A path less Traversed

[Bug'ares'vemmosk]

Unkown Regions​

Nearest Star System: Olystyn​

Chiss Outer Patrol Sector​

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Captain Bug'ares'vemmosk, leader of the 3rd outer patrol strike team and captain of the CEDF Resolute. That was his name and title, his rank and responsibilities. When he died it was likely what he would be remembered for. Nothing more, nothing less and yet his family would advance greatly from his achievements. He had been promoted to captain before the age of Thirty without being from a noble household. He had been commisioned to his rank as the child of an enlisted man and still risen through the ranks of his beloved fleet. His political movements may have been quiet however his results could not be avoided during his time in the core of chiss space. Yet here he was, the furthest point that any Chiss patrol would extend to, no doubt a maneuver to cease any progress being made by his way of command.

He had seen the blare of the probe detection a few seconds before his sensors officer had raised the alert to him. The sudden appearance of a vessel passing into his net of interweaving sensor stations sat along the very edge of Chiss space. The move to use probes had been his own idea when tasked with a defense and early interception order from command. He had a task force of 9 ships at his disposal and an entire sector to cover. He knew that such a small amount of ships would stand little chance at covering the entire area and even then if attacked some of the smaller corvettes would be left largely without backup and outgunned. He had devised the idea of a centralized grouping of the ships and a reliance on sensor grids and light scout shuttles to alert his strike force. This time the scheme was working quite normally in detecting the unidentified intruder into a mostly empty part of Ascendancy space.

Bug'ares'vemmosk sent a comm to his frigate escorts to hold at a coordinate point as to let the Resolute open the initial channel of communication with the unexpected visitor.

The quiet captain then took to his feet and grasped a railing that displayed the viewport of his destroyer. When the Chiss spoke his voice, even in his native tongue, was calm and collected. It held a deep tone and timbre to it yet behind the feeling to the words as they were manipulated was a total sense of control and drive.

"Lieutenant set an interception point with that vessel and move us off immediately."

He turned to another officer this time at the rear of his command bridge.

"Commander, please have the boarding parties ready themselves and their craft. This may take some investigation."

"Finally I want all sensor readings and information on this ship gathered and sent to my personal datapad."

He waited for the nods and cadence of understood orders from his fellow chiss officers before sitting back into the chair central of his bridge.

"Very well, make the jump to lightspeed."

With his words, the space to his front seemed to compress into starlines as the warp engines took over and sent the ship hurtling through space. Being ever guided by the foreseeing chiss pilots that use their own ability of pre-cognition to maneuver the chaos of Unkown Region hyperspace. A region of the galaxy that had often left so many others with nothing but despair and death as they collided with an entity not detected on scanners or a star not plotted to the map. Yet onwards went the chiss vessel. Onwards to find this intruder.

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[member='Lirka Ka']​

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[Lirka Ka]

"intruder" was about the grossst overestimation that could be made of Lirka and her somewhat dated, not perfectly maintained, but still useful freighter. She hadn't been using the thing much recently after hitching in with the CIS, for better or worse. After the advent of her Force induced crisis of self she had gone out to the Unknown Regions, the rather ancient Sephi woman: In comparison to the much shorter lived Chiss, she was here to simply go and try and find herself among the nothingness and potential dangers. To taste the sweetness of battle as she had for practically a century, or to just see the exotic parts of the Galaxy.

Truthfully, she didn't even know she was approaching Chiss space. She knew only of the species by name and the Ascendancy in that same light, she had known one Chiss her whole life. An opponent she had fought during her pit-fighter days on Choah. Other than that, the species was totally out of mind. This whole region of space was out of mind.

Well, not anymore it was.

Lirka wasn't expecting any company from the natives here, as such she relaxed currently. Feat kicked up in the cockpit of the freighter, it was a rare instance where she wasn't wearing her battle-armor. Instead the undersuit for it was her clothing today, usually alternating between the two for most days. Those icy blue eyes just looking out at the void of space, it was comforting to the Sephi sometimes. Of course, entirely unaware of the rapidly approaching threat.

