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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1905068" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 93: Threads of MeaningWhile Akan and Shadow had taken nearly ten minutes to find the door, they were having even less success in opening it. It wasn’t so much a door as a piece of the wall that could move. Or rather, would move if activated from the other side. It was one of those times that Akan would have liked a manual override to be more common. But then again, this was a cell of sorts, so why make it easy to get out of? That was about the time that Shadow grabbed him and threw him across the room. He would have yelled at her if the door hadn’t exploded a few seconds afterwards. A figure stood there, and the smoke cleared to reveal Landau, blaster raised.    “Finally!” he exclaimed, allowing his body to relax and lowing the weapon at seeing the two Alraxians getting to their feet.    “You could have knocked!” Akan grumbled, but had a smile on his face and did look thankful enough.    Landau grinned at that remark, shrugging innocently, “After the first five I just gave up and started blowing the doors open.”    “Yes, well thank you for nearly taking me with it,” commented Shadow after dusting herself off. It was then that Landau noticed that she was...herself again. He smiled warmly, but the look from Shadow told him to say nothing for now.    Landau soon started leading the two Alraxians back the way he’d came, which was littered with door pieces from other explosions. There were also a few bodies here and there. When asked about this, Landau couldn’t help a short laugh, “You yelled at me...they uh...shot at me.”    Following him around a corner, and stepping over about five or so bodies, Akan couldn’t help commenting, “Some people just aren’t good shots when they’re disturbed.”    Continuing to lead them through the maze of corridors, Landau was actually glad to have all these bodies. If anything, it was a good way to follow his path back out. And right now, out would be a very good thing. Those humanoids were disturbing to even look at, let alone watch them shoot at you with four blasters. Blasters. They didn’t have slugthrowers like the Narani. These people were well equipped.    It wasn’t long before they ran into Voort and Jen. After barely averting killing each other from surprise, they quickly exchanged greetings and got out. The whole recon mission was over now, even if it had gotten out of hand. Sadrak was gone anyway, and the three previous captives were exhausted(even if Shadow and Akan refused to show it). So they reached the airspeeder, crammed in, and left. The flight itself was silent and uneventful. Jen, Akan, and Shadow were the ones creating the silence in that they were too busy thinking to talk. Reflecting was probably the better word for it. Jen’s thoughts dwelled on Sadrak. Or whatever that thing was...Akan was still seeing those phantom images from that dark room, but at the same time was trying to analyze all that he’d seen within the facility. This had been a recon job, and it wasn’t going to be wasted. Shadow, though, was very divided in her thoughts. Not in the literal division from before, but more in that her mind was trying to be everywhere at once and not doing anything well. It all seemed to come down to one thing though. Humans. There was going to have to be a long talk with Akan, and he probably wasn’t going to like it. But through the link, she could see what he saw, and she knew that this talk was required. Even if he wasn’t Alraxian, someone would have to do it...but she felt that it was her responsibility now.    Upon arrival in Haladin, they were given worrying news. Three of the former Imperials had been killed in attempts to kill Hansen. Why they’d suddenly lashed out at her, no one knew, but everyone was in a state of heightened awareness. Paranoia was another, more accurate word for it that Hansen had refused to use. Upon meeting them, Hansen had started to press them all for some kind of information, but Akan had walked off without a word. Shadow wandered off after him, leaving Jen to tell Hansen that it would have to wait. No explanation was given, and then even Jen wandered off on her own. Voort exchanged looks with Hansen, but just shrugged, “Give them time.”    “We have time,” Landau pointed out, “Unless you’ve heard anything new from our Topsider friends.”    “Nothing,” Hansen said with a sigh as the three former Imperial soldiers walked to the garrison. It would be like old times to talk over a drink. Something none of them had really enjoyed since the war had ended. It was always so much more exciting to have a drink with your comrades right after the adrenaline rush of the battle. But after defeat, it never really could be the same. Thankfully, though, it could be close.    