Lunar emerged from Survey Station Nineteen’s jamming field just in time to hear DSS Exeter’s sitrep. Constellation and Minstrel were already veering in the chunky little destroyer’s direction to provide screening and protection from any potentially hostile vessels.

The minibot’s sensors did not have the range of the larger ships, but Lunar was able to verify there were no hostile contacts in his command area. For now.

He added himself to the Perseus datanet and requested instructions from the Force Command battle computer. He was directed to establish contact with Exeter, relay his message and then join Exeter’s escort formation.

So that’s exactly what he did.

Exeter’s communications officer shouted over the overlapping orders and general urgency on the bridge.

“I have a priority message from Commander, Task Force Perseus!”

There was near-instant silence.

“Say again?”

“It’s from Commander Hunter!”

“On screen!” Pierce ordered. The comms officer switched displays and Jayce Hunter appeared on the Exeter’s main viewer.

“This is Hunter on Survey Station Nineteen. My minibots have engaged intruders near records storage. We have wounded. I need Exeter squads two and four and an emergency medical team to board this station and relieve our landing party immediately. All ships to battle stations, intruder protocols. I want a hard perimeter around Station Nineteen at five hundred miles. Unidentified ships get one warning. Hunter out.”

The Exeter bridge went to work with the quiet, smooth efficiency Skywatch was known for. In a matter of moments, orders had been coded and received by the Exeter First Marines, and assault ships were powering up their engines.

It just so happened this was all taking place during a brutal firefight on Exeter’s Deck Four.

“Sooner!”

Lieutenant Hawkins climbed past a grim-faced squad of heavily armed marines and ran up to the man she had originally come to Deck Four to see.

“Brittany! What the hell are you doing here? This place is a shooting gallery! What happened?!” She always got a flutter when she saw that tough face change into a look of tender concern for her. Sooner guided her in to a small out-of-the-way room to avoid the quick-moving security details filling the cross-corridor outside.

“Your face is bruise–” The moment the door closed, she reached up and hugged his neck and kissed him desperately, then they embraced tightly and she sighed.

“I was so worried you would run out a door at the wrong time!” she gushed, eyes closed.

“You’re not going to tell me why your face is bruised, are you?”

“Nope.”

Gunnery Sergeant Jack “Sooner” Daly held Hawkins and stroked her hair. Times like this were always hard on the two young Skywatch leaders. Their whirlwind affair had begun at the Academy, where Daly had been a hand-to-hand combat instructor. In the six weeks between Hawkins’ graduation and her official acceptance of an officer’s commission, falling in love with her martial arts instructor was technically not against regulations.

The two lovers found themselves assigned to the same ship not long after. Their professional relationship only made things more awkward since technically she now outranked him. There was also the small matter of officers and Gunnery Sergeants being prohibited from fraternizing.

“You need to get out of here and someplace safe.”

“I’m accompanying the team down to the station,” she replied. He took a breath to answer and she put her fingers on his lips. “No arguments this time, baby. I think I know what the intruders are after and I need to be on that station and get the Commander to green-light my theory. Just get me a tac-suit and a power pack for my weapon.”

“It will interfere with my squad.”

“And why is that?”

“Because my squad’s sergeant is going to be too distracted trying to keep the lieutenant from getting shot.”

“Well, the sergeant’s just going to have to rationalize that decision with two things. One, you don’t have a choice and two, the lieutenant is going to be making sure the sergeant doesn’t get shot.”

“You know I love you, Brit.”

She beamed.

“But one of these days, you’re gonna get it.”

“After we take care of business, Sergeant Daly.”

“Gunnery Sergeant, ma’am.”

“Yeah.”

They kissed again.