Summary: A search team is sent aboard one of the mysterious ghost ships the Harbinger comes across in the Outer Rim Territories and the Nespis VIII Spaceport sees to more unexpected visitors than planned for.


3951 BBY, The Harbinger, Outer Rim Territories

"So? Anything?" Vale now clutched a cup of herbal tea, inclined to undo all the work the caf did earlier. She couldn't sit still, and even when Rell returned, she was still far too eager for any details the woman could divulge.

"The distress call seems to have come from the smaller ship," Rell answered, approaching Vale's window again, using it as if it were a tactical map. "The larger one is just… empty."

She looked back, making sure that Vale's door was closed, and lowered her voice.

"They ran the ship's ID, but nothing came up. I think they're still waiting to hear back from intelligence to see if there are any database hits."

Rell's voice was curious, contemplative, almost confused.

"What do you mean the other ship was empty?" Vale asked, matching the other woman's tone of voice.

"Captain Maris tried hailing them, first. Nothing. They pulled up their scanners to try and get a reading, fearing they may be hostile and… nothing. No life forms."

"Did the smaller ship respond?"

Rell shrugged, as if reconciling the facts with herself before saying them aloud.

"No response from that crew, either. There was the initial distress call, originating from the smaller vessel. It was basically a mayday, requesting backup in what must have been a firefight. But why a small ship would even think of taking on something of that size…?"

Rell trailed off.

"When Captain Maris hailed the smaller ship, we didn't get a new response, but the initial distress call played again, as if on a loop. Either that, or maybe it was programmed to repeat."

"Maybe whoever's on that ship can't communicate or… doesn't want to," Vale offered darkly.

Rell shook her head, but shrugged, considering it.

"You could be right but-"

Vale glanced at the two ships in the distance, one completely eclipsing the other. The smaller ship was just a cargo vessel whereas the larger one was either meant for combat or command. It was difficult to tell from a distance. Neither one moved. It was as if they had always been this way, as if they were simply just a fixture in space like a moon or a planet might be. A lone marker of something that happened long ago.

"So, what's the plan?" Vale finally asked, unsure.

"Well, there's the bad news and then there's the bad news."

"Spare me the bad news and get with the bad news first," Vale joked, though her tone was serious. Rell laughed lightly, but it didn't linger.

"They're waiting to hear back on the smaller ship's ID, but I don't know about the other. Not sure if they could get anything from it. They might send a probe out to get another look first."

Vale squinted, wondering herself. She'd traveled plenty in her time out in the Rim, but most vessels out here were a jumble of old and new, salvaged and modern, antique or otherwise. Something about it looked familiar, but the damn thing was too far away for her to get a good read.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Rell said, and Vale almost rolled her eyes. As if I hadn't heard that before.

She retreated from the window, placed her empty cup on the table and began pacing the room as she played with the leather wristlet Asra gave her as a good luck charm. Well, sort of.

"Let me know what they say, if they say anything," Vale requested, "I'm sure whoever I'm supposed to meet will understand the circumstances, and it's not like I'm in a rush, but-"

Vale nibbled at her thumbnail, something she hadn't done since childhood, since Kavar still referred to her affectionately as young Padawan.

"All this waiting is making me nervous," she finished, eyeing the munitions pack tucked into the corner of her room. "But I assume everything will be-"

Rell's comm sounded again.

"Another message," she announced, her eyes already scanning the readout in miniature on her wrist.

"What's it say?"

"Whatever intelligence found, it must be big," Rell answered, "They're sending a boarding party and they're to retrieve the smaller vessel. Bring it back to Republic space."

Vale felt cold all of a sudden, but she didn't know why. She walked over the window and tried to get a better look at the scene again, but it remained unchanged. It was eerie, looking on the aftermath of a battle suspended in time.

"I'll see what else I can get out of them," Rell said, "Maybe even join this boarding party."

She sighed, and joined Vale by the window, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'll tell you what I can," she affirmed.

Vale looked at her, their gazes locking as they nodded at one another.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Rell smiled, though it wasn't enough to mask her uncertainty, "I have a feeling something's going on here, something's not right. I wanna find out what."

Rell patted her shoulder firmly as Vale nodded again before retreating out of the room and back to the bridge.

"Yeah," Vale muttered to herself, "You and me both."


3951 BBY Nespis VIII, City Limits

Brianna realized that she had never once been alone with one of her sisters. There were moments here and there, passing one another in the halls or sparring, but walking with Arianna side-by-side was different. Her sister's elbow was still threaded through hers, as if they were old friends. Something Brianna would never once consider likening any one of her sisters to.

