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_ Disclaimer: Blah, 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._

Pandora's Templar

A Work-In-Progress Story by Coranth Dehanae

This tale begins on a sad and tragic note. It begins with the death of my dearly beloved Lifemate, my Kirathian Dragoness Ieesha. The day it happened, she and I were assisting the Shelak Tribe with the excavation of a newly discovered Xel'Naga Temple at an archaeological dig high in the mountains of Pas'aka. The leader of the Archaeological Team, a grizzled, old knowledge seeking Khalai named Vuruk, had assured his team and I that the interior of the old Temple was safe. He'd been there before with a previous team, and had checked, and rechecked, and triple-checked that the sections of the Temple which had already been excavated were completely safe for us to enter.

The old Xel'Naga Temple hadn't been safe, at all. As Ieesha and I had entered one particular room - a burial chamber, which had housed a beautiful sarcophagus, forged from some kind of ancient brass-like metal - a massive stone block, almost three times the size of my beloved dragoness, had fallen from the room's ceiling. I'd managed to leap out of the way in time... but Ieesha had not. The massive block had smashed down atop her, crushing her wings, breaking her back and pinning her to the floor. The Medical Team who'd travelled with the archaeologists could not help her. The battlefield medical training I'd received - a mandatory course all Protoss Zealots had to undertake as part of their training - could not help her.

Nothing could help her. The only thing I could do... was hold her great head in my arms... as she stared at me in a state of utter shock, and then dumbly tried to nuzzle me and lick my face with her fine pointed tongue. In the end - after I'd conveyed to her what had happened - she asked me to... to end it for her. At this, I raged internally - I personally believed that euthanasia was the 'coward's way out' - but this was a request made to me by my Lifemate that would end her suffering_,_ and so, with a heavy heart, I agreed. Via a combination of two medical drugs - a lethal dose of anesthetic and a second compound that would stop her heart - that day, I... I put my beloved Lifemate, Ieesha, of the Omari Kirata, to rest.

Before she passed away, my beautiful dragoness nuzzled me, and softly kiss-licked my face. Then, she smiled, and said "Sweet David... Thank you. I love you. Goodbye." Then, her eyes slowly closed, and with a final, contented sigh, she slipped away... I returned to the City of Chionesu, to arrange for Ieesha's funeral - a private, dignified, and utterly sacred event, held several weeks after her death. Only my Father, Ar'Adun Teth, his Advisor and my Mentor, Zhand'Akull, and Ieesha's Mentor, Prelate Zeratul of the Dark Templar, attended the funeral. Together we blessed and consecrated my beloved Lifemate's body and spirit, before sending it to Adun with all of the dignity and honor afforded to veteran warriors of the Protoss Empire.

As she presided over the event, Judicator Phiara - a member of the Protoss Judicator Assembly and a dear friend of ours, whom had almost been like a foster mother to Ieesha - struggled to keep her tears at bay and maintain her self-control. The funeral almost did me in. When Prelate Zeratul had walked over to me, his steps slow and heavy, old and tired, and had passed unto me my Lifemate's possessions - her Argus Helm and Collar set atop her neatly folded Templar Robe - it had taken all of my self-control to keep from bursting into tears. That night, after the funeral, I returned to the Dragon Weyr in a state of stunned shock. Making my way into the Weyrheart - our home within the Weyr, a place filled with cherished memories - I carefully placed Ieesha's things atop the dresser housing my clothes, where they had always resided.

Then I began the age-old ritual of preparing for bed. After undressing down to my boxers and preparing new clothes and my Templar Robe for the next morning, I turned to the Great Fleece Pile at the centre of the room and prepared to settle down for the night beneath Ieesha's wing but then, I realized she wasn't there. 'Hmm... That's strange,' I thought, 'I wonder where she could be?' Absently thinking that she might be tinkering with something in her section of the Dragon Weyr's Laboratory, or perhaps outside gazing at the stars, I sent a question to her through our bond... Then, horror gripped my guts as I discovered that our bond wasn't there anymore; that it had been severed, andreplaced by the chilling cold of an empty void.

Suddenly, the memories of everything that had happened hit me all at once: my beloved's crushing by the stone block... her merciful death by my own hand... and her funeral. Carefully unfolding the midnight blue, rune-covered, horse coat-like garment that was her Templar Robe, I wrapped it about my body, literally burying myself within its warmth... her warmth. Collapsing upon the Great Fleece Pile, I crawled weakly to its centre and then - wrapped in the warm, musty comfort of my beloved's robe, surrounded by her scent and memories - I cried, I wept, I bawled like a baby. With the death of my beloved Ieesha, I slipped into a dark, malevolent pit of grief - a pit from which I almost didn't return - until I began an investigation into the events surrounding her death. Most believed that Ieesha's tragic death had been just that - a horrible, tragic accident.

I, however, did not. Therefore, in secret, I gathered a highly skilled team of investigators consisting of members from all of the Protoss Castes - Judicator, Templar, and Khalai - and charged them with the task of investigating the death of my beloved Lifemate. Led by Khalai Vuruk of the Shelak Tribe, who'd been appalled, and horrified, by what had happened to Ieesha at the Xel'Naga Temple, all were either work colleagues or close friends of ours. The entire team was 'on my side' - all had known and loved Ieesha for her kind, benevolent nature - and what they discovered turned my grief into fury! Ieesha's death hadn't been an accident; it had been intentional. Before our team had been sent to the archaeological site, a_second_ team had traveled there.

Via Khalai Vuruk's own plans and scheduling information - that had been 'misplaced' mysteriously, and then conveniently 'found' a few days before we'd left for the site - this second team, knowing that Ieesha and I were scheduled to be in that part of the Temple, had deliberately sabotaged the ceiling of the room! They'd attacked the stone block from outside the temple, chipping away much of the ancient mortar holding it in place, before using a series of almost undetectable timed explosives to destroy the rest, in order to bring about her death. The man who'd given this second team of 'archaeologists' their orders - the cruel bastard who'd orchestrated it all - was Andorhal Vi'thos, a high-ranking member of the Protoss Judicator Assembly, who'd been hostile to me from the moment I had first come to Aiur.

His hostility towards me stemmed from what I represented: change, defiance, and - in his mind - chaos. I was an upstart, an abomination whom often called for a gentle relaxation of the normally rigid statutes of the Khala, the strict rules and traditions defining the behavior of Citizens of the Protoss Empire. A hidebound traditionalist, Andorhal Vi'thos hated change... and therefore, sought to end it, by destroying me, not directly, but through the death of my Lifemate, Ieesha. Two weeks after the conclusion of the investigation, my team presented the irrefutable evidence of Judicator Vi'thos' crime before the High Tribunal of Chionesu. Three days later, Judicator Vi'thos was found guilty of Conspiracy to Murder a Citizen of the Protoss Empire.

Those who had aided him in bringing about Ieesha's death, and his entire family, were made Casteless. Vi'thos himself was sentenced to death, by my hand. I put him down like the animal he was. With closure attained and vengeance for my Lifemate achieved, there was nothing left for me on Aiur and so - three months later, after getting my affairs in order - I entered the Dragon Weyr for the last time. Making my way into the Weyrheart, I stood before the Great Fleece Pile in the main room, and closed my eyes in contemplation. Externally, the Dragon Weyr resembled the head of a Kirathian Dragon, as homage to my Lifemate, Ieesha. At the base of the head was the front entrance and foyer; behind the left eye was my office, and behind the right eye was the Laboratory, where I maintained my equipment, and she once studied the stars.

Deep within the skull of the Dragon Weyr - where, in a normal dragon, the brain was situated - was the Weyrheart. This place was our home, and it possessed the usual rooms and amenities one might find within a typical house on earth, although the rooms had been made huge, to comfortably accommodate Ieesha, when she and I had lived together in the Weyr. The Weyrheart consisted of several rooms. The huge main room, in which I stood, was the general living room and sleeping area. At its center was the Great Fleece Pile, upon which Ieesha had relaxed during days and slept at nights, and where I had slept with her, beneath her wings. Away from that was a lounge suite comprised of a comfortable sofa and two armchairs, all made from soft leather.

The lounge suite faced an enormous Holographic Viewing Screen. Views from the Dragon Weyr's external cameras, data gathered from its many sensor pallets, Free-To-Air Television, Austar and Foxtel Satellite Broadcasts, DVD Video, Radio... If we desired it, via that supersized screen, we could have it. We could even route the DVI-Video Signal from the Nvidia GeForce GTX460 Graphics Card of my AMD Phenom Computer System through it if we wished, in order to play computer games. Against one wall of the room rested an enormous bookshelf filled with all-manner of books, and beside that, there was a reading machine. Said machine turned the pages of books placed within it, and displayed their pages magnified on the Holo-screen so that Ieesha could read them. When she had lived, Ieesha had placed many a book into that machine.

Away from this 'library area' rested a sturdy oak dresser; within it were all of my clothes, atop it rested Ieesha's possessions and next to it was a mannequin, on which I would place my Templar Robe at night. Off from the main room was the Transport Alcove, which housed a powerful transporter that allowed Ieesha and I the luxury of swift travel between the Weyrheart and the rest of the Weyr. There was also a Sleeping Alcove for guests - which contained a proper bed, as well as seven additional bunk beds that slid outward from the walls - and a small Kitchenette. The kitchenette was outfitted with a large Quantum Replicator Terminal for creation of food and drink.

Additionally, to accommodate any guests we might have, it also contained a Microwave Oven, a sink fitted with a waste disposal unit and the usual array of cupboards and drawers filled with human-sized crockery and cutlery. The final three rooms of the Weyrheart were a fully equipped Medical Bay, the bathroom - that contained an enormous shower, a roman-style bath, and a small vanity unit for my use - and the Psiodeck where Ieesha and I honed our skills via countless training simulations, and games. Pulling myself away from these thoughts, I sighed wearily, and then softly intoned a phrase in Khalani. "The past is but the beginning of a beginning... and all that has been is but the twilight of the dawn."

Immediately, the Dragon Weyr responded to the phrase. Shock filled my thoughts, followed by resignation and affirmation. Then, the lights in the room_flickered,_ and hidden machinery whirred to life_,_ as the great structure sealed its doors and then - with a hiss and rush of internal air - activated full life-support capability. After that, a feeling of questioning filled my thoughts. Immediately, I answered, "We've been betrayed, and Ieesha is dead. It's happened, as we knew it would. There's nothing left here for me anymore, so yes, I'm sure; please prepare for departure." Sentient, self-aware, and completely self sufficient, the Dragon Weyr was maintained by trillions upon trillions of Protoss Nanocytes - tiny machines smaller than living cells - which it manufactured itself, deep within its mighty superstructure.

At my words, it began directing those Nanocytes. A mixture of emotions filled my thoughts - grief, sadness, and loss at my beloved dragon's passing, followed by worry, concern, and sympathy for me - as the tiny technological miracles swarmed over the entirety of the Dragon Weyr and began to change it. Armed with speed and determination, the tiny machines altered the framework, internal structures, and impenetrable psi-steel walls of the Dragon Weyr at a frightening pace, morphing thegreat structure within a matter of hours from a dragon's head, into its true form: an almighty golden pyramid! Larger than even the Great Pyramid of Giza, with four curved spires extending upwards to the sky from the triangular points at its base, and topped by a great 'capstone' of the purest Khaydarin Crystal, this wasn't just any pyramid.

It was in fact, a great Protoss Nexus - the colossal pyramidal structure found at the heart of, and looming over, every city within the Protoss Empire! Unlike most, however, this particular Nexus was special. Built in secret by teams of highly skilled Khalai and Terran Engineers, the Nexus known as the Dragon Weyr was designed to be a home, a mobile space vessel, and the ultimate fortress. An enormous, perfectly smooth sphere of Khaydarin Crystal situated at its heart provided unfathomable amounts of psionic energy - the energy of thought itself - to power everything aboard the vessel. This included the eight massive Gravitic Thrusters that enabled it to fly, to the systems that enabled life-support, to the Quantum Replicator in the kitchenette, which provided food and drink.

Its heavily armored, polymorphic psi-steel 'skin' could withstand titanic impacts, and a psionic energy shield of immense durability and power protected the entirety of its external structure. When the Dragon Weyr's internal and external transformation was complete, resignation and sadness filled my thoughts as I watched the final changes take place. Trillions of Nanocytes carefully cleaned the Great Fleece Pile, and then warped it into a storage bay, to allow the six sections of a semi-circular console, along with a 'pilot's chair' to raise themselves into place from the center of the main room's floor. It was in this chair that I seated myself as the great Holo-screen opposite the lounge activated and began displaying multiple star charts, from which I could pick any destination.

A feeling of questioning filled my thoughts, then, and I chuckled before answering, "Oh, how about... first star on the right and straight on 'till morning..." A mixture of sadness, resignation, understanding, and faint amusement filled my thoughts as the Dragon Weyr complied. The phrase I'd used - once spoken by the fictional Starship Captain, James Tiberius Kirk - was the command to launch and just travel anywhere, until we reached the nearest habitable planet at a random destination far, far away from Aiur and all it represented. As its immense Gravitic Thrusters ignited, and the Dragon Weyr began its ascent into the sky, the few Protoss who were awake that morning to see it happen bowed and shook their heads in sorrow. In their hearts, they knew... that I was making to depart Aiur... forever.

As the Dragon Weyr rose gracefully up through the clouds, through Aiur's atmosphere, and then out into space, I leaned back into the navigation chair, closed my eyes, and smiled. I travelled through space in the Dragon Weyr for almost twenty years - but one year to me - and during that time, I buried the anger and grief I felt at my Lifemate's passing, by simply living. By night, I slept in the primary bed within the Sleeping Alcove, just off from the Weyrheart. Although reasonably sized - with a fitted mattress sheet and a soft, luxurious, down-filled duvet - after having slept so long beneath the warm, musty comfort of my dragon's wings, I found sleeping in it difficult. My nights were often sleepless and filled with nightmares; the result of the trauma I'd suffered from the breaking of our bond at Ieesha's death.

By day, I read the books that Ieesha and I had collected over the years, tinkered with this-and-that in the Office and Laboratory, and kept my martial and psionic skills sharp through simulations and missions via the Dragon Weyr's Psiodeck. Additionally, I often spent countless hours tweaking and fine-tuning the systems of the Dragon Weyr. I didn't really need to do this, since the great Nexus could maintain itself, but... it seemed to appreciate my work. Food and drink created from its Quantum Replicator seemed to taste just that little bit better. The water I used for baths and showers was often just a little hotter than usual.

In addition, the nightmares I struggled with were instantly soothed away, as the Dragon Weyr increased my serotonin levels, placing the required compounds directly into my bloodstream via Nanocyte infusion. Finally, whenever I would tweak or optimize a particular system, or just perform general maintenance here and there to make things run just a bit better, feelings of gratefulness, thankfulness, and sometimes relief, would fill my thoughts. Without Ieesha there to provide companionship, living within the Dragon Weyr was sometimes difficult. Oh, I had its constant presence within my mind for company, but still... I was so lonely. On one particular day, during my wanderings of the Dragon Weyr's many halls and rooms, I found myself inside the huge Stellar Cartography Chamber within its Laboratory.

It was here that my beloved Ieesha had studied the mysteries of the stars and worked to unlock the secrets of the Universe. Within this place, where Ieesha had spent much of her time - as I stood in front of the massive psi-glass window that dominated the room's northernmost wall, gazing out at the starscape that she had loved so much - all the loneliness I was feeling seemed to... well up within me... Placing a hand against the glass, as if to touch the stars, I quietly rasped out, "I miss the Earth so much; I miss my wife. It's lonely out in space. On such a timeless flight... And I think it's going to be a long, long time; 'Till touchdown brings me round again to find; I'm not the man they think I am at home, oh no, no, no. I'm a Rocket Man. Rocket Man... Burning out his fuse up here alone..."

