The Subtle Shifts

2 years prior to The Force Awakens...
A persistent and interactive galaxy set shortly before the events of Episode VII

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Shaggy
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The Subtle Shifts

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“For the last time, get out of my bar!” Bellowed the large human behind the bar. Then with a motion of his hand Max felt his chair leave his backside. Those sets of scaly hand had him around the arms and he soon looked up into the empty black eyes of the Trandoshan bouncers.

“You haven’t even heard my idea yet! This kid is a winner, trust me, he’s a sure thing! I have been watching him, we could be rich… don’t throw away a sure thing!” Max argued as he was being handled like a young child.

“Put me down you overgrown lizard!” He regretted saying that as the air left his lungs. The bouncer on his right had just given him a nice shot to the ribs and before he could regain his breath, he felt himself flying through the air. What was left in his lungs departed as gravity robbed him blind. As he tried to gather his full faculties he saw the bar owner come out the doors after him. Fighting away the small black dots that were filling his vision, Max turned and tried to prepare for another beating. This was becoming a recurring theme for his life the last couple of months.

“Please… Lucas… you know me... *cough* I’m good for it… *cough*” The dust now making its way into his lungs seemingly making it even harder to breath.

“You were good for it at one time there Maxium, but look at you now. No one wants to be anywhere near you. You’re like the Corilleian flu and society just wants to forget you ever existed. I lost too much money from your ‘sure thing’ before. Your team deserted you, your management, everyone. No one wants to come within a parsec of the same air that you breathe. You are a cancer, next time you come into my bar, you better have the rest of the money you owe me or I will take it out of your flesh.” Lucas built up a large amount of spit and let it fly landing on Max’s already dirty face flowed up by a kick from the other giant lizard that had tossed him before.

After a couple of seconds of silence, max turned back over to see that he was once again by himself. He shifted his weight to try and relieve his screaming ribs and allow air to fully return to his lungs. Coughing again, the dirt that surrounded his mouth puffed up into the air.

”Well that didn’t go as planned.” He said to himself. He rested for another ten seconds or so before he tried to stand. Lucas’s spit was still running down some of his face and was no all in his hair matting it down with the small amount of mud it had created. As he started to sit up, he realized that there was a crowd dispersing from the small ruckus. Many of the onlookers pointing at him and realizing who he was, or at least who he used to be. Maxium Jamison, best swoop pilot in this or any galaxy. Some called him “Mad Max” for the insanity he seemed to race with. He could do things with a swoop that the rest could only dream about. No he is just sitting here with his head hanging between his knees, covered in dirt and trying to breathe.
He finally found the strength to pick his self up and walk over to a water trough that some beasts were drinking from. He pushed one of the smaller ones out of the way and dunked his head completely under the water. It didn’t smell the best but anything was better than what was lingering in Lucas’s mouth. As he pulled his head form the water he saw a flash of red and then is face screamed in pain. He found himself once again on his backside looking up. Once his vision cleared he looked up into the purple eyes of the most beautiful create he had ever seen. The realization then hit him,

“Zeltrons, no matter how beautiful your species is, everyone forgets how much you people still like to fight.”

“And I had forgotten how fragile you humans are.” Came voice that if it hadn’t been filled with so much venom, would have been pleasurable to the ear.”

“Alexia? Wow this night just keeps getting better and better. So what now, it’s been nine years, what could I possibly have that you could want?”

“It’s been ten, now get up and clean up. The first impression you want to make on your daughter should be a good one.”

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Re: The Subtle Shifts

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"Excuse me what? My head must still be ringing, you said my daughter?" If he wasn't having such a horrible day already, this might actually sound funny.

"Ya, well not my proudest moments, finally giving into a hot shot like you. Took me forever to get back into the good graces of my employer. Do you know what kind of reputation you get when someone gets you pregnant in my line of work?" Alexia spat back at him. Then she stopped and looked him up and down. Slightly covered in mud and with his shirt off stirred a more primal side of her but she kept it n check.

