37: Chapter 37 The Empire's Counterattack
Geostationary orbit, Imperial Alliance 'Sentry-7' Space Monitoring Platform.
This silver platform, shaped like a multi-faceted crystal, floated quietly at an altitude of 360,000 kilometers. Its solar panels were fully deployed like the wings of a giant bird stretching across the sky, glinting with a cold, hard luster under the eternal sunlight. It was the flagship node of the Imperial Alliance's space-based surveillance network, equipped with cutting-edge synthetic aperture radar, high-resolution optical sensor arrays, and a full-spectrum signals intelligence collection system. Its 'gaze' could clearly distinguish the brand of a vehicle on the ground or capture the tumbling of a single bolt in low Earth orbit.
At this moment, inside the platform's main control cabin, a massive curved main screen displayed real-time dynamics of various global hotspots in multi-window mode. One window, prominently highlighted, was locked onto the three major launch sites of the Dragon Kingdom: Jiuquan, Wenchang, and Taiyuan. On the screen, the launch service towers for the 'vermilion bird-1' rockets were preparing for the next mission, with vehicles and personnel moving in an orderly fashion like a colony of ants.
“Target area activity level: High. Based on the analysis of the launch pad status and fuel tanker dispatch patterns, the next scheduled launch window for ‘Starrail Express’ is estimated to be in forty-eight hours,” the AI-synthesized report stated in a steady, emotionless voice.
Standing before the main screen, Karl Vincent, Director of the Imperial Space Agency, had his brow furrowed. He wore a crisp Deep Blue uniform, the general's stars on his epaulets and the medals on his chest gleaming under the cabin lighting, but his habitually cold face was now clouded by a lingering gloom. The successful debut of the Dragon Kingdom's 'space bus' program, along with its absurdly low price, felt like a precise heavy punch that had disrupted the rhythm of his carefully laid 'Artemis 2.0' plan. What disturbed him even more was the anomalous scan of the lunar south pole by the Swiss satellite 'Helvetia,' and the Dragon Kingdom's overly calm—even subtly 'expectant'—reaction to the matter.
“What exactly did the Dragon Kingdom people see at the south pole?” he muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping the edge of the console. That vague yet implicitly warning inquiry response from Switzerland had only deepened the suspicion in his heart. Could that frozen land hide something else besides Helium-3, some secret that even the Empire's early probes had failed to discover?
“Director,” an adjutant approached and handed over a freshly declassified intelligence briefing, “The ‘Undercurrent’ team has sent word. They successfully infiltrated the peripheral materials database of the Dragon Kingdom’s ‘Chasing Light’ agency and obtained preliminary process data regarding their new reusable rocket body materials. Initial analysis shows a high degree of data authenticity, but the core interface stability parameters are protected by extremely high-level encryption. Cracking them will take time.”
Vincent took the briefing and scanned it quickly, a cold curve finally appearing at the corner of his mouth. Good, those greedy hyenas of the Star Continent Consortium had finally done something useful. As long as they could obtain the secret of that lightweight, high-strength, heat-resistant material, the reusable upgrades for the 'Ares' series could be put on the agenda immediately, potentially slashing launch costs significantly. While they might still not catch up to the Dragon Kingdom's ridiculously low prices, they could at least reclaim part of the commercial market and ease the pressure on the logistics support for 'Zeus Station.'
“Tell ‘Undercurrent’ to crack the core parameters as quickly as possible, regardless of the cost. Prioritize the allocation of any resources they need.” Vincent handed the briefing back, his gaze returning to the main screen, his eyes sharp as knives. “Additionally, initiate the second phase public demonstration of the ‘Star Shield’ project. It’s time to remind the Dragon Kingdom, and everyone else present,” his gaze swept over several other high-ranking observers from the Federation and allied nations in the cabin, “that space is not just a logistics corridor; it is a strategic high ground. A transporter without self-defense capabilities is nothing more than a fat sheep in the eyes of interstellar pirates.”
Thirty-six hours later, on the other side of the Earth, at the tactical analysis room of the Dragon Kingdom’s ‘Chasing Light’ headquarters.
Lin Shen, Zhao Zetao, and several high-ranking military generals and space strategy experts were watching a video cross-verified by multiple intelligence sources with solemn expressions. The footage came from a high-definition promotional film released officially by the Imperial Alliance, but the information it contained was far from simple promotion.
