[b][u]Enned System
Letona's Gaze[/u][/b]

The captain sighed a breath of relief as [i]The Watchman's Eye[/i] vanished in a bright flash of light. A cursory examination and a report from the sensors officer confirmed that the ship was in no immediate danger, even with the FTL Drive having overloaded and with the weapons fire that had been going off nearby. Reports from engineering confirmed that the alert had come early enough that they had been able to prevent any injuries. The only real problem was the lack of a functional FTL drive. 

"Professor Shiru, please have your team compile translated transcripts of the messages from [i]The Watchman's Eye[/i] and have them sent to the E.R.C. Let them know just how close this entire expedition came to going belly-up. That should encourage them to secure the system in a more efficient manner."

"Very well. Just make sure you set a sublight vector for the starbase again." The Professor said as she turned to leave the bridge. "We left a few technicians adrift and their life support will not last forever."

Minutes later, the [i]Letona's Gaze[/i] began to maneuver in order to begin the long journey back to the starbase, and a message was transmitted to the G.N.T. ground forces and assault carrier, the Federation's drone carrier, and the Empire's destroyer.
[hider=Letona's Gaze Transmission][b]The unrecognized vessel which just appeared over Enned belonged to the Azu, a reclusive and xenophobic species of mammal. SI has made prior contact with them, although they were [i]not[/i] invited to join the E.R.C. Transcripts of the messages which were relayed between the Azu vessel and the [i]Letona's Gaze[/i][/b] have been appended to this message for your convenience. The entire expedition came within moments of ending in disaster, if SI had not been able to convince the Azu to stand down. In case they should return, translation indices for all three of their native lexicons have been appended to this message, along with an index for the Baceran lexicon which they also have knowledge of.

The [i]Letona's Gaze[/i] overloaded its FTL drive in order to perform the emergency jump to interdict between the Azu vessel and the planet - it may take us several days to resituate before the breaching operation for the starbase may resume. Replacement components to repair the drive would be appreciated if anybody can spare them.

It may also be prudent to identify and facilitate communications with the second unrecognized capital ship which just entered the system. It is not an Azu vessel as far as SI is aware. The E.R.C. has no legal jurisdiction beyond the five million kilometer boundary of the planet, so please establish a defense perimeter [i]immediately.[/i] We cannot allow anybody with an FTL Drive to simply appear over the ruins and threaten to bomb it like the Azu just did. If this situation happens again, all available forces [i]MUST[/i] be prepared to intercept![/hider]
Moments later, the East Wing [i]Nostromo[/i] bluespaced into existence in high orbit.

"Just shoot me now." The helmsman muttered as the sensors and communications officers both started shouting into their headsets simultaneously while the Captain furiously hammered on the shipwide alert command a second time. The communications officer was busy sending out copies of the message from the Nostromo while reading it back out loud, and had already transmitted a warning similar to the one that had been sent to The Watchman's Eye.
[hider=Letona's Gaze Transmission][b]Unrecognized vessel, you are trespassing in a secure planetary zone! Planet Enned is under the provisionary authority of the E.R.C. as described by the Beta-Aquila Convention. If you attempt to make planetfall, your personnel will be apprehended. If you initiate hostilities, you will be destroyed. Withdraw from Planet Enned's orbit to a minimum distance of five million kilometers immediately, or E.R.C. enforcement will board and seize your vessel.[/b][/hider]
A more frantic and much less formal message was transmitted back to the F.S.S. [i]Mars[/i], the IRN [i]Faithful[/i], and the GNT [i]Sovereign[/i].
[hider=Letona's Gaze Transmission]The new vessel in orbit above Enned is another vessel of unrecognized configuration and affiliation! Our FTL Drive is down and we are at short range! Please send IMMEDIATE strike craft screening! Do whatever you need to get that ship away from the planet![/hider]
The arrival of East Wing's delegate had been ill-timed and ill placed. Still panicked from their recent brush with [i]The Watchman's Eye[/i], the bridge officers of the [i]Letona's Gaze[/i] had sent their messages before confirming the affiliation of the [i]Nostromo[/i]. Even though Captain Rollin's message had been received and noted, it would be several minutes before any of the SI researchers familiar with them realized who the newcomers were thanks to the renewed shipwide emergency alert.

With the Federation's drones and carrier both within effective weapons' range, the situation had potential to turn ugly...