According to the universally accepted star chart drawing conventions, stable warp channels are solid lines, while unstable channels that open and close intermittently are dashed lines.
But as long as it's a dashed line, it means it can be used as a pathway.
“As you can see now, the Far Shore Nebula, which was originally thought to be a restricted navigation zone, is actually not as difficult to traverse as we imagined… Moreover, such a detailed star chart could never be completed by mere pirates and smugglers; it must be a feat achieved by a great nation like the Galactic Empire, through years of tireless and costly investment in surveying and exploring this nebula. So, the question is, what exactly does the Galactic Empire want to do?”
Captain Yu Lian paused, allowing everyone to fully grasp the chilling implications upon closer thought.
Actually, not much thought was needed. The Commonwealth, after all, was the "rebel" of the Empire. While the younger and middle-aged generations might have become complacent due to the All-Galaxy peaceful defense in recent years, lacking the necessary sense of crisis, the elders who had experienced the Age of Independence were certainly not like that.
No one understood the Empire's true strength better than them, or the pride of the Imperial nobles who had followed the Dawn Emperors in conquering half the galaxy.
Fortunately, Commodore Markov had grown up around that era, so he didn't ask further questions and immediately fell into deep thought.
Captain Yu Lian met his scrutinizing gaze directly: “Your subordinate believes that, as soldiers of the Commonwealth, we have an obligation to find this out! Just to clarify this point alone, it’s worth taking this risk.”
I still think this guy has been planning this for a long time, Yahata thought.
“What if we draw a blank, Captain Yu Lian? What if we don’t corner Marquis Odgar, and don’t get the evidence we want? Our Thirteenth Fleet will be pointlessly expended in these unstable warp channels, only to gain nothing in the end. What then?”
“It’s impossible to gain nothing,” Captain Yu Lian said.
“Hmm?” The other party was momentarily stunned.
Captain Yu Lian nodded to Feifei, who smiled, then operated the information terminal again, and several flashing red dots appeared on her star map.
“At the very least, we can confirm that organizations like the Morda Black Flag Army, the Blood Hand Brotherhood, and the Iron Bone Guards all have strongholds here. Since we’re already in, why not just give the Far Shore Nebula a thorough cleanup! The Empire might have some understanding with these underworld figures, but we don’t! If we can’t find Marquis Odgar, can’t we still find other evidence from these guys? What do you mean, ‘nothing’?”
Captain Yu Lian looked at the pensive Commodore Markov, confirming that the old man’s resolute eyes indeed showed he was tempted.
“Fortunately, our Thirteenth Fleet consists of light and medium vessels! They are perfectly suited for these dashed-line shortcuts in the Far Shore Nebula.” Captain Yu Lian showed a cruel smile: “Even if we take a step back, I can at least give the Far Shore Nebula a thorough cleanup! And what kind of enemy is more suitable for our Thirteenth Fleet than these?”
Of course, the pirates were just the appetizer; the main course should be the secret base the Galactic Empire was building.
It must be admitted that the Empire building a space fortress in the Far Shore Nebula was an engineering feat comparable to constructing a castle on a mountain range several thousand meters high in ancient times, by transporting building materials with handcarts along winding goat paths.
Leaving aside the investment, such an obsession alone was enough to send shivers down one's spine.
However, without such a stronghold to serve as a transit point, Marquis Odgar's future raiding strategy would be utterly impossible to succeed.
Therefore, it must be dismantled! Burned! Plundered! Only then would it be worthy of the Empire's obsession!
Only then would it be a fitting feast for the young men of the Thirteenth Fleet!
However, it would be too suspicious if I knew about this beforehand; it's better if everyone "naturally and coincidentally" discovers it while fighting pirates, Captain Yu Lian thought.
The Thirteenth Fleet currently was a small fleet of only twenty ships, yet the pirate groups Captain Yu Lian mentioned each had hundreds of ships, tens of thousands of men, and were formidable bandits ruling over their respective territories. But everyone seemed to not consider this a problem at all.
“However, our Marine Corps numbers are insufficient. If we encounter a pirate stronghold that requires a tough assault, it might… Oh, my apologies.” Autumn Mountain Yawata had just brought this up when he suddenly remembered the thousand-plus militia members who had boarded in New Seville, whose training and equipment were superior to that of ordinary security forces.
...You still say you didn't plan this beforehand? He continued to observe in secret, but his gaze couldn't help but become more scrutinizing.
Poor militia, just like that, you tricked them onto a pirate ship? Oh, no, considering the relationship between Miss Lilia Alfonso and you, perhaps they volunteered.
As for the militia soldiers, as long as they were sure they could win and share the spoils, these guys would be more excited than anyone!
Thinking of this, Autumn Mountain Yawata, who was still a single dog (in his heart), shivered and cried, the reflection from his glasses now covering both contempt and hatred.
Elinore must have also thought of this, and immediately gave Captain Yu Lian two sharp, knife-like glares before turning to the Commodore and saying, “Now, it’s just up to your decision.”
Commodore Markov, who was stationed on Mist Capital 14, pondered for a moment, adjusted his military cap, and then looked at his two peers on board.
The taciturn Chief of Staff, Colonel Finn, nodded, continuing to maintain his character, who likely wouldn't have any lines throughout the entire book.
