Chapter Eleven
Two weeks felt like two days for Tigress. Lokahviing – who had grown comfortable with the others calling him by his real name, Kyle – was back on his feet, and began organizing a trip to his ship's hiding spot – in the South China Sea. Tigress and Lokahviing's feelings for each other continued to grow; they loved each other with a passion that neither of them knew they had. Shifu couldn't help but feel proud of them both, but for Tigress especially, having won the heart of an immortal, three-hundred-year-old dragon-shifter. Lokahviing, during the stages of planning the trip, reluctantly agreed to share his immortality with the other furious fighters on request. He initially disagreed, but eventually came to accept it and call them his "Immortal Family". He even allowed them to learn how to use his weaponry – jut in case.
The day they were to head out, Tigress, Song, and Monkey came to Lokahviing and Tigress' domicile. Tigress knocked on the door frame of the master bedroom. "You about ready, sweetheart?" she asked as Lokahviing was fiddling with an assault rifle. A metallic click-clack-clack answered her question. She smiled and chuckled. "I'm almost afraid to ask, do I get one?"
Lokahviing audibly chuckled and tossed another rifle to her. "I wasn't going to set off on this op without arming you, Song, and Monkey." He tossed rifles to Song and Monkey. "I custom-tailored these tactical harnesses to each of your physiology as best I could. I don't expect any trouble on this run, but you never know."
"Coming from the guy who sees things before they happen," Monkey commented as he examined his tactical harness, then began to work himself into it.
"I've been wrong before," Lokahviing said.
"Wait, doesn't your computer have direct access to your ship?" Song asked.
"It did," Lokahviing responded. "But transporters are down – god knows why. Point is, I'm not waiting around; if there's a problem, I want to fix it. It's my ship."
"Our ship, baby," Tigress corrected him. "And I know it's pointless to argue with you on this matter." She began getting into her tactical harness. "So when we get to the Chimera... what then?"
"We assess the ship, activate the holographic crew, and fly it here – then drop the landing beam somewhere. I'd vote above the Jade Palace or somewhere between the Palace and the Valley," Lokahviing replied.
"Why not the Valley itself?" Monkey inquired.
"Because I don't want to disrupt the villagers' lives having my ship floating above their heads," Lokahviing answered.
Tigress shrugged. "Makes sense," she agreed. "When do we head out?"
"Shifu arranged transport to Hong Kong – it's the closest city to the Chimera; it leaves in..." Lokahviing paused to check his watch. "... less than an hour."
"Then we'd better get moving," Tigress suggested as she noticed Song and Monkey fitting nicely in their harnesses.
"I'll tell you the rest of the plan en route," Lokahviing stated. They all grabbed their gear and moved out, where they were met by Shifu in the hall.
"Bring them back intact, Admiral," he told Lokahviing.
"Will do, master," Lokahviing responded. "And you'll know when we're back. Which reminds me..." he dug into his pocket and retrieved a radio. "Keep this on you." Shifu nodded wordlessly, and Lokahviing, Tigress, Song and Monkey headed off, boarded the transport, and headed off...
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The trip to Hong Kong took three days – which blurred past Tigress with unbelievable speed. Before she knew it, she, Lokahviing, Song, and Monkey were staring at the busy streets of the city. "Here we are – Hong Kong," Song proclaimed.
"Last time I was here was not a very pleasant experience," Monkey commented.
"Something feels... wrong, here – out-of-place," Lokahviing said.
"What is it?" Tigress asked. "What's wrong?"
"I... cannot say. This place... is teeming with life. It makes it difficult to sense anything through the Force. But I feel something is amiss out here," Lokahviing answered. He unslung his rifle and flicked the safety off. "Keep your eyes open, my friends. Whatever is out here... it must not prevent us from reaching the Chimera." The others unslung their weapons, and followed Lokahviing into Hong Kong. The sight of four warriors armed with such alien rifles made most people stay out of their way.
"What's the next objective?" Tigress asked.
"The harbor – a boat is waiting to take us to the Chimera's coordinates," Lokahviing responded. "I just hope-"
"You there! Outlanders!" cried out a voice nearby. "Have you come to challenge the beast beneath the waters?" The group turned to see an old Rabbit, well into his advanced years, sitting in a chair.
"Excuse me?" Lokahviing asked. "What beast?"
