Seven minutes from the jump point, Harking spoke again.

“Operations, any noise on radar?” he asked. So far the traversal had been uneventful, which was the way he liked it.

“Nothing, sir,” came the reply. “Passive is quiet.” Harking heard the hesitation in the radar officer’s voice.

“And…?” he prompted.

“Jump in five,” the pilot called out quietly. Harking ignored him.

“I’m not positive,” the RO began, “but I think I just saw a ghost.”

Harking swore. A ghost was the briefest of radar blips, there and gone so fast that only the sharpest of eyes usually saw it. Ghosts usually occurred when the sensor array detected signals that had been reflected off the hull of another ship whose concealment was less than total.

It also meant they weren’t alone.

Harking turned to the pilot. “All stop!” he barked.

“Aye, sir. All stop!”

A moment later, the ship was stationary, just shy of their subspace jump point.

“Now what, sir?” the pilot asked.

“Now,” Harking replied, “we wait and see who else is out here.”