Chapter 171: Unknown Fire

Chapter 171: Unknown Fire

The second strike came almost immediately and gave the officers no time to recover from the first. Another flash crossed the orbital feed and struck one of the smaller Vraxith organisms beside the damaged carrier.

The creature disappeared inside a burst of light, scattering pieces of its armored body across the darkness. Nearby escorts immediately changed direction as fragments spread through their formation.

"Direction confirmed," one of the orbital officers said. "Beyond the Vraxith formation."

Noah stepped closer to the observation display as the officers redirected their instruments toward the source. The image shifted past the nearest Vraxith vessels and searched the darkness beyond them until several distant shapes began appearing.

At first, Noah could make out only silhouettes against the black background. The contacts grew clearer as they approached, revealing vessels with long constructed hulls instead of the irregular living bodies used by the Vraxith.

One large airship occupied the center of the formation while several heavy vessels surrounded it. Smaller escorts spread ahead and along the flanks, leaving enough distance between themselves to maneuver freely.

More ships emerged behind them as the observation range widened. The formation was not enormous, though every vessel moved with clear coordination as it approached the ongoing battle.

"Identification?" Noah asked.

Halden turned toward the officers already searching their available records. "Nothing yet."

Noah returned his attention to the orbital feed as one of the leading airships prepared another shot. A strange brightness gathered along part of its hull before a concentrated discharge crossed the distance toward the Vraxith.

The attack struck a biological escort and tore directly through its body. There was no shell arc or visible missile, and the impact did not resemble anything produced by Eldrathi artillery.

Another unknown vessel fired several seconds later. Its shot hit a Vraxith carrier along the side and burned through layers of biological armor before fading.

Voss stared at the feed beside Noah. "What kind of weapon is that?"

"I don’t know."

Noah had no intention of guessing from only a few observations. The newcomers were using something entirely different from the weapons Eldrath possessed, and he wanted evidence before assigning any explanation to it.

He pointed toward the orbital officers and gave them a new order. "Record their numbers, firing intervals, movement, range, and target choices. I want everything we can observe."

"Yes, my Lord."

"And stop calling them reinforcements until they identify themselves."

One of the officers paused before correcting the label on his display. The unknown formation had attacked the Vraxith several times, which gave Noah useful information.

The Vraxith continues to attack Khelron. Several large organisms turned away from the planet while smaller creatures accelerated toward the unidentified fleet.

Biological artillery vessels repositioned behind the approaching swarm and began launching projectiles into space. The attack forced the smaller unknown airships to move ahead of the heavier vessels.

Their formation widened just enough to create clear firing paths between the ships. None of the vessels moved far enough away to become isolated.

Bursts of unfamiliar energy began crossing the darkness, and the first Vraxith organisms disappeared quickly. The escorts concentrated their fire on the approaching swarm before the creatures could close the distance.

Some Vraxith were torn apart immediately, while others lost limbs or sections of armor and continued drifting forward. A second group survived long enough to reach closer range before the unknown ships changed their spacing again.

One vessel moved left to avoid a biological projectile, and another shifted into the opening it created. A third remained slightly behind them and fired at the Vraxith organisms that passed through the first two vessels.

Halden watched their movements closely. "They’ve done this before."

Noah agreed with the observation because the fleet was not moving like a collection of separate captains reacting independently. Each change in position protected another vessel or created a new firing angle.

The Vraxith adjusted their approach and concentrated several organisms against one of the smaller airships. Two biological projectiles missed while a third struck near the vessel’s forward section.

Part of the outer hull broke away and tumbled into space. Another strike landed farther along the side and left a damaged section visible even through the distant observation feed.

The airship remained with the formation despite the damage. One of its escorts immediately moved closer and fired across its exposed side while the damaged vessel reduced speed.

"They can hurt them," Halden said.

Noah watched the damaged ship stabilize as the covering escort remained nearby. The newcomers possessed powerful weapons, though the Vraxith were clearly capable of damaging their vessels in return.

The largest airship had not fired since it first appeared. It remained near the center of the formation while the escorts continued fighting around it.

Smaller ships intercepted Vraxith organisms before they could approach too closely. The central vessel maintained its course and allowed the surrounding ships to absorb the immediate pressure.

A glow eventually began forming along its forward hull. The brightness intensified steadily until even the orbital officers stopped looking away from the main display.

"Large reading from the central vessel," one officer said.

Noah watched the surrounding escorts shift away from the airship’s forward path. Their movement cleared a direct line toward one of the largest Vraxith carriers.

The central vessel fired, and a brilliant discharge crossed the battlefield. It struck the Vraxith carrier broadside and tore open an enormous section of its armored body.

Internal tissue became visible beneath the destroyed exterior as the carrier twisted away. Smaller Vraxith organisms scattered around it while several others moved toward the wounded creature.

The central airship did not immediately fire again after the strike. Its escorts continued advancing and engaging the organisms attempting to reach it.

Noah turned toward Halden and asked for another identification update. "Anything?"

"Nothing matching the hulls."

"Expected Imperial forces?"

"None listed for Khelron."

"Nearby patrols?"

"Nothing with those vessels."

Noah looked toward the officers searching the available records. They had already compared the visible ships against every class accessible to them without producing a match.

"Contact them."

Halden nodded toward communications. "Send standard identification."

A communications officer opened a directed channel toward the unknown fleet. He repeated the transmission slowly and clearly while another officer monitored for any response.

"Khelron planetary command to unidentified fleet. Khelron is currently under Vraxith attack. Identify your force and state your intentions."

The message went out without producing an immediate response. The unknown ships continued firing as though Khelron had never transmitted.

