---
Empire Reforged
Chapter 16: The Message We Send
Location: IPV-120 Vigilance, Outer Mid Rim — Red Vector 311
Date: BBY 8 – 0340 Hours
The Vigilance glided through the void with purpose.
No longer a ship on patrol. Now a blade in the dark.
Lucan Virex stood at the central command chair, gloves clasped loosely behind his back. His posture was rigid, but his mind raced. The latest intercepted ping hadn't originated from a relay — it came from a live ship. The enemy was adapting.
"They're not broadcasting," Valk said. "Just passive acknowledgments. They're probing the network to see which nodes respond."
Darran leaned forward over tactical. "Which means they think something's been compromised."
"They're right," Lucan said. "And now they want to know who cracked their line."
Tarris adjusted the helm readout. "The signal's moving. Small ship, no IFF. It dropped from the Fracture, made a controlled micro-jump, and is now running silent."
"Pursuit profile?" Lucan asked.
"We're ten minutes behind. If we spool now, we'll intercept at their midpoint — a gravity-neutral corridor near Red Vector 311. Debris field, no planetary mass. Perfect for a mid-route handoff."
Lucan stepped closer to the holomap. The path of the unknown ship was marked in red, pulsing faintly as it slowed between jump points.
"They're going to test the line," he said. "They'll approach the next node, wait for a handshake, and log any anomaly. If we want to stay inside this net, we have to be there to give them what they expect."
Darran crossed her arms. "Another mimic?"
Lucan shook his head.
"No. This time, we give them something new."
He turned to Valk. "Prepare a modified signal burst. Use their format, but embed a tracer. Passive return loop — ride their jump trail when they leave. I want to know where they take this."
Valk's brow creased. "You want to tag a moving courier?"
"Yes. But not just their ship."
Lucan activated a data pad. "Load one of the holodiscs we captured. Just the shell — none of the actual data. We plant a dummy archive, embed the tracer, and transmit it as a false packet. When they open it, it'll ping us. Once."
Darran tilted her head. "If they're smart, they'll see it."
Lucan nodded. "If they're arrogant, they won't."
—
The Vigilance reached the corridor fifteen minutes later.
Red Vector 311 was as dead as described — a stretch of space littered with shattered debris and rusted hulls from a skirmish long forgotten. Radiation levels were stable. Electromagnetic drift created the perfect screen for sensor interference.
On the tactical display, the contact ship dropped out of hyperspace.
"Visual contact," Valk said. "Classified as KDY Zeta-class corvette. Obsolete model — modded, fast, no transponder. They're scanning the node we replaced."
Lucan watched in silence.
"Transmit the dummy archive," he said. "Mark it as a pass-through. No challenge code. Make it look like a blind relay."
"Done," Valk said. "Packet away."
"Now we wait."
The enemy ship slowed, then rolled lazily toward the beacon.
There was no reply.
Then — a soft ping.
"They took it," Valk said. "They received the archive. Jump signature spooling."
Lucan leaned in.
"Now."
The tracer activated.
A blink on the screen. Direction locked. Vector plotted. The enemy had jumped again — but they'd taken his signal with them.
Valk stared at her screen. "Tracer pulse received. Partial coordinate match — it's pointing to a system outside our sector grid. Unlisted. Outer Dust Verge. No patrol coverage."
"Mark it," Lucan said. "And prep for full systems inspection. We need to cool engines and recalibrate motivators before another jump."
Darran stepped beside him.
"If we go there, we're blind."
Lucan turned to her. "Then we become the ones who watch."
—
An hour later, in the briefing chamber, Lucan stood alone.
A holomap of the unknown system rotated slowly above the table — vague planetary mass, a weak star, a debris cloud surrounding the inner orbit. No known station. No listings.
But someone was there.
He keyed his log.
> Command Log – Entry 03
Enemy adapting. Relays no longer static. Active personnel involved. Logistics chain includes real-time couriers, encrypted handoffs, and fallback nodes.
Tracer deployed successfully. First live target marked. Pursuit will continue at earliest operational window.
Crew performance: improving. Bridge response time above fleet average. Disciplinary issues — none.
Conclusion: Network is real. Larger than estimated. Possibly preparing for organized military action or insurgency. Goal remains unknown. Objective remains unchanged.
He shut off the display.
The shadows were no longer stationary.
And Lucan had just lit a flare inside them.