“Transmitting now—whoa!” Ellison shouted as the main display washed out in a flash of white.

“The Ares has just exploded!” Adler exclaimed. “The force of the blast is out of range for our sensors. It must have been immense. I’m beginning to run—”

“Incoming transmission, all bands,” Ellison cut off the tactical officer. “Putting it through now on bridge speakers.” Celesta didn’t bother to chastise him for not asking if she wanted the message sent to her station first. Truth be told, she was just a bit overwhelmed herself.

“Your interference is unwelcome. This is your only warning,” a synthesized voice came over the speakers. “We are watching.”

“The message repeats a few times but that’s all there was, ma’am,” a shaken Lieutenant Ellison reported.

“New contacts!” Adler called out. “Four distinct returns. They just appeared within the system.”

“Phage?” Celesta asked.

“Negative. Contacts are quite large but appear to be metallic in nature.”

“That rules the Vruahn out,” Barrett asked. “Could they be Terran?”

“They don’t fit any known design methodology for Terran starships, sir,” Accari said. “Computer analysis of initial radar contacts is inconclusive. I don’t think this is the Asianic Union’s new fleet, sir.”

“Nor I,” Celesta said. She’d been running the numbers in her head. Given the amount of time it took for a radar signal to get out and then for them to receive a return, the ships had appeared in the system before the Ares had been detonated. They also had come in much further towards the primary star than most Terran ships were able. That left only one unpleasant probability.

“Coms! Broadcast this on all frequencies: Unknown alien fleet … this is Captain Wright of the Terran starship, Icarus. You have violated our borders and threatened us. Please clarify your intentions.”

“Sent, ma’am.”

“Now send an encoded message over the Link to the rest of the taskforce,” she said. “I want them all making best speed back to the jump point we came in through and tell that Prowler it’d be best if they made a hasty retreat. CENTCOM needs to be aware of this ASAP.”

“Link is now populating more contacts within the system,” Accari called out. “Eight more contacts total and they’re converging on the rest of the taskforce.”

“They already know where all our ships are,” Celesta said tightly. “Coms, tell all ships to go full active sensors and they’re free to unsafe weapons. Nobody is to fire first until we have confirmation of intent.”

“Aye, ma’am,” Ellison said tightly. “No response from your open hail yet.”