Worry and concern from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts, then, but I didn't acknowledge it; instead I sank to the floor, tears streaming from my eyes to run down my cheeks, my body wracked with nearly silent, choked sobs as my grief overwhelmed me. At that moment, those words - from the old song, 'Rocket Man', sung by Elton John in 1972 - were so powerful and held so much meaning for me. I really did 'miss my wife' Ieesha; I missed her terribly. Even with the presence of the Dragon Weyr, it was 'lonely out in space' and the flight did indeed seem timeless. Even worse, was the fact that there were days when I felt I truly was 'burning out my fuse up here alone'; that I was dying. And yet... I continued to live. Things eventually changed for me, however, when I was awakened one day by a feeling of alertness from the Dragon Weyr.

Waking myself quickly, I stumbled from my bed, then made my way out of the sleeping alcove and over to the navigation console at the center of the Weyrheart. Bleary-eyed, I stifled a yawn, blinked, and then just stared at the Holo-screen for a moment, as I tried to work out why the Dragon Weyr had awakened me. From what I could see via the massive screen, the Weyr had entered orbit around a lush, Earth-like moon - one of many natural satellites orbiting the gas giant Polyphemus - in the Alpha Centauri star system, approximately 4.37 light years from Earth. "Is this what you wanted to show me? Where are we, anyway?" I asked aloud. A_ffirmation_, and then confusion, filled my thoughts; this was indeed what the Weyr wanted me to see... and it had absolutely no idea at all of where we were!

"Great!" I replied. "I asked for someplace anywhere and you did it! Awesome... Awesome job, man!" At that, pride from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts and I chuckled softly, before using the console to manipulate the image on the Holo-screen, in order to get a better idea of where we were. "Hnnn..." I grunted as I moved the displayed image this way and that way, pausing occasionally to zoom in on particular sections, and examine sensory data. "... Looks like your average M-Class Planet... but the atmosphere's toxic as hell... nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, xenon, ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulfide!" With another stifled yawn, I continued manipulating the image on the Holo-screen here and there... and as I did so, I was suddenly hit with a feeling of realization, this one completely my own.

"Holy shit... I know this place!" I exclaimed, "Well, not personally - I've never been here before - but, this is Pandora! Pandora... Damn! Score one for the Dragon Weyr!" Happiness and pride filled my thoughts, as I began to ponder what I knew about the planet. One of the many natural satellites orbiting the gas giant Polyphemus, Pandora was a forest world - lush, tropical rainforests covered much of its continents - and it possessed less gravity than either Earth or Aiur. Its geology was strongly affected by the presence of Unobtanium, a mineral whose superconductive properties allowed it to float in magnetic fields. "Hah... because of that mineral, the planet was once the focus of a human-led mining expedition, sponsored by the corporate fucks of a now-defunct company called the RDA or Resource Development Authority."

At that, a snort escaped me as my face twisted into a sneer. "And it didn't last that long, either. Hah, stupid, greedy fucks were routed by the planet's indigenous people, the Na'vi. Those damn humanoid cats, along with the Worldmind of the Planet itself - something they call 'Eywa'- kicked them off!"Cruel laughter escaped me then - a sound fueled by my buried anger, bitterness and grief - but that laughter eventually became choked sobs, as I moved to drop my head into my hands. A few moments later, feelings of worry and_concern_ brought me out of my funk and - as I wiped the tears from my eyes with my fingers, I quietly choked out, "Don'... don't worry about me, friend; I'll... I'll be okay..."

Concern still filled my thoughts at that - the Dragon Weyr didn't seem convinced at all - but the feeling eventually faded into a mixture of contemplation and watchfulness. Inhaling and releasing a deep, weary sigh, I murmured, "This looks like as good a place as any to begin a new life. You can set us down... oh I don't care! Just... find a clearing in a forest and set us down there--but please, make sure that wherever you set down is far, far away from any Na'vi! I might not be here to mine Unobtanium - as those RDA dumbfucks once were - but I don't want the Na'vi to know we're here. We'll be staying here for the foreseeable future, and I don't want those damn cats, or their Eywa, kicking us off!"

Affirmation filled my thoughts, then, followed by a mixture of smugness and superiority, and I chuckled softly, moving to sit down in the Dragon Weyr's navigation chair. "Yeah..." I agreed, smirking with satisfaction, "... as if they could! You're superior to anything they can muster!" Agreement filled my thoughts then, the image on the Holo-screen in front of me changing, as the Dragon Weyr scanned the continent we were currently passing over, and highlighted various forest clearings. As it worked, I continued, "You're 'tawtute' and_'ketuwong'_ technology at its finest... but what about that atmosphere? It won't be a problem for me, as a Nanocyte filter can take care of it, but it might be a problem for you, eventually." Finally, the Dragon Weyr completed its scans, reassurance filling my thoughts as it picked a clearing in which to land, and began to descend; it would adapt in order toprotect me. That was what it was designed to do.

Slowly, gracefully, and silently, the Dragon Weyr continued its descent from orbit. When the colossal structure entered Pandora's toxic atmosphere - activating its impregnable psionic energy shield to protect against the extreme heat and turbulence of entry - I took a trip to the Medical Bay. There, I had the Dragon Weyr employ its Autodoc to install a miniature Nanocyte Filter just above the bifurcation at the lower end of my trachea. Equipped with a self-contained nest of Nanocytes, whom would always keep it clean and properly serviced, the Nanocyte Filter would remove the toxic elements of Pandora's atmosphere as I respired, allowing me to breathe there without the aid of a cumbersome breathing mask! Moments before the Autodoc carefully administered a dose of Anesthezine - a general anesthetic - I thought, 'Hah! Beat that, RDA!'

When waking from any kind of surgery involving a general anesthetic in a Hospital on Earth, a patient might usually experience some drowsiness or disorientation, which would gradually disappear as the drug worked its way out of his or her system. I, however, was far from Earth; I was in the Medical Bay aboard the uberfortress known as the Dragon Weyr, under the care of its sophisticated and powerful Autodoc. Thus, a carefully administered dose of Purge, followed sometime later by a dose of Acetykinotonin, allowed me to awaken pain-free, and without any side effects from the anesthetic, though I did feel somewhat lightheaded. That feeling, however, was a side effect of the Acetykinotonin; something I knew would pass with time.

'The side effects of anesthetic, and the pain of surgery, are a thing of the past in the Dragon Weyr! I helped design this place, and even now, I still think it's amazing!' Pride filled my thoughts at that, and I opened my mouth to respond... but then, I was somewhat startled as I felt the joltof a safe impact with the ground. At last, the Dragon Weyr had touched down safely on the surface of Pandora! "We've landed..." I murmured. Affirmation filled my thoughts, followed by a feeling of questioning, and with a laugh, I responded, "I'm fine, my friend - or, I will be, once I've had a shower and freshened up a bit. You did a good job."

Slowly and carefully, I moved to stand up, and then - with pride from the Dragon Weyr filling my thoughts - I made my way to the Weyrheart's bathroom, where I swiftly stripped down in preparation to shower. Before I did so, however, I paused for a moment to examine myself. As expected, I could find no scarring or other remnant of the surgery the Dragon Weyr's Autodoc had performed upon me. 'This is excellent!' I thought, smiling. 'The Nanocyte Filter will utterly nullify what is perhaps Pandora's greatest danger to me. Na'vi, wild beasts, and dangerous flora I can avoid... but that atmosphere, I can't! Now, however, I don't need to! Humph, Dragon Weyr: One. Pandora: Zero!"

Feelings of superiority and smugness filled my thoughts as I laughed and stepped into the shower. I can't recall exactly how long I spent in the Dragon Weyr's enormous, dragon-sized shower but then again - as I washed myself and allowed the shower's high-pressure water jets to thoroughly pound my body - I didn't really care. Honestly, all I can remember is closing my eyes and groaning quietly as the multiple hot-water jets of the shower seared my body, the heat of the water working its way into my muscles and turning them to little more than jelly. Afterwards, I turned off the hot-water jets, activated the shower's drying system, and then heaved a blissful sigh as the systems multiple fans blasted warm air over every inch of me.

With my post-surgery shower complete, I exited the shower, quickly dressed myself in proper clothing - which the Dragon Weyr had thoughtfully warped to my location - and then left the bathroom. 'One of the best things about this place,' I thought to myself absently as I made my way back into the main room of the Weyrheart, 'is that I don't have to bother with housework! Oh, I keep the place relatively tidy and keep all my things in order, but the Dragon Weyr cleans itself via its countless armies of Nanocytes! For me, that means no washing, dusting, scrubbing the floors or anything like that! Hell, I don't even have to wash my clothes as the drawers of the clothes dresser automatically recycle and remake them each night!

The Dragon Weyr even keeps my Templar Robe clean and in good nick; all I have to do is place it on the mannequin each night before I sleep and it is cleaned and repaired via Nanocytes! The only things I have to maintain around here are my equipment and myself, things easily done via the bathroom and Lab! It sure beats having a woman here; that's for sure. Humph... if a human woman was here, I bet all she'd do is bitch and moan all day long, about how I don't do any housework! Well... Ieesha was a woman, and she never complained. Then again, there's nothing to complain about when the house you're living in maintains itself! Now then, let's see where we are...' Crashing on the leather sofa facing the Holo-screen, I commanded, "Please activate your external cameras; three-sixty degree pan, no zoom."

Immediately, the Dragon Weyr complied, and as the great Holo-screen in front of me activated, I was graced with my first view of the planet Pandora. The Dragon Weyr had touched down in what I believed to be the 'darkest heart' of Pandora: a colossal clearing surrounded by a forest so dense that I could barely see the sky through its gargantuan trees. What I could see of it, however, filled me with awe. Moonlight shone in splinters through the trees, from the barest glimpses of two pale moons, etched upon a purple twilight sky. That, however, was nothing when compared to what was around us: endless forest, thick and dense, comprised of trees and flora that were utterly alien; towering thousands of feet above the Nexus, and glowing softly, with their own bio-fluorescent light! "Oh, my god... it's beautiful..." I murmured.

Affirmation filled my thoughts as - via the seamless switching of the Dragon Weyr's multiple cameras - the view from the Holo-screen slowly panned for a full three hundred and sixty degrees around the clearing. Occasionally, the camera panning would pause at particularly dark areas and the view from the cameras would cycle slowly through different visual spectrums - Thermal, Infrared, Ultraviolet, and SONAR - as the Dragon Weyr checked said areas for anything dangerous. Luck was with us this night, however. The near-silence of the Gravitational Thrusters, coupled with the Dragon Weyr's relatively soft landing, meant that we hadn't disturbed any of the native wildlife; there was nothing in the clearing that could harm us, only a few Prolemuris noctis and Fanisaurus pennatus high in the trees.

"Excellent..." I murmured quietly. With agreement and relief from the Dragon Weyr filling my thoughts, I switched off the great Holo-screen with a telepathic command. Then, making my way over to the sturdy oak dresser that housed my clothes and my Lifemate's possessions, I took from atop it a beautiful antique 'singing bowl.' It was a type of bell - specifically classified as a standing bell - that I'd had made for me in the traditional manner, by a Nepalese Craftsman, in a hidden corner of Nepal, on Earth. Made of Panchaloha, a bronze alloy of copper, tin, zinc, iron, silver, gold, nickel and "sky-iron" - metal from a meteorite - the bowl was beautiful; deep bronze in colour, with the simple mantra "Duty, Honor, Loyalty" engraved in Khalani around its rim. Carrying it carefully with both hands, I exited the Weyrheart via the Transport Alcove and then made my way to the entryway of the Dragon Weyr.

Here, relics dating back hundreds of years were preserved in gently glittering fields of psychic power, such as the Bio-Helmet once worn by a 'Badblood' of the Yuatja Race, the still-living black cloak of a powerful Necromancer, and a necklace of shrunken skulls, once worn by the Dark Shaman, Mtumwa-Kamil-Adham. I ignored these, however, as the monumental Gate of Dawn came into view. Words alone could not describe the Gate of Dawn, the exit and entrance of the Dragon Weyr. The ceiling stretched hundreds of meters overhead, its top lost in the gently stirring white clouds formed from the steam gushing from the snouts of thousands of metal Kirathian Dragonets staring down at me, their precisely machined, though time-weathered faces set with expressions of watchfulness and solemn contemplation.

The periodically released steam from the snouts of the metal dragonets stirred the current of sweet smelling, lavender incense rising from the forty censors which lined the path of red-velvet carpet leading to the Gate itself. The glow from the light of countless Khaydarin Crystals inset within the walls caused my Templar Robe to glint and glow in such a manner as to make it appear like a cerulean wave, the ripples and contours of its motion as I moved bouncing light back into the entryway. A palpable aura of warmth and serenity filled this place, as though a part of my beloved Ieesha remained, watching over me. Pausing, I performed a kneeling bow so deep that my forehead touched the floor, in a gesture of the utmost respect to the great icon of Ieesha carved into the Gate.

Then, continuing my journey, I strode up to the Gate and stood before it. A feeling of questioning filled my thoughts. "Yes, my friend, I'm sure," I responded. "Please, open the Gate." At that, the Dragon Weyr deactivated its internal life-support and then, with a soft crack, the Gate of Dawn began to open. Precisely machined gears moved to shift the enormous burdens they bore, and as the gate smoothly swung outward - allowing the atmosphere of Pandora to enter the Dragon Weyr, and I to finally see where we'd landed with my own eyes - I waited, in silent contemplation. Once the gate had opened fully, I inhaled deeply - taking my first unfettered breath of the crisp, clean Pandoran air - and then, still carrying the singing bowl, I slipped off my leather sandals and passed barefoot through the Gate of Dawn, onto the surface of Pandora.

Even as I exited and began to walk away from the colossal structure, the Dragon Weyr still maintained a protective vigil over me; a smile crossed my face as it activated its psionic energy shield again, extending it out to a radius of five meters. At a distance of about three meters away from the great Nexus, I stopped. Then, sitting down in the 'lotus' position-a cross-legged sitting posture, in which the feet are placed on the opposing thighs-I placed the singing bowl down on a piece of flat rock in front of me. From a pocket of my Templar Robe, I extracted a small and rather simple, leather-wrapped wooden mallet and then-with practiced ease-I began to run the 'striking end' of said mallet around the rim of the singing bowl, again, and again, and again...

This gentle, repeated motion caused the bowl to vibrate... and soon, the near-silence of the forest in which I sat was broken by the deep and rich polyharmonic sound of the bowl, as it began to sing. Closing my eyes, breathing softly in time with my motion of running the mallet around its rim, I allowed the extraordinary sound of the singing bowl to carry me into a deep_, deep_ meditative trance_._ Then, gradually, I closed my mind to the outside world until nothing remained but the sound and the motion that resulted in its creation. Even though I was locked deep in this state of trance, I still maintained a kind of awareness; enough to sense the powerful psychic presence of the Dragon Weyr, as it commanded its Nanocytes to analyze the chemical composition of Pandora's toxic atmosphere.

When the analysis was complete, using the information gained from it, the mighty fortress would command its Nanocytes to begin the process of adapting its metallic form, such that it would eventually become impervious to the atmosphere's corrosive properties. With the command to its Nanocytes given, without intruding upon my state of trance, the great Nexus 'hovered' just at the edge of my psychic perception for a moment. Then, relaxing as much as it could without shutting down critical functions, the sentient construct joined me in meditation, aligning and harmonizing its systems to the constant, gentle sound of my beating heart. That, my friends, was how I began my new life.

