Chapter 8: Shadows Over the Kuiper Belt

Deep within the Kuiper Belt, nearly three astronomical units from the sun.

Here, an enormous void stretches out before them.

A hollow that spans over ten thousand kilometers across, empty of everything.

Countless celestial bodies, great and small, seem to skirt around this space as if guided by an unseen force—none dare cross into the void.

At this moment, a vast armada appears: warships, colony ships, support vessels of all sizes, their numbers totaling over five thousand.

The sheer scale of it is enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

But this…

Is not a Human Federation fleet.

It belongs to an alien species known as the Klein.

If you look closer, you’d spot a peculiar sight: among the mighty Klein fleet is a single destroyer bearing the Human Federation’s fleet insignia.

Isn’t that the Don River, missing for days, from the Fourth Fleet?

“What’s the status?”

Aboard a Klein warship as massive as a Warstar, Tumelo sat on his throne, voice heavy.

He was similar in height and build to a human, almost indistinguishable at first glance.

But the Klein were vastly different from humans in appearance.

The most obvious difference? The Klein’s bones grow on the outside,

While their muscles are wrapped beneath those bones.

Their skeletons are so tough they look like they’re clad in heavy armor—truly an intimidating sight.

“My King, we’re still decrypting the information molecules from the prisoner’s mind. We estimate three more standard cosmic hours.”

“Hurry the process. Report results to me immediately!”

“Yes, my King!”

The Klein soldier reporting snapped his right hand to his left chest, then bent low in a bow.

After completing the salute and bow, he turned and exited the grand hall.

“Amina, do you think what I’m about to do is right… or wrong?”

With the soldier gone, only two figures remained in the hall.

Tumelo’s expression and voice softened in that instant.

All because—

Amina was his wife.

Before his subordinates, Tumelo must remain the King of the Klein—unshakable and dignified.

Yet when facing Amina, there was no need for that mask.

“My King, when it comes to the fate of our race, is there really such a thing as right or wrong?”

“For us, it’s simple: destroy their species and seize their homeworld so the Klein can flourish—or…”

“Or we march to our extinction!”

Amina’s reply was firm, her tone resolute.

“You’re right—when it comes to the survival of our entire race, right and wrong no longer matter!”

Tumelo’s eyes grew ruthless once again.

——

Three days later.

Deep within the Kuiper Belt, 27 million kilometers in—a search-and-rescue fleet.

Assembled to search for the Don River, this temporary force included a research vessel, a cruiser, two destroyers, and five frigates.

But after several days, their search had come up empty.

The fleet’s commander, Oriole, could only give the order to withdraw from the Kuiper Belt for now.

Although the fleet could communicate internally via laser, the local magnetic fields made it impossible to reach the outside world.

And since they’d only planned for a three-day mission, if they didn’t report back soon—

Even they might be marked as missing.

“Issue the order to retreat along our original path!”

“Yes, Commodore!”

The moment he heard the command, the adjutant responded at once and had the comms officer relay it.

But just then—

Something caught the radar operator’s eye on the bridge.

He rubbed his eyes and leaned forward to get a better look at the holographic display—his eyes went wide.

“Reporting—unknown fleet contacts at 7 o’clock, 30 degrees elevation! There are loads of them!”

“Multiple enemy weapons charging—about to open fire!”

His shout dropped a chill over the bridge, freezing everyone in place.

But Oriole snapped back to his senses instantly.

“Sound the combat alarm!”

“Relay orders to the Caucasus and the Ural: cover the research ship’s retreat! If you have to, use your ships as shields—just make sure the research vessel gets out!”

“Everyone else, maneuver at full speed to 11 o’clock, 10 degrees down! Break through into the densest cluster of small celestial bodies and fight back!”

On the star map, hundreds of red contacts flashed—

No IFF response at all. And the Federation couldn’t possibly have that many ships hidden out here.

With every other possibility ruled out, no matter how far-fetched, the answer was clear.

Alien civilization!!!

The realization exploded in Oriole’s mind.

They were hopelessly outnumbered. He had only one clear duty—

Hold the enemy at bay and make sure that research ship escaped.

After all, there were Federation scientists aboard—far more valuable than any soldier here.

If even just the research vessel got away and brought warning to the Fourth Fleet…

Then burying all eight of their ships here would still count as a victory!

Luckily, the Kuiper Belt’s treacherous environment favored them. Anywhere else, outnumbered and at this range,

They’d be wiped out in minutes.

But here…

There were options.

Like that dense cluster of smaller celestial bodies and ice at 11 o’clock, 10 degrees down.

If they could just get inside, then even attacking them would cost the enemy precious time.

It was the only way to buy a few minutes.

And for now, that was Oriole’s best shot at slowing the enemy down.

“Report! Massive kinetic projectiles incoming—not railgun rounds, they’re much bigger!”

“What are they using? Be precise!”

“Uncertain, but they’re slow—only about 30% of our own railgun rounds’ speed.”

The radar officer couldn’t nail down exactly what it was.

Of course not—this was alien tech. Why should they follow human rules?

Whatever the case, Oriole caught on to one thing—

The alien ships seemed to use some kind of kinetic weapon akin to a railgun—projectiles much heavier, but far slower.

“Report! We’ve crunched the numbers—they’ll hit us in thirty-seven seconds.”

“All ships, electromagnetic rapid-fire batteries online! Intercept barrage formation! Stay on course, keep charging ahead!”

“Understood, Commodore!”

Decelerate and try to dodge using attitude thrusters?

Even if they had time—which they didn’t—it wouldn’t make much difference.

There just wasn’t enough time to react.

So rather than waste effort dodging, it was better to punch through at full speed.

If they could hang on for five minutes, the fleet might make it into the densest cluster—otherwise…

As for those incoming kinetic rounds—

Given how slow and huge they were compared to standard railgun shots,

Intercepting them with a wall of electromagnetic fire was the best shot they had.

Every round they took down was one less to worry about.