Wrehn and Ymmiir had long ago returned to where their respective subordinates had formed up and sat, waiting with their gear, in the monstrous and busy hanger bay. She'd been sitting on a crate, with her belongings in it, waiting for quite a while for Lieutenant Commander Lu'lric'homai to return with word from the captain of the Nova Star.
Vindis approached Wrehn were she'd been sitting. The Sith lord wore a scowl as her eyes bore into Wrehn's.
"Uh, oh," Wrehn thought, dreading the coming encounter, "Now, what is she gonna gripe about?"
"We've been waiting for quite some time," Vindis began, "I hope they have no intention of keeping us in the hanger bay for our entire trip to Coruscant."
"It sure is starting to feel that way," Wrehn replied, "Don't it?"
"I saw your little conference with the Chiss officers a while ago," Vindis said, then asked, "What was that about?"
"They want to go through our gear and search our stuff for contraband," Wrehn replied, getting to the point.
"What?!" Vindis asked, surprised at the Chiss' insolence, "I have a mind to…. What did you tell them?"
"I told them if they tried going through your gear, that the inspector would likely lose his head," Wrehn said, matter-of-factly.
"That is an appropriate answer," Vindis said, feeling superior.
"Then I told them that if they went through Clan Sharratt's stuff, the clan would likely start a small war aboard their ship," Wrehn said, enjoying the indignation showing on Vindis' facade.
"Why would Clan Sharratt respond more forcefully than the Sith!" she asked, thoroughly displeased.
"You've seen how they are," Wrehn told the Sith lord, "They have no self control. They go overboard. No subtlety with those Mandalorians. Every slight is taken as a challenge to a fight."
"Mandalorians are a brutish lot," Vindis said, unthinkingly forgetting that Wrehn was a Mandalorian.
"And we like it that way," Wrehn replied, smoothly, reminding Vindis that she was Mandalorian, "We can be a rambunctious handful."
"Rambunctious?" Vindis asked, and deciding to dig a barb into Wrehn, added, "Brutish is the right description."
That got under Wrehn's skin.
"Well, just remember that this brute is your employer," she said, revealing to Vindis that she'd been rankled by the Sith lord's words, "It's never a good idea to mouth off at your boss."
"My boss? My boss?!" Vindis fairly exploded, drawing and igniting her lightsaber, "I'll show you who my boss is!"
Alarms started blaring in the hanger bay, likely triggered when sensors detected the activation of the high energy weapon in the Sith lord's hand. She was also surprised, when Wrehn suddenly leaped high into the air, and stayed up high. Vindis realized that the bounty hunter's armored suit was also rocket powered. However, what drew her attention was that Wrehn had two blaster pistols already aimed in at her.
Both Sith and Mandalorian bounty hunter waited for the other to make the next move.
"Lord Vindis," Calaverous casually called to her, "Is this action going to affect our pay?"
Vindis growled furiously, deactivating her weapon, she turned away and returned to her luggage, and sat. Wrehn immediately reholstered her twin, custom made, overpowered blaster pistols, and descended back to the hanger deck.
"You letting her get under your skin?" Gault asked, while trying to get under Wrehn's skin.
"Shut it, Gault," Wrehn snapped.
"Heck," Gault quipped, "You make getting under your skin waaay too easy."
"Gaauullt," Wrehn growled, near to the end of her self control.
Torian took a few steps to stand near Wrehn so that he could speak to her in a low tone.
"Do not forget what Gault and I told you about her abilities," Torian said, warningly, "That Sith we faced on Dromund Kaas was nothing. We were fortunate on Dromund Kaas."
"You scared of her, Torian," Wrehn snarled at the Mandalorian, "Cause you sound scared to me."
"I'm not scared of anyone," Torian snarled back, "Not even of the Great Hunt Champion. I'm trying to warn you that we have to come up with a new strategy for dealing with Force users. That one we captured on Dromund Kaas was weak. Vindis is not weak."
Wrehn opened her mouth to speak, but Gault cut her off.
