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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

Chapter 16

(Continued from Chapter 15...)

Once the cerulean light of the miniature Warp Gate through which it had sent her faded away - her golden eyes misting over with tears - Sìlpey quickly ran over to me, crying, "Olo'eyktan, Olo'eyktan; are you all right?" Gently, she helped me to my feet and then she supported me as I made my way over to the leather sofa and crashed down into it. Then, leaning forward, I rested my head in my hands, a soft groan of pain escaping me. Tsa'hik San'eya's attack against me - although quite weak for a Na'vi of her prowess and stature - had still been powerful, and she'd actually bruised several of my ribs! When she heard my pained groan, Sìlpey gazed at me in concern, resting a hand upon my shoulder. "Are you all right, ma Olo'eyktan?" she asked again.

Shaking my head, I softly answered, "Kehe, ma Olo' 'ite, I am not... but I will be. Truth be told, I'm more worried about San'eya." Upon hearing this, Sìlpey wrapped me in an embrace as she began to weep upon my shoulder. "I... I said some really mean things to her, ma Olo'eyktan!" she said as she cried, her tears staining my Templar Robe. "Did... did I cause her the pain she was in, before Sempul Txra'kon We'er took her?" Suddenly, horror gripped her guts. "What if... what if she dies? What shall we do then?" she asked, her eyes widening. She was becoming almost terrified with worry, and I hastened to reassure her that her fears were unfounded. "Tam tam, ma Olo' 'Ite," I intoned softly, gathering her into my arms and rocking her gently. "Tam tam. Hush now. You didn't cause this to happen, at all! Do you understand? You didn't make this happen!

In fact, nobody knew that this was going to happen, until it did." When she finally managed to stop crying, Sìlpey settled comfortably within my embrace and then - raising her head up to look at me with still misty eyes - she asked, "Really? No one knew? Not even Sempul Txra'kon We'er?" At that moment, the Dragon Weyr - upon hearing the question - sent a burst of affirmation into my thoughts, and I nodded. "Srane, ma 'itetsyìp, not even Txra'kon We'er knew." At this, Sìlpey's eyes widened as she struggled with the idea of the all-powerful, all-knowing Dragon Weyr... not being as all-powerful, or as all-knowing, as she believed. "But... Txra'kon We'er's power is so great, and with such power must come even greater knowledge. Surely - like nawm Sa'nok Eywa - nawm Sempul Txra'kon We'er must know everything!"

'Ah, the beliefs of children...' I thought, gazing at her with a fond smile. When the Dragon Weyr heard her declaration - and then replied with a mixture of negation and optimism - I grinned as I struggled not to laugh and aggravate my bruised ribs. When Sìlpey gave me a curious look, I translated the emotions of the great Nexus into words. "Txra'kon We'er says that he doesn't know everything yet , but he will, one day!" At this, we both burst out laughing. When we were able to regain control of ourselves I said, "Now don't you worry, ma 'itetsyìp; Tsa'hik San'eya is inside the fngap toktor and will be well taken care of by Txra'kon We'er. She will be fine!" Just then, Falkor and Miracle - who'd been playing a rousing game of tag outside - bounded into the Weyrheart and then skidded to a halt in front of us.

"Hey you two..." I said to them softly in English, removing my hands from Sìlpey to first pet and then hug them both. "How've you been?" My Viperwolf companion and the cybernetic Ikran whom I practically considered to be my son in all but race and blood, both woofed and chirruped enthusiastically. When they saw the state that Sìlpey and I were in, however, their entire demeanors changed; whining and chirruping softly in concern, they proceeded to nuzzle Sìlpey and I gently. "Aw, don't worry about us, guys; we'll be okay!" I said to them. Sìlpey merely nodded her head shyly. Then, gently freeing herself from my embrace, she moved to begin softly petting my two animal friends, occasionally casting at them a longing glance.

