"Colonel, enemy light cruiser 'red' engaging destroyer group B."
Dubcek nodded in acknowledgment. Brunner quickly adjusted and replaced
his ear-piece, and the sounds of actual combat came to him for the
first time. He heard: ships signaling one another, attacking, being
attacked, some voices calm, others tense and on the verge of
panic---explosions and bursts of pain within bridge compartments,
engineers crying damage reports, men dying and signals going blank.
The older man heard them too, studied the projection without haste,
made several marks on the glass. Again the voice of the exec:
"Destroyer group B has succumbed---no surviving ships."
Brunner watched his commander's face, half expecting to see no change.
But a change did come, if only for an instant: a cloud of pain and
uncertainty flashed across it. The dark countenance grew darker still,
and he muttered beneath his breath. "If he wants to trade, we'll
trade."