Super Mothership
“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Rows of cosmic fireworks exploded in front of the neatly arranged Gemini welcome fleet, illuminating the surrounding starfield with dazzling brilliance.
“Welcome back! Heroes of Gemini!” Admiral Girard personally came to receive Arthas and Beckman, giving them the highest level of honor.
Of course, considering the achievements they had accomplished this time, such recognition was well deserved.
Gathering critical intelligence on an enemy civilization, hiring pirates to raid Ryan Star, capturing standard warships of the Fifth Fleet, and now disrupting enemy morale—greatly weakening their willingness to fight.
Each and every one of these feats was truly astonishing.
“Arthas” had now become the most talked-about and hottest name throughout the entire Gemini military!
“Admiral Girard, we have fulfilled our mission!” Nie Yun stepped forward with a bright smile.
A group of high-ranking officers accompanying Girard also stepped forward one after another, congratulating the special task fleet on its triumphant return.
Looking at Arthas, who stood at the center of attention, Beckman—slightly behind and unable to take the spotlight—wore a complicated expression, unable to hide his disappointment.
The plan he had personally devised to deal with the enemy had nearly cost him his life in the end, and instead had indirectly elevated his rival.
Everyone knew that even without mentioning Arthas’s distinguished background, his achievements alone would make him the most dazzling rising star in the military.
What had been a competition between two outstanding talents of different factions had instead turned into Arthas using him as a stepping stone, completing a magnificent transformation and stepping into the ranks of senior officers!
“I never expected that in such a short time, he would grow to this extent…” Among the crowd, Isabel gazed at the young man at the center, filled with amazement.
Even though she had always believed he was extraordinary, she never imagined that in such a short time he would rise from a mere patrol ship captain to someone nearly on equal footing with her, with limitless potential ahead.
Part of it was Nie Yun’s repeated ability to create miracles, and part of it was the times that create heroes…
No matter what, it proved that her earlier judgment and investment in him had been extremely wise.
However, their relationship would likely soon shift from superior and subordinate to allies bound by shared interests…
Among the welcoming senior officers, one corps commander stood out as particularly enthusiastic, draping an arm over Nie Yun’s shoulder and praising him endlessly.
“Arthas, this time you risked your life venturing deep into danger and performed brilliantly in the Wolf Empire. I was both worried and deeply impressed! I never expected not only your mech skills to be exceptional, but your fleet command to be just as outstanding!
In terms of character and talent, I, Renault, admire no one—but you, Arthas!”
Seeing this same Commander Renault—whom he had once tricked—now praising him so enthusiastically, a strange look flashed in Nie Yun’s eyes.
“Haha! Commander Renault, you flatter me. I still have much to learn from all of you seniors.”
Although Nie Yun had saved Renault before and helped him out during a meeting, he wasn’t naive enough to believe that alone would make a corps commander genuinely grateful and instantly become his supporter.
It was more accurate to say that the Kruze family behind Arthas, combined with his rising potential in the military, was enough to attract a portion of senior officers seeking to build ties with him.
Nie Yun, Isabel, Renault… before he knew it, Nie Yun had already accumulated a network within the Gemini military system, forming a small interest group of his own…
Or rather—the embryonic form of a faction!
…
After the simple welcome ceremony, Admiral Girard immediately convened a strategic meeting.
“Although we have gained a temporary advantage, our opponents are not only the watchful Jinlok Consortium, but also the Wolf Empire behind them!
According to intelligence, the wormhole expansion device will soon be repaired, and the war will escalate further. You have been inside the Wolf Empire, so I would like to hear your opinions on the next phase of the war. Beckman, you speak first.”
“Yes, Admiral! At present, our primary opponent remains the Jinlok Consortium. Among their directly controlled fleets, we have only engaged the Fifth Garrison Fleet.
In terms of combat performance, their warships are not much stronger than ours, but the top four ranked fleets still possess around 2,000 warships—and their combat power will only be stronger than the Fifth Fleet.”
The Fifth Fleet needs to remain stationed within the Jinlok Consortium’s territory and must also guard against pirates in the Fragmented Star Region, so it is unlikely to participate in offensive operations.
Therefore, if the Jinlok Consortium’s direct fleets join the battle, their total strength will be at most around 2,000 advanced space warships.
