Dragon's World Kanasi

Miashta Star

In the night I am calling,
for someone to save me,
for someone to come,
please come save me,

There is a star,
that’s glimmering in the night sky,
I know what it is,
it is the savior of us all,

Chorus:
Miashta Star,
where are you now?
will you come,
at a moment’s notice?

You fight for peace,
you also try to save everyone,
you are a warrior of great strength,
and you are always there,
Miashta Star

Chorus x2.

Episode 1: Prologue

            “Miashta, wake up Miashta, we have to go,” Alya, now 100 years old, said to her daughter. Miashta was curled up under her covers in the mansion. Asteroids were falling outside, crashing into the planet, which was known as Telmin. Jo was waiting for them in the door way. He was now 96, but in Elfin years, not human. Miashta yawned and stretched, her long pink hair clinging to the covers as she slowly sat up, blinking.

            “What’s going on?” Asked the fifteen year old Elfin. Her blue eyes wavered with tiredness. It was only three in the morning. Miashta looked out the window to her left, and saw the asteroids. She gasped.

            “We have to leave here for a short amount of time, just until we clear all the asteroids,” Alya explained. She gathered a few of Miashta’s personal items and clothes, and then put them into a case. Miashta touched the communicator device on her wrist and there was a flash of light. A body suit slid over her. She then followed her mother and father to the basement where Alya’s ship, John, was stationed. Alya entered a password into the keypad which was attached beside the entrance. Stairs folded down and they quickly moved aboard. John instantly switched on, the panels and computer were still the same as when Alya used to travel in it. She and Jo sat up front, and Miashta sat in the chair behind them.

            “Hello, Alya, Jo. How have you been?” John asked.

            “This is no time for talking! We have to get out of here now,” Alya replied. John did not say anything else. He programmed the ship for takeoff. As the ship started the engines, Miashta looked around. It looked like the ship hadn’t been used in years. There was dust everywhere, not just dust bunnies, but rabbits. Some debris was hitting the planet, so the ground shook. A hatch opened in front of them, Alya and Jo were both pressing buttons. The ship started to move, then it flew out the hatch and into the air. Alya had to steer the ship to avoid the asteroids, and Miashta held onto her chair. The ship went further up, until it reached space, and Miashta could see the planet below, being pounded by asteroids and debris. Everything she had ever known, her life, it was gone. Asteroids were still coming in through the atmosphere, so it was hard for Alya to maneuver. One large one hit John, causing the front window to crack. “Damn it! We have to make it away from here!” Alya cried.

            “It will be all right, get Miashta to an escape pod, we’ll follow,” Jo stated. Alya nodded, and then took Miashta’s arm gently and pulled her up. They went down a floor to where the pods were held. Alya opened the hatch to one of them. It was pretty spacious inside, with a tracking system so that it would automatically go to the next planet with a habitable atmosphere. Alya then turned it on, and turned to Miashta.

            “We will be shortly behind you, don’t worry. John is pretty strong, there’s no way he would be destroyed,” she stated. Miashta almost started to cry, but held back.

            “Be careful! Both of you, I want to see you again.” Alya hugged Miashta.

            “I love you.”

            “I love you too, mother.” Alya left the pod and the hatch closed. Miashta waved as it was jettisoned into space. Then, suddenly, an asteroid hit the escape pod, causing Miashta to fall forward and hit her head against the control panel. She heard other explosions behind her, and then blacked out.

            “Hello, can you hear me?” A voice called. Miashta opened her eyes slowly, not recognizing the voice.

            “Where… am I?” She asked, throat sore.

            “You are in the medical facility aboard the Silverwing. Do you remember who you are?” The voice was a kind, male voice. Miashta struggled to sit up, but then fell back again to the soft pillow that she had been resting against.

            “I am… Miashta Star. Mother! Father! What happened to them?” She cried. Tears instantly filled the brims of her eyelids.

            “We did not find any other escape pods besides yours. It’s best to rest for now, you took a pretty hard blow to the head,” the voice said. Miashta turned to see a man dressed in a white coat; his hair covered his eyes, so she could not get a good look at his face. She passed out again.

Episode 2: The Awakening

            Miashta awoke a few days later, realized she was not in her room in her home, and looked around her. A man came through the door that slid open to one side automatically. He had short black hair that was a little spiky. His eyes were brown, with a hint of green. He was tall, about five feet nine inches, and looked about thirty years old. He also seemed human as well.

            “Good, you are awake then. How are you feeling?” He asked in that same kind voice she had heard a few days back.

            “I… I’m confused. How was I brought here?” Miashta asked. The man felt her forehead to make sure she was not running a fever, which instantly made her blush.

            “We were on our way to Tralles when we heard the call of your escape pod. It must be programmed to automatically transmit a help signal. Our captain decided to stop for you, even though we’re on assignment. Oh, I’m Daniel, the doctor, pleasure to meet you,” Daniel said, holding out his hand. Miashta took it and shook.

            “I’m Miashta Star. You said you had found no other escape pods, but how can that be?”

            “We scanned the entire region but found no trace of any ship, or even shards from an explosion. I’m so-” Daniel started but the door slid open, and another tall man came through. He wore a rounded hat that had two stars on either side and what looked like a military uniform. He also carried a laser pistol on a belt.

            “Hello, I am this ship’s captain, Travis Mial. Nice to meet you, are you feeling better?” Travis asked, also holding out his hand. Miashta took it and shook and smiled.

            “Yes, thank you. I am Miashta Star. What’s the name of this ship?” She asked, wondering why there were humans aboard such advance technology. 

            “We found this ship on Earth awhile back, an archeology team discovered it. When it had become operational, I was appointed captain and it was named Silverwing. Were you with anyone at the time that your ship disappeared?” Travis asked.

            “I’m not sure what happened to it, but I was with my mother and father. They said… they would be right behind me,” Miashta said, tears starting in her eyes again. Daniel put a hand on her shoulder.

            “Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll turn up sooner or later, in the mean time why don’t you stay here for awhile?” He asked. The Captain nodded, and Miashta smiled at Daniel and Travis.

            “Thank you, I think I will at least until I can find my own ship to go look for them,” she said.

            For the next day Miashta rested, under Daniel’s orders, and then she was shown to one of the quarters. It was pretty spacious, with a separate room with a bed, two tables, a television, and a small kitchen. Miashta remembered Alya talking about cooking for Jo, and Jo had even brought a television to their castle since Jo liked it so much. Miashta liked science fiction/fantasy and mystery shows. Miashta met all the crew, who were mostly men, there were a couple of girls, who she became friends with quickly. The men liked her too, of course. She was shown how to pilot a ship, by the two pilots, David and Crystine. The ship was so large, it took multiple panels to operate manually. There was a large computer screen that acted as a window. It senses when there is danger, or when it is near a planet. There is also a translator that automatically changes to a visitor’s language. Miashta thought it was much like John, since she had heard great things from her mother.

            One night while Miashta was lying awake in bed, there was a glimmer off the ceiling. She sat up, to get a closer look, but did not see anything. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she must be tired. When she closed her eyes though, there was the glimmer again.

            “Miashta, Miashta Star,” a voice called. It was a warm, kind voice, and seemed familiar. Miashta opened her eyes slowly, and found herself floating in a white space, she had bright white feather wings.

            “Who are you?” She asked, her own voice echoed. The white seemed to go on forever.

            “I am Celest, Alya Star’s mother. I can’t show myself to you just yet, but I will give you power. This power is unlike anything you have ever seen. With it you will be able to stop Solia, the evil empress. We need your strength,” the voice said.

            “Wait, will I be able to find my mother and father then? Why have you chosen me? I know my mother was powerful, but I don’t think I would be the right person for this,” Miashta explained.

            “No, you have to be the one. Now accept this power!” The voice faded and a ray of light shot down and surrounded Miashta. She spun around, her nightgown flew off, and a new dress appeared over her. A cape rested gently on her shoulders and her hair braided itself into pigtails. A star appeared in her hair and around her wrist. When Miashta opened her eyes, she was back in her room.

            “What just…” She started, and then looked at herself. The dress and cape were still there. “I am… stronger.” Miashta clenched a fist, and smiled. This was going to be the start of her own story.

Chapter 3: Discovery

           Miashta awoke the next morning, feeling a little groggy. She held her forehead it and felt a little warm. The door buzzed and Miashta looked at the clock. It read 8:30 a.m.

            “Who is it?” She called, getting out of bed slowly, still holding her forehead.

            “It’s Daniel. How are you feeling today?” Daniel asked. Miashta instantly blushed, and quickly ran her fingers through her hair and tied it back into her usual pig tails. She opened the door.

            “Good morning, Daniel,” Miashta said, “I am feeling good today, probably the best I’ve felt in a long time.”

            “That’s good. The Captain would like to show you something… it’s… about your ship, or possibly your ship.” Daniel looked at the floor as he said this. Miashta’s eyes widened.

            “I’ll be right there!” She exclaimed. Daniel nodded and left her to change.

            Miashta arrived on the bridge not five minutes later, and saw the Captain sitting in his chair. The bridge was laid out in this way: there were two panels with buttons and levers on either sides of the door, a railing dividing the second floor from the first, two ramps on either side leading down to the first floor, two panels in the front of the ship, with screens attached to the tops of them. There were chairs lining the front and the back of the first floor. The Captain’s chair was in the middle. There was also glass with star charts in between the floors as well. It was a pretty large room, and was in the front of the ship, of course. Miashta walked down to where the Captain was, and he turned to her and stood up.

            “Miashta, so good of you to join us. I have some… news about your ship, or what could be your ship,” Travis said, smiling sadly. Miashta looked worried, but then looked at the large screen once the Captain nodded to the Lieutenant. A picture of space appeared on the screen, but there was something else besides stars. It was a swirling circle, with a blue color to it, and it seemed ominous to Miashta.

            “What is this?” She asked. Travis looked at her, surprised. He wondered why an alien like herself would not know what a wormhole was, but he sighed.

            “It’s a wormhole. It sucks in anyone who goes near it, and you don’t know where you will end up if you’re pulled in. We detected a reading of a ship in this area just minutes before your escape pod was found, while we were scanning the area,” he explained.

            “Could it be my parents’ ship?” Miashta asked.

            “I’m not sure, but if we travel through the wormhole, like I said, we won’t know where we are,” Travis replied. There was silence for a minute or two.

            “I can take a small ship, you don’t have to come along,” Miashta said. The Captain looked worriedly at her, then she smiled. “Don’t worry, I can take care of myself, my mother trained me well.”

