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The Ancient War

Dairyu waited in front of Wind of Change when he saw three familiar figures approaching it. He stood up from the crate he was sitting on and walked slowly towards the three of them. Both Dajar and Xsatuki tried not to look towards Dairyu, who had started to become impatient waiting for them to return. The others had been preparing inside the ship.

"Don't think you can talk your way out of this," said Dairyu. "You two risked yourselves and our mission."

"We're sorry...," replied Xsatuki while lowering his head. "But, I have..."

Dairyu then approached Xsatuki and patted his shoulder while smiling. "I know. Seiryu and I kept contact all the time. You have unfinished business here, not because of Trell. But you can at least tell us firsthand."

"That's because...I don't think your race has a concept of..."

"Who said we don't have gay partners? This is the 24thcentury! But anyway, Xsatuki, Dajar, you two. Stay on the ship with Rose. The rest of us will finish what we start here."

"Just the four of you?"

"Reinforcement will come soon. St. Vincent is coming towards our position as do some Federation ships," said Capisa. "The three of you will stay inside Wind of Change and guard it."

"Weapons?"

Dairyu sighed. "Rose will tell you. Now, keep contact. We need someone on that comm to let them know that it is safe to engage. We'll be in touch. Let's go, guys." Without saying anything more than that, Dairyu turned around while the rest of the strike team walked out of_Wind of Change_ and joined the black Orient. As they walked away from the ship, Rose walked out of the ship and moved near Dajar.

"They can do it," said Rose smiling. "You two are still new, so you don't know how they fight. I know Dairyu and Capisa can manage. Cal's a Scylla, and I have no doubt in Seiryu's notoriety."

"Don't you think four people walking into an enemy fortress is basically suicide?" replied Dajar.

"Not as much as one draconian fighting a whole base. Now, come on, let's get ready."

But as they went inside, Rose looked towards where the four of them walked and see the white wolf apparition again. It only looked at her while sitting near the side of the ship. They stared at each other for a while before Rose tried to walk towards it.

"The time of reckoning draws near, daughter of Van Helsing," said the wolf with a female voice. "By then, you will be ready."

"Will you tell me the answer?" replied Rose.

"That is for you to decide. You heart is not ready for what is coming. A history never stops at a point."

Right after she said that, she vanished with a blink of an eye. Rose did not understand the cryptic message, but by this point, she had known that the apparition could not say more without consequences. Just like the werewolf crisis premonition, there bound to be something unexpected.

Just then, she heard commotions and the familiar noise of the positron gun being discharged. She looked towards the source and saw a pile of bodies and the four fighters fighting through the attackers. Rose readied her claws and said, "It never is easy."

Meanwhile, the party of four managed to kill or incapacitate most of the attackers and ran towards the main area. They were immediately shot at, forcing them to stay behind cover.

"I should've known open channel like that is going to cause us problems!" said Dairyu while shooting back.

"It's always an open channel when you call the Federation," said Cal beside him.

"Well, why didn't your father install one?"

"This is your ship, remember? We don't have all the authorization!"

"It's his ship, too! He is our former crew!"

"Stop talking and start killing!" exclaimed Seiryu.

Dairyu snapped back to the moment and noticed some fuel tanks behind the group of attackers. He aimed towards the tanks, conscious as to how far it was and the fact that he was using bullets instead of energy cells. He shot towards them, but then used the flow of air to increase its speed, inadvertently went through one of the pirates and hit the tank. The air friction and the speed of the bullet created a spark, which caused a massive explosion. He then made the fire bigger by changing the air pressure.

This unexpected turn of events caught the attackers off guards. The fire was also big enough to start to threaten allies, so they became busy trying to extinguish them. This was a distraction the four of them needed, and they hastily walked through the raging fire using only their strength. Cal, being a Scylla, had a naturally thick plate that could withstand heat for a moment. Capisa had his suit's shields, Dairyu would simply blow the fire away, and Seiryu was a ghost.

After slipping away (and increasing the mayhem by intentionally blowing up), they managed to get to the same bar where they gathered. They based their destination on Seiryu's information that there was a secret passage inside the bar. Once they went inside the place, all the patrons panicked upon realizing that they were the reason for the commotion outside. Dairyu then looked at Seiryu. He nodded then moved his fingers.

