The Lietinna proceeded to fly forward at maximum speed while still being pursued by the enemy ships. Archer couldn't help but feel a sense of fatigue wash over him as he felt the mental exhaustion of combat slowly envelope him.
However, he knew that they were still not out of the water and that he couldn't let go of the tension that was holding him together. He immediately pulled up the wing assignments information on his console while speaking to the bridge crew:
"Comms, contact wing command. Ops, engineering conduct full scans and get me a damage report. Helm, maintain course and speed. Keep us out of their field disruption range as best as you can."
"""Yes sir."""
Archer then proceeded to look at the wing assignments information. Their 14th combat wing is nominally composed of 6 ships counting their wing command ship which is the LNS Charger. Archer saw that the Romme, Tame and his Lietinna were all dispatched on this mission, leaving the Charger, and the two other ships.
Since the Charger was still near Lumiere when the Lietinna set off almost 7 hours ago, there is very little chance that they could count on her for support, leaving the remaining two ships as potential reinforcements depending on what assignment they are currently on.
Archer opened the assignment portal and couldn't help but frown as he looked through the assignment list. The Proteus and the Nomad were both assigned patrols to the near Planet Sunse of the Orionis system. This meant that not only were these two ships closest to the Matril's location that both the Lietinna and the Tame but that they should be within range for secure short-range communications.
Archer couldn't help but feel like something was off in his gut, just wasn't sure what was happening. He turned to comms and spoke:
"Comms, any response from wing command or fleet command."
"No sir."
Archer simply frowned before speaking:
"Connect me to the Tame on a secure channel. Priority Alpha."
"Yes sir."
A few seconds later, Archer saw the hail beacon light up on his right console as the comms officer spoke up from his right:
"Sir, the LNS Tame is responding."
Archer nodded his head and pressed the hail icon causing the screen to turn dark before the solemn face of Lt. Commander Naimes appeared on screen with a confused look on her face as she wasn't expecting a high priority secure communication from Archer. Archer didn't have time to for pleasantries as he spoke:
"We just had contact with 3 enemy vessels attacking the Romme and the Matril. We helped the Romme extradited and we did so ourselves, the Matril is dead in space, can't confirm casualties. Currently being pursued by three unknown vessels. I recommend you turn around and rendezvous with the Proteus and the Nomad near Sunse. We'll do the same."
Archer saw Naimes' eyes widen in shock before a glint and a slight smirk replaced it as she spoke:
"Three ships in pursuit? Did you ascertain their classes?"
Archer did not like the look on her face, but had no time to think about it before he responded:
"Not sure. They are not reducing the distance between us in so they are not a Type 3 ships, but we can't be sure."
Lt. Commander Naime's face immediately lit up causing Archer to be slightly confused before he remembered something causing him to feel an immediate sense of apprehension, but before he could say anything, Naimes spoke up:
"Engage the enemy Lieutenant. The Tame will come in and support you soon. Helm, maximum speed ahead!"
Archer's face fell as he remembered his original impression of Naimes and her hunger for achievements through battle. He couldn't believe that after his account that she would opt for a fight instead of regrouping with the Proteus and the Nomad.
He couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind, but he had very little time for contemplation as he responded in an icy tone lacking his usually cheeriness:
"That is unacceptable Lt. Commander. We are outnumbered and we don't know what other enemy ships are hiding nearby. We need to rendezvous with the Proteus and the Nomad and await instruction from higher up."
Naimes' smiling face slightly scrunched at Archer's tone causing her to respond ins a similarly icy tone:
"Lieutenant, that was not a request, but an order."
Archer was at his wits end as Naimes was starting to sound unhinged, he calmed himself down before responding in a calmer but no less firm tone:
"I don't take order from you Lt. Commander. The Lietinna will proceed back to the Orionis System and regroup with the Proteus and the Nomad. Feel free to engage the enemy yourself, but we will not be acting irrational on your behalf."
At this point, Naimes' face was contorted like a beast eyeing prey as she leaned closer to her console to respond. But before she could, the comms officer's voice sounded on the bridge getting Archer's attention:
"Sir, incoming hail from the Romme. Priority Alpha."
Naimes also seemed to be getting the same message on her ship. Archer immediately spoke:
"Patch them into this call."
"Yes sir."
Soon after, Lt. Commander Esmer's still sweaty face appeared on the screen with panic clearly marked on his face. He immediately spoke in a panicky voice that wasn't expected out of an officer:
"We have a type 3 ship on our tail. They are gaining on us and will be within field disruption range on us in less than 10 minutes. Please help"
Archer immediately felt a pit in his stomach as the worst possible scenario was slowly coming into play, another data point for murphy's law.
A type 3 ship is not only heavily armored compared to the medium and medium heavy armaments typical in type 2 ships like theirs but was also much faster and extremely fortified.
But before archer could fully wallow in the misery of their predicament, Naimes' voice came through the monitor:
"Get yourself together Daniel. Maintain course as long as you can, and we'll come support. What do you say Lieutenant Chase, your plan to run away just imploded, will you continue to refuse to act like a proper officer and abandon your team."
Archer could feel the mocking tone on her voice, but she wasn't wrong. There is no hope of running away from the type 3 ship while they are flying type 2. Archer could probably count of the Romme and the Tame delaying her, but that's only if the commander of the type 3 ship was an idiot.
The enemy had superiority in numbers so they could just have on those ships pursuing the Lietinna hold the Romme and Tame in place while the type 3 runs the Lietinna down like a wounded animal, this was basic pursuit tactics.
Perhaps, if they left the Romme to her fate and continued running, they might have a chance to prolong their escape, but they would only buy themselves a few minutes as the type 3 makes short work of the Romme.
Archer leaned back on his chair as he felt the energy drain out of his body. He turned his head away from the console and saw the faces of his bridge crew looking at him with abject horror and a mix of resignation and hope.
Archer truly felt like he was slowly running out of time. From when he got his dispatch orders, to his initial conversation with Lt. Commander Naimes, to him realizing that war was coming and that he was an unwilling participant, he simply felt that there was no escape.
He hoped that just shear luck will see him through what was to come, he hoped that with the amount of ships in the fleet, his chances of simply making it through the battles and maybe see him to the other side.
But here he was, surrounded by enemies a day into his first command, his chances of simply slipping through were dwindling and he knew it. But within the faces of the bridge crew as they looked at him with fear and horror apparent on there, he still noticed hope in their eyes.
Hope that he as their commanding officer will see them through the storm. He had no idea where they were getting this hope from, he was literally a fresh lieutenant on the first day of his first command. Perhaps they saw something in him, or perhaps the navy's indoctrination is so potent that all enlisted soldiers simply develop unwavering trust to their officers.
Regardless, Archer was taken back. He still felt the exhaustion and hopelessness that he was feeling, but there was something else coursing within him as he looked at his crew. Maybe it was responsibility, or maybe a childish sentiment of not wanting to let their trust in him down. Either way, he could not let himself give in to what was seeming like an inevitability.
Archer straightened his slumping body as he thought of their situation. His brain fired a dozen scenarios all of them ending in their capture or death. However, a few seconds later, an idea popped into his head as he immediately turned back to his console and spoke:
"We both know there is no escaping Lt. Commander. But a head on engagement will not see us out of this either. Our only hope is to buy enough time and hope that reinforcements arrive to save us and the only way we can do that is if you do exactly as I say."
Archer quickly took a glance at his bridge crew and saw them exhibit fleeting looks of relief and hope. They truly seem to have made him their emotional anchor and he had no idea why, but he couldn't allow himself to let them down.