Old Warrior Pride

By Mardrena

Many years have passed since we first became aware of them: The Ronin Warriors. Harried, determined, valiant…against all odds, at every turn where they stumbled unto certain doom, they prevailed. It embodies my domain…such noble perseverance. They are not without fault, however. The spirits once personified by their Armors now made flesh are Human spirits, and Humans are imperfect…which makes them so perfect.

Ouagli…I laugh at you…you gathered all your might and all your wickedness only to be turned aside by mortals equal to your might. They have withdrawn, but you remain cautious, wary…meek even… and you hesitate to throw your wrath against the Ronin. How ironic that for all your malevolence you gave the Enemy pause, and brought humanity precious time…

For now you seem content to test the strength of your foes, the heroic Ronin Warriors and their allies. They are mighty together…but what happens when they are bereft of that strength? You scattered them across the world, and they grew stronger. You enslaved many of their number, and they grew stronger. No force from without can break their true spirits…but…are they proofed from within? That is the next test they must pass…and we will watch as always…

A pack of Dynasty Droids paused when a sword struck the pavement infront of them. Reddish mist seeped out from the edges and roiled around them, yet washed over their armor like fog. The sword quivered and spun through the air until caught by an expert hand. "I don't get it! It's worked before!" Sehkmet argued and stepped away from the advancing soldiers.

"They must be using some sort of anti-corrosion coating," Rowen said from overhead.

"How much you wager they didn't coat the insides?" Anubis smirked and hurled his chain at another soldier. The metal buckled under the impact and the claw plowed all the way through the chest, missing the core, but burrowing through the body and grasping a soldier behind. Anubis tugged mightily and yanked both soldiers off-balance. Sehkmet glanced at him then back at the remaining soldiers and smirked. He sprang up onto the chain and ran along it before springing onto the falling soldiers' heads and launching over the remaining group.

His face brightened with glee under his mask as he plunged one sword into the chest cavity of a Dynasty Droid, piercing the gap between the collar and neck. He left the sword poking into the construct before repeating the same tactic on five more soldiers. The rest of the group turned and took aim. Sehkmet didn't look the least bit worried. The soldiers he'd impaled convulsed and exploded in a shower of disintegrating metal and crimson mist. Despite the protection afforded by the coating, the mist flayed away at the joints and seams of other soldiers' armors.

Surviving soldiers backed away from the swirling cloud that consumed almost the entire center of the attacking group. Sehkmet leapt out from the fog and six blades whirled through the air behind him. He landed on the ground neatly and caught two swords in his hands and the remaining four slid into their scabbards. He flashed Anubis a crafty grin, Anubis smirked back approvingly. The two turned their attention to the remaining soldiers.

"SKY FLARE!" swirling orbs of flame manifested in the air above the street before streaking down upon the soldiers. The fire bounced off the soldiers' armor at first, but the hail intensified and the soldiers began to wither under the assault, their armor glowing red hot. Arrow shafts, extensor blades, and claw cables plunged through the chest plates of the remaining soldiers. The hissing remains sagged towards the ground before vanishing entirely.

"That's the last of'em!" Kento crowed and landed on the pavement, followed by Dais and Ryo. Rowen alighted nearby and Sehkmet and Anubis approached.

"The more they change, the more they stay the same, eh?" Ryo grinned.

"Your resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me, Ronin Warriors…" The six of them looked up and gasped upon hearing the high-pitched giggle. "Truly you would make splendid heralds of the Dynasty if not for your stubbornness and corrupted hearts full of righteousness."

"Kylyra! Shed armor! Shed armor, now!" Ryo ordered and dismissed the Armor of Wildfire. Rowen and Kento followed suit, as did Dais, Sehkmet, and Anubis.

"Oh? Taking it all off for little old me? Why, I am flattered, Ronin Warriors. You certainly know how to make a girl blu-OH!" Kylyra had to spring out of the way when a blast pulse tore through where she'd been standing. She landed a few feet away but had to jump again when a second blast nearly struck her. A third whistled past close enough to singe a few strands of hair.

"TALK TO THE FIST CUZ MY FACE ISN'T LISTENING!" Kento roared and fired repeatedly with the clawnchers of his Ram sub-armor.

"Wretched brute!" Kylyra growled in frustration and raised her hand to the sky. Bolts of lightning struck the street, depositing fresh troops to engage the Ronin. Dynasty Droids raised their weapons. Ryo and Rowen summoned their own AnimArmor sub-armors.

Ryo shot a few with his claw darts and the tines clamped onto the chest plates. The affected soldiers looked down disdainfully. "Wait for it…" Ryo raised a finger and grinned. A tiny mechanism hissed and a bright orange fluid dripped out of the claw darts. The second it touched metal, the fluid began hissing and burning brightly, causing the metal to turn molten in seconds and slag away, exposing the inner components. The soldiers tried to swat the darts off frantically, but Rowen fired pulses from his clawnchers into the gaping holes, blasting the soldiers apart.

Ryo reached down and retrieved more vials from their magnetic fastenings at his waist. Crafty Naz Dassyr had collaborated with Kayura to devise a combustible chemical that reacted violently when exposed to air and metal. Chi Chi Lina, Australa designed a delivery method that could "piggyback" on Ryo's claw darts. Small vials could fit into narrow slits on the top of the darts, as if such modification had been anticipated by the designer of the original AnimArmors.

Anubis leapt atop the crane of a nearby tow truck and struck down with a swift chop, severing the chain from the towing crane. He gathered it up and swung the heavy hook around, using it as a makeshift weapon and hurled the hook into the face of an approaching soldier then yanked it to the side, slamming it against another soldier. Dais and Sehkmet also improvised by uprooting street signs and impaling soldiers with the jagged ends.

