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On Yanda, the Lead Trifect’s transceiver screen turned a red-violet and then went blank. He doubted it was a malfunction. He hoped he was wrong but guessed the Commander was dead.
“Yes, Lead Trifect.”
“Trifects, I'm sure Commander Fritase is dead. Have our interplanetary techs look for new, unexplained explosions within a light year of his last known coordinates. I need an answer by the time I get to headquarters. I’m on my way.”
He signed off and started the twenty-minute walk. He could have taken a glider but needed the time to think about what happened. He took his transceiver and replayed the last forty-five recorded seconds over and over. One thing that stood out was the Commander not firing any of his weapons. Conversely, there was no evidence that he took fire from enemy comb
