Several minutes passed without incident as Static analysed the available information. He was intrigued as to how these new visitors had stumbled onto the ship’s location. The last set of visitors had been less than cooperative, so maybe this time he would find out how the ship’s position had been compromised.
“Nexus, let Drake know we have company, and summon him here.”
“Understood,” the emotionless female voice said.
As he continued his work a kayak suddenly materialised next to him, albeit around two metres above the ground, and plummeted to the semi transparent floor. Static jumped away from the console as a rather surprised looking Drake let out a guttural scream as his kayak hit the ground.
Drake was dazed from the impact, looking around and wondering where the rapids he was navigating had vanished off too.
He looked at Static and snapped, “You’ve got to stop doing that!”
“Sorry… should have said ‘request’, not ‘summon’. My bad,” Static apologised, though Drake was in no way convinced it had been an accident.
This wasn’t the first time Static had ‘mistakenly’ summoned Drake to another area of the Virtual Environment, and while the process could never be fatal it had often proven to be… embarrassing.
Still annoyed, Drake got off the kayak, walked to the console and entered a set of commands, causing the kayak to vanish and his clothes to change to something more appropriate.
His outfit had changed to a black T-shirt with shoulder emblems, black cargo trousers and reinforced boots. His shoulder length brown hair now neatly combed and caught in a ponytail.
Drake stared at him with his brown eyes and asked in an upset tone, “You realise that I will get you back for this eventually, right?”
Static smiled and said, “You should be thankful. At least you had your pants on this time.”
“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” Drake asked with an embarrassed look, noting that Static was clearly enjoying himself.
“Ha ha ha… nope!” Static smiled mischievously as he turned his attention back to the console.
“This better be worth it!” Drake said.
“We have guests,” Static said as he pointed at the screen showing the far off ship that was approaching their location on sub-light engines only.
“How many?” Drake asked as his attitude changed completely, letting go of his frustration and getting down to business.
“One ship, readings suggest it’s frigate class, but it’s still too far out to tell for certain with only passive sensors,” Static said.
“Let’s hope they’re friendlier than the last bunch,” Drake said as he looked in the direction of some ship debris: all that remained of their last ‘visitors’.
“Place your bets! Treasure hunters, explorers, police or pirates?” Static asked as he mimicked the voice and mannerisms of a bookie.
“Do we have a visual yet?” Drake asked.
“Yep, it should be close enough to get something,” Static replied as he worked the console controls, causing a small rectangle to appear around the approaching ship off in the distance, which then rushed towards the two of them, showing a magnified view. The image was blurred at first, but was becoming progressively clearer as the ship got closer.
“I can’t make out any significant details yet. Nexus, is there a database match?” Drake asked.
“Insufficient data, would you like to go to active scanning mode?” Nexus asked.
“No. I doubt the locals would react very well if they were to find out we were here,” Drake said as he looked at the screen.
The image of the inbound ship was improving, but very slowly. This was an inevitable consequence of their current circumstances which made their own sensors virtually useless, forcing them to have to rely on some probes that were deployed nearby.
A few minutes passed without much of a change but then the image started improving dramatically: as the inbound ship finally entered the local probes effective range.
“Nexus, check the database again using the latest information,” Static ordered.
“No exact match found,” Nexus reported.
“It looks familiar,” Drake said as he wondered where he had seen the design before. “Nexus run a new search. Focus on unlicensed models, and compare against baseline designs.”
“Working… 83% match to ‘Virgo Space Systems’ ‘Patriarch’, model ‘T5’.”
“A modified patriarch eh? That certainly doesn’t narrow it down, they were quite popular back in the day,” Drake said somewhat frustrated.
“Nexus, give us a general overview of the Patriarch T5 please,” Static asked.
“The Patriarch was originally conceived by engineers at ‘Solar Aerospace Incorporated’ while working to create a general purpose model aimed at supporting colonial development. The design was shelved due to safety concerns. Original design acquired, using unknown means, by ‘Virgo Space Systems’ and re-developed at the request of ‘Virgo II’ colonial authority.
Resulting design incorporated support for:
Two, class five, high power weapon systems.
Three, class six, high power weapon systems.
Modular cargo bay.
VSS Reliant Burst Drive Engine.
Baseline design report ends.”
“Now I remember!” Static smiled. “The safety concerns were that they could be retrofitted into makeshift warships, and the S.A.I corporation was afraid to be seen as pro-colonial, risking contracts with the Solarian Union.
So they shelved the design only to have someone steal and mass produce the thing.
The S.A.I lost out on a stupid amount of money and still got blamed, classic!”
“Hmm, class 5 and 6 are destroyer weapons, they would have to be hull mounted on a frigate. Now I could be wrong, but I don’t see anything that looks like hull mounted weapons on this ship,” Drake said.
“You’re right,” Static said after taking a closer look.
“So… no weapons, no escorts and they haven’t tried to actively scan us yet, which probably means they also don’t want to get noticed by the locals,” Drake said, wondering who they could be.
