Jackson looked around. Everyone on the bridge was beginning to show signs of fatigue, but not so much so that he was willing to try and get them any relief. At least not until the two targets directly threatening the planet were dealt with.

"We're ninety-five minutes from our initial decel and just over two hours before we're within effective range for the Shrikes," Barrett said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander," Jackson said absently. He had two windows pulled up on his terminal-one a tactical overlay from the Link and another a direct telemetry stream from the Icarus.

Commander Wright was taking no unnecessary chances with an irreplaceable starship and its crew, something Jackson approved of wholeheartedly. Though it seemed she was keeping to the basic doctrine developed for fighting the Phage, she did bring a bit of her own innovation to the table. The Icarus had already fired two Shrikes at each of the incoming Alphas, but the missiles had been programmed so that once they'd expended their first stages two of the missiles would stack in closely behind the first two.

Although that seemed like a common sense method to protect the trailing missiles, tactical officers weren't normally fans of it, since, when the lead missile was destroyed, the second would more likely than not impact the debris or be taken out by the explosion. The new generation of Shrikes, however, had an ultra-dense alloy penetrator for a nose cone, and the warhead was a fusion warhead, both of which could survive some bumps as they continued on to the target.

Wright had likely insisted on the stacked formation because she would have correctly assumed the first wave of missiles wouldn't have much of a chance against two Alphas closing such a large gap of uninterrupted space. They'd see the missiles coming long before they were within range of their second stage boost and would easily knock them down.

Once he was certain that Commander Wright had her engagement handled, he quickly scanned through the Link updates to check on the overall status of the battle. The news was bleak. Ninth Squadron was down to four effectives as the Hyperion was limping out of the area on one engine, and both Black Fleet battlegroups had taken a pounding, losing six ships between them.

The Dreadnought-class battleships were flying by individual skirmishes at high speed and peeling a few Phage units off from the perimeters, but they were largely staying out of the fight, at Marcum's express orders no doubt. The Eighth Fleet units in sector two were putting up a hell of a fight, but they were getting pushed back toward Nuovo Patria, and most of the Third Fleet ships were now flying in the periphery, either unable or unwilling to engage the hoard of Phage units that were slowly but surely compressing the battle toward the planet.

"Helm, begin decel on my mark," Barrett's voice interrupted the relative silence on the bridge. "Mark!"

Almost immediately, the deck began to vibrate, and the soft rumble of the engines firing in reverse drowned out much of the ambient noise.

"Give me an update on our targets." Jackson forced himself to turn away from his terminal. Commander Wright would either be able to handle her fight or she wouldn't, and watching the telemetry link would do nothing but distract him from his own task.

"Target A is holding on the far side of the planet relative to our approach vector," Barrett said. "Target B has placed itself directly between us and the planet, holding station and sitting at an altitude of approximately two hundred thousand kilometers."

"Coms, has Nuovo Patria reported any enemy fire coming their way?" Jackson asked.

"Negative, sir," Keller said.

"Another test," Jackson said softly.

"Sir?" Davis asked.

"These last few movements by the Alphas in our sector make little strategic sense," Jackson said. "I think they're gauging reactions."

"Excuse me, sir, but why would they be playing games and trying to observe behavior in the middle of a pitched battle in which they're taking heavy losses?" she asked.

"Losses mean nothing to them." Jackson waved her off, absolutely certain of what he was seeing now. "The intelligence present in this system deliberately pulled the Icarus away and now has a target sitting directly between us and a planet with millions of humans. It wants to see if I'll fire on this Alpha at the risk of hitting the planet."

"It seems they have more than enough examples of human behavior to understand that we value individual life," she said. "Why bother with something so elaborate?"

"I couldn't tell you, Lieutenant," he said. "But let's go ahead and throw them a curveball. Helm! Come to port fifteen degrees. All ahead full."

"Correcting course, aye," the helmsman said. "Engines answering ahead full."

There was a harsh swaying back and forth on the bridge as the thrust was reversed and the power cranked back up to maximum.

