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Mirage: "NOW"

The ship was so small compared to the Zekiran's accomodations, and it felt a little odd for Mirage to now be aboard a space station after several years on a solid planet. Her naga-companion slithered off, entranced by the goods at one of the station's markets.

It was a fortunate thing then, that the hatching didn't take very long in coming. Perhaps three days, five, no longer. Mirage would stroll the halls, taking pictures and deleting dozens of them until she had the shots she wanted to keep. But her mind dwelled on the fact that she had, now as before in her first life, had to deceive people in order to get by.

One thing Mirage noticed well was that there were people waiting with her, that most normal folk aboard either the Abstract Destiny or Star City itself just didn't see. They moved aside when the people came walking through a group, down a hallway. Blotted out - like ... the way that Etan would blot himself out of people's minds on Zekira? Not in a cruel way - they were perfect creatures, inhuman in the way that Zekirans were inhuman. Mirage gave them the benefit of the doubt and didn't interrupt their invisibility.

Mirage had never seen such energetic eggs, in the hatching bay. The other more normal candidates were excited, and she felt Kaly on the edge of her mind listening in on her emotions as they started to break. A brilliant one went off to a girl who was a shapeshifter, a gold, a white, others... they found their bonds who cheerfully conversed with them as they left. Some more exotic shifters were present, almost blindingly powerful like those others. A couple of them paired off, and then ...

She felt it again, something in her mind. But Kalyanin also felt it. She brightened up and fluffed out.

A rich blue filly went capering their way, her violet eyes bright and curious as she kicked up her golden hooves and trotted across the moss. "You're pretty," Tamashii'Otsuki cooed up at the cobalt-marked dragoness, before turning her attention back on Mirage. Just before nipping the woman's finger, she added, "and even if you had to hide from the others, you're not hiding from me, so I understand!"

The relief was immeasurable - as was the surprise as the little foal bit Mirage's hand! It wasn't like pain, at all - for there was no pain. It was ... their bond, sealed?

Mirage's heart thumped and her head swam. This being was so beautiful, she had to lean on Kaly for a moment.

I told you it would be good to have another with us!

(more)

Kaly, Mirage and Tamashii remained at the Abstract Destiny and Star City for a while, in fact long enough for the second dragoness to grow into young adulthood. Mirage remembered now... how slowly time went when one was waiting for an event to occur... She would catch herself gazing at the pair of dragons as they flew around one of the flight areas on the ships, looking at how big Tamashii was getting. She realized that they were about the same dimensions, Kalyanin a little longer and taller (and more transparent at times... when the light hit her just right, it was almost like Tamashii's wings - you could see through her more slender parts). Tamashii would not be quite as big either way, as Kaly though. That was all right - they were both larger than Mirage expected to really be dealing with at all.

She'd never been much on raising Steeds or racing herself, though she threw a great race party and would sometimes bet on the results, she was more concerned about the riders and the caretakers of the Steeds than the animals themselves. Because of course her built in Breeder's Eye kept her looking out for a good mate. Or was it her Hyperfertility doing that? She couldn't say - it was probably a combination of both.

And thankfully, she had not encountered anyone that she - or her DNA - thought was a good enough match to pair up with here at the Destiny.

One evening an attendant came around to many of the dragon bonders who had paired up at this beautiful clutch, and handed out a small token for a shop. Mirage looked it over, and asked, "what is this for?" His reply, to the order of 'get a cyborware installment for free' put Mirage into a strange state.

She did a little research that night, looking up on the ship's computer net about this 'cyborware' because the very name gave her a creepy feeling. The dragons were sleeping, but she could tell from both of their minds they were curiously watching her in their slumber. Mirage discovered to her horror that people would actually insert parts of machines and computers into their bodies!

The shuddering fear feeling that she inadvertantly gave off woke both dragons.

"What is wrong?" Asked Tamashii, with concern. She knew it had to do with her - the overwhelming protective and threatened urges from Mirage made the kirin-dragon worried.

"They have a barbaric practice here," Mirage finally stammered, "they would insert wires, artificial parts... into you!"

"Only if I wished it to be," Tamashii said, tilting her head. "I do not understand, why is that such a terrible thing?"

Mirage let words tumble from her mouth, "oh but Tamashii, on Zekira our lives were formed with our powers, if we could think together or shape metals or control animals, that was a tremendous boon. Someone could pay for a month's meals just with one shaped good or make a homestead safe from the elements by putting up a shield around it with their mind... But we've always known that any bit of something interfering with our nerves, with the nervous system, it breaks that power. It ruins our empathy, it breaks bonds between us... I can't even bear what it might do to you..."

Mirage, unexpectedly, began sobbing into the fine blue scaley feathers of her new bond, while Kalyanin looked on confusedly.

But Mirage, my one, there are many dragons here with those things, and none of them have any difficulty with their bond. The bonds between us are not just mental, I do not think that Tamashii would break her soul bond with us because of some silly little wires.

Kalyanin aimed several images she'd seen, dragons who were colorfully decorated or had metallic looking tails or claws. They seemed happy enough, but Mirage wasn't convinced, and wanted nothing to do with this 'cyborware' thing. She knew that someone else might like one, but she didn't know anyone here personally. Even after half a year's stay, she was still private enough and concentrating harder on her dragons than any other relationship on the starcraft. She knew they would just be leaving again anyway, their odd naga-man companion summoned again for the ride back to Planet Twenty.

She now wanted to leave quickly - as though this would solve the problem of this cyborware stuff.

Mirage knew, after leaving and introducing her new lovely bond to everyone at the colony, that the cyborware was 'safe' for dragons and humanoids alike... Perhaps they had developed some way of not interrupting the psionic flow. But even so, her irrational fear still kept her from even really describing it to her friends once she returned.

However, she did have thousands of photographs to process and print out, and share with her friends now! Tamashii strutted around her homestead with the wide open ledges and strong winds, and glanced at her 'soul sister' Kalyanin.

"Shall we?" She said, and Kaly nodded with a trumpet. They took to the huge open skies of Planet Twenty like it was the first time either of them had ever flown - Tamashii could sense the brilliant spirits everywhere, the planet was hardly full and hardly packed - but it already had spirits... And did Mirage knew that their Zekiran colony had dozens of them waiting? Perhaps the other Zekirans couldn't sense them, but the memories of some that lingered might be enough to bring along... perhaps someday...

Name: Tamashii'Otsuki Taelaanaa

Bonded to: Mirage

Gender: Female

Species: Multi-Hybrid (Dragon / Guardian Kirin / Whorling / Wris'Talora)

Hatchling Height: 2'5" to head

Adult Height: 16'10" to shoulder

Color: Blue

Element: Spirit

Personality: Tamashii is rather an opposite to Mirage's Kalyanin, though not to an extent that the two will never get along. Tamashii is equally gentle and kind in temperament, but she is very intelligent and there's not a lot that can slip by her when she's got her full attention turned on something. And as for males, she really isn't all that interested—she's far more intrigued by learning her illusions and spirit-summoning abilities.

Abilities: Breath Weapon (Paralyzing Mist). Divine Power (Spirit). Elemental Immunity (Spirit). Illusions. Soul Bond. Summon Spirits. Telepathy (color/emotion/image only). Verbal Speech.

Soul Bond Abilities: None.

Cyborware: moderate token