When Shanti finally returned to her room it was evening. She refused to call the spacious rooms of Defender with simple "cabin". Her VIP suite included her personal office, a smaller office taken by Konrad, a spacious living room in which she could meet with friends or took half official visits as well as their bedroom with a gigantic bed and their own bathroom and wardrobe as big as her old room back when she was Federation Senator.
Thank you Stars and mana for all your blessings.
She opened the door and saw Konrad and Robert sitting silently in the living room with opened reports on holographic screens and sour faces.
"What's going on?" They looked at her with tired eyes. Konrad sighed and started explaining.
"Today at 06:00 board time we received a help request coming from Jovian ore hauler. Its Captain using standard Federation Emergency Frequency informed about unknown signals and asked for protection. At about the same time our SIGINT detected strange EM signals from Jovian's positions so two Dashu'uns accompanied by five light cruisers and fifteen destroyers were sent to investigate. When the task force reached the alleged hauler position they found nothing. Just a few traces suggesting that the hauler was destroyed. After checking the area task force returned to Fleet."
Shanti looked at him silently so he continued. "At 10:30 board time, we picked signals suggesting the use of heavy laser weapon very close to one of our early warning satellites. At 10:35 we picked up the S.O.S. signal of the Ioitian cargo hauler but it lasted only 10.67 seconds. We dispatched 3 Fox drones to investigate but at 10:57 we lost contact with them. The quick response team jumped in but found only wrecks of drones. To note- all 3 Foxex were moving uncloaked due to wrongly programmed orders."
He looked at her calmly.
"It's back Shanti- the Shadow we observed 10 years ago. SIGINT detected it during standard area observation of neutral space routes while checking data from automated traffic control satellites. We tried to contact it this time but they just ran away."
Robert MacArthur looked tired but when he spoke to her his voice was calm and firm. He had his eyes closed as he was still connected to Wrath systems.
"All our installations are heavily protected and nothing should sneak close to our planets but I ordered building a new net of sensor stations to cover 24 light hours zones around all our systems."
She made big eyes and sat near her husband. "Are we in danger?"
"We don't know yet. Robert?"
Admiral pulled back his neural connection and made a sour face: "Terran High command is silent. They dismissed our reports or still assessing them. However, with the firepower we have already here, I doubt we are in real danger, so instructions from Neptune are not that important. Whoever they are staying hidden is their main priority."
"I can't imagine suddenly finding an opponent on the same tech level as Commonwealth. I don't know how we should proceed. I advise caution. It will be the first time when we fight someone like that." Konrad added after a moment's thought.
Shanti got an idea. "Do we recovered drone parts destroyed by an unknown ship?"
"Yes. Normally we would leave them behind. However, our tech level is way ahead of Federation so we don't leave any pieces of the technology behind. Better safe than sorry."
Shanti nodded and both men saw how she was talking through the implant with someone. When she finished she looked at Robert. "I want them sent to Khrisa. We think we can find something on them using mana. I can't promise anything but it's worth a shot".
Robert blinked and his order was transmitted. "You are right. No sensor or test showed anything besides obvious things- all three drones were destroyed by a high-power laser. A weapon all space-faring races developed. Remains will be delivered in about an hour."
Konrad nodded and added. "I used my authority and demanded from Federation Senat all reports about missing ships or any unexplained events. Time for them to be useful for once. I think we should try to solve this mystery faster."
The next day Shanti, Konrad, and Robert with his adjutant entered Khrisa's lab. She was a mess. Her husband was standing nearby offering her his cup of coffee. It looked like she doesn't sleep the entire night. She yawned and apologized.
Khrisa took them to a room with remains of drones. "This is strange. All were destroyed simultaneously. In another case, Foxes would enter stealth mode and start evasive maneuvers. It's almost impossible to hit cloaked and evading Fox by anyone with technology levels lesser than Commonwealth. What's more interesting I found unknown particles- their origin is unclear but I profiled them and sent them already to SIGINT so if they detect anything fitting we will catch it and ask some questions. I'm sorry but we are not yet ready for more complicated tests until we get this new ship Queen promised me yesterday."
Konrad and Robert's heads turned like autocannons ready to shoot. Shanti started talking to disarm the problem.
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"We talked with Guardian about how to improve our research capacity and He suggested moving all Khrisa research to Einstein class ship."
Their faces showed understanding and Robert said. "Oh yeh that made sense. Since u can have ship three times faster than any building with half of the costs."
Shanti rolled her eyes. Yes, that's the totally main reason- budget savings. Konrad looked concerned. "I just received the first incident reports from galaxies Handful so far but all in the same tone- remote targets, no survivors or trace to follow. They didn't even detect anything so no useful clues from there."
"Hmmm I can intensify patrols but I doubt it will change anything." Robert scratched his chin. "For sure I'm giving escorts to any Commonwealth ship that wants to travel outside our systems. It's so rare that it will be easy. Fa'enni cut almost all their trade connections with the Federation so there is little to no traffic. All trade came in and almost nothing goes out. Also congratulation Lady Khrisa for discovering and profiling this particle. It may prove decisive."
