Star Wars: Heroes of Another Kind

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 176: Family Matters

Akan barely had a chance to turn and look out the small window behind the bed before there was a beep from the door. He couldn’t help a sigh of annoyance, which was only heightened by the fact that he didn’t even get to say ‘Go away’. Instead, the door opened and an Alraxian woman barged straight in. She was about his height, with long lilac hair that had Akan’s eyes widening in surprise. Most people would probably have described her as beautiful, but Akan was still thrown off by the odd coloured hair. Two very bright blue eyes scoured the entire room before locking on Akan.

A stern expression on her face faded into one that Akan couldn’t even make sense of. She was smiling, though, “Apologize...thought I Marix was here.”

Her voice was soft and somewhat musical, and as she spoke her eyes looked him over from head to tail and then back again. The woman’s dark skin tinted a slightly yellow colour, and while Akan hadn’t completely learned to grasp the silent form of communication that Alraxians had, he knew that he didn’t like this. When he didn’t actually say anything, the smile on her face grew and that odd expression with it, “New you are? Boy from the stars, they call you...Jedi even...,” her gaze drifted over him one more time, and this time he read her expression as something at least close to amusement, “No one say Star Boy look so good.”

Akan took a very large step back at hearing that. With those words, he’d also managed to pinpoint what exactly that look in her eyes was. Predatory. And the way she kept looking him over like some meal was making him feel even more uneasy. Somehow, he doubted she actually wanted to kill him. The fact that this was terrifying would likely have been humorous if Akan was watching this from the sidelines.

Seeing his discomfort only caused her smile to grow. She even took another step forward, causing Akan to become hyper aware that he was going to be cornered in about two more steps, “Maybe like you Jedi Boy better?”

If he had ever found her attractive for the slightest of moments, hearing her speak would have killed all interest. Not her voice itself, as it was as dangerous as she looked to be when it came to attractiveness, but from the way she butchered Basic. Sure, she knew the words, but grammar and sentence structure really helped out when it came to general understanding.

But his mind locked onto what she’d said, and in a strangely angry sounding voice from what he was used to hearing from himself, Akan allowed himself a low growl, “Don’t call me Jedi Boy.”

The fact that this was Shadow’s nickname for him had nothing at all to do with it. Nothing. Nope. Nothing at all. He just didn’t like it. But with Shadow, he didn’t have to tell her that. She knew because of the link. He was always just as annoyed when she called him that. Always. Definitely. Even if he did grin. Or laugh. Or do his best to just act annoyed. But it still had nothing to do with Shadow at all.

Despite the almost threatening tone in his voice, the woman still stepped forward and grinned, “No like it?” but she just shrugged and gave the room one more look before eyeing him again, “You tell Marix something for me, please?”

“What?” Akan nearly hissed the word, having decided to just get this over with as soon as possible. Then she’d leave. Then she’d stop inspecting him like some meal.

“Tell her cousin Kato will speak to her. She see me quick if she get back,” the Alraxian woman, Kato, smiled and stepped forward one more time. Her skin went through a few different colours, all with tinges of that same yellow to them. Very carefully, she reached up and brushed his hair back. Or at least tried to. When she touched his fringe he immediately reacted by reaching up and grabbing her wrist.

He didn’t even take notice of how Shadow-like his reaction had been. Instead, his focus was staring Kato straight in the eyes. Akan squeezed her wrist a little too hard before throwing it back at her, forcing himself not to do anything else. Her skin took on a more blue coloured tint and she sighed, rubbing her wrist noticeably. But her voice stayed the same, soft and musical and a little too friendly, “You tell her quick. Important.”

And then, with one last soft touch of his shoulder, Kato spun around and exited the room. Akan stood as menacingly as he could until the door silently irised closed before letting out a long sigh and nearly collapsing onto the bed. Why that woman...Kato, whatever, got him so worked up was beyond him. But she did get him worked up. No, it was more than just worked up. She got him angry. And he couldn’t even explain why, which just made things worse. Whatever it was, he didn’t understand it, and probably would like it even less if he did.

Out of frustration he kicked the nearby wall hard. To his surprise, the hard surface actually absorbed his foot very slightly, and in his mind he heard a Loki-like voice. [That hurt.]

Or at least, Akan thought he heard it. Honestly, he was pretty sure that the words didn’t arrive in his brain in Basic, but somewhere in his head they were being translated. Well, somewhere they were being translated and interpreted. Upon realizing he’d actually ‘heard’ a voice, he did the only sensible thing he could think of.

Akan turned back to the wall, nodded his head politely, and apologized to it, “Sorry.”

The fact that he had just apologized to a wall was lost on him for the moment. [Forgiveness.] it said to him in the same tone. An odd sensation ran up his spine and Akan couldn’t help looking up to the ceiling slightly. [You are future.]

“Huh?” Akan raised an eyebrow and stepped back to sit on the bed. Talking to a wall was one thing, and if he was really going crazy it was probably best to do so on a comfortable bed.

The ‘wall’ seemed to think about his question for a moment before attempting something else. [Many futures. Many gone. You are...unknown to me. But like other before you.]

“What do you mean, unknown?” Akan asked up, wondering idly if talking to the ceiling would help this all make more sense, “And what other before me?”

Off next to the wardrobe, a small holoprojector-like device activated and Akan watched a small image of the current Emperor, Cole, appeared. And then he understood what the wall had been telling him, “Oh! You mean I’m like Cole? He was...was human at one point, yes?”

[Like you.] the wall confirmed as the holoprojection shut off.

With a deep breath, Akan looked around the room once more. He’d only woken up a couple of hours earlier, but for some reason he felt absolutely exhausted. It didn’t help that Shadow was gone and he had no idea of anything about this place...and that little encounter with Kato had drained him, though he didn’t exactly know why it had. But why didn’t matter. Idly, he asked the room in general, “What’s the best way to get some sleep in this place?”

[Close your eyes, lay back, and promise not to kick anymore walls.] the voice answered just a second after he’d asked.

Akan couldn’t help but grin as he flopped back on the large bed. Closing his eyes, Akan said more quietly, “I’m sorry about that...I didn’t exactly know. And that...that Kato or whatever the Sith her name is. She just really...annoyed me. But I promise not to kick anymore walls.”

[Enaijai’la Kato is in line for the throne.] the room announced to Akan. [Though she is a...a...]

It paused. For five minutes, the whatever it was searched for the correct word. And then, when it finally had it, the voice actually sounded smug. [A runner up.]

Through a yawn, Akan said, “Well, I guess I know who’s first in line...though I can’t help but wonder where I fit into this mess.”

Akan didn’t exactly wait for an answer, though. [That would make you ah...] it realized that the occupant of the small room had fallen asleep. While the palace itself never slept, it did understand the concept well enough. [Night night.]

Bored, if a palace could be bored at least, it kept its attention on him anyway. Besides, it wasn’t needed anywhere else for anything beyond the usual. Opening doors, running water, fixing this and that. But here was a new person. Not only new, but a Jedi from the rumors...and the palace heard enough rumors to know which ones to pay attention to. It had knowledge passing back close to fifteen thousand standard years, and while the Jedi were featured fairly well in Alraxian history...these days, there were none. The palace was not going to pass up such an interesting opportunity, even if it only watched him sleep.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 177: Eyes in the Dark

Shadow arrived back at the palace well into the night. The small ship simply landed, tossed her off, and then left her. Overall, to say she looked like she’d taken a beating would have been putting it lightly. It was probably a good thing her clothes hadn’t been the elaborate type that the Needai constantly tried to dress her in, because the simple ones she currently wore were as torn and ripped as she was. Unsteadily, she made he way from the landing pad to the palace interior.

Just as she stepped into the building, the palace notified her that Kato required speaking with her. Shadow couldn’t help groaning at that. Things were bad enough already, and adding Kato into the mix only made things worse. It took a long time to make her way through the seemingly endless corridors and hallways of the palace before reaching Kato’s quarters, and once arriving Shadow barely had the energy to press the buzzer.

