In Anthony James's War from a Distant Sun, the outclassed reconnaissance ship Finality tries to use a planet's curvature to break an enemy destroyer's sensor lock. Its captain fires successive missile salvos while racing for cover behind the horizon. Enemy missiles continue homing after the planet blocks the destroyer, so the ship still needs decoy drones and its chain gun. Each defensive layer removes only part of the incoming salvo. Heat rises during the low pass over the molten world, and the chain gun shuts down at its thermal limit. A final evasive maneuver fails to prevent a missile strike.
Chapter · 3:05:37-3:14:51
War from a Distant Sun's sensor-and-missile fight
Anthony James stages a small warship's escape around a hostile planet through sensors, missiles, decoys, point defence, and heat limits.