Private What Goes Around

[FN-999 (restored)]

Tags: Braze

LANGHESA - GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT
​

After a tense month-long deployment to monitor the Farworlds Alliance, the Caragachi Fourth Fleet was almost ready to return home.

​

The mood onboard the fleet's warships was lighter than it had been in days, their crew excited to finally return to familiar space. Langhesa was the furthest away from home that most of them had ever travelled, given that most Caragachi naval patrols were either near Caragach itself or the upper Orikan Way. As exciting as the journey had been and as essential as their mission of deterrence had been, the fleet was beginning to grow homesick.

So for the past two days, the fleet's officers had begun to chart a course back home. They had needed every second of that time - the Unknown Regions were given their name for a good reason. Even at the best of times, clear hyperspace lanes were difficult to find and hardly lasted more than a few weeks, especially for a full fleet's worth of ships. Smaller scouting ships had been sent ahead, reassuring the main fleet that the route they had taken to get to Langhesa was still mostly navigable, with only a few minor revisions needed.

All that was left to make the final calculations for navigation and lock down any fragile systems before making the jump.

Onboard the fleet's flagship, the Sykes-class fleet carrier Talau, the crew was at last beginning to relax. The hard part of their deployment was behind them: they had maintained their vigil without encountering any Farworlds warships and now they had a clear route back home. All of the carrier's starfighters had been recalled back to their hangars, and everyone was gathering their belongings before the big jump.

The calm was disturbed when an unknown vessel jumped into the system, dangerously close to the edge of the fleet.

Though the ship was far smaller than any of the Fourth Fleet's warships and bore no Farworlds insignia, it was decided to exercise an abundance of caution.

Admiral Harper Yalaar rose from his command chair, standing tall before he delivered his orders.

"Take the vessel in for scanning. It's coming home with us."

An Emblazoner escort frigate peeled off from the edge of the fleet, advancing towards the smaller craft at flank speed. The frigate fired a half dozen ion torpedoes to keep the unknown ship from fighting back, readying its tractor beams all the while. Once the Emblazoner was directly above the ship, it activated two of its three bottom-mounted tractor beams, securing a firm grip on the freighter near its front and its back.

Shortly after came the boarding parties, cutting a hole through the top of the ship to enable access. Down the hole came two dozen Caragachi Marines, ready to secure vital onboard systems and capture the crew for questioning.

 

[Braze]

Tags: FN-999 (restored)

​

The Mud Duck had remained solemnly quiet since leaving Somov Rit, carrying the weight of the harrowing ordeal three Jedi had endured beneath the fearsome brutality of Karkosuchus . The usual clatter of movement and noise aboard the freighter had thinned to something restrained, almost as if the crew had become reluctant to disturb the wounded silence left in the wake of such violence.

Somewhere deeper within the freighter, behind sealed medical doors, an injured Braze floated unconscious beneath pale blue fluid while monitors maintained their vigil around the bacta tank and it's inhabitant.

Getting him into the tank had taken priority over nearly everything else. The Mud Duck was already overdue for some much-needed repairs after the incident on New Cov, where a terrifying, scarcely understood entity had torn through portions of her systems with unsettling purpose and ease. A propulsion relay had been ripped free, inventories corrupted, and several subsystems left behaving strangely enough to suggest the obvious damage had only been meant to distract from whatever other alterations it had buried deeper within the ship.

They had not had time to complete a proper diagnostic sweep before Braze insisted they make for Somov Rit to answer the distress call, leaving much of the Mud Duck's lingering damage to be dealt with later.

Repairs could wait, the blasted inventory could wait, and whatever surreptitious damage that terrifying entity had buried somewhere inside the Mud Duck's systems would have to wait with them. They only needed to get clear. Kip had barely settled into the course when the navigation board began rewriting figures beneath his hands, their arrival coordinates drifting farther from anything he had originally entered.

Kip — Chadra-Fan: "…Captain?"

