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of pressure seal.”
    “What’re you thinking? The Walkway?” Greene asked.
    Jessica nodded. “That way we can keep the Defiant a good distance away and remain connected. It’ll take some expert flying from Banks, though.”
    The Walkway was an extendable docking collar intended specifically for situations such as that. The exploratory team would be able to travel from the Defiant to the Enigma , single file but in relative safety. Of course, something could go wrong and tear the Walkway, but that was a risk they had to take. And they’d all be suited up anyway.
    “I think the kid’s got the goods,” Greene said with a grin.
    “Well, I honestly don’t see any other way around it,” Jessica said. “The logistics of getting a shuttle on there, and ensuring it remains fixed… it’d just be a nightmare.”
    “Due to the spin of the Enigma , anything positioned anywhere but the exact centre would begin to drift away, flung out into space by the Enigma ‘s rotational energies,” Gentry explained. “I concur with your plan, Captain. It’s sound.”
    Jessica almost sniggered, but she held it in. “I appreciate your confidence, Doctor,” she managed to say.
    “Before we wrap this up,” Greene said. “Any anomalous readings coming off that thing we should know about? Radiation? Evidence of an energy shield?”
    Chang shook her head. “Nothing. It’s simply a great black cylinder of metal in space. Holes at one end for propulsion, and a hole at the front for visitors.”
    “And have you found records of anything similar in the Union’s dealings with alien races?” Greene asked.
    “No. This is the first of its kind,” Chang said.
    “Then the name is apt,” Jessica said as she stood. “And we’re truly heading into the unknown. Who can predict what we might find over there… ?”
     
     
     
     

PART II
    The Unknown
     
     

 
    21.
     
    Lieutenant Kyle Banks eased the Defiant into an orbit alongside the Enigma , matching the other vessel’s pitch and velocity perfectly.
    Captain King stood behind him, her hands pressed into the back of his chair.
    “Good flying, Lieutenant,” she said. “Now ease us forward so we slowly overtake.”
    He bit his bottom lip as he nudged the Defiant into a slightly faster orbital speed. It meant that the Enigma started to slide past to port as the Defiant sped past. When they’d crept ahead of the Enigma by several ship’s lengths, Banks swung the Defiant about to face the other ship, using its own inertia to maintain speed.
    His hands keyed the helm controls with precision as he allowed the Defiant to drift to the right, directly in the path of the Enigma ‘s massive, intimidating bulk.
    “I’m putting our target area up on the viewscreen now,” Commander Chang said. A second later, an area highlighted in red appeared where the Enigma ‘s airlock was. It showed distance, size of target area and other information Banks would find useful as he gently positioned the Defiant opposite the other ship.
    “Now fixing our position,” Banks said. The bridge crew remained silent, and his voice almost echoed off the walls. “I’ll be using reverse engines to maintain present speed.”
    Jessica King reflected on the crazy nature of orbital mechanics. While to them, they would barely seem to be moving at all, they were in fact travelling at great speed. And they would have a mysterious black behemoth chasing their tail the whole time. The slightest change in velocity…
    “Done,” Banks said. He breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re locked on. Ready to deploy the Walkway on your command.”
    She patted his shoulder. “Lieutenant, I want you here as much as possible. Train a crew member of your choosing to monitor the helm when you’re away. That thing could speed up, or move away, at a moment’s notice.”
    “Aye, Captain,” Banks said. “Understood.”
    Jessica did not add: That’s probably more likely to happen once we’ve got past the airlock. It might