"Warning, internal temperature has reached critical levels, please leave the current environment."

"Love to..."

Dan pressed his thrusters to the limit, locked in a battle against the fiery storm. He was trapped, a fly in a bottle of flame. Sweat beaded on his forehead, the first since his rebirth.

"Divert all power to the chest plate..."

"Action is not advised, current power levels occupied in environmental shielding."

"Override!"

A spike of temperature followed as the suit obeyed, a rusted nail, heated orange, and driven into his skull. He manipulated the fogged-up display, sweat turned to steam.

"Direct full power through the core... NOW!"

An explosion of light, followed by a plume of plasma thicker than a man. It split the ocean of fire, dragon's breath that smothered all other flames.

A roasted Dan fell from the sky, armor reduced to shattered components. Black soot streaked his face, blond hair forced into a frizzed dome.

"That was an impressive attack, child," The oldest nightsister approached. "But it seems to have been a one-time event."

"We'll turn you into meat for the rancors," The youthful one ground her teeth. "You've damaged our temple beyond repair!"

"Sorry about that," Dan groaned. "But to be fair, you guys attacked first..."

"SILENCE, I will make sur..."

"MEOW!"

Stormy leapt down from the ceiling, a barrage of plasma targeted at the smug pair. He brought hell and thunder, a wave of fire that folded their defenses.

"NOOO!"

The younger woman's shield of green failed, and a blast pressed through her chest. Heart exposed, she tipped to the side, eyes locked onto Dan. Her body exploded in a wave of electric blue, a cascade of lightning that tossed her master aside.

"Good job, Stormy..."

"Meow, meow!"

Dan forced himself up, the remains of his armor no more than scrap. That woman was the first person to die, since he'd been reborn. He accepted the fact that some deaths were unavoidable, but to have one so soon tried his resolve.

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"Come on, let's tie up the leftovers and find May and Bear."

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"What happened in here?" May walked through the smoke, half-blind. "Dan? Are you ok?"

"Arf, arf arf!"

Bear led the charge through the smoke, an armored puppy that eased Dan's heart.

"Over here, May," Dan tightened a rope around the nightsister Matriarch's hands. "I found Stormy, and the pyramid."

A wave of Ultron drones stormed the cavern, hundreds of thrusters in thunderous unity. Merlyen faded into existence behind May, a bored expression on his face.

"Where did you go?" May stomped her foot. "You could have caught Bear much sooner!"

"Any adventure is better when you accomplish things yourself," Merlyen shrugged. "I was with you the whole time to keep you safe."

"Lazy..." May rolled her eyes as she walked up to Dan. "What happened to your armor!"

"I think I overstrained the power system..." Dan frowned at the many Ultrons. "Why can't these suits do something that Tony's first suit could?"

"My suits have far more power," Ultron examined the broken fragments. "It looks like you tried his stupid 'omni-beam,' right?"

"Yeah," Dan blushed. "So what?"

"Tony's suits could handle the load because they had less energy," Ultron sneered. "You could have done a similar attack with a quarter of the reactor power."

"Ah..."

"SO, he blew himself up for no reason," May leaned in, her grin evil. "He put on a BIG production, all for nothing?"

"Exactly," Ultron nodded. "Well put, little miss."

"Ok, ok," Dan waved them off. "What do you make of this pyramid, Ultron, Merlyn?"

The vast blue structure remained unscathed from the battle. A ziggurat that seemed out of place in the natural cave.

"It holds a deep principle of magic," Merlyen frowned. "A force for creation, or destruction..."

"My sensors insist there is nothing in this position," Ultron ground his mechanical teeth. "I will need more time to conduct an in-depth study."

"Then leave your drone here and build another refinery to make more," May shifted one of the unconscious nightsisters. "Also, drop these witches off at the clan we visited, they should know what to do with them."

"In a rush?" Dan walked over to his wife. "We can take our time, if you want?"

"No," May shook her head. "Your mission gives a bonus for ten planets in ten days, and we're already behind!"

"Alright then," Dan smiled. "You heard the woman, let's roll out!"

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"You captured all these nightsisters..."

"Yup, it was no problem," May waved goodbye to the confused Matriarch. "See ya later!"

"Wait, we..."

"So, what planet is next on the list?" May ignored the woman and walked back to Dan. "I hope it's somewhere with cute animals, or at least something useful for the city."

"Ultron found a good amount of useful plants here, so I think we're covered on that for a while," Dan leaned his head back in thought. "We could visit Tython or Endor? Mon Cal has a bunch of marine life if you're interested?"

"Hmmmm..." May frowned. "I think we can save the fish for later. What are the other two places like?"

"Endor is the one with the teddy bear tribes," Dan sighed. He'd watched the movies with her. multiple times, and she still seemed to block them out. "And Tython has a bunch of habitable worlds that might let us cheat the system a little."

"Why not do both," May said after some thought. "Visit Endor, then go through the Tython system?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

"I would like to pick up young Anakin before we reach our next stop," Merlyn thumped his staff on the floor. "From what I can tell, these force users should be capable of learning my magic."

"Alright, we grab sand-boy and then It's off to Endor!"

Dan led the group into the scoutship, the farewells of the Matriarch a background hum no one truly heard.

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Locked in a secret space, hidden from the world. Nothing could find him, in this most unreachable void. Here. It was in this place where he would hide his greatest treasure. A fabric bundle, filled to burst. The smell called to his soul.

"Whatcha doin' Brother?"

"CURSED CANINE!"

Stormy leapt from the depths, his nest of blankets disrupted by his younger brother's foul nose. He couldn't hide it here! This called for somewhere beyond the dog's abilities.

"Wait, Brother! I found a bug, come with me!"

Bear charged after Stormy's tail, ignorant as always. Serious business was at hand, he must hide away his treasure! The cat vanished into the deepest part of the ship, catnip bundle gripped firm in his teeth.