A sharp, “What?!” echoed inside for a moment before the door opened up and Kato stood there glaring. No surprise. Many saw Kato as the sweet, pretty girl in line for the throne. It was obvious she wasn’t stupid, but she rarely let on to just how much she knew about what was going on. That Kato that Shadow knew, though, was everything but that, and definitely nothing polite. She also happened to have the knowledge that Sh...Marix was Tam-Day-U. How she knew this was unknown, but she definitely knew.

“In,” Kato snapped and Shadow followed the order in a second. A single step brought her into the room and the door shut behind her, “You have some nerve coming back here.”

The words were laced with venom and Kato made a point to claw slowly at one of the large cuts on Shadow’s shoulder. She twitched and did her best to ignore the pain, holding her voice steady, “You require something?”

Kato flicked some blood off of her fingers onto Shadow and rolled her eyes, “You will do what you came here to do and then you will leave.”

“You alone know about me outside of my family,” Shadow said with a surprising amount of anger in her voice considering the current situation and how badly she felt, “Do not think you can spread that knowledge for your own advantage. You should know the danger involved in threatening someone like me...”

A foot then connected with Shadow’s gut, getting a gasp out of her before she crumbled against the wall behind her and slumped to the ground. Kato glared down at her and kicked hard again, growling, “Do not threaten me, scum. Now get out of here.”

With that, she against kicked Shadow, this time hard across the side of the head. Trying to ignore the dizziness and knowing she couldn’t fight back, Shadow slowly got to her feet and left the room. In the hallway outside, she nearly collapsed. She was hungry...so hungry...and tired. And she hurt. Everything hurt. She didn’t have the energy to remorph, and even if she had, her orders were strictly against that. Disobeying those orders would simply make things even worse.

Eventually, Shadow made it to her room and opened the door to step in. Not even noticing Akan asleep on the bed, she stumbled past to the wardrobe and got out something that wasn’t torn to pieces before taking the next few minutes to change into them. She then took a few minutes to patch up the more noticeable wounds across her face as best as possible. The entire time, Shadow didn’t even think. She simply did what she did and then finally ended up in the bed to sleep. Entirely empty of mind, in a way she hadn’t been since the Empire’s testing on Marix. Not the Alraxian Empire, though.

* * * *​

Hours later but still before dawn, another transport arrived at the palace and deposited a single, tall Alraxian. He walked with purpose, quickly through the palace to a certain room. There, he waited. In a couple minutes, Kato strode in, haughty as ever. She gave him a simple nod before stepping over beside him and looking at the small image that had his attention.

“You should have just killed her, Faban,” Kato said eventually to the ebony skinned Alraxian. It was the same man that Akan had seen watching them when they’d first arrived.

He glanced at Kato over his shoulder and rolled his eyes, “Oh, really? Is she that much of a problem for you?”

When Kato just growled at him, Faban smiled, “She will die in time. But she is the Empress to be, she cannot simply be killed.”

“Even by you?”

“Especially not by me,” he answered with a nod, “At least, not in the open. And her death will be in the open.”

Kato went silent a moment to watch the image. On it, she could see Marix and Akan asleep. It annoyed her to no end that Marix had her head on the male’s chest and an arm around him. In fact, it annoyed her to the point that her skin took on a noticeable red tint. Eventually, she growled in a low voice, “What of her Nothlit?”

This time, Faban turned his two deep set eyes to watch Kato carefully. But after a pause, he said simply, “I must test him. If he passes the test, we will make the necessary arrangements.”

“Do not kill her until those arrangements are made,” Kato said very slowly and very dangerously.

But her anger only seemed to amuse the much older Alraxian, “Emotion clouds judgement. But be patient, Kato. Both of our interests lie along the same path.”

“Yes, yes,” she sighed and walked across the small room, pacing some, “So you always say. But what of this clone and Halpak, hm? That little problem doesn’t seem to lie along that path!”

“If you are going to be Empress, you must learn patience,” Faban said again calmly, “Things are being set in motion to deal with all of these troubles.”

Stopping her pacing, Kato turned to glare at the ebony skinned Alraxian across from her, “That’s so very insightful, Faban! Just get things done!” throwing her arms up in annoyance, she turned and stormed towards the door, “If you require anything else you know how to find me!”

And then she left. Faban watched her go and then turned back to the small image of Marix and that boy. So she had followed orders at least. The wounds were still there. However, she had the nerve to feel still. Faban had thought that would have been worked out of her through the previous night. But apparently she had been away too long and her training had been forgotten. It was going to take much more drastic measures to get his weapon back. More drastic measures that he was already prepared for.

The link with that boy would have to be severed anyway, if he were to survive as Kato wished. Cutting the two of them off would likely make it much easier for Marix to accept her former position. Where she was meant to be. Watching them silently, Faban decided that it would be no trouble at all to speed that up. Severing that link would do nothing but good. Besides, it should never have been there in the first place if the girl had followed her orders. He’d need to find out what went wrong there, too. Eventually, at least.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 178: No One Else

Shadow awoke a few hours after sunrise. She didn’t even register the fact that she was using Akan as a pillow. In fact, she didn’t even notice he was there. Without a word, she simply climbed out of bed and walked over to the wardrobe to find some suitable clothes. When she stepped back into the main room from the small washroom, changed and clean, Akan was sitting up on the bed looking only half away.

Seeing him, she jumped slightly, and Akan couldn’t help but notice she felt...odd through the link. At least it was there, but she didn’t feel right at all. Dulled and...well, everything she wasn’t. After a moment, she composed herself and bowed, “I apologize...”

“For what?” Akan asked in a groggy voice as he got to his feet and raised an eyebrow.

Shadow didn’t answer for a moment, but eventually said carefully, “Ah...um...breakfast is served in the main hall, ah...Akan.”

The way she’d said his name made it sound like it had taken a large amount of effort. Almost like putting a name to a face of an old acquaintance that one hadn’t seen for years. Noticing that she was still staring down at the floor, Akan asked, “Shadow...what’s wrong? Back to not even looking at me?”

He attempted to reach over and lift her face up so she couldn’t keep staring down, but her eyes then averted. He sighed in annoyance and wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer. Grumbling something under his breath he stepped past her to find something to wear. After picking out something that would not in any way match and putting it on, he walked back to see her still standing there in the same place.

“Fine!” he grumbled, “Be that way. Can you at least lead the way and show me where the food is?”

This time, she did look at him, an expression of shock and almost horror on her face, “Me...l...l...lead the way?!”

She braced herself for a moment, and when nothing happened, she realized he was actually serious. Was he mad?! Didn’t he know what she was?! But he had said...and...very carefully, she peaked out the door to see no one was there. Good. Quickly, and as carefully as she could, Shadow shuffled down the hallways, leading Akan to the main hall and hoping to the Force that no one would see them.

They made it without any trouble to the entrance of the main hall where two guards stood. The two of them tensed as she passed, and Shadow did her best to ignore the low growl from the both of them. Suddenly, though, a sharp pain rocked through her as she was jerked back by her tail. Somehow, Shadow stifled a yelp of pain.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the guard who had yanked her back growled, glaring down at her and looking ready to kill her in a second.

Very quietly, she said, “I was...leading the way to the breakfast hall.”

“You don’t lead the way anywhere!” the second guard snapped before looking past her to Akan and motioning for him to pass.

Part of Akan really wanted to just deck the guards then and there, but somehow he doubted it was a good idea. Strange things were going on, and he needed time to figure them out before acting so rashly. Shadow was strange enough...but he walked into the room without trouble, and the guards held Shadow back until she was a respectable distance behind him.

The room itself was large and had a very happy feel to it. There were two tables occupied by around twenty or so different Alraxians. The larger one with adults, and the smaller with a group of children of various ages. A silence had appeared as they walked in, and everyone had turned to watch them. Shadow waited for Akan to start for the adult’s table, and did her best to stay just behind him as they walked.

Then, a familiar voice rang out loudly through the silence, “AKAN!!!”

