Eleven hours later you look through the incredibly dimmed displays at Azur. It's a massive star burning blue-white and putting out intense amounts of radiation. The Night Horse is stuck orbiting at notable distance to avoid frying her sensors. It's taken only two hours to gather what information you can about the star, so you order the Night Horse onto course for Azur 1 and it's moon Azur 1-1.

Three hours later you are pouring over the preliminary results of Azur 1 and 1-1. The later is nothing more then a small spheroid of rock barely large enough to qualify as a moon. No atmosphere protects it from the intense heat of the star. Azur 1 on the other hand is technically habitable, but not without a significant teraforming effort. The gravity is low, atmosphere is thin and toxic, the surface has temperatures just this side of 'baking' on the day side and 'freezing' on the night side. The five continents rise out of a sea of semi-molten lava.

“Damn, this one's a bust. Data sent via FTL com link, but the habitability ration on this one is so low it might as well be zero. Teraforming candidate, sure, but it'll need a sun shield at a minimum.”

Midshipman Engel suddenly bends closer to the sensor console.

“What is it Midshipman?”

“Analysis still coming in sir, but we have weak artificial signals from the orbit of Azur two dash ten. Update! Computer has it identified as a golrak seeder ship.”

You slam you hand down on the the battle stations alarm.

“Affirmative, relaying that via FTL comm link to Surveyor's Corps and His Majesties Navy now. Standing orders are to destroy seeder ships on sight before they can spread or establish themselves. Any sign of other ships in the system, golrak or otherwise?”

“Neg Sir. Requesting permission to go to active scanners?”

“Do it. No point in hiding when we are already committing to an attack run.”

“Aff, sensors active, aye aye.”

“Bridge to Engineering, stand by to answer help at war power levels.”

“Engineering, aye aye.”

You lay the helm over to bring the Night Horse onto a strafing vector and press the engines to full war power. You hate running with zero safety margin but golrak seeder ships have to be exterminated. Once they get their fungal tendrils into a system it's almost impossible to dislodge them short of burning worlds and even then it's no guaranteed thing. The seeder ship sees you coming and turns to run but it suffers from the poor maneuverability of all golrak designs and you are easily able to turn inside it. It takes eight ours for you to bring the ship into range.

Your first salvo scores two hits out of six laser blasts fired. It causes the target's shields to flicker and armor to crater but you see no sign of venting so you have to presume that no damage was done. You second salvo accomplishes much the same, your third misses as the target swings aside, but your fourth scored three hits. The first takes down the shields and the next two bite through the armor to hit something important. The seeder ship squirms as it vents air and crew-spores into the void.

Your vector brings you closer as the seeder ship tries to claw about onto an new heading. You fifth salvo scores another three hits but only craters a fresh section of organic armor. Salvo number six only scores two hits, but brackets the seeder ship on all sides. Salvo seven scored direct hits with all shots fired and tears an air-bleeding chunk out of the seeder ships' side. This throws it into a series of only partially controlled evasive maneuvers and your eight salvo scores two hits that only carve into armor.

You curve your course to come closer to the damaged seeder ship but its wild squirming makes your ninth salvo miss entirely. Your tenth salvo scores two hits that only scratch the armor but your eleventh salvo scores a second full set of hits and bites deep into the seeder ship to strike something truly vital. Massive explosions wrack the seeder ship from end to end before a purple light rips it's way out of the heart of the seeder ship. You have one flashing instant to realize that your shots hit a charged warp jump drive before the seeder ship is torn apart by the outpouring of exotic plasmas and high-energy 'oh-my-god' particles.

You twist the helm frantically but are just too close and a particle stream rips into the Night Horse, simply blowing past the shields and armor plating as if it doesn't even exist. You feel the Night Horse buck and twist beneath your feet and the ship status display flashes red with damage sustained and compartments irradiated beyond all reason. You do manage to twist the Night Horse just out of reach of the warp jump drive's 'fatal firing' as it's stored energies tear open a rift in reality for four beats of your racing heart. As soon as the light vanishes you drop the throttle back down to normal power ratings and tap in an automated course back to low orbit of Azur 2.

“Gods below, that was too close, far too close.”

“Aff Sir. Hull integrity is at seventy three percent, we have eight major compartments irradiated to all hell, and eighteen automatons, including two 'eggheads', are offline.”

“Are you still with us Midshipman Huckle?”

“Yes Sir, though that was one hell of a shock.”

“Well, time to start earning your pay Repair. We have plenty of time in this system to make them at least. Let me know when you need us to drift for the external work.”

“Aye aye Sir.”