From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 774: The Last Charge of the Federation Navy

Twelve white lights flashed through the dark space like sharp blades, instantly piercing through the orbital defense platform of the Federation’s capital planet.

These ice crystals 'carefully selected' by Atlas Mining generally have a long axis diameter of more than 100 kilometers. After ice crystals of this level are accelerated to sub-light speed, the terrifying kinetic energy they carry is already an astronomical figure.

When they crashed into twelve precisely selected key nodes at sub-light speed, at the moment of contact, there was no explosion, no flame, only pure kinetic energy conversion.

The structure of the orbital defense platform didn't even have time to deform under this level of impact and was completely destroyed at the atomic level. Twelve key nodes were literally reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye, leaving no chance of leaving any space debris.

"Oh my God!" Vice Admiral Marcus stood on the bridge and witnessed all this through the panoramic portholes of the bridge. Although the distance was far, he could still see the twelve spots of light around the capital star.

These light spots surrounding the federal capital look like a real "necklace", and at the same time they look like a noose around the federation's neck.

"The orbital defense platform has completely lost its functionality." The tactical information coordinator mechanically reported this obvious fact with an undisguised tremor in his voice.

"Get ready, everyone."

Lieutenant General Marcus suppressed all his emotions and his voice became firm again.

"According to the battle plan. The fleet of the Renaissance Alliance will arrive in an hour, and we will prepare a 'surprise' for them."

At the same time, without the support of key nodes, the rest of the orbital defense platform immediately began to collapse.

The huge multiple ring structures broke and bent silently in the vacuum, and eventually shattered into countless metal chunks of varying sizes. Pulled by the gravity of the capital star, these fragments began to slowly fall into the atmosphere, eventually forming an unprecedentedly spectacular meteor shower.

Inside the underground shelter, Sergeant Jackson held the tactical tablet tightly in his hands, monitoring the situation on the surface.

It was not until he entered the underground that he discovered that his combat exoskeleton OS was not compatible with the external sensor control programs of the underground shelter. In the end, he could only find an outdated tactical tablet to operate it.

Sergeant Jackson couldn't help cursing as he struggled to operate the unfamiliar interface.

"Are taxpayers' money and military expenditures going to waste?! They promised to have 'data interconnection', but in the end they can't even connect to a few crappy cameras. This is the capital city!"

"Did you just know?"

An older voice sounded beside Sergeant Jackson. He turned around and saw a white-haired old man. Sergeant Jackson was no stranger to him. The other party was also a veteran and currently served as a regional veterans affairs officer.

"The companies that originally undertook the capital's national defense projects have now grown into giants. Where do you think they get their 'nutrients' from?"

"No, they dare to embezzle the capital's national defense construction projects?!"

"Why should we be afraid? If they are not greedy, then how can their superiors be greedy? If their superiors are not greedy, how can Commissioner Smith be greedy? If Commissioner Smith is not greedy, how can this job fall into their hands? The fact that our federation has come to this point today is entirely the fault of these people."

“Why did they choose such a person to be in charge?”

"You are still too young, Sergeant Jackson. Do you think that changing people will solve the problem? If they are not greedy, there are many people who are greedy~"

The veteran wanted to say something else, but the next moment both of them felt an indescribable palpitation at the same time. Then the lighting system of the shelter flickered a few times, followed by a series of muffled sounds coming from overhead. The entire shelter began to tremble, as if the planet under their feet was shaken by someone.

The shrill air raid sirens instantly resounded throughout the shelter, and screams and cries of terror immediately erupted among the crowd.

Sergeant Jackson and the veteran looked at the picture on the tactical tablet together, and saw dense red dots appearing in the sky above the capital, and there seemed to be a lot of residual aftermath visible at a higher position.

"Well, it's not bad that it didn't crash directly into the planet~" There was even a hint of relief in the veteran's tone.