"Ugh! Doom Lords! Make an example of them for their mockery!" Kylyra shouted and pointed at the ground. Larger bolts of lightning struck the pavement, revealing a group of the powerful Destroyer Droids. They raised their heavy weapons and took aim at the Ronin.

"That…could be problematic…" Anubis muttered in concern. Ryo, Kento, and Rowen summoned full AnimArmor, but the three Elders had no such protection. Kylyra smirked.

"TOOOOOOOOR!" Anubis looked up, recognizing the Thunthen word for "attack!" Two bulky forms sprang down from the rooftops. The largest one landed shell-first on a Doom Lord, and the smaller gaunt, pale-skinned one landed infront of the soldier nearby.

Rgn Chorrez lashed his tail, sweeping the Doom Lord's legs out from under it and sending it toppling over to land on its face. He reached out and grabbed Koi Udsarrin by the wrist and helped the huge Noble stand then, as if swinging a dance partner, swung him sideways so Koi landed shell-first on top of the fallen Destroyer. Rgn helped Koi stand up again and the two Thunthen Rares lunged at the remaining Destroyers. The Dynasty constructs looked almost afraid as mighty Koi barreled towards them, smashing their faces in with his fists and tearing open their bodies with his claws. At eleven feet tall, he loomed above them, and one looked terrified as Koi grabbed it by the shoulders and butted it in the face with his hook-shaped horns.

Kylyra did not know Rgn's name. She didn't remember such pale skin or the ability to snort freezing blasts. She only saw a skinny Thunthen Noble with a reddish beard. Her face contorted with rage and she drew both swords. "BRU RANIR! YOU WILL PAY!" Rgn didn't look up from freezing a Destroyer's face solid before smashing it with his tail club, but he glanced from side to side when he thought he heard someone yelling at him and looked over his shoulder.

"Ack!" he helped and barely jumped out of the way in time to avoid getting skewered by Kylyra's swords. Kylyra lunged again and stabbed repeatedly, forcing Rgn to keep springing back and back over the street. Rgn squawked in protest when the tip of one sword snipped off some strands of his scaly beard. He needed time to inhale in order to use his freonine blasts, but Kylyra pressed the attack, seemingly blinded with rage. Rgn flailed his arms when he tripped over the curb and landed on his shell. He struggled to stand as Kylyra closed the distance.

"Hey, Kylyra!" Kylyra paused and glanced up when she heard the voice of the Lady Ronin. "You got something stuck on your body!" Tanya landed between Kylyra and Rgn. "Lemme blow it off for you! TY-PHOON-" Tanya began spinning her swords. Kylyra let out a growling scream of frustration before springing away and vanishing in a whirl of violet petals. Tanya smirked and separated her swords then sheathed them.

"Rgn! Buddy, you okay?" Rowen asked as he ran over, followed by the other Ronin. He and Anubis grabbed Rgn's wrists and helped the Noble stand. "What was that all about?"

"I heard her call you 'Bru Ranir'. That's Mal Daggur's right-hand man, isn't he?" Ryo asked.

"Yes, and judging from the way she addressed me, she didn't have a pleasant first encounter," a shaken Rgn replied and patted his palm over his chin, checking his beard.

"Well that explains why she had it in for you," Ryo commented.

"It's weird, but in a way Mal Daggur's invasion helped us. Talpa's been holding back on launching an all-out attack ever since the Thunthen appeared," Rowen added.

"Yah, imagine big ol' scary Talpa afraid of a couple of alien space dragons," Kento joked. He yelped and recoiled when Koi loomed infront of him and growled warningly.

"Hey, I just realized something…I think we set a new record for minimal collateral damage," Sehkmet remarked and glanced around the street. Except for a few uprooted signs, slightly damaged vehicles, and acid burns in the pavement, the street looked mostly intact. Anubis tossed the chain he'd been using aside, and it landed on the sidewalk with a loud clank.

"Man, all this planning battles in advance takes the fun out of things. I liked it better in the old days; it's easier to just smash the bad guys," Kento grumbled.

"Battle should never be that easy," Anubis countered and scowled.

"Says the former super villain," Rowen teased, drawing a snort from Anubis.

Ryo opened his mouth to speak but paused when his wrist-com beeped. "Bak? What's up?"

"Ryo, we've intercepted news reports indicating the arrival of a second assault group, this time comprised entirely of Destroyer-class troops," Bak Thraplek informed over the channel.

"Clearly in response to these two," Anubis muttered and glanced at Rgn and Koi, who stood off to one side. Tanya stood next to the huge Rare and reached up and rubbed his chin, scratching his beard occasionally. Koi tilted his head to one side, enjoying the attention.

"I doubt Kylyra will come back as long as Tanya's around. Dais, use your powers to conceal Tanya and Sehkmet and set up an ambush while Rowen, Kento, and I come in for a flank…" While Ryo laid out his strategy, Dais's eyelid twitched and he blinked several times.

What…what's going on? Instead of seeing Ronin and Thunthen standing together, he started seeing fuzzy colored blobs. He blinked again and massaged his eyelid with his index finger and opened it again. His vision seemed to clear back to normal.

"I must object, Gauraax Ryo," Rgn stepped forward. "Koi and I handled ourselves against the Destroyers just fine before, we should accompany you against this newest wave."

"No way. You're too valuable to risk against such a large group. You caught them off guard the first time, but now they're expecting you. We can't play our hand just yet. Anubis, you stay with them in reserve…" Dais growled when his vision blurred again and he shook his head. "Let's head out before they cause too much damage." Dais opened his eyes but still saw colored blobs. He saw one that looked vaguely pinkish and followed behind the group.

"Dais, what are you doing here? You were supposed to go with Tanya and Sehk."

