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"Captain Lixistruzsias, please report to the medical ward immediately. Captain Lixistruzsias, please report to the medical ward immediately." Lix had been tired, exertion from the endurance-demanding race weighing down her limbs and leaving her tail to slide limp and lazy across the floor, but the announcement that she was required for 'personnel issues' had the 'Roid Racer glaring at the walls as if she'd been personally slighted by them. Jack was fucking off again, and she had no idea why. Better yet was the call for security to report to the very same ward…

"I'm going to kill him," Lix hissed, her powerful legs pumping as Mo'Ona leapt onto her back, lest he be left behind. "I'm gonna kill him. Then I'm gonna eat him. Not in the fun way either. Then… then I'm going to fuck him. I'm going to ride him until I'm sore and begging for mercy. There will be biting and scratching and kissing and cuddling."

"Maybe Lix overreacts? No telling what's going on yets." The rat upon her back shrugged, his maw tentatively smiling as the raptor turned her glare upon him instead. "No. No, Lix is very rights." A nod, a snort, and a whip of a tail was his only answer. That being said, the rat was right; there was no telling what had Jack in a tizzy. He'd been doing so well with his temper lately as well; was he regressing? That… wasn't fair, though. Any number of things could have set him off, and it wasn't like anger itself was unjustified.

"Gnah… Jack, what did you do?" Anxiety infested the ride back across the monorail, both parties silent as claws worried over each other in restless fidgets that sent Mo'Ona's ears twitching. Though he didn't know what he could say to ease his friend's worry. Friendship was complex and confusing, he'd decided, still… it was worth it.

"Jacks be, um… fine. Maybe justs scared the staffs, is all?" Skrunkle's whipcord tail wrapped around his own leg, a nervous tick he'd picked up as a child. "Yous knows Jack can be… intense. Probably just gots the nurses worrieds."

"Yeah, I hope that's all it is. But you know him… he wouldn't really go off unless it was something serious." Frustration crinkled the scales around Lix's eyes, her nostrils flaring. "At least, I hope he wouldn't… anymore."

"Eh, someones probably said something abouts the Gerthtrude beings ugly." Lix snorted, her tail finally relaxing. It had been so tense as to be nearly straight as she sat sideways in her seat.

"Y… yeah. Or someone said something nice about a… a parts brand he doesn't like."

"Probablys! Kehehe!" Yeah, this is what friends did, right? Mo'Ona decided it must be. The rest of the trip was made in silence, the rat taking up his place on the raptor's back the moment they arrived at the station. Paws once more pounded the deck as Lix made quick way towards the medical ward, eyes narrowed in suspicion at the guards waiting for her.

"Captain Lix?" One asked, a large human with broad shoulders and more implants than flesh.

"Yup. What did he do?"

"Nothing yet, but he's… agitated. I'll escort you to your mechanic's room so you can keep him from killing someone." Lix simply nodded, what else could she do?

"Do you have any idea why he's freaking out? What's he doing?" The question was followed by a scoff, the guard rubbing his forehead with a metal hand.

"Well, he threw his IV stand through the room's view hatch like a spear. Some lawyer used credentials to get inside, and he's been punching walls and slamming furniture ever since. We told him he can't leave actin' like that thou-" Whatever else the man had been about to say was drowned out by the scream of a nurse, some avian woman rounding the corner at a dead sprint as what appeared to be… a… recliner… smashed into the wall at the far end of the corridor. The scream that followed was both familiar and exhausting for the reptilian pilot.

"Y'all better bring that stick-legged, four-eyed, fuck bug back here! I a'in't stayin' cooped up after a feckless little toe fungus steals my shit!" _Jack hollered, rushing around the corner as an orderly attempted to subdue the hospital gown-clad wrench jockey. Said orderly found his place on the floor as Jack heaved, tossing the lone worker over his hip and into a pile of limbs. "I'll fuckin' kill ya if'n ya get 'tween me an' my ship! Ai'n't none o' ya got the fuckin' _gumption. Outta my way!"

"How about me?" Lix crossed her arms, piercing the man with a squinted glare as he whirled.

"Lix! That greasy lil' feathered swamp ass rag stole my shit!" The righteous rage died as Lix's glare deepened, the aura of angry mate saturating the hallway as Jack faltered. No guard nor orderly nor threat of imprisonment could make the man pause… but his angry girlfriend? His furious mate? That… stayed his feet… if for a moment.

"Jack. Back into your room. Now. We can talk in there."

