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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 3632832" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 489: Back and ForthMarix didn’t make it to the interrogation room where the Mrrakesh was being held. As she headed through the corridors of the Jendari starship, not really lost but not knowing exactly where she was, an odd compulsion had taken over and Marix found herself not at the interrogation room, but at the quarters where the twins were. The two Knights were still guarding the door, and when she entered, there was Neasa Blackflame, the Redstar that had been a great deal of help through the years.    And Marix, for some reson, decided not to turn around. She sat down with the twins, who were both elated to see her, and did her best to...play. It was one thing she was never good at, as it helped to understand what, exactly, play was, and that still eluded her, to a point. But there was something about the twins when they were happy and laughing like they were that made the meaning of it all pointless. Where she had once tried to figure out what the point of a little toy was, Marix just found it didn’t matter when they were so happy with something so...simple.    She was currently completely lost as to whatever game the two children were playing, but Marix was sure that it centered around her...literally. Saaran was perched on her shoulder, peering down at Andrea who was curled up and in a position that showed she was ready to pounce. Saaran was laughing and grinning, and then let out a sudden yelp of surprise when Andrea pounced.    But Marix surprised them both, suddenly snatching Andrea out of the air, mid-pounce, “Gotcha!”    Laughing, Saaran leap off of Marix’s shoulder and bound across the room, running to hide behind the bed. Andrea squirmed, laughed, and did her best to escape Marix’s grip. But she couldn’t get free, and thankfully didn’t attempt to use her claws, though Andrea didn’t seem to give up, just finding new ways to try and squirm free.    That was also about the time the door opened. Marix turned to see Navik standing there, his face showing that neutral expression he always used when there was news to be delivered that might not be good. She let out a sigh, then placed Andrea on the ground, who’d gotten the hint that something had changed.    Andrea was a smart one. As Marix got to her feet, she managed a smile for the twins, “I will be back soon.”    “Awwwww...” the sound came from both of them at the same time.    But Marix was intelligent enough to already be heading out the door. She knew they would, somehow, be able to make her feel guilty for leaving them and right now she needed to focus on other things. Which was bad enough.    Once she was in the corridor, Navik said, “The Mrrakesh is dead.”    She had actually expected that, “How?”    “We aren’t sure,” that, too, was expected, “Its nothing we did, though.”    “Did he say anything before he killed himself?” the question was direct and made a bit of an assumption, but Marix knew it was true. It was what anyone in his position would do if captured. Tam’Day’U had the same policy.    Navik started walking, and Marix quickly fell in step with him. As Navik led the way, he shook his head and answered the question, “Nothing useful. He spouted curses, insults, and threats when he would talk, but was mostly silent.”    “The Jendari should have been using the Force, too,” Marix didn’t like that it wasn’t mentioned at all. She knew they wouldn’t torture like the Tam’Day’U used to, but the Jendari should at least know how to do their job.    “I believe they were,” that alleviated some of the worry that Marix knew existed because she wasn’t involved, which still bothered her. Navik then shrugged, “I couldn’t tell you if they learned anything, but I doubt it was much more, if anything.”    Truthfully, that didn’t surprise Marix, either. The Mrrakesh would have been trained to resist the probing in their minds. Or at least, anyone intelligent would have trained them to. But still, attempting it and failing to learn anything was better than not attempting it and possibly missing something.    “So we haven’t learned anything at all then,” she said that more to herself, thinking out loud as her mind ran through other things at the same time.    Navik sighed and nodded, “It seems that way.”    Thoughts that had been worked out came to the forefront now for Marix, “We will learn more soon enough. After the attack on their planet, the Mrrakesh will send a message.”    “They’ll deny the attack was provoked,” Navik said as they came to a door. When he stopped, there was a short delay before it slid upwards to reveal a small room with a few Jendari within.    Marix followed him into the room, seeing the Mrrakesh’s body in a chair off to one side of the room. From the places that blood looked to be seeping out of, he was definitely dead. Looking back to Navik, she finished the thought, “Of course they’ll deny it. But who denies it will tell us who was behind this.”    One of the Jendari, who Marix did not know the name of despite recognizing him as one of their high ranking officials, nodded a plumed head at her comment, cutting in with a soft, but somehow very pointed voice, “Your analyses is correct, my lady. Our communications channels are awaiting any contact...but the ships have not arrived yet.”    “We’ll hear something before the attack is finished,” Marix said, stepping over to inspect the Mrrakesh for herself.    