56: Desperate Choices and Holding the Rear

The faster-than-light jump signals of the Scrin capital fleet rang out like a death knell in the ears of every member of the Deep Space Probe Fleet. Five scrin capital ships, massive as mountains and hideously shaped, were tearing through space, charging straight from the edge of the Asteroid Belt! Their target was clear—it was the wreckage of the ancient ship that had just been discovered!

At the Hope Fortress Command Center, Sun Zheng watched the five rapidly expanding red dots on the star map, his heart nearly stopping. The worst-case scenario had happened! Not only did the Scrin know of this ancient ship's existence, but their reaction speed far exceeded expectations!

"Falcon! The situation is critical! Abandon the exploration and retreat immediately!" Sun Zheng roared into the communicator, his voice hoarse with anxiety.

"Commander! But that key..." Lieutenant Colonel Falcon looked at the blue crystal prism on the screen, so close at hand, filled with immense reluctance. How could they easily give up such a monumental discovery concerning the future of human civilization?

"It's too late! The firepower of a scrin capital ship is enough to vaporize you instantly! Preserve our active forces! That's an order!" Sun Zheng's voice left no room for doubt. He could not stand by and watch Falcon and the entire probe fleet be buried here.

"Understood!" Lieutenant Colonel Falcon gritted his teeth; as a soldier, he had to obey orders. "explorer and seagull three, turn immediately and evacuate at maximum combat speed! Repeat, abandon the mission and evacuate at full speed!"

The engines of both ships immediately erupted with maximum power as they began to turn, attempting to flee this sector of space that was about to become a purgatory.

However, the scrin capital ships were too fast! They had already entered long-range weapon range! A blinding purple light lit up the bow of one capital ship as a massive energy vortex began to coalesce—it was the charging light of a main cannon capable of destroying an asteroid!

"It's too late! We can't get out of range!" the navigator shouted in despair.

Lieutenant Colonel Falcon looked at the rapidly approaching light of death and then at the ancient ship right beside them. A crazy idea flashed through his mind.

"No! We're not running!" Falcon slammed the console, determination flashing in his eyes. "seagull three, explorer, hear my command! Turn and charge into the shadow zone of the ancient ship wreckage, stay tight against its surface!"

"What?!" Everyone on the bridge was stunned. Charge toward the ancient ship? Wasn't that just walking into a trap?

"Execute the order! Fast!" Falcon roared. "The Scrin's target is the ancient ship; they won't dare fire lightly and destroy it! This is our only way to survive!"

Under Falcon's command, the two ships made a near-suicidal sharp turn. Their engines, spraying in an overloaded burst like moths to a flame, plunged into the shadow of the massive wreckage, clinging tightly to the cold, ancient metal hull!

Almost simultaneously, that thick purple main cannon beam whistled past the edge of the wreckage, instantly vaporizing an asteroid several kilometers in diameter in the distance!

That was close! Just a hair's breadth away!

As expected, the scrin capital ships were wary of damaging the prize and did not fire directly at the ancient ship. But their massive forms had already closed in, like five giant whales surrounding small fish. Countless small Scrin Attack Crafts flew out from the motherships like a swarm of bees, beginning to surround the wreckage, clearly preparing for boarding or precision clearing.

"We're surrounded! They've deployed landing forces!" reported the scout ship.

"Hope Fortress! We are surrounded and cannot break away! Requesting instructions!" Falcon called for help from Mars.

In the Command Center, Sun Zheng's fists were clenched so tight his nails nearly dug into his flesh. Falcon's quick thinking had bought the fleet a glimmer of hope, but they were also in a desperate situation. Relying on Hope Fortress to send reinforcements? The distance was too great; they would never make it in time!

The only hope might lie within the ancient ship itself!

"Falcon! Try to enter the interior of the ancient ship! Use the structures and potential defense systems inside to maneuver! I will find a way to support you!" Sun Zheng could only offer this desperate measure.

"Understood! explorer, deploy the marines to attempt entry into the ancient ship through the entrance we found and establish a defensive position!" Falcon ordered.

On seagull three, a squad of American Soldiers and an Engineer took a small shuttle and risked a charge toward that still-open circular gate. Scrin Attack Crafts spotted them immediately, and a dense barrage of phase fire poured down!

"Cover them!" Falcon ordered seagull three to use its only laser cannons for suppressive fire.

The shuttle struggled forward through the hail of bullets and finally managed to burst through the gate! The soldiers quickly established a defensive line in the corridor, while the Engineer attempted to study the internal control systems.

However, the interior of the ancient ship was no safe harbor. Those blue light paths seemed to have a strong rejection reaction to the intrusion of Scrin units! More defensive patterns suddenly lit up on the walls, and several of the sharp drones seen before flew out of the shadows—but this time, their targets were the Scrin Attack Crafts that had just broken in and the Scrin infantry attempting to land right behind them!

The ancient ship's internal defense system had been activated by the Scrin intrusion!

For a moment, the corridors of the ancient ship and the exterior space became a three-way battlefield: the human squad resisted step by step from the corridor entrance; the Scrin landing forces attacked frantically; and the ancient ship's defense drones indiscriminately attacked all "intruders"!

Falcon's fleet gained a temporary moment of respite, but they had also fallen into an even more complex situation.

Back at Hope Fortress, Sun Zheng watched the chaotic images being transmitted back, his heart burning with anxiety. He had to do something!

"Chronosphere! Can we lock onto coordinates inside the ancient ship?" Sun Zheng asked.

"The energy interference is too strong to get a precise lock! A forced teleportation is extremely risky!"

"Then prepare for a forced teleportation! Target area: near the ancient ship's gate! Teleportation unit: Chrono Legionnaire! Send him in to support Falcon!" Sun Zheng made the risky decision. He could not watch his subordinates fight alone!

"Yes, sir!"

The Chronosphere on seagull one began to charge once more, its target aimed directly at that chaotic war zone hundreds of millions of kilometers away!