"R… right. You'll be as pissed as I am when I tell ya!" His finger pointed down at the Kux'lar who continued to scowl at him… the finger wilting as Lix fixed him with a look every man knew. It was a secret weapon, one only utilized when pure femme domination was required. With a frustrated growl, Jack backtracked into his destroyed room as Lix followed on his heels, sidestepping an overturned chair so he could right the hospital bed.

Trashed was an understatement; Jack had gone on a fury-filled spree of denting steel walls, tossing furniture, and shattering glass. It wasn't like him to lose control like… this. A tantrum wasn't something the man was known for… but it was better than caving in the face of the staff at least. Lix nodded to the now upright bed, Mo'Ona hopping from her back as she joined her Human on its soft surface. Not a word was said as Jack recollected S'Vark's visit, his metallic hands squeezing into fists as Lix trilled, her paw on his thigh.

"What the fuck? They took the Stripped Bolt?"

"Yeah," Jack's hands relaxed, his palm finding the way to the back of her paw. "It's a fuckin' trap, obviously. Tryin' to pull me back over to Koorka. Can't get word from Lilly either." His scowl deepened, the lines of his weathered face crinkling. "Bet that bitch Angela set it up."

"Maybe… you don't shy away from making enemies either, though." Lix huffed, leaning her head on the angry Human's shoulder.

"Weirds thoughs…" Attention turned to the Hux walking a rut on the floor, periodically picking up broken debris or scattered trash, as he flicked his tail in thought. "Hows a lawyer gets into an ER? Racer's Heart no differents than anywhere else. We's only back here 'cause… well…" Mo'Ona's whiskers trembled as the rat bit his tongue, grateful for the fur covering his blush. "… crew."

"Hm… good point." Ire rose in Lix's throat, an ire that fanned the flames of Jack's anger.

"Looks like we got questions for the staff- ack!" A clawed paw pulled the man back down on the bed. "What gives?"

"You need to let that surgery set." Lix glared, her ocular lens implant reading over the medical procedure she'd wirelessly requested while Jack regaled her with the tale of why his room was destroyed. "Nanobot regenerative tissue graft works fast but only if you rest."

"I ai'n't sittin' here whi-"

"You will." A growl… a hiss… narrowed slit pupils… an undulating tail. It was the singular claw hooked into the collar of his hospital gown that stayed the angry Human's aspirations of freedom…

"Fine… fuck you." That did bring a smile to the raptor's face, her disapproving scowl turning upwards into a sly grin.

"Later. For now, though, I need you here. I need my Jack back to one hundred percent for the next race and _not _flying back to Koorka and into an obvious trap." Consternation flooded the mechanic as he felt the ball and chain drag on his ankle, his knee jerk reaction to being controlled rearing like a struck dog. Instead… Liliana's words and Lix's teasing grin boiled the embers of his temper down to smoldering ashes. Pussy whipped was the first thought that came to his mind, but… that wasn't quite accurate. Lix was right, he needed a calmer head and… and she needed him. So, with a begrudging sigh, Jack lowered himself fully back down into the soft embrace of the bed. Not that Lix was helping, her grin turning victorious as she lay her head upon his chest. "Good boy."

"Ah, don't start with that!" Though Jack's words were heated, so was his face, a blush crawling up his neck to color his ears. A blush that only grew as Skrunkles' snickers drifted up from below. "An' you! I'll punt ya across the room."

"Don't threatens Skrunkles with a good times!" The rat hissed, grabbing his own tail to twirl. "Stills… Lots of questions… Skrunkles will put his ear to the grounds, see what he can hears." With a wave, the Hux turned on his paw and padded towards the door. "Don't likes this. Corpos stick their claws in the races, sure, buts nevers to attack a pilot's crews… Gotta find out…"

Got to find out for my friends…

"Be careful," Lix cautioned, her paw raised. "You can move around better than us, but I want updates. And if it looks hairy, scram, okay?"

"Aye, captains!" Eager to put his haphazard plan into motion, one that was still forming in his little brain, Mo'Ona scampered from the safety and silence of Jack's room and out into the chaos of the medical ward. Over, between, under, and around the larger species' legs did the Hux skitter, a grin splitting his maw so wide his insectoid mandibles slid from their fleshy pouches at the back of his throat. Yes… yes, he could be a good friend- great friend by leveraging his Hux deviancy for good, for once…

That being said… Skrunkles hadn't exactly thought that far ahead. What… exactly was he up to? How could he help? How could being a Hux help him help his friends? Think, think, think… no one trusted his kind; it was a miracle Jack and Lix had given him as much of a chance as they had. In fact, any of his brothers or sisters would have betrayed them by now.

