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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1969881" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 130: Crazy, Stupid, and Lucky as a Sith“What’s this do again?” that was asked in a very devious, almost playful way. The X-Wing had only gotten into the planet’s upper atmosphere and Shadow was already playing around.Akan managed to lean back and turn his head to see that she was pointing to the switch that should arm the proton torpedoes. Should, because he still wasn’t completely sure of how the systems were divided. From what he could gather, the X-Wing was built much like a Y-Wing, cockpit wise. The main, front seat could do everything, but at the same time, the rear seat could do. With two pilots, it could be divided into the usual pilot/gunner role. He had done his best to redirect all of the systems to his seat, but without knowing the systems well enough just yet, he’d only done half the job. That meant that he could feasibly do everything from his seat in the cockpit...but Shadow’s seat behind him could control the weapons.    He would have swatted her hand away from its hovering position over the arming switch, but Akan’s hands were currently occupied with piloting. It was an old habit to fly with the actual control stick instead of letting the computer do most of the job. So, he made a growling noise and, when realizing she was going to press it if she didn’t get an answer, grumbled, “Torpedoes. Please don’t press that. Especially considering that we only have four of them.”    “You mean I can blow things up?” her voice brightened at that, as did her thoughts.    “Don’t press it,” Akan said flatly, bringing his focus back to piloting. Shadow continued her curious exploration of the buttons, switches, and little lights all around her. How anyone learned to fly these things was beyond her. To an Alraxian, all these lights and switches were toys. It was very hard to resist that childish urge to press buttons and watch what happened. Shadow had to stop herself and wonder where those thoughts had come from. Lately, she’d been acting much less...less like herself and more like...more human. Or something. It was odd, and confusing, and at least partially wrong.    Something beeped. Shadow’s ears shot back and forth trying to identify where the sound was coming from, but the echoing(and the fact that her tail hurt from the design of the seat) distracted her. Akan seemed to be on it, and it ended quickly, being replaced by a sharp, yet at the same time bored sounding alien voice, “Powers downah yours weapons. Zis is New Republicah frigates Branis Stah. Powers downah yours weapons and prepares to be brought aboards.”    There was a pause. Akan didn’t recognize that accent, and in fact, it seemed to fluctuate between at least two, maybe three different ones. Part of it was nearly a butchered version of Basic that some Twi’leks who’d never gotten a good hold on the language used. The extra ‘ah’s were the tip off. Though Akan didn’t speak the native Twi’lek language of Ryl(Shadow did, but since he didn’t ask, she didn’t tell), he’d figured that an ‘ah’ was a common ending to most of their words. Either that, or the Twi’leks just enjoyed screwing with the minds of other species. But there were two other distinct oddities to the voice that Akan didn’t recognize. Again, Shadow did, but he still didn’t ask. One day, he’d learn to ask. Obviously, today was not that day. Shadow couldn’t help grinning to herself, and then, just before Akan responded, she tapped him on the shoulder and ‘said’. [Shall I tell him to piss off or do you get to have all the fun?]    She could feel, but not see his grin at that. And as he diverted a little more power to the shields, looking out through the canopy to the small shapes that were the New Republic ships, Akan shrugged. [Go ahead. Just don’t get them shooting on us before we break in and steal the Voorts back.]    [You sound like you don’t trust me.] Shadow sent him a mental hurt feeling, then spoke in a voice that was not really hers. Or at least, not a voice that Akan had ever heard from her. It was soft, calm, and very diplomatic. Everything Shadow was not.    “New Republic frigate...” she paused a moment, and Akan grinned a little more as he realized she was trying to figure out the name of the ship. He wasn’t sure of it either. But somehow, Shadow continued and made it sound like she was just taking a breath, “...Branis Star. I would suggest you leave the ship you are chasing down alone.”    So she’d noticed that those three cruisers were heading after Loki. Akan wasn’t sure if it was safe to mention that, and also wasn’t sure if she could even read the sensor screen. A moment later, the same odd voice returned on the comm, “Ares you threatenings a New Republicah shipah and hers crews?”    Shadow smiled proudly, speaking in that same voice, almost a little more jovial this time, “Yep. I am. In fact, I think you’re all a bunch of cowardly little Hutt larvae who shoot worse than drunk stormtroopers,” she paused, just long enough for the voice to try cutting in, but Shadow then snapped back in that strangely happy voice, “Or at least, that’s what I tell my pilot. He doesn’t really understand the more elegant insults so I have to simply it for him. What I prefer to say is...”    And then, she trailed off into a language that Akan didn’t understand or even recognize. Shadow spent only three sentences speaking in three different languages. First, in Ryl, she compared the other speaker’s family tree to a broken hyperdrive coil of which everyone had a little of their blood and sweat in. Second, speaking very clear Huttese, Shadow inquired if the entire crew of the ship was either related to each other or at least descended from the same Sithspawn infested ooze from which the galaxy collectively spit into. And last, her voice remaining calm as she reverted to speaking a strongly accented Bothese, she stated that it did not actually matter about the blood line of any of the crew of the ships, as only the backside of the New Republic ‘military’ would possibly be in command of the pieces of flying junk that were called ‘frigates’. Of course, that was the polite version. The impolite version of which Shadow really used would have caused even Darth Vader to blush and apologize.    “Yous insolentah little Sithspawnah!” and then, the comm clicked off. Shadow leaned back(as best was possible in these seats), and smiled proudly. She was very proud of those insults. Insult their lineage twice, and those hit hard enough on their own, especially when she made sure to pick the best language for the insults each. Huttese had very good words for ooze. But the last one she was most proud of. Insulting the lineage and parents of anyone was bound to get them angry. But for a crew of a ship, pilots and commanders in particular, to insult the ships they called their own was the greatest of sins.    Not knowing what Shadow had said, but not at all liking that reaction, Akan put just a little more power to the shields from the engines. The weapons still at full strength, he opened up the S-foils and sighed, “I don’t want to know what you just said, Shadow, but they’re leaving Loki alone now.”    “Good!” Shadow said happily, with a hint of that devious mind in the voice, too.    “Not good,” Akan corrected, flatly, “You didn’t happen to think about the fact that we can’t handle three capital starships and board one and the Voorts out AND then get out of here alive, do you?”    Shadow paused a moment to think about this. Then, after a silence in which the sensors indicated that the Gunship was going to be within firing range in a matter of seconds, she shrugged, “Guess we’ll deal with it.”    “Why is it that its always a ‘we’ when you get me into trouble?” Akan asked, getting ready to bank hard to starboard and avoid the inevitable fire from the Gunship.    “You know, you used to complain that I never said ‘we’,” Shadow commented idly, trying to ignore the fact that she was clinging very slightly to the seat as Akan suddenly brought them into a very tight, very sharp roll. Closing her eyes, she managed to speak in the same tone as before, “Now I acknowledge that you’re not useless and you still complain?”    There was a long moment before Akan’s response. The reason for this was simple. He was bringing the fighter out of its roll and banking back the other direction to avoid the barrage of bright red energy lancing down at them from the cylindrical shaped Corellian Gunship. The ship was yanked into a violent snap-roll, causing Shadow to keep her eyes closed and dig her claws into the metal just slightly. The inertial dampers in these metal ships played hell with her stomach. At least Kanyak’s internal gravity and dampening systems were natural...and acted natural. And didn’t make her feel sick. Very sick.    “You know me...always complaining,” Akan’s voice suddenly shot her back to the moment. For some idiotic reason, Shadow opened her eyes. The spinning of distant starts wasn’t as bad, and she figure they were going as near to ‘straight’ as Akan seemed to understand. Damned fighter pilots.  The stars suddenly started spinning to the left, and in a moment she saw the topside of the Gunship, a blaze of red coming up at them. It spun like a whirlwind and started to grow. As it got much larger, very quickly, Akan called back to her, “That switch I told you not to hit. Hit it. Then press the red button above the trigger on that stick I told you not to touch.”    Shadow closed her eyes and reached forward.    “Keep your eyes open, dammit!!” Akan nearly screamed at her, and she opened her eyes. So he was using the link more...even if he didn’t admit it. But Shadow focused forward and down to that small stick. Carefully, Shadow reached ahead and grabbed it, feeling around for that button. She found the trigger, and just like he said, a small button above it. Suddenly, she realized she’d forgotten the switch, and her other hand shot out and flipped it hard enough to nearly rip it off. The second afterwards, she hit the other button.    A half second after the button was pressed, the entire X-Wing shuddered. There was at least a short moment where Shadow expected them to explode. The only thing that the shudder could possibly mean was that they had been hit, the shields were out, and they were going to die in this metallic prison. But then two blue streaks shot out from just under the starfighter. Shadow only had a short moment to see them before the X-Wing banked up. A half roll a moment later brought the two blue streaks back into view...just before they hit near the center of the Gunship. There was a large explosion which expanded outwards and then died out in a second as the oxygen to fuel the fire also died. Then the large mass of the Gunship was upon them, and Shadow nearly expected them to slam into it. But the starfighter instead righted itself, dropping into a position that brought it perfectly even with the burnt but not completely penetrated hull just before streaks of red shot out from the four laser cannons from the X-Wing. Shadow couldn’t help but notice that all of the Gunship’s shots were going all around them. A blind spot. And from the look of it, those two...things she’d fired off had taken out the only gun that could have hit them.    As Akan held the position, firing away at the hull but really not even getting through the shields, he called back to her, “Scan for the Alderaan! Which ship is she on?”    Shadow bit her lip and stared at the console in front of her. Then, just as she thought she knew what to do, the thrusters kicked in hard and they jolted forward. Akan was still holding the trigger, and the shots pelted across the shields of the Gunship before they rocketed past and then rolled back around, completely circling the ship’s cylindrical shape and then darting off towards the two approaching Nebulon-B Frigates. The two ships were hovering a distance off, not firing, likely out of fear of hitting their own ship in the process. And now, as Shadow tried to focus on scanning for the Alderaan, the X-Wing was between the three ships. Akan still banked here and there, watching out for the shots from the obviously angry gunners aboard the Gunship, but kept as straight a path as he could that would take him right between the two Frigates. Then, they still wouldn’t be able to fire if he positioned the X-Wing right. Of course, this tactic would only last until they got a missile lock. They weren’t in range for that one yet...but it would occur soon, no doubt.    