“If you keep this up, there might be doors opening for you…”

The Lion could not help but wonder if the fact that he had been placed in this special edition of Wednesday Night Warfare, in a match with Charlie Nickles of all people, might have something to do with the letter he had received. He held the envelope, turning it slowly around, and looking at it intently.

“We will be following your career with great interest…”

Nothing else seemed to fill his head, oblivious as he was to the sound of the thunder and rain coming from the heavy, leaden storm clouds overhead.


But soon his thoughts are interrupted by the deafening beat of a gong, and a mighty chorus of harsh, barbarian-like voices.

“KOTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

“Kandosii sa ka'rta,
Vode an!
Coruscanta a'den mhi,
Vode an!”

The Lion can barely catch his bearings, seeing nothing at first, but hearing clearly, among the chanting as background a voice that resonates all over his head - a tranquil, female voice that addresses him, and him alone.

“Welcome, little one. Today is your first day. Your designation number shall be RK-01/138. We expect great things from you...”

“Bal koteeee, darasuum koteeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Jorso’ran, kando a tomeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

After the voice has spoken, Raion is forced to leave the letter aside as his sight is filled with strange numbers and figures - and a holographic grid environment of nothing but black and shining light blue. An open, infinite virtual field extended before him, with several walls and barriers.

Cover positions, in order to fire from. Walls on which to lean to avoid incoming fire.

“... for you are a Commando, an elite unit, something truly special. And the Republic will call you to defend, and give your life, if need be.”

“Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad,
Vode an!”

The Lion looks down, and inspects the blaster rifle his golden-gauntleted hands are now clutching - a heavy, compact rifle, with a barrel fit for the attachments that were attached to his right shoulder pad - a rapid-fire blaster assault rifle, a sniper rifle sight, and a grenade launcher - the weapons of the elite of the Grand Army of the Republic: the Clone Commandos.

“Sergeant, load those troopers into the gunships! Push those cannons to the stern! Load the ammo and the ordnance! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

A peal of thunder fills the air as another lightning cracks the sky, and as the Lion’s sight returns to normal, he finds himself standing apart from a group of figures, all of them clad in burnished white armor, wearing helmets with black T-shaped visors as an only indication of faces, as he watches them board their respective LAAT gunships.

Looking now at himself, he realizes he is wearing a similar type of armor - only his is detailed with a gold trim, and the T-visor on his helmet shines with a blue light. Raion doesn’t have much time to react as he’s approached by another similar figure to his - another Commando, different from the mass of faceless soldiers.

“Sir, we’re going to split up for the drop, but we’ll meet you at the RV on the landing zone! See you planetside, sir!”

The fellow Commando salutes and breaks out in a sprint towards one of the gunships, but there is little time for the Lion to process what is going on right now, as he is soon boarding a gunship of his own, and the system inside of his helmet is again displaying information.

*CHARGING SHIELDS*

*UNIT SQUAD LINK*

Soon, a holographic trooper appears on the gunship’s display system, and Raion quickly turns to face the projection.

“Welcome to the action, RK! It’s nice to see they’ve finally unhooked you from the simulators. I’ve been assigned as your advisor, and I’ll be your eye in the sky until further notice… or we all get killed.”

The sudden sound, and shockwave, of a nearby explosion makes the ship rattle, yet Raion remains unfazed - still trying to understand what exactly is going on.

“Once you are on the ground, you will rendezvous with Delta Squad. They are nearby, your first objective is to find them and link up. The objective remains: Find Charlie Nickles, commander of the droid forces on Geonosis, and eliminate him. I will be issuing further orders as you go.

Good luck, Commando.”

The gunship’s hatches open, and the landscape has now changed from the stormy urban sky, to a barren, dusty desert under a scorching sun.

“Okay, we’re above the LZ! Hook in!”

As Raion rappels down from the gunship to the ground, several blinking lights appear on his visor HUD.

“The location of Delta Squad should be visible in your display! Secure the area around the crashed gunship!”

There isn’t much choice but for the Lion to do as he’s ordered, especially since blaster fire begins to fill all view as the Republic Clone Troopers and the Battle Droids of the CSI are fighting all around, and so he breaks into a sprint. The troopers Raion comes across are under heavy fire from the endless droids, but Raion opens fire as he runs, and manages to take down several of them instantly. Two clones are heavily surrounded and are about to be picked off by a droid mob, but a thermal detonator blast from the Lion turns the droids into scrap metal, and the last remaining droid has barely time to turn around…

“LIGHTNING BOLT!”

