p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"strongDisclaimer:/strong emBlah, Blah, Blah. I don't own Avatar; James Cameron does. All the Avatar stuff belongs to him. However, my Na'vi character, myself, the Dragon Weyr and its technologies, and the Pandoran animals of my menagerie are all mine. The Protoss - apart from my characters - all belong to Blizzard Entertainment./em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"strongPandora's Templar/strong/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"A Work-In-Progress Story by Coranth Dehanae/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Chapter 24/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"(Continued from Chapter 23...)/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"My words to Lompor turned out to be true; in emless than a day/em the great Tunnel Boring Machine reached the surface and - upon doing so - it slowed right down before gently easing through the very entrance it had created in order to reach the dwellings of 'They Who Could Not See.' As the TBM made its way out of the tunnel it had created, outside the great machine, the Na'vi of the United Clans whom I had assigned to guard said tunnel thought - at first - that a second attack was coming from 'They Who Could Not See!' However, the great emìley/em they sounded soon turned into a jubilant cheer when, instead of seeing the pale white of vrrtep flesh, they beheld the glint of golden ketuwong steel./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"When the great machine had slithered completely from the tunnel - as its enormous cutting head slowed to a stop - whooping, hollering and crying tears of joy the Na'vi of the United Clans surrounded the emnawm fngap ioang/em with outstretched hands to touch, stroke, and caress the strange ketuwong beast. Although merely a Drone into which the Dragon Weyr had moved part of its consciousness the machine emwas/em still a construct of the Great Nexus and possessed everything all of its other manufactured machines did, including a network of Cybernetic Perceptors: tiny devices that functioned much like the somatosensory system of a living being. Said Perceptors enabled the machine to emfeel/em its environment - including the touch of living beings - and at the attention the Na'vi lavished upon it, the TBM emthrummed/em softly with pleasure!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"A moment later, the great machine opened its bays and lowered its docking ramps, allowing myself, Lompor, San'eya and the entire emTsampongu/em to exit, along with the mighty Protoss Reavers. Mere seconds later, the cry went up - "Olo'eyktan Txa'vit and our Olo' 'Itan have returned to us!" - and it was with happiness filling my heart that I watched the great Gate of Dawn open to allow the unhurt females of Tawkami to exit and reunite with their battle-weary mates. 'This' I thought, as I stood upon the main docking ramp of the TBM, 'is why I chose to become Pandora's Templar.' That night, I, Lompor, San'eya, and a now reunited Clan Tawkami celebrated heartily with our kin of the emIkran/em, emPa'li/em, and emKilvan/em Clans./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"The food and drink just kept coming as stories of our battle against 'They Who Could Not See' were told, news and gossip of what had been happening on the surface whilst we'd been away was shared, and songs were sung and dances performed of our heroic deeds! But alas... I could not celebrate; not yet, for there was still the aftermath to come. Thus as the night wore on, eventually, I quietly slipped away and swiftly made my way into the Dragon Weyr's Clinic, where my Clan's healers were assisting the Dragon Weyr's Autodoc as it tended to our rescued females. Unfortunately, in my haste to enter the place, I wasn't looking where I was going, and bumped into one of the Senior Healers as he was carrying a jar of vital herbs./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"When we collided - and said jar fell from his hands - the Na'vi man I'd bumped into was utterly incensed! em"Skxawng!"/em he cried angrily. em"Why don't you look where you're...?"/em And then, at that point, we actually saw each other, and realized whom we were both talking to. The man I'd accidentally collided with was Yayo, and when he saw me he looked emstricken!/em em"Ma... ma Olo'eyktan!"/em he said softly as the Dragon Weyr cleaned up the mess of the destroyed herb jar and then swiftly replaced it, em"I... Ngaytxoa! If I'd known it was you, I..."/em Suddenly feeling bone-weary, I gently waved him off as I softly intoned, em"Lu mawey, ma tsmukan, it was my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going."/em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"For a moment, I rested my head in my hands - a weary sigh escaping me - and then, raising my head to gaze at him steadily, I inquired, em"How are they?"