The stars snapped back into points of light and the Mud Duck plunged into realspace amid a formation of warships. Engine signatures crowded tactical as proximity warnings erupted across the bridge, yet Vesperis had scarcely risen from the command chair before every primary display failed. The engines wound down into a long mechanical groan, ventilation faltered, and several heavy seconds passed beneath dead consoles before the emergency bus engaged with a hard electrical thump. Dim red illumination washed across the deck as essential systems returned piecemeal: life support, communications, medical, and some limited sensors.

Vesperis was already reading what remained of tactical.

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "Status."

Fizz worked rapidly through the engineering board as fast as he could.

Fizz — Squib: "Primary grid collapsed on emergence. Emergency bus caught Medical and life support. Propulsion's gone, shields are cycling badly, and half the board still thinks we're in hyperspace."

Kip stared between the crippled navigation display and the warships filling the canopy with rising unease.

Kip — Chadra-Fan: "These aren't my coordinates."

Harlock had already left his station, studying the fleet through tactical as contacts resolved around them. His attention moved over ranges, firing arcs, nearby hulls, and the diminishing number of useful options with the practiced familiarity of someone accustomed to deciding how much violence a situation could survive.

Zane Harlock — Queequeg: "Doesn't matter how we got here... We're sitting duck and dead inside somebody else's fleet."

Several new contacts separated from one of the nearby vessels as Ion torpedoes were sent their way.

Zane Harlock — Queequeg: "Give me power to internal security. We seal the choke points, arm the compartments around Medical, and make boarding us expensive."

Vesperis studied the tactical projection for another second, weighing one disabled freighter against the military tonnage surrounding them, then looked toward Harlock.

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "And how many people aboard do you intend to spend proving we can make it expensive?"

Zane's jaw tightened.

Zane Harlock — Queequeg: "I intend to keep them away from Braze."

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "So do I; Though I am thoroughly uninterested in getting anyone aboard killed playing hero when we have no idea what they want."

The first ion strike rolled through the hull beneath a shimmering veil of blue-white static, washing across the emergency displays just as several power systems had begun to struggle back online. The Mud Duck 's systems bucked beneath them, consoles flickering dark once more while the emergency grid strained to hold. Vesperis caught the edge of the command console with one hand, steadying himself as his eyes remained fixed on Harlock.

Zane Harlock — Queequeg: "You trust them enough to parley?"

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "No; I trust basic arithmetic."

His gaze returned to the fleet surrounding them with a dour look.

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "We parley first. If they wanted us dead, they had the firepower to arrange it already. Grax, seeif you can open a channel and hail them."

Harlock looked again toward the tactical display, irritation visible in the set of his mouth even as the Captain's logic started to settled in.

Zane Harlock — Queequeg: "And when talking stops working?"

Vesperis finally looked back at him.

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "Then I expect you to become extremely inconvenient."

That earned the faintest shift from Harlock before his attention turned toward the ship itself.

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "Defensive posture only... Preserve Medical, life support and emergency power. Sensitive compartments stay sealed. Nobody fires."

PRIVATE CREW COMMS

Zane Harlock — Queequeg: "Phoenix Crew, lockdown protocol. Sensitive compartments sealed. Medical stays isolated. Give our guests one route through the ship and make sure it leads exactly where we want them."

Grax worked the communications array as another warning appeared across his board.

Grax Tolwin — Ugnaught: "Two tractor locks... They're drawing us in."

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "Send the hail."

Harlock checked his sidearm and returned it to its holster.

Zane Harlock — Queequeg: "I still hate this plan."

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "I'll allow it,"

Fresh alarms rolled across the emergency grid as heat began spreading through the upper hull schematic. Fizz enlarged the section while Harlock turned toward the hatch.

Fizz — Squib: "Boarding breach in our Upper hull."

Vesperis watched the glowing patch widen across the display with a frown.

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "Zane."

Harlock paused.

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "Parley."

