The commander of the Divine Arrow Fleet, his sharp eyes glinting, replaced his initial disbelief with intense fighting spirit and curiosity. He licked his slightly dry lips and murmured, "A mother-class fleet... interesting. We must test ourselves against them in the next joint exercise."
The commander of the Swift Cavalry Fleet slammed a fist onto his command console, his face alight with fervor. "Hell yeah! That's the spirit! That's how you fight! Screw seniority! Whoever can cut off the heads of those Imperial Fleet dogs is the boss!"
On the Inferno Demon Bridge, Nie Xinghe stood, a faint tingling lingering on his cheek from the slap he had delivered to Zhou Junfeng moments before. As he listened to the promotion order and watched the screen displaying the silently advancing fleet—a fleet that seemed to radiate an intangible halo—the last of the complicated ripples in his heart finally settled completely.
It wasn't relief, but recognition.
A soldier's pure recognition of a superior force.
He had reached this point through twenty-five years of steady advancement.
They had soared to the same height, even to a potentially broader platform, with a single, dazzlingly brilliant victory.
Their paths differed, but their destinations converged.
Nie Xinghe was convinced.
He slowly turned around, his face resuming its usual resolute composure, though a new gravity now resided deep in his eyes. He activated the full-frequency communication channel, addressing the entire escort formation, including the Pluto Fleet.
His voice, clear, steady, and powerful, echoed in every ship's command cabin and public channel:
"To all units of the formation.
Execute the highest protocol—"
He paused, his gaze seeming to pierce through the bridge viewport, meeting the distant, battle-scarred flagship, the Kunlun Mountain.
Then, word by word, as if taking an oath:
"—to escort our heroes...
home."
After a brief silence—
"Snow Leopard Fleet copies! Escort Array adjusted! Heroes, welcome home!" The voice of the Snow Leopard Fleet commander followed immediately, filled with sincere respect.
"Divine Arrow Fleet copies! Highest protocol escort in position! Salute to the Pluto Cluster!" The Divine Arrow commander's voice was resolute.
"Swift Cavalry Fleet copies! Damn right, stick close! Anyone who falls behind is a coward! Homeward!" The Swift Cavalry commander's rough voice held undisguised fervor.
Instantly, across the vast and silent shipping lane, the massive Joint Escort Formation seemed infused with an invisible power. The formations of each fleet adjusted subtly, becoming more solemn and precise.
Behind the viewports of every starship, officers and crew alike instinctively straightened their postures, turning to face the direction of the Pluto Fleet, offering a silent salute of attention.
No order was needed. A solemn yet fervent atmosphere flowed silently through the cold, metallic armada.
They were escorting not just a victorious fleet returning home.
They were escorting the birth of a legend, the rise of a military star, and... the purest yearning and salute to the very concept of "victory" that resided deep in the heart of every soldier.
And so, the Pluto Fleet sailed towards the starlight of Elvira, enveloped in this silent, highest-protocol tribute.
One week later.
A sleek, silver-gray Federation Standard High-speed Shuttle detached from the Elvira Starport and silently slipped into the warp lane.
There were few passengers aboard, yet they represented the core leadership of the newly formed "Pluto" Rapid Maneuver Strike Group.
The newly appointed Senior Colonel Commander Qin Bei Wang, Deputy Commander Zhuang Zhi Xuan, along with several squadron commanders and key department heads who had distinguished themselves in the Savannah Campaign.
Their destination was the political and military heart of the Federation—the Galactic Sector Capital Star.
The purpose of this journey was to receive public commendations and honors from the highest echelons of the Federation.
The battle reports and promotion orders from Savannah had already stirred the upper ranks; a formal, Federation-wide ceremony of recognition was essential.
The shuttle executed several precise and smooth warps, traversing vast star domains.
As the blue glow of the final warp dissipated outside the viewport, the sight ahead struck even these soldiers, accustomed to the depths of space and massive fleets, with a sense of visual and psychological impact.
The Capital Star appeared.
It did not hang alone in the darkness.
Its outer space was a three-dimensional world of light, metal, and orderly motion—incredibly busy and breathtakingly magnificent.
First to catch the eye were the densely packed, dazzling "points of light," like a summer Milky Way.
These were countless starships of various models.
Small, swift shuttles and transport craft flowed like schooling fish along fixed luminous traffic lanes.
Medium-sized cargo and passenger vessels moved slowly along broader channels, their underbelly indicator lights flashing rhythmically.
Further out, large warships and civilian vessels with distinct silhouettes lay anchored in designated zones or engaged in orderly maneuvers.
On these steel behemoths, the Federation's star insignia and fleet emblems reflected the cold gleam of starlight.
Between the starships, countless tiny navigation beacons, automated service aircraft, and defensive orbital platforms formed the arteries and nodes of this three-dimensional traffic network.
Laser ranging signals and communication channel indicator lights silently blinked on and off, weaving a luminous web of efficiency and order.
The entire space was bustling yet far from chaotic, exuding an overwhelming sense of power and technological prowess befitting the pinnacle of an interstellar civilization.
But the most awe-inspiring sight was the "umbilical cords" connecting this busy expanse of space to the azure planet below.
Evenly distributed along the Capital Star's rotation orbit were over a hundred colossal "anchor points."
Each anchor point was a massive synchronous orbit space station, far surpassing the scale of ordinary military starports.
From the "bases" of these stations, over a hundred straight "lines," emitting a soft blue guidance glow, extended vertically downward, piercing the thin atmosphere and firmly "nailing" into massive receiving platforms at corresponding locations on the planet's surface.
These were the renowned "Towers of Babel"—the Capital Star's Orbital Elevators.
They were not mere transport tubes.
Inside each elevator's guidance light band was a vacuum maglev high-speed channel.
Giant passenger and cargo capsules traveled between heaven and earth at astonishing speeds, efficiently transporting personnel and supplies.
These orbital elevators were the true lifelines of the Capital Star.
The supplies required by ships docked at the starport, the ceaseless flow of passengers, the materials sustaining the planet's operations, and even modular components for some light vessels—all were exchanged through these colossal pillars of steel and light in an unending cycle.
The shuttlecraft adjusted its orientation, merging into a designated guidance route leading toward a specific orbital station.
Like a small silver fish swimming into a school of giant whales, it moved steadily and resolutely through this magnificent and bustling spectacle of a starry sea crafted by human technology, heading toward the heart of civilization where all light converged.
Inside the shuttlecraft, it was quiet.
Everyone silently gazed out the viewport at the awe-inspiring scene.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!