Two massive cruisers sped through the void, their hulls illuminated by the dense flashes of Macro cannons and lances.
To seize the moment when the enemy vessel lost its Void Shield protection, the Unyielding's combat department officers declared free fire, and tongues of flame spewed forth, spreading death.
After the free fire order was given, the second battery group commanded by Horatio demonstrated fast loading speed and high precision.
Most of the fired shells did not hit the exact intended location, but not a single one went off target.
One side of the Murder-class Cruiser's surface became scarred; Horatio could clearly see 14 shell holes on it, as well as 'patterns' etched by lances.
"No. 3 Macro cannon, adjust muzzle angle, elevation positive 5 degrees, azimuth negative 4 degrees!"
Horatio was sweating profusely. He had marked several critical points of the Murder-class within firing range in his target atlas.
He held a compass and ruler, constantly making corrections based on the previous round of firing, and the current headings and speeds of both sides. Farida reported the latest parameters to him in real-time and cross-referenced data; both were very busy.
The firing indicator light came on.
"Shell loaded! Parameters calibrated." Farida responded.
Horatio immediately shouted, "Fire!"
He had always wanted to completely destroy the opponent's Void Shield, but because the headings and speeds of both sides changed too quickly, and the enemy vessel constantly tried to close in on the Unyielding, Captain Peru always maintained a distance, slowly dismantling the enemy vessel's hull piece by piece with the Imperial Navy's proud artillery precision.
The shell left the barrel. Horatio looked at his pocket watch.
"Why do you always look at your watch?" Farida asked with some curiosity.
"I'm timing it." Horatio frowned deeply.
"Timing what?" Farida looked puzzled.
"The enemy vessel's Void Shield restart time." He looked up at the crimson hull, his gaze like an arrow.
He saw the shell's impact point.
And checked the blueprints to see where it hit.
The previous shell had opened a hole in the hull, but the penetration depth and explosion were only enough to pierce the shallow hull.
He hoped the second shell would hit roughly the same location, because directly below it was the second Void Shield generator.
Previously, No. 1 gun battery had inadvertently blasted a gap in the forward midsection of the hull. Horatio looked at the gap thoughtfully, immediately cross-referencing his target atlas, and sure enough, deep within the hull below was the Void Shield generator.
"It hit! Next round, double regular round (a high-explosive heavy shell used at close range), quickly!" Horatio shouted.
The indentured laborers pulled desperately, their backs raw and bloody from the whips. They were exhausted, but Horatio had to seize every second, even if it meant some of them would die from exhaustion, which was acceptable.
He hunched over the table calculating gun traverse, drenched in sweat. Farida had a servant bring him water and a towel.
"No. 4 Macro cannon loaded!"
"Muzzle adjusted!"
"Fire!" Horatio took the towel, wiped his face casually, and shouted simultaneously.
Boom!
Another massive shell sped towards the enemy vessel.
[About 20 more seconds... the enemy vessel's Void Shield should be coming up...] Horatio bit his lower lip, watching the stopwatch hand on his pocket watch while looking at the sparks about to appear on the enemy vessel's hull.
Inside the enemy vessel.
"Quick, move the energy cells!"
"Overload release complete!"
At this moment, within the secondary Void Shield generator compartment, Khorne-worshipping crew members drove Imperial Army prisoners captured from the battlefield and civilians from fallen worlds. These slaves undertook high-risk work, and many were instantly incinerated into charcoal by leaking energy cells.
After the Void Shield overloaded, excess energy was transferred via converters into corresponding energy cells. These cells were both the energy source for lance cannons and the power source for ship equipment. The Unyielding was no different.
"Prepare to raise shields..." The Evil Cultists squad leader had just begun to shout.
A massive shell exploded on the upper deck, diagonally above them. The shockwave and shrapnel tore through several layers of armor between the compartments, and surging flames, like the tongues of demons, reached into the secondary Void Shield generator compartment. Everything they licked instantly turned to ash.
The Evil Cultists crew members were on fire, screaming in agony. Those crushed to death by large fragments were, in contrast, liberated.
The Void Shield generator was charred black by the immense heat, some circuits were severed, and the leaking electricity turned an area of hundreds of square meters near the device into a deadly zone.
To repair it would require cutting off the Void Shield's power, and repairs would take a considerable amount of time.
"It hit!" Horatio saw the fire erupting from the deep deck through the targeting periscope, and joyfully clenched his fist, giving it a powerful swing.
"Report! Lookout observed that the portside No. 4 Macro cannon hit the enemy vessel's secondary Void Shield generator compartment." The Lieutenant reported to the Captain.
"Well done!" Captain Peru slapped his thigh.
"Captain, the power department has sent a brief. Our vessel's last Void Shield energy overload has reached 96%. Crew members have already begun to vent the overload energy."
Lieutenant Stirling reported, "Next round, we'll have to absorb shells with our hull structure."
"Passionate times are always short-lived."
Captain Peru sighed, "But there's no other way. Void combat is like this: wear down each other's Void Shields, then slap each other in the face."
"Issue impact warning!" Lieutenant Stirling, seated on the Captain's throne, ordered.
"All hands prepare for bombardment!" The officer relayed the command downwards.
Portside Second Macro cannon Array Armor Command Platform.
"Warning! Warning! All units prepare for impact! Our vessel's Void Shield is about to de-energize. Warning! All units prepare for impact! Our vessel's Void Shield is about to de-energize." The alarm indicator flashed rapidly, and the voice broadcast's tone and content conveyed heavy pressure.
"Gun batteries! Damage control prepare!" Horatio spoke into the microphone on the display console, and his voice echoed through the loudspeakers in both gun compartments.
Some Sailors donned void-fire suits, checked water supply, and grabbed thick high-pressure water hoses from the bulkhead, waiting by their side.
Armed force Sailors ran to the indentured laborers' berths, setting up swivel multi-barrel laser guns to prevent the chains from being destroyed and these indentured laborers from escaping and resisting.
A team of Adeptus Mechanicus repair Acolytes led shackled slave laborers onto the gun deck. The slave laborers dragged huge repair steel plates with chains.
Thanks to the large life support system and hull support field, even if a hole was blown in the ship, oxygen would not leak out on a large scale.
As long as people were not sucked into the void, there was no need to worry about anything else. The cannons were still loading, and everything on the entire ship was proceeding as usual, meticulously and systematically.
Farida became nervous again.
She was excited when shells slammed into the Imperial enemy's hull, but now, the enemy vessel had raised a Void Shield, and her own side was about to take hits.
She had seen the massive shells of the Macro cannon and was in awe of them. She couldn't imagine how terrible it would be to be hit by such a shell.
Horatio sensed her unease and gently comforted her, "Don't worry too much. The enemy vessel's Macro cannon caliber is only one-fifth of ours. We have alloy gun shields and the thickest armor belt on the broadside in front of us. Where we are standing is an armored gun control platform. It will be very difficult for a shell to hit us."
"Mm." Farida responded.
"Stand behind me." Horatio calmly placed his hand on his saber, standing tall and fearless, his broad shoulders providing a strong sense of security.
"Who said I was scared?" Farida's expression was resolute. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Horatio, saying with full conviction, "When rivals meet on a narrow path, the brave one wins, and what we lack least is courage. We will tear down the Void Shield they just raised again."
"You're right, they are doomed today!"
Boom!
Both vessels fired a salvo simultaneously.
"Enemy shells incoming!"