Earth is the cradle of humanity in the Solar System, and the United Earth Government is the only legitimate governing body for humankind across the stars. All other colonies on various planets, space cities, and space stations operate under colonial governments, subject to the leadership and restraint of the United Earth Government. {First Release.}

The Earth military fleet structure comprises twelve divisions, numbered from One to Twelve. The First and Second Fleets perpetually guard Earth's orbit, boasting the most powerful warships and military strength.

The Third through Sixth Fleets are stationed along the Twin King Star Defense Line, bearing the brunt of direct confrontation with the Ancient Legion. From the Seventh Fleet onward to the Twelfth, these are considered second-tier legions, significantly weaker than the first six.

During this recent engagement, two fleets of the Ancient Legion bypassed the Twin King Star Defense Line, encircling the four stationed fleets and routing the Fifth and Sixth Fleets. Consequently, even with the remaining forces successfully retreating, the defense of Saturn's orbit has become critically strained.

To secure the Saturnian orbit, the Seventh Fleet, stationed there, along with the Eighth Fleet from Jupiter's orbit and the Ninth Fleet from the Asteroid Belt, have all converged to reinforce the Saturn Defense Perimeter. Their goal is to consolidate forces with the remnants retreating from the Twin King Star Defense Line and establish a new formation to halt the Ancient Legion's advance.

These pirates clearly timed their attack to exploit the window when the Ninth Fleet departed and the relieving forces had not yet arrived, suggesting that the half-dead little wretch possesses some strategic acumen.

Yang Ying arrived in the cockpit of the small vessel just in time to overhear two pirate pilots discussing these very details, thereby acquiring the crucial intelligence.

Soon, the shuttle approached the pirate ship, entering through a maintenance port at the hull's base into a relatively spacious hangar bay.

The hangar was devoid of atmosphere, gravity, or personnel. (A note here: artificial gravity systems are ubiquitous, allowing for solid footing even aboard spacecraft; this applies to many colonies with weaker gravity than Earth, including Titan's Light.)

At this moment, the two pilots engaged the autopilot, allowing the computer program to dock the shuttle precisely where needed. A faint whirring sound emanated from outside the shuttle door as the retractable gangway reactivated.

Knowing the next wave of passengers was preparing to board, Yang Ying quietly assigned tasks to three Spectre agents, leaving one behind in the cockpit. He then proceeded with the other two to the cabin entrance, awaiting the opportune moment.

After several tense seconds, the gangway extended fully, and the main hatch opened. Simultaneously, the door opposite the gangway also unlocked. A dozen or so pirates, armed haphazardly, swaggered in with expressions of predatory excitement.

Once the pirates were all inside and the outer hatch sealed, Yang Ying gave a sharp gesture. He and the Spectre agents struck as one!

He lashed out, his hands driving forcefully into the throats of the two pirates nearest him. Given his current physical prowess, a single blow to an ox's belly could rupture its intestines and cause fatal internal hemorrhaging; how much more devastating, then, to the fragile human larynx.

The two pirates beside them gaped in stunned horror. Unable to perceive the cloaked Yang Ying, they merely witnessed their two chatty comrades' necks snap with an audible crack, twisting into unnatural angles. Then, a sharp pain struck their own necks, the world dissolved into blackness, and consciousness fled.

The two Spectre agents also executed instant kills, striking one pirate each, crushing their windpipes, effectively sealing their airways. Within the next fifteen to thirty seconds, they would suffocate to death, utterly unable to utter a sound before expiring.

The entire engagement consumed merely five seconds. No alarm was raised. Every one of the dozen-plus pirates in the compartment collapsed onto the floor. Some were still struggling through the final stages of asphyxiation, yet even with wide eyes, they could discern no trace of their assailant.

The Spectre agent left in the cockpit dealt with the two pilots, then emerged, signaling completion. He dragged the two bodies back into the cockpit and resumed his seat at the controls.

Yang Ying, accompanied by his two accompanying Spectres, opened the hatch and stepped out of the shuttle. They traversed the retractable gangway and arrived at the door opposite.

A control panel awaited them. Yang Ying pressed the activation stud, and the door slid open.

Outside, over a dozen pirates, scheduled for the next boarding, were clustered by the entryway, engaged in casual conversation. The sudden opening of the door, revealing empty space ahead, instantly silenced them.

These pirates lacked direct comms, but speed was essential.

Yang Ying took a deep, measured breath, vaulted upward, and flipped over to land silently behind the cluster. His eyes snapped open, and the hilt of a lightsaber materialized in his hand. A slender, silver beam of light flashed forth, and the massacre commenced.

The lightsaber's color had shifted from blue to silver—a transformation owed entirely to the Sword Arts Codex and the tireless efforts of the research institute on the Floating Continent.

The Codex meticulously detailed the structure and construction methodology of the lightsaber, noting: As a practitioner of the blade, one must intimately understand the nature of their weapon.

The lightsaber hilt, stripped to its essentials, was not overly complex. Its two most critical components were the energy cell and the focusing crystal.

The energy cell powers the saber. The pure energy emerges from the positive terminal of the cell, forming the columnar blade, then is immediately drawn back through the energy field to the negative terminal, recharging the cell. This entire circuit is constructed from superconductors. This mechanism ensures that nearly all energy is recycled, with consumption occurring only when the blade interacts with physical matter.

The color of the focusing crystal dictates the blade's color. This transparent crystal concentrates the energy into the light beam; its requirements for material purity and manufacturing precision are extraordinarily high. Only a select few factions possess the capability to fabricate such crystals.

While these prerequisites seem stringent, they were all perfectly addressed on the Floating Continent. Once the molecular structure is known, silicon ore can be transmuted into almost any required substance, the focusing crystal included. Furthermore, human engineering and manufacturing technology are sufficiently advanced to meet the minute precision required for crystal polishing.

The silver lightsaber is an extremely advanced variant. It boasts more than ten times the destructive power of a blue lightsaber operating at the same energy output. The Mon Calamari Forge produced a thousand lightsabers before one of them would randomly manifest the silver color; purple and gold are similarly rare.

Yang Ying sliced through the pirates' bodies with the silver blade as easily as passing through air. With just two swift swings, every pirate was decapitated; they hadn't the time to even turn around.

The superheated severance instantly cauterized the wounds, leaving not a drop of blood spilled. A dozen headless torsos lay neatly arranged on the deck.

The two Spectre agents moved in, dragging the bodies into the retractable gangway to prevent discovery by any passing patrols. Once the area before the door was pristine, they closed the hatch.

Just then, a voice crackled over the communicator from the shuttle cockpit, demanding to know why the pilots had not yet departed.

The Spectre agent stationed inside responded with flawless improvisation, mimicking the pilot’s voice. He reported minor engine trouble that was currently being resolved and would be fixed shortly. The voice on the other end grumbled impatiently but detected no anomaly.