Dark Snow "Steele, keep your hand level. That's more like it! Good!" Steele's bright skin almost glowed with the praise he recieved. The computerized voice of the creature behind him clicked awkwardly, but the Reptiloid could hear genuine praise in the unreal tone, at least he thought he could. Steele, just hatched and already fully sized, was ready to serve. "Your enemies may not always need to be killed, Steele. Use maiming techniques, you're hugging to the kill." Looking over his plated shoulder with a quick nod, Steele made a mental note. He was only ten hours old, but his kind learned quickly at this age. They had to, for later in life almost no information was allowed to pass through. The impression which was created in his kind in these first few hours of life defined them for the rest of their existance. He knew what he had to do. "You're fast," The teacher moved with silken steps, the electronic voice emitting from a small box hanging about its neck. Two wires ran to its head, attatching on the temples. Its glowing green eyes regarded Steele as its shoulders moved and seemed to lap back over its spine. "Yes, very fast." "Yes, Sir." Steele nodded sullenly. His character had not yet grown, he was stoic to a fault. He merely knew to speak the truth. "Steele, now!" The black and gold form of his teacher, a furred form, leapt forward and splayed its paws. "Attack me!" Steele didn't waste time wondering or arguing. He merely dropped the gun he'd been training with and obeyed. His obisidan claws, long and razor sharp, glided through air like wings as he leapt, dove for his teacher's neck. The feline-esque teacher was fast, though, and ducked out of the side only to leap and snap at Steele's back. The Reptiloid twisted his spine at an awkward angle and lashed with his tail, the thin appendage making a cracking sound in the air. His teacher twisted away from the whip and both fell, landing evenly on their feet. Steele relaxed his stance. "Keep going!" barked his teacher. "Show no mercy when you fight!" No mercy..the words resounded solidly in Steele's skull as he blinked his two huge black eyes and bowed his head. Dipping forward and diving, he snapped with his jaws at his teacher's legs, but his teacher wasn't there anymore. In the air and above him, the feline came down with a yowl and his claws splayed. Arching his back, Steele circled under the falling teacher and spun with his front claws, slashing only air as the feline moved again, this time towards Steele's legs. With a fast sidestep, the Reptiloid brought up his hind claws and slashed, but his teacher hugged the ground and rolled under, like a true master. Whipping his tail again, Steele circled and snapped with his sharp toothed mouth, trying to catch his teacher's tail. With an amazing show of agility, the feline used Steele's broad reptilian nose as a spring and leapt onto the Reptiloid's back, sinking his teeth into the nape of Steele's neck. The Reptiloid reared up in pain and snarled loudly, but he could not shake his teacher. Soft, new scales gave way to feline jaws as his teacher allowed his sharp claws to join in, raking along Steele's shoulders. With a sudden hiss, the creature released and dropped to the ground. Steele turned, his eyes tearing out of pain and not emotional betrayal. Those close to you were meant to hurt you, his mind silently filed. Expect it to happen. He knew this was his teacher's intended lesson. Backing up his leg and ducking down, Steele readied his claws for a returning jump, black blood spattering off his sides and onto the equally black tile. The teacher held up a golden paw and shook its head. "Steele, know this. When you are injured, you can not fight to your peak. Use your brains, not your brawn at this time. Lead your enemy as if they have won, lower their guard." The teacher's glowing green eyes narrowed. "Aslilin will want you to know this." Steele relaxed and bowed his head again. "Yes, master." The feline cocked its head to one side, the wires flexing in response. "You may call me Dark Brother, Steele. I am one of a unity." The Reptiloid merely blinked his large, dark eyes. This was what his master desired to be called, he would remember this. A soft look seemed to enter the large, black and gold feline's eyes for a moment. "Is there anything you wish to know, Steele?" Anything he wanted to know? This question clicked without connotation in Steele's mind. Since he could not define it, he deemed it unimportant. What he needed to know would come in time. "No, Dark Brother." A sigh escaped the feline as it turned on its paws, agile and beautiful and swept out of the black training room. His tail followed like a lost ghost, a whisp of smoke attatched to Steele's teacher. "Alright...Stay here, Steele. I will be back." Dark Brother left the room, and Steele was left standing. Mantaryl hardly ever had much to do on the Shard, especially because she was new there. A young insectoid alien from the race known as Hacylrigs, Mantaryl had been hired on as a guard to Aslilin and to her pet projects, most of which were contained in a mysterious blue room far down the hall and accessed by Aslilin and that strange cat which followed her only. Thus, the vast majority of Mantaryl's time was spent wandering the bridge and decks of the Shard, looking for various things to either amuse herself with, or make herself useful with. On one such stroll about the ship, Mantaryl found herself peering into a darkened room where nearly nothing moved. Naturally curious, the insectoid stepped inside and adjusted her feelers and multi-surfaced eyes to the dull light. Standing in the center of the room was a large reptile-like creature, completely naked save for his scales. The creature blinked once in regarding her, and did nothing else. Cocking her head to one side and clicking her mouthparts, Mantaryl began to wonder aloud. "Is Reptile sentient? Mantaryl wonders..." She spoke much in the same manner a Myche would and in Uni, wondering if the creature understood at all. It gave no indication. She moved closer and folded her pinchers behind her back, humming softly. "Yes, Mantaryl thinks so. Mantaryl also thinks you have a name. What is your name?" Steele did nothing but turn his head to follow the insect. She was not his master, and therefore he need not speak with her. His master had commanded him to wait. He would. Mantaryl appeared affronted and pulled herself up to her full height, which was admitably much shorter than Steele's. "Mantaryl thinks you are new here. Well, Mantaryl is boss of the new recruits. Tell Mantaryl your name!" Steele blinked. A reassignment of Master? Very well... "I am known as Steele." Mantaryl took a very un-commander-like leap back and spread her mouthparts in a gape at the deepness of his voice. "Mantaryl's name is Mantaryl," she said stupidly, still shocked. "How old is Steele?" The Reptiloid was forced to think a moment. When he could not pinpoint the time between one or two days, he simply shook his head. The other alien took this to mean he didn't know. "That is okay," Mantaryl chirrped cheerfully and clacked her mouthparts. "Mantaryl isn't entirely sure how old Mantaryl is either. Why, how can anyone be sure how old anyone is? We're all only counting as long as we know for sure, right?" Dizzied by the display of quick speaking in his new master, Steele simply just nodded. It seemed appropriate. Clearly pleased by his agreement, Mantaryl placed both pinchers on her hips and nodded. "Right! Steele understands. Say...Is Steele a new pilot?" "I am a fighter," he answered automaticly. The bug-like alien made an exhasperated sound through her mouthparts. "No fighter is complete if they can't fly! Mantaryl has always wanted to fly, but Aslilin will not let her." Manatryl pouted in her own way. This, however, was short-lived as Steele asked no questions. The creature bounced on her hind legs a moment and grabbed the Reptiloid's wrist, tugging it. "Come on! Mantaryl will teach Steele to fly." Blinking in confusion, Steele obeyed the commands of his new master and followed.