Super Mothership
In Andersen’s fairy tales, there is a magic beanstalk that can grow up to the sky. If the Eternal One desired it, it could indeed achieve something similar.
Each of its roots stretches for tens or even hundreds of kilometers, with the longest reaching over 500 kilometers. Supported by these roots, it might not truly reach the heavens, but growing up to nearly a hundred kilometers is more than feasible.
However, supporting such an enormous and heavy body to “grow” into the sky requires an astonishing amount of energy. With the Eternal One’s previous energy system, reaching such a height would essentially mean running out of fuel.
Yet, even this height is not enough for the Eternal One to actually enter orbit around Planet Kara. According to Kara’s planetary gravity model, the minimum altitude required to maintain a stable orbit is 200 kilometers.
So, if the Eternal One truly wanted to enter space, relying solely on its “long legs” would be far from sufficient.
But just as the Eternal One neared the 100-kilometer mark in altitude, it finally revealed another of its secret trump cards!
Suddenly, a massive amount of blue particles erupted from its root base below. The enormous thrust caused its previously slowing ascent to surge upward once more!
“Oh! That… that’s a propulsion system! They’ve installed a large number of thruster units on that biological weapon!” The people of the Twin Star system were instantly alarmed.
This was no low-altitude fortress — it was clearly a biological battleship!
The base of the Eternal One had been heavily shrouded in layers of black tendrils, concealing what lay within. No one had realized that dozens of high-powered thrusters had been installed there.
Only when they ignited and fired did the Twin Stars’ monitoring systems detect them.
“We can’t wait any longer. Immediately request Lord Gustav’s permission to open fire. We should at least eliminate the threat before attempting capture.” The officers aboard the escort ships quickly reached a consensus.
A stationary firepoint “growing” from Planet Kara posed little threat compared to a mobile space fortress that could roam freely.
The former could be treated as a target dummy. But the latter… could transform into a man-eating great white shark at any moment.
Its presence clearly exceeded the warning threshold that the Twin Stars could tolerate!
However, when the three escort ship captains simultaneously submitted their request to Lord Gustav to commence the attack...
They saw the heavy ray cannon on the flagship suddenly begin to glow with a charging light.
The three captains were overjoyed at the sight.
Had Lord Gustav finally made up his mind to strike?
But in the next moment, their joy turned into pure terror...
“Boom!” A massive blue beam of light suddenly shot out!
But the flagship’s heavy force-field ray was not aimed at the Kara people’s giant bio-weapon — it struck directly at the tail of one of their own escort ships!
The three escort ships had been in a triangle formation in front of the flagship, and since they had not yet entered battle status, their shields weren’t at full power.
Caught off guard, the targeted escort ship’s shield was immediately shattered. The powerful beam tore straight through the entire warship, ripping and deforming its internal mechanical structures, leaving a massive, gaping hole.
Moments later, under the stunned gaze of the other two captains, the escort ship exploded into a blazing fireball.
“What the…?” The two remaining captains were completely dumbfounded.
Did the flagship just destroy its own escort ship?!
Was it a misfire?!
How absurd could it get? The flight path had already been cleared for the shot!
Also… what happened to the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system?
“Quick! Shields to maximum power!”
The bizarre situation caused the remaining two captains to scream in hysterical panic!
But things were still heading exactly toward the worst-case scenario they had feared…
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
Following the main cannon, more than a dozen secondary cannons on the flagship opened fire in unison the next moment. At the same time, its missile bays launched a barrage of missiles, all targeting one of the remaining two escort ships.
At such close range, even the secondary cannons could hit with pinpoint accuracy, and the close-combat missiles demonstrated formidable power as well.
Faced with this sudden ambush, the targeted escort ship didn’t fare much better. It had no time to evade and was instantly engulfed in a storm of firepower.
“Boom boom boom!”
The second escort ship, under heavy bombardment, swayed violently in a storm of explosions.
It lasted less than half a minute before its force-field shields also failed. The remaining shells and missiles slammed into the hull, blasting irregular craters across its surface!
After the first round of attacks, although the ship still retained most of its structural frame, many of its internal systems had been severely damaged. Smoke billowed from every direction — it was clear the ship had completely lost its combat capabilities.
At this point, the captain of the last surviving escort ship had turned pale. The brutal reality had shattered any lingering illusions he might have had.
The intent behind the flagship’s attacks was now abundantly clear.
Though he couldn’t comprehend why their own flagship had seemingly gone insane and launched an assault on its escort fleet, the shift in allegiance was undeniable. The wreckage of two friendly ships stood as the most direct proof.
Yet, even having realized this, it didn’t change the grim fact: the surviving escort ship was now in a desperate situation.
The captain knew not only his own ship’s capabilities but also those of the flagship — all too well. He truly knew both himself and his enemy.
An escort-class warship squaring off against a destroyer-class flagship was no different than a featherweight going up against a heavyweight.
When outclassed in tonnage, firepower, and defense in every measurable way, even if they went all-in, entered full battle mode, and — at the risk of a court-martial — disabled the IFF system to launch a counterattack, the outcome was obvious!
Then, the flagship made a subtle adjustment in position. Its main cannon began to slowly swivel, aligning directly toward him — a clear sign it was about to fire.
Sweat beaded on the captain’s forehead. In a flash of decision, he made a stunning move.
He rapidly manipulated the ship’s control panel, then finally slammed a white button.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
Three brilliant flares shot out from the escort ship, streaking a short distance before exploding brightly in the sky above the warship.
Three white glowing orbs suddenly bloomed in everyone’s field of vision, so blinding it made eyes sting.
White signal flares — in Twin Star civilization’s space warfare protocol, these carried a very specific and serious implication.
Their meaning was clear and simple. The closest equivalent in Earth’s military history would be…
Raising the white flag.
TL Note-Surrender?
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