Quoted By:
We made a mistake.
I should have noticed the signs: seen the trickle of ELINT signal near the RAIN's prow, previously dismissed as detection noise. Been warier of the sensor-masking properties of the asteroid belt: an advantage afforded equally to my alien opponent. Or perhaps I should have had second thoughts when my probe encountered the second cruiser - so curiously bereft of its light escort.
The escort wasn't missing. It was waiting, lurking somewhere inside the belt to catch ships distracted by its larger, noisier cousins. A counter ambush arranged with an admirable degree of foresight.
To my credit, I saw our mistake almost immediately once the RAIN finished her rimward burn. But correcting it was another matter entirely. Basic kinematics remain non-negotiable; I knew that the RAIN would cross into their detection radius even if we reversed our course. Her hull was too heavy; her velocity too high.
The only shot we had left was to pray for negligence on the part of our opponent. But we saw no such luck.
Minutes after the RAIN crossed into their estimated detection radius, we saw the flare of fusion thrust and the soft static of comm-chatter. Both cruisers swung their chandelier-shaped hulls toward our last known position, calculating intercept margins to maximize their limited supply of wet reaction mass.
I have little time left to elaborate on the specifics of our strategy. In preparation for the upcoming engagement, I have flooded the bridge with hyperoxygenated gel-fluid - a measure that will allow my body to withstand the crushing G-forces produced by military thrust. Even if I had the spare attention for it, writing under such conditions would be impossible.
In brief, however, we plan to:
