And indeed, they could see it. The signatures belonging to Taurus Prime and its six escort ships were moving toward the enemy’s left and right flanks, which were advancing toward them. Meanwhile, Taurus Prime itself was charging directly toward the enemy vanguard.

”Wh—what is Admiral Throax doing?” one Minotaur couldn’t help but ask, voicing the question many of them were thinking.

Others began to speculate. ”Is he planning to fight them head-on? But isn’t that suicidal?” The Minotaur were completely perplexed.

”Is he trying to buy time for others to escape? Or does he truly intend to make a last stand, to fight until he is completely obliterated by the enemy?”

”That can’t be right… can it?” someone muttered. ”He isn’t like that. He knows when to retreat and when not to. After all, among our race, few can match his caution and vision,” Helran said, his expression strange. While others might not know, he did. Like him, Throax had also been planning to escape.

”Something’s wrong here,” he added quietly.

The confusion was not limited to them. Aboard the escaping corvettes, the other serving Minotaur acolytes from the remaining three hundred–plus ships were thinking the same thing. None of them could understand what Admiral Throax was doing.

Wasn’t he supposed to escape with them? Then why was he moving toward the enemy with such aggressive speed?

But some of those who were closely observing the battlefield noticed something strange, something that felt out of place. Why weren’t the enemy ships targeting the seven battleships charging straight toward them? Couldn’t they see those battleships rushing in like mad?

Then why weren’t they attacking?

”Wait… could it be that they’re not taking them seriously?” someone wondered. ”No, that can’t be it. Or is there something we’re missing?”

Slowly but surely, other Minotaur who had their eyes fixed on Taurus Prime and its group began to notice the same thing. Murmurs spread, and voices rose as they spoke their thoughts aloud.

Until one voice finally said something truly dangerous.

”Could it be… that Admiral Throax and his group have defected? That they’ve switched sides and joined the enemy?”

The words hung in the air, heavy and unsettling.

Hearing this, many shuddered, while others hurried to refute the claim with their own logic.

”That’s impossible! From the moment the battle began, the enemy has never once communicated with us. They have been purely on the offensive. What chance is there that they somehow spoke with Admiral Throax, let alone convinced him to join their side?”

”And even if that were the case, would the enemy truly want any of us among their ranks? They are overwhelmingly strong, while we are weak. To them, we are no more than chickens… or insects they scarcely care about. Why would they go out of their way to entice members of our fleet to defect?”

Once again, the Minotaur pressed the point. ”Put yourself in the enemy’s place. Would you really need to do what this fellow suggests?”

Another Minotaur spoke up, his voice tense. ”What you say is true. But what he said also makes some sense. After all, how else do you explain this? Why haven’t the enemy attacked them even once? Can you explain that?”

He paused, then added quietly, ”No… you can’t, can you?”

That Minotaur shuddered, unable to find the words to explain the situation. But others came forward with their own ideas, and they did not hesitate to voice them loudly enough for all to hear.

”If—hypothetically—Admiral Throax has joined the enemy’s fold, then can’t we do the same? That way, we might have a chance to survive, right?”

Many Minotaur turned toward the one who spoke. On other ships, others were just as stunned. What this fellow was suggesting was nothing less than completely severing the bonds of their race. That was what it truly meant.

Yet the temptation to survive was stronger for many, perhaps for all, than loyalty to their own clan.