Upon noticing this, I asked her, "Would you like to play with them?" The child's eyes widened, a soft gasp escaping her, and she swiftly turned her head to look at me. "May I?" she asked. Falkor and Miracle both answered her question with happy woofs and chirrups, and as they did so I laughed and nodded. "Of course you can!" I replied. And with that, Sìlpey shouted a quick "Irayo Olo'eyktan!" as she and my two animal friends raced out of the Weyrheart and outside to play. As it turned out, my statement to Sìlpey - that Tsa'hik San'eya would be fine - was correct. Six days later, when she was finally able to leave the Dragon Weyr's Clinic - along with the majority of our newly revived Warriors and animal friends - she was, indeed 'fine'; in fact, she'd been given a new lease on life!

As the revived animals made their way from the Dragon Weyr and returned to their homes - and as the restored Warriors and Hunters of my Clan who had been killed joyfully embraced Lifemates who had previously been grieving for them - slowly, and almost hesitantly, Tsa'hik San'eya approached me. Her golden eyes misting over with silvery tears of the deepest shame and regret, she knelt before me as she performed a kneeling bow so deep that her forehead touched the floor. Then, as I watched, she began to weep softly. "Ma Olo'eyktan... Txa'vit... I... Ngaytxoa! Ngaytxoa!" she choked out through bitter tears. Curiosity from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts, then - a feeling equal to my own - as I carefully stepped towards her, reaching out a hand to help her to her feet. "For what, ma Tsmuken?" I asked, softly.

Instead of reaching for my offered hand, my Clan's Tsa'hik of Eywa rose to embrace me, wrapping her arms about my much smaller body. "Olo' 'Ite Sìlpey was right!" she rasped softly as she continued to weep, dampening my Templar Robe with her tears. "I was a yaymak skxawng!" At this, I returned her embrace, rubbing her back soothingly through her brightly coloured turinash, as I softly protested. " No , ma Tsmuken!" I uttered softly. " No , you're not! If anything, I am the skxawng here! When I told you of what Txra'kon We'er was doing with our fallen, it was too much for you; you could not..." San'eya, however, refused to listen to my gentle words of protest. "Srane, Srane , I am a skxawng, Txa'vit!" she insisted. "I did not truly See Txra'kon We'er... but now I do..."

'Man, she's... she's really shaken up!' I realized. 'Something really big must've happened to her in the Clinic...' The Dragon Weyr's affirmation filled my thoughts, but nothing more, and when I attempted a query, the response I got was absent affirmation, followed by a light feeling of dismissal, and then a mental image of San'eya, followed by a feeling of insistence; the construct's way of saying, "Yes, something did happen, but you'll have to talk to San'eya about it." I sighed softly through my nose and then, aloud, I asked. "San'eya, what happened in the Clinic? What did Txra'kon We'er do to you in there?" San'eya thought for a moment in remembrance, and then, she told me.

"When I passed through the nawm'atan and arrived at the... the Kx'lin'ikx - the swotu eo ayzeyko inside Txra'kon We'er" she began, "I was inside the fngap toktor, but I had, thankfully, been separated from... from the others ; I could not see them at all. After that, I was aware of nothing - Txra'kon We'er put me to sleep, I think - but when I awakened again..." She lapsed into silence for a moment, then - the expression on her face shifting to one of mixed awe and wonder - before she continued, "... I found that Txra'kon We'er had modified my tswin. Here, I'll show you..." Gently taking said tswin in hand, she brought the long braid around from behind her to show me, and when I beheld it I was stunned!

Her queue didn't possess an 'extension' like Txe'lan's, and wasn't formed entirely of Psi-Steel like Sìlpey's, because it was a hybrid; something entirely new and innovative. As far as I could tell, exactly fifty percent of the many pink, worm-like neural tendrils at its end had been removed and replaced with cybernetic tendrils; amazing psi-steel coated bio-system constructs, packed with some of the most advanced crystalline psiotechnological circuitry I had ever seen! "By Adun, it's incredible!" I whispered softly in awe. As I examined it, however, I was struck by a deeply troubling epiphany, my eyes widening in realization. 'The extension at the end of Txe'lan's neural queue, the golden psi-steel replacement of Sìlpey's, and now this new hybrid queue for San'eya! My friend, are you... experimenting on the Na'vi?' I inquired.

