Retribution: The Augmented Human Rebellion - Book 2 by Terry Lefler Page B

later, the thought pops into her head that the
easiest place to intercept the Verm convoy’s Transit Orders will be at the
probe, which brings the orders from this sector’s Verm Navy Headquarters.
     Then she goes quiet again, to see if there is any idea
floating around in her head, about how to surreptitiously copy that information
from the probe.  Nothing comes up, so she texts all of the members of the
brainstorming session, and tells them her thoughts.  She asks each of them
to sleep on it and to attend another session in the morning.  Sleeping
on it is another idea method that has worked for her. 
    ***
    Sleeping on it didn’t help the Admiral to have any good
ideas.  Her dreams were mostly about searching for a lost Shiela .  But perhaps
someone else will have an idea.
    Science Officer Barnard has good ideas about how to decode those Verm
orders, but doesn’t know how to copy them. 
    Virgil, the AI from the Wilheist ,
has a good idea about copying the orders. 
    He points out that Darinx probes have the option of broadcasting the
information, as well as delivering it.  That feature is often used to make
a general announcement to ships and planets.
    Officer Barnard quickly points out that, if we can capture the probe, we
know how to remotely trigger the announcement command.  And after
recording the announcement, the probe could be re-launched to the planet Woofen . 
    ***
    Now, how to intercept that probe?  Well, experimental technologies
have been developed which can pull ships out of FTL space.  That
technology was never of any practical use, because you need to be able to
encompass the ship with a hemo -electrostatic
force field.  Surrounding something as large as a ship was never a
workable plan because you could never know exactly where the ship would be,
before it emerged.
    A probe is a much smaller problem.  Science Officer Barnard is excited
about the challenge, and is hopeful that a solution might be possible. 
The meeting is dismissed and Officer Barnard goes on his merry way - happy at
the prospect of a new challenge.
    ***
    After three failed attempts, Science Officer Barnard is finally able to
snag a verm probe.  The broadcast trigger is remotely activated, releasing the
information in the form of a serial data dump.  Officer Barnard verifies
that the original message is still intact in the probe.  Then the probe is
re-launched to the Woofen Supply Depot.
    The serial data dump is delivered into the hands of Ensign Seagram’s –
Sweetwater Fleet’s decryption specialist aboard the Compton.  The Ensign
has the serial data dump decrypted and into the hands of Admiral Meyers within
an hour.  The Transit Orders for the next two convoys are in the message.
    Admiral Meyers would like to hijack or destroy both convoys, but she
won’t, because the Verm Navy would then conclude that their weakness is at the
supply depot.  She picks the second convoy because it is much larger than
the first.
    ***
    Deep Space at the Verm Convoy’s 3 rd Stopover Coordinates
    The ambush is ready.  This may not be as pretty as the Sweetwater
Fleet would like an operation to be.  After so many destination coordinate
errors, the Verm convoy may be dispersed over a wide region.  Some of the
convoy vessels may be able to escape into FTL space before they can be run down
and captured. 
    The Verm convoy has over 50 vessels, so the 25 ship Sweetwater Fleet
probably can’t corral all of them.  But there will be no harm in some
ships escaping.  They will just help to spread the news that the
Sweetwater Fleet is in the area.
    ***
    “Ships emerging” chorus the Sweetwater Fleet AIs .   
    “All ships.  Meyers here.  Just the warship.  Remember, just
destroy the warship,” says Admiral Meyers.
    There are 2 Sweetwater destroyers in the vicinity of the emerging Verm
Escort warship, and laser canon energy travels at the speed of light.  The
Escort warship is destroyed soon after it finishes emerging. 
    The