Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 August 24

Wow, that was fast, thanks IB.

There are a couple more little stories around the two teams meeting to get through before I move onto the next real arc, though thought M and M would definitely appreciate some time together, and am glad it read okay.

Friction and Ultra Girl going on a date will be brought up again soon, and fingers crossed Rokk and Lu are okay with it... maybe, maybe not! Glad you picked up on it as it will feed into something that's coming up soon.

In my original draft, Ultra Boy took on his alternate's son in a real fight that I had choreographed out but then it struck me that Jo Ryd really needed to take himself out, so punching the invulnerable Kid P at super speed out of spite seemed appropriate. I didn't want to drag that story out too much as there is still so much going on with the rest of the team/s. We will see him again in a while, as it's so much fun to write him. And we still have a few metas on Rimbot due to Sa Lok so it's nice to reference that again.

Anyway, next time there is more wedding talk, we'll check in on a few more of the team/s, and a sort of maybe solution to having two teams in one reality will be explored.

Thanks again IB, very grateful for your reviews.

Hi Harbi, I love all these character interludes and glad to see the situation with Jo Ryd getting some spotlight!

Some more thoughts:

Man, I get reboot Tinya just wanting to just appreciate something good after what they've all been through but BAD call on just thinking she and Jo could go to a salon like any normal couple without risk....

Aw, the meetings of the Ranzzes was wholesome....Graym and Garridan getting to meet a younger version of their folks is such a nice heartwarming thing that would only ever happen in a comic book lol...I love that the two versions of that couple both get a happy ending

I wasn't expecting Noah to get de-de-aged so quickly tbh, but at the same time I'm glad it didn't drag out...when they turned Ayla into a kid in the 5YL Legion it got tedious pretty quickly.

Poor Tel and Jed having problems again...while Tel didn't handle it well, I must say I do empathise with him. I haven't had any contact with my family for years and I have got friends who are always trying to drag me to their family events...I know they mean well, but it just brings up a lot of uncomfortable things I would rather not think about. So I think Tel definitely should have communicated it better and not just ignored it until the last minute, but I am kind of on his side on this one!

Brin and Brin swinging through the trees is a fun visual and I would be into seeing more of how they relate with one another - they're both usually so anti-social or abrasive, it would be an interesting contrast to that to see the two of them form a bond with one another really easily!

Clever of Stoor to pretty much immediately realise that Jo and Tinya must be under a mental whammy...and more Solar Gorilla is always welcome!

Now that 247 Jo and Tinya are riled up, I am super keen to see how this is all gonna pan out!

Mon-El and M'Onel trauma bonding was also very well done...and again relatable. Not that I have been trapped in a ghost dimension for a thousand years yet But there is definitely something healing about being able to talk openly about experiences you've had with someone who has really been there, I think that would be a really valuable experience for the two of them.

It's so weird to see Jan having a normal everyday experience like being half-asleep when your partner gets up to go to work, and humanising for him. Nice to see!

I can imagine the rest of the class teasing the Rimborian boys and being all gossipy as they get led out, that sounds like very standard classroom behaviour hahaha

Oh yay, back to Jo's telenovela love child!!

Love Polar Girl's quick thinking with freezing Mist-Master the Sequel! The visual description of it was great too, I could see the shape of the ice forming!

Oof, Jo's kid shattering his hand was hardcore!! Just goes to show, you gotta be more careful with those ultra-powers!

I am curious to see if there will be any fallout from dragging the Rimborian students out of class for date, and what's gonna happen now with Jo Ryd!

Looking forward to the next part!

Thanks Raz, appreciated.

Glad you liked the selection of meet-ups, there are one or two more to come.

Noah was de-de-aged a bit quickly, and I was wondering whether or not to drag it out, but ultimately it's a story arc for Glorith so I had to move it on.

Tel and Jed are just drama drama drama, aren't they you gotta love them!

The Rimboran boys and Friction and Ultra Girl will be addressed next time, it's written out ready to go.

Jo Ryd's hand - ouch! But that'll learn him We haven't see the last of him, or his gang.

There'll be more next week, thanks again for your feedback!

Ventura:

With over twenty Legionnaires present, the destruction in the wedding venue was quickly put right.

Kinetix, in particular was appreciated as, after she had telekinetically cleaned up she spoke with the store owner regarding wedding fashions. M'Windaji studiously avoided her during this conversation as several of his colleagues gave him knowing looks and barely hid their laughter.

The media were all over the story - the Legion had stopped a terrorist gang on Ventura and saved dozens of innocents! Within minutes it became the fastest trending story of the week on all news media streams. The original story that Jo Nah and Tinya Wazzo were there to get married got somewhat muddled as several of the team mentioned that the couple were not from this plane of reality when asked about them. This in turn led to a frenzy of on-line Talking Heads discussing the legality of marrying extra-dimensional beings when it was doubtful if they had even applied with the United Planets for official leave to stay here.

Within two hours, several representatives from the United Planets Senate had been approached to speak on the matter. Ambassador Oodoo Shanair of Lallor had previously volunteered to be the spokesbeing for Weber's World on all matters regarding the Legion, so he stepped out in front of the galactic media and was quoted saying that as all full Legionnaires were gifted with Ambassadorial status, the Jo Nah and Tinya Wazzo from the other reality were more than welcome to hold a wedding ceremony on Venturaif they so desired. And, of course, he wished them both hearty congratulations!

The Lallorian ambassador quickly followed this interview up with a private holo to Thunder and Tyroc stating that if there was to be a wedding not to forget the team that they had set up on Weber's World as they liked to party as much as the next sentient!

.......................


First Base Medical Centre:

Dr Richard Kent Shakespeare - Impulse - Chief Medical Officer and Support Team manager - enhanced strength, speed, durability, stamina
Shardwurd Gandussen of the Ten Peaks from Avalon - Silver Shaman - Medical Officer - biokinetic healing
Thirteen – Dann Hortra of Naltor - line of sight probability manipulation
Spy (also team counsellor) - Dr Noah Kabbo - heightened awareness and limited telepathy


Dr Shakespeare was fully awake by the time he had reached the First Base medical centre.

The bio-kinetic healer, Shardwurd Gandusson, was on the rota for the current shift, and Kent was fairly certain the studious young man from Avalon would have any matters in hand, so he wondered why Nura had woken him to be in attendance. As he thought this, he acknowledged to himself that Dream Girl, as infuriating as she could be, never intruded onto other's time unless there was a good reason... with that thought he sped up as he strolled along the corridor.

He reached the medi-bay just as Shardwurd was reaching for the Call button to summon help. At his side was Noah Kabbo, returned to his proper age. The counsellor nodded to Kent, his expression grim.

"I'm here, what's happening?" The large doctor stated as he walked into the medi-bay.

"Kent! It's Dann... he's glowing!" The young man from Avalon was as tall as Kent, but much slimmer, with a long face and flat nose. Currently, Kent thought, he looked like a startled horse!

"He's confused... not fully conscious." Dr Kabbo added.

As Kent turned towards the bay where the previously unconscious Legionnaire lay, he saw flickering lights... sharp, bright bursts were throwing the medi-bay into stroboscopic relief.

Dann Hortra stumbled off the floating bed he had been laid on for the last week. His eyes flashed with intense light.

Dr Shakespeare had seen Dann's mutant power before - when the Naltoran manipulated probabilities his eyes would glow, but this light was a whole new level of illumination.

"Dann... hey, take it easy and let me help you there..." Kent stepped towards the Legionnaire with a hand held out. Dann's eyes flashed again and a large panel in the ceiling liquefied, splashing the floor and doctor before it solidified again.

"Dann! Here, listen to me..." Noah Kabbo said, drawing attention away from Kent as the doctor wiped the panelling off his clean uniform. Dann Hortra's eyes flashed again and Dr Kabbo's hair started to grow at a hyper-advanced rate. The counsellor's face was covered in seconds as his usually immaculate black hair shot out in all directions.

Dr Shakespeare accelerated to a drawer to snatch out a mild sedation disc which he slapped onto the Naltorans arm. Dann Hortra smiled as he slowly slid towards the floor. The fisc wouldn't knock him unconscious but would settle down the chemical peaks and troughs in his physiology while releasing a calming agent.

As Kent picked up Dann and placed him back on his bed, he stole a glance at Noah Kabbo and tried not to laugh. Shardwurd was helping pull the mass of hair that now covered his whole head away from his face as the counsellor cursed.

"Noah, hey, you okay there? Do you need scissors or a... a hedge trimmer perhaps?" As he said it, Kent gave in to the urge to let out a barking laugh.

"Not funny... not funny at all. I only popped by for a check-up after Glorith finally returned me to my right age, and now I look like a Zwennian Fuzzmel! Why did I give up my practice for this again?"

Kent had walked over to help the counsellor pull the last of his now three-and-a-half-foot long hair away from his face.

