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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2914954" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 332Despite the fact that the galaxy was almost completely explored, save for some large areas of the Unknown Regions, there were still countless numbers of habitable but unoccupied planets strewn about every corner of the galaxy. Most had life of some kind, but just as many were devoid of anything but the ground and their atmosphere. Therefore, it was no surprise that one such planet wasn’t too terribly far off from Naboo...though it did happen to be a nice little coincidence that this one was only a few lightyears out.    It didn’t have a name...or at least, no name that Shadow knew of. The climate was about the same as on Alraxia, though a bit more on the rainy side with lush stretches of jungle across most of its surface. But there was one spot next to the shore of the single, huge ocean, that was cleared of anything but rock and dirt. A large hill overlooked the ocean below, and had not been empty for nearly...nearly ten standard years now.    That had been when she had first found the place. Ever since then, a small stone marker sat on top of the hill, with Alraxian words carved over its surface. Time had not faded them at all, and Shadow couldn’t help but be a little proud that the marks she’d made with her claws had stayed that well. The single stone, marking the grave of the smuggler who had taken her in after escaping from the Empire, had not been moved by a single thing in all of those years.    But now the marker was not alone. To its right, were two new ones, about the same shape and size and taken from the same rocks that littered the shoreline. Shadow had just finished carving into the second stone and putting it in its place before finally standing back and looking down at it all. A nameless planet who’s surface now contained three names.    Shadow knelt down next to the center stone and dusted off a little of the scrapings from her claw marks, making sure that it was readable...not that anyone would ever understand it. But that really wasn’t the point. The point was that it was there, it was clear, and it would never, ever go away. After it was fixed, she looked to the older of the three and sighed.    Max had died a good ten years ago, but she could still remember his face all too clearly. Middle aged and definitely looked it, with thinning hair and a few grey spots, Max had been well built and always wore the baggiest, piece of junk clothes that seemed to be held together more by sheer force of will than any actual threading. He had always been in a good mood, even when deals went bad...and always made it out with just a scratch. To remember it by, he would always say.    But then one day, a job went very bad. Shadow could close her eyes and stand there again, in the small tavern on Ord Mantell when the white-armored Stormtroopers marched in. It had felt like a bad deal from the beginning, but they had gone through with it anyway...so it hadn’t been too surprising to see the Imperial troops show up. What had been surprising, though, was the fact that two of the troopers carried repeating blaster rifles, and that at least two of the patrons in the bar were Imperial agents waiting behind them.    The ambush had been well planned, and Shadow had only made it out because of a quick misdirection thanks to her using the Force to ‘borrow’ a concussion grenade from one of the troopers. But when she made it out, Max wasn’t right there...and she knew right away that he hadn’t survived the initial blaster barrage that came at them from both sides. And later, she had gone in and retrieved his body before bringing it here.    Now, next to him, lay Jen Zaarin Voort...and next to her, a marker for Titus Voort. What had happened to his body, Shadow didn’t know, but he deserved the marker as much as the two others. But Jen was placed there, and despite the fact that Jyren had known her much better than Shadow had, she knew that this was something she needed to do herself. She had trained Jen, and because of that, Shadow took full responsibility for the human’s actions. It was not Jen’s fault that she was not ready...but Shadow’s for trying to push too hard, too fast.    Finally, Shadow sat down in front of all three markers and looked at them. For all she knew, this would be the last time she’d ever be on this planet...and ever see these markers. After this, it was back home. Back to where she needed to be. Yes, Shadow had done her best through the years to avoid going back to Alraxia, but it was time to stop hiding and accept who she was.    She was not Shadow...or Alrax...or Delta Three...she was Marix BlueIce, the Empress of the Alraxian Empire and leader of her people. They needed her. Despite how much she wanted to just stay away, they truly needed her, and nothing could replace that. While she would at least give Jyren the chance to stay back, she knew he wouldn’t. It was...comforting to know that he’d stay with her, even though he was even more detached from the Empire than she was.    It was strange, but a part of her was glad it was over. Glad for the opportunity to stop running to stay alive and be able to stop and relax, even if only for a short time. There had been one wonderful night back on the Capital world when she had felt that...despite the fact that it had only been a single night, and afterwards the attack had come and, in the days to follow, her mother, father, and closest friend had been killed. But the night before was calm and like nothing she’d ever even imagined...and, in all honesty, Shadow wouldn’t mind a few more of them.    Running a hand through her hair to pull the damned stuff out of her sight, Shadow got to her feet and actually allowed herself a smile. It would be something new. Not nearly as exciting as a fight or even a good run across a planet, but it would be new. Besides, after all these years of chaos and running and fighting and, ultimately being stuck on her own...that was over. Why not move on with it? It was impossible to tell what would happen, and it just might be worth all of the struggle to reach it. Then again, it might not...and that could be easily fixed by hitting Jyren across the head hard enough to get him to ‘play’.    [Loki, can you come pick me up now?] she asked, for once not actually looking up and instead keeping her gaze off across the water below.    The ‘voice’ answered in her head as if he was as close as usual, despite the fact that he was probably on the other side of the planet. [Be there in a minute. Where to next?]    Marix BlueIce looked down at the markers one last time before turning to the jungle behind her. [We’re going to meet Jyren and Toby at the Gate...then we’ll head home.]    The answer she gave seemed to actually surprise the ship. [For good...?]    [For a while, at least.] she started walking down the hill towards the larger open section of the shore where Loki could set down. [Now stop being slow and get over here. You’re obviously getting too bored without having Toby around to lock up and have yell at you.]    [Awww...how cute. You actually sound like you miss the little guy.] there was a grin in the mental voice now. [I wonder what Jyren would say if I let him know...]    Marix looked up at the sky above in the direction where Loki probably was and glared at it. [Shut up, Loki.]    Of course, the ship didn’t shut up. He knew well enough by now that when she said that was the perfect time to go on an all out attack. And, of course, Loki took full advantage of that. By the time they were in hyperspace, she was already threatening to end the ship’s life...just like the days when it had only been the two of them. It was another thing that part of her loved to remember. And, again, she couldn’t help but wonder if this would be it.    But Marix wasn’t Jyren, no matter how much his personality seeped through the link. She didn’t dwell on the could-have-been’s and what-if’s. Instead, she would simply move on and wait to see what would happen.    If anything, she knew that it was certainly going to be interesting.</blockquote>

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