/em For a moment, we paused to gaze at the seven rescued females as they lay within their beds inside the Autodoc. Then, in a hushed tone, Yayo answered, em"They are... not good, ma Olo'eyktan, not at all. Lompor's Lifemate... she was... she was... they put their foul seed inside her and it strongburned/strong her, ma Olo'eyktan!"/em At this, I frowned; Yayo couldn't exactly say what had been done to Maena because he didn't have a name for the act... but I did. 'She was raped...' I thought, horrified. 'Oh, Adun and emEywa/em, she was emraped!/em' I was pulled from my thoughts then as Yayo continued to speak./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"em"She... If Txra'kon We'er cannot heal her, she will no longer be able to have children!"/em Lompor, as far as I knew, had no heirs to carry on in his name, and this news would be utterly emdevastating/em to him! Gently, I shook my head in sorrow, before I softly responded, em"... And what of the others, ma tsmukan? How do they fare?"/em Their conditions, as Yayo told me, were critical. Two of our rescued kin had been beaten and brutalized so badly that they might never walk again; two more had emchunks/em missing from their bodies where 'They Who Could Not See' had started to emdevour/em them, and lastly, two more were stricken with an infection in their blood; the result of filth entering open wounds. em"And what of the seventh?"/em I asked. em"What of my friend, Txe'lan?"/em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Poor Yayo didn't answer my question, at first; instead, he rested his head in his hands for a moment, and then finally - lifting his head and shaking it - he replied, em"We... we do not know, ma Olo'eyktan. Txra'kon We'er has isolated her - placed her away from the others - and will not let us touch her. Any healer who tries is painfully repelled by a powerful atan hawnu!"/em 'A force field? That's strange...' I thought, frowning in concern. 'Why won't you let the Healers help her, my friend?' I asked. A moment later, terror gripped my guts as I realized that I should emnot/em have asked that question of the Weyr-at emall!/em The Dragon Weyr 'answered' said question by emblasting/em my mind with raw, white-hot emfury/em; a feeling so intense that it psychically emburned/em me!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Desperate, repeated queries to the Weyr did not cause the great Nexus to calm, nor did they yield a reason for the terrible rage it was blasting me with; instead, all they did was intensify the emotion! It was as if... the Weyr was so utterly empissed/em that it wasn't even aware of what it was doing, or of the harm it was causing! A terrible scream was torn from my throat as - in agony - all I could do was stagger from the Clinic, clutching my head, as Yayo looked on in horror. The emfury/em of the Weyr lasted but a moment... but it was a moment too late, for the damage was done. Something inside me finally just... snapped. That night, dear readers, the nightmares I'd suffered with before arrival upon Pandora returned with a emvengeance/em but these were not of the death of my beloved Lifemate./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"No these were far worse things: horrific scenarios and 'what-ifs' of all of the brutal, bloody battles I'd been involved in during my early days as a Protoss Zealot. This time, however, the Dragon Weyr did not soothe them away and, as a result, I began to be affected physically due to sheer exhaustion from lack of sleep. During the months following our successful rescue mission, as our rescued females recovered, an illness afflicted me with horrible consequences. I could no longer perform my duties as the Clan's Olo'eyktan, I could no longer work as Pandora's Veterinarian, I could no longer eat without expelling whatever I tried to keep down, and worse, I could no longer emsleep/em. Unable to work and eat by day, and unable to sleep by night.../p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"It was a vicious, perpetuating cycle that could lead only to one outcome. Yes, dear readers, I was dying... Outside the Weyr - at a place far, far away - the empresence/em watched its emother/em with alarm. Unable to die so long as its emother/em lived, it had followed its emother/em to this world, Pandora, in the hope that it might reunite with its emother/em when the emother/em was ready. It had attempted to do so once already - it had chosen a vessel called a 'Palulukan', had made contact with its emother/em, and had spent many wonderful years with said emother/em but the emother/em had not truly been ready for reunification; the emother/em had seen the empresence/em only as a Mother, had not seen it for what it was, and had even referred to it by a completely different name!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Even worse, the vessel the empresence/em had chosen was elderly, and said vessel had passed on before reunification could be attempted, forcing the presence to leave and recuperate. The empresence/em had then made the briefest of emvisits/em to its other - before its emother/em went to battle against 'They Who Could Not See' - but, to its dismay, its emother/em had believed the empresence/em to be a figment of imagination! In despair, the empresence/em had left and had drifted aimlessly, lost, alone, and so lonely... until, it had decided, that one more attempt at reunification should be made. Ever-so-carefully, the empresence/em had moved among the creatures of Pandora looking for a new, permanent vessel... and at last it had acquired one; a truly impressive and empowerful/em creature!