Suddenly, from amongst the smaller table, the little black furred and blue striped form of Tobias scrambled out and rushed at Akan. A moment later, all of the other children charged, eager to find out what Tobias was so excited about. In a second, Tobias latched onto Akan and climbed up him with his claws as usual. Akan didn’t even cringe, though, as he’d somehow gotten used to the little Alraxian clawing his way up, “Hey, little guy. What have you been up to?”

Sitting up in Akan’s arms, Tobias’ eyes went wide as he waved down to all the children that were now encircling them and purring, “I met all these...these people!! And you know what? They like to play!!”

Akan laughed and knelt down to set Tobias down, “Sounds good. I’ll come torture you later, but right now I’m hungry. Go and eat, alright?”

Toby nodded, then all the children scurried away like a swarm of creatures. Grinning, Akan finished heading over to the table and found the two empty seats. Shadow was just standing there behind one, and Akan couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with her. Shrugging to himself, he sat down anyway just as a large plate of food was placed in front of him.

Shadow had a seat next to him afterwards, and also recieved a fairly good portion of food. Generally, though, she was ignored. Everyone was interested in talking with the newcomer, and her mother and farther were talking amongst themselves on the other end of the table with a couple of the other elders. Next to Shadow, sat her twin Alyx, who’d felt obligated to sit there despite what anyone else may have felt.

She was his twin, and next to her he was the runt of the litter. But she could fight. He wasn’t a warrior. Compared to her, he was even small and wiry. But that didn’t matter. After eating some, he looked across Shadow to Akan and grinned, “The children seem to like you.”

Since Akan had his mouth full, the comment was answered only with a slight nod. Alyx grinned slightly and added, “The new jai...he looks like he could be your son.”

Studiously, Shadow ignored that comment as did Akan. He at least gave the smaller Alyx a sideways glance, but said nothing before diving into more food. He was hungry. Yes. Hungry. So very hungry that he couldn’t bother to comment on such things. Of course, this only got a bigger grin on Alyx’s face, “He must be trouble...I really always thought I’d wait a little longer before having a...”

He slowly trailed off as a shadow loomed over his small figure. Looking up, he saw the much larger frame of their eldest brother, Gawain, standing there glaring down at him, “If you smart, you not sit next to freak, eh?”

Alyx slowly turned to stare down at his plate, turning a very deep shade of red in the process. Almost under his breath, he said, “I’ll sit where I want.”

“You degrade yourself sitting there!” Gawain growled loud enough that the rest of the room went silent. All eyes fell on them...and Akan, who at least a couple noticed had reached for his belt twice to come away with nothing. He really wished he had his lightsaber with him.

“He can sit where he wants, Gawain,” surprisingly, that had been Shadow’s voice. Spoken quietly and calmly while she continued to look down like her twin brother.

“Who are you to speak?!” he roared before stepping closer and punching her hard in the back. The blow sent her face first into the table, and she resisted the urge to jump back up and snap his neck right there. But the guards were watching now. Watching and waiting. Waiting for her to make one move...just one move so that they could kill her.

Instead of fighting back, then, she slowly sat back up and silently cleaned the food off of her face. But Gawain wasn’t finished yet. Grabbing her plate and glass he threw them across the room. A second later he grabbed her shoulder and twisted her around and out of her seat, “Go eat your food!”

That was it. Akan had had it. Despite the fact that Gawain was still taller than he was, and built like a starship, Akan stood up swiftly. No longer caring about having left his lightsaber behind, Akan simply lashed out with a very strong punch to Gawain’s face. It hit. Hard. The taller Alraxian growled and let go of Shadow, stumbling back more in surprise than from pain.

Just as he recovered from the blow and prepared to lash out at Akan, the Empress yelled, “ENOUGH!”

The anger in her voice startled everyone at the table, and surprised Gawain enough that he stopped mid punch. He froze and turned to face her. In Alraxian, the Empress growled an order, to which Gawain replied in a heated fashion. But his protests were met by the two guards, who grabbed him and hauled him out of the room.

“Lock him up until I can face him!” the Empress called after them.

There was only a short silence that followed, and a moment later a summons came from a young Sunrunner. For the first time in her life, Shadow was glad for the summons even if she had to go and meet with Faban. With as much dignity and strength as she could, so got up from the table, bowed as best she could, then left.

And so, everyone stared at Akan, standing there behind the chair he’d thrown to the ground. He was still in a fighting stance, and the adrenaline rush had faded into red hot anger. Dangerous anger. No longer able to just hold it in, he spoke in the coldly dangerous voice that was seething with anger, “I know that our cultures are very different. And I know that because of this, we’re never going to agree on many things...but...something like that, would never, ever, happen where I come from,” slowly, his voice was losing its control and fading into simple yelling, “I don’t know what any of you people are up to, and I don’t even care anymore! I just know that one of you is doing something to her. And I’m going to find out who, and when I do, I will hunt you down and show you why no one, now matter how important you may think you are, will ever mess with anyone I care about again!”

He paused a moment to take a breath, then glared at the table and yelled, “I will not lose anyone else to you damned Alraxians! You’ve taken enough from me already, and I won’t have you taking Shadow!”

Without another word, he stormed out of the room.

 

[Mirage_Patrick]

have i mentioned that I love this story?

I was sitting reading the post before this one and think "man, Akan will get upset if he finds out"...guess he found out.

Needless to say I am eagerly looking forward to how this all plays out

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 179: Without a Shadow

When Shadow didn’t return that night, Akan’s general anger started to turn into worry. Her absence the next morning only made it worse. On top of that, was their link. It must have been a time honoured pastime of the Alraxians to mess with links, as Shadow just felt...wrong. Or very un-Shadow, at least. Distant and odd and barely even there in the first place. In fact, every so often, he couldn’t help wondering if the link was actually with two completely different people and fading in and out between them.

It didn’t help that everyone avoided his questions about her. Even if he did manage to draw anyone in, they always spoke swiftly and in the past tense. That did nothing but get Akan angry again, but not so much so to have an outburst like before. The guards were watching him now...not like they watched Shadow, but definitely keeping an eye on him just in case.

At least Tobias was oblivious to any tensions. For the first time in his life, he had other Alraxians his own age to play with. But that wasn’t enough for him, of course. His favorite toy, Akan, was becoming difficult to play with at times. On one such occasion, Alyx watched the little Alraxian trying to get Akan to play. Seeing the effort fail was oddly depressing. He still felt ashamed at Akan’s words two days earlier. But there wasn’t anything he could do! At least, nothing he could do without getting into some serious trouble.

But Alyx knew where his twin was. He also knew how to get to her. He knew, and no matter how much he wanted to help Akan...he just couldn’t. Feeling miserable, he’d wandered off to try the only other thing he could think of. He tried to contact Kyren. Kyren would be able to fix all this...but the communication’s man had said that Kyren couldn’t be reached. Apparently, there had been a skirmish over another of the border planets and Kyren may or may not have been involved.

His mother had found out about the inquires and, yes, it had gotten him into trouble. After a lecture, Alyx gave up and went off to find something else to do. Something that he didn’t have to worry about so much. There was a reason Marix was his twin...she was supposed to deal with these kind of things.

Out in one of the large gardens, Tobias had gotten Akan to play. Sort of. Sort of because it was more an ambush than a ‘play’ situation. Tobias, along with four of his friends, had latched on. The four little Alraxians attached to his legs and Tobias on Akan’s shoulder, all of them straining and ‘grrr’ing as they tried to pull the much larger Akan down. It had to be because he’d refused to play so long! They’d gotten smart and brought more than usual and now—

“AH!” Akan yelped as, somehow, one of the children managed to get his weight to shift in just the right way. With a thud, his vision went blurry and he fell back to the grass below, five little Alraxians suddenly scampering over him and making a myriad of different noises that all amounted to something close to victory. But Akan wasn’t out yet. With a menacing laugh, he reached up and grabbed on of the children by the scruff of the neck.

From off on the other side of the garden, Cole watched the young man and the little Alraxians. He couldn’t help a smile at watching them. The boy might be a bit...well, delinquent, but he would be a good father. Hopefully the father that Cole had always wished he’d been for Marix. But there hadn’t been a choice, and wishing didn’t do anyone any good.