During my new life on Pandora I didn't advertise my presence, I didn'ttravel or explore the world, and I made no attempt whatsoever to 'go native' and live like the Na'vi; I wasn't stupid and bore no death wish! On the contrary, due to the copy of the Pandorapedia stored within the Dragon Weyr's Library Archive, I knew exactly how dangerous Pandora could be to the unwary; thus, the life I lived was simple, quiet, and solitary. I often spent my days and nights living within the great walls of the Dragon Weyr - it was my home, after all - but sometimes I would explore the surrounding forest and forage for human-palatable food. These trips, however, were rare; I would always travel during the daytime, make sure to conceal my presence and would carry my Lightstaff with me, as well as a portable Warp Beacon!

The Warp Beacon was quite a handy little device; so long as I carried it with me, the Dragon Weyr could open a small Warp Gate at my position, through which I could swiftly escape to the safety of its walls, if I were ever endangered. Additionally, during my foraging trips I would be carefully watched over by the Dragon Weyr; the great Nexus would have its Nanocytes manufacture a small Protoss Observer, into which it would shift part of its consciousness in order to accompany me. One day, during one of these foraging trips - some five years after the Dragon Weyr had landed on Pandora - my life changed in a small, yet significant way. That day, as I made my way throughout the forest surrounding the clearing in which I lived, by chance, I stumbled upon a bizarre creature lying beneath a tree.

It was a wolf-like beast with six legs, paws with opposable thumbs, and a paddle-like tail! Unlike that of a normal wolf, however, the creature's body wasn't covered with fur but with mostly black hairless skin banded with vermillion and iridescent blue. Its hairless skin appeared burnished, and its low-slung head had chitinous armor around the neck, which became amphipod plating on the back of its neck and spine. 'What... is this creature?' I thought. Upon hearing my nonverbal question, the Dragon Weyr searched swiftly through the Pandorapedia, sent a data burst through our psychic link... and then, finally I knew: this creature was a Viperwolf - what the Na'vi called a Nantang - a vicious, carnivorous predator.

Immediately, I ignited my Lightstaff and then shifted into a combat stance in preparation to defend myself... but, strangely, the Viperwolf made no move to attack me; it merely snarled, baring far-too-sharp obsidian teeth, and then... it whimpered softly. 'Huh...? Why isn't it attacking?' I wondered. Confusion from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts - it didn't know either - and so, switching off my Lightstaff, I returned it to my belt and moved closer to the Viperwolf in order to investigate. As I stepped closer to the animal, the Viperwolf snarled at me again, but the sound wasn't threatening or even fierce; it was weak, and strained. When I crouched to examine it further, I saw why: the poor Viperwolf was horribly injured.

Bruises, cuts, slashes and deep, open sores littered its body - some of which were bleeding freely - and three of its six legs were mutilated; horribly twisted and mangled! At first, I thought to leave it there to die... but even as that thought filled my mind I banished it; as a High Templar it was my duty to help anyone in need... even if those I helped weren't human. 'I need to help this Viperwolf. I need to become its Pack Leader. I need to become like... the Dog Whisperer!' I thought. Calling upon the mental power of my mind, I manifested it into reality as a powerful aura of dominant, yet calm-assertive energy._'_Now...' I thought, 'Caesar's rule was no touch, no talk, no eye contact...'

Following the rule of the Dog Whisperer, Caesar Milan, I avoided eye contact with the Viperwolf whilst silently moving to sit beside it. Then, ever so slowly, I presented an open palm to the animal; something for it to smell. 'Nose, Eyes, and then Ears...' I thought. As the animal smelt my scent, it whined softly for a moment in confusion. Then, when it felt the dominant, yet calm-assertive energy I radiated - an energy that made its pack-animal instincts scream 'ALPHA WOLF' - it licked softly at my palm in a gesture of submission. At that point, I knew that watching all those episodes of 'The Dog Whisperer' on Austar's Bio Channel had paid off! 'Well, what do you know?' I thought. 'It worked!' Slowly turning to look at the Viperwolf - which was now lying before me in a calm-submissive state - I pulled my Medical Kit from a pocket of my Templar Robe.

Opening the Kit, I took from it a Stasis Collar, a Hypospray, and a special vial filled with a drug called Suspend. Fitting the vial into the Hypospray, I carefully adjusted its settings and then 'introduced' the Medical Instrument to the animal; I allowed the Viperwolf to smell it and then ran the Hypospray this way and that way over the animal's body. Once the animal had become used to the 'feel' of the Medical Instrument, I pressed the Hypospray gently but firmly against a spot just below the Viperwolf's neck armor, and then pressed the trigger on the back of its triangular head. Immediately, there was a soft 'chuff' from the instrument as the Hypospray painlessly injected the drug through the wolf's epidermis, directly into its blood, via a microscopic aerosuspension stream.

Using my psionic abilities, I carefully monitored the wolf's vital signs. When I felt them begin to slow - a sign that the Suspend was starting to take effect - I gently wrapped the Stasis Collar around the body of the Viperwolf, and activated it. Both drug and collar would work in tandem to keep the Viperwolf in a state of biological stasis, allowing it to survive the rigors of a brief trip through the Warp. Telepathically commanding the Dragon Weyr to prepare the Medical Bay for a critical patient, I pulled a spare Warp Beacon from a pocket of my robe, activated it, and then attached it to the animal's body. "Warp this Viperwolf to the Medical Bay and place it in the Autodoc - STAT!" I uttered softly in Khalani. Immediately, the Dragon Weyr complied.

Locking onto the coordinate data broadcast by the active Warp Beacon, the great Nexus opened a small Warp Gate around the injured Viperwolf, and then I sighed with relief as the animal was pulled through it in a blaze of cerulean light. The Autodoc could be used to treat patients of any size up to that of my Lifemate, Ieesha; it would have no trouble accommodating the critically injured Viperwolf. The amazing machine would be able to stabilize the animal's condition and treat the majority of its wounds. '... Leaving me free to worry about his legs...' I thought. 'Hnnn... If they're too ruined for the Autodoc to fix, then I'll have to amputate them and replace them with new Bio-System cybernetic replacements; nothing to worry about there, as I can make those easily from the Viperwolf's anatomical data with the Cybernetics Facility in the Lab.'

With this thought in mind, I activated my own Warp Beacon. Immediately the Dragon Weyr opened a Warp Gate at my location, and I stepped through it into the safety of the Weyrheart. Once the Warp Gate closed itself behind me, I removed the Medical Kit and other items from the pockets of my Templar Robe, and then placed said robe on the mannequin next to the dresser. With that done, I removed my Utility Belt from about my waist, placed it atop the dresser and then swiftly made my way from the main room of the Weyrheart to the Medical Bay. There, I quietly took a seat in front of the Autodoc and carefully examined the Viperwolf within it, noting that the powerful medical device was already beginning to stabilize the animal's condition and treat its wounds. "So," I enquired softly, "will he be all right?"

A mixture of caution and optimism filled my thoughts, followed by reassurance. At this, I sighed softly with relief; the Dragon Weyr was sure that the Viperwolf would be fine, but was going to proceed carefully and take its time with the animal's treatment just in case. "Thank you, my friend; it's good to know that my efforts to rescue him weren't in vain!" I replied, smiling. Soon, however, my smile became a concerned frown as I cast my gaze over the animal's three mutilated legs. "Hmm, what about those legs of his? Do you think they'll need to be amputated?" At my questions, consideration filled my thoughts as the Dragon Weyr directed the Autodoc to perform a deep scan of the limbs in question... and then, a few moments later - when the results of said scan were sent to me via psychic data burst - I shook my head in sadness.

With their bones broken in multiple places and the flesh ruined beyond even the skill of the Autodoc to heal, the three ravaged legs of the Viperwolf were indeed irreparable, and so - bowing my head in sorrow - I solemnly gave the order to amputate the limbs. A mixture of affirmation, sorrow, and misery filled my thoughts as the Dragon Weyr activated a powerful Surgical Laser... Then, within moments, it was done; swiftly, and painlessly, the offending limbs were severed and sent to the Waste Disposal System, where they would be turned from waste material into usable energy. With the amputation procedure complete, only three neatly cauterized stumps remained as evidence that the damaged limbs had ever been a part of the Viperwolf's body.

It took roughly several weeks for the Autodoc to treat the Viperwolf's grievous injuries. During that time, the great Nexus probed, scanned, and analyzed the animal so thoroughly that I had physiological and psychological data on it flowing out of my ears! Using said data I could literally have determined where every Viperwolf on Pandora lived, what they did, and what they ate for breakfast, lunches, dinner, and snacks on the side. I didn't, of course; I simply used the data to create a set of three new legs for "my" Viperwolf, whom I eventually learned was a male of the species. The three new legs I designed and fabricated for him were works of art; they were Bio-System Cybernetic Organisms - literally living machine parts for his body!

Each leg consisted of a Nanocyte-grown psi-steel skeleton to which organic muscles, tendons, cartilage, and nerves were attached, along with the veins that would supply them with the creature's blood. The organic components of the new legs were all cloned and grown using the Viperwolf's own genetic material - even the new skin that covered them - and the presence of the three legs' psi-steel skeletons would be taken care of by an adjustment of the animal's immunogenicity. Thus, I didn't need to worry about the three new legs being rejected by the animal's body. The three new legs would be permanently connected to the body of the Viperwolf via an interface that was partly biotechnological, and partially psionic in nature; the animal would be able to use the new bio-system legs as if they were, and had always been, part of his body.

He wouldn't even know that they weren't his original legs or even that the originals were gone; to him, it would be as if he'd never had his original legs amputated at all! When the new legs were finally complete - as they lay within their specially designed cold storage container, on one of the Laboratory's many workbenches, awaiting transport to the Medical Bay - I gave them a final examination. "Hmmm... Nope, I can't see anything wrong with them, at all. I designed them well, and you built them according to my specs, so there shouldn't be any defects or problems. What do you think?" Concentration filled my thoughts as - via my eyes and its many cameras - the Dragon Weyr examined the Viperwolf's new legs itself, in far more detail than I ever could, as it checked them for any defects that otherwise might have been missed.

Suddenly, a feeling of concern filled my thoughts... and then a series of images ran through my mind somewhat like a short film: the Viperwolf taking its first steps with its new legs and then falling over on its side because the legs were too heavy! "You're concerned about their weight?" I asked. When affirmation filled my thoughts, I burst into laughter! I laughed, and laughed, and laughed for perhaps five minutes or more; something I hadn't done at all since Ieesha's death. However, when irritation from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts, I soon came to my senses and - still chuckling softly - I responded, "Oh, come on, don't be silly! The skeletons of those legs weigh only as much as the carbon fiber bones of his original organic ones; you know that! I designed them using the data you gave me!'Not too heavy, not too light; they're Just Right!'"

At my response, affirmation and agreement filled my thoughts... but then, as I recited the slightly modified catchphrase of the Kellogg's' 'Just Right' Commercial I was hit with a huge burst of amusement as_-_ in its own way - the Dragon Weyr cracked up laughing! Together, the great Nexus and I howled with laughter, until finally I leaned heavily against a bench, gasping softly as the lights in the Laboratory visibly flickered. Afterwards - once I'd managed to regain my senses - I took a huge breath and then quietly uttered, "Thank you so much; I haven't had this much fun since, well... you know..." A mixture of agreement and affection filled my thoughts at that, soon followed by a feeling of urgency.

"Yeah, you're right" I agreed, "let's finish treating the Viperwolf and get these legs on him. You want to take them to the Medical Bay via Warp Gate, or should I carry them myself?" The Dragon Weyr answered my question by directing a cloud of its Nanocytes to form into a Gravitic Sled, a simple device used for manual transport of delicate equipment. "Alright then, manual transport, it is..." I murmured quietly. Loading the storage container housing the legs onto the newly made transport device, I secured it, and then simply walked to the Medical Bay, pushing the Sled in front of me. Once I arrived at the Medical Bay, I moved the storage container housing the legs off the Gravitic Sled and placed it in the Autodoc.

Carefully, the machine positioned the still-anesthetized Viperwolf onto its back before removing the legs from the container and moving them into position for attachment, directly over the bared, cauterized stumps of the old. The rest, they say, is history, and from then on, it was; once the Viperwolf and his new legs were in the correct positions for the surgery to commence, the Autodoc undid the cauterization work it had previously performed! Then, before the animal's leg-stumps could even begin to bleed, the machine adjusted the animal's immunogenicity, and then painlessly attached the new legs to the Viperwolf via Nanocyte-assisted quantum bonding; steel to_bone_ and_flesh_ to_flesh._ "Hnnn... That went well," I said quietly.

At that, a mixture of affirmation and relief filled my thoughts, as the Autodoc gave the Viperwolf a shot of Purge to flush the anesthetic from its system. The successful surgery to give the Viperwolf new legs, and a far better quality of life, ended the animal's medical treatment. "So... what now?" I wondered. "Are you going to wake him up?" Negation filled my thoughts. "So you'll monitor him - in case something should go wrong - and let him wake up naturally, then" I stated. When the negation I was feeling turned to affirmation, I nodded. "Well, alright," I responded. "I just hope he won't attack me when he wakes up in an unfamiliar place..." At my response, I expected the Dragon Weyr to reply with a mixture of agreement and apprehension... but instead, my thoughts were filled with reassurance and trust.

I chose to stay there, in the Medical Bay, whilst I waited for the now fully healed Viperwolf to awaken. During that time, I pottered about the place - I kept an eye on the animal, checked inventory, wrote in my personal journal, and generally kept myself busy. About three days after the animal's successful surgery, as I lay sleeping in a small cot next to the Autodoc, I was awakened by the sound of a soft, almost canine-like bark. Opening my eyes, I slowly sat up_,_ turned to face the Autodoc and found - to my delight - that the Viperwolf was awake within it, just looking at me as he lay on his side. However, instead of the disorientation and fear I'd expected... all I could see expressed within the emerald-hued eyes of the Viperwolf was confusion.

For a moment, all was still within the Medical Bay - he and I didn't move, blink, or even breathe - but then, the stillness was broken as the Viperwolf turned his head this way and that way, examining his repaired body and new legs. When he deemed his self-examination complete, sitting doglike on his haunches, he returned his attention to me, an oddly canine-like questioning whine escaping him. For a supposedly vicious, carnivorous predator of Pandora, his behavior was somewhat odd. A feeling of suspicion filled my being, then, and I turned my attention to the Dragon Weyr. 'Whilst you were treating his wounds, you didn't do anything else to him, did you?' I wondered.

Almost immediately, a feeling of innocence filled my thoughts, which only confirmed my suspicions that the Dragon Weyr had indeed done something to the animal, but before I could question the great Nexus further, the Viperwolf - unhappy at my silence - barked softly again, in order to regain my attention. In his own way, the animal had asked a question... and now, he was waiting for an answer. Feeling somewhat nervous, I swallowed some saliva to moisten my suddenly dry throat, before awkwardly responding, "It's all right; you... you don't need to be afraid, okay? This is a safe place. I... I brought you here. I found you in the forest outside. You... you were hurt, badly. I brought you here, to help you - to heal you..."

Upon hearing my words, the Viperwolf cocked its head in a sign of clear confusion. 'Well, that was useless!' I thought, moving to lie down on the cot again. 'Why the hell did you do that, genius? It's an animal; it can't understand you at all! Even worse, it's a predator; you can't just walk up to it and talk, like that black cop did to Jackie Chan's character in "Rush Hour!" Heh... "You understand English? Can you understand the words comin' outta my mouth?"' I laughed softly to myself at these silly thoughts... but then, my laughter became a choked off shout, as the Viperwolf leaped out of the opened Autodoc and landed atop me! The animal stared at me and I gazed back at it, calm and unafraid.

