Chapter 50
Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Treegalaon Ambush
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Holy Nation wasn't fighting its first or second war, so it wasted no time showing agile maneuvers the moment it entered the star system.
Even as it first entered the Maximilian Star System and exchanged greetings with Count Maximilian, the fleet's staff officers were already analyzing the system's terrain.
Even if Tla'Kalan the Battle Priest was the type to order a charge instead of a retreat, he hadn't forgotten the reconnaissance fleet's core duty.
The dense asteroid ring in the Maximilian Star System was, of course, one of the things they confirmed at that time.
In fact, when Tla'Kalan the Battle Priest ordered the charge, they tried to cross the asteroid field before Count Maximilian's fleet could use it as cover.
The Holy Nation couldn't easily track the real-time orbits of countless asteroids mid-battle to exploit them, but the Imperial side would have analyzed them long ago.
It would have gone smoothly if that mad Count hadn't planted mines in the asteroid field.
The Count knew the terrain of his own domain, the Maximilian Star System, like the back of his hand.
He was well aware of the features of its dense, thick asteroid ring.
From the defender's perspective, it offered the perfect advantage: the ability to fire cannons without asteroids interfering with targeting.
In contrast, the enemy suffered from obscured lines of sight and the penalty of having to shoot through constantly moving cover.
It was child's play to predict that the enemy would act to overcome this penalty right after entering the system for the first time.
The mines the Count had planted between the endlessly orbiting asteroids were equipped with chips that emitted specific signals. Any object without the matching chip would trigger them to fly over, attach, and explode.
You could shoot down each mine whizzing around the fast-orbiting asteroids, but that would leave the Count free to act, forcing a choice.
Tla'Kalan the Battle Priest's judgment was to brute-force through.
"Uoooooh!!!"
The Holy Nation fleet's battle priests squeezed out their psionic power to erect even stronger psionic shields and charged forward as the vanguard.
The mines detected their targets and reacted all at once.
But the mines that failed to reach the ships due to the shields exploded harmlessly in open space, dealing no significant damage.
The priests maintaining the psionic shields for reinforcement bore an immense burden, but the main fleet preserved its strength.
With this brute strategy of stomping through every mine, the fleet entered the asteroid field.
"Enter while the priests hold them off!"
Even though the Count's fleet was advancing into the asteroid field from the opposite side, close-quarters combat would put the enemy on equal footing, offsetting the terrain disadvantage—or so they judged.
That was before the Count's ships, which had been boldly closing in and unleashing barrages, suddenly transformed into bipedal robots and sliced an approaching vessel clean in half.
"What... in the world is that?"
The sight of close-combat weapons straight out of ground forces appearing in space shattered the battle priests' common sense.
Regardless of their crumbling worldview, they had to admit the Count's strategy was brutally effective.
In the asteroid field, where fleet maneuvers were heavily restricted, watching him dart nimbly between rocks and cleave ships apart made denial impossible.
But this wasn't the time to admire the enemy's prowess.
They had to win this battle and capture that flagship to present to the Prophet.
The outcome of this skirmish was just a tiny fraction of the war, but even minor intel could sway its course.
"Priest Sotl'karal. I'm giving you command of three cruisers and twenty destroyers. Engage the enemy's gunships. Ozz ingestion authorized. Deploy shields and buy time!"
"For Oztlan."
"Priest Rolotchi. You get one cruiser and twenty frigates. Block the Count's movements. I'll cut off his air myself."
"Understood. For Oztlan."
The Holy Nation targeted the Count first.
It was the obvious strategy.
The enemy commander weaving through the front lines amid a storm of fire was simply too tempting a prey.
But the destructive power of the asteroid field exceeded the Holy Nation's imagination.
It was enough to make them understand why this system's lord bore the title of Count.
The Imperial fleet took hits from Holy Nation fire but never steered ships into asteroid paths.
They only evaded in perfectly calculated safe zones, accepting some damage.
A few lasers or missiles wouldn't destroy a whole ship, after all.
In contrast, Holy Nation ships aggressively evading and pressing the Imperials hard inevitably collided with passing asteroids, suffering heavy damage.
A rock hurtling at 20 km/s smashing into a ship was tragic fratricide.
This wasn't an exception even for the ships tasked with encircling the Count. Sensing their reckless pursuit, he focused solely on evasion.
