UGT (Unified Galactic Time): 12th Revol (July) 280 a.G.A. (after Galactic Armistace) / 1:58 p.m.

  Location: ASF Destroyer Aurora, Grenzmark-Heiligenwacht system (yellow dwarf), (Outer-)Noran Principality, Kingdom of Ferron, Milky Way

  The moment the Ferron fleet’s hyperdrives ignited, I spat out a slew of curses that was best not be repeated. But in that case, I couldn't help myself. I had never felt quite as much like a buffoon as I did right now. I had been played throughout that entire engagement from beginning to end!

  I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself down, though the breath didn’t do much to clear the tightness in my chest that I felt since I saw one of the Federation Frigates getting destroyed by that primitive trap. Never had a loss been so avoidable as that one.

  [ They’re gone. I can’t believe- Actually, no, I can believe it. I’m just offended, which is not helpful right now. ]

  A holoscreen popped open before me, displaying only the vast emptiness of the system, untouched and mocking.

  I pressed my fingertips against the holographic display, zooming in on the part of space where the Ferron fleet had entered hyperspace. "Fen, don’t start blaming yourself alone. We both missed it and the Federation didn't fare any better. Though one could argue that they simply lacked the means to even notice."

  [ I've lowered my emotional threshold for the moment and suppressed certain emotional sensors. Don't worry about me, Captain. But their trap... it was primitive. Insultingly primitive even, to the point where it didn’t even qualify as a trap by our standards. I might've noticed had I paid attention but I've been occupied and the classification algorithm I installed didn’t dignify it with a threat tag, because for us and even for the Federation ships, it wasn't really a threat. ]

  "And yet," I murmured, the words a bitter acknowledgment, "it worked." And the sting of that sat deep.

  I shut my eyes for a moment, swallowing down the burn of embarrassment. The ASF Aurora, an Aetherian Destroyer that is in current times classified as a Super Battleship, a monstrosity of a warship that could carve entire fleets of Ferron apart, had been brought to a standstill by something any half-awake cadet would’ve easily flagged. The lack of an actual crew with me and Fen mostly controlling the ships with independent lesser AI's and algorithms had finally come around to bite me in the ass.

  There had been no damage, not even a dent in the hull. But the fleet had been immobilized just for a few minutes and for Ferron that had been long enough. "Admiral Johann von Kr?henfels," I whispered under my breath, letting the name settle. "You magnificent bastard of a tactician."

  [ Well, at least you’re taking it constructively. ]

  I didn’t answer. My attention was already drifting across the holoscreen in front of me again while I absentmindly opened up a second one. This one showed and automatically translated the encrypted chatter between the SHF ships. They were still in chaos, doing their best to reorganize within the cloud of metallic fragments, slag, and hidden kinetic charges that still went off when something hit them. At least not a single ship looked like it would actually get damaged anymore. A small mercy.

  The ASF Aurora was, rightly so, the apex predator in all of its engagements. Admiral von Kr?henfels had, metaphorically speaking, just thrown a stone at the galaxy’s biggest shark and managed to hit exactly the right spot behind the gills.

  "Fen, bring up a diagnostic," I said. "I want to know exactly how long we were pinned."

  [ 296 seconds, Captain. ]

  "That," I said tightly, "are 296 seconds more than we should’ve given them. Get our lesser AI's and our algorithms updated. I don't want this, something like this, or another innovative trap catch our systems off-guard like that again."

  [ I'll give it my best, but we both know that it's unlikely I can perfect the lesser AI's to such a degree. It will be even harder with the far simpler algorithms that aren't made for such complex tasks. ]

  I sighed. "Admiral Thorrison will give me so much shit for this later and how my 'crew' was unable to notice and warn them of the danger, instead even leading the charge into the trap. We really need more Aetherians or some other form of crew, and soon at that."

  [ That will be hard to achieve, I'm afraid. Unless you are willing to come clean with Admiral Thorrison and get him to station some SHF personnel on the ASF Aurora. ]

  "Not gonna happen," I instantly shot down the idea. While I trusted Admiral Thorrison somewhat, I didn't trust the Federation at all. And the good Admiral's loyalty to his nation was definitely bigger than his loyalty to me. If I gave him the chance to take over the ASF Aurora, a ship of Aetherian origin instead of just First Federation origin like he believed, I had no doubt that he would take it in the name of the Federation.

