The Earth government is rotten to the core, like a castle built of sand. We only need a gentle push, and their faith, their fighting spirit, will completely collapse! Long live Mars!"
"Long live Mars!"
This was the largest fleet Fisher had ever seen. Frigates, destroyers, aircraft carriers—hundreds of massive starships of varying lengths silently floated in Mars's high orbit.
From the ground, these warships weren't very clear, but when a transport ship carried Fisher and others into high altitude, Fisher was able to get a full view of these steel beasts through the transport's porthole.
Achilles' Heel, Bloody Hand, Archimedes—white hull numbers and names were painted on the metallic titanium armor. Although the Martian regime was determined to eliminate Earth, they held Earth's myths in high regard. Many warships were named after mythological characters or stories. Perhaps they felt they were gods compared to Earth at this moment!
The most striking of these warships was the Olympus, which slowly sailed into the central area of the fleet. Its U-shaped hull had a massive ion engine in the center, and above the engine was a huge cluster laser cannon.
Besides this laser cannon, the Olympus had two hangar exits on its sides for deploying flight squadrons, and at the two ends of the U-shape were personnel deployment ports for releasing landing troops.
"So where are we going now?"
"According to the list, to various warships, Boss. War is about to begin!" Antonio showed a bloodthirsty and fanatical smile. "But don't worry, I'll protect you on the battlefield!"
"No, you do your job! Don't worry about me, just let me move freely!" Fisher saw the assignment list. With Antonio's strong recommendation, he became a pilot in the first squadron of the Olympus's air wing, and the air wing commander was Antonio himself.
"Alright, Boss!" If it weren't for the fact that personnel changes on the Olympus required Salen Kouchi's permission, Antonio would have directly made Fisher a squadron leader, assigning him eight Typhoon fighters as bodyguards.
But Fisher refused. If he was protected, how could he scavenge on the battlefield? And as for bodyguards, he had a taciturn robot in the back seat of his Typhoon. Fisher had even named it 'Fly Over Here' because, in IR15's assault mode, the robot's sprint speed was even faster than Usain Bolt's. Coupled with its alloy short blades and rapid-fire machine gun on its mechanical arm, it was a god of urban warfare.
Moreover, the IR15 was equipped with a more powerful processor and logic core, allowing it to effectively respond to Fisher's more complex verbal commands. While not as multifunctional as the C6, it would be more precise and effective in combat missions.
And that wasn't all. After boarding the Olympus, Fisher was also assigned a dormitory of at least 40 square meters, with one bedroom and one living room, fully equipped with various appliances. If Fisher wished, the logistics department could even install an ice cream machine for him.
"We are very sorry, these are the only services we can currently provide. For recreational needs, there will be a boxing ring and training room on deck 33. Uh, if you need *those* services, after the warship docks next time, you can get priority access to the entertainment and fertility camps!" The logistics personnel who came to install the ice cream machine respectfully told Fisher.
"No need, thank you very much!" Fisher saw the group out of the room before sighing about the treatment on the Olympus.
It seemed Admiral Salen Kouchi also understood the principle of not starving his soldiers. The soldiers on board enjoyed ample natural meat, fruits, and vegetables every day, and officers could have a small drink daily. Ample food combined with fanatical propaganda meant that everyone on the Olympus was a die-hard Martian... "Admiral, the fleet has been resupplied!"
"Good. Connect me to Fleet Command!"
"Understood!" The image of the Quartermaster General had just disappeared when a holographic projection almost instantly cast a large conference room before Salen Kouchi.
"Admiral!" The dozen or so high-ranking Martian military and political officials who appeared in the conference room nodded in greeting to Salen Kouchi.
"Thank you, gentlemen! Thank you for attending this meeting!" Salen Kouchi spread his hands, welcoming the others.
"This..." Seeing Salen Kouchi's demeanor, the military and political officials exchanged glances. They knew that after becoming the Martian ruler, Salen Kouchi usually spoke to others in a commanding tone, but today he had suddenly changed his disposition. This boded ill!
However, unlike the older men, a few younger generals seemed to have guessed something, their faces flushed with excitement.
"Admiral, could it be...?" A major general tentatively asked.
"That's right, the Eighth Fleet has completed its reorganization and replenishment. We are about to set sail!"
"Set sail?"
"Is the target the Mercury system?"
