Chapter 86: Homecoming.
Markus could actually feel the anticipation in the air aboard the GMF, it tasted like electricity that seemed to arc between each and every person he passed in the mighty ship's maze of corridors.
But it wasn't just coming off the members of Clan Mason aboard, the two biggest sources of it were their two resident Velons.
Both Adesus and Feris both seemed so charged up that the pair of them were like walking, talking Tesla coils around the place, though while they both shared a sense of anticipation their attitudes towards the coming war were vastly different.
While Adesus seemed almost eager to fight and to drive the animals of Clan Ruara from her beloved home, Feris on the other hand seemed to be turning more and more into a bundle of nerves the closer they got.
Markus had sensed quite a lot of worry in her since the beginning but now as they stood on the very precipice of war she seemed to be retreating in on herself.
He got the distinct feeling it had something to do with the fact that she couldn't hear the one she called Mycelia or the All-Mother anymore.
He had tried to put himself in her shoes and the only thing he could come up with that may be close would be to have someone like Jack Mason cut off his connection to his own deity or to the very fabric of life all around him.
He tried to imagine the sheer crushing weight that such a powerful silence would have upon him or the enormity of the void that would be left within his soul without the fabric of nature winding throughout it and every single time he tried he was almost overcome with a powerful sense of dread and fear.
So he'd had an idea that was a bit unorthodox but he figured it might work to help her to calm her soul as the last thing any of them needed was to have her freaking out or panicking at the wrong moment as it could wind up costing not only their lives, but the lives of all counting on them as well.
So Markus had taken the unusual step of asking the only Dream Warrior with the sheer horsepower to be able to pull off what he had in mind for help, though if he was right the result would be truly beautiful.
"Umm, why do I feel like that tree is watching me?" Feris asked as Markus led her into the garden of peace.
Each of the Dreadnaughts had a garden like this though the GMF was the only one of them that had Seed of the Great Tree aboard as it had been taken from the tree that Jack Mason and Ryan had planted in the grounds of the Seeker temple, it served for all the children of the Great Tree who had come to the Clan to be closer to their roots even so far from their birth home.
"Probably because it is," another and instantly recognisable voice said from their right and both of them turned to see both Ryan and Jack Mason approaching though both of them weren't dressed in their battle armour for once.
Both were dressed in traditional Seeker training robes which were made of lightweight cotton dyed in the colour of their affiliation, green for Tamers, grey for Soul Knights and white for Balance Seekers.
"The Great Tree sees through nature itself so it doesn't miss much," Ryan said with a warm smile as he stepped up to the pair.
"What's going on?' Feris asked and Markus smiled at her.
"I've been sensing your growing fears and doubts Feris and I wanted to see if I could do something to try and help you with them," Markus said and that's when he noticed the other person he'd asked for help on this matter arriving.
Luscious spotted Markus and he jumped on the spot waving obviously unsure if the human had seen him before jogging over to the group before screeching to a halt and snapping into a crisp parade salute when he noticed who was standing with them.
"Grand Patriarch! Patriarch Ryan! Savior Lucious Littletail reporting as requested," he chirped in his high-pitched voice as his bright eyes darted between the pair.
Both Jack Mason and Ryan Mason chuckled and saluted the little Raptorian back, "At ease Savior Littletail this isn't an official function," Jack Mason said and the little Raptorian seemed both confused but also a little relieved.
"Umm, so what am I doing here?' he asked.
"Well Markus here has been growing concerned about our new friend Feris here and he came to me with an idea that he'd had about a possible way to help her put her mind at ease, he believes that as a child of the Great Tree and one who has a connection with Feris here, he believed you'd be both able and willing to assist us," Jack Mason said.
"C-Connection?" Feris stammered her quills rattling in nervous embarrassment as well as a purple blush flashing through her exposed skin.
Ryan Mason drew his mandibles up into a warm smile, "Seekers don't miss much young one, your friendship has been blooming since the moment you laid eyes upon one another and your connection grows stronger by the day, I see great things blooming in your future if you let them," he said softly.
Both Feris and Lucious looked at one another in both alarm and surprise before both blushing profusely and while Luscious's feathers ruffled Feris's quills rattled making all of the Seekers around them smile as they saw what both of their eyes could not.
"Well, what can I do to help Grand Patriarch?" Lucious asked glancing up at the Clan leader.
