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Chapters (42)
  1. Cover Blurb
  2. Contents
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Chapter Eleven
  14. Chapter Twelve
  15. Chapter Thirteen
  16. Chapter Fourteen
  17. Chapter Fifteen
  18. Chapter Sixteen
  19. Chapter Seventeen
  20. Chapter Eighteen
  21. Chapter Nineteen
  22. Chapter Twenty
  23. Chapter Twenty-One
  24. Chapter Twenty-Two
  25. Chapter Twenty-Three
  26. Chapter Twenty-Four
  27. Chapter Twenty-Five
  28. Chapter Twenty-Six
  29. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  30. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  31. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  32. Chapter Thirty
  33. Chapter Thirty-One
  34. Chapter Thirty-Two
  35. Chapter Thirty-Three
  36. Chapter Thirty-Four
  37. Chapter Thirty-Five
  38. Chapter Thirty-Six
  39. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  40. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  41. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  42. Chapter Forty

He wondered, briefly, what the Admiralty would make of the victory.  On one hand, it was a stunning reversal of fortunes; on the other, it implied that there was only one starship capable of standing up to the aliens.  But then ... there was no reason why mass drivers and other weapons couldn’t be deployed to defend Earth very quickly.  Hell, after the first reports of the battle had made it back to humanity’s homeworld, preparations had probably already started.

“Understood, sir,” Fitzwilliam said.

“Go to the bridge, then lay in a course,” Ted ordered.  “I’ll join you before we leave the system.”

He closed his eyes as soon as the XO left, leaving him alone.  The victory hadn't come cheaply, he knew, even though the aliens had suffered worse by an order of magnitude.  Thirty-two starfighter pilots dead, ninety-two officers and men on the destroyed frigate ... that weapon was going to be a major problem.  It was quite possible that a close-range duel with one of the alien craft would be impossible.

And they'd all died under his command.

Angrily, he pushed the guilt aside and opened his eyes.  A naval career, even one spent on an isolated asteroid mining station, always carried the risk of a violent death.  No one joined the navy believing it to be safe.  Hell, space was never safe.  The civilian death rate was actually higher than the navy’s, although civilian starships tended to operate far closer to the margins than naval starships.  He knew that to be true.  But somehow it didn't make his task any easier.

Gritting his teeth, he strode out of the Briefing Room and marched towards the bridge, almost tripping over several boxes of spare parts someone had stowed in the passageway.  He made a mental note to discuss it with his XO.  As important as it was to cram the ship to the gunwales with spare parts, it was equally important not to impede the crew from rushing to battle stations when the alarm sounded.

“Captain,” Fitzwilliam said, when he stepped through the airlock.  “Our course is laid in, ready to go.”

Ted took his command chair and nodded.  “Take us home,” he ordered.  It felt good to say it, even though part of him worried over the reaction from the Admiralty.  Would they have expected him to destroy the entire alien force?  “Best possible speed.”

He smiled to himself, wanly.  A week ago, crewmen assigned to Ark Royal had been mocked by their fellows.  The Old Lady was ancient, a relic of a bygone era ... there had been several fights, which had been broken up by the local police.  But who, he asked himself, would be laughing now?  The Old Lady had more than proved herself in combat.

Good, he thought, patting his command chair.  Now we just have to win the war.

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve