Authors Note: First off, this is a sequil. If you haven't read 'The Return' then I suggest you do, or you will be completely lost. J Secondly, I don't own Shadow Raiders…cuz if I did they would be in their 5th season by now. I do, however, own all other characters. Don't mind if you use them in your Fanfiction, if you contact me first by email. Also want to thank everyone who is reading my series.

Chapter 1:

The weeks following the funeral of Empress Zera were a most uncertain time for the entire Alliance. The frailty of Ice's people in their state of chaos had everyone on edge. Soon, they would have to make a choice as to who would replace Zera on the throne. None, however, seemed ready to make there desire for the throne known. For most, it was simply to early. For others, they had no inclination that they might be worthy for such a role. And for others, their plans of domination were slowly working their way into the palace.

"Something must be done." Jaren sighed heavily as he sat across from Shard in the council chambers. "Our people are so lost. They need direction."

"I agree." Shard nodded in thought. "It would be best to announce a new leader as soon as possible."

"But who?" General Gala looked between Jaren and Shard for a moment. "It would have to be someone that we know our people would approve of, someone that they will feel able to look up to for guidance, and someone they can place their trust in again."

"Indeed." Shard nodded again. "Who do you think fits those qualities?"

"Well…" Jaren began, but stopped and looked up at General Gala.

"No, I don't think I should lead again." General Gala shook his head. "It was only a temporary thing before, a favor I did for King Cryos. I don't think I have the right to carry the crown permanently. I am much to old for that now."

"I agree." Jaren smirked at Gala and almost laughed at the relieved look that appeared on his face. "I was actually thinking about your daughter."

"Crystal?" General Gala blinked, the look of relief quickly dissipating.

"The Empress's attendant?" Shard finally took interest in the conversation, having hoped that Jaren would openly nominate him for the position. "Surely not."

"Why not?" Gala looked over at Shard in an insulted tone.

"Well I just mean…" Shard realized his error in wording. "What would the people think about this?"

"Actually, I have heard the people speak highly of her." Jaren continued. "Especially after the way she handled the funeral ceremony. She had very strong bond with the Empress, and I think our people would appreciate that in their new ruler."

"Well, you make a valid point." Gala scratched his chin as he thought. "I don't know how she would feel about it though. She has never been one to like having the focus on her."

"That is true." Jaren replied. "But I think she would do it. Her sense of duty to her people is strong. Don't you agree, Council?"

"Yes." Shard spoke curtly. "Well, Gala, why don't you discuss it with her, and I will think over it some more. We shouldn't rush into a hasty decision."

"Agreed." Gala nodded. "I will discuss it with her."

"I'll come with you, if you wouldn't mind." Jaren stood from his seat.

"No, not at all." Gala smiled at the young officer before turning to Shard. "I will let you know as soon as she makes a decision."

"Very well." Shard watched as the two bowed and exited the room. His calm face twisted into an angry glare. That troublesome girl and her fool of a father were standing in his way to the throne. Even Jaren was backing them, and he would need Jaren's support and that of the royal guard if his plan was to work. As he thought about his predicament, a sinister grin started to curl the ends of his lips. What could be better than ending both of his problems in one swift movement? A deep laugh began to echo through his chest as his arrogance reviled in his clever mind's plot. He quickly turned on his communicator. "Sector 3, encryption level 5, communicator Delta 303."

"This had better be good news." Jewlia snarled as she glared at Shard over the communicator.

"Indeed it is." Shard waited for the image to clear a bit before continuing. The look on Jewlia's face was priceless. She had no idea. "Tekkla has been dealt with. You are free to come back to the palace and stay here. I will find a way to solve any other problems concerning your freedom."

"Tekkla has been dealt with?" Jewlia eyed Shard suspiciously. "What do you mean, dealt with?"

"What do you think?" Shard said impatiently. "Look, I have important things to take care off. You can either accept my offer of help or rot in the back allies for the rest of your life. Your choice, my dear."

