Polaris� light reflected on the gray metal plates as the corvette traveled through the stars. Locheart stared at the semi holographic screen that composed the main data display from his leather chair. The bridge of the Proximus was an almost circular room - the captain�s seat was located slightly backwards from the center, surrounded by workstations and screens. The main display took almost one third of the room, covering the whole forward section. It reached to the ceiling forming a hemisphere, from where light emanated creating the distinct illusion of a solid shape. A set of animated and colorful tri-dimensional graphics showed energy readings from an area about fifteen kilometers wide around the small fleet, composed by the Proximus and two science vessels. Energy spikes had been detected at that area by long range sensors, and the fleet was investigating the possible existance of an unknown jump node.

"We're detecting nothing beyond the usual" said the captain of the Plato, one of the science ships accompanying the Proximus. Locheart knew how hard it was to actually find a new subspace node - he was used to that routine, day after day staring at energy readings. He wondered why they needed the science vessels at all - he could recognize a jumpgate signature by himself after all that time. His ship had been escorting the Plato and the Mendel for years, since before the second Shivan incursion, always searching for these unique and rare anomalies. In nine years, he had only witnessed the discovery of a single node, connecting the Laramis system to Luyten. That did not seem enough for him, he felt he could have achieved more on all that time.

They were about to reach the final waypoint, the research vessels moving away from the corvette and preparing to jump. Side thrusters on both ships started to flare, pushing them away from each other and in position for a safe entrance into subspace. Suddenly, the graphic started to show numerous surges, and the voice of the Mendel's captain could be heard over the comms system. He sounded tired, but still surprised.

Jeremiah Locheart ordered his communications officer to signal the Plato, and inform the current situation. With a few quick movements, he opened a comm link and sent the message, and both science vessels abandoned their jump sequences. A new course was plotted, heading straight to the anomaly location, the Faustus class vessels engaging all active sensors. They stopped a few hundred meters from the center of the area where the surges were happening, and a modified support ship left the Mendel's docking bay.

The probe was built upon the hull and engines of a Hygeia support craft, heavily modified to carry advanced sensor and remote control systems. A normal person couldn't identify it from a regular support ship without closely examination, but Locheart was too familiar with it already. The extended spikes, the darker cockpit windows, the small protusion on it's back - where most of the aditional sensor arrays were housed - made it easy for him to recognize a subspace probe. So many times they had sent those probes out into the coldness of space, and so little times they had met with the swirling blue beauty of subspace.

"Sending probe, transferring control to your bridge" said the research vessel's captain, with a monotonic voice that made it impossible to recognize his everlasting excitement with this kind of possibility. Locheart associated the Mendel's captain - and chief scientist - voice with a Vasudan translator. Always cold and emotionless. He ordered his navigator to take control of the ship, directing it to the center of the surges. Instants after the engines on the small probe started to glow, it began to move.

"We are over the probable node location, captain. Engaging subspace drive" said the navigator, as the probe started to accelerate slightly. Almost at the same time, a vortex of bright blue-white light started to form a few meters ahead of the small ship, ripping the very fabric of space and opening a gate to another dimension. A few seconds later, the light engulfed the Hygeia, and it vanished into the realms of subspace.

"It's stable" said the Plato's science officer after analyzing the first readings. The main screen showed real time images from cameras on board the probe, but all that could be seen was the bluish color of subspace, large swirls forming and vanishing around the small Terran craft venturing for the first time on that unexplored space. That tunnel was longer than the usual, so the probe would travel for about thirty minutes before reaching the other side.

As the unmanned craft drifted through the uniqueness connecting Polaris to somewhere else in the universe, Locheart filled the enormous ammount of paperwork that a situation like that required. The official communication to Fleet Command had been sent, and response was almost immediate: the GTD Asamonov would arrive in approximately three hours and fifteen minutes. As the captain of the Proximus knew well, a whole fleet wold be there in less than two days.

"Sir, the probe is about to leave subspace" informed Zeke, the navigation officer for the Proximus. The main display split in two, one showing the images from the frontal camera, the other displaying various readings from active sensors in the probe. The bright spot at the end of the subspace tunnel occupied most of the viewing area, and suddenly the blackness of freespace was all that could be seen.

"Gravity measurements are off scale! The probe is being pulled in, recommending transfer all power to engines!" shouted the Mendel's chief science officer, as he realized the truth about the system on the other side of the subspace tunnel. In the distance, a purple ring could be seen through the camera, beams of multi-colored light spiraling down into it. It was a collapsed star - a black hole.

Even with all power directed to the propulsion system, the small craft was no match to the tremendous gravity generated by the black hole. As it continued to be pulled into it, Locheart ordered Zeke to maximize the probe's sensor readings - gathering as much information as possible before it succumbed to the titanic forces acting upon the fragile hull. The information it acquired was nothing short from shocking.