"Again," Noah said.

The officer repeated the message and waited. Nothing changed in the newcomers’ formation, and no reply appeared on the communication channels.

Halden crossed his arms. "They may not be receiving us."

"They may be ignoring us."

Neither possibility could be confirmed from the fleet’s behavior. Noah left the communications crew working and returned his attention to the orbital battle.

The Vraxith were committing more forces against the unidentified ships now. Several carriers that had previously remained oriented toward Khelron had turned completely away from the planet.

Smaller organisms continued leaving the main formation to intercept the advancing airships.

The change was significant enough that the number of Vraxith descending toward Khelron began falling.

Noah opened his channel to Varek, and the grand marshal answered almost immediately from the surface. The reports from the defensive lines had already started reflecting the reduced pressure from above.

"Report."

"Fresh landings have slowed."

"Use the opening. Rotate the battered units, move ammunition forward, and treat as many wounded as you can."

"Counterattack?"

"No stay in position."

"Understood."

Noah closed the channel before the conversation expanded into another battlefield briefing. The interruption in fresh landings was valuable enough on its own, and he wanted the defenders to use it to recover rather than spend their remaining strength retaking abandoned ground.

Above the atmosphere, another unknown escort fired repeatedly into a cluster of approaching Vraxith organisms. Three rapid discharges crossed the same section of space and destroyed two targets before the remaining creatures scattered.

A heavier airship concentrated on the carrier damaged by the central vessel. Its first shot opened another wound along the creature’s side, while the second tore through a section near its rear and sent the carrier drifting away from the formation.

The Vraxith answered with a concentrated attack of their own. Dozens of smaller organisms rushed toward the unknown fleet while two larger creatures fired from behind them.

The escorts tightened their formation and released repeated bursts into the approaching mass. The first ranks were destroyed before reaching firing distance, though the organisms behind them continued forward and launched biological projectiles into the airship formation.

One unknown escort took a direct hit along its side. The damage widened an earlier breach and forced the vessel to begin falling behind the rest of the formation.

Noah expected the surrounding ships to continue forward while the damaged vessel withdrew. Instead, one airship dropped back beside it and another moved outward to position itself between the crippled ship and the approaching Vraxith.

"They’re covering it," Voss said.

Noah watched the two vessels protect the damaged ship until it stabilized farther from the engagement. Their response gave him another detail about how the unknown force operated without revealing anything about its relationship with Khelron.

Another transmission went out from the communications station. The officer identified Khelron again and requested acknowledgment from the unidentified fleet.

No response followed while the orbital battle continued. Noah moved closer to the main display as the central airship began preparing another attack.

The same unfamiliar brightness formed along the vessel while the Vraxith adjusted around the nearest carrier. Several smaller organisms rushed in front of the larger target before the shot came.

The central airship fired and erased several of the screening organisms. The remaining force struck the carrier behind them and tore away a large section of its frontal armor.

The damaged carrier turned away while the unidentified airships advanced into the space it had occupied. Their escorts maintained formation around the central vessel instead of pursuing the retreating organism.

Noah studied their choices carefully. The smaller ships engaged threats approaching the formation, while the heavier vessels concentrated on major Vraxith targets.

The central airship waited for clear firing opportunities instead of attacking continuously. Noah noticed the pattern and refused to guess whether the restraint came from limited ammunition, weapon strain, or some other restriction.

Halden joined him near the display and continued watching the engagement. "Whatever they want, they’re keeping the Vraxith busy."

"For now."

"If they were hostile to Khelron, wouldn’t they have fired at us already?"

"No."

Halden looked toward him as Noah continued watching the fleet. Noah saw no reason to treat the absence of an attack as proof of friendly intentions.

"If they wanted Khelron, removing another force already occupying it would still make sense," Noah said.

The governor considered the answer and said nothing further. The unidentified ships had not fired toward the planet, which Noah considered useful behavior without assigning any deeper meaning to it.

The orbital engagement continued moving farther from Khelron. Vraxith organisms followed the unknown fleet’s advance while several carriers repositioned to support the fight.

The pressure on the atmosphere visibly decreased as more enemy vessels turned toward the new threat. Noah received a short report from Varek confirming that several exhausted battalions had finally begun rotating.

Ammunition convoys were reaching forward positions without fresh pods appearing behind them. Medics were also using the lull to move wounded away from overcrowded treatment stations.

That information was enough for Noah, and he returned his attention to the unknown force. The battle above Khelron still carried too many unanswered questions for him to ignore it.

"Still nothing?" he asked.

The communications officer shook his head. "Nothing on the frequencies we’ve tried."

"Broaden it."

"We already started."

The officers checked additional military frequencies before moving into emergency and civilian channels. Most carried Khelron traffic, distant interference, or complete silence.

Another Vraxith attack reached the unknown formation while they searched. Several escorts turned toward the incoming organisms and began firing, filling the orbital feed with short flashes of the same unidentified energy.

One Vraxith organism survived long enough to strike an airship before being destroyed. The damaged vessel drifted briefly, corrected its position, and returned to formation without attempting to leave the battle.

Noah remained beside the communications station while the officers continued scanning. His attention shifted between the orbital display and the receiver in front of them. ℯℯ𝘭.

"Anything?"

"Not yet."

The officer adjusted the receiver again and stopped when a channel that had been silent produced a sudden crackle. Noah immediately turned toward the speaker.

"Hold there."

The officer stopped adjusting the receiver and left the frequency unchanged. The orbital battle continued across the main display while the speaker crackled again.

Krrrshhh—krrrshhh—

Noah kept listening as the sound passed through the channel once more. Only radio static came through.