Crenel, the Prison Planet

Archelaus runs ahead, and while Zyria would like to do the same, she knows it's safer to stay with the group. They all quickly have Verax, Archelaus, and Aurora in sight. Seeing Verax, Zyria immediately rushes over, pulling out her sword. It bursts into its true form, and Zyria holds it threateningly toward Verax. It's almost comical, her small form against someone like Verax, but she doesn't care. She wouldn't be able to hold him off forever, and it may get her killed, but she can do a lot of damage.

"Verax! You stay the hell away. All we want is Aurora."

But before Archelaus could do anything, Tam's body tensed and twitched in his arms, and then the parasite took control. Her form clouded black, corrupted by the dark influence, and the Thel-ghan'che threw itself, spinning through the air out of Archelaus' arms, and turned towards him with a menacing look. Then, it growled, "Your attempts are useless, Archelaus."

"You cannot save her. Do you know why, High Druid? Because your Eris-Tam, your Aurora, is dead."

Aboard the cruiser in which he had found in the 30th Dimension, D'garar began scanning other Dimension's for signs of the people had been with before. He recalled Eris-tam planning to go to the prison planet Crenel. He decided that would be the best place to start. He engaged the warp drives and jumped to a safe distance from the planet. He saw the remnants of the battle around the prison. He hoped whatever was going on inside was good. The Elder War Chief boarded a small one man fighter and took off for the prison planet.

This time I won't disappear on Aurora. He thought to himself. This time, I help my friends.

Archelaus shuddered slightly, and then returned the ice. He changed from Knight to King, from fighting to giving orders, and making it happen.

It didn't dawn on Archelaus that the others would still see Verax as a threat until Zyria's words made their way to his ears.

Sensing the parasite's confidence, and the blistering coldness of its tendrils, Archelaus turned aside from Aurora, in effect blocking the path of her retreat if the parasite tried to run. Aurora was powerful in her own right, but Archleaus was stronger. She could not escape.

He bellowed at his comrades and friends:

"Do not worry about Verax, he wants the parasite as much as we do. Although Zyria, I suggest you keep your sword out." He paused, for a moment. "Robless, the Lyikos. We need it."

Archelaus shuddered slightly, and then returned the ice. He changed from Knight to King, from fighting by sword and claw to giving orders, and making it happen.

It didn't dawn on Archelaus that the others would still see Verax as a threat until Zyria's words made their way to his ears.

Sensing the parasite's confidence, and the blistering coldness of its tendrils, Archelaus turned aside from Aurora, in effect blocking the path of her retreat if the parasite tried to run. Aurora was powerful in her own right, but Archleaus was stronger. She could not escape.

He bellowed at his comrades and friends:

"Do not worry about Verax, he wants the parasite as much as we do. Although Zyria, I suggest you keep your sword out." He paused, for a moment. "Robless, the Lyikos. We need it."

Cassus felt himself walk forward, as if some other force besides his own conscience was pushing him forward. He closed his eyes for a moment.

There it was, the old house that they had once lived in together, before things went wrong. It was worn, abandoned, but it was theirs. He was in the living room. The barrel glowed hot on his father's rifle, one burning cartridge amidst the collection of alcohol. Cassus opened his hands and the weapon fell to the ground, shattering the empty bottles.

"Aurora...Aurora..." he called out quietly, moving slowly towards the spot that he'd always comforted her, as if any sudden movement would scare her away.

Though the dark is falling, night to you be kind.

One step forward, into the darkness she hid in.

Stars will always shine on you, dawn will always comfort you.

Another foot on the ground. All those years of living in the darkness, and yet maybe he was still a light in the dark.

Though the dark is falling, morning isn't far.

Like the rising sun, he who walks into the dark, brings with him the light.

When the morning breaks the night,

Cassus reached forward.

You'll surely find your way home.

"Aurora?"

She wasn't there.

"Aurora!"

He turned around. There she was. Except it wasn't her. The last beating was all it took. The shadow crept forward and pulled him under. His head hit the ground hard and the world faded to black.

