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Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance 
New Saharia
Eventually, Forerunner 2 would arrive within the outpost's hangar, turning and lowering its back ramp. Onboard, the station crew's evacuators were revealed to be none other than Sakoorans, with four marines onboard to escort the Saharians. The lead would beckon them aboard.
"Alright, let's get a move on! The Trelisian Assault's already underway!"
---
Talsan had hoped that the Integrity would be able to handle the Cruisers, but the lead had managed to stay afloat. It seemed that sooner or later, the Sakoorans would have to deal with the more advanced warships. Talsen took what precious time she had left to think up a plan before coming up with something.
"...continue your attack, we'll engage once they're in range."
As for the rest of the battlegroup, the Admiral quickly split them into two formations.
The first was the main fleet, designated as Group Aurek, was going to meet the enemy head on. This would consist of both cruisers and their carriers, along with most of the other ships providing defense. The Resolute lead this group, still hanging back to provide fire support with the Integrity, but should the Saharian ship lose its shields, the Sentinel-class was also in the position to accelerate into the line of fire and get in close with the cruisers.
Group Besh consisted of four of the corvettes, along with half the gunships and fighters. This group was positioned behind the asteroid with reduced power signals. They were to act as ambushers and flankers for the main force, waiting until the Trelisians drew closer before assaulting them while they're focused on the main fleet.
The destruction of the Cruisers, the biggest threat to the Third Battlegroup, was still a priority. With the Silverback's assault capabilities and the anti-starfighter capabilities of the Copperheads, all three ships needed to be removed from the equation as soon as possible.
The Sakooran ships had been rearranged into their final formation. All that was left was to bait the Trelisian vessels closer to the asteroid...
Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance 
Sakoor
The group of eleven humans don’t hesitate to board the xeno dropship, quickly moving as a group to make their way inside. Before the Sakoorans could get a chance to do anything, several of the crew insisted they wait. “No! The Lieutenant! He’s still inside; he was finishing something! He’ll be here any second! We have to wait for him..!”
Precious seconds tick by, the audible screaming of the dropship’s engines idling as the passengers watch the entrance to the corridors at the far end in anticipation…
---
Beyond the flowing, curving white hulls of the Trelisan starships are their unwilling crews. All of the men and women onboard wore deadpan stares, eyes devoid of life. There was no conversation, none of them seemed particularly urgent in their actions - but they were precise and swift with every motion they made. The voices of the regally-dressed captains were flat and monotone, and they did not break their gaze to acknowledge the people they spoke to. The brain chip modifications of their Orellian benefactors worked without flaw. And these had the benefit of giving their hosts enough free-will and consciousness to be the perfect drones for a military determined to burn its last light in the name of its overseers.
The next volley of turbolaser fire struck bullseye, a hail of crimson darts crashing into the bow of the Trelisan flagship. Onboard the bridge, the crew were all tossed forward from the impact causing the ship’s internal inertial dampeners to spasm. Men and women were tossed forward, their faces frozen like mannequins as they found their footing again. The bridge was illuminated by an eerie red emergency-light, as the bridge’s accessory circuits completely failed. The captain gave another order. “We are within range. Order all units to fire upon the priority target.”
Wounded but still kicking, the Trelisan Silverback issued a firm reply to the assailing Saharian cruiser. Particle beams, bright columns of white light emanated from either side of the winged Silverback, accurately connecting with the prow of the star destroyer. A bright flash of turquoise-blue, shining like reflections on turbulent water, shone as the translucent shields of the Saharian cruiser mingled with the incoming damage. Captain Ramon’s first officer proudly announced, “shields are holding, Captain..!”
The Trelisan ships had been scrambling their strike craft and interceptors, which continued to hold firmly around their own ships. Refusing to burn ahead of the formation just yet. In reply, the SRS Integrity opened up with her secondary batteries while she sent a third salvo down at the hostile Silverback. Vibrant bursts of flaklike detonations began peppering the enemy fleet, threatening their fighters with deadly retaliation as the distance grew lesser.
It was at this point that Ramon ordered her star destroyer to activate reverse-thrust. She intended to keep as much of that precious distance between her own ship and the approaching hostile fleet as she could. Even as she did so, the remainder of the Trelisan force unleashed their main particle beams onto her ship. Crossing beams of blinding white crashed and cut across the flickering shields of the Conqueror.