"Hooh, thats its!" Mo'Ona leapt over a nurse's foot and slid under a gurney as his brilliant mind blessed him with a plan. He was going to betray Jack and Lix!

Not… really, of course, but it would damn sure look like it. No one expected a Hux to not betray someone when it looked like they were! It was so obvious. Now all he had to do next was find that lawyer; it shouldn't be too hard. Jack had said the guy was a Wistar from Arington shipping named S'Vark K'Tula, not exactly someone who could hide, nor one who wouldn't be drowning in Roarks. That left the upper decks- the VIP lounges and high-end restaurants. It didn't take long for the Hux to hitch rides on monorails out of medical and up towards the elite decks above, acting like a servant could take one far if you know how to play the game. A twinge of frustration crept up his spine at the ease of it all, however. He was a 'Roid Racer, and an ace besides. Yet… he was still just a Hux. He'd show them, he'd win this league honestly for once, beating Lix and Helena in the next race and cementing himself as a champion… saliva pooled in his maw at the thought of it… his name on the wall down in Victory Lane…

He'd show them… he'd show them all what a Hux could do. Not to mention, he'd drag along his new friends into second place if it killed him! Of course, that meant he needed a plan. Lix had been saying he should think ahead more, which was true… and no one would expect a plan from a Hux! It was foolproof; he'd make a plan, enact that plan, and no one would be the wiser!

Which meant he needed a plan… Mo'Ona scurried under one of the monorail's seats, his bones popping as he flattened himself, the other passengers none the wiser… here in the dark was the best place to think, and he wouldn't get stepped on during the long ride to the upper decks. Voices faded into the backdrop of his mind, a comfortable blanket of murmurs and hushed conversation that always seemed to ease his worries. As… admittedly creepy as it was, Skrunkles enjoyed eavesdropping on folk when they didn't know he was there. Unfortunately, there would be no time to enjoy anyone's secrets; he had scheming to do.

What exactly could he do? He wasn't strong or tough or drop-dead sexy like Jack, nor was he as clever or determined as Lix… He was sneaky and good at hearing things he shouldn't… though, that might not be enough this time… but he was also a Hux. His people were a finicky bunch, always prone to backstabbing and betrayal. Could he… double betray? Yes… any of Jack's or Lix's enemies wouldn't bat an eye at a Hux jumping ship for what appeared to be greener pastures. Arington had sent their best and brightest to wage legal warfare on Jack for one reason or another. Would it be outside the realm of possibility to believe Mo'Ona had gotten spooked?

"Yeeeessss… Skrunkles go to lawyer and claim he scared… claim to work against Lix. Get in close to lawyer, finds outs everythings!" A smile so wide it revealed his mandibles split the rat's face. Yes, this was a good plan! He'd betray Jack and Lix to help them! Reveal all of Arington's secrets! Help Jack get his shop back! Maybe then he'd… he could… no, that was simply a dream. But… it would make Jack happy, which was enough for him. "Secret agent Skrunkles is ons the cases!"

***

"If'n I don't do somethin' I'm gonna go insane." Jack grumbled, grumped, perhaps even whined. However, the man couldn't do anything to assuage his boredom, trapped as he was beneath the purring form of his mate. Lix simply smirked, snuggling closer as the fatigue from her successful endurance race weighed upon her. This was perfect… muzzle under Jack's chin, the taste of his skin on her tongue as she gifted him tiny licks to the throat, her powerful legs twined around his… her tail hanging limp off the bed… Warmth, creeping and deep, seeped from the man into her scales as she wrapped her arms around his chest as far as they would go. He was right… in a way… there was work to be done. Nothing would get done right if she went at it all exhausted, however. So for now, stealing his sweet, sweet monkey heat was the plan. Whether he was willing or not, such was the cost of being mated to a Kux'lar.

"Mhmmmm…" Another lick across his adam's apple, another sigh… reluctant steel arms wrapping around her… his training was coming along nicely. Soon he wouldn't even complain at her touch. "Shhhh, you are doing something. You're being my space heater."

"R… right." As if he were pulling teeth, Jack let his chin rest upon Lix's scaly head, trapping her in place nearly welded to his side. "Is Skrunks updating you?"

"No. Not that I expected him to, scatterbrained Hux."

