--Begin Entry--
"Freeport IV, this is the Aedos, requesting clearance to undock," I said as I gently lifted off my ship off the hangar floor.
"Roger, Aedos," the response came, "clearance granteed. Godspeed."
I eased the throttle into reverse, backing out of the narrow hangar. I was almost clear when I cought something out of the corner of my eye...without thinking, I slammed in my downward thrusters and pitched up, just in time to miss the armored transport that flew past at full speed, barely missing my ship.
"What the space was that, control!" I yelled back to the Freeport IV tower. "Don't you check to make sure the space is clear before granting clearance?"
"Sorry, Aedos, that ship was not under our control. Some hotshot pilot decided to buzz the station between trade lanes."
"Well, he nearly got me killed."
"At least you have a seatbelt," said a voice behind me. I spun around and fumbled for my sidearm, then relaxed when I saw the figure standing in the cockpit doorway, grimacing and rubbing his shoulder.
I was surprised...what was Leroy Fenning doing on my ship? At least he was a friend. Still, I thought, I need to take a better look at my hatch locks. I gestured towards the (perpetually empty) copilot seat, and keyed in autopilot settings while Leroy settled himself in. Soon, we were on our way.
"So," I ventured, "why are you here?"
"We need your help again," Leroy responded simply. "And I needed to be sure that our conversation would be secret: even more so than usual."
I nodded. "What's the deal? Hang that, first tell me how you got onboard." Friend or no friend, if there were security holes in my ship, I wanted to know about them.
"Fair enough," Leroy said. "It wasn't terribly difficult, actually. I just followed you and slipped into the access ramp behind you." I did a double take at the gaunt, middle-aged gentleman. Of the skills I would have credited him with, stealth was not one of them. He noticed my look and smiled. "I suppose you think I've been an administrator my entire life?" he said. "Don't worry, it wasn't too easy. As for my purpose here, have you ever heard of the Phantom Empire?"
I nodded slowly. "Mostly just vague rumors," I responded, "none of them pleasant. I think I briefly saw one of their ships once, here in Magellan actually. Other than that, I don't know much about them."
"Neither do we," Leroy said. "But they are certainly very, very dangerous. We consider them to be the greatest single threat to the Discovery project."
"Even more so than the Nomads?" I said, surprised. I had assumed that the perpetually hostile aliens would be the greatest threat.
"Much more so," Leroy continued. "For one thing, the Nomads are a known quantity. We know what to expect from them, and we know reasonably well how to fight them. The Phantoms, on the other hand, we know almost nothing about. We don't think they know anything about the project...not yet, at least. We hope to keep it that way. It's quite certain, though, that if they choose, they can completely wreck the project. But what they don't know can't hurt us."
I nodded. It made sense so far. Leroy continued. "We need more information about them, as much as we can get. We'd like to know where their holdings in the Sirius sector are, as well as an idea of their actual local strength. In other words, we need recon. Tannik, be very sure before you accept the mission I'm offering. It will be extremely dangerous. The Phantoms are likely to shoot on sight anyone they catch snooping around their territory. At the same time, we need you. The reason is obvious if not glamorous: If you are caught, we'll be able to deny we sent you."
"Thanks," I said. A grim proposition indeed. I couldn't live with myself if I refused, though. The most important effort in Sirius, maybe in the history of mankind, and I was in a unique position to be able to help. I thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Thank you, Tannik," Leroy said quietly. "good luck. If you could please drop me off at San Diego station, I'll make my way from there."
Shortly after that, I pulled away from San Diego Border station...gratified to note that no passing transports threatened my well-being this time. I've got plenty of other things to do that, I thought darkly. Besides trying to convince the Hellfire Legion to sell some of their top-secret scanning technology to the Zoners, I was now on a quest to scout out the legendarily lethal Phantom empire. I smiled uneasily...it was the best I could manage.
