Wild Space

As the UNS Arctic moved through the inky black of space in its way to investigate a derelict ship wreckage at the edge of the UN border, almost in wild space, Commander Taisen pondered on the true reason for the moniker of "wild space."

The planets in wild space were frequently travelled places until a millennia ago, even before the Akkadians found the humans of Earth, a series of supernovas cause the destruction of asteroids, entire planets and other stars causing a chain reaction that resulted in unreliable hyperspace routes

The instability however, was a two edged sword. The limitation of space travel throughout the region now known as wild space made it the perfect breeding ground for pirates, smugglers and others. One of those others had now set its sights on Earth.

"How close are we now?" Taisen asked.

"We're almost there, Commander. Just a few degrees to port," Ensign Dharma the navigator said.

The star destroyer ventured forward, closing the distance. Commander Taisen shut his eyes and tried to reach out with his mind to sense the ravaged cargo ship. It was one thing to see holo recordings of it and it was another to personally feel the reality of the slaughter. Beside him, Lieutenant Alita half observed the approaching image of the ship and half observed the Commander. She initially thought that the pain was going away until she noticed the tell tale sign of needle marks on his left thigh. There was a new one every time he excused himself to his quarters and back.

"This wasn't a pirate attack," Alita said.

"What is your reasoning, Lieutenant?"

"I can still feel the fear and desperation of the ones that were slaughtered."

"Very astute but I would've preferred if you pointed out the damage pattern which shows destructive force and no attempt at immobilising with minimum damage."

"That too."

"Please remember that we're in the midst of other humans who have a disbelief for our abilities."

"Other? Last I checked you were also non-human, Commander."

"No other member of my crew speaks to me the way you do."

Lieutenant Alita opened her jaw as if to say something but she closed it again without a word. She had a feeling that he was intentionally changing the subject.

Taisen's attention was pulled to a crew member working the controls at the front of the ship, closer to the viewport.

"Commander Taisen, it looks like the majority of the destruction was inflicted after the pirates plundered it," a young man said.

"What is your name, Ensign?" Taisen asked.

"Ensign Jonathan Swan, sir."

"Ensign Swan, it's unlikely that we're dealing with pirates," Thrawn said. "The angle of the majority of the shots indicates an attack from the rear."

The young man nodded. That was the same analysis and logic he'd followed, and it had taken him to a different conclusion.

That logic plus one more crucial fact.

"Let's get the obvious question out of the way," Commander Taisen said. "Is this ship at all related to the ones that attacked Earth four days ago?"

"No," Ensign Swan said promptly. "I can see no artistic or design language connection between them at all."

Taisen nodded. That, too, had been his conclusion.

"So it's possible the two incidents are unrelated," Alita said.

"If so, it would be an interesting coincidence," Taisen added. "I consider it more likely that the attack on Earth was a diversion to draw our attention inward and away from this event. Don't you think, Lieutenant?"

"I didn't quite reach that conclusion, Commander," Alita said. "But given the cost of the diversion, it further suggests someone really doesn't want us taking a good look at this ship."

"Indeed," Taisen said thoughtfully. "I wonder why they left wreckage instead of destroying it completely."

"I can tell you that, sir," the Ensign Swan chimed in. "I was in touch with the patrol ship that spotted the attack. They were too far away to intervene or to get any real sensor data, but the assailant apparently spotted their approach and decided not to risk a confrontation. By the time they arrived and began an investigation, the attackers had escaped into hyperspace… towards wild space."

"So we already knew about the attack," Taisen added. "The diversion was then presumably an attempt to push it out of our focus at least until more time had passed," Taisen said.

"How much time, sir, do you estimate?" Alita asked.

Taisen shook his head. "Impossible to say for certain. But given the Senate's outrage at the attack on Earth, I'm guessing they'll keep up the pressure on the fleet to find the culprits for at least the next two to three months. Assuming, of course, that we don't identify them before then."

"We won't," Ensign Swan said. "From the recordings I saw of the attack, the ships looked old, obsolete even. Whoever they are, they chose ships that'll most likely bear little resemblance to whatever they're using."

Taisen smiled grimly. "But then, a little resemblance may be all we need."

"Perhaps." Alita gestured toward the wrecked ship. "I assume we'll be going aboard?"

Taisen looked at her. "Yes," he said. "Just the two of us. The shuttle crew will stay here on watch."

"Understood, Commander," Alita said. "I'll go prepare the boarding suits."

"Go ahead," Taisen said. "I'll join you in a moment."

He waited until Alita had left before addressing Ensign Swan. "I presume they left everything exactly as they found it?" he asked the pilot.

"Yes, sir," he said. "But…"

"But?" Taisen prompted.

"I don't understand why you wanted it left intact instead of bringing it aboard for a more thorough investigation," he said. "I can't see how anything in there will do you any good."

"You may be surprised," Taisen said as he looked toward the automatic sliding doors where Alita had gone. "In fact, I'm counting on it."