"Listen to Torian, Wrehn. He's not exaggerating. We got lucky the last time."
"This is getting stupid!" Wrehn shouted in frustration, "Where's that blasted Lu'lric'homai! We need to stow our gear and get to our quarters! Blast that Rodian turtle!"
Suddenly, she felt a queasy, unsettling feeling in her stomach.
"We jumped into hyperspace?" she asked herself, "What in the nine hells is going on, here?!"
Wrehn turned in time to watch Lieutenant Trieb'ritt'anomai secure her audio only communicator and issue orders to her team. She watched as most of the Chiss sailors made their way towards the Clan Sharratt warriors. While a few followed Britta as she made her way towards Wrehn's team and the Sith.
"Vee vill escort you to the ships' storage section, vhere you vill store your equipment," the Chiss officer informed Wrehn as she came to a stop before the bounty hunter.
"What about the inspection?" Wrehn asked, a bit perplexed.
"Vee are no longer in Chiss Space," Britta said, disgust plainly expressed on her features, "Zeh law does not apply."
Wrehn recognized that it was a bantha poo answer, and she could see that the Chiss lieutenant was frustrated by this obvious act of appeasement from her ship's commander. However, Wrehn didn't care as long as it avoided friction between her operation team members and the Chiss transporting them.
She watched as the Mandalorians began to load their crates onto pallets supplied by the Chiss, and then as hand trucks and cargo handling droids were supplied to help move their equipment and gear to a storage space in the Chiss warship.
A metallic clanging noise drew her attention behind her. There, she watched as a cargo handling droid loaded her team's crates onto the metal pallet it had set down before picking up the pallet to transport it. The Sith's equipment was also loaded onto this pallet.
"Gault, go with them, make sure they don't mix our stuff up with Clan Sharratt's crap," Wrehn ordered.
"You got it, Wrehn," the Devaronian answered, "Torian, keep an eye on Wrehn. Make sure she doesn't start any more trouble on the ship."
"Sure," Torian replied, with a grin, "I'll get Mako and Skadge to help."
"She can be a handful," Mako quipped, giggling.
"You guys yap, too much. Let's get moving already," Skadge said, bored to tears.
Meanwhile, Wrehn was seething, biting her tongue, not willing to give her crew anymore material with which to get under her skin.
"Yehw'reh'nomai," Britta, said to Wrehn, "If you vill follow me, I vill escort you und your subordinates to your quarters."
"Fine," Wrehn said, brusquely, "Let's get moving."
As Wrehn and her team, minus Gault, followed behind the Chiss officer, she noticed that Vindis and Calaverous were not moving.
"Lieutenant, are you going to show the Sith to their quarters, too?" Wrehn asked.
"Are zey not also your subordinates?" Britta unthinkingly asked.
"We are lords of Sith!" Calaverous declared furiously, four meters from where Britta stood. The last of his patience had been exhausted, as he corrected the Chiss officer, "We are contractors hired by this Mandalorian Chiss hybrid! We are NOT her subordinates! Never make this mistake again!"
Wrehn was so startled by his furious reaction, that she did not realize that Britta was asphyxiating, until she turned to look at the Chiss officer and saw her grasping at her throat, a look of great terror. She hung in the air with the toes of her boots scarcely making contact with the light grey deck of the hanger bay.
"These Ascendancy Chiss aren't so bright, eh Calaverous?" Wrehn asked, hoping that getting his attention would get him to release the lieutenant.
Yet, he would not release his victim. He, instead, regarded Wrehn with such great contempt, as though he was deciding whether to kill her next. Britta's arms dropped to her sides and her eyes rolled up, revealing the red-orange parts of her eyeballs.
"Now it is you who is endangering our pay," Vindis told Calaverous, with a light tittering laugh.
Britta, suddenly dropped to the deck, sprawled out, unconscious, and unresponsive. Torian grabbed a stim from his utility belt, and quickly stepped over to the lieutenant. He administered four doses and immediately began resuscitation aid.
The Chiss woman began coughing and gasping for air, and shortly after regained consciousness. She began weeping quietly, as she coughed.
