Each night I go to bed

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

No, I ain't looking for forgiveness

But before I'm six-foot deep

Lord, I got to ask a favor

And I'll hope you'll understand

'Cause I've lived life to the fullest

Let this boy die like a man

Staring down the bullet

Let me make my final stand

Bon Jovi - “Blaze Of Glory"

With the shield gone, there was only one option left to Admiral Matevosian, and it wasn’t a good one. They had a contingency plan in place for a fighting retreat, even though everyone knew it was an exercise in futility. They’d try to protect themselves as best they could while they ran for safety, but with the size of Chugaz Uydan’s forces, it was only delaying the inevitable. If everything broke their way, it might buy them an hour. Maybe two.

Maybe.

He was about to give the order when his com officer shouted for his attention. “Sir, incoming signal!”

“Let’s hear it,” he told him, already fearing the worst...only to grin like a madman when Admiral Fujimoto’s face appeared on the display. It was obvious she’d been through hell, but then so had everyone still in the fight.

“Sorry we’re late, Admiral,” she said with a wry half-smile. “Mind if we cut in?”

“Please do, Admiral,” he answered, barely keeping the relief from his face. “We’ll back your play.”

“Excellent,” she nodded, as the smile disappeared.

“Time for some payback.”

Chugaz Uydan howled with fury as sensors reported the arrival of Jiyazh Ghuuyaz and the humans. If he’d had even a little more time, he could have finished the relics from the previous war, before turning his attention to the usurper. But the human’s little trick had paid off for them, leaving him no choice but to face both fleets at once.

So be it. The usurper and his allies were the greater threat, so he would deal with them first.

“All ships...come about. Time to show the traitor the price of disloyalty.”

Admiral Fujimoto signaled the Dauntless as they prepared to make their run. “No time for anything fancy,” she informed the Dhyaksh. “Come in hard and keep hitting them ‘til there’s nothing left.”

“Agreed,” Jiyazh replied with a half bow. “It is past time to finish this.”

“Copy that,” she growled. “Fujimoto, clear.”

With a nod, her com officer switched channels, as Marshal Nassat’s face stared back at her. “We’re almost in position,” she informed him. “I can give you a three-minute barrage to soften them up. After that, I can’t promise anything. The fleet’ll be in the furball by then.”

“Understood,” Nassat said. “Three minutes should be more than enough.”

The two stared at one another, the human and the Saurotaur, each with so much they wished to say...and yet unable to say anything at all.

“...Good luck, Nassat,” she managed at last.

“May the Creator watch over you, Hélène,” he said, as the screen went dark.

“All right then,” she said to the bridge crew, focusing on the task before them, “...take us in.”

There was no posturing, no sleight of hand, no last-minute maneuvers as the two fleets headed into battle. The situation was brutally simple for both sides…win or die.

Like two rival predators in a contest for dominance they roared…and leapt.

Salvos of antimatter and missiles filled the narrowing space between them as they raced to close the gap, as the hail of weapons fire began finding their targets. One after another, ships began to die, on both sides, with neither showing any signs of relenting nor turning away.

It was a game of chicken played with chainsaws, and in this hellish maelstrom, a squadron of assault boats separated from the allied fleet and raced forward.

Nassat watched as explosions rocked the small boat, trusting to the pilot’s skills. If the end came now it would be quick, and as there was nothing he could do to affect the outcome he simply waited, biding his time, a rock of stillness in a swirling sea of chaos.

Tango, Musashi, Graybird, and Whisper also said nothing, waiting with their commander as their assault craft threaded the crossfire, diving hard for the enemy. There was no room for bystanders in this battle, and small as their contribution might be compared to the broadsides being launched by the great ships...a dagger in just the spot can be even deadlier than the sword.

“...did you believe I would allow you to claim the glory for yourself?” a voice chuckled in his headset. Nassat turned in surprise and stared out the cockpit window, his eyes widening as a flight of Khonhim shuttles appeared on their wing.

“Jiyazh...should you not be with your ship?” Nassat demanded. “You are far too valuable to risk on a mission such as this.”

“Not this time,” the Dhyaksh said. “Chugaz Uydan left the field of honor rather than face my blade. His life is mine to take, and no other.”

“Then you will have to find him before I do,” Nassat said, “for I too owe him a debt.”

The sound of Jiyazh’s laughter filled his ears. “A worthy challenge!” he said with glee. “Come, Nassat...let us seek our prey!”

Once those words would have horrified him. The Saurotaur were not predators, far from it. Evolution had given them the tools needed to run from a fight, not towards it...but on this day he nodded in agreement. “To the hunt Jiyazh,” he said, as the lead shuttles made a beeline for the enemy flagship Resolve.

The Khonhim shuttle sped ahead, racing for the massive hanger bay. For an assault by boat, it was the only way in, and the enemy knew that. It was heavily defended by necessity, guaranteeing a bloody welcome to anyone willing to risk a direct assault. There was no doubt in Jiyazh’s mind that Chugaz Uydan had prepared for this possibility, and while that fact did not dissuade him, it gave him pause.

It would be difficult to exact his revenge, were he to fall gaining entrance.

As they came in for their final approach, the shuttle opened fire, clearing the decks of the enemy or at least forcing them to take cover. They would soon reoccupy their positions, which meant speed was of the essence...but where was the shuttle carrying Nassat? Jiyazh had assumed he would be right behind him, for how else would he gain entrance?

But the assault craft carrying the Saurotaur was nowhere to be seen.

Over the years Sergeant Lin had taught him many lessons, but the one forefront on Nassat’s mind as they neared the flagship Resolve was one of the first the human had imparted to him:

...never do what the enemy expects.

It was a matter of faith that to launch a mass assault on an enemy ship, one had to take the hanger bay. There was nowhere else on the vessel where a shuttle could gain entrance, so you simply had no other choice. The enemy knew that, so it was certain they would prepare for the possibility. A ship-boarding was always a savage affair, and the greatest number of casualties came from the initial assault, often in the first few minutes of the fight.

But Nassat had spent the last decade surrounded by humans, and by sheer osmosis, if nothing else, some of their attitudes had rubbed off on him. It had taken him years to grasp the underlying fundamentals behind their often mind-boggling notions, but over time he appreciated their meaning. When he’d planned this assault, those same methods had given him an idea...one so mad the younger version of himself would have refused to even consider it.

But as the humans said, “If it’s crazy...and it works ...it’s not crazy.”

Which is why he had ordered the pilot to charge the forward-mounted antimatter guns and blast their way through the hull.

It had taken several well-placed hits to make a hole big enough to wedge the shuttle in, as the other assault craft in the squadron followed suit. Half a dozen decks were suddenly exposed to space, spilling out debris...and the bodies of unsuspecting Khonhim.

Nassat climbed out of his seat, fitting a large drum magazine to his assault shotgun and charging a round as he slung the weapon over his shoulder, adjusting the sling. His four nursemaids did the same, as he gave them all an ominous glare.

“All right, everyone…follow me,” he ordered, as they jumped down into the enemy flagship.