Chapter 2

Banorin Confederation science and survey vessel, Treffin, was in trouble. While exploring a likely system with a planet that would only take a small amount of terraforming, their sensors picked up multiple hyper exits. Being a science ship, they had excellent telescopes and visual devices. They quickly trained their largest telescope towards the ships and were stunned.

After running the photos through their ship ID center, it had come back with Ship or ships configuration unknown. The captain ordered the ship ready for departure. Even before the space normal drive had finished coming on line, they detected missile launch.

They went into emergency acceleration and ran for it. It had been a close call, but they reached the point in space where they were able to enter hyper. As they were running, they were getting as much information from their pursuers as possible, and that was an enormous amount of information. Science vessels had capabilities that were unique.

They noticed that they had been followed into hyper space. They had gotten good readings of the space normal drive frequencies and they had read the break out stats from all 5 ships that were now pursuing. They needed help and protection. A science vessel was not up to taking on any military type of vessel. For days and days they ran. So slowly that it took the computers of the ship to measure, they were slowly pulling away. But still the unknowns followed them. Every instrument that could be used to identify and measure the intruders was used.

"Sir? We seem to be developing a slight fluctuation in one of our hyper drive generators. To be exact, generator three is out of sync." Engineer Florence Shelter said.

"Can you do anything about it?" Asked Captain Arnold Billings.

"Not while we are in hyper. We need to shut down hyper drive to make adjustments. I have checked and double checked, and we have stopped pulling away from the intruders. We are holding even right now, but if it gets any worse, we will start to lose ground." The engineer told her captain.

"Ok. Then we need a safe place to exit hyper. One that will afford us protection from our pursuers." The captain pondered. "Let me know if it gets any worse. Captain out."

Once again, the captain pulled up charts on his screen. They would not be able to reach any home world for several more days. If the fluctuation got worse, then they would be over taken and forced out of hyper. The closest world he could get to that might have protection was in the Newcastle Empire. They had been paralleling the Empire for some time now. He hated to do it, but he would have to change course and try for an Empire world. They could protect him, but they would also be somewhat pissed at him, for leading hostiles into their system.

Clan lord Rashva'ss was angry. The strange one had gotten away and was even now fleeing through hyper ahead of them. The only good news was that the forward sensors had detected a slight fluctuation in their hyper drive, and they had stopped pulling away from them. If the great one willed it, the strange one would become further disabled allowing the clan to claim the honor of first in the new expansion of the strange ones territory.

He was contemplating the riches and new slaves he could win by the capture of the strange ones. From the original sensor readings, they were much smaller than his ships. He preened at the thought of his ships. His crest rose unconsciously as he again thought of his three great ships and two sub great ships. Even his sub great ships dwarfed the strange ones size.

In the past, his race had captured and enslaved several other races, as was natural. Only the fastest, toughest and biggest deserved to win. So it was that they, the Shas'vsaz as a race ruled. Great Lord Sassvor would be pleased with the fact that a new race to conquer had been discovered.

He again looked over the data they had on the strange ones ship. It was only 650 meters long, which was much smaller than his ships. No weapons had been used, but it was very fast. They had also been able to detect his ship almost as soon as they had arrived in that system. This was disturbing, as only they had the secret of faster than light communication, and detection. It was an impossible thought that such a race other than theirs would have this ability.

Admiral Sethton was sitting in his day cabin when his door chimed. "Enter." He called out.

"Admiral? Captain Colter is on the com, and says she is picking up multiple hyper tracks entering the system." His aide informed him.

"Thank you. I will take the call in here." Admiral flipped on his desk monitor and shortly Captain Paula Colter was looking back at him.

"Sir. We have incoming hyper tracks. First track will put break out into normal space about here." The scene changed to show a point in space with the Battlesphere represented as a green dot in the center. A red dot was shown at 4 million kilometers north and west of their current position.

"The next group seems to be 5 ships, which is on an almost identical course. They will come out only 600 thousand kilometers behind the first ship. Also, sensors report that the first ship has a slight fluctuation in it's hyper drive. I have changed course to intercept and we will arrive at about the time they exit into normal space. Our exact position will be 500 thousand kilometers off their bow. Do you have any specific instructions you wish to input sir?"