I can't believe my luck. Not only did I find the Phantom base, nearly on accident, but I lived to tell the tale. My palms are still a bit sweaty, even though I've been safely docked on Java station for nearly an hour. Alright, time to recap...
I've spent the last few days trading as usual, and massaging what few solid contacts I have for information. It's not easy: nobody wants to talk about the Phantoms. Including me, to be honest, but I had a job to do. At any rate, I wasn't having any luck. While in the Taus, I received a request from Theta for a bunch of Niobium: no doubt it's destined for the Discovery Project. Since I was so near anyway, I popped into Tau-37, set all weapons to mining mode, and collected enough ore to keep the Zoner shipyards happy for a short while. The shortest route from Tau-37 to Omicron Theta goes right through Outcast territory, and I decided the shortcut was worth it (even though the Outcasts uniformly shoot me on sight right now).
That's where things got interesting. As soon as I got into Alpha, I found myself swarmed by an Outcast patrol. No time to chart a course, I picked a direction and ran for my life. It took a while, but the engine power of the Aedos payed off... I got away without any serious damage. Once clear, I started scanning and figuring out where I Was. Imagine my surprise when there, at the edge of my scan range, was a jump hole I had never seen before. I've never been one to turn down an opportunity to explore, so I locked on and made the jump.
I found myself exiting the jump tunnel into a thick, dark cloud. I activated scanners... almost no functionality. Where am I?, I wondered. Suddenly, before I could think anything else, everything happened at once. I found myself spinning the Aedos to avoid a huge chunk of twisted metal that had tumbled towards me. My scanners managed to partially adjust to the murky conditions, and then the ship rocked as a missile exploded against the shield. Alarms sounded as hostile weapons platforms were detected pouring fire into my ship. I instinctively shoved the throttle into the stops and rocketed into the darkness. Twisted black shapes loomed in the darkness, visible only as a darker shade of black on black. The Aedos twisted and rolled around them at madcap speed, blazing a trail through the twisted asteroids around me. After a couple minutes that felt like hours, the weapons platforms stopped firing as I made it out of range.
I finally had a moment to breathe and see what the scanners had to say. There wasn't much. I was somewhere deep inside a dark cloud, dimly illuminated by a small sun and filled with shattered slabs of obsidian rock. I winced as I noticed that the Aedos was being punished by a dozen kinds of nasty radiation. The weapons platforms I had escaped, as well as the jump hole back to Omicron Alpha, were still in scan range. I should probably move, I thought. If I can see them, they can probably see me.
I started moving into the blackness. This part of the cloud wasn't quite as dense, and movement was easier. Scanners weren't registering anything... then suddenly, they were. A small navigational buoy, a dozen clicks off. I made for it... and there was another just beyond it. For half an hour, I followed the trail of buoys... and found the Phantoms.
The buoys led me into a clearing in the cloud, and right in the center of it was a huge black base. I've found them, I thought. I've found the Phantoms! This had to be the legendary Temple of the Revenant. This place suited every dark rumor I'd ever heard about the Phantom Empire, and initial scans agreed. I couldn't believe my luck: I'd stumbled right into them, much sooner than I had thought possible. I moved in closer, trying to get as much scanning data as I could. The base was embedded in a giant asteroid, and it was dead silent. Some automated defenses locked on, but I made sure to keep my distance. I knew it was only a matter of time before somebody came after me, but I wanted to leave with as much data as I could. After all, that's why I'm here, right? I thought.
It didn't take long. Less than two minutes after spotting the Temple, I detected two Sabre fighters coming straight at me. The ships were almost in firing range... I quickly keyed some instructions into the computer, setting it to collect as much scanning telemetry on those fighters as I could, then sent the Aedos rocketing into the blackness once again, back towards the jumphole to Alpha. The Phantoms pursued. It took every once of piloting skill I possessed to keep ahead of them. But as I neared the jumphole, they finally got into range and opened fire. I could hardly believe how fast my shield crumbled, then gone. Space, that's some serious firepower! I thought. My hull shuddered and groaned under the fire...and then the jumphole was right in front of me. I dived through. Once on the other side, I engaged cruise engines, and sped away. The Phantoms did not pursue.