For a moment, Zane merely looked back at him before giving a curt nod.

Zane Harlock — Queequeg: "Parley."

The Mud Duck settled deeper into emergency power as the tractor beams drew her closer, red light washing across the bridge while the crew quietly closed in around Medical and waited to see what came through the hull.

Grax Tolwin — Ugnaught: "Channel's open. They're receiving."

Captain Atticus Vesperis: "This is Captain Vesperis of the Mud Duck. We are prepared to parley."

 

[FN-999 (restored)]

Tags: Braze

LANGHESA - GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT

Onboard the frigate's bridge, a transmission came through.

The unknown vessel's crew was requesting a parlay.

The ship received a reply seconds later.

[Request granted. Please stand by while we transfer your ship to a larger vessel to allow for a complete hull scan.]​

The escort frigate turned around and sped back the way it came, the unknown vessel in tow. Onboard the towed ship, the team of Caragachi marines slowed their advance, carefully combing through each room they encountered. They found no contraband, explosives, or exotic weapons, and the team began to relax as they realized the ship posed no immediate threat to the Fourth Fleet. Some of the marines even appreciated the view of Langhesa one last time in the starry void through the ship's large viewport.

Then the transfer began, the escort frigate partially entering the fleet carrier's enormous main hangar to deliver the captured ship. The frigate deactivated its tractor beams, causing the ship to fall a few meters before hitting the ground in an empty section of the hangar with a loud clang.

For a little while, there was nothing but silence. Then, another dozen marines approached the ship looming ahead of them, catching a ride on a Recourse light transport to drop them off through the small hole cut into the top of the captured vessel.

Then came the scans. A quartet of mobile RSM-4 scanners were placed by crew around the unknown ship, one on each side. Shortly after they were set down, the scanners were turned to face the ship and activated. The data was fed directly to the fleet carrier's bridge, an image beginning to form on its main holographic display.

The size and layout of the ship suggested that it was a freighter, but not one of the many classes commonly found in galactic shipping lanes. It was either a one-off model or a heavily modified version of a more common design, though the scanners could not say for sure.

Thermal imaging revealed that there were three clusters of lifeforms inside the freighter. The first, closest to the upper deck of the ship, was the second group of Caragachi marines. The second cluster was the first unit of marines, closer to the front of the upper deck with some soldiers on the middle deck.

The third cluster appeared to be the ship's crew, converging near the medical bay.

Onboard the carrier's bridge, Admiral Yalaar gave the marines their next set of orders.

[The ship's crew is near the medical bay. Rendezvous there for the parlay.]

 

[Braze]

FN-999 (restored)
The impact sent a shudder through Medical, drawing Fizz, the ship’s Squib engineer, immediately to the bacta tank to check its connections and emergency power feed. Only after the readings settled and Braze’s condition had been checked did he withdraw, leaving the injured Jedi suspended beneath pale blue fluid. Outside, the Queequeg security chief, Zane Harlock, took up his position at the entrance to the passage leading into Medical, his sidearm secured in its holster and his hands clear of it, though his attention remained fixed down the corridor.

Vesperis stood nearby with the remaining crew gathered around him, most of them unarmed, their empty hands visible beneath the red hues of the emergency lighting. He straightened his coat while Fizz quietly confirmed that the tank was holding, then gave a small nod and turned toward the approach. Harlock spared the Captain a glance before settling back against the bulkhead, his jaw still tight from the freighter’s unceremonious arrival.

“I’m Captain Vesperis. My crew has orders to cooperate.” The man had long indigo hair, violet eyes, and large feathered wings of onyx black. He wore a neat uniform in dark coal tones with gloves, a pair of glasses resting upon the bridge of his nose. He bore a close resemblance to the winged members of the Centerran delegation that had arrived on Greyman’s Planet. Though smaller and more lightly framed than Lord Protector Matthew, he appeared unmistakably of the same species as the feathered young men who had accompanied him.