"Ryo? Wait-what the…" Dais blinked again and again and the pinkish blur turned reddish. He briefly saw a confused Ryo staring at him. "OH SHIT!" Dais exclaimed and sprang off along the rooftops. He heard frantic chatter coming in over the open channel and glanced at his wrist-com's tracking screen. He barely managed to get his bearings before his vision blurred again and he ran headlong towards where he hoped to find the others.

"Waaugh!" Tanya sidestepped in time to avoid a blast that tore a chunk out of the pavement. She felt herself bump into something and looked over her shoulder to see Sehkmet backed up against her. Over a dozen Destroyers surrounded them and prepared to fire.

Dais arrived on a rooftop overlooking the scene and vaguely made out two armored figures cornered by bulkier forms. "ARMOR OF ILLUSION! TAO NIN!" he summoned full armor and assessed the situation. While armor could protect them from the energy blasts for a short while, that many Destroyers could cause serious injury with repeated firings. Tanya and Sehkmet couldn't teleport, and even if they could leap out of the way, more Destroyers stood ready to shoot them out of the air. Dais remembered how Kylyra had reacted upon seeing Rgn.

"TOR!" The Destroyers turned to face the source of the cry and Tanya and Sehkmet looked surprised to see almost a dozen armored Thunthen Nobles standing at the ready wielding phergon rifles. The Nobles opened fire, and the Destroyers recoiled from the sudden barrage, momentarily forgetting about the two cornered Ronin. Tanya and Sehk saw an opening and leapt up out of the way. A few Destroyers spotted them and tried firing, but missed. The Destroyers opened fire on the brazen Thunthen, but their shots passed right through.

Suddenly white-hot energy bursts followed by a spray of smaller blue pulses erupted from the Thunthen group, causing very real damage to the Destroyers. They fired aimlessly into the group, but still the barrage persisted with some of the white bursts plowing through core processors with surgical precision. Three energy discs pelted the chest of the last Destroyer, slicing through it neatly. Tanya and Sehkmet watched in awe as the Thunthen illusion vanished.

Metal clanked as WILDCAT padded forward, swishing her tail behind her. "I called WILDCAT in to help. What happened, Dais? Did you not hear your assignment?" Dais looked behind him when he heard Ryo and saw him along with Rowen and Kento. Tanya and Sehkmet sprang up to the rooftop and approached Dais swiftly.

"WHAT THE *censored!* WHAT THE *censored!* WHAT THE *censored* WAS THAT?!" Tanya screamed and shoved Dais in the chest with both hands repeatedly.

"We almost got fried out there! Where the hell were you!?" Sehkmet demanded and grabbed Dais by the collar then pushed him away roughly. Dais said nothing and stared ahead blankly. His vision cleared enough for him to see outrage on Tanya and Sehk's faces.

"Dais? What's wrong? You feeling okay?" Kento asked, concerned.

"Dais, if something's bothering you, you should-" Ryo put a hand on Dais's shoulder.

"JUST SHUT UP!" Dais screamed and pushed Ryo away roughly before stalking over to the opposite end of the roof. Ryo said nothing but observed worriedly. Dais gripped the edge and took off his helmet, flinging it to the side in disgust. No one else said anything, and Dais remained standing there for some time burning with shame from such a blunder on his part.

After they returned to the Roost, Ryo, Rowen, and Anubis went to the conference room to meet with Bak Thraplek to discuss future strategies. In response to the more recent skirmish-style attacks, the Ronin had taken to drafting complex multi-stage tactics. They would designate first-response groups in advance and follow-up groups in the event of specific enemies such as Kylyra.

Dais shuffled through the main cavern on his way to the residential hall. He could hear Anubis suggesting bringing the current Neo Ronin along on the next mission, and Rowen arguing against it, but when he glanced out the corner of his eye he only saw blurred blobs. Ryo spotted him as he passed by the entrance and frowned in concern but remained at the table. Dais continued walking until he stopped near a door. The doors slid open at his presence.

"Gaaah!" he heard Kayura's startled yelp.

"Shit! Sorry! My mistake! I didn't see anything, honest!" Dais recoiled and backed up into the hall, averting his gaze until the door slid back shut.

"Yeah, I bet he didn't…" "You think his sight's going?" Dais growled when he heard Cale and Sehkmet snickering from the main cavern. He remembered the layout of the hall and turned back around. Michelle sat up from where she lay in bed reading a book and leaned to the side when she saw Dais shuffle past listlessly. She usually kept the door open unless asleep and walked over to the door and poked her head out into the hall. She saw Dais pat the wall with his palm until he touched the door belonging to the chamber he and Danae shared.

Danae had also been reading a book-the Thangien kind with the binding along the top edge-as she lay in bed. She looked up when she heard the doors slide open and saw Dais enter looking disheartened. She set the book aside and swung her legs to the side and sat up in bed. "Nucan, something troubles you?" she asked softly and beckoned to him. He glanced in her direction and walked towards her slowly. He reached up with one hand and grasped aimlessly until she grabbed his hand and guided him to the bed.

They had decorated their room as close to traditional Thangien style as manageable, with filmy cloth covering practically every square inch of the walls and polished wooden furniture. Plants in shiny glazed pots occupied the corners, and the gentle rustling from the air circulation gave the illusion of being in an open-walled room on Thanged. Dais sat down beside Danae, but he could not see the room and its colorful furnishings, nor his pairmate's amethyst-colored eyes and lavender hair. Danae reached up and cupped his chin in her hands and turned his face towards her. His single eye looked distant and frightened. She stroked his hair and frowned.

"I-I-I'm…having trouble…seeing your face…" Dais whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

"Hmm…hmm…" Shannon O'Connor peered through the Strata Sapphire as she moved it from side to side, using it as a sort of magical x-ray to examine Dais' skull.

"Well, Doc? What's the diagnosis?" Dais teased half-heartedly. While Shannon performed her test, Danae herself stood near the door with her sword half drawn, ready to ward away any nosy intruders. Shannon moved the claymore away and reverted it to pendant form. She put her hands in her lap and pursed her lips, blowing air up through her bangs.