"Sir?" Barrett asked.

"As you were, Lieutenant Commander." Jackson stood. "Keep weapons lock on Target B, and calculate a firing solution for the auto-mag that assumes a passing shot with the gun oriented perpendicular to the target."

"Yes, sir." Barrett pulled up a new pane at his terminal to get the computer started on the calculations.

"I know a crossing shot with the cannon is less than ideal, but I'm a little hesitant to start firing nukes off this close to the planet," Jackson explained to both his tactical officer and XO. "It's unlikely a miss or deflection would detonate on the surface, but the EMP from even a successful strike near low-orbit could knock out the power grid. I'd rather not take away anything they might be able to use for their own defense."

"Understood, sir," Barrett said. "So far, the target is maintaining position."

"That won't last for long," Jackson said as the Ares angled over, and the engines pushed her out of the original orbital insertion vector. He'd committed the ship, and now it was too late to try and decel. They would be passing the planet while accelerating, and the Phage would know that.

"Target B is reacting, sir," Barrett said. "It's dropping back down closer to the planet and pacing us to make sure we can't get an unimpeded shot."

"As I expected." Jackson nodded. "Adjust firing solution for Target A."

"Aye, sir."

"Helm, come back to starboard seven degrees, and incline ten," Jackson said. "Maintain engine power levels."

"Sir, that will put us within effective range of both Alphas almost simultaneously," Barrett warned.

"Noted." Jackson didn't bother to explain himself further.

"Captain, Battlegroup One is withdrawing," Lieutenant Keller said. "They've taken heavy losses and are less than twenty percent combat effective. The Tempest was lost."

"Understood." Jackson tried to maintain a calm exterior. The Tempest was the massive fleet carrier that flew the flag for Battlegroup One. That ship had a crew of just over five-thousand spacers and more than a few that he knew personally. "Tell whoever is now in command to exit the area as best they can. I can't afford anyone to fly escort. Randomization protocols are still in effect."

The next hour and a half were tense as Jackson half expected the two Alphas to take their opportunity to rush him while hoping they would do as expected and try to use the planet as a shield. He wasn't completely sure what the Alpha on the far side of the planet was trying to accomplish. So far, it hadn't fired a single shot, and it didn't look like it was making a move to attack the surface of Nuovo Patria.

"Captain, the Icarus is reporting that both Alphas have disengaged before they were within missile range," Keller said. "They're now heading back out of the system."

"That makes no-"

"Target A and B are also disengaging, sir," Barrett said in alarm. "They're moving back around the far side of the planet and are accelerating away toward where the rest of the fleet is bunched up."

"I'm open to any wild guesses as to what this is all about," Jackson sneered. Although the planet had been spared any enemy fire, it seemed that he wasn't as adept at guessing the Phage's behavior as he'd let himself believe.

"Incoming message from the Amsterdam," Keller said. "Admiral Marcum's personal codes."

"Put it through."

"This is Admiral Marcum aboard the Amsterdam. I am assuming overall command of the fleet and ordering a general retreat from the Nuovo Patria System. We have taken unacceptable losses and are no longer able to provide an adequate defense. Break contact, and exit the system at best possible speed. Amsterdam out."

"Blunt enough," Jackson mumbled.

Before he could gather his thoughts and address his crew, a flashing on his terminal caught his attention.

"Captain, the Atlas and the Artemis are reporting a complete loss of control," he said. "Both ships appear to be operating on their own and are moving into formation with the Dreadnought-class battleships."

Jackson looked at the flashing light again. Marcum was making good on a promise that Jackson hadn't fully understood at the time. He didn't have to order him out of the system. He had the codes to access the remote override protocols for the Starwolf-class ships.

"Confirm that the Icarus is still under command of the crew," Jackson said.

"Confirmed, sir," Keller said.

"Tell Commander Wright to change course and put her ship in high-orbit over Nuovo Patria," Jackson ordered. "Nav, I want a course for the Ares as well... same destination. Helm, get us there at best possible speed."

"Aye, sir."

