“FIRE ALL CANNONS!” Commissar Gu-Du shrieked, his voice cracking like snapping dry pine. “Obliterate them! Vaporize the city! Pulverize the rubble into stardust!”
Across three thousand capital warships, the red targeting lights flickered with ominous intent.
In the subterranean gunnery decks of the heavy cruisers, young soldiers held their breath, their fingers shaking above firing keys.
Many looked at the targeting crosshairs centered on the civilian market below, their stomachs knotting in revulsion.
“Commander, we are aiming at mortal vegetable stalls,” a gunner whispered to his squad leader. “There are children walking the promenade down there.”
“Silence, soldier!” a black-robed political monitor barked, raising an electric shock-whip. “Those are orders from the Supreme Board! If you hesitate for one second, your families back on Frost-Three will lose their water permits!”
High above them on the command bridge of the Iron Desolation, Gu-Du lunged toward the central firing console, his claw-like hands clawing at the primary master switch.
Before his fingers could graze the activation lever, every dashboard, cockpit HUD, holographic communicator, and intercom speaker across all three thousand dreadnoughts detonated with golden light.
