I kept calm and relayed the information. “One ship, maybe more, not any of ours- at least according the troop movements we last recieved. Long range skirmisher. We went dark as soon as we saw them but they’re already moving to intercept us.” I paused. “I think that we are dealing with pirates.”

Firus nodded in agreement. “We’re close to the war zone, but not that close. A small single ship like ours probably looked like a little lost lamb.” He paused. “Either that or we’re in far deeper trouble than we know. Esmil get to the gunnery bay and get those cannons prepped. I want ghost-flares fired ahead of us and behind us. Do not change to live ammunition unless authorized by one of the senior staff. Bannon I need you here to man the wheel until I return. Keep an eye out for boarders. Miles, you’re with me.”

Bannon looked surprised but covered it quickly and and stepped up to take the wheel.

“Ghost-flares?” I asked.

“One of me own ideas- time-delayed flares. In this cloud cover, they should mask our escape.”