Galaxy at War (IC Mature)

>Shi'Ra. The Shi'Ran Kor home world. One month ago.<

The bunker was filled with machines and technology befitting that of a human science fiction movie of the twenty first century. The only difference was that the Shi'Ran Kor made devices actually worked. Anti-matter storage containers, holo screens, computer consoles not even possible by current human technology. It was all there. Standing before a holographic projection of the human planet Earth was the current head of military intelligence of the Galactic Alliance. Shzerik surveyed the planet with analyzing eyes.

Jyorr stood at the outskirts of the room at attention, waiting for orders. He wasn't sure why he was there, but it must have been something big if he was to be given his assignment by Shzerik himself. The Shi'Ran Kor before him was practically royalty. He was one of the smartest of his race in existence, about to give orders to one of the dumbest. The only reason Jyorr could think of that he would be there was they needed someone they thought they could out-think. They were right in choosing him if that was the case. In human terms, Jyorr was a “super-genius,” but in Shi'Ran Kor society, he may as well have been mentally disabled. He was treated as if he was. He had a knack for combat and special operations, and that was how he earned his rank, but he was no strategist like the rest of his kin. There were Torgons that could out think him.

Jyorr waited until he was given notice by Shzerik. “Earth.” It was all Shzerik said, but his body and scent read as a question. He may as well have asked “What do you know about Earth Jyorr?”

Jyorr didn't know much about it in truth. He only knew that it was overpopulated and the human home world. “Little, sir.” He made sure to portray the deserved respect in his pheromones, and assumed a slight change in posture that meant he wished to learn. Most other races wouldn't have even noticed the change.

Shzerik reached forward as the nerves in his hand began to extend outward and latched into the console. “Your assignment.” There was nothing but serious in the commanding officer's posture and scent. The nerves connected with the port designed to take them, and Earth vanished, replaced by the image of a device. It was a heat generator; the most powerful in the Shi'Ran Kor arsenal. Unlike one of the humans' nuclear devices that generated a powerful explosion capable of decimating the surface of a continent for hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers in all directions, this device took in the particles around it and began creating fusion reactions through an intense gravity generator. If used properly, one could be used to set off multiple chain reactions and even generate a new star with enough matter.

Shortly after the image of the device appeared, the image switched back to Earth, but this time, the image slowly changed and began to turn a glowing sphere of reds, oranges, and yellows. Shzerik didn't have to explain it further. Jyorr's job was to destroy the Earth by turning it into a new star, one capable of possibly being absorbed by the one the humans called Sun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Sydney, Australia. Earth. Two weeks ago.<

The desk was plain oak with simple carvings of a flowering plant with thorns on the stem around the trim. The wooden frame was aglow with candlelight, the only light currently in the room. Atop the desk were some flowers not indigenous to Earth. They had five purple petals that seemed to be covered in fuzz that glistened in the light of the candles. Each of the four flowers in the vase was turned toward a single candle, as if by their own will. In front of the vase was a picture frame of the same design as the desk. The frame held a picture of a female Soukititian. Her body was thin and almost sickly, but her red fur glistened in the light of the day the photograph was taken. Her smile seemed to make her radiant, beautiful despite how thin she was. Her elegant stripes only made her smile seem brighter.

With slow deliberation, a dark blue hand reached from the darkness and caressed the woman's cheek. All Chourik felt was the glass that protected the photo, but here in this room, he felt like he was with her again. His tears had dried up long ago, but that didn't change the fact that he still missed his sister. His relatively short life had led them away from their society, and when they'd finally run into another Soukititian, the bastard had taken Lizira as his mate despite Chourik's attempts to stop him. He'd known she wouldn't be able to handle pregnancy, but she'd tried anyway, saying that her children would be miracles. When she gave birth, successfully, however, she was overcome by grief when she learned that each and every one of the babies had been stillborn. She hadn't allowed anyone to tend to her, and died within days. The Soukititan that impregnated her, Kreyon, left immediately.

Now, more than two years later, Chourik still missed his sister. He had moved on with his life, but still wished she were with him. Either way, she was gone and he needed new candles. He was nearly out, and the ones on her desk were beginning to dwindle in size. Blowing out the candles and moving over to the window, Chourik opened the blinds and light flooded the room as the purple flowers all rotated to face the incoming light.