But the approval was enough, at least for now. Perhaps it meant something. Maybe she was on the right track for once.

"What do you see, sister?" Arianna asked after a while, her voice flat and demanding, though still sanguine. Brianna eyed her, thinking she sounded a lot like Atris.

"A city bustling with life, crime, and Maker knows what else," she said, "A hive acting as one, even if all the moving parts are completely unaware of the others, wholly believing they act independently."

Thinking of Mistress, Brianna called on some of her most recent lessons on life and those living it. Atris had a lot to say about life as a whole, and wondered what she might think of this wretched gutter of a city.

Arianna smirked and nodded.

"Not bad, and not wholly untrue."

She didn't seem displeased, but it was clear there was something else Brianna was missing.

Closing her eyes as they walked along, she wracked her memory, breathing deep and digging even deeper.

For a moment, she could see the city, bustling with life, energy all around her. Everything stilled. All she saw was light, and a feeling that-

A sound erupted from Arianna's comm, stopping her in her tracks. Brianna faltered at her side, brought to a sudden stop.

Arianna brought the comm to her ear and enacted her headpiece, a small silver device affixed behind her ear. Brianna didn't have one, nor had she seen it before. Something new? She toyed with the looking glass device in her pocket, as if to soothe her confidence.

"What is it?" she asked her sister after a long moment.

Arianna's brows furrowed.

"There's something wrong at the temple, someone's there."

She loosed herself from Brianna's arm and put a hand to her belt where her blaster was holstered. Arianna looked to her sister and nodded, as if in question. Brianna nodded in kind and moved her dark cloak ever so slightly, just enough to reveal the collapsible vibrostaff hanging at her waist.

"Shall we?"

Arianna fell into stance, looking as if she were ready to pounce, and Brianna fell into step beside her. When they locked eyes, Arianna pointed in the direction they needed to go and Brianna nodded again, and they set off.


3951 BBY Nespis VIII Spaceport, Jedi Academy

Irena's comm sounded from across the room, and if it was indecipherable earlier it was even more of a mystery now. The sound was muted, but the tone was clear. Something wasn't right and Irena was on her guard.

Someone else is here.

"Did you get any of that?" the young man asked.

Erebus froze as Irena continued to stalk the archives, the man in front of him straining his ears, all the better for hearing. With his back to the archive, the young stranger couldn't see much. Erebus saw little with his own eyes as he pulled back from the Force, letting it go, his Force Sight dissolving instantly.

Erebus wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't want to give away that he was at all Force sensitive and wasn't sure if Irena had actually said anything at all in response to the coded message she just received. He was too busy tracking the other person he sensed in the room – the Jedi.

Jedi were easy to spot, as were Sith - if one were gifted with Force Sight, that is. The Force moved differently around different people, and its currents are more obvious around those who have a connection to it. Whoever roamed this room knew it well, their energy a near blinding white-blue, much like the archives themselves. But the color faded and the room grew darker as Erebus surveyed the space with his own nature-given eyesight and tried to act inconspicuous.

After a moment, he shook his head, hoping that he appeared to be as perplexed as the man before him, trying to get a better look or a sound for things as well.

Acting really isn't my forte.

The other man either didn't notice or didn't care, and did not press the matter further.

"Are Jedi contracts harder to acquire?" he asked in a hushed whisper, and Erebus was almost taken aback by the stranger's unending curiosity despite their circumstances.

"I'd say so," he responded, though it was more of a guess, "Why you so interested?"

At this, the edge in Erebus' voice rose, suspicious. The man blanched, all enthusiasm draining from his face.

"I didn't mean-" he stuttered, "No, never mind."

He shook his head, glancing back at the Echani. She was walking straight for them now, her expression none too happy.

"You two. With me," she barked as she approached, forcefully lifting the young man from his seat as she muttered into her comm.

"Excuse me?" the man protested, yanking his tied hands out of the woman's grip. "I don't know who you are, but with a simple call I can have the Republic here in a-"

"The Republic," Irena mocked, "If you were really affiliated, they would have been here by now."

The woman grabbed hold of the young stranger's arms again and looked to Erebus.

"Now, you-" she said, addressing him with eyes narrowed. "Ursa will-"

From the din of the archive, a rifle manifested from nothingness, its wielder appearing before their waking eyes. A high-grade security cloak dissolved and the man beneath it stepped forward, pressing the rifle into the side Irena's head. He smiled.

"I think we'll take it from here."


3951 BBY, The Harbinger, Outer Rim Territories

"Everyone ready?" Captain Maris asked, the apprehension clear on his face though his stance remained in form.

