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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2512922" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 269: ReunitedMorning came slowly, allowing for a very long and well deserved sleep. Tobias, however, did not. Far too soon after sunset he was wide awake and bouncing around the bed yelling for someone to wake up. Where the weak and injured child had gone was anyone’s guess, but it was suddenly much more apparent that Tobias had just been tired the night before. If he wasn’t fully recovered, both Jyren and Shadow were very afraid of what he would be like when he was.     Finally, though, Jyren got up. This was not by choice. There had, in fact, been a very long series of words exchanged through the link before he was determined the loser and was forced to get up. What exactly happened, though, even Jyren wasn’t completely sure of...which was probably why Shadow won.    But Shadow wasn’t in bed much longer after Jyren disappeared with Toby. There was still something she’d been putting off that needed being done. And so, she was up and dressed not an hour later and stretching while trying to figure out exactly how to go about things. It was probably going to be another long day.    She did her best to ignore the guards that followed her...though they were intelligent enough to keep at a distance. They were as uncomfortable with the situation as she was. In their eyes, she had gone from the single most dangerous threat to the Empire to...well..to the Empire itself. A reversal like that, even when it was expected in the sense of ‘one day’, was enough to throw anyone off.    Outside, the Alraxian star was already starting the day off nice and warm. At least that was something. Alraxians moved back and forth across the courtyards, though everyone stopped at least for a second to stare at her. It was...unnerving, to say the least. But Shadow did her best to ignore, despite how long it was making this short walk feel.    But then, finally, she reached the small flower-like pad where Loki sat. Or rather, was. Not that he could ever really ‘sit’, as it were, but now Shadow couldn’t even come to see it as anything close to sitting. He just...he was just there. Unconscious. Dead, if you wanted to get right to it. But...not dead. She sighed and ran a hand over the large nose of the ship. After standing there for a few minutes, she patted the hull and walked over to step inside.    The next four hours were spent in the rear sections of Loki that were strictly off limits at all times. This was because his internal organs and other vital ‘systems’ were located. Shadow spent the entire time very carefully fixing the wire-like structure of Loki’s neural network. Nine had...ripped it apart. It had been a careful and yet downright brutal. She had torn up his higher functions, effectively turning off Loki’s brain while keeping other things, such as the drives, shields, and controls, working and operational. Shadow had taken a look at it when she had first gotten Loki back after Nine was killed...but there hadn’t been much time.    She was forced to do a quick look over to make sure at least the basics were working before making a quick jump to the small space station where she picked up the Tam’day’u. But now she had time. And...from the looks of it, there was the possibility of actually fixing it and restoring Loki back to his former self. Four long hours...and as far as Shadow could tell, everything was reconnected in the correct place.    Which left only one thing to do...but that happened before she could even ask ‘Loki?’. Mumbled ‘words’ sounded through her mind as Loki began right away asking a thousand questions. At first he was terrified, but slowly she managed to calm him down. And then came the part she had dreaded...Shadow was forced to explain to Loki all that had happened. He seemed to accept it all easily enough, but one thing bothered her.    “Loki...” she mumbled, now in the cockpit and finishing assisting him in a check to make sure everything really was okay, “Why didn’t you say anything when I told you I...um...was a clone of Marix?”    There was a pause. Then. [I...already...knew...]    Shadow blinked. Then, after another few seconds, she closed her gaping mouth and blinked again, “You...you knew? How?!”    Loki performed the mental equivalent of shuffling his feet and staring at the floor idly. [Marix was...I...she...she would have been older.]    Ah. Shadow slunk back in the pilot’s chair and nodded to herself. He was right. Marix had been the one who had left Loki on Corellia all those years ago. And when she came back with Jyren to retrieve the ship, Shadow was the exact same age that Marix had been when she left. Loki wasn’t an idiot, and had probably figured that one out quickly. Which brought up another question...    “Why didn’t you say anything?”    [You were just...so much like her. And I missed her...I...I couldn’t say anything.]    For some reason, that made Shadow smile. She reached up and idly patted the ceiling above her, “Thanks, Loki.”    [It is good to have you back, Marix.]    She nodded again, “Its good to have you back, Loki.”    And then they were silent. It lasted for a few minutes as the two of them thought about the things that had been said. From the sound of things, no damage had really been done. Loki accepted and understood all that occurred and took it far better than she had expected him to. In fact, he was taking it all in much better than she was.    But Loki just had to go and ruin the wonderful moment by ‘saying’ in an almost evil way. [...so you and that human friend of yours are—]    “Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Shadow growled dangerously.    [—officially mates now?]    He finished it. That bastard ship finished the sentence. She went red. A deep red colour that got a mental chuckle out of Loki. It didn’t take long before she started shaking very slightly, but she said nothing. Of course, that couple only tempt Loki to push farther. [I must say, I always saw it coming...you really did take far too long. It could not have been that hard to simply ask him to sleep wi—]    “SHUT UP!” she yelled, banging her fist against Loki’s hull with all of her strength, “If you even think about finishing that sentence I swear I’ll disconnect you!”    Silence.    Five minutes of silence passed...Shadow sunk back into the seat again, fuming to herself but slowly calming.    Ten minutes. Then...    [I don’t care what they all said, I always knew you’d attract a mate eventually.]    “Damn you, Loki!”</blockquote>

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