            “At least take Daniel with you, I think he’s spent the most time with you, plus you’ll need a medical officer,” Travis said. Daniel blushed.

            “Captain!” He huffed. Travis smirked. Miashta blushed as well.

            “All right, if you wouldn’t mind, Daniel,” she said. Daniel just nodded and put the tips of his fingers in his left hand together and to his forehead towards the Captain. Then he left to get some things ready. Miashta did as well after thanking Travis.

            In the hanger of the Silverwing, Miashta and Daniel stood outside of a shuttle, that was actually quite large. It had wings, and was gray for the most part except for a red stripe that ran down the front of it. Travis was standing there as well, saluting them.

            “I wish you well, Daniel. And of course you, Miashta, I hope you find your parents,” Travis said. Miashta smiled and held out her hand, he took it and shook.

            “Thank you very much for allowing me to stay here and to use one of your shuttles. I promise to return it someday,” she said.

            “You don’t have to worry, as you can see we have plenty of shuttles,” the Captain said, and then he went up to Daniel and whispered, “take good care of her.” Daniel blushed and took the bags and went inside. Miashta blinked, but then went inside as well. Travis stood back as the hanger doors opened into space. The shuttle started to hum, and then the engines started. Miashta and Daniel waved through the front window. Travis waved back.

            “Are you ready, Miashta?” Daniel asked. She nodded.

            “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, as the shuttle took off towards the wormhole.

Episode 4: Medieval Times

            “Miashta, Miashta wake up,” Miashta heard Daniel’s voice calling to her. She jerked awake, still sitting in the chair of the shuttle.

            “Where are we?” She asked, rubbing her eyes. She then looked at the screen and it showed a solar system, it looked much like the Milky Way, the one Alya used to tell her about.

            “We’re some 25,000 light years away from where The Silverwing is, and I think there is a habitable planet in this system. It’s showing intelligent life,” Daniel replied. Miashta blinked when the image came on screen of a green and blue planet.

            “That’s it! This is Earth, the planet my mother always spoke about. I’ve seen pictures of it,” Miashta said, excitedly. She had always wanted to go to Earth, but the chance never came up.

            “The question is what time period is this? I’ve heard wormholes have the ability to send you back or forward in time, or they will take you to universes that are like your own, but have major differences,” Daniel explained. Miashta just nodded as they were landing the ship. It was the middle of a field, wheat, Miashta had guessed. The sounds of a horse came whipping by them as soon as they exited the ship and it had been cloaked. Miashta had never seen a horse before, but had heard of them from Jo. There was a man on the horse and he turned around to see the two standing in the middle of the field.

            “You there, what are you doing?” He asked. Luckily Miashta knew enough English that she could understand him.

            “We are travelers. Sir, are you perhaps a soldier?” She asked, smiling. The man took out his long sword and slashed it to her neck, carefully bringing the horse around as well.

            “I do not believe you, you must be spies. I will take you to the King, whom I serve,” the man, whose dark eyes glared from behind the helmet. He wore a full set of armor; chain mail and silver and blue armor over his chest and back, and tights and steel boots covered his legs. His helmet was also made of steel. He carried two daggers on his back in a cross pattern and a long sword on his belt and a shining sword on his saddle. The horse was all black and covered with a silver and blue checkered sheet.

            “We are not spies. We just arrived here… someone dropped us off using a carriage. I’m Daniel, and this is Miashta,” Daniel explained, carefully choosing how to describe their arrival. The knight did not say anything else.

            “Let’s just go with him, we can explain it to the King,” Miashta whispered, putting a hand on Daniel’s arm. She then blushed and looked away quickly.

            They followed the knight back to a village, which was run down and barely had any people living in it. It made Miashta sad to think of how life was here, with barely any food or water to survive. The one dirt road that they walked on led up to a castle, surrounded by a moat. The bridge went down as soon as the two soldiers overlooking the front wall saw the knight. On the inside of the castle, there were long candle holders making a path on either side of them, stuck in the dirt floor. There were banners of blue and silver on each of the pillars, of which there were six, three on either side. Large windows covered the second story. It looked like a church, until they reached the throne. The large chair was stone, and had gothic style carvings in the side and back of it. There were two smaller chairs on either side of it.

            “Sir King, I have brought with me spies from another land,” the knight said, bowing on top of his horse. Miashta and Daniel both went on their knees. The King was a tall man, looked about in his forties. He was very muscular, and wore damask, blue robes that went down to his ankles. A red cape also hung over his shoulders and a crown made of silver set on his short, black hair. He also had dark eyes, but they looked much kinder than the knight’s. He stood up, and walked up to Miashta and then around her. She kept looking at him as he did so. He then started laughing, which was a surprise even to the knight.

            “Oh, Kendrick, what were you thinking? This is our Princess, Princess Miashta,” the King said, in his deep voice. Kendrick, Miashta, and Daniel blinked.

            “P-princess, sir?” Kendrick asked. The King laughed again, Kendrick looked at him like the King had been smoking something, which could not be far from the truth.

            “This is our Princess Catalina come back to us, can’t you see? Look a little closer and you will witness what I have, my daughter; Catalina, is in this girl; Miashta,” the King said. Kendrick dismounted and stared at Miashta, making her blush a little. Then the knight gasped and quickly knelt down on one knee, placing his hand on his chest and bowing.

            “Princess, I am sorry to think that you and your friend had been a spy. Please, you must punish me for my mistreatment,” Kendrick said. Miashta was still confused, but smiled.

            “I… I do not wish for you to be punished. I don’t understand why you are even calling me this Princess Catalina,” Miashta explained.

            “You are the spitting image of the late Princess Catalina. Take a look for yourself,” the King said, pointing his arm in the direction of a huge painting, that hung to the right of the throne. They all turned, and saw a girl about Miashta’s age, with almost the same hair.

            “Wow…” Was all Miashta could say.

Episode 5: Sir Kendrick’s Past

            After all the confusion and commotion over Miashta, she finally got to rest in a room in the castle. It was small, but cozy, with a bed and a night stand. There were also two windows, one on the back wall and one on the left side wall. There was a knock at the door, Miashta answered. Standing outside was Sir Kendrick.

            “My Lady, can I get you anything else before you rest?” He asked, now with his helmet off. She could see that he had a handsome face, and kind eyes. Short brown hair hung over his neck slightly. He was now wearing robes as well, they were blue and silver and looked like the pajamas that Jo used to wear. Miashta blushed.

            “No, I’m fine, thank you. You should rest yourself, you look tired,” she said. Kendrick bowed and quickly left. Miashta went back into her room.

            Kendrick went back to his room, which was basically the same as Miashta’s, and went over to the small desk that was in the corner. He sat down in the chair and sighed, thinking about his wife.

            “Kendrick! Kendrick, where are you?” A woman called out. She was about thirty or so, had blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, and blue eyes. She was also wearing gray clothes. The small house that she was in was burning, and the rest of the village was as well. Kendrick was outside trying to help the other villagers escape, he was not a knight now, but a blacksmith. “Kendrick!” The woman called out again. She was in the doorway of the house as a piece of timber fell on her. Kendrick heard this and went to her, but it was too late. The piece had caught fire and had engulfed her as well.

            “No! Mila! Why hadn’t you escaped?” He asked out loud, falling on his knees before her. The flames grew higher, so he forced himself to get up and run to where the other villagers were standing, watching their burning village. It was winter, so the flames were even worse, and there was no means to put the fire out. Tears fell down Kendrick’s face as he looked in the direction of his house one more time. A villager put a hand on Kendrick’s shoulder.

            Kendrick winced as tears unexpectedly fell down his face. He wiped them with the sleeve of his robe. He was now 35, that was 5 years ago. Kendrick decided to try and sleep, even though he knew that it would be hard. He still blamed himself for what happened, and would never forgive himself.

            The next morning, there was another knock at Miashta’s door. Miashta opened her eyes slowly as the knocking continued. She pulled herself out of bed, and stumbled to the door, rubbing her eyes. This time when she opened the door, Daniel was standing there, in the same type of robes that Kendrick had been wearing.

            “So, Princess, are you ready to get going? We can look for your mother and father in this village, if you want to stay here,” Daniel suggested. Miashta nodded.

            “Just let me get changed,” she replied, making Daniel blush as he looked at her in her nightgown. He then quickly left, making Miashta laugh a little. She went into the dresser after closing the door and found a plain, white dress that had stitches running down the middle forming a Y pattern at the neck. She put her hair back into pigtails and then left as well.

            In the middle of the village, there was a small well, it looked a bit rusted, but water still came out. Daniel used the ladle and brought up some water for Miashta. She thanked him and took a sip of the cool water. People were looking at her as they passed, and whispered about the Princess.

            “How am I going to start searching for my mother and father? I don’t know if they’re even in this town, let alone on this planet,” she said. Then someone started came out with papers, and people started gathering around them. It was a boy about fifteen, holding a bag and a bunch of flyers.

            “Come and see! The tournaments will start soon! You all know the rules, here is the list of weapons and rules if you forgot! Sign up starts today!” He called out, he had a pretty loud voice, surprisingly. Miashta looked at Daniel and smiled.

            “That might be a good idea. My mother and father could enter the tournament, looking for me,” she said, walking over to the crowd. She pushed her way through to the boy. “Excuse me, can I get a flyer?” She asked. The boy nodded and handed her one. The rules were as follow:

1. Bring your own weapons
2. Weapons must be either a sword or crossbow
3. If the person dies, the killer is disqualified
4. The first person to fall is the loser
5. Only one person can sign up at a time, no group sign-ups

        “Are you sure you want to do this, Miashta?” Daniel asked. She turned to him.

         “Of course! I have been trained by my mother and father, I know a lot techniques that no one here will know, I will win no matter what!” She said, a little too happily. Daniel just shrugged. “Come on! Let’s go sign up!”

         “Let’s? As in us?”

          “Yes! Of course, we want to increase our chances of finding my parents. So if both of us are in it, we’ll both have chances of winning.”

           They went to the place of the sign ups, which was in an arena towards the edge of the village. Miashta and Daniel were standing in line when they heard a familiar voice. They turned around to see a knight.

           “Sir Kendrick?” Miashta asked.

Episode 6: The Tournaments Begin!

            “What are you doing here?” Miashta asked. Kendrick looked at her and Daniel and blinked.

            “That should be my question. Are you entering the tournaments?” He asked. Miashta nodded.

