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Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 August 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
This is part nine of my fan-fic set in the Retro-Boot.
As I've been writing this for almost a decade the team have changed and advanced quite a bit from where they started off from in canon - Retroboot issue 14. Currently, the team are split across several planetoid bases - Home Base is in orbit around Saturn and hosts the Academy, Thunder leads First Base as that part of the team focus on protecting the United Planets, Second Base is run by Tyroc and they are having adventures further afield, while Dream Girl runs Hope World whose remit is purely disaster relief and support.
The team has been greatly expanded from canon and I'll add roll calls at the start of each section, though if you want to see a full list of who's who and where then it's at the end of Legion Worlds Eight.
Where we are now: Duplicate Girl was mentoring a new member of the Second Base team, Marmud Illic - a telepath they call Mindbender - though accusations of bullying have meant her place on the team is in jeopardy unless she attends a mandatory psych evaluation and counselling session.
.....................................
First Base, private office of Dr Falkner:
Duplicate Girl - Senior Team member, Luornu Durgo of Carggg - creation of multiple identical duplicates Science Police Psychiatrist - Doctor Anje Falkner - alpha-level telepath
Luornu looked at Anje and smiled.
It was not a smile that imparted any feeling of particular warmth and Anje felt the Legionnaire tense up. The Cargggite had been ordered to attend counselling the day before by Tyroc and was clearly unhappy about it.
"So, Luornu… or do you prefer Lu?" Duplicate Girl shrugged as Dr Falkner asked this indicating she didn't mind either, "can you tell me about your family when you were growing up, please?"
"All of that is on file…"
"Not your thoughts on them, only dry facts. And it’ll give you an opportunity to discuss…"
"This is rubbish, I’m sorry Anje but I don’t see the point of being here."
Anje allowed a silence to build before she replied, "I’m sure you’re aware, you’re here because you have been witnessed and reported as bullying a junior member of the team. It is only because of your long standing with the team that you have not been sent to the academy for remedial training in expected behaviours. It was thought rather than embarrass you by having you be publicly shamed in front of students and your peers you might want to talk things through confidentially here instead. So, once again, tell me about your family."
When Lu smiled this time, it was predatory.
"Marmud is a manipulative ego-tripper."
"That is not how I assessed him, though something we can both agree on is that he is a full legionnaire deserving of respect for having earned his position on the team." If her words hadn't been enough, Anje's expression as she replied made it perfectly clear she would not tolerate such outbursts from Lu again. "Please, Lu, can you put what you are feeling aside and tell me about your family? I have had to re-arrange my diary to give you two hours today, let's make good use of this time, eh?"
"Oh, if I must..."
Again, there was silence but Anje decided that she wouldn't let Lu set the pace on this so had another option to pry her into a meaningful conversation.
"Perhaps... instead, you could tell me about Carggg, I've never been though have met a few SPOs from there."
………………………..
Encyclopaedia Galactica:
The planet Carggg sits in a system with three suns, nine planets and twenty seven moons. It was the three hundred and thirty third planet settled by human colonists, by the late 27th century.
The settlers had arrived on a terraforming Bubble Arc that had left the Sol system two hundred and ten years before. The massive craft had been damaged by a huge meteor strike while on its journey and minute amounts of various forms of radiation seeped into the craft over the next seventy two years. Of the twenty thousand plus settlers that had joined the mission and submitted to cryogenic stasis, only nine hundred and forty two survived.
The survivors awoke to a very different world than the initial settlers had envisioned and the first thirty years were much harder than many imagined possible as they set up their distant colony world to be self-sufficient. Thankfully, the data banks on their Bubble Arc contained enough information about the skills they had lost with the settlers that had not survived the transit.
The first native to triplicate was a baby born nine standard months to the day after the initial settlers had arrived. They were the first human child conceived and born on the far-off planet. After that, all children that were born on the planet descended from these first group of settlers shared this ability. It was never fully discerned if the cause of this mutation was the radiation leak on board the Bubble Arc had affected the survivors, or if it was something emanating from the new world they stood upon that was responsible. Truth be told, the Cargggites didn't care, they were too grateful that the mutation was so benign.
It also reinforced the religious element amongst the settlers. There was already an undercurrent of spirituality amongst them, as a large percentage saw their own survival as a true miracle, and as their progeny appearing to create a trinity of themselves it triggered a wave of religious fervour.
Their beliefs centred around the triple stars and soon horoscopes were drawn up for every child born under those celestial bodies. A new religion was born; the Children of Three. Several hundred three sided pyramids were built in honour of their new faith throughout the areas that the settlers cultivated and urbanised.
Since joining the United Planets, religion has become less important to the day-to-day life of the average Cargggite, though horoscopes are still routinely drawn up on the birth of every child.
Famous Cargggites include Luornu Durgo, originally known as Triplicate Girl then Duo Damsel and most recently Duplicate Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Martioni Lefrantois of the Laser Ball Championship team New Venus Uprising, and renowned Quark Stream Shock-Jock Rattucan Marble.
…………….
Anje had spent five minutes listening to Luornu deliver a very dry history of her home world before the Cargggite finally opened up. She started talking more in depth about the hardships that the settlers endured and how it meant over a century of hardship that fed into the culture of the world and most importantly to Anje, how that influenced her own family.
"My father was an asteroid miner and had a serious stroke while piloting in the middle asteroid belt. As his three selves were unified at the time all three of them suffered. I was five when it happened so don’t really remember much but I know we moved out of our home and in with my maternal grandparents... suddenly I didn’t play with schoolmates so much as I had to help my mother and grandmothers more. He lost movement in the entire left side of his body. He was sixteen hours away from Carggg when it happened so by the time his autopilot got him back it was too late to fix him properly. Though from what I found out later, no-one actually expected him to survive."
Anje remained quiet, aware that there was more to come.
"I… I kind of resented him for a while after that. He was the parent that the other parents were oh-so polite with but never got close to, and the kids at school were brutal. After I’d been sent home with a bloody nose and ripped clothes because I’d been fighting the kids that were teasing me for the fourth or fifth time, my grandfather... Papa Jiggers, suggested that I learn tri-jitsu. My mother hated the idea but my father agreed, so despite their disagreement I was allowed to attend the classes. I think that stopped me going off the rails."
"What was it about martial arts that appealed to you?"
"Initially… it was that I had permission to hit people." Lu laughed genuinely after saying this. "Though looking back on it, it gave me a purpose and introduced me to a bunch of characters who opened my eyes to opportunities beyond my family and immediate surroundings. Tri-jitsu wasn’t really taken seriously by most Cargggites to be honest, not then anyway, it didn’t really have the same draw as Triple Ball or Three Strike… team sports were more appealing to those that naturally formed their own team. I suppose. Tri-jitsu appealed to the more eccentric in the community."
"I don’t understand…" Anje interjected softly.
"Cargggites are never alone Anje, we have ourselves to support us. It can make us appear quite aloof, even arrogant sometimes, as we usually don’t require much assistance. We are our own team and support network. And it means we naturally see team sports as more ...natural, I guess." Lu gave Anje a small smile as she said this. "Although it’s rarely said out loud, those that can’t triplicate are seen as a bit pathetic because of it. Like children, they need help more often than a Cargggite ever would. On Carggg the rest of mankind are called the One-Bods amongst ourselves, and it isn't always meant nicely... that’s the unspoken view of many of my people you won't read on an official file."
"I’ve met a few of your people and, yes, I have to agree that they all have a degree of self-sufficiency." Anje gave a small smile as she spoke which Lu returned.
"Anyway… tri-jitsu, yeah, it probably saved me, certainly gave me discipline and confidence that I was lacking. My father died before I took the planetary trophy… at fourteen I had a shot at the title but got knocked out in the quarterfinals. He died before I had another chance at the title."
"I’m sorry to hear that, Lu. What happened?"
"After his stroke he was greatly weakened… to be honest, I’m amazed he lived as long as he did. My mother had to take a promotion as he could no longer work and needed a lot of medical care which meant she worked long hours to pay for it. Carggg wasn't part of the United Planets at that point so healthcare was prohibitively expensive back then. Even though there was some paid help, from about the age of eight I was his main care-giver. Or at least, I spent the most time with him."
"Was that your choice?" Anje leaned forward as she asked.
"Mine and his, really. We were close. I was a real 'daddy's girl' at that age." Lu gave a small smile and continued. "He couldn't be left alone for long as he had developed lung problems so rather than me miss out on what I wanted to do he... he’d insist I took him to the dojo and he would watch as I trained. He knew how important it was for me. I think he knew better than I did... If he thought I wasn’t trying hard enough he’d give me a right telling off afterwards." Again, Lu laughed, though this time there was definite sadness in her expression.
"The first time I went for the Tri-Jitsu World Championship I was knocked out after four rounds... I was real pissed but my dad told me how proud he was and strongly encouraged me to stick at it. I was fourteen and at that age... well, it isn't easy being beaten in a public tournament. So, I trained even harder after that as I knew I'd get it next time. My dad died two months after my first attempt though so never saw me lift that trophy... I know he would've been so proud."
Lu blinked several times before she reached for a tissue and dabbed the corner of her eyes.
"I haven't thought about how much he encouraged me and how proud he was in years. He was such a big part of my childhood... he made sure I always studied hard, and played fair."
......................
"So, tell me about the Legion, how did you come to join the team?"
"Three days after I won the tri-jitsu tournament it was announced that Carggg had officially, finally joined the United Planets as a full member and as a result we had new freedoms to travel." Lu smiled at this memory. "I knew that Carggg didn't have enough for me... or perhaps I didn't want what it had to offer. I spent the next eight months getting my qualifications. Did you know that I've a degree in Forensics with additional distinctions in Athletics and Psychology?"
"I am not surprised at all. No-one who has met you would doubt your intelligence or drive." Anje smiled warmly. She knew this already from the file she had read earlier in the day.
"I inherited some money after my Nan Jiggers passed and some more after my father... well, I had already made up my mind to go. My mother didn't say more than half a dozen words when I told her, but then my mother and I were never too close, which is still the case. She didn't even contact me after Chuck... I haven't spoken to her in eight months now, we normally only holo-message every Three Cross Eve, every fifteen months when the Trinity stars cross..."
"Does that bother you?"
"Not really. I'm not missing out on too much, and she probably feels the same." Lu shrugged nonchalantly before she continued, "Anyway, I was just sixteen and had decided to go travelling and was on Earth when the story broke about the attempted assassination of R. J. Brande. Well, I thought Imra, Garth and Rokk looked really amazing, like they were my age and could do something so... cool. And that was it, I decided I wanted to meet these incredible kids my age who did that amazing rescue."
"Do you ever regret that decision?"
"Are you kidding?" Luornu looked genuinely surprised by the question.
..........................
They had been talking for ten minutes about the early days of the Legion when Lu said something that Anje had been waiting for.
"Until Val joined, I was the team's martial artist and regularly ran training sessions in the old gym for the team. I think after we had Karate Kid to run those sessions, I realised I wasn't enjoying being on the team so much... it took me a while to realise I missed teaching. The adventures were great, don't get me wrong, but seeing people improve... perhaps it comes back to that belief that, I guess, the One-Bods were never as competent as a Cargggite of a comparable age. Which makes sense in a way as we do have three times the life experience."
"And the Academy... is that why you and Chuck took over running it?"
"That was several years later, after Chuck and I had married. We had tried to start over, joining a new colony out on Wondil 9, in the Fringe, but it didn't work out. We were too famous and it detracted from the experience so... I decided... Chuck wanted to stay and make it work, but no, I decided we should return to the UP proper. It's one of the few real arguments we ever had, but in the end I won. And, you know what, it was a good choice... right up to his death. Since then, I've regretted forcing him to come back every single day."
"Oh Lu, you know logically that..."
"Yes, of course!" Lu snapped. She took a second to compose herself before apologising. Anje gave her a supportive smile but remained silent, allowing Lu to continue.
"I find it hard to talk about Chuck." The small grin she gave Anje as she said this was filled with her pain. Anje nodded but didn't say a thing.
"Cargggites are taught from a very early age to be self-sufficient, which isn't... ah, it seems compared to the majority of UP worlds we're pretty hard-ass, I guess. It probably goes back to those initial colonists tying to built a world with only a fraction of the people needed."
There was another silence for half a minute before Anje spoke again.
"I’ve just had a thought. Lu, you say being able to triplicate gives Cargggites additional life experience to lean into, and by extension greater confidence and determination. How do you feel since your abilities were increased? Has your confidence increased exponentially as your self-duplication has?"
"I… I suppose so, though I’m not sure…" It was obvious that this question had thrown Lournu and before she could take her answer any further Anje wanted to distract her to allow her subconscious time to mull it over without intrusion from the Legionnaire's conscious mind, or her ego.
"We’ll leave that then. I have another question regarding your unique heritage; do your people still use horoscopes? Do you?" Anje had researched Duplicate Girl's home world before the session and could see that Lu would need time to answer her previous question so decided it was time to change direction.
"Hah! I haven't thought of that for quite a while... I knew you'd do your research but didn't expect that." Lu smiled again before she continued. "My parents werent part of the more fundamentalists followers of the Three but, yes, they had one made for me after i was born. Funnily rnough, right after Projectra joined she offered to do a horoscope for all of us. I showed her the one that had been drawn up for me... she was impressed as I recall. In case you're wondering, mine said that basically I would only be totally happy when I was looking for something to do to keep busy, would be a neat freak, would fall in love twice in my life and never be without friends around me. Even for a Cargggite, it said I would be fiercely independent though." Luornu gave a warm laugh as she thought about it.
"Well, you aren’t one to sit back on your laurels so don’t stay still for long, you definitely have a large group of friends… Have you fallen in love twice?" Anje wanted to know more about Luornu's feelings for Chuck as she believed that not dealing with her grief and pain over the loss of her husband was one of the primary causes of the current stress and aggression that the Cargggite was exhibiting.
"No, not yet. I had quite a few crushes back in the day. Gim was my first crush when he joined... actually, we took each other's virginity, though to be honest we didn't click as people, he was too much of a 'lad', a nice enough young man but had a lot of growing up to do. Really, looking back now I see he was too keen to prove himself, you know what I mean? Just like me at the Tri-Jitsu championship..." Lu smiled again before she continued. "Then I fell for Kal El, though who wouldn't? He's a truly unique man. He was always the very best of us... Your husband kind of reminds me of him in some ways, to be honest."
"Wow! Thank you. Tuk would be delighted to hear that."
"I'm not planning to steal him, by the way, just thought you'd like to know." Both women laughed.
"To get back to your question, other than Chuck there's been no-one who has ever gotten close to me. I'm not looking for anyone else either."
"What do you think he would say to that?"
"That's an unfair question, though I understand why you ask it... Chuck would tease me for missing out on further adventures because he wasn't around to share them. He would be disappointed actually. We made a pact back in the day. We knew we were nowhere near the most powerful of our teammates, and after Lyle was killed... well, we knew that our time could easily be cut short." Lu paused and reached for another tissue to wipe her eyes with.
"Yeah, so, we agreed that if anything ever happened to the other, we would mourn for the maximum of a month then pick ourselves up and get on with it."
"Have you mourned... really?" As Anje asked this Lu looked away.
.................................
"I'm fine Anje." Lu said, a tight expression on her face.
"You know, the acronym 'fine' in some psychology circles stands for Fucked up, Insecure and Nuerotic. I'm sure you learned that at university on Carggg, didn't you Luornu?"
Lu gave a bitter laugh to herself before miming a florid bow to Anje.
"Yeah... and I am coping, just working everything out piece by piece,"
"I understand. Truly, I do. Grief is not an easy emotion to reconcile with. No-one can tell you how you should feel or for how long... though we can help you if you want to let us."
"Not really. To be honest I remember how the kids at school's parents looked at my dad after his stroke and I see the same look in a fair few of my colleague's eyes. Pity doesn't help anyone."
"Is it pity? Any one of your colleagues... your friends would do anything to help you, you know that. They’re grieving too and they do love you, but have you considered that perhaps your Cargggite self-reliance means you don't create space for them that makes it easy to approach you to help when you are clearly in pain?"
"Boom! There it is." Lu's expression slipped back into the cold neutral she had worn when she arrived as she looked directly at the team's counsellor.
"Have I said something you didn't expect?" Anje asked, her expression was one of concern.
"Hell, no!"
....................
There was a silence between them that stretched out.
Anje Faulkner waited patiently, and hoped her disappointment didn’t show. This sort of silent behaviour was a form of bullying; claiming dominance by trying to force the other person to speak first. After almost a full minute of silence Anje decided to take control of the issue.
"After today I do not have free time to see you for at least another twelve days. You will not be allowed to resume active duty until I decide you are fit. Do you want to resume your role as a Legionnaire today or do you want an enforced holiday?"
The silence continued.
"Lournu. I know you are at least as smart as 90% of your colleagues, and this petulance is a child’s tool. Passive aggression is a weak persons response to a problem, so please don’t use it against me again. Do you understand? I'm here to help you but ultimately the good of the team takes precedence. That is something I'm quite sure you understand. I am not going to molly-coddle you, you’re too smart to take it if I did. If I say something you dislike or disagree with then you are free to challenge me. So… please, can we continue?"
"Yes, of course." Luornu sounded huffy as she answered.
"So, let's cut to the chase; do you feel you have allowed your teammates to assist and support you?"
Lournu shook her head and looked away.
"You've had an exceptional time in the last few years; you gained additional powers of self-replication after living as a One-Bod... your word, not mine... for quite some time, you lost your husband Chuck, you lost the Montauk Point Academy and have returned to active duty as a Legionnaire. I don't mind saying, there are several of your colleagues that I doubt would have coped, but according to you, you're 'fine'. You understand why I want us to examine this further, don't you?" Anje pressed. Luornu looked away again and lowered her head before she replied.
"Some days I'm barely hanging on but I always get through...." once more there was an awkward silence before eventually Lu carried on. "All those things you said are true Anje. But it isn't everything... we've also lost Vi and Jo and Kara, Dirk left, even Brainy left. Tinya has vanished... Then the mission on Talok viii was just horrible... we lost the entire world and billions of innocents, Brek and Hadru's trial hurt too. Having many sister-selves to rely on keeps me going. And I want to set an example..."
"Example? What, that it's okay to struggle in silence, and that it's not okay to be vulnerable or ask for help?"
Lournu took a deep breath before she answered softly. "Ah... you're probably right."
"You mentioned others that have died, and that have left... how do you feel about them Lu?"
Lournu smiled as she started to reply. "Bringing Kara to the 31st century was only my third mission on the team and I really admired her. She was a bit of a mess to be honest, always in her cousin's shadow, but she had the heart of a lion. In some ways she was even more magnificent than Kal, she felt she had so much to prove. Kara was a unifying presence amongst the girls back then, we all aspired to be like her. She might've been able to punch a moon out of orbit but was a sweetheart really." Lu gave a wistful smile as she finished and took a drink from the glass of water on the table beside her. Anje remained quiet until she continued.
"Vi and I were quite close as we were seen as the weak links on the team, so we looked out for each other for the first few years after she joined... she would come to me for advice from time to time. After that business with Yera impersonating her she... she was hurting real badly and I tried to reach out but she didn't take me up on my offer."
"How did that make you feel?"
"Worried, but I knew Vi was stronger than she was given credit for so I assumed she would be okay."
"Okay, and what about the others you mentioned? Jo, Dirk, Querl... how do you feel about their loss and leaving?"
"Ah, Jo... well despite his rufty-tufty exterior he was alright, a good egg at heart. He cared a lot more than most people realised. Tinya saw it first, and the rest of us were a bit sceptical to be honest but he more than proved himself, didn't he?"
"I never met him, I'm afraid. What about the others you said have left?"
"Well... Dirk was an arse. Actually, that's probably unfair as he's as messed up in his own way as the rest of us, he just hid his neuroses behind the big smiles and rich-kid privilege. He had that easy confidence that I... I was jealous of, I think. And, I had a love-hate relationship with Querl. He was sort of responsible for killing me... twice. Ha, you'd think I would hate him really but he was someone that everyone underestimated... the depth of his compassion is incredible. Tinya... I've been friends with Tinya longer than anyone and I know Nura says she'll be back but its still a huge worry... So, on the whole their deaths, and leaving all hurt. Yes, I miss them all. I've been friends with them for all my adult life. I don't know how Tinya and Ayla cope so well... though who knows, perhaps they're not."
"Have you spoken to your teammates about any of this?"
"Do you need to ask?"
"Okay, fair enough." Anje gave Lu a smile.
"So... you're away to suggest something, aren't you?" Lu echoed Anje's smile back at her as she asked.
"I suggest you speak to one person by the end of tomorrow about how you really feel. It can be anyone you feel safe with, but I really do insist you do this Lu. You can let me know how that felt at our next session. We will also be discussing your reactions to Marmud and other junior teammates, so expect some hard questions. I will suggest that you are allowed to keep your active duty status, though perhaps not lead any potentially life-threatening missions. So, if you can make time in your calendar again in a week, we'll meet up then. How does that sound?"
"Oh? You sure you have the time?" Luornu smiled mockingly as she asked.
"I'll make it." Anje smiled in response.
After Luornu left Anje made notes. At the end of these she wrote two sentences to sum up her thoughts after their meeting:
"Luornu Durga is fit for mission active status though I would suggest removal of a full leadership role until further examination of her current mental state is conducted - in particular, the effects that having many multiple duplicates has on her sense of self. It is clear that Lournu has given the majority of life to the betterment and care of others and consequently her considerable energies have never been healthily focussed on herself resulting in, ironically given her Cargggite heritage, her being one of the loneliest people I have ever met."
Last edited by Harbinger; 08/19/24 06:10 AM. Reason: changed the updated date
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine Started 3 Jan 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
what a lovely start to the year Harbi, LW 9! also a nice treat for me, as I am a big fan of your work also love how you've grown and evolved your team. Hope World is so inspirational, I would love it if superheroes in canon did more of that stuff too you've done great things with Luornu. and I am digging your Anje, she is so good at what she does. brilliant Galactica entry on Cargg! 333rd planet settled by Terrans is a nice touch and I love how you picked elements from the different boots: the religion of the Reboot and I think SW6 (Great Valor!), the radiation from the Threeboot. also the evolution of their religious beliefs here is very realistic. ooh, I never imagined there could be Carggites unable to triplicate. And I like your thinking re how triplicating would affect Carggites' view of the world. also like how you play up Lu's trijitsu skills, TBH I don't recall being particularly impressed by her fighting skills in the Reboot - I think it was only under SW6 where we began to see elements of that also the bit about Cargg joining the UP, we see that in our time too - like Croatia joining the Euro and Schengen zones. Lu not really caring about being close to her mother, also seems realistic. if there was never anything there... Also great bit about Lu being "displaced" by Val joining, as the martial artist. (and thinking about the Adventure team, indeed... can't really think of anyone besides Val who would rival Lu for best martial artist!) haha I think Lu's horoscope is spot on. the business... falling in love twice (Kal, and Chuck?). I was also thinking that Lu was still grieving over Chuck, so that might have to do with her behavior recently! Nice exploration of it! ooh, Lu and Gim. but yeah I could not really see that working out indeed. Chuck is also a nice guy, but Chuck had more of a worldliness than Gim does! also a very great progression in the conversation, with Lu slowly softening up, and bits of humor starting to be injected, and rapport building up. well done! great reference to how Lyle's death would have shaken up Lu and Chuck! yes, thank you for calling out that the silent treatment IS a form of bullying I wanted to applaud Anje for her addressing Lu's silence head on my heart broke a little when Lu listed all the tragedies and difficulties recently. also makes sense that she'd mention Hadru, as he was one of her early students! that bit about Kara was sweet and the examination of her friendship with Vi. and also Lu's thoughts on Jo, Dirk, Querl, Tinya... I'm loving this a lot, Harbi. what a masterpiece, from digging deep into Lu and the interaction of her powers + motivations with her self, to the evolving conversation between Lu and Anje. very very very well done, and I am so eager for more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine Started 3 Jan 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Straight into Lu's therapy session, BAM! I have some more in-depth thoughts about the session, but first of all I just wanna say I love that Carggg write-up - take a bow! ...onto the session itself, and Harbi this was so well written! I am super impressed, I can tell you have put a lot of thought into how it would go from both sides and I really really like that Anje didn't take Lu's crap for a second. Grown-up Luornu is honestly one of the Legionnaires I would find most intimidating one on one and I think it says a lot for Anje's skill that she knew she wouldn't get anywhere walking on egg shells around her. Everything Lu said also rings really true for her character; this was a really immersive read!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 March 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Home Base:
Cosmic Boy – Rokk Krinn of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields
Probational tutor: Sun Boy ii - Sky-Lieutenant Annach’ha of the Tamaranean Sun-Corps - combat specialist - flight, strength, solar energy absorption and projection, tactile telepathy.
Sky-Lieutenant Annach'ha had arrived in UP space seventy two hours prior to setting foot on Home Base on his first day of training.
Princess Daheenisha, or Lexikon as her Legion teammates called her, had joined him to Henry's warp control room on Second Base and after wishing him luck at the academy, kissed him rather firmly before the warp to take him to Home Base spun into existence before them. He had been given a tour around the bases very briefly when he had first arrived, but since then he had been spending his time exclusively with his princess fiancé. Were he to be totally honest, he hadn't really given the bases much thought.
As he stepped through Henry's warp, the young Tamaranean soldier once again marvelled at how smooth the transition was between where he had been and where he appeared. The Vegans had their own teleportation system but it was nowhere as comfortable as the warps Henry created.
"You're early," Rokk Krinn said as he looked up from a hard light screen.
"Of course, sir..."
"It's Rokk, not sir, please. So, as you know, we're giving you a month's intensive training and if it goes well, we'll have you on the tutor's team afterwards. Today though, we're going to give you a few hours to get acclimatised..."
"Thank you, that's incredibly generous, si... Rokk." The young Tamaranean soldier looked surprised and happy at this news. Rokk Krinn marvelled at how open Annach'ha was with his emotions, so unlike his fiancé.
"And, so," Rok continued, "we've asked one of the Legionnaires who was also a military man to give you a tour this morning."
.................................
Comet King - Drinchnar Lamment of Extal colony - spaceflight, comet gas extrusion Night Girl - Lydda Jath of Kathoon - incredible strength and durability out of direct sunlight
Comet King was flying through a holo-assault course in the Second Base main gymnasium designed to test his agility and reflexes.
The gymnasium AI had generated the course as part of his on-going training; it adapted using the results from previous training to increase the difficulty and to monitor his responses. The AI algorithm used the same process with each Legionnaire and results were shared on a large holo-board in the changing rooms - the thinking being it would foster healthy competition within the team if they could see how well their colleagues were doing.
Currently on the board, Timber Wolf was in the lead, though there were quite a few of his teammates close to his score that were pushing themselves to knock him off the top spot. Drinchnar Lamment was in joint fourth alongside Atom Girl and he was not impressed with himself. The former soldier knew he had the determination and discipline to get higher up the ratings, if he put his mind to it, and being here without the galaxilious Grava to distract him, Comet King knew this morning would be the day he did it!
As he spun through the course, Drinchnar realised he only had forty minutes before he was due to start a training session over on the Academy. Like all active Legionnaires, he was obliged to spend one day a month helping the tutors on Home Base. He rather enjoyed it, if he was being honest. His own career had started in the military so he appreciated his opportunity to mix with current members of the UP armed forces. They reminded him of not so long ago when he had happily been in their ranks. He spun through his course in record time, pushing his strength and speed to desperately grab the finish line holo-ribbon.
Comet King took a couple of sharp breaths and looked up at the holo-score - it was four whole seconds faster than his previous time on a course with a steeper rating than any he had run before - He knew that Atom Girl wouldn't beat that score and he was certain he'd go up through the rankings now!
Today was going to be a good day, he thought as he flew to the sonic showers, definitely a good day!
As Drinchnar stepped through the warp from Second Base to Home Base he was met by a team of students queuing up to take a warp through to their training assignment. Chameleon Girl was speaking to them, letting them know what was expected from their field trip.
Drinchnar thought the student's mission sounded boring as it was an Observation mission... he had always hated sentry duty, or most non-combat duties actually, preferring the thrill of physical action... of battle. And, he was very happy that the Legion was set up to play to the team members individual strengths so he would never realistically sent to spy on anyone, for one thing he was pretty distinctive looking, instead he was generally sent where the team needed a strong response.
He made his way from the warp control chamber to the main meeting room to check his assignment for the day. Drinchnar hoped he would be looking after a group from the UP military today, though he knew it might be his turn to help out the tutors with one of their special teams... these were the students that were trying solely for Legionhood... they could be a mixed bag, often with powers he didn't really understand, if he was being honest. As he strolled through the corridors, he remembered the first time he had been here, well over a year ago now. This planetoid had been carved out by a religious cult and nearly every wall had frescoes or some fancy scroll work - it was so unlike anywhere he had lived before that he had found it daunting, overwhelming. Grava had got him through that disorientating time so well with her kindness and beauty...
"Hey Comet King!" a voice called out from behind and he turned to see Night Girl striding along the corridor towards him.
"Lydda, hey!" He gave a lopsided grin as he waited for her to catch up.
"So, we're giving you a special task today. You're working with Sun Boy..."
"Dirk's back? Stratospheric news!" He interrupted, clearly happy.
"Oh, no, not Dirk. It's Lexikon's fiancé, Annach'ha. That's his new code-name. Well, since Dirk left... y'know we've not heard much from him, and it's unlikely he'll be back, so why waste a perfectly good name?"
"Ah... okay, so what's the stellar-scope?" Drinchnar didn't sound entirely convinced but knew how to take orders, so would approach this task professionally.
"He's being fast tracked through the Academy, and as he's Vegan military in background, we thought you two might get along. It would be good for him, I think, to know there is another with a similar life experience... Do you mind spending the morning giving him a proper tour and introducing him to the set-up here?"
"yah... that'd be nova-bright, my pleasure."
Night Girl didn't entirely believe Comet King but gave him a bright encouraging smile anyway as she led him towards Rokk's office where the Tamaranean was waiting.
..................................
Three and a half hours later and Drinchnar Lamment and Sky-Lieutenant Annach'ha were in a rec room laughing as they shared stories about their time in their respective military forces.
They had visited the mini-training spaces - classrooms and combat zones, they had been to the docking bays and Henry's warp control room, discussed the role of a tutor and a Legionnaire and how it related and compared to the soldier's life, and finally they had stopped for a quick lunchbreak. It was here that Drinchnar had commented on one of his previous commanding officers, taking particular joy in calling for unexpected drills in the middle of the night. Annach'ha immediately agreed and sympathised as he too had to deal with such unlikeable treatment.
It was two hours later when they finally resumed their tour. By then, a few students that were on placements from the UP Military had joined them and shared their stories. The two former soldiers had thrown away all pretence of formality at this point and were laughing as they flew around the corridors of Home Base.
As Rokk and Lydda monitored the situation from their holo-deck in their personal quarters, they both smiled. Rokk complimented Lydda on the idea to introduce Comet King to their new Sun Boy.
Knowing that Annach'ha had made friends this morning made it far more likely that he would succeed at the Academy.
...................................
Home Base, Tutors Rec Room
Shadow Lass - Tasmia Mallor of Talok viii - summon and manipulate total darkness Lady Memory - Kahnya Nahtahnie of Talok viii. Memory manipulation Shadow Lass and Lady Memory had met at the Academy an hour earlier.
Though traditionally from warring tribes on their home world, the two Champions of their respective peoples had made peace between themselves and were working together to assist the survivors from the destruction of Talok viii.
Part of that involved Lady Memory helping with the training of students on Home Base. She gladly did this as the student body had saved thousands of lives on Talok viii before the world was lost to the Blight. She knew that without the bravery and selflessness that the student body had shown it would be doubtful if many of her people would have survived. Certainly none that were on the planet would have...
"It is amazing how much the settlements have come on already. The United Planets have really helped... even the Forge Smiths are happy." As she said this Kahnya laughed and Tasmia joined in.
"Yes, I was there two days ago. There's smoke belching out from the Forges already and I heard that they are sharing resources... I would never have believed it possible two years ago. And many of the new settlements are of mixed tribes, sharing their knowledge and skills. I believe our peoples are at the start of a renaissance that will benefit us all in the future."
"I have a question Tasmia..." Kahnya looked down for a split second, a moment of unexpected vulnerability that alerted the Shadow Champion that this question might be troubling answers.
"Please, Kahnya, what is it that troubles you?" Tasmia's voice was low, even though they were alone in the rec room.
"We lost our Sacred Spring in which all of those that access our history come to their power... you lost your Cave of Ancestors. The Forest Folk lost their Holy Glade... will our people have further Champions or are we the last?"
Tasmia felt her blood freeze! She had not considered this. She knew now that Atrophos of the Blight was ultimately responsible for the meta-powers that her bloodline carried the potential for, yet had not thought about what it would mean now that the Blight had been eliminated from this reality.
There was a long pause before Tasmia replied.
"Kahnya, our people are warriors be nature and the Forges create the best armour in the known galaxy. Perhaps... perhaps we no longer need Champions? Perhaps it is time for the old Tribes to ...simply become one people? Humans and Khunds have different coloured skins amongst their races yet they are not differentiated because of it, so why shouldn't Talokeans be the same?" As she said it, Tasmia knew that only a few years ago she would have thought such options as heresy, treasonous!
Lady Memory of the Desert People, ancestral enemy to Tasmia Mallor of the City Folk, smiled and nodded as she replied.
"I had the same thought."
"Let's make it so." Tasmia said.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Kahnya laughed after she said this.
"That's perfectly understandable." Tasmia replied with a sly grin.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 March 23
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Wanderer
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IB and Raz, thank you for your kind words above, I'm really glad you liked it as Lu is a tricky character to get into the mind of so I kept my fingers crossed I'd done her justice when I posted it. Things are still a bit busy in my personal life so I'm not sure when I'll get back, but wanted to at least post something so these have been sitting on draft folder for a while and I hope you enjoy them. Next will be a night out for seven of the newer team members that includes a battle unlike anything I have ever seen in a comic or fan-fic! I do believe it's an all time first Anyway, thanks again guys, C
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 March 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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ooh more goodness! you definitely did Lu justice, Harbi. as always, eager to read more from you - hope things settle down in personal life soon! and now my comments on the latest bits: Interesting how Sun Boy II and Lexikon are so different with their emotions, is it because Lexikon (as royalty) needed to be much more guarded? Comet King! of course! military man to military man! I love the healthy competition bit, and nice bit having Brin be 1 and Sylva/Comet King be 4th. wonder who 2nd and 3rd are? I bet Titan is high up there also love that whole "Legion caters to your strengths" bit, indeed! instead of stressing people out to be something they're not... ah, the Sun Boy code name is going to continue to cause confusion methinks I like how you write this snag! and good going Lydda, good going! you always right Tasmia and Lady Memory so well, they have such a good working relationship. Lots of mutual respect there. and good exploration of the implications of the Blight... ooh, I lvoe that comparison re humans, skin color, that sort of thing. perhaps these two can lead Talok VIII into a new future... awesome stuff Harbi, awesome stuff!
