“Yet too small to be a star . . . system,” Miram said dryly. “Frankly, Captain, I believe that I’m becoming . . . terrified of the galaxy.”

“You’re not alone, Commander.”

The active scanners were still trying to map the surface area of the installation they were looking at, which was already registering over a light-minute across, and their computers were still being flooded with data.

“What the hell does this one do?” Eric wondered aloud.

►►►

IBC Shion Thon, Flagship, Third Reconnaissance Squadron, Outer Limits, Priminae System, Por-Que

► The ships of Third Recon slowed from FTL as the gravity of the system primary began to exert enough force to make navigation a little less certain.

“Passive scanners only,” Misrem said, standing as the displays began to light up as their warp drives lessened enough to allow more electromagnetic radiation through. “Look for any sign of Captain Aymes’ troublemakers.”

The system was a relatively small one by Imperial standards, but as previous reconnaissance indicated, there was enough of an industrial framework around the inhabited world. Several other heavily industrialized spots in the system were located around the three asteroid fields and the third gas giant, all of which she assumed were part of the Oathers’ industrial infrastructure.

“One ship in orbit, My Lady Navarch,” her senior scanner tech announced. “Initial analysis indicates a very close match to the contact made by the Piar Cohn.”

Misrem smiled, satisfied.

One ship that fit the profile. She’d apparently lucked out. Still, they did have to confirm as best they could the vessel’s identity before any action could be taken.

“Try to match their armor signature against the profile,” she said. “That should give us our answer.”

“Working. However, we’re still quite far out, and the warp fields are lessening the efficiency of our scanners.”

“All stop, squadron wide,” Misrem ordered. “We’ll coast in while we analyze the data.”

“As you command, Navarch. All stop.”

The ships of Third Recon continued forward on momentum as they killed the space warping that was scrambling their scanners. Then, using time and improved scanner quality, they were better able to observe the system and potential target.

►►►

PW (Priminae Warship) Heral’c, Por-Que Orbit

► “Captain, we’re detecting an anomalous gravity fluctuation from the outer system.”

Captain Kierna Senthe rose from his station and walked across the command deck of the Heral’c. His ship had nearly been destroyed in the war with the Drasin, but it and his crew—most of them—had survived and received extensive refits. Now they were part of the colonial patrols, running through the outer systems that didn’t have enough population to mount a full Heroic Class ship but still needed some significant protection.

“Inbound vessel?” he asked, leaning over the scanner station.

“That is what it appeared to be. Several in fact,” his scanner tech, Ithan Kin Yorava, told him. “However, before we could confirm, the signal vanished.”