Sky couldn’t take her gaze off of the small-framed woman in front of Kirrik. Something about her fiery demeanor and striking hazel eyes rang a bell of familiarity in the back of Sky’s mind. She wondered if she had seen her before in the Atometry or, given her mechanic nature, when she sold her fighter after she first left Millik. Either way, she was captivated.111Please respect copyright.PENANAyBcBSPyrKB
An old Terric appeared at the door and yelled towards the group. She overheard the woman’s name: Nox. She ran it through her memory but still didn’t come up with any matches. It was certainly a mystery, but one Sky was more than eager to solve.111Please respect copyright.PENANA71iuuknluX
The Terric made his way closer to the group and Nox changed direction, facing Sky for the first time. Nox froze, her lips slightly parted as if taking a breath. Sky studied her face intently, making note of every line and curve. Nox blushed and hurriedly turned away.111Please respect copyright.PENANAy5ijfUr5UI
‘She’s shy,’ Sky noted. ‘I can work with that.’111Please respect copyright.PENANA1u0k7ICCER
The Terric stamped a long metal rod into the ground as he walked up to Kirrik. Nox moved to his side. Sky watched them both intently and saw Nox sneak another glance her way. Sky gave her a bright smile and the mechanic blushed again as she looked down.111Please respect copyright.PENANA0dyJbIPvZA
“You’ve been gone a while, my boy,” Bugu told Kirrik. He pointed his rod toward the Nova. “That ship of yours has seen better days, too.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAhgSfjKJMLs
Sky thought the Terric was cute, in an odd sense. He was half their size and a ball of matted white fur with eyes that took up most of his otherwise featureless face. His antennae drooped more than most Terrics she had seen before. Sky fought her urge to run over and hug him.111Please respect copyright.PENANASRruaLAEnC
“I’ve never seen a Terric with a Human son,” Sky heard Zaius whisper to Diah. “That’s definitely a new one.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAxCI9Wk3PUm
Diah let out a soft laugh and poked Zaius in the side with her elbow. Sky’s attention shifted to them. Something had obviously happened between the two since she last saw them. They were much friendlier. No, definitely more than friends. Sky tried to think of when this major development had occurred. Everything had become a blur since she took Imi’s chip and got lost within the endless amount of data and plans. Still, she couldn’t help but be happy for them. Diah seemed like a genuinely good person, and Zaius had become a lot more engaged since she came into their lives. It was nice to have the two of them around and not feel like she was alone anymore.111Please respect copyright.PENANAft7SSVPRiF
Sky wondered how long she could stay in the picture without being too much of a nuisance, however. Her gaze turned back to Nox, who was angrily spouting something at Kirrik again. It was time for Sky to start forging her own path.111Please respect copyright.PENANAvQxXgU0HSt
###111Please respect copyright.PENANArAshKoUOA5
“And that’s not something he’s able to do,” Nox yelled at Kirrik. “Bugu can barely move around, much less crawl into the spaces necessary to fix that junk heap. You either let me fix it or get it out of here.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAoJxPwNO8yi
Kirrik felt himself getting angrier by the second.111Please respect copyright.PENANAdLvFGbCfDV
“I don’t want you within a hundred feet of that ship,” He responded. “You clearly don’t appreciate the fine craftsmanship that went into her creation, nor do you understand how much of a delicate process repairing her is!”111Please respect copyright.PENANASv7vo4PFL5
“Why do you keep calling it a her?” Nox questioned loudly. “It’s a ship, you jackwagon!”111Please respect copyright.PENANALfn1YtpfHY
“Thank you!” Imi said from Kirrik’s side with her hands in the air.111Please respect copyright.PENANAzYOQUaxUmQ
Kirrik let out a groan of frustration. Their conversation was going nowhere. He knew Bugu was the only one capable of appreciating and fixing the Nova, as he had many times before. In fact, only Bugu knew how much the ship really meant to him. There was no other option.111Please respect copyright.PENANAlrmgf6uR4q
“Who is this child, anyway?” Kirrik asked Bugu with an arm outstretched in Nox’s direction.111Please respect copyright.PENANA4AYqi90vDX