There's not much more to tell. I limped back to Java Station in Tau-23, fortunately without encountering any more hostiles. Once I finish updating this log, I'll send the scanner data I collected to Leroy Fenning and get the Aedos repaired. And hopefully, that's the last time I'll have anything to do with the Phantom Empire.
Back on Manhattan. I decided it was safest to deliver the telemetry data I had recorded while scouting Phantom territory directly to Leroy Fenning. I barely caught him: he was on his way back to Canaria for some sort of council meeting.
He was pretty excited about it...he hadn't expected results to come nearly this quickly or easily (and neither had I). Anyway, he took the data and will make sure that it gets analyzed.
Still no word from the Hellfire Legion about purchasing a scanner. Frustrating.
Leroy did, however, mention that an alternative may be developing...but that he didn't have time to go into details quite yet. Personally, I think the old man just wants to wait until his plan is fully developed before hatching it. We'll see.
I just received another message from Leroy Fenning:
-- Tannik,
A Nomad ship designated Harbinger has been detected, and it's been acting very strangely. First of all, it has been wandering all over Sirius alone, doing who knows what. Second, it recently attacked Freeport 11 and caused some serious damage. This is a serious problem. The Council of Zoners is deliberating the issue, but I have no idea how long it will take them to come to a decision.
In the meantime, I beg you to help. Apparently some people have had some success communicating with the ship, and this should be your primary objective. If you encounter it, attempt to communicate with it however you can. Find out what it wants and why it is acting so strangely and differently. If it attacks, defend against it to the best of your ability...but ONLY if it initiates hostilities or if civilians are in danger.
I will keep you informed of further developments, and I will also instruct my contacts to let you know when and where the Harbinger is detected.
-Leroy Fenning
--
No word from the "contacts" mentioned, but I'll stay alert. I hope peaceful communication works, but I don't relish the thought of engaging a Nomad battleship: the Aedos is no pushover, but she's certainly not capable of winning that kind of fight. If it comes down to fighting, I'll need a lot of backup.
Looks like getting that scanner from Hellfire may have to wait a bit longer still...
By the time I found out, it was too late. A force of nomad ships that apparently are working with the Harbinger attacked Freeport 11 a couple of days ago, devastating it.
I got there as quickly as I could. The damage was pretty bad: had it been hit much more, it would have been completely destroyed. I had to use the vac-suit to get from the Aedos to the station. After a quick conference with the small team that had already started repairs, I headed out for supplies.
The last few days, I've been alternately running supplies and personnel to the Freeport and helping out with the torch-work. One great thing about working with Zoners is that they don't care who you are: there are Bounty Hunters and Corsairs here working side by side, for the most part without any trouble. Everyone is doing the same jobs and wearing the same vac-suits. It's pretty heartening: for all of the conflicts humanity has with itself we can still band together when we really need to.
--Begin Entry--
Well, it's been a busy day. I was finally contacted by Denelo Mori of the Hellfire Legion, and the good news is that they're willing to sell us some scanner technology for the Discovery Project. Mori seemed to know a disturbing amount about it... but was willing. The terms were reasonable too, and I don't doubt that Fenning will be happy with them. During the conversation, the subject of the attack on Freeport 11 was mentioned... apparently one of these "new" nomads called Taurvi was once a human member of the Hellfire Legion, and they've been trying to help him. Without success, unfortunately. The tip was useful to me, though: now I had two ships to search for.
Shortly after that, I returned to Freeport 11 with some additional repair crews. While on approach, I was advised by Freeport Control that one of the "new" nomads had been spotted heading for Omicron Lost. I unloaded my passengers, then contacted Control again.
"Freeport Control, this is the Aedos. Requesting permission to undock."
"Roger, Aedos, came the reply. "Permission granted. What's the big rush? You just got here!"
