Outbound Flight

"Yeah, looks like it," Qe

There were indeed three alien vessels hovering around the remains of Progga's ship when they arrived. Two were duplicates of their fighter-sized escort, while the third was considerably larger. "Not that much bigger than a Republic cruiser, though," Car'das pointed out. "Pretty small, considering what it just did."

"Looks like they're opening a docking bay for us," Maris said.

Car'das measured the opening port cover with his eyes. "Not much room in there."

"Our bow will fit," Qe

"We're going to go into their ship?" Maris asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"Unless they want to use the tube to come in here instead," Qe

He half turned toward Car'das. "That meansI do all the talking. Unless they ask you something directly, in which case you give them exactly as much answer as they have question. No more. Got it?"

Car'das swallowed. "Got it."

Their escort led them to the larger ship's side, and two minutes later Qe

Two of the crew were waiting outside the hatch as it slid open: blue-ski

The aliens didn't answer, but merely moved to either side and gestured down the tu

He and Maris headed down the tu

Two more aliens were waiting just inside the ship proper, dressed and armed the same way as the first pair except that their shoulder patches were yellow and blue instead of green. They turned in military precision as the three humans arrived and led the way down a smoothly curved corridor made of a pearl-like material with a soft, muted sheen. Car'das ran his fingertips gently along the wall as they walked, trying to decide whether it was metal, ceramic, or some kind of composite.

Five meters down the corridor their guides came to a halt outside an open doorway and planted themselves on either side. "In there, huh?" Qe

The room was small and simple, its furnishings consisting of a table and half a dozen chairs. A conference room, Car'das tentatively identified it, or possibly a duty crew meal room. Another of the blue-ski

The alien didn't reply, but Car'das thought he saw his eyebrow twitch slightly. "Maybe we should try one of the Outer Rim trade languages," he offered.

"Thanks for that brilliant suggestion," Qe

Again, there was no response. "You could try Taarja," Maris said.

"I don't know Taarja very well," Qe

"Sy Bisti will do," the alien behind the table said calmly in that language.

Qe

"I said Sy Bisti will do," the alien repeated. "Please; be seated."

"Ah. . thank you," Qe

"I'm Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo of the Chiss Ascendance," the alien continued. "This is theSpringhawk, Picket Force Two command vessel of the Expansionary Defense Fleet."

Expansionary Fleet. Car'das felt a shiver run up his back. Did the name imply this Chiss Ascendancy was in the process of expanding outward?

He hoped not. The last thing the Republic needed right now was a threat from outside its borders. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was doing his best, but there was a lot of resistance to change in the old business-as-usual attitudes and casual corruption of the Coruscant government. Even now, five years after its little misadventure on Naboo, the Trade Federation had vet to be punished for its blatant aggression, despite Palpatine's best efforts to bring it to judgment. Resentment and frustration simmered throughout the galaxy, with rumors of new reform or secession movements surfacing every other week.

Qe

What Qe

A full-scale war, needless to say, would be as bad as it got. For everyone.