Chapter 158: The Gathering Storm
The Revenant streaked through hyperspace, its engines humming with latent energy as Raizen paced the war room. The data core from the fallen freighter had revealed a network of hidden Syndicate outposts scattered throughout the galaxy—each more fortified than the last.
Nyx sat at the holo-console, fingers flying across the interface. "I've mapped out their strongholds. If we hit these three first," she pointed at glowing nodes on the star map, "we'll cripple their supply lines and force them into the open."
Malakar grunted his approval. "Starve them out. Make them desperate."
Raizen's gaze hardened. "Desperate enemies make mistakes."
Selara, cleaning her blades in the corner, chimed in. "And mistakes are fatal."
Raizen turned to Liana. "How long until we reach the first target?"
"Two hours," she replied. "It's a Syndicate weapons depot on the edge of the Valdra system. Minimal patrols, but heavy internal defenses."
Raizen smirked. "Sounds like fun."
The First Strike
The Revenant dropped out of hyperspace, the weapons depot looming in the distance—an iron fortress floating above a lifeless asteroid. Patrol ships circled the station, their movements precise but predictable.
"Lylith," Raizen called, "you're up."
The former assassin slipped into the shadows, her infiltration pod launching toward the station. "Give me ten minutes. Then hit them hard."
On the bridge, Raizen's fingers drummed against the armrest as he watched the timer count down. At exactly the ten-minute mark, the depot's outer defenses flickered and went dark.
"Go!" Raizen barked.
The Revenant surged forward, plasma cannons blazing. Explosions rippled across the depot's surface as the Syndicate's patrol ships scrambled to respond. The vast expanse of space lit up in violent bursts of light as debris spiraled into the void.
Selara and Joran led the boarding parties, cutting through enemy forces as they fought their way to the depot's core. Their armor bore new battle scars, proof of the brutal skirmishes they endured. Raizen, at the frontlines, used his Draconic-enhanced reflexes to maneuver through the chaos, his energy blade an arc of glowing death.
As they advanced deeper, resistance stiffened. Automated turrets sprang from hidden compartments, filling the corridors with a rain of plasma fire. Joran grunted as a bolt grazed his shoulder. "They're dug in tight!"
"Push forward!" Raizen ordered. "We can't give them time to call reinforcements."
Selara vaulted over a barricade, her blades flashing as she dismantled the turrets in a flurry of sparks. The team reached the weapons cache—rows of experimental artillery gleaming under harsh overhead lights.
Raizen set the charges himself, his jaw tight. "Let's make this a message they won't ignore."
The explosion lit up the void as the Revenant pulled away, the depot torn apart in a cascade of fire and debris. Shockwaves rippled through the asteroid field, scattering debris like cosmic shrapnel.
The Syndicate's Response
Back on the bridge, Liana monitored incoming transmissions. "They're mobilizing. Syndicate fleets are converging on nearby sectors."
Raizen grinned. "Good. Let them come. We're not done yet."
Nyx glanced up from her console. "We've stirred the hornet's nest, Raizen. They're going to throw everything they have at us."
Raizen's golden eyes gleamed with anticipation. "That's the plan."
Moments later, holographic displays flickered to life, showing Syndicate ships converging from multiple directions. Raizen studied the tactical readouts, his mind already crafting the next maneuver.
"We hit them before they can regroup," he declared. "We'll turn their retaliation into their downfall."
The crew sprang into action as the Revenant jumped back into hyperspace, leaving the debris-strewn battlefield behind.
Raizen knew the war was far from over. But with each strike, he was pulling the Syndicate closer to its breaking point.
And when that moment came, he would be ready.