The Nike and other Fleet units are convoying a small fleet of civilian ships to Cancri system. When one of their number goes up like a flashbulb, it quickly becomes clear that the enemy has developed some new and very stealthy little ships. The civilian vessels can run and scatter, but flagship Nike's duty is clear. The one thing they will not do is turn their backs. A short story.
Louis Shalako began writing for community newspapers and industrial magazines. His stories appear in publications including Perihelion Science Fiction, Bewildering Stories, Aurora Wolf, Ennea, Wonderwaan, Algernon, Nova Fantasia, and Danse Macabre. He lives in southern Ontario and writes full time.