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Here is part 2 of the 3 part final chapter for Silent Guardians. Hope it is a good read.

For Reference:

Kyree (key ree): anthromorph wolf-like race

Kenseng (ken sang): anthromorph tiger-like race

Drala (dra la): anthromorph reptilian-like race

Arastos (a rest tos): alien starship www.sofurry.com/page/298134

Arastos Crew:

Kanolos (ka no loss): male kyree, starship helmsman, mated to Riyla

Riyla (ri la): female kyree, starship captain, mated to Kanolos

Shyla (shy la): female kenseng, starship tactical officer/cook, mated to Yanashi

Yanashi (ya na she): female kyree, starship tactical officer/physician, mated to Shyla

Eriras (ear rass): female kenseng, starship engineer, mated to Taylo

Taylo (tay low): male kenseng, starship engineer, mated to Eriras

Lumina (loo men na): holographic female kyree construct, starship supporting A.I.

Keith (key th): male human, human ambassador/starship operations officer

Territory Map Diagram: www.sofurry.com/page/222716/

Fortissimo

Written by: Spudz

The tension was palpable, engulfing the bridge in an asphyxiating cloud that threatened to overwhelm its occupants. Now more than ever, there was no room for mistakes... war was not so forgiving to those that found themselves caught within its deadly grasp.

Already the enemy had struck with surprising intensity, leaving the drala armada reeling in absolute shock. Admiral Taeskea and his forces had been bloodied, but they weren't out of the fight yet... far from it. With grim determination, the crew of the Domain carrier Rodaunm manned their stations, waiting... anxiously anticipating their enemy's next move.

They wouldn't have to wait long...

***************

"I have six inbound groups of hostile ships, admiral." The Sensor Officer's eyes remained glued to his instruments as he spoke. "Arriving vectors are spread out across equatorial orbit... starship classifications are..." His words trailed off for a moment while an ensign joined the officer at his station to lend a hand. "I have carriers, heavy battle cruisers... supporting ships... sir, I count 103 inbound contacts!"

Admiral Taeskea tensed up at the grim news. Where had this shadow armada of Federation starships come from?! His intelligence had indicated the enemy only possessed a fraction of their former strength, with most assets diverted to defensive positions across the territory in anticipation of another Domain attack that would never come. There should not have been enough warships to muster a fleet of this size.

So then... was his intelligence wrong? Or was this some sort of diversionary tactic? Perhaps the Federation had caught on to the full scope of the Domain strategy, and thus had abandoned defense in favor of offense against the single target of interest... none other than Earth itself. Whether a diversion or not, the inbound slipstream signatures were all targeted near clusters of orbiting vessels under Taeskea's command. He could do nothing more than respond under the pretense of a worst case scenario.

"Move the reserve ships up to reinforce our outer defensive perimeter," the admiral commanded promptly. "Pull damaged vessels off the front lines and move them planetside for emergency repairs. I need our defenses at full strength."

"Enemy contact imminent!" the Sensor Officer called out anxiously, ratcheting up the tension on the bridge with his ominous words.

There was nothing more that could be done. Port side shields were online and functioning, although at reduced strength from the earlier missile attack. Weapons were trained out toward the inbound contacts. Damage control teams that were not already repairing damaged systems stood by at the ready. The ship, though already slightly wounded, was ready to fight.

All they could do was wait...

Abruptly, a display along the side bulkhead caught the first exit aperture forming just off the starship's port side... the distance was too close. There was no good reason why the Federation would choose to emerge from slipstream so close to his own fleet.

At once, a hail of weapon fire blanketed the target area in swaths of sinister green plasma lances. Yet, no starship materialized through the event threshold, causing Taeskea to blink in surprise.

Just what the hell was happening now?!

"Decoys!"

The shout originated from the sensor station, but Admiral Taeskea paid it no mind at that instant. Gazing intently at the display screen, he could only just make out a small metallic object careening toward his perspective... accompanied by a grouping of others... these weren't just decoys!

As the display view swiftly zoomed in, the small object snapped into focus, depicting a roughly arrow-shaped spacecraft bathed in menacing black camouflage paint. Gods... these were Federation Mark 6 Slipstream Munitions! The limited intelligence Taeskea had on these newly developed weapons was disconcerting to say the least!

Roughly the size of a commuter aircraft, the Mark 6 was an unmanned missile unparalleled in deadly potency. The armament's main purpose was born out of the need for a true "ship killing" weapon, one that could completely decimate a capital warship with one decisive powerful punch. Accordingly, after extensive research and design, the Mark 6 had come to enter the Federation's experimental arsenal only a short time ago.

The weapon was essentially an unmanned spacecraft piloted by an A.I. of the utmost skill, which was capable of commanding the self-guided munition onto a target through a hail of enemy fire, on a level close to that of Kanolos's prowess.

Upon exiting slipstream, the onboard computer of the leading missile quickly assessed its surroundings, noting the various Domain ships presented before it with broadsides brought to bear. Instantly the A.I. cycled through each, evaluating damage already sustained, looking for a target that was not crippled or nearly so.

According to the instructions uploaded prior to the weapon's entrance into slipstream, only fully operational enemy warships were viable targets. This was because the Mark 6 was still a prototype weapon, with only a handful in existence. It would have been an utter waste to expend such a potent, but limited, munition on a target already knocked out of action.

With its first task of simulating a Federation starship complete, the armament swiftly changed roles as it selected a nearby Domain battle cruiser to home in on. There happened to be a much more enticing carrier nearby, but a small segment of the A.I.'s code quickly opposed such an action. For reasons beyond the missile's understanding, the Rodaunm was to be completely ignored... and so the weapon obeyed without question.

All of this decision analysis was conducted in the instant the Mark 6 exited slipstream. Now with a new mission set, the missile's onboard impulse engines opened up to maximum thrust, quickly propelling the arrow-shaped vehicle down toward its target through a hail of plasma fire.

Each incoming lance of plasma was immediately noted by the A.I. program. In a show of striking agility, the small unmanned craft maneuvered violently around the incoming fire, via carefully coordinated pulses from the vector thrust arrays all across the hull. The result was an intricate dance that twisted right through the barrage of superheated plasma. What incoming fire couldn't be avoided was instead soaked up by the weapon's shields... all while the missile careened swiftly toward the hapless battle cruiser, which continued in vain to fend off its approaching demise. There was a reason why the Mark 6 was nicknamed the Shadow of Death by its creators.

In a closure rate unseen by the naked eye, the leading self-guided missile reached the predetermined detonation point just off the broadside of its target. In an instant, the forward portion of the arrow-shaped hull exploded away from the unmanned spacecraft, quickly flying out ahead of the main weapon toward the drala warship.

With a violent flash, the detached segment impacted squarely against the shielding of the battle cruiser, capturing the resonance frequency of the barrier before being completely destroyed. At that same moment, the frequency data was transferred back to the main weapon itself, where the unmanned vehicle's own shield frequency was adjusted to match that of the cruiser's.

