Solar Warden

Time to go Part 46

"Give a scanning broadcast for nearby drones. Don't use direct drone commands," the Captain ordered. "Clark get the area on the second tactical display and show the data and scan results."

The drone officer was preparing the broadcast. Because the data he needed was already there, it took him only 20 seconds. "Broadcast away."

The Captain went to the second table display. He saw three drones altering its course to that area. They went very low. The first one followed the track. While the second one scanned the area around the start point. The third one stayed at the start position and scanned.

A magnetic field was detected by the first one which headed further ahead to an endpoint of a vector that was set by the drone officer. Now the third drone started to follow the heading until it found the magnetic field on a position further ahead. It followed it till it stopped. The first drone which found nothing flew back to the start point passing the third drone. Minor fluctuations of infrared signature were spotted by the third drone. It stayed in position there. As the first drone arrived the second drone was now flying to the end of the vector.

"Commander Knight we have located a possible exit in a forest. There seems to be activity there we still can spot some infrared signature heading to the mountain. That can mean they retreating to somewhere else. I transfer the data. Maybe you want look into this. A fighter is on the way near that location. But it would be suicide to make a close search for him," the Captain informed.

Knight looked at the data in his helm display. "I will need a periodic update broadcast. So I can send a team." Knight didn't like the situation but the opportunity was there and he had a team specialized for such operation.