Chapter 581

Deep Space

The target practice went on with every interceptor crew getting several chances to attack the high-speed asteroid targets flung from a single ship, and sometimes by two ships at the same time.

Wanting to observe the teams as they worked without them realizing he was there, Jeff instructed Ship to remain invisible as they approached the general practice area. Once Ship had located the interceptors, she and Jeff watched the squadron practice over the next half hour.

As Jeff sat in the command seat sipping coffee and discussing the practice with Ship and Kayla, Ship interrupted to say, “My sensors are picking up some extremely low-level energy emissions coming from there,” she said as her screen focused on a section of the belt that was several light seconds from the action.

“Magnify, please,” Jeff told her.

Ship’s best magnification of the asteroid that she had marked with a red circle still showed only barely more than a large dot on her screen. “My passive scanners are at maximum. Shall I go to active scanning or draw nearer? If I do either, the interceptor crews will detect us, and whatever is on that asteroid might also.”

“So, you’re certain there’s something there?”

“Absolutely,” she returned, almost in a huff that the validity of her sensors would be questioned. “That is a highly technical emission and is undoubtedly not a ‘natural’ phenomenon. Granted that it is extremely faint; nevertheless, I am positive that something is there.”

Jeff chuckled. “Looks as if we have stumbled onto the alien scout, or whatever the little ship’s purpose is. It’s for damn sure that Earth doesn’t have anything out here.”

“Should we risk detection and draw nearer?” Ship asked.

Jeff thought for a moment. “Any evidence that they are doing anything other than observing the interceptors and their games?”

“They do not have any weapons powered up, but I can only surmise as to the reason the alien craft is there.”

“And that is?”

“To observe Earth, of course. Even I did not know precisely where the teams were going to practice, and probably neither did they until they arrived in the belt and their commander decided.”

“Could you capture the alien scout without damaging it or starting a shooting match?” Kayla asked.

Ship hesitated before she answered Kayla, and with her computer speeds, that was impressive. “Doubtlessly, my tractor beam could immobilize the small ship, but it is impossible to determine what the aliens inside would do under those circumstances. Some races, when captured, immediately suicide.” Then directing her answer to her Prime, “I am aware that you do not wish to fight the alien mother ship unless it is absolutely necessary, because it may start a war with their home planet – a war that might well be very difficult, if not impossible, to win. There is only one of me, and there is no way to determine how many ships they may have. If they have had space travel over a relatively long period of time, they may well have dozens or even hundreds of major vessels.

“Alternately, I doubt that they have faster than light communication, and because of that, their homeworld might not know precisely where the mother ship is. This is further substantiated by the ship not having received assistance in repairing their drive. However, it also stands to reason that their home should know generally where the ship is. Certainly, they would have been given orders along those lines before leaving their base. Should the ship fail to return in a reasonable length of time, it is also logical that a search for them would eventually stumble onto Earth. If the beings who built the giant ship are an aggressive race, the outcome could well be disastrous.”

“Yeah,” Jeff sighed out. “My thoughts also.” After another moment, “Do you think we could move closer without being detected?”

“They are obviously using only passive scans, but they are much closer to the area where our interceptors are practicing than we are. My invisibility shield affects frequencies from the lowest frequency radio waves to gamma rays, but there are many other ways to detect my presence. There is, of course, no equipment readily available on Earth that is capable of detecting me when I go invisible. However, it is certainly conceivable that the aliens have scanners sophisticated enough to detect my presence. A fluctuation in gravity waves is one possibility, and indeed, that is how I detected the alien scout. I am certain that they are only using passive scanning at present, but should they become suspicious, that might change. I, as you, My Prime, would rather that my presence not be known unless and until the alien mother ship attacks.”

“Oh, hell yeah,” Jeff agreed. “We certainly want you to be a surprise to them – if they attack.”

“Orders?”

“Let’s just remain where we are and observe,” Jeff said after a slight pause. “Arlene and the teams know that I want to keep you a secret unless the aliens attack, so they won’t try to contact us by radio.”

While the target practice had been going on, there were always at least two interceptors with their tractor beams spread wide, catching and gathering up the debris from the exploded asteroids. Eventually, all ten ships working together pushed the debris cloud into an orbit that would ultimately spiral it into the sun.

The debris removed from the range, the interceptors formed up and headed back toward Earth at a quarter light.

