Taking a deep breath, Knox pulled the comms mic toward himself.
"Sure thing! Just be careful, would ya? Don't want any innocent people to be shot."
The intercom crackled in response. "...Was that a threat?"
Knox frowned, turning toward Marzette. "Did that sound like a threat?"
Marzette gave him a so-so motion. "Not really, but I could see it being misconstrued as a 'we have hostages, don't be trigger happy' sort of thing."
"That's... dumb." Knox muttered. "I don't think the GP is that dumb, even if they're weak as shit."
"We can still hear you, you know." The officer said flatly.
"Oh," Knox awkwardly grinned at the intercom. "Well, can you hurry it up and get over here? We're not attacking you, obviously, and just floating here is wasting everyone's time."
Dead silence followed for a moment.
Finally, the voice from the other side returned.
"If we board you find even a hint of resistance," the officer warned, "you'll wish you'd chosen to surrender peacefully."
"Neat," Knox clicked the mic off.
Knox leaned back, taking a glance at Marzette as he adjusted his clothes.
"Keep your guard up," he ordered firmly. "I know I just said they're weak, but don't underestimate them."
Her gaze sharpened. "They're dangerous?"
Knox shook his head. "Not a huge threat, no. But they tend to pack electroshock stun guns. Won't do much to me, but you? One good zap, and you'd be out like a light."
Her wings unfurled with a metallic hiss, and she rose to full height, unfolding her arms. "I see. Then I'll make sure that doesn't happen."
It didn't take long before the patrol extended an airlock latch to their vessel. The distinct hiss of decompression echoed the Galactic Patrol boarded. He watched as a squadron of eight methodically entered the ship.
Knox walked out to meet them, his hands raised in mock surrender and a wide, disarming smile plastered across his face. The lead patrolman, a broad-shouldered alien with dark blue skin and golden eyes, immediately stepped forward weapon drawn and pointed straight at him.
"Identify yourself," the commander ordered.
"Knox Creed of Earth." he said simply, still smiling. "It's this little blue planet somewhere that should be under your protection, if I'm not wrong."
The commander frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes. He turned briefly to one of his subordinates, gesturing. "You, check that."
A younger-looking patrolman fumbled with a sleek tablet, scrolling through its holographic display.
At the same time, the commander signaled to another member of his team. "And you, scan him."
One of the other patrolmen stepped forward, holding a device shaped like a high-tech baton. He approached Knox cautiously, the device emitting a faint hum as he waved it over him.
"There are far too many intelligent lifeforms gathered on this ship for a vessel of this type," the commander began. "As long as you explain your side of the story, we won't have to escalate this any further."
Knox smirked; his arms still raised in mock surrender. "Ohhhh, so that's why you boarded instead of just blowing us to smithereens right away." He gestured vaguely around the ship. "Well, to make a long story short, me and the folks here-"
Before he could continue, the patrolman scanning him suddenly stumbled back, his device emitting a high-pitched hum.
"Commander! The insectoid one is a B-Class threat!"
The tension in the room instantly thickened. Guns snapped up in unison, all trained squarely on Marzette.
But any hope of stopping the panic was dashed as the scanner-holding patrolman gasped again, his voice trembling with something close to terror.
"And him!" the patrolman stammered, backing up so fast he almost tripped. "He's… he's A-Class!"
"Stand down!" the commander barked, his voice harsh, but his team didn't seem to hear him.
Tense, one of the patrolmen panicked and pulled the trigger.
A brilliant bolt of energy streaked across the room, aimed directly at Knox. His hand shot out casually, slapping the bolt aside as if it were nothing more than an annoying fly.
The energy blast careened into the wall harmlessly, leaving nothing but a faint scorch mark.
Then all hell broke loose.
Marzette, without hesitation, reacted, her wings snapping open as her body blurred into motion. A shimmering Ki-blade sprang to life in her hand.
Knox's voice cut through the tension. "Don't kill him!"
Marzette adjusted instantly in mid-air. Her Ki-blade vanished, and with a blur of speed, she was standing behind the patrolman. Her claws rested against the side of his neck, the razor-sharp tip hovering over his pulse.
"Do not do that again," she murmured, voice calm as death.
The remaining patrolmen froze, their weapons wavering.
Knox held up his hands again in a placating gesture, stepping forward.
"Okay, okay," he said breezily, trying to calm everyone down. "Nobody's bleeding or dying yet. And no one has to. Let's not make this any worse, yeah?"
