“Yes. We’re saving power. Mehar, you help me.” She didn’t trust Jim’s balance. In the light gravity, Quincy was easy to lift and carry. They were halfway to the alcove where the medbox was installed when Ky remembered that it wouldn’t be functional now.

“On second thought, we’ll just put her in her bunk,” Ky said. “We’ve got to get the drives back up.” They tucked Quincy into her bunk, and Ky hoped for the best, then checked on Sheryl. The navigator had been in her cubby when the mine went off; she was just rousing and claimed a mighty headache.

Now for the cargo spaces. Ky dreaded what she would find. Number two was as dark as Engineering had been. Again Ky ordered on the overhead lights… there was the weapon, chocked up to point at the emergency passage, and a large hole in the bulkhead beyond it. The stench of melted plastics made it through the suit filters. Martin lay sprawled a few feet away, alive but unresponsive.

“Number three wiring nexus,” Ky said. “Damn. If we’re lucky, that explains why the drives don’t come on. Let’s get Martin up near the medbox.” If she could get the power back on, he and Quincy would have to take turns. She called Jim and Mehar to start working on the damage as soon as they were able.

When she had made the worst cases as comfortable as possible, she went back to the damage site, where Jim was poking at the melted mass of the hold 3 nexus. “Going to be a bitch to fix,” he said. “Or we could just cut it all out and start over.”

“And how long will that take?”

“On a ship this size, with the shop and equipment we have? Maybe a day. Maybe two.”

She didn’t have a day or two. None of them had a day or two.

“Can you patch controls onto the drive end of the mess? In a few hours?”

“Uh…” She could see the desire to show off warring with his awareness that soft soap and bragging wouldn’t work this time. “Maybe. If I had help. I know—sorta know—most of it, but—”

“Toby, do you know how to patch in controls?”

“I know the main functions, but not the auxiliaries, Captain. But is there a reference manual in your implant?”

Was there? She still had not had time to access the special functions. “Get started on the main functions, the two of you. I want the insystem drive up enough to give us onboard power. Then we can worry about the rest. Use anything in stores you need.”

In her mind the enemy warships moved ever closer, targeting her with weapons against which her defense might not hold even if it were up. With the crew all accounted for, she headed back upship. Rafe had managed to sit up and blinked as she checked him. “Did we win?” he asked.

“So far,” Ky said. “How are you?”

“Headache. My implant tells me it was scrambled, but it’s recovering functions.”

“Good. Toby and Jim could use your help down in Engineering. Can you make it there?”

“Yeah. I think.” He stood, wavered, then headed for the exit without another word. Ky watched him a moment, then went to her cabin.

Stella was up, too, slumped against the bulkhead. “Where’s Toby?” she asked.

“Down in Engineering. You?”

“Do you have any idea how bad that smells?” Stella wrinkled her nose.

“Yes,” Ky said. “But I can’t clean up yet—there’s other problems.”

“Always other problems,” Stella said. She sighed, pushed herself more upright. “So what can I do to help?”

“Feel better,” Ky said. “I need some clear thinking from my staff. We have only reserve power—the insystem drive’s down. Osman’s dead, but his allies with the big guns are out there somewhere and we don’t have scan.”

“Where are the mercs?”

“I wish I knew,” Ky said. “I hope they’re coming to help, but I haven’t heard from them in… a long time.” When Stella said nothing, she turned away. “I have to get to the bridge,” she said. “It’ll be good news if the lights come on full.”

“Fiat lux,” Stella said. “But we have a hull, and air, right?”

“Right.”

“And Osman’s dead. So we won.”

“A battle. Not the war.”

“You’re such an encouraging commander,” Stella said.

“Thanks,” Ky said. “I try.”

On the bridge, Lee also was awake. His left eye looked more normal now, and he was working his way across the boards. “Drive’s not responding at all,” he said. “There’s a disconnect somewhere.”

“Number three nexus,” Ky said. “Slagged. Engineering’s working on it.”

“Mmm. Can I have some power for scan?”

She had to know where other ships were. If nothing else, a large ship was wobbling around not that far from them. She also needed communications. “Yes. Just let me—” She plugged her suit interface into the dataport and instructed her implant to supply power to the communications and navigation boards. Their status lights went from red to yellow, and finally to green. Lee’s screen lit with the current nearscan passive data. Fair Kaleen still rolled erratically in the near distance. Three other icons appeared, two whose position and courses were compatible with Osman’s allies, and one—her heart lifted—whose icon already carried the Mackensee ID. Only one? But of course—they would not have left the rest of the convoy unprotected.

Ky flicked on the communications board to the prearranged frequency.

“—Gary Tobai—Gary Tobai, come in.”

“Gary Tobai,” Ky said. “Bogies insystem.”

“Copy. Not a problem—they’re boosting out. Your condition?”

She didn’t want to let the enemy know that, not even if they were running. “Later,” she said. “D’you have an experienced boarding team?”

“A boarding—what’s going on?” Then another voice. “Rig secure contact. Give us a visual.”

“Can’t do that right now,” Ky said. “We have a few problems.”

“This is Captain Vatta?”

“Yes, this is Ky Vatta. We have disabled Fair Kaleen and I intend to claim it, but I do not have personnel experienced in boarding operations.”

“You—your crew?”

“All alive. Can this wait until you’ve seen those raiders out of the system?”

“Oh, we’ll see them out…”

A distant hum… and suddenly the lights came full on. The internal com crackled, then produced a loud drone, then went silent. Then Rafe’s voice: “Calling the bridge—can you hear me?” He sounded normal.

“Yes,” Ky answered.

“Good. Drive’s up. We have it patched into the #2 nexus temporarily. All diagnostics show it nominal at this end, so I went on and turned on the lights. Jim and Toby are working on attaching the bridge-end connection.”

“How’s Quincy? And Martin?”

“Still out… Sheryl’s keeping an eye on them.”

“Mmm.” Nothing she could do about that now, although since they had power again… “Can we draw normal power now?”

“If the connections to whatever aren’t messed up. What do you want?”

“The medbox, for Quincy and Martin.”

“Can do. Shall I send Alene up to help move her?”

“Yup. We’ll be drawing bridge power for a secure comlink.”

“Want to use… mine?”

“I… you’d let me?”

“You know about it already. Security matters. It’s secure, and I’ve got a power source right here. Cuts the message lag.”

“Yeah…” Ky thought a moment. “Can Jim and Toby handle the rest of that?”

“Yes. Jim’s got a knack, and Toby’s read and memorized every manual on this ship, I think. The boy’s got potential. Between them, they could probably make a functional ship out of drink stirrers and rubber bands.”

“Then yes, thank you, and come to the bridge.”

“Right away, Captain, ma’am.”