… before he’s run through by a vibroblade punch right through its spinal cord.

“You alright, troopers?”

The troopers stand straight and answer by saluting.

“Hey look! Commandos! Right on time!”

“If they’re as good as they say, they can practically win the war by themselves! Glad you’re here, sir!”

“Good. Now rejoin your squad - and make the scrap merchants happy!”

The troopers retreat, and the Lion moves on. Another droid squad is investigating the crashed gunship to which he’s heading, and soon he is spotted. They all train their blasters on him… before one of them receives a sniper shot through its chest plate, another is blown to bits by a grenade, and one more’s head is ripped right clean from its shoulders by the green-plated commando, who has made a sudden leap through the wreckage of the downed craft. Two more, a red-plated sniper with a claw-motif on his helmet, and a yellow-plated trooper with a demolition pack on his back, approach to join them.

“Fixer reporting. Good to see you, sir!”

“Sev reporting. Ready for orders.”

“Yeeeeeeeeah! Eat plasma, you stupid droids! Scorch here, sir! Let’s rock!”

But their reunion is soon interrupted by the briefing officer’s voice over comms.

“Delta Squad, we’ve intercepted communications from Charlie Nickles’ planning room. He’s located in the spire five klicks north from your current position. Be advised, he’s aware of your presence and is on high alert. Expect heavy resistance.”

“Roger, command. He has avoided us long enough. Delta, move out!”

The squadron begins to move; and, not without some resistance, and further additions to the droid kill-count, reach the spire - a tall structure with an elongated top. The door to the main level that the squadron faces, however, is shut down.

“Scorch - get that door open!”

“Yes sir! Arming explosives!”

Scorch arms a detonation pack at the gate, and once he’s done, comes back to Delta Squad’s position.

“Ready, sir!”

“Get clear, Deltas!”

Raion takes out a detonator and presses its button, and after an explosion, the main gate comes down - the way inside now clear.

“Man, I just love the lights show…”

The squad goes in, and reaches what looks to be a warehouse - a darkened room filled with weapon racks: blasters of all types and sizes and grenades, and a computer terminal.

“Fixer - slice into that terminal and find out whatever you can.”

“Right away, sir.”

Immediately, Fixer moves towards the terminal and begins typing on the holo-keys rapidly.

“Sir, we are one level directly above Charlie Nickles’ planning room. The far end of this warehouse leads to a ledge - we can rappel down from there.”

“Then let’s not waste time, Delta Squad!”

After stocking up on whatever ammunition they can carry, the group make their way to the ledge above the room they are supposed to reach. But they take cover as soon as they see it - because there is a guard patrolling.

“Take the shot, Sev.”

“Roger, sir. Moving to sniping position.”

The droid guard is quickly dispatched with a quiet blast from Sev’s sniper rifle, and the team finally descend down the ledge - breaking into the planning room of Charlie Nickles. Among the heavy forces that fill the room - droid troopers, and Super Battle Droids, Charlie Nickles stands out - an ugly, winged, insect-like Geonosian alien. The heavy guard that surrounds him is quickly neutralized by Delta Squad, but Nickles presses a button on his command console, and the entire room comes crashing down as he escapes, leaving nothing but a mountain of rubble in its wake.

But soon, amidst the rubble, stones start to fall down. Pebbles at first, larger stones later, but the largest ones still will not budge…

“LIGHTNING PLASMA!”

… until Raion blows them apart with his fists. After the huge tremor and the room’s ceiling having come down upon his head, he stumbles his way out of the rubble, and proceeds to communicate with his team.

“Delta Squad, report! Delta Squad! Anyone there?”

Nothing but static comes out from comms initially, but soon, among the static buzz that fills his ears, the Lion finally makes out the voice of command.

“... Delta lead, are you there? Glad to hear you’re still at it, RK. We’ll keep trying to raise your squadmates, but the mission still remains - it is absolutely vital that Charlie Nickles not escape! You’ll have to make your way through the ventilation shaft indicated in your display. You’ll be going dark at this point but there is no other way. Good luck, Delta lead.”