The liquid inside that room suddenly floated like in zero gravity, then abruptly changed into spikes that moved towards the necks of the bar patrons. Everyone wouldn't dare move a muscle.

"I'm glad everyone is cooperating nicely," said Seiryu. "Now, does anyone here know about the way into Trell's stronghold? Someone told me that it is in this bar. Give us the directions and you won't be harmed."

One of the patrons, a red armored Saurian, stood up and pointed a gun towards Seiryu. Without warning, Seiryu moved the water and jammed it into one of his eyes. The pain was enough for the Saurian to scream, during which Seiryu impaled him through the open maw.

"Start talking," said Seiryu short.

After a period of silence, one of the red armors moved towards Seiryu. Seiryu chose not to act upon seeing the eyes of the red armor. He was a Terran and was apparently not scared with Seiryu. He stood face to face with the smaller Orient.

"Wanna grab a drink and talk?"

He made a gesture to punch the smaller draconian but the Orient was faster. Before the punch even hit Seiryu, the movement stopped. He did not move and still look towards the armored Terran, a canine race, in the eyes, without any hint of fear.

"It's easier if you're a Terran. Wanna talk?"

The draconian spat towards Seiryu and said, "You're nothing". Seiryu just said, "Yeah, I'm already dead" while wiping the saliva. Without doing anything to the saliva, he said, "But I'm sure you are, too."

"You think after killing Odkar you are going to be free? He may have return to the dead, like the rest of us, but his daughter is not someone who you want to play. She doesn't fuck around and she gets her jobs done. The moment you killed that prepper spell your doom. She will chase you all the way to the end of the galaxy and will not let you..."

"I suggest you shut the fuck up before I die of boredom," interrupted Seiryu, while feigning a yawn. "Where is the secret passage?"

"Do you think we'll tell you after everything you've done?"

"Better than seeing this whole place painted red," said Seiryu nonchalantly. Suddenly, everyone in the room started to choke. One of the bar patrons started grabbing a beer bottle and smash it towards the bar. He then proceeded to move towards another patron then moved behind her before slitting her throat with the glass shard. Her lifeless body quickly fell and disappeared.

Seeing what Seiryu was doing, Dairyu approached him and said, "Don't kill them, Seiryu."

"Stop saying that. You'll make them think I'm bluffing."

"Don't go all 'crimson rain' on them. Save that for later. You're lucky she was a solid. What if you kill a living, breathing person?"

"That person signed a death wish the moment they go into this bar."

"Seiryu..."

Seiryu sighed, then released the whole bar of his control. They did not immediately react, except the canine race, who quickly tried to kill Seiryu. Dairyu then moved towards him and pointed a gun towards his face.

"It's a waste of your time, anyway. He can't be killed."

"You're bluffing."

"Let me show you."

Dairyu then shot a couple of rounds towards Seiryu's head. The went past him. This shocked the prepper, but annoyed Seiryu.

"You fucking asshole..."

"I'm trying to prove a point." He then turned towards the prepper. "Now stand up and get the hell out of my sight. Call your boss, whoever she is, down here. Odkar or her daughter is fine. Or, do you prefer us storming the fort?"

"I'm not talking."

The prepper then felt something was choking him. He tried to take up some air but he couldn't. It was as if something was blocking his windpipe.

"I don't take pleasure in this, old dog," said Dairyu. "But you might die easier if you tell us about it. Don't want your second life to slowly be taken away, right? I mean, you know how it is. It's better to die instantly then being choked out of your life. I can snap your neck right here and now, but what's the fun of that? Your face tells me all: fear, pain, and anger. If you are a ghost, however, you might be immortal, and yes, that will be your mistake, not mine."

He struggled to breath, trying to grab Dairyu. The Orient kept holding his hand, and lifted him above his head. The Orient glared at him.

"Preppers or not, Trell or not, Girl or man, they are all the same. Once they lost their power, they die. I intend to do so, give them a taste of failure, before they expire and be forgotten like a criminal they are. At least the fight will be memorable. You? You're nothing. You're just a mangy mutt caught in the moment. Everyone will still remember the way you insult the Crimson Rain, but after a while, they won't even know you exist. All with a little snap."

