In the Kuiper Belt, three starships maintained a distance of thousands of kilometers and sailed slowly on the edge of a dense group of asteroids.
Except for the Origin, which is resting on Earth, the three starships Enterprise, Judgment, and Frontier are the entire main force of the Earth Fleet currently in service.
The Enterprise is the flagship and is located in the center of the fleet's triangular formation. The ship is equipped with two hundred mass accelerators and twenty missile launch holes. It is equipped with medium-range missiles with various types of warheads, totaling more than three thousand.
As for the Judgment and the Frontier, although the hulls of the USS Enterprise and the USS Enterprise are the same as the million-ton Envoy class, there are still big differences in weapon types and battlefield positioning. For example, in the center of the Judgment and the Frontier, there is a large mass accelerator that runs from the head to the rear end of the ship. It can launch heavy mass bombs weighing several tons and can also be used as a launch port for carrier-based aircraft.
Compared with the Enterprise, the Judgment and the Frontier emphasize long-range firepower, and the twenty missile launch holes are replaced by four tandem torpedo launch bays. The two hundred mass launchers were also modified into fifty short-range laser point defense weapons placed on the top of the hull.
It may sound strange to have the flagship as the forward, but it has been carefully considered.
The combat distance is often thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometers. In a war on this scale, close-range firepower has been weakened to a very small extent. To a large extent, the flagship has no chance to fire at all, and two destroyers are enough to suppress long-distance targets.
Two hundred mass accelerators and twenty missile launch holes are prepared for mid-range enemies. If the Harmonious Civilization chooses to engage in close combat and breaks through the fire blockade of carrier-based aircraft, torpedoes, and heavy mass bombs, then mid-range defensive weapons will come into play.
It's just that there is only one close-in defense ship, the Enterprise. The Constitution-class (five-million-ton) giant ship under design is the future flagship of the Earth Fleet, and a true "aircraft carrier" and "mobile fortress."
Aboard the Frontier, in the lounge.
After a day of training, the crew members will gather here to play billiards, have a cup of coffee, or lie on the massage chair and read a book to pass the time. The ship is equipped with a gravity generating device, and most activities that can be performed on earth can also be performed here.
In the eyes of others, this profession is sacred, but only these people know the hard work involved.
In a claustrophobic environment with a thin sense of direction, the pressure on people's mental level is huge. All doctors on the ship have obtained a psychiatrist qualification certificate before joining the ship, precisely to deal with mental problems.
"At the frontier of the solar system, facing the decisive battle half a century later, I suddenly felt that this profession is quite poetic." Rosal, who was leaning on the massage chair and playing with the photos, suddenly smiled and said.
The crew of the Earth Fleet are all elites from various countries. Since the year before last, the European fortress has gradually disintegrated, and various countries have successively joined the Earth Defense Alliance camp. For example, this curly-haired Rosal is from the Navy of the Republic of Italy.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to see that day." Zhang Wei, who was sitting next to him, laughed.
"That's not necessarily the case. I'm only in my thirties now and will be eighty in half a century. And even if I really can't see that day, my lovely daughter can see it for me." Rosal said He made a cross on his chest, and it was obvious that he was a devout Christian.
"Don't say these words. In our place, your words are completely forcing yourself to fg."
"Flag? Flag? I don't quite understand what you are talking about." Rosal was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.
"...Are you really Italian?"
"Why do you ask."
"This is the first time I have seen such an Italian without a sense of humor." Zhang Weihan said.
Hearing someone say that he had no sense of humor, Rosal was about to argue, but at this moment, the red traffic light suddenly came on.
In an instant, everyone in the lounge fell silent, staring blankly at the signal light that flashed without warning.
Of course, this daze only lasted less than a second. The two people who were playing billiards immediately threw away the pool cues in their hands and rushed to the door. Zhang Wei did not lag behind. He jumped up from the sofa and rushed out of the lounge.
While stuffing the photos of his wife and daughter back into his inner pocket, Rosal ran behind Zhang Wei. The flashing signal lights in the corridor made him feel something was wrong, but it was not like this had never happened before.
"Assault drill? But the drill just ended."
"I don't know, don't ask me..."
Zhang Wei's eyes flashed with a trace of nervousness, but behind that nervousness, there was more of an excitement that even he himself was surprised to see...
…
The Enterprise, thousands of kilometers away, was undergoing routine training at the moment.
The captain of the USS Enterprise, Luo Hong, was standing in front of the bridge command podium with high spirits at the moment, staring at the holographic screen in the center of the bridge with bright eyes.
As one of the first batch of students to graduate from the Aerospace Military Academy of the University of Coro, he can be said to be the most outstanding performer among them all. He once served as the deputy captain on the first starship Seagull. After the establishment of the Earth Defense Alliance, he was incorporated into the Earth Fleet from the Halo Trade. At that time, no one was optimistic about the empty fleet without a single starship. He was the only one who firmly believed that this fleet would make a difference in the future.
It was precisely because of his persistence and his outstanding talent in the field of fleet command that he was appointed captain of the Enterprise two years ago and served as the commander-in-chief of the Earth Fleet.
Halfway through the exercise.
At this moment, the staff member sitting directly in front of him suddenly spoke.
"An asteroid with irregular activity was observed, traveling at a speed of 600,000 kilometers per hour... approaching the Frontier."
"The entire ship is ready for Level 2. Start the space telescope, screen No. 4, and zoom in on it." Luo Hong ordered.
"receive."
The center of the No. 2 screen was aimed at the asteroid. With three consecutive zoom operations, the asteroid hidden in the Kuiper Belt and advancing at high speed was directly displayed in front of everyone's eyes. Equipped with the latest space telescope, Enterprise has an optical observation radius of more than 200 million kilometers. Use radio radar to lock on abnormally moving celestial objects, and then use optical observation devices to directly observe them. You can even see the interlaced textures and dents on the target.
There are a huge number of asteroids orbiting in the Kuiper belt, and this kind of situation occurs almost every once in a while, so Luo Hong doesn't take it too seriously.
However, just when he was about to announce that the alarm was lifted, he suddenly discovered an unnatural anomaly from the corner of the screen.
In order to confirm whether he saw it wrong, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.
Behind the enlarged picture of the meteorite.
A long and thin thread is rhythmically moving...
A bad premonition came to mind. The moment he confirmed that he had not seen it wrong, Luo Hong's pupils suddenly shrank, his hands slammed on the table, and his eyes were fixed on the holographic screen.
"Focus on the right side! Magnify it again! Highest magnification!"
"receive!"
The picture is focused in an unusual position.
The unnatural filament was enlarged.
The moment the picture appeared on the screen, cold sweat dripped from Luo Hong's forehead.
That's an unhidden tentacle...
You can even see diamond-shaped patterns on it...
:. :