Now resembling an intimidating conical spear, the Mark 6 careened onward to pass effortlessly through the protective energy barrier, before impacting squarely against the vessel's formidable armor with tremendous force.

At that very instant, a shaped charge consisting of a dense metal alloy detonated within the forward segment of the weapon, promptly creating a concentrated thermal javelin of superheated molten metal, designed with the sole intent to punch through such tough defensive obstacles as that of a warship's thick armor.

The massive thrust of kinetic energy was immediately funneled into this thin jet of superheated liquefied metal, which pierced directly into the armor plating of the cruiser's outer hull, punching a hole right through the superstructure.

Now divested of its first and second stages, the actual conventional warhead of the Mark 6 tore onward deep into the heart of the ship, passing through the ripped open gash along the armored hull into exposed compartments and bulkheads... until reaching a weapon storage hold... right where the A.I. had aimed from the very start.

***************

The diversion had worked flawlessly. The enemy was exposed; vulnerable... the time had arrived to finally bring the pain back to the Domain. There would be no more attacks from afar. Now, the fight was going to get personal.

Following in the wake of several Mark 6 munitions, the 12 ships of the Federation interceptor fleet emerged back into normal space. Using the decoys to present the distinct slipstream signatures of larger capital warships, the much smaller profiles of the actual armada went unnoticed by their adversary... but not for long.

With Earth prominently displayed across the forward bridge window of each ship, the small strike force immediately conducted a predetermined set of maneuvers, swinging away from the planet to establish a high orbit profile above the Domain warships below... all the while, the unmanned weapons continued to plunge downward to impart their divine judgment upon the hapless drala fleet.

As the wave of slipstream missiles struck home with frightening savagery, the Federation interceptors brought their guns to bear against the disorganized enemy. It was time to deliver the second part of the one-two punch strategy.

In that instant, an eerie calm descended upon the bridge of the flagship Rej'ala, while Commander Ja'laski watched the carnage unfold on a nearby display. The large boxy hulls of the compartmentalized drala ships were ugly fabrications of machinery, their black superstructures almost invisible against the backdrop of space. One by one, the Domain warship profiles disappeared behind fiery explosions, each succumbing to their fate on part of the Federation's wrath.

It was uncanny how dissimilar the two opposing fleets were, with the ungainly drala vessels contrasting drastically to the sleek metallic blue delta-shaped hulls of the Federation. While the Domain favored quantity over quality, the Federation emphasized technological superiority, resulting in a much smaller, but far more potent, military force.

As it stood, Ja'laski was severely outnumbered. Yet, the tan-furred kyree still retained the upper hand in firepower for the moment. And she damned well planned to exercise that advantage while she could.

"Weapons free," the Commander spoke simply, as she continued to stand confidently next to the ship's captain... time to bring the pain.

With all deck guns and main armaments traversed about to target the Domain armada below, the small contingent of Federation ships opened up with everything they had, inundating the space between fleets in a furious volley of angry cobalt blue plasma shots.

The hull of the Rej'ala shuddered noticeably with each recoil of the main guns, every shot directed squarely onto the enemy without remorse... oh, it always made Ja'laski's blood run cold when she stood witness to a no holds barred broadside attack... with no pulled punches spared.

At that moment, the enemy was still reeling from the Mark 6 strike, and had not taken notice of Ja'laski's strike force. That mistake proved costly, as the barrage of concentrated fire ripped into what was left of the drala tactical starship formation. There was no returning fire... no initial attempts made to evade... the kyree commander had caught her opponent by complete surprise.

***************

"Enemy fleet contacts, admiral!" the Tactical Officer reported alarmingly. "These aren't decoys, sir... Tactical Cluster Five is taking fire!"

Taeskea whirled away from the bridge window and the utter destruction beyond to nearly vault across the bridge to the tactical station. "What assets are we dealing with?!"

There was a brief pause, while the officer assessed his console. "12 Federation interceptor fast attack warships, sir."

"Reinforce cluster Five with Six and Eight!" Taeskea ordered immediately, his calm professional air now completely gone. "Dispatch any available fighter wings to meet the enemy contacts!"

As his orders were hurriedly passed down the chain of command, the admiral's mind raced to catch up to the situation at hand. The enemy's first attack had been carefully coordinated to throw his own forces off balance, allowing for this small strike force to slip into orbit unnoticed. Federation interceptor warships were small by comparison to most capital vessels, but very formidable for their size. He had to push them back before his armada suffered any more major damage.

***************

"Commander, I'm showing inbound fighter wings and capital ship reinforcements."

Ja'laski scrutinized the information cascading down the display before her knowingly, noting that the enemy had caught on to her plan and was now scrambling to catch up.

"Not quick enough," the elder kyree breathed quietly.

Without any pause, the Federation interceptors continued their relentless barrage, pressing the advantage.

By now, the warship cluster subjected to her attack had begun returning fire, although only sporadically. Already numerous enemy targets had been completely destroyed or severely crippled. Several decimated vessels were already drifting down lifelessly toward the planet, soon destined to enter the atmosphere in an uncontrolled plunge to the terra firma below.

Ja'laski silently hoped that none of the shattered drala wrecks would impact into populated human regions. There was no telling how much destruction would be wrought if a starship core breached over a city or urban area. However, it was a risk that the kyree had to take. Hopefully, humanity had heeded the Federation's warning and vacated such high population areas long ago.

Turning her attention back to the battle display, Ja'laski watched as the reinforcing drala assets began firing on her position.

"Alright, we've overstayed our welcome," the kyree proclaimed suddenly. "Initiate the withdrawal phase."

In unison, the contingent of Federation starships angled away from the planet, each forming back up into a tactical formation around the Rej'ala on a predetermined set of coordinates.

Without any hesitation, the interceptors punched their slipstream engines to full, quickly disappearing from view in numerous bursts of light against the backdrop of space... leaving the maimed Domain starship formation in their wake.

The skirmish had been completely one-sided, with not a single Federation vessel suffering any form of damage other than a grazing of shields. Ja'laski couldn't have asked for a better outcome. The whole attack had lasted just over a minute in time.

Now with the void of slipstream once more encompassing the Rej'ala, the commanding kyree assessed the situation. Damage had certainly been done to the enemy; nevertheless, the Domain was by no means out of the fight. The small fleet under her command had strength in mobility, which the kyree had to exploit if she had any chance of dislodging the drala. She had to keep her assets in motion, never giving the opponent a chance to pin her down.

Even though the first skirmish had been successful, there was no telling how matters would play out from here on. The commander had already exhausted her entire complement of slipstream munitions. Not only that, but that drala bastard Taeskea would no doubt be waiting for her to commit a similar maneuver against his armada... and he would be ready to counter the next time. That was a fact.