"I thought you were a Chiss officer!" Torian said, curtly chiding Britta, "What's all of this crying and carrying on about? Toughen up!"
"Stars, Torian!" Mako said, in rebuke, "She almost died. How about showing some common sense?"
Torian said nothing to that, but helped the weeping Chiss to her feet. His intent was to motivate her into developing toughness.
"It works for Mandalorian women," he thought, a bit annoyed for getting yelled at.
"You gonna take us to our rooms or what?" Skadge asked the Chiss lieutenant.
Wordlessly, Britta turned to proceed, but Calaverous happened to enter her field of view. His visage was filled with terrifying hatred and fury. Quite suddenly, she bolted. Running for all that she was worth towards the turbolifts.
"Great!" Wrehn groaned to herself, dropping her face into the palm of her hand, "How long do we gotta wait before someone comes and gets us?"
"She can seriously run," Mako quipped.
"She's in great shape," Torian agreed.
"Wonderful! You've scared our guide away," Vindis said, laughing, "How long before we'll be guided to our quarters?"
Calaverous' fury was suddenly gone from his visage. Smiling and speaking affably, he replied, "We'll just have to wait and see Cerelyn."
Cerelyn was her name before she'd changed it upon graduating from the Sith Academy. Vindis' gleeful mirth evaporated, as a memory came back to her. She watched that friendly face, and listened to that affable laughter, just before she witnessed him stab his trusted friend in the chest with a vibroknife at the Sith Academy.
"You're not going to tell the Overseer, are you Cerelyn?" he'd asked her with that same affable smile.
"My deepest apologies for our less zan efficient handling of processing your embarkation onto our starship. I hope zat zese mishaps have not given you an unfavorable opinion of our othervise efficient und stellar capabilities," Lieutenant Commander Lu'lric'homai, said, apologetically to Wrehn.
"I hope zat if any of our personnel fall short of your expectations in zeh performance of zeir duties," Ulrich continued, "zat instead of bringing zem to zeh brink of death, you bring zeir subpar performance to zeh attention of zeh kapitan of zeh ship or to zeh executive officer. Vee know how to whip our people into shape when zey do less zan vhat ist expected of zem."
Calaverous and Vindis had been listening in, as well as some of the members of Wrehn's crew. They knew a mildly worded scathing rebuke when they heard one. Vindis and Calaverous were especially dissatisfied with the Chiss officer's framing of the situation, even though it was accurate.
"The Sith Empire is allied with the Chiss Ascendancy, Lieutenant Commander," Vindis said, frostily, "Your people should know what Sith lords are. Even if we hold no authority here, we are still lords of Sith and should be treated as dignitaries. What your subordinate officer did was unconscionable, highly disrespectful."
"I vill speak to all of my subordinates to remind zem zat you are dignitaries, und should be treated as such," Ulrich answered.
Vindis nodded her acceptance of the Chiss officer's assurance and turned to Calaverous.
"Would you like to add anything, Lord Calaverous?" she asked him.
"You've spelled it out well enough, Lord Vindis," he replied, "Although, I want an apology from that lieutenant for her utterly debasing insult."
Wrehn, Gault, and Mako rolled her eyes, but neither Sith lord saw it.
"You shall have it," the Chiss officer declared, with a sharp nod. Returning his attention to Wrehn, he continued, "I shall assign a different officer to be your contact. In zeh meantime, I shall guide you to your quarters. Please, follow me."
Ulrich took Wrehn's crew members to their quarters in the junior officers' section, first. The Chiss sailors, bringing their belongings, unloaded the pallet of their personal belongings into each of Wrehn's peoples' rooms.
Next he took the Sith lords to their quarters in the senior officers' section. These quarters were about as nice as Wrehn's stateroom aboard the Star Crusher. A huge improvement for the two lords of Sith.
Lastly, he took Wrehn to the flag officers' section to her guest stateroom. She was the paying customer. The room was larger, and much better appointed.