“Ah yes, introductions are quite necessary,” Bugu chirped. “You seem to have brought a whole group with you.”111Please respect copyright.PENANA8dmIJLbUbO
He tapped the ground in front of Nox with his rod.111Please respect copyright.PENANAvvyzLMtI3i
“This is Nox Gans, my daughter and protege. That makes her your sister, Kirrik, so be nice. And please, tell me who this wonderful woman you’ve brought with you is! A wife, perhaps?"111Please respect copyright.PENANAib8dqEfdOC
Kirrik felt embarrassment, confusion and a dash of shock mix into an emotional cocktail that left him speechless. There was no possible way he was family with the gremlin in a mechanic outfit. He refused outright.111Please respect copyright.PENANAHc6VJRbrrv
Imi stepped forward and reached toward Bugu’s hand.111Please respect copyright.PENANA2Uh4bxx46b
“I’m Imi. I’m not his wife, just his partner-in-crime,” She said, amused. Kirrik could tell she was relishing every second. “We have a few travelers with us that need to get to Vensha and we ran into some problems. Any help is welcome.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAwJjksdb8sj
Imi gave Kirrik a hard stare.111Please respect copyright.PENANAwGQ5cP9Mv4
“Regardless of who it’s from.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAYHbv7txkiD
Nox stuck her tongue out at Kirrik. He knew there was no chance of winning the fight. A dejected sigh left his body.111Please respect copyright.PENANA1X4EFkcQLP
“Don’t worry,” Nox goaded Kirrik. “I’m the best mechanic outside of Bugu down here. I’ll make that flying trash pile into a ship truly worthy of being called the best.”
__________________________________111Please respect copyright.PENANA8k0iboKFnb
Ravig waited patiently for the signal to finish encoding. He was frustrated at how the situation with Speaker Nollak had gone, and even more frustrated that he let it happen that way. Nollak was right, though. He needed her to follow through in order to implement his own plans. Regal was too self-absorbed to remain the leader for the Kunar. He didn’t have the bite that Ravig did.111Please respect copyright.PENANAb0Yjj0MC81
“Well, well,” Rhessian tittered on the other end of the holoscreen. “If it isn’t the chosen one coming to do his own work. To what do we owe the pleasure? Is Rana too caught up in other things to tend to you?”111Please respect copyright.PENANAjoXXVxjt7B
Ravig remained calm in the face of Rhessian’s jests. He knew the clown of a commander was just wanting to drag him into another fight for the fun of it all. Ravig refused to give him the satisfaction.111Please respect copyright.PENANA9yV1OhtPZe
“I want an update on your status and your pursuit of the Nollak girl,” He ordered.111Please respect copyright.PENANAn9ZL956dlt
“My, how forward,” Rhessian responded. “At least ask me about my day first.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAl2WKhbvJ3P
Ravig felt his claws dig into his palms.111Please respect copyright.PENANAySDt84HuWa
“I won’t play these childish games, Rhessian. Tell me what I need to know, and do it now.”111Please respect copyright.PENANARSvhjHiRz5
Rhessian looked away from the screen. He silently mouthed something at an unknown party. Ravig felt the frustration building further.111Please respect copyright.PENANAJf7zSrsuMI
“No, he wants an update,” Rhessian muttered to the other person. “I told you to send it. What do you mean I never told you?”111Please respect copyright.PENANAKp7roZyPuU
“Rhessian, if I don’t get my update right now, I will take the Requiem, track you down, rip your mask off and shove it so far into your sternum that you split in two!” Ravig screamed at the screen. Enough was enough.111Please respect copyright.PENANAM2NQaW43oc
“There’s the general we know and love, Rhug,” Rhessian mocked with the smarmiest of smirks. “We’re moving into place and should have the girl to you soon, Ravig. We’ve brought in a third party to ensure our success.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAA6733yaQR2
Ravig crossed his arms in contempt. He didn’t like the idea of bringing in someone else, especially when there were already two Regime members on the job. The situation was getting messier by the day.111Please respect copyright.PENANAtnQeLTrqdw
“This plan of yours better go smoothly,” Ravig warned. “I would hate to see what happens to you if it doesn’t.”
