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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2915041" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 358In reality, Marix was actually just as good at getting shot as Jyren was. However, unlike him, she was much better at dodging said shots that he was. Thankfully, this was remaining true for the moment in the thick stellar fog of the edge of the Cron Drift, with Loki, of course, helping to dodge many of the shots from the pursuing ships that had given up on attempting to aim not long before.    But that had only been a matter of seconds...and there were suddenly much more important things to worry about than being shot.    Tobias managed a yelp of surprise when the form became visible out of the blank, strangely coloured ‘fog’. Marix, on the other hand, was wondering just when it would appear, and instead just snapped at him to shut up while both her eyes and her Force senses reached out right in front of the ship to find, hopefully, something beyond a large, flat hull. It was definitely the source of the original comm transmission, and was too big to be anything but a station of some sort.    And most stations had some kind of hangar.    Most.    Marix was counting on the fact that this one was, in fact, one of the types with a hangar. And, of course, that they were actually aiming slightly close to where it might have been. It really was one of those times where yet another long streak of good luck would have been horribly helpful. Again, though, Marix was not Jyren, and therefore, was not plagued with the same doubts that seemed to always be stuck in his mind. That hangar was going to be there for the simple reason that it damned well better be and whatever created the universe would be sorry if it wasn’t.    So, it came as no surprise to Marix when a vague opening that was just large enough for most small freighters appeared out of the nothingness. Of course, while it may have been there, it was also a good distance down...but that was something that could be fixed.    Another noise escaped Tobias when both Marix and Loki worked together to correct the problem...which immediately sent the ship into a violent spin downwards at such a sharp speed that it was nearly impossible for Loki’s inertial dampers to keep up. Especially when, another micro second later, Loki flipped up again, righting himself in relation to the hangar’s position and, at the exact same moment, Marix threw all of the thrusters into reverse to slow their momentum and stop the ship from slamming into the opposite wall of the not-so-deep hangar.    Loki’s interior was different from that of metal starships in many, many ways...one of the chief differences that was also the least noticed was the lack of any kind of restraints or crash webbing. This meant that while Loki roughly charged into the (thankfully) empty hangar, scraping his underbelly across the deck as one other little thing to help slow him down. Both of the Alraxian’s inside the cockpit had sharp enough natural instincts to extend their claws deep into the chairs to hold them in place instead of sending them head first into the large series of consoles between the two chairs and the viewport.    Not that it didn’t hurt their arms, of course, but even Tobias was strong enough at his age to fight back the pain and ease it once the strain was gone. The fact that their stopping wasn’t with any other loud crashes was a good sign, and looking up to the viewport to see that they weren’t crushed up against the opposite wall of the hangar. They were, however, very close to it...    “Loki..how are you?” Marix asked in the strange silence that had arisen after the scraping sound under them was gone.    [...I will be alright...] the ‘voice’ sounded a bit pained, which wasn’t surprising. Unlike Alraxians, the Kanyaks could not remorph their wounds. Loki would simply have to heal the old fashioned way, with possibly a little help from some patching up. [However, I do not think we are out of this yet.]    His last comment came along right as the muffled sounds of blasters could be heard outside the ship. It was also fairly easy to tell they were hitting Loki.    In a quick motion, Marix was up on her feet and heading out of the cockpit. Over her shoulder, she growled sternly, “Stay here, Toby.”    She did not turn around to make sure he did. Instead, she went straight for the hatch, taking only a few moments to reach it at a brisk walk. No preparation was necessary, so she simply hit the switch and the two ‘doors’ to the hatch irised open in that very unique way and Marix simply walked straight out and onto the metal deck, feeling it so strange against her feet compared to what she’d gotten so used to over the past years.    Her eyes were scanning the immediate area right away, and she counted only six slightly raggedly dressed individuals of very species standing around in random spots aiming their blaster rifles up towards the large form of Loki...and all of whom had stopped to stare in surprise at the way Marix had just walked out without even a hint of fear in her step.    A few seconds of silence passed before her icy stare locked onto the nearest of the armed humanoids...one that was some kind of humanoid. Tall, thin, gaunt even, and a very pale skin colour, Marix did not recognize the species. Her tail swished behind her as the humanoid’s blaster rifle finally was aimed at her. In a voice to match the glare, Marix said simply, “This is the only chance you have to put those weapons down and bring me whatever idiot was on that comm system.”    Nothing happened.    Marix took two more steps forward, her eyes narrowing slightly, “Now.”    Three of them ran for the nearby turbolift, while the other three(all of whom just happened to be the farthest away) stood and tried not to look threatening at all.    Well..at least that had worked...for the moment.</blockquote>

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