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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 3808608" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 524: Word Choice[That was extremely stupid.]    Marix, who was currently standing in one of the many courtyards that littered the flower-like Palace on Alraxia, glanced over her shoulder to where Loki had set down. It was, technically, a landing pad, but most of the galaxy would have just seen a patch of grass. Of course, it was a patch of grass. In fact, all of the courtyard was. There was no duracrete or even stone, just a healthy looking layer of dark green, Alraxian grass.    Even though Loki had no eyes or ears or a mouth or anything similar, she stared at him as if he did, holding a gaze for a moment that wasn’t really even there. After it faded, Marix turned to look down across the other sections of the Palace below and the many Alraxians that were moving about all over.    [I know.]    Her response was a bit off, her distraction not too hard to read in her voice. Of course, there was also a great deal of annoyance. Marix damn well knew how stupid that had been. It was exactly like something Jyren would have done...and then, when she found him after, she’d strangle him. Except there wasn’t anyone to strangle her or even really yell at her. Loki wouldn’t do anything more than he had already.    Truthfully, most of what had happened had become a blur of movement. Charging the already damaged viewport had the desired effect, opening up the entire bridge to the vacuum of space and literally sending her flying out. Apparently, Loki caught her, as he was getting good at catching floating people now, but Marix didn’t really remember it. She hadn’t lost consciousness, but even in her metal body, the vacuum of space was dampening and dangerous...not to mention the fact that she was spinning and twirling and flying in such a random way that she couldn’t have seen anything anyway.    But it had worked.    Marix knew it would. It was just a short, survivable amount of time exposed to the dangerous nothing of space, with her unique body able to keep the vacuum out for just long enough.    But still...    Loki did what he was best at and quickly cut back into her thoughts. [Why did you do that, anyway?]    She’d spouted orders at him to relay to the Jendari the second she was able to speak again, but there hadn’t been time for questions like the ones he was asking now. Marix had been too busy trying to figure out what to do, while receiving information about the other battles from Mrrakesh that had pushed through the border.    Thankfully, the Jendari ships had proved to be the deterrent that was needed. All of the Mrrakesh ships were either destroyed or pushed back. Even the humans near the border put up a strong fight until the Jendari arrived to help turn the tide. It was what Marix expected would happen, of course, but it wasn’t the immediate success that was the real concern. The concern was what would happen next, especially now that the Jendari had shown at least a part of their hand.    “I really don’t know,” Marix said quietly, finally answering Loki’s question. A few more moments passed, then she realized he hadn’t heard her because he was twenty meters behind her and not at all within hearing range.    So, she tried again, this time using a way that he would be able to hear, and Marix explained to him as clearly as she could. Saying it all made her feel even more crazy.    Voort had been dead for well over a decade, why appear now? Why say things like he did? And how in the name of the Force did he know Jyren’s real name?! He’d been dead before that had happened! At least...two months dead!    [Marix...] Loki had obviously noticed her drifting off after she’d explained what had happened. [Are you absolutely sure Voort said ‘we’?]    That stopped her. Immediately, she ran the events that had barely occurred an hour ago through her head. Yes. He had said ‘we’. Actually, why was that important? If he was dead, of course he’d say ‘we’. It wasn’t like Voort was the only one ever to die. So, for the sake of argument, if one person could exist in an afterlife, whatever form it took, of course others would.    But...    “For the sake of yourself and for Jyren...” Marix repeated the words very slowly and quietly, trying not to look crazy to the Knights around her or the various other Alraxians trying to clean things up. Something about that sentence felt odd. Maybe it was because of the ‘we’ using constantly before. But if...    There was a flash of something through the Force, a familiar feeling of someone nearby. Hope crept into Marix’s mind and she spun around, half-expecting to see Jyren smiling like an idiot at her. Instead, though, she saw the Redstar, Neasa Blackflame, approaching. As always, the Alraxian woman had a calm air about her, belying any worries that might be hidden beneath.     Upon reaching Marix, the Redstar bowed respectfully. But as she stood up, instead of saying whatever it is she was going to say, Marix lashed out and grabbed the woman by the right arm very forcefully. It surprised the smaller Alraxian woman, but worry then took over when Marix looked her in the eyes and asked forcefully, “Did we ever search the Gateway after the battle there?!”    One thing that Marix had always like about this woman from Jyren’s clan was that she was able to keep a cool exterior under pressure. It was impossible to tell when she was shaken up. True to her usual form, Neasa managed to keep a calm look on her face while she tried to work out just where that question had come from. Once the dots were put together, although vaguely, the Redstar ventured a careful attempt at a response, “I believe so, my lady.”    “Don’t start with the formal titles,” Marix grumbled, releasing the other woman’s arm as suddenly as she’d grabbed it and turning around to look out over the horizon again. Over her shoulder, she mumbled, “How well did we check it?”    “I am unsure,” she was careful not to use any formalities now, though a pause in the Redstar’s speech pattern hinted at where one would have gone, “At the time I was with your brother on the Jendari homeworld.”    More to herself than anyone around her, Marix nodded. Yes, but...who would know? Who would know the search? They did one! They found nothing in the wreckage. No sign of anything. Just lots of nothing. The New Republic had, too. They’d found some pilots still alive, some other survivors from that doomed ship, but not Jyren. No one had found anything. And yet...    “Why didn’t he just say me?” still talking to herself, trying to figure it all out, Marix didn’t seem to notice that she was being carefully watch by, of all people, a well trained doctor. This realization began to dawn and quickly, Marix put on her old neutral exterior, forcing the questions away as there was obviously something important.    Turning around to face Neasa again, Marix was suddenly a completely different woman, even her voice sounding more formal and stronger than it had just moments earlier, “You needed something?”    “Ah...yes, my lady,” ever the intelligent woman, Neasa had changed her own tone again to adapt to this change before her, “The Jendari send word that the system is clear and we are safe. They would like to speak with you. All they would tell me is that they have important information to share.”They always had important information. It was the sharing part that was hard to get going. The Jendari would only do something like that if there was a problem, or was soon going to be one.    With an inner sigh that was not even hinted at by her exterior self, Marix nodded and then headed for Loki without another word. Business now. There were important things to deal with. She would have to worry about...about other things later. Later when there was time. Later if there was time.</blockquote>

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