__________________________________111Please respect copyright.PENANAgQv3Bhaaol
Diah listened intently as Nox labeled off the large number of things that needed to be fixed up for the Nova to be operational again. She could make out a few obvious things, like engine parts or the comms array, but the rest eluded her. Zaius seemed just as confused. The two were pressed up against each other on a large green couch in the corner of Bugu’s small living room. The Terric sat in a lone chair on the opposite end while Kirrik and Imi lounged on the floor. Sky leaned against the wall behind them.111Please respect copyright.PENANAh1OEByi1X1
Nox circled the large holotable in the room’s center. She had pulled up a diagram of the Nova and highlighted all the broken bits and bobs. Her hands and face were crusted over with oil and grease.111Please respect copyright.PENANAVeJjc6EXkC
“You’ll also need a sub-synaptic sparker and a cooling wire for it to go into that cannon you burned,” Nox finished. She dusted her hands and looked at the rest of the group. “I don’t know who’s paying, but it’s going to be a pretty steep price.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAy2JFKc6S1i
“Come on, Bugu,” Kirrik chuckled. “You know we’ll make good for it.”111Please respect copyright.PENANACmACrd3p7Z
Bugu’s eyes flashed a bright pink three times. It seemed like the old Terric had fallen asleep. Diah wasn’t sure at what point during Nox’s lecture he had checked out.111Please respect copyright.PENANAMNvd2dlMip
“What’s going on again?” He asked drowsily.111Please respect copyright.PENANAYFzxwui1GK
“They’re trying to get out of paying,” Nox interrupted. She gave Kirrik a dirty look that he returned in full.111Please respect copyright.PENANAi8rMaIx46P
“Bugu, we can cover half of whatever needs fixing but until we get this girl to Vensha, we’re not going to be getting much of a payday,” Kirrik explained.111Please respect copyright.PENANAIU3H9PP1qy
Diah sat up and tilted her head at Kirrik. She wasn’t entirely sure what he was expecting. In fact, she thought the trip was a favor to Zaius for Gen. That was, at least, how Kirrik had made it initially seem.111Please respect copyright.PENANAYcoYzvmT8Y
“Who said anything about getting paid?” Diah inquired sincerely.111Please respect copyright.PENANAoPGXVOfpuj
Kirrik shot her a glance of annoyance. Diah realized she had made a big mistake.111Please respect copyright.PENANAv8kdNgZ5IP
“They’re not even good for it, Bugu!” Nox exclaimed. “Are we really going to let them get out of paying? We need that!”111Please respect copyright.PENANAt7qTu0mY0j
Bugu raised his rod in silence and pointed it at Nox. She dropped her hands by her side with a look of defeat.111Please respect copyright.PENANA509XAXrCcl
“We’ll take your half,” He told Kirrik. “We’ll need you to do us a favor in return for the rest, though. Nox has something she needs help with, but hasn’t found the right group of people to help her.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAQBvqdYcwp6
Bugu’s compound eyes glanced over everyone in the room.111Please respect copyright.PENANABeQM7fAget
“Perhaps this group will be what we need.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAevoIGz9mrO
Nox moved to the holotable and swiped away the Nova’s diagram. The table flickered as it loaded what looked like a map of Elontra. She kicked the side of the table and it clicked loudly, solidifying the image. Diah could see every pipe, every building and every transport system outlined in incredible detail.111Please respect copyright.PENANASfTYqfxJJK
“This is where we are,” Nox said as she tapped the map. She moved her hand toward the outskirts of Elontra. There was a large set of blocky buildings with transport systems running through them.111Please respect copyright.PENANAgXo4tQN3TJ
‘Mining facilities?’ Diah pondered. ‘Or maybe some sort of train depot?’111Please respect copyright.PENANA2a1nzDll1b
“There’s been a large amount of Kunar coming in and out of the factories recently. Like huge ships of them,” Nox explained. “Anyone working there has been tossed out or killed and it's sent everyone into a frenzy. I can’t stand by and watch the abuse anymore. I want some people to go and investigate, but everyone in the city is scared.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAcqRRctP40h
“So you want some kind of investigation or mercenary team?” Kirrik asked wearily. “You can’t just treat us like some kind of guns for hire.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAaJa1SoE6D4