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Grown to the correct size, young and strong, and possessing the correct gender, the creature was perfect, but its hide and eye colors were wrong. However, it was effortless to alter them with an application of emwill/em to be close to those of what its original form had once possessed. The empresence/em could have gone to its emother/em right away, but something had held it back: fear. Would its emother/em accept and reunite with it again? Would its emother/em even recognize it? It had not known, and thus, it had waited, entering its new physical form only briefly to maintain it. Now, however, the time for waiting and questioning was emover/em - its emother/em was emdying/em - the psychic tethers that tied the presence to said emother/em were fraying and the presence, along with its other, would be lost if it didn't act emnow!/em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Swiftly, the empresence/em entered its new vessel and established itself there with temporary psychic linkages... And then, within its lair on Pandora, a truly enormous golden-bronze emIkran/em opened her midnight-blue eyes. Mere seconds later, a newly reborn Ieesha leaped to her feet, then raced from her temporary lair-cavern and leaped into the sky. strong~Oh, sweet David,~/strong she said to herself, her new eyes misting over with unshed tears, a soft whimper escaping her as she rapidly beat her wings, pushing her new body to its limits as she headed towards her and her beloved's home, strong~by the Great Dragon, I hope I am not too late...~/strong/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Outside the Weyr, when the People of Clan Tawkami saw the titanic Ikran approach the Weyr and then simply emdrop from the sky/em to land with a great strongemthump/em/strong upon the ground, their reactions were... mixed... to say the least! Elders gasped and bowed deeply with reverence; some believed that emEywa/em had sent this mighty emIkran/em - whom was even larger than the revered emToruk/em - as a sign that their ailing Olo'eyktan might be healed from the emtìkawng tirea/em that had cursed him with emvawm ayäie/em, leaving him ill and unable to eat or sleep. Others, however, had heard many tales of their Olo'eyktan's emyawne/em, the emNawm Kxayl Txra'kon/em of Txra'kon We'er, Iee'zha. Could this be her, returned to life?/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"The Warriors and Hunters of Tawkami stared at the giant emIkran/em in awe, and more than a little fear. How could one of Eywa's animal Children - and an strongemIkran/em/strong, no less - grow so big as to be a match for the revered Last Shadow? When the emnawm ioang/em cast toward them an icy gaze however, they kept their distance, fingering their weapons nervously. There was something emvery/em emhyik/em about that animal; its unnaturally coloured eyes - as emvawm/em as the emtaw/em of emkifkey Eywa'evenga/em at emkxamtxon/em - shone with an unnatural cunning and deadly intelligence. Most of the Clan's children - especially the young ones - hid with their Mothers in fear. emWhy/em was this enormous emIkran/em here, so far away from its rookery and kin?/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Some of the Clan's adolescents and young adults - in spite of vehement protests from their older peers - foolishly moved to surround the mighty animal; some produced weapons to drive the beast away, whilst others withdrew emMersh'ti cau'pla/em, in hope of subduing and then bonding with the emIkran/em in order to become emIkran Makto/em. As Ieesha saw these young whelps from her beloved Lifemate's new Clan surround her, she barred her teeth in a terrible snarl! 'Trag'Oul damn them,' she thought, 'I don't have time for this! I've got to get into our Weyr and help David...' With those words, Ieesha gathered a portion of her latent, negative power... and then - with a terrible roar - unleashed a powerful maelstrom of manifested psychic force to stun her foes!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"As the People of Tawkami saw the group surrounding the emnawm ioang/em fall to the ground, paralyzed, many screamed in fear and fled for they knew not what had happened - for all they knew the Ikran had emkilled/em their kin with a terrible magic - but the Warriors and Elders who emknew/em merely shook their heads; this was, indeed, Olo'eyktan Txa'vit's emyawne/em, Iee'zha, for only she could wield the emnawm tìvawm/em or "Great Darkness", the opposite of Txra'kon We'er's ematan!