She knew what Alliance protocol demanded. What her crew expected. But she was wary of this enemy…

“Reverse thrust now.”

“Commander, repeat?”

“I said reverse thrust now. Bring us to a dead stop.”

Wentus hesitated. “Commander, we have them…”

“I said reverse thrust, Optiomagis. Now obey my orders!”

“Yes, Commander.”

She could hear the disapproval in Wentus’s voice. But she didn’t give a shit.

She felt the force of deceleration slam into her, watched on her screen as Invictus’s already slow velocity dropped steadily.

She had to be sure.

*   *   *

“What?”

“They’re decelerating, sir. It looks like they’re coming to a dead halt.”

Barron felt his hand clench into a fist. He caught himself just before he slammed it down on the armrest of his chair.

Who the hell are you? How do you read my mind?

He’d known the enemy commander was good, since the moment he’d fallen into the trap set for him at the transwarp link. But there was only one reason for the enemy ship to stop before closing. Fear of his main guns.

Damn.

It was his last ploy, the one tactic he could devise that offered hope of victory…but if his enemy was too suspicious to close…

He slapped his hand on the com unit. “Fritzie, are the primaries still online?”

“Yes, Captain…but they’re on the brink. The next hit could be the one that knocks them out.”

Barron felt the frustration building. He had to do something. He had to pull his enemy into short range.

Accelerate? Close with them?

No, that will only make it look more likely I’m trying to get close for a shot with the primaries. This captain will be looking for that…they’ll only pull back, and they have the edge in a longer-ranged exchange.

He sat quietly for a few seconds, deep in thought. He couldn’t chase the enemy. He needed them to close.

From what little intel he had on the Alliance, this seemed unlike one of their tactics. They were aggressive, wildly, desperately so.

So why the caution now?

“Fritzie, what shape is beta bay in now?”

“Beta bay? It’s a wreck, sir. We got the fires out and capped the fuel line leaks, but then we just sealed it off. Alpha bay’s rough too, but it’s an order of magnitude better. And it’s more than enough to retrieve the fighters we’ve got left out there, if…”

“Can you reopen some of those leaks, Fritzie…get some fires going again?”

“What? Captain, I don’t…”

“Just trust me, Fritzie…and answer my question. Can we blow out the bay and control the spread of the damage to vital systems?”

“You want a small series of fires? A controlled blowout?”

“I want a massive explosion, Fritzie…one that will make anyone watching think Dauntless is critical.”