"Set it there," Wrehn ordered the Chiss enlisted man, pointing to where in the stateroom she wanted him to put her foot locker with her belongings.
The enlisted man left without a word after completing his task, the door sliding shut behind him, leaving Wrehn alone with Lieutenant Commander Lu'lric'homai.
"Yehw'reh'nomai, I hope you'll be able to keep zose monsters in check from now onward," Ulrich said, quite angrily, "I vould have petitioned Kapitan Erok'eple'romai to eject zose two into space if my niece had died!"
"I understand how you feel about those Sith," Wrehn said, sincerely, speaking in Cheunh, and adding a little white lie, "If it weren't for the Jedi on our kill list, I wouldn't have hired them."
"Jedi on your kill list? What is your mission?" he asked, also in Cheunh, and wondering if the near death of his niece was worth it.
"I'm going to brief the captain and the executive officer about the mission. If the captain permits you in the briefing, then you'll know. Otherwise, I can't tell you about it until it's over – if we make it back."
"You are willingly on a suicide mission?!" he asked, aghast.
"It didn't start out to be that way," Wrehn said, disgustedly, "Somehow, the Republic's figured out that we're up to something, and they've been following us around. "If they know what our mission is, then they'll be waiting for us."
"Why didn't you cancel the mission?" Ulrich asked, then added, "If you know the Republic has been observing you closely, then they are trying to warn you off."
"This is a matter of Mandalorian honor," Wrehn answered, regretfully, "I can't back out of it."
"I see," Ulrich replied, looking at Wrehn with new eyes, and with elevated respect, "I'll trouble you no further."
The Chiss officer stepped to the door, but before he could touch the contact, to open it, Wrehn called to him.
"Lu'lric'homai. You're niece must be strong. She needs to make her apology sincere, while ensuring that he feels he's being properly respected," Wrehn told him, adding, "Also, she should do it somewhere public."
"Ah! Public humiliation," Ulrich said, disgusted, " Of course. I'll see to it."
"No," Wrehn corrected, "With people around, acting as witnesses, he won't be able to kill her."
Ulrich's eyes widened on hearing that.
"Thank you, Yehw'reh'nomai, for the advice."
Wrehn nodded acknowledgment of his gratitude, and he walked out the door.
The following morning, Wrehn, dressed in civilian attire sat in the Flag officer's lounge, sipping caff from her cup, while reading news reports from around Chiss Ascendancy Space. She was investigating whether there would be any worth while bounty hunter's work in the region.
Wrehn knew that the Galactic Republic would put a price, so large, on her head that it would be impossible to move around in Hutt Space or Imperial Space for that matter. She would only be able to live a somewhat quiet life in Mandalorian Space and in Chiss Space, and other regions of the galaxy where Both the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire held little sway.
Crime in Chiss Ascendancy Space was… complicated, to say the least. Compared to crime in Sith, Republic, or Hutt space, crime in Chiss Space was non existent. Non existent to the outside observer. In Chiss Space crime mostly involved family feuds, honor killings, kidnappings of specific family members of rival houses, and ransom demands.
Bank robberies, rape, gang violence, the trade and smuggling of illicit contraband was exceedingly rare in Chiss Space, and usually committed by non Chiss species against Chiss victims. In such cases, the local authorities quickly solved the crime, and speedily captured or killed the culprit. So, there were no credits to be made on bounty heads, there.
In the case of honor killings, or kidnappings, for example, these were acts of hostility against a rival house. In other words, these were acts of terrorism or acts of low grade warfare between houses and not considered ordinary random crimes among the Chiss.
Being as she was considered to be a rogue, houseless Chiss, Wrehn could command very high rates to commit some of these targeted acts of terrorism. Except that she would be hated by all of the houses, and suspected of having had a hand in perpetrating an attack against them. She wouldn't last long, with no allies to offer her safe haven.
As it stood now, Wrehn was houseless, but she wasn't an exile. She could still do business with the houses of the Chiss for jobs not involving Chiss politics, and could travel at will within Chiss Space. On the other hand if she did involve herself with acts of reprisals, for pay, even if the Chiss Ascendancy did not send enforcers after her, the houses would seek to eliminate her as a threat.