If only Captain Riyla hadn't convinced her to leave the drala admiral alive. Ja'laski would've taken out his flagship long ago. But, Riyla had been insistent on the issue, as the A.I. construct under her command had indicated he might be of use to them alive. Even though the commander had never met Lumina personally, she had heard tales of the construct's achievements. Thus, the kyree had reluctantly agreed with the captain of Arastos.

All things considered, Ja'laski's best option was to continue her hit and run strategy, using decoys and swift maneuvers to keep the enemy forces divided. It was certainly not a foolproof plan, but it was all she could do with the resources at her disposal. If even one starship fell victim to enemy fire, her combat effectiveness decreased drastically. She couldn't afford a mistake now; otherwise she would lose what meager advantage she had.

With a labored sigh, the tan-furred kyree rolled her shoulders to loosen up stiff muscles. "Alright... let's meet up with the rest of the fleet... and organize our next strike." The risks of combat notwithstanding, Ja'laski had no intention of letting up her attack.

***************

Finally... with a huff of exasperation, Eriras manually pushed the detached power relay component back into the floor of the maintenance hatch, reconnecting the circuit as the segment locked into place flush with the deck. The repair had been quick, but not quick enough given the situation.

While Arastos had remained sidelined by a failure in the power system of her Longbow Cannon, the war continued to rage on several light-years away. The unexpected problem had cost the crew dearly, since they had lost their advantage against an adversary that was now reorganized and prepared for an attack. All of this trouble, because a simple laborer had installed the wrong power relay part when the ship was under construction just over a month ago.

"The new relay node is installed," the white-furred kenseng called over the neural interface.

Shyla's anxiety was clearly evident in her reply. "Technology never ceases to fail when we need it most... let me give it a try."

Inside the maintenance compartment, a distinct low hum began to emanate from the deck beneath Keith and his kenseng counterpart, indicating the relay node was once again functioning properly. Arastos was back in business.

Without delay, the human shifted his position in the cramped confines to reenter the maintenance tunnel, but not before moving his repair kit out of the way. He would come back for it later; there was no time to be burdened with carrying it now. Shuffling forward on hands and knees, he felt Eriras enter the passageway behind him.

"I'll bet both ears and my tail that the backup circuit has the wrong relay installed as well," she spoke aloud in annoyance from behind. "If the main circuit fails, the backup is designed to take up the power load and allow us to continue operations as a redundancy... but that doesn't work if the same problem occurs with that circuit."

It was an interesting notion to Keith, that a ship of such a technological advancement as Arastos, could still succumb to such an insignificant problem as having a wrong part installed. "I can name you a number of instances where such mistakes have marked themselves in human history... the Mars Climate Orbiter mishap is one such stupid mistake that destroyed millions of dollars' worth of spacecraft equipment."

"What exactly happened?" Eriras asked curiously.

Keith continued to crawl toward the opened hatchway for a moment as he tried to remember the details. "Suffice it to say that the guidance software for one of our early Mars exploration experiments was written using metric units, while the ground crew was giving the spacecraft course corrections using imperial units during the atmosphere entry sequence."

Eriras cringed as the kenseng realized what such a mistake entailed. Human spacecraft were rather delicate objects. "So... I'm guessing the probe never made it?"

"Atmospheric stresses during entry tore it apart."

At that moment, the two reached the brightly lit main corridor of deck two, causing both human and kenseng alike to squint briefly as eyes adjusted from the dimly lit maintenance hatch. Once he could see reasonably well enough, Keith awkwardly maneuvered his feet around to stand upright with a sigh of relief. He really did not enjoy confined spaces.

"Honestly, I view the Mars probe incident as fortunate," Keith continued, making a show of smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. "I'm just glad such a mistake was not made on the Space Shuttle's computer software... else we'd have had more than just two unfortunate accidents... two already being too many."

Eriras stood on her paw-toes as she threw her hands up above her head, tail extended rigidly out behind her form as the kenseng stretched sore muscles in a decidedly feline fashion that amused Keith. Her attention then suddenly fell back on him with a solemn regard. "I always forget how much I take space travel for granted. Human astronauts are truly brave individuals."

With those words, the kenseng gave him a curt nod, before turning to bolt toward the down chute pole leading back to the engineering compartment. Keith himself wasted no time as well, while he turned for a nearby stairway back up toward the bridge. They still had a war to fight... he could entertain Eriras with stories about humanity's mishaps in space later.

While verbally talking with Eriras, Keith had unconsciously tuned out the dialog taking place on the neural link. As he reached the stairway, the human mentally adjusted his awareness back into the conversation.

"...Commander Ja'laski has just pulled her strike force back to the fleet's rendezvous point. The Domain armada has taken quite a bit of damage." Lumina punctuated her statement by bringing up a visual feed from one of the distant orbiting unmanned probes around Earth. All across the view, starship debris and hull wreckage littered the region, while several vessels moved in to mount a rescue mission for survivors. "The defensive perimeter around the planet has weakened since Taeskea pulled damaged ships off the front line."

"Ja'laski will still have to be cautious," Riyla added with concern laced in her tone. "And now we're out of the fight."

Since the enemy now possessed shields, any shot from the Longbow Cannon would simply be absorbed. Arastos just did not have the firepower to punch through such powerful defensive fields... not without repeated hits that would only drain their energy reserves. The weapon was essentially a small-scale test platform for a much larger weapon concept, one that would be married to a massive deck gun of a capital warship. Furthermore, she could not strike the enemy assets on the planet surface, as opening a slipstream aperture within the atmosphere would have dire consequences for the local populace... not to mention the risk of collateral damage if their shot missed.

At that moment, an incoming transmission interjected itself directly into the link, presenting a visual feed of a graying tan-furred kyree, Commander Ja'laski. Her wolfish appearance, marred by the absence of an ear, was always rather intimidating to the Federation crew... and now that image was being projected directly into their minds... it was more than slightly disconcerting.

"Can you give me a status update, captain?" Ja'laski asked calmly, but with an undertone of authority that was unmistakable. For the commander on the other end of the link, her communication display simply showed Riyla regarding her knowingly, while the captain's voice resonated from the neural link in an odd disjointed fashion.

"Ma'am, we encountered a malfunction with our weapons system. The problem has been fixed, although we've lost our ability to strike against the enemy."

Ja'laski was about to reply, when abruptly Lumina interposed her influence into the subspace link. "Not exactly, Captain Riyla. We're still very much in this fight." The A.I.'s statement caused the commander to raise an eyebrow in curiosity, while Riyla visibly started.

"How exactly is that so?" Riyla countered in confusion. "We don't have the firepower to penetrate a capital warship's shield."

"We don't have to..." The perplexed silence from both ends of the communication link allowed Lumina to continue. "The Longbow is a test platform, with absolutely no combat use outside the two shots we managed to fire before the relay blew. Well, the creators designed the system to bridge the gap between our ship and the target over several light-years... but they failed to realize just how powerful slipstream space is for delivering a plasma shot."

