After days of transmissions and monitoring the net, the Vengeance got word that the Edinburgh was on the move. "The signal came through from one of our ships keeping watch in the Hsinchu system." Hamasa pointed at the projection coming up from the surface of the briefing room table. "They've taken the bait."

Marcus was a swirling mess of emotions. He was relieved that his suggestion seemed to be working, but as time went on, he was more and more fearful for Caxis.

"What's its projected route? Bronikowski said. She was sitting beside Hamasa taking notes on her tablet.

"Almost exactly as Marcus predicted."

But getting ever closer to home. Can't think like that. Got a job to do. Marcus shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"So what now?" Bronikowski asked.

"Marcus?" Hamasa smiled at him.

He cleared his throat, hoping no one could see how much he was sweating. "The projected system to intercept has shifted. The timings should still work--we need to head to Delhii. It's... it's one system from Caxis."

"That's not too bad," Bronikowski said. She adjusted the projection to show a smaller group of systems between their current position and the Edinburgh. A contoured overlay displayed the probability of where the ship would pass through.

"We'll send out more scout ships, just to be sure," Hamasa said. "If the Edinburgh deviates at all we'll know about it."

"How many ships are with them?" Jenkins asked. "I mean, how big a fight will we get?"

"At the moment there's just a support ship," Hamasa said. "But that means nothing. That ship is carrying a gravity bomb. We go in, we disable the Edinburgh, get the bomb and get the hell out. The sooner we can tell Allison we have it, the better. So let's all do our jobs and get these bastards. We're two jumps away from Delhii, so get some rest. It won't be long now."

The meeting broke up and everyone went their separate ways. This would be the last time any of them might have an evening to themselves. Marcus walked back to his cabin. The crew he passed seemed distracted, and there was an eerie calm all over the ship. It was a collective intake of breath before the coming battle.

For this plan to work, they had to capture the bombs and leave enough time to travel to where Allison and the rest of the ISC fleet was waiting for the Alliance. With each jump, the relative time difference between the ship's independent clock and the system a ship was in grew and grew.

He knew the functions for how to calculate this time difference with each jump, and how to calculate an estimate for how long a journey would take in both absolute and relative time. If he got this even slightly wrong, the Edinburgh would have passed through Caxis before they could reach it, or the Vengeance could not make it back to Allison in time. It meant another sleepless night for Marcus ahead. This was the last thing he needed before the most important day of his life, and the entire existence of the Arm.

#

After what felt like an eternity but also no time at all, the Vengeance sat outside the jump gate that would take them to Delhii. Marcus cradled a cup containing a double shot of the strongest coffee he could find on the ship to keep him. It didn't help the tiredness but resulted in a hazy buzz of caffeine induced weariness.

Everyone was silent, even Hamasa, though she couldn't sit still on her captain's chair. The viewport which was showing the jump gate in front of them. "Are the other ships ready?"

"Yes, Chief." Jenkins was sat on the right of the bridge. "Standing by to travel through to Delhii."

She took a deep breath. She reached over and pressed a button on the armrest of her chair. "All hands, this is the Chief. We're about to pass through the gate into the Dehli system where we will steal a gravity bomb from the Edinburgh. I don't need to tell you how important what we're about to do is. There is no escape from this--it's get the bomb, or get killed-- maybe both. But this is what we signed up for."

Marcus gulped.

Hamasa continued, "This is the crew that took on an Alliance warship and freed its hostages, the crew that stormed the Forge and stole the information we needed to make this possible.

"The Alliance are reeling--they didn't see this coming at them, and now their eyes are on Admiral Allison. They have no idea that we're coming for them, and that gives us a once in a lifetime opportunity to get our hands on the keys to our future.

"I believe in you. Let's get this damn ship."

The bridge remained silent after her speech, but Marcus felt the atmosphere change from one of nerves and fear to quiet confidence. Hamasa stood up. "Let's go."

The Vengeance eased forward and the arms of the jump gate opened wide, beckoning them in. The growing blue swirl at the centre of the gate was equal parts reassuring in its familiarity and terrifying with what Marcus knew lay on the other side.

The ship's automated systems interrupted the quiet. "Jump space proximity. Ship powering down." The lights went out as Vengeance moved forward into the maelstrom which gave off a blue glow to fill the bridge with flickering shadows. He was never usually bothered by the power-down sequence; it was such a staple of space travel, but this time was different.

This time it felt symbolic. It felt like they were heading into the darkness. He just wondered whether they would make it through to the light.

Finally the ship left jump space and power returned to the bridge. As the lights came back on there was a collective exhale of breath and an indistinct murmur of conversation sprang up. Marcus had never been so eager for a ship to power up and banish the shadows.

"Is there any sign of the Edinburgh?" Hamasa said.

Marcus' heart was in his mouth. It took a moment for someone to respond. "Chief!" The panic in Jenkin's voice meant Marcus knew something was wrong before he confirmed it. "They're on the near side of the system, but by these readings, they're headed for the gate to Caxis."

