I sat in the CIC of our new ship with my close team by my side, Admiral Kuba had called it the Faulkner, but I didn't want that name again. "We'll name her when she's been out for our first spin," I'd said.

Now, watching Sigma-Seven recede behind us with almost fourteen thousand ships, all protected, I knew we'd never return.

<<What makes you so sure?>> Lia asked.

<<It's a vast world out there, we'll keep in touch, but we have a lot of other places to explore, to get Frosts really on the map.>>

All proof that what we'd carried across three star systems actually worked.

Mac glanced my way and hit for comms. "All ships report ready for departure."

"In position," came the comms from the Pogue and Manta-S.

"Silent Thunder, in position."

"Iron Covenant also in position. The calibration is spot on, the fuel giving us everything we need and more."

"Good to know," I nodded to Mac.

Our ships moved around us in perfect formation. "Looking good," Mac praised them. "How are the engines, Chief?"

"Purring like a kitten," came his reply. "The fuel's almost 100% convertible. We'll make very good progress to the Krays."

"ETA? I asked.

"We can cut the timing down to six days to meet Commander Balder."

"Time isn't everything," Lia said. "I would keep us on target."

"Agreed," Mac said. "We're not pushing anything here, let's take that time to arrive safe and fully fledged."

The rest of the crew were nodding. "Yes, Commander," Las said. "Reducing output to accommodate slower burn."

We didn't feel a thing, but I watched as the energy output dipped just a margin. It felt good to have engines that were this responsive.

<<How are you feeling?>> I asked Lia.

<<I think a little better. I feel overwhelmed though.>> Her presence in my mind was solid again, recovered from the near fragmentation at Kepler. <<The new Faulkner's systems are... intimidating. So much more advanced than what I'm used to.>>

<<You'll adapt. You always do.>>

<<We'll adapt,>> she corrected. <<Together.>>

I looked at Mac, and Lev, "I'm heading for medical."

"Something wrong?" Lev was almost up and out of his chair.

"I'm just going to run some checks," I replied. "Don't worry."

"You'll comm if you need us," Mac added.

I nodded. "Lia, with me," I ordered.

Lia stood and followed me out of the CIC. "But we're not okay, are we?"

"I'm being cautious," I replied.

Six Hours After Departure

"We're about to enter our first jump," Mac reported.

I was fingers deep in Lia's physical form, doing minute scans of some of her core storage facilities.

It had been quite the event getting her to sit still in the new medical bay. She wanted to question every piece of tech, so much so that even Sorrel got tired of her questions.

This bay was much larger than our old one, and Sorrel was fussing over every scan I did. "Sit down," I said to her. "You're driving me crazy."

"Sorry," she said. "You're worrying me."

"Everything here shows us nothing different," I said. "There's no need to worry."

Lia turned to face me, and Sorrel closed her back ports. "There's nothing wrong with me?"

"Not that I can find, no."

"You are right to worry though," she admitted. "I don't feel fine."

The klaxons sounded and red lights flooded the room.

"Captain?"

"Here, what is it?"

His image appeared on screen before us.

"I'm getting fluctuations in the jump generator," he reported, his hands moving across the navigation console. "Nothing critical, but the stabilizers are overcorrecting. We're drifting point-zero-three degrees off course every hour."

"Lia?" I asked.

Her holographic form flickered slightly beside him. "Las and I... we're working on it. The field generator's control systems are more complex than the old Faulkner's. I'm still learning the optimal calibration parameters."

"Take your time," I said. "We don't need to rush."

<<Peyton, I'm struggling,>> she admitted. <<This ship is incredible, but there are so many systems, so many layers of redundancy and control. The old Faulkner was like breathing. This is like learning to breathe in a completely different atmosphere.>>

<<You'll get there.>>

But her concern worried me more. Sorrel looked at me and indicated her office. I followed her and she closed the door behind me.

"This is private," she said.

"Private?" I realized what she meant then. <<Lia?>>

There was no answer. "How?" I asked her.

She tapped the screen before her. Ashley's face popped up. "This program took me much longer to work through than any other. And I know, Piotr can essentially block Doli, but I needed more. So, I worked at how to exclude an AI that is in everything, every room, with Doli-2. She was the genius with this one. This even excludes the hosts CPU. I believe it's important to be able to turn the AI essentially off. Especially for a doctor. All the instructions are here for Kerry when she's ready to explore this more. To protect the self. There will be moments that those on this ship need to be private, now you have it."

The playback stopped.

"I don't understand."

"She gave me a backdoor," Sorrel said. One that I can use, if I need to, to turn her off."

