Of course, I wasn't being reckless or overconfident just because this was a dream.
Being outnumbered was a disadvantage, but from the radar's readings, the enemy's fleet of twelve consisted only of corvettes—the smallest class of ships in the game. If I had to compare, a Corvette facing a battleship like the Range Falcon was akin to a rat trying to take down an elephant.
However, these weren't ordinary rats.
'Anti-shield lasers? These guys came prepped for PvP, huh?'
A rat armed with a laser blaster could at least be a nuisance, and this many of them working together was a genuine threat. Their concentrated fire could easily oversaturate my shields, leaving me exposed to devastating damage.
"But that's only if I let them hit me." My grin widened. "Percy, activate manual control systems. Turn the shields up to maximum and arm the weapons!"
[Command received. Manual control activated.]
Percy's calm, mechanical voice echoed as the floor beneath me shifted. Two joysticks rose up, accompanied by five pedals—the Manual Control System of the ship. This wasn't a mode for casuals, however; mastering manual control required insane reflexes and precision, along with a steep learning curve. But anyone aiming for the top-tier rankings in TSO knew it was essential.
I quickly brought up two holographic panels: one displaying the shield status, and the other the weapon systems. But my initial excitement dimmed as I scanned the readouts. "What the hell... is this dream on hell mode or something?"
The shield system was pitiful—the weakest available on the market, barely suitable for a cruiser, let alone a battleship. And the weapons? Four meager Glasson MK1 Ion Turrets filled out a third of the ship's twelve turret slots. These turrets weren't just outdated; they were laughable. Throwing rocks might actually do more damage!
"Who's the idiot that bought a massive battleship and didn't bother outfitting it properly?" I muttered. "Oh, right—Gerard. That braindead foil."
The realization hit me like a lead weight. This setup screamed poor judgment. Buying the Range Falcon and skimping on its equipment sounded exactly like something a guy with an inflated ego and a room-temperature IQ would do.
'Honestly, it's a miracle he made it this far on autopilot without crashing into a moon. Dream logic, do better.'
[Warning: Port-side shield under attack. Estimated shield energy drop of 40% in 5 seconds.]
I snapped out of my rant. "I was distracted too long!"
Now wasn't the time to be picky. Who was the one who once took down this very Range Falcon armed with only three Plasma Cannons using nothing but a half-busted frigate? That's right—me. If I could manage that, there was no way I'd lose to a swarm of flies, no matter how well-equipped they were, or underequipped I was!
But first, I needed to break free from their concentrated fire before they ate through my shields.
"Percy, activate the boosters!"
[Command received. Boosters engaged at 100% output.]
The thrusters roared to life, pressing me back into the pilot's seat as the Range Falcon surged ahead. The battleship's frame groaned under the strain of the sudden acceleration but held strong. On the radar, the swarm of corvettes scrambled to adjust, struggling to match the Falcon's high thrust-to-mass ratio.
Freed from the relentless fire on the port-side shield, their shots now glanced off the stern shields instead—less concentrated and far less effective.
Although battleships were notorious for their sluggish maneuverability, their sheer top speed far outstripped smaller ships like corvettes.
'With my speed, I'm sure, I could just outrun them,' I mused, 'but where's the fun in that?'
Once I judged I'd gained enough distance, I slammed my foot down hard on the pedals, initiating a 180° turn. The Range Falcon's massive frame groaned in protest as the entire ship began its dramatic pivot. Unlike the cinematic maneuvers seen in movies, where ships could instantly snap into reverse, Trinity Star Online prided itself on a commitment to realism—meaning every maneuver came with brutal consequences.
"HNNNNGGGG!"
The inertia hit me like a freight train, compressing my chest as the ship decelerated rapidly. Even with the Falcon's inertia-cancelling systems, the force was punishing. My vision blurred slightly at the edges as I gritted my teeth, focusing to not lose consciousness.
"This... is... NOTHING!" I growled, muscling through the crushing force as the ship completed its turn. The maneuver was perfect! Now, instead of fleeing, I faced the swarm head-on, the tables flipped!
"Time for a counterattack!"
I gripped the right-hand lever, adjusting the targeting mechanisms for the Falcon's weapons systems. All four ion turrets are locked onto a single corvette. It wasn't ideal, but with only four weak, active turrets, focusing fire was my best option.