Returning to the desk Chourik picked up the picture of his sister and placed it in the small pouch on his belt. It was the only thing he had to remember her by, so he kept it with him always. Turning toward the door, Chourik checked to make sure he had his human money and left. He'd been working construction, more doing the heavy lifting and hauling than anything else, as he was the most capable worker there, especially when demolition was needed. It wasn't much, but it kept him alive and in an apartment that, though small, was affordable and quiet.

It didn't take him long to buy what he needed, and as usual, he was the recipient of much staring. He was used to it, however. Most humans still weren't used to intelligent races outside their own, and prejudice would always exist. Ignoring the humans, he started for home. In the alley he used to let himself in, however, he thought he saw something gleam in a nearby abandoned warehouse that was due for demolition the following week. Was someone living there? If someone was Chourik decided that it might be a good idea to let them know they should probably start looking for somewhere else to stay.

He moved to the building and opened the door, letting himself in rather easily. Looking up from the door after shutting it behind him, his breath was taken away. It was a small ship, suitable for one, maybe two occupants. It was sleek and thin, and it looked almost brand new. On the side of the ship was the insignia of the Galactic Alliance. Chourik instantly became alert at seeing that. The tensions between the Galactic Alliance and the humans had been tense ever since humans had made their first appearance in interstellar politics. At the moment, tensions were on the brink of war. Perhaps the Alliance was getting ready to start one.

Sticking to the shadows, Chourik moved through the warehouse, looking for anything suspicious. It wasn't long before he heard the soft clicking of some sort of machine being put together. Attempting to stay hidden, Chourik peered around the corner the sound was coming from to see a black Shi'Ran Kor arming some sort of strange bomb-looking device. It was about as big as a man. Suddenly all Chourik could think of was to get out of there. Turning around, he let his tail release his waist and fall behind him as he broke into a run. He headed straight for the ship. If that was a bomb, and he was pretty sure it was, that ship would be the only safe escape route. Well, the term “safe” was relative in this situation, but in Chourik's mind, it was the only sensible action. At least he still had his sister's picture.

He entered the ship, closing the airlock behind him with a light hissing noise. Acting rather than thinking, he immediately went to the cargo-hold of the ship. He waited there until he heard the airlock open and the Shi'Ran Kor enter the vessel. The Shi'Ran Kor, from Chourik's perspective in hiding underneath cargo-sheets, seemed somehow different than most of his race. He was taller and moved with less precision, but with the same amount of grace than the average member of the race. Upon narrowing his eyes to get a better look, Chourik realized that the man wasn't taller, but didn't have a slouch in his shoulders. Was he a genetic mistake like Chourik? That didn't matter now.

Relief washed over Chourik as the Shi'Ran Kor exited the room headed for what Chourik guessed was the bridge. Crawling out from beneath the sheets, Chourik sat against the wall and sighed deeply, wondering what he'd gotten himself into as the ship powered on and he felt it rise into the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jyorr hesitantly synced with K-759. The ship's sensors suddenly became his as the AI navigation system invaded his mind. Before he could think, the feminine voice pierced his thoughts T-minus three minutes, fifty seven seconds until detonation. Jyorr acknowledged the system and initiated takeoff procedures. He was barely out of the atmosphere when the surface of Australia exploded with the force of ten nuclear detonations. The rest of the planet quickly followed. Jyorr gritted his teeth at the destruction of the planet and its denizens. He didn't like being responsible for the end of so many innocent lives, but he had to follow orders.

The higher ups knew his tendencies. He'd been sent on this assignment for his ability to get the job done and follow orders, and also because they knew he'd resign afterwards, not wanting to risk doing anything like this again. It was bad for their reputation to have him in the military, even special ops. They may have been several times smarter than him, but in his mind they lacked common sense. He wasn't incapable, he'd proven that. They just didn't want to acknowledge that a Shi'Ran Kor that was “mentally challenged,” as they put it, in their precious organization.

K-759 broke into his thoughts abruptly. Life signs detected in cargo area.

He sighed. “I know. It's just a Soukititian. Leave him be. It's understandable he doesn't want to die.”

As you wish, Sir Jyorr. Where to?

“For the last time, stop calling me that. If I have to I'll hack into your memory banks and remove the word Sir myself.” He grinned as he felt her fear at his biting retort. “Back to base. But plot a stop for us to let the Soukititian off. No need to kill him. No one will believe he's the sole survivor of earth, and that he knows who did it. The rumors will be there anyway.”

