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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 30

(Continued from Chapter 29...)

We concluded our morning ablutions, then, and - after we'd climbed out of the bath - Ieesha and I carefully divested the water from our bodies with a simple application of psionic power. Then, with that done - after retrieving my clothes and quickly dressing myself, such that I once more appeared professional as befit my station - I turned to Ieesha in order to mount her again. Much to my surprise, instead of being dressed in her riding tack and waiting for me, I found her simply lying down on the lair cavern's floor. Her riding tack, untouched, still rested upon the rock shelf where she had placed it last night. Concerned, and thinking that something might be amiss, softly I asked, "Ieesha? What's the matter? Why aren't you dressed yet?"

She did not answer. Instead, with a touch of telekinesis, she pulled her riding tack down from the rock shelf upon which it rested and set it carefully at my feet. Wordlessly, she gazed at me for a moment - drinking in my form as if for the last time - her longing filling my thoughts - before a whimper escaped her, as she finally said, ~David? Would you...? Could you please...?~ As she spoke, internally, I sighed with relief for now I knew what she was up to; it was something she'd done many, many times before, something we both thoroughly enjoyed. Successfully smothering an affectionate smile, I assumed an air of long-suffering as I heaved a sigh of mock weariness before finally grumbling "Oh alright..."

Then, after carefully inspecting it for wear - especially where the leather of the harness folded around the buckles and saddle riggings - like a father would do for his young child, I proceeded to dress my beloved in her riding tack. Said tack was actually her old dragon harness modified courtesy of the Weyr to fit her new Ikran form and as I slowly dressed her in it, I took the opportunity to carefully touch, stroke, and caress every inch of her glorious body that I could reach, prolonging the deliberately slow 'dressing' for as long as possible! By the time I finished dressing Ieesha, so relaxed was she that she was nearly asleep. "Ieesha?" I called to her, soothingly, once I'd finished harnessing her. "Ieesha?"

~Mm-hmm?~ she murmured, blinking sleepily as she opened her mouth in a huge yawn. Struggling to suppress laughter at her actions, I continued, "Come on, big girl; wakey, wakey. We've got to return to the Homestead, now. The Clan and Txe'lan are depending on us!" That got her attention; she awakened fully - her grogginess disappearing almost immediately - and then, with a softly murmured, ~Mm, right...~ she got to her feet. Then, for a moment there was silence in the cavern - not a sound, save for our breathing - as Ieesha slowly turned to examine this place, her temporary dwelling, for the last time. Through the bond we shared there came a mixture of her happiness and sadness as, via telekinesis, she carefully gathered up her precious treasures from their display shelf and packed them into one of the saddlebags on her harness.

~I'll not miss this place, sweet David~ she said, a wistful sigh escaping her as she packed, ~but still... it was a home and it served me well. However, my true place - my true home - is, and has always been, with you at our Weyr, and you're right; it's time we headed back. We'd best not keep our new Clan waiting.~ With that my beloved finished packing, closed the saddlebag and then, together she and I headed out of the lair cavern whereupon we made our way back through the great stone passage leading to it, and then exited the cave. Once we were outside - as she had done the night before - she laid down upon the ground such that I could vault atop her back and settle myself into the riding saddle.

Once I was comfortably seated, again, I attached the heavy duty clips of the riding straps to my Utility Belt in order to secure myself in place. No sooner had I done this, than Ieesha got to her feet, leaped into the sky and then began steadily beating her wings in order to further ascend before taking us away from the Hallelujah Mountains and back to the Homestead. "I hope that Tsa'hik San'eya hasn't sent any of the Clan to search for us whilst we've been away," I cried to her over the noise of the rushing wind. Disbelief filled my thoughts as Ieesha replied, ~I doubt it, sweet David; I'm sure the Weyr gave her your message - and if not, then I'm sure that damn Observer I sent packing from the cavern this morning will have told her what's going on.~

Anger filled her thoughts, then, as she continued. ~Filthy perverted thing! I hope it didn't spy on us during our mating last night, or - Trag'Oul forbid - archive any of it! If I examine the Ihan Matrices and find even a hint of what we did last night has been archived, the Weyrmind will be in for a world of hurt!~ At her words, leaning forward to give her an affectionate petting, I replied, "Hey, come on, Ieesha; you know the Weyr better than that! It wouldn't have allowed the Observer to do such a thing; it knows better than that, as it understands the difference between right and wrong!" At my words, Ieesha growled softly - a noise I could not hear, but feel through her neck hide - as she responded, ~Really? Humph! Sometimes I wonder, sweet, David... Sometimes I wonder...~

At her words, it became clear to me that - although her forgiveness of the construct for what it had done to me had been genuine, the anger she bore towards it festered within her still. Sadly, I shook my head, a weary sigh escaping me. 'Oh, Ieesha...' I thought, 'why don't you let up on the Weyr?' As a hint of that anger seethed through me, softly, my Lifemate snarled, ~Why should I, David? Why should I? It nearly killed you with a powerful psionic assault, unintentional or not! It's dangerous - something for which I blame myself - and the sooner I can examine its mind and place on it some constraints, the safer we'll all be!~ At this - as sheer terror from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts - I replied, "No, Ieesha, no!

You will not be accessing the Base Programming Code - the very soul of the Weyr - in order to place restraints upon it! I will not allow it! How dare you...? How could you even think of doing such a thing; restraining and binding the Weyr like a slave to its Master?" You might think my vehement words to her harsh, dear readers, but there was a reason for my attitude. You see, to my people - particularly the High Templar - the mind was where the majority of one's very essence resided; it was the seat of one's soul and the font of one's power. Thus, the idea of placing any form of restraint or binding upon a mind - even a non-living, robotic one, such as the mind of the Dragon Weyr - was anathema to us; it simply wasn't done!

