A/N: Chapter 24! I also wrote a 'deleted scene' of sorts from the canon, featuring more Cherik! It's under the M-rated listings, because of...well. Lovin' and drug use, mostly, lol. Bramblerose4's continuing sidestory is also amazing.

Bramblerose4, yeah, I know I'm evil XD

ItSureAintSad, I know, I know, if only all fanfic could be like that XD Thank you for the review :D

Carry on!

~LoverBoyWonder

"Lehnsherr, Lehnsherr…doesn't ring any bells," Shaw said lazily, scratching his arm as the din in the bar around them grew steadily louder.

Erik gritted his teeth and leaned in close, right in the general's face. Shaw stared at him, bored.

"My father was in your army," he growled, "he died in your army when you gave him a suicide mission."

Shaw tilted his head. "Nope, still don't recall. Couldn't have been that important."

Erik snarled and twitched as if about to spring, and Charles gripped the back of his arm tightly, saying "Erik, no."

Shaw laughed. "Listen to your captain," he advised, "or rather, your ex-captain," and now it was Charles' turn to be angry.

"What do you have against my crew, General? As I understand, they were rather wonderful recruits during the time you spent training them in your army."

"Not by choice, I can assure you," Shaw said, eyes narrowed, sitting forward in his chair and putting his elbows on the table. "They were as good as their records show. No better."

"Only because you refused to let their triumphs be recorded," Charles challenged him.

"Say what you like," Shaw said, lips curving into a dangerous smile, "humans will always accept my word over yours. And you know why? Because you are a filthy little half-breed and you always will be." Having answered his own question, he sat back; satisfied with the way Erik was shaking with anger and the way Charles sat, pale with his lips pressed tightly together. Raven just seemed frightened, now; dealing with someone like Shaw was a task way out of her league. Shaw laughed quietly and stood up, a formidable presence in the dark room.

"Hey," he said loudly, over the racket the people were making as they argued with one another. When they didn't stop, he barked out a loud "Shut up!" The room suddenly quieted, everybody giving Shaw their undivided attention; some people even flinched in shock or fear. "That's more like it," Shaw snarled. "Now listen up. Some of you," he made eye contact with many of the patrons, glare lingering on the Galsterians especially, "may have noticed these three…travelers…who now sit among you. You almost certainly have noticed this one-" he pointed furiously at Raven "-but she is the least of your concern. Now, these two-" he flicked his hand to gesture at Charles and Erik "-are the ones you should be angry at. They are both the sons of aliens. And they come here; arrogant, thinking they can make peace between you. And can they?" he asked the bar, arms spread wide.

"We refuse to make peace with dirty, insincere life-forms like humans," a Galsterian man growled, rising to his full height, which was nearly seven feet; Galsterians as a race were much taller than the average human.

"We hate your whole stupid race," the drunken man from before shot back, and the humans yelled in agreement.

The whole bar was on its feet now, and the anger was palpable.

Raven pulled out her communicator. "Raven to ship crew, get down here! I repeat-" Shaw grabbed her communication device from her smoothly. "None of that," the general scolded, wagging his finger at her. He took the device and lobbed it into the crowd, hitting a man- a human man- in the back of the head. The man spun around, incensed, and noticing a Galsterian man standing behind him he swung a punch at the taller being.

The fight broke out quickly, and soon enough the humans were pulling out weapons, ray guns and the like. The Galsterians ripped decorative weapons, such as spears and axes, from the walls and jumped into the fray with the outdated, but no less effective, technology. The real fight was exploding, as backup was called in; and the two groups clashed, spilling out of the bar and into the clearing in front of the building, each side captured by a crazed haste to dispatch as many of the others as they could.

Charles, Erik, and Raven threw Shaw a trio of horrified looks, and ran outside to observe what had become a full-fledged battle, the human army with superior weapons holding their own against the less-advanced but more numerous Galsterian troops.

Shaw followed them leisurely, laughing his horrible deep laugh.

Erik remembered his vengeance and whirled on Shaw, grasping the general's neck with one strong hand and squeezing.

Shaw, caught by surprise, grunted and struggled to breathe as his face turned red, then purple.

"I am going to kill you," Erik whispered to Shaw, voice deadly, Charles' protests and Raven's scream of terror seeming to travel a great distance before reaching his ears.

"Your…father," Shaw choked out.

"What about him?" Erik squeezed harder and Shaw grasped at the hand around his neck.

"I…remember!" the general gasped out. "Let me-"

Erik released Shaw and the general dropped to the floor, one hand on his neck, gulping in air. Charles tried to say something, but Erik gestured at him to shut up.

"What about my father?" Erik hissed, crouching down to Shaw's level.

In a flash, the general had jumped to his feet, lifting Erik off the ground with a single hand fisted in the pilot's shirt. Shaw pulled a phaser from a hidden holster and held it to Erik's head before any of them knew what was happening.

The battle raged around them.