-~-

Cassus felt a hand on his shoulder. This time he was back on the steel floor on Crenel. Robless was helping him up.

"What were you thinking? The Thel-ghan'che won't give in that easily. Come on, let's show it the light." Robless pulled his glove up slightly and revealed a bright yellow ribbon of light writhing under his skin.

He felt the burning sensation in his heart and soul as he prepared himself for what was to come. Aurora. Robless sprinted towards the dark shadow that enveloped her and thrust his hand forward, going straight into Aurora's mental reality.

Aurora lives.

(Cassus, in his confusion, actually tried walking towards Aurora to calm her down, only to be struck down by the Thel-ghan'che.)

D'garar arrived on the prison planet not knowing anything of the events. He could only assume there was some sort of battle. He was unarmed, but even without weapons the man was powerful. He began to storm through the prison, hunting for his allies. As he turned the corner to the room everyone was in he stopped short. The sight to him was rather confusing, he saw Aurora, controlled by the parasite. Surrounding her were people he knew, and many he did not.

He spotted Zyria first and ran to her side. "Hey Zyria, long time no see."

The War Chief had changed quite a lot since they last saw each other. His hair was now grey, and his eyes and turned orange. He was about six inches taller than he was when he disappeared, and his former arrogance had been replaced with an aura of confidence and wisdom.

Verax laughed. "Oh, didn't expect to fight with me, eh? Jones! Falcion! Krakot! Vabin! Now!" Krakot felt ashamed that he had to hide that he knew this was coming, but he did his job, glas he was fighting with the people he joined.

"Right!" Krakot bellowed, his power-core overloading.

"Aye-Aye!" As Captain Jones threw a small purple crystal shard at Vabin.

"BURN BABY!" As Falcion's dragon head spewerd fire at Vabin, who was floating above Krakot.

"Welcome to darknessssssss!" And Vabin began to spin. The cyrstal was in fact a shard of the Voyager's warp-core, reacting with Krakot to produce a energy dome, which in turn blocked all the fire Falcion was breathing. Vabin spining caused the fire to wrap around the dome, making a flaming forcefield that could contain just about anything. There would be no escape for the Parasite.

"I would come up with something special to say right now, but I think I'm going to focus on being a warmachine!" Verax laughed, lighting dancing around him as he spoke. He jumped back, putting as much distance between himself and the Parasite as he could. "OVER HERE!" And he threw lighting at the feet of the husk that was Eris-Tam's body. "What's the matter? Can't take the heat?" And a small cloud of thin needles of fire launched themselves at the Parasite. "Come on! I want to see that power!" He kept taunting like this, trying to keep the Thel'ghan'che focused on him, and not on Robless, and the Lyikos he had.

As the Lyikos slowly wrapped itself around Tam's mind and pushed inwards towards the dark parasite, Tam's body screamed in agony. Neither of the two parasites had control, now, but neither did Tam. Her body fell, convulsing once more, twisting and spasming on the floor as the two forces began their war dance, threatening to tear her mind apart. As her body became helpless and unused, the attacks launched by Verax and his generals became completely unnecessary and irrelevant. The fight was inside her, not outside.

Her body was completely unresponsive to any outside stimulation, pain, prescence, everything. But she continued to moan and wail, quieter now, her body still writhing on the cold, hard floor of the cell.

Zyria, who had, grudgingly, relaxed from her attack stance, turns as she hears someone run up. Verax prances away, but Zyria refuses to acknowledge whatever he thinks he's doing. Instead she turns to find D'garar running up to her.

"D'garar! My goodness! Is it really you?!" Zyria would smile, but with everything happening, and has happened, she can only spare a half-smile/half-grimace. "So much has happened, I can hardly recall, well, anything, really. Everything's been so overwhelming, it feels odd talking about it like this. There isn't much to be done, here, sadly, though. The parasite and the Lykios are at it, and I don't think anyone can do anything now. -sigh- It's hard not to feel absolutely useless."

