Legends of the Halcyon Era

Episode 52 - Revelations: Departure

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Previously, in Legends of the Halcyon Era...

After receiving an invitation from Commander Black Draco – Nytetrayn's creator – to return with his crew to their world of Avion, the group went to prepare for their trip. In the meantime, MoonRazor and SunFlame discovered just how sick some ruins are, and Fenix returned home with no lack of tension – especially from Celeste.

It is now the next day, and packing is about finished.

On another part of the island, Black Steel spent a full hour gathering his things and preparing himself for what he expected would be quite a suitable ending to his existence. As anxiety swelled up within him, he decided to save time by firing up his old ship so he could meet up with the others quicker. While he wasn't eager to die, the same couldn't be said for seeing Janine again.

Meanwhile, at the apartment on the edge of town, Nytetrayn brought his bag into the living room where Fenix was watching "Pokemon Plaid/Paisley", and set it down a little roughly. Celeste did the same, albeit a little more gently.

Nytetrayn stretched, and said, "Be time to get going to the rendezvous point soon."

"I wonder what this place is going to be like..." Celeste said.

"Bet it's made entirely of metal," Fenix said, while Janine emerged from her room with a well-stuffed suitcase.

Steel's ship touched down not too far from their dwelling, and he slung a hefty duffel bag over his shoulder and secured the craft before heading on over.

Nytetrayn sat down on the sofa, with Celeste sitting right next to him. He grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels.

"Hey!" Fenix shouted. "Bastard, Pikachu was just about to fry Team Rocket again!"

Before that discussion could go any further, Steele knocked on the door and entered. He saw it was already unlocked, and since he was expected, anyway...

Everyone greeted Steel and waved, and he replied, "Hi, everyone," and a little more cheerfully, added "Hi, Janine."

Steel took notice of the group's plus-one, and with an eyebrow raised, said, "Fenix..."

"Long time, no see."

"Yeah..."

"So! What's new with you?"

While Steel thought up a thousand replies to that, none of which he deemed good for the situation, Nyte's eyes widened, and you could practically hear the glass breaking in his head as he realized that Steel plus Janine plus Fenix could equal trouble. He held Celeste a little closer and readied himself for any possible fireworks when Janine obliviously walked over and pecked Steel on the cheek. "Hi, honey!"

"Um, well..."

After a brief pause, Fenix died laughing. Nyte and Cel stared and blinked in disbelief, while Steel began to sweat.

Fenix leaped up and pounded Steel on the back in the manner men do when congratulating one-another. "I gotta admit, when I thought of all the prospects Jan would turn to after I left, I never thought it'd be you! Nice going guy!"

Steel scratched his head, and forced an awkward smile. "Uh... thanks..."

Fenix wasn't done yet, though. "I mean, Celeste was higher on the list than you were... not that she's equipped the same way, but you know what I mean..."

Janine gawped at this, while Nytetrayn and Celeste were at a loss for words.

"...what? Jan had the hugest crush on her!"

"...yeah, I guess that's sorta true," Janine admitted while a blush crept across her face, and Steel mirrored her expression from just moments ago.

Celeste wasn't sure how to react to that.

"Anyway," said Nytetrayn, "we're supposed to meet the others at the west beach, right? So, should we get going now?"

Jan replied, "If Fenix is finished talking about my sex life, sure."

"Hey! I was your sex life for a good few months there! I have room to talk."

Janine grudgingly admitted he had a point, while Steel remained silent, unsure what to say.

Nytetrayn and Celeste grabbed their bags, which had their armor and other such things inside. Fenix likewise grabbed his, and Janine grabbed hers and Steel, while Steel hefted his duffel and mentally readied himself. Outside, he took a moment to breathe Terra's air one last time, and enjoy the blue of the deep sky.

Outside, a thought occurred to Nytetrayn. "Hey, Jan, did you pay the rent in advance, just in case we wind up being away a bit longer than we think?"

"Um... if you're implying what I think you're implying, then no, not so much. I mean, I think that would be kind of... well, Steel's not like Fenix was, you know? He didn't mind so much, but... in this case it doesn't feel quite right."

"Oh," Nytetrayn said, as he pondered the dilemma while Janine fidgeted. "Wonder what we should do to make sure we still have a place with our stuff in it when we come back..."

Steel held out a wad of Zenny. "Secure this to the door," he said. "When they come looking, they won't be disappointed."

Janine chuckled and pecked Steel on the cheek again.

"...dude," Nytetrayn said. He didn't know where Steel got the money, and at the moment, didn't really care. He graciously – kind of – accepted the money, and did what the man said. He left a note with it, and boom, done. "Alright, then. Let's get this show on the road!"

"Booyah," Fenix said.

With everything locked up, the group headed for the beach to meet with the others.