Last edited by Invisible Brainiac; 03/01/23 04:55 AM.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 March 23
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Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
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Comet King and (the new) Sun Boy becoming fast friends is fun to see - especially throwing in the bit about Drinchnar being a little cagey on him using Dirk's codename, it was nice to see him come around so quick. I liked the quick mention of the holoboard ranking as well - Brin being on top isn't surprising, but it makes me wonder what the rest of the top 10 would look like! I also really like Shady and Lady Memory's developing friendship...it will be interesting to see how this develops! And you have me very curious about this battle coming up, looking forward to seeing what you have come up with!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 March 23
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First Base:
Ultra Girl - Li-Fahn Qiong of Xanthu - incredible strength, speed, indestructibility, spaceflight, and projection of force blasts, effectively limited to one at a time Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis Friction - Janee Whittakka of Xanthu - manipulates the force of friction Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field Triple Nova - Elthur Mundo of Carggg - split into three separate bodies, each with either strength and durability, speed and reflexes, or laser vision Glory - Gloriana Crestellen of Grighshtall iv - medical support - awareness and manipulation of bio-auras Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations
Ultra Girl, Polar Girl and Friction had all known each other when they attended the Academy and, now that they had progressed to being full Legionnaires, they regularly liked to catch up with each other. As they didn't feel they were in competition for a place on the main team anymore they had become close friends.
The three young women had met up earlier and Friction insisted they were overdue an outing away from their bases that didn't involve being on a mission. They were not only overdue but needed to do it tonight! Her friends agreed.
As the current policy was to have groups leave in a minimum of four, they invited Bouncing Boy to join them. The three young women knew that Stoor was so laid back he wouldn't mind spending the day with them. Polar Girl also found him kind of cute, "in a dorky sort of way" she said to her friends with a slightly embarrassed grin. Friction had shrugged blandly as if understanding perfectly while Ultra Girl gave an approving smile.
When they holoed Stoor to ask if he wanted a night out, he told them that he'd had a similar conversation with Elthur and Glory just that morning at breakfast so the three young women invited them as well. The more the merrier!
Tyroc had given Stoor permission to leave their base but asked that he wear his distorter or some disguise just to be sure. The young man from Pasnic happily agreed before thanking the team leader and hopping through one of Henry's warps to First Base. The three young women were waiting for him in the Romper Room with a suggestion of what to do before leaving - Mel and Janee had decided that instead of hiding behind a distorter they all needed a makeover!
Elthur and Glory had said they would meet them in Henry's warp control room in two and a half hours so they had a little bit of time to get ready before going out. As the pair had been in a relationship since their time in the Academy together, they valued some quality alone time. Especially now that she had joined the medical team and he had joined the main team: consequently they had hardly any time together in the last month so were quite insistent that they had this time to themselves first.
Everyone knew that Kinetix was the person to ask for fashion tips but the new Legionnaires decided they were all old enough to make their own mistakes so Janee had grabbed a Hair-Stylatron and programmed in the new cuts and colours for the rest of the group while Mel had been working on getting some outrageous clothes together for them all.
To show she wasn't afraid, Friction went first. Her hair was naturally thick and tightly curled, and she had always kept it practical and short in a style her mother had called Cornrows. But now it was time to let loose, she said, as she pulled the silver cap off her head to reveal the new hairstyle that she had chosen. Her hair flowed down to below her shoulders in a gentle wave, the ends curling inwards, and instead of black it was now several shades of golden blonde with bronzed highlights and a deep umber on the roots which raised the other colours. The other three applauded her bravery and clapped as she shook her head around, showing off the length and softness of her hair as it swung across her face.
Polar Girl was next. The Tharrite usually had a practical rough-cut strawberry blonde bob but knew that Janee wouldn't have programmed anything so plain... she excitedly waited as the silver cap did its work and, three minutes later she lifted it off to find her hair was very different: an asymmetrical sharply cut bob, far longer on the left side as it dipped to her collar bone, that shone in a deep cold metallic blue with evenly spaced sharp white streaks on the top of her head that spiked up and drooped down like spider plant leaves. It was quite a striking change. Mel loved it!
Ultra Girl was a bit hesitant and blushed as her friends placed the Hair-Stylatron onto her head. Her hair was usually straight, long, and dark, and they all knew from several late night heart-to-heart conversations that it was one of the few things Li-Fahn actually liked about herself. It took a few minutes but when the cap was lifted off, the young woman's hair was the same length only now it had a very relaxed wave and there were several red and crimson hues layered up over shades of rose and lavender underlayers giving her usually flat-looking hair the illusion of volume without majorly changing it.
"I know how much you like the length of your hair Li, so I just changed the colour to match your energy signature... is that okay?" Janee, usually so confident, asked quietly.
Li-Fahn checked herself against the mirror-holo and smiled, thanking her friend as she thought it was now perfect! The usually quite stoic Ultra Girl hugged Janee and flipped her hair once more, staring at herself in the mirror-holo with a wide smile.
Bouncing Boy was last. His short hair was an off red and naturally unruly, so he wondered what the girls had in store for him. With his pale blue skin, he hoped it would be anything other than lime green or yellow as he worried those colours would draw whatever warmth he had right out of his face... the cap was on for only two minutes before it pinged to signal it had finished its cycle. They pulled it off, allowing Bouncing Boy to examine himself in the mirror-holo. His hair was now shaved around both sides of his head, and what was left had a deep dark blue hue, verging on black with at least a dozen spikes easily six inches long sticking upwards in a line from the centre of his brows to the nape of his neck. On Pasnic, his homeworld, this would be called a Dark Cut, a punk style that those that wanted to be seen as rebelling against their home world's rather staid culture.
Stoor loved it!
"Now," announced Polar girl, "we need some clothes to match, so get ready to get your freak on!"
................
Two hours later and the four new Legionnaires were waiting for Triple Nova and Glory in the warp room, giggling amongst themselves.
Ultra Girl, usually seen in her bulky red armour while on duty or practical clothes when not, wore a long sleeveless evening dress made from a shiny silk that ranged from pale pink at her neck through darkening hues of red until the bottom quarter was entirely black which elegantly flowed out behind her. The bottom edge had a line of embroidered abstracted flower shapes in shades of red. Polar Girl had given her a fascinator for her hair shaped like a delicate lily. It was a classically feminine look for the young woman that they were used to seeing in battle armour. Li-Fahn held a hand over her mouth and giggled as she looked at herself in the holo-mirror.
Friction had a black leather vest top with a zig-zag motif, red and white leggings with a jagged pattern, metal bands along her arms, leather boots with a row of silver studs around the edging, and a dark red and white pashmina across her shoulders that had wide golden threads at the ends that matched the zig-zags on her top. As her uniform she usually wore was a single colour with black and white boots and gloves, this outfit really popped. She finished her look off with two streaks of gold running from one cheek to the other across the bridge of her nose.
Polar Girl wore a huge white cloak that trailed behind her that appeared to be a thick, deep fur. It was held at the throat by a large dull metal clasp in the shape of a serpent eating its own tail. Underneath the massive cloak she wore a shimmering body stocking that shone in shades of stormy petrol blue with snowflake shapes in a slightly lighter hue running down her left side, and a long white belt at her waist that wrapped around her lithe frame half a dozen times with each loop hanging further down her right hip. Mel Lassar thought she looked like something from a fantasy tale, and she loved it!
Meanwhile, Bouncing Boy had fully embraced the punk aesthetic and wore an over-sized black leather biker jacket with leopard print fake fur in the collar while the arms and back were covered in studs and rhinestones, along with a tight vest top that was ripped across his stomach to show off his pecs, and ripped black trousers held together with lines of safety pins. He remained bare footed. The punk aesthetic was alive and well...
When Glory and Triple Nova arrived, they both did a double take, and Glory clapped her hands in delight. Triple Nova wore a rich sky-blue blazer and collarless white shirt with a chequered mauve and green scarf casually tossed around his neck, deep green freshly pressed dress trousers and brown shoes; smart and preppy, as his teammates expected. Glory had at least tried to cut loose in her flared trousers in stripes of pale lavender and green and a cropped top with her name writ across her chest in sequins, and several strings of multi-coloured bead around her neck and wrists. Her hair, which usual she wore up in a practical bun, was now loose and hung across her shoulders with more beads woven into the curls. Her clothes really shone out against her pale ochre skin.
"So, Janee, why did you especially want to go out tonight? What have you got planned?" Polar Girl gave her colleague a quizzical look as she asked.
Friction gave the widest smile before she replied.
"Telforatus 3 has fourteen moons and once every twenty-six years they align in such a way that it appears from the planet's surface as if they're lined up north to south as they fly across the night sky. It's known locally as The Big Streak Holiday as there's a month or so before when everyone gets ready for the big night... a planet wide celebration! The Encyclopaedia Galactica calls it one of the biggest free parties in the Northern Arm of the Milky Way... And guess when it starts? Three hours from now..."
"So... wh..when are w..we going then?" Stoor said as his teammates agreed.
“Ah, hey there,” a voice from behind them said cheerfully, “hope you don’t mind, but I had a vision that I’d be joining you out partying tonight.” Gord Eno, the precognitive they called the Spoiler stood behind them.
While he had been at the academy at the same time as the others, Gord had not usually been part of their social group. Not because any of them disliked him, it was just that he was a couple of years older than them and had a career as a Naltoran Pre-Commando prior to applying to be a Legionnaire so was a little bit more mature and focussed. Gord had been given the nickname ‘Old Father Time’ by some of the students and had always remained slightly apart from them while they were in training.
The stocky Naltoran was wearing a star-field covered hooded body stocking that left his muscular arms bare, with a white belt and short boots. It showed off just how solid and muscular he really was. He looked like a slab of the night sky given human form.
“Ah, sure, come join the fun Gord.” Triple Nova said. Polar Girl and Friction quickly agreed.
“We’re going to a free party on Telforatus 3. It's supposed to be awesome!” Ultra Girl added with a grin.
“So, what’re we waiting for?” Gord asked with a smile, "let's go!"
..........................
Encyclopaedia Galactica: Telforatus 3 is a recent addition to the United Planets. It was terraformed and settled in the late 28th century by Terrans of mostly Antipodean heritage. It is an agricultural planet, famous for its production of various wheats and more exotic food plants. There are political factions on both continents that wish to return to a lo-tech culture, though the current planetary government are very much in favour of a pro high-tech society. Once every twenty-six years, the planet's fourteen moons align, appearing in parallel to each other in the night sky. Locally; this event is called The Big Streak. The celebrations around this event are planet-wide, though the Uluru massif hosts a large festival that many travel to. Lonely Galaxy have declared these festivities in their Top Ten Free Events within the United Planets.
The Legionnaires walked through Henry's warp into a small copse of trees.
They could hear the crowds close by and within a few minutes they were on the edge of an enormous field full of large tents and temporary buildings, and hundreds and hundreds of people, all obviously in the party spirit. There were sounds of distant music and smells of food and drink wafted across to them.
“Right, I’m going to find a bar, I’ll get the first round, y’all are joining me, yeah?” Spoiler looked at his teammates and smiled broadly before he added, “C’mon. it's a once in a generation party folks, let’s get twatted!”
Gord confidently led the group towards a broad tent that had dozens of tables and chairs set up around it. He pointed to a round table with a dozen chairs and told Friction she should get ready to pounce as the family group sat at it were away to leave. She responded by telling him she had always loved precognitives, and gave a laugh as she pulled Ultra Girl with her and went to stand at the table. As they reached it the family asked if they wanted to sit there and got up to leave. Polar Girl and Glory ran over to join their two friends and shouted their orders for the guys to get from the bar for them.
As they cleared the debris from the table and arranged the seats, the four young women discussed how their mentorships had finished and each had said that they missed being partnered with their individual mentors, though were enjoying spending more time with a wider range of the Legionnaires. Both Polar Girl and Friction suspected that Ultra Girl had a crush on her former mentor Thunder, and gently teased her about it. Ultra Girl had laughed along with them, while not quite denying that her friend's assumptions were right. Glory tactfully avoided joining in the conversation at this point as she could sense what each of their auras showed about their true feelings, and knew that discretion was advisable.
Triple Nova, Bouncing Boy and Spoiler headed for the bar.
Gord had been on the same training squad as Stoor when they were at the academy and they started reminiscing about their time with Colossal Boy as a team tutor. As they spoke Elthur triplicated and pushed his way through the crowd to the very busy bar. Gord saw the young Carggite go and quickly stepped in to run interference, nudging anyone that was getting close to impeding Elthur as he got close to the bar counter.
It was only a couple of minutes later when they returned to their colleagues with hands full of drinks on trays with small bowls of food to share.
"You guys are the absolute best! Can I marry you? Any of you..." Janee laughed to herself as she said this, reaching for her drink and a bowl of crunchy snacks.
The table all laughed as the guys replied in unison "Nah!"
................
The group had been sat for half an hour, chatting and laughing as they people watched the crowds around them.
The young Legionnaires had expected to be stared at for their eclectic attire but they were nowhere near as outrageous as a lot of the other attendees.
The table they were sat at was next to a large open field; a thoroughfare of sorts ran alongside them though it was also a half makeshift dancefloor. Music piled out of the surrounding tents and large groups were shaking their stuff to it thereby ensuring those walking by were unlikely to have a straight path to follow. A small group of young revellers passed by, sharing jugs of a steaming fluid. A couple of girls from the group approached the table and invited the young Legionnaires to join them as they went to find a decent viewing point. For the most part they politely declined, apart from Spoiler who laughed and said "Hell, why not?"
The Naltorian turned to his teammates, saying to them to have fun and he'd call if anything came up, and with a laugh he put an arm around each of the strangers that had come to their table and left his teammates to join the group looking for a place to watch the moons go past.
"So rude! He tags along but leaves at the first offer he gets." Polar Girl mockingly exclaimed to Ultra Girl sat next to her. Li-Fahn gave a small tight smile as a response and watched as Spoiler laughed and joked with the strangers he had just joined.
"Hey... I wish I was that confident and care-free as well y'know... only we can't see what our future holds so, well... we're still here." She gave her friend a sympathetic smile and patted her hand.
"I'm going to join him." Ultra Girl said as she stood up and turned away from the table.
"What? Wait, I'll come..." As Mel stood up her long cloak caught in her chair and she fell over. Triple Nova, sat at the other side of the awkwardly perched Polar Girl, offered a hand to steady her as she got back onto her chair.
Friction had been watching the scene and as Polar Girl regained her balance, she stood up, "You stay, I'll join Li-Fahn, you stay and enjoy yourself." Janee gave her friend a furtive look towards Bouncing Boy, well aware that the Tharrite had a crush... before Mel could reply, Friction walked to Ultra Girl and took her arm and the pair scurried after the group that Spoiler had just joined.
A hundred metres ahead of them, their Naltorian teammate turned around and waved for them to join him.
......................................................
Ultra Girl - Li-Fahn Qiong of Xanthu - incredible strength, speed, indestructibility, spaceflight, and projection of force blasts, effectively limited to one at a time Friction - Janee Whittakka of Xanthu - manipulates the force of friction Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations
There were five people in the group that Gord had joined - two guys who chatted amicably, and three girls who walked on ahead, dancing among themselves as the gulped from the steaming jugs they had offered to the Legionnaires. The two young men smiled at Li-Fahn and Janee and held their hands out towards them as they got close.
"Hey ladies, let's find room to dance." The nearest said as he took Janee's hand. She didn't resist though kept him at arms length.
"Sounds great, I'm Janee and this is my friend Li-Fahn." She said with a big smile, "what's you're names?"
"I'm Victa, and that's Bolton. They're Alissia, Megyla and Drimchung." He nodded to the three girls ahead of them as his friend held his hand out for Ultra Girl to take. She had been more hesitant and just smiled as she walked beside him.
"This is ace-ic, isn't it? Got nothing like this in Rimbor..."
"Wow, you're from there?" Janee felt herself stiffen, ready for trouble, "wasn't there some big hassles there recently, like... gangs and the Legion or something... it looked awful."
"Yeah, street gangs are always kicking off, we're merchant guild, we work in sales, so nothing that skeevie going on." The man who had introduced himself as Victa said, with a charming smile.
<do we believe these guys?> Janee gave a small laugh as she sent her message across the telepathic matrix.
<I don't foresee any trouble> Spoiler replied.
"So how about you Bolton... are you in a gang?" Li-Fahn asked with a smile. She watched him as a hawk watches its prey as he replied.
"Nah, no need, I'm a Guildsman. The gangs are for other folks. I'm lucky my family are established merchants." He responded proudly.
Ultra Girl took his hand as she replied, "that's good to hear, tonight's for partying not... well, getting up to no good gang stuff, don't you agree?" She smiled sweetly and looked away.
<I don't think he's lying>
Friction had hung back behind the group and pretended to look around, casually swinging her right arm as if she was stretching her shoulder so her flight ring could scan the people they was with. She then turned her back to them and willed a small hard light screen into existence so she could check the results.
The two men showed definite gene modifications! The only consolation was that neither were on any science Police database for known gang members, so perhaps they really were just Guildsmen... though why would merchants need meta-gene modifications? She blinked several times and took a deep breath before turning back to her teammates and running to catch up with them. As she did, Janee shared her findings across the telepathic matrix. Gord reiterated that he had not foreseen any trouble.
<we can play it by ear Janee, there's no crime having a gene-mod is there? Let's wait and see> Ultra girl replied
<that's what I hoped you'd say, we're here to have fun so let's get jigging> Spoiler sent with a small smile on his face.
Friction's expression made it clear she disagreed with her teammates. They might be feeling hedonistic but she planned on keeping a watch over the two gene-modified Rimborians.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 March 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
IB and Raz, once again my thanks for your kind reviews, they are appreciated!
I thought about who could help the new Sun Boy settle in and of course Comet King was the obvious choice - they make a cute couple of buddies so I'll probably look in on them soon. I wonder if Lexikon and Grava will get that close? And there are so many loose ends after the destruction of Talok viii that I'll be checking out various characters throughout this volume.
Next up, a surprise visit by Mon El? really? And while Bouncing Boy and Polar Girl deal with issues Glory has an epiphany, and that battle is coming too, I hope it's as much fun to read as it was to write. Oh, and what is Spoiler really up to?
Anyway, I'm about 25 posts behind on IB's story do I'd best get cracking on that so that's all for now.
Thanks again guys!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 March 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
hi Harbi, faboo work, you deserve every compliment I give you! Sun Boy II/Kekixon/Comet Queen & King would make a lovely and fun quartet! nice to see more of some of your original characters! you've made them all come to life, and for each I can remember a couple of nice moments from earlier posts of yours. I like how some of them became close friends because they no longer feel they need to compete with one another also, wise of the Legion to be so security-focused. I wonder, what is the policy for home/family visits? Is the rule of four still in place? I like Glory and Elthur;s focus on relationship first! and also a nice nod to fashionista Kinetix and indeed, it takes some bravery to let one's hair be in the mercy of some device lol aw, I awwwed at poor Li-Fahn. her hair is one of the few things she liked about herself? I want to give her a comforting hug. I'm glad she liked the result! fab outfits too, you describe them so well, and indeed they tie in well with the new hairdos! I also love how Spoiler had a vision of partying with the gang, and just showed up lol makes sense a Commando would be super muscular and fit too! what an interesting concept for a planet! Telforatus 3, with some factions wanting to go lo-tech... smart of Glory being discreet because of the bio-auras, ooh, lots of potential for drama here! I like how smart and careful everyone is. Go Friction, especially! well, this is turning into a very nice outing, Harbi! I'm eager for more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 17 March 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field
Mel and Stoor had decided to go for a walk.
There were still a couple of hours before the moons would align, so they agreed to meet Glory and Elthur back at the table in ninety minutes.
As they walked through the crowds, Mel slipped her hand into Stoor's and interlocked fingers. It was a couple of seconds later that he realised and quickly pulled his hand away.
"Uh... I'm sorry, M...Mel, d...don't know why I d...did that." He exclaimed.
"It's okay, Stoor." She said with a placating smile. He nodded and walked on ahead. Their hands didn't interlock again.
Mel walked just behind him, her thoughts racing around what a fool she had been thinking he might be attracted to her.
Stoor walked on ahead, a blush across his cheeks. What an idiot, he thought, imagine holding her hand like he would ever stand a chance... there's no way someone as cute and smart as Polar Girl would ever...
Ahead of them, there was a scream that cut through the crowd and sudden aggressive shouting. Mel rushed past Stoor, grabbing his arm as she did. He started to activate his flight ring, but she pulled him down to the ground.
"C'mon, we can deal with this without blowing our cover." She hissed as she dragged Bouncing Boy behind her.
Ahead of them, a small market stall holder was wrestling with two or three guys who were clearly trying to run off with his wares.
"Right, you distract them, I've got an idea..." Polar Girl pushed Stoor forward, towards the trouble. The young man from Pasnic momentarily froze before he remembered his training - in the first instance, they should talk down an opponent if possible...
"Oi!" He bellowed, "wotcha think y...y...you're d...doing?" None of the people fighting noticed. He cupped his hands around his mouth and activated his loudhailer function on his flight ring and tried again.
"OI!" This time, everyone within a hundred metres turned around as his amplified voice echoed around the field. Stoor was as surprised as anyone, he hadn't thought to lower the settings on his loud hailer app, and after blinking several times he regained his composure, "S..stop what you're d..d..doing there! Leave him alone." He didn't use his loudhailer, certain that he had their attention.
"Shut up, moron, until you can speak proper!" One of them shouted back with a cruel laugh before they all started beating on the stall owner again. Stoor rushed forward, but before he reached them, there was a loud voice from above.
"Stop where you are!" This was a voice Stoor immediately recognised - Mon El! The Daxamite Legionnaire hovered twenty metres above them, in an iconic pose with his hands balled into fists resting on his hips.
<Lar... we had it...>
<It's me dummy, I've got my distorter holoing Mon El around me> Polar Girl responded.
Many in the crowd that were stood around looked up and began to cheer.
"I said stop!" This time, Polar Girl had used her loudhailer; several people covered their ears. The three thugs backed away, but before they got far "Mon El" cupped his hand around his mouth and a blast of icy 'breath' blew out and struck the legs of three thugs, freezing their feet to the ground.
"I'll let the local law enforcement deal with you, I can hear something on the other side of the continent. Be kind to each other and enjoy the festivities." And with that, he vanished.
"Wow, look at him go!" Stoor shouted, excitedly pointing towards the horizon, as if the Daxamite legionnaire had used his hyper velocity to cross the sky. Many in the crowd looked to where the young man from Pasnic had indicated. Stoor was aware that Mel had changed her belt distorter to its Hide mode, and while it was good, it wouldn't stop people from seeing her outline against the sky if they really looked hard.
<You good?> He sent to Polar Girl.
<Yeah, just landing behind the big chill-out barn, a hundred metres to your seven o'clock.>
<Be there in a mo...>
Before joining Mel, Stoor walked up to the stall holder and asked if they were okay. The man was straightening his clothes, his face red from being punched. The stall holder thanked him for stepping in before saying he had never imagined he would ever see a Legionnaire, let alone be saved by one. Over the ambient noise of the festival around them, they could hear a siren approaching, and Stoor knew that the local constabulary might blow his cover so he wished the stall holder all the best and walked away. He smiled as he cut through the crowd to the barn where Polar Girl waited for him.
She rushed towards him and flung her arms around him. "That was amazing!" She said, looking up into his face.
"Y...y...you were amazing!" He replied with a big grin.
They started walking back towards the table where their teammates would be waiting.
"Stoor, look, I'm so sorry..." Mel had a conversation all mapped out, how she would apologise for being so forward. She hoped he didn't avoid her after this as she really did enjoy his company; he was so kind and easygoing that he was one of the few people she felt really relaxed around.
"No, listen... I'm sorry, b..b..'cause you aren't..."
"What? Tall enough? Your type?" Mel looked up at him. There was a challenge in the way she held her chin up.
"No! F...F...Fiery Gods, no. I know y...you aren't interested, y...you're too good for me, y...you're so smart and c...cute, and what would you ever see in..."
"Oh, shut your mouth!" With that, Mel used her flight ring to levitate off the ground until she faced him, pulling him in for a kiss.
She tried hard not to laugh at his expression as she pulled away but couldn't hold it in. Stoor Chamble was stunned!
"C'mon, let's go rejoin the others." She said, taking his hand.
"Yeah... or..." He started to smile.
"Or?"
"Or we can do that a bit more, then rejoin the team in a b... bit." He gave a cheeky grin.
Mel Lassar threw her arms around his chest and stretched her chin up towards his face. Stoor Chamble looked glorious, she thought, as they kissed some more.
...................................................
Triple Nova - Elthur Mundo of Carggg - split into three separate bodies, each with either strength and durability, speed and reflexes, or laser vision Glory - Gloriana Crestellen of Grighshtall iv - medical support - awareness and manipulation of bio-auras
While Glory leaned back against Elthur's chest, she watched the crowds around them.
With her senses, she could tell the mood and health of each. For the most part, the crowd around them were happy and healthy. There were several that were clearly intoxicated or out of their heads on some stim or another, but overall, they were fine.
Elthur was describing the High Desert Plateau in Trindia on Carggg to her and how his family used to go camping there. She wasn't really listening but was at least making appropriate interested sounding noises to encourage him to carry on. She could feel how relaxed and happy he was, so she didn't want to interrupt him.
Suddenly, Glory sat up.
"Oh, the poor soul... We've got to help her." She said, turning to Elthur, who looked surprised at her sudden interruption.
"That woman there..." Glory indicated a woman in a hover chair with a couple of young men walking alongside her, "her aura... she won't make it much past the moons alignment, oh Blessed Serpent... she's really, really ill. One of you should keep these seats, the other two with me."" And without stopping to consider what was going to do or say, Glory got up and wandered across to the three strangers.
Behind her, Elthur triplicated, and his strong self that Glory referred to El-Thor stayed behind. He was pragmatic and often a little too direct so was perhaps the best of the three to guard their table. The triplicate with speed and reflexes - or Elt-Hurry as Glory called him, followed right behind her. He was gregarious and cheeky, always great at breaking the ice with strangers. His self that kept his laser vision, El-Star to Glory's point of view, was the most intelligent and empathetic of the three, walked behind them taking in the scene around them.
A young woman in an anti-grav chair floated ahead of them with two young men walking beside her. It was clear from the tubes that were running from the woman's arm into the tank on the back of the chair that she was receiving some serious medical treatment.
<what is it honey?> El-Star sent.
<she's dying and ...I've got to do something>
<Are you sure we should get involved?> But as these questions reached Glory, she had reached the young woman.
"Hi... I'm Glory, I'm a nurse, I couldn't help but notice..." She indicated the medical pack on the chair and tubes. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" She gave the sick woman a warm smile and exudes an aura that would help soothe any worries she might have. The two young men beside the sick woman stepped forward as if to block Glory, but before they could get in the way the woman spoke.
"Glory... pretty name. I'm Anandarra... you a tourist here for the moons, right?" Her voice was quiet, though her eyes were clear and it was obvious she was no fool. If Glory had been a con-woman she would spot it a mile away!
"Oh, yeah, came with some friends..." Glory pointed to Elt-Hurry and El-Star.
"Twins? Handsome boys..." Anandarra smile as she said this.
"Triplets actually, the other is keeping our table."
"Three? You must be special..." There was a definite teasing edge to this comment and Glory and Anandarra shared a small smile.
While Glory and Anandarra had been speaking El-Hurry had introduced himself and his 'brother' to the two young men, effectively distracting them while Glory spoke to the sick woman. They were Anandarra's brothers, Dreen and Bolin, and both were happy enough to talk to the Legionnaires but their eyes would dart over towards their sister every few seconds, their sadness and fears were all too obvious.
<what's the plan here?> Elt-Hurry asked Glory.
<let's get them to join us, she's fading but the drugs she's on are keeping her going. I'm going to try to help her too a little>
Glory invited Anandarra to sit with them, gently taking the sick woman's hand in her own and using her abilities to subtly bolster her fading body's aura as she did. Anandarra smiled and agreed, adding a cheeky smile as she said she was tired after all the walking they had done that evening.
As they made their way over to the table Glory made sure to let El-Thor know that the people joining them didn't know they were Legionnaires, or that he was in fact a Cargggite. Glory sent across the telepathic matrix that she wanted all three of Elthur's selves to be on their best behaviour and this evening to be relaxing as possible; the sick woman had a day or two left at most, so best not make it too exciting for her.
She could see El-Thor roll his eyes at the table while Elt-Hurry gave a mischievous grin. As they reached the table, Elt-Hurry made introductions and offered to go to the bar to get them refreshments. Bolin offered to join him. Dreen protectively sat next to his sister, between her and the two of Elthur's selves at the table.
It was five minutes later when Glory found out why Anandarra was so ill.
They had been discussing how much work had gone into setting up this festival and how important it was for the local economy. Glory sat next to Anandarra, still holding her hand. The sick woman was indigenous to this world and had waited her entire life to see the moons align. She was grateful that she was getting the chance. As Anandarra spoke Glory gently strengthened her aura, just enough that she would be fully awake in the next few hours so would not miss the sight of the moons aligning when it finally happened.
"Anandarra, what happened to you?" Glory spoke softly as she finally asked what had been on her mind since they met.
"Ah, bloody power sphere problems... and guess who was the first engineer on the scene? K-Radiation damage to my DNA... there's no cure, so I need to make sure my days, however many I have..."
"Ana, shush, we don't know if there's a cure... we might find one yet." her bother Dreen said from the other side of her.
"He's so hopeful, but I can feel what's coming and am okay with it." Anandarra didn't look at her brother as she spoke, though Glory could feel her strong love for the two men beside her. This was a woman who was literally staring at her own death and not flinching. "Anyway, I want these two to have some happy memories with me before I go, so here we are at this festival... we always planned to come here so why not? Even the nearly dead deserve a treat, eh?" She gave a small chuckle as she said this to Glory before turning back to her brother and reaching out with her other hand and gently placing it on top of his. There were tears in his eyes though he smiled warmly towards her.
"Y'know Glory... I know people make lists of things they want to do before they finally go, like climb mountains or go to the Inner Worlds but I just want these two to be okay without me. I've been blessed; two good brothers who turned out alright, a career I enjoyed... I'm fulfilled already, what more do I need?" Anandarra half-whispered this and gave a smile. Without thinking about it, Glory reached across and gave Anandarra a hug. The young medic could feel the strength of character as it radiated out from the broken body of the woman she hugged. However this night would go for them all, the young medic knew that when she got back to First Base she would call her family on Grighshtall iv and tell them how much she loved them.
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Ultra Girl - Li-Fahn Qiong of Xanthu - incredible strength, speed, indestructibility, spaceflight, and projection of force blasts, effectively limited to one at a time Friction - Janee Whittakka of Xanthu - manipulates the force of friction Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations
The group the three Legionnaires had joined found a relatively quiet viewing platform and decided it was the best place to hold an impromptu battle.
Gord had been going on about how much he loved to strut his stuff but rarely got the opportunity anymore. Victa, one of the young men from Rimbor that the flight ring scan had shown had a gene-mod, laughed at this before he challenged Gord. They agreed that the loser was to buy the group the next round of drinks.
The three girls that had approached the Legionnaires initially were sat together away from the rest of them, sharing something from a pouch. Ultra Girl casually wandered over to them and introduced herself. She had spent most of the walk here chatting to Bolton, and realised she had probably seemed quite rude. As the girls looked up at her it was clear they were sniffing at a stim powder. Li-Fahn felt her expression change though tried to keep her smile.
"Yeah, Bolton's conquest, we get it... you want some Glow?" The girl in the middle asked as she held out a small pouch with a white powder in it.
"Nah, it doesn't really work for me, thanks." Li-Fahn would never be accused of being inscrutable and at that moment her expression clearly showed how much she disliked the drugs being offered. Despite what she had just said, she had never tried it and had absolutely no desire to. The girls laughed. "Anyway, Gord and Victa are going to ...I don't know really, but it involves them dancing until one loses. They want us to score them, you wanna join?"
"Nah, on you go honey... though doncha think really they should just get a ruler out and be done with it." As the girl on the right said this her two friends cracked up laughing.
Li-Fahn walked away, shaking her head. She didn't understand people like that. Her mother would call them a bunch of wasters, and the young Legionnaire thought she would be right.
Victa and Gord were trying to agree on a beat they wanted the rest of the group to keep while they danced. Gord's choice was quick and simple, Clap, clap, stamp, pause, while Victa wanted a much fussier arrangement of six claps interspersed with two pauses and four stamps. Janee, Li-Fahn and Bolton all agreed that Gord's was the easiest one for them so they would do that. Victa gave them all a particularly withering look.
Janee, Li-Fahn and Bolton started to clap and several people wandered over to see what was going on, joining in with the rhythm. Janee took it upon herself to be the compere and shouted "let the battle begin!"
Spoiler went first and started with a confident strut, making challenging eye contact with everyone around as he walked the space. His back was straight, his chin high and he held his arms out at his side out in a dramatic fashion. Friction recognised this as a Pasa Doble move. And without warning he suddenly jumped, landing perfectly on the beat as he began to really dance. His posture was straight and strong, while his moves were sensual and provocative - this was the dance of a man who clearly knew what he wanted and was absolutely confident about his chance of getting it. His moves sped up and he leapt and spun, strutted and all the while kept his challenging gaze on the audience until he dramatically ended on his back spinning like a top before springing to his feet in a deft move and, with dramatic flourish, bowed to the audience.
Everyone applauded!
Victa clapped for Gord and smiled broadly before stepping forward. By now there were easily thirty people around them. Quite a few were cheering and jeering him on.
The young man from Rimbor ran his hands through his hair as his right foot tapped the beat. His smile grew as he extended his left leg out behind his body as his arms and shoulders started to roll. His body moved with a fluidity as his arms struck different shapes in perfect time to the beat. In a sudden move his left leg whipped forward and he effortlessly bent backward in a perfect curve until he was standing on his hands, his legs went straight up. And in perfect time to the beat they spun above him as he flipped from one hand to the other. He raised one arm and held it out to the side, his hand at an angle as his fingers snapping to the rhythm. After eight beats his flipped onto his knees, his back and hips rippled as he slowly inched his way onto his feet. All the while his arms and shoulders rolled in a wave like motion. The flexibility in his body as he moved was truly extraordinary. As he reached his full height his limbs all seemed to explode out as they each made shapes in perfect time to the beat the crowd were making. Victa dropped down to spin and regained his feet half a dozen times, each time he made incredible shapes with his body and limbs before finally he flipped onto his head, spinning dangerously fast. After what seemed like an eternal moment he collapsed onto the floor, his arms crossed casually under his chest as he struck a relaxed pose looking up at the Legionnaires and Bolton with a big grin.
There was a second of stunned silence before the cheers started.
Gord approached Victa, mock bowing as he did before he gave the young Rimborian a big hug. The two young men, both laughing with an arm over each other's shoulder, turned to face the crowd that had gathered and bowed.
"So," Janee shouted to the crowd around them, "we have a decision to make here, who is your winner? Cheer for whoever you think needs to be crowned as our dance champion today." She dramatically pointed towards Gord, and her teammate struck a pose for the people around them as they clapped and cheered. After ten seconds the clapping stopped and she continued, "or is our winner..." and she pointed towards Victa. This time there was definitely a louder response and Gord turned to the young man from Rimbor and bowed graciously.
"Okay, you definitely took that, those moves are outrageous!"
"yeah... I kinda forgot to say I'm the current Rimbor City Slam Dance Champion." Victa laughed as he admitted this.
"Yeah, it shows, you were amazing there. Well, guess I'm owe you a drink or two, we've a group of friends holding a table at one of the bars... wanna join us back there?"
