GVS Grade Atlastar
Admiral Tachyon’s words were heard throughout the ship, but none were more infuriated than Captain Luxtal, whose hateful sneer grew with each word spoken. “Mongrels? Troglodytes? The audacity of these damned barbarians!” He yelled in a fit of rage, slamming his fists onto a nearby table.
On the other end of the spectrum, Caesar showed no reaction to the bold statement. While Luxtal issued orders, Caesar remained silent. He paid little heed to the Mirishial announcement, instead concerned with the implications of the enemy’s sudden use of an open channel. They must have figured out that they’re using manacomms to circumvent American jamming. With a calm voice, Caesar issued new orders, “Comms, inform the fleet to proceed with our attack and have them switch their encryption settings to sequence 4.”
Luxtal acted on Caesar’s orders, channeling his anger into the ship itself. “Gunners, target the lead Orichalcum-class battleships! Take down the Cosmo!”
“Calculating firing solution, adjusting for relative movement…”
The groan of metal reverberated throughout the bridge as the Grade Atlastar’s massive turrets turned, adjusting angle of fire in accordance with the new targeting computer. A distinct blue glow shone from a nearby console while the integrated madar system – developed jointly with the Magikareich Community – fed data to the computer. Bright flashes erupted across the deck, sending the ship into a shudder as a full salvo raced toward the enemy fleet. The other Gra Valkan warships fired their weapons as well, the sounds of their cannons blending with the thunder generated by the ongoing storm.
Luxtal grinned in anticipation, only to lose his excitement upon seeing a massive wall of ice rise from the water. It appeared spontaneously and out of nowhere, stretching from end to end and sheltering the entire EDI fleet. The wall absorbed the first round of shells, crumbling immediately under the force of dozens of shells. The subsequent barrages were not impeded, but the powerful first salvo was rendered ineffective.
“What?!” Luxtal yelled, bewildered by the sudden shield.
“This is the same strategy they employed in their skirmish with our submarines,” Caesar remarked. He was disappointed that the first salvo wasn’t able to do much damage, but he dismissed it as a minor consideration. “Judging by the size of the wall, they must have expended a lot of magic. I doubt they can cast that spell many more times, nor can their mages keep up with this chaotic battle. Continue our assault and keep our distance from those saucers.”
—-
Otaheit Beach
Constellis Detachment
Rows of artillery pieces dotted the coastline, from Muan-produced cannons to howitzers purchased from the Americans. These weapons pounded constantly, lobbing magically-enhanced destruction at the Gra Valkans from a cool distance of 50 miles. Amidst the cookie-cutter ensemble of olive- and sand-colored cannons, a set of trucks stood out. Rather than hosting cannons, they hosted vertical boxes that faced the incoming rain with their heads held high.
Black-uniformed men patrolled this unique section, accompanied by a pair of suited individuals. One wore a piece with dark stripes and a red tie, while the other wore a white dress shirt under a standard black piece. Flanked by two armed guards on either side, the men inspected the trucks with great interest.
“We’ve had no issues with the machinery so far,” the black suited man explained. “We’re ready to launch on your signal, Mister Horner.”
The other man fiddled with his umbrella, slowly twisting it. Scarcely able to contain his excitement, he gave his companion a nod, “Very well, Mister Woods. Let’s begin with the Block 6 Tomahawks.”
At the nod of Woods, one of the vertical boxes opened up, revealing four vls cells inside. The box then rumbled, emitting smoke as the cells unleashed their contents. Four Tomahawk missiles rocketed upward and dashed toward the enemy, creating a sonic boom as they accelerated past the aircraft carriers at the rear of the EDI fleet. Using a tablet receiving data from a drone, they monitored the progress of the missile test.
The four missiles zoomed past flying shells and falling planes, seamlessly breaching the Gra Valkans’ defenses as they slammed into four enemy battleships. With characteristic blue explosions, the battleships were sentenced to watery deaths. Chaos reigned as nearby ships and their crews were damaged by shrapnel, heat, and expanding pressure waves. Much like the Comet strike unleashed by the Mirishials, these missiles snapped their targets’ hulls. Because of their armor, the battleships weren’t completely obliterated and instead began to sink slowly, flooding in the gaping holes left by the missiles.