/em As the mighty emIkran/em leaped over her fallen foes with a single bound and then practically smashed down the great Gate of Dawn on her way into the Weyr, several healers of a much stunned Clan Tawkami swiftly moved to tend to their fallen brethren, the Elders assuring them that they were only stunned, and would eventually be fine./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Once through the Gate of Dawn - as it closed behind her - Ieesha galloped through the emCuria de Reliquiae/em, and then made her way into the lower Transport Alcove whereupon she activated it. Immediately her body was transformed into energy, emshifted/em to the upper Transport Alcove and then reconfigured into matter. Upon exiting the Transport Alcove and making her way into the Weyrheart, Ieesha paused for the briefest moment, her mind caught up in many, many happy memories. strong~So little has changed...~/strong she said to herself, as she gazed around the room. The Great Fleece Pile at its center remained, as did the dresser and mannequin where she and David's possessions were stored./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"The sofa and Holoscreen remained as they were, along with her reading machine and all of the books on her bookshelf. The large Palulukan saddle, however; that was new. She recognized it - she'd worn it before when she'd temporarily been the emPalulukan/em, emSa'nok /em- and also acknowledged the many Na'vi sleeping hammocks - the emEywa k'sey nivi bri'sta/em - stretched across the ceiling of the large room. strong~Some of David's new Clan - emour/em new Clan - rest here? It is good that he was able to move through my two previous deaths and find purpose again...~/strong she said to herself, thoughtfully. Vehemence fuelled tone, when she continued, ~strongBut no more deaths this time! No more betrayals! I live again, and I emwill/em find and reunite with him!~/strong/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Soon, however, Ieesha was pulled from her thoughts when she was bombarded first with the shock - and then the awe, happiness and sheer joy of the Dragon Weyr all overshadowed by its curiosity - the great Nexus was awed that she was still alive, was immensely glad that she was again within its walls, and was curious. How had she come to live again? The newly reborn emIkran/em Ieesha, however, possessed very little patience for pleasantries or questions. strong~Cease full-power emanation from Sustainable Consciousness Apparatus!~/strong she barked, harshly. When the Dragon Weyr sadly complied - and its emotions dimmed within her thoughts - she barked, strong~Replay temporal and psychical events from...~/strong and then trilled the Temporal/Psionic Event Code for the time of the most recent events in her native tongue, emHi'i Kirr'ta./em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Withering in fear, the great Nexus complied... em-David swiftly enters the Clinic whereupon he accidentally bumps into Senior Healer Yayo, knocking an herb-filled jar from the Na'vi's hands. The Na'vi is incensed, but soon realizes that it is the Olo'eyktan whom has accidentally collided with him. The herb-jar is replaced; David and Yayo discuss the females; David queries regarding Txe'lan. The Weyr - furious at its Tsa'hik's mistreatment - searches for someone upon which to lay blame; cannot find the minds of 'They Who Cannot See' so it lashes out with a blast of uncontrolled strongFURY/strong at the next best thing, David, though he is blameless for unfolding events. The Weyr, with savage, unthinking rage, assaults an already stressed and damaged mind./em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"emDavid succumbs to horrific nightmares, leading to crippling illness. Weyr shifts him to Autodoc for treatment; so far, medical treatment ineffective...-/em By the time the final memories faded - by the time Ieesha finished emliving/em them - the expression upon her face was one of strongemthunderous/em/strong rage! strongem~You kv'ees'ta a'noll vi'shaan kastha!~/em/strong she bit out vehemently in her native tongue, furiously mantling her wings in her anger. strong~You emknew/em his mind was fragile from the severance of our bond. You emknew/em he was stressed from the battle against 'They Who Could Not See! emYou knew what would happen, and yet you did it anyway! /emAndof emcourse/em treatment of the physical body will not work if the mind is unfit to accept it! You emnor'cala!/em Have the Protoss, have emI,/em taught you emnothing?/em~/strong/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"As she felt the Weyr cringe within her thoughts, Ieesha snorted softly and shook her head. Then - before she empushed/em the weakened consciousness of the Nexus from her thoughts - she growled low in her throat as she said menacingly, strong~I am emvery/em disappointed in you!~ /strongThen, in an instant - before the great Nexus could reply - Ieesha utterly emblocked/em from her thoughts the psionic frequencies with which the Weyr broadcast - choosing instead to focus upon the emscent/em and the knowledge: her beloved Lifemate, David, was emhere!