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the
data on the departing object?" asked Valkyrie.
     
    "Yes. Send the signal. Let me know as soon as you
receive his reply."
     
    Less than four minutes later, they had the additional data
and knew where the departing object was headed. Its destination was the Omega77
star system containing the next nearest alien colony. Pre-jump speed was low
enough that TF92 wouldn't have any trouble getting there first, but that begged
the question of what they would do when they got there. There was another
question that couldn't be answered.
     
    "How did they know where the nearest colony was?"
asked Shiloh.
     
    "I've discussed this question with Titan and the
others, CAG. The consensus is that a ship that large could easily carry smaller
vessels that could accelerate to much faster speeds and could therefore be used
as scouts to survey nearby star systems."
     
    "I shudder to think what 'smaller' means in the context
of a mothership that is at least 10 kilometers in diameter. For all we know,
their scouts could be as massive as our partially completed battleship back in
Sol," said Shiloh.
     
    "Possible, but not very practical. If all you wanted to
do was determine if a star system was inhabited, you wouldn't need scouts that
massive. On the other hand, you might want defensive vessels that massive to
help you defend the mothership," said Valkyrie.
     
    "Oh shit," said Shiloh in a low tone.
     
    "Why do Humans speak of excrement with the same
reverence that they use when they invoke the name of God, CAG?"
     
    Good question, thought Shiloh. He had never
considered it before and didn't have a good answer. Time to change the subject.
     
    "Bring the Task Force around to a heading for Omega77.
Accelerate at a rate that will allow Rainman to catch up before we jump. I want
TF92 to get there at least several days ahead of the VLO. Any questions
Commander?"
     
    "Negative, CAG. Vector change has been calculated and
is being implemented. Rainman will rejoin TF92 in 53.2 minutes. ETA at Omega77
is 39 hours from now."
     

Chapter 4 The Stuff of Nightmares
     
     
    The trouble with implanted com units is that someone can
call you at any time. The thought came to Shiloh as his implant clicked to
notify him of an incoming call while he was in the shower.
     
    "What is it, Commander?" asked Shiloh before
Valkyrie could say anything.
     
    "The VLO has arrived, CAG. We now have bearings from
all our recon drones in addition to our own. The VLO emerged approximately
where we expected, just over 300 million kilometers from the planet and just
under 224 million km from us. They're traveling at 2,988 km per second and
changing direction. The vector change is consistent with what they would need
in order to make a micro-jump directly towards the colony planet. I estimate
they'll be lined up for the micro-jump in 33.6 minutes, CAG," said
Valkyrie.
     
    "Has there been enough time for the colonists to see
them?"
     
    "Not yet, CAG. They'll see them in another two point
three minutes, but we won't see the colonists' reaction for eleven point one
more minutes after that."
     
    "Is the contact drone ready?" asked Shiloh.
     
    "That's affirmative, CAG. Just give the word."
     
    Shiloh chuckled. Valkyrie was even more eager than usual.
"Not yet. If we send the signal now, before they jump closer to the
planet, they'll be able to figure out how close we had to be in order to see
them and send a signal back. I don't want them having that much information.
We'll wait until they finish the micro-jump plus enough additional time to
complicate any attempt at triangulation they might make before we send the
signal. That's plenty of time. I also want to see how the enemy reacts. I'll be
on the Bridge in about thirty minutes or so. CAG clear."
     
    Shiloh finished his shower and reviewed the situation for
the nth time. Resolute had arrived here in Omega77 almost five days ago, in
plenty of time to launch a swarm of recon drones towards the colony planet and
to position