"A beast of metal and fire lies beneath the waters out at sea – a beast alien to everyone here," the old rabbit replied. "A beast that waits for it's master's return."
"He must be referring to the Chimera," Tigress whispered. Lokahviing wordlessly acknowledged her.
"What do you know of this... beast?" he asked the old rabbit.
"It is a massive creature – far larger than anything on this world. Many speculate it is a ship. Several have tried to claim it... none have returned," the Rabbit answered. "It is said that only the beast's master can claim and command it; those that tried were punished in fire."
"That doesn't make a lick of sense," Song said. "Fires can't start underwater."
"But he is on to something that can happen underwater," Lokahviing stated. "The Chimera's anti-theft defenses." He looked at the old Rabbit. "Who were the last heroes to try and claim the beast beneath the waters?"
"Outlanders, like yourselves – draped in strange, black armor with an odd symbol, like a pointed gear. They took a boat out to the beast, and were not seen since," the old Rabbit replied. Lokahviing's face visibly turned to concern, and he walked away, motioning his head for the others to follow.
"Do you know who that old man was talking about, Kyle?" Monkey asked.
"Unfortunately, yes – the symbol and armor he described were a dead giveaway," Lokahviing affirmed. "Sith troops; they'd have an easier time getting to the Chimera than anyone else here would, which begs a bigger question – why didn't the Chimera send an intruder alert beacon to my computer? And why did the transporters go down?"
"They may not have been there long," Tigress suggested. "Likely within the last few days."
"Either way, we're running out of time," Lokahviing said. "Let's move." He, Tigress, Song and Monkey all headed for the harbor at a quickened pace, where they met the captain of the boat they were to take.
"I assume you're the warriors from the Jade Palace going out to the beast?" he asked.
"That's us," Lokahviing replied. "And I understand others have gone out that way, as well?"
"Aye," the captain replied. "Last ones were an odd group clad in black armor led by a creature I've not seen before – red skin, yellow eyes, tendrils growing out of his face. Really creepy, but they paid good money to go out there."
"How long ago was that?" Lokahviing asked.
"Just yesterday," the captain answered. "Regardless, your sea gear arrived shortly before you did, and the ship's set to sail."
"Sea gear?" Monkey asked as they all began to board the boat.
"Something to help us all get to the Chimera and breathing apparatuses so we can reach it," Lokahviing answered.
"That deep beneath the water?" Tigress chuckled. "A wonder any of the heroes the old man mentioned actually got that deep."
"Even so, I want to get to the Chimera and figure out what the hell those Sith want with it," Lokahviing said officiously. He led the team toward the aft of the boat, where their gear was waiting.
The trip took an hour and a half, during which Lokahviing gave the others a crash-course on the portable submersibles and the rebreathers. When they arrived at the coordinates, Lokahviing was the first to dive in; Tigress went in next, followed by Song and Monkey. They all activated their submersibles and their rebreathers, and followed Lokahviing deeper into the stygian depths; the deeper they went, the darker their surroundings got. After what seemed like hours – but had in reality been only a few minutes – Lokahviing's ship came into view. It was a massive vessel, far larger than anything Tigress had imagined; shaped vaguely like a bird, but with obvious weapons, and colored in shades of green and red.
"There's an airlock I installed just shy of the bridge," Lokahviing told the team. "That's our way in."
"And if the Sith troops are on board?" Song asked.
"We take them out – they haven't been here long, so it's unlikely they've been able to do much," Lokahviing replied. The team followed him to the aforementioned airlock, where they all headed inside, and waited as Lokahviing cycled the airlock. The water was pumped out, and Lokahviing again unslung his rifle. "Weapons ready, safeties off – Sith aren't the friendliest folk I know." As soon as the airlock doors parted, Lokahviing cautiously peered around the right corner with his rifle held ready, then the left; he then motioned for the others to come out.
"Where to?" Tigress asked, keeping her rifle leveled.
"This way – the bridge isn't far," Lokahviing said in a hushed tone. He led the group through a short hallway to a circular room with multiple seats and stations. Lokahviing immediately went to work on one of them. "Rex, tell me you're still online," he requested.
"Affirmative, Admiral," came an artificial voice. "Systems on standby."
"Any idea what our Sith friends are doing on board?" Lokahviing asked.