/em He was here ... and thankfully - even without their special bond - she knew where he was; the Dragon Weyr had assisted her in this, at least. A soft whimper escaped her as, without any hesitation whatsoever, she tore into the Clinic./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"strongPandora's Templar/strong/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"A Work-In-Progress Story by Coranth Dehanae/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Chapter 24/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"(Continued from Chapter 23...)/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"My words to Lompor turned out to be true; in emless than a day/em the great Tunnel Boring Machine reached the surface and - upon doing so - it slowed right down before gently easing through the very entrance it had created in order to reach the dwellings of 'They Who Could Not See.' As the TBM made its way out of the tunnel it had created, outside the great machine, the Na'vi of the United Clans whom I had assigned to guard said tunnel thought - at first - that a second attack was coming from 'They Who Could Not See!' However, the great emìley/em they sounded soon turned into a jubilant cheer when, instead of seeing the pale white of vrrtep flesh, they beheld the glint of golden ketuwong steel./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"When the great machine had slithered completely from the tunnel - as its enormous cutting head slowed to a stop - whooping, hollering and crying tears of joy the Na'vi of the United Clans surrounded the emnawm fngap ioang/em with outstretched hands to touch, stroke, and caress the strange ketuwong beast. Although merely a Drone into which the Dragon Weyr had moved part of its consciousness the machine emwas/em still a construct of the Great Nexus and possessed everything all of its other manufactured machines did, including a network of Cybernetic Perceptors: tiny devices that functioned much like the somatosensory system of a living being. Said Perceptors enabled the machine to emfeel/em its environment - including the touch of living beings - and at the attention the Na'vi lavished upon it, the TBM emthrummed/em softly with pleasure!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"A moment later, the great machine opened its bays and lowered its docking ramps, allowing myself, Lompor, San'eya and the entire emTsampongu/em to exit, along with the mighty Protoss Reavers. Mere seconds later, the cry went up - "Olo'eyktan Txa'vit and our Olo' 'Itan have returned to us!" - and it was with happiness filling my heart that I watched the great Gate of Dawn open to allow the unhurt females of Tawkami to exit and reunite with their battle-weary mates. 'This' I thought, as I stood upon the main docking ramp of the TBM, 'is why I chose to become Pandora's Templar.' That night, I, Lompor, San'eya, and a now reunited Clan Tawkami celebrated heartily with our kin of the emIkran/em, emPa'li/em, and emKilvan/em Clans./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"The food and drink just kept coming as stories of our battle against 'They Who Could Not See' were told, news and gossip of what had been happening on the surface whilst we'd been away was shared, and songs were sung and dances performed of our heroic deeds! But alas... I could not celebrate; not yet, for there was still the aftermath to come. Thus as the night wore on, eventually, I quietly slipped away and swiftly made my way into the Dragon Weyr's Clinic, where my Clan's healers were assisting the Dragon Weyr's Autodoc as it tended to our rescued females. Unfortunately, in my haste to enter the place, I wasn't looking where I was going, and bumped into one of the Senior Healers as he was carrying a jar of vital herbs./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"When we collided - and said jar fell from his hands - the Na'vi man I'd bumped into was utterly incensed! em"Skxawng!"/em he cried angrily. em"Why don't you look where you're...?"/em And then, at that point, we actually saw each other, and realized whom we were both talking to. The man I'd accidentally collided with was Yayo, and when he saw me he looked emstricken!/em em"Ma... ma Olo'eyktan!"/em he said softly as the Dragon Weyr cleaned up the mess of the destroyed herb jar and then swiftly replaced it, em"I... Ngaytxoa! If I'd known it was you, I..."/em Suddenly feeling bone-weary, I gently waved him off as I softly intoned, em"Lu mawey, ma tsmukan, it was my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going."/em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"For a moment, I rested my head in my hands - a weary sigh escaping me - and then, raising my head to gaze at him steadily, I inquired, em"How are they?"/em For a moment, we paused to gaze at the seven rescued females as they lay within their beds inside the Autodoc. Then, in a hushed tone, Yayo answered, em"They are... not good, ma Olo'eyktan, not at all. Lompor's Lifemate... she was... she was... they put their foul seed inside her and it strongburned/strong her, ma Olo'eyktan!"