"You know what…I'm not really a doctor. I'm more of a field medic," she admitted and shook her head. Dais frowned in dismay. "Buuuut, it just so happens I know a real doctor. You might've heard of him?" Shannon hinted with a smile and raised both eyebrows. "He's my dad."

The bulky machine whirred loudly and lights from the interior moved over his face as the narrow bed he rest on slid out from the bulky metal cylinder. "So, this is a bladeless scalpel? I think I'd prefer a real scalpel," Dais grumbled and sat up on the bed.

"Not a fan of technology?" Charles O'Connor teased.

"No, just bored out of my skull." Dais stretched his arms and massaged his neck. "You know…I can't imagine it being easy for you to make time for such an emergency, even in a hospital. You've always been willing to aid the Ronin Warriors whenever needed, yet I've never heard of you so much as charging a cent from Mia or anyone else…" Dais remarked. Charles smirked from where he sat near the machine drawing up readouts from the test.

"Too often people go into the profession with open hearts. They start for all the right reasons, wanting to save lives and make a difference…then at some point, they stop caring about the lifeline and more about the bottom line." Dais saw Charles' face harden in a way he'd never seen from the good doctor before. "That sort of arrogance cost my nephew his life," Charles growled.

"Nephew…?" Dais frowned. The O'Connor family tree had many branches, and he had trouble remembering which ones came from where. Then he remembered how Azuro had once mentioned seeing something among the belongings of Shannon's energetic cousin Shainie: A picture of her with a sickly young boy. "Oh…Oh! Sorry…" Dais winced.

"Our father made sure justice was served, but no amount of settlement money can bring back the dead. My sisters and I each set out to make sure not to repeat that mistake, and to stop anyone else from making future mistakes. Jackie and I look to the future, while Jamine keeps an eye on the past. Shannon has her duty as the Guardian. If you go by our druidic ancestry, that makes me the herbalist," Charles chuckled and glanced back at the screen. "…When did you start having problems with your sight?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Just recently. At first I thought it was battle fatigue and tried to sleep it off, but it keeps going off and on every so often. Can't you just put a few drops of Richtho tea in my eye?"

"Richtho tea doesn't work that way," Charles said and shook his head. "It's only effective on fresh injuries, and the problem isn't with your eyeball, it's with your optic nerve."

"What?" Dais frowned and walked over to the desk. Charles pulled a pen out of his front coat pocket and tapped an area on the screen, moving the tip about in a circle.

"You see this?" Dais blinked and peered at the screen. He could only see an off-white blob next to an off-whiter blob. "I'm no ophthalmologist, but I know tissue buildup when I see it. There's excess tissue growing around your optic nerve, compressing it, and that's causing it to relay faulty images to your brain." Charles illustrated by closing his thumb and index finger around the pen. "Not only that, near as I can tell this is a pre-existing condition that's been previously dormant, only something's aggravated it recently."

"…I can imagine why…" Dais muttered worriedly. Definitely could've had something to do with being dosed with unhealthy amounts of dark energy courtesy of Kylyra. "Is it treatable?"

"Not with current techniques. Most cases I've heard of result in partial or complete blindness. There are experimental therapies but…I wouldn't recommend them… Look, we've identified the cause. Why don't you just ask Shannon and Kayura to work their magic and-"

"No! I can't let anyone else know about this. I can't afford to show weakness." Charles opened his mouth to protest but paused when he saw Dais' expression. "Showing weakness cost me greatly in the past…" Dais whispered and walked over to the bed and leaned against it.

"I didn't have as illustrious an upbringing as Anubis. I started out with lowly status, but I set out with grand dreams. The great clans warred with each other for prestige and power…both of which I craved, but I wanted to carve my own place in destiny. I already possessed the ability to shape the appearance of my surroundings long before I gained my armor, and with that power, I gathered brigands and lowlifes and set to building my own kingdom.

"I had a group of three advisors I dubbed my 'eyes'. A spider has eight eyes. I had two, they represented the other six. They enforced my will throughout my army and informed me of everything. I didn't have the tactical genius of Anubis, or the savage strength of Cale, or the wild depravity of Sehkmet, but my strength lay in my illusions…and in that…my allies saw weakness.

"One night, I found myself betrayed by my Eyes. They intended to usurp me, but they made the mistake of assuming my power made me weak. I slew them all, but paid a heavy price. At that moment, my rivals closed in to crush me, and my supporters all fled, fearful and faithless. The web I so carefully constructed to last began falling apart all around me…then he came."

Dais remembered standing amid the ruins of his fortress, one hand clamped over his bloody ruined eye, staring up in awe at the dreadful visage that burned in the sky. "Your ambition is little and your grasp weak. Join me, and I will give you the power to break minds and bend wills," Talpa had spoken to him. Dais accepted and became the Dark Warlord of Illusion.

"And in the end, it turned out even that was an illusion. We Dark Warlords thought ourselves indispensable to the Dynasty, but we were never more than just tools." Charles listened sympathetically as Dais continued. "Now, as a Ronin Warrior, I finally know what it means to have true strength…if I let everyone know about this, I fear I'll lose that too. I can't afford to show weakness. I have take care of this on my own," Dais stated firmly and shook his head.

"Your friends would probably argue that nothing can take that away from you. Look, Dais…you take care of this 'on your own', and you will lose sight in your remaining eye. Now I imagine if you're dedicated enough, you can adapt to work around it, but it'd take a great deal of rehabilitation. You refuse to seek magical help. You refuse to seek medical help. What other option do you have?" Charles argued and waved one hand to the side.

Dais nodded in admission and he stood back up and folded his arms over his chest. He tilted his face at the ceiling then looked at the wall. He bit his lip and frowned then looked over his shoulder. "Hey Doc…you've never been to Thanged, have you?"