As you wish Si... er... Jyorr.

“Alright, let's get going. I'll be in my cabin. You can use the speakers there if we run into trouble.”

Understood Jyorr.

He disconnected his nerves, shivered slightly at the sensation, and moved to his room on the ship before laying down and closing his eyes. “... Damned politicians...” He was asleep in minutes.

Sammy twinkle toed around a bulky, large space ship that was affiliated with transportation from planet to planet.
It was like being on an' airship that would only get you to and fro on your own planet, except this was on a bigger scale.
Sammy had a job as a flight attendant and of course she had to wear a uniform that was a little revealing and uncomfortable.
Instead of chairs or seating, the passengers would sleep in pods that lined the walls and an' automatic waking system would get them up and ready before reaching their destination.
During flight time, the passenger room had zero gravity so the flight attendants, Sammy, could move up or down with ease to make sure that the passengers are safe.
When boarding on or off the ship, the room will restore gravity.
Sammy was in the cockpit behind the pilot and co-pilot. Rooms like the Cockpit and storage always held gravity.

Being in the uncomfortable outfit it was obvious why they hired Sammy, though she didn't really like that fact, it pays rent..
"Oh, Drumsticks.." The pilot called her drumsticks.
"..oye..?" Sammy lifted her back off the wall.
"could you get me some more of that white cream stuff?" The pilot wasn't human, he was just an extra terrestrial jerk.
"... I think it's called Ice cream.." Sammy said, rather dully and bored out of her mind.
"chop chop"
With a sigh she exited the cockpit to an' air lock and to weightlessly float across the passenger room. On her way there she passed one of her co-workers. She had on the same outfit she did and was checking up on the passengers. They meet each others glances. In an' instant their tired, weary smiles said : " Yeah, I know your bored too"

It takes a minute or two to reach the airlock that lead to the cargo and storage rooms.
The cargo room probably being the biggest room of the whole ship.
The luggage for each passenger had a certain number and select space for it, enclosed much like the passengers. It had an' air tight seal, so food wouldn't spoil.
Sammy let out a cry and ruffled her own hair... SO boring.
"So the ice cream?" Sammy turned around to see the Pilot standing behind her. In a rush of embarrassment her cheeks turned red. She had been standing in the cargo room for got knows how long.
"Oh! .. jeese.. Im sorry..!" She flailed her hands and bounced around lightly like a cheerleader finding out she was pregnant.
"you know what, it's alright I want some of the pink stuff."
"Uh.."Sammy was confused, turning around quickly again and almost rushing into the storage room as if the pilot was holding her at gun point to get some ice cream.

She opened the storage room and looked through what they had, but she couldn't find anything that he could possibly call pink stuff.
"Pink stuff? What a-.."
The pilot shut the door behind him, advancing to Sammy.
"It's right here"
Sammy then felt two hands on her hips.

We have lost ground pressure.
And before you know it, the pilot was suddenly sent across the room and through the door and into the airlock door, where he stopped.
The other flight attendant was inside the cargo room as the pilots body nearly missed her.
She shrieked as did Sammy when he flew.
Quietly they looked at each other, Sammy just as stunned as she was.
"..C- .. Can I get fired for this..? " Sammy said as she crept through the broken door she created and looked at the bloody mess that was the pilot.

"Try the com again!" Ruby Silvers, famed adventurer, shouted from her spot at the weapons console.

"It's no use. I can't reach him," the girl manning the communications shouted back.

"Dammit Kitty, can't you, I don't know, reverse the polarity or something? If we can't get ahold of him in time..."

"I know, I know! I'm trying everything I can!"

"...guys....there?" The signal was weak but definitely the guy they were trying to contact.

"Shadow!" Kitty exclaimed. "Yes, we're here!" She fiddled with the instruments, trying to increase the signal's strength.

"...can....hear.... done... You hear...I'm done. You can finish it!"

"That's all I needed to hear," Ruby smirked, pressing a sequence of buttons. A pair of missiles fired from the Moon Runner and headed towards the other ship. Ruby and Kitty held their breath as they waited to see if they'd hit.

BOOM! The other ship exploded! And the audience cheered as the latest Ruby Silvers holo came to a close. As they exited the theater into the Spica-4 atmosphere, a few of them wondered what exactly their favorite heroine was doing at that moment. They probably would be less then impressed if they actually knew.

=====

"If you're finally ready, sir, maybe we could actually get going."