"Probably because you're a bit of a masochist and love the wonderful weirdness of it all Dr Kabbo, just like the rest of us." Kent said. He gave a broad grin as he replied.

"Ah, yes... Dr Shakespeare, I think you're probably right."

"Whazzgoin'on? Where... where'm I?" Dann Hortra asked. The Legionnaire was stirring on his bed, his head raised from the pillow as he looked around at his surroundings.

"You're in the medi-bay Dann, don't worry, you'll be fine. You've been unconscious after your mission on the new planetoid." Kent answered confidently.

"Ah... okay. Uh... What's goin' on with Dr Kabbo's hair?" The Naltoran asked, sounding more alert.

Both Kent Shakespeare and Shardwurd Gandusson started laughing.

.......................


First Base, private quarters of Friction:

Friction - Janee Whittakka of Xanthu - manipulates the force of friction
Theena Greglenn of Silgor Marregorraus - Network - Communications Officer - hyper-pathic communication through symbiote


As the hero called Friction, Janee Whittakka of Xanthu was aware that she was under constant scrutiny.

She had been shocked when it had been pointed out that her recent change in hair style had prompted hundreds of news articles, not all them particularly positive. Still, haters will hate... and all that, she knew she had to live her best life without letting other's opinion of the ephemera of it drag her down. And right now, she was feeling pretty happy...

She had just returned from a date with Victa Mogretti, the student called Shape, and it had gone well... better than well, it had been everything she had hoped for. While with the aid of her flight ring she could literally walk on air, it the metaphoric sense that was how she was feeling. And, as she returned to her quarters, she was brought back to reality with a bang!

The holo-tube was set for Hot-Zone news, and their top story was a vid showing the team on Ventura. As she flicked through the lower streams she quickly found one that showed her and Victa enjoying a huge Triton tri-colour sundae together!

The whole flippin' galaxy was seeing her giggle as they slurped on their dessert.... When Janee and Li-Fahn had asked at the Academy if they could take the two guys from Rimbor out of class, they had promised Rokk and Ella that they would be discreet. The two young women and their dates had not done anything outrageous while they were on Earth - no wild displays of powers or infrastructure damaging battles against killer robots... nothing like that, they had gone for something to eat then had a stroll through a park. On paper it had been pretty dull, to be honest but they had chatted and laughed and figured out where they stood with each other. They hadn't even kissed until they had been leaving... As first dates go, Janee had reckoned it had been the pretty flamin' great! And everyone in the flippin' galaxy would be watching...

And where was Li-Fahn and Bolton? They had been sat right across from her and Victa yet the footage only showed her! Oh, that was so unfair! And now everyone would... before that thought could germinate any further, her flight ring pinged and a holo of Theena appeared before her.

"I take it you're watching the holo-feed there Janee?" The team's communication officer asked.

"Ah... yeah, look..."

"No need to apologise. We've asked these stations not to show streams from our civilian lives at it can put us and any bystander at risk, the current disaster on Ventura proved that! ...so Thunder's is in contact with Hot Zone right now to get this shut down now. In future though, distorters are great for clandestine meetings." the pale skinned woman gave Janee a big smile. "This will be stopped now Janee. They don't want to lose their opportunities we give them for real interviews and permission to film at our try-outs and all that, so you won't see this footage anywhere else again, okay?"

"Thanks... look, I'm sorry...." Janee was staring straight at the floor, feeling humiliated.

"Ah, don't be. These stations feed off other's happiness. They're awful. So... how'd it go? Do you think you'll be seeing him again?" Theena's smile had widened into a big grin as she asked.

Even as Janee returned the wide smile the thought struck her that she needed to warn Victa and Bolton - the Academy could be a hot bed of gossip so he needed to be ready for the whispers and finger pointing in the coming days.

She hoped this wouldn't cause the end of their relationship before it had even really started!

.......................


Second Base, private quarters of Glorith:

Glorith of Zerox - manipulation of magical energies
Southern Lights of Starhaven - spaceflight, magic user


Glorith called Southern Lights to ask for advice.

Xao had tried to advise her on how to get in touch with her emotional core, but his iwn training, while not as severe as hers, had also emphasised emotional detachment. Their friend from Starhaven followed an entirely different branch of the mystical arts, one that prized empathy above aloofness... she really hoped that he would be available to speak with her.

It was almost four hours later when he replied, apologising for the delay as he had been on a Hope World mission. He smiled warmly as he spoke, his holo clearly showed how pleased he felt, and Glorith couldn't help but smile in response. The blue skinned mystic from Starhaven had such an easy charm that she always felt more relaxed when speaking to him. She allowed him to speak and shared his happiness as he described his latest mission where, alongside a few of the Legionnaires from another reality, the Hope World team had diverted a comet bound to smash into a lo-tec colony world. While half the team dealt with that, the others administered medicines as a virus native to this distant world, and which the colonists had no natural defences against, had been causing serious health problems for almost a quarter cycle.

The mystic from Starhaven was clearly on a high from the successful resolution of the mission. Glorith smiled; she enjoyed listening to him speak. She could perfectly picture the situation the Hope World team had found themselves in and the grateful natives that had huddled around the Legionnaires...

"So, what can I help you with?" The question brough the young sorceress out of her reverie, She blinked her eyes as she focussed on the holo before her. She quickly told her story; how she had reversed Dr Kabbo's age, then finally undid this spell at a moment of relaxation. Neither of these were within her training and Xao had guessed that they were related to her emotional state. As both her and Dragonmage's learning centred upon having their feelings under control so as to not affect their magicks. Glorith asked Southern Lights if he could offer any advice to help her.

"Of course, anything I can do to help. The Teachings of the Winding Path centre upon accepting and understanding our feelings, as they each bring something to our spellcraft."

Glorith felt a wave of relief rush across her as her winged friend replied as she realised just how concerned she had been feeling that he might not be able to help her. She was unaware that flowers that she had in pots around her quarters all sprung into bloom at this exact moment.

.............................


Engineering deck of newly captured Tyrrazian planetoid:

The two Brainiac 5's had spent the last seven days working on the intra-dimensional transportation engine on the planetoid the team had liberated from the Tyrrazians.

Both versions of Gear had helped, both getting used to how different they were to each other. The Talokean engineer Hethuk Bran Drommsi had arrived a couple of days later to assist. After three solid days of work, Dragonwing had appeared and dragged him away for some much-needed rest. He returned twenty-four hours later, though he left after twelve hours, saying he would be back the next day.

The Extra-Dimension Directional Interface Engine - or EDDIE as it was quickly called - was working at peak effectiveness and with it the team from the far off reality had finally found both a way home and a new base to call their own Legion World.

Before they would announce it to the assembled teams, though, the senior Brainiac had a suggestion.

"We are due to visit another version of our organisation called the Justice League. It is from their reality that Cosmic Kid originated and I believe he wishes to return. Perhaps we might have a ...ah, test drive there."

Both Coluans smiled at the prospect,

ah goodie, more!

lol at Mwindaji getting uncomfortable re wedding fashions!

looks like no innocents were killed, hopefully. always good news.

ah these talking heads, always digging up annoying details (like the legality of extra dimensional beings blah blah!) I love how the UP just basically said: other-dimensional or not, they are Legionnaires too, so privileges apply, so there!

good of Kent to realize that Nura has a good reason for what she does!

startled horse, hah!

ooh poor Dr. Noah. turned into a child, now his hair grows all shaggy!

so is Dann "back to normal", or are we going to have some lasting repercussions from his experience? Somehow I don't think this is over yet... especially as Nura probably saw something more... maybe?

good on Janee for not giving too much weight to other's opinions...

ah, so Rokk knew the girls were gonna pull the two guys out on a date! well, well, well, that romantic Rokk!

aw, nice of Theena and Thunder to run interference! I' loving Theena's manner, she's so empathetic. and this is a great segment that touches on the Legion's status as celebrities, and how the team is taking steps to protect them from that. well done, Harbi!

loving the continued exploration of how the magic users differ from one another!

and now the Cosmic Kid Legion! Is this a new Legion of 3 Worlds, Harbi? Color me excited!

Dawnstar of Starhaven - Senior Team member - space flight, incredible speed, tracking
Atomsmasher - Ergus Wraithcat of Betelgeuse - spaceflight, durability, hyper senses, limited telepathy, radiation manipulation

U247 Legionnaire:
Shikari of the Kwai - space flight, bio-armour, pathway finder


Shikari had joined Atomsmasher and Dawnstar on a circuit around Second Base.

The Kwai pathfinder had been disappointed when she learned that this Legion had never visited the second Galaxy, and thee were no Kwai amongst their ranks. With Wildfire gone and Brainiac 5 working in a laboratory, she felt that she had no-one really to spend her time with...

After Shikari's situation was explained to her by Duplicate Girl, Dawnstar contacted the pathfinder on the first day after she had been allowed out from quarantine. The winged tracker had heard about the pathfinder from another reality and asked her if she would like a guided tour of the bases.

