Chapter 1

Xi Pegasi System
System Command
13/34/41 NR 0715 Hours

“ ... and we think that Captain Rogers will be able to bring the Evans in under her own power. She took at least two serious hits from a really nasty laser head missile. They are still making repairs, and the rest of First Squadron is on station at the wormhole.” The petite commander smiled grimly. “Whatever they were armed with, the Evans and the Valkyrie drove them off, and we are ready if they try again.”

“Thank you, Edith. Good brief.” The dark skinned man leaned back in his chair and sighed softly. He wore a simple shipboard coverall exactly like every other person in the room, with the exception of the silver star on each lapel and the title of Admiral on his name tag. Admiral, indeed, he thought bitterly. His whole ‘fleet’ consisted of exactly fourteen frigates, thirty scouts, and two support ships. That force was formidable enough, he supposed - had it not been spread out over six star systems. With the exception of First Squadron - four frigates and four scouts, the remaining ships were weeks or months away.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen, that little meeting could have gone better.” He waved a hand. “Not that I intend to breathe a word of it to Thomas, and neither will you, Constance.”

The hologram of Commodore Constance Legrere, First Squadron’s commander, nodded in firm agreement. “Yes, Sir.” She had been on leave planetside when the first United Nations ship had appeared through the wormhole, and she was aboard one of her scouts, racing for the wormhole. “I wouldn’t have expected them to be so ... intractable.”

Admiral Aaron Peters sighed. “I would have thought that a first contact mission would have been handled differently.” The Roger Evans had been guarding the approximate location of the wormhole the original colonists aboard the HG Wells had inadvertently fallen through forty-two years earlier. Since then, the Survey Service had discovered and explored wormholes leading to five other star systems. They had not, however, been able to determine the location of the wormhole leading back to Earth, but it was decided that a ship should be stationed in the area in case someone came calling.

Finally, someone had come, a United Nations ship that had appeared eight hours earlier. The Evans had challenged them immediately, and a tense standoff ensued. The UN commander had demanded that Rogers stand down and allow them to proceed to New Geneva. Rogers had replied that they would not be allowed anywhere close to his home world, and punctuated his assertion by locking them up with fire control radar and lidar.

The UN vessel had retreated through the wormhole, and then had reappeared two hours later – with two consorts.

This time, they opened fire as soon as they transited. Unfortunately for them, Rogers had positioned a dozen missiles, using them as mines to cover the wormhole’s now confirmed exit vector - with Admiral Peters’ fervent approval. A single scout had also managed to reach the Evans’ position literally minutes before the battle resumed. The two Genevan warships had handled the three intruders roughly indeed, judging from the observational data gathered from sensor arrays and the ships involved.