Ruby's sarcastic drawl was waved off by the man it was directed to as he carefully secured his equipment in the Moon Runner's cargo bay. "Oh, yes. Let's hurry up and ignore making sure this very important and very expensive equipment is safe. How about instead you find some patience if you don't want to have to make another trip to replace it."

Ruby made a face, but didn't push him. As much as she'd like to punch the bastard, the government was writing a nice check to make sure he got to the Scorpio system alright. So instead she went into the cabin to check in on her other passenger. "Hey, uh, Hera. You doin' alright?"

The robot known as Hera looked over from her seat upon being addressed. "Oh, hiya Miss Silvers. I'm doing great. Have you ever been to the Scorpio system before? I heard there's some aliens there. Do you think we'll see any? That'd be cool I think."

"Trust me. You do not wanna run into any of those aliens."

Before Hera could ask a lengthy question about why, her creator Bryce Sheppard had finished his preparations and made his way into the cabin. "Alright, we can go now," he stated, crossing his arms as if he expected the ship to suddenly move now that he was ready.

Ruby again had to stop herself from doing something that would endanger her payment and began prepping for lift-off. Even with FTL, it was gonna be a long flight.

Jack wiped the sweat from his brow and blinked hard a few times at the exposed innards of the machine before him. He was no mechanic, but he knew his way around a hyper-speed capable, warp force engine enough to make minor fixes. For some reason the main engine of The Comet Cruiser had shut down and the regular mechanic was in deep discussion with the captain of the ship and their communications man.

Before Jack had left the room, he overheard them mention something about a completely lost transmission to Earth. It was a big deal because it had never happened before.

He dug his wrench deeper into the motor, feeling around for a bolt, but the wrench was barely to big. His tail brought another, slightly smaller wrench over his shoulder and dropped it into his hand.

Just as the wrench hooked the bolt and he began to turn, the regular mechanic entered the engine room with an unhappy look on his face. This wasn't good for the two of them since they didn't get along very well to begin with. Jack decided he'd try to keep things friendly. "I'm sorry Derek, but I can't figure out what's wrong with this thing. Everything looks like its in perfect working condition."

The mechanic, Derek, scoffed and walked to Jack's side. "Obviously not Jack, or we'd be moving right now. Move out of the way and let someone who knows what they are doing get in there." Jack's upper lip twitched, but he took a deep breath and stepped away from the engine. Drawn up to full height, Jack easily towered over Derek, but he knew violence wouldn't fly. A few moments passed and Derek leaned out of the engine shaking his head and laughing. "Well that was easy. You really are an idiot." He flicked on a switch after replacing the engine cover and it roared back into life. "As long as you had been down here, I was beginning to think it might be a real problem. Should of known with you."

Jack gritted his teeth and turned to walk out the door. Derek called after him. "Yeah, yeah. Run on back to your little room, thinking up knew ways you can savagely kill our enemies...ya dirty half-breed."

From outside the engine room, a small clatter could be heard, a sound of metal on metal, then Derek's screams. "NO!..What are you doing?!...NO!!!" There was a loud CRASH and the door to the engine room flew off its hinges, Derek's body being the projectile that caused the damage. He was now lying limp on the floor. Jack emerged from the room looking angry, but a little worried.

The captain stared, upset and a bit confused at Jack. He wiped his face with his hands. "I'm sorry Jack, you're the best soldier I've ever seen, but we have to take you off of this ship. You're to much of a liability now." Jack stood up from his seat quickly. "But Captain...It was Derek. He pushed me too far. He's....he's a fuckin' prick." The captain laughed a little, but it faded quickly. "I'm sorry. There isn't anything I can do. I know Derek can be a little, difficult, at times. But you caused the damage, not him. You're being reassigned."

"To what ship?"

The captain stared at him for a moment. "The Moon Runner, under Captain Ruby Silvers."

>Dream state.<

Lizira, beautiful hair the color of deep sapphire swaying gently in the breeze, looked back at him a smile lighting up her features. The they were in meadow was filled with wildflowers of all kinds. He could tell she truly felt at home there, sitting in the grass surrounded by nature's beauty. Her frail arms extended to her sides, fingers caressing the petals of the nearby flowers, feeling their soft beauty as her eyes swept the landscape, marveling at the glorious collaboration of color. It was there in the meadow that Lizira was truly happy.

