Harking looked at the RO, who shook his head. No additional radar contact.

He cycled through his displays for a moment longer, assimilating the data they contained and attempting to assess their current situation. His concern was that a blockade waited ahead for them or, more likely, an ambush. He knew from experience that ghosts weren’t something you could just dismiss, especially not for a little courier vessel like his.

Harking minimized the holograph to a space just above his left arm.

“Alright. RO, active sweep, if you please. One ping, omnidirectional. Let’s see who’s out there.”

“Aye, sir,” came the reply.

Adjusting his display, the RO called up the search program and toggled a switch that fired off a burst of low-frequency radio waves, wincing inwardly as he did so. If they hadn’t been on anyone’s radar before, they almost certainly were now.

The sweep revealed nothing, which wasn’t surprising. What came back instead was surprising, though — and it left him momentarily speechless.