Of course, no one answered, which was just as well because Aymes knew damn well that if he didn’t know, none of his crew did, and he wasn’t in any mood to put up with anyone wasting his time just then.

“Captain?”

“What?” yelled Aymes, looking sharply over at the signals tech, who flinched in return.

“Do we respond?”

Aymes scoffed. “Of course not. Weapons, lock in the target.”

“As you say, Captain.”

“Await my orders to fire.”

“Captain, the target has shifted course slightly.”

Aymes scowled. “New vector?”

“Same, just a very slight shift on gravity scanners.”

Aymes shook his head, wondering what the point of that was. “Recalculate target solutions; be ready to fire.”

“As you say, Captain.”

►►►

AEV Odysseus

► The numbers slowly fell until the time had passed for a signal to reach the alien ship and return to the Odysseus, ratcheting up the tension as those on the bridge waited for something to happen.

Eric checked the clock constantly, glancing down every few seconds as he counted down just how long it would take for the target to get the signal, listen to his message, and come to a decision.

Finally, he came to a decision of his own.

“Helm, shift course, one kilometer positive to the elliptic.”

“Aye Captain, shifting course . . . one kilo positive.”

Eric settled back and continued waiting.

Miram leaned in a little closer from where she was stationed. “You expect them to fire?”

“If they’re the ones who leashed, and unleashed, the Drasin . . . then I expect them to be nasty sorts by definition. Nasty sorts like to fire without warning.”

The commander nodded, leaning back. Considering his reasoning, there was little she could argue with.

Another minute passed. Nothing happened. Eric again leaned forward.

“Helm, shift course. Two kilometers negative to the elliptic.”

“Aye, two klicks negative.”

As he again settled back, Eric noticed the curiosity in Miram’s eyes.

“The Odysseus isn’t the Odyssey,” he said, “and that ship isn’t the Drasin. They seem to have Priminae technology, and that means that they have scanners that are at least our equal. They’ll know we’re changing course, so we need to be sure that we change course after they’ve fired.”

“Ah,” Miram said, understanding. Of course.

►►►

IBC Piar Cohn

► “Target has shifted course again!”

Aymes was growing tired of the games his opposition was playing. Clearly, his opposite number was looking to drag this conflict down to blade range, and that concerned him greatly. The Oathers were not so bloodthirsty as that. If they had been, they likely wouldn’t have fled the Empire in the first place.

So what was he looking at across the void if not Oathers?

Another species that had captured their technology, or perhaps an offshoot of the Oathers who had a tad more spine?