The crew nodded, and Rell joined them. With her gear on, she felt heavier, as if the weight of this mission wasn't already enough. She didn't like it. Everything felt wrong. Even General Valen's face back at her quarters haunted her now as they stood in the loading bay of the Harbinger. The worry lining the woman's face made it clear that there was more going on here than any of them knew how to deal with, and no one on this search and rescue crew knew anything about it. Rell was on her own.

She tried to send word to the Jedi that Admiral Onasi had told her to keep in touch with before the party deployed, but Captain Maris wanted boots on the ground before she could wait for a reply. Rell breathed in deep and exhaled, watching the condensation accumulate on the inside of her helmet.

"May the For-" Captian Maris began, but he stopped himself before course correcting, shaking his head, "Good luck."

Old habits die hard, Rell thought, remembering when the phrase was common among Jedi and anyone else serving under them. Maris was a veteran, he must have said it a thousand times. Second nature, I guess.

The other crew members didn't flinch, each entering the shuttle with a curt nod at their captain before ducking their heads and taking a seat. There were nine of them, Rell the tenth and the last to enter the shuttle. She locked eyes with Captain Maris, looking into his cool blue eyes for an answer before entering the shuttle, only she didn't think he paid much attention to her. She kept forgetting that Maris knew she was a plant, but that he wasn't in on the entire plan.

Here goes.

She took a seat and looked around, none of the other soldiers looking up from the floor besides her. This was routine, perhaps, or some kind of coping mechanism. No one knew what was going to happen next, or what might befall them. Rell had gone through basic training, at least enough to prepare for a situation like this, but given her station she was usually working in a team where they were allowed to talk and shoot the breeze. Here, it was quiet as a tomb.

No one moved as the shuttle doors closed and the vessel took off, and no one spoke the whole way there.

The trip was short. Rell didn't need much to occupy her thoughts, either. She watched the others, none of them watching her. She had read their files on the way to the Nespis VIII Spaceport and a bit of it stuck. Most of the crew here had been soldiers since the Mandalorian Wars, many over the age of 35 or 40. Rell was one of the younger ones, the only other soldier her age being a Zabrak named Ithiris. She was to be the leader of this expedition, her first venture into leadership. Rell watched for any wariness but saw none.

Ithiris glanced at Rell sidelong, feeling her gaze. Rell nodded, trying to act friendly, courteous and professional, but kept her face neutral. Soldiers didn't smile. Ithiris nodded and turned to the window.

As they came upon the larger vessel, Rell saw it now, the distinguishing marks.

The color was perhaps the most prominent - a dulled bronze made darker with years of carbon scoring. There was no doubt in Rell's mind that these scars were left from long before the ship had encountered the other vessel in apparent orbit. These were older battle scars.

Like those around her, this ship had seen war, and one war in the particular.

This was a Star Forge vessel.

A shiver ran along Rell's spine.

Perhaps the monolith had been here since then, caught in a stalemate or some other unseen circumstance. Either way, they would soon find out.

The shuttle scuttled up alongside the beast of a ship, locking with one of its outer ports. The other soldiers stirred, readying themselves. Rell watched them and followed suit, gripping her rifle as she looked to Ithiris, as if the Zabrak's behavior might dictate hers. Rell was the outsider here, she needed to blend in, and for some reason she was drawn to the only other soldier close in age.

The others knew she was an intelligence officer, but it was still suspicious that she'd come along. Even without her aboard, they would report their findings to the higher ups, it wasn't as if any of this was a secret. Rell tried to act nonchalant, let her shoulders relax as her hands did the work, holding her blaster rifle at the ready – after all, she was only following orders as the rest of them.

The first soldier to approach the shuttle door stood beside it, ushering the rest of their crew members through, Rell included. She watched him as he watched her, nodding as she ducked under the frame again, only this time coming out on the other side of a ship she never thought she'd see.

The place was pristine, if not decaying slowly. There was no sign of a struggle, and the main engine seemed to be working fine. The lights were lit as if the ship expected to be operating with a full crew, though none were present. Rell could not help but eye some of the access panels as they passed in single file, admiring the alien buttons, switches, and other features. She had heard about the ancient and unfamiliar technology Revan had unearthed in the Unknown Regions, but had heard of it only. This was her first time seeing it. Tempted to stop and admire it, take notes if she could, Rell looked to Ithiris again as a guide, watching her movements and mimicking them as best she could.

They were silent as they snaked through the halls, finally stopping once they reached a common area large enough to house them all side-by-side. Ithiris stood before them, her arm raised to indicate that they all stop and heed her orders.

