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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2914972" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 338Ten standard years was, for Humans, a long time. For an Alraxian, however...it most definitely was not. Well, at least not when looked back at even more years later and realizing it was just a blink in time over a long life. Living through it, though, brought a different perspective to things that was actually not all that different from the way any species saw things. So yes, maybe ten standard years was a long time. With it had come so many changes that neither Jyren nor Marix could count. They could name the important things easily, but so much always happened that was only important in the moment and never afterwards.    But what they looked at now was obviously not something to be ignored. One of the major changes that Marix had brought as Empress was a gradual reduction in the isolationist attitudes of the Alraxians and the other species that lived in the Empire. This meant scouts, small trading vessels, and other little things would periodically leave and come back...though it also meant that the security for the single hyperspace route into the Empire was upped even more than it had been for the previous thousands of years. And thanks to the scouts, especially, reports of the goings-on in the rest of the galaxy were able to make their way to the Empress.    Two standard months earlier, they recieved a report of some kind of attack on a world called Helska. Even Jyren didn’t know the place, but when he found it on the navcomputer and realized just how close it was to Alraxian space compared to most events in the galaxy, it became worrying. This was only added to the fact that, very quickly, this single attack turned into what looked to be a full scale invasion. It had been fought back then...but now it looked like it had been only the initial force attempting to gain a foothold. And despite the fact that the invaders had been thrown back and their foothold on Helska removed, it should have been no surprise to see what was most likely the main force charge in not two months later.    And it was coming from outside the galaxy itself. This was what worried them so much. These invaders, these Yuuzhan Vong, as they were apparently called, were charging straight into the galaxy at a point very, very close to Mrrakesh space. Adding to the fact that, in the last few months, the Alraxian-Mrrakesh border was the location of many more skirmishes than usual, this had both Jyren and Marix worried that the invaders were pushing from there, too. And that meant a threat to the Empire...which was why they had left to see for themselves just how things were going in the rest of the galaxy.    So far, though, it was hard to tell much. They had found the planet Dubrillion under attack and that was where they listened to the New Republic comms. From the look of it, the Yuuzhan Vong were heading Coreward, straight past the small patch of the Imperial Remnant that remained nearby, and, so far, away from the Mrrakesh and Alraxians as far as could be seen.    The fact that it looked like the attack was not the direct reason for the border disputes was the main reason why Marix and Jyren decided it was okay to stay away from home for a few more days. The Empire itself would be fine, of course, and it was stupid to think otherwise...but it was the small things that gripped both of their attention much more. And also a large part of the reason the both of them had trouble tearing themselves away from the Palace lately.    But a few days would be alright. With their home out of immediate danger, they could worry a little less and focus on a little more recon. The side trip to Yavin IV would just be an added attempt by Jyren to gain a little help from the growing Jedi Order. He’d tried to do the same roughly six years before, only to be treated like a violent, dangerous person who treated a lightsaber like a toy. That, of course, meant he didn’t stay long, since by then Jyren was long past those childish days. He had simply wanted...a little assistance. A little insight. Just another view, really, as he had come to see the Force very close to the Alraxians did...fluid, open, and not just one single thing that the Jedi seemed to believe it was, though he still refused any attempt that Marix made to open him up to more uses of the Force. Most of which were at best, borderline unnecessary, and at worst, blatantly aggressive. While he was definitely no real Jedi, Jyren still drew the line, for himself at least, there.    It was important to him, though. Important mainly due to the fact that Tobias had become more and more interested in the Jedi over the years, and Jyren at least had to check out what was really going on with them and if things were...were right. Not that Tobias was going to be a Jedi, of course, he was still young(though definitely not a tiny child)...but Jyren at least wanted to see. And, despite the ever growing tension in the Force that was rising in the months since the Yuuzhan Vong first appeared, he felt it was worth trying one more time...hoping that the Jedi would be like before, and at the same time that the planet wouldn’t be the next target for the invasion force that neither he nor Marix wanted to get involved in...    ...for the moment, at least.</blockquote>

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