Private Links...to the Past

[Oji Taiyou]

Where are you...

It's dark, vast, and empty. Cold and alone...

Where are you...

Struggling against something...no someone, themself.

The vastness of space opens before you and there is a light.

REACH!

Oji's eyes shot open from his meditative state. He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

"Ah this is pointless! I'm never going to make contact with either of them!" the prince groaned.

He raised from his seated position and moved to ready himself for the day. Peeling back his room's curtains revealed the sun was already in the sky and the day was well underway without him.

The young Akaran would have loved nothing more than to lay back in bed and go to sleep. But Dax had sent a summons for him earlier that he would not want to miss.

Donning his regular utility tunic, his hand reached for Tsuriai, his mother's blade, and paused. A long and solemn stare followed. He was still not used to wielding the weapon, and probably never would be. But it was his mother's wish, and he would honor her in this until told otherwise.

He shook himself from the trance and quickly tucked the weapon to his side, heading for the exit.

The servants and staff all bowed as he strode by, customs were fine and dandy, but the imposing figure of the young prince was surely to blame for part of their timidness around him.

Oji finally reached his destination, the Palace sparring fields, where Dax was waiting, accompanied by Grandmaster Sonoda. The two were chatting idly as he approached and the older blue-maned fox bowed and silently took his leave.

It was eerie, just the two of them, but Oji spoke,"So, you wanted to see me Dax?"

After all this time, the young fox could not bring himself to call the man any form of the word father.

Dax Perl | Nate Phantoms​

 

[Dax Perl]

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[ D A X...P E R L ]

............Nodding his head towards Grandmaster Sonoda as the elder man left, Dax turned to Oji, his eyes wandering over his form, pausing for a moment on the familiar saber in the the Akaran's possession. Her saber. Though nothing would give it away, a dull pain lanced through his chest, before his eyes flicked up to meet the younger's.

............Oji asked a simple question. But even now, he still didn't call Dax 'father' like the other children. Not once in seventeen years had Oji ever called him that. It seemed unlikely that the fox ever would. Not that Dax could blame him in the slightest. In Oji's eyes, Dax figured he was the one responsible for everything that happened to Nate, to Ki, between them both, that he was responsible for their separation. And he was right. Dax had dragged Nate away from home, crashed onto Won Shasot with him, nearly killed him. He'd been responsible for Nate's long disappearance. And when Dax had returned, alone, and Ki had treated him so sweetly, forgiven him for all he'd done...perhaps he should have left her well enough alone, at least for Oji's sake. But he hadn't even managed that. And at the end of the day, Dax would've been lying if he'd said he didn't feel responsible for his wife's death as well.

............But, if given the chance, would he do it all again?

............Dax pulled his saber from his belt, and the amber blade screamed to life as he answered Oji's question. "I thought you might wanna blow off some steam. It's not like most of the others around here are much of a challenge for you anymore, right?" he said. "Besides...I thought it might give us some time to talk."

Oji Taiyou | Nate Phantoms​

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Oji Taiyou]

The blade came to life, causing the young prince to chuckle,"I would love a chance to 'blow off steam' Lord Fyre."

He moved to ditch his robe and Tsuriai. Grasping his own hilt, he rolled his neck in anticipation. His own white blade hissed cleanly awake at his side.

He paused, staring at his opponent,"Outside of the Sonodas and maybe Nozomi and Eli, no, not many offer much of a challenge anymore. Besides..." he raised his blade high beside his head and leapt at the man, a mix between a hiss and a scream escaped his lips...

It was full of anger and confusion as the emotions flowed freely through the Akaran...

"What do we possibly have to talk about?!"

Dax Perl | Nate Phantoms​

 

[Dax Perl]

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[ D A X...P E R L ]

............The Fox tossed aside his robe and his mother's saber, clattering across the ground, each echo stealing a breath away from Dax's lungs. Wounds too fresh, fresh enough that even that simple act, so dismissive, stung. It was enough that Dax was glad when Oji leapt at him with a ferocious scream.

............Decades of fighting. Decades of seeing the too eager, too reckless, and the too confident commit to the same exact attack. Had Dax ever lunged at an opponent with the same wanton vigor? He was certain he had. Experience guided Dax's body as he raised his blade, meeting Oji's with a bloom of sparks. He shifted his weight as the man fell upon him, stepped to the side slightly, let the other man's blade slide on by, until Dax was behind him, perfectly in place to deliver a firm kick to Oji's back.

............"Don't pretend that you don't have anything to say to me." Dax said, the kind, fatherly tone gone. "I can feel it. That anger. The confusion." When it was clear that Oji had recovered enough from Dax's taunting blow, Dax stepped forward, raising his saber and bringing it down swiftly and sharply. "You have something you want to say, so say it!"

Oji Taiyou | Nate Phantoms​

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by Dax Perl​

 

[Nate Phantoms]

Silently rippling across the galaxy, all but one had caught the slight shift in thought. The flicker of emotion and memories from far away stirred the man from his drunken slumber, his burning eyes slowly opening as a chill swept over his body like a cool breeze. Unhappily, Nate rolled onto the edge of his bed, tossing his blanket to reveal the thin layer of sweat that covered his body.

The number of things that could generate such a surge powerful enough to wake him from across the galaxy was few. He could feel the frustration, the angst. Pain, sorrow. It was obvious what had transpired, he had been in the same situation not too long ago. Grumbling, Nate rose to his feet, shuffling through the dark to his desk. Much to his distaste, his health wasn't improving radically and the next to falter was his sight. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to his glasses as the rested on the bridge of his nose, his appearance transforming to imposing to a bit more sophisticated.

After a drawn out sigh, padded feet brought him to the door as he pulled his robe around his shoulders, the silky fabric matching that of his bottoms. With a soft hiss the door slid open, white light illuminating down to each end the hallway. The quiet hum of electronics and machinery was all that accompanied his thoughts as the majority of the crew was still tucked in their bunks soundly.

Stepping silently onto the bridge, his eyes scanned over the purples and white of the many holo desks and control panels. All for the most part unmanned. The helm however, was not.

"You're up early sir." His first mates gentle voice cut through the silence. With a grunt he moved to stand beside her, crossing his arms as he watched the stars zip by.

"Akarui, send for permission to land." Kissing his teeth, he inclined his head at her, a simple sign of his gratitude for her diligence. Turning on his heel, he began sauntering back to his quarters, hopeful to catch another hour or two of rest. "Our stay may be very short, or we may have a bit of shore leave."

Dax Perl Oji Taiyou