/em At this, I frowned; Yayo couldn't exactly say what had been done to Maena because he didn't have a name for the act... but I did. 'She was raped...' I thought, horrified. 'Oh, Adun and emEywa/em, she was emraped!/em' I was pulled from my thoughts then as Yayo continued to speak./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"em"She... If Txra'kon We'er cannot heal her, she will no longer be able to have children!"/em Lompor, as far as I knew, had no heirs to carry on in his name, and this news would be utterly emdevastating/em to him! Gently, I shook my head in sorrow, before I softly responded, em"... And what of the others, ma tsmukan? How do they fare?"/em Their conditions, as Yayo told me, were critical. Two of our rescued kin had been beaten and brutalized so badly that they might never walk again; two more had emchunks/em missing from their bodies where 'They Who Could Not See' had started to emdevour/em them, and lastly, two more were stricken with an infection in their blood; the result of filth entering open wounds. em"And what of the seventh?"/em I asked. em"What of my friend, Txe'lan?"/em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Poor Yayo didn't answer my question, at first; instead, he rested his head in his hands for a moment, and then finally - lifting his head and shaking it - he replied, em"We... we do not know, ma Olo'eyktan. Txra'kon We'er has isolated her - placed her away from the others - and will not let us touch her. Any healer who tries is painfully repelled by a powerful atan hawnu!"/em 'A force field? That's strange...' I thought, frowning in concern. 'Why won't you let the Healers help her, my friend?' I asked. A moment later, terror gripped my guts as I realized that I should emnot/em have asked that question of the Weyr-at emall!/em The Dragon Weyr 'answered' said question by emblasting/em my mind with raw, white-hot emfury/em; a feeling so intense that it psychically emburned/em me!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Desperate, repeated queries to the Weyr did not cause the great Nexus to calm, nor did they yield a reason for the terrible rage it was blasting me with; instead, all they did was intensify the emotion! It was as if... the Weyr was so utterly empissed/em that it wasn't even aware of what it was doing, or of the harm it was causing! A terrible scream was torn from my throat as - in agony - all I could do was stagger from the Clinic, clutching my head, as Yayo looked on in horror. The emfury/em of the Weyr lasted but a moment... but it was a moment too late, for the damage was done. Something inside me finally just... snapped. That night, dear readers, the nightmares I'd suffered with before arrival upon Pandora returned with a emvengeance/em but these were not of the death of my beloved Lifemate./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"No these were far worse things: horrific scenarios and 'what-ifs' of all of the brutal, bloody battles I'd been involved in during my early days as a Protoss Zealot. This time, however, the Dragon Weyr did not soothe them away and, as a result, I began to be affected physically due to sheer exhaustion from lack of sleep. During the months following our successful rescue mission, as our rescued females recovered, an illness afflicted me with horrible consequences. I could no longer perform my duties as the Clan's Olo'eyktan, I could no longer work as Pandora's Veterinarian, I could no longer eat without expelling whatever I tried to keep down, and worse, I could no longer emsleep/em. Unable to work and eat by day, and unable to sleep by night.../p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"It was a vicious, perpetuating cycle that could lead only to one outcome. Yes, dear readers, I was dying... Outside the Weyr - at a place far, far away - the empresence/em watched its emother/em with alarm. Unable to die so long as its emother/em lived, it had followed its emother/em to this world, Pandora, in the hope that it might reunite with its emother/em when the emother/em was ready. It had attempted to do so once already - it had chosen a vessel called a 'Palulukan', had made contact with its emother/em, and had spent many wonderful years with said emother/em but the emother/em had not truly been ready for reunification; the emother/em had seen the empresence/em only as a Mother, had not seen it for what it was, and had even referred to it by a completely different name!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Even worse, the vessel the empresence/em had chosen was elderly, and said vessel had passed on before reunification could be attempted, forcing the presence to leave and recuperate. The empresence/em had then made the briefest of emvisits/em to its other - before its emother/em went to battle against 'They Who Could Not See' - but, to its dismay, its emother/em had believed the empresence/em to be a figment of imagination! In despair, the empresence/em had left and had drifted aimlessly, lost, alone, and so lonely... until, it had decided, that one more attempt at reunification should be made. Ever-so-carefully, the empresence/em had moved among the creatures of Pandora looking for a new, permanent vessel... and at last it had acquired one; a truly impressive and empowerful/em creature!