UGT: 22th Aether 280 a.G.A. / 09:54 a.m.

  Location: ASF Aurora, inside the Woch-Hor'Nubis system (black hole, 49x the Sol star mass), Inner-Noran sector, Ruidan Raider Association, Milky Way

  The battlefield shifted. The enemy’s hesitation evaporated the moment their reinforcements powered up. The hidden ships had completed whatever system checks they needed and were now joining the fray. Eleven additional vessels, including a Battlecruiser. I took a deep breath. That has been expected but that didn’t mean I liked it. This was their real engagement. Everything before had just been maneuvering, testing our reactions. Now they were truly committing. "Commander Ashcroft, we have confirmed enemy reinforcements moving into attack positions."

  His reply came immediately, his voice sharp and professional. "I see them. That Battlecruiser’s a problem. It has the firepower to punch through our lines." I exhaled slowly, eyes locked onto the tactical display. The SHF fleet had already begun to shift, preparing for the second phase of the fight. They had taken minimal damage so far, but with the reinforcements arriving, the situation was changing rapidly.

  "We can’t let them dictate the terms of engagement," I said. "If we let them form up properly, they’ll force us into a slugging match. With them holding all the advantages I fear the FSF Aurora would have to intervene more."

  [ Agreed. But we can flip the script. ]

  I smirked slightly at Fen’s words. "I assume you have an idea?"

  [ Of course. You’re going to love it. ]

  I arched an eyebrow. "Enlighten me."

  [ We let them think they’ve succeeded in forming up. We act as if we’re consolidating positions for a defensive stance, exactly what they want. But in reality? We launch a coordinated counteroffensive. While they’re still repositioning, the SHF fleet shifts its focus to the reinforcements while you and I handle the Battlecruiser. ]

  I studied the tactical display, analyzing the risk. It was bold. Risky, as it would temporarily occupy the ASF Aurora, leaving the remaining fleet without true protection. But it played into our strengths. My ship's overwhelming firepower was best suited to quick, brutal engagements. A drawn-out battle favored the enemy even more, as even the ASF Aurora wasn't necessarily able to block every attack. But by hitting them before they were fully set, we could shatter their plan entirely. "Commander Ashcroft, we’re shifting tactics. Focus fire on the reinforcements before they complete formation. I’ll deal with the Battlecruiser personally."

  A brief pause. "Understood. But why don't you just go all out? After this battle it is more than possible for us to refuel you with antimatter," he said. Allowing them to hold something over our head and to control our movements, as we would become dependent on their antimatter. Or even open us up for a potential assault on the ship by their ground forces. After all, it's not like they left all of them to the other part of the fleet. Just most of them. All of that went completely unsaid of course. I elected to just ignore him instead.

  I leaned forward. "Fen, bring us into optimal strike range. Let’s show them what happens when they overplay their hand."

  [ My pleasure. Engaging now. ]

  The ASF Aurora surged ahead, accelerating far beyond what any conventional battleship should be capable of. A standard Super Battleship wouldn’t dare push this aggressively into enemy lines, or at least not without an escort and layers upon layers of support fire. But the ASF Aurora wasn’t standard. The RRA Battlecruiser had fully powered up, its shields flaring as it began coordinating with the rest of the reinforcement group. Their mistake. It hadn’t expected an immediate assault.

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  [ Closing in on optimal range. Targeting solution locked. ]

  "Close in a bit more, than hit them hard," I ordered. "Matter Disintegrators first, this way we don't reveal the range of our antimatter missiles and railguns."

  Soon after, forty emerald beams slashed across the void, striking the Battlecruiser’s shields with pinpoint precision. The shimmering barrier fluctuated violently, its integrity dropping as the beams ate away at the energy field itself. Their ship defenses were built to withstand plasma fire, kinetic impacts, and even particle beams,but not this. The disintegrators weren’t just hitting them. No, they were actively dismantling their shield matrix. If someone knew about the existence of the dinintegrators and how they worked, it would be easy to recalibrate the ship matrix in a way to make them essentially useless. But as far as I knew, disintegrators were completely unknown to the galaxy. Therefore no one right now had the ability to block them. At least that was one of the theory's Fen and I made up for engagements like this. Now we were proven right.

  [ Their shields are failing. They weren’t prepared for this. ]

  "Switch to Gauss Cannons. Target engine and weapon systems. I want that ship neutralized," I replied absentmindly, still thinking about the impact our disintegrators would make on our enemies and allies alike. A premier negotiation chip.

  [ Firing now. ]

  The ASF Aurora’s railguns roared. Antimatter rounds slammed into the exposed hull, piercing through armor plating like paper. Explosions bloomed across the ship as internal compartments breached and detonated, entire sections collapsing from the force. The Battlecruiser reeled, its starboard thrusters flickering out as fire and atmosphere vented from the wounds. It tried to retaliate, but its plasma batteries misfired, a direct result of the shield system’s catastrophic failure.

  [ Weapons offline, their reactor’s destabilizing. If they don’t shut it down, they’ll go up in flames. ]

  I exhaled sharply. Too easy.My fingers hovered over the command interface. The RRA were ruthless, but not suicidal. They wouldn’t let a Battlecruiser go down this fast, not without a contingency. It was just a hunch, but something was off. "Fen, scan for abnormal power surges. I don’t like this."

  [ Already on it. Hold on… ]

  The data came in. And I didn’t like what I saw.

  [ May. They’re overcharging their core. They’re going to ram us! ]

  My eyes narrowed. So that was their true plan! They'd known they never stood a chance in a battle with the ASF Aurora looming behind their enemies. They wanted to sacrifice their biggest ship to at least damage the ASF Aurora enough to give them a shot at winning! "Emergency thrusters, full evasive!" I instantly shouted. The ASF Aurora veered hard, thrusters firing at maximum capacity as the crippled Battlecruiser ignited its remaining engines. Obviously they were far slower, but the ASF Aurora had to decelerate first. As of now, we flew with high speeds into the completely wrong direction. Even that normally wouldn't be a problem, but our enemies weren't aiming for a clean hit. They just wanted proximity to damage us enough, to take us temporarely out of the fight.

  [ They’re pushing their core past critical! If they get close enough— ]

  "Missiles. All tubes. Full spread," I said with gritted teeth. I had no idea how much the shields of the ASF Aurora could stand up to, untested as they were as of now. And I wouldn't risk my ship, even if it ended up costing me great amounts of antimatter.

  [ Firing! ]

  A barrage of Whirlwind antimatter missiles launched, the intelligent warheads adjusting mid-flight as they swarmed the dying Battlecruiser. Detonations rippled across its remains, one after another, until finally, their reactor collapsed. The enemy ship erupted in a blinding explosion, shockwaves rippling through space as its remains were atomized. The few outer rippples that actually reached the ASF Aurora were easily absorbed by its shields. I let out a slow breath. That had been to close.

  [ Well, that was dramatic. But hey, you got to see a Battlecruiser go supernova. I’d call that a win. ]

  I shook my head, though a slight smile appeared on my face. But to celebrate, it was to early. The situation just now had came to close for comfort. And all around them the battle still raged on.