And then, Shadow had it. Or at least, she thought she did. Was...relatively sure that she did. Honestly, she had no idea if she was right, but was ready to leave and get back to Loki. So, masking her thoughts in a sense of positivity, Shadow picked a frigate randomly. Then, her voice oozing pure confidence, Shadow pointed over Akan’s left shoulder and said, “That one looks good.”    “Looks good?!” Akan glared at the hand and nearly reached over to bite her out of frustration. ‘Looks good’ was not something to base breaking into the hangar of a New Republic frigate on. They were already angry enough, and it was already going to be hard enough to do. But ‘looks good’?! Typical Shadow, really.    “Yes, that one,” Shadow commented, pointing a bit harder this time, “Trust me.”    He banked the X-Wing that direction. No, he didn’t exactly trust her. He could tell she didn’t trust herself either. And as they started straight for the Frigate, Akan said, “This is going to get very rough. The second we’re in, I’ll pop the canopy and you just go. Follow the scent, whatever. Get in, get them out. I’ll try to cover you from behind.”Shadow nodded just as the Frigate decided to say ‘screw it’ to the possibility of hitting the Gunship behind the fighter, and opened fire. The problem with Nebulon-Bs is that they were designed specifically to combat starfighters. This meant that the majority of the weapons were point laser cannons with enough speed to keep with faster ships and keep up a constant rate of fire. Time seemed to hang in the air as the laser blasts shot straight at them. Akan used that time to fall into a tactic he’d learned only in the latter time he’d flown starfighters. It was a technique that had kept him alive as a SpecForce operative many times. He allowed the Force to flow through his body, taking hold of his arms, legs, and eyes in such a way that it felt like an actual entity helping to push him through things. Guiding him. Not using the Force, but allowing it to assist him. The Jedi saw the Force as both a tool and a guiding light. But Akan, for the first time, found himself seeing it how an Alraxian did. The Force was a companion. A friend to help him when it was necessary....whatever that actually meant.    What it meant, didn’t matter at the moment. What did matter was that Akan was able to move the X-Wing in such a way as to avoid nearly every shot from the frigate. Nearly, of course, as even the Force couldn’t cause one’s reflexes to be so fast as to do sixty things at once. And currently, that was about the number of things that needed to be done to avoid all the shots. Having a feeling that Shadow had her eyes tightly shut, Akan banked the ship hard to port, away from the Frigate and showing, if only for a brief moment, the underbelly of the starfighter to nearly every single point laser cannon on the front of the Frigate. The X-Wing shuddered many times in that short moment as the shields took a beating, but Akan was relieved and surprised to find that they held strong. This ship had some serious advantages to the normal model of X-Wings.     Akan pulled hard on the stick, whipping the X-Wing around with the nose at the sharp turn’s axis. The main sublight engines kicked in halfway through the spin, which lurched Shadow’s stomach even worse than before. Her eyes half opened to see the four X-Wing’s laser cannons firing madly into the Frigate. Literally, into. Near the front section of the ship, at the upper edge, was a small blueish tinted opening. The hangar. And Akan was firing right into it as the X-Wing charged forward at full speed. Shadow mentally forced herself to keep her eyes open, finally understanding the real insanity of what Akan was attempting. She could have sworn that most of these hangars had some kind of shielding to prevent this exact type of insanity. The moment her thoughts blinked off that, she noticed that the point at which the four laser cannons converged had altered. It tilted up, and there was a small explosion on the hull of the Frigate. So there were ways around it.    There was a sudden, almost immeasurable silence. Akan stopped firing forward. The many point lasers on the Frigate stopped firing. Both Alraxians held their breath. As did all the panicked technicians within the hangar. With a flash of movement, Akan cut off all power to the engines and immediately closed the S-foils. The second part too almost too long, and the landing pads barely had time to drop completely before the entire ship rocked hard with the impact on the deck. The X-Wing skid across the deck for a short time before its momentum brought it into a nearby A-Wing. They jolted to a violent, neck aching stop, and then Shadow noticed that the canopy was open. It was that same moment that they both also saw the Alderaan. So late. If she’d been wrong, this would not have been good. Hell, it wasn’t good anyway. But she reverted to business mode.    Undoing the crash straps holding her down(and glad she’d had them secured), Shadow leapt out of the X-Wing and to the deck below. There was no one near, as everyone had scattered. But she found the smell. She found it, and ran as fast as she could. Ran to the nearby turbolift that it went to. Violently, Shadow barreled over one tech stupid enough to try getting in her way, then charged onward. Distantly, and just before the turbolift door slid closed, she heard a familiar snap-hiss.    They were both insane. So far, that was playing to their advantage. Hopefully it would last at least ten more minutes. [Don’t do anything stupid!] Shadow found herself ‘saying’ over the link.    That got a distracted mental laugh from Akan. [You’re about three years too late with that advice.]</blockquote>

Verification