"Dad?" Anubis glanced up from his book when Michelle spoke. "I'm worried. Danae took off on Pegasus all of a sudden, and I haven't seen Dais since yesterday."

"If he's reluctant to show his face, I can't say I blame him after last night's debacle."

"That's not a nice thing to say! He's your friend! You sound just like Cale and Sehkmet. They've been saying nasty things about Dais in his absence," Michelle scolded.

"Dais is my 'friend' in the same sense that Mikita and Itchyatukomi are your 'pets'," Anubis rolled his eyes and shut his book. "We respect each other, that is all…or, rather, he respects me. It takes a strong stomach to swallow one's pride when faced with either helping one's enemies or having to take orders from a Nether Lord…" Anubis said with a smirk, fondly reminiscing before reopening his book and resuming reading.

"Well aren't you worried about Dais at all?"

"You must understand, Michelle; camaraderie was never a strong suit of the Dark Warlords. We didn't get as far as we did or live as long as we have now by hovering over each other out of concern. Quite the contrary, we always strove to outdo one another."

"But wasn't learning about 'strength in unity' part of your big epiphany?" Michelle teased.

"Yes, but while there is strength in the bonds of friendship, the strength of self cannot be ignored or forgotten. Whatever troubles Dais, it is a matter he has chosen to attend to on his own. That's his choice, and it must be respected. If it so happens he cannot overcome this obstacle, he knows he has people he can call upon if needed. Whatever mid-century crisis Dais is going through, I have every confidence in his ability to handle himself."

"Well, you go ahead and stay confident. I'll go ahead and keep worrying," Michelle sniffed and folded her arms over the table and set her chin on her arm.

"How you holding up back there, Doc?" Dais hollered over the roar of the crackling vortex.

"I'm having trouble deciding whether I should gape in awe or throw up," Charles replied from where he sat at the rear saddle with his arms around Dais' waist.

"I would not advise that," Danae commented from the fore saddle. "It would be considered a solid, and thus retained by the air shield." Pegasus whinnied merrily and shook his head.

"I'm getting the impression that the horse is laughing at me," Charles grumbled. Pegasus let out a growling snort and looked over his shoulder. "And that he objects to being called a horse." Dais chuckled when he heard Danae scolding Pegasus in Thangien for threatening to buck the doctor. They approached the exit of the vortex and exited in space above Planet Thanged. Charles looked every which way, struggling to maintain professional calm as they began atmospheric entry. Most of the visiting Ronin had arrived via group teleport, and few had ever seen the view of the rushing clouds and blurred ground when descending from on high.

Unfortunately Dais' vision blurred again and he couldn't see the expression on Charles' face, but he could imagine the awestruck joy at being treated to the spectacular view as Dais himself had once witnessed. Pegasus' wing blades parted to brake and he dismissed his air shield. Charles felt as if riding in a car with the top down, and he had to blink and squint his eyes against the rushing air. He could make out in the distance a surreal skyline as they approached the Thangien capital and only major city: Bainshaebo. Shannon had described it to him often, but even cleverly descriptive words could not do the massive city justice.

Dais and Danae both looked down when they passed over the walled estate of the House of St'lur. "As much as I'd like to introduce you to the in-laws, I'd rather get this over with as soon as possible before I'm needed," Dais informed, glancing over his shoulder at Charles.

"Perfectly understandable; Sightseeing can wait another day. I'm just here to help you," Charles agreed. Still, he took the time during the brief flight to drink in the view of the sprawling cityscape and the five massive buildings that dominated the skyline. He spotted a huge lush area that could easily shame Central Park. Pegasus approached a structure that reminded Charles of an Aztec pyramid, only made of black stone with large glass windows along each level. The Pegasi fanned his wings as he came in for a landing, and the sight of people and Pegasi milling about in the large courtyard below didn't seem at all different from the bustle of a hospital back on Earth.

White Pegasi drew carriages alongside a sidewalk, and female medics wearing cowls and white combat uniforms attended patients as they emerged. Male doctors clad in long white surcoats accompanied each team to assess situations. Charles even spotted a couple of pure black Pegasi drawing narrow carriages he assumed to be hearses, driven by masked riders in red combat uniforms. Pegasus set his hooves on the ground and his three passengers slid out of their seats. Danae said something to Pegasus and patted him on the neck before stepping away and walking towards the entryway. Charles looked over his shoulder and watched as Pegasus launched back into the air and flew away into the city. He turned his attention back to Dais and Danae and followed them inside. Despite being on an entirely different planet, the interior of the massive structure looked very similar to a traditional hospital.

Danae approached a long counter that stretched the length of a large lobby. Medics stood at attention in each cubicle, either speaking to incoming patients, each other, or performing other tasks. Danae greeted one medic in her language, a word Charles heard as "Thelektukak", but after the greeting he couldn't make sense of the rest, yet the two women spoke fluidly. The medic nodded and indicated a place on a map hanging from the wall behind her. Her arm moved as she wrote something on the desktop behind the counter then she reached over and held something out to Charles. He blinked uncertainly, but the medic nudged it towards him and he accepted what looked like a strip of cloth hanging from a pin. He examined it and saw crescent-shaped letters scrawled down the length of the strip; apparently a guest badge of some sort.

Danae said something to Dais and nodded towards a set of quadruple doors then walked towards them. Dais followed, and Charles hurried after them, not wanting to get lost in the complex. Charles noticed how some medics and doctors glanced at him as he passed by. His fingers fumbled with attaching the pin to his front coat pocket.

"Oh here, I forgot to give you these," Dais said and handed something to Charles as they walked. "Put one on your collar and the other in your ear." Charles looked at the tiny metal buttons but shrugged and did as instructed. Upon doing so he could finally understand what Thangiens said as they passed by. He wrinkled his nose when he heard some of them criticizing his "drab-looking combat uniform" until they recognized him as an "Oldworlder".

