The ship shook, again and again, low, muffled thumpering carried through the frame. With each thud, a flash of green illuminated the spacious cockpit, flickering and shifting as a sphere of superheated plasma darted away from the ship. The powerplant was on the verge of exhaustion, the displays flashing in red as the conduits and coolers were pushed past their limits. Still, despite the engines whining and the hull creaking, the ramshackle warbird continued to breathe out its flame, almost as if the machinery itself shared in the pilot's spiteful determination.

Around it was pure chaos - other warbirds swarming through the dust and rocks, weaving in between a torret of tachyons, neutrons, mines and missiles. Right there with them was the enemy, another swarm, almost alien by comparison. The invaders contrasted the warbirds, the traditional Kusari elegance clashing with the efficient brutalism of Rheinland. They would trade blows, one for one - for every warbird with its wings cut, an invader torn apart by a vibrant burst of tachyon particles.

But the pilot did not care, as their prey was already in their sights. Shot by shot, the weapons stripped away the armour, then digging into the guts of the target. Broken, molten pieces of metal trailed after the wounded frigate. The warbirds swarmed all around it, chipping away at it with every opportunity. And as they chipped away, smoky trails of oxygen, coolant and fuel fumed out of its broken shell, its engines sputtering while its guns fell silent one by one. There would be little warning before its port engines burst into a fiery explosion, a piece of debris crashing against the cockpit canopy. The repair systems rushed to patch up the cracks, the pilot's gaze fixated on the dying frigate beyond. The engines were just the beginning, a chain of explosions tearing off the whole section, just a gaping hole left in the main hull.

With its propulsion gone, the frigate fell silent, soon overtaken by the two swarms battling one another. In the midst of all the chaos, a single warbird snuck its way to the crippled wreck. Soon after, a triumphant cry echoed through the open comms:

"Schroder is safe!"