49.Surveillance

Riker receives surveillance data from Mario on the Others' home system collected over eight years. The drones detected construction of a massive sphere and evidence that the Others have deployed most of their military and cargo vessels elsewhere, with only units accounted for by the Delta Pavonis expedition remaining in-system.

Riker reviews detailed reports from Mario's drone surveillance of the Others' home system. The drones successfully infiltrated from the Oort cloud, though the Others eventually detected and destroyed much of the debris as it fell in-system. Despite the losses, Mario obtained valuable intelligence showing that a massive sphere is under construction. More significantly, the data reveals an almost complete absence of death asteroids and cargo vessels in the system—a stark contrast to what would be expected. Riker and Mario deduce that the only military units visible in-system are those involved in the Delta Pavolis expedition, meaning the Others have deployed their primary forces elsewhere. Surveillance of surrounding systems shows no harvesting activity, confirming that the Others' main fleet and resources are concentrated somewhere beyond the local region. Riker concludes the surveillance definitively answers his questions about the Others' capabilities and intentions, prompting him to re-examine his own detection array.