As dread of what was to come filled Steel's mind, Janine, ever by his side, asked him "You okay, hon?"

"Yeah, fine," he told her cheerfully.

Similarly, but for a sigh, Nytetrayn seemed a bit quiet. This didn't escape Celeste's notice. "Something wrong?"

"...nah," it's nothing," he said, as they continued their march towards the seaside.

***

Meanwhile, down at the beach, the Sky Shark rested on a cushion of air a good few feet off the ground. There, Adam had made sure to pack the previous night while helping MegaMan Blade swap stories with MegaMan Magnus.

Now, though, Magnus had found himself with a new hobby: trying to teach Alpha-Red how to fetch as the Reaverbot assistant bustled around the ship, attempting to perform maintenance tasks while explaining that he's actually "quite a bit smarter than a dog."

"I know that," said Magnus. "I just thought it would be funny."

While the Reaverbot disagreed, Adam burst out laughing. "Hey, I could see you doing that, Alpha!"

"Shut up, you. Don't encourage him."

As Adam just grinned at the exchange, Magnus said, "I just want to see the looks on the others' faces."

"...I don't."

"Well, no fetching for you for a while anyways," Adam said. "You're getting a nice little vacation from me, for a week, at least.".

"Yes, you mentioned that last night, sir."

"No parties on the ship, though, Alpha," Adam said in jest. "I don't want to come back to a ship smelling like alcohol induced vomiting."

"Fine, spoilsport," Alpha said, returning the jest. "It's not like I can't find anything better to do. Perhaps I'll go visit a nice, secluded island while you're gone. It'll be nice to get out of the ship without being shot at or kicked or..."

"You do that, Alpha," Adam said, before he headed to his room, shortly returning with his luggage and his sword strapped to his back.

"C'mon, Magnus, we have a plane to catch," he said, before noticing the big stuffed bunny the Annihilator Unit had under one arm. "Why are you bringing that?"

"Because with that dork boinking Janine, I need to go somewhere for my pillow talk, dammit!"

"I don't think he's, er, 'boinking' her, Magnus," Adam said, as he headed for the ladder and began to descend, using his flight legs to lower himself to the ground. "He seemed pretty embarrassed the last time she brought that subject up..."

"Pfft, it'll follow eventually," Magnus said, as he waited in the hatchway. "It's inevitable with her. Hell, she did it with East. I mean, he wasn't evil at the time, but he wasn't exactly nice, either."

Adam raised an eyebrow at that, before he finally reached the ground below, and moved out of the way so Magnus could exit. "You sound kind of bitter, man. What's going on between you two, aside from the fact that you used to be boyfriend and girlfriend? Or is that just it?"

"It's the way she did it!" Magnus exclaimed, as they started for the rendezvous point. "I came back, and with Fenix out of the way, I figured things could go back to the way they were before I got killed. They almost did! But, nooooo! All of a sudden this other guy comes along, and I'm just tail lights."

"I dunno, man. Janine seems to switch guys pretty fast. Maybe if you give her some time, she'll come around?"

Once the two were clear of the area, Alpha shut the hatch behind them, and the Sky Shark lifted off into the sky, and was soon lost in the distance. "Well, there he goes," Adam said. "I hope he enjoys the time off."

"Yeah..."

"Anyways....I dunno. I'm not much for the ladies, if you can believe it. They just kind of cramp my style, y'know?"

"Yeah? Lucky for you, then. Consider how hard it is for me to get a date, now that all the robot women are gone!"

"I suppose," Adam said. "Hey, maybe you'll find someone on Avion? Remember, the Commander said there were both humans and Reploids there..."

"Sure..." Magnus said, though he didn't sound very hopeful. "Though, I am not a Reploid..."

"Maybe that won't matter to them. They might be more open minded than the women here."

"That's entirely possible."

"I think you'll have more of a chance there than I would of finding the right someone, here or there..."

I think you'll have more of a chance there than I would here or there...

"Bah, who wants to date a woman who chooses her mates based purely on looks, anyway?"

"True, and though you wouldn't know it to look at me, but once the relationship gets to a certain point, well..."

"If she really cares, she'll get over it."

"Why do you think I live alone? I quit trying after a couple years."

Magnus shook his head. "I'm sorry, but if you're looking for an easy answer, I have nothing to offer you. "The world is inherently cruel and humans are, by nature, flawed beings. It's the way things are."

"I'm not looking for an easy answer, Magnus. And I know that better than anyone. Still, it gets lonely, even with Alpha around." Adam pondered for a moment. "Huh, maybe I can find someone on Avion, as well. Would be nice for a change. Speaking of which, where is everyone?"

"They're standing behind us," Magnus said. "I thought you saw them."

Behind the two stood the group, with Fenix noticeably hiding behind Celeste.

"Hi," Nyte said with a small wave.

