Three Phoenix-Class cruisers, each one shaped like a falcon with its wings spread in flight, streaked through the blue sky. They swooped low over a vast expanse of pale clay that baked under a merciless sun. Rock formations slid past.
The lead ship accelerated, pulling ahead while the other two flanked it. “Target in range,” Captain Zaron said over the comm-frequency. “All power to primary weapons. Let’s make it look good.”
The mountain that housed the Overseer Base loomed on the horizon: a huge crag of pale rock that jutted out of the ground with multiple jagged peaks. From this distance, it looked harmless. No different from any other slab of stone on this sun-scorched world.
Though each Phoenix spanned the length of a city block, they all flew at a very low altitude – only five hundr