Over the next few hours, the indicator on Jackson's terminal lit up no fewer than ten times as the override commands were sent from the Amsterdam over and over. After that came the inevitable com requests from Admiral Marcum, but the rest of the fleet was now well outside two-way communications range, and Jackson had little interest in opening multiple messages in which the Admiral would no doubt have nothing constructive to say.

"All Fleet vessels with the exception of us and the Icarus are confirmed to be leaving the system, sir," Ensign Hayashi said. "The Link is beginning to break down, but from what I can tell, the Phage are letting them escape with only an occasional shot taken from long range."

"Herding them along." Jackson shook his head. "I assume we'll soon be detecting the Charlies arriving near the vicinity of the Podere jump point."

"What's the plan, Captain?" Chief Green asked from the hatchway.

Jackson addressed the entire bridge crew. "We're going to continue to offer a defense to Nuovo Patria as best we can while continuing to collect data. I have no intentions of throwing our lives away in a meaningless gesture of defiance, but the Fleet has given back as good as it got during this battle, and the enemy is weakened and cautious." He knew his crew had to be exhausted, but they still looked determined and willing.

"There are still two destroyers in this system that are undamaged and fully armed. We'll see if there's a chance to take out one or more of the Charlies when they arrive while picking our engagements with the remaining Alphas. I know you're exhausted and more than a little apprehensive about staying behind, but I'll get us through this. Tactical, go full active sensors, and give me a breakdown of what's left in this system."

"Aye aye, sir," Barrett said crisply.

As the Terran ships limped to the jump points and transitioned out of the system, the Phage forces began to move back down and take position just outside the orbit of Nuovo Patria's second moon, while the two Terran destroyers flew fast and low just outside of the planet's atmosphere. Nerves began to fray as more and more Phage arrived, and yet no move was made to engage them.

During the next ten hours, Jackson was reminded of his first encounter with a Phage ship, a specially built Alpha that had been probing into Terran space. Toward the end, that ship had also tested him for specific reactions, shadowing him for over a day until, under the enormous tension, he could almost feel his sanity slipping away.

This time was different. He was different.

As he watched the Phage drift in high-orbit with the obvious intention of cutting off his escape, a detached calm came over him. He was here, they were here, and whatever was about to happen was going to happen whether he wanted it to or not.

"These stims are killing my stomach." Barrett complained quietly as he continued to update the tracks of all the enemy ships in orbit.

"Mine as well, Mr. Barrett," Jackson said quietly. "Any change in their orbital trajectories?"

"No, sir," Barrett said. "Still maintaining a precise altitude of just over five hundred and fifty thousand kilometers. No increase in velocity either."

They'd been awake and on duty for over thirty-six hours, and it was showing. The stims were helping keep them physically awake but did little for the lapses in mental acuity and judgment. Jackson had been rotating everyone out that he could, but he and Barrett had remained at their posts ever since the Phage had surrounded Nuovo Patria and begun their blockade, for lack of a better term.

"We're getting some activity in the outer ring of their formation, sir," Ensign Hayashi said.

He and Barrett had been sharing monitoring duties after Jackson had almost been forced to have the Marine sentry remove Davis from the bridge for an hour of rest.

"What have you got, Ensign?" Jackson asked.

The inner ring of Phage ships had been made up completely of Bravos, still quite numerous after the battle, but the eight remaining Alphas were flying a slow orbit slightly further out.

"The Alphas are maintaining their orbital altitude, but they've increased velocity by fifteen percent and are still steadily accelerating." Hayashi highlighted the data on the main display.

"Coms, call everyone back to battle stations, and send word to the Icarus that this might be it," Jackson said. "The Alphas are accelerating to increase their effective coverage and keep us trapped down here. This will either be an attack or the arrival of the Charlies we've been waiting for."

"New contacts!" Barrett almost shouted. "Grav sensors picked them up. They just appeared in the inner system!"

"Calm down and tell me what we have, Lieutenant Commander," Jackson snapped. "Is it the four Charlies?"

