Ted tapped his console, accessing the data package as Ark Royal continued to move towards the jump point.  Every analyst in space had been working over the recordings from New Russia, drawing what conclusions they could.  Much of the data wasn't new, not entirely to Ted’s surprise, but there were some interesting suggestions.  One of them suggested that the alien ships could be tracked with a little careful effort.  Another insisted that the alien starfighters weren't really effective dogfighters at all.

Not that it matters, Ted thought.  They’re designed to break through to our carriers and rip them apart.

There was relatively little data on the alien capital ships, he noted, mostly consisting of uninformed speculation.  No one was even sure where the carriers launched their fighters; unlike human craft, the fighter launch tubes appeared to be worked solidly into their hulls.  It was an interesting design, he had to admit, suggesting that they weren't too worried about having their carriers targeted.  Did they have a good reason to be confident?

They have energy weapons on their starfighters, he thought, sourly.  Their hulls might be bristling with energy weapons too.

“Sir,” Lightbridge said, breaking into his thoughts, “we have reached the jump point.”

“Power up the Puller Drive,” Ted ordered.  He couldn't help feeling the old thrill of jumping out of the Sol System, even though it had been years since he’d been on an interstellar starship.  “And then sound the alert.”

Another quiver ran through the ship, followed  by a low hooting that warned all non-essential crew to brace themselves for the jump.  Most spacers grew used to it fairly quickly, but there were always a handful who couldn't take the jump without throwing up or even being rendered comatose.  Over a hundred years of FTL travel hadn't yielded any way to identify such people before they took their first jump, although it manifested very quickly.  Back at the Academy, British spacers were taken through a jump within the first six months of their training.  If they reacted badly, they were assigned to in-system positions only.

Like Ark Royal, he thought, grimly.  His crew included a few people who couldn't take the jump, but were desperately needed to keep the starship functional.  It was something the Admiralty had overlooked at the time.  Ted and Commander Fitzwilliam had dealt with the problem by ordering all such personnel to sickbay before the jump, but they knew it was only a temporary solution.  The crewmen would have to be relieved of duty sooner rather than later.

“Puller drive online,” Lightbridge said.

“All systems check out properly,” Anderson added.  “The drive is in full working order.”