Dawnstar had also been told that Shikari had been close to their Wildfire, who had sacrificed himself so they could escape, and knew that the Kwai would need someone close-by. She knew how addictive Drake Burrows confrontational attitude and loyalty could be.

It was several days later that they actually met up. As the warp opened for them, Shikari's armour grew around her, and she dived through into the darkness of space, several light minutes from Second Base.

The Wraithcat known as Atomsmasher waited for them, floating gracefully in the inky blackness.

<salutations and welcome, Shikari of the Kwai> Ergus sent.

<thank you...>

<we thought...> Dawnstar began, <if like us, your senses can stretch out beyond the immediacy of our surroundings, you might like some time here within the peaceful beauty of this system> the winged tracker smiled as she finished.

<...thank you> Shikari looked around them, getting her bearings. She knew that the winged tracker was right: it had been months since she had allowed herself to just relax into a place without being constantly scanning distant horizons for potential trouble.

The three Legionnaires spent twenty minutes enjoying the void before them before Dawnstar moved the conversation onto a subject that the winged tracker might be pertinent to Shikari's mood.

<it must be difficult following pathways through the different realms, you must be very competent>

Shikari admitted it had been difficult, but quickly closed off that conversation. Dawnstar respected the pathfinders desire for privacy, Atomsmasher though had more questions regarding her Kwai senses.

<Pathways you follow, are probabilities?>

<No... not in the way Dreamy-Legion sees them, they are more like pointers towards a solution. Smart-Legion is unable to see the full nature of this skill though all Kwai share them. It is not easy to describe as it is only natural to me>

<Are the pathways leading you anywhere now?> Dawnstar asked, curious to understand more.

<No, I can only find a way towards something if I focus upon it>

<I am the same with my tracking sense, though I can relax it... soften the edges if you like, and perceive deeper mysteries that my usual senses would miss>

<affirmation, relaxation induces clearer perception across a wider scope range> Ergus Wraithcat added.

<Winged Legion, Wraithcat Legion, the pathway forward for my Legion show a... fracturing of the way. I worry that the Legion, my Legion, will move along different directions away from our one destination, away from each other. This reality is so like our own...>

<ah, are you worried you will be left alone, Shikari?> Dawnstar understood this fear. As self sufficient as she was, the winged tracker from Starhaven had come to the realisation over the last few years that she relied upon her fellow Legionnaires for more than just superficial conversation and companionship.

<Kwai are used to being on our own... but we always have a nest-home to return to. Now we have no nest-home, why should we return to Legion?>

<the Legion will always find a way, Shikari. The team is more than individual members...> She paused as Dawnstar realised that the Kwai pathfinder was relying on the individual teammates to be her 'nest-homes' as they travelled through the dimensions, not just the ideals of the team and with the recent loss of Wildfire, Shikari would be feeling as if she had lost an anchor... <though the teammates you have will always be there for you, wherever their pathway leads. That is what I have witnessed it means to be a Legionnaire in every reality! We are each other's found family... we may not be blood, but there is a true connection that keeps us close.>

<I hope so, Winged Legion, I hope so> Shikari responded, before she dived away from the two Legionnaires to investigate a tumbling asteroid.

........


After a discussion with the team leaders, it was decided that the planetoid with the trans-dimensional warping capability would be given over to the visiting team as a base they could use as they searched for a route back to their home reality. The technological specifications were shared with the other bases, in case once this planetoid had left they were ever needed in future.

Henry had warped one of his techno-eggs into a small room near the centre of the planetoid and was busy growing a command console where his matrix could fully join with this new base. It was hoped he would be able to link with his other self in this reality and share learning.

Gear has ensured there were nannites throughout the new base, and was working with the two Brainiac 5's to maximise space and efficiency for the team that would be moving onto it. The Linsnarian had learned that his nannites could not interface with his counterpart from the other reality and, after that the two of them had barely interacted. Not that either minded, they were busy enough helping the brainiacs as they refitted the new planetoid base.

Hethuk Bran Drommsi and Dkyun Mu had been working on the shuttle crafts and drones for three days. They had often worked on various engineering tasks before and both enjoyed each other's company, mainly because as well as being highly competent in their work, neither had much of an urge to fill the silences between them with chatter. They had visited Thirteen while he was unconscious together several times over the last week. Usually when an engineering issue came up, the three of them would volunteer to work together on it, and both Hethuk and Dkyun felt it was strange without Dann there to help. Dr Shakespeare had reassured them that their friend was on the mend, though they still both worried privately for him as they got on with the tasks at hand. They had spent the lasy two hours cleaning up the docking bay - it had taken three days but at last, the teams engineers were happy to give the team leaders the all-clear.

Two hours later, the younger Saturn Girl, only recently returned after a relaxing week on Winath, issued a holo-message to all Legionnaires across the various bases.

"In forty eight hours we will be taking the newest acquired planetoid on a ...test drive. We are looking to visit the Justice Legion, as Cosmic Kid and XS have expressed a desire to return to that reality. Livewire and I request that all Legionnaires from our team return for duty by then. We will be given full control of the planetoid to continue our search for a way home once we have visited the Justice Legion team's home dimension. Any Legionnaire, from any of the bases, is welcome to join us, and we will return you here, if you require, after we have dropped off Jenni and Po. Thank you."

Reading on my phone Harbi, so comments will be more scattered than usual

Nice nod to Kari being lonely, and nice nod to her odd couple friendship with Brainy too

Also a great exploration of the senses of Dawny Kari and Ergus, and how Kari is using her team as an anchor. Also a bit of foreboding there

I like the plan: reboot team has their own planetoïde, will make the realitynjumping safer. Nice way to fold in Jenni/Po and the Justice Legion, and opening the door for others of your team to join that jaunt!

Tinya Wazzo from the alternate reality called the Imra and Querl from her team.

After very quick pleasantries, she started talking about what she really needed to say.

"Jo and I have snuck off four separate times during our journey to get married, in four different realities, but you know that, don't you?" Neither the Titanian or the Coluan denied it, though Imra gave her friend a small smile. "We wanted to keep our relationship at the fore-front between us, despite all the craziness we were going through, and the first time we did marry it was such an intimate event, well... we wanted to re-live that. But this time... we know we messed up, okay? If those others from the team here hadn't come to Ventura with us... I don't want to think about what might have..."

"No-one is blaming you Tinya..." Imra started to reassure her friend.

"I am! I'm blaming us Imra. So... so, Jo and I have decided we wanted to get married one last time, and this time we'll invite everyone, make it official, not just a... a thing between just us. If we're leaving in two days then Jo and I want to do it tomorrow evening... can you help us arrange it?"

............


Dirk Morgna had instructed his lawyers to issue a cease and desist writ against the team for using his former alter-ego name of Sun Boy unless it directly involved references to his personal heroic legacy.

Thunder had received it directly and decided to call him up. At one time in the recent past, the two of them had been friends, and while things had not ended well the last time they had met face to face, she hoped she could appeal to him - a potential court case would not help anyone.

It took three attempts before he finally sent a holo-avatar to meet with Cece. The conversation had not gone well.

Cece knew he was angry by the bland civility he showed her. This wasn't how friends, even those that had a falling out, greeted each other. She responded warmly and after complimenting him on his pony tail had asked after his general health. He didn't smile as he responded with a curt "I'm fine." No thank you or asking after her well-being.

After that. there had been no pretense of friendship as they discussed the legal document that had landed on Thunder's metaphoric desk.

It had ended under five minutes later when Cece reminded Dirk that the code-names the team were given had been copyrighted by RJ Brande, and the control of that had fallen onto Reep as his heir. Befrore he could respond she smiled and added that the new recruit at the academy was, technically, referred to as Sun Boy Two, so he wasn't actually using Dirk's former code-name, he was actually honouring it, much as Bouncing Boy Two, Invisible Kid Two and Karate Kid Three were as well. He gave a chilly smile at this and said it would be a matter for the courts to decide and if at any point he was alerted to his code-name being used by that Tamaranean... Cece interrupted at this point by saying it was his former code-name, and the Tamaranean had a name... Dirk spoke over the top of her, continuing that he would have no choice but to go public with the case and he was certain a lot of the team's underhand and disrespectful behavior would then be out into the public arena. "Do the Legion really believe it'll win in the court of public opinion? It wasn't that long ago Psyche nearly turned the galaxy against us..."

"Does that offer include your own history, Dirk? You were hardly a poster boy for respectful behavior in your time, despite your hype. Are you really sure you want your legacy to include all of your past indiscretions up for judgement by the public as well? There are legal precedents to get around Non Disclosure Agreements."

At this point, the call was cut.

........