The construct's words only confused her audience further. "Instead of opening the exit aperture out beyond the hull of the target, we can instead open one directly inside the warship itself, bypassing the armor and shields altogether."

Riyla's black wolfish ears twitched keenly, as her mind absorbed this startling new revelation. "There's no telling just how much damage the aperture alone would do to matter caught up in the event horizon!" the captain blurted out over the neural interface. Abruptly her tone became more contemplative. "Although... upon thinking about it, why wouldn't the Longbow's designers consider such a glaring advantage to the weapon's design?"

"The idea was considered," Ja'laski chimed in suddenly, bringing a hand up to stroke her grying muzzle thoughtfully. "However, research indicated that any matter that interacted with the exit aperture would destabilize the rift, giving rise to a feedback pulse that could overload the weapon with catastrophic results."

"That won't happen,"_Lumina continued confidently. _"I've been running the calculations myself... this will work. And there is no risk of a feedback that could destroy this ship... we can hit them right where it hurts, without any danger to Arastos."

"I'm still not sold on the idea," the commander continued.

In exasperation, the A.I. infused a visual diagram of a slipstream rift directly into the neural interface and communication link. "The weapon's designers were afraid that when the event horizon formed, matter particles would be sucked back into the aperture and materialize on the other end to destabilize the slipstream rift at the point of formation."

As the crew and Ja'laski looked on curiously, the diagram focused in on the exit aperture, where a solid two-dimensional plane snapped into view directly along the event horizon of the swirling rift. "Testing has never been done to validate this phenomenon, but as the aperture materializes, it literally slices matter apart along the indicated planar surface. Nothing directly interacts with the rift itself as a result, since the initial formation effectively voids that exact two-dimensional plane in space."

For a moment, silence again settled across the subspace link.

"Are you sure?" the commander asked finally with clear disinclination. There was no telling just how this turn in events would change the course of the battle in the Federation's favor... but then again, regardless of the A.I.'s claim, the endeavor would put the Arastos crew at risk. "What you are proposing has never been attempted before, not even in testing applications."

"I would never put myself or my friends in any danger. You must trust me on this one. I've made sure this is perfectly safe."

Ja'laski sighed deeply on the display, her hand still rubbing the underside of the kyree's muzzle. "Normally I would never allow something so reckless... but, this is a desperate situation." Her gaze suddenly focused intently on Riyla. "I'll leave this decision in your hands, captain."

For a moment, Riyla's wolfish eyes searched around the bridge, as the black kyree weighed her options. The lives of the crew, and her mate, rested squarely on her shoulders. Yet, she trusted Lumina's judgment completely.

"We'll give it a shot," the captain mindspoke after consideration. "Lumina knows what she is doing."

Ja'laski simply nodded in agreement. "Good luck."

The transmission ceased, allowing the Arastos crew to focus on the issue at hand.

"Alright Lumina," Shyla began, hesitation evident in her voice. "What needs to be recalibrated?"

"I just need to reconfigure the focusing array slightly... give me a moment." As the kenseng Tactical Officer eyed her console displays closely, the construct carefully refined several key system settings that formed the aperture into slipstream. Shyla noted that the alterations were hardly significant, and only served to bolster the intensity of the event horizon on the far end of the rift.

"I strengthened the exit aperture to create a wider swath of damage," Lumina mindspoke, confirming what Shyla had observed. "...should provide a nasty surprise for our drala friends downrange."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Lumina," Kanolos added nervously from the helm console.

"Oh shush furball." The A.I.'s retort was reproaching in a motherly tone, causing the fox-furred kyree's ears to splay back instinctively with shame. "You know me better than that... this will work. Otherwise, you can damn my electronic soul to hell and back in the afterlife."

"That doesn't help my confidence at all..."

Lumina ignored the helmsman's retort. "Alright Shyla and Yanashi, this is your show now. I'll provide you with the proper coordinates in a second."

The mated pair wasted no time bringing the Longbow system back online, quickly running through the memorized setup procedure in record time. Meanwhile, Lumina allowed her consciousness to branch out toward one of the distant unmanned probes still orbiting Earth. Quickly she assessed the condition of her adversary, observing how the protective ring of warships was once again organizing around the planet, although with fewer vessels than before the Federation's initial strike... at least their first attack had managed to hurt their opponent noticeably.

"Let's shake up our dear friend Admiral Taeskea some more," Lumina proclaimed, upon selecting a target for their test shot. "I'm sending targeting coordinates to Tactical now.

Yanashi wordlessly confirmed receipt of the construction's information, and quickly entered the proper commands into her station console.

Within moments, Arastos was ready to fire.

Riyla felt herself grip the armrests of her chair tightly, as the kyree turned her attention outside the forward bridge window. "Weapons free..."

***************

"Status update," Admiral Taeskea commanded. The drala placed a hand firmly on the sensor console alongside the officer manning the station, while he regarded the flow of information across the screen before him.

"Sir, slipstream has gone quiet. I'm detecting no incursions." The Sensor Officer reached up to touch the visual diagram of the immediate region of space, drawing Taeskea's attention to a thin trajectory line. "The enemy fleet pulled back in this direction. I lost contact with their ship signatures while still in slipstream... but I am detecting trace signals that indicate they are now holding position somewhere in this general region." He made a broad sweep of his hand across a swath of the display... not exactly a pinpoint location to go by.

"Very well, keep me posted on any changes." The admiral moved to stand upright once more, sighing wearily as he did so. The combination of intense adrenaline spikes, coupled with a lack of sleep, was beginning to take its toll on his body. Exhaustion hung heavily over the drala's head, endeavoring to cloud his judgment at every turn. Yet, still Taeskea willed himself forward.

The defensive perimeter around the planet was once more in place, although decidedly weaker than before. Taeskea had incurred heavy causalities, far more than he had initially expected from the Federation's counterattack. However, now the admiral at least had a decent grasp of the enemy fleet's size and capabilities; the price of that valuable information had been absolutely horrid.

Now it was up to Admiral Taeskea to accurately predict the Federation's next move. He just had to see through their deceptions and feints to pin down the small but maneuverable targets.

An audible alarm from the sensor station abruptly caught both Taeskea's attention and the officer manning the controls. As the two drala looked at the visual display, a new linear trajectory appeared along the one side of Earth.

"Damn... new slipstream signature," the officer stammered, while punching in commands to quickly discern what was approaching. "Shit! This is that strange slipstream weapon signature from before... it's targeted right on us!"

Instinctively Taeskea turned to stare out the bridge window, where a battle cruiser orbited just before his flagship, a replacement for one of the original warships lost. In the blink of an eye, the slipstream aperture materialized... directly inside the vessel itself!