“We have a patient undergoing treatment in Medical. He requires continuous support, and our engineer has confirmed that his tank is functioning.” Vesperis kept his hands visible, his gaze level. “Your handling of our vessel put his treatment at risk; I need your assurance that it will continue undisturbed. We need an external power connection to sustain that treatment aboard our ship. Fizz can coordinate the hookup with your engineers.”

“Our navigation failed while we were trying to get home. We arrived here by accident, and we’re willing to provide what records we can to establish that.” His attention settled on the boarding party. “Who is speaking for your commander, and why are we being detained?”

Beyond the passage Harlock guarded, the door to the medical chamber remained open. Braze was still in a medically induced coma, unaware of the proceedings aboard his ship.

 

[FN-999 (restored)]

Tags: Braze

LANGHESA - GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT

The marines arrived outside the medical bay to find a small group waiting for them.
​

Realizing that ship's crew were all unarmed and heavily outnumbered, the marines lowered their weapons to engage in talks. With a nod and a few hand signals to the squads behind him, the captain of the marines dismissed two of the three squads to further inspect the ship, leaving only a dozen marines behind him.

One of the crew, a blue-haired black-winged humanoid, stepped forward and introduced himself in Basic as the captain of the ship, demanding to understand why he was being detained. The captain of the marines offered up a response.

"Your ship emerged from lightspeed dangerously close to our fleet at a time of high tension between our Commonwealth and the Farworlds Alliance." replied the captain matter-of-factly. "We could not afford to take any risks, especially since we could not and still can not identify your ship or who you serve."

The captain of the ship had also mentioned an individual in the medical bay confined to a bacta tank.

"We will continue to supply power to the bacta tank, but we will need access to the individual inside. You may continue operating essential onboard systems until our engineers arrive, but your work will be supervised to ensure you do not attempt escape or sabotage."

Finally, the winged man had asked whose authority they were being detained by.

"You are in the custody of the Fourth Fleet of the Caragachi Commonwealth. If you cooperate, we will release you and your ship as soon as we return to Caragach. Lucky for you, we will make the return trip any minute now."

As if on cue, the escorts surrounding the fleet carrier rapidly shot forward before vanishing into hyperspace. Seconds later, the carrier followed, and the view outside the main hangar became a kaleidoscope of blue and white.

 

[Braze]

Tags: FN-999 (restored)

​

Vesperis received the explanation without interruption, his attention settled upon their hosts with the same measured composure that had carried him through the first boarding. Their circumstances had changed considerably since the Mud Duck had fallen out of hyperspace amid an unfamiliar military formation, yet the underlying problem remained much the same: neither side possessed enough information about the other to comfortably assume benign intent, and becoming needlessly difficult now would do little except encourage suspicion where a verifiable explanation could serve them considerably better.

"You're welcome to inspect the navigation records. In fact, I would prefer that you did. Our vessel suffered deliberate sabotage prior to this incident. We knew some systems had been compromised; we did not know navigation was among them..."

There was no reluctance behind the offer. Whatever had happened aboard the Mud Duck on New Cov had already demonstrated an uncomfortable ability to reach deeper into the freighter's systems than the crew had initially understood, and the abrupt alteration of their course had given them reason to suspect that the obvious damage had concealed something considerably more invasive. If the Caragachi wished to examine the flight logs themselves, Vesperis was perfectly content to let the records speak where assurances from an unknown crew might carry little weight.

"Our records should retain the course entered by our pilot.... You may inspect those logs under supervision. If your people can determine precisely how it failed, you'll have answered a question we'd very much like answered ourselves."

His attention shifted only slightly as the matter of Medical was raised, and whatever guarded reserve remained in him sharpened by a degree. Cooperation was one thing; allowing strangers unrestricted access to a critically wounded man under his protection was another, though Vesperis saw little value in withholding information that could readily establish who they were and why they had been traveling in the first place.