"I'm headed to Omicron Lost," I said, already backing the Aedos out of the docking bay.
"I advise you change your mind. A dangerous nomad was last seen headed that direction. You aren't planning to eliminate it in that tub, are you?"
"Negative," I said, wincing at his reference to my ship, "I'm going to try to talk to it."
"TALK to it?! Are you out of your skull?"
I switched off comms. I was nervous enough without any "help" from the control tower.
A while later, I made the plunge through the jumphole into Omicron Lost. I'd been here once before, but hadn't strayed far from the hole... the system was quite empty and very dark. This time wasn't much different: nothing at all on scanners except for three suns and a gas giant. Well, I thought, might as well try there. I locked in a course for the planet. As I got closer, I was disappointed. Still nothing on scanners. I shouldn't have been surprised... I was looking for one small fighter in a very big system. Still, I had hoped that it might be near the only detectable planet I could see. I adjusted my course, and set the Aedos to fly around the planet and head back to the jumphole.
And then, suddenly, there it was: a blip on my scope. One nomad fighter, parked on the dark side of the planet. What followed was probably the most surreal and disturbing encounter I've ever had. For brevity's sake, I've attached the message I sent to Leroy Fenning about it as soon as I was back in Delta:
Even after sending the message, I was still a bit shaken up. Something bad was apparently going to happen. Within a couple of minutes, though, I got a message from Fenning that he wanted to see me as soon as possible. A couple of hours later, we met on Freeport 9, and I gave him a full rundown of everything that happened.
"Those terms from the Hellfire Legion will work for us," Fenning said. "It'll be a bit before we can round up the resources, but this is about what I expected."
"Great," I replied. "I'll let them know. By the way, you may want to double-check your security. Mori knew quite a bit about the project, although he waved it off as 'rumors.'"
Leroy grinned. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Suffice it to say that if he didn't know anything about the project, it's doubtful he would be willing to offer help."
It was my turn to grin. "I never would have pegged you as a such a sneaky little...anyway. I've got to get back Freeport 11. It seems more important than ever to get it fully operational again before the next attack."
Leroy turned serious. "So you think there will be another attack?"
"Yeah," I nodded as I stood. "I'm afraid so. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll figure out how to prevent it before it happens, but I'm not counting on that."
A few minutes later, the Aedos was screaming through space towards Omicron Delta.
I flexed my fingers in the gloves of my vac-suit. The vibration from the welding torch had made them numb, but moving them around got the blood flowing again. I enjoyed the feeling so much that I almost forgot to grab the torch before it drifted away. Zero-G work, I thought to myself with a sigh, is definitely not my thing.
Along with several others, I was tethered to the face of a Freeport 11's main scanning satellite, a couple dozen clicks out from the station itself. We were working like demons to get the thing back online as soon as possible. Above me, the Aedos hung in space, nestled as close to the body of the satellite as I dared to park her. The shadow she cast was lit up by several fountains of sparks that marked where people were working their welding torches. One pair of workers was carefully maneuvering a replacement solar panel out of the back of my ship's cargo hold.
It had been slow work. The constant attacks had taken their toll, both on the equipment and on the number of people willing to help. Still, a dedicated core of volunteers kept working. There's the Brown Twins, a pair of burly guys who decided to spend their vacation time from Deep Space Engineering working for free here. Ito was a once a Lane Hacker, or so they say, but we all know him as the guy who works voodoo magic on everything electronic. And then there's Marty, Giggles, Feldo, Whinging, and a couple dozen others who have been here since the beginning and refuse to leave until Freeport 11 is either fully restored or ground to dust. And even then, we'd find a way.
We're not going to let this place die.
