He saw the tiny swarm of bombers break away, weaving through the chaos. A few exploded, but others reached their target. Suddenly, the enemy cruiser went silent, its kinetic cannons ceasing fire.

Rylan leaned forward. This was the beauty—and terror—of this new era of warfare. Unlike the old battles, everything here was kinetic. A projectile fired from a cruiser actually traveled through space. He saw a salvo of missiles miss the orbital station, continue on their trajectory, and destroy an asteroid mining facility in the distance.

A deeper look at the and colony development?

The Sovereign took another hit, the ship shuddering, but it was still standing. The war of the Sun wasn't over yet.

"Redesign the formation," Rylan ordered. "Move the Akkan battlecruisers to the center. I want their micro-phase jump engines ready to teleport behind the Vasari lines. Bring the Kol battleships forward—I need that armor tanking the brunt of the kinetic fire."

Rylan didn’t hesitate. "All available bombers, focus on the Vasari heavy cruiser. Use the Sovereign's boarding parties. I want that ship seized."

The battle was not just about fire superiority; it was about the logistics of a living empire. Rylan glanced at his resources. Crystal was running dangerously low.

"Shields at 40% on the front line, Commander," reported Lieutenant Anya, her fingers dancing over the holographic console. "The TEC loyalists are holding the orbital station, but the Vasari phase missiles are bypassing our point defense systems. Their phase stabilizers are cutting through our rear lines."