Shadow had followed Akan from a distance, realizing early on that he was trying to lose her. Ha! She was just as good, if not better, at tailing someone as he was. The link just added a cheating element to it, but she didn’t care. Finally, though, she found that he’d stopped diving in and out between alleys and streets. Akan was sitting next to one of the larger entrances to the city, leaning against the wall and looking across to the opposite wall. Shadow had a seat there, making a point to be right in front of his vision so he would have trouble ignoring her. That was not something Akan would miss, even in his moody state. She didn’t need to say that cliched ‘we need to talk’ line, Akan could see it and even feel it.    Because of this, Shadow got right to the point, “You cannot keep doing this.”    Watching her with a strangely neutral expression, Akan asked the stupid question, “Doing what?”    He knew the answer to that. He knew it because she got it from him. He knew it but refused to do anything about it. Somehow, Shadow remained calm only a slight swish of her tail against the sand betraying this outward appearance, “She is dead, Akan. You are alive. You cannot die anymore, because I refuse to die. You continue to act irrationally because of some pathetic hope that what you experienced did not happen. Akan. It happened. You can’t change that. No one can. But you have to move on. You insult the fallen acting like this.”    Akan said nothing. How was he supposed to respond to that, anyway? Well, he did find a way. He growled. It was low, angered, and genuine. When he realized that she wasn’t saying anything else, Akan found himself nearly going crazy. She’d started a lecture to provoke him! Violently, Akan snapped, “She shouldn’t have died!”    “And you shouldn’t have been fighting!” Shadow responded suddenly and sharply, no remorse or pity in her voice at all, “You were a child! You still are a child! Children don’t know how to deal with death! If you can’t deal with death, you have no right to be fighting!”    “I had no choice!” Akan yelled back at her, claws grating at the sand around him as he felt an anger growing.    Shadow did nothing but yell right back, “You refused to see any other choices! You worry so much about the past that you’re ignoring the present! Your actions now are going to get more people killed!”    “Shut up!” growled Akan as he got to his feet, looking like he was ready to storm off like a child who’d lost a fight. Like? No, it was the truth in this instance.    But Shadow was on her feet just as quickly, and the way she stood showed that she wasn’t going to let Akan go anywhere at all, “NO! You be quiet and listen to me! We have done this your way. We have done this the human way. But I am not human. And like it or not, you aren’t either. It is time for your to stop acting like an irrational human child and be an Alraxian like you are. You cannot simply take that body and live your old life! You will listen to ME, now. I gave you that body. It is mine. We do things, MY way now.”    Those words had froze Akan. The cold way she’d spoken them, and the way that each word seemed to allow her another step closer to him. By the time she’d finished speaking, all the anger seemed to be ready to explode as they stood face to face. Well, her nose to Akan’s chin, but he was not stupid enough to mention this discrepancy. Again, he knew she was waiting for some kind of response. Through the link, Akan knew that Shadow expected him to respond like he always had. To run away and hide. But he also knew that if he attempted that, she’d make sure things were worse.    In a cautious voice, Akan asked, “What must I do?”    Akan found it amazing to see all anger disappear from Shadow’s face. It changed to an acceptance and relief. That was what she’d wanted to hear. Shadow took a small step back to lessen the confrontational appearance, and spoke in a much calmer voice, “Mother was meant to ask for your oath to the Alraxian people. She did not, because of your age. But you will have to take this oath sooner than later. So that you don’t embarrass me, you should learn about your people.”    Even Akan was surprised to find himself nodding at this. He didn’t ask about the details of what she’d said, or even about this oath. It wasn’t the time, and Akan knew that he didn’t really have a choice. Part of him also knew that Shadow was right, and that he did need to move on. Hopefully, these would be the first steps that should have been taken three years ago.    “We can start simply,” continued Shadow, motioning out towards the sand and the sun that was starting to rise over the horizon, “Ritual. Come on, I’ll teach you the basics.”</blockquote>

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