The space around Ranquil wasn’t what Miram would call terribly busy, but there was more traffic than in Sol space. Most of it was freighters now, big and slow with power curves a tad below a quarter of a planetary mass. They affected local space-time like a reasonably sized moon when on full power and not masking their gravity.

Heroics, on the other hand, were like rogue planets blundering through a star system, impossible to miss, even if you were half-blind. When dropping into the orbit of an inhabited world, or really any world, a Heroic Class ship had to mask its gravity carefully. If they weren’t careful, they could cause a tidal surge in the best case or sling a planet out of its orbit in the worst.

That last bit was more theoretical than anything else, but the point remained that Heroic Class ships were flying weapons of mass destruction, even without counting the actual weapons they packed.

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

IBC Piar Cohn, System Approach

► “Drasin trace readings, Captain.”

Aymes looked up from his station. “How old?”

“Two rotes, Captain. Maybe two and a half, not three.”

Aymes nodded slowly. “Well, it is a beginning. Redirect our course: standard sweep around the system. Keep us in line with the planetary plane. Look for warped space and time.”

“Yes Captain. Course adjusting now.”

The Piar Cohn shifted from its entry track, moving to a planar orbit around the system primary well outside the planetary orbits. Aymes turned his focus to the long-range scanners, watching as the ship moved. Reaching out over eight light-fractals, the scanners were looking for any unexplained gradations in the local dimensional fabric.

The usual depressions and elevations were evident as they progressed around the rim of the system, and Aymes was an old hand at reading live charts. He noted the slight depressions of each of the major planets in the system as well as a nearby planetoid’s incline, also taking in the corresponding elevations caused by the interplay of gravity waves.

Nothing to indicate the passage of a warp field, however.

“It’s been too long,” he growled. “Any trail by now is long faded.”

The officer at the scanning station nodded, glad that the captain had said it first.

“Yes Captain.”

“Where was the next scheduled system the Drasin were to investigate?” Aymes asked finally.

“One Three Four Nine in this sector.”

“Very well. Set a new course. Least time for system One Three Four Nine,” Aymes ordered.

“Course prepared, Captain. Permission to apply?”

“Permission granted.”

►►►

AEV Odysseus

► Eric was down the ramp before it touched the deck of the Odysseus, his boots ringing on the platform a split second before those of his Marines. He curtly acknowledged the two Marines as they took up positions on either side of the ramp, but didn’t slow down as he crossed the deck and headed for the lift.

“Captain.”

“Commander,” Eric greeted Miram without slowing or looking around.