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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2175489" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 196: All's Normal HereIf it had been any other person in the entire galaxy, Akan would have made an intelligent decision. If it anyone at all besides Shadow with a lightsaber hilt to the skull, he would have found another way. And yet...it wasn’t anyone else. It wasn’t anyone else and it was a Mrrakesh who sounded very, very serious holding the weapon. He shouldn’t have thrown the damned thing in the first place! He shouldn’t have...no. Not the time. The Mrrakesh wasn’t bluffing. Akan could feel it.    And so, he did the stupid thing and immediately stood up from his cover before calling out, “I’m here!”    I’m here. Stupid words to a stupid move. Why didn’t he just use the Force and rip the weapon away? Or throw the Mrrakesh back? Or...or anything?! But no, it was too late now. The Mrrakesh had heard the words and turned to face Akan, a grin on his lupine features. He tipped his head slightly and replied calmly, “Keep your hands in my view and step forward slowly.”    So he had another chance. Another chance to rip the weapon away...to dive forward, using the Force to enhance his speed so that he could reach the Mrrakesh before the blade could ignite. He could...could morph into nearly anything! The possibilities were endless and in each one of them, the result was the same. The weapon away, and Shadow safe. Nothing wrong with it at all...and yet...Akan just stepped forward slowly, his hands out at his sides, palms out and open.    “Three steps to your left, then turn away, and start walking forward,” the Mrrakesh ordered Akan, lifting up Shadow again as Akan did as he was told.    And so, in silence, Akan led the way back to the Mrrakesh’s ship. He knew the way, now, but did his best to walk slow enough to take directions from the large creature. From the sound of things, at least the Mrrakesh didn’t seem to know his ship wasn’t going to fly. Hopefully...Akan pulled what he assumed were the right things, though it was of such an ancient design that he couldn’t help the urge to just rip all the parts out. But it was definitely a sublight drive, and he’d done everything he could to make sure it wouldn’t work short of blowing it up...which he’d have done if he’d had something to do it with.    When they reached the ship, the Mrrakesh ordered him to stop. Of course, Akan did. He could feel a slight annoyance from the wolf-like creature, and Akan figured it had to do with being stuck carrying Shadow’s still numb body. Or at least...slightly numb. Akan could feel through the link that Shadow was biding her time quietly...focusing, getting ready, but not moving anything at all as to give anything away. They weren’t dead yet, at least.    “Stand here, and do not move. If you move, she dies,” the Mrrakesh said simply before walking over to a side of the ship and hitting a small switch. With a loud hiss, a boarding ramp descended, and the Mrrakesh stepped up. A couple of moments later, he returned, still holding Shadow, but also carrying a small circlet like object in one hand.    He let Shadow drop to the ground with a thud, and she lay there, eyes open and watching carefully. She knew what it was. The link told Akan that...but she still didn’t say anything. Still staying silent...waiting...waiting and hoping he didn’t make another stupid move.    Still standing next to Shadow’s body, the lightsaber hilt held down so that the blade would activate and still reach her, the Mrrakesh threw the object to Akan, “Put it on your head and press the switch on the right. I do not need to tell you the consequences if you do not.”    Akan caught it, but didn’t nod. No, he didn’t need to be told. What he did need to know was what it was. And yet...that just didn’t matter. There wasn’t nothing he could do. Akan couldn’t take on this Mrrakesh alone. And so, he slipped the small circular band around his head. It was small, and feeling around he did find the tiny switch under his right ear.    His hand over the switch, he looked at the Mrrakesh, eye to eye, trying to find any hint. But there was nothing...nothing but a silent warning. And Akan knew how little choice he really had at this point. And with little choice, that left the only thing he could think of. Shadow would find a way...she had to. He had no idea what was going to happen anymore.    “Akan, wait no!!” Shadow suddenly screamed, her voice scratchy but back. It was, however, too late. He’d pressed the switch, and from the circle, a shroud of soft green(at least it wasn’t blue...) Energy descended down from it and encased his skull. Akan felt a sudden jolt, and then fell into blackness, collapsing to the ground.    So not only one stupid thing in that second, but two. Shadow should have stayed silent. Her yell was responded to with a sudden snap-hiss, and she barely had enough time to roll to the side, the blue-green blade singing some of her longer hairs. But she was moving.     Sliding around, her head back and legs sweeping around, Shadow quickly took the Mrrakesh’s feet out from under him. He fell onto his face, hitting hard just as Shadow got up to her feet, shaky but manageable. She still hurt, but was fighting through it, using every shred of willpower to keep her body moving. Wildly, the Mrrakesh swung the lightsaber back behind him, obviously hoping she’d try to pounce onto his back and tear his throat out. But she wasn’t that stupid, and so the lightsaber caught only air.    She did, however, grab his large wrist while it was extended behind him, and twist it hard. There was a loud snap as she broke his wrist, and the lightsaber was wrenched free, falling off to the side harmlessly. A foot lashed back at Shadow, and she had no way to avoid it, and so was forced back by an incredible strength as it caught her in the stomach. When Shadow stumbled back, the Mrrakesh quickly got back up to his own feet, standing up nearly a meter taller than her as his own minor morphing ability healed the broken wrist. That was, essentially, the extent of the Mrrakesh’s ability to morph...thankfully.    “You would have both made good slaves!” he growled before diving forward at her. Shadow ducked under a punch to her face, rolling to the left and underneath the starship. When she got back to a crouched position, she had in her hand the hilt of the lightsaber, but held it back and out of the Mrrakesh’s view.    He was crouched down lower, still not underneath the ship like she was but looking very ready to dive at her again if necessary. He’d tested her speed now. There wouldn’t be any more playing around...this Mrrakesh would kill her immediately. Or at least, he would try.    And then he dove forward again. Shadow ducked and sidestepped just as she had before, which the Mrrakesh had obviously been expecting. His attack was aimed for the dodge this time, a fist swinging in to her face which would easily crush Shadow’s skull. But then there was a sudden snap-hiss and the underside of the ship was suddenly bathed in a blue-green light. But it faded into a bright white blur, which shot right across the Mrrakesh’s face, and sliced off his extended right arm. In another sudden, long white flash, the Mrrakesh felt his other arm being cut off, and the sudden pain and surprise caused him to stumble back just long enough for Shadow to spin the lightsaber around, and jam the but of the weapon into his head, knocking the Mrrakesh out.    The adrenaline rush faded, and all that was left was Shadow’s heavy breathing and the low humming of Akan’s lightsaber, held in a reverse grip in her left hand. She couldn’t resist a slight smile. Even with such an unusual grip, she’s actually managed to take the Mrrakesh alive! But that wasn’t important anymore.    Deactivating the blade, Shadow dashed over to Akan’s unconscious body, dropping the lightsaber to the ground and kneeling next to him. She quickly lifted up his head and found the small switch on the device. After pressing it, the green veil retreated back into the circlet, and she immediately ripped it off of his head and tossed it to the side. Somewhat roughly, Shadow shifted Akan and rested both hands on his face, patting him not so gently, “Come on, you idiot, wake up!”    It took a few minutes before his eyes opened and she started to feel his mind coming back through the link. Allowing herself a sigh of relief, Shadow let Akan’s head rest in her lap again, tired of holding half of him up anyway. A couple more minutes passed before Akan seemed to catch up with the situation, and as usual, he put on an idiotic grin as he asked groggily, “...so’d I do good?”    Shadow rolled her eyes before glaring down at him, “No. No you didn’t. I did.”    “Ah...right...” Akan’s grin grew and his eyes even showed it, though she was pretty sure he still wasn’t all there...if he ever was, that is, “Nothing new, then.”</blockquote>

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