Pegasus Galaxy, 2005

An officer with over two decades of service, the jolting of the ship as they left slipstream was a familiar sensation to Captain Teddy Roosevelt that never really bothered him. Given all that was riding on this operation made that feeling impossible at the moment. The very existence of the Commonwealth hinged on their success. "Leonidas, fleet's status."

Appearing on one of the bridges three main screens was the upper half male with black hair, brown eyes, and looked to be in his mid-thirties. What clothing could be seem resembled the uniforms of Teddy and his crew. "The last slipstream event has closed…what in the empress."

An uneasiness went through Teddy. "What wrong?"

The man's lip tightened. "Only fifty vessels are reporting in." One could hear a pin drop from the silence. "I'm already asking the others for their data," he titled his head to the right. "Sir, we are not in the nebula."

Teddy could feel his legs threating to give out from shock and quickly gripped the station as he pushed the shock down. He could not look weak at the moment. "Explain," he demanded while letting go as his legs regained their strength.

The center screen changed the 3D two planets and 49 ships hovering in various levels just outside the largest orbit. "Somehow we have emerged just outside two gas giants. Judging by their makeup, they seem to be in a stable orbit. I've already dispatched drones to do a larger scan."

"The Valor?"

"I'm sorry sir, but no ship has found her." Teddy closed his eyes. How could they have been thrown off course, loss half the fleet without any waring? The time it would take to find them if they were not in the system…the Alliance would realize they were planning something. "Sir, should we prepare to depart for the nebula?"

Teddy rubbed the bridge of his nose in the hopes of reliving his frustration. Where was a swarm ship when you needed target practice. "Until we know where we are and if the rest of the fleet is in the system I'd rather not risk another jump. Until further notice I want the fleet in standard formation." Nodding, the man disappeared leaving only the planets and stars as a view.

"How could this happen," Teddy heard the pilot's berate himself. Teddy understood the young man's frustration. The war had put enormous pressure on them, but and the slipstream pilots and fresh recruits had been hit the hardest. To suddenly be thrust in a full intergalactic war not seen in over ten centuries and by people that were supposed to be your allies at that.

Teddy tried to raise his spirits. "We're still alive to fight and will find the rest of the fleet. Remember our oath."

The young officer lips twitched. "Hold the line against the night."

Teddy nodded. "So long as we exist, the night has not fallen." The light would dawn again in the Known Worlds or he would ensure the Alliance fell the cruelty of the darkness with them.

Milky Way

Captain Sif Kenji grunted as the Salient Debate left the roughness of slipstream. Slipstream, not the best way to travel faster than light but their only method. A woman looking in her forties with blond hair, blue eyes, and the typical Netizchean female build, she looked like a woman that could take down many men without trouble. "Status, Salient"

Like with Teddy's ship, black haired, blue-eyed man seemingly in his early 40's appeared on the right screen. "No damage to my systems. Contacting the Thermopylae…what the hell."

"Report," Sif demanded, her mind automatically considering hostilities.

"We've lost half of the fleet, including the Thermopylae. The fleet's exchanging sensor data as we speak." Kenji wondered how that could have happened. Nothing had occurred 2during travel and anything that would cause forty eight vessels to veer off course would been noticed. "We also appear to be orbiting a small planet resembling Mars in composition."

So they lost half the fleet and weren't even in the nebula. Far as situations went, this was not the ideal situation. "How many of the commander ships are with us?"

"The Vanguard and Fires of Orion. The Wrath of Heaven is also with us." So three Heavy Cruisers and the last DSA: II of the fleet. Their strength was still half, but they at least still had some heavy hitters. "Sir, drones are pickup multiple ships one planet over and projectiles."

"Battle stations," Kenji quickly ordered and the bridge was dimmed a dark blue with flashing reds. "Tell the fleet discussed grouping around the commanders and Wrath. Hold fire and I want more drones up there." Immediately the center screen changed to a wider model of the two planets and another further ahead. The High Guard ships were in four group, all spaced out three light seconds while three other drones sped towards their brother.

