Resupply Mothership Dawn Tress can provide resupply and maintenance to all types of ships, from small combat ships to large combat ships, and even larger cruisers and battleships. It is a standing ship, also known as a strategic ship, for its role.

I had quite a lot of defensive power. Easier to understand is the huge number of turrets that crush incoming hostiles with firepower, but more frightening than that is the fleet of defensive fighters deployed in Dawn Torres.

Space fighters are very small, about half or less the size of small combat ships used by mercenaries. But the firepower itself was almost identical to a small combat ship, and its maneuverability greatly outweighed it.

Small battleships outnumber small ones in terms of durability because they cannot carry a powerful shield generator due to the size of the boulders, and because they cannot have armor like armor. Even if I subtract that, I can say that my combat prowess is comparable to that of a small combat ship.

Such space fighters are deployed in large numbers in Dornetres. I don't know the total number of stones.

How many planes are there?

Um... a total of 180 planes, right?

"There are so many of them, my lord." Is this all of it? "

No, I'm sure we're left with a defensive force... maybe about half of it.

We were in Dawn Torres earlier, and we watched the launch of the Dawn Torres fighter squadron from inside Krishna. Dawn Torres seemed to have six launch tubes for fighters, so it was quite a spectacle that the fighters started at short intervals with six planes at a time. It hasn't taken a minute for 180 aircraft to start. It is an incredible deployment capability.

“It looks like all mercenaries operate small combat ships, why not use fighter jets?”

"The problems of habitability and interstellar navigation, the problems of space for loading loot, the problems of survivability, and other problems of ammunition loading when using live weapons like multi-cannons and weapons like Seeker missiles are huge. If you're operating with a mother ship like the Black Lotus, it's an ant, but I think a small combat ship would be more useful than a mercenary."

"The fighter can really only fight." Smaller sensors are also weaker. "

That's the only way to do mercenarism, then you're a little short on abilities.

Elma joins the conversation through correspondence.

More than a mercenary, you need to travel between stars, and the inside of your ship will feel like your own home. Even if you destroy the Sky Bandit, the bounty won't make enough money, so you'll need to collect the loot. In some cases, they fight for long periods of time in a row, so they also need to be able to carry on fighting. Of course, if you don't come back alive, you won't be able to do anything, so you have to pay more attention to defense and survivability than anything else.

In other words, a space fighter is the place where the battle takes place, the place where it is taking place.

They lack the ability to find, hunt down, and hunt hostiles anywhere in the system, or they are extremely weak. Mimi's right, it's basically a battle-only plane.

"I see..."

Listening to me and Mimi explain, Kugi does a thought-provoking trick. What, are you thinking of getting on a fighter plane in the future? Certainly, the Black Lotus' small hanger had one empty space, so it was possible to operate a fighter plane, but Dorntress sent me a message to begin operations. It's not voice communication, it's written communication. Attached is the operation start time and the coordinates in the system.

Seems like we're on a plan.

Eyes, don't let it drop you.

You, too.

Elma is breaking up communications. All right, let's get moving.

"Mimi, please set Navi up."

“Yes, I will also set the arrival time.”

We will enter the data into the automated navigation system so that Mimi can warp out at the designated coordinates exactly at the start of the operation.

Warping out of the ultra-light speed state always causes a violent energy reaction, so it is impossible to ambush the object without being aware of its very existence. Therefore, in the case of such a large-scale ambush or assault, the method is to warp out the enemy's immediate vicinity by showing the coordinates and warp out time in advance, and immediately transfer to the attack.

There is a way to warp out of the radar range of enemy bases and sneak up on them, but either way, this tactic is a short showdown based on firepower and material capacity, so it doesn't fit.

Let's go.

Yes!

Turn on the autopilot system while listening to Mimi and Kugi's cheerful reply. Now, let's get started.



The light of a star that flies backwards like an arrow of light. It suddenly stopped, and at the same time the roar of warp out rang.

Shit! He's got a lot of boiling behind him!?

"Don't go out on the inner edge! They'll crush you!

What am I supposed to do!? Fly all the way through the asteroid belt!? It's impossible to escape like that!

It's a big boom, isn't it?

That's right.

Already, Lestarius's independent fleet of ships and Black Lotus' artillery fire on the Star Thief base had begun, and the Star Thieves who were lucky enough to escape before the port was destroyed by the artillery fire had just entered the asteroid belt. Perfectly on plan.

"Starting the data link... this looks round."

"Dornetres reconnaissance planes do a good job."

Krishna's radar reflected the spaceship's reactions, which were stranded to the right in the asteroid belt.

When the Dornletres scout planes came to investigate the area, they installed an intelligence satellite with advanced radar capabilities. As soon as the battle began, I activated the information satellites, and now I can see the movement of the Starfleet.

"My lord, we are ready to activate the subsystem."

Alright, here we go.

Launch the Weapon System and jump into the asteroid belt.

A Dorntress fighter fleet has already entered the asteroid belt, and the battle with the Starfleet has begun. Are you a little late?

Where are you aiming?

"Right in the middle." Let's do a beehive. "

I don't know how strong the Dawn Torres fighter fleet is, but as far as the radar's response goes, they seem to be taking down the cosmic bandits. If so, hunting from the edge in the same way won't do much good. It's a good idea to get in the middle of it and throw a rampage.

Spray thrusters to accelerate and drive Krishna to sew between small and large asteroids in space.

……

It's quiet now, but is it okay? When I turned my gaze to Kugi for a moment, I laid my head over my ears and my face turned blue. It took Mimi a long time to get used to the high-speed navigation in the asteroid belt.

I'm going to make contact with the enemy.

Yes, sir.

More than three times Krishna jumps out of the shadows of a large asteroid, targeting one of the four slow-moving Star Thief ships and firing four heavy laser cannons.

Whoa!? What!?

The shields of the starships under heavy fire were instantly saturated, causing an explosion close to the center of the ship's hull. Didn't you sink in a single blow? After all, these space thieves are a bit well-equipped.

Enemy! Mercenary ship!

Shit! Knock it out!

Surprisingly quick reaction. Three other ships, other than the Starfleet, attacked back with laser turrets and multi-cannon turrets.

Hoi

With the momentum of the attack, the cosmic bandits pass through the space between the asteroid and the lurking asteroid, and enter the shadow of another asteroid to fight back. Huh? I took a little bit of it, but can we do this?

Kugi, shield cell ready.

Y-Yes!

We jumped out of the asteroid's shadow again, and now headed straight for the Starfleet ship, releasing four heavy laser cannons and two shotguns. Naturally, the bullets are inevitable because they're coming straight in front of us, but it's faster for us to crush them than for our shields to shred.

This guy's firepower... uwahhh!?

Giggle!

A double burst of four heavy laser cannons detonates one, while a close range shot of a shotgun shatters the other cockpit block.

Wait, here's the thing...

Stop, stop, stop!? My boat is ready to go. "

The last ship to stop the attack after seeing two ships destroyed in an instant, and the one that was defeated in the first shot, are also mercilessly destroyed. I'm sorry, you guys don't have any mercy on the Cosmic Bandits in the first place, and now you're competing against a Dornetrex fighter squadron. I don't have time for a tedious surrender or anything.

"Next."

Yes!

The last ship stopped attacking, so we didn't have to use the shield cell. I was glaring at Kugi again, but my ears and complexion were still the same. This is going to take a while to get used to.