  Of course, they would keep me alive, call me a 'guest' while I was little more than a prisoner. I knew exactly what would happen if I went down that path further. Fen did as well, so it obviously wasn't a serious suggestion. He just wanted to point out how ridiculous my demands were, and I couldn't exactly blame him for that. Still, I didn't have many more options than trying to make the impossible possible.

  I leaned back in my chair, letting my pulse settle as the Aetherian alloy beneath me hummed its familiar, almost comforting song. "Send a fleet-wide channel," I said. "I’ll address the Captains. I don't care what Admiral Thorrison will think about that."

  [ Your channel is open. And I don't think he particularly cares anymore. ]

  I straightened. "This is Captain May Lunaris. All units report operational status. The Ferron fleet has disengaged. No pursuit. Our priority is regrouping, recovery, and updating our countermeasure protocols. We will use the data gathered today to ensure this does not happen again. Maintain discipline. Admiral Thorrison, please catch me on a private channel later."

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  With a thought I had Fen cut the channel and slumped back into the Captain's chair. "I feel even more like a failure than I did after Karesh-Ti’Varn," I muttered, knowing that Fen would hear me.

  [ If it helps, they had no chance of winning. Admiral von Kr?henfels only played to avoid losing. And even then, he still lost three ships and a somewhat fortified star system. ]

  "And yet he succeeded in the goals he'd set for himself, I'm sure." I breathed out. "He now has a rough estimation of our capabilities, or at least he thinks so. That's not catastrophic in and of itself, because our capabilities have already stopped being a secret to the Federation and the Association. But I'm sure he will find a way to leverage that against us in the future. And him retreating means he'll be back with a bigger fleet, for we did not capture or destroy them."

  I opened up a third holographic display while closing the one connecting me to the SHF chatter. This one I used to replay the Ferron Admiral's movements from the very beginning. Everything he'd done, even the three ships he'd sacrificed, had been entirely intentional. It was like he saw a chessboard instead of a battle and each of his moves was absolutely infuriating in its elegance.

  Admiral Kr?henfels wasn’t reckless and disorganized, full of internal struggle, like the RRA. He was not as arrogant or set in his ways as some SHF Captains. No, he was a blunt pragmatist, patient and full of innovation. That combination made him deadly, especially as he had without a doubt both support within Ferron, the best theoretical knowledge Ferron could offer him, and practical experience from the war with the Federation.

  [ He's going to be a lot of trouble for us. ]

  "So be it," I said, I said, surprising even myself with the firmness in my voice. "It is time I got properly challenged by someone, isn't it? How else am I supposed to become a good enough leader to lead an attack on Ferron's home system one day?"

  [ And you think he's going to be challenge enough for you to temper yourself for future battles? ]

  "He outmaneuvered me today," I answered, plain and honest. "So yes, I believe there are things and practical experiences that I can learn from him. And if it means a few more infuriating losses like this one, then so be it. Should there be an opportunity to take him out I will take it, but I'm also not opposed to having him struggle against us a little while longer."

  [ You’re honestly in a better mood than I expected after what happened. ]

  "I’m not," I said with a dry laugh. "But being angry won’t make us sharper. Respecting the opponent who earned it hopefully will."

  [ You know what? That's fair. ]

  Before I could answer, Fen continued talking.

  [ Incoming priority signal. Admiral Thorrison requests a brief strategic exchange, probably in reaction to you asking him for a short conversation. Audio-only. ]

  "Patch him through."

  The channel clicked open with Admiral Thorrison’s unmistakable voice. "Captain Lunaris."

  "Admiral," I replied simply.

  "I know why you wanted this talk and I’ll keep it short. All SHF vessels remain operational except for the Frigate that was unfortunately lost. We have no critical structural breaches, but much superficial scarring and damage that can be fixed on the fly, though the crews won't enjoy it."

