Deep Space, The Dead Zone
Aboard ISS Belfast Windfall

Commander Biggs Hilsfar and several of his officers were huddled around his desk on the bridge. There was a pot of coffee, some distilled water and a plate of baddick stalks. "Alright, folks. Mack here has come up with what looks like evidence of a Nomad booster relay somewhere around here. Alowala went over the numbers and it's pretty airtight. I want to have a look." He took a sip of his coffee, hoping this development might lead to something more interesting than the general survey for which the Elowan had hired him.

"Bloody right," said the science officer. "Just look at it," she continued, "The Old Empire used the Nomad band for hundreds of years between the waves. A few smuggling outfits might be using it here and there locally-- it's one way to keep communications quiet, but a booster relay?" Arella Newark was an archaeologist at heart. Photonic and survey science just paid the bills.

"They are expensive..." agreed Grx'bzzgah. Messages couldn't simply be sent on a communications band in hopes they would find a relay along the way. Relays were generally built with certain spatial locations in mind; Earth to Mardan 4 or Echt to Elan. They represented a significant investment. "...and smugglers don't shell out for capital goods."

"Hell, the New Council hardly does." Mack was perched on a safety rail between Biggs' disaster area of a desk and the rest of the bridge. "Remember that fight about the Staff-Pythagoras Relay set? I don't even think they're done with that yet."

"Alright, it's expensive and interesting enough to go snooping around for, but how do we find the damned thing?" The skipper was a practical man. Commander Alowala and Lt. Mack Hereford began outlining different system configurations that might allow them to locate the booster relay in question. The details were technical. A few minutes into the discussion, Biggs Hilsfar was sharpening his pencils and glancing at the star map on his wall.

New Scotland
The Vell Bralis Nova Orbital City
Auxiliary Command Center

"So the shipyards are extensively damaged, but the damage is superficial?" 'Inspector' Boz Grabow didn't seem sure that such a thing was possible. Of course, very little made sense where the Gazurtoid were involved.

VBN City, as fashionable locals called it, was an Arthenean accomplishment of the first order. It was roughly the size of three city blocks and actually resembled a planetside city. It floated in orbit. An arm stretched out from one side and led to the shipbuilding facilities. The damage from the Gazurtoid attack was visible from a considerable distance.

"Well, in a manner of speaking, yes. Look at this blueprint, inspector," he lit up a display monitor that covered a large table in the center of the operations module. Kerhman Bilrie, acting director, was stricken by Grabow's appearance. He looked worn. "At first glance, the damage to the shipping facility looks quite devastating. The spine on prototype here is virtually snapped and one of the engine wells is gutted. These orange sections indicate laser burns all over the ships and the drydock, like this one here..." He spoke for a few more minutes on the actual damage, then paused, nibbling on a pen in thought..."but none of this is crippling; the engineers can rebuild the prototype in a few months. All the research and development labs are virtually untouched and the project management center, where all the data is stored, is absolutely untouched. What I'm saying is that-"

"It seems like they weren't even gunning for the shipyards." Grabow scrolled the display to a far wing of the city. "What are these red marks?"

"Those are modules that were completely wiped out," Bilrie replied, "that one's a food stores container and the one next to it, the larger one, that's-- I should be saying 'was'-- Commerce and Transport." Inspector Grabow made a few notes while Bilrie continued. "Most of the staff survived, but without facilities it'll be a while till they're back up to speed..."

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Next: "Tactical Considerations"

You'd think I could come up with a better name than "Puzzles."

"Hilsfar & Company: Because Number Six Deserves Better"