Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 199: Confronting Death

Chapter 199: Confronting Death

Everyone looked at Master Crystal, anticipating a plan that would bring us hope.

"We can fully make use of all the engine power in Skyhawk to create a push to bring us out of the gravitational range," said Master Crystal.

"Master, the engine system of Skyhawk is already working at full capacity," said Jack.

"No, no, no. I checked. The empire's Milky Wayclass battleship is a single-engine ship with a dual energy system. The two energy sources are meant to complement each other. That way, even when the nuclear power isn't working, the electrical agent can act as an energy reserve."

"I understand, Master. You mean we should use both energy sources at the same time, creating double the propulsion to push us out of the gravitational field," I said in excitement.

"Yes, that's my idea. That way, we will have double our original propulsion force," said Master Crystal with a nod.

"What nonsense. I already thought of this long ago. Skyhawk's engine has its limit. It is completely incapable of withstanding the supply from both sources at the same time. If we force it, the engine will fail and explode. And without the engine, this ship will be dragged into the black hole in an hour," refuted Jack.

"Jack, did I say we were using the engine?" said Master Crystal.

"If not, what are you using to propel us?" asked Jack in confusion.

"The existing engine system is definitely incapable of sustaining the usage of both sources. I intend to use this equipment instead," said Master Crystal as he pointed at the weapons through the window.

"That's a weapon system, not a propulsion system. All those weapons have proper shock absorbers in place to nullify recoil," said Jack.

"Turn the ship around and have the engine run at maximum capacity. With the weapons facing the black hole, turn off the shock absorbers and power the weapons with the electrical power pushed to the maximum. Then, fire all weapons at the same time. We can try and see if that will be enough to break free," said Master Crystal.

Everyone sank into thought. His plan would exhaust a large amount of our energy supply, yet we weren't even sure if it would work.

"Twenty-five minutes until we no longer have the required space to perform the acceleration needed to break free," reported Jack faithfully.

"We don't have time to keep hesitating. I suggest we try Master Crystal's plan," I said. After all, I still wasn't willing to give up Skyhawk.

"Jack, Dondon, follow Master Crystal's plan. Assign the bioelectricity system to the weaponry system, turn the ship around, and deactivate all shock absorbers. We'll take a bet," ordered Baron Sisse.

"Everyone, strap your belts. The push will probably be rather strong," reminded Jack.

We all strapped ourselves to our respective seats. At that point, Jack was done reassigning the energy supply. Dondon steered the ship to face the other direction, aiming the weapons in the direction of the black hole. Then, we all waited silently for Baron Sisse's final order. At that point, we were 18 minutes away before losing the required distance to break free.

A deafening rumble sounded alongside the intense explosions. The entire Skyhawk shook while numerous unfastened objects in the ship were thrown around. The ferocious impact gave us the impression that our ship was about to be torn apart.

Before we could recover from the first impact, the second round of explosions erupted. Large clumps of smoke were visible through the window. Some of the cannons had also broken apart from the impact.

"Baron, Jack, this is suicide! This ship is obviously not strong enough to withstand this level of impact! The entire ship is going to be blown apart!" shouted Zhang Bao'er.

"Jack, the recoil is so strong," said the baron in astonishment.

At that moment, Jack had actually dropped onto the ground with one leg on his seat, looking rather sorry as he said, "I had not activated the weapon firing system."

"What? Had the weapons broken down due to the energy injection?" I asked.

While we were all confused, the third round of explosions sounded. At that point, Skyhawk's emergency alarm blazed. Clearly, the ship was already pushed to its limits.

Then, we received a shocking piece of news.

"Reporting, at 20 kilometers to the front-right of the ship, an invisible battleship has been detected reflecting our scans!" Dondon reported.

So that was the real reason for the violent shaking and explosions.

"Jack, focus the shield at the front and enter invisibility. Dondon, adjust the flight trajectory. Move downward to the right by about a kilometer with the full-energy high-speed reverse mode. Zhang Bao'er, lock onto the enemy ship and aim all the weapons at them," ordered Baron Sisse, showcasing his ability to remain calm even when facing a crisis.