"Hello," Adam replied with a nervous, disturbed look, as he wondered how much of their conversation was overheard. Magnus chuckled.

Adam said, "You can come out, Fenix. I don't think he's going to hurt you."

"I'm not?" the large Reaverbot replied.

Celeste had wondered why the Digger was there, though she half-wondered if he had an ulterior motive beyond just hiding from Magnus.

Adam rolled his eyes behind his shades and let out an exasperated sigh. "Hey, he's not screwin' Jan anymore, so what beef do you have with him?"

"He's ugly."

"You're one to talk," the masked Digger replied from his hiding spot. "Celeste's ass is better looking than your face!"

Nytetrayn and Celeste looked at each other, while Adam said, "So am I. What's your point?"

"Celeste's ass is better looking than anyone's face," Janine remarked.

"This is true," Fenix affirmed, as he came out of hiding.

Celeste was starting to turn a little red from all the talk of how nice her butt is, furthered by Janine adding, "It's true, Cel's ass is fabulous" with a nod. As this was going on, Nyte wasn't sure whether he should make them stop, or if all the flattery was a good thing.

"Of course, Steel's isn't bad either," she said with a loving squeeze. For once, Steel didn't blush, as his mind was occupied by other things.

"Why me? Why me, Lord?" Adam muttered to himself. "Where are MoonRazor and SunFlame? I thought they'd be here by now."

"Magnus, what's that under your arm?" Celeste asked.

"This? This is Mr. Hoppy. When the mental images of other men getting more action than me becomes too much to bear, I know I can confide in him."

As Nytetrayn looked out over the ocean waves, he wasn't sure whether to pity Magnus, or laugh at him.

"I don't know a psychologist, so I just set Mr. Hoppy down and tell him how I'm feeling. It works wonders."

"I see," Celeste said.

"They're here," Nyte said, as the others looked out in the direction he was facing. Barely visible on the horizon was the Falcon Arrow, moving in at top speeds. And from the stunts being performed, it was obvious who was in the pilot's seat.

Magnus's eyes widened, as he let out a low "...oh, God, no..."

Adam, on the other hand, cracked a wide grin. "Oh, this is going to be fun!!!"

Steel started to get flashbacks from the last ride, and his stomach began to churn.

"That... doesn't look entirely safe..." said Fenix.

"Oh, don't worry, It looks perfectly safe from the inside," Nyte told Fenix. "How it feels, on the other hand..."

"You guys are a bunch of party poppers, you know that?" Adam said. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride!"

Soon, the ship pulled up on the shore and landed, and the entrance ramp lowered. The ever-familiar silver and gold dragons step out, along with Serenity.

"SWEET JESUS ON RYE TOAST!" Fenix shouted, as he leaped in front of the others with his gun-arm out. "Back off guys! I'll deal with the monsters... and... the little girl... wait..."

MoonRazor and SunFlame looked at each other. "Monsters?"

"Whoa, soldier," Adam said to Fenix. "They're not monsters, they're our friends!"

"Monsters?" said Nytetrayn. "Oh, oops. Yeah, that's MoonRazor and SunFlame, Fenix."

"You never said your friends were bipedal multicolored lizards."

"Guess it slipped our minds."

"How does that slip your mind?!"

Nyte shrugged. "In light of everything else?"

"...how does that slip your mind?" Janine asked.

"Hey, it's not like you added anything about it," Nyte told her.

"Heh, sorry guys," Adam nervously told the Mechadrakes. "We, uh, forgot to tell him about you guys being dragons... eheh..."

"Ah," said MoonRazor, as he and SunFlame went to help the others with their belongings. "Anyway, let's get you guys on board."

"You flying on the way back, Raze?" Adam asked.

"You bet!" MoonRazor said with a big grin.

"Yeehaw! This is gonna be cool!" Adam responded with an equally-large smile.

"Ohboy..." said Celeste.

Fenix walked up to the two Mechadrakes. "Sorry about that. The only other anthropomorphic creatures I've ever met always tried to kill me, or hump my leg."

"I... guess that would explain... something..." SunFlame replied.

"Well , you guys saw what was in that ruin," Janine said.

"Unfortunately," the gold Mechadrake said, as he checked the bottom of his foot again.

Once everyone's things had been secured, MoonRazor called out "All aboard!"

Everyone strapped themselves in, with Adam getting a seat right behind MoonRazor and grinning like crazy. Janine strapped herself in, as well as Steel, who was preoccupied with staring out at the world and waiting for his imminent death. Nytetrayn and Celeste held on for dear life, before MoonRazor even took his seat. Magnus held on to Mr. Hoppy for all he was worth.

SunFlame fastened himself in, while MoonRazor took care of Serenity, then himself.