He reached for her and gently caressed her cheek and she smiled an affectionate, sisterly smile at him. Her expression changed to a sad, contemplative gaze as he lowered his hand. “Why can't life with our kind be more like it is here, brother?”

Chourik let his gaze wander as he inwardly searched for an answer. Absently picking a flower, a purple one, his mind touched his memories. Ridicule, segregation, contempt, fear, hatred. These were all things that they both knew, growing up the way they had. He looked back up at his sister and in her saw the love, kindness, caring, and gentle persona that he believed all people should share. In reality it shocked him, how she could live in a universe so full of hate and pain, yet be so cheerful and loving.

She smiled lightly at him as she awaited his response. Smiling back at her, he outstretched his own arm and placed the purple, furred flower in her hair. “Unlike you, sister, there are many who do not see what is good in life, try as they might.”

Lizira frowned at his answer and sighed deeply. She didn't always like the answers he gave her, he knew that. But one think he prided himself on with her was he always spoke what he believed to be the truth. She knew that, and perhaps because of it, she was never afraid to share herself with him. She had certainty in his honesty. Reaching up to her ear, her fingers gently grazed the purple fuzz that hung there, a gentle smile returning to her features. “Then we should show them how. If they can't find it for themselves.” She smiled at him as the memory slowly faded away.

>Commercial Flight. Passenger bay<

Chourik awoke with a start as the sound of a breaking metal and glass pierced his eardrums. Quickly remembering where he was, his senses had already pinpointed where the sound had come from. Behind him, in the cargo bay, something had happened. Unbuckling his safety harness, he quickly propelled himself towards the cargo area and entered the room to view the scene of what appeared to be a pilot bleeding where he lay after appearing to have been thrown through a door. Chourik stopped to examine him briefly. He had several small cuts and bruising all over his body, but nothing seemed lethal. He might be in pain for a few days, but he'd live.

Chourik glanced up at two completely stunned flight attendants. They were still in shock of what had happened, but one of them looked to have panic in her eyes. When she regained her composure Chourik didn't know what would happen. He looked up at her as he stood to his full height, his tail still wrapped around his waste. “Don't panic. Okay?... What happened?” He was concerned for several things. The pilot was unconscious, and he wasn't sure how the co-pilot would fare. On top of that, a panicking Soukitin could be bad in any situation. Then there was what had caused the situation in the first place. It could be any number of things from a dangerous stow-away, to a conflict with the pilot gone wrong. Either way knowing what had happened would help him make a decision on what to do next.

>Space.<

Jyorr slammed his fist on the console of his ship, the sleek stainless steel bending inward from the force of the blow.

Ow. K-759 sounded in his mind in a monotone.

In spite of himself, Jyorr released a small chuckle. “You didn't feel that.”

Your are upset. I was trying to help by “lightening the mood.”

He sighed heavily. “Yeah... I know, but you trying to make me feel better doesn't bring the Navigation system back up.” He lightly clasped his free hand around his muzzle and proceeded to let his arm drop to his side.. “Diagnostic?”

There was a short silence, then It seems some of the wiring overloaded from running so long. The cooling unit stopped working. That should be a simple fix, something appears to simply be jammed in the one of the small parts, but I'll need a new processing unit before the navigation system can be functional again.

Jyorr sighed again. “Great. Well... not much we can do now?” He glanced over the functioning displays. “Can you get a reading of any ships nearby that might be able to help us out?”

There was another pause. When K-759 spoke again, she seemed hesitant. There is one... but you may not want to contact them.

“Let me guess... Humans, the people who's planet we just destroyed?”

Affirmative, though to be more precise, the ship's ID number is 53-7291-4680. Known more commonly as the Moon Runner, under the ship captain Ruby Silvers. She is a celebrity of her race and some sort of hero, though of what kind is not in my database.

Jyorr sighed once again. “Well... Lets hope she doesn't have an ego like a lot of captains out there... Patch me through.”

Aye, Sir. Patching... There was a few seconds pause as the communications panel lit up and the request to speak with the captain was sent. Jyorr tapped a few buttons composed of the light from the console as he waited. You're through.

He put on a stern face as he turned towards the holo-display. “Hello. Captain Ruby Silvers? This is Jyorr'Kythys of the Galactic Alliance. Ship ID: nine, one, six, seven, five, eight, nine, one, four, three. I request permission to temporarily dock if you have the means to repair my navigations systems. If you don't, I request that you allow me to follow you to your destination so that I may seek repairs there.” He hoped news of Earth hadn't gotten out yet, and that his ship hadn't been spotted if there were any witnesses other than the Soukititian survivor.

