“Formidable has been destroyed,” he said, softly.  It still seemed unreal to him, even though he’d seen the records.  “As far as we know, she went up with all hands.”

Rose stared at him.  For a long moment, it was clear, she didn't believe what she was hearing.

“I’m sorry,” he said.  He wondered, briefly, if he’d made a mistake.  “I thought you should know ...”

“He can't be dead,” Rose said.  “He ...”

Kurt understood.  She would find it hard to come to terms with the news.  Rose wasn't listed as one of her boyfriend’s relatives; she wasn't, technically, entitled to a visit from officers bearing the bad tidings.  She wouldn't have heard the truth until the entire navy was told about the disaster.   And there wouldn't be any support for her ... would there be any support for anyone?  It had been a long time since the Royal Navy had lost so many crewmen in a single battle.  Even the catastrophic life support failure on HMS Impervious, fifteen years ago, had only killed seventeen crewmen.

But the Battle of New Russia had killed nearly seven thousand officers and men.  Two carriers, twenty-two support ships and over seven hundred starfighters.  By any pre-war standard, the losses had been disastrous.  And they were far from over.

“He shouldn't have died,” Rose said.  Her entire body was shaking.  “I ... he can't be dead.”

Kurt reached out and drew her into a hug, feeling her shake against him as she broke down.  She’d genuinely loved her boyfriend; she’d accepted the assignment to Ark Royal, at least in part, because she wasn't willing to give him up.  But now ... he was gone.  Or, at best, an alien POW.  Did the aliens take prisoners?  Human history showed a wide range of possible treatment of prisoners, everything from reasonably nice camps to outright torture and enslavement.  What would the aliens consider acceptable?

He tried to push the thought aside as she sobbed.  Would Molly sob, he asked himself, if Ark Royal were to be destroyed?  If Kurt himself were to die?  Or would she force her feelings aside and carry on, for Penny and Percy if no one else?  What sort of help would be extended towards a widowed woman when there would be thousands of others in the same boat?

“I’m sorry,” Rose said.  There was a flat tone in her voice he didn't like at all.  “I won’t be a problem for you and ...”

“No, you won’t,” Kurt said, wishing he knew more about how to talk to someone who’d lost a lover in battle.  “You’ll get your chance to exact revenge.”

Rose looked up, her face blotchy and weepy.  “Are you sure?”