[3 BBY]
[Admiral's Ready Room, Command Bridge, Command Deck, V-series, Vigilant-class Star Destroyer All Seeing Eye, Taskforce Vigilant Wanderer, Imperial Fifth Fleet, borders of Chiss Ascendency, Utegetu Nebula, Unknown Regions]

'Hmm…well, this isn't as I recall it happening' I thought to myself as I read through the supplied holo-data from the Chiss Admiral whose fleet we had just met. Data all about Thrawn's battle against the Outbound Flight all those years ago. Data that didn't match up what 'metaknowledge' I'd drawn forth from my meditations on memory recall before our meeting the Chiss, and now allowing our teams board their three supplied cruisers, while theirs boarded the two Star Destroyers we were supplying. The immediate negotiations had been the usual by routine greetings; all of which was boring, largely pointless, and really just time wasting to get a handle on the initial exchange of information. Tomorrow, or, well, what was effectively our tomorrow in hours terms, would be when the actual serious things would take place…

'Worrisome there's a variation of this level' was my thinking though, watching the supplied holo-images, and reading the file 'Outbound Flight should have crashed, and then been forgotten for decades. There was no evacuation as seems to have happened here. Why is that?'

Firstly it was 'good' in that there was far less of a loss of life because the Chiss had managed to evacuate the surviving colonists, interred them, and then largely dumped them on a planet under Chiss control…

But the Outbound Flight hadn't crashed in the Redoubt as it should have. Indeed the battles had taken place at a different location, and slightly different than I'd recalled. In part by the presence of the Grysk where they should not have been, but also, as best I could tell, the travel route wasn't identical. I should know, it had been one of my areas of interest back as a youngling; or, well, the Unknown Regions and Galactic Barrier. Back when I'd hoped the Vong were one of the things, like the Katanna Fleet, that just didn't exist in the galaxy. Unfortunately they did exist, as did the Outbound Flight Project, and things were both more and less complicated than I'd expected on this mission.

I'd expected an abandoned hard crash on a planet, just inside the Chiss Redoubt, with limited capacity to salvage anything beyond the data and the few surviving colonists. Instead the vessel had 'jumped away' further into the nebula, thanks to survivors resisting…just very conveniently to system the Chiss could find, very easily, when the time came. Like after we'd asked. The whole situation reeked of internal politics, and Thrawn; the vessel would have destabilised the Great Houses of the Chiss if introduced too rapidly. Blind jumping away had avoided that matter entirely…or at the very least delayed it two decades. Two decades during which the technologies had more slowly, and in a more controlled manner, been introduced and implemented by the Ascendency Houses.

More importantly…

"The damned ship might be, technically, salvageable" I muttered unhappily as I looked at long-range observation scans and holo-images of the system, and of the vessel in question within an asteroid belt of that nebula system. Reached up and pinched the bridge of my nose, rubbing at the tiredness in my eyes, and possible headache at concerns starting warning alarms in my head "Huzzah…I am far too paranoid to happy about such a prize being dangled before me"

Concerns like: Why haven't they seized it themselves?

The likely answer was simply internal issues. Or cultural ones. Or…

"Who the hells knows for sure" I muttered, sitting back in my chair and frowning "And don't let greed take hold either, for me or High Command. This is far too tempting a prize for them just to be giving up this easily…it just has to be"

Because even irradiated and wrecked…the vessel itself, ignoring the support vessels, was a massive central cylinder surrounded by six dreadnought-class vessels bolted on. It was a long-range, extra-galactic, colonisation platform after all – even doing what we'd done with the Stormcrow and many other vessels since would be a boon for the Empire at large. Assuming time, resources, and being able to safely get it back to Imperial territories in secret…

Sighed, leaning back and rubbing my face "We can't build our dreams, on suspicious minds, dah, dah, dum…dammit"

Nor was a long-term project I'd be in charge of. Secure the site. Ensure the exchange went well. Recover whatever data could be recovered. All while on a clock. In secret. With things looking somehow more beneficial than was expected.

'Yeah, paranoia or a trap? Of the Force fucking with me?'

Well, only time would tell with that. We'd maintained a high alert status on the long, but rapid, journey here, and the 'down-time' now was needed to repair or replace parts from that transit. It'd been a largely uneventful journey because of that; because going along Chiss guided routes meant we'd seen very little thankfully. Hyperspace was strange like that, with distance in physical terms of real-space, often having only limited overlap between one and the other. Down to the 'storms' that weren't storms navigating had required mine, and my apprentice's, abilities in the Force to avoid. I sat up. Too much thinking on the matter. Sleep and meditation was needed first and foremost.

[The next day, Secure Conference Room, Star Destroyer All Seeing Eye]

"Admiral Ar'alani" I greeted the blue-skinned female, who was younger looking than her marked age as she entered the room, waving off her aide to wait at the door "On behalf of the Empire I extend my welcome to you"

"Admiral Stormcrow, I thank you on behalf of the Chiss Defence Forces" came back the formal reply, the door coming to a close behind her. Then gave a nod, hands behind her back, walking towards the false window showing space beyond "You have reviewed the supplied information?"

