Their ships have suffered severe damage and are no longer spaceworthy, though interestingly, most of the damage is limited to the flight propulsion systems and upper structural sections.”

She paused briefly before continuing.

“Additionally, the expected commander of the Minotaur fleet, who was attempting to escape the system, was also taken down by the Nova Cannon.”

She straightened slightly. “All in all, we are effectively finished with the star system’s protective forces. As for the others…”

“As for the others…” she said, snapping her fingers.

For an AI, the gesture itself was almost ridiculous. But Eclipse was no ordinary artificial intelligence. She was a top-tier construct, one that could be considered an emotional being in her own right. Her existence was that of a pure energy entity, composed entirely of energy itself.

That nature granted her properties far beyond conventional machines—gestures like snapping her fingers, expressive mannerisms, and traits that mimicked life, all layered atop the overwhelming computational power she possessed as the brain of the ship she was enthroned within.

At her gesture, a three-dimensional holographic image appeared in the air.

It was an extremely detailed, real-time model of the entire star system.

Every possible detail was visible. Within it, the fleeing ships of the Minotaur fleet could be seen scattering in different directions. After traveling a certain distance, they exited the influence of the space-lock field that had been in place. The moment they were free, each ship entered warp as soon as it had the opportunity.

One by one, they vanished from their original positions, leaving empty space behind.

But it wasn’t hard for the advanced systems installed across the First Battle Fleet—especially aboard the Oblivion-class dreadnoughts—to predict the exit points of the Minotaurs’ warp travel. Analysis showed that nearly forty percent of the remaining forces were still within the star system, heading straight toward the five habitable planets.

A pointless move.

Heading toward their own deaths… Eclipse muttered to herself. These Minotaurs really don’t know what to do if they want to survive. Well, not my headache. It’s their lives—and if they’re willing to throw them away, our fleet is more than willing to take them.

She snapped her fingers once again, and the three-dimensional real-time map of the star system zoomed in on the five habitable planets.

There, a small contingent of enemy ships could be seen racing toward the closest world, which she designated as B-01. The others were labeled B-02, B-03, B-04, and B-05.

The contingent, numbering roughly two hundred ships, then split into two groups. One group of forty vessels altered course toward planet B-01, while the remaining ships continued onward, dividing again in equal numbers as they moved toward the other habitable worlds.

The contingent, numbering roughly two hundred ships, then split into two groups. One group of forty vessels altered course toward planet B-01, while the remaining ships continued onward, dividing again in equal numbers as they moved toward the other habitable worlds.

Meanwhile, the first contingent had already opened fire on the Minotaur space installations and began obliterating them. Weapons platforms, defense arrays, and even full space stations were wiped out within just a few intense volleys from the combined firepower of multiple frigates, ten destroyers, two battlecruisers, and a single battleship.

On the other side, the enemy didn’t even have time to react. The very stations they were operating from turned into hellish nightmares, consuming them before they could so much as shout a warning.

And the firing didn’t stop there.

After dealing with the planetary orbital installations, the small contingent of First Battle Fleet ships redirected their fire toward the planet itself. A full planetary bombardment began, precisely targeting any weapons systems that could be turned against them. At the same time, numerous spaceports, government buildings, and key infrastructure were destroyed, leaving the planet’s defenses crippled and incapable of fulfilling the purpose they had been created for.

Then came the ground phase.

Hundreds of mechs were deployed, followed by nearly half as many fighter squadrons. The fighters acted both as cover for the mech contingents and as hunters, sweeping the skies to track down and eliminate the remaining Minotaur fighter squadrons that had been left behind.

Meanwhile, the first contingent had already opened fire on the Minotaur space installations and began obliterating them. Weapons platforms, defense arrays, and even full space stations were wiped out within just a few intense volleys from the combined firepower of multiple frigates, ten destroyers, two battlecruisers, and a single battleship.

On the other side, the enemy didn’t even have time to react. The very stations they were operating from turned into hellish nightmares, consuming them before they could so much as shout a warning.

And the firing didn’t stop there.

After dealing with the planetary orbital installations, the small contingent of First Battle Fleet ships redirected their fire toward the planet itself. A full planetary bombardment began, precisely targeting any weapons systems that could be turned against them. At the same time, numerous spaceports, government buildings, and key infrastructure were destroyed, leaving the planet’s defenses crippled and incapable of fulfilling the purpose they had been created for.

Then came the ground phase.

Hundreds of mechs were deployed, followed by nearly half as many fighter squadrons. The fighters acted both as cover for the mech contingents and as hunters, sweeping the skies to track down and eliminate the remaining Minotaur fighter squadrons that had been left behind.

And this pattern began to repeat across all the habitable planets—and even the uninhabitable ones where smaller military installations had been hidden. Secret pirate bases were not spared either.

Slowly but surely, the entire star system was turned upside down by the Void Fleet’s First Battle Fleet. Countless Minotaur lives were lost in the process, a fact the Void Fleet forces were least concerned about. For creation to take place, destruction had to come first.

“As you can see, Grand Admiral,” Eclipse continued, “our forces are making significant progress in neutralizing all remaining Minotaur presence on the planets. Most civilian populations are being left alive. However, the process remains slow.”

She brought her hands together calmly. “Now that we are finished here, I suggest deploying additional units to fully cleanse the star system of all remaining threats. After that, we can begin construction of the AI factories and start laying down defensive weapon systems throughout the system, securing it against any future attempts by the Minotaurs or their patrons.”

And this pattern began to repeat across all the habitable planets—and even the uninhabitable ones where smaller military installations had been hidden. Secret pirate bases were not spared either.

Slowly but surely, the entire star system was turned upside down by the Void Fleet’s First Battle Fleet. Countless Minotaur lives were lost in the process, a fact the Void Fleet forces were least concerned about. For creation to take place, destruction had to come first.

“As you can see, Grand Admiral,” Eclipse continued, “our forces are making significant progress in neutralizing all remaining Minotaur presence on the planets. Most civilian populations are being left alive. However, the process remains slow.”

Ezra nodded his head and brought his hands together calmly. “Now that we are finished here, I suggest you should deploy additional salvage units to fully cleanse the star system of all remaining threats. After that, you can begin construction of the combat bots, weapons factories and start laying down defensive weapon systems throughout the system, securing it against any future attempts by the Minotaurs or their patrons.”

“While we’re at it, have the construction bots speed up their multiplication and prioritize the creation of combat-bot facilities. Those units will be what we rely on most at this stage to secure and safeguard the habitable planets, while also governing the Minotaurs.”

He paused only briefly before continuing.

“After that, have the construction bots focus on building weapons factories and orbital shipyards for the development of ships and weapons systems that will be used to defend this star system.”

His gaze remains neutral. “Once construction of the weapons systems is complete, have them installed into the various asteroids scattered throughout the system. I want the entire star system covered within their firing ranges.”

“As for the weapon types, restrict production to Star Destroyer Cannons and quad plasma batteries. The quantities are yours to decide.”

“And we won’t stop there. Once we’ve fully fueled and completely encased this star system within an array of weapon systems, I want production to continue. These weapons will be stockpiled and then deployed to other star systems we’ll be attacking soon. That way, we won’t have to repeat this entire process again and again in every system—we’ll already have what we need.”

He shifted his focus outward from the ship . “As for the shipyards, once construction is complete, begin production of battleships immediately. For now, have them piloted by ship AIs. When the Minotaurs have been fully indoctrinated, we’ll allow them to command these ships on our behalf.”

“Until then, they will defend this star system alongside the weapon arrays we’re putting in place.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep