From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 541: Infinity, full fire
Although Randall was a novice in fleet command, he was even less experienced than Major General Kimmel on the opposite side.

But his familiarity with the super flagship "Infinity" is no less than that of Amber, Cliffs and others.

After taking over the super flagship and leading the team to the Rubion galaxy to perform an escort mission, Randall spent all his time studying the Infinity, except for listening to routine briefings, confirming the day's fleet operations and sleeping.

Even when eating, he was holding the terminal and checking the huge "Ship Instructions & Captain's Manual" sent by Atlas Shipbuilding Heavy Industries - he was as obsessed with it as a boy who received a Christmas present.

After all, no man could refuse to command a nearly six-kilometer-long super flagship to travel the starry sea, and this super flagship is likely to stand at the "top" of human warships for a short period of time.
So Randall is very familiar with the various units and subsystems of the Infinity, especially the various weapon systems,

In his opinion, most people's understanding of the 'Infinity' is somewhat one-sided, or has certain limitations. They believe that the most terrifying weapon of this super flagship is the 'super-heavy purification beam generator'.

This perception is not wrong, but it does make them focus all their attention on the main gun, thus ignoring the fact that the super flagship is nearly six kilometers long and there is still plenty of space to place other conventional weapons.

50门200米级的电磁重接炮、60门高功率荷电粒子炮、150座高能激光炮塔、600座多功能导弹/鱼雷发射井.这是阿特拉斯船舶重工的设计师们，耗光头发、想尽办法安置在这艘超级旗舰上的其他武器。

Because Atlas's combat positioning for the 'Infinity', or the Infinity-class super flagship, in addition to using its main gun to target 'high-value targets', is to act as a separate fire output platform in battle.

These conventional weapons, deployed in the form of an 'integrated weapons array' on the left and right sides and upper and lower decks of the 'Infinity', actually also have extremely strong firepower projection capabilities.

It's just that when the "Infinity" appeared before, it basically relied on the super-heavy purification beam generator and the 40 heavy particle cannons on the bow to kill the enemy and complete the combat objectives.

At most, it used high-energy laser turrets to carry out air defense operations, so many people have not seen the scene of this super flagship's "conventional weapons" firing at full power.
But next, everyone in the garrison fleet, including Major General Kimmel, will be very "lucky" to experience it firsthand.

"Reverse thrust to maximum power, reduce the relative speed between the Infinity and the enemy flagship as much as possible, and prepare for axial adjustment!"

Under Randall's command, blue spots of light began to emerge from various parts of the super flagship's hull, and became brighter and brighter. The axis of the entire giant ship also began to adjust as it got closer and closer to the "Balkanner".

Due to the collision with the 'Rock' just now, the speed of the 'Infinity' was greatly reduced, so at this moment the relative speed between this super flagship and the garrison fleet flagship has already dropped.

With almost all reverse thrust units in operation, the relative speed of the Infinity dropped again and again at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This also means that Major General Kimmel's plan to use the extremely high relative speed to quickly escape after the intersection ended has actually failed halfway.

"Captain, based on the current relative speeds of both sides and the predicted track, we will reach the optimal firing distance in 20 seconds and maintain it for 15-20 seconds!"

The voice of Selina, the ship controller of the Infinity, was heard, and a simulated animation was displayed on the holographic projection platform.

The animation content is that the 'Infinity' swept past the port side of the 'Balkanner' in an almost sideways drifting posture, and the 'optimal firing distance' mentioned by Selina actually refers to the 'boarding combat' distance within 100 kilometers.

At this distance, what the Infinity has to do is to launch the "best weapon for boarding battles" - the tungsten alloy anti-ship penetrator of the electromagnetic reconnection gun - with maximum efficiency to open the target's eyes.

After hearing the words of the ship's control personality, Randall immediately issued an order for a fire strike:

"All weapon units on the port side and top deck, target the enemy flagship 'Balkanner', and attack on their own after entering the 'optimal firing range' of each weapon unit!

Starboard, bottom deck full weapon units, no fixed target settings, free fire! "

His order was conveyed as he spoke, and Selina quickly completed the task assignment of all the ship's weapon units.

The electromagnetic reconnection guns with acceleration tracks as long as 200 meters, driven by a hemispherical base capable of rotating 180 degrees, were quickly raised and pointed at the "Balkanner" approaching diagonally in front.

The high-energy charged particle cannon and high-energy laser turret also adjusted their firing angles and started firing directly at the Balkan.

It's just that they were not the first weapons units to open fire on the Infinity.

In fact, after Randall's attack order was issued, the first to respond were the 600 multi-functional missile/torpedo silos on the entire ship.

300 plasma torpedoes and 300 heavy anti-ship missiles were fired in a few seconds and then rushed towards a predicted point on the Balkan's route.
When the faster heavy anti-ship missiles lured the Balkan's point defense system to open fire, the heavy stealth plasma torpedoes, which had been modified to greatly enhance their survivability, also entered the terminal air defense network of the flagship of the garrison fleet a few seconds later.

