Rows of Swift fighters were neatly arranged on their support frames, slowly sliding toward the electromagnetic catapult tracks.
The sound of metal treads grinding against the rails, the low-frequency hum of engines preheating, and the footsteps of ground crew members running back and forth all blended into a busy yet orderly cacophony.
By the time Ma Xiaoyuan ran into the Hangar Bay, Xie Zhixing had already boarded his fighter craft, codenamed Stinger.
He turned his head and gestured to Ma Xiaoyuan.
It was a signal they often used between them.
"Follow me, don't fall behind."
Ma Xiaoyuan nodded, took a deep breath, and ran toward his own fighter, the Chick.
This was his second combat mission.
It was different from the first time.
During his first mission, he was so nervous his palms were sweating.
His mind kept replaying every item from the training manual, afraid of missing a single step.
But now.
He was no longer nervous.
He climbed up the boarding ladder, stepped into the narrow cockpit, and plopped down into the ejection seat.
The seat's curvature perfectly conformed to his back, like a pair of familiar hands holding him steadily.
He began his pre-launch preparations.
Step one: safety harness.
He tugged on the two shoulder straps and pulled at the waist buckle, making sure every latch was securely fastened.
This was life-saving equipment—no room for carelessness.
Step two: pressure suit check.
He raised his hand and pressed the two circular buttons on his neck.
"Hiss."
Two streams of white air sprayed from the breathing vents at the front of his helmet, briefly filling the cockpit before being sucked away by the circulation system.
System self-check normal.
Step three: main power.
He reached out and flipped on the main power switch on the control panel in front of him.
"Hum!"
Deep in the rear of the craft, the miniature fusion engine ignited instantly.
A faint but powerful vibration came from beneath the seat, and the tail nozzle lit up with a dim blue flame.
Step four: thrust valve.
He pushed the thrust valve on his right side all the way to the maximum.
The thrust reading on the instrument panel instantly shot up into the red zone.
That was the ground maximum power setting before takeoff, ensuring enough speed to detach from the carrier the moment he was catapulted.
Step five: auxiliary thrusters.
He pressed the start button for the vectoring auxiliary thrusters.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
Over a dozen small nozzles on the craft's surface simultaneously emitted short bursts of blue flame.
They swung and pivoted in sequence during the self-check procedure, emitting faint hissing sounds.
Step six: communications.
"Chick, comms check."
The tower's voice immediately came through his headset.
"Chick, signal clear, comms normal."
Step seven: weapons.
He glanced at the weapons panel.
Four dogfight missiles, two pulse laser cannons, fully loaded and fully charged.
All normal.
By the time he completed all the checks, the fighter had been lifted by the support frame beneath it and slowly moved to the starting position of the catapult track.
Ahead lay a thousand-meter-long electromagnetic slide rail, leading to the deep expanse of space outside the Hangar Bay.
The tower's command came through his headset.
"Chick, catapult track locked. Prepare for launch."
Ma Xiaoyuan took a deep breath.
Then he pressed the comms button, his voice steady:
"Ma Xiaoyuan, Swift fighter Chick, launching."
The moment his words ended.
The electromagnetic catapult activated.
The immense overload instantly pinned him firmly to his seat, his field of vision blurring into streaks of light.
The fighter craft accelerated wildly along the track, shot through the transparent airtight membrane, and plunged headlong into the boundless starry sky.
Outside the viewport, darkness replaced the hangar bay lights.
In the distance, the massive gas giant of Danube Star occupied half the view.
Further out, the remaining specks of light from the Blood Locust Fleet were scattering in all directions.
Closer by, Xie Zhixing's Stinger was not far ahead, its wingtip navigation lights blinking as if waving to him.
Xie Zhixing's voice came through the headset, carrying that familiar roguish tone.
"Chick, follow me."
"We're going hunting."
Ma Xiaoyuan tightened his grip on the control lever, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Copy that."
The next moment, seven Swift fighters, including Chick, carved seven graceful arcs through the void, swiftly converging on Xie Zhixing's Stinger.
The seven fighters quickly formed up into a standard triangular attack formation, trailing behind Xie Zhixing.
The voice from the tower came through the headset, clear and calm.
"Attention all Swift fighters, combat orders.
Attack the left wing of the Blood Locust Fleet."
"Repeat, target: the left wing formation of the Blood Locust Fleet."
Xie Zhixing's voice followed immediately, carrying that confident, familiar tone Ma Xiaoyuan had grown accustomed to.
"Stinger Squadron copies."
He paused, then continued.
"Everyone, follow me."
"We'll attack from their lower axis."
Lower axis.
One of the most vulnerable parts of a warship.
Beneath the hull, a blind spot not covered by the main armor belt, an area with relatively weak close-in firepower—a perfect point of penetration.
Ma Xiaoyuan silently repeated it in his mind.
Xie Zhixing's voice continued.
"Circle around to their stern."
"Target their engines."
"And then..."
He paused, his tone carrying a cunning only veteran pilots possessed.
"Rinse and repeat."
"Understood?"
The communication channel fell silent for half a second.
Then, seven voices rang out almost simultaneously, as synchronized as if rehearsed countless times.
"Copy!"
The voices held tension, excitement, and the eager anticipation unique to the young.
Ma Xiaoyuan's voice was among them.
He tightened his grip on the control lever and took a deep breath.
Outside the viewport, Xie Zhixing's Stinger gave a slight wing waggle.
It was the signal to attack.
Then it accelerated sharply, plunging headlong toward the left wing of the Blood Locust Fleet.
Seven Swift fighters followed closely behind.
They formed a sharp arrowhead, flying toward the chaotic battlefield.
Eight Swift fighters, like eight sharp blades, silently cut into the airspace of the Blood Locust Fleet's left wing.
The scene here was completely different from what they had seen from afar.
Up close, the true chaos became clear.
Over three hundred Imperial starships were scattered across millions of kilometers of void, with no discernible formation.
Battleships and destroyers crowded together, cruisers twisted and turned among them, and escort ships darted about like headless flies.
Some ships were still attempting to turn, others had given up resistance and were fleeing at full speed, while a few heavily damaged warships slowly listed, occasional sympathetic detonations bursting from within their hulls.
Xie Zhixing's voice came over the Stinger Squadron channel, tinged with a hint of disdainful amusement.
"Look at these guys, their formation is a complete mess."
Xie Zhixing's voice sounded again, this time with combat instructions.
"Pair up in twos as discussed earlier."
He paused.
"I'll be with Chick."
Ma Xiaoyuan gripped the control lever tightly and took a deep breath.
Paired with the captain.
He had known it would be like this.
From the very first sortie, Xie Zhixing had always taken him along.
But every time he heard those words, he still felt nervous.
Not because he was afraid, but because he didn't want to hold the captain back.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!