With a flash of brilliant light, the event horizon bisected the warship lengthwise right down the spine. As the admiral looked on in horror, the cruiser's shield flared brightly, before winking out of existence, accompanied by the ship's exterior lighting going dark with the loss of main power. All across the two-dimensional rift, the atomic construction of the superstructure fractured precisely down the rift's plane, slicing the starship cleanly into two bisected fragments instantaneously.

Interior compartments suddenly decompressed into the vacuum of space, as the sliced hull segments slowly began to drift apart. All the while, the slipstream aperture continued to churn violently between the two severed pieces in a swirl of chaotic space, causing Taeskea to flinch inwardly. Yet, the drala just couldn't tear his eyes away from the destruction.

Suddenly, a lance of menacing blue plasma materialized from the aperture, impacting into an exposed power core system. The vivid sight of the slipstream event horizon was abruptly consumed by the cruiser's detonation, with both fragmented segments erupting in a fiery blast that completely inundated what remained of the ill-fated ship.

The Rodaunm shook violently from the explosion's shockwave, knocking Taeskea off his feet as the bridge lighting flickered. In a daze, the drala simply lay on the deck, still staring silently out the window with mouth ajar.

They struck right through the shields... bypassed the armor... destroyed a capital warship with one swift blow! It was one thing for the enemy to strike from far beyond his own weapon's range; however, now the Federation had just demonstrated that they retained such a grasp of slipstream mechanics that an aperture could be precisely opened inside a target, destroying it instantaneously! Even here, standing on the bridge of his flagship, he was vulnerable to their attack.

"Order the fleet to conduct evasive actions!" Taeskea nearly shouted. "Where did the slipstream aperture originate from?!"

The Sensor Officer fumbled about for a second, trying to establish the source of the strange slipstream rift. "Sir... I can't get an accurate fix... the long-range sensors can't seem to get a good reading." The drala quickly did a series of hand calculations using the composition of the rift to refine his numbers. "Best guess is roughly three to four light-years distance on the aperture bearing."

That wasn't nearly accurate enough to dispatch ships to deal with the strange weapon. The Federation's technological superiority was proving far beyond what the admiral was prepared to handle.

"Shit... new incursion, sir... directly behind us!"

The carrier's hull jolted a second time as another cruiser was sliced clean in two by Arastos's second weapon shot. Her fate was no different than the first warship, suddenly reduced to naught but hull fragments and debris.

Still sitting awkwardly on the deck, Taeskea abruptly shook his head as he reached a hasty decision. In a rush, the commanding drala bolted to his feet. "Signal the fleet... initiate phase withdrawal per emergency action!"

For a moment, the bridge personnel stopped and turned to regard their admiral in confusion. They had not expected such an order, especially now.

"I'll be damned if I sit here and let the enemy pick us apart one by one!" Taeskea spoke angrily, rushing over to take possession of his command chair with renewed authority. "I'm pulling all assets back to the planet's surface!" He punctuated his order by turning his gaze upon the ship's captain with an unquestionably wicked glare, unnerving the drala greatly.

His crew finally leapt into action at that, as the captain began barking orders to ready the Rodaunm for atmospheric entry.

The Federation was toying with him. They were deliberately targeting ships around his own vessel, trying to demoralize him... shake up his resolve. Those bastards were attempting to mess with his head... well, they probably had succeeded to some degree.

If he pulled his armada back to Earth's surface, they wouldn't dare use the slipstream weapon, not without causing severe damage to the planet. It was one of the last cards he had to play.

As the carrier began angling down to the planet surface below, Taeskea turned his attention to the Comms Officer. "Give me a subspace channel to Fleet Authority."

He had to request for reinforcements immediately, although the drala wasn't sure just how his superiors would respond. The general assumption had been that this operation would easily be a success... however, the situation was anything but.

Another thought dawned on Taeskea... he had not yet informed the higher-ups about the terrifying Ebola outbreak...

***************

The awful power of the newly targeted Longbow system had stunned the Arastos crew into silence; the destruction they had wrought with the slipstream aperture itself was absolutely horrifying. To see such a large and power warship sliced cleanly in half right down the spine... the sight was utterly surreal.

Yet, Shyla and Yanashi managed to overcome their initial shock, quickly working to recharge the weapon system. Only 20 seconds later, the Longbow opened up once more in anger, mercilessly ripping through a second enemy cruiser. There was no overstating the immense sense of relief that washed over the crew, as Arastos remained in once piece with absolutely no feedback pulse from the rift... just as Lumina had claimed confidently.

Suddenly they possessed the means to completely destroy a well-defended capital warship in one swift blow, far exceeding the meager combat role the ship was initially designed for. Riyla now unexpectedly had the power to turn the tide of this conflict squarely in the Federation's favor. All while remaining completely safe several light-years away from the enemy.

"They're maneuvering!" Lumina proclaimed, her voice booming over the neural interface. "He's pulling the entire armada down to the planet!"

The A.I.'s sudden report jolted Riyla out of her thoughts. All of the surprise and elation swiftly evaporated for the black kyree's expression. "Shit, he's trying to use the planet to shield himself!"

In that instant, Captain Riyla weighed her options. They couldn't fire the Longbow in Earth's atmosphere. That was absolutely not an option. Yet, they couldn't let the enemy establish itself on the planet surface either. The resulting conflict would no doubt prove to be long and grueling... not to mention time was on the Domain's side. They had to take out Taeskea now... the only way to end this conflict was to capture him.

"Target the admiral's carrier!" the captain commanded smartly aloud, suddenly bolting from her chair to stand upright with authority, surprising the crew around her. "Disable his ship if you can. We need him alive."

Both Shyla and Yanashi hesitated at the sudden order, the mated pair stealing looks at one another briefly. However, the captain's plan quickly snapped into focus, causing the Tactical Officers to shake off their apprehension and leap into action.

Kanolos too, understood what the captain had in mind. The fox-furred kyree immediately turned in his chair to regard his mate, concern clearly evident in his golden eyes. "You can't be serious?!"

"I am very serious... this is the only way to bring this war to a swift end."

There was a moment's pause, before the helmsman visibly steeled himself with a slight nod of the head. He trusted his mate's judgment wholeheartedly; the two of them always made sure to work as a cohesive team. Consequently, Riyla knew she could depend on Kano's unwavering faithfulness... just as he could depend on hers.

"Target acquired," Yana mindspoke, her concentration focused solely on the readouts before her. "He is maneuvering to enter the atmosphere... we're only going to get one shot."

Shyla elected to not reply, as the kenseng carefully lined up the targeting cursor onto the distant carrier with the help of Lumina. In mere moments Taeskea's ship was in her sights, its stern superstructure pointed toward the Tactical Officer's point of view. With deft concentration she double checked her calculations... before swiftly triggering the Longbow to fire once more... although this time, without utilizing the core plasma cannon.

"Gods... let my aim be true," The kenseng breathed under her breath.