The boy cared for her, that much was obvious. Cole couldn’t help but wonder how that had come about. They had said she would be devoid of emotions and anything like that would be impossible...but then again, they hadn’t figured she’d be leaving to a larger part of the galaxy and getting involved in who knew what. What would they say now? Not only returning, but with a Jedi. And not just a Jedi, but an Alraxian Jedi. Already, the word was spreading fast, and there was going to be no slowing it.

But they were wrong, then. They were wrong because Akan did care. Cole could see it without any trouble at all. The reasons that many over the Network were considering him to be so delinquent or a bit...off were simply because he cared more than any of them did. More than Cole did, and he was her father. Looking up, he watched as a small Kanyak came in to land not far off.

So this was it, then. The boy probably didn’t even know how much rested on his shoulders. He probably didn’t have any idea of the significance of being a Jedi, either. Marix didn’t know. She couldn’t. She’d probably have thought twice about bringing him with her if she knew. Not that he’d be killed, but it was going to complicate things eventually. And there was something else. Something that had been bothering Cole since the moment Akan had joined the Clan.

Seeing the young man as a Human had triggered it. Something in his appearance that was familiar...distantly familiar. And now it was starting to bug Cole even more. So he made a decision. Perhaps his mate had noticed the same thing. If she hadn’t, that was fine and Cole could just pass up the feeling to being old...but if she did notice it. If she’d been thinking the same thing...then it would have to be looked into. No matter how crazy it was. No matter how much of a coincidence it could be. No matter how much of a long shot it was, Cole still couldn’t shake the feeling that Akan’s face was familiar in an odd way.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 180: Friend of a Friend

The children had eventually padded off, pouncing each other and growling the whole way. As Akan got back to his feet, he looked up to see a small ship passing over and quickly dropping in altitude. He watched it go over and then disappear behind another of the large buildings before sighing. It reminded him of Loki. Sure, it was exactly the same...but it was close enough. And reminding him of Loki reminded him of everything else. There were too many things that needed to be done and he was stuck here in the middle of who knew where without any idea of what to do. Well, that wasn’t true. He knew what to do. That was simple: Get Shadow back. Of course, the how was what caused it to be a problem. So did the where.

“Marix...?” a voice sounded behind him. Akan raised an eyebrow, turning around to see a new Alraxian standing not to far off. He was taller than Akan, with short, emerald coloured hair. The colour was not lost on Akan. In fact, for a moment, it was all Akan could see until the man suddenly rushed over and grabbed Akan by the collar, “Where is she?! What have you done with her?!”

Roughly, Akan forced the man off and took a step back, “Hold on a second there, pal. Who the hell are you, anyway?!”

But before any response could be made, Akan threw up his arms, “And don’t touch me! I’ve had it with this damned, Alraxian touchy feely crap! That is one thing I’ve had damn well enough of and...”

Slowly, Akan trailed off. Not only because the large Alraxian was glaring at him, but because a memory clicked. Not Akan’s memory, but Shadow’s. Which was...odd in its own right. The link had provided them with a bit of memories that had seeped through on both ends. And one of those stray Shadow memories put a name with a face. Kyren. This was Kyren! Trustworthy. Right...now...

“Um...sorry about that,” Akan said quietly, taking another small step back just in case and noting Kyren’s expression went from glaring to somewhat confused, “Just a little jumpy lately. Name’s Akan. You would be...Kyren, right? Because if you are, then we’ve got to talk.”

Still, Kyren said nothing. His face was a very odd mix of deep set rage and outright confusion. Akan couldn’t really blame him, though. Sighing, he shrugged, “Well...nice to meet you, too. Unless you’d like to assist me in the impossible, then I’ll be moving along and leaving you be again.”

Giving up, Akan turned and started back to the palace to get some things gathered up. But as he got close, Kyren reached over and yanked Akan up off of his feet to bring them eye to eye. The confusion turning back to anger, Kyren growled, “Listen! I didn’t understand half of what you just said! I’ve just come back from losing all of my pack in a battle against Marix calling herself ‘Nine’! So if you don’t start making sense and tell me what’s going on I’m going to tear your tail off and feed it back to you until you DO make sense!”

There was a pause. Akan didn’t doubt that Kyren would do that. For a short moment, the two Alraxian men stared each other down. Then, slowly, Kyren’s face softened and he let go of Akan, dropping him a few centimeters back down to his feet. The tension faded away between them and Akan slowly explained what was going on from his understanding. About Nine and Ket...and then about Shadow, saying she had been summoned and hadn’t seen her since.

“Summoned?” Kyren sighed heavily and shook his head, then gave Akan a critical look, “Why aren’t you part of the Network?”

But Akan just held up a hand, “Not important right now. What is important is that I need to find where my weapon is being kept. Then, I need to find out where she is.”

“Get me some food and we’ll talk,” Kyren said tiredly before sitting down in the grass. Akan sighed but went anyway, taking nearly half an hour to actually find the kitchen and getting lost twice on the way out. Someone finally led him back, and Akan dropped the plate of food in front of Kyren.

“I’m not feeding you,” he grumbled as Kyren dove into the food, “Now you’ve got your food, so let’s talk.”

“Was she okay when she was summoned?” Kyren asked, a little desperately, between large bites of food, “Tell me what she was like...how she was acting. What she looked like...I...haven’t seen her in ages...”

Akan raised an eyebrow at that. A little bit of something at least close to obsession was in Kyren’s voice. But Akan told him anyway. He talked about how she’d been before they’d gotten to Alraxian space. For some reason, Akan found himself emphasizing how well they got along and such. He then went on about how she’d changed in the last couple of days. Through all of it, though, Akan omitted anything about how Shadow looked. That was conscious, too.

“She was just all...rigid and acting like some kind of servant,” Akan finished, waving a hand vaguely, “Unlike herself. Can’t even feel her through the link right anymore.”

He sighed and trailed off. It was that bad. He felt like...”No,” he mumbled quietly to himself, “Don’t start thinking like that, Akan. You just need to get some rest and then we can go and get my Shadow back.”

Kyren suddenly went stiff. Seeing this, Akan raised an eyebrow, “Are you alright?”

Suddenly, Kyren’s arm lashed out and grabbed Akan’s shoulder, “Just...just what did you mean by ‘my’?”

Truthfully, Kyren wasn’t all that sure who ‘Shadow’ was, but the Network was slowly informing him of the other details. Apparently, this Akan referred to Marix as Shadow. Why, wasn’t really known, but then again, the general opinion of Akan was that he was good kid, but just slightly unhinged.

But Akan’s face was suddenly confused as he shrugged Kyren’s hand off, “What are you talking about? You’re hearing things. Look, I’m really tired, and I’m going to go get some sleep.”

“You said...my...” Kyren grabbed Akan before he could leave, still not giving up on it.

Cornered, Akan’s face went red. He stumbled over a few non-words for a few minutes before finally managing, “Didn’t say my...nothing at all.”

Kyren sighed, “Fine. Look, I’ll see what I can do. Meet me here tomorrow morning at sunrise. Then we’ll do what we can. But you have to understand, where Marix is, is a very dangerous place for the rest of us. You’ve better be ready for failure. I don’t even know if we can find the place.”

“In the morning,” Akan said, ignoring the doubtful words and getting up and heading off to his...Shadow’s...their...whoever’s room it was.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 181: Search for Nothing

Akan lay back in the large bed silently. He’d been there for a couple of hours and still hadn’t fallen asleep. It wasn’t a surprise, really, but it was becoming annoying. He’d talked with the Palace some, but eventually it got to the point where he wasn’t being all that polite. So he just lay there thinking. The bed felt bigger than it had the nights before. It also felt colder. And lonely...he’d gotten used to having Sha—

His thoughts were cut off by a familiar sound. Pawing at the door. Or rather, weak scratching. It was low to the ground, and Akan had a pretty good idea of what the source was. He asked the Palace to open the door, which it did. Sitting there, looking as pathetic as possible, was Tobias. He was sniffling and whimpering, and upon seeing the door open, he silently padded in and over to the foot of the bed. As he climbed up onto the bed and padded over closer to Akan, who sat up, the door irised closed silently. Tobias was crying. No, no he wasn’t crying anymore, but he’d definitely been crying not a few minutes earlier.

