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Voro blinked.
Within the holographic display the thousands of alien ships were scattered, most now cooling blobs of metal, tumbling disconnected rods and spheres. Those that had survived moved sluggishly as they attempted to realign for another attack.
"Eighty-three percent of the vessels destroyed," Y'gar said.
Over fleetwide COM Voro said, "All ships break and attack. Annihilate the survivors with plasma charges before they regroup."
The fleet accelerated to attack speed, burning all before them. The smaller alien craft were defenseless before this onslaught.
Ship Master Qunu had been a hero. He had demonstrated for them all that the old ways of devout placation had no place in this new Age. The Sangeili would forge their own way, with their own blood, if need be.
"Contact the Absolution," Voro told Y'gar. "Have them make ready for a Slipspace transition in atmosphere. They will scout the northern polar region where these drones came from and determine if there are high-value targets our sensors have overlooked."
"Absolution hailed, sir," Y'gar replied. "Orders relayed." He paused listening, then said, "The Absolution is yours to command, Fleet Master."
Voro nodded, indicating they go.
The space surrounding the sleek destroyer shimmered as their Slipspace capacitors discharged.
"Something on the planet surface, sir," Y'gar said, and he bent closer, concentrating. "Energy anomaly in the northern polar region."
He waved his hand over his controls and the central viewer split, half filling with a view of the planet's ice caps, zooming closer to reveal a wind-whipped landscape of snow dunes. A kilometer off the ground, the air shimmered in the exact same pattern as the Absolution's Slipspace transition matrix.
"That should not be happening," Uruo remarked, and took a step closer to the image, intrigued. "A Slipspace matrix only appears upon a ship's exit. The Absolution has yet to transition."
"Hail the Absolution," Voro said. "Abort the jump."
Y'gar shook his head. "Slipspace matrix interfering with our signal, sir."
"Move to intercept," Voro ordered.
The Incorruptible tilted and accelerated toward the destroyer as it edged toward its Slipspace field.
The view in the holographic display shifted. Above the north pole three new octahedral formations of alien ships materialized in the glow of the Slipstream exit field.
"They can jump?" Voro whispered.
That made no sense. If they had such a capacity then why hadn't they jumped into combat with the Far Sight Lost? Or for that matter jumped to avoid destruction from the rest of the battle group?
Voro turned to Y'gar, who understood Slipstream space better than any of his officers. "Explain," he demanded.
Y'gar straightened. "Sir, a Slipspace transition requires more power than ships that size can generate. I can only guess that they are somehow tapping into the Absolution's Slipspace field."
"Energy spikes," Uruo said. "Northern polar region."
The alien ships fired, hundreds of beams bounced within their