"Wrehn, you dumb ass! What are you doing, trying to make yourself into an exile?" she thought, chiding herself with a smirk.
An enlisted sailor approached Wrehn at her lounge chair.
"Commander! I am Second Rank Private Uredo'la'fomai!" he said, in Cheunh.
"So, his core name is Olaf," Wrehn told herself.
Wrehn was given the honorary rank of Commander to denote that she was a paying customer commanding a large military force. Her honorary rank would expire once her business arrangement with the owners of the Nova Star was concluded.
Although a reinforced company of infantry was not considered a large force, she also commanded a squadron of stealth armored dropships, as well as the stealth heavy battle cruiser that transported them all. Also, whether those two were willing to admit it or not, she commanded two Sith lords. Thus, she was granted the honorary rank, Commander, without telling the Sith the significance of the rank. Why needlessly antagonize them?
"Yes, Private Second Rank Uredo'la'fomai, continue with your message," she replied gently, also in Cheunh.
To her eyes, he seemed to be but a child, he was so young.
"Kapitan Erok'eple'romai requests that you join him in the conference room below the command bridge for a briefing!"
"What time does the briefing begin?" Wrehn asked the youth.
"Commander, I… I don't know," he answered, becoming flustered, "The Kapitan did not say."
"Then the briefing will probably begin soon," Wrehn thought, aloud, adding, "Very well, Private Second Rank Uredo'la'fomai. I will make my way there at the soonest. You are dismissed."
"Yes, Commander!" Olaf replied, snapping to attention, then executing an about face before marching away.
Suddenly, he came to a halt and turned back. He had on a look of one who'd committed a terrible crime.
"Commander!" Olaf said, his voice shaking with fear, "I made a mistake! My deepest apologies!"
"Then correct your mistake," Wrehn told the mortified youth.
"I am to escort you to the conference room," he replied, gulping back his embarrassment.
"I see," Wrehn said, as though being told grave news. Hardening her voice a little, she added, "Forgetting the details of one's assignments can cause disaster during battles. It is your duty to recall all of the details of your mission. It could mean the difference between victory or destruction. Remember that."
"Yes, Commander!" The youth shouted as though answering to a drill sergeant at boot camp.
Wrehn rose from her seat, leaving the cup of caff on the caff table beside her lounge chair for an orderly to clean up.
"Lead on," she commanded.
A short while later, she was entering the conference room. There she saw Captain Erok'eple'romai, another Chiss officer she did not recognize, Ymmiir, Vindis, Calaverous, and Ulrich.
"So, the captain has permitted him to listen in on the briefing," Wrehn surmised, thinking to herself.
Olaf had already departed, having completed his task, and Wrehn took the empty seat at the opposite end of the conference table from where the captain sat.
"Now zat vee are all assembled, vee may begin," Kepler said, getting the briefing started, "Vee'll start vith an update on our position, current activities, und potential threats."
The captain turned to his executive officer and waited.
"Thank you, Kapitan," the XO said to Kepler. Turning to address the rest at the briefing, he said, "Good day. I am Commander Nol'otha'romai. I am zeh executive officer of zeh Nova Star," he began, "As you may already be avare, zeh Nova Star ist a heavy battle cruiser. Vee do not ordinarily operate in fleet battles, but vee can, und quite effectively, if it ist required.
"Vhat vee normally specialize in ist covert, special operations insertions und retrievals, und in signals intelligence gathering operations. Vee can insert, und recover, special operations ground teams deep behind hostile lines from as small as a special operations squad all zeh vay up to a force reconnaissance regiment.
"Currently, vee are on a mission to insert, und to later recover, a reinforced company of heavy force raiders deep vithin Galactic Republic Space. The exact details of zeh mission vill be explained by Commander Yehw'reh'nomai at zeh end of my report."
Vindis and Calaverous surreptitiously exchanged glances as they both realized that the Chiss did not know where they were going, exactly. Meanwhile, Ymmiir had been shifting his eyes, alternating between the Captain of the ship and his XO.