Although there were anti-aircraft fire cover from other escort warships around, 26 of these "heavily armored" plasma torpedoes finally broke through the interception of the air defense network despite the fierce firepower.

At this point in the battle, both sides have actually entered a state of madness. Even the most timid person will become excited and hot-headed in this atmosphere, with only one thought left in their mind - to win the battle at all costs.

Therefore, the HCP squadron on the Balkanist rushed towards the plasma torpedoes that broke through the air defense network without hesitation, and lured away 24 torpedoes by directly deflecting the torpedoes and perishing together with them.

In the end, thanks to the self-sacrifice of these HCP pilots, only two plasma torpedoes hit the side of the "Balkanner".

Although the two huge white plasma fireballs that exploded proved that the two plasma torpedoes had done their best to cause damage, for a battleship that had undergone a "flagship modification," such damage could still be controlled by damage control for the time being as long as the plasma propulsion array at the rear of the ship was not attacked.

However, the attacks of plasma torpedoes and anti-ship missiles were just appetizers for the crew of the Balkanist, which made them "tighten their nerves".

When the ship's control personality detected strong magnetic field reactions in more than twenty areas in the target direction, Major General Kimmel was completely panicked because he had realized what the other party was going to do.

But it's too late to say anything now.

Even though Kimmel saw through the panoramic porthole of the bridge that the HCP wing, which had already suffered heavy losses, did not retreat after hearing the alarm of "strong magnetic field detected", but rushed directly towards the "Infinity", intending to protect the flagship with a "blocking gun"
But he still knew that it was too late.

Therefore, the garrison fleet commander calmly issued the final order:

"Immediately launch all two-seat reconnaissance boats and try to force their way out of the battle zone. Immediately report the situation to the Federation Fleet! Then."

Jin Meier paused and said word by word: "Others are ready to abandon ship."

The last words of the garrison fleet commander stunned everyone on the bridge. They never expected that their fleet commander was going to abandon ship so quickly.

Although the naval soldiers and officers of the Galaxy Garrison Fleet still have a certain gap with the regular navy in terms of fighting will and tactical qualities, they still have a certain pursuit of "honor" like all navies.

Therefore, warships rarely abandon or surrender unless it is absolutely necessary. This is why the garrison fleet of the Rubion system is not "replenished" but "rebuilt".

Because the Rubion Galaxy garrison fleet was almost wiped out in the battle with the Imperial Royal Navy.

If the former garrison fleet commander had not believed that this war would never end with the Empire's victory and wanted to leave some "sparks" for the future reconstruction of the garrison fleet, then in the final battle between the former garrison fleet and the Imperial fleet, no one might have survived.
It was also for this reason that the others on the bridge of the Balkanist were so surprised by Rear Admiral Kimmel's unexpected order to "prepare to abandon ship."

Only Kimmel himself knew that if the crew did not prepare for evacuation in advance, there would most likely be no survivors on the flagship after the Infinity's attack began.

He was naturally very clear about how powerful the 200-meter-class electromagnetic reconnection guns on the enemy ships were at such a distance.

Judging from the current state of the deflection field generator of the Balkan, it is impossible for it to withstand the salvo of electromagnetic reconnection guns on the Infinity, not to mention that the enemy is obviously aiming at its side.
Kimmel knew that he was not an excellent fleet commander. He could even say that he was not qualified as a commander in terms of level and mentality. But he was not the kind of commander who would let his men die in vain.

He couldn't and didn't want to ask the crew to stay at their posts knowing that the enemy's next attack would result in the sinking of the battleship.

"Why are you still standing there?!"

Seeing the uncertain expressions on the faces of the people on the bridge, Rear Admiral Kimmel immediately said with a straight face:
"This is an order, execute it quickly! Time is running out!"

Although Kimmel gave the order to abandon ship almost immediately, unfortunately he still underestimated the penetration speed and firepower of the Infinity.

When the 'everyone abandon ship' order was issued, all crew members set their tasks to 'AI takeover mode' and sprinted towards the escape pod launch areas on the ship, the 'Infinity' had already rushed into the optimal attack distance.
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On the Infinity, the ship controller Gserena immediately appeared beside Randall when the two ships were 100 kilometers apart in a straight line, her eyes shining as she spoke:

"Captain, our ship has entered the optimal firing range for the electromagnetic reconnection gun!"

Randall: "Port side, top deck electromagnetic reconnector gun overload firing mode, fire!"

"Received, electromagnetic reconnection cannon overload firing mode, start attacking!"

At this moment, these activated electromagnetic reconnection guns simultaneously entered the overload firing mode, and under Selina's guidance, quickly aimed at various key parts of the "Balkan Man".

Bridge, air defense command tower, fusion furnace, superconducting battery stack, electromagnetic catapult rail lifting deck.
Due to the layout of the Kraken II-class battleships, Atlas had already figured it out clearly by capturing the battleships of the Corporate Combined Fleet during the previous defense of the A.Bava.Ku asteroid fortress.

