He shook his head, absently.  There was no alternative.  The Russians would know, at least, that the rest of human space remained free ... and that the aliens were far from invincible.   And they would have hope ...

***

To an unprepared civilian, the tactical display was a indecipherable mixture of red and green lights, dancing around in seemingly random patterns.  The fact that most of his fellow reporters couldn't understand what they were seeing, Marcus Yang suspected, was all that was stopping them from panicking.  Marcus, who could read it, could tell that a formidable alien force was giving chase, bent on destroying the imprudent carrier that had given them a bloody nose.

He settled back, watching – with some private amusement – the reactions shown by his fellow reporters.  Barbie seemed shocked at the carnage, even though it was minuscule compared to the Battle of New Russia.  No, the first Battle of New Russia, he corrected himself.  One way or another, this was definitely the second.  Other reporters seemed almost pleased.  They knew that humanity hitting back would make for high ratings ... assuming, of course, they survived the experience.

Barbie looked over at him, her too-wide eyes disturbingly inhuman in the darkened compartment.  “What is happening now?”

Marcus hesitated, then made a deliberate decision to be kind.  “We’re withdrawing from the system,” he said, which was true enough.  If, of course, a few of the details – such as an onrushing alien fleet – were left out.  “You’ll have time to file your story soon enough.”

Barbie gave him a pitiful glare.  “How can you be so calm?”

Marcus shrugged.  “Whatever happens, happens,” he said.  Being an embed in ground forces had taught him that bullets, IEDs and mortar shells were no respecters of press credentials.  Nor were insurgents, as a general rule, and they tended to be savvy enough to check which reporters they’d kidnapped before deciding what to do with them.  Some reporters had been released with exclusive interviews, others had been brutally raped, tortured and then murdered.  “There's nothing I can do about it, so why worry?”

He smiled at her.  The display kept them curiously disconnected from reality, but that would change when the aliens started hammering at Ark Royal’s hull.  And they would, he was sure; this time, the aliens had enough firepower to just punch their way through the carrier’s defenders.

“You may as well relax too,” he added.  “There’s nothing you can do to help or hinder operations.”

***

“Launch fighters,” Ted ordered.

“Aye, sir,” Farley said.  He pressed a switch on his console.  “Fighters launching, now.”

***