Starship's Mage: Episode 4 by Glynn Stewart

– since the main weapon of a Protectorate warship was its amplifier, the Simulacrum Chamber at the heart of the ship doubled as the vessel’s bridge.
    Unlike the Simulacrum Chamber aboard the Blue Jay or any other civilian ship, however, the Golden Sword ’s had magically controlled gravity. Despite the ten gravities of acceleration the other ship was pushing, the Captain showed no sign of being under force except a normal gravity.
    “Captain David Rice of the Blue Jay ,” the woman said calmly. “I am Mage-Captain Amelia Okoro of His Majesty’s destroyer Golden Sword of Freedom .” She paused, seeming to consider her words carefully.
    “I know you are running,” she finally continued. “I am ordering you to heave to, and prepare for a rendezvous.”
    “I promise you, upon the honor of His Majesty’s Navy, no harm will come to you or your crew if you surrender, but you must surrender. I will range upon you before you reach jump distance. Do not force me to act hastily.”
    David ran the geometry through his computer, and then glanced up at Damien on the screen to his own Simulacrum Chamber.
    “When can you jump, Damien?” he asked.
    “I could jump now,” the young Mage told him. “I’d be useless for at least twenty-four hours afterwards, though. If we wait three hours to when I originally estimated, I’ll be fine. Can they intercept us short of that?”
    “No,” David told him. “She could intercept us well short of the nine light minute mark though, even if she maneuvered to board and we did our best to escape. We’ll jump on schedule, Damien.”
    He glanced back at the main viewscreen, then shrugged and activated his own recorder. He leant forwards slightly and focused his gaze on the camera.
    “Mage-Captain Okoro,” he said calmly, “I am afraid that I have no intention of surrendering this ship to His Majesty’s forces. I will not allow a member of my crew to have his magic stripped from him to calm the fears of the foolish.”
    Another twenty minutes passed while his short message reached the Golden Sword , and Okoro’s response came back. He played it when it arrived.
    The black-skinned Captain had acquired an odd quirk to her mouth, as if she was trying not to smile.
    “Your loyalty to your crew does you credit, Captain,” she told him. “To my knowledge, Mr. Montgomery is in no danger of that anymore – but I am required to deliver him, yourself, and your crew to the Lady Hand Stealey.”
    David smiled, and activated the recorder again.
    “If you wish to deliver us to the Hand, you will hardly be able to fire into my ship, Mage-Captain,” he told her dryly. “I have no intention of surrendering or being intercepted. You may as well let us go.”
    Time passed. Every exchange burned more time until the Blue Jay could escape, but the destroyer continued to blaze towards them on a pillar of antimatter flame.
    This time, when the transmission arrived, Okoro was clearly smiling.
    “ You may be correct, Captain, in that I cannot fire into your ship,” she said. “It is even possible, given the data I have from Corinthian, that you can escape. Understand this, Captain Rice. I may not be able track your jumps. I may not be able to chase you from star to star. The Hand can – and the Hand will .”
    “These are her orders from Mars. She will not fail. If you run, you will be run to ground. If you hide, you will be found. If you surrender now, you will be safe. You have my word, and the honor of his Majesty’s Navy on that.”
    A chill of fear ran down David’s spine, and he met Damien’s eyes through the intercom video.
    “No one can track a jump,” the Mage reminded him. “Hand or no Hand, she does not know where we’re going – and she cannot follow us.”
    David suspected that the younger man was speaking as much to reassure himself as his Captain, but it made him feel better. He turned the recorder on and faced it one last time.
    “I am sorry, Mage-Captain,” he said