“--This is Captain Ramon; we seem to have drawn their undivided attention. Our shields are holding for now, but I can’t guarantee they will stay that way.--” Her voice carried that same thick posh that was expected of a Saharian officer, alongside a thick layer of oozing confidence. Despite the threat to her ship, she had no intention of breaking character. “--What is the status of the station crew?--”
---
He who laughs last, laughs the hardest.
For an uncomfortable amount of time, the Sakooran fleet watched on as their Saharian ally effectively skirmished on its own against the enemy fleet, being stuck out of range. Even the Trelisans had proven to best them in this regard, if only barely. With her fleet in position and prepared to engage their priority targets, the fight could truly begin. The Resolute and her two carrier companions wisely trained their coilguns on the battered Trelisan attack-cruiser, sending a flood of metal slugs downrange. Unlike the mighty Saharian turbolasers which spent much precious time reloading, the coilguns on the Sakooran ships had no such issue. A constant stream of fire continued to pour down onto the enemy. Many slugs crashing, glancing, piercing, or shattering across the prow of the Silverback. Its shields were down for the count, and the ship was clearly taking significant structural damage.
The rest of the Trelisan fleet charged forth, hitherto unimpeded. The corvettes broke off from their formation, and made a headlong dive towards the sensor station. Although the enemy flagship was now on its last legs, taking concentrated fire, the rest of the hostile fleet was fresh and unharmed…
Thief’s Honor || 
Ex-Machina 374
The Executor’s voice was uncannily calm and flat, having dropped an octave as he stared into the man’s eyes, his throat still in his grip. Metal gauntlet threatening to crush his neck in the blink of an eye. Ellecon’s face was stone, but his eyes gave a window into his emotions, a mixture of fear and anger.
“It’s been a long time since someone like you managed to get that close to me.” His grip tightened ever so slightly, as he angled his wrist to turn the man in his grip around just a bit, getting a better look at him. “Don’t think your skill was what permitted that. It was my own… complacency that granted you the grace of laying a finger on me.”
No doubt a scene was unfolding all around him. Ellecon couldn’t hear the commotion at all; his vision was tainted a blood red. “I should be dead. By all accounts, if that was your goal.”
“So tell me - am I a dead man walking?”
Thief's Honor || New Saharia
He attempted to respond, though by that point his voice became unintelligible as his fingers prying at Ellecon's hand became weaker and weaker. His eyes showed almost pure panic and fear as his vision began to swim in and out of darkness as he was looking at the dictator holding him. 'So is this how I die?' Sly thought, looking around hoping someone can save him at the last second. Only a few moments later security had arrived, and Jack had stepped behind them, now just more disappointed at the situation than afraid or mad.
"Let him go, now!" One of the guards demanded, hand ready to draw his gun if the situation gets worse.
Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance New Saharia
Forerunner 2's crew waited for as long as they cool, keeping their cool despite the battle raging on just outside and their growing anxiousness. They were intent on waiting for as long as possible for the Lieutenant, with Forerunner's copilot sending a message to the Resolute.
---
Talsan received the message just in time to reply to Captain Ramon. "They're still being evacuated. I'm being told the Lieutenant is in the middle of finishing something. We're moving into draw fire away from you."
The Resolute made a burn into the line of fire, aiming to take the pressure off of the Integrity, while the carriers continued the assault in the hopes of finally be able to destroy the attack cruiser. The gunships of Aurek moved into position to meet the approaching corvettes head on. This is exactly what the Admiral wanted to happen. The Trelisian forces were somewhat divided and focused entirely on her. The trap could now be sprung.
"Group Besh, engage!"
Surely enough, like a swarm of hornets, the hidden Sakooran strike force emerged from around the asteroid, ambushing the main Trelisian force. Flanking maneuvers were immediatly put in place, with the goals of being able to do some serious damage against the frigates and larger capital ships, bombarding their foes with coilguns and missiles.
The battle for Ninov VIII had begun.
New Saharia and The Breen
The Breen || A Disabled Derelict
The captain tilted his head to one side as if curious. "Really now? I remember the last war we fought, against a species called the He'Visad. They were pretty strong - had some sort of microtargeting laser cannons. Of course, when we won, we stole their technology.
But enough about us - I'm curious about your war."
The borders of Torrin Industries, even this far out in space, were abuzz with activity. Huge freighters, bound for distant spaces or returning from far journeys, were jumping in and out, and around them flitted hundreds of tiny tugs and container-bearers, all watched over by traffic control ships, one of which signalled back after some delay that the Boundary was free to enter their ships through the FTL entry zone assigned to them, and continue to the company headquarters at Palici IV, where tugs would be waiting to take them into a berth to meet with company representatives.
Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance Sakoor
It appears the Sakooran forces had jumped the gun. With all of their ships still active except for their lead cruiser, the Trelisan escort ships and starfighters were at near-full strength. Although the Sakooran gunships did catch the oncoming corvettes by surprise, they were about to be in the crosshairs of every defensive battery the Trelisan warships have.
Fortunately, the sudden surge of strike-craft spilling from atop the asteroid station caused the hostile corvettes to scatter - but not before they got a few rounds in on the now-abandoned array. Particle beams punched holes straight through the thin plating of the base, some carving long fiery scars along the hull as the blinding white beams wandered around…
The still-landed Sakooran shuttle in the station’s hangar felt the violent tremors, several roof panels breaking free and slamming down onto the hangar floor. By great fortune, the gravity projectors were still online, leaving everyone glued to the ground - but sensors showed the station was decompressing rapidly. At that very moment, the far door opened, allowing a man to sprint through at breakneck speed, beelining towards the dropship. Having crossed the tarmac in nothing short of five seconds, his comrades helped pull him onboard, several people now shouting at the pilot. “Take off! That’s Everyone! Go!”
---
Shaking his head, Captain Ramon’s first officer looked up at the battle-display ahead of him. “The Sakoorans deployed their ambush forces too early.”
Without hesitation, Ramon interjected. “It’s time to call in that special delivery I ordered. Have squadrons Red through Green deploy in sector 047-117…! Order them to focus fire on the designated enemy cruiser!”
Ramon’s star destroyer had yet to deploy any of its forty starfighters, who had since been loitering several lightminutes away from the battle. Saharian starfighters, unlike many, were equipped with hyperdrives - allowing them to emerge suddenly and without warning, in close-range of the Trelisan fleet. Distracted with the Sakooran strike group, they unintentionally gave Ramon’s squadrons the perfect opening.
“--All squadron leaders, report in..!--”
“--This is Red Leader, reporting.--”
“--Blue Leader, standing by.--”
“--Gold Leader, standing by..!--” The five squadron-leaders all confirmed ready, mere seconds before emerging on a razor’s edge away from the enemy force.
“--Blue and Gold squadrons, engage the designated target! Red, Green and Violet, engage enemy interceptors attacking allied bombers in sector 048-135!--” Ramon then turned to her own crew. “All batteries, concentrate fire! Order Admiral Talsan’s ships to assist us!”
The Trelisan flagship was a rotting husk, still taking some crossfire. Dark and lifeless, the broken warship continued to drift forwards. However, either by blind luck or the tremendous efforts of Trelisan DC teams, there was no catastrophic detonation. Saharian naval etiquette dictates that a hostile warship should be fired upon until it either ‘explodes or changes shape,’ but the Saharian captain knew that it was down for the count. The Sakooran ambushers wouldn’t stand a chance against the hostile light cruisers. They needed to be taken out of the fight, or this would become a slaughter.
“--Resolute, concentrate all fire to that target!--” Ramon’s ship was now painting one of the Copperhead light cruisers. All of her strike craft were emerging from lightspeed, and making a dramatic burn towards it, as well. Saharian starfighters were fast. Very fast.
Before the Sakooran gunships and starfighters could unleash their payload, they received a deluge of defensive fire from the hostile fleet. Rapid-pulse particle beams crisscrossed the void, homing in on the incoming threats with deadly precision. If that wasn’t enough, the loitering Trelisan interceptors immediately pulled hard to the right, igniting afterburners and dashing to the defense of their motherships…
Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance New Saharia
The pilot wasted no time, immediately shutting the rear doors and accelerating the moment the Lieutenant was safely onboard. "Hang on back there, this is gonna get rough!" The dropship made an immediate burn towards the Resolute. Fortunately, with the interceptors focused on the Sakooran ambush, Forerunner-2 was able to make a relatively safe flight back into the mothership, setting down within its main hangar.
The Engineers were safe, but the battle was far from over.
---
"Damn it, damn it!" Talsan thought to herself as Group Besh was caught right in the crossfire. In her eagerness to end the battle as quickly and decisively as possible, she had launched the assault too early. Multiple Sakooran vessels were getting torn apart by the Trelisian fire because of her actions.
However, now was not the time for panicking. The battle hadn't been lost yet and there was still time to avoid even more casualties by focusing on the cruisers. With another deep breath, she focused on the marked target before replying.
