Aymes gestured uncertainly. “I do not know, Navarch, but that is what the unknown contact did, and that modification made it nearly impervious to our primary lasers.”

She idly rubbed her cheek, smiling at the screen. “Well now, this is getting interesting. Are you satisfied that this is your anomaly, Captain?”

Aymes frowned. “It appears to be. However, it is difficult to be certain at this resolution.”

“Best guess, Captain,” Misrem demanded.

“Most likely yes, Navarch.”

“Excellent. Then we may begin,” Misrem said, eyeing her own command staff. “Stand by all ships to warp space once more. We will proceed into the system and engage the target ship. It is the only one in the area, so we should have little issue, even given the potential Captain Aymes fears it may have. Even so, all vessels are to take the utmost care. I will not tolerate the loss of a ship due to incompetence or simple overconfidence.”

“As you command, Navarch.”

“Very well. Power the drives; take us down into the system.”

►►►

► The powerful drives of the squadron lit off nearly in unison as they began to warp space to guide their fall toward the star. Fifteen drives going to full power in close proximity were a potential risk, particularly when they were using singularity drives to create the standing waves needed to impel the ships forward. The interacting gravity waves were not always nice enough to remain where one wanted them to, and the same interactions that created drive power for one ship could easily disrupt or, far worse, enforce drive strength on another.

Having your drive accidentally enforced beyond the level your ship could take was roughly the same as accidentally having a grenade’s power increased tenfold.

Very bad news for anyone in the immediate proximity.

So Imperial squadrons drilled incessantly to prevent such interactions while remaining in as close a formation as practical. Third Recon was a very well-trained squadron, and so when their drive signatures reached the Heral’c deep in the star system, the signal looked more like a single drive than a grouping.

►►►

PW Heral’c, Por-Que Orbit

► Captain Senthe swore, eyes wide as he watched the plot. “I want Central Command on the network, now!”

“Yes Captain!”

Now was a relative term in space travel, as linking to Ranquil Central Command actually took a few minutes.

“Captain Senthe,” Admiral Tanner addressed him from the screens, “what is happening?”

“I believe that we are about to come under assault, Admiral,” Senthe said, looking over from the telemetry plot.

Tanner stiffened, leaning into the display. “Drasin?”

“I do not believe so,” Senthe told him. “The signature of the drives is too tightly focused. They almost appear as one immense vessel. That is disciplined navigation, Admiral.”

Tanner tipped his chin curtly. “And the Drasin are anything but disciplined. That would also rule out freighters, Captain. I will check. Perhaps the Terran’s new task force is making a stop in your area.”