The atmosphere in the hangar bay was thick with the smell of ozone and fear.
Mosaic City hadn't launched a fleet in months. The ships—a mismatched collection of MDF interceptors, heavy Black Ash dropships, and sleek Corporate drones—sat in their docking cradles like caged beasts waiting to be unleashed.
Arden stood on the command deck of the Vanguard, a modified heavy cruiser that served as her flagship. She wore a new combat suit, reinforced with kinetic plating and equipped with a neural interface for her prosthetic arm. The metal limb hummed, syncing with the ship's systems.
"Comms check," Kael's voice came through her earpiece. He was piloting the lead interceptor squadron, Alpha Wing.
"Loud and clear," Arden replied. "Rax?"
" Breaker Squad ready to smash," Rax grunted. He was in a heavily armored boarding pod, essentially a flying tank designed to ram enemy hulls.
"Voss?"
