“And we’re too fast and close to launch the second wave.” Celesta slammed her fist down on her armrest. “Damn!” Her shout made everyone jump and look over.

“Two Darshik ships have moved in close to the Amsterdam, Captain,” Accari said. “Training long range optics on it now, they may be trying to grapple on and—whoa!” On the main display one of the Darshik ships, dwarfed by the mass of the Amsterdam, evaporated as the battleship actually thrusted laterally towards the target and opened up with all her starboard laser batteries. The concentrated fire shredded the smaller ship. “Target is destroyed, ma’am.”

“They won’t approach another Terran battleship that confidently again,” Celesta said. “OPS! Where the hell is my RDS?”

****

“Target vaporized, sir!”

“Helm! Engines to no-thrust and bring us about,” Captain Everett said sharply. “Put her nose back the way we came and rotate Y-axis ninety degrees to starboard. Tactical, that other ship is still coming in … you know what to do.”

“Aye aye, sir!” his tactical officer said. “Starboard batteries charged and ready to fire … ranging now … nineteen seconds until they’re close enough.”

“Let them have it at maximum range,” Everett said. “Their hulls can’t take the heat, and if they’re still coming close I have a feeling they’re after more than a handshake. They are not to take this ship. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” came a ragged chorus from the bridge crew that wasn’t fully immersed in their task.

“OPS, status on the Icarus?” Everett asked.

“Captain Wright says her RDS pod has failed and they can’t decelerate on the mains enough to be of any use,” the OPS officer said, reading the status one of the com officers had sent her. “The Icarus is overshooting our position and will be back as soon as they get the RDS reset and operational or when the mains can bring them about.”

“Firing!” the tactical officer called. “Multiple hull breaches … adjusting fire … target is coming apart, Captain!”

“Helm! Bring us back to our original course and orientation, engines ahead one-half,” Everett called out, his hands shaking from the excitement of battle.

“Coming about,” the helmsman said. “All engines ahead one-half, aye.”

“Tactical, clear our area!”

“Why was Wright running her RDS and main plasma engines at the same time?” Marcum asked quietly. “I thought the systems weren’t able to be engaged simultaneously.”

“I’ll ask her when this is over, Admiral,” Everett said, failing to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“Of course, Captain,” Marcum said after his face turned a few different shades of red, and he swallowed his retort with visible effort.

“We have two targets loitering out of range dead ahead,” the tactical officer reported. “The remaining five ships have disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Everett asked in disbelief. “How did they just—” He broke off and looked at Marcum in horror.