NDC Fleet
The Banshee's beam seemed effective at weakening the gunship's shields, at least from what Enki could tell. Shortly after it was drawn into the range of the NDC fleet, a turret on one of the Duskerian Battlecarriers dispatched it with a single turret sending 3 500mm positron shells slamming into the gunship, which detonated spectacularly, residual antimatter causing the escorting fighters to go up in the explosion. Enki was given a brief call over radio, instructing her and her 'lance' to return to the Valiant for transport.
As Omega Wing transferred back to their bodies aboard the ship, the NDC fleet continued to finish off the Kuvexian fleet that had attempted to break through them, closing their formation behind the Kuvexians and using the main guns of their Battlecarriers to decimate the Kuvexian forces, clearing the way for the Duskerians to advance into the portal.
Noro Starbaron Drawrimnt's flagship
The Kuvexian commander grimaced in anger as he looked down at a status screen. Almost all of his assets lost, only his battleship and a few cruisers left to his name. Surely, if he even made it back to Kuvexia, the military would repossess his estate to pay off the banks and insurance companies. As his tattered squadron reached the edge of the star system, they quickly jumped 'westward', back towards the homefront, though they would not arrive for several months.
NDC Fleet
The Duskerian fleet exited the portal just as the Essai destroyed the third planet. Across the small fleet, bridge crews and captains gasped in shock. They had been briefed, but the full gravity of the situation was only settling now. Vice Admiral Dozier winced as he saw fragments of the planets begin to float outwards, he had sworn an oath to defend the NDC and its people, but he was beginning to wonder just how many burdens and sins he would need to bear in order to do so.
The many mechanics and pilots of the NDC, ferreted away within the hangars of the fleet, were thankfully spared the sight of the slaughter of the planets' populations, and instead busied themselves with rearming, repairing, and launching fighters as quickly as possible. Almost immediately upon entry to the battlespace, point defense turrets across all NDC ships began to open fire, doing their best to clear away the mass of fighters and projectiles, opening a way towards one of the Essai machine planets in a bid to assist in the defense.
Heavy
Possessor frames were launched, armed with light anti-ship and heavy anti-fighter weaponry and wide assortments of missiles. These formed a picket around the NDC ships, serving to expand the defensive bubble of the fleet and begin to clear away fighters and bombers, though they did little more than slow the tide.
At the same time, lighter fighters and frames were launched to begin to combat the swarms of fighters attempting to infringe upon the fleet's defensive zone and harass the Possessors. Finally, several fighter squadrons were tasked with leaving the fleet's immediate area to begin intercepting torpedoes that would otherwise pose threats to allied ships or the Essai.
(OOC: NDC players can choose what they want to be doing here, defending the Posssessors from fighters, hunting torpedoes, or hunting bombers)
YSS Presurgence Armor Bay ---> Space
Matsuvo had made it back to the Presurgence with enough time to rearm his missile launchers and SMGs, as well as requisition a new shield for his Kalamari pack. As he launched back out into space, he fell into the familiar rhythm of combat; strip shields, follow up. Beams and missiles for fighters and PA, blades for bombers. Before long, he'd almost fallen into a trance, absorbing combat relevant information semi-consciously and reacting almost without thinking.
He had his choice of targets, and in short order had begun to leave a trail of wrecked starships and half-melted Power Armor behind him as he circled the Presurgence, doing his best to prioritize any major threats such as bombers. He tried to console himself by telling himself that there was no hate involved with what was going on, that both he and the Kuvexian soldiers were in the business of killing, and that he was just better at the job.
A part of him knew he should feel something, a part of him knew that rationalization was wrong.
It didn't matter.