I swallowed. "So, you're telling me what I think you're telling me, right? Without actually saying it."

She leaned back on her desk. "If she or Nyx ever went serious rogue, yes, I can stop them. Ashley gave me a way."

"She doesn't know?"

"No, but you can tell her if you wish."

I sat in the chair and looked up at Sorrel. "I am glad we have it," I said. "I will tell her when I get a chance."

Sorrel glanced to Lia who was flicking through her own scans. "She really believes she's not okay?"

"Nothing is showing up now though, she's healed as far as her systems are concerned."

"It's psychological?"

I nodded, and then frowned. "She won't talk to me about what happened with the AI in Kepler."

"Maybe that is what she really needs, to talk to you and work through it properly."

"I'm not sure how to even do that,"

"Just ask her. You're close enough now, you don't need to pussy foot around things."

I stood and smiled. "You're right."

The flashing red lights went out, and Lia looked back at us with a smile.

"We're stable, Captain," Mac reported.

"Good to hear," I replied.

"Now all we need to do is get her stable," Sorrel said.

"We will," I replied. "We have time."

***

I didn't get the chance to talk to Lia, not yet there was something and everything going on as usual. By the time I went to sleep I was exhausted, so I didn't have any energy to talk I just wanted to sleep.

Everything else was running well enough, the next day was routine, and it felt good. Reports from the others in our small fleet were good too, everyone was settling into the new normal.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Emotionally, how are they all?" I asked Sorrel as we left the mess hall to take the CIC shift from Lev and Mac.

"I've spoken at length with both the crews and with Lev about the attack."

"Is Lev okay too?"

It was the way she smiled at me then… "Don't do that," I said.

"What?"

"Act so cute, damn, he's one lucky guy."

"I think I'm the lucky one," she said. "But to answer your question, he's doing okay. He's talking more about things I never knew at all, things that clearly bothered him, but he's finally able to work through."

"Alex?"

"Yes, Mac said he's also never known him to be so open."

"A really good thing," I patted her arm and she beamed. "I really do love him."

"We all knew that, long before you'd admit it."

"I'm glad we admitted it."

"Even if life takes you away from each other again."

"More so if life takes us away from each other. I know when we get back together that love will still be there."

The atmosphere in the CIC automatically told us something was wrong.

Sorrel went straight to Lev, and I went to relieve Mac. "What is it?"

"Tactical display's showing phantom contacts," Lev reported. "They are tailing us, and we can't get enough information ghost signatures at bearing two-seven-zero, range six thousand kilometers one minute, then the next, sensors show nothing there."

"It's the new sensor arrays," Lia explained. "They're more sensitive than the old systems. I'm still calibrating the noise filters. Give me a moment."

The phantom contacts disappeared from the display.

"So, it's not Ranger?"

"No," Mac said. "At least not yet."

"Better?" Lia asked a moment later

Lev looked over his screens again and confirmed. "Better. But that's the third time today. If we get into a fight, I need to know which contacts are real and which are sensor ghosts."

"I know. I'm working on it." Lia said. "There are seventeen different sensor systems feeding data into the tactical display. The old Faulkner had five. I'm still learning how to integrate them properly."

I watched her struggle, feeling helpless to stop that. "Can we shut down some of the redundant systems? Simplify things until you're more comfortable?"

"No," she snapped. "I need to learn this. These systems are what make this ship so capable. I just need... time."

The door to CIC opened and closed three times in rapid succession. Lia sighed. "I also need to stop triggering door controls when I'm trying to adjust sensor calibration."

"At least you're not venting atmosphere," Mac offered.

"Yet," Lia muttered.

Everyone chuckled, but she didn't look like she was joking. <<Let me know the moment you feel that bad,>> I said. << That's an order.>>

<<I understand, Captain, thank you.>>

***

It had taken some time to get used to not sleeping in bunk rooms. But Sorrel insisted that on this ship we went to our assigned rooms. It was odd at first, but the peace as I slid inside my room was bliss. I shut the door and stripped off. Taking a shower and enjoying every moment of it.

The towels were warm when I exited and dried myself in the small room. Luxury for a Captain, but still small compared to an Admiral's quarters.

<<Peyton,>> Lia said. <<I'm detecting fluctuations on long-range sensors.>>

<<More sensor ghosts?>>

<<No. This is different. The signature is....>>

Her words trailed off and dread filled my gut. <<I'm on my way, wake the others.>>

<<Also already on their way,>>

I was moving before she finished the sentence, running for CIC not quite properly dressed. Though no one batted an eye at my half naked form entering the CIC

"What've we got?" I asked as I arrived.