“That’s exactly what we are though,” Imi responded next to him. “A job’s a job. We can’t afford to be picky right now.”111Please respect copyright.PENANA4VKcmU9LqU
Kirrik rolled his eyes. Diah felt Zaius scoot up from behind her. He cleared his throat.111Please respect copyright.PENANAS7PZDkyJKj
“They could be using the factories to refine something,” He speculated. “They export a lot of Zanathum, so maybe they needed more places to smelt it.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAPSizsPNg9F
“Why would they be so secretive about it?” Nox pushed back. “If it’s just Zanathum, why not let us help?”111Please respect copyright.PENANAxzplyihois
“The only things that would require that much Zanathum are ships or weapons,” Sky voiced from the wall. “Both are products that would raise a lot of questions for anyone in the High Prime or Collective if they found out.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAp1zYz5CY9Y
“War,” Imi simplified.111Please respect copyright.PENANAbBRj4wBHZo
Diah’s mind reeled at the possibilities.111Please respect copyright.PENANAhxZBAmIK0U
‘Is that why they kidnapped me?’ She reflected. ‘As a pawn of war? That would mean that they know who I am, who my mother is, and all of the ties that we have.’111Please respect copyright.PENANAN1BVZYtASL
‘At least someone is stepping up to take what’s theirs,’ Her internal Wyrna hissed. ‘What have you done aside from make things worse? Do you even think you can save me?’111Please respect copyright.PENANACGEF3CMgoG
Diah ground her teeth in frustration. She needed to make it back and check on her mother, regardless of what the voice in her head told her. If anything, Wyrna could warn Gallard of the Kunar’s plans. They needed to do something, anything, to prevent a war from igniting. Diah couldn’t stand by and let an entire universe burn when she had the ability to stop it.111Please respect copyright.PENANAE9i0xxJmhO
“How long will the Nova take for repairs?” Diah spoke up. Her tone had become more authoritative. Nox turned to her in surprise.111Please respect copyright.PENANA5F2FpvJ7vV
“About a day,” She answered. “The Nova won’t even lift off the ground until then.”111Please respect copyright.PENANALu9QFGUExU
“Then we do it,” Diah affirmed. “Zaius and I will go and check.”111Please respect copyright.PENANATrEHXYNvOS
Zaius reached around and interlaced his fingers with hers once more as a sign of agreement. She felt his warmth behind her and an added sense of security. She knew she could handle her own, but it was nice to know he was there too.111Please respect copyright.PENANAPRZkaEEfeZ
“I took you out in ten seconds,” Imi stated as she stood. “I can’t in good conscience leave you two to go alone.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAOwkG6GyS0O
“Do you even have a conscience?” Diah remarked, miffed by Imi’s comment.111Please respect copyright.PENANAbrqb8oaOYJ
“I didn’t agree to anything,” Kirrik stated with his hands raised. “I’m not getting mixed up in any acts of war.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAZIWlNJnRjD
“Then your beloved ship stays in the scrap heap,” Imi said as she extended her hand toward him. “We both know you’re not going to let that happen.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAlPT712lwzR
Kirrik took Imi’s hand and pulled himself up. He dusted himself off and moved toward Nox. Their height difference was notable.111Please respect copyright.PENANAYMOIl7nuZQ
“You promise you’ll take good care of her?” He intoned. Nox stared him down.111Please respect copyright.PENANAww1IWaeEyV
“I’m the best, so my work has to reflect that,” She taunted. “That old thing will be brand new. You won’t recognize it.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAbKCAF1tu7J
“And I’ll help her,” Sky added. She threw herself off the wall and closer toward Nox. The latter grew red in the face. “If you really are the best like you claim, I want to learn from you.”111Please respect copyright.PENANAWfZxcrRRfS
Diah tried to hide her smile. Sky was nothing if not direct. She could tell Nox, however, wasn’t really putting the pieces together.111Please respect copyright.PENANAmbxbfcWyQP
“It’s settled then,” Bugu said. He tapped the ground with his rod and his eyes glowed white. “If you four are going to investigate the Kunar, I know someone who might be able to help.”
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