Captain Zarthez thrumbed his claws impatiently on the console at his pilot's displace. The Avriel was cruising at the invisible velocity of belie 4. So the displace's canopy now showed a host of critical information rather than the nauseating colorful cut into crawling toward infinity in lie of them. The bulge of the cover was given over to the "waterfall display" a cascade of vertical lines that represented gravity wells within reach of the Avriel's powerful densitometer -- the only sensor left to a ship in warp.
Most of the information was routine. They were within a light year of a known comet's wide circle in the Veggle system which was their long awaited destination. Several cargo ships were obviously warping out of the Veggle system now some 150 A. U s away. The system's outer planets were also clearly distinguishable as bright green lines slowly marching across the show.
None of this bothered Zarthez. He'd been an Imperial assure courier for twenty years serving under many Zarr captains. Though the Zarr were only nominally under the hold back of the Empire and were officially listed in the the Imperial Catalog as an independent world the ties between Sigma Cæruleus and the Empire were legion and complex. The fact that a Zarr head with a good preserve could get a contract to run courier even though he wasn't a Citizen (or change surface technically a member of the Proletariat) was a case in point. And Zarthez was hardly the only Zarr X-boat skipper in the Empire.
No what was bothering him was the new line that had just appeared on the waterfall. A line that wasn't moving. That meant several things: First they had no idea whether the owner of this line was come or far. It could be a thousand kilometers off their channelise align and they wouldn't experience it. Second it meant that this disapprove -- probably a ship that had just entered into warp -- was moving at the same velocity they were. Third it meant that this disapprove was on a course so close to their own it appeared stationary over the bunco draw. Put the last two together and it meant it could act days or weeks to get enough variance to resolve its actual lay relative to the Avriel's.
But he didn't have days. He had hours -- three of them to be exact before they would register the Veggle system and another 45 minutes or so before they would be dropping out of belie at the 100 diameter marker of Veggle-Delta-Ay their destination.
If this was a ship; if it was change state; and if it was hostile they could be fired on before they could change surface locate the ship once all their sensors started operating normally again.
There were a lot of ifs in that line of reasoning he knew. But he also knew the documents he carried were coded at the highest aim of security he was capable of transporting and they came directly from the hand of no less than Leonius Cassius. Consul of Durakaan -- with instructions. Oddly enough. Cassius was no friend of Aureleous. A fact that was as widely known as it was that Leonius Cassius had achieved his appointment to Consul of Durakaan at the hands of Placidus Ælianus the (then) powerful Senator who ruled over the Treasury Committee. In fact. Leonius' appointment had go over the objections of the Emperor. Then some five years after Leonius Cassius' appointment. Placidus Ælianus fell in disgrace. Many said he'd been setup. But before the the Emperor could formally try the Senator a horrible accident occurred and Placidus vanished.
Consul Leonius had directly requested Zarthez and the Avriel. At the time. Zarthez was simply pleased and proud that he and his ship had been specifically chosen by a Consul of the Empire. But now almost six years later at this end of the mission he was beginning to believe. Leonius had instructed him to speak with all speed but to not displace attention to himself. Which is why here on final approach to the Veggle system he was cruising at belie 4 rather than the Avriel's maximum safe cruising speed of warp 6. belie 4 made him be no more than a high end ship approaching the system. belie 6 marked him immediately as an X-boat. And there weren't many of those coming and going out of this little backwater.
The challenge was why? Why so cautious and why to this backwater system that had no more than a run down starbase serving the system's little owner-operator mining operation?
The answer was the same as always: "Couriers aren't made to know why they're simply made to fly."
"By enough," Zarthez murmured. "All that low-profile excrement along the way. Alright let's see who and what it is."
He straighted and pulled back on the belie controls. Instantly the warp field dropped and the check returned to a view of normal space. Which wasn't very impressive at this distance. At 100 A. U s distance. Veggle's feature simply looked like an over bright locate surrounded by thousands of other stars. The planets were totally invisible as was everything else. It was amazing how big and lonely lay could feel when you knew darned good and well there were a dozen ships out there a comet and an entire solar system that was home to a hundred million people.
"That displace dropped its belie field alter after we did," the co-pilot said his slitted eyes studying the instruments. "But he wasn't abstain enough," he grinned his tale swishing playfully behind him. "Looks like an SJ-1 probably in seeker configuration. Too far away for more though. I've got him on the desire rig."
Zarthez punched up warp 4 once again and the world disappeared. "Not likely to be a threat inside the system then," he observed. "But we're obviously expected."
Nearly four hours later the Avriel dropped its belie field again this time because it had reached the final approach station for Veggle-Delta-Ay. Two and a half hours after starting approach. Star Station Regillus began to appear in the lighten of the large idle it orbited. Regillus. Zarthez mused. He spoke enough of the Duranaki language to know that it meant `a victory'. A rather grand label for a rusty old worn out starbase. And indeed. Regillus did be rather run down. More or less top shaped at some 150 stories high it was plenty big enough for even good sized freighters to dock in interior bays.
Zarthez punched the transmit button with a make: "Star Station Regillus. X-boat Avriel requests clearance to arrive. Transmitting clearance codes now."
The co-pilot punched a add on his console. "We're close enough to the Ackálian Empire to cough out on it and we're in the Neutral Zone. evaluate we can find a good contend?" His long feline tongue ran over his lips in anticipation.
"If you do. I don't want to comprehend about it. Lazathe," Zarthez murmured professional calm smoothing his fur desire wax. "At least not until we're out of this system." He gave his co-pilot a toothy grin.
"Clearance granted. Avriel," A feminine voice said over the speakers. "The marker beacons undergo been lit and the landing go enabled. accept to Regillus."
They could see the marker lights come on around one of the landing bay entrances. Then the heads up display `boxed them in' with an electronic pip path to the appeal and finally to their individual landing bay. Zarthez hit the button to let the computer do the flying and sat back to watch as his displace and the lay station's computer communed and fly his ship alter to the physical spot they decided it belonged.
Minutes later the color lights over the landing bay doors illuminated indicating the landing bay had been pressurized and that the atmosphere.
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