"Ramp up... jets on... and away we go!" said the silver dragon. MoonRazor gunned the engines, and within half a minute, the craft reached 724 kilometers per hour. Magnus was already clinging to his spot on the ceiling like a Xenomorph once again.

"Ah, yes. Hell awaits," said an oddly calm Steel.

"WHEEEEEEEE!!!" shouted Serenity, followed by elated giggling. "YEEHAW!!!" cheered Adam, which was quickly followed by a "WOOHOO!!!" from Fenix.

"I should have guessed," Nytetrayn said upon witnessing his friend's glee.

"You're both sick," said Steel.

"Like that, huh?" asked MoonRazor. "Then check this out!"

"...and I'm heading in that direction," Steel added, as he looked around for a bag or something.

MoonRazor performed a quadruple aileron roll, which kicked up tons of water. Adam, having the time of his life, put his hands in the air as the craft performed the rolling maneuver, and Fenix gleefully said "I am going to name my firstborn after you!" MoonRazor followed with three loop-the-loops, with Adam making the "rock" symbol with both hands in the process.

And so it went over the course of the trip, as some of them had the time of their lives, while the others feared for theirs.

***

Soon (though maybe not soon enough), the ship arrived at its destination, pulling up from the near-surface of the water and onto the island, where it entered the central hangar bay. "Here we are, ladies and gents!" MoonRazor announced, as he brought the ship in for a landing, and lowered the rear rampway.

With Janine's help, Steel staggered out, and Magnus dropped to the floor with a loud bang. Serenity was giddy from the fun she had on the way, while SunFlame said "...I think I'm gonna be sick."

Adam exited with his stuff, a huge grin still plastered across his face. "I have got to get me one of these!" he said. "That was too damn fun. MoonRazor, I salute you!"

"Yeah, dude, you rock!" said Fenix.

"Yes, you rock the house, Raze," Adam agreed.

"Heh, thanks. We'll have to get together back on Avion," the silver Mechadrake said.

Fenix told his companion, "Nytetrayn, your relatives are pretty cool" before getting up and heading out. The Digger and his girlfriend were too dazed from the experience to reply, however.

Outside of the ship, the group saw the usual assortment of odd beings – humans, Reploids, and others who seemed to be not exactly one or the other – abound. They all went on about their business, whatever that may have been. Some attended to the newly-landed craft, others performed other duties that didn't seem to have much to do with their arrival at all.

A familiar red Mechadrake approached the group. "Ah, glad you all could make it," said Edge. "And with one extra, I see."

Fenix waved. "I'm Nytetrayn's ex."

Edge wasn't sure how to respond to that. Fortunately, he didn't need to as Nytetrayn soon smacked Fenix in the back of the head, eliciting a giggle from the masked Digger.

"Anyway," Edge continued, "if you all are ready, I can show you to your rooms for the trip back."

"Sure, sounds good," Nytetrayn said, and the others agreed.

"Can Steel and I share a room?" asked Janine.

"Sure. Any others sharing?"

Nytetrayn and Cel slowly, and nervously, raised their hands.

Magnus started banging his head on the wall.

Adam asked, "Problems, Magnus? Or are you just trying to give us some walking music?"

"No! Everything's fine! I like doing this!"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be fine?"

"Whatever, man."

Magnus whimpered like a beaten dog.

"Anyways," said Edge, "just follow me, we've got plenty of room."

The group followed Edge, and true to his word, he showed the group the rooms they'd be staying in for the trip. "Alright, here are your rooms. Also, feel free to explore a little bit. Here are a few maps of the base, to help you get around."

Edge handed them each a small cube. Taking note of their confused expressions, he explained. "Ah, right... guess you don't have these. Don't worry, though, it's really simple." He took one of the cubes and pulled it apart into two pieces diagonally from each other, and a holographic map enlarged between the two corners.

"Oooh," said Nytetrayn, as he fiddled with his a bit to see how flexible the projection was.

Steel looked about the facility, wondering how adequate the accommodations would be.

"They'll also serve as the keys to your rooms," Edge added. "I've got some other rounds to make, but I'll be in touch if you need anything."

"Thanks, Edge," Nyte and the others said, as they set about checking out their rooms. Nytetrayn and Celeste entered theirs, and looked around. It was fairly spacious, all things considered, at least compared to their apartment. There were also a good range of creature comforts, from a decently-sized bed (larger than they were used to) to a window, TV, PC, mini-fridge, table, washroom, and so on. It wasn't lavish, but it was still pretty nice in a simple, basic sort of way.

The others found their rooms to be similarly equipped. While Magnus sought out any potential liquor supply in his room, Adam studied the map for a bit in an effort to decide where to go first in his.

***

In Janine and Steel's room, she snaked her hands around Steel's sides and then up to his chest, holding him against her. He gently pushed her back. "Jan," he began, "I think... maybe you should talk to Magnus."