{B-Boss, I'm getting hit! Hiiik!}
The panicked voice crackled over comms, likely from some idiot pirate who'd forgotten to mute his mic—the one I was attacking. As the concentrated fire from my turrets zeroed in on his corvette, he frantically attempted evasive maneuvers.
Unfortunately for him, there was no escape. Without warp capabilities, dodging my precise aim was impossible!
The corvette's shields crumbled under the sustained assault, flickering once before dropping entirely. Now exposed, the ion lasers sliced into the ship's hull with surgical precision. Ion lasers might be weak against shields but against an unprotected hull? They were devastating!
Moments later, the corvette's damaged reactor gave out, and the ship detonated from within. A brief burst of flame erupted in the vacuum before extinguishing almost instantly. There was no air to sustain the fire and no shockwave or sound to mark the destruction—just eerie, silent finality.
Battles in space were like that—silent, sterile, and devoid of the drama often seen in movies. No fiery debris fields, no booming explosions echoing through the void. And in the spirit of realism, Trinity Star Online had embraced this harsh truth.
Lasers, too, were invisible in space. Without dust or atmospheric particles to scatter light, beams didn't glow, and there were no dazzling trails to follow. The lack of sound and light could have made battles dull and lifeless, but the developers had found clever ways to keep the experience exciting—by integrating cinematic audio and visual effects into the bridge's HUD!
The directional sound system inside the bridge emitted a sharp, high-pitched tone—ZIIIN!—indicating incoming laser fire. Judging from the sound's direction, the attack came from diagonally above and in front of me.
Less than a heartbeat later, the windshield highlighted the path of the incoming laser with a bright blue line, tracing its trajectory to the bow's shield. A moment later, sparks erupted on the shield's surface where the energy hit, scattering in brilliant, fleeting bursts.
The standard-issue Virtual Battle Assistance Module installed on the Range Falcon gave me only a short window—200 milliseconds to react, but...
"That's more than enough to save my ass!"
I slammed the pedal, firing the thrusters to their maximum output, letting the Range Falcon execute a zero-gravity barrel roll! The massive battleship twisted gracefully, dodging the incoming barrage. The lasers missed their mark, only brushing the shield for an instant before losing track.
With my enemies thrown off, I locked onto the nearest Corvette and unleashed all four Ion Turrets again. The focused fire whittled down its shields like sunlight melting ice, and within seconds, its hull was laid bare. A final salvo reduced the tiny ship to scattered debris, floating lifelessly in the void.
A grin tugged at the corners of my lips. Adrenaline coursed through me as I maneuvered the Falcon with precision—as if it were an extension of my body. "Two down, ten to go!"
The next few minutes were a blur of calculated chaos. The Falcon danced through space, avoiding concentrated fire, while my turrets systematically obliterated the enemy fleet. One by one, corvettes were reduced to drifting scrap.
When half their numbers were gone, the pirates finally wised up. Their leader barked an order to disable the jamming field.
"...Planning to run, huh?" My grin widened, feral and unforgiving. "Not on my watch."
Jump drives required time—at least a full minute to charge. A minute was a lifetime for me, more than enough to decimate their weakened fleet. My Ion Turrets could strip a shield bare in ten seconds. With six targets left, the math was on my side.
"Percy! Boosters!"
[Command received. Boosters activated.]
The Falcon surged forward, doubling its speed from 500 m/s to 1,000 m/s in an instant. The gap between me and the retreating pirates vanished in mere seconds. Targeting the leftmost ship, I focused all four turrets and fired. The corvette's shield buckled and collapsed, and moments later, its hull was obliterated in a fiery, silent explosion.
"Tsk!"
I clicked my tongue as the turrets entered their mandatory five-second cooldown. The delay was agonizing, but I still managed to destroy one more ship in the next twenty seconds.
Four corvettes remained, but time wasn't on my side anymore. Half a minute more had passed, and the pirates' jump drives hit full charge. Before I could finish them all off, two of the remaining corvettes disappeared into streaks of light, vanishing into the endless expanse of space.
"...Fuck." My shoulders slumped as I leaned back in my seat, frustration simmering beneath the surface. "I missed two."
I glanced at the Falcon's meager arsenal and sighed. "If only I had one more turret... or even a damn missile pad."
The battlefield fell silent once more, the scattered debris of eight corvettes drifting through the void as a testament to my victory. Still, the escape of two stung like a bitter reminder of my ship's shortcomings.