653 Scare Tactics

"Our ships have entered the Saturn ring. Behind the concealment of the asteroids, we shouldn't be easily detected."

"Oh, come on! My fingers are itching!" Karl muttered. The promise of destroying a Zerg fleet made his blood boil.

As the X-6 fleet inched toward the Saturn, with the Zerg fleet trailing behind, Samantha ordered her armada to get in position. However, she failed to realize that if the Saturn ring could hide the human fleet, so it could the Zergs' fleet.

The Armada had been a thorn in the Zergs' side for many years. Its high mobility meant that the Zergs could never deliver a solid blow on it, having slipped through their fingers so many times. But, the Zergs were about to catch the humans by surprise this time, and Zhoudi intended to annihilate the human fleet at all cost.

The Zergs' fleet entered hyperspace while following the human X-6 fleets. 

"Sh*t! They are tailgating us!"

"Let them. I would be worried if they didn't."

"Haha!"

The promise of carrying out a full-fledged battle with the Zergs made the officers and pilots all excited. They had enough of the small skirmishes and running around; they were ready to partake in an actual war to deliver a solid blow to the Zergs.

Saturn's ring was the best place for smaller combat jets such as the X-6. The asteroids would provide cover for the smaller ships and counter the enemy's advantage in firepower. 

"Captain, ten more minutes before we exit the hyperspace."

"Get ready everyone! Approach the Saturn ring carefully and wait for my instructions."

"Aye aye Captain!"

Inside the Saturn outer space, a flash of light opened up a portal, and human fleets poured out from within. They didn't slow down but charged at the asteroid belt at full speed.

After a while, a large number of Zerg ships appeared through the portal as well. However, they slowed down as soon as they were through the threshold. They spread out their formation and waited. A few hours later, the Zerg armada appeared, comprising of a large number of Zeus class battle bruisers, each capable of destroying the entire human fleet. Surrounded by the battlecruisers was the space hive, a corrupted, pulsing heart in the space.

"Do not approach the asteroid belt! Wait for Admiral's command!" A dark one issued a command. Meanwhile, Karl and Flash had found and regrouped with the human armada. The Armada was hiding in the thick atmosphere layer of the gas-liquid giant: Saturn. Due to the extreme environment, the Armada had turned on its shield. 

"Reporting to Admiral, we are back!" Karl and Flash saluted on the screen.

"Welcome back." Samantha's face was lit up with glee after seeing the return of the two young captains. They had lured the enemy to the trap, and as soon as they approached into the firing range, the human fleet would greet the Zergs with a surprise shower of steels.

The X-6 units were completely gone from the Zergs' radar, and they knew that the only place they could be hiding would be inside the asteroid belt. The stubborn Zergs would not give up the chase so easily after having followed the X-6 units for so long.

Everyone waited patiently for the Zergs' to take the final bait. However, after half an hour, there was still nothing.

"Report! We have an emergency! The dark ones' fleets are coming toward us from all directions. They have encircled the entire planet." A scout shouted into the intercom with a trembling voice. "It's a TRAP!"

Someone must have tipped off the dark ones from within the Armada!

"I smell a mole!" Xiao Se's face darkened as he announced.

"For f*ck's sake! What the hell is going on? Bring me the star chart! "Li Hong shouted hotly.

The star chart flickered onto the screen and displayed a swarm of Zergs around them. This was not a fleet; it was the Zergs' entire Armada! They were trapped! If they left the Saturn ring, they would almost definitely be destroyed. But, how long could they last in this unforgiving environment? 

Li Hong and Xiao Se looked at each other with fear. This could very well be their last battle. Soon, all the commanders on the ships realized their dire situation. Still, they couldn't come to terms with the reality. This was supposed to be their moment to shine; but instead, they had loaded a gun and shot themselves in the foot.

Everyone immediately drew the same conclusion: there was a mole among them.

But who?

This person had to come from amongst the higher rank commanders, since the operation had always been kept a secret from ordinary soldiers.

The door to Samantha's office was swung open, and captain Sailuofu appeared. He had been the most loyal follower and an admirer of Samantha. 

Xiao Se shot Sailuofu a glance, and they knew the answer right away. "It was you!"

Sailuofu cracked a smile. "I know how you feel right now, but your fate is sealed. I didn't leave you guys for old time's sake, and I want to give you one last chance. Please, join the immortals. They are the real future of mankind."

Samantha smirked contemptuously: "Did Patroclus tell you to say that?"

Sailuofu's face hardened. "You know my feelings toward you. It had nothing to do with Patroclus. I want you to join me! Surrender now, or else, you won't have another chance."

"Surrender my a*s! I'm glad that you didn't leave us so that I can do away with you, traitor!"

Sailuofu cursed in his mind. He didn't expect the situation to escalate so quickly either. His original order didn't include any information on the complete annihilation of the human fleet. He wagered that the change of objective had nothing to do with Patroclus, since he was not well known for his capaciousness. It had to be that dipsh*t Dimalis.

Sailuofu conceded that his only option right then was to persuade Samantha to join the immortals.

"I am thinking for everyone. If I didn't care about you, I would have run away a long time ago. How many years have we been on the run for? I am sick of it, and so is everyone else. Even if we can destroy the dark ones' armada, then what? Patroclus' fleet is ten times stronger than the dark ones'." Sailuofu pleaded one last time. "Please, come with me. The immortals could use your talents and skills. They are not who you think they are…you will see."

As Sailuofu spoke, the Zergs' armada had started to shrink the encirclement. Samantha sighed and then turned to the two generals, "I apologize! It was my fault letting a mole into our ranks."

Li Hong and Xiao Se smiled, "Perhaps it's our destiny. The humans will not stop fighting because of our defeat. We should at least try to give them a heavy blow before our time comes." Xiao Se said with aplomb.

"I didn't see that gusto in you, Xiao Se. Haha!" Li Hong laughed, his voice laced with a peaceful finality.

Sailuofu's face paled, as he didn't want to die. "Samantha, come with me. You will only rot with these old fools, as the immortals will…"

"Shut up, traitor!" Samantha rebutted hotly.

"Traitor? You call ME a traitor, you floozy b*tch? I had been nice to you ever since we met, and what did I get? Nothing! But as soon as Wang f*cking Tong showed up, oh no…you spread your legs faster than the speed of light. I can't wait to see you're a*s getting wrecked by the dark ones!"

"You won't see that." Li Hong said with an eerily calm voice as he produced a pistol from his desk.

"Hold on! Don't kill him yet." Samantha urged Li Hong.

"Hehe, I knew you would change your mind. Come with me now" Sailuofu said.

"Why do we need this scumbag alive?" Li Hong asked.

"We can't hold him as a hostage. The dark ones wouldn't give a sh*t about him."

Samantha shook her head and said, "No. I just want him to see our victory. As a matter of fact, we need to thank him for our victory."

For a fleeting moment, Xiao Se and Li Hong thought Samantha had gone crazy.

"Everything is under control, generals. We had played along with the Zergs and made them think that they had seen through our ruse, so that we could lure their entire armada." Samantha said firmly with confidence.

"Admiral... how are we going to eliminate the Zerg's armada?" Xiao Se asked carefully, unsure if Samantha's mind was stable. They had run out of mass destruction weapons many years ago, and the only way to seal the fate of the Zergs was to turn their ships' engine into nuclear bombs. But that meant the end of their lives as well.

"I can't disclose more about this. You will have to wait and see," Samantha said.

"Oh shut up you liar! I know your fleets well. You have nothing to use against the dark ones."

Suddenly, Xiao Se and Li Hong both had a moment of epiphany as they looked to each other and announced, "Wang Tong!"