[member="Bug'ares'vemmosk"]

 

[Bug'ares'vemmosk]

Unkown Regions​

Nearest Star System: Olystyn​

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Interception Course​

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His red eyes flicked across the bridge before settling back to the datapad resting upon his right knee. The probes that had flagged the ship as falling out of hyperspace had only managed as much as a bare outline from its warp trail. The ship fitted with a few different designs but was most likely a freighter or light cruiser of some kind. It was fairly common for the Chiss and his men to deal with lost freighters or pirates making random jumps into the unknown regions to escape whatever authority had been tailing them.

"One minute until interception, bring us out of warp directly behind that vessel and route power to the forward deflector shields. Bring the tractor beam online and prepare a lock to the craft."

His gloved hand fell back to the datapad and his eyes flicked over the information as it came in on more accurate emission readings from the probe relay. He was right on the size however the vessel could still be armed even a small corvette. Although what it was doing out here in his patrol sector Ares would not know.

A tone came from the datapad followed by the face of a Chiss female clad in CEDF battle dress.

"Captain our preparations are complete and your marines are standing by."

Ares responded with a sense of gratitude and calmness in his voice making a sharp change to the somewhat excitement of the boarding party's officer.

"Very good Commander, have your initial entrants set their weapons to stun. If we have to make entry then we do not want to cause any unwanted harm to our guests."

The woman nodded in acknowledgment and replied in a more serious tone before the pad shut off and returned to tactical readings.

"It will be done, sir."


Another thirty seconds seemed to pass as the Chiss Star Destroyer cut its way through hyperspace, its own navigator a force sensitive child, allowing for safe passage around any obstacles with the ability of foresight that they were trained to apply. The practice had become somewhat standard for the Chiss over the years. It seemed that whenever the rest of the galaxy caused their chaos that the stability of the Chiss region faltered and fell further into difficulty to traverse. Alas, the seconds continued to pass as the officers on the bridge plotted final preparations for exiting.

3... 2... 1... read the data pad as the ship seemed to glide out of hyperspace and now follow the other vessel on the quarter power of its sublight engines. The ship's captain took a sip of water from a glass perched on the arm of his chair before laying the data tablet against the other arm and standing to his feet to look out over the viewport. The ship that sat ahead of his own destroyer craft was indeed no major warship. The craft looked somewhat older than his own yet he had no doubt it was hardy. As sensor sweeps started to complete he studied the weapons systems and shield parameters. His eyebrow raised for a moment being impressed with the amount of capability from an outdated craft. Alas, his own vessel had no doubt had its intended effect of intimidation by now.

"Ensign, open us a direct channel to that ship and patch it through to the viewscreen."

He heard a shout of acknowledgment from his communications officer before he took a step forward to face the image receptor built into his bridge. As he spoke in his native language first his voice was un-imposing and somewhat welcoming.

"This is Captain Bug'ares'vemmosk of the Chiss Expansionary Defence Fleet. You have exited hyperspace in patrol grid alpha 13 and therefore are 124,305 miles from the nearest hyperspace lane. Please identify yourself and the reason for being off course immediately."

The captain took a step back before repeating the same message in galactic basic. His voice this time more mysterious as the Chiss pronunciations often came across within the human language.

As the message successfully sent he returned to the viewscreen of his bridge and stared out at the metal structure floating just afront and below the fore of his vessel.

"Weapons team, if they do not reply within thirty seconds engage the tractor beam and power up ion cannons."

We have shown them hospitality now let us have our response in good time. Or we may just have some fun.

His mouth twitched into a smile as his deep red eyes narrowed on the freighter.

[member="Lirka Ka"]

 

[Lirka Ka]

At the best of times, Lirka was considered an “unstable inferno”. The Dark Side coursed through her veins naturally now, and it made her temperamental, and rather unpleasant. Of course, in this light one thing must be considered: this wasn’t the best of times. And in fact, was closer to the worse time that they could’ve gotten in her way.

For a freighter, maybe it was something. But truthfully her Ship was a hunk of junk that got her from point A to point B with a few guns incase anyone wanted her dead. And there were many people who wanted her dead.