Catching a Count dedicated only to dodging and avoiding combat was no easy task.
Even so, Tla'Kalan the Battle Priest managed to land a main gun hit while the Count's movements were constrained.
It only mangled his left arm thanks to the defenses—far from enough to bring him down.
"We're being toyed with. This won't do."
Tla'Kalan the Battle Priest thought.
The enemy did hold the terrain advantage, that much was true.
But since they'd sortied far from the stellar fortress to intercept, much of the defender's edge was nullified.
Excluding the Count's massive melee weapon, the Holy Nation's defenses outmatched Imperial firepower.
Proof was that Priest Sotl'karal was still successfully holding them off.
Most of the enemy fleet had sortied for interception, so overrunning the stellar fortress's few turrets would secure it easily.
If the asteroid field was the problem, just lure the enemy out of it.
Maintaining the status quo would only worsen things, so it was worth a shot.
Let's see if they could hold in the asteroid field after we seize the fortress and burn the planet.
Decision made, the battle priest issued orders.
"All units, break through. Exit the asteroid field and seize the enemy stellar fortress. Priest Sotl'karal, cover the rear. Priest Rolotchi, head for the stellar fortress. Everyone else, assist Sotl'karal in blocking enemy approaches."
No matter how fast the Count moved, without asteroids for cover, he'd just be a slightly quick target.
Even with the fortress at their rear, breaking the current deadlock seemed more advantageous, the priest judged.
The Imperials realized the Holy Nation's intent to raid their undefended base and desperately tried to block, but lacked the firepower to pierce the priests' Ozz-fueled, mind-burning shields.
And when they finally broke through and cleared the asteroid field...
The Treegalaons were waiting.
The Holy Nation, cornered, seemed to decide on a desperate counterattack.
From my view, even seizing the planet and fortress here wouldn't save them.
The Count wasn't a fool; he hadn't committed his entire fleet.
Obviously, fleets remained stationed on the planet and in the fortress.
Caught in crossfire from both the planet's garrison, the fortress, and the Count's returning fleet? No amount of durability would save them.
But that rearguard fleet holding shields might change things if they lasted.
The flagship heading for the fortress packed plenty of firepower, after all.
Left alone, the Count would win, but civilian casualties in his domain were inevitable.
The Imperials knew it, hence their desperate defense.
I'll bail you out for free this once.
I thought the Holy Nation would get wiped unilaterally, but their bite at the cat's paw lets me rack up a debt with the Count.
The Treegalaons lurking in the asteroid gaps charged at the Holy Nation forces trying to escape the field.
They hesitated at the sudden organic foes amid mechanical ones but soon deemed them enemies and opened fire.
Sorry, but energy weaker than Alhamra's won't work.
If you want to pierce our evolving World Tree armor and hunt Treegalaons, bring physical missiles.
A Treegalaon closed in and bit deep into the ship's side, locking on.
No matter the shield, against the Treegalaon's immense mass—not a laser weapon—it proved useless.
Miniature Nesepalas devoured the connection where it bit, boring a hole, and Hiraks along with Remoras poured in.
Killing the crew was faster than slugging it out all day with similarly sized ships.
Other ships tried support fire, but the Treegalaon annoyingly swung the bitten ship around like a shield, shattering common sense once more.
Tla'Kalan's flagship was no different.
Larger than a Treegalaon, it couldn't be bisected along the side, but ripping out turrets and engines was easy.
This strategy always works.
Maybe because no nation that fought the Lushaka Kingdom survived.
Their ships just aren't optimized against Treegalaons.
Except the Count's. Can't beat that thing in melee.
Anyway, while the Holy Nation tangled with us, the Count mopped up the remnants and rejoined.
"Merchant Lord Berilak. A most timely intervention. The Count's citizens nearly suffered."
Communications came from the massive robot up close.
As expected, my Count would praise the good judgment.
An arrogant man might gripe about stealing glory, but the Count I'd seen wasn't like that.
Not expecting a reply, he promptly breached the flagship and inserted assault troops.
The Holy Nation crew resisted fiercely with superhuman physiques inside.
Impressive that they shrugged off most bullets, but limits existed.
"Pro...phet... Forgive us..."
Tla'Kalan the Battle Priest fought until his mind burned out, so he couldn't be captured alive and was executed on the spot.
The war's first battle—the Holy Nation's power reconnaissance—ended in Imperial victory.