Janine blinked and gave Steel an odd look. "Huh? Why?"

"I overheard some of what he was saying when we met up with them on the beach. I think... his heart may be broken."

Janine bit her lip. "Well... I heard him too, honestly."

"There's more," Steel began to continue, but Janine cut him off. "...but I didn't just dump him without any explanation, I told him that I didn't want to just jump back into the relationship we were trying to have back then. And then, when you came along, he just... didn't want to talk about it."

"I see," Steel said. "I guess you did what you could... maybe he just has to recover on his own now. But..." Steel paused before continuing, and looked Janine right in the eye. "Janine... you wouldn't just... leave me, or anything... right?"

Janine hugged Steel, pulling his chin right up to her chest. "Steel, almost every other relationship I've had has been based on one thing: libido." Steel blinked, as there was little else he could do in that position, and she continued. "I'm not saying I regret it, that was some fantastic sex, but it was never really a commitment, you know? We weren't 'together' so much as we were just... having fun."

She went on. "Magnus was different. He wanted more from me, but at that point in my life, I just... wasn't ready for it." She paused. "Then East came along, and all of that happened, and I was stuck in a ruin with Big Willie for many years, and we won't talk about that."

"...and now...?"

"And now... as nice as the others have been, you don't just see me as a sex object, and after... all I've been through, I finally realize how nice that is." After a beat, Janine added, "It's part of the reason I had such a thing for Celeste... buuuut, that's beside the point."

Steel smiled softly at her, and chose to ignore that last part.

"What I'm saying is, you're not just a temporary thing, or just for fun. I want to try and have a relationship with you, and not just be, you know, casual lovers, or something." She paused again, and looked a little uncertain. "Does that make any sense?"

"Yes," he said. "And... it's very comforting," he added. He held on to her as she snuggled in close, and settled her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair contentedly, and felt much more at peace somehow, the situation at hand suddenly feeling less dire than before.

That is, until she broke the silence with "...of course, if you wanted to have hot monkey sex, I probably wouldn't object."

Steel raised an eyebrow. "Uh... maybe we would do better to hold out on that," he said nervously.

Janine chuckled, and kissed him on the nose. "Whatever you're comfortable with, honey," she said cheerfully.

***

In another room nearby, Nytetrayn and Celeste just plopped down beside each other at the end of their bed. Before they could do anything, the telecommunicator next to the bed rang. Slightly frustrated, Nytetrayn answered it. "Y'lo?"

Edge's voice came through the receiver. "Hey, Nytetrayn, almost forgot: Just a reminder that you need to meet up with the Commander, ASAP."

"Er, right. Thanks, Edge," Nyte said before ending the call. He sighed again as he fell back down onto the end of the bed, next to Celeste.

She sat up a little and looked over at him. "You okay, Nyte?"

"I guess... I dunno, just feels a little weird," the young Digger said. "This Commander, Black Draco... He's supposed to be like my... I dunno, dad, or something, right? It just seems... I dunno, even after all the explanations, I just have this distant feeling..."

Celeste nodded. "Maybe that's what he wants to see you about? Some... uh... 'father-son' time together?"

"Maybe..."

"Go ahead and see him now," she told him.

Nytetrayn nodded. "Alright." He grabbed his map, shared a quick kiss with Celeste, and then departed for the Commander's quarters.

***

Meanwhile, in yet another room, Adam Powers pondered his next move.

"Hmmm... I think I'll head down to the workshop. See if I can get some good ideas down there."

Adam gathered up his map, his sword, and his backpack, then headed for the base's workshop.

At the workshop, Adam found several technicians there. Some were working on various things, others seemed to be waiting for any new orders to come in. All around the shop were various high-tech machines, devices, and equipment... far beyond anything he had ever seen on Terra.

Adam wandered around, and took note of what was going on, while also seeing if he could figure out what some of the active techs were working on. Even then, he made sure to keep a safe distance and not bother them.

"Help you with anything?" asked one technician.

"Hmmm, I dunno," Adam said. As he turned to face whoever was addressing him, he found himself looking up at a large robotic creature who looked sort of like a llama, but with long tusks that curved upwards. Whether he was surprised at the tech's appearance or not, he kept a cool poker face about him. "I usually do work myself..."

"Haven't seen you around here before. Sure you know how to use this stuff?"

Adam looked at some of the tools spread across the tech's workspace, and frowned a little. "No... I don't think I know how to use some of the tools around here. I'm just kinda trying to figure out what to do with some parts I 've been hanging on to."

The tech nodded. "Hmm, maybe I can help. Let's see them. These missions are usually pretty slow for us. We're just here in case something goes wrong with some of the equipment, but it's slow work. So if you want to bring some of your stuff here, I'd be glad to help out.

