Ted wasn’t too surprised.  Ground-based defences were expensive and unreliable ... although, with their technology, the aliens could probably create something more capable than humanity had been able to produce.  But Alien-One was clearly nothing more than a tiny settlement and a POW camp, perhaps a clearinghouse for the aliens to use to sort through their prisoners and work out who they wanted to interrogate more carefully.  Or perhaps they just wanted to put the POWs out of the way and forget about them.

He shook his head.  The aliens had gone to too much effort to gather the POWs merely to leave them alone.  Perhaps, once the POWs were recovered, they could shed light on how they’d been treated – and why.  Or perhaps they'd be as ignorant as their fellow humans.

There was a bleep from the tactical console.  “Wait,” Farley said.  “One large ground-based transmitted, several hundred miles from the POW camp.  It’s broadcasting out into space.”

Ted didn’t hesitate.  “Kill it,” he ordered.  That far from the POW camp there would be no risk of hurting the prisoners.  “Can you identify the intended destination?”

Farley shook his head.  “The signal was beamed towards Tramline Four,” he said.  “But I don't know what – if anything – actually heard it.”

They won't have heard it yet, Ted thought.  Tramline Four – leading further into alien-controlled space - was five light minutes from the planet.  But even though the transmission had been terminated, there was no stopping the first signal burst from reaching its destination.  There must be a ship there, lying doggo.  They’ll bring help from the next system.

Farley looked up.  “The transmitter is dead, sir,” he said.  On the display, a fireball was rising from where the frigate-launched KEW had struck the transmitter.  “But I still don't know where it was aimed.”

“Launch a pair of additional drones towards Tramline Four,” Ted ordered.  “If there are reinforcements within shouting distance, they’ll have to come from there.”

He tried to work it out in his head, then gave up as he realised there just wasn't enough data to make even educated guesses.  What was on the other end of Tramline Four?  If there was an alien fleet in the system, how long would it take them to power up and advanced to Alien-One?  Long enough to get the POWs off the surface ... or quickly enough to force Ted to abandon some of them on the ground.

“Vector two frigates towards the tramline,” he ordered, after a moment.  The frigates weren’t stealthy, but their sensors were better than the drones.  Besides, they could pop through the tramline themselves and see what was on the other side.  “I want advance warning if something pops through.  If nothing does by the time the frigates arrive, one of them is to jump into the tramline and investigate.”