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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1843498" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 38: The DarkwingWhen Akan’s eyes opened, he found he was looking up into the blurry form of...skin tone. Human skin tone. After a moment, he realized he was looking up at someone. His head was resting in someone’s lap, and in a moment his eyes focused enough for him to realize it was Jen. She wasn’t paying him any attention beyond that, though. She seemed to be watching something else...    A scream of pain mixed with a curse caught his attention. Turning his head slowly, he looked over to see a blurred form on the floor up higher than he was...it took a moment for Akan to figure he was down a small set of stairs. Behind the figure on the floor was a larger one, dressed in striking reds and black. Sadrak...where were Voort and Shadow? Another scream of pain and the first figure shifted across the floor. Shadow’s voice...that answered one question. Akan could feel Voort near, though he wasn’t in sight. Both answered then.    “Oh, good!” that was Sadrak. He had that happy ‘I’m doing evil and you can’t do a thing about it’ voice. Of course, that usually was the point where everything went wrong for the person speaking. This time, however, it didn’t. In fact, there wasn’t a thing that could be done. Not yet, at least. Akan was still having trouble moving. Sadrak had paused in speaking to allow Shadow another scream of pain, “Good to see you’re awake, boy. Just in time for your lesson in Alraxian history. Its about time you learned about your kind, isn’t it?”    Jen moved slightly, looking down to Akan. She looked a bit surprised to see him awake. There was a large bruise on her forehead and she looked about how he felt. Akan managed a weak smile, but it wasn’t returned. He didn’t blame her, either. Sighing, she turned to her left for a moment, then back to Sadrak. Voort...Akan tried looking that direction, but couldn’t bend his neck without it hurting too much. Instead, he just turned back to Sadrak, trying to conserve and gather what little strength he had left.    Shadow rolled over screaming again, this time down on her hands and knees and gritting her teeth, biting into her lip. Blue blood could be seen very slightly across her face. Sadrak took a step to the side and motioned to her, “Now, it’s a little slow but don’t worry the next ones will be simpler. Here is your first lesson in Alraxian history,” he paused to allow Shadow another scream, this time mixed with a disturbing growl, “Many thousands of years ago, not long after the first Sith discovered hyperdrive technology, they traveled into the Unknown Regions. Eventually, they ran into an interesting race of people. Alraxians. But they were dangerous creatures. Able to...change their shape. The Alraxians had a highly advanced civilization. Now, they were already using many of the biotechnology they use now. Something that intrigued the Sith. However, the Sith failed in multiple attempts to simply destroy the Alraxians and take what they knew. So...after forming a flimsy and overall fake alliance with a species known as the Mrrakesh, a rival species to the Alraxians, the Sith captured a single Alraxian. After years of testing and toying...they found a way to take advantage of the Alraxian’s ability to morph, as they called it,” another loud growl, turning into a more dangerous sound as it echoed from Shadow, “The Sith created a new creature from the Alraxians. But this first new creature escaped...the Sith were killed, as were the Mrrakesh who assisted them. The story after that...” he motioned to Shadow, who was convulsing violently, “After that, it is told by the Alraxian history. A great war...the greatest war the galaxy ever knew, and yet...no one in this part of the galaxy has any idea about it.  The Darkwing Wars...” Sadrak smiled manically, “Now, I bring back the greatest weapon this galaxy has ever known.”    And right on cue, Shadow let out another mixed roar and scream. She tipped forward some, and in a loud and extremely painful sounding rip, two huge back wings erupted in an explosion of pain and blood from Shadow’s back. They were amazingly huge...leathery with black feathers along them. As she roared in pain again, her entire body seemed to rip apart. Or rather...explode from the inside. Her arms grew larger, and sharp claws exploded out from the palms. The same leathery texture spread across her body as her legs bent backwards in a horrible crack. Her legs grew into more powerful talons, and in a moment, her face extended into a long, black muzzle with impossibly sharp teeth and a row of plates down the spine.    Slowly, it pulled herself up onto all four, wings flaring out as the creature sniffed the air and emitted a low growl. It looked to Sadrak a moment, and he motioned towards the exit, saying to the others, “My new Darkwing. Now...before we all play, let me show you what I mean by weapon.”    Again, he motioned towards the exit. The Darkwing growled again, but picked itself up and shot out down the large hallway, flying at lightning speed. A small holo image appeared in the center of the room, to which Sadrak motioned to proudly, “Give it a few moments, and we shall see the handiwork. Then...” he turned to Akan, smiling horribly with those two white eyes, “...then, you die.”    Akan wanted to do something. Anything. But he couldn’t move. Paralyzed with shock. Fear. Everything. Consuming him in a horrible realization of what was occurring. He looked up to Jen, who turned to look at him, a similarly helpless and horrified expression on her face. Carefully, she rested a hand on his cheek, running it up through his hair a moment and stopping just over one of his ears. For a moment, she had thought about scratching his ear to try to make at least someone feel better. But she didn’t...just let her hand rest there. It provided no comfort for either of them. Only that they were both still alive. She looked to her side at Voort, who had regained consciousness in time to see the Darkwing transformation. He looked back to Jen, a strange neutral expression on his face. But he radiated hatred for Sadrak. They all did. But none of them could move...only watching the holo image displaying a largely populated residential district of Coruscant.</blockquote>

Verification