Each of them had limited scanner capability while using a full-powered warp. The nature of the gravity deformation ahead of them actually trapped most spectrums of light and electromagnetic energy in the same manner as a black hole, despite the event not having anywhere near the same amount of gravitational force. Instead, the path of light was distorted as it entered the gravity sink ahead of the ships. Much of it was twisted from its original path and slung outward at another angle, completely missing the ship’s scanners.

While traveling at a rate many times the speed of light, having degraded scanners was a very bad thing.

Space was incalculably large, and mostly empty by human standards, thankfully. Otherwise, space travel would effectively be impossible due to a near 100 percent fatality rate, mostly because running into anything large enough to survive the gravity sink ahead of the ship was a sure way to ruin your day.

►►►

► “We’ve got a contact ahead, Skipper,” Steph spoke up first. “Approaching fast.”

“Got it,” Ensign Sams said from the scanner stations. “Large volume, limited reflectivity. It’s barely showing on scanners. How did you see that?”

“Corner of my eye,” Steph said. “We’re coming up fast, Cap.”

“Drop from warp,” Eric ordered. “Let’s see what we’ve located.”

“Aye aye, sir. Dropping from warp.”

The Odysseus dropped first, then the other ships of the squadron appeared around them in a slightly haphazard fashion that Eric took note of.

Haven’t had much need to practice formation flying at high warp, he noted critically. Going to have to change that. Our bad guys might like to fight while at warp, and that would be a hassle if we couldn’t match them.

Actually, he was well aware that it would be far more than a hassle. Fighting at warp had the potential to be a force majeure capability, at least if the other side didn’t have some capacity for the same. Hitting a ship before it could even see you coming, then being gone before you knew you were hit? That was some major bad mojo to be on the wrong side of, Eric decided.

Even if they don’t know how to fight at warp, we still need that capability in our quiver.

“Very little on visible wavelength passives, Captain. Not much on infrared either . . . ,” Sams grumbled.

“Go active,” Eric ordered.

“Sir?” Sams blinked, surprised. SOP on this mission had been to avoid active scanners like they were the Antichrist.

“Minimal risk in this case, Ensign,” Eric said. “I don’t think this is an Imperial installation.”

“Yes sir, apologies,” Sams said. “Active scanner return in three . . . two . . . one . . .”

The installation lit up ahead, quieting the crew. Or, rather, a part of the installation lit up. A very small part.

“Whoa,” Steph muttered. “It’s . . . too big to be a planet.”