As the little Alraxian crawled over to sit next to him, Akan asked, “What is it, little guy? Shouldn’t you be with your nanny and the other children?”

Tobias whimpered and plopped down near Akan’s legs. He looked up to Akan with big, pathetic eyes that one of his friends had taught him how to use and mumbled, “Monsters under bed...come to save you...”

It was a lie. An obvious one, at that, but Akan smiled anyway. Reaching down he picked up Tobias and placed him on the pillow next to where Akan had been resting his head, “Oh, really? And you were crying...? Come on, Toby, tell me the truth.”

In response, Tobias rolled over and buried his head in the pillow, curling up like a stereotypical feline and mumbling something about being afraid of monsters. Akan smiled and lay back again with Tobias’s fur covered body at eye level, “Its alright, little guy, no monsters here. Just get some sleep.”

Hours later, Akan awoke. Tobias was still asleep, and was purring softly. It was hard to actually get up with such a calming sound. But, seeing it was near sunrise, even though it was pouring rain, he carefully climbed out of bed and pulled some simple clothes. He then quietly slipped out of the room, making sure to drop by the room Tobias had been supposed to be sleeping in(even though it took a while to find it) and mentioning to the adults there where the little guy was. They weren’t happy that he’d escaped in the night, but they’d get over it.

He then made his way out to the courtyard from before, seeing a figure out in the pouring rain and waving him over. Akan ignore the rain and walked over to the taller Kyren and was handed an object wrapped in heavy cloth. Turning and starting towards a nearby landing pad, Kyren said, “I assume that’s what you wanted. It was trouble enough getting a hold of it. You could have mentioned it was metal.”

Akan followed Kyren, unwrapping the layers of cloth to find the gleaming metal of his lightsaber. Smiling to himself, and glad he’d worn a belt, he found a way to hook the thing on to a comfortable spot just as they reached a small Kanyak. The ship looked almost exactly like Loki, just about half his size. The ramp was down, and as he followed Kyren up, Akan heard a familiar sounding voice.

[Why, Kyren, you’ve made a friend! I had thought that was impossible!]

“Shut up, Hermes,” Kyren growled at the walls as a short couple of steps brought them into a tight, two seated cockpit.

[A little snappy today, Kyren?] the ship asked idly, sounding almost as sarcastic as Akan was used to hearing from himself. [Can’t imagine why...or could you be jealo—]

The ship went silent as Kyren dug his claws into the chair. He then went back to getting Hermes’ systems online, and the ship turned its attention to Akan. [Good to see a new face, Kyren’s been getting boring. Now, if you wouldn’t mind sitting down and shutting up for a while, I’ll get this done faster than he can.]

There was a growl from Kyren as he heard this, but in a matter of moments they were up in orbit around Alraxia. Still sounding annoyed, Kyren grumbled, “Now shut up and keep your eyes open for anything unusual. You’ll know what we’re looking for if you see it. We’re going to be out here a while.”

Akan turned from looking out at the unfamiliar stars to give Kyren a sharp look, “I’m not shutting up. We’re out here because I wanted to get out here, remember? So if anyone’s in charge, I am. I don’t care who’s ship this is and even then, the ship could be in charge for all I care! Whoever you are, you definitely aren’t the person Shadow remembers. You may look like him, but you sure as hell aren’t him. I may not have known you, but she knew you and I’ve got that to go on. And the Kyren she knew was a good friend and someone she could trust,” Akan had purposely put a certain emphasis on the word ‘friend’, though he wasn’t conscious of the why, “ Not some jerk who orders everyone around and looks down on anyone he’s not met before.”

At that, Kyren turned and growled, “Listen, Akan, Marix never had any friends. We worked together. All we ever had were respect and understanding. She never even knew the term friend and sure didn’t know anything about—“ Kyren suddenly cut himself off, though Akan knew exactly where that one had been going.

[He’s always like this.] Hermes suddenly cut in, sounding like he was trying to be helpful. [Just not a morning Alraxian, if you ask me.]

Kyren ignored the ship, “A lot has happened since Marix left, and I’m not about to listen to some idiot outsider telling me I should be nicer. Where we’re going, that’ll just get us killed,” and then his voice suddenly lowered as he looked down slightly, “And she never cared how I acted as long as I...I just didn’t get the way.”

Akan raised an eyebrow at that. There was much more to Kyren than he wanted to let anyone else know of, that much was obvious. But he didn’t snap back and continue the argument, instead, Akan used some old Jedi calming techniques and said more quietly, “Listen, I’m sorry...its just that the person you knew is not the person I know. The Marix...the Shadow I know was a good person, even if she didn’t like to admit it. She wasn’t devoid of emotions, though I know she always feared she was,” he sighed, his mind following the thoughts to something he didn’t really want to admit to anyone, but then gave in and said it anyway, “What happened to her here in this place...in this part of the galaxy, whatever you want to call it. It scarred her...deeply. Its probably something she’ll never get over. I...I didn’t want her coming back to that. This is why...she’s...she’s just falling back into the one thing I know she isn’t.”

Silence. Kyren was just looking at him, and obviously didn’t know what to say. After a moment of the awkward silence, Akan sighed and said, “Look, let’s try this again. Marix didn’t have friends, fine. But that shouldn’t stop you and I from getting along, right? Besides, I’ve got a feeling she’ll just be annoyed if we don’t get along and that wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Chuckling just slightly, but keeping his voice terse and straight, Kyren nodded, “Alright, fine, we’re friends. Just understand that you really don’t know anything about this place. Its obvious. Chaos, you don’t even know who has her! For now, just please listen to me so you don’t get all of us killed,” and then, very quietly, he added, “Besides, I would have helped you for her anyway...”

Another silence. A couple of minutes passed before Kyren leaned forward and took the control again, taking them out of orbit and near another, though dead looking, planet in the system. As they came to a stop, he said, “I’m honestly not all that sure what we’re looking for. I do know that the training ground for the Cursed is mobile, and never stays in one place. It could be a station or an asteroid or just a large ship. Stay alert and help out Hermes is he asks.”

“What about you?” Akan asked calmly looking over the blank space around the ship.

“I need to rest,” Kyren said, leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes. In a matter of moments, he was asleep, and Akan sat there feeling out of place. But this was something he could do, at least, and he wasn’t tired. Keep eyes open for anything that looked odd. Akan didn’t mention the fact that nearly everything out here looked odd. That probably wouldn’t have helped. Making himself comfortable, he sat back and watched the stars.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 182: Blackmail

Kyren had only been asleep for about ten minutes before Hermes decided to speak up a concern. [I detect metal...]

At first, Akan looked over to Kyren, half expecting the other Alraxian to wake up and say something. When he didn’t, and with a mental pressing from Hermes continued, Akan just said simply, “Don’t worry about it.”

The only answer to that was a mental equivalent of a nod, which even Akan didn’t completely understand. It was one of the many things he’d learned to just not think about to hard and accept. The Force had been the first, and it seemed like the galaxy was full of such things. Hermes, though, was taking great interest in this newcomer. He had noticed Kyren’s reactions to this other male, and while every so often it was favorable, there was a definite bent towards competition. Kyren’s pheromones seemed to indicate he felt this other male was some kind of threat...and whether he knew it or not, so did Akan’s.

[Would you like to talk?] Hermes asked in an oddly polite tone, then went on to add. [There is little else to do while we search. You know Loki, my brother, do you not?]

That brought a smile to Akan’s face, “You’re Loki’s brother? Of course, I know him. Good little...um...big ship. Wish I could have gotten to know him better...]

The light shut off suddenly, and a few of the smaller buttons blinked out for a second as Hermes suddenly panicked. [Something has happened to Loki?! Is he alright?!]

Akan realized he’d spoken as if Loki was dead, and quickly cut in, waving his hands but not even knowing if the ship could see him doing that, “No! No, Loki’s alright...he’s fine...its just...just complicated. That’s why we have to find Shadow...then things should stop being complicated.”

