The orbital scout broke through the clouds at high speed.
Its dark hull appeared above the abandoned border station, reflecting the weak morning light as it descended toward the old military base. The damaged defense cannon slowly followed its movement, struggling to maintain a target lock with only thirty seven percent power.
Vane stared at the tactical display as the scout rapidly closed the distance.
"Target lock is unstable."
Kaelen stood beside him. "How unstable?"
"Very. The tracking system keeps losing the scout."
Kaelen looked toward the old defense cannon through the command room window.
"Can you keep the lock?"
"I can try."
"Do it."
Vane moved quickly across the control panel. Several damaged screens flickered before the cannon finally stopped moving.
The scout continued its descent, and its engine output increased as it lined up with the station.
Eva entered the command room with two frontier fighters behind her.
"The underground tunnels are sealed. Everyone has moved below the station."
Kaelen nodded.
"How many fighters do we have?"
"Thirty four who can fight."
"Weapons?"
"Twenty three working rifles, four repaired mining guns, and one heavy cannon."
Kaelen looked at the tactical display.
"And the orbital cannon?"
"Still thirty seven percent."
Vane suddenly raised his head.
"General, the scout is opening a weapons system."
Kaelen turned toward him.
"How many?"
"At least two energy cannons, and I am detecting a missile system."
Eva's expression hardened.
"They brought military weapons to a station that supposedly does not exist."
Kaelen watched the scout descend.
"Then they did not come here for an inspection."
The scout suddenly accelerated.
Its weapons opened before it reached the lower atmosphere.
"Incoming fire!" Eva shouted.
Three energy bolts tore through the sky and struck the outer platform in rapid succession. The first blast shattered a section of the old landing surface. The second struck an abandoned mining vehicle and sent burning metal across the platform. The third hit the western station wall and shook the entire structure.
Dust and smoke filled the command room.
One of the frontier fighters was thrown against the wall.
"Report!" Kaelen ordered.
Eva checked the tactical display.
"Outer platform damaged. Western wall has structural damage. No deaths."
A warning siren began sounding through the station.
Vane looked at the display.
"The scout is preparing another attack."
Kaelen turned toward him.
"How long?"
"Less than twenty seconds."
The scout climbed slightly and turned its nose toward the center of the station.
Kaelen understood what it was doing.
"It is targeting the command room."
Eva raised her rifle.
"We need to move."
Kaelen shook his head.
"No. We fire first."
Vane stared at him.
"The cannon is still struggling with the target lock."
"Can you hold the lock?"
"I can try."
"Then fire."
Vane activated the firing system.
For several seconds, the old cannon remained silent.
The scout fired again.
A missile launched from beneath its hull and accelerated toward the station.
The command room alarms became louder.
"Missile incoming!" Vane shouted.
Kaelen looked at the tactical display.
"Distance?"
"Eight hundred meters."
"Impact?"
"Five seconds."
Kaelen pointed toward the cannon controls.
"Fire now."
Vane forced the damaged system to release its stored power.
The old orbital cannon finally fired.
A powerful energy beam crossed the sky and struck the scout along its lower hull.
The vessel twisted violently.
At the same moment, the incoming missile lost its guidance lock and veered away from the station.
It exploded above the eastern mining towers.
The blast sent a shock wave across the base.
Eva looked through the window.
"It hit."
Vane checked the readings.
"Heavy damage to their lower engine section, but the scout is still operational."
Kaelen watched the damaged vessel stabilize.
"How long before the cannon can fire again?"
Vane checked the power system.
"At least forty seconds."
"We do not have forty seconds."
The scout turned back toward the station.
Its remaining weapons began charging.
Kaelen looked toward the eastern mining towers.
"Move the fighters there."
Eva looked at the map.
"The towers?"
"They are still connected to the old military power grid."
Vane immediately understood.
"Some of the mining towers still have atmospheric defense relays."
"Can we activate them?"
"Maybe."
"Do it."
Eva turned toward the frontier fighters.
"You heard him. Move to the eastern towers and prepare the relay."
The fighters rushed from the command room.
