From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars

It is not a new thing for Amber to break into the atmosphere alone.

Whether sitting in an orbital airdrop capsule as an ‘orbital paratrooper’, or taking an HCP and performing ‘drop operations’ under the wrapping of a dedicated airdrop capsule, in the previous life’s game, it was like a ‘daily routine’ like eating and drinking.

Because players, especially the pioneering players who are all ‘urgent kings’, are a group of ‘efficiency first’.

So many times, transportation projects such as orbital elevators or air-space routes, which are comfortable but require queuing and take a long time, will be PASSed by players.

In most cases, these more anxious players will choose to pay a little fee and take a ‘cheap interstellar flight route’ set up by a certain player.

The carrier spacecraft of this kind of player-built route is generally modified from retired near-air assault ships or orbital attack ships to ‘harmless’.

They will stay briefly in the low and medium orbits of the planets they pass on the route, and the way of ‘getting on and off passengers’ is also simple and crude.

After entering the orbit around the star, first avoid the patrol fleet of the planet and find the orbital management blind spot of the planet - in the T2, T3 or border planets of the Federation and the Empire, this kind of "management blind spot" is very common.

Then, after secretly descending to the low orbit, put the passengers who need to disembark at this station in the airdrop capsule and throw them down like a hen laying eggs.

Depending on the fee paid by the player, you can choose a more comfortable and private single airdrop capsule, or you can squeeze into a standard airdrop capsule with other players

After the job is done, the spacecraft will return to the high orbit, and then go to the airport or satellite city to "pick up passengers", and replenish the consumed airdrop capsules at the "office" set up locally.

This set of skillful operations made the business of this "cheap interstellar flight route" extremely popular, and later it was dug out by a good player. This person is the boss of a traditional transportation giant in reality

Therefore, the players of "Starry Sky OL" are not unfamiliar with the fact that a single soldier breaks into the atmosphere, and they will jump every now and then, because many people come to play this game just for these "exciting projects"

But driving an HCP and breaking into the atmosphere without the assistance of additional airborne components is really the first time for Amber.

Even this ‘ATLAS’ heavy space combat-specialized HCP, its test model has also undergone the experiment of breaking into the atmosphere before it is put into formal production, but it was all without manned.

Before the manned test was done, the conflict between Atlas and the Federation Army on Pyra IV had already begun to intensify, so Amber initially thought of conducting conventional combat first, and as for these functional projects that have not yet completed the test, they will not be touched for the time being.

But the battlefield situation changes rapidly, and in many cases you will not have time to prepare.

However, Amber will not give up the action of breaking into the atmosphere to put out the fire just because the test has not been completed. After all, he has been instilling an idea in Atlas' combat units:

"The duty of the Atlas combat unit is to go to the battlefield when needed, not after being prepared."

Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you. If you retreat at this time, don't think that the combat unit can implement this fighting spirit in the future.

——

"Master, there is good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

"Tsk, let me tell you the bad news first."

In the cockpit of the 'ATLAS' heavy space combat specialized HCP, Amber, wearing a heavy hydraulic anti-G suit, was wrapped in an extra cushioning device that was usually hidden.

At the same time, the heavy hydraulic anti-G suit also activated the highest level of 'pharmacological anti-G system', and injected drugs that help to resist high G forces through intramuscular injection in various parts of his body.

"The bad news is that since we didn't have time to equip the egg-shaped airborne component, we can only use the 'lift reentry mode' that has not been tested to enter the atmosphere.

Also because there is no data to refer to, during the process of entering the atmosphere, the flight control system can only be adjusted in real time by me after collecting data from various sensors~"

"Can't the data of other lift reentry spacecraft be used as a reference?"

"The aerodynamic shapes are all different, so there is no way to refer to them, Master~"

Lilith's voice is very sweet, but the words she said still made Amber feel nervous.

Friends who frequently reenter the atmosphere or are familiar with the 'EDL (Entry, Descent, Landing)' process know that compared with the 'ballistic' and 'semi-ballistic' reentry methods, the lift reentry has the advantages of low overload, large maneuvering range, and high landing accuracy, but it is also much higher in technology than the former two, especially the requirements for the flight control system are extremely high.

After all, if there is a problem with the attitude of ordinary aircraft during flight, there is usually time to find a way to save it, but in the case of high-speed friction with the atmosphere, as long as there is a problem, it is very likely to disintegrate immediately in the next second.

So even with Lilith, a strong artificial intelligence, sitting in the seat, Amber is still a little panicked. Although he is a psychic, he is not yet strong enough to 'break into the atmosphere with his physical body'.

"What's the good news?"

"The good news is that the currently calculated landing trajectory can just fall over the area where the 5th Synthetic Battalion is located, and we don't need to readjust the landing trajectory."

"Thank you so much"

"Just tell me if it's good news~"

Just as Amber and Lilith were communicating, 'ATLAS' also ended the flight of the 'braking phase'. With the help of the additional propulsion components, the relative speed between the body and the planet has dropped from the previous combat speed, and it has turned into a track flying towards the planet's atmosphere.

