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“If we weren’t phased, I’d put a light on it. It can’t be just a black blank,” Kila said. His muscled frame, obvious despite the armored padding of his black fleet uniform, thrummed with energy.
Despite his readiness to engage a potential enemy, he and Piras still displayed only concerned curiosity. No alarm. Because the ship was phased, occupying a space between their dimension and a supposed second dimension, it would be invisible to the visitor and in no danger from any attack.
Small black dots issued from the object, falling from its underside between the wavering tentacles. They fell toward the planet.
“Interesting. Computer, give me a closeup of one of those…emissions,” Kila ordered.
Hope tapped on her computer, trying to get a reading on them. Again, scans picked up no signs of entities of any sort. Their results were as empty as the large shadow.
“They’re miniatures of the parent vessel.” Piras’ mutter brought her attention back to the main vid. It showed one of the descending objects. “How large are they?”
“I still can’t get readings on them. I’m calculating size by comparing them to other measurable objects,” Hope answered as her fingers flew over the podium interface. “The smaller objects are about twelve meters in length.” The size of a city bus on old Earth, she estimated. “You could fit around fifty Kalquorians on board.”
“Hold on. It’s happening again.” Kila’s voice held a growl as he glared at the supposed vessel.
Hope gaped. Smaller versions were spewing from the bus-sized object the vid had zoomed in on and racing twice as fast to the planet. A widened view showed the rest were also ejecting miniature versions of themselves, which collected together and descended as a group.
Suspicion bloomed, and she flew through additional calculations. Her stomach dropped as she confirmed her hunch.
“Captain, they’re zeroing in on the location where our away team is.”
The chief engineer and her Imdiko clanmate Lokmi was suddenly at her side. “That can’t be good,” he muttered. His strong but handsome features were set in piercing intentness, framed by wavy black hair.
“We’re fucked,” mop-haired Veko agreed in another whisper.
Hope moved over to give Lokmi room at the console. “You’ve been following what’s going on?”
“Everything but the pictures.” He eyed the vid briefly before checking the readings.
“Open frequency to the away team, Veko.” Kila’s attention was riveted on his own console.
“Frequency open, Captain.”
“Subcommander Selt, respond.”
Silence answered. Kila shot a look at the waterfall of hair hovering over the com station.
“I can’t confirm they’re receiving us, Captain. There’s no sign of frequency disruption, but the weapons subcommander isn’t answering.”
“Use all frequencies. Away team, this is Captain Kila. Respond.”
Nothing.
Weapons Commander Jado’s lips had drawn into a snarl, but his voice was calm. “They’re operating phased, Captain. They should remain undetected by whatever those are.”
“I know, but I don’t like the situation. What are the odds the alien objects would head straight to where they are? I want to talk to them.”
“I’m giving you a power boost, Veko. If that thing is jamming us, maybe it’s as impossible to read as the scans.” Lokmi tossed a glance over his shoulder. “Any luck?”
The hair swayed a negative. “I’m issuing the alert signal, and there’s still no sign of interference, but they aren’t responding.”
Hope had continued her calculations. “Based on the rate of descent, the smallest objects should have reached the planet’s surface by now, Captain.”
Kila leveled what Hope thought of as his evil smile on her, Lokmi, and Veko, betraying his patience was fast failing. “Half a dozen of our best men are down there. Get me a com connectionimmediately.”
Hope checked the helm, where the first officer, Dramok Deram, piloted the spyship. It was impossible to see his model-perfect face; he was almost directly in front of her, facing the vid. She thought the set of his shoulders appeared tense, but his fingers ran smoothly over his console. He never uttered a word except to direct the navigator to his right.
Weapons Subcommander Nobek Selt was Deram’s clanmate, and a damned good officer. He was also a good man, unfailingly upbeat. Almost civilized, for a Nobek.
