sipped her wine, appearing fully unconcerned.
“Lord Marshal!” the bride called. Tears stained her cheeks. “Please. Don’t let this travesty stain my wedding.”
Arland turned to the bride, concern obvious on his face. “Do not worry, my lady. You have my word that I will allow nothing to ruin this day.”
Arland turned to the screen. “Give me the feed from the Eradicator.”
The screen flashed with white, and a new image snapped into view, a swarm of sparks silhouetted against the dark cosmos, and then, as if by magic, huge elegant vessels appeared on both sides and above, framing the screen—the House Krahr armada, waiting in formation between the battle station and the incoming invaders. If the barges could reach the firing envelope of the leading Krahr vessel, they would be safe.
“Lord Harrendar,” Arland said.
The image of a middle-aged vampire with a blue-black mane appeared in the lower left corner. “Lord Marshal.” Lord Harrendar sounded like a lion who somehow became a vampire.
“How close are the leading pirate vessels to the barges?”
“We expect them to reach firing range in forty seconds.”
Arland waited.
The division in the banquet hall was obvious now. The members of House Krahr waited in tense silence, while the wedding guests appeared almost frantic, as if they were barely able to contain themselves. From her spot, Maud had a clear view of the groom’s mother and the woman looked ready to explode. Next to her the bride’s mother tapped her fingers on the table, looking as if her armor was on too tight.
Seconds ticked by.
“Do something,” the bride’s father growled.
Arland ignored him. Maud’s heart hammered. She forced herself to reach for her drink and take slow measured sips. The tension in the hall was so thick, you could cut it and serve it in slabs on a plate.
“They’ve launched the opening volley,” Lord Harrendar reported.
“Missiles?”
“No, my lord. Long-range kinetic bombardment.”
Maud had little experience with space battles, but her harbinger assured her that kinetic bombardment amounted to lobbing chunks of matter, such as stone or metal, in the direction of the target. Kinetic bombardment was deployed primarily against stationary targets, because they couldn’t dodge.
“Damage?” Arland asked.
“Slight,” Harrendar reported, his tone sharp.
“Well, of course they’re not using missiles,” the mother of the groom snapped. “They clearly want the cargo, desperately enough to chase it into your territory. If you do not do something, we will.”
“Is this what House Krahr stands for?” the father of the bride asked.
“Do not trouble yourself, my lord and lady,” Arland said. “We have the situation well in hand.”
“You’re going to let those merchants get slaughtered by pirates,” the groom growled.
“Second volley,” Harrendar reported. “Damage minor. The barges have passed the outer beacon. Still mostly intact.”
“Show me the relative position,” Arland said.
A projection appeared on the screen. The pirates were clustered around the barges now, forming a loose cloud about to engulf the three larger ships.
“Velocity?”
“.4 lightspeed,” Harrendar reported.
“Initiate firing solution Revelation.”
“Finally,” the groom muttered.
“Yes, my lord.” Harrendar bared his fangs in a joyous grin that would give some people nightmares.
The screen flashed back to the view from the Eradicator. For a torturous moment, nothing happened. Then, the entire armada simultaneously belched a missile salvo. The missiles sparked with bright green and vanished.
“Impact in three,” Harrendar started. “Two. One.”
The screen exploded with white. Maud shut her eyes against the blinding flash. When she opened them, the explosion had faded, and the long-range projection glowed on the left half of the screen.
The barges were no more. The leading third of the pirate fleet had vanished. Chunks of debris hurtled through space in their stead, turning it into a localized asteroid field. The vessels in the center of the swarm reeled, initiating evasive maneuvers.
Stunned silence claimed the hall.
“Direct hit,” Harrendar crowed into the quiet.
“Excellent work, admiral,” Arland said. “The field is yours.”
Harrendar grinned. The House Krahr armada accelerated toward the remaining pirates.
Arland turned. His gaze swept the hall and settled on the table where the elite of Kozor and Serak waited. “When I became aware of your asinine plot to take over the battle station, one thing kept nagging at me. Our fleet is in-system, and you are, like most pirates, cowardly. You shy from an honorable fight. You had to have a way to neutralize our fleet.”
You could hear a pin drop.
“A few days ago, I happened to come across a pirate. He is a knave and a brigand, exiled by his own House and burning with rage. I planned on killing him, but my betrothed reminded me that even