            “I’m… looking for my parents. I’m hoping they will also find the tournaments, if they are in this village. Are you here because of the prize?” She replied. Sir Kendrick shook his head.

            “No, I just want to perfect my skills and make sure others know of my strength. Most people in this village do already, but it’s good practice as well,” Kendrick explained. Miashta and Daniel looked at each other.

            “I guess this will increase our chances of running into my parents, even if they don’t enter maybe they will be cheering for him,” Miashta whispered. Daniel just nodded. Miashta was blushing as she looked at Sir Kendrick, dressed in his full armor again, helmet off this time, underneath his arm. Daniel noticed, but then turned away. He knew he was jealous, but he did not want to be. He did not even know Miashta that well, and she was only fifteen, and even a different race than he, but somehow that did not matter.

            After the sign up, the three decided to have lunch at a little shop not far from the arena. Kendrick was quiet for the first half until he said,

            “You know, we might have to face each other.” Miashta looked up from her plate of mutton, which was much different than what she was used to, and glared at him.

            “I know, I wish we could fight as a team, but the rules state that only one person can sign up at a time. Don’t worry, I’ll try to go easy on both of you,” she replied, smirking. Daniel playfully hit her against the arm a bit.

            “Do you know how to use a sword? If you want, I can teach you. The tournament does not start until three days from now,” Kendrick suggested. Daniel got a little upset with this, but tried not to show it. Miashta shook her head.

            “It’s all right. My mother taught me a lot before I was even six years old, so I know some techniques. Thank you, though,” she said. Daniel did not say anything.

            The next few days were spent training. The castle had a nice open area for this purpose. It looked a little like the inside of a kendo dojo, only without the wooden floors. The grass was cut neatly so it was short and easy to move around on. There were often ten or even twenty people in the training area at a time, since the tournament was so near. It seemed like those three days went by quickly, too.

            The day of the tournament came, and everyone in the castle woke up extremely early in order to prepare breakfast and get in a little more training. Miashta, Daniel, and Sir Kendrick did the same.

          After a meal of mostly eggs, the three went to the arena. There was a large wooden board that stood in the front entrance, covering about half of it, but the entrance was quite large. The board listed the contestants, of which there were about one hundred, and the names were arranged in pairs. Miashta was one of the first people to fight.

          “Are you ready?” Daniel asked, clutching his sword a bit. He had chosen a long sword, where as Miashta chose a short. Sir Kendrick had his usual shining. Miashta nodded eagerly. Then the three went into the stands and sat next to a few people. An announcer came out into the middle of the arena.

         “Hello, welcome to the twentieth annual tournament! You all know the rules, now fight well! First up, Albrict and Harold!” He called, his voice echoed so that every person could hear him. The two men came out from either side of arena, the crowd cheered. Miashta was feeling a little anxious and nervous at the same time.

Episode 7: Miashta VS Hanako

            The announcer came out into the middle of the arena after a match was over. The two soldiers walked away exhausted, but the one on the right looked happy. Miashta was getting nervous, her match was next, she was standing in the hall below the stands, waiting for her name to be called. Finally, she heard the announcer.

            “Now we have a newcomer to the tournaments. She is a traveler and is young, but she is also very strong. Please welcome Miashta Star!” He cried. The crowd cheered, Daniel and Sir Kendrick also clapped. Miashta blushed as she came out into the open. The king was sitting in a section that was cut off from the rest of the crowd, towards the back of the arena. He was clapping and smiling as well. “And we all know her as the Fierce Wind! Here is Hanako Stael!” The crowd cheered even louder after the announcer said this name. From the opposite side a woman of about twenty-four walked out. She had shoulder length blonde hair, and dark green eyes. She waved to the crowd but then came to the middle and glared at Miashta. Miashta could tell that Hanako was taking this seriously, and so was she. “Let the match begin!” The announcer called, and then went to the side.

         Hanako and Miashta both drew their swords. Hanako had a long sword, the hilt was made of silver and the handle was twisted. She ran forward and slashed at Miashta, who held up her own sword. They clashed, echoing throughout the arena. Miashta drove her feet back, making Hanako slide a bit. Hanako slashed at Miashta again, this time aiming higher, so that the sword almost touched her shoulder. Miashta jumped back, startled a bit. She then drew her sword back so that it was out behind her to her left, and ran forward, yelling. She swiped her sword horizontally at Hanako, and cut the fabric of the plain shirt the woman was wearing. Miashta was breathing heavily at this point, and so was Hanako, but she smiled.

“You will never be able to defeat me, newcomer. I have been entering these tournaments for five years now, and have received third place every time. Even though you resemble the late Princess, you are too young to beat me!” Hanako said, her voice was high pitched, but scratchy. Miashta smirked, then closed her eyes. Power seemed to pulse through her sword, then it vibrated through her whole body. “What’s going on?” Hanako asked. Miashta opened her eyes quickly and smiled. She then ran forward at lightning speed, almost leaping. She then slashed at Hanako, who luckily dodged the attack but fell backwards. Miashta then made a downward strike that cut Hanako’s shoulder. She cried out.

            Hanako clutched her shoulder instantly, blood trickled down her arm. She knelt down on one knee and dropped her sword.

            “Do you give up?” Miashta asked, back in the stance she used to deliver the first blow. Hanako was breathing heavily and slowly nodded. Her head lowered as the announcer came up to the two when Miashta nodded towards him. He saw the defeated Hanako, and was surprised. The whole crowd was surprised as well.

            “The winner, newcomer Miashta Star!” He cried. The crowd cheered, and Miashta powered down. She sheathed her sword and bowed. She then turned to Hanako and held out her hand.

            “Good match,” Miashta said, smiling. Hanako smiled and took her hand, Miashta helped her stand, and then they shook.

            Meanwhile, there was a ship in orbit around Saturn, it was a little smaller than Silverwing, but looked sinister. It had spikes jutting out from the hull on either side, and only one window in the front. There was a woman standing there, looking out the window. She had long, purple hair that branched off into many sections. Her eyes were black. She was wearing a gray body suit. A woman with a computer tablet came up to her.

            “Mistress Solia, do you have any orders for us?” She asked. The woman, or Solia, turned towards her.

            “Just stand by for now, Tamal. Soon we will find that girl, the girl known as Miashta Star; Alya Star’s wretched daughter, and we will kill her!” Solia said, laughing.

Episode 8: The Tournaments Continue

            Miashta was waiting for her next match in the area that was designed for this purpose. It was a large room with multiple chairs and tables. She decided to take a break from watching, since she knew the competitors names that were in the current matches. There were a couple of names that were either left blank, or had names of animals or spirits. She thought maybe any of those could be her parents. Miashta sighed. Daniel came up to her.

            “Are you all right?” He asked. Miashta turned around, almost spilling her drink.

            “I… I just don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. I mean, I know it’s hard to look for anyone when they could be anywhere. I really miss them,” she replied. Tears formed in her eyes as she set down the mug. Daniel went closer and took her in his arms. Her eyes widened but then closed, letting the tears fall. Daniel put a hand on her head and gently squeezed her tighter.

            “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find them. I… I will protect you as well.” Miashta smiled at this and blushed a little.

            “Thank you, Daniel.” Then Kendrick came in the room and coughed. Miashta wiped away the tears quickly and backed away from Daniel, who turned around and was blushing.

            “Are you two ready for the next matches? The next opponents have the highest ranking in all the land, and not that I’m willing to admit it, but they’re even better than I,” he said. Miashta smiled at Daniel.

            “Well, then I’m glad I’m prepared. I know you’re reputation, so it’s going to be hard fighting these guys,” she said, almost laughingly. Kendrick glared at her.

            “I’m not joking, they are good. I wouldn’t let my guard down,” Kendrick stated.

            “All right. Daniel, you’re up next right? Who are you fighting?” Miashta asked. Daniel put a finger to his chin for a second.

            “I think his name is Sam Ratel,” Daniel replied.

            “Have you also had training in sword fighting, or are you just a medic?” Kendrick asked.

            “I have had some training in fighting skills, but not sword. Don’t worry though, I should be all right,” Daniel said, smiling. Kendrick walked off after this, and Miashta and Daniel went to the sidelines of the arena. The match that had been going on just finished.

            “Good luck!” Miashta said, smiling. Daniel blushed a little, and then looked forward. The announcer came out in the middle again.

            “This is a first in the tournament’s history ladies and gentlemen. We have a doctor as a fighter. His name is Dr. Daniel! Please welcome him,” the announcer called. The crowd cheered as Daniel went out, clutching the handle of his short sword. He was extremely nervous all of a sudden. “On this side we have one of the most well known knights in all the land. Here is Sam Ratel!” The crowd cheered even more for Sam, who came from the other direction. His hair was deep black, and cut short. His eyes were a piercing yellow, and seemed to glow in the sunlight. The announcer raised his hand. “Let the match begin!” He called and then dropped his arm and ran to the side.

            Sam charged at Daniel, who unsheathed his sword, shakily. He managed to somehow dodge Sam’s attack, but the power of the slice cut through Daniel’s shirt and caused his arm to bleed slightly. Sam turned around, held his sword to the side, and ran at Daniel again.

            “Daniel! Fight!” Miashta called. Daniel caught her out of the corner of his eye, and then dug his left foot into the ground behind him, and held his sword out in front of him as Sam charged. He then swung as hard as he could, he could hear a clang, probably the sound of his sword against Sam’s armor. Sam wore a metal plate over his chest and back, but his sides were open. Sam and Daniel stood with their backs facing each other for a minute, and then Sam fell forward, sword dropping next to him. Blood spilled from his right side. The crowd went silent. Then Miashta started clapping, and everyone else joined in. Daniel rubbed the back of his head, blushing. He then went over to Sam.

            “Do you need any help? I am a doctor,” he asked, holding out his hand. Sam looked up at him, but without saying anything, stood on his own. He almost fell over, but held his side and steadied himself.

            “I don’t need any help from you. It was a good match though,” Sam said, holding out his other hand. Daniel took it and shook.

            There were forty matches after this, before Miashta had to face the other strongest soldier. Sir Kendrick had won all of his ten matches. Miashta still did not know if her parents were in this tournament, so she had to keep going.

 Episode 9: The Final Matches (Part 1)

            There were only a few matches left. Miashta, Daniel, and Sir Kendrick were among the finalists. There were also three others. Two had the names of animals: Hawk and Lion. Miashta thought that Alya could be Hawk and Jo could be Lion, but since she did not meet the two before hand, she could not tell. The other one was Raya Sille.