"You know there are way to take care of those things, right"

"And once again it proves that you have no clue about my people. To even bring that into the conversation is appalling. Zeltrons are the most beautiful species in the universe, I would not deny the universe a chance to be blessed by even more Zeltron blood. Even if it is tainted by that poodoo you call a species."

"Wait so why are you introducing her to me now and how do I even know it's mine?" Maxium's head was spinning at this point. the night in question he remembers in perfect detail. To actually get a night with a Zeltron that you weren't paying for was a once in a couple of generations event, especially one of Alexia's status. She was the personal entertainer of Zander Grif, one of the biggest gangsters of Ord Mandell, well at that time. He had been trying to gain her attention for almost a year. He long purple hair and those violet eyes were captivating. Even looking at her now, he would give her whatever she wanted. Part of the Zeltron curse he guessed. An entire species dedicated to being the most beautiful in the galaxy and she had to be the fairest of them all.

"I have an opportunity and I can not have any ties to hold me back, so I passing this burden onto you like I should have done when she was born." Alexia said as she walked back towards her speeder.

"And what makes you think I am coming anywhere near Zander's place? He still thinks I owe him something!"

"Who says I work for Zander? And if you don't get in the speeder now, I will have Hiss put you there." She snapped her fingers and the last thing Maxium wanted to see appeared from the drivers side of the speeder. A male Barabel... a very large Barabel. That only meant one thing, her new employer was Xantail. A Falleen that had been slowly taking over smaller markets but had moved up into a very prominent position within the last couple of years.

"Alexia that thing is a killer, how did you end up working for a monster like Xantail?!" He was on his feet now coming after her when a very large claw reached out and grabbed him around the throat. He was once again lifted into the air and he could only think "Not again"

' You act as if I don't know who I work for. Now get in the speeder, we are late." she turned and sat in the font seat. The Barabel unceremoniously carried him to the speeder and tossed him in the back like a rag doll. This day was bad before but now it gone to Kessel in hurry.

The next couple of minutes where blur since he couldn't really see where they were going. He raised his head once and had it pushed back down by the large clawed hand. It's a really sad day when a grown man gets manhandled by something twice his size and made to feel like a child again. He felt the speeder stop and as it came to full rest he took a chance and brought up his head. To his surprise, he was at his homestead. He was about to ask why they were here when he was scooped up again and tossed out of the speeder. He landed rather awkwardly on his right shoulder. He heard something pop but luckily nothing was broken. He has had enough broken bones to know the difference. As he opened his eyes he saw a pair of small shoes. As he brought his gaze upward he started to see a pink skin tone and then the telltale signs of Zeltron purple hair. As he pushed himself up to his knees he came face to face with a beautiful young girl. Maxium blinked a couple times and then stared directly into a pair of young brown eyes. They were just like his eyes and at once he knew it was his daughter.

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Re: The Subtle Shifts

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"Where am I and WHAT is that?" Maxium was taken back at the harshness that came from the little girls mouth but then was suddenly reminded when her mother spoke.

"This 'thing' is your father and that is your life from now on." Alexia Said over her should as she dropped off a duffel bag, pointed at the small farmhouse and had turned back to the speeder. She wasn't even looking back at this point as the little girl started to run after her. She was screaming but the sound of the repulsors engaging was drowning out the little girls voice and Alexia was gone. The dust was settling when Maium had walked up behind the child. He didn't know what to do. Everything inside of him wanted to comfort this little girl, who was his daughter, but he was suddenly flooded with feelings and emotions when he found out he was being returned to the foster care building.

The family he had been living with was only keeping him there because they were being paid to take care of him. The second a better deal came across, he had been unceremoniously dumped on the front steps of the municipal building. He has six when that one happened. The sting of that memory shook him to his core and he decided to reach out to put a hand on her shoulder. The second he had touched her pink skin, she let out a Zeltron curse and spun away from him. There was murder in her eyes and she was ready to fight.

