You study the track that the xenos ship has been following, and spot a pattern: every maneuver it has made has been in the same plane. left, right, forward, back, but never up or down. Whomever is driving that ship is a rank amateur to void combat, and as a result you have your opening. You look at Direwolf, and bare your teeth in a feral grin, "Time to strike. Frank, put us on a polar intercept course, I want to come slashing up behind that ship. Simo, fire at will. Priority targets are the solar sails, I want that ship immobilized before this furball even begins."

Lord Pyrus looks slightly bemused, but Rubicon nods, "mobility kill first, a good move. Once that is done, the Aegis can sit behind them and pound away."

Direwolf's grin is just as savage as yours, "and we won't need to sneak around planetside either. I always feel better with orbital support overhead."

Lord Pyrus is nodding now, "If we need it, yes."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

You are hardly paying attention to the Space Marines, as Frank stands the Aegis on her side, thrusters flaring as he puts her on track to cross under Vrenna's southern pole. Simo is in full trance now, and you can see the Sunsear turrets come around to track the xenos ship. You check the tracking display and have to remind yourself to not take your opponent for granted. It was clearly aware of your presence and reacted quickly by turning away from Vrenna, but it is still moving in the same plane. Simo opens up will a full salvo, and you have to scrape your jaw off the deck.

The Xenos ship isn't where your sensors though it was.

Instead it is burning tighter to the planet, dropping down into low orbit as the Aegis' salvo shreds a harmless decoy. Frank automatically switches to an evasive pattern. Simo checks his fire, as Vrenna would catch any misses. Sunsears wouldn't do much to any planet due to thermal blooming, but you appreciate his caution nonetheless.

Then the Xenos ships does something you would never have expected: they open a channel to the Aegis. A sing-song voice comes over an open channel to the bridge, "Darkness flows from the Oldest Shrines Flamebearer. Will you aid us in sealing it?"