Chapter 37

The Misty Cloud had come to a halt in XD space as Janta and Mutra examined the readings they were getting of a huge mass that was scanning the various wavelengths that could lead to detection in both normal and XD space.

“Anything ... other than being bigger than a big thing proving its bigness?” Janta finally asked in a hushed voice.

“Well, other than being bigger than all the orbital Vreekoos defence stations combined, no. Passive scans are not showing anything other than the active scans it’s doing,” Mutra replied as she examined the readouts of several displays.

“Contacting the other ships, warning them and giving preliminary readings.”

“Good. I doubt it will spot us at this range, but that’s just going on Imperial sensors.”

“Anything on the two ships we spotted?”

“Both probably freighters, running with no ID signalling, unknown race or realm type, pretty standard hull configuration, so probably humanoid.”

“Dare we go closer?”

“On full emcon and outside XD space, yes. Silent Observer is moving up. The two Gershon scouts have acknowledged and are moving around to the far side of the contact.”

“Let’s go then.”

The Misty Cloud dropped out of XD space, running in full silent mode towards the distant object still scanning the area around it.

“Will take us two days to be within launching distance of the probes,” Mutra stated, though Janta already knew that and knew it was nerves.

“Best get some rest whilst we can,” he chuckled.

“Yep, feeling horny?”

“Oh hell, yes! AI, it’s all yours,” Janta replied, locking in the autopilot and rising to take his wife’s hand.

Two Imperial days later (just over 4 Earth days) the Misty Cloud began launching detection probes towards the huge mass that stood silently in space. They’d detected several ships approaching and leaving, though as yet had not been able to identify any of them as they were not transmitting identification beacons, an illegal act for travelling through Gershonian space. The two Gershon scouts were now in position on the other side of the scanning field and had begun their own probes, though were being very cautious as Gershonian detection equipment, whilst being good, was not as good as Imperial scanners and detectors.

The Silent Observer had now started trailing a ship leaving the object in the dead area in an effort to identify the Realm involved as well as contacting the Royal Fleet Command of Gershon to let them know of the situation.

“Results coming in,” Mutra announced a few hours later.

“Anything as to identity?” Janta asked, more in hope than expectation.

“No, it is however a construct, roughly the size of Megang (one of the moons of Vreekoos, about a fifth of the size of Earth’s Moon) and armed to the teeth if these readings are to be believed. Over forty thousand hyper-beam arrays detected so far, along with what appear to be missile launchers of some type along with what are probably mass drivers to deal with mines and missiles that get through their beam arrays.”

“Hell, there’s nothing in the Imperial Fleet that could touch that thing!” Janta exclaimed. “I rather doubt even an Imperial Fleet all together could touch it come to that.”

“Also detecting docking bays and several fleet type ships of unknown make, they’re also armed and are probably warships of some kind, but match no known types.”

“Any signs that they’ve detected the probes?”

“None as yet, though they’re still actively scanning, which is how we detected them so easily.”

“Launch another set of probes but configured for delayed activation and active scans, time it so we’re approaching the XD limit.”

“On it ... and done.”

The Misty Cloud drifted on its course towards where the XD limit for the system was. Both Janta and Mutra were watching their various sensors for any kind of detection or pursuit.

“Extending comm mast,” Mutra announced.

“XD limit in two rotations,” Janta replied.

Probes coming online ... now!” Mutra stated. “Data-stream established, forwarding to FleetInt. The object has detected the probes and is launching some sort of counter-measures along with hyper-beam pulses. Three probes down, five ... all probes down. Detecting several launches from the monster. They have the probes transmission heading. Time to go. Retracting mast.”

“Perfect timing my love, engaging drive now.”

“They detected that and are setting a vector intercept ... not nearly fast enough though. The Gershon scouts are observing them and trying to get more details.”

“Any idea who or what?” Janta asked as the Misty Cloud slowly gained ground on the pursuing ships.

“Nothing I’ve seen before, even their ships don’t quite fit any known types; plus getting that monster into XD space would be horrendously energy consuming, even with total mass conversion. Add to that the need to get around the grav limits...”

“Might not be XD capable, there are other ways to beat the light barrier, though all the ones I know would founder on a mass limit.”

“Well, the Gershonians are going to keep an eye on it just in case it does decide to move. We’re getting orders to report to Vreekoos and a meeting with the Security Group.”

“Not FleetInt?” Janta asked in surprised tones.

“No, though they’ll be there. This is the one headed by Senior Trouble-shooter Herrick.”

“Wear your best uniform then; you might get to meet the Empress,” Janta chuckled.