"Rude." Though… true. "He's not entirely intolerable."

"Awwww, getting attached?" A flick of the tail, legs stretching…

"Hardly, 'lil punk smells like trash."

"That's just 'cause he sits in it."

"An' that's supposed to help how, exactly?"

"Oh, it isn't, ju-" A beep from the comms unit in her pocket shattered the comfortable conversation like a glass plane, her slit pupils dilating in rage. "Who the fuck." Instead of releasing her prey, Lix forwarded the message to her ocular lens, the little device whirring on her eyeball like a tiny fan. Silence filled the room as the pilot read, her claws curling and paws clenching the further she read. "You bitch."

"Hm? Why is my lizard all angry all of a sudden?"

"Jack… Angela put a hiatus on the races… the league is evaluating the low number of racers left- there's… there's only going to be one more race."

"What? They can do- of fuckin' course they can do that." A scowl crinkled the weathered skin of his face, anger boiling behind his mechanical eyes. "I guess it makes a sorta sense… ai'n't a lot of y'all left. How long is the pause?"

"Doesn't say… fuck, I just know she's trying to bait you into going back to Koorka!"

"Is she, though? That be a lot o' movin' parts just to get back at me. She don't care like that." Lix growled, snuggling harder into the Human.

"You… yeah, you're right. Still, what the hell do we do now? We're kinda stuck on the Racer's Heart… I mean, not really, but where else will we go?" Jack grunted as her claws poked at his ribs, an apologetic warble dancing in his ears as Lix sighed. "S-Sorry, I just hate curveballs like this. What are we gonna do-ack!" Heat rushed to Lix's face as a metal hand grasped at her rear, the digits running along her flank until they wrapped around her tail. Memories of unfulfilled desire slammed back into the reptile like a truck, her maw snapping at the air next to the man's ear. "Fuuuck, Jack nooo… you're supposed to be resting."

"I am, restin' my hand on your rear."

"Jack!"

"Oh, now ya wanna be a prude?" He teased, leaning down to kiss the Kux'lar's nose. "Anyone could walk right on in… catch us in the act."

"As reputation-ruining as that would be… and fun… no, behave!" Evil grins spread across both parties' exhausted faces, Lix huffing in the Human's face as a paw forced him into the sheets. Jack offered no objection as his mate straddled his hips before settling down atop him, her claws and scaly chin resting on his chest with a relieved sigh. Warmth permeated her scales, drifting up from the mammal trapped beneath her. "Gnaaahhhh, that's the stu-" Another alert ruined what was meant to be a moment of relaxation, the cavalcade of interruptions continuing unabated. "Oh… shit."

"Hm?" Jack's hands, on a sneaky journey down the small of the raptor's back, paused. "What's up?"

"Fuckin' riots… formal complaints about the hiatus, and then that crazy bitch instigated a new rule. Next race won't have crew… just pilots…" Predatory eyes narrowed at text Jack couldn't see, the Kux'lar in his grasp shaking with rage. "She's making the next race a derby? What the fuck! She can't do that!"

"Eyyy, easy. Need to think about it all for a sec… why would she do that?"

"Ugh… gnah…" Lix went limp in the man's arms, her jaws nipping at his neck in thought. "There aren't very many racers left; they're accelerating the league. Lower costs and more profits from not having to set up two more races and can just let the surviving pilots kill each other. Derbies are duels… there's never been a final race as a derby, we'd never have former champions if the winner is literally the last one standing!"

"Bitch!" Jack grit his teeth, easing his hold on his lizard as she squeaked. "Angela always threw a tantrum when she ai'n't get her way. Half o' this a power play, the other probably cutting profit losses." A sneer ran across his face. Old hate… old wounds… festering. "That, an' she always loved chaos. Made 'er feel powerful."

"Well, she's getting it. Question is, how do we deal with it?" For the first time since she'd joined the league proper, Lix doubted she'd see its truthful conclusion. A derby of all things? That was no real way to end a circuit. But… what could be done about it? What could she do about it? Nothing came to mind, nothing… except maybe Skrunkles would come through with something? Anything? At any rate, all she could for now was keep her Human pinned down while he recovered.

The rest could wait.

***

Fear was something Mo'Ona knew well. Frigid fingers of dread and creeping bones of an empty death wrapping around his throat… Paws paced outside of S'Vark's office, trepidation staying his willpower as a thousand disasters ran through his vermin head. Were he to actually be jumping ship, truly betraying his friends… this would be simple. By the Stars, he might already be done with the meeting. Unfortunate, then, that he was doing the opposite.

