Eight ships shuffled through the void of space, separated by dozens of kilometers. Seven of them formed a rough sphere around the eighth that resided in the center of the formation. Pitch black so as to hide visually, the only warning were the red lights running along the lines of the ships to ensure that no unfortunate accidents happened with close visual maneuvering. Radio signals beamed briefly between the group, constantly communicating on its findings in the area. Nothing out of place. Thrusters burned along the bottom of all eight ships, sending them travelling off towards the local star. The bustle of interplanetary traffic continued below without a care.

Dozens of large vessels, some measuring in at almost a kilometer and a half length, seemed swarmed by hundreds of lesser crafts, ranging from personal to shuttles to modest cargo ships of five hundred meters. Various military vessels, some similar to the group which had left previously, patrolled through the lanes with full illumination, large white lights and radar reflectors signifying their presence to the civilian vessels. Although much smaller than the largest of their unarmed cousins, these "Hunter Ships" as they were often called had a much sleeker, predatory look. At the end of one of the flows was a large ring-shaped structure, measuring almost three kilometers in diameter. Two of the large cargo ships and a cruise liner formed up in front of the station alongside dozens of the smaller craft before disappearing in a flash of light, propelled by the Fall-Through Rings to a significant portion of light-speed.

Down on the planet Ullum, Alir watched through a telescope as the Ring activated. A simple flash and gone. He remembered the disaster of Maz. A large chunk of that moon had fallen several dozens miles from where he was, dust choking the entire city. In the following year, thousands of ships and millions of people were part of a concerted effort to repair some of the damage caused. Nothing could replace the dead. Official numbers had been in the tens of thousands. It seemed low for such a catastrophe. Scrunching his eyes, he shook away the memories, unwilling to dwell upon them. Those scars did not go away easily.

Turning away, he spoke in the airy, whistle-like language of the natives of Ullum, much rarer than the rougher derivative that had taken hold in most of the Calaerin Union. A shame, truly. "Pol, contact the Luminary of Space Projects - Advanced Research Agency. Tell her that testing for the Gellar Project is nearing readiness. Thank you." He heard his secretary move off, her hooves clacking against the marble floors of Alir's office. A simple flick of his head brought up the integrated computer, the image displaying directly into Alir's vision. He moved past the SPAR Luminary's contact to the Luminary of Outer Defenses. A good soldier. The image on the profile hid most of the mqah's various medals, but no one would need the medals to identify him after the final combat actions of the Varuzh War.

"Monitor, record and send message to the Luminary of Outer Defenses. Tell him that Gellar will begin testing soon. Star-Strider Initiative operations can now safely commence." After a brief moment of encryption, the data was beamed into orbit and caught by a probe. Unhooking from the attending stealth satellite, it disappeared in a blink, heading off towards Gillad. If all went according to plan...

Alir tucked away the medal of the Luminary of the Union. Soon he would wear it.