UGT: 7th Ruan 280 a.G.A. / 3:41 p.m.

  ASF Aurora, on the edge of the Karesh-Ti’Varn system(yellow dwarf), Inner-Noran sector, Ruidan Raider Association, Milky Way

  Our fleet moved towards the western hyperlane exit as fast as possible without having to leave ships that couldn't keep up with the speed behind. Obviously, our advance posed no secret to the Association, who had spotted our movement near instantly. Surprisingly enough, the Association's fleets remained stationary anyways. Based on all the encrypted messages we intercepted... the divergence of opinions was the reason for that. There was no consensus on how to act between the remaining four or so Association Admirals.

  “Time for us to begin,” I murmured as we closed the last distance towards our target.

  [ Just now, yes. They’ve just updated fleet tags internally, I believe. That’s confirmation they know we’re coming, and they certainly have at least some plan of engagement. ]

  “Time to see if they take the bait, then.” In preparation, the ASF Aurora had set off multiple stealth drones as vanguards whose mission was to circle around the Association fleet. They were to pretend being Stealth Fighters, a divergence to lessen pressure on their actual fleet, but also a calculated move to fan the flames of paranoia that there were more Stelathfighters operating in the system. It would only be beneficial to us.

  The holoscreen in front of me showed only the nine expected enemy contacts. Currently they held their layered formation, floating in empty space, waiting for us or reinforcements. One Battlecruiser, two Cruisers, three Destroyers and three Frigates. A defensive line stripped from its original purpose and now hanging in space like a half-mended shield. Their eastern reinforcements had left them brittle. That was the point of striking here first. Highest chance of success with lowest chance of causalities while opening a retreat option. "Activate the stealth drones’ feint pulses," I muttered. Near-instantly Fen confirmed and soon after, the Association began to move.

  [ Their two Cruisers just began lateral thrust, they’re moving off-station. The feint pulses did their job. They believe they’re intercepting a cloaked warp-in, just as we wanted. ]

  “And they’re wrong.”

  [ Catastrophically. ]

  Around us, the SHF fleet accelerated even further, probably pushing their thrusters harder than they should be. The ASF Aurora of course held their speed without a problem. I zoomed in on the trailing edge of the Association formation, the place where their Destroyers had fanned out like protective barbs. The line was no longer a line. With their Cruisers drawn to the flanks, the Battlecruiser began re-centralizing, trying to act as a pivot, but it wouldn't be fast enough. Their Frigates lagged behind, rotating nervously on the spot. “They’re expecting an attack from the rear just as we wanted,” I said, watching the simulation trails from our stealth drones.

  [ Indeed, they focused in their panic too much effort on these signals. Two Cruisers would obviously be overkill and they extremely weakened their own formation. The drones are too fast, too fragmented to be found by the Cruisers either. They’ve already tripped three sensor nets and vanished each time. ]

  “They’ll guess it’s a trick at some point,” I said while watching the arc forming behind the Association's current vector.

  [ Eventually. But not soon enough. They’re setting up a fallback retreat path, exactly where we want them. They’ll run right into our second drone cluster, which will simulate an incoming warp burst. It’ll look like a second force is arriving. ]

  “Then the lines collapse.” My voice was quiet. “They’ll think they’ve been flanked.”

  [ And they’ll scatter, some of them toward Garnuk-Tel, others towards the eastern hyperlane, others towards Karesh-Ti. The only question is whether they'll try to at least somewhat hold formation or fall into a full panic withdrawal. ]

  “Either scenario is usable.” I stepped forward, eyes narrowing as the SHF fleet started overtaking the slightly decelerating ASF Aurora, just as planned. “Send, the signal, the second drone cluster is to act.” Just seconds later, a sudden ripple passed across the red symbols on the holoscreen. An Association Frigate flared its signal and spun hard out of formation.

  [ That’s it. The first unit’s breaking vector. It has begun. ]

  I stared at the glowing shape, its angle sharp and incorrect. Not retreat, not pursuit, something in between. Panic born from misinformation. “They still don’t know how few ships we’ve actually committed to this.” I stepped back to the Captain’s chair, hand brushing the armrest but not yet sitting. “Keep Aurora cold. No weapons, no emissions. Let them question why we’re just watching,” I said quietly.

  [ Already throttled down. Emission profile is minimal, weren't we such a big target, we would be barely a shadow on the long-range scope. That tension alone should make them second-guess every rotation. The longer we wait, the more weight we carry in their minds. They’ll have to plan around what we might do, not what we are doing. That gives the SHF fleet more room to work with. And in an emergency, we would be able to intervene. ]

  I nodded once, turning back to the growing tangle of signatures on the holoscreen. Their formation continued fracturing with one Destroyer turning awkwardly, and the Cruisers slowly starting to retreat. “It seems like the Cruisers are trying to keep order for a controlled retreat.”

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  [ Even then, they’ll still be scattered. Their cohesion is already gone. Even if the Cruisers somehow successfully rally the remaining ships behind them again, it’ll be on uneven footing. It won't help them either. Right now, this all about not showing off the entire capabilities of the ASF Aurora. We do not want them to consolidate their forces to defeat us. ]

  “Good.” I swept my fingers across the console, isolating the first signs of retreat vectors. “Keep me informed about Association ship movements. I want to be informed about everything the Association does in response to what's coming.”

