“Admiral, the sector has been thoroughly scanned. The Federation has no platforms or outposts in this sector.”

Patrol Admiral Heindruew glanced at the young lieutenant, a Nontian named Leiseit, and frowned, “And there are no missing probes or malfunctioning scanners this time around?”

Lieutenant Leiseit’s smooth white fur turned rigid as he checked the computers once more, “Affirmative, admiral. All probes have returned to the NNS Endurance and the scanners are functioning perfectly. Only the science vessel NSV Horizon is still in space and the vessel is set to return in forty senti.”

“Maintain constant communications with the Horizon and activate our deep space radar until the ship is ready to jump back to the Nint Sector.”

“Understood, sir.”

While the admiral was aware of the lieutenant’s academic excellence in the Nontian Naval Academy, he was cautious about the young Nontian’s incautious attitude. In the last patrol mission, Lieutenant Leiseit skipped over the probe status window and left a probe stranded in one of the demilitarized sectors. Although the Endurance managed to intercept and retrieve the probe before an incident occurred, the accident resulted in Admiral Heindruew getting an earful of roars from his superiors back on Nontia.

Regardless, this mission was turning out to be a relatively routine patrol as there were no Federation spacecraft or bases in the sector. The three other Nontian ships that were beside them were also reporting no abnormalities and were escorting the Endurance with ease.

One of the comms officer, Warrant Officer Oeunts, turned in his chair to report to his commander, “Sir, Captain Postu wishes to speak with you. Permission to patch him through?”

“Granted, place him on my private screen.” Admiral Heindruew replied.

The admiral placed some soundproof headphones onto his narrow, circular head and tapped a few commands into his command console with his paw. A few moments later, a small viewing screen was raised towards him and he came face to face with a tall, well-dressed officer with gleaming white fur and pale grey skin. The officer of the NNS Alliance pounded his fist into his right chest area before speaking, “Admiral Heindruew.”

“Captain Postu, how may I be of assistance?”

“My crew and I are wondering when we will be able to jump back to the Nint Sector. We are rather anxious since a patrol that was in one of the nearby sectors was attacked just two uentis ago.”

Admiral Heindruew stroked the fur near his ears and sighed, “I would have ordered a jump back to Nint after the sector scan, but the Horizon is still in space. Unfortunately, I have been tasked with ensuring the safety of that ship and its crew until we return back to base.”

“I thought the Horizon was fully capable of jumping by itself. I thought we were to only escort them here and then return after the sector scan?” Captain Postu asked, his eyes becoming slightly visible under his thick coat of fur.

“Apparently, they are conducting some research on an extinct civilization in one of the planets in the sector. Their research has been deemed “important,” so our fleet has been ordered to keep an eye on them and escort them back.”

Captain Potsu scratched his collar and tapped his lower paws, “Understood, Admiral. We will keep an eye out for any Federation vessels and ready ourselves for anything.”

The admiral let out a feral cough and pounded his right chest area, “That’s the spirit, captain. I will notify you when the Horizon has returned. Until then, Endurance out.”

After the brief conversation, he ran through the list of standards to ensure that his ship was ready and set for the jump back to Nint. While he was in the middle of reviewing the list, Lieutenant Leiseit frantically roared from his seat, “Admiral! We have three unidentified vessels approaching this sector! The estimated time of arrival is currently at ten senti!”
Admiral Heindruew gripped the armrest of his command chair tightly and turned to the other crew members, “Oeunts, attempt to hail the approaching vessels with every available means and warn the others! Bieo, prepare the crew for battle and divert our energy reserves to use for shields and weapons! Leiseit, tell the Horizon to return immediately and pinpoint the arrival coordinates of the approaching vessels! If they are Federation ships, then we’ll need to get ready for anything!”

Technically, the Horizon had their own jump drive, but the jump drives on smaller ships took nearly an uenti to finish charging. By the time the research ship would be ready for a jump, the unidentified vessels would be in the sector. And while he wanted to avoid a battle if he could, he was specifically warned to ensure the safe return of the Horizon. And he wasn’t going to leave fellow Nontians to the mercy of the Federation if the ships that were approaching were Federation ships.

The entire ship began to flutter with activity as thousands of Nontians carried out their tasks to ensure the readiness of the ship. The admiral watched as he saw dozens of guns and batteries go online on his command screen. A box showing the amount of ammo for each gun, along with the overall energy level, flew into his screen immediately after. His ship was fully armed but was only going to be able to operate at half the normal energy level. The Endurance needed a large amount of energy to return to the Nint sector and he wanted an emergency escape plan if the situation went out of hand. While he was confident in the skill and discipline of his crew, the admiral was unwilling to sacrifice his ship if the situation turned for the worse.

“Admiral, vessels will be entering the system in one senti and the Horizon is rapidly approaching our ship!”

“They are refusing all comm attempts, sir! They may be Federation ships!

“Hold fire until we can clearly identify the approaching vessels, but prime the weapons to fire on my mark!”

Just as the Horizon began to close in on the large Nontian cruiser, the mysterious vessels materialized in front of the four Nontian ships. Without warning, they immediately began to fire their weapons onto the Nontians.

“Fire! Activate the Close Defense Lasers and raise shields on the vital parts of the ship!”

Forty-four large railguns, fifty-six inter-space sonic missile launchers, twenty close defense lasers, and countless amounts of small cannons and flak began to open fire onto the hostile vessels and the incoming fire. Much of the enemy fire, which consisted primarily of tangible projectiles, were intercepted, but some of them managed to impact the ship. While the shields were temporarily raised in the more vital areas, the ship was still damaged from the explosions and the kinetic shock that rocked the ship’s shields and armor.

Lieutenant Leiseit scrambled through the screens in front of him while speaking to his leader, “Admiral, we have confirmation that the six vessels are all Federation ships! Newer Titan models that were released just three ventis ago!”

“Contact the other ships and tell them to prepare for an emergency jump!”

The admiral's fangs clashed as another salvo of enemy fire struck his ship. It was going to be a tough journey back home.