Sammy had then looked to see another Soukititian. Fear exploded in her very core at first, but when he had spoken, most of her fears had disappeared.
"uuh, sir your suppose to be asleep.." As Sammy spoke, she took a few steps backward.
She then looked to the other fight attendant.
"Didn't the pilot apply the right kind of sedatives?!"
Of course the flight attendant had no clue.
"Aaugh!" Sammy was seemingly ignoring the 'Titan before her and rushed from the cargo bay and across the passenger room. Flailing her arms around as if she was doing some crazed doggy paddle she reached the cockpit.
"The Pilot is down!" Sammy's heart was pumping, her brain was firing off like electricity.
"What? what happened?" The co-pilot stood from his seat.
"and calm the fuck down drumsticks, what do you think auto-pilot is for?!"
The co-pilot pushed a few buttons before exiting the cockpit and into the passenger room.
"...but.. but! " Sammy was still clinging to signs of panic.
"But if this ship has auto pilot then what the heck are you two for!?"
"Oh yeh that's right." The co-pilot wheeled around and grabbed Sammy by the neck, swinging her around to place her in front of him as he pulled a gun from his uniform and pushed it to her head.
"So if you could let me have at the luggage, that'd be great."
What the crap!? pirates?!

The thought of the nice government check prevented Ruby from decking Bryce despite the man giving her every reason to. Of course, the check came with some other strings, number one being she technically worked for the government, and they could call her in whenever they wanted to.

Like now, for example. After dropping off Bryce and his stupid 'extremely fragile and extremely expensive' junk, she was called in for some job they didn't actually say. Something that involved her docking at a nearby military outpost. Hopefully just some weapons transport. Something that wouldn't take too long. There was a nice carnival at a nearby star system that was famous almost galaxy-wide for it's decadence and Ruby had decided she needed a vacation.

Jack slowly walked down the ramp of the ship onto the dock, being escorted by the two guards still, giving him light shoves from behind to make sure he kept walking. He stood at the foot of the ramp and waited for them to remove his cuffs, then stretched and rubbed his wrists. He looked over his shoulder at the guards. "If we weren't on a base, I'd make you look like the mechanic." He smirked and began walking into the base.

He needed to see his mother before he boarded his new ship. She wrote to him often, asking him to visit the base more. She stayed there, alone, his father being dead for a good while now.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at her room and he knocked lightly, hearing a soft 'come in' a few moments later.

"You want me to do what?" Ruby practically snarled at the officer facing her.

"Take on a new crew member."

"No. No way, I don't need any new crew members. I can run the ship by myself most of the time!"

"You have no choice in the matter. You signed a contract remember?"

Ruby had nothing to say to that, but she did send the guy her dirtiest look before storming out of his office.

"So...you're going on Ruby Silvers ship then? How exciting?!" She set down a cup of tea in front of him and sat on a couch opposite of his chair.

"Well, I suppose, but I'm only going on there because I'm being kicked off of my own ship mom. Which isn't exactly good news. And I don't think I'm going to fit in so well on a celebrity ship. I mean...look at me." He stared back at his mother. She was a beautiful woman. He understood why his dad gave up everything he had to be with her. But she never seemed to understand why he wasn't accepted, even now.

"Oh, minor details. Here, I have something for you. I'm afraid I can't lift it though, its in that box in the corner." She pointed at a long, fat box.

Jack got up an approached it, kneeling down and picking it up. It definitely had some considerable wait to it. He set it down on the table between them and opened it up. It was a large battle hammer. "What is this?"

His mother smiled happily. "It was your fathers. They called them Surge Hammers. They give off a powerful shock that temporarily paralyzes your enemies. At least, that's what your father said. I couldn't ever pick it up, and I had nobody to try it on if I could. But now that you are going on the Moon Runner, you will be facing more dangerous tasks, so I feel it's time you have this."

Jack stood up and shouldered the hammer, it was like it was made for him. He smiled and set it back down, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you mom. I have to get going, but I'll do my best to come visit soon...if the crew doesn't kill me."

She kissed his cheek and gave it a pat. "Stay safe Jack. God forbid if you left me alone in this universe."

