The enemy armada circles Mars beyond OBC reach, probing for weaknesses while Victra and Niobe shadow them at the poles. Diomedes tests the perimeter and is rebuffed. When a destroyer in Lysander’s group falters and the Lightbringer pauses to collect escape pods, Victra eyes a strike; Virginia forbids it and asks for Phobos–Lightbringer alignment timing.

Moments later, sensors detect a high-velocity mass: a continuous stream of colossal rail slugs, fired days earlier from a restored Martian super-railgun, rakes the north pole. The barrage, likely fed by salvaged fleet metal, tears through stations and ships in seconds, shocking the Nucleus with its scale and precision.

Despite the devastation, Victra survives and rallies survivors. The enemy fleet angles not for an Iron Rain but for the north pole to finish Victra—an explicit decapitation attempt. Virginia orders Niobe and Char to marshal on Victra while battle stations pour fire into the onrushing armada.

As Phobos drifts toward alignment with the Lightbringer, Oro warns of vulnerability; Kavax urges resolve. Virginia steadies her staff, syncs Oro to the Phobos guns, and prepares legions. Holiday confirms Lysander likely knows Virginia is on Phobos. With nineteen minutes to alignment, the enemy nears the debris “dead zone” while Victra and Virginia ready for decisive combat.