"Go on... kill me, then," I uttered softly. "Death would be a release,compared to the life I'm living now. I'll be with Ieesha again, and finally be free of the horrible void in my head..." With those words - the last I would ever speak - I bared my throat to the animal, and then waited to feel the tightening of those obsidian-toothed jaws upon my neck. With a deep, rumbling growl, the Viperwolf opened its obsidian jaws wide... but instead of suffocating me, and breaking my neck as I expected it to do, the creature gently closed its jaws about my throat, drawing only the tiniest drop of blood. Then, after licking away the blood with its tongue - which felt like the warmest, softest, and wettest sandpaper - it laid down on me and proceeded to lick my face!

The feeling of the creature's tongue upon my skin tickled! "Arrgh... ha, ha, ha... stop it!" I laughed, attempting to push its jet-black muzzle away with my hands, but the Viperwolf didn't stop, at all; it just licked at my hands, worming its tongue between my fingers! Finally, when the animal relented and ceased its licking, it rested its head on my chest and sighed softly through its nose. As the Viperwolf continued to rest atop me, I brought a hand up and slowly ran it along the animal's back, feeling the smooth texture of the creature's skin. "You... you aren't going to kill me, are you?" I murmured softly in wonderment, half to it and half to myself. In response to my words, the Viperwolf wuffed softly. "You know..." I said quietly, "you're very lucky to be alive. I think... that I will call you Falkor..."

And that, dear readers, was how the Viperwolf, Falkor, entered my life. I later learned that the Dragon Weyr had done something to him during treatment; it had psychically influenced him -reining in many of his predatory instincts - to allow his natural intelligence to emerge. Falkor was no longer one of Pandora's vicious pack predators; he was gentle and kind, and displayed behavior and loyalty comparable to that of a domestic canine. His intelligence, however, was powerful and somewhat frightening, eerily similar to that of a Mabari War Hound, the fictional canine from the Computer Game, 'Dragon Age: Origins!' This, however, didn't change my view of him, for as I continued to live my simple life on Pandora, Falkor proved to be a stalwart companion and loyal friend.

My provision of aid to the animals of Pandora didn't end with Falkor, however, because my loyal Viperwolf turned out to be quite the seeker and he would often guide me throughout Pandora's forests to wounded animals in need of medical treatment! He never took any of them as prey - he had grown spoiled due to living with me in the Dragon Weyr - but instead, he would sit and look pitifully at me until I either broke out my Medical Kit, or sent whatever animal he'd found away to the Autodoc. A pair of Fan Lizards without their unique fans; a crippled Hexapede with only three legs; a blind Pa'li; a female Viperwolf heavy with pups; a deaf Forest Banshee; a Mountain Banshee with a broken wing - even a mighty Sturmbeast with a toothache of all things.

Thanks to my Viperwolf, Falkor, I was able to find and aid them, and many, many more. Although I became a veterinarian to the animals of Pandora, I knew the natural order of things: animals hunted each other for food and were also hunted by the Na'vi. Thus, if I happened upon a pack of Viperwolves bringing down prey, or a Na'vi hunter stalking a Yerik, for example, I did not interfere! Instead, the animals I helped were often the 'survivors' of such hunts - 'the ones that got away.' I also aided animals that had suffered accidents whilst living their lives, such as Pa'li and Yerik that had fallen into pits or ravines whilst attempting to outrun predators. Treating the animals of Pandora was... therapeutic... for me.

It was something I could do, something on which I could utterly focus myself - and doing so allowed me to finally relax and let go of a little more of my grief at the loss of my beloved Ieesha. As I relaxed, so too did the Dragon Weyr; it no longer snapped its impregnable shield into place whenever I left the safety of its walls to meditate, or followed me via its manufactured Observer when I went foraging_,_ trusting that I and Falkor could keep each other safe. Moreover, whenever we returned to the safety of its walls after a long day of helping sick and injured animals, the great Gate of Dawn would always be open. As with all things, however, I couldn't save every animal I encountered.

Some of the animals to which Falkor guided me possessed wounds far too grievous for me to treat. A Pa'li stallion savaged by a Palulukan; the elderly, arthritic Alpha of Falkor's old pack; a Pa'li mare who'd struggled so hard to birth her only foal; another male Viperwolf, gored by the horns of another mighty Sturmbeast; a majestic Mountain Banshee with a smashed spine... In such situations, I often had to perform a mercy killing... and each time I did so, I wept as I uttered a soft prayer to Adun; that He might guide their spirits safely to the next life. Some of the animals Falkor found were even too wounded for the Dragon Weyr to aid - the great Nexus was deeply pained when a Yerik, whose body had been inexpertly pierced by an inexperienced Na'vi hunter, had expired within its Autodoc.

However_,_ with each animal that the Dragon Weyr and I managed to save, our knowledge of animal medicine grew, and soon the great Nexus and I were saving far more animals, with only the occasional loss of life. Each animal saved - and even each animal lost - was a valuable lesson learned. These lessons did not come without sacrifice, however. As I dedicated more and more of myself to the physical skills of medicine, and the mental abilities of the psionicist - especially, those abilities that dealt with the healing of the animus and the physical body - my skills of martial combat began to wane. I didn't view this as a loss, however; on the contrary - as my martial skills slackened and faltered - I felt a sense of freedom that I'd never felt before, because I felt that I was becoming a true High Templar.

No longer would I be a bizarre hybrid between warrior and psionicist; I would instead be one of the few honored and revered veteran warriors of the Protoss Empire who had set aside the ways of martial combat in order to better command the mighty psychic powers of his race. 'Heh, you can take a Protoss from Aiur, but you can't take Aiur from the Protoss...' I thought absently. It was true, I realized, for although the Protoss had betrayed me, I was still a citizen of Aiur - still a member of the Akilae Tribe of the Templar Caste. Through living my simple life on Pandora and working with the planet's animals, however, I was starting to understand what that all meant, and what the very essence of being a High Templar was. "High Templar" wasn't just a rank, or a fancy title. To become a High Templar... was to embrace an entirely new way of life.

To become a High Templar... was to abandon utterly the ways of mundane combat in order to command and control a power so awesome that it was utterly terrifying. To become a High Templar... was to embrace the true essence of the Khala in order to control said power, so as not to cause untold chaos. To become a High Templar... was to learn and be well versed in the ways of medicine in order to heal the sick and repair the injured. To become a High Templar... was to embrace the ways of peace, compassion, and mercy, yet stand ever vigilant and watchful for the threat of war. I - David Boucher, formerly of Earth and Aiur, and now of Pandora - became this all. Priest of Adun, Healer of the Sick, Psychic Warrior, High Templar. This spiritual journey wasn't made alone, however.

Many of the animals that the Dragon Weyr and I healed were eventually able to return to the wilderness of Pandora, but - strangely - many chose to stay with me and live within the Dragon Weyr, or within the clearing in which it resided! The formerly blind Pa'li whose sight I had restored, the female Viperwolf and her six pups, the Yerik to whom I'd given three new legs, the Fan Lizards, the deaf Forest Banshee, and the great Mountain Banshee whose broken wing I'd had to replace all chose to stay. Food wasn't a problem at all - the Dragon Weyr could provide whatever each animal required for sustenance - but some had particular needs, or required special care, due to their medical conditions. With assistance from the Pandorapedia in the Dragon Weyr's Library Archives, I learned how to feed and care for them all.

Despite the fact that this strange menagerie all lived together, none of the animals attacked each other, for the Dragon Weyr had influenced them all during treatment. I named the female Viperwolf Atreyu. Eventually, she accepted Falkor as a Mate and as a surrogate Father to her pups. As a precaution, I had said pups - three females and three males, whom I named Keewan, Anaya, Ieesha, Jack, Dalton, and Trigger - spayed and neutered. The Pa'li, I named Beauty - after one of the only horses I knew - and the Forest and Mountain Banshees became Leaf and Cloud respectively. The Yerik I named Majestic, for obvious reasons, and the two Fan Lizards earned the names Hop and Skip.

The animals saw me as their caretaker, and since its mighty walls and impregnable shield could easily protect them from other wild animals, the entire menagerie viewed the Dragon Weyr as a place of food and shelter. Moreover, I equipped all of 'my' animals with a Warp Beacon, and all learned to open the glowing blue portal of a Warp Gate as an escape from any Na'vi who might hunt them. During nights - when my menagerie and I all crowded together on the restored Great Fleece Pile to sleep - the feeling of their warmth surrounding me was a comfort and a blessing. 'Heh,' I thought, just before drifting off to sleep one night, 'I've become Pandora's version of Doctor Doolittle...' Another five years passed, and during that time, the Dragon Weyr finished adapting itself to Pandora's atmosphere.

Once that was done, however - to my surprise and delight - the great Nexus expanded in size as it turned its simple Medical Bay into a proper facility for the short and long-term treatment of animals. Additionally, the Nexus created 'nests', outcroppings, and perches all about and within its external structure where the Fan Lizards Hop and Skip, and the recent additions to the menagerie - a pair of Prolemuris and a young Tetrapteron - could live. Due to jealousy of Pandora's bioluminescent flora, the great Nexus even had its Nanocytes insert dozens of Khalani glyphs into the surface of its polymorphic psi-steel skin. These beautiful, delicate, and highly intricate glyphs were all manufactured from Khaydarin Crystal and, during nights, they glowed with the brilliant, cerulean light of absorbed local psi-energy.

Finally, the Dragon Weyr set about creatingsome additional buildings around itself! These additional external structures--each powered via their own internal Khaydarin Crystal Pylon, with backup Psionic Conduits connected to the Dragon Weyr--were extensions of the mighty Nexus. Two of them would serve as nests and stables for Beauty, Majestic, Leaf, and Cloud, whilst another three would serve as shelter for other animals, either those whom I would eventually release, or those whom chose to stay. The final - and perhaps the strangest - addition to the odd group of creatures I fondly dubbed 'the menagerie', was a female Palulukan! This animal, however, was no top predator; she was elderly, covered with countless scars, and was sick with crippling arthritis and a terrible infection stemming from a mouth full of cracked, ruined teeth.

Via a specially formulated treatment of pharmaceutical medicines, combined with psychic healing, I was able to cure the poor Palulukan ofthe infection. Then, extensive follow-up surgery and dental work enabled me to save most of her teeth, but I had to remove those that were too damaged, and these I replaced with false teeth built from deathless-calm-crafted, obsidian-coated psi-iron! After that, extensive work with a Dermal Regenerator served to remove the worst of her many scars. The one thing I couldn't truly cure was the Palulukan's arthritic joints. However, through a weekly regimen of acupuncture performed with specially designed needles, therapeutic psychic massage, and regular exercise to keep her joints mobile, I was able to reduce the crippling pain of her arthritis and greatly improve her quality of life.

The first time I had performed the acupuncture, and then the massage, on the Palulukan was perhaps the most rewarding for me, for it served to reinforce the belief that what I was doing for the animals of Pandora was definitely right. Lowering her massive head to rest between her forepaws, the elderly predator had closed her eyes and visibly relaxed, the tension seeming to drain out of her as she heaved a whimpering-sigh of utter relief. The psychic influence of the Dragon Weyr had turned the Palulukan from a vicious predator into a kind of benign, though somewhat grumpy and surely giant housecat. Improving the animal's quality of life, however, seemed to improve her disposition.

Although I was still the primary caretaker and Alpha of the menagerie - and the Palulukan saw and respected me as such - the great animal became the menagerie's Beta, its second in command. No longer a vicious predator, her nature reflected my own - kind, quiet, and calm-assertive - andthe animal proved to be of tremendous help when tending to animals away from the safety of the Dragon Weyr. This particular Palulukan was no longer a 'dry-mouth-bringer-of-fear'; on the contrary, the mere presence of the huge animal at my side served to calm even the most frightened creature. Additionally, although quite old and unable to hunt as well as her younger kin, the Palulukan had many, many years of life left yet and was still immensely fast and strong! Eventually, I learned to ride upon her back through the forests.

Learning to ride the enormous, Pandoran predator wasn't easy; not at all. I ended up designing a special saddle harness that she could wear in order to facilitate this, but the first prototypes of said harness weren't very well made, or comfortable to sit in for long periods of time. To further complicate things, I had to learn to anticipate her movements such that I could adjust my body to compensate whilst remaining seated. Riding the Palulukan wasn't at all like flying with Ieesha and at first I suffered many knocks, bumps, bruises and near-falls! Eventually, though, after designing, and testing, and then redesigning many prototypes, I finally developed a special combination harness and saddle that worked beautifully.

I could have gone 'high-tech' with the design - employing powerful gravity belts, and psychic force fields - but I chose not to, instead opting for a more traditional design using silver psi-steel and dark brown, fleece-lined, replicated leather. The harness and saddle were similar to those that the cowboys of the old west used for horse riding. Three heavy-duty leather straps, attached via industrial strength metal clips to a newly designed, stronger Utility Belt, ensured that I would remain safely seated within it no matter what happened. Additionally, the harness also possessed "hard points"; places where I could attach saddlebags filled with supplies, additional field medical equipment, and even a sleeping bag if needed!

As weeks turned into months, the Palulukan developed affection towards me that was near motherly in nature! If I ever became so busy with my work that I neglected to eat, she would know and would bump and nudge me with her snout to push me away from whatever I was involved with, before herding me into the Weyrheart's kitchenette, whereupon she wouldn't let me leave until I ate a proper meal! Sometimes, when I would stay up late working, and would neglect to shower or bathe before sleep, the Palulukan would herd me away from whatever I was doing and over to the Fleece Pile, whereupon she would gaze sternly at me until I stripped to my boxers and laid down to sleep.

At that point, she would curl her body about my own and then lick-groom me clean with her tongue, as if I were her kit! Unsurprisingly, her tongue was similar to that of a cat - somewhat like coarse, warm and moist sandpaper - but she was amazingly gentle whenever she groomed me, and seemed to know instinctively that my skin wasn't like her tough, leathery hide. The first time she'd done it, her grooming had felt somewhat uncomfortable and I had felt no small amount of shame and embarrassment at being treated like a child! That hadn't stopped her from doing it again, however... and again, and again... so much so, in fact, that I eventually came to accept it.

Now, I actually looked forward to her nightly grooming sessions for they served as a bath, a full-body massage and an aid to send me into a deep, peaceful dreamless sleep, accompanied by the soft, soothing sound of her purring. It was this deep, motherly affection she gave to me, that finally enabled me to give her something in return: a name. I gave the calm, gentle Palulukan the name Sa'nok - a Na'vi word meaning Mother. Of a morning, I would awaken at the break of dawn with Sa'nok curled around me. After getting up and dressing myself, I would head out of the Dragon Weyr with Sa'nok, Falkor, Atreyu and the pups - whom were now a pack of young adults - following in my wake.

Once outside, I would employ my Singing Bowl to aid me in entering a state of meditation for an hour. During this time, the Dragon Weyr would join me in meditation and, strangely, so would Sa'nok, Falkor, Atreyu, and the Pack. After my morning meditation, I would stretch, and then perform some gentle Tai Chi, before heading inside to the kitchenette to prepare breakfast for all of us. Said breakfast usually consisted of an earth breakfast cereal, hot beverage, and toast for me, and bowls filled with the finest quality raw meats for the others. Afterwards, I would prepare appropriate foodstuffs and then head outside whereupon I would feed Beauty, Majestic, Leaf, and Cloud before proceeding to clean their stables and nests and fill them with fresh bedding.