"Well, Markus believes that we can use your connection to the Great Tree as one of its beloved son's to establish a link through you to the very fabric of nature itself, then using this connection she maybe can either seek the guidance of the Great Tree or maybe even use its vast root network to maybe even reach out to Mycelia herself as it is his belief that it may be how Mycelia was able to learn of the Clan in the first place," Jack Mason said.
Feris's eyes went as huge as a pair of purple Yautja-sized dinner plates and she turned her attentions onto Markus.
"You think we'll truly be able to reach the All-Mother from all the way out here!?" she exclaimed and Markus shrugged.
"I don't know for sure but ever since I heard the story of how she told you to find us I've been wracking my brains for an explanation as to how a species with no knowledge of Clan Mason so far from our space would know to reach out to us for aid, now yes we know that the one called Adem knows of us rather well but given that he isn't a Hand of Mycelia I don't believe she learned of us from him or any of his ilk, which leaves me with the possibility of what if and yes I know this is a long shot, but what if as a powerful being so connected to the very fabric of nature was able to reach out through fibre of nature and to maybe indirectly speak to the Great Tree who is nature personified," he said.
Feris looked doubtful but also kind of thoughtful.
"I don't see how?" she said.
"It's a long shot at best and you said that Mycilia fell silent after the invasion directly which puts Adem's hand directly at the top of our list as to why, but if a being of darkness can silence her then maybe a being of light might be able to reach her," Markus said.
Feris turned to Lucious and looked down at the little Raptorian male who was looking up at her, "Is there any risk to Lucious because if there is even the slightest hint of one then it's a hard no from me," she said and both Jack Mason and Ryan both smiled.
"None whatsoever you have our words, we wouldn't suggest it if there was," Jack Mason said.
"I'll help any way I can!" Lucious chirped with a note of determination in his high-pitched voice.
Feris looked unsure but she nodded her consent after looking into Lucious's determination-filled eyes, "Alright then let's do this," Jack said and he quickly steered everyone into position.
Jack himself was stood directly before the tree and both Ryan and Markus stood to his flanks facing him while Lucious was stood before him with his back to him and finally, Feris was stood before the group of them facing them with an unsure look plastered on her features.
"Umm what do I have to do?" she asked.
"Simple, when the time comes don't resist simply let it happen oh and brace yourself stuff like this can be quite jarring the first time," Jack Mason said and with that, he took the massive sword from his back and rested the tip of the heavily runed blade against the soil before him.
"Great Tree the Left Hand of the Eternal Huntress calls to you, our friend fears for both her people and the one whose hand guides her heart and hands, we beseech you Great Tree reach out your mighty roots to us through the use of our power and the heart of you beloved son here and help us cleanse her heart of fear, help us reach Mycelia the All Mother of the Velon people," Jack said in a voice that seemed to echo from all around them at once.
Both Ryan and Markus were using their connection to nature to flow their own power into Jack and both of them struggled to contain the feedback of the power of the mighty Dream Warrior as he reached out with his soul into the ether.
To Markus who had never actually seen this side of a Dream Warrior's power, it was truly a phenomenal experience, it was like being connected to everything all at once, both the living world and the spirit realm, it was like being in three planes of existence at once kinda like having your soul split apart.
Thats when mighty vines began to swirl from both the tip of Jack's sword and from the ground, the two reached for one another and they wound themselves into a singular knot of pulsing and glowing life, all of the runes on the blade of Jack's sword began to glow one side in brilliant emerald green and the other in smokey grey silver.
Green and gold tendrils of energy lanced out from his chest and grabbed hold of both Ryan and Markus flooding their minds with energy that was being fed through Jack and bled off into them so that their natural Tamer abilities could attune it properly, it was kinda like how he used the energy of multiple Soul Knights to attune himself fully into the spirit realm while remaining firmly anchored in the living world.
The sheer power of the man truly astounded Markus, he knew that Jack Mason was powerful but to feel the power of not just a single deity flowing and ebbing through him but multiple all at once and to also know that what he himself was feeling was only a slight fraction of what was flowing through the man's soul was an experience like no other, the only thing that came close would be to imagine a sun as a battery with two wires sticking out and trying to grab them both to complete the circuit.
Jack's eyes flashed and began to glow as purple and golden energy swirled around him causing Feris's mouth to fall open as she watched in rapt awe at the spectacle occurring before her.