“Too subtle for military or police patrols, and your average corporation lackey wouldn’t venture out here alone… so, an independent is the best bet, but what would it be doing here? We picked this area because it’s effectively a dead spot, there’s no reason for anyone to come here…” Drake said as he turned around and looked at Static, who was grinning… never a good sign.
“I know that look, you’re gonna do something I’m not going to like, aren’t you?” Drake asked.
“What ever do you mean?” Static asked with a shocked expression, as if he had just been insulted.
“I was just planning on testing them out. Honestly! You don’t think very highly of me do you?”
“Test them… how?” Drake asked with a solemn expression, not buying Static’s innocent act.
Static smiled from ear to ear as he said, “Nexus. Deploy one of the perimeter monitoring probes to the target. Have it take some active scans.”
“Deploying nearest probe: ‘15-Alpha’,” Nexus said.
“You know those things aren’t cheap, you could just open up a channel and talk to them,” Drake said.
“Actions speak louder than words, you know that.”
“Yes, but I’m the one that has to fix or replace the probes when the crap hits the fan,” Drake said, clearly displeased at Static’s plan of action.
“It will be fine,” Static said reassuringly.
“You said that last time, and I’m still 2 probes short of a full set…” Drake was saying as he noticed Static’s growing smile. “Wait, that didn’t come out right.”
“I don’t know… it sounds about right to me.”
Probe 15-Alpha was sitting 200K out as part of a spherical monitoring network that was quietly working to collect information on the local area.
Devices like this ha
d no offensive capabilities. And if properly outfitted with enough shielding could go virtually undetected to all but the most sophisticated sensors, as long as they didn’t perform active scans, or move.
Having received its updated orders, the probe began retracting its sensors as its thrusters fired in order to align itself with the target.
The probe’s shell closed up so as to protect the delicate instruments during transit, and its main engine fired, causing the black sphere to quickly shoot off at full speed in the direction of the incoming vessel.
The Discovery
Meanwhile, back at the Icarus…
Jude was still trying to analyse the sensor data when she noticed a change in the readings coming from the vicinity of the derelict.
“Contact… no, wait, it’s gone? I’m sure I saw something just now,” Jude said as she called up the last few seconds of sensor data on her display.
“What do we have?” Kade asked.
“Definite sensor contact, short lived but high power, from the area of the derelict,” Jude said as she examined the data closely.
“Can you identify the signature?”
“It was an engine burn, I think…” Jude paused briefly as she considered the possibilities. “I’d guess it’s some kind of small scale deployable.”
Concerned, Kade said, “Seems we were spotted. I guess our target isn’t as dead as it looks. Nick, slow our approach by 10%.”
“10%, aye,” Nick replied as he slowed down the Icarus approach speed. The braking engines flaring up momentarily in a light blue colour as the stress from the deceleration caused vibrations to propagate throughout the ship’s structure.
The black sphere was shooting through space on pure inertia as its on-board systems determined that it was no longer on an intercept course, causing its main engine to flare up again.
“Contact… and… it’s gone again,” Jude said as she noticed another sensor spike. “Definitely an engine burn, and it’s on an intercept course. It’s fast too. It will intercept us in less than five minutes.”
Nervous, Nick said, “We should probably leave now.”
“No!” Kade said defiantly. “Not yet. We’re too close to turn back now, we’re not leaving empty handed. Jude, go to active scan mode, they already know we’re here so let’s see exactly what’s out there.”
“Switching to active scan mode, charging directional sensor array, 10 seconds to go,” Jude said as she started releasing all the safeties on the system.
Nick smiled faintly and said, “So much for stealth.”
“Can’t be helped now,” Kade said, knowing she risked detection by the Solarian patrols.
“4… 3… 2… 1… We are now actively scanning the area,” Jude said and then paused as she examined the new sensor data. “This can’t be right…”
“Talk to me!” Kade said as her anxiety increased.
“Debris, dust, and… nothing else?” Jude asked, seemingly confused by what she was seeing.
“What? So what’s homing in on us?” Nick asked.
“Nothing! There’s no echo returns… how is that possible?” Jude said rhetorically as she tried to make sense of what she was looking at.
“It’s shielded? That’s it, we’re leaving!” Nick said, almost in a panic, as he started hurriedly plotting an escape route into the navigation system. The Icarus was still far enough outside the dead-zone to allow it to Burst out, but just barely.
“Plot the course but don’t Burst yet,” Kade ordered. “Jude get some scans of the derelict. Hurry!”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to do,” Jude said as she went over the sensor data again and again. “According to the sensors there’s no derelict. Nothing’s there!”
“Now can we leave?” Asked an agitated Nick.
Kade all but shouted in sheer frustration, “Dammit! We were so close. Get us out of here!”
Kade needed answers, and she was so close she could feel them, but the situation was degrading rapidly. She had already taken too many stupid risks on this mission, and she wasn’t about to risk their lives.
