###**Finnegan's Trade House**
One of Finnegan's branch buildings had been made into an extravagant series of bath houses. Frescoes and holographic displays depicted many a debauched adventure on the walls and ceilings of the large open baths and smaller heated pools. It was in one such pool that Surface-Admiral Dai'Kronna had been floating in lazily with several of his close officers when things had begun exploding. What he had once thought to be a boring and even slightly relaxing assignment looked like it was spiraling into anything but. The scarred Cephalid admiral sank slightly below the warm waters and bubbled out a sigh. His adjutant, a Grund shaman by the name of Iggi swam gracefully up to the surface-admiral and motioned towards the sounds of the commotion.

"Tell me what you can see out there Iggi," Dai'Kronna hoisting himself out of the water slightly, "I want to know what is so rudely interrupting my relaxing soak." the calm in his voice belaying the sudden mix of emotions he was beginning to feel

the Grund elder's eyes glazed over as it began to focus on whatever electronic signals it could pick up outside the stone walls of the bath house. After a few moments the gigantic black shaman's eyes regained their focus and it began to speak, "Difficult to say for certain Surface-Admiral, I've never felt beings or technology like this before. By my estimates there are about two dozen beings, maybe more, moving towards these buildings from the woods. Two massive objects flanking them, I'd place my best bet on armor of some kind, and I can make out three airborne objects approaching as well, unable to say anything more than that though." At the words the other Cephalid and officers in the pool began to rise out of the pool awaiting instructions.

Dai'Kronna flexed his face tendrils in thought, a difficult feat for the grizzled warfighter, for a near-miss in the past had shorn away many of his frontal tendrils leaving his beak partially exposed. "Alrighty boys, we don't know who these fellas are but prepare for the worst, go back to our quarters and tell the rest of the boys to suit up, full Raider Gear, don't make any moves yet but be prepared for a fighting retreat back to the ship with the delegation if things get ugly enough. I'm gonna go find the owner of this fine establishment and get to the bottom of things." With that Surface-Admiral Dai'kronna hopped out of the pool, donned his pistol belt, and motioned for one of the servants who carried drinks and towels to the non-amphibian visitors to take him to the Boss Man pronto. The rest of his staff also scattered back to their rooms to alert the other Sea Raiders of the surface-admiral's orders.


###**Earlier, Hegemonic Council Chamber, Koros**
In classic form the Council managed to accomplish exactly nothing productive during its biweekly session. Councilman Dol'Iktha cracked his neck and massaged his tendrils as he strode out of the chambers surrounded by his armed retainers like most other Councilmen. He didn't really know why he expected anything else to come out of the useless governmental body. Even the mysterious black zone on the galactic rim which was growing steadily larger and in less than a year would likely be on the edge of Cephalid space could garner a unified reaction out of them. The scientific syndicates refusal to come to a compromise on who would send a probe group to study the strange phenomena was the cause of this most recent breakdown in governance. Instead of dwelling further on his choice of work, Councilman Iktha focused instead on the task at hand. 

Less than two hours later Dol'Iktha was seated around a table with several of his fellow councilmen at an upscale restaurant halfway across the planet. The four seated individuals represented the four most powerful family-syndicates on all of Koros, and therefore, the entire Hegemony. There was Ged'Kronna of House Akt, the warlords; Ced'Drokva of House Vex, the manufacturing cartel; Zol'Dronta of House Kriel, the genetic masterminds; and of course himself, representing House Hrok the shipping giant. After around of refreshments and hors d'oeuvres Ged'Kronna loudly clicked his beak

"Alright Dol, what's this about? Its obviously important or else you would have brought it up during the Council session," the others hissed laughter at this, "in all seriousness friend, why did you drag us to this admittedly fantastic eatery halfway across the globe?"

Now it was Dol'Iktha's turn to click his beak, though this time it was of slight nervousness. "Recently one of our merchant convoys bumped into something interesting," Dol'Iktha placed a small holographic projector on the table which quickly displayed an image of a dead alien creature unlike anything they had seen before. "This being was picked up by one of our ships floating out in the void, they must have only been there for moments as they were still alive for a while after rescue. Their vocal chords were badly damaged by vacuum burn but they somehow seemed capable of speaking our language. Before the being expired they mentioned a location in hyperspace, a sort of inter dimensional hostel or something I suppose, and also a means to get there" The image changed to one of a pendant free floating above the table.

"The location is apparently some place called F-Fi-Finn," Dol'Iktha struggled making sounds his mouth wasn't meant to make, "Whatever its called its a location in hyperspace and the pendant is some kind of key or something to it. The free captain of the ship that picked the alien up noted that the pendant displayed strange properties while moving through hyperspace and that it seemed to draw the ship off course towards some other location. Wherever this place is, if it is what it says then I think this could be a brilliant new market to expand into for all of our houses."

The table was silent for some time before once more Ged'Kronna spoke up "This is all pretty fascinating stuff Dol, and the data you've sent to our pads seems to check out, but this could be a trap, if we send an expedition to this place you'll need a better escort than the pitiful gangsters you call soldiers, I'll send along a platoon of Sea Raiders to defend your crew, you won't find a better equipped or trained soldier in all the galaxy that's for sure. Besides, little brother Dai needs something to do these days, he's a tactical genius and a hell of a fighter, but that close call messed him up something firece, and I'm not just talking about his tendrils. It it is a trap then he's the man I'd want to fight my crew out, and if its too much for him well..." Ged shrugged "better him than a member of the family that's all there in the head."

Zol'Dronta used the pause to interject, "Woah now, you expect us to just let you two go off on an adventure with what's on the line here? We're talking a brand new, untouched market, no competition among other syndicates and new goods to collect and you want us to just hand it to your houses? I demand that House Kriel gets an ambassador to this thinnygoons place or whatever."

Ced'Drokva, who had remained silent until now, found his time to speak "Please, even if we sent ambassadors there's no way that I'd trust the lives of my people on a Hrok ship with what could be out there. If this turns out to be the motherload there's nothing stopping you scalpers from dumping the competition out into the void and taking the secrets for yourselves. If we're doing this it will be on a Navy ship as neutral ground."

Dol'Iktha again massaged his tendrils waved his hands to get the rapidly deteriorating group's attention, "Okay, okay, okay. How about this instead? We send a delegation from all of our houses made up of third children, protected by Surface-Admiral Dai'Kronna's Sea Raiders, on a navy boat, that is partially crewed by my own sailors. They are the only ones who know the way after all. And if the entire thing goes bust then We don't lose anything important beyond some navy dregs and replaceable family. Sound good?"

There were nods and mumbled agreements. "Excellent, all of this talk was beginning to spoil my appetite."