"Uh... no, Captain." Barrett squinted at his display. "Eighteen contacts, less relative mass than the Ares and strangely low power output detected for as quickly as they're accelerating toward us."

"A multiple of nine... sounds like the Phage, sir," Hayashi said as Davis rushed back onto the bridge, her eyes red-rimmed and her utility top half buttoned.

"I would have to agree if for no other reason than if it isn't the Phage, we have a third player to this game." Jackson looked away from Davis as she tried to pull herself together and get up to speed by looking at the tactical display. "Begin dumping data into three com drones simultaneously, and prep them for immediate launch. If we're seeing a new class of Phage ship, CENTCOM will need to know about it. Tactical, confirm your data with the Icarus."

"Aye, sir," Barrett said.

"Alphas are breaking orbit!" Hayashi said. "All eight are moving into position between the planet and the new contacts."

"Nav! Put us in a polar orbit, and increase altitude to one hundred thousand kilometers," Jackson ordered. "Coms, get the Icarus moving into the same orbit. Tell Commander Wright I want constant line of sight coverage on the new contacts between the two ships. Helm, you're free to adjust your course as you get it."

The harsh rumble of the mains pushing the Ares out of her current orbit shook the deck while Jackson's sleep-deprived brain raced to make sense of what these new contacts were. He doubted they were yet another secret class of Terran starship sent in to save the day. But if they were Phage, why were the Alphas moving to intercept them? Unless there wasn't complete unity within the Phage hierarchy, and this was an opposing faction... and if so, were they likely to still have the same views on exterminating human populations?

"OPS, have our two remaining Jacobsen drones prepped and launched toward where the Phage are about to face off with these newcomers," Jackson said after considering all the possibilities. "Full sensor package, and make it fast."

"Yes, sir." Hayashi pulled his headset back on to talk to Flight OPS.

According to the gravimetric sensor nets, the new ships had an impressive rate of acceleration and were also employing some sort of reactionless drive to move them along. That fact alone made Jackson's heart sink, as he'd been holding out hope that perhaps this was another secret Tsuyo R&D had been keeping under wraps. Now the best he could hope for was an "enemy of my enemy" scenario as possibly a third species was flying into the system to fight the Phage.

"Drones are away, sir. They'll have radar contact with the Alphas in the next ten minutes and will be in visual range in another forty."

"Thank you, Ensign," Jackson said. "Helm, continue orbital change. OPS and Tactical, make sure our sensors are backing up the drones. It's likely they'll get taken out pretty quick when the shooting starts, and we need as complete a record as possible before launching the com drones. Coms, what's the situation on the surface?"

"Tense, Captain," Lieutenant Keller said. "They've been waiting for days for an attack that's yet to come. There's some minor civil unrest, but mostly everyone seems to be holed up in their homes."

"That's as good a place for them as any," Jackson muttered.

"It's a shame we have nothing to offer them for assurance," Davis said.

"It would be an obviously hollow gesture, Lieutenant," Jackson said. "Their ground stations are well aware the fleet has left the system, and only two destroyers stand between them and the enemy."

"Sir! Power output readings are spiking on the eighteen new contacts, well past even what the Dreadnought-class ships put out," Barrett said. "They're now accelerating toward the Phage Alpha formation, exceeding eight hundred G's and increasing."

"That's impossible!" someone hissed behind Jackson.

"What are the Alphas doing?" he asked.

"Alphas are spreading out evenly," Hayashi said. "Thermal build up on the leading edges of each ship suggests they're preparing to fire."

"Drones are locking on optical sensors now," Hayashi said.

The main display showed that the Ares was climbing up around Nuovo Patria and would crest just as the new contacts came within range of the Alphas' plasma weapons.

"Unknown contacts are now slowing... They're redeploying. Eight are continuing toward the Alphas, and the other-they're firing!" Barrett's running commentary was interrupted as eight of the unknown ships fired laser cannons of such prodigious power that the beams were actually semi-visible on the sensors as they impacted trace gasses and particulate matter drifting through the area.