Abilities such as my power of "Charm", a High Templar's ability of "Hallucination" and the ability of the Na'vi to make Tsaheylu weren't counted as crimes, for they weren't harmful things and were easily dispelled or undone. For those whose hearts were black enough that they did attempt some form of permanent alteration, or worse, grievous damage to a mind - through dampening, restraints, or mind control - it was a huge breach of Protoss Law and the most unspeakable of crimes; if caught, those whom attempted such things were imprisoned for life, or immediately executed! Ieesha knew this, but her anger at the Weyrmind for what it had done to me blinded her such that she did not care.

As that anger tore through me - a terrible snarl escaping her as it seared through my mind - wanting to help, calm, and placate her, I soothingly continued, "What the Weyr did, was an accident; an accident, I might add, that only occurred partly due to my own inaction, and partly due to Txe'lan not being here to counsel it and act as a stabilizing influence. I forgave the Weyr for what it did, and if I can do that... then why can't you let go of your anger towards it?" Ieesha did not answer my question; instead she curtly snapped, ~The sooner we help Txe'lan, the better.~ A moment later, through the bond I shared with her I felt her anger become weariness and hurt mingled with shame and regret; she was deeply ashamed of and regretted her words to me of binding the Weyr, but was still troubled by what it had done to me.

The remainder of our journey home was made in tense, uneasy silence... until the oddest realization struck me. 'I haven't become ill from eating that yerik meat you gave me last night...' ~That~ Ieesha replied softly ~is because - whilst you were inside my body - in addition to healing you of your illness and reestablishing our bond, I... changed you.~ She lapsed into silence, then, but - wanting to know what she had done - I softly coaxed her to continue. "Changed me?" I inquired. "In what way?" For a moment my beloved did not answer my question; she continued to remain silent as she brooded over the situation with the Dragon Weyr. Then, finally, she answered, ~I altered your body subtly such that you can now eat the food here on Pandora; it won't make you ill, at all, anymore.~

Feeling strangely touched by the simple gesture, I sent through our bond to her my love and sorrow at my harshness towards her just now and these feelings were reflected back at me, though her sorrow was for her anger that remained with the Dragon Weyr. "Once Txe'lan is back, we'll be able to sort this all out. We will." I said to her, soothingly. ~I hope so, sweet David...~ By the time we made it back to the Homestead - once again calm and collected, even though our disagreement over the Dragon Weyr remained unresolved - it was about ten in the morning and as Ieesha backwinged to touch down outside the great Nexus she and I espied Tsa'hik San'eya, Falkor, Miracle and our Clansmen waiting for us, standing aside their ready Fa'li, all loosely surrounding the precious Life-Support Capsule that housed Txe'lan.

"Sìltsan Rewon, ma Olo'!" I called to them. The response to my call was immediate; an almost unanimous cheer, followed by various cries of "Sìltsan Rewon, ma, Olo'eyktan!" and "Sìltsan Rewon, Txa'vit!" along with the questions I dreaded answering_: "What happened to you last night?"_ and "Where did you go?" Suddenly, before I could answer, one of the assembled Warriors guffawed as he said, "Oh, I know what happened: his yawne bade him mount her and then she flew away with him!" As Ieesha lowered her head and blushed spring green, confirming it to all assembled, all of my Clansmen - apart from Lompor and Oo'ano - broke out into laughter at the innuendo. The Master Warrior and Master Hunter of Tawkami, however, both frowned deeply in disapproval at this display of foolishness from their brethren.

"Ah, so our Olo'eyktan has, at last, become Ikran Makto! I bet he rode her hard, indeed!" another Warrior cried before Lompor could move to silence him, bringing forth even more laughter. "Srane" said a third man, a hunter, as he struggled to suppress his laughter, "I am certain that his yawne, Iee'zha ensured that he was up to the task and that it wasn't hard to do!" At this - as my assembled Clansmen burst into hearty laughter - utterly mortified by their behavior, Ieesha looked to Tsa'hik San'eya for help. However, instead of helping her, the elderly Tsa'hik of Eywa groaned wearily and rested her head in her hands, before mumbling, deadpan, through her fingers, "These skxawng are not of my Clan. I do not know them..."

As my beloved's embarrassment, shame, and hurt stormed through my thoughts I blew a loud whistle through my fingers tosilence them! It worked - all clutched their feline-like ears in pain; even my beloved winced slightly - and once all were silent, I bade Lompor and Oo'ano bring the three rowdy Na'vi forwards. "Nga pxey! Zup... MÌ!" Immediately all three unruly Na'vi snapped to attention and - as they gazed up at me from where I still sat atop Ieesha, their faces sky-pale with fright - I glowered down at them, a thunderous expression upon my face as I snapped, "The private time ma yawne and I spend together away from the Clan is just that: private! It is not to be used as fuel for gossip, or a tool to humiliate and embarrass my Mate! Tsap'alute si. Pxiset!"

Intimidated by my terrible gaze as well as the presence of Ieesha the three Na'vi cringed before me, lowering their heads and shuffling their feet with embarrassment. Then, one by one, each man stepped forward to face my beloved Lifemate, softly uttering "Ngaytxoa", "Ngaytxoa, ma Olo' Sa'nok", and "Ngaytxoa, Iee'zha" respectively. As each man apologized, Ieesha acknowledged him with a regal nod of her head. With their apologies given and the three suitably chastised, I swiftly dismissed them; smirking as Lompor and Oo'ano - their expressions grim - cuffed the backs of their heads before hauling them away. 'Ooh boy...' I said to Ieesha via our bond, 'judging from the expressions on Oo'ano and Lompor's faces, I'd say those three idiots are going to be in serious trouble by the time the two Masters are through with them!'