Outside, the scout began another attack run.
Its damaged engine produced a trail of smoke, but the vessel continued toward the station at full speed. Two energy cannons fired repeatedly, striking the outer defenses and forcing the frontier fighters to take cover.
One blast destroyed an old communications tower.
Another tore through the roof of a storage building.
A third struck the ground near the eastern mining towers and threw several fighters into the dust.
Eva watched the display.
"Three fighters are down."
Kaelen looked at her.
"Dead?"
"Unknown."
"Keep the relay team moving."
Vane opened another section of the station network.
Old system files appeared across the screen. Most were damaged, and some were completely unreadable.
Then one system responded.
"Atmospheric defense relays detected."
Kaelen looked at Vane.
"How many?"
"Three."
"Condition?"
"Two are offline. One has limited power."
"Bring it online."
Vane began working.
The scout fired another missile.
This time the missile remained on course.
Vane looked at the incoming warning.
"It has locked onto the station."
Kaelen looked at the tactical display.
"How long?"
"Ten seconds."
"Can the relay fire?"
"Not yet."
Kaelen turned toward Eva.
"Get the fighters underground."
Eva looked toward the eastern towers.
"They are still trying to activate it."
"Then bring them back."
Eva opened the command channel.
"All fighters, fall back to the station immediately."
The frontier fighters began retreating.
The missile crossed the sky.
Kaelen watched its trajectory.
The missile was aimed directly at the central station.
Vane suddenly looked up.
"Relay is active."
Kaelen immediately activated the new weapon.
The abandoned mining tower moved with a deep mechanical groan.
A hidden weapon platform rose from beneath the damaged structure.
Its targeting system locked onto the missile.
Kaelen gave the order.
"Fire."
The mining tower released a concentrated energy burst.
The shot struck the missile less than two hundred meters from the station.
The missile exploded in the air.
The blast wave rolled across the platform and knocked several frontier fighters to the ground.
The station windows shook violently.
Eva looked toward the sky.
"We are going to lose the station if this continues."
Kaelen looked at the orbital scout.
"Not if we destroy it."
Vane checked the old orbital cannon.
"It is almost ready."
The scout had already begun another attack run.
Its damaged engine struggled to maintain speed, but its remaining weapons were still active.
It fired several energy bolts toward the station.
Kaelen watched the attack through the window.
"How long?"
"Ten seconds."
The first bolt struck the outer wall.
The second destroyed part of the landing platform.
The third missed the station and struck the ground behind the command room.
A violent explosion lifted dust and broken concrete into the air.
Then the scout fired another missile.
Vane's eyes widened.
"Another missile."
Kaelen did not look away from the scout.
"Ignore it."
Eva stared at him.
"General?"
"Fire the cannon."
Vane activated the orbital weapon.
The old cannon gathered its remaining power.
The entire defense platform shook as energy built inside its damaged systems.
Then it fired.
The beam crossed the sky and struck the scout directly through its damaged engine section.
The vessel broke apart.
Its rear section separated from the main hull, and burning debris scattered across the upper atmosphere.
The remaining section lost control and began falling toward the abandoned mining fields.
Vane stared at the display.
"Target destroyed."
The missile continued toward the station.
Eva looked at Kaelen.
"The missile is still coming."
Kaelen turned toward the atmospheric relay.
"Can it fire again?"
Vane checked the system.
"No. It needs time to recharge."
Kaelen looked toward the eastern towers.
"Then use the mining guns."
Eva understood immediately.
"All fighters, target the missile."
The frontier fighters raised their weapons.
Energy bolts filled the sky.
Several missed.
Others struck the missile but failed to stop it.
The missile continued descending.
Kaelen watched its approach.
"Keep firing."
More shots struck the missile.
Its outer armor began breaking apart.
One final energy bolt entered the damaged guidance section.
The missile twisted sharply and crashed into the empty mining fields several hundred meters from the station.
The explosion shook the ground.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Vane checked the tactical display.
"The scout signal is gone."
Eva lowered her weapon.
"Did we destroy it?"
Vane checked the readings again.
