Ark Royal had plenty of non-British components packed into her hull, but Ark Royal was unique.  It would be harder to add Russian components to a modern British carrier, even American or European components required careful modification before they could be used without causing problems down the line.  That would have to change, he knew; the next generation of human warships would have to be completely compatible, even among human states that were historical enemies.  He wondered, absently, if their mission – if it succeeded – would give Britain the diplomatic clout to insist on standardising everything ... or if the Admiralty would attempt to keep the alien starship to itself.  There was precedent for both, he knew, and no way to know how the politicians would jump.

He pushed his meditations aside as the alien battlecruiser started to turn, angling its prow towards the oncoming starfighters.  Kurt puzzled over the movement for a long moment, then realised that the aliens were revealing as little of themselves as possible to Ark Royal’s mass drivers.  They seemed less concerned about the starfighters, he decided, which wasn't too surprising.  Unlike a human ship, their point defence could fire randomly, sweeping through space in the hopes of scoring a lucky hit.  The closer the starfighters came, the greater the chance of the aliens hitting their target.

“Ark Royal is engaging now,” a voice said, though the datanet.  “Missiles inbound; I say again, missiles inbound.”

Kurt nodded.  They were placing everything on one last throw of the dice.  Every missile, every remaining projectile – although those could be replaced, given time – and every starfighter.  He wondered, again, just how much the aliens actually knew.  Did they realise that their target was about to expend the last of its weapons?

They configured their weapons for our modern ships, he thought.  It made sense, he decided; the aliens had taken the measure of their opponents, then attacked with savage force.  Earth would have fallen as easily as New Russia, he suspected, if Ark Royal hadn't intercepted the alien task force.  And now the aliens were taking stock, presumably building up their own weapons to confront a new and unexpected threat.  He smirked at the thought.  Didn't expect the Old Lady, did they?

“Picking up power surges around the alien prow,” Rose reported.  She paused, then spoke in a dramatic tone of voice.  “If I don't come back, get in touch with my mother and tell her I was alive all this time, I just couldn't be bothered to call the old bat.”

“It was a mistake to let you pick the entertainment for the ready room,” Kurt said.  He grinned, imagining her outraged expression.  “On my command, break and attack; I say again, break and attack!”

***

“The alien energy signature is growing stronger,” Farley reported.  “The analysts are unsure what we’re facing.”