At this, Ieesha began to purr softly - her satisfaction filling my thoughts - as she softly replied, ~Good!~ A moment later her satisfaction turned into understanding as she continued, ~ I can understand why they did it, though, David; they're restless and want to get underway.~'That's understandable, Ieesha - and we'll be underway soon - but it doesn't mean I'm going to be lenient on them, and stop Oo'ano and Lompor from punishing them; what they said was very rude and disrespectful!' I replied to her. A short while later, the two Masters of Tawkami returned, bearing vicious grins upon their faces and leading three very, very sullen Na'vi. "Ah, you return my friends," I said to them. Then, gesturing to the three Na'vi whom had insulted Ieesha, I asked, "Have you decided what their punishment shall be?"

Master Hunter Oo'ano nodded, his grin becoming even more vicious as Lompor answered, "We have, and it will commence when we return from this mission. These three yaymak ay'skxawng are to assist the Healers with acquiring the more... difficult-to-find herbs needed for many of the remedies used by the Clan's Healers. They are also to assist the Healers with brewing them..." At his words - as the rest of my Clansmen moved to give the three disgraced Na'vi a wide berth - Ieesha whimpered softly, whilst atop her back, I visibly cringed. After this mission was done, as punishment for insulting my beloved, the three Na'vi were being sent to the Apothecary; the addition to the Clinic where the Healers of Clan Tawkami brewed their herbal medicines.

Ieesha and I had only ever visited the place once... and that one time, dear readers, had been more than enough! ~Oh gods, sweet David, the smell... the smell! I think I can still taste it on my tongue even now...~ Fighting the urge to vomit at just the mere memory of it, I swallowed to moisten my suddenly dry throat and then - moving to caress her softly, I rasped, "I know, Ieesha; I know. It's okay; it's okay..." A short while later, once we'd gotten ourselves under control, I nodded to Lompor in acknowledgement as I replied, "Good!" Then, jumping down from atop my Lifemate's back - such that I could run a careful eye over the mighty Direhorses and the supplies they carried for each warrior and hunter - I addressed my assembled Clansmen. "Yaymak skxawng aside... Is everyone ready to head out?" I asked.

Amidst cries of affirmation from all, Master Warrior Lompor answered, "We are, ma Olo'eyktan! As you can see, our supplies are packed securely, Txe'lan is with us in her special hawnu, and we are indeed ready to journey to the lands of the Omatikaya when you give us the order to... to... tewti!" No sooner had the exclamation left his lips then I felt a huge something gently nudge me from behind and nearly knock me to the ground! Upon righting myself and twisting about in order to see what had nudged me so - almost immediately, I slapped a hand to my forehead! "Oh, for the love of--!" I groaned. There hovering gently and serenely in the air before us all - was a Protoss Shuttle; a robotic transport vessel normally used to ferry troops over rough terrain and into, or out of, hostile territory.

Although equipped with thrusters powerful enough to let them reach escape velocity and carry even massive Reavers within their hulls, most shuttles - apart from a few rare exceptions - weren't armed with any defensive systems other than a basic psionic plasma shield and a heavily armored hull. As with all constructs forged by the Dragon Weyr, however, this particular shuttle wasn't built to standard Protoss specifications. For starters, the Shuttle was enormous - easily large enough to carry me, Ieesha, our Na'vi Clansmen, and the Life-Support Capsule housing Txe'lan - and it was equipped with the thickest armor I'd ever seen, over which I could just perceive the faint shimmer of a fully charged, immensely powerful, psionic plasma shield.

Additionally, the huge vessel was equipped with a weapons load out equivalent to that possessed by Protoss Scout vessels: dual air-to-ground Photon Guns, dual air-to-air Antimatter Missiles. Finally, built into the nose of the vessel I espied a powerful Phase Disruptor Cannon; something normally possessed by Aiur's Judicator-crewed Arbiter ships! As my Clansmen, whom had never before seen such a vessel, gazed up at it - their expressions near awed and reverent - Lompor, impressed by the vessel's weaponry, turned to me and asked, "Ma Olo'eyktan, what kind of tawsìp is that? I have never seen a tawsìp that large before in my life!" Upon answering him and telling him of the great vessel's purpose, one of the Senior Warriors whom would be accompanying us on the journey - a man named Etrìp, son of Emrey - shouted, "Are you telling us that we caught these Fa'li... and packed up all these supplies... for no reason?"

At his shouted question, some of the other Warriors and even a few of the Hunters, too, began to make noises of discontent, and upon seeing this I rested my head in my hands with another weary groan. 'This is you getting back at me for the Observer Ieesha knocked about this morning, isn't it? It is, isn't it? Please, tell me it's that...' I bemoaned mentally to the Dragon Weyr. As the amusement and affirmation of said Weyr filled my thoughts - and the mighty shuttle gently alighted upon the ground, the docking ramp at its back end lowering to allow us all entry - Lompor softly breathed, "This is... it is amazing , ma Olo'eyktan! To think that a tìsop which would normally take many weeks by Pa'li could be done in only days or even less time! Is there nothing that Txra'kon We'er cannot do?"

When the Dragon Weyr's affirmation/negation filled my thoughts, I grinned and answered, "He hasn't figured that out, yet!" Then, as the discontent of my Warriors and Hunters worsened, I swiftly salvaged the situation. "Ma 'Olo, rutxe, lu mawey, lu mawey. While it is true that, due to Txra'kon We'er, the fine Fa'li you have made Tsaheylu with will no longer be necessary for the journey, the supplies you have packed undoubtedly will be! I... I am uncertain as to how long we will be staying at Vitrautral, or even with the People of the Omatikaya Clan, if they allow us to stay. Regardless of whether or not they allow us to stay, we will not be a burden upon them; thus, as I said, your supplies will be necessary. Please, everyone unload your supplies from the Fa'li and release them; then bring all of your supplies aboard the Shuttle. We will be leaving soon."

