She knew not where she was. She awoke one day and was in this strange new land. Time had passed and the little cyborg monster had set up her territory. This patch of desert was hers. Gaiganny looked across the barren but beautiful landscape. The sun blazed down on the red rocks, waves of heat rising into the air making the buttes and mesas look ripply adding to the already hot look of these flaming cliffs. She was a small green Gigan type, though she did have noticeable differences form the normal type. Instead of fins she had a pair of razor edged wings that supported peach membranes that themselves were covered with blue and green dots. She had the curled forward horns on her head typical of hens, a gold chest and stomach. Her right limb ended in a three-fingered hand with a little triangle blade protruding from the back of it. Her left appendage ended in a hook. Her feet were bird like with two joints and ended in four toes. Days passed and Gaiganny had not seen others like herself. She had become accustomed to the solitude, but that would change today. Today and intruder arrived.

Gaiganny didn't like the sight of this. The stranger came with the sunrise. He was large. Very large, and took powerful strides as he walked. Yet she cared not. He was trespassing on her land. Gaiganny leaped out into the open before him. He halted, cocked his head to one side and regarded her. Gaiganny hissed and swayed back and forth like a serpent poised to strike. She knew not that she challenged the most efficient planet buster ever, Trajan. Trajan growled at her yet she still would not back down. She raised her head to the sky and let out her loudest roar. He responded with a thunderous call. Again she growled and hissed, and he returned the cries. This calling back and forth went on for a while until Gaiganny couldn't take it. He wasn't supposed to be here and she would see to it. When he snarled and let out a roar she rushed him, flying through the air like thin missile. Blade wings drawn back, she picked up speed and slammed into his chest, the wings slicing into it. The momentum caused him to rear back a little but he regained himself. With a devilish grin, Gaiganny flipped and landed on the other side of him, content that she had hurt him. She pulled her limbs to her side ready for more.

Trajan turned to look at her. He was angry she'd cut him, it would not go unanswered. Planting his tail firmly behind him, Trajan braced himself as he fired his six shoulder crystals at the little female. They came in the form of beams, one after the other, it was a relentless barrage. Gaiganny leaped straight into the air to avoid them. "EEP!" Still, she was an agile little thing and she would show this big brute that. She ran forward weaving between the beams. Trajan angled them down more the closer she got, but soon had to stop for she was now at his feet. He was amazed to see her slide down between his legs, feet first and end up directly behind him. Before he had a chance to turn, Gaiganny quickly grabbed his tail and bit with all her might. Trajan flicked her easily into the air. She held on with her beak as she was launched up and finally thrown forward over him. His bladed tipped tail sliced her arm as she was shaken off. She landed some distance before him on her back. Before Gaiganny could react, the planet buster of the Nebulans fired his crystals again at the downed Gigan. Pain rushed through her as she was hit. Gaiganny roared, turned herself over and managed to take wing. From the air she fired her five forehead gems repeatedly. He answered her with mouth and eye beams. Gaiganny banked and dodged them as they exploded around her. "EEP!" Angered, she returned the barrage with her mouth ray. It exploded onto Trajan's chest. He was pushed back a little, but stepped forward and repositioned himself. Gaiganny hovered becoming angrier. "Come up here and fight me!" she called. The sky was her domain and she figured, if she could get him to fly she would have the advantage. But he remained, staring boldly at her. "Grrrr, AAAHHH, what's the matter? Scared to come up here?" Silence. "You probably can't fly!" She screamed. Gaiganny dove at him firing all her gems. He countered with his eye beam. The rays collided and exploded between them. Yet Trajan continued his beam, it shot past the cloud left in the wake of the explosion and slammed into Gaiganny's Chest. It singed her fin and she was flung backwards through the air, finally sliding to a rest on the ground. She lay on her side hurting.

