"Generals, return to your soldiers and prepare dem for battle," said Yasec. "We will strike in two days time. Now go, and do me proud!"

As Yasec finished his speech, the room began to empty of all life. Yasec's generals retreated towards the portal room, to return to their troops. Those stationed in the MERAH left to prepare themselves for the battle to come.

Lestra made her way down from the stage, a smile on her face.

"We're coming for you, Cedrak," she thought.

As the Lightning Toa caught up to Nianga, she saw the Naxan's expression.

"Okay, Nianga, what's wrong?" asked Lestra.

Nianga turned with sad eyes towards her friend.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Lestra sighed and grabbed a hold of one of Nianga's ears. Ignoring her friend's complaints, Lestra half dragged, half led the Naxan into a side room. Shoving Nianga into a chair, Lestra turned and bolted the door.

"Alright Nianga," said Lestra, turning towards her friend, her arms crossed, "every day since Taiyu and Cedrak were kidnapped, you've been looking more and more depressed. I've tried being nice about it, but that hasn't gotten me anywhere. So I'll try again. What is wrong?"

The Naxan stared at the ground, not saying a word.

"I'm afraid," she mumbled at last.

"Oh Nianga, we're all afraid going into battle," replied Lestra.

Nianga shook her head.

"No, that's not what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid…" she paused as though weighing her options.

Finally, she looked up and said, "I'm afraid to tell Taiyu about my past."

Lestra's eyebrow quirked upwards.

"What's there to be afraid of?" she asked. "You told me yourself, you left Xana and became a wanderer. Where's the shame in that?"

Nianga sighed.

"I'm afraid, that I didn't tell you the whole truth," she replied.

Lestra sat next to the Naxan and said, "Well, we do have all day."

She placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, you can tell me."

Nianga looked at Lestra with a look mixed with fear, suspicion, and oddly, hope.

"Nianga, I promise. I won't tell a soul."

Nianga sighed once more and said, "Alright…"

* * *

I told you I left Xana (she said), but I never told you why. Quite frankly, I hated it. I hated everything about it. The council of elders breathing down everybody's necks, the traditions that had zero room for error, having to live in a tree and have Rahi for neighbors, ugh! I got out of there faster than a phase dragon when my chance came. And like I told you, I became a wanderer, going wherever the wind and my heart would take me. I travelled for years, until my journey took me to Zora Nui, Vice Isle. An island run on greed and avarice, praying on those too naïve to know the dangers of gambling – it is covered in casinos and taverns, and run by those with the wealth to bribe their way into power.

I went there on a whim and, like so many a young traveler, had dreams of gambling my way to wealth, but I could not have been more unprepared for what I found. As I stepped off the boat, I found an island without law or order. Beings lay about the streets, hopelessly inebriated from who knows what kinds of substances. Thieves ran rampant; the only ones safe were those who could pay a fortune for hired guards. Looking back, I now see how stupid it was to try to stay, but I did anyway, thinking I could make a fortune and leave. I could not have been more wrong. I had managed to find a place to stay, but not two days after arriving, I was robbed. I arrived home to find it in shreds. All my belongings were gone or destroyed. I was devastated and had nowhere to go. There were no police to go to; all of them were either criminals themselves or paid to look the other way. There was really only one thing I could do, find a job.

But no one would hire a Naxan. Most of the world sees us a strange, backwards, and ugly, and I don't really blame them. I looked like a Rahi that just strolled out the woods. Finally, I found someplace that would hire me, a tavern. I became a dancer, and I hated it. I hated every minute of it – every day, putting myself on display, people staring at me like some circus sideshow. I tried to make the best of it; my employer, however, seemed determined to make me miserable. I knew he was making good money off his business, but any attempt to get a raise in pay, or better hours, or the least bit of slack was met with instant anger.

He would say things like, "Hey, I took you in out of the kindness of my heart. Don't abuse it. Just be grateful someone hired a freak like you. I know dozens of girls who would take your job in two seconds. Now quit complaining and get back to work."

And I knew all it was true, many of my coworkers thrived on the attention they got. And it seemed no matter how hard I tried, most of the more "attractive" species just turned their noses at me.

The money I made was barely enough to keep me in my apartment. And when the day came that my pay was cut, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went in after hours and raided the tavern. I wasn't proud of it, but at the time, I was desperate. After that, I taught myself to pick locks, my claws being well-suited for the job. I started out only stealing when I needed the money, but the more I did it, the more I wanted. It became an obsession; almost every night, I robbed someplace new. It seemed, however, that someone got wise to me.

I returned from my job to find a pair of thugs in my apartment. To make a long, brutal, and tortuous story short, they beat me to the edge of life and warned me not to steal from their boss again. They ransacked the place and made off with many of my belongings. When I finally woke up, I painfully pulled myself to my feet and made my way to my safe. I pulled out a handful of money and slowly made my way to the shipyard. I went to the first ship I saw and paid them to take me off the island. I didn't care where I ended up, only that I got away from that awful island.

* * *

"When we got to the mainland, I had nowhere to go, so the captain offered to hire me. That was Devichon, and I stayed on his ship until the day we came to Tedra Nui."

Nianga sat there, staring at the floor.

"Devichon's the only person who knew where I had come from," she said. "He became like a mentor to me, and he's the only other person who knows how I feel about…Taiyu."

She looked at her Toa friend.

"Now do you see why I don't want to tell him?" she asked. "I was a dancer and a thief! He's a Toa! If I'd met him any other way, he'd have thrown me in prison."

Her eyes began to water.

"I'm afraid that if I tell Taiyu, I'll lose him," she said, a quivering in her voice. "I just…couldn't bear to have that happen."

"Nianga," said Lestra, "I – I'm not sure what to say. I might have only known you for a little while, but I can tell that you are a good person. I think that Taiyu does as well. I –"

The pair was interrupted by a pounding on the door.

"Lestra! Are you in there?" said a voice.

"Yes, and Nianga, too."

Lestra opened the door to reveal an anxious-looking Toa of Fire.

"Onric, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Rhenton's gone missing," replied Onric. "I'm afraid something's happened to him."