Now that my spacevision was enabled, I started sneaking toward what looked like a basic mining outpost. Since the Solar Union ship had come from here, I suspected this was a ruse. If someone happened to find them, they had a perfect disguise. They could pose as a temporary mining outpost for some neutral corporation, like Xigoot. They make children's toys, radioactive bombs, and some pretty cool hoodies. Corporations like Xigoot can get away with anything.

  As I got closer, I could confirm that the surface was indeed a mining outpost. I located the door, but the rest of the building was built into the asteroid itself. I could guess at the type of structure. We index all the different common structural types and points of interest. Given how small this asteroid was, it was probably a cutout of a large archetype.

  Around me was the comfortable vastness of space. The Union ships were busy scanning and collecting the remains of my spacecraft. They knew it was an i35, so there were specific items they would look for, mainly to repurpose and reuse. It was rare to find anything interesting in the debris of a ship like mine with a Wavepilot like me.

  The four Whirligigs took formation together, surrounding the wreckage like bugs hovering over a flower, while the short-range ship did its collection work. I don't see things like that often, so I hid low to the ground and watched patiently. After a time, it got repetitive, so I was tempted to mark these memories for deletion to save memory space, but the tech was way better now than it was back in my mining days.

  I'm glad I didn't delete anything. I would have missed my first memory of the most awesometacular and ridiculously dangerous ship in the universe.

  A large starship flew in, appearing out of a warp bubble behind where the fighters had taken position.

  "Fuuuuck," I whispered.

  This wasn't an ordinary ship.

  It was a Valkyrie, a gorgeous ship, the envy of the Alliance Starmada, praised for its speed, style, and weaponry. We suspected that no more than a dozen of these had been built. Our scans showed undefined materials, which was the primary reason we couldn't recreate them. I have no doubt that many of our secret and not-so-secret operations were to get intel on that specific class of ship.

  I salivated at the thought of piloting one of those. It had solar sails like most Burner ships, but it sported the best DEAD drive ever created, or so the Solar Union claimed.

  As I gawked at it, the ships started flying again, escorting the Valkyrie practically right into my lap. Two of the Whirligig fighter ships landed on the nearest landing pad, a very small pad suited for a very small asteroid, along with the Valkyrie.

  This was a dream come true. I had seen pictures of ships like this, but nothing compares to being up close. I desperately wanted to be on that starship to hear its engines hum. The ship had sharp lines. The front was like a wedge-shaped dagger, with two arrowheads on either side. It was the same color as the black of space, but reflective to the point that, to the visual eye alone, it would be hard to detect. Supposedly, these could go into a Stealth mode that made them virtually undetectable.

  And here was one. Here in the middle of nowhere. But apparently, nowhere was actually somewhere.

  Somewhere important.

  I approached from a crouch. I consider myself great at sneaking around. In fact, I was surprised they had made me a Wavepilot instead of an Infiltrator. Maybe that was the repercussion for the time I filled some of the air ducts on Sovereign Starbase with balloons. I swear it was for a training mission. When they popped, everyone thought they were under attack. They ran, and they ran, and they ran.

  I chuckled, then focused on the Valkyrie.

  My chances of sneaking into their base directly were slim. I saw one entrance. Yes, there would probably be an escape route somewhere, but that would mean two entrances at most, especially for a compound so small. I would be better able to sneak into the ship. People in the compound would know each other. There would be protocols, security.

  But I was guessing the Valkyrie was a special guest. That meant newer people meeting newer people. I could blend in more easily.

  I got closer to the landing pad and hid behind one of the refueling tanks, closest to the Valkyrie ship, but positioned between the ship and the compound.

  Pilot uniforms are pretty universal, and mine was of the simple and generic sort. I figured I could safely pass for a Solar Union pilot unless they got super curious. I really wished I had an Infiltrator uniform. Those have a higher percentage of nanobots and can shift to emulate other uniforms. It's pretty cool.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I waited until the landing bay doors of the Valkyrie opened, and then I strode out onto the platform, making myself look busy, checking fuel pumps. Three members of the Valkyrie crew strolled down the platform. I wanted to be the first person they saw and promptly ignored. My goal was to play two roles at the same time. I wanted the Valkyrie crew to think I was there because I was stationed at the base, and I wanted the people at the base to think I was part of the Valkyrie crew.

  It was a fantastic plan, if you ask me. We were on an extremely remote, worthless asteroid in Hilda's Triangle, an asteroid they had made barely detectable. If I just stood around and acted like I belonged there, no one would question me. So I did just that. I acted casual and nodded when someone looked at me.