Hop and Skip - and the Prolemuris and Tetrapteron - could mostly take care of themselves, but I did occasionally leave small treats of teylu grubs and other foods where they could find them. With breakfast done and my menagerie fed, I would head back inside to first check and stock my upgraded Field Medical Kit, and then harness Sa'nok and load her many saddlebags with whatever food and medical supplies I might need that day. Then, with Falkor guiding us, Sa'nok and I would ride forth into the forests of Pandora in search of animals to aid. The days were long and tiring, but ultimately rewarding; sometimes we would encounter as few as two animals that I could treat quickly in the field, whilst other times we would find whole hosts of animals needing urgent medical treatment in the Autodoc_._

However, I hear you ask, 'how did you manage to do this without attracting the attention of the Na'vi?' Well, as I stated, the Dragon Weyr had set down in a place where there were relatively few, if any, Na'vi. Additionally, those Na'vi I did manage to catch a glimpse of kept well away when Sa'nok and I were making our way through the forests. Why? Well... would you be stupid enough to attack a tawtute insane and powerful enough to befriend and ride a dreaded Palulukan? No? I thought not. Time marched ever onward, as it always does. All was relatively fine, until one day, when things became... very complicated. That day, as Sa'nok and I were making our way quietly through the forests we soon heard the distinctive "Aroo! Aroo! Aroo!" that was Falkor's beagle-like cry of "I found something!"

Immediately, I thought to Sa'nok, 'That's Falkor, and he's found another in need of help; let's go!' The keen ears of my Palulukan friend swiveled to track my Viperwolf's distinctive cry... and then we were away, Sa'nok moving and sometimes leaping through the trees! When we reached our destination, Sa'nok slowed to a stop, and I whistled to Falkor. As always, my Viperwolf friend was pleased to see me; he barked happily and then darted over to Sa'nok and I before racing back to stand protectively before whatever it was he'd found. Gently sliding from the back of my Palulukan to the ground, I broke out my Field Medical Kit and then, with Sa'nok following beside me, I swiftly moved to where Falkor was standing.

When I saw what it was that he'd found, however, my heart dropped into my stomach and for a moment, my breath froze in my throat... because what Falkor had found was not another animal! There, laying face down in the grass - a few feet away from where my Viperwolf stood - was one of the Na'vi! At that point, only one thought filled my mind. 'Oh, crap... it's just going to be one of those days...' Pushing the thought from my mind, I gestured for Falkor to move aside. When he did so, I moved myself beside the Na'vi and then, pulling a powerful hand-held psiotechnological Medical Scanner from my Field Medical Kit, I knelt to examine it.

The Na'vi was female, and - at first - appeared atypical of her species. She was humanoid, but also possessed features not unlike that of a feline; I could clearly see her pointed, catlike ears and the long sweeping tail that grew from the base of her spine. Her waist was narrow and elongated, and she had very wide shoulders, which made her upper back appear V-shaped. Sharply defined musculature gave no sense of emaciation, despite her thin proportions, and she had four fingers on each hand and four toes on each foot. Long, thick, luxurious hair on her head protected her tswin - the neural "queue" protruding from the base of her skull - and her body was covered with smooth, iridescent, cyan-coloured skin, accentuated with slightly darker cyan stripes.

That was where her appearance as a typical Na'vi ended because, as I examined her further, I beheld a startling discovery. 'Hold on a moment...' I thought, reviewing the data from the scanner as it entered and merged with my thoughts. 'This Na'vi seems like a typical adult - she has all the right parts that make her so, and the scanner's telling me that she's the correct human biological age to be of Na'vi adult age - but she's just slightly smaller than I am. This young, Na'vi female... has dwarfism!' In addition to this, however, I also discovered - to my dismay - that the beautiful cyan colour of her skin was broken by purple bruising that ranged from mild to severe; she'd been beaten, brutally. "Humph..." I murmured quietly, "so much for the Na'vi being the perfect people..."

Apart from the bruising, the young Na'vi seemed to have no other injuries. For this, I was thankful because, whilst my knowledge of Pandoran Veterinary Medicine was great, I knew practically nothing at all about Na'vi physiology. Now, however, I found myself in somewhat of a quandary, for although she was injured, this Na'vi posed a massive risk to my menagerie and the life I was living now. 'Damn it... all it takes her freaking out and making Tsaheylu with a tree, and Eywa - along with every Na'vi on the planet - will know I'm here!' I thought, angrily. 'If that happens... then I and my menagerie are finished! That fucking Worldmind will stomp us all flat. I know it will - I've seen the video archives of what it had its animal life do to the RDA - and I don't want that fate to befall us... ever!'

Getting to my feet, I quietly moved away from the Na'vi female and then began to pace back and forth, thinking. 'Shit and damnation! What do I do? What the hell do I do?' Oh, how I wished my mentor, High Templar Zhand'Akull, were here at this moment, for he was far older than I and incredibly wise, and I could have sought his advice in this matter. Unfortunately, he wasn't here and so, in desperation, I turned to the only being that was - the Dragon Weyr. 'Please, help me! What should I do, friend? Should I treat her injuries and then leave her here? Should I take her back to your Clinic for better treatment, and in doing so, risk revealing you and myself to Eywa and the Na'vi? Or should I... should I kill her? It would definitely keep us safe...' At that choice, via our psychic bond, the Dragon Weyr slammed me with a blast of NEGATION!

"Ai, ai, ai, shit, okay, okay, yes, bad idea, bad idea; doing that would also bring shame and dishonor down upon myself and my Caste! It... It was just a thought; I just had to cover all the options." Affirmation filled my thoughts, which soon became gentle neutrality as I stated, "Well... what then? Treat her here?" Negation filled my thoughts again, leaving me with the only option that I knew the Dragon Weyr would agree with - taking her back to its Clinic for proper treatment! At that, I became utterly incensed! ' WHAT? Are you trying to get us exposed to Eywa and the Na'vi? You'll get us all killed!' _ I raged mentally. The Dragon Weyr, obviously, didn't think so, for it soothed away my rage with deep _calm and then projected feelings of reassurance and trust into my thoughts_._

Sighing in exasperation, I shook my head. "All right, all right" I said. "I'll fit her with a Warp Beacon; we'll bring her back to the Clinic... but if she freaks out and brings a shitload of Na'vi and animals down on us by telling Eywa, I'm going to dismantle you piece by piece, got it?!" The Dragon Weyr didn't seem at all concerned by my threat; on the contrary, as I attached the Warp Beacon to the body of the young Na'vi, and then activated it, amusement from the great Nexus filled my thoughts. The great construct had a right to be amused, for my threat wasn't real, but was hollow and empty; I'd threatened the Dragon Weyr with destruction many, many times before, during periods of frustration and anger, but of course, I had never followed through. 'You know I wouldn't really destroy you' I thought, heaving a weary sigh as I shook my head.

'If I did... I'd be losing a part of myself, and... a part of Ieesha. But... damn it, man; you drive me nuts, sometimes!' Mixed affirmation and sorrow filled my thoughts, and I sighed again before replying, 'Look, it's okay. I just... I hope you know what you're doing...' Reassurance and trust filled my thoughts as I swiftly packed up my Medical Kit, mounted Sa'nok and then whistled to Falkor as we turned to head home; I didn't feel like doing any more work today. As we slowly made our way back to the Dragon Weyr, I began to berate myself internally. 'I'm neglecting my duty, damn it; I should keep working until the day ends...' It was true, I was neglecting my duties, but the shock of finding the Na'vi - and the thought that my life on Pandora might be finished because of her - was too much to bear.

Upon finally reaching the Dragon Weyr, we made our way inside to the Weyrheart and then, once I'd unharnessed Sa'nok, and had hung her harness on its special wall-mounted rack, I slumped down onto the Great Fleece Pile and rested my head in my hands with a groan. "I... I think we're fucked, guys. I honestly think we're fucked. When that Na'vi wakes from treatment... if she freaks, we're finished; it's all over." At that, worry and concern from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts and - sensing my mood - Sa'nok, Falkor, Atreyu and the Pack all draped themselves about and over me, nuzzling, and licking at me, mewling and whining softly; they, too, were worried and concerned for me.

At that, I couldn't take it anymore; I wept, quietly and bitterly, and as I did so I conveyed to them my thoughts; that everything would be okay, that I wouldn't let the Na'vi and Eywa destroy them, this place, and everything I had worked so hard to build here. "I won't let them have you, and the Dragon Weyr, I won't!" I choked out. None of my animals could speak English, of course, but they replied to me in their own way, barking, yipping, and mewling softly; they knew, and understood, and were thankful. With that, I pulled myself together; wiping the tears from my eyes with a piece of my Templar Robe, I sat up and then, leaning back against Sa'nok's body, I sent a query to the Dragon Weyr. "Well," I snapped gruffly, "what's the damage?"

Sensing my mood, and knowing that I was referring to the Na'vi currently in treatment within its Autodoc, the great Nexus swiftly sent me a report via psychic data burst. Aside from the injuries that I'd already discovered whilst I'd been in the field, she also had multiple broken bones and bruised organs. "Hmm... the beating she received was worse than it seemed, eh?"Absent affirmation filled my thoughts as, via the Autodoc, the Dragon Weyr busied itself with scanning, analyzing, and treating the Na'vi. "Humph. Estimated time for completion of treatment?" I asked. Privately, I thought, 'In other words, how long before you can get her the hell out of here?' Upon receiving the Nexus' answer to my question - again, via psychic data burst - a weary sigh escaped me. Treatment of the Na'vi would take several weeks.

Once again, the Dragon Weyr was going to take things slowly. "Shit... Well that's great," I grumbled, "just great..." That night - despite having the warmth and comfort of part of my menagerie surrounding me - I did not sleep well, at all. I was held in the throes of a terrible nightmare - the worst I'd suffered yet - of golden-eyed, cyan-skinned, war-painted Na'vi! Whooping, and hollering with unrestrained glee, they slaughtered the beloved animals of my menagerie and tore apart the mighty walls of the Dragon Weyr, with the assistance of an army of wild animals! Despite our valiant effort at fighting back, Cloud and Leaf were the first to fall to a hail of arrows, followed by Beauty and Majestic. Hop and Skip, along with the Prolemuris and Tetrapteron, managed to escape, thankfully.

Falkor, Atreyu, and the Pack were the next to be slaughtered but then, as the Na'vi moved to Sa'nok - whom was curled protectively around me - thankfully, the nightmare ended, as I awoke with a pained cry, my heart thumping in my chest with the force of a sledgehammer! For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was! A host of emerald-hued eyes stared at me - obviously belonging to the warm bodies by which I was surrounded - but what was I lying against that was actually breathing? However, when I heard a soft noise - almost a purr - and then felt a warm, rough tongue remove the sweat from my forehead, I remembered... When I heard a series of distressed whines and whimpers, and then felt smaller muzzles poking curiously at me, along with the feeling of softer tongues licking here and there about my body, I remembered...

And when I felt the feelings of great worry, and concern, fill my thoughts, I remembered... I was in the Weyrheart, within the Dragon Weyr. I was home, with my menagerie, and the mighty walls of the Dragon Weyr still stood; the destruction of the great Nexus and the slaughter of my menagerie hadn't happened. 'It was a dream...' I thought, leaning back into Sa'nok's body with a sigh as I softly caressed the heads of Falkor, Atreyu and the Pack. 'It was all just a terrible, terrible dream...' For the next several weeks, whilst the Na'vi female was in treatment, I paid no visits to the Dragon Weyr's newly expanded Clinic whatsoever, because she was there and I wanted nothing to do with her. Instead, I simply continued my self-assigned duties.

By day, I continued treating the injured animals of Pandora, but my mood swung halfway between highly agitated and pensive. By night, I suffered in the grip of one horrific nightmare after another, each worse than the last; all involved either the death of my beloved Lifemate, or the destruction of the Dragon Weyr. Eventually, these nightmares became such a hindrance, that one day, Sa'nok - upon sensing how tired I was - quite simply refused to let me harness her. Even worse, the Dragon Weyr refused to open its Gate! No matter how much I begged and pleaded, and then raged and screamed, the massive Gate of Dawn simply wouldn't open. It was then... that I finally just gave up; a choked sob escaped me as I pounded my fists against the indestructible gate one last time, before collapsing to the floor and curling in upon myself.

At that point, the Dragon Weyr shifted me back to the Fleece Pile, whereupon Sa'nok, Falkor, Atreyu and the Pack curled and draped themselves about me. Then, via Nanocyte infusion, the great Nexus placed a dose of a powerful sedative into my bloodstream... and finally, finally, I slept. I can't recall exactly how long I slept - perhaps it was for three days, or perhaps it was for an entire week - but when I next awakened, it was to the Nexus repeatedly broadcasting urgent psychic 'pings' into my head. Cracking open eyes gummed with the grit of sleep, I sat up and stretched, raising my arms high above my head as I opened my mouth in a jaw-cracking yawn. Then, leaning back into Sa'nok's body again, I sleepily asked, "Whadizzit? Whazzamatter?"

'This better be important,' I grumbled privately to myself. 'If the bloody Na'vi aren't trying their best to bash down the Gate of Dawn, then I'm not going anywhere!' I had originally intended to go back to sleep after hearing what the Dragon Weyr had to say, but when I received an answer to my sleepy query, all thought of returning to sleep was banished from my mind: the Na'vi was awake. At that, I groaned quietly, and rested my head in my hands for a moment. Then, I murmured, "Ah, shit! Well, time to face the music I guess..." With that, I commanded the pack and Sa'nok to stay where they were, and then headed to the Dragon Weyr's new Clinic. When I arrived there, upon stepping through the entryway, I saw that the Na'vi was, indeed, awake and walking about inside the Autodoc.

Pausing, I observed her for a moment. Although her hair was still a tangled mess, the Autodoc had given her a 'psychic wash' - had literally obliterated every speck of dirt from her body - and she was completely healed, her cyan-coloured skin clean and unmarred. For a Na'vi, she was beautiful - any Na'vi male would be foolish not to pick her as a potential mate - and I thanked Adun profusely that she wasn't completely naked. A halter-top made from some kind of leather material - possibly Sturmbeast hide - covered her breasts, and she possessed the usual loincloth worn by all Na'vi, but said garments left little to the imagination! 'Damn... I'm glad she's wearing those garments' I thought. 'I don't think I could cope if she was_completely_ naked.' Amusement filled my thoughts than, and I grumbled, 'Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, you bolt bucket...'

I had assumed originally that she would loathe being away from nature, in this place filled with so much tawtute technology, but the fear and hatred I was expecting to see on her face and in her body language... wasn't there. Instead, I saw an almost childlike wonder, as she tried to gaze at everything in the Clinic at once. When her golden-eyed gaze fell upon me, however, she suddenly went very still... and then, the expression on her face turned to one of sheer awe, mixed with more than a little fear, as she softly gasped, "Tawtute Palulukan Makto!" I knew only the barest smattering of her language, thanks to long hours of reading through the digital pages of the Pandorapedia, but what I knew was enough, for now.

'Heh... "Skyperson Palulukan Rider!" Well, it's better than "ketuwong, or "skxawng", at least!' I thought. Then, giving her a somewhat hesitant smile, I nodded, and quietly replied, "Srane. Oel ngati kameie." At that, a brilliant smile lit up the Na'vi woman's face, before she responded in kind, saying her race's greeting properly. "Oel ngati kameie, Palulukan Makto! Oeru syaw fko Txe'lan. Fyape fko syaw ngar?" At that, I blinked. She'd just given me her name, Txe'lan - the Na'vi word for heart - and had asked for my own name. 'Wow...' I thought. 'I never thought that a Na'vi would be so... open and friendly. Whoops... better give her an answer...' Nodding in acknowledgement to her, I quickly replied, "Oeru syaw fko David." At that, the Na'vi woman nodded, and then repeated my name.