  [Already underway. But except for the Frigate fleeing towards Karesh-Ti, there still seems to be no movement. ]

  The Bridge dimmed slightly around us, but the tension didn’t. We weren’t in motion, or rather not moving at high speeds, but everything around us was. The Association’s line at the Western Hyperlane had already begun to erode, just from anticipation of our attack. And the SHF fleet? Well, they opened fire.

  The first salvos were almost modest. Two SHF Destroyers opened with a pinning spread of UV lasers and flak batteries. Their targets, the two outlying Association Frigates that hadn't yet fled, flinched out of position almost immediately, trying to dodge and thereby breaking the formation. The second volley came instantly after in the form of plasma cannon bursts from a supporting Cruiser, churning molten arcs into the gap just opened. The first Association Frigate caught the edge of it and saw it's shield falling in no time to the superior military wight of a Cruiser. The hull crumpled like wet paper soon after.

  The Association defenders had managed to somewhat reorganize and started retreating more or less orderly from the western hyperlane. But they didn't return fire just yet, still wary about falling into a trap. The SHF fleet pressed forward with methodical aggression. One of the Destroyers swung wide, breaking off from the frontal barrage and fanning out toward the far side of the Association line. It released Armored Torpedoes on a delayed fuse, drawing fire from the enemy’s Sentinel Point Defense Cannons while a Frigate slipped through the distraction cloud and peppered a Cruiser’s flank with Disruptor bursts. The second Frigate joined from above, rotating fire with Railguns, their antimatter tips punching through weakened shielding like needles through glass. A second later, the Cruiser's port-side thrusters exploded outward in a burst of pressure and light.

  The Association decided it was time to react, no matter the potential consequences. One of their Cruisers pulled away retreating formation, engines burning hard, its intent uncertain. A Destroyer moved to cover, but without coordination, its screening pattern fell apart before the SHF’s renewed push. It was the feint working, just like we’d planned. It was time for our next step. Fen pulsed localized hyperspace interference bursts, brief, narrow-band jamming shots aimed at their rear sensors. Nothing destructive. Just enough static to make their own ships look like strangers. Ghost signals, inverted profiles, friendly IDs flagged as ambiguous.

  [ Interference running. Four-second delay added to rear visual sweeps. It's subtle, but they’ll start second-guessing targeting data. ]

  And they did. One of the Association Cruisers began rotating hard, realigning its defensive grid to face the wrong vector entirely. A Destroyer followed suit, hesitant, then certain, chasing a non-existent target its own systems had flagged as suspicious.

  “They’re shifting,” I said, barely above a whisper. “That’s the gap.” And the SHF saw it too. They pressed the advantage with precise, brutal efficiency. Two Fusion Missiles lanced from a hidden vector, blasting the second enemy Frigate to the side, leaving it spinning. SHF torpedoes finished what the plasma had started.

  Everything looked like it was going according to plan. But something just... felt wrong. I swept my fingers across the tactical feed, watching heat signatures and ship movements. The Association ships were clearly retreating from the battle, intent on limiting their casualties. But they seemed to retreat quite a bit below their potential speed. That implied... “They’re waiting for something!" I cried out. "Fen, target the Association ships! Get a message to the SHF fleet as well. We won't fire yet but be ready just in case!"

  [ Already tracking. Right now, it seems like they are retreating towards Karesh-Ti instead of the Garnuk-Tel reserve. ]

  Outside the forward viewports, the field was settling. The SHF fleet had settled in the western hyperlane defense zone, now completely derived of Association ships. Only wreckage from two of their Frigates remained here. No need for boarding actions either, as there was neither time, nor something valuable to take.

  [ Admiral Thorrison wishes to speak to you. ]

  "Sure, put him through," I replied instantly and he appeared on the holoscreen in front of me.

  “Captain Lunaris. As you can see, the western hyperlane is secured, at least as long as no Association ships come through from the other side. Remaining Association forces are disengaging and there are no signs of a renewed push. How do we continue?” he asked.

  I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I stood, watching the last vestiges of the blockade trail apart. The tension hadn’t vanished, but it had lessened. The Western Hyperlane wasn’t contested anymore. It was ours. A path we could use to retreat, if we needed one. But if everything went according to plan, we wouldn't.

  “For now, we will hold the position. Let us reposition and take stock of our situation. See how the Association will react. But our next goal is going to be the total destruction of the Garnuk-Tel reserve.”

  [ Actually, the Association forces are already reacting. They stopped their entire patrol and escort missions across the system and recalled their garrisons at the destroyed relay tower positions as well. All these forces now joined up with the Garnuk-Tel reserve, which is moving towards us. There's also some movements from the fleet at the eastern hyperlane and Karesh-Ti. The fleet that's getting ready to meet us head-on therefore consists of a Battlecruiser, three Cruisers, six Destroyers, ten Frigates, seven Corvettes and ten Cutters. Quite a sizeable and dangerous enemy even to us. ]

  I nodded grimly to myself. "I see... That complicates things indeed. But it's still by no means impossible." I turned back to Admiral Thorrison. "Admiral, get your military advisors. This conservation will be prolonged by quite a bit, it seems."

  Admiral Thorrison nodded in agreement. "I'll do so immediately. But do we stand even a chance against that much concentrated power? Maybe we should just retreat."

  I shook my head, smiling slightly. We did stand a chance. By taking over the western hyperlane we had built a certain momentum. We just had to keep going. Shattering their reserve fleet would bring us a gigantic step closer to securing the Karesh-Ti'Varn system and I'd be damned if I'd let this opportunity slip through my fingers! No. The Association reserve fleet? It might look intimidating, but nonetheless it would burn before our assault.