  Soon, the doors to the compound opened. A pair of soldiers exited and stood at the entrance. Then three ship technicians appeared and walked toward the Whirligigs. I kept my focus on the fuel pumps, hoping they wouldn't wave me over. The Whirligig pilots approached them. The five of them gestured at their ships and talked briefly before the technicians disbanded to go about their work. That settled, the pilots headed toward the Valkyrie crew. Another soldier exited the facility to join them.

  Now or never. Time to get closer.

  I walked over to the three members of the Valkyrie crew, behind and off to the side. A ship that size likely had a crew of 40 to 50 people. I made sure to acknowledge them as I approached, in that "hey there, everything is normal" kind of way.

  My heart monitor showed a spike, with a heart icon and a prominent up arrow appearing in the lower left corner of my HUD. I suck at this, I groaned. I can't even keep my heart regulated. But hey, you try not being nervous in this type of situation.

  The Whirligig pilots stood to the side, letting the soldier take the lead.

  starlab_soldier: "Welcome to the Starlab 41665.1. @moonqueen sends her greetings. We're here to escort Chief Master Sergeant @bronzelion to see her."

  valkyrie_person: "Yes, of course."

  He gestured to the ship, and the form of @bronzelion came into view.

  This was huge!

  Not only was I standing in the shadows of a Valkyrie, but the Chief Master Asshole Bigwig Sergeant was here. This dude advised the military leadership of the Solar Union, and all the Fleet Commanders followed his lead, even if he wasn't their direct superior.

  My first thought was, Kill him and steal his memoryshard, but then he stomped down the ramp from the landing bay, and my ambition dropped to the pit of my stomach.

  @bronzelion was dressed in an advanced techsuit suitable for a leadership rank. As much as I hate the thought that someone who may not directly participate in battles gets the most awesome gear, they are the leaders after all. In my time, I've seen plenty of leaders rise to the top only because of their connections and political influence. Sometimes I've seen aiways slowly earn their ranks, and I suppose @horus and I fit into that category. Then there are leaders who demand a higher position and take it. They are the force to be reckoned with.

  In the military, you usually don't rise to the top by sitting in front of screens. @bronzelion was the epitome of that type of military leader. He was probably hated and feared, but he took his place of power. He had the look of a warrior, and the Valkyrie ship must have been his flagship vessel and personal starship to command.

  His suit was deep blue, which I thought was stupid. It should be bronze. I spotted arm and leg implants and a slim booster pack that would allow him to fly around. If you told me he was a robot, I would have said, "Sure. Looks like a robot. Smells like a robot. Probably a robot."

  And if I tried anything, I knew he could kill me in an instant.

  The group that had formed quickly scattered to make way as @bronzelion approached. I felt an aura of menace about him. I wondered if he was manipulating gravity or electromagnetic forces to instill fear and hopelessness in those around him.

  When he got close, @bronzelion brought a fist to his chest, slamming it three times over his heart. The soldiers and pilots immediately stood to attention where they stood and repeated the gesture as he stormed by.

  I hastily did the same thing, trying not to stand out and blow my cover. But it was a shock. The sign he made was an old gesture from the Former Terrestrial Commonwealth, a sign we called the Terra Firma. The fist was the sun. It was bumped three times over the heart to indicate love and dedication to the third planet from the sun, Earth.

  Don't get me wrong. I love Earth. But this sign wasn't exactly a friendly one. Originally it was, but when the Solar Union began, hateful factions within the new government repurposed the Terra Firma sign in the name of atrocities against their enemies, including those within their own colonies. Much of the beltway between Mars and Jupiter was settled by former citizens of the Terrestrial Commonwealth, a diaspora that was a precursor to our longstanding battle with the Solar Union.

  I had a much better idea of who I was dealing with now. This wasn't just a Solar Union facility. This was a dangerous place, dangerous people, who had a specific vision of what power meant.

  @bronzelion didn't say anything. He didn't have to. He marched toward the compound without stopping. The soldiers rushed to keep up. I got the sense that no one really escorted @bronzelion anywhere.

  And he was probably a dick to people.

  Two of his Valkyrie crew followed him, and the remaining crew member turned to go back to the ship. I had to follow someone, so I jumped into action as well. Security at the compound would be tight, and I didn't like the idea of following @bronzelion around, so I knew my best shot was to head toward that beautiful starship.

  I kicked off a subroutine to consider possible places to stash a memoryshard. These memories needed to be preserved at all costs.

  And I needed a plausible story if I was going to get on that ship.