The first energy pulse came a few seconds later. It was not a beam, but a cluster of glowing orbs launched through the dust in a wide spread.
They were slower than laser fire, but much faster than expected from a beast that size, and when the first orb struck one of Solenne’s drones, it burst in a bright flash that overloaded the drone instantly.
Rhoswen’s tone changed. "That is new."
"Ranged attack confirmed," Eirenne said.
The second and third drones dodged, weaving through debris as more orbs followed.
Solenne kept calm, sacrificing one drone to draw the orbs away while the others escaped along the planned route.
Lysara fired from the side, clipping another tendril and pulling part of the pack’s attention toward her before turning away.
The large beast followed.
Not quickly at first.
Then faster.
Its huge body folded and unfolded through the dust, tendrils pulling it forward in long, violent strokes.
Smaller beasts gathered around it, then surged after the retreating drones and Lysara’s ship.
The pack was larger than the previous day’s group and more organized. The large one was not simply chasing. It was driving the others forward.
Aurelian watched the pursuit path. "It’s commanding them."
"Primitive control," Eirenne said. "Likely based on dominance behavior rather than true command."
"Still enough to matter."
"Yes."
The chase back to the ambush zone became tense.
Solenne lost two more drones, and Lysara’s shields took several glancing hits from the slow energy clusters.
None were dangerous on their own, but Aurelian could see how a ship caught too close would be hammered by repeated impacts before the tendrils finished the job.
The large beast was not a simple melee creature.
That made it more valuable.
And more dangerous.
"Lysara, status?" Aurelian asked.
"Shields holding. Distance acceptable. I can continue."
"Do not get elegant with this."
There was a small pause.
Then Lysara said, "I will be practical."
Astra’s gaze shifted slightly toward Aurelian, and he could tell she approved of the warning.
The pursuit crossed the first marker.
Then the second.
The smaller beasts were angry enough to rush ahead, but the large one stayed just behind them, launching energy clusters whenever Lysara slowed too much. It was not falling into the trap as blindly as the others had.
Aurelian adjusted the plan.
"Solenne, let the smaller beasts enter first. Do not reveal the full drone net until the large specimen crosses marker four. Astra, prepare to cripple its forward tendril cluster. Rhoswen, do not engage the large specimen unless I order it."
Rhoswen answered at once, though he could hear how much she disliked it. "Understood."
The first wave entered the kill zone.
Aurelian did not fire.
The second wave entered.
Still nothing.
The smaller beasts spread out, searching for the drones and Lysara, unaware that the fleet was waiting beyond the dust shadow.
Then the large specimen crossed marker four.
"Now," Aurelian said.
The ambush opened in layers.
Solenne’s hidden drones rose from the dust and struck the smaller beasts from above, cutting the swarm into uneven pieces.
Lysara turned and fired through the rear of the pursuit group, forcing the adults inward. The escorts opened with sustained beams, not wasting missiles, cutting at tendrils and exposed cores.
Astra fired at the large beast.
The Black Crown’s first focused strike hit the forward tendril cluster, burning through several thick limbs and breaking the energy pattern forming there.
The beast recoiled, and the cluster of glowing orbs it had been preparing scattered harmlessly into the dust.
Then Rhoswen hit the front line of smaller adults.
The Crimson Bulwark did not touch the large one. She did exactly what Aurelian had ordered, smashing the leading beasts aside and keeping them from reaching the escorts while the Black Crown and Lysara worked on the true threat.
Aurelian noticed.
So did Astra.
The large beast recovered faster than expected.
Its damaged tendrils drew back, and another set unfolded from beneath its shell. The second energy cluster formed lower along its body, hidden behind smaller beasts until the last moment. Eirenne caught the buildup, but only barely.
"Secondary attack forming."
"Astra?"
"Already adjusting."
The Black Crown fired again, but the large beast twisted aside, taking only a partial hit.
Several energy orbs were launched toward the right flank, where two escorts were still firing into the swarm.
"Rhoswen, intercept."
"With pleasure."
The Crimson Bulwark surged across the formation and placed itself between the orbs and the escorts.
Its shields flared hard as the impacts struck, one after another, bright enough to wash the screen in white. When the glare faded, Rhoswen was still there.
"Shields strained," she reported. "Still fine."
Aurelian’s voice stayed calm. "Hold."
"I am holding."
Solenne’s drones folded around the large beast from above, not close enough to be grabbed but close enough to force its attention upward.
Lysara marked a weak point along the side of its core plating, where the first strike had cracked the crystal growths.
Astra saw it.
The Black Crown fired.
This time, the beam punched deep.
The large beast convulsed, tendrils lashing through the dust. Several smaller beasts were torn apart by their own leader’s movement. Its energy signature flickered, dropped, then surged again with unstable force.
Meridian’s voice cut in from the outpost. "Its core is destabilizing. If you want the materials intact, stop shooting the core."
"If we stop shooting the core, does it stop trying to kill us?" Rhoswen asked.
"No."
"Then I vote we continue."
Aurelian watched the readings. The beast was dangerous but weakening. If they destroyed it carelessly, they might lose the rare fragments inside. If they got too clever, someone could be damaged badly.
"Astra, cripple. Do not rupture. Rhoswen, break the tendrils on the lower left. Solenne, keep drones clear of the core."
The next minute was precise and ugly.
Astra burned through the beast’s limbs one by one. Rhoswen rushed in only when the tendrils extended too far, cutting them down before pulling back.
Solenne’s drones kept the smaller beasts away from the main fight. Lysara fired only when there was no risk of striking the core chamber.
The large beast finally stopped moving.
It did not explode. It did not vanish into the dust. It simply folded in on itself, energy fading in uneven pulses until the last glow left its shell.
Eirenne confirmed it. "Large specimen neutralized."