The Star Trader Fleet
Mullokk's ship MOOR and the two units from Markon maintained a constant distance of 50,000 kilometers from the Akkattarier planet.
Only the flotilla of nine combat boats was in a stationary orbit above the continent of ENMERKAR.
There had been a tense calm for days. Mullokk seemed worried.
Since Captain Solaakk had left with his men, he had already tried three times to reach one of his twelve other ships by hyper-radio, but with negative success.
In fact, it had never happened before that he had to go so long without contacting his ships.
Mullokk stayed in his luxuriously appointed cabin. The living space extended over almost an entire deck and that was not exactly little for a two-hundred-meter-tall spaceship.
He sat behind a heavy desk made of solid hardwood and gazed at the two holographic, frameless screens that floated as if weightless above the dark brown stained, glossy tabletop.
Small control displays were chaotically distributed embedded in the table surface and glowed in a variety of colors.
"Locating to ship commander," a voice rang out abruptly. It seemed to come directly from the desk.
At the same time, a previously bluish shimmering display changed to red.
"We are receiving visitors. A fleet of twenty-two starships has just left, at a distance from the MOOR of 152,350 kilometers, overlight. Our scans are determining size and shape now."
"Stand by with the communications recording. I'm coming to the control center!"
Mullokk had already jumped up and was literally rushing toward the private turbo-tube lift. In a fraction of a second, he ferried it directly to the ship's bridge.
"The ship's bulk consists of five 200-meter spacecraft, 15 transporters, and 2 explorers," he was also greeted by the tracking specialist as he exited the lift.
"Put it on the screen!"
Mullokk had reached the commander's console and activated the manual takeover of the ship.
Markon's ships STELKA and MARLY were still behaving quietly. They were drifting alongside the MOOR at reduced propulsion, and the two energy echoes showed that they were not planning any defensive action yet either; their energy piles remained at low levels.
Mullokk was considering whether to put his ship on alert when a radio call came in.
"The identifiers of the five 200-meter spacecraft are registered," he heard the message from the tracking specialist, then the likeness of a Katonian appeared on the communications screen.
"This is LieVen of the KASKATO. Greetings, Chairman Mullokk!"
A second call bisected the screen and the face of Markon appeared.
Mullokk ignored him at first and focused completely on the new face.
He had heard quite a bit about a merchant named LieVen.
He did not belong to any merchant consortium, but his name was not completely unknown among the merchants.
LieVen, also