Vacation would have to wait even longer now, as Ruby received a simple message from Bryce Sheppard practically ordering her to pick him back up in about two days. Various military personnel were even a bit shocked at her language as she marched down the corridors back towards her ship.

Inside the box was a back harness for the hammer to sit inside and easily be drawn from over the shoulder. He now had the whole contraption on and was carrying his packed duffel bag in his hand while trying to read instructions on where to go to find the Moon Runner.

After a good fifteen minutes of walking up and down the docking bay, he realized he had actually passed the ship three times already. He stared at the ship and sighed. It was impressive, but it wasn't home. He had been on the same ship for so long, it was going to be weird being a part of a new one. He dropped his bag and stood at the base of the ramp, waiting for the captain.

Upon returning to her ship, Ruby's swearing abruptly stopped as she spotted some guy standing in front of it. "You the guy they're forcing me to take?" she asked, her tone rather cold.

He shrugged. "From your point of view, yeah. From mine...I'm the one being forced....ma'am." He picked his bag up waited for her to move onto the ship.

"Just stay out of my way and we'll get along super," she said, opening the main doors and climbing aboard. "I gotta pick up another passenger by the Scorpio system, so for now you can hang out in the back or something." And Ruby then ignored him as she sat behind the familiar controls and started up the engines. The feeling she got as her ship rumbled to life put a smile on her face completely at odds with her earlier mood.

Not too long after they took off, a light on the controls lit up with a small 'ping.' An incoming message. Ruby frowned. What now?

“Hello. Captain Ruby Silvers? This is Jyorr'Kythys of the Galactic Alliance. Ship ID: nine, one, six, seven, five, eight, nine, one, four, three. I request permission to temporarily dock if you have the means to repair my navigations systems. If you don't, I request that you allow me to follow you to your destination so that I may seek repairs there.”

Hm. What the hell. She sent a reply. "Sorry, but I don't think I got what you need, but I'm on my way to Scorpio-4 if you wanna tag along."

>Commercial flight.<

When the first flight attendant looked at Chourik, fear covered her expression. When he asked what happened her fear seemed to dissipate slightly. She became immediately distracted by other things. He guessed that this woman's mind wandered a lot.

"uuh, sir your suppose to be asleep.." She turned to her co-worker. "Didn't the pilot apply the right kind of sedatives?!"

That question was possibly unneeded. Ever since Chourik was born, it took almost double to dose to make him feel the effects of a drug. From his guess, the sedatives still affected him, just not as long as the other passengers. He kept that quiet, however, for the woman rushed passed him, flailing her arms quite comically as she headed towards the cockpit.

He shook his head and turned after her, propelling himself through the ship with a single thrust of his legs. This movement was slow and deliberate, intending to let the woman know he meant no harm and only wanted to help if he could. The problem was, he had next to no medical knowledge, other than what was common sense. At most, he could identify wounds. Treating them was another story.

Reaching the cockpit, Chourik caught himself on the door frame. Peering inside the room, something seemed wrong about the scene before him. The co-pilot had set the controls on auto-pilot and was speaking with the woman.. He would wait his turn, or at least he'd intended to until the co-pilot grabbed her by the throat and thrust her forward, pulling out a gun and putting it to her head.

It was then that Chourik stopped thinking. He felt a snarl rising up in his throat, but quelled it enough that he simply bared his teeth as his tail uncurled from his waist. Crouching down as the gunman asked about luggage, Chourik sprang forward. He grabbed the back of the mans head with his right hand and whirled around in his movement, thrusting the man against the wall. Continuing the movement, his tail came forward as the man brought his gun to bear on Chourik just before his tail slammed into the man's arm, crushing it to his chest. Chourik felt the man's arm and a few ribs break under the force of the blow and the co-pilot dropped his weapon.

Then, more slowly and deliberately, he lifted the man into the air by the throat, his expression emotionless. “Never... threaten a woman like that again in my presence... or next time,” His eyes narrowed as the man struggled against his grip. His voice had almost no tone to it, filling it with a threat all in itself. “I won't go so easy.” At that, he trust the man to the side and sent him tumbling through the air, impacting the pilot's seat in a heap. The disabled gunman groaned as he turned toward the woman concern embracing his features and worry thick in his voice. “Are you alright ma'am?”

>Aboard K-759.<

A return transmission filled Jyorr's console and speakers. The voice was female, and from what he could hear, and what he remembered studying the human voice, she sounded almost uncaring in her response. "Sorry, but I don't think I got what you need, but I'm on my way to Scorpio-4 if you wanna tag along."

