The entire trip went the same way, going over and over details, looking for anything that they had missed. Max and Nico, working together, managed to get a few details of the shipments leaving the system, but they were so obviously false that not even an idiot would believe that they had originated from Kepler Terminus.
That wasn’t really unexpected though, so once they got closer, Max started tuning into the local news stations, looking for new propaganda and other things that didn’t add up with how he remembered things on Kepler Terminus.
What was told to the general population was usually the most telling of indicators that something was wrong on a planet, from an outside perspective. It didn’t matter if they were saying everything was perfect, a new leader was amazing, or that the economy was being rebuilt in record time with an eye toward the future.
From the outside looking in, when those messages changed and didn’t match the reality, something was wrong, and the stronger the media manipulation to make something seem like it was good or bad, the larger the problem had gotten. Unfortunately for those on the planet, their information was controlled, so they would never know that they were being lied to.
What Max found was that there was a huge scare on the Kepler Terminus news channels. A large volcanic system had become active, and the fallout was going to make it impossible to live on the surface of the planet for decades to come.
It was clearly false news, The Colony Ship had the technology to monitor the tectonic, seismic, and volcanic activity of any planet in its sensor range, and the only volcano that had detonated lately had been artificially triggered by an orbital weapon.
But the news made it clear that they were evacuating everyone who could afford to leave the planet, in preparation for something very large.
“General, if you don’t mind I would like to contact someone on the planet, a Hacker I grew up with. He should have a great deal more information than is publicly available, and for personal reasons, it would be good to see him off-world when things get ugly.
“Do it. We need all the information that we can get before things blow up here. I definitely do not want to be here when that happens. Sorry about your homeworld, but I get the feeling that it is about to meet an orbital bombardment that will make the destruction of Noctis Seven look like an afternoon picnic.” General Yaakov replied.
Max wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but looking at the General’s thoughts showed a pattern of ship movements that Max had missed. The Tapani fleet was sending a large number of orbital strike cruisers this way, with their hulls disguised to make them look more like Kepler ships.
That was enough to cement the rebel’s plan in Max’s mind, and he updated General Ming instantly, giving him all the details that he could, before sending an encrypted message to the planet, telling Dave to get to the main Cargo Station in orbit and meet with the Tarith Family there, then wait for more instructions.
They had used this code before, mostly to avoid police raids, and it was one that Dave wouldn’t question.
Whether the crippled old veteran could actually get himself a ride to orbit was another question, but it was the best that Max could do without risking tipping anyone off about what was really going on, or who Dave was supposed to be meeting.
Even if the Tapani read this message, it would look like a Reaver sending for an informant to find out about something on the planet, and that was perfectly normal activity, not something that they would be highly alarmed with when the planet was sending dozens of ships a day away.
The level of activity was bound to alert someone, and the fact that it had would only confirm to the Tapani that things were going according to the plan. First, the Reavers would find out, then they would profiteer, and then finally the Empire would show up. It was the way of the Galaxy during almost every tragedy.
[Cargo Station, Cargo Station, this is the Colony Ship Terminus, home to the Terminus Trading Company, requesting a docking assignment at the outer spur, due to the size of our vessel.] Admiral Drake informed the Station, broadcasting it to the ship so everyone could get ready.
[Colony Ship Terminus, we have been expecting you. Proceed to Echo Seven Terminal and make yourself secure for atmosphere-stabilized loading.] The Station responded.
That mean that whatever they were expecting was either living or very sensitive, so Max suspected that the Family was using their allied Reavers to get their people to safety.
[DudeBro to Youngling, I am all out of smokes, can you meet me at the store?]
The cryptic message was sent directly to Terminus, making Max laugh. Of all the ways that Dave could have chosen to tell him that he had made it to the Cargo Station, that had to be the greatest one that he could have chosen.
But since Dave was in orbit, and the Tarith Family had arranged for them to pick up something that needed a stable atmosphere, Max had high hopes that they could get the people they cared about off the planet before things got really ugly.
Echo Seven terminal wasn’t the largest of them on the station, but it was run by the Reavers, and large enough for their purposes, not hindering the Admiral from docking against it with a gentle thud, and then the hissing of magnetic locks engaging from both sides before the seals were engaged.
The maintenance teams had put a lot of effort into making sure that the doors sealed properly over the last few days, and the smooth hiss as a formerly unused door engaged perfectly the first time was music to their ears.
[Terminus securely docked, prepare for atmospheric balancing.]