The Ryder's armor bore deep gouge marks where Black Jack's pulse lasers had melted through, revealing slagged components and burned circuitry it's armatures had been cleaved clean off and its engines were scored deeply from Black Jack's anti-Ryder blades, as cold and lifeless as the space around them. On screen, the Black Jack's engines pulsed, kicking it closer to the last Arcadius Ryder Asaga had engaged. Incoming orders from Alliance Command the Combined Fleet is to stand down from the advance and make preparations for emergency search and rescue!вЂќ вЂњPicking up a spike in encrypted PACT comm traffic their High Command is probably in complete disarray.

вЂњPACT Ryders are regrouping into a defensive cordon, Captain,вЂќ confirmed Ava, her voice laced with caution, as though scarcely willing to believe the bloodbath might be over.

вЂњThis is Black Jack, did you just hear that? That red bastard just turned on Arcadius! The PACT's starting to turn tail!вЂќ вЂњSunrider!вЂќ AsagaвЂ™s voice cut through the stunned silence of the CIC, no effort made to conceal her surprise. For their part, the PACT ships seemed hesitant to press the advantage, staunchly holding in their defensive positions in sullen radio silence, undoubtedly masking the tremendous confusion and doubt rippling through the fleetвЂ™s chain of command. Although explosions continued to dot the sky as missiles flew past one another and lasers knifed out between the enmeshed Alliance and PACT fleets, the fever pitch of the battle seemed to diminish as the AllianceвЂ™s reserve fleets slowed their advance towards the devastation of the front line. Outside the Sunrider, what remained of KaytoвЂ™s shattered fleet hung uncertainly before the Paradox Core, an uneasy respite in the heat of battle as both the Alliance and PACT struggled to make sense of the Paradox CoreвЂ™s last transmission.

Unbidden, the PrototypeвЂ™s face swam up in his mindвЂ™s eye, the final look of shock and pain as life slipped from its open eyes, haughty smugness and arrogance replaced with something softer in its final moment. FontanaвЂ™s words echoed as the sound of his pistolвЂ™s discharge rang in KaytoвЂ™s ears, an unreal sense of numbness rippling through him as he stared at the Paradox CoreвЂ™s final, static-filled transmission, eyes unfocused.

Sunrider liberation day out of memory