45.      Replication

Bob traces a mysterious signal to a remote farmhouse north of VEHEMENT central on Vulcan and identifies someone conducting covert surveillance through maser radiation. Bob prepares to confront this person while maintaining hidden drone surveillance.

Bob monitors a man stationed at a bank of displays in a small, unremarkable red farmhouse located far north of VEHEMENT central on Vulcan. The man works continuously without rest, watching multiple monitors. Bob detects faint maser radiation scattered through fifty kilometers of atmosphere—a tell-tale sign of covert activity. Using passive detection methods, Bob has identified the signal without alerting the man to his presence. Through encrypted SCUT communications, Bob has also monitored the man's conversations while keeping his own drones hidden from detection. Bob recognizes this as an opportunity for retaliation and decides to act, though he first wants to ensure the man knows he has been discovered.