Sorry for the delay. I was updating my fanfics. :)
*.*.*
Parker Dooley sat on the white stone, rectangular rooftop of his main temple, on the lush green planet Zafna. Zafna had many different environments, some that were either temperate, deciduous, or barren and hot, as well as snowy and cold. It was on this rooftop that he contemplated on whether or not he should change form and become the scarred red dragonoid he had been, before he transformed into the curly, brunette-haired, blue-eyed hobbit he was now. His apparel for today included a white dress shirt and brown knee breeches. The same long, jagged scars protruded from his dragonoid form onto his human-hobbit form, making it easy to spot that he had been through a lot.
So much had changed since he became emperor. He learned about Qua'ra's past and discovered the Shaman of the Whills, a robed monk who always wore a mask, was a shapeshifter, too. Not only that, Parker was beginning to regret being the emperor of the Shadow Empire. Qua'ra wanted the job. Her family would get the job and she could become empress, just like she always wanted.
He just wanted to be free and see his family again. He could almost feel their presence, learn what they were up to. Maybe, after this fight against Vitiate was over, he and his family could live out their lives in peace and in hope. It's what he always wanted, and now he hoped that dream would come true.
A tear shed down his face. He wiped it off his cheek, observing his wet palm in disdain and sorrow. He wanted to believe this wasn't a coincidence, but he couldn't help himself. His muscles tensed, his nostrils flared. Why wouldn't he just let the tears fall? No. His family was out there! He wouldn't let Vitiate's betrayal wear him down! He'd find a way to make Vitiate pay! And then he could be whole again.
That's all that mattered really, being whole again. It's what he valued most. With luck, he would get his just reward.
"Parker?" Qua'ra asked, joining him on the rooftop.
Qua'ra was thin due to all the exercise she received, during her countless training sessions to buff up, whenever she transformed into her lioness form. Long, jagged scars could be seen across her furry, light brown lioness body. In human form, she had pale skin that was tanned, due to also being outside for most of the day. She had long, brunette hair that was straight and flowed like a waterfall. Today, it was windblown as she spent time with Parker on the temple's rooftop. Much like the color of her lioness fur, her eyes were as green as diamonds, gems that Parker would find on the shores of Zafna's lake-water.
Today, she wore her furry brown jacket, a white blouse, her blue pair of pants, and the same black sports shoes she kept on since traveling with Parker from the planet Lehon to the Wellspring of Life. Her shoes were the best part of the trip because they felt comfortable and she felt sensational in them. She'd hate to lose them during her transformation into a lioness, for that's what she feared would happen if she took on that form again.
"Are you all right?" Qua'ra asked, taking a seat next to Parker. She smiled, telling him, "I know it's hard, not knowing if you'll survive to see another day. We'll be safe here. It's just as well that nothing goes wrong today."
"You're wrong," Parker faced her. "I don't know what's about to happen." He huffed, "No, my family must come to me. Aslan said so."
"Why do we trust him so much? Haven't we done enough to ensure that this empire stands till the end of time?" Qua'ra asked, curtly.
"You know, you didn't used to think that way. You said empires come and go," Parker said, serious.
"I said 'empires rise and fall every day, my lord.' That was before I met you and you have grown since that time," Qua'ra said with a smile.
"No one changes that fast," Parker admitted, curtly.
"Do you think your family will find you're here?" Qua'ra asked, curious. "How does Aslan know they're coming?"
Parker pointed to the sky, where a few ships sailed to and fro. "They're not the ships we built. So, they must come from another galaxy."
"Right. We're stating the obvious," Qua'ra said, unimpressed.
Parker raised an eyebrow at her. "Just trust me. I'll see my family soon."
"They couldn't come sooner." Qua'ra clapped her hands, standing up. "Well, I should head inside. You coming or staying?"
"I'm coming. Just give me a moment," Parker said, returning his gaze to the sky.
Qua'ra shrugged. "Whatever you say." She made her way back into the temple.
Parker waved, before facing the sky again. The ships looked so elegant, almost like they didn't come from Zafna. He looked closer, eyeing the ships' shape and appearance. Why did they look so familiar?
He gasped, his eyes widening in terror.
"Eliza, you are coming for me!" Parker cried in revelation.
This was unbelievable! What was he going to say to her? That he turned into Maranguan, just so he could return to the light? It wasn't that simple. It was Vitiate's betrayal that caused him to become Parker Dooley again!
Still, he couldn't help but wonder how Eliza would respond to see him in the neutral zone, between light and darkness. Would she understand? Would she hate him for trying to kill her? Oh, he didn't want to know what his beloved wife would do if she saw him like this. Perhaps it was for the best that he waited until the opportune moment to speak about the issues.
As he made his way back inside the temple, heading for the war room, where he would discuss the ships more in private with the other leaders of the Shadow Empire, his doubts melted away.
~o~
Parker's main temple housed a grand war room. The walls were pearly white in color and made from stone, while the room garnished a metal tiled floor covered with red and gold rugs in some areas, as well as green and blue rugs in other areas. The banners were red and gold, with a dragonoid symbol stood at the center of the the banners, sewn in black thread and with a black crown sewn just above the dragonoid symbol, which carried a banner on a pole.
