The first sound to tear through the silent Void before the capital ships was not the thunder of macro-cannons, but the piercing howl of turbine engines.
Like a flock of hawks bursting out ahead of a desert storm, more than a hundred Lightning starfighters from the Second Legion's Scimitar attack squadron swarmed out of the vast shadow of the Soul of the Sea of Sand in tight triangular assault formations.
They were painted a dark gold close to the color of desert sand, their fuselages bearing stylized crescent-and-Scimitar insignia. Sleek frames and swiveling vector thrusters gave them unparalleled maneuverability.
These fighters were the Second Legion's eyes and talons, specializing in high-speed reconnaissance, harassment, and precision surgical strikes in complex airspace.
"All Scimitars, this is Flight Leader Scimitar One. Target marked, debris field sector G-7. Large mixed thermal signature, confirmed as a high-value Rangdan capital ship. Break formation into pairs and adopt hunt-and-volley tactics."
"Select vulnerable points at your discretion. Prioritize shield generators, external weapons arrays, and suspected sensor clusters. Weapons free!"
Scimitar One's orders reached every pilot over the encrypted channel, clear and composed.
"Understood, Scimitar One!"
"Copy!"
"For Saladin!"
The replies were short and forceful.
In an instant, the hundred-odd Lightning fighters scattered like hornets from a disturbed nest, yet maintained the precise tactical spacing of a trained wolf pack.
They wove nimbly between enormous Warship wrecks, using those cold steel tombstones as cover as they approached the shadow-shrouded area from every awkward angle.
The target gradually came into focus. It was no ordinary Rangdan battleship.
Its enormous body lay half-concealed behind several massive armor plates from Imperium Warships. Tumorous bulges and bone-spur-like appendages covered its twisted hull, giving it an unsettling, asymmetrical, savage beauty.
A constantly shifting film of spectral green energy covered its surface: its distinctive shield.