The Lion's Gaze docked with Station Halberd just after locals midnight. The orbital platform looked like a steel crown above the mining colony below, its hull pitted from decades of asteroid dust and solar storms. Inside the crew of the D.I. Atlas offloaded their cargo with visible relief, while station personnel scrambled to to assess the damage from the pirate ambush.
Leonidas stood in the command center, eyes scanning the tactical display. The station chief, a man named Rusk, looked on with skepticism.
"You think they'll come back?" Rusk asked.
Leonidas nodded. "I have no doubt about that. This was no raid. It was a scouting party. They were testing our defence."
Rusk frowned. "We are not equipped to defend ourselves. All we've got is a few drones and a couple of old rail guns."
"You are to contact HQ," Leonidas said. "Make it clear we are in need of reinforcements. Now."
Rusk hesitated, then tapped the comms panel. "This better not be a false alarm."
They did not have to wait long.
The early warning sensors lit up like a flare. Multiple warp signatures - Inbound and fast.
Titus, already strapping into the co-pilot seat. "Here they come."
Ezran cursed under his breath. "They've brought friends this time."
The hostile emerged from warp in tight formation - sleeker, heavier, and more coordinated than before. Their lead vessel bore a strange insignia: a black sunburst over a fractured crown.
Leonidas opened station wide comms. "Attention all units. We are to hold until reinforcements arrive."
The void exploded into chaos.
The Lion's Gaze launched from its dock, weaving between plasma fire and missile trails. Showcasing why Leonidas was once touted to be one of the finest pilots to graduate from the Imperial Academy. In the current battlefield no one could maneuver a ship like the captain of the Gaze.
Something the hostiles seem to take note of too, as they start targeting the crew. The Gaze shook from the barrage of fire it was tanking. WARNING: Shield generator at forty-five percent.
"Ezran get them off my back, now!" He shouted.
Leonidas pushed the ship into a tight roll, doing everything possible to shake the enemy off.
'We have to break up their formation' he thought.
"Target that lead ship. If it falls the rest will scatter." He commanded.
Ezran did what he did best, picked off enemy fighter with surgical precision, his shots punching through cockpits and engines. The lead ship proved elusive for the marksman.
"Whoever is piloting that ship that is good" he confessed.
"I do not care for his skills, just get him of my back."
'WARNING: Shields generator at thirty percent.' The computer one.
Inside the station, defence drones swarmed, but they were outmatched. One of the railguns overloaded and exploded, sending a shockwave through the lower decks.
Rusk chimmed in through the comms. "Captain Leonidas we can't take another hit like."
"Ez. We need you to work your magic my friend."
"Ay, Captain." He answered. Then he focused his fire on this tricky foe, who no matter what he did seemed evade his shots.
Yet he would not let this face off carry on any longer.
"Computer turn off auto-aim, and hand me full control."
A gamble of high proportion. But the marksman did not waver. He took a full breath in. Fired his shot. Bullseye.
"It's a hit. I've got it limping," Ezran said. "Engines are sputtering."
You could hear a collective sigh in the brig.
"Eliminate it's weapons. Leave the hull intact. I need answers."
Ezran grinned. "With pleasure."
A barrage of fire crippled the enemy's thrusters. It spun, powerless, as they rest of the hostiles began to retreat - just as Davenport reinforcements dropped from warp, guns blazing.
The tide had turned in seconds.
When the smoke cleared, the station was battered but standing. The captured ship was towed into a secure bay, its systems locked down, crew sedated and under guard.
Leonidas stood before the scorched hull, eyes narrowed.