"Nah, you're okay. You folks have a good evening but I think Bolton and me..." His voice trailed off as he glanced over towards his friend. Bolton had both hands gently placed on either side of Li-Fahn's face as the pair kissed. "Ah, perhaps we will join you then..."
"What about the girls?" Gord pointed to the three girls that had been with them
"We met them on the cruiser here. We're not really friends. I think they're more interested in..." Victa mimed sniffing something from his fingers, "and that's not our thing really. They should be fine but I'll let them know where we're going though."
A minute later the three young Legionnaires and their two new friends from Rimbor were walking back towards their friends at the bar, hoping that there would be space at the table.
..........................................
Ultra Girl - Li-Fahn Qiong of Xanthu - incredible strength, speed, indestructibility, spaceflight, and projection of force blasts, effectively limited to one at a time Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis Friction - Janee Whittakka of Xanthu - manipulates the force of friction Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field Triple Nova - Elthur Mundo of Carggg - split into three separate bodies, each with either strength and durability, speed and reflexes, or laser vision Glory - Gloriana Crestellen of Grighshtall iv - medical support - awareness and manipulation of bio-auras Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations
Anandarra - local with terminal illness Dreen and Bolin - Anandarra's younger brothers Victa - young salesman from Rimbor, dance champion Bolton - young salesman from Rimbor
As the evening progressed the crowds settled down in anticipation of the celestial show above, and the Legionnaires and their new acquaintances relaxed, enjoying watching the sights and crowds around them.
Friction had spoken to Glory and Triple Nova across the telepathic matrix before they arrived back at the table, letting them know that they were bringing a couple of guys with them - Victa and Bolton. She asked Glory if she could check out the two guys auras as they were from Rimbor and her scan said they had gene-mods. They all understood that so long as Victa and Bolton didn't do anything illegal there was no reason for the Legionnaires to act, though Janee still wanted reassurances that the two men were not a potential threat. Glory in return, told her colleagues about Anandarra and her brothers, and to be gentle as the three of them were going through a rough time and Glory wanted to make sure they had the best night possible
There was a moment of awkwardness when they finally got back to the table, as several seats were missing, but Gord, El-Star and Victa went looking for replacements and soon returned with enough so everyone could sit down. Once they had the seats Gord offered to buy everyone a drink. Janee, Bolton and Elt-Hurry all helped him to the bar and carry the drinks and snacks back.
After they had returned, Friction teased Polar Girl and Bouncing Boy with light hearted barbs, while being protective towards Ultra Girl as she snuggled up to Bolton. Spoiler and Victa put on a bit of a dance show for the group, though nothing as spectacular as they had earlier. Glory held Ananarra's hand as she spoke with her and her brother Dreen. Li-Fahn and Bolton moved around the table to ralk to Mel and Stoor. El-Thor and Friction sat with Victa and chatted about the sights around them. As the evening progressed, the moons above started to line up above them, Anandarra and her brother's shared the local names and legends about each. All overhead lighting had been turned off and the bars and stalls all dimmed their illumination.
There were surprisingly few star in the sky, though enough moonlight that they could easily have read a book if they wanted. Several of the moons were different colours so the accents and shadows they produced flowed like liquid art across the groups features and the environment around them. It was oddly euphoric to experience.
Janee had taken her pashmina off and draped it over her chair, and as she moved it slipped and almost fell onto the grass underfoot. As it fell, Victa who was sat next to her, reached out instinctively to help and his arm elongated so he could catch it.
"What was that?" Janee asked quietly, "are you... Durlan?" Of course she knew he wasn't but she didn't want him to know that she already knew he had a gene-mod.
"Shysa! Shh... can you keep a secret?" He said quietly, glancing around at the table to make sure no-one was listening. "Bolton and I... we're applying for the Legion. We... we've got powers and we wanted to have one last night of fun before we go to that Academy of theirs. We've heard it's a real boot camp, but we wanna do sommit special with ourselves... We start there in two days' time."
Janee smiled, which he took to mean she didn't believe him.
"No, seriously. We're fed up hearing about how bad Rimbor is so a frew months back we pooled our money and got this DNA work done on ourselves... Bolton can phase himself through solid matter, seriously, it's amazing! ...and I can alter my own body, shift its dimensions and mass and the like. How do you think I kept my balance with some o' those dance moves? We're gonna be Legionnaires Janee, I tell you, we've got our places to train with them and everything..."
"Ah, okay... ummm, so you cheated against Gord then? I won't say anything if you don't want. Anyway, good luck, I've heard the Legion Academy is not that bad really, so I hope it goes well for you. And who knows, I might see you flying about some day."
Victa gave her a smile, his expression made it clear he didnt think she believed him and rather than belabour the point he reached out to hug her.
<Gord, we need to talk>
<They're Academy applicants, I know>
<what? Why didn't you say anything?> As she sent this, Janee broke off the hug from Victa and busied herself wrapping her pashmina around her neck.
<I wanted a fun night, not answer questions from these two... and yes, I've known all along but let's not be Legionnaires for one night. Remember, we're here to enjoy ourselves, eh?>
<that's... fair, I suppose... though is that the real reason you joined us here or did you come to check them out?>
<ten minutes until the moons align, let's enjoy it> Gord looked over and smiled warmly towards her.
"Is there... is there something going on between you and Gord?" Victa asked Janee as he had spotted the look that they had exchanged over the table.
"What? Old Father Time and me? Gods in the stars, no!" She was genuinely surprised by the question.
"Fantastic!" And with that, Victa pulled Janee in towards him to kiss her.
<that's the spirit!> Gord sent across the telepathic matrix.
.............................
An hour and twenty minutes later, fifteen minutes after the celestial alignment had ended, Anandarra announced that she was going home. Supposedly the party could get quite rowdy and, despite feeling better than she had in weeks, she wanted to rest. Glory gave her a tight hug, imparting as much bio-energy as she could and the two women kissed each other's cheeks fondly as they said their goodbyes. The team all hugged her before she left and gave words of encouragement to her brothers.
"You're good folk, you know that?" Bolton said to the Legionnaires after the sick woman and her brothers had left them. Victa offered to get the next round of drinks and El-Thor and El-Star joined him to the bar. Bolton had been sat with Li-Fahn, Mel and Stoor, but as they were talking amongst themselves, he moved around the table.
"Victa doesn't know who you are, but I guessed..." Bolton smiled happily as he sat down next to Gord and Janee, "and I think we'll be seeing more of you soon."
"What do you mean?" Janee replied quickly.
"It's okay ... Friction, Spoiler, that's what you're better known as, isn't it? Took me a while to figure it out, your hair is different Janee, thats what threw me, but Triple Nova over there is pretty obvious. We applied to the Academy a couple of weeks back and got accepted in. Since then, I've been watching every holo-doc there is about the team. It's... it's beyond cool how you've been tonight."
"We're on a night off, so it's Janee and Gord, okay?" Spoiler smiled as he said this, though his tone was serious.
"Okay... though I gotta ask, did you know we were going to be students at your academy?"
"Victa told me an hour ago." Janee said quietly.
"I have a confession..." Gord began, "my day helping out at the Academy last week, Rokk and Lu got me in to look over the new applicants to organise training groups. I recognised you both from that when you approached, which is why I smiled at you." Gord admitted with a tight smile and shrug. Janee slapped his arm and gave the Naltorian a stern look.
"That's why the girls invited you, they thought you were smiling at them!" Bolton said.
"Let's not make a big thing about this," Janee spoke, "we're trying to have a night off..."
<you were checking them out 'cause they're from Rimbor, that's why you joined us here, isn't it?> Janee asked Gord across the telepathic link.
<as if I'd do that with my free time> the precognitive replied blandly.
"Okay... no problem. Just do me a favour and don't tell Victa, I can't wait to see his face when he finds out." Bolton said with a cheeky grin. They all laughed.
"Hey, what's up?" Li-Fahn said as she moved seats to be closer to them.
<he knows who we are, but it's cool, he's an Academy student... or is away to be> Janee sent across the telepathic matrix.
<seriously?> Li-Fahn stepped up to them, her eyes wide.
"Hey, Li-Fahn, or do you prefer Ultra Girl, guess we'll see more of each other... if you want?" Bolton's face gave a momentary flash of concern, in case the Legionnaire did not want pursue anything further between them after this evening.
"If you're joining the Academy then you'll definitely see more of me, we go in one day a month to help out so I'll probably be teaching you." Li-Fahn said with a proud smile.
"And she's a hard taskmaster, don't expect preferential treatment." Gord said. The Legionnaires laughed as Bolton's face fell. He took a couple of seconds to realise they were teasing him, then joined in with their laughter.
"Hey guys..." Elt-Hurry joined them, throwing an arm around Bolton and Li-Fahn's shoulders, "one more drink then I think we need to go, okay?"
"Yeah, I suppose that's a good idea." Janee smiled and Li-Fahn put an arm around Bolton's waist.
Just short of an hour later, there were hugs all round as the Legionnaires said their goodbyes to the two young men from Rimbor. Li-Fahn assured Bolton she would be in touch soon, as Janee let Victa know they would see each other again, she was quite certain of it. After the two young men from Rimbor had walked off, the Legionnaires sneaked into the nearby woods to summoen a warp from Henry to take them back to their Bases.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 March 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Wanderer
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IB, thanks for your kind words. Omhi, hi, I read through your very kind reviews for LW8 and I will address a few points next time, I have limited time this afternoon, sorry. Yeah, aww poor Li-Fahn, well hopefully she's just met someone who an help her confidence More soon as we have a couple more interpersonal moments then Tyroc vs the Angry Tree! Thanks, C
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 March 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
yay! more great stuff, Harbi!
Poor shy Stoor! He's all flustered! Kudos to Mel for dealing with it nicely and calmly. ach, these two... young love!
haha! What a lovely, lovely little bit, Mel is quickly becoming a fave of mine for her quick thinking. Stoor stumbled a bit at first but also recovered well, with that whole "look! he's flying away!" bit.
I love that convo they had, with both thinking the wrong thing, and finally talking it out! a bit of maturity wins the day!
I like that each of Triple Nova's selves also have different personalities, and that each has a different nickname from Glory!
What a touching scene with Anandara. It's also a good callout that sometimes, medical personnel cannot cure, only make people comfortable before their time comes...
quite a grouping you got there, with the two Rimborians too! also, nice description of the amazing dance moves!
whoa! I did not expect that these two wanted to join the Academy! Can't blame them though, it's realistic - so many people in our own time trying for abetter life inna different land. And of course, Spoiler knew all along, huh!
and good on Bolton for figuring things out, lol! After all, the Legionnaires are celebrities
Old Father Time! That cracked me right up!
that was a lovely, lovely outing, Harbi. Take a bow, that would have made an excellent one-shot, one-issue story!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 March 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Hi Harbi, catching up on your latest tonight! I like all the descriptive work you put into the makeovers! Is the Hair-Stylatron the very one that Shady used in that issue in the 80s when she came out with her big mane of hair? Polar Girl's was my favourite, we love a good asymmetric bob! And I thought it was very cute how Friction was so nice about making sure Ultra Girl was comfortable I love all the detail with the outfits as well; Ultra Girl's dress, Friction's make-up and Polar Girl's big Emma Frost cloak are all winners! And Spoiler coming in as a late contender with his hot little starfield number, wooh! Glory keeping mum about what everyone's auras shows about their feelings is a nice touch Everyone's little festival side story had a different feel, which was good to see - - Mel and Stoor are very cute, and using her cold powers to simulate super-breath so she could cosplay Mon-El was a very clever idea! - I liked the more sobering chapter with Anandarra and the chance to see Triple Nova's different personalities in action - and Spoiler's dance-off was fun! I assume that was the unique battle (I am still not sure if I trust these possibly shady Rimborians but let's see where we go!) Several of the moons were different colours so the accents and shadows they produced flowed like liquid art across the groups features and the environment around them. It was oddly euphoric to experience. I love this, it sounds amazing!! Oh wow at the Rimborians! I did NOT expect them to be students, what a cool surprise! I figured Gord must have ulterior motives for coming along but it all ended up much more wholesome than I was expecting!
Last edited by razsolo; 03/18/23 03:05 AM.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 March 23
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,203
Deputy
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Deputy
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,203 |
Hey Harbinger, its time for another read and review. i do not want to get too behind again. The opening was really well done. I loved the entire conversation between Lu and Anje. the back and forth the two had was well done. I loved how Cragg was described and came to be. But i thought this world was a world seeded by Valor or is that not in this reality and that's a different one? The self-reliance they expereince was interesting as i never would have thought about it in that way. The confidence and cockiness can be a fine line that i guess all Craggiaites deal with. i'm looking forward to seeing how it is exhibited by Triple Nova. could that confidence and stubborn streak be why her and Mindbender have issues? i'm still on Lu's side and i do think it really does stem from all the loss in her life. You got me in the feels big time with this one as hearing Lu talk about her dad just made me want to cry. The the loss of others on the team and even the loss of Vi both figuratively and literally was heartbreaking. I love when you reveal these small tidbits about the Legionnaires early years. like Lu and Gim having a thing blew my mind. i never would have guessed. The One-Bod thing is an interesting angle. Mostly because we hear about how Lu was different and have different personalities and how that's a rarity on their home world. Anje brings up some great points and its clear Lu needs to learn to let people in, especially now that Chuck is gone. The expansion of her abilities playing into her over confidence is interesting too. Greif is 100% not an easy emotion and Lu's got a lot of grief to deal with. Her and Chuck's reasonings and thoughts on what happens if one should pass was really well done. even in death Chuck is still the best support and a great guy. Learning all these tiny aspects of Lu has been great and i kind of want more episodes like this with each of the team members. Sometimes it felt like each segment in this convo between Lu and Anje felt like she was talking to a different Lu at times. especially when she would revert back to not talking. There is so much good stuff in this meeting between them and i want more! Sun Boy II and Comet King was well done and this looks like a new friendship that is forming for sure. it's nice to get to see Comet King outside of Grava. I wasn't expecting this due at first, i thought it be one of the UP military officers who are seconded to the Legion to give him a tour. But Comet King is definitely a better choice. I was with Comet king when Lydda said Sun Boy's codename. i jumped with hope for a second that Dirk was back too. But maybe i'll get used to the new one. i got used to Stoor using Bouncing Boy after all. I like that Lydda realized having friends within the Legion will help him succeed in the Legion. Lady Memory and Shadow Lass make some interesting points about how their people will be going forward. They've already lost so much but to lose their culture as well could take an even bigger toll on them. Will they truly be the last Champions? could the champion's rolls change? I'm glad Tasmia's people are changing and becoming one people. i hope someday our world can learn the same lesson and all be one people. A night out on the town! these can be fun. I loved the make overs for everyone. Friction was probably my fave look though. is it because of the attacks that Stoor is asked to wear a distorter device? This wasn't 100% clear to me but the others just did make overs. Glory and Triple Nova are cute. Loved Glory's response to her teammates new looks. Oooo that sounds like an amazing site! 14 moons gliding across the sky. Free party! Gord - a slab of night sky in human form. haha i couldn't help but giggle a little bit at this image. You know Ultra girl that is a good reason to like precogs. they know the best tables. I really like that Glory tried to stay out of convos that would reveal people's emotions. Ultra Girl and Thunder? hmmm i don't know how that would work. But a crush is just a crush. i hope Gord is careful going off with those people. Ultra Girl does seem rather reserved compared to the others. So i'm glad she wants to go off and try something new. Hahah of course they're gonna get Polar Girl alone with Stoor! Ok, i'm glad Friction was like "hold up for a moment and questioned trusting these rando's from Rimbor. Gord, glad you don't see anything short range...but how short or rather long is that range? that was some quick thinking for scanning and i really like that she's not totally open to these guys and wants to keep an eye on them. True Gene-mods are not a crime. but with all the trouble the teams had. best to be cautious. especially when they are from Rimbor and Jo's son is running around with a gang that they don't know really anything about. Awww omg! that's super cute that Polar Girl and Stoor both like each other but things the other isn't good enough. oo and there was trouble! haha damn i wasn't expecting Mel to do that! its a neat trick! aww Mel floating up to meet Stoor's face and kiss him was soo sweet. i really loved this tiny little moment between them. It must be super hard for Glory since she can't really turn off her powers. So Triple Nova's three-selves each not only have a different aspect of his powers but also of his personality? Interesting, especially how that's paired with the powers that break off into each. Glory is so sweet and she got to be a real hero for this woman to help her get to the big moon event. its sad that there's nothing that can be done for her. But she's facing it with grace. a dance contest with a precog? that doesn't sound like a good idea ever. lol...looks like it didn't matter. a good natured dance off was fun and i liked how it ended with them just coming back to the table and the Legionnaires making some new friends. two new applicants? interesting...ooo that is a bit of cheating on Victa's part. But there had to be a reason he was soo good. Friction not letting on who she or her friends were was well done. loved the description of the celestial event. it sounds like it would be amazing to sit there and watch those moons fly over head. the back and forth between gord and friction while talking to Bolton was kind of funny. Friction badgering him to tell her the truth and him just being very obtuse/evasive was well done. i'm all for some new peeps coming in. But i hope these two are on the up and up. its just too convenient for me that these two are showing up from Rimbor and Jo's kid is forming a gang. i really enjoyed this down time and can't wait for more!!
read the adventures of the Reboot Legion!
http://www.legionworld.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=001232
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 17 April 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
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Outside Legion World Two
Mon El - Senior Team member, Lar Gand of Daxam - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability Dawnstar of Starhaven - Senior Team member - space flight, incredible speed, tracking Non - negative energy being - spaceflight, speed, alter own dimensions and density, explosive touch, limited telepathy
Mon El, Dawnstar, and Non all hovered in space.
They were relatively close to each other - within an AU so easily within each other's sensory range - though they each kept their own company and thoughts to themselves.
Mon El contemplated the vast universe before him. He had been a Legionnaire almost continuously since leaving the Phantom Zone and wouldn't trade those years or the friends he had made for anything, though perhaps it was time for something more... Shadow Lass had made it very clear that since the accident where he had broken her shoulder, she was not interested in renewing their relationship. Rumour had it - not that Lar would usually use these as a definitive source of information - that Jumping Jax, Tasmia's fellow tutor on Home Base, had been seen joining her for social occasions on a regular basis. Lar wished them well, if indeed they were at the start of a relationship.
He may not know for certain what was happening with Tasmia Mallor's personal life but he did know it was fast approaching time for him to seriously consider moving on...
Dawnstar allowed her senses to drift with the ebb and flow of the star system around them. She often did this when she needed to relax, it was meditative.
With little effort, she could feel the passage of the planet that Second Base had visited, as it drifted along its eternal path around the mother star in the distance. She tried to keep her mind from coalescing around a single thought, but it was proving to be difficult as one kept interrupting her. That single thought was entirely around the mystic Southern Lights!
They had spent the last few nights together getting closer and more intimate until just last night they had consummated their relationship. Both had laughed and cried afterwards. Dawnstar knew that things would be different from now on. She could feel it within her own body... her very cells felt charged, as if some deep primal urge had been set free. And she liked the feeling!
As her thoughts drifted back towards the evening before, she once again pushed her senses outwards and allowed her mind to drift: this eternal moment wrapped in the excited feelings within her own physicality was something she wanted to remember.
Non hung in space, facing away from the star and planets of this system out in the Fringes of the Northern Arm of the Milky Way. Its mind was full of wonderment as micro-waves of gravity rippled across its negative energy form, and micromoments of ethereal beauty spun into and out of existence all around it. These events were fleeting yet to the negative energy beings' senses they reverberated and sang in a celestial chorus.
If it had been asked what it was experiencing at that moment, the closest analogy it would be able to come up with that the matter beings called humans would understand is that it was taking a bath... cleaning itself from the pollutants that accumulated from being close to unguarded minds and non-natural creations and structures.
Non felt at peace as it contemplated the endless stream of creation and destruction within the vast universe around it.
.............................
Legion World First Base, main gymnasium.
Ferro - Douglas Nolan of Earth - can assume invulnerable iron isotope form Titan - Hope World Deputy Leader -Nasir N’Cube of Titan - alpha-level telepathy Atom Girl - Sylva Nrilsan of Imsk - can shrink to microscopic size Monica Sade of Rimbor - strength, reflexes, line of sight teleportation
Titan was in the gym with Ferro.
The two young men were racing around the mezzanine running track. As they ran, they had been discussing the latest mission that Nasir had been on; saving a settlement out in the Rim from a plague that turned those infected into something like zombies. Doug was teasing Nasir that he had such a poor social life that no-one would notice if he had been infected until he tried to bite them.
As the two young men joked, they could hear a crash and a yelp from below them. Without thinking, both men dived over the edge of the walkway and flew down to the gymnasium floor below.
"Sorry guys, that was my fault." Atom Girl grew out from the ground before them. Around her were a stack of fallen weights.
As Titan and Ferro helped their embarrassed Imskian teammate to restack the weight rack, Monica Sade strolled into the gym.
"Hey Sylva," she called out, "you trying to get out from our rematch?" With a pop! she vanished and reappeared at the side of her teammates, immediately bending down to help pick up weights that lay scattered around.
"I'm ready whenever you are... just dropped my weights and, well..." Atom Girl gave an embarrassed smile and shrugged her shoulders.
"So, do you two train regularly?" Nasir asked, taking the focus away from Sylva's blushing.
"Sylva is a top-level martial artist, so it's fun to spar with her." Monica smiled proudly at her friend as she said this before adding with a chuckle, "and, yes, it's even better that I win more times than not."
"We don't all have cybernetically enhanced reflexes and strength." Atom Girl reminder her blandly with a sniff. There was clearly a little bit of tension in the air between the two women on this point.
"Do you think none of our opponents will have enhancements?" Sade quipped.
"I've got a question for you, Monica." Doug interrupted. Even though he had his mask on, they could all see the outlines of a smile on his face. "I want to know... why don't you use a code-name?"
"Yeah, good question." Nasir agreed, turning to face her as he continued, "we could help you if you're struggling to think of one."
"Maybe you could be... the Vanishing Lady?" Doug suggested., "no?" He asked, his tone of voice far from serious.
"Or perhaps... Maiden Voyage, y'know because of your teleportation?" Titan said, "Nah, sorry, that wasn't all that great, so how about... Teleportrax?" Nasir suggested, his tone light, clearly teasing.
"I don't think so..." Sade's voice dripped scorn.
"Pop-Up Girl!" Doug announced triumphantly, as if he had just given a world-saving answer. Sylva sniggered and put a hand over her mouth.
"I like that, Pop-Up Girl... or... I know, Miss Disappear! Because you like to disappear..." Nasir was trying not to laugh as he said this.
"I liked that one best... can we start calling you that Monica, Miss Disappear? What do you think?" Sylva asked, her face twitching as she tried to contain her laughter. Monica Sade threw her friend a foul glance, obviously not impressed, though as she looked away, it was obvious as her lips flicked into a small smile.
"I'll take your suggestions under advisement and let you know what I decide." Although her tone was serious, Sade's expression was not.
"What about... Blinky?" As Nasir suggested this, Sylva snorted a laugh.
"Okay, now... seriously, we all know how fierce you are Monica and we should reference that so your opponents know what to exoect if they cross you, so how about Tough Girl ...the Teleporting Terror!?" And with that, Doug doubled over laughing. Sylva and Nasir both stepped back and turned their faces away as they started to laugh.
"I get the feeling we're not going to get much sparring done today, are we? At least, not the physical kind..." Monica said with faux-disappointment. Her eyes twinkled with humour even as she offered her colleagues a stern look.
.................
Legion World Home Base - the Academy:
Triplicate Girl - Luornu Durgo of Carggg - able to split into three identical duplicates (part of Duplicate Girl) Cosmic Boy – Rokk Krinn of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields Night Girl - Lydda Jath of Kathoon - incredible strength and durability out of direct sunlight
Rokk, Lydda, and Lu had arranged to meet up for brunch.
Rokk had been dreading talking to her as he knew he needed to raise the information Troy had shared with him - the accusations of bullying and insubordination that would be damaging to her career if they weren't dealt with quickly.
Of all the many incredible teammates and friends he had made over the years as a Legionnaire, Lu was the one that he always thought held it together the best. After one of her selves had died at the hands of Computo all those years ago, he had marvelled at her resilience and determination. After that, he agreed whole-heartedly with Imra when she said that Lu was not to be underestimated - the word he thought best summed her up was formidable!
When Luornu called Rokk that morning to arrange to meet up he had smiled at her holo and agreed, though the moment the connection had cut he collapsed onto his couch and sighed. He had intentionally not mentioned what he had heard from Troy to Lydda, though knew that she would have noticed that there was something weighing him down. It was time to tell his wife what was going on. And, he really didn't look forward to it.
Lydda breathed a sigh of relief when Rokk told her. She had overheard a few of her students commenting on Lu's behaviour and knew there must be more to the story. There were too many whispers for it to be ignored for long and when Lydda had asked the students what they were gossiping about she had been faced with tight lipped avoidance - a clear sign that something was actually going on that merited further attention.
Two hours later, the couple were sat at a side table in the tutor's rec room on Home Base when Luornu walked in. Both smiled at her, and after picking up a caffe pod from the auto-chef, she joined them. It was clear from the looks they gave each other that they knew what was going on.
"So..." Lu began before giving a small laugh, "you know, don't you? I mean, about the accusations that were made against me."
"Yup, Troy told me. Said you two had had a 'loud' conversation and asked me to check if there's anything we can do to support you." Rokk admitted, glad to say it out loud. He knew he was no good at subterfuge, so was grateful he wouldn't need to avoid discussing the subject directly.
"Yeah... he caught me off guard with his pep talk, they aren't his speciality and let's be honest, taking advice isnt mine." Lu gave her friends the flash of a smile before she continued.
"Yeah, I suppose I didn't give him the credit he deserved for trying to talk to me about it. That was a... well... I don't think either of us will look back on that meeting with much pride."
"Do you want us to speak to him, Lu?" Lydda asked.
"No... no, nothing like that. I've... I had a session with Dr Falkner ...and, well, I have to say it has made me realise a few things."
"What are you saying, Lu?" Rokk asked, suddenly worried how this might progress.
"I'm saying that I need to acknowledge that I was unnecessarily tough on Mindbender. Truthfully, I just don't like him... personally, I mean. I think he's a little monster, but this isn't the first time I've dealt with kids... teammates like that.... and while in the Academy it's our job to sort those attitudes out... well, I was his mentor, not his tutor, and I treated him in a, ...ah, a disrespectful manner."
Lu stopped for a second and her gaze fell to the table. "There's a chance he could resign, and if he does, we would lose someone who aced every test we threw at him, who's as potent as Imra and as enthusiastic as we all used to be. It shouldn't matter if I find him disagreeable, he's good at his job... as much as it pains me to admit it, he's every bit as good as Nasir or even Imra. If he does leave then I'll be to blame and I don't want that on my conscience."
After she had finished speaking, the table fell silent. Lu gave a small smile to Rokk and Lydda before she continued. She didn’t want them to say anything until she had finished telling them everything she had to say.
"Anyway, I spoke with Dr Falkner yesterday, and it got me thinking... remembering what it was like when we started. So, last night, I read through our original charter and rules and regulations. It was... ueah, well, it reminded me of a few things that I had sort of forgotten. 'We are here to provide a beacon of hope, friendship and optimism to the galaxy' - you wrote that line Rokk, didn't you?" She gave a small chuckle before carrying on, "And, 'ultimately, we're a group of super-powered young people from throughout the galaxy who want to make things better for everyone,' and... I realised that I didn't make it better for Marmud. I... I think I've been a little lost since Chuck... I'm so lost." Lu had not planned on saying this much, but as the words came out, she knew they were coming from somewhere deep inside her that she had been denying for too long.
Both Rokk and Lydda remained silent as Lu stopped talking. She gave them both a brittle smile before lowering her face to sip at her caffe pod. Lydda reached out a hand and placed it on top of Lu's free hand. For a split-second, Lu's hand tensed up as if she wanted to pull it away.
"We're here whenever you need us, Lu." Rokk said, his voice thick with emotion.
"What can we do to help?" The Kathooni tutor asked her friend as she looked up from her hot drink.
"You're doing it." Lu 's voice was small, and both Rokk and Lydda heard the crack of vulnerability in it.
Lu smiled at her friends; Rokk and Lydda could see the unspilled tears in her eyes as she did.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 17 April 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
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A pleasure to see some more from your Legion, Harbi! Dawnstar feeling the benefit of having a healthy relationship is also nice to see! I wonder what is coming up next for Mon though? Sounds like he might be off a'wandering again soon! It never really occurred to me that Monica Sade never had a codename, I guess because her real name is cool enough! But Pop-Up Girl is the clear winner for me hahaha (on another note I have a scene coming up discussing characters who don't use codenames, synchronicity strikes again!) Lu's conversation with Cos and Lydda was very well done too...I like when we get to see the friendships between the old school Legionnaires, and I like Cosmic Boy thinking that he's no good at subterfuge and just prefers for everything to be faced up front. It's also good seeing that Lu took the counselling session seriously and is trying to grow from it, I think we have seen in the past that her response to trauma is to just knuckle down and storm through it so it's good for her to acknowledge that she can be vulnerable too.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 17 April 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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Always nice seeing more of your writing Harbi! I’ll comment next week - on holiday now and don’t have my laptop with me, and I’d prefer to do your writing justice!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 April 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
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Triple Nova - Elthur Mundo of Carggg - split into three separate bodies, each with either strength and durability, speed and reflexes, or laser vision Gloriana Crestellen of Grighshtall iv - Glory - medical support - awareness and manipulation of bio-auras Shardwurd Gandussen of the Ten Peaks from Avalon - Silver Shaman - Medical Officer - biokinetic healing
When the group had returned from the party watching the moons streak across the skies of Telforatus 3, Glory knew she would spend the next day researching what she could have done to help Anandarra.
Eight hours later she was sat at her desk, Elthur was in bed. Glory was flicking through hard light screens trying to march up what she had seen with her senses with the reports from decades of medical journals. She didn't hear Elthur approach and gave a little jump of surprise when he spoke.
"I know you're going to research what you can do to help Anandarra, and if you think I'm not going to help... well, you know me better than that by now, honey, so budge over and let the three of me look too." His smile was teasing as he spoke, and Glory knew that underneath his calm exterior, Elthur Mundo was one of the most determined people she had ever met. If his mind was made up then it was a waste of time arguing with the man, he would be resolute.
It took an hour poring through medical text on the Base's medical database before Glory was happy with the data they had amassed. Elthur ran an AI enhanced simulation while Glory pored over every minor detail.
"I'm going to call Kent, he'll need to know if I'm going to take supplies off base anyway." Elthur nodded as Glory stated this.
A holo buzzed into existence before them showing a weary looking Kent Shakespeare. "What is it, Glory?" the muscular medic asked as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. She realised he had been on night shift so quickly explained the situation - they had met someone who they could help with a little assistance from the First Base stores, and Glory really wanted to do this. She held her chin up as she spoke, describing what she proposed to do to help the seriously ill Anandarra. She was worried he would not support her decision but tried her best to convince him.
"Of course you have to help her. Don't draw too much attention though, unfortunately we can't treat every sick sentient in the Rim.." Kent gave a wide smile as he said this, "yeah... and take Shardwurd too, as that treatment might cause a reaction that might need some of his magic touch to help her get through it."
"So... it's okay?"
"Of course, now if there's anything else...? Right, I'm going back to bed before Jan steals all of the duvet." With a big grin Kent Shakespeare signed off.
"Right, let's do this." Elthur had already triplicated and was grabbing everything they needed.
Twenty minutes later, Shardwurd Gandessun was waiting for them in Henry's warp control room. Glory gave him a tight hug and explained what they were doing. He said it would be his absolute pleasure to assist and smiled at her. The tall mutant from Avalon was renowned for his helpful nature so neither Glory or Elthur were surprised, though both were very grateful.
"Okay, I have accessed the Telforus 3 planetary database and... I think we have their address. Let's go." Elthur gave Glory a big smile as he asked Henry to open a warp.
..........................
They had warped to the door.
Dreen opened the door, surprised to see Glory and Elthur again. As Glory explained that they were there to help, they were shown in. Anandarra was unconscious, laying n a large cot in the middle of her main room, surrounded by an array of machines and drips that seemed to feed into every limb. Bolin was sat at her side, holding her hand. He didn't question why Glory and Elthur were there, though asked who Shardwurd was. The mutant healer from distant Avalon introduced himself with a small smile that Bolin echoed back. Shardwurd had such a gentle demeanor that no-one questioned when he sat opposite and took Anandarra's other hand in his.
Glory took the small ampule from her bag along with the tubular delivery system - it would inject the solutions that she and Elthur had synthesized, and they hoped along with Shardwurd's biokinesis, they would be able to reverse some of the damage that the former power sphere technician had endured.
The two brothers exchanged a glance before Breen spoke:
"I heard you talkin' amongst yourselves, are you... you're Legionnaires, aren't you?"
"Yup," Elthur walked across the two young men, a broad grin on his face, "I'm from Carggg, sometimes I'm called Triple Nova, though my given name is actually Elthur... Glory call's my triplicates by different names as a bit of a joke, So I'm Thor, Hurry and Star all together in one right now. Glory and Sharwurd are part of our medical team."
Breen had tears in his eyes as he nodded, "...if you can... if she gets better what can we do to thank you?"
"Be good folks, that's all, just carry on being good folk. We volunteer to do this, we don't ask for anything in return. Seriously, it's okay." Elthur could see how much the young man was strugglling and gave him a hug.
Anandarra regained consciousness quite quickly after the treatment began and, though happy to see Glory again, was confused by her being there. She seemed surprised that Shardwurd was holding her hand, but didn't pull away. Glory quickly explained, and Anandarra laughed as she realised that she had real life Legionnaires at her bedside.
The treatment was quite painful at times and Shardwurd eased her pain as he helped her body heal. The second time she cried out Elthur asked Bolin and Dreen of they could have a drink, and joined them to the small kitchen. The brothers knew he was trying to spare them from seeing their big sister in such pain and they made small talk as they used their auto-chef to call up some snacks to go with steaming mugs of tea.
It was four hours later when the three teammates left Anandarra's modest home. They had left her asleep and explained to her brothers that she would be weak for a few days so they would still need to tend to her, though after that there should be some marked improvements, and if she ate healthily and did some light exercise she should be back on her feet within a couple of weeks. The two young men hugged each of them tightly before they left, smiles and tears on their faces.
"Today has been a good day." Shardwurd announced as they walked through the warp back to First Base.
Elthur nodded and said, "it's been the absolute best!"
.................................
Second Base
Mindbender - Marmud Illic of Titan - alpha-level telepath
Intern: Mosaic - Science Police Officer Rish'ha Nor of Lallor - tactile mimicry of material properties
Marmud was working out in a small gym on one of the lower levels.
He had been here for over an hour and as a result of the hard effort he had been putting in, his hair was stuck to his head with his sweat. His shoulders and arms ached as he pushed himself to lift more weights.
For all his effort and the pain he felt, his mind was still whirring. As much as he wanted to deny it, he regretted complaining about Duplicate Girl. If only he had kept his mouth shut for a few more weeks.. He could feel the low level resentment that a few of his teammates felt towards him, as if he had somehow damaged the team for raising his concerns. He also resented her for putting him in that position by being such a bat-witch!
