Ark The Legend Vol 11 Chapter 8

+ Sub Quest: Capture the Key Witness → Unidentified Planet

The investigation team has captured Esut, the captain of the transport s.h.i.+p Marsyosia who is suspected to be a.s.sociated with Organization X. And after some questioning, Esut provided the coordinates of a specific place. However, a planet can’t be found at the coordinates Esut provided. Captain Hawk has decided to move directly to the coordinates to investigate. No one knows what will be at the coordinates. Therefore the danger is unknown.

Difficulty: ???

The information window that popped up! The next destination of the team was set. And…..

————————————————————-

“……Is that the unidentified planet?”

Ark looked out the window at the huge planet below him.

They had left Maseti and warped to the coordinates provided. However there was obviously a planet in front of the Silver Star. It was a planet slightly smaller than a moon. It was an unidentified planet like Hawk said.

Kwajijiji! Kwajijiji!

Then sparks blew from around the Silver Star. The sparks turned into 13 giant vortexes.

In the next moment, there was a ringing sound and 13 s.h.i.+ps emerged. A variety of s.h.i.+ps gathered around a huge, black battles.h.i.+p. They were Hawk’s battles.h.i.+p the Death Knight, Irina’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p and those of the other team units.

“The official investigation team channel is connected.”

A large face floated on a screen at Hegel’s words.

–We’ve come to the right place.

The man talking was Hawk. 15 hours had been spent on the warp voyage. Ark thought it was wonderful that there was a planet there but anger surged at Hawk’s smug expression.

Fortunately he didn’t need to watch the screen for a long time. The screen split and the other faces of the unit members and Irina appeared.

–Is there anything to report?

–Nothing.

–We’ve all arrived without any problems.

–Okay. We’re all rested from the warp voyage so we’ll embark on the next mission without any delay.As you can see, an unidentified planet is floating on our 12 o’clock.  Esut delivered the rare minerals to this planet so it is likely to contain Organization X’s base. So prepare for emergency situations and enter orbit.

–Understood!

The unit members replied and started heading towards the greyish planet. A jet blue light emerged as 14 s.h.i.+ps shot across the s.p.a.ce. But 1 minute after starting their advance. Hegel shouted with an upset expression.

“Hyung-nim, there is an energy reaction!”

-A high ma.s.s energy reaction has been detected ahead of the fleet.

The voices of the members screaming overlapped with Hegel’s voice. And the next moment, the mouths of the members dropped simultaneously. When the fleet advanced towards the grey planet, a previously unseen huge object rose up.

It was a giant metal sphere dozens of kilometres in diameter. It was an artificial satellite covered in antennas and gun turrets.

–Stealth!

–A Hive of that size was hiding with stealth?

–That’s not a hive!

The person who raised his voice at the end was Hawk. Hawk muttered with a groan as he had a disbelieving expression on his face.

–That’s…..Dark Star!

–D-Dark Star? That is a Dark Star?

–Dark Star……the so called grim reaper of the universe…..

–Oh my G.o.d! Why is the Dark Star in a place like this?

The members’ faces paled after hearing Hawk’s words. Ark was also the same. He had heard of it before but this was the first time he saw a Dark Star on the battlefield!

The Dark Star orbited planets in the universe and was a satellite that intercepted any flying objects within a specific range. That’s why aircrafts couldn’t be used around planets with a Dark Star.

Once the Dark Star occupied an orbit around a planet, it would be difficult for even a fleet of battles.h.i.+ps to destroy it. Therefore it was prohibited to launch s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps or flying objects in the atmosphere of planets with a Dark Star.

It was literally the worst fortress with an a.r.s.enal of weapons! It was the most powerful weapon in the universe among the 3 powers. But now wasn’t the time to be surprised.

–The energy density of the Dark Star is rising!

–It is preparing to fire!

–No way! It is firing from this distance? The Dark Star is thousands of kilometres from the fleet!

-No, it is possible if it is the Dark Star. Distance doesn’t matter……

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Huge streams of light emerged from the Dark Star. The streams of lights exploded over hundreds of kilometres towards the fleet. The team members hurriedly screamed.

-Holy s.h.i.+t! A charged energy particle cannon!

–It is coming!

–If we get distracted then we’ll be destroyed! Mario, go in front and deploy a wide area s.h.i.+eld! Harley, move the Death Knight next to Mario’s s.h.i.+p and make our anti-plasma s.h.i.+eld overlap with his! Mario and I will stop the charged particle cannon. The remaining members will concentrate on countering the enemy’s missiles with the GEM system!

