Note 1: These stories do not take place in Marvel continuity (Earth-616). They take place in an alternate timeline, Earth-3992, which diverges during the events of the Shi'ar-Kree war, a.k.a. Operation: Galactic Storm. For further reference on the Imperial Guard and Operation: Galactic Storm, see the excellent IG guide at uncannyxmen.net.
Note 2: Raila Ynzz is not a Marvel character, she is my own creation (though like all IG members, she is a Legion of Superheroes homage, in this case Ayla Ranzz.)
These were troubled times for the Shi'ar Empire. They had emerged as victorious conquerors from their recent war against the Kree, but at a heavy price. Thanks to the clandestine activities of the shape-shifting Skrulls -- whose feud with the Kree predated the Shi'ar's feud by thousands of years -- the Shi'ar were now the most hated empire in the universe. Unknown to almost everyone involved, the true responsibility for the genocide of the Kree lay with one of the Kree's own -- the presumably deceased Supreme Intelligence, who had used his unimaginable mental powers to secretly manipulate Shi'ar, Kree, and Skrull alike.
But it was the Shi'ar who were shouldering the burden of the blame. Every former Kree world was spawning anti-Shi'ar terrorists. The image of Shi'ar Empress Majestrix Lilandra had been adopted by them as a symbol of oppression. The Empress herself had been forced into isolation for fear of an attempt on her life.
Under these circumstances, it was not surprising that all was not going well at the private meeting of the senior members of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, at their Command Center on the Shi'ar throneworld of Chandillar.
The building was, like all architecture on Chandillar, streamlined, stylish, and spotlessly clean. In the main control room, a television screen provided a window into a sparkling fantasy world -- in an effort to strengthen the Guard's ranks while at the same time providing opium for what they myopically saw as the restless masses, they had decided to turn the search for a new Guardsman into an inter-galactically televised competition.
And it had been a surprising success: trillions had cheered the victory of a young woman with pale skin and a coltish build, whose soft, shoulder-length hair was brunette with blonde highlights. Her apparent lack of guile, coupled with her amazing ability to manipulate gravity, had taken her to the top. The gloriously candy-colored images of the competition had been endlessly replayed in recent days, and they were being replayed again in the Command Center's control room. But the loud argument among the Guardsmen drowned out the happy facade onscreen.
"I refuse to accept this travesty!" bellowed Gladiator, pounding the table with his fist. "Turning the sacred duty of Guardsmanship into a circus! Is it any surprise at all that the least worthless of them turned out to be a half-breed Natillian raised in Adorfal, that toxic pit of glitter and scum?"
Flashfire refused to look Gladiator in the eye while he mumbled his response. "What's done is done, Kallark. Now deal with it."
Electron, on the other hand, didn't hold back. "Why are we even having this argument? Kallark, you were outvoted three-to-one about holding the competition. And I'm having serious thoughts about going to the Empress with a proposal to have you voted out of the Guard."
Gladiator stood to his full, and very imposing height. "If you dare try any such nonsense, I swear by my ancestors I shall..."
"Quiet!"
"** Q * U * I * E * T **"
Oracle had used her powers to scream both verbally and telepathically. She didn't do it often, as she knew it caused great pain to those it was directed at, but when grown men started acting like schoolboys, there was no alternative.
"Now I'm only going to say this once -- we had to move with the times, we had to lower ourselves to this crass competition, because it was a means to an end! Approval ratings for the Empire are at an all-time low, and if this is what it takes to get the Empress's subjects back on our side, then so be it!
"Moreover, I mind-scanned every applicant, and Raila was the only one who was not a glory-hungry snake. Her heart is pure, she is a valuable addition to our ranks, and she begins her official Guardsman duties next week. End of discussion!"
Oracle and Gladiator stared into each others' eyes for what seemed like an eternity. She had always been the only one to stand up to him in these situations. The tension between the two ran so high, that it often seemed to herald Armageddon -- the Empire's most powerful telepathic might versus the Empire's most powerful physical might. If the day ever came where they battled one on one, the Empire would surely be devastated.
The tension was finally broken by a low-level alarm siren. "Alert! Terran intruder approaching Imperial border, coordinates AXA-74."
Gladiator spoke up. "I shall deal with this..." he paused to bear his teeth, "...alone!"
Before anyone could reply, his super-speed had already whisked him out of the control room and into the sky.
"We should follow him." said Electron. "In the state he's in, he might do something really stupid."
"No," Oracle replied calmly, "in the state he's in, he's too afraid of embarrasment to do anything really stupid. Just let him blow off steam."
"Sybil's right, as always." mumbled Flashfire.
Electron glared at Flashfire out of the corner of his eye. You think everything she says is right ever since you got engaged to her, Electron thought but didn't say out loud. A few seconds later, he calmed down and accepted that Oracle's psychic powers did make her the best judge of character among them. He looked at Oracle, exhuding serenity as always. She always seemed so perfect. Sometimes it was his favorite thing about her, sometimes it was his least favorite thing about her.
I don't understand, he thought, we're all just a little over thirty -- this is supposed to be the prime of our lives. It looked so clear when we first joined the guard, but now it's like we've turned into a bunch of strangers who hate each other and only get together because we're paid to do it.
Electron, or K'orr to his friends -- although he was no longer sure about who his friends were -- took a deep breath. Dammit, he thought, I pushed for this competition more than anyone else, and I'll see that some good comes from it, or die trying.
As he finally began to relax, he looked at Oracle again and smiled. At least I know she's on my side about the things that matter the most.
********
From the Digi-Diary of Raila Ynzz:
"Dear Diary,
"If anyone knew I had a diary, they'd laugh, they'd say I'm not a kid anymore and I should act my age. I say screw them! I'm feeling more like a kid now than when I actually was a kid.
"Anyway, Diary, I am inviting you into my life just as a dream is coming true for me. I've won the imperially televised competition for membership in the Imperial Guard. Can you believe it? The Imperial Guard! I've been given my code name: Gravitress. Gravity + Mistress = Gravitress, get it? Yeah, I know it's dumb, but I had no say in it; the judges -- the Imperial Guard commanders -- chose it for me. Tell you the truth, I could tell that one of them, Gladiator, didn't like me. Then again, he seemed not to like any of the other contestants or anything about the competition. I used to sort of have a crush on him, but after seeing what a bitter bastard he really is, I feel sick whenever I think of him.
"Oracle, on the other hand, OMG! I used to daydream about being just like her, back when I was a dork with bad teeth and bad posture and no grace. I had posters of her on my wall! She is so classy, everything I ever imagined her being, and I feel so honored to be working for her. I just hope she realizes I didn't enter the competition for fame and status, I entered it because I really do want to work for the greater good. I almost said that in my acceptance speech, but I was afraid people all over the Empire would laugh at me and think I wasn't being sincere. You know, Diary, I really hate these cynical times we live in.
"I've gotta go now, Diary, and get ready for something really special.
"Love xoxoxoxo, Raila"
********
At the Empire's border, Gladiator charged at the rapidly approaching intruder. One split second later, he saw that the intruder had armored himself with pure quantum matter.
But it was too late for Gladiator to stop. They collided hard, and both went flying in opposite directions.
The intruder recovered his balance first, proving he had been prepared for an attack like this. His armor vanished, revealing the handsome, flaxen-haired figure of Quasar. Without missing a beat, he trapped Gladiator in a quantum bubble.
"Hear me!" Gladiator bellowed through the bubble. "I..."
"I can hear you fine, you don't need to shout." Quasar replied with perfect deadpan timing.
Gladiator was now volcanic. "When I break out of here, I..."
"First of all," said Quasar calmly, "you're not gonna break out of there no matter how hard you try. Second of all, what you are gonna do is tell your Empress that a bunch of renegade -- for her sake, they better be renegade -- Kree stormtroopers just left Earth, but not before they kidnapped three super-human bad guys who were serving prison sentences.
"After the way that me and my Avengers buddies kicked the collective butt of that goon squad of yours, I don't think the Empress is gonna want to get in trouble with Earth. Capeesh?"
Gladiator's shouting had become incoherent, and he was frothing at the mouth.
"I knew you'd understand." smiled Quasar sarcastically. "But just to make sure my message gets delivered, I'm gonna tag along if you don't mind -- or even if you do."
And so, Quasar resumed his course to Chandillar, all the while calmly towing the blustering buffoon in the bubble.
********
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Guard Command Center, three female Guardsmen -- Nightside, Scintilla, and Astra -- were chatting in the cafeteria.
"So, she's gonna be inducted next week." said Scintilla, before twisting her mouth into a smirk. "Can't wait."
"I know," Astra agreed, "she's so annoying. When she talks, she either whispers or makes that weird baby-voice. Ick."
"Yeah," laughed Scintilla, "and there's no way she's that sugary-sweet nice, the way she pretends to be. If she won that competition, she's gotta be a total bitch underneath. She's probably gonna start demanding special treatment..."
Nightside spoke at last, in a voice as elegant as her face. "I think she may surprise both of you. I, for one, have a very positive impression of her." She smiled. "And remember, it would not be wise of you to offend someone with such power...she controls one of the greatest forces in the universe -- gravity."
Scinitilla snickered. "Of course she controls gravity, that's how she keeps her chest from dragging on the floor. She looks older than my grandmother."
"And just what was your last birthday?" Nightside asked with subdued sarcasm. "I may not be psychic, but I need not be when your insecurities are so painfully transparent."
"Hang on a minute," giggled Astra, "her chest doesn't drag on the floor because she has no chest in the first place!"
They both broke out in loud, cruel laughter.
But their laughter caught in their throats when Oracle walked through the door, accompanied by none other than Gravitress.
"Good morning, Ladies," smiled Oracle, with a sly look on her face that showed she knew exactly what Astra and Scintilla had been up to, "I decided it would be best if Gravitress received her orientation as early as possible. Gravitress, I would like to introduce Nightside, Astra, and Scintilla."
Astra and Scintilla turned on the smarm. "Oh my god," said Astra, "you're so awesome." "Yeah," said Scintilla, "I wanted you to win from the start."
Nightside, on the other hand, was subdued and sincere. "Congratulations, Gravitress. Welcome to the Imperial Guard."
And she was the only one Gravitress replied to. "Thank you," she said shyly, "it's an honor to meet you."
"Why, thank you." said Nightside. "I look forward to our first mission together."
Oracle knew it was the perfect time to end this. "We must move along now, Dear. There's so much more for you to see."
"Okay." said Gravitress before looking over her shoulder and waving at Nightside. "Bye for now."
Nightside smiled radiantly. "Until later."
After Oracle and Gravitress had left, Nightside looked at Astra and Scintilla with pity. "At least now that Gravitress is here, I shall have company I am not ashamed to be around." She grinned and walked out.
[ April 12, 2006, 08:42 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
Nightside stood quietly in her private quarters, amid a decor that was as tastefully elegant as Nightside herself. She was deep in thought, watching the evening sky through the closed window.
Her reverie was interrupted by a sight she did not want to see -- her estranged lover, Gladiator.
"Su'eva, love of my life," she heard him bellow through the window, "jewel of the Shi'ar Empire, let me in. It has been far too long since we were last together."
Knowing that the only way to deal with this was to let him in and get him out as quickly as possible, Nightside opened the window.
"This is not a good time, Kallark..." she began.
"Indeed," Gladiator interrupted, "it is not a good time for anyone. The empire is losing it's way, and the Imperial Guard has become a mockery of its former self. Sybil, Granzz, and K'orr have barred me from the next brain trust conference -- can you believe their gall, their foolishness?"
From the things I have heard about your recent behavior, I believe they were right to bar you, Nightside thought but didn't say.
"Su'eva," he continued, "we must go off our own, and bring real justice to the cosmos. Let us depart together at once."
Nightside was momentarily speechless.
"We do not need anyone else. You are a literal goddess among mortals, and I am the last of the Kromonians, the greatest race in universal history. It is our destiny to be together."
"It is not!" snapped Nightside. "I may be a goddess among mortals, but I refuse to share in your elitist delusion. Now begone, Kallark! BEGONE!!"
Gladiator was not so romantic now. "Woman, do not try my patience..."
How many times must this scenario repeat itself? thought Nightside for a split second. Then she frowned and bared her teeth, as she called upon her darkforce powers to begin enveloping Gladiator in shadow tendrils.
As always, as ever, Gladiator backed off. Nightside had learned long ago that the only way to handle him was to threaten him with a force greater than his own; it was Gladiator's nature to flee any situation in which he thought he might appear weak.
