448: The hasty postwar

When the allied fleet's flagship was 'sucked in' by the Sky Fortress, the Kyushu conventional fleet took the initiative to attack.

The allied conventional fleet, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by the numerical superiority of the Kyushu conventional fleet, having no chance to coordinate with their flagship to crossfire at the Sky Fortress, thus bypassing its point-defense System.

Kyushu warships seemed endless; damaged ships quickly retreated to the Sky Fortress's repair range and could return to the battlefield in a short time.

When an Amarr Empire 'Apocalypse' class Dreadnought turned into a dazzling firework in the Osha Star Domain after several salvos, the remaining will to resist of the three great Empires' allied forces deflated instantly, like a balloon pricked by a needle.

The flagship's golden body was broken, the conventional fleet was no match, and that damned iron shell remained motionless.

Overwhelming fear replaced shock, anger, and that pitiful arrogance.

It was not an opponent that could be matched by force, nor even an opponent that could be understood.

At least not yet.

Their flagship, the symbol of military power they believed in, was as fragile as a sandcastle before that unbreakable fortress and the endless fleets surrounding it.

"Retreat! All ships retreat!"

The Amarr Prince's voice echoed in the flagship's communication channel, having long lost its former composure and majesty, leaving only panic and hoarseness.

Imperial glory, technological recovery—all became laughable illusions in the face of the instinct for survival.

"All units, abandon heavily damaged ships, disengage from the battlefield at full speed! Repeat, disengage at full speed!"

The Caldari fleet's order followed closely, cold yet flustered. They calculated the clearest and suffered the most. If they continued fighting, let alone technology, they wouldn't even break even.

"Go! Hurry! Damn it, we can't stay in this cursed place!"

Panic spread through the allied forces like a plague. The once orderly Formation instantly collapsed.

Heavily damaged vessels were mercilessly abandoned, becoming meat shields to block pursuers. Relatively intact ships scrambled to turn, Warp Engines began to overload and charge, Induction Beacons became chaotic, and there were even multiple tragic collisions between ships vying for a path.

"Get out of the way! Let the Dreadnoughts go first!"

"Get lost! Your Emma ships are blocking the way!"

"My ship is damaged, engine failure! Requesting tow! Requesting..."

"Never mind them! Save yourselves!"

Communication channels were filled with roars, pleas, and refusals. Discipline and honor were worthless in the face of death.

The once formidable joint expeditionary force, representing the majesty of the three great Empires, now looked as pathetic as a flock of ducks scattered by a shotgun, desperate to escape this stellar graveyard that had swallowed countless comrades.

Sharpening Sword Base, Command Center.

On the huge main screen, the light dots representing the Imperial allied forces were scrambling to disengage from the battlefield.

The light dots of the Kyushu fleet, like a well-trained wolf pack, pursued and encircled them unhurriedly. Each pounce took out several panicked enemy ships that had fallen behind.

"The enemy has lost effective command and is in a state of rout."

"Dispersed units are converging on preset escape routes 1, 2, and 11."

"Pursuing fleets, attention, maintain distance, focus on driving and harvesting remaining enemies, do not pursue cornered foes." Lin Yizhou's gaze swept across the star map, giving instructions, "Focus on enemy damaged Dreadnoughts, Carriers, and large auxiliary vessels. Try to capture them; if unable to capture, destroy them."

"Yes. Assault Cluster has locked onto target, a Caldari Phoenix class Dreadnought. Its engine is damaged, it has broken Formation. Attempting capture."

"Approved."

Zhao Youcheng watched the one-sided chase on the screen and clicked his tongue, "They're running already? I thought the elites of the three great Empires could last a few more rounds."

"The test objective has been achieved." Lin Yizhou examined the newly generated combat data report, "The gains have far exceeded expectations. Pushing too hard might make cornered dogs jump over the wall, leading to things we don't want to see for now."

He was referring to extreme measures the Imperial fleet might take, such as the flagship tactic derived from the Induction Beacon.

The Eastern Federation's objective in this battle was to test and collect data, not to engage in a life-or-death decisive battle with the three great Empires.

Knowing when to stop is the best strategy.

Of course, the main reason was that they weren't confident in a direct 1v6, so it was better to play it safe.

"Battle damage statistics?" Lin Yizhou asked.

"Our forces lost 12,470 Frigate-class units, 891 Cruiser-class, and 125 Battleship-class. The damage ratio is approximately 1:18.7."

"Confirmed sinking of 1 enemy Dreadnought, 631 Battleships, 51,220 Cruisers and below, and countless auxiliary and escort vessels. Ninety percent of enemy ships escaped with damage."

"In addition, one heavily damaged Caldari Phoenix class Dreadnought, one Amarr Empire 'Archon' class Carrier, and ten various Cruisers and Destroyers were successfully captured and transported to the rear. The captured ships are versions equipped with Eggman System, and their pilots have disengaged. We are currently cracking their core databases."

Lin Yizhou nodded slightly.

This outcome was enough to make the three great Empires take them seriously. Especially the destroyed Amarr Dreadnought; although the actual combat loss was not significant, its political symbolic meaning would be a heavy blow to the Amarr Empire.

"Clear the battlefield, recover all valuable wreckage. Also, have the signals for those we let go been sent out?"