Khrisa smiled and tried to bow but almost fell on deck, fortunately Raphael catched her. "I'm sorry General, Admiral but she was giving her best to find anything on this drones."
"Nothing to mention Captain. Get her to bed, she deserved to rest. And thank Her when she wakes up." Raphael stands at attention with his fainted wife in his arms ready to go but Konrad hit himself in the forehead with an open hand. "One day I will forget my head. Before you go, Captain. I want to see you asap, it's nothing bad I promise."
"Yes, sir! Excuse me then General."
"March away captain!" said Konrad as all three men barely hold straight faces. They left the lab and Robert excused himself. He needed to create a new operation plan.
Shanti was intrigued however why her husband want to see Raphael and looked on Konrad from time to time on their way back 'home'. He smiled and said.
"I know you so long that I know this gaze. You want to know why I want to see Raphael?"
"How do you? Ehhhh... Yes. Why do you need to talk with him?"
"Haha. I knew it. Few things. First of all, I finally got his promotion accepted on Terra. I could promote him myself thanks to my rank and level of self-sufficiency but I wanted him awarded with Medal of Honor. What he and his company did during the defense of Ra-Nael was epic. Did you know that some very famous film directors want to make a movie about what they have done? Anyway, he deserved that medal. But since this award is given sparsely had to push very hard and even asked my father to help me to get this done."
She didn't know but waaaait.
"But you got the Medal of Honour after they learned how you raided Hegemon palace, personally slain his Royal Guards, and cut his head off, while your team saved over five hundred Fa'enni from his personal prison."
Said head is preserved in a stasis field. She has no idea how to use it but maybe one day it will come in handy. He looked a little embarrassed.
"Well yes but that was nothing compared to what they have done. Those sorrow lizards I killed were hardly armed and cutting off the head of that boss lizard was formality!"
She looked at him with disbelief. "If you say so... But Royal Guards were equipped with the best armors and weapons Xhrestla had. And you killed all 50 of them using nothing more than your power sword. After I saw reports about how throneroom looked like after you left, even I can say the Hegemon put a hell of a fight."
He didn't know what to say. "Well I was a little upset or maybe even angry back then when our intelligence found out and they told me he ordered his ambassador to bring you him as dinner... "
She kissed him. If that was little angry woe to someone who truly enrage her husband and smiled. But she knew he was furious back then. All his sealed wrath from the past long gone returned under his control once again.
"Thank you, Konrad. And your people."
"No problem. But we were talking about Raphael. The second reason I want to meet with him is I will be putting him in charge of the Khrisa security team and attaching him permanently so due to formality he must agree- you must know that being attached permanently as head of security is usually the end of a military career. But of course, I hope you later try your usual tactics." He barefacedly smiled at her.
She laughed but winked at him as he continued. "I'm not that stupid and I know how I would feel if someone would try to send me to the other side of the Commonwealth or even on a post where we would see each other rarely."
"Thank you on behalf of Khrisa."
"Wait that's not all. I know Raphael from the academy. Don't be so surprised Shanti. We were both almost fresh captains just two years after academy when... You know."
"You mean that time when your army exterminated the most bloodthirsty race under the light of stars and saved some losers called Fa'enni? I heard some rumors." She never thought she will be able to joke about it.
"Yeahhhh..... Anyway, we are very good friends and recently I got the news our mutual friend will be joining my forces here so I hoped we could throw some welcome party. And also we have some personal talks. Raphael asked for it a few days ago but I don't know what it could be."
Shanti recently learned the Deployment Protocol of the Terran Navy and Army. At first glance, it was a complicated and total mess. How general can at morning yell at soldiers and in the evening play games or joke with them as if nothing happened? All rules on how they interact, when you act like soldiers, and when as friends were complicated. But it was necessary. The average deployment of fleets was 50 years, and some deployments lasts even 150 years. Crew increase is expected anywhere between 10 to 20%. There is of course list of all protocols and laws on board. Crew marriages were inventible but at this point, everything was regulated. You can't simply send a few thousand humans, hundreds of light years away from home for fifty years and expect they will hold all their urges. Humans as usually have everything regulated.
In the case of her husband, he is on 'eternal deployment'. Technically he is under command of the Terran Army Headquarters at Lunar Base Alpha in the Sol system due to his rank but in reality, he is head of state now. Since he married her no one dared to send him any order. Back on Earth, his marriage is viewed as a political marriage that cemented the alliance between Humanity and Fa'enni.
Whatever, as long as no one is trying to do anything funny. On the other hand, 95% of the 515th Army and 230th Fleet are volunteers. Most of them found love here and Fa'enni systems are their new homes. But these systems are still the same Commonwealth they vowed to protect.
The win-win system if anyone asks her.
With Humans around no one dare to attack Fa'enni ever again. And since many Human soldiers created happy families with Fa'enni partners the violence of humans protecting their families would be out of scale for anyone stupid to try to attack them. That's why she was concerned with this unknown threat.