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World could penetrate it.”
    Keera stared
at Kurt worriedly. “You don’t understand because you’ve never seen the warships
of some of the more highly developed worlds. They are much more powerful than
you can imagine. It’s why the Profiteer fleets give them a wide berth and never
attempt to engage them. When you go to Kubitz, I want to go to. I need to speak
to Dalen.”
    Kurt didn’t
like the idea of her going back to Kubitz. Anytime he went to Kubitz, it could
turn dangerous. He was also curious about these warships Keera had spoken of. How
strange that both Tenner and Keera’s brother had mentioned them. It could still
be just a rumor, but it needed to be checked out. Perhaps when he got to Kubitz,
he would bite his tongue and speak to Avery Dolman. If the rumors of the black
ships were true, Dolman would know. Of course with Dolman, everything came with
a price.
    Kurt would
also like to get more information on the warships of the advanced worlds. It
might give him an idea of what type of danger these mysterious black ships
represented if they did exist. His attention shifted back to Keera, still waiting
for an answer.
    “Please,
Kurt, this is important. Even though Dalen and I don’t get along, he’s the only
family I have. I have to speak with him. From his message he sounds really
frightened.”
    “Let me think
about it overnight, and I’ll let you know in the morning.”
    Keera nodded.
“Kurt, this is important to me.” She stepped forward, taking his hand, tilting
her head, and gazing deeply into his eyes. “He’s my brother.”
    Kurt let out
a deep sigh. When she looked at him like that, it was almost impossible to say
no. “I need to think about what you just told me. There’s so much I’m trying to
understand.”
    “Your answers
lie on Kubitz. Everything can be found there,” she calmly reminded him.
    -
    A few days
later, Kurt was on Newton Station, preparing to leave for Kubitz. He was
meeting with Colonel Hayworth, who was in charge of ship construction on the
shipyard, and Colonel Simms, the commanding officer. They stood in one of the
station’s two construction bays, watching the construction of a new light
carrier.
    “That’s the Ticonderoga ,” Hayworth said with a pleased smile. “In two more months she’ll be
ready to put into space.”
    Kurt watched
as small construction robots scurried around the framework of the vessel. The
robots had been purchased from Lomatz, the Kubitz weapons dealer, and were
worth their weight in gold. Of course gold was how Newton had paid for them.
    “She’ll need a
commanding officer,” commented Colonel Simms, as he shifted his gaze away from
the ship. Several of the small robots were welding, and the bright arcs hurt his
eyes to watch.
    “I have someone
in mind,” Kurt answered. “Several of the light cruiser captains are in line for
a larger command. Captain Bridget Marsh of the Dallas would make an
excellent commanding officer for the Ticonderoga .”
    “I agree,”
responded Colonel Hayworth. “She’s a fine officer.”
    Kurt paused
and then focused his attention on Colonel Simms. “What about the fleet tugs?”
    “They left
this morning with the Vindication as scheduled,” Simms reported. “They’ll
bring back those two big Profiteer cargo ships first, as well as their captured
crews. When will you send them back to Kubitz?”
    “Shortly,”
Kurt replied. “We’ll interrogate a few of the officers and then negotiate their
return with the Marsten Profiteers.”
    Simms nodded. That
was how things were done on Kubitz.
    “What are the
plans for the big cargo ships?” asked Kurt. The two ships were each nearly one
thousand meters in length, larger than the Star Cross .
    “Governor
Spalding wants them converted to passenger liners to bring more colonists from
Earth,” replied Hayworth. “It should take about two months to change them over.”
    The construction
and repair bays on the shipyard had been modernized by Kubitz