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the records of this trip should warn them off. I want double-shifts on the scanners, with every sensor manned continuously. Our mission is on hold until we find out who that was.”
    * * *
    The sensor operator of the Servan Shree was down on his knees, pressing his head to the floor in supplication in front of his captain. “Forgiveness, oh Mighty Gral. Forgiveness. I only sought to identify the intruder.”
    “Fool. Their reaction shows that you only alerted them to our presence. Were we detected?” he asked his second-in-command.
    “No, Mighty Gral. Their sensors sweeps never touched our hull. They are continuing their search though, and we are having to keep the planet between us.”
    The Mighty Gral nodded. “And why did we not detect them earlier? They did not just appear out of nowhere.”
    The second-in-command thought carefully before answering. “Mighty Gral, they apparently did appear out of nowhere. Our periodic sweeps of the sector did not reveal them until they were almost in orbit. We have no track on where they came from.”
    The Mighty Gral growled deep in his throat as he glared at his officers. “I want a full analysis of the sensor readings. I want to know who they are, and what they are doing here. And I don’t want them to find us until I have my answers.”
    A chorus of, “Yes, Mighty Gral,” answered him as he stalked from the control center. The lights were still down for battle, but bright yellow light flooded in through the hatch for a moment before it slammed shut.
    The sensor operator dared to peek up at the second-in-command when the door had slammed behind the captain. “Sir?” he asked softly.
    “Oh, stand up already,” the second snapped, causing the tech to scramble to his feet. “Begin analyzing what you got from your sweep. Report as soon as you have anything significant”
    The sensor operator did as he was commanded, scrambling to his station and immersing himself in his duties. Lights reflected from his black eyes as he tried to make sense of his information. Nothing about that ship looked right.
    * * *
    The crew of the Wells was similarly occupied. Their sensors were picking up traces of an ion drive operating in orbit, and the indications were that it had been there for quite some time. Captain Reordan sat in her command chair and fumed as her crew did their best to find out who they were dealing with. The only problem was that all indications were of a totally undocumented propulsion system. Finally nodding sharply to herself, the captain called her XO to her side. “Kell, I hate to do this, but think we need the weapons. Do you concur?”
    “I concur, Captain. In this instance we need every advantage available to us.” Taking the key chain from around his neck, he walked over to the weapon’s console and inserted his key into the slot. “Ma’am?”
    Captain Reordan nodded and joined him, placing her own key in the appropriate slot. They were on opposite sides of the console, facing one another as the captain counted down. “3, 2, 1, turn. Well, that’s it, Mister Frazier. We are once again a warship. Lords of Space, I hope we’re wrong.”
    “Agreed, Captain. Full shields?”
    “Yes. Whoever it was scanned us with no shields deployed at all. Let’s hope that we get a chance to scan them soon.”
    Captain Reordan pushed a key on her panel, and a voice almost immediately answered, “Chief’s Quarters, COB speaking.”
    “COB, we have activated the weapons. Have your damage control teams suited up and ready to go. We won’t go to Battlestations unless we are attacked, but we will not be caught unprepared.”
    “Understood, Captain.”
    “And Krys, put your suit on as well. They only hand out one blue ribbon per customer.” There was a loud laugh from the speaker before the connection was cut.
    * * *
    The sensor operator of the Servan Shree rushed excitedly to the second-in-command’s side and dropped his head to the bare metal deck as he waited for