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: 4002687" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 556: A FavourTechnically, anything was possible in the universe. By that logic, almost anything was possible within the galaxy. This was something that everyone knew at a base level, though few beyond the philosophers bothered to put any thought to. But every so often, something popped up that had a way of making everyone that saw it rethink everything they knew about the galaxy.    Just moments ago, Marix had encountered one of those moments.    A ship had exited hyperspace not far from Loki’s position. She had been sitting in the cockpit, checking the ship’s vital systems and glad to see that, for the moment, he was stable...though still unconscious. Due to the fact that Loki was unconscious, there had been no warning from his sensors that a ship had arrived, but Marix saw something against the black through the viewport.    Something red.    Something very red and very large.    Something that was supposed to be very large, but never, ever meant to be a shade of crimson like it was.It was an old, Imperial-class Star Destroyer. And it was not white or grey or silver or even black...it was red. Who in the hell would paint a Star Destroyer red? Who the hell was Corran Horn’s father-in-law?!    Her surprise was forced away when the comm channel opened to confirm the earlier conversation. It didn’t take long, and soon the giant red beast was pulling Loki in via its tractor beam. Marix had made sure to check the landing bay before moving to the hatch, and saw a collection of so many kinds of ships that it looked more like a dump than a hangar...and then there was the large group of figures formed up right in front of where Loki eventually set down.    They looked armed, too.    No surprise...    Marix headed to the hatch, pulling on a pair of simple trousers on the way and then throwing a jacket on, too. Knowing humans the Star Destroyer was going to be cold. She also made sure not to carry a single weapon with her. The last thing she needed to do was get shot at, have to kill someone, and then get thrown off the ship for Loki to drift in space until he died.    When the hatch opened and she stepped out into the Star Destroyer’s hangar, no blasters were aimed at her, though they were obviously at the ready. The security detail had no uniforms, but simply wore normal looking clothes. They were smugglers and mercenaries. All of them. But Marix had figured that by the mention of Max...no one else would know, or care, about that name. Especially in relation to ‘Alrax.’    And there, just a couple of meters away from her, were two men. One was just slightly shorter than the other, and he had brown hair and a simple goatee. He wore clothes very reminiscent of Jedi robes, though much more practical...that man would be Corran Horn, though Marix couldn’t help but wonder why there was no lightsaber at his belt. Even if he felt like a disgraced Jedi, it seemed stupid to abandon the weapon.    But it was the other man that surprised her, because she realized who he was immediately. Heavyset, dark hair, and a critical look on his older features only amplified by the way he folded his arms across a large chest. He was Booster Terrik, and that explained everything. She’d met him once, shortly, doing a job with Max. It was a passing meeting, but apparently Terrik remembered. To get as far as he did in the underworld of the galaxy, he had to be able to remember seemingly small things. Hell, the man had a Star Destroyer...a red one.    “Bit taller than I remember,” Booster’s voice was gruff but there was the hint of a smile somewhere in there.    Marix tilted her head slightly so she wasn’t looking completely down at him and instead at more of an angle that almost had them seeing eye-to-eye, “You haven’t changed a bit.”    She had a good memory, too.    And then, in one silent moment, the tension faded. Booster took a few steps closer then looked past Marix to Loki. He looked over the ship from where he stood, then said out of the corner of his mouth, “Don’t you boys have work to do?”    At that point, the so-called ‘armed guards’ headed their own ways, holstering blasters as they left. So that had just been a precaution. Booster was smart...    “Never seen a ship like this, Alrax,” he was speaking at Loki, walking towards the Kanyak’s aft section which was significantly damaged. The hull was exposed...in Loki’s case, it was like having his external layer of skin missing and just letting his insides open up to the air...or vacuum. And that was just what could be seen. Marix wasn’t ready to turn her back on Horn or Terrik and check the ship’s underside.    Marix turned her head to watch Booster carefully, but didn’t move from where she stood, “Does that mean I can’t have help getting Loki fixed up?”    