Both sides were protoss, and since the tal’darim ships came from modified Daeleem ships there was few technology differences.

The tal’darim had six carriers and two destroyers. Unfortunately among those six carriers one of them had lost its ability to fire interceptors. The phase smith just barely fixed the warp drive of the ship during the brief stop on the planet when the ground forces cleared the facility, but this meant the tal’darim actually only had the firepower of five carriers. Even from these five carriers three of them were previously being repaired in the facility below. They were functional but not in the best state.

On the other hand the Daeleem carriers came from the fleet guarding Shakurus. They were fully functional and at their peak efficiency. The pilots were experienced templar trained to pilot the carriers. In terms of carriers the Daeleem won. The tal’darim had two more destroyers, but the Daeleem also had phoenixes and scouts the carriers carried, so the situation was favorable for the gold side.

Still, battles weren’t just numbers, or else all the commanders had to do was meet up with their enemies, compare the number of ships on both sides, and the side with less ships could just surrender because they were destined to lose. Battles were a mixture of all kinds of factors. One of these factors was the commanders on each side.

Carriers started to unleash swarms of interceptors. These computer piloted killing robots from both sides flew toward the enemies with incredible speed. They clashed in the middle of the two fleets and started to exchange laser fires with a speed faster than human eyes could process.

The two destroyers were stuck in an awkward state as the Daeleem started to unleash phoenixes and scouts. These smaller and faster fighters could easily dart through the complicated battlefield and use their speed to get in and out of trouble. The larger and few destroyers, however, could do no such thing. Destroyers were large ships designed to take down large, armored vessels such as carriers and tempests. Hell, they could even melt colossi and immortals on the ground with absolute ease, but there was few they could do to a swarm of tangling interceptors. Their destruction beams just weren’t built to take down large groups of small targets. The interceptors, phoenixes, and scouts could easily use their speed to get around the destroyers and attack if the destroyers were out of position. At the same time their slower speed and larger body made the destroyers a vulnerable target.

This forced the destroyers to stay behind near the carriers. If they could get closer to the enemy carriers they could do miracle, but in order to do that they had to go through the interceptors…Of course the destroyers could try to warp to an area closer to the carriers, but the enemy carriers could detect jump signals and would know where the ships would be way before the ships were actually there. When the destroyers actually arrive right next to the carriers they would face the small fighters the Daeleem called back and be trapped and killed.

“This is not going well.” Nyon muttered and looked at Assistant for any advise as the red interceptors were rapidly decreasing in number. The AI stayed silent. Nyon suddenly frowned and looked at his own ship count for a second. Something didn’t add up, literally.

“We arrived here with 2 carriers and 5 destroyers, but I only see 2 destroyers here. Where are the other 3?” He asked. Three destroyers in the front might not change the tide of the battle but they would certainly help.

“I thought you would notice it sooner.” The AI glanced at Nyon. “You’ll find out soon enough. However, I need you to do something...”

On the Daeleem flagship, executor Selendis stood in pride as her fleet was setting more and more interceptors aflame. The presence of high speed fighters in the Daeleem fleet gave them a sharp advantage. “These tal’darim are no match for the might of the firstborn.” She said with pride. “They are cowards, unable to face the templar in a real battle. We will destroy them with ease.”

Suddenly she sensed something approaching from the back. Pilots of the carriers could sense what was close to the carriers, but only if they were dangerously closer. If the pilots were strong enough or were focused enough they could even detect cloaked units. However, in most cases the Daeleem commanders needed to use either scouts(not the fighter, but actual scouts) or observers to prevent themselves from being taken by surprise. Selendis did exactly that as she created a web of observers in the front, allowing her to see every move of the tal’darim fleet. She didn’t put any observers or scouts in the back, though, because it would take way too long for a tal’darim ship to maneuver around the field of observers and hit the Daeleem in the back. The battle would already be over.

Granted, the tal’darim could warp a few ships to the back of the Daeleem and then approach them from the vulnerable back, but Selendis was an experienced commander. She had counted the amount of ships the tal’darim had as soon as she arrived. 6 carriers. 2 destroyers. If some of those ships warped away she would know.

Then who were the ships approaching her from the back?

Selendis closed her eyes and reached out with her psi energy. She wasn’t impressed with what she saw.

Two altered void rays. Red. Destroyers. Tal’darim destroyers. Tal’darim destroyers a short distance away from five carriers that launched all interceptors in an attempt to defeat the enemy carriers.

The situation was dangerous, but Selendis was experienced. She had faced many enemies. Zerg. Other protoss. Terran. She had been so experienced that she knew panicking could only lead to defeat.

As calmly as possible, Selendis gave a psi order and pulled back 20 phoenixes. 20 fighters left the heated center of the battlefield and fell back with top speed, but could they be in time?

The two destroyers approached one of the carriers and turned on its destruction beam. The bright red beam was deflected by the durable plasma shield of the blue and gold capital ship, for now, but from the point of view of the pilot the shield was sharply decreasing. Void rays were known for their abilities to do damage to armored units, and the modification of the tal’darim only made things stronger.

At this time of emergency the Daeleem pilot demonstrated his skill and belief. He knew very well he couldn’t call back the interceptors of his ship. Even if the interceptors returned in time the temporary loss of ⅕ of the interceptors would be a disaster. In a battle between the same units number was critical. That was why Selendis sent out all her interceptors and fighters and put her carriers in a risky position. If she held back then her forces would be overwhelmed.

The Daeleem had a slight advantage, but that wasn’t enough. The tal’darim fought hard, and if the Daeleem lost a portion of their interceptors then they would gain the upper hand. The templar couldn’t risk the entire battle to protect himself, and so as his ship was dying he continued to focus on piloting his interceptors, making sure they could do maximum damage before he, along with the carrier and all the interceptors, die.

Selendis saw the willingness to sacrifice of her comrade and ordered the fighters to fall back even faster.

As the destroyers’ attack continued, the plasma shield of the carrier started to blink. The pilot did his best to strengthen the shield, but it wasn’t enough. The plasma shield gave one last blink before disappearing. The destruction beam swept pass the body of the carrier...and took out the warp drive and hanger with a surprising amount of experience.

The ascendants piloting the destroyers were experts in disabling enemy ships without endangering its main body. After all, these carriers might one day belong to the ascendants.

Unfortunately the sacrifice of the one carrier payed off. Before the destroyers could move on to another carrier the 20 phoenixes returned. The phoenixes had all the rage in the world. The filthy tal’darim used another trick, and now they had to be pulled away from the battle, which meant more of their brethrens would be killed in battle. The emergency warping system couldn’t save a protoss if their ship exploded. Every protoss was valuable, and via the khala the survivors shared the pain and suffering of those killed. It was no wonder the phoenixes were so eager to hunt down the destroyers.

The destroyers turned to face the phoenixes. Anger and readiness for battle was within the eyes of the ascendants. The destruction beams were turned on. The plasma shields were ready. They waited when the phoenixes got close enough, and then they jumped away….

…

“Tal’darim scum!” Selendis roared, but before she could unleash her anger upon the enemy carriers a zealot ran up to her.

“Executor, foreign warping signals are detected within our ship.” The zealot said urgently. “It’s the tal’darim. They’re warping into our ships.”