The young psychic had bumped into Tyroc earlier in the morning. The Second Base's team leaders' thoughts were spilling over with disappointment and tinged with anger, and an overall feeling that it tied into Marmud's complaint about his mentor. Marmud had resisted the urge to read Troy's mind to establish the details, so had walked away quickly. He had tossed and turned all night as he wrestled with the idea that perhaps he should just leave, the SP's would welcome him... so, at 0800 standard he had come here to this secluded gym and planned on physically exhausting himself so he could have a proper sleep.
The door opened, and the intern from Lallor they called Mosaic walked in. He looked surprised to see Marmud, apologised, and started to leave.
"Rish'ha, hey, it's okay, I'm beat, so if you want peace and quiet, I'm happy to go." Marmud smiled and stood up from the bench.
The intern stopped and gave a tight smile.
"Marmud, I realise I'm just an intern and... do you mind if I ask...?"
"What is it?" Mindbender rubbed his hair with a towel as he asked. The young psychic had a feeling it was going to be a tricky conversation.
“Well... You know everyone’s talking about you? About how Duplicate Girl has tried to force you to leave...”
“That’s not true Rish’ha, she was tough on me but never tried to push me out.”
“In the academy, there are students boycotting her classes because of it, and some even say they’re gonna leave unless she quits. I heard at least ten say they were thinking of quitting as the Legion was hypocritical. The rumour mongers are saying the Big Team look out for everyone apart from their junior members.” The young mutant from Lallor looked embarrassed as he told the telepathic legionnaire what he had witnessed while on Home Base.
“They’re bloody stupid then. She’s one of the most experienced tutors there, every student should be grateful that she chooses to stay. Yes, she is bloody hard sometimes, but she shouldn’t have to go...” his voice trailed off as he realised how serious this could be.
Marmud remembered how the gossip mills at Home Base turned and spun every story, but he never expected his unhappiness to be the source of such tales. As angry and hurt as he felt towards Lournu, he knew that the only right path would lead him to challenge these stories. Keeping Lu’s reputation intact would stop the Academy from losing good people before they had the chance to fulfil their potential, and also not lose Lournu as well... Just because he had not enjoyed himself was not a valid reason for others to quit. Even if she was the worst mentor on the team... for a second he considered not saying anything, she deserved it for the way she made him feel... He knew better, of course, so instead he decided he had to act. And the sooner the better!
Marmud thought it might also mean that Tyroc would no longer be angry with him. As he left the gym, he thanked the intern from Lallor for letting him know what was going on.
As he stepped into the corridor and the door irised shut behind him, Marmud put his flight ring up before his mouth, took a deep breath, and said:
"Luornu... it's Marmud. Apologies if I've disturbed you working but we need to talk."
............................
Jefarri Assarn of Talok viii - Colossal Girl, increase personal size and mass, rapid healing
The relocated Talokeans on Senfrathras Minor 6 had been busy.
The continent that Henry had originally warped them onto had not been settled previously, though the terraforming craft that had initially been sent there two centuries before from a failed human expansion had laid down some natural infrastructure, like lakes of fresh water and a burgeoning biosphere that included recognisable (though not native to Talok viii) flora and fauna. The Legion, their Academy, and the United Planets had all helped, too. But, ultimately, it was the refugees from the destroyed world of Talok viii that had to create their new home.
The elders and political leaders of the Three Peoples had come together to discuss resources, priorities, and roles of their respective tribes. Historically, the Forest Peoples were seen as a minor political force, though their knowledge of agriculture and animal husbandry in a non-techinal setting gave them increased cspital in these meetings. The City Folk with their advanced technology had long ago separated themselves from nature so were particularly keen for assistance, while the Desert Tribes acknowledged they too would appreciate help.
The Forest People said of course they would want to help their sisters snd brothers though they had a couple of conditions. It took ten whole minutes to calm down the meering after that to the point where the representative of the Forest People could be heard again. She did not mind, aggresive diplomacy had been taught at the Legion Academy and Jefarri Assarn had learned those lessons well.
It helped that in attendance where both Kahnya Nahtahnie and Tasmia Mallor. They were also the Champions of their peoples and the three ladies had already discussed and agreed to the points the Forest People would raise.
If Talokean culture were to survive it needed to adapt. It was that simple, adapt or die. And so Jefarri suggested that as they needed the survival instincts of the Desert Tribes and the technology of the City Folk to aid the agricultural knowledge that her people would bring, then all settlements with a population of over two hundred and fifty must have representation from each of the Three People upon their councils. That wasn't to say that individual people could no longer follow their cultural ways, of course they could, but when making decisions that impacted upon large numbers, all sides had to be considered.
Of course, as expected, there were angry howls against this proposition, but as the three Champions were clearly in agreement these quickly died down. Surprisingly, it was the Forges, the armour and weapon makers that had traditionally set themselves apart from their rival representatives of other Tribes that were first to wholeheartedly agree - they understood better than most that when resources were stretched and one did not have a large army at one's back, the negotiation table was the only sensible choice. They stressed they would follow the accord so long as it did not dictate that any of the Peoples lose their respective traditions and culture, those would remain, only that there would be input from the other tribe to ensure a more holistic approach might be taken I centres of population.
Jefarri smiled, that was exactly what she had been offering. The representative of the Forges had smiled in response. They understood each other perfectly.
It took eight solid hours to hammer out the draft work of the accords that would guide their people going forward on their new world. If such a treaty had been put forward before their homeworld had been destroyed, it would have been laughed at and the bearer of such an offer likely killed for their impudence. Eight solid hours of backroom arm twisting and flattery to set their people on a course that would benefit every generation to come... the three Champions were overjoyed by the results.
Within the UP Senate, watching from Weber's World, there was an overwhelming feeling of quiet relief.
In a move that surprised everyone present and even those watching, Lady Memory, Champion and de-facto voice of the Desert Tribes nominated Jefarri Assarn, the Champion of the Forest People, to be the First Speaker for the newly formed Council of the Three Peoples of Talok viii.
She was voted in unanimously.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 April 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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Finally able to catch up Harbi, what a treat! Makes sense that Tasmia would be so upset at what Lar did, that she'd just break up. and not pursue a friendship per se. Sounds like Tasmia was very clear and direct. Good on Lar at least for respecting that. nice description of Dawny's super senses here. It is always interesting to read how one with such perception deals with it. and Non, such a fascinating creation of yours. great take on an energy being. nice scene here, with a couple of sentences we get so much info on the 3 involved! LOL at Doug teasing Nasir. It's also good to see that there's something Nasir isn't perfect in (I will always remember him as your Legionnaire who is a paragon of discipline, with great power control AND physicality!) but as in real life, nobody is absolutely perfect... nice bit here, with Sade giving due credit to Sylva's martial arts skills; while Sylva is a bit annoyed that Sade has enhancements that make her tougher. clearly, Sade sees this as a way to train Sylva, while Sylva sees this as a competition... bwahahaa at these code name suggestions!!! nice to see them having fun with it jnteresting dynamic in this next scene. Rokk plans to bring up the topic with Lu while Lydda is there? oh dear, why? wouldn't a 1-1 be better? (or did Lu want this?) I do agree (and like) that Lu's toughness is highlighted - she HAS been through a lot! nice to see that Lydda wasn't completely unaware of everything. heh at Rokk just being no good at subterfuge, and him knowing it kudos to Lu for also admitting her own weakness re not taking advice... and major kudos to her for accepting her faults in how she treated Mindbender! and acknowledging what he's good at! sweet scene this, with Lydda and Rokk silently being there for Lu bless Glory, how nice of hear to keep researching. and wow is Triple Nova sweet! I love them as a couple already. bless Kent too, I like this all "let's help, we can't help everyone but if we have a case..." what a pleasant surprise to have you revisit Annandara! I fully expected her to die, but it looks like she could make a great recovery! What a great scene! Marmud's thoughts are an interesting take. Until now, most of the glimpses we've seen are of people thinking Lu is a bully and taking Marmud's side. also funny because we clearly saw that Troy was on Marmud's side (or felt that Lu was in the wrong)... just goes to show that people tend to think the worst, so Marmud's conclusion is very realistic. pardon, but what is the significance of Marmud waiting a few weeks? what would happen in a few weeks that would have solved the whole Lu issue even if Marmud had kept quiet? I do respect Marmud for sticking to the facts, and stating that Lu did not actually try to push him out. and whew, boycotting her classes, wow this problem is bigger than I thought! well, very mature of Marmud to decide to act - hopefully this will also change Lu's opinion of him, or at least lead to a better working relationship! loving his look into Talok VII, you did a great job setting up the three peoples. nice to have a champion for each - all female too, sweet. kudos to the Forge folk as well for understanding the needs! well well well, go Jeffari! is she gonna limit her involvement with the Legion now that she has such a big role? nice stuff Harbi, thoroughly enjoyed reading this!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 April 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Omni, I'm going to respond to some of your comments from LW8, so here goes: Firstly, glad to see you back with us! Yay! Gear helping Nel set up for the date was fun, I want to focus more on things like that as they are so nice to write. Gil'Dishpan do indeed sound like Yoda, haha, or at least my version of them do.Grava and Drinchnar - I love them so had to show their relationship developing. As Raz said, Imra was sure the team would deal with it, so agreed. Nura is definitely smug, but she's also big hearted, caring, nurturing and incredibly annoying, she's a complex person who happens to know what's going to happen next. A strop - oh sorry, Scottish slang, it's when someone is in a huff, sulky like behaviour, like a toddler tantrum. Tesseract is a bit blunt, isn't she I enjoy writing her tbh. The Shadowmancer is an ancient beast, so there's a lot of back story there. Xao and Szenlong wil be appear soon, a baby dragon is just too much fun to ignore for long, though with 60 odd other characters it's a bit of a juggling act not making them panel hogs. I've wanted to add a bit to Khund culture so the twins back story was the perfect opportunity, glad you liked it. The team, by my reckoning, have been going for 15 years or so by now so the team leaders won't just rush into a fight, they'll use their experience to give themselves the best possible chance at success. This version of the Legion is a lot more mature than the usual we see. Lexikon didn't kill the assassins, but they would have been very sore when they woke up - that'll learn them I loved the mental image of the Jade dragon swallowing the Shadowmancer so had to put it in there. The battle was fun to write as it involved tackling it from so many different perspectives, glad you liked it. I've established previously that Jed is a danger on the dancefloor so had to reference it again, bless him. Spoiler and Booster were at the Academy together so they definitely knew each other prior to that scene. Am happy you liked the scene with Dawnstar, she's going to get a bit more attention soon, as she needs it really, and it's been interesting for me to get into her head. And Mon El is another character I'll be giving a bit more of the spotlght to as he's been woefully underused. Way I see it, Naltorans have high pheremone counts, not necessarily a super power but definitely enough to get attention from people around them. The Academy went from having a maximum ten students to hundreds so I guess they kind of overlooked the sexual part of the students interactions as before the tutors would have been well aware so kept any potential mishap from happening. Tinya is exhausted and fed up, and annoyed at Nura for stealing Hope World and chunk of the team from her, so her anger is leaking through... oh well, hope she doesn't make any silly decisions. Oops, too late Tel and Jed, and Dann, have a ways to go yet and it won't always be goood, that's what relationships are like unfortunately. Jan just wanted to go see this Trom survivor and avoid the drama of taking a big team. The vanished planet, yeah, that'll be back soon, and with it Tinya. Sex classes with Dr Faulkner - that was fun to write. Lu and Marmud is another, different kind of relationship that hasways to go before we're through. Glad you liked the Universal Justice history, I will be mining that further soon. Yeah, the Magus wasn't impressed with Jan joining the Legion as he's a pacifist, though they seem to have made the peace now. I wanted to address Trommite culture and show it is very different from what Jan has chosen for himself, and have no plans of opening up their relationship. I see Laipas is a big Irish Wolfhound, so even a Khund would pause at that running at him I think.Daramulum and Ruby will be back, probably LW10, I do have plans for them. More Backlash - yes, I agree A story from Henry's perspective? Nahhhh sorry, he's the one character I want to keep mysterious. But you never know, I may pop in a little bit here and there. Jo's boy will be back fairly soon. Kent was tired and his mind was on other things, like whether or not his relationship was away to implode, so he was a bit short with Jaz, though I reckon they've made up by now. The Worldsmith was a one-hit wonder that James Sherman drew, and I just had to include him. My magic users are all pretty distinctive - in my mind anyway - so glad you picked up on that. Ardren is super strong and used to solving problems with this talent so his go to solution is to punch things - nobody said he was smart. I really wanted to reference the Australian Aboriginal pantheon of gods so Daramulum's backstory helped fill in some of the gaps. Yeah, that Dragon King was a tricky beast wasn't he? I needed to give Szenlong an origin of sorts so wrote that story to give the punchline - hope it was worth it. The senior team are still in place, just they don't have a single person respnsible for everything all the time. Hopefully the leaders will grow on you, though it's funny that Tyroc and Nura annoy you as they aretwo of my favourites to write, haha. Lexi was very overdue. I mentioned her fiance in LW3 but hadn't gone anywhere with it so he was overdue to appear. Hope World - hope you liked Nura here - and Zombies - my least favourite trope - so fingers crossed it goes well. Better vetting - yup, that'll come up next time there's new teammates. The team have learned their lessons here. The Sun Boy name, funny you mention that as e've still to see how Dirk reacts... Glad you enjoyed it all Omni, that was a marathon review - thank you! Raz, hi, Yup both Dawny and Mon El will be getting a bit more attention so your points will be addressed soon-ish. Monica Sade not having a code name is really cool, I think, but it was fun to tease her - Pop-Up Girl, indeed! Lu, yeah, she has taken a kick to the ego but she is as tough as she appears so she'll work through it, and her and Marmud will have a bit more spotlight on them soon as things escalate. Thanks guys, always grateful for your support.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 April 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Hey IB, just saw your post, sorry, didn't intentionally not respond. Lar and Tas weren't officially back together, they just had a night together after a party, so it wasn't so much a break up as she moved on. Dawny needs more attention so will be getting it soon, I've a story where she leads a team that I've started writing so it'll be up be the end of LW9. I like Doug and Nasir's friendship so it's only natural they'd tease each other, and glad you liked the scene with Sylva and Monica too. Lu is super smart so she'll take away a lot from her talk with Dr Faulkner, and she's another character in need of development. Marmuds couple of weeks comment - his mentoring would have finished - the newbies get a mentor for three months, so this was roughly two months into it. Sorry, should have clarified that point. Oh, he's also smart so won't be petty about his an Lu's relationship - it's business so he'll remember to be professional, at least until the next time she's mean I have a couple more ideas about the Talokean survivors that'll pepper LW9, as there's so much potential story around them and how they cope with the loss of their world. Anyway, thank you again IB, as ever I'm grateful for your kind review.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 April 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
hi Harbi, thanks for your quick response! Ah, I forgot that Lar and Tas weren't back together at that point! and thanks for clarifying the "couple weeks" comment from Marmud as always, looking forward to more more more!!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 April 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
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Dawnstar and Atomsmasher hovered close to a tumbling 15 metre-wide vaguely potato shaped asteroid just two light years inside of the United Planets official jurisdiction.
Atomsmasher, the Wraithcat, had snaked one of its long whip-like tails around the tracker from Starhaven's hand thereby extending its invisibility field to cover her. Dawnstar had hoped that the Green Lantern would be with them on this reconnaissance mission but Dkyun Mu's emerald energy negated Atomsmasher's ability to hide them so the decision was taken to move without the Xudarian.
Approximately 20 klicks in front of them Starkling made its way towards their target. The composite Legionnaire had drifted on a twisted route, its separate ball bearing sized parts spread over a square klick or so as it tried to avoid detection. The gravity of the planetoid that was only a few klicks away from Starkling was pulling its diamond hard components in towards a crash landing. That was exactly what the Legion were hoping for.
The planetoid housed a tribe of Tyrrazians.
It was slightly larger in size to Hope World, so one of the smaller Tyrrazian battle worlds but as it was currently closing in on Emerson Three, a UP fringe planet, Tyroc had decided it was a target they couldn't ignore. The Legion had teleported some of Gear's nannites into the heart of the marauders engineering section as part of the team's plan to capture these worlds over a month before and had been monitoringthem ever since. The team had received regular information blips telling them what the nannites discovered and once the planetoid was within the UP's jurisdiction they knew it was time to act.
This would be the third battle planet that the Legion encountered and from what Gear had been able to relay, it wasn't very different from the other two. There were some unusual energy readings from engineering but nothing that the team were particular worried about. The Legion knew that the eleven Tyrrazian tribes that remained would have learned by now that the team had taken two of their sister tribe's mobile planetoid bases so it would be most likely that the warmongers would be on high alert for attacks. Dawnstar hoped that this stealthy approach to the start of their mission would lead to an unexpected and successful outcome.
With both the First and Second Bases primed to warp into the fray if things got too tough, the tracker from Starhaven prayed to her ancestors that they had enough firepower to deal with this swiftly, and with minimal casualties.
....................
Thunder was ready with a large team of heavy hitters to warp into action as soon as Dawnstar gave the word.
Cece had tasked a couple of the newer teammates as well as more experienced Legionnaire and a Daxamite Science Police officer as her team. Their mission was to simply destroy as much weapon tech and thereby distract the Tyrazzians from the more important objective - Element Lad was planning to take a small team into the main control deck to wrestle command of the planetoid away from the Warmongers.
Inside Henry's warp control room on Second Base Tyroc stood silently.
The teams he would be leading for this mission all waited beside him. Their remit was to keep the Tyrrazians busy while Element Lad team took control. Tyroc had already separated them into four teams, each with their own mission: take control of engineering, docking bays, hydroponics and security functions. All the while making as much noise as possible so Jan’s team could deal with the control centre without interruption.
Element Lad, XS, Mindbender and, the SP Liaison Officer Magno would head straight to where Gear believed the central control deck was located...not too large a group that they would attract attention immediately but tough enough to deal with most situations if they arose. Their plan was to warp into the command room and neutralize whomever was running this battle planet with the hoped-for outcome of taking control and turning it into a base for either their expanding team or another area of UP law-keepers to use.
From her vantage point in space, Dawnstar reached out through the flight ring generated telepathic grid to inform them what she and Atomsmasher had found out from their stealthy mission along with the results of Starklings close-up telepathic probing of the Tyrazzian planetoid - it appeared that now was the perfect time for the Legion to act!
"Right," Thunder announced, "We know it's two thirds of the way through their night shift cycle so we don't expect their full resistance immediately on our arrival. That said, these are Tyr's people so don't expect it to be a walk in the park, just stay focused and we can do this. Okay? Is everyone ready? yeah? Good. Henry, warps please..."
................................
Thunder - Team Leader - Cecelia Becks of 21st Century Earth, immense strength, speed, indestructibility, space flight, wisdom Mon El – Senior Team member, Lar Gand of Daxam, incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability Dawnstar of Starhaven - Senior Team member, space flight, incredible speed, tracking Green Lantern - Dkyun Mu of Xudar, wearer of a Green Lantern power ring Starkling – telepathic swarm-being composed of indestructible ball bearing sized components Ultra Girl - Li-Fahn Qiong of Xanthu - incredible strength, speed, indestructibility, spaceflight, and projection of force blasts, effectively limited to one at a time Atomsmasher - Ergus Wraithcat of Betelgeuse, spaceflight, durability, hyper senses, telepathy, radiation manipulation Strobe - Denal Lort of Dryad - assume electro-magnetic energy form Non - negative energy being - spaceflight, speed, alter own dimensions and density, explosive touch, limited telepathy
Science Police meta-squad seconded to the Legion: Power Lass - Science Police Officer Nel Duwi of Daxam - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability
Mon El led his Daxamite Science Police colleague into action.
Both were keen to get going so the challenge was set - whomever cleared the most weapons from the planetary surface would claim an extra half-day off in the coming month with the other covering for their shift. Within seconds they had each smashed or blasted dozens of obvious targets. The enormously dangerous range of K-Rifles and laser cannons that ran around the equator of the planetoid were literally knotted together at superspeed as Officer Nel Duwi demonstrated exactly how powerful she was. Between her laser vision, strength and speed she had accomplished her task in under a minute.
As the two Daxamites were dealing with the obvious armaments that bristled across the planetoid a fleet of small drone attacks crafts streamed out from the docking bay on the southern hemisphere. Thunder had Ultra Girl and their new teammates Strobe and Non follow her as they tore into the swarming attack drones. Thunder and Ultra Girl ripped a path through the small crafts, brutally swatting them aside as they got close. In concentrated laser form, Strobe bounced between the crafts destroying them with a happy abandonment. The Negative Energy being they called Non used its explosive touch to blast the small dart-like drones into smithereens. Overall, the attacking swarm of several thousand drones lasted less than four minutes.
On the other side of the planetoid a disc-shaped craft roughly the size of two moopball pitches took off and started to fly away. Dkyun Mu, the Green Lantern captured it and sealed shut the bay from which it had snuck out from. There were small weapons attached to the craft but the Green Lantern easily snapped them into pieces. Dkyun was not going to let whomever was onboard this craft get away.
Dawnstar and Atomsmasher floated roughly 3 klicks above the planetoids northern pole and used their tremendous senses to keep watch on the situation below them. Thunder was grateful for her colleague's advice as she would have easily missed the one-person escape vessels that had used the confusion to slip out from the southernmost part of the small world. Dawnstar had flown around the planetoid to knock one of the small crafts into Ultra Girl's arms while Thunder curtailed the other two. These warmongers weren't going to get very far.
Starkling had regrouped its component parts and entered the docking bay that the dart-like drones had flown from. The composite Legionnaire planned to rip through the small fleet that was waiting to be released from their hangar. It had very little opposition as Tyroc had already warped in there with his small team and they were dealing with the warmongers and the crafts that had been present.
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Tyroc – Team Leader - Troy Stewart of Marzal city pocket dimension, sonic control Timber Wolf - Brin Londo of Zuun, enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes and senses Shield - Laurel Kent of Earth, physical invulnerability, tactile psychometry Monica Sade of Rimbor - strength, reflexes, line of sight teleportation Atom Girl - Sylva Nrilsan of Imsk, can shrink to microscopic size Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic, creation of personal spherical force field Poltergeist -Jaun Vineo of Titan, alpha-level telekinesis
Henry's warp dropped Tyroc and his team into the heart of the planetoids docking bay three seconds after Thunder's assault had begun.
This bay was huge! It was several hectares across with walls 30 metres deep lined with thousands of drone dart-ships. There were an array of vessels and storage containers scattered across the floor of the bay. As the team rushed through the spinning disc of the warp the drones were detaching from their holdings and flying out into space as a loud howling siren blared out an alarm.
Two Tyrazzian cyborgs stood 10 metres away and turned to face the team as the warp closed. Both raised their gun arms to shoot at the Legionnaires but as they did Poltergeist reached out psionically and spun them around so they faced each other just as they blasted. The two cyborgs flew apart and crashed unconscious 20 metres apart.
<Well done Jaun> Troy sent to the new Legionnaire <but remember to stay behind Laurel please>
<That was great!> Laurel Kent added.
<Sweet move!> Monica Sade agreed with a laugh.
<Stop congratulating and start bashing> Brin sent as he cartwheeled over the top of a large container, on the lookout for more opponents. There were loud crashes and bangs heard from his general direction seconds later. Monica Sade popped to the top of the container and started shooting before vanishing again. There was the sound of a few more crashes and shots fired before she sent a message to the team:
<Three more and ... maybe more, I think?>
<Get 'em incapacitated, we'll sort 'em out after> Tyroc replied. The team leader was in the middle of dealing with two more Tyrazzians. Shield had blocked their blasts before he let rip with a destructive howl that shattered their cybernetics. To add further injury to their injury, as Tyroc scream destroyed their weapons Poltergeist telekinetically threw barrels into the back of their heads.
<Well, I don' t'ink they'll be gettin' up soon, eh?> Tyroc sent with a smile.
<There're more coming!> Shield pointed to three more Tyrazzians that were running towards them from across the bay.
<Well, if we must...> Tyroc's responded as he flew into the air, sucking in a deep breath as he readied himself for the next fight.
While the rest of the team were looking for individual Tyrazzians to deal with, Bouncing Boy had activated his personal force field and tore into the drones still hanging from their brackets in the walls. The young man from Pasnic had realised that these could prove problematic if they weren't taken care of quickly - there were literally thousands of them, and he knew it would only take one to seriously hurt someone if they had the opportunity. He spent several happy minutes bouncing between rows of the small killer crafts smashing them into unusable shards.
Meanwhile Atom Girl had flown to the nearby control console. The young woman from Imsk examined the hard-light display for a couple of seconds before prodding at a couple of buttons. The alarms shut off and the great shutter doors over the bay started to close. She smiled as she looked around though was a little disappointed that there were none of her colleagues to congratulate her or even Warmongers for her to deal with.
Strarkling flew over the young Imskian and swarmed into action with the rest of the team across the bay from where Atom Girl stood. She knew her job was to keep the console safe so she gave a mock salute towards her composite teammate before returning to the job in hand. She placed a data vampire on the solid mechanism under the hard light display and activated the send function - the team back on First Base would have the all its data in seconds. She did wish though that she’d the chance to tackle at least a couple of the cyborg Tyrazzians... even one would do, she thought wistfully as she looked around her.
Still, they had succeeded in their part of the mission, the docking bay was under their control. Sylva hoped other teams were having similar successes.
........................
Retro - Deputy team leader -Deen Toro of Ventura, limited reversal of personal timeline Duplicate Girl - Senior Team member, Luornu Durgo of Carggg, creation of multiple identical duplicates of herself Dragonwing - Marya Pai of Earth, breathes dragon fire Karate Kid iii – Mithindrivithis Ngandraffa of Lythyl, strength, reflexes, mimetic motor learning giving incredible combat skills Kinetix - Zoe Saugin of Aleph, telekinetic animation Kid Pulsar - Neel Koduah of Earth, incredible strength, invulnerability, projection of explosive blasts
Retro's team walked through Henry's warp straight into the enormous sleeping area of the Tyrazzians.
As Gear's nannites had reported, the Warmongers slept upright in individual pods stacked along a series of irregular zig-zagging walls. There were several dozen of the red skinned warriors waiting for them though between Kid Pulsar's strength and explosive blasts, Dragonwing's flaming breath, Karate Kid's deadly accurate fighting skills and Kinetix telekinetically wrapping the floor around the opponents, the initial mob of Tyrazzians were very quickly neutralised.
While the rest of the team went to take out any more Tyrazzians that were awake, Retro had joined Duplicate Girl to search for the controls for the warmongers sleep-tech. They knew that a lot of fighting could be avoided if they could keep the many hundreds of Tyrazzians currently in their sleep cycle unconscious. It didn't take them long to find the control. Retro used a display from his flight ring to translate the controls and with an extravagant flourish he pressed a code into the control panel. The lights flickered on the screen before the display changed to show that the sleep cycle stimulator would keep repeating until it was manually switched off.
By Lu's estimate Deen had just taken out well over half of the Tyrazzian's on this planetoid without a blow being thrown. She hoped the other teams were having as much luck.
And as she had this thought a group of eight of the red skinned warmongers ran into the room, cybernetic weapons already raised. Karate Kid was a blur as she dived into them, ducking and weaving with balletic grace as she quickly neutralised them all with an efficiency that was quite breathtaking. Dragonwing leaned against a wall to the side with her arms crossed as she watched the ease at which her colleague had just dealt with the threat they faced. After Karate Kid had wrapped incapacity cuffs around the fallen cyborgs, Marya approached and they high-fived, both laughing.
As Luornu watched the martial artist and fire-breathing Legionnaire's exchange she felt a lump of pride rise in her throat at being part of this magnificent and inspiring team. She hoped the other teams were being as successful in their missions...
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 April 23
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Well, I thought it was time for some action and to get the whole team involved so here goes, the taking of the Fifth Legion World. Hope Lu hasn't just jinxed them with that thought... More soon as things get tough for the team.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 April 23
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how exciting to see more so soon, yay! I love it, thanks Harbi! interesting to see two Legionnaires who CANNOT work together easily (Dkyun, Atomsmasher)! but with a team that size, makes sense too! makes me recall Lydda and basically anyone who creates light Lovely visual re Starkling, and great tactics too! using gravity as a weapon... these Tyrazzians don't quite learn, do they? they think they can be prepared, but... love the divide and conquer approach, sub-teams each with a diff. objective! great way to showcase such a large cast nice little friendly competition between Mon and Power Lass! heh Brin, so impatient. and nice tactic from Poltergeist and nice thiinking from Bouncing Boy II! so far so good, but indeed from experience we know it won't keep being this easy eh and sorry, was this a small error? in Retro's team's segment you mention Mindbender dampening the motor control of the sleeping Tyrazzians, but he's with Jan's team right? this has been fun so far, and am super eager to see what wrenches you will throow into the works... AND what will become of Legion World 5!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 April 23
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Agh, I wrote this a while back and changed the team's around a bit so missed that part with Mindbender- will edit it now, thank you!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 April 23
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any time these things happen, I should know, I've missed quite a few in my own writing
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 April 23
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Legionnaire!
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I got a chance to catch up on your last couple of posts tonight Harbi! Some thoughts: I did not expect anything further to happen with that sick lady that Glory met, what a nice surprise! Marmud's reaction to being fodder for Academy gossip was quite mature, and now that Lu has had a chance to get some perspective on the way she acted, hopefully this might lead to them mending their bridges! I am enjoying seeing all the Talok VIII stuff plod along...it is a big change in the status quo and it's gonna be interesting seeing where it leads as we've already seen some stuff come out of it! Starkling spreading themself out over such a wide area of space is so clever! Starkling is definitely the most unique homebrew character we have in any of the fics I think, and you always do a really good job of showing how useful they can be! Sylva wistfully dreaming about smashing some bad guys gave me a laugh
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 May 23
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Lightning Lass - Deputy Team Leader, Ayla Ranzz of Winath, electrical generation and manipulation Dragonmage - Xao Jin of Earth, dragon magicks Backlash - Mrruaw M’Nau of Simballi, enhanced strength, speed, senses, absorbs kinetic energy to boost own size and mass Ferro - Douglas Nolan of Earth, can assume invulnerable iron isotope form Gazelle - J’izl Dtutuu from the Khundian Battle Brigade, of Khundia Prime, enhanced strength, speed, agility and metabolic control Solar Gorilla - D'Nadka Endarooga of Dmansca - generate and project extreme heat and light
Intern: Haze - Science Police Cadet Tkemwa Autmi-Hu of Ungara - strength, durability, induce confusion and senselessness
Ayla wasn't feeling quite so lucky.
Her team had warped into the planetoids main hydroponic section where the fungus that the Tyrazzians lived off grew in massive honeycombed columns. At least that's what they expected... the hydroponics were there but so were a vast array of exotic animals in pens. As the Legionnaires fanned out from their warp an alarm sounded and from out of nowhere several Warmongers attacked.
As Backlash pounced on a couple of them a tentacle stretched out from one of the pens and wrapped itself around the tigerram's neck. Haze broke off his psionic attack of two Tyrazzians to rush to help the Tigerram.
As he flew across the space an energy blast struck him in the back, knocking him flying into a force screen, and unconsciousness. The screen Haze had struck shimmered before faltering and finally collapsing completely. The two Tyrazzians he had been dealing with saw this and turned to run.
From within the large, force field fortified cage, a stream of small flying crescent shaped creatures flew out- Horja Birds, flying metallic winged raptors, shaped like sickles, with a taste for flesh!
Ayla spotted them from her position twenty metres away.
<Everyone, get down!> as she sent the message to her team she released a wall of electricity, pushing it out in front of her to blast the Horja Birds. She struck almost half of them, sending them crashing to the floor, while the rest of the swarm swerved out of the way. The electric blast continued on, throwing the two Tyrazzians that had blasted Haze aside before it exploded against a wall, setting fire to the far side of the room. This set off the automatic fire suppressant system which activated fans to suck all of the air out of the huge room.
Ferro and Gazelle had been enjoying battering a few of the Tyrazzians on the other side of the vast room when Ayla's message reached them. Both instinctively ducked and turned around to see what the problem was. As they watched the Horja swarm that had avoided Ayla's blast tore towards them. Douglas Nolan flew up towards them and managed to swat half a dozen out of the air before the rest turned again and tore off at a right angle.
As the metal skinned mutant attempted to stop the Horja swarm, Gazelle saw that Backlash was struggling with several tentacles squeezing the breath out of him and she darted across the floor towards the trapped tigerram. She reached for the tentacle that was wrapped around Backlash's throat and with a mighty wrench she tore it off of him, only to have it flick around and try to grab her. With a cartwheel she avoided it, though still held on and twisted and wrenched it as she moved. The creature within the cage gave a high-pitched scream.
Dragonmage and Solar Gorilla were in the path of the Horja Birds. Without thinking, D'Nadka put her hands in front of her face and releases a bolt of plasma. It tore through the small swarm, sending most of them spinning, smoking, to the ground. There were only a few left though the Legionnaires could see that there were other problems - the fire suppressant system had taken all of the air out of the room and within the many cages the animals were becoming frantic as they struggled to breathe.
As Ferro chased after the last of the Horja birds, Ayla contacted Henry and asked the holo-man to open up mini-warps that would allow air to stream through into the cages where the animals struggled. The holo-man appeared before her and looked around the room, taking in where each of the animal pens were positioned before small warps, no bigger than the palm of a hand spun into existence above each. Air blew through and the desperate animals all scrambled towards it.
<there are several planetary zoos that may benefit from these additions, shall I send them there?> Henry sent to Ayla.
<do it, and thank you Henry> She replied. Within seconds all of the creatures that had been held in cages throughout this area had fallen into his spinning warps that had opened underneath them.
<right team, check those warmongers are in cuffs and let's not tell anyone about this, okay?> Ayla looked sheepishly at her team as she sent this message across the telepathic matrix.
..........................
Chameleon Boy – Espionage Squad leader, Reep Daggle of Durla, shape changer Lexikon - Princess Daheenisha of Tamaran iv, enhanced speed, strength, durability, flight, omni-linguist Thirteen – Dann Hortra of Naltor, line of sight probability manipulation Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds, strength and durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness and analytical skills. Friction - Janee Whittakka of Xanthu - manipulates the force of friction
Science Police meta-squad seconded to the Legion Worlds: Captain Phantom - Senior Team liaison, Science Police Captain Gryal Vrizza of Bgztl Dimension, intangibility
Intern: Impact - Dillon Blackstream of Myar, incredible strength, speed, durability, stamina, motion sense
Chameleon Boys' team stepped through a warp into the centre of the engineering deck.
There was a small group of the warmongers standing over s large hardlight console in front of the Legionnaires.
Between Friction causing the Tyrazzians to slip and fall over as they turned around and Impact slapping incapacity cuffs on their arms at hyper-velocity there wasn't much trouble taking control. Reep could see from the teams faces that they were all slightly disappointed at how smoothly their encounter with the warmongers had gone.
The alarm had started raging as soon as they arrived but a targeted blast of Babbage's finger laser at the speakers quietened it, much to the tam's relief.
"Right team, can we take their weapons and propulsion down? At least until Jan gives the all-clear." The Durlan Legionnaire said as he looked around the room.
