“Aye, Captain,” Petra said.
Carmen leaned back in the chair.
Petra glanced over her shoulder and mouthed the word ‘connecting’ to Carmen.
The holo above the main viewscreen flickered to life.
A man appeared, his image sharp despite the distortion Petra had applied to their end of the transmission. He was older, maybe late fifties, with distinguished gray at his temples and the kind of bearing that came from decades of command. His uniform was pristine. Medals and service ribbons decorated his chest in neat rows.
His expression was stern. The face of someone who’d dealt with situations like this before.
“This is Captain Harrison of the Space Force destroyer SFS Integrity,” he said. His voice was clear, authoritative, leaving no room for argument. “You are currently operating without an active transponder, which constitutes an act of piracy under both United Earth Government law and the treaties governing galactic space beyond our borders.”
He paused, letting that sink in.
“I am ordering you to power down your engines and weapons systems immediately and prepare to be boarded. Comply, and you will be treated with all the respect and rights afforded to you under the law.” Another pause. His expression hardened slightly. “Failure to do so will be met with the full firepower of a UEG destroyer. You have two minutes to comply.”
The transmission cut out.
Carmen ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, that was pretty damn straightforward.” She looked at Vikram. “Nav, time to effective weapons range?”
Vikram’s fingers moved across his displays. “At current acceleration and vector... approximately fifty-two minutes, Captain. “
“And the jump limit?”
“Roughly eighty-one minutes at full burn.”
Carmen’s expression turned thoughtful, her gaze distant as she processed their situation.
Ryan leaned in, his voice dropping to something just above a murmur. “Doesn’t leave us many options, Captain. Surrendering might be our best choice.”
Carmen turned to face him, her eyes sharp.
Ryan continued, unfazed by her look. “If their ship comes close enough, Alexander might be able to take control of it.” He glanced across at Alexander. “Right?”
Alexander was impressed. Ryan had put a plan together quickly. The XO understood the tactical possibilities better than most would.
“Yes,” Alexander said. “It’s possible if they come within range. Even if they don’t, we could probably handle any boarding parties, then shuttle back across and deal with the destroyer directly.”
His Electrokinesis picked up familiar bioelectrical signatures approaching from the corridor outside. The rest of Grimnir was nearly at the bridge.
“However,” Alexander continued, “there is another option.” He paused, letting that hang in the air for a moment. “What if we could make the ship go faster?”
Carmen raised an eyebrow. “And just how would you achieve that?”
The bridge door slid open. Footsteps echoed as the rest of Grimnir entered.
Alexander grinned. “Magic.”
Carmen’s voice was dry. “As much as I enjoy the occasional flair for the dramatic, I would much prefer an explanation considering the circumstances.”
“Of course,” Alexander said. He turned to look at Augustus, Talia, Annie, and Felix as they approached.
Annie spoke up before anyone else could. “What’s going on? I was sleeping until I was rudely tossed into the wall.” She rubbed her shoulder, but she was smiling.
“Oh, just a UEG warship chasing us down for being pirates,” Alexander said.
Annie’s eyes lit up. “We’re pirates now, too? Best day ever!”
Augustus interrupted. “Is it serious?”
Alexander glanced between him and Talia. “That depends. Did the two of you finish setting up all the runes and enchantments?”
“Most of them,” Talia said. “I still don’t see why it matters, though. Now that we know they draw power from the ship’s reactor, it’s just...”
Augustus finished her thought. “Robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Felix looked at Augustus. “Who are Peter and Paul?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Annie said, patting Felix’s back. “It’s one of those sayings old people use.”
“You’re right,” Alexander said, cutting back in. “Unless we power them another way.”
Understanding crossed Talia’s face, followed by Augustus’s a moment later. Annie yawned loudly, clearly uninterested.
Alexander turned back to Carmen, who had been waiting patiently for an explanation.
“Augustus and Talia have been inscribing runes and enchantments to enhance the ship,” he said. “In theory, they should provide additional defense and boost the ship’s capabilities.” He smiled slightly. “Plus, I Ensouled the ship when we borrowed it. It hasn’t shown any of the intelligence Droney has, but that shouldn’t matter.”
Before anyone could respond, Alexander closed his eyes and reached out with his senses. He felt them stretch throughout the entirety of the ship, his Will filling every system, every conduit, every corridor, every bulkhead. Every rune designed to draw in power. Every enchantment meant to increase the ship’s performance. It was their first attempt at a major collaborative project between the three of them.
Sleipnir responded to him like an extension of his own body.
His eyes opened.
“Soul Circuit.”
Casting out his arms, Alexander poured power from his soul, into his core, and then into the ship. Electrokinesis fed the runes, which in turn powered the enchantments.
The drain on his energy was immediately noticeable. But it was also manageable for the time being.
And it was working.
“Rate of acceleration has increased to… 101%,” Yuki said, confused. “102%. 103%. Continuing to climb.”
Alexander wasn’t done. Next, Metallokinesis flowed along the same path, wielded through the ship and therefore using it as the anchor point instead of himself. Oscillating waves pushed at the ship, one after the other, each released after a single pulse.
Beads of sweat broke out across his scalp. Itching.
Yuki gasped. “Holy shit. 112%. 116%. It’s not stopping.”
“Captain,” Vikram started, “if the acceleration keeps climbing at this rate, we’ll reach the jump limit well before they’re within effective firing range.”
Carmen turned to him, her expression evaluating. “How long can you maintain it?”
A bead of sweat ran slowly down Alexander’s forehead, slipped around his eyebrow, and then dropped into his eye. He blinked furiously but maintained his focus on the power flowing through the ship.
“No idea,” he said. “Not the whole way, that’s for sure. I’m already feeling the strain.”
“133%,” Yuki reported.
Carmen nodded once. “Let’s hope it’s enough.”