"We've found little sign of strength being marshaled in nearby systems."

A force composed not only of their own vessels, but other ships from nearby systems.

They must be in one of the nearby stellar systems.

If a nearby solar system had been found which was nearly identical with this one, he would find it listed there.

I know, you thought maybe Florentina, or some other nearby system.

There's a nearby system with a planet that might hide us.

You had no luck in any of the other nearby systems?

Over the decades, the intelligent species in the nearby solar systems had developed and continued to evolve a common trade language.

They may have had to mine worlds in nearby systems and build the ships there.

And yet, they each laid claim to one planet in a nearby system.