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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 3300867" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 431: TensionsWhile the Alraxian people had always called themselves a peaceful civilization, and, to an extent, this was true, it was definitely an exaggeration. Though the vast majority of the population never saw a weapon of any kind or encountered any kind of actual violence, everyone knew about the Knights. They were well trained in various forms of combat, most had at least some Force potential that was helped along to a small extent, and guarded the Empire in unarmed Kanyaks...though they always carried weapons on them, even if their ships didn’t.    And then, of course, there was the dark secret of the Tam’Day’U. The small group of assassin culled out of the normal population at a very young age and considered nothing more than terrifying stories by most of the Empire. But they were real. Not only were they real, but they were killers of a kind that would have shocked anyone in the Empire had they known the extent of the Tam’Day’U’s training. These assassins killed silently ended the lives of a great many dangerous people among the Empire, and even protected the border planets from Mrrakesh on occasion. Of course, in their later years, their leaders became more corrupt due to the fact that they were in control of a great many very powerful weapons and so the jobs became much more...personal. Rivals were killed. Some who simply disagreed with the current leader of the Tam’Day’U were killed. And though this ended with Faban Sunrunner’s exile, it did not make the Alraxian’s any more of a peaceful people...in fact, it put their darkest secret out in the open and then in with the noble Knights.    But that was the Alraxians. Peaceful on the surface, and mostly through the interior, but with very violent capabilities that most of the species simply attempted to keep quiet and hidden away. It was likely this philosophy came from the influence of both the early Jedi who helped the Empire to form and, more importantly, the Jendari. Then Jendari were wise, powerful, and truly a peaceful people.    Yet, despite this, Marix sensed there was a violent past for their avian allies. All of the Jendari seemed to speak of wars and battles in a very somber, knowing way, and yet always had a great deal of knowledge on such subjects. It should have surprised her that the Jendari had a fleet of ships, but it didn’t. Somewhere in their past, there had to have been a reason for it to exist, and the species was long-sighted enough to keep their ships up-to-date and in working order for thousands of years.    Moments before the four ancient looking starfighters came into firing range of Loki, the Jendari ships appeared in the system, right next to the moon and directly in view of anyone within the star system. There were nine of them, massive ships of a scale only comparable to that of Thor, the largest of the Kanyak’s and technically the Empress’ personal ship. The ships were metal, of a kind at least, but their exact shape was impossible to determine due to a bright blue-violet glow that emanated from what, on most metal ships, would have been the seams of the bulkheads. The glow made them look like giant, interestingly coloured lanterns in space, and their size gave a very threatening feel to such beautiful designs.    Tearing her eyes away from the new arrivals, Marix’s hand went to the comm switch again, “If you do not stand down immediately we will be forced to take action...” she paused a moment, then decided it was important enough to add on one last thing, “And if you come anywhere close to firing on my ship, you will not like the consequences.”    Yes, it was a threat. Something that her mother would never have said...but Marix was not her mother. She was a very different woman than her mother. If that hadn’t gotten through to most of the Empire in the past few years, it would definitely hit home now.    There was a very long moment where the four starfighters continued on their course, coming so close that Marix could see far more detail than she wanted to. But then, suddenly, they broke off and looped around to head back towards the ragtag fleet they had launched from.    Marix watched the blue engines fade as they retreated, noting how odd they looked next to a Kanyak and then the monolithic Jendari ships. Then, after allowing the moment to last long enough, opened up the comm channel again, “Whoever the hell is in charge had bloody well better respond to me right now.”    It was the same cold, hard voice that could make Jyren do something before he’d realized he was doing so. She knew it would work here, too...if, of course, whoever was in charge wasn’t a complete fool.    “I am in charge,” a strong, definitely female voice responded not a minute later. There was a pause in a similar way to the one Marix had left in her own words, and then the voice went on, “I am Commander Helias. I believe this is the part where we agree to meet and discuss the situation.”    A scowl sat on Marix’s features and an angry, icy tone slipped into her words, “You believe wrong. There is nothing here you and I will discuss. What you will do, however, is to leave those ships immediately.”    “You cannot ex—“    ”I am your Empress, Helias,” Marix snapped back, “I can expect whatever I want and I will get it. This is not your Empire to defend and you are putting billions of lives on the line because of your own arrogance!”    “Arrogance?!” the Commander’s voice hit a note that Marix’s hadn’t heard in a long time. It was one that most humans reverted to when they were completely shocked. Quietly, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder what this woman’s face was twisting itself into, “Where were you, our Empress, when they took our planets and killed our people?!”    And that was it. Marix had had enough. Her hand firmly on the comm switch, to the point where it might actually be hurting Loki slightly, she growled, “Your Empress was defending this Empire from a fleet of enemies like you have never seen! Your Empress was fighting to protect all of you from the greater threat, not squabbling over a couple of border planets with barely any life on them in the first place!” her voice lowered a moment, and then she decided to add in one last thing, “And your Emperor...my mate...sacrificed his life to protect us all. Not just for you, or your people, or his people...for the entire Empire. And he did.”    Her hand left the comm switch, and there was a great deal of control being used to keep her hand from shaking with rage.    Two minutes passed, and no response came.    This was long enough for Marix to have gone through some old calming techniques to bring herself back to a much safer level rather than one where she was ready to find this ‘Commander Helias’ and tear her throat out. Softly, she hit the comm switch again, speaking in a voice that was so different from the one before that it would likely have a great effect on anyone listening, “This is the last time I will say this. Leave your ships and go to the planet. Go back to your families and your friends. It is not your job to protect this Empire, and you should never forget that you are part of it...not a single entity, but one of a whole. The whole will protect itself, not the pieces...” she trailed off a moment, then looked to the Jendari ships, “We will lose no more planets to the Mrrakesh. We will also not be drawn into a war because a select few are angry. Those are two things I can promise you.”    Finally, she let go of the comm switch and fell back into her seat completely. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and mumbled, “Loki, figure out which of those is the lead Jendari ship and get us the hell aboard it.”</blockquote>

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