The ship shuddered violently as it pierced through the atmosphere, faster than it should, its engines roaring against the pull of gravity.
Talon leaned toward the small viewport, his eyes fixed on the planet of Academus shrinking below. Massive cities shimmered as their protective energy shields activated, a rare sight, usually reserved for meteor showers or far worse.
His brow furrowed. 'This isn't normal.'
For a moment, all was quiet, just the hum of the vessel and the vast, empty expanse of space stretching out before him.
But peace was short-lived.
A sudden flash of light tore across the black void, so blinding that Talon's vision swam with afterimages. He flinched, pulling away from the window on instinct, just as an endless wave of ships burst into realspace, emerging from FTL.
"Get ready for war, lads!" someone shouted. "It's on!"
The air inside the ship crackled with tension as alarms blared, the sensors going haywire with warning signals.
Talon felt his heart leap into his throat as he glimpsed the unfolding chaos.
'War?'
He barely had time to process the words before his gaze locked onto three massive dreadnoughts among the incoming fleet. Their sheer size made them impossible to miss, each one a floating fortress, bristling with cannons and weapons that could level cities.
"Hostile signatures detected! Over 2000 ships, with three dreadnought-class vessels, unknown origin!" a voice crackled through the comms, barely masking the panic beneath.
Talon caught snippets of frantic conversations around him. "...confirm visual on enemy vessels, two clicks out..." "They're locking weapons!" "Evade, now!"
BOOM
Energy blasts started racing around them, they nearly got hit by the first volley.
Talon's ship became the very center of the defensive fleet, every other vessel positioned to shield him as a desperate battle unfolded. Cannons and lasers fired in all directions, but much of the focus was on the Concord's ships, they knew the prize they held.
The planet's defensive fleet responded almost immediately. Lights flickered along the surface of Academus as automated turrets powered up aswell.
Beams of energy lanced out from the planet's surface, cutting through the darkness to strike at the newly arrived ships.
The dreadnoughts returned fire, their weapons flaring with blinding intensity. Talon couldn't see the impact, but he felt the distant thud as shockwaves rippled through space, shuddering through the hull of his own ship.
A soldier muttered something nearby, his voice barely audible over the noise. "The planetary defense grid can't hold them for long..."
In the distance, Talon glimpsed flashes of light as the first ships engaged, their shields flaring under the impact of heavy fire. A corvette tried to outmaneuver a massive beam, but it was caught mid-turn, the blast tearing through its hull and scattering it into a cloud of burning fragments.
More ships moved to fill the gap, their weapons blazing, but the three dreadnoughts held their ground, returning fire with cold precision as hundreds of ships were destroyed.
Tens of thousands dead.
It felt like the world was tearing itself apart.
Seven bright flashes of light lit up the chaos each one carving streaks across the void. Talon squinted, his heart racing as the enormity of what was happening sank in.
"Dreadnoughts," someone breathed nearby. The awe in their voice was unmistakable.
Only dreadnoughts could burn that bright coming out of FTL, their sheer mass and energy output unmatched.
"Reinforcements!" someone shouted, their voice high with relief.
Seven massive dreadnoughts emerged in perfect formation, their silver-and-blue hulls gleaming under Academus's faint glow. The Solaris Concord insignia on each ship shone like a beacon of hope.
Talon's heart leapt as the ships wasted no time, firing in synchronized bursts. Energy beams tore through the void, slamming into enemy vessels with pinpoint precision. Smaller ships swarmed out of their hangars, filling the battlefield with streaks of light as fighters and bombers joined the fray.
He pressed his forehead against the viewport, eyes wide. Space seemed alive with motion and fire, a battlefield far beyond anything he'd imagined.
'This is insane.'
"Hostiles everywhere," a voice barked over the comms. "Keep formation!"
The ship jerked to the side, narrowly dodging an explosion that lit the void like a star. Talon caught a glimpse of a cruiser breaking apart, its pieces scattering like embers.
He flinched, the sight burned into his memory.
A crew member approached, thrusting a small silver disk into his hand. "Wear this," the man said, his voice clipped. "It'll keep you breathing if we're hit."
Talon clipped it to his uniform, nodding stiffly. The chaos outside made it hard to think, let alone process the scale of what was happening.
More ships poured in from FTL, their insignias unfamiliar. Rogue mercenaries, factions from distant systems.
Everyone wanted the prize.
The Concord forces shifted, tightening their formation. Talon's ship moved toward the relative safety of the fleet's new center, but the enemy pressure grew with every passing second.
Blasts of light and energy streaked past the viewport as the defenders struggled to hold their ground.
Talon's ship rocked violently. He grabbed the edge of his seat as another explosion sent a ripple through space. His breath caught as he spotted figures darting between the ships, glowing trails of power following their movements.
Supers.
One flew past, cloaked in a shimmering aura of ice. Another hurled lightning bolts, each strike disabling enemy vessels.
They moved with purpose, their battles turning the void into a deadly spectacle of energy and light.
Talon's eyes widened as he realized their goal. They weren't here for random destruction.
They were looking for him.
"They're coming," he muttered under his breath, gripping his seat. He forced himself to breathe, to focus. The Concord fleet was still holding, their cannons blazing, but the waves of ships seemed endless.
Then, amidst the chaos, another massive dreadnought emerged. It cut through the darkness like a blade, its crescent emblem encircling a glowing star.
The Solaris Concord.
The comms crackled. "This is Commander Sylas Theris," a firm voice announced. "All ships, form up on my lead. Secure the target at all costs!"
Talon felt a flicker of hope. The dreadnought surged forward, its cannons carving a path through the chaos. Smaller ships followed in its wake, the fleet rallying under its command.
A figure glowing with raw energy appeared outside Talon's viewport, a Super, radiating unmatched power.
"That's Loren," someone whispered nearby. "I know him from the video's, A Titan. We're safe now."
Talon watched Loren launch forward, his energy aura blazing. For a moment, the battlefield seemed to tilt in their favor.
And then, another flash. This one was different.
'CAN THESE FLASHES STOP COMING,' Talon screamed in his mind, the absurdity of it all almost too much to handle.
Talon's stomach sank even further as another new fleet emerged. No insignias, just a predatory presence.
He didn't need the comms to know, these weren't allies.
"Massive energy signature detected," the comm crackled. "Classification: Titan."
The figure appeared faster than Talon's eyes could track, a glowing streak hurtling toward Loren. The two Titans collided, the impact rippling through space like a thunderclap. Talon's ship shuddered from the force.
He could barely follow the fight. Loren moved like lightning, striking with precision and power, but the enemy Titan was relentless. Their clash sent shockwaves across the battlefield, each blow distorting the void itself.
Ahead, the Solaris Vengeance loomed closer, its hangar doors wide open. Talon's ship accelerated toward it, docking clamps extending.
Relief flickered in his chest, just a little further, and they'd be safe.
And then, the air changed again.
A new presence made itself known.
A crushing pressure descended, suffocating and immense. Talon gasped, struggling to breathe as the weight bore down on him.
It wasn't just fear, it was something that should not exist. A force so overwhelming it defied comprehension.
"A... World-Ender," someone whispered, their voice trembling.
Talon forced himself to look up, just as the Solaris Vengeance, their symbol of hope, shuddered. Its hull crumpled inward like paper, its shields collapsing in a burst of light.
The dreadnought disintegrated, along with every ship behind it, the explosion consuming everything in its path.
He saw the impact hit the planet, and a crater so big he could see it from space appeared.
The hope he'd clung to vanished, replaced by a single thought.
'We're not making it out of this.'