The sight of a Hux on the administrative wing of the Racer's Heart wasn't an uncommon sight, the rats were always looking to cut a deal somehow, someway. Even still, Mo'Ona felt the gaze of curious or disgusted passerby wriggle in his fur. Between that and the anxiety, his little heart was fit to burst. Jack wouldn't be walking a circle in the deck outside his prey… no, Jack would barge in and take what he wanted! Taking a deep, chest-rattling breath, Skrunkles heaved on the office door and into the den of Jack's enemy.

S'Vark's office was… opulent, to say the least. Metal decking gave way to comfortable carpet, and faux wood veneer hide the unsightly steel walls in a comfy covering of dulcet browns and tans. Awards and photos hung in a seemingly haphazard, yet chaotically organized, fashion that drew the eyes between bookshelves of tomes and legal references that Mo'Ona found himself struggling to pronounce. All led to the throne standing tall at the back of the room. A single leather chair sat demure before an expansive curved desk, covered in folders, books, and datapads. S'Vark himself, strange creature that he was, didn't need a chair. From the looks of it, he could simply squat, lock his knees, and be perfectly comfortable as he typed away at a pleasantly designed terminal.

"Mister Mo'Ona, please, come in."

"You knews Skrunkles was comings?" Not one to pass up comfort, the little Hux quickly made himself a spot on the fake leather chair, sighing as his body heat seeped into the cushion.

"Of course I did, the security camera has been tracking your pacing for the last ten minutes." S'Vark let silence stretch for a moment before finally turning to gaze at his guest for the first time, leaving the terminal glowing at the back wall to illuminate several awards. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Ngh…" It was not unknown to the Hux that he had to be careful. Sure, it was well known that Hux were disloyal little bastards most of the time, but this wasn't some pocket he was trying to pick; it was a lawyer. A being that thrived in dishonest environments where everyone was looking for a cut of the pie. Should he be eager? Scared? Withdrawn? Perhaps the latter… fear was an ingrained emotion, especially for Hux. "Skrunkles… unsure how to start…"

"At the beginning is usually a good place when you're confused. I assume you want something."

"Y… yeah. Looks… you knows Skrunkles with Lix… things are… ngh…"

"Rocky? Arington has its eyes on her mechanic, Geoffery. Bad things surrounding that man." S'Vark's words were honeyed, easy on the ears. It made Mo'Ona want to listen. "Dangerous bedfellows, you keep."

"That's just its. Obvious Lix goods pilot, but no one cans fights corpos." Skrunkles wrung his paws, his eyes squeezed tight. "Skrunkles don't wanna die… Skrunkles don't wanna lose… been workings so longs to win leagues but… without Jacks… and with Jacks under fires."

"Ah yes, the new rule. I'm not quite a fan of no crew races, but…" S'Vark took a moment to sip from a long straw leading to a cup Mo'Ona couldn't see. Revulsion roiled in the rat's gut as the strange lawyer opened his slit mouth. Is this how people felt when they saw his mandibles?

Cool.

"Rights… Skrunkles wants to wins… sos…."

"You want to be on the winning team?"

"Yeahs…" Ice settled in Mo'Ona's gut… he could easily set himself up for success here. Just… throw the plan away and leap for victory. "Skrunkles wants to wins."

"What if…" Silence draped over the office as S'Vark leaned back, three legs tapping on the carpet. "I could offer you much more than victory… in return for telling me everything- for _giving me Jack… _I'll get you a seat on the creative board of the Asteroid Racing League."

Mo'Ona blinked… then blinked again… loose muscles opened his jaw beyond his will, mandibles sneaking from their fleshy sheaths in his gullet. A spot on the board? The creative board? He wouldn't just go down in history as a champion if he won the derby; he'd become leadership. His decisions would shape the league itself… The stars would be putty in his paws, the league shifted so much money, and so many people came to see them… that was real power.

Something that no Hux could claim they'd ever held.

All he had to do was… was give up Jack… if it wouldn't give him away, Skrunkles would bite through his tongue.

For in the end, the thought of sitting on the racing leagues creative board… still didn't hold his heart in the same way as that night he slept on Jack's chest with Lix's whistling snores carrying him to sleep.

So for the first time in his life, Mo'Ona lied for the sake of someone else.

"Yous, sirs, haves a deals."

