Blaring alarms sounded through the space station Ri-D-335. Fortunately, they were already prepared. No one panicked. Orders were transmitted to every corner of the station. Shields were stabilized. Multiple squads were sent to search for the traitors.

The massive, kilometers wide space station consisted of a core cylinder surrounded by multiple buffer rings. Out of the six rings two had suddenly stopped all actions. Although the commander, who had just taken over the station, was boiling in anger there was nothing he could do about it.

Similar incidents would happen whenever humanity fought against the Malohcras. There were even incidents of the royals of some weak kingdoms either betraying humanity or being replaced by shapeshifting Malohcras.

Thus, the commander decided to only defend for now until all their weapon systems were back up again. If the incoming enemies didn’t leave the spatial node even a Zrathras mothership only had limited offensive capabilities.

After the first clash both opponents were seriously analyzing each other’s plans. Eldrak sternly watched the monitors around him. The operator of Black Space one reported calmly:

“Hit confirmed.”

Readings shot over the different screens. The operator continued:

“Analyzing shield technology… Confirmed the republic’s own Earth-Metal shield V2.5. Comparing data.”

“Send the data to our Shield Destroyers! Fire Black Space two! Fire Shield Destroyers immediately after! Pressure them. Don’t let them repair their weapon systems!”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

The multiple Zrathras worked efficiently. Since they knew which technology their enemy used, they also knew of its weaknesses.

Another massive black energy ray was fired. A few of the patrol ships were trying to flee. To their misfortune they got into Black Space two’s path. Despair filled the pilots’ eyes. Soundlessly the ships burst apart. No life was left.

Black Space two didn’t slow down in the slightest. It shot into the normal universe, leaving a long black path behind it. With the data from Black Space one it perfectly crashed into the defense station’s center.

The station shook wildly. Some weaker warriors could be seen rolling on the ground. Hit by the momentum, the massive station suddenly drifted backwards.

In the station’s center of operation, the commander smiled slyly. Yes, they could have prevented the station form moving, but why waste this energy? His decision turned out to be brilliant as a massive fire quickly spread through the path Black Space two left behind.

This fire was the result of the Zrathras’ shield destroyer. Unfortunately, it only hit the bottom of the station after it changed position.

On top of the mothership Eldrak frowned slightly. Their opening wasn’t going well at all. His thoughts churned. He decided to use one of his favorite moves.

“Black Space one and two, ready for fire! Shield Destroyer, coordinate with Chain Tech! Work together to ensnare the enemy!”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

The Zrathras hurriedly followed Eldrak’s orders. Before they could attack again however, a loud shout came from the captain’s right:

“Enemy attack. They use Black Space two’s path. Corrosive Ray detected. Activating Reflector!”

Eldrak only nodded slightly as he registered those words. A defensive operator had more independence than an offensive one. They needed to react quickly and counter enemy attacks. Thus, it would be too late if they had to report to the captain.

Behind all the Zrathras, Sophia was observing everything with mixed emotions. She couldn’t deny that she felt some excitement as she watched the exchange of massive energy attacks. She was in awe at how calm and orderly the bridge worked.

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On one of the monitors an image of the defensive station was displayed. Sophia drew a sharp breath as she understood how massive this behemoth floating in space was.

However, at the same time she knew that a lot of people might die today. Even her own little life might very well end here. Since the young woman didn’t have an understanding of the strength some lifeforms could reach, she didn’t know if the elder was strong enough to protect their ship in an emergency.

Slowly the young woman felt indigent. She could only stand here and watch. She had no control over her own life. She could only hope that the Zrathras, whom she should normally hate, would win.

Sophia’s body shook as a small seed was planted. A wish to become independent formed. She still hoped to a return to a peaceful life but realization slowly set in. Her peaceful life might be really far away right now.

While Sophia was sorting out her thoughts, a green energy beam followed the black path and shot towards the mother ship. Suddenly a shield of white light appeared before the ship. If there was sound in space the shield would have started sizzling as it stopped the enemy attack.

But now the shield and energy beam silently confronted each other. A moment later the beam lost. At high speeds it was reflected towards a random direction. The unlucky patrol ships who hadn’t managed to flee yet were once again hit. Under the power of the corrosive attack, they were finally completely annihilated.

Eldrak watched everything sternly, fully focused. He would have loved to send the corrosive attack back towards the station, but the black path was already fading away. Without it they wouldn’t be able to attack outside the spatial node.

After a few seconds the mothership’s weapons were readied again. Back Space one and two quickly fired. Two black paths spread in a V formation from the Zrathras’ ship.

Within the space station the incoming attack was quickly detected. Everyone braced for impact. Suddenly the commander’s brows furrowed. Both attacks missed their station, shooting past them left and right.

The human commander’s thoughts churned. This move seemed familiar. He quickly recognized it. He shouted in a hurry:

“Focus on the left path! Continent, fire!”

Hearing the order a massive red missile was readied as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the continent missile, named after its potential to destroy a continent with a single missile, was not able to fight enemies within spatial nodes. Thus, their operator was surprised by the sudden order. He was a split second to slow.

In battles of this scale a split second was enough to change the course of the battle. The commander had to watch with narrowed eyes as two massive metallic balls raced along the black paths.

Their missile was hurriedly fired. It aimed for the left ball. It flew at high speeds. But it was slightly too slow. It missed the left ball by a few kilometers. This might sound like much, but in the vastness of space this was a negligible distance.

Suddenly runes lit up on the metallic balls. They transformed quickly, taking on the form of a long chain. They linked up, now shooting towards the space station.

The commander gritted his teeth. He could do nothing but watch as a massive chain shot towards their station.

“All shields maximum strength!”

Directly after this order a massive impact rattled the space station. Soldiers flew against walls. All kinds of materials rolled over the ground. Some sensitive systems were interrupted.

Fortunately, the station’s shields held on. A pale brown membrane covered the station, preventing the worst from happening.

While some soldiers were already sighing in relief, the commander’s eyes radiated fury. He was already aware of what would come next. Suddenly a massive fire covered the chains. Just as the commander expected. This was the shield destroyer attached beforehand.

The commander noted the slacking operator in his mind. If they could get out of this alive, he would make sure that the latter would receive his punishment. But now was not the time to blame anyone. With a stern face the commander shouted:

“Get two squadrons ready! I want to see them out there in 30 seconds! Shoot that chain into pieces!”

Within the Zrathras’ mothership Eldrak smirked slightly. His attack had worked well. Now the station was busily dealing with their chains. It was time to rise the pressure. It would be for the best if the enemy was disabled before they could repair all their weapons.

“Activate space breach on full capacity! We’re facing them directly! Ready all missiles! Pilots get into their ships!”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

Without hesitation everyone followed Eldrak’s orders. A space breach was the method to enter or leave spatial nodes. The bigger the object and the faster the breach, the more mana was needed.

Thus, a massive amount of energy streamed into the mothership’s rare. Mana stones turned dim one after another within the engine room. A distortion of space engulfed the entire ship.

The mothership seemed to be compressed. From an outside perspective it suddenly shrunk. The distortions in space grew more and more powerful. After a few seconds a strong pull rocked the ship. It suddenly vanished from within the spatial node.

Within the republic’s space station, the humans’ faces paled. They had just begun to deal with the chain when red warnings blinked everywhere. A massive distortion in space could be measured. Everyone focused on a single point.

There, a massive spaceship suddenly appeared. With its massive body and its scaly hull, it was unmistakable. This was a mothership of the Malohcras.