The s.h.i.+elds of two s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps were overlapped. There were s.h.i.+elds that generated a complete defense s.h.i.+eld as well as wrap around the hull. A s.h.i.+eld like that protected the battles.h.i.+ps but also consumed a lot of energy so only a minimum of 4 star battles.h.i.+ps had them equipped.

The only people who had them on this mission were Hawk and Mario. That’s how Mario was able to return alive from the first mission.

-The wide field s.h.i.+eld has been deployed!

As soon as Hawk and Mario shouted, two hexagonal s.h.i.+elds flashed in front of the battles.h.i.+ps.

–The turrets have changed to the GEM system!

While the s.h.i.+elds were being deployed, the team members automatically changed to the GEM interceptor system. The GEM was an anti-missile interceptor that defended against the enemy’s attacks. The 14 s.h.i.+ps switched to defense and formed a wall of defense.

–Even if it is an attack from a Dark Star…..

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

The team members’ faces that had looked confident turned ashy at the ensuing explosion.

The light crossed the s.p.a.ce in a blink of the eye and there were huge number of flashes as the light collided! There was a tremendous burst of light and Hawk and Mario’s s.h.i.+eld turned into dust. And more than half of the s.h.i.+ps were damaged.

–Kuack! The armour around the s.h.i.+p’s body has been 20% destroyed!

–We were hit as well!

The team members screamed as they were struck. The Silver Star behind Mario was no exception.

The light that just pa.s.sed the s.h.i.+eld decreased its durability to 91%. Most of the 12 s.h.i.+ps in the back also intercepted the missiles with the GEM system. With the current state of the s.h.i.+elds, it was impossible for the fleet to be in a battle state.

“Dark Star…..”

–Now’s not the time to hesitate! It is the end if we’re hit by a 2nd attack!

Irina’s desperate voice was heard through the network. Then Hawk nodded and exclaimed.

–Ensign Irina is correct. Turn and get out of range before the Dark Star begins its secondary attack. I repeat. Check the damage later. Retreat at top speed!

The s.h.i.+ps spouting fire started to retreat at Hawk’s command. They ran away hundreds of thousands of kilometres so that the grey planet wasn’t even visible.

–d.a.m.n! What now?

–We can’t even approach the unidentified planet.

–I’ve heard a little bit about the Dark Star but I didn’t realize it was like this. It is a perfect monster. It is impossible to fight against the Dark Star with the few battles.h.i.+ps we have.

–How about attacking from different directions? We managed to get away after one attack so its reload speed is slow.

-But the Dark Star’s range is double ours. We’ll only be halfway there when the Dark Star will attack.At best only 5~6 s.h.i.+ps will be able to access it. Even if the reloading speed is slow, will the remaining s.h.i.+ps be able to win with their firepower? And who will be a.s.saulted by the Dark Star first?

–Then do we need to ask for help from the galactic federation?

–Idiot! Why do you think the federation hired us?

–Why are you so angry?

–Because it sounds ridiculous!

The members started fighting among themselves over the power of the Dark Star. Hawk who had been thinking with his eyes closed suddenly lifted his head.

–There is a way.

“What? –You have a way?

Ark flinched and raised his head.

There was no need to say but Ark was also worried. If they didn’t find a way to handle the Dark Star then Ark would also be stranded here. He had been thinking since they retreat but couldn’t come up with anything.

Yet Hawk confidently said that he found a way. Hawk laughed as he looked at Ark like Ark was his prey.

-Three days. The results will be shown in three days.

————————————————————-

-The situation?

A man appeared on the flas.h.i.+ng screen.

With a disgusting appearance and a few sizes larger than humans, he was an alien from the Tunba clan.

The man looking at the screen bowed his head and replied.

“Three days ago, more than 10 s.h.i.+ps approached and ran away after being attacked by the Dark Star. They must’ve accidentally discovered our planet and ran away frightened. Please don’t worry about them.”

–This isn’t the time to relax.

“Huh? What?”

–I sent some agents to find Esut.

“Is Esut the Wolf clan smuggler that carried the cargo to our planet?”

-That’s right. Now we no longer need any more cargo brought in. And the 3 powers have sensed the antimatter energy and have sent intelligence agents to the frontier to find information. That’s why I sent people to look for Esut. A useless tool should go missing.

Rats need to be cleaned up.

So there won’t be any surprises. That’s why I initially thought about entrusting it to a non-pioneer. He has a disposable life and won’t resurrect at the Fairy.

“Then I guess we don’t need to worry.”

-No, the agents couldn’t find him.

“Huh? Then did he run away?”

–I’ll be glad if it was like that but…..

The Tunba clan muttered in a low voice before shaking his head.