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Grown to the correct size, young and strong, and possessing the correct gender, the creature was perfect, but its hide and eye colors were wrong. However, it was effortless to alter them with an application of emwill/em to be close to those of what its original form had once possessed. The empresence/em could have gone to its emother/em right away, but something had held it back: fear. Would its emother/em accept and reunite with it again? Would its emother/em even recognize it? It had not known, and thus, it had waited, entering its new physical form only briefly to maintain it. Now, however, the time for waiting and questioning was emover/em - its emother/em was emdying/em - the psychic tethers that tied the presence to said emother/em were fraying and the presence, along with its other, would be lost if it didn't act emnow!/em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Swiftly, the empresence/em entered its new vessel and established itself there with temporary psychic linkages... And then, within its lair on Pandora, a truly enormous golden-bronze emIkran/em opened her midnight-blue eyes. Mere seconds later, a newly reborn Ieesha leaped to her feet, then raced from her temporary lair-cavern and leaped into the sky. strong~Oh, sweet David,~/strong she said to herself, her new eyes misting over with unshed tears, a soft whimper escaping her as she rapidly beat her wings, pushing her new body to its limits as she headed towards her and her beloved's home, strong~by the Great Dragon, I hope I am not too late...~/strong/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Outside the Weyr, when the People of Clan Tawkami saw the titanic Ikran approach the Weyr and then simply emdrop from the sky/em to land with a great strongemthump/em/strong upon the ground, their reactions were... mixed... to say the least! Elders gasped and bowed deeply with reverence; some believed that emEywa/em had sent this mighty emIkran/em - whom was even larger than the revered emToruk/em - as a sign that their ailing Olo'eyktan might be healed from the emtìkawng tirea/em that had cursed him with emvawm ayäie/em, leaving him ill and unable to eat or sleep. Others, however, had heard many tales of their Olo'eyktan's emyawne/em, the emNawm Kxayl Txra'kon/em of Txra'kon We'er, Iee'zha. Could this be her, returned to life?/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"The Warriors and Hunters of Tawkami stared at the giant emIkran/em in awe, and more than a little fear. How could one of Eywa's animal Children - and an strongemIkran/em/strong, no less - grow so big as to be a match for the revered Last Shadow? When the emnawm ioang/em cast toward them an icy gaze however, they kept their distance, fingering their weapons nervously. There was something emvery/em emhyik/em about that animal; its unnaturally coloured eyes - as emvawm/em as the emtaw/em of emkifkey Eywa'evenga/em at emkxamtxon/em - shone with an unnatural cunning and deadly intelligence. Most of the Clan's children - especially the young ones - hid with their Mothers in fear. emWhy/em was this enormous emIkran/em here, so far away from its rookery and kin?/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Some of the Clan's adolescents and young adults - in spite of vehement protests from their older peers - foolishly moved to surround the mighty animal; some produced weapons to drive the beast away, whilst others withdrew emMersh'ti cau'pla/em, in hope of subduing and then bonding with the emIkran/em in order to become emIkran Makto/em. As Ieesha saw these young whelps from her beloved Lifemate's new Clan surround her, she barred her teeth in a terrible snarl! 'Trag'Oul damn them,' she thought, 'I don't have time for this! I've got to get into our Weyr and help David...' With those words, Ieesha gathered a portion of her latent, negative power... and then - with a terrible roar - unleashed a powerful maelstrom of manifested psychic force to stun her foes!/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"As the People of Tawkami saw the group surrounding the emnawm ioang/em fall to the ground, paralyzed, many screamed in fear and fled for they knew not what had happened - for all they knew the Ikran had emkilled/em their kin with a terrible magic - but the Warriors and Elders who emknew/em merely shook their heads; this was, indeed, Olo'eyktan Txa'vit's emyawne/em, Iee'zha, for only she could wield the emnawm tìvawm/em or "Great Darkness", the opposite of Txra'kon We'er's ematan!