As she looked over his body, trying to decide what, exactly, it was that had killed him, Marix found that her initial rage had calmed. Now it was more a very determined and focused emotion that she didn’t even have a word for. It wasn’t anger and it wasn’t rage. It just...was. She didn’t regret her actions, as the attack on the Mrrakesh world would give them information on who ordered the attack on the Palace. But now, as Marix tried to ignore the shiver that went up her spine at being so close to red-coloured blood(which always bothered her, for some reason), she tried to consider what to do next.    If they went to war, they went to war. Train as many of the Knights in better combat tactics quickly. Recruit amongst the other species of the Empire to form a makeshift army for the sole purpose of defense. Basic tactics. It wouldn’t be offensive, though. The important point would be to prove to the Mrrakesh that the Alraxian Empire would not stand for attacks, and could hold off the Mrrakesh’s supposed power despite being weaker militarily. After enough losses, the Mrrakesh would finally back down and the stalemate would return.    But there was the off chance that it wouldn’t lead to war, and this was the first time Marix had considered that. The Mrrakesh might not respond at all, surprised by a suddenly aggressive action by the usually passive Alraxian Empire. It would not be the first time. Ket’s war on Alraxia should have provoked an outright war with the Mrrakesh, as they had the chance to attack. But they didn’t. They ignored the opening, and, according to the Jendari, a pair of attacks by Ket’s droid army on Mrrakesh planets, and simply stayed where they were. Ket had tried to provoke them and they hadn’t budged. Marix was not trying to provoke them, but still had to wonder what it would mean if the Mrrakesh didn’t respond to the attack that was coming.    “It was a neurological implant that killed him,” the voice was familiar to Marix. She turned around to see the Jendari, Arelin, standing with his hands behind his back in a formal position. Seeing he had her attention, one hand was extended towards the corpse, “He did not commit suicide to protect any information. The implant was designed to detect a certain brainwave pattern when being probed by the Force. We killed him.”    That was even smarter. There was always the chance that an operative wouldn’t want to die. An implant like that assured they wouldn’t divulge information, one way or another. There was likely something similar for if he had talked, literally, though it may very well have been the same device.    Marix nodded, stepping away from the body and giving the Jendari leader her full attention with the question that was plaguing her suddenly, “Arelin, if the Mrrakesh do not respond to this attack...what do you believe that means?”    “It is unlikely, my lady,” Arelin’s voice had that soothing calm to it that all Jendari evoked. He made an interesting motion between his shoulders and the feathers that formed a plume around his head that was more a wave than a shrug, then went on, “If that does occur, however, it would be possible that the Mrrakesh are too busy fighting on their opposite border to fight on two fronts. There is also the possibility that whoever did order this attack has other plans in motion that deem its success unnecessary.”    The first one was what Marix figured was most likely. But even then, could the Mrrakesh just ignore an attack on their own planets when they were supposedly losing ground to the Vong? They needed every planet they could get. Not responding would be the same as Marix not responding to the attack on her children: showing weakness. The one thing the Mrrakesh wouldn’t do was show weakness...not if they could help it.    “Plan for the most likely scenario,” she said in the formal tone that sounded like her mother, which was what Marix always assumed an Empress sounded like when giving orders, “Prepare a message to the Empire addressing the situation and the need for a defense force. Any volunteers should report to Alraxia immediately. Any other kind of assistance will be taken into consideration. And...” Marix paused, not liking what she was about to say, but knowing it had to be done, “Also, we will need to speak with all of the Kanyaks. Find at least some that are willing to be fitted with weaponry.”    There was an uneasy silence within the room. Kanyaks being armed was, essentially, a last resort. They would do it, the entire Empire knew that, but the gesture itself said a great deal. The Kanyaks were peaceful, and the presence of weapons on them actually hurt them most of the time, as they weren’t at all natural and were one thing their bodies couldn’t seem to mimic. It meant that had to be grafted on. The only time that had ever been done was the Darkwing Wars, and even then it was only a handful of Kanyaks.    “Yes, my lady,” Arelin said with a bow of his head, immediately leaving the room and likely heading to the bridge to prepare the message himself.    Marix looked to Navik but said nothing. He nodded for some reason, then put a hand on her shoulder to turn her towards the door, saying quietly, “Come on...I think you need the twins as much as they need you right now. I’ll make sure that anything new gets to you immediately.”    “Thank you, Navik,” when they entered the corridor, they went two different direction. Navik, following Arelin towards the ship’s bridge to monitor the situation. Marix...back to the small room with her children. It was an odd moment for her, but for some reason, again, she was walking that direction without any desire to be anywhere else.</blockquote>

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