I leapt out of the Dagger’s cockpit as the Essta rocked, and as I started a frantic rush to the bridge, I felt the trembling through the ship’s decking as round after round ploughed into the Essta’s hull. Every time the ship shuddered, I pictured the explosive warheads the Maunhouser ship was hurling through space slamming into the side of my vessel, blowing away the layers of ablative armor I’d added.
Granted, that’s the whole idea behind ablative armor—it’s designed to take the energy out of a hit by dissolving in the process. Essentially, it’s self-sacrificial, based on the premise that the armor is easier and cheaper to replace than catastrophic hull breaches. When combined with a thicker, traditional armor core underneath to catch any remaining force from the blast, it can take a fai
