Ted swallowed.  Ark Royal was effectively unique, the only carrier with such heavy armour – let alone primitive weapons.  It would take years to modify the yards to produce new armoured ships, unless the boffins came up with a new form of ablative armour that could be rapidly applied to the modern carriers.  If Ark Royal were to be lost ... but there was no alternative, at least as far as he could see.  The carrier was the only effective weapon humanity had.

“Thank you, sir,” he said, finally.

“You are to depart within two days,” the First Space Lord added.  He picked a datachip off his desk and passed it to Ted, who took it carefully.  “Your crew can send the usual messages, but make sure they know that they will be vetted and censored, if necessary.  We don’t want to panic the civilians.”

“Understood,” Ted said.  “Will any other ships be joining us?”

“It depends on international affairs,” the First Space Lord said.  “Right now, they’re still stunned.  They have to get through the recrimination stage before they start thinking what to actually do about the situation.”

Ted nodded.  It had been bare hours since the news had reached Earth.  By now, world leaders would have been briefed and were struggling to come to terms with the news from New Russia.  It wouldn't be long before the news leaked out, not with so many people already aware of it.  And then there would be panic ...

“Thank you, sir,” he said, again.  “We won’t let you down.”

***

James mentally replayed everything he’d seen and heard in the briefing as the shuttle carried them back to Ark Royal.  If he’d managed to get himself assigned to one of the modern carriers, he told himself, he might well have ensured his own death.  The details of the battle suggested, very strongly, that there were no actual survivors.  He’d known friends and family who had served in the unified defence fleet.  Those people were dead ... or alien prisoners, POWs trapped light years from friendly territory.  Would the aliens even bother to take prisoners?  There was no way to know.

“Call the senior officers for a briefing,” Captain Smith ordered, as soon as the shuttle had landed in the shuttlebay.  “And then put the entire ship under a communications barrier.  I don’t want anyone sending a message home, not yet.”

James nodded and started to work, grateful for the distraction.  He hadn't woken any of the other senior officers when they’d left the ship – the watch crew were the only ones awake – but he could see to that now.  Once he’d woken them, he contacted the communications department and ordered them to hold all personal messages.  The only ones allowed out of the ship would be priority messages from the senior crew.