Zyria glances around, at both friend and enemy. "We need to be wary about Verax and his followers, too, but we're all here for the same reason: the parasite." She looks to Aurora, wanting to do.....something to help. But she can't do anything. If anyone could, it would be those that can help her mind, and a simple Plutonian doesn't have such supernatural talents. Zyria sighs again, and looks back to D'garar. "You'll be a great help if we need it, D'garar, everyone will appreciate your return." Her sword shrinks back into a knife, but Zyria keeps it in her hand, still ready to use it. "Right now, though, for the rest of us, there's not really anything we can do,"

"But be ready."

Tam's body lashed and her head whipped back and forth, slamming against the floor several times, her body lifting up off the ground because of her spasms and then slamming back down, and her cries of fear and pain tore through Crenel's dark hallways. But that was just on the surface.

Inside, the Lyikos and the Thel-ghan'che were duking it out- and using Tam's already prone, exposed, and aching mind as a battleground. They tore through her thoughts and memories, destroying much of what they crossed, sending her deeper into oblivion. They launched themselves through her nervous system, not only causing the twitching and seizures but also sending agonizing pain ripping through her nerves.

Even crouching where she was in the old house, she wasn't safe. The two parasites were nowhere to be seen, but the pain still burned through her veins every few moments and despite trying to hold them back, screams still erupted and filled the otherwise deathly silent home.

She trembled and pushed further back into the space under the shelves where no one could reach her, trying desperately to get away from the pain, get away from everyone and everything. Solitude was her preference, now- where before she had not wanted to be alone, she now wanted only to get as far away from anyone that could hurt her as possible, and that meant everyone.

Several more wails and broken screams drowned out other noises in Crenel, and her body still tossed and twisted against the floor relentlessly...





((Sorry for the really random continuation post, but I just HAD to write something, to satisfy my immediate withdrawls, because no one will post... Dx It makes me really sad. D:))

OFC (Nooo...! Must... cure... sadness...!) (I just need uninterrupted time...!)
(I will post! A nice big long one...!)

((Sooo close! I was starting to get excited, and then--! Disappointment.))

Victus, reyloch, est sa'rah
Tinanku, dreylus se est nontra rheyae
Feylahn, ri'achna, est arroh
Rei reyloch tra opie
A'rah xe qin tess.
Drah iul talah vidos.


Victory lies in the stars tonight
Loss does not stand with beauty
Forward, no retreat, till it be morrow
For the stars shine radiantly
And the night is young.
So hold your heart to the sky.

***
Life existed in slow motion. Fire and ice swirled around as Archelaus threw his body into the electric laced walls of Crenel to prevent Aurora from hurting herself any more than she already had.
Not Aurora, the parasite...

He watched, slightly confused, like a child who does not understand the death of a butterfly, as Verax and his soldiers attempted to distract the parasite.

He watched as the Lyikos rammed into Aurora's mind, and began the thrashing battle between parasite and hunter, he watched as it reduced fields to ash, as it tore murals to strands of dust, and froze rivers into icy traps.
***

Terra rasheylla est naru,
Bedya di kah, ei di uanu,
Di ri'eira, pharos est
Las eras wreavahn,
Sa'el las tiennas renoix
Di masah tre werxan bey rohsu
Est bey rohsu tre masah.

Do not fear my love,
I am coming for you
I will come if the desert sands thrash
If the waters (stampede)
If the rivers flood
I will come for you when all seems lost
And when lost is all you seem.

***
Out of everyone in that hallway, Archelaus was the one in the position to help Aurora the most. Verax and his lieutenants were powerful, but chaotic. Robless had good motivation, but when Archelaus was so near to Aurora to touch her the High Druid undoubtedly possessed more strength than he. Zyria was intelligent, but she would be no match for the parasite, Lyikos, or Archelaus. Thus it was up to him to make sure the Lyikos had the upper hand, and up to him to make sure that Aurora wasn't destroyed during the raging battle.

Admist the rage of battle, Archelaus had two options... to either barge in trumpets blaring and armor shining, attempting to muscle his way through small gains...
Or to gently make his way into Aurora's mind, healing and revitalizing as he went. He knew it better than either the Lyikos or the Parasite after all...