Slowly, the lights came bac on as Hermes calmed down and regained his concentration. [Shadow? I do not understand...what is Shadow?]

“Marix,” Akan answered quickly, trying not to sound annoyed. He wasn’t, of course, it was just becoming tedious to have to constantly restate things like that

[Ah, I see!] Hermes sounded oddly proud of the understanding, and it brought a smile to Akan’s face. It really reminded him of Loki...and even the Palace to an extent. Happy to learn anything new and only able to show it through their ‘voice’. [The Empress to be...yes, she and my brother were paired at birth. He is destined to be one of the greatest! Tell me of him! I have not seen him in so very long...]

“I honestly don’t know enough about your kind to say much that’s useful,” Akan said weakly with a shrug, still smiling and also trying to keep his attention on watching out the viewport, “He’s just Loki.”

Akan was surprised when he heard a mental noise equal to a nod, and then Hermes said happily. [Chaos is indeed memorable and unique.] the ship paused and check on Kyren, noting that the Alraxian was deep asleep, though his ear twitched just slightly. Satisfied with Kyren’s curren condition, Hermes’ ‘voice’ changed slightly in its tone. [I hope that you and he get along well. It would be difficult is the Empress to be’s ship and her mate did not get along. May I ask how you and she met? How many litters do the two of you plan to have? I would greatly like to hear it firsthand from you instead of over the Network once its been exaggerated.]

Akan just froze. After a moment, his ear twitched very noticeably, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t ignore the invisible gaze of Hermes. It took at least a minute before he mumbled very slowly and quietly, “...y...yes...Loki and I get along fine, yes. So where is this place? We could miss it with all of this talking.”

[You did not answer my question. Why will you not? Are you ashamed? Or afraid? Come now, at least tell me how you met.]

“...we met working together for a mercenary group...” Akan grumbled quietly, obviously seeing he was cornered and trying to find some way to not speak anymore, “Happy, now? Good.”

Hermes laughed in his mind, which echoed through Akan’s skull annoyingly. [Yes, yes...love does grow in odd places, does it not? But I am glad. The Empire will be strong.]

Before Akan could find a way to hide, Hermes ‘accidently’ tipped back Akan’s chair and one of the arms extended and wrapped over his chest to prevent him from getting up. [You seem nervous. I would gladly share your troubles if you wish to talk. I would not even tell Kyren. But you must understand, as Loki’s brother, I wish to know more about his Pilot’s mate.]

At that moment, Akan made a mental note to kill Hermes. Or at least find out if neutering a Kanyak was possible. Either way, he would find a way to get revenge on this evil ship, Jedi way be damned. Through gritted teeth and glaring up at the ceiling, Akan spoke, “Stop calling me that! I’m not her...! I never...! I mean we never...!! What is with you damn people?!”

[Hush, you’ll wake Kyren and he will hear you.] Hermes commented softly, though he was very obviously amused. [Perhaps I could tell him more than I understand if you do not share more with me. Though I am not sure you know, a lifebond means nothing if it is not...ah...reinforced. My Pilot would then stand a chance to be the father of the Empress to be’s cubs. I know from your pheromones that you do not want this. So, I am...] Hermes paused for a half second, then his voice went on sounding smug. [I am...blackmailing you. I believe that is the word. So, you tell me about you and the Empress to be, and I will not inform Kyren that he still has a chance. Oh, and in case you have any ideas in involving violence or that weapon of yours, I have prepared it in a message to send to the herd so that word will spread...and Kyren will hear of it within minutes.]

Silence. Slowly, Akan forced a defeated smile on his face, speaking slowly through gritted teeth, “Hermes...I’m going to kill you one day.”

[That is all well...now, will you talk or shall I wake Kyren?]

“You win...” Akan whimpered, giving up on any kind of resistance and wondering how Hermes got to be so cruel, “We just...travel to together. Have for the past year or so now. I don’t know how long its been. I don’t understand why all you people keep jumping to conclusions! She’s just a good friend!” he paused a moment to calm his voice, hyper-aware of Kyren right next to him, “She’s saved my life more times than I can count and I know I’ve kept her alive at least twice. We trust each other and work well together. Its that simple...I’m not keeping anything from anyone, it’s the truth. There’s nothing...I just don’t want her getting hurt.”

He trailed off, then suddenly realized where he’d ended than and quickly added, “...be...ah...because I don’t want to get hurt.”

Akan had never claimed to be any good at recoveries, and if he had, it would likely have been just as bad of a lie. He was even worse about it when cornered, and Akan was sure as hell cornered at the moment. Hermes, though, was obviously still curious. [You are telling me that you do not realize you and she are mates? Yet, I am sure you understand the link the two of you share. Curious. Surely you and she...for you to have gone from outsider to Alraxian...you must have...] slowly, the hold on Akan was loosened as Hermes tried to think and understand. [Bringing you into her species. It is what an Alraxian does should they choose a mate of a species not their own. Though through morphing they are compatible with any other species, it is...dangerous. There are a few rare cases with no trouble, but on a whole, the half breeds are a disturbingly horrifying mix. So...to have offspring, either the Alraxian or their mate must give up their species. Obviously, the Empress to be cannot give up her species, and so you agreed and partook of the ceremony. Yet you have not even touched her? You are very protective of her, not only from harm but from other males...yet you cry that it is nothing more than friendship. You avoid details about the both of you...]

Hermes gave Akan the equivalent of a grin, though it was a toothy, Shadow-like grin if Akan had ever felt one. [You will tell me again about how you met. In detail. And of how you became Alraxian. I swear to you, I will tell no one. That is...of course, unless you do not share it with me.]

Akan sighed a defeated sigh, slumping back against the chair, “We just ended up with the same group somehow...worked together, worked well...we didn’t exactly get along too well, though. And then, just sparring, she...it was an accident. A little slip up and she nearly killed me. So she just...did this...and...and now I have this body. She was just keeping me alive...”

[And you feel nothing at all towards her? So you would not mind if Kyren were to give himself to her, then? You must understand, he has loved her since they were young. She saved his life, too. He has cared for no one else since the day she pulled him from his wrecked house. Now that he has grown, he loves her in a different way. As you insist that you and she are only friends, you would not stand in his way?”

“Of course I would stand in the way!!” Akan suddenly blurted out before his brain had even thought about an answer. Suddenly realizing he’d said that, Akan closed his eyes and tried to not exist, mumbling, “He doesn’t know her...none of you do. She’s not the person that everyone things she is. She’s nothing at all like she used to be. I knew she shouldn’t have come back here. Its all going wrong everywhere and...and there’s not a damned thing I can do about it!” he growled and nearly kicked at a console, but heard Kyren grumble in his sleep.

Akan stayed silent a moment, making sure that the other stayed asleep. Hermes, still sounding somewhat amused, cut into the silence. [She is a soldier, yes. After years of a RedStar as Empress, a soldier will be a change but she will be a good leader for us all. If she were not here, who would stop these killings?]

“She’s not stopping a thing a the moment,” Akan grumbled, though he was slightly relieved at the very tiny change in direction of the conversation, “But once we get her back we’ll deal with this and we’ll get your brother back.”

[The thing we are looking for is...is a myth, truthfully.] Hermes admitted. [It could very well be anywhere in the Empire, we have only rumors and speculation to go on. You should get some rest. You will need it.]

Laughing shortly, Akan managed a real smile, “I should do a lot of things. There’s not time, though...someone’s messing with my link to her again. I can’t feel her right. Someone’s...someone’s trying to get her back to the way she was before she left here. We have to get to her before its too late.”

[You could get out and look yourself.] grumbled Hermes, annoyed for a moment. [I doubt you’d have anymore luck than—...wait, I think I may have something. Wake Kyren quickly, I must cloak.]