We've had a couple of other attacks from these "new" nomads on Freeport 11, but to my extreme annoyance they always happen when I'm away on a supplies run. The good news is that they haven't been nearly as damaging as previous attacks, and we've had a lot of help driving ships away. There are rumors that an Order battleship followed the Harbinger into Omicron Lost and destroyed it, but I don't think I believe it. Even if it's true, I doubt it matters... there will be another just like it. But in the meantime, the "normal" nomads were giving us no share of trouble here at the satellite. The weapons platforms protecting it weren't yet back up to full strength, and the blasted blue slugs occasionally broke through patrols long enough to take a few potshots at the satellite array. Work on the satellite was always two steps forward, one step back.
"Seldon, you there?" My earpiece chirped to life, interrupting my pondering. Sounds like Valter, I thought.
"I'm here," I responded.
"Gut. Vould you please move your tub to the other side of this virepile? Giggles vants to unload the new struts." Definitely Valter. Nobody else has an accent that thick. I smiled to myself: despite my best efforts, everyone had taken to calling the Aedos "the tub." For better or for worse, it had stuck.
"Roger that, on my way," I responded. I carefully strapped the welding torch into its side-holster, then oriented myself carefully. I was about 15 meters underneath the cabin of the Aedos, its belly parallel to the surface of the satellite where I Was working. I rotated so that my feet were facing the belly of my ship, unhooked my tether, then pushed off with my hands. As I floated gently from the satellite to "the tub," I unhooked my thrust-can from it's strap on my leg. The canister of compressed air could be "fired" in any direction to give me the tiny amount of thrust needed to maneuver a man in space. I wasn't planning to need it, but it was good to have just in case.
A few seconds later, I was almost to my ship, approaching the belly feet-first at half a meter per second. Right before I landed, I activated the magnetic boot clamps and felt the satisfying thump as the vac-suit attached itself to the ship. From there, it was easy to walk along the underside of the ship to the cargo bay entrance and climb inside.
I may have to change my mind, I thought with a grin as I walked forward to the cockpit. Zero-G is kind of fun.
Not again, I thought bitterly. I'd just received word that more of those "new" Nomads had been spotted in Delta. Once again, though, I was a long way away on a supply mission. I was furious. Furious that I couldn't help, furious that I had again been denied the chance to fight for my friends. Welding and hauling supplies was important, I knew, but it just wasn't the same.
Since the Aedos doesn't have as large of a hold as many other ships working on Freeport 11, I found myself sent on more than my share of scavenger hunts for lots of random smaller items. My current list of stops was quite long, taking me through a dozen different systems. Somebody has to do it, I reminded myself. And you do have the best ship for the job.
The message from Leroy arrived soon after that. Summary: The "new" nomads have gotten more aggressive and more numerous. Several new "individuals" have been identified. Leroy is pretty sure they haven't found out about the Discovery Project yet, but is worried they might...if they did, it would end the brightest hope for humanity's future.
More to the point, I thought to myself as I contemplated Leroy's message, the Nomads are a threat to humanity, both present and future. Whatever is different about these new Nomads, the most important thing is still the same: for whatever reason, they want humanity exterminated.
They're going to have to get through Tannik Seldon and the Aedos first.
The Aedos silently sped through space, a dark angular speck cutting across the night. Inside, I grinned. My supplies trip had taken longer than planned due to a couple of detours. They were worth it, though. A new thruster control system had increased engine throughput by nearly ten percent, and I had some new weapons. The high-power Fury guns were nice, but the large shiny tube freshly mounted on the first port engine was especially exciting. I looked forward to introducing it to the next Nomad who attacked while the Aedos was near. The engineers on Canaria had told me that it was actually a scaled-down version of a weapon normally mounted on cruisers and destroyers, a sort of energy torpedo optimized against ship hull.
It would also be useful for dealing with any pirates who decided to take on the Aedos. That thought brought a smile, and a burst of pride. I could very well be riding the most dangerous trading ship in Sirius.
The Freeport was now in comm range. "Freeport 11, this is the Aedos on approach. Request permission to land."
"Aedos, this is Freeport 11, " came the response. "Good to have you back. You're cleared for number two."
