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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2379176" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 238: Next StageThey had been given just enough of a head start that it wasn’t a frantic escape. One thing that Jyren immediately noticed, though, was that he was now leading the way. Shadow had gone silent, and no longer was heading towards the Capital. Somewhere along the way Jyren had started heading back towards where his X-Wing should be.After ten minutes of running through the scattered trees, Shadow finally spoke up, though she didn’t actually stop. [This is wrong.]That was new. Jyren couldn’t think of a time that she had ever sounded so...so...idealistic. Like him, really. He glanced over his shoulder to see her usual neutral expression was instead marked by concern and probably something close to anger. [We don’t have a choice, and you know it.]    [Kyren wouldn’t leave me.]    She nearly stopped after saying that, too. Jyren could feel her almost stop herself, though something somehow kept her moving. He didn’t know what to say, though. He wasn’t about to leave her after all he’d gone through to get this far on this horrible planet...but part of him felt like he should actually care what happened to Kyren. That part seemed to be impossible to find, and Jyren knew that couldn’t possibly be a good thing. This wasn’t some random individual...it was Kyren. Shadow’s only real friend in this corner of the galaxy. He only real person she had any connection to anymore, too. But Jyren couldn’t bring himself to care about this other Alraxian one bit...except, perhaps, at least a small amount of pity, but Jyren didn’t really even understand that.    The silence between them continued for a long while, but their pace didn’t slow at all. When they finally arrived at the small clearing with the X-Wing, Jyren had been expecting a trap. There was none. In fact, there wasn’t any sign of activity beyond his own leaving the ship all those hours ago. Again, something that just didn’t add up right. Even Shadow had stopped at the edge of the clearing, alert and ready for the nothing that was there.    When it became clear they were alone, Jyren moved over to the X-Wing and got the canopy open to climb in and prepare the starfighter to leave the planet. Shadow was still standing at the edge of the clearing. After reaching in and flipping on the main power switch and getting the sublight drives to warm up, Jyren looked over his shoulder to her, “Come one, Shady. We’ve go to go.”    But she’d come to a decision, “I’m not leaving without Kyren.”    Jyren sighed heavily. He then decided to play the card he’d held back, “Do you propose we stuff him in the cargo compartment?”    “I can morph to something small,” Shadow said calmly.    Fine. Card number two, then, “So you want someone who’s trying to kill you sitting in the cramped cockpit of an X-Wing in the perfect position to cut open my throat from behind?”    This time, Shadow didn’t have a quick answer. Sure, her mind ran through a thousand of them and she knew he heard all of them, but none of them were solid enough worth stating aloud. Jyren reached into the cockpit again, finishing up the last checks before the X-Wing could leave. By the time he’d turned back, Shadow had taken two steps closer and said firmly, “I will not leave him here with her.”    “And I’m not leaving you here with the both of them, Ket, and his whole damned army!” Jyren yelled, surprised at the sudden anger that jumped out of no where from inside of him. But there wasn’t time for this. This was just one of those times where arguments should be saved for later...but this was him, and this was Shadow. Neither of them were very good at not being stubborn, even at critical moments. Dropping down from the small ladder and back to the ground, Jyren looked straight into Shadow’s eyes, “I came here to get you. I didn’t come here to fight droids or Ket or Nine, or even to bring back Kyren. I came here for you.”    “Then leave!” Shadow growled at him angrily, “Keep being selfish and save your own tail! Go wherever you want but I’m staying here!”    “If you stay here, we’ll both be killed and Kyren will be in the same place just like he is right now!” Jyren snapped back, pointing off past her to the forest where they could both feel Kyren and Nine approaching, “Now stop doing exactly what you always accuse me of and actually think! If you want to do anything about any of this, we have to stop, regroup, and not rush in and get ourselves killed!”    He would have said more. The rant could very well have gone on for a full hour. And his mouth was even open to continue it...but a noise stopped it all. Off to the west there was an explosion. The west...the Capital. Both of them turned to see, but saw nothing to hint at what had happened. A few moments later, though, they saw something else.    Ships. Hundreds of them. All heading up into orbit. From this distance, it was impossible to tell what they were, but both Shadow and Jyren knew they were probably the landing craft used in the invasion. And they were all leaving. All of them. All of them were leaving.    They turned back and their eyes met. Ket’s entire landing force was leaving the planet. If they were leaving, it meant there was likely to be only one reason.    “He’s going home,” Shadow whispered quietly.    Jyren looked back from her up to the sky, then to his X-Wing, “Can we beat them there?”    It amazed him to see Shadow plow past him and climb into the rear seat of the X-Wing. He was right behind her, and heard her just as he sat down, “We can’t.”    “Then why are we rushing?” Jyren asked over his shoulder while hitting he switch to close the canopy and then cut in the repulsorlifts.    “Because I am the Empress,” Shadow said quietly in a voice that sounded so much like her mother’s, “And it is my duty to be there.”    Pulling the X-Wing around to follow the stream of starships ahead, Jyren cut in the sublight drives and opened the S-Foils to take a few shots anyway, “And its mine to be right there at your side.”    Shadow just nodded as her hands moved over the weapons controls she’d only used once before. But she had to do something. Something to get her mind off the fact that Kyren was back there with...with Nine of all creatures in the galaxy.    “We’ll go back for him,” Jyren whispered, even surprising himself.    Shadow nodded again, “I know...” after a deep breath and clearing her mind, she spoke more in her own usual voice, “Take as many of those transports as you can down. At least prove to Ket we aren’t tailless cowards like him.”    The weapons powered up right on cue.((Note to self...do NOT get out of once a day schedule. Man its hard to get back into that after such a long break from it. But I will. I'll force myself to, as I've go nothing better to do anyway, and I ENJOY writing this.))</blockquote>

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