He walked to the open window. "This is not the end." he said angrily, before flying off into the sky.
It IS the end! Nightside thought as she slammed the window shut.
She went to her bed, sat down at the foot, and put her face in her hands. Nightside shed no tears, she has passed that stage long ago. All that was left now was the anger...and the wistful memories.
The memories flooded Nightside's mind, crystalline and exquisitely colored. She had once been happy with him...it had been as if her girlhood fantasy had come true, that Gladiator had been the mortal of whom the elder Darkforce Gods had spoken, the one to fulfill the prophecy. Gladiator had once seemed the most noble and courageous of all mortal men. But times of crisis bring out our true selves, and the empire's civil unrest, catalyzed by the mass murder of the Kree, had betrayed Gladiator as a fanatical xenophobe who ultimately cared about no one but himself.
Nightside frowned at this last thought. She had already seen hints of his true self long before the crisis. The mask now been truly torn and shredded. It was time to put him behind her, and apporach the mortal whom she now sensed was truly the one from the elder gods prophecy. She prayed to the elders for the strength to make this union come true.
********
Quasar was doing his best to keep cool even as the rage burned inside him. "Jeez," he said dryly, "you Shi'ar really do everything bass-ackwards, locking me up and letting the Kree escape."
Through the anti-matter bars of the holding cell, Quasar saw Electron, Oracle, and Flashfire staring at him and shaking their heads.
"I wouldn't go accusing us of making the wrong moves," said Electron, "when you're the one who trespassed into Imperial airspace and resisted arrest."
"Gimme a break," sneered Quasar, "your pet psycho with the mohawk attacked me without even the courtesy of a warning. I did what I did in self-defense. Hell, I bet even you guys hate his guts."
"Actually, we do hate him..." began Electron before stopping himself. "...but that's beside the point! You had no right to swagger in here without authorization, and then try to order us around!" Electron was building to a full head of steam. "What pisses me off so much about you Terrans is that I do think you have a lot of admirable qualities, and you have more potential than any race in the universe. But this damn arrogance of yours, and this damn sense of entitlement just makes me wish sometimes that you would just blow up your own planet to pieces like you've been threatening to do for decades."
Quasar was unflappable, his reply sarcastic. "So, does this mean I can look forward to the death penalty?"
Now Flashfire spoke up, in an even drier tone than Quasar's. "If we wanted you dead, we wouldn't have held back Gladiator after you freed him from your quantum bubble."
"Nah," Quasar smirked, "I could've taken him."
"Let's stop the waffling, and deal in facts." Flashfire sounded more authoritative than Electron had heard him sound in ages. "You, Quasar, trespassed in Shi'ar territory, and headed here to Chandillar, ranting and raving about Kree commandos kidnapping Terrans, with no proof to back up your claims. As I speak, our satellites are scanning the empire for anything that remotely fits the description of the spacecraft you claimed to be pursuing. And we three senior members of the Imperial Guard are now heading off to a conference which will decide the best way to deal with the situation, as well as the most fitting penalty for your actions. So, if you'll excuse us..." he signalled to Oracle and Electron that they should all leave now.
As the two male Guardsmen walked away, Oracle stayed behind for a moment. "A word of advice, Quasar -- do yourself and the rest of the universe a favor and drop that ridiculous tough-guy facade. It's not intimidating anyone, and it doesn't become you. And you yourself know that better than anyone."
Quasar was amazed. "Are you psychic or something?"
Oracle smiled. "As a matter of fact, I am. Now sit back and be patient. I promise you that our decision will be the fairest one possible." She walked away.
Quasar lay back on his bunk and exhaled. Wendell Vaughn, he thought, you're so stupid, you should have the word written on your forehead. What was I thinking? Of course I had no right to strut in here and expect everyone to do what I want. What the hell kind of person am I turning into?
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to think of the one thing he never wanted to think about again -- the Nega-Bomb explosion he had witnessed; trillions of Kree lives had been sacrificed in order to bring the Shi'ar-Kree War to an end, and to fulfill the Supreme Intelligence's monstrous agenda. No one, he thought, could ever live through that and expect to be the same person they used to be. But it's obvious I'm not letting myself change the way I'm supposed to. That lady was right...trying to put on some cheeseball macho act, that's not me. All it did was get me into this mess. But if that's not me, then what the hell am I really supposed to become?
As he drifted off to sleep, he had one more thought. I just hope they can find those Kree, and stop them from doing whatever they planned to do with those bad guys they kidnapped from the Vault.
[ January 27, 2006, 05:01 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by legionadventureman on :
I like the proceedings thus far, Stealth - so...will Nightside hook up with somebody with super-strength and a cape?
Posted by Stealth on :
Thanks for the feedback, LAM. Glad you're enjoying, and it's only gonna get better from here. I had originally planned to post a new chapter every Thursday, but this story arc is going such great guns that the next chapter might be ready sooner than that.
In answer to your question -- if it's an Imperial Guard counterpart to Mon-El you're thinking of, I'm afraid the answer is no. There is a Mon-El counterpart in existence, named Commando, but I have no plans to use him. I just don't see any point in re-writing the Mon-El & Tasmia story. The object of Nightside's (possibly unrequited) affection will be revealed at the end of this story arc.
Posted by Mystery Lad on :
Hey, Stealth- I'm enjoying this. I particularly like the way you're presenting Oracle and Nightside. I always liked Oracle-- her look and coloration is unique. I remember I hoped she'd take Jean Grey's place in the X-men after the Dark Phoenix saga. Why *she'd* want to, I now can't imagine. Unfortunately, she's evidently considered 'retired' in current Marvel continuity.
I also always wondered why Element Lad never has had an IG counterpart? Maybe you can create one? For that matter, I don't think Invisible Kid has, either. Or Insect Queen... Hint, hint... You're doing great with Gravitress (gravity-altering hair powers?). Ayla hasn't had an IG counterpart, either. Wonder why some were never 'Marvelized'?
Gladiator has always been the most colossol jerk. It'd be refreshing if someone found something beneath all that bluster that made him a tad sympathetic. However, he's fulfilling his role in your story just fine, so far.
Will there be something analagous to the Subs?
This should be lots of fun.
Posted by Stealth on :
Thank you for all these wonderful suggestions, Mystery Lad. I'll definitely take them into consideration. One thing I already have long-term plans for is to turn the competition's remaining finalists into a cross between the Legion of Super-Rejects and X-Statix (because, as Oracle said, "Raila was the only one who wasn't a glory-hungry snake.") But in the short-term, I plan to use the first four or five story arcs to make the core Guardsmen more three-dimensional and to introduce recurring villains (which leaves open the possibility of IG analogs to LSH villains, hint hint.)
Thanks, too, for the kind words about my characterizations of Oracle and Nightside. They have always been two of my favorites. Oracle's look is definitely one of Dave Cockrum's most inspired designs, and I hope to succeed in my goal to make her a warmer person than Imra became as an adult in the Preboot LSH. I like your idea of her joining the X-Men as Jean Grey's replacement. And who knows, it just might happen someday. With new writers for the core X-Books and a sense that the X-Verse might finally be evolving, I think just about anything seems possible now, even bringing Oracle out of retirement and into the X-Men.
Nightside and Shadow Lass have both always been very special to me, because even though they are both from another planet and both have blue skin, I've always considered them both honorary Latinas because of their hair and facial structure. And since Cockrum gave Nightside a costume similar to the one he gave Storm (and Shadow Lass), I look at Nightside as the Hispanic Storm. Which is why it was only a natural progression for me to take Len Wein's unused idea of Storm being a goddess among mortals, and turn it into Nightside's backstory.
There is another unused Wein idea for another vintage mutant which I think is better than what Claremont evolved the character into, but I'll save that for the Dr. Gymll board.
Posted by Stealth on :
In another corner of the galaxy, a rough-hewn but powerful spacecraft de-activated its cloaking device and approached what appeared to be a barren planetoid. In reality, it was a space station built with Kree technology, maintaining an illusion thanks to a hologram projector. The spacecraft entered the station quickly and efficiently.
Once inside, a squadron of renegade Kree commandos -- the very same who had outrun Quasar -- disembarked and headed for the control center, a short distance from where they had landed. All of them had varying degrees of Nega-Bomb radiation burns, but the squad leader stood out because of his containment suit, which included built-in weapons. Only the barest outline of his ravaged head was visible through the suit's helmet.
Without warning, a cavernously deep voice boomed through the entire space station. "Alpha Squadron, report!"
The squad leader replied, in a voice like a cold wind blowing through a graveyard, "This is Alpha Squadron leader, codename Corruption, reporting. Our mission to Earth was a success, and we are proud to serve The One True Ruler of the Kree..." he paused and kneeled; as the rest of the squad followed his example, he spoke again, "...The Supreme Intelligence."
The Intelligence's voice boomed again. "You have performed your mission acceptably. It was, perhaps, inevitable that with all the super-powered beings on Earth, one of them would follow you. Fortunately, the Terran was diverted from our strategic location, and he is no longer a threat. You may now rise, and unload your cargo."
As the commandos got back on their feet, Corruption glanced at the Intelligence's new form: after his apparent death at the hands of the Avengers, the Intelligence's failsafe systems had converted him into pure data, which was now stored in the space station's computer. Beside the computer stood the Intelligence's yes-man, who was Kree in appearance and went by the name Boll-Drik. A digital simulation of the grotesquely tentacled head of the Intelligence's previous form pulsated on the computer's monitor. Its virtual mouth moved as it resumed speaking.
"Dr. Minerva, report to the control center. Your...raw material has arrived." Towards the end of that statement, there was a hint of a chuckle.
The commandos were all the hardest of hard Kree, but even they were intimidated by the venomous glare of Dr. Minerva. A deceptively fragile beauty with raven tresses and obsidian eyes, she had been the top Kree scientist and the highest-ranking female Kree in history. But the Kree Empire was no more, and her status had dissapeared along with it. Minerva, like the Intelligence, was presumed dead by the universe at large. Her lover, the Kree military hero Captain Atlas, was also presumed dead...and in his case, it was true. After seeing the true colors of the Supreme Intelligence, Captain Atlas had chosen to commit suicide rather than continue to serve the mass murderer of his own people. Minerva, needless to say, was not happy about this. No one could have ever imagined that the hatred flowing through her could be any more intense than it had once been, but Atlas's death had broken her links to anything other than hate.
She glanced briefly at the Intelligence. He had saved her life, teleporting her away one split-second before Atlas's self-immolation. She had not wanted to live without Atlas, she had wanted to go up in flames with him. But she now considered that a moment of misguided passion; she was far too proud to kill herself. Hurting others was so much easier, and so much more pleasurable.
Minerva finally spoke to the squad, in a tone as cutting as her stare. "Remove the bodies from the containment units and take them to my laboratory."
As she watched the three unconscious but still-living human prisoners being carried away, Minerva reached for the trusty laser-scalpel on her belt, and smiled. The pain was about to begin again. How she loved bringing pain to others. Especially humans.
********
The discussion among the Imperial Guard's brain trust was animated, but with Gladiator absent, it was productive rather than pointless.
"Run that by me again, please, K'orr?" Flashfire inquired. "You really think the Supreme Intelligence is alive and in hiding?"
Electron, as he always did when he was on a roll, was pacing the room and gesturing dramatically. "Absolutely! Who else could be running an operation like this, yet still manage to elude the Empire's entire ring of satellites? I'm telling you, the renegades must have their base just outside the border. That's how they escaped Quasar. He thought they would cross the border into the Empire. Instead, they stay behind, he just barely misses them, and ends up trespassing. Quasar gets captured, and the renegade Kree get him off their back. And since they're outside our border, that makes them untouchable as they build in strength, waiting for the right moment to attack. It makes perfect sense!"
"Okay," replied Flashfire tentatively, "let's say, hypothetically, that the Intelligence is alive, he's putting together some kind of private army, but his base is outside the border. What would he hope to accomplish with that?"
Electron raised his finger to the ceiling. "A terrorist attack of such magnitude, it would destroy any progress we've made in restoring a positive image for the Shi'ar Empire. And I know exactly when he's going to strike."
"Do tell." Oracle said softly.
"Gravitress's induction ceremony. Which means we only have four days to stop him." Electron took a long pause after his reply to catch his breath and allow Oracle and Flashfire to digest this.
