If this had happened before, Sobek might have thought it was an illusion. But after so long under Duke Sadrun's tutelage, he understood that psychics—especially perception-type psychics like him—didn't suffer from illusions. And if they did, refer to rule number one.
Something had definitely changed! Sobek thought.
His heart leaped into his throat. As a "mediocre" psychic, even after receiving an education from Duke Sadrun, he could hardly imagine a psychic phenomenon that manifested directly in space. His thoughts immediately turned to his earlier "inspection" of that ancient Enlightener vessel.
What a magnificent experience that had been! But he absolutely did not want to go through it again.
Just then, he received another communication from the Barbarossa, sent directly to his terminal.
"If this ship loses contact temporarily, you will assume command of the entire fleet." It was Yu Lian's voice.
You're just as inhuman as that lofty Dragon Queen! Sobek nearly burst into tears. But it was too late to object. The Barbarossa, leading the charge, plunged into a rift in space like a blood-soaked sword and vanished from sight.
The Blizzard, already entering its active-jump sequence, and the rest of the fleet followed suit, automatically entering the gravity-well passage.
Brigadier General Jaeger Sobek only had time to let out an "Ah" before the stars before him lost their brilliance. In the briefest daze, the view before his eyes abruptly opened up once more. At its farthest point was an unremarkable orange star, surrounded by unremarkable gas giants and an unremarkable asteroid belt.
It was a perfectly ordinary, commonplace star system in the prime of its life. Space explorers passing through wouldn't even spare ten words to record it.
But the asteroid belt in the distance suddenly lit up with countless points, like a wasp's nest roused to fury.