The Lost Stars by Jack Campbell Page A

precision. Every detail on the Alliance warships stood out cleanly; so sharp were the images that it was difficult to remember that what they were seeing was light from such distant objects.
    â€œLook at the damage visible on many of those ships,” Iceni pointed out. “They’ve seen hard fighting.” She paused. “Let’s see where they go. Where they went,” she amended. They were seeing the Alliance ships as they had been four and a half hours before now. What had they done afterward? Had Black Jack taken the remnants of his fleet on a swift course for the hypernet gate and a swift journey home? Or would the Alliance warships aim for one of the other jump points that Midway boasted? If they headed for the hypernet gate, they would have to get past the enigmas—“That’s what they’ve been waitingfor.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Drakon asked.
    â€œThe enigmas,” Iceni explained. “You were right. They were waiting for Black Jack. They’re sitting between the jump point for Pele and our hypernet gate. In order for the Alliance fleet to reach the gate, they’ll have to fight their way past the enigmas.”
    â€œThe enigmas knew Black Jack’s ships were coming.” Drakon nodded slowly. “They want to finish him off before they engage us. But according to the vectors that display is showing, the Alliance ships are heading straight for the enigmas. They want to fight.”
    â€œIf they’re running for home, that doesn’t make much sense, does it? No one ever accused the Alliance fleet of being crewed by cowards, though.”
    â€œNo.” Drakon’s eyes had taken on that distant look he acquired when seeing memories rather than what was happening now. “Their ground forces weren’t cowards, either, no matter what Syndicate propaganda claimed. This fleet may have been cut to pieces, but it’s not beaten.” He looked directly at her, eyes now focused intently. “Do we help them?”
    â€œWe don’t have much to help them with.” Iceni knew she was dodging the real issue.
    Colonel Malin had shown up and now stated that issue directly. “If we choose to assist Black Jack’s fleet in its fight, the gesture will have immense symbolic value. Black Jack will know we stood with him even when the odds were poor. If we stay out of the fight, if we wait to see what happens, that will have immense symbolic value as well, but in a very negative way in the eyes of Black Jack.”
    She knew Malin was right, yet she hesitated.
I have so few warships to call on. Committing them to this battle might lose them all, and my few cruisers and Hunter-Killers will not tilt the balance in the fight between Black Jack and the enigmas. Moreover, the last twenty-one hours, spent waiting impotently for the enigmas to strike and destroy the human presence at this star, emphasized in the clearest possible way that I cannot afford to depend upon the Alliance to save the
day.
    Even if we pursue the idea of working with Taroa to get that second battleship finished, it will be several months before it could be available. We need our own ships. But if I don’t risk them, I may lose the most important ally in human-occupied space.
    Drakon most likely understood her dilemma because after a few moments, he spoke with measured emphasis. “If we move to aid Black Jack, we might win. If we do nothing, we lose no matter who wins when Black Jack fights the enigmas.”
    She didn’t answer, looking down, fighting her own battle against the need to make a decision that could decide everything after it. The safer course would be to wait. Wait like CEO Boyens was doing. There was no doubt of that.
    Safer in the very shortrun.
    She could have waited before launching her plans to rebel against the Syndicate government. She could have rebuffed Drakon’s feelers as premature and avoided doing anything that could have