*****************************

   The paranoid Drakh commander had his thoughts interrupted 
by his sensor console operator reporting that the Earth ship 
was underway again. His own people had not had any success 
trying to fix any of the massive damage to his ship. His 
weapons were still at less than half their capability and his 
engines were still limited to about forty percent power. In 
his heart, he knew it was only a matter of time. They hadn't 
been able to call for help and if his suspicions were correct, 
the female captain had only stopped long enough to make minor 
repairs and lead the bulk of their fighters and half their 
remaining ships away from the station. If he were in her place, 
he knew what he would do against numerically superior forces. 
He would do exactly what she was doing. He was beginning to 
realize that the arrogance they had developed, while they were 
serving their dark masters, was proving to be their undoing. 
They overestimated the advantage that their superior technology 
gave them and as a result didn't think well in short term tactics, 
and if they were destroyed as a result, the long term planning, 
which they were so expert at doing, would be so much wasted 
effort.

   "Commander, they have increased speed. I can't be sure, but 
this rate of acceleration must be near her half power point."

   The commander didn't answer. He wondered how long she would 
lead his fellow commanders away from the station, before she 
opened a jump point and returned, to finish the task she had 
begun earlier that morning.

   Less than an hour later his worst fears were confirmed when 
his sensor console operator said, "Commander, the Earth Ship 
has increased her acceleration rate and the Doppler shift, 
detected by the scanners on the fighters trying to overtake 
her, indicates that it is at full power. Also, sir, they are 
using their after batteries in a barrage function against 
our fighters."

   "Just tell me when it jumps to hyperspace," he replied.

   "Commander?"

   "It is the time left for us to contemplate the future."

   His intelligence officer had heard the last remark. He 
could hear the defeat in his commander's voice. It irritated 
him, no end, even if it might be justified. For what it was 
worth, his commander had been correct on all points of his 
paranoia, and in all his assumptions about the Earth destroyer 
and its captain.

*****************************

   "It has been quiet for a while now. Do you think things 
are okay?" asked Jeff.

   "We're still here," groused Robert. "No thanks to the good 
captain."

   "Bobby, me boy, do you have the balls to say these things 
to the good captain’s face; or, are you all mouth and no ass?" 
inquired Mackenzie.

   "Surely, you can whip the skinny woman in the general's 
uniform," taunted Juan.

   "No way, guys. It would ruin his image as a sissified mama's 
boy. Isn't that right, Robert?" asked Jeff.

   "You people make me sick," replied Robert.

   "Would you take on the captain, if she took off her rank? 
Hell man, she's pregnant. Surely, you can kick the ass of a 
pregnant woman, or is even that too much for you, Bobby, me 
boy?" taunted Mackenzie.

   "For your information, I have a black belt in karate. Yes, 
I can kick her skinny ass, but you won't ever get her to take 
off the rank!" sneered Robert.

   Mackenzie had seen Ivanova working out with the marines. 
He knew she could take the average marine, half her age, apart. 
He knew that Robert had not been in the room to hear the marine 
colonel's testimony about the captain and her workouts with his 
marines. He didn't miss his chance.

   "You’ll fight the captain, if she will take off her rank? 
Is that what you're saying, Bobby, me boy?" asked Mackenzie, 
in the most patronizing and taunting tone he could muster.

   "If she is stupid enough to take off her rank, I will be 
happy to kick her skinny ass," retorted Robert.

   Smiling to himself, Mackenzie said, "You are on, Robert. 
I’ll get General Marsh to set it up. I want to see you get 
your smug, arrogant ass kicked all over one of the gyms on 
this ship."

   Mackenzie's other roommates chimed in their desires for 
the same display of events.

   "Let's go get something to eat, guys. All of a sudden, 
I have an appetite," commented Jeff.

   As his roommates left the quarters, Robert knew he had 
screwed up. He just didn't know how badly.

*****************************

   After they had eaten, Mackenzie and his roommates, excluding 
Robert, went looking for General Marsh. They met him coming 
out of the captain's mess, and managed to take him aside.

   Sanchez and Ames watched as the young officers talked 
feverishly with Marsh.

   "I wonder what could be so important?" asked Ames, 
rhetorically. 

   "Beats the hell out of me," Replied Sanchez. "Let's get 
a move on. We can ask him about it later." They turned and 
walked away from Marsh and the young officers.

   After listening to his young officers, Marsh asked, "Are 
you fellows really serious about this?"

   "As a heart attack, general," answered Juan. "It’ll be a 
good lesson for everyone."

   "And you want me to run this by the captain and General 
Leftcourt?"

   "Yes, sir. We think it’s legal, but we aren't sure," 
noted Jeff.

   Marsh smiled, replying sincerely, "I like the idea. I’ll 
run it by them, but I'm not making any promises."

   "That's all anyone can ask, General Marsh, and thank you, 
sir," said Mackenzie.

   The general and the young men, then, went in opposite 
directions down the passageway.

*****************************

    Susan was sitting in her chair when her chair console speaker 
alerted her that she had a call. "This is the captain. Go ahead."

   "Captain Ivanova, this is Kelly. We’ve finished what repairs 
we could. Just be gentle with her."

   "I’ll take that under advisement, Mister Kelly," replied 
Susan. "Navigator, pass the word to re-man battle stations."

   The GQ alarm sounded followed by the announcement to re-man 
battle stations and reset condition one. The ship was preparing 
to go into harm's way once again.