Dairyu snapped his fingers, then the air started to make a mini twister that twisted the dog's neck, killing him instantly. His lifeless body fell to the ground, before dissipating, indicating that he was a ghost. Seiryu whistled after Dairyu sat on the bar, with the bartender looking at him nervously.

Seiryu then looked at the bartender and said, "Piss off...", in which he quickly moved away from them.

"Never lose that touch of terror, huh, Ryu?" said Seiryu. "And I thought I'm the sadistic one."

"Kinda hard keeping a maniacal, grinning face when you're acting your way out of it. But at least he'll think twice of his mistakes, if he ever think about it."

"Yeah, I guess." Seiryu then sighed.

"Fuck. Never thought they are quite loyal. I think it's easier to just storm the front gate and get their heads."

"We're still alive, you idiot," said Dairyu. "And besides, sooner or later they will come storming anyway, so save your strength."

"I can't do that! C'mon, Dairyu, you know I'm not the waiting type!"

"Unfortunately for you, we gotta have to wait until someone had enough and spill the beans."

Seiryu sighed in exasperation, then grudgingly waited while the rest of the patrons stayed silent, unwilling to risk their second life to move.

Meanwhile, back at the plane, Rose was tending the Terran human while Dajar and Xsatuki took guard outside. She was trembling the moment she heard the commotion outside, with Rose trying her best to calm her.

"I escaped Terra so that I can find a place to be safe. Now I'm not sure this galaxy is safe anymore," said the woman.

"Don't say that. You never know what the future holds," said Rose.

"That's what everyone said. How can you be so calm after becoming a werewolf? Everyone I knew went through a shock."

"Because I am born Lycan. So, care to tell me why you want to be a werewolf?"

"I want to be strong so that I can fight for myself. I don't want to brag, but I can fight for myself. But sometimes, I feel like my efforts are nothing around Scyllas and Aqura who were clearly more independent. Humans have weak bones, and we can't even fight properly without breaking anything. I just...want to stop that."

"But then you won't become a versatile, adaptable fighter," said Rose while walking to the kitchen. "Your race may have no bestial advantage, but your mind is brilliant. You try to be more powerful than the beast races, and it worked many times before."

Rose then quickly returned and offered her a cup of water. "So try not to discard your heritage and becoming like us. We all must try to preserve our races."

The woman looked at the cup of water then turned back to Rose. "I...guess you're right," she said. "Thanks for enlightening me."

"You're welcome, miss..."

"Arkoff. Thea Arkoff."

"Arkoff...are you Vitanian?"

"How can you tell? Is it because of the accent?"

"I've met an Arkoff before, back when I was still researching werewolf virus. Her name was Edna Arkoff. A brilliant researcher, she was. Lovely personality. We liked to talk during tea time, and she was fascinated about lost history and all that. She is devoted to her job, I'll tell you, but she wanted to be an archeologist instead of virologist. Guess time can change you."

"Edna...is she my sister or...cousin, perhaps? I know that name as my ancestor, but dad may have relatives I don't know about."

"It is complicated, but that Edna is your ancestor."

Thea looked at her in disbelief, then started to laugh.

"Oh, you're funny, Rose."

"Sometimes." Thea's plight, however, wasn't Rose's concern. The white wolf's appearance was not a simple supernatural matter. Her appearance usually indicated something big was going to happen. At first, Rose thought about the Federation ambushing that asteroid, but she suspected something different. It always appeared every time a major event happened, like the start of the werewolf crisis, and them stranded in the past.

She found her answer almost suddenly when the sensor on that ship picked something.

In the bar, the four combatants did not have to wait much longer when a group of preppers went into the bar and started pointing guns at them. The four had prepared for this moment, but before they could start shooting, a voice sternly said, "Wait."

A Terran lizardman woman walked between the group of shooters. Her costume did not cover much of her body as it was her scales, which had a color of blue and green in it. There were scars all over her body, indicating her experience in combat. Her yellow reptilian eyes glared towards the four of them, but she only walked slowly until she reached Seiryu.

"I was wondering why shit went down. Then one of the messengers told me that I was expected in this club. So, here I am, Jenra Trell, at your service. Unfortunately for you, Odkar is not going to come down here. He's not in a mood to talk, so as a good daughter, I represent him. What do you want?"

"Let's go straight to the..."