***

Rest was something often denied Jack; nightmares plagued his dreams, Lix occupied his waking thoughts, news of new tools or a breakthrough in starship technology wrangled his excitement into frothing fervor… such was the life of an objective-oriented man. So too was Lix's new lot in life, alarm after alarm ruining her snuggle time and drawing her eyes to the myriad of alerts scrolling across her vision.

Warning, shelter in place

Warning, abide security personnel

Warning, proceed to your vessel in an orderly fashion

Worry began to fill the Kux'lar as she slowly sat up, leaving the warmth of Jack's arms as emergency lights heralded the coming trumpets of an alarm klaxon.

All non-essential personnel, disembark the Racer's Heart by order of Glorious Angela.

"What the fuck?" Lix shot from the covers, Jack following with a grimace of pain as his still-healing leg flared in protest. As usual, he ignored the warning signs his body so conveniently provided and rushed to done his clothes, still dirty with sweat and grime and blood. "By the stars, what is going on?"

"Doesn't matter, get behind me." Jack roughly shoved his reptile to his side, peeking through the small viewport in the door as Lix peered around his shoulder, her fangs nipping at his neck at the rough handling… not that she minded. Chaos permeated the crowd outside, orderlies and guards rushing to and fro as panic took its greedy hold on the populace. Confusion ran rampant as those who could fled for the exit, Jack ripping the door open to join the flow. "What the fuck is going on?" He demanded of a guard, one who glared at the interruption with open contempt.

"Riots on the common grounds, mobs trying to get into admin and the broadcast center." With that, the man shouldered past the mechanic to join his fellows. Lix stopped her Human from pursuing him to punish the slight.

"That's where Angela is!"

"Fuck her, we need off this station." Lix hissed, pulling Jack towards the exit. He submitted to her will with only a grumble. The No Safety hadn't been refueled yet, but… with riots going on, she wouldn't be. Hell, with riots breaking out, there might not even be a race. "I knew changing the last race was going to piss people off. Do you know how many Roarks go through these races? Angela didn't just cost people money, she probably upset intergalactic economies!"

As if to accentuate her words, the warnings of 'shots fired' rang through several of the guards' comms, sending the already panicking crowd into an apoplectic fervor. Lix dug her claws into Jack's shirt, pressing close to his back as the man shouldered his way through patients and staff alike, uncaring for their safety as he made a path for his captain. Steel alloy arms made for effective battering rams, a swath clearing before the duo as those who wished to keep their bones intact made way. Soon, Jack and Lix burst into the thoroughfare that led to the rail junction and their escape.

"Fuckin' stars, lookit that damn clog o' folk tryin' to muscle into the trams." True to his words, a crowd had formed before a phalanx of guards, tension threatening to spill over as their violence was held at bay by a line of trembling rifle barrels. The captain of the guard hollered unheeded orders, as usual, the people cared more for their own safety than the demands of a stranger with a badge. Servants and guards of all shapes and colors of uniform boarded car after car, leaving the roiling crowd hammering at the cordon denying them access. "Ain't no gettin' through that shit. My revolver is still on the No Safety Measures."

"The one time you don't have a gun." Lix hissed, glaring up at the man as she leaned around his back. "Not that I'm any better, that needle thrower you gave me is still by the captain's seat." Reptilian eyes surveyed the crowd, a powder keg fit to burst at a single errant spark… Going on foot to the docking bays was out of the question; it was several kilometers away.

"Nah, I got this- at least I think I do." A trill left the Kux'lar as Jack shoved forward, faux anger darkening the already weathered lines of his face. "Oi! These mooks are up to dirty shit!" More than several heads turned at the mechanic's booming voice, Jack's face one that was well known as the starship wrench turner who was behind the No Safety Measures' performance. Eager and angry eyes held with rapt attention, the boiling crowd looking for any reason to let loose and run rampant. "I got boys down in the engine bay what say they're evacuating staff off the ship 'cause o' the riots! Ai'n't gonna be any ships left for normal folk- an' they be locking down the docking bays!" Shouts of alarm and fear rose from the crowd. No one wanted to be aboard a ship where the crew was evacuated, and they weren't. It meant only one thing: corporate enforcement teams were about to come down like the thunder of a righteous hammer of authority. The lucky ones would be arrested, the rest… well…

"Fuck that, I got my kids to get back to!"

"They can't do- they can't just lock us on the Heart!"

"Break through, bust 'em down!"

"They'll shoot us, retard!"

"Better shot than in an enforcer's cell!"

"There's more of us than them, rush!"

