Inside the cruiser, even Adam, usually composed, wore an expression of utter disbelief. He immediately reported the disappearance of the planetary capital, as did the captains of the two escort ships. The ground forces, unable to overlook the planet, had not detected this bizarre event, as they were not directly engaged in the assault on the capital.
After reporting, Adam and the others swiftly received orders: "Continue focusing on the orbital bombardment." Adam obeyed without hesitation, casting aside the mystery of the capital's disappearance and resumed coordinating the bombardment of Tyralon II's remaining cities.
Each blast of the light spears left deep craters in the cities below, while other weapons transformed entire urban landscapes into seas of fire. The devastation was vividly clear through magnified visuals. Yet, even as he watched the bombardment, Adam couldn't shake his bewilderment over the capital's vanishing. However, he soon dismissed the thought, reasoning that the disappearance simply spared their fleet some ammunition. Even if the capital hadn't vanished but merely lost its Void Shield, a day-long bombardment would have sufficed to annihilate it.
"Report, enemy warships detected!" A sudden alert over the fleet's communication channel pulled Adam's focus back to space. Escort ships, not burdened by heavy particle light spears, had more room for advanced detection equipment, surpassing the cruiser's capabilities. It was the escort ships that first detected the enemy fleet, immediately marking their position in Adam's field of view.
Turning to look at the marked location, Adam saw three warships emerging from a hyperspace jump. The coordinates were swiftly relayed to command. Qin Mo, who had just completed his analysis of the ancient artifact, also noticed the incoming vessels through the holographic display.
These three ships had appeared on the edge of the Tyralon system. Qin Mo recognized the location as the Mandeville Point, the minimum safe distance from a star or celestial body where a ship could jump into hyperspace. While a close-range jump near a planet was possible, it was perilous—like playing Russian roulette with five bullets loaded. Those two escort ships that had previously escaped the system were now among the three returning vessels, having miraculously avoided disaster.
In addition to the two escort ships, there was also a moon-class cruiser. Its portside macro-cannons were entirely disabled—this was the same cruiser that had previously harassed the orbital dock and fled after taking heavy damage. Though they had returned unscathed, they no longer dared to attempt risky maneuvers, opting instead to re-enter the system from a safe distance at the Mandeville Point.
What could they possibly be returning for? A death wish?
"Engage them," Qin Mo commanded, losing interest in the planetary matters and leaving the space situation to Adam.
Adam complied instantly, steering the cruiser forward while the two escort ships maintained formation on either side. Soon, the escort ships entered the particle light spear's firing range, but Adam withheld the order to fire, simply watching. The range of the particle light spear was clearly delineated in his display, and he waited patiently.
When the moon-class cruiser finally entered the kill zone, Adam gave the command. "Fire. Target: enemy cruiser."
Within a forward chamber of the ship, the crew responsible for controlling the particle light spears locked onto the enemy vessel and initiated the attack. Unlike the light spears used for orbital bombardment, those aimed at enemy warships had their power reduced to maximize range. Even so, their potency far exceeded the smaller light spears mounted on the orbital dock.
A slender, crimson beam shot from the cruiser's bow, crossing the vast expanse of space and striking the moon-class cruiser. As expected, the Void Shield deflected the beam, but this was anticipated. Adam watched impassively as the particle spear charged and fired again, the second and third shots also deflected. Only after the third shot did the weapon briefly cool, releasing its heat into space.
The fourth shot was fired, streaking across the black void like the previous beams, only to be intercepted once more by the Void Shield. But this time, the shield wavered and vanished just before the fifth shot struck.
The fifth particle spear pierced the cruiser's starboard side, breaching the hull near its outer shell. The macro-cannons and other weapons mounted along the starboard side were obliterated in an instant, rendering the ship's right flank as useless as its left, which had already been disabled. The damage was severe, the repairs would take at least two years.
Yet, the moon-class cruiser pressed forward. Its captain stood on the bridge, glaring coldly at Adam's cruiser through the holographic display. Every few seconds, the doors to the bridge opened and closed, with officers rushing in and out, reporting the ship's damages.
"Estimated casualties: over 1,400 from the latest hit."
"Starboard weaponry has been completely destroyed, same as the port side!"
"It's clear, Captain. The enemy's particle beams are far more powerful than the ones fired at us from the station. They shoot faster, farther, and hit harder."
"What are our orders?"
The captain listened to the grim reports in silence, his face expressionless, eyes fixed on the enemy warship. Though he said nothing, his calm demeanor provided a small measure of reassurance to the frantic crew.
"Seal off the damaged areas. No one is to go to the port or starboard sides anymore," he ordered at last. "The Tyralon Hope will continue at full speed. Have the other two escorts execute the plan."
His words spurred the crew into swift action. Just then, another particle beam struck the ship, tearing away half of the grand cathedral perched atop the moon-class cruiser.
The captain remained stoic, watching through the display as the two escort ships moved in closer. There were only three warships left, and even the lone moon-class cruiser was incomplete. Yet these three vessels were all the Tyralon system had left—procured at a great price, the governor having sold much to acquire them.
It was for this reason that the moon-class cruiser bore the name *Tyralon's Hope*.
"If you wish to destroy Tyralon's hope, you can," the captain muttered through clenched teeth. "But I will take you down with me."