**Captain's Log, Supplemental**
**DDSN-X100 USS Discovery**
**Captain James Nolan recording**
**0612hrs**
**27 hours 42 minutes to Black Fleet Landfall**
Dots vanish from the holo.
Galleon draws near.
A choice hangs in the balance.
Intelligence beckons.
Captain James Nolan remained rooted before the central holo table; the bridge lights dimmed to night-cycle amber. The two amber icons representing the dragon scouts had just flickered out—clean, surgical deletions thirty miles east of the cove. For a long second, the only sound was the soft hum of environmental systems and the faint click of A.L.I.'s photonic processors. Commander Halsy broke the silence first, voice low. "Targets eliminated. No debris field large enough to register on passive sensors. The Black Fleet will assume they simply vanished into the weather."
Nolan's gaze stayed locked on the remaining red icon—the lone galleon still pushing westward, fourteen hours from the cove. "Evacuation status?"
"Four lifts remaining," A.L.I. replied smoothly, her avatar's green corneas flickering with updated data. "All refugees will be aboard and en route to Shire Base within ninety minutes. The cove will be empty long before that galleon makes landfall." Halsy leaned in. "We have multiple clean options. A single orbital kinetic strike from the rail battery would turn her into matchwood before she clears the horizon. Or we vector a pair of Switchblades for a low-level intercept—minimal risk, maximum certainty."
Nolan rubbed his jaw. "We could also shadow her with drones, force her to turn back without revealing our full capability. Let the Black Fleet wonder what happened to their scouts." A.L.I. tilted her head slightly, patterns brightening as she ran rapid simulations. "Alternative: precision fire from the Switchblades to shear their masts and rigging. The ship would be immobilized without sinking. Or we could deploy a micro-drone swarm for non-lethal incapacitation using sedative mist, followed by marine boarding parties. Each option preserves the vessel and crew for study while maintaining operational security."
Halsy nodded. "All viable. But every one of them tips our hand. They'll know something unnatural happened out here." Voss stepped closer to the table, arms crossed, her black tactical uniform immaculate even after a long night. Her dark eyes studied the galleon's projected track with clinical interest. "Or we do nothing," she said. The word landed like a stone in still water. Halsy straightened. Nolan turned to face her fully. "Nothing?" Halsy echoed.
Voss met their eyes one by one, her voice steady and measured. "Let her come all the way in. Let her drop anchor, send boats ashore, let her crew step onto the beach, and see exactly what we've built here. Then we take them—alive." She stepped around the table, fingertips brushing the glowing edge as she continued, her tone shifting from tactical to strategic vision.
"Think about what that galleon represents. A Black Fleet scout vessel, deep in unfamiliar waters, carrying officers who have seen the Imperium's plans from the inside. Charts, orders, communication codes, personal logs—everything we need to understand how they fight, how they think, how they intend to carve up this continent. We have never had a live sample of their command structure. This is not a threat; this is a gift. A golden intelligence opportunity that will not come again." She paused, letting the weight settle, then leaned forward, voice dropping to a precise, persuasive cadence.
"We let them land. We let them feel safe for the few minutes it takes to realize they are not. Marine teams in concealed positions around the cove—non-lethal sonic stunners, net launchers, and tranq rounds ready. A.L.I. can jam their crystals the instant the first boat touches sand. We secure the ship with boarding drones before they can scuttle her. Every officer, every map, every coded message becomes ours within the hour. Interrogation cells are already prepared at Shire Base. By the time the main Black Fleet arrives, we will know their exact strength, their supply lines, and their command hierarchy. That single ship could save thousands of lives—on both sides—when the real invasion arrives."
She straightened, eyes steady on Nolan. "We are not here to wage war on Terra. We are here to survive it. Intelligence is the only currency that matters when your enemy outnumbers you a thousand to one. Let them come. Let them walk into our trap with their eyes wide open. Then we close the door." The bridge fell quiet. Nolan studied the galleon's track. Halsy's fingers drummed once against the table edge. A.L.I.'s patterns brightened faintly, processing probabilities.
Nolan exhaled through his nose, the decision crystallizing. "Stand down the rail battery," he said. "Keep the Switchblades on station, weapons cold. Voss… you have the deck for the reception committee. Make it clean." Voss gave a single, crisp nod. "Understood, Captain. They will never know what hit them—until it's far too late."
The dragon from the east had come.
But now a greater shadow approached from the north.
The green watched from the ridge.
The strangers prepared their trap.
Two worlds stood on the edge of revelation.