Danae came to a stop outside a room marked with a bronze plaque with crescent-shaped letters. She turned to Dais and whispered something to him. Charles turned away and scratched his ear idly when the two kissed and Danae gave Dais a smile before walking towards a nearby waiting room adorned with tapestries and plants. Dais pushed the door open and gestured for Charles to follow him inside. They entered a lavish office with walls covered in tapestries and metal plaques. An elderly man with short-cropped silvery hair with faint traces of blue rose from his seat behind the desk and stepped forward to greet Dais.

"Thelektukak DaiTakin!" the man smiled and shook Dais' hand.

"Thelektukak CovaTakin. I would like you to meet Doctor Charles O'Connor. He's ShaTakin's father. Doc, Kin Kin Aega, Coval." Charles extended his hand awkwardly and nodded a greeting. "He worked with Shannon to stop the plague."

"Oh! God, Shannon told me about that. My condolences. I'm glad she was able to help you curb further casualties," Charles commented. Coval nodded gratefully.

"Danaetanera holds your family in high regard. Valor runs deep in your bloodline."

"Huh? Oh, Danae…" Charles blinked, confused by the use of different names.

"Did you bring those copies from the tests? He'll need to look over them," Dais whispered. Charles gathered himself and searched in the folds of his coat for the small folder that held printouts from the scans he'd performed earlier. He gave it to Coval, who began studying them.

"What's with all the names?" Charles leaned to the side and asked through his teeth while Coval skimmed through the pictures.

"Oh. Well, Thangiens typically have multiple names based on deeds they perform. There's their civil name, which is their family name followed by their birth name, then there's an abbreviated name followed by 'Takin' as a title of respect. People like Danae and the Ronin have sort of 'mythic' names. Danaetanera roughly translates into 'Stormwalker', though she's called Stormrider now because not only did she cure Pegasus, but brought him back home and initiated the alliance between Thangiens and the Ronin Warriors," Dais explained.

"Guessing 'Dreamrider' has to do with your powers, huh? Talk about 'what's in a name', try three. Yeesh," Charles commented and scratched his head. The two straightened themselves when Coval set the pictures down on his desk and turned to look at them.

"Fortunately this is a common ailment among the elderly." Dais' face wrinkled in an annoyed scowl at that but he kept quiet. "With an equally common treatment. It requires a very delicate surgery that will remove the pressure on the optic nerve," Coval stated.

"How?" Charles asked, curious since no such treatment existed on Earth.

"Well, we would temporarily detach the eyeball from the socket and clean out the offending tissue around the nerve then re-insert the eyeball."

"…that…sounds…nasty…" Dais paled and gulped, wide-eyed. Charles looked equally ill.

"It is a perfectly safe and standard procedure, I assure you!" Coval waved his hands hastily. "Yainae herself had to undergo treatment many cycles ago."

"I see…I assume I'll be…put down for this?" Dais asked, drumming his fingers along his arm.

"Put under," Charles corrected. "You're not a dog."

"Good…good…I've had my share of out-of-body experiences. Don't need another."

"I hear you there. I've seen plenty of anesthesia nightmares."

"Very well then…it's not like I have anything to lose," Dais said and nodded at Coval.

"I will begin preparations immediately. We will have you hale and home before the suns set," Coval stated and walked out of the room. Dais and Charles walked out into the corridor and headed for the waiting room to find Danae. She stood up when she saw them and walked over to Dais. The two began talking and Charles stepped away to give them some privacy.

He wandered over to a metal rail overlooking a huge indoor garden. Skylights and a network of mirrors poured sunlight onto a miniature forest full of what Charles assumed to be medicinal plants. He recognized several Richtho bushes. Dozens of medics tended the garden.

"Well Doc. How's it feel; your first time on another planet?" Dais asked as he approached the rail and leaned beside Charles.

"It's actually…a lot more familiar than I'd thought. Man, what I wouldn't give to have this kind of setup back on Earth. What about you?" Charles asked and looked at him.

"Hmm?" Dais raised an eyebrow, confused by the remark.

"Yesterday you gave me the impression that you'd rather become an old blind master than accept help of any kind. Why the sudden change of heart?" Charles shrugged. Dais rest both arms over the rail and bit his lip then took a deep breath.

"I want to see my child," he said. "I want to hold him in my arms and raise him high above me, and look up into his eyes looking down into mine." Dais mimicked such a move, tilting his head back as he envisioned an infant with Danae's hair and his eyes. Dais lowered his arms and looked over his shoulder at Danae, who leaned against a wall. She looked back at him and blushed. Charles noticed how her formerly slim stomach bulged out slightly under her combat uniform. "If End Tide dictates that I'll die to protect the future, I damn well want to see it."

"That's as good a reason as any," Charles smirked.

"Darian Dreamrider?" The two men looked up and saw a medic standing a few feet away. "Your room has been prepared. Master Surgeon Coval awaits you," she chirped.

"Yay, an actual knife," Dais chuckled and stepped away from the rail. Charles followed. "You're coming too? Will you be participating in the operation?" Dais asked.

"Oh gosh no! I'm not nearly as confident enough to mess around with your one remaining peeper. As your self-appointed physician, I'll merely be supervising," Charles waved both hands. The two followed the medic down an adjacent corridor, leaving Danae in the waiting room. She walked over to the rail and rest one elbow against it, placing her free hand over her abdomen before casting her gaze out at the garden below and the glistening leaves of Ritho's Gift.

"Think this looks too spangly?"

"Naw. It screams 'look at me'! To those who can see, at least..."

"Hah! Ooh, we should try writing in those modern bumpy letters blind people use..."