When the Chiss appeared she was broken from her relaxation with a bestial snarl, her temper flared. Hatred flared, a true ticking time bomb. They would be...unlucky. If she was to board in such a state, her blade wasn’t particularly bias in who it would kill. The Underworld thought things though: self preservation most of all. She wouldn’t fight them, not yet, maybe not ever.

“Go and see the sights of this hellhole of a place. I’m here on my own volition, no one has followed me. And I come alone.”

She wanted to add “now get out of my way”, but, self preservation was strong here and she bit her tongue on the jab. Of course she didn’t bother with saying “finding myself in the Unknown Regions” either.

[member="Bug'ares'vemmosk"]

 

[Bug'ares'vemmosk]

Unkown Regions​

Nearest Star System: Olystyn​

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Freighter Interception​

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The female humanoid appeared on his viewscreen a few moments after he had strode forward. Her words were simple and full of malice, no doubt she was self-confident being in such a position and responding so bitterly. His narrowed red eyes narrowed on her facial features. He watched as her eyes focused directly on his own image within her viewscreen her pale skin complexion and abnormal ears differentiated her from a standard human such as the correlians that often made their ways through his hyperspace lanes to trade on Csilla or one of the other city worlds. Her eyebrows slanted slightly as her forehead was tightened into an anger-filled snarl. Yes, the woman was clearly full of anger whether from his interruption or other means it did not matter the same effect of tunnel vision would have grasped her.

Such impolite manners often came from those in the position of power. However... he would not rise to such. Alas, they were his guests...

He stepped back a few paces and folded his hands behind his back to once again meet the eyes of the humanoid. His posture was relaxed yet confident, his shoulders straight and his gaze serious though his mouth and eyes relaying an unopposing smile as to maintain a relaxed and welcoming feel. If not slightly condescending after the previous response of the new traveler.

Ares spoke again his voice a mellow pattern of syllables as he returned to speaking the language of his intruder.

"Very well then you must allow me to welcome you to the territories of the Chiss Ascendency."

His face maintained a smile even as his subject matter changed to the more serious. "

"However the matter of your course still troubles me. This sector holds little but a gaseous cluster and two slowly collapsing stars. If you hold course I will transmit coordinates for the nearest hyperspace lanes and you can undergo the standard procedure of passing through Chiss security controls. If you deny this then you will force me to have your ship detained and searched on suspicion of smuggling."

He had a feeling this was no smuggler but anyone avoiding Chiss hyperroutes must be hiding something. Furthermore, he was merely following... protocol.

[member="Lirka Ka"]

 

[Lirka Ka]

“I’m not looking for planets on a Hyperspace lane. Thank you for telling me this part is worthless.”

Lirka remained rather particular to keep her part of the viewer away from her undersuit, focus down on her face to make things easy. Don’t show these Chiss that she wasn’t actually clad up and ready for combat. All she was a hot tempered passer by, nothing more. At least, she attempted to push that narrative.

Lirka was usually rather good at keeping her anger to her accented voice alone, a thick accent that denoted her noble birth on Thustra. To those who were the slightest bit acquainted with them of course. She wasn’t any such nobility now, distant memories and nothing more. Lirka wasn’t sure what she was right now.

She remained cordial enough with this Chiss, partially because of that Destroyer, but mainly because she had no intention of upsetting them and making this trip that much harder.

[member="Bug'ares'vemmosk"]

 

[Bug'ares'vemmosk]

Unkown Regions​

Nearest Star System: Olystyn​

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Freighter Interception​

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The chiss grimaced slightly as she let out her reply he had been using basic for many a year with almost perfect fluency since his posting to the contested regions yet clearly his words were not being understood. Or maybe his meanings were being ignored by the hot-headed woman sitting front of his destroyer. He had also noticed a slight change in her tone, decreasing its sound of aggression along with a relaxation of the upper facial muscles normally associated with the display of emotions. This was at least one front in that he was winning, a suspect that was cooperative always made his job easier.

"Perhaps you misunderstand me, as you do not present yourself as an identified ally of the Chiss Ascendancy nor a member you are therefore suspect to trespassing in territories defended and occupied by the Chiss governing houses. I will, therefore, explain to you your options. Option number one, change course to the hyperspace routes as permitted for outsiders and unidentified civilians to be searched and cleared by CEDF territory enforcement officers. Alternatively, I will order my weapons officer to disable your ship and have my marines conduct their own search to identify you and your vessel."