She looked up to see Trajan's beak open and throat start to glow. Gaiganny knew what would happen next, and it was not something she wanted to be in the way of. The white hot ray shot from his mouth. Gaiganny got to her feet and ran at him. The energy beam hit behind her and followed her. She knew he could not keep it up as she got closer, or he'd end up shooting his own feet. He stopped as she was right under him. With her silver hook she tore into his right leg. Trajan roared and kicked her away. The attempt to knock him off his feet didn't work. She righted herself in the air, landed and ran at him again. But before she reached his feet she leaped straight up in his face, place her hand on his head, and flipped over onto the surprised planet buster's back. Gaiganny proceeded to bite and tear at his neck. Her little triangle blade on her hand stabbing him repeatedly. Trajan roared, reached behind him and grabbed Gaiganny. In one swoop he threw her to the ground. The little cyborg bounced from the impact then rolled a few meters from him, coming to a rest on her back. She saw the sky above her then him. The massive creature looked down at her and in an instance Gaiganny was covered in his shoulder crystal's projectiles. She forced herself up and once more managed to escape to the air. She was in pain but still circled him. "Come on up here and fight! You probably can't fly because you are too fat!" Trajan growled, it was deep and resonated. "I fly when I want to fly." It was the first time he spoke. His voice was frightening. It made Gaiganny stop in mid flight, though she quickly returned to taunt him. "Fight me here! I don't see any wings on you, you probably can't fly at all!" He turned from her and said, "You go ahead and hide in the sky."

"How dare he turn his back on me!!" She thought. Well if that's what he thought she would show him how well she could blend and hid in the sky. She flew with the sun to her back. Trajan could not see her now, only the blinding light from the star. It was one of her hunting techniques and before Trajan knew it, she plowed into him with her abdomen buzzsaw. She hovered before him now. "That has to make him fly." She thought.

The assault only angered Trajan. He fired all six shoulder crystals, eye and mouth rays at her. Gaiganny rolled, tumbled and dodged most of them but an eye beam hit her on the dorsal side of her left wing. The membrane ignited and exploded into shredded pieces. Gaiganny skreached in agony. "EEEEEEEEEE!!!" Once more she fell to the ground. No, not her wing! Before she impacted she started up her propulsion and barely flew off along the ground. From the clearing she made it to a canyon. She was too hurt to fly any further, blood dripped from her chest and wing. Gaiganny rounded a boulder and saw a small shallow pool. What a relief she dipped her wing in, and the water was soothing. It was quiet, she relaxed and watched her blood disperse in the water. But the silence was soon broken as the rocks behind her exploded in all directions. She was sprayed by the debris, and then she heard Trajan's other worldly roar. His presence was confirmed as he stepped into sight. HE was not done with the fight. Gaiganny leaped into the air as Trajan thrust his scythe into the very spot where she had stood. Gaiganny wanted no more of him. There was a cliff behind her and it seemed she was trapped. Trajan rushed her, scythe poised and ready to strike. Gaiganny hopped onto a ledge and jumping zig zagged her way to the very top of the cliff.

She looked down, and Trajan looked up at her from below. She wanted no more of him! Next to her perched a boulder as big as Gaiganny herself. She pushed on it from behind with all her strength. It began to give and soon tumbled below towards Trajan's head. The planet buster saw it, and with an arcing swoop of his blade the massive rock split in two and fell on both sides of him like a broken egg. Gaiganny hissed. How could he do that? Perhaps one rock was not enough. She looked at the cliff a head of her and fired her mouth beam at it. The wall exploded and pelleted Trajan with fragments of small rocks. He roared and with a massive push of his legs, jumped straight up, landing on the cliff edge next to Gaiganny. Fear gripped her like an icy hand. "He can't be stopped." She could no longer fly, but she'd rather jump than stay up there with him. She did. She leaped headfirst hoping gravity would aid her escape. It would be a long fall and she felt herself picking up speed. She looked up past her feet to witness a frightening sight. Trajan had jumped as well and was falling after her. Hand extended he caught up to her and grabbed her good wing. Gaiganny struggled but he wouldn't let go. She was desperate now and kicked up jamming her foot claws into his arm. She started her buzzsaw, cutting his wrist. She flapped her wing hard, the razor edge cut his hand. It bled but he did not let go. This was the mistake he waited for. In a flash of light his energy scythe emerged from between his fingers. It easily tore through the remaining membrane of her wing. Gaiganny cried out in fear and pain. He retracted it, flipped her around and now held her in his hand. All she could do now was bite his fingers. It didn't matter now. Her wings were gone. She knew she would never fly again. She looked up at him and saw his shoulder saws spin on. Then one flew at her cutting into her left shoulder and chest. It didn't matter now. As she saw the second blade leave its holding the light in her eye went out and Gaiganny died. The second blade hit in the same area but on the right side. Trajan knew not of her passing and finished his attack by impaling her on his abdomen saw. They still fell and he stabbed his left scythe into the rock wall. It slowed the fall but not enough. A flash of crimson and Trajan's spines emerged from the row of plates on his back. Now at last he flew. He carried her until he found a clear patch to land on. There he dropped her limp body to the ground. Trajan tilted his head and watched hopping for signs of life. He waited and nudged her with his foot. Silent, still. He stepped back, raised his head to the sky and let out a powerful roar that shook the surroundings. He had killed his own kind.

