The Andromeda entered the Allpoints system to a chaotic scene of flashing weapons fire and exploding metal. The system was composed of a small yellow sun, a few lifeless planets, and one of the most important slipstream nexuses in the Known Worlds—the reason for the only inhabited place in the system, the bustling Winnipeg Drift.
Andromeda began a series of rapid updates as soon as the slipportal opened into Allpoints. "Dylan, the Drago-Kazov are definitely in the system, but they're not the only ones. I'm seeing Sabra-Jaguar ships, all sorts of other Nietzschean designs that I can barely identify before they're hit, including Al-Sharif, Altreus, and Mandau. I can't be sure in this mess, but I think the Dragans are fighting just about everyone else."
A view of the battle appeared next to Andromeda, and as the crew watched—still unnoticed by anyone else in the system—another fleet exited slipsteam and joined the commotion.
"Andromeda," Dylan called out, "are those what I think they are?" He sounded like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"If you think those are Collectors, then yes."
The ship and crew watched in stunned silence as the Commonwealth ships entered the fray and failed to fire upon the Drago-Kazov ships.
"Interesting how they're firing on all the Nietzscheans except the Dragans," Beka noted. "With all those big ships, you'd think they'd be pretty hard to miss."
Dylan glanced at Harper's console and then nodded. "I knew that I had fallen behind on Commonwealth politics, but you would think that after Tyr's gathering of the Prides, the Commonwealth would want to punish all these Nietzscheans equally—the Sabra-Jaguar and others for their secession and the Drago-Kazov for being the first to join Tyr."
He shook his head as he spoke. "But then again, nothing in the Commonwealth makes sense since the Collectors took it over." He barked a harsh laugh. "Who knows, maybe the Dragans are finally relaying their belated apologies to the Commonwealth."
Harper started to laugh in response and thought better of it. "First they put us on trial, and now they're allied with the Dragans? I'm telling you, Dylan, maybe we should've stayed on Tyr's good side after all."
After a quick glance at Andromeda's sensor readings, Beka shot Harper miffed look. "Are we forgetting that, as Dylan just said, the Dragans were the first ones to ally with Tyr?"
Andromeda took this opportunity to speak up. "That is correct, Beka, but it is becoming clear that the Dragans are not allied with any of the Nietzscheans here. I can't pick up much chatter here, but the Dragans are claiming vengeance for 'the deepest betrayal' while the rest of the Nietzscheans are egging each other on with promises of power in a new world order.
"I don't know what's been happening between the Prides recently, but it's apparent that the so-called Nietzschean Alliance has split and that the Collectors have chosen to side with the Drago-Kazov Pride."
The avatar shook her head at the complete lack of logic organics exhibited. They never failed to amaze her.
"Listen guys, all this Stratego stuff is fascinating, but I think we all just found a common enemy." All eyes swung to Harper, who was pointing at tiny dot at the edge of the battle scene and then down at his console. "The Magog are here. Looks like they smelled blood."
Dylan ordered an enlargement of the grey dot, which turned out to be a clawed Magog ship, followed by over a dozen more. Harper looked like he might punch through a bulkhead or become physically ill. Beka wore the determined expression of one near to swatting the creatures with the Maru and Dylan, ready to toss in a couple of slipfighters. Trance's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms in a rare display of blunt anger. As for Rommie, she was readier for a fight than she'd ever been.
There was brief silence, and then Andromeda announced in her flattest tone that a Magog swarmship had spotted them. Beka gripped the pilot's controls, Dylan stood ready to shout his orders, and the rest were glued to their consoles.
Several Magog vessels peeled off the main fleet to attack the Andromeda. Beka jerked the ship in erratic zigs and zags, rending any targeting system useless. She avoided the swarmships that attempted to land on the Andromeda as Harper picked them off with everything from photon torpedoes to point-defense lasers. Dylan ordered the use of remote-slipfighters, which Trance took over as Harper manned the ship's weaponry. They sustained only a few minor hits and routed the Magog ships in a matter of minutes.
That was the good news. The bad news was that their skillful self-defense had attracted other ships in the area. Dragan destroyers left off their attack of their one-time allies to focus their efforts on the Andromeda. Fighting off one Nietzschean fleet was challenging enough, but their Commonwealth friends soon joined the fray.
"Dylan," Beka asked during the respite between the two attacks, "when did Rhade disappear? I could have sworn he was here when we took off in slipstream."
The Andromeda's captain cursed. "Dammit! I knew something was wrong when we were fighting off the Magog; our weapons officer wasn't at his post!"
Harper raised his hands. "That's because your resident lover and fighter Seamus Harper took over when he noticed said weapons officer was MIA."
"And why didn't you bother to inform anyone else, Mr. Harper?"
"Hey, I thought you all had 20/20 vision!"
The budding argument was arrested as Dragan and Commonwealth ships loomed in an ominous sphere around the Andromeda, and klaxons began ringing like mad.
"Oh, crap," Harper muttered, now forgotten in the face of this unexpected and inconvenient alliance. "Isn't it nice to see that they've overcome their differences and learned to accept each other in the face of ganging up on Harper?"