The line begins to blur (Open)

[Sir Lord Ash]

Leaving Rendili. Spirit of Fire Command Deck.

Captain, unknown class ship just entered the system and sent a message to the Imperials. Its garbled and in an unknown language. I have it recorded so we can decode it later on.
Unusual. Start working on that message. All ships, prepare to enter hyperspace. We are going to the Randevous point. No use in staying here.

[/b]

With orders being carried out, the Spirit of Fire boosted away from the Shipyards as fast as her engines could take her. As soon as she was out of all mass shadows, she jumped into hyperspace, leaving a small blue wake from her ion wash.[/center]

[Gamov]

Main command deck, Manticore

"I assume our guests are resting comfortably?"

"As comfortably as they can, Ma'am. Our facilities aren't exactly up to par for accommodating their kind." Harkness replied as he strode onto the command deck at Rain's side.

"I wasn't aware that they would be arriving so quickly. Janus gave no indication before he left that the relationship had progressed so far." Rain continued, half lamenting the recent developments.

Before she had time to settle back into her post on the command deck, her attention was needed elsewhere as one of the long range signal intercept technicians spoke up from the command salon as she walked by with the Lieutenant.

"Captain, we have an incoming transmission from the Crusader".

"Send the message to the bridge HoloVid." Rain quickly replied before altering her plans and instead walking to a nearby HoloNet tranceiver terminal.

The bridge lit up in a blue glow as the holographic form of Lord Malum appeared, standing at full height in front of the Captain.

"Captain," the hologram snapped and flickered, "I am forwarding a set of co-ordinates to your fleet as we speak. Meet me there." Rain looked to her signalmen who both signaled they were receiving the transmission.

"Understood,sir.... My Lord." She caught herself mid-sentence and corrected her choice of words. Old habits tend to die hard, and she had spent more than two years calling him "sir" or "commander". The new moniker of "Lord" was something she had not quite acclimated to just yet.

"You have more to say, Captain?" The Dark Lord asked, noting the slight pause in Rain's reply.

"Sir, we've recently received some visitors.... From the Adjutant."

Malum gave the information a thoughtful mumble as he replied, speaking low at first, almost to himself. "I hadn't anticipated that he would move so quickly to secure the ties," he paused for only a moment before addressing Rain further.

"Do not worry about it just yet. The Adjutant is merely acting out of security for his people. In the mean time, see to it that his emissary's remain comfortable and meet me at the designated co-ordinates."

"Understood, my Lord. We will be with you shortly" Captain Shelvey replied as the Sith Lord cut the link and disappeared from the tranceiver.

Rain looked at Lieutenant Harkness who gave her a reassuring smile, and she took a deep breath wondering what the next day would bring her and her crews.

"Lieutenant, prepare the fleet for departure."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am." Harkness answered before his voice could be heard above the normal clamor of the bridge as he belted the order out for fleet wide preparations for a hyperspace jump.

Moments later, the fleet was fully prepared for the jump and made its journey away from the Rendili system towards the co-ordinates that had been provided by Lord Malum.