Chapter 322: Arachnid Class Bastion
Zhou Qianlin was truly scared, but it wasnāt because of the shock wave.
For almost a full minute, the violent shaking continued. Eventually their speed helped them escape from the diffused destructive energy. As they stabilized, the passengers gradually calmed.
Sweat soaked everyone in the airship. They had felt the cold chill of death at their shoulder, and knew they had just narrowly avoided destruction. Had their reactions been even half a second slower, theyād all be space dust.
The Accountant was more affected. Heād performed his earlier task begrudgingly, but he also knew how important following instructions was in situations such as this. Thinking back, if he would have dragged his feet their bodies would have remained in the Starfields for ever.
Anyone who claimed to not be afraid after staring death in the face, was a liar.
Lan Jue was also shaking slightly, though he wasnāt as fearful. Most was rage. The only thing capable of carnage like that was a Bastion ship. There was only one group in this area that had one.
A colossal silhouette hung in the emptiness of space. It spread out like an enormous spider, with itās spindly legs crawling through the black. It was over ten kilometers long, and weighed in the hundreds of millions. It stalked the recesses of the galaxy in darkness and in silence.
The Arachnid, one of the Northern Allianceās seven Bastion ships. It defended them from the Starfields, and any sneak attacks that might try to pierce their borders. It was equipped with the strongest military weaponry available to mankind, and housed the Northās Seventh Cosmic Fleet. The fleet was composed of a Sovereign-Class Mothership, four Commandships, and a large number of battleships. And yet all of this comprised only one-seventh of the Northās total military power. The armed might of the North was unquestioned.
Within the blly of the massive spider sat a silvery-haired man. Slowly, he dropped his finger from the large, blood-red button.
The distinguished gentleman sat straight and tall, in a crisp white military uniform. He was a towering man, with steely blue eyes that made people uncomfortable. An hooked nose hung over a thin mouth that gave him a distinctly vulture-like appearance.
Three golden stars adorned the labels on his shoulders. They glinted in the fluorescent light.
This was the commander of the Arachnid, Admiral Holmen.
He represented the more hawkish faction of the Northern military. Since the beginning heād advocated for a firm and combative stance toward the East and West. He was a legend among soldiers.
He was seventy-six years old this year. At eight heād begun his training in mecha combat. By fourteen, he was a full-fledged pilot. He transferred to battleship command training when he was eighteen. By the time he was twenty-two, he was in the army and wracking up commendations. It took him forty years to earn the title of Admiral, where he committed himself to exploring the frontiers of space for mankind. The Seventh Fleet under his command was the Northās trump card, and was known for itās strength.
Eight years ago he had achieved his latest promotion ā Chief of National Defense. That was when he was given command of the Arachnid. Now he was among the top echelons of Northern command.
His political leanings were certainly more hostile toward outsiders. His techniques were always raze and occupy, and would crush any indigenous populations he came across. There were constantly calls for his removal from the more peace-loving factions, so in the end he was given command out here. Let him destroy pirates, they thought, and his proximity to the East would certainly frighten their neighbors.
Ten years ago Admiral Holmen had proposed a military campaign for An Lun, but was ultimately denied due to vociferous opposition. Lately, however, the more military minded had begun to grip the political majority. With the recent attacks on their exploratory expeditions, the calls for action were growing louder. Already there were plans put to the Ministry of National Defense for an eighth Bastion ship and three more Cosmic Fleets.
āAdmiral!ā A colonel shot to his feet and saluted. He was always shown the utmost respect.
āSpeak.ā Holmenās voice was deep, rich, and cold.
āOur long-range satellite imaging confirms, designation Crimson Star has been destroyed. The nearby planets and asteroid belt were also destroyed or displaced by the resulting shock wave. The test fire of our main battery has completed successfully.ā
āExcellent. Commence radiation recharge.ā Holmen rose to his feet, slapped a military cap on his head and left the bridge. The red button heād used to erase a planet retracted, and disappeared in to the admiralās chair. Only admirals had the right to fire a Bastionās main weapons.
Holmenās face revealed a cold satisfaction as he traversed the halls. Zeus? Even someone like him was destined to become ash in the face of a Bastion. One pirate clan for one of the Eastās top adepts was more than a fair trade, he felt.
Feng Lingās calls to help had been sent to the Arachnid. Of course, why should they have any cause to listen to him? Only Holmen gave the commands here. Once the Admiral had heard of Zeusā presence, things changed.
There were simply too many pirates on that cursed planet who had evidence of the Northās involvement. It was unallowable, they had to be silenced. He advocated war, yes, but on their terms. Sometimes it was best to avoid conflict while you prepared to strike. He was bound by congressional regulations, like everyone else, and they were always hungry for more evidence. But with all trace removed, along with that nuesance they call Zeus, how could anything be brought back to him?
With his pirate influence, and the ever present fear of the Arachnid hanging over them, Holmen was certain it wouldnāt take long to put together another batch of reprobates for his purposes.
The passengers from Zeus-1 were transferred to the battleship, and its controls were relinquished to the Accountant. Clearly this was his area of expertise. Mika and Xiuxiu were more than capable of piloting Zeus-1.
Lan Jue was less than pleased. It was not because of his brush with death, but because of how the pirates were destroyed.
He sat in the commanders chair in the cockpit of Zeus-1, mulling over memories from three years ago.
āItās too late, Lan Jueā¦ itās already too late. Goodbye, my heart. I love you. Please forget meā¦ fare well.ā
Lan Jue squeezed his eyes shut. Heād unconsciously curled his hands in to fists. Those past wounds still festered, and now he knew at least part of what happened. The difference from today, was that was a fixed planet Hera was on. There was no way anyone survived.
That powerful light from the distance had re-opened old, deep scars.
Could this all be some sort of coincidence? Although all of evidence said it was an accident, but how could it have been so sudden? What if it wasnāt?
After Heraās death, Lan Jue lost himself for a long while. When he finally came to, he set out for any indication of what happened. But with the planetās destruction, any hope of following a trail was gone.
So it was that he hid himself on Skyfire, and chose a quiet life on the Avenue. But for more than half a year, he would dream of that explosion every night. Now he had seen those nightmares come to life.
It had been a small planet, the Crimson Star, but it was still home to thousands of pirates. But while they certainly deserved death, their families were innocent.
Even during Lan Jueās own pirate purge, heād never visited harm upon their families, nor plundered their belongings. Bringing those things back had no meaning anyway. Their families needed to eat, so he left them their ill-gotten goods.
This time there was nothing left. Every living thing on that planet had vaporized in the blink of an eye. Tens of thousands of lives, gone.
If heād thought pirates were cruel, what about the ones responsible for this? There were no words to describe this monstrous act.
These were innocent lives!
āJewelry Masterā¦ Jewelry Master do you read?ā Lan Jueās coms crackled to life. He connected, and isolated it from the outside noise.
The Accountantās nasaly voice answered. āGuess what I found. Hehehe, these pirates were some really crafty bastards. You know they hid their entire cache of stolen goods on this ship? This whole thingās a damn treasure vault! This is the first time Iāve ever seen this much wealth in one place, and I live on the damn Avenue. They got mecha suits, power gemsā¦ so many power gems. It looks like they traded for them, for convenience. Weāre rich! Ah-hehehehe! Weāve got enough here to outfit an army.ā
āShut up.ā Lan Jueās voice was curt, he didnāt have the patience for the Accountantās nonsense. He cut the connection without another word. Riches had never been his goal. If all it took was money to bring back that one person, heād give up everything he owned.