"Fine." Jewlia glared. She figured he was up to something, and if he was she would enjoy the chance to pay him back for all the shitty nights she had in the past month thanks to his screw up. "Just tell me where to meet you."

"As you wish, My dear." Shard offered her a warm smile as his insides coiled with dark excitement. "A ship will pick you up. I will tell the pilot that you are a vagrant in need of shelter."

"Thanks." Jewlia huffed, highly unimpressed with the title of vagrant.

"No problem at all." Shard grinned at her. "See you soon, my dear."

"Ya ya." Jewlia hated the way he talked to her. She closed the com-line after one last warning glare in his direction.

Shard smiled to himself and stood up from his desk to go to the medical lab. "Now, to take care of Tekkla."

"How are you holding up?" Graveheart gave Jade a small smile as he wrapped his arms around her. The morning light streamed into the large stone room through a large window as Jade stood in front of it and looked out onto the busy city below. Life seemed to be back to normal on planet Rock. Transport ships zipped by her window too and from the mines and the supply docks. Venders in the street below called out their offers. Mothers walked through the market place with their children in tow. A rock sparrow sang its tranquil melody into the echoing carapace of the stone valley as it flew overhead. When Jade didn't answer, Graveheart nuzzled his cheek against hers. "Jade?"

"Hmm?" Jade took her eyes off of the morning scene below with a small sigh. "I'm fine."

"Sure?" Graveheart raised an eyebrow at her distant tone.

"Don't you know better than to question your queen?" Jade turned around to face him and the distance of her voice disappeared. She smiled up at him for a moment, simply enjoying his company. Since the funeral, he had been constantly at her side. It was just like the old days, and she couldn't tell him enough how good it felt or how much she really needed him to be there.

"No, cant say that I do." Graveheart laughed. "Still on for lunch today?"

"Count on it." Jade smirked. A beeping from the com unit on her desk grabbed her attention. She walked over to it and pushed the button, angry for the interruption. "Yes?"

"Forgive the intrusion, your Highness." A male voice on the other end replied. "But there is a solder from Squad 18 of the Prison District who says its urgent that he speak with you."

"Very well." Jade sighed as she took her crown off of the table and put it back on her head. "Send him in."

"Squad 18." Graveheart thought for a moment as Jade turned off the com unit. "Why does that sound familure?"

"I know what you mean." Jade furrowed her brow. "Some how I think our lunch date has been canceled."

"Your Highness." The broad shouldered soldier of Rock stepped into the chamber and bowed.

"How can I help you?" Jade eyed the man for a moment as she continued to try and remember why his squad number seemed so familure.

"I am afraid I have to report some unsettling news, my Queen." The soldier stood up and removed his helmet. The black lines of his face gleamed like sapphires, and his lips were etched into a deep frown. As he lifted his eyes to Jade, it finally hit here why he seemed so familure.

"Captain Onyx?" Jade blinked.

"I am honored you remember me, my Queen." Onyx bowed his head again.

"You're the one who took Jewlia into custody and…" Graveheart cut off his words and let out a large sigh. "What has she done now?"

"She has killed two of my men, Ambassador." Onyx stated grimly.

"What!" Jade blinked. "Well I'll see to it that she pays for it."

"I am sure that you would." Onyx frowned. "If we knew where she was."

"She's escaped?" Graveheart's blue eyes went wide. "When?"

"Of that we aren't to sure." Onyx lowered his head in shame. "Our units do shift changes on four week intervals. Four weeks in the cell block, four weeks at home with the family. It happened sometime before the attack by the Beast Planet, we know that for sure. We think it happened right after the shift change. The men looked like they had been dead for weeks. We usually have them report on a daily basis, but with all that has been going on…the lieutenant in charge while I was with the attack squadron…he.." Onyx shook his head and refused to put blame on the inexperienced soldier." I'm not going to make excuses, my Queen. It was my squad and I am responsible for their actions. I have failed you."