Tendrils like golden sunlight and others in a vivid purple which was close to her blood in colour lanced out and ensnared Lucious Littletail grabbing him by both his wrists and ankles and floating him into the air before her.
A final tendril which was created out of two much thicker ones that wove themselves together into a singular tendril made of gold and purple burrowed its way into his back and right through into his heart, though thankfully it didn't cause any kind of actual wound to the happy little Raptorian boy.
Instantly the startled Lucious gasped and his eyes snapped open wide now taking on the same glow as those of Jack Mason, at the same time all of his feathers stood erect all over him while crackling with purple energy, an energy that was also visible coursing through his veins now as each beat of his heart sent them pulsing outwards under his scales, it was also at that time that vines covered in incredibly vivid flowers wound themselves up the blade of Jack's sword before proceeding onto his body where they reach down his arms until they were coiling around Lucious to form both a bandolier and crown made of the brightest flowers any of them had ever seen.
"I hear you Left Hand of my dearest freind the Eternal Huntress and I come to you through the heart and soul of my beloved son Lucious, you make your request in both honour and with respect of me and my children, of course Iwill offer any help I am able to give to the one who has and contines to to aid and shild my beloved children beneath his own mighty branches, I know of the one you call Mycelia she once reached out to me in the darkness using the power of her own deity the Geia form that inhabits her world and is it's very soul, she was fearful of a calmity that she sensed was to befall her people and while we had not enough time to truly understand one another I was able to share with her images and knowlage of those who had helped me in my time of need, the Breaker of Chains and the Godslayer the ones who stand for all no matter the odds, I was not sure if she fully understood what I was desperate to show her but it appears that at least some of what I tried to say made it through," Lucious said in a voice that was blatently not his own, this was the voice of the Great Tree.
The voice had an airy ethereal quality to it and it was not identifiable as either male or female more seemingly a blend of both.
"Oh, Great Tree can you still feel her!? Is she still alive? Please tell me I have to know!" Feris said desperately.
"I cannot hear her anymore her voice has fallen silent in the darkness of the void, though it was not loud or continous before, I belive it took a great effort for her to build up both the strength and power to reach out into the depths of the ocean of black the way she did, but I do not belive her to be dead, a being such as she would be incredibly difficult to kill even for one such as those you see before you though if there were any that could pull off such a vile act it would be the dark form of the lones you see before you for you see child while they are servants of the light, of good and of life there are dark nones who serve death and decay, while the Warriors of Dreams bring life where they tread the Assassins of Nightmares bring death and decay where they stride, but I do not belive that they have killed her for while I cannot sense her voice in the dark I can feel the ebb of her life, yes she is alive but sealed away somehow, trapped within herself, it is like her mind has been severed from her soul, such a thought and fate distrubs me greatly, as one who feels the joy and beauty in all life whatever form it takes to suffer such a fate is of great distress to me," the Great Tree said.
"Oh thank you Great Tree thank you! I will not rest until we free the All-Mother and once again her voice and wisdom flow through all her hands and when we do I will make sure she knows it was you who led us to her, that your words were heard and her prayers answered," Feris said in an overjoyed sounding voice.
"Go now Hand of Mycelia and stride proudly in the light, the ones before you will not lead you wrong, their hearts are strong and filled with light, and they will do all they can to free your people from the clouds of despair overshadowing them, soon they will see the sun again mark my words, oh and one more thing please treat my son gently, he is proud and he is fierce but he is also young and easily led, guide him tenderly and he will stand proudly at your side for life," the Great Tree said and then as swiftly as it had come it was gone and all of the tendrils retreated leaving three very exhausted looking Dream Warriors and one very confused looking Raptorian in its wake.
"I-I-I heard the Great Tree! I actually met the Great Tree!!" Lucious chirped in a voice so filled with awe that it had gone up a few octaves to the point where he was close to only Xenos and dogs being able to hear him.
"Hang around Seekers long enough and that sort of shit tends to happen eventually," Markus chuckled in a panting voice as he leaned against the thick trunk of the golden tree for support, he truly couldn't believe just how much energy the Grand Patriarch's pull had sapped out of him.
"Amen to that," Ryan said with a grin while also leaning against the tree, meanwhile his patriarch simply lifted his sword which had now returned to normal and placed it back in the scabbard upon his back all while looking as fresh as a mountain stream.