The burst sequence was set, and the Icarus had begun diverting energy into the hyper-light drive as the navigation thrusters fired so as to align the ship to its destination, a nearby mining outpost.
The atmosphere on the Icarus was tense, and Jude could do little but keep an eye on the sensors as the ship charged its Burst drive.
She was scared. They had been in some sticky situations before but never one where a ship the size of a dreadnought would fail to register on sensors.
She was also a little excited at the prospect of such stealth technology existing. What she wouldn’t give to take it apart and see what made it tick.
The pitch black sphere was rapidly approaching the Icarus but was now on a collision course due to the ship’s sudden attitude change. The probe’s surface seemed to break apart as sections of the protective shell moved aside, revealing a multitude of hidden thrusters as it started taking evasive action.
The thrusters on the probe ignited, shifting its approach vector just enough to overshoot the Icarus, though not by much. And then its main engine fired once again, causing the probe to shed all of its forward momentum as the thrusters put the unit into a close orbit around the Icarus just as the ship was about to Burst away from the area.
The probe wasted no time, directing its main sensor array at the ship and starting an active scan. Causing the sensors on-board the Icarus to light up like a Christmas tree.
“Contact! Object has entered orbit… and… it’s actively scanning us!” Jude said, feeling relieved.
“It’s a probe?” Kade asked, pleasantly surprised.
“I’ll take that over a missile, or torpedo, any day,” Nick said, also thankful for the revelation.
“Stop the Burst sequence,” Kade ordered. Her frustration now replaced by curiosity. “But slow our approach until we can figure out what we’re dealing with.”
The probe was rapidly orbiting the Icarus, changing its orbital path ever so slightly with each loop around the ship while performing a very thorough scan. And Jude was happily returning the favour, as she tried to determine the probe’s make and model. Which would hopefully give some clues about the owners.
“Well this is frustrating… I can’t figure out what kind of probe it is. It doesn’t match anything on the open or the black market lists,” Jude said.
“Are we dealing with some new technology or,” Kade paused briefly as she collected her thoughts. “…check against historical records, maybe it’s just an older model.”
“So then… are we no longer concerned about the ghost derelict?” Nick asked with an impatient tone as he couldn’t help but notice that Kade and Jude were now fully focused on the probe.
“It’s probably shielded, it would make sense,” Kade said as she looked away from her console, towards the main screen displaying the image of the derelict.
“How, exactly, does that make sense? It’s the size of a Carrier! Maybe even bigger. You can’t shield something that big. Jude, help me out here,” Nick said, somewhat irritated.
“I’m not aware of any way of shielding such a large ship, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” Jude said without looking away from her screen, much to Nick’s mounting frustration.
While Kade wasn’t showing it, she was concerned, only a fool wouldn’t be. But at the moment there was nothing she could do about it. The probe, on the other hand, could offer some potential answers.
“The derelict isn’t going anywhere, and if we’re gonna board it then I want to know as much as possible before hand. Better safe than sorry,” Kade said.
“Tell that to the crew of the destroyed ship,” Nick said as he gestured towards the debris near the derelict. “I don’t know about you but I’d rather not die yet. Maybe we should just leave.”
“No,” Kade said without hesitation. “We have come too far to leave empty handed. There are too many questions, and I will have s
ome answers before we leave.”
Jude couldn’t help but smile. She knew that when her sister got that determined look on her eyes there was no talking her out of anything.
“I’m finished searching the records. There’s no match to either current or historical models.
Whoever makes this probe type doesn’t sell them to any of the colonial markets we have access to. But maybe that’s not too surprising,” Jude said.
“Why not?” Kade asked.
“The precision and efficiency of the scan being directed at us is better than even the military probes currently used by the Union. It’s intense enough to get detailed information from us, and yet, I doubt anyone else in the system can even tell it exists. It’s also worth noting that my own scans can barely register the thing, it has some serious shielding. If this probe is any indication of the technology level of the target, then we’re dealing with a power more advanced than the Sol Union,” Jude explained.
“So…” Nick started saying, “we have a carrier sized ship our sensors can’t detect. Ship debris, which tells us the thing probably isn’t quite dead. And a probe, that puts Sol technology to shame, giving us a rather uninvited physical,” he paused while looking at Kade. “What have you gotten us into this time?”
“We’re about to find out,” Jude said while staring at her screen with a surprised look on her face. “We’re getting a signal from the probe.”
“What’s it saying?” Kade asked excitedly.
“‘Requesting Identification, comply or depart’, message repeats.”
“OK, send it our credentials.” Kade smiled in anticipation.
“Sending… message changed, It now says ‘Icarus ship registration is unknown, state your allegiance, comply or depart’.”
“Our allegiance? Seriously?” Kade asked with a surprised look. “Who speaks like that anymore? We owe allegiance to no-one, so… Independent.”
“Sending… it now says ‘Sigma authorisation required, comply or depart’.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Nick asked with a puzzled expression.
Shadow Core - The Legacy Page 2