***************

"Damn... sir, they're firing again!"

Before Taeskea could utter a reply, the carrier suddenly shook with savage force, throwing the entire crew off their feet. The bridge lighting went dark... artificial gravity failed... power relays and consoles shorted out in intense cascades of sparks... utter and complete chaos enveloped the compartment for a terrifyingly brief moment.

And then... nothing.

In the sudden silence that followed, the admiral quickly regained his senses, finding himself slowly drifting up from the deck in the null gravity. "What the hell just happened?! Give me a status report!"

At that moment, emergency battery power restored partial light to the bridge, allowing Taeskea to take in his surroundings. The crew was already scrambling to reassume their stations in the weightless environment. Main power was obviously offline.

Outside the bridge window, the view was rapidly changing as the hull spun about, evidenced by how every free-floating object, crew included, drifted up slowly toward the ceiling in the centrifugal motion. The starship had clearly been hit. Yet, Taeskea had no idea what the extent of damage was.

Aside from emergency lighting, the entire bridge was dead. Given the numerous redundant capabilities of the carrier, this fact did not bode well at all for ship and crew. From wholly separate power cores and electrical relay networks, to independent propulsion systems mounted on each segment of the superstructure... the Rodaunm was built to take abuse and dish it right back to the enemy... currently, however, the ship showed no signs of life.

By now the bridge was pointing down to the planet below, allowing the admiral to observe the rest of the starship tactical formation begin the entry sequence into Earth's atmosphere.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn over to a nearby object just outside the forward window... causing the drala's mouth to fall open in shock.

There, right before Taeskea's eyes, was his ship... the very same vessel he was standing on...

A perfectly carved cut had ripped right through the forward segment of the Rodaunm, jettisoning the bridge and the rest of the bow superstructure from the aft portion of the ship. The now exposed inner compartments stood open to the void of space, while the bare metal surfaces along the cut line glowed a bright crimson red... it was as if someone had taken a cutting torch and literally sliced the ship cleanly in two!

What remained of the carrier sustained its rapid descent to the surface uncontrollably, as the maneuvering thrusters continued to push the hull downward into the atmosphere below Taeskea's perspective. Gods... if Engineering couldn't get what remained of the ship back under control immediately, the Rodaunm would crash onto the surface with terrifying force, killing all aboard. The ship had a crew complement of several thousand souls...

At that instant, the admiral came back to his senses, noticing immediately that the rest of the crew on the bridge had caught sight of their crippled ship careening down to Earth. Taeskea had to save what personnel he could... he had no hope of saving his ship.

The bridge segment of the carrier was doomed to enter the atmosphere, although the descent angle toward the surface was much shallower than the rest of the ill-fated ship. Without any form of power or propulsion systems, there was no hope of arresting this gradual orbital decay. If the crew remained here on the bridge, they would be condemned to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Thus, Taeskea only had one option left.

"Everyone! Get to the escape pods... we're abandoning ship!" His shout was instantly acknowledged by the bridge staff, as every drala hurriedly pushed off objects in the null gravity for the two nearby escape hatches. No one needed to be told twice to leave the doomed vessel.

In the ensuing confusion, Taeskea turned his gaze to the doorway leading to the corridor beyond the bridge. There was no telling how many crew members still remained trapped aboard the destroyed hull segment besides those on the bridge... but there was also no telling if the corridor beyond that unassuming entrance was still pressurized. He just couldn't run the risk of wrenching open the doorway, only to have the vacuum of space claim his life.

The bridge compartment itself had two separate escape pods, one positioned on either side of the hull. Each small vehicle was capable of holding ten individuals and while woefully primitive in design, they were the only lifeline Domain crews had in dire situations.

As Admiral Taeskea hung back, the rest of the bridge staff swiftly reached and subsequently yanked open the escape pod hatches. One by one, drala then passed into the narrow passageways, until only Taeskea himself remained within the dimly lit bridge of his ill-fated flagship.

For a moment he surveyed his surroundings... he didn't want to admit it, but he had already lost this war.

However, the drala's senses returned to him with a snap, causing Taeskea to visibly start before moving to enter one of the two escape hatches. He would be the last crew member to leave the crippled remains of the carrier's bridge... one of only a lucky few to make it off the vessel alive.

The cramped space of the escape craft was hardly spacious, with only just enough room to seat the ten occupants five abreast. The pod's design was that of a simple cylinder, with only two small porthole windows along the outer circumference of the sides... cramped and claustrophobic was an understatement.

Taeskea managed to squeeze into the very last seat hastily, while simultaneously hitting a button along the outer bulkhead to close and secure the aft hatchway behind him. He barely had time to secure the harness around his body as the pod's ejection charge detonated, thrusting it away from the ship's hull quickly. The initial burst of momentum pushed its occupants into their seats with powerful force; the crew held on for dear life.

Only moments ago, Taeskea had been in command of the Domain's esteemed flagship carrier, a vessel feared for its lethality and formidable power.

And now he was only a humble passenger riding along in an escape pod that could hardly be deemed space-worthy.

As the onboard guidance system angled the spacecraft's inadequate forward heat shield downward, the commanding drala reached up to clutch his harness restraints in an iron grip and uttered a silent prayer. The survival rate of those fortunate enough to make it into escape pods was dismal at best... especially when entering a planet's atmosphere.

All he could do now was hold on, and hope for the best...

***************

"He's moving into an escape pod," Lumina mindspoke grimly, her words knifing through the neural interface as the Arastos crew watched the Domain carrier's demise in real-time.

"Fuck! Those damn things are flying deathtraps." Riyla punctuated her frustration by pounding a fist onto the armrest of her chair.

Shyla's feline ears folded flat as the kenseng's expression melted into horror, mirroring her mate. _ "I'm sorry... I couldn't get a perfect fix on the target's coordinates."_

Riyla mentally reproached herself. "No... it's alright... not your fault." The black kyree felt Kanolos comfort her wordlessly over the link. Her mate's concern was clearly evident, as the captain turned her attention toward their next move. "Lumina, patch me through to Commander Ja'laski please."

At once the familiar sight of the elder kyree appeared within the neural interface. The commander's muzzle was creased in anxiety while she waited for Riyla to speak.

"Ma'am, I'm requesting a change in the attack plan," the captain began quickly, her voice emanating from the link. "We need to capture Taeskea now... I couldn't let him slip away into the atmosphere."

Ja'laski silently chewed on Riyla's words for a moment. "Do you think you can capture him?"

"Yes... but, we'll need a little support."

Again the commander fell into silence, her expression becoming thoughtful while the elder kyree's eyes seemed to search for something. After a few moments, her gaze once more returned to the display. "I don't know how much time I can buy you."

"We won't need long," Riyla countered confidently.

"Alright... I'll commit my forces when I see you make the jump." Ja'laski paused as she gave a slight nod of the head. "Good luck, captain."