   "Navigator, as soon as we have reset condition one, I want 
to commence the tactics we discussed in my ready room. S.W.C., 
are you and your people ready?"

   "Champing at the bit, Skipper."

   In the background, Susan could hear much feverish whispering 
going on amongst the generals in the flag area. Charles had 
persuaded her to let him sit in that area and watch her at work.

   "Susan," called Sanchez.

   Susan swiveled her chair to face the flag area. "What's on 
your mind, General?"

   "Do you remember the young fellow that questioned your 
authority to conduct this evolution?"

   "Yes. I ought to have the weasel shot, just on general 
principles."

   "It seems that his roommates convinced him to fight you, 
if you would forgo your rank for the duration of the match."

   Her eyes lit up like a fireworks display. "You have to be 
kidding."

   "It seems that he has a black belt in karate."

   "Please tell me you aren't just jerking my chain," she 
pleaded.

   "General Marsh is having some of his people comb their 
legal books and files to determine the legality of the 
situation."

   Susan was almost drooling. "I haven't had a real no-holds-barred 
barroom style fight since I served under Commander Sinclair, 
the Drazi purple/green fiasco notwithstanding. It's been at 
least six years since I busted up a bar, and a goodly number 
of its patrons." Thinking for a moment, she continued, "Just 
let me know where and when. That boy's going to wish he was 
a Drakh before I get through with him." Susan then turned 
to face her navigator and the rest of the CIC watch.

   "Did you see the look in her eyes, Tom?” asked Sanchez 
forgetting himself. "You’d think I dangled raw meat in front 
of a starving tiger."

   "Indeed I did, Jose. And, I think you were."

   "I want to remind you guys, that's my wife you are talking 
about," commented Charles.

   Both men looked at him and smiled broadly. "I do envy you, 
Mister Wayne," replied Sanchez, earnestly. 

   "We’re ready, captain," noted the navigator.

   "Then, by all means, let's get this show back on the road," 
answered Susan.

   "Jump engines on line," said the cheng into the miniature 
mouthpiece just in front of his lips.

   In response to the cheng's statement, a jump point opened 
in front of the Ares.

*****************************

   "Commander! The Earth ship has jumped into hyperspace!" 
exclaimed the sensor console operator.

   The commander contacted the station. Not the easiest job 
in the sector with the jamming that the buoys laid by the 
Earth ship were doing. They had managed to find and destroy 
some of them, but it was not nearly enough.

   "The destroyer has jumped to hyperspace. We must turn our 
fighters and the other capitol ships around immediately." [As 
if that were going to do them any good.] "The Earth ship can 
be here in less than an hour."

   On the station, its commander was looking at his superior. 
"It seems that he was correct all along. It's a pity we didn't 
listen to him."

   The senior Drakh remarked, "The point is now moot. What 
are our chances of surviving further attacks from this ship?"

   "My affairs are in order, sir. Are yours?"

   "That's what I thought. Well, I suppose we should make it 
as hard on them as is possible."

   "It's the least we can do, Sir."

*****************************
 
   The generals in the flag area of CIC on the Ares became 
very quiet and introspective. This was it. Maximum amounts 
of excrement were about to impact the main ventilation system 
impeller blades.

   "Coming up on first jump point, captain," noted the navigator.

   "You boys know the script. Do it by the numbers."

   "Yes, sir!" answered the navigator, as he initiated the jump 
point.

*****************************

   "General Marsh is going to try and fix it up so you can 
kick Captain Ivanova's ass, Robert," commented Jeff.

   "I figure it will be sometime after she gets through killing 
the rest of these Drakh and destroying their station and ships," 
offered Juan.

   "You guys think she’s hot crap. I think she’s just plain 
lucky," replied Robert.

   "People like her make their own luck, Robert. She is probably 
the best tactical combat commander in Earthforce. You don't get 
a reputation like hers by being lucky. Just ask anyone who has 
had to fight her," commented Mackenzie.

   "We'll see," replied Robert.

*****************************

   "Commander! There is a jump point forming well behind our 
forward fighters and the ships sent to operate them," noted 
his sensor console operator.

   "She is making a run on those ships. They have less than 
thirty minutes left before she destroys them."

   "Commander, is it good to let the junior personnel see your 
frustration and disillusionment?" asked his intelligence officer.

   "Normally, I would say no. However, I think the next few 
minutes are going to remove any doubts about the outcome of 
this situation."

   "Commander, our ships are attempting to change course and 
head back toward us," commented the sensor console operator. 

   The commander looked at his friend and said, "It is all but 
over. They have their engines exposed to the Earth destroyer's 
forward main batteries and those are working perfectly."   

*****************************

   As the Ares approached the jump point that would return them 
to normal space somewhere behind the Drakh ships, the S.W.C. 
was talking to his operators on their intercom. "Okay gents. 
This is it. Look sharp. Weapons are hot, you are cleared to 
fire as soon as you get a firing solution. Don't wait for a 
weapons lock. That will take care of itself."

   At their respective consoles, the weapons operators were 
rechecking their target selection program priorities one last 
time.

  "Cheng, transfer all power except reactor number seven to 
the forward weapons arrays as soon as we reenter normal space. 
Keep it for maneuvering and the after battery arrays."

  "Yes Sir," he replied. 

*****************************

END PART 4

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