"They tried to take over the ship, but I locked them out of the systems with a fractal encryption code. They've been trying to break it ever since," Rex answered. "Unfortunately, the holographic crew were among the systems locked down. Comms, transporters... nearly everything. The intruders seem very intent on stealing this ship."
"Any idea who they're led by?" Tigress inquired.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Rex asked back.
"Rex, meet my girlfriend, Tigress; Tigress, this is my ship's Artificial Intelligence, Rex," Lokahviing introduced.
"Ah – a pleasure to meet you, madame. And to answer your earlier question, they're led by a Sith Pureblood – chronometric readings indicate he's not from this timeline," Rex stated.
Lokahviing froze at the mention of timeline. "Sith Pureblood... temporal anomaly..." he paused, then added, "I might know who that is. Rex, wherever our Sith friends are, open a channel."
"You don't think-" Rex started.
"-That K'torr has surfaced is chief of my suspicions," Lokahviing interrupted.
"Channel open, Admiral," Rex reported.
"Attention 'Sith' intruders – K'torr, if you can hear me on this channel, please acknowledge this transmission," Lokahviing requested.
There was a long pause before the comms burped static briefly and a masculine voice bearing an odd accent responded, "Do my ears deceive me? Is that you, Kyle?"
"Just a sec – you know this guy?" Song queried.
"Know me? He saved my life, years ago – mine, my wife's, and my then-unborn son," said the accented voice. "And for the record, name's K'torr."
"Speaking of lovely Jaesa, how is she?" Lokahviing chuckled as he worked on his console.
"She's fine – she stayed behind with Jake on the Raptor. I've been trying to circumvent the encryption here, but no luck. Any chance you can break it?" K'torr asked.
"Already on it – won't be but a minute; it's my ship, after all," Lokahviing responded.
"This is the Chimera?Hnh... you've made renovations, it seems," K'torr chuckled.
Tigress smiled, and walked behind Lokahviing. "Old friend you never spoke of?" she asked him.
"K'torr's an old friend, yes – helped him and his wife escape the Eternal Empire's reach during a stint in a parallel universe. I held off an attack force of ships while they made a jump through a wormhole – neither of us realized it was a portal through space and time; we ended up in two different timelines. I was somehow returned to the point where I accidentally crossed into that timeline; I never knew what happened to K'torr," Lokahviing explained.
"And when did this happen?" Tigress inquired.
"About three weeks after I left Sangheilios," Lokahviing replied.
"Hnh... well, at least we have a new friend," Tigress commented. "K'torr, this is Tigress – how long have you been in this 'verse?"
"About... let's see... seven weeks. None of my team or crew have any desire to return where we came from; they all seem... intent, on starting new lives here. Regardless, miss Tigress, who are you in relation to Kyle?" K'torr asked.
"I'm his new girlfriend," Tigress answered. "It's a long story."
"I'll bet – I doubt your relationship formed inside the seven weeks I've been here. We'll have to get together sometime and learn the whole story," K'torr chuckled.
"Done – lockdown ended, computers decrypted. Feel free to join me on the bridge," Lokahviing said. "Rex, please reactivate the holographic crew, advise them of the intruders' clearance, and let's get the Chimera to the valley." He settled into the captain's chair, with Tigress sitting next to him, and Song and Monkey standing on either side as the emitters powered up and made varied aliens appear on deck.
"Admiral on deck!" one shouted. They all snapped to attention.
"Man your stations – let's raise the Chimera from the waters," Lokahviing ordered.
"Aye, sir – you heard the Admiral! Ascension Protocol!" barked one of the crewmen, a Sangheili. The varied crew manned stations, and before long, a picture of the depths of the sea came on the main viewscreen. The hull began to vibrate, creak and groan as the ship's systems awakened and began to raise the ship from the depths of the sea.
"Shaky," Tigress commented with a chuckle. "She gonna do this the whole way?"
"Just make sure your seat bags and tray tables are in their upright and locked positions," Lokahviing said. Tigress chuckled, having heard that quote before in one of her boyfriend's movies.
Outside, above water, a few passing boats would see the sea out where the beast rested beneath the waters begin to bubble – first subtly, gradually getting more obvious, until it was impossible to miss. The boats avoided this area, their captains fearing the latest visitors had awakened the beast's rage; the bubbles churned violently, until the beast could be seen emerging from the waters, lifted out of the water by an invisible hand, until it floated high in the air. The captains, frozen with fear, stared at the beast, now in the sky above their heads.
