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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1880524" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 70: Never AgainThere was a first time for everything. There was also a last time. This was going to be both for Jen. Sure, she’d nearly finished the climb down, but it would be the last time she’d ever do anything like this even if she did live through it. Voort didn’t seem to be having all that much trouble, but then again, he was a soldier. Good at this kind of thing...roughing and such. No matter how hard she tried, she’d always be a scientist. Sure, she could fight, even pilot some, but Jen was truly in her environment in a lab.    Perhaps that was why she had felt so out of place the last few months. But this was not the time to reminisce. This was the time to focus on not falling to one’s death. And, thankfully, she soon no longer had to worry about it. Her feet found sand below them, and Jen couldn’t help a smile as she stepped back from the rock face. There was a smell in the air, though...turning around, she saw the source of it. The landspeeder. Well, what was left of it. The thing had taken a nosedive straight into the sand at such a speed that the repulsorlifts didn’t have a chance to do anything about it. Behind her, Jen heard Voort step down from the rock face before saying, “Looks to me like the long way was worth it.”    A grin appeared on Jen’s face and she turned to look to Voort, “Worth it or not, you owe me.”    “Oh, I do?” he raised an eyebrow, fighting back a grin, “Why is that?”    She poked him not too gently in the chest, “Just tallying up all those near death experiences I’ve had since being around you when compared to before.”    Voort couldn’t help a short laugh at that, “I’m almost afraid to ask what the count’s up to.”    “At least five now,” Jen said with that grin still there. To his surprise, she then stepped closer and kissed him gently on the cheek. Quietly, she spoke into his ear, “...and life’s never been more interesting.”    “Well, you’re welcome,” Voort responded with a smile, “Hopefully these experiences continue to only be near death.”    “I trust you,” she said quietly, stepping back some before looking up to the cliff above. Thankfully, there was nothing looking back down. She was about to ask where they should start moving to next, but was silenced when Voort put a hand over her mouth. She gave him a confused look, but noticed he was looking past her. Keeping quiet, she turned to follow his gaze.    It took a long moment to identify what it was, but soon the thing that had caught his attention was obvious. There was something near the horizon. No...above it. Moving. The movement was hard to detect but the fact that it was slowly moving higher and becoming easier to identify proved that it was moving towards them. And quickly. Very quickly. She looked to Voort, speaking quietly, “I haven’t seen any native life here...or anything that flies.”    “Yeah...” Voort moved to stand in front of Jen, drawing his lightsaber as Jen got out her blaster pistol again. From one thing to another, it seemed. Interesting, though, that while she still considered herself a scientist, Jen was starting to react like a warrior. Of course, there was very little on this planet that had proved to be friendly to strangers so far. With the track record as bad as it already was, even the most peace loving pacifists in the galaxy would start picking up blasters and shooting at anything that moved.    Voort’s thumb was resting on the lightsaber’s activation switch., ready to activate the weapon in half a second. This feeling was growing. It was similar to Sadrak, but there was something else much different. Not stronger, but just as deadly. That, Voort managed to figure, was the approaching thing. A single minded hate. He could understand this only because it reminded him of himself, years ago. It was almost like this planet had a way of bringing out one’s past in one form or another. This did not bother Voort, though, as he’d dealt with his past long ago. It was his future that was in doubt.    “Jen,” he said quietly, watching the thing getting closer and closer, “Be careful. This isn’t like the Narani...”    She simply nodded, worried at the feeling she was also picking up on. It was strange as Jen had no way of explaining it. Her mind tried to, so many ways, but there was no scientific way to explain a feeling. Especially on like this. Hate. Anger...rage? All of it and more. Built up like a small projectile shooting their direction. But something was wrong. The feeling was closer than the object...much closer.    Something just clicked in her mind, and Jen found herself reacting. Quickly, and without yet understanding why, Jen dove to the side and rolled across the sand. When she looked back Jen caught sight of a figure there. Or rather an arm with long claws that was exactly where she’d been. Her eyes followed the hand back across the dark colored arm, then realized she was staring at a strange image of Shadow. Shadow with wings, that is. Black wings...like the Darkwing but Alraxian.    A sudden snap-hiss that Jen recognized as a lightsaber blade igniting cut off her thoughts. In a flash of movement, Voort spun around, one end of the lightsaber activated and cutting horizontally towards this strange Shadow. But Shadow reacted just as quickly again, jumping back and out of the way before pushing off with her feet on the rock face behind her. Voort was bringing his lightsaber around to swing at her as she dove forward, but was much slower than Shadow. The claws latched onto his wrists, digging in deep and forcing him to let go of the weapon. Her free hand backhanded him hard across the jaw, and just as her claw relinquished its grip on his writs, Shadow spun around to kick him across the face.    By the time Voort was down on the ground, Shadow was bearing down on Jen. The woman attempted to raise her blaster to fire, not even thinking that this was Shadow but simply trying to stop whatever was happening. She did not, however, have a chance to even get the blaster up all the way. Shadow’s foot kicked her arm hard, sending the small blaster sliding across the sand and far out of reach. Trying to ignore the pain in her arm, Jen next attempted to crawl back enough to get to her feet and do...something. Anything. What, exactly, would be decided in the moment.    But she did not even get a chance to do this. Shadow’s clawed hand shot down and grabbed Jen’s neck. With a strength that surprised the human, Shadow lifted her to her feet and then stared her in the fact. For what seemed like too long, Jen looked into two dead looking, red and silvery eyes. Those were not Shadow’s. Then what was this thing?! What was it do–    Her thoughts were cut off by a quick hit to the back of her head that Shadow delivered. Jen’s world plummeted into blackness. Dark smiled and threw the woman over her shoulder. As she turned to leave, Dark heard a sudden movement behind her. That was Voort, no doubt. She turned around and extended an arm, catching the man in a similar way that she had grabbed Jen. By the neck. Except with him, she was much rougher, not trying to avoid killing him. Instead, she allowed her claws to dig in ever so slightly to extend the pain. Grey eyes looked into red-grey eyes for a short while, and Dark said simply, “You die today, human scum.”    Then, Voort kneed her hard in the stomach. Her arrogance at his ability to retaliate had provided an amply opening. Though as Dark stumbled back, her claws raked across his neck. Not enough to kill him, but enough to leave scars. He didn’t take the time to think about them though. Of course, Dark didn’t take the time to worry about him anymore. Deciding he was more trouble than he was worth, she turned, and took to the sky. Voort had gotten to his lightsaber, activating the primary end of it and turned around just as Dark was flying off. In a desperate attempt to do anything, he hurled the saber at her.    Dark was too fast, though, and already too far away. The orange blade fell to the ground, deactivating as it hit the sand, and Voort watched in horror as Shadow...no, that wasn’t Shadow. As whoever that was flew off with Jen. Taking her deep into the desert. To Sadrak. Knowledge of things like that was something Voort had learned not to question years earlier. He simply accepted that it was the truth, and acted on it. Pushing aside grief and worry, Voort moved to get his lightsaber before starting the long trek across the sand. He would track them. The trail left in the Force was too strong for anyone to miss.    Voort was not going to lose now. For the first time in years, he could feel light returning to his life. He’d be damned if it was going to be taken away again. He’d be damned if he was going to lose Jen the way he lost Calina and his daughter. Never again.</blockquote>

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