Michelle paused and backtracked when she passed by the conference room and peeked inside to see Cale and Sehkmet at work scrawling obscene messages on cardboard signs. She could hear them plotting about where to place them before Dais returned, and other ways to humiliate him.

"Don't worry." Michelle jumped, startled when she heard the whisper and looked over her shoulder to see Kento. He patted her on the shoulder. "It'll backfire in their faces spectacularly. Just you wait and see," he stated with a grin and walked off towards the cable lifts.

Strange how the younger Ronin considered the former Dark Warlords more as friends than the Elders did each other. Michelle reflected on that before glancing back into the room. Sehkmet and Cale appraised each other's signs, gleefully debating what else to add to make them more flamboyant. Michelle snorted in disgust and walked back to her room.

"Nucan? Nucan? Tuvo benar?" Dais stirred, but something heavy covered his eyes. He couldn't even blink. "Can you hear me? You are awake now. I must do this slowly, as I wish to be the first you see. I am removing the bandage. Open your eye slowly," Danae instructed. Dais felt weight moving off of his face, but felt a hand press over his eye in its place. Dais blinked, and he felt his eyelash move against something, but saw only darkness. The hand peeled away, and he saw only blurs. He groaned, dismayed at first, but then his vision cleared, and he saw Danae smiling at him. He stared at her for several moments, expecting his vision to blur again, but it remained clear. Danae smiled radiantly and reached out to stroke his hair. "The suns have yet to sink, and on Oldworld it has yet to rise. What do you see now?"

"I see a brilliant star sitting right infront of me," Dais whispered and struggled to sit up in bed. "Did I seriously just say that? That was hideously corny," he chuckled.

"Or very honest. This is one instance where the Richtho tea comes in handy," Charles said as he approached the bed. He grabbed Dais' by his arm and helped ease him into a reclining position. "Without it you'd be stuck in bed for at least a month. Still feeling a little groggy?" Dais nodded in reply. "That should clear up by the time we get back. Now you're the one who'll be fighting not to throw up in the air shield," Charles laughed. Danae laughed as well and said something in Thangien to Dais before kissing him on the forehead and exiting the room.

"So everything went fairly smoothly?" Dais asked.

"Oh yeah…I'll have to admit, I'll have trouble sleeping after observing the procedure, but hey, you can see again. And look, something for your mantle!" Charles held up a tiny glass box which held a yellowish glob. "It's not exactly a tumor, but it was tricky to scrape off without damaging the nerve." Dais took the box and studied it, chuckling softly. "While you recovered, I took the opportunity to look over some of the procedures they perform here. Tell me; you given any thought to fixing your other eye?" Charles asked, drawing a raised eyebrow from Dais.

"What about it? There's nothing left of it after all these centuries," Dais argued.

"I understand that, but I was thinking more along the lines of a prosthetic." Dais looked confused. "It's like a fine-cut diamond, it's so intricate. The Thangiens have an implant they can use that sorta 'plugs in' to the remainder of the optic nerve. It uses an advanced lens array to relay images as if it were a real eyeball. It's something you could consider…"

Dais sat in bed, quietly debating the offer. "…Nah. I think I'll pass," he said and shook his head. "Remember how I said I wanted to keep this eye to remind me of the future?" Dais tapped the side of his head then tapped the edge of his eye patch. "I need to keep this to remind me of the difference between the pride of a seasoned old warrior, and the pride of a brash young fool."

"Fair enough. Danae went to fetch Pegasus. I'll walk you down to the courtyard, if you don't mind. I also asked Coval for a copy of your records, in case they caught something I missed." Charles stepped back to give Dais room as the recovering warrior scooted out from under the sheets. Thankfully the medics had the consideration to leave his clothes on, so he just needed to fetch his jacket and walk on out the door. He still felt a little dizzy, but it passed. Charles scooped up the file he'd requested and tucked it under one arm while he supported Dais with his other. As they exited into the hall, Dais walked more confidently on his own.

They passed by a window, and in the horizon Dais could see both suns as they descended. Dais frowned and paused, and Charles paused as well. "…Doc…can I tell you something? While I was…out…I didn't wake up, thankfully, but I…I had an experience. I'm not entirely sure whether it's a dream or memory." Charles listened attentively as Dais continued.

"In it, I see myself as a young man…mid teens probably…and I'm in a modern city somewhere, not sure exactly where. I'm cornered by a bunch of older punks, and one of them draws a knife and cuts my eye. A police officer intervenes to save my life, but I refuse aid and run away crying. It's raining hard, and thundering overhead. I'm alone and cold and wet, still bleeding. A kind old man tries to help me, but I start beating him, swearing until he flees.

"I see myself standing there bleeding and soaked, full of rage and bitterness. I hear a sound behind me, and I turn around and there's a Dynasty Soldier standing there. He talks to me about 'rejoining the Master' and 'embracing my destiny'. I go with him to meet Talpa and receive the Armor of Illusion, becoming a Dark Warlord. Time passes, then the First Dynasty War begins.

"But, none of that makes any sense!" Dais snarled in frustration, shaking his head. "I lost my eye when I was a grown man over four hundred years ago, and my dream showed me receiving my armor in the Modern Age as no more than a boy! It isn't possible!"

"You know…what you're describing sounds an awful lot like memory transference," Charles theorized and tapped his index finger against his chin while keeping his other arm folded over his chest. Dais looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "It could be that what you saw happen is actually something you inflicted upon someone else, and out of long-suppressed guilt, you're projecting yourself in that boy's position as suffering similar injuries."

"But that still doesn't explain the part about the armor."

"The mind works in ways we have yet to understand. Our subconscious comes up with all sorts of coping mechanisms to ease the strain of painful or undesired memories. It may be with all your efforts at redemption your mind chooses to see events differently in order to avoid remembering yourself as the attacker. Your mind altered the memory so you'd be the victim."