"I have indeed. I quite curious why the Ascendency has not made efforts to salvage the wreck itself in recent years?"

It was something that was concerning me, and I wanted an answer to it. My opposite walked up to the window, looking out at the view of the V-series Star Destroyer (carrier) Vibrant Viridian and escorting Lancer and Pistoleer escort frigates. Beyond them the female's own cruisers of the Chiss Defence Fleet, the joint force preparing to move towards the 'unknown system' the wreck had been 'found' in. Her posture was firm, and her Force presence…well, she was used to controlling her emotions around Force Users I suspected as she gazed out before responding "We have only recently found rediscovered it, upon the Empire's efforts to request such be done"

I shook my head, coming to stand behind her, arms folded across my chest "I find that difficult to believe"

"I'd imagine so, but I can assure you no efforts at recovery have been made, and that our return to the site was as described, and in that timeframe listed"

She shook her head "We would not have the codes, as your ambassador would be aware"

"That merely makes the task more difficult, not impossible" I answered, as I needed answers for this, as this situation was concerning me "I need to know if there matters involve that endanger this mission, from both an Imperial as well as Ascendency position"

"I had expected as much Lord Stormcrow, you have made yourself a noble of the marches after all" she answered after a moment, referring to my other title, and my general role in the Empire "You are surely aware of political matters relating to such roles"

"Indeed, and why I asking why such a seemingly golden opportunity has not been taken, but instead offered so urgently to my fleet?"

It was blunt, but there was little time to beat around this particular bush, and while I had suspicions, I needed answers to avoid me backing out. There was silence, for seconds, then a minute, uncomfortable, oppressive, before she answered "Salvage is assigned to the relevant Great House. External exchanges are distributed equally amongst the Great Houses. Or, in the situation of this recovery, any technologies shared from the joint efforts of the Defences and Imperial Military"

"Hmm" I paused, one hand reaching up to touch my chin, resisting a frown. It was in line with expectations, but frustrating nonetheless "Thank you for making me aware of this situation Admiral. It eases certain concerns of mine"

The briefest of nods came back, as we were straight to business now as she glanced towards me "The Far Outsiders have grown more active we believe. It is why this matter has been advanced…at a less than desired status"

"Hence my concerns. The cover story offered is threadbare, though I can understand politics" I admitted, frowning "As to our mutual foe; how so?"

"The nearby regions have been already turbulent, in the wake of the Grysk migrations, and collapse of the Ssi-Ruvvii Imperium…" my actions catching up with me there, though the destruction of that local power was a point of pride regardless. Entechment was an abomination above all things "…but we have observed odd behaviour amongst certain neighbours, along with disappearances of minor colonies of such. Some we believe are the work of slavers, which have proliferated in the chaos of recent cycles. Several others though bare the indications of the advanced scouting force that alerted us to their threat all those cycles ago"

"Yet neither of our polities have managed to locate their base of operations, or pin down this force…or forces" was something on my mind, stating it clearly "My High Command do believe we have identified another such incident during the Fall of the Republic, in the Dreighton Nebula. Investigation of the site, and recovery of limited sensor data, indicates the presence of an unknown force"

"Survivors?"

"It was a battle between the Grand Army of the Republic and the Droid Army of the Confederacy, along with Hutt back forces" I paused "Originally, we had believed the Hutts had been the perpetrators, but recent information indicates that their forces were also eliminated. Some damaged BattleRoms support this decision. Analysts speculate it was a perhaps a test against Jedi forces, as almost a hundred Jedi were involved in the battle"

The 'everyone killed each other!' generally believed hadn't made sense to me after all, and the fact so little data remained and that someone, or something, had been comms jamming…

'I'd have assumed it was Palpatine, but seemingly not' I mused, handing the data-chip with the, very limited, data retrieved to the Chiss female "What little has been recovered. There 'unknown vessel' and corrupted droid battle-roms are all we posses unfortunately, but we are reasonably certain now"

We exchanged the data-holos, showing the respective new 'proof' of the existence of a foe that nobody, yet, had managed to successfully see "The extent of their operations, yet secrecy despite such, remains the most concerning matter"

I gave a nod, equally unhappy at the situation. It raised several concerns for the coming invasion, mostly revolving around the long-term secrecy the invasion forces scouts had maintained. The Vong were active, and my memories indicated a violent, fanatical, species, unsubtle….yet they attacked here and there, before vanishing like ghosts in the mists afterwards "That I cannot disagree with. My own research and analyse has them active with the Republic for at least a decade before the Galactic Civil War began, likely much longer. Yet, as you say, our strange mutual foe remains hidden from our sight"

Well, this operation would help us with data-recovery and strengthening the Empire for that coming conflict at the very least. Both by building our alliance with the Chiss Ascendency, building up their forces, as well as gathering the data held within the vaults of the dead colony ship. There should be temple records there, ones not public and therefore inaccessible to me…and now destroyed, or beyond my grasp. Records I'd really like to gather in Imperial hands, even without the knowledge the Chiss were giving me. No, we were in a better position, and my concerns eased just a fraction…