Before Seiryu could do anything, Dairyu stepped forward and said, "First things first. Are you a solid, a ghost, or are you alive and well?"

"Well that's unexpected," said Jenra with a scoff. "Usually people told me how young I am. I made sure they know I'm not fucking around. I think you're popular at parties, am I right, Dairyu Tsukasa?"

"So, what's your answer?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? I was here when your Federation bombarded this asteroid. In short, I was killed."

"A solid, then." Dairyu then moved away for Jenra to look at Seiryu. He then said, "Do you know who he is, then?"

"He's ready to kill me the moment he heard the name 'Trell'. Other than that, I haven't the slightest idea."

Seiryu looked at Dairyu with annoyance. He never thought his legacy wasn't all that preserved. Somehow, his age did not give the indication of his identity.

"You don't really want to know. It's not that important. What matters now is talk."

"After what you did back there, I doubt you're not eager to start putting a bullet in my head. Besides, even if you claimed to be 'off-grid', you are still calling your friends here. What other reason that can stop me from shooting you first and destroy your ship?"

"Simple. We just need your father's head."

Jerna laughed, as did her preppers. Seiryu and Capisa looked at Dairyu with confusion. Cal just sighed and said, "Really?"

"You should've just retire and become a comedian, Dairyu Tsukasa," said Jerna after finishing her laughter. "And no, I won't betray my father, even if I am his heiress."

"That was our first intention. But, I guess it is funny for you since you are already dead once. What matters, however, is us. We are still living flesh and blood."

"So, what? We can just kill you here and now. It does not change the fact that you are our enemy and your attempt at bargain is ridiculous."

"I wasn't saying about the three of us. This station is full of those living beings."

"So? They can die for what I care. It's their fault getting involved with a pirate crew."

"Yeah, except that our mission is to end your existence in this dimension."

This turned Jerna's mood to sour, to the point of her trying to pull her knife if not for Dairyu to stop her movement. She was clearly not the playful, sarcastic person she once was, and was clearly angry.

"You wouldn't dare," said Jerna.

"Oh, but I am. I am surprised you did not think of that as a joke. Hit too close to reality, isn't it? You're just living on borrowed time, just like most people in this asteroid."

"I should've just shoot you before you even start talking. You're not taking our second chances!"

"And what? Causing this whole sector to be a pirate's haven? I won't gonna let you do that, Trell."

"And you are going to kill us for the sake of your 'peace'? Did I hear that right? The Federation is nothing but a bunch of pansies who can't even fight their own problems? Now you are working with them like a dog."

"I am not a dog, and watch your tongue, missy."

"Do not talk back to me, Black Orient! I have enough of your type. You think you're a hero just because you saved the Federation from the Black Creatures. Well, guess what? We killed them ourselves without their help, and they don't even think twice about blasting us into space."

"You are the pirates, remember?" said Dairyu sarcastically. "Or should I remind you that even if you are that powerful to retaliate, you are still dead."

"That is why we won't let you take away our second chances."

"Kids...you never learn, do you?"

Before Dairyu could even make a move, the club rocked, causing some to lose their footing and fell. They were still wondering about it when another one came, this time far more violent that before.

"Curse the Federation! Take arms! We'll fight them again and we will win!"

But Dairyu had another idea. He looked towards Capisa and said, "Even St. Vincent can't blast this rock. Is it one of your dreadnoughts?"

"How in Leviathan do you know about that?"

"Having a giant space station-sized ship isn't what I call 'conspicuous', Capisa. Besides, isn't it too early for them to respond in this deep space."

Then there was a communication coming from Wind of Change towards Capisa.

"Capisa, can you hear me? This is Rose!"

"I can hear you loud and clear, Rose. What happens out there?"

"This is horrible! All of you must get back to the ship and get out of here! There's a bloody fleet coming at us!"

"Federation fleet?"

"No! Ancient fleet. This is the site of a long forgotten war! Get back here!"

"Wait, but we haven't..."

"There's no time!"

Capisa was trying to hail the ship, to no avail. Realizing that he could not save the rest of the still alive people on that base, he became stunned. It was not after Calventis pulled his hand did he snapped back to reality.

Dairyu looked at the panic that ensued, then towards Seiryu. He could only say, "I guess mission failed, huh?"

