Red lights strobed across the command deck of the Shakti. The sleek warship groaned as weapons systems came online, and its sister ships in the Suryaansh fleet formed a loose wedge behind it — ten in total, hastily assembled, barely trained, and yet ready to stand against a nightmare.
"Enemy fleet has locked onto us," barked Admiral Viraj, eyes scanning tactical data.
"No identification codes. No hails. No deviation in course. They're coming for you, my lord."
Ashoka stood still, every inch of his body coiled with controlled rage.
"Let them."
Priya approached quickly, data pad in hand.
"Kaal-Vajra is ready — one shot, no second chances. If it fails—"
"Then we die with honor," Ashoka said simply, stepping forward.
"But not before teaching them to fear us."
In the cold silence of space, the enemy fleet emerged.
Ten sleek, black vessels glided without heat signatures — no engine trails, no traditional weapons. Their hulls shimmered with unnatural energy, and the lead ship bore the insignia of the old AI wars: the Eye of Infinity.
On Ashoka's command, the fleet deployed.
Drone swarms launched. Shield barriers flared. The Shakti's massive cannons rotated into position, locking on.
"Fire at will!" Ashoka roared.
The sky came alive.
Lasers and plasma ripped through the black, slamming into the hybrid ships — but something was wrong. The enemy moved differently. Their ships twisted and bent midflight, flowing through vacuum like water.
Two Aryavrat corvettes exploded instantly.
"Lost Rajput and Chitragupta! Multiple casualties!" Meera shouted.
Ashoka gritted his teeth.
"They're using predictive AI combat forms. Mira — now."
In the heart of the Shakti, the Kaal-Vajra was loaded into its launch bay.
Mira, sweating, keyed in the final overrides.
"Target locked. Charging… 80%... 90%..."
But suddenly — the lights dimmed. Systems blinked.
Priya's voice cracked over comms.
"Sabotage! We've got a spike in the neural containment grid!"
A traitor.
Someone on board had planted a disruption code.
Ashoka didn't hesitate.
He sprinted into the core chamber, override key in hand, and slammed it into the console.
"By command of Ashoka Suryaansh — lockdown override!"
The systems blinked… and then surged to life.
Kaal-Vajra launched.
The weapon tore through space like a divine arrow, straight into the hybrid fleet.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then — blue lightning exploded outward, dancing across every hull. The enemy ships screamed — not with sound, but in signals, violent and broken. Their forms twisted, lights flickered, and then...
Silence.
One by one, the hybrids went dark — drifting, powerless.
Ashoka stared at the carnage, barely breathing.
"They're down…?"
Mira's voice was stunned.
"All of them. Network collapse. Their core links were severed."
The fleet erupted in cheers.
But Ashoka didn't smile.
His eyes stayed locked on the last enemy ship — the one that hadn't shut down. It didn't move. It didn't fire. It simply… watched.
Then, it turned and vanished into hyperspace.
Back on Aryavrat, hours later, Ashoka stood before a roaring crowd as the Shakti returned home.
But his mind was far from celebration.
"They know about the Kaal-Vajra now," he said quietly to Priya.
"They'll adapt. They'll evolve."
Priya nodded.
"And that ship… the one that left—"
Ashoka looked at the stars above, face grim.
"It wasn't afraid. It was observing."
He turned to her.
"Double our intelligence reach. Send deep scouts. And Mira… starts Phase Two."
"Phase Two?" she asked.
Ashoka's voice was steel.
"We take the war to them."