"This seems to be a main causeway," she said looking about, twin blasters aloft, "Break into teams of two and take a branch."

The Zabrak took her index and middle fingers, indicating groups as she raked the remaining crew members and pointed towards one of the many halls for them to tackle. Rell was the last one standing.

"You, with me."

Ithiris nodded and each pair broke off, disappearing into the din.

"Intelligence officer, eh? Big guy keeping an eye on us small folk?" she asked the moment she and Rell were alone.

"Something like that, though my main mission is on Onderon."

"Ah," Ithiris answered, understanding, "Escorting that diplomat, I take it?"

Rell nodded.

"Mess out there," the Zabrak continued, referring to Onderon, no doubt, "As for this mess-"

The two of them rounded a corner and happened upon a store room. Racks and empty canisters lined the walls, undoubtedly once full of equipment – now eerily empty.

"I'm guessing this was once an armory," Rell offered, entering the space and nudging an empty plasteel cylinder with the neck of her rifle.

Ithiris examined a row of target dummies, lifting her visor briefly for a better look.

"Doesn't look too old, though," she continued, "The scoring on this is fresh."

Across the room, Ithiris tested a few empty suits of armor, each one dark and foreign looking. They fell over easily, empty.

"Something's not right here," Rell said again, "Where is everyone?"

When she first stepped aboard, Rell hoped it was a ghost ship. She almost hoped to find bodies, lifeless and still. But instead there was… nothing. And it was the absence of answers that unsettled her most.

"This is certainly strange," Ithiris agreed. "Ever been on one of these before?"

Rell turned to her, trying to read the woman's expression through the clear visor of her helmet.

"A Star Forge ship, I mean?" she clarified.

Rell shook her head.

"I was on one once, at the end of the war," Ithiris continued, "I was probably too young to be admitted, but the Republic was desperate. We orbited Malachor, but we pulled out before the big blast."

Rell watched her as she walked the perimeter of the room, approaching a console and finding it dead. Malachor. General Valen had been there, she was the one who led the assault. Would any of these soldiers remember her? How many had known her personally and how many only knew her by her orders alone? There were plenty of soldiers who knew nothing of what Revan looked like, but Revan also had the convenience of her infamous mask. Eden was a young Jedi, not unlike Bastila during the Civil War, and there were plenty who remembered her. Rell swallowed hard and hoped Admiral Onasi knew what he was doing.

"Strange," the Zabrak muttered, pressing the console keys more forcefully and… nothing.

"Why would the equipment be gone?" Rell asked after a moment. "Why would everything be down? The engine's running, the lights are on."

Ithiris locked eyes with her, wondering.

"Good question."

Her gaze narrowed and she exited back into the hall, looking right and left with her blaster first before making any moves.

Ithiris raised her hand and motioned that they move left, further down the hall. Rell glanced back at the causeway they gathered in earlier, hearing the distant muttering of other soldiers.

"Anyone find anything yet?" Ithiris muttered into her comm as she continued on.

A string of negative's poured through her device, each voice warbled slightly by static.

Ithiris stopped as she came upon the next door in the hall, pressing her hand to the access panel and finding that it didn't work. She looked around, checking the coast was clear, and holstered her weapon as she drew a security tunneler from a pocket on her right leg. Rell kept her blaster at the ready as the door was unjammed. After a moment, it clanked open, revealing another room. Only it wasn't completely empty.

"Maker," Ithiris muttered, rushing in.

Rell's blood ran quick and hot at her words. She looked back and forth down the corridor again before edging her way into the room. Inside, Ithiris was kneeling on the ground, a man hardly breathing at her feet.

At least, he looked like a man. Sort of.

"Call the captain."


3951 BBY Nespis VIII, City Limits

"Okay, we've waited long enough. So, what's next?" Asra implored, hands on her hips before a flustered Mission and Zaalbar. The two looked to one another and Mission shrugged.

"I'm not sure yet, we're still waiting for word."

"Word from who?" Darek asked in his usual soothing tone.

"You know who," Mission answered curtly, still angry that she wasn't sure what she could or couldn't say. She glanced at Big Z. He grumbled comfortingly under his breath as a clawed hand reached for her elbow. She placed a hand on his for a moment, in silent thanks, before getting up and pacing the room.

"I'm about as tired of this as all of you are," she said, trying not to let the edge in her voice take over. "Trust me, this isn't usually how things go."

"What is it you guys do, exactly?" the girl named Glitch asked, and Mission wondered if this was the first time she spoke. She shook her mop of black hair, long enough to cover her face but not long enough to reach her collarbone, and Mission saw that both of her eyes were replaced with cybernetics, a glint of metal shining through her dark locks.