His face hardened as he nodded to his bridge officers to stand to their ready positions.

"Let me be clear, we are not threatening you. However, you are currently withholding your reason for business within Ascendancy. If sightseeing is your goal then you should report to the Olystyn outpost for clearance codes and a permit to move through this patrol grid."

He nodded to his bridge officer that powered up a screen that moved from the red into yellow before showing a dial now flashing green and presenting a switch and then stepped back to reveal his upper torso of the CEDF military uniform.

[member="Lirka Ka"]

 

[Lirka Ka]

"Fine. I'll go on your damn hyperspace route."

Lirka was in no mood to argue, anger and annoyance had blended with a new cold attitude. Having a Star Destroyer helped with that it seemed. She was already treading on foreign enough ground and upsetting locals seemed...unnecessary. Though she might have laughed at how much this little blue rat seemed so focused on how she wanted to run a muck in his "Ascendancy", if anything, she wanted to push away from civilization. Look for the raw dangers of the Unknown Regions.

"Anything else? I have things to do."

[member="Bug'ares'vemmosk"]

 

[Bug'ares'vemmosk]

Unkown Regions​

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Intercepted Freighter Contact​

His red eyes maintained their stare at the woman as she caved to his continuations of policy and required routing through dedicated lanes a small smile working its way back into the corner of his mouth. Although he had accomplished his mission he was still curious as to what exactly a being would want to be doing out here in the wildness of Unknown space. Even he who had patrolled these areas for close to eight years now still found them harsh and unrelenting as far as space passages go.

"No that is all that I am required to instruct you to do by the manual."

He strode back to his seat to pick up the datapad that still sat resting on his chair. He reached down with one of his gloved hands and retrieved the small computing machine before walking slowly back to the open transmission.

"However, I am inquisitive of your appearance. I do not believe to have come across a human of your description before. If you would be willing to take some time to enlighten me I may be able to put aside some requirements as well as giving you a safe passage to whatever it is that you so desire out here in wild space. As well as the fine hospitality that we are sure to provide for you."

He let his gaze fix to hers on the screen once more

"Or you can make the seven-hour journey to the hyperlane, one grueling jump at a time. The choice is really down to you."

He pressed a button on his datapad and watched as the units within his boarding parties stood down.

[member="Lirka Ka"]

 

[Lirka Ka]

“Sephi. Not human.”

That was all she said on the matter, it was all that she really found to say on the matter to someone she didn’t particularly like. Well, like at all. Someone who got in her way was an immediate enemy to her, especially the ones riddled with firepower and getting in her way. Irritable and aggressive, best way to describe her.

She didn’t press onto her insanely large lifespan, she would live as long as six Chiss practically. Or her birth. All sorts of unnecessary nonsense in her mind.

[member="Bug'ares'vemmosk"]

 

[Bug'ares'vemmosk]

Unkown Regions​

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He took a note of the Race name as to do some research on the beings later in the day. For now, he guessed that was all of the offers he was going to receive.


"Very well, I have had my comms officer send the shorter jump route through to your ship's console. I will maintain your escort until you make the jump to warp speed. I thank you for being so cooperative."

He signaled for his officer to cut the transmission and send the coordinates across to the other ship. He had tried his efforts however there was no doubt going to be plenty more time to study such a being. No matter he had other issues to attend to today so letting the ship get on its way was no thorn in his side.


"Commander power down the ion banks and return all ship power levels to normal. Have the Marines stand down and pack the boarding equipment back into the ready rooms."

He clicked off the commlink as he gave the order to the executive officer and paced forward once more to glare down onto the freighter that was now free of his grasp.

[member="Lirka Ka"]

 

[Lirka Ka]

Lirka sighed, and went off to do what was necessary. A few flicks of switches and presses of buttons and she bursted off into Lightspeed, closing her eyes and shaking her head at this interference. Her trip to the Unknown Regions didn’t seem like it was lasting long at all.

 

[Lirka Ka]

[member="Bug'ares'vemmosk"]