  I acknowledged his words with a small nod to myself, giving Fen a mental command to look into that as well. This trap of Admiral von Kr?henfels had done a surprising amount of superficial and bothersome damage, maybe even planned to lower morale.

  "The fleet moved into a defensive reshaping of their own initiative," Admiral Thorrison continued, oblivious to her thoughts. "I permitted it. They were unsettled, and the formation adjustment gave them something productive to focus on, for we'd have to do that at some point anyways. I’ve also instructed the Captains that the post-action log may reflect crew sentiment accurately," Admiral Thorrison said, in a tone suggesting he was trying not to sound exasperated. "Within reasonable bounds."

  I bit back a smile. "You’ll have… expressive entries, Admiral."

  "I am aware. And given the circumstances, I’ll allow it. I’ll be forwarding the collated status report to you momentarily for your records. You have operational leeway, but the escorts still answer to me. Remember that before you continue issuing fleet-wide orders, Captain."

  "Understood," I said. "I’ll keep coordination tight and strife to keep such actions to a minimum."

  "Now," he said, his tone shifting slightly, enough for my spine to tighten. "Please explain to me how your crew failed to identify a trap so primitive that even the Ferrons had the courtesy to be embarrassed by deploying it. And do not insult me by suggesting the FSF Aurora’s systems didn’t detect it. That ship is the most advanced asset under our command. It saw the danger. Someone failed to report it."

  I inhaled through my nose. "Responsibility lies with me as much as it lies with my crew, Admiral. My bridge didn’t relay the anomaly because I didn’t give the order to elevate it. For us it was just trash that couldn't be a trap because it couldn't do damage. And someone apparently forgot that we have to use different measurements when cooperating with the SHF. I will find out who and disciplinary action will be taken. Still, I apologize for my oversight in keeping my crew in line in the first place."

  "...Apology accepted, Captain. Make sure it doesn't happen again. Now, I have a fleet to coordinate, we'll talk more later," the Admiral said and cut the channel.

  With a sigh I turned back to the holoscreen showing Admiral von Kr?henfels' actions in the last battle. "Fen," I said quietly, "show me the next systems in our path."

  Another holoscreen lit up in front of me, this one showcasing the next few systems in our path.

  [ There are another two systems between us and everything that could be of value. At least if we continue to push towards Ferron's home system. ]

  "So that's why he's so willing to retreat," I muttered. "He must've come to the conclusion that our goal is to take Ferron's home system. Not a hard conjunction to make all in all. And now he's doing his best to gather information on us while retreating to not lose any combat strength for when he does have to battle. He probably expects support from the Ferron home fleet before he actually has to engage us."

  [ A sensible opponent truly is the worst kind of enemy to have. What's next, Captain? ]

  "Now? Now we prepare the analysis package for Admiral Thorrison before he has to ask for it. Including all of our sensor data."

  [ The uncensored logs? ]

  "Yes. He earned it and it works as compensation for the loss of his Frigate as well. He'll appreciate the gesture, I'm sure."

  [ Done. Also, we should log today as a tactical lesson. ]

  "Yes," I said. "Mark it. Under the category of underestimation and unconventional tactics please."

  Fen and I spent the next six hours evaluating every single AI and algorithm we had in the ASF Aurora that was even just somewhat relevant to space battles. Fen isolated twelve separate indicators we could train the SHF fleet to look out for in the future. We also pretty much updated every single AI and algorithm we took a look at, in the hope that next time we wouldn't be caught as off-guard as this time.

  "We should update the heuristic algorithms," I said, fingers rapidly gliding over the holographic blueprints layered over a table. "If low-tech tactics are going to see widespread use in the near future, we need to be ready.”

  [ I'm already rewriting priority tags. Adding a new sub-layer for archaic interference models shouldn't be all that hard. ]

  "Good," I murmured. "Admiral von Kr?henfels won’t be able to use the same trick twice."

  [ He feels like the kind of man who won’t try. ]

  I smiled faintly. "Not a reason to not put up security measures just in case. Next time I’ll be ready for him."

  Round one may went to the Ferrons. But round two would be mine.