"It has been completed as planned."

"Very good." Lin Yizhou turned and looked out the viewport at the gradually silent star-filled sky, littered with countless steel wrecks.

In the direction of the distant Star Gate, perhaps a few Imperial ships, dragging their scars, were disappearing into the white light of Warp.

The news of the defeat caused a huge wave in New Eden.

Although the three great Empires tried to blockade the news immediately, how could such a catastrophic defeat be concealed?

What first spread were the incoherent descriptions of agents and mercenaries who miraculously escaped.

"Endless silver warships... unbreakable turtle shell... our artillery fire was like tickling it..."

"They have a sinister Formation! Our ships rushed in and couldn't get out! Like being caught in an invisible net!"

"Dreadnought! Emma's Apocalypse class! Gone! Like a big firework!"

These fragmented narratives were already terrifying enough.

As for what lay on the desks of the intelligence departments of various major powers, it was a rather complete result.

In the footage, the majestic, unmoving ring-shaped Sky Fortress stood firm under the devastating salvos of the three great Empires' Dreadnought fleets, its pale blue shield flickering but indestructible, making every intelligence officer who saw it feel their scalp tingle.

The sight of the Imperial allied forces in disarray and fleeing made all military experts gasp.

Finally, there was a short clip of the Apocalypse class Dreadnought being focused-fired and blown apart mid-air. This less than ten-second footage had an impact far beyond a thousand words.

Amarr Empire, Regent Princess Kaniddis locked herself in her bedchamber for an entire day.

It is said that when the attendant finally dared to enter, they found her favorite antique tea set had been reduced to dust on the floor.

The Imperial Navy Marshal was urgently summoned, and subsequently, the Imperial Navy entered an unprecedented state of combat readiness, but the spearhead of the offensive subtly shifted temporarily from the Osha Star Domain, turning towards 'sensitive areas' bordering Caldari and Minmatar.

In internal meetings, 'total war,' 'technological gap,' and 'unknown threat' became the most frequent terms, but calls for 'caution,' 'investigation,' and 'acquiring technology' were also significant.

In the conference room of the Caldari State Supreme Military Commission, the argument lasted all night.

Representatives of the Military-Industrial Faction were livid, demanding immediate mobilization of all war potential to seize that damned defensive technology at all costs.

Soros Hack of the Commercial Faction, however, had a grim expression, arguing that a direct frontal assault would incur immeasurable costs and might force 'Kyushu' to completely side with one party or destroy the technology.

He felt that infiltration and negotiation were more reliable.

The heavy losses momentarily made the voices of the Main War Faction in the Minmatar Republic Elder Council overwhelm everything, but the machine-like killing aesthetic displayed by Kyushu subtly resonated with some Minmatar people's secret yearning for 'pure power.'

Roars of revenge intertwined with wariness of new power, and even a twisted appreciation.

Ultimately, the resolution was to fully support all tribes and even corporate factions within their territory to infiltrate the 'Lawless Zone' in the east. To imitate, to learn, and even to secretly learn from them.

The Gallente Federation, Human Union, and Earth Federation were not directly involved in the war but were all alarmed.

"Kyushu."

This name, like a heavy alarm bell, rang in the hearts of the highest decision-makers of all factions.

An unknown force possessing at least a generation's lead in defensive technology, drone swarm technology, super-large spatial construction technology, and powerful industrial potential, appeared on the chessboard of New Eden.

It was not a chess piece; it was a new player.

And with its first move, it chopped off the fingers that three of the oldest players had extended onto a corner of the chessboard.

Tension, suspicion, greed, fear... complex emotions surged in the undercurrents of New Eden.

Large-scale direct conflicts temporarily subsided. The three great Empires suffered a hidden loss and dared not easily commit valuable regular forces again before understanding the opponent's true strength.

However, this certainly did not mean peace.

With the intentional or unintentional acquiescence and covert support of the great powers, countless pirate groups, mercenary organizations, explorers, and even border patrol teams of some small countries began to pour from all directions into the vast star sea known as the 'Lawless Zone.'

Their objectives were no longer just resources and wealth; they now had one more.

Intelligence, all intelligence about 'Kyushu.'

Their sphere of influence, defensive weaknesses, technological characteristics, social structure... any information was priceless.

And 'Kyushu' seemed to tacitly accept this situation.

They did not expand aggressively, merely firmly holding the Osha Star Domain and several surrounding key nodes. For the 'small bugs' that came to snoop, as long as they did not enter the core area or actively attack, they were usually just driven away.

But once they crossed the line, merciless destruction awaited them.

Thus, in the vast and chaotic eastern border Star Domain of New Eden, a peculiar low-intensity, normalized conflict formed.

Every day, ships from various factions with different markings patrolled, probed, and exchanged fire at the edges of the 'Kyushu' controlled zone. The scale of battles was usually small, mostly skirmishes between small vessels.

Gustas pirates, Angel United Enterprises, Blood Raiders, Serpentis Corporation... these veteran proxy forces, and even some independent mercenary groups that heard the news, all became participants in this 'feast.'

Behind them, more or less, flickered the shadows of other forces.

For 'Kyushu,' this was exactly what they wanted.