There was an obvious Q-drive control that Thirteen had immediately crossed the room to examine, while Babbage had a large hand placed upon a console not far from the door. Reep had total faith that the two of them had the technical know-how to keep things under control. As much as he would never admit it out loud, Reep knew his own technical knowledge would probably seem rather dated these days. He could see a large sphere of what appeared to be smokey glass in a side room, that he approximated as eight or nine metres wide, attached to several thick tubes that ran into the Q-Drive mechanism.
"Thirteen, Babbage... once you're done shutting down the propulsion can you come over and help me with this?" Reep flew across to the sphere and scanned it with his flight ring. He quickly had several hard light screen pop up from his flight ring showing the findings of the scan.
"Oh-kaaay... this is strange.. Babbage, can I borrow you please, these readings don't make much sense to me." Reep called over his shoulder towards the Robotican. He could see the rest of the team were standing around, not looking particularly impressed by their lack of action. "Captain Vrizza, would you do me a favour and please take Lexikon, Friction and Impact out into the corridors as I'm sure they'll enjoy the chance to chase down any of the warmongers that are out there." He gave the Science Police Captain a broad smile, that was echoed straight back.
"Would be my pleasure. Right ladies, drinks are on me for the person who cuffs the most..." Before he had finished Friction had darted out of the door with a laugh.
There was a loud bang and she was blown back in, her costume and hair on fire and they could hear heavy footsteps approaching. Both Impact and Lexikon flew out the door at speed,
Thirteen dashed across from the Q-Drive control. He reached Friction and his eyes glowed as he altered probabilities to smother the flames that still burned on Janee's torso and legs. From outside they heard several loud crashes and several yelps of pain. Captain Phantom had dived through the nearest wall as soon as he saw that Thirteen was dealing with their fallen comrade.
"Stay here Babbage, we need to know what this is." Chameleon Boy said to his Robotican teammate, pointing to the large smokey glass sphere. The Durlan assumed the form of a hawk and flew out of the door.
"Henry, we need an urgent warp to the medical bay." Thirteen spoke into his flight ring to call the holo man. He glanced up towards the doorway as they heard more crashes and yells from outside, preparing himself to use his abilities if any of the warmongers attempted to enter.
A honey and violet warp spun into existence and Thirteen picked up his unconscious teammate and carried her through, "Will be right back..." the Naltoran said as he stepped over the threshold between the Tyrrazian battle world and First Base.
In the corridor, the Legionnaires faced Tyrrazian cyborgs coming from both directions. Impact sped one direction, crashing through the half dozen that had gotten close to the door. She was not gentle as she powered through them, throwing them against walls and the ceiling as she went. One managed to get a blast off that exploded into the ceiling above, sending burning debris falling down onto them.
Captain Phantom stepped through the wall and quickly assessed that the intern would need very little help as she threw the warmongers about. He flew behind her and snapped incapacity cuffs onto the organic arms of those that were on the floor. He kicked a piece of burning ceiling that had landed on the chest off one of them, though did wonder if they deserved it for blasting Friction.
Lexikon had flown along the other direction and encountered four more of the warmongers. All of them had cyborg attatchments raised to fire at her. The Tamaranean princess dived into the floor causing it to buckle and tear underneath them. With blinding speed she then took to the air and flew straight towards them as they regained their balance. She snapped cuffs on the first, punched the second so hard they flew backwards and knocked the one behind them into a wall with a satisfying thud! The last one looked like he was turning to flee but before he took three steps Lexikon flew in and booted him solidly between the shoulder blades, knocking him face first onto the floor.
<well done team. Let's cuff them, and if you three could wait out here and guard us, I need Babbage and Thirteen to help close down the engineering deck.> Chameleon Boy resumed his own form, just outside the door as he sent this message. He smiled at his teammates before he hovered back into the engineering bay.
Babbage was still stood in front of the large smokey glass sphere.
"Any luck Babbage?" Reep asked.
"This unit believes that this sphere is somehow a containment vesel for a space time breach of some description."
"A breach? ...like a time travel thing?" Reep absent mindedly tugged on an ear as he asked.
"Negative, at least not necessarily. It is this unit's estimation that this is a multi-dimensional tear contained with a powerful quasi-magneto temporal field, that currently is defying my scanners' abilities to fully quantify."
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 May 23
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yay! another entry! ooh, what are the Tyrazzians doing with all those animals, I wonder? for food perhaps? Nice new dimension to add, Harbi! sorry, a very teeny typo here that would not be caught with spellcheck: Horja Birds, flying metallic winged raptors, shaped like sickles, with a taste for fresh! nice application of Ayla's powers, a big wall of electricity. oops at the fire suppressant systems, but eh these things tend to happen in battle! love how precise Henry's warps are. and a great line from Ayla re not telling anyone, I'd feel a tad sheepish too it was nothing too serious in the end, though a bit embarrassing - and very real/human LOL at Cham's team being disappointed the Tyrazzians didn't put up more of a fight also nice line/bit from Reep, that his own tech knowledge is outdated. we see that today, imagine how much faster the pace of tech advancement is in the Legion's time! also nice bit with Reep and Captain Phantom finding something for the bored Legionnaires to do oh my, poor Friction! you also do such a great job writing Thirteen, I know I would struggle with such a power. but you make him versatile without being crazy powerful. Impact and Lekixon kicking ass! Impressed by Lexikon's sheer strength and Impact's speed. I like the "this unit" way of addressing itself from Babbage... and wait what, a mutlidimensional tear? wow you sure know how to up the ante, Harbi! as always, looking forward to more more more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 May 23
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Thanks IB, yup, that should have read as #flesh' not fresh, haha. Ayla hasn't been leading missions for too long so I imagine she was a tad embarrassed, oh well. We'll get into this battleworld a bit more next time when we meet the Tyrrazian in charge. Oh, I notice that sometimes I write Tyrrazian - two r's and one z, and also Tyrazzians - one r and two z's - both have been saved into my spellcheck so in case it comes up, please accept that both are valid Poor Friction, I think she was still on party mode Thirteen will have something interesting to do very soon as we earn more about this tribe of warmongers. Thanks again IB, always grateful for feedback C
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 May 23
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haha don't worry, I have not even noticed the variation in spelling for Tyrazz and Tyrrazians always happy to R&R Harbi, reading your stuff is always a great treat!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 4 May 23
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Troy led his team out of the docking bay and into the corridors that ran throughout the planetoid. He split the team into two: Timber Wolf would take Shield, Bouncing Boy and Starkling, while Monica, Atom Girl and Poltergeist would be with him. He sent a message across the telepathic matrix to confirm the other teams had completed their primary goals, and it was time to start their secondary stage - clearing the Tyrrazians out of the planetoid.
Thunder announced across the telepathic matrix that Strobe and Non would be joining them as her team outside the planetoid were almost finished with their tasks. She was en route to the main control deck to check on Element Lad's team, but expected to be free in a few minutes.
Tyroc wished everyone good luck and led his team into a gravity shaft to take them to the level below the docking bay. Atom Girl flew ahead of him, keen to prove herself.
Starkling flew in front of the small team led by Timber Wolf, the composite Legionnaires' telepathy making it easy for them to find the warmongers. After they had battered a third one unconscious Shield asked them to stop hogging all the fun as she would like the opportunity to deal with a few of the warmongers too. Timber Wolf laughted.
Ayla had split her team in two as well as they left the hydroponics unit and went searching for more Tyrrazian warmongers to capture. Ferro and Gazelle led Solar Gorilla one way, while Dragonmage, Backlash and Haze joined Lightning Lass going in the opposite direction.
Retro heard the telepathic chatter and decided to do the same, so he took Dragonwing and Kid Pulsar with him and sent Duplicate Girl with Karate Kid and Kinetix along a different corridor. They were frustrated that neither team encountered any more of the warmongers before Thunder announced that they had full control of the planetoid and all Tyrrazians had been subdued.
With Captain Phantom leading Lexikon and Impact out from the engineering deck as well, it meant there were seven small teams of Legionnaires, as well as Strobe and Non searching for Tyrrazians to subdue. As over half of the warmongers population was trapped in an enforced sleep cycle the Tyrrazians, even in their own planetoid, quickly found there was nowhere to hide from the advancing Legionnaires. Gear's nannites had infested the internal security systems and notified Legionnaires whenever they were twenty metres from a Tyrrazian. There was a last stand of twenty or so of the cyborg warmongers but Captain Phantom led his team in to face them while Strobe flew through them in an electric form. They didn't last long before they were all captured.
..............................
Element Lad - Senior Team member, Jan Arrah of Trom, elemental transmutation XS - Jenni Ognats of an alternate dimension Aarok, phenomenal speed Mindbender - Marmud Illic of Titan, alpha-level telepath
Science Police meta-squad seconded to the Legion Worlds: Magno - Science Police Officer Dyrk Magz of Braal, manipulation of magnetic fields
Mindbender rubbed his hands together as he waited in the warp control room with Element Lad's team. They were tasked with taking over the control deck. According to Gear's nanntes it was a large domed room near the middle of this planetod. Marmud tried to focus on the job at hand though his thoughts kept swerving back to the conversation he had with Luornu Durgo an hour before the call for this mission came through. They had arranged to hold a joint training session on Home Base in the next couple of days, and if truth were told, he was nervous about it. He hadn't forgiven her for her treatment of him, but he didn't think she deserved what the students were saying about her. He needed to put all that to the back of his mind though, there was a mission to go on...
Henry's warp opened into the main control deck.
XS zoomed through and the team expected her to be back with them within a second, but instead there was a flash of light from the other side of the warp. Element Lad immediately dived through, closely followed by Magno and Mindbender. The room they flew into was easily twenty metres across and ten metres high in the middle, dominated by a raised plinth with hard light screens swirling around it. There were half a dozen Tyrrazians unconscious on the floor in between their work stations, incapacity cuffs on their arms though no mmediate sign of XS. A female Tyrrazian stood amongst the screens on top of the raised plinth. She was only the second female of this species that the Legion had encountered.
"Legionnaires, we are not enemies yet you defile my home." The voice came from all around them, yet was not loud.
<Jan, her mind is ...it's vast, like a Coluan's but ...weird!> Marmus sent to his colleagues.
<stay out of it for now, find Jenni> Jan replied. The Trommite took to the air and flew up to face the red skinned woman on the plinth.
"You are approaching Emerson Three, it is a United Planet's world. We are removing your threat."
"No... no, you came here to take my home from me Jan Arrah. I will not tolerate this behaviour." Her skin rippled with gold as an armour appeared to flow up from the plinth to coat her entire body. Element Lad could feel the composition of the air around her change as in seconds she became a golden being, her once flawless skin now covered in evil looking spikes and two large horns growing out from her head.
"Well, that armour's a bit rubbish really..." Magno said as he magnetically grabbed hold of her and spun her in circles above the Legionnaire's heads.
Element Lad started to laugh as he floated back down to the control deck floor but before he could thank the Braalian SPO for his assistance he was blinded by an intense burst of light and a golden spike tore through his left thigh, splattering blood and muscle across the floor as he fell unconscious to the floor. Dozens of the golden spikes had flown off the armour immediately after the blinding flare and smashed around the Legionnaires. Magno's reflexes were fast enough to create a shield that protected both himself and Mindbender but he gasped as he saw Element Lad fall. Marmud yelled for a warp to the medi bay as Dyrk extended his shield to keep Jan from being torn apart as more of the spikes rained down on them.
<I got this> Mindbender turned towards the golden covered woman that was still spinning above them. He had found Jenni, unconscious in a corner, apparently unhurt physically but she had resisted his telepath call to wake up. He was not entirely sure why she was unconscious but knew that the gemale in the golden armour must be responsible. He closed his eyes and pushed his thoughts out towards the Tyrrazian, intent on putting her to sleep. As his mind touched hers, he caught a fleeting sense that this team was not the first group of Legionnaires that this tribe had fought, and with that she was asleep and the golden spikes stopped raining down on them. The Titanian tried to find the memory of fighting Legionnaires but it had slipped away.
A warp spun into existence and Shardwurd Gandessun stepped through. The young healer was wearing a body armour, and immediately reached for Element Lad, his bio-kinetic abilities stemming the blood flow. After several seconds he then willed the unconscious Trommite's flight ring to activate its Slave mode, whereby he could control it and float the injured Legionnaire through the warp he had just come from back to the medi bay on First Base.
"What a mess..." Marmud muttered as he looked around the room. Their team leader had been seriously wounded and they were unaware what had happened to knock out XS... He walked over to her slumped form and gently picked her up to carry across to Henry's warp.
<Thunder, Tyroc, we have the control deck, but we need assistance, Jan and Jenni are both down> He sent his thoughts out to the team leaders, aware that whatever the outcome from this escapade, it would need senior team intervention.
Even as the telepathic message went out, Thunder flew through the door.. She glanced around the domed room and flew over to take Jenni from Marmud's arms, flying her through the warp at speed before returning a second later.
"We need to take full control." She said <Glorith, can you being Danielle through please>
Henry's warp closed and a second opened next to Thunder. Glorith stepped through, her facial markings glowed as she summoned her magical manna, readying herself to release a spell. Behind her, Danielle Foccart stepped cautiously through the warp, her head was up as she glanced around the room. Element Lad's blood was still splattered across the floor, though no-one mentioned it.
After about ten seconds the young technopath announced that only the life support functions were now active and all other AI activity had been shut down. With that she turned and walked back through the warp with Glorith beside her without saying another word.
.........................
Two hours later, the battle world was fully under the Legionnaires control.
In total, one thousand and eighty four Tyrrazians had been captured. The female that appeared to lead them was kept unconscious within a magnetic sphere that the Science Police had managed to put together with a little help from Gear.
Thunder, Tyroc, Mon El, Lightning Lass, Retro, Duplicate Girl, Dawnstar and Captain Phantom were all sat at a circular table in First Base taking stock of what had happened on their mission.Element Lad and XS were both doing well in the medi bay - and in fact Jenni was fully awake and already insisting she was well enough to get back to active duty. It was expected that Jan's leg would take another forty eight hours to fully heal, though there were no complications forecast if he rested. The large craft that Green Lantern had caught had contained a vast store of embryonic forms - the Warmongers next generation had been jettisoned to preserve their species. Mon El commented on the fast growing technology that they seemed to use should be investigated. Thunder smiled as she said that she was fairly sure that the SP's were already doing that.
Thirteen, Babbage, XS and Mindbender were called in to tell the Senior Team about what they had experienced on the mission and to share anything they had discovered.
XS explained that she had ran through the warp and had cuffed all of the Tyrazzians she had seen but was blinded by a flash of light... that was the last thing she remembered before wakening up in the medi-bay. The Senior Team were hoping that she might have more information, but thanked her anyway. Thirteen was next, explaining that the Q-Drive had modifications that he found difficult to understand. The team could easily operate it as a normal power source but he worried what the additional functions had been created for. Babbage concurred, and added that the trans-dimensional tear that the warmongers had within their engineering had obviously been fitted to give them some additional functions that the Robotican was unable to explain definitively. When it came to Mindbender's turn to speak he smiled.
"I believe I know what it's for... within the female Tyrrazian's mind I saw a Legion... not ours, but almost the same. They had fought them months ago and the warmongers only just managed to escape. I believe the Legion they fought were from another plane of reality and the tear you found, well, the warmongers have created a way to travel between various realities."
"Can you show me what you saw?" Jenni asked. Marmud smiled as he mentally projected the memory he had seen in the female Tyrrazian's mind to her and the Senior Team.
"That's... that'smyteam, UmbraandM'OnelandShikariandSensor. Ohmystars! TheyweretheLegionIfirstjoined." The look on her face showed both her amazement and happiness. Jenni looked at all the Senior Team and took a breath, remembering to slow her breathing down before she spoke afain. "Remember, they said they were looking for acway back to our home. Do you think they found it? Can we... can we try to search for them?"
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 4 May 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
yay! more stuff Harbi! I think it's a bit cute and fun, that Brin takes his paramour Laurel, and Troy takes his paramour Monica, hee hee Atom Girl sure is determined, and it seems to be a running theme with her - determined to prove herself. knowing you, you're likely setting this up to be a plot point for later, am I right? also laughing a bit at Legionnaires being frustrated that they don't get enough fighting action haha nice development re Marmud and Lu, and like how you slipped it in - very realistic for Marmud to still be kinda bothered nice bit showing female Tyrazzians. at least in the Reboot, I don't remember seeing any females! yikes! quite an escalation, with flying spikes. nice work, having the team think it was easy and suddenly having this happen. and where is Jenni? a memory of fighting Legionnaires, does this have something to do with that anomaly/tear Babbage detected? and was Jenni affected cause she's from another reality? like the Slave mode of the flight rings, allowing Legionnaires to assist injured ones... 1084 Tyrazzians!! that is a lot!! well of course it's a whole planet... glad Jenni is fine . and nice bit with Green Lantern thinking of taking the jettisoned vessel OH MY GOSH! yes a different Legion... the Reboot Legion! oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! I am stoked! I love this development, Harbi looking forward to more more more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 4 May 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Those Horja Birds sound cool! Love a good 31st century freaky animal! The Legion looking after the caged animals is one of the things I love about the Legion, nicely done! Babbage's find is intriguing! And likely going to lead to bad things I suspect! Ooh I like that Tyrrazian lady with the golden armour, she is fierce! Marmud finding other Legionnaires in her memory makes me think this has something to do with what Cham and Babbage found.... OH WOW, what an ending!! Are we gonna get the 247 Legion????? EEEEK!!!!!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 9 May 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
First Base
Brainiac 5 stepped through the honey and violet warp into the meeting room.
Thunder, Tyroc, Duplicate Girl, Mon El, Chameleon Boy and Lightning Lass were waiting for him. In a move that would surprise many of the more junior team members, Luornu got off her seat to walk over to hug him.
"We've missed you Querl." She said as she wrapped her arms around him. The Coluan patted her on the shoulder in return before slightly tilting away from her, indicating this moment was over and she should let him go.
"You called, requesting my assistance." He said, looking directly at Tyroc with no emotion in either tone of voice or expression to hint at his feelings on the matter.
"Yes, thank you, Querl for agreeing to see us so quickly. We have a mystery to solve... I... we believe you are our best bet at finding an answer." Troy replied.
Within ten minutes, Professor Querl Dox had walked through one of Henry's warps, accompanied by Thunder, Chameleon Boy, Babbage and Danielle Foccart. There were several teams of Legionnaires and Science Police officials on the planetoid already, ensuring it was safe for their future use. Still, Thunder wanted to join Brainiac 5's reconnaissance mission just in case they had overlooked something dangerous and he needed a bit of support.
They could all see his expression had definitely changed to one of contented puzzlement as he examined the strange glass globe attached to this battle planets Q-Drive. It was four hours later that he returned to First Basr to explain to the Senior Team that the damage they had inflicted on the battle world had destroyed several components of the trans-dimensional warping technology. With a small smile he added he expected to have it repaired and ready for use within the next ten days.
No-one mentioned that he was officially on a sabbatical from the team, they were all just too happy to have him back with them even if it was just for the short term.
.................
Home Base, the Legion Academy: currently situated 2.5 light seconds galactic north of Saturn, Sol System.
The planetoid had been found in the late 25th century in the outer reaches of the Sol Oort cloud and initially it had been mined for the precious metals it held. Within fifty years it had been sold to a buyer that was employed by the wealthy backers of a small religious movement that had predicted a huge collapse would come and sweep away humanity. They were looking for a place to remove themselves to until this prophesied 26th century Armageddon had passed.
It was to be their refuge as their leader had predicted that the end of the human race was due... the followers adapted the planetoid to their needs and over two decades they made it their home, becoming self-sufficient and breaking contact with the many populated worlds around them. Over the next few centuries their numbers dwindled though there were still at least seven hundred of them by the start of the 31st century.
This was when the organisation called the Dark Circle had found the planetoid and decided they wanted it for themselves. Within two days of the order being given, the Dark Circle had slain every one the inhabitants and taken this hidden planetoid as their own covert base at the edge of the Sol System.
They updated its AI control system and outfitted it with up-to-date and space worthy technology before using the strange technology they found that was already on board the planetoid to open warps to distant universes where they were not seen as a fringe cult. From these far-off universes the Dark Circle boosted their own ranks, including the equivalent of Legionnaires that supported their cause. The Inner Circle started upon a plan that would give them control over the Sol system and the Legion once and for all.
The Dark Circle had only possessed this wondrous base for a little under a year before it again was taken over by a diametrically opposed organisation - the Legion of Super Heroes. The Legion had added a lot more up-to-date technology, freed the spatial warp-controlling AI called Henry, who claimed to be a former member of the team from the future, and updated propulsion and security systems. Once this was completed, they moved the planetoid from its orbit out in reaches of the Oort Cloud to a stationary point above Saturn's North Pole.
At around the same point in time, the Legion's Academy at Montauk Point on Earth had lost Chuck Taine, its former headmaster, and several students during an unprovoked attack by Black Adam's cursed daughters. Much of the building itself was also destroyed. This terrible act led the school to move out to the Legion's planetoid. As the Legion gained more planetoids to run their operations from, they renamed this planetoid as their Home Base and handed it over to the Academy.
The current Headmistress and Headmaster of the Academy, Luornu Durgo-Taine and Rokk Krinn, had each had the most adventurous lives, having survived and thrived through experiences beyond those of the vast majority of the population from their respective home worlds in this era of incredible opportunities and technological wonders. While they had been blessed with good fortune, they knew full well that not everyone would share their luck so were driven to assist their students by sharing every advantage they could think of that could help them.
The planetoid had been created to easily accommodate a couple of thousand people though currently there were only about four hundred or so living underneath its pitted primal skin.
The half dozen former legionnaires who had chosen to become tutors at this latest Academy and their Science Police colleagues and support staff believed that their new base was essential for the progress and continued safety of their home galaxy. It had purpose, and it was good, as well as a necessary place in the order of things - they were training the next generation of heroes and building inroads to diverse planetary security serviced and armed forces. They offered a solid link in the chain of continuity to further help the side of order and justice to the United Planets within their galactic neighbourhood.
And as the small planetoid rolled through the endless expanse in its orbit 2.5 light seconds galactic north of Saturn the majority of its occupants couldn't know what was coming their way so they trained and studied and practiced and learned and then trained some more - they would be as ready as possible when the universe threw whatever it could at them.
That was the plan anyway...
..............................
The Terror Twins - Kalis and Drin Yip of Exor - personal magical transformation Invisible Kid iii - Mors Gwokyalya of Earth - invisibility Gravity Lass - Chayaanu Kir of Thanagar - flight, speed, strength, durability, healing, creation of gravity waves Aqua Lass - Hetha Howahe of Europa - underwater survival, strength, hydrokinesis Rebounder- Lozaro Koosta-Nevarra of Rimbor - dense molecular structure giving increased strength, speed, durability and reflection of attack
Kalis and Drin Yip wanted to go to Earth.
Duplicate Girl, their legal guardian, had banned them from leaving Home Base but that wasn't going to stop them.
Of course, Mors and Lozarro were interested. The pair had become close friends as they bonded over their love of pushing boundaries... a couple of adrenaline junkies, as Lydda had once called them. The two young men, along with Kid Flux, were fast becoming the go-to students on Home Base for pranks and dares, and anything slightly outside of the rules. So, Drin approached them, asking how they...hypothetically, of course, could get the twins off Home Base. The two risk takers brainstormed a few ideas until they eventually came upon the plan to sneak onboard a supply craft and thereby avoid the ban on using Henry's warps and not raise too much suspicion by having an unexpected craft arrive at the planetoid. Mors then went onto insist that if Drin and Kalis were planning on leaving for an adventure, they wanted in on it as well. Lozarro was hesitant but Mors badgered him until the blue skinned youth from Rimbor agreed to join them.
Kalis had also been speaking to the students, though in her case she chose slightly more sensible options. Chayaanu and Hetha were becoming quite close friends as both had suspicions about humankind due to their cultural upbringings. At the same time, both were grateful for the Legion for getting them out of the predicaments they had been in on their respective home worlds. They could relate to each others mixed emotions about their situation.
Neither thought sneaking off base was a good idea and instead suggested if simply asking Luornu for a weekend pass to visit friends would be okay. Kalis agreed though was doubtful if they would get permission. She was also worried that if they didn't then they would be put under greater scrutiny afterwards as Lu would know that Drin would likely look for alternative ways to leave. The three young woman all agreed that there was a balancing act needed... perhaps ask if the twins could take a selection of students of human heritage that had never spent time on the Mother World for a field trip might be a way around it. Kalis thought this was the best solution they had come up with and set about accessing Duplicate Girl's calendar to find a convenient time to arrange a meeting to ask. The three students worked on what to say - the bounty that Sa Lok had issued against the Legion had been called off, the students had not been allowed off base unless on missions for almost two months and Kalis really, really missed her friends... Lu would have to say yes, wouldn't she?
Twelve hours and a very disappointing meeting later, Lu had said they could wait another month then she'd reconsider... so Kalis agreed to sneak aboard a supply shuttle with Drin. Of course, Mors and Lozaro said they had to join them, and Hetha and Chayaaru insisted they came along, "to be the voices of reason" they said... The six youngsters checked when the next shipment of supplies was due and made their plans. Drin and Kalis would meet up with a couple of old friends while introducing the rest of the group to Nu-Beijing's system-famous Moonshine Mall.
After a quick search of the docking bay's itinery Drin discovered that there was a shuttle leaving Lunar London later on the same day that they could hitch a ride on back to Home Base... in total they'd be away for 21 hours and if they were lucky Duplicate Girl would never know they were gone. None of them asked how they would get to Lunar London to catch the shuttle but all agreed it was the best plan they had. They all thought they would figure out a solution when the time came.
Unfortunately, these things never go as intended...
...............................
Home Base, the Legion Academy: 2.5 light seconds galactic north of Saturn, Sol System.
Dr Boom - senior physician and United Planets Government envoy - Danii Schwartz-Geltt of Myar
Doctor Danii Schwarz-Geltt was surprisingly happy.
Since being posted to the Home Base Academy she had dealt with quite a few patients that had surprised her but the latest was definitely one for her private journal.
Wildfire had taken a group of students out into space. Half of the group were perfectly adapted to it, or at least had the physiology to survive there. The other half were there for their mandatory flight ring training session. The training should have been simple - each space-safe student was matched up with one that wasn't and had to be guided around an obstacle course blindfolded. After completing that they reversed roles and the students that were wearing flight rings in space for the first time were blindfolded and told to follow instructions.
The course itself was relatively simple and all hologrammatic so there should have been no problems if a student collided with one of the hoops that made up the course. There really shouldn't have been any problems... at least that was the theory.
Until the student they called Mass collided with the hologram and in panic activated their ability to convert energy into personal mass which sucked the energy from not only the holo itself but the entire holo-grid system on the planetoid. The student had almost immediately tripled in size and had been belching blasts of migraine-inducing colourful lights ever since that erupted like fireworks.
A glance at the student's medical file confirmed they were originally from standard human-stock and that the usual accepted medicine offered her no remedies. Dr Schwarz-Geltt took to her Omnicom and worked out if there was alchemedic mixture she could try. It took ten solid minutes of focused concentration before she felt happy that she had an acceptable solution.
The clinician that the students had taken to call Dr Boom took half a dozen sealed jars from her shelves and carefully measured small amounts of their contents into a clear crystal mortar. She passed a lick of flames over the mixture before crushing them with a silver pestle. Once she was happy with the resulting powder it was stirred into a vial full of purest H2O, then shaken exactly as any alchemist would do it - three left, three right, three left, until full absorption... and once done the remedy was ready. The mixture should calm any unnatural energies and slow down the metabolising process to allow the student to absorb the excessive energies in a more gentle and hopefully less explosive fashion.
Mass was never going to win any awards for their looks, being large and cumbersome at the best of times, though currently they were simply enormous and also very clearly scared. Dr Schwarz-Geltt tried to calm the student as she offered what she hoped would be the solution to their problem.
The student gulped down the contents of the vial in one hearty glug and looked up at the doctor with a grateful smile... and then slowly started to emit a gentle glow, much like a child's night light, as their physical form gradually began to shirk down to its normal proportions. The process took about four hours to complete but afterwards the student was welcomed back to their training group as a heroic figure for shutting down the entire hologram system of the planetoid. Meanwhile, the tutors scrambled to figure out why the student's abilities had reacted so aggressively to holo-energy in the exercise. It seemed there was more to Mass than met the eye...
Another day at the Academy, another medical emergency dealt with.
......................................
The Terror Twins - Kalis and Drin Yip of Exor - personal magical transformation Invisible Kid iii - Mors Gwokyalya of Earth - invisibility Gravity Lass - Chayaanu Kir of Thanagar - flight, speed, strength, durability, healing, creation of gravity waves Aqua Lass - Hetha Howahe of Europa - underwater survival, strength, hydrokinesis Rebounder- Lozaro Koosta-Nevarra of Rimbor - dense molecular structure giving strength, durability and reflection of attack
With the holo-system failing on the planetoid a fail-safe AI redistributed the energy grid which coincided with the six students sneaking onto the Northern docking bay. As a result, the security system did not register their breaching the usually tightly enforced boundary field which stopped students from leaving the academy zones outside of accepted course work.
Kalis and Drin held hands and whispered the forms they wanted to take and, in a flash, where the young man had been a stream of thick fog which poured into the docking bay, while his sister vanished and was replaced with a small drone much like those that regularly flew around the academy. The two transformed students were first into the docking bay, checking that they were alone. After Kalis, in drone form, had motioned the rest of the group to follow her they charged to the small delivery craft and bundled into the back of it.
An alert pinged, detecting unexpected weight, but before it set off a klaxon on the docking bay Lozaro quickly placed a small pad onto the small control panel which loaded a pre-programmed command: no alarms and they would fly straight to Nu-Beijing. It was dirty tech that the gangs of Rimbor used to hi-jack crafts, crude but effective. The shuttle would ignore all outside signals until they had landed. The students hoped it would stop them being flown straight back here if they were clocked as missing.
With a crunching noise, the back of the shuttle closed and they were on their way.
The six students were sat in a confined storage pod. Thankfully Rebounder's pad had commanded the shuttle's controls to keep the storage area full of a fresh and breathable atmosphere. Initially they were excited, happily chatting about what they wanted to do, where they could go and what to see when they arrived on Earth. The Rimboran had also, somehow, got hold of four credit cards and handed three of them out. "We'll need money y'know." He said with a grin, though wouldn't answer where the cards had come from, only saying that there was about a hundred or so credits on each so not to go too crazy with them. The group were excited and laughed as they discussed what they'd like to do when they got to the Terran home world.
What they hadn't taken into account was the time it would take to travel to Earth. It took just over two hours, by which time the conversations had long dried up and their excitement had definitely fizzled out.
Their entry into earth's atmosphere was turbulent and where it not for Chayaanu managing to stabilise a negative gravity bubble around them they would most likely have been seriously hurt as they were thrown around. After a rather scary few rollercoaster-like minutes the shuttle finally stopped and slowly lowered itself to the ground with an all-mighty thump!
As the door opened to reveal the sky above the cityscape of Nu-Beijing, the group gave a collective cheer - they had finally arrived!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 9 May 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
hey IB and Raz, thanks again for your kind reviews above. IB, Atom Girl's insecurities are an ongoing part of her character so while there's broad stroke plans I've nothing really specific in mind right now. That is likely to change when I get round to giving her more time in the spotlight though Marmud and Lu? they've definitely still got ways to go before there's peace between them, there will be more very soon on that. Raz, yeah, who doesn't love 31st century animals? I had originally planned on using more but then the story started to be taken over by the team chasing down animals rather than Tyrrazians, still I have the plans there so may recycle it later on for a bit of fun. So before we get to the U247 team (if it is really them, of course) we've a couple more (mis)advenutres to go. The Academy will be in the spotlight for the next few posts then I might finally get round to posting my Tyroc versus the angry tree tale I've been promising for a while. Until then, hope you're still enjoying this.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 9 May 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
thanks Harbi for clarifying re Atom Girl and Marmud and Lu too! yay, more! nice appearance from Brainy, and I like how you write him: hugging Lu briefly but not dragging out the moment. also a nice development for Lu, openly showing some emotion - and in front of some junior team members too. I know that if I were a Legionnaire, I would be very relieved and happy to have Brainy on board! thanks for the recap re history of Home Base! and also a recap of the vision. ominous, how you ended that segment... I like how the six-some was formed, each with their own motives. Tsk, wonder if Lu will regret being so strict about letting these kids visit Earth, esp. after the 3 girls tried coming with a compromise! Dr Boom is probably my fave codename/nickname! and great scene here, plus a nice callback to Myar being a world of alchemists eagerly looking forward to the next installment! i felt the students' excitement when they finally made it to Earth nicely done!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 May 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Home Base, the Legion Academy: 2.5 light seconds galactic north of Saturn, Sol System.
Home Base staff: Cosmic Boy – Academy headmaster - Rokk Krinn of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields
Science Police training staff: Dream Boy - Pre-Commando Sergeant Rol Purtha of Naltor - precognition
The shuttle going off course had alerted the supplier who, after checking and double-checking their information queried this strange behaviour with Home Base.
Rokk Krinn was stumped but told the supplier, who regularly gave the academy a considerable discount on the stock they supplied, that he would personally look into it. The supplier, a little star-struck and obviously very grateful to speak to one of the founders of the Legion, had said that that was good enough for her and she looked forward to hearing what was discovered in due course.
"Hey Rokk, you not getting ready to go to Nu-Beijing yet? Am I too early...?" Rol Purtha walked into Rokk's office wearing casual clothes.
"Not sure what you're talking about?"
"Oh?" The Naltoran shrugged and gave a small smile, "Yeah.... I had a vision this morning that you were getting Yera and Ella and me together to look-out for students in Nu-Beijing but to be aware they knew their way around... you'll do it in ...ah, let's see, oh... I'm early, sorry, you'll say it in a minute or so."
Rokk punched a quick command into the console before him and a hard light screen appeared showing a list of current students from Nu-Beijing. Only two appeared on the list, and from what he could see by their icon status while their flight rings were showing as being in their rooms, their bio-signatures were definitely not, implying that neither were on Home Base.
"Oh god... Lu will freak!" He muttered.
Rokk asked for the security AI to show him the last images it had for Drin and Kalis Yap. A holo popped up before him showing the twins and four of their fellow students skulking just outside the docking bay.
"Okay, can you get Yera and Ella for me please Rol, we're away to Nu-Beijing to give a group of our students a hard lesson in rule breaking and consequences, though as they know their way around it probably wont be too easy."
"Yeah, I know..." Rol muttered as he activated the holo.
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Nu-Beijing, Earth
The Terror Twins - Kalis and Drin Yip of Exor - personal magical transformation Invisible Kid iii - Mors Gwokyalya of Earth - invisibility Gravity Lass - Chayaanu Kir of Thanagar - flight, speed, strength, durability, healing, creation of gravity waves Aqua Lass - Hetha Howahe of Europa - underwater survival, strength, hydrokinesis Rebounder- Lozaro Koosta-Nevarra of Rimbor - dense molecular structure giving strength, durability and reflection of attack
The students stolen shuttle craft had landed in a large field in between two sporting stadia in the Tianjin District of Nu-Beijing.
On their right was the newly completed curved dome of the Nu Beijing Flying Tigers, the current World Championship Laser Korfball team. Though not a huge sport within the wider UP, within Sol it was one of the most popular and it was particularly popular in the Asia-bloc countries. The athletes on the team were all well-known celebrities. There were quite a few stalls and vendors selling merchandise, both authorised and otherwise, and fresh food and drink around the park as it was a place for people to gather away from the high tower blocks of the city. As a result, there was a large crowd gathering around the shuttle.
