In the Kuiper Belt, three starships maintained a distance of thousands of kilometers and slowly sailed on the edge of the dense asteroid group.
In addition to SS Origin, which was resting on Earth, SS Enterprise, SS Judgment, and SS Frontier were the main forces of the Earth Fleet.
Among them, SS Enterprise was the flagship, located in the center of the triangular formation of the fleet. The ship was equipped with two hundred mass accelerators and twenty missile launching holes. There were more than three thousand medium-range missiles equipped with various types of warheads.
As for the Judgment and the Borderland, although their hulls were the same as the Enterprise, there was still a big difference between their weapon types and battlefield positioning. For example, in the middle of SS Judgment and SS Frontier, there was a large mass accelerator from the head to the back of the ship. It could launch heavy bombs weighing several tons and could also be used as a launching hole for carrier-based aircraft.
Compared to SS Enterprise, SS Judgment and SS Frontier emphasized long-range firepower. The twenty missile launching holes were replaced by four tandem torpedo launching cabins. The two hundred mass launchers were also modified to fifty close-range laser point defense weapons on the top of the hull.
The idea of using the flagship as the vanguard might sound strange, but it was something that had been carefully considered.
The combat distance was thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometers. In a war of this scale, close-range firepower had been weakened to a very small extent. To a large extent, the flagship did not have the opportunity to fire at all. Two destroyers were enough to complete the suppression of long-range targets.
The two hundred mass accelerators and twenty missile launching holes were all prepared for the enemy at medium range. If Harmony chose to fight in close range and broke through the firepower blockade of carrier-based aircraft, torpedoes, and heavy bombs, then the medium-range defense weapons would come into play.
However, right now, there was only one close-range defense ship, SS Enterprise. The Constitution-class (five million tons) giant ship that was being designed was the future flagship of the Earth Fleet, as well as the true "aircraft carrier" and "mobile fortress".
On the Frontier, inside the lounge.
After a day of training, the crew would gather here to play billiards, have a cup of coffee, or lie in the massage chair and read to pass the time. The ship was equipped with gravity generating devices. Most activities that could be carried out on Earth could also be carried out here.
In the eyes of others, this profession was sacred, but only these people knew the hardships.
In a secluded environment with a thin sense of direction, the mental pressure was enormous. All the doctors on the ship had obtained the professional qualification certificate of psychiatrists before they started working. This was to deal with mental problems.
"At the frontier of the Solar System, welcoming the decisive battle half a century later, I suddenly feel that this profession is quite poetic." Rossa, who was leaning against the massage chair and playing with the photo, suddenly smiled and said.
The crew members of the Earth Fleet were all elites from various countries. Starting from the year before last, the European fortress gradually collapsed, and countries gradually joined the camp of the Earth Defense Alliance. For example, this curly-haired Rossal was from the Italian Republic Navy.
"I'm afraid you won't live to see that day," Zhang Wei, who was sitting next to him, said with a smile.
"That's not necessarily true. I'm only in my thirties now. I'll be eighty in half a century. Besides, even if I really can't see that day, my lovely daughter can see it for me. "Rossal drew a cross on his chest. It was obvious that he was a devout believer.
"Don't ever say that. Where we come from, you're just setting up a flag for yourself."
"Flegg? Flag? I don't quite understand what you're talking about. "Rossa was stunned for a moment, then shook her head.
"… Are you really Italian?"
"Why do you ask?"
"This is the first time I've seen such a humorless Italian," Zhang Wei said.
Rossa was about to argue when he heard someone say that he had no sense of humor, but at that moment, the red signal light suddenly lit up.
In an instant, everyone in the lounge quieted down and stared blankly at the flashing signal light without warning.
Of course, this stupefaction only lasted for less than a second. The two people who were still playing billiards immediately threw away the cue sticks in their hands and immediately rushed to the door. Zhang Wei didn't fall behind. He jumped up from the sofa and rushed out of the lounge.
While stuffing the photos of his wife and daughter back into the inner pocket of his clothes, Rossa ran behind Zhang Wei. The flashing signal light in the corridor made him vaguely feel that something was wrong, but it wasn't like this hadn't happened before.
"Assault drill? But the drill just ended. "
"I don't know, don't ask me …"
There was a hint of nervousness in Zhang Wei's eyes, but behind the nervousness, there was a hint of excitement that surprised even himself …
…
Thousands of kilometers away, the Enterprise was currently undergoing routine training.
Luo Hong, the captain of the Enterprise, was standing in front of the bridge's podium at the moment, staring at the holographic screen in the center of the bridge with bright eyes.
As the first batch of students to graduate from Coro University's Aerospace Military College, he could be said to be the most eye-catching one among all of them. He served as the deputy captain on the first starship, the Seagull. After the establishment of the Earth Defense Alliance, he was incorporated into the Earth Fleet from Celestial Trade. At that time, no one was optimistic about the empty shell fleet without a starship. Only he firmly believed that this fleet would achieve great things in the future.
It was precisely because of his persistence and the extraordinary talent he showed in the field of fleet command that he was appointed as the captain of the Enterprise two years ago and served as the commander-in-chief of the Earth Fleet.
Halfway through the drill.
At this moment, the staff sitting directly in front of him suddenly spoke.
"An asteroid with irregular activity has been observed, with a speed of 600,000 kilometers per hour … it is approaching the Frontier."
"All ships are on standby. Start the space telescope, Screen 4, zoom in, "Luo Hong ordered.
"Roger."
The center of Screen 2 was aimed at the asteroid. After three consecutive zooming operations, the asteroid hidden in the Kuiper Belt was directly presented in front of everyone. Equipped with the latest space telescope, the optical observation radius of USS Enterprise exceeded 200 million kilometers. Radio radars were used to lock onto abnormally moving celestial bodies, and optical observation devices were used to directly observe them. They could even see the interlaced textures and dents on the target.
There were a large number of asteroids orbiting in the Kuiper Belt, and this kind of situation would occur almost every once in a while, so Luo Hong didn't take it too seriously.
However, just as he was about to announce that the alarm was lifted, he suddenly found an unnatural anomaly in the corner of the picture.
In order to confirm if he saw it wrong, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Behind the magnified image of the asteroid.
A long and thin filament was moving rhythmically …
A bad feeling surged in his heart. At the moment when he confirmed that he did not see it wrong, Luo Hong's pupils suddenly shrank, his hands slammed on the table, and his eyes stared at the holographic screen.
"Focus on the right side! Zoom in again! Highest magnification! "
"Roger!"
The picture focused in an abnormal position.
The unnatural filament was magnified.
When the picture appeared on the screen, cold sweat dripped from Luo Hong's forehead.
It was a tentacle that wasn't hidden …
There were even diamond-shaped patterns on it …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
