NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2604508" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 282: Relaxation...or Something Close to ItThe hyperspace trip was another very long one. But unlike their trip to the Core, they weren’t entering and leaving hyperspace every few hours of every single day. The jump itself would only take about sixteen hours, thanks to the fact that Loki was able to plot out a direct course straight from the Core Worlds to the Garek System out on the other side of the galaxy. But despite the fact that it meant some well earned rest, they were both keenly aware that this was a longshot and could be the one thing to throw them off the trail entirely.    But they didn’t have a choice at this point.    “Isn’t it possible that we’re not actually chasing anything at all?” Jyren asked quietly.    There was a shift of weight that he took as a shrug, then a voice from near his shoulder, “Of course its possible.”    Jyren blinked, realizing that was not the answer he had been reaching for. He rolled his eyes(not that this could be seen), and tried again, “No...no. I mean...probable. Is it probable?”    This time there was more of a pause, but then the same shift of weight, “...Jyren, this is not the time to start second guessing all of this.”    “Oh...” he trailed off, then added, “When is that?”    Shadow sat up, shifted again so that she could look him in the eye, and said dryly, “Six months ago.”    She sat there for a long moment just so he could see the look on her face before flopping back down onto his shoulder. They were in her...their room, laying down and trying to get some rest. Truthfully, they had tried things the other way, with Shadow acting as the pillow, but that was quickly changed. Shadow had grumbled something about him being too heavy and then something about certain parts of her being crushed before this was done. Anyway, Jyren made a much better pillow. Something he was actually good at and didn’t even complain too much about it.    “What if we don’t find anything?”    Okay, he didn’t complain, but he kept asking questions that had very, very simple answers. This time, though, Shadow allowed her annoyance to be heard in the form of a sigh, “Then we go somewhere else.”    He stuttered, but didn’t actually say anything else. Yes, Shadow knew that wasn’t exactly what he meant, but sometimes his questions just didn’t have any other answers. Besides, it was at least slightly entertaining to throw him off.    “I hope we don’t find anything...” that was whispered under his breath, and Shadow had the distinct impression he hadn’t meant it to be heard.    She nodded anyway, “So do I.”    Suddenly getting a reaction beyond sarcasm, Jyren tilted his head to glance down at her as best he could, “Its not going to happen, though, is it?”    Shadow shook her head, “Not if our luck holds.”    “And that means we’re probably right about the whole...whole..da...whole...thing.”    There was a sigh of relief this time from Shadow as Jyren didn’t actually say the word that they were both thinking. The very thought of it was bad enough. It brought up too many feelings and memories that she did not want anything to do with anymore. Jyren’s thoughts on it were pretty much the same.    After managing to push all of that out of her mind, Shadow nodded very slowly into his shoulder, “Probably...” as she trailed off, though, another thought came to her mind. Something she knew needed to be brought up again. Carefully sitting up again so that she could look straight at him, Shadow said slowly, “Jyren, we’re going to need everything we’ve got to deal with this if we are right.”    His gaze narrowed very slightly as Jyren became suspicious of what exactly that meant, “...yeeeahh...”    Shadow rolled her eyes. Sometimes he was impossible to speak with. So, she threw subtlety right out the airlock, “Remember last time? Remember what happened? You used the Force, Jyren. You did something...you did something I can’t explain. I have no idea what you did, or how you did it, but I know you used the Force. I can’t do that. Not what you did. And if we’re...we...if we’re really going to have to deal with a...a Darkwing...then you’re going to have to do it again.”    “No!” he snapped, sliding back away from her and glaring, “There has to be another way!”    Sitting up completely, Shadow folded her arms across her chest, narrowed her eyes, and inadvertently flattened her ears out of annoyance, “There isn’t, Jyren! Dammit, you always have to make things difficult! It’s the same with morphing! You can do it! You just won’t! You’re too damned stubborn!”    “I shouldn’t have to have the Force to survive!” he growled back, “It’s the only way I’ve lived my entire life, but I shouldn’t have to! Billions of people in the galaxy live and survive just fine without it! Why can’t I?”    So there was another part of it. At least that one made a little more sense. Trying to calm herself down, Shadow said more slowly, “You aren’t billions of people. You are one...no, actually, you’re two people. Me and you. And you have as much natural talent with the Force as I do, maybe even more! Don’t throw that away...not just because you messed up once.”    “I’ve messed up more than once...”    “And I’ve messed up even more than you have,” Shadow finished his sentence before he could say anything else, “I’ve lived longer. I’ve had more time to screw things up. But you don’t let one mistake destroy everything you are...especially at a time like this.”    For a very long moment, Jyren stared at her with an unreadable look on his face. Through the link, it almost felt like he might actually starting thinking more clearly again. But something suddenly went the other direction, and he shook his head, “No. No, I won’t do it. I can’t.”    Shadow caught a stray thought fly through the link. When she latched onto it and managed to make sense of it, she immediately knew what had to be said. It was probably at least slightly cruel, but it was important, “What would your mother think of you throwing all of it away?”    His face shifted to a look of shock, partially from the fact that she’d caught the thought and the rest because she’d actually said it. His lip quivering slightly, Jyren opened his mouth to attempt some kind of a response, probably even an argument. But his attempt that would no doubt have failed was saved by a scratching at the door. Jyren’s eyes went wide with sudden relief, and his head immediately spun to the side to look at the door, “Come in, Toby.”    The door irised open, and the little Alraxian padded in, bored as usual. The tension was gone, and so was any convincing Shadow could have attempted. She sighed, but eventually gave in and took out her frustration in helping to torture the little fur ball. There would be other times...and, hopefully, Jyren would stop being an idiot before they got into anything difficult.</blockquote>

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