Tala moved briskly through Ishma's fortress, her stride filled with a calm urgency at the news of a Terran incursion. The doors to the command center hissed and slid open at her approach, but her presence went largely unnoticed as the room's occupants were too engrossed in their work.

The command center was abuzz with activity. Its walls were lined with various terminals displaying data and communication feeds from across the planet, while a holographic projector in the center of the room displayed tactical information regarding the battle going on above them.

Ishma watched intently while his officers scurried about the room, relaying orders and coordinating efforts. "Centurion Maxim," said Ishma. "I need an update."

A uniformed ship captain appeared in one of the displays: a young, white-haired nrac clad in the indigo colors of House Saul. "Right away, your Grace," the captain replied. "We detected a single Terran vessel drop out of flux space behind Renatus's moon. We initially suspected a trap of some kind, as they were broadcasting their location on a normally unused frequency, so we sent a trio of corvettes to investigate."

Ishma scratched his chin as he listened. "Interesting," he said. "Please, continue."

"After the corvettes verified that the contact was, in fact, a Terran vessel, we ordered them to give chase and engage. Following that, I took a small detachment from our main flotilla and executed a flux skip maneuver to intercept. We damaged the vessel with a single shot from a plasrail, then ordered them to power down their weapons and prepare for boarding. I have a boarding party preparing as we speak. I will find out why the Terrans are here, your Grace."

"Excellent work, Centurion," Ishma replied. "I would advise caution, however. The Terrans should not be underestimated."

Maxim nodded. "Of course, your Grace."

Ishma turned away for a moment, finally noticing Tala's presence. "Ah, your Majesty," he greeted her. "I see you received my notification."

"What's going on here?" Tala demanded.

"A Terran ship just dropped out of flux space behind this planet's moon," Ishma explained. "My men are handling the situation, but I thought you might want to see them in action."

Tala frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "What reason do they have to be here?" she asked.

"I intend to find out just that," Ishma replied as he turned his attention back toward Maxim's feed. "With any luck, we'll have the answer to that question shortly."

Tala nodded and hovered behind Ishma as she watched along. The bridge of Maxim's ship was bustling with activity, though everyone seemed to be waiting with bated breath while the boarding party prepared to intercept the Terran vessel. Suddenly, the bridge's lighting flickered, and Centurion Maxim looked toward one of the bridge technicians. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

"Sir, we're getting reports of a hull breach on the engineering deck."

"What? Get them on comms," Maxim ordered.

With a few quick commands on his console, the bridge tech gave the centurion a nod and opened a channel to engineering. "Engineering, what's going on down there?" Maxim asked.

"Sir!" A voice crackled through the speaker. "We've got intruders!" Panic, gunfire, and explosions could be heard in the background as the engineer frantically shouted. "They're tearing us apart! Centurion, what do we—"

A sense of dread hung in the air as the channel went dead. "Someone get me eyes on the intruders!" Maxim ordered.

The bridge crew scrambled about at their consoles as they searched through the ship's surveillance systems to locate the enemy boarding party. Tracking them down proved easy, as they left an obvious path of destruction in their wake. The team of four moved through the ship's corridors like a well-oiled machine, making short work of any opposition the crew could muster. They carved their way through the vessel, cutting down their foes with electromagnetic weapons and psionic powers, and gradually began taking control of the ship's vital compartments and subsystems.

Watching them from the feed on Renatus, Ishma recognized the deadly handiwork of the Terrans' elite psionic commandoes. "Centurion, you're dealing with a squad of Vindicators," Ishma warned. "There is a high probability that you will lose control of your ship if you do not deal with them immediately."

"Vindicators, your Grace?" Maxim replied. "Are you certain?"

"Absolutely. And I am all too familiar with their capabilities," Ishma continued. "You must stop them before they take control of your ship."

Maxim nodded as he watched one of his crewmembers go down in a hail of bullets, then turned to face the rest of his bridge staff. "Whatever security forces we can spare, send them to meet the boarding party," he ordered. "I want those Terrans dead!"

Ishma could already hear the fear in Centurion Maxim's voice, and he had every right to be afraid. Time and time again, the Vindicators had been the scourge of his operations against the Terrans. They were not to be trifled with unless, of course, they could be met with overwhelming force and firepower—two things Centurion Maxim did not have at his disposal.

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As the centurion dispatched his remaining security forces to intercept the Terrans, Tala watched with growing concern as the battle unfolded. The Terran team continued to cut through their opposition with ease; even against dedicated security personnel, they seemed unstoppable. Ishma noticed her uneasiness and offered some reassurance. "They're quite the sight to behold, aren't they?" he remarked.

"Is this truly what the Terrans are capable of?" she asked.

"Not all of them," Ishma said, "but the Vindicators are among their most formidable. What you see here, your Majesty, are the abilities of their strongest."

Tala watched in awe as the Terran boarding team moved with precision and purpose, cutting down their enemies like they were crossing names off a list. "I... I think I am beginning to understand why you fear them so much," she said quietly.

