I...I...

I lost.

To a naive, innocent, preppy GIRL.

I can't believe it.

I can't...believe...it.

The plan was perfect. We place a few supply and waste carriers conveniently close to the Condor's known location, on the day of a storm. The Storm Hawks go to do a little recon. When the storm hits? I go in. I grab Piper. She trusts me, we become "friends", yada yada.

So what went wrong?

I suppose I didn't count on the Storm Hawks being so resourceful. Tar and feathers... And I definitely did not count on Piper being such a good fighter. I must admit, she can hold her own. But when I blasted her, and she screamed, well, I felt limitless. I felt GOOD. I felt strong. She was a squirming little thing underneath my foot. I just needed to bring the foot down.

I underestimated her.

I suppose...that was my mistake. My weakness. My chink in an otherwise flawless set of armor.

I didn't expect that, while I was analyzing her, she was doing the same to me.

I hate her. My rage for her is different than any other kind I've ever felt. It's personal now. And I hate myself because the Oblivion Stone didn't work.

How can we be friends? Impossible. Like I said, I have no time for friends. I have a world to conquer.

Friends are weaknesses. Friends are things that can be used against you. I try not to get too attached to anything. When I was a child, I was taught these lessons, by my father, by my teachers. When you become a ruler, people become disposable resources.

It's a rule of thumb.

Dictators do NOT have friends.

Dark Ace? He's hardly a pal. Not even his coworkers like him. They fear him. Which is good. But I'm still his boss, and he's still my servant. If he has to die, well then, so be it. Although...

No.

No exceptions. No favorites.

He will fail, someday, and he will die, someday. And when that day comes, I will have to be ready for it. So no connections.

And the girl?

One of these days, I'll get my hands on her skimpy little neck. I'll press one of my deadlier crystal concoctions to her face. I'll force her amber eyes onto my own violet ones. I'll sneer. And I'll say, "Still think we're friends, Piper?"

She'll die. They all do.

They think they're all high and mighty. They think they're immortal. That teenage innocence I can honestly say I never took part of. My lip curls up every time I think of them and the know-it-all demeanor they have.

But, in the end, I suppose it'll all add up to a satisfying victory.

We're not that different, Piper and I.

Crystal mastery. Excellent fighting. Smarter then those who surround us.

But the similarities stop when it comes to "morals". Or lack thereof.

See, she's scared of war. She's the one who lingers behind, most of the time, with that Merb that pilots their ship. She's scared of the consequences.

Me?

I LIVE for war.

I'm not afraid to kill.

And I'm not afraid to die.

Tad out of character, I suppose. But it had to be written. A little voice in my head that just wouldn't...shut...up, was telling me to write this. So I did.