Leonora didn't hesitate. The moment the feed cut and the wreckage coordinates locked onto her display, she turned sharply toward the helm.
"Turn us around. Outer Rim corridor. Maximum burn."
The helmsman barely had time to acknowledge before the Millia pivoted in orbit, its massive frame rolling with controlled precision. Engines roared to life, power output spiking as the flagship surged forward. The stars stretched into elongated streaks as the drive pushed beyond standard cruising speed.
"Engines at full output, General."
"Push them harder."
The ship shuddered as the reactor fed additional power into propulsion. Within seconds, the Outer Rim corridor came into view.
And then they saw it.
Wreckage.
Not scattered debris from a chaotic skirmish—but cleanly severed hull sections drifting in eerie silence. Entire cruisers split in half. Patrol frigates carved open as if by a blade the size of a building. No burn patterns consistent with missile strikes. No fragmented explosion signatures.
The Millia slowed, coming to a halt in the center of the graveyard.
Youri stood beside Leonora at the viewport, eyes scanning the destruction.
"This wasn't pirates," he said quietly.
Leonora's jaw tightened. "No. This was deliberate."
Before another word could be spoken, the radar console erupted with alarms.
"Unidentified object!" the operator shouted. "High-velocity signature—closing fast!"
"Vector?" Leonora demanded.
"Directly at us!"
She turned toward the operator—
And the world turned white.
A massive beam of condensed light slammed into the top section of the Millia, tearing through armor plating like it was paper. The impact rocked the ship violently. Consoles exploded in sparks. Officers were thrown to the ground as gravity stabilizers flickered.
Alarms screamed through the control room.
Leonora hit the floor hard, her head striking metal. For a moment her vision blurred. She tasted blood.
She forced herself upright, gripping a railing for balance.
"Report!" she shouted, voice cutting through the chaos. "Is everyone alive?!"
Crew members scrambled back to their stations.
"Upper command deck destroyed!"
"Sectors five and six offline—automatic lockdown engaged!"
"Power still stable—backup systems holding!"
Leonora scanned the room.
Youri was gone.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Where is he?"
No answer.
"Damage assessment!" she barked again.
"We've lost the entire top section of the ship, General," one operator replied. "Structural integrity compromised but core systems intact."
"What hit us?"
An image flickered onto the main screen.
The control room fell silent.
It was an Orbiton.
Matte-black armor wrapped its frame in sharp, interlocking plates. Its silhouette was predatory—angular and deliberate. A narrow visor slit glowed amber across a featureless mask. Orange accents pulsed faintly along its chest and collar lines like veins of fire beneath obsidian.
Twin vertical cannons rose from its back like dark spires. Beneath them, wing-like assemblies flexed outward with mechanical precision. Its arms were long and segmented, ending in articulated clawed hands. Its legs were digitigrade, blade-like feet tapering to lethal points. Gold-toned joints gleamed at the knees—subtle hints of advanced engineering beneath the armor.
"This is no standard unit," Leonora muttered.
Before anyone could respond, the alarms flared again.
"It's closer!" the operator shouted.
The viewport darkened as the black Orbiton appeared directly in front of the Millia, hovering with terrifying stability.
A plasma blade ignited in its hand—crimson energy humming with lethal intent.
It raised the weapon.
"Brace!" Leonora yelled.
But before the blade could descend—
A blur of white light streaked across the void at supersonic speed.
Another Orbiton slammed into the black unit mid-swing, crashing into it with explosive force and sending both machines spiraling away from the flagship.
"What the hell—?" Leonora breathed.
"General!" an operator called out. "Hangar hatch has opened! One Royal Knight unit has deployed!"
Leonora's expression darkened.
The Royal Knight units were elite machines—ivory-white armor curved smoothly over dense mechanical musculature. Their plating was organic yet deliberate, rounded rather than jagged. Heavy cylindrical shoulder units anchored their upper frames. The head was streamlined beneath a protective hood of armor—more visor than face, emotionless yet imposing.