–That party that received an attack before disappearing. They might be intelligence agents sent from one of the 3 powers. If that’s true then those guys figuring out we’re here is only a matter of time. The fleet that emerged three days ago might be them. If they are the intelligence agents from one of the 3 powers then they won’t give up so easily. They might be preparing some countermeasures.

“Any measures against the Dark Star will be pointless. Even if they are from one of the 3 powers, they won’t be able to approach a planet protected by the Dark Star.”

-I know. But you never know what will happen in the universe. A representative is coming to check your performance. So you can’t relax.

“Don’t worry. The Great G.o.d willing!”

-The Great G.o.d willing.

The Tunba disappeared from the screen. The man watching the screen sighed before smiling lightly.

“Our Lord is worried for no reason. Checking just because of the snooping of a few pioneers.”

He didn’t understand the Lord’s concerns.

The source of his confidence was the anti-s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p Dark Star that he commanded. The Dark Star was equivalent to 50~60 battles.h.i.+ps and was the galaxy’s single strongest weapon.

The regular s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps of pioneers from the 3 powers couldn’t be an enemy for it. In other words, it could be called an invincible weapon on the s.p.a.ce frontier.

Invincible! What a sweet word!

To be honest, he was secretly hoping that those guys from three days ago would reappear.

The Dark Star had been nestled in the planet’s...o...b..t for 1 year and had only been used 5 times. Yet those guys three days ago had fled as soon as the bombardment begun. It was an invincible force but it couldn’t be used. Unlike his Lord, the soldier wasn’t stressed about it.

“I want to see it fight properly at least once before leaving here……”

The man clicked his tongue and murmured.

“Captain-nim, a large object is approaching at a speed of 90,000 kilometres per hour!”

“What? A s.h.i.+p? The ones from the other day?”

“I will show it on the screen!”

A ma.s.sive object then appeared on the screen. The man’s face turned confused as he looked at the screen.

A meteorite had come up on the screen. A meteorite 3~4 times the size of the Dark Star was flying at a tremendous speed. Of course, seeing a meteorite in outer s.p.a.ce wasn’t uncommon. The problem was that the meteorite was aiming directly at the Dark Star.

“What the, this is?” All of a sudden…..”

“The position of the meteorite’s...o...b..t exactly matches the Dark Star! At this pace it will collide with the Dark Star in exactly 10 minutes and 47 seconds! If we want to avoid it then we’ll need to start right now!”

“Avoid it? Is that a joke?”

A captain snapped in a cold voice.

“Behind the Dark Star is the planet that contains the base of our organization. Do you know what will happen if a meteorite of that size hits the planet? The Dark Star is a s.h.i.+eld to defend the base! Even if we need to collide with the meteorite! And there is no reason to give up. That is just a lump of rock. And we are on-board the Dark Star, the galaxy’s ultimate weapon! Open all the guns on the Dark Star! Fire when the meteorite enters range and turn it into dust!”

“Prepare the guns to fire!”

The crew started moving busily. Dozens of barrels emerged from the outer wall of the Dark Star. There were 30 cannons that were the main gun of a general s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, 15 powerful warheads and 120 missiles. This was the firepower that would pour out of the Dark Star. The meteorite that was composed of rocks would turn to dust instantly after being fired upon by the Dark Star!

“The meteorite is entering our range!”

“Okay! All guns, fire!”

Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Dozens of lights gushed out from the Dark Star. The Dark Star’s precision computer calculated the angle and speed of the meteorite and launched the missiles! The guns and missiles. .h.i.t the meteorite without any errors. And it exploded!

The captain smirked with satisfaction as smoke and flames blew out into outer s.p.a.ce. But that smirk didn’t last for even 10 seconds.

Hwakak!

Smoke rose from the meteorite! Despite being hit by all the guns and missiles, it only had a few scratches.

“What, what the? Why? The lump of stone withstood the attacks from the Dark Star?”

“Captain-nim, an energy reaction has been detected from the meteorite!”

“A s.h.i.+eld has spread in front of the meteorite!”

“S-s.h.i.+eld? Meteorite?”

The captain realized that something was wrong. But it was already too late.

The range of the Dark Star’s guns was approximately 5,000 kilometres. Due to the overwhelming amount of energy required, it would take 2 minutes to reload. That’s the reason why the s.h.i.+ps from three days ago escaped. They ran away during the reload time. On the other hand, the meteorite was flying towards the Dark Star at 90,000 kilometres per hour!

‘Even if we recharge immediately, there is a high chance of a collision!’

Fortunately the last attack had destroyed 90% of the meteorite’s s.h.i.+eld. If they managed to attack one more time then the meteorite would surely shatter.

‘But if the meteorite doesn’t smash then the Dark Star will be the one destroyed! The most powerful weapon in the universe will be shattered by something like a conflict with a meteorite? Not a chance! I have to smash it when the meteorite is close!’

