"This is Matteo. Order acknowledged and on the bounce." he replied. The Hostile rapidly bounded across large stretches of land, using it's thrusters to leap long distances and speed towards the transports. Once at the pad, he cut down to a normal run and quickly entered the final one before taking his place beside Rita.

"Matteo here, I'm aboard." The marine looked over Rita as she sounded off again as well before speaking. "You're Looking pretty bad marine. Anything can do?"

Sawyer was making for the Destiny when he was blown out of the sky. The blast caused him to crash right in front of the Destiny's landing ramp and Phaedra. Just three hundred meters away, the damaged Ravager was back on its feet.

The blast from the Ravager's missiles had eaten right through the shield and done damage to the Aggressor. A huge piece of metal had wedged itself in the armor's right shoulder. This piece dug right into Sawyer's flesh, pinning it against the armor. Despite this, he got to his feet and started blasting away at the Ravager as he walked backwards up the ramp.

Laura Romero swiftly descended the ramp and with Phaedra, added fire as the Marines went aboard. "I take back what I said to Cedric! You're the most stupid Marine I've ever met! What took you so long?" she yelled playfully at Sawyer. With all the Marines aboard, the sailors raised the ramp and signaled the Captain.

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"Kill that ugly pox," Captain Ironside ordered. The gunnery officer smiled viciously as he targeted the Ravager with the Destiny's Gravitic Weapons System.

Outside, the Ravager shrank, folding into itself, as gravity was manipulated to crush it like a man crushing a grain of steamed rice.

"Take us out of here." Captain Ironside did not bother to consider whether there were still more trapped civilians who were watching the Destiny's departure. The world was doomed and she would not see her vessel doomed with it.

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"Green Beans, we are OUT of here! Rendezvous at the Asp for rearmament and refueling! We're going to be walking the omnibuses out. No rest for the best, boys and girls! Green Leader out." The thirty FA4s of 4th Fleet rose from the planet like hawks gaining altitude before a dive. Except there would be no return to the surface, no final dive. Their business with the planet and its new masters was over. Now their mission was to ensure that the transports had a one way ticket out of the Tange system.

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In orbit, the NMX battlepods were swarming around the delaying force that Valken had placed. Two of the Oberons were dead and the rest were badly damaged. All of the C2s were gone. F2 drones were killing dozens battlepods before expending themselves on the larger line battleships.

Drei's control of the delaying force had been superb thus far. Three line battleships were dead or crippled along six cruisers and nine destroyers out of action. A full third of the NMX force powerless and the rest were blocked by the sizeable picket.

As soon as the Destiny was in orbit and headed out system, the shuttles from the Asp linked up with it. Junker drones moved the equipment and storage lockers while Rear Admiral Dominic Valken marched through the bulkheads towards the bridge. He could not help feeling slightly relieved at the number of civilians they had rescued. But Valken would be damned if he allowed civilians to see his emotions. Standards, and appearances, must be maintained. All of the thanks and gratitude were waved off without so much as a smile.

He entered the Destiny's bridge and was greeted immediately. "Rear Admiral Valken, sir! Welcome aboard the Destiny!" So this was the infamous Valencia Ironside he had heard of. The so-called Iron Lady.

"Thank you, Captain. Signal all transports, head to Rally Point Delta. The Asp and the remaining Oberons will escort us out. We will not stop for lamed ships. You may consider that last to be an order for all ships," Valken strode to the three dimensional holographic display. The remaining transports were all making full speed out. The Asp, two Arashis and ten Oberons lagged behind to form a protective wall between them and the NMX battlepods which were now streaking past the delaying force.

The survivors from the delaying force would be dealt with by the warships. It was up to the battlepods to slow down the transports. "Deploy the remaining drones and FA4s from the Asp. Not one battlepod goes through."