After a couple minutes, Flashfire spoke up. "And you think the Intelligence's renegade army would be so powerful that they could get past a combination of the border patrols, a fleet of the Empress's finest battleships, and the Imperial Guard?"
"Yes, I do." answered Electron. "But only if they have the element of surprise. What we need to do is beat him to the punch. And we have..." he raised his finger again, "one x-factor the Intelligence is not counting on."
Electron paused again, to smile in self-satisfaction.
"Quasar! If he has to pay some kind of penalty, then let's use him as bait! None of us can go after the Intelligence if he's outside Shi'ar territory, but Quasar sure as hell can. The Intelligence would never expect us to put another life at such risk, so that's exactly what we're gonna do. The ends justify the means, desperate times call for desperate measures, and so on and so forth. What I propose..."
He paused yet again, to lean on the table and get closer to Flashfire and Oracle.
"...is for Quasar to track them down, breach their base, raise some hell, lure them out of hiding, lead them on a chase across the border, and then WHAM, we ambush the bastards! I would be [/b]more than willing[/b] to lead the Imperial task force which would lie in waiting just a short distance from the border, and I would assume full responsibility if anything goes wrong." He raised his finger to the ceiling yet again. "That's how sure I am of this."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
"Full responsibility?" asked Flashfire.
"Full responsibility." replied Electron.
Flashfire turned to Oracle. "Sybil?"
Oracle took a deep breath. "I'm in favor of K'orr's plan." she stated plainly.
Flashfire closed his eyes and opened his mouth. "So am I." he mumbled.
Electron grinned from ear to ear. "Could you please speak up, Granzz? I didn't quite catch that."
Flashfire closed his eyes tighter and bared his teeth. "I said," he replied a little louder, "you can go ahead with your plan, K'orr."
Electron punched the air victoriously. "YES" He began pacing again, and was now talking enthusiastically to no one in particular. "Watch out, So-Called Supreme Intelligence! We're gonna take you down before you even know what hit you!"
Flashfire and Oracle silently shook their heads and hoped they hadn't made a mistake.
Footnote: I am well aware that there is a 90s issue of Silver Surfer in which Captain Atlas and Doctor Minerva are shown as both having faked their deaths. As far as I'm concerned, that story is a lie, because it ruins one of the most powerful scenes from the conclusion of Operation: Galactic Storm in Avengers # 347.
[ January 30, 2006, 06:19 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
"At-ten-TION!"
The Imperial Guard task force lined up, stood still, and stared straight ahead. Their commander, Electron, walked parallel to them, with his hands behind his back. He silently studied each of his hand-picked Guardsmen:
Smasher, whose strength was almost the equal of Gladiator's, without the ego; Smasher had always considered himself a good soldier in the service of the Empire, no more and no less -- Electron liked that about him.
Manta, mistress of light, and Nightside, mistress of shadows -- two of the greatest forces of nature, fighting on the side of the Shi'ar.
Starbolt, whose powers over fire and heat were astonishing.
Onslaught, the galaxy's greatest martial artist, possessing agile fighting skills which could easily take down bigger and more powerful opponents.
Warstar, the Shi'ar's greatest cybernetic achievement -- one smart little robot, B'nee, and one big stupid robot, C'cll, combined to form one mighty machine.
Shifter, descended from a benevolent offshoot of the Skrulls, could take the form of any organic sentient being.
And finally, Titan, whose ability to increase the size of his entire body could have him towering over any opponent in just a few seconds.
Electron finally spoke. "Guardsmen, I've chosen you in order to form the Empire's strongest line of defense. We're about to head into deep space, and patrol the border until our enemy comes to us. And we'll show them no mercy, just as they won't show any to us. I won't lie to you -- this is a dangerous mission. But I am confident that you won't back down and that, once this mission is over, the Empire will be just a little bit safer."
He paused and frowned. "Now, are you ready to fight?"
"Yes, sir!" the task force replied in unison.
"I can't hear you, I said are you ready to fight?"
"YES, SIR!"
"About face. FORWARD!"
The task force, with Electron in the lead, marched into the flagship of the Empire's finest armada.
Before long, the armada was primed for takeoff. At a safe distance, the Guardsmen staying behind in order to protect Chandillar -- Oracle and Flasfire leading, backed by Impulse, Astra, and Scintilla -- quietly watched, while also praying they would return with a minimum of casualties.
Flashfire broke the silence. "Electron's enjoying this a little too much."
Oracle half-smiled. "Doesn't he always?"
On board the flagship, Electron stood tall and proud. And once the armada soared into space, he felt his pride soaring with it. This, he thought, is gonna be one of the greatest victories in Shi'ar history...and all thanks to me!
********
At the same time, Electron was callous about the well being of Quasar, who was reluctantly putting his life on the line...all thanks to Electron.
Fortunately, Quasar had friends in high places, including a mind-link with a cosmic diety which also happened to be his god-daughter.
"Epoch, you there, kid?"
"Yes, Quasar."
"Okay, listen up. Uncle Quaze has gone and gotten himself into a fine mess. See, a bunch of renegade Kree broke into the Vault and kidnapped three bad guys. I chased their ship for a while, but then they cloaked themselves. Instead of doing the smart thing and asking you to help pierce their cloak, I let my anger blind me and I did a stupid thing -- I raced headlong into the Shi'ar Empire, and got myself captured. The Shi'ar gave me two choices -- I could either rot in jail for the rest of my life, or I could become their fall guy by tracking down the Kree outside the Shi'ar border, and baiting them. I made the second choice, and just for insurance, they implanted a miniature bomb in my neck. One false move, and my head turns into blooey juice. So, if you could please use your cosmic poweres to help me find any remaining traces of the Kree ship's energy trail, it'd be a great help..."
"But of course, Quasar, that is child's play."
"I thought you were a child...oh, never mind that right now. Thanks, Epoch. I knew I could count on you."
And for the first time in days, Quasar felt positive as he roamed the spaceways in search of the renegade Kree.
********
At the renegade Kree's base, Dr. Minerva was working fast. She always did her best work under a tight deadline, and the Supreme Intelligence had made it clear that time was of the essence.
She had started with one of the two male Terrans. This one had no super-powers, but he was one of Earth's greatest experts on machinery, to the point of obsession. It would stand to reason, the Intelligence had deduced, that this Terran would ultimately want to become more machine than man.
From the way the Terran was screaming, the Intelligence's conclusion seemed dubious. But this had a lot to do with Dr. Minerva's refusal to use anesthesia on anyone she worked on. Pain -- or rather, bringing pain to others -- thrilled her, inspired her, made her work faster and with better results. She grinned as the Terran's screams became louder and the Terran's blood sprayed all over the laboratory. We all must suffer, she thought, and better that others suffer more than I. Posted by Stealth on :
"Good work, Epoch." said a smiling Quasar. "I've got the Kree ship's trajectory all worked out in my head. It's gonna be a lot easier from here."
"Is there any other way I can help you?" asked Epoch.
"No, not for now, thanks." Quasar replied, "I have no idea what I'm gonna find at their base, and I don't want to put you in any kind of danger."
"That is very considerate of you, Quasar, but I can certainly defend myself."
"I don't doubt it, but I have a really bad feeling about this whole thing, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt. Thanks again for your help, kid. I'll see you later...I hope."
"I hope so as well."
Quasar took off toward what seemed more likely every second to be his final destination.
********
Dr. Minerva activated the Psyche-Magnetron. This new version of the legendary Kree device was made of spare parts and would most likely fall to pieces after only one use, but it only needed to serve one purpose for the immediate future.
The second male Terran, a giant, screamed in agony as he was bathed in the Psyche-Magnetron's radiation. According to the Supreme Intelligence's data banks, this Terran had originally received superhuman strength through artificial means, then later became an ionic energy creature in humanoid form, with size-shifting abilities. The purpose of the Psyche-Magnetron was to evolve him further, into an even more powerful creature with no intelligence and no free will. Minerva smiled as she saw that her calculations had been correct -- the Terran's appearance was becoming more monstrous, and his screams also became more monstrous.
Minerva heard the Supreme Intelligence's voice through the screams.
"Dr. Minerva," said the Intelligence, "report the current status of your work."
"We are ahead of schedule, your supremacy," Minerva responded, "and I am about to begin the final procedure."
"Excellent," replied the Intelligence, "your industriousness is much appreciated, Doctor. Once you are done, bring the finished results to the control center immediately."
"As you command." she answered before returning to her work. The one female Terran would be the easiest; the cosmic stone which was the source of her powers rested underneath the palm of her right hand. It would be a simple process to cut it out of her hand and graft it onto her forehead, where its powers would be maginified a thousandfold. A perfect metaphor. thought Minerva, Humans always think with their fists, not their brains. It takes a superior race such as the Kree to push them into fulfilling their potential.
********
"Quasar to Shi'ar flagship, do you read?"
"I read you, Quasar." replied Electron.
"I'm closing in on the Kree base. ETA four hours. Get ready for some action."
"We're more than ready. Electron out."
Electron grinned and slammed his fist into his palm. This victory is so close, he thought, I can taste it!
********
"Boll-Drik."
"Yes, supreme one?"
"Prepare the transfer sequence."
"Yes, supreme one, yes, yes, yes." He raced to the complex control board next to the computer housing the Supreme Intelligence. This is perfection, thought the Intelligence. Boll-Drik lives only to serve me, out of fear that I will reveal he is actually a Skrull posing as Kree. I alone among the Kree realize that the time for any kind of racial centrism is over. If we are to rebuild the empire, we must turn the cream of the other races into our subjects, just as we are doing with the three Terrans. One universe under the Kree. I have always been ahead of my time, but I sense the rest of the universe is finally coming around to my way of thinking. Glorious times lie ahead.
Corruption walked into the control room, bowed and saluted. "Corruption reporting for duty, your supremacy."
"Ah, yes." replied the Intelligence. "I have sent for you because your super-powers, awakened by the Nega-Bomb, make you the very first step in the long-delayed evolution of our race. Therefore, I am promoting you from Alpha Squadron leader to member of my new elite force. Your second-in-command shall assume leadership of Alpha Squadron."
Corruption kneeled. "I am honored and grateful, your supremacy. I shall continue serve you to the best of my abilities."
"You may rise." replied the Intelligence. "The moment of truth approaches rapidly. Boll-Drik, initiate the transfer sequence now."
"Yes, yes, yes, supreme one." Boll-Drik threw the appropriate switches and the control center hummed loudly.
"At last!" roared the Intelligence. "I feel the fullest measure of my power coursing through me...the might...the muscle...the menace..."
********
Quasar closed in on the renegade Kree base. Of course, he thought, a phony planetoid. They're clever, but I'm cosmic! He headed for the postition where he detected the highest concentration of energy, and molded his quantum force into the shape a giant battering ram.
Quasar charged, and smashed into the base. Without missing a beat, he shifted the quantum force into a full suit of armor, then looked straight ahead.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
"Oh, shotz!" he exclaimed.
A familiar deep voice laughed heartily. "Such a typically vulgar response is to be expected from a Terran."
The Supreme Intelligence laughed again. "Do you recognize my new allies, Quasar? You once knew them as Moonstone, the Fixer, and Goliath. But I have evolved them all into far more powerful forms, and re-named them fittingly. I give you -- Lunatica, Mecha-Zoid, and Humonguss!" After a pause, the Intelligence resumed. "And they are all the handiwork of an old friend of yours."
"We meet again, Quasar dear." said Dr. Minerva before grinning and giving Quasar the evil eye. "For the final time, I assure you."
"And this," said the Intelligence, "is Corruption, the first of the Kree to evolve after the Nega-Bomb explosion...and far from the last." The Intelligence raised his voice. "Finally, I give you my new battle-shell, light-years ahead of the obsolete Supremor. You must now address me as...the Supreme Nemesis!"
Stepping out of the shadows, the Supreme Nemesis stood at least eight feet tall, with a streamlined, athletic cyborg body, a head which began with tentacle-like cables attached to various sections of the body and ended in a sharp humanoid face with utterly demonic features. At the end of each arm was a gigantic scythe, the blades gleaming menacingly.
"We five are the new, unstoppable elite of the reborn Kree Empire. We are The Fatal Force!"
He looked Quasar straight in the eye. "And your fate is sealed."
[ February 07, 2006, 07:16 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
Wow. Stealth very impressive! You got some serious depth, subplots, and all kinds of cool things going on!
