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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2915052" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 360It came as no surprise to Marix that it took very little time for a new group to appear in the hangar. It was also no surprise to see that they were, generally, very well armed. Not that she couldn’t handle any problems that might arise, but the group of ten armed guards of various species spread out in a such a way that it would take more time than if they just stood next to each other.    From the back of the hangar, surrounded by three of the new guards and two of the ones who’d remained and just stood around in the awkward silence, was the only person other than Marix to carry no visible weapon. It looked to be a human male, roughly Jyren’s age and with thinning, light brown hair. He wore some kind of fancy looking tunic that was covered in layers of dirt and muck...obviously, the man had once cared about his appearance, but being out here in the middle of no where had a way of reworking one’s priorities.    His voice was relatively strong, considering what Marix had done to get to the hangar, when he called out, “You’d better give me a damn good reason why I shouldn’t have you killed right now.”    Even from halfway across the hangar, Marix was able to look down at him. Since the man was average height for a human, even a small adult Alraxian had a way of towering. It was one of those advantages Marix was not going to let escape...same with the fact that she made sure to wear the right kind of clothes over her morphsuit to show just how strong an Alraxian looked...when standing still.    Speaking in a voice that she knew to be dangerously calm, Marix said, “You would be dead before you finish ordering them to shoot me,” the words were allowed to hang in the air for a moment, before her tone became less icy, “And I am not here for a fight...even if you are.”    “Then what are you here for?” the human had done a very good job of not even responding to her first comment. This implied that he didn’t doubt she was telling the truth. Good. That would make this easier.    Her answer was simple, “Ships.”    “I’m not in that business anymore.”    The ‘I’ in that sentence said more than the man had probably wished to say, from the overall guarded nature he was giving off...both outwardly and through the Force.    “Those ships out there tells a different story,” Marix idly indicated out of the hangar and into the fog that made seeing anything else practically impossible, “In fact, I only had a small look at most of them, but those look operational to me. Not the scrapyard I was told about.”    Her last words caused the tension in the air to become suddenly more tangible. It was...surprising, really. Marix was simply trying to get to the point where she could talk with these people and get any information she could, and getting straight past the inevitable ‘How did you find this place?’ seemed logical enough. Obviously, that had not been the correct answer to the unspoken question.    The man’s eyes narrowed a moment as he seemed to attempt peering into her. It did no good, of course, as even Jyren had trouble reading her at times...and that was with the help of the link they shared. Without that, or even the Force, this man would find out more talking with duracrete.    And yet, after a moment, the intense look softened and much of the tension, most of which was emanating from him, faded slightly. After a small step forward, he spoke in a more calmed, and somewhat less demanding voice, “I believe this would be a matter best spoke of in a more comfortable location.”    There. Finally.    [Loki.] Marix called out to her ship as she walked over to fall into step with the multitude of guards. [If they even so much as touch you, let me know.]    [I plan to.] the ship grumbled back, obviously not in the best of moods after being shot several times. Not that the blasters really harmed him, but it was the principle of the thing. Loki, like most living things, simply didn’t like being shot.    While being led down a series of nondescript corridors, the man introduced himself as Taril Orbanen, and then attempted some mindless chatter that was obviously a front to find out whatever information from her that he possible could. All he got, however, was that her name was ‘Marix’ and she had gotten her information from someone on Ord Mantell. She gave him nothing else, and was especially careful to glare at him even more when he attempting to pry about her species.    Feline humanoids were not, of course, uncommon in the galaxy...near three meter tall felines that were much more human looking than most, however, were a very unique sight. Through some would initially compare the Alraxians to the lion-like Cathar that were fairly reculsive, but very well known in most of the regions of Known Space, the differences were so many that the only actual connection between the two was the slightly feline origins. It was, in all honesty, like comparing a Bothan to a Chandra-Fan simply because they both had fur, large ears, and snouts.    