1:5:7 Descent (Part 3)

Their mission began. The Rexian’s formation tightened around the Lore’s ships which now flew in single file. From the spread out line of vessels, they became an arrow, ready to pierce The Guild’s lines. Despite the fact that The Guild had plenty of time to react to the Rexian’s approach, they did nothing to prepare themselves. Bolts of purple filled the space between the ships as their attack began. The tip of the Rexian arrow peeled away, taking with it a handful of Guild fighters; a new ship took their place, sharpening the point until they hit another pocket of eager Guild vessels. The layers flaked away until only the core remained; by the time it had been whittled down, only the blockade of battleships remained.
“Scatter.” Tree’s command was simple yet effective. The twelve ships behind them spread as thin as they could, ready to slip through the final filter. Alone, the ships ahead now looked more terrifying than they had when the Rexian fleet remained to protect them. The shots rained down on the thirteen as if the other ships weren’t even there. Several near misses and glancing blows caught their hulls but once the Lores cleared the final line, everything else stopped. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, they sped down into orbit; so did The Guild. The battleships fragmented and the fighters broke rank. For the second time in its history, the skies above Quatarr turned black. It became a race to the surface and The Guild seemed adamant that they would win. The Lores watched as the ships around them closed up, packing themselves as tightly as they could with the aim of decreasing drag as much as possible; every flap and panel slammed closed, weapons broke off and discarded, the Lores individually began to piece together the next stage of The Guild’s plan.
“This is Geo and Raine to the Rexian fleet, withdraw! I repeat, withdraw! The battle’s on the ground now so save yourselves!” Geo shouted over the comms.
A cavalcade of agreement was returned. Tree watched their scanners to ensure they did as ordered before returning their focus to the next part of their own mission.
“Vengeance, that means you too.” Raine scalded.
“I am the only ship present that can provide air support in atmosphere. You’ll be thankful for me.” Jo’Tastia’T replied. The Vengeance pulled into view and made her presence known; the three ships turned missiles that had pulled ahead of Tree found themselves pulled off course by her tractor beam.

It seemed impossible that they could do more damage to Quatarr than had already been done but The Guild didn’t seem to shy from the challenge. Giant craters sent sand and glass flying in every direction and the pods at their centres spread soldiers similarly. The Council vessels came to a more dignified stop, gently landing at their destinations before unloading their payload. The clones were instantly put to work. Blaster bolts flew and the sand at their feet was whipped up and around; their sudden advance started a dust storm that both helped and hindered them. Vengeance rained down above them, only adding to the storm. The Council used the chaos to their advantage, pressing on to their targets. The Lores and Chars spread across the plains outside of the bombed out remains of Tarrquu, using the remnants of the trenches as landmarks. One by one, the Tethers were set down and erected. The fighting started to increase in volume as it caught up to them. The first of the clone units fell in to the trenches. One group at a time, they started to form a wall. The Guild’s fighters scrambled for cover; a stalemate was achieved.

With the combined processing and Tempora of thirteen Breachers, the ride was significantly smoother than it had been the first time. Their exit into Quatarrian space was seamless.
“Date check.” The First called out.
“We have an hour before The Guild arrives to destroy Quatarr.” Destiny responded. “Ah… That’s not good.”
“On screen…” The First sighed.
The First somehow grew paler. The others looked at the screen with reverence. “No…” The First whispered quietly.
“Anyone care to clue me in?” Char shrugged.
“That’s Crait’s ship.” Lore whispered to her. “Though… I don’t remember it looking like that at this point…”
“That’s because it’s from our time.” Destiny displayed a composition table on the viewscreen. “The hull’s absolutely saturated in Tempora radiation and it’s not from its drive core.”
“To our knowledge, The Guild hasn’t been able to Breach anything bigger than an escape pod so how did that get here…” Emm shook their head.
A trilling sound came from the console. “I suppose we’re about to find out.” Destiny opened the channel.
“You really should be more careful about who you let follow in your wake.” Crait’s voice was immediately recognisable. “Thanks for the lift.” They smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ve instructed my soldiers to maintain a safe distance from your experiment. They’re just playing at the moment.”
“So…” The First stood. “What now?”
“Now… We both land, you get set up and then… Then the fun begins.” There was a glimmer in Crait’s eye. “You know, I’ve seen up to this part twenty five times. I’m looking forward to something different.” They paused. “Actually… Patience…” They muttered under their breath. A flash of white saw them return to their soldiers.
“Okay…” Lore looked to their compatriots. “Let’s get on then.”