Retro - Deputy Team Leader - Deen Toro of Ventura - limited reversal of personal timeline
Timber Wolf - Brin Londo of Zuun - enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes and senses
Shield - Laurel Kent of Earth - physical invulnerability, tactile psychometry
Starkling – telepathic swarm-being composed of indestructible ball bearing sized components
Karate Kid iii – Mithindrivithis Ngandraffa of Lythyl - strength, reflexes, mimetic motor learning giving incredible combat skills
Mindbender - Marmud Illic of Titan - alpha-level telepath
Poltergeist -Jaun Vineo of Titan - alpha-level telekinesis

U247 Legion:
Timber Wolf - Brin Londo of Zuun, enhanced strength, agility, reflexes, senses and claws

Encyclopedia Galactica: Bibliothecix, the so-called Library World, is actually a large moon in the Howi-Prime system. Set up in the late 26th Century by a consortium that wished to preserve the history of human kind, it has been added to over the centuries by dozens of other races and is seen as the single biggest concentration of knowledge in the known galaxy outside of Colu's data-vaults. In the 28th century, visiting Coluan scholars agreed to share information, and they also gave the planetary government force field technology to protect the small world as they understood how important such a repository of information could be. In the centuries since, Bibliothexic has become a haven for scholars, and currently has a waiting list of just shy of seven years for anything more than a single day permission to study visa within its vaulted halls.

Retro had led a team to investigate an attack on the Library World.

A dozen armed thugs had teleported into the Ancient History City and proceeded to kill eighteen scholars before burning their way through security walls to get into the Unknown Ancient Artefact section. The alarm had been raised and Retro called for a team to quickly assemble to join him.

The warp led them into a dingy corridor, not two metres wide, where two brutalised bodies were piled up against a blood splattered wall.

"Right, Brin, you're gonna lead the Strike team, take Starkling, Shield and Poltergeist... you are going to find and stop whoever is doing this. Karate Kid, Mindbender and other Brin, you're with me... we're going to find out what's going on here and give support to anyone who's been affected. Okay? Go, now!" Retro said, before calling up a hard light map from his flight ring database to show the layout of the area they had warped into.

<strong thoughts emanating from this direction>

Starkling announced before its composite parts tore along the corridor, with Timber Wolf close behind, leaving Shield and Poltergeist trailing.

Mindbender focused on the direction they were heading. He could sense ten or twelve minds, all focussed on the task they had been given - create confusion, kill people. They were a distraction to whatever the real objective was!

"Retro, I don't think this is a simple robbery..." He quickly let he team leader what he could sense. Retro quickly agreed before asking the young telepath to scan the area for other minds. There were many dozens of scared scholars within a klick radius, though two stood minds out as they concentrated on a task - finding and retrieving an object...

"Lead us to them Marmud, we'll make sure they don't get away with this."

...............................


Starkling had slammed open two large doors into a wide atrium, filled with natural light from the glass ceiling several stories above.

The walls were lined with books, scrolls and tablets, while several hundred desks were arranged in zig-zagged rows. The immense hall was in disarray; desks overturned, bodies lay in bloody pools and a large group were huddled in a far corner, screaming, as a smaller group dressed in combat gear huddled them together.

"Boss, we got company!" one of the group in combats shouted as Starkling and Timber Wolf raced towards them. Several turned towards the fast approaching Legionnaires and fired weapons towards them.

Laurel Kent flew through the door and saw Brin dodging pulse rifle fire. She knew that her flight ring could propel its wearer at any speed up to a point where it would physically harm the wearer, though as she was physically invulnerable that meant that she should be able to move at super-speeds if she willed it.

Laurel willed it!

She flew across the library hall faster than she imagined she would, so she immediately ordered the flight ring to stop. As she did, she came to a halt centimeters away from several of the thugs. The volume of air that her acceleration had pushed in front of her struck them, smashing into them and throwing them back against the wall where they landed with a loud crash. Another of the thugs turned to her and pointed his rifle at her face. Laurel jammed her finger in the barrel and as he pressed the trigger button it exploded, throwing him onto the floor.

As Shield snapped an incapacity on the thug that had just been blown over, Starkling arrived. The composite Legionnaire had rolled its diamond hard, marble sized parts into eight clumps roughly the size of soccer balls and smashed them into the heads and bodies of those wearing combat gear. Timber Wolf flipped across towards Shield, grabbing the rifle out of the hands of another of the armed men before smacking it across their face, rendering them unconscious with a very broken nose. He nimbly landed before cartwheeling into two more, throwing them around like rag dolls.

Within seconds, the Legionnaires had incapacitated the thugs that had been terrorising the scholars and researchers in this hall.

"Don't come any closer Legionnaires, or... or this woman gets it!" The voice that issued the command sounded scared. A young and heavily pregnant woman was crying as she was held by the throat, a gun pointing at her head by the last remaining thug, as he tried to back away.

"Thanks for leaving one for me." Poltergeist said dryly as he hovered towards his colleagues.

The thug yanked on the woman's throat, causing her to scream.

"Enough. You will not use that weapon on that poor woman." Poltergeist announced as he continued to hover towards the last thug. "I've telekinetically dismantled the trigger so it won't fire now... you will also let her go." As he said this, the thugs hand opened before balling into a fist and punching himself in the face. Laurel and Brin both laughed as Poltergeist took physical control of the thug. "And, as a treat, for doing what you've been told, I'm going to give you a flying lesson." The thug spun up into the air, screaming as he went. "You don't like it? No? Oh well..." And with that, Poltergeist let him go, dropping him onto the floor with a bang.

"Well done Jaun!" Laurel said. Poltergeist had telekinetically snapped cuffs onto several of the thugs that still appeared conscious before he approached the pregnant woman and gently helped her onto her feet. He asked if she needed any medical assistance. She shook her head before she asked his name and said she would call her child after him for saving her life.

"I've been doin' this for half my life and no-one's ever offered that to me..." Timber Wolf muttered to himself.

"Yeah... but Jaun is actually quite a nice name." Laurel quipped with a grin.

..........................


Retro had Karate Kid at his side as he led them through the maze of corridors towards where Mindbender has sensed the suspicious thoughts. As the team leader, he had tasked the Timber Wolf from the other dimension to stick by Marmuds' side and protect him if things got wild, as the telepath was the one who could locate their enemy. Retro also wanted to keep this Timber Wolf on a short lease as he was uncertain how reliable he could be if things got exciting.

As Retro expected, the alternate Brin was not happy with that plan though other than a small growl didn't respond. It was what Deen would have expected from his own Brin. They encountered a couple more dead bodies and several damaged doors before they reached where they were going.

<two hundred metres ahead, around that corner> Marmud sent to the small team. Retro, slowed then down as thy approached the corner that his telepathic teammate had indicated.

<Okay, we want to catch these murderers, though we don't have to be gentle about it. How many can you sense Marmud?>

<three, I think... one has a weird mental signature, like it keeps flipping... it's really odd>

<so, probably we can expect at least one meta. You ready?> As Retro asked this he stepped around the corner and through a damaged doorway that had had its doors ripped from their hinges.

Inside, the dark paneled walls of the circular room seemed to absorb light. But still, in the gloom there were three beings - one had her hands in a large box, desperately trying to pull something from inside. At her side was an armed man wearing combat fatigues alongside a tall and slim alien, red skinned with four long arms.

"Stop!" Retro said loudly drawing their attention. The man in combat gear immediately took an aggressive stance, his rifle pointed at the Legionnaires, while the red skinned alien gave a lopsided smile as it flexed its fingers out, revealing blades on their tips. As the two groups squared off against each other, the woman turned towards the Legionnaires and her appearance surprised them all, especially Retro - her eyes were the same as his, black with white irises.

"Klaus? Hah, wow, I'm glad you survived the Alpha-Omega Cradle, though you really need to get on the right side of history now." As she spoke several things happened simultaneously; the armed man opened fire, though he had hardly fired a single shot when Karate Kid moved so quickly and fluidly that she reached him and knocked him unconscious with a single blow. Timber Wolf sprung out from behind Retro and struck at the red skinned alien, his clawed hand raking across their face. As he did, three of the alien's hand reached up to tear into the acrobats torso. Timber Wolf spun away and landed unhurt several metres to the side.

"Stop! Who are you?" Retro stepped forward, his attention firmly on the woman that had claimed to know him.

"Bye bye Klaus. We've got we came for now so it's time to go. We'll meet again and swap stories then... maybe." As she spoke, she held out a hand with a small box in it. The red skinned alien reached across and put a hand on her shoulder, and with a pop, they both vanished.

"They're gone... I can't sense anything." Mindbender said.

"Who was your lady-friend?" Timber Wolf asked Retro as the Zuunian sniffed at the air in front of him, desperately trying to find a trail to follow.

"I have no idea, no idea at all!" Deen Toro felt as if he had vertigo, he had been found almost a century before on Ventura, with no memories of anything prior to that. In all the time since, he had found no evidence of his life before that, and now...

"What have they taken?" Karate Kid's voice was soft but it brought Retro's attention back to the matter in hand.

Both approached the box that the woman had been holding. There was a metal plaque on its lid - "Article belonging to the Sgargrathi Confederation, discovered on Eltham Six, 2996." Retro read the inscription and realised he had read a report recently in which Ayla had encountered a team of thieves that had also targeted objects from this long dead warrior race.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Ah, young Tinya feeling guilty. And a proper wedding eh?