"Stop! I'm gettin' fuckin' crushed!"

"Push! Puuuuuuuuush!"

"He's lying! There's no enforcers coming! We're just moving personnel away from the riots!"

"Hold! Hooold!"

"Push through! Rush''em!"

Pandemonium fell over the crows, Lix taking shelter behind her Human as he reached back to shield the reptile from the roiling crowd. Shoulder jostled, bystanders fell, guards shouted as hands grabbed at their rifles and uniforms. A shot pierced the air over ducking heads- sharp and quick, like a zipper through the panic. In a rush, the mob trampled the guards, boots descending on knees and hands and faces, as more than one terrified crew member dashed towards the rail cars. Jack bored a tunnel through the crowd, uncaring of the bones he snapped, before scooping hapless bystanders from a car to toss to the floor. Lix didn't waste time, quickly dashing her claws over the different destinations towards the 'Roid Racer only hangar bays.

"Crap! Jack, what the-"

"Only way we were gettin' through. Bunch o' fools were ready to burst anyway. I just nudged 'em." A metal finger rubbed at his nose as he sat heavy in a seat, looking out at the expansive greenery of the leisure district below. Before, it had been a bastion of opulence and wealth… now, several fires raged as waves of angry guests, pilots, and crew surged towards the exits in a mad dash, destroying what they could as revenge for a league broken. "Stars… they're gonna call in corporate enforcers at this rate."

"Then people really will get shot. What was Angela thinking?" Lix hissed, pressing her hip to Jack's as she shuffled into his seat. "Maybe this is what she wanted?"

"Woman loves chaos. I bet she's droolin' over it all, broadcastin' every moment."

"No one better have laid a finger on my ship. Or yours." Lix hissed, her tail lashing. "Crap!" A scaly finger reached up to her temple, an internal implant accessing her comms unit. "Skrunks? Mo'Ona, sitrep." Several moments of silence passed before a hasty vid-call rang in her vision. The sight of the little Hux running for his life spiked a spear of worry through the Kux'lar.

"Runnings! Peoples shooting and stomping everywhere! Running for hangar! Skrunkles parked in next bay over."

"Copy, keep me updated." Her paw fell from her head to Jack's metal hand, squeezing the cold digits. "Everything is going sideways so fast."

"Breathe, ai'n't nothin' we can do until we get to the docks." He squeezed back, pulling the lizard into his side. "Rail stops right at the entry corridor for the ships."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Lix turned away from the destruction below, from the crowds and seething anger. "So much money was just lost. Shortening the league? Changing the races? Entire economies revolve around betting on the pilots, heck, even the number of turns in a circuit. Angela can't just… do whatever she wants?"

"She can if'n she got the council in her pocket." A grimace twisted the man's mouth into a sneer. "Jus' like her too. Always had a head about throwin' her weight into councils an' meetin's."

"Well, she's definitely throwing her shit around this one." For a moment, Lix felt her eyes fall shut. The warmth she'd felt snuggling up to her mate in the medical ward had left, leaving her cold and frustrated- in more ways than one. What had been supposed to be a night of… fun had turned into a rushing nightmare of anxiety. "I hope Skrunkles is okay."

"That rat is resourceful. He'll be alright." Doubt gnawed at Jack's chest. While he wasn't… lying, per se, Mo'Ona had never put himself in a position as hot as the Racer's Heart on lockdown. He was an opportunist, fleeing the moment things got too hairy. Ship-wide riots and security crackdown were things he left well enough alone. Shadows were his friends, not fire and brimstone chaos. Either way, there was nothing he could do to help at the moment but get off the ship. Stars willing, the little rat bastard would follow soon.

The railcar's brakes rumbled as the familiar halls of the docking bay came into view, the duo wasting no time dashing towards the distant checkpoint and orderly ships behind it. No one manned the kiosk or contraband detectors; several pilots and their crews were frantically working on the magnets that kept their ships secured to the deck.

"Fuck! I bet the mag-release is on lockdown." Jack slammed his fist on the Gerthtrude's hull as he ran to her side. As expected, every command he sent to the ship for preflight checks was denied until the lockdown lifted. "Bitch, Angela pullin' out all the stops…" Rage built in the man's chest as old constants reared their head. Angela knew there would be a mass exodus of rioters and malcontents, a fleet of escaping _plebeians _who had dared to scuff the floors of her pretty ship and then flee. Beyond a doubt, there would be a platoon of corporate enforcement squads bearing down on the Racer's Heart to put boot and bullet on the roaring crowds of angry fans and enraged pilots. There was nowhere else to go, he needed into Angela's office.

