"Looking at this structure, it seems like it's used to transport ore or ice asteroids? But the interface standards are a bit odd..."
"Who cares? If the higher-ups say to refuel, we refuel. If they say to replenish compressed air, we replenish air."
The older foreman checked the pressure gauge.
"But this quantity... dozens of ships arriving all at once. Could they have discovered some new major mineral vein? Using this place as a transit point?"
"I don't think they're ordinary mining ships!"
Another worker squinted, trying to make out some blurred, seemingly deliberately altered old markings on the barge's hull.
"They feel... sturdier? And listen, the load display numbers on the berth mooring chains are frighteningly high. This isn't just the weight of empty ships..."
Although their discussion was confined to their group channel, it seemed to attract the attention of several nearby Imperial Army soldiers on guard duty.
A sergeant with a cold, stern expression and a sergeant's armband strode over, unceremoniously tapping the foreman's helmet and barking harshly.
"Hey! What are you muttering about? Get back to work! Don't look at what you shouldn't, don't speculate about what you shouldn't! These are [Heavy Engineering Barges], transporting special equipment, understand? Refuel to the standard line, perform other maintenance items according to the checklist, report immediately when done, and then leave this berth area! This area is now under direct military jurisdiction. Any unnecessary words or actions will be treated as espionage of military secrets!"
The workers immediately fell silent, lowering their heads and speeding up their work.
The sergeant snorted coldly, his vigilant gaze sweeping over the silent barges, his hand always resting on the blaster pistol at his waist.
They did not know, and could not possibly know, that inside the largest and most inconspicuous-looking "barge," it was an entirely different scene.
Beneath the rough, thick hull lay smooth composite armor. Hidden within the chaotic pipes and external structures were advanced sensor arrays and point defense turret bases. The vast interior space of the ship was not cargo holds, but orderly hangar bays, ammunition depots, and power distribution centers.
And at the core, brightly lit and filled with various tactical screens and command terminals, was the bridge.
Bloodedge Sub-Fleet Commander, Colonel Zane Barrett, stood at the center of the bridge. Tall with a prominent scar on his face, he currently wore an expression of undisguised admiration as he addressed a humanoid projection.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, Lancaster!"
His voice boomed, echoing in the spacious bridge.
"Disguising ourselves as these slow, ugly mining barges, inching our way over from the secondary route... Hah! The Federation's hidden reconnaissance ships and monitoring stations probably couldn't be bothered to give us a second glance! They must think only your Obsidian fleet is making a grand entrance as reinforcements for Savannah!"
Beside him was Obsidian Sub-Fleet Commander, Colonel Ryan Lancaster. Compared to Zane's ruggedness, Lancaster appeared sharp and composed. He smiled slightly, his eyes sweeping over the external view of the starport and the quiet starry sky of the surrounding airspace displayed on the main screen.
"Sometimes, military strength needs to be displayed openly as a deterrent!"
Lancaster spoke in a calm tone.
"Other times, it must remain hidden in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to strike a fatal blow.
Zane, your Bloodblade Fleet excels at assault, while the Iron Curtain Fleet..."
He turned to look at the projection of a taciturn woman on the other side of the bridge, speaking slowly.
"...specializes in defense and blockade.
Our three fleets have distinct characteristics. If we all warp in simultaneously, the energy signatures would be too conspicuous—the Federation isn't blind.
But now..."
He pulled up the strategic map of the Savannah Star System, which clearly showed the Obsidian Sub-fleet openly garrisoning several key nodes.
Meanwhile, the Bloodblade and Iron Curtain Fleets, like vipers lurking in the shadows, were gradually making their way to the Savannah Star System from other star systems.
"Now that my vanguard has arrived at Lankawi Star, once my Sub-Level Fleet and the Iron Curtain Fleet follow suit!
We can assemble a superior force to attack the Elvira Star System!"
Colonel Barrett exclaimed excitedly.
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold female voice came from the other side of the tactical console.
"Making a mountain out of a molehill."
Colonel Isabella Marlow, commander of the Iron Curtain Sub-Fleet.
She didn't look up, her slender yet scarred fingers still swiftly sliding across the data screen in front of her.
She was tall and lean, with impeccably styled silver-gray short hair and a stern expression.
Her eyes and brows carried the sharpness unique to those long stationed on harsh front lines, along with a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.
"Grand General Strauss is being overly cautious."
She finally stopped and raised her head, her ice-blue eyes meeting Lancaster's gaze before sweeping over Zane.
"To deal with a newly formed Federation border garrison fleet—one led by a 'rookie' commander who's only twenty-two and fresh out of the Federal Academy—
we're actually assembling three of our sub-fleets?
Obsidian, Bloodblade, and Iron Curtain?"
She shook her head slightly, her tone laced with clear skepticism.
"Even if that young man named Qin Beiwang managed to annihilate Wells' third-rate sub-fleet through sheer luck and the enemy's carelessness,
what does that prove?
Can Wells' equipment, training, or commander quality compare to any one of ours?
This battle was a foregone conclusion from the start.
No matter how brilliantly we win, in the eyes of the Imperial Military Department, it will only be seen as expected.
Three elite sub-fleets defeating a recruit fleet—what is there to boast about?
Instead, it will make people think we won through sheer force, or... that our capabilities are limited to this."
Zane Barrett crossed his arms, the scar on his face twitching slightly.
He seemed to agree with Isabella's reasoning but felt something was amiss.
Lancaster did not refute her immediately.
He walked over to the main screen and called up a brief but highly encrypted intelligence summary, which included Qin Beiwang's service record (albeit short),
recent anomalous material movement logs of the Elvira Fleet (vague),
and scattered assessment keywords from the Theater Command about him ("bold," "unpredictable," "unusual background").
"Colonel Marlow, your logic is sound from a purely military comparison standpoint."
Lancaster turned around, his voice steady yet carrying weight.
"But this battle was never just a simple military comparison."
"It concerns the Empire's strategic deterrence in this region, and the morale of all soldiers observing this confrontation on the front line."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over his two colleagues.
"The Well Sub-Fleet was completely annihilated. No matter how 'third-rate' it originally was, it flew the Empire's banner.
This disgrace must be washed away in the most indisputable, most thorough manner.
Grand Admiral Strauss mobilized us here not because he fears we cannot win, but to ensure an absolutely flawless victory.
A victory that extinguishes all rising hopes of luck on the Federation's side, a victory that makes all wavering forces along the Empire's border clearly see the consequences of challenging the Empire's dignity."