Over on the next planet were just over a hundread ships that seemed to be divided into two groups fighting each other. What didn't make sense to Kenji was how close the combatants were. Most of them could only be thirty light seconds distance from each other, at best-and even then a few looked to be actually chasing their opponent. "What foolish captain comes that close?" You only did that if the enemy was thoroughly disabled. Too dangerous.

The main question was who were they? The Commonwealth was only rivaled by a select few and while Argosy had devoted most to the Alliance, Kenji hadn't seen any news of another civil war. "Salient, who are they?"

"The design doesn't match anything known to the Commonwealth." Suddenly three of the ships broke off and began moving towards the High Guard fleet. "It seems they noticed us."

"Deploy Oracle drones." Immediately six craft shaped launched from the top of the vessel and took up their position around the Salient. This was followed by similar actions from a number of vessels in each group. "Warn them if they don't stop and identify themselves, they will be considered hostile." She couldn't risk any of the fleet.

The atmosphere was tense as the three ships continued to approach even as its breathen continued to battle. Suddenly the two Janus drones following the vessels vanished from the screen. "They've destroyed Janus 3 and 4."

It was not to interpit "Fire tubs one through twenty, attack pattern alpha." The tactical screen immediately showed twenty dots representing the missiles sailed away from the vessel, quickly joined by two equal salvos from Salient sister and brother. Quickly getting to full speed, they charged at the ships like a swarm of locus. Kenji watched them speed towards their target without inference. "Why haven't they launched defensive missiles?"

When the missiles were less than ten light seconds from their target the screen showing return fire. While it was rapid, Kenji quickly picked two strange flacks about it. "It slow and traveling in a straight line." While a number were intercepted, she watched as fifty swarmed and weaved their way through the fire, separating into three small groups and slamming the vessels from multiple angles. The three ships exploded seconds later in bright hot balls of fire, leaving only scatter debris.

With the three hostile destroyed, Kenji turned her focus to the others. If they had noticed their friends' change of target, it didn't appear to bother them. Still, it would take a few moments for them to know of their friends' destruction. The unknown ships were still battling only a few light seconds apart, but noted that a few squares had vanished.

"Sir, there's something strange about the ships." Salient reported and the third screen switched to a rough model of the vessels. Kenji had to blink at the pyramid-like shape. Even Pyrian and Alliance ships didn't have such a large central hull. "Their fire was a plasma-based traveling at under a light year. Judging by the data, they are unguided and the vessel relies on launchers scattered on the body. The vessels also possessed some form of barrier away from the hull that had to be overcome."

Well that was a surprise. "It would explain their distance, but kinetic projectiles would be much easier to refine and control" It was why the AP had such a short range.

Suddenly the screen shows half of the unknown ships coming to a stop all at once, even as their opponents continued their attack. "What in the empresses…" This was the strangest battle she had even seen. "Salient, what the hell happened?"

"I'm confused as you, sir."

"EMP blast, perhaps." Her first officer suggested, an older human male.

"Anything that could knock out dozens ships at once would have been detected beforehand, even with the lag." Salient pointed out. "They've just stopped."

"Contact Thug and have him do a quick flyby of the fleet, non-hostile posturing.

"Unknown phenome approaching," Salient warned. Kenji prepared to yell an order but before she could say a word a strange, wave like thing passed through the bridge. "Salient, what the hell was that!?"

"Unknown, only that it was some form of energy. The rest of the fleet reports the same energy passing through them."

"Check all systems for damage and sabotage and tell all captains to do the same." She looked back to the battle. The group that stopped still remained unmoving, but now their opponents had also ceased firing. "Now this has just turned bazar." Either the strange energy has done something to the second group of vessels or then intended to board their foes. "What strange world have we fallen into?"

"Sir, one of the ships is approaching us." The first officer reported. "Shall we fire?"

"Not unless they fire first, and tell the fleet the same." She ordered while watching it get closer. Something in her gut made her feel that firing would only cause trouble for them down the road.