Little choice does Raion Kido have, then, but to continue the mission by himself. Searching the nearest exit, he reaches upon a vent system that isn’t completely blocked by the rubble. He crams himself into the narrow ventilation shaft, and begins to explore.

“No other way. Let’s hope for the best.”

The nightvision on his helmet, although enough to let him move, isn’t any help as to figure out his location, or a possible exit, but yet does the Lion trudge on. Section upon section of the ventilation shaft leads to dead ends, and time is wasting, but Raion grits his teeth, and still presses on.

“Tch! This doesn’t go anywhere!”

Between the endless sections of the ventilation system, soon he comes across a rare sight - next to the body of a dead Jedi Knight is, somehow, a lightsaber. Far from being impressed, the Lion shakes his head.

“An elegant weapon for more civilized times? Hmph - well times have changed!”

But still is Raion Kido determined to see this through. After all, there was still a mission to complete, and Charlie Nickles must be taken down once and for all. Besides, there may yet be hope outside of this maze. His squadmates may have been alive after all, and command still placed their hope on him to get the job done.

Come on, come on, come oooooooooooooonnnnnnn…!”

How could he, one above the rest - one of the very elite, give up now? These thoughts drove Raion on more than anything else, and despite his combat conditioning as a clone, and his lack of a real experience of the world, there was something in the back of his mind that was giving him the will to carry on. And soon enough, he sees it - the dim ray of light filtering through a grill in the ventilation shaft. As he approaches, he notices it leads to a hangar - with a small-sized, light-looking craft landed on the ground. And as light returns, so do communications.

“... RK, come in! RK, can you hear me? Good, we have you back! You need to step it up - we’re picking up a transfer of power to Charlie Nickles’ fighter craft! He’s making his escape!”

And not one millisecond goes beyond these words that a whirring engine noise fills the air, a sound that seems to come from the aircraft that Raion is watching.

In addition to this, the hangar doors slide open, and Charlie Nickles rushes in, looking nervously behind his back. The fighter begins to hover above the ground…

“BURN, COSMOS!”

… but letting out a mighty roar Raion Kido bashes the grill of his ventilation system open, and leaps out of the ventilation system, firing his blaster rifle in rapid succession. A few stray shots graze Nickles, but he answers with a blaster of his own. A gunfight ensues, but neither of them manages to land any critical shots. Nickles, however, blasts a fuel barrel that instantly bursts, obscuring Raion’s view and buying him enough time to make a run into his fighter.

“RK! Nickles’ fighter is warming up! What are you doing!?”

But Raion charges through the smoke, attaching his sniper sight into the blaster rifle, and rushes to the hangar’s exit right as Nickles’ craft begins to fly. Gritting his teeth, he fixes his eyes on the escaping fighter…

“He’s taking off!!!”

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!”

… and roaring once more, fires a sniper shot that goes through the craft’s cockpit. Instead of moving away, the fighter comes to a standstill… then begins to come down. It disappears from Raion’s vision, but soon a huge blast that comes from the desert below, and a rising black smoke are all that remains.

“RK, my scanners are showing an explosion!”

Drawing a tired sigh, Raion leans back on one of the walls, but soon, the sound of voices make him look toward the entrance’s way…

“Sir, thank goodness! That was one for the ages!”

“WHOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO! I love that smell!”

“All I smell is burnt Geonosian.”

“RK, I repeat, we got an explosion, do you copy!?”

The Lion removes his helmet, and gives his squad a tired smile, before addressing comms one final time.

“That’s affirmative, command. Target terminated.”

“Confirmed! Good job, Delta Lead. I knew we could count on you! Hang on, I’m getting a transmission. Yes?... Yes sir, patching through. Sorry Delta, celebration will have to wait. Looks like we got new orders, from the very top. Sending them to your display now…”

“You heard him, Delta Squad. Lock and load!”

Putting his helmet on, and picking himself up once more, the Lion cocks his rifle - one more time ready for battle…

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“By definition, all of us wrestlers are meant to be warriors. Is that not why we come to the ring? To fight, to give battles, to win wars. That is our calling, and what we are meant to do.

But after that initial foundation we all share, that is where we all part ways - the ones that fight week in and week out, and those of us that rise above the rest. Something truly special - the very concept of the elite.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I stand before you at this moment.”

