UGT: 2nd Terrana 280 a.G.A. / 11:02 a.m.

  Location: ASF Aurora, outer edges of the Mau-Rut'Zion System (orange dwarf), Inner-Noran sector, Ruidan Raider Association, Milky Way

  The moment we dropped out of hyperspace in the outer Mau-Rut'Zion System and we started our general scan, my sensors lit up with battlefield signatures. Energy surges. Weapons discharges. Wreckage scattering through the void. A batlle was in full swing, hours away from us. Meaning it was already ongoing for quite some time. What was clearly Admiral Thorrison’s fleet was getting cornered. The seven ships under his command were all pushed back into a pocket of space they had no way out of. I took one look at the engagement map and felt my stomach tighten. They weren’t just being overpowered. They were being caged.

  The Association fleet consisting of a Battlecruiser, probably the flagship, two Cruisers, three Destroyers and four Fregates was pushing hard, cutting off every possible escape route, their fleet larger, better prepared and technologically more advanced. This wasn’t a brawl. This was an execution. And Admiral Thorrison's fleet was to deep in the system and its gravitational effects to just jump out. I had no idea how the Association had even managed such a feat.

  [ Enemy fleet composition updated. Multiple contacts. Majority within mid-range engagement distances. ]

  Fen's voice was calm, clinical. The overlay refreshed, highlighting ship classifications. Just as I watched, suddenly there was a flash on the holoscreen in front of me. One of the Admiral's Destroyers lit up in an explosion, shields gone, hull compromised. The enemy had taken out the first ship. And all that had been hours ago!

  I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to focus. Admiral Thorrison was still in direct command with his Battlecruiser having still existed a few hours ago. He knew we were supposed to meet today, but he also knew the second fleet wouldn’t arrive in time. And I knew exactly why because of the gravitational field distortions around their fleets positions. We would rip our fleet apart if we jumped there and there was no chance at holding a formation when jumping that deep into a system.

  Well, except, on ship just maybe was able to do that feat and turn the tides...

  [ Commander Ashcroft demands an urgent conversation, May. Shall I patch him through? ]

  I had decided. "No, we don't have much time. Get us into the thick of that battle ASAP. We cannot wait a second longer."

  [ May. Our last update is hours ago, we don't know the situation there! Besides, attempting a direct jump into this field will put severe strain on our hyperdrive. The risk of failure— ]

  “I know. But there's no other option. If we don’t brute-force our way through, there wouldn’t be anything left to save," I replied. I refused to let such a significant art of our forces and Admiral Thorrison just die like that. I still needed both. I could only hope that we would manage in time. "Also, the upgrades to our weaponry have been completely done since yesterday. You said so yourselves. As of now, the ASF Aurora is stronger than ever before. We have good chances."

  [ ...I did say that. So, you’re really considering a direct jump into the battle? ]

  “Correct.”

  [ I calculate a probability of navigational error within gravity field of 12%. We won't land perfectly. ]

  Twelve percent. I could live with that. Thorrison and his fleet? They simply wouldn't live without it. And I had made worse gambles in the past. "Fen, prepare for an emergency micro-jump."

  [ Acknowledged. Calculating optimal insertion vector. ]

  At least he didn't discuss it with me any further, knowing we had to act fast. He had informed me of the risks and I'd made my decision. He would respect that. The bridge hummed as the ship’s systems shifted. Status reports flashed across my neural link. Power routing, gravitational compensators, jump field integrity. I felt the ASF Aurora tense beneath my feet, as if even the ship itself recognized the insanity of what I was about to do. A direct jump into an active battle with outdated information was obviously not standard doctrine. The risk of miscalculation, of emerging inside another ship, inside debris, inside a gravity well outside of calculated parameters... It was just too great. And that was if the hyperdrive didn't just straight up break under the pressure. Even for Aetherian technology, these jumps weren't meant for brute-forcing into a war zone and could come under strain from it.

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  [ Vector locked. Compensating for gravitational drift. Hyperfield integrity at 92%. ]

  That was good enough. "Execute the jump," I said and the universe shattered. For an instant, everything stretched. Light. Space. Time. I felt the ship strain, gravity twisting around the hull like a vice, warping and distorting everything. Then, reality snapped back into place. The ASF Aurora had arrived.

  We dropped directly into the heart of the battlefield. Less than 300 kilometers from the nearest Association vessel, suicidally close by conventional standards. A proximity warning blared and was instantly dismissed. The Association fleet hesitated, not reacting instantly. After all, they hadn't even known we were in the system. And even then, no ship larger than 50 meters should have been able to execute a jump that precise, that fast, inside a gravitational field like this. It wasn’t just reckless, it was impossible. And the ASF Aurora was far bigger than 50 meters. I acted.