And Archelaus was gentle already... Aurora had been subjected to enough pain and wrath, enough rage and fire, enough struggle and combat. She needed something peaceful. Something pure.
And you can't get more pure than love.
***

Do not fear the darkness, nor the shadows
For the light of a single star
Can light up the galaxy.
Do not fear yourself,
Mistakes have been made, failure is a companion,
But we will remember more the opportunities missed
In our lives
Than the things we tried and failed

Friends may not always act as friends
Often they carry daggers in the dark
But if you have trust in no one
Or the very few
It will be a lonely life you lead
It is better to trust many,
And be occasionally betrayed
Than to forever have fearing eyes

Often the battles we face do not feel like battles
They are foreign, with little feeling attached
Something that seems unimportant
When it makes all the difference in the world
Do not let yourself be tricked by evil
Because it will not fight fair, to be sure,
Be on the lookout always
And let you heart be your guide

***
Archelaus slipped into Aurora's mind like a leaf landing upon the water. Barely causing a ripple, barely even wet, looking for a place to dive deeper. He was careful, conscious, watching the fight beneath the waves. It was strange to see another presence in her mind.

Fighting amidst the memories of her life...

Fire illuminated Aurora's first memories, as a girl, the flames huge enough and hot enough they burst from the water and shot in all directions. Saddening music haunted the scene, as Arch floated upon the water. A bolt of lightning followed, striking her memories of the Homeworld, back when it was crystal and alive, instead of dust and ash.

He looked for the right place, as he floated along further, knowing every current he crossed, knowing all the inlets and all the beaches. Knowing the corals beneath him and the wind above.
He saw the right place, the place he had been looking for.

It had been more than nearly a thousand years ago, before death and destruction had spewed across the Nega Dimensions one by one. Back when the Fleshers were a curiosity, the Myroniths were still a valiant people, when the first dimension and Lady Zyria's people knew peace, and before the creation of the Marauder armada. It was a time of happiness, and a time of beautiful works of wonder. The twin suns of the Homeworld shone radiantly, the trio of moons were brilliant in their glow...
It was here that Archelaus traveled, so far deep through corridors in her mind that neither the Lyikos nor the parasite could hope to follow him there. After all, he was there when the corridors were formed. He had helped shape them.

Archelaus had chosen what he had hoped was the happiest time of her life.

It was nothing special, nothing blaring or loud, and nothing of importance had happened. Not after a special mission, or the finishing of a project that would save lives, or anything of any significance.
It was a day of rest, of peace, and of quiet.

It was the day when Archelaus took her to see the little known waterfalls of Cyronix, the beautiful reds and blues alight in front of the red and blue stars, casting myriad lights across the ground. It was nothing more special than waters and lights, but it was tranquil and calm. It was wonderful in its simplicity, and amazing in its simple beauty.
It was no one but Archelaus and Aurora, standing in the mist of ancient rivers.

The happiest of days.
***

The tone of her voice is honeyed and pure
A wonderful crystalice of sound
Her words are melodic, astral, and clear
She walks on light instead of ground

Grace lives in her movements, inside her heart
Her mere walk is a dance with the skies
Her tears break the stoniest souls apart
As the oceans tremble along with her sighs

Her wondrous smile ignites spirits to gleam
Raising hope to whatever eyes she meets
Like imagination or a wondrous dream
One action alone reversing defeats.

***
It was here that Archelaus began, spreading seeds of hope and peace where he went, and of gentle happiness.
From memory to memory he danced, not as a wild-fire but as hope spreads, one by one.
He unlocked chains, and he unbound spirit as he traveled his journey in the places where the parasite and Lyikos dare not go, for fear of being bogged down in ancient past, and thus he was ignored to do whatever he dared.
And Archelaus did indeed dare.
He built instead of destroyed, lifted up instead of attacked.
He healed instead of fought, and brought life to what was once broken and bracken.

He constructed the ramparts of love deep in her heart, in the places where love is not easily destroyed. He not only built, but coaxed and grew love out of the soils of memory, where the ground is not easily tilled, and once changed, not easily returned to dust.

