There doesn't seem to be enough Draylor stories. Had to contribute to correct that! ;)

These are the Drake years. Once I'm done with the chapters of everything that happens before the events of the show, I may venture into fill-in-the-blank scenes for the episodes. But for now, I hope you guys enjoy.

xtra note: This story will, at times, have explicit violence and sex but as per the rules of this site, I'm keeping it clean here. If you are of age and want to see the unedited story, see my profile for the location.

I own nothing of this world, just playing around with what ifs within it.

The community center of the ship was filled with people; it felt as though the entire ship had decided to come and relax and socialize in the place he and his friends called the "play area." Even the Iksen and his family were there, his son playing with his small daughter in the mist jets.

His best friend, Sonya, threw the ball, and he ran to catch it. He was always the best at catching, but this time he couldn't because the ship shook, trembling under everyone's feet until there was no one standing. Sonya started to cry even as the adults rushed in on wobbly legs to scoop up their sons and daughters.

His father was there as well with a hand outstretched for him to take, and pulled him into his strong arms. He never felt as safe as he did when in his father's arms.

They rushed back to their pod, and his father set him on the floor near the bulkhead where the safety straps were . Any other time, he barely noticed the contraptions. It was only once since they'd first left their homeworld that his mother and father explained to him that they were for emergencies, for his safety. It mean that there was a disaster, and now, his father positioned him close to the wall until the straps snaked and coiled their way around his body until they clicked in place, hardening into a secure harness.

His father knelt beside him, but even then was still much taller. "Stay here, Direhik," his father told him just before the door to their pod opened and his mother rushed inside, her hair disheveled and several bruises darkening on her light skin.

"Saroya? What's happened?" her father asked her, straightening himself to stand with her.

Direhik couldn't hear all of what they were saying, just bits of words. "…brother…betrayed us all…crashing…inhabited planet!"

"Mother," Direhik called to her, his voice cracking with his increasing fear, "what's 'inhabited'?"

"It means that there are people on it already, my sweet boy," she said to him, kneeling to meet him eye to eye. With a smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes, she caressed his chin. "Don't worry. We'll be alright, but now you must be my brave boy. Can you do that?"

He nodded his head and wrapped his arms around his mother as best he could against the straps. The ship shook violently and they heard the groan of metal. His mother stood up, trying very had not to fall back to the floor, and reached for his father. "The ship's navigation system will try to land us as best it can," his mother said to his father.

The groaning in the walls started again until there was a different sound, a screech above them. The overhead panel buckled, and his father pushed his mother into the wall with the straps before he disappeared under an avalanche of metal. The tendrils snaked around his mother's body even as she struggled to break free, but it was already too late. There was no sign of his father, no movement under the pile of metal panels.

"Direhik!" his mother yelled at him to get his attention. "Look at me!"

He'd been looking for some sign of his father that never came, so he turned to look at his mother. "Remember," she said to him, eyes wide and desperate, "you're my brave boy."

He nodded and the lights flickered until the room plunged into darkness.

All Direhik was aware of was the sound of his own breathing, as shallow and quick as it was, and the smell of scorched metal. He couldn't hear anything else, he couldn't see anything, but he was alive. At least he knew that.

Wiring somewhere across the room sparked, creating some light for only a moment before he was in darkness again, and then the emergency lights slowly increased their glow until he could see his mother beside him and the pile of metal where his father was last seen.

There was another spark from the wires that sizzled and crackled, waking his mother. Her eyes snapped open as though she'd just remembered what had happened to them, and they focused on the place where his father lay buried.

"Mother?" Direhik called to her. Her wild eyes shifted to him, then softened. "Direhik!"

She scrambled to pressed the right pressure points on her harness to release herself from them, then rushed to him to help him do the same. There was no time to talk or cry and anything Direhik wanted to do. She pulled him quickly across the pod until he pulled back. "Mother? What about Father?"

His mother glanced at the pile of metal then closed her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together until they formed one thin line. He knew she wanted to cry, but she wouldn't allow herself to do it. She never let herself cry.

Direhik turned to the metal as well, only to see by the glow of the emergency lights an arm with a deep gash from wrist to elbow.

Once again his mother pulled him, but this time he didn't pull back.

They'd made it to the Community Center where they could find several of the exits of the ship, but there were people laying around with their eyes opened but they weren't moving and weren't seeing. Among them was Sonya and her parents. Direhik grabbed his mother's hand tightly, then wrapped his free arm around hers. "Sonya?" he called out to his friend, but she didn't move. He wanted to be brave, but it was getting harder.

It was only after they made it out of the exit that they heard the weapons fire. All around them, his tribe was fighting the people that lived on the planet, but they were losing. He watched as so many of his tribe fell until the people of the planet approached them, circled them with his mother standing ready to fight. When they pointed their weapons at them both, she reconsidered and dropped down to her knees shielding Direhik with her body and the tears trickled down her face for the first time he'd ever seen and dropped down onto his shoulder.

From what I could piece together about the language, I came up with "Direhik" as his Atrian name and is pronounced (at least in my mind) dee-ray-heek. If you've figured out that it sounds a little like Drake, then you're absolutely correct! Comes into play later.