If I Were Tarkin, I'd Die of a Cerebral Hemorrhage
The second wave of Interceptor drones flew in a completely different formation from the first.
The first wave had been a blanket of black clouds pressing head-on toward the Imperial fleet, while the second wave—ten thousand Protoss Interceptor drones—came around from the flank.
Their flight paths seemed alive, constantly evading and shifting. They cut in from the edge of the Imperial fleet's vision, using the wreckage and electromagnetic interference left by the first wave as cover. They feigned an attack on the Imperial fleet, then suddenly turned and struck the Death Star!
The Imperial fleet's anti-air firepower had already been more than half spent by the first wave. Gun barrels overheated, ammunition ran low, and fire-control operators' fingers trembled over scorching controls. By the time they finally distinguished the new threat amid countless radar signatures, the ten thousand Interceptors were already within range.
"Fire! All turrets, fire at will!"
"Those are Swarm Drones! Abandon all other targets and focus all fire on them!"
The Imperial fleet commander's orders spread through every warship over encrypted channels. Heavy Turbolasers, point-defense laser cannons, multi-barreled blaster cannons—every weapon still operational poured fire into the silver-white swarm.
The first wave of Vultures, Acolytes, and Infiltrators had merely been expendable decoys. These Interceptor drones, launched from twenty Protoss Carriers, were the real hunters.
Their hulls were forged from Protoss high-strength alloy, with dark blue psionic shields flowing across their surfaces. Their engines possessed a thrust-to-weight ratio far beyond that of any Imperial fighter.
Their fire-control systems were directly remotely controlled by the psionic power of High Templars. Their agility even surpassed that of many ace pilots of the Galactic Empire. This was Asymmetrical Warfare.
The Imperial fleet's anti-air fire exploded along their flight paths, but the