For a moment, through the powerful psychic bond I shared with the Dragon Weyr I felt nothing; within my mind there was only thought silence, and the horrible void in my head that was the remnant of my severed bond with Ieesha. Then, at last, a feeling of affirmation filled my thoughts, along with a psychic databurst; the Dragon Weyr was, indeed, experimenting upon the Na'vi of Tawkami, attempting to find out more and more about the workings of their aytswin, or neural queues and emulate said workings through the queue replacements it had created so far! 'But--but why?' I asked. 'For what purpose? To what end?' The great construct's answer was to show me a computer modified image of myself; in it I still appeared human - the same as I had always been - but then, as I looked closer I saw, sprouting from the top-back of my skull...

'Whoa, hey, hold on there!' I thought, a soft gasp escaping me. 'That's... You want to give me a neural queue of my own? Why? I don't need one of those!' The Dragon Weyr replied by showing me a series of yet more modified images of myself; making Tsaheylu with injured animals in order to better assess their wounds or comfort them during treatment; making Tsaheylu with the animals of the menagerie, and even with other Na'vi, including Txe'lan whilst we were in the midst of... 'WHOA! HOLD IT! STOP! HOLY CENSORSHIP BATMAN!' I thought, trying to block the ever increasingly lurid images of... of... that! At my distress, thankfully, the Dragon Weyr relented and - as the torrid images faded from my thoughts, I heaved a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, said sigh was heard by San'eya and - as she broke her embrace with me and stepped back to look at me, she asked, "Ma Olo'eyktan, are you well? What Txra'kon We'er has done; does it trouble you?" At her questions, turning my attention to her I hastened to come up with an answer. "I am well, ma Tsa'hik, and most of what Txra'kon We'er has done does not trouble me at all, but, your new tswin, it is... ah, come with me, please, we must speak with each other in private." A concerned frown creasing her revitalized features, Tsa'hik San'eya nodded and then - as the newly revived Tawkami Warriors looked on in curiosity - I swiftly escorted her to the Weyrheart's Sleeping Alcove.

Upon our arrival there - as the Dragon Weyr sealed and locked the alcove door - I sat down with her upon the double bed, whereupon I told her of what the Dragon Weyr was doing; the experiments upon her people with the different kinds of neural queues. As I spoke, a myriad of emotions flashed across her face - anger at first, then wonder, and surprise - until all were replaced by calm. When, at last, I finished speaking, Tsa'hik San'eya gently took her new queue in hand, studying it closely as she thoughtfully murmured, "I hear and understand your words, Txa'vit. So... Txra'kon We'er is studying the nature of our aytswin - how they work and how we make Tsaheylu with them - and as his understanding of them grows, he is using my people to gradually perfect a design for a tswin of his own; one not for him, but for you?"

Hesitantly, I nodded and at this - to my surprise - Txe'lan smiled warmly, before she continued, "This could be a good thing..." My jaw dropped open at her words as for a moment I just stared at her, stupefied. Then, I retorted, "No, it won't, it's... How... how can you be so calm about this? Tsa'hik, Txra'kon We'er is experimenting upon your people, like, like..." My Clan's Tsa'hik of Eywa continued to smile as she replied, "Ay'ioang?" At this, as a blast of NEGATION from the Dragon Weyr blew through my thoughts, frustrated by her lack of emotion at what the great construct was doing to her people - my Clan - I snapped, " Srane, ay'ioang! I... I do not understand why - after hearing about this from me - you do not immediately want Txra'kon We'er to stop! It's... what he's doing is unethical!"

For a moment, Tsa'hik Sen'aya just stared at me as if I were but a young child - and then she seemed to stare through me, at something very, very far away - before she said, "During all the time that we of Clan Tawkami have lived with you as our Olo'eyktan has Nawm Sempul Txra'kon We'er ever hurt any of us?" With a swift shake of my head I answered, "No, ma Tsa'hik, but..." As I made to continue, she gently cut me off with a second question, "Have we ever been injured, grievously so, by him or any of his aysä'o?" When I shook my head - a world-weary sigh escaping me - my Clan's wise Tsa'hik continued, "You are correct, we have not. All Txra'kon We'er has done - even with his gradually evolving designs of aytswin - has been to help us.