"When they learn what our mission is, will they decide to quit? Will they abandon us at the first sign of trouble?" the grizzled clan chief, wondered to himself.
"Zeh current activities of zeh Nova Star are as follows," Commander Nol'otha'romai, whose core name is Lothar, had been saying, "Vee are currently navigating to random stars vithin Chiss Ascendancy Space. Given your report of Republic stealth deep space scout droids, vee have decided to take zese steps to ensure zat vee are not being followed. So far, vee have no indication zat vee are being followed.
"Our plan ist to conduct gunnery exercises in zeh Vrisla star system, vhile also conducting seek und destroy drills for four days. From zere, vee shall navigate through Mandalorian Space to test und to calibrate our stealth field generators.
"Zen vee shall go through zeh Outer Rim before heading to zeh Core Vorlds. Zese plans may change depending on vhat vee learn of Commander Yehw'reh'nomai's mission," Lothar concluded before addressing his superior officer, "Kapitan?"
"Very good, XO," Kepler replied before turning to Wrehn, "Commander Yehw'reh'nomai? Please proceed vith your mission brief."
"Thank you, Captain Erok'eple'romai," Wrehn said, before placing a datapad with a holographic projector on the table before her and activating it.
"Lieutenant Commander Lu'lric'homai, will you set this at the center of the table? Orient North towards Captain Erok'eple'romai, please."
Ulrich did so, and Wrehn began to fiddle with the controls of the remote. This allowed her to control the holographic display, so that the people at the table could visualize what she was about to explain.
"Commander Nol'otha'romai," Wrehn began, "It was fortuitous that you chose the route that you did. We will need to head to the Core Worlds, since Coruscant is our destination."
Wrehn manipulated the controls which caused the holographic image of the galaxy to zoom in to the Core Worlds.
Kepler and Lothar both quickly exchanged glances, and Ulrich turned to fully regard Wrehn as she spoke.
"I don't know how confident you are of the stealth capabilities of your heavy battle cruiser and how close you want to exit hyperspace to Coruscant, but it is something you will need to plan for."
She again manipulated the controls to zoom in to Coruscant Prime, the star. As the attendees looked at the holographic image, they watched as the focus zoomed past the star and to a planet.
"We'll approach Coruscant the rest of the way in the dropships and then to our objective here," Wrehn said, adjusting the controls to zoom in on the equatorial region of the planet.
The looks on Kepler and Lothar told Ymmiir that they instantly understood where the zoomed in image was going to end.
The meeting attendees beheld an orbital surveillance image of Supreme Chancellor Dorian Janarus' official residence.
"Great Stars!" Lothar breathed out in utter shock.
"Zeh abilities of zeh Mandalorians to capture surveillance images, of such sensitive sites, is quite admirable," Kepler said, dryly.
In actuality, while Wrehn did obtain this surveillance image from Mandalore, he'd gotten it from his contact within Sith Intelligence. She'd been watching Kepler's and Lothar's facial expressions and had a bad feeling about their reactions.
"And now you know our target," Wrehn said, gravely, then asked, "You aren't going to back out of our contract, are you, Captain Erok'eple'romai?"
"Did you tell our sales agent your mission und target?" Erok'eple'romai asked, stony faced.
"I told him it was highly dangerous, that it was in Republic Space at the Core Worlds, and that it could widen the war," Wrehn replied, just as gravely.
"I must speak to zeh patriarch of House Omai," Kepler said, shaking his head in disgust, "I don't sink our sales agent had enough details to make a sound decision before accepting your request for our services." Looking at Wrehn, he added, "Widening zeh var, you say. Vhat zat really means is that it vill drag zeh Chiss Ascendancy fully into zeh var, und not just peripherally, in low grade operations, as vee are conducting it now."
Wrehn made a face that spoke of her utter disgust at the Chiss captain. She was becoming increasingly concerned that he would back out of the mission, now that he was fully aware of how dangerous this operation was for the Chiss Ascendancy. Listening to him speak, she realized that he felt himself out of his depth with the decision to continue or to turn back.
