One of the biggest uncertainties of the journey from the Philaster Crestia System to the Yernstall Central Star Node was getting intercepted by rogue human warbands.
Ves and the big shots really did not want this confrontation to happen.
The debate on how red humanity should acquire their willpower sources continued to rage across the galactic net and beyond.
Emotions grew hot.
A strong movent consisting of disgruntled and paranoid ch pilots passionately advocated for a complete ban on stolen resonance technology!
The fact that it required the extraordinary willpower of a high-ranking ch pilot of a swordmaster already made stolen resonance generators taboo in their opinion.
Rather than letting the newfangled technology tempt the greedy into killing human heroes, it would be better to remove the option from the board entirely!
While Ves could understand this sentint, he personally thought that these ch pilots were too naive.
The cat was already out of the bag. The appearance of the Ixith Goliath changed the course of the Red Ocean forever.
There was no way that every single human group would calmly agree to collectively bury this powerful new technology.
It only took one rogue actor to bring this tech to life and force everyone else to adopt the forbidden technology as well lest they fell behind!
Even if every single human leader including the Polymath miraculously abided by this gentleman's agreent, what about the aliens?
The native aliens would definitely be able to reproduce stolen resonance technology sooner or later.
Since that was the case, it beca imperative for red humanity to gain a head-start and make sure that its stolen resonance generators perford better and beca available in greater quantities.
At least, that was what Ves thought. Not everyone shared the sa sentint, so he carefully evaded discussion on what had to be done.
Yet just because he was keen to avoid this debate did not an that those with strong opinions allowed him to get away without a word.
As much as the major players tried their best to prevent a collision between the escort fleet and the radicals who objected to stolen resonance technology, they eventually failed.
The escort fleet ca to a very rude stop all of a sudden after it sohow got accurately interdicted by a relatively small force.
Alarms imdiately rang throughout every ship of the Bluejay Fleet and the other vessels assigned to escort the captured Ixith Goliath!
chs sortied into space while warship-grade weapon systems began to lock onto any target that could be hostile.
The surrounding space quickly beca flooded with high-powered sensor signals as well as many forms of signal interference.
Confusion briefly reigned as the officers of the escort fleet tried to get their bearings and figure out why they got intercepted.
"This is impossible! This star system along with the surrounding star systems are all monitored! Our listening network should have been able to detect the enemy fleet. Why did our systems fail?"
"Our latest scans suggest that we are not confronted by a fleet of regular starships or warships. We have encountered a specialized task force of stealth ships that are equipped with surprisingly effective warp interdiction field generators! This is a fleet that is tailor-made for evading patrols and intercepting crucial convoys behind enemy lines!"
It shouldn't have been a surprise that this ambush-oriented task force managed to succeed despite everyone's best efforts!
This was a ridiculously specialized configuration of stealth vessels!
"Who created this task force, how did they lose control over it during this sensitive ti?!"
"The ships are not hiding their identification data. They all hail from the Red Association."
The expressions of many people turned sour after learning about the origins of the ambush force.
The chers of the Bluejay Fleet felt especially bad about the fact that they had been waylaid by their own comrades!
Of course, the probability that mbers of the Red Association would go rogue and act against the escort fleet had always been high.
No one else wanted to destroy the physical key to stolen resonance technology more than the people who dedicated their entire lives to chs!
"Orders, sir?"
"Despite their stealth and interdiction capabilities, the opposing hulls do not pose a serious threat against our forces. They are all sub-capitals with fragile hull plating and diocre gun batteries. Their missiles may be surprisingly high in yield to facilitate their ambush operations, but as long as we maintain our distance to the enemy vessels, we have a high likelihood of intercepting any missile salvos fired in our direction."
Small ships could easily punch above their weight if they had been loaded with antimatter missiles or more terrible warheads.
This was why the escort fleet could not afford to underestimate the ambushing force. The other side might be misguided, but that did not necessarily an that the opposing officers were stupid.
Still, it was difficult to imagine that the enemy task force could defeat the escort fleet.
Even if the opposing force only cared about destroying the research specin, they would have to get through a lot of chs and warships.
Hundreds of chs had already deployed in each direction.
They did not only guard against the visible enemies, but also against those that may still be lurking in stealth.
The starships and warships on the other hand began to position themselves around the research vessel that held the all-important Goliath-in-stasis.
The warships clearly conveyed their willingness to block any attacks with their own energy shields and hulls just to protect their charge!
The Armitage conspicuously remained silent at this ti.
Ves had ordered the Ascended Giants to suit up but refrain from appearing in open space.
"That may be the most prudent choice." The Divine Harpoon voiced his approval. "We do not yet know what to expect from this confrontation. Our giants are strong in so areas, but have proven to be vulnerable in other areas. There is no harm in waiting to see how the situation unfolds."