"I did not give you or anyone permission to touch me! Do you even understand what I am going through right now? She should have just left me on the streets, I can survive there." She kept her hands up and Maxium almost laughed. His smile did draw some ire form the little girl. "Oh so you think this is funny? My entire life has just been thrown away!"

"Actually, that little curse was the first thing your mother said to me when I got pushed into her during a bar fight. Luckily her boss had a lot of credits riding on me or she might have taken me apart right there and then. But that was a long time ago and well, let me grab your stuff." He started to walk back towards his humble home and when he grabbed the duffel bag he turned back around to she her slowly walking his direction. The hatred and anger still burning behind her eyes. He felt it as it almost radiated off her. The settling dust in the air seemed to not want to be anywhere near her because he could have sworn that dust moved out of her way as she walked. He blinked his eyes and rubbed them. "Stupid dirt" he said under his breath. "Can I at least ask your name since it seems we will be spending a little time together?"

"Adreena and I won't be here long, I can promise you that. She will realize that she needs me and will come back to get me. When she finds out you touched me, you will be lucky if Hiss let's you keep your hands."

"You know I told myself a bunch of times too. I would stand there with all of my worldly belongings telling the case workers that those people would be back after they realized what a big mistake they made by leaving me. Be thankful you at least know who your mom and dad are. Now, inside, dusk is starting and I should get the fields up before the 'hounds' come looking for dinner. You can take my bed for the night, I will take the cot in the garage since I usually sleep there anyway." He gestured to the door and when it opened Adreena made a snorting sound that almost sounded like a gag. She turned and looked at him and said,

"Nope, not sleeping in that." She spat.

"Well sorry there princess, it's what we got for the night. Bed is back there with a refresher. I don't have a lot of food but you are welcome to it. Sheets are clean and the bed is soft enough. Oh and excuse the parts everywhere, sort of an occupational hazard to being a swoop mechanic." the last part of the sentence had hardly come form his mouth when the door slammed and then just silence hung in the air. He set the duffel bag on the table and walked straight out to the garage. He stepped over some broken engine parts and the puddles their leaking fluids left on the floor. He sat down in front of his special project and began to work. He brain couldn't process anything else at that moment. Just to put his hands on something that needed fixing, he could that at least. What he was going to do tomorrow didn't even register in his brain but this was going to be interesting...
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Re: The Subtle Shifts

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The great part about working on his swoop bike was that time seemed to stop. Regardless of what had been going on in his life, this was his place where he could go and forget about life. It allowed clarity of thought and he could see things in perfect detail. With everything that had transpired within the last couple of hours, his head was spinning and he needed that time to zone out.

Has he started to take apart an older engine that he had purchased yesterday from the junkyard and he began to reach his meditative state or working. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath and when he opened his eyes, his hands went to work.

It had been a relatively wet season and the foster home he was in leaked a lot. The smell of mold and mildew filled his room that generally cause him to itch and sneeze quiet a bit. Being ten and this being your third home to be brought to was not helping in his mood. It had come to his foster parents attention that some of his medical bills had started to out way the amount of credits they were receiving for the local government for taking care of the child. His bag was already packed when a knock came at his door. He never got a chance to say come in when it had opened. his "father" stepped in a grabbed the bag quickly form his bed and grabbed his arm with the other hand. He was nearly dragged towards the speeder as he passed by other foster care children. their life wasn't the greatest but none of the other had gotten sick like he had. they all looked at him with pity in their eyes but he hadn't gotten enough time to get to know them all yet. All of them orphans in some way, shape, or form but they usually watched out for each other. Or at least some of the other houses did, this one was not one of those.

As he sat in the back of the speeder feeling even more sick from the terrible driving, he imagined himself in a large field playing some type of sport with his dad. His real dad, even though he had never met him, he always felt warm when he would think of him. With the recent weather, it was one of things that kept him warm at night when the wind and rain were pounding his side of the house.

