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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1929946" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 107: The Cycle Goes On...Through all of this, the chaos outside had not subsided. As was expected, the battle was not going well. The center group that Akan had left from was suffering the worst, its numbers down in the double digits and likely to be completely wiped out soon. This put Voort’s focus back on the center, trying to slow them down as much as possible. Once that group was down, there was an open pathway to his position, and also to surround the other two groups. As for them, it was going as well as could be expected. Voort had never found Hansen, but had at least taken down a considerable number of shots. The airspeeders were still doing a few strafing runs, but they were just as insignificant as the snipers were.    As Voort fired off two more shots over the shoulders of a few Topsiders, something odd happened. He sat up slightly to look across the other snipers on either side of him. None of them seemed to have noticed anything. Voort closed his eyes a moment, allowing his mind to flow out and find what that was...Jen? No. No...close to her. The source at least. When his eyes opened again, the sands in front of him looked odd. No, not the sand. The things on the sand. It was about another minute before others started sitting up and looking confused. The blaster fire from their rifles had stopped. Down below, on the sands, the Topsiders continued to cut through those monstrous creatures...but only for another couple of minutes. They, too, then stopped, staring closely at the blank features on the now-unmoving enemies.    Or at least, unmoving for a moment. It wasn’t long before the bodies started to simply collapse, falling to pieces in the process. The airspeeders flew over a couple more times through the frozen astonishment that permeated the air. It didn’t make sense...one of the other snipers was on his feet, looking to Voort. But the former Imperial could only shrug. It wasn’t long before whispers started among the small group on the dune. Voort ignored them, though, trying to reach out again and find something to explain this. All he found was Jen. A bright fire in the Force, burning strongly next to a weaker light that he soon identified as Shadow. Or something like that. Had they done it, then? Was Sadrak dead? But why would his army fall apart so literally? Questions, questions.    Holding the rifle up, Voort ignored the others around him and started down the dune. He didn’t head down to the center, though, but headed left, off towards Hansen’s group. From the look of it, they were still in a mostly stunned state. It was a ten minute walk. Ten long minutes of passing by hundreds of corpses. Mostly Topsiders. But there were also limbs of other creatures that Voort didn’t attempt to identify. The sand was bloodstained. Red color stretched out across the everywhere he set his feet. It was like someone had attempted to create an ocean on this desert world and had nearly succeeded.    Upon finally reaching the outer edges of the group, he found a Topsider and said, “Where’s your commander?”    The reptilian creature tilted its head for a moment, trying to think obviously. It made a ‘sss’ing sound before tipping its long head off towards the real body pile out there. It said nothing, though. Voort just nodded, then stepped off in that direction. He was almost having to climb across bodies now, at the same time as he wove through the small collection of remaining Topsiders that still stood. Hansen was easy to find, though, being a human in this group of reptiles. She was just as bloodstained as the ground was, her hair even taking on a disturbingly reddish tint. Her face had a few scratches and bruises, and there was at least one long cut across her that was still bleeding.    Upon seeing Voort(who looked out of place looking so clean), a weak smile grew on her face. Honestly, she looked about ready to just pass out and join these piles of corpses that littered the ground. Carefully, Hansen stepped over to him and spoke in a hoarse, tired voice, “Nice shot...”    That got a smile to Voort’s face. When she collapsed forward, he caught her and held her up carefully. It was an odd feeling, holding Hansen up like that, and brought back a thousand memories of times long gone. What was he to say? She’d been in the thick of the fight. He’d been up on the hill just taking shots for free. Sure, he knew what it was like to be involved in such a chaotic ground fight, but it was somehow impossible for him to speak up. So Voort just stayed silent, looking up beyond all of those corpses to that last dune. Past that was Jen...    “I hate this place...” she said quietly, and Voort noticed she was shaking slightly. Not a surprise. Even experienced soldiers such as Hansen could still be affected by shock. With such a sudden stop to the fight that was obviously intense, it was just one more thing to add to all the stress. It was also obvious to Voort that Hansen was clinging to him slightly...and it was uncomfortable. Maybe only a year ago it would have been fine...but now.    Slowly, he pulled Hansen away and looked down to her, a hard look returning to his face, “Get everyone together and work out our losses.”    He then carefully let go of her so she wouldn’t fall over, then stepped past. It was almost cruel to do, but Voort knew he had to. Taking a deep breath, Voort put Hansen behind him and started the walk to pass the dune. To the facility. To where Akan had gone. To Jen and his promise. He couldn’t help a smile.* * * *Jen had only dwelled on the empty corpse of Sadrak for a short moment. It was easy to look away from that empty shell, and she never even thought of turning back. Slowly but still with a very determined look on her face, Jen walked over towards the two other bodies that were across the chamber. As she approached, she could only see one large hulking thing...headless, with four arms and a disgusting look about it. Jen did not see the head that was off to the side, and that was likely a good thing.    But upon getting closer, she did see an Alraxian. Or at least...she thought it was an Alraxian. The thing was about the right height to be Shadow, with the same genderless type of build that only hinted at the person being female through the way the limbs were constructed. Except the entire body was metal. Even the hair, which looked more like a long extension to the head, almost as if it was a Twi’lek with only one lekku. Somehow, though, Jen knew it was Shadow. It couldn’t be anyone else...and then, very slowly, something changed. The metal seemed to fade away, almost as if it was folding inside with another body folding out from it. It was the first time Jen had really seen an Alraxian morph, and she decided that it was not something she ever wanted to see again. It wasn’t natural. It looked painful even, especially with that metal. But, thankfully, it wasn’t long before the body was Shadow’s, her eyes closed and chest rising only slowly. Unconscious.    When Jen knelt down next to the Alraxian, she was caught off guard by a second change. This was one that was arguably worse than before, and Jen quickly forced her eyes shut. There was no sound to indicate when the change had finished, so Jen had to guess. Carefully, she opened one eye. When she saw a blurry but stable figure, Jen decided to open both eyes completely. Laying there where Shadow had been was Akan. His hair a mess(as usual), his eyes half open, and his body only slightly bigger than Shadow’s had been. After blinking a few times, his eyes seemed to refocus and actually catch onto Jen. A weak smile grew on his face when the blurry image of Jen came into focus.    She couldn’t help but return the smile, bringing an arm down under him to help him sit up slightly. Waiting a few moments for him to at least get his bearings, Jen finally asked the necessary question, “What...what happened?”    Akan blinked a few more times and looked up to Jen. His voice wasn’t as weak as it was exhausted and at least slightly lost, “I...not completely sure...I...she...”    When he trailed off, Jen rubbed his back gently and decided to give him a little more time. Her eyes idly wandered across the room, taking in the nearby area. She looked at that body for a long moment, not sure what to make of it, before finally seeing the head. Or rather, the face. A face she knew well. A face holding the expression that still haunted her. Landau...dead again. Eyes wide open and just staring into her. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn’t seem to turn away.    Thankfully, Akan spoke and Jen was torn away from that haunting face, “He begged her to kill him...”    It was amazing how so few words could explain so much. Jen didn’t ask for any clarification or any details. It was all understood now. Or at least, all but one little thing...well, two. But both were connected. Jen looked down to Akan, her eyes searching him for the right way to ask. The right words. The right anything.    Again, she was thankful when Akan spoke, seemingly knowing what she wanted to say, “We are both here...” he carefully raised a hand and pointed to himself, and a half grin appeared on his face, “Don’t know details or how...Alraxian things. She is...is...” Akan paused to try and find the words, then waved a hand vaguely in a motion that was oddly Shadow-like, “...asleep. Best word I can think of.”    Another pause, this time his eyes locked onto her’s and he seemed to look deep into her. Jen suddenly felt naked with no way to hide herself from him. Even her natural reactions couldn’t break off that feeling that Akan was sifting through her thoughts...and then, it faded away, with Akan’s tone changing completely, sounding worried and horribly afraid, “Sadrak is...”    “Dead,” Jen finished in a strangely sharp and harsh way. It was very unlike her to speak like that, and even Jen caught herself. Softening her voice and returning to her normal tone, Jen explained a little more, “I had a little...a little help. But he’s gone now. Finally. And we can go home now.”    Home. That word truly meant nothing to Akan, but he forced a smile to at least help Jen feel better. He slowly sat up all the way, stubbornly batting her arm away from helping him before looking beyond her to that broken throne. Something in her terrified him, now. Something he’d dreamed of before, and convinced himself that it was just that...a dream. But now, feeling the air within the room and the strong echoes of the Force throughout it, Akan felt that fear growing real. And because of it, he couldn’t seem to look at her anymore. His voice was even distant and Jen could tell something was wrong, “I should be dead. Again.”    A smile grew on Jen’s face and she didn’t even think about any of those problems anymore, “You’ve got good friends to keep you alive.”    “I can’t keep cheating fate,” Akan said, looking down to the floor and seeing his reflection. Looking into his own eyes and seeing that Alraxian face, realizing for the first time he still thought of himself as a human. His mental image of himself was not this. A sigh was let out and he whispered, “I can’t keep risking everyone else...”    This time, Jen reached down and lifted his head up to look Akan in the eyes, “Maybe you aren’t cheating fate. Maybe you’re supposed to be here right now,” her hand slowly moved up to his cheek, “Maybe, you’re not allowed to die yet. Maybe...just maybe, some of us still need you here.”    Akan looked into the woman’s eyes, finding none of the comfort she was trying to provide. He saw only death. Only that dream again. He closed his eyes, then, and tried to blank it all out. Tried to ignore it. And in that, he found Shadow. She had retreated in a way not unlike the state he’d been in. Distant, but conscious and still there. She was hiding from what had happened. Still, mentally, that emotionless droid. The one that couldn’t cry. The one that couldn’t feel. The one that couldn’t hurt after killing a friend. Akan found her easily, knowing ‘their’ mind in a way that anyone strong in the Force should. And now, there was no link. Instead, two equally strong minds, thinking on their own with nothing able to hide from the other, no matter how hard one tried.    And quietly, he pushed her. Thought at her was the only way to describe it. Speaking without speaking. Talking to oneself when the voice in your head really was someone else, ‘Droids don’t cry,’ he said to her, knowing she couldn’t hide from him this time, ‘Droids don’t feel. But droids don’t live either. Droids don’t do anything...they just are. And you’re not like that anymore, remember? You’re alive now. No one’s droid. No one’s weapon. You are free. Don’t lock yourself up again...don’t be like me.’    There was that odd feeling of being looked at from within, and Akan knew he’d at least gotten through to her. She didn’t ‘speak’ back, but instead a series of thoughts came together. Loki. Coruscant. Home. The others...others? Yes. Sadrak was gone, but that just opened up even more things that had to be done. Shadow needed to know more about her past. She needed to know who Marix really was. And now there was time to find out.    “Something Sadrak said, though,” Jen spoke quietly, noticing something was odd about Akan’s expression. Both Shadow and Akan ‘heard’ Jen, and the way she spoke got their undivided attention all of a sudden, “He said he got that...that horrible body from someone named Halpak.”    Halpak. A pang of everything hit Shadow all over again, a thousand things she’d never had to think of before. In that moment, with that one small word, seemingly insignificant, there was a whole new reason to find Marix. The real Marix. Halpak. Just when it all should have been over, a new variable was added. One that only Shadow understood. Even with their shared consciousness, even Akan couldn’t grasp it all. Too much of the thoughts were in Alraxian, anyway. The emotions, though, he did grasp. And it simply made everything worse. Slowly, he turned his head to look to Jen. His voice was shaky, but he managed to speak, “Shadow will...have to explain that later...lets just...just get out of here.”    As they both got to their feet, all three of them were overcome with a horrible feeling that yet again, this wasn’t over. Jen was the only one not actually sure of this. But Akan and Shadow knew that there was still more to be done. Shadow was the one who knew that everything was about to get a lot worse. At least...for her it was. Hopefully she could find the real Marix. She would know what to do. That is, if she didn’t just kill Shadow for being the abomination that she was...but that was a risk they had to take. Especially now that Halpak was involved.</blockquote>

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