"Comes with the territory young ones the more you flex those psychic muscles of yours the easier it will get," he said grinning at them both.
"Easy for you to say, patriarch, you are the Left hand of the Eternal Huntress, you've got more power flowing through you than any ten other Seekers combined," Ryan said with a cheeky grin at his father.
Jack simply patted his shoulder and smiled at him, "And one day when I am in the Eternal Hunt it will be a mantle that you will take up my son so best get the practice in now while you are young eh?" he said grinning.
Suddenly the door to the garden burst open and Tik eleth Mason stormed in looking furious causing them all to turn and look at her in confusion, that was until they all noticed that there was something distinctly off about her, quite possibly it had something to do with her now neon pink predlocks.
"There you are my precious cub! Come here your Matriarch wishes to have a little word with you about pauking about with my bathing supplies again!!" she snarled and Ryan let out the most un-Yautja-like 'eep' noise any of them had heard.
"Umm if you need me I'll umm be hiding somewhere!" Ryan yelped before putting his Dream Warrior speed to good use and running for one of the other doors.
"Oh no you don't come back here my beloved cub your matriarch only wishes to talk to you!!" Tik roared and set off in hot pursuit in the direction of the now-closing doors on the other side of the room.
Jack Mason couldn't help but chuckle as he dragged his hand down his face and shook his head, "That cub of mine will never learn, the older he gets the more mischievous he becomes, I swear his goal in life isn't to lead the Clan and take it on to the next frontier it's to drive his mother insane so she winds up going into the Eternal Hunt as a gibbering wreck," he said.
Markus stood there staring at the vanishing back of Tik eleth Mason in pure shock, sure he'd heard of the legendary pranks that Ryan Mason had a habit of pulling but to have seen one with his own eyes and on Tik eleth Mason no less was truly incredible.
"It takes a braver man than I to even dare to think of pulling a prank on the Grand Matriarch let alone actually doing it and on the dawn of war no less," Markus said and the Grand Patriarch simply grinned at him.
"Takes a braver man than me too and I'm the one married to her, there's a reason this ship is named after her temper, though to be fair to him he probably didn't mean to get her at the beginning of a war, knowing him he probably set it up weeks or maybe even months ago and given that this the first time we are taking the GMF into a true battle now she has stumbled into it, though I do keep telling her to check her bath products before using them but she never listens, both of them as bad as one another," he said with obvious love and mirth in his voice.
"What will she do with him when she catches up with him and given the way he can move will she even be able to catch up with him?" Feris asked with obvious concern in her voice.
Now both Markus and the Grand Patriarch as well as Lucious all chuckled, it was kinda easy for an outsider to the Clan to underestimate the Grand Matriarch given her physical stature when compared to other females of her species, but it was a mistake one only made once.
"There's a reason she's called the Unstoppable Huntress among her own people from other clans, never doubt the focus of Tik eleth Mason because if she wants something there is nothing she will not do to achieve her goal, oh and don't worry she'd never hurt our beloved cub she'll probably do something like make him scrub all of her hunting trophies like the last time he pranked her," Jack chuckled.
"That doesn't sound so bad as a punishment goes?" Feris said sounding surprised and that made both Markus and the Grand Patriarch laugh even harder.
"You haven't seen the size of her trophy room, put it this way there's a reason our house is built up on that hill," Jack said with a grin and Feris just looked confused.
"The hill is hollow," Markus said planting a hand on the young Velon's shoulder and her quills rattled in alarm as the image clicked into her brain.
"Oh, oh goodness," she said and Markus grinned at her before he turned back to the Grand Patriarch.
"Thank you for your aid in this Grand Patriarch it is highly appreciated," he said and Jack Mason in true form simply gave him a bow and then turned on his heels and headed off in the direction of the Grand Matriarch and his son had vanished.
"Are they always like that?" Feris asked as the three of them began to make their way back to the suite they were all sharing.
"The family Mason could be considered by some to be somewhat eccentric, but they have a rule, work hard play harder and fight hardest, there is nothing that any one of them would not do for any member of the Clan, it's quite a common sight to see the Grand Matriarch in the park play hunting with the cubs there, some say she does miss the days when her own cubs were little like that but to anyone who has seen it with their own eyes they know that she loves every single cub in the Clan like she bore them into this world herself, to her the Clan as a whole is her family and she would shed any amount of blood to protect any one of them, the same goes for all of them," Markus explained as he opened the door to the suite.
