Deep Space, The Dead Zone
Coreward of Pythagoras
Thrynn Frigate Kryssthoggr

Captain SshT'k was in the tactical pit on the bridge. Somewhere on the ship, he knew, Captain Hthssbr was plotting with her faction. The Phlegmak trap had intensified her sway among the junior officers. It was only a matter of time and opportunity. The more seasoned officers were loyal to him. They had come up through the ranks together. For the moment, the bridge was safe.

SshT'k exited through the hatch and proceeded to his quarters. When he got there he opened his safe and pulled out a small recorder pad and an antiquated log recorder. During the early twenties, the Artheneans had been desperate for endurium and hey brought plutonium and artifacts in trade. General Hoss'Vnn had managed to acquire the log recorder from a particularly desperate crew, though it had been little more than a museum piece until several months earlier. SshT'k connected the recorder to the black box and keyed the format. The screen lit up and the audio ports crackled:

Captain's Log
Elowan Freighter Murl Chumara

I've just received word from Admiral Easton that the Gazurtoid ambushed a transport and the Cruiser Byzantium just under six hours ago. They were on the way to the pick up the Elowan at the Eshbullr Colony. We have no choice but to reroute. Too many have been lost already. I am ordering the navigator to change course. We should arrive at 199, 181 in about two days. I pray we can still make the Noah 6 rally point in time.
 

The Dead Zone
Unnamed System: DZ241,157
Aboard ISS Belfast Windfall

"Let's you two see if we can't dig up a box of baddick stalks for our Veloxi friends, here." Commander Hilsfar was rubbing his hands together. The two androids grappled briefly with his syntax and then left the cargo bay for the food stores area. Ux was the chief engineer. He and his team of Veloxi technicians were buzzing away, crawling all over the Nomad Band Booster Relay. Mack had been right. They had bounced the Nomad transmission recordings around the solar system. It hadn't been long before they'd received a reply from the relay: ["89 //H57//*TRNSMT] It was an encoded command that had permitted Nomad Probes to transmit their data on viable colony worlds and resource pockets. Pulling the probe off the asteroid and loading it on the ship had been fairly easy, but now the real work began. Biggs stared at the Old Empire artifact. The Veloxi continued their work on the transmitter's innards.

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Next: "Up Tempo"

The great mysteries are yet unanswered: is it "yoo-lek" or "ooh-lek?" Is it "oohl" or "yool?" "Legg-ick" or "leck?". So for all three of you rabid H & C fans out there (you know who you are) the Elowan word "ollsrl" is pronounced "all-searl" as in "all-pearl," get it? Now go stun some surly life forms.

"Hilsfar & Company: Because Frywell Grills Cook Mean Ribs"