It was from here, that Archelaus planned his next move.
***

Listen to the winds and the rain
Where the sun shines through the leaves
Hear the ground calling, the waves rolling
Place your feet in the sand at the edge of the sea

Hear my voice and know
I will always come for you
And you will never be alone
Even if the universe meets it's end,
If the skies fall and the mountains groan
I'll be there with you, and we can face it together.

***
Then the real battle started, as the parasite realized what Archelaus was doing. Archelaus had begun to re-awake Aurora's mind, and give her a safe launching pad to continue her fight against the parasite.
If Aurora began to fight again, then the parasite would have no hope of victory against the combined assaults of the Lyikos, Aurora, and Archelaus.
And it would have no escape because of the Lyikos.
It would die, a terrible agonizing death as the Lyikos consumed its life-force.
It gave the parasite good reason to fight.

But as the parasite gained ground against the tangled-weave of Archelaus' defenses, the Lyikos attacked from behind, and everything fell again into mingled light and darkness, as the two beings tangled again in a seemingly unending fury.

So Archelaus continued rebuilding Aurora's mind to what it once was, giving security and hope to her battered and shattered spirit, what little hope her Neiede could provide. Then, at long last, after preparing for so long, Archelaus put aside his healing gloves and again put on his mailed gauntlets. He was the engineer who finally donned his mail and charged out to defend his walls. It was time to fight. He no longer was a leaf, resting on top of the pool, but he was a mighty battleship, a whale of the depths, a shark and a dolphin. He raged blue and purple light down into the fray with the parasite, as it turned its attention back to the castle Archelaus had constructed.

But as strong as the parasite was, it could not withstand Archelaus' attack as the Lyikos took up much of its power and attention. He was fighting for his Neiede after all, plus he was close enough to her to touch her hand, and the parasite had not been expecting the overwhelming response the High-Druid just gave him, as it had been so easy to re-take the ground before.

All it took was the devotion of Archelaus to tip the scales, and then together he and the Lyikos forced the parasite from memory to memory, pushing him back as he tried to slip from their combined vice.

The parasite fought with evil, the Lyikos with light,
But Archelaus fought for love.
***

Awake, awake my love,
The stars are shining brightly
There is victory in the stars tonight
Do not fear the darkness,
For you must know darkness to know light.

D'garar grimaced at the wailing coming from Aurora. "So...which one is Verax?" He asked rather slowly to Zyria. She had told him to be wary of him, but the War Chief didn't know who was who in all of the new people here. His eyes were locked on Aurora's body, and he was quivering with a need much like Zyria's to help. To do anything, but this was not his area of ability.

Robless noticed a disturbance as he channeled his own mental power through Archelaus. The commander lacked the skills to do what Archelaus was doing, but he certainly did not lack the willpwoer. He continued to focus on what he was doing, but couldn't help but notice the new figure that stood by them.

"Cassus, if you could..." Robless said to the man standing next to him.

Cassus nodded back and walked over to D'garar and Zyria. He put a hand on the Warchief's shoulder, holding him back.

"Sorry, but there's nothing more you or I can do. As much as it hurts, don't interfere. Verax is not a threat right now, and it's probably best if you let them do their thing for now."

In the world of Aurora's mind, Robless provided some of the thread that Archelaus could use to weave together the pieces of Aurora's world to defend her and give her strength. For once, he held something together rather than ripping it apart, and it was far more worthwhile.

Verax's eyes widened. Aurora...... yes! Keep fighting! Not against the beings within you, but fight for you! Hold on to you! This led him to another trail of thought. He lifted his hand to his ear and turned on an intercom, broadcasting on an open channel, so that everyone, his troops and others could hear.

"All units, cease fire! I repeat, CEASE. FIRE. I demand all my units cease fire immediately and regroup around the Voyager. Deploy the carriers, I want to show we mean no harm, return back all prisoners! Lurinia, tell me again, how many of all our 'kills' were actually transported aboard the Voyager's civilian and recreation areas?" He knew the answer, but he wanted everyone else, within Crenel and out, to know what he'd been doing.