Shocked with the results, Horner’s mouth dropped. “No wonder Dr. Holden bought so much Raytheon stock…” he muttered.
“Must be a really smart man,” Woods commented.
“Of course, you didn’t hear that from me,” Horner smiled.
Woods gave a smirk, “Hear what?”
“Exactly,” Horner said. “Let’s test Lockheed’s missile now.”
Two M142 HIMARS and one M270 MLRS revealed their weapons, launching a total of eight missiles toward the sea. The sleeker Precision Strike Missiles popped out of their pods, releasing bursts of blue flame as they accelerated to supersonic speeds in record-breaking time. Guided by GPS and further aided by American drones loitering above the battlefield, they locked on to their targets at the far back of the Gra Valkan fleet, reducing eight carriers to smithereens before their anti-air defense network could even react to the threat.
Horner jotted something down on his phone, giving an impressed nod at the results. After he finished writing notes on the performance of the various land-based anti-ship missiles, he looked up toward his companion. “You know, Jayce, I think Lockheed might be a better investment. Raytheon’s already gone up since the new orders were publicized, but the orders for the Precision Strike Missiles haven’t been made yet.”
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“Oh?” Woods raised an eyebrow. “Looks like I’ll get to buy up all the estates those Lourian nobles left behind. Castle party when we get back?”
“Castle party when we get back,” Horner nodded.
—-
GVS Grade Atlastar
Caesar looked out of the bridge’s windows, watching a group of planes in the distance. His attention was so focused that he completely ignored the intense shaking of the ship as it suffered three direct hits from the Cosmo’s laser-like lances. Even the bloody rain of eviscerated wyverns didn’t faze him, despite the copious amounts of crimson that splattered the front turret and parts of the windows.
His only focus was the Antares Kaiser strike unit. The three squadrons – guarded by dozens more friendly interceptors – easily slipped past the inferior enemy aircraft. Wyverns, biplanes, and even some of the advanced-looking Mirishial jets fell from the sky one after another as they were swatted down by expert Antares pilots. Before long, only a few peculiar species of wyvern – or perhaps a dragon, Caesar wondered – and Mirishial Alpha-3’s remained in the air. They managed to outmaneuver and outgun some of the Antares interceptors, but were ultimately annihilated by the numerical advantage of the Gra Valkan aircraft.
Not a single Antares Kaiser was shot down, but Caesar couldn’t say the same for the aircraft above the enemy fleet, which were now being downed in rapid succession by blue bullets from the Pal Chimerae units. It was a lopsided battle, akin to pitting Antares fighters against wyverns. The latest and most advanced Gra Valkan naval fighters drew closer to their target until finally, the Pal Chimerae turned their weapons on them.
—-
Pal Chimera Unit 01
Advanced holographic screens filled the central bridge of the circular mothership, which was bathed in cool white luminescence by magic lighting. The near-inaudible hum of high-speed magical chanting ran in the background while soft pulses from the firing of magic blasters echoed throughout the bridge. Unlike the ships down below, Commander Meteos’ bridge was spacious and was even equipped with luxurious seating and air conditioning.
With a yawn, he watched the one-sided massacre of Gra Valkan aircraft with disinterest. Too busy with allied wyverns and aircraft to engage the Pal Chimerae sitting in the back lines, they have yet to even retaliate. Just as he wondered when the Gra Valkans would actually pose a challenge to his superior weapons, the onboard threat identification system flashed an alert for a group of Gra Valkan fighters. Taking a closer glance, he noticed that these planes were similar to the highly-touted Antares aircraft, but had larger wingspans and pylons mounted on the wings.
His voice was monotone, as if he could care less about the incoming threat. “Prioritize targets highlighted by the threat identification system. Activate shields.”
A blue light flickered around the vessel while the guns mounted along the circumference turned toward the incoming Antares Kaiser units. Their barrels rotated at speeds untrackable by the human eye, spitting blue light bullets at the enemy, tearing them to shreds with accuracy. The interceptors leading the group were the first to go down, serving as a shield for the more important aircraft behind them.
A voice announced from the weapons station, “Targets at 800 meters and closing. 50 remain.”
Meteos’ expression didn’t change as he continued to watch the fighters approach.
“600 meters, 26 fighters have launched rockets.”