  "Open fire," I commanded and the battlefield errupted. PDC-K spat streams of munition into the nearest Destroyer, shredding its shields within seconds. PDC-L followed, carving through exposed armor plating, cutting deep into the hull. It never even had the chance to retaliate. The Association fleet finally moved, but it was to late. Their formation, once tight and coordinated, fractured, not having acounted for me.

  A Frigate broke away, thrusters flaring as it tried to reposition, but I denied it the chance. A salvo of Whirlwinds tore through its hull, explosions rippling down its spine until it ruptured in a violent chain reaction. "Fen, keep pressure on their Battlecruiser. Siphons active. Don’t let them recover."

  [ Activating siphons. Draining enemy shields. ]

  Aetherian technology at its finest. The Association’s flagship, a Battlecruiser, flickered on my overlay, its energy output plummeting. The Enhanced Energy Siphons tore through its defenses, ripping power directly from its core and feeding it into the ASF Aurora’s systems. "Thorrison’s fleet?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the battle.

  [ Regrouping. One Cruiser heavily damaged, but stabilizing. The Battlecruiser's leaking atomsphere from a stry hit but is stable as well. ]

  Perfect. "Focus fire on their Destroyers. Break their screens. Leave their Battlecruiser for last," I ordered and the ASF Aurora moved like a predator. I guided the ship forward, relentless. Faster than a vessel of this size should have been able to move, weaving through the battlefield with unnatural precision. For the first time in this battle, the Association was forced to retreat.

  The Association fleet, once poised for total destruction of the Admiral’s forces, was now unraveling. Ships peeled away from formation, some attempting coordinated retreats, others simply fleeing in desperation. Their Battlecruiser, once the core of their firepower, was crippled. Power reserves drained, shields fractured, engines faltering. Their Destroyers were gone. Their Frigates were splitting up, trying to scatter and escape. I wasn’t going to let them.

  "Fen, target priority?"

  [ Frigates first. Fastest, easiest to lose if they reach hyperspace range. ]

  He was right. Frigates had speed, but not endurance. "Our 'Railguns', staggered fire. Don’t waste antimatter rounds unless necessary. Target engines, disable where possible."

  [ Executing. ]

  The ASF Aurora unleashed hell. Railgun slugs tore through space, ripping apart hull plating, breaching engines, detonating fuel lines. Two Frigates buckled under direct hits, their frames twisting as secondary explosions consumed them. A third managed to weave through the firestorm, engines burning at max output, but in the end wasn’t fast enough. "Whirlwinds. Single missile. Make it count."

  [ As you will. ]

  A single antimatter missile launched. A streak of light against the void. Then in multiplied. And did so again. And again. And again. 16 missiles impacted and the Frigate ceased to exist. Three down, two left. Admiral Thorrison’s fleet, now fully regrouped, moved in alongside us. His Battlecruiser fired concentrated broadsides at the remaining Association ships, forcing them into a corner. One of the Cruisers took a direct hit to its reactor. A brief flash of energy, then nothing. The last Frigate was desperate now, maneuvering wildly, searching for any possible escape vector.

  [ They’re attempting a blind hyperspace jump. ]

  Cowards. No coordination, no calculated jump vector, just desperation. It would likely tear itself apart upon exit or leave them stranded in hyperspace. "Let them go," I said. "Their fate is sealed either way." That left one final target. The Battlecruiser. Undamaged but unable to fight under the effects of our Siphon. But it still hadn’t surrendered.

  Admiral Thorrison’s fleet closed in for the kill, weapons locking onto the wounded flagship.

  "Tell the Admiral to hold fire," I ordered.

  [ …Hold fire? ]

  "Just tell him and open me a channel."

  [ …Channel open. ]

  "Enemy Association flagship, this is May Lunaris, Captain of the FSF Aurora. You’ve lost. Stand down."

  Silence. Then, static. A brief transmission. A single, rasping voice.

  "…Burn in the void."

  The Battlecruiser detonated. Obviously Self-destruct. I didn’t flinch, but since they hadn't capitulated, I had expected it.

  [ Battlefield clear. All hostile contacts neutralized. ]

  And with that, the Battle was over. We had won. "Open a channel to Admiral Thorrison. I believe he'll want to speak with me." After all, I'd just shown a few capabilities they had previously suspected at most. Now I'd have to stand up for that decision.