“Captain Yu Lian, send the star chart to me. Give me half an hour for a secondary analysis.” The Thirteenth Fleet’s Chief Navigator, Colonel Carlos, said a few more words.
Captain Yu Lian nodded, a little surprised. To perform a secondary analysis on such a large-scale star chart in just half an hour, this level of professional competence, if not godlike, was at least elite.
Old Man Paris is truly incredible! With this level of support, what reason is there not to do things well!
“Give your subordinate half an hour. However, your subordinate personally believes that basic navigation safety should not be an issue.”
The implication was that there was no need to worry too much about losses during unstable navigation.
The Commodore smiled: “The creed of the Commonwealth Navy is to annihilate the enemy upon sight!”
Yes, if the opposing force were a foreign military, Commodore Markov would certainly have requested instructions from his superiors first. But the opponents were pirates and smugglers! Since their presence was discovered, it was a basic duty of navies worldwide to eliminate them on the spot, wasn't it?
If such matters still required seeking instructions from superiors, then next time a thief breaks into the barracks, they might as well just call the police.
“Then, gentlemen, while we have this time, formulate a preliminary operational plan. I await your good news.” After leaving this order, Commodore Markov closed the communication.
Elinore was very happy; having such an understanding and willing-to-go-crazy (nominal) superior was truly wonderful.
Captain Yu Lian was also very happy, because so far, the plan was proceeding as expected.
“Heard the Commodore’s order, little brother Yahata? Assuming Marquis Odgar will ambush us, let’s start formulating a tactical plan, shall we?” Captain Yu Lian said.
This guy has completely immersed himself in the role of Chief of Staff! Madam Vice Commander, aren't you going to do something? Autumn Mountain Yawata discreetly glanced at Elinore, but perhaps because his glasses obscured his gaze, the Commander remained unmoved, instead showing an expectant look.
“I trust Lieutenant Autumn Mountain’s abilities very much. As long as you can show the same skill you used to outwit me in the first simulated battle at the academy, Marquis Odgar is completely insignificant!”
Indeed, the future Marquis Odgar would also be a famous general who would shake the galaxy, but he never gained an advantage against little brother Yahata. Oh my! Can I actually witness the fated duel between arch-rivals more than a decade in advance? This is truly thrilling!
However, the person involved couldn't be less thrilled.
Plan my ass! I've never heard of a tactical plan being formulated in half an hour! Yahata, rolling his eyes, almost cursed this out loud.
“I don’t know the enemy’s troop strength, nor do I know the types of ships he has,” he said with a wry smile, pushing up his glasses. “At most, it will make us more cautious…”
Before he finished speaking, Captain Yu Lian motioned for Feifei to open the detailed celestial conditions of the ISA782 system for him.
It was a binary star system composed of two companion brown dwarfs, with six planets, including an ice-covered planet, two gas giants, a barren terrestrial planet, and two lava planets.
Additionally, between the gas giant, which was roughly the size of the home star, and the ice-covered planet, there was surprisingly an entire ring of Asteroid Belt.
“What a barren place!” Ina muttered softly.
Of course, that ice-covered planet and that terrestrial planet could be terraformed… but what government or consortium would invest hundreds of millions in such a large project in such a remote location!
“That terrestrial planet can still be observed closely. If there are creatures that can dehydrate themselves into paper-thin beings, it’s best to burn them all on the spot,” Captain Yu Lian casually joked, then once again felt the sadness and loneliness of being the only one who understood the reference.
So, under everyone’s puzzled gazes, he could only quickly steer the conversation back to the main topic, continuing: “Considering the navigation conditions in the Far Shore Nebula, the first things to calculate are safety, navigability, and maneuverability. In that case, a single ship is definitely more suitable than an entire Thirteenth Fleet.”
Everyone felt that it made some sense.
“...As you saw on the star chart just now, no wider warp channels have been discovered yet. Therefore, a heavy cruiser weighing around 300,000 tons would be the best choice. Coincidentally, the Empire began testing a brand new Clear Sky-class cruiser last year, touted as the most perfect cruiser!”
Everyone Present, at least the command staff, were legitimate naval academy graduates. They were well-versed in various new weapons, especially new warships, and immediately thought of this heavy cruiser, which had made a splash at last year's military ship exhibition. They instantly felt it made even more sense.
“If I were Marquis Odgar, I would definitely choose this warship,” Captain Yu Lian said with certainty.
Nonsense, that guy himself was one of the designers of the Clear Sky-class, and the raiding Thirteenth Fleet he would lead in the future would be entirely composed of Clear Sky-class ships. It was said that later, when he was promoted and switched to a Dreadnought as his flagship, he cried for a long time.
“This warship hasn’t had any combat experience yet!” The senior sister frowned: “What about our database?”
“No more detailed than what was disclosed in last year’s ‘Ship Magazine.’ The Empire, apart from its appearance at last year’s ship exhibition, has maintained very strict secrecy at all other times. We don’t know if she has any subsequent improved models, or even how many have been commissioned by the Empire,” Autumn Mountain Yawata said, pushing up his glasses, this time using the reflection to hide his distress.
“See, we’re not completely ignorant of the enemy, are we? Now, little brother Yahata, can we formulate an operational plan?”