Hydraulic arms ended in skeletal clawed hands designed for crushing force. Their legs were broad and reinforced, built for stability and raw power.
She was their designated commander.
No one launched a Royal Knight without her authorization.
"Connect me to that unit," she ordered.
The comm line opened.
Leonora's voice cut through, sharp and furious. "Who authorized your deployment?"
Static crackled.
Then—
A familiar voice answered.
"It's been a while since I've been in one of these," the voice said lightly. "Didn't miss it, though."
Leonora froze.
"…Youri?"
A soft chuckle came through the comm.
"How did you leave the ship?!" she demanded.
"Long story," he replied. "Short version—I saw the hangar still operational before the upper section collapsed. Figured we'd need something heavier than words."
On the external feed, the white Royal Knight stabilized mid-space, its thrusters flaring bright blue as it faced the black Orbiton.
The rogue unit recovered quickly, twin cannons pivoting toward Youri's position.
"You should be in the control room," Leonora snapped.
"And you should be out of firing range," he answered calmly. "We're even."
The black Orbiton fired first.
Twin beams lanced across space.
Youri's Royal Knight rolled sharply, engines roaring as the beams sliced past. He surged forward instead of retreating, closing distance in seconds.
"He's engaging at close range," one operator said.
"Of course he is," Leonora muttered.
The rogue unit's plasma blade reignited.
Youri answered in kind.
From the Royal Knight's forearm, a brilliant white energy blade extended—clean, focused, humming with controlled power.
The two Orbitons collided.
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through nearby debris fields. Blade met blade, crimson and white energy grinding violently.
"You're outmatched," Leonora said into the comm, though she knew he could hear the concern beneath her tone.
"Doesn't feel like it," Youri replied.
The black unit's back cannons fired point-blank.
Youri twisted at the last possible second, one beam grazing his shoulder plating. Armor flared, but held.
He countered with a brutal knee strike, slamming into the rogue unit's midsection. The impact bent plating inward.
"Structure's denser than expected," he muttered. "This isn't standard imperial design."
Leonora's eyes narrowed.
"You think this is ours?"
"No," Youri said. "But whoever built it knows us."
The black Orbiton disengaged, wing assemblies flaring outward. Its amber visor brightened.
Suddenly it accelerated backward—faster than before.
"Energy spike!" the operator shouted.
"It's charging something!" another added.
The twin cannons on its back began to glow, power building rapidly.
"Youri, fall back!" Leonora ordered.
"No."
The Royal Knight's shoulder units shifted, locking into position.
For a split second, silence.
Then—
Both machines fired.
Twin beams of compressed energy collided mid-space in a blinding explosion of light. The shockwave tore through surrounding wreckage, vaporizing fragments instantly.
The control room lights flickered from the surge.
On-screen, both Orbitons emerged from the blast cloud.
The rogue unit's left cannon was gone.
Youri's right shoulder plating was cracked.
They hovered, facing each other again.
"This thing isn't just attacking trade routes," Youri said quietly over the comm. "It wanted us."
Leonora's voice lowered.
"A message?"
"Or bait."
The black Orbiton suddenly shifted stance.
Then, without warning—
It disengaged.
Thrusters flared violently as it shot away at extreme velocity, disappearing into the void before targeting systems could lock.
"Tracking lost!" the operator announced.
Silence fell across the control room.
Youri's Royal Knight hovered alone amid the debris field.
Leonora exhaled slowly.
"Return to the ship," she ordered.
There was a pause.
"You okay?" Youri asked softly.
She hesitated.
"Yes."
A faint smile colored his tone. "Good."
The Royal Knight turned and began its approach back toward the damaged Millia.
As Leonora watched him through the viewport, her anger from earlier felt distant—replaced by something heavier.
Whoever had sent that machine had known exactly where to strike.
And they had known exactly who would answer.
This was no random act of violence.
It was a declaration.
And somewhere beyond the Outer Rim, someone had just tested the empire's sharpest blade—
—and found that it cut back.