Commander of Agents stared at the beacon screen, which informed him that Tyl Von sig'Alda's ship tarried yet about the planet of Waymart.
Days, about a minor Terran world offering nothing that an Agent in fulfillment of his mission might require?
He thought not.
Alas, other thoughts proliferated, chiefest among them that Val Con yos'Phelium had overpowered his brother Agent during Jump—and yet why simply hang there, when Waymart's sole charm was that it offered so much possibility in the matter of Jump points?
Commander of Agents frowned. Were he Val Con yos'Phelium—and not inclined toward a debriefing—he would make all haste to fling his vessel into Jump, thence to plan and make such arrangements as he might for re-entry into normal space.
Perhaps yos'Phelium had escaped to the planet's surface? But there was no record of the ship having done other than held this middling, dawdling orbit for several days. A painstaking reading of back files discovered no harm the vessel might have taken.
The thing made no sense.
Commander of Agents disliked nonsense—intensely.
Eyes on the beacon screen, he considered whether it was more prudent to dispatch a second Agent to Waymart, or a team of lesser operatives, such as he'd already dispatched to Lufkit, where Agent yos'Phelium's break from discipline had first manifested.
He had settled upon sending the team and indeed moved his hand somewhat toward the toggle that would summon his second to him when the beacon screen flashed. The amber light that denoted sig'Alda's ship and its conditions flared bright, began blinking, and brought up windows full of warnings: system overload, weapons released, coils overcharged, Jump coil engaged, ERROR, ERROR ERROR—
Commander of Agents flung out a hand as if to make adjustments, to resolve the problem, to disengage the coils—too late.
Commander of Agents blinked, then leaned closer to read the message at the bottom of the black screen.
NO SIGNAL. TRANSMITTER DESTROYED.