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President Nehru. She looked around to see if there were any questions. When she saw none, she asked, “What are Fleet Command’s intentions to ensure that we are equally successful next time?”
    The admiral didn’t answer. When she looked down the table she could see his eyes slightly unfocused and a frown on his face. She recognized the look of someone that just got implants carrying on a conversation. The fact that he took the call in the middle of a presidential meeting meant that it was either incredibly important, or he had requested information about the topic of conversation from someone outside the conference. With a start, his eyes focused, and he realized that everyone was waiting on him.
    “I’m sorry, madam president,” he said, trying to recover. “I...um...asked for some simulations to be run to project what the Drakuls would do next, and I just got the results.” He took a breath and released it, trying to put off the news as long as he could. “They’re not good,” he said finally.
    The president frowned. “Could you please be a little more specific on what ‘not good’ means?” she asked.
    “ The AI onboard the Vella Gulf ran several thousand simulations on what the Drakuls would most likely do, based on historical information and the data passed on to us by the Mrowry,” Admiral Wright explained. “The AI thinks that they will be back in force, as early as five months from now, with enough ships to break into the system and subdue it.”
    President Nehru noticed the Mrowry officers nodding their head, which she had been told was a practice that both races had in common. “I see you nodding your head, Captain Yerrow,” she said. “Do you have something to add?”
    “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings,” replied Captain Yerrow, “but we ran the same simulations onboard our ship. The results were the same, with one small difference. Our AI only gives you four months before their return.” There was a general intake of breath from around the table and plenty of scared looks, especially from the civilians.
    “Well, that outcome is not acceptable to me,” stated the president in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. “I will not be both the first and last president of this republic. There are always choices and options. What did the AIs say we could do to ensure our survival? Do we need more mines? More ships? What do we need to do or build?” The matter-of-fact voice gave way slightly at the end, Calvin saw. He couldn’t blame her; he felt the same way.
    “Barring help from an outside source,” said Captain Yerrow, “it is nearly certain that you will be overrun. Like Admiral Wright, we ran our simulation several thousand times, and the outcome was always the same. For the record, even if you receive outside aid, it is still unlikely that you will defeat them.”
    “ Unacceptable,” said the president, the steel back in her backbone. “If it is friends we must have, then it is friends that we will get. What aid can we expect from the Mrowry?”
    Captain Yerrow and Commander Andowwn looked at each other, talking via implant. After a couple of seconds, Captain Yerrow turned to face the president. “I do not know what aid my father will be able to send,” he said. “It is unlikely to be much, if anything. ”
    “Well, what about if you stayed here ?” asked Masood Khalil, the Pakistani secretary of state. “Would your ship help turn the tide against the Drakuls?”
    Captain Yerrow gave the Mrowry version of a smile. It involved a lot of teeth and was very intimidating up close. “One cruiser, no matter how good it is, will not stop a Drakul battlecruiser, much less a battleship. Our lives would be better spent trying to make it back to ask my father for aid. In all honesty, should we actually be successful and make it back, there is not much of a chance that he will have aid to spare. When we left, we were being hard-pressed on all sides.”
    “Then we will have to go