Thread: Gunstar Autochthonia: Holding the Line (Kaybee x Cold)

The jaunty acknowledgment brought a faint smile to her lips, even if the casual tone was forced it was preferable to the bowing and scraping of most of the pilots she had once named her peers. It grated at the water aspect to be treated so far above her station by so many. Icara allowed herself no more than a few seconds to appreciate the companionability as already more hellstars were on approach vectors, a dozen enemy craft in all splitting, six moving to intercept the other four members of the lone pilot's squadron while the others accelerated off towards the gunstar itself. Acknowledged... Was all the response she gave as she pushed the Empress' engines to pursuit speed, tearing off after the hellstar formation, to Icara's surprise the voidfighter pilot seemed as eager as her craft, accelerating just behind her and keeping surprisingly close. A fire aspect? One would be so eager... As the hellstars came into range the essence display flagged them, numbering them from left to right across her vision. Narrowing her eyes the water aspect pushed her ship faster, unwilling to drain her essence firing at such long range. Engaging hellstar three. She notified her companion. The enemy ships broke formation as the Empress opened fire and Icara swerved upwards, sticking to her chosen target as it scattered upwards, engines flaring as she dragged her nose higher to lead the target and unleashed her essence once more, three shots causing the enemy craft to twist in the blackness, it's engines smoking and sputtering. Then all hell breaks loose and the Empress shrieks in her ear, the dragon blooded defensive line wavers in confusion as the training hellstars go dark, the emulation of infernal tactics they were following cut off from them. It hardly takes intelligence to see the reason as space warps and ripples, twisting and tearing apart, an infernal host spilling from the opening and descending upon the scattered dragonblooded line in a flash even as a voice cuts across the Gunstar Battlenet. Regroup! Infernal incursion approaching! Scatter and get back to your squadrons! The commanding voice of Ever-Certain Tactical Deliberator galvanizes the pilots to action and voidfighters become shooting stars, shooting away from the infernal force. Even with such prompt reaction Icara could see that the number of dragon blooded who had escaped the sudden attack were a mere two thirds of the numbers they had formerly held, evidenced as the assembling squads frequently lacked one or two members. In the command centre overseeing the training-exercise-become-skirmish the chosen of battles watches as the line reforms against the incursion. Most of the hellstars show only as minor demons but at least two show power signatures more fitting to an infernal's personal craft. The dragonblooded have handled worse attacks but caught by surprise like this their actions must be made swiftly if they are to stand any chance against the primordials' servants. All full squadrons select one target and don't let up until it's destroyed, any squadrons missing craft are to pair up with each other and do the same in tandem. With a flick of her finger she flags the two more powerful ships for her troops. There are two infernal-level signatures in the attacking group. Do not engage themunless you must! She trusts her pilots but at the same time she worries, infernals are far too powerful for most dragon-blooded to take down alone. Is this good?