Deathstalker 02 - Deathstalker Rebellion

own power through the Darkvoid, but someone brought it to a halt here, facing us. And, since they must know we know there's
    someone on board, why aren't they talking to us?"
    "It has to be a trap of some kind," said Stelmach. "Could it be an alien ship, disguised?"
    "It's not a holo image," said Cross. "Exterior is exactly what it should be."
    "Alien or not," said Silence, "I'd say the odds are extremely good that this ship is the source of the unsettling phenomena you've all been experiencing. The ship's appearance could be a part of that. Psychological warfare. Cross, take us to Red Alert. All shields up. If this is a disguised alien ship, it's not going to get the chance to hit us like its brother did over Golgotha. Bring all guns to bear, but nobody fires without my express command."
    There was a hum of new activity as the bridge crew busied themselves. They all remembered how close that other alien ship had come to cleaning their clock permanently. They were looking forward to a little payback. Frost leaned in close beside Silence.
    "I have to say, Captain, that the odds of this being an alien ship are really rather small. All the sensor readings seem to be insisting that the ship facing us is indeed the long-lost Champion."
    "I don't want a panic on my bridge," Silence said quietly. "Personally, I think both chances are equally unlikely. More probably, this is a trap of some kind.
    Maybe even a first shot from the new rebellion. Either way, I want my people primed and ready to blow the snot out of that ship at the first wrong move.
    Communications Officer, what readings are you getting now?"
    "Mostly confusing ones, sir," said Cross, scowling down at his panels. "Most of the new ship's systems are down. No defensive shields, no activated weapons… and no life support. No atmosphere and colder than hell. It's just hanging there,
    dead in the water. I don't even know how it got there. All my instruments seem quite convinced the ship's drive is cold. There's nothing to show it's been used in one hell of a long time."
    "Life-form readings?" said Silence.
    "Not a thing, Captain. Human or otherwise. There's always the chance it could be an old plague ship."
    Silence glared at him. "Ghost ship, plague ship; you're a real cheerful sort to have around, Cross, you know that? We're going to have to take a closer look.
    Maintain Red Alert, but keep the long-range sensors open. If there's one ship out here, there might be more, and I don't want us getting hit while we're distracted. Investigator, put together an away team. You and I are taking a pinnace over to that ship to see what's what."
    "I suppose I'm wasting my breath in pointing out that as Captain you shouldn't risk your life with an investigating team?" said Frost.
    "You are indeed," said Silence. "Whatever that ship is, I need firsthand information before I can make any decisions. Stelmach, would you care to accompany us?"
    "Not really, no," said Stelmach. "They don't pay me enough to volunteer for missions like this. In fact, they couldn't pay me enough. Have a nice trip, Captain. I'll be right here when you get back."
    "Captain," said Cross. "Permission to join your team. If that really is the Champion, my grandfather's ship…"
    "We won't need a Communications Officer," said Frost.
    "But we might need someone who could tell a fake Champion from the real thing,"
    said Silence. "All right, Cross. You're on the team. Second, you have the bridge again. Let's go, people."

    They crossed over to what might be the Champion in a pinnace; Silence, Frost, Cross, and six security men. They all wore hard suits. The Dauntless's sensors had been quite specific that there wasn't a single life-support system working in the whole ship. Silence patched into the pinnace's sensors through his comm implant and studied the Champion thoughtfully as the pinnace drifted closer. It was as though the bulkhead turned transparent where he was looking, giving him a clear view of the mystery ship. It looked heavy and clumsy, compared to the sleek starcruisers he was used to. The old C class had been something of a compromise between speed and weaponry, that in the end turned out to favor neither. Which was why it had been quickly bested and replaced by the D class.
    Even so, the Champion was something of a legend in the fleet. She'd been one of the Empire's foremost exploratory vessels, checking out new worlds for alien contacts or colonization, and brought fourteen new planets into the