Akan nodded as his chair was sat up and things moved straight into business mode finally. He reached over and roughly tapped Kyren on the head, letting out some earlier annoyance by annoying Kyren. Cruel? Yes. Un-Jedi like? Of course. But he’d been blackmailed and if kicking a puppy was all he could do right now, it sure made Akan feel better. Kyren grumbled something, shifted then sat up, glaring at Akan, “Oh...you.”

His attention then went to Hermes, and the ship quickly informed Kyren of the possible findings. It was confirmed, and though nothing could be seen physically anywhere near, Akan could definitely feel something. After a moment, Kyren turned to Akan, “We’re going to have to use an illegal device. You cannot tell anyone that it is installed aboard Hermes.”

“Not a word,” Akan said with a nod. And then, the ship slowly faded out of normal sight. Ahead of them, Akan saw at least a slight shimmer. The shimmer grew into a large blackness, and in another few moments he found that Hermes had set down in a small, all black landing bay much like on Thor.

Kyren grinned, pointing off towards a small grey door at the other end of the bay, “Hermes, stay alert. Akan, keep your eyes open and lets go for a walk.”

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 183: Breaking the Sacred Laws

They had left Hermes and walked across the almost invisible deck to the grey door. The worst part was that their footsteps didn’t even echo. There was no noise beyond their breathing. When they reached the door, it slid open silently revealing stark white corridors. Akan and Kyren exchanged glances, and somehow Akan lost the mental vote. So, he took the lead, stepping into the empty corridor first. Despite the emptiness, though, Akan could feel life. Dim, and still a good distance off, but it was there.

It was there, and it there was something distinctly wrong with it. Akan knew how the Dark Side felt, but this wasn’t it. Maybe close, but something else entirely. Life without life was the best he could figure, and even that didn’t make sense. Shrugging the thoughts off, Akan continued the walk through the empty, silent corridors. Finding what he assumed to be a turbolift(which it wasn’t, of course, but was close enough) Akan stepped over to it and inside.

There were no buttons or switches, and the door almost swished closed right on Kyren’s tail. A moment later, the feeling of movement consumed the both of them as the lift rose for a few seconds. When it opened, ahead of them was a long causeway, with a stark white wall on the left and a railing looking down at a lower level to the right. Akan stepped out and looked down over the railing, seeing at least twenty or so Alraxians. They were...no, not sparring. It was far too violent to be sparring, and there was a very distinct smell of blood in the air. Some would morph here and there, but most stayed Alraxian.

And then they stopped. All of them froze before quickly moving and forming on line, staring ahead but not up to where Akan and Kyren were. Akan glanced to Kyren, saying very quietly, “I think that’s a bad sign.”

Kyren just nodded, looking down to see if there was any indication as to why they had stopped. But there wasn’t, of course. That would make things far too easy. And before he could comment, a cold, dead hand landed on his shoulder, burning as it did so. Kyren yelped painfully, glancing over his shoulder to see a hauntingly familiar sight. It was Marix...it had to be...but she was..was...metal! How?! And it burned!!

Akan felt the same burning from the hand that was tightly gripping his shoulder, but he ignored it. He ignored it because he knew exactly what it was, not feeling the surprise or the panic that Kyren currently was. Slowly, though, he turned to look over his shoulder to the sleek, metal form of Marix, looking into those two empty, black eyes. He said nothing, nor thought anything ‘at’ her through the link. It wouldn’t do any good. He didn’t even need the link to feel that she wouldn’t respond. It was far too easy to feel through the Force that they were too late. Of course, too late to stop something didn’t mean it was too late to do anything...and Akan wasn’t about to just give up, even if he was suddenly depressed at the sight and the feeling.

After a short moment where Akan and Marix simply stared at each other, she easily lifted the two males up and dropped them over the railing. Kyren, still reeling from the shock of seeing Marix as she was and the pain of the metal against his skin, landed on the hard floor on his back. It didn’t crack, but his head snapped back and his vision went all blurry as he lay on the deck groaning. Akan fell next to him, hitting hard on his side but ignoring it as best he could and quickly rolling up to his feet. The other Alraxians were barely two meters away, staring blankly passed him.

And then there was a voice, “Young men, you have broken our most sacred laws to come here...and I know you intend to break the greatest of them all. You may not have her back.”

Akan spun around, hand resting on the lightsaber at his belt, to face a familiar looking Alraxian. He was older, yet not at all weak, with dark ebony skin and tabby markings across his short hair and tail. The Alraxian had a few scars here and there, but they didn’t draw attention like his deep set, pale blue eyes did. It was the same Alraxian Akan had seen as they’d first arrived at the Palace.

Not one to let the chance for a good cliche to pass, though, Akan said simply, “You can’t have her. I don’t care about what you, or any of your species thinks. You can’t have her.”

Somehow, Akan resisted the urge to simply draw his lightsaber and cut down the man. He did grip the weapon still attached to his belt a little tighter, though. There was a thud, and the metal bodied Marix landed right behind the older Alraxian. He glanced at her, smiled, then turned back to Akan, “Can’t have her? She is the property of the Empire, young man, not yours,” his eyes shifted to her and the smile grew slightly, “And what property, hm? Never have I seen such a thing except in the old bedtime stories. This is exactly what we have strived for over the centuries! The obedience of a simple program and the power of a living being!”

For a moment, the Alraxian paused, then watched as Kyren very slowly got to his feet, “You have question for me? No? Well then, let’s get right to it, shall we?” again, he turned to Marix, “Commander, the Knight.”

Akan winced in expectation of what happened to Kyren, instead. In a quick flash of movement, Marix’s silver metal body dashed across and swung a heavy punch at Kyren’s jaw. He didn’t even make a noise beyond the crack of his bones and then the noise of his body crumbling to the deck a second time. This time, though, Kyren was unconscious.

“Now, young man, I believe we have some business to take care of,” the older Alraxian commented, turning his gaze back to Akan, “You have come where you should know, for something you should not have knowledge of. For this alone, you could be killed. I must admit, I admire your courage. It is not something seen in many Alraxians these days...standing here in a room with twenty perfectly training assassins and not even showing fear. You could be killed before that weapon leaves your belt, yet you come here for her knowing this danger. Can it be that you care so much?”

He smiled, taking a calm step forward, an oddly fluid motion for such an older looking creature. Akan did not answer, though, simply standing up straight and ready, his mind slowly sinking into the Force to keep his well aware of everything. How he was finding this calm, though, was beyond him...he just was. After a silence, the other Alraxian simply shrugged and said, “I could understand that, believe me. I had a daughter once, and I loved her more than life itself. Is it not ironic she was born a cursed one? Despite all of that, I did my duty and she became a weapon of the Empire. I did my duty, and she did her’s. She never failed. And then...when she came of age, she slit her own throat in public, her final duty...the one that this Commander here should have done long ago.”

The older Alraxian took another step forward and sighed, “But as I see you are unwilling to speak, we shall dispense with the rest of this wasted time. I know what you are, but I have never seen your kind before. The legends speak of your kind as invincible warriors with mighty weapons like the one you so desperately cling to now. I will see how these stories match up to reality,” he then looked past Akan to a young looking Alraxian boy just behind him, then nodded to the boy, “You. Kill the Jedi.”

All of the other Alraxians, including the metallic Marix, took a step back except for the boy. Akan turned to face the boy, hand still on his lightsaber and a foot planted back. He felt one with the Force in a way he’d never felt before. Even though it went against everything he usually felt, he waited...he waited and he watched, his mind a soothing calm despite everything. And then the boy pounced.

Akan barely twisted to the left, avoiding a fist to the jaw but instead taking a knee to the gut. He grunted, but held his ground and sidestepped another fist. Stepping behind the boy, Akan quickly lashed out with his left hand, backhanding the boy hard across the back of the head. It sent the young Alraxian stumbling forward, giving Akan time to step back. Just as the boy turned back around, a loud snap-hiss cut through the air and the familiar blue-green blade sat in front of Akan’s body.

Calmly, he said through the loudly humming blade, “I don’t want to hurt you, kid.”

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Chapter 184: Freedom

The rest of the Alraxians all stepped back and out of the way, giving both Akan and the young boy facing him a good amount of room. There was a strong silence that permeated the room, broken only by the constant hum of Akan’s lightsaber, firmly resting in his hands in front of him. No response came to Akan’s comment, but he wasn’t surprised.

