Captain Naash got to his feet with the help of Warden Solse.
"What is going on out there," he uttered.
Without answering, Captain Naash walked past him. He had multiple possibilities running through his mind, and none of them were good. There weren't many things that could drop a ship out of a jump lane.
"Stay here, and watch the prisoner." The captain commanded; his words echoed down the corridor.
Passing the turret stations, the three gunners dusted themselves off. Two were seated, while Harrit stood near his station, looking confused.
"Get to your posts," the captain said as he passed them.
"It's a blockade," the Triskani stated.
Looking over his shoulder at the monitor, Captain Naash could see what looked to be two vessels which were of a similar size to their own. Behind the ships was a ring, similar to the one they passed through.
Transit through jump rings was the fastest mode of interstellar travel, but their only downside was the fact that blockades were a possibility.
"Do not fire, unless given word. I'll see what they want before escalating matters." The captain said as he rushed away from the turret station.
The doors of the bridge opened, and he was hit by a wall of noise. Officers and lieutenants rushed from station to station, while some stared blankly through the observation window, waiting for something to happen.
Tanera, upon seeing him, rushed over, her face flushed red, and small beads of sweat formed on her brow. "Captain, we have been..."
"Blockaded, I know," he said as he marched past her and to his station. "Everyone, settle down! Get to your stations," he called out, which calmed the chaos instantly. "Status report," he said once order had been restored.
"Engines will have to be calibrated," one of the officers said.
"They don't like sudden stops," he muttered. "Begin calibration," he ordered. "It doesn't look like running is an option anyway."
"The ship's life support systems flickered, but have since settled back to full operation." Another office stated.
"Good," he replied. Janto stared at the two ships hanging ominously in the distance. "Do we know who we're dealing with? Have the ships' IDs been scanned?"
"Scans haven't shown up much; they don't seem to be linked to any known criminal networks." One of the officers said, while periodically staring at their monitor. "Oh, scratch that, they are registered as stolen."
"Could be anyone then," the captain sighed. "Hail them, I want to know what they want."
"Ships hailed captain," the communications officer said nervously.
Time dragged on, and while they waited, other officers gave reports on specific systems. The results were in, and across the board, the ship was doing okay. There was no major damage, but he knew that with the engines being calibrated, they were left adrift.
"They responded," the communications officer announced after minutes of waiting. "Patching them through to your terminal."
Janto watched as his monitor opened to a Mulu; they were heavily scared. They had two fleshy poles protruding from their cheeks. One eye stared at him, and the other pole was missing from about midway up.
"This is Captain Janto Naash, of the IS-Vigilant. I ask of your intentions," he said, as he watched the Mulu closely.
"I only ask one thing: hand over the fugitive you are transporting, and you and your crew may go in peace." The Mulu said coldly.
"I decline; the fugitive will make it to his destination."
"So be it, captain," the Mulu said as he gritted his teeth. "My boarding party will take him by force." The transmission ended abruptly.
Captain Janto looked up to the rest of his crew, who all had their eyes fixed on him. He stood up slowly and glanced at the panelling to the right of the doorway and then he looked back at his communications officer. "Send out a distress call," he said.
They frantically started to enter commands. "I can't, Captain, we're being jammed. I can't even contact other departments aboard the ship."
Janto walked toward the panel and entered a code. Once he entered it, the panel released with a hiss and revealed a small cache of weaponry.
"Everyone, get yourselves armed," he said as he readied a pistol and headed for the door to the bridge.