Author's note: Hi, everyone! This is a fic I'm doing as a favor for Schala85, which takes place before her fic "Night Striker". It takes place just after Prozen was defeated after the war between the Republic and the Empire.

Hope you all enjoy!

Starsword by Shelly

CHAPTER ONE



The twin moons of Zi bathed the desert landscape with their silvery light, illuminating everything in detail from the smallest stone to the stray wisp of brush that was pushed along by the night breeze. It was a cool night tonight, but then it always was in the desert. It could be scalding hot during the day, but when night came it was the exact opposite. The extreme temperature could be forgiven though when the sky above seemed crowded with every imaginable star alive.

No matter how many times she saw it, Lauren Starsword always felt moved by the desert's silent beauty. The wind that teased through her blue-platinum hair had a melody all its own as it whispered in her ear. Her fuschia eyes picked up all movement around her as she sat with her back to her zoid, a powerful merger between a Blade Liger and a Shield Liger. She had built it herself from the parts of both after they were destroyed in a battle to save her village long ago.

Night Striker it was called, a zoid midnight in color so that it was hard to make out in full darkness. She had developed a special bond with it, and knew that it had done the same with her since it would allow no one else to pilot it.

She sipped her coffee slowly, not wanting the hot liquid to burn her tongue as it had barely finished brewing over the small burner. Lowering the mug, she kept it held in her hands as a way to warm them. The light from the burner flickered across the small scar underneath her right cheekbone, a scar shaped like an upturned claw which she had gotten from that battle. Underneath her other cheekbone was a blue tattoo shaped like a downturned claw, a mark she had inherited from her mother, who had been an ancient Zoidian.

She had no fear of being out here on her own at night. Her father had made sure that she could more than adequately defend herself if the need arose, a skill that had helped her in the military. Now she was on her way back to the Capitol since the Emperor had called for military assistance following the city's destruction. A few select inquiries had been brought forth to monitor any unusual behavior from those who had been loyal to Prozen, the better to head off any attacks before they began. She often wished that she had been chosen to participate, but then a part of her would remind her of how glad she was to be a soldier in the army.

Her only wish had been that she could've been there that day when Prozen had been defeated, if only to have helped bring him down for the deaths of her parents. Either way, she was grateful to the warrior who had defeated him as she was afforded some peace now from the nightmares that had haunted her. Being half-ancient Zoidian, she had been somewhat sensitive to the evil stirring of the Deathsaur's power, and as a result had suffered from numerous nightmares. She had been confused as to why she was having them, but after hearing of the battle she knew then what they had meant.

A light sound nearby drew her attention, and she looked to her right to see a small fox standing nearby, no doubt drawn by the smell of the dried meat which had been her meal for tonight. She watched him silently as he padded back and forth just out of sight, a pair of luminous eyes in the darkness. She picked up a leftover slice and held it up; he stopped and raised his nose to the wind, making a small whining bark.

"You want this, don't you, little guy?" she asked him.

His ears perked up at the sound of her voice as he gazed at her steadily.

"Well, you can't have it," she replied.

He whined and snorted, brushing his paw across his nose.

She stared at him for a moment, then finally relented. "Oh, all right. Here you go," she said as she tossed it his way. "I didn't want it anyway."

He picked it up in his mouth and scampered away.

A smile spread across her face as she watched him leave. "Good idea. I think I'll turn in for the night, too," she told his retreating back. She gathered her things and placed them back inside her pack before turning off the burner and retreating into the warm folds of her sleeping bag. It wasn't long before sleep claimed her in its blanket of dreams.



The next morning she awoke early and readied herself for the last leg of her journey towards the Capitol. If her luck ran well, she should arrive by evening time, and she looked forward to sleeping in a real bed and eating real food for once. It was amazing at how much the smallest luxuries were taken for granted; out in the wilds it was necessary to know how to fend for yourself in order to stay alive. Thankfully she didn't have to call that a problem.

She climbed inside Night Striker's cockpit, and the zoid started off towards their intended destination after scanning her DNA. It was a safety device she had installed to keep anyone else from stealing her zoid since it possessed a state of the art weapons system. Most of the weapons were basic, a small arsenal of guns, and her claws could be used as well as the demon-like wings that were now folded at its side. At each wingtip were the boosters and the edges of the wings could be used as a blade to slice through a zoid.

But what really gave Night Striker its name was the system she had installed. It consisted of a cloaking device which could render the zoid invisible, assisted by the jamming devices which made her all but invisible to radar. All in all, she felt like she had done a pretty bang-up job with it, and was proud to have it by her side in battle.



The day passed pretty uneventfully, something she was grateful for, but a part of her missed the days when there was action to be found around every corner. She figured that was because she was still in her military mode of thinking, and since the world had a chance for peace now she would have to begin seeing things in a new light.

Soon the desert was left behind to reveal rolling hills and greener lands with trees and rivers, the sight of the water making her long for a bath to wash all the sand and dust from her clothes. But as she crested a hill and saw in front of her the silhouette of the city, she knew that her needs would soon be taken care of, as well as those of her zoid.

"Come on, Night Striker, let's go."

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Well, did you like it? Review and let me know! Thanks for reading!

C-ya!