Not that long at all.

“Lamont, have Engineering begin recharging the coils.”

“Sir…but…aye, sir,” Lamont caught herself and tapped in the order.

Down in the bowels of the ship, cold reactors hummed back to life in response, while on the bridge, the senior staff watched the range tick down as the lock slowly firmed up.

“One hundred fifty light-seconds, Captain. Lock is now seventy-five percent.”

Weston nodded but said nothing.

The tension began to climb as the numbers fell, until Waters spoke up a minute later.

“One hundred twenty light-seconds.”

“Prepare for firing sequence,” Weston ordered.

“Aye, Captain. Firing sequence entered.”

“Lock it into the computer.”

“Locked.”

“Engage the sequence.”

Waters nodded. “Sequence engaged.”

With that command, the ensign sat back, watching as the computer took over.

His program was in control now, and all he could do was watch the data it threw back and step in if something changed drastically. The actual firing would be up to the computer, because at the ranges they were dealing with, any minute variance in timing or arc would result in a miss of spectacular proportions.

The Odyssey had to close another eighteen light-seconds before the program would open fire, which translated into another seventy seconds of waiting. Give or take.

An audible hum distracted Samuels as she tossed two cards back across ten meters of open space to the dealer, forcing Paladin to dislodge himself to catch the cards. He scowled at her as he pulled himself back into place.

“Be careful, would ya? I don’t feel like swimming all over this hold looking for the cards,” he growled, thumbing another pair from the deck and sending them back to her.

She caught them, still looking around.

“Relax,” Stephanos said, looking up from a PDA he was working on. “That’s just the secondary generators coming online. We’re getting ready to fire.”

She nodded, taking a breath. “I knew that, sir. Just—”

“First time you heard them from the nose of an Archangel.” Paladin smirked. “Everything sounds just a bit more dangerous, don’t it?”

“Well, I know that your voice keeps sending chills down my spine,” she said sarcastically as she settled back down. “That count?”

Racer laughed. “Naw. Trust me, girl, his voice scares all of us, anyway.”

A few of the pilots chuckled along with them, even Paladin himself, and the card game went on, the feeling of life returning to the ship.

“Firing in ten seconds, Captain,” Waters said, unnecessarily.

“Understood, Ensign,” Weston replied. “Lieutenant Daniels?”

“Yes, sir?” The navigator glanced over at him.

“Prepare for evasive maneuvering, Lieutenant. Thrusters only.”

“Thrusters only, aye, sir.”

“Lamont?”

“Yes, sir?” Susan Lamont stiffened.

Weston looked at the clock. “Sound battle stations, Ensign.”

“Aye, aye, Cap…Captain,” Susan stumbled over her words as the deck transmitted the high-frequency pulse of the tubes firing through her feet. “Sounding battle stations.”