debris, missiles, enemy fire, and most of all enemy ships with

imploder lances. Those Cetagandan ships that were in position to

respond seemed almost to prick their ears, hesitating as Dendarii ship movements telegraphed changes coming. The Dendarii might be in retreat . . . some exploitable opportunity might be about to open up. . .

.

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"Whatinhell's that? " Tung said, as something huge and temporarily indecipherable appeared in the throat of the wormhole

and began instantly to accelerate. He punched up readouts. "It's too big to be that fast. It's too fast to be that big. "

Miles recognized the energy profile even before the televiewer

yielded up a visual. What a shakedown cruise they're having. "It's the

Prince Serg. Our Barrayaran Imperial reinforcements have just arrived." He took a dizzy breath. "Did I not promise you . . ."

Tung swore horribly, in pure aesthetic admiration. Other ships

followed, Aslunder, Polian Navy, spreading out rapidly into attack—

not defensive—formation.

The ripple in the Cetagandan formations was like a silent cry of

dismay. An imploder-armed Cetagandan ship dove bravely at the

Prince Serg, and was sliced in half discovering that the Serg's

imploder lances had been improved to triple the Cetagandans' range.

That was the first mortal blow.

The second came over the comm link, a call to the Cetagandan

aggressors to surrender or be destroyed—in the name of the Hegen

Alliance Navy, Emperor Gregor Vorbarra and Admiral Count Aral

Vorkosigan, Joint Commanders.

For a moment, Miles thought Tung was about to faint. Tung

inhaled alarmingly, and bellowed with delight, "Aral Vorkosigan!

Here? Hot damn!" And in an only slightly more private whisper,

"How'd they lure him out of retirement? Maybe I'll get to meet him!"

Tung the military history nut was one of Miles's father's most

fanatical fans, Miles recalled, and until and unless firmly suppressed could rattle off every public detail of the Barrayaran admiral's early campaigns. "I'll see what I can arrange," Miles promised.

"If you can arrange that, son . . ." With an effort, Tung pulled his mind away from his beloved hobby of studying military history and

back to his (admittedly, closely related) job of making it.

The Cetagandan ships were breaking, first in panicked singles and

then in more coordinated groups, trying to organize a properly

covered retreat. The Prince Serg and its support group did not waste a millisecond, but followed up instantly, attacking and disordering attempted self-covering arrays of enemy ships, worrying the resulting stragglers. In the ensuing hours the retreat became a true rout when the Vervani ships protecting their high planetary orbitals,

encouraged, at last broke orbit and joined the attack. The Vervani

reserve was merciless, in the terror for their homes the Cetagandans had instilled in them.