Dirk is out for blood… good of Thunder to try to de escalate, but it looks like the friendship is over. I like her pointing out that II and III names are technically not the same code name

Intrigued at Retro’s past, am sure you’ll tie it into his powers. And nice mystery you’re building up

Oh, and great bits from all, especially Laurel and Jaun - great tactics!

Thanks IB,

Yup, I decided to throw a proper party before we wave goodbye to the U247 team. Well, after being so mean to them in the Thanagrian-run reality I wanted to have them experience some happiness. Lets hope it goes off without an incident...

Dirk is definitely annoyed, and next time we check in on him we'll learn a little bit more of why. And poor Cece, as Dirk was perhaps her first friend on the team, so it will probably not be too pleasant for her.

I am planning on revealing more of Retro's past, though it won't be a for a while as I build up the mystery around the stolen Sgargathi artifacts story line. That'll be LW10's big bad arc, so we have some ways to go yet.

Laurel using her flight ring to give her super speed will be touched on again, it'll be fun watching her learn -or not! - how to use it.

Thanks again, very grateful for your feedback!

C

Hi Harbi, I am back for more!

Noah's hair going into overdrive is a funny image, but man that whole incident shows how dangerous a probability manipulator can be if their power's uncontrolled! They're lucky nobody just spontaneously had an aneurysm or something!

The paparazzi are just as much a problem a thousand years from now I see! It's an interesting to see Friction have to come to terms with that side of celebrity.

Again, I really like how you differentiate between your magic users - with Xao and Glorith's reserved demeanours it makes sense that they would have learned to control any expression of emotion as a part of their training, just as it makes sense that Starhavenites who are always shown as being in tune with nature would embrace their emotions more. The flowers blooming was a nice touch! I am looking forward to seeing where this subplot takes Glorith!

Dawnstar catching up with Shikari is both a nice bit of fanservice as well as a logical narrative choice - I like how Dawnstar comes closer to understanding Shikari than any of the others, for both of them their powers are really more a part of their identity than just special abilities.

I'm glad 247-Tinya realised she and Jo should have been more careful with the attention they drew to themselves in a universe that isn't theirs - married five times though!! Everyone needs a hobby I guess

Dirk getting lawyers involved over the Sun Boy name? Ouch, shades of 5YL Dirk there for sure...I have a feeling this is going to get a lot nastier

I love the idea of Bibliothecix!! It totally makes sense the Legion's universe would have a Library Planet, what a great addition!

I am kind of amused by two Brin Londos being sent there though, neither of them strike me as being particularly library people

Laurel pushing the flight ring to mimic super-speed is very clever too!

oooh a mystery for Retro! This will be fun!

Quite a few fun things to explore here actually! Looking forward to more, more, more!

Thanks Raz, appreciate you taking the time to review this.

Thirteen has a limit - he has to be able to see something to affect it, so thankfully no aneurysms! Poor Dr Kabbo, I keep landing him in these situations. I'll be circling back to him soon, and Glorith - that story will be a slow burn I think.

Jo and Tinya, yeah, they are so co-dependent that I can see then going "Oh it's our 4 years, 3 months and 16 days anniversary, let's celebrate by renewing our vows." Thankfully, other than their relationship I do like them or I would have to kill them. Ah, oops, already kinda did that, oh well.

Dirk will reappear soon, though whether he's still a friend or not remains to be seen.

The idea behind Bibliothecix was stolen from a David Tennant episode of Dr Who, though can't remember what they called their planet. Its just such a great idea I had to repurpose it.

I've had the idea of Laurel using her ring like that for ages and only just got around to it, we'll have to wait to see how effective she is.

Retro is definitely going to get some attention as he searches for his past, though be careful what you wish for...

Thanks again Raz. The latest part of your Demon Father story was superb, BTW, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Second Base:

Thirteen – Dann Hortra of Naltor - line of sight probability manipulation
Kid Pulsar - Neel Koduah of Earth - incredible strength, invulnerability, projection of explosive blasts

Support Staff on Legion World Second Base:
Hethuk Bran Drommsi - Smith from the Green Rift Forge of Talok viii - weapon maker and engineer


Thirteen returned to his quarters to find Kid Pulsar and Hethuk waiting for him.

The two young men asked if Dann needed anything or if they could help in any way. The Naltoran smiled and thanked them, and politely declined their offers for assistance. After they left he fell onto his sofa and relaxed, resuming his natural form. It was becoming easier to alter himself every time he did it and he realised perhaps Dr Shakespeare was right when he had suggested Dann take a few days to get fully recovered. His abilities had finite limits, and altering his form took a large chunk of that potential off the playing field, though as it was easier every time to change, if he practiced enough he might get a boost in power he could use on missions...

Dann smiled as he also considered that he could experiment a bit with his appearance and see how his teammates would react.

.............................


Retro - Deputy Team Leader - Deen Toro of Ventura - limited reversal of personal timeline

Retro researched the Sgargrathi Confederation on the Legion's database.

From what he could discover he came to the conclusion that they were really not nice! There were no known survivors of the race though relics of their war crafts were found across a swathe of the Milky Way and it was suspected that a super nova that had created what was now the Tomahawk Cascade had been artificially created at around the time that the Confederation were operating in that area of space.

He considered his options - he would put an alert onto the monitor board so any attempted theft of ancient artefacts would be flagged for the team to immediately investigate. They would also need to question the thugs they had caught and double check if there was any more information regarding who might be stealing this ancient war-like races relics. He could feel this was leading to something that the team might want to stop before it got really started...

He also decided to take a trip over to Home Base as there was someone in the academy that might know something that could help...

Kid Flux had gained the ability of reactive hyper-evolution when his system had been infected with some materials from a Sgargrathi wreck site. Perhaps, Retro hoped, the student might be able to help.

...................


Home Base - the Academy:

Mindbender - Marmud Illic of Titan - alpha-level telepath
Triplicate Girl - Luornu Durgo of Carggg - able to split into three identical duplicates (part of Duplicate Girl)


Marmud and Lu had just taken a class at the Academy together - it was their third in as many weeks.

...and rumours were spreading that they were now a couple - the bullying had just been pent up lust and sexual frustration!

The young telepath had been scanning the minds of the students before him in a class around personal boundaries and security, showing them how easy it was to be mentally tracked by a telepath when he had heard this thought... and not just once either. It seemed that the arrangement he had made with Duplicate Girl that they would put on a united front after the rumours of bullying got out of hand was back-firing on them.

Luornu laughed like a drain when he told her.

Marmud gave a nervous laugh and said that perhaps they should just call off their arrangement to hold joint classes. Lu continued to laugh as she agreed.

................................


Home Base - the Academy:

L247 Team:
Umbra - Tasmia Mallor of Talok viii - summon and manipulate the darkfield


Umbra returned with Shadow Lass after spending few days at the Talokean Survivors new homeworld, Senfrathras Minor Six.

She felt surprisingly energised by the experience. Her people... the Talokean's from this reality, were so similar to those she had left behind. When she had walked amongst them as their planetary champion in her own reality she had not understood how damaging and petty the in-fighting and scheming politics that ran between the three Peoples was. Her time with the Legion, and in particular, the last few years as they moved between different realities, had opened her up to a more holistic view. In the face of the horrific destruction of Talok viii and losing so many of the planetary population being lost, the work that the many Tribesfolk who survived were involved n had truly warmed her heart.

Seeing the Forges share their work, the Forest Folk tend fields to feed people of any tribe, the Desert People use their skills in finding aquifers to water their crops, while the City Folk - her people - build infrastructure to support them all... it was more than she eould ever have hoped for.

As truly heartbreaking as the loss of their homeworld had been, the Talokean survivors were moving ahead with creating a new home. Young Tasmia had cried on the first night after seeing how few of her people survived. Where once there had been over two billion, now there were only a little under two million left.

Initially the sight of her people's situation had thrown her in a deep angry depression, but two days spent with this realities Shadow Champion and, surprisingly, Lady Memory of the Desert Clans, had shown her how much had been achieved and how lucky they were. In the end, it reaffirmed her youthful belief that good would always triumph.

It was a thought she had not had for quite a while...

.................................


Tinya made the announcement across the flight ring network:

All Legionnaires and friends of the team were welcome to witness her marriage to Jo Nah, in a ceremony to be held in Weisinger Plaza in Metropolis on Earth, at 1800 standard the next day."

Imra had already contacted as many of the team as she thought could give practical help - one of which was Zoe Sauguin. Tinya wanted to wear a show-stopping dress and Kinetix was overjoyed with the prospect of designing one for her.