Adam reached into his backpack and pulled out a few small parts. There appeared to be enough to make several different combat devices here, though when combined, some of the parts wouldn't be used. "I'd appreciate it very much if you could show me how to use some of the tools around here... I'm something of an engineer myself," he said with a smile."

"Sure, not a problem. Let me introduce myself: the name's Tak."

"Adam Powers. Pleased to meetcha'."

"Alright then, now that introductions are out of the way, let's see what you've got here..."

Adam helped identify the parts he knew, but some of them he'd never really had the chance to experiment with to figure out what they do. "So, Tak, do you have any ideas what these things could be used for? I'm fresh out..."

"Well, I always say, when in doubt, experiment," Tak said, as he contemplated the parts laid out before him. Suddenly, Adam's head perked up, and he thwacked the hilt of his sword, then shook his hand several times. Tak looked at Adam curiously.

"Um, it's a long story, but the short version of it is that my sword allows me to play host to a former Mega Man model Reaverbot," Adam explained. "And he just made a comment about making something... I'd rather not mention," he added, a little sheepishly.

"Talking sword. Got it," Tak said, before looking back at the parts.

"Great, now he's going to think I'm crazy," Adam whispered over his shoulder to the sword. "No, you shut up!"

While that went on, Tak seemed unconcerned with the seemingly one-sided argument happening next to him.

***

After a short time, Nytetrayn arrived at the quarters of Black Draco, and saw Edge waiting outside, checking something on some type of tablet.

"I'm here," the Digger told the distracted red Mechadrake.

"Ah, glad y'made it. Go on in, he's been expecting you."

Nytetrayn nodded, and entered the room, where he saw Black Draco standing at a window with his arms behind him, looking out over the ocean. Shuri, the shadow Mechadrake, was nearby as well.

"Greetings," Draco told his guest, as he continued to look out the window.

"Uh, hiya," Nytetrayn said, still not sure what to expect. "You, um... wanted to see me... er, Commander?"

The black Mechadrake turned to face Nytetrayn. "Yes, I..." He paused for a moment, his gaze directed towards the floor while Nytetrayn had a curious, inquisitive look on his face.

"Ahem, yes... I..." Another pause, albeit briefer this time. "...was sort of hoping you could help my men out with something... of personal interest to me."

Nytetrayn deflated slightly, though he did his best not to let it show.

Black Draco continued. "The ship you awoke in... we were hoping to excavate it, and bring it back with us to Avion. That was the mission MoonRazor and SunFlame were originally tasked with. Unfortunately, we're having difficulty finding it, since the geography has changed so much. Our GPS tech is nearly useless as a result, and metal and energy readings from the various ruins are interfering. We were hoping you could direct us to where you left it."

"Oh... uh, sure," Nytetrayn replied. "Not a problem."

Black Draco nodded. "Thank you. Edge can take you to the crew assigned the task."

Nytetrayn nodded in return, and left the room, where he found Edge still waiting. With a deep sigh, Nyte told him "Da – er, the Commander says that you can take me to the crew I need to speak to about finding the ship I woke up in."

Looking down at Nytetrayn, Edge frowned slightly for a moment, but did away with it before the Digger could see. "Not a problem. Right this way," he said, as he led the Digger to the appropriate crew.

Back inside Black Draco's quarters, the black Mechadrake let out a deep sigh.

"'So, how's your life been? What's happening with you? Let's catch up.' Would that have been so hard?" Shuri said.

"I abandoned him..." he said. "I didn't mean to, didn't want to, but... that's basically what it amounts to. I left him to rot in a dank, dark hangar underground for several millennia... how do you follow that up after admitting it to them? Facing him is a bit hard right now." He punched the wall in frustration, before he continued.

"I... our people have looked to me to lead them through many dire situations over the years, ever since we left Earth. The quest... the war... this isn't a job I ever wanted, but one I accepted anyway. For some reason, it always seems to go that way. I accept that, I've always dealt with it the best way I knew how, and things – luckily – managed to work out."

Draco leaned forward against the wall, his forehead into his forearm. "But now... this. This is different. This... I just don't know what to do. I thought I could handle it, but I look at him now, and... I'm quickly realizing that nothing could have prepared me for this."

"You underestimate yourself," Shuri said. "You can do this, but not if you keep sending him away instead of talking to him."

Black Draco didn't have a response to that. He turned back to the window to gaze out again... and to think.

***

Elsewhere on the ship, MegaMan Magnus was following his map in search of the gym/training facility, in the hopes of getting in some target practice.

Eventually, he found his objective, and inside was Crossfire. The until-now lone occupant of the training area was getting in some target practice of his own, using a handheld high-speed rifle.

"Hello... Crossfire, is it?"

The blue Mechadrake turned to see who was addressing him. "Ah, hey there. Yeah, and Magnus, wasn't it?"

