“It answers to stillness, not orders”

  Feebee’s QI when asked about the Seed-arc

  Chen was visibly shaken. He turned to his 2iC. "We'd fit in one of the engines."

  "Yes Sir. It's huge."

  "And it appeared as soon as we established Silent Protocols?"

  "Yes Sir."

  Chen walked to one side of the screen, as if that would allow him to see the ship in front of him, side on.

  "Size?"

  "Can't say. It doesn't register on our sensors. This is the Area of Nothing."

  "The what?"

  "The area you asked us to monitor and analyse. Sir."

  "It's hardly nothing is it?"

  "No Sir but out sensors cannot see it."

  Chen looked to his 2iC who simply shrugged, but then added, "The scientists are looking into it. All we have on it are visuals at this point."

  "Ok. Do nothing aggressive. No weapons, nothing. Yes?"

  "Yes Sir." He looked around the bridge, "Everyone. Nothing aggressive."

  The 2iC spoke up, "Should we stop probing them?"

  One of the navs laughed and drew a stern look from the 2iC.

  "Yes, stop... using sensors. For now. Try and get nearer."

  The 2iC was surprised, "Nearer Sir?"

  "Yes. Nearer. If all we have are visuals we need to get nearer so we can see more. Slowly, nothing threatening."

  The thought that their ship could in any way threaten this ship was laughable.

  As they got closer one of the analysts called out to the 2iC.

  "Sir. There's a comet on the outside of the ship. That's where the debris that allowed the wake to form came from."

  "And the abnormal signal?"

  "As soon as the ship appeared it stopped."

  "Shit," was all Chen said.

  The Measured Response plotted a measured approach towards the ship in front of them.

  "Sir. The ship adjusted, it is now matching our velocity."

  He spoke quietly to his 2iC, "I need you to get a handful of volunteers. Go see what this ship is. Use the shuttle."

  The 2iC hesitated for a second, Hhmm, looks like I volunteered. Again.

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  Before he could respond, one of the analysts called across the bridge, "There seems to be a docking area and airlocks near the comet. Should we get nearer?"

  Chen looked to his 2iC. With a sigh the 2iC responded to the nav, "I'll take a shuttle and have a look. Get us near but at a safe distance."

  On the way off of the bridge the 2iC told one of the analysts, a pilot and the marine on bridge duty, to follow him. As they walked to the shuttle bay the analyst spoke up.

  "This isn't what I signed up for? What happened to calling for volunteers?"

  The 2iC laughed, "It's exactly what you signed up for, and you did volunteer. Review the contract terms when we get back."

  The analyst was not angry, she was actually excited but put up a mock front anyway, "We never got a copy of the contract."

  "I'll send it to you when we get back."

  They wore EVA suits in the shuttle as they crossed the short distance to the ship. It stretched out below them like a small planet. Horizons at two compass points, North and South, very distant. East and West closer.

  The shuttle extended its docking clamps. Automated systems on the ship reconfigured and reached out to the shuttle. They waited for the reassuring 'clunk' as they grabbed each other.

  Nothing.

  They simply failed to engage, both sets retracting. Zero recognition. The pilot repositioned the shuttle over the clamping mechanism on the ship. And 'pushed' the shuttle onto the clamps.

  Nothing.

  "Ok. Everyone check your suits." The 2iC continued, "We'll do this the old way."

  He pointed to the pilot. "You stay here. You two. With me."

  The three of them were tethered together. The marine in the lead, followed by the 2iC and lastly the analyst. Her job was to ensure the tether payed out and as a backup, to ensure that they were attached to the ship’s hull. It slowed things down but was a lot safer.

  "You there yet?" asked Chen.

  "Close Sir. It's slow going."

  They reached an airlock and saw a big green button. Above the door was a green light.

  "Green is good, yes?" he asked.

  The analyst shook her head, "No. Not really. In my culture it’s a sign of the devil, of witchcraft."

  "That's helpful."

  He reached out to the green button and pressed it. The display by the door lit up, it was AMBER and a single word appeared.

  NULL

  "Sir, we cannot dock with the ship or access it via the airlocks. It's not hostile, there isn't a denial of access. It doesn't see us. Says undefined or null. Just nothing."

  "Stay there. In the shuttle."

  He walked the bridge, hands clasped behind his back. He'd seen important people do this in films or on the vid, when thinking on what to do in tricky situations.

  "Have we tried hailing them?"

  Meanwhile... inside the Seed-arc, Feebee was in the rest room. Talking with the coffee boys. She'd developed a liking for coffee but too much wired her. She sipped her first cup of the day slowly.

  Without any warning, there was a shift in the chatter around her. Something fundamental just changed.

  Not at her level but at the level within which the Seed-arc operated. A level that defines its geometry within the space around it.

  The QI felt it too and reached out through the Seed-arc's resources.

  'There is another ship tracking us.'

  Feebee laughed, 'We've done this one before. Is this with the pirates again?' Bench Press and Spotter were doing their usual stuff.

  The QI conveyed frustration, 'No. Not everything is a game or a sim. This is real.'

  'Oh. Ok. Good.'

  Feebee reached out and got a view looking out across the Seed-arc hull to the ship running on a parallel course. It was small. Same size as the comet but smaller than the asteroid had been. It had sent an even smaller ship, a shuttle, over to the Seed-arc.

  'We're being hailed.'

  'What do they want?'

  The QI sounded amused, 'Someone called Captan Chen. Wants to know what we are, what we are doing, where we are going... I asked him the same.'

  Feebee reviewed the available stats on the ship that was tracking them.

  'And his response?'

  'They are a small survey ship, investigating an abnormal signal and came across us.'

  'And that's how they found us. What is the signal's source?'

  'They don't know. But it wasn't us. Up until a few minutes ago we were an area of nothing. The seed-arc exposed us for a reason.'

  'Let me talk to them. Include visuals but make this look more official.'

  'Ack.' The QI ignored her, feeling the informality of the real backdrop better.

  Chen appeared in her overlays. His voice clear. He was on the bridge of his ship or projecting that as a backdrop.

  "I am Captain Chen. Do you understand me?"

  "Yes. I am Feebee."

  "Feebee what?"

  "Feebee Jones." She waited, inviting Chen to speak next.

  And waited. Chen was clearly trying to process what he was seeing. A woman in her late teens in military fatigues in a training area. He could see two men in the weights area. It was so not what he had expected that he needed a minute to process it.

  "Do you command the ship?"

  "Yes."

  "But you're... you're..."

  Feebee cut in, "Do you command the ship standing off us?"

  "Yes. It's called The Measured Response."

  "That is a good name, a strong name."

  Chen's body language relaxed at her response. "Yes, it is. What is your rank?"

  She answered without thinking. "Army Captain with Level Two Command clearance."

  "I'm not familiar with your command structure?"

  "It gives me command and control over most ship functions."

  Chen paused, "But now we're here we can take control of the ship, provide you with custodial oversight and a security detail. We'd also like to extend the observation window as we return to base."

  The way he spoke was very matter of fact, procedural. Not aggressive but as if it was a forgone conclusion.

  A strong feeling came over her, one that resonated within her bones. Feebee's response was simple, "It won't allow that."