Love Corruption!!! Supreme Nemesis? Awesome! Boll-Dirk being a Skrull? Suprising!
I can't say I care for Gladiator getting the short end of the stick BUT i kinda see why and what you are doing and it's cool. I like the focus on the "founding three" and Nightside.
I may have to make much more micros now!!! Corruption and Supreme Nemesis possibly? Posted by Stealth on :
Thank you, Jorge. I'm very proud of what I've been able to do with Corruption. Out of the original members of the Fatal Five, my second favorite (second only to Emerald Empress) has always been Mano, and I really wanted to make sure his analog did him justice. Supreme Nemesis has lots of influences: Persuader, of course, and also Monstar from "Silverhawks", as well as the only thing I liked about "G.I. Joe The Movie", the new character named Nemesis Enforcer, plus the thought of the Intelligence running free in a manga-style/anime-style battle-shell, instead of that clunky Supremor thing. Thanks for offering to make micros of both of them. That would be awesome. Boll-Drik evolved from the unnamed Skrull seen in the next-to-last panel of "Operation: Galactic Storm"'s final chapter, where we discover that the Intelligence is still alive; and Yes-Man from "Silverhawks", naturally; plus a character from an 80s British TV show...I wonder if anyone here at LW has already figured out that last reference?
Without spoiling too much, Gladiator has some surprising twists and turns ahead of him. Just out of curiosity, what do you think of Smasher? Anyone else is also free to contribute their thoughts on Smasher, because I have a lot of plans for him, too.
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
Stealth, I always saw Smasher as the Ultra Boy analog...but he has an even cooler costume than Ultra Boy! The glasses and colors.
I like you made him the quiet guy who follows orders. I always imagined him like that.
Posted by Stealth on :
Thanks, Jorge. There is such a nobility about him. I remember the first time I saw him, in the final chapter of the Dark Phoenix Saga, I thought, "Yeah, Smasher is the Shi'ar's finest warrior."
Now that the entire cast of the first story arc has been introduced, I thought this list might be helpful to readers who are less familiar with the IG than Jorge and Mystery Lad and I:
Oracle = Saturn Girl Flashfire = Lightning Lad Electron = Cosmic Boy Gladiator = Superman (too old to be Superboy) Nightside = Shadow Lass Astra = Phantom Girl Scintilla = Shrinking Violet Smasher = Ultra Boy Manta = [not a LSH analog] Starbolt = Sun Boy Onslaught = Karate Kid Warstar = [not a LSH analog] Shifter = Chameleon Boy Titan = Colossal Boy Impulse = Wildfire Gravitress = Light Lass
[ February 09, 2006, 06:14 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Harbinger on :
Good stuff Stealth. I like how you jump between different characters giving their side of the story while letting us know more about their character- keeps it fast moving and interesting! I don't know too much Quasar - I'm sure I read the whole series once about 6 years ago - so am intriqued by him.
More, more, more!!!
Posted by Stealth on :
Thank you, Harbi. And this is only the beginning -- I've got the next four story arcs already mapped out, and I hope that by the time those are finished, they'll have already spun out further arcs.
I can't really take credit for the storytelling technique, since it was infulenced by those issues of L.E.G.I.O.N. I reviewed here on LW last year. Doing these IG stories really is a dream come true for me -- I'm getting to do my own version of L.E.G.I.O.N. without having to answer to an editor or a publisher.
Quasar is an interesting case. I originally included him because I thought having a heroic human character might make a good stand-in for readers who are still getting to know this alien world. But over the course of this story, he has gone from being a character I like to being a character I love. I've outlined a Quasar fanfic, but it came out a bit overambitious for where my writing skills are at the moment. I'll definitely do it sometime in the distant future, though.
Quasar's solo book was IMO a missed opportunity. I know Mark Gruenwald's writing is generally well-liked here at LW, but I think Gruenwald was one of those writers who placed inventiveness over craft, and he always did his best work with a co-writer, like he had back in the late 70s on Marvel-Two-In-One. Plus I think the art in Quasar started out very nice, but then got steadily worse.
I highly recommend the Operation: Galactic Storm TPBs. Volume One (of two) has already been released in the US, and hopefully it's also out (or will soon be out) in the UK. Of the few mega-crossovers that actually hold together as a story, I think Operation: Galactic Storm is, quite simply, the best.
[ February 14, 2006, 07:45 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
Faced with what appeared to be certain death, Quasar transformed a portion of his quantum force into the largest, sharpest battle-axe he could conceive, and he swung it...
...directly at the space station's nearest support beam. As the roof came crashing down, Quasar quickly turned around and headed for the breach in the station's wall through which he had entered.
But as Quasar exited, he felt the fire from the Fatal Force's weapons chipping away at his quantum armor. Clearly, they were every bit as deadly as they looked.
Quasar radioed the armada flagship. "Electron, this is Quasar. Emergency. Repeat, emergency."
"They've taken the bait, I presume?" replied Electron calmly.
"Yeah, they're right behind me." said Quasar, short of breath. "But I suggest you don't get too cocky, because this is gonna be worse than you're expecting."
Electron was unflappable. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Electron out."
He turned to the armada's Praetor. "Order the entire fleet to arm their weapons and place them on standby. As soon as Quasar is safely out of firing range, shoot to kill."
"Yes, sir." the Praetor replied.
Electron then headed briskly for the flagship's exit, motioning to the Imperial Guard task force. "Follow me."
********
The Fatal Force's pursuit of Quasar had brought them to the ring of satellites at the Shi'ar border. The thoughts of the Guardsmen and the armada were now close enough to the Supreme Nemesis so that he could read them.
The Guardsmen's field commander expects to ambush us. Precisely as I had anticipated., Nemesis gloated silently in his thoughts. The Shi'ar were truly naive to think that I would not expect them to use the Terran as bait. But of course I would not tell that to the killers I command. I need them in full fury, all the better to decimate the Shi'ar.
********
Quasar slipped through the ring of satellites, spotted the Imperial Guard task force gathered outside the flagship, and took his place among them.
Electron saw the Fatal Force approaching as they dodged the armada's fire and two Fatal Force members, Lunatica and Corruption, both demolished all of the nearest satellites with long-range fire. "Only five renegades?" he laughed arrogantly. "This is gonna be even easier than I thought. Praetor, cease firing. My team's moving in."
"Listen to me..." Quasar tried in vain to alert, but it was too late.
"Now, Guardsmen," Electron commanded loudly, "let's strike a blow for the Empire! ATTACK!"
[ March 16, 2006, 08:10 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
Electron silently signalled for Starbolt and Shifter to take the point.
Shifter transformed into one of the galaxy's most ferocious creatures, the giant eight-armed D'quis, and quickly snared Supreme Nemesis and Humonguss. Starbolt targeted the other three enemies, and blasted away like the living solar-powered flamethrower he was.
But Corruption flew right into the path of Starbolt's fire, and began absorbing the disembodied radioactive energy of the scorching blasts. Within seconds, he had converted it into a different form of radiation, and struck back at Starbolt. Unprepared for this, Starbolt was stunned unconscious.
Corruption then began firing at the Shi'ar ships, with both the radioactive rays from his hands, and the guns attached to his arms. Lunatica and Mecha-Zoid both joined the fray.
"Shields up," yelled the armada's Praetor, "SHIELDS UP!" But by then, a quarter of the fleet had been destroyed. And the powerful enemy fire was quickly breaking down the shields.
Quasar, despite being at far less than one-hundred percent due to his long travels and frantic escape, flew in front of the ships and did the best he could to provide quantum-energy shields.
At the same time, Nemesis fixated his glare on Shifter. "I may possess greater physical might than ever before," Nemesis declared, "but I am still, first and foremost, the Supreme Intelligence, the universe's greatest concentration of mental power!" And with that, Nemesis entered Shifter's mind and triggered the shape-changing Guardsman's worst nightmare -- loss of identity, and loss of control over his transformations. Shifter weakened his grip over Nemesis and Humonguss as he began screaming in agony. Nemesis and Humonguss flew away while Shifter's began to thrash spastically, his form losing any sense of coherent shape.
Posted by Stealth on :
Nemesis watched Electron frantically signal the Imperial Guard's next moves. Nemesis had no need for signals, as he could use telepathy to issue his orders to the rest of the Fatal Force.
Humonguss, he addressed the monstrous behemoth next to him, the Guardsmen's field commander has magnetic powers. You are the only one among us with neither metallic armor nor ferrous blood. Concentrate your attack on him.
With a terrifying roar, Humonguss charged at Electron, swinging his massive fists. Electron dodged the first swing, but the second swing hit him like a ten-ton cement block. Regaining his balance as fast he could, Electron unleashed electro-magnetic blasts at Humonguss, but it was all in vain. Humonguss grabbed Electron and began to crush him.
Manta saw this fight out of the corner of her eye, and flew towards them, firing rays of pure light at Humonguss. The monster countered with ionic blasts from his single, cyclopean eye, but Manta's speed-of-light agility allowed her to dodge Humonguss's fire.
Just then, Lunatica intercepted Manta's light rays. "I have the power of a living moon," Lunatica boasted, "and I can reflect all your light back on you!" Within a split second, that was exactly what she did -- just as Corruption had stunned Starbolt unconscious, Lunatica did the same to Manta.
Meanwhile, Humonguss had already resumed his brutal assault on Electron.
Before Lunatica could gloat, she felt the icy grasp of the Darkforce. Lunatica turned and saw Nightside unleashing her powers to the fullest.
To Nightside's surprise, Lunatica laughed. "This is nothing new to me. I've dealt with the Darkforce before. And I'm a million times more powerful now." She gritted her teeth, and let loose with a blinding cosmic explosion of light, which took shape into tendrils with which she surrounded Nightside.
"By all the Elder Gods," screamed Nightside as she fought back in vain, "your powers are the equal of mine! What manner of mortal are you??"
"I'm your worst nightmare, sister! Move over, 'cause there's a new goddess in town!" Lunatica cackled with ear-splitting loudness as Nightside began vanishing into the web of light. Once the web dissapeared, so, apparently, did Nightside.
Nemesis took a very brief moment from the fighting to ponder what he had just heard. How can it be, he thought, that Lunatica still speaks with Terran colloquialisms, even after all the mental conditioning from both Minerva and I? This is not a positive sign, I must watch her more closely. Having made that mental note, Nemesis returned his full attention to the battle at hand.
[ February 23, 2006, 07:16 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Ghost of Numf El on :
I can't claim to have more than a fleeting knowledge of the IG, not since Dark Phoenix - but I'm thoroughly enjoying this Stealth.
As my good friend Harbi would say - more, more, more!
Posted by Stealth on :
Thank you, Numf.
The next chapter will be up tomorrow. It's worked out nicely that every Thursday I have a new installment ready, just like a weekly TV show.
Posted by Stealth on :
Nemesis matched Warstar punch for punch and kick for kick. Soon, the two armored warriors were locked in each other's grip. Warstar's smaller component, B'nee, began to detach himself from Warstar's larger component, C'cll, who was still locked with Nemesis.
B'nee leaped at Nemesis, but he had no way of knowing that he had already been targeted from behind by Mecha-Zoid.
In mid-leap, B'nee was blasted by Mecha-Zoid's rapid-fire shoulder-mounted automatic weapons. Within seconds, B'nee was shot to pieces.
Now bereft of B'nee's sharp mind, C'cll could no longer match Nemesis in hand-to-hand combat. Nemesis tore out C'cll's arms and flung them away. Nemesis then smashed C'cll's remains into a husk of scrap metal.
Nemesis went to seek another opponent, while Mecha-Zoid began firing at C'cll just for sport.
Mecha-Zoid saw Onslaught approaching at three o'clock, swivelled his weapons and resumed fire. To the villain's astonishment, the Guardsman dodged every blast with acrobatic agility. Before Mecha-Zoid could make his next move, Onslaught let loose with a barrage of martial-arts kicks and chops. Onslaught didn't let up for an instant.
At that moment, it looked as though Electron was about to die at the hands of Humonguss. But Titan shot up to the same size as Humonguss and put him in a chokehold. Humonguss lost his grip on Electron, who fled quickly and joined Quasar in trying to protect the armada's remaining ships. He tried to use his magnetic powers on Corruption's containment suit, but Corruption activated his suit's built-in force field.
Quasar turned to Electron. "I need you to take a leap of faith in me."
Electron was frustrated and confused. "What do you mean?" he demanded.
