"The enemy ships are changing formation," Adam noted as he watched their movements, alerting his subordinates.
The two frigates aligned themselves in a straight line, shielding the Lunar-class cruiser from the incoming particle lances. However, their void shields were not particularly strong, a fact the enemy seemed fully aware of, as they began to shift formation again.
The lead frigate absorbed the first particle lance, while the second moved swiftly into position to intercept the next. Maneuvering such massive warships was far from a swift process—only by the standards of other warships could they be considered agile.
The frigate that had taken the first hit began to slow down, and before the second could take its place, a second lance struck, overloading its void shields.
Before the second frigate could completely take the lead, a third lance came, striking the bow of the damaged frigate. After a brief flicker of deflection, the beam penetrated, tearing from the prow to the center of the ship.
The unfortunate frigate was now completely paralyzed; perhaps some aboard still lived, but the ship was clearly out of the fight.
"Continue firing," Adam commanded calmly.
"Captain, with respect, that frigate seems to have lost its ability to maneuver. Shouldn't we focus on the remaining frigate or the cruiser?" one of the crew hesitated to ask.
"I said, fire at it."
Adam repeated his order firmly. Another particle lance shot out, hitting the crippled frigate once more.
The crimson beam tore through the hull, exiting at the stern, and the frigate exploded in a blinding burst of light, illuminating the dark void like a firework.
"Maintain the assault," Adam ordered, then explained his earlier decision. "Never tell me a ship seems out of action. I don't trust 'seems.' We must be certain the enemy is either sinking or already destroyed. We cannot afford to let a crippled ship rise and strike in the midst of battle."
As Adam lectured the crew, the lances continued firing, but now the enemy ships were drawing closer.
The Lunar-class cruiser remained helpless, but its last standing, specially modified frigate launched an attack.
Torpedoes erupted from beneath the frigate, a salvo of ten fired in rapid succession, speeding toward Adam's cruiser.
But the torpedoes were not Adam's concern. They would either be intercepted by his own frigates or stopped by the ship's shields.
As the ten torpedoes neared, the point-defense systems on Adam's two frigates activated, weaving a dense net of fire in their path. Laser cannons tracked the incoming missiles, firing rapidly to intercept.
Nine of the torpedoes were either destroyed by the lasers or caught in the fire net. Only one managed to strike Adam's cruiser, exploding against its energy shields.
The shields, previously invisible, flickered momentarily, the impact zone glowing before returning to its transparent state.
The cruiser had yet to reach its shielding limit; only under a heavy, sustained attack would the entire vessel be visibly encased in energy.
Adam wasn't the only one with torpedoes. He gave the order to launch his own.
In the ever-narrowing distance between the fleets, the particle lances were adjusted for maximum power, and all other artillery opened fire.
After a single volley, the enemy frigate's void shields were gone. A second barrage reduced the ship to debris.
Now, only the heavily damaged cruiser remained.
"Reserve the artillery for orbital bombardment later," Adam instructed, eyeing the approaching cruiser steadily. "Set the particle lances to full power. Wait until the enemy is close, then fire—destroy them in two shots."
The cruiser's systems immediately complied, boosting the lances to their maximum setting. Their range was reduced, and the firing intervals grew longer, but the firepower had increased significantly.
Adam watched in silence as the distance between the two ships rapidly shrank.
Meanwhile, aboard the *Tyrone Hope* cruiser, its captain was also watching Adam's ship. Under his command, the cruiser's speed had reached its maximum, charging straight ahead through the wreckage of its fallen frigates.
Everyone on board knew what the captain intended. It was clear he aimed for a mutually destructive ramming maneuver to end the battle.
Not everyone agreed with this suicidal tactic.
Despite the ship's hopeful name, *Tyrone Hope*'s crew were all born on Tyrone II and devoted followers of the Lord of Wisdom. Most of them were not eager to sacrifice their lives in this desperate collision, and they began seeking ways to escape.
Some transport shuttles and escape pods were being seized and fought over as they attempted to flee the speeding ship.
But a single command crushed their hopes.
"Target those cowards with point-defense fire!" the captain bellowed.
His loyalists quickly relayed and executed the order. The same merciless firepower that defended the ship now turned on their own, obliterating the fleeing craft.
Having dealt with the mutineers, the captain stood quietly, watching as his ship hurtled toward the enemy. His expression remained impassive, even as the enemy lances charged.
"Void shields at twenty percent, fully restored," a servitor reported, floating before the captain.
The brief respite provided by the now-destroyed frigates had allowed the cruiser's void shields to recover. And the earlier shot that had struck the cruiser had not penetrated the shields; the captain had deliberately deactivated them when they had reached eleven percent capacity.
Now, his plan bore fruit.
The crimson beam tore across space, but the shields flared to life just in time, deflecting the blast.
"Now! Engage rocket boosters!" the captain roared, drawing his sword with a fervor in his eyes. "Prepare for impact! For the Lord of Wisdom!"
Before the next shot could land, the *Tyrone Hope* surged forward with increased speed, its adamantine prow aimed directly at the opposing cruiser.
Both crews could now see the other's ship looming larger and larger in their sights, until the collision was inevitable.
The impact rocked the *Tyrone Hope*, tossing everyone, including the captain, to the ground—a sign that the ramming had succeeded.
But when the captain rose to his feet, he realized the truth: the *Tyrone Hope* had not struck the enemy cruiser but its shields.
The adamantine ram had twisted and melted under the friction, deforming from the sheer heat of the shield's resistance.
Inside the shield, the enemy cruiser remained intact, its weapon systems now trained on the captain's ship. Countless black barrels swiveled towards the bridge.
The next second, a storm of firepower erupted.
In an instant, the *Tyrone Hope*, the last ship in the Tyrone system, was obliterated, its hull torn apart by explosions. Only scattered debris remained, flung outward by the force of the blast.