But he couldn’t get the thought out of his head. And if a power like the Alliance had designs on Confederation space, there would never be a better time to make a move, with the entire fleet massed against the Union.

He tapped his hand on the com unit, toggling Commander Fritz’s line.

“Fritzie…”

“Yes, Captain.” The reply was sharp, but he could hear a commotion in the background. Dauntless had left so quickly, they’d only had time to do the bare minimum before getting underway, and that left a lot of work for the ship’s engineers.

“What’s the status down there, Fritzie?” He paused then added, “The truth Fritzie.”

“Those base techs tore apart half my systems, Captain. And they put it back together like shit. I’ve got to rip half of it out and redo it all. If I work my teams hard, I can have everything fully operational in two days…maybe three.”

Barron sighed. He had some idea of what Fritzie meant by working the crews hard, and he felt a fleeting moment of sympathy for her engineers. But he might not have more than three days.

Assuming you even have three days. If you’re facing an invader at Santis, you’ve got the time. If they’re still heading this way, maybe not…

“Fritzie…” He lowered his voice, regretting that he hadn’t gone to his office before calling his engineer. “…I’m concerned we might have a nasty fight ahead of us. I don’t know for sure, and maybe it will be nothing. But if we do run into something tough…”

“Understood, Captain. I’ll get everything at one hundred percent. Two days.” She sounded determined, but there was still the slightest hint of doubt in her voice. “Two days, sir…I’ll get it done somehow.”

“Thanks, Fritzie.” Barron cut the line, and returned his gaze to the main display.

Two days…we’ll be ready in two days.

But ready for what?

*   *   *

“So, he’s looking at me across the table, trying to stare me down. The guy’s huge, two meters tall if he’s a centimeter. And a nasty son of a bitch…even for a Marine. So I stare right back at him, and I shove all my chips into the center of the table…”

“Are you telling that story again, Raptor?” Kyle Jamison stepped into the wardroom, a shit-eating grin on his face as he walked up behind Stockton. “I’m surprised you found anybody who hasn’t heard it. Or at least hasn’t heard it enough times to run for it the minute you open your mouth.”