We were already veteran soldiers at this point, so even in such a situation, we were able to quickly return to our posts. As Dondon adjusted the flight trajectory, the ship rapidly descended, barely avoiding the new round of attacks from the enemy ship.

"They're testing my patience! Captain, I've already locked onto the enemy ship. All weapons are fully charged. Permission to open fire?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

"The ship is not directly facing the enemy ship yet. I still need one minute to adjust the direction," reminded Dondon.

At that point, Skyhawk's weapon system was actually overcharged to twice its power. The moment Zhang Bao'er opened fire, the barrage would cause fatal damage to the enemy. The opposing ship was evidently ready for any counterattack. Since we were only 2 kilometers away from each other, it was rather hard for us to actually avoid each other. Thus, the enemy ship decided to take on whatever attack we had instead of trying to move out of the way. They were clearly prepared to deal the final blow and finish us off.

"Captain, the enemy's weapon system has also been fully charged. If we take the attacks on, we might receive grave damages. Do we perform the evasive maneuver?" asked Dondon.

"Maintain our original position. If we evade, we won't be able to face and attack them. Do not evade. Just face them head on," said Baron Sisse.

"Roger. Position adjustment complete. Skyhawk is combat-ready. The enemy ship is within the firing range of all our weapons," reported Dondon.

"Captain, permission to open fire?" Zhang Bao'er asked.

"This is a fight to the death. Permission to open fire granted. Attack freely. Take them down!" said Baron Sisse, voice full of passion.

The baron had barely finished his words when the over 1,000 cannons on Skyhawk rumbled, unleashing countless artillery shells and energy beams toward the enemy ship. At the same time we attacked, a series of attacks came from the concealed enemy.

However, they had not expected us to stake everything in one attack. Also, we had doubled the power of our weaponry system earlier for our escape. Our attacks brushed past each other and accurately struck each other.

Unfortunately, we weren't given the chance to check the results of the exchange. It was complete chaos inside Skyhawk as the recoil system had not been activated before the attack. Thus, the whole ship was thrown back at a fast speed.

At the same time, the enemy attacks had also struck, but fortunately, the shield had been focused at the front of the ship. The ship still shook violently, but the level of damage the ship had suffered this time was much lower.

However, there was no underestimating the firepower of a Milky Way battleship. Our shield was actually broken through by the enemy's attacks. The attacks landed, causing our ship, which was already retreating rapidly, to go off balance. Our ship spun, leaving a trail of ship fragments in our path.

At that point, the command room was pitch black with the alarm being the only source of light. Skyhawk had suffered serious damage, and everyone in the ship was suffering from vertigo due to the intense movement.

During all the confusion, from my deputy captain's seat, I vaguely saw a white explosion of light in front of me. The light danced before my eyes, but I wasn't even sure if it was really something I was seeing or if it was merely the side effect of vertigo.

Oddly, no further attacks came from the enemy ship. Skyhawk was allowed to spin around in peace without any other attacks. Ultimately, the ship's balance system recovered and slowly restored balance to the ship.

All the ship's affected systems started recovering as well. After a few seconds, the lighting system recovered. Under the dim light, we could see that the entire command room was in a mess. Although we were all strapped to our seats by our belts, the intense explosion had still given all of us a dizzy spell. In fact, trails of vomit could be seen on Zhang Bao'er's and Dondon's mouths.

"Is everyone fine?" asked Baron Sisse.

We replied one after another. Wind Spirit was the only one who hadn't replied. She looked like she had fainted.

"Jack, inspect the ship for the damage level. Master Crystal and Anxashe, verify the enemy ship's damage level," ordered Baron Sisse.

"Reporting to the captain, Skyhawk's body has suffered serious damage. The engine system is still intact, but 60 percent of the weaponry system has been damaged, and our supply room was torn open by the bombardment, leaving us with only 10 percent of life supplies. As for our other systems such as navigation, communication, balance, and the like, they have suffered serious damage. But I noticed one weird thing," said Jack before he paused.

"What's weird?" asked Baron Sisse.