Intergalactic

The DSF Volcano was a sleek, black shadow in the vastness of space, its shape that of an arrow tip. It was illuminated on one side by the red giant it used for camouflage, its own signature drowned out by the radiation of the star just a few light minutes away.

Inside, Lieutenant Zala looked at the screens in front of her with a mixture of frustration and determination. Her slim face was illuminated by the colors of the displays. Four other soldiers were crammed into the bridge, the most important one for the moment being Corporal Khon to her left, sitting at the navigation and sensors station. A red warning label flashed at the top of the sensors display, pulsing the words „unidentified vessel“.

„Speed measurements zero in at C-12.“, the young navigator reported, pushing back the glasses perched on his nose. „Distance is two hundred one-six light hours. Closest approach at current course will be one hundred four-zero light hours. ETA forty three minutes.“

„Anything on the comms?“, Lieutenant Zala rasped, her voice calm but with a hint of tension.

„Nothing ma’am.“, the comms officer answered.

„Looks like another Qyrl probe to me.“, Khon offered, his fingers tapping on the side of the keyboard in front of him while sensor data flowed across the screen.“

The lieutenant checked the screens, her gaze hardening. She made a decision: „Third one in as many days. Alright, set intercept course. Whatever the insects are after, our mission is to keep the space around Dephyr clean.“

The navigator punched instructions into the console and within seconds the ship AI had plotted a course that would make them meet the probe near to its closest approach.

Zala enabled the internal comms to inform the other fourteen crew members: „Ready for hyperspace in one minute.“

On the outside, the rear of the DSF Volcano lit up as the sub-light thrusters engaged and accelerated the ship towards its destination. The flaming spout of a tamed stellar explosion generated enough force to propel the sixty meters patrol ship forward with a jolt. Without the graviton dampers, the crew would have become red smears on the interior walls. Accelerating constantly, the ship sped away from the red giant. Moments later, it seemed to wave and fold in on itself before disappearing into hyperspace.

Forty-one minutes later, DSF Volcano arrived at the intercept point, but remained in hyperspace. Inside the bridge, sensors showed the approaching probe and Khon began to accelerate the ship again in the direction the probe was traveling, almost matching its speed so that after a few more minutes the probe caught up to them.

„Engage the dimensional shears. Let’s force it into normal space.“

„Engaging“, the confirmation came out of the comms. An eerie blue light emerged from the field projectors on the outside of the ship and extended towards the alien probe. It wrapped around it like honey, forming an uneven, wobbly bubble that enclosed both ships.

„Disable hyperdrive!“, Zala ordered calm and controlled.

„Hyperdrive disabled.“, Corporal Khon replied, and the stars of the Milky Way returned to the viewports as they returned to normal space, the probe one ship-length away from them. Cameras zoomed in on it and showed an exoskeleton-like form the size of a large truck, woven from a dark, metallic material that had a distinct organic look, shimmering slightly in the darkness. Thin tendrils sprouted from it in several places, slowly twitching like grotesque feelers.

„Definitely a Qyrl probe.“, the captain sighed wearily, looking at the bio-engineered space ship on the screen. „The previous ones were unarmed, but ready on the weapons stations anyways.“

Several „ready!“ confirmations crackled through the comms.

„We should report this to command on Dephyr, captain.“, Khon suggested, his words laced with unease. „We usually see one or two of those in a year. Now three at once? The Qyrl are gathering intel on us.“

„Definitely. Highly unusual. Latest intel we got on them was that the isolationist factions are still in charge by a large majority. And these are not diplomatic missions or trade offers. Command needs to be in the loop.“