"Hmm…I suppose that makes more sense… It's just unsettling. I couldn't see myself doing such at thing to anyone, even back then." Dais shuddered involuntarily. "Talpa plundered everything happy from my past and left me with nothing but hate and tragedy. At least now with Danae and my future child, I can start to build good memories..."

Miz Paufan looked up from doing maintenance on the doors of the exit tunnel and saw Dais and Danae enter the main cavern. Danae said something in Thangien to Dais and took off towards the residential hall. Dais blinked and looked down at Miz, who blinked back.

"…Mind if I borrow that?" Dais asked and gestured for a long metal rod in Miz's tool bin. Miz looked down at the rod and picked it up then held it up for Dais to grab. "Thanks." Dais nodded and walked along the wall towards the residential hall.

"Shh! Look! He's back!" Sehkmet snickered. He and Cale leaned out from the conference room. Danae walked past and cast a cool glance at them before sniffing and continuing on her way. She paid no heed to the sparkly signs the two Elders had posted on the walls. They spotted Dais approaching the hall, tossing a long metal rod up and down in his hand and whistling idly. Then he turned suddenly, making a beeline for the two elders.

"…wait…why is he coming straight for us?" Cale asked, blinking worriedly.

Michelle looked up when she heard the faint yelp of protest followed by pained bawls. She saw her father grin out the corner of her eye. "Mid-century crisis averted?" she asked, smiling.

"Mmm hmm. Crisis averted," Anubis replied, not looking up from reading his book. Michelle couldn't help but giggle when she heard more cries echoing from the main cavern. She went back to reading her own book, having to fight further giggles as she flipped the page.

"C'mon, Charles! Put that down and tell me how your trip went. I want to hear all the juicy details," Danielle O'Connor insisted from the bedroom. Charles looked over his shoulder then back down at the folder. He set it down reluctantly and headed for the bedroom. "So, what all did you see? Tell me everything." His wife said as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"Well, I didn't have the time to take the express tour, but I got to see the inside of the city's super-hospital. It's-it's like nothing I've ever seen before. On the outside it's like this big black pyramid with stepped walls and the inside has a small forest full of-"

"You mean the Traedeskaton? The Arena of Mending?"

"…yes…I could also see in the distance this huge forest inside the city itself, and this ginormous building that looks like something out of old Greece-"

"The Garden of Tirmutua and Thananagreia, the citadel-chapel of the gods?"

"…How is it you know more about these places than I do?" Charles demanded, slapping his hands against his knees in exasperation and putting his knuckles on his hips.

"Did you even look over the wedding pictures Shannon had developed?"

"No! I was working that day! Besides, I didn't attend, I didn't want to pry!"

"It was a public wedding. Anyway, go on. How did the people treat you during your visit?"

"Well…they kept calling me 'Oldworlder'…wasn't sure if I should've felt offended or not. Some of them called me ChaTakin, though. Dais says it has something to do with…" While Danielle grilled her husband on details of his trip to another planet, back inside his study a gust from the air conditioning vent pushed open the folder on his desk.

The pages wafted back and forth before settling down, exposing one page in particular that listed potential disorders that could arise in future offspring. One paragraph described a condition that could affect the eyes and cause sensitivity to light.

The sunlight peeking out from behind an orbiting world shone against the blue-painted hull of a long ship with wings that spanned wide then arced forward. Black outlines of a kneeling woman with outstretched winged arms decorated parts of the hull. Inside the corridors, a myriad of alien species worked hastily. A huge bipedal feline with scaly ridges poking out along his limbs and face narrowly avoided stepping on a small wiry reptilian as he tried moving a large container. The reptilian slunk along the corridor before handing off a tray full of items to a menacing-looking serpent with muscular arms and a long snaking body. The serpent tilted its hooded head up, the curving horns protruding from the top of its head scraping the wall. It hissed gratitude before resuming work, and the wiry reptile dashed down the hall.

A teal-skinned humanoid with aquatic features assisted a squat round-bodied creature with moving containers from a hovering platform to a smaller platform. A lithe humanoid with feline facial features and coarse dark fur all over its body and tufted tail clambered to the top of a rack of shelves and examined the container it held before setting it on a shelf and fastening it down with a strap. The aquatic humanoid and the squat spheroid looked up at a Thunthen Common that approached. They regarded the Common-typically considered an inferior race- with respect. The Common looked over the work performed thus far and nodded approvingly.

"I don't know whether to be pleased or frightened. On one hand, the captured freighter yielded a bounty of goods. On the other, it means the Redals are stepping up their campaign," a Native Thangien wearing a neat dark-blue combat uniform stated as he paced over the deck of the bridge of the ship. "Redal IV might not withstand a full invasion."

"Well, look at it this way: all the goods we 'confiscated' is that much less the Redals have to work with. We'll keep patrolling this area and seize any additional freighters. If the Redals decide to start sending armed escorts, then that's that many forces they'll have to divert from their campaign," a feminine voice drawled from the command chair facing the viewport. "A few more raids like this, and we'll have enough supplies to make the trip to the Sol System."

"…Do you plan on visiting him?" the Native asked and stepped alongside the chair.

"…That's really none of your business, T'Brandon…" the woman said stiffly. T'Brandon swished his tail and cocked his head to one side. His ears flicked back then forward.

"…He's your son. You should at least try to find him," he argued softly.

"How long has it been? How many years have passed on Earth? It's been well over twenty years. He wouldn't even recognize me…He's better off left alone."

"What about your promise to Gage?"

"Whatever life he lives now, it's his to live. It's not my place to intrude on whatever he's built for himself as an adult. Besides," the woman glanced at T'Brandon through a green-tinted lens that covered her left eye. Curls of silvering hair draped over the mechanism hooked over her ear and sunlight fell against wrinkled skin. "The odds of me running into him; are one in six billion."