            Miashta was waiting for her next match when Kendrick came out again.

            “Are you nervous? The next one that you’re up against is Raya, she’s the other strongest soldier I mentioned,” he said. Miashta blinked, not knowing what to say, but then she smiled.

            “Don’t worry, I have a feeling it’s going to work out. I’m not really in this tournament to win, I just want to find my parents,” Miashta replied. Then everyone except Miashta went to their seats. The announcer came out into the middle again.

            “To my left we have a returning tournament challenger, Raya Sille! And to my right is the aspiring new comer; Miashta Star!” The crowd cheered as he said each name. Miashta blushed. She was liking the attention. She then looked ahead, at her opponent. The woman was about forty, she had short brown hair. Her green eyes sparkled in the sun that glinted off her sword hilt. “Let the match begin!” The announcer said and then backed up. Raya drew her sword and Miashta did the same. They ran at each other, swinging their swords forward and they clashed. The sound echoed through the arena, and the crowd cheered. They struck their swords against each other’s again, Miashta had to dig her heels into the ground in order to steady herself. Then Raya ducked and brought her sword around and swiped it against Miashta’s side. It caused blood to spill out, she instantly grabbed the wound and dropped to one knee.

            “Are you done already? That was nothing,” Raya said. Her voice was surprisingly deep. Miashta’s eyes were covered in shadows as she started to mumble something. “What was that?” Raya asked. Daniel and Kendrick were looking worried. Then Miashta smiled. She gripped her sword hilt tighter.

            “Fuchsia Attack, times 10!” She cried. Raya was surprised, but stayed in her stance. Purple energy flowed through Miashta’s sword, which made it pulse. She then swung her sword as hard as she could at Raya, who tried to dodge it, but was not able to get away fast enough. Miashta sliced Raya’s right arm, the blood glowed purple for a bit, and then ran down the arm red. Raya smiled.

            “You’re a lot better than I suspected. I have a few tricks up my sleeve too,” she said. Miashta’s sword was still glowing, but it was draining Miashta’s energy. She had only been able to pull off Fuchsia Attack up to times eight before this point. Raya suddenly disappeared. Miashta blinked, not knowing what to do. Raya then appeared behind her, and slashed, cutting slightly through Miashta’s dress. She fell forward a bit but turned around quickly. “Did that surprise you?” Raya asked.

            “Yes. You’re pretty fast… but not fast enough!” Miashta said. She then brought her sword around and sliced right into Raya’s side. She cried out and then fell to the ground, grasping her side. Miashta started healing her own side. (She had learned the healing technique from her mother when she was young.) “Are you finished?” She asked. Raya looked up at her and smiled slightly, in pain of course.

            “I’m afraid so. Good fight,” Raya said. She then passed out. Miashta started to heal Raya’s wounds as well. The crowd cheered and Daniel starred in awe at Miashta’s power. The announcer came to Miashta’s side.

            “The winner of this match is Miashta Star! Next we have Lion verses Hawk,” he said. After Raya and Miashta’s wounds were healed, they both went back to their seats.

            Lion won the next match. He used a Long Bow. He was able to pierce Hawk’s shoulder enough to rend her unable to wield her sword. The next fight was Kendrick verses Daniel. They stood in the middle of the arena, a few feet away from each other, and both of their eyes glared.

            “I have nothing against you, but I have to win!” Kendrick said. Daniel smiled, put his hand on the hilt of his sword, and waited for the announcer to call out to begin.

            “Let’s go!” Daniel said.

Episode 10: The Final Matches (Part 2)

            Daniel and Kendrick walked slowly to the side so that they formed a circle when they walked, all the while glaring at each other. Then Daniel ran forward, bringing his sword down to his left side, he then swung it at Kendrick, who dodged at the last second, and ran behind Daniel. He then slashed at Daniel’s back, but he dodged it as well. Kendrick was surprised at his speed, for a doctor. He then used the hilt of the sword to smack Daniel’s side, which caused him to gasp and bend down on one knee for a second. The crowd gasped as well, they were enjoying the fight so far.

            “You know I have to win, right? I’m sorry, it’s nothing against you, but I have to show everyone my strength!” Kendrick said, slashing his sword forward, but Daniel dodged it by rolling. He then sort of jumped to the side as he got up, and thrust his sword forward, hitting Kendrick’s armor on his arm. Then they clashed swords for a couple of minutes, then Kendrick smiled. He ran around to Daniel’s back and then slashed, this time, Daniel did not dodge. The wind was knocked out of him as he fell to the ground. His sword went flying.

            “Good… one,” Daniel gasped, hardly able to talk.

            “Do you give up then?” Kendrick asked. Daniel just nodded and then passed out. Miashta rushed from the stands to the side, she waited for Daniel to be brought back on a stretcher. Kendrick came back as well. Miashta looked worriedly at him, and then again at Daniel, who had been set down on a table. She went up to him and started healing his side. He slowly opened his eyes.

            “Miashta?” He asked. She sighed.

            “You make me worry, you know that?” She asked. Daniel blushed a little as he slowly got up. Kendrick went up to him and held out a hand.

            “Good match,” he said. Daniel smiled, took his hand and shook.

            The next match was Miashta against Lion. He had worn a mask during his match with Hawk, so she could not tell if it was Jo or not. She had seen Hawk’s face when the match was over, since Hawk took off her mask. She was not Alya. Miashta still thought Jo could have been separated from Alya when they went through the wormhole. Lion wore the full suit of armor, which also meant that his face was covered.

            The announcer came out into the arena again, and called for Miashta and Lion. Lion walked out from the left side of the arena, carrying his longbow. Miashta was a little nervous, but she was anxious as well. When the announcer said to begin, Lion raised his bow and fired an arrow, it flew with lightning speed towards Miashta, but she raised her sword in front of her face and blocked the arrow right before it hit her. He then ran to the right and kept firing as he went, but Miashta kept dodging or blocking the attacks. Miashta then noticed that his bow was made of metal. The arrows were made of wood, but had a sharp silver tip. Miashta tried to look into his eyes through the narrow crack in his helmet, but couldn’t quite make them out.

            “What is your real name?” She asked. Lion did not say anything, he just kept firing. Miashta then ran up to him and slashed downward, but he blocked with his bow. They pushed against each other’s force, but Lion’s grip was loosening, and Miashta was able to push back his bow and strike his helmet. It cracked in two under the pressure of the sword. Lion’s eyes were wide. It was not Jo, this man had a scar over his left eye, which was closed. He also had short black hair and his one good eye was blue. He stumbled back a bit as Miashta jumped back. The crowd was silent for a minute but then cheered. Lion then smiled, as his bow also cracked in two.

            “You have me. My real name is Aldin Taeis. You have defeated me, good match,” he said, holding out his hand. Miashta was surprised at the sudden ending and that he was not Jo, but she took his hand and shook. She knew it was a long shot that her parents would be here, in the same town that she was in, but she had to at least try.

            “Good match,” she said and then walked off after the announcer said she was the winner.

            The next and final match was Miashta and Kendrick. Miashta knew this was going to be a long match, but she was not all that nervous anymore.

Episode 11: Miashta Star versus Sir Kendrick

            “This has been an interesting tournament, ladies and gentlemen. With newcomers who have shown us not to take them lightly, and well-known warriors who have shown us their strength. Now, this is the final match, between Miashta Star, and Sir Kendrick!” The announcer called, the crowd cheered as the two came out into the middle of the arena. The King was even cheering, louder than he had been before. “Let the match begin!” The announcer said and then left the two.

            “I’m kind of sorry we have to fight each other, but I do want to test your skills,” Sir Kendrick said. Miashta smiled, walking around him, he was also walking the other way, forming a circle with her. She held onto her sword tightly, and then ran at Kendrick, who was ready for any attack. Miashta swung her sword to the right at Kendrick’s side, but he quickly dodged it, brought his sword above his head and sliced down. Miashta barely got away in time, and slammed into the ground, scraping her left elbow. She pushed herself up with her right arm and thrust her sword forward, just missing Kendrick’s side. He laughed a bit and then stabbed, just grazing her left leg. She then swirled around, breathing heavily.

            “I’m sorry, but it looks like I’m going to have to use this on you,” Miashta said. She smiled slightly and then said a few words in Asiania, then raised her sword up to her nose, and cried, “Fuchsia Attack, times ten!” Sir Kendrick smiled as the sword glowed purple, and pulsated. Miashta seemed to disappear, making Kendrick blink. She then appeared behind him, and slashed out. Purple energy sliced through the air and cut through Kendrick’s arm, but did not cut it off. He grasped it right away, still holding on to his sword, but barely. Miashta swung again, but this time he ducked, he then brought his sword around and slashed her side. The energy around the sword wore off, and stopped pulsating. Miashta fell to one knee, breathing heavily. Daniel, worried, moved from his seat to the sidelines.

            “Do you give up? It looks like you’ve used too much of your power, or whatever it is,” Kendrick said. Miashta panted, and as she fell slowly to the ground, she nodded. Even though she did not want to be defeated, she could feel her entire body reject the power. A stretcher came for Miashta, as Sir Kendrick was declared the winner of the tournament.

            Miashta slowly opened her eyes to see Daniel standing over her this time.

            “Now I get to say it, you make me worry, you know?” He asked, smiling. Miashta blushed and felt tears fill her eyes, but she did not let them fall. She just stared at the table and healed her side. Kendrick came up to her after all the congratulations.

            “You did well, I’m glad I had the pleasure of meeting you, your highness,” he said, genuflecting. Miashta sat up, wiped away the tears that were about to fall, and took his hand. He kissed the top of hers, which made Daniel a bit angry.

            “Thank you. Even though I did not find my parents, I had a great experience. I met many people, and learned my limits as well,” she said, smiling.

            “I wish you luck in your quest, if I can be of service to you, please send for me,” Kendrick stated, standing. Miashta nodded, and after Kendrick left, said,

            “I don’t think they are on this planet, if they were, they would have come for the tournament. It is the only one, since there are so few countries, they would have come looking for me here.” Daniel nodded, slowly.

            “Do you want to leave right away then?” He asked.

            “That would probably be best. We should thank the King though,” she replied. Just as she was saying this, the King came up to them, escorted by two knights. He also took Miashta’s hand and bowed his head.

            “You did well, to face such tough opponents even though you are so young. And you did well also, sir,” he said, then turning to Daniel. They both smiled, bowed, and said their thanks.