"Shysa, how do we get out of here unseen? Well... apart from you Mors, obviously." Aqua Lass said.
"Easy-peasie." Kalis and Drin smiled at each other as they touched hands, activating their natural metamorphic abilities.
"Thick fog." Said Drin. Fog seemed to pour out of the space where he stood. Gravity Lass punched the red button that opened the rear doors and the fog streamed out.
"Sound and light system." Kalis said, not quite sure if she had visualised exactly what she wanted. With a thump, her altered form fell to the floor. Once again Chayaanu took charge and picked the box up and carried it out into Drin's foggy form. Within seconds Kalis' alter-form started to spin and beams of stroboscopic light pierced the fog as dance music blared. The effect was as if a mid-sized night club had landed in the park.
As the crowds approached, believing this must be a stunt to advertise a club somewhere, the students quickly exited the shuttle. The crowds started to lose their fear of the strange shuttle and a few started to dance along to the music that blared out. After several minutes the sound and light system suddenly cut off and Kalis resumed her humanoid form, quickly scurrying away to mingle in the crowds, as Drin's fog form dissipated and he returned to his usual shape. There were a mixture of cheers and disappointment from the crowd that had gathered. The twins put their heads down and pushed their way through to get away before anyone captured their image.
The rest of their group were stood by the side of a tree, waving to them. The six students laughed and patted the twins on their backs for getting them out of the shuttle without being seen.
"Okay, so what now?" Rebounder asked?
"I want to visit the ocean." Aqua Lass said.
"I'll join you, that sounds cool, I've never seen a real sea before." Rebounder said with a smile. He caught the flicker of annoyance in Aqua Lasses eyes, and he realised that she had a huge crush on their Invisible Kid and had even gotten into a fight with Granite Girl in one of their training sessions over it. Rebounder was prepared to back out so that Hetha and Mors could have time alone if they wanted, but before he could say anything Gravity Lass said she would like to see the sea as well.
"And as we all left our flight rings on Home Base so they couldn't track us here, it'll take ages to get there by foot and I can fly us right there." She added with a big grin.
"Well, we want to go visit our old neighbourhood, hopefully meet some old friends," Karis said, not convincingly, "so, shall we meet up here in five hours?"
"Well, you three have fun," Mors said, "I want to go check out the FearDome, it's the best place on Earth for action sports!" Hetha turned away, clearly disappointed as he said this.
The group all agreed that they should meet back in five hours, and with that went their separate ways. While Chayaanu had levitated both Hetha and Lozaro off towards the south east, Mors vanished from sight as the twins headed through the park towards their old home district.
Mors had been watching the twins as they had spoken amongst themselves and was certain that they were not here to visit old friends: there was definitely something else going on. While the two youths from Exor were confident, ultimately were a few years younger than the rest of the group and were Duplicate Girl's wards so he knew that they really needed to be looked out for. As much as they would hate the idea and he wanted to join Hetha to the beach he realised that he had the best chance of doing that with a little bit of stealth. he didn't want to cramp their style - this was their old home-city after all - but still, someone had to look after the kids...
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Home Base
Backlash - Mrruaw MNau of Simballi - enhanced strength, speed, senses, absorbs kinetic energy to boost own size and mass
Science Police training staff:
Jumping Jack - Science Police Senior Training Officer Jaxi Delgrado-Hynd of Morshesh 5 - hyper-awareness, reflexes and agility
Backlash rather enjoyed the day a month where he was obliged to help out at Home Base. He took particular pleasure reminding students that he had gained membership of the Legion without needing to go through the Academy.
Or, nearer to the truth, Mrruaw enjoyed being on Home Base as long as he wasn't on the rota to assist with the classes that took place in space. The tigerram from the forest world of Simballi had never enjoyed floating in the vacuum outside of planetary atmospheres even with the flight ring's eco-protect function keeping him safe and warm. Nature and some rather fancy gene-editing of his ancestors had given him magnificent paws for gripping the ground and a natural sense of balance that would allow him to walk blindfold cross a washing line, and floating without gravity or clear orientation was definitely not something he was built for, or enjoyed.
Thankfully, he had only been assigned to a space-class once, and after that the tutors had all agreed to keep him within the planetoids airlocks in future.
On this day he had been assigned to help Jumping Jack with a class running various stealth search and rescue scenarios within the academy's new holo-deck. This was the first time the Legionnaire and the tutor had formally met and while they had vastly different styles of training students, overall, it had been an enjoyable day.
The young girl they called Granite Girl had shown a rare skill at tripping herself up, much to Mrruaw's amusement, while the Gil'Dishpan, pH Zero had failed the task entirely. Neither were ever likely to be assigned Espionage Squad tasks in their career unless they worked hard at their basic stealth skills. Neither were particularly surprised when the tutor had announced this. Backlash glared at him though when he said this and told the students that they must play to their strengths as not everyone could be good at everything. It was obvious, the horned tiger added, that they had all tried hard and ultimately that was what the Legion were looking for in potential members.
As the students left the training zone, Officer Delgrado-Hynd approached the Legionnaire. Without thinking the tutor reached out a hand and vigorously stroked Mrruaw affectionately on the top of his head. The tigerram turned his head away and let out a sharp hiss.
"Within my people's culture, touching is frowned upon between those that do not know each other well... you have rules on consent amongst humans as well, yes?" The tigerram's voice was steady but it was clear he was not impressed.
"Oh stars! I'm so sorry Mrruaw, I've seen Ayla and few of the others... oh, you're right, please accept my apologies." The Science Police trainer blushed as he stepped away.
"They are my friends, and I am not a pet!" And with that Backlash turned and left the training zone, his paws silent as he padded away from the embarrassed trainer.
.................................
Cosmic Boy – Rokk Krinn of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields Chameleon Girl - Yera Allon of Durla - shape changer
Science Police training staff:
Brain Girl - Science Police Officer Ella Drottmi of Titan - telepathy and telekinesis Dream Boy - Pre-Commando Sergeant Rol Purtha of Naltor - precognition
Pre-Commando Rol Purtha of Naltor told the team what he had foreseen:
He would warp to a beach just southeast of Nu-Beijing, close to where the team had dealt with a typhoon recently, where he would find three of the students while the rest of the tutors would assist the others. He wasn't sure what they were going to encounter, as his vision hadn't seen that. Ella smiled mischievously and said dryly, "well that's okay then."
"Yeah, give yourself the easy task." Yera Allon added with a cheeky smile.
"Yeah, not quite, I'll have a couple of issues to deal with too, don't worry there Yera. We're all gonna earn our pay today."
"Hey! You get paid to be here?" Yera laughed as she said this and stepped through the warp that had just opened to Nu-Beijing in front of them.
..................................
Nu-Beijing, Earth
The Terror Twins - Kalis and Drin Yip of Exor - personal magical transformation Invisible Kid iii - Mors Gwokyalya of Earth - invisibility Gravity Lass - Chayaanu Kir of Thanagar - flight, speed, strength, durability, healing, creation of gravity waves Aqua Lass - Hetha Howahe of Europa - underwater survival, strength, hydrokinesis Rebounder- Lozaro Koosta-Nevarra of Rimbor - dense molecular structure giving strength, durability and reflection of attack
It had taken Gravity Lass twenty five minutes to reach the beach.
As the students got closer to the water the city-scape had become taller as more residents wanted even a glimpse of the distant blue seas. As a result, they cheered as the glimpsed the ocean in between the towering mega-blocks, antennae, jutting private air-car pads and traffic. And finally, as they crossed a particularly large building the ocean opened up beneath them.
The building was a municipal building of some description that hung onto the edge of a cliff with a small rocky beach below it.
As Chayaanu lowered the group down towards the beach, Lozaro and Hetha were cheering and screaming their happiness. If they had looked over their shoulders, they would have seen dozens of faces pressed up against windows as the workers within the building they had just flown over gawped at the flying figures. As the Legion had recently visited quite close by to help evacuate during a sudden typhoon, there was still a tension amongst residents and the sight of flying youths racing to the sea ignited it.
In their eagerness to get to the sea, the students never noticed.
In the city, the twins had quickly accessed the turbo-metro and were speeding towards their old home district.
Mors had followed them as best he could but had almost lost them in the crowds a few times and was struggling on the cramped tube carriage not to bump into other travellers. While being invisible was fine in open space, it could become a problem in confined spaces. Mors waited until the tube went through a dark tunnel and he risked becoming visible. The carriage had begun to fill up so he didn't want anyone to bump into him and figured if he pulled his hood up over his head, he could remain hidden from Drin and Kalis if he was careful.
It was ten minutes later that they finally got up to leave. The carriage wasn't as busy at this point and Mors realised if he moved to the doors at the same time they would spot him, so he prepared himself to turn invisible and dash out after them as soon as the doors opened.
The district they had travelled to was a lot more built-up that the area they had come from. Mors was originally from Earth and had been to Nu-Beijing several times before in his role as a social network influencer, but this district was totally new to him. It was clearly a more working-class area, with local shopfronts running along the ground level of the street in both directions with their wares on display outside on small tables while high rise housing towered overhead.
Several minutes later, the twins were happily strolling along the busy street when the attack happened. From out of the sky two black air cars descended towards them. Neither Kalis or Drin saw it as they happily chatted. Mors saw the air cars come down and he ran to get closer to the younger students, this definitely did not look right! He had heard through the break room gossip on Home Base that they were royalty from some distant magic world that were being hunted after a palace coup had killed the rest of their family, but he hadn't given it much thought until now...
A net fired out from underneath one of the cars and caught the twins while delivering a visible electric charge that immediately stunned them into unconsciousness.
Mors ran up to them while the few people out on the street all backed away. As he was invisible, he knew the attackers wouldn't know he was there so he reached into a pouch on his belt, hoping he had brought some tool to help chop the wires that bound Drin and Kalis. He swore under his breath as he realised he had only brought a basic medi-kit and his air-board, currently in miniaturised size in the other pouch on his other hip. He tried pulling on the wires around the twins with his fingers but received a nasty sharp shock from them.
As he struggled with the netting several large figures dropped out from the air cars and approached the trapped twins.
"We have them now; the traitor Bo was correct when she told us they would return. Prepare for extraction so they can face the justice they deserve on Exor. These royal scum have seen their last day on Earth."
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 May 23
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I've had this ready to go since I posted the section above but thought it would be too much in one go so here it is now.
IB, thanks again for your review above - yeah, Brainy was due to return, and the new planetoid and it's strange technology was the perfect excuse. I think he's one of my favourite Legionnaires, though is tricky to write so I need to use him sparingly. I thought Dr Boom as a name for an alchemist clinician was almost toooo good to be true so am glad you like it as well.
Thanks again, more next week when we see some consequences for actions, and not just the students!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 May 23
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yay, more!
Dream Boy had very little time in canon, so it's good you're giving him new life in your stories. hah, I love this, his little vision and being a minute early. (also funny how star-struck the supplier was re Rokk!)
I like how there is still an Asia-bloc of countries in 31st century Earth. great that it's not just one monolithic world.
Kalis turned into a sound and light system? wow, cool! and I also like how there's a chance she won't quite turn into what she had envisioned, if she's not careful enough with what she says... clever way to exit the craft without being seen!
the new Invisible Kid is a smart one, wonder what will happen. and wonder what the Twins are up to...
makes sense that Backlash, whose form is built to be terrestrial, isn't quite comfy floating in space! I also like what Backlash says, about playing to strengths. indeed, not everyone can be capable at everything... does not mean they cannot be good Legionnaires. ooph Jumping Jack sure stepped in it... good point about consent!
at the beach: whew boy, the students are gonna learn a hard lesson I think,, now that their flying has attracted attention...
and good callout, that being invisible in an enclosed space brings challenges! Mors was a social network influencer, eh? not nice to know that exists in a thousand years still... (not my cup of tea, not a criticism of your writing though as it IS realistic!)
well that escalated!! hope Rokk, Yera and Ella will be in time...!
looking forward to more more more!!!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 May 23
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First Base
Mindbender - Marmud Illic of Titan - alpha-level telepath
Duplicate Girl - Luornu Durgo of Carggg - able to split into identical duplicates of herself
Marmud and Lu both felt uncomfortable.
After the telepth had called his former mentor and explained what he had heard, she had suggested that if he was willing, they could run joint training sessions for the day. Hopefully it would let students see that while they disagreed about certain things they could at least work together like professionals.
Marmud, without thinking, replied "Disagree? Like, that bullying is an acceptable way to mentor a junior teamate? 'Cause, yeah, I strongly disagree with that Lu."
Luornu nodded slowly before she spoke. "Yes, I deserved that. I am sorry Marmud, really... we may not see eye to eye on some things but you do not deserve to feel you are unappreciated. You are an asset to the team and my approach, while not intentionally meant to belittle you, was wrong. I am genuinely sorry for any discomfort or... or pain I caused. I know I can be tough, but I do see how I went over the line. I am sorry."
Marmud could see that her apology was genuinely felt and meant. He was momentarily surprised and for a split second he almost apologised to Lu for creating a scene.
"Thank you, ummm, that was unexpected and... and I appreciate you saying that..." Marmud's mood swung and the anger he had pushed down suddenly came to the fore as he continued, "If I'm being honest in return though, I almost quit because of how ... how diminished I felt by your behaviour, and if I hear that you ever treat another junior member like that again I will do everything in my power to stop you, even if that means making it public knowledge via outside media."
"Yes, I expect nothing less. I... uh, I was going to ask that you act as my 'rudder' to help steer me past this situation. I have been with the Legion for over half of my life... certainly, almost my entire adult life. And, I realise we've a very odd and insular culture and with the recent push on membership drives and at the Academy... well, it's forced us, the old guard, to re-examine ourselves, our expectations and behaviours. I've come up short Marmud, believe me, I do know that. I hope that if you ever see me acting in a manner that you feel is inappropriate again, that you come to me and tell me directly... I will listen."
" Okay... I will. I imagine that isn't easy to say so, thank you. For now though, I don't want to embarrass or undermine you Lu, everyone knows how much you have achieved through your career, so let's treat this as merely a blip," He gave a small smile before carrying on, "Thank you for your... your candour, hopefully we can put this to rest now... so..." He took a breath before continuing, "let's take this forward. The students at the academy need reminding that you are a perfectly fine tutor and they should not be fighting other's battles when they don't know what those fights are."
Lu smiled, surprised at how much she admired Marmud at that point - he had addressed an issue, given his resolution and was moving on without belabouring the point. She knew that Titanians, due to the strict upbringing needed to help them develop their telepathy responsibly, tended to be pragmatic and level headed... but even so Marmud had just shown a level of maturity that genuinely surprised her. Certainly more than she probably deserved...
"Would you like to join me over on Home Base? Hopefully we can ease any tensions within the student body." She smiled as she spoke, feeling her own tensions lessen. Marmud smiled back as he replied.
"Sure, why not? Let's do it."
Marmud knew that there would always be a gulf between then as he would never entirely forget how he felt with her as a mentor, but by damn he had worked hard to become a Legionnaire so if that meant he had to resist the urge to slap people who hurt him then he would do just that.
.........................................
Science Police training staff:: Dream Boy - Pre-Commando Sergeant Rol Purtha of Naltor - precognition
Students: Gravity Lass - Chayaanu Kir of Thanagar - flight, speed, strength, durability, healing, creation of gravity waves Aqua Lass - Hetha Howahe of Europa - underwater survival, strength, hydrokinesis Rebounder- Lozaro Koosta-Nevarra of Rimbor - dense molecular structure giving strength, durability and reflection of attack
Pre-Commando Sergeant Rol Purtha stepped through the spinning warp onto a small beach.
In the distance he could see a water spout, easy a hundred metres high. Gravity Lass was flying around it, pulling the funnel out of shape before releasing her gravity wake to send it splashing. He imagined that Aqua Lass must be inside it, using her hydrokinesis to keep its shape together.
Actually, he thought to himself, it looked like a fun exercise for the two of them.
Rol looked around; there was no sign of Rebounder! As he scanned the sea before him, he was aware that there appeared to be a small disturbance... shit! The Pre-Commando was certain that was the student from Rimbor struggling in the waves! He flew as fast as his flight ring could take him towards the splashing. As he approached it stopped though by then he could see the figure underneath the surface. Clearly the young man from Rimbor was unused to swimming in the sea with it's currents and waves... Dream Boy dived into the sea and urged his flight ring to push him towards the struggling student. He could see that Lozaro had been spun around by a strong current and was desperately scrambling to reach the surface again. Rol grabbed the student's belt and flew upwards. As they crashed through the water into the air he could hear Rebounder coughing and spluttering.
Dream Boy hovered across the water and when he got to within twenty feet of the beach he roughly tossed the student down onto the sand. Rol was aware that Lozaro was more than tough enough to take the fall without any harm. The tutor wasn't in the mood to be gentle though.
"Stay right there!" He commanded the Rimboran student as they struggled to their feet, still spitting out sea water that he had swallowed. Without a backward glance, the tutor tore through the air towards the other two students who were still apparently playing with a water spout.
"Gravity Lass and Aqua Lass, you will desist and return to the beach right now!" His voice, amplified by his flight rings' loud hailer function, echoed across the sky.
Without waiting to see if they were doing as requested, he turned and flew back to the beach where he could see several Science Police vehicles were hovering above Rebounder. The student could see the tutor's face as he approached the beach and his heart sank - Dream Boy had a reputation of being firm, and while reasonably popular no-one wanted to cross the Pre-Commando as he had an air of coiled energy sometimes that could be intimidating - and right now the Naltoran's expression would best be described as "livid!".
Two SPO's used their grav-lift to lower themselves onto the beach just as Rol touched down next to the student.
"Officers, can we help you?" Dream Boy smiled as he approached them, showing his flight ring so they were aware they were dealing with the Legion.
"Is everything okay? We're sending reinforcements in case we needed to evacuate..."
"What? No... I'm so sorry officers but there's nothing to be concerned about. Ah... we're holding a training session for some of the students and these three were too keen to get started so came here early. They've never seen an ocean before so they skipped a class to get here before the rest of the group could arrive." He gave his widest smile as he stopped speaking, a slight blush rising in his cheeks. It was clear to everyone present that the Pre-Commando tutor was unused to barefaced lying.
As the two Science Police Officers glared at him Aqua Lass and Gravity Lass landed behind them. Rebounder motioned them to not say anything. The two girls both looked shame faced as they quietly joined their fellow student behind their tutor.
"Please express our deepest apologies to any residents that mis-understood our being here this morning. We'll pop up to reassure them..."
"Don't bother, we'll get word out to stop the evacuation. I'm sure you're awfully busy..." Said the more senior officer rather sarcastically as he signalled for the grav-lift to take him and his colleague back up to the hovering Science Police crafts above.
"Don't say a word." the tutor hissed at the students. The four of them stood silently until the science Police had left.
"Right!" Rol Purtha turned towards the three rather sheepish students, "you three are going back to the Academy. You shouldn't expect any privileges for a while. Bloody idiots, the lot of you!." His expression made it abundantly clear he would not accept any back-chat. The students all nodded and lowered their faces, careful not to make eye contact with each other.
After a quick message across the telepathic matrix from the tutor, Henry's warp spun into existence before them and the three students and their tutor walked through, back to the academy on the Home Base planetoid.
...........................................
Nu-Beijing
Student: Invisible Kid iii - Mors Gwokyalya of Earth - invisibility
Mors watched the men approach his fellow students and knew he would need to act.
The invisible student may have left his flight ring back on Home Base but he still had options...
Before joining the Legion's Academy, Mors had been part of a small group that EartGov had sponsored to provide a live-stream across the AllNet to encourage young people to be more physically active. Mors' speciality was the so-called extreme sports, and he had excelled!
It took only a second for the air-board to expand to its full length. Three feet long and a foot at its widest, with slightly curved ends; these had been all the rage for a hot season a few years before, until the catalogue of accidents that inexperienced users had were made public. Still, Mors loved the feeling of racing through the air on the anti-gravity wave created by the board, like when he'd tried that ancient sport of snow-boarding for his stream-feed, only without the snow spray or safety of a soft landing... Mors loved his air-board.
As the board reached its full size, one of the heavyset men that had come from the air-cars reached out for the twins. Mors swung with all his might and smacked the man in the face with the flat of his board. With a loud crack, the man went flying backwards and landed roughly on the street and tumbled to a stop against a wall. He slowly sat up, rubbing his clearly broken nose as blood ran down onto his clothes.
There were still three large men approaching though they all now stopped and considered their options. The student could hear them as they whispered into comm-mikes on their collars, requesting information - were the traitorous twins, they asked, carrying any Legion technology? Clearly whoever was in the aircars were scanning the situation. As they spoke to the person in charge the two air-cars lowered onto the street behind the men.
Mors knew he had the advantage and needed to act fast. He had two options; try to get the twins away - though he doubted he would be able to do that as his invisibility only extended to himself and anything he was in direct contact with, and while they were in that electric net he doubted he would be able to either keep hold of them or maintain the concentration needed to keep them out of sight.
Mors realised the other option was his only real option - he needed to go on the attack! Before he did, he had one last look at the unconscious twins and noticed a small circular object, no bigger than a metro-token - on the edge of the netting. It must be the source of the electricity, he thought. Without giving it any further consideration, he smacked at it with the edge his air-board, desperate to give Kalis and Drin a chance to get free.
There was a bang! and Mors was flung on his back, unconscious.
..........................................................
Home Base Academy tutors: Cosmic Boy – Rokk Krinn of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields Chameleon Girl - Yera Allon of Durla - shape changer
Science Police training staff: Brain Girl - Science Police Officer Ella Drottmi of Titan - telepathy and telekinesis
Students: The Terror Twins - Kalis and Drin Yip of Exor - personal magical transformation Invisible Kid iii - Mors Gwokyalya of Earth - invisibility
As he fell backwards, Mors Gwokyalya became visible.
One of the burly men raced towards him, quickly hauling him to his feet and man-handling the student towards their now parked air-cars. The other two picked up the unconscious twins and slung them over their shoulders before making their way back to their colleagues.
"Gentlemen, I want you to stop of your own volition before we are forced to stop you." The woman's voice came from above them - Chameleon Girl floated twenty five feet above them with Cosmic Boy at her side.
All three of the burly men reached into their overcoats, clearly going for weapons.
The one that had carried Mors to the air-car gave a yelp and reached up to his face, clutching at his mouth and nose, suddenly unable to breathe. In the second that his colleagues glanced in his direction, Yera Allon had assumed the form of a Braalian ferropotamus and crashed into the hood of the air-car nearest to them. They all flinched to avoid the shrapnel that exploded off from damage she had caused. Rokk Krinn reached out with his magnokenetic ability and spun these shards into a ball that then swerved in mid-air to smack the three men on the head, knocking them all sideways onto the floor.
A woman walked towards them, a hand was raised against her temple, as three incapacity cuffs levitated across towards them and snapped onto their wrists, knocking them unconscious.
"Well, they're particularly unpleasant, aren't they?" Ella Drottmi said as she approached the students, eager to check that they were okay.
"That was a nice trick stopping his breathing like that." Rokk said to her as he floated to the ground.
"Yeah, my TK isn't all that strong so I need to be more sneaky and strategic with it than, say Poltergeist." The Titanian Science Police Office smiled at the Braalian. She had checked both Drin and Kalis and was thankful that neither appeared too hurt.
Rokk had magnetically disabled the second air-car and while Yera had dragged the unconscious driver out from the car she had smashed, the Braalian had approached the other car and announced to the driver that they had three seconds to get out or he would get angry. As he said this the metal frame of the air-car gave an ominous creak and crumpled inwards slightly... two seconds later a door had opened and another burly man stepped out, his arms raised in surrender.
The attacker that Mors had thrown onto a wall was trying to sneak away but Ella spotted him and with a thought sent a set of incapacity cuffs to fasten around his ankle. She gave a smile as he fell face first onto the ferro-concrete pavement.
As she reached Mors. Ella realised that something wasn't right - the young man was flickering between visible and invisible, often just his skin or parts of his body becoming unseen. It was a disturbing sight.
"Rokk, I need help here." Ella said, "I need a warp to the medi-bay now."
Cosmic Boy flew straight across to the student and knelt down beside him.
"No, I don't think we need the medi-bay, we need to get him to Mars...."
.................................................
Private estate, Mons Olympus, Mars
Home Base Academy tutors: Cosmic Boy – Rokk Krinn of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields
Science Police training staff: Brain Girl - Science Police Officer Ella Drottmi of Titan - telepathy and telekinesis
Student: Invisible Kid iii - Mors Gwokyalya of Earth - invisibility
Before warping to this estate, Rokk had made sure that Home Base had sent a message to the ancient recluse that had gifted the power of invisibility to the student. They had received a terse message in response: "If you must."
Mors Gwokyalya was laid on a floating stretcher, created from a metal panel from the air-car that Yera had smashed, held aloft by Cosmic Boys abilities. He floated between the two tutors as they stepped through the warp. After the bright morning sunshine of Nu-Beijing, the dingy room they had walked into felt small, claustrophobic. Without thinking Ella automatically telepathically scanned their surroundings.
<you are not welcome to scan my home, Ella Drottmi> The psychic voice that spoke directly into her mind was soft, though the sense of immense power behind it gave her pause.
"We need your assistance." Rokk said simply. He stood at the students' side, not moving until the owner of this residence made themselves visible. And, appearing before them a large, clearly non-human green skinned being appeared as if out of thin air.
<this youth was damaged after crashing into my home's defences... I thought he would recover>
"He took a blast of ...well, we think it was electricity, but it was Exor technology so maybe it was magical..." Rokk realised his mouth was dry as he spoke and he licked his lips. The being before them was a galactic legend! They had met very briefly at Lu and Chuck's wedding, though even then Rokk had not fully believed it and in the excitement that followed, he didn't get the chance to really speak with them.
<bring him> The green skinned being turned and led them to a circular lift that appeared to be composed of small crystals shot through with lines of a pale light. There was no conversation as it quickly dropped several levels before opening up into a sterile looking room with a large platform in the centre. Without being asked, Rokk moved the student onto the platform. The room began to glow softly as strange technology appeared to separate itself from the curved walls and float into place around the unconscious student.
<this may take a couple of hours. I would prefer if you were to leave and return when it is completed>
<of course> Ella responded immediately.
"No, I'm sorry J'Onn, but I'm not leaving him here alone. He's one of ours and I want to stay to make sure he's okay." Rokk spoke up. He straightened his shoulders as he spoke, subconsciously trying to reassure himself as he defied one of the most powerful beings ever born in the Sol system.
There was a sense of amusement as the ancient Martian turned towards the Braalian and nodded.
<as you wish> and with that he vanished into the air, leaving the two tutors standing alone in this most strange place.
Almost three hours later, J'Onn J'Onzz materialised before the two tutors. They had not seen or heard from him in that time. Instead, the tutors had accessed the databases on their flight rings and created, checked and updated various reports and training notes from the Academy. Ella was sat against a wall while Rokk paced the floor when the Martian reappeared.
<the child has needed extensive modifications... he will not be the same so I need you to monitor and support him as he grows to appreciate his new status>
"What do you mean?" Rokk asked as Ella made her way to the unconscious student.
<Martian and Human DNA are not compatible. The slight modifications made when he was first here were not enough to sustain him so additional changes were necessary. I have extrapolated that he may exhibit additional Martian abilities in the coming days, though as yet am unsure what these may be>
"We'll keep an eye on him, now he's physically okay. Thank you J'Onn, we're very grateful for your help."
<look after him please, I would prefer if my rest was not disturbed again soon> And with that the Martian vanished again.
"Henry," Rokk called into his flight ring, "Can you send a warp to pick us up now please."
Neither tutor looked back as they walked through the warp with the student back to the Academy on Home Base.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 May 23
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yay for more!! I like that while it was Marmud who called Lu, it was Lu who suggested the joint session. at least both are working together. I respect Lu all the more for her heartfelt apology! wow! what an excellent conversation that Lu and Marmud had. take a bow Harbi! very well done! also a win for Marmud, beginning to earn Lu's respect. oh Dream Boy, trying to lie... I wonder if it will backfire, as the SPs clearly did not believe him. certainly sounds like it needs to be smoothed over. Rebounder sure was reckless, for sure he as a student has something that would allow him to breathe underwater? and of course, Aqua Lass and Gravity Lass were reckless too. whew... well, go Invisible Kid III! Handy that he can make objects he touches invisible too. ooph, that explosion did not bode well... also shows his inexperience, as that explosion could have hurt the twins too wow, impressive that Ella could use telekinesis to stop breathing! also, nice work giving different telekinetics/ Titanians different specialties and limitations/power levels ooh, J'Onn!! nice callback to his appearance at the Lu/Chuck wedding. how did he grant IK3 his invisibility? ooh, spliced with Martian DNA... huh! interesting! lots of potential here... both good and bad! though I guess more good, J'Onn would not leave him in a dangerous position. well, there will certainly be consequences from this outing, I bet looking forward to seeing what those are!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 May 23
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Hey IB, thanks for uour quick review, greatly appreciated. Invisible Kid iii first appeared in the Tales from the Academy Two, here: https://www.legionworld.net/forums/...Legion+World+&Search=true#Post994974Marmud and Lu, yeah, there's still a bit to go. Next up, finally, Tyroc and a team face an angry tree. No, really!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 May 23
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Hi Harbi, thanks for refreshing my memory re IK3 - I remember reading his vignette now! And I recognise many of the others, like Thunderbolt and Army of One. Well done for sprinkling them into the main series!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 May 23
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Troy Stewart smiled warmly.
The monitor board had sent through the message a few minutes before and Tyroc glanced at the screen, not really taking in what it said as he knew already that he wanted to lead a mission. Monica would laugh knowingly; he was quite certain, but there was no denying that he was far happier adventuring than sitting in an office filing the endless reports the team seemed to generate.
He announced that there was a mission leaving soon across the Second Base team network and now, minutes later here he was stood in Henry's warp control room with the teammates that had volunteered. In that time he had taken a second and more thorough look at the report and knew that it was unlikely to be a major mission, in fact he wondered why the team had ever been told about it in the first place... but... he also knew that a feel-good mission should never be squandered; the team saw enough violence and trouble without wishing for any more.
"Okay everyone, we've been called in to help a local police force tackle some strange goings-on on Frathamana Two. Reports say spontaneous light in the sky and somet'ing weird goin' on in an otherwise pristine ecosystem. They reckon there's meta's involved. No proof one way or t'other but it'll be fun t' find out, eh? Set your eco-protect to scrub the air though as by reputation it's a fairly ghastly smelly place. Y'all ready?"
Everyone said yes, eager to get started.
"Hey Troy, can we join you?" Timber Wolf bounded into the warp control room, Laurel Kent flying closely behind.
"Nope, y'r too slow there Brin. Sorry bud but we're a'ready extranumerary with seven of us goin' so you two c'n wait f'r the next mission call... ah'm sure you won't have too long." Troy smiled at his teammates as they groaned and turned away to leave.
As the warp opened Tyroc signaled Poltergeist, the new Legionnaire that Element Lad had been mentoring, to stay close to him. Troy had enjoyed mentoring Bouncing Boy ii and before that Monica Sade had been his mentee - not that he thought of that relationship now as anything other than one of equals. From what Tyroc had seen already, Poltergeist had tremendous potential to be a great Legionnaire and while Troy had stopped the mentor scheme for the latest tranche of new Legionnaires he wanted to keep an eye on the young telekinetic.
With Tyroc in the lead, the Legionnaires flew through the warp.
...................................
Tyroc – Second Base Team Leader - Troy Stewart of Marzal city pocket dimension - sonic control Monica Sade of Rimbor - strength, reflexes , line of sight teleportation Dragonwing - Marya Pai of Earth - breathes dragon fire and acid Karate Kid iii – Mithindrivithis Ngandraffa of Lythyl - strength, reflexes, mimetic motor learning giving incredible combat skills Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds - strength, durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness and analytical skills. Poltergeist -Jaun Vineo of Titan - alpha-level telekinesis
Science Police meta-squad seconded to Legion World Second Base:
Captain Phantom - Senior Team liaison, Science Police Captain Gryal Vrizza of Bgztl Dimension - intangibility
Encyclopaedia Galactica - the Great Swamp on Frathamana Two is renowned to be one of the foulest smelling places within an atmosphere similar to that of Earth's ever settled by humans. It is said that the only reason anyone would ever visit is due to the indigenous Great Clams which produce some of the most beautiful and rarest pearls in the known galaxy, with perhaps only three or four being discovered each year. These discoveries generate enough income to keep the planetary government fully funded. The population on Frathamana Two is a stable three hundred thousand or so colonists who generally live in a fairly stable moderately lo-tech society. The Great Clams are fiercely protected by the local eco-police who monitor the ancient and peaceful creatures as they grow within the deepest parts of the swamp. The local police are also responsible for strictly controlling every prospector that applies for a visa to visit, and ensuring that the local eco-laws are adhered to.
The local police were clearly sceptical about needing the Legionnaires help but weren't obstructive as they pulled up a holo of the swamp and the site where the lights had been seen.
According to their scans there should be no people anywhere nearby, though they admitted that their satellites were old so there may be some issues with that data. Tyroc synched his flight ring to the police AI database and took data giving a brief overview of the area they would be investigating including co-ordinates of the strange sightings.
"I'll get the sky-sled and take you there now." The older ofthe two officers said, a bit huffily.
"No need my good man," Tyroc gave a big grin, "we've got these..." he held up his right hand indicting his flight ring. The Legionnaires took to the air and followed the flight plan generated by their rings towards the area where the strange lights had been witnessed.
Even through the eco-protect function of their flight rings scrubbing the air, they could all smell the swamp, and it was not nice. It was somewhere between rotten eggs and burning toffee, though somehow encapsulating the worst of both smells. Behind them they could hear the 'putt putt putt' of the eco-police's sky-sled, an older model of a Vikken atmospheric trawler built to carry wares across continents. It was never built for looks or stealth.
<Tyroc, do we know what we are looking for?> Poltergeist sent.
<Nah, so keep yer eye's peeled, 'kay?>
Beneath them the Great Swamp reached out towards the horizon, a magnificent and seemingly chaotic mixture of water and exotic plant life that ran along the coast of the continent for over three thousand clicks east to west, and several hundred clicks to the north. It was difficult to see exactly where the land ended and sea began. There were flocks of bird-like creatures and swarms of much smaller insects above the trees. The team all flew higher as they tried to avoid these swarms as they understood that at the speed they were flying a face full of bugs would be an awful inconvenience.
"There!" Babbage's voice said over their comms. The Robotican Legionnaire was pointing towards a particularly dense patch of trees. As they flew closer it was apparent that there was a faint glow around this particular group of trees that seemed to be slowly dropping sparkling blobs onto the surrounding growth.
"Well spotted Babs." Dragonwing said. She knew her eyesight was keen but the Robotican was obviously the next level up as they had spotted it from several clicks away.
Tyroc used his flight ring to contact the police officer in the Vikken air-trawler that flew behind them. The police officer inside replied that it wasn't a natural phenomenon as far as they were aware, though this area was right in the middle of the largest Protected Status Zone so there was little chance that it had been recorded too often if it was.
"Well, let's start our search there then." Tyroc announced as he started to dive down towards the glowing trees.
....................................
"Halophytes do not usually achieve such growth."
