By the time the Androids were repainted, everyone was in a hurry to get packed up and start heading for the source of the additional signal. The Hunters wanted to know how things had gone for the rest of the species that they had found, and Max was eager to find out what had happened to them in the first place.
This was so far from where they had seen the Darklings working and from the planets that they were reported to have cleared in the past few centuries that it just didn't make any sense for them to have been Harvesting here.
If there were another faction of them which was operating independently, that would be incredibly valuable information to basically everyone in the universe, as the species had the technology to move vast distances undetected.
If it was the same group, it made even less sense, as they hadn't broken their usual schedule in Koleska space, where it was assumed that they were currently active.
So, when the sun came up, and they met the bare minimum requirements of "tomorrow morning" that Huntress Khan had set as the schedule, the selected team was herded into the modified test shuttle by Nico, and they were off to explore the region.
"This first part is a bit slow, but we know that this speed and method will get us past the array without triggering it, which would set off a series of signals, and might attract unwanted attention.
Once we're past that, we will start moving at a proper speed." Nico assured the Hunters after the ship made it to orbit.
"Understood, Commander." The Hunters responded in unison.
Max settled in for the trip, knowing that he wouldn't be needed to do anything. The Hunters wouldn't even consider asking a male, and Nico could handle the ship well enough on their own.
They had only loaded one single squad of Android Mecha into the ship for security, but they weren't going to fight today. They just wanted to get a visual confirmation of the state of the planet and any others that it might be in contact with so that they could start making a proper plan for the future.
Of course, Nico was hoping they were hostile, and the Hunters were hoping that they were non-sentient, but officially, there was little chance of violence today.
"We're moving to Warp Speed now. The cloaking device will remain active for the duration of the mission, and we will not be sending any signals until we have done a full assessment of the planet." Huntress Khan informed the group as she sat down beside Max with a bottle of rum in her hand.
"It looks like we're mostly redundant here. They're not going to ask you anything unless they can't find the answer, and I've got too much seniority to actually do anything but supervise." She sighed as she poured two glasses of the dark liquid.
"It's a hard life at the top, but at least we get front-row seats. I swear that times like this are half the reason that Nico doesn't try to push for a Commander title." Max laughed, then raised his glass in a toast to the lead Huntress.
The ship's motion subtly changed as the method of travel was switched, and then the familiar hum of energy in the structure that was caused by the Warp Field modulations for higher warp speeds set in, and Max knew that the worst of the trip was behind them.
It only took them another half hour to reach the planet, but what they saw when they got there was nothing short of Nico's wet dream.
There was a massive orbital battle going on above the planet involving no fewer than three species, and it seemed that none of them were on the same side.
One of them was a sleek, disc-shaped set of vessels that Max recognized as belonging to the aliens they had found in hiding, while another was a Myceloid ship, and the third was an enormous edifice of gothic design in space that would have made Uncle Lu cry with joy.
"They turned a cathedral into a Destroyer. Or possibly a Dreadnaught Class vessel because that thing is big even for a Destroyer, but it's not a colony ship." Huntress Khan noted.
"Well, I found them first. Does that mean I get to pick the negotiation technique?" Nico pleaded.
"Stick with the plan. Find out who it is and what they are up to. You can pick a fight with the Myceloids later, assuming that they win whatever skirmish is going on here." Max decided.
They definitely weren't holding back. Thousands of missiles, solid projectiles and energy blasts were being exchanged between the fleets every second, and dozens of smaller craft had been destroyed just in the minute since Max had gotten a clear view of them.
If he had to guess, this was a battle of annihilation, and there wouldn't be any easy way out for any of the combatants unless they had the ability to flee the battlefield faster than they could be chased down.
The cathedral-themed ships began to fire large shuttles at the Myceloid vessels, and Max noted that they were deliberately not being targeted. It looked like they were a boarding force, and the Myceloids were ready and prepared for the fight to come to them.
Whichever aliens had picked that technique were either suicidal or supremely confident in their skills because they didn't stop when they realized that the enemy welcomed the challenge.
"Analysis complete. The disc vessels are substandard fighters but have much greater maneuverability than the others, while the fashionable ones only look awkward. Their technology is actually very advanced, with both weapons and armour systems very nearly on par with the Mecha of two design generations ago." The away team leader noted.
"Do we know which species we're seeing?" Khan asked.
"Not yet. We can assume that the Myceloids are the only ones who would build a flying scrap heap like that, and the discs match the ones in our database from the new alien species, but we haven't pinged them with any active scans yet. The orders are not to give our presence away, so we are waiting." The Team Leader responded.
"Which means they can all block our passive sensors. Not too bad. Let's see how this plays out."
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