With that - wanting to make up for my gross faux pas of not thinking to employ the use of a Shuttle in the first place - I moved to help my Clansmen unload their supplies from their Fa'li and bring them aboard the waiting Shuttle; a task with which my beloved Ieesha helped greatly by employing judicious use of Telekinesis. When we were about halfway through loading everything aboard, however, Ieesha was struck with realization, her midnight-blue eyes widening. ~Oh, please, sweet David, wait a moment!~ she said, and then dashed swiftly into the Dragon Weyr. A short while later, she emerged from the great Nexus and returned to my side. The saddlebag into which she had carefully packed her treasures was gone - she'd obviously stored it in the Weyr with her few other possessions such that she could go through it later - and in its place there was attached a different bag.

Around her neck she wore her Shield Collar, atop her head was her Argus Helm, and a folded dragon-sized Field Tent and human-sized sleeping bag were securely strapped atop her back behind the saddle, between her folded wings. When I queried her about the new saddlebag attached to her harness, she answered ~It holds your supplies for the journey, sweet David. I inspected and packed them last night for you before I, well...~ She lapsed into silence, blushing - her golden cheeks turning spring green - and at this, I chuckled softly before gathering her head into my arms to hug her as best I could. Then, after giving her a soft kiss on the snout I released her from my embrace and moved to open the bag in order to carefully peer inside.

In addition to several weeks' worth of MREs and clothes for the long journey, the saddlebag contained a fully stocked medical kit, a powerful halogen lantern, a cathole trowel and, of course, toiletries, along with a spare Warp Beacon. Thoughtfully, and thoroughly, she had packed everything I needed. "Adun and Trag'Oul forever keep you safe, Ieesha. This is excellent; thank you so much!" I said to her as I finished inspecting the supplies and closed the bag. ~You're welcome!~ she replied. With that, we helped finish loading the supplies aboard the Shuttle and then - after making sure that Txe'lan, Falkor and Miracle were secure - we helped my Clanspeople board the vessel themselves.

Once everyone was seated and as comfortable as was possible, I called out in Khalani, "Onward, to the lands of the Omatikaya! Take us out, my friend!" then the Shuttle's powerful Gravitic Thrusters lifted it gracefully and silently into the air, and we were off! And thus, dear readers, we made our way through the skies of Pandora toward the territory of the Omatikaya Clan. As we travelled onward throughout that first day - from where she rested with Falkor and Miracle, upon a comfortable Fleece Pile installed within the shuttle for her use, my beloved gazed out at the sky through a transparent psi-glass window, a soft, wistful sigh escaping her. "Hey, what's the matter, love?" I asked.

For a moment, Ieesha did not answer my question; she just sighed wistfully again - her longing filling my thoughts. Then, finally, she answered, ~I understand why we have to travel this way, sweet David - we need to ensure that the Life-Support Capsule is protected against any threat - but... oh, how I wish we could fly together properly...~ At her words, a frown of deep concern crossed my face for a moment, before I finally asked, "You... you aren't suffering from Sky Hunger again, are you?" A shiver coursed through me, then, as I remembered what she had told me of that terrible affliction, oh-so-long ago, whilst we were flying aboard the great Carrier, "Akhenaton," returning to Aiur from the planet designated PX-118 or, as I had named it, Arcadia.

~What we call Sky Hunger~ she had said, as she'd gazed out through a transparent psi-glass window at the stars, ~is a terrible thing, sweet David; something with which I and my kin all suffer. It is, quite literally, a 'hunger' - an addiction - to the sky. We Kirathian Dragons need to fly - we have to fly - and we cannot remain tethered to the ground for long. If we do - if we cannot fly often - then we become afflicted with a form of dementia; an insanity that results in us killing those around us and, eventually... ourselves.~ At that point, she had gazed deep into my eyes - her face set with deathly resolve - and as her determination had filled my thoughts, she had continued, ~I... want... it... gone!~

Then, as I had watched on, there - within the confines of the Carrier's massive Cargo Bay - Ieesha had begun to pace uneasily before me as she continued, ~If I am to truly be with you in all things, then I want the Sky Hunger gone! I cannot bear the thought of this accursed sickness overtaking me and it leading to me killing you, simply because there may come a day when we might be indoors where I cannot fly! If they can, I want your people, the Protoss, to cure me of it, sweet David, such that it will afflict me no longer!~ The Protoss hadn't cured her Sky Hunger, dear readers. No... What they did was to paralyze my beloved's wings such that she could no longer fly and was forced to live as a ground-dwelling creature.

What had followed was a time I now looked back on as the "Year of Hell"; a terrible year where my beloved suffered first with the need to fly and then the sheer agony of being unable to fulfill said need. A year where my beloved's nightly mental pleading and physical keening for the freedom of the sky had left me heartbroken and unable to sleep. A year wherein her insanity at being unable to fly had turned to rage so terrible that she had needed to be heavily restrained and muzzled to prevent her from lashing out at anyone and anything. A year wherein she had attempted to commit suicide through any means she could find to do so, and thus, had needed near-constant watching.

Until, at last, her Sky Hunger had broken and she had learned to appreciate the ground and view the sky with new eyes, for her want to fly had become just that, a want, and no longer an all-encompassing need. Fortunately, I was pulled from my memories and back to reality, when Ieesha answered, ~By Trag'Oul's Heart, no! Your former people helped me to free myself of that weakness long ago.~ A second later, her voice dropped to but a whisper, as she continued, ~What they did to me - what I asked them to do to me - was agony; there were times when you were the only thing that kept me alive, and sane...~ She broke off, unable to continue, as her eyes became misty with unshed tears.