However, Sergeant Jackson did not have time to deal with him at the moment. He worked hard to squeeze through the crowd and come to a suitable position. Then he activated the loudspeaker on the combat exoskeleton and simultaneously activated the loudspeakers of his team members through the command interface.

"Calm down! Everyone stay calm!" Jackson's voice drowned out the noise, "It's just debris from the defense platform falling into the atmosphere! We are safe here!"

His words had a certain soothing effect, but inexplicable panic was still spreading, and not everyone could calm down so quickly.

Looking at the panicked people in the shelter, Jackson couldn't help but smile bitterly. How many of these people were former high-ranking officials, directors of the military-industrial complex, and backbones of the federal government?

Once upon a time, they looked down upon the world from the towering skyscrapers and luxury apartments of this city, but now they are shivering in underground shelters like ordinary citizens. There is no trace of the elite in them anymore.

With the full comfort efforts of Sergeant Jackson and his soldiers, the underground shelter slowly became quiet again, but everyone was just squatting or sitting on the ground in fear, holding their heads in their hands and shaking constantly.

"Sergeant, what's the situation?" A captain wearing a combat exoskeleton walked up to Jackson and asked in a low voice. He was also the temporary person in charge of this underground shelter.

"The alarm about debris falling into the atmosphere caused panic, but now everything has been basically calmed down. There shouldn't be any problems for a while," Jackson replied briefly.

"Very good, but the next step is just the beginning. Leave some soldiers to maintain order and let the others prepare for battle. The enemy is probably preparing to parachute as well."

Sergeant Jackson nodded, then put his arm against the other person's arm and quickly transmitted a piece of data point to point.

"The personnel allocation was completed when we received the order. This is the troop strength statistics of our unit in this shelter. My platoon still has forty-three people, all of whom are ready for battle. When we were guiding the civilians just now, we also received twelve reservists and forty-two retired soldiers who volunteered to join the battle."

The captain was stunned for a moment, but did not say anything else. Instead, he continued to ask, "Equipment status?"

"We only have basic combat exoskeletons, standard electromagnetic rifles, various light weapons, and enough squad-level heavy weapons. Ammunition and energy supplies are also sufficient. The equipment we distribute is fine, but the equipment for reservists and veterans is a bit outdated in terms of model and production date."

The captain sighed and looked at the soldiers who had begun to gather around Sergeant Jackson: "That's enough. We don't expect to win anymore. We just want them to pay the price."

Jackson looked around at the soldiers who were already equipped and making final preparations.

Among these people were newly assigned recruits and reservists, as well as veterans who had fought in other galaxies and were then transferred back to the rear to rest and wait for retirement. There were even some veterans who had retired for many years - the veteran who had spoken to Sergeant Jackson before was among them, and these retired veterans were also recruited by him.

Most of them are citizens of the capital galaxy who were 'born in Rome' and have enjoyed the best resources and welfare of the Federation since childhood. Unlike the colonists of the marginal galaxies, these people have a real sense of belonging and loyalty to the Federation.

"Get ready to go. Your unit should follow the plan and deploy defenses in area D3 after leaving the shelter."

After giving the order, the captain went to the side to contact other troops. Only Jackson's unit, which was with him, could give him orders in person. The others were scattered in other shelters at this time.

Jackson nodded and turned to walk towards the central area of ​​the shelter, where soldiers and reservists and veterans who volunteered to fight began to gather.

They checked their equipment, calibrated their weapons, and made final preparations for the upcoming battle. Even though they knew it might be a battle they couldn't win, everyone who could stand out at this moment had only determination in their eyes.

"Look at these people, they are old, but I still summoned them to 'defend the country'~"

The veteran who had been chatting with Jackson walked up to him and said, "You know, I never thought I'd go back to war, especially on my doorstep."

Jackson nodded. "Sir, I never expected my military career to end this way."

The veteran smiled and patted Jackson on the shoulder: "Maybe it's not the end, young man. Maybe it's a new beginning."