Tinya asked for her bachelorette party to be held somewhere where there was life... in Bgzltar tradition, a bride-to-be would spend the night before the big day in nature surrounded by her most trusted friends - It was something she had never managed to achieve in any of their previous weddings. It was a tradition that had its roots in the Bgztlar matriarchal history, where the woman had the choice to call the wedding off so were given this one last day to discuss and consider their options. On Bgztl, divorces were, even in the 31st century, notoriously difficult to arrange, and divorcees were seen as social pariahs and shunned as a result. Usually, a wedding would take place after the birth of children - by that time, the husband-to-be would have proven themselves as worthwhile to his bride. On Second Base, the very topmost level had been set up to resemble a park, with fields and trees, flower beds and a large hexagonal wild meadow in the middle. Tinya thought it was the perfect place!

There was a strict ban on males being present - as per Bgztlar tradition, and none of the thirty or so guests complained. They laughed and drank cocktails, told stories and laughed some more, danced and laughed again... it was a perfect evening for the young woman from the distant dimension.

Jo was told point blankly that he would be holding his Stag night in Shakes on First Base and he would not be allowed to lead a team off-base for a drunken adventure. He seemed surprisingly okay with this news, and even thanked Saturn Girl for letting him know. Within seconds of that call he had contacted every male member of the two teams and invited them to share his last night of freedom... starting at 1900 sharp, in Shakes.

Jo's stag night had been surprisingly restrained...

By Rimboran standards anyway.

There had been nothing broken beyond repair, no arrests, and other than Tel Vole being moody with his husband, no-one had shown any animosity towards anyone else. Perhaps the most un-Rimbor aspect had been the lack of fist fights breaking out.

There were quite a few sharp jokes told, several rather risqué games played and quite a bit of bad dancing and drunken singing. Overall, everyone appeared to have enjoyed themselves, even as Jed terrorised the dance floor for a considerable amount of the evening.

It ended relatively early by Rimboran standards, at around 0200 standard. Jo was a little bit disappointed but he thanked the stragglers for coming along as he waved them out the door.

Jo Nah sat down at an empty table in the quiet bar and took a deep breath. There would be no more sneaking around about it anymore, tomorrow he knew he would publicly announce his dedication to Tinya Wazzo!

After that, he would try to persuade her to have another child. As much as Cub not being with them hurt the couple, there was no reason why they couldn't have another... as much as his old cronies on Rimbor would laugh at him for saying it, Jo really wanted to be a father!

Next up, we're going to check in on a couple more of the cast before the wedding, then it's off to see the Justice Legionnaires!

Thanks again for your kind words above guys, they are appreciated.

More, more, more coming soon

C

yay, more!

Ah Retro, good that he is trusting his gut

LOL at the new rumors around Marmud and Lu... glad they both got a laugh out of it. and I guess they're glad it has helped quell the original rumors...

glad to see Umbra get some reassurance from seeing this reality's hardy Talokians!

love to see the team coming together with the wedding, including Imra and Zoe!

hah! Tinya is the boss here... Jo wanting to be a father? huh! interesting. now that stag party sounds like a ton of fun!

Good to see an update, Harbi!

Thirteen experimenting with his appearance seems like it might be interesting...I can't say I blame him, if I could just wiggle my fingers and be different kinds of hotness whenever I wanted nobody would ever see the real me again

hahaha I love the gossip mill working overtime around Lu and Marmud...it is good to see them being able to work together with less tension though!

Appreciated the quick touching base with Umbra as well, it highlights how much she's grown since she was introduced to the Legion. I imagine her reaction to what happened to Talok VIII is very different to what it might have been when she first joined the team!

...and of course, Zoe would be over the moon at getting to design someone's wedding dress

This bit made me laugh as well:


Although it was nice to see Jo having grown-up thoughts...all in all, this was a nice little interlude!

0600 hours standard Terran Time

First Base, Medi-Centre break out room:

Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations

Support Staff on Legion World First Base:
Solstin Wang of Earth - Booster - medical support - awareness and manipulation of physical properties of those around him


Solstin was eating his breakfast in a side room, watching a holo-news stream from Earth.

He had his back to the door so didn't see Gord come in. The Naltoran walked on silent feet towards the young medic and sat on the chair next to him.

"Can we talk Solstin?" Gord asked, his voice was soft.

Solstin Wang started to blush as he looked round at the Legionnaire. "Mmm eating... but, mmm... mmm...go on..." He replied as he crunched down on his cereal and fruit slices.

"Okay, I get you're pissed at me. And I understand why, but please don't ever compare me to some asshat that took advantage of you again. We both enjoyed that night together, it was definitely fully consensual... on both sides. Second, we're not in a relationship and I'm not going to explain my every move to you, especially if I'm on official business for the team. I'm not looking for a relationship, just to be clear, but I thought at least we could be friends, and y'know sometimes hang together. Enjoy each other's company without any unnecessary pressure... That was what I had hoped for anyway. If that isn't what you're after then that's fine too, but it's all I've got to offer right now."

Gord Eno stopped talking for a second to draw breath. Solstin, his mouth still full, tried to speak before the Naltoran continued, but Gord put a finger over the medics' mouth to stop him and carried on.

"I never, ever meant to hurt you, Solstin, and I apologise wholeheartedly for my actions if they did. That is not how I operate, at least not intentionally. So, ah, I hope that's cleared things up... from my perspective anyway. Let me know what you think once you've taken time to consider it." Gord said as he stood up, "I'm helping the SPs set up security at Weisinger Plaza for the wedding later on, so better get going. I.. ah, I hope to see you there."

And without waiting for a reply, the muscular Naltoran walked out of the small room.

...........................

0800

Second Base, private quarters of Glorith:

Glorith of Zerox - manipulation of magical energies
Southern Lights of Starhaven - spaceflight, magic user


Glorith and Southern Lights had arranged to meet to continue her training and she was looking forward to it...

His studious nature and gentle smile were part of his charm, Glorith mused. She had to admit that his broad shoulders and muscular chest and arms that he always kept bare were something of a distraction and she wished he'd wear a dignified robe. Not that the young mystic from Zerox usually cared for such things but still, he was a scholar of the Higher Paths so she believed he should know better that to ...distract those around him.

Glorith was self-aware enough to know that this kind of thought was unkind and she only wished him to cover up so she wouldn't have the temptation to stare at his attractive physique whenever they were together. Oddly, after the mission that left him with skin turned a pale dusty blue she found him to be even more attractive...

As he walked into her quarters, the winged mystic from Starhaven gave her a warm smile and bowed his head respectfully.

Glorith sighed...

...........................

1000

The Romper Room, First Base

Kinetix offered to dress anyone who wanted to look their most amazing for the wedding and had set up shop on First Base. the Monstress from the Amazers had warped in to join her.

She had stayed up late getting Tinya's dress ready, and was fired up to help her colleagues get ready for the wedding ceremony tonight. She could just feel how amazing and spectacular it was going to be! Zoe had announced the night before across the flight ring comms that she would be available in the Romper Room on First Base from 0800 hours for anyone who needed assistance or advice.

Two hours later, both Zoe and Candi were disappointed by how few of their colleagues had taken them up on their offer - even with Gahaji's rather blatant attempt to drag along as many people as he could...

"They better all look amazing or I'll rearrange their outfits for them... and not in a good way." Zoe muttered as she closed up her sewing station and went back to the apartment she shared with Gahaji to get herself ready for the big day.

...............................

1200

Private quarters of Jo Nah

The wedding was set for six pm that evening.

Rimboran traditions had a joining ceremony take place at the end of the working day, and both Jo and Tinya wanted to incorporate as many traditions as they could into the service.

Jo was struggling to get out of bed when Garth buzzed the apartment door. The two friends had arranged to spend an hour in the gymnasium before getting ready for the evening, and given how fuzzy both of their heads were, they knew building up a sweat would help flush the toxin's from the night before out of their systems.

Jo dived into the sonic shower to freshen up before grabbing a clean vest and shorts that were in a set of drawers at the side of the shower cubby. Garth was always amazed at just how tidy Jo was - by looking alone you'd never guess that he was a neat freak! Jo had once explained to him that when he was growing up his family didn't have much and as the gang his family were bound to were forever coming and going from the family apartment, he quickly learned that unless his things were out of sight then they could vanish after the gang had been round... it was a habit that stuck with him, and now he was a young adult it was an almost unconscious act to tidy up after himself.

Garth had once mentioned it to Imra, and immediately regretted it!

"C'mon, let's hit the gym for an hour then we can get ready." Jo gave Garth a big grin and walked out the door.

.................................

1300

The Substitute Legionnaires were, as Gord's grandfather might say, a rum bunch...

Not necessarily bad or even annoying, certainly they were amusing, but overall, just a bit unexpected and perhaps one might say motley... if there was one overall impression the young Naltoran had it was that they were definitely not a group that he would choose to hang out with. Not for long anyway... still, he smiled as he shared the team's plans for that evening with keen beings standing around him.

Fire Lad had a worrying nervous energy that was somehow infectious, and also potential dangerous given the nature of his abilities.

