Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1008 (08.1007): 'The Blade that Pierces the Ribs'

At his command, dozens of torpedoes roared out of the torpedo silos of different warships at a 45° angle, like harpoons aimed at deep-sea monsters.

They ignited plasma engines in the void, leaving eerie blue trails that created a deadly barrage of bullets.

Some of the torpedoes came from the cruisers charging head-on, while others were more insidious—they came from the Bayonet-class attack ships and Scimitar-class escort ships 'Akali Sword', which had already quietly moved from near-Earth orbit to below Severus's fleet, forming a premeditated three-dimensional attack.

"Torpedoes! Intercept them!" General Pompey shouted to his panicked subordinates, pointing at the rapidly approaching dots of light on the holographic projection.

Severus's fleet immediately sprang into action.

They did their utmost to perform evasive maneuvers, with all the close-in weapon turrets on the ship fully engaged, unleashing a dense barrage of bullets into the air.

Even on the planet's surface, the starry sky illuminated by scattered firelight can be seen.

At the same time, the huge hangar decks on both sides of the Dictator-class cruiser opened, and countless carrier-based aircraft were about to rush out like a swarm of disturbed bees.

That was the Aquila fighter jet. The Principality of Severus, as the production area of ​​this type of fighter jet, held a large inventory of the Imperial Navy's orders.

Compared to the Imperial Navy's "Furious" interceptor, it was more agile and maneuverable, but at the cost of having less than half the firepower and weapon hardpoints of the "Furious." However, its comfortable ride and smooth acceleration made it a favorite among senior Imperial Navy officers. Two such aircraft were on board the Swifthawk.

(Severus's Aquila fighter)
However, chaos ensued during the release of the carrier-based aircraft.

Due to the suddenness of the incident, Severus's ship abruptly switched from a stationary anchored position to an emergency evasive maneuver.

There was no prior communication between the warships. Some hastily executed high-energy turns, while others chose to proceed at full speed. The entire fleet was thrown into chaos, and the consequences of this disorder soon became apparent—a light cruiser collided violently with a Dictator-class cruiser that was launching its aircraft.

Its right bow shield scraped hard against the No. 3 and No. 4 hangars on the port side of the Dictator-class ship.

The laser spear turret, like a can opener, sliced ​​into the cruiser's relatively vulnerable hull.

With a sickening metallic tearing sound, the take-off and landing exits of the three hangars were completely deformed by the impact.

The unfortunate Dreadnought MK1 light cruiser's bow lance broke off at the moment of impact, shattering against the cruiser's thick armor.

Meanwhile, the enemy's Dominator-class cruiser HMS Absolute Dominance was hit precisely by three of the six torpedoes fired from the Tyrant-class cruiser HMS Hermione, and the huge explosions tore several large gaps in its side armor.

The attack ships E-99 and E-103 also launched deadly torpedoes from a lower orbital plane toward Severus's flagship, the "Prince of the Dukes".

But the Aquila fighters that had already taken off were charging headlong toward the torpedoes, trying to intercept them as much as possible before they hit the mothership.

"335th and 217th Air Groups, crush them! Don't let them succeed!" Fasha, equipped with an integrated sonic array void respirator, issued a concise order to the two air groups.

The "Fury" interceptor squadron, which had been waiting in the air, immediately launched a deadly pincer attack and encirclement of the enemy's fighter group from different orbital planes.

In the void, both sides' pilots simultaneously launched missiles and decoy flares, and performed thrilling evasive maneuvers.

However, the Imperial Navy's air force was clearly far more skilled and daring than Severus's pilots. While dodging, they also displayed an extraordinary aggressiveness, constantly searching for fleeting firing opportunities.

Severo's pilots were clearly distracted. They had to desperately intercept the deadly torpedoes while also dealing with the "Furious" interceptors coming from all directions.

However, the additional escort ships in Severus's fleet provided them with invaluable assistance. Two Dagger-class escort ships quickly adjusted their course and used their concentrated anti-aircraft fire to assist their fighters in launching a counterattack against the naval air force.

In an instant, dense bursts of fire, like stars, exploded in the airspace on both sides.

However, with the Fury interceptor having more missile hardpoints, the Separatist side of Severo clearly saw more sparks fly.

In the first round of fighting alone, the separatists lost nearly a third of their fighter jets.

The navy's interceptor squadron also suffered some losses. A small number were caused by enemy missiles, but most were shot down by the anti-aircraft fire of escort ships while crossing the dead zone between the two sides' warships.

Overall, however, the losses are still within an acceptable range.

Many of the Fury interceptors that were hit only lost their ability to fly, but their robust and durable box-shaped protective structure saved the lives of many pilots.

Being destroyed is not the end of the loss.

Ultimately, the outcome of the naval battle will determine how many people will be successfully rescued and brought back to their ships, or become prisoners and corpses in the cold void.

Once the two sides' fighter jets shifted from long-range missile exchanges to thrilling close-quarters combat around the naval warships, the containment mission was accomplished.

"The enemy fleet and aircraft are in disarray or locked in combat. Send a bomber squadron to destroy the enemy escort ships." Horatio issued the new order while keeping a close eye on the torpedoes that were being fired at the enemy flagship.

He reasoned that although the Starhawk bomber was large and had a large bomb load, it was obviously unrealistic to think that it could destroy a large cruiser with bombs alone, and it would also be a waste of precious sortie waves.

But it would be very worthwhile to send bombers to destroy the relatively vulnerable escort ships.

A group of bombers launched from a symmetrical apron could carry enough bombs to cripple an escort ship, rendering it combat ineffective, or even destroy it outright.

Plasma bombs, like torpedoes, cannot be intercepted by the Void Shield.

Highly skilled pilots can even fly bombers, risking their lives to break through the enemy's void shield, slip inside the shield, and then deliver precise bomb drops.

While escort ships are agile, they are difficult to hit with torpedoes; using cruisers' macro guns to fire them would be a waste of their potential, a pure waste of precious firing waves in the fierce battle line. Moreover, macro guns do not have the attribute of guaranteed hit like light lances. As the distance increases, small boats can easily maneuver to dodge the shells.

If left unattended, these small boats will provide the enemy with visibility and anti-aircraft fire, and may even launch torpedoes to interfere.

And bombers are precisely the most suitable weapon to destroy them.

Just like when he was captain of the "Epic", what he feared most was being hunted down by the Tau carrier-based aircraft.

(End of this chapter)