With that, the communication link cut out of existence, leaving the Arastos crew to their thoughts once more. In the sudden silence, the collective anxiety of everyone was palpable across the interface.

"I'm tracking Taeskea's escape pod," Lumina began, breaking the awkward quiet of the link. "If he survives reentry, his course puts him somewhere in the Labrador region of Canada."

"Where the hell is that?!" Kanolos mindspoke, physically turning in his seat to look at Riyla in confusion.

"It's a remote region of the North American continent... bordering the Labrador Sea." As Lumina replied, a global map of the planet materialized with the region in question highlighted. "Best guess is he will land just south of Makkovik, a small Canadian town situated along the coastline." A new marker appeared with the town's name displayed on the map, showing just how far north the admiral's spacecraft was projected to land.

"What about the remains of his flagship?" Riyla asked anxiously.

Lumina's tone became ominous in reply. "The hull has already entered the atmosphere out of control... trajectory calculations place the impact site somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania in a somewhat rural region."

The whole crew understood the gravity of the news. There would almost surely be a loss of human life when the massive momentum of the crashing starship impacted into the countryside... they could only hope the ship's plasma cores didn't breach as a result.

"We knew collateral damage would happen when we started this conflict," Taylo suddenly mindspoke. "We can't worry about that now... we have a job to do... remember, Taeskea's ship isn't the only one crashing down to Earth at this very moment." The kenseng engineer's words jarred the rest of the crew out of their horrid thoughts.

With a huff, Riyla shoved the dismal prospect of human casualties aside, and assumed her leadership role. "Let's get a move on then... we have an enemy to capture."

***************

The sky was absolutely crystal clear, as not a cloud dotted the atmosphere. A slight chill permeated the afternoon air, refreshing and cool to the senses; heralding the coming of what would most likely be another brutal winter. Yet, for now, you could not ask for a more beautiful fall day.

Although the weather was quite picturesque, that particular notion was far from the mind of Mark McClung. Instead, all the nuclear engineer could do was stand in awe just outside a humble unassuming building... which just so happened to be a power plant control room, lit cigarette held in hand as the human watched the spectacle unfold in the clear sky above him.

At that moment, Mark was one of only a handful of personnel manning the Limerick Nuclear Power Station, which was located roughly an hour's drive northwest of Philadelphia. The facility possessed the iconic twin cooling towers synonymous with nuclear power, with two BWR-4 reactors at the facility's core capable of producing 2,400 megawatts of electrical power. As such, the power plant was a vital part of the northeastern power grid; now however, the reactors were effectively shut down, since there were hardly any plant workers left on staff to safely run the facility.

Hell, there were hardly enough staff at hand just to keep the reactors maintained in their current scrammed configurations. Most of the station personnel had elected to evacuate the area, or just simply chose to be with family during such terrible times. Those that remained behind had done so out of the dire necessity to keep the plant from melting down. Already the world was falling apart around them... adding a nuclear disaster to the equation was something that definitely needed to be avoided at all costs.

Still looking up to the heavens, Mark took another drag on his cigarette. Only a few minutes ago, strange trails had begun lighting up the mid-afternoon sky, each cutting across the blue atmosphere in what looked like a meteor shower, though much brighter to the eye. He had no idea what was transpiring above, since the President's earlier radio transmission had not reached the engineer's ears. However, it was painfully obvious something was happening up in space... although what, he could only begin to speculate.

Whatever was occurring up there, surely it did not bode well for mankind. Already the world was enveloped in pure bedlam... what else could possibly happen now?

Suddenly, as if to answer his question, Mark's view was abruptly filled by the menacing profile of a massive falling object, causing the human to drop his smoke to the ground as he stumbled back with alarm.

Traveling several times faster than the speed of sound, the remnants of a Domain carrier passed directly over his head silently, actually eclipsing the sun for the briefest of moments. Before Mark could get a good look at the falling starship, the sinister black profile of the hull disappeared over a distant hill, just as the resulting sonic boom punched violently through the engineer where he stood.

While his ears still rang from the abrupt assault of the pressure wave, an unsettling silence quickly took hold once more as Mark continued to look up at the thick trail of acrid smoke that marked where the carrier had traversed.

"What the hell was that?!"

Meanwhile, several miles away in a remote rural region of Pennsylvania, the Rodaunm met her untimely end as the carrier slammed into the terrain with unfathomable force. Immediately, the superstructure buckled under the immense strain imparted to the frame, effectively smashing the hull apart into several pieces. The destruction was terrifying and absolute.

In only a matter of moments, the remnants of the carrier finally came to a standstill in tangled heaps of metal and hull debris. Thankfully the plasma cores still aboard remained intact, sparing countless lives from a horrendous fate... Mark McClung's included. Had a core breached, the resulting explosion would have been akin to a several megaton nuclear detonation.

In the wake of the intense crash, a scattered series of massive ruts now marred the landscape, marking the point of initial impact and subsequent path the destroyed hull had plowed across farmland and country roads.

The Rodaumn was no more.

The carrier joined a slew of other drala warships that had hurtled into the planet's atmosphere uncontrollably all across the globe, each fated to disintegrate into indistinguishable masses of debris that defaced the planet's landscape.

Back where Mark stood, a sudden earthquake nearly knocked the engineer off his feet. In a panic, the human looked over toward where the carrier had disappeared from his view, noting how a plume of dust had already risen up above the hill's profile in the clear sky.

Still, the ground shook beneath his feet, serving to snap the engineer out of his astonishment.

This was not good. The reactor building and its equipment components were not designed to withstand a powerful earthquake. Even a moderate one, such as what he continued to feel beneath his feet, was enough to cause minor damage at the very least.

With haste, Mark quickly made his way back into the control room building, as the trembling slowly began to ease up. Already the strange crash landing was out of his mind.

All that was of significance now was ensuring that the radiation contained within the reactors remained safely confined; nothing else mattered at that point.

The engineer had absolutely no idea how close he had just come to losing his life in the blink of an eye.

***************

"Tactical Offensive status?" Riyla inquired authoritatively over the neural link.

Shyla's reply was quick and crisp. "Tactical Offensive, ready."

"Tactical Defensive?"

"Standing by." Yanashi's response was as confident as her mate's.

Riyla turned her attention to the helm station. "Helm status?"

"Propulsion systems online and functioning within normal parameters," Kanolos replied professionally, his earlier apprehension now completely gone.

"Operations?"

Keith didn't hesitate. "Ready and willing here."

"Engineering status?"

"Systems are go here," Taylo mindspoke, while Eriras agreed wordlessly to her mate's words.

Riyla's resolve did not waver as she leaned back slightly in her seat. "Alright Kano... show these drala bastards how to fly a damned starship."

