"Aye, Captain," said one of the officers on the command bridge. His words were echoed in a chorus of acknowledgments from the ships flanking his.
Across the sub-fleet, helmsmen, captains, and lieutenants calibrated their ships' weapons systems while adjusting their positions. The destroyer-class ships—about 120 in number—fired short bursts from their thrusters, pushing into the forefront to maximize firing range. They swept forward in an arc formation: half the destroyers leading the charge, followed by a line of frigates, then another line of destroyers behind them.
Inside each vessel, weapons officers and automated systems worked in tandem, fine-tuning trajectories and firing matrices. Others calculated firing solutions designed to deliver serious damage—real damage. Meanwhile, the crews synchronized targeting data across every hull in the left flank.
