"Target acquired," Anya said, a note of triumph in her voice.

Rylan leaned forward. This was the beauty—and terror—of this new era of warfare. Unlike the old battles, everything here was kinetic. A projectile fired from a cruiser actually traveled through space. He saw a salvo of missiles miss the orbital station, continue on their trajectory, and destroy an asteroid mining facility in the distance.

"Commander!" Anya shouted. "The Vasari are targeting the shipyard! If that goes down, we can’t repair the Kol!"

Commander Rylan Vance stared at the tactical display on the bridge of the Sovereign , his flagship, a massive Marza-class dreadnought. The blue glow of the display reflected in his tired eyes. Outside the viewport, the crimson nebula of the sector danced with the fiery trails of incoming Vasari Coalition projectiles.