UGT: 15th Ruan 280 a.G.A. / 4:54 p.m.

  ASF Aurora, on the edge of the Yra-S?l’Vareth system(red dwarf), Inner-Noran sector, Ruidan Raider Association, Milky Way

  The ASF Aurora tore free of hyperspace into silence. We did not detect plasma fire or scattered wreckage. There were no emergency signals screaming across the void. The only thing we detected was the SHF detachment under Commander Ashcroft holding position near the inner orbitals, completely unhurt.

  For a moment, I let the relief settle. They were alive. Commander Ashcroft and his detachment hadn’t been crushed under the Association’s hammer. No debris field bearing Federation colors drifted here. And yet the system felt wrong. The Association was not here but it was impossible that we managed to overtake them. No, they probably just passed through the system and instantly left again, ignoring Commander Ashcroft’s detachment in the process.

  “Fen,” I murmured. “Status.”

  [ Local signatures: SHF ships intact, minor repair work ongoing, no major damage logged. No Association presence whatsoever. They’ve moved on, leaving our dear Commander Ashcroft behind, nice and untouched. Suspiciously untouched. ]

  I agreed, though I didn’t say it aloud. Instead, I opened a channel to the detachment. The reply came sharp, immediate, as if Commander Ashcroft had been waiting for it. His face flickered into view, gaunt, eyes hard. “So. The prodigy of the First Federation arrives only minutes after the Association left. How convenient.”

  Convenient? He really wanted to claim I was in league with the Association? So be it. “Convenient would have been finding you destroyed, Commander Ashcroft. Then I’d know the Association still considered you a threat and wouldn't have to bother with you anymore either.”

  His jaw clenched, but he didn’t look away. “You expect me to believe you just happened to arrive now? Alone and without the Admiral? Without the fleet you swore to protect?” His gaze drifted to the visual feed of the Aurora, scarred plates, scored hull, shields patched together with Fen’s desperate improvisations. “Your ship looks half-dead, Captain Lunaris. And you appear just in time to watch the Association sweep past us into Ferron space. The Admiral is probably dead, same as everyone else that supported you. To save your own hide you joined up with the Association and now you'll make sure there is nothing left pointing towards your betrayal, isn't that it?”

  Every word was suspicion sharpened into accusation. I let the silence hold between us for a heartbeat longer than necessary. Then I answered, voice like ice. “The Admiral and most of the fleet are alive. The entire Inner-Noran enclave is now under SHF control. My ship looks half-dead because I had to keep your sorry excuse of a fleet alive through hell. Speak a thousand prayers to how primitive the technology of the current time is, otherwise, we would've been all dead. And I'm here, alone, because I hurried here to save your ungrateful ass from the Association. Even though I would prefer to punt your ship into scrap with my railguns, you're unfortunately still needed. Now shut up and give an actually useful report!"

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  Bitter familiarity curled in my chest. Commander Ashcroft had never trusted me. And the dislike between us went both ways. I had tolerated it before, for he had managed to remain professional. But if he wanted to make a fool out of himself in front of his entire detachment, so be it.

  "Fine, Captain. I'll see the truth in a few days and it's not like I can do anything to harm you anyways. The Association came by but didn’t stay here. They didn’t even pause to contest us. They took the shortest route to the hyperlane that leads into the Kingdom of Ferron, abandoning the Inner-Noran enclave. It was a Battlecruiser, two Cruisers, six Destroyers, four Frigates and four Corvettes. And do you realize what this means? The Kingdom of Ferron now knows we're coming. They won’t just reinforce, they’ll double their defenses, triple them. They’ll call everything they still have in reserve to arms in the defense of their kingdom, thinking it's our Super Battleship that's approaching them. We’ve given them the very terror they needed to unite against us.”

  His glare burned through the comm feed. “Your reckless advance. Your timing. Your… shadow-chasing obsession. You might as well have carried the Association in your wake and dragged them across the line yourself. And your plans for a campaign into the Kingdom of Ferron? They have all but failed.”

  My jaw tightened. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but bitterness pressed harder. “If I hadn’t been there, your entire fleet would've already been wreckage. Or didn’t you consider that before you decided to accuse me of being at fault for your little Federation's position?” I shook my head. "No matter. We will unfortunately have to bear with each other for the moment."

  Commander Ashcroft just huffed. For a moment, I thought he might cut the line entirely. But then, with a long exhale that was more steel than resignation, his voice returned. “…Until Admiral Thorrison arrives, we’ll keep this professional. At least as professional as we can be. My ships need to restock, and yours is too large a target to leave unwatched. I don’t like it, Captain Lunaris, but we don’t get to choose allies right now.”

  It wasn’t an apology. Ashcroft would never offer me that much. But it was the first edge of practicality breaking through his hostility. I inclined my head slightly. “Agreed. Until the Admiral arrives, I can tolerate you.”

  Neither of us pretended there was any trust between us. Not after the exchange just seconds before. And as the channel closed, I was left again with the quiet expanse of my own ship. I leaned back in the Captain's chair, fingers tightening against the armrest as the weight of the report settled in.

  So, the Association had indeed broken through. The Kingdom of Ferron knew the local frontline was anihalated. They knew the ASF Aurora existed and how much of a threat my ship could pose to them with the right SHF support.

  All of my hopes to remain unnoticed until we started our campaign into the Kingdom of Ferron had been dashed, ripped away in a single strike thanks to an actually reasonable Association Admiral. My war had just shifted from something hidden and containable into something the Kingdom of Ferron could no longer just ignore. And that meant my plan had become far more complicated than I had hoped for it to be. But I knew there was no other choice than to try. Now I only had to convince Admiral Thorrison of that as well.