Marcus swore loud enough for people to turn and look at him.

"Can we catch them?" Hamasa demanded.

Bronikowski slammed her console. "The light delay means they'll already be well into the Caxis system by now. It will take us over an hour to get to the gate."

"Get us through that gate." Hamasa jumped up from her chair to approach Marcus. "Can you refine your model based on another jump and the current position of the Edinburgh?"

He took a deep breath. "Give me a moment he tried to regain his composure.

"You did well Hamasa told him. "To only be off by a couple of hours with the distances we're looking at is something. we can try to claw that distance back. We can still do this."

"But the fight--" his voice cracked. "It will be in the Caxis system."

"It will, but we're ready for this. You just tell us how long we have left."

Marcus nodded. She was right--he had a job to do. He began working on his model, grateful for something to keep his mind off the pursuit.

Sure enough, within an hour the Vengeance was approaching the gate to Caxis.

"I need those results, Marcus," Hamasa called back.

"The--the slippage from another jump will cost us, but it depends how fast the Edinburgh moves through Caxis."

"Can we do it?"

Everyone looked at him.

"It's 50/50." He tried to hold back the panic.

"Shit. Shit!" Hamasa took a deep breath "All right. Take us through."

"Jump space proximity. Ship powering down." The second time was no easier for Marcus.

#

Once the blue-glow of jump space subsided, Marcus was greeted with the familiar constellations of the Caxis system. He had spent hours in his youth plotting these and from his vantage point on the Vengeance he could pick out with ease the calypso star and its snake like body, and the merchant on the waves.

"Where's the Edinburgh?" Hamasa demanded as the lights and systems came back online.

"Almost at the planet." There was an edge of resignation in Bronikowski's voice. "They won't have seen us yet though."

"Get there!"

The lanes flew by as the Vengeance hurtled towards Caxis. All Marcus could hear was his own heartbeat, pumping faster than the structures they flew past.

We've failed.

"The Edinburgh is on the far side of the planet, ma'am," Jenkins called out. "We've lost sight of her."

We've failed.

"Keep going." Hamasa didn't show a hint of doubt.

We've failed. Sophia will die. We'll all die.

"Coming out of the lanes now," Bronikowski said.

Marcus never thought he would be so distraught to come home.

"Take us around the planet," Hamasa said.

He gazed out the viewport at the cloudy-green planet below. We've killed them. A darkness came over him, a wave of intense hopelessness that threatened to drown him.

Just as he was ready to give in, Bronikowski shouted. "What!"

The Edinburgh sat before them, waiting alongside what looked like a small fleet of ships. None as large as a warship, but it was still more than had accompanied the Edinburgh through Delhii.

"Where in God's name did they come from?" Bronikowski bellowed. The bridge burst into frenzied activity as the Vengeance moved towards the waiting ships.

"Unknown." Jenkins typed furiously. "They must have been waiting here in the system."

"Waiting?" Bronikowski cried. "That's impossible. No one could have worked out what we were doing."

Hamasa was sat still beside him with a stony expression on her face. She seemed unfazed by what was in front of them. "Power up weapons and signal the Sword and Reclaimer to form up beside us."

"Chief, we're getting a broadcast on all frequencies from one of the smaller ships." Jenkins looked round, a frown on his face. "It's the Ezekiel."

"What?" Bronikowski choked out.

"Put them through Hamasa said. A familiar face appeared in the viewport in front of them. "I knew that bitch would be on there," she spat.

"This is Captain Garrick Karn of the Alliance military. Power down your ships and prepare to be boarded Garrick looked smug sitting there on the bridge of Pierce's old ship.

"Karn you bastard Pierce appeared on the viewport from the bridge of her ship and yelled out over the comms, all sense of discipline lost from the experienced officer. "Get out of that chair."

"Ah, Commander Pierce Garrick smiled maliciously. "I wondered whether I would see you here. Rest assured, I am taking excellent care of Hennessey's old ship."

"So you worked it out then, Garrick." Hamasa tried to draw his attention back to her.

"Oh I did, and it's too late. You won't get the Edinburgh, and your little insurrection will end here."

"Maybe." she shrugged. "Maybe not. I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you the same offer--power down your weapons and surrender your ships. This is a one-time thing."

"There is no chance of that." Garrick coughed out a hollow laugh. "You are all traitors to the Alliance and will be dealt with as such. If you don't surrender in the next thirty seconds, we will open fire."

"Suit yourself. Kill the feed Hamasa said. Garrick's face disappeared from the screen. "Begin the attack."

Marcus had made sure he fastened his seat belt, which was just as well given the Vengeance swerved into a dive so fast that it overcame the ship's acceleration field. As the ship levelled out he couldn't help but notice the similarities with the last time he was in the Caxis system. That time he didn't make it back to Sophia--he just hoped it wasn't an omen.