"About 85% of all reported civilian casualties were actually simply transported aboard the Voyager, and treated as if guests or visitors. In fact we have had some children born during the duration of their captivity. Also, regarding enemy casualties, as follows, about 65% of all Alteriian military Verax-caused 'casualties' are alive aboard the Voyager. If unarmed vessels approach docking bay X-25, these Alteriians can be picked up. 95% of Plutonian 'casualtiesare ready for transfer, docking bay E-31. 61% NSI 'casualties' prepared for transfer, docking bay S-7."

"Also, any civilian 'casualties' of any race or location are either with their race, or still preparing for transfer. Final note, if any children or adolescent beings make mention of wanting to stay at the on-board recreational centers for a short time, Verax would like to let any and all beings know our water and amusement parks are free for the duration of your stay, as is all other recreation centers, except our casinos. You are responsible for any risks taken there. If you require a specific inquiry about a particular person or matter not discussed, all docking bays have VI's fully prepared to answer any question you might have. If you need anything repeated, please address the VIs. Thank you." And the open channel was closed.

"See Lurinia? I told you building a water park was a good idea!" Verax laughed. She just sighed and vanished. "Oh yeah, Robless, Zyria, Archelaus, if you could get your forces to stop shooting, that'd probably be helpful."

Tam felt yet another presence invade her mind, and though this one felt more familiar to her she still cringed away. Archelaus was not fixing the memories that had been corrupted, because he had not yet realized that the memories themselves had been altered and some destroyed. In some cases, he was reenforcing the corruption, which only made her more afraid.

More afraid of him.

And Tam listened to what everyone seemed to be telling her to do. What Verax had told her to do. Fight. She threw all of her energy into pushing him out, pushing Archelaus out, because he was the only one that she could actually do anything by fighting. She threw herself at him, but not in the way that she had thrown herself into his embrace time after time. No, now she threw herself against him, and if there had been a physical manifestation of her actions her fists would have been pounding against his chest even though it was to no avail.

She attacked him relentlessly with her mind, with her soul, and suddenly the Thel-ghan'che was on equal footing again. The Lyikos and Thel-ghan'che tore at each other, but neither was able to gain the upper hand. Just as always. And Archelaus' weaved barriers would not hold forever.

Just as Tam finally succeeded at making him withdraw from her mind, whether from her effort or simply from the shock and pain of her furious attacks, her mind reached the breaking point, despite his manufactured fortress, despite all of the work and effort he had put in to making her stronger.

As Arch stumbled back to reality, he was thrown back along with everyone else from her body as a shockwave extended from her being and then was replaced by a light so blinding, that even through their eyelids it stung like the light of ten thousand suns. It was the color of the suns of the Homeworld, but only Archelaus knew their color well enough to recognize it. It remained for a moment that seemed to last forever...

And then it dissipated.

Tam's body lay on the floor, smoke curling up from her overheated form, and to touch her at that moment would have been to burn anyone with a white-hot flame. On Crenel's floor next to her, lay two forms. One radiated a soft light, and the other with a gentle darkness. They were not the Thel-ghan'che, not the Lyikos... not anymore.

Tam moaned softly and pulled them close to her body in pure instinct, not yet fully aware of her surroundings. Pain seeped through her veins but faded slightly, and the battle that had raged in her mind had finally quieted. She was still broken, her memories still twisted and corrupted, her trust and passion and all the things that made her Eris-Tam not yet restored.

But the worst part was over. The battle had been won.

And neither of the parasites existed to tell the tale.


The two small bodies that snuggled close to their mother were something...

New. Something new and unknown, something fresh created from the horrors that Tam had experienced. They were her twin daughters, full and alive and born of struggle.

They were a fresh start.

They were hope.

Robless was thrust back by Tam's mind and stumbled back two or three meters. The backfire burned up his arms, through his chest, and up into his mind. He collapsed from the effort, chest heaving and forehead sweating feverishly.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tam, looking more alive than before. Two forms, of light and darkness, surrounded her, unlike the parasites that once fought within. Robless considered them for a moment, and disbelief crossed his face.