"That it is," Magnus said, as he took a look at the targets. "So, tell me... about how much punishment can those things take?"

Crossfire held his hand out towards a wall, where a large, metal Bottany cross hung. It trembled slightly, before being pulled into his hand with a loud, heavy thud. He quickly whipped it up onto his shoulder, and fired a quick volley of laser-guided rockets from the short end at one of the targets, decimating it.

"...about that much."

"Shibby," Magnus said, as Crossfire tossed his weapon back to the wall, where it shook the floor slightly as it landed. The Reaverbot rose into the air, his eyes glowing gold as a pair of large cannons reconfigured into position over each shoulder with an ominous clang. Crossfire watched as Magnus built a pair of basketball-sized charges in front of those cannons, a violent hum of power growing ever louder alongside the brightness of his eyes.

"OMEGA BLAST!!!" he shouted, as he unleashed a pair of large energy beams, whose blinding light obscured most of the room, obliterating the targets.

Once the light faded, Crossfire stood, his thumb and forefinger on his chin, admiring the destruction Magnus had just wrought.

"Not bad..."

***

As Nytetrayn walked with Edge through the halls of the base, he decided to ask a question. "Hey, Edge?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought you were the second-in-command around here...?"

"Yep. At least, that's what they tell me."

"So, how come you're the one running around showing people rooms and playing doorman for, er, the Commander?"

Edge chuckled. "Well, to be honest, my rank came from wartime... and this is a research mission. So what that means is mainly that I'm just helping out where I can, and enjoying the peace. That, and you and your friends are considered 'VIP', so I get the duty of helping make sure you guys are okay."

"Ah, right," Nytetrayn said, as they arrived at their destination. There, the young Digger spoke to the crew responsible for the ship recovery mission, and gave them what info he could about Oxford Island, where he landed after his teleporter mishap, and anything else that would help them retrieve the vessel.

***

Down in the workshop, some of the technicians were studying some refractors they'd obtained.

"Oooh, hey, you found some of those, eh?" Adam said, when he caught a glimpse of what was going on.

"Yeah," said Tak. "Some of the scouts brought some of these in for us to check out."

"Do you know what they're for?" Adam asked.

"Sure, they provide energy. Basically what your civilization uses to survive, right?"

"Right."

"Believe it or not, we don't have these back home on Avion, but we might consider implementing them there. That is, provided we can figure out how to duplicate the process. That part's been eluding us."

Adam put his hands on his hips. "I'll assume you know how to get it out of them, then..."

"Yep," Tak nodded. "We've done a lot of research since we got here, mostly the gathering of data on arrival. TV, radio, internet, libraries, whatever we could find."

Crossing his arms, Adam said "Unfortunately, no one here on Terra knows how to make them. There's research going into it, though."

"Someone knew, apparently," Tak said. "Back on Avion, we use mostly environmental means of collecting energy. That's worked well for us so far, but these seem to be a clean source as well, and we can always use more of that. I'm guessing whoever made these probably did it sometime after we left, back when fossil fuels were expiring and new energy sources were needed."

After a pause, Adam said "Hmmm, that's an interesting thought, Blade."

"Yeah. I mean, it doesn't talk, it – never mind. Blade says that Janine might know something about the process... she was a Bureaucratic Unit, so she'd have had access to that kind of data."

"Interesting," Tak said, as he considered this.

"Anyway," Adam said, turning his attention back to the pile of parts adorning Tak's work station. "Hmmm... I wonder... Maybe some these could be used to make a beam shield... What do you think, Tak?"

"It's worth a shot. Let's give it a try!"

Adam and Tak began work on the shield, and in the process, were able to identify several of the unknown parts. However, it turned out that several critical parts for a shield were missing.

"Hmm... shoot. I'm missing the initiation matrix and a 360 degree beam emitter," Adam said. "Oh well, back to square one..."

Tak dug around in a drawer, and pulled out a few parts. "I think these might be compatible with what we're working with here. Worst case, we can probably kludge together and fabricate some adapters to help make everything play nice."

"Wow! Thanks, man!"

"No problem," Tak replied, as he and Adam set to finishing the shield. It was a small unit, and could easily fit into a cybernetic arm. "There."

"Is there anything I could help you with, now that you've helped me?" Adam asked.

"Nah, just alleviating the boredom around here was fun," Tak said. "So, thanks for that!"

"No problem, and thank you, Tak. I think I'm gonna go check out that training center I saw on the map."

"Toodles!" the Reploid said, as he joined his colleagues in looking over the refractors yet again.

***

Adam arrived at the training center just in time to see the smoking remains of his friend's targets. "Venting a bit, Magnus?"

"Damn, that should have taken out the wall, too," the larger MegaMan lamented. "I've lost my edge."

