PC Comm/Sensor Officer: "Okay, our drone Type S shows as being up to 0.1 c now . . . huh.

PC Captain: "What?"

PC CSO: "That's weird. The transmission died, right in the middle of the usual sign-off group."

PC Cpt, after chewing his lip for a moment: "Ping it."

PC CSO: "Pinging . . . nothing. It's like it's not there."

PC Science Officer: "That's impossible! It can't have simply vanished."

NPC Steward: "Well . . . what about the Great Modulating Function/Inversion Acceleration Theory?"

PC Science Officer: "But the GM FIAT has never been proven!"

NPC Steward, shruging: "And I guess it still isn't *proven.* But can you think of anything else that would explain our Type S simply vanishing?"

PCs begin muttering darkly amongst themselves, as the NPC Steward smiles a very secret smile . . .