The wave of the damage moved through the system, almost slipping by the others.
Why would she do this?Why would she blow up her own ship?It made no sense!There was no reason.Nothing was out in the black aside from them and the exploding ship.
A glint of light caught his eye.He saw what Caoimhe had to have been speaking of before.
The glint of light wasn't more of the attack.
The stars were filled with Terran vessels.They blinked in and out of existence right in front of him.They were there and then gone.
Cloaking systems on their fighters.Tech they had never used in battle before.
"Did you see that?"Bahran called out to his team.
They were chattering.Talking to one another.Calling out their positions and what they saw.Either no one observed the ships, or they didn't register what they saw.None of them seemed to hear him, either.
"Did you see that?The field of Terran ships?"he asked again.One of them must have seen it.
Instead, they all took off in directions away from the battle.Engaging Terran fighters that appeared out of nowhere.Except Bahran knew where they came from--he'd seen the cloaked ships.How many exactly?He had not processed yet.His concern was on Caoimhe and the vessel that was breaking up before his eyes.
No response.
"Master System, they are not getting my signal."
System recalibrating.
White ships abandoned the larger Terran vessel.They shot out like little stars in space.
Escape pods.
"Caoimhe," he said through his communicator, though he doubted she would--
"I'm here.Where are you?"
The relief that washed through him was palpable."Rear of the ship."
"I'll move your way."
"You are a pilot as well as a princess?"
"No.But I know how to move a ship.Landing?That's another story.But you can help guide me down, right?"
"Yes," he replied."Are your people okay?Did they get damaged in the explosion?"
"So far, as far as I know, none are hurt.Upset, shaken, but not physically hurt."
"Did they not know the ship was exploding?"
"No, they did not," she replied.
"You probably should have warned them."
"We'll debate that at another time.Hold on, they're reaching out to me."
He flew his ship closer to hers.
And blaster fire shot toward him.He twisted the ship to block her pod.Some of the Terran vessels had de-cloaked and started attacking the Rhimodian vessels.
"Oh, you know, I needed a new outfit," Caoimhe said.