"We're getting slaughtered. There's no way that we can keep these killers from pushing forward to Chandillar. You have to let me quantum-jump to Chandillar so I can brief them on what they're gonna be up against. That's the only way they'll even have a chance of defeating the renegades."
Posted by Stealth on :
Electron had to swallow his pride before he could reply.
"Do it."
And with a blinding flash, Quasar was headed to Chandillar.
The Supreme Nemesis noted this with alarm. It appears I under-estimated the Shi'ar's capacity for trust., he thought. The time has come for a change in plans. Using telepathy, he relayed his new strategy to the other members of the Fatal Force.
********
Quasar materialized on Chandillar, and found himself surrounded by the assembled defense forces commanded by Flashfire and Oracle. Quasar was relieved that nobody drew their weapons at him.
"We got a message from Electron just before you arrived." explained Oracle.
"Okay." replied Quasar as he took a quick look around. "Now, I have one question before I get down to business. Is the crazy mohawk guy around?"
"No," said Flashfire, "he's been suspended from active duty."
"Well, then," said Quasar, "we just might survive the battle we've got ahead. Now, here's what we're up against..."
********
Onslaught continued to use his skills at martial arts to keep Mecha-Zoid off balance. But his highly developed senses detected someone attempting a sneak attack...
...and in a split second, Onslaught spun around and threw a tremendous kick right in the face of Nemesis.
But Nemesis had far better reflexes than Mecha-Zoid; he recovered just as quickly as Onslaught had attacked him. Onslaught now found himself dodging Nemesis's deadly scythes, while Mecha-Zoid turned away and began concentrating his fire on the remains of the armada.
Humonguss broke free of Titan's hold. He grabbed Titan and spun the giant Guardsman around so that he could blast him full-force in the face with his ionic rays. Titan blacked out immediately.
Suddenly, Smasher came charging, and he dealt Humonguss a staggering punch. Humonguss went on the defensive, but discovered that ionic rays had no effect on Smasher, who kept up a relentless attack.
Onslaught continued to fight Nemesis, and even got in a few more blows, but even his lifetime of training and self-discipline could not prevent him from reaching his natural limits, and slowly losing focus.
Until finally, one scythe connected in the most brutal fashion. Onslaught's right arm floated away, leaving a bloody stump where it had been. Onslaught grinded his teeth and struggled not to go into shock, but in the end, he succumbed.
Electron snared Mecha-Zoid in his magnetic field, and sent him colliding into Corruption. But before he could press on, Lunatica bombarded him with blasts of cosmic energy.
Smasher continued to pummel Humonguss, while at the same time keeping a lookout from the corners of his eyes for other Fatal Force members on the attack.
What Smasher didn't expect was a long-range assault. Twin beams of sickly-green radiation emerged from the eyes of Nemesis, who hovered a fair distance away.
Smasher flew straight at Nemesis, but eventually the strange radiation wore him down, and he lost consciousness. Most impressive! noted Nemesis. This Guardsman's endurance was possibly even greater than that of my intended target! It bodes well for the battle ahead on Chandillar.
With Lunatica keeping Electron off-balance, Corruption and Mecha-Zoid rallied themselves, while Humonguss returned his attention to Electron.
All at once, the four villains attacked Electron, and he became the last of the Guardsmen to fall.
Excellent work! Nemesis congratulated his team telepathically. Now nothing stands between us and the capture of the armada's one remaining ship, the flagship. ATTACK! Posted by Stealth on :
Inside the flagship, the armada's Praetor kept a stiff upper lip even as the monitor showed the Fatal Force approaching. The flagship's shields had been vaporized, and the weapons systems were either damaged or exhausted. But if they were destined to go down, the Praetor was determined that they would go down fighting. He unholstered his gun.
"Weapons at the ready!" the Praetor commanded. "Prepare to be boarded!"
The Fatal Force tore their way into the flagship. The crew members closest to the enemy began firing away.
But it was no use. Their weapons were no match for the Fatal Force. And they could not have possibly been prepared for the nightmarish counter-attack which followed.
Nemesis used his scythes to decapitate, disembowel, and dismember any Shi'ar who came near him.
Lunatica's cosmic light rays left any Shi'ar in their path burned to a crisp.
Corruption's blasts of radiation melted countless Shi'ar into puddles of protoplasm.
Mecha-Zoid's automatic weapons left a trail of dead bodies with dozens of bullet wounds each.
Humonguss refrained from using his ionic rays, choosing instead to either stomp the Shi'ar into bloody pulps, or to pick them up and splatter them against the walls.
Nemesis delivered the final blow by impaling the Praetor on one of his scythes. He proudly held up the Praetor's corpse for a moment, then threw it to the floor, and finally got down to business.
"Mecha-Zoid," he ordered, "interface with the ship's controls and set it on a direct course for Chandillar, full speed ahead."
[ March 09, 2006, 08:41 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
On the surface of Chandillar, outside Lilandra's palace -- the Kree renegades' most likely target -- the air was thick with tension.
Oracle and Flashfire kept their eyes on the sky and their ears open to communications from the control center, who were monitoring the nearest radius via satellite. To their left stood Impulse and Quasar; to their right stood Astra and Scintilla. Behind them all was a batallion of tanks.
********
Inside the hijacked armada flagship, the tension ran equally high. Despite their victory at the empire's border, the unity between members of the Fatal Force was coming undone -- much to the frustration of their leader, The Supreme Nemesis.
"We should have finished off the Guardsmen while we had the chance!" snapped Lunatica.
"A pointless waste of time and energy, both of which are of the essence!" Nemesis replied icily.
Energy in particular, fumed Nemesis privately. Would that I still possessed my original form, that of the most complex and powerful artificial intelligence in the universe. In that form, I had a constant supply of energy, and I could have easily teleported an attack force to Chandillar; our mission would have already been completed. But now is not the time for looking back or for self-doubt.
"Chandillar is now within sight." announced Mecha-Zoid.
"Prepare for battle." Nemesis commanded. "They are doubtlessly expecting us."
********
"Listen up!" said Flashfire, "Control center says that the armada's flagship is headed for us, but the only lifeforms they've detected on board are giving off Kree signatures. It's do-or-die time. And remember, they've already defeated a team twice our size. So strategy is the only chance we have. Guardsmen...and Quasar...move out!"
The six heroes flew stoically towards their fate. The next few minutes were to determine whether it would be victory or doom.
Posted by Stealth on :
From the flagship's monitor, the Fatal Force watched the Guardsmen as they approached. They then saw Flashfire give and signal, followed by Quasar taking the point.
"Corruption," said Nemesis, "exit the ship and exterminate the Terran."
"As you command, your supremacy." replied Corruption.
But a moment later, as Corruption headed to intercept Quasar, the villains were shocked to see Quasar suddenly overshoot the flagship without attacking.
Before they could figure it out, the second phase of the heroes' plan was already underway. From beneath Quasar's cape there emerged what appeared to be a mere speck of dust. It grew slightly, to a mere height of two inches, and revealed itself to be Scintilla.
She flew, still undetected, towards the roof of the flagship and displayed a mighty strength inversely proportional to her tiny size. Scintilla tore out an enormous chunk of the roof. She then took advantage of the villains' surprise to fly inside and head towards their biggest, but slowest, member, Humonguss. Scintilla picked up the monstrous giant and tossed him directly at the other three. They quickly jumped out of the way, and Humonguss collided with the monitor, smashing it in an explosion of debris, smoke, and electricity.
Scintilla wouldn't have minded continuing the fight, but she stuck to the battle plan by shrinking herself so that she could no longer be seen, and then flying out of the ship. It was time to step aside and let the other Guardsmen act.
As the villains picked themselves up the floor and brushed off the debris, they were again caught unaware when Astra materialized, phantom-like, through a wall. They opened fire on her, but their deadly blasts passed right through her.
Astra lunged at Mecha-Zoid, then shifted to her semi-solid form, disrupting Mecha-Zoid's systems. As she exited the ship through the opposite wall from which she had come in, Mecha-Zoid lay convulsing on the floor, showering sparks and billowing smoke.
Outside, the Guardsmen dodged Corruption's radiation blasts, until Impulse charged forward and returned fire.
Impulse spoke defiantly. "I heard you can control disembodied radiation, pal! But I'm sentient radiation!"
"Empty boasts from an enemy always precede his fall!" replied an unimpressed Corruption.
But what Corruption didn't expect was for the long-forgotten Quasar to double back and attack him from behind. Quasar molded his quantum energy into a giant power drill, and quickly made a breach in Corruption's containment suit.
"Damn you!" roared Corruption as his vital radiation began to leak. "But I was a trained fighter long before I acquired super-powers, and I shall fight on!"
Nemesis, Lunatica, and Humonguss had now exited the ship and entered the fray. Flashfire got the attention of Nemesis by firing lightning bolts at him. The bolts bounced off Nemesis's armor, but Flashfire stayed where he was, fists crackling with electricity, even as Nemesis moved in for the kill.
[ March 18, 2006, 07:15 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
Stealth, wow! This is awesome so far! I've always loved the Imperial Guard, but have never really paid much attention to them--consider my attention here now!
Smasher has always been my favorite, and I'm glad you have plans for him. I actually like all the of them right now (even Gladiator, another long fave of mine). I like how you've given us a sense of what the universe must have really been like after O:GS and the negabomb. I can't wait to see more, and I'm interested in how they'll be involved in Earth (i.e. Quasar, your comments of a 'Superboy Prime on the X-Men' type deal in another thread).
Supreme Nemesis is cool too: the Supreme Intelligence (awesome bad guy) and I definately see the hints of Nemesis Enforcer (I used to LOVE that character).
I'm the type of reader that will probably wait until a few more sections are posted and then check back in, so keep going as I'm really interested! Posted by Stealth on :
Thank you, Cobie.
The big finish to the first story arc is next week.
And I thought it would be cool to do a "solicitation" for the second story arc:
COMING THIS APRIL:
"Imperial Guard: The Series" continues, featuring:
GRAVITRESS on her first field assignment!
ANOTHER new Guardsman!
SHI'AR MAJESTRIX LILANDRA...is her court plotting against her, or is she going mad??
CIVIL UNREST on HALA...just as VICEROY DEATHBIRD has become a BORN-AGAIN PACIFIST!
The RETURN of ULTIMUS, KORATH THE PURSUER, SHATTERAX...and RONAN THE ACCUSER!!
All this and more...EXCLUSIVELY at the BITS FORUM.
[ March 18, 2006, 06:34 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
wow indeed. Can't wait for the finale! Just got caught up. Nice to see Quasar shine as well as Scintilla and Smasher. Posted by Stealth on :
Thank you, Jorge.
One final announcement before I start typing in the last chapter: next month will also see the start of an "Imperial Guard: Secret Files and Origins" thread.
Posted by Stealth on :
Suddenly, the Supreme Nemesis found himself snared by a telepathic force as powerful as his own. Thrown into the astral plane, Nemesis was disoriented only a fraction of a second, and he already knew who was responsible even before her astral form attacked him -- Oracle.
But just as Oracle began gaining the advantage, her corporeal form was shocked by a blast of pure cosmic energy. As she struggled to avoid falling out of the astral plane, she began to hear Lunatica's ear-splitting cackle.
In our plane of reality, Lunatica kept up her attack. She was too fixated on her prey to notice something emerging from the shadows of the wrecked flaghship.
With a scream of rage, Nightside flew out of the Darkforce dimension and wasted no time in assaulting Lunatica.
"So you truly believed me destroyed? Ha! Foolish, arrogant mortal! It was merely a strategic retreat. And now I shall make you pay!"
Caught unaware, Lunatica began choking as she found herself unable to break out of Nightside's web of Darkforce tendrils.
Flashfire quickly surveyed the status of the Imperial Guard's enemies -- Nemesis was still off-balance, Corruption was fighting on stoically but weakening fast from loss of radiation, Mecha-Zoid remained unconscious, Lunatica was losing to Nightside, and Humonguss was powerful but easily distracted. Now, thought Flashfire, is the time to finish them off...
But at that very moment, a most unwelcome presence flew in out of nowhere.
"Villains, prepare to die by my hand!" bellowed an all-too-familiar voice.
"Gladiator, what the hell are you doing here?" roared Flashfire. "You're throwing off our battle plan. Get out before..."
It was too late. Nemesis grinned diabolically as he seized the moment which he had been anticipating since before the battles even began.
"Face me, Gladiator...if you dare!"
