The Battle of Benavides

Military action

A massive combined fleet meets the Fleshshapers in the field for the last time.

Shortly after the successful victories at Haila and Acastus, the New Moon Cooperative reached out to any who would listen. The Fleshshapers were making their final push into NMC territory, swollen with biomass after dozens of planets fell behind their sweeping advance.   A decisive battle here would cripple the shapers, and ruin their ability to expand further. It could even be the turning point in a long war.   The Communist Brotherhood of Stellar States, remains of the NMC home fleet, Greystar Confederation, and United Nation of Worlds fleets all arrived at the planet Benavides, the focal point of the shaper push. Accompanying them was the hideously corrupted Slyth starforge.   Dozens of small craft were lost every moment during the battle as the core of advanced capital ships dueled the forge and its fearsome weaponry. Kelvin Bell, captain of the GSN ship Thunderchild , guided his crew inside a large hole torn in the armor plating and worked to destroy the corrupted forge from within.   Destroying the creature's brain directly, the forge collapsed on itself, and with a loss of cohesion the remains of the shaper armada fled back to their own territory.   They would be dealt with decisively by the New Psychic Authority and the Red Horizon Singularity Gun on Suha in the coming months.