But this was not that kind of battle.
Aurelian stood before the main tactical display and watched the first half-minute unfold into collapse.
They had hit the enemy before they could tell what was happening.
"Rhoswen," he said calmly, "go."
Crimson Bulwark moved like she had been waiting for permission to breathe.
She broke off at once and charged into the enemy flank, not toward a random target, but toward one of the larger battleship-type hulls that had survived the first barrage with enough structure left to matter.
This time, she did not rush blindly.
She approached at an angle that ensured she hit the enemy's heaviest guns cleanly.
Secondary batteries scraped against her shields, but they were meaningless compared to what she was about to do.
Then the Tempest Ramspike struck.
The impact was savage.