It was a long shot… but… maybe the bitch still had her old number… Lix wrapped her claws around the man's metal forearm as held a finger to his temple.

"Call Angela, archived contact list…"

"Jack? What are you up to?" Lix hissed, but she didn't stop him.

"Getting some information." The line clicked and spluttered, ringing for more than several moments. In the end, surprise flashed across Jack's face as his old contact data, the one he'd used back when they'd all been nothing more than struggling to keep their home from getting glassed, worked.

"Jack, honey, it's been literal years since a call. Glad I kept this line active." Angela's tone dripped with the surety of someone who'd already won. What she'd won had yet to be seen. "Isn't this exciting? I'm broadcasting every moment, and the viewership has never been higher! Now this is how you run a show." Deep in her own quarters, Angela methodically powdered her nose and applied a fresh layer of lipstick, her red gown pooling around her feet like a spreading deluge of blood.

"What the fuck are you doing, woman?"

"I've gotten so bored, Jack." A smacking of wet lips squirmed in his ears like worms. As pretty as the mouth that spoke them were, the heart they came from had long since rotted. "Race after race, ship after ship- it all gets so boring."

"Ai'n't that jus' like ya. People dyin' for your entertainment."

"They're dying for their own glory. I'm just making sure I end up on top after the dust clears." Dead eyes stared back at Angela, the dim lighting of her quarters obscuring the plush bed and silk sheets, the automated butler and six foot bedside alcohol fridge, the gilded boxes of jewelry and ruby-encrusted pistol lying on the vanity below her… everything… she had everything… and yet it all felt so empty. So boring and false… everyone's problems were so minuscule; pay a bill, drink until they can't see straight, watch others live the life they want because they either have neither the means nor the courage to live it themselves… it was all so pathetic. A waste, barely turning cogs in a machine that wouldn't notice if their rust stopped turning. Fury roiled in her empty gut at the thought of so much waste, so much stagnation, so much… content. How few were willing to fight to improve their station? Even if they failed or found their efforts pushed them to change sides, at least the attempt was made.

These parasites… Angela hated the league… A monument to every vice that crumbled progress out from under the galaxy, a long running rot that facilitated the stagnation of a galactic civilization. So when the opportunity arose…

"Gonna burn it all down? Like you did our home?"

"Of course. Just like Sevar, the league can't see how to move forward. And I'm tired, Jack. This… oh, there will never be a league circuit that goes out like this. I'm going to broadcast it all… You want off this station? I have the lockdown codes… you know where to find me. A finale, Jack, just like last time."

Jack cursed as the line went dead with a click. Old blood boiled in his veins, oily and fetid, memories of his countrymen dying in droves as their technology was stolen, their home burned, their people erased… If Angela wanted a fight, she'd get one, but not on her terms. Was it… determination that spooled in Jack's gut like an old starship drive as he forced the Gerthtrude's airlock override to open? Was it… reluctance to concede that drug his boots into the depths of his cargo bay, around the bulk of the No Safety Measures stuffed in its innards to retrieve his revolver, that fed the embers of an old fire in his belly?

Angela… she was tired, eh? She was offering one last bout in the ring, wasn't she? An all-out knuckle dragger… because she was bored. Of course, she was bored. Angela had won, she'd tasted victory, she'd sat on the throne at the top… and gotten bored. Now she wanted out… or at least, was allowing Jack to get the blood he sorely wanted while cementing herself as the best announcer the league would ever have.

"Fine then," Jack hissed, sliding open the cylinder to stare down at the fat, heavy rounds he knew so well… "Been wanting to kill you for years anyway." Ages slipped from the mechanic's metal shoulders as he spun on his heel, making for the airlock gangway with renewed vigor and dancing blue sparks in his gunmetal eyes. The voices of his dead brothers and sisters whispered retribution in his ears, the icy song of Sevar's cold crust crinkling a siren song behind him as he descended the airlock's gangplank.

That same ice quelled the rising resolve in his gut when he saw Lix standing before a quaking Mo'Ona, his tail wrapped around his paws and eyes wide with fear… head shaking… tears staining the fur of his face… For her part, Lix shivered in barely contained wrath, her reptilian eyes wide with predatory intent… but it was the nearly silent words on her scaly lips that stopped Jack short, his boots skidding on the unforgiving metal decking.

"Traitor… you fucking… traitor…"