Voss encircling Ulix did not stop the battle, rather it transformed it.
Ulix ships compressed within the tightening curvature of Voss formation did not surrender to panic. Their fleet contracted further, abandoning their extended spacing and collapsing into a defensive cluster formation. Shields overlapped in layered grids, turning the stricken cluster into a single mass rippling with contained energy.
The first minutes after the convergence were brutal, Ulix forces felt the pressure from Voss. With shots coming from every direction, Ulix's artillery could not return equal fire and focused on one segment where the Voss command forces were most likely present.
Ulix had to be careful pulling back. Piling ships on the line would trap their own frontline in place. They had to be slow but still hold through the barrage and they did.
Heavy plasma cannons returned to Voss's central ships, disrupting the shields and striking the ships. There were explosions and armour was peeled away. Ulix moved from ship to ship, striking one after another, disrupting their charge and slowly opening a path to move through.
All the while, their own ships were pummelled and drifted out of commission. For now, by luck, none of the ships on either side had imploded beyond repair but they did drift away from course to be picked apart by the victor of the first fight.
One by one, the compressed forces of Ulix were falling off course with beams coming all directions while they returned fire, best they could. Ulix was finally able to force a fracture from the blanket enveloping them big enough to turn the tide if they pushed through.
Engines across their central section roared simultaneously. The entire compressed mass stopped retreating and turned to force themselves through. The plan had been to return to Ulix airspace where other forces remained to hold off Voss.
But with the direction the battle was going, they would suffer massive casualties trying to evade this trap. It was best to break through and jump speed away from the battlefield, then return later.
The whole formation faced the same direction, the one where the fracture had formed and with busters and artillery stationed at the sides, the fleet pushed forward with full force.
The move was decisive, if they could pierce the segment, they could exit the disadvantageous position they were in and maybe rupture the 'spherical blanket.'
The fracture widened.
Voss ships along that segment absorbed the concentrated surge of Ulix's artillery. Shields flared white, then deep crimson as energy rippled through them under a barrage.
With the increased barrage, large impacts and shockwaves were felt by the ships, hull plating along two Voss cruisers fractured in jagged lines and a few busters rolled out of alignment, engines flickering as control systems rerouted power.
More Ulix ships fell off course but they did not hesitate. Their central cluster surged forward as a single metallic mass, engines burning at synchronized maximum thrust. Now defence from all directions was difficult and they were just trying to get through, still they never ceased returning fire.
The cluster stretched into the shape of a spear, driving through the fracture. Voss's formation bent and was forced to open a path for the spear. Ulix ships rammed through the path taking direct hits along their flanks while refusing to slow all the while some of their ships peeled away from the spear.
They lost a few of their large ships, having taken too much damage with no hope of escape, left floating in space. But the spherical blanket was torn open and Ulix broke free.
The moment their lead vessels cleared the curvature, they could not turn and reengage so their engines flared up and they hurtled towards open space. Behind them, the surviving ships followed through the breach and all accelerated away from the kill zone leaving some of their crippled ships drifting behind them.
They escaped.
On the bridge of the lead Ulix vessel, Rathern gripped the edge of his console until his knuckles whitened. He had lost eleven ships breaking from that formation. Eleven, from a fleet that outnumbered Voss when the conflict started.
He forced his voice level as he turned to his officers.
"Casualties?"
"Severe, Commander. We've lost thirteen percent shield capacity and fifteen percent offensive cannons. We need to regroup at the system's edge to recuperate. Only then can we try again."
Rathern said nothing for a long moment, watching the wreckage fall away behind them on the display. He had lost to Velis. He knew it. She beat him cleanly, and worse, she had let them go.
That wasn't mercy, it was a calculation. One she'd made to intimidate him and to make him nervous.
He smashed his console with his fisted hand sending a loud thud that jolted those close to him.
"It's not over yet, Velis… it's far from over" he muttered, quiet enough that only he could hear.
***
Voss realised the danger of this breach and was well aware that Ulix would return to flank them but they did not pursue. The blanket did not scatter chaotically, instead it advanced forward carefully to reposition themselves to the formation from earlier before dislocation while the vessels at the rear broke off and began positioning themselves for a rear attack.