Rainbow Girl, the co-leader of the group, was as far as Gord could estimate, utterly bonkers. As Gord watched, her rainbow selves - energy duplicates that had different colours and apparently temperaments - were squabbling amongst themselves. Still, as the Legion had signed over ownership of their old headquarters to the Subs, and Tinya had absolutely insisted that she married Jo on the plaza, Gord and several of his colleagues were there to ensure smooth running of the event that would be taking place later that day. As the Legion no longer had rights to the plaza that meant all their actions could only take place with the Subs involvement.

Chlorophyll Kid was producing bunch after bunch of sweet smelling Bgztlar roses which his girlfriend, Gorilla Girl was helping arrange around the boundary of the event.

Colour Kid offered to provide entertainment- Ulu Vakk had been training as DJ for over a year, believing that as could produce a bespoke light show as well he would be in great demand. So far, he had only held two gigs... Querl Dox calmly declined the offer even as he made a mental note to arrange for a big name DJ to provide musical entertainment later.

Hyper Boy carried an enormous stacks of chairs to the areas where the guests would sit down. Everyone ignored the parps of wind he produced with almost every step. The young man from Corvan iv had a reputation of having some adverse reactions to stress or excitement and it appeared that being asked to help by actual Legionnaires was triggering for him. Gord noticed that Brainiac 5 was keeping Fire Lad as far away from his teammate as possible.

There had been an EarthGov media ban on any live news streams reporting on the team's activity on Weisinger Plaza, claiming an SP training exercise was underway. Of course, some local residents were recording and uploading the activity to outlying news streams though Brainiac 5 and Theena had set up several AI algorithms to capture and delete these stories before they spread too far.

For all that the stories were being minimised, crowds were beginning to gather.

..................................

1400

U247 World, private quarters of Tinya Wazzo

Irma and Tinya were chatting happily as Zoe and Candi fussed around them.

Candi had brought a bottle of Xanthui Champagne with her and the four women each had a tall flute filled with the deliciously light bubbly wine in front of them.

"So, Zoe, why is Gahaji not getting ready with you? Where is that little lovely man of yours?" Candi asked.

"Oh, he's with Brainiac 5 and few of the others making sure everything is in place for the wedding. EarthGov have stipulated that Legionnaires must guarantee the safety of all local residents while the ceremony is happening. It's such a drag... but it does give us some more time to prepare without him complaining that I'm making too much of a fuss." With that Zoe started to giggle.

The Hair-Stylotron pinged and Imra removed the silver cap from off her head. Her usually rather flat blonde hair now had gentle curls, feathered and layered so they swept out from her face. It was a lot better than she expected, if she were being entirely honest, and she laughed and flicked her hair at the holo-mirror.

"Zoe, you area miracle worker! I've never really liked my hair style, but this... this is lovely." Imra gave Zoe a surprisingly firm hug. Candi was stood behind them, her fingers over her mouth as she giggled with delight.

"Okay, Tinya, you are next... wait until you see what I've programmed for you." Zoe beamed as she passed the small silver cap across to the bride-to-be.

.................................

1500

U247 World, main gymnasium

Jo and Garth had enjoyed an hour in combat training in the planetoids largest gymnasium, alongside a few of their teammates.

Jo, Garth, Rokk, Thom and Brin held an impromptu game of Tag, though of course it quickly devolved into just zapping or slapping whomever had last got them, before the next person got a shot in. It was a game they had developed while they were travelling, and now they were safe it had became far more fun. The five young Legionnaires were more boisterous than they had been for many months.

Rokk and Brin made comments about how Jo better not bust a lip or get a black eye or Tinya would never forgive him... or them. Jo had laughed but it was noticed that for all his adrenaline, he was a little bit more careful than usual. After their training, they had a quick shower before relaxing in a sauna. Jo, Garth, Rokk, Thom and Brin

"This is so much better than we've had for so long, I'm going to soak as much as I can. Never know when it'll be taken away again..."

Garth smiled and leaned back against the wooden walls. He absolutely agreed with his friend.

"I think..." Livewire started.

"There's a first!" Rokk quickly slipped in before his friend could continue. They all laughed.

"Yeah, I think we deserve these moments now. I used to think the Winathian way of believing that there is Balance and Counter-Balance in lives was pretty much a lie, as, like, we've seen so many people with nothing who are decent yet they can't catch a break, and so many with so much that are just awful, awful people... but now, perhaps we are getting the Counter Balance against the last couple of years. We deserve it, y'know?" He looked around at his friends expressions as he finished.

"Garth Ranzz the philosopher! Wow, I really have seen it all now!" Jo pulled the electric Legionnaire in for a rough hug. His teammates joined in.

................................

1600

Earth, Metropolis

In Weisinger Plaza, the six Science Police Officers that had been assigned to work that day had finally signed off on all of the security checks they had insisted the Legion perform.

Brainiac 5 had thanked them and told the Legionnaires present that he would remain if they wished to return to their bases to get ready for the wedding. The Substitute Legionnaires had been sneaking off for the last few hours to get ready, leaving that last few details to be sorted by the main team.

Olympia, one of Thunders sisters, based on Earth as part of the Lightning Sisterhood, had flown by to check out what was happening. She reassured the Legionnaires and Science Police, that the daughters of Black Adam would be on duty that evening in case any criminal elements decided to take advantage of the Legion being distracted.

Gigi Cusimano stood next to the Coluan, her helmet in her hands as she looked around at the plaza.

"We'll be good, Querl. Everything is in order, or as much as it can be."

"Thank you, your colleagues have helped greatly." Professor Dox replied blandly, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Ah, okay, thanks. You okay there?" Gigi turned around to the Coluan genius. At one time she had found him to be one of the most infuriating and intimidating Legionnaires, but after quite a few years dealing with him she realised that he was actually one of the most caring individuals she had ever met, only at a scale far bigger than she could possibly imagine.

"I wonder if all this ...fuss is ultimately worth it." As he said this, his expression faltered for just a split second and she saw the weight of the grief that he was still carrying after the loss of Kara to the Blight many months before.

"Let's hope so, Querl. Actually, let's make it so." Gigi gave him a warm smile as she replied which he reciprocated.

yay, more!

ah, I was looking forward to the next encounter between Gord and Solstin. Gord handled that really well, I think. it was clear he wanted to avoid Solstin speaking too fast, so I get why he asked Solstin to think first and get back to him. A positive sign overall though!

hah! oh Glorith

yes! Zoe and Monstress in action! hah! the girls with the passion for fashion. lol at Gahaji doing his best to support, and Zoe's annoyance at the end

Jo and Garth - an unlikely pair at first glance, but they did spend a lot of time together in Legion Lost. and Jo's married, and Garth's engaged, and tey're the only male Reboot Legionnaires at that stage in the relationship. The reasoning behind Jo being a neat freak is inspired

yay, the Subs! loving the descriptions of each. Rainbow Girl as co-leader, hah! I love the energy selves and their personalities - my own LMB version of the Invisible Brainiac character could do that bit much, but...


Gorilla Girl! I am intrigued! Hyper Boy too, sounds like a hoot - and very Sub-y!

lol at the algorithms stopping stuff from spreading on social media!

I wonder if u247-Imra is getting more emotional, now that she's with your reality's version of her deceased friends Zoe and Candi hence the surprisingly firm hug



wonder if that Winathian concept of Balance/Counter is like karma. nice light scene with the boys horsing around

nice appearance by Olympia, and good to know that Thunder's sisters are still protecting Earth

aw shucks, bless Gigi for being there for Querl

nice set of scenes, Harbi! eager to see more more more!

oh and sorry, looks like there's a bit missing here at the end!

Thanks IB, my laptop keyboard keeps freezing on me so I missed that that line hadn't typed. Fixed it now, thank you

thanks too, Harbi! it was worth waiting for. Hyper Boy is turning into a fast fave of mine!

Finally got a chance to catch up, Harbi!

Glorith getting all hot & bothered over Southern Lights is fun! And why not, those Starhavenites are a bit of awright!

hahahaha @ Zoe getting annoyed that nobody took her up on the offer to design their wedding outfits...I can see her huffing and puffing away

I like the little look-in on where the Subs are at! I can imagine they'd be a bit for Spoiler to come to terms with!

Did Zoe give Imra her '80s do? Love it!

I liked Garth getting all philosophical with the sauna bros...kinda reminds me of some of the conversations Vi and Ayla had during the 5YL era!

1700

Second Base, the private quarters of Jed Rikane and Tel Vole


Jed and Tel were arguing. Again.

Jed was fed up after a day of listening to Tel's sniping and muttered dark comments about his behaviour at Jo's Batchelor party the night before that he had eventually bit back after being criticised for pulling on a pair of red patent leather shoes.

"If you don't like them then don't look... and given you usually only wear half an outfit, who are you to comment on anyone else's fashion choices?"

"Oh, here it comes... come on big boy, let's hear your critique, I'm really looking forward to fashion tips from the man that's worn the same boots to work for a decade!"