The video began with a deep starry background. Then, a sharp-looking, pitch-black delta-wing aircraft with highly aggressive lines slid into the frame—the prototype of the Imperial ‘Star Shield’ space fighter. It lacked traditional air intakes, featuring instead four vector-steerable composite propulsion nozzles at the rear, with sensor apertures of unknown purpose and suspected weapon hardpoints distributed across the wings and fuselage.
“Star Shield: length eighteen meters, wingspan twelve meters, empty weight 9.8 tons. It utilizes high-specific-impulse variable-thrust plasma thrusters and is equipped with a multi-mode radar/optical fusion sensing system, capable of autonomous orbital maneuvering, rendezvous, escorting, and soft capture.” The voiceover was Vincent’s own confident voice. “It is not only a capable assistant for space engineers but also a loyal guardian ensuring the safety of our space assets.”
The scene shifted as the 'Star Shield' fighter performed a series of dazzling maneuvering demonstrations in a simulated low Earth orbit scenario: high-speed orbital changes, rapid fly-bys of simulated satellites, using a robotic arm for close-range inspection of 'non-cooperative targets,' and even demonstrating the deployment of a miniature capture net to 'snag' a piece of simulated space debris. Its maneuvering flexibility far exceeded any existing manned spacecraft or orbital service vehicle.
“This is the core capability demonstration of the second phase.” Vincent’s voice rang out again, carrying an unmasked edge. “The ‘Star Shield’ integrates the latest model of a compact directed-energy self-defense system.”
A module opened beneath the nose of the fighter, firing a blue beam that wasn't particularly dazzling but made all the viewers shudder. It instantly struck a simulated light-armored target hundreds of meters away. The target's surface immediately glowed with a searing white light, and a large hole was quickly burnt through it. The footage zoomed in for a close-up, showing the scorched edges characterized by melted and re-solidified crystals, clearly the result of sustained high-energy laser irradiation.
“A hundred-kilowatt-class tactical laser based on fiber-optic synthesis technology, with an effective range of ten kilometers. It can perform precise soft kills or hard destruction on fragile components such as optical sensors and solar panels of non-cooperative spacecraft,” the narration explained coldly and professionally.
Immediately following this, a bowl-shaped device rose from the back of the fighter, aiming at another high-speed moving simulated target. There was no fire, no sound, but the target was struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, instantly twisting and shattering! The caption read: “Electromagnetic Rail Launch System (Experimental), capable of firing guided or unguided projectiles for short-to-medium range interception or attack.”
In the final demonstration, the ‘Star Shield’ fighters worked in pairs within a virtual scenario, simulating the interception of several target missiles representing anti-satellite missiles launched from low orbit. Their rapid response and coordinated interception capabilities were displayed to the fullest.
The video ended, and the analysis room fell into a heavy silence.
“They’ve literally moved fighter jets into space,” an Air Force general said in a deep voice, his expression grim. “What ‘space engineer assistant,’ what ‘asset guardian’? This is clearly the prelude to a space attack platform! This kind of maneuverability and firepower configuration is a blatant threat to our ‘space bus,’ the ‘Kunlun’ station under construction, and even our future lunar missions!”
“And the timing is impeccable,” a space strategy expert said, pushing up his glasses. “Just as our ‘space bus’ has made its breakthrough and demonstrated powerful transport capabilities while our own space defense forces are still relatively weak, they unsheathe this ‘sword.’ The message is clear: no matter how cheap your logistics line is, under the edge of my sword, you are nothing more than a merchant caravan at my mercy.”
Lin Shen did not join the discussion immediately; his gaze was fixed on a report just submitted by the technical analysis team. The report compared the speculated performance of the 'Star Shield' fighter with the Dragon Kingdom's existing orbital maneuvering capabilities.
“The advantage lies in maneuverability and tactical flexibility,” Lin Shen spoke up, his voice calmly analyzing. “Their plasma thruster technology must be quite mature; the thrust-to-weight ratio and vector control are well-executed. Combined with the lightweight airframe design, its acceleration and orbital change capabilities over short distances are very strong, making it suitable for rapid response and dogfighting missions.”
“And the disadvantages?” Zhao Zetao pressed.