"Incoming jump signature. Friendly configuration" Locheart heard his tactical officer warn as a Hecate destroyer filled the Deimos bridge's main screen, the overly large subspace portal slowly vanishing behind it as the forces that control our universe struggled to repair the damage done to it's most delicate structure.

"About time, they are more than one hour late" whispered Jeremiah while reading the destroyer's id. A small retractable screen, attached to the captain's chair, showed the IFF readings from the metal monstruosity that had just arrived. Locheart was surprised when he noticed the prefix of the ship.

"What the hell - it's not the Asamonov...". The huge spacecraft hovered towards the small fleet, stopping a few hundred meters above the corvette. As the forward thrusters flared on the gigantic vessel, it slowly decelerated from the jumpout speed and came to a full stop. The destroyer was strangely darker than any Hecate Locheart had seen up to that day.

"Proximus, this is the GTID Zephora. Prepare a full situation briefing, we are coming aboard." said the voice-only message from the newly arrived ship. Locheart wondered why the GTI had taken over, but proceeded to prepare the briefing anyway. He never liked those intelligence morons - as any other regular GTVA officer - but he had been outranked, and that made him quite mad.

The transport attached itself to the main docking port on the corvette, and Locheart could hear the low hiss coming from behind the bulkhead in front of him, as the airlock reached normal pressure. A green panel lit above the huge metal door, and the heavy gear-like plate started to rotate left, exposing the two men inside the pressure chamber. As the door stopped, they walked towards Jeremiah.

"I am Admiral Andreas Emer, and this is Lieutenant Commander Toshiro, squadron leader for the 144th Lampreys. I believe you have a situation briefing ready for us?" said the taller man. They headed for the conference room, where Captain Jeremiah Locheart started the update.

"By 02:36 today, a probable jump location was detected by the GTS Mendel. As the investigation proceeded, we confirmed the existence of a new subspace node, and the protocol was initialized" started Locheart.

"By 03:01, a standard probe was sent into the node and, after traveling inside subspace for 32 minutes and 14 seconds, it reentered normal space. The location of the new system could not be determined, as all visual data acquisition were highly distorted by the gravitational field of the main body on the system, a collapsed star". A diagram showing the system's gravitational forces was displayed on the holoscreen.

"After trying to extend the lifespan of the probe as it was attracted towards the singularity by increasing engine power, and failing, I decided to maximize sensors input. The data acquired is certainly surprising". An atmosphere of apprehension filled the room. Both the admiral and the lieutenant commander were struck by the information, and showed signs of confusion. They were not prepared for this.

Locheart ordered the computer to display all information sent from the probe.

"As you can see by the readings, we have a huge number of probable subspace node locations on that system. If one fourth of the candidates are indeed stable, we have a total number of 47 jump nodes, leading to unknown locations". It was a major security issue, everybody realized. Andreas asked for quantitative measurements of the gravitational field to be transferred to the Zephora, and left the room. The lieutenant remained, and asked for a meeting with the Mendel's chief scientist.

A shuttle coming from the Mendel docked on the Proximus main docking port, just as the transport that brought the admiral on board left. The captain of the science vessel arrived, and was immediately directed to the conference room where captain Locheart and lieutenant commander Toshiro waited for him. They both stood up.

"Captain, I must ask you to leave the room" said Toshiro, facing straight forward - he lacked the courage to say that facing Jeremiah directly. Locheart was shocked for a brief moment, but quickly replied, a serious look on his face. Toshiro trembled.

"You are on my ship lieutenant. I will be wherever I please, and you are not the one to cast me orders here".

The lieutenant commander was an even-tempered man, but not the bravest when he wasn't on the cockpit of a fighter. The captain didn't even need to push him further, he had gave in already. Locheart was not supposed to hear this, but Toshiro just could not help himself.

"So be it. Just acknowledge that anything you learn here is classified level phi, and disclosing this information is punishable on the terms of the GTVA Security Act" replied the lieutenant.

"Well, what do you want from me, gentlemen?" asked Weber, the Mendel's captain and chief science officer, that tired look on his face that was already his trademark. He had worked on that ship for too long, always the same crew, always the same quarters, always the same mission, always the same boredom. The discovery of the new jump node surprised him - and the knowledge of the situation on the system beyond it completed the job - but he felt tired and anyway.

"Doctor, I need a complete analysis of the effects the gravitational fields beyond this jump node would have over a fighter" said Toshiro. Locheart and Weber were puzzled.

"Lieutenant, I'll keep it simple. No standard GTVA fighter can maneuver in that gravitational field. It would simply be pulled towards the singularity, and destroyed way before even reaching the event horizon" said Weber, almost screaming.

Toshiro showed signs of a slight smile as Weber spoke.

"Well, doctor. I do not mean a standard fighter" replied the lieutenant, while inserting a data disc on the computer terminal.