SECTION 41
“Put me through on Fleetcomm.” Ulnar orders.
The curving wall of Ka’slaq ships is moving inexorably across the planning tank, and Ulnar stares at them with the fascination of a helpless bird watching a predatory snake. There are only about thirty alien ships, with no sign of the rest of the fleet that attacked Endymion or of Larno’s planetoid ship. Where were they? Ulnar senses a trap, and he doesn’t intend to fall into it. Even if he’s condemned as a coward, Vice-Admiral David Ulnar isn’t going to throw away his command in a hopeless cause. The specter of the shattered Defiant looms fresh in his mind, stiffening his resolve to keep the squadron intact and wait for a better time to strike.
“Fleetcomm patched through to your board, Admiral,” the communications technician says quietly.
Ulnar nods briskly and switches on his microphone. “Flag to all ships. The squadron will withdraw on my signal. Repeat, all ships are to avoid engaging and withdraw. Switch to Stealth mode. Further orders to follow. Stand by.”
Ulnar sees the angry glances from crewmen around Valiant’s bridge; even the usually phlegmatic Sammis looks disgusted. But, angry or not, they comply with his orders. Ulnar ignores their reaction. Right now the squadron’s duty is to remain intact and look for an opening to exploit later.
“Engaging Stealth mode,” the captain reports. “Ultrawave and ultrapulse jamming signals in operation.”
The admiral acknowledges the information with a vague gesture. Now comes the real test—would the jamming work? If the squadron can’t elude the Ka’slaq, they will fight whether they want to or not. The next few minutes will decide their fate.
Roll two dice and compare the result to the squadron’s Stealth rating.
If the roll is less than or equal to the rating, go to section 97.
If the roll is greater than the Stealth rating, go to section 100.