NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 3788889" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 520: SnappedDescending into Alraxia’s atmosphere was a tactic that could very well have been a sound one. The Mrrakesh were banking on the fact that it was the Alraxian homeworld and they wouldn’t dare shoot down ships so close to the surface, for fear of damaging their beloved homeworld. There was a reason Alraxia had been kept so very secret for thousands of years. So, logically, it was the perfect shield.    And, to a point, it was a very sound plan. Even despite the anger clouding at least some of her judgement, Marix wasn’t about to risk Alraxia. Of course, they weren’t over the surface yet...and there was at least a few more minutes to take the two other Mrrakesh cruisers out without damaging the planet’s surface. Marix didn’t want to consider what she would do if they did get far enough down that the debris would damage the surface, as she would likely still have to destroy them and then deal with the consequences of that later. Compared to two fully loaded Mrrakesh cruisers on the ground in tact, it was a preferable to have them in pieces...but still...    Immediately after speaking with Hermes, she had gone about the task of figuring out the command consoles. The first thing she searched for was a way to seal off the bridge. The Mrrakesh wouldn’t expect their commander to have fallen, but if there wasn’t an appearance by him soon, they’d have a look. Thankfully, though, the door seals were right where most sensible people installed them...next to the door.    It had taken only a short time for her to decipher the various symbols on the panel that was twice the size of her hand. Shortly after, there was a loud clunk to her side and the door was sealed from the inside. She truly did love using those kind of security measures against the exact people they were supposed to protect.    The next task was accompanied by muffled growls and banging on the door as the Mrrakesh tried to break in, realizing something was wrong. But that was easily ignored, as the bulkhead would have been designed against Mrrakesh strength. It wasn’t as if there weren’t internal struggles amongst the Mrrakesh Combine. Marix wouldn’t have to think about that door for a while, at least, and by the time that came around...she’d be done.    It was also relatively easy to find the sensor display, which was Marix’s next task. It showed her exactly what she wanted to see: the Jendari ships were in firing range, coming around in a move to literally cut off the two advancing Mrrakesh cruisers. Looking out the viewport, Marix could see the thrusters of both of the other ships in ahead.    In another moment, blue bolts of energy could be seen streaking past the ships. The Jendari were firing already. Even better. Marix quickly went about finding the cruiser’s weapon systems, and after a short search, found the correct console. It took some time to actually aim the forward batteries, but when she’d gotten the feel of them, Marix simply targeted the nearest of the two other Mrrakesh ships and let loose a volley of green fire.    The rear shields of that ship must have already been weakened, as there was a sudden, blinding, white flash before the entire cruiser broke apart. Punching through the shields then detonating the engines which took the rest of the ship with it. Perfect.     But as she was aiming for the second Mrrakesh cruiser, Marix ran into a slightly problem. The commander of that vessel seemed to be aware enough to have figured out what had just happened, and was beginning to pull his ship around to port and bring most of its batteries to bear on Marix’s commandeered ship. The movement of the ship, despite making it a very large target, threw Marix off and made it that much more difficult to aim the single battery that Marix had under her control.    She fired anyway, almost blindly, hoping something would hit. At least one blast did get through the cruiser’s shields, but did very little damage to its thick hull. And it was returning fire now, a huge barrage of green shooting at Marix’s cruiser. Most missed, thanks to the smaller target, but enough hit to cause the entire ship to jolt violently and for alarms to start screaming. Unsure of how to turn them off, she just ignored them and continued firing while her ship continued its forward course, moving it to just ram th thing if she had to.    And then a volley of blue energy blasts impacted the topside of the Mrrakesh cruiser, pelting the shields and causing minor damage...but also presenting a second target. Turrets began to shift to aim towards the Jendari ship and return fire, but unlike the Mrrakesh cruisers, the Jendari ships were fast. It was diving down from above, cutting like a knife in between the cruiser and Alraxia below, firing all the while.    Then, suddenly, flames erupted from the far side of the Mrrakesh ship, and in a matter of seconds the entire ship broke apart in flames. The debris and dying flames made it difficult to see, but Marix watched two of the Jendari ships cross paths in opposite directions. They were good...    