“All guns and missiles of the Dark Star have been reloaded!”

“Wait! Not yet, not yet!”

The captain clenched his fist firmly as he stared at the approaching meteorite.

“The meteorite is 300 kilometres away! 250….200…..150…..Captain-nim!”

“Now! Fire!”

Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa! Ku kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Once again dozens of lights shot out! It was necessary to confirm on the screen as the meteorite was 100 kilometres away.

The sight of the guns and missiles. .h.i.tting the meteorite could be seen on the other side of the window. And thick cracks spread on the meteorite’s tattered s.h.i.+eld before it shattered!

The scene of the meteorite shattering right in front of them was like it came from a 3D movie.

This was the captain’s first mistake.

“The meteorite has been destroyed!”

“Meteorite debris is heading towards the Dark Star!”

Once again, the Dark Star had smashed the meteorite. However it hadn’t turned to dust as the captain expected. The meteorite split into chunks of stone ranging from several kilometres to 100 kilometres in diameter.

This wouldn’t have been a big problem if it had been smashed at the 5,000 kilometre range of the Dark Star. But the meteorite had exploded only 100 kilometres away from the Dark Star!

“I-it is colliding!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

Hundreds of meteorite fragments struck the Dark Star. At the same time, lights flashed and the crew members cried out.

“More than 70% of the Dark Star’s body armour has been damaged!”

“8 barrels and 9 missiles launches have been destroyed!”

“There is a fire in B, C, F and G blocks! The exterior walls of A block have been directly hit and many crew members sucked out through the hole into outer s.p.a.ce! A part.i.tion to seal off the relevant block has been put up!”

The invincible Dark Star had become a wreck. This was the result of the captain’s choice to shatter the meteorite as closely as possible. But that wasn’t the captain’s crucial mistake.

“A large number of energy has been detected from behind the meteorite!”

“E-energy?”

Blood drained from the captain’s face as he looked. 14 s.h.i.+ps could be seen through the dense smoke. The s.h.i.+ps lined up facing the Dark Star and blue light started condensing.

“This…..a dream……”

Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa! Kwa kwa kwa kwa!

At the same time, 14 streams of light were fired.

————————————————————-

Ku ku ku ku! Pepeng! Ku ku ku kung!

14 s.h.i.+ps floated in the orbit of the grey planet.

Dozens of kilometres away from them, the Dark Star emitted flames from a chain explosion.

-Your level has risen……

The messages subsequently rose. It was a welcome message that indicated the character’s growth.

However Ark’s face was stiff as he stared at the windows. Once again, Hawk was the reason why it took three days to process the Dark Star.

Over the past three days, Hawk had sailed around searching for an asteroid of the appropriate size and placed a jet device on it. The members would hide behind the meteorite while a s.h.i.+eld was expanded in front of it.

‘The method itself is simple. Simple but……”

The idea of moving an entire asteroid wasn’t something that anyone could do. It might seem simple but it actually wasn’t that easy.

Even if the appropriate jet devices were equipped, it wasn’t easy to move it on the correct orbit. He precisely calculated the reload speed of the Dark Star, the asteroid’s movement speed and the psychology of the captain.

The strategy was called the Great Meteor Strike!

Rapid looked at the flaming Dark Star and whistled.

“The Dark Star is a monster but Hawk is also a monster. I guess he isn’t one of the Seven Swords for nothing? Hey, are you okay? Your enemy is someone powerful like that.”

“It’s not like I wanted it.”

Ark replied in a curt voice.

“And I’m not surprised because Hawk sunk the Dark Star.”

“No? Then what is it?”

“Do you have to ask? How much do you think the jet device to move the asteroid costs? A large s.h.i.+p’s engine! It would be worth thousands of gold! I can’t believe it! Even if it is the Dark Star, I can’t believe he poured thousands of gold into winning one battle! He is a crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d! d.a.m.n, now I know! Why that guy is blindly hostile towards me. That guy is just crazy! How could he do such a thing?”

“…..Are you really saying that?”

Rapid asked with an astounded voice. But Ark was 90% serious. Ark disliked someone like Hawk who would spend thousands of gold so easily. That was because they won’t be easily smashed when he stepped on them.

However Ark was also persistent.

‘If I shrunk back from money then I wouldn’t have started the game! I’ll show them that I don’t need money to climb up! Now it is a fight!’

-The Dark Star has sunk! Fleet, enter the planet.

Then Hawk’s voice was heard.

“Okay, Tori! Enter the atmosphere. Now is the time to show our strength!”

Ark shouted as he turned his head towards the grey planet.