"What you have witnessed here is why they must be brought to heel," Ishma explained. "My war with them was not an act of aggression; it was a matter of survival—for both of our species."

The boarding party continued to cut through Maxim's security forces as they pushed further into the ship. They were not far from the bridge now. "Your Grace... I... I can't stop them..." Maxim stammered over the comms. "What do I do?"

Ishma let out a sigh of resignation. "You have lost your ship, Centurion," he replied. "If you wish to survive, I would advise scuttling your vessel and evacuating immediately. You may yet live to fight another day."

Centurion Maxim swallowed hard. "It... it will be done, your Grace," he replied before turning his attention to the bridge crew. "Initiate a core meltdown sequence, then get to the escape pods."

The bridge crew sprang into action, performing the necessary tasks to ensure the ship's destruction. But before Centurion Maxim could initiate the countdown, an explosion breached the door to the bridge, and the four Vindicators stormed through the opening. Tala let out a quiet gasp as she watched the bridge explode into a hail of gunfire. Within seconds, the bridge's crew, including Centurion Maxim, fell where they stood.

Ishma clenched his fists at the sight of the carnage and released an exasperated sigh as he watched the Terrans move about the bridge. One of them approached the main console and pressed a hand against it. Electricity arced from the Terran's hand to the console as he interfaced with its systems, and the feed began to flicker as the technomancer seized control.

Meanwhile, another Terran noticed the camera and approached to examine it. His armor and helmet fully concealed his features, but somehow, Ishma could sense the smug expression on his face as the feed went dark.

"Warn all ships in the AO that enemy forces have compromised the Patriarch of Autumn," Ishma ordered. "Order them to shoot it down."

The holographic display in the center of the room became a flurry of activity as the now Terran-controlled Patriarch of Autumn began opening fire on the surrounding vessels with its point defenses. The ship's plasma throwers lanced out at other nearby ships, scoring several direct hits against its frigate escorts before they adjusted course and returned fire. The Patriarch of Autumn's shields flared brightly as they absorbed the barrage, but they quickly began to buckle under the combined assault.

Amidst the chaos, the Terran vessel launched a pair of shuttles toward Renatus's surface while its point defenses cleared a path for them through the Nrac fleet. The shuttles disappeared from the tactical display as they entered the planet's atmosphere, leaving Ishma and Tala to ponder what this meant for the future of House Saul. "Your Grace," one of Ishma's officers said. "What do we do?"

Ishma contemplated his options carefully before responding. A surviving crew from a small Terran starship likely posed little threat on its own, but a squad of Vindicators could prove more than troublesome. Taking out the Patriarch of Autumn was his best shot at stopping them here and now. "Tell the fleet to focus fire on the Patriarch of Autumn," he ordered. "Target any escape pods that may have been launched. With any luck, we'll at least remove the Vindicators from the equation."

The officer nodded and relayed the orders to the rest of the fleet. The Nrac vessels launched salvo after salvo at the Patriarch of Autumn as it unloaded its weapons in kind. The ship's shields finally gave way under the assault, and several direct hits breached the hull. The ship exploded into a ball of flames and debris, but not before launching every single escape pod it had available.

As the surviving fleet turned its attention toward the swarm of pods, the Terran vessel moved to intercept. It rammed the lead frigate head-on and tore through its shields like paper before crashing into its hull and exploding in a brilliant flash of light. The struck frigate listed to one side before it was consumed in a ball of fire, damaging several of its allies with the resulting field of shrapnel.

The remaining Nrac vessels scattered to avoid further collateral damage while Ishma watched with growing concern. Most of the pods had made it to Renatus's atmosphere by now, and there was nothing he could do to stop them from landing safely on the planet's surface. "Damn it all!" he growled. "Muster any available ground forces and organize search parties. We cannot allow the Terrans to gain a foothold here."

"Yes, your Grace," one of Ishma's officers replied as he relayed the orders.

Ishma scowled as he turned his attention to Tala. "Your Majesty," he said, "I am sorry for this inconvenience. I assure you that I will do whatever is necessary to find these Terrans and neutralize them as swiftly as possible. I do hope you plan to add this turn of events to your reports."

Tala nodded. She still seemed shaken by what had transpired before her eyes, but she did her best not to show it. "Of course," she replied. "This... this was quite enlightening. The Emperor should know the full capabilities of the Terrans."

"Indeed," Ishma agreed. He turned back toward his officers and gestured toward the door. "Get moving! You have your orders."

The officers scrambled out of the command center while Ishma contemplated the situation further. He knew that if the Terrans were allowed to linger on Renatus unchecked, they would undoubtedly cause trouble for House Saul's operations here. "No," he said to himself. "I will not allow them to undo a decade of my work."

Ishma turned his attention back to Tala and smiled at her. "Your Majesty," he said politely, "I regret that our meeting must come to an end, but I must see to this matter personally. I trust that everything is in order for your investigations."

Tala nodded. "I have what I require," she replied. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Of course," Ishma said with a nod. "If there is anything else you require, please do not hesitate to ask."

With that, Tala left the command center, leaving Ishma to oversee this new development alone.