Chapter 6: The Return Home
They were leaving the atmosphere when a black ship pulled up next to them. On its sides were printed the letters "A-U-R-O-R-A". A voice came over the comm.
"Alo, bit of a sticky wigit we're in I'll say" came a voice with an English accent, "Ahem. I mean bye guys, meet you back home."
Vader just looked at the others.
"I'm not going to say anything," said Li shaking his head, "Nothing."
The small black ship pulled away and disappeared into a light blue vortex of sparks and strings.
"What was that?!" exclaimed Li.
"I don't really care," said Vader holding the crystal in his palm, "I'm just ready to go home."
The shuttle headed toward the executor.
A little while later they were back home. They went to their rooms then off to do their own stuff. Vader walked to his office and opened the door. He turned on the lights to see Shadow standing in the corner.
"Took you guys long enough," he said standing up straight.
"Yeah," said Vader, "We only have hyper drive."
"I know," answered Shadow almost cutting Vader off, "Sucks doesn't it?"
Vader just looked at shadow.
"So where were you?" asked Vader after the long silence.
"Training," said Shadow, "And looking."
"Looking for" Vader probed slowly
"Something," answered Shadow, "I heard that you guys were looking for the rest of the crystals. So I figured out who has what and decided that that was the last one."
"You mean the one we just found?" asked Vader, "Yeah, nice timing."
"Thanks," said Shadow, "I hope you realize he was messing around."
"Yeah," said Vader getting an apple from his desk, "I could tell."
"Good," said Shadow looking at him, "So where is it?"
"In the new vault we made out of the old one," said Vader
"So they are all in hands now," said Shadow, "All being used."
"Yes," said Vader taking a bite of the apple.
They just stood there for a while.
"Well I'm leaving then," said Shadow
"Alright," said Vader
A buzzer rang and Vader pushed a button on his desk.
"Sir we have urgent news for you," came a generic voice
"Coming," said Vader walking to the door then turning back and going to the intercom, "Where are you?"
"Intelligence," said the voice with a sigh.
"Be right there," said Vader running out the door.
"So, now it begins." Said Shadow turning and walking out the door.
The door crashed open as Vader runs into the room drooling like a monkey.
"WASUP!" he screams.
A crowd of men in white lab coats just looks at him and a group of men in suits walk over to him.
"Sorry sir," said one of the suited men, "They're scientists, they don't have a sense of humor."
"Oh." Said Vader, "Wait! Are you saying that what I did was funny?"
"You mean it wasn't supposed to be?" said another man in a black suit.
They just looked at each other for a few seconds.
"Anyways," said the first man, "We have news for you."
"It is," said Vader, "I'm late for my favorite soap!"
"We believe we have found that ship," said the second, "The one that's all dangerous and stuff. Our intelligence indicates that it is somewhere out in this wasteland area."
"You're going to need to send some force after it," came Shadow's voice from behind them.
"Who are you?" said one of the suited men, "And how did you get in here?!"
"Don't mind him," said Vader, "What were you saying Shadow."
"Although the ship requires all six crystals to be fully operational," said Shadow with his arms folded leaning against a wall, "They have three, which is enough to activate some of the systems."
"Ok," said the lead suited man, "Most of the fleet is away doing peacekeeping. The remnant is here, so we'll send them."
"Works for me," said Vader
Shadow and Vader left the room. They walk down a hallway towards the cafeteria.
"So," said Vader, "How did you get in?"
"My secret," said Shadow, "My secret."
"Uh" said Vader, "Sure."
They split up and go their separate ways.
A few hours go by, Vader is sitting in his office filling out papers. The door opens and Shadow walks in.
"I think I know how to get some more information on the ship," Shadow says.
"And that would be how?" said Vader
"The computer core thingy in the vault," said Shadow, "The technology it was made from was similar to that holding the crystal."
"So maybe it has something related in it?" said Vader standing up.
"Lets get going!" said Shadow.
They went down the elevator to the underground bunker where they had found the first crystal. There were people there now, workers moving in and out of the halls doing stuff. They went through several doors, until they came to sector 3. They went down the ladder into the large hall and stood on the platform across from the door leading to the computer core.
"Well," said Vader, "This is it."
He walked over to the door and it opened. Inside was the familiar anteroom, the circular one with a computer panel along one side.
They walked up to in and tried to turn it on, but didn't have much luck.
"I'm going to check out the core," said Shadow
"I'll look too," said Vader
They walked into the same, brightly lit room with the large, translucent disc floating above the hovering semicircles. They climbed up onto the disc and looked it over.
"Do you notice something different?" said Shadow looking at Vader.
"Its not all glowy," he said climbing down.
"Right," said Shadow, "It needs power."
"So then we need the crystals," said Vader walking out the door.
"Yeah," said Shadow, "Let's go get them."
They walked up to the gigantic blast doors marked Sector 4. Vader opened the door with a newly installed control panel. Inside was a redone vault, with six pedestals. Three of the pedestals had crystals on them, dimly glowing. Vader grabbed two and Shadow grabbed one and they left, heading for the computer core again.
"What do we do now?" asked Vader
"Let go," said Shadow dropping the crystal in his hand.
It hovered where he had held it as he pulled his hand away. It slowly moved outward toward the edge of the disc.
"Here we go," said Vader releasing his grip and pulling away.
The two crystals moved away, repelling each other toward the edge of the disc. They lined up equally spread out at three points on the disc. This triangle begins to glow.
"I think we turned it on," said Vader as the ground begins to shake.
"I don't think that's the computer core!" said Shadow as the tremor grows into a quake.
Then the roof above starts to crumble. Pieces of rock start to fall on them, then suddenly stop in mid air, then reverse direction. Vader and Shadow jump off the disc and onto the path at the side of the room by the door. Through the hole in the roof comes a bright light, a blue light.
:"What's going on!" says Vader over his intercom
"Sir!" reports a voice, "We're under attack!"
"By what?" said Vader
"A transport vessel," said the voice, "All ships are currently grounded."
"Crap!" said Vader turning off the comm.
The disc gives a lurch and begins to move upward.
"THEY'RE PULLING IT UP!" shouts Shadow.
Vader jumps up and grabs the one crystal at the edge closest to them.
"I got one," said Vader
"Lets get to the fighters," said Shadow and they run out of the room.
They run all the way to the fighter bay. From there they see a blue beam from the ground to the sky. Shadow jumps in the Aurora and Vader grabs his Tie fighter.
"What exactly are we going to do?" asks Vader, "We can't shoot it down."
"I know," said Shadow, "We'll have to think of something."
They take off and head towards the beam. They close in and see a dark shadow standing on the disc.
"What the heck is that?" says Vader
"Its Omika!" replies Shadow over the comm.
"Let's get him!" says Vader turning on his auto pilot.
"Alright," agrees Shadow.
They fly towards the disc and open they're canopies.
"Ready?" asks Vader
"GO!" says Shadow and they jump into the beam and onto the disc.
The tie advanced and the Aurora flies back to the hanger on autopilot. Standing opposite them is Omika, with his sword drawn.
"You really want to fight again?" asks Vader
"Of course I do," comes Omika's reply, still in the demonic voice.
"Then get ready!" says Shadow activating his Chaos saber, "BECAUSE HERE WE COME!"