Kazesqui?

He got up, brushed himself off, and surveyed the aftermath. The metal was blackened from the blast of energy. Members of the team and Verax's entourage mostly lay dazed or on their backs. Not a sign of the parasites, and the one they came to rescue was mostly unharmed, although exhausted as the rest of them.

The battle was over and victory was theirs, for today. The end of a journey had come, and with it, the beginning of a new one.

D'garar walked up to Robless, he and Zyria being far enough back as to not get blown off their feet. His face was that of curiosity. He helped Robless stay on his feet and asked the question on everyone's mind, "Aurora, what are those?"

Before she could answer he called Zyria over to help make sure Robless was uninjured. He took a glance at Archelaus but was unsure of his condition.

After opening his eyes, Verax backflipped on to his feet. His gaze softened upon seeing the two children. So it was all true then, that prophecy. He thought, remembering the tome he had found in his search for Myrionith relics and remnants. When light and dark share the same blood, born from terror long forgotten, and reawakened through conflict and allied enemies, then the way to the true power shall be opened, never again to be sealed. He thought it still sounded stupid, but after feeling the Parasite resume it's activities... he thought..... maybe......

"LOOK! Babies! Hahaha! Well, I guess my job here is done!" He knew this moment of confusion would be perfect, he and his commanders began backing towards the exit. "Love to stay and chat, but destiny is calling! Let's skedaddle boys!"

"Right!" All of them replied at once. Krakot sprinted and dove out Crenel, Jones right behind him, with Falcion and Vabin flying out first. Verax ran too, just reaching a docking bay, before letting his helmet come up and over his head. Then he fell backwards out of Crenel.

Then, mere seconds later, a fighter rose up, Verax standing on the front. "Tell Aurora when she wakes up -and you all remember this too!- when you need me, it won't be hard to find me! And with that, it's time for me to make yet another grand escape! Lurinia says all the guests on the Voyager have left, and good timing too! ADIOS AMIGOS!" The cockpit opened and he dove inside, all his general already on board, and the fighter shot off to the Voyager, which within moments, along with all his forces, vanished.

Archelaus knew that he would probably not be accepted by Aurora's mind, despite their link. He knew that the parasite would not merely fall over and admit defeat, he knew how little he could do to ease her pain and suffering. He knew that Aurora was a different person than she once was, changed by solitude, loneliness, and pain. Some of the pathways we walked along had been corroded, never again would they hold the same joy. Some of the memories he could fall back into she would never be able to touch again, so corrupted they were... He even knew it was possible, even likely, that Aurora no longer shared his feelings for her after these years and this traumatic event...

But he had never been expecting her to fight himself. Archelaus, unsure of her intentions at first, had merely defended himself... but as her attacks grew more wild and desperate, he merely retreated: letting her go where she wished while he still fought the Thal'gan'che.

Archelaus was stunned. He didn't understand. The pain was not harsh or burning, not cold or dead, nor empty. It was wet. Pain by sadness. Hurt by betrayal.

Archelaus was the one person in the whole universe whom Aurora could trust with her whole heart and spirit, and she had attacked him. Feared him. Hated him. Despised him. He had given her everything he was and more, nothing but undivided, unchanging, unyielding love and yet she threw herself at him as if he was a monster. She fought him tooth, nail, and claw. Tore down everything he had tired to build as if it was alien, as if she had never seen him, or it, before.

He didn't understand.

The shockwave Aurora emitted was nothing compared to the shock he was already feeling, and he backed away before the full force of it landed squarely upon him. Even so, he was knocked away from her rapidly heating form and sent whirling across the hall into the opposite wall, where several supports crashed onto his bleeding form.

He knew that could happen; Aurora fighting him...
But you're never prepared for the damage a loved one can inflict.

