Artemis- Detecting Hidden Aircraft

“Come on, human. Switch this Ice Cube thing on. Let’s get the
dwarf on the mudslide.”
A fairy expression that Artemis was not familiar with, but he could
guess what it meant. He glanced at his phone.
“Surely, Commander. I will certainly launch the first pouch of nano￾wafers just as soon as whatever unidentified craft is passing through
the airspace moves on.”
Holly consulted her visor readout communicator. “Nothing in the
airspace, Mud Boy. Nothing but a shielded shuttle full of hurt for you,
if you’re trying to pull some kind of trick.”
Artemis could not stifle a groan. “No need for the rhetoric. I assure
you, Captain, there is a ship descending through the atmosphere. My
sensors are picking it up quite clearly.”
Holly thrust her jaw forward. “Well, my sensors aren’t picking up a
thing.”
“Funny, because my sensors are your sensors,” countered Artemis.
Foaly clopped a hoof, chipping the ice. “I knew it. Is nothing
sacred?”
Artemis squared his shoulders. “Let’s stop pretending that we don’t
spend half our time spying on each other. I read your files and you read
the files I allow you to steal. There is a craft that seems to be heading
straight for us, and maybe your sensors would spot it if you used some
of the same filters I do.”
Holly thought of something. “Remember Opal Koboi’s ship? The
one completely built from stealth ore? Our pet geeks couldn’t detect
that, but Artemis did.”
Artemis arched his eyebrows as if to say Even the police officer gets
it. “I simply looked for what should be there but wasn’t. Ambient
gases, trace pollution, and such. Wherever I found an apparent vacuum
I also found Opal. I have since applied the same technique to my
general scans. I am surprised you haven’t learned that little trick,
Consultant Foaly.”
“It will take about two seconds to sync with our shuttle and run an
ambience test.”
Vinyáya scowled, and her annoyance seemed to ripple the air like a
heatwave.
“Run it then, centaur.”
Foaly activated the sensors in his gloves and screwed a yellow
monocle over one eye. Thus wired, he performed a complicated series
of blinks, winks, and gestures as he interfaced with a V-system
invisible to all but him. To the casual observer it would seem as though
the centaur had inhaled pepper while conducting an imaginary
orchestra. It was not attractive, which was why most people tended to
stick with hardwired hardware.
Twenty seconds more than two seconds later, Foaly’s exertions
ceased suddenly and he rested palms on knees.
“Okay,” he panted. “Firstly, I am nobody’s pet geek. And secondly,
there may be a large unidentified space vehicle headed our way at high
speed.”

- The Atlantis Complex, Chapter 1