"Faint fluctuations," Lev said, studying his tactical display. "Very distant, barely detectable. Could be background noise, could be—"

"Ranger," Lia finished. "It's the same signature as his equipment."

The CIC fell silent.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"With everything this new, this off, I'm as sure as I can be with. It's extremely faint. Whoever's scanning is either very far away or being very careful to not be detected."

I pulled up the sensor data, studying the fluctuations. They were there, but they were right, barely visible against the background noise. A rhythmic pulse, sweeping across space.

I tapped for fleet wide comms. "Beta271, all hands General Quarters. "I looked to Lev. "Commander Balder needs to know about this, open a secure channel to the Vigilant."

"Captain Tachim," a face appeared before me, one who I knew well. "Commander Balder is at rest, should I wake him.

"RANK Boutack," I said. "Can you push your engines?"

He looked off screen, then nodded. "Yes, what's happening?"

"We've got company and not the nice kind. We're going to accelerate slowly so they don't pick up on it."

"Understood, Captain. New ETA in fourteen hours, at full acceleration."

"Engine damage?" Mac asked.

"It's within parameters for the fleet."

"Fourteen hours," I said and was about to cut comms. I stopped myself. "It's good to see you Andri."

"Likewise, Vigilant out."

The screen went blank, then images of space flashed up. The anomalies were getting stronger.

Sorrel sighed. "It's definitely consciousness extraction scanning."

"You're 100% sure?" I asked.

"Same quantum signature as Ranger's equipment. Someone's trying to locate us."

"But they haven't found us yet," Mac said.

"The scanning is broad-spectrum, unfocused." Sorrel said. "They're searching, not tracking."

"How long until they get a lock?" I asked.

"Unknown. Could be hours. Could be days." Mac pulled up a star chart. "Even boosting the engines we're two weeks from the Krays. If Ranger is tracking us, if he's rebuilding his fleet as fast as intelligence suggests, we need to assume he'll intercept us before we arrive."

"Before we meet with the escort?"

"Unknown," Mac said again.

I balled my fists, feeling the pinch of my nails. "Too much is unknown, can you run some simulations?"

"I can try," Lia's eyes flickered slightly at that. I felt her embarrassment through our connection. <<I'm sorry.>>

<<No one's blaming you, Lia,>> I replied. "I do think we need to be realistic about our capabilities. If Ranger attacks in the next few days, we'll be fighting with a ship that's an unknown."

"So we're vulnerable," Sorrel said.

"We're protected," Lev corrected. "Consciousness protection across all vessels. Thanks to the Admiral we have full defensive capabilities again. Lia is also coordinating our fleet response properly despite her shortcomings. That's more than Ranger has faced before."

<<He's adapting though,>> Lia said. <<The scanning techniques are more sophisticated than before. He's learning from his losses. Evolving.>>

<<So are we,>> I replied. <<And you're getting better with the ship's systems every day.>>

<<Not fast enough.>>

The briefing room fell silent.

"Let's prepare for worst-case scenarios," I said. "Full combat readiness. Defensive formations."

"Agreed," Lev said. "I'll coordinate and start running drills. I want overlapping fields of fire, redundant defensive positions."

Mac nodded. "We'll be ready if he comes for us."

"Not if," I said. "When."

***

Lev moved fast and was as he said running the small fleet through warfare drills within the hour, he had the tech teams coordinating with Lia and each other. Our engines were upped considerably but not enough to make it look suspicious.

Those in the fleet who were still under medical care, and there were a few, were watched just that little more closely from Sorrel's team. She's mentioned they might be more vulnerable having been exposed to greater degree. It had shocked us that Dr. Martinez had wanted to stay with Admiral Kuba and yet Markov, Elana and the teens had wanted to come with us,

Dr. More as well. It gave us enough of a solid team across the ships that it felt safe. Frosts had experts on hand that most companies could only dream of.

Today we watched the tactical display flicker mid-drill.

"Lia?" Lev called out, not taking his eyes off his station. "We just lost target tracking on the Pogue for two seconds."

"Reacquiring," Lia's replied.

I watched her at the center of the CIC. She was standing perfectly still, far too still. Like she was concentrating so hard on staying manifested that she couldn't spare processing power for natural movement.

But I could see Lev's frustration. This isn't good enough.

"Apologies. The new sensor fusion algorithms are... more complex than I anticipated."

The problem was she was used to doing so much more, and now couldn't. I walked to stand by her, and put a hand on her arm. "Stand down," I said. "Let them drill without you."

"But…" she lowered her head, glanced at Lev, and nodded. <<He's angry with me?"