"Affirmative!" She turns towards the rest of her crew. "You heard the Captain, focus on that light cruiser! Draw their attention away from the Saharian fighters!"
The Resolute moved into position, bombarding the Trelisian Cruiser with a barrage of coilgun and missile fire. Meanwhile, Group Besh broke off and scattered from their bombardment formation, instead focusing on drawing the interceptors away from the capital ships to give Group Aurek's fighters more breathing room.
Thief’s Honor || Ex-Machina 374
As his vision began to clear, the Executor released him unceremoniously, allowing the man to drop to the floor. He stared at him down his nose, trying to hone his breathing and regain control of his searing emotion.
“My instincts have never betrayed me. You have something of mine. Return it to me.”
War for the Core: The End of Neutrality || 
FreeAmericanStates
Seemingly on a dime, the Executor’s expression went completely neutral. He lowered his voice, and only managed to cast the president a very brief scowl. ‘Surely she knows I am not the person to be contacting over this,’ he thought to himself. ‘Why must she waste my time?’
“--Wait one moment,--” was all he said before rising from his chair and walking offscreen. He went to one of the large console-assemblies hanging from the ceiling, and began to sift through some information. Eventually, he did find what he was looking for. Ellecon’s personal office was equipped with some of the most advanced information and communication technology anywhere; he could access a breathtaking amount of information from anywhere in the Republic and the rest of the galaxy.
After no more than two minutes, Ellecon returned to view, seating himself. “--Your officer is deployed at the Matrenar system. The officer-exchange program she is a part of has been withheld from the ongoing conflict due to diplomatic reasons. My best guess is that they do not wish to endanger the life of an officer whose allegiance is with a neutral nation.--”
“--She is safe,--” he summarized. “--If you wish, I can arrange for her removal from the program and have her sent back to the Thestral Union safely and swiftly.--”
Detente || The Breen
While his other companion stood frozen in fear, the humble William Lee managed to hold his resolve against the spectacle. Keeping his focus on the diplomat who had stepped forth to greet him, Lee did not hesitate when returning the handshake. “It is of no harm, Oudlor. As you know, I am Chief Diplomat William Lee, and this is my compatriot, Ambassador Joseph Allen. We represent the diplomatic interests of the Saharian Republic in this matter.”
Lee hadn’t noticed his friend’s subtle loss of composure. Fortunately, Allen’s training would eventually allow him to snap out of it. Witnessing a place truly alien - was not something that one could perfectly prepare to face for the first time. Lee decided to take a small risk, albeit one that could provide some clarity if their hosts answered honestly. “I must ask you if it is not an issue, Prime Diplomat - how were you previously aware of my name?”
It was an honest question, albeit one which might have been laced with some discontent. Lee and much of Saharia knew the Breen Confederacy to be a complete recluse when discussing galactic politics. The fact that their diplomat knew who he was dealing with already was a bit of a surprise. ‘No doubt,’ Lee thought to himself, ‘the Breen keep up with current events.’ Every word a diplomat spoke was covered in information; this all told Lee that the Breen were more cognisant of the wider galaxy than originally thought.
Detente || New Saharia
Oudlor gave what one might call a very alien version of a chuckle as the two diplomats shook hands. Lee would notice that Oudlor's facial tentacles moved separately of his speech, only there seemingly for show as a human mustache would do. The aliens seemed surprised by the question but answered the question nonetheless.
"Ah, well my friend, we Breen are not as blind to the galaxy as you might think. Our reach is farther than we admit. In addition, you are not quite infamous, hehe." Oudlor said with just the right mix of secrecy and context to satisfy the question.
Oudlor, saw Allen's nervousness as his eyes danced over the rest of the Saharian party, seeing his shake in the face of the Urthaks at his side. The alien insects were less than sightly to most species, their large fangs, shrill language, and piercing hooked claws giving off an aura of danger. Though the guards would never harm without his permission, Oudlor still made the effort to reassure every guest that entered the cube of its safety.
"Ah, do not worry friend," Oudlor reached out a hand to one of the Urthaks, petting the hard chitin which formed the inside of its incisors "they are fairly harmless, so long as you don't try to hurt me . . . "
With that comment, Oudlor turned on his heel, bowing slightly as his hand motioned towards the door from which he had originally entered. The door opened with a slight hiss and sigh, its black surface glistening as it retracted. Inside the diplomats saw what could only be described as an endless hallway, lined with glowing green lights.
"Come now, formalities can wait, but our host can not! There is a meal prepared for us, and my Benefactor likes to speak over a dinner."
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