Why am I even in this situation? Where did things take such a turn?
Why was she fighting a fleet battle alongside the so-called “Young Lions”?
And to make matters worse, her wingmate was that Stella.
“I swore I wouldn’t interfere, and now this…”
Though, if she were honest, she was the one who broke her own resolve.
So, should she try to correct course now? And how?
(Throw the match…?)
Her opponents were two prodigies hailed as the future hopes of the fleet. Even if she lost, no one would question it一they’d simply see it as the expected outcome.
No, that was impossible. Snorting at her own thoughts, Lillian glanced toward Stella on the other side of the monitor.
The girl was staring fixedly ahead.
(She’s fighting for my reputation.)
In her past life, Lillian had taken everything from Stella. Of course, the Stella of this era wouldn’t know that一but Lillian still felt compelled to make amends.
At the same time, another emotion surfaced: Could she really let Stella be humiliated here?
This girl had stood up for her. The girl destined to become Fleet Admiral – the marshal. She had to command the entire fleet one day. In that sense, wasn’t this mock battle the perfect opportunity?
Besides, if they won here, it would prove Stella’s talent to everyone. Beating those elites with an ad-hoc fleet?
That alone would skyrocket Stella’s reputation.
(Most likely… in my past life, Stella must have fought them in simulations like this. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have grown close to Weltall and the others. The problem is, my interference changed history. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.)
Show them Stella’s brilliance.
In that case, there was only one course of action.
“…The enemy’s formation is a defensive bastion. Shield ships are protecting the carriers一and they’re not just deploying passively. They’ve deliberately weakened coverage around key targets like the carriers to prevent shield decay.”
Observing the enemy fleet’s formation, Lillian had to admit it was impressive.
A masterstroke from Ares, the defensive specialist. Not just stacking high-shield ships upfront but also accounting for deflection.
Electromagnetic shields weren’t infinite. Sustained hits would degrade them, and once past the threshold, the emitters would temporarily shut down for recharge.
Shields weren’t invincible either一enough concentrated fire could breach them.
To counter this, fleets would alternate between dispersing for evasion and regrouping for pure defense.
Ares, the “Iron Wall.” His real strength lay not just in dodging attacks but in knowing exactly when to stand firm.
Only a genius could grasp that timing.
Right now, he had positioned his fleet in an evenly spaced defensive formation, ready to adapt.
“Next, carrier-based fighters will launch. Delan’s strike craft are relentless一but he never overextends them. Expect precision strikes like needle-threaded torpedo volleys. Dogfights are his last resort.”
Sure enough, swarms of fighters erupted from the carriers shielded by Ares’ ironclad defense. Delan, the carrier genius, demanded immediate countermeasures.
Somehow, his fighters always found the weak points in an enemy’s formation.
And if the attack turned unfavorable, he’d pull them back without hesitation.
Not the reckless type. In a way, Delan was the one who best understood the battlefield.
That was Lillian’s assessment.
“Plus, if we focus on the fighters, the enemy ships will pelt us with artillery. But if we prioritize the ships, the fighters will tear through us. A flawless offensive-defensive setup, no?”
At first glance, Delan and Ares seemed like oil and water一yet they meshed terrifyingly well.
Focus on one, and the other would dictate the pace.
So, how to respond?
“Proposal: Launch interceptors and use torpedoes to degrade their shields. But what’s your call?”
First, she offered the textbook move.
“…Um, I have an idea. Could you hear me out?”
Stella, who had been scrutinizing the enemy fleet intently, suddenly shrank into a timid posture, gauging Lillian’s reaction.
“You beat Delan earlier, didn’t you? A victor’s words are worth hearing.”
At that, Stella brightened一then instantly schooled her expression.
The whiplash sent a chill down Lillian’s spine.
“We retreat.”
Stella’s eyes returned to the main monitor as she dropped the single word.
“Fall back? What about interception?”
“Even if we launch now, we won’t break their formation in time. Assume anti-air defensive formation and retreat一but match our speed to theirs. Have the long-range artillery ships focus on their carriers. But first, we pull back. Just not too far.”
“Anti-air defense” in space might sound odd, but the term had stuck as shorthand for countering strike craft and torpedoes alike, whether in atmosphere or vacuum.
The key difference in space was the need for omnidirectional awareness.
“Understood. Artillery ships, full volley. Prep interception torpedoes too.”
Space was an ocean, and thus, ship-launched missiles were universally dubbed “torpedoes”一a quirk of aristocratic tradition.
“Yes. That’s fine. Destroyers, fall in. Cruisers, hold the perimeter.”
The fleet realigned itself to Stella’s strategy.
(A fighting retreat. With long-range artillery, maybe一but can this really break Ares’ iron wall and Delan’s mobility?)
Lillian’s artillery ships opened fire at extreme range, their heavy particle beams streaking across the void as faint lines.
The heavy particles from the fleet form countless flashes of light, drawing a line of fire. Naturally, even the long-range heavy particle cannons of the bombardment ships reduce their power at this distance, even their firepower was diminished, easily deflected by shields.
The simulation registered [NO HIT].
“Prepare long-range torpedoes一but hold fire. For now, keep hammering the carriers with particle cannons.”
“Hmm…”
If this were her past, foolish self, she’d have argued一or obeyed without grasping Stella’s goal.
But now, Lillian almost understood. She just lacked certainty.
Meddling recklessly would backfire. She knew that from bitter experience一enough to leave scars.
So, she needed confirmation.
“Should we deploy recon drones? Might help track the enemy’s movements.”
“…!”
Stella blinked, surprised.
“Please do.”
She immediately replies.
“Roger, roger.”
Lillian pulled up the simulation menu, selecting drone deployment. In reality, hundreds would launch, but the sim displayed only fifteen.
The drones had no weapons一just radar, cameras, and tiny thrusters. It looks small, but it is actually a 10-meter class drone.
“Enemy fighters closing in. Your orders?”
“Screen them with flak. Heavy coverage. Delan probably won’t target me directly.”
“Because you beat him once?”
“Yes.”
Instant reply.
“He’s more cautious than people think.”
“How many times have you fought him?”
“Twice. Including earlier.”
“…And you’re that sure?”
“I am. Here they come. Anti-air defenses up. Torpedoes一tank them with shields. They’re not aiming to cripple us yet, so just repel them. No pursuit.”
Radar lit up with enemy fighters. As Stella predicted, they seemed slightly skewed away from Lillian’s fleet.
“Opening AA fire and torpedo interception. Artillery ships, keep pressure on the carriers. Cruisers, guard the artillery.”
After all, it was just a simulation.
But fleet battles still set her heart racing.
“Some things… never change.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
Ares’ flagship was a standard battleship; Delan’s, naturally, a carrier. Losing the flagship forced the fleet into auto-pilot一a crippling handicap.
In games, that balanced things. Here, command would shift to the surviving wingmate一
but merging two fleets with clashing doctrines was a nightmare.
Basic coordination was possible, but reconciling fundamental differences? Nearly impossible.
The enemy couldn’t tell which ship was the flagship either,
However, most of them are carriers or battleships. Also, in a multi-person simulation, the fleet and the flagship will always be divided. In the case of two people without any settings, as in this simulation, there are simply “two fleets”.
In unconfigured matches like this, two players meant two fleets. But Ares and Delan had split theirs into three一partly because they had three carriers, partly to sow confusion.
(Not to sound arrogant…)
Ares mused silently, analyzing the oddity in the enemy’s movements.
“A fighting retreat, you say?”
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