Predictably, Gladiator charged at Nemesis. He never expected what came next.
The eyes of the Supreme Nemesis began to glow with a deadly shade of green. In a split second, twin beams of green radiation emerged, the same which had stunned Smasher not long before.
But their effect was far different on Gladiator. The last of the Kromonians grew pale and began sweating. Then sweat gave way to profuse bleeding. Gladiator began coughing uncontrollably.
Yes, Nemesis thought, this new form of radiation, developed by Dr. Minerva using fragments of Gladiator's destroyed homeworld of Kromon, has worked exactly as we had planned.
Nemesis turned his attention to the Guardsmen who were distracting Humonguss. Before long, he had them battling him instead. Nemesis now issued a telepathic order to his monstrous ally.
Humonguss, concentrate your attack on Gladiator -- and show him no mercy!
Humonguss did just that. His powerful ionic beam came down relentlessly on Gladiator. Meanwhile, Nemesis and Corruption kept all Guardsmen from interfering.
With Gladiator's once-mighty body ravaged by radiation, the ionic beams had a frightening impact on him. Gladiator's outer layers of skin were quickly flayed off, leaving him a weathered, pustulent shadow of his former self.
And Humonguss didn't stop there. His enormous fists hammered away at Gladiator, knocking out what little breath the Guardsman had left.
Finally, Humonguss grabbed Gladiator and threw him, like a (barely) living projectile, toward the castle on the surface of Chandillar where the Empress lived in isolation.
"Force field!" yelled the Shi'ar who were monitoring the battle from the control center. "NOW!!"
An invisible dome surrounded the castle just in time. Gladiator's body ricocheted off the force field, plowing through a nearby building and skidding across the streets before coming to a halt.
The people on Chandillar's surface panicked, while up above, the Guardsmen were momentarily frozen in horror at what they had just witnessed.
"It is done. IT IS DONE!" roared Nemesis triumphantly. He then activated his built-in long-range communicator.
"Boll-Drik, we are finished. Teleport us back to base immediately."
The Imperial Guard and their ally Quasar could do nothing as they saw the Fatal Force vanish before their eyes.
An uncomfortable silence hung over the Guardsmen until Flashfire spoke up.
"Everybody, down to the surface. We have a lot of work ahead."
As the glum heroes descended towards Chandillar, Flashfire flew next to Oracle.
"Are you gonna be okay?" he whispered tenderly. "Do you need medical attention?"
"No, thanks." she whispered back. "Luckily, Nightside came in before I was too badly hurt." She took a deep breath. "We're gonna have to send a rescue team to get Electron and his task force. God, no matter how many battles we fight, I still feel horrified."
"We all do." said Flashfire. "That's what keeps us on the side of the angels."
"Yeah..." replied Oracle, "...it does."
********
At the renegade Kree base, the procedure had been completed to transfer the Supreme Intelligence from his energy-consuming Nemesis battle-shell back into the base's main computer.
For the forseeable future, the conditions at the base would be even more spartan that they had previously been. Teleportation was always a tremendous drain on energy resources, to be used only as a last resort, which had been the case here.
But it was well worth it, thought the Supreme Intelligence calmly. My commando units shall steal fuel supplies to replenish the energy lost, my Fatal Force shall be repaired and restored to optimum condition...and while we failed in our objective to assassinate the Shi'ar Empress, we did succeed in our most important goal: to strike fear into the hearts of the Shi'ar populace. As the empire countinues to slowly come apart at the seams, we shall restore ourselves to fighting strength. And when the moment is once again right -- we shall rise again!
********
From the Digi-Diary of Raila Ynzz:
"Dear Diary,
"I don't have time for more than a quick entry. Suffice it to say, it's been a scary past few days, but things are finally back to normal.
"My induction ceremony is tomorrow -- and it's the same day as my twenty-fifth birthday! I couldn't ask for a better birthday present.
"But the only thing that really matters is that I make my best effort to help the Shi'ar empire become a better...and safer...place.
"I need to get a good sleep now, Diary.
"Love, Raila"
EPILOGUE
The induction of Gravitress went off without a hitch. The celebratory pomp -- including an appearance by Empress Lilandra herself, transmitted from her private chambers -- was a welcome relief to the terrified populace of the Shi'ar empire...but it would only be a temporary relief.
Backstage after the ceremony, Raila milled around, gracious accepting the congratulations of people who walked past her. Then she saw Quasar, standing around somewhat awkwardly, rubbing his neck where the implanted bomb had finally been removed.
God, he's even cuter in person. thought Raila. She walked up to him, even as the butterflies in her stomach multiplied with each step she took.
"Hi." she said shyly.
He turned to face her. "Oh...hello. Congratulations."
"Thank you." she replied nervously "And...like everyone else, I'm...grateful for your help in driving away the terrorists."
"All I try to do is the right thing." said Quasar. "I just hope that maybe now my planet might start getting along better with the Shi'ar from here on..."
Raila bit her lip before blurting out, "Why don't you stay a few more days before you go back to Earth? And...w-w-would you like t-to go to the m-m-m-movies with me?"
Quasar blushed and half-smiled. "That's really nice of you, but I'm afraid I have a girlfriend. Sorry."
"Oh. Um...I understand." sighed Raila. "Well...have a safe trip back home."
"Thanks." said Quasar. He turned and walked away.
Gravitress stood motionless for what seemed an eternity. She felt the blood rushing through her head and behind her face. All the great things that had happened to her that day suddenly seemed meaningless next to the profound dissapointment which was overwhelming her. Here she was, the star of the hour, and she still felt the ache of loneliness...
...until she heard a familiar, friendly voice.
"Hello again."
She turned around to discover it was Nightside.
"Hi."
Nightside smiled sympathetically. "Do you feel overwhelmed? Too many conflicting emotions at once?"
"Yeah..."
"I felt exactly the same on the day of my induction."
"Thanks. That really does help."
Nightside paused. "I see a tear on your face. Please, do not hold back. To do so would be unhealthy." She extended her arms.
"Thank you." replied Raila in a small voice before breaking out in tears on Nightside's shoulder.
After a couple minutes, Nightside spoke again. "Gravitress?"
"Yes?"
"You really are quite fortunate that I am the only female Guardsman taller than you."
Raila laughed softly as her sniffles began subsiding. "Yeah..." she laughed again, "...that's true." She paused. "No need...for formalities...just call me...Raila."
"But of course," replied Nightside. "And please, do call me Su'eva."
And the two young women walked out together into the night.
END OF THE FIRST STORY ARC Posted by Stealth on :
PROLOGUE TO THE SECOND STORY ARC
On the former Kree throneworld of Hala, in a remote sector known as the Deathlands, a savage battle was underway between those representing the Kree's future versus those representing the Kree's past.
The Pursuers, with their dark brown uniforms equipped with flight capabilities and their Beta-Batons for weapons, were led by Korath. He was the inventor of the uniforms and weapons, and the leadership of Hala's official armed forces was a dream come true for him and his considerable ego.
The Accusers, with their dark green uniforms and their Cosmi-Rods for weapons, were led by Ronan. Stripped of his rank in the aftermath of the Shi'ar's conquest of the Kree, Ronan had gone underground and amassed a private army whose goal was the overthrow of Hala's viceroy, Deathbird, and the takeover of Hala leading to a second Kree-Shi'ar war which would see the Kree victorious this time.
Ronan's current obstacle was the Pursuers' sneak attack on the Accusers' secret base -- which was no longer a secret. Wielding the most powerful of all Cosmi-Rods (this one also known as the Universal weapon), Ronan fired one brutal blast after another, killing any and all Pursuers who stood in his way, be they on land or in the air. But Ronan's main target was Korath, whom Ronan saw as a contemptible traitor to the Kree, and deserving of a fate worse than death.
Korath, however, managed to dodge every blast that Ronan fired at him, with an almost acrobatic gracefulness. Divebombing from where he had been hovering a second ago, Korath landed a strong blow to Ronan's helmet with one of his Beta-Batons. While Ronan struggled to hold his balance, Korath did a quick turn and used the other Beta-Baton to blast Ronan squarely in the chest. Ronan hit the dirt, hard. Korath landed next to Ronan's body, and, with a smug expression on his face, declared himself the winner by placing one of his feet on Ronan's chest.
That, however, was the worst move Korath could have made. But how was he to know that Ronan was faking unconsciousness, and waiting for just such an opportunity?
Ronan's massive hands grabbed Korath's leg and threw him down on the ground. Ronan immediately began hammering away at Korath, putting all his might into his weapon. A blow to the face, followed by a blow to the head, followed by a blow to the chest, and repeating said actions more times than could be counted. As the assault continued, Ronan worked himself into a borderline-berserker rage. Once he finally ceased beating on Korath, he fired the strongest blast that he could, scorching Korath's uniform and armor and a considerable amount of Korath's flesh. Without pausing, Ronan began firing equally strong blasts at the other Pursuers, who were quickly floundering without their leader. Charred corpses began piling up on the ground.
Ronan rallied his troops, and soon there was not one Pursuer standing. Clenching his fists while catching his breath, Ronan prepared to declare the first battle won.
Finally, Ronan's voice roared through the air. "This is but our first victory. Let this be a message to the Shi'ar -- their days are numbered, because the Accusers are unstoppable!"
The other Accusers screamed triumphantly in unison. They then gathered all the most essential equipment, and prepared for the long trek to their contingency base, located in an even more impenetrable corner of the Deathlands.
[ January 16, 2007, 12:53 PM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
FROM THE DIGI-DIARY OF RAILA YNZZ:
Dear Diary,
Up until today, it had been a wonderful last few weeks. I've made a good friend in Nightside, and Oracle & Flashfire have given me a lot of positive feedback about my training sessions.
But today, I feel overwhelmed. What a day it's been. It started out nicely enough, with Nightside and I having breakfast in the cafeteria...
"And the palace of the Darkforce gods makes mortals' palaces look like doll houses by comparison." said Nightside, gesturing dramatically yet elegantly with her flawless-looking hands.
"I'd love to see it. Can mortals visit the Darkforce gods?" replied Gravitress, "I mean, if that's not presumptuous of me to ask..."
"Not at all," Nightside answered cheerfully. "I shall definitely take you there someday."
"Thank you." said Gravitress shyly.
"Now you must tell me about the place of your birth and upbringing." said Nightside. "I do not know very much about the planet Natillia, except that I quite enjoy the soap operas produced there. They are so delightfully over the top."
Gravitress's voice dropped to a near-whisper. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but...um...Natillia is nothing like the way it's shown in the soap operas. It's dirty, violent, and politically unstable. And...uh...I'm only half Natillian. My mother is from Teluvia."
"Teluvia!" exclaimed Nightside, "That is Flashfire's home planet. No wonder he looks like he could be your brother."
Gravitress giggled. "Yeah, I could tell he was Teluvian from the first time I saw him." After a pause, she backtracked. "Even with Natillia being...the way it is...I...um...I like those soap opera's too. When I was in high school, I dreamed of being an actress and starring in one of the soaps. But then a friend of mind who has showbiz connections told me that all of the soap stars are crazy and that each one lives in a private hell of their own making. So I changed my mind."
The two friends heard the whirr of the cafeteria's electronic door, and went silent. Scintilla entered. She gave Gravitress and Nightside an unfriendly glance as she headed to the vending machine and inserted her currency card.
A few seconds later she was pounding on the vending machine with her fist. "Dammit!" she screamed.
"What is wrong?" asked Nightside.
"First the machine says 'Error',and then it says I have no points left on my card!" replied Scintilla.
Gravitress stood up. "Um...my currency card worked, and I still have some points on it. If you want, I'll lend you those points and you can pay me back later."
This offer of kindness took Scintilla by surprise, after the way she had judged Gravitress and said mean things about her. She felt so guilty, she could barely get out a reply. "Oh. Uh...sure. Thanks."
A couple minutes later, Scintilla had sat down alone to have breakfast, and Gravitress and Nightside were about to resume their conversation. Suddenly, the public address system blared.
"NIGHTSIDE AND GRAVITRESS, REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THE COMMAND CENTER."
So, diary, we headed for the Command Center right away. Oracle & Flashfire were there waiting for us. The news was not good.
"According to estimates, the Pursuer casualties are a whopping 95 percent!" said Oracle. "Korath did survive -- barely -- but at this point we can't tell if he will ever awaken from his coma."