"The main hull is destroyed. I am not detecting any active systems."
Kaelen remained silent as smoke spread across the sky.
Eva looked at the damaged station.
"That was only one scout."
Kaelen nodded.
"I know."
Vane brought up the remaining signal data.
"The scout was not operating alone."
Kaelen turned toward him.
"What did you find?"
Vane enlarged the tactical display.
Several faint markers appeared beyond the station's normal sensor range.
"Those are ships."
Eva moved closer.
"How many?"
"At least three."
Kaelen studied the markers.
"Military?"
"Unknown."
"Distance?"
"Too far for our current sensors."
Kaelen looked toward the captured attackers on the lower security level.
The scout had not attacked the station because it was simply passing through.
It had come to confirm the location, test the defenses, and determine how much resistance the station could offer.
Now its signal had disappeared.
Whoever was watching had received their answer.
Kaelen turned toward Eva.
"Keep the fighters on alert."
Eva nodded.
"And the survivors?"
"Tell them the attack is over."
Eva looked at him.
"Should we tell them about the other ships?"
Kaelen shook his head.
"Not yet."
She understood.
"Fear will spread faster than information."
Kaelen looked toward the underground entrances.
"Give them time to recover."
Vane lowered the tablet.
"What about us?"
Kaelen looked at him.
"We start rebuilding the defense network."
Vane gave a tired smile.
"With what?"
Kaelen looked around the damaged command room.
"The same thing we used to survive today."
Vane glanced at the broken equipment.
"Scrap?"
"Everything."
Kaelen walked toward the main tactical table.
"Every working weapon, every power cell, every communication relay, and every piece of military equipment left in this station."
He placed his hand on the table.
"We rebuild all of it."
Eva looked at the damaged station around them.
"And if the ships return before we finish?"
Kaelen looked toward the sky.
"Then we fight again."
Outside, smoke continued to rise from the eastern mining towers while the remains of the destroyed scout burned across the distant sky.
Far beyond the border planet, several unknown vessels remained hidden in deep space.
They had watched the battle.
They had recorded the station's defense systems.
And they had identified the man commanding it.
Kaelen.
An Imperial General who should have been dead.
The first attack had failed, but it had given their enemy exactly what they needed.
The next attack would be stronger.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The border station remained awake throughout the night.
Smoke still drifted above the eastern mining towers, and the damaged landing platform was covered with broken concrete and twisted metal. The remains of the orbital scout had fallen across the abandoned mining fields, leaving several areas burning under the pale light of the station's emergency lamps.
Kaelen stood inside the command room and studied the tactical display.
The unknown vessels had not moved.
They remained beyond the station's normal sensor range, maintaining a careful distance from the planet.
Vane continued working at the damaged navigation console.
"I have been tracking them for three hours."
Kaelen looked at the display.
"Any movement?"
"None."
Eva stood beside the tactical table with her arms crossed.
"They know we can see them."
Vane nodded.
"Probably."
Kaelen studied the faint markers.
"They are waiting."
"For what?" Eva asked.
Kaelen looked toward the damaged defense network.
"For us to become careless."
Vane brought up another display.
"I found something."
Kaelen turned toward him.
"What?"
"The scout transmitted its combat data before we destroyed it."
Eva frowned.
"How much?"
"Almost everything."
Kaelen stepped closer to the console.
"Show me."
Vane opened the recovered transmission.
A three dimensional image of the border station appeared above the tactical table.
The image showed the station from several angles.
Its defense cannon.
The atmospheric relay.
The eastern mining towers.
The landing platform.
Even the underground entrances.
Eva's expression changed.
"They recorded the entire station."
Kaelen nodded.
"How long was the transmission active?"
Vane checked the data.
"From the moment the scout entered the atmosphere."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed.
"So the attack was also reconnaissance."
"Yes."
Vane enlarged another section of the transmission.
Several lines of coded information appeared.
"I cannot decode this part."
Kaelen looked at the symbols.
"What about the ship's military systems?"
"Some are damaged, but I recovered the targeting records."
He opened another file.
The display showed several weapon locks.