He sent a response. “Alright, I'll follow you. Thanks for the help. Just stay close enough that I can see you. Remember I don't have a nav system right now. Thanks again”

With that he opened the thermal shielding across the front of his ship, allowing him to see the stars, as well as the ship he was to follow. “I'll be taking over the controls now K-7”

As you wish, transferring controls.

using his mind to man the controls, rather than his hands he maneuvered his ship to flank his escort. Opening the com, he sent the ship one last message. “Ready when you are Captain Silvers.”

It was expected of a Soukititan to react like that when females of any kind are present, but to spare the offender was something of chivalry.
"you.. didn't kill him..?" Sammy seemed bewildered, usually she was ready for the flesh to scrape off bones, and the splash of hot blood. But not this one.
In some sense she felt a little offended that he did not kill the man instantly. Like a family calling for the death penalty of a murderer who hurt them so deeply, only to have his sentence to be life in prison.
She shook her head, it wasn't important.
"Ah- oh no no im sorry I didn't mean to sound like that..Im not that kind of person! .. really.."
Perhaps unlike most women, Sammy had completely forgotten that the soukititan asked if she was alright.

"you.. didn't kill him..?" The flight attendant sounded surprised and confused, and also slightly offended.

“I don't like death.” It was the only response Chourik gave, though his mind was running rampant with thoughts and memories of destruction and death at the hands of others. Lizira had told him more times than he could count that she despised killing of any kind, and Chourik agreed with her. Death for the sake of killing, no matter what the cause, was the reason their race was dying out. He knew that, but it took a lot for that to sink in for others. Maybe they didn't understand because they hadn't grown up the way he and his sister had. Maybe they just didn't want to see it. Chourik didn't know which, but it bothered him nonetheless.

The woman must have noticed his contemplative expression, because she continued. "Ah- oh no no im sorry I didn't mean to sound like that..Im not that kind of person! .. really.."

Chourik smiled. So it was just what she was used to that she'd made her prior comment. “It's fine.” Before moving to her, and without dropping out of his offensive stance, he moved over to the Soukititan he'd thrown. Approaching cautiously, the first thing Chourik did was pick up the fire-arm. He clicked a small button on the side and the gun discharged its ammo container before he tossed them both aside.

Turning back to the Soukitin, he stepped forward, purposely assuming a non-threatening posture as he did so, and took her right hand in his left and examined it. He re-stated his question as he did so. “Are you hurt?” As he looked her over, he found that she was quite attractive and that, at least externally, she had no injuries he could see. Releasing her hand gently, he looked her in the eyes to see her expression as she answered him, his amber eyes gazing deep into hers, analytical and calm, as he waited patiently for her verbal response. Her eyes, he knew, would tell him more than her words could, however. Even if the voice lied, he knew that the eyes almost never did.

"Uuh!, umm.." She shyly, yet jerked her hand back. Her hands started trembling but it was only because of the stress of the situation.
"Th-thank you sir.. " Sammy sifted through her hair on one side with her hands nervously, awkwardly.
It was then that the ship's AI had sounded an' announcement.
Although it was really only for whoever was in the cockpit, so it was a little hard to hear.
"..oh..Oh! uuhh.." Again Sammy had to freak out a bit before regaining her marbles and move to the cockpit.
Amongst the sea of buttons and lights spread across the control panel, Sammy looked on a screen, which told her that they were going to arrive at their destination soon.

The woman seemed surprised by his touch and jerked back. She was shaking, but it was an obviously stressful situation. First, whatever the pilot had done that warranted the damage caused, then the co-pilot pulling a gun on her. "Th-thank you sir..” She seemed nervous as she ran one of her hands through her hair.

Before Chourik could respond to her thanks, there was a noise from far off and the woman before him was immediately distracted once again. She ran from him again, and he followed, a bit more briskly this time, but making sure not to exceed the known parameters for the average male. With as flustered as the situation was making the woman, showing her that might set her off or something. When he reached the cockpit, he stood upright and once again wrapped his tail around his waist. The Soukitin was standing over the controls, though he didn't know what any of them meant.

“Is something wrong?” It was all he asked, for all the good it would do him, he was getting to the point that he'd almost prefer to stay quiet in front of her, considering how often she'd actually answered his questions.