Empire Reforged
Chapter 5: Echoes in the Black
Location: Beldiris Belt, Grid Point Sigma
Date: BBY 8 – 1400 Hours
The bridge of the Vigilance was quiet, but not idle.
Outside the viewport, the asteroid field spun lazily in the dim light of the system's dying star. Shattered fragments of ancient rocks and derelict mining stations floated in slow orbits, their hulls pitted with micrometeor impacts and radiation scars. The ship held a low-energy position, its silhouette masked against the infrared background by passive emissions control.
Lucan stood near the helm station, arms behind his back, eyes on the stars.
"Sensor sweep complete," Valk said from the comms station. "Two cold signatures—likely wrecks. One inactive relay. No active transmissions."
"Telemetry confirms minimal movement," Tarris added. "Debris patterns consistent with mining detritus. No recent engine trails."
Lucan didn't move.
His instincts itched.
The Beldiris Belt was rarely quiet. It was a favored haunt for smugglers and scavengers—a graveyard of forgotten equipment and half-claimed ore haulers. A patrol ship showing up should've triggered something—fleeing transponders, scrambled comms, heat blooms.
Instead, there was silence.
Too much of it.
"Repeat full passive scan," Lucan said. "Wider range. Triple-resolution. Feed the data into the visual buffer."
Darran glanced at him. "Expecting something?"
"Just thorough."
The scan began again. The rotating sensor dish outside the hull shifted, extending its range. On the upper screen, a three-dimensional image of the asteroid field materialized—dozens of jagged rocks, ancient hull fragments, and one slowly spinning cargo pod.
Twelve seconds passed.
Then Valk's console pinged.
"Contact," she said, her voice sharper now. "Faint signature—port quadrant, behind asteroid cluster K-four-one. Small vessel. No active IFF."
"Can you identify?"
"Working on it."
Lucan stepped toward the screen. "Magnify visual overlay."
The asteroid field adjusted. A hollow space opened between two large rock formations—and there, barely visible in the shadows, was the shape of a ship. Compact. Angular. No running lights.
A Corellian freighter.
Modified, if Lucan was guessing right. Older model, stripped transponder, dorsal turret mount. It was tucked into the rocks perfectly—a hiding spot only a smuggler would choose.
Holtz grunted from the engineering station. "That's no mining rig."
"No," Lucan agreed. "It's waiting."
Darran looked over. "You want to power weapons?"
Lucan considered it.
"No. Not yet. Bring us about. Keep our profile angled low. Let's see if it blinks."
The ship turned slowly, its thrusters whispering just enough energy to adjust their position without giving away heat. Lucan's eyes never left the contact.
Twelve more seconds.
Then the blip moved.
"They're pulling out," Valk said. "Thrust pattern is tight—no lights, but engines just flared. They're trying to burn past us."
"Velocity?"
"Three hundred meters per second. Evasive arc."
Lucan nodded. "Time to intercept?"
Tarris calculated. "Three minutes if we pursue now."
"Bring us in. Pursuit pattern Theta. Weapons hold until I give the order."
The Vigilance came alive.
Thrusters roared softly beneath the deck. The ship surged forward, angling to match the fleeing freighter's course. Lucan watched as the contact emerged from the asteroid field and cut hard toward open space—aiming for the system's edge.
"They're trying to reach the jump corridor," Darran said. "Smart. Fast burn, low profile. No comms. No ID. They know we're watching."
"Still no IFF?" Lucan asked.
"None. Still dark."
"Comms—open a channel. Broad frequency. Encrypt standard."
Valk toggled her board. "Ready."
Lucan spoke, his voice calm but firm.
> "Unidentified vessel, this is the Imperial patrol ship Vigilance. You are operating without an active transponder in restricted space. Power down your engines and prepare for inspection. Failure to comply will be considered hostile intent."
Silence.
Then—
"Signal flare," Valk said. "They're scrambling our channel."
"They're running," Holtz growled. "I'm detecting a minor spike—turbo booster ignition."
Lucan's voice didn't change. "Targeting systems online. Lock primary weapons on their engines. Fire one ion burst—across their bow."
Darran hesitated only a moment, then nodded.
"Firing."
The deck shuddered slightly as the Vigilance's dorsal turret fired.
A bolt of blue-white energy lanced across the void, missing the fleeing ship by only fifty meters. The freighter swerved hard, its silhouette tumbling slightly under the inertia shift.
"They're accelerating!" Tarris called. "Trying to run the corridor blind!"
"Suicidal," Holtz muttered. "That field's barely navigable."
Lucan narrowed his eyes. "New orders. Intercept and disable. Helm, cut across their trajectory—target aft starboard engine. Fire on my mark."
The Vigilance surged forward, its older thrusters groaning under the stress. The asteroid field whipped past the viewport as the two ships danced across the Beldiris Belt—one fleeing, one hunting.
Lucan waited.
His fingers were steady at his side.
"Mark."
A second ion burst fired—this one struck true.
The freighter's engines flared, then died. The ship spun in a slow spiral, its hull venting a thin trail of gas and flickering light. It drifted into a low roll and stabilized on its emergency reserves.
"No life support failure," Valk said. "But they're dead in the water."
"Launch inspection shuttle," Lucan ordered. "Boarding team in full kit. Secure the vessel. Bring any survivors to holding."
Darran tapped the comm. "Aye, sir."
Lucan turned back to the viewport and watched the broken freighter tumble into the dark.
First blood.
And no one had died.
Not yet.