While the Ascended Giants held back, the most powerful combat asset in the escort fleet could not remain absent.
The Riot Mark III deployed into space and quickly took up a guard position close to the research vessel in case enemies tried to sneak their way past everyone's notice.
The most advanced stealth systems may be able to fool high-powered sensors, but they definitely shouldn't be able to circumvent the Saint Kingdom of an ace ch!
After the Riot Mark III assud its place, a tense period of inactivity ensued.
Neither side appeared to be in a hurry to resort to open action.
They rely observed each other.
Ves did not understand why the rogue chers did not take imdiate action.
They had sohow evaded every form of detection and accurately managed to intercept their target.
If they laid mines or launched a huge barrage of high-yield missiles at the ti, they could have inflicted significant damage to the ships that got stranded for a ti!
By refusing to take advantage of the temporary weakness of the escort fleet, the rogue chers squandered their advantage.
If hostilities broke through afterwards, then the enemies would definitely suffer significantly greater casualties than if they made the sensible decision!
This told Ves a lot about the kind of opponent he was facing this ti.
He already felt an undercurrent of energy and passion from one of the distant stealth vessels.
His senses perceived a distant wave that conveyed a sense of exuberance that he never encountered in the past.
"The stealth vessels aren't the problem." He concluded. "Their presence has halted our fleet, but their threat level is not high. Our chs should be able to crush them without requiring the support of our warships. However, there is a stronger enemy lurking aboard one of those ships."
The distant adversary stirred.
He conveyed clear signs of awareness of what was taking place.
The energy levels kept rising around one of the enemy stealth vessels.
It soon beca clear where all of those emissions were coming from, because a powerful machine erged from the hangar bay of that vessel.
Many people imdiately got taken aback by the appearance of a new ch that possessed an undeniable presence in the field.
It couldn't be helped. Not only was the machine larger than usual, but it also possessed a striking appearance.
The ace ch, for it could be nothing else, possessed a purple and bright yellow coating that was designed to attract attention, similar to the Riot's own striped orange coating.
The weapon wielded by the ace ch also looked striking. It possessed the shape and contours of a battleaxe, but it also carried strings similar to a musical instrunt!
That pretty much allowed any decent ch enthusiast to identify the champion that led the opposing force.
Not many ace chs boasted a combination of purple and yellow coloration.
Paired with the unique and practically iconic Guitar-Battle-Axe, only a single machine fit all of the criteria.
"Our deep scans have confird it. The ace ch that has erged from one of the stealth ships is the Sound of Revolution." One of the bridge officers reported with a solemn voice. "This is the exclusive ace ch of Saint Conrad Morgenstern, who bears the title of the Voice of Liberty. Instead of executing his orders, he has chosen to disregard them and misused RA assets to intercept our fleet."
Ves furrowed his brows. "I can understand it if a single rogue ace pilot and a handful of sympathizers might resort to treason in order to stand up for their principles, but those ships are large enough to be crewed by at least several hundred personnel. Are they all in support of this crazy confrontation?"
"They are mortals. Their opinions can easily be swayed by a charismatic leader. Ace pilots inherently possess a charm that can compel anyone into following them to the gates of hell. The Voice of Liberty happens to excel in this. As soon as he begins to speak, you will find out how effective he is at convincing you to believe in his cause."
As the seconds passed, Ves rapidly tried to recall everything he knew about the Voice of Liberty.
The man possessed a mixed and turbulent past. He had a history of antagonizing authority.
It was not up to Ves to judge whether Saint Conrad's cause was righteous or not. The fact of the matter was that the latter fought a long and brutal civil war against his state.
The ace pilot not only managed to win the war, but did so while performing a guitar solo during the decisive battle at the end!
As Ves quickly caught up to the Voice of Liberty's biography, it beca increasingly more clear that if anyone would choose to defy the orders of his superiors for a different cause, he would definitely rank in the top 10!
The Voice of Liberty's past had shaped his personality and outlook on life.
This was not a man who had a habit of bowing to authority.
He was a rebel at heart!
As long as he encountered any form of injustice, his most common response was to crusade against it regardless of how his actions might endanger or inconvenience other people!
This was a tricky custor for that reason alone.
Another reason for vigilance was the fact that the Voice of Liberty was not a solitary figure.
Part of the reason why he managed to beco as powerful as he was today was due to the assistance provided by his patron.
It was not that big of a secret within the ch community that the Voice of Liberty regarded the Resonance Smith as his patron!
The Voice of Liberty's defiance against authority happened to align quite well with the Unbound Humanity Faction, thereby deepening his disobedient traits even further!
Ves imdiately found it difficult to figure out how he should handle this tough custor.
Had the Voice of Liberty gone rogue on his own accord, or was he acting under the orders of the Resonance Smith?
How much was the Star Designer responsible for the current ss, and how would he react if Saint Conrad ca to harm?
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