[MARKED] CHAPTER 3

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As always, English is not my native language, and although I try my best to correct what I can, I inevitably miss some errors. So without further ado, let's begin with Chapter 3.

**Maya's POV**

The moment the creature aimed at me again, I moved. Even though I prefer not to kill, I can't just stand still and wait for them to kill me.

I lunged at the creature. It fired at me once more, but it was quite easy to predict its line of fire. I moved instants before it shot, forcing it to fire again.

Step by step, I closed the distance until I was less than two meters away. Just as I was about to strike, the creature jumped backward with far more force than its legs seemed capable of producing.

The cycle repeated two more times until I realized this would take longer than I wanted.

So I launched myself forward, causing the metal beneath my feet to creak. I put enough power into my legs, ignoring the bullets that struck me and the slight stinging pain they caused.

It didn't matter. It would take thousands of shots from this caliber to kill me.

The creature seemed surprised by my action and leaned back to jump. Of course, it wasn't fast enough.

When I got close, I knocked the weapon aside with a strike and placed my hand around its throat. It felt disgusting to the touch.

"Talk," I growled. "Who are you and why did you attack me?"

The creature thrashed violently, slashing at my face with its claws. One grazed my cheek, leaving a shallow cut. I dislocated its arm with a sharp twist. The snap was loud and clear.

It screamed.

I hurled it several meters backward. Its body slammed against a metal wall with a loud crash. Before it could get up, I was already on top of it.

"Stop!" it pleaded in a broken, screeching voice. "Please don't hurt me anymore..."

"Why did you attack me?" I asked, keeping the pressure on.

"Resources... We need resources for our people."

"I came in peace. I was giving the help you requested. And you try to kill me the moment I step off my ship?"

The creature trembled under my grip. It no longer tried to fight.

"We didn't know... No one told us anything."

What does this mean? Wait a second — we were ignoring something pretty important here.

"What are you? What sector do you come from, and why do you look like that? How many modifications did you make?" I asked with a mix of doubt and curiosity.

The creature hesitated for a few moments before speaking.

"I am K'voryx, of the Klyxari race."

"Race? You're not human?"

"What is a human?"

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. A real extraterrestrial — the first one in all the millennia we've been exploring the universe. Before I could get excited, I ordered myself to calm down and return to normal.

"Alright, K'voryx. Where do you come from?"

"What do you mean? I've always lived here."

"What planet are you from?"

"Planet? What is that?"

This was getting frustrating.

"Let me rephrase the question. How long have you been living on this ship?"

"Oh, I've lived in this place for 40 years."

40 years. Of course, the translator converted it into my years.

I wondered how old that was for his species. Considering the type of weapon he had, he was probably an adult.

If he was 40 years old and had lived his entire life on this ship, that meant they had been traveling through that wormhole for at least 40 years — which would be millions of light-years.

Who knows what galaxy they might have come from.

"Why are you here?"

"I don't know. I only came here when I heard you."

K'voryx seemed as confused and lost as I was. I slowly released his arm and looked toward the darkness of the hangar, waiting for the one called Vex'rathar to appear.

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Well, here's Chapter 3. I feel like I'm getting the hang of the story. Thanks for reading, and see you next time.