That hope was crushed just after the fourth hour.

"Flanking ships are shallowing out their intercept angles," OPS said. "Now running parallel to us."

"Lead ships are decelerating, sir," Tactical said.

"This is it, everybody!" Asher said. "OPS, I want defensive systems armed and ready. Tactical, tell fire control I'd appreciate lanes opened up in their missile launch tracks so our laser cannons don't fry our own salvos. We'll be prioritizing targets based on range and ship class. Make sure—"

"Enemy ships have fired! Radar is picking up fifty-seven missiles from twenty-three ships," Tactical called out. "Make that sixty-four missiles…seventy-one…now there are—"

"Just put the count on the board, Tactical," Asher said, his stomach dropping. This was the problem with a twenty-eight-on-one engagement…they could fling over a hundred missiles at you and have plenty left over for the rest of Admiral Wolfe's taskforce. He watched the incoming fire, and a strange calm came over him. The die was cast, and there was no stopping what was about to happen.

"Orders, Captain?"

"Coms, fleet-wide broadcast…broken sword."

"Sending, sir," the com officer said, his voice subdued.

Broken sword was a call sent out from a ship under attack that knew it was about to be destroyed. It told every friendly in the area to get clear and they were about to go down fighting. Announcing it on the bridge let his crew know as well there would be no rescue. Asher glanced up at the display and saw there were one hundred and two missiles inbound. The Alliance really wanted the Jericho destroyed after she'd humiliated them at Odmena.

"Confirmation from the Saber, sir," the com officer said. "Admiral Wolfe himself replied. He says the name Jericho will live on forever."

"We're not dead yet," Asher growled. The icy grip of fear thawing as his anger rose. "Tactical, I am turning the ship over to you. Give them everything she's got."

"Aye, sir! Broadside salvos, port and starboard, firing. Forward and aft launchers, firing. Rapid-load protocols in effect, all missiles in the magazines will be away within…seven minutes. Laser and mag cannons handed off to fire control."

"Tell fire control to hold until our missiles are away, and then fire at will," Asher said. "Let's take as many of these fuckers out as we can."

* * *

"Broken sword. I repeat…Jericho is broken sword."

Jackson's mind reeled at the implication. Captain Asher had made the determination there was no escape for his ship, and they'd go down swinging.

"OPS, is there any way for the Jericho to jump to warp?" Jackson asked.

"Standby, Admiral," the OPS officer said, slipping her headset up and speaking animatedly into it.

"They've got her boxed in next to that planet," Ellsworth said, pointing to where the Jericho's icon on the screen was right in the middle of a large Alliance formation that had been using one of the three gas giants in the system for a velocity assist.

"That's probably why the ship transitioned back to real-space sooner than Asher wanted," Jackson said. "Their course took them too close to the planet, and the gravitational pull interfered with the warp drive and shut it down."