            The two headed back to the ship, which was still cloaked in the field. Miashta took out a small tablet from her bag; which she received from the King as a gift, and made the ship visible. The stairs opened up and folded down as she got closer, and the two boarded. Miashta entered in a few coordinates and the ship began autopilot mode. It took off, cloaked again, and headed towards a wormhole that just appeared.

Episode 12: Solia Appears

            The shuttle came out of the wormhole at lightning speed, but then slowed to a hover. Daniel swiveled in his chair to face Miashta.

            “Are we near any planets?” He asked. Miashta punched some buttons and a map of the star system appeared on the screen in front of her. She shook her head.

            “No, but there is a rather large ship up ahead. Should we try and contact them?”

            “Sure, they might know of a solar system or a planet nearby.” Miashta nodded as she pushed a few buttons. As they grew closer to the ship, Miashta could see it more clearly. It was large, almost twice the size of the shuttle, but shorter than John. Miashta was worried but then the panel started flashing, indicating they were signaling back. She pushed a button and brought up an image of a woman on the screen. She had purple stringy hair, purple eyes and was wearing a gray body suit. She looked about 40 in human years, but had pointed ears.

            “Hello, I am Solia, Captain of the Midnight Flower. Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling. For some reason, Miashta did not trust this woman, but she smiled and said,

            “Nice to meet you, I am Miashta Star, this is Daniel. We are travelers, looking for two people who separated from us. Would you happen to know of an inhabitable planet nearby?” Solia nodded.

            “There is one planet not far from here, but it’s a little tricky to get to. I can guide you if you would like,” she replied. Miashta turned to Daniel, who nodded. He was also concerned that this person might be lying, but wanted to continue the search.

            “Okay, that would be great, thank you,” Miashta said. Solia nodded. They stopped communicating as Solia turned her ship around slowly. Miashta took control of the shuttle and followed her. Daniel watched the panel in front of him. They seemed to be heading towards a planet. After awhile the planet finally became visible through the window. It was a fairly large planet, smaller than Earth, though.

            Once they got into orbit of the planet, Solia transmitted the coordinates of where they were going to land to Miashta. She entered them into the ship and began decent behind Solia’s ship. They safely landed on solid ground, Miashta scanned the planet to see if it supported any kind of life.

            “Anything?” Daniel asked. Miashta nodded.

            “There is a small cluster of life a few hundred yards from here. The air is oxygen, so it’s breathable. We should thank Solia,” she replied. Daniel just nodded as they stood up. Miashta cloaked the ship and let the stairs down. Solia did the same and they all got out. Suddenly, storm clouds of black and purple filled the sky. There were two suns, one was lower and one was higher, but they were both blotted out by the clouds. Lightning of blinding force struck, almost too close for comfort. Then it started to pour. Miashta put the palms of her hands together and closed her eyes. An aura appeared around her and Daniel, so that they would not get wet. Daniel was a bit surprised at first, but then turned back to Solia, who was coming towards them.

            “Miashta Star, your life ends here!” She said, having to raise her voice above the rain. She also had a barrier around her. Miashta drew her sword, which the king had given her as a parting gift, and took a fighting stance. Daniel did as well. Solia laughed. “You really think you can stand up to me now, the way you are? And your friend here doesn’t even stand a chance. Just because you were far in the tournaments doesn’t mean you can defeat me!” She cried. She clasped her hands together and a sword appeared. It was black with a deep purple hilt. Blue lightning sparked around the blade. Miashta held out a hand behind her, signaling Daniel to back away, he did so willingly.

            “Why do you want to kill me?” Miashta asked.

            “Because you are a nuisance!” Solia replied, closing her eyes. She started to chant something that Miashta could not make out. Then, Daniel realizing what she was doing, shoved Miashta out of the way just in time for lightning to strike. It hit Daniel’s leg, and made a downward movement to the ground, blood sprayed from the wound as he screamed.

            “Daniel! Are you… all right?” Miashta asked, getting up slowly. Daniel was unconscious. “Damn you!” Miashta cried. She stood up completely and ran towards Solia.  

Episode 13: Daniel’s Confession, Masquerade’s Appearance

            Miashta slashed angrily at Solia, who dodged the attack flawlessly. She then swung her own sword at Miashta, who did not dodge so easily. Pain hit her right arm as she fell to the ground. Solia laughed, and walked towards Miashta. Miashta panted, but held up her sword and winced. She waited a couple seconds, but nothing was happening. She opened her eyes slowly to see Solia standing there, almost paralyzed. The rest of the area was gray, the rain had also stopped, time was frozen.

            “What’s going on?” Miashta thought. Then she heard a familiar voice. It was the same one that had awakened her.

            “Miastha Star, you are now a true warrior. You have fought many battles, and have won a considerable amount of them. You must not perish here,” the voice said, it echoed through the air.

            “Grandmother, what did you mean when I couldn’t find my parents? They can’t be… d—” tears started to form in her eyes as Miashta was saying this, but Celest continued,

            “You are the chosen. You must fulfill your own path.” Then everything went back to normal. Miashta was able to role to the side quickly and stand up. She chanted the Fuchsia Attack spell and then cried,

            “Fuchsia Attack Times Ten!” and stabbed Solia in the shoulder. Solia gasped, and fell back, but was still on her feet.

            “Curse… you,” she said, but then disappeared. Miashta blinked, but then looked towards Solia’s ship, which was taking off. “I will come back for you!” Solia’s voice echoed. Miashta did not care about her own wound, since the rain was helping with the pain, she stumbled to Daniel. The rain had also helped with his wound, but he was still unconscious. Miashta started the healing spell on his leg, as tears fell down her face. She was soaking wet and so was he. Slowly, he opened his eyes. She thought that the next words he spoke might have been because of the pain, but she still loved hearing them.

            “Miashta… I love you, you know that?” He asked, barely able to talk. He smiled slightly, but then winced. The deep cut where the lightning had struck began to disappear. He was now able to sit up, and the rain slowed to a sprinkle. Miashta was speechless at first, but after healing her arm after Daniel’s wound was completely gone, she asked,

            “What?” Daniel moved forward, almost on all fours. Miashta backed up for a second, but then closed her eyes. She then felt soft moisture on her lips, then Daniel’s fingers in her hair on the back of her neck. They were both blushing as they stayed like that for about two minutes. Then Miashta backed away slowly, but their foreheads still touched.          

            “I said that I love you,” Daniel replied, smiling. He wiped away the remaining tears that were in her eyes.

            “I… I love you too,” she said, still a little breathless.

            “Do you want to scan the planet for any life?”

            “Yes. Even though it was a trap by Solia, we have to look everywhere.” They both stood up as the rain completely stopped. Sun broke through the clouds, creating a rainbow in the East. They went in the ship again and started to scan the planet. There seemed to be no signs of life, until something flashed on the screen. It was a man, or at least Miashta thought it was a man. He had a hood and a mask covering most of his face.

            “Greetings, I am known as Masquerade. You will be a part of my little game,” he said, now she was able to tell he was a he.

            “What… what do you mean, your game?” Miashta asked, glancing at Daniel and then back at the screen. Then all they could hear was laughter as a flash of light blinded both of them.

            Miashta opened her eyes to find herself in a ballroom. She was in a frilly, pink dress that went down to her ankles and had a hoop inside it. It also crisscrossed in the back and had no sleeves, but had a V collar in the front. Her hair was pulled into a large bun on top of her head and she wore long, gold earrings. Daniel was standing next to her wearing a black tux. He also wore a mask that was white and a black top hat.

            “Where are we? And why are we dressed like this?” He asked. Miashta shrugged, as the people around them continued to dance.

Episode 14: Masquerade’s Charades

            Miashta and Daniel ducked out from the crowd of dancers and were soon outside the plaza. It was enormous, with a gothic structure and light fixtures all around the sides of the building. A single moon was high in the sky, and nearly full. It shown on the body of water that was a few feet away.

            “Again, where are we?” Daniel asked, looking at Miashta and blushing. She also blushed.

            “It looks like Earth, from long ago. I saw pictures that my mother showed me using John’s computer. John is her and Jo’s ship, back home. Although now I don’t know… what happened to it,” she replied. Daniel put an arm around her shoulders and she pressed her face against his chest. “Maybe they were taken here as well, by this Masquerade person.”

            “Well, there’s only one way to find out. Let’s ask around.” Daniel smiled as he backed up and took a look around. There were a few people outside, so they decided to start with them.

            After all of the dancers were questioned, Masquerade came from the shadows in the left hand side of the plaza. He was wearing a black cloak with a hood that was pulled over his face, but a mask could be seen. It was a black mask with white edges. He came up to Miashta and Daniel, who were sitting on a bench.

            “What are you doing? I did not give you permission to speak to anyone in this ballroom. You must obey me, if you want to make it out alive,” he said, in a deep voice. Miashta looked up at him, tiredly.

            “You did not specify this, I am trying to find my parents. Who are you to order us around anyways?” She asked. Masquerade was shocked at first, but then smirked.

            “You do not know who you’re dealing with here. You will have time to look for your parents if you play my game,” he replied. Miashta and Daniel stood up.

            “Fine. Tell us what it is then,” she said. Masquerade came closer to them and in a soft voice, said,

            “You will be stealing a gem for me. It is not just any gem, it is the Shimmering Sapphire, the only one of its kind. Luckily, it found its way to this city, Paris. The only issue is getting it, it’s in a heavily guarded area. You may have to kill someone in order to get to it.” Miashta blinked.

            “There is no way I am killing someone!” She whispered loudly. Daniel also protested.

            “If you want to keep looking for your parents, I suggest you follow my instructions. Here is the location,” Masquerade said, handing Daniel a slip of paper. He then left quickly. Miashta pounded a fist into the other palm of her hand.

            “When I see that guy again, he’s going to get a severe beating,” she said. Daniel laughed a bit, but then looked at the location and showed it to Miashta.

            The two decided to get going right away, in order to sneak in during the night; it would give them more cover. The place they were trying to infiltrate was known as Opéra Garnier. It was a large building with seven floors. The façade was granite and used the masonry system. There were guards everywhere, around the entrances and exits, on each of the buildings surrounding it, and even on the roof. Miashta and Daniel were hiding behind a sign located about fifty feet away.

            “Well, one thing’s for sure, I can’t go fighting guards with this thing on,” Miashta said. She then tore off a large piece from the bottom of the dress. Daniel smirked as he looked at her now showing legs. His nose almost started to bleed. Miashta saw him glaring at her and smacked him on the head.