Aboard the alien craft, the Second Officer finally relaxed in his seat. “Our tractor beams would never spread that wide and still have enough energy to gather up the destroyed asteroids,” he said with a sigh that he barely managed to hold in check. As far as our AI could tell at this range, they missed only a few times, if any, and their approaches were at enormous velocities, even though they frequently changed direction or even reversed course. Course changes seem to make no discernible difference in their speed. They are instantly going in a different direction at seemingly any speed they have chosen.

“If they are going to change directions without slowing, and in the process, they can also instantly change their speed should they want to, there is no real way to determine where our weapons are to fire. By the time we can track and fire, they will be somewhere else. It would be suicide to enter into combat with them.”

“There is something else, Second,” the pilot said as he put words to thoughts even as they occurred. “Did you notice how thoroughly they cleaned up behind themselves?”

“Well, certainly. Maybe they are neat freaks. So?”

“I do not think they have any particular penchant for neatness, but the thorough removal of all debris might well mean that this is a reoccurring incident for these beings.” When the Second frowned, the pilot went on. “They cleaned up after themselves so that the next group would not run into some of the exploded chunks and gravel when they come to practice. It seems certain to me that this is a range, and the range master insists that each group should clean up after themselves. Which in turn, suggests, as we mentioned before, that this Earth has many such fighters.”

The Second Officer put his cup under the dispenser to pour himself more stim before sitting to think. Should I order this vessel moved to the giant moon that hovers so close to the planet, or should I continue to watch what appears to be Earth’s local fighters’ practice area? Moving closer to the planet would undoubtedly provide more information, but the risk would go up enormously. If we are captured or destroyed, the First will be deprived of sorely needed information, some of which we already have, if we manage to deliver it: the inertialess drives, for instance, not to mention the enormous velocities those fighters can instantly achieve.

I strongly doubt that the fighters that were just here have warp drive capabilities, but I realize that my opinion may be influenced by the fact that our Paladins do not have warp drives. I am not certain, of course, but I have the feeling that I am correct. Then, I wonder if these fighters were launched from the planet or a mother ship? Of course, that also begs the question of what type of vessel has been observing our ship; the same vessel that the First swears remains out there watching us.

While the Second Officer was weighing his options, Jeff had Ship move away. When they were at what Ship thought was a safe distance, he had her translate back to Earth to await the squadron’s arrival.

As soon as Arlene and Ann’s interceptor came to a halt on the flight deck, Jeff was standing beside it, waiting.

“Dad, you didn’t come out after all,” Arlene began.

“I was there and so is something else,” he said as he gently kissed, first one, then the other of his wives. “I strongly suspect it’s the little ship that the scout team watched leave the mother ship. I want you and three others to go out and do the same thing that you just finished doing.”

“What? Why?” Ann asked before cutting herself off as her quick mind began to get the idea. “You want them to think there are a lot more of us than there actually are, right?”

“Got it in one. Now, use a slightly different course and arrive at a different speed, but still quite fast.”

“We’re a different group. Do some different things. Got it,” Arlene said even as she snapped her helmet back into place to talk to her squadron. “Gotta go,” the two girls said in perfect unison before giving their husband a quick hug and turning back to their interceptor.

In only a couple of minutes, Ship had completed the minor servicing needed for the four interceptors. Shortly, they were again combat-launched, this time from the ground.

Arlene’s group turned ninety degrees from the direction of the asteroid belt before traveling a full light minute. Abruptly, they changed course for the area of the belt that they had just used, now moving at a third light speed. Ship had sent the coordinates of the alien spy vessel’s hiding place, and Arlene made certain the group would be a little closer this time.

The alien’s passive scanners barely detected a group of incoming fighters before they were suddenly there. These four fighters darted to and fro bringing asteroids together until they created a grouping that, if they had been in a gravity field, would have formed a large pile. Three of the fighters remained together, all lined up and presumably waiting. Suddenly, the fighter by the collection of rocks did something and a somewhat smaller asteroid than the first group used, shot forward, obviously accelerated by the tractor beam of the fighter hovering behind the grouping. One of the fighters launched at a speed that made it virtually disappear, but a short moment later, there was an explosion of asteroid debris in the distance. Moments later, the fighter returned from a different direction. Another small asteroid was launched, and the cycle continued. This group of fighters seemed ... almost reckless as they returned at incredible speeds to abruptly stop almost exactly in line, then spin in place to end up facing downrange to await their turn.