With the battle hymn of the Grand Army of the Republic sounding triumphant in the distance, the Lion begins his speech, his now battle-worn armor shining still despite the damage, in the twilight of the desert, and the fading sun that still shines over the cracked, battle-scarred desert. If whoever sent him that letter was watching, it was time to make a good impression. He would make it here, and he would make it when he stood across the ring from the Television Champion.

And this time he would make certain - even Charlie Nickles would be impressed.

“The first, and so far latest, time that I was on this XWF Wednesday Night Warfare show, I was having the showcase of all showcases at the behest of Thaddeus Duke, and my victory against him, among the several others that I achieved in the span of only a month, was what made the eyes of the world turn upon me.

But I come to Warfare, on this special occasion, to take on one of the greatest challenges I have so far had. Life always gives another chance, and now that I have it, I shall make certain not to fail it again.

And most importantly, I come to Warfare to do what I have been trying to do ever since that one time, and since March Madness IV - to finally tear down the wall that Charlie Nickles, and the Brotherhood of Bastards, represent once and for damned all!”

A slight echo in the desert wind carries the Lion’s shout through the air. This was the time to make things right. This was the time he would do what he was born to do - to unleash the universe that lives within him.

Now, more than ever, it was the time to make the cosmos burn.

“Of course, fate has dictated that Charlie Nickles and I shall not be alone in the ring, so let’s get this out of the way. I have no time for someone like Michael McBride, whom the XWF Universe saw for the last time in October 2021, and did not even have the decency to give anything but the slightest address to the people paying good money to see him on this network.

I’m going to be honest with you, Michael: Even now, after seeing you appear on the top 50 of the XWF’s best, I have no idea who you are, and if the looks of the few times you could be bothered to appear on camera is any indication, I could care less. I am certain that, for someone of your stature, someone who, by his own words, is “3/4ths retired”, stopping by for a cup of coffee every six months or so is a pleasant experience, but here’s the thing.

I have done more in three months than you have done in the last two years in this company, and have more pressing concerns, and things to prove, than dealing with someone who won some belts a long time ago, and having to add him to the list of names that I have so far defeated.”

Staring fixedly at the camera, the Lion grits his teeth. Whatever reason Michael McBride had to appear here was none of his concern - he had bigger and better things to deal with. And if Michael McBride did not earn his place in this match, then he should stay retired once and for all.

Raion Kido had no time to waste.

“I am also certain, according to the last your lips have uttered when you found out this show was to be held on May 4th, that you still think we live in the times of the Old Republic, and that Darth Revan may bring Bastila back to the Light Side just as she did to him the first time, but just like you, the Jedi are shadows of their former selves, and the reverence they are shown is nothing but a stale memory, and a symbol of status of which they are no longer worthy - just like yours.

As Delta Squad had it, times have changed. This is a time for warriors - for men and women that are willing to leave their very life in the ring, if need be, and the fact that you are in the same ring as Charlie Nickles and I is but another wrong that Raion Kido will soon put right.

And believe me, Michael - as much as I would like this to be different, as much as I would like to say that I’ve been honored to share the ring with one of the XWF’s most illustrious names, you’re not dealing with a simple rookie here. You’re dealing with one of the XWF’s newest and greatest names, and someone who is tired of being sidetracked, and having to prove himself in the mid to lower stages of the card, and on top of that, having to deal with the occasional tourist that shows up once in a while, who could care less about what happens from one show to the other.”

The Lion points towards the camera in a swift motion, the speed of which cuts the very air about him. He would not stand for interlopers in his way. Not a group of Ewoks acting as lumberjacks, not someone returning after vanishing for months.

This match belonged to him - and no one else.

“So Michael McBride, I shall make this brief. You signed up for this event. This is your opportunity. It’s time to show you’ll be giving it the attention it deserves, which is more than you have done these last two years.”

If you do decide to do that, prove that your name still belongs in this company, or else, make way for one that has made it his life mission to make his own name worthy of the XWF.

And if you don’t, then quit wasting the XWF’s time and my own, and go back to the irrelevance which you decided to embrace - and where you have truly decided you belong.”

One silent pause, and the Lion’s eyes open wide. The ferocious look already on his face turns to an expression of fury - just waiting for the right time to be unleashed.