"Roger that, " I responded. "Oh, and tell everyone I brought pies." Those hadn't been on my original "shopping list" for my supplies run, but I was in the neighborhood and I had enough extra room. More to the point, the pies of Canaria Cafe are the tastiest treats known to humankind. I was happy to share, but I'm no fool: I'd already stashed a few for myself in a hidden compartment just behind the cockpit. I knew exactly how popular those pies were. If there were any still in the ship by the time the cargo ramp finished lowering, I would be shocked.
Once docked and unloaded, I headed to the bar to enjoy a drink, some pie, and a stunning panoramic view of Omicron Delta. A small chorus of muffled cheers greeted me as I entered, as a few people enjoying pie voiced their appreciation. It turned out I didn't need to buy my own drink. Amazing how such a little thing means so much out here, I thought. Baked goods had turned me into a local hero. It was good to see some normality returning to the Freeport. Most of the repairs were done, and some significant improvements as well, and people had time to celebrate and enjoy themselves.
"Excuse me, are you Tannik Seldon?" a voice asked. I turned to see where it came from, and found a man with an earnest, hawk-like expression half-hidden by a bearded face. He looked to be in his early thirties and average height, with straight red-tinted hair. I caught him sneaking a wistful glance at my pie, then returning his eyes to me. I nodded.
"Yeah, that's me. Have a seat, " I gestured. "And a slice. How can I help you?"
"My name is Hector Sloan. My friends call me Hec, but my students call me Hell," he said casually, taking a bite.
I laughed. "So you're a professor?"
"Yep," he nodded. "Cambridge. Xenobiology. Some government research too. I heard about your telepathic encounter with that Nomad. I'm a bit jealous."
"It was pretty strange," I said. How many people did Leroy tell about that? "So what brings you out here?"
"Information," Hec answered in a relaxed voice between bites of pie. "The folks at Cambridge Research Institute are half-panicked, half-elated about this new breed of Nomads. We think we know where one of their worlds is, and we want to take a closer look. I've flown up here with a ship packed full of scientific scanners to do just that. I've run into a snag, though: this space is much more dangerous than I'd planned on. I managed to make it this far in one piece, but I won't push my luck any further. So, just as I'm planning to hire someone in a better ship to take me the rest of the way, you show up with the perfect ship: big enough to hold all of my equipment, tough enough to survive the trip." Hec sat back, the pie finished, a happy expression on his face.
"So you didn't all the way out here just to get my autograph?" I responded with a dry smile.
"Disappointing, huh?." Hec said. "So how 'bout it?"
The answer was yes, of course, but I pretended to think about it so I wouldn't seem overeager. After watching him sweat for nearly a minute, I grinned. "You bet. Let's do this."
The rest of the afternoon was spent moving Hec's equipment into the cargo bay of the Aedos. We leave in the morning.
"Aedos, you are cleared to launch," came the voice from the tower, "Good luck out there."
"Roger that, Freeport Control. We'll be back" I clicked off the mike and concentrated on easing the ship out of a docking bay too small for it. The Aedos backed out smoothly and quickly, then pivoted away from the station and towards the stars.
"Nicely done," Hec said from the copilot chair. I allowed myself a satisfied grin. "Now let's do this. You know where we're going?"
"Yep," I responded. "The jumphole has been well mapped. It'll be just a few minutes."
The journey to the Iota hole was uneventful and silent. As we approached, Hec bent over his console. "Give me a second, I want to scan it...OK. Go ahead."
Here goes nothing I thought as I eased the Aedos forward. And then we were through. I immediately cut in the afterburners and dived, not waiting to see if anything was shooting at me first. As it turned out, nothing was. I exhaled. "We're clear," I said, then turned to Hec. He was busy poring over his instruments and barely even noticed me. Obviously in his element.
"Take us closer to that Giant there," he said. "I doubt it's important, but I want all the data I can get my hands on." I obliged, but my mind was on something else. It's quiet here. Why? "Good enough, " Hec said after a minute. "Let's move on."
