A/N: Huh. No angry fangirls on my doorstep because I killed off Dark Ace. That's odd. And I went to all that trouble of putting out booby traps... *is disappointed*

.:':. .:':. .:':.

Aerrow entered a state similar to the first stage of Sky Shock after the Dark Ace's death. He took little or no interest in anything, preferring to stare blankly at the wall or ceiling. All the work that had been put into his recovery was wasted. Now it was a trial just to get him out of bed, and the others had voted Piper for that – she was the only one who could wake him up without having to resort to violence. She came into the room, Aerrow tossing restlessly and murmuring in his sleep.

"Broadsword... No, can't be dead... No competition... Who'll I fight now...?"

Piper sighed. Not one day in weeks had passed without Aerrow dreaming about it. The others regarded it as an accident, because none of them would have ever guessed that the Dark Ace's battle glider would fail, leaving him to fall unhindered into the Wastelands. Still, Aerrow blamed himself for it.

She poked him tentatively. "Aerrow, wake up."

He sighed, opening his eyes. "What's the point anymore?"

She put on a brave face. "Look, Aerrow. Finn scoured the Wastelands for four hours to find you these." Blue energy blades appeared from behind her back and she pressed them into his unwilling hands. "...He said he didn't see any sign of the Dark Ace."

The blades clattered to the ground. "What's the point?" he repeated. "I won't be using them." He indicated the broadsword propped against the wall.

Her smile faltered imperceptibly. "I know, but... blue Strikers are rare, especially of this quality. I even refined one of them a bit so it would be more compatible with your dad's sword, and I thought you'd want to be the first to put it in the catch."

"If I have to." Listless fingers first loosened the crystal from the dagger, then slid it into the empty socket of the broadsword.

Something in Piper snapped. She backhanded him across the face, and he stared at her, shocked. "Will you just stop it, Aerrow? We're all sick to death of you moping around! It's not your fault that the Dark Ace's battle-glider failed, so get over it!" She slapped him again. "Yes, even though he was a bad guy, we feel bad about his death, but you – YOU take it too far! This is the guy that killed your father. Show some backbone, or get off this ship!" This time, he caught her hand before it could make contact.

"Thanks for slapping some sense into me, Piper."

Irritably, she wrestled out of his grip. "Yeah, well, I don't want to hear it, because you know what else I'm sick of? Every time something like this happens to you, I'm always the one that has to get you back on your feet. I've had it. You need to show some self-recuperating skills." She headed for the door. "I'll be in my lab," she muttered. "If you want to keep your head attached to your shoulders, you'll leave me alone."

.:':. .:':. .:':.

A/N: ^_^ Sorry. I couldn't resist. He so had it coming for him.