            “We should get some weapons too, there’s a shop right over there,” he said, rubbing where she had hit him. Miashta sighed, and got up.

            “All right, but I’m still against killing someone. Even though I would really like to kill Solia right now, my mother taught me that killing is wrong. She… she only did it once to save her sisters. That was in the name of justice though!” Miashta stated. Daniel just nodded as they headed towards the shop.

            The owner was advertising that he had the lowest prices and best quality around. The shop was small, but had a variety of weapons. Miashta was looking for a small sword while Daniel was looking at the crossbows. After fighting in the tournament, he realized that swords weren’t really his type of weapon.

            “Sir, how much for this bow?” He asked, picking up a large crossbow. It had a silver string and arrows.

            “The bow is twenty five Francs. The arrows and holster are ten,” the clerk said, smiling. Miashta then realized that they did not have this currency, and pulled Daniel aside.

            “Daniel, we need money. I think that thing called Franc or whatever is the currency here. We will have to get a job,” she whispered.

            “I am a doctor, so I can see if this town’s hospital needs any help,” Daniel whispered back. Then Miashta noticed a sign on the counter in the front of the store. It said: Help Wanted. She smiled.

Episode 15: Infiltration

            Miashta stood at the front desk of the weapons shop. She helped customers find what weapon they were looking for, with the manager standing behind her. He seemed very pleased with her work. Miashta enjoyed helping people, she never had to work a day in her life, since her parents gave her everything. This was enjoyable, though. When the customers gave her money in exchange for their item, she felt a sense of satisfaction. The manager praised her, which made her even more confident.

            After the day came to a close, Miashta counted the money in the drawer. She had learned the currency from the manager, and their system of counting down. Miashta was then given a brown envelope. She looked inside and there were large bills inside.

            “This is your pay for today, good work!” The manager said. Miashta smiled.

            “Can I buy something with this then? I uh… have a use for it tonight,” she said. The manager nodded. She picked out a short sword, it had a silver hilt. There were small flecks of blue in the silver. The tag on the handle said 500. She had a total of 1,000 Francs. She gave the money to the manager and took off the tag.

            Daniel met her outside the shop.

            “I see you were able to get a sword. I earned a little money as well, working at the hospital,” he said, smiling. He held out his brown envelope. Miashta asked the manager if Daniel could come in and buy the bow and arrows he had wanted. The manager allowed it.

            After getting something to eat at a nearby café, Miashta and Daniel plotted their route inside. They figured there would be no way in except for the roof. It was the only way without being spotted easily. They would still have to pull off a few tricks as well.

            Miashta looked around the area once they reached the Opéra Garnier. She saw a total of ten guards on the roofs of buildings surrounding it, and about twenty on the main roof.

            “They wouldn’t die from falling from the other buildings, but falling from the Opéra Garnier’s roof itself would kill them. So we have to figure out a way to get past those specific guards,” Miashta explained. Daniel nodded and then whispered something in her ear. She smiled. She took the rope out from the bag she was carrying and attached a grappler hook. Daniel then took it and swung the hook upwards so that it latched onto the edge of a roof. Luckily no one was watching them. Daniel went up first and then he helped Miashta.

            The two snuck behind the first guard, using the chimneys as advantages for hiding, and Miashta took her sword still in its scabbard and wacked the guard over the head with it. The guard almost called out but then fell. Daniel dragged him behind a chimney and propped him up, so the others could not see him.

They did this for the next five guards, and then crouched on a roof near the main building.

“We’re going to need the rope again,” Miashta whispered. Even though the roof was not that far from where they were, they did not want to risk falling. Plus it was a couple of floors up from their roof. Daniel once again through the rope so that the hook latched on the side, luckily none of the guards on the roof took notice. Daniel held on to the rope while Miashta wrapped her arms around his waist. She blushed a little. They gently pushed from the house they were standing on to the ledge jutting out from the Opéra. Then they climbed up slowly, using the darkness as an advantage this time, they snuck behind a guard and knocked him out. Then using some rope, Miashta tied the guard’s hands together and swung him over the side. She then tied the other end to a light that was next to a window. The other guards were luckily facing the other way, so Daniel and Miashta could easily get inside.

Daniel caught Miashta as she jumped down from the rope. They were on the 7^th floor, and had to quickly move in order not to be caught. The place was well lit, and had security cameras everywhere. Miashta had heard about these from her mother while she was on Earth. Daniel waited until the cameras were turned away and then motioned for Miashta to run.

The painting they were after was on the second floor, in a glass case. Luckily Daniel had brought some of his supplies from when he served as a doctor on the Silverwing. So Miashta thought that getting the painting would be easy, but they never expected what was going to come next.

Episode 16: The First Appearance of Dark Miashta

            Miashta and Daniel snuck through the building with ease, until they reached the second floor. There were guards posted at every entrance, and all around the Shimmering Sapphire. The floor also had many rooms, but most of them looked like no one used them, or at least there were no guards outside them. The two stayed in the hallway for a bit, waiting for the guards to turn their backs.

            “There isn’t going to be any easy way of doing this, unless you have some spell that creates a kind of smoke bomb effect?” Daniel whispered. Miashta smiled, thinking of one particular spell that her mother had taught her. She went right up to the doorway and turned her back against the wall, Daniel did the same but on the other side. She then clasped her hands together and began chanting something Daniel did not understand. There was a sudden flash in the room with the sapphire, and then smoke rose from the ground. The guards coughed and closed their eyes and Miashta nodded to Daniel.

            They rushed in and grabbed the sapphire, which was luckily not tied to any alarms. They ran out and were able to go back the same way they came in. Miashta had to create smoke one more time before they reached safety. She then suddenly fell to her knees, gasping.

            “Miashta! We can’t stop now, we have to get this back to Masquerade,” Daniel stated. Miashta nodded slowly, and stood up, but fell forward. Luckily Daniel caught her before she hit the ground. He sighed and dropped the bag for a second to put her on his back. He then picked up the bag and ran.

            Miashta slowly opened her eyes, but she could not tell where she was. It seemed dark, a little too dark.

            “Daniel?” She managed to ask, her voice sounded raspy, like she had been hit on the head. Then a voice rang out in the darkness.

            “Miashta, Miashta Star. Come to me, let yourself fall away,” it called. It was dark and ominous, but somehow familiar. Miashta held her head, and then suddenly jerked back, and then realized Daniel was next to her. She was lying in a bed, sweating. Daniel was holding her hand gently.

            “Dan… iel?” She asked. She looked at the hand that he was holding. A dark mist started to fill it, and spread through her skin. Daniel stood and backed up.

            “Miashta? What’s wrong, what’s happening to you?”

            “I… I don’t… aaaargh!” Miashta cried. The dark mist spread throughout her entire body, until she was completely black. Her eyes were shut tight but they flung open, bright red.

            “I am Dark Miashta Star, you will do my bidding,” she said. Daniel blinked, not knowing what to make of that statement. He backed away, as she stood up from the bed. “Who might you be?” She asked.

            “Miashta, it’s me, Daniel. Can’t you hear me?” He asked, cautiously. Dark Miashta looked at him up and down, and smiled.

            “I guess you will have to do for my minion.”

            “I will not be your minion! I am your friend, I… I love you, remember?”

            “Love? What is this word? And friend… I… ugh…” she started, but then grasped the sides of her head.

            “Fight it, Miashta! You are not evil, you are trying to find your parents, remember?” Miashta screamed as the dark mist left her body, coming out through her mouth. The red matter swirled in her eyes until it dissipated completely. She started to fall over but Daniel caught her. “Are you… okay?” He asked. Miashta winced but nodded slowly. She could not open her eyes at the moment because of the blinding pain that was pounding inside her head.

            “Are we… away from the guards?” Daniel nodded.

            “We’re at an inn. I made sure the painting was well hidden. Somehow we have to find this Masquerade person and give it him,” he replied. Miashta nodded again and Daniel helped her back into bed. “What happened?”

            “I’m… not sure. It felt like my head was going to split open, and then all I could see and feel was darkness. I’m sorry if I said anything or did anything to hurt you.”

            “Oh, no. I knew it wasn’t you. It was just a little strange, since I have never seen that side of you.”

            “I never had that happen to me before. My mother and sisters went through something similar, but I didn’t think it would happen to me. Please… if it happens again I want you to… get as far away from me as you can.”

            “What? No, I would never leave your side! I told you before that I love you.”

            “Daniel! Promise me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

            “All right… I will,” Daniel said, looking at the floor. There was silence for awhile, until Miashta finally broke it.

            “I’m sorry, I love you.” Daniel took her hand in his as she looked at him. They both smiled, blushing. They then talked about what to do next.

Episode 17: Escape from Masquerade, Giant Robots?

            “How are we going to get out of here once give him the Sapphire?” Miashta asked, now sitting up. It was the next day, and the two were eating breakfast. Daniel looked at her strangely.

            “Didn’t he say that if we wanted to continue searching all we had to do was bring him the gem? I don’t trust him completely, but I think he’ll let us go,” Daniel replied.

            “Well, I don’t trust him at all. I don’t think he’ll let us go just like that. We’ll have to think of a plan.” As Miashta was saying this, there was a knock on the door. Daniel looked at her, she nodded, he then went and opened it slowly. It was Masquerade, he had the same grin on his face that he did from when they first met him. Miashta stood up slowly, still feeling the effects from almost turning evil the night before.

            “Have you come to collect?” Miashta asked. Masquerade seemed to grin even more, if that was even possible. He then came a bit closer.

            “Yes, my dear. You do have the gem, correct?” He asked. Miashta nodded to Daniel who then took it from the bag very gently. Masquerade took it and slipped it into a pocket of his cloak. “You did well. I will let you get back to searching for your parents.”

            “So, that’s it then?” Daniel asked. Masquerade looked at him, puzzled.

            “But of course, you have fulfilled my test. I never mentioned anything more,” he replied, then left after a farewell.

            “That was way too easy. I have a feeling he’ll be back for us someday,” Miashta said. Daniel nodded. Then there was a bright flash of light, and the two were back on the ship.

            Daniel and Miashta blinked, but then scanned the area for more planets. Just then, another wormhole appeared. The ship was pulled into it before Miashta could tell it to do otherwise.

            Once they reached the other side, Miashta’s hair was sticking straight up in some places. Daniel’s was a little frizzy. They looked at each other and laughed. Miashta looked at the control panel screen and scanned for planets. There were a few that had inhabitants. Suddenly something flew past them at high speed.

