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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2108294" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 176: All That Time, and We're Just Here for the ViewAfter Akan was given a few minutes to recover, they were all led by the guards to a large, rectangular table that seemed to just go on and on. They ate an equally large meal, and Akan had given up on the questions of ‘What’s this?’ after about ten minutes when he decided that the names weren’t anymore comforting than how the food looked. But at least it tasted good. Very good. But he was starved, so anything was likely to taste good.    An hour or so later, they were allowed to go back to their quarters. Of course, a contingent of Needai accompanied them and once they arrived in the room both Akan and Shadow were helped to change into more simply nightclothes. If Akan hadn’t been so drained, he’s have complained. He was sure he still knew how to put on clothes just fine by himself, even if no one seemed to like what he chose to wear.    When the Needai finally left, Akan had enough energy to poke his head in to Tobias’ room. The toys had been scattered around and some of them had been built into a kind of fort. It took Akan a moment to find the little Alraxian who had dragged his cot off to one corner and then passed out...under it. The only indication of that was a short, stubby blue and black tail sticking out from the blanket draped over the cot. Akan managed a tired grin before plodding over to his little corner of the big bed and collapsing onto it, asleep in just a few more moments.    Shadow had paced some, thinking on a thousand things that barely even made sense to her. There was still something wrong. She’d tried to get at least some information on any other attacks or even intercepted communications, but it seemed like there was nothing. Nothing at all. Under any other circumstance, it would have seemed as if she was being blocked out from the information. But she’d worked around that, prying in places she truly shouldn’t have been prying when no one was looking and turning up nothing at all.    But that still gave her a bad feeling. Nothing meant one of two things. Either there truly was nothing, and Ket was biding his time for some disturbing reason, or someone was blocking the information. But not from her, from everyone. Neither of those possibilities were good ones, and both were merely speculations on Shadow’s part. Finally frustrating herself too much, she found a comfortable spot to lay in the bed until sleep finally took her.    It was hard to determine how long one slept in a starship. The soft rising sun of any planet was far more comforting to wake to than anything there was aboard a ship, if only for the fact that you could have a relative idea of the time. Instead, on ships, one simply awoke when they awoke and found their own odd sleeping rhythm. When Shadow awoke, she was relatively sure it had at least been a good few hours. But how long she had slept or even if she was still tired were not on her mind.    She was warm. As her brain interpreted the waking world around her, she blinked slightly. Not only did Shadow feel warm, but there was an odd constrained feeling too...as if she was closed in. And then she noticed that what she assumed to be the blanket in front of her eyes was moving slightly. Back and forth in a rhythm that coincided with the sounds of deep breathing. Akan. Right. No surprise...but...slowly, she tilted her head up to see him inches away, lying there with...his eyes were open. He was awake! The hair on the back of her neck and her tail fur rose slightly as she gave him a confused look. How had he gotten so...so close?! And why did she feel so constrained, still?! Tilted her head slightly, she saw an arm that was resting over her. Oh. Oh!    Akan’s eyes were open and he looked to be awake enough to be equally surprised. From the link, she could tell he had awoken in a similar confusion, and through it, they both came to a mutual agreement and sprang apart to the opposite ends of the bed. Akan eventually sat up, staring blankly at the wall across from him and opening his mouth to apologize. He didn’t, immediately sensing that it would only turn Shadow’s confusion into anger. That wasn’t something worth dealing with.    Thankfully, the door irised open and a few Needai slipped into the room. In a flurry of movement that Akan hated to admit he was getting used to, they were dressed and then ushered out and down the hallway. Apparently, they were late and had slept in. There was snickering and grinning at the end of that being said, and that did nothing but worry Akan even more. Shadow was right about this being annoying. Quickly, the two of them were ushered to the docking bay and into a smaller ship, which immediately left the much larger Thor and started straight for the planet below.    Akan watched quietly from the observation lounge as the large, blue green planet of Alraxia grew in size. Within moments, they had entered the atmosphere and the ship was traversing across endless forests and rivers. It was truly a beautiful planet, like nothing he’d seen anywhere else. Of course, Akan had been so used to the Core worlds that seeing any stretch of forest was unusual. Passing farther south, the forests gave way to grassy plains, and Akan noticed at least two large green things moving around.    Shadow pointed out that those were the dragons. Powerful and dangerous creatures, obviously, but something to be respected as much as feared. And then, as suddenly as the plains had appeared, they passed away and a great sea replaced them. The water was calm, and a clear blue green colour. Off in the distance, Akan spotted a few islands but the ship never passed over them, instead banking more eastward. From the shining and glittering sea, they passed over land again. It looked similar enough to what he’d seen before, but there was far more life to be seen moving around...though he didn’t actually pick out any dragons this time. Hills rose up and trees grew over them, thick and dark in many places.    And then, amidst the trees and backed near low mountains, Akan saw the palace. It was shaped like a gigantic U, a white marble colour encompassing all of it. The outer edges were dotted with smaller houses of many different shapes, a few with small pools of gleaming blue water near them. Slowly, though, they gave way to larger towers that eventually ended in the center with the gigantic, cylindrical shaped building. It seemed to be even more white than the rest of the place and there were courtyards littered everywhere among a few other buildings that surrounded it. Here and there, Akan could see small plant like structures. It only took him a moment to notice one literally opening up while they descended.    “Flowers?” he raised an eyebrow and turned a confused looked to the silent Shadow.    She showed no emotion, as usual, and then explained, “Are you surprised? Ships are alive, clothes are alive...why not the buildings too?”    “Good point,” Akan shrugged, “Something bothering you?”    “I just want to get to what we’re here to do,” Shadow said flatly, “The sooner we deal with Ket and Nine the sooner we can leave. It seems like my family has other plans, though.”    Akan did his best to look reassuring despite having barely any knowledge on the details of the situation, “It could be worse.”    “Oh, trust me, it is worse,” her response was grumbled and tired as the ship slowly set down on the flower-like landing pad, “You do know by now that its not me who has to deal with this. It may be my honour that’s tainted by Nine, but my mother is still Enai and this is her fight.”    “Wait...so you’re telling me we’re coming here to just lounge around while others do the fighting?!” Akan looked genuinely surprised at this, which only served to annoy Shadow. He should have figured out what was going on by now. If he spent less time playing with his lightsaber and more time using his brain he might have understood these things and figured out what she was avoiding.    “For now,” she answered quietly, finishing it in her mind but doing her best to keep it from him. For now...at least until her mother was challenged by Nine. Then the problems would arise. It was bound to happen, too, and how could the Empress refuse a challenge from such a disgusting enemy? It would be expected of her to fight. Shadow knew the outcome of that fight all too well.    “I have a bad feeling about this,” Akan’s voice was just as quiet as her’s, and he probably hadn’t even meant her to hear that.    The ship set down and as Shadow stood up to leave, she said over her shoulder, “You and me both.”</blockquote>

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