The room stayed locked in a taut, knife-edge silence, sweat dripping down the foreheads of the patrolmen. The only one who seemed composed yet still vigilant was the commander himself.
Knox cleared his throat. "Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," He glared at the guy who shot his gun, who gulped in fear. "We were all... expendables, I think they called us? To make a long story short, Marzette here and I killed all the slavers, took their ship, and have been flying toward you for the last month or so.
"The plan was to drop these lovely people off, then attempt to trade this ship with you folks and make a deal that lets me get home so this entire nightmare can be over. That's all."
The commander's expression was unreadable, but one of the younger patrolmen suddenly piped up from the corner, still glued to his tablet.
"Commander… his story checks out."
Golden eyes flicked toward the rookie. "Explain."
The patrolman hesitated, swallowing hard. "His DNA matches that of an Earthling. Our records list Earth as a developing world under our watch. And he does have the mark."
Knox's eyes snapped to him. "The what now?"
"It's more like a brand," the patrolman said quietly. "The PTO burn a tag into the nape of all of their slaves. Invisible to the naked eye, but it shows up on our scanners."
Knox's smirk faltered. Instinctively, his hand rose toward the base of his neck. "…Didn't know about that part."
The commander finally exhaled, slow and heavy, his gaze lingering on Knox as if weighing a dozen decisions at once. He opened his mouth to speak-
-But the little device on his ear buzzed.
"Everyone, stand down! I have to take this," The commander ordered, jaw clenching as he answered. "This is Chiwak."
A clipped voice on the other end snapped something too low for Knox to catch, but the commander flinched like he'd been slapped. "Yes, ma'am… no, they're- I understand that, ma'am, but..."
There was more muffled scolding. The commander's golden eyes flicked briefly to Knox, then away. "Understood."
He clicked the comm off, turning back to the room. His voice was clipped, clearly displeased.
"My... boss believes your story and would like to speak with you. Personally."
__________
Knox sat in a surprisingly lavish office, arms crossed as he waited to see what this 'boss' wanted from him. He already knew exactly what he wanted, and if they tried to take his ship without an equivalent trade then he was going to steal the entire headquarters for himself.
Marzette stood next to him, as she'd refused to sit, still in alert mode after his warning.
The door hissed open suddenly, and in strode a tall woman with sleek silver armor trimmed in deep violet. Her presence felt suffocating, and her sharp, teal eyes locked onto Knox with a gaze that seemed to pierce into his soul.
She had an aura of power, with a cape brushing the floor behind her, giving off an air of supreme authority.
Knox smirked. "So, you must be-"
He didn't get to finish.
The woman suddenly dropped to her knees so fast the clang of her armor on the pristine floor made Marzette tense up.
"Please, please, please!" she cried, her voice trembling with desperation. Tears streamed freely down her face as she clutched at the carpet.
'...What the fuck.'
Knox could only stare.
"Think of the children!" she wailed, snot already dripping. "The innocents trapped under Frieza's reign of terror! The people who need someone like you to protect them! I'm begging you, think of their futures!"
Knox blinked rapidly. "I- Huh? Slow down. What is happening right now? Do you want me to join the Galactic Patrol or...?"
"Yes!" she sobbed, grabbing his pant leg with both hands. "You're so powerful! We need you in our ranks! You could save the universe! You're an A-Class who isn't a complete tyrant, do you even realize how rare that is?!"
Knox leaned back, trying to pry her off without kicking her. "You have got to chill out."
Her sobs only got louder. "Frieza is unstoppable! And his father! King Cold! We've lost so many, we can't-" She dissolved into incoherent wailing.
Knox dragged a hand down his face. "Oh my god. Of course this is about Frieza."
Then she blew her nose on his leg.
Knox stared down at her, revolted. "…Okay, fuck this. I am literally planning to kill Frieza myself, so get a grip because you're pissing me off."
The woman froze.
In an instant she was on her feet, tears gone, cape brushed clean, posture flawless. A subtle flare of ki evaporated the damp streaks off her armor.
"Oh," she said briskly, voice smooth and professional, "Well, why didn't you say so?"
Knox stared at her in stunned silence, blinking slowly.
Ignoring his expression, she smoothed the stray hairs out of her face and smiled politely, sitting down at her desk.
"So, you came to make a deal with us, correct? Let's talk business."