"Nah, you probably just need an upgrade or something," Crossfire said. "These targets are military-grade. It's impressive you were able to do that much to them!"

"Hmm," Magnus said, as he started to power up again. "I think I should practice. What do you guys think?" he asked, turning to the others for their opinion.

"Makes perfect," Crossfire said, as he raised an eyebrow at the Reaverbot's poor shooting range etiquette while two large laser charges were pulsing and ready to go.

"If you think you need it, go for it," Adam said. "But, uh," he began, as he gently turned Magnus to face downrange. "You should probably keep those pointed thataway."

Crossfire shrugged. "Hey, if that's how you like to spend your free time, who am I to argue? I do it, too. That's why I'm here."

"I need some practice, too. Blade wants to teach me how to use the sword's energy generation capabilities, so this is a good place to do it."

Magnus let the charged blasts loose, and they soared down the range and right into the far wall.

Crossfire took a look down at the impact zone. "Nasty. Good thing that wasn't an outer wall."

"Sorry," Magnus said. "But you know what? I think I feel better now."

"You sure?" Adam asked. "You're not going batshit again, are you? Because I was sore for three damn days straight after Blade fought you, you dork!"

"No no no, I'm not going batshit," Magnus said.

"Good," Adam said.

"I'm going apeshit."

Adam wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"See, there's a difference," Magnus explained. "It's bigger, and it has a different texture and coloration."

"Good to see that you know your shit," Crossfire jested.

"Well, glad to see you're feeling better," Adam said.

"I know all about shit," Magnus continued. "I'm especially good at recognizing bullshit, having known Blade for so long..."

Adam and Crossfire chuckled at that. "He says he's glad he taught you something before he died," Adam said. Now it was Magnus's turn to laugh.

"So, Crossfire," Magnus said, sounding a bit more upbeat than before. "Tell me, you have a bar around here?"

"Of course. Don't think we'd have a crew if we didn't. Follow me," the blue Mechadrake said, as he led the way.

"There is a God," Magnus said as he followed.

Adam remained in the training area, and practiced using his sword.

***

In the room he shared with Janine, Black Steel unpacked his stuff, and set his armor out carefully for easy construction, and followed suit with his other equipment and things, which wasn't very much. He was just now coming to realize how exhausted the past couple of days' events had left him. Even the night prior, he didn't really get much sleep, spending most of the time wondering what he was getting himself into.

He turned on the television for some background noise as he collapsed onto the bed, where Janine snuggled up against his side and just sort of flowed into him. He laid his head back, and took in everything about her; her scent was heavenly, and it wasn't long before he melded with her as well. Content with his current situation, he felt his very soul smile.

Black Steel drifted to sleep for quite some time, happily for a change.

***

Nytetrayn arrived back in his room, where Celeste waited to greet him. She had remained where he had left her, taking in the sights of the room and patiently awaiting his return.

Looking up as he entered, she asked him "So, how did it go?"

Nytetrayn plopped down on the bed next to her. "Terrible," he said.

This elicited a sad frown from his girlfriend, and she cuddled up closer to comfort him. "Tell me all about it."

"He just... wanted to know where his old ship was," Nyte said dejectedly. "...thousands of years, and... You'd think he'd be more... talkative."

Celeste gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm sure it'll get better..."

"I hope so..." Nyte said, as he wondered what he'd gotten all of them into.

***

A few days later, a long-awaited announcement rang through the halls of the base. "Attention everyone, please ready yourselves for departure," Wavelength said to all who would hear it. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are returning home!"

Lots of cheers erupted from all around the base at this, and they echoed through its many halls and corridors.

Soon after, the entire complex began to shake, as hangars, doors, and all other types of openings began to close up, sealing the inside. As the entire base began to lift off the ground, Magnus clung to the ceiling with Mr. Hoppy held tight.

"Here we go," said Nytetrayn, and Celeste nodded in agreement.

"Whoa!" said Adam. "Didn't expect this, but it's kinda cool! Yeah, let's GO!!"

"Woohoo!" shouted Fenix.

Once the base reached a high enough orbit, pieces and parts of it started to change and rearrange, reforming into a rather large starship. Once the conversion was completed, it headed back off into space, appearing as nothing so much as a shooting star to those down on the planet below.

On the bridge, Black Draco asked one of his crewmen "How are things holding up?"

"We're approaching Mars now, sir. We'll be in range of the first satellite soon."

Draco nodded. "Go ahead and activate it, so that we'll have our course set when we get there."

"Yes, sir."

Soon, the ship reached the satellite, and like an incredibly large beam of light, teleported at incredibly high speeds along a direct line to the next satellite, and then again to the next, repeating numerous times for the duration of the journey.

Next time: The Avion Adventure begins in "Galactic Voyage"!

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