"Something's off..."
The young man murmured to himself.
The enemy clearly had a contingency plan for their ambush, meaning they knew someone was lying in wait.
But if they knew about the ambush and had even prepared defenses, would they really charge in so recklessly just to throw their lives away?
That seemed highly unlikely.
So there must be a backup plan.
At this thought, a chill ran down the young man's spine, and he immediately ordered:
"Have Team Two evade!"
"All units, drift ninety degrees toward the orange zone!"
"Yes, sir!"
The young man's shout cut through the celebratory mood, and at that very moment, a sickly green beam suddenly appeared from their flank.
Though the laser hadn't reached light speed, it was still faster than an ordinary person could react. In an instant, one of the Drake-class ships in Team Two, which had been preparing for a second missile salvo, was destroyed on the spot.
Soon after, a barrage of missiles followed, raining down on the young man's Team One.
Clearly, this beyond-visual-range attack employed the same tactic the young man had just used—using the transport ships ahead as data hubs to coordinate the assault.
Seeing the sheer number and tricky angles of the incoming missiles, the young man slammed his hand on the table.
"Fire all remaining missiles to intercept their attack! Turn toward the orange zone immediately and rendezvous with our allies!"
Indecision would only invite disaster. Now, the only way to survive was to cut their losses.
The young man's calm voice had a powerful effect, quickly steadying his panicked subordinates.
"Yes, sir!"
Missiles launched one after another from their remaining missile launchers, colliding with the incoming barrage.
Waves of explosive heat rocked the bridge, sending tremors through the entire structure.
Fear and despair gripped everyone's hearts.
They couldn't understand how their earlier advantage had been reversed in the blink of an eye.
"The enemy has beam cannons! Stay alert on radar and be ready to evade at any moment!"
There was no time for reflection or hesitation as the young man issued orders one after another.
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the fierce battle, Fred, observing through the delayed feed, saw that the lead Drake-class ship had managed to evade the earlier assault.
Though only two battleships remained, it was clear this wasn't an ordinary Blue Cosmos force.
Based on the typical command quality of Blue Cosmos, that sudden attack should have shattered their morale and led to poor judgment. Even if they hadn't been sunk outright, they should have turned to fight head-on, shouting something about "for a blue and pure universe" before charging to their deaths.
"Should we pursue?"
Lacus asked nervously, watching the screen.
"No pursuit. Full speed to disengage."
Fred didn't hesitate.
If the enemy was truly determined to escape, the enhanced power reactors of their transport ships still couldn't match the speed of the Drake-class.
Catching up would be difficult.
Moreover, the beam cannon's recharge time wasn't fast enough, and aiming would be impossible now.
"But if we do this, our location will be exposed."
Lacus followed up on Fred's words.
"Have the crews of the two transport ships evacuate. Set up auto-tracking and delayed self-destruct."
Fred quickly replied.
"...Alright!"
Hearing this, Lacus nodded as well.
Although the loss was somewhat painful, this was the only way to escape.
At least the people could be saved.
Meanwhile, aboard the Drake-class ship where the young man was, he was also nervously watching the radar in front of him.
"Captain, there are only two transport ships chasing us!"
The Blue Cosmos member had now stabilized his emotions and hurriedly reported.
"Hmm..."
The young man stroked his chin thoughtfully.
In his view, those battleships could be decoys, just like the transport ship they had mistaken for the flagship earlier, which had exploded in a chain reaction.
But he didn't dare to gamble.
Moreover, if they turned around now and those ships were indeed system-set decoys, the two ships would immediately sense it and self-destruct, sealing their fate.
The key issue was that their Drake-class ship had no means of attacking backward aside from the Close-in Weapon System.
"Send Mistral Squad to intercept and destroy the ships behind us."
In the end, the young man chose a relatively safe course of action.
...
Just as the young captain was being chased by unmanned transport ships, Wolf, who was on the bridge of one of the transport ships on the battlefield, took a deep breath as he watched the scene unfold before him, then slowly exhaled.
All that remained in his heart was admiration for Fred's plan.
Not only had Fred anticipated the enemy's ambush, but he had also devised a countermeasure.
Although it came at the cost of three transport ships.
Although there had been some fluctuations in the plan.
In the end, no lives were lost.
However, while the operation seemed to go smoothly, there were many perilous moments.
For example, when they first encountered the enemy, if the enemy's imaging had been clearer, they might have noticed that there was no one on the bridge of the central transport ship.
Fred's solution was simple: launch an attack first, making the enemy subconsciously think they were either overconfident or desperate for a last stand.
Regardless, once the battle began, the unmanned transport ship served as a temporary shield, blocking most of the attacks.
As for the remaining attacks, under Fred's calculations, they were all intercepted using the Close-in Weapon System.
The subsequent plan was even more impressive—step by step, even though the enemy commander seemed no ordinary person, he was still outmaneuvered by Fred.
However, it was a pity that they likely failed to capture the enemy commander this time.
He might become a significant threat in the future.
"Report to Director Freed. We will set sail immediately."
Seeing that the battlefield was almost cleared, Wolf didn't hesitate and gave the order.
There was no other choice. Although Blue Cosmos hadn't been completely wiped out, and the two transport ships could delay them for a while, it wouldn't last long. They had to leave before the enemy commander returned with reinforcements.
"Understood!"
Everyone responded loudly.
On another transport ship, Haken and the others, who had just piloted the work pods equipped with missiles, returned to the transport ship after assisting the main fleet in completely destroying the remaining Drake-class ships.
"Freed is truly remarkable. No wonder Miss Lacus holds him in such high regard."
Looking at the chaotic battlefield before them, Mars couldn't help but sigh over the same communication channel.
And to think he also has the identity of a researcher. It must be said, Freed's mind is truly sharp.
Although the operation of the Powered Armor earlier didn't seem as skilled or impressive as theirs, it couldn't be denied that the person was clever.
"Hmph, just a petty trick."
Herbert remained displeased, or rather, even more displeased than before.
The toothpick between his teeth clicked sharply.
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