Helena.”

  Chapter 3. Valkyrie

  “The Valkyrie.” Galba said.

  Lucian sat in Galba’s private quarters considering the schematics

  of a ship laid out in front of him.

  "She doesn't look like one of our fleet vessels."

  Galba poured himself a drink. "She’s not, her home port was Hades."

  "Then she burned like the others in the first wave of our attack."

  "The Valkyrie wasn't at Hades."

  "I thought the entire fleet was accounted for.”

  "So did I." said Galba

  Lucian swirled the ice cubes in his glass. "Is this conversation

  going somewhere?"

  "Maybe.” Galba said.

  ”Helena.”

  The ship answered.“Yes Senator Galba."

  "Can you ask Ithaniel to join us.”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Legate August's son?” said Lucian. “I haven't seen him since he

  was boy."

  Galba nodded. "Try not to say how much he looks like August."

  "Why's that?"

  "He didn't find out he was a clone, until after his Father died.”

  *

  Lucian couldn't help smiling when Ithaniel entered. He was the spitting

  image of his Father but lighter in build and without the scowl that August

  permanently wore.”

  "Your Father and I served in the Praetorian guard, we campaigned in the

  Corporate Wars and on Mars together.... and I have to say...."

  Ithaniel stifled a groan.

  "He was one of the hardest bastard's I ever met."

  Ithaniel smiled. "I heard him say that about you Tribune Lucian."

  Galba patted Ithaniel on the shoulder. "Young Ithaniel here is a telemetry

  specialist. He discovered the signals coming from Hades."

  "Only by accident Senator Galba"

  "Maybe so," Galba said. "but it was you that found something of value in them"

  Ithaniel shrugged. “I was confirming distance measurements between

  Hades and Mars, when I came across them. The signals were weak, and at

  first I thought they were coming from Hades, but they weren't."

  "Where were they coming from?" Lucian asked.

  "That's the interesting part." Galba said.

  "The signals were being broadcast at regular intervals. So I went back

  through the data until I found a repeated sequence string, and it gave me

  a reference point to plot a possible course. That's how I found her."

  "The Valkyrie." Galba said. "Helena can you bring up a schematic."

  A three dimensional model appeared before them.

  "Why wasn't she sighted or detected before now?" Lucian asked.

  "Because no-one was looking for her for," Galba said. "and because

  she's cloaked."

  "Cloaked? I though we were the only ones with that technology."

  "The technology was Martian to begin with." Galba said. "It was just one

  of the treasures we uncovered on Hades."

  Ithaniel walked around the hologram. "She first appeared in an elliptical orbit

  around Hades about five years ago, so it's reasonable to assume the crew

  is either dead, or there was no crew to begin with."

  "Five years ago?" said Lucian. "Where was she before that."

  Galba smiled. "I’m hoping you’re going to help me find that out.”

  *