The death of Commander Eleven lasted less than a second.
One moment he had been sitting inside his command chamber and the next his existence had collapsed into a cloud of dissipating soul force that scattered throughout the room. A portion of that energy naturally flowed toward me, merging with my own reserves before the remainder dispersed into the environment.
For a brief instant the armada remained frozen. Then the realization spread.
The response was immediate.
Alarms erupted across the fleet in a synchronized chorus that rolled through the Soul Sea like a warning bell announcing war. Crimson lights ignited atop vessel after vessel while enormous defensive formations awakened throughout the armada. The calm silver waters beneath the ships became illuminated by countless runes appearing along the hulls, and streams of soul force surged through the gigantic vessels as their combat systems came online.
The surrounding fleet moved with surprising efficiency.