            “What was that?” She asked. Daniel shrugged and looked out the window. There was nothing visible at first, but as they grew closer, an image appeared. It looked like a ship at first, but it also looked human. “It’s… a robot?” Daniel looked at Miashta, confused.

            “How do you know about robots, since you from such a far away world?”

            “My mother talked about them from a television show, it was called Japanese Animation. They have mechas and fight each other in the show, it sounded pretty gruesome to me,” Miashta replied, blinking. A button on the panel was blinking, Miashta pushed it and a young man appeared on the screen. She blushed a little, since he thought he was handsome, but then shook her head quickly so that Daniel would not notice.

            “Hello. Are you from this region?” The man asked. He had spiky brown hair that was tied into a ponytail in the back. His eyes were green and it looked like he was wearing some kind of body suit. There were many levers and buttons all around him, there were even some on the seat.

            “I am Miashta Star and this is Daniel. I come from another part of the universe, while Daniel is a little closer to here, or so we think,” Miashta replied. The man blinked.

            “Another part of the universe? That’s a new one, well, I guess I can’t be too surprised. I am Mal Triade. Nice to meet you,” Mal said.

            “We came through a wormhole. I am looking for my parents, who were separated from me. I met up with Daniel and we set out to look for them. Have you seen any ships that you have not recognized as one of your own?” Miashta asked. Daniel could see that she was still very anxious to see her parents, and took her hand.

            “Hrm… I haven’t seen any, but I can take you back to the colony and you can ask Maryas, who is our ruler. He might be able to tell you more,” Mal stated. Miashta was grateful and asked to lead the way.

            Mal led them to a huge structure, that was floating in space. Part of it was spinning, and it was composed of black steel and glass mainly. There were three parts to the structure, and all three were held together by large wires that ran through the inside. Once Mal received confirmation to proceed, two beams of light came from a hatch and matched up with the two ships. It seemed to pull them in.

            “This is amazing technology, even we don’t have control beams like this on the Silverwing,” Daniel said. Miashta nodded. Once they were inside, Miashta landed the ship next to Mal’s machine. Daniel lowered the stairs and they walked out, meeting Mal at the bottom.

            “I will take you to Marya’s hall. Just to warn you, he can be a little intimidating at first, but once you get to know him he’s really a great leader,” he said. Miashta and Daniel followed Mal through moving walkways and stairs.

            Finally, they reached a room with giant doors. Two guards were standing on either sides of them. Mal whispered in one of the guards’ ears, and they both pushed the doors open. There was a long pathway laid out with a purple carpet. It reminded Miashta of the castle. At the end was a thrown, with quite a large man sitting on it.

            “Hello, you must be Miashta Star and Daniel. Welcome,” the man’s voice echoes through the chamber.

Episode 18: Suit up for Battle

            Mal went down the long pathway and knelt before Marya. Miashta smiled a bit as the two followed. She thought of Medieval Times and the King. Marya was quite a large man, with a red cape that covered his body and went to the floor. Shoulder blades held the cape in place. He had green eyes that had a few wrinkles underneath, and spiky, short brown hair. There was a small scar over his right eye that went through his eyebrow.

            “One of my servants saw you with Mal. Welcome to the Star Colony. I want to ask a request of you,” Marya said. Miashta nodded.

            “Go ahead,” she said.

            “Currently we are fighting the Shio Colony, which is located about twenty light years from here. We need help, and we saw that you have a ship. Will you be willing to fight with us using our technology?” Marya asked.

            “Why are you fighting the Shio Colony?” Daniel asked.

            “There has been a significant drop in our resources lately; and we noticed that Shio was gathering food and water, even weapons. We grew suspicious, and went over to investigate, with friendly intentions at first. Worse came to worse, though, and one of the soldiers on their side started firing and killed an officer. Treaties were out of the question at that point,” Marya explained, “will you help us?”

            Daniel looked at Miashta, Miashta back at him. Miashta leaned forward to whisper,

            “I don’t want to kill anyone, but it seems that Marya isn’t lying. What do you think we should do?”

            “I think we should help them, if there is a way to just disable their mechs,” Daniel whispered back. Mal looked up at them from where he was kneeling next to Marya, but then looked back down. Miashta stood up straight again.

            “Okay, as long as there’s a way to just disable them without killing them,” she said. Marya looked at Mal and then back at Miashta and laughed.

            “I don’t know if that’s possible, but we can show you our suits and weak points, and maybe you can get an idea from them,” Marya replied, smiling.

            “Mal was right, he is intimidating,” Miashta thought. She then smiled and bowed, Daniel did the same.

            “Mal, take them to Hanger 1,” Marya stated. Mal stood up and bowed, then walked down the aisle, gesturing for Miashta and Daniel to follow. They did so.

            After using the moving platforms and going through long tubes, they were able to reach the hanger. Mal had to use a pass-code in order to open the door, which was quite large. The door slid open and made a loud booming sound when it closed behind them. Miashta and Daniel stared in awe at the giant mechs that were standing and kneeling in the hanger bay. Miashta did not notice before on Mal’s suit, but there was a crest with a star and a silver shield behind it placed on the right shoulder blade.

            “Now, there are special suits that we have to wear inside the armor, or as we call them, Clusteria Armor. The suits are made of a special element known as Sare, which keeps us from getting overheated in the armor. Here they are,” Mal walked over to a locker area and opened one of the lockers. A blue suit was hanging on a hook, along with a clear visor. It was a female suit. Mal opened another locker and a male suit was inside. “There are changing rooms over here,” Mal said, gesturing towards the rooms. Daniel and Miashta took the suits and went to change.

            A few minutes later, Miashta came out first. The suit was tight, but it was easy to move around in, and the boots were nice. The visor somehow stayed on her head, even though it did not have any ear clips. Daniel came out shortly after. His was a bit different, with a shirt and pants, and there were black strips going down the sides. His visor was the same, and it adjusted for his seeing ability, so he did not have to wear glasses. The two looked at each other and blushed. Mal smiled at Miashta, who smiled back. Daniel whispered,

            “You look amazing,” into Miashta’s ear. She blushed even more.

            Suddenly, a laser shot at the shield of the colony, causing the whole place to shake. Miashta grabbed Daniel’s arm while he held onto a beam that went up to the ceiling.

            “Damn it, they’re attacking already. We don’t have time for a tutorial, just move your arms and legs the way you normally do once you get into the armor,” Mal said, running to his own machine. Miashta looked at Daniel, who shrugged. He picked a mech that was blue and white. Miashta looked around quickly and found a dark purple colored armor. There was a switch on the side of each of them to bring down a ladder that led up to the cockpit.

            Once inside, the armor immediately turned on. There were buttons everywhere, and a couple of levers and a screen in front of them. Miashta and Daniel were both standing upright, and once the clamps on either side of the armor were removed, they were able to take a step forward. It was just like walking normally. Images appeared on the screen of the area around them.

            “The green dots are your allies, the red ones are the enemy. In order to fly you need to bend your knees and then pull the lever on your left in order to start the booster pack. Then to control which direction you fly you just lean. You will get used to it once you’re in space,” Mal explained. Daniel and Miashta could both hear him, they were both in awe of the technology. The glass panels on the ceiling slid open, and Mal’s armor lept through the opening. Daniel and Miashta did the same, although they swerved a bit.

            The three went into a battle that they will soon never forget.

Episode 19: Battle for Peace Begin

            Miashta turned towards where the red dots appeared on her screen, so did Daniel and Mal. The Clusteria Armor mechs from the Shio Colony were a bit bigger, and had two missile launchers on each shoulder blade. They came flying at Miashta and the others.

            “We are going to use the Petal Formation, Miashta and Daniel, just follow me and form a triangle,” Mal said over the intercom. They did so and they and the rest of the mechs flew to the other sides of the enemy’s fleet, until it looked like a flower from above. The enemy tried to escape by trying to fly up and over, but Mal ordered everyone to follow their movements. Mal pointed his gun at the enemy mechs, Miashta and Daniel did so as well. “Fire!” Mal commanded.

            All of the friendly mechs fired on the Shio Colony’s armor, and they fired back, but they were seriously outnumbered. When there were only two remaining, they retreated. Mal and the others cheered.

They were just about to head back when a giant ship appeared on their screens.

“It’s their flag ship, the Metlias!” Mal exclaimed. The two mechs that had retreated flew into the Metlias.

“Can’t we call for backup?” Daniel asked.

“Damn it, we’re going to have to… wait, they’re hailing us,” Mal said. He then pushed the intercom button so that everyone could hear, even Marya who was still inside the colony.

“This is Commander Solia of the Shio Colony Fleet. I encourage you to surrender, or we will invade your colony and leave no survivors,” a woman’s voice came over the speakers.

            “Their Commander is a woman?” One of the others asked, not realizing she could still hear them.

            “It would be in your best interest not to underestimate me, I am indeed incredibly powerful. You do not want to face me,” Solia replied. There was silence for a second or two, and the Marya spoke,

            “We are never going to surrender, no matter how much you retaliate. You’re the ones who brought this upon us, you should be the ones to surrender.”

            Then an evil laughter came from Miashta’s mech. Daniel was surprised, so was Mal and the others.

            “You expect us to surrender? We will never to the likes of you!” Miashta cried, her voice was deeper and raspier, much like the time she started to go dark.

            “You are still Miashta, aren’t you?” Daniel asked, worriedly. Miashta laughed again.

            “Sorry, you are speaking with Dark Miashta Star. I am going to end this now!” Dark Miashta cried and then flew towards the Metlias.

            “No! Miashta, come back!” Mal ordered. Screaming could be heard from Dark Miashta’s mech, which frightened Daniel, he could not move. “Something tells me that you two are close, you have to talk to her and try and get her to come back!” Mal ordered him. Daniel’s eyes were wide and his hand was shaking.

            “I… I can’t talk to her when she’s like this,” he shakily replied.

            “Damn it, you’re going to have to!” Mal barked. Daniel cleared his throat and then flew his machine towards the flag ship.

            “Miashta! If you’re in there, please come back to us!” Daniel cried. Dark Miashta’s mech stopped suddenly, and shook a bit, because Miashta was shaking.

            “I will… never… return your Miashta… to you. She is mine!” Dark Miashta cried, but then her skin started to turn the normal color again, and her eyes and hair were returning as well.

            “It’s me Daniel. Please remember, I… love you,” Daniel stated, a little embarrassed since everyone could hear him. Miashta completely turned back to normal, but just in time for a giant energy beam to be firing at her, she did not have time to escape.

