The first Ravager wave broke. With their psychic commander eliminated and their initial assault repulsed, the smaller, dragonfly-like fighters retreated, their chittering screeches fading as they flew back to the silent, waiting mothership.
A ragged cheer went up from the walls of Portentia. They had done it. They had faced the alien horde and survived.
Nox stood on his balcony, watching the last of the fighters retreat. He felt no triumph, no relief. 'This was just a probe,' he thought. 'A test. The real attack is still coming.'
The city was a mess. The outer walls were scarred, the streets were littered with the wreckage of fallen Ravager craft and the bodies of his own soldiers. But they were alive.
