They entered the shuttlebay and passed a handful of elaborate security checks before boarding the tiny ship.  Smith spoke briefly to the pilot, then settled back in his chair and closed his eyes.  James eyed him thoughtfully, wondering just what the older man was thinking.  Relief, perhaps, that he’d retained his command?  Or irritation at having a new XO thrust down his throat?  But then, Ark Royal hadn't had an official XO since she’d been placed in the reserves.  Smith had effectively been his own XO.

The shuttle quivered as it floated out of the shuttlebay and headed towards the naval reserve yards, where Ark Royal was waiting.  James couldn't help a flicker of excitement as he leaned forward, peering out the porthole for his first glimpse of the massive carrier.  Even if he wasn't going to take command, he would still be serving on her – and the first sight of a new starship was always special.  Dozens of other shuttles and tiny starships floated through Earth’s crowded orbital space, their sheer multitude a sign that something was badly wrong.  It was only a matter of time, James knew, before the news media discovered what was going on.  And then ...

He swallowed, feeling a curious tension at the base of his throat.  Unless it was all a big misunderstanding, they were going to be going to war – with aliens.  It was a staggering thought.  No one had anticipated aliens, not really.  The Royal Navy had confronted Chinese and Russian starships over brief disputes over mining and settlement rights, but there had been no major shooting war since the Puller Drive had been invented.  And yet ... he wondered, suddenly, just why so many resources had been poured into the military.  All of the major spacefaring powers had built up their navies, often at staggering cost.  Had they known there was a potential outside threat?

But humans aren't known for being peaceable, he thought, snidely.  If we didn't keep up with our defences, our human enemies would overwhelm us.

The shuttle quivered again as Ark Royal came into view.  James sucked in his breath, drinking in the details; the giant carrier was larger than he’d realised ... and cruder.  The elegant lines of modern carriers – to say nothing of civilian starships – were missing.  Instead, she was a boxy hulk, studded with weapons and sensor blisters.  Four fighter launch tubes protruded out of her hull, each one wrapped in heavy armour.  Ark Royal was as much battleship as she was carrier, he recalled from the briefing notes.  The naval doctrine of her time had insisted that carriers had to be able to take damage as well as dish it out.  It was one of the reasons her rate of acceleration was so slow.

“Half of the weapons have been replaced over the years,” Smith said.  “Our tactical system had to be modified extensively just to handle them.”