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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2969702" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 384: Images[Why, again, am I letting you do this?] Marix asked through the link.    Jyren glanced across the cockpit to where she sat, eyeing him carefully, and replied. [Because it’ll get that bounty off of our heads once and for all.]    [Ah...] the eye roll that went with that wasn’t comforting. [Tell him anymore than he needs to know and this is over. All of us, including him, are going home. Understand?]    It was the cold, Empress...motherly tone that Marix only used in diplomatic situations(because she hated them), when dealing with Toby(because he was impossible), and when making sure Jyren knew he was walking the line(which he nearly always did).    With that settled, Jyren got to his feet and started to leave the cockpit, motioning to Rulae who was sitting behind him, “C’mon.”    Though there was a confused look on his face, the Duros nodded and turned to follow Jyren down the single corridor which, he noted, had an unusually high ceiling. It looked like it was about an extra meter higher than most...but, then again, maybe it was just the odd, almost tube-like design of the corridor that was throwing his perception off.    It didn’t take much walking before Jyren stopped at what Rulae assumed was a door, waited for it to open in that very unique way, and then stepped through. Rulae followed, noting the room was large, open and...empty. Except for the two of them, there was nothing at all in the room.    “Loki, can you project that holo in here?” Jyren asked upwards to the ship.    Rulae heard no response this time, but in another moment, the center of the room was filled with an image. It was...space...not empty, though. A giant ring, the larger than the two of them sat in the middle of the projection of some unknown area of space.    “...it’s a ring,” Rulae mumbled, obviously unimpressed.    Jyren gave him a sideways look, “It’s a scaled projection.”    Rulae turned to match the look, but then looked back at the projection in time to see a small object appear. It was...it was...tiny. And it took a him stepping forward a few steps to identify the tiny little thing as something that looked exactly like the ship they were in.    “Okay,” Rulae conceded, “Its big. Your point?”    Wondering when, exactly, Rulae had learned sarcasm, Jyren pointed to the thing, specifically at the blueish tint in the center of the ring, “This protects a single hyperspace route. Through it...there are thousands of worlds inhabited by people like you’ve never seen. It is almost like another galaxy through there, Rulae. And...and through that thing is my home.”    Only the sound of the ship could be heard for a long moment before Rulae spoke up again, “You always told me you were from Corellia.”    “I grew up on Corellia...” Jyren nodded, “I was born through this gate. I...I told you that I learned a lot about my family after leaving the New Republic. That’s just one of the things. But I’m not telling you this because of that.”    “...then why are you telling me any of this?” Rulae asked him, “I fail to see the relevance.”    That, Jyren could undersand. Running a hand through his hair, he idly walked closer to the image and looked at the tiny little Loki sitting there in front of the gate, “They’re peaceful people through there...like you could never imagine. I never thought I’d see ships without weapons. That very thought is even offensive to most of them. And...and despite all of that, there were threats to them. I...” he paused a moment, then shook his head, “We had to protect these people. They couldn’t protect themselves, Rulae, they didn’t even know how. I know I did many things that would have gotten me many years in a cell, but all of them...all of them were to protect these people. To protect them, and to protect Marix.”    Rulae didn’t seem to wait for any of that to sink in before asking, “Is that why you came back?”    “Yes,” Jyren said with a nod, “They aren’t directly threatened by the Vong but...but its too close.”    This brought another wave of quiet, and it lasted for a fairly long time. But then, finally, Rulae stepped forward and turned to look directly at Jyren instead of at his back, “You know I believe you. And I know you’re telling me this because you want that bounty of your head.”    “And Marix’s,” Jyren added, which got a look of surprise from the Duros, “You think I did all that alone?”    “Good point,” Rulae actually smiled slightly at that, but then, after glancing at the holo for another few moments, said, “You know, carrying me off like this isn’t going to look good.”    Jyren looked back over to the door and a few seconds later the holo faded, leaving them in the emptiness again, “We’ll get you back to the kids as soon as we can.”    Starting to follow Jyren out of the room, Rulae didn’t miss that comment, “You’re not coming with me?”    “I don’t know yet,” Jyren shrugged and stepped back into the corridor. He glanced both ways, then lowered his voice, “And its probably not up to me.”</blockquote>

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