"Coward," Ymmiir barely breathed out, but Ulrich sitting beside him, heard.
"Have we wasted our time, completely?" Calaverous asked, as though it were a funny situation, but Vindis, Wrehn, and Ulrich knew that his smiling friendly facade hid treachery that could emerge at the drop of a hat.
"Darth Tormen will be so very displeased," Vindis said, seeming to mourn.
"Mandalore and I will both look like clowns," Wrehn said, flippantly adding, "just because our ride just peed his pants."
Kepler slammed his opened palm on the conference table, instantly enraged.
"I vill not tolerate insubordination in my command!" he shouted. Amending what he'd said, he added, "Even from paying customers!"
"Isn't that what just happened?" Wrehn asked, seething at her subcontractor, "As soon as you figure out my mission, you renege on our contract."
"I do not have zeh rank to decide vhether to carry out a mission zat could trigger zeh Galactic Republic into invading Chiss Ascendancy Space!" Kepler explained, shouting angrily, "I can't even imagine zeh patriarch approving such a mission! Clearly, our sales agent has lost his mind taking on zis job vithout asking for more specifics!"
Kepler looked at Wrehn, then at the Sith lords, both eyeing him with contempt. When no one said anything else, he added, "I must get approval before I can continue vith zis operation. Kidnapping the Supreme Chancellor…"
"Killing," Vindis, Calaverous, and Ymmiir all said, simultaneously, correcting the captain.
The XO leaned back in his chair, rolling his eyes before he brought up his hands to cover his face and rub his blue cheeks. Lothar straitened in his seat and turned his head to regard his commanding officer, waiting to see what the captain of the Nova Star would say.
"Vee vill take a recess until I hear from zeh patriarch," Keplar said, more calmly than he felt.
Wrehn remotely deactivated her datapad, and the holographic image was instantly gone. Everyone stood from their seats and began to file their way out of the conference room. The captain and the XO were the first to exit the room, the two making a beeline to the communications department behind the command bridge.
The rest walked together, as they returned to their respective quarters.
"Did you have any idea this would happen?" Vindis asked Wrehn, frustratedly.
"I thought I had everything worked out with their blasted sales agent," Wrehn replied, anger clearly, edging her words, "I didn't think he would think of backing out until I saw the look on his face."
"Vell, to be fair...," Ulrich began to say, but stopped, when the others stopped in their tracks and turned to glare at him.
"Why are you following us?" Wrehn asked, clearly upset.
"I am following no one," Ulrich answered, affronted, "I am returning to my duty station. It just happens to be in zeh same direction you are going."
Wrehn and her subcontractors resumed their steps to their respective quarters, and Ulrich resumed his words.
"As I vas saying, it shouldn't surprise you zat a kapitan of a naval varship does not have zeh authority to go into other empires' territories to start a var. He needs clearance from his superiors to proceed on zis mission. Whoever zeh sales agent vas zat sold you time for zeh use of zis ship has erred greatly, if zis vas not cleared ahead of time."
"So, there's a chance that the mission was cleared, but that the captain was not advised of such clearance?" Calaverous asked, as though merely curious.
"Zere is zat possibility, Sith Lord Calaverous, but I doubt it," Ulrich replied, shaking his head in the negative, and adding, "Zis ist vhere I turn," I shall not return to zeh conference room vhen zeh kapitan calls for reconvening zeh briefing. Good luck."
Ulrich turned the corner at the intersection of passageways and proceeded to his destination. Several meters beyond that Ymmiir, Vindis, and Calaverous stopped at a bank of turbolifts. While Wrehn kept moving down the passageway to her quarters.
"Tormen's gonna want his money back!" she fumed, making her scathing complaints to herself, barely under her breath, "Blasted Chiss navy! Cowards! If this was a Mandalorian battle cruiser they wouldn't have shirked from their part!"
An idea came to her.
"Maybe I ought to hijack the starship..."