Tacitus' wounds had been tended to by medics. He sat in his captain's chair, watching the fighters and beams pass the ship. It was more chaotic in space than the battle on the ship had been.
"Status on the warp drive?"
"We need to hold out just a little longer."
He nodded, then stood up. He looked over the fleet via the holotable. The Hood was still falling. Roland was overlooking the battle, walking around it as if he was criticizing it.
"Maneuver to block the transports from the nearest alien vessel. They are our main priority." Tacitus orderd.
Looking out of the window again, he watched as the Montgomery rammed into one of the smaller vessels. There was a moment where it seemed that the battleship would only push it before it was completely cleaved in half. It was an unusual tactic, normally reserved for last stands. But the Montgomery came out unscathed.
"Sir, transmission from the Mayflower."
"Put it on."
The ship's screen activated, and captain Madeline Halsey stood, holding a pistol. She was wounded, with a burn on her arm, but she seemed unfazed.
"This is Captain Halsey to all ships. Once your drives are charged, set a course for Mars. We'll regroup and get minor repairs over Reach Outpost." She said.
Tacitus thought for a moment. It would be disastrous if the enemy fleet was capable of tracking them through the warp. However, they couldn't test it at all. It would take to long, and every ship would need repairs after this. Looking out the window once more, he saw the Frontier Defender explode into several segments. Fire couldn't ignite in space, so the only indication of said explosion was the ship breaking apart.
Tacitus set his jaw. They were down by two ships already. With enemy vessels this powerful, it was almost impossible to think that Taffy-3 could survive a second battle. He took a deep breath, then turned to Roland.
"Any advice?"
"Coordinate fire on the remaining small enemy vessel. Perhaps if we destroy that one, the capital ship will retreat." Roland advised.
"Thank you, my friend."
Tacitus nodded to the the weapons officers, then turned to the comms officer.
"Contact the rest of the fleet, ask them to direct their fire to the third small enemy vessel."
The officer nodded, and Tacitus turned back to the battle. There was no doubt that Taffy-3 could escape, but he wasn't sure how many vessels would be left. After all, they had lost two, plus all of the destroyers that the U.N.I.C. had sent to assist in the battle. He sighed, knowing that no matter what, thousands of lives would be lost before they found a new planet. Tacitus sat down in his chair once more, waiting. Thinking. Finally, fhe engineering officer spoke up.
"Sir, warp drive's ready!"
"Take us to Mars once the transports have left." He ordered.
The alien ship they were firing at finally stopped returning fire. Tacitus could see the engines of the transports preparing to warp. He relaxed slightly, only to tense up once the Radar operator spoke up.
"SIR! SEVERAL CAPITAL SHIPS HAVE ENETERED RANGE!"
"Prepare to warp immediately! There's nothing we can do against them."
As the Amber Clad prepared to warp, a beam of light passed it, slamming into the Earth. Tacitus' fear for his ship changed to horror at a realization.
"They're glassing cities."
Glassing. Using heat-based weapons to superheat the ground, turning the ground into a hot, molten substance. It was only a theoretical tactic until now. They're killing civilians... They don't want to colonize, they want to bring Humanity to extinction. Tacitus thought to himself. The last thing his saw before the ship warped away was several capital ships glassing the Earth.
... ... ...
After a few seconds, the Amber Clad arrived over Mars. The transports were already there, and the Montgomery arrived a moment later. Tacitus looked around, waiting to see if the alien fleet had followed them. Minutes passed, and no ships appeared. He let out a sigh of relief, then relaxed in his chair.
"Helm, Anchor Nine should be close. Drydock there for repairs." He ordered.
The Amber Clad maneuvered to the station, then was clamped down to the dock.
"You all may take leave for now." He told the bridge crew, standing up. He left the bridge, walking to the elevator. He selected the first floor, arriving there moments later. Tacitus stepped out of the elevator, then made his way to the boarding bay. He pressed the button to lower the ramp, then stepped out into the station.
Once at a far enough distance, he examined his ship. There were several deep gouges in the Amber Clad's armor. The ship was surprisingly intact otherwise. He turned around to see the comparatively massive Montgomery dock. It had much, much more damage the Tacitus' ship.
There were several fires beginning to start throughout the ship. Holes filled the armor, part of the bridge was missing its glass, and the bow of the ship was shredded from ramming the alien ship. It was impressive that the ship had endured all that and still managed to stay up. And damage control was already in action, extinguishing the fires that had spread through the ship.
With a sigh, Tacitus made his way to the station's elevator as repair crews rushed towards Taffy-3's ships. Anchor Nine had an officer's club, and he planned to take his leave there. It was better than the Amber Clad's mess hall, after all. He selected the floor, then, as the doors closed, saw three Drengr soldiers approaching. Tacitus held the elevator, nodding to the soldiers. They gave quick salutes, which he repsoned to.
"Drop the formality, soldiers. You three deserve more respect than I do."
"You salute the rank, not the man." One of them, Alpha Nine according to the identification on his armor, replied.
The other two nodded in concurrence, but Tacitus shook his head.
"Still, I would prefer that you all drop the formality for now."