And at this point, it seems that the time has come.

“Which brings me, speaking of names, to my next point - and the actual reason that I am on this show, the Nickleman himself.

I would normally be flattered that my name is being brought up every single time, but there is something to be said about that when it comes from the mouth of a being as filthy as Charlie Nickles - and I am sick of it.

Because, ladies and gentlemen, It appears that the Television Champion keeps bringing up the name of Raion Kido when it suits him, as if it were one of the biggest prizes in his career, and just another name comparable with the poor unfortunate souls he puts down when he likes to pretend there are no more worthy opponents for him to bring down.

What, Nickles, did you think I would not be aware? Ever since that time there is not one, not a single miserable time, that my name hasn’t left your lips. It’s almost as if you want me more than you do your Goldi, and you find yourself in luck, for I am happy to oblige.”

Raion grins a savage grin - that very grin that the predator has before he sinks his fangs into his prey. He had hunted this quarry before, and it had escaped through sheer fortune.

But the Lion would not suffer that twice.

“Because everything I have done since that one time was meant for this moment, Mr. Nickleman. To finally come before you and not only avenge my initial defeat, but to show you that I am, in every single way, your better. Because while you are content picking up whatever name is left from the ashes after you’re done, I’m always looking up, not down. Let’s not pretend that you have faced, and beaten, any different than I have. After all, we have both beat the very same man in the form of Centurion - and once you’ve had your first serious challenge in some time after me, the XWF Universal Champion was your victor.

So let me pose this to you, Nickles - last we faced, you escaped by the skin of your teeth, and that was in my fourth match in the XWF. What makes you think you will be able to escape the Lion’s wrath now - especially after I’ve been through what I’ve been?

Am I supposed to believe your dominance when you have to come back to my name? Am I, is the XWF roster and the XWF Universe supposed to give you credit for merely delaying the inevitable? You can claim that there is no one worthy all you like - the fact of the matter is that it’s merely an excuse to hide the fact that the only XWF roster member of any importance you’ve beaten is a man that I’ve been able to beat too - and that when we faced, I was just inches away from stopping your heart cold - something that, in your quest to dominate, you failed to do with me.”

With this, the canines come into play, as Raion’s grin intensifies. No matter how much the Television Champion wanted to boast about his victory against him, how much he wanted to embellish his victory - the fact remained. In a match of his own choosing, against someone who had arrived to the XWF within a month, Charlie Nickles did not dominate. He barely got out alive.

And he would not do so again.

“But wait, Nickles, there’s more. despite your bravado, despite how much you like to talk yourself up - I have seen, and the XWF Universe has as well, that you are no different than Centurion, or Ruby, or even those sorry friends - or former friends, whatever it is now - of yours in the Bastards. Even if you choose to disavow them now, the point still stands. Even they may be taken down, and I’ve done that to at least one of them. And the same goes for you. You are far from immortal - and you can be taken down. Alias has proven it, and won the XWF Universal Title, but now? I’m going to do the next best thing - I’m going to prove it without any titles, or accomplishments, to my name.

And let me ask you then, Mr. Chucky Murder, what’s going to happen once the Television Champion, the man whose reign has been nothing short of record-setting, is beaten by the man he faced in a Champion’s Advantage match… once that advantage is no more?

I won’t keep you holding your breath for long, Charlie, I’m going to tell you right now. That speech about not just winning, but dominating? It’s going to come back to you ten-fold. This time, the advantage isn’t on your side - you and I, and that other waste of time, are on equal footing. And that makes it a matter of not just how far I can go with you, but just how much I can do to finally defeat you.”

Was this not what the Lion had wanted all along? Every single waking thought from that night until now was spent with the goal of coming to avenge this loss. Several other things had added to the situation, but the root of all problems was there.

It was time, therefore, for it to be uprooted, now and forever.

“Because Nickles, make no mistake. I didn’t go through that Main Event and the King of the XWF tournament, and I haven’t come back on this road, just to be empty handed now. I came back on this road to set things right, and to find my destiny at Leap of Faith. That is a long time away yet, true, but I’ve received an opportunity this cycle that I shall be damned if I squander.

And that is why, Charlie Nickles, I come to this match to finish you.