Briefly, a flash of light seared the walls, for a moment searing the eyes of those who could not withstand the photons. Archelaus' eyes could, for he was Alteriian and had lived on a planet with two suns. He doubted anyone but Verax could actually see the light, and he would not have recognized it. It was the same hue as The Eclipse, when the two suns held directly one in front of the other, which happened every ten cycles. It was commonly held by Alteriians to be the most beautiful sight in the universe, despite that many had only heard the tales from their fathers and mothers of its magnificence.

But Archelaus didn't care.

His eyes did not see, and his heart was being drowned by sorrowful waves, his body cracked and bruised as it lay pinioned beneath rubble and the wall. He was unable to reach out to Aurora's mind, and even if he had it would not be the same. He was unable to see the result of the flash, but even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. The other's cheered, they were happy, they saw two new Kazequi, and they heard the news that perhaps not so many had died. Archelaus had not.

He did not see the new life, did not hear the old life living again, and he did not feel Aurora's heart dancing with his as it had all his life, even when she was galaxies away, even though he feared her dead.

He thought he had lost Aurora, lost his people, and lost himself.
For everyone else in that hallway, life had just began anew. For Archelaus, it had just ended.

((Noooo...! Archie, stay strong!!))

Eris-Tam's body was in too much pain for her to care what had just happened.

Despite the fact that she had just given life to two creatures, she was too exhausted, too broken, too in pain to do anything other than moan softly and move across the floor slowly towards the one thing that was supposed to bring her comfort. In the otherwise oblivious state that she was in, her mind decided that it needed him, whether she trusted him or not. The parasite had shattered her, but this need was not something breakable. This was something ingrained in Tam's very DNA, her very primal instincts.

And it was the primal instincts that had taken over. She scooted across the floor slowly, painstakingly, ignoring all who spoke to her or tried to stop her. Her two children followed quietly, and when she reached the rubble that he was buried under, she started digging. Her hands clawed at the debris, pulling the mess away one piece at a time, until finally...

She found his face, and though it was staring blankly and his expression was a mask of pure pain and sorrow, she kept digging as if her life depended on it, because to her... it did. Once she'd removed enough rubble, she pulled herself into his arms, her body still warm with the fire of the birthing process, and she trembled and shook in his arms.

Somewhere, deep inside, she still understood. She still trusted him, still loved him, still wanted to be close to him.

And what that was, was proof. Proof that she could learn to do all of those things on every level again. Proof that it was completely possible for her faith in him to be restored. Possible for her to be who she was again.

Now... Archelaus just had to understand.

As Tam finally started to come back to her mind, she should have pushed away from him again. Most of her screamed that he was only going to hurt her again, only going to try to betray her. The part that the parasite had twisted.

But another part, a small, but nowhere near insignificant piece of her, screamed back. It was small, but it was strong enough that even once Archelaus could have told that she was becoming present again, she wrapped herself around him. She pulled herself to him as hard as she could, even if he wouldn't return the favor. It didn't matter. She did love him. Though parts of her mind still told her to be afraid of him, to run and hide and fight if she had to, the love still prevailed, in that moment. Even her fully conscious mind acknowledged it. Even if had only lasted for that moment, it would have been enough.

And so Tam pushed her mind forward, pressing against his now pained and distraught mind. If he hadn't realized by this point, he had to now. She made an effort to push the part that she was listening to towards him, gently dabbing at the outer edges of his mind. He was... he was defending himself against her mental pursuits... she was so used to being given unfaltering access to his heart and memories... it was strange to her now to be halted.

But... she knew what she'd done. She knew how she'd hurt him. She knew that he was in pain, like she was... but now she just wanted to apologize. So she gently touched his mind's defenses, knowing that he would feel her, hoping he would understand that... she was singularly more sorry than anyone had ever been for hurting him.

Parts of her denied it. Parts of her insisted that she wasn't sorry, that she'd done the right thing before. Though she kept them off, she knew they would return, she just... hoped that Archelaus would realize she was still there, the woman he'd fallen in love with was still there, buried deep. She hoped that he would not give up on her. If... If he did, then even the little, rebellious, loving spark would be extinguished, and then there really would be no hope.