"That is something we will discuss later." Jade gave him a look to show that she didn't hold him responsible at all. He simply nodded his acknowledgment. "Have you told anyone else?"

"No, my Queen." Onyx replied. "I was going to tell the families of the two men after I had discussed the matter with you."

"I wont keep you from that." Jade replied, knowing what a grim task it would be telling the families. "Take them my blessing and tell them that if there is anything they need that they only need to let me know. Graveheart and I will deal with Jewlia."

"My great thanks, your Highness." Onyx looked up with a sadness in his eyes. "Officer Targe had a wife and two kids, and Officer Corik had a wife who is expecting their first child next month. Do me a favor, my Queen. Tell Jewlia that when you catch her, whether she cares or not."

"I promise." Jade nodded to the man as he bowed and departed. After he had left the room, she turned to Graveheart. "And this time when we catch her, I'll be damned if I let her go again…alive."

"Hello, my dear." Shard eyed Tekkla's still form through the frosted glass of her containment unit as his fingers slid across the cold surface. "And how are we feeling today?" He laughed quietly to himself as he watched her for a long moment. His eyes trailed off of her body and down to the dimly lit control panel on the side of the containment unit. The panel beeped in response to his finger movements as he changed the environmental settings. Slowly, his eyes trailed back up along her body as his hand left the control panel. He joined the stillness of the room as he watched her and waited for it to end. With another beep from the panel, it was over. Shard watched as Tekkla's chest began to rise and fall on its own, her weeks of isolated slumber at an end.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, my dear. Soon you will make all my problems disappear." Shard smirked darkly at her before turning and heading quickly out the door. He waited for a moment before turning around the corner and entering the medical lab. "Has there been any change in Princess Tekkla's condition?"

"No sir." Tal looked up from his work on Voxx. Without Tekkla's knowledge, repairing Voxx had been an unending challenge. "I checked on her last night, and she was still the same that she has been for the past four weeks, I'm afraid."

"Well, will you do an old man a favor and check on her again." Shard gave Tal a large smile. "It's a beautiful morning, and I just have a good feeling about it. I am probably being a sentimental fool, but…"

"No, not at all sir." Tal stood up and returned the smile. "It is nice of you to care so much about her. You check on her everyday as if she were your own daughter. I'd be glad to check on her again, and I hope that I have good news for you this time."

"As do I, Tal." Shard continued to plaster the huge smile of a caring old man onto his face as Tal left the room.

"Crystal?" General Gala walked onto the balcony of their palace apartment. Crystal stood there silently, leaning on the railing with her eyes looking out to the early morning light as it rose over the tops of the Freeznor mountains. A calm and regal visage had come over her in the time following the funeral, and Gala had not failed to notice how so very much Crystal had come to resemble her mother. Strong, wise, and proud of her duty. Gala had also not failed to notice the look of being lost that sometimes entered into his daughters silvery eyes. She was without a clear duty now that Zera was gone. Her future was unsure. Gala breathed in a deep breath, knowing that he was about to complicate things for her even more. As she turned to his voice with a beautiful smile on her lips, he remembered how much he only wanted to see her smile like that forever.

"Hello, father." Crystal turned her eyes back over to the horizon. "It is a beautiful morning, is it not?"

"Indeed it is." Gala smiled warmly to her as he came up beside her and looked out over the mineral ice plains. After enjoying the pleasant and soothing silence for a moment, he turned back to his daughter. "We need to speak to you about something."

"We?" Crystal turned to her father with a puzzled look on her face. It was then that she noticed Jaren standing in the door way. She greeted him with loving smile.

"Hello, Crystal." Jaren smiled softly in return as he approached her and Gala on the balcony.

"What is it?" Crystal turned back to her father, extremely curious as to what he and Jaren could possible have to discuss with her at the same time.

"The Council Shard has decided that it is time for planet Ice to have a new leader." General Gala kept his eyes out into the distance. "He feels it will help them to better get on with their lives."