So bring your barbed-wire bat if you can’t bear to part with it - I’ve already withstood it once, and I can do so again, as many times as it is necessary. But this time, you come facing someone that isn’t fighting for a title, but for his own name, and for justice, and will go to all lengths to achieve it. In comparison to that, your sad, sorry going for broke speech you spouted to the Ring Master is but a trifle - for the comeback I shall make will be the downfall not just of you, but of the Brotherhood of Bastards as a whole - whether you’re still a part of them or not.”

This time, the Lion’s fist clashes against his left palm. Was this not what he had wanted all along? Every single waking thought from that night until now was spent with the goal of coming to avenge this loss. Several other things had added to the situation, but the root of all problems was there, and it was time for it to be uprooted, now and forever. But to uproot something deeply buried, one had to dig to the very depths.

And this is what the Lion does now.

“Oh, and you know one more thing, Nickles? I notice one time you didn’t mention my name. It’s almost as if you can’t help yourself to bring it up when you need to puff yourself up, but I also notice when you fear to mention it.

See, in this upcoming match you have vs. the Ring Master, another rookie that has only been in two matches so far, you could have told him how you beat Raion Kido. You could have brought me up as the very same example of what you want to do to that man.

But somehow, inexplicably, you didn’t. I wonder why that could be, Mr. Nickleman?

Oh, but that was a rhetorical question. Maybe, just maybe, the carnival man that dwells deep inside of you knows that one day, when he decides to stick his face in the Lion’s jaws, they will snap shut in one swift motion, and it will be the end. Of your love story with Goldie, of your dominance in the ring… of the very Nickelman himself.

Maybe, despite all of your road paved with glory, despite all you’ve achieved… you know, you’ve always known, that the Lion is coming for you!”

The Lion roars these words, almost at the top of his lungs. Why else would Charlie Nickles boast so much about the name of Raion Kido? What victories had he achieved since then to which his name would pale?

Try as he might to hide behind his boasting, the Television Champion had done nothing else, and faced no one else, of the Lion’s value. Even Centurion, the man he was originally slated to face, had lost to him before the Television Champion faced him. Deep inside the psyche of the deranged Charlie Nickles, the truth was there - and the Lion would bring it to light.

As well as the Nickleman’s deepest nightmare.

“Which brings me to the point that matters most, Charlie. This may not be a title match, even though it should be. But that is of no concern, for this is what I wanted, this is what I am here to do. What I am here for is to do what no one else has done before - to bring Charlie Nickles down once and for all. This time, the heart of the Nickleman shall be pierced by the fangs of the Lion - and your Devil Hook Driver shall be no match for the strength of the Lightning Plasma, of the power of the Gold Saint of Leo. The power of the cosmos, of the universe itself, that comes to explode in your very self!

But above all else, I guarantee you this - once we’re done and you’re laid out on your back, carted away by the Ewoks all around the arena as if you were C3PO, this shall not be the last you’ll see of me.

You’ll feel the initial disappointment and the despair of finally finding out that the man whose name you’ve had in your mouth for so long has finally come and got the best of you, but then the realization is going to set in. That maybe this humble little Lion has caught the eye of your precious Goldilocks once more, that maybe then I’ll have a good reason to come take your belt away from you. And after that, Charlie, you’re going to feel that very thing that lurks at the back of your mind when my name dwells.

You’re going to feel fear.

The fear that maybe then, even if you pick another barbed-wire match to try to make me eat lead again, this time there will be no escape - because the Lion will have shown you, Nickles, that without an advantage in your favor, and even with another man in the ring across from both of us… he could still take you down. And maybe then, Mr. Murder, you’ll remember the words you said to Alias. It isn’t the sound of the final bell to which you need to pay attention, but to the sound of my voice that will tell you those words that I know fill the back of your mind with dread…”

As the Lion’s grin turns into a snarl, he drags his palm across his throat. It was time to prove the truth of all he had said and done until then, and he would be true to his word. Charlie Nickles’ vaunted dominance would be visited upon him ten-fold - and as his voice drops to a deep, almost inaudible whisper, the Lion delivers the final blow - with a phrase that the Nickleman would know as intimately as a lover.

“You are dismissed.”

“… sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad,
Vode an!”

As the final gong hits, the scene fades to black - but the clattering echo of the mighty beat of the gong remains, slowly fading, even after the feed has gone.