Return to Sol: Attack at Dawn - An Epic Space Opera Adventure (Aeon 14: The Orion War Book 12) by M. D. Cooper

Author:M. D. Cooper [Cooper, M. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: The Wooden Pen Press
Published: 2020-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

THE LONG COUNT

STELLAR DATE: 05.15.8950 (Adjusted Years)

LOCATION: Control Station

REGION: Sirius System, Hegemony of Worlds

<OK, I’m digging,> Sabrina said after the orders came in from Admiral Evans. <But so far, I’m not finding anything on where their other ships are.>

Cheeky flipped through another screen of comm messages in the auxiliary data hub. “Yeah, me either. How do you just up and disappear two million ships?”

“We just have to go back far enough to establish a solid trail.” Fina’s head remained bent over her console as she spoke. “Learn where they were, see where they aren’t now, and wherever is left is—”

“—an unimaginably large volume of space,” Nance completed from her console.

Fina lifted her head at that, and fixed the engineer with a level stare. “I might have a bit of experience tracking things across a lot of space. It was sort of my job for some time.”

“OK, OK,” Cheeky gave both women a quelling look. “So, I have them refitting ships all across the system up until just a few weeks ago. Then they massed three groups. One went to Kapteyn’s Star, the other formed up around Incandus, and the third is the one Joe is playing keep-ahead with. There are smaller patrol fleets all around the system, but they are largely on the same routes as before the buildup.”

“So let’s look at the shipyards doing the refit,” Fina said. “Specifically, ones that did not contribute any vessels to the three large fleets we know about.”

“She says like it’s that easy,” Nance replied.

<You could trade with me,> Sabs said. <Come watch over a room full of prisoners while I surf through records.>

“You’re doing that anyway,” Nance replied, glancing at the overhead as she spoke.

<Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have to watch these moan-y Sirians anymore, and that would be a total win.>

“Shit…I think I have something,” Fina whispered.

“You know where the other ships are?” Cheeky peered over her console at the former Hand director…and former dictator.

Stars…it’s still hard to reconcile all of that.

“Maybe. There’s a rather interesting message from the AST military about adding to Nibiru’s defense. They requested two hundred thousand Sirian ships.”

“And they sent them?” Nance asked, crossing her arms. “I find that hard to believe. Even though they’re a core Hegemony member, we almost never saw their ships or troops in AST fleets.”

“There’s no record of the transfer, but shortly afterward, a number of ships matching that count no longer show up in the records at Sol-ward stations.”

“Why Nibiru’s defense, though?” Cheeky asked, looking from Fina to Nance and back. “What could be going on there?”

Fina flipped through a few screens, her eyes widening as she did so. “OK…they don’t come right out and say it, but I don’t think Sol’s interdiction web reaches that far.”

A smile formed on Nance’s lips. “That certainly doesn’t match the official statements.”

“Sure doesn’t,” Fina matched the engineer’s expression with a grin of her own. “Would explain where they went, as well as present a bit of an opening. Sol wouldn’t want a fleet of stasis ships that large at Nibiru unless they were up to something there.

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