Kaelen studied them carefully.
"The first attack targeted the outer platform."
Vane nodded.
"The second targeted the western wall."
"The third targeted the command room."
Eva looked at him.
"They were testing our response."
"Exactly."
Kaelen pointed toward the final targeting record.
"And this?"
Vane hesitated.
"The last missile was aimed at the underground tunnels."
Eva's expression hardened.
"They knew people were down there."
Kaelen remained silent.
The scout had not simply wanted to destroy the station.
It had been measuring their defenses while searching for the population hidden beneath it.
Vane closed the file.
"There is more."
Kaelen looked at him.
"The scout's communication system contained a partial route."
He brought up a star map.
A red line appeared beyond the border planet.
It extended toward several systems before disappearing into an encrypted section.
Eva leaned closer.
"Where does that route lead?"
"I do not know."
Kaelen studied the map.
"Can you recover the missing section?"
Vane shook his head.
"The encryption is military grade."
Kaelen looked at him.
"Imperial?"
"No."
Eva frowned.
"Then what kind of military uses that level of encryption?"
Vane looked at the recovered signal.
"That is what concerns me."
Kaelen understood.
The enemy had military equipment, advanced encryption, and information about an abandoned Imperial station that should have been forgotten.
Yet they had no Imperial transponder.
Kaelen walked toward the observation window.
The planet outside was almost completely dark.
The old mining settlement surrounding the station had been abandoned years ago. Broken buildings stood beneath the night sky, and the remains of old transport routes disappeared into the surrounding hills.
Thousands of survivors were now living beneath that forgotten settlement.
They had believed the station would protect them.
Kaelen knew that belief could not last.
Eva approached him.
"What do you want to do?"
"Move the survivors."
"Where?"
Kaelen pointed toward the northern sector of the planet.
"There are old mining tunnels beneath those hills."
Eva looked at the map.
"Those tunnels are unstable."
"Some are."
"You want to move thousands of people through them?"
"I want to give them another place to hide."
Eva looked at the tactical display.
"And the station?"
"We keep it active."
She understood immediately.
"We use the station as a decoy."
Kaelen nodded.
"If they return, they will expect us to remain here."
Vane turned toward them.
"General."
Kaelen looked at him.
"The unknown vessels have moved."
The room became silent.
Vane enlarged the tactical display.
The three distant markers had changed position.
They were slowly approaching the planet.
Eva immediately reached for her rifle.
"How long?"
Vane calculated the distance.
"At their current speed, two hours."
Kaelen looked toward the station.
"Can we detect them?"
"Not properly. They are staying outside our sensor range."
"Then they do not want us to know their exact numbers."
Vane nodded.
Kaelen turned toward Eva.
"Start moving the survivors."
"All of them?"
"Half."
Eva looked surprised.
"Only half?"
"The first group goes through the northern tunnels. The second remains underground beneath the station."
Eva understood the plan.
"If the enemy attacks, they will think the main population is still here."
"Exactly."
Vane looked at the damaged defense systems.
"And what do we do?"
Kaelen pointed toward the orbital cannon.
"We make the station look stronger than it is."
Vane gave him a doubtful look.
"That cannon has already fired twice."
"I know."
"It will need hours to recharge."
"Then repair it."
Vane looked around the damaged command room.
"With what?"
Kaelen pointed toward the destroyed mining towers.
"Use the power cells from the towers."
"Those systems are ancient."
"So is the station."
Eva gave a quiet smile.
"That seems to be our advantage."
Kaelen looked at her.
"Old equipment is easier to hide."
They began working immediately.
The frontier fighters moved through the underground levels and quietly organized the evacuation. Families were gathered in small groups so that the movement would not create panic. Medical workers carried supplies through the tunnels while engineers marked the safest routes.
Kaelen remained in the command room.
He watched the tactical display as the unknown vessels continued their slow approach.
Vane worked beside him.
"The orbital cannon is receiving power."
"Good."
"I can increase its output by bypassing the damaged safety system."
Kaelen looked at him.
"How much?"
"Maybe another twenty percent."