Now - though it may be a letwan thing he is doing - as he helps those whom have lost their aytswin they in turn help him to make for you a tswin; that you might one day become closer to the People and to Eywa." Her words, though intended to have a calming effect upon me, served not to help at all and - as my frustration mounted, eventually I stood up from the bed and began to pace back and forth before her. "It's not that simple , ma Tsa'hik!" I stated vehemently as I moved. "We're not talking about plugging a simple wire cord into a tawtute machine; we are speaking of Txra'kon We'er implanting me with a tswin; a neural braid like those possessed by the people.

I don't know how much you know about the physical brain, ma Tsa'hik, but... this is a huge thing that Txra'kon We'er may one day undertake; such a thing will no doubt involve major brain surgery - perhaps even genetic modification of my brain - and it will have an enormous impact on my life that, for all intents and purposes could be irreversible - that is, if I even choose to undergo the whole procedure in the first place! I... I'm not ready to... to deal with something like this, I..." Upon seeing my state of distress, raising a hand imploringly, Tsa'hik San'eya softly responded, "Mawey, ma Olo'eyktan, lu mawey... you are thinking too much, and it is hard to fill a cup that is already full. Please, come and sit with me here again, upon your kllte nivi. I would continue speaking to you of what happened to me in Txra'kon We'er's swotu eo ayzeyko."

Overwhelmed, it was all I could do to nod and bade her to do so. "After Txra'kon We'er had modified my tswin, for the first time, he made Tsaheylu with me and then... then he talked to me, Txa'vit!" she said, in awe. "He said... he said that with my new tswin, I would be able to talk to him and to Eywa; that, I would truly be in balance! Txra'kon We'er also said that... that with the fngap toktor's pxay aynari it saw that my heart was failing, and so replaced it with a Px'ai'o Sx'ee'st'm; a new txe'lan of rusey fngap for my body! It... Txra'kon We'er even used hi'i machines smaller than my very body to... to purge txum from me and return some of the years to my life! Her statement was true; the Tsa'hik did, indeed, appear to be physically younger; she looked the equivalent Na'vi age of a human whom was fifty or sixty, rather than eighty or ninety.

"After that..." Suddenly, she lapsed into silence, her expression becoming utterly stricken and then, when she resumed speaking, the language she spoke - fluently to my surprise - was the spoken form of Khalani! "After that, the Dragon Weyr showed me everything , David!" At this, my jaw dropped open and my eyes widened with astonishment, a soft gasp escaping me. "Everything?" I choked in the same tongue. A shiver coursed through her body then, as - with a tiny nod of her head - she replied, "Yes. To think I once believed that the Dragon Weyr was little more than a dead lifeless, metal thing! Oh, David, I was so... so blind! It let me see your life - no, allowed me to live your life - in but a moment! I... I saw everything!

Your time on Earth; your rescue by the Protoss; your discovery of your beloved Ieesha and the years you spent with her; the First Betrayal that led to you and she leaving their world, Aiur; your reconciliation with the Protoss and the Second Betrayal that led to Ieesha's death! I... I saw you end it for her, David... and I heard her final words. Oh, how I wish I could have met her, David, and I wish that Eywa could have met her, too; I know the Great Mother would have welcomed her as one of her Children!" Old, old memories stirred within me, then, as San'eya wept mournfully for the loss of a gentle being that was far, far too good for this world. Long ago, when I had done the same, I'd been alone with no one to comfort me.

Tsa'hik San'eya, however, would not be alone. Gently, I held her in my arms and rocked her, as she cried like a babe. A short while later - once she was able to cease crying and dry the tears from her eyes with a piece of gauze from my Field Medical Kit - she finished her story in Na'vi. "Txra'kon We'er also let me see how he was made ; how he grew from simple fngap kelku into the place he is today. He is incredible , Txa'vit!" A mixture of embarrassment and pride from said Weyr filled our thoughts, then, making us both smile at each other. "So... the Dragon Weyr really showed you everything? It let you live my life?" Wordlessly, she nodded. Getting up off the bed, I moved to stand before her

