The roar of displaced atmospheric pressure sounded like rolling thunder as Nox ascended into the upper stratosphere at hypersonic speed.
Below him, the sprawling lights of the capital city shrank into a glittering web of gold, surrounded by the dark expanses of the surrounding provinces.
Above him in the black void of the mesosphere floated the colossal Sovereign Syndicate dreadnought, *The Astral Siphon*, spanning five kilometers of jagged black hull plating.
The warship's ventral hull bristled with hundreds of automated point-defense laser turrets and three massive plasma lance emitters aimed directly at the planet below.
"Lord Nox, the dreadnought is initiating weapon charging protocols on their central orbital lance!" Jax's voice reported over the tactical commlink.
"The thermal energy reading on their primary emitter is climbing past five hundred million gigajoules!" Jax added with urgent alarm.
