Timeless Assassin

(Juxta Military Base, Charles and Leo's POV)

After explaining how to disable a planet's mana shield, Charles led Leo to the Hangar Bay, where the Cult army's war-crafts were stationed.

"Okay boy, now that you understand the different steps associated with a war, let me run you through what happens after you disable a planet's mana shield," Charles said as he led Leo across the elevated gantry, and into the heart of the Hangar Bay.

"The next thing you need to understand in depth... is how to establish air superiority."

He gestured across the bay, where a range of Cult warships stood primed and ready.

"Our fleet's not just large. It's also way more efficient than any righteous faction ships of the same class. Custom-forged to dominate the skies, tier by tier."

He pointed toward a sharp, low-slung craft at the edge of the hangar.

"That first one there is a Frigate class ship.

It's agile and near-invisible to most detection arrays.

The purpose of these types of ships is to scout, intercept, and sabotage.

Send one of those ahead, and it'll knock out an enemy radar tower or sabotage a shield junction before your heavyweights enter."

Next, he turned toward a gunmetal vessel lined with rotary cannons and mana-fed turrets.

"These are what we call Gunships.

They're essentially flying fortresses. Slower than Frigates, but packed with weapons. They're built for rapid-response ground support.

They fly low, hit hard, and pretty much run through the enemy base."

Then he stopped in front of the behemoth they were approaching, a massive, black-plated ship anchored at Dock 03.

"And this monster right here? That's a Destroyer-Class Ship.

These are your long-range, high-altitude strike ships, with the real muscle power that can melt bunkers from its long range cannon shots.

Its missiles? They don't just blow things up. They rewrite the terrain. These are your queens in the sky. You keep them alive, you win."

Leo studied the hull as they boarded one of the Destroyer class ships called 'Warlance'.

Inside, the atmosphere was clinical and calm, but beneath that calm pulsed something raw….. potential energy barely restrained by metal and command chains.

Charles followed behind him, his hands shoved into his coat pockets, posture relaxed yet grounded as always.

"Welcome to the part of the war you won't ever need to worry about," he muttered, tapping his heel against the floor twice before barking toward the front, "Lieutenant!"

A woman seated in the pilot's cradle turned halfway, her tight bun barely shifting as she gave a crisp nod.

"Yes, Commander."

"Run a mock evasion sequence. Simulate an enemy strike, let's say a strike from a mana-fused artillery cannon, followed by a tail from an enemy destroyer. Show the boy how we dance."

"Aye, sir."

Without another word, the ship rumbled faintly beneath them. Leo instinctively widened his stance as kinetic dampeners kicked in, and the Warlance jolted slightly to the right, followed by a sharp pitch upward.

The overhead screen adjusted immediately, displaying the incoming trajectory of a theoretical projectile, as glowing red dots arced toward them in neat formation.

"First thing you need to know," Charles said, voice calm despite the motion, "is that aerial warfare isn't won by power, but by positioning. Power helps, sure. But if you can't dodge, if you can't maneuver, you're dead in the air."

The ship dipped suddenly, performing a barrel roll maneuver as warning klaxons blared across the simulation.

*Grab*

Leo grabbed onto a nearby support rail, watching as the pilot's hands moved like she was playing an instrument— elegant, focused, precise.

"That woman up there? She's been flying crafts since she was eighteen. Every bit a natural prodigy as you.

She's only twenty eight now, but she has survived twelve orbital missions and logged out over two thousand hours of war time.

If I handed her a full fleet, she'd wipe out an entire city grid before her breakfast got cold."

Charles praised, as Leo blinked in acknowledgement.

Charles rarely praised anyone, so if he talked so highly about someone, then that soldier definitely had to be special.

*SHROOM*

The ship suddenly accelerated into a spiraling ascent, avoiding another incoming blast by a hair, the blue trails of simulated plasma sliding past the viewport like streaks of lightning.

"Now you see why I said you stay out of this part," Charles muttered, lighting another cigarette without breaking eye contact with the view.

"These crafts... They're beasts. And they're only as good as the instincts behind the wheel. You, me, land soldiers like us…. we're not meant to steer them. We're the ones who deploy after the sky's already been burned clean."

The screen shifted to a tactical view, showing blinking indicators of anti-air towers, radar arrays, and fuel depots scattered across a planetary surface.

"Objective's always the same," Charles explained. "Take down enemy infrastructure. Blind them. Cut their comms. Cripple their ships. Once that's done... they're sitting ducks."

Leo watched as the simulation continued, the ship weaving between simulated blasts before locking on to a key enemy comm tower. A blue pulse charged up beneath the ship's undercarriage before firing a precision strike, obliterating the target on-screen.

"That's what air superiority looks like," Charles muttered, his voice now almost a whisper as he watched the glow fade. "No screaming. No close combat. Just surgical pressure. You don't fight this part of the war, son. You just pray your team does it right."

The simulation ended, and the ship leveled out, settling into silence once more. The glass faded back to a soft display of the hangar's exterior.

Charles flicked his ash against the floor and gave Leo a sidelong glance.

"This ride's not for you. Not unless something's gone horribly wrong."

Leo gave a quiet nod, still gripping the side rail.

"But you still need to understand it. Because there is much more to maintaining air superiority than just winning the fight in the air once." Charles said, as he turned to face Leo, looking him square in the eye.

"These ships can't stay in the air forever. Engines overheat. Mana cores need cooldown. Fuel tanks empty. They'll need landing zones to touch down, cool off, and resupply."

"Which means, it falls on you to secure those zones. To rotate squadrons in and out without leaving holes in your sky. You don't need to micromanage the battle above, but you better know how to support it from down below."

Leo nodded, his gaze fixed on the central interface as the scenario looped back into neutral orbit.

"Establishing air superiority wins you the right to move. Maintaining it... keeps your army alive."

Charles placed a hand briefly on his shoulder before turning back toward the exit ramp.

"Come on. Next, I'll show you what it looks like when we land."