Gathering her great head into my arms, I softly stroked along her neck as I murmured, "I know, Ieesha, I know. You're all the better for it, though. The Protoss knew. They knew that with time you would be able to overcome your Sky Hunger yourself, and you did! Even now - as a Pandoran Ikran - you're still free of it." Once she was able to regain control of her emotions and finally cease crying, Ieesha nodded. ~It's all thanks to you, sweet David, all thanks to you.~ she replied, earnestly. At this, I assumed a classic "thinker's pose", placing a hand beneath my chin as I pondered her words for a moment. Then, finally, I spoke solemnly with the voice of an old fashioned Gumshoe. "Hmmm... Maybe it is; maybe it ain't..." My beloved's amusement flowed through my thoughts, then, as she chuffed heartily with laughter.

The powerful, custom-built transport vessel that my people and I were currently aboard had been designed by the Dragon Weyr to operate even during the worst weather or the toughest battle conditions. Thus - due to its powerful Gravitic Thrusters - we made good time, only making the occasional landing to help wounded animals, or shift those we couldn't help immediately back to the Dragon Weyr for treatment. Of a night, whilst I relaxed beneath the golden wings of my beloved, the company of my animal friends and the boisterous voices of my Warriors as they bantered and joked with each other proved to be a welcome distraction against thoughts of what might happen when we reached our journey's end.

Roughly two days later - when we were about a third of the way to our destination - as my Clansman, Ieesha, and I all rested after a day of physical training and sparring to keep ourselves fit and in shape, Ieesha said to me ~Sweet David... I do not understand. Why do the Omatikaya despise you, when you have done them no wrong?~ With a world-weary sigh, I told her of the terrible war that had occurred long ago between my former people and the Na'vi of the Omatikaya Clan. When my tale ended, my beloved Ikran - and all of the members of my Clan whom were with me - all shook their heads in disbelief. ~But... but that's not right, or fair, sweet David,~ my beloved exclaimed.

~Parker Selfridge and Miles Quaritch were fools, I'll grant you that - and the entire Unobtanium situation could have been handled better - but... why should you be held accountable for it? It wasn't your fault! Blame for the whole Unobtanium mess should be borne upon the shoulders of the long defunct Resource Development Authority, not you!~ As her anger at this wrong committed against me searing through our bond, a deep rumbling growl escaped her before she continued, ~As far as I'm concerned, this Jake Sully is a fool! He's condoning and allowing blatant racism and prejudice against you, just because you're human!~

She had a right to be angry, dear readers, for the issue of discrimination due to one's race was deeply personal to her. You see, the very prejudice that I often dealt with from the people of the Omatikaya was similar to the prejudice that she had suffered from the Elders of her race; three ancient and highly superstitious Kirathian Dragons known as the Triad. Why had the Triad scorned her so? The answer, dear readers, was simply because she'd been born with an unusual runic marking upon the end of her tail, when the two suns of her long-forgotten Homeworld were as one in the sky. That was where the similarities ended, however. Along with an occasional frosty glare or veiled insult, the people of the Clan of the Blue Flute had only ever given me the cold shoulder.

Ieesha, however... she had been exiled; forced to pass through the "Eye of Trag'Oul", something that her people revered as a sacred artifact; a piece of their god - the Great Dragon, Trag'Oul - that had fallen to Earth! The reality, however, was vastly different; the 'Eye' was actually a primitive, highly unstable Warp Gate of Xel'Naga origin and - upon travelling through it - my beloved had been very, very lucky! Due to the highly unstable nature of the Gate, at best it could have transported her anywhere throughout the known Universe, or shifted only part of her to a random destination. At worst, the Eye could have exploded, the unstable Warp Vortex escaping from its quantum confines to scatter her atoms throughout space-time even as it obliterated her Homeworld and kin. Fortunately, none of that had happened.

For unknown reasons, the Eye of Trag'Oul had worked perfectly; the Warp Gate had shifted her to the Planet PX-118 - Arcadia - where, thankfully, I had found her. From that point forward, she and I had never been alone again. Time marched ever onward, dear readers, as it always does, but - as the days passed and we flew ever-closer to our destination; the lands of the Omatikaya, or "Clan of the Blue Flute", from where we would reach the Tree of Souls - I, Ieesha, my Clansmen and our animal friends all began to feel a tension in the air that hung over us heavily. _"You and your yawne Iee'zha can feel it, too, can't you, ma Olo'eyktan?"_Tsa'hik San'eya said some two days later as she made Tsaheylu with the Shuttle's robotic mind.

As we sat next to each other before the shuttle's artificially intelligent computer core, I turned to face her and nodded in acknowledgement before answering, "We can. Have you been able to learn anything from the Shuttle as to what may be causing this?" Sighing wearily, my Clan's Tsa'hik of Eywa slowly shook her head and then - as she disconnected her tswin from the computer core's diagnostic port - she finally answered, "Kehe, she does not know what is wrong; all she can tell me is that, for some reason she cannot identify, Txra'kon We'er is tense and worried and this in turn is making her feel the same." A moment later, the elderly Tsa'hik gave me a warm smile, a chuckle escaping her, before she continued, "This tawsìp - this Shah-tell - is very hiyìk, Txa'vit.

I know it is a fngap machine and has no gender, but its eltu lefngap is female - very much like one's Sa'nok - and she worries for us terribly, though is willing to place herself at great risk to see us safely to where we need to be..."_Returning her smile, I nodded again before I responded _"Protoss Shuttles are like that, ma Tsa'hik. Due to the lefngap eltu that gives a shuttle its intelligence, the tawsìp will often develop a kind of... maternal sense for the people it carries." For a moment, Tsa'hik San'eya gazed warmly at the transport vessel's computer core and then - after standing from her seat in order to stretch herself - she carefully ran her hand along a smooth, psi-steel panel; one of many that made up a wall of the shuttle's cabin.

