Story:Triangulum Calling

A story leading up to the Triangulum Arc.

Chapter One
Along the hapt-board little lines of yellow light raced and danced, tangling then separating, lithely passing around flashing symbols and disappearing behind video feeds only to reappear seconds later on the far side. Green squares and triangles followed in their wakes, each carrying a single word or image as its cargo, navigating the maze that was the membrane-thin glass screen.

With a sweep of his hand, Yavul sent a dozen feeds to one side of the board, revealing a tangle of patterns that scurried away back into the cover of their associated programs.

"Open comms channel three to the Sequence."

In the empty space he had created a new window emerged, increasing in size to fill the space snugly. It would be text-only; tachyon communication had too low a bitrate for video communication (at least at this time) and there wasn't much to see within a lifecube anyway.

He watched a familiar series of lines appear upon the pane.



'): SGF GIV Terrathos''/L. Adm. Yavul/TeT4k7m>'''

>): Sequence/QwR1b7n>



He sighed quietly and began to type.

>Greetings.

The reply took about half a second.

>>Hello, Admiral.

>I was told you would be expecting a communique; the matter of the Geturin Emergency.

'''>>That is correct. We understand that you are to pass on all relevant information to us.'''

'''>Indeed. I am beginning to transfer the file.'''

(transferring file: .../getu1_for_sequence.xc)(1.04kB)(ETA: 29.4 seconds)

'''>This is something that I am sure you recognise calls for a delicate touch. We don't need any members of the public discovering that anything is amiss.'''

'''>>We understand. Naturally no mention of the topic will be made to any individuals outside of those who need to know.'''

>Appreciated, Seq.

>>You have a cover story ready?

'''>Naturally. However, it is Admiral Hasur who will be transmitting that.'''

>>Then with the arrival of this file, we will have nothing further to talk about?

>Nothing relevant to the emergency, no.

'''>>Very well. Expect a Lifecube representative to be dispatched to join the 16th Fleet as soon as is possible.'''

(file transfer complete)

>That's us done, then.

>>Have a nice day, Admiral.

>You too, Seq.

He flicked the window away and watched it shrink to nothing as it approached the edge of the hapt-board. Feeds and textbars were shunted in to replace where it had been, and the screen returned to its normal messy state.

"Pilot?"

The synthesised voice of the ship's VI replied. "Yes, admiral?"

"Set course as expected. Begin acceleration."

"Yes, admiral."

He was gently pushed back against his seat as the ship gathered speed, a cone of ten-thousand degree plasma forming and blazing behind it. The planet rotating below began to decrease in size, the details of mountain ranges, rivers, and cities blurring into obscurity. Soon it was just a smudged blue dot, its moon a pinprick of grey behind it, as the GIV Terrathos sped towards the system's outer reaches and an area of space flat enough to activate its shift-drives for the journey to the Bathk system.