Fleet in addition to each ship's shields.
9 Though as The Goddens approached, the outer ships were destroyed, it
gave The Fleets time to get in close, where
their weapons were effective. Once at close quarters there was no
withdrawal. They closed and fought at point blank range, sometimes even
ramming and forming boarding parties.
10 These were not tactics The Goddens liked, and after a few hours of
battle they began to withdraw, packing tight around their captured
planets so the enemy could not dive through them in their spearhead
formations, The Goddens would have their greatest protection from their
greater range and heavier shields. Even at Haven they did this.
11 They had hardly noticed that during the thickest of the fighting a
landing pod had slipped through their defenses and ten small ships had
penetrated Haven's atmosphere. Six had been destroyed by the good
defenses, but four were now sinking deep into Haven's great oceans.
12 The General Of The Fleet turned to his Communications Officer.
"Transmit code signal 'Thunderhead.'"
13 Ten minutes after this signal was broadcast, Haven, Hades, and all
the other worlds captured by The Goddens were engulfed in a brilliant
flash. That flash reached out like a devouring monster. If the ships in
orbit about the worlds realized what was happening, they had no time to
react. The shimmering brightness engulfed them, swallowing them up into
oblivion.
14 Slowly the shimmering stopped growing. It began to sink back towards
the planets. It grew dimmer and dimmer until finally darkness replaced
the light. Tons and tons of quartz crystals began to rain down on what
was left of the planets' cores ….tons and tons of sand which would be
all that was left of these once great worlds; no land, no seas, no
plants, no animals, no mountains, no valleys....just miles and miles
of sand.