"Do it."
Vane hesitated.
"If the cannon overheats, we could lose it permanently."
Kaelen looked toward the damaged weapon.
"If we need it again, I would rather have one strong shot than several weak ones."
Vane nodded.
"I will make the adjustment."
Hours passed.
The station slowly changed.
Weapons were moved into new positions. Old mining guns were placed behind reinforced walls. The atmospheric relay was connected to additional power cells, and the orbital cannon received energy from three separate systems.
The station began to look like a military base again.
But Kaelen knew the appearance was misleading.
They had only one functional orbital cannon.
The atmospheric relay could fire only a few times before overheating.
Most of the rifles carried by the frontier fighters were old mining weapons.
Their ammunition was limited.
Their power cells were limited.
Their numbers were limited.
Kaelen opened the station's personnel record.
Thirty four fighters.
Three engineers.
Seven medical workers.
Hundreds of civilians capable of basic support work.
Thousands of survivors who had never fought a battle.
Against an unknown military force, it was almost nothing.
But Kaelen had survived worse situations.
He had escaped the Great Colosseum with less.
He had crossed Imperial territory while being hunted.
He had survived six combat waves.
He had escaped because he understood one simple rule.
A stronger enemy could still be defeated if he controlled the battlefield.
Kaelen closed the personnel record.
"Vane."
"Yes?"
"How much of the old station network is still connected?"
"About forty percent."
"Can you connect the rest?"
Vane looked at the damaged system map.
"Some sections are physically destroyed."
"Then use the sections that remain."
"What are you planning?"
Kaelen pointed toward the old mining settlement.
"The enemy believes this station is isolated."
Vane looked at the map.
"Because it is."
"No."
Kaelen enlarged the old military network.
"The station was connected to the entire mining district."
Vane's eyes widened.
"The old power grid."
"The old communications grid too."
Vane quickly understood.
"If we reconnect them, we can make the entire settlement appear active."
"Exactly."
Eva entered the command room.
"The first group has reached the northern tunnels."
Kaelen nodded.
"How many?"
"Almost two thousand."
"Keep moving them."
Eva looked at the tactical display.
"The ships are getting closer."
Kaelen checked the distance.
"How long?"
"Less than an hour."
Kaelen looked at the old mining settlement.
"Then we have less than an hour to make this place look like a fortress."
Vane began reconnecting the old systems.
One by one, dead sections of the mining district came back online.
Broken lights flickered across abandoned buildings.
Old communication towers activated.
Mining platforms moved after years of silence.
Several unused power stations began producing low levels of energy.
From orbit, the dead settlement was slowly coming back to life.
Eva watched the tactical display.
"That will make them think there are more people here."
Kaelen nodded.
"It will also make them think the station has more defenses."
Vane looked at him.
"And if they send another scout?"
Kaelen looked toward the orbital cannon.
"Let it come."
The distant vessels continued approaching.
This time, the station was ready.
Not because it had become stronger.
Because Kaelen had turned its weakness into a trap.
Deep in space, the unknown fleet changed formation.
The three vessels separated.
One continued toward the planet.
The other two moved around its outer orbit.
Vane noticed the movement.
"They are surrounding us."
Kaelen studied the formation.
"They are not surrounding the station."
Eva looked at him.
"Then what are they surrounding?"
Kaelen pointed toward the northern side of the planet.
"The evacuation route."
Eva's expression changed.
"They know about the tunnels."
Kaelen looked at the distant ships.
"Or they have another way to detect the survivors."
Vane checked the station's systems.
"General, I am detecting a new signal."
"Where?"
"Under the planet."
Kaelen turned toward him.
"Under the planet?"
Vane enlarged the display.
A faint signal appeared beneath the northern mining region.
"It is coming from inside the old tunnel network."
Kaelen's expression hardened.
"That signal was not there before."
Eva raised her weapon.
"Someone is already inside."
Kaelen stared at the underground signal.
The enemy fleet had not simply followed the station.
Someone had found another way into the evacuation route.
And that meant the first attack had never been the real attack.
It had only been the beginning.