His day dream was interrupted by the stopping of the speeder and he knew it was time to get out. The rain was coming down harder and he was told to stand there as his care taker went inside to talk to someone. As the rain came down, he and looked up at the flashing signed on the front of the building and slowly walked up the stairs to stand under the threshold so the rain could continue to fall one him. The wind still ripped at his jacket and stung his eyes but he just stood there, numb.


A bang from behind him brought him out of his daze. The wind had kicked up outside and an open window had allowed a gust to come though to knock over a box. He looked down to see the engine was in pieces around him and completely disassembled. As he got up to close the window he caught his reflection in a mirror and he shook his head. He face still had some of the dirt on it from the fight earlier. So he washed his face in the refresher under the mirror. His bread was coming in full and it was the same color as his dark born hair. His hair went slightly past his ears in length and for the most part he kept it well just the fight and the mud didn't have it looking at his best. He figured since he was an active guy that kept himself in really good shape he would have been worth something to someone but that dream never materialized. He though he had it with Alexia but their one night followed by the worst day in his life destroyed any chance of their lives together continuing. He was about to revisit that night in his head when it felt like the house shook. The wind was kicking up but nothing that strong and this area didn't have earthquakes. Then he heard Adreena scream and he bolted straight for his room. Even with all of his baggage and only knowing he had a daughter for a couple of hours, some part of him came alive. He burst in the door expecting to see something and there in his large bed was a little girl having a nightmare. He didn't really know what to do and he walked up to softly touch her on the should he her eyes flew open and she screamed again. The force of this on almost knocked off his feet. He staggered back a couple of steps before regaining his footing.

"Hey, hey, hey I am just trying to help. You were having a nightmare or something."

"And I told you to never touch me! Now get out!" and with that shout she picked up a lamp next to his bed and flung it at him. HIs racing reflexes were still pretty good and he caught it and set it down next to him.

"Umm ok, go back to sleep and I will see you later."

He closed the door and instantly thought, "Why am I being so nice to her?" He started to go back in when he saw the sun coming up. Had he really lost that much time doing the engine? He sighed and decided to go visit the part shop and maybe pick up something for the engine. Right as he thought that, a light came on in his head.

"Lilly" he said to himself. The only girl he could say that he knew somewhat. The Arkarian Offshoot had been a little girl at one time. Maybe he could figure something out by talking to her. He was put on the small security field and be back before Adreena would wake up. He left a small message in the kitchen for his new guest and he was on his swoop bike. He nailed the accelerator and was gone. The heavily modified bike would never have been allowed to race professionally but this was a time he felt that buzz of freedom again. He would be at the shop in fifteen minutes, the perfect amount of time to left his weariness roll off him and to feel alive again.
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Re: The Subtle Shifts

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Lilliandra Adian had an interesting life so far. Generally people wouldn't just look at her once, sometimes three or four looks would have to do. Her white skin and hair clashed with the dusty plains on the outskirts of Sobrik. To call her an Arkanian was not fully correct. Her base DNA was Arkanian but as most of her species had done, she had been altered while in the womb. The Arkanian race was all about being the best that could be produced whether through genetic manipulation or superior intellect. When it came to the scientific exploration, the geneticists of Arkania began to experiment on their own species, mixing the blood of other races with their own to create offshoots of the Arkanian species. These offshoots were first bred to excel at specific industrial tasks such as mechanical or technical work in order to relieve pure-blooded Arkanians of physical labor. This was Lilliandra to a tee, an offshoot. Normal Arkanians had white eyes and more human like skin tones but when she had the extra genetics brought into the womb, her skin and hair became a stark white while her ears became pointed at the top. Through all this, her eyes were blue and she had five fingers on each hand instead of the classic Arkanian four. She found out at a young age that she was cross bred with human genetics in order to breed into her line a more physical presence.