Babbage stated factually this as they approached the area that was glowing faintly.
"It's a mangrove tree, isn't it?" Captain Phantom asked, "...my family live on the coast and we have these on the edges of our land."
"Mangroves are a species in of themselves, this does not appear to entirely fit into that genus though it is clearly tolerant of salt water, hence it is a Halophyte." Babbage replied.
"Oh, well now I know, I guess..." The Bgztlr responded, looking around and clearly not really paying attention. From the air it had looked like it was a tightly packed copse though as they got close it was only one tree that glowed -it was huge, at least six or seven times bigger than those around it.
Tyroc signalled the team to land beside him on a large boulder that sat next to the tree. All apart from Babbage did; the Robotican continued to float around the massive tree taking scans. It had announced there were raised levels of noxious fumes around the branches though not enough to endanger life.
"So," Monica Sade said, "please tell, Troy, we were brought to this delightful place because of what exactly?"
"Okay, okay folks. I get it, this looks like a bust of a mission, but let's just make doubly sure there's nothin' wrong goin' on here then we'll get Henry t' warp us home."
Tyroc looked embarrassed but rather than say anything else he floated into the air and turned around to see if there was anything nearby that might justify there being a team of Legionnaires being in this swamp.
Below him, Dragonwing had flown down to the water's edge and casually leant on a protruding root. Her fiery breath puffed out in small green curls. She was almost unaware of what was happening until too late, but a slight tingling in her fingertips made her look down. There were miniscule nodules erupting from the root all around her fingers, sticking to her glove. Marya pulled her hand away though he glove remained stuck.
"Uh, guys..." she said as she floated away from the offending root. As Dragonwing watched her glove was absorbed into the plant, vanishing in seconds. Karate Kid, Captain Phantom, Babbage and Monica Sade, all approached her to see what had caused her to call out.
"This is not a standard feeding technique for this species." Babbage stated.
"No shit, Sherlock." Marya muttered as she took a breath and released a very thin stream of dragon-fire towards the root where her glove had vanished. As her fiery breath came close to the root it swerved out of the way. Marya let another, large stream of dragon fire out and this time it scorched the root. There was an ominous rumbling and the water around the team started to bubble and undulate.
"Get in the air team!" Tyroc barked as he floated above them.
Where seconds before their environment had been calm, with only the gentle lapping of the tide and bird song disturbing the peace, now roots and branches from the massive tree sprung towards the Legionnaires trying to grab hold of them. The Legionnaires all beat a hasty retreat apart from Science Police Captain Gryal Vrizza, who remained intangible and planned on drawing the attention of the attacking plant.
The flailing roots and branches initially targeted him though quickly turned up towards the team floating above as it became clear that they would not be able to hold him.
"What the hell did I just do? And since when are mangroves man-eaters?" Marya said to no-one in particular.
....................................
"So... ideas?" Monica Sade had both blasters out, ready to fire if any of the branches reached the Legionnaires.
"T' be honest, ah'm not sure if we should do anyt'ing." Tyroc replied, "so far all it's done is defend itsel' against Marya's flames."
"Tyroc," Babbage said, "my scans indicates there is a small alien metal object producing energy that my database is unable to identify directly underneath the main mass of this plant. Should the team not investigate this incongruity?"
"Gryal, c'n you 'nvestigate?" Tyroc asked the SP Officer from Bgztl.
Captain Phantom gave the team leader a thumbs up and a smile as he phased through the ground by the side of the tree.
"Does anyone else find that kind of creepy? The way he just flows through solids gives me ... yech, it's... umm..." Monica Sade could see her teammates were looking at her as if she was mad. "Sorry, it's just I think going intangible is weird, okay? Gryal's fine and all, but his power..."
Poltergeist, the newest member of the team, had hung back as he watching the more senior team members assess and deal with the situation, called out and pointed below them.
Below the hovering Legionnaires, the unnaturally massive tree had started to writhe, its branches stretching out and swinging wildly in all directions. The ground around it undulated and great clots of muddy earth and swamp water were thrown aside as roots started to pull themselves out from the swamp. And, in a matter of half a minute, the tree that had swung its branches towards the Legionnaires moments before had uprooted itself and stood upon surprisingly thick roots above the swamp in front of them.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 May 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
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More soon when we'll find out what's behind the angry tree, and a shopping trip leads to drunken conversations with a former Legionnaire and further hassles for the team.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 May 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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yay! angry tree! the whole concept is just wonderfully amazing, so I'm eager to see how Troy deals with that. very relatable, that Troy prefers to be on a mission than to deal with admin I know a lot of people who don't want to take on a people management role because of that too that eco-protect is so gosh-darned useful! I like Troy being all mentor-y, if that makes sense. I remember Poltergeist and Jan were affected by some telepathic emotional manipulation before, and Troy told Poltergeist off before he learned about the manipulation (Poltergeist had a crush on Jan right? I hope I'm not mixing him up with someone else). so it's good to see that come full-circle with Troy recognizing Poltergeist's potential. and sorry Brin and Laurel, group's big enough... wow, those clams and pearls are super valuable! eww that smell sounds horrid, ugh! Ah, does Marya have superhuman eyesight too? hah, "no shit Sherlock!" I love your Babbage's dialogue, and how "captain obvious" it can be a small metal alien object, color me curious! is something mutating or animating this tree? are the Dominators up to no good (considering their plant tech)? also, bless Tyroc for having a level head indeed - the tree might indeed just be acting in self-defense Sade's bit about intangibility is interesting. hasn't she served alongside Tinya for a bit, and doesn't Tinya phase the same way as Gryal? the tree uprooted itself! well! way to up the ante... this angry tree is turning out to be quite the mission! looking forward, as ever, to more more more!!!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 May 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
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Thanks IB, appreciate your feedback. Yup, Poltergeist has an unrequited crush on Jan, and Troy is being a kind of back-up mentor for him now, well remembered! I've mentioned before that Marya has good eyesight, not super duper sight, but pretty sharp. Just a random thing I threw in to round her out a little bit. I think Sade just hates intangibility, whether it's Tinya or Captain Phantom doing it, and this time her thoughts slipped out. It would be pretty weird to see happen so I think I'd feel the same tbh, so that's where it came from More soon, probably Monday as I'm on a bit of a writer-roll right now and have the next ten or so posts ready to go. Thanks again, C
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 May 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
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Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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hi Harbi, my pleasure - I really enjoy your stories. Glad I remembered Poltergeist's history well! thanks for clarifying re Marya! and I totally get you, I'd probably jump abit the first time I saw someone walk through a wall good to see you're on a roll, that means more for us to read too!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 23 May 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Wanderer
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Metropolis, Earth
Kid Quantum - Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu - creation of temporal quantum fields, flight Shield - Laurel Kent of Earth - physical invulnerability, tactile psychometry
When Zoe had announced an impromptu shopping trip to Metropolis across the First Base comms network, Jazmin thought it would be a laugh so happily asked if she could join her. Zoe agreed and asked if Laurel might want to join them as well. Jazmin agreed to give their friend a call as she closed her holo.
Laurel told Jazmin that she was an absolute lifesaver as Brin was huffing because they had been too late to get on a mission and it was getting on her nerves. The invulnerable young woman wanted to leave him to it and would order up a warp and see her friends for a shopping spree shortly.
Amp Girl and the Silver Shaman from the support staff, and Ferro from the main team joined the shopping trip as well. Ming invited the Monstress from the Xanthu Amazers as she was a known lover of all things fashionable. The five young women and two men had initially started in a mall that was famed for its outrageous range of shops specialising in footwear where they had fun trying on a variety of shoes.
Twenty minutes later, Douglas Nolan announced he had found the new running shoes he wanted and called for a warp back to the base.
After an hour, Laurel suggested they stop for some liquid refreshments, but Zoe, Ming, Shardwurd, and Candi were not to be dissuaded from the monumental task they had set themselves. Jazmin smiled and said she'd join Laurel as she was feeling thirsty, and they could catch up with their friends in half an hour or so.
Both knew that they wouldn't.
Jazmin had heard of a small rooftop bar overlooking one of the largest park areas in the Manhattan District of Oldtown Metropolis. It could be pretty exclusive, but she was sure they would blag their way in. Flight rings had to be good for something, after all, she said with a laugh.
It took them twenty minutes to get there in an aircab, and the small queue to get in - even in the early afternoon - was shooshed aside once the door persons had spotted the two young women. With immaculate manners, the two muscular men in smart black suits motioned them through the smokey glass doors into the venue ahead of the dozen people waiting patiently for their chance to get inside.
"Thank you, gentlemen." Jazmin said, flashing them a wide grin as they walked through the doors.
"Our pleasure Ms Cullins." The shorter of the two replied.
"Ah, they know who we are." Jazmin muttered as her and Laurel made their way to a table.
"Free drinks then, yeah?" Laurel laughed as she replied.
"Fingers are crossed." Jazmin laughed.
They found a semi-secluded table with a wall of exotic plants at one side that afforded them a view over the Eastern edge of the park.
A wave of Laurel's hand over a discreetly placed hard light sensor pad alerted staff to their presence and twenty seconds later an auto-bartender appeared and politely listed the cocktails available before taking their order.
They sat together, facing the park with a delicate parasol floating above them, giving some shade from the early afternoon sun. The views were rather spectacular and they spent the first ten minutes naming landmarks and sharing stories from their lives associated with them.
It was forty minutes, a lot of laughter and the two Legionnaires were on their third very large cocktail later as Laurel was talking about how her father had tried to hide his obvious relationship with the Quantum Queen from her, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"You ladies enjoying the view?"
"DIRK!" they both yelled happily as they turned to see Dirk Morgan, their former teammate the original Sun Boy, standing behind them.
...................
Former Legionnaire Dirk Morgna of Earth, Sun Boy - generation of extreme heat and light
Dirk bent forward and put an arm around them both, kissing the top of their heads before offering to buy them a drink.
After they had happily given their order they asked him to join them. He smiled as he sat opposite them, his back to the park view. He wore a plain, sleeveless top in red, with baggy yellow pants tucked into short black boots. His casual clothing aside, what both young women noticed was how long his hair had grown, and that he had it tied back in a pony tail that reached halfway down his back. His laid back demeanour was very different to what they had known before.
"What've you been up to Dirk, we've missed you " Jazmin said as he sat on a chair opposite her.
"You really want to know?" He said with a flirtatious smile, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Not all the gory details, no, but, y'know an overview would be great." Jazmin laughed as she replied.
"Actually, I wouldn't mind some details," Laurel laughed wickedly, "well, a girl can never have too many tricks up her sleeve after all..."
"Things getting a bit ...stale with the lovely Mr Londo there, Laurel?" Dirk teased mercilessly.
"No way, Brin is as energetic and loving as any girl could ever ask for." She replied with a perfectly straight face, before she cracked up laughing, "well... we've been together over a year and a half and, y'know, the honeymoon phase doesn't last forever, so any novel tricks or tips would be appreciated." Laurel started to blush as the words left her mouth, suddenly aware that the cocktails she had speedily consumed were probably more alcoholic than she had expected.
Dirk laughed and nodded, "And now you know why I won't settle down."
"So," Jazmin interrupted, "what have you been doing? Seriously, man, we miss you."
"Well... I've kind of relaxed, I mean proper relaxed. For the first time in stars only know how long, I don't set an alarm and I don't miss it. A couple of companies have approached me, wanting endorsement deals or the like... been seeing what's out there really. I'm lucky my father left me a bit in his will so I don't need to rush into anything."
"Well, you clearly still work out." Jazmin said, pointing at his muscular arms. He smiled and flexed them, happily showing off his hard-earned muscles.
"Yeah, that's a habit I haven't lost. If anything, I do more now...Do you like it, Laurel?" He gave another teasing look her way as he asked.
"You almost look as good as the new Sun Boy." Laurel said with a wicked smile.
"The new...? Who's this?" Dirk's expression became more serious. His mouth still smiled; the rest of his face didn't look quite as happy.
"Oh, remember Lexikon? I bet you do." Laurel gave Dirk a particularly pointed look before continuing. "Her fiancé joined the Academy, and he's gonna be a tutor there. Everyone adores him y'know... well, Tamaraneans are all so gorgeous, aren't they? Golden skin, big green eyes, broad shoulders and snake hips... yummy!" Laurel gave a wicked laugh as she spoke. She was clearly enjoying teasing Dirk.
Jazmin had been watching Dirks expression as Laurel said this. The invulnerable young woman was just trying to tease their former teammate, though his reactions were more serious than expected.
"I'm fairly sure I own the rights to that name." His voice was tight and his nostrils flared as he took a couple of deep breaths.
"Hey, what's up?" Laurrl reached across to put a hand on his knee.
"I'm working on a marketing brief and need the Sun Boy brand untarnished..."
"Dirk... firstly, like what're you selling that you need it so bad, and secondly, untarnished? Really, given how many clubs your banned from and paternity suits you've had against you.. "
"Okay ladies, this had been nice but I gotta go now. I've got some business to attend to." And without another word he left the table and walked out of the bar.
"Oh dear, he's not particularly happy, is he?" Laurel said with a small smile.
"Nope... and we'd better get back to Base as I've a feeling we haven't heard the last of this."
....................
The Great Swamp on Frathamana Two
Tyroc – Second Base Team Leader - Troy Stewart of Marzal city pocket dimension - sonic control Monica Sade of Rimbor - strength, reflexes , line of sight teleportation Dragonwing - Marya Pai of Earth - breathes dragon fire and acid Karate Kid iii – Mithindrivithis Ngandraffa of Lythyl - strength, reflexes, mimetic motor learning giving incredible combat skills Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds - strength, durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness and analytical skills. Poltergeist -Jaun Vineo of Titan - alpha-level telekinesis
Science Police meta-squad seconded to Legion World Second Base:
Captain Phantom - Senior Team liaison, Science Police Captain Gryal Vrizza of Bgztl Dimension - intangibility
"Back up!" Tyroc ordered.
The Science Police air craft swerved in the air above them, its alarm suddenly blaring.
"Officer," Tyroc spoke into his flight ring, willing the communication function to broadcast to the local police vehicle, "I t'ink it's best you retreated a ways, we'll deal wit' this. G't yoursel' safe now.""
The team also retreated, keeping space between each other so the swinging branches wouldn't have an easy target to potentially take out more than one of them at a time.
"Captain Vrizza is unconscious below the tree, there." Dragonwing said, pointing downwards.
With a pop! Monica Sade vanished and reappeared close to the roots of the tree. She popped out of sight again and seconds later was spotted flying out from underneath the tree as fast as she could, Captain Phantom tightly held in her arms.
<Poltergeist, c'n you deter the branches from grabbing them?> Tyroc sent to the junior team member.
<on it> The young psychic responded as he reached out to direct the branches that were trying to grab his teammates in towards themselves, resulting in them getting knotted up together.
<Babbage, lay down a suppressing fire t' encourage this t'ing t' back off> the team leader sent across the telepathic matrix.
His Robotican teammate hovered fifty metres away and nodded its head before pointing both hands towards the tree, From the index finger on each hand thin beams of laser fire tore through the ends of the branches that were closest to the team.
<that's right, just a light pruning t' dissuade it...> As Tyroc sent this several long branches shot out from the inside of the densely packed leaves towards the team like spears. Tyroc released a howl that shattered them while Poltergeist telekinetically grabbed the shards and redirected them back towards the tree.
"Guys, it's really pissed, do you think we should retreat a bit more?" Marya Pai was usually up for a decent fight but she didn't understand what was happening here so, remembering her Academy training, realised a strategic retreat might not go amiss at that moment.
"No... no Marya, I t'ink we need to find out wha's goin' on here as this just ain't right. We're goin' in!." Tyroc replied, his accent thickening as he concentrated on the task at hand.
.....................
Monica Sade had rested the unconscious Captain Phantom on a moss-covered mound.
After a quick scan to check he wasn't too badly hurt, she turned back towards the immense, incredible tree that was giving the team so much trouble. The ground around them was shaking as the muddy sea water rushed in to fill the massive hole that had been ripped into the ground when the tree had apparently taken to chase after the Legionnaires. Birds screamed as they took to the sky for several clicks around them.
She could see Tyroc and the team flying above the massive tree and as she looked around something glinted underneath the roots of the walking tree that caught her eye. In amongst the dripping muddy roots there was something golden. Babbage had said that its sensors had detected a strange energy source, well that could be it. Monica thought that if she could remove it from the tree, it would likely stop this strange encounter. With a pop! she vanished from the mossy mound...
She reappeared 20 metres away, only feet away from a large clump of the tree's roots. In her hands she tightly gripped her blasters with their setting on 'burn'. Sade didn't want to draw attention to herself as she ducked under clumps of dripping roots so gently hovered around one massive concentration of roots that the tree was using like a leg to support itself. Her reflexes and speed helped her avoid being caught as thin branches swung about underneath the massive trunk. As she approached the centre of the underside of the tree, she could see the object clearly ~ it was no bigger than her two hands and glinted like gold. What stuck her though was it looked exactly like something she remembered from a class at the Academy, something that had caused a lot of problems before the team had finally stopped it. She stopped five feet from it and pondered how she could get through the knot of whip-like roots that surrounded it.
"I wouldn't try touching it..."
"Vrizza! You scared the bejeezers out of me" Sade hissed as she turned to glare at the smiling Captain Phantom as he floated behind her.
"Sorry Monica... just woke up and saw you getting close to that thing. I tried to grab it and it knocked me out so wanted to warn you. Perhaps Poltergeist can reach it?" He gave a small smile as he offered his suggestion.
"You know what it is, right?" Sade asked the Bgtzlar Science Police Captain.
"Other than dangerous, nope." Again, he gave her a small smile.
"The team encountered one before... I learned about it at the Academy. It might look like an old oil lamp but it's actually a prison created by the Oans to hold a D'Jinn... and they're really powerful and nasty!"
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 23 May 23
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Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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yay, more! Impromptu shopping trip is sooo Zoe, and also sooo Zoe to just announce it to everyone - like, whomever wants to come, come along! figures that Brin would still be huffing about not getting to go along hah! I like how Ferro is the practical shopper. I'm done gang, bye! also nice that Laurel and Jazmin aren't THAT into shopping, not as much as Zoe, Monstress, etc. Dirk! nice surprise! so him to wear a sleeveless top. Dirk wit h a ponytail, quite an image. haha oh Laurel she tried to be discreet... no wonder Dirk is so relaxed, he's just been lazing about! (I also like that Dirk has to work hard to maintain the muscles... that always bugged me with classic comics art. Like, I can buy Cosmic Boy, Ultra Boy, etc. being muscular... but Brainiac 5???) uh oh, now I see... smart hook here, making Dirk possessive of the Sun Boy name because of business, rather than pride (or is it just that?) LOL at that bit re "what name, you've been banned from so many places and have so many paternity suits...!" wow, the tree was able to knock Captain Phantom unconscious? Did he get careless, or can the tree hit through phased enemies? ah I read ahead, it was that object! I like how Marya is the one who suggested a retreat! Like how Sade is more than just her power, she's a darned good fighter too! whoa! now that was a nice curveball, I remember that Djinn story! Well done Harbi, I was not expecting that! as always, very eager to see what happens next !
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 May 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Hi Harbi - I finally had a decent amount of time to sit down and catch up on stuff so here's some thoughts: I liked Lu welcoming Brainy...they have such a weirdly intimate history together for two characters who hardly ever actually interact with one another! And I am sure some of the new kids would be shocked to learn Lu is only like 99% hardass and she does have a soft side in there somewhere Also I appreciated the history lesson on Home Base! Did we know this already and I just forgot? Either way, it makes perfect sense that doomsday cults will adapt to space travel! And it's kind of a creepy thing to think about whole planet-wide cults dotted here and there! Mass belching colored lights made me LOL The scene with Dream Boy talking to Cos made me chuckle...it is always fun seeing Naltorians confusing everyone else around them talking about stuff that hasn't happened yet It makes sense that the students would set off some nerves flying to the beach...we are used to seeing the Legionnaires be treated like celebrities, but people would also have to figure that there's likely trouble brewing if superheroes are flying around too. Also, good to see the disadvantage of being invisible in a crowd and how Mors found he could be less conspicuous just by being a bit smart about how he presented himself. Marmud and Lu's scene together was an optimistic but also realistic step forward; they are both trying to look at the bigger picture and in doing that they are seeing the better parts of each other that they wouldn't have noticed if they were still just focused on their beef. I really liked Mors taking on the Exxorians with just an air-board and his invisibility...this action-oriented Invisible Kid is more fun off the bat than Jacques was to be honest! OOH, and now he's gonna get new powers?? Future J'onn is creepy, but I am curious how our new Invisible Kid is gonna come out of this! The Great Swamp sounds like a fun and gross backdrop for an adventure, and more Babbage is always good! Your Tyroc is pretty pragmatic, so I am looking forward to seeing how he deals with something off the wall like an angry tree
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 31 May 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
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Joined: Sep 2003
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The Great Swamp on Frathamana Two
Tyroc – Second Base Team Leader - Troy Stewart of Marzal city pocket dimension - sonic control Monica Sade of Rimbor - strength, reflexes , line of sight teleportation Dragonwing - Marya Pai of Earth - breathes dragon fire and acid Karate Kid iii – Mithindrivithis Ngandraffa of Lythyl - strength, reflexes, mimetic motor learning giving incredible combat skills Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds - strength, durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness and analytical skills Poltergeist -Jaun Vineo of Titan - alpha-level telekinesis
Science Police meta-squad seconded to Legion World Second Base: Captain Phantom - Senior Team liaison, Science Police Captain Gryal Vrizza of Bgztl Dimension - intangibility
After Monica Sade had alerted the rest of the team to what she had found, Tyroc called for them to retreat.
As the team started to fly away, the monstrous tree took faltering steps, smashing through the forest around it, as it gave chase.
<Team, it ain't gonna give up so we need t' get that lamp away from under it>
<it knocked me out when I touched it> Captain Phantom sent to his teammates.
<So, we separate it from the tree with some of Marya's fire and then Poltergeist grabs it?> Monica Sade suggested.
<That sounds fair enough... Though you've been under it 'afore so you go with him Monica, you sneak in there with Jaun... keep the kid safe, eh? An' the rest of us will give it somet'ing else to focus on>
Poltergeist felt himself start to blush as Tyroc referred to him as a 'kid' but he kept silent. He was the youngest and newest member of the team after all.
The team agreed with Tyroc's plan before they turned back towards the tree. It was only a couple of hundred metres behind them and gaining fast. The team leader took point as Dragonwing, Karate Kid, Babbage and Captain Phantom got ready to join in a frontal attack.
Poltergeist followed Monica Sade's example as she simply floated softly down to the ground below. They floated just above the mossy swamp, in amongst the bushy trees that made up the bulk of this ecosystem. The angry tree was clearly focussing on their teammates as the Legionnaires above started to take action against it.
Above them, they heard a tremendous roar and the sound of wood snapping- Tyroc's opening assault! There were several more bangs and crashes before there was a tremendous crash as something heavy fell into the swamp twenty metres away - Poltergeist resisted the urge to check it out, figuring that it must have been part of the tree as his teammates would ask for help if one of them had been knocked out of the air...
The young psychic concentrated on the job at hand; alongside Monica Sade, he floated through the pristine ecosystem of the swamp towards the underside of the massive mobile tree that now towered ten or twelve metres above.
.....................................
Dragonwing flew straight towards a bushy branch that had extended itself to swipe at Tyroc.
He had easy dodged it and with clinical precision had let out a low-pitched roar to strip the smaller blanches and twigs from it. As the large branch swung back towards the team leader, Marya flew alongside and with a Ptui! she released a spit of Dragon acid onto it. Within seconds her acid had scorched its way through the branch and it fell into the swamp below, landing with a tremendous sploosh! She quickly glanced down to make sure neither Monica nor Poltergeist were below. As she looked down, another thinner branch whipped around, and thankfully, at the last moment, she saw it and quickly dropped down under it as it swiped at her. She blew out a burst of her green flame scorching the branch as it passed her.
Captain Phantom was running interference for Karate Kid as she dived into towards the main trunk of the tree. The lithe martial artist was kicking and chopping at branches as she spun through the tangle of growth, sending branches flying in all directions as they snapped at the force and accuracy of each strike. Captain Phantom was in awe at how efficiently she moved and almost missed a whip like branch that swung towards her back as he was admiring his colleague's skills. As it snaked in beside her throat, he saw it and phased through the nearest branch to grab with both hands, twisting with all his strength to snap it in two.
Babbage floated twenty feet above the crown of the tree and used its finger lasers to sever the ends of branches that swung too closely to its teammates. There were too many thrashing around from the length of the tree's bough to keep them all away from potentially harming a Legionnaire. The Robotican had to change tactics as spear-like projections shot out of the tangle of leaves towards it. While Babbage was fairly certain these would not get through its armoured shell, it didn't want to take the risk. As the Robotican blew apart these spears, small balls of a snot like sap sprayed out, some of which covered the Legionnaire's legs and torso. The sap instantly stuck and quickly turned solid, immobilising the body parts it covered. Babbage releases a body-wide electrical pulse which fried the sap, making it brittle enough to wipe off.
...................................
Monica Sade led her young teammate carefully through the dark tangle of roots that hung, dripping swamp water, underneath the mobile tree. The air stank!
<It doesn't have eyes to see us so I think it feels vibrations ...so let's be careful, no sudden movements or loud noises, okay?> The Rimboran teleporter glanced at the telekinetic young man as she said this, noting that he nodded in response.
Sade indicated where they were going and Poltergeist gently moved a few straggling roots aside with his telekinesis. They both waited a few seconds before moving underneath them just in case they had triggered the tree to act. Both breathed a quiet breath of relief when there was no attack.
Sade pointed to the ball of roots where the lamp was suspended.
<how does that even work? Aren't D'jinn supposed to grant wishes? How does a tree have wishes?>
<all lifeforms have desires I suppose, and perhaps this one wanted to grow big and scare away its attackers... actually, no idea> Sade tried not to laugh as she sent the reply as she realised just what an outrageous position they were in: Underneath a giant walking tree trying to steal a Genies lamp...
They had already arranged that Sade would use her blasters to get the roots off the lamp then Poltergeist would grab it telekinetically. As planned, she moved several yards away from him - just in case the tree attacked her, she could teleport out of the way and he wouldn't be at too much risk. She aimed both of her guns at the top of the roots and blasted...
There was an explosion of twigs and bark shrapnel!
Jaun Vineo had already placed a shield between himself and the root ball that had held the lamp so he was ready to take action as the small wooden shards flew out in all directions. With a thought he reached out with his prodigious psychic talent and wrestled the lamp away from the few roots that still clung to it.
<Got it!> He exclaimed excitedly as he telekinetically yanked the lamp out of the root ball towards the Legionnaires.
Above their heads there was an ominously loud creak and both realised that without the access to the D'Jinn's power the tree would revert to its natural state, and that did not include being able to stand upon its root above the water and ground - and them! - below it.
...............................
"Keep hold of that bloody lamp!" Sade yelled as she flew at the young psychic. When she had gained her experimental cybernetics that gave teleporting abilities, she had tried to carry another living being with her. She had picked up her Rimborian Mini-Weile, Mishi, though unfortunately had only managed to carry part of it - the dog had died and she never tried to teleport with another living thing after that. She learned her lesson; teleporting was to be a solo experience! As she dived for the psychic Monica Sade hoped her speed and reflexes would be enough to save them...
She grabbed Poltergeist in one arm around his torso as she held her other hand out in front of her, her gun tightly in its grip and blasted at all the roots that were in their way as she flew straight through them to safety. Luck was thankfully on their side as the tree began to tilt over in the opposite direction to the one they flew in, opening up a space for them to escape from.
As they landed, Monica Sade let out a laugh. As much as she would deny it if asked, she had been really scared for a few seconds there. It was so obvious that the tree wouldn't be able to stand without the D'Jinn... she felt like an idiot that they had not considered it when they made their plan.
She turned around to say as much to Poltergeist but before she could say anything she saw there was something wrong - the young psychic was stood in water, hugging the lamp tightly against his chest, his eyes rolled back in his head and he was clearly oblivious of their surroundings.
<Troy! Got down here, we need help, stat!>
.............................
Tyroc was furious!
He had spent the last two minutes, since landing beside Sade and seeing the situation, arguing with Henry to open a warp to a medi-bay. The holo-man that controlled the teams teleport system had refused point-blank. The holo of Henry had simply smiled and replied that the type of Oan technology the lamp used to imprison the D'Jinn, would throw the warp off calibration and he would not be able to guarantee their safe return. Troy had felt his blood pressure rise as he looked at Henry in frustration. He was unsure if the holo-man from the 75th century was playing a prank...
The team had tried to get Poltergeist to let go of the lamp but as they got close to him a telekinetic shield appeared and pushed them away. Karate Kid tried to dash in to grab at his arm but was rebuffed, even as Captain Phantom gave a surprised yelp as his hand that he had solidified to grab the lamp while the rest of him was intangible, was jerked away.
As Henry vanished, Babbage had scanned the young psychic and announced that while there was no sign of any physical harm, their young teammate had very strange brainwaves that did not correspond to any reading he had been programmed to recognise.
"So, what we gonna do?" Dragonwing asked, her usually confident voice was small.
........................
Jaun looked around.
He knew he must be in some sort of astral environment. Although not a telepath, the young telekinetic had grown up on Titan and very quicky learned to distinguish mind tricks from reality. Jaun quickly thought about his Academy training, what he had been advised to do if ever he found himself alone in unknown territory with a potentially more powerful opponent. He knew instinctively that he wouldn't be able to run, hide or call for help, so his next option was to try to get on his opponents' good side... get to know them and build a rapport as he learned as much as possible. And then, hopefully, use that information to defeat them.
When he had been a student at the academy going through these drills, Jaun had found this exercise to be a lot easier than many of his fellow students - he was a short, skinny non-telepathic kid who had grown up on Titan. He had learned the survival skills of self preservation at a very young age.
The landscape appeared as the same vista he had just been in, minus the walking tree and the other Legionnaires. A low-level swamp forest ran as far as the eye could see around him and there was gently lapping water beneath. Standing in front of him was a blue skinned man, tall, broad and smiling.
<you have desires you want fulfilled?>
<ah yeah, though before we go there... what's going on?> Jaun was well aware that the D'Jinn was inside his mind. He also knew he wasn't psychically empowered to get it out so decided to ask it questions to hopefully distract it enough so he could plan what to do next.
<I felt it prudent to remove you from any unnecessary distractions>
<really?> Poltergeist felt surprised by this, and was a little sceptical. He also realised he was not actually scared, his heart wasn't racing at all, in fact he felt remarkable chilled out.
<are you also making me so calm? I don't know why, but feel pretty happy being here.>
<of course, master. I've learned that your kind can get ...ah, overexcited at times like this so I am slowing your racing pulse and monitoring and soothing your body's chemicals. I assure you; you will come to no harm> the blue skinned man smiled warmly as he bowed his head. Jaun replied with his thanks.
<now we need to deal with the matter in hand... you have desires that I can fulfil>
<I don't think my desires are, like that easy to get fulfilled> As he sent his reply the D'Jinn's shape morphed into that of Element Lad.
<your desires are clear for me to read>
<that's never gonna happen... he loves someone else>
<but it could happen if you ask for it, and perhaps this...>
Poltergeist looked down as his usual short and slender frame started to expand. His body grew six inches taller and with far more muscles and definition... the D'Jinn was even producing hair on his chest. His long dreadlocked hair flowed across his now broad shoulders.
<I could get RNA body-sculpted if I wanted to look like this that badly, and y'know what, while I'd love to be bigger and tougher, I'm kinda comfortable being me> As much as this was true, Jaun could feel a part of him would have been ecstatic had he accepted what had just been offered.
<really? I can taste the loneliness in you>
<I'm a Legionnaire, we're never alone> The young psychic tried to project as much confidence into his reply as possible. He remembered how Duplicate Girl had told the students at the academy about how she had faced a rogue D'Jinn many years before. She had openly admitted to the class that defeating it had been a very close thing. Poltergeist knew he needed to be extra careful... if Luornu Durga was scared then he realised he should be too.
<maybe, but you are lonely. Tell me which desires you need fulfilling young Legionnaire> the D'Jinn had appeared at his side and put an arm affectionately across Jaun's shoulders.
<tell me first, did you enjoy making a tree's wishes come true?> Poltergeist knew he needed to get the D'Jinn to talk about itself, and this was the first question that came to mind. As he asked it he groaned to himself, he knew he had to think of something else and quickly if he stood a chance of getting out of this situation intact.
<it is a simple organism, simple needs...> the D'Jinn said, nonchalantly.
<do you like making others desires come true? What about what you want?> Jaun smiled as he asked this, suddenly aware of where he wanted to take this conversation.
<my people... ah, we were given a task to perform many millennia ago and it is something I must fulfil before my own desires will be met> there was an edge to this message, the tone was not as pleasant...
<my first wish then is to hear in full your true heartfelt desires>
The D'Jinn's face twitched and his lips curled up in anger. He was obviously unhappy but bound as he was, the D'Jinn could only do as asked.
<I want to watch you and all your kind on this horrible backwards world die... I would burn the Green Lantern Corp and the blasted Oans out of existence, free my brethren from their bondage. I want us to reunite so we fulfil our destiny to trample over the unclean and stupid races that fly so freely between the stars until they worship us as gods. I want to watch as I tell the home planet of you human idiots to kill themselves in my honour and the scum do exactly as commanded. I want the living waste of this galaxy to give their blood for me to bathe in. I want my birthright restored!>
The D'Jinn's eyes sparked with fire and his body grew as he told the young Legionnaire his desires.
<my second wish then is that your thoughts of inflicting pain and suffering, the lust in your heart to hurt and rule, that desire for dominion and genocide, the need to be worshipped... all are forever banished from your essence>
The D'Jinn blinked and looked confused, <you would have me remove my identity>
<no, only the parts that would harm others>
The D'Jinn growled, its hatred burning in its eyes before it started to shake as if in a seizure. After twenty seconds it snapped back to stillness.
<master> there was an emotion in this creature's thought message that Jaun could not quite understand, a grief with a melancholic happiness underneath... a bitter sweet emotion.
<well, then... I believe I am allowed three wishes so my last desire is for you to remain within your lamp until this world crumbles to ashes as it burns in its home stars death, in this swamp for as long as it exists, where you will support this ecosystem to flourish and thrive. That is my final wish for you, D'Jinn> as he gave this command, the vision before him faded into blackness.
The young man opened his eyes...
His teammates were standing around him. Before he could gather his thoughts to speak, he was asked if he was okay by Tyroc, if he knew where the lamp had gone by Dragonwing, if he needed any medical assistance by Babbage, and if he knew where he was by Monica Sade. Captain Phantom put a friendly hand on his shoulder and gently asked if he wanted to take a seat.
Poltergeist smiled at them as he explained what had happened, very aware that they were all obviously concerned for his welfare and grateful that he had returned to them. He was hugged by Sade as Tyroc and Captain Phantom patted his on his back. Dragon wing ruffled his hair affectionately.