Flashfire took it from there. "We're in the process of assembling a squad of Guardians to send to Hala to track down the Accusers. But with so many still recovering from the battle against the Fatal Force, and with the remaining Guardians -- including the reserves -- stretched thin across the Shi'ar empire, we're in the difficult position of considering you for the squad, Raila, even though we think it would be a dangerous mission for a Guardian's first field assignment."
"That," said Oracle, "is why we're leaving the decision up to you. However, with the crisis on Hala being such an urgent matter, you need to decide right now."
Gravitress replied right away. "Count me in."
"Good." said Flashfire. "We leave in twelve hours. You're both dismissed."
Diary, as the hour gets closer, I'm starting to feel I made the wrong decision. I don't know if I'm ready to use my powers as a weapon for the first time. Powers over gravity are potentially deadly, and I'm afraid I'll screw up and hurt the wrong people or cause some kind of disaster. But there's no backing out now. I just hope that I survive to write another entry, and if I do, I hope it's not bad news.
That's it for now, Diary. Hopefully, I'll be back in a few days.
Love xoxoxoxo
Raila Posted by Stealth on :
Oracle and Flashfire entered an enormous laboratory. In the far left corner of the lab, Mentor, the Imperial Guard's chief scientist, was putting the finishing touches on a state-of-the-art cyborg. Pausing to catch his breath, he wiped sweat off his green-skinned brow, and turned his head to see Oracle & Flashfire approaching. He broke out in a grin.
"Sybil, Granzz, welcome." he greeted them and gestured towards the cyborg. "You're just in time for Battle-Charger's test run."
The cyborg was the most smoothly streamlined construct ever seen in the Empire. "The biological component," explained Mentor with pride, "is 100 percent genetically engineered, to save us any worries about free will or rebellion."
Oracle winced. Mentor always had a way of making her wince.
Mentor took a remote control out of his coat pocket and aimed it at a door on the right wall. The door slid open to reveal...Warstar? On second glance, it was a near-perfect simulation of the long-serving Guardsman who had recently been terminated in battle against the Fatal Force.
"Yes," smiled Mentor, "there's no need to shed tears for Warstar -- he was obsolete even before he was destroyed."
Oracle winced again.
As the Warstar simulation approached the middle of the lab, Battle-Charger began to move. After a couple awkward steps, he began to stride with purpose.
Approaching the Warstar simulation, the skin on Battle-Charger's organic parts quickly transmuted into cold metal.
"Warstar" threw the first punch. Battle-Charger easily dodged it. Without missing a beat, he gave "Warstar" a swift kick to the head. "Warstar" staggered, and Battle-Charger moved in for the kill.
Unexpectedly, "Warstar"'s smaller robot component jumped out from inside the larger robot component, its hands crackling with electricity.
But Battle-Charger's reflexes were so quick, he flipped out of the smaller robot's path. Landing on his feet, Battle-Charger let loose with a series of blindingly fast kicks and chops, deactivating the smaller robot almost instantly.
The larger robot landed a blow on Battle-Charger's back. Battle-Charger rolled with it, driving his fist through the larger robot, and ripping out cables and circuits. The larger robot stumbled around until it hit the floor and stopped moving.
The silence in the room was finally cut by Flashfire's typically concise evaluation. "Impressive." he said.
"I trust, then, that Battle-Charger and I shall be accompanying you on the mission?" asked Mentor.
"Yep." replied Flashfire. "We'll see you both at the launch pad."
Oracle and Flashfire turned and left the lab. Although Oracle didn't like the idea of not accompanying Flashfire on the mission, she was also relieved that she wouldn't have to be around Mentor. He really knew how to make her flesh crawl.
Note: Credit where credit is due -- Battle-Charger was inspired by Ultra Jorge's micro of an unnamed Ferro Lad analog.
[ February 01, 2007, 11:23 AM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
"I guess this is it." sighed Oracle. She embraced Flashfire tightly, and they kissed passionately.
Once they were apart again, an awkward silence hung in the air.
"Take care of yourself." she whispered.
"I will." he replied.
She choked back tears as she said, "I love you."
"I love you." he said.
They turned away from each other and went in opposite directions. Oracle felt the tears slipping out of her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. She didn't want anyone to see her this way, not when she had to run the Imperial Guard Command Center completely on her own -- Flashfire was heading out for Hala (he would be back, she kept telling herself) and Electron was still in a coma. Well, she thought, at least making my rounds will keep my mind busy for a while.
********
Flashfire arrived at the launchpad to find that Mentor, Battle-Charger, Nightside, and Gravitress were already there. Very punctual of them, he thought, I'll take that as a good omen for the mission ahead. There was now only one last Guardsman to wait for.
********
Inside the command center's hospital, Oracle finished looking at Electron's digital chart. It appeared that he would be coming out of his coma any day now. But Oracle knew that it would be a rude awakening for Electron, having to face the full responsibility he had so eagerly taken for what turned out to be the disastrous mission against the Fatal Force.
As she went to check on Gladiator, who was several beds away, she saw the familiar figure of Smasher standing next to Gladiator's bed.
"Hi," said Oracle, "good to see you up and about, Joh."
"Greetings, Sybil," replied Smasher, "yes, it is good to be active again. I had been restless from the moment I regained consciousness."
The two Guardsmen fell silent as they turned their attentions to Gladiator. The fallen champion was unrecognizable. Between the skin grafts and the swelling from the drugs necesarry to restore his health, his handsomeness was completely gone, replaced by a near-monstrous appearance -- which his detractors might have argued was a better fit for his personality.
Smasher broke the silence. "I feel as though I failed him. We were like brothers, even when his behavior was often inexcusable. Had I been a better friend, I might have been able to prevent the reckless actions that led to...this."
"Please, Joh, don't blame yourself." said Oracle. "He had been on the path to something like this for years -- ever since D'Ken was overthown as Emperor."
"That is, indeed, the hard truth." replied Smasher.
After a couple more minutes of watching Gladiator, Oracle and Smasher both exited at the same time. As she headed to her next destination, Oracle saw another female Guardsman, Magique, pass her. Magique had always made Oracle uncomfortable -- a reminder of the shameless hussy she had been back when she first joined the Guard. Oracle had eventually matured, but it didn't seem likely that Magique would mature any time soon.
********
At the launchpad, the final member of the Hala team finally arrived. Moondancer strutted confidently, carrying her artificial wings under one arm.
"Sorry I'm late." she said, then turned to Gravitress and smiled. "Hey there, glad you're joining us. We need as much power as we can get."
"Thank you." Gravitress replied softly.
"Everybody get on board." Flashfire commanded. "The conditions are favorable right now, so we might still be able to arrive on schedule."
********
Some time later, Oracle entered the cafeteria, intending to take a quick break from her rounds. As she looked over what the vending machine offered, she was suddenly overwhelmed by strong emotions coming telepathically from another corner of the Command Center.
She knew what this meant: the space-craft to Hala had blasted off, and she was sensing all the mixed emotions coming from the Guardsmen aboard. Oracle closed her eyes and prayed to all of her personal goddesses to protect them all -- especially her beloved Flashfire.
Posted by Stealth on :
The surface of Hala was pockmarked with cracks and rubble and pools of sulfurous water. The Nega-Bomb had ripped off the planet’s high-tech facade and exposed the corruption underneath. Standing out amid the ruins were a tall, gleaming citadel and the shiny, but small and boxy buildings surrounding it. It was all part of the Shi’ar’s effort to repopulate Hala and turn it into a symbol of desperately needed optimism. But the ugly reality was that of a Viceroy, her Guardsmen, and her diminished army besieged by angry subjects protesting their abysmal living conditions, while in the remote corners of the planet, the Accusers and other militias plotted to seize control by any means necesarry.
In the citadel’s control center, the Viceroy and her two chief Guardsmen, a cyborg and a Kree Eternal, watched with guarded optimism as the ship from Chandillar approached, carrying within it a team of the Empress’s Guardsmen. But not everyone present shared the exact same view of these reinforcements. The cyborg raised his voice.
“Viceroy Deathbird...”
The Viceroy cut him off. “Must I continue to remind you that name is no longer mine? I am the Peace-Bringer! Remember that, please, Shatterax!”
“I apologize for that,” replied Shatterax, “but let us not deviate from the subject. There is no need for these additional Guardsmen. Ultimus and I have the combined power to destroy Ronan and his acolytes.”
“Destroy?” screamed Peace-Bringer, “How does it continue to escape you that I do not want Ronan killed. He must be captured alive, to be put on trial.”
Ultimus, the Kree Eternal, chimed in. “With all due respect, Viceroy, I firmly believe that the Accusers’ massacre of the Pursuers leaves no option other than a show of lethal force. Unlike Shatterax, I am not opposed to reinforcements, but I doubt those Guardsmen will see eye-to-eye with Shatterax and myself. And that could prove disastrous.”
“Very well, then,” said Peace-Bringer impatiently, “those Guardsmen shall capture Ronan with no help from either of you. Your duty shall be to guard this citadel in the event that they should fail. This discussion ends now. We must head for the roof to greet the Guardsmen when they land there.”
Posted by Stealth on :
As the Guardians’ spacecraft approached the citadel, Flashfire turned to Nightside.
“It looks like Gravitress is still in the back. Could you please go tell her we’re going to land soon, and she needs to be back in her seat?”
“It would be my pleasure.” replied Nightside as she got up and headed to the back of the spacecraft.
She found Gravitress leaning against the wall, with her arms folded and her body trembling.
“Oh, Raila,” said Nightside gently, “it is only natural to feel this way on your first mission. I felt that way, and I can guarantee that everybody else has had an attack of nerves, whether they showed it or not.”
Nightside opened her arms. Gravitress responded by opening her arms, too. The friends embraced each other.
Thank god for Su’eva, Gravitress thought as she began to feel better. I’ve never had a friend like her, and I hope I never lose her. Then suddenly, Gravitress felt Nightside’s embrace get tighter...almost as if Nightside saw her as more than a friend. Omigod, thought Gravitress, I hope that isn’t true. But now’s not the time or place to bring that up. Nightside loosened her embrace, and Gravitress did the same. “Thank you.” whispered Gravitress tentatively. Nightside smiled enigmatically.
“Come,” said Nightside, gesturing for Gravitress to follow her, “we are to make our landing soon and must return to our seats.”
“Okay.” replied Gravitress.
********
Meanwhile, on Chandillar, Magique stood alone by the side of Gladiator’s sickbed. At last her patience seemed to be rewarded, with Gladiator appearing to drift in and out of consciousness. “Soon, Kallark, soon.” said Magique. “You shall awaken and I shall be there to help you fulfill our destiny as supreme rulers of the universe. Forget about Su’eva – she regards you as nothing more than yesterday’s rubbish. I am your true beloved. My powers are far more than illusion-casting, and they are awakening to their fullest potential. Together, we shall be a force to be reckoned with.”
********
Atop the roof of the citadel on Hala, the team of Guardians exited their spacecraft. Peace-Bringer stood regally, with Shatterax on one side of her and Ultimus on the other.
Gravitress noticed Ultimus right away – his imposing physique, his chiseled features, his long blonde-into-white hair. No question about it, she was smitten, and she hoped to survive the mission so that she could tell him so.
Peace-Bringer spoke up. “As Viceroy of Hala and its surrounding planets, I, formerly Deathbird and now Peace-Bringer, welcome you and I offer my gratitude that you have answered our call for help in this time of crisis.”
“And we thank you as well, Viceroy.” replied Flashfire. “With your permission, we’ll immediately head out to the Deathlands to track down and capture Ronan.”
“You have my permission.” said Peace-Bringer.
Flashfire turned to Moondancer, who had begun to strap on her artificial wings, and signaled her to lead the way. Within a couple minutes, the Guardsmen were on their way towards one of the most dangerous challenges they would ever face.
[ February 22, 2007, 02:55 PM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
It was a feeling even more amazing than Gravitress had imagined. Flying gave her a great sense of liberation. She was amazed that it was all done by the Flight Bands on her ankles, which all the other Guardians were also wearing, except for Moondancer, who was born with flight powers and used her artificial wings for greater maneuverability.
Moondancer activated her communicator. “This is not good.” she said to Flashfire. “There’s a cloud of cosmic-powered interference that’s messing with my tracking powers.”
“Most likely from Ronan’s Universal Weapon.” Flashfire replied calmly. “He’s prepared for us, but we’re prepared for anything he has planned.” He signaled to Nightside and Battle-Charger to both take the point.
