Starplex

I need to use either our deck-one or deck-seventy hyperscope to make my observations."

Keith considered. "All right." He tapped a key on his console and the usual holograms of Thor and Rhombus popped into being. "Rhombus, please check with everyone who is currently doing external scanning.

Find out when the soonest we can move the ship without interrupting their work will be. Thor, at that time take us to the opposite side of the dark-matter field, positioning us at coordinates Jag will supply you with." "Serving is the greatest pleasure," said Rhombus.

"Bob's your uncle," said Thor.

Jag moved his head up and down, imitating the human gesture.

Waldahudin never said thank you, but Keith thought the pig looked inordinately pleased.

Chapter XVII

The bridge was calm, the six workstations floating serenely against the holographic night. It was 0500 ship's time; delta shift was in the final hour of its watch.

In the director's position was an Ib named Wineglass; other Ibs were at the Internal-Ops and Helm stations.

Physical sciences was slaved to a dolphin named Melon-dent, a Waldahud was at life sciences, and a human named Denna Van Hausen was at External Ops.

A grid of force screens radiated down from the invisible ceiling, creating millimeter-wide vacuum gaps between each workstation, preventing transmission of noise between them. The Ib at Internal Ops was engaged in a holographic conference with three miniature floating Ibs and three disembodied Waldahud heads. The human at External was reading a novel on one of her monitor screens.

Suddenly, the silencing force fields snapped off and an alarm began to sound. "Unidentified ship approaching," announced PHANTOM.

"T'here!" said Van Hausen, pointing to the image of the nearby star.

"It's just passing from behind the photosphere."

PHANTOM was showing the unknown ship as a small red triangle; the actual vessel was far too small to be visible at this distance.

"Any chance that it's just a watson?" asked Wineglass, his British accent carrying a hint of Cockney.

"None," said Van Hausen. "It's at least as big as one of our probeships."

Lights moved across Wineglass's web. "Let's get a look at it," he said.

The Ib at the helm station rotated the ship slightly so that the deck-seventy optical array was aimed at the 'intruder. A square frame appeared around part of the star, and within it a magnified view appeared. The approaching ship was illuminated on one side by the green star. The other side was a black silhouette, visible only because it eclipsed the background stars.

Wineglass spoke to Kreet, the Waldahud on his right. 'What looks like a Waldahud design. The central engine pod, no?"

Waldahudin believed each ship — or building or vehicle — should be unique; they did not mass-produce from the same design. Kreet lifted all four of his shoulders. "Maybe," be said. "Any transponder signal, Denna?" asked Wineglass.

"If there is one," the human said, "it's lost in the noise from the star."

"Please try to contact the ship."

"Transmitting," said Denna. "But they're still over fifty million klicks away; it'll take almost six minutes for any reply, and — God!"

A second ship was coming around the limb of the green star. It was similar in size to the first, but had a different, more blocky design.

Still, the trademark Waldahud central engine pod was visible.

"Better get Keith down here," said Wineglass.

Lights rippled across the Ib at InOps. "Director Lansing to the bridge!"

"Fry to contact the second ship, too," Wineglass said.

"Doing so," said Van Hausen… "And — Jesus, I'll try to contact that third one, as well." Another ship, half emerald fire glinting off polished metal, half black nothingness, was emerging from behind the star. A moment later a fourth and then a fifth appeared.

"It's a bloody armada," said Van Hausen.

"They Waldahud ships clearly are," said Melondent from his open pool to the left of the physics workstation.

"Thruster exhaust signatures most characteristic."

"But what would five — six, eight — eight Waldahud craft want here?" asked Wineglass. "Denna, where are they heading?"

"They're doing parabolic paths around the star," the human woman said.

"Hard to say exactly where they're planning to end up, but Starplex's current position is within eight degrees of the most likely projected course."

"They after us are coming," said Melondent. "We should-"

A door appeared in the hologram. Keith Lansing strode onto the bridge, unshaven, hair matted down from sleep.

"Sorry to wake you early," said Wineglass, rolling away from the director's workstation, "but we have company."

Keith nodded at the Ib, and waited for a pOlychair to emerge from the trapdoor in front of his console. It was already morphing into human configuration as it rose up from the floor. Keith seated himself.

"You've tried contacting them?"

"Yes," said Denna. "Earliest possible response is in forty-eight seconds, though."

"They're Waldahud ships, aren't they?" said Keith, his workstation rising to the height he preferred.