PEGASUS (FARSIDE SAGA: BOOK TWO)

"Sir, I'm picking up an energy signature matching our own. The frequency is a little off but it's definitely an Earth signature!" the helm officer said with a puzzled look on his face as he barrel rolled the Impala's fuselage around a red laser beam.

The source of the red beam was a large framework type ship that looked like a mini Dyson's Sphere, complete with its own mini star in the center of its rotating rings. The rings rotated in its direction of travel giving it the appearance of it rolling, which, at the moment, straight for the Impala. The centipede looking Caarmethian and four other bug like ships flew in between the Impala and the rolling ship. Lining up next to each other, they erected a grid type energy wall and pushed it towards the oncoming ship.

"Source?" The captain asked.

"Unknown sir. It just appeared out of nowhere about three light-years off starboard, 31 degrees inclination and approaching fast." the helm officer said. "ETA one minute thirteen seconds."

The energy wall enclosed around the sphere like ship on contact causing it to stop dead in its tracks. The rings rotated in different directions trying to escape but to no avail. It released a volley of laser fire but they only bounced off the wall causing it to destroy itself in a large explosion, expanding the shield almost double in size but still containing the explosion. The shield dispersed leaving behind a ball of white smoke to slowly dissipate, but before it became transparent, a very familiar smooth surface emerged from the center of the cloud. The cloud spread around it before finally revealing the black and purplish cylindrical ship. It had no wings, no tailfins, no windows. The only thing that gave it any indication that it was a ship was the single large thruster in the rear, and the smooth round surface in the front. Other than that, the ship looked like a giant metal log with a dome on the top and bottom. Three things happened so fast that almost nobody had time to react. First, the Com lit up and Plax came on the viewscreen.

"That is Shadow Walker..." he said but before he could finish, Shadow Walker fired on the Caarmethian and the other bug ships eliminating them in one blast.

"Sir, that energy signature is within scanner range... It's an energy discharge. Somebody fired a massive electron pulse." the helms officer said, but before the captain gave the order to see it, the large blue beam struck the log like ship directly in the top dome and pierced through the ship's side before continuing towards the planet. The ship exploded in a massive ball of fire that drew every single ship in the battle zone attention. Jason felt a slight tingle in his forehead for a brief second. The force of the blast pushed the Impala and the surrounding ships back. Some exploding, including the front left wing of the Impala that got left behind during the shockwave. Danny already had the nanites replacing it. The mass of ships all gathered around the clearing, surrounding the ships in the blast area.

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The ships all reoriented themselves as they faced the surrounding ships. The Impala's communication board lit up with so many channels that the system was forced into text, all voicing the destruction of Shadow Walker. A small fleet of grey and blue contoured birdlike ships flew out from the group towards the Impala. The largest of the ships pulled ahead and parked just above the front of the spinning but innert main cannon's turbine.

"They're Mancunians. A very close relation to Earth's Buzzard species. Specifically the Turkey Buzzard." Came Bianca's voice after a soft ping, reminding him of their still unfinished business. Danny filtered through the signals until he found their frequency, then opened a channel.

"Greetings....humans? Impossible!!" The translator, thanks to Udar and Pelik's assistance, repeated after a series of squawks and clicks. It's small beak scuffing as in disbelief as he turned his floating chair towards someone off to the side, flinging his grey-feathered arms about.

"Why does everyone do that?" The captain asked in the air as he leaned back in his chair. The bird-faced creature addressed the screen again.

"You'll have to excuse me." It said as it leaned back in its chair and crossed its skinny but well-toned bird legs. It twirled it's whitish gray feathered hand around as if having a casual conversation with one of his buddies.

"It just seems impossible that humans could travel this far so soon, let alone destroy an enemy such as Shadow Walker. You are from Earth right?" It asked. Jason nodded his head.

"Then you see my dilemma." It said with a twirl of its wrist.

"I am AT'gru, Captain of the Val Star. Flagship of the Mancunian Science Guild. And you are?". AT'gru said as he nodded slightly.

"I am Captain Dodge of the NSA Impala," Jason said as he stood up.

"It seems everyone out this way thinks we're still, primitive. Well, compared to what I've seen so far, I guess so, but, we have advanced a lot since the last time you saw us." He said, the last with a slight chuckle.

"Unfortunately, I can't take the credit for Shadow Walker's demise. Whoever, or whatever it was, came from far off." Jason said as he got serious.

"Wherever it came from, it couldn't have come at a better time. That thing was wiping us out. But it wouldn't attack us unless we attacked it. So we just left it alone, but it never left. Just kept sending something down to the planet around Central City." AT'gru said, then looked at the four Peacekeepers, who had been standing quite the whole time watching everything take place. "Do not worry young warriors, your peacekeeper friends are safe. A group of the High Council's vanguard evacuated Capitol Prime. They're on Primora 7." He said, then turned back to the captain.

"Still not sure where that thing even came from. I just know by the time we arrived, things got worse." He said.

"How so?" Jason asked, curious.

"We were called to assist the peacekeepers against this thing. When we arrived, there were a few other groups as well. Everyone was trying to bring it down when someone who got caught in friendly fire didn't take it so well. Next thing I know, everyone's calling in reinforcements and fighting everybody BUT Shadow Walker after a while. It eventually got to where the Peacekeepers had to pull out and evacuate the city." AT'gru said.

"I see, " the captain started as he sat down.

"Captain, can I speak with you privately for a second?" Danny said as he materialized next to the captain. He stood up, almost laughing at the surprised look on AT'gru's face when Danny appeared out of thin air. Excusing himself, he followed Danny to his private quarters.

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"Captain, that info I grabbed from the dragon ship, " Danny started as the captain sat at his desk.

"What about?" Jason asked, looking Danny in his holographic blue eyes. Now wearing a standard NSA navigation officer's uniform, it seemed Danny took to the Patrick Stewart look. Jason didn't really much care for the character but liked the actor for some of his other roles, so the sight wasn't bad.

"I think it's something you should see," Danny said as he looked at the captain's desk. The holoscreen lit up, projecting a rotating purplish oscillating wavelength. Small white lines ran from different points along the wave to informational text about each indicated section.

"At first I thought it was just a regular com signal they were using. Well, it's not so regular." The hologram zoomed in to the highest wave peak.

"This frequency touches the psionic wave point." Danny pointed out. A Beta frequency pattern showed across the bottom of the wave. Jason recognized it but couldn't remember where. It overlapped the purplish wave. It's oscillation almost matching it identically.

"Just before Shadow Walker was destroyed, I detected that same signal," Danny said.

"Sooo, these domed creatures or whatever, have a million light-year brain link," Jason said, already picking up on it.

"Captain, that is the same reading I detected in your frontal lobe the day you had the dream of the dragon ship, and again when Shadow Walker exploded. I now know it to be a telepathic link." Bianca mentally said after a soft ping. That caught Jason's attention.

"Not just that captain, " Danny said as he separated the two patterns. He pointed to the Beta wave. "This is the pattern of a hive mind."