"Here goes nothing." Sighing deeply to steady himself, Kanolos fully accessed the piloting neural interface. At once, his awareness melded seamlessly with the ship, allowing the fox-furred kyree to assume total control of Arastos... it was time to demonstrate his flying prowess as an esteemed Raithere Fang pilot_._

A course was set toward the distant human planet. The slipstream nacelles were already spun up to idle. There was nothing left to do... but punch it.

With a mere flick of his thoughts, the kyree pushed the slipstream drive to its maximum power setting, resulting in an intense pulse of light from the engines as space was violently ripped open in front of the vessel.

Before the crew had time to second guess their course of action, Arastos immediately punched through the opened rift, to enter the unnerving void of subspace.

There was no turning back now.

"Secure safety harnesses," Riyla ordered, while the view outside the bridge window was now dominated by an endless dark abyss, belying the utterly gut-wrenching speed the ship was actually traveling at.

Her crew promptly complied, aside from Kanolos who was already strapped in, as each individual on the bridge reached behind their seat to pull a harness strap down across the chest, before securing it tightly into two clasps under the front. Once secured, straps were cinched tighter still, ensuring that the seat's occupant wasn't going anywhere unless the harness release was triggered.

Even Eriras and Taylo took possession of console chairs aft in the engineering compartment, while each kenseng strapped in much like their counterparts on the bridge. The laws of inertia and physics were wholly unforgiving in combat. Even with inertia dampers, the crew was at risk of being tossed around by bleed-through inertial forces associated with rapid course corrections and maneuvers.

The time needed to reach Earth was less than a minute. As the crew waited in nervous anticipation, Kano hurriedly configured the various propulsion systems for combat maneuvers, namely by bumping up the response rate for his inputs to push the ship to the brink of its flight envelope. Both Arastos and the kyree pilot were about to have their capabilities put to the ultimate test.

Not long after entering slipstream, their destination grew close.

Lumina gave the countdown. "Event threshold in... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

And just that suddenly, the stars rushed back into focus with the dominating presence of Earth squarely centered in the middle of the forward bridge window.

Without even thinking, Kano commanded the ship to maneuver violently, effectively side-slipping Arastos away from the slipstream aperture... just as several lances of superheated plasma reached out from the planet below.

The pilot's interface came alive with cascades of overwhelming information, showing him clearly incoming weapon fire and hostile warships. His reaction rate was now hyper stimulated on a level close to that of Lumina's A.I. processes; the kyree's body and mind went into overdrive.

Kano swiftly brought the impulse engines to their maximum output, just as more plasma shots emanated from Domain vessels on the planet's surface. The inbound fire traveled at the speed of light; yet, the fox-furred kyree managed to calculate each shot's trajectory, allowing him to subsequently maneuver the ship around the volleys.

The resulting inertial forces bled through the dampers enough to push the crew against their harness straps. Still, everyone managed to perform their duties.

Immediately, Yana launched defensive countermeasures, which jettisoned out from bow mounted launch tubes to rocket forward of the rapidly maneuvering vessel. The two devices quickly projected a forward-facing shield bubble before Arastos, which served as a moving protective defense for ship and crew.

Not wasting any time, Kano rapidly slid the starship behind the protective shield wall, all while weapon fire continuously impacted against the transparent energy barrier.

"Inbound fighters!" Shyla proclaimed. The kenseng Tactical Officer brought weapons online and began targeting the incoming swarm.

Kanolos grunted under the continuous strain imparted on his body. "I see em!"

The countermeasure shield bubble suddenly collapsed under the withering drala fire, forcing the pilot to hastily maneuver Arastos around the unrelenting plasma volleys once more.

At that moment, Kanolos saw the approaching demise of his ship... he couldn't avoid a series of powerful shots that were reaching up from the planet in a concentrated succession of lances. He could not physically evade every single one!

With a deft tweak of his right paw, the helmsman pushed the starship's nose ever so slightly downward. If he couldn't avoid a hit, the kyree's next best option was to minimize damage as best he could.

Arastos shuddered viciously as a plasma shot impacted squarely against the aft shielding around the starboard slipstream nacelle. Immediately, the shield emitters along the struck portion of the hull overloaded and shorted out, collapsing the shield bubble around the nacelle and surrounding superstructure.

"I'll lost aft starboard shields!" Yana nearly shouted over the interface. "The emitters are gone... we can't take another hit along the section!"

"I know!" Kano exclaimed, just as he threw the ship into a stomach-turning spiral to avoid another plasma volley. By now the kyree was panting with exhaustion. He only had a minute or so more before he simply passed out from the exertion.

Meanwhile, the Domain fighter elements had entered Shyla's effective range of fire. At once, the kenseng opened up with missiles and the ship's point defense turrets, seeking to fend off the approaching formations.

Several of the smaller drala spacecraft swiftly succumbed to Shyla's deadly handiwork. Yet, still the fighter formations advanced on Arastos from below, almost head-on to Kano's current trajectory down toward Earth. Spears of green plasma crossed paths with solid streaks of cobalt blue from the point defense turrets, lighting up the region of space in a deadly display of firepower.

The forward shields began taking glancing hits from the approaching fighters. Frantically, Yana worked to keep the defensive barrier functioning. However, the grey-furred kyree was fighting a losing battle.

Kano just couldn't dodge every last shot.

"I can't hold the bow shield much longer!" the Tactical Officer exclaimed in alarm.

Yana's callout only drove Kanolos to push his body further, fighting desperately to maintain his focus over the crippling exhaustion that racked his awareness. "I'm getting overwhelmed!"

As the situation continued to deteriorate, Riyla was about to call off the strike. They needed to make their escape soon before Kano was overcome completely. "Come on Ja'laski... where the hell are you?!" the black kyree whispered under her breath.

"Our reinforcements have arrived!" Lumina proclaimed suddenly.

Sure enough, as if summoned by the captain's plea, Ja'laski's fleet emerged from slipstream right behind Arastos, and without hesitation opened up on the planetside drala armada and fighter formations in space.

From the bridge of Arastos, a crushing barrage of fire streaked past the crew's perspective to impact into the fighter cluster, as well as numerous warships on the surface.

Much to Kano's immense relief, the barrage of plasma fire directed onto his ship shifted away to deal with the new threat. Capitalizing on the reprieve, the fox-furred kyree reoriented Arastos and dove for the planet's atmosphere.

Several fighters overshot and elected to turn and descend in pursuit. However, Shyla made quick work of the smaller spacecraft.

"I don't know how long I can keep them busy," Ja'laski's disembodied voice spoke over the interface. "Do what you have to do to capture Taeskea."

"We will," Riyla replied. "If the situation gets too dicey, get out of there."

"I'll provide support as long as I can."

The communication link cut off, just as the ship's bow became awash in a fiery shroud of ionized particles from the planet's atmosphere. One major obstacle had been overcome by the crew of Arastos... yet, another daunting task still remained. Nevertheless, kyree, kenseng, and human alike remained focused on their sole objective.

It was time to end this...