<<He's angry with himself, not just you,>> I replied. <<Go, rest the body and the mind.>>

<<But I do-->>

She turned and left CIC without looking back, I oved to sit with Lev. "Run them again," I said.

Without Lia everything went smoother, and that stung. <<I'm a liability,>> came her saddened internal comms.

I didn't answer her because I had other things to worry about, and I regretted it almost immediately.

<<I'm sorry,>> I said. <<How was your overall performance?>>

<<Functional. All ships received tactical updates with an acceptable amount of latency. But I'm having to prioritize different thought process. Fleet coordination, ship systems management, sensor processing, over our neural connection...>> She paused. <<It's like trying to conduct an orchestra when I've only ever played solo before.>>

<<Can you handle it eventually?>>

<<I have to,>> she said, and through our bond I felt her determination.

That was more the Lia I knew and loved. <<Better,>> I replied. <<Now rest.>>

The drills continued and I watched them with Mac. Mac taking part only when Lev asked him for something. ME, I was a spare part, till I wasn't. Something popped in the bowels of the ship and who better than Mr. Fixit to head on down.

Now I was the one being judged, and it felt good to get my hands 'theoretically' dirty.

Lev called out scenarios. Ambush formations. Flanking maneuvers. Unheard of consciousness weapon attacks, and we gave everything our best.

The fleet responded and when Lia was rested enough, she returned to it.

But again, every few minutes, something small would glitch. A ghost on the display. A momentary comm delay. The environmental controls in the CIC cycling temperature up two degrees before compensating.

Nothing catastrophic. Nothing that would stop us.

Just enough to remind me that Lia was not herself despite everything we were doing to help her. She was stretched.

"Good work," Lev announced after the final drill. "Response are times improving. Fleet coordination is almost solid."

He glanced at me, and I saw the question in his eyes: But is Lia okay?

I gave him a small nod. She was managing. For now.

Through our connection, I felt her relief as the drills ended and the processing load decreased slightly. But I also felt her exhaustion—a weariness I'd never sensed from her before.

<<The new systems are incredible,>> she said privately to me. <<So much more capable than what I had before. But it's like learning to run before I've fully learned to walk. I need more time to integrate. To make these connections instinctive instead of deliberate.>>

<<How much time?>>

<<Days. Maybe weeks.>> A pause. <<We might not have that long.>>

She was right. Ranger was out there somewhere. And when he came for us, Lia would need to be at her best—not struggling with unfamiliar systems while trying to keep us alive.

Tossing and turning in my room I pushed the covers off me and got up, heading to medical again. My eyes burned with fatigue and my muscles with it, I stretched my back out as I walked but it wasn't making me feel any better at all.

I stepped inside, yawning.

"You good?" Sorrel asked.

"No," I replied. "Can you give me something to help me sleep?"

"You look exhausted," she looked up at me and I could see her accessing my HUD and stats. "Did you need to look?"

She shrugged. "Habit, I—well I feel better seeing it for myself."

"Any light drugs you got?"

"I can give you something, but that might knock you out for more than you think. What if we need you?"

"Just a little something?"

I watched her move to a drawer and pick out a vial, dispensing a [ill into her hand. "One, it will relax you, not knock you out."

"Thanks," I said and pocketed the pill. "Are you staying up?"

"For now, yes," she smiled and waved to the bay. "Want to sleep in here?"

I glanced around the room, there were private tucked away areas. I nodded. "I would, thanks."

Bay 4 is at the back the light shouldn't reach you if I turn it down somewhat."

I headed over, took the pill and slid into the bed, turning the heating up on it to help me drift.

The alarm woke me at 0300 hours.

For a moment, I thought it was another false alarm. Another sensor glitch. Another—

<<This is real,>> Lia said urgently through our connection. <<Peyton, this is real. Ranger's fleet just jumped into full sensor range. Nineteen ships.>>

<<He's found us.>>

I was running before I was fully awake, pulling on my uniform as I sprinted through the corridors. The ship's klaxons were screaming in my ears. Emergency lighting bathed everything in red.

"Peyton," Mac's voice filled my ears. "Ranger's heading straight for us."

The CIC was chaos when I arrived. Mac was in command, Lev at tactical, Sorrel at her station monitoring crew vitals. Lia stood beside Mac processing data streams so fast I couldn't comprehend.

"Sitrep!" I shouted.

"Nineteen contacts confirmed," Lev reported. "One Flagship, Six capital ships, with consciousness extraction platforms. Six destroyers and six support vessels. Range: two hundred thousand kilometers and closing. Time to weapons range: twenty minutes."

I stared at the tactical display. Ranger's fleet was twice what it was before. And heading straight for us.

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