Lucky Strike (A Star Wars SI)

Chapter 40

The Chiss made sure that we couldn't record the coordinates, journey, or destination of any of the hyperspace jumps we made while slaved to their systems. By the end of the weeklong trip, I was certain that we'd dropped out of hyperspace once or twice just to throw us off of any possible leads we had.

After one last jump, we seemingly arrived at our destination, because the Chiss Heavy Cruisers released their hold on our computer systems and our sensors began to fill in the details we'd been blinded to.

This was obviously not their primary homeworld. I'd even put money on the fact that it was probably a military owned repair and refit outpost. Still, it was a good location. There may only be one habitable world orbiting the lone brown gas giant, but there were plenty of other rocks the Chiss could extract resources from.

A decent-sized latticwork of shipyards surrounded the gas giant. It wasn't the size of Rendili or Kuat, any of the core worlds with shipyards really. But it was clear from the sheer amount of traffic that if we decided to act stupidly here that they'd be able to take us out.

"Captain Hull, you will soon be sent a transmission from the system controller. Please follow the directions to the letter. Any deviations will be met with the destruction of your vessels," Captain Khosia briefed us. "We will see to it that your ships are repaired and that you possess ample supplies to continue on your way."

I didn't respond for a few moments, instead looking out at the ships that moved through and around the system. For the most part, they looked like a mixture between the organic and bulbous ships the Mon Calamari made mixed with the circular heavy cruisers that Rendili had manufactured for hundreds of years. The major difference was that we were fairly sure they didn't use shields.

"Understood, Captain," I finally replied to Khosia. "We'll await further instructions."

The Chiss that we'd taken onboard were… Interesting to say the least. They were generally intelligent and had folded into our existing command structure and operations fairly well over the short trip. They adapted to our systems with ease, only seemingly shocked by the shields and armor combination that we used.

Strangely, they hadn't attempted to broach the gap between our cultures at all. Instead preferring silence to any questions about their society as a whole. They'd answer personal questions or talk about their immediate families, but they wouldn't divest anything that might hint at locations or politics.

While I was still contemplating the last week or so, the instructions for our berth came in, and the helmsman began to take us ever closer to one of the shipyard bays.

We weren't going to be able to disembark the Horizon or Triumphant (At least not en masse), but we were going to be able to rest a bit while the Chiss repaired the damage we couldn't after the dragon and fight with the Vong.

After a few hours of navigating the crowded system, we were guided into two different berths that were just big enough to fit our two triangular vessels.

The Horizon shuddered beneath us as docking clamps came to arrest the last of our momentum. The main engines powered off for the first time since we'd left Lianna and I was finally able to breath a sigh of relief.

"Sir, Captain Khosia is waiting for you in the port Hangar bay," the comms officer reported. "She has a shuttle waiting."

I figured that it was probably for me to meet and discuss what the specifics of our agreement was going to be with her leaders. The problem was, while I knew of the Chiss, I didn't have a detailed memory of the outside of the one or two scenes on their icy homeworld that Jacen Solo had been involved in.

Knowing a little bit about something, and now being immersed in it are two very different things after all. Hell, I knew more about the Vong than I did about the Chiss. For all I knew, after they fixed our ships up, they were going to show us out the door and send us plodding out towards their nearest enemy in the hopes that we killed each other off.

Swallowing, I steeled my nerves and turned to Lieutenant Vane.
"Vane, you have the ship," I said. "I'll see what I can do to talk them into hopefully upgrading some of our systems."

"Good luck, sir," he patted me on the shoulder.

With that, I turned smartly on my heel and headed for the hangar bay. I was going to have to trust that Captain Khosia wouldn't do anything to put my crew in danger. For all that I liked the Horizon, she was just a ship. If necessary, I could replace her. It would hurt, but I'd find a way to do it. The crew on the other hand, they couldn't be replaced.

Regardless, I only had a few minutes of silence before the turbolift spat me out into the brightly colored hangar. The Chiss that we'd taken aboard were lined up and slowly shuttling out. Among them, there was the one uniform that stood out.

Khosia was a darker shade of blue than the others around her, even if her uniform were the same outside of the markers that signaled her rank.

"You're here," her face was as blank and seemingly unemotional as ever. "Good, we mave much to discuss before you meet with Admiral Mitt'tri'omi."

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"It is not often that outsiders are invited into our borders," Admiral Ttrio said, gesturing for me to take a seat. "That said, you have done us a service by assisting Captain Khosia with eliminating the Far Outsiders and she has promised the repair of your vessels in return. However, we are faced with a problem."

"And what might that be, sir?" I asked.

"The majority of the crew that was on the Aggressor were a part of the Xodlak family," Ttrio said as a means of explanation as if that meant something to me before continuing. "While we as a people are intermixed and only belong to one family or another out of generalized organization. The Xodlak family holds a few customs from our time before. Among them is the repayment of a life saved."

"All I ask is that our ships are repaired," I replied.

"We are repairing and rearmoring your ship as we speak," the admiral interrupted me before I could conitnue further. "This is a debt that cannot be paid in monetary means. While it pains me to say this, tradition dictates they pay the debt with service. As such, I am entrusting Captain Khosia with the responsibility of folding them into your crews and ensuring that all proper security measures are followed. She was adopted out of the family, but still holds to many of their ways. She'll also ensure that you are escorted out of our borders before transfering to your ship."

"Admiral, we're not just a random pair of ships wandering around this region of space. We were in the middle of a war when we left. I doubt it'll be concluded before we return. Your people are going to be fighting on the battlefield with us," I sighed. "We're not peaceful explorers. We're sailors, marines, and soldiers who are trying to get back to a war that we found ourselves far from. I can't guarantee that if your people come with us that they'll return."

"Such is always the potential price for following our traditions," Khosia said, for once showing something other than stoicism. "But if we do not follow them when they are hard, then they are not worth keeping or following."

"It should take a week or two to rehull your ships," Trio offered. "My dockworkers have informed me that they found your armor an offense to ships everywhere and will be rectifying that issue. That will also provide us with ample time to ensure that those traveling with you are prepared and have said their goodbyes."

"If possible, can I get a breakdown of how many people that is going to be," I sighed internally, knowing that this was going to lead to a host of paperwork and now the trouble of figuring out where the Chiss crew should be distributed between the Triumphant and Horizon. "As well as where their skillsets are?"

"I believe we can provide something like that without compromising our security," Admiral Ttrio nodded. "Now, I have many questions, and I hope you are able to answer them…"