We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Icarus

September 2320

Entering alien system

It took slightly more than five years to decelerate, and several more years to get to the source of the anomaly itself. But we weren’t going to charge in like gangbusters. The microwave radiation we’d detected resolved into two point sources from this distance. The possible explanations that came immediately to mind were alien technology or something natural, like micro black holes. Either was a good argument for caution. For more chapters visit novęlfire.net

We had also decided that regardless of what we found, this would be a good place to set up an autofactory to start sending SCUT relays back toward human space. It could take decades to establish a connection with the rest of the Bobiverse, but it was worth the effort. SCUT was only good for about twenty-five light-years, but between the expansion of human-controlled space and Bill hopefully sending out some relays from his end, we might possibly connect up in less time than expected. And if we resumed heading for the galactic core in the meantime, we’d have the autofactory also send relays along our path to extend the connection.

But first, the point sources. They were situated at the extreme edge of the system, effectively in its Kuiper belt, separated by about ten degrees along their common orbit. We came in slowly toward the closer anomaly, navigation lights on full, not wanting to alarm anyone if this was a populated artifact.

Instead, we found … nothing.

Well, not quite nothing. There were two smallish satellites or space stations on either side of the source of the radiation. A quick check of the astrometrics showed that they were situated at a right angle to the galactic plane, which was considerably at variance with the orbital plane of this system. I wondered if that was by design.

Meanwhile, the radiation was coming from the empty region between the space stations. Specifically, from a ring of empty space perhaps a kilometer in diameter.