Ulix's spearhead accelerated hard into open space, engines burning with fury of survival. The surviving ships regrouped at the edge of the system wary of being followed and they assessed their damages and prepared for a counterattack.
From their perspective, Voss would either turn and follow them seeing as they were a large fleet which could attack Velmora or flank them. Or Voss would push through to Ulix airspace pressing the Ulix navy station as defence. Either way, they needed to return and assist their comrades.
Voss on the other hand began to advance, an invasion. Half of their fleet remained behind, methodically clearing the battlefield and securing the corridor in preparation for Ulix counterattack. Stranded Ulix vessels were neutralised, sensor buoys deployed and control of the zone stabilised.
The remaining half accelerated forward just as planned toward Ulix territory. The advance was sharp and deliberate, cutting along the shortest path toward the closest world to Dwaro, Ulix-Ultra.
Ulix-Ultra was much smaller than Velmora, its mass modest by comparison but its architecture was more advanced than Velmora. As such its defences were lower than Velmora as it was not the capital world of House Ulix.
Defensive rings encircled the planet in layered grids, dockyards and naval stations orbited in structured symmetry for rapid deployment and resistance. Ultra was heavily fortified.
When Voss forces emerged at the edge of its defensive perimeter, the remaining Ulix fleet stationed there was already mobilizing.
Defence platforms rotated into firing alignment at the incoming ships. Shields deflected the beams of rays while approaching. Voss did not slow.
Their formation shifted mid advance.
The forward crescent narrowed, heavy cruisers sliding inward to overlap shield coverage while artillery vessels aligned behind them. Interceptors detached from the flanks and surged ahead in coordinated waves, targeting orbital weapon platforms.
The first Ulix defence ring fired again, this time Voss answered in full.
A unified barrage erupted from the crescent. Beams lanced forward in converging arcs striking one another. The waiting Ulix forces did not push forward, opting to shield the world but the incoming Voss forces were too numerous. Their shields absorbed too much fire power sending shockwaves through the hulls.
The dockyards responded, sending additional warships as soon as lasers struck through the shields.
Voss fleets got closer and their squadrons were able to swarm out, attacking the stations and putting more pressure. Ulix interceptors surged forward first attempting to harass Voss flanks and disrupt their artillery, the manoeuvre was sharp and well timed. Several Voss ships were forced to redirect power to their shields, lessening their concentrated strikes.
But the increased swarm was too much for Ulix, they took down the interceptors and enemy fighters forcing Ulix to be careful.
Everyone could see the outcome of the battle. Without reinforcements, Ulix's defence would be pushed back. That meant Voss would gain the ground access it needed for the invasion of Ulix-Ultra.
In the ensuing chaos, the remaining vessels adjusted automatically, maintaining distance and redistributing shield across the exposed sector. This bought time for the stations and planetary defences to charge up their cannons without interruption.
The cannons came alive and across Ulix-Ultra's surface, immense towers rotated upward, draining power through its grids. Energy surged through conduits and the first round of shots was fired. From the planet and on the surrounding stations, blinding pillars of concentrated force tore through space colliding with the shields and cutting through.
There were numerous targets and many frigates were hit, causing significant damage and casualties. The stricken ships tumbled out of formation and drifted in the void while Ulix ships pressed the advantage.
For the first time, Voss slowed and felt truly threatened. But they did not retreat, those cannons took power and time to charge even if they were powerful. The ideal plan was to take out the stations, get the main ships closer and drop Troopers and get out before the cannons were charged up again.
Voss did that. They sent out numerous squadrons to flank the station and begin bombardment on the station. Ulix tried to stop this with their numbers but failed, the orbital station cannons were blown up before planetary cannons began to charge up for a second round.
Voss prepared to dodge the fire. On the other side Ulix commanders faced an impossible decision. They either had to hold orbital defence, drain the power for the cannons which was sure to be a waste and costly, or allow Voss to enter airspace and drop their Troopers.
If they defended, they could strike a few other ships but that act itself risked Voss discovering and striking the cannon. That would lessen chances of retaking or driving them off in the future. For now, if they let the invasion proceed on the ground, they still held more advantages there than in orbit.
They chose preservation and sealed the planetary cannons allowing Voss's fleet to enter their airspace while their ships flew to the other side of the planet.