Chapter 349: Battle for Gigite (Part 2)
The Teizene Fleet began its attack after stabilizing their position.
As a formidable military civilization in the Stellar Galaxy, the Teizene's tactics and strategy in cosmic warfare were incomparable to those of the Order Association.
With just a minor adjustment to their formation, the Teizene Fleet was able to aim most of their main guns at the swarming Order Association fleet. The Teizene civilization lacked the advanced computational capabilities of the Iridium Star, but they had plenty of experience that allowed them to easily create areas of intense firepower.
The space was instantly flooded with dense gunfire, and the sheer force of the opening salvo easily overpowered the gusto the Order Association had just demonstrated. Faced with such high-density fire, the uneven ranks of Order Association warships were completely outmatched.
Several warships built by lower civilizations were covered by Teizene gunfire in this first round. Their shields lasted only a few seconds before shattering completely, and the subsequent barrage of fire immediately sank them.
Caesar's heart raced with agitation as he desperately tried to lead his fleet into the Teizene formation, yet he hadn't anticipated that the firepower of the Teizene Fleet, surpassing two thousand ships, far exceeded the endurance capabilities of the Order Association fleet.
The flagship of his fleet couldn't even reach top speed, as the oncoming gunfire continuously hindered the warship's acceleration. Caesar could only try to allocate more energy to maintaining the shields instead of maximizing the engines. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire
The ferocious barrage ripped through space at a visibly alarming rate, and like a flying dragon shedding its scales, the Order Association fleet weakened with every step it took.
"This won't do!" Caesar made his decision; even if some warships succeeded in breaking through to the Teizene's formation, by then they would be battered and isolated.
Just then, Captain Samalou of the Gigite bellowed over the communication channel, "General Caesar, now is not the time for hesitation. Our Gigite warships may lack firepower, but we have somewhat stronger defenses. Even if Gigite warships manage to break into the Teizene fleet, it would be of little use. So please, allow us Gigite warships to act as shields for our Order Association allies, shielding them from fire and helping them break into the enemy lines!"
Caesar was deeply moved; Samalou's choice was not in line with the timid nature of the Gigite. At this critical moment of life and death, the Gigite fleet was willing to calmly meet its end, using their own warships as shields to protect the rest of the Order Association fleet as they penetrated the enemy lines.
The fate of Samalou and his crew was unspoken, but clear: it was a sacrifice.
The upright great ape wanted to voice his rejection, but he knew there was no other option at this time. At least Samalou and the other Gigite soldiers chose to trust their Order Association allies, believing that even if their forces were completely wiped out, the people of the Order Association would protect their home planet.
"Captain Samalou, even if we perish, we will definitely protect Gigite Star!"
Aolans coldly observed the battlefield situation, keenly noticing the large Gigite warships with considerable defenses moving slowly to finally block the front of the other Order Association warships, while those other ships took cover behind the protective wing of the Gigite vessels, absorbing the brunt of the attacks.
"Fools," Aolans sneered, "use the vertical expansion formation, multi-angle firepower coverage!"
Compared to the AI-controlled formation changes, the Teizene Fleet's transition from a large plane fan shape to an expanding up-and-down split, forming a semi-spherical layout, was no less precise. The Teizene warships at the highest point looked down to attack, while those at the bottom looked up to launch their offensive. As a result, the Gigite warships at the forefront could no longer cover all their flanks.
In the universe, there is no absolute orientation, and the Gigite understood this. They quickly began arranging escort ships above and below, but the effectiveness of this maneuver decreased significantly.
The Teizene's expanded formation itself had spread their firepower thinner, yet it was the overwhelming force of the Teizene's weaponry, coupled with the sheer number of their warships, that made the Gigite's fearless and desperate tactic seem pale and powerless.
Caesar stood on the bridge of the flagship, watching as the Gigite warships were pushed to the brink, continuously losing their shields and being sunk by the Teizene. When the Gigite flagship, piloted by Samalou, finally succumbed and exploded in mid-air, Caesar could no longer contain his tears, and they flooded from his eyes.
"Captain Samalou..."
The audio was playing Samalou's last words; amidst the explosions and screams, Samalou spoke weakly, almost with a sense of relief to Caesar, "General Caesar, my comrades and I can only help you up to this point."
It was at this critical juncture that Caesar's warship finally broke into the Teizene fleet's formation.
"Damn Teizene Lizard People, may you all die!" Caesar bellowed in madness, his eyes blazing red. His warship began pouring all of its firepower into the Teizene warships.
More Order Association warships charged into the Teizene fleet formation, sowing chaos within. The Teizene's previously three-dimensional and effective assaults began to falter because mutual blockages and tight space caused their attacks to become sporadic.
But no matter how the Order Association warships attacked the Teizene warships, the artillery strikes only caused layers of transparent ripples to appear as the Teizene warships remained unscathed inside their shields.
"Why, why is it like this?! Teizene warships shouldn't have such strong defenses!" Caesar was eventually engulfed by despair.
His warship, now surrounded by Teizene warships, saw nearly half of the Order Association fleet sunk since the battle began, while the Teizene warships had lost only those two escort ships in the very beginning.
Caesar felt an icy chill throughout his body as he watched his comrades' warships being destroyed in the chaotic battle, and every time a Order Association warship was sunk, the Teizene warships would turn their prows to aim at the next one, thereby continuously increasing their firepower.
Aolans was quite confident, considering the Order Association beneath his notice as a worthy enemy. When they invaded the Ape Planet Civilization, indeed they were shocked by the coalition of many civilizations, but that was before the invention of Shield Sharing Technology. Aolans thought to himself that he should suggest to the Eleventh Prince to completely annihilate the Order Association as this great accomplishment should be enough to change the Great Emperor's mind, and avoid clashing head-on with the Earth people.
Just as Aolans was preparing to relax, suddenly his radar officer shouted, "General, we have detected warp activity, a warp bubble is approaching Gigite Star at double warp speed!"
Aolans's face changed slightly, "Double warp speed? That must undoubtedly be the Earth people."