An hour later, the five fleets of the Renaissance Alliance leapt to the vicinity of the federal capital planet one after another according to the predetermined plan.

On the bridge of the flagship Alliance, the atmosphere was tense and exciting, and it seemed that the previous defeat had not affected them too much.

"Deploy all fleets. The Fifth and Sixth Fleets are responsible for vigilance and expelling the enemy. The Seventh Fleet sends two squadrons to suppress the surfaces of the two satellites! The other fleets are ready to carry out landing operations!" A young commander of the Renaissance Alliance Fleet gave the order, "Target: Federation Capital Star!" "Received!"

"Long live the Renaissance Alliance!"

The communication channel suddenly became lively, and everyone was in a frenzy because of the arrival of the final battle.

At a jump distance of 15 minutes from the capital star, Vice Admiral Marcus' garrison fleet was waiting silently. Their engines were at minimum power and all non-essential systems were shut down to avoid being discovered by the enemy's long-distance detectors.

In the midst of silence, the voice of the tactical information coordinator was heard.

"Sir, we have received an emergency signal from the First Guard One and First Guard Two ground base stations! The base stations are being suppressed by the Renaissance Alliance Fleet and are about to fall, but they have transmitted the precise coordinates of the Renaissance Alliance Fleet!"

Lieutenant General Marcus stood up suddenly and walked to the holographic projection platform: "Show the coordinates on the tactical star map!"

Soon, the tactical star map showed the current deployment of the Renaissance Alliance fleet. The five fleets still maintained a general formation at this time, and Vice Admiral Marcus quickly deduced the opponent's general deployment through this simple information.

"Captain, set the jump coordinates."

"Yes! Exactly where, General?"

Marcus gave a cold smile: "Just jump right in their faces."

The navigator was not able to react for a moment: "General?"

"You heard me right," Marcus said in a low but firm voice. "Calculate the center point of the main cluster of the First Fleet of the Renaissance Alliance. We are going to jump directly into the middle of their fleet."

There was silence on the bridge as everyone understood what this meant - this was a suicide attack.

But no one raised any objections, because they all understood that this also meant the final counterattack by the Federal Navy.

"The coordinates have been set, and all ships have received the synchronous jump instructions and coordinates!" the navigator finally reported.

Marcus nodded, then looked around at everyone on the bridge. These might be the last faces he would see in his life:
"Everyone, I am honored to serve with you until the end of the Federation! No matter what happens today, history will remember our courage!"

"For the Federation!" the officers on the bridge responded in unison.

"Jump countdown, five, four, three, two, one - the fleet enters the jump!"

Near the orbit of the capital planet, the First Fleet of the Renaissance Alliance was preparing to deploy its formation for planetary landing and was about to begin descending its orbital altitude.

But at this moment, a wave of dense white light erupted almost in the center of their formation.

The warships of the two garrison fleets jumped directly into the interior of the First Fleet of the Resurrection Alliance. The distance was so close that many warships appeared in a state of almost physical contact.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Chaos immediately swept the entire fleet. Some warships made emergency evasive maneuvers due to the sudden appearance of the garrison fleet, resulting in collisions with their own ships, while more were caught in a melee of close-range firefights.

Vice Admiral Marcus stood in the center of the bridge. The panoramic windows around him were filled with red frames representing enemy warships. He turned on the fleet communication channel, and his voice echoed in the bridges, power compartments, and hangars of every warship in the garrison fleet:
"Attention, entire fleet! This is our final battle! There is no retreat, no retreat! Every warship, every soldier, attack with all your might! The glory of the Federation Navy cannot perish in our hands!"

His words seemed to have pressed a switch. The next moment, the warships of the garrison fleet launched a frantic attack like trapped beasts.

The battleships' main guns were firing at full power, and missiles and plasma torpedoes were fired simultaneously. There was no formation or salvo command to speak of. Every battleship was using all its weapon systems to attack the enemies around it.

