The Next Day
As expected by Chief Bagin, all the ground combat troops stationed at the outer defensive line of their refuge base had been sacrificed.
Scattered across the ground were the wreckage of a few remaining Combat Mechs, containing the bodies of fallen Dwarf warriors. Some Dwarf warriors were still alive, emitting agonized screams.
Above them, Fire Lizard Starships hovered, all their cannons aimed at this underground refuge base.
The refuge base's entrance relied on the mountain overhead as cover.
This would be their final line of defense.
Chief Bagin, clad in Powered Exoskeleton Combat Armor and wielding a Laser Rifle, hid behind a piece of cover, stealthily observing the approaching Fire Salamander Tribe warriors outside.
The first to enter his field of view were, of course, the Fire Salamander Tribe's Combat Mechs.
Ten... twenty... fifty...
Surrounding the Combat Mechs were Fire Salamander Tribe soldiers.
Now, assessing their own Combat Capability.
Their Dwarf combat force numbered less than five hundred, with only two remaining T2 Battle Mechs and fifteen T1 Battle Mechs.
This was the last remaining combat strength within their refuge base.
"Prepare for battle. Our Ammunition is limited. Let those damned lizards get close before we open fire.
In close-quarters combat, those lizards' Starships won't dare provide Firepower support over our heads!" Chief Bagin issued his final combat order.
Chief Bagin pulled out a locket-shaped pendant containing a photo from the collar of his Powered Exoskeleton Combat Armor. Opening it revealed a picture of his family.
Him, his wife, and their six children.
In the center, smiling the brightest, was their eldest child, also their most beloved and sensible one.
Unfortunately, she had gone missing half a year ago.
"Annie." Chief Bagin gently touched the image of the girl with the brightest smile.
He placed the photo against his chest and tightened his grip on the Laser Rifle.
"Chief, the enemy is advancing!" a nearby Dwarf warrior warned.
"Open fire!" Chief Bagin roared.
His Laser Rifle fired continuously. These Laser Rifles were clearly more powerful than the weapons wielded by the Fire Salamanders.
They had been upgraded and modified by Dwarf Craftsmen, significantly enhancing their performance.
However, quality could not compensate for the enemy's overwhelming numbers.
One by one, the Dwarf warriors around Chief Bagin began to fall.
...
Outer Space of the Third Planet, FY Star System
The Fire Lizard Starship Fleet awaited news of the battle's conclusion.
But before any such news arrived, an alert sounded from their Starship Radar.
A high-speed moving energy signature was detected approaching their position.
"What's happening? Is it a Starship?" the Fire Lizard commander stared at the rapidly approaching blip on the Starship Radar.
The answer soon revealed itself.
The entity behind the blip had entered the observable range of their Starship's deep-space telescope.
"Report, a gray Starship is heading toward our position!" the Fire Lizard adjutant displayed an image.
The image showed the silhouette of a gray Starship.
"What kind of Starship is this?" the Fire Lizard commander frowned.
"According to our database identification, this starship bears a 70% similarity to a T3 Hummingbird-class Medium Starship Cruiser!" The Fire Lizard adjutant displayed the data of that T3 Hummingbird-class Medium Starship Cruiser.
The Fire Lizard commander glanced at it without giving it much thought, simply assuming it was indeed a T3 Hummingbird-class Medium Starship Cruiser.
In the Reef Starfield, many older starships undergo modifications to enhance their combat capability, which often results in significant deviations from their original hull designs.
"Immediately issue a warning to this unidentified interstellar warship! This is our Fire Salamander Tribe's combat zone. Any starship daring to enter this area will be considered declaring war on our Fire Salamander Tribe!" the Fire Lizard commander barked sternly.
The Fire Lizard adjutant swallowed hard, pointing at the location of the T3 interstellar cruiser. "This starship has already entered our combat zone."
The Fire Lizard commander's expression froze for a moment. He coughed and then said, "Then warn them to leave immediately! Otherwise, we will destroy them!"
Suddenly!
A T2 Starship within the Fire Lizard fleet exploded, turning into a fleeting fireball.
The Fire Lizard adjutant looked at the commander.
The Fire Lizard commander immediately slapped him. "What are you standing around for! Order the fleet to engage at once! Destroy that unidentified T3 interstellar warship!"
The other side had just outright destroyed one of their starships right from the start—their attitude was already crystal clear.
Although the origins of this T3 interstellar warship were unknown, there was no need for further talk now.
The Fire Lizard fleet began continuously firing at the T3 interstellar cruiser, but with its star shield holding firm at the front, those attacks couldn't harm the cruiser at all.
In contrast, the Fire Lizard fleet saw T1 Interstellar Warships and T2 Starships being destroyed one after another.
Especially those T1 Interstellar Warships—they practically exploded upon contact.
"Enemy ship entering our weapon range. Arkham-class Medium Cluster Laser Main Cannon ready!" the Fire Lizard adjutant reported from the side.
The Fire Lizard commander sneered. "How dare a mere T3 interstellar cruiser act so arrogantly before me.
My ship is a T3 Arkham-class Medium Starship Battleship!
With this one shot, I'll send you to your death!"
Just as the T3 interstellar cruiser was about to enter the T3 Arkham-class Medium Starship Battleship's weapon range, something unexpected happened.
The T3 interstellar cruiser suddenly changed course.
"Getting cold feet?" The Fire Lizard commander was taken aback, but then he realized the T3 interstellar cruiser had bypassed the main body of their fleet and was charging directly toward the Third Planet of the FY Star System.
The interstellar cruiser maintained its speed unabated, streaking like a comet entering the atmosphere. Its massive, dazzling red glow was visible to everyone on that side of the planet.
The Fire Salamander Tribe's T1 Interstellar Warships hovering in the air hadn't yet reacted, staring dumbfounded at this sudden, colossal intruder.
Their hulls, measuring only tens of meters in length, were utterly insignificant compared to this nearly kilometer-long interstellar warship.
"All starships, be advised! An unidentified T3 interstellar cruiser has entered our combat zone. Engage immediately upon detection!"
At that moment, the belated battlefield alert finally sounded on the bridges of those T1 Interstellar Warships.
In that instant, the Captains of those T1 Interstellar Warships had only one thought in their minds.
Holy crap, why didn't you say so earlier!
The next second, the Close Defense Cannons of the massive Starship opened fire, destroying all the surrounding T1 Interstellar Warships that were like 'mosquitoes,' causing them to plummet toward the ground like burning insects.
Simultaneously, a hatch opened on the ventral section of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser's Ship Hull.
Inside, fifty fully prepared Blizzard-class Starship Drones hung suspended.
These Stellar Drones resembled bats hanging upside down. Once the hatch opened, they dropped one after another, spreading their wings mid-air and unfolding into their complete forms.
They then began launching attacks on the surrounding Stellar Warships of the Fire Salamander Tribe!