"When I first got here I couldn't believe how accessible they were and how involved they were, back on Raptoria you were lucky if you saw one of our cities command prides, but here if something is going on or there is a problem that needs fixing you can guarantee one or all of the Mason's will not be far away, they are what I truly believe leaders should be, in the thick of it with those that follow them," Lucious chirped.
"Ahh you have returned I hope your mysterious mission that you couldn't possibly tell any us about went well?" Adesus said in a sarcastic voice suddenly appearing at Markus's side and looking at him with what appeared to be a little scorn and what could possibly be perceived as jealousy etched on her handsome features.
"Oh Adesus it was wonderful, I met a deity called the Great Tree and it told me that it was it that was the reason the All-Mother knew to send us to Clan Mason for help, it also told me that it believes the All-Mother is still alive!!" Feris said skipping up to the larger Velon female and grabbing her hands in hers excitedly.
"Sorry we couldn't tell you what was going on I wanted it to be a surprise for Feris to help her put her doubts and worries to rest once and for all, it wasn't my intention to deceive you simply to keep any chance of biasing Feris's reaction to a minimum," Markus said looking at the now rather confused and surprised looking Velon Guardian.
"You met a deity?" Adesus exclaimed looking doubtfully at Feris.
"Oh, Adesus it was truly beautiful, both the Grand Patriarch and his son Ryan were there too and together with Markus here they reached out into the ether and used this incredible tree down in one of the gardens to establish a connection to it through Lucious and it spoke to me!" Feris exclaimed happily jigging on the spot that made her quills vibrate rapidly as she grabbed Lucious's hands and proceeded to spin in a circle with the surprised-looking Raptorian.
"The Grand Patriarch is probably the most powerful Dream Warrior to ever live and he has quite a few tricks up his sleeves and communing with various gods and goddesses happens to be one of them, he used his immense power along with both mine and Ryan's connection to nature to establish an ethereal link through the seed of the Great Tree which lives down in the Garden of Peace to allow the Great Tree to speak through Lucious," Markus explained though how much she understood was debatable.
"Why through Lucious?" Adesus asked looking at the little now somewhat dizzy little Raptorian male who was still holding hands with the joyful Feris.
"Because I am a proud son of the Great Tree, he brought my people along with three other races into being and when our mortal lives are spent it is his Golden Gardens where our souls go to bask in the freedom of forever," Lucious chirped proudly as he ruffled his feathers then blushed profusely as he and Feris seemed to notice that they were still holding hands.
"Well if your Grand Patriarch could establish one of these ethereal links through a tree to speak to this Great Tree couldn't he have just as easily used the same trick to use either Feris or even myself to reach out and speak directly to Mycelia?" Adesus asked curiously and Markus shook his head.
"From what you've told my while she is powerful Mycelia is not a deity, the Grand Patriarch was reaching out into the ethereal realm not the mortal one, he was using both mine and Ryan's abilities to create a bridge between the two realmns using our anchors in the roots of nature to pull the Great Tree to us while using Lucious as a beacon of sorts, but thats not to say that such a thing might be possible but given the way you've described her and her nature it would most likely have to be a Tamer to establish a link like that and not only would we need the power of some of the most powerful Soul Knights to be able to reach out through the ether and form a link like that, plus we'd need an anchor point for the link at it's source like a say a Tamer on the target planet or place to root the connection into nature there, this way allowed the Great Tree to do most of the work by using us as a spiritual anntenne of sorts, though given the Great Tree has nothing to do with your people and there for no direct link to them it was limited in what it could achive," Markus said doing his best to try and explain the complex nature of the ethereal realm.
Adesus looked thoughtful, "So by that logic, if you take the distance requirement out of the equation like say being on the planet itself it should be possible for a Tamer to possibly tap into Mycelia's network and maybe even reach her correct?" she said looking Markus up and down.
He scratched his chin as he thought about that one, "I'd have to attune myself to the frequency of the nature around me but with a bit of work yes it should be possible," he said.
Adesus's feature suddenly brightened as a thought hit her, "And also by that logic it should be possible for a sufficiently powerful Tamer with not only the right frequency but a direct connection to possibly use the network of Mycelia to communicate with anyone connected to it, i.e. the Hands," she said and Markus broke out into a smile as he realised where she was going with this line of thought.