At this time, the height of 'ATLAS' from the surface is 110 kilometers, which is also the range of the so-called upper boundary of the planet's atmosphere.

At this time, the main thruster of the body temporarily stopped working, and it was only controlled by the attitude control nozzles in various parts of the body from time to time to ensure that the body was flying freely under the gravity of the celestial body.

At the same time, the bulky external propulsion components and the large weapon units on the body, the empty missile launch box and other equipment were also abandoned at this stage.

These things, especially the heavy particle cannon and long-range electromagnetic sniper cannon like the lance, are definitely not able to be brought into the atmosphere.

Not only will they destroy the aerodynamic shape of the body, which is equivalent to nothing, but they are also easily damaged under the high temperature generated by the intense friction with the atmosphere.

Looking at the equipment abandoned and getting farther and farther behind on the rearview screen, Amber shook her head with some distress.

"It's too wasteful. The long-range sniper electromagnetic cannon only fired one round. We have to let Eugene and Owens recover the entire module, otherwise we have to throw it away like this every time."

While thinking about assigning homework to the two heads of the equipment research and development center, Amber looked at the multi-function display on the lower left.

At this time, after discarding these weapons and additional components that have run out of ammunition, the body has returned to the normal "human form", and the only weapons left are the close-range defense lasers on both sides of the main monitor on the head, and the heavy shield mounted on the left shoulder armor.

"Lilith, where is the Ikaros? The body's weapons have been used up, and the weapon components will be airdropped down later."

"It has been following us in the high orbit, Master~" Lilith's voice came again,

"The Federation fleet and the three cruisers behind us don't seem to have the time to take care of it, so it has been following us. Master, what weapon components do you need? I will arrange the airdrop now to ensure that it can enter the atmosphere at the same time as us."

"Three-piece land combat set, plus a set of plasma rocket launch nests and tactical missile launch bays."

Amber quickly said her needs, and then as if she thought of something, she asked:

"By the way. Has the newly made plasma beam saber been loaded on the Ikaros?"

"It was loaded just before I came."

"Very good, get me two too!"

Just as Amber and Lilith were communicating, the ATLAS also began to move from the 'entry into orbit transition phase' to the real 'entry phase'.

From the highest point of the dense atmosphere, the effect of aerodynamic force on the body began to become more and more obvious.

Amber also controlled the machine to put the heavy shield in front of her, and tried to hide the rest of the machine behind the shield.

At this time, the surface temperature of the machine and the shield began to rise rapidly. Although the insulation material on the surface of the external armor began to burn and melt, and took away the huge heat generated by friction with the atmosphere, the 'ATLAS' was not a professional reentry spacecraft after all, so the temperature in the cockpit also began to rise rapidly and finally stabilized at around 39 degrees.

"If I survive this time, I must ask them to fix the cockpit temperature control! It's too hot"

"Received Master, and the previous request has been recorded~"

——

The battle has been going on until now, and most of the viewers watching the 'Eye of Truth' live broadcast are shouting excitement, because it is the first time they have seen a live broadcast on a warship being pursued.

There is always a small screen in the upper right corner of the live broadcast screen, which displays the distance and relative speed between the Atlas fleet and the Federation fleet in real time.

Everyone was beginning to wonder what kind of battle would break out between the two fleets when the Federation Fleet caught up, and how long would this live broadcast last?

When ‘ATLAS’ turned into a meteor and fell toward the surface of the planet, both the pursuing Federation Fleet and the pursued Atlas Fleet captured this conspicuous ‘heat source’ that flew quickly under them.

In the Hermes's director center, the director of the 'Eye of Truth' asked Isabel uncertainly:

"Should we also inform you about the Boss's entry into the atmosphere? What if?"

"No what if."

Isabel's words were full of unquestionable doubt. She turned to look at the director of the 'Eye of Truth' and said firmly:

"Boss can definitely do it. And as an employee of Atlas, you should also believe that he can do it. Go ahead. Let the anchor report it truthfully."

"Yes, Director."

Soon, the audience in the 'Eye of Truth' live broadcast room heard the news that made them even more shocked. The boss of Atlas, the guy who just attacked alone, is now starting to do the big job of 'single-machine entry into the atmosphere' again.

At this moment, not only these ordinary audiences, President Brandon and his party in the conference room of the Federal Ministry of Defense Building, but also the Regent of the Star Dragon Empire, Princess Agnes, and Alanita in the Thousand Star Empire were all watching the screen, paying attention to the situation of Atlas and Amber.

Some people hoped that he would burn to ashes in the atmosphere, some hoped that he would fall to the ground and cause trouble, and some just hoped that he would return safely.

On the surface of Pyra IV, many refugees and troops from both sides in suitable positions saw the light spot passing through the sky.

In the ten refugee camps in Atlas, the refugees almost all gathered in front of the many screens set up in the camps, watching the pictures synchronized by the camp's air optical tracking sensors.

When this fiery red "meteor" with a long tail and constantly scattered fragments appeared in the center of the screen.

The old men who were accommodated in various camps and shouted "Battlefield Angel" when the Atlas troops arrived, directly shook off the hands of others who supported them, and then knelt on the ground tremblingly, worshiping in the direction of Amber falling in the sky.