Zaalbar answered in Shyriiwook and Mission translated.

"We're cargo runners, mostly," she said, looking at him appreciatively, "Though lately we've been asked to help recover Jedi artifacts."

"Funny coincidence," Asra said, and though her words were tinged with her usual sarcasm Mission knew she meant no harm by it.

"Tell me about it," Mission huffed in agreement.

"Is that why you were asked to fetch Vale?" Asra continued.

Mission nodded. "We're usually known for our safe transport, but with our ship destroyed-"

"There's no knowing who could track us," Zaalbar finished.

"Our ship had this cloaking device that belonged to the Jedi on Coruscant, a gift from a friend of ours. Came in handy when we had 'objects of import'," Mission mocked Bastila's turn-of-phrase despite those present not knowing who she was, "We might be able to get it installed on another ship of ours, but, who knows."

"So that's why General Valen had to go undercover," Orex said, piecing it together.

"Something like that," Mission answered, "Listen, I wish I could say more but-"

An uncharacteristically pleasant bleeping interrupted her. Mission spun around, looking for the source of the sound. Asra walked to the console on the hostel wall, realizing the origin before she did, and answered.

"…Yes?"

"There's someone here to see you," the woman at the front desk answered coolly.

Asra looked to Mission, wide-eyed, gesturing vaguely, unsure of what to do. Mission tsked and walked the length of the room.

"And who might that be?" she asked into the receiver.

"Nothing but a Fool's Errand," the woman said, sounding as if dictating something written. Fool's Errand. Mission wracked her memory, but it didn't take long for her to remember the mop of messy hair and the dark brown eyes beneath them. She smiled to herself. It's been a while, friend.

"I'll be right down."

Mission swallowed her grin and turned to the others, looking at Big Z in particular.

"Looks like an old friend's come to visit," she said, "What would you say if I told you your General Valen wasn't the first ex-Jedi I'd ever met?"

Mission went alone, confident she would be safe on her own. Despite the fond memories that bubbled into her brain at the thought of their visitor, she knew something was up. Somehow, everything was connected, and maybe he was just the person they had been waiting to hear from. Mission inhaled, suddenly finding herself nervous once she reached the bottom of the stairs. She paused, closing her eyes and steadying her breath, before exhaling and squaring her shoulders as she rounded the corner into the hostel's main foyer. It didn't take her long to scan the sprawling ground floor of the mid-level establishment to find him. Sure enough, sitting in one of the rec halls of the Nespis hostel sat a man Mission hadn't seen in almost ten years.

"Fool's Errand is about right," she said, entering the room, waiting for his eyes to fall on her, and when they did he smiled wide.

"Is it rude to say that it's weird to see you off Taris?" Zayne Carrick greeted, walking towards Mission and sweeping her up in a hug. He was taller now, shoulders broader. His messy hair was tamed somewhat, if not slightly shorter, and he sported a few scars Mission didn't remember seeing when they'd first met. "I still think of you when I think of-"

Zayne couldn't complete his thought, suddenly at a loss for words. He had lost Taris when Malak destroyed it as well, Mission realized, remembering that he studied there as a Jedi student. Even when he said the word, Taris, his voice was strained despite the smile on his face. They relaxed their grip on one another, but remained at arm's length.

"It's good to see you," was all she could muster, thinking of the Undercity, thinking of home. She sighed.

"How did you-?" find me, she didn't have time to say, for Zayne cut her off before she could finish.

"I'll have to explain later. I'm afraid I need your help."

"Help?"

"A friend of mine is missing. Well, sort of-"

"Missing, how?"

"Well, I guess he isn't as much missing as he is in trouble," Zayne inhaled, watching for Mission's reaction. "He's here, on Space City. I was told you were the person to ask."

Mission shook her head, already thinking of all the things Carth would owe her for once she saw him again. That old stickler.

"Good to see you too," she joked, finally pulling away.

Zayne smiled at her, and though he was older he hadn't changed much. Mission couldn't help but feel her cheeks grow warm. Frack, she thought. Have I really not changed that much?

"Okay, okay, so where's your friend, exactly?" Mission resigned in her usual sing-song. "Who's in trouble now?"

"A Republic Scout," Zayne said, looking serious, "Goes by the name of Mical."


Notes: This was a bit of a mess to upload so please let me know if you notice anything wonky or out of place. It's also getting more difficult to keep track of all the running threads too so any comments are most welcome! These will all be streamlined into a smaller number of running plot threads as characters meet/team up and the main game plot gets going. As usual, thanks so much to everyone who's read and commented so far :)