Free This Corner of the Universe by Britt Ringel

beginning
of the next cycle was only three months away.  Vernay’s section would be short-handed
in the meantime but she considered it a small price to pay for launching a
promising officer’s career.
    “That’s
great news, Stacy.  Be sure to remind me in tomorrow’s staff meeting so we can
plan a proper send-off for them,” Heskan replied as he watched the game.
    On
the wall screen, the Tetium Tempests shot the ball over to Anthe and players
collided as the Tempests stopped the Scrappers’ assault.  With the Tempests in
possession, the crowd in the mess hall started to get loud again.  The cheering
grew in intensity as the ball was pitched backwards to Campbell, who was
immediately surrounded by four Scrappers.  Campbell shook off two players but the
other two held on tightly as Campbell dragged them meter after meter.  With
each step of the beleaguered flanker, the crowd in the mess hall cheered louder
and louder. 
    The
volume of the game suddenly muted as the compartment’s speakers chimed and the
voice of Petty Officer Deveraux came through.  “Captain Heskan, we have a
tunnel drive disturbance at the Narvi point.  It’s hard to read this close to
the Beta Field but the signal seems like a freighter’s beacon, distance
unknown.  Her beacon color and ID are unknown.  Sensors confirm a ship but
we’re too far out for anything else.”
    The
volume immediately returned and the crowd in the mess hall talked excitedly about
the flanker’s incredible strength.
    “I
guess that’s my cue.  Nice chatting with you, Stacy,” Heskan said as he got up
from the table and departed.
    Out
in the corridor, Heskan initiated communications with the bridge from his
datapad.  He could have opened a comm link in the mess hall but there was no reason
to make everyone remain quiet while he conducted routine operations.  There’s
no rush, we’re a full twenty-five light-minutes from the tunnel point and we won’t
get a clear picture until we get through the Beta Field .
    “Bridge,
Captain, report.”  Heskan liked keeping communications simple and short.
    This
time, Heskan’s first officer responded, “Still too much disturbance to get a
lot, Captain.  The navigation buoy amplified that ship’s beacon so we can
detect it but sitting right at the edge of the Beta Field makes it too hard to
get a clearer transmission.  I’ve ordered Anelace on an intercept course in
anticipation of us escorting the ship to the RALF.  We’re making our way
through the Beta Field at point one-C and I estimate we’ll be clear of it in fifty
minutes.  After that, we should have a much better sensor picture, sir.”
    “Very
well, Mike.  My shift starts in a couple hours so I’m going to go to my cabin
and get cleaned up.  I’ll relieve you in a while.” 
    Heskan
heard his first officer acknowledge and then ended his transmission.  This
system would be a nightmare to defend from invasion , Heskan thought.  All
we would get is a warning that ships tunneled in and then we’d have to get past
the asteroid fields before we knew what we were up against.  I guess you’d have
to have pickets on the outside of the Beta Field all the time and relay what
they saw to the inner part of the system .  On the other hand, any ship that
dove in would be equally blind.  That freighter won’t have a clue we’re here
until we’re past the Beta Field, at which point only then will they be able to detect
our ship’s beacon.
    Heskan
passed through the quiet corridors of the lower deck, greeting the rare passerby. 
This early in the day, most people were either on duty, asleep or watching the Slamball
game.  Heskan skipped the ladder, took the elevator to the upper deck and
walked down the officer’s quarters portion of the long, single hallway.  When he
reached his cabin, he quickly took a sani-shower and put on a fresh uniform. 
With plenty of time before his shift started, he decided to review the
freighter schedule for the