[Drama] Stupid Conscience

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Thrax's hand hovered at the door to the Ashlie's office. He was a coward when it came to opening up about his reasons for leaving Leucrotta—or anything real, for that matter. If he went in, then he'd have to go through with talking to Ashlie about things he really didn't want to talk about.

Suck it up, fuzzbutt. You've gotta do the right thing.

He grumbled something about his useless conscience and knocked. Whenever she told him to enter, he would head inside. Though he had gotten good at pretending everything was fine, his body language made it clear he had something weighing on him.

[Ashlie Minamida]

"Good afternoon, Mr. Thraxion. Is there anything I can help you with?" Ashlie asks from behind her desk, giving the distinct impression that though she's looking at him, part of her attention is still on the three computer screens in front of her.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

The large alien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, not quite sure where to start. "I know I come off a little sketchy but it's only because I don't—I'm not good at opening up. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just I'm... well, averse to pity, honestly."

He exhaled. "But it's finally gotten through to me that my problems are more likely to become yours than I wanted to admit to myself. So, I'm ready to tell you what I've been holding back."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"O...kay? You let me retrieve and examine your spaceship. I wasn't exactly under the impression that you don't trust me and a lot of the people around here are taking refuge from something or other. That being said, if there is someone out there with faster-than-light level technology looking or you I would very much appreciate the heads-up. We're not exactly defenseless but by the time we pick up on an orbital threat it might be too late already."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"The thing is," he answered, building up his resolve before blurting out, "There's kinda a price on my head."

"I mean, I didn't actually do what they say I did but I'm running all the same. The truth is my planet had a, well, violent change of leadership and the order I was part of was made a scapegoat. And I'm the one that got away."

The next part was the hardest to trust anyone with but she deserved to know the risks. "But what they really want isn't me but the relic I took with me. No one knows exactly what it does but the new regime hopes they can use it as a weapon. I was tasked with making sure they never get a chance to find out. The Stormsaint didn't leave it in our care to let it be abused."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"You stole aimportant relic from a fascist regime and fled to what I have to assume is considered an unknown backwater planet to hide." Ashlie says, pinching the bridge of her nose performatively.

"First off, I want you to know that I don't fault you for what you did. I would have appreciated a heads-up on the interstellar bounty hunters apparently after you but at least you told me before one landed on my front lawn. I wouldn't have turned you away for that but you had no way of knowing that. That said. Are they going to be able to track you here? Or worse, did you crash because of someone already in the system?"

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"I don't know what fascist means but, technically, I prevented it from being stolen," he felt obliged to point out. "And I really was only planning to be here for a little while when my ship decided it was a good time to crap out."

"As for the likelihood of being tracked here, I don't exactly know. But a, uh, fortune teller at the festival—yes, I know how that sounds but she seemed to be at least a little genuine—she gave me the impression my problems were closer to catching up to me than I would have guessed. I mean, maybe she was just another scammer, maybe she wasn't, but the warning struck true all the same. At the very least, it gave me the push I needed to do the right thing and fill you in."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"It's what we call authoritarian governments that seek to consolidate power at the top, usually involving force."

"I can't argue their existence, but I don't know how much stock I put into precogs. I appreciate it prodding you into being honest at least. We're not technologically advanced enough that I can just shift resources towards orbital defense without that being an enormous effort. Maybe if I can reverse engineer parts of your ship but I've only scratched the surface of that. Do you have any information on the kind of people we might expect? Common ship vulnerabilities? Ways to jam their communications, detection methods. I have a gravitational device I might be able to reconfigure to yank something out of orbit before it can deploy weapons or be detected by too many people."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"My ship knowledge is mostly limited to Crocutan technology and what I've had to learn to get by. But there's enough that's universal that I could give you a fighting chance. I can also try to prepare your X-Men for fighting them if I comes to that. The Order of Stormsingers doesn't skimp on combat training and I took to it rather well."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"You'll have to take that up with Miss Kinney. Word of advice, don't make it sound like you don't think her combat knowledge is up to snuff." Ashlie smirks slightly.

"Personally I'd rather know for sure when my general assumptions are wrong. For details your ship will have to do, but even just knowing whether or not there's a shared FTL technology will be helpful."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of insulting a fellow warrior that way," he laughed.

"Every race has its own spin on the technology but the principles are the same. But I can't explain those principles any more than the average Earthling can explain how cars work. Of course, I'm really wishing I could right now. Though, if I could I might not have needed your help at all."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"Most people can probably manage the 'setting fossil fuel on fire to make wheels turn' but then that's an extremely simple concept in comparison to astro-physics."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"Fair point," he admitted, "Imagine how simple it sounds to a guy whose species left behind such technology a very long time ago. We didn't let the environment get as dire as humans are before kicking the habit... but then we have powerful noses and fossil fuel smoke does, well, it does not play well with that. Also, we never embraced capitalism with quite as much enthusiasm. I imagine that helped."

"But I'm getting off-topic. I suppose I ought to show you what I'm guarding. My religion, lapsed as it may be, won't allow me to let you run much in the way of tests on it, trust or no, but you should know what it is they'll be after."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"As inquisitive as I may be, I wouldn't expect you to hand over what sounds like a religious relic for scientific analysis." she nods.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"I'm glad you understand," he answered with a respectful nod. It was his duty to keep it safe and its secrets secret. He had been chosen to survive for that purpose and he couldn't betray the faith they put in him, even if he had been a choice made in haste.

"And I'm sorry I've brought potential danger to your doorstep. I may tend to find trouble for myself but it's never my intent to cause it for others—well, I mean, unless they do something to deserve it."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"You really don't have to keep justifying yourself to me. Regret your choices or stand by them."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

What was he doing? Sure, he had regrets, but wallowing in them wasn't like him. Was he really that homesick? Despite everything, he had come to enjoy his wayward escapades.

He shook off his worries and his face quickly returned to its usual carefree vibe. "Right! I'm not usually one to get hung up like that. I guess this school reminds me of home more than I ever expected and its throwing me off."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"So, the relic you're guarding."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Staying on topic was clearly not one of his strengths. "Right. It's hidden in a secret compartment on my ship. I was going to move it but that was before I decided to completely trust you. I'd rather show it to you before I tell more about it. Whenever you have time, of course."

[Ashlie Minamida]

"I'm headed to the Point this afternoon anyway. I'll meet you in the hangar at 3pm?"

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"I'll clear my schedule," he joked with a slight, self-amused smirk.

"Then I guess I'll let you get back to headmistressing for now."