How did you do it? How did you stay focused while people were dying all around you? People who followed you, men and women you were responsible for?

He pushed the thoughts aside. If he didn’t keep his head clear, didn’t do everything he could to bring Dauntless through this, he would lose a lot more than six of his spacers.

“Captain, Engineer Fritz reports a fifty percent power drain in C and D sections. She says one of the hits must have ruptured a conduit. She’s got a team working on it, but she has no estimate on repair time yet.”

Damn.

That meant half his primaries were out. At least.

“Advise her that is a priority affair, Commander. Meanwhile, cut thrust. I don’t want to accelerate further until we get a better read on the system.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“And order Lieutenant Stockton to take Blue squadron into the system toward Santis. He is to advance as far as fuel status allows—or until he detects any enemy vessels.”

“Yes, sir.”

Barron leaned back and sighed softly to himself. He didn’t know what kind of enemy he was facing, but whoever it was, he or she had taken him by surprise and won the first round. He had little now but guesses, but he was sure about one thing. The laser buoys at the transwarp link were the work of a methodical commander, a cautious one.

And probably a smart one.

Yes, he’d lost the first round. But he didn’t intend to let that happen again.

*   *   *

“Laser buoys have engaged, Captain. Scanning reports coming in. One vessel, approximately forty million tons displacement, three point seven kilometers in length.”

Kat shook her head slightly, the movement almost imperceptible. She forced the frown from her lips, but her thoughts were cold. She was sitting in the plush command chair, but this time she wasn’t comfortable. She was worried. And she was mad.

Damned intelligence reports. Why do we even bother?

Her briefings had been clear on one point. All of the Confederation’s capital ships were deployed against the Union, nowhere near the Rim. But unless it was a huge freighter or tanker coming through the link, forty million tons meant a battleship. One almost as big as Invictus.

“Readings from the buoys, Commander. The enemy vessel has fired upon them. Triple-mounted laser batteries, output somewhere in the four to seven hundred megawatt range.”

No tanker or freighter would have guns like that…

“Put the ship on secondary alert, Optiomagis. All systems on battle footing.” She knew the enemy ship was at least a day away, perhaps two or more, depending on its thrust capability. The Alliance’s data on Confederation ships and capabilities was sketchy. They used particle accelerator cannons for their primary guns, highly effective weapons, especially at close range. The lasers would be their secondaries.

Seven hundred megawatts and triple turrets…that’s strong for secondary batteries…