Shock waves spun the Antius as it turned and tried to run to the edge of the spreading cloud of death. Its engines fired, cut out and then slammed it forwards as a piece of hull the size of a Titan blasted through the space it had just vacated.

Sound roared through the Antius’ bridge. Crew shouted, some asking for orders, others just screaming. The hull groaned. Alert gongs boomed in spaces beneath the deck plates. Lights blinked constellations of crimson and amber across every machine.

Vek caught the edge of the stairs to the helm platform as he hauled himself up. Mersadie was in front of him. Somehow, she was calm, almost serene, as though she had seen this face of existence before and looked on it with familiarity. Vek turned as they reached the top. Sub-mistress Koln saw Mersadie and lunged for a sidearm clamped to the side of the helm console.

‘No!’ snapped Vek, moving between Koln and Mersadie.

‘We should shoot her and dump her into the void,’ snarled Koln. Her eyes were bloodshot, the gun barrel shaking in her hand.

Mersadie had stopped, her eyes wide as they took in the strobing fire beyond the viewports.

‘She can help us live,’ said Vek. Another blossom of flame opened in the near void.

‘She caused this!’ roared Koln.

‘If there is a chance that she can help us survive then I am going to take it.’

‘They want her dead, so we give them what they want.’

‘They will kill us anyway,’ said Vek.

‘I am captain of this ship. I will not–’

‘My ship,’ said Vek, his voice suddenly low and dangerous. He saw Koln’s eyes flick to the guard’s gun, which he still had in his hands. ‘My ship,’ he said again. The pistol in her hand shook more. He could see the anger and fear moving beneath the skin of her face. He realised that the cacophony of the bridge had dimmed, that most of the crew were watching what was happening.

Koln lowered the gun.

‘Whatever you can do, do it now,’ he said to Mersadie.

She shook her head.

‘I can’t stop this,’ she said, still staring out of the viewport. We must run. Get us out of this and into the sunward gulf.’

‘You said you could help,’ snarled Vek.

‘You think they are going to stop?’ said Mersadie, looking at him, and something in her voice held him silent. ‘If we can get away from this, they will come after us, after you. They just fired into a mass of civilian ships to try to kill us. They will hunt us down even in the middle of this war.’

‘That is insane.’

‘Not in the minds of the people who held me prisoner. To them, this is the battle and they have the will to see it through. To them, innocence proves nothing.’

‘Then we are dead,’ breathed Vek.

‘No,’ said Mersadie. ‘That is not certain.’