She pronounced it as "Txa'vit", but I smiled and nodded; I didn't mind. Thus, we learned each other's names. 'And that's about the extent of my Na'vi, unfortunately. It's a start, though.' I thought. 'She seems peaceful, and appears to be far more curious than hostile. I'd better tell the Dragon Weyr to open the Autodoc, so she can come out of there...' Even as the thought entered my mind, however, the Dragon Weyr was already turning it to action. As the top of the amazing medical machine silently rose upwards to the ceiling, and its Plexiglas walls lowered themselves into the floor, the Na'vi woman, Txe'lan, watched in fascination.When the Autodoc was fully open, somewhat hesitantly, Txe'lan made her way over to me and then... she wrapped her arms about me and pulled me tightly against her in an embrace.

While I stood there in utter astonishment, too stupefied to do anything, suddenly, she began to weep openly - her eyes misting over with tears, which ran down her face and onto my Templar Robe - as she softly uttered a single word, "Irayo," repeatedly. She was thanking me, I realized, thanking me for helping her. This female Na'vi - who I barely knew, and who had haunted me in my nightmares - was embracing me as she thanked me for saving her! Of all the things that I had expected her to do when she awoke, I hadn't expected this... at all! Compassion rose within me and without hesitation, I wholeheartedly returned her embrace, wrapping my arms about her and rubbing softly at her back and shoulders as I whispered soft nothings into her feline-like ears.

It was then I realized that my fears of her 'freaking out' and calling down a horde of Na'vi were for naught; she wasn't going to do that, not after I'd helped her! 'What were you thinking, you idiot?' I thought, berating myself internally. At that, amusement from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts, and I heaved an internal sigh before responding, 'Yeah, yeah, you're laughing it up now, but her going nuts was a legitimate threat, damn it!' At that, negation filled my thoughts and I closed my eyes. The computer system of the Dragon Weyr - the mystical machine that was the throne of its living technological soul - was based upon the brain of my beloved Ieesha, and she had always been just that little bit wiser than I, and able to see things that I often overlooked.

'You're right, my friend' I thought. 'You're always right...' As the mighty construct's negation filled my thoughts again, ever so carefully, I broke the embrace with Txe'lan and then stepped back to look at her. When I did so, she lowered her head, her sanhì glowing visibly as she uttered a short diatribe in Na'vi and - although I couldn't understand her - I guessed from her body language and sanhì that she was deeply embarrassed and was apologizing for her behavior. Immediately, I began to tell her that she didn't need to apologize for everything... but as I did so I realized we had a slight problem. 'Hang on a moment' I thought, 'I can barely speak or even understand Na'vi - and I highly doubt that she knows English. This language barrier's eventually going to be a problem. Now, though, I need to get her out of here and have her meet everyone.'

Slowly, hesitantly - unsure of how she would react - I reached out a hand to her. To my relief, she copied the gesture and when our hands finally touched, I slowly wrapped my hand about her own. "Za'u," I said softly, giving her hand a gentle tug. "Za'u. Rä'ä... txopu." Amusement filled my thoughts; the Dragon Weyr was laughing at my pathetic attempt at communication. 'Oh, hush, you!' I grumbled at it mentally. 'I'm probably butchering her language. I don't have access to the ability to build a translation database, like you do, so this'll have to do...' Affirmation from the mighty construct filled my thoughts as - to my surprise and relief - Txe'lan nodded, and then walked beside me as I led her out of the Clinic.

The walk back to the Weyrheart was slow and pleasant. As we travelled, Txe'lan gazed in wonder at the golden psi-steel walls of the corridor... and then, her wonder became awe as she stared at the beautifully coloured tapestries adorning them. Said tapestries depicted brilliantly realized scenes of mighty Protoss Zealots and High Templar locked in fierce combat against the Great Enemy: the Zerg. When we finally arrived at the Weyrheart entrance, I turned to Txe'lan and raised my hand in a 'stopping' gesture. "Rutxe 'i?'awn," I said to her, softly. She nodded, and then I proceeded into the Weyrheart. As I stepped into the great room, Falkor - whom was still curled up with Atreyu, the Pack, and Sa'nok - barked happily, and then got to his feet; he wanted to trot over to me and greet me

However, with a gentle hand gesture and a softly spoken word in Khalani I commanded him - and everyone else - to stay where they were, as I didn't want Txe'lan to enter here and perhaps be frightened by an enthusiastic greeting from my beloved animal friends. Then, returning to the Weyrheart entrance, I gave Txe'lan a smile and took her hand again. "Za'u, Txe'lan. Za'u." Her golden eyes filled with wonder, she nodded, and then finally, we stepped into the Weyrheart. What happened then was something that I will never forget. As she stepped with me into the Weyrheart for the very first time, Txe'lan goggled - her golden eyes almost popping from her skull - as she tried to take in first the sheer size of the room, and then everything else in it, from the dresser to the leather sofa, to the amazing Holo-screen.

However, when she spied the Great Fleece Pile - and what rested upon it - she gasped in fright, and then turned to me and frantically asked me something in Na'vi that I couldn't understand. 'Probably asking me what they're all doing here, I'll bet' I thought to myself. 'The sight of a pack of eight Nantang curled up with a Palulukan probably wasn't what she was expecting to see when I brought her in here.' Turning to her, I grasped both of her hands in mine, and then quietly I said, "Mawey, Txe'lan, mawey. Rä'ä txopu. Kea hrrap, kea hrrap..." For a moment, Txe'lan just stared at me - perhaps wondering if I'd utterly lost my mind - but then, she closed her eyes, heaved a tense-sounding sigh, and nodded.

Gently, I led her over to the old leather sofa, and showed it to her. Reaching out a hand, Txe'lan ran her hand along its top surface - marveling at the feel of the soft leather - and then, when I sat down on it and leaned back, she was surprisingly quick to join me. As she sank down into it, an expression of surprise crossed her face, which soon turned to pleasure as she leaned into the backrest. 'Hm, from the look on her face, she's probably never felt anything like it; the Na'vi don't have comfortable sofas, handmade using replicated genuine leather!' At that, a mixture of affirmation, agreement and_amusement_ filled my thoughts. At that moment, I became curious, and queried the Dragon Weyr. 'She seems awfully accepting of things here at the moment, my friend' I said, mentally. 'You haven't influenced her, have you?'

Negation filled my thoughts, and at this, I smiled; apart from the normal empathic field generated via its Khaydarin Core - which made anyone who set foot within the great Nexus feel a sense of welcome, and_comfort -_ the Dragon Weyr hadn't directly influenced anyone. '... Except for the animals of my Menagerie' I responded, 'and your influence wore off long ago. My animals are here because they want to be, and they don't attack or kill each other - or even be aggressive towards one another - because they know that there's a better way to live, now. Thank you, my friend.' A mixture of negation and embarrassment filled my thoughts, followed by a series of psychic images - my swift treatment of the animals' injuries, my feeding and caring for them, and the many times I had simply stopped to spend time with them.

The Nexus was attempting to convey that I had been more responsible for everything than it had been, and at that, I shook my head. 'Well, all right then, I guess we can agree that we're both responsible for it all' I said. As the great construct's affirmation filled my thoughts, I turned back to Txe'lan, and saw that she was sitting next to me on the sofa, quietly watching me, with a worried expression. As I returned my attention to her, however, she tilted her head and then softly asked me a question in Na'vi. 'Probably wondering why I seemed to be staring off at nothing. I really need to show her around and introduce her to you properly...' Absent affirmation filled my thoughts - the Dragon Weyr's equivalent of "yes, but do it later" - and with the promise to do so firmly in my thoughts, I gave Txe'lan a smile.

At that, Txe'lan began to relax, and - once she had relaxed completely - one by one, I called each individual member of 'my' Nantang Pack. Falkor was the first to respond; he swiftly trotted over to us and then - as Txe'lan looked on - he quietly sat at my feet. Gesturing to him, I softly said, "Falkor." Wide-eyed, Txe'lan repeated the unusual English name to herself a few times to get it right and then, staring into the eyes of my Viperwolf friend she softly uttered, "Fahl-korr." When he barked softly in response, she grinned. Gently taking her hand in my own, I presented it to Falkor, and he tentatively sniffed, and then licked, at her fingers. At this, Txe'lan first gasped, and then giggled! When I showed her the places where he liked to be stroked and scratched - and he promptly melted and rolled over onto his back - she laughed at his unusual antics!

As my Palulukan, Sa'nok, watched with a careful eye, one by one, the rest of the Pack - Atreyu, Keewan, Anaya, Ieesha, Jack, Dalton, and Trigger - all came over to meet Txe'lan. As each one did so, I told her their names and she swiftly learned them all and how to pronounce them as best she could. Soon the entire pack was being stroked, petted and scratched by the inquisitive Na'vi - and if they weren't then they were vying for her attention! They gazed at her pitifully, begged, danced on their hind legs, or even held out a paw for her to shake... all of which soon had Txe'lan in stitches with laughter!

Her laughter soon ended, however, when Sa'nok finally roused herself from the Great Fleece Pile and ambled slowly over to us. As the elderly, though still fearsome female Palulukan moved to where we were seated on the sofa, Txe'lan clutched one of my hands in a death grip, her eyes wide with fear. "P-P-Palulukan..." she rasped, her throat suddenly dry. Giving her a reassuring smile, I nodded to her. "Srane, Palulukan_,"_ I replied, once Sa'nok had reached us. Then, gesturing to said animal I quietly said, "Sa'nok."At that, Txe'lan's fear evaporated as she just turned and stared at me for a moment, the expression on her face one of sheer incredulity! Then, she responded, "Sa'nok? Sa'nok!" I grinned and nodded, before answering, "Srane, Sa'nok."

Then, taking Txe'lan's hand, I placed it beneath Sa'nok's muzzle. When I did this, Txe'lan went very still at first, fearing that the mighty predator might attack her. However, when Sa'nok sniffed her hand, taking in her scent, and then licked gently at her fingers, the young Na'vi's jaw dropped open as her expression became one of sheer wonder. Then, she suddenly turned to me and began asking a series of rapid-fire questions, speaking so fast that I couldn't understand her at all! With a chuckle and a shake of my head, I took Txe'lan's hand again, placed it upon the bridge of Sa'nok's muzzle, and gently moved it in a 'stroking' motion. When I did this, Txe'lan quickly got the idea and started to softly stroke the great beast's muzzle on her own, and Sa'nok's eyes slowly closed at the contact as she let out a rumbling purr.

With Sa'nok's acceptance of Txe'lan, my life went back to normal - well, as normal as it could be on Pandora - with one exception: the young Na'vi, Txe'lan. She became a part of my everyday life. Although I wasn't a truly qualified teacher, I 'took her under my wing' as a kind of apprentice, and began to teach her what I could. One of the first things I attempted to teach her was, of course, the English language. In exchange, she attempted to teach me Na'vi. As with many things, however, nothing went as planned - and, eventually, she and I developed our own unique language consisting of a combination of English, Khalani, and Na'vi. Additionally, I also took the time to properly introduce her to the Dragon Weyr.

When I took her outside, to allow her to see where she'd been staying - and she saw just what the Dragon Weyr actually was - as she beheld the heavily armored, glyph-inscribed psi-steel pyramid, shining gold in the light of the great star that served as Pandora's sun, she wept silently. "This is your kelku, where I have been staying as your guest, since you healed me?" she asked through her tears. "Yes" I replied, nodding, "this is my home. Welcome, Txe'lan, to the Dragon Weyr." For a long while, Txe'lan did not reply; she was simply too overwhelmed by the beauty, and the sheer size of the Nexus to respond. When, at last, she did reply - after coming to her senses - she said, "I... I did not know that the tawtute could make things of such beauty. The craftsmen of my Clan would weep with joy to see even the smallest glimpse of this place. If I may ask, however... why is it so large?"

"It is large because it was built to house myself and... and my Beloved" I answered. At this, Txe'lan regarded me curiously. " Your beloved? You have a Mate among the tawtute?" Gently, I shook my head, before replying, "No, she was not tawtute; she was... an Ikran. A very, very special Ikran." My answer served to make Txe'lan utterly stupefied for a moment - her eyes became wide and her jaw dropped open in wonder - but then, when she regained her composure, she said "An Ikran_?! Your Mate is an_ Ikran_?! How could you become mated to an_ Ikran_? My people make Tsaheylu with Ikran during the Rite of Iknimaya, but..."_ At that point, she broke off, sensing that I was becoming uncomfortable.

After a moment of indecision as to whether to speak again, she finally said, "I... I am sorry if I have offended you, Txa'vit. You have not been dishonest with me, so for now I shall believe what you say." At this, I smiled and blinked away the beginnings of questionable moisture in my eyes. 'Just a little dust in my eyes. Yeah. That's all...' I thought. Txe'lan wouldn't know that I still grieved for my beloved Ieesha every day. She would not know that I had had part of my soul torn away with the severing of our telepathic bond. She would not know that within my mind, where Ieesha's warm presence once resided, there was now a chilling void, into which I had almost fallen. No, she would not know, could not know. Not yet.

Taking her hand, I brought her back inside the Dragon Weyr to the Weyrheart. Then, sitting down in front of the Holo-screen, I had the Dragon Weyr retrieve and display the dozens of pictures and videos of Ieesha and I that had been captured throughout our lives. Txe'lan and I stayed in front of that screen for what seemed like an age. It was there that she learned not of an Ikran but of a mighty Dragon. It was there that she and I sometimes laughed, sometimes gasped in awe, and sometimes cried. It was there that she learned of Ieesha, my beloved Dragon of the Sun. When we arose from the sofa some three hours later, our bones stiff and sore, Txe'lan turned to look at me, her eyes moist with fresh, unshed tears.

"I... I was blind, but now I see, and your sorrow is my own, Txa'vit," she said. "Your Iee'zha must have been a truly wonderful Mate. I wish I could have met her..." A wistful sigh escaped Txe'lan, then, and I blinked and gave her a sad smile. "Oh, Ieesha would have loved you..." I rasped softly. Then, clearing my throat, I took her hand. "How would you like to see the rest of the Dragon Weyr?" I asked. The brilliant smile that lit up her face was all the answer I needed. I took Txe'lan everywhere within the Great Nexus. I showed her not only all the rooms within the Weyrheart, but the Laboratory and my humble Office, as well as the Clinic, the Psiodeck, and the immense room that held its mighty Khaydarin Crystal Power Core.

Txe'lan, unlike most Na'vi, did not harbor any distrust of tawtute technology - it had saved her life, after all - and she was in fact awed by everything I showed her. In particular, she adored the 'great lake' and the 'warm rain-and-wind maker' in the bathroom, as well as the 'rep-lee-kay-torr', which could make food appear out of thin air! Additionally, once I taught her to read and write both English and Khalani, she came to love the Dragon Weyr's Library Archives, where she could learn so much... And learn she did - mostly everything she could about all kinds of science! Sometimes, she got so engrossed with her learning, that it often took repeated nudging and bumping via Sa'nok's muzzle to get her away from the Holo-Screen and her dozens, and dozens, and dozens, of pages filled with notes!

Txe'lan was floored that the Dragon Weyr-which she had initially thought to be little more than a tawtute building of cold, lifeless steel-was alive, and possessed its own mind and soul! She came to revere the Nexus as the closest thing to a deity, so much so, that eventually she began to pray to it instead of her own deity, Eywa, and called herself "Weyr'eveng" or "Child of the Weyr," during said prayers! Although deeply humbled, and flattered, the Dragon Weyr often attempted to dissuade her, gently, from her worship; it was no deity and didn't deserve such devotion. Txe'lan, however, would not be dissuaded, at all! Her rejection of Eywa for the science and technology of the wondrous fortress did not sit well with me, however. 'Adun, help me, what have I done? I wanted to help her, not give her cultural contamination!'