Grey circular holoterminals were scattered throughout the large room. Qua'ra stood before one of the holoterminals, observing the strange ships that were shown over the holoterminal. Parker joined her, observing the ships for himself and recognizing their dragonoid-like and dragon shapes.
Parker returned his gaze to Qua'ra, determination in his eyes. He had to say something, do something, to ensure Qua'ra didn't do anything rash before the ships landed or flew away to a different area of space.
"This ship looks like a dreadnaught," Qua'ra said, surprised by the ship's size and strength. "Oh look! The ship even has the Land of Dragons' colors on the front and sides. How quaint!"
"How can you tell?" Parker asked, curious. He admitted, truthfully, "Yes, those are the Land of Dragons' colors. Its realm is host to dragons and dragonoids. I'm not surprised their ships are in the shape of dragons and dragonoids."
"It was obvious," Qua'ra said, casually. "What should we do? Should we blast them?"
"No!" Parker said at once. "No. They might turn hostile. We're choosing allies, not enemies."
"So, what are they doing here, besides pining the area?" Qua'ra asked, curtly.
"They probably want to negotiate," Parker said, turning on the holocall. He spoke to the receiver, asking, "Dreadnaught 1B7, this is Parker Dooley from the Shadow Empire. State your business."
"We're looking for a Parker Dooley. Big hero turned villain and then rumored to be a hero again. Is this him?" a familiar masculine voice said over the comm channel. "By the way, I have a big ship. The Dreadnaught! Very touching, considering all that we've been through."
"Maxin, is that you?" Parker asked, coyly.
"Ha! I'm glad you remember me!" Maxin said over the comm channel, excited.
"What are you doing here? How's your mother?" Parker asked, confused.
"Aww! Gee Dad. You missed my graduation from the Rose Park Academy," Maxin said, flustered. "What have you been doing?"
"That isn't the point!" Parker said, alarmed. "I've been busy. I didn't know what was going on at home. I didn't know if anyone missed me, after what I did. Forgive me, but that part of me was Maranguan, is Maranguan, and the other half is me."
"Well, that story went nowhere fast. That's exactly what I said!" Maxin chuckled, hardly surprised.
"We don't have time for this!" Qua'ra pressed the comm channel button on the other side of the holoterminal. "Can we settle this family squabble on the ground? Do we have negotiations or what?"
"Of course! By the way, if you're Qua'ra, your brother and sister miss you. Their names are Melena and Tack. They're with me now… well, they've got their own ship. The Ebon Hawk," Maxin said, jealously.
"Send them down," Qua'ra said, fuming.
"That isn't my decision to make," Maxin said, alarmed. He recovered fast, after hearing Qua'ra lioness growl. "Okay, okay! We'll send them down and me as well. If we want to do this alliance, I have to be ground level."
"Just get down here," Parker said, flustered.
"As you wish," Maxin ended the comm chat, forcing Parker to take his finger off the comm button.
Parker gave Qua'ra a knowing look. There was only one thing he could do: transform back into the red dragonoid. But how was he to do that? He sighed, unsure if he could face his past.
"How can I show myself in my dragonoid form? They'll laugh," Parker sighed in sorrow and aggravation.
"You don't have to present yourself in that form," Qua'ra said, encouraging him.
"That's just it. I have to. Wish me luck," Parker said, clearing his mind. It was so easy to transform into the scarred red dragonoid. He checked himself. Just like in his human-hobbit form, his skin had scars in some areas, while in other areas his skin was clean. He sighed, wondering how he could show himself, but he knew he had to.
At last, the war room door opened, bringing in a blond-haired, blue-eyed young man with pale skin, a rugged appearance, a muscular build, and donned in a white shirt, a blue jacket, a black vest, a pair of brown trousers, and a pair of brown boots. The moment they locked eyes, Parker nearly thought this young man would attack. He recognized this man.
It was his son, Maxin. He found him!
"Hello, son. How are you?" Parker said between soft whimpers. He didn't know how to respond.
Maxin approached, unsure what to make of him. "Dad, I've missed you!" He approached his dragonoid father, embracing him. Tears streamed down his face. They were full of sadness and happiness all in the same instance. Parker smiled, wrapping his arms around him, hugging him fast. Tears rolled down the dragonoid's eyes, too, doing his best to calm himself and his son.
He couldn't keep calm. This was too happy a moment to pass up!
"I can't believe you're here! I'm sorry I missed your graduation!" Parker said in excitement, releasing his son and feeling sparks of jitteriness course through his veins.
"I know. I've got it on holorecorder," Maxin said, surprised at how calm he was and how angry he still was that his father missed his graduation.
"How's your mother?" Parker asked, curious.
"She's um… she'll be here, once negotiations are made and you've given the Renegade Alliance access to this world's resources and hyperspace route," Maxin said, making negotiations right away.
"Wait. Now this Renegade Alliance wants to become our friends?" Qua'ra asked, curious.
"Why yes, they do!" a woman, with curly locks of brunette hair pulled back into a ponytail emerged, green eyes as bright as crystals, and dressed in brown robes and carrying a walking stick, said, entering the room. She looked at Qua'ra intensely, telling her, "Hello Qua'ra. It's been a long time."
"Hello, Melena," Qua'ra said, not enjoying this.
*.*.*
References:
The planet Lehon, the Wellspring of Life, and the Shaman of the Whills comes from the "Star Wars" galaxy.
