[Friction roll: 1. Advantage to the Azura]

The Azura are baited into the chase. It is a disorganized and staggered effort, and their line is quickly drawn out by their uneven acceleration and the superior top speed of the Aotrs fighters. The Venoms are able to draw out the range and come about successfully. Bait is swallowed, hook line and sinker.

The first pass is successful - four Azura spheres are destroyed by the slicing high speed assault of the Aotrs fighter craft, and the rest perform high velocity brakes in order to attempt to regain some sort of formation. One sphere barrels straight onwards, zapping down a pair of missiles and taking a direct Coldbeam strike on the armour, and manages to land an ELF strike followed by a direct plasma torpedo hit on the lead Venom. But something interesting happens - the torpedo just fizzles and duds out, dealing almost no damage. Without a ready formation on hand to follow up on the offensive, the Aotrs pilot is even able to recover and start performing emergency repairs on their ship.

As data comes in over the course of the campaign, the Aotrs will be able to identify a dud rate of 12-18% on all Azura solid projectile and plasma munitions, raising to a shocking 75% dud rate on a handful of solid projectile Eater strains. It's a mercy - these are extremely effective weapons when they work, but institutional problems in Azura procurement has dulled their edge.

So for a moment there it feels like the Aotrs fighters might have the opportunity to turn the fight around - and then, before they know it, a terror is in their midst. After battle analysis confirmed that the Azura Knight only launched after the initial engagement, presumably waiting for confirmation there were no nasty surprises waiting for her out there. Once she joined the fight the balance of power swung wildly - her presence was the equivalent of the commitment of an additional entire elite fighter wing.

Her ship also demonstrated something of the true nature of the Azura military. While the common warspheres - the Levies - were dangerous and effective, they were optimized for cost and quantity. Ship for ship they would lose to an Aotrs fighter, especially after adjustments were made and lessons had time to filter through the Aotrs knowledge system, and they were far less capable of adapting tactically on the fly. The Knight's vessel was altogether of a different order.

Firstly, it broke from the sphere shape common to Azura designs. Its natural state was more like a traditional fighter craft, with a large plasma thrust engine which gave it a maximum speed comparable to an Aotrs racing skiff. Its primary weapon was a gravity emitter mounted on its nose that it was able to use for a variety of effects. Most notably, when it fired its munitions - no duds in [i]these [/i]stocks - it was either able to use gravitic force to perform microadjustments to the projectiles in flight or even outright grab evading Aotrs ships and drag them directly into the path of its attacks, like a combat tractor beam. At one point it even fires the emitter directly to crush an Aotrs starfighter into a tin can.

It is also the first demonstration of Azura transformation technology. When the ship needs to perform a maneuver its thrusters and projectile arrays retract, the surface of the ship smooths over into a perfect sphere, the grav-rail engages, and it performs one of the trademark high energy maneuvers before unfolding again into its vicious combat form. The process takes less than a second and gives the ship spellbinding maneuverability. The only mercy here is that the ship's absurd maneuvers and devastating weaponry come at an immense power cost. Before long it had burned through its reactor fuel and was heading back to its carrier at high speed for refuel and re-armament, the surviving Levies safeguarding its retreat in an orderly fashion. It's clear that the Levies are there to fix enemies, support, defend and fly in formation with their Knights, preventing organized force being bought to bear against their masters.

This, too, can be adapted to, but not over the course of this engagement. The Aotrs fighters are thoroughly mauled and the Azura destroyers take control of Tanshin I's orbit.

*

Elsewhere in the system, as reports of the engagement are coming back to Fleet Admiral Velinkar, a huge communications spike is detected amidst the Azura fleet in orbit around the gas giant. Signal chatter is increasing massively and ships are starting to abandon mining operations and move into battle formations. It's plain that Azura fleet command was sufficiently satisfied with the engagement that they have become confident in leaving the safety of the gravity well and asteroid belt and intend to bring the battle to the Aotrs fleet in deep space. Given the disorganized nature of Azura command and control it's estimated that the Aotrs fleet will have two hours before the Azura fleet starts to move.