Meteos adapted to the situation. “Focus fire on the retreating aircraft. Increase power to shields by 20 percent.”
A translucent blue shield flickered brightly as the rockets impacted it simultaneously. Gray-smeared bluish clouds erupted from the impact zones – a telltale sign that the warheads utilized magic to some degree. Despite the enemy’s best attempts, the shield was not breached.
“Magic particles from the missile explosions are interfering with the tracking system! We can’t get a lock on the retreating fighters!”
“That’s fine,” Meteos said. “How are the shields holding up?”
An electronic female voice responded to the query, “Shields are at 67 percent. There is no external damage on the hull.”
“Hm,” Meteos said. He glanced at the screen displaying the aerial combat over the EDI fleet. Seeing that his allies were beating back the Gra Valkan aircraft, he decided to go on the offensive. “Helm, take us forward. All Pal Chimera units will move into effective range and engage the enemy fleet using Exquialis Cannons and Exstinguia Lances.”
Having successfully defended against the Gra Valkan attack, the three Pal Chimerae moved forward, emerging from their position at the rear of the fleet. Azure glows bathed the waters below as the ancient warships unleashed light shells and lasers onto the Gra Valkan front lines. Each bolt from the Exquialis Cannons and each laser beam from the Exstinguia Lances found their marks with ease, guided by the advanced targeting computers of the Pal Chimerae.
Loud intermittent pulses graced Meteos’ bridge, sounding much more powerful than the muffled rapidfire of the Atrates Cannons. Each attack produced sights and sounds similar to the American science fiction shows he had seen, further amplifying his sense of superiority and pride in the Holy Mirishial Empire. Each attack also produced favorable results, with the quick-firing Exquialis cannons sinking enemy destroyers within 6 direct hits and enemy cruisers within 10 direct hits. The battleships were tougher targets that took over 30 direct hits to put them out of commission, much less sink them.
Although they were heavily armored, they could barely stand against the powerful Exstinguia Lances, which cut through the ships with relative ease. They weren’t intense enough to slice the layers of reinforced battleship steel like Covenant beams through UNSC frigates, but they were enough to reach the sensitive systems hidden away in the interior. Every activation of the Extinguia Lance was enough to destroy at least one critical component within a Gra Valkan battleship, with a few lucky shots managing to ignite weapon stores and sink it completely.
The sudden introduction of the Pal Chimerae completely turned the tide of the battle, as ship after ship was sunk. Enemy destroyers raised their anti-air emplacements against the massive warships above, but could not reach the Pal Chimera with their weapons. Slowly, the ranks of destroyers, cruisers, and battleships in the enemy fleet were whittled down. Only the submarines below the waves and the carriers and supply ships behind the fleet were safe from the rain of destruction.
In just half an hour, dozens of ships were sunk. Emboldened by their perceived invulnerability, one of the Pal Chimera units began to move forward recklessly. Meteos noticed the irregularity and realized that it was the hotheaded Walman’s ship. He opened a channel to Pal Chimera Unit 02 and warned him, “Commander Walman, halt your advance. Maintain at least 20 miles of distance from the front of the enemy fleet!”
Walman countered the order, shaking his head on the live screen. “The front lines have been mostly neutralized. I am advancing to secure a better target-rich environment.”
Meteos couldn’t – or didn’t – counter Walman’s logic. Walman did speak the truth and with Meteos wishing to sate his bloodlust, he agreed with Walman’s convenient excuse. Still, he wanted to maintain a degree of safety and compromised, “Keep a distance of at least 10 miles from the enemy fleet.”
Walman’s ship edged closer to the enemy fleet while his own ship and Unit 03 sat a bit farther back. Then, the threat identification system picked up an unusual development coming from the enemy flagship: the Grade Atlastar. It began to tilt toward the starboard side, seemingly flooding itself on purpose.
“What are they doing?” Meteos wondered.
Using the onboard cameras, he noticed that the warship’s cannons rotated, as if adjusting to fire at a target. Realizing that the ship was flooding itself to add elevation to their main guns, his eyes grew in realization. “Walman, PULL BACK! RETREAT!”
Having heard the urgency in Meteos’ voice, Walman didn’t argue and ordered his ship to pull back immediately. Then, with nine flashes of light, the Grade Atlastar unleashed a full salvo.