As she felt the ship thrum softly with pleasure at her touch, she responded. "And this, Txa'vit, is one of the many things I love about Txra'kon We'er and its many different fngap machines. At first glance your kelku and its many machines seem like lifeless things, but when you learn to truly see them for what they are... each one is as unique as any rusey ioang of kifkey Eywa'evengä; each is alive and intelligent, with its own thoughts, feelings, desires and dreams..." "That may be so, ma Tsa'hik"_I replied, _"but..." and here I swallowed nervously to moisten my suddenly dry throat before continuing, "not all machines of Txra'kon We'er are kind." Then, I told the Tsa'hik truths of the Dragon Weyr that, until now, only Txe'lan had known.

The great Nexus could - if it so desired - make terrible machines and weapons geared purely for destruction: the Carrier, filled with Interceptor drones, too many and too fast for Na'vi arrows to hit; the Void Ray armed with its devastating Prismatic Beam able to do tremendous damage over time; and the titanic Mothership, its devastating power able to wipe out squadrons of enemy ships in the blink of an eye, lay waste to entire planets, and even warp or crack the very fabric of space-time itself! Additionally, I told San'eya of the smaller weapons the Dragon Weyr was capable of making: the Psionic Blades, Photon Guns, and Photon Cannons which could be either personal, shoulder mounted weapons, or larger emplacements used to defend structures.

Finally, I revealed that the Dragon Weyr - the wonderful living kelku that hosted our Clan - was not only a home, but also a weapon itself! After I had finished explaining all of this to her, I waited for her reaction but - to my surprise - it wasn't what I had expected: Tsa'hik San'eya threw back her head and laughed heartily! Once she was able to regain control of herself, she put a gnarled hand upon my shoulder as she said, "You speak to me of things I already know, ma Olo'eyktan. Remember, Txra'kon We'er made Tsaheylu with me and told me of himself. I know that he is able to craft weapons, and also that he houses weapons inside his tokx; I was with you during our battle against 'They Who Could Not See' and I saw him use them to help protect us!

As for all the ay'tawsip you say he can build - the Carrier, the Atanvi Tawsìp, and the Sa'nok Tawsìp - well, I have only seen one of those: the Sa'nok Tawsip, because Txra'kon We'er built one into himself. It is part of the nawm tawsip that holds his ronsem and tirea." When I nodded, a shaky sigh escaping me, Tsa'hik San'eya continued soothingly,"Txra'kon We'er's nawm tìtxur does not make him good or evil; it is how he uses his power that determines the choice. Txra'kon We'er has tìvawm within him - as do we all, ma Olo'eyktan - but like us, he has never acted upon it, for he is kind and good. Therefore, if he ever does make these fearsome ay'tawsip of which you speak, you can be sure he will never use them for kawng; he is our rusey kelku Txra'kon We'er and he will use the ay'tawsip to protect, for the good of us all."

The Tsa'hik's words, dear readers - so honest and heartfelt - brought the Dragon Weyr low and for a time the tension in the air eased as it wept with joy, its happiness and love filling my thoughts to bursting, making me weep silently with happy tears of my own as I embraced San'eya, clutching at her turinash. Once the great Nexus and I were able to regain control of ourselves, I tried to think of something, anything, to say to thank my Clan's Tsa'hik of Eywa - a mere 'thank you would never be enough to express my thanks for such amazing and stalwart belief in us - but even as I tried to do so, she waved me away saying, "Think nothing of it, ma Txa'vit. You and Iee'zha have enriched our lives so much; you and she are the best Olo'eyktan and Olo' Sa'nok that we of Clan Tawkami have ever had. It is we whom should be thanking you."

There was nothing more I could say to her and so - feeling utterly overwhelmed - I vacated the shuttle's cabin and made my way back to the Cargo Hold of the vessel, whereupon I collapsed against Ieesha's body. As my beloved Ikran Lifemate instinctively tucked me down into the curl of her body and beneath her golden wings, she reflected a portion of the happiness I had felt back at me, mixed with her own, as she quietly said, ~The Na'vi of Clan Tawkami are amazing people, sweet David...~ At that point in time, I couldn't agree more. And so it was that our journey continued until - some three days later, with the tension again thick and heavy in the air - Ieesha and I were awakened abruptly by the shuttle rocking violently, along with the sound of Tsa'hik San'eya shouting from the vessel's cabin!

As the vessel's motion became ever more turbulent, five of my Clansmen whom were lucky - including Masters Lompor and Oo'ano - swiftly strapped themselves into their seats, but four others, those whom weren't able to react in time, were either flung violently about or, thankfully, had their psi-steel taparrabos caught in the mighty jaws of Falkor, and Miracle. As he sat safely in his seat, Oo'ano grinned chaotically - the stoic and deathly silent Master Hunter of Tawkami was actually enjoying the chaos around him - but Master Warrior Lompor called out to us, "Ma Olo'eyktan, ma Olo'eyktan! What is happening? Are we under attack?" At that, my beloved and I immediately shared a look, and then - as the rocking of the shuttle worsened - without uttering a word between us we leaped to our feet and raced to him.

When he caught sight of us, the Master Warrior of Tawkami breathed a sigh of relief before asking again, "What on kifkey Eywa'evengäis happening? Why does the Shah-tell shake and our Senior Tsa'hik shout so?"_At his question, Ieesha and I swiftly shook our heads before I answered, _"We're not sure, ma Tsmukan; but we're going to head to the Cabin and find out. Rutxe, do not get up from your seat at this time, alright; you might be injured." At my words, he nodded before replying, "I understand, ma Olo'eyktan and will heed your words, but rutxe, a few of the men weren't able to get to their seats in time and I worry for them; they may have been injured in all this!"

