Warhammer: Hail to the Void Lords!.

Chapter 1012 08.1011: 『Breaking the Move and Countering』

"Damn it!" On the bridge of the Duke's Pride, the voice of the traitor Pompey sounded somewhat weak in the vast command cathedral. He stared intently at the stubborn green rune on the holographic projection of the oracle. "This guy is like a ghost, always hiding in the shadows at the six o'clock position of our stern."

The rune of the Imperial light cruiser flickered steadily in the tactical projection, like a poisonous thorn embedded in flesh, neither approaching nor moving away, always maintaining a perfect pursuit position.

"Isn't there any way to get rid of him?" Pompey roared impatiently.

His imposing, armored frame was shoved into the fleet command throne, the ornate but narrow seat making him appear somewhat cramped.

This general, known for his cunning and brutality in ground warfare, was now questioning the captain with a voice powerful enough to intimidate tens of thousands of soldiers on the parade ground, "Hmm, is that so?!"

On the lower-level warship command throne, the traitorous captain did not respond immediately.

He sat high above the crowd, countless data cables extending from the neural interfaces in his temples and disappearing into the depths of the throne, tightly connecting his consciousness with the mechanical soul of this multi-kilometer-long steel behemoth.

He simply raised one hand slightly and pinched his smooth chin.

"Hmm..." After a long while, the captain who betrayed the empire finally let out a deep sigh. He tapped the armrest of the throne lightly with his knuckles, his gaze never leaving the huge porthole made of armored glass that faced the abyss of the starry sea.

His voice was calm and steady, a stark contrast to Pompey's agitation.

"General, the enemy ships' choice of surprise attack tactics, as well as every maneuver and action so far, closely resembles a classic battle. Even their ship types are identical."

As expected, he will next use a high-energy maneuver to aim the torpedo silos at our most vulnerable main engine array.

The traitorous captain stroked his smooth chin, his eyes gleaming with an all-knowing arrogance.

"This reminds me of a naval captain named Thomas Cochrane in the legendary Gothic fleet in the eastern part of the Misty Starfield."

More than a decade ago, he used this very tactic to earn himself the title of High Lord Colonel.

He turned to Pompey, his tone carrying a hint of scholarly arrogance.

"This case is a classic example. When I first read it, it was truly amazing, and it was difficult to come up with an effective countermeasure in a short period of time."

It seems our fanatical opponent is trying to replicate the legendary "Seawolves" prodigy's breakout performance.

Look, even the battlefield situation is imitated perfectly.

The cunning old man let out a cold laugh, a laugh filled with disdain for the imitator.

"What do we do then?" Pompey jumped up from his seat and shouted at the top of his lungs, "If the engine fails, we'll become sitting ducks in the air!"

For this army general, the vast void battlefield was a complete blind spot of knowledge, which made him feel a fear stemming from ignorance and powerlessness.

"Don't panic, General."

The traitorous captain calmly stated, his composure itself a silent declaration: "A surprise tactic is surprising once, but clumsy twice."

Since this tactic has been included in classic battle examples, countless professionals will inevitably study how to counter it.

As it happens, I have recently discussed in depth with my colleagues who still serve the corrupt Highlord how to counter this plan. Please allow me, General, to take full command of the fleet.

Pompey frowned. He had no idea what this man was planning, but in the current situation, he had no choice but to believe him.

"Alright! We'll do it your way! Success will be rewarded handsomely! As for failure, you know the consequences!"

A cold, disdainful smile curled at the corners of the captain's lips, his face radiating arrogance born of experience and confidence. "Power Department, issue my order! Turn counter-clockwise towards the ND phase (lower plane from left to right)! Let's teach this imitator a lesson, show him what it means to overreach!"

"Yes, Captain!" The synthesized command echoed across the bridge.

In the void, the massive 'Duke's Pride' abandoned its previous course, and the steering thrusters on one side of the ship ejected huge plumes of plasma, propelling the behemoth to make a violent, high-energy turn to the left.

Despite her bulky size, she is equipped with high-energy steering boosters, which allow her to make extraordinary maneuvers in critical moments.

This sudden change of direction is like two athletes chasing each other around a pillar in the same direction, with one of them suddenly turning around and starting to chase in a counter-clockwise direction.

At this moment, if the Swift Skyhawk still wants to maintain its blind spot at six o'clock, then when the Duke's Pride turns 90 degrees, she must complete a more dramatic 180-degree turn.

(A heartfelt drawing by proofreader 'Two-Faced Man is Happy'!)
As expected, on the bridge of the Swift Skyhawk, the navigation officer carried out the operation exactly as he had planned.

After firing a salvo from the six guns on the starboard side and the four guns on the ridge, the light cruiser suddenly veered to one side, its side thrusters roaring as it forced a high-energy 180-degree turn, before firing a salvo from the port side guns.

Two rounds of shelling, twenty shells rained down on the 'Duke's Pride' like a meteor shower.

Each hit caused the giant ship's void shield to erupt with a thunderous energy explosion, and blinding arcs of electricity surged wildly across the ship's surface.

The shield, already struggling to withstand attacks from multiple directions, saw its load surge to 60%, and the wailing of alarms echoed throughout the entire command cathedral.

Ultimately, in this unexpected maneuver, HMS Swifthawk successfully regained the stern position from HMS Duke's Pride.

However, on the bridge of the Swifthawk, which appeared rather plain but efficient in comparison, Captain Horatio Cochrane, connected to the command throne, gradually grew serious.

"Captain, our combustion instruments are down to one-third empty!"

His sharp gaze fell on the captain of the navigation department who stood up to report, and the latter continued, "We are carrying out your order to 'maintain at six o'clock in enemy territory'."

However, the enemy ship suddenly made a high-energy right-angle turn to the left. If we wanted to stay in its blind spot at the stern, we had to make a 180-degree turn and sail at full speed with afterburner.

Such maneuvers consume far more energy than enemy ships because our turning angle is greater, and our main engines are also operating at full speed.

If we don't do this, we will be completely exposed to the enemy ship's port-side guns after it turns.

"How long until our torpedoes are fully loaded?" Horatio asked.

“Fifteen minutes left, Captain. I’m urging them on; all that’s left is for the Tech-Priest to fumigate the missile with nano-incense,” Fideo reported.

"Captain, if this continues, our combustion instruments will reach the end before the enemy's. Isn't that very dangerous?" The navigation lieutenant realized the seriousness of the problem and looked nervously at the captain's furrowed brows.

"Yes, the enemy flagship 'Duke's Pride' has already seen through our intentions."

Horatio's voice was low and heavy. "They are deliberately depleting our reserves. We must use the remaining energy output quota to deliver the fatal blow to the enemy's engines before they succeed."

"But, Captain, what if they use the same trick again? Should we turn around again? If we make another high-energy turn, our energy recovery rate may not be enough to support the subsequent torpedo launch maneuvers."

"Although we are replicating my father Thomas Cochrane's tactics, which are not unsolvable, otherwise the Naval Academy would not repeatedly emphasize not to challenge warships larger than ourselves." Horatio narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the target, "I am not simply copying him blindly, because we are not fighting alone like he did back then."

He turned around and, without hesitation, connected to the communication channel of the 'Sword of Akali'. The face of another young captain appeared on the screen.

"Archie, I need your help."

(End of this chapter)