Outer Sector Outpost 7, Imperial Periphery
A collective, ragged breath was drawn in the command center as Frigate Two tumbled away, momentarily out of the fight. The immediate threat to the shield generators was gone, but the respite was fleeting, measured in heartbeats.
"Status report!" Commander Vorlag barked, his voice hoarse, eyes still locked on the holographic display where the 'Crimson Fury' and the remaining frigate pressed their attack with renewed intensity.
"Shields at fifty-eight percent, Commander!" the shield technician called out, his voice strained. "Fluctuating heavily under focused fire on Sector Epsilon-3!"
"Battery Complex Gamma reporting multiple system failures due to sustained hits! Fire rate reduced by half!"
"Comms link intermittent with Habitation Block C – reporting possible hull micro-fractures!"
The reports painted a stark picture of accelerating decay. Valerius felt it through his Spatial Sense – the outpost's energy signature felt frayed, weakened, like a guttering candle against the roaring bonfire of the attacking warships. His intervention had bought them time, but the fundamental imbalance of power remained.
He continued issuing targeting adjustments, trying to maximize the effectiveness of their dwindling firepower, but it felt like throwing pebbles against an armored giant. The System provided optimal solutions, but optimal wasn't enough when faced with overwhelming force.
<
"Engineering!" Valerius snapped, relaying the critical warning. "Divert auxiliary power banks 3 and 4 to reactor containment reinforcement! Now!"
The chief engineer acknowledged, his face grim. Diverting power meant less for shields, less for weapons, but a reactor breach would be instantly catastrophic. They were robbing Peter to pay Paul, juggling dwindling resources against imminent threats.
Across the room, Valerius noted Kaelen briefly glance up from his internal security console, his eyes flicking towards Valerius, then back to his screen where Valerius knew, via the System, he had flagged the 'sensor ghost' near Vent 7G for priority review when systems allowed. The seed of suspicion was planted, waiting for fertile ground.
The 'Crimson Fury', as if sensing their internal struggles, shifted its fire. Its heavy plasma cannons ceased their barrage against the main shields and instead began targeting specific external structures – the main communications array, sensor domes, weapon battery housings. It wasn't trying for a quick kill anymore; it was systematically blinding and disarming them.
"Main comms array hit! Signal strength dropping!"
"Sensor Dome 4 destroyed!"
"Battery Delta taking direct hits! Shields failing!"
Each report was another nail in the coffin. Valerius felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach. His Wargod power felt vast compared to his previous self, yet utterly insignificant against the cruiser's might. He could perhaps deflect another frigate with a risky, masked maneuver, but stopping the 'Crimson Fury' itself? Impossible without revealing power levels that would invite worse scrutiny than the Scorpions.
<
Four percent. The System's cold calculation confirmed what his senses told him. They were losing.
Commander Vorlag seemed to reach the same conclusion. His face, etched with exhaustion and grim determination, turned towards the main comms officer. "Prepare a final transmission packet. All sensor data, tactical logs, Project Chimera intercepts, everything we have on the Scorpions' activities here and on the moon. Encrypt it with maximum priority protocols for the Sector Command fleet."
It was the order given when defeat seemed inevitable – ensure the intelligence survives, even if the outpost doesn't.
Valerius watched the cruiser on the display, its cannons methodically dismantling their remaining defenses. His mind raced, searching for any option, any unconventional strategy the System might have missed. Could he use environmental manipulation to create a sensor ghost, drawing their fire? Too risky, energy signature too distinct. Could he use his Spatial Sense to find a hidden weakness Kaelen missed? Unlikely against military-grade warship construction.
His gaze fell upon the icon representing the damaged, tumbling Frigate Two, still struggling to regain control several thousand kilometers away. An idea sparked, desperate and dangerous.
'System,' he thought, his focus sharpening, 'calculate probability of Frigate Two's weapon systems remaining partially functional despite damage and uncontrolled spin. Assess potential for remote activation or targeted kinetic pulse to induce accidental discharge towards 'Crimson Fury' or Frigate One.'
It was insane. Trying to manipulate a damaged, spinning enemy vessel into firing on its allies from kilometers away. The energy required, the precision needed, the risk of detection…
<
Less than one percent. High risk. Essentially impossible.
Yet… four percent survival probability was also essentially impossible.
The 'Crimson Fury' fired again, another barrage slamming into the outpost, plunging half the command center into emergency lighting as primary power conduits failed. The main display flickered, threatening to die.
Against the dying light of the outpost, Valerius considered the impossible.