However, her mother had made some changes to the DNA that she had been exposed to. She had gone to best and brightest of the DNA provided. She had wanted to make sure that her child was going to have the best chance to challenge the "pure-blooded" in terms of intellect and he had succeeded. Lilliandra had been tested when she was young and her scores were off the charts. She was ushered into the highest levels of classes that her people could give her. She was invited to every major party and event for the upper class of her people. She excelled at everything she put her hand at until at her twenty fifth birthday when she walked away from it all.

As much as she excelled at the mental side of things, she found it boring and mundane. She longed for life outside of the ivory tower that was the upper echelon of her people's academics. She wanted to explore the the universe and to live a life that she wanted to live. She found that on Ord Mantrell. She would sit down and begin to start working on things with her hands. It was one thing to see how a repulsar engine would work in a simulation but to to build it yourself, to feel it as it came to life was a night and day difference. There was a thrill when something you built with your own hands come to life and that was an experience that she would never trade.

She had saved up some credits and purchased this small part shop near Sobrik in order fer her to just live her dream. She would be completely happy if she never wore a formal dress again. She was very comfortable in here work pants and just a plain white shirt. Her normal plans would wake up and go on a run. the physical discipline had been something that carried over form her days at the academy. Running allowed her mind to clear and this allowed her to focus when she got back to her shop. She couldn't say she was in the peak of perfect health but she did enjoy the workout. This morning had been no different.

She was just coming around the side of the forest when she looked up and saw a swoop bike sitting out side her shop. This caused her to stop for a second. Sobrik wasn't exactly the friendliest city on Ord Mantrell and her guard went up. She carried a small blade with her in case she was ever attacked but luckily she never had to use it. She was hoping this morning would be no different. She had been told she was beautiful and very attractive looking but sometimes even she couldn't get past the pointy ears, white hair, and white skin. Males would come and stare into her deep blue eyes but they were after something she was not interested in giving up. She began to run again but she took it at a slower pace while trying to figure out exactly who it was sitting out side. She got closer and she began to make out who it was.

"Maxium Jamison, what bring you out here this early. By your own admission, aren't you just getting to bed right about now?" She was trying to hide the sudden rush of heat to her cheeks. With her complexion, her cheeks didn't run red, the shaded to a blue that were almost the small color naturally of her lips. Many confused her for being cold or frozen at times. That had earned her a nickname that she would not repeat out loud. She pushed that thought to the back of her head when she realized that she was standing in front of a man dressed in her running gear; a very attractive man. It left little room for imagination but she noticed that Maxium was focused on his hands and was fidgeting with them.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she tried to make her way towards the door and hopefully a chance to get into some different clothes.

"Ummm ya, had something happen yesterday and I am really at a loss for what to do. Mind if I can come in a talk for a little bit?" He said nervously.

"If you give me a couple of minutes to change I would be happy to talk about the engine you are running in that thing."

"It's not about the engine... I just found out I am a father of a ten year old girl and I am freaking out a little bit. Course the beating I took yesterday and the lack of sleep is probably not helping." He moved his hair to tuck it behind his ear and Lilliandra saw a nice bruise forming around his right eye. "The problem is, I have no clue on what to do with a ten year old let alone a ten year old girl. I'm in a spot and need some advice. I mean you're a girl right? You think you could help out?"
Last edited by Shaggy on Thu Oct 26, 2017 11:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Subtle Shifts

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["Did he really just ask me if I was a girl?"] Lilliandra asked herself as she stood slightly dumbfounded in the morning breeze. Then she noticed that Maxium's eyes were now focused on a small puddle of collected due by the entrance of her shop. She decided not to press the issue but to try and be helpful.

"Let me get into my shop and get some caf going. Then we can try to sort out whatever just happened."

"Thanks, just yell for me when you are ready." His voice was disjointed and strangely devoid of emotion. Whatever this was, it was huge.