At the same time, the ejection hatch on the battleship opened, and the electromagnetic ejection device ejected one HCP after another into space.

These HCPs are loaded with unprecedented weapons loads, because every pilot knows that this will be the last sortie in their lives and they will not have the opportunity to return to the mother ship for supplies.

"Red Team, Blue Team, follow me!" A HCP commander of the garrison fleet shouted in the communication channel, "The target is the enemy flagship! Get in!"

One HCP after another began to accelerate, and the back propulsion array drew a beautiful trajectory in the vacuum, flying towards the flagship of the Renaissance Alliance, the Alliance.

The Renaissance Alliance fleet commanders were completely stunned by this suicidal attack. They expected the garrison fleet to resist, but they did not expect them to jump directly into the heart of the Renaissance Alliance fleet in this way.

This was obviously completely different from the Federal Navy they had encountered before. Not only was the opponent not a fancy unit like the rumored "Capital Garrison Fleet", but it also displayed a more ferocious style than other Federal Navy forces.

"The Third Squadron is suffering heavy losses!"

"The Second Squadron reports three battleships seriously damaged!"

"Attention, air defense commanders of all ships! The enemy HCP has broken through our first line of defense and is approaching the flagship!"

"Damn it! Why don't the other fleets come to support us!"

Alarms rang out on the ships of the First Fleet of the Renaissance Alliance one after another, and the commanders of each ship began to issue emergency orders in a panic, trying to survive the enemy's "jump in the face".

Except for the First Fleet, other fleets were trying to distance themselves at this moment.

No one wants to be the unlucky guy who gets entangled, because in this final decisive battle, excessive losses will directly affect the right to speak in the post-war cake-dividing stage. Does it sound familiar?

On the other side, the "Loyalist" commanded by Vice Admiral Marcus was leading several battleships around it and piercing into the enemy group like a sharp arrow. Its hull was already scarred, and many parts of the armor were pierced and torn, but it was still charging at an astonishing speed.

In this area of ​​the universe, countless energy beams and missile trajectories intertwined together, forming a spectacular and terrifying war scene.

The warships of the garrison fleet exploded and disintegrated one after another, but each warship was doing its best to cause as much damage as possible in the last moments of its life.

Many HCP pilots made the same choice when their machines were severely damaged or unable to attack. They crashed their machines directly into the rear section of the nearest Resurrection Alliance warship, and then activated the HCP's self-destruct protocol without hesitation. The subcritical reactor and superconducting battery caused an explosion, which became their last image in this world.

As the battle reached its climax, the First Fleet of the Renaissance Alliance had been completely dispersed and each was fighting on its own.

Although the garrison fleet suffered heavy losses, the two fleets had a local advantage in manpower, and the tactic of jumping into the face made them feel that they were about to devour the Renaissance Alliance fleet.
"General! Half of the main guns are overheating and cannot continue to attack. The hull is severely damaged, and 60% of the external armor plates have fallen off. The damage control team reports that repairs are no longer possible!"

Lieutenant General Marcus looked at the decreasing number of friendly forces on the tactical screen and nodded: "That's enough, we have completed our mission. Now, let's complete the final charge!"

He came to the helmsman, took over his position, and then personally controlled the 'Loyalist', steering the ship towards the flagship of the First Fleet of the Resurrection Alliance.

It is also the flagship of the entire Renaissance Alliance.

The Kraken II-class battleship began its final acceleration. The twisting metal sounds coming from all parts of the hull seemed to be its last sounds. Vice Admiral Marcus looked at the rapidly enlarging enemy ships in front of him, but his heart was surprisingly calm.

"For the Federation," he said quietly.

Then, several deep purple lasers shot from a distance accurately hit the "Loyalist". Amid continuous explosions in various parts of the ship, the last flagship of the Federation Navy disintegrated on the way to the charge.

(End of this chapter)