Chapter 15: The Forgotten War Begins Again

The first salvo came without warning.

A brilliant lance of blue-white energy ripped through space, slamming into our shields with enough force to make the entire dreadnought shudder. Consoles flickered, alarms blared, and my pulse kicked into overdrive.

“Shields holding at 83%,” G’Lan reported, voice eerily calm. “Damage minimal, but their weapon signatures are unlike anything in my database.”

Ny’Vara hissed, eyes locked onto the tactical display. “They are testing us.”

I gritted my teeth. “Then let’s make them regret it.”

I slammed my hand on the comm panel. “All weapons, fire at will!”

### The Dreadnought Awakens

My ship roared to life.

Massive pulse cannons unleashed a storm of emerald fire, tearing through the void toward the lead enemy vessel. Heavy plasma torpedoes followed, streaking through space like miniature suns.

The first few shots struck their shields, sending waves of eerie blue energy rippling across their hulls—but then something shifted.

Their ships absorbed the impact, the glowing veins across their hulls pulsing brighter.

I clenched my jaw. “They’re adapting.”

Ny’Vara’s ears flattened. “They are studying us in real time.”

The enemy ships returned fire, but this time their weapons changed—shifting, recalibrating. The next volley hit us harder.

“Shields at 64%,” G’Lan warned. “They are learning how to bypass our defenses.”

I cursed under my breath. “Fine. Let’s see if they can adapt to this.”

I turned to my weapons officer. “Charge the disruptor array. Full spread.”

The officer hesitated. “Sir, that system is untested—”

I cut him off. “Do it.”

With a deep hum, the ship’s hidden systems activated, tapping into technology even I barely understood.

The moment the disruptor array fired, space rippled—as if reality itself had been punched.

The nearest enemy ship took the brunt of it. Its shields collapsed instantly, its hull cracking apart as if an invisible force had ripped it open from the inside.

For the first time, the enemy fleet hesitated.

Ny’Vara’s tail flicked. “That got their attention.”

I smirked. “Damn right it did.”

### The Enemy Revealed

For a brief moment, the battle paused. The enemy fleet repositioned, maintaining a tight formation.

Then, a new transmission came through.

This time, the voice was ... different. Angrier. Deeper.

“You are more than we expected, Harper.”

I exhaled sharply. “Yeah? You’re not the first to say that.”

The voice ignored my sarcasm.

“You wield the Last Dreadnought, yet you do not understand its purpose. You fight as if this war is new. It is not.”

Ny’Vara narrowed her eyes. “What do they mean?”

The enemy ships reconfigured—their hulls shifting like liquid metal, adapting, evolving.