Kevin's Watch

"Trumpet must be stopped."

"Gap drive implosion," he pronounced passionlessly, "emits
electromagnetic static sufficient to disrupt all microwave
coherence. The volume of space affected is limited only by
the power and hysteresis settings of the drive imploded.
Because the static crosses the gap, the area affected is many
times greater than the distance a waveform travels in a
comparable time.
"When Trumpet has been destroyed, Calm Horizons will
implode her gap drive." If he felt any emotion, his
alien voice was unable to show it. "The transmission
will be effaced from the Massif-5 system."
Calm Horizons intended to commit suicide.

Thrust flaming, Captain's Fancy came down like a scream
out of the deep dark. Lasers caught up with her before she
hit, but they were too late. Truer than her own targ, she
sledgehammered straight into the center of the damaged
warship.
Without transition both vessels were transformed from
poised, rigid metal to pure fire and brisance.
Morn lost sight of the cataclysm momentarily; she was
falling and couldn't look. The uncontained detonation of
Captain's Fancy's drive and Tranquil Hegemony's
weapons sent a shock wave through the rock and
concrete as if they were water. Stone shattered; concrete
cracked and buckled like ice; the surface under Morn
bucked so hard that she stumbled to her knees.
Arc lamps fizzled and spat; some of them died. Steam
plumed from wounds like volcanic vents in
Billingate's structural integrity.