She nodded her head and quickly moved into her shop. As she changed her clothes and pulled her snow white hair back into a pony tail her mind was racing. She had heard the stories many deadbeats that find out they have children and could care less. From her interactions with Maxium, he was not a deadbeat and he had no clue about this child. She shook her head and decided she needed to get the story from him. She caught a reflection of herself as she exited her room. Her mirror was next to picture of her and her friends from the last higher learning gala she had attended. In the picture, she was in a ten thousand credit dress and it had taken a stylist three hours on her makeup and hair. Now she stood in a small swoop part shop in a short sleeved work shirt, some blue work pants that had some permanent grease stains and a pair of work boots. She smiled because this was where she wanted to be and it was her choice to be here.

She got some caf brewing and then opened the front door. Maxium was still sitting there focused still on the puddle. Lilliandra cleared her throat a couple of times before he finally moved. As he turned to come into the shop, she could see the weight he had on his shoulders. She knew the story of his rise and fall from others when she inquired about him from other patrons but from all the times she had seen him come into her shop, she had never seen him like this. He walked past her and steadied himself as he sat on a stool next to her counter. She took her normal place on the other side as the caf finished. She grabbed two cups and started to pour the liquid. She turned back around and placed the cup in front of his hands but he didn't move to take it.

"Ok there swooper, what seems to be the trouble?"

["Did I just really say that?"] She said to herself again as she rolled her eyes at the statement.

Maxium took his time before he began. It almost seemed like he was searching his memories about everything. He took a deep breath and began.

"I am trying to figure out where to begin. Yesterday, I had gone to Lucas's bar to try and get a small load to place a bet. I know, I know, I know, wrong person to go to. I was just hoping that our history would be able to afford me some credit. I had a line on a kid coming up through the swoop ranks and I thought it was a sure thing. Needless to say he didn't see things the same way. The bruises forming on my back are proving that more and more by the minute. Anyway, as I was outside trying to clean myself off, i had a visit from an old flame."

Lilliandra felt a wave of disappointment and then suddenly stopped herself. Sure this man in front of her was attractive, very attractive but why the emotions? She closed her eyes and cleared her thinking. Her species reacted with stronger emotions than the "pure bloods" of her people but this was just weird. She focused back on Maxium.

"You might have heard of her, her name is Alexia. At the time she was the main entertainer for a low level mob guy named Zander. He was a Twil'lik that had worked up enough favors to finally get out on his own. Anyway, Alexia was his prize and the reason why everyone wanted to come to his establishment. She was the whole package. Zeltron through and through plus she had a voice that could melt Hoth. Every guy in the place would stop dead in their tracks as she came on stage. I had been one of those guys, completely captivated by her and our first encounter together didn't go well. I had just won the last race of the season for the underground circuit. The race was done literally underground and we only had our reading to go by, not a fun race let me tell ya. My team and I hit the bar of Zander's place pretty hard. We were the first team with a human driver to win in a long time. It was a point of pride and boy did we celebrate. It was going great until I fell off the bar after I had down a rather large drink and spilled the rest of the drink on her as she was walking by. I got an ear full from her and we almost had a brawl with my guys and her body guards. There were some interesting phrases that came out her mouth and she has a nasty right cross. But all in all nothing really happened besides that. However, Zander saw something between the two of us. He had taken over form Lucas as my primary sponsor for my races. So he figured having me and Alexia show up together at events would bring in more revenue for him and it worked. It started to be that whenever we were going to be someplace, the place was packed."

He finally moved towards his cup of caf and he brought it up to his lips but stopped short of drinking it and put it back on the table.

"It had been a year since we started to appear in public together. At first she never said a word to me. In fact, me being within a meter of her usually was followed by a Zeltron curse or an immediate step in by one of her body guards. However, after had won the next to the last race, something had changed, she actually started to talk to me and while on stage she even put her arm around me and gave me a kiss on stage. I didn't know what had changed and I didn't care. Being that close to her kind of made a man's mind stop functioning."