“Ooh! Do you think so?”

“She has been known to turn up. Apparently she did after we reported on Coriola, if only to tell Fleet Command to get off their arses and actually fight a war.”

“Someone needed to tell them,” Mutra giggled.

“Yep, can’t believe how slow off the mark they were with Cillort.”

“True, though some of that was down to him having planted agents in key positions.”

“Gosh, I do hope she turns up. I want to see if she really is as gorgeous as the tri-dee images make her out to be.”

“Down boy, there’s room for only one woman in your life ... me!”

“Yes dear.”

The Raffagee Battlesphere Returning Bliss resumed its normal semi-active probing as its symbiote auxiliary warships returned to dock, having failed to eliminate the impudent craft that had scanned the Battlesphere.

“Have we identified the intruder?” Supreme Admiral Tippoo asked of the senior scan-master.

“We believe it to be a Vreekoosian scout vessel,” the scan-master burbled. “Our screens blocked the scans; they saw nothing they should not.”

“Yet now this Empire knows we are here. This is disappointing.”

“With your insistence of active scanning, we are not exactly hiding, Supreme Admiral. Sooner or later they, or someone else, would have found us.”

“Are you criticising my decision?” Tippoo asked menacingly.

“No, merely stating facts. Even passively scanning would have risks as the trade vessels are not cloaked and no doubt it was their presence that alerted the scout,” the scan-master replied obsequiously.

“Our return must not be imperilled. Only a great cleansing of the underlife infesting this part of the galaxy will enable the safe return of our people, hence our arming and aiding of various Realms to create a vast carnage where we will be able to sweep their tattered remains from existence!”

“What once was, shall be again!” the scan-master replied formulaically.

“Begin active patrols by the symbiotes. I expect we’ll have visitors soon. Alert our ‘allies’ to go on the offensive. It is time to begin the downfall of the stronger by forcing them to fight on too many fronts. Send a message to the Raffagee fleet warning them that we have been discovered and requesting another Battlesphere,” Tippoo ordered the vice-Supreme Admirals surrounding him.

The Misty Cloud finally emerged from XD space at the Vreekoos limit and set a course for the Fleet Base orbiting the northern polar region of the planet only to receive orders to head for the civilian platform above the equator and to meet an Imperial Executive shuttle to take them down to Lassos and a meeting of the Security Group in the Imperial residence itself.

“Best behaviour, the Empress herself will be chairing the meeting,” the senior captain passing the message on to them warned.

“Yessir!” Janta replied formally before punching the air after the screen blanked.

“No peeing in the bushes either,” Mutra warned.

“Hey! I’m not your brother and it’s not like he made a habit of it at Fleet Academy.”

“He insists it was you!”

“He also says he got higher results than you in his navigational tests so we both know what a liar he is,” Janta chuckled at Mutra’s frustrated look.

“You always bring that up.”

“So does he, then expects everyone to believe that he was the well behaved one at Fleet Academy.”

“That’s true,” she giggled. “Civilian platform beacon detected, you can lay the course.”

“On our way.”

The disk-shaped shuttle was luxurious inside. Rather than seating for one hundred, or in the case of a Fleet shuttle fifty fully armoured Ground Troopers, there was room for twenty, complete with comfortable seats and a robotic floating bar-tender as well as two clearly obvious security attendants.

“Relax, have a drink ... but obviously do not get drunk.” A young-seeming man sitting next to a startlingly beautiful young woman stated.

“And you might be?” Mutra asked as Janta requested their favourite drinks.

“Cure David and Senior Investigator Kirim.”

“And ... why are you here?”

“To ensure you get to the Empress, don’t get caught up in protocol or overawed by the situation and mostly because she’s a friend of ours and asked,” Kirim replied.

“Who would stop us following our orders?”

“Anyone with a higher rank, I’d presume,” Kirim chuckled. “You’re heading somewhere few of your rank ever go, will be surrounded by Fleet Admirals and their hangers on and Manny doesn’t want you to be overawed.”

“Manny?” Janta asked.

“Her Serenissima Amantil. But friends get to call her Manny,” Kirim shrugged.

“OK ... I kind of get it, but how can you prevent a Fleet Admiral from trying to interfere with us and claim the glory as they usually try to do?” Mutra queried.

“Oh, that’s easy. Dave outranks them all, being a Cure and currently you’re under his command by Imperial order,” Kirim giggled. “As a member of the Security group we have the equivalent rank of a senior Admiral; however Dave as a Cure also carries an armed forces rank alongside it too, so can’t be overruled by a glory seeking Admiral’s staffer.”