Eventually, I confronted her about it. "When I was lying in the forest, wounded and dying, Eywa did not help me; Palulukan Makto, and Txra'kon We'er did," she answered when I questioned her. "When I pray, Txra'kon We'er hears and answers and you, Palulukan Makto Txa'vit, have helped me to learn so much... I appreciate your concern for me, but you do not need to worry. I am not 'contaminated', Txa'vit; I will remember, always, where I have come from as I look forward to where I am going." At that, I sighed, and then gave her a wry grin, which she returned. "Well, all right, then" I replied. "If you want to believe in and worship the Dragon Weyr as a deity, I won't stop you."

And, keeping true to my word, I didn't. On the contrary, I continued teaching Txe'lan everything I knew. She took to the arts of martial combat like a fish to water, and - although she was no psychic - as her level of devotion to the great construct increased, she gained a kind of sixth sense towards the Dragon Weyr. Somehow, she just came to_know_ when systems needed maintenance, or when something was amiss or awry inside it; an ability that became highly attuned when I eventually taught her to meditate. When I would perform maintenance on, or tweak or modify the many systems of the construct, she would be there with me, overseeing my work as she uttered soft prayer.

She learned so much from watching me work in fact, that soon, she began to tweak and help maintain the Dragon Weyr herself; something that I and the massive construct greatly appreciated, since my duties as a Veterinarian to Pandora's animals often kept me busy. Eventually, when her knowledge of the mighty Nexus and its mysteries surpassed my own, with its blessing and my consent, the Dragon Weyr formed a psychic bond with Txe'lan and allowed her to become its Tsa'hik. Most Tsa'hik's used herbs and potions in their work to communicate with Eywa and provide spiritual guidance. However, as Tsa'hik of the Dragon Weyr, Txe'lan employed the powerful psychic bond she shared with the construct, as well as a set of glyph-inscribed tools, which she kept wrapped in a medicine bundle at her waist.

With almost lyrical prayer, a keen eye and a careful hand, every time she manipulated the Dragon Weyr'scomplex electrical and crystalline circuitry she wove together spirituality and science. She wasn't just a glorified mechanic, however; she was a true Tsa'hik in every sense of the word, often aiding me with wisdom, advice, and even knowledge of the surrounding lands from her time as a Child of Eywa. Additionally, she often provided counsel when I failed to save a life, or had to make difficult decisions regarding patients in my care. When she wasn't tending to her duties as Tsa'hik of the Dragon Weyr_,_ Txe'lan also assisted me with caring for the beloved animals of my menagerie.

One morning, when I released Majestic for the day - after giving him his usual feed of sweet nectar - as she helped me muck out his stable she asked me, "If you have healed them all, Txa'vit, why do the animals stay? You have told me that they are not slaves - that they are free - so why do they not return to their homes?" Wanting to provide her a proper answer to her question, I thought for a while, before I finally replied, "Some of my animals cannot return to their homes, Txe'lan-such as the two Ikran, Leaf and Cloud-whilst the others choose to stay, because... because they are my family, now." For a moment, Txe'lan pondered the reply I'd given her... and then, finally, she nodded in satisfaction.

Eventually, the day came when she finally opened herself up to me and told me her story. "I am Txe'lan, once of the Children of Eywa and now Tsa'hik of the living tawtute kelku, Txra'kon We'er. This, you know" she said, as we relaxed with the Pack and Sa'nok after yet another long, and eventful day. When she began to speak, I sat up from where I was half-laying against Sa'nok. "Hey... You don't have to... If you're at all uncomfortable with telling me..." As I spoke, however, she raised a hand for silence. "I appreciate and thank you for your concern, Txa'vit" she said softly, "but it is unnecessary. You have seen_me, but now I feel you must_ know me." Then, she continued, "I was once one of the People of the Clan Tawkami."

"When I was a young child, I lived a happy life with the People of my Clan; my Mother, Sunu, taught me the crafts of Weaving and Medicine, and my Father, Rìkean, taught me the arts of Hunting and Landlore. All was fine at first, until I - and then Sa'nok and Sempul - began to notice that, although my mind grew as I learned, my body did not grow; I remained the size of a child whilst other children around me grew tall and strong." Txe'lan paused for a moment, to gather her thoughts. As she did so, I softly asked her, "Were the people of your Clan concerned that you weren't growing like a normal child?" At my question, Txe'lan blinked, and then slowly shook her head. "Not at first, no." she answered.

"They believed that I was just 'slow to grow' and that, with time, I would eventually grow to be as tall as my brothers and sisters in the Clan. This, however, did not happen - I remained the size of a child, the size of an adult tawtute - and soon, some among the Clan began to whisper darkly that I had been... tainted... cursed by Eywa. Our Olo'eyktan did nothing to quell the whisperings; in fact - as more and more of my people began to believe them - he, too, came to believe that they were true! Sometime after this, I remember being abruptly awakened in the night by six mighty warriors whom were the Olo'eyktan's personal guard. They dragged me into the forest, and then... then, as the Olo'eyktan looked on and did nothing to help they beat me brutally, to within an inch of my life. Then, they left me there in the forest to die..."

"... and you certainly would have, had Falkor and I not found you." I finished. "But... Look at where you are now; you've gone from being a Tawkami Clan outcast to becoming the wise and knowledgeable Tsa'hik of the Dragon Weyr! However, as you look forward to the future, never forget your Clan, and its people, never forget where you've come from." Txe'lan nodded. "I will not, Txa'vit. Thank you for your words." Then, she said, "Now you know me, Txa'vit, but I do not know you. Will you tell me of yourself, and where you come from? How did you come here, and become brave enough to become Palulukan Makto?" At her questions, I grew somewhat pensive. 'Oh, boy...' I thought, 'she just had to ask the big ones, didn't she?"

Amusement filled my thoughts, then and irritably, I grumbled, 'Shut up you!' At that, even more amusement filled my thoughts; the Dragon Weyr was finding my predicament hilarious. Finally, I replied, "To answer your questions, I will have to tell you a story." At this, Txe'lan - who had been relaxing against Sa'nok's body - sat up and looked at me attentively. "Please do, Txa'vit, I have always loved stories! The storytellers of my Clan knew much about our land, and of Eywa, and they could weave the most incredible tales!" Her enthusiastic reply lightened my mood and made me smile for a moment, but then I gazed solemnly at her and replied, "The tale I am about to tell you is unlike anything you've ever heard from your Clan's storytellers, Txe'lan. You may not understand all of it, and some of it might seem like a fantasy - just the mad ramblings of an insane tawtute. Are you sure you want to hear it?" Txe'lan nodded.

And so, I told her... I told her of a young tawtute boy who spent fifteen lonely years on Earth, struggling to control a power that he was born with, but which he didn't understand... I told her of the boy's power being revealed during an argument with his parents, a revelation that almost resulted in their deaths... And I told her of the young boy being taken to a Science Facility by his Father, where he was left to his fate: to be studied like an Ikran in a cage and then trained to become a feared 'Ghost' Covert Operative. "You must understand that this was a veritable death sentence for me, Txe'lan" I said to her as I continued my tale. "I mean that, literally-when you're trained as a Ghost, you don'thave a life anymore.

The government erases all records of your former life-and you can never again contact your family. In addition, I've heard stories from a few people, good and decent folk who managed to escape their training. The Covert Ops Facilities are akin to 'hell on earth.' Trainee Ghosts must face countless horrific tests. Those who fail the tests suffer irreversible insanity and face execution soon after. They are the lucky ones, for the trainees who survive become little more than drones, completely devoid of emotion! Psychic Dampeners-devices designed to suppress psychic power-are surgically implanted into these men, and then they undergo training to become government assassins."

At this, Txe'lan held up a hand, telling me to pause for a moment. When I did so, she said, " 'Assassin?' I do not know this word, Txa'vit. What is an Assassin?" I didn't answer her question, at first. Instead, I rested my head in my hands for a moment, overcome with old, old memories. Only when Txe'lan rested a hand on my shoulder in concern did I raise my head and answer, "A... A hunter of sorts - somewhat like a Nantang with no pack- but one that holds no respect for the life he hunts. Assassins are cruel and heartless, Txe'lan, and possess respect only for money and the people they are paid to work for... if at all." With that, I had the Nexus send her a vision of what I had almost become:a 'Ghost' Covert Operative...

The fully trained, ruthless killer dressed in a sealed environmental suit as black as the night, his breath a harsh rasp from the rebreather in his helmet, his enhanced cybernetic eyes glowing with a green inhuman light as he gazed at her coldly, before bearing down upon her, his powerful C-10 Canister Rifle raised for a killing shot... When the vision ended, for a moment Txe'lan just stared at me with an expression that bespoke of utter horror, as for the first time she realized what I could have become. Then, she blinked and shook her head. "But you are here now and you still have your power; you did not become this thing, this 'Assassin.' How did you escape that fate?"

Her question would be answered as I continued my tale. I told Txe'lan of humanities discovery of an alien race, the Protoss, whom lived on a massive Jungle World called Aiur... I told her of humankind's subsequent war with them... And I told her of the destruction of the Science Facility. "During the chaos of the building's annihilation, Txe'lan, somebody saved me by transporting me aboard the Flagship of the Protoss Fleet, a mighty vessel called a 'Carrier', which was named the 'Golden Rage'" I continued. "There, I met one of the Protoss, a giant, glowing-eyed, power-suited figure named Ar'Adun Teth." Her eyes wide with amazement, Txe'lan gasped, and then she said "These ketuwong, these Pro'tx'oss; they are true_sawtute, aren't they?"_ I nodded.

"Yes, Txe'lan, they are the true 'sky people', not humanity" I answered. "The Protoss are the most powerful race in the Galaxy... or, at least, they believe this to be so."She nodded thoughtfully, and then, after a moment's consideration, she said, "The Pro'tx'oss must be powerful indeed if they were able to save you. But... with their power, they could have saved any human on Earth. Why, then, did they choose to save you?" She had asked the one question that had been, and still, remained a mystery to me, even to this day. 'Oh, boy... she hit the nail on the head...' I thought, absently. Then, I shrugged, and shook my head before replying, "I don't know, Txe'lan. I don't know. It was Ar'Adun's advisor - a veteran High Templar, named Zhand'Akull - who told Ar'Adun to have me brought aboard.

I can only surmise that he saw something in me, trusted me. It's the raw psychic energy that flows through the bodies of every High Templar. They see more than 'lesser' Protoss." Txe'lan nodded and then bade me continue my tale. I told her of my return with the Protoss to their Home World, Aiur... of my induction into their society as a Khalai... and of my rise to the rank of High Templar, through sixty years of training in the martial, psionic, and political arts. I also told her of the unusual changes that occurred within my body, as a result of said training. "The cities, machines, and technology of Aiur draw their power from a great 'psionic matrix'-a powerful energy source-deep within the heart of the planet's core," I intoned softly.

Its energy saturates the whole of Aiur, so much so, that you can literally feel it in the air around you, Txe'lan! Every day, for my entire life on Aiur, the energy of the psionic matrix suffused my body, and somehow-like some kind of 'benevolent' radiation-it changed my body's physiology, such that I became somewhat like a true Protoss. I found that I could gain nutrition from sunlight, or moonlight, by absorbing said light through my skin! Unlike true Protoss, however--who only needed light and water to survive--I still required solid food as part of my diet, though far less than a normal human would eat." At this, Txe'lan just gaped at me for a moment, barely able to comprehend what I'd just said.

The expression upon her face was almost comical-her eyes were wide, and her lower jaw was just hanging open-and I couldn't stop the grin which crossed my face, nor the chuckle that escaped me a few moments later. Upon hearing said sound, Txe'lan quickly regained her senses; closing her jaw with an audible click, she replied, "That is incredible, Txa'vit! _ What other changes happened to you?" _ Immediately, I answered, "I became physically and mentally stronger, my five primary senses sharpened far beyond all that I had experienced before and my skin - originally smooth but with a... rather large amount of bodily hair - changed at the genetic level.

All of my hair - except for my facial hair, and the hair that grew on top of my head - fell out, as my skin developed a layer of fine, almost invisible scales! The final change that took place within me, however, was perhaps the most mysterious: gradually, the rate at which my body aged slowed to a crawl. Ar'Adun, Zhand'Akull and I soon discovered that the ravages of time had lost their hold upon me; for every year that passed, I would barely age a day... if I even aged at all. When I'd left Earth with the Protoss, I had been a mere fifteen years old... but now, I was nearing the completion of my training as Ambassador for Aiur, and-although I appeared to be eighteen years old_physically_-my true age was actually seventy-five years."

Txe'lan held up a hand again, and I paused once more. "Yes, Txe'lan?" I asked. She thought for a moment, and then she replied, "Txa'vit, what is your age? How long will you live?" For a while I pondered her question, and then, shrugging my shoulders I answered, "My age? Well, in my years, I'm thirty; in normal, human years, I'm about 600 years old. Add the fifteen years I spent on Earth to that and I'm 615 years old. As for how long I'll live, well..." I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know. The lifespan of a normal human is about eighty to one hundred years. Before - when I was in training on Aiur - Ar'Adun, Zhand'Akull and I discovered that my body aged at a ratio of 20:1 - that is, for every twenty normal years, I only aged one year.

If we use that ratio with the 100 year lifespan of a normal human, I should live about..." I paused, did a quick calculation in my head, and then continued, "... about 1810 years, I think. But, then again, who knows how long I'll live..." For a moment, I lapsed into silent thought, until Txe'lan tapped me on the shoulder. "What do you mean, Txa'vit?" she asked. Gazing at her solemnly, I answered. "You've seen the great Khaydarin Crystal core that powers this place, Txe'lan. It absorbs local psionic energy - the energy of thought itself - which is then either used in its raw form, or converted into electricity to power the Dragon Weyr's psionic and electrical systems.

The energy from the Core that isn't converted into power, however, emanates from the Core as an empathic field. It enhances the bond we have with the Nexus and... and it permeates the place. It's the reason why - whenever you enter the Dragon Weyr - you feel a sense of welcome, and_comfort." At this, Txe'lan gasped softly, her eyes widening with realization. **"That_is the reason why - when I first awoke here - I felt no fear!"** she exclaimed. I smiled, and nodded. "Correct" I replied. Then, gazing at her solemnly, I continued, "Like the energy of Aiur's Psionic Matrix did so long ago, the energy of the field emitted by the Dragon Weyr's Core is suffusing my body..." In an instant, Txe'lan immediately guessed what I was trying to say.

"You... you are saying that the energy is further slowing the rate at which your body ages?" When I nodded, Txe'lan gave me a look of uncertainty as she quietly asked, "Could it... could it affect me_in the same way?"_ With a quiet sigh, I softly replied, "I... I don't know; your physiology differs from mine. Hah... for all I know, I could be practically immortal - unable to die of old age - and I might not even know it!" Txe'lan and I lapsed into dark, brooding silence, then, as we pondered what might happen to us in the future. Said silence was soon broken, however, when the amusement of the Dragon Weyr filled our thoughts as it broadcast a modified clip from an old song into our thoughts!

"When you were young you had a lot of pep; You could get around, you didn't need no help; But since you're gettin' old and gray; Those Na'vi 'll look at you and say; You're too old, too old; You're too old to cut the mustard anymore; You're a-gettin' too old, you done got too old; You're too old to cut the mustard anymore..." That did it--the melancholy mood was utterly shattered as Txe'lan, I, and the Pack almost busted our guts with laughter! When we were able to regain control of ourselves, the Nantang Pack were draped about us every which way as Txe'lan and I lay sprawled against Sa'nok's body, weakened, breathless, and gasping for air! Once she was able to speak, Txe'lan gasped, "Oh... Oh We'er! I have not laughed like that in such a long time!"