A surprised look come over his face for a second and he turned to face Lilliandra.

"Whoa, i am really sorry for this history lesson. Just trying to add some back story to what happened yesterday."

"It's ok, I am pretty fast on the upload. Keep going, I only really know what others have told me about you."

"Well, if you listen to them, they are not even close to the truth of what was happening. Ok where was I?"

"Your brain stopped functioning when you were around her."

"Oh ya, well i was young, stupid, and suddenly very popular. Zander kept putting us in situations where we would continue to get closer and closer. There was a connection building between us whether she was happy about it or not. I was informed that if I had won the next couple of races, I would be going full pro. The whole tour, the galaxy league, different planets, more racers, bigger prize money it was my dream coming true. I was so far ahead of the rest of the pack, that all I had to do was finish and I would have it wrapped up. The party that night was insane. So in sane that Zander had brought in some of his personal security for the event. Some of those guys still give me the creeps when I see them around. The drinks were flowing all over the place. Zander stood to make a killing on me going pro and he wanted to celebrate. Alexia was putting on the performance of a lifetime. I guess if Zander went big, she figured she did as well. That night, after her performance, I got put on stage and I don’t know how I was standing but she laid a kiss on me that actually silenced the crowd until she finished. Then there was an uproar that ran through the crowd. That act drove them into a frenzy of cheering which emboldened me to go for it. Well, ya that night was a blur and I don’t think you want me go into detail on that. “

Lilliandra quickly shook her head in acknowledgement and put her hand up. ”Ya, no details required, I think I got the idea of it.”

“Well, that morning I woke up by myself and just went on with trying to get ready for the last race. I didn’t see Alexia anymore. Even with our pre celebration for the race. It was like she vanished. Zander wouldn’t say anything; it was like she just disappeared. Well, then everything went wrong. The race, me getting caught up in a wreck and even now I still don’t know how it happened. I can go back and see every part of the race leading up to the wreck and then boom it happened. I got blamed for taking a dive and an ‘anonymous better’ made a killing on betting against me. Even calling when I would wreck and everything. Then somehow a large chunk on that money ending up in my account, ya it wasn’t good. Alexia resurfaced about a year later under a new guy named Xantail, you heard of him?”

”Who hasn’t? I don’t think there is a crooked deal on this planet that he isn’t collecting some credit off of. That Falleen is nothing but bad news.”

“Ya tell me about it. I get completely black listed for the next ten years, then last night happened and I have a daughter now. Adreena is her name and understandably she is angry about what is happening, I am too but for a different reason. I never knew my parents so I get being abandoned, but to be abandoned by your mother and dropped off with a guy you are being told is your dad, poor thing is ticked off. I don’t know what to do about her. Any thoughts?”

His eyes said it all; he was lost at this moment. The crossroads of finally seeing something good come out of this entire ordeal but at the same time being put into a situation where you are completely unqualified for, Lilliandra felt sorry for him.

”I wish I had an easy answer for you. Only thing I can suggest is try to get to know her. If you ever bring her by I can try to talk to her but for right now, you are all she has. So be that.”

“Thanks Lilly, I will keep that in mind.”

”Umm ‘Lilly’?”

“Ya sorry, I tend to shorten people’s names that I call friends. Just something with me I guess. Remembering names is not something I am very good at. So I shorten them, I hope that is ok?”

”Lilly huh? For you, it will work but I would suggest getting back to your place before she wakes up. That would probably be a good place to start.”

Maxium’s eyes got big and he grabbed the cup and drained it. He was almost out the door when he caught himself and turned around.

“Thanks again Lilly, and sorry for the sob story but it feels nice to finally talk to someone about stuff.” He smiled and was gone. His swoop bike started and Lilliandra could hear is moving away quickly. She looked around her show and then picked up the empty cup.