Then, as she stared at me in curiosity - perhaps wondering what I was doing - I gazed at her for a moment with a critical eye, before barking in Khalani, "I fear no enemy for the Khala is my strength!" Tsa'hik San'eya's eyes widened for a moment, and then, she grinned before replying, "I fear not Death, for my strength is eternal!" I nodded to her; she knew the Creed de Khalai. "What are the Seven Pillars, to which we all should aspire?" I questioned of her. The grin disappeared from her face, then, as she moved to stand at her full height and gaze down at me, her expression proud. "Duty; Honor; Loyalty; Strength; Knowledge; Wisdom; Excellence!" she recited loudly in the same tongue.

At that moment, the Dragon Weyr unsealed the Sleeping Alcove door, allowing us to exit. Swiftly, I escorted Tsa'hik San'eya to the Psiodeck and then - as I ran her through several basic, and then several more advanced katas from the days of my training as a Zealot - I asked her, "Why has Txra'kon We'er done this?" Moving fluently through the katas as though she'd practiced them for years - and even correcting my stances when I occasionally made a mistake, since I hadn't practiced them for a long time - the now not-so-Elderly Tsa'hik pondered the question for a while, before she shook her head. "I do not know, ma Olo'eyktan. All Txra'kon We'er said was that I would be truly... in balance..."

Almost instantly, she and I ceased our kata practice as we were both suddenly struck with the same terrible epiphany. "Surely... surely Txra'kon We'er does not intend for me to be its Tsa'hik as well, now that Txe'lan is...?" she said, an expression of horror etched upon her face. As she said this, however, there came a blast of such strong NEGATION from the Dragon Weyr that even San'eya could feel it! "You don't want her to be Tsa'hik?" I queried. "Why?" The Dragon Weyr responded to my question by first sending me a mental image of my beloved friend Txe'lan, and then transmitting a curious vision: a piece of footage from an old film... As Frankenstein's Monster slowly rose from the cold, stone slab within his Laboratory, the mad Doctor yelled joyously, "It's alive! It's alive!" and then cackled with wicked glee...

When the vision faded, I became filled with joy, for it wasn't the content of the Dragon Weyr's unusual response that was important, but what the great construct had been trying to convey to me through it. 'Txe'lan is alive...' I realized. 'She's alive! When the massive blast of AFFIRMATION/ELATION rolled through me, quickly, I asked, 'Can you reach her? Are all of our missing females alive?' For a moment, the Dragon Weyr's absent concentration filled my thoughts as it tested the integrity of the bond it possessed with its young Tsa'hik... and then, the Psiodeck lights flickered and dimmed and horror gripped my guts as a wave of delirium and pain from Txe'lan rolled through us both, followed by the Weyr's affirmation/negation. "Shit!" I cursed aloud, in English.

Upon hearing my vehement curse, Tsa'hik San'eya stared at me with trepidation. "What is it, Txa'vit?" she asked. Bowing to her apologetically, I hurriedly uttered, "Ngaytxoa ma Tsa'hik; you have done well, but we must end our sparring session for today. En Taro Eywa!" Bowing gently, the Tsa'hik of Eywa uttered, "Adun, ngahu." Then, as we left the Psiodeck she turned to me - her face creased with worry - and asked again, "What is it, Txa'vit?" As we made our way back to the Weyrheart, I quickly snapped, "Tsa'hik Txe'lan is alive, ma Tsmuken, but Txra'kon We'er does not know if the others are..." At this revelation, the Tsa'hik of Eywa gasped softly. "Txra'kon We'er told you this?" she said breathlessly.

"Srane" I replied, with a quick nod of my head. "Txe'lan is alive, but confused and in terrible pain. Until I see their bodies or find other proof that they are dead I am going to assume that the other females whom were dragged beneath the land of kifkey Eywa'evengä, too, are alive. We take no chances, but no matter their condition, we must rescue them, ma Tsmuken!" Tsa'hik San'eya's golden eyes widened in a mixture of dawning realization and horror. "But... but that means...?"

"Srane" I replied. "Our battle against 'They who cannot see' is not over; in fact, it has only just begun. We must convene a Council of War!"