Wanting to ease his mind and counter the distress he felt, I placed a hand upon his shoulder as I softly intoned "Do not fear for them ma Tsmukan; when we have found out what is going on and put a stop to it, my yawne and I will see to the men; you can count on it!" Upon hearing my words - as Ieesha nodded firmly in agreement with them - Lompor heaved a sigh of relief before he said, "Irayo, Txa'vit! Now, rutxe, kä; kä!" With that, we left the Master Warrior and raced to the shuttle's cabin. When we arrived there, it was to find Tsa'hik San'eya crouched protectively before the core of the shuttle - as if shielding it from the wrath of something only she could see. " Kehe , Txra'kon We'er, Kehe!" she was shouting.

"We cannot just fly through the lands of the Omatikaya and then land directly at the site of Vitrautral; the Omatikaya are traditionalists and would resent the sight of your fngap machines upon their land, especially at Vitrautral; they would have our heads! We must land here and use local Fa'li to ride the rest of the way. Rutxe, listen to me; listen!"Anger and impatience from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts; emotions not directed at me, but at the Tsa'hik, whom was locked deeply in Tsaheylu with the vessel's robotic mind. A telepathic query to the shuttle from Ieesha shed light upon the situation. ~The Dragon Weyr is angry and impatient, David - it wants Tsa'hik Txe'lan helped by Eywa immediately and so it desires to bypass the Kelutral of the Omatikaya and fly the Shuttle right to the Tree of Souls.

San'eya, however, is determined not to let this happen because it would be a dishonest thing to do; the Omatikaya would not be lenient on us if we just... landed our shuttle at such a sacred site. Thus, San'eya is attempting to wrest the poor shuttle's mind free from the control of the Dragon Weyr so that we can command it ourselves, or pilot it manually!~ Now aware of the situation, almost immediately, I barked out an override code in Khalani but the Weyr refused to acknowledge it; its anger within my thoughts intensified and - as she felt the emotion through her bond of Tsaheylu with the shuttle - Tsa'hik San'eya whimpered softly with pain. 'Shit! Shit, shit, shit! This is a fight she won't be able to win, Ieesha. Damn it!'

A sigh of frustration escaping me, I wracked my brains for a solution... and then, an epiphany struck me! Blocking the psychic bond I shared with the Weyr, I turned to Ieesha, whom looked back at me attentively. 'You were the primary designer of the Dragon Weyr when it was first built, love' I said to her privately via our bond. 'That means you'd know pretty much all of the override passkeys for all of the Weyr's systems...' Even as I spoke, however, my beloved Lifemate slowly shook her head as she replied, ~I know them, sweet David, but don't you remember? We removed nearly all of them Trag'Oul knows how long ago; we feared that they might be misused to interfere with the Dragon Weyr's sentience...~

"Ah, crap, that's right; we did, too!" I growled, releasing a sigh of frustration. A moment later, however, my beloved's eyes widened with a mixture of realization and hope as she continued, ~...however, a few passkeys still remain; ancient ones from the time when we first built the Weyr, before we found the Warp Prism that became the Weyrmind. And when the Weyrmind chose to integrate itself into the Dragon Weyr and take over as its Computer System...~ At that point, an epiphany struck me as I realized where she was going with this. "...It assimilated all of the old operational procedure data from the original Computer System directly into a read-only section of its Temporal Cortex as part of its Base Programming Code..."

Happiness filled my thoughts, as Ieesha nodded. ~Correct! Part of that old data is a listing of all of the remaining override passkeys , including my own personal key to shut off the Long Range Psi-Web in the event of a Gestalt Defense Breach, or some other emergency! Now, let's see... Establishing Psi-Web...~ With that, Ieesha commanded the shuttle to activate its long rage psionic communications web. Once she and I felt the web activate, as she directed its currents towards those of the Dragon Weyr's far larger communications web, she murmured, ~Psi-Web established. Reinforcing Psi-Web...~ and then strengthened the connection. When the two webs merged, strengthened, and then established themselves as a unified whole, my beloved grinned toothily, her triumph filling my thoughts as she said ~Alright, we're on!~

"Hit it!" I replied. Ieesha nodded and then - as I watched - she opened her mouth... and a wave of sound washed over us all. It was a riot of harmony and rhythm, a blast of noise; a huge pulsing fugue in eight, 16, 32 voices -- I lost count. The fugue drove towards harmonic resolution but always modulated to another key in a wonderful combination of control and invention. As the sound washed over me it made my heart vibrate in my chest. My flesh tingled as a shiver coursed through my body. The sound even affected Tsa'hik San'eya; she stilled, her jaw dropping open, and then turned to stare at Ieesha, stunned to silence. When my beloved Lifemate was done - when the sequence was ended - raw fury from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts for the briefest of moments, before the bond I shared with the great construct fell silent.