"Why did you do it? I did not want to kill you. You were so energetic and full of life. My little brother would have loved you." He stood silent a moment thinking, watching and then he remembered. He kneeled down and opened her beak with his hand. He strained and tightened his jaw. Blood dripped out of it and into Gaiganny's open beak. She remained still. He stared hard at her. "Blood is life, get up." Moments passed, her gems began to glow and thin lines of electricity coursed through them. "Get up." Her eye flickered in and out, but soon the light remained. Gaiganny could see again. She was on her back and all she could see was the sky. All she felt was pain. "What happened? Where am I?" Trajan came into her field of view. She was frightened but then he spoke. "I killed you, and brought you back." He looked at her. "This battle was pointless. You live again, now get up." She tried to move and cried out. Everything hurt. She turned her head and saw what remained of her wings. They were a torn and tattered mess. The membrane had been all but destroyed. Shreds hung down and only her blades remained in tact. "Your wings are broken. You will not fly again."

"No...it can't be. You should have left me." Tears rolled from her eye.

"I...live..."

Trajan grabbed her head and turned her towards him. He growled.

"No tears." He said, no trace of emotion in his voice.

"...Heeeh...to...fly."

"I did not bring you back so you could feel sorry for yourself." He looked down at her.

"You will learn from this fight, you will fly again."

"I'm not sorry for myself..." She responded weakly,

"I'm sorry...I hurt you."

Trajan moved closer to her, tilting her head so she could take a better look at his battle scars.

"Hurt is all I know, pain is all I have. Do not be

sorry. Do NOT be sorry."

Gaiganny tried to sit up.

"eee"

"These are what I am," Trajan continued, "These tears, these rips, these cuts in my body are all that I am! Since THEY took my life away."

She looked into his face.

"I'm not as strong as you." Gaiganny could see the thin cracks racing through his beak. For a moment she wondered how he had gotten them. Jagged, half healed scars marred his face. Trajan's eye glowed as he

spoke.

"You will be."

Gaiganny thought a moment. "You didn't have to go through that."

Trajan reached his right had out to her.

"Yes, I did." He paused. "Come with me."

She leaned on him, still weak.

"You will fly again. You will be strong again."

"Where are you taking me?"

Trajan picked Gaiganny up in his right arm and began walking towards the edge of the cliff.

"Home." Trajan whispered, leaping from the cliff. Gaiganny watched in amazement as four ivory spines streaked forth from Trajan's back.

"They are so beautiful." Gaiganny breathed, staring in amazement. Between the spines formed two beautiful red sheets of pure red energy. Trajan's wings caught the air beneath them as they flew into the night sky.

As they glided through the air Gaiganny whispered,

"I'm sorry."

Trajan looked at her. "Would you believe there was a time when I had forgotten how to fly." Suddenly his voice grew intense, his eye flashed. "Never again."

He looked down at her, calmed. "We will rediscover it

together." Trajan flew higher into the air, the blue of the sky melting away to reveal the heavens above. Gaiganny

clung to his arm as they disappeared silently into space. Together.