Considering the fact that she had travelled through space literally dozens of times in her life, Drusilla was still uncomfortable at high speeds. The low rumbling of the engines travelled throughout her entire body, despite her being the only one to experience it. The heightened brain development needed for telepathy, was showing one of its few downsides. Much of her fury had subsided since the delivery of Admiral Ransome’s second report. Despite her conversations over subspace communication with Tolian Gryffin, not one word of the meeting was mentioned in the second transmission. Simply more words of finding empty planets and barren moons.
She had wasted no time in preparing the Northwestern for departure, but the lack of available crew had meant it was almost three and a half months since the fleet had left Earth. The third report from the Odyssey had not arrived. Drusilla suspected the effects of Gryffin and his tales of wonder had started affecting the crew. While this had always been the plan, Drusilla had figured she’d have longer. After all, the primary mission was the Darla and their extinction. Humanity would only move to its main purpose afterwards. Well, those who were left.
The Northwestern had continued being developed after its completion. While originally being constructed with the same materials, engines and resources as the rest of the Utopia fleet, the Northwestern had remained in development. The engines on this ship, therefore, were faster than those of the Odyssey. The estimated time to intercept Harry Ransome was somewhere in the region of six weeks, following their longer than planned stop at Grabthor Beta. Drusilla planned a stop there herself. She planned to have a word with Tolian Gryffin about bringing in one of his employees to enhance the little story they concocted. It may have been the element which tipped the plans into motion too soon. But as with most things in her life, only time would tell.
She had ordered that transmissions be sent back to Earth in the same vein as the rest of the Utopia ships. One per month on the anniversary of launch. She had also ordered that those messages be of the exact information sent by the Odyssey. No point in panicking the lab rats. They needed accurate results, not skewed and flawed products. She was relieved that nobody seemed concerned with the other vessels in the fleet, and everyone was focussing on the disappearance of the Odyssey. It would keep attention away from the real destination of the other six ships for a while longer. Not that anyone on Earth would ever find them.
Little did Drusilla know, that she would not catch up to Harry Ransome in six weeks time. The problem with being so dominant and convinced of your iron grip on a situation, is that invariably, at some point and like most things in life, it all goes to shit. However powerful she was, and however many friends she had in high places, or the strength of her persuasive telepathic powers, she could not control everything in the galaxy.
And it was due to that incontrovertible fact, that President of Earth, Drusilla, would not see the face of Admiral Harry Ransome for almost ten years.