Back to Rose and the rest, they were stunned when they saw the ships that were clearly not Federation started to materialize around the asteroids and blasting their way around without warning. It rocked the whole Wind of Change, but what was more worrying was the asteroid. It was right in the middle of the fight.

What's even more troubling was the ghosts themselves. After becoming solid a mere moment ago, they became aware of the asteroid and sent boarding scout ships to the place. They were Saurians from a bygone era, apparently still using pre-Federation technology and clothes. No, it was not the case. They were clearly dead a very long time ago, centuries before the Federation even existed. Rose speculated that there was an unrecorded war happening in that sector. The fact that most of the Saurians' history was gone did not help, either.

One of the Saurians from an unknown dinosaur race approached the ship and shouted things with an unknown language. He was wearing almost nothing except armor and essentials covering private, with their primary defense being their shield. Rose thought he looked almost like tribal lizardmen deep inside Coathucan jungle, though this one was clearly a Saurian.

He noticed Xsatuki and started talking to him in a language that wasn't registered in the translator yet, but apparently Xsatuki understood. They then talked like normal.

"Hey! What is a Sslatha doing here?! You, what's your name!"

"U-uh...Xsatuki..."

"How can you carry gun and wear clothes?" The Saurian then looked around and noticed Dajar and the rest of the crew. He quickly lifted his weapon.

"Who are they?!"

"They're my friends! I can't let you kill them! Please, they don't know your language."

"My language? I thought _you_are the one with a different language!"

"You're in a different era! Now, please, we are civilians. We mean you no harm."

The Saurian looked towards the group, then back to Xsatuki. He then lowered his gun and said, "Keep out of the battlefield, citizen. We are tasked in evacuating this whole place."

"No, you can't! This is a pirate's den!" exclaimed Xsatuki. "Shoot anyone who retaliates!"

"Understood. Stay safe."

The Saurian ran towards where his comrades were, in the middle of a gun fight. Their superior military-grade weapons were clearly far more superior than that of the regulated Federation weapons and were clearly made to disintegrate in a brutal fashion. They were also armor piercing or that the shield wasn't strong enough to stop the weapons. Rose could also hear many positronic weapons being discharged at once.

Right when they were still stunned, Dajar noticed Capisa's distinctive black armor and waved his hand towards him. He was followed by an explosion that almost threw him off balance, then followed by the rest of the crew running amidst the chaos.

They reached the ship in no time at all, with Seiryu and Capisa quickly running towards the controls and start the ship. The rest went in and, after head counts, Dairyu said, "Go to FTL after you get away from the asteroid!"

"How about the..."

"This is a goddamn pirate's base! Now, do it!"

Just then, they were hailed by a Federation ship. It was the St. Vincent.

"Wind of Change, we are trying to get to your position, but that place is swarmed with warships fighting each other. I suggest you get out of there."

"We are in the middle of it! We will get out of this system as soon as we can, so stay put and be..."

"Ryu, we can't use FTL! One of the docking clamps is still stuck."

"Dairyu, we have a transmission from the ground crew. I'll put it on speaker."

A familiar voice then came out.

"You've made a terrible mistake coming here, Dairyu Tsukasa!" said Jerna. "I should've known your mission before you even dock here so I can blast you before you even land!"

"Fuck, you're a persistent bitch," said Seiryu.

"Do you think you'll succeed? You can't return what has been delivered! We are given a second chance for a reason!"

"Oh, now you're a fucking zealot?! End comm! Capisa, open the doors."

"What?! We are in full power! The fire alone will..."

"I'm gonna teach this bitch how to respect the living and stay dead!"

Knowing his temper, Dairyu could not stop him from being angry and impatient. He had never grown to develop a way to suppress this personality ever since he became a Warrior. Bloodlust was very apparent for a Warrior his age, and even after death, it was still there.

The older Black Orient could not say no to that. He just nodded towards Capisa and let the side door open so Seiryu could jump. He did not hesitate. As he jumped, Dairyu said, "Capisa, lower the engine power. Get ready to turn it on the moment he disengages the clamp."

Seiryu jumped down and immediately walked towards the control panel. There were enemies, preppers, mostly, trying to stop him from getting to the panel. That, however, was nothing for him. He simply controlled the blood in them and fling them away without knowing where they would land. It was an effortless attempt and when he got to the control panel, he managed to pry open the door.

