"Uh, that would be a no, Joe. This is a tough nut to crack. The Thuranin analysis, and I've confirmed their analysis from the raw data, is that the Kristang have done a very good job of hardening their defenses specifically against the Thuranin. Despite their best efforts at secrecy, the Kristang think it reasonably likely the Thuranin are at least aware there is a research facility in the asteroid, and they have gone to considerable trouble and expense to prevent the Thuranin from swooping in and stealing their goodies."

"Well, crap." Now he'd ruined my sleep. "It's impossible, then?"

"No, I didn't say that. The Thuranin can take the asteroid if they really want to, and the Kristang know it. The point of the Kristang defenses is to make it difficult enough for the Thuranin, that the Thuranin will decide raiding the asteroid isn't worth the cost."

I shook my head in the darkness. "Great alliance the Maxohlx have assembled, everyone has to worry about getting screwed by their allies as much as they worry about the enemy."

"It is a weakness for them, yes."

"Bottom line, Skippy," I asked because of his tendency to ramble on, "is raiding this asteroid worth it to us? You made it sound like we don't have much of a choice."

"You don't have any choice, that I know of. The only reference I can find to an Elder wormhole controller module is at this asteroid. Elder artifacts aren't something you can find on eBay, Joe. We get it from this asteroid base, or you give up on shutting down that wormhole."

He maddeningly hadn't answered my question. "All right, it's worth it to us. I'll ask this slowly so you'll understand," lack of sleep made me cranky, "can we do it? With this ship, and the people and equipment we have onboard? Wait, wait a minute!" That little shithead was likely to misunderstand anyway. "I'll be more specific; do we have a good chance of success?"

"Oh, sure, no problemo, Joe! Even better now that I have more data. The Thuranin have been probing the Kristang defenses around the asteroid, partly to evaluate the Kristang's level of technological development, and partly because the Thuranin are hateful little motherfuckers who love to screw with lesser species. With the Thuranin having done the first part of the job for us, I know how to sneak right up to the front gate, so to speak. The Thuranin got very close, their reports indicate blind spots in the Kristang sensor network. Like I said, this is good news."

"Good news that could have waited until I woke up."

"Sorry about that, Joe. You can go back to dreamland now."