The Grox War

In the dim light of one of the Eliminator's corridors, a shadow within a shadow sidled through the vessel, approaching one of the ship's information access terminals.

The sound of voices echoed around a corner some distance away- a Dark Leech and a Klik. This would have to be fast.

As quietly as possible under the circumstances, a blade sliced one neat hole in the terminal's side, exposing circuit boards and dangling cables. Ink would never consider himself a hacker. But exceptions have to be made sometimes: traditional methods got you only so far these days. If you wanted information fast, that is.

The voices were approaching. He began to work faster, sparks glinting in the reflection of his visor as components were rearranged and something short-circuited in the terminal's bowels. Still things were moving too slowly- he was out of time, the situation was about to get complicated.

Naboo9 saw Ink "get away from the tierminal!" shouted Naboo9 while Nai'vares snuck up behind Inkand slash him with his tazer bladethe shock made his entire body go numb "disarm him" ordered Naboo9 and than his solgders did that quickly "now tell us why your here!" barked Naboo9

Kilikan popped out from a corridor and walked beside Naboo9.

"Well well well, what have we found here? A spy? Show yourself, or we'll tear that mask of of you ourselves." Says Kilikan

For a few moments Ink said nothing, making a quick analysis of his assailants. Two guards held him by the arms. Then there was the Klik, The Dark Leech and...

...His gaze came to rest on Fravini.

"Grox..." He growled the word with all the venom of a curse and glared at the cyborg. This was not what he had expected...

"former grox" Naboo9 corrected "she's gone rogue unluckly we can't remove her implants without killing her... now answer my question"

"If you are here with the Grox, I am here to stop you." His voice rasped from the discreet speakers on his visor, it's tone unchanged by Naboo's assertions.

"Where hear to stop the grox, Fravini is no longer with them, where all here to give the grox back all the pain and suffering they've caused" said Naboo9

Ink, recovering from the tazer and working on adrenaline though he was, began to notice something that didn't fit with his current view of events: He was not dead.

If he had stumbled on a conspiracy, a little logical voice in his head suggested, then surely he would currently be stuffed in a garbage chute with a slug in his head at this point.

Ink did not like uncertainty. And he did not like being restrained.


Silently and without warning, his long prehensile tail whipped out behind him, knocking the guards holding him off their balance just long enough for him to escape their grip, and set off at a sprint away from the group, rounding a corner before any shots could be fired.

...If he could only reach the hangar bay...

a Chem'Alo cyborg grabbed Ink a put him up agianst the wall, due to it's implants nothing ink could do made it lose iit's balence, than Naboo9 reached the place they were " what do you want me to do with him sir?" the ccyborg asked.
"put him down,NOW , so we can settle this peacefuly"responeded Naboo9
"but sir-" the Cem'Alos started
"I said NOW" orderd Naboo9
slowly, reluncitively, the cyborg put Ink down

Ink sighed mentally. Escaping was only going to get harder, doubtless the entire deck was alerted to his presence by now. Perhaps a different approach...

Free to move, the adrenaline of the last few minutes wearing off, he began gingerly massaging some life back into his arms.

"So," He said levelly, voice still rasping through his mask, "You lead the... unit... tasked with spearheading anti-Grox initiative? ...I've read your file, Captain Naboo... And what, pray tell, do you intend to do now?"

"currently we're resting up and heading to Narcona, to get supplies,new troops, that kind stuff there's alsoa black hole a few parsecs away from itthat go right into the middle of grox space my kind set up a outpost near it, just in case we need suppiles in a emrgancey we've even started a colozation project there."said Naboo9 "I'm always for good ideas, so if you have any, tell me"

Behind his visor, Ink blinked in mild surprise. For a Dark Leech, he thought, this specimen was surprisingly trusting.

"I admire your openness, Captain, but your plan taken into consideration, there is something I have to tell you..."

The dark-skinned alien reached behind his head. There was a click and a pneumatic hiss as his visor disengaged itself to reveal his eyes, which held a peculiar pale yellow glow and about as much expression as the helmet he now held by his side.

Ink looked right into Naboo's eyes and stated, coldly and matter-of-factly:

"You are all idiots."

Nabooo spun around and punched Ink the force of it sent Ink sprawling "I am fully awear of the silent temple's untrustfullness and I was feeling genorus today but you've proven your self as not able to resive it and if you even try to betray us to them I'll personally rip you limb for limb!" shouted Naboo9.

From his position on the floor, a tiny trickle of dark-red blood dripping from his mouth, Ink sniggered quietly.

"The Temple? ...It seems I'm not the only one here who's done some reading." He unsteadily got to his feet, wiping away the bloodstain, and chuckled humourlessly again, "So much for solving our problems peacefully... If you want to listen, then listen. If you want to fight, then return my weapons and we shall fight. But if a black hole and a whole lot of guns is all you're packing, your choice won't make a bit of difference either way in the end..."

Naboo9 chukled "that is the one disadvantage of keeping almost all of ourinformation secret" he said

Fravini whispered to Naboo, "I don't think we should fight him.."

Naboo9 turned to her and wisperd back "hate to correct you but that wasn't fighting that was just smacking secne into him"

Ink, if he had eyebrows, would have raised one of them at this point: "A master plan? ...That remains to be seen."

He noticed Fravini conferring with Naboo, and his expression became serious once more: "So. Here I am, Captain... a stowaway on one of your Empire's most heavily armed capital ships, caught attempting to hack into your database for reasons unknown, and I have given you absolutely no reason to trust me. So I have only one more question..."

Standing there in that steel corridor surrounded by armed creatures, a smile crossed his lips for the first time:

"...How much are you going to pay me to work for you?"

Kilikan was hiding in a shadow and listening to everything, then walked out of the shadow and into the room that the others were in.
"Oh he's not paying, I will be. So, how much is it you want? I have more then you can take, so ask any price, for it won't even make a dent in my fortune. So go ahead, name any price." Said Kilikan smiling at Ink knowing that he would ask for everything he had.

"is letting you live not able to satisfy you?" responded Naboo9

Ink ignored Naboo's machismo riposte completely, and turned his somewhat unnerving smile on Kilikan:

"Well done. My ship is in Bay 49 on Deck 17, I'll make provisions for my own accommodation and catering." He returned his attention to Naboo: "You give me back the equipment your men, ah, 'confiscated' from me, and we have a contract."

"we have a deal" said Naboo9 than he told the soldger that took Ink's equipment and they gave it back

"So.....Will you be joining us in this battle against the Grox?" Says Kilikan as he walked around in circles examining this new ally. Then, he had a reaction he shouldn't have had. He had an allergic reaction when he came near Ink. "What the hell! *Coughing* What species are you!? I....*Cough* I think I'm allergic to you! *Cough*" Said Kilikan barely grasping for air.

Allergies. This was the last thing Ink had expected at this moment.

"Interesting..." He said dispassionately over the coughing fit. Taking a step back, he continued: "I am of the Mallium race. We are... not common in this arm of the galaxy. Does no one here have medical training?"

Ink had been planning to return to his ship quietly- accidentally killing one of his new associates was not high on his to-do list.

"Septra here has it and we have doctors in the ship" said Naboo9