"The patient in our medical compartment is Braze, a Jedi Knight. We were returning from Somov Rit after responding to an emergency there when our course was compromised. I can provide his identification, along with the records pertaining to our departure and intended destination, and I have no objection to your people verifying his identity or condition provided his treatment is not unnecessarily interrupted."

Harlock had remained nearby throughout the exchange, though compliance sat poorly upon him. The Queequeg had yielded enough space to satisfy Vesperis' earlier instruction, yet every adjustment of his position seemed calculated to preserve an unobstructed view of the approach to Medical. His arms remained folded across his chest, the hard line of his mouth drawing the tattooed skull across his features into something increasingly severe as the prospect of unfamiliar personnel entering the compartment became less hypothetical.

Vesperis knew the look well enough.

"Harlock."

The Queequeg's gaze shifted toward him, lingering there for a moment before his shoulders eased by the smallest measurable degree.

"I heard you the first time, Captain. They're not going to have trouble from me so long as nobody decides to get creative with the bacta tank."

There was enough edge beneath the answer to make Harlock's opinion perfectly clear without crossing into open challenge. Vesperis regarded him for another moment before returning his attention to their hosts, apparently satisfied that the former pirate captain understood exactly where the boundary had been drawn.

"He will cooperate.... I would simply recommend that anyone entering Medical understand they are dealing with a crew that has spent the better part of this journey keeping that patient alive.... Caution around his treatment will be greatly appreciated."

Harlock offered no contradiction, though the slight narrowing of his eyes suggested appreciated was a considerably gentler word than the one he might have chosen himself. Even so, when the time came to clear the approach, he shifted aside without argument and surrendered enough of the passage to permit access while retaining his place nearby, apparently content to honor Vesperis' decision without pretending for anyone's comfort that his vigilance had diminished.

The medical bay beyond the initial triage and treatment area was nearly devoid of furnishings, save for the single large bacta tank occupying the center of the chamber like some strange glass reliquary. Amber emergency lights traced the edges of the floor and cast their muted glow upwards along the walls, leaving much of the room steeped in shadow while a softer blue radiance emanated from the tank itself and spilled across the surrounding deck.

A medical terminal stood before the cold, mist-veiled vessel, its display crowded with a dense procession of warnings, treatment notes, and continuously updating biological readings. Braze remained under a medically induced coma protocol while the system monitored persistent cerebral swelling and elevated intracranial pressure associated with a moderate traumatic brain injury. Neurological activity, cerebral perfusion, blood oxygenation, respiratory rhythm, and cardiac function occupied the upper portion of the display, accompanied by strict alerts against premature termination of sedation while the swelling around the brain remained unresolved.

Beneath those readings rested an equally unpleasant catalogue of physical trauma: multiple fractured ribs along one side of the chest, extensive chest-wall bruising, a significant pulmonary contusion, and a small pneumothorax under active observation while the injured lung continued to recover. Supplemental respiratory support remained engaged to keep his oxygen saturation stable beneath sedation, easing the demand placed upon damaged tissue while bacta accelerated repair. Severe soft-tissue trauma extended through one shoulder and down the corresponding arm, including evidence of a partially displaced joint that had since been corrected, substantial ligament strain through the wrist and elbow, and widespread muscular inflammation produced by repeated high-force impacts.

Additional notices marked profound systemic exhaustion, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, heat stress, and the residual consequences of earlier oxygen deprivation, all layered atop several days of inadequate rest before the injuries themselves had ever occurred. Lesser alerts documented extensive bruising, abrasions, superficial cuts, and environmental contamination consistent with prolonged exposure to swamp water, though those injuries appeared almost incidental beside everything else demanding the system's attention.

Only beyond that crowded display could the patient himself be clearly seen....

