<span class="mu-i">Naqam'Math</span> rolls around two of its axis, Helm frantically trying to give Gunnery the needed firing angles. A nervous sense of urgency overtakes the bridge, the eyes of those without pressing tasks glued to the tactical display where the markers of Taidan bombers are quickly increasing their distance from your ship.
That nervousness, unfortunately, seems to weigh on the Gunnery crew as well. Several times the helix beams lance through the darkness of space, but the frantically dodging bombers are able to avoid them - to the growing murmur of disbelief and disappointment of the bridge crew.
Finally, the lone, damaged survivor of an entire wing is clipped by one of the beams - but it's enough to overload its engine, turning the craft into a fireball.
Buujan's swarmers catch up to the fleeing trio, burning through their remaining fuel even as they shower the bombers in ordnance, managing to take out the damaged one. Moments later, one of your gunners finally lands a solid hit with a helix beam, piercing through a bomber's plasma containment system and evaporating the whole craft.
<span class="mu-i">Naqam</span> finally finishes its ponderous turn, getting one of the forward ion beams on target. But the gunner in charge of it has given in to the sense of urgency - he pulls the trigger too early, the beam cutting through empty space in an arc following the ship's motion, catching the last remaining bomber only when the ion discharge is fading, capacitor drained and ion particles dissipating.
It still deals grievous damage to the strike craft - it is a weapon meant to defeat capital armor, after all - but, against all odds, the bomber survives. Missing its tail section and trailing a stream of debris... but it is out of effective weapon range.
You sink back into your chair - you didn't even realize when you got up from it - with a heavy, unpleasant feeling settling into the pit of your stomach. You've failed. You've let an enemy get away. The bomber will warn the frigate, which will surely flee the asteroid field. Denying you the kill, but more importantly putting Buujan at further risk.
The rest of the bridge crew realizes it too. Expressions turn dejected, the mood weary.
But then-
"Wait, what's that Buujan craft doing?!" Navigation cries out. "Kiith'sa, I think they're-"
But you can see it just as well as everyone else watching. How one of the swarmers, instead of turning around to head back for a refuel, instead suddenly hits its afterburners, expending what must be the very last of its reserves to accelerate toward the bomber.
On the tactical display, the two markers merge, briefly becoming one.
And then - none.