"Engage engines – set course for the Valley of Peace," was the order. The crew obeyed, and the metallic beast moved through the sky effortlessly, leaving the populace of Hong Kong – though frightened – relieved that the beast was not setting its sights on them.
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Shifu had been thinking to himself at the Peach Tree where he witnessed the passing of the late Oogway. Seemed fitting, given his current train of thought. He had grown fond of the immortal dragon prince, but the recent prophecy he spoke of... the return of Tai Lung... he wished Lokahviing had been jesting, but Shifu knew better; Lokahviing's jokes were significantly more light-hearted than the return of an wayward son. But the wayward child, whom Shifu believed dead, returning to the Jade Palace in a quest of atonement? Admittedly, this was what made Shifu consider perhaps Lokahviing was joking. But he saw the look on Lokahviing's face. He heard what Oogway, reluctantly returning from his well-earned rest in the realm of spirits, had said – they all did. Tai Lung was coming back. But what scared Shifu the most, is that Tai Lung had resurfaced elsewhere – as a Force-Sensitive warrior, and by the hands of one of Lokahviing's enemies, no less. What possible purpose could that serve?
The radio communicator Lokahviing had given him before he left days ago suddenly went active, speaking softly, then bursting into static briefly. Shifu picked it up and turned up the volume, and was greeted with a familiar voice: "Chimera to Shifu, can you hear me? Over."
"Chimera, this is Shifu – I hear you... over," he responded, wondering why he had to put the 'over' part in the end of his statement.
"Shifu, where are you at this moment? Over," Lokahviing asked.
"I'm at the peach tree, over," Shifu responded.
"Oh, good – look out toward the horizon, over," Lokahviing requested.
"And I'm looking for what? Over," Shifu queried.
"You'll see – over and out," was all Lokahviing told him. Shifu looked out to the horizon, largely in the dark as to what it was he was looking for. The sun shone brightly high in the sky, and made trying to spot...
But what Shifu was looking for didn't come from the horizon – rather, as the wind swirled and picked up and an unearthly whine sounded, it came from below him as a massive vessel rose up from behind the cliff face. A metallic creature of green and red, floating in the air suspended by an invisible force; it was beyond anything Shifu had ever seen before.
"So, master – were you want this? Over," Lokahviing asked.
"Over the courtyard would be nice," Shifu responded. "You said that ship has a cloaking device, right? Over," Shifu replied.
"Affirmative – see you in a few; over and out," Lokahviing stated. The Chimera settled the center of the hull high above the courtyard, deployed a transparent-violet beam, then shimmered and disappeared. Shifu walked over to the courtyard in time to see Tigress, Lokahviing, Monkey and Song materialize in a sustained flash of red light.
"I trust the Chimera was the way you left it?" he asked.
"More or less," Lokahviing said with a shrug. "An old friend found his way aboard, not realizing whose ship he was on. Regardless, he's on his way back to his ship; he's gonna set course for Sangheilios, help out Thel and the others there."
"You make the strangest friends, Kyle," Monkey commented.
"You'd be surprised," Lokahviing and Tigress chuckled in unison.
"Did we miss anything here?" Tigress asked.
Shifu shook his head. "Not since you left. I'm surprised you could get a ship that size all the way here on your own."
"The ship is crewed by a holographic crew," Lokahviing said.
Shifu mulled this over for a few moments, before comprehension dawned. "Can they leave the ship?" he asked.
"As long as they have a mobile emitter per hologram... yes, they can. And those mobile emitters are unbelievably easy to mass-replicate," Lokahviing affirmed.
"Incredible," Shifu said with amazement. "I wish we'd met you a lot sooner!"
"You and me both, Master," Lokahviing chuckled. The group headed inside, shed the tactical gear, and settled in for the usual activities. Lokahviing, however, continued to mentally speculate what lay ahead with the return of Tai Lung. Just what would his arrival – and quest of atonement – usher in? A new conflict? Reconciliation and forgiveness? Or, heaven forbid – both? Lokahviing couldn't say for certain. And he wondered just what enemy of his had the knowledge of the ancient ways of the Dark Side to bring Tai Lung back, and on another world, to boot? But he dismissed the thoughts when he crawled into bed next to Tigress for the night, feeling the answer would come in time...