IBC Piar Cohn

► Aymes slumped in relief when he heard that they’d found the navarch alive.

We might be able to pull this one out, one way or another, after all.

“Get the navarch to the command deck as fast as you can,” he ordered one of his runners. “I want her here immediately.”

“Yes Captain!”

The Piar Cohn and the majority of the squadron were effectively on a ballistic course, grouped around the stricken flagship. Those who’d reversed their course and were decelerating toward the enemy were still within the firing range of said enemy. Without the available support of the rest of the Third Recon, things were not going well for them.

Those who’d broken and run . . . They’d be dealt with later.

Once she was on board, the bewildered navarch was quickly rushed through the Piar Cohn and half carried onto the command deck.

“Captain Aymes?”

“Navarch,” Aymes said roughly, “good to see you in person. The situation needs your command.”

She shook her head, presumably trying to clear it. “What is the situation?”

“We’ve broken through the passing engagement and, for now, are outside the enemy range of fire.”

That wasn’t strictly true, of course. They were on a ballistic course, and that made them a sitting duck for long-range beams and other weapons. But for the moment the enemy had other things to occupy their time.

“Show me,” she croaked, eyes turning to the tactical display.

He waved it back, showing the overall situation. “The squadron lost other commanders in the engagement and lost some cohesion, My Lady. Few, if any, ships are undamaged . . . but we can say much the same for the enemy as far as that goes. They still have their three battle cruisers, however badly we struck at them, so I would not care to estimate how powerful they remain.”

“All that, and we only destroyed one small ship?” Misrem asked angrily.

“The other three small vessels remained at a distance and fired from stealth positions,” he said, “and the battle cruisers have similar toughness to our own ships, but with significantly better armor and very efficient lasers. We lost four ships outright. Three others were effectively crippled, including your own. Judging by our own ships, I believe if we re-engage, we can eliminate the cruisers. However, the smaller ships have gone back to stealth, and they utilize antimatter, My Lady.”

She nodded weakly.

Antimatter weapons were something that was effectively impossible to defend against conventionally. Having them fired from very nearly invisible enemy ships was a nightmare she didn’t care to think too hard about.

It chafed, however, to call a retreat.

Yet they’d certainly accomplished the first brief of their assigned task. There was no way these were Oather vessels, and thus they had confirmed that the Oathers had allies—ones who were ready, willing, and even eager to fight.