"You said you loved my boots!" Jed exclaimed.

Tel snorted a spiteful laugh and floated across to the kitchen area where he picked out a handful of grapes from a fruit bowl and tossed them one by one into his mouth. Jed stormed off to the couple's bedroom where he tore off his clothes and stood staring into their massive closet, desperately searching for something to wear.

.............................

First Base, temporary quarters of U247 Tinya Wazzo


Tinya had a little cry to herself.

She missed Cub and her mother so much. Most days she could put these feelings behind her but today, when she should have her family around her, she found these emotions hard to contain. It hadn't helped that the two people that had gone out of their way to help her today - Zoe nd Candi - had both died in her reality and seeing them, listening to them, feeling their touch as they sorted her dress, had made her even more aware of everything and everyone that she had lost. As she wiped the tears from her face, Saturn Girl had understood immediately what Tinya was going through. It didn't take telepathy to know that today would bring up all sort of thoughts snd feelings.

Imra had given her friend a small smile and hugged her lightly. She understood Tinya's feelings perfectly.

"I don't want to crumple your dress." The young telepath said with a chuckle as she stepped away.

"Am I doing the right thing?" Tinya asked.

"Do you love him?" Imra asked casually.

"Of course!" Tinya said strongly, surprised by the question.

"Any doubts?" Again, the casual tone.

"No... not one. I know he feels the same." Tinya smiled as she realised thst her friend knew the answers to her questions before she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fairly sure he does too. You've got a good one there Tinya." Imra replied with her smile again creasing her face. The two young women hugged again.

"I'd better sort my make up..." Tinya said with a smile.

"I doubt Jo would notice." Imra laughed, and Tinya joined in.

............................

Second Base, temporary quarters of U247 Jo Nah


"What do you mean Tinya will be there to meet the guests?" Garth asked his friend.

"It's a Bgztlar tradition, they're matriarchal so the woman welcomes guests in... so she said anyway."

"Ach, probably just saying that so she can check everyone out as the arrive."

"Probably..." Jo agreed with his friend, though he hadn't really been listening; the young man from Rimbor was checking his white ruffled shirt in the mirror - ensuring there wasn't a crease out of place.

"So, when you gonna set a date with Imra?" Jo tossed over his shoulder to Garth.

"It's Winathian custom that the groom arranges it all, though I dunno, it's hard to plan these things when the person you love is a mega-telepath... she will want to be included and as much as I'm not adverse to that it feels kinda wrong, y'know? I'll do it though, just, well, spontaneously I guess. I've had a few ideas actually... If you want, could I share them? Let me know if I'm on the right track."

"That sounds like a plan." Jo replied, though he hadn't really been listening. His jacket looked as dapper as Zoe had said it would, and the young Ultra Boy was admiring himself in his reflection on the holo-mirror.

.............................

First Base, Shakes Bar


Otaki - Bina Nawoti of Earth - mind-sense
Power Lass - Science Police Officer Nel Duwi of Daxam - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability

Otaki and Power Lass wore matching outfits.

It would be there first formal event as a couple and they both thought it would be cute to be clearly a couple - just in case there's anyone left who didn't know they were together, Bina said with a huge grin. With Otaki's slim build and Nel's broad, muscular stature, they had decided to wear pant suits in hues of blue with large, lilac and white Joopli blooms in their left lapels.

They met up with several of their friends in Shakes bar on first Base for a pre-wedding drink.

"Dann!" Bina exclaimed, surprised to see their Naltoran teammate out of the medi-bay. He was stood by a bar-bot. "You look... taller? Are you...?"

"Oh, yeah, a little. Must have been all that time in bed, eh?" Thirteen gave her a bright smile, before complimenting both Bina and Nel on their formal wear, and offering to get them a drink. The two young women laughed and stepped over to the table where a group of their friends were chatting, while the Naltoran ordered their cocktails from the bar-bot.

Over at the table Nel clearly heard Laurel as she whispered to Brin about how Dann looked different. The Daxamite Science Police Officer smiled, and knew that Bina had been right. It was guaranteed to be the topic of conversation later on...

...........................


1745 Weisinger Plaza


Henry's warp opened and out walked a stream of Legionnaires.

Tinya, Imra and Jazmin waited for them, handing out flutes of champagne to each guest before showing them to their seats.

There were many compliments paid to Tinya. In her sheer white dress. with its subtle lacing embroidery she looked like a princess from the most romantic fairy tale. She blushed at some of the comments, and laughed freely as she thanked every guest for attending.

Jo was the last person to step through the warp.

In his malachite-green long coat holding a delicate joopli bloom in his left lapel, wine red breeches with a thick black belt, black polished boots and ruffled white shirt, he looked like the most dashing pirate Tinya could ever have imagined.

................................


Home Base, the Academy:

Kid Flux - Uri Yekolleks of Rim World Stratokoviesk xii, hyper-reactive adaption to threat
Mentalla ii - Enali Dricommo of Titan, psionic possession and limited telepathy,

Uri felt sick.

Intermittently, he had felt out of sorts for several weeks. It wasn't a feeling he recognised. He had always been a fit and healthy lad and ever since that ancient tech had bound itself to him he had never felt less than stellarific! But then a month or so ago, he had just finished a game of Three-D chess with one of his classmates when he suddenly felt dizzy. He had clung onto the edge of the table, and thankfully it passed as quickly as it arrived. Uri made a joke of it and laughed about how losing left him in shock. None of his fellow students saw the worry in his eyes.

In the weeks that followed these bizarre incidents increased. Uri had originated on a Rim World where to complain was to be seen as a weakness, a social no-no that would quickly find the complainant ostracized from the community, so he kept these strange turns to himself and had began to avoid social gatherings where he might be seen to flounder.

As he was a popular student, always quick with a joke to encourage his fellow students, several of his friends had asked him if he was okay. He gave bland excuses, mainly around the lines of he wanted to study. No-one believed that, as much as he was a quick learner he had never been one to study too enthusiastically. With Rebounder being on curfew after going AWOL a few weeks before, and Invisible Kid iii being on medical leave while he recovered from whatever it was that happened to him, Uri was without his usual sparring partners, and most of his group believed that this was the real reason for his withdrawing from social events. Uri said nothing to change their minds.

One of his fellow students knew he was lying though.

Enali Dricommo was not a particularly close friend of Uri's but they were part of the same wider social circle. She had a bit of a crush on him, though had never acted on it, and so she always paid attention when he was around. She was drawn to the young man from the far away colony because of his happy confidence and apparent zest for life - and as he was the shortest of the male students in their group, she secretly fantasised about the source of his swagger...

"Uri," the young psychic called through the holo-comm unit, "We'll miss the ceremony if you dawdle much longer! Almost everyone is there already, so c'mon!"

"I don't think I'll make it so you go on without me." He responded. Uri had intentionally left his holo-transmitter switched off as he knew she would then see how sick he was.

"I'm outside your door Uri, let me in please. I know there's something not right with you and want to help... you Rim Worlders never ask for help when you need it, do you?"

"Yeah.... okay, come in." With a wave of his hand Uri activated the doors to his student accommodation to open.

IB and Raz, thanks for you kind reviews above, they are appreciated!

IB, you beat me to it about Zoe and Candi being dead in the U247 reality, as I had planned addressing it in the next section (new one above) - great minds eh?

Raz, I was definitely channeling Imra's Farah Fawcett hair do it's the best look for her really.

More, more, more coming soon, as the wedding goes... umm, relatively well, and we check out what's going on at the Academy.

Cheers guys,

C

Looks like I had good timing, was just about to log off and saw that you have updated! Woohoo!

Poor Tel really does have a hard time with all of us, doesn't he?

Jed and Tel bitching about each other's costume choices given how stripperiffic BOTH of their costumes are is kind of hilarious to be honest - I don't know which one's the pot calling the kettle black

Poor Tinya as well - while she may be a bit much at times, she really has lost a great deal (just like the rest of the 247 team really) and it must be hard having reminders of two of your dead loved ones trying to comfort you about all of your dead loved ones; this scene kinda reminds me of the 5YL scene where SW6 Jo and Tinya thought it would be a good idea to meet adult Jo and they just kinda broke him (which is a compliment, that's one of my favourite character interactions from that era!)

Otaki and Power Lass wearing matching outfits to announce their coupledom is such a cute kids-in-love thing to do

Hahaha of course Jo looks like a dashing pirate - love it!



From kids in love to kids in horny; I find this stray thought highly relatable

Although I do also like that Mentalla is actually genuinely concerned about him and she's not just acting on a crush; plus, a bit of mystery building in the background is a nice way to break up all the wedding-related stuff.

This was a short chapter, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I really like that your downtime scenes are always used to showcase really good bits of characterisation and not an exposition dump or just moving characters from Point A to Point B.

Looking forward to more obviously!

PS: Yes, totally agree on Imra's Farrah Fawcett hair! Iconic!