And then the boy charged, claws unsheathed as he moved. Akan took a quick step to the left, taking one hand off of his lightsaber and reaching out with the Force, calling it to him and focusing it. The boy didn’t get within a meter, as a giant, invisible grip took him and tossed him off to the side and across the deck with a loud, echoing thud. But the young Alraxian didn’t seem to be phased at all by the attack. Just as he hit, he rolled up and got to his feet again, then charged forward.

Akan attempted again to call upon the Force and toss the young assassin off to the side, but this time his opponent had been expecting it. He demonstrated considerable training in the Force by shrugging off Akan’s second attempt. Realizing he was going to have to defend himself the old fashioned way, Akan quickly brought both hands to his lightsaber and brought it up just in time to stop the young boy. Or so he thought. Akan should have expected what happened, but had been so into the moment that he simply reacted in the way he would have if he was fighting with anyone else.

But this Alraxian, as with all of the others in the room save Kyren and himself, was not like anyone else. The boy didn’t even look at the blue-green blade humming in front of Akan, staring right past it to Akan’s eyes. He charged straight through the blade, losing the tip of his left ear, and entire left shoulder and arm in the process. And the boy’s face didn’t even show any slight hint of pain as his right arm slashed across Akan’s chest, leaving deep claws marks there before Akan brought the hilt of his lightsaber down hard on the back of the boy’s head.

The young assassin crumbled to the deck next to his severed arm and shoulder, somehow still breathing. Despite being Alraxian himself, Akan was still amazed at the trauma that their bodies could take and still survive. Lightsaber still humming and now resting at his side, Akan turned back to face the older Alraxian, “What was the point of that?”

The older man looked from Akan to the still breathing body down at his feet. Calmly, he reached out with a free hand, and Akan could feel the Force flowing. Akan glanced down to see the bodies’ head snap violently to the left, and the breathing suddenly stopped. Flatly, the older Alraxian said, “Failure is not an option,” he then calmly looked to the metal Marix at his side, “Commander, take him down.”

She simply nodded and took two steps forward. But she didn’t move, standing there staring at Akan with the two black, lifeless eyes. Seeing what was coming, Akan deactivated his lightsaber. The hum gone, it was truly silent in the large room. As usual, Akan broke the silence, saying simply, “I won’t fight you.”

Slowly, Marix’s silver metal head turned to face the old Alraxian again. He glared and pointed to Akan, “Take him down.”

Suddenly, there was a flash of movement, and Marix was right in front of Akan, her hard fist digging into his stomach. He gasped, stumbled back slightly, but just gripped his lightsaber tighter and gritted his teeth before planting his feet again and standing up straight, “I’m not doing this.”

Violently, she lashed out with her other arm, backhanding him hard across the face and this time sending him straight to the hard deck next to the corpse of the boy. There had been a loud crack from his jaw, which had definitely broken from the hit, but as he looked up again, expecting to see the inevitable strike while he was down...Akan saw something different. Standing over him and staring down emotionlessly was not a metal being. It wasn’t a bright silver, shining Marix. It was Shadow...in the flesh, literally. Her two silvery purple eyes watched him, and just for a second, Akan saw a flash in them...but it was gone before he could be sure he’d seen it.

Leaving his lightsaber there on the deck, Akan slowly got back up to his feet and stared down into Shadow’s eyes again. Her head tilted up slightly so she could meet his gaze, and yet still there was that blank, nothingness on her face.

“Commander!” the old Alraxian growled from behind her, but her ear didn’t even turn his direction. And the two of them stood there, Akan staring straight into her eyes and trying to find something he recognized. Something that he knew. And Shadow...Shadow doing something he couldn’t read. From behind them, the old man’s voice roared, “Commander, finish him!”

Shadow blinked, then her arm suddenly shot up and grabbed Akan by the neck. He stood perfectly still as she slowly began to squeeze his neck, crushing his throat slowly. But she didn’t use her claws. It wasn’t lost on Akan as he began to gasp for breath. Shadow could have killed him in a second if she just unsheathed her claws straight into his throat, but she just choked him, slowly and almost unsteadily. Akan watched as her hand began to shake, and then suddenly she released her grip.

Very softly, almost whispering it, Shadow said, “No.”

“What?!” the old man hissed, taking a couple of steps forward.

“I said no,” Shadow spoke calmly, her voice slowly rising with each new word. She turned calmly around to face Faban Sunrunner, openly showing him the emotion on her face. The glare, “I am no longer yours, Faban. I am to be your Empress. And this he your Emperor. You will free me, or I will end this myself.”

“Yes...” gasped Akan. Sure, she’d only crushed his throat, but it had still hurt and he was still trying to catch his breath, “No killing Empressess or Emperors...its not allowed,” his voice then lowered a moment, and he whispered, “That you in there this time...?”

Ignoring Faban, Shadow turned back to face Akan. She smiled warmly, something he had only seen on her face a few select times, and put a hand on his shoulder, “The one and only. I...I’ll have to explain later.”

“No!” Faban roared again, “No, this is not how it works! You are the Empire’s! You are mine!”

“I am the Empire, Faban!” Shadow snapped, spinning around again. If it had been any other time, Akan would have grinned from the fact that he could see Faban clearly over Shadow’s head. Shadow would have also probably elbowed him in the gut for that, too. But she stared across the room at the older Alraxian, as did all of the others in the room, and said calmly, “You will free me, now.”

A snarl on his face, Faban looked back to the other Alraxians, “Tam-Day-U! Neth lath bellak!”

The rank of Alraxians all turned to face Shadow. The two that had been holding Kyren’s unconscious body simply let him drop to the deck. But Shadow just glared at them all, her arms spreading out slightly in a very protective motion as she stood in front of Akan. In Alraxian, she hissed, “Disregard order.”

All of them froze again, their bodies losing the tense, ready to pounce feeling as they waited. Faban, of course, screamed at them to kill the two of them again. But Shadow shook her head, again speaking in Alraxian and saying something that Akan couldn’t understand...again. But this time, they all turned to face Faban. Akan couldn’t help his grin.

Seeing his situation, Faban sighed heavily. He then looked back to Shadow, a hate filled look in his eyes as he growled, “Very well. You are free.”

He then turned and stormed out of the large room. Shadow looked to the others and told them to go and eat and sleep. They all nodded as one, then also retreated, leaving only Shadow, Akan, Kyren, and the corpse of the young boy in the room. Shadow gave a satisfied purr, and smiled slightly. More to herself than anyone else, she said, “For once, I’m grateful to the Empire that made me what I am.”

Suddenly, she was attacked. Or at least, that was her first impression. A moment later, she realized that it was just Akan hugging her tightly. Very firmly, he said into her ear, “Don’t ever...ever do that again.”

“What...? Stand up for myself? I suppose you’re right, I will get into a lot of trouble for this...” Shadow trailed off, slowly realizing that he was crushing her slightly. Awkwardly, she mumbled, “Um...you’re...hurting me.”

Akan went a deep red, his mind catching up with his actions, and quickly let go of her, “Sorry...”

She just nodded, kneeling down to look at the body of the boy. Sighing, she rested a hand on his forehead, “He never had a name. But he is better off now...the Force will take care of him.”

Standing up, she patted Akan on the shoulder before stepping over to pick up the unconscious Kyren, “I assume Hermes is with you. Let’s...let’s go home, Akan.”

After lifting up Kyren without too much trouble, she walked past Akan to lead the way out. They walked to the door to leave the room when she stopped. She stopped, and she turned to face Akan again, a smile slowly finding its way onto her face again, “Thank you.”

Again, Akan went red, though he wasn’t completely sure why. Weakly, and slightly shakily, he mumbled, “Um...you’re welcome?”

But she was already walking again, and Akan had to jog slightly to catch up. He couldn’t wait to be out of this place...though the link still didn’t feel right. At least Shadow was back. And something was very definitely different in her now. The smile had proven that. So maybe it wasn’t all bad...