The Voyage of the Star Wolf by David Gerrold

“Where—?”
    â€œThat—” pointed Hodel.
    â€œHARLIE?”
    â€œIt’s beyond the range of the G-scanners to read accurately, but judging from the mass and velocity disturbances, it could only be the Dragon Lord . I can’t extrapolate what it’s doing.” And then HARLIE added, “It does appear to be headed in our direction.”
    â€œThey saw us,” said Korie. “They’re playing with us.”
    â€œMake a run for it?” asked Hodel.
    â€œNo. That’s what they expect. That’s what they want . They’re trying to flush us. We’re easier to find and kill in hyperstate.” Korie turned to Li. “Torpedo status?”
    â€œI’ve got two left. We’ve cannibalized all the rest. But if I power up those two, they’ll make a big enough disturbance to give away our location.”
    â€œStand by to bring them up, but don’t do so unless I order it.”
    â€œWhat can you do with two torpedoes?” asked Hodel. “You’d need to drop a spread just to get on the probability scale.”
    â€œI know it,” Korie replied. “Chief Leen? Rig for total silence. I don’t want to radiate so much as a heartbeat. Shut down everything you can. HARLIE?”
    â€œYes, Mr. Korie?”
    â€œClose down all your nonessential functions.”
    â€œYes, Mr. Korie.”
    The Bridge went dark then. Only three work stations and the display table remained operative.
    â€œYou think it’ll work?” whispered Hodel.
    â€œNo,” said Korie, honestly. “But—” he shrugged. “Let’s not make it any easier for them to find us either. The way I see it, they’ve got two options. One, they can drop out of hyperstate and search for us in real space. They don’t have to hide, they can open up as big a lens as they want. If they’re any good, they can close with us in six hours. If they make a couple of wrong guesses, we might have as much as two or three days. We can’t even fire our mass-drivers without giving ourselves away.”
    â€œWhat’s their other option?”
    â€œThey sweep through the area, hoping to brush us with their fringe. Of course, there’s a danger in that too. If they accidentally intersect our singularity—they’ll destroy themselves too. I don’t think they’re stupid. They have all the time they need. They’ll hunt for us in real space.”
    â€œWe’re running out of options,” said Hodel.
    â€œProbably. HARLIE?”
    â€œI have no recommendation at this time.”
    â€œRight,” agreed Korie. “That’s how I see it too.”
    â€œThere they go,” Hodel pointed. “They’ve found us.”
    The Dragon Lord ’s signature was clearer now—and headed directly for the LS-1187 .
    Korie grabbed the edge of the display and held himself firmly in place. “HARLIE, show us a locus. Where are they most likely to decant from hyperstate?”
    A pale ellipse appeared along the line of the Dragon Lord ’s projected path. HARLIE explained, “If they don’t decant within that locus, they’re likely to miss us—unless it is their plan to brush us with their fringe.”
    â€œAnd if they do?”
    â€œIt will take some time for them to recalibrate and locate us in real space. Depending on their distance, we could have anywhere from ten to ninety-six hours before they arrive on station.”
    â€œMy guess on the downside is six hours, HARLIE.”
    â€œYes, Mr. Korie—your calculation is accurate. However, I am postulating more caution on the part of the Morthan commander than you are.”
    Korie said to Hodel. “Figure six hours.” He returned his gaze to the display. The signature of the Dragon Lord was just entering the glowing locus.
    â€œIt will take them two minutes to traverse the length of the locus,” said HARLIE.
    â€œPower