Her focus shifting again, Marix turned to her right to the pilot’s console, immediately cutting the thrusters and trying to bring the ship into a stable orbit rather than the somewhat steep descent into Alraxia’ atmosphere. That, alone, took more time than she’d have liked, as the door was starting to make some odd sounds behind her...they were getting through.    But, reminding herself why she wasn’t a pilot, Marix still managed to right the ship and slow it down. With that done, she turned to the sealed door, which was glowing a very slight red near its center. Cutting tools. There definitely wasn’t much more time. Loki should be coming in to dock again, and knowing him, he’d complain the entire time.    So she’d have to get through the Mrrakesh and get all the way back down again. Of course, there was a way beyond simply fighting through it. She could sabotage the environmental controls and simply send all the Mrrakesh out into space...or at least leave them to die. But then getting to the docking tube would be...interesting. Marix could do it, though. Certain species could live in a vacuum for short periods of time.    “Marix.”    It was a voice behind her. It was a voice she knew immediately...and it wasn’t the Mrrakesh.    Her blood ran cold at that sound, not from fear, but from shock. She’d never forget that voice. But she hadn’t heard it in...over a decade. And it was one that Marix had never, ever expected to hear again.    Suddenly, the Mrrakesh breaking through the bulkhead didn’t matter anymore. She was going crazy. Finally, she’d lost it. Marix was sure of that now. Completely sure of it. There was no other explanation. She’d cracked...that was it...    “Marix,” the voice was calm, friendly, and had a slight hint of a Coruscanti accent to it, “Marix, look at me.”    She didn’t turn around. Instead, Marix’s eyes continued to stare intently forward. Despite this, she spoke loudly enough that anyone, or anything, behind her could hear clearly, “There is nothing for me to look at. You are not there.”    “Marix...” always saying her name, “You are close to crossing a line, Marix. I don’t want to see you do that. None of us do.”    It was more than the voice. There was a feeling in the Force itself that was getting under her skin worse than the all-too-familiar voice that should not have been behind her or anywhere near her! Gritting her teeth, Marix stared intently forward at the pieces of the door that were beginning to crumble. That was where she had to focus.    The Mrrakesh.    They would come in already prepared to fight...and not one at a time. She would be overwhelmed. She would have to fight all of them at once...the entire bridge crew. And Marix would do it and she would win. She would kill every single one of them. Every one of those damned Mrrakesh were going to die for what they’d done and were trying to do again.    No one...no one threatened her children.    “You cannot do this, Marix,” the voice was still there, echoing off the walls as if it were real despite the fact that Marix knew it couldn’t be. Knew it wasn’t... “Look at me, Marix. Look at me and tell me you have no choice. Turn around and say that to me and I will go away.”    Something in that voice, in the tones it was using, in the way the Force flowed with the words...something in that finally caused Marix to do something very rare for her: she snapped.    “You are dead!” Marix screamed at the top of her lungs, spinning around and extending a finger to point accusingly at the source of the voice, “You have been dead and you will remain dead! You are not there! Whoever you are...whatever you are, get out of my head!!”    The stoic human showed no change in posture as Marix assumed a combative posture. But no, it wasn’t a human. Humans weren’t see-through and slightly blue in colour. Marix didn’t need to see him to know who it was. The voice was enough...but something in the way stood, that damned military stance of pure calm despite the fact that she could tear him limb from limb! Something about that made it even worse!    And then, still perfectly calm, the ‘human’ said, “We don’t want to see you do this. We know you are better than this, Marix...stronger than this. We’ve seen it with our own eyes.”    “You are dead!” she yelled at the figure again, as if repeating the words might have some affect. It didn’t, and that made Marix even more furious. Her voice began to shake as words escaped her that barely even made sense to her, “Where were you years ago?! Where were you when Jen died?! When Jyren died! Where were you?!”    For a very long moment, all that could be heard was Marix’s heavy breathing and the grinding against the door behind her. Then, very slowly but in his perfectly calm, reasoned voice, Titus Voort said, “Tell me you don’t have a choice but to slaughter them all.”</blockquote>

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