When they reached a small conference looking room, she was offered a drink and a seat...though Marix took neither, preferring to stand behind one of the chairs for the simple fact that these were not designed in any way with tails in mind. That, and it was much easier to look intimidating when standing over a chair like she was doing.    Taril, however, did take a seat across the oval shaped table from Marix and looked straight up at her, seemingly not noticing the height difference beyond the fact that he had to tilt his neck, “Who sent you?”    “They would not appreciate it if I told you,” Marix answered calmly, “And if you cannot understand that, then I believe we have taken this long walk for no reason.”    The human managed a slight nod, though he was definitely not happy with that. This didn’t seem to be the kind of person who liked surprises. As Marix carefully did her best to pry through his mind(a task at which she’d never been too much of an expert at), he tried another angle, “As I said before, we are simply not in the business of selling ships anymore.”    ‘We’ this time. Someone else was likely watching from the formalities that Taril was seeming to put on now, and from the way his voice was much stronger than it had been through the corridors.    “I can pay much better than I expect you are used to,” she attempted her own attack with that, now completely beyond the point of caring at all for buying ships. Something was odd here. No...wrong. Something simply felt wrong. It was not coincidence that she was led here after Ord Mantell...of that, Marix was sure. But it was now a matter of finding out what was really going on here, and why it was causing an uneasy feeling in the back of her mind.    “Nevertheless,” Taril waved a hand, “The ships here are no longer available.”    At that, Marix raised an eyebrow, her silver-in-violet eyes peering in a little more at the human, “Someone bought all of them?”    A pause...and the man glanced off to the side for a fraction of a second before turning back and answering, “Yes.”    That was not his answer. He had asked permission on that. And Marix knew right away why. She had asked if one person had bought all of the ships, and there had been a sudden pang of worry through the Force from Taril before he’d glanced away. Yes...yes, apparently it was alright to let her know that one person had, in fact, bought all of the ships. But why would that even matter...?    “Too bad,” she trailed off and ran a hand along the back of the chair she was leaning again, idly wondering how this human would react if she ran a claw through it instead. With her next question, Marix drew the Force to her and into her voice, a technique that, thanks to being the Empress, she had perfect years ago, “It wouldn’t be too much to ask who bought them all, would it?”    Taril shook his head, his eyes looking a bit glazed as he answered far too quickly, “Not at all. They are an organization who wish to end this war before it goes any farther...they do not believe in all of this needless fighting.”    “And yet they buy a fleet...” the Force was still flowing through her voice then, and caused the unspoken question to be easily obvious to the only other person in the room.    He simply shrugged, “Sometimes force is necessary, I suppose. When one helps a great deal of people, one must accept that certain things will be lost...” he trailed off for a short second, then picked up after a Force-nudge from Marix with something she had definitely not expected, “...it is something the Jedi could learn. They will do nothing but prolong this war and kill billions more with senseless fighting.”    It was one of those times that Marix was very glad to be herself. Very few other people could hear that in her situation and not even blink. There were much, much more in those words hidden away, and it struck Marix right away. Anti-Jedi sentiment...and an entire organization with the power to buy a fleet and, most likely, use it. Her thoughts were not at all with how this would affect the galaxy as a whole, but to a more personal situation.    Jyren.    He had a way of running into trouble like that far too easily. If this was what it sounded like, then she knew it would only be a matter of time before he got himself in over his head with whoever these people were.    And then the door slid open at the other side of the room. Four of the guards from before, all immediately aiming their blaster rifles at Marix, moved in and were followed by two large Trandoshans with even larger weapons. Angrily, one of the walking lizards hissed, “Fool! Ssshe isss a Jedi!”    She was not, of course, but Marix knew this wasn’t exactly the time to argue technicalities....which is exactly what it would have been with these. And when the blaster rifles lit up and red bolts of energy arced at her, she knew that these were, in fact, exactly what she feared they were.</blockquote>

Verification