Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 690

Chapter 690

Chapter 690: Retreat

“Connect him . ”

“Admiral Kang Hui!” Yan Yuan’s stern face appeared on the screen .

“Admiral Yan Yuan, what’s happened?” Kang Hui asked calmly .

Yan Yuan explained . “We were ambushed by one of the planets . It was much stronger than we anticipated . It struck us and we were forced to eject the tail of our ship in order to escape . We recorded the encounter, I’ll send it to you in a moment and we should be arriving at your location in fifteen minutes . What is your current situation?”

Kang Hui’s hands were clenched into fists . “We were in a stalemate until First Fleet sacrificed their lives to buy us a chance . We’re preparing to counter-attack, I’ll speak with you in a moment . Come as fast as you can . ”

“Alright . ” Yan Yuan nodded . After hearing things were going better for Tyrannosaurus, he was visibly less worried .

Another call was coming through .

“Arachnid-Class Bastion has come under enemy fire and was destroyed . There were no survivors . ”

For a moment Kang Hui was stunned . Holmen’s craggy face swam up at him from the depths of his memory .

Holmen’s fallen in battle? Down with his Bastion? How could this happen… He…

Kang Hui felt cold all over his body .

The enemy had separated, waiting for the humans to stumble into their traps . Only Tyrannosaurus managed to stand their ground, but only just barely . Their operation was a failure! Heron was on its way, but so were the two other alien planets .

A harsh and bitter expression darkened the admiral’s face . Ominous as the situation was, however, he still gave his commands .

“Sound the retreat, all hands . Tell Third and Sixth Fleets to bring up the rear . Give Admiral Yan Yuan our fallback position, and have Heron meet us there . We’re getting out of here as fast as we can, and let the Alliance know what’s transpired . ”

Retreat was their only option . Live to fight another day . If they let themselves get surrounded by all three alien planets they would be doomed . It didn’t matter how sour the taste of defeat was, withdrawal was the right decision . They’d already lost many to the expedition, further risks were irresponsible .

Tyrannosaurus, guarded by its entourage, slowly began to head back the way it’d come . Even in retreat they kept their guns trained on the distant alien world, while keeping an eye out for the other two .

The enemy planet had stopped once it reached the relative safety of the asteroid belt . It floated in silence, as though it were watching them go with cold, hard eyes .

The main cannon was charged!

Lan Jue let his arms drop, releases the charging rod . He’d also heard the retreat order .

“Let’s head back,” the Wine Master said .

The familiar flash of silver light deposited Lan Jue and the others back into Kang Hui’s office .

The Admiral sat behind his table . He looked like he’d aged sixty years since they last saw him . His hands rested limply on the desk top, pale and weak from overuse . A deep and bitter pain was behind his eyes .

“Admiral, what’s happened? Why are we pulling back?” Lan Jue asked .

Kang Hui’s response was curt . “Heron was defeated and barely managed to escape, but not before jettisoning half the ship . It’s got about as much punch as a Capital ship now . Arachnid was destroyed by one of the planets, leaving no survivors . Admiral Holmen chose to self-destruct, but not before sending us all the information they’d gathered . We learned that the planets are headed back here – if we don’t retreat we’ll be surrounded . ”

They’d guessed it would happen, but hearing it from Kang Hui made Skyfire Avenue’s scout team shudder . Their hearts sank .

The North had been defeated . Three Bastions and five fleets, and still the alien planets emerged victorious . From this battle they witnessed firsthand the terrible power of these invaders, the sheer power they were capable of . It wasn’t even a direct engagement .

At first it’d seemed the Bastions were a match for these evil worlds, but was that true? The aliens were wise and cunning, more than humans could ever have thought . For all their boisterous praise, human intelligence was thwarted .

The aliens appeared to know human tactics even before they did, setting up an ambush in the difficult topography of the Starfields . If there was anything this ruinous ordeal revealed, it was that the planets were more than a match for a Bastion ship .

More was being understood about the aliens every day, but humanity still seemed to just be scratching the surface . Only through more encounters could they uncover more secrets about these beasts . Until those secrets were uncovered, though, humanity was at the mercy of these beasts . A planet could transfer wherever it pleased and mankind would have no means to protect itself .