Therefore, all the shipboard control personalities of the Atlas battle fleet knew how to attack the weaknesses of this type of battleship after the data update. This is why in the previous battles, the attack efficiency of the Atlas battle fleet was extremely high, and it could easily launch a "destructive attack".
Then, amid a continuous flash of lightning on the side of the Infinity, the electromagnetic reconnection gun, which had been activated in overload firing mode, fired a round of five consecutive shots.

The 200-meter-long acceleration track allows hundreds of heavy tungsten alloy anti-ship penetrators with extremely long bullet diameter ratios to be fired out with extremely terrifying kinetic energy.

The distance of more than 100 kilometers also allowed the electromagnetic gun to temporarily avoid the defects of reduced attack speed and accuracy in space fleet warfare. The muzzle velocity of 300 kilometers per second allowed these heavy anti-ship penetrators to hit various aiming points on the hull of the "Balkanner" almost at the same time as they fired.

Suddenly, a series of flames burst out from the port side armor belt of the Balkanist. Each explosion left a huge gap on the battleship, causing flames and debris to fly everywhere, mercilessly harvesting the battleship's vital parts.

At the same time, the weapon system on the other side of the Infinity was also not idle.

The original 200-meter-class electromagnetic reconnection gun was decomposed into four 4-meter-class rapid-fire types, along with a large number of charged particle cannons, high-energy lasers, and multi-functional launch silos. After locking onto the surrounding enemy ships, they fired simultaneously, forming a series of deadly beams of light and fireballs.

These attacks were like a violent storm, sweeping away a large number of enemy ships in the right hemisphere of the Infinity.

Those destroyers, frigates, and even light cruisers that failed to distance themselves in time were instantly torn apart and exploded in the fierce firepower, and eventually turned into new dust in the universe. The entire battlefield seemed to have turned into a chaotic purgatory in an instant.

No one in the Rubion Galaxy Garrison Fleet had expected that the Infinity's attack capability could reach this level when it was firing at full power.

Whether it was the scalpel-like precise and fierce attack on the "Balkanner" from the port side, or the crazy sweep of the surrounding space from the starboard side, both put the garrison fleet into a desperate situation.

It was not until this time that the surviving crew members of the garrison fleet and the crew members of the Atlas Third Task Force discovered that the super flagship "Infinity" was even more powerful than they had imagined, and it truly had the ability to suppress the battlefield on its own.
Randall, who had the upper hand, did not relax at all. When everyone on the bridge was still shocked by the results of the battle, he said, "Keep attacking. Don't give the enemy any chance to breathe!"

As the battle continued, the Infinity gradually gained the upper hand.

The flagship of the garrison fleet, the Balkan, was finally overwhelmed by the continuous heavy blows.

When a new round of plasma torpedoes passed through the air defense network that had basically lost its interception capability unhindered and successfully hit the side, the battleship, whose external armor was riddled with holes and whose internal structure was severely damaged, finally came to the end of its life.

In the dazzling light of the high-temperature plasma fireball that began to expand from the middle of the ship, the garrison fleet flagship "Balkan" completely disintegrated and turned into countless fragments that drifted in space.

Except for a few crew members who were close to the escape pod launch area and immediately boarded the escape pod and left the warship, all the people including the fleet commander, Major General Kimmel, were killed.

Even for those lucky enough to get on the escape pod, it is still unknown how many of them can survive in this chaotic battle space.
At the same time, the airspace around the 'Balkan Man' was blasted into a 'harmless zone' with a large number of warships and wreckage that had lost their combat capability due to the full-scale attack of the 'Infinity' and the coordinated attacks of other warships of the Third Task Force.

The heavy combat boats with better short-range maneuverability, equipped with HCP, quickly rushed into this "harmless zone" to control the situation, while also escorting the "Infinity" which temporarily entered a firepower vacuum period.

Although this super flagship can still support a high-intensity deflection field with its '10 auxiliary, 1 main, and 1 auxiliary' fusion reactor group, the theorem of 'the big is the weak' also applies to the 'Infinity', so the main propulsion array at the rear is still a weak point and requires cover from friendly forces.

Seeing that a large number of shield-carrying HCPs had gathered near the stern of the ship, and several squadrons of heavy armored combat boats were constantly expanding the alert range outward, the ships of the Third Combined Fleet were also approaching rapidly.

The remaining warships of the garrison fleet fell into chaos and their morale plummeted due to the loss of the flagship command. Theoretically, defeat was only a matter of time.

But Randall had no chance to relax, because just as he was about to take a breath to relieve his tension, he heard the ship's controller, Serena, say nervously:
"Captain! In addition to the ejected escape pods, a large number of two-seat reconnaissance boats have been detected near the Balkanist, rushing in other directions to try to escape from the battlefield!"

"Oh no! They are about to rush out to report the news!"

Randall was stunned for a moment, and then he was shocked - he suddenly realized that this might be the "death language" of the other commander.

"Quick! All nearby units, prioritize intercepting all two-seat combat boats, and don't let them leave this space!"

(End of this chapter)