The whole ship came alive at once. The main drive came online and took over from the ghost drives, sending power levels into the green. Simultaneously, the stealth panels were retracted in favour of the standard titanium-alloy armour plate underneath. Active sensor arrays sounded off an intense burst of pings, mapping the whole system in an instant and flagging us as a combat vessel to the five frigates. The swarm of stealth missiles from rack A we’d fired ten hours ago emerged from the asteroid field, too close to destroy easily.

“Missiles are in sensor range, 87% confirm locked-on. Railgun undergoing final loading stages,” the sensors officer declared. “Ready to fire.”
The captain waited only an instant before giving the command to fire. Hit them hard, hit them fast had always been his method and this one was no different. Seventy-five missiles spiralled towards each frigate and the main railgun boomed its distinctive seven-shot salute.

Missiles and railgun slugs converged in choreographed harmony.