A depressed silence hung over the office, but Kang Hui was not lost to self-pity . They were still within the dangerous confines of the Shattered Starfields . They’d cleared a path in, but another would be carved to let them out . Asteroids and planetoids were constantly moving here and they’d long ago closed the door Tyrannosaurus had opened .

It slowed them down . That meant the three hungry planet could catch up .

“Make sure our radar is widespread, eyes on every direction . Get me the footage from Arachnid’s final moments as soon as possible . ” Kang Hui’s cold and calculating persona had returned . He had to get the remaining forces back safe, no matter what . At the very least these soldiers had some experience fighting the creatures now . It was experience that would undoubtedly serve humanity well in the coming months .

Lan Jue looked out into space, First Fleet’s noble sacrifice still at the forefront of his mind . The aliens power was revealed to them today, but more than that their intellect and guile . From the very beginning they’d been led by the nose into a trap . It’d cost them many lives .

But in Lan Jue’s mind the North had not lost . War with the alien menace was as inevitable as the sunrise . Northern soldiers had thrown themselves into the fires relying on nothing but their own prowess, in spite of the difficulties . That took strength and courage . Defeat was a bitter pill, but Northern blood had bought invaluable knowledge of the enemy . They’d learned more in one battle than they could have from ten scouting missions .

“Admiral, I want to go back out there . I need to know more about those planets!” Lan Jue turned and fixed Kang Hui with a resolute stare .

Kang Hui paused . “Now?”

Lan Jue nodded a determined response . “Yes, right now!” Now that the fight was over, there was more they could learn about how the planets would react, whether they would disperse or stay in humanity’s backyard . One could never have enough intelligence on the enemy .

Lan Jue had watched Northern soldiers give their lives, helpless to aid them . There was only so much he could do as an individual when combat broke out . But whatever he could accomplish for the future of humanity he had to do, to the best of his ability .

“Very well, take care of yourselves . ” After a brief moment of contemplation, Kang Hui gave his blessing .

Lan Jue shook his head . “We won’t all be going . You are an important leader in the fight against these monsters . We’ll be leaving some behind to make sure you get out alive . ”

Such a suggestion would have earned him hard looks and bitter words from the Adepts around Kang Hui before, but after the battle the strength of Skyfire’s representatives had been proved . Five Paragons! Together they could turn the tide of battle .

Lan Jue looked toward Luo Xianni . “Mother, you stay with the Gourmet and Pauper to protect the admiral . Wine Master, Clockmaker, if you would come with me . ”

Paragons though they were, Lan Jue was Star Division’s commander . Operational decisions rested solely on his shoulders .

Luo Xianni was their strongest, leaving her behind ensured Kang Hui would survive the trip home . The Wine Master could transfer them the same way she could to make sure Zeus-1 stayed safe, he had to come along . As for the Clockmaker, she and the Wine Master were an item so separating them would have been troublesome .

“Very well, you be careful out there . ” Luo Xianni was not pleased with the decisions, but she didn’t stop her son from going . He embarked on a righteous cause .

“Then we’re off!”

The non-Paragons would of course join Lan Jue on the tour . Xiaosu was their pilot, Zhou Qianlin couldn’t leave Lan Jue’s side, Lin Guoguo was responsible for obfuscation, and the Driver and Pharmacist were muscle . Although not strong enough to save Tyrannosaurus in battle, this small group was enough to make sure Zeus-1 didn’t bite off more than it could chew .

Ten minutes later, Zeus-1 pulled away from Tyrannosaurus and into the depths of the Shattered Starfields .

Su Xiaosu was at the helm, quietly mulling over her conflicted emotions . She had named Moonfiend herself, those many years ago . It’d been the home of her mighty pirate clan, the seat of her former power . Now, though, her former home had passed into memory . Gone . The pain she felt was to be expected .

Lin Guoguo was in the captain’s chair, flooding her consciousness through the ship’s systems . She sensed their surroundings and monitored the radar .

Lan Jue ordered a new route this time, swinging wide from where they’d come from . They were still in danger of attack from the alien planets .

This time Star Division didn’t have a clear mission, but Lan Jue had a plan . First he had to know if the planets would rejoin . If they did, what was their next move?”

“Connect me with the admiral,” Lan Jue told Su Xiaosu .

“Aye, aye!” She replied .

After everything they’d gone through it was important to maintain communication with the Northern leader . Kang Hui had opened up a special channel to make sure they stayed in touch .