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: 2734741" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 303: The PastIn most ships, no matter how many people were on board or how many droids there were, hyperspace was lonely. It was hard to explain really why that was, but it was something that everyone experience in the confines of a metal ship traveling from one planet to another. But then there was Loki. Somehow, he made it all different. Maybe it was knowing that this wasn’t just an empty shell, and that if you went far enough back his organs were back where most vital systems were in most ships. Maybe it was the way he talked and conversed...but no, computers and droids could do that, too, even with personality. Then maybe...maybe it was the Force. The ability to feel life around and protecting from the utter emptiness around. Yes...maybe that was it.    Jyren opened his eyes again and let out a deep breath. It felt good to be Alraxian again. He may have been born Human, but now he knew he was Alraxian and there was no denying that he’d gotten far too used to it. He was laying back on the bed, still feeling a bit weak from the very close call on Hoth. Tobias was curled up and sleeping on the pillow next to him, and Shadow sat cross-legged to his side, one hand curiously close to scratching Tobias’ ear but managing to not do it and just rest there on the pillow next to the little Alraxian.    “You going to be alright?”    Those were Jyren’s words, not her’s. Shadow never really needed to ask that question, as the answers were usually plainly obvious to her. The only times she would ever ask it was when some odd sensation told her that the other person needed to hear it, not that the answer mattered to her. That was, of course, the most confusing part of it all, and she was inclined to blame both Marix and Jyren for all of the complication. The blame wasn’t all that misplaced, either.    “No, I’m not,” Shadow also had the habit of stating the truth in more normal situations, which always made it appear that she didn’t understand sarcasm or other subtleties...until she used them herself, of course. To her, though, it was just easier to get straight to the point instead of toeing around the subject like the entire galaxy seemed to be obsessed with.    Jyren sighed and nodded. Shadow wasn’t the only one who asked questions when she already knew the answer. Of course, it was also a very cheap technique he’d learned to use to get her out of her usual quiet self. She wasn’t dumb, though, and knew it every time he tried it, but part of her continued to just push those words out despite the idiocy of asking such an obvious question. When a hand reached over and rested on hers, she was polite enough not to jerk away. This was all sill far too much for her to take in at once...despite everything.    But when Jyren didn’t say anything, Shadow decided to continue her train of thought out loud, “She’s going to kill our people.”    “No,” Jyren shook his head, sitting up a bit but finding his head spinning slightly at the attempt, “She won’t get that far. Ket and Nine were worse.”    A serious gaze fell on Jyren from her, “No they weren’t.”    Silence.There was much more in that and Jyren knew he was missing something. Sure, he could dig through the link for the answer. But sometimes words were more important. So, carefully, he asked, “What do you mean? What is it?”    Shadow took a long moment, and in it, Jyren noted that her other hand had slipped over and was now gently stroking Tobias’ back. Finally, though, she posed a question for him, “Jyren, who do you think were crewing those ships?”    Before the question finished, Jyren knew the answer. It brought a sense of shock and horror that was only surpassed by the feeling that a Darkwing could bring. There was only one answer, and it was terrifying. Quietly, Jyren whispered, “Clones.”    “Of me,” Shadow...no, Marix finished. After allowing it all to sink in, she added, “A thousand Delta Nines, or worse, and an army of Darkwings. Jyren, that is more dangerous than anything that our people have seen since the Darkwing Wars. It is why cloning is so horrible. It is what the Sith did to us before...and now its happening again.”    That really was Marix. Something in the voice was just so much different. A deep breath later, Jyren said quietly, “We have to stop it.”    Such a naive thing to say, and even Jyren knew it. But it was really how he felt. Maybe that was he was so...interesting to her. Somehow, Jyren felt that everything that was wrong could be righted, and while it might not be his job to fix it all, he was damn well going to try and make it his. It actually brought a smile to her face, despite the words she spoke, “Three of my ancestors thought the same thing thousands of years ago, Jyren, and they couldn’t stop what happened. They just made it worse.”    “But we can’t just sit around when there’s the chance to do something about it,” Jyren said under his breath, more to himself than anything. He was too stubborn to accept the idea that they couldn’t do anything.    The silence that lasted for the next few minutes was at least slightly worrying. Jyren knew that she was working things out...thinking. Trying to figure it all out. Again, she blamed him. But, finally interrupting the constant, soft sound of Toby’s purring, Shadow said, “Its happened before, Jyren...just like this...” but she trailed off, and before Jyren could attempt any kind of response, she quickly asked, “Why didn’t you shoot her?”    The sudden change surprised Jyren so that he was at a sudden loss for an answer. After stuttering for a short while, he finally managed, “I just...couldn’t.”    “One of us is going to have to do it,” Shadow said flatly, now staring straight ahead and at the bulkhead on the other side of their quarters, “If one of us doesn’t...if we can’t...then it is all going to happen again. Everything. And it will spread...it won’t be just our people. This isn’t four thousand years ago when the galaxy was isolated from itself...if we don’t find a way, its going to happen just like before and then its going to spread.”    Very carefully, Jyren took her hand and squeezed it gently. Then, looking up and doing his best to force her to meet his gaze, Jyren said, “Marix...it won’t happen again. You know we won’t let that happen.”    “Its not a matter of letting it happen, Jyren,” she snapped at him, “This is Jen. She is going to try to kill us and then all of our people and then its going to spiral out of control.”    “What stopped it last time?” Jyren asked very carefully, starting to understand the importance of the past in this situation to Marix...Shadow...them. He had never had much focus on the past or history or anything like that...but this felt different. Darkwings made everything so much different.    Shadow sighed and looked down at the bed, “We got lucky. A few Jedi appeared. They worked together with the Jendari and...and together they found a way to defeat the Darkwings.”    There was something in that and it was important. Something that was probably overlooked in the history that she knew. The details like that always were. And so, Jyren said the thought that had come to mind, “Sith Poison creates the Darkwings. It is, literally, a poison. Every poison in the galaxy has a counteragent...something to reverse its effect or just to eliminate it,” he paused, bit his lip, then looked up to Shadow again, “That’s what they found.”    Shadow managed a shrug, her hand finally stopping and simply resting on the back of Toby’s head, “We’re not scientists...Jen is, but we aren’t. And we can’t bring this to anyone else.”    “I know,” Jyren nodded and tried sitting up again. There was one thing, “Can you grab my pack? I think I know something that could help us.”</blockquote>

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