Chapter 1

Space shimmied.

It did not shimmer.

The destroyer Odysseus appeared in normal space from within the shimmying disturbance of its emergence.

Several light-minutes distance further around the orbital plane of the target star the destroyer and division-mate Gilgamesh also made an appearance through the shimmying emergence radiation of its own arrival.

Further around the orbital plane another four destroyers and two destroyer-leaders of the 3rd destroyer squadron emerged from transfer-space. All six of the destroyers were matching members of their new class of third generation fleet combatants. They had replaced the second generation destroyers of the original squadron members. Those ships had been transferred to less demanding escort duties.

The two destroyer-leaders were also new construction. They were larger vessels, having been built upon light cruiser hulls. Instead of the more powerful armament of cruisers, the two vessels each carried the command, control, and communications suites of a flagship. Each also carried an immensely enhanced sensor suite. Because of the enhanced command and scouting functions, the two ships had significantly lesser combat capacity than the light cruiser class upon which they were based. Still, each of those two ships were the most powerfully armed members of the squadron. While lightly armed in comparison with true light cruisers of the regular combat fleet - they were 50 percent more combat capable than their squadron mates.

The eight ships of the squadron moved inward along the plane of the the stellar system with the inertial velocity of their transition across transfer-space. Their advance was by a staggered line, with ships placed high and low respective to the system plane. It was a slow and cautious advance into the unfamiliar system.

Commodore Nicholas Flythe suppressed a slight feeling of nausea while examining the readings shown on the instrument displays aboard the destroyer-leader Tassafaronga. Like so many others, Nick Flythe experienced some queasiness or nausea after undergoing any transition between differing travel modes.

The flag bridge was crowded with his staff and crew monitoring the actions of the entire squadron and also interpreting the results of the Tassafaronga's own sensor suite. The Tassafaronga was the third ship inward from the left flank of the advancing line of warships. The Odysseus and Gilgamesh were the two division mates advancing to the port of the line of advance.

The second division of the squadron was led by the Cape Esperance, with Captain Jacob Wiggins commanding the division. The Cape Esperance was placed as the third ship inward from the starboard flank of the squadron's line of advance. Like the Tassafaronga, the Cape Esperance was casting its enhanced sensor capabilities ahead of its squadron mates in search of information about the new space into which the force had entered.

The squadron advanced with an expectation of meeting some non-Terran human combine's forces. No intelligence had provided clear evidence of which combine might be presently controlling this system. It was even possible that some non-human alien force now controlled its resources. The only information available to Fleet Intelligence had been decades old and gleened from captured records. This was a new area for Fleet operations. Any sort of encounter was possible. Commodore Flythe, Captain Wiggins, their own chiefs of staff and operations officers, the squadron intelligence officers, and the individual ship captains had been briefed as to the possibilities of what they might encounter. They had shared these reports with the individual ship's executive and operations officers. A great many people had come to conclusion that they were about to leap into an abyss of the great big unknown.

Nubothank Extraction Station was an orbital platform in orbit about the single habital planet of a recently acquired planetary system.

Aboard the station Goalmanager Harthunk Primirep Oththank studied his displays with a general sense of satisfaction. He was performing his own duties and also those of two superiors. And he was doing well at all three tasks. It did help that his own assistants and sub-managers were taking some of his responsibilities and performing well. He had trained them all. Each and every one of them. He expected a promotion for himself and also for those who were loyal to him. It would be very satisfying to move up within the combine heirarchy and have those loyal to him climb along with him.

He thought of his subordinates and their performance, so far. His smile was nearly gleaming with the anticipation of what would happen when the Goalgovernor of the project returned to his duties. The Goalgovernor had needed to return to the regional Combine headquarters. He had accompanied his senior-most Goalquestor to the headquarters to turn in that thief to his superiors.

Everyone who had known Goalquestor Misquathank had admired his ability to accomplish his assigned tasks. None would have thought that he was a thief. Not one would have thought him to be a traitor to the Combine. The Uborthank Combine was the family to which all of its many employees belonged. It trained, housed, fed, and generally directed all of those who belonged to it and worked for it. Goalquestor Misquathank had stolen resources of the Combine and used them to his own purposes. What would happen to him at the regional Uborthank headquarters was not something to contemplate while partaking of nourishment.

Which was why Goalmanager Oththank found himself in charge of an entire planetary system's extractive effort.