"That it should," he said as her plan took hold in both of them.
A couple of hours went by and Markus was sat looking out of the large window that looked out into the system around them, he couldn't believe the size of the fleet that was gathering all around them.
There were ships of all shapes and sizes joining them all the time, Clan Mason ships ranging from fighters right up to the giant Dreadnaughts that kinda looked like giant space whales with all the other ships swarming around them like feeding fish.
Then there were the Serpentinus ships which kinda made Markus think of a series of giant sea snakes due to their long thin bodies and tubular design.
He counted a group of ten carriers and a whole group of much smaller cruisers and frigates as well as some destroyers and torpedo boats in a battle group clustered together of their port bow.
Then there were the Raptorian ships which had a much more blocky design, true to their nature the Raptorians had gone all on defence, making sure their ships were as heavily armed and armoured as they could get them.
The large Raptorian carriers while nowhere near the size of a Clan Mason Dreadnaught were still massive ships in their own right, they kinda made him think of a giant egg though with slightly squared lines at its edges and being that they were as black as the void they floated in if it wasn't for the plume of their engines and the planets behind them you'd have a hard job picking them out.
Suddenly Markus's wrist comp beeped and he pressed a lit button on it, "Get your team, ready Seeker, it's time, we'll meet you in hanger bay two your Runner is waiting for you," Liam Silver-Diamondscale's voice said through the open line.
"Yes sir, we'll be right down," he said and Liam closed the line, it was go time.
It took very little time for Markus to rouse his team from their sleep and get them geared up and ready to go, none of them had bothered unpacking their gear into the provided receptacles because they all knew that their time on the GMF would be short-lived, so after only ten minutes the group of them were heading down to the bay all carrying their kit bags and weapons while all now dressed in their new stealth armour.
Waiting for them at the Runner in hanger two were the entire leadership of the Clan and while the Grand matriarch's predlocks were now back to normal there were still hints of pink visible in places though Ryan looked both exhausted and sore, it appeared given the lack of a trophy room she had settled for a good old fashioned military beasting instead.
"Ahh hear they are, ok guys just to recap your mission here to make sure you all understand whats required of you, you are to stealth jump into the system and upon arrival release the first of two stealth quantum relay satalites, the first one will scan the system and help us to plan our own entrence into the system, it will probe and map out ship deployments and mark orbital targets, you are then to use your own cloaking system to slip through any defensive net around the planet and to drop another satalite into it's orbit, the second one will begin trying to crack into things like the communications networks to give us intel from around the planet, while thats occuring you are to make land fall somewhere remote and begin assessing the situation on the ground while aslo trying to restablish communication the being known as Mycelia, do not and I cannot stress this enough do not engage the enemy unless you have no other choice, we cannot afford to tip our hand too early they will alreaddy be expecting a response from us, we don't want them to know it's coming so soon," Jack Mason said.
All of them nodded their understanding.
"Good now that is understood get out there and show these pauks what happens when you harm the innocent in the sight of Clan Mason, we will show them what happens when you pauk with us or our friends!" Tik eleth Mason snapped balling a massive fist and slamming it into her golden breastplate.
"Yes Grand Matriarch!!" all the Clan members of the team said in unison returning the salute.
As the team turned to climb aboard the Runner Ryan stopped Markus for a moment, "Be careful down there Tamer, the place is crawling with Nightmare Assassins I've been feeling them ever since we got this close, they are unaware of us thanks to the efforts my Patriarch and our Soul Knight Brothers and Sisters are going to but down there you will have no such protection, so be aware and shroud yourself in the roots of nature, now get out there and do the Tamers, myself and the Clan proud," he said.
"Yes Patriarch you can count on me," he said slamming his fist into his chest plate in a salute which Ryan Mason returned and with that Markus turned and boarded the Runner.
As it turned out Lucious was also their pilot as well as their sniper and engineer, the little Raptorian really had gone all in on his Saviour training making sure he got as many badges to wear proudly upon his chest next to his little shield.
Once all of the team were seated on the bridge of the Runner the little Raptorian took them out and only now that they were on such a small ship could they truly appreciate the grand scale of the response of the Clan and its allies.
They dodged and weaved through the astronomical fleet dodging both fighters and carriers alike as they cleared the control system to make their first jump and with that Lucious powered up the hyperdrive and punched it, though none of them expected the sight that waited for them on the other side.