Adding the Ryan race’s mech legions, based on the comparison of both sides’ combat power, we would likely need to assemble at least 3,000 warships and 100,000 mech soldiers, along with Dreadnought Battle Stars, just to avoid being at a disadvantage!”
Beckman, already skilled in battlefield data analysis and intelligence assessment, spoke in a way that made Girard nod repeatedly.
“Mm! That’s roughly the same as our analysis.
But don’t worry. Since raising the civilization level of the Wolf Empire, the Joint Council has already made the maximum allocation of resources. Our lost fleets have all been replenished with new-generation warships, and the neighboring Emma Star Region and Mimatar Star Region will each dispatch one-third of their fleets here as reinforcements.
By then, our total number of warships will exceed 3,500!”
Hearing this, Nie Yun couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.
It seemed the intelligence about the Wolf Empire had truly shaken Gemini, prompting them to mobilize such a massive number of warships.
After all, even a single large-scale fleet mobilization consumes an astronomical amount of energy, not to mention the accompanying logistical supplies.
The limited resources provided by the Storm Star System alone would never be enough to sustain a fleet of this scale. A massive logistics fleet would definitely be required to continuously supply the front lines from within their civilization.
This time, Gemini had truly gone all in.
However, Nie Yun didn’t mind watching the chaos unfold. As long as Gemini wasn’t completely crippled, the more they exhausted themselves, the more he could profit from the situation!
“Arthas, what do you think?” Just as Nie Yun was calculating internally, Girard turned to look at him.
Nie Yun pondered for a moment, his expression turning serious.
“This battle… won’t be easy…”
Whether it was actually easy or not, from Nie Yun’s standpoint, sounding the alarm first was definitely the right move!
In fact, he would much prefer Gemini to mobilize their entire race and bring every single warship into the fight.
“Oh? Why do you say it won’t be easy?” Girard’s expression grew stern.
Beckman beside him also focused intently.
Although in terms of “diplomatic ability” Beckman admitted he couldn’t compare, when it came to battlefield analysis, he was a professional!
He wanted to hear what kind of insight Arthas—whom he now regarded as his strongest rival—would offer.
**“Ahem! On the frontal battlefield, it’s all about armies and logistics. With all of you seniors planning that, I’m not too worried.
But based on the intelligence I’ve gathered, Jinlok is an extremely stingy man who values money above all else. Yet right now, he’s using a group of vassal civilizations to wage a war of attrition against us!
A war of attrition costs money—even if it’s just second-hand decommissioned ships and cheap cannon fodder, it still requires continuous financial expenditure. Don’t you find that strange?
Logically speaking, if he couldn’t win, Jinlok would choose to stop the war and cut losses. If he could win, he would launch a lightning attack with overwhelming force—not drag things out like this!”**
“Then why do you think that is?” Renault smoothly played along as the prompt.
**“Hmm… I’m thinking, is it possible that the enemy is simply using cannon fodder to probe our true strength?
Given the current situation, since he hasn’t chosen to cut his losses, then once he makes a move, it will likely be a decisive and shocking strike!
Our war with the Ryan race may just be preliminary groundwork for the Jinlok Consortium! He’s probably waiting for the right moment—a moment to determine victory in a single blow!”** Nie Yun speculated.
“What?” Everyone felt their hearts skip a beat.
“Then what kind of moment do you think he’s waiting for?” Girard frowned deeply.
“I don’t know,” Nie Yun shook his head.
**“This is a civilization that surpasses us in both development time and technological level. No one knows whether the Jinlok Consortium possesses some kind of powerful large-scale weapon.
They may be testing whether our offensive limits can threaten that weapon—or whether our defensive limits can withstand it.
And to make an even bolder guess… they are so determined to expand the wormhole—could it be that something massive needs to pass through it? Something capable of deciding the entire war in one strike?”**
Nie Yun’s words—especially that final speculation—made everyone present feel their hearts pound wildly.
“So, I believe we must prepare for the worst-case scenario!” Nie Yun concluded, wrapping up his deliberate alarmism.
After all, he had already painted the most extreme scenario to scare them—whether they believed it or not was no longer his concern…
However, even Nie Yun himself would never have imagined that his attempt to frighten Gemini had, by sheer coincidence, come dangerously close to the truth…
TL Note- Truth...
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