Chapter 219: The Vortex Torpedo

Rifts flickered across the star system as another battleship formation leapt into the fray. By now, Abaddon was no longer surprised by these developments; his only frustration stemmed from the abrupt silence of his boarding team.

"Your troops have lost contact too?" he inquired of Typhus.

Typhus, who had been coordinating repair efforts, hadn't kept up with the boarding team's progress. Only after Abaddon's question did he attempt to establish contact, discovering that his team had already fallen silent. Their last report had been brief: *"Attempting to breach the main gate."*

Informing Abaddon, he asked for any updates from his side.

"My last transmission was..." Abaddon paused to mimic his officer's tone, *"We are fighting against steel!"*

Typhus, hoping for crucial intelligence, was deeply disappointed by Abaddon's answer. Abaddon shared his frustration, wishing they'd received visual footage of what lurked within the enemy ship. Strategically, the boarding attempt had been disastrous; their forces had perished far too quickly, providing little useful information.

"Let's withdraw," Abaddon finally muttered, his gaze settling on the starry void from his command window. "We need to regroup and analyze our intel more cautiously."

Reluctantly, Typhus nodded his assent.

"Yet, before our departure, I must ensure the *Revenant* has a secure escape." Rising from his command throne, Abaddon dispatched a coded command to a trusted lieutenant, who immediately moved to the right flank's torpedo bays.

...

The Chaos fleet commenced a retreat towards the nearest Mandaville point, with the heavily-damaged *Revenant* limping at the rear. Its slow pace was not by choice; its propulsion systems had been critically damaged in the previous clash.

Seeing the enemy's retreat, Adam swiftly calculated the odds, his mind seamlessly connected to the tactical assistance system: with a decisive pursuit, the likelihood of sinking the *Revenant* stood at eighty-five percent.

"All ships, pursue!"

Adam's order rippled through the fleet, and the Tyrone Navy surged forward at full throttle, zeroing in on the faltering *Revenant.* Just then, a solitary torpedo launched from the ship's intact right forward battery caught his eye. The image zoomed in, revealing a torpedo unlike any recorded in their data.

"Detecting intense subspace readings!" reported the sensor officer, alarmed by the unprecedented readings surging from the torpedo, which were reaching nearly a tenth of Cadia's rift.

"Attempt interception," Adam commanded calmly.

"Report! The dimensional engine is charging!" another officer announced.

The engine's status flashed onto Adam's display, showing a defensive protocol in place. Confounded, Adam scrutinized the file. Nowhere in his extensive training had he encountered such a directive.

Within moments, the torpedo neared, subspace readings spiking to exponential heights. A vortex of violet light spiraled in front of the *Tyrone Dominus,* expanding rapidly.

It was the last image Adam saw before the *Tyrone Dominus* and nearby ships vanished into the dimensional realm.

"Why activate the dimensional engine? We were on the verge of sinking the enemy battleship!"

"What is going on?"

"Did you receive any orders from the captain?"

As accusations and confusion erupted amongst the crew, Adam knew it was not the engine crew's fault; he trusted that no one on board would engage the dimensional engine without orders.

"I'll review the defense protocols," Adam stated. A document unrolled before him, marked with the level-four clearance accessible only to the captain. It disclosed a high-priority protocol: upon detecting subspace energy of this magnitude, the dimensional engine would activate autonomously to safeguard the ship.

"Admirably executed, everyone," Adam closed the report. "The dimensional engine's activation will be investigated and reported to the Admiralty. No one else aboard bears responsibility."

...

In the depths of the subspace realm:

"Do you have a vortex torpedo aboard?" Typhus's voice sounded through his helmet, restrained yet simmering with anger. "Why didn't you use it sooner?"

Having battled across the galaxy for eons, Typhus knew vortex weaponry intimately. Though the *Ender* had also jumped into subspace, brief reports from other ships confirmed Abaddon's deployment of the vortex torpedo.

As its name suggests, a vortex torpedo conjures a rift on the battlefield, drawing anything in its path into the void. Although powerful enough to obliterate any vessel, the rift it opens is notoriously unpredictable, as likely to sweep allies as enemies.

"You don't imagine vortex torpedoes are readily available, do you?" Abaddon replied coolly. "I use it only when absolutely necessary."

Typhus swallowed further rebuke, pausing before asking, "How many do you still have?"

"None."

"Then it seems we've exhausted our ability to continue fighting," Typhus said, turning to his communicator and instructing the *Ender* to break formation and return home.

Abaddon paused, and then, after a moment of thought, spoke with finality: "There is one more. It's yours to command."

Typhus shifted his communicator back: "We will follow our Warmaster to victory or death!"