Then, she said, "Txa'vit, you have told meof yourself, and where you come from, but you still have not told me of how you came to be here and become Palulukan Makto. Will you tell me now?" Looking at her, I thought for a moment... and as I did so, memories overwhelmed me. 'I... I can't. Not yet; even after all this time the memories are still too raw...' I thought. Then, finally, I slowly shook my head. "I... I'm sorry, Txe'lan, I can't. It... it still hurts, you know, even after all this time..." Txe'lan nodded; she knew and understood, and wouldn't push. Now, I hear you saying, 'Hang on, you know Txe'lan well now; why didn't you tell her?' Well... how could I? How could I tell her of the intentional death of the gentlest being whomever lived?

How could I ever tell her of the brutal sundering of a bond that was beyond soul deep? That a piece of my own soul had been sundered, too, with the shattering of said bond? I couldn't! I just couldn't! The memories of the event were still far too raw, and... I just couldn't find the words. But... I knew someone who could. Silently, I sent a query to the Dragon Weyr. Shock from the great construct filled my thoughts for but an instant, followed by deep sadness and then finally resignation as the mighty Nexus sent its Tsa'hik a psychic data burst. The history of the Protoss... The exile of the Dark Templar... Ieesha's discovery that she could use the same abilities as they... Her training and the return to Aiur after its completion...

The First Betrayal; the brutal beating of her beloved Lifemate rather than the proper trial he should have received for helping her and - in doing so - defying the Laws of the Khala...David's forgiveness of and reconciliation with the Conclave of Aiur...The doomed Archaeology expedition and the Second Betrayal; the intentional death of his beloved Ieesha... Her final moments and her funeral... The investigation into the events surrounding her death... The exposure, trial, and subsequent execution of Judicator Vi'thos... David's leaving of Aiur, and twenty years of existing_... His arrival at Pandora... The Menagerie... Sa'nok... And finally, a terrifying glimpse of the chilling_ void_in David's mind that he now lived with every day..._

By the time the data burst ended, Txe'lan was pale - the cyan skin of her face near white from lack of blood - and her expression bespoke of dreadful horror, great sympathy, and the deepest regret. Suddenly, she retched and placed a hand over her mouth; as she did so almost immediately the Dragon Weyr shifted her to the Weyrheart's bathroom and I raced to my feet and swiftly made my way after her with the Pack following in my wake. When we arrived there, it was to find the young Na'vi violently ill, vomiting into the Waste Disposal Unit that served as the toilet. "Oh, Txe'lan..." I uttered quietly. As Falkor, Atreyu, and the rest of the Pack looked on, I made my way over to her and tried to assist her as best I could, moving her long hair and tswin out of the way.

When, at last, she was done, as the Dragon Weyr 'flushed' the Waste Disposal Unit - recycling the waste material into usable energy that would be sent back to its Power Core - I carefully assisted Txe'lan over to the vanity unit and helped her wash her face and rinse her mouth out. Then she, the Pack, and I, all made our way back into the main room of the Weyrheart, where she and I collapsed bonelessly against Sa'nok's body and the Pack cuddled closer to us than ever. Sa'nok, seeing the state we were in, mewled softly in concern. I acknowledged said concern with a softly uttered "Thank you, Sa'nok. We'll be okay..." but Txe'lan didn't, for she was embracing me, crying in a way I didn't remember her ever crying before - great heaving sobs wracked her body as she held me close.

When she was able to cease crying - when the great heaving sobs no longer made her body shake with the pain she was feeling - Txe'lan slowly raised her head to look at me. "Ngaytxoa, Txa'vit," she rasped, "Ngaytxoa. I... I saw her, Txa'vit, I saw..." At that, my own eyes misted over with tears, and I choked out, "... You saw Ieesha... her last moments through my eyes..." Txe'lan nodded. "Yes," she replied, "that and more. I know everything, now. You had Txra'kon We'er show me." Deep regret, sorrow_and _misery from the Dragon Weyr filled our thoughts as Txe'lan continued, "I now wish I hadn't made you do so. I... Txra'kon We'er also showed me a glimpse of that horrible tìvawm in your head. How... How_can you live with that inside you_ every day?!"

Giving her a tremulous smile, I softly rasped, "It's not so bad. The Dragon Weyr helps. Sa'nok helps. The menagerie helps. You help..." Addressing everyone, I continued, "... All of you help. You're all why I continue living." As I finished speaking Txe'lan embraced me again and together she and I grieved, shedding our final tears of mourning for my beloved Ieesha. Then, as Txe'lan and I lay within the warm musty comfort provided by the curl of Sa'nok's body with Falkor, Atreyu, and the rest of the Pack draped all around and over us, gradually, we fell asleep. That night, my sleep was nightmare-free and dreamless. It was the best sleep I'd ever had--but, of course, it abruptly ended the next morning when Falkor laid down upon me and proceeded to wake me by licking my face!

"Bleargh," I cried, sleepily trying to fend him off, "Falkor, stop that!" Naturally, Falkor resisted my attempts to dislodge him; in fact, my efforts to remove him from atop my person only seemed to make things worse! His tongue slipped between and wrapped about my fingers, wormed its way over my closed eyelids, tried to go up my nose and, somehow, even made its way into my mouth! That was what finally woke me. Wiping my face with the back of a hand - and making 'spitting' motions to try and dislodge the taste of Falkor's saliva - a combination of Nantang breath mixed with hints of raw Yerik meat - I slowly sat up, grabbed him around the waist with both hands and lifted him off me.

Setting him down beside me, I gazed into his emerald eyes as I began to absently caress his vermillion and iridescent blue skin. "What are you doing, eh?" I murmured softly. "Why'd you have to wake me up at..." I queried the Dragon Weyr for the time, "... half-past five in the morning?" Falkor didn't answer my question. Instead - being mindful of the rest of his Pack, Sa'nok, and Txe'lan, whom were all still sleeping - he barked softly, and then gestured to me with his head; he wanted me to follow him! "Well, alright..." I replied quietly. Together, he and I swiftly made our way over to the Transport Alcove leading out of the Weyrheart, and used said Alcove to return to the entryway of the Dragon Weyr. Then, passing through the opened Gate of Dawn, we exited the Weyr and headed into the forest.

As we began to make our way through the trees, Falkor emitted a loud, demanding bark that ended in a growl, and then he began to run, moving so fast that I had to channel psionic energy into my legs to increase my speed in order to keep up with him! "Falkor, w-what's going on?" I asked as we ran. "Why are you in such a hurry?" My Viperwolf friend's reply to my question was a loud, demanding bark. It was almost as if he was saying, "Come on! Come on! Move faster! Faster!" On and on we ran through the forest - swerving around gargantuan trees and flora, and ducking under and leaping over obstacles in our way - until finally, Falkor came to a halt in front of the biggest damn tree I had ever seen in my life.

Then, as I watched, he gestured with his head to a hollow space at the base of said tree before turning back to me and giving his distinctive beagle-like cry, "Aroo! Aroo! Aroo!" My eyes widening, I thought, 'Shit... there must be something alive in there!' Asking Falkor to hush via a softly spoken word in Khalani, I moved forward and then crouched down to peer into the hollow, but it was too dark to see inside; within it, all I could make out was a shadowy, indistinct lump. Cursing softly to myself, I reached down to my Utility Belt and extracted from its collection of tools a Pen Torch - a simple fountain pen combined with a small but powerful flashlight. Pointing the device towards the hollow, I switched on its flashlight component and again looked inside... and what I saw made me gasp softly with dismay. "By Adun..." I murmured.

Within the hollow, I espied the curled up body of an animal no bigger than my torso. Although I still couldn't clearly see the creature, I noted that its body was white, but covered with blood and utterly filthy! "Okay," I murmured to myself, "we have an unknown animal, definitely injured. Looks like the menagerie is going to have to wait a bit for their food today..." Switching the flashlight off, I replaced the Pen Torch back on my belt; as I did so, Falkor moved to settle down beside me. Turning his head towards me he 'woofed' softly. "I hear you, boy" I replied, "let's see if we can get him out..." Drawing upon my reserves of psychic energy, I manifested a little of said energy into reality, wrapping it about my hands as skin tight psionic energy shields.

The shields would not only serve to protect my hands from injury if the animal became distressed by my attempts to move it, but would also prevent the animal and I contracting any diseases from each other due to contact with the poor creature's wounds and spilt blood. With my hands now protected, I carefully reached into the hollow at the base of the tree, wrapped my arms about the mystery animal's body, and then gently extracted it. As the light of early morning fell upon the creature - and I saw what it was for the first time - for a moment, my breath froze in my throat! The animal that my Viperwolf, Falkor, had found was a baby Ikran - specifically an Ikranay, or Forest Banshee - but one the likes of which I had never seen before.

Instead of being the normal mixture of dark and light greens that enabled camouflage within the thick and dense Pandoran forests, the hairless skin of this particular Ikranay was pure white banded with gold and iridescent purple. At least, that's what I believed it to be; I could in fact hardly see the colors of the animal's skin at all, due to the layers of dried encrusted blood and dirt that covered the tiny Ikran's body. As I examined the animal further, a barely audible cry escaped me, as I noticed its wings... or rather, its lack of them. Forest and Mountain Ikrans usually possessed four pairs of wings, which they used for flight, but the wings of this particular Ikran had been ripped off, brutally; all that remained where they had once been were horrific gaping wounds festering with disease.

Additionally, the Ikran was terribly thin and malnourished; I could clearly see the bones of its skeleton poking through its skin. 'Damn...' I wondered, 'is it even alive?' Carefully, I set the ailing creature down upon a soft bed of moss and then performed a quick, cursory examination with my hands and psionic abilities. What I discovered was not good, at all. The Ikran was barely alive; his pulse weak and thready, his breath a strained, barely audible rasp. His left pupil was completely dilated, but the right was contracted, so narrowly, that I could barely see it amidst the gold of his right eye's iris. 'Shit, that's not good, at all; this little guy must be suffering from pretty severe shock, or he could even be brain damaged. I'd better wake the Dragon Weyr, have it wake up Txe'lan and then have her assist the Nexus with preparing for a critical patient.'

I was, of course, anthropomorphizing the great construct - using human words and expressions to describe something that wasn't human. The Dragon Weyr never truly 'slept' as a human could sleep. It could place many of its computer processes and non-critical psionic and electrical systems into a kind of standby and enter a state of rest - so as not to wear said systems out - but it could never sleep. For the Dragon Weyr, sleep meant TSF; Total System Failure. 'Death' I thought, a shudder passing through me. 'Not only for the Weyr, but also for any organic beings whom dwelled within it at the time, unless of course the Weyr was on a planet with a breathable atmosphere at the time of failure. But enough of this; let's see if we can save this Ikran...'

With that thought, via our psychic bond, I issued a powerful call to the Dragon Weyr! "Weyr... Weyr... Weyr... Dragon Weyr, HO!" Lion-O's Call to the Thundercats, modified for the Dragon Weyr, did the trick; within moments, faint amusement overshadowed by alertness filled my thoughts. "Please wake Tsa'hik Txe'lan and have her assist you with anything you need to prepare the Autodoc for a critical patient, stat!" I said. Then I promptly attached my own personal Warp Beacon to the critically injured Ikran and activated it. As I did so, a feeling of questioning filled my thoughts. "Don't worry, friend, Falkor is with me. He'll guide me back to you. Just get this little one into the Autodoc, pronto!" I replied.

Unknown to me, ever since our arrival on Pandora, the Dragon Weyr's amazing transport system had adapted and become_stronger,_ due to my constant use of it for transporting patients. Thus, I was shocked when - instead of being pulled through an opened Warp Gate - the ailing Ikran was simply shifted to the Dragon Weyr; directly transported from where I was, to there, without the use of the Warp as a corridor between the two destination points! A short while after the ailing Ikran vanished I was shocked again, as a large Warp Gate opened a few feet away from me and Sa'nok stepped through, fully kitted out in a special tandem harness with Txe'lan, dressed in customized riding leathers, sitting atop her back!

A few seconds after the mighty Palulukan stepped through it, the Warp Gate closed. Looking up at Txe'lan I promptly snapped out "Ikranay?" Gazing down at me gravely from atop Sa'nok, my Na'vi companion promptly snapped back at me, "Ikranay safe. Autodoc." It was a form of crass, clipped shorthand speech we'd developed for relaying critical information. Her answer eased my mind greatly, and I heaved a huge sigh of relief! "Status?" I snapped. "Critical," she replied. At that, I paced back and forth for a moment, thinking. 'Shit... not good, not good...' I thought. Then, ceasing my pacing I turned back to Txe'lan and asked, "Time?" Txe'lan shook her head before answering, "We'er uncertain. Possibly weeks. Possibly months."

"Bugger!" I replied. Txe'lan nodded solemnly in understanding. At that point, Sa'nok ambled over to Falkor and I, mewling a soft greeting. "Hey, big girl, good morning!" I replied. Then, I reached out a hand to caress her muzzle - an activity she enjoyed often - but to my dismay, this time, she refused to let me touch her. Instead, she pulled away from me, carefully inspected me to make sure I hadn't been hurt in any way and then - *WHAP* - promptly cuffed me with a forepaw, knocking me to the ground! Her "attack" didn't hurt me in any way, but as I lay there on the ground, stunned and disoriented, I wondered, 'What the fuck just happened? Why'd she hit me?'

When she leaned down to me, and roared in my face_,_ I soon figured it out! Once the echo of the terrible sound finally faded away in the morning breeze, with my ears still ringing I mumbled, "Ugh... okay, okay, I get it; no more medical missions without you there with me. I'm sorry, Sa'nok." Sa'nok snorted softly, and then - gesturing with her head to the space on the tandem harness behind where Txe'lan was seated - she gave a sharp, commanding mewl, as if to say "You! On my back, now!" Getting to my feet, I shook my head to clear it, and then - as I moved to Sa'nok's side to mount her - I sullenly grumbled, "Yes Mother..." At that point I promptly received a hard nudge in the back from said motherly Palulukan for my backtalk!

"Help!" I cried, looking to Txe'lan for aid. "This is_Tawtute_ abuse! I'm being beaten up by a giant housecat!" I was only joking, of course, and Txe'lan knew it; as I set a foot in the first of the stirrups behind her, and then mounted and settled myself comfortably upon Sa'nok's back, I could see her bent over in the tandem saddle, desperately clutching the saddle horn, her body shaking with silent laughter. As I attached the heavy duty clips on Sa'nok's harness to my Utility Belt to ensure my safely, I asked "Where'd you get the harness? I don't remember building that." Once she was able to regain her senses, Txe'lan replied, "Skxawng! You made the harness, and my riding gear, before I became Tsa'hik of Txra'kon We'er, remember?"

A frown creasing my face, I thought for a moment, and then... I remembered... Quite some time ago - before she had chosen to become Tsa'hik of the Dragon Weyr - Txe'lan had expressed an interest in learning to ride Sa'nok. Thus, I had constructed a second, tandem harness for Sa'nok - along with a set of customized riding gear for Txe'lan - so that we could both ride my Palulukan friend together. Unfortunately, by the time the new harness was complete, Txe'lan had chosen a different path; instead of becoming a second Palulukan Makto and joining me on my Veterinary missions throughout Pandora, she had joined herself with the Dragon Weyr and had become its first and only Tsa'hik. Thus, her special riding gear and the new tandem harness had remained prototypes, untried and untested, until today...