"Now is the time for improving relations between Mars and Earth. Isn't it a bit reckless to start another war?"
"Can our supply lines hold up?" The officials started clamoring, all talking at once.
Looking at these bickering officials, Salen Kouchi was grateful that he hadn't given up military power after becoming ruler. Weak and incompetent bureaucrats would only ruin his hard work!
"Enough!" Salen Kouchi roared, silencing the clamor in the room.
"Whether you admit it or not, whether you want it or not, the Eighth Fleet will depart, targeting Earth. And my people have already infiltrated Earth over the past year, waiting for an opportunity to destroy their orbital defense system. At the same time, the Olympus will face the Earth fleet with overwhelming force. I will let them know that their ships are nothing more than expensive toys in front of Mars! Long live Mars!" Towards the end, Salen Kouchi's tone was filled with chilling killing intent. If any of these guys dared to say no, his military police would throw them into the sun within ten minutes!
"We will do our utmost to support the Eighth Fleet!" In the end, it was Admiral Lefrancois of the Home Fleet who made the decision. The old man's eyes were half-closed, looking as if he were asleep. Salen Kouchi hadn't even noticed his presence.
"Thank you very much, Admiral. Just wait for the good news of victory!" With that, Salen Kouchi turned off the projection system, and at the same time, a few words popped out of his mouth: "Old fool!"
After single-handedly suppressing all opposition, Salen Kouchi ordered the fleet to set sail for Earth. However, the Olympus changed direction. Before dealing with the Earth fleet, he had one more thing to take care of!
...Jupiter System
Europa
The disastrous defeat in the last war split Earth into two factions: warmongers and peacemakers. The peacemaking politicians were like ostriches with their heads in the sand, only knowing how to endlessly suck up to Mars, just hoping the other side wouldn't raise the butcher's knife during their tenure. The warmongering military, however, learned from their painful experience. They reflected on the reasons for Earth's failure and tried to develop new weapons to break Mars's high-tech advantage. Since these powerful weapons couldn't be placed on Earth, asteroids and moons within Earth's controlled territory became their first choice, such as Europa.
Secret Laboratory, codenamed Rainbow. The mission of this laboratory was to develop new laser weapons for the UNSA military. Unfortunately, due to the betrayal of peacemaking politicians, Martian fleet spies easily learned about this laboratory. To continue to ensure Mars's equipment advantage, Salen Kouchi decided to personally deal with this problem!
..."All personnel to battle stations!" As soon as the piercing battle alarm sounded, Fisher had already put on his helmet and jumped into his fighter jet. Since leaving Mars, he hadn't returned to his dormitory, staying in the hangar the entire time.
"Whoosh~~" The fighter engine ignited, and the vector nozzles at the rear of the Typhoon fighter gradually emitted a piercing roar.
"Golden Squadron, prepare for departure. Target: enemy patrol aircraft, six thousand kilometers away, two-plane formation. They are flying in a gas cloud!" The tactical briefing was simultaneously sent to Fisher's helmet-mounted heads-up display.
"Sir, engine normal, flaps normal, weapon systems normal. Ready for departure!" After confirming that the fighter was in order, ground crew sent a communication.
"Received, Golden Three, entering orbit!" Casually switching the communication to the air wing's dedicated channel, Fisher's fighter was then secured on a large steel turntable. The turntable rotated 180 degrees and slowly ascended, sending the fighter into the Olympus's launch track.
Whoosh! The electromagnetic locks securing the fighter automatically disengaged, and the electromagnetic catapult connected to the Typhoon fighter's landing gear.
"Three, two, one! Catapult!" As the countdown ended, Fisher felt a sudden surge of immense force, pressing him firmly against the fighter seat, unable to move. The view outside the porthole rapidly receded. A few seconds later, the pressure on the fighter suddenly disappeared, and the space outside became vast! Fisher had completed his launch from the ship.
Because they wanted to solve the problem in one go, the Olympus's hangar did not stop working after launching the Golden Squadron. Several other squadrons were also launched, but these fighters did not directly rush towards the UNSA Jackal fighters patrolling in Europa's gas cloud like the Golden Squadron. Instead, they took a wide turn in space, flying towards Europa from the direction of Earth. They were to disguise themselves as reinforcements coming from Earth and then clear the orbital defense systems deployed on Europa.
Update finished, time to sleep, good night.