Anyone stepping farther into the chamber would find the young Echani suspended within the luminous blue fluid, curled loosely upon himself beneath the effects of the induced coma. His icy-pale skin appeared almost colorless beneath the tank's illumination, interrupted here and there by bruising that remained visible even through the bacta, while snowy white hair drifted languidly around his face and shoulders. He had been dressed simply for treatment, the light medical fabric resting close against his slender frame beneath the fluid as the tank's machinery maintained its ceaseless watch over him.

 

[FN-999 (restored)]

Tags: Braze

VULGWINUR - NINTH MOON OF CARAGACH

ONE DAY LATER

For the past day, the freighter's crew had been kept under house - or rather, ship - arrest.
​

They were permitted to move freely within the confines of their own vessel and even repair some its damaged systems in return for giving the Fourth Fleet full access to their navigation logs and permission to enter and view the medical bay. Additionally, heavy magnetic clamps had been attached to the freighter's landing struts and connected to the hull of the Caragachi carrier, preventing any escape once the fleet entered realspace again. So far however, the crew had been surprisingly well-behaved.

In a dimly lit room just below the carrier's bridge, a small team of technicians and navigators had carefully reviewed the ship's navigation logs, managing to acquire data from approximately the past month of travel. Prior to arriving over Langhesa, the freighter had stopped in the Mid Rim swamp world of Somov Rit, where it had stayed for a few days before darting into the Unknown Regions at breakneck speed. The team had come to assume that the damage found on the freighter that did not originate from the Fourth Fleet's ion torpedoes likely came from some sort of battle on Somov Rit, and the vessel had been fleeing for some sort of home base in the Unknown Regions.

Furthermore, the team had managed to confirm the testimony from Vesperis, the ship's captain, that their navigation computer had somehow produced an error. Without knowing the full story of what had gone down on Somov Rit, the Fourth Fleet's technicians could not say for sure what had caused the freighter to go off course. Yet the discovery came to the relief of the carrier's crew, who could at last point to evidence saying the freighter did not intentionally exit hyperspace right next to the Fourth Fleet.

More interesting still was what the marines had found in the medical bay.

It was just as Vesperis had described - a lean, white-haired, pale and visibly bruised Jedi Knight floating silently in a bacta tank, his eyes closed and his body still as if in the middle of a deep sleep. Combined with the observation from the navigation team that the freighter appeared to be heading to a base deeper in the Unknown Regions, the Jedi's presence quickly alarmed the crew. Though it was not unheard of for active Jedi to be found in the Unknown Regions, their presence was far rarer than it was closer to the galactic core where they often served the High Republic in a continuation of their ancient struggle against the Sith.

For not only a Jedi but a Jedi Knight to be found deep within the Unknown Regions was a notable event. In fact, the discovery was so notable that Admiral Yalaar had sent a comms message directly to FN-999, Marshal of Caragach, requesting his expertise to oversee the situation. He had accepted, and was now due to meet the fleet over Vulgwinur to assess the situation.

At the present moment, the fleet neared the end of its long jump, the last stragglers among their crew taking their positions in preparation to re-enter realspace. On the carrier Talau's bridge, Admiral Yalaar interfaced with the fleet comms to coordinate the exit from hyperspace.

[Entering realspace in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]

Streaks of blue and white outside the viewport were abruptly replaced by the head-on view of a barren, crater-marked moon behind dozens of warships similar to those of the Fourth Fleet.

They had arrived at Vulgwinur.

Within five minutes of the fleet exiting hyperspace, a comms message had been sent from the carrier directly to the captured freighter.

[We have arrived at Vulgwinur. Your ship has been cleared of any contraband and we have confirmed your arrival above Langhesa was not hostile. Before we can release you and your ship however, we will need to take each if you in for a round of individual questioning. We request you depart your ship and board our transport to take you to Vulgwinur. A squad of marines will guide you to the transport. The Jedi in the medical bay will need to be moved too, and a portable power generator and hover-lift will be provided to sustain the functions of the bacta tank while it is being transported. He will receive medical care until he is conscious and healthy enough to speak, after which he too will be questioned.]