Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 625

Chapter 623, Anxious Premonition

. Gu Hang worked tirelessly to harass Aramita, even going so far as to release Moro. After fully controlling Aramita, he offered lucrative conditions to those who were sitting on the fence…

All of this was done to ensure that Aramita would be as useful a force as possible in the upcoming war.

The productivity of the Forge World was secondary. Starports, star fortresses, armed space stations, surface orbital gun fortresses, void shields… these things would provide a solid backstop, providing a reliable base to retreat to and take shelter from the storm if the enemy were to fall behind in subsequent battles.

This was a very cautious approach.

The reason was that Gu Hang felt an inexplicable anxiety,

even more intense than when he had faced the Dubo fleet.

Yet, back then, the gap in strength between the two sides was far greater than it was today. But back then, Gu Hang was preoccupied with seizing ships and increasing his own profits. This time, even before the enemy even arrived, he was filled with anxiety.

Why was this?

Gu Hang would not ignore his unusual emotions.

He was a psychic of the highest caliber. To him, emotions represented a certain kind of power. Emotional instability was a harbinger of unrest.

He hadn’t specifically cultivated abilities related to prophecy or foresight, and he didn’t seem to possess such talents. However, his highest-level psychic powers still gave him an innate ability to sense certain premonitions.

This was an ominous sign.

The upcoming battle might have unusual changes. The emotional pressure forced him to make every possible preparation for the war.

He didn’t know what this dangerous intuition meant, nor would he abandon the military operation out of anxiety and possible crises.

Not yet.

However, it was necessary to find a way out as much as possible to ensure stability.

…

Facts had proven that Gu Hang’s preparations were valuable.

Varuk arrived with his fleet.

Just as the intelligence obtained by the Alliance indicated, his fleet consisted of two mechanical arks, two battleships, and six battlecruisers—their entire main force.

The remaining small and medium-sized ships were not counted for the time being.

On the Alliance side, the Emperor-class battleship “Golden Gate” and the Retribution-class battleship “Iron Horse” were captured from the Alfonzo Cult led by Sage Dubo in the naval battle two and a half years ago. They

also possessed the Zhuge-class aircraft carrier “Hippogriff” and three Dragon Snake-class battlecruisers: “Yunluo,” “Ronglin,” and “Yuehe.” The Yuehe was also captured in the previous war.

Overall, the Alliance fleet was slightly weaker than the enemy, but not by a significant margin.

Furthermore, they had Gu Hang, a top-tier psyker, leading an entire regiment of Storm Mages.

In a fleet showdown, Gu Hang would not be afraid.

However, Varuk’s fleet, displaying a fearless attitude, inched closer to the Aramita system.

Out of caution, Gu Hang didn’t order his fleet to leave the system and launch an offensive. Instead, he held the Aramita jump point, awaiting Varuk’s fleet’s arrival and seizing the initiative there. Incidentally, there was a star fortress, towed from Aramita’s orbit, along with a dozen or so armed space stations, that could provide support. They couldn’t move, but they could serve as firepower platforms and provide some support in an ambush at the jump point. And if the enemy fleet wasted its firepower attacking them, that would be even better.

In short, it was a modest help.

Varük’s fleet didn’t force an attack.

Both sides could sense the other’s position on the other side of the astral tunnel through their cosmic observations, and neither side made any rash moves, merely maintaining a standoff.

But soon, Gu Hang received news: a Mechanicus fleet was approaching from another astral tunnel in Aramita.

This fleet wasn’t powerful, led by just two cruisers.

They were the Ambition-class, the civilian version of the Lunar-class. While still cruiser-sized, they featured significantly reduced specifications from the Lunar-class, embracing a more luxurious and commercial approach, intended for sale to planetary governors, wealthy individuals, and Rogue Traders. Despite their lavish interiors, they were even cheaper than the Lunar-class, revealing their true potential.

However, given that they were only two cruisers, accompanied by over twenty destroyers and frigates, their presence on the flank couldn’t be ignored.

The Alliance also allocated a small portion of its forces: three Lunar-class destroyers with destroyers, to counter the attack.

Was Varuk trying to distract the main Alliance fleet in this way, thereby alleviating the pressure of its own warp through the astral tunnel? Gu Hang wouldn’t give him that chance.

However, rather dire news arrived.

When the Alliance discovered the small fleet, cosmic observations clearly indicated that Varuk’s fleet had already begun its astral transit, and within three to four standard Terran days, they were expected to complete their warp and reach the Aramita warship point.

The standoff was over,

and the war was about to begin. Meanwhile, the small fleet, which had been flanking the Alliance’s Lunar-class destroyers, suddenly accelerated and engaged the Alliance ships.

Logically, the Alliance had the advantage, but the battle was a heavy loss.

They failed to stop Alfonzo’s small fleet and even lost a Lunar-class destroyer themselves.

According to the emergency report, the battle initially proceeded normally, but then, several enemy fast destroyers suddenly released a swarm of what the Alliance Navy described as “spores.” These devices evaded the ship’s radar detection and intercepting fire, and by the time they were detected, they were already very close.

They slowly passed through energy and void shields, then suddenly accelerated and attached themselves to the ship.

Immediately afterwards, these massive ‘spores’ not only corroded the ship’s armor but also released poisonous gas into the ship, along with a large and formidable landing force.

These troops were strange. They resembled the common Mechanicus’s cyborgs, but their bodies were covered in a profusion of flesh and chitin, making them incredibly powerful.

If Gu Hang hadn’t spent a large amount of Gift Points during the previous truce to specifically strengthen a wave of Alliance Marines, they would have been unstoppable.

Despite this, they suffered heavy losses, with one Lunar-class ship being destroyed.

The repulsed Alliance fleet lost track of the small flotilla and had yet to locate it.

Meanwhile, Varük’s large force was about to descend!

Originally, according to the cosmic observation, their ships still had a day to arrive, but in the next second, the shadow of Alfonzo’s fleet appeared at the jump point.

They used some special technology to deceive the alliance’s observation!

(End of this chapter)