[@Forsythe]

[b]Unknown system, Innes' Craft[/b]

Everyone onboard waited with baited breath to see how the foreign craft would respond. It did so by shutting down all the lights, bar a few. Did that mean it was threatened by them? Or was it a friendly invitation?

"It wants us to go in..." The Chancellor remarked, voice full of awe. She was still amazed that they actually found intelligent life. Who would have thought it? And judging from the size of the beast of a ship, they had advanced far more than the Republic had even dreamed of. Only the gods knew what was going to happen next.

"Well, Ma'am? What's our orders"

"Guide us in - slowly. Remember, we probably are nothing to them right now. The only reason they have to let us live is simple curiosity, so let's not try to appear threatening."

Yeah, right. In this junker, the only thing they could threaten was a honey fly. Every little part of it was salvaged from somewhere else. The left wing, for example, was smooth and graceful whilst the right wing looked like something from a boy racer's vision of a spacecraft. The whole thing was a mish-mash of different styles and substances and it was commonly said that the only thing that held it together was spit and prayer. Nonetheless, this tacked-together aircraft was one of the longest lasting they had, and it hadn't let them down so far.

Tensions were rising, though. Not everyone on board was keen to see what was on the inside of that frigate. If they went in there, they would be totally at the mercy of the owners - doubtlessly, there was a large and well-trained crew on-board, with enough firepower to put all six of them down without further thought. But that was a risk that Innes took. By fleeing, they would look craven. The frigate could blow them away with impunity and the folks back home would never know what had happened. This way, they had a chance of impressing their hosts into letting them go.

The tiny ship entered and sat itself down carefully, trying to avoid squashing anything or anyone. This was it. They were onboard. They would have to be super careful from now on.

"Captain, open the doors. I'll go out on my own to start. If all's good, I'll beckon you out. If it goes poorly, I need you to forget about me and get out while you can. Don't try and be heroes, alright? Wish me luck"

The doors opened and Innes jumped down, into the hanger proper. After dusting herself off, she looked around and caught sight of the race that had let them on.
They were grey-skinned, like her, but it was a different shade of grey - less pale and more metallic. They had this strange growth on top of their heads that she was hesitant to call hair but really couldn't find another word for. Their noses were blunt and flat. It was their eyes that got her - intense but without proper definition for their irises, leaving a swirling supernova of colour in blank white space that stared right through one's soul. It was terrifying. What was worse was that since her arrival, few had taken their eyes off her, most likely because she was a small, green eyed, long haired, pretty-faced, scrawny waif of a girl with a jumpsuit that was barely one step up from being naked. She couldn't even tell if they were male or female, though they could all guess her gender, she was sure. Suddenly, she felt very exposed and self-conscious. It didn't help that she was completely defenceless - she had neglected to take her weaponry with her.

“H-hello?” she called out. If anyone hadn't been looking at her, they were now. What a strange accent she must have had, speaking her alien tongue. How queer must she have looked, in her strange clothes and her alien hair and eyes. There was bound to be some people talking about her tonight.

Nonetheless, she ploughed on - “If anyone out there can understand me, I'm looking for whoever is in charge. I-I'm the Chancellor who contacted you earlier...”