I reengaged cruise engines and set course for the planet that someone had decided to call Xerna. Hec suddenly spoke up. "I wonder where all the Nomads are?" he said, echoing my own thoughts. Before I could respond, there was a loud BOOM and the ship shuddered. I saw it: a Nomad battleship, dead ahead and broadside, almost on top of us. I pulled up in time to dodge the next volley of fire, but part of the third volley caught the Aedos and sent another shudder through her hull. One more like that, and we're gone, I thought grimly as I spun the ship in what I hoped was a hard-to-hit corkscrew.
I sneaked a glance at my scanners. Nothing. The battleship had disappeared as quickly as it had come. Hec looked at me, a wild grin on his face. "Was that what I think it was? I've never actually seen one before...not that big, at least...it was so beautiful!" Apparently the whole "mortal peril" thing had gone right over Hec's head. He was apparently too busy being elated to notice. "...to think that they can actually grow a cloaking device...incredible!"
"Wait," I interrupted. "They can cloak?"
"Some of them, yeah," Hec responded.
Oh, Space. was all I could think. I stared into space as hard as I could, searching, hardly daring to blink. Suddenly, there was a subtle blue glow dead ahead... I rolled the Aedos down and left as another Nomad battleship appeared, this time managing to avoid all of its fire before getting out of range. I exhaled. Hec looked wistful. "No, we are NOT going back so you can get a closer look," I said sharply.
Hec looked surprised, then grinned. "Fair enough. We're almost there anyway." And with that, he disappeared again into the console that linked him to his scientific scanning equipment in my hold. Xerna loomed in the cockpit as I eased the Aedos into a high orbit. "Closer," Hec said without looking up.
I closed in. A couple of Nomad fighter patrols appeared, but they were evaded without too much trouble.
"Done!" Hec said triumphantly, then went serious. "Now for phase two."
"Phase two?" I wasn't happy to hear about that. "What are you talking about?"
"Yes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Hec said quietly. "Half of the equipment I have in your hold is actually high-tech probes. A bunch of small, nearly invisible autonomous drones that can fly all over the planet at various altitudes, collecting data. Hopefully, they will be able to let us observe Nomads in their native environment. Tell us about them, their society. All without them knowing or doing them any harm."
"Are you sure they are going to see it that way?" I asked.
"Well, they shouldn't ever know they're there. But yes, that's a risk," Hec acknowledged. "It's not as if there is a peace to be broken."
That was true. "Alright," I said. "Do it. And make it quick."
Hec nodded, then exited the cockpit and headed for the cargo hold. "I'll take care of the drop. Just get as low as you can, then open the cargo doors on my mark," he said. I manouvered the Aedos into as low of an orbit as I dared, my eyes peeled for any further signs of Nomad ships. Hec, meanwhile, climbed into his vacsuit and prepared his equipment, "Alright!" he yelled over the in-ship intercom. "Go!"
I punched the appropriate button, and the doors opened. Hec made sure the probes all made it out clean, then said "OK. That was perfect. Leave the bay open. We still need to drop the relays. I'll handle the dropping, just head back to Freeport 11."
The Aedos flew home, occasionally dropping tiny beacons that would hopefully allow the scientists at Cambridge to control and gather data from their probes. The return trip was uneventful: no more Nomads gave us any trouble, just occasionally sending another relay out of the ship. A special set of relays were dropped on either side of the jumphole, a few more on the way back to the Freeport, and that was it.
Once back on the Freeport, Hec unloaded his equipment and checked on the probes. 80% of them had made it down safely, and were cruising all over the planet sending back all sorts of Data. It was good to see that the plan was working, at least so far. Hec was thrilled, and couldn't wait to get back to Cambridge.
Hopefully, that data will help us understand more about the Nomads. It may even lead to peace: or if that fails, it may give us the informational edge we need to survive against them.
![[Image: aedos_mini.jpg]](http://students.cs.byu.edu/~sushi/aedos_mini.jpg)