"I agree." Crystal nodded slowly. "They are a lost people. They need guidance."

"Exactly." Jaren placed a hand on Crystal's shoulder to get her to look at him. Her tall figure matched his own so that when she turned her silver eyes to him, they faced him strait on. He paused for a moment in there stare, never before taking the time to truly look into them. "And…and well, your father and I feel that perhaps the person that next leads the people should be you."

"What?" Crystal wasn't sure how to respond. Her eyes shifted down from his as she shook her head. "Certainly not. I am no leader."

"Are you so sure of that, my daughter." Gala waited for her to look at him. "You and the Empress were inseparable for most of your lives. They relate to you in that way. After the way in which you spoke at the funeral, many see that you are strong and capable of leadership."

"But father.." Crystal began to protest. Her mind swam with the implications of what they were asking of her.

"You know he is right, Crystal." Jaren brought her attention back to his eyes. "The people need someone familure right now, someone they can place their trust in. The best person that fits that description is you."

"What about you, father." Crystal was still grasping for a way out of it. "You have led before, surely the people would want you to lead again."

"Crystal, look at me." Gala sighed in a soft smile. "I'm an old man. They need someone young, who will be around for a while yet. They need someone one to give them a sense of security and stability again."

"If you don't take the crown, Crystal, I have a feeling that Shard is going to try." Jaren knew that would get her attention.

"Shard?" Crystal turned her eyes back to Jaren's in surprise.

"Yes." Jaren nodded as he grasped both of her shoulders. "Do you truly want a man like him sitting on the throne?"

"No, I do not." Crystal lowered her eyes in defeat. She would rather die than have that frost bitten ice flea on the throne. The words he said on that day, "Perhaps it is better this way" leaving the Empress to die alone on the ice plains, still haunted her and filled her heart with a growing hate for the man. At least she had tried to stop Zera. As her thoughts turned to Zera, a new resolve welled up inside of her. She knew that the last thing Zera would have wanted would be for Shard to wear the Crown of Ice. She looked back up into Jaren's eyes with a determined stare. "I will do it."

"I knew we could count on you." Jaren smiled warmly at her and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. The two paused for a moment in each others eyes.

"Always." Crystal retuned the smile, wondering if Jaren knew how long she had wished him to look at her the way he was in that very moment.

"I am very proud of you, daughter." Gala looked at his daughter with great pride and admiration. "I will go tell Shard of your decision."

"I will stay here for a moment, if you do not mind." Jaren turned to Gala.

"No, of course not." Gala smiled at the two of them before turning to leave.

"Well, I hope I know what I am getting myself into." Crystal's laugh hung softly in the air as she turned her eyes back to the mountain range.

"You'll do fine." Jaren replaced his hands on her shoulders to reassure her.

"You'll be there to help me, wont you?" Crystal spoke without turning to face him. Her thoughts were distant and dreamy.

"Always." Jaren smiled and looked at her as she kept her face to the horizon. With an uncertain hesitation, he gently wrapped his arms around her and placed his head on her shoulder, his eyes now looking out onto the horizon with her. The morning was indeed a beautiful one. Zera loved mornings like this one. A small smile came across Jaren's face as he realized that the thought of that didn't hurt as much as it had a week ago. As he felt Crystal's arms slowly wrap around his own, he marveled at how things had changed, and how suddenly their future didn't seem so dim.

"Council Shard!" Tal ran back into the med-lab with a look of happy shock on his face. "By the Great Glacier! You were right! Tekla is starting to regain consciousness!"

"Wonderful news!" Shard put on his best look of surprise and elation. "I must go tell everyone. They will certainly be happy. Please let me know when she regains full consciousness. I wish to see if she remembers what dreadfully traitorous creature attacked her."

"Of course, Council." Tal bowed and then dashed back off to Tekla's medical chamber.

"Let the games begin." Shard chuckled quietly to himself before heading off to his office to check on Jewlia's arrival status.