”Someone to talk to…” and with that she put the cup back into the kitchen and fully opened the shop. She had a lot to think over.
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Shaggy
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Re: The Subtle Shifts

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Adreena's dreams were anything but peaceful. It was filled with shadows, fear, and violence. She felt like she had been locked in place by two strong arms. The shadows moved towards her and one of those shadows seemed to come forward to caress her face. She tried to pull away but nothing she did could remove whatever was holding her down. She began to scream and at first nothing was coming from her mouth but then it began to gain in volume. She had found her voice and was putting everything she had behind her scream until she felt something touch her on her arm and her eyes flew open. Standing over her was this unkempt human that she didn't recognize. She screamed again and tried to push him away. When she opened her eyes, he was across the room looking at her with a look of confusion and fear. His hands came up in a defensive posture before he spoke.

"Hey, hey, hey I am just trying to help. You were having a nightmare or something."

"And I told you to never touch me! Now get out!" and with that shout she picked up a lamp next to his bed and flung it at him. His reflexes must have been pretty good. He caught it and set it down next to him. He slowly made his way towards the door and it opened as he touched the pad without looking.

"Umm ok, go back to sleep and I will see you later."

The door closed and she sat there again in the dark. She was breathing very hard and she brought her knees up to her chest before she began to sob. She would love to say that she missed her mother but it had been a couple of years since she had a mother. The one that birthed her was gone. Or at least she had felt gone for the last two years. They were always together, even when she was on stage, they would never be far from each other. Now though, she feared she would never see her again. Ever since her mother had gone to work for the large green Xantail, she had become more distant. Her mom had done some small things for him in the past but something was different now. It was consuming all of her time and energy. They used to be inseparable; the two of them verses the galaxy. That was nothing but a shadow now.

Now, she was in a stranger's bedroom, in their bed, and this one is supposed to somehow be her father. She had been in a stranger's bed before. Usually if her mom was doing a private party and she had been found when she stowed away on the speeder. This was different though, she was being left there and no one was coming back to get her. She had heard her mother call her a "burden", she didn't know what to think about that. She turned over on her side still hugging her knees. She was trying to be strong like she had been raised to be but something was breaking inside her and she didn't know what to do about. She didn't want to sleep again. She knew the shadows would return and that thought brought a new flash of fear to her.

As that fear came over her, she began to tremble a little bit. She held her knees tighter to her body and she was trying to calm her breathing. Tears began to scream from her eyes and the room began to shake again. She kept looking around at the few pictures on the wall as they swayed back and forth. The first one fell and shattered on the ground. She closed her eyes and started to sing a lullaby her mother used to sing to her. It started through trembling lips but it started to become strong and as it did, the shaking began to stop. Not just with the room but in herself. She finally laid all the way out and the exhaustion of the day finally over took her. Her dreams were not filled with the shadows, but with her mother's beautiful smiling face and her purple hair flowing in the morning breeze.
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Shaggy
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Re: The Subtle Shifts

Post by Shaggy »

Maxium sat there for at least a hour trying to take in what had just happened. When he finally realized what time it was, he figured he would try to make some breakfast. Making food was never his specialty but he could make a great cup of caff and his replicator actually did a great job with some puff pastries. He figured that maybe the smell of good food would help to make this morning go a little bit better than the night before. Whatever nightmares were haunting his daughter...

"Did I really just say that?" he said to himself as he finished punching in the information into the replicator. Maybe at one time, a wife, a family, an actual life might have been on the list of possible futures nut not anymore. Scratching to survive, ducking out of the way of people who still feel like it was his fault for that crash on the tracks, and when he was not able to avoid them, at least he knew he could take a beating. That is no environment to have a family in.

He was brought out of his thoughts with a chime and the smell of the pastries beginning to fill the air. He put everything on the table and then moved his chair around to see the door to his room. He hoped that when the girl would come out, she might just smile and hopefully not throw more things at him.
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