The bleak panorama of ruined and abandoned buildings was suddenly punctuated by cosmi-rod fire. Nightside and Battle-Charger dodged the blasts and focused on the attackers – two Accusers, each on top of a building. Battle-Charger transformed to all-metal mode and divebombed one of the Accusers. They collided in a meeting of Battle-Charger’s metal and the Accuser’s armor. Battle-Charger won. Nightside, for her part, bound the other Accuser in pitch-black tendrils of Darkforce power.
As more and more Accusers began attacking from the roofs and windows of the buildings, Flashfire gave the signal to counter-attack. With butterflies in her stomach, Gravitress floundered for a few seconds, but she was finally able to focus, and she used her powers to cancel out the gravity on the weapons wielded by all the Accusers who were closest to her. The cosmi-rods quickly rocketed weightlessly into the dark sky, disappearing before the Accusers even knew what happened.
Gravitress breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, she felt a wave of confidence washing over her.
Posted by Stealth on :
Having overcome the Accusers' first line of defense, Flashfire led the Guardsmen deeper into the ruins. He knew they were closer to the base when he spotted ground-to-air cannons aimed at him and his teammates.
Without even a command from Flashfire, Gravitress instinctively turned her powers on the cannons, increasing their mass until they sunk into the ground.
"Attagirl." said Flashfire, giving her a thumbs-up.
Gravitress was exhilirated.
But Flashfire knew something was not quite right. This is too easy, he thought as the team closed in on the Accusers' base.
********
Meanwhile, at the Citadel, Peace-Bringer watched in horror as one moment she could see the escalation of the riots outside, and the next moment, the monitors showed nothing but static.
“Who is in charge of maintaining the computers?” she screamed, “I shall have his head!”
The unfortunate drone sitting at the keyboard stammered an answer. “It...it...appears to be some kind of cloud of disruptive energy blocking our scanners.”
“The Universal Weapon.” mumbled Shatterax, who was standing to Peace-Bringer’s right.
“WHAT DID YOU SAY??” yelled Peace-Bringer.
“Viceroy, he is referring to Ronan’s armament of choice, the Universal Weapon,” said Ultimus, who was standing to Peace-Bringer’s left, “a legendary Kree artifact with a near-infinite variety of powers.”
“Blast those Guardsmen!” shrieked Peace-Bringer. “They have failed and Ronan is now almost at our door. Ultimus, Shatterax, go outside and capture him.”
“It may be necesarry to kill him.” replied Ultimus calmly.
“No!” belted Peace-Bringer, “Kill him and I shall have you executed.”
“Understood.” grumbled Ultimus and Shatterax in unison.
********
"Flashfire," said Mentor while Accuser fire bounced off his force field, "it appears that the Accusers we defeated have dropped their weapons and started chasing us."
"Bizarre." remarked Flashfire, just before the Accuser's base was in plain sight, showing the remaining Accusers, with Ronan nowhere to be seen, waving the flag of surrender.
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Moondancer. "At closer range, my tracking powers have returned and I sense that they're all wired with explosives."
Flashfire snapped into action, giving the Guardsmen the signal to regroup, and barking a command at Mentor: "Maneuver X!"
The Accusers detonated their bombs all at once, creating a gigantic blaze of fire and a cloud of darkest smoke.
An ominous silence overtook the rubble-strewn patch of land. Had the Guardsmen acted too late to save themselves?
[ June 27, 2007, 11:23 PM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
Out of the devastated remains of the Accusers’ base, the soft voice of Gravitress emerged.
“My god,” she said in horror, “the Accusers’ weren’t a militia, they were a cult!”
Her statement hung in the air for a couple of minutes, as the Guardsmen – protected by Mentor’s force field – surveyed the destruction wrought by the Accusers’ mass suicide.
“Ronan is no different from any other power-monger,” Flashfire replied sagely, “always looking out for Number One.”
After a pause, he turned to Mentor. “Keep the force field active until we’ve flown a safe distance away from the smoke and fire.” Then he addressed the other Guardsmen. “As soon as Mentor turns off the force field, activate the flight bands’ hyper-speed mode. We need to get back to the Citadel ASAP.”
*********
Outside the Citadel, the handful of reserve Pursuers had become a living cordon for the increasingly savage rioters – a cordon nearing the breaking point. But just as it looked as though the rioters might break through, Ultimus and Shatterax exited the Citadel with fists clenched and jaws firm.
“Ronan!” bellowed Ultimus, “Show yourself, you base coward.”
A blast of cosmic energy erupted from behind the crowd of rioters and was followed by Ronan’s deep voice.
“Stand aside, Ultimus, or I shall make you regret your insult – by taking your life!”
Ultimus gave Shatterax a signal to help the Pursuers quell the riots, then rocketed into the air. From this vantage point, he saw Ronan, flanked by the cream of the crop of Accusers.
Ronan fired the Universal Weapon at Ultimus, who dodged the blast. Anticipating that Ronan would follow with a more powerful blast, and probably additional fire from the other Accusers, Ultimus wasted no time in preparing to defend himself.
Hovering in mid-air, Ultimus raised his head and spread out his arms and legs. Instantly, a mist of cosmic crackle surrounded him, as he grew to his maximum height of ten feet, and his muscles expanded to inconceivable proportions.
As expected, a firestorm erupted from the weapons of Ronan and his Accusers. It all bounced harmlessly off of Ultimus’ imposing figure.
Ultimus dive-bombed Ronan. Before the villain could make a move, he was struck by a tremendous blow from Ultimus’ fist, and went flying before crashing into a wall. With lightning reflexes, Ronan recovered and prepared to fire the Universal Weapon at close range, while Ultimus tossed aside the other Accusers with great ease. Ultimus strode purposefully toward Ronan, the cosmic blasts doing nothing to slow him down.
“I strike,” declared Ultimus, “for the Shi’ar Empire, for Empress Lilandra and Viceroy Peace-Bringer, for the ailing Korath, and for the fallen Pursuers!!”
Ronan kept firing, all in vain. “TRAITOR!!” he yelled at Ultimus, “you shall DIE by MY hand!”
Ultimus responded with an uppercut that nearly took off Ronan’s head. Ronan swung the Universal Weapon in an arc that connected with Ultimus’ torso. In return, Ultimus smashed Ronan in the rib cage. Ronan’s armor did little to soften the blow, and a sickening crack echoed through the air.
The savage battle continued for what seemed like an eternity. The battle’s would-be spectators were busy with a fight of their own. Shatterax’s computer-enhanced reflexes made him a far greater challenge for the Accusers and the rioters than the Pursuers did, as shown by the last Pursuer being brutally taken down. Shatterax used all his defensive and offensive capabilities against his attackers, from anti-neutron waves to particle beams, but always pulling his punches with the rioters, who were, after all, civilians.
The rioters’ status was on Ronan’s mind, as Ultimus lifted him up and slammed him to the ground. Ronan glimpsed the fallen Universal Weapon, and quickly rolled over towards it. I despise running from a fight, he thought to himself, but the completion of my goal is paramount. He raised the Universal Weapon, and a cloud of cosmic energy burst forth. In a split second, all of the rioters turned their attention to Ultimus, surrounding him and swarming him. Ronan had correctly guessed that, like Shatterax, who was still occupied fighting the Accusers, Ultimus would not use the brutal force he had used against Ronan and the Accusers if he were to be attacked by the rioting civilians. Ronan also knew that Ultimus would shake them off soon, but it gave Ronan just the amount of time he needed.
Rushing to the entrace of the Citadel, Ronan blasted the door into thin fragments of metal. Inside, his intended target, Viceroy Peace-Bringer, still unable to see anything but static on the monitors, cowered in fear; at one time, when she was still known as Deathbird, she would have prepared to fight tooth and nail against any aggressor. But as a born-again pacifist, she now had no option but to pray to the Shi’ar gods.
[ July 03, 2007, 10:28 PM: Message edited by: Stealth ]
Posted by Stealth on :
Suddenly, Ronan was ensnared by tendrils of Darkforce, and was yanked out of the Citadel.
He hung suspended in mid-air as Nightside, the source of the Darkforce tendrils, began to wrap one tendril around Ronan's eyes. At the same time, the rest of the Guardsmen provided Nightside with either cover fire or hand-to-hand combat against the Accusers; Battle-Charger in particular proved a formidable match for these brutal enemies. Gravitress, bringing up the rear, was overwhelmed by the frenzied close-quarters battle and the confidence she had found in herself before was beginning to slip away. She did little more than stand awkwardly in the sidelines.
Ronan struggled to break free of the Darkforce. Most mere mortals confronted with the Darkforce would have either lost consciousness or gone mad by the point where Ronan was. But this hardened warhorse was no mere mortal, and his link to the Universal Weapon made him more dangerous still.
Nightside was unprepared for a shock of cosmic energy from the Universal Weapon. Even gods were not immune to the power of a weapon that was truly one with the universe. The Darkforce tendrils went limp and slid off Ronan, who landed on his feet. Nightside floated to the ground and lay very still.
“NOOOOOOO!”
Gravitress’ piercing scream echoed through the night. Her anguish at seeing her friend Nightside struck down pushed her throat to places it couldn’t go, and her voice cracked as if to add emphasis.
At that moment, any insecurities or anxieties vanished from Gravitress. Her angry eyes zeroed in on Ronan, and she extended her hands in his direction. As if struck by a bolt, Ronan felt his mass increase thousandfold, and he began to sink into the ground.
But Ronan still had the Universal Weapon, which surrounded him with an aura of cosmic crackle as he lifted first one foot, then the next, out of the ground. Once free, he rose to his full height, and aimed the Universal Weapon at Gravitress.
Her response came in a split second. She felt herself making contact with every grain of dirt, every drop of water, every beam of light, every little thing that made up the universe. And she felt the power flow through her. For if gravity is a universal force, then even a Universal Weapon is no match for it.
She unleashed this power straight at the cloud of deadly cosmic energy that Ronan intended to fire at her. The cosmic cloud stood still for a few seconds before it fed back into the Universal Weapon and gave Ronan a shock even stronger than the one Nightside had suffered. He roared like a wounded savage beast, then his shoulders sagged and his knees buckled, until finally he lost consciousness and fell to the ground, landing face-first.
Gravitress stood still, taking deep breaths. Flashfire walked over to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder. “You did good.” he said.
“She did indeed.” agreed Nightside in a slightly shaky voice as she picked herself up. Seeing that her friend was alive, Gravitress ran to Nightside and hugged her.
“Yes, but the danger is not yet over!” Ultimus exclaimed as he rushed over to pick up the fallen Universal Weapon, which was still crackling with cosmic energy and threatening to explode. Once it was in his hands, he rocketed into the air, getting as far away from the surface of Hala as he could. He used his knowledge of the solar system to throw the Universal Weapon where it would cause no harm when it exploded. Ultimus turned around and sped away from the blast.
On the surface of Hala, the rioters and the Accusers began to get sluggish, due to the absence of the Universal Weapon’s cosmic energy that had driven them into a frenzy. From this distance, the explosion of the Universal Weapon resembled a firecracker. Ultimus calmly landed on the surface, then shrunk himself down to his regular height. Gravitress put on her most flirtatious voice to address him. “Ooh, Ultimus. You were wo-o-o-onderful.”
Ultimus smiled. “Thank you, but I cannot take credit. It was you who saved the day.”
Gravitress blushed and giggled.
Viceroy Peace-Bringer emerged from the Citadel. “Guardsmen, you have my gratitude for saving my life and restoring order, and for capturing Ronan without killing him. He shall be put on trial, but first we shall have a celebration...”
Flashfire interrupted. “No disrespect intended, Viceroy, but we haven’t got a second to spare. There is so much more to be taken care of in the Empire.” And he thought, but didn’t say, instead of planning celebrations, you should be doing your job and improve the living conditions here on Hala.
“Very well,” replied Peace-Bringer, “your spacecraft shall be prepared for takeoff as quickly as possible.”
As the Guardsmen headed into the Citadel, Gravitress momentarily stayed behind and approached Ultimus. She felt far more confident than she had weeks earlier when she asked out Quasar. “Let’s go on a date soon.” she said as directly as she could.
Ultimus was surprised, but in a good way. “Yes, certainly. Allow me write down my personal communication code for you.”
In the doorway of the Citadel, Nightside morosely observed her friend and the object her friend’s crush. This cannot be! She is destined to be mine. Elder Gods, I beg you to help me through this difficult time.”
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