Finality needs fifteen minutes to prepare its drive for escape when the enemy destroyer arrives. Its message will take six hours to reach the nearest relay and another ten to reach someone able to make a decision. Reinforcements are estimated to be two days away. The original intelligence suggested only a low probability of hostile activity, which justified sending a single small ship. The encounter exposes the consequences of that reconnaissance judgment when help cannot arrive in time for the immediate fight.
Notable Point · 3:04:35-3:05:37
Why Finality cannot wait for reinforcements
An isolated reconnaissance ship faces an enemy destroyer while faster-than-light messages and reinforcements still take hours or days.