“Endurance and sustained firepower,” Lin Shen pulled up a speculated energy system model. “The price for such high maneuverability is massive energy consumption. From the video, its primary power source appears to be high-performance chemical batteries or supercapacitors, which likely limit the duration it can sustain high-power equipment like lasers and electromagnetic railguns in combat. The laser fire and electromagnetic launches in the demo were all short bursts, likely because the energy supply cannot support prolonged, continuous high-power output. Furthermore, its size and payload are limited; the amount of propellant and ammunition it carries won't be much. In the absence of resupply, its capability for a war of attrition is questionable.”
“You mean it’s more like a ‘space assassin’ or a ‘rapid response policeman’ rather than a ‘capital warship’?” the Air Force general asked thoughtfully.
“At this stage, yes,” Lin Shen nodded. “But it points the way. As energy technology advances—especially if they make a breakthrough in miniaturizing space nuclear power—the threat from such platforms will grow exponentially.”
“What do we do? Immediately launch a similar space fighter project? But we won't make it in time; the ‘Star Shield’ looks close to becoming operational,” another general said worriedly.
“Following and imitating means always being one step behind,” Lin Shen shook his head, a flash of determination in his eyes. “We have our own technical path advantages. Remember ‘Candle Dragon’? Our miniaturized fusion energy has power density and sustained output capabilities far beyond what chemical batteries can offer. Remember the ‘Deep Blue’ project? The room-temperature superconductivity we are exploring, if realized, will completely revolutionize energy storage and transmission.”
He stood up and quickly operated the control panel, pulling up some non-sensitive data from the ‘Deep Blue’ project. “The ‘Star Shield’s’ weakness is energy. And our opportunity lies precisely in energy. I suggest immediately shifting some of the research focus of the ‘Deep Blue’ project from pure basic exploration to the engineering application pre-research of ‘superconducting energy storage/miniaturized energy weapons.’”
He displayed several conceptual sketches: “By using room-temperature superconducting materials—or high-temperature superconducting breakthroughs expected in the near future—to create small, efficient, high-capacity Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) rings, we can release massive amounts of electricity in an instant to power high-energy lasers or electromagnetic weapons. Combined with space fission batteries derived from ‘Candle Dragon’ to provide continuous charging, we can build orbital defense platforms or attack units with abundant energy supply and strong firepower sustainability. It may not be as agile as the ‘Star Shield,’ but in specific orbital sectors, it will be an immovable ‘energy fortress.’”
With this new line of thinking, the atmosphere in the analysis room was instantly revitalized.
“At the same time,” Lin Shen added, his gaze sweeping over everyone, “the ‘vermilion bird-2’ project must be accelerated. It’s not just for cheaper transport; its upper-stage electric propulsion system, high-precision navigation, and autonomous control capabilities are themselves excellent foundations for an orbital maneuvering platform. We can consider deriving Unmanned Orbital Maneuvering Vehicles (OMV) from it for satellite servicing, debris removal, and even... carrying modular self-defense weapon systems. Using a mature and reliable transport platform to derive defensive forces may result in combat capability much faster than developing a dedicated fighter from scratch.”
“A two-pronged approach!” the Old General’s voice came through the encrypted line, filled with approval. “One path focuses on superconducting energy storage and fusion energy as the core to conquer next-generation space energy and weapon systems for long-term dominance. The other path uses the ‘vermilion bird-2’ platform as a base to quickly develop practical orbital maneuvering and defense units to meet our immediate needs. Comrade Lin Shen, this is an excellent strategy. Organize a technical demonstration immediately and produce a detailed plan with milestone targets. Regarding resources, you have full support!”
“Yes!” Lin Shen responded solemnly.
The meeting ended, and everyone went their separate ways. Lin Shen walked alone toward the materials and energy laboratory, his steps firm. Outside the window, the night was deep, but above the heavens, the stars still twinkled—some of those 'stars' now carried a man-made chill and edge.
The Empire’s ‘Star Shield’ had been unsheathed, its cold light reflecting off the galactic river.
And the Dragon Kingdom’s response would definitely not just be raising a shield.
What he wanted to forge was a ‘Formation-Breaking Spear’ with endless energy as its tip and ultimate intelligence as its spine.
The silence of space was about to be completely shattered. The shadow war for space supremacy had already escalated.
And deeper still, that ancient shadow at the lunar south pole remained silently watching it all, as if waiting for a certain moment to arrive.