The fleet itself had suffered too. Eighty ships lost: fifty of them Tier-5 class carriers, the core of their mech deployment force. The rest were T-3 frigates and crucial support vessels. Of the 320 surviving warships, most were in poor condition—shields nearly depleted, armor strained, crews exhausted.
And yet, the Hive Mind remained far out of reach.
Reinforcements were en route—but still over an hour away.
From the look of it, they wouldn't survive another thirty minutes.
Not like this.
Not at this pace.
And certainly not without a miracle.
Meanwhile, thirty minutes earlier…
Not far from the chaotic battlefield, in the cold void just beyond sensor range, a sleek vessel glided through hyperspace—The Ragnarok.
Within its humming interior, the atmosphere was tense, yet controlled. After half an hour of travel from the desolate star system, they were finally nearing their destination.
