First Light of a New Age

Chapter 72: The Second Orc Fleet

Now, Jiak sat upon his throne of skulls with a wicked grin spreading across his face. He could already taste the bloodshed, the plunder, and the chaos that awaited them. 

Soon, the world would tremble beneath his heel.

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Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, The Eastern Coast of New Guinea

1st Year of God, Monday, 3rd Week, Month of Abraham

In the eastern seas off the coast of New Guinea, part of the Imperial Majapahit, dozens of warships from the Liberation Navy stood ready for battle.

At the forefront of the fleet was one of the largest ships known as the “ALN Keumalahayati,” a massive 200-meter battleship named after the legendary Indonesian hero, Laksamana Malahayati, an admiral of Aceh Keumalahayati and interestingly the first female admiral in the modern world.

Commanding the ship was a seasoned admiral, who strapped securely into a chair bolted to the floor of the operations center. His eyes were fixed on the tactical display screen, which showed UAV footage of the orc fleet advancing rapidly toward the shore. The estimated time to landfall had shortened from nine hours to just under seven, and accounting for the squadron scramble and flight time, the orcs would reach the coast in less than three hours.

Calculating the distance and time to engagement, he activated the fleet-wide communications.

"Command to all units. Enemy fleet less than 15 minutes out. Look alive now!"

A series of confirmations echoed through his earpiece. Switching channels, he addressed No. 2 Squadron, where the Thunderwing gunships were ready to strike.

“Command to Thunderwing-1 and 2, commence attack. When you hit bingo on ammo, RTB for rearm and refuel. Over.”

[T-1, roger.]

[Thunderwing-2, copy that.]

The admiral glanced out the narrow viewport and watched the two gunships accelerate, breaking formation and roaring toward the enemy fleet. 

He had meticulously crafted a strategic plan, where the Air Force would deliver the first blow and aimed to decimate the orc fleet before they could make landfall. 

If they weren’t enough, the Liberation Navy was prepared to unleash a barrage of firepower to stop the invaders. 

And if both efforts failed, the Imperial Liberation Army had already fortified the coastal defenses of New Guinea, making sure no aliens would lay a single hair on the soils of their Motherland.

A perfect defense.

However, if all defenses were to fail and the Orcs began spreading across the land, a nuclear strike would serve as the final resort. 

And due to the New World's unique ability of healing the land from environmental destruction and cleanse itself of radiation, there would be no fear of a radioactive fallout or the creation of a long-term death zone. 

"Command to all Phoenixes, check your fuel and weapons. Over."

Reports of fuel and weapons status flowed in from the fighter jets, and the admiral nodded in satisfaction. The Phoenixes had enough fuel for almost an hour of sustained combat before needing to return for refueling.

[Command, Phantom-1 has eyes on the enemy vessels!] one of the F-16 Phantom pilots reported.

[Thunderwing Actual has tally on surface contacts. Weapons standing by. Over.]