Episode 20: The Reunion..?

            Another beam came around and hit the blast coming towards Miashta. The blast dissipated and so did the new one. Miashta opened her eyes and released her hands from the tight grip around the arms of the chair.

            “Miashta? Are you all right?” Daniel asked, still blushing a little. Miashta blinked, realizing she was still alive.

            “Uh… yes. And, I’m sorry, for whatever I said when I went dark,” Miashta said, looking down. Just then a ship appeared in the distance. Miashta did not recognize it at first since it was so far away, but then an image came up on the screen of her mech. It was John, Alya’s ship. “Mother!” Miashta exclaimed.

            “What? Are you sure?” Daniel asked. Miashta’s eyes started to tear up and she flew towards the ship.   

            “Yes, it’s definitely John, I’d know that ship anywhere,” Miahsta replied. She flew into the bottom hanger and when the mech clamped onto into the loading dock, she opened the main hatch and jumped down. (The mech had been kneeling so she was able to do so, although it was still quite high.)

            She ran through the halls and to the bridge, where Alya and Jo were most likely waiting. Miashta slid her hand over the panel next to the door to open it. She stepped inside slowly, the two chairs spun around.

            “Mom… Dad?” Miashta asked. It was indeed Alya and Jo, but they both looked at each other and blinked.

            “Who are you?” Alya asked. There was a long moment of silence. Tears swelled up in Miashta’s eyes but she shook her head.

            “You are Alya Star and Jo are you not?” Miashta asked.

            “Yes, that’s who we are, but we’ve never seen you before. Are you from some kind of alternate world?” Jo asked. Miashta’s eyes widened. Just when she thought she finally found her parents, everything was crushed around her.

            “An alternate world? Yes, that might explain why you don’t know me. I am your daughter in this reality. You… you went through a wormhole and I have been looking for you since then,” Miashta explained.

            “I’m sorry we’re not the parents you know, but maybe we can help look for them,” Alya suggested. Jo nodded.

            “We’ll do anything we can,” he said. Just then Daniel came aboard.

            “Is everything all right?” Daniel asked, coming on to the bridge. He saw Miashta’s teared up face and was worried.

            “Don’t worry. These are my parents, sort of, they’re from another reality. It’s all right though, they’re going to help us find the Alya and Jo from this reality,” Miashta explained, wiping away her tears.

            “Did you forget that I was here?” Solia asked, growing impatient. Alya quickly opened a channel to speak.

            “You should not pursue us, believe me. John is equipped with a beam weapon using my fusion power. If you knew Zellial, you know that it’s lethal,” Alya said. Miashta had to smile at this, noticing a little of her mother in this Alya as well.

            “Damn… I will pull back for now, but next time I will be sure to kill Miashta Star!” Solia cried, and her ship went teleported away.

            “Do you know who that is?” Alya asked, turning to Miashta.

            “She appeared to us once before, and we fought. I still don’t understand why she wants to kill me. I don’t know how she knows me,” Miashta explained.

            “Well, why don’t we get started on looking for your parents and worry about her later?” Jo asked. Miashta nodded and smiled.

            “Thank you for doing this,” Miashta replied.

            “I am Daniel, by the way. I met Miashta when she came through that wormhole,” Daniel said, reaching out his left hand. Alya and Jo both shook it in turn.

            “Nice to meet you. The other reality version of me, does she fly the same ship?” Alya asked. Miashta nodded. “If we just match the frequency of this ship, it should detect the other John, in theory,” Alya suggested.

            “Anything that could help would be great,” Miashta said.

            “John, match the frequency to see if there are any ships like you in this reality,” Alya said. There were some bleeping noises, and then John spoke,

            “There is a ship like me, but it is quite far,” he said.

            “How far?” Miashta asked, her eyes lit up. Daniel was worried she was getting her hopes up too high.

            “We’ll have to go through a couple of wormholes in order to reach the ship, and I can’t even tell if there are life signs aboard.”

            “I don’t care, can we please try at least?” Miashta asked, impatiently.

            “Sure, I don’t mind. Do you have a ship?” Alya asked.

            “Yes, it’s down in the colony. I’ll have to tell Mal and the king that we’ll be leaving,” Miashta replied.

            After Miashta and Daniel left John, they flew back to the colony.

Episode 21: Long Journey Ahead

            Miashta and Daniel explained to Mal and the King why they had to leave, and the King was resilient at first, but he sighed.

            “I am sorry to hear that you have to go, but also glad that you may be reunited with you parents. I wish you a safe journey,” he said. Miashta bowed and thanked him. “I want you to take one of our mechs with you, who knows it may come in handy in fighting that Solia person.”

            “Are you serious?” Miashta asked. The King nodded. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what to say.”

            “This is the least we can do for helping us, right Mal?” The King asked.

            “Yes, your majesty. I wish you well on your journey,” Mal replied, he bowed as well as Miashta and Daniel.

            They left after receiving a package of food and water for the trip, and loading the mech into Alya’s ship, since the shuttle would not hold it.

            “John, begin the match frequency sequence,” Alya stated. There were a few beeping noises and then John said,

            “Match Frequency Sequence initiated.”

            “Why don’t we go check on our “daughter,” Jo said, using the quote gesture on daughter.

            “Hey, that’s rude. She is technically our daughter. I don’t think someone would lie about something like that. Let’s be nice now.” Alya and Jo got up and walked to the hanger, where Miashta and Daniel were waiting in their shuttle.

            “Miashta? It’s Alya, are you able to talk?” Alya asked, pushing the button on the outside of the shuttle door. The door slowly slid open and Miashta came over the intercom,

            “Come in, we’re in the control room in the front of the shuttle.”

            Once they were all together, Alya started,

            “I don’t… want to get your hopes up. This match frequency sequence is only to match similar ships to John, there may be others like this ship in the universe, besides your parents’.”

            “I know… but I have to believe that I will find them soon. Thank you again for helping us, I know it may seem a little strange that suddenly you have a daughter from another universe,” Miashta said, seeming a little down. Alya glared at Jo for a second, who turned away, then she smiled.

            “It’s okay, we’re trying to get back to our own universe as well, so we understand,” Alya stated. This made Miashta smile.

            “What I want to know is why that Solia wants to kill Miashta. All Solia said was that Miashta was a nuisance. That doesn’t make any sense,” Daniel said. There was silence for a minute.

            “We have encountered this Solia before. She had said something about searching for someone, but she left shortly after through a wormhole,” Jo pointed out. There was silence again.

            “It looks like we have a long journey ahead of us. Why don’t we all get some rest?” Alya suggested. Miashta yawned, suddenly realizing her tiredness from the previous battle.

            “That sounds like a good idea. I think I will rest a bit,” she replied.

*                                                                        *                                                                      *

            “Miashta Star… Miashta,” a voice came to her in a dream, this time, it was not Celest.

            “Who… who is it?” Miashta asked. She was floating in a dark space. Suddenly, Dark Miashta appeared in front of her.

            “You know me very well. I am the other half of your heart, your soul. I want to be able to cover you completely, to take over.”

            “No! I won’t allow it!” Dark Miashta put a hand on Miashta’s cheek.

            “You will give in to me!”

Miashta jerked awake, sweating and breathing heavily. She was in one of the quarters of the shuttle. Tears ran down her face, eyes still wide. She bent over and held her forehead.

“Why is this happening to me?” 

Episode 21: Long Journey Ahead

            Miashta and Daniel explained to Mal and the King why they had to leave, and the King was resilient at first, but he sighed.

            “I am sorry to hear that you have to go, but also glad that you may be reunited with you parents. I wish you a safe journey,” he said. Miashta bowed and thanked him. “I want you to take one of our mechs with you, who knows it may come in handy in fighting that Solia person.”

            “Are you serious?” Miashta asked. The King nodded. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what to say.”

            “This is the least we can do for helping us, right Mal?” The King asked.

            “Yes, your majesty. I wish you well on your journey,” Mal replied, he bowed as well as Miashta and Daniel.

            They left after receiving a package of food and water for the trip, and loading the mech into Alya’s ship, since the shuttle would not hold it.

            “John, begin the match frequency sequence,” Alya stated. There were a few beeping noises and then John said,

            “Match Frequency Sequence initiated.”

            “Why don’t we go check on our “daughter,” Jo said, using the quote gesture on daughter.

            “Hey, that’s rude. She is technically our daughter. I don’t think someone would lie about something like that. Let’s be nice now.” Alya and Jo got up and walked to the hanger, where Miashta and Daniel were waiting in their shuttle.

            “Miashta? It’s Alya, are you able to talk?” Alya asked, pushing the button on the outside of the shuttle door. The door slowly slid open and Miashta came over the intercom,

            “Come in, we’re in the control room in the front of the shuttle.”

            Once they were all together, Alya started,

            “I don’t… want to get your hopes up. This match frequency sequence is only to match similar ships to John, there may be others like this ship in the universe, besides your parents’.”

            “I know… but I have to believe that I will find them soon. Thank you again for helping us, I know it may seem a little strange that suddenly you have a daughter from another universe,” Miashta said, seeming a little down. Alya glared at Jo for a second, who turned away, then she smiled.

            “It’s okay, we’re trying to get back to our own universe as well, so we understand,” Alya stated. This made Miashta smile.

            “What I want to know is why that Solia wants to kill Miashta. All Solia said was that Miashta was a nuisance. That doesn’t make any sense,” Daniel said. There was silence for a minute.

            “We have encountered this Solia before. She had said something about searching for someone, but she left shortly after through a wormhole,” Jo pointed out. There was silence again.

            “It looks like we have a long journey ahead of us. Why don’t we all get some rest?” Alya suggested. Miashta yawned, suddenly realizing her tiredness from the previous battle.

            “That sounds like a good idea. I think I will rest a bit,” she replied.

 

*                                                                        *                                                                      *

 

            “Miashta Star… Miashta,” a voice came to her in a dream, this time, it was not Celest.

            “Who… who is it?” Miashta asked. She was floating in a dark space. Suddenly, Dark Miashta appeared in front of her.

            “You know me very well. I am the other half of your heart, your soul. I want to be able to cover you completely, to take over.”

            “No! I won’t allow it!” Dark Miashta put a hand on Miashta’s cheek.

            “You will give in to me!”

 

Miashta jerked awake, sweating and breathing heavily. She was in one of the quarters of the shuttle. Tears ran down her face, eyes still wide. She bent over and held her forehead.

                “Why is this happening to me?”

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