Booster stopped right next to one of Loki’s two sublight drives, reaching over and putting a hand on the Kanyak’s hull, “You’ll get what you need if you can tell me what it is. But that’s your one, and its only because of Max. I owed him a favour and he was killed before he could call it in. But seeing as I know you didn’t kill him and you were the only partner he ran with that he ever trusted, you get the favour and this is it.”    The man sure had a sense of honour about him.    But what did Marix need?    She needed tools she didn’t have...tools that Booster probably didn’t have, either. But what else could be used? They could improvise with some basic hull plating. It wouldn’t be pretty, but Loki had guns grafted to him at this point...Marix had no problem using more metal to keep her friend alive, especially when it would be temporary. But still, what could really help?    Turning around, Marix looked straight to Corran, who was watching her carefully, and asked, “Can you heal?”    Understanding that question, Corran’s response was not one she wanted to hear, “I’m not a healer, if that’s what you mean.”    “Neither am I, but that’s not what I asked,” she pointed to Loki, “If I needed you to use the Force and heal a living being, could you do it?”    That got some attention.    “This thing’s alive?” from behind her, Booster made a grunt of surprise. From the sound of it, he also took a couple of steps back.    Marix knew the worry, so she quickly went to remedying it, “He’s not Vong or anything you know. Don’t ask, either, because you won’t get an answer. The important thing is that he would help you if you needed it, and right now he needs your help,” she turned around to look back to Booster, “This favour, its not for me. Its for Loki.”    Raising his hands in defense, as Marix’s voice had become very deadly in that moment, Booster said casually, “It was a question, I didn’t say I’d toss ya out. You do what you need and take that son-in-law of mine to help you so he stops sittin’ over my shoulder every second like a damned parasite.”    The larger man then turned around and headed for a turbolift, grumbling something about his daughter’s taste in men while he left. Marix turned back to Corran again, one eyebrow up but instead of commenting on what Booster had said, went a completely different direction, “You don’t trust me.”    “I don’t know you,” Corran answered immediately.    “We have met before,” Marix commented, trying to find a way to ease the tension so they could get to helping Loki, “I was on Ithor.”    “I didn’t see you,” the same tone as before. This man was definitely still a CorSec officer at heart. He wasn’t letting anything out.    Marix let out a sigh to show she was getting tired of this, “I was in the back trying to keep my mate from screaming at you all and my son from joining you. Not that I succeeded on the latter, it seems...”    The last sentence had just been a rather random thought spoken out loud. But it had an impression. Finally, Corran’s face changed slightly, and she could see a concern there, as well as feel it through the Force, “Your son is a Jedi?”    “Not yet,” she shook her head, trying to keep patient as it looked like Corran was finally going to believe her and then would actually help, “Last I checked, he’s still in training and if he knows what’s good for him he’s on Yavin IV.”    Corran shook his head, “I truly hope he is not. Just after we received your message Master Skywalker sent his own request. Apparently the Vong have attacked Yavin and some of students are still trapped there...my son is one of them, also.”    The words were a shock to her, but Marix did not show it at all. Well, there was one slight change, but Corran likely didn’t notice it. Her muscles all tensed, though she didn’t move at all beyond that. Keeping her face emotionless, Marix spoke slowly and carefully, “I expect that Yavin IV is our next destination.”    It wasn’t a question.    “Booster’s not the kind of man to turn down helping family,” Corran nodded back towards the turoblift, despite the fact that the other man was gone, “And these days, he includes the Jedi in that definition. You can bet we’ll be there as fast as this beast can go.”    Then they didn’t have much time. Loki needed to be ready by the time they got to Yavin.    “So are we going to stand here or did you want my help with your friend here?” Corran pointed over Marix’s shoulder to Loki. But when she opened her mouth to respond, he cut her off by motioning for her to lead the way over to the ship, “And should I change into clothes that I don’t mind being covered in...in...whatever it is you’re covered in?”</blockquote>

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