Reapers

"Seems like Veronica and the others started without us. Talk about impatient." Klaus scoffed.

"Sir, we should strike while the iron is hot." Harold suggested.

"When death comes knocking on your door, do you answer?" Klaus asked.

"Sir, radar has picked up an enemy fleet approaching us!" A soldier stated.

"Sound the alarms and scramble the garrison troops!" An officer exclaimed.

The alarms suddenly went off in the hangar bay and every fighter ship available was launched out to intercept the incoming enemy fleet. Gerard entered the bridge and asked for the updates on the situation. The Titan fleet, consisting of twenty five battleships, thirty cruisers, fifteen assault carriers, and twenty destroyers formed a spearhead formation towards the XenoMars garrison base.

"Contact all nearby fleets to assist. We need to buy some time for the Gunderhild fleet to form a defensive line behind us." Gerard ordered.

"Sir, your XM-3 is ready for sortie." a mechanic informed over the comms.

"I'll be down shortly. Load the anti-ship munitions." Gerard replied before leaving the bridge.

"Why are they all sending out small fry? This isn't even practice." Klaus complained.

"Klaus, our left wing is taking more resistance than expected." Flint ordered.

"I'll be there in a bit. Howard, take my spot here." Klaus replied before veering off.

Bernard and his fleet hurriedly went to Mars to inform the higher-ups about the current situation. It's important that he convinces the council to mobilize the Gunderhild fleet or Mars will fall into the hands of Jupiter-Astra.

"How's the situation back there?" Bernard asked.

"The last update we received from the commander is that they can still manage the defenses but they can't hold out for too long." Viktor replied.

"I'm sure father will agree but the council might be divided as per usual. Maybe Arthur can help us." Bernard mumbled to himself.

"We're beginning our descent into Mars' atmosphere. Switching Catalyst over to re-entry mode." A voice announced over the P.A.

Their ships began descending into the atmosphere while Gerard's fleet alongside the garrison forces defended the inspection line. The Titan fleet was almost twice the size of Gerard's forces but most of their pilots and crew are inexperienced in combat comparsa to the Black Skulls. An elite unit composed of the best pilots from each unit in the Alliance. At the tip of their spear is the famed "Reaper" known as Klaus Friëg, another feared ace of the Alliance. Klaus is known for his deadly precision that always hits its target. Despite marksmanship being his strong suit, Klaus will always be found on the front lines, fighting up close to instill fear and intimidate his enemies.

"Harold, how's the weather?" Klaus asked as he mowed through a line of XM-2s.

"An umbrella would rather be useless, it's currently raining bullets over here." Harold replied.

"Klaus, we found where that pesky sniper is. I've sent you the estimated location, take him out before he takes out any more of our cruisers." Flint ordered.

"Roger that, Admiral. Let's see if this guy is worth my time." Klaus mumbled as he zoomed in on the marker.

"Focus your fire on their left wing, I'll take care of the rest." Gerard ordered as he fired a round dead center into an assault carrier.

"Klaus, the sniper moved positions. It just took out one of our carriers by the right wing." Flint stated.

"He didn't change position, it was a decoy. He's doing everything by the book, too bad...I hate books." Klaus replied as he fired at Gerard's position.

Gerard quickly retreated behind cover, it was a close shot. Just a few meters more and it would've shred through his rail gun. He quickly adjusted the aim on the remote controlled turret they hid in the debris but it got destroyed before he could finish turning it. Klaus gathered a small squadron and lead an assault team to attack Gerard's position to prevent him from dealing more damage to their fleet.

"He's far from their fleet, surround him." Klaus ordered as he stayed behind.

"Prepare to intercept!" Gerard exclaimed as he blasted out from cover and flew past two enemy ships.

As they chased after Gerard, a swarm of XM-2s intercepted them and destroyed their formation. Klaus immediately pulled back while shooting the enemy ships one by one. Gerard turned his ship around and began exchanging fire with Klaus but they were interrupted when a beam shot through two XM-2s. Gerard detected Asterion on his radar and he immediately told his forces to retreat. He's faced Asterion once and he knows just how powerful that machine's armor is.

"Hey Klaus, did ya miss me?" Veronica asked with a smirk.

"You're the last person I want to see right now." Klaus replied in a disgusted tone.

"You should thank me." Kjēl said coldly.

"That was just a lucky shot, I'd never thank someone I don't know." Klaus responded in an arrogant tone.

"Hey! That's my apprentice you're talking to. You pickin' a fight with me?" Veronica mockingly said.

"Cut it out you little kids! We're in the middle of a battle here!" Brook shouted over the comms.

"Sir, the enemy is slowly pulling back to their main defensive line." Harold stated.

"Keep hitting them as hard as you can. We have the upper hand in numbers so show them what a volley really feels like." Klaus ordered before returning to his formation.

The White Whale joined up with Kronos, the flagship of the Titan fleet and the command center of the Expeditionary Alliance forces. With Asterion and Veronica joining the Titan fleet, their odds of crushing the garrison forces along the inspection line has now doubled. Damien boarded Kronos to speak with Admiral Flint and discuss their plans of attack.

"Commander, I've heard your detachment's mission was flawless." Flint commented as he reached a hand out to shake.

"Thanks, Admiral. It's a great honor to be complimented by a tactician like you." Damien returned the gesture.

"I've already prepared plans ahead of time but it seems like this ship you've acquired can make drastic changes to conventional tactics." Flint added before chuckling.

"That's true, conventional tactics won't cut it anymore. That shouldn't be a problem however. I've already came up with different strategies to use Asterion to it's full potential." Damien replied.

"Admiral, their formation got tighter but they're using the wrecked ships as cover to soften up our salvo." Klaus reported.

"Thank you for the update. So, what should we do, commander?" Flint asked Damien.