Before he could say anything, though, he heard gunshots and he instinctively get to cover, without knowing why. He had been less intuitive since becoming a ghost, but then he realized something's wrong when he felt pain. Seiryu then looked at his hand and saw blood that was clearly him.

"So, all they could do is to send a fucking kid to fight me? You're the one insulting me, aren't you?" said Jerna when she went out of the door. Seiryu tried to move away from his cover, but he could not as she was shooting at him relentlessly.

"Let's see how much this energy cell is going to last," said Jerna while keep shooting and destroying parts of the concrete wall. "You bound to get out of that cover, anyway."

"Does anyone ever told you how sadistic you are?" said Seiryu.

"You won't like it when I'm serious, kid," replied Jerna. "But you're fucking dead either way! I don't take kindly to insults

"And I don't take kindly to girls who thinks carrying a second-grade energy weapon to threaten me like some wannabe pirate! you are mistaken to assume that I'm just a kid. Now that I'm a Solid, I can do this!"

Seiryu pulled out his sword and cut his palm. It hurt him like crazy, but it was something that he had never got before, and he appreciated it. With him being able to hurt himself, he could do his thing.

"Hey, Jerna, do you know why they called me Seiryu? Seiryu means 'Azure' in my language, but also because I am born a water dragon. Let me tell you a fact. I don't know if your dad ever told you this, but I was once known as Crimson Rain."

"You trying to be funny? The Crimson Rain is not some kid. He's a murderer!"

"A murderer and a fucking guy!"

Seiryu then held his breath and stood up, momentarily confusing Jerna. There was only a slight second before her reaction kicked in. That was when Seiryu threw the blood in his hand, which slowly turned into spikes. Jerna was perceptive enough to dodge them, but she then could not move.

"Jerna, are you familiar with the Eastern Draconians? One thing you will know is that they are peaceful people who hates violence at any cost. So, why am I doing this?"

"Does that even matter? I prefer one that's not a snobbish asshole. You, on the other hand, is quite reluctant. I can see it in your eyes."

"Before I kill you, I just want you to know. As much as you want to stay alive, in the end, you are already dead, anyway. Don't worry. You are already dead in this plane, but out there, you are still alive."

"What's good of it if I can't enjoy life?"

"You'll get used to it. And, do you even know what a Crimson Rain is?"

"All I know is that he's a monster. A murderer, not some rebellious kid like you."

"I'm not a fucking kid. I'm just short! And yes, I am the fucking Crimson Rain!"

"You don't look like a monster to me. You're more like a misguided violent kid."

"That's because I'm already dead, and so are you. I don't think your father is going to survive this massacre, but I'll give you the honorable death of being killed by me."

"Then just do it or your crew will not get a chance to get out of this rock! Oh, and Seiryu. Fuck you."

"Yeah, fuck you too. And now, just fucking die already?"

Jerna then convulsed a moment in the air like being possessed before she became limp and disappeared. Seiryu then quickly ran towards the station and destroyed the controls. The clamps started to decouple, and it gave him enough time to run towards the ship.

Dairyu also sensed this and he got out of the ship and looked at Seiryu, who was running towards the ship. He was unable to run faster, so Dairyu helped him giving him an air boost strong enough to get him into the ship. He then caught Seiryu midair and put him into the ship and closed the door.

"Hit it!" exclaimed Dairyu. Capisa pushed some buttons and the star fields quickly became lines before it disappeared completely into a portal-like scenery.

Both Dairyu and Seiryu panted in exhaustion before Seiryu stood up first and clean his armor from the dirt on the floor. That was when the perceptive Dairyu realized what's wrong, coupled with his bloodied hand.

"Seiryu...you're..."

"Don't know, don't care. Now that I'm a solid, things will be harder from now on."

"So that's mean you can..."

"Yeah, and don't shoot me without warning like last time. This is my second chance, however short that will be. So...what's for dinner, Xsatuki?"

His remark caught Xsatuki off-guard. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "We, uh...having Terran burger with Vedan meat..."

"Burger, huh? Never thought I'd craved for food again."

The rest of the crew were speechless with Seiryu's need for food, though they understood.

Seiryu had become a living being. A solid.