“Still nothing, sir…Captain, they just increased their velocity, and the sensors are reading an energy buildup from the same locus as the alien ship!”

“Ping them,” Weston’s voice echoed coldly across the bridge.

“Aye, sir. Tachyon echo-location going active.” A moment later, Waters’s voice continued. “We’ve locked their position into the combat systems.” Waters stiffened at his console, reading the numbers that flashed past his eyes instinctively. “Incoming!”

“Launch drones! Sideslip two hundred meters to starboard!” Weston called up Waters’s intel. “Prepare to engage the enemy vessel. Give the Archangels the green light, and tell Commander Michaels godspeed.”

“Aye, sir.”

The Odyssey’s CM field pulsed once as the navigation computers briefly transferred a large chunk of power into the generators and fired up the maneuvering thrusters. The small but powerful thrusts pushed out from the port side, and the big ship groaned and shuddered as its remaining mass objected to the maneuver.

The objections were futile, though, as the ship slid away diagonally, even as the blast shields that protected the enclosed flight decks rumbled open against the silent backdrop of space.

The Odyssey’s flight deck buzzed as the Archangels screamed out into space, their twin reactors blazing as the nimble ships formed up and flew ahead of the Odyssey. The ship’s thrusters burned hard, pushing the Odyssey to the side.

“We’ve slid by two hundred meters, sir, and the Angels report that they’re forming up for a strafing run, on your command,” Roberts said.

“Good. Have them—” Weston began.

“Captain! The drones are gone, sir! They just…vaporized,” Waters muttered in shock. “I’m trying to compile the last few seconds of information that we got from them…It looks like they registered a very powerful energy signature intersecting our previous position.”

“Analyze it, Waters. I want to know what it was,” Weston told him and then turned back to Roberts. “Have the Angels fly point for us until further notice.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Weston watched as Ensign Waters passed the data to the labs for analysis and waited impatiently for the response. On the screen, the Archangels maintained their range from the Odyssey, and Weston knew the pilots were waiting for his order to engage the fighters’ combat interface.

“Captain, the analysis is coming back. The energy signature is one of…” Waters hesitated. “A very powerful class-one laser.”

“Class one? That’s it?” Weston’s expression was incredulous.

“Yes, s…sir,” Waters stammered. “They’re pumping more power through the beam than I would have thought possible, but it’s still only a class one.”

“Adjust the forward armor plates to compensate and increase to combat velocity.” Weston touched a button with his thumb. “Weston to Stephanos.”

“Aye, Captain?” the answer came back from the lead fighter.

“Ensign Waters is transmitting frequency data on the laser the bogey is using. Adjust your armor resonance and engage combat interface.”

“Aye, Captain.” Stephanos switched over to the squadron’s frequency a moment later. “All right, boys and girls, we’re clear for combat maneuvering. Engage the interface.”

Good-natured groans sounded across the channel as a few of the pilots mock-objected to the order; Stephanos himself hated pressing that button, but it had to be done. Depressing a small covered button on the side of his seat, Stephanos hissed in pain as two thin molecular needles snicked out of his helmet and entered the back of his neck on either side of his spinal cord.