Other kind refugees around stepped forward and tried to pull these old men up from the ground, but they heard them muttering in an excited voice:

"It is the Holy See that has come. The prophecy of the sages has come true!"

--

"80 kilometers in altitude"

"65 kilometers in altitude"

"40 kilometers in altitude"

"35 kilometers in altitude, Master, we have successfully left the black barrier area, the current descent speed is 7.5 Mach, and the EDL process has entered the 'descent phase'!"

"Fuck! It's done?!"

This is the first sentence that Amber blurted out after she recovered.

After leaving the black barrier area and the reentry speed began to gradually decrease, the most dangerous part of the whole process has passed.

Although it is still more than 30 kilometers above the ground, as long as nothing goes wrong, the final deceleration can be completed calmly with the help of the aircraft's own propulsion device.

After calming down the excitement in her heart, Amber first removed the extra restraints on the pilot in the cockpit and returned to the normal driving posture, and at the same time began to check the status of the aircraft.

Thanks to the fact that the aircraft was built without cutting corners, and Lilith's continuous corrections to the flight control, the aircraft did not have any problems, but the shield that served as the "bottom" in front was on the verge of being scrapped.

The heat insulation layer on its surface had been completely burned out, and the armor layer below had also been burned for more than half, and the internal coolant had also been consumed in the process of breaking through the "black barrier zone", which was basically equivalent to losing its defense capability.

The radar and sensors that were temporarily shut down after entering the "black barrier zone" also re-entered the working state at this time, and the downward-looking radar and terrain scanning radar dedicated to combat in the atmosphere also quickly updated important information.

However, before Amber had time to check her current position, a series of urgent "beeping" sounds first sounded in the cockpit, and then turned into a sharp buzzing sound.

"Master, we are being illuminated and locked by the fire control radar! It is the ground air defense force of the Federation Army!"

"Understood, I will start evasive maneuvers, help me with threat guidance."

Amber glanced at the bottom of the full-circle cockpit, where multiple radar signal sources on the surface were marked, and he also began to adjust his descent trajectory through the attitude control nozzle.

"Lilith, where is the weapon support component?"

"Just out of the black barrier area, right above your head, Master!"

Hearing Lilith's answer, Amber looked up and saw a black dot marked with a green frame above him.

At the same time, the buzzing sound in the cockpit became more and more piercing, and finally turned directly into Lilith's voice warning.

"Master, anti-aircraft missiles have been detected! According to the Federation Army's usual air defense combat process, the high-energy laser should be irradiated later!"

"Don't panic, help me get the weapon first."

Amber's voice has become very calm at this moment, and the plasma propulsion array on the back of his special machine 'Giant' also erupted a burst of surging blue light.

The aircraft's descent speed began to slow down, and the distance to the weapon drop pod above was getting closer and closer.

When it entered a certain range, the huge drop pod also exploded suddenly, leaving the external heat-insulating pneumatic components and revealing the parallel weapon container inside.

"Lilith, execute the docking procedure."

Amber said, and the close-in defense lasers on both sides of the main monitor on the head began to flash at a high frequency.

Soon, two fireballs burst out from the lower right side of the aircraft, but there were still a large number of red dangerous targets marked approaching at high speed.

But Amber did not panic. While continuing to reduce the height difference with the weapon container, he maintained evasive maneuvers and used two close-in defense lasers to name these missiles one by one.

The thin atmosphere at high altitude will make the close-in defense laser's combat effectiveness full. With the help of the advanced radar group and sensors installed by the 'Giant', the air defense missiles that were trying to climb were all shot down.

However, Amber knew that these air defense missiles were just appetizers, and the real threat came from the subsequent directed energy weapon attacks.

But the good news is that the high-altitude docking between the fuselage and the weapon container is about to be completed.

As several dull "clicks" were transmitted to Amber's ears along the fuselage, the fuselage armament information on the multi-function display screen was quickly updated.

"Fire control unit adaptation is complete, and energy circuits are beginning to be redistributed."

"Heavy particle cannons, charged particle cannons, and electromagnetic reconnection cannons are online, and the plasma rocket launch nests are beginning to move to the leg racks"

Watching the icons representing the corresponding weapons turn green on the screen, Amber's mouth corners kept rising, and finally turned into a slightly perverted smile.

When a charged particle beam from the surface hit the heavy shield in front of him, this "hero" who accompanied Amber to complete the atmospheric penetration also completed its final mission.

The huge shield broke into several pieces and flew away, and the long-range weapon group originally stored in the weapon container was also deployed in the process.

Under Amber's control, the fire control unit quickly locked the position just irradiated by the charged particle beam. There was an air defense position temporarily reorganized by the HCP and high-energy laser air defense vehicles.

"You are the only ones who have directed energy weapons, right?"

As Amber muttered to herself, the heavy particle cannon switched to the "irradiation" mode and blasted out a blue-white heavy metal ion jet.

While destroying most of the targets on the position during the sweep, it also kicked off the "famous scene" that cast a shadow on the ground forces of the Para IV Federation.