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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1830505" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 27: Spacious Ships“I almost feel guilty,” Akan commented over his shoulder as he finished the final checks on the shuttle’s systems and started warming it up to leave.    Jen had been looking at the other areas, and had barely heard him, “What?”    “Oh nothing,” he turned and flipped a few switches and the main lights came on, “Just that this is probably worth a good deal more than we paid for it.”    The lambda shuttle was in a small private hangar off on the other side of the city. They had walked for a good distance, and then just given up and hired an aircab to get them to the place. Night was falling by the time they’d gotten there, and Akan wasn’t completely comfortable with seeing the ship in such low light. That had a habit of hiding battle scars. However, he was surprised to find that he could see as well, if not better, in the dark than he could in the light. So he’d taken extra time to inspect the exterior of the ship, too. Jen had taken to looking over the interior, telling him that there was one fairly large sized quarters and two smaller ones. Apparently, she had claimed the large one as payment for being the one to actually pay for the ship. The fact that it was the New Republic’s credits was not brought up. Akan wasn’t stupid.    He switched on the repulsorlifts and slowly, the ship started upwards. Jen eventually came over and sat in the copilot’s chair next to him. Honestly, this was much better than the Y-Wing. Not only was it more spacious, but it was almost surprising to see such a nice view out of the much larger and more open viewport. As the ship pulled up and out of the hangar, they got a good view of the city. Most of the buildings were smaller, but in the distance was the larger public docking bays where the old Y-Wing was. Part of Akan was going to miss that ship...the part that for some reason enjoyed not being able to stretch.    Putting his focus ahead, he angled the ship upwards and looked to the sky above, seeing a few glints of spaceships and a single large spacedock. Still getting familiar with the controls, Akan remembered to reach over in front of Jen and hit the switch to bring the two folded wings out and down to give the lambda its inverter Y look. Ironic how he went from one Y to another...just like those damned blues. Even the walls in the ship was a light metallic blue colour. Almost close to his stripe. Jen had commented that his stripe was shiny, though.    Shiny? How was he supposed to take that? Oh, yes, well I make sure of that every day. I pride myself in my shiny stripe. How was it shiny anyway? Akan was going to drill Shadow full of a thousand questions once he got her back. Cutting off the repulsorlift engines and switching to the sublight engines, Akan felt a slight shudder as the older shuttle started on its way out of the planet’s atmosphere. The silence was starting to unnerve Akan, and though he liked the sound that the sublight engines emitted, it was getting worrying.    “You have the course plotted?” he asked pathetically.    “It’ll be a day and a half trip to the Corporate Sector,” responded Jen with a nod.     No, it wasn’t the silence that was bothering him. It was something else. Almost like something in the back of his mind telling him to focus on it. Akan brought the ship to the correct bearing and then switched the chrono on. He stood up and started to head back to the quarters, “You think you can pull those levers when that hits zero and get us into hyperspace?”    Jen looked at him, noticing something was bothering him, but nodded and slid over into the pilot’s chair. Akan left the cockpit’s door open and simply wandered back into the room that was off to the side. Finding the small, but adequate bed, he sat down on it and let his mind go. What was that? His mind flowed through a thousand thoughts, most of which he didn’t understand. But then...something. Something that was wrong. Not him, but near. A feeling. The link? Shadow? No...closer. The planet? Sluis Van? No...the Imperials hadn’t taken notice. Imperials...    Voort. Voort. Akan had felt it before. First on Endor when he’d been shot by the underpowered blaster...a shot that shouldn’t have been able to hit him. Then, on Naboo after Shadow had gone...the first time was too late. The second, nearly so. But why now? He couldn’t possibly have...    Voort. Akan slowly opened his eyes and stood up. What was it about that man? He found himself unhooking the lightsaber from his belt, almost surprised at himself. But he didn’t stop. That...feeling was growing. Too late...just in time...warning? Voort. Voort had been a captive within that base on Naboo...yet he was an Imperial. A captive among his own? Why? What did ‘Alrax’ really mean? It all came down to Voort. Every thread, lead back to him. Why? Warning...    Akan hadn’t realized that he’d walked into the main section of the ship. Still acting more on auto than thought, he closed the door to the cockpit, not giving Jen a chance to say anything. As he turned back, the sight of a human man in an Imperial uniform didn’t surprise Akan at all. He looked over the man, noting the short, cropped hair and sharp features of Voort’s face. He was likely in his late twenties...but the eyes. Always, with every warrior, it was the eyes. Akan had it. Shadow even had it. But Voort had it to an extreme. His eyes didn’t show pain and death...simply hatred. Akan could almost see light red flecks in the man’s eyes. From the look on Voort’s face, he was studying Akan in much the same way.    The major difference was that Voort didn’t hold anything. In Akan’s right hand, resting against his leg, was the lightsaber hilt. Despite the fact that they both stood casually, that was a vital piece in the puzzle. To Akan, it meant one of two things. Either he had the upper hand, or Voort did, and was hiding his advantage. Behind him and past the closed door, Akan could hear Jen moving. Through the Force, he sent her a firm message. ‘Stay where you are.’    He knew she heard it. And from the sound of things, she listened. Akan’s attention never waved from Voort, however. Eventually, one of them would have to speak. For the second time, he took the initiative, “You could have stayed behind and saved us both a lot of trouble.”    Voort simply nodded, speaking in the same slow, dangerous tones that Akan was, “I have unfinished business with Sadrak.”    “You have unfinished business with me,” Akan corrected.    Again, Voort nodded, “It is not as vital as Sadrak. I offer a truce, Jedi.”    He was speaking honestly. Akan could feel it. But still, one could speak the truth and hide layers of lies within it to make it truth, “How can I trust that?”    “The pact of one warrior to another.”    Akan watched Voort’s eyes...again, truth. His voice conveyed a strong sense of honor in those words. Slowly, Akan tried something else, “Why Sadrak?”    There was silence for a long time as Voort just watched him. There was no actual show of surprise, but the feeling through the Force was almost that. Eventually, the Imperial said, “He killed my wife.”    “And you shot me,” Akan growled, still not liking being shot. He didn’t close his eyes, but let out a calming breath and spoke in a calmer tone, “And once our business with Sadrak is completed?”    Voort wasn’t dumb enough to have missed the word ‘our’ in that. He knew then that it was Akan’s way of accepting the ‘truce’. A tiny hint of a smile crept onto the Imperial’s face, “Then we can complete ours.”    Slowly, Voort took two steps forward, now nearly in the center of the room. He reached out with his right hand, extending it towards Akan and waiting in a very dignified manner. Akan placed the lightsaber back on his belt(slowly, of course), then took two steps forward. Extending his own hand, he gripped Voort’s tightly. His own grip was much stronger than the Human’s, but Voort showed no sign of pain when Akan shook his hand.    They were still eyeing each other though....like predator and prey. But both were the predator, and both were the prey. Waiting for one slip. Just one...small slip. Then, it would end. But Sadrak first.</blockquote>

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