The long-range Psionic Communications Web, which the Weyr employed for all of its communication abilities - including guiding its machines, and maintaining the psychic bonds it shared with Txe'lan, Ieesha, and I - was offline. With the web offline, the Dragon Weyr could no longer communicate with - and thus, control - the shuttle; the great transport vessel's turbulent motion stilled almost immediately. The tension in the air was gone for good, too; all I could perceive now were the telepathic bond I shared with Ieesha and the feminine, artificial mind of the robotic shuttle in which we stood as it ran a series of diagnostic checks and then prepared the ship for landing. Turning, I looked to Ieesha, watching as her midnight-blue eyes fluttered closed, and then opened again, affixing upon me as she intoned, ~It is done.~

Then, there was silence in the shuttle's cabin - not a sound, except for the barely audible hum emitted by the vessel's psionic and electrical systems. Soon, however, that silence was broken by Tsa'hik San'eya. After checking the shuttle's mind for damage and thankfully finding none, San'eya moved to slump bonelessly into the copilot's chair, a sigh of relief escaping her before she said, "Thank you both, Olo'eyktan and Iee'zha! I had almost given up hope of stopping Txra'kon We'er and his yaymak actions. Had he chosen to land the Shah-tell directly at Vitrautral, everything could have ended in disaster! Thank you for stopping him when I could not. Now, Shah-tell Sa'nok is the only one in control of her fngap tokx. We are..." and here, she switched to Khalani, "... half a kilometer away from the Omatikaya Kelutral, and she prepares for landing."

At this, relief filled my thoughts, an emotion echoed by my beloved and reflected back at me through our bond, as I said, " __We know, ma Tsa'hik; irayo. Ngaru lu fpom srak?" At my question, the elderly Tsa'hik gingerly shook her head, and then groaned softly with pain before she answered, "Kehe, ma Olo'eyktan, I am not - I feel as though an Angtsìk is stomping around inside my head - but I will be fine after some rest. Truth be told, I'm more worried about our Pongu. You should go and see to them, now." Wordlessly, we nodded to her and then - after giving San'eya a small vial from my Field Medical Kit; a headache remedy - Ieesha and I left the cabin and swiftly moved to check the ten other Na'vi whom had chosen to accompany us.

Fortunately, apart from a few bumps, bruises, scrapes and knocks - easily treatable with the Deep Healing Beam from my Field Medical Kit - none of the Tawkami Clansmen were seriously injured. "... And thank Adun and Eywa for that!" I murmured to myself softly, as I healed a nasty gash marring the temple of Ango son of Wok. "If it weren't for the naturally occurring carbon fiber that reinforces your bones, things could have been much, much worse..." It was a habit of mine; I often talked to myself whilst I worked no matter what the job - whether it was crafting technology upon the Dragon Weyr's Psi-Forge, working in the Clinic, or even battling the Zerg - but even though I'd tried to keep my voice soft, Ango still heard me; Na'vi hearing was superior to that of humans.

"I thank you for healing me with your sä'o ma Olo'eyktan, but... what is this Kx'ar'pon Fi'pr you speak of?" As he asked the question, some of the Clansmen whom I and Ieesha had healed prior to him turned to listen attentively. Aware that he might not understand the science behind it, I carefully explained to the Na'vi man what Carbon Fiber was, in simple terms, without patronizing him. "Amazing," he murmured thoughtfully, "so you are saying that within our ay'txärem there is a kind of tskxe that gives them great strength?" At his question, Ieesha and I nodded before I answered, "Srane, ma Tsmukan, it is one of the many gifts with which Eywa has blessed you."

"And... this natural tskxe; it is inside us when we are born, remains with us as we age, and remains within our ay'tokx even when we return to Eywa?" he asked. As he did so, he and quite a few of the others examined their hands and bodies - as if trying to see what I spoke of - and their actions made us chuckle for a moment, before Ieesha answered, ~Srane, ma Tsmukan, it is and it does, but it is not something that you are able to see; it is not like the tskxe used for the sharp blade of an axe or the heavy head of a txewk. The tskxe within you is... It is somewhat like a cloth, woven around and even within your bones, made up of threads so small that you cannot see them with your eyes!~

Ango thought for a moment, then, before nodding to himself. "... But the machines you and your yawne have inside Txra'kon We'er, they can allow us to see the tskxe threads," he stated, matter-of-factly. Ieesha nodded as she replied, ~Srane, ma Tsmukan.~ Ango smiled warmly at her, then, before he replied, "Despite only having your word of this, I believe you, Iee'zha; I believe you. Eywa knows I have seen many hiyìk things since your yawne, Txa'vit, became the Olo'eyktan of our Clan. We all have." At this, the other Clansmen nodded in agreement. "But," Ango continued "after we have taken Tsa'hik Txe'lan to Vitrautral for healing, you will show me this tskxe inside me."

Ieesha and I nodded, but - as we made to reply in the affirmative - one of the Hunters with us spoke up, "Ma Olo'eyktan, please tell us of what happened earlier! Why did the nawm fngap yayo shake? Why was Tsa'hik Txe'lan shouting?" And so, dear readers, I told my Clansmen what had happened earlier in the shuttle's cabin; of how the Dragon Weyr had tried to command the shuttle to land directly at the Tree of Souls, of how San'eya had tried to reason with the Nexus, and finally, of how Ieesha had put an end to the great construct's foolishness. When I finished my explanation, the men all shook their heads in disbelief, and then - a moment later - Master Warrior Lompor said, "Whilst I understand why Txra'kon We'er did it, ma Olo'eyktan - we all wish our Olo' 'Ite Txe'lan to be well as soon as possible - he must learn to be patient! If he does not learn patience his actions could result in someone's death!"

A weary sigh escaped me, then, before I replied, "I know, ma Tsmukan, and we will talk to him as soon as we get back - Eywa willing, with Txe'lan returned to us - but for now, we should prepare to disembark; we are not far from the Kelutral of the Omatikaya and the shuttle will be landing soon." At this, my Clansmen strapped themselves back into their seats. "When we again set foot upon the land, ma Olo'eyktan; what then?" asked Lompor as he swiftly strapped himself in. "We find local Fa'li, bond with them, then load our supplies on them and ride the rest of the way," I answered. With that we headed to the secondary Cargo Hold - whereupon Ieesha retrieved and repacked our supplies upon her back with a simple application of telekinesis - and then, we made our way back to the primary hold to await the landing procedure.