Stripped of all power, the ship's inertial stabilizers failed. What remained of the hulking battlecruiser began to pitch downward and list aimlessly into the void, abandoning any survivors aboard to their grim, uncertain fates.
Although Varek and his squadron had successfully eliminated their primary target, their trouble was far from over—in fact, it had only just begun.
In response to the sinking of the battlecruiser, Republican command diverted a heavy strike group toward their position, while the surviving forces in the immediate perimeter launched an almost berserk counteroffensive.
A fresh wave of thirty starfighters launched from the dying cruiser, splitting into three ten-craft wings. Reinforcing them from behind came twenty void mechs, surging straight toward Varek's vanguard interceptors, while ten fighters each peeled off to flank Samantha and Cathy's squads.