/em As the mighty emIkran/em leaped over her fallen foes with a single bound and then practically smashed down the great Gate of Dawn on her way into the Weyr, several healers of a much stunned Clan Tawkami swiftly moved to tend to their fallen brethren, the Elders assuring them that they were only stunned, and would eventually be fine./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Once through the Gate of Dawn - as it closed behind her - Ieesha galloped through the emCuria de Reliquiae/em, and then made her way into the lower Transport Alcove whereupon she activated it. Immediately her body was transformed into energy, emshifted/em to the upper Transport Alcove and then reconfigured into matter. Upon exiting the Transport Alcove and making her way into the Weyrheart, Ieesha paused for the briefest moment, her mind caught up in many, many happy memories. strong~So little has changed...~/strong she said to herself, as she gazed around the room. The Great Fleece Pile at its center remained, as did the dresser and mannequin where she and David's possessions were stored./p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"The sofa and Holoscreen remained as they were, along with her reading machine and all of the books on her bookshelf. The large Palulukan saddle, however; that was new. She recognized it - she'd worn it before when she'd temporarily been the emPalulukan/em, emSa'nok /em- and also acknowledged the many Na'vi sleeping hammocks - the emEywa k'sey nivi bri'sta/em - stretched across the ceiling of the large room. strong~Some of David's new Clan - emour/em new Clan - rest here? It is good that he was able to move through my two previous deaths and find purpose again...~/strong she said to herself, thoughtfully. Vehemence fuelled tone, when she continued, ~strongBut no more deaths this time! No more betrayals! I live again, and I emwill/em find and reunite with him!~/strong/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Soon, however, Ieesha was pulled from her thoughts when she was bombarded first with the shock - and then the awe, happiness and sheer joy of the Dragon Weyr all overshadowed by its curiosity - the great Nexus was awed that she was still alive, was immensely glad that she was again within its walls, and was curious. How had she come to live again? The newly reborn emIkran/em Ieesha, however, possessed very little patience for pleasantries or questions. strong~Cease full-power emanation from Sustainable Consciousness Apparatus!~/strong she barked, harshly. When the Dragon Weyr sadly complied - and its emotions dimmed within her thoughts - she barked, strong~Replay temporal and psychical events from...~/strong and then trilled the Temporal/Psionic Event Code for the time of the most recent events in her native tongue, emHi'i Kirr'ta./em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"Withering in fear, the great Nexus complied... em-David swiftly enters the Clinic whereupon he accidentally bumps into Senior Healer Yayo, knocking an herb-filled jar from the Na'vi's hands. The Na'vi is incensed, but soon realizes that it is the Olo'eyktan whom has accidentally collided with him. The herb-jar is replaced; David and Yayo discuss the females; David queries regarding Txe'lan. The Weyr - furious at its Tsa'hik's mistreatment - searches for someone upon which to lay blame; cannot find the minds of 'They Who Cannot See' so it lashes out with a blast of uncontrolled strongFURY/strong at the next best thing, David, though he is blameless for unfolding events. The Weyr, with savage, unthinking rage, assaults an already stressed and damaged mind./em/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"emDavid succumbs to horrific nightmares, leading to crippling illness. Weyr shifts him to Autodoc for treatment; so far, medical treatment ineffective...-/em By the time the final memories faded - by the time Ieesha finished emliving/em them - the expression upon her face was one of strongemthunderous/em/strong rage! strongem~You kv'ees'ta a'noll vi'shaan kastha!~/em/strong she bit out vehemently in her native tongue, furiously mantling her wings in her anger. strong~You emknew/em his mind was fragile from the severance of our bond. You emknew/em he was stressed from the battle against 'They Who Could Not See! emYou knew what would happen, and yet you did it anyway! /emAndof emcourse/em treatment of the physical body will not work if the mind is unfit to accept it! You emnor'cala!/em Have the Protoss, have emI,/em taught you emnothing?/em~/strong/p
p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; color: #6f6463; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify;"As she felt the Weyr cringe within her thoughts, Ieesha snorted softly and shook her head. Then - before she empushed/em the weakened consciousness of the Nexus from her thoughts - she growled low in her throat as she said menacingly, strong~I am emvery/em disappointed in you!~ /strongThen, in an instant - before the great Nexus could reply - Ieesha utterly emblocked/em from her thoughts the psionic frequencies with which the Weyr broadcast - choosing instead to focus upon the emscent/em and the knowledge: her beloved Lifemate, David, was emhere!/em He was here ... and thankfully - even without their special bond - she knew where he was; the Dragon Weyr had assisted her in this, at least. A soft whimper escaped her as, without any hesitation whatsoever, she tore into the Clinic./p