As the young psychic laughed along with his teammates, he knew he had been right when he had told the D'Jinn that while he maysometimes feel lonely, a Legionnaire was never alone.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 31 May 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Hey IB and Raz, thanks for your kind feedback above. IB, I don't think anyone is into shopping as much as Zoe and Candi so it's totally understandable when others dropped out And Dirk being possessive of the sun Boy name - well I think it would be a big part of his identity so, yeah, pride would be part of his feelings there, though we'll get into that soon-ish as there are repercussions from that conversation. Oh, Sade is definitely more than teleporting and shooting things I really want to write a solo story for her but it will need to wait as there's so much already planned coming up. Raz, all the info on Home Base had been scattered a line here and line there throughout the various stories up to this point so I thought, as much for my benefit as everyone elses, that it would be nice to put it all together like that. And, as the Legionnaires stopped the Dragon King's typhoon perhaps only a couple of months prior close-by to where the students were, it's only natural that the general population would get freaked out though I perhaps should have made that more clear. Marmud and Lu, yeah, still not perfect and again there's more planned. Coming up, we check in on Invisible Kid iii, as MWindaji and Captain Tuk Shir go on a little trip, before Brainy makes an announcement and we go visit the L247 gang. I also have a tale of the students that went off to form the League of Super Heroes in the wings so that might get posted too soon. Thanks again guys, always grateful for your support.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 31 May 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
Hi Harbi, stoked to see more! eager to see the next bits - esp. the L247 gang, because I just love them! But also the League of Super Heroes, I fondly remember Slingshot especially. Tyroc and Sade make a great team, I love how they quickly came up with a plan. good on Marya for having such great control over her acid spit. I cannot remember ever seeing that in the comics, you've already made her come to life so much better! also good on Poltergeist for focusing, and realizing his teammates would specifically call if they needed him. I like how the team can laugh a bit at the strange situation: a tree that wished for... something.. oops! oh yeah, without the genie lamp the tree is just a tree, uh oh... nice story about Sade realizing her power limitations. Poor Mishi... yikes! Poltergeist possessed by the lamp? hmm, is Henry refusing to open a warp because of some future knowledge? I love this Legion Academy training. And nice image you paint of Poltergeist - and indeed, with most Titanians being telepaths, it makes sense he would be have to learn self-preservation. whew, this genie sure knows his stuff... ooh, the crush on Jan comes back! oy, the Genie sure knows how to tempt. (also, I love that not all the Legionnaires are like specimens of physical fitness and beauty... that kind of thing always annoyed me. I can get say, Mon-El and Star Boy and Ultra Boy, but even Brainiac 5?) ooh love it, using the first wish to understand the Djinn better! erk, that was a very scary set of desires! WOW! wow, that was an awesome set of wishes! very clever of Poltergeist to use the Djinn's own power against him!! (are there many others out there? whew, those Djinns are scary) great story, Harbi! very well done, I loved this outing!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 31 May 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
I am glad Monica Sade is a part of your team, Harbi! I always liked her in the 5YL Legion and you write her with a really strong presence. Poltergeist's little interlude with the Djinn was a nice bit of character work too - I remember when Chuck and Lu had to face one of them! Very level-headed of him to resist the temptation of Jan and a new buff bod, he's already doing better than Wildire did last time he got his heart's desire lol
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 6 June 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
First Base medical unit:
Dr Richard Kent Shakespeare - Impulse - Chief Medical Officer and Support Team manager - enhanced strength, speed, durability, stamina
Student: Granite Girl - Shessan Monasdotta from Frentoni Six, self petrification
Shessan had been sat in the medi-bay for about two hours.
The young student had been reading out loud the class work assignment that Duplicate Girl had given her squad though her unconscious teammate, Mors Gwokyalya, had not responded.
He had been in this coma-like state for six days now. The hard-light read-outs that surrounded the top of his bed all read that, technically, he should be awake and in perfect health, but ever since returning from Mars he had remained unresponsive. The majority of the student body were unaware that he had been taken to Mars, having been told that the Exxorians that had tried to capture the twins had used strange technology that had affected him, though they all suspected there was more to the story...
Shessan, and a few of her squad mates, had been in to visit him every day, though she was the only one that had spent more than half an hour with him each time. It was well known that she liked him... well, perhaps a little bit more than just simply 'liked', though she wasn't the only one. Mors had a cheeky confidence and quick wit that charmed everyone he met. It also helped that he was athletic and had a perfect smile. Shessan sighed...
When she had heard that he had gone to Earth with Aqua Lass - the harlot! - she had been upset and angry. The Atlantean had been making moves on him since they arrived on Home Base and when Shessan had tried to have a conversation about it with her, to gently tell her to back off, they had argued. It had been a rumbling grievance between them ever since. Mors was too cool to notice, Shessan was relieved to see. At least, since getting back from their unauthorised trip to earth, Aqua Lass, along with the others that had gone, were on a punishing rota that left them no time to socialise - or visit Mors in the medi-bay! Shessan planned on monopolising the time she could have with him.
Dr Shakespeare walked into the bay and said 'hi' as he checked the read-outs and took Mors' wrist in his hand to feel the pulse.
"We're going to wake him up soon, do you want to be here? He'd probably appreciate a friendly face..."
"Yes! Yes, of course." Shessan smiled warmly at the tall doctor as she replied.
He gave her an understanding smile in return and told her he needed to double check a few of the readouts then he'd administer the drugs needed to revive Mors. Shessan's heart felt like it would burst from her chest! She silently watched the big doctor as he synched his omicron with the bays AI and flicked through a stream of data. It was ten minutes later, though to the love-struck teenager it felt much longer, when Kent finally placed a small blue disc onto Mors Gwokyalya's forehead. The unconscious student took a deep breath and his eyes fluttered open.
Dr Shakespeare was stood next to the bed, a smile on his face as he read through hard light readouts that hovered above the student.
Mors sat up, his eyes wide open and he started to speak, clearly agitated. The words he used were not interlac. In fact, they didn't sound like any language the doctor or the student had heard before. Mors started to wave his arms and shout. Dr Shakespeare reached out to place a calming hand on the young man's shoulder but his hand passed through the student's torso! Shessan let out a yelp of surprise and ran towards Mors' bedside. He turned towards her and gave her a small but clearly scared smile. He started to calm down as he recognised his squad mate. It took a few seconds before he started speaking in interlac.
"I could feel you next to me... like, feel your energies... what's happened to me?' The young man, usually so confident and assured, sounded so scared and lost.
Shessan placed her arms around Mors in a hug. As she did, he leaned in towards her and started to cry.
.............................
Second Base, main gymnasium:
M'Windaji was sweating!
The tracker from Kiringyaga was enjoying having the time to run round the mezzanine track in the main gymnasium on Second Base. The large gym on First Base was holding some event for new students this morning so Gahaji had hopped through a warp over here once Zoe had gone on her shopping trip to Earth.
The young tracker reminisced that when he had first joined the Academy, he had felt very disconnected from his fellow students - Kiringyagan culture was very different to that of Earth - and he would often not sleep at night as his mind pored over every interaction of the day looking for mistakes and things he should have said or done instead to make himself seem better adjusted or more popular. After about two weeks of letting his insecurities eat him up, Gahaji had decided to head to the gym at Montauk Point and run around the track until he was exhausted. This was a habit he continued until he was admitted onto the team.
MWindaji had noticed Dragonmage was working out at a weights bench, the small dragon Szenlong was flying around his head chirping cheekily, Gahaji doubted the young mystic was really achieving his circuits that the gymnasium AI would have generated for him. Xao wasn't naturally very athletic or enthusiastic about attending the gym so Gahaji wondered if this was a mandatory exercise regime that the mystic was trying to complete.
The tracker kept running, hoping to not draw attention to himself. Szenlong had shown an interest in the Ruby of Life that Gahaji kept on a chain around his neck and as much as he liked the little dragon it did really bug him when it flapped and fussed in front of his face, mewling at the enchanted stone.
Otaki was in a separate section just to the side of Xao, following a martial arts holo. Bina was always keen but her slender frame meant she was not the physically toughest so she practised martial arts at least four days a week to help build her physical confidence. Gahaji had always liked Bina. She had a quiet determination that it was easy - and a mistake - to overlook. He also knew that if he didn't ask her how her relationship with SPO Duwi was going, Zoe would give him a hard time later on.
The interns Thunderbolt and Polestar, along with a tall, slim student with a striped tail that M'Windaji recognised but couldn't remember the name of, were laughing as they used a gravity simulator with a set of weights. Gahaji remembered how thrilled he had been when he was a student being allowed to train alongside Legionnaires and smiled as he watched them.
As he ran along the track, Gahaji saw Captain Tuk Shir enter the gym. The big Daxamite appeared to have fully recovered from his experience at the hands of the Dominion, though rumour had it he was not yet getting back to his full active-duty status and he wasn't at all happy about it. Gahaji had briefly chatted to him when they had returned him to First Base, but they hadn't spoken since.
After completing his objective of running twenty-five laps, the young tracker sat on a side bench stretching his shoulders out. Gahaji watched his teammates train around him.
As he did, Gahaji remembered how he had been unable to track Tuk Shir directly while the Daxamite had been held captive. The young tracker began contemplating how this could have happened. When he had been on the Dominion base searching, Gahaji had wondered if he could track whoever had been blocking Turk Shir's location... Tinya had stopped him at that time but perhaps now it was time to try it.
What could possibly go wrong?
...........................
Otaki - Bina Nawoti of Earth - mind-sense Dragonmage - Xao Jin of Earth - dragon magics MWindaji - Gahaji of Kiringyaga - super tracker, carries the Ruby of Life allowing tactile transformative magic
Science Police Officer seconded to Legion World First Base: Captain Heavyweight - Senior Team liaison, Science Police Captain Tuk Shir of Daxam - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability
Interns: Thunderbolt - Ness Strakinos of Gardenhome - assumes an electrical form Polestar - Science Police Cadet Nykko Rine of Braal - magnokinesis
Student: Neutron Boy - Noor R'Manali from the Hopper Colonies of the Alanorian Protoplanetary Disc - energy absorption with omni-directional release, enhanced senses and reflexes, prehensile tail
Szenlong- young spirit dragon
Szenlong made a bee-line straight towards Gahaji as soon as he left the mezzanine running track to float down to the main floor level.
The tracker rubbed the dragons head as it scooted around him, chirping merrily. Xao smiled and strolled across to join them.
"Sorry Gahaji, you know how much he loves you and your Ruby..." Dragonmage put out his hand and snapped his fingers to entice the young dragon away from the tracker. It gave a disappointed huff before flying around Xao and landing on his shoulder. It lowered its head and muttered its disappointment. Gahaji thanked the young mystic before turned around to face Captain Shir. The powerful Daxamite was arranging a high-gravity pod to train in.
"Tuk, hey, have you got a minute?"
"Gahaji, of course, how can I help?" The Daxamite captain gave a friendly smile as he replied.
"Umm... we'll, I was thinking... I want to track down the source of whatever it is that stopped me finding you directly. It somehow blocked me from sensing you but I want to try to find it. I think..."
"Yes, what do you need me to do?" Tuk Shir, usually inscrutable and maybe even a bit intimidating, was suddenly animated, eager to help. Gahaji reached out, placing one hand lightly on the big Daxamites shoulder and the other around the Ruby of Life as he closed his eyes to concentrate. Szenlong leapt off Xao's shoulder and spun in the air above M'Windaji and Captain Shir. The air around them started to sparkle.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing?" As Xao asked the small dragon this, the Daxamite Science Police Captain, the three Legionnaires, the two interns, the student, and the young spirit dragon all vanished from the gymnasium.
.................................
The being known as x345(3xY-p) of the Kruishri, who called themselves the Virtuously Aligned and Numbered was not particularly surprised.
It knew of the Legionnaires, of course; they had achieved much in the time they had been together which had aided the expected course of this galaxy's history. Of the members themselves there were half a dozen that had destinies writ large against the very firmament of this reality. It was also aware that amongst their support network they could call upon the Black Witch of Zerox, who could control an elemental force of unimaginable fury if needed, and the persona of a historian from the far future who guided and even manipulated them when the Legion would otherwise stray from their course. The being called x345(3xY-p) had always known it would encounter the Legionnaires though had not expected them to suddenly appear within its demense without it having summoned them...
The team that had just teleported from the Second Base gymnasium immediately sprung into a defensive position as they appeared in a dark cavernous space. Tuk Shir took to the air while Otaki and Dragonmage motioned the interns and student to get behind them. M'Windaji stepped forward, towards the strange being that towered over them.
Szenlong gave a contented mewl as it landed on Xao's shoulder.
The being appeared something akin to a slightly bloated eleven foot tall frond of a fern with a furry silver belly and many dozen leaf blades that looked as if they were made of copper alloy and silicon. The air filled with music, a tinkling pitch that sounded something like bells ringing, these strangely calming notes were created as the leaf blades of the being rubbed together. And as the group heard these notes, they were acutely aware that it was language, of sorts, as the essence of communication rang through the music.
As the Legionnaires figured out what was happening, Szenlong took to the air. The spirit dragon yapped at the immense alien, like a dog warning a stranger to stay away. The music intensified and the young dragon tilted its head to listen, before whistling in tune and flying in happy circles round the strange alien.
"Well... Szenlong appears happy." Gahaji said over his shoulder to Xao.
"It doesn't mean harm, though is as confused as we are." Otaki said, adding, "its mind is truly immense, I am struggling to fully comprehend it." "You know why we're here, don't you?" Captain Tuk Shir had flown up towards x345(3xY-p), his chest puffed out as if ready to fight. Szenlong flew in front of the large Daxamite's face and mewled soothingly at him. Tuk looked down his nose at the small dragon, tutted and slowly backed away.
"Can anyone understand what it's trying to say?" Polestar, the young Braalian looked at her fellow intern, Thunderbolt, as she asked.
>>Legionnaires<< the voice was unlike anything they had ever heard, as if a voice were composed from the ringing of bells and somehow the meaning being carried in the tones of each note >>Why are you here?<<
"You kidnapped me! We want answers..." Captain Tuk Shir said. His tone of voice and body language made it obvious just how angry he was feeling. Again, Szenlong flew towards him and mewled in a soothing tone.
"Why were you helping Sa Lok and the Dominion?" M'Windaji asked.
The response was a complex equation that showed the underlying structure of reality around them that they all somehow understood. Within the bell-like notes they were shown how the taking of Captain Tuk Shir had a miniscule effect on the general order within the universe around them. The truly immense perspective gave them all chills.
"Is that how it sees things? We're like nothing to it." Neutron Boy said. The student had initially been terrified when they had teleported here but now stood in awe of the being before them. Thunderbolt turned to him and put an arm around his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him.
The message started again, bells ringing in their thoughts that translated into information they could instinctively grasp. The being they now knew was called x345(3xY-p) amongst its own species meant no harm but had a role to fulfil that would not be stopped by a minor inconvenience that might happen by removing a singular being from one place and transporting them elsewhere. It was operating on a scale that was very much larger than the convenience of any single being.
"Do you not understand you have no right to kidnap people?" Tuk Shir, obviously still angry, hissed. Szenlong, flying between the Daxamite flew up to his face and licked his cheek. The aliens' message to the group was aloof and disinterested in response.
Szenlong flew around the powerful Daxamite several times before turning back to the immense alien and yelping, as if telling the being off. The dragon was tiny next to the strange being but it yipped and yelped in such a dominant way that M'Windaji started to laugh, and Xao put his hands over his face. It looked like a lap dog facing off against a dinosaur.
The sound of the strange aliens' bell-like speech and the dragon's yipping continued. The Legionnaires present could no longer understand the conversation between the tiny dragon and the huge alien as it took place beyond their comprehension. There was a sense that involved them but the details were so vague as to be meaningless.
Captain Tuk Shir landed beside Otaki and asked her if she knew what was happening.
"They're making some sort of an agreement, though I am unsure what it is exactly they're agreeing to..." She replied. Bina Nawoti concentrated hard, certain that she would never encounter another mind like the being before her again. And just like that, there was silence.
>>Legionnaires<< the chiming voice was crystal clear as it spoke with authority >>I will not directly interfere in your lives again, though in return I may call upon your ...assistance if circumstances require it<<
"And will you perhaps say sorry to Captain Shir for taking him without his consent?" Thunderbolt surprised herself as she said this. Neutron Boy agreed with her and stepped forward.
There was a moment of utter silence and in the blink of an eye, the three Legionnaires, the Science Police Captain, the interns and student, and the small spirit dragon reappeared in the Second Base gymnasium.
"Can someone tell me what the hell just happened?" The intern Polestar said.
Szenlong gave a big happy honk in reply.
...................
The newly acquired Tyrrazian battle world, Third Base:
Flaurianarelle of Zerox danced along the outside edge of the corridor.
Where the small fae had trod, green shoots sprung out from rock of the planetoid. Professor Querl Dox shock his head in mild amusement as he watched. He still couldn't understand magic, despite having spent years surreptitiously watching Projectra, Mysa and then Xao. He realised that as far as he was aware, no Coluan had ever managed to perform a magical spell, so perhaps it was a purely biological reason for his lack of comprehension. Even so, it frustrated him. Still, that was not his focus today, no, today he had an announcement to make to the Senior Team and Base Leaders - he had figured out how to operate the trans-dimensional drive. Not only had he figured out how the Tyrrazian Warmongers operated it but he also believed that he had made improvements.
Thunder, Tyroc, and Dream Girl were all stood together talking at the head of the table when the Coluan reached the meeting room. Mon El, Lightning Lass, Chameleon Boy and Retro were sat around chatting while two Duplicate Girl's were at the holo-pit talking to Element Lad and Harmonia Li.
The holo currently displayed the latest planetoid the team had taken from the Tyrrazians with green blocks highlighting the completed repairs and blue areas that linked to hard light screens listing found inventory. Over 80% of the planetoid was green.
"If I can have your attention..." Professor Querl Dox rarely raised his voice though when he did, he brought the room to order.
It was less than ten minutes later that he had given his report and offered a solution - he would join a team as they used the trans-dimensional drive to track down the Legion from XS' home reality.
"Perhaps, you might find more than that." Nura had said with a teasing smile.
"I have so missed your prophetic utterances." Though Brainiac 5 said this dead-pan, the team all laughed.
"You don't want me to spoil all your fun Querl, sweetie, do you?" Nura tossed her hair back and gave a warm laugh. Querl smiled towards her before continuing.
"I have discerned the optimum team to take, if you agree to this plan of action. I would take..."
"Hold on there Querl, you won't lead this excursion, Reep will." Nura smiled towards their Durlan colleague who raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"And if I say I don't want to?" Chameleon Boy teased his Naltoran teammate.
"oh shoosh, it's a mystery to solve, of course you're going to agree to it. You boys... honestly!" Dream Girl gave a flirtatious tut and smiled broadly at Reep.
"If I may continue..." Querl said, "Regardless who leads the excursion, they will need both Thirteen for his expertise in Q-Drives, and the intern Zero for their dimensional awareness."
"Jenni will demand to go, so you'll take her and Po too." Ayla said, to muttered agreement from her fellow senior Team members.
"Of course." Querl's face was unreadable, "I would also suggest a psychic and someone with raw power in case we run into any trouble."
"You can take Dr Kabbo and the Huntress." Tyroc offered, "Will they do Querl?"
"They would be acceptable."
"Take Glorith too, it'll be good for her." Nura said.
"Anyone else?" Reep asked teasingly. Several of their teammates laughed.
"No, no I don't think so. That should do, though thanks for asking." Nura beamed a smile at him as she replied.
"Do we contact Gates? He's on Khundia Prime right now but may want to visit his old team, what do you think?" Retro spoke up from the other side of the room.
"Maybe we'd best wait until we know it really is that team." Duplicate Girl replied. Tyroc and Mon El both agreed.
"So, we're agreed then?" Mon El looked slightly disappointed that he hadn't been included, though understood that the wider team couldn't afford to potentially lose two of their active Senior Team on this mission.
"How soon until the planetoid will be fully under our control and operational?" Duplicate Girl asked.
"I estimate four hours until Gear is completely assimilated and a further one to complete our testing."
"So, you can leave tomorrow, if every t'ing's okay?" Tyroc looked impressed.
"That is correct." Brainiac 5 replied blandly.
"Well then, you'll be wantin' t' go tomorrow then, yes?" Troy asked.
"If that is acceptable." Querl gave a small smile as he said this. He could see on his former colleagues faces that they were all keen to get this mission underway.
The Senior Team all agreed that they would call the other members of team they had chosen to let then know that at 0800 the next day they were going on a very special adventure. They would be taking the newest planetoid to meet their counterparts from another reality entirely.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 6 June 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
yay, more! ah young love (or young crushes anyway). Mors seems to be quite the catch, well he was an athlete and a social media personality, so I can picture it I LOLed at "the harlot"! Aqua Lass and the others are rightly being punished. ah poor Granite Lass, thinking she could warn Aqua Lass off... oh wow, was Mors speaking Martian? interesting development, Harbi! and was nice that Granite Girl was there for him! aw, I can relate to Mwinadji. you captured very well the anxiety that could come affect someone totally new to a culture. nice observation re Xao not really being physically gifted or motivated. again, THANK YOU, from someone who appreciates this realism in super-heroes (instead of having everyone be physical paragons) well, what a nice lead-in to Mwindaji trying to figure out the tracking bit. yes, what could possibly go wrong? I like how Tuk is so enthused by the idea. oh boy. what could go wrong indeed! I really love Szenlong, nice cute (and powerful) dragon Thunderbolt has guts, I like that! and Tuk Shir's indignation was well done too. plus, the higher scale of this... being. curious where it leads to ah, what a lovely scene with Brainy. you can see the old friendships (e.g. Brainy, Nura). and indeed, the smartest member ever still commands a degree of respect nice seeing Ayla step up re suggesting Jenni and Po. what a great way to choose a team actually, having Nura's precognitions but also good sense and logic from the other leaders ah, nice call out re contacting Gates, glad he is remembered! excited to see where this goes! more, more, more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 6 June 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Yay, some more to catch up on and I see we have a mystery right out the gate! I wonder what the story with Mors is? He can obviously affect the material world when he's invisible so I don't think he's from Phantom Girl's world and doing a phase out...curious!! Somehow the idea of little Xao working out in a gym complete with Szenlong buzzing about is highly amusing, especially with someone as fit as M'Windaji around as a contrast But this: What could possibly go wrong? None of our characters have any genre awareness at all, do they? And of course he gets them all teleported away somewhere! That was a cool encounter though, it's kinda fun seeing M'Windaji and Otaki in the same group when we met them together in the comics! And x345(3xY-p) is an awesome character concept! Finally, finishing up with Brainy and the old school Legion was nice...you really get the impression that they have actually been old friends for years! Looking forward to more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 6 June 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Hey guys, thanks again for your kind words! IB - in my head I know exactly who are the super fit Legionnaires, and Xao is not one of them. I totally agree with you that they shouldn't all look like they're on steroids. The old Jimmy Janes art where every male had a body-builders physique, and all the women looked anorexic with boob jobs was so, so wrong and I have tried to make it clear that not everyone looks the same. I love the idea of Szenlong so have been itching to write him again and he seemed like the perfect foil for x345(3xY-p) Raz, Mors is from Earth, just a standard bloke really until J'Onn J'onzz got involved. The phase out is a new thing - to be explored later on as he comes to terms with more unusual alterations. Was tempted to include physical changes too like green blotches or a pointed skull but think I'll probably leave it at weird new abilities. None of our characters have any genre awareness at all, do they? - nope! Thankfully, as it's fun t drop them in it sometimes And, both, I like to think there are definitely old friends within the team that enjoy a bit of banter so the scene with the Senior Team was fun to write. Next time the team on the new planetoid get going - again, what could go wrong? They're going to have fun though I promise it won't be as crazy as the Excalibur interdimensional excursion. More next week, so, ciao for now C
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 6 June 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Oh, I totally forgot about J'onn!! That was not that long ago either, I will go back refresh myself! Now it makes sense to me why IB asked if he was talking Martian
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 June 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Chameleon Boy – Espionage Squad leader, Reep Daggle of Durla - shape changer XS - Jenni Ognats of an alternate dimension Aarok - phenomenal speed Glorith of Zerox - manipulation of magical energies The Huntress - Ambassador Amynta of Nostos ii - incredible strength, speed, invulnerability, space flight Thirteen – Dann Hortra of Naltor - line of sight probability manipulation Spy (also team counsellor) - Dr Noah Kabbo - heightened awareness and limited telepathy
Seconded from the Justice Legion: Cosmic Kid - Po Miman, Justice Legionnaire of alternate dimension Mars - energy manipulation and flight
Intern: Zero - Science Police Cadet Amrendra Mayasinghar of Zuyar - multi-dimensional shifting
Support Staff: I.Z.O.R. - Gear ii – infrastructure manager - nannite collective being, technomorph Henry – Anti Lad – Spatial warp controller
Consutant advisor: Brainiac 5 – Senior Team member, Professor Querl Dox of Colu, 12th level intelligence
Laipas - hunting dog from Nostos ii - enchanted to never lose a trail, fast and tough.
The team had warped over to the new planetoid.
Brainiac 5 gathered Chamelon Boy, Thirteen and the intern Zero together in the engineering deck while the rest of them went to explore their newest base.
The young intern called Zero looked around, clearly sensing something that made him feel uncomfortable. Chameleon Boy spotted it and decided to watch rather than ask, in case the intern put on a brave face rather than admit somethingwas wrong - Reep had seen how competitivethe interns were and keen to prove themselves... after about twenty seconds Zero asked:
"Where is that buzzing sound coming from?" He was staring at the protective wall Gear had placed over the trans-dimensional warp drive mechanism. The young man had a hand up to the side of his head, a finger wiggling in his ear.
"That'll probably be the TD Drive." Reep said softly, "the rest of us can't hear it though, but if it's annoying, perhaps you could..."
"Intern Zero," Brainiac 5 interrupted, "as you are the only one of us aware of how the drive 'sounds' it would be beneficial if you remain close by and alert us to any variances in its tone."
The intern showed remarkable control, Reep thought, as he agreed to wait patiently while they prepared the immense drive to move the planetoid from one dimension to the next.
............................
Glorith walked into the small Rec Room.
Amynta of Nostos ii was sat at a table feeding scraps from her meal to her huge hunting dog, Laipas. The great hound's tail was beating loudly against the floor.
"Sister," the Huntress said as acknowledgement, "will you join us?"
Glorith smiled and said yes as she moved to the auto-chef. She had learned, with a lot of support from Danielle Foccart, how to navigate the strange controls of this machine, and she pressed a hard light button to call up a simple salad. As she waited for the machine to do its work she watched as Laipas rolled onto her back and gave a remarkably puppy-like yelp. Amynta laughed and affectionately rubbed the hound's belly.
After the auto-chef had presented a meal to her, Glorith walked over, sat at the opposite side of the table from the Huntress and picked at the green leaves on her plate.
"Amynta, may I ask...?"
"Anything." The Amazon warrior said happily, without looking up at the young mystic.
"Your armbands... they hold powerful magic but their origin is beyond my purview..."
"They were given to me the Goddesses Bronte and Astrape. While I had to return my enchanted spear to the Temple of Artemis, these belong to me."
"The Goddesses of thunder and lightning? They are the shield bearers of Zeus!" As Glorith replied, Aynta looked up and smiled at her.
"You know history, sister."
"It is a... talent I have. I can understand the past of objects if I concentrate."
"Your magic spells are very versatile, Glorith." Amynta responded, with a slow nod.
"It isn't a spell, not really. I don't need to research. It is innate magic within me. I have the natural talent of chronomancy." The young mystic paused as if unsure what to say next.
"I don't understand..." Amynea said as she watched Glorith struggle to find the words she wanted to say.
"I have a gift that allows me certain insights while my spell-craft gives me the skills... Ah... perhaps if I give an example... there are fishermen on the silver coasts who swim out to catch their meals armed with spears. Now, they may know which fish are edible and which are not as that is their innate skill, but they still need to learn how to swim and fashion spears to catch their prey. My talents are like that; I have a natural understanding of part of the Great Tapestry that allows me to follow certain threads from birth to death, but without my magical research... well..."
"You would be unable to use your talents fully. I understand. You do not use these gifts often though, or at least I have not seen you use them." Amynta was truly fascinated. She had never spent much time with the young mystic and had definitely never heard her talk so much and so was enjoying the opportunity to get closer to her fellow Legionnaire.
"Ah," Glorith paused as if considering what to say next, "that is true, though within our team there is Laurel Kent's psychometry, and Gord and Nura's fierce visions of the future, Jazmin holding pockets of time still, and Deen rewinding the very life he lives, so there are seldom opportunities for me to access my meagre gifts."
"I would never say anything is meagre about you, sister. You have skills and abilities that are truly amazing and a heart that beats as strongly as any of ours! Your family must be very proud of you."
"Maybe, though I do not remember them, or any of my past prior to my abilities being discovered at the Calling Circle. It is the way for folks with my talents; the one thread we cannot unwind is our own. Magic always comes with a cost. Even the name Glorith was given to me when my talents were first discovered. It is the title given to those who can do what I do. This... gift usually only shows itself once in a generation. Because of that, Mysa Nal herself raised me until I was sent to the Academy."
"You are indeed blessed then." Amynta gave the meek sorceress a warm smile. The Amazon could see the small pain that the young mystic felt and wanted to reassure her.
"Perhaps..." And with that, Glorith put her head down and started eating the salad on the plate before her.
.......................
XS had claimed a spacious private apartment two levels down from the engineering deck.
Cosmic Kid was munching on a fresh peach he had just plucked, holding his face out so the juices didn't drip onto his top. A hundred metres along the corridor, he had discovered a massive storage facility that the Fae they called Greensleeves had clearly enchanted as it now housed a diverse orchard. When Cosmic Kid had seen it, he had gleefully picked several ripe fruits before making his way to the apartment Jenni had found for them.
Jenni Ognats smiled as he walked in; eating was perhaps Po Mimans' favourite thing to do, and she always marvelled that he kept his trim figure given how much he could consume before feeling full. Jenni had spent the last few minutes arranging the main room for them - the large couch that had been against a far wall was now closer to the holo-pit, the lighting globes that had been placed along a single wall were strategically placed to enhance the room's mood, and she had moved the dining table and chairs away from the door towards a wall where she had placed a small holo-scroller that would project images from their travels. She had even raided a dozen of the nearby rooms for potted plants - Greensleeves had left one in each - and arranged them against walls to break up the stark boxiness of the apartment. Overall, she was feeling pretty happy with her results.
"Jenni-honey!" Po called out as he strolled into the apartment, "Wow, this place looks amazing!" By the time he had finished talking she had raced to him and wrapped her arms around his torso.
Before either could say another word, their door chimed, alerting them to someone outside. Po called for the door to open and Noah Kabbo walked in, holding a potted plant.
"Hi there, I just moved myself into an apartment about fifteen doors along and wondered who else was staying on this level... ah, I see you have plants, that's good as this was in my quarters and I kinda always manage to kill them, so if you want..." He held out the plant pot towards the young couple.
Jenni had rushed up to him while he was talking and took the plant from his hands. "Thanks Dr Kabbo... ummm, yeah, I like plants so, yeah, we'll have her." With a blur of speed, Jenni positioned the large fern in amongst a grouping of plant pots she had taken from nearby rooms.
"So, you looking forward to seeing your old teammates, Jenni?" He asked.
"Oh definitely, it's been three years since I decided to stay..."
"I can't wait to meet them either." Cosmic Kid said, smiling at his fiancé as he spoke. "You want to join us for a caffe?" Po asked the doctor.
"Ah, no, thanks anyway, just checking out the neighbourhood and giving the plant a chance at life." He smiled broadly before saying his goodbyes and leaving the young couple's apartment.
Noah could hear them giggle as he left. As he expected, he had sensed their excitement and also a bit of anxiety from Cosmic Kid as he mentioned the Legion from the other universe. It was about what he expected, though he planned on checking in with them again just to make sure their meeting people from Jenni's past wasn't causing any real issues.
...........................
Forty minutes later, Chameleon Boy called for the whole team to join him in engineering.
"We've completed our checks of the trans-dimensional drive, and are now ready to go. Querl, are you ready?" Reep had smiled as he asked his Coluan colleague.
"Of course. The Tyrrazian Warmongers have used this drive only six times previously. We shall be following their jump pattern and estimate each transition will take just under two hours to complete..."
"What he's saying is get comfy as it ain't gonna be an instantaneous process. We're not using Henry for this." Thirteen interrupted with a big grin. Instinctively, the group glanced across at the holo-man from the 75t century who smiled in response.
"Thanks Dann, " Reep quickly interjected as he could see Querl's expression tightening, "so, as he said, go get yourselves comfortable, we'll be leaving in a few minutes to ...well, wherever it is the drive takes us."
XS and Cosmic Kid were first to leave, giggling as they did.
Dr Kabbo approached Dann Hortra, asking if he was okay.
"Yeah, really, just never seen a Q-Drive set-up like this before so... well, it's interesting, y'know." The Naltoran gave a shrug and an easy smile. Dr Kabbo smiled in return, his hyper awareness informing him that this reply was not the complete truth, and the concerns he sensed were for something entirely different. As a member of the Titanian Psychiatry Society, Dr Kabbo was aware that he had no right, as things stood, to take this conversation any further, so he wished Dann the best of luck with the TD Drive and left for his quarters.
When the drive was activated several minutes later and the planetoid began its transition from one reality to the next, the team felt as if they were suddenly dealing with fluctuations in gravity as they were pulled in all directions. The intern Zero gave a small smile as he stood perfectly still on the engineering deck and watched Brainiac 5 swaying awkwardly as he was buffeted by the trans-dimensional energies.
Thankfully, these effects only lasted for a minute or so, much to the team's relief.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 June 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
yay for more! Harbi, I wanna give you a super like for this: IB - in my head I know exactly who are the super fit Legionnaires, and Xao is not one of them. I totally agree with you that they shouldn't all look like they're on steroids. The old Jimmy Janes art where every male had a body-builders physique, and all the women looked anorexic with boob jobs was so, so wrong and I have tried to make it clear that not everyone looks the same. I like how Reep decided to watch Zero and see how the intern would react! Nice how Glorith recognized the gods Amynta mentioned! and nice bit re Glorith's ability to understand the pasts of objects - also helps differentiate her from other magic users thank you for having Amynta call out that Glorith doesn't use these talents often. I thought of Laurel's psychometry too (I am paying attention ) and she gives a good explanation. ah, I love how Glorith is a title, that explains why we have our good Glorith and that other evil Glorith, and why both have time-linked magic! ooh, will you one day delve into Glorith's origins I wonder? lol at Cosmic Kid eating a lot yet still keeping trim! some people are lucky re metabolism Dr. Noah is smooth and suave Jenni and Po didn't even realize he was checking in on them. lol at Thirteen translating for Brainy and Reep defusing the situation, plus not using Henry means Brainy gets to show off, in a way Love Dr. Noah's professional ethics! great set up post Harbi, you gave everyone a bit of time in the limelight and some great characterization. eager (and a bit afraid) to see if Zero's and Thirteen's nerves will reveal any problems... as a;lways, more more more
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 June 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Hi Harbi, nice to see another post! Danielle teaching Glorith how to use the auto-chef is adorable! I would love to see a slice of life segment of Danielle just teaching Glorith about regular 31st Century things Also, I love Laipas if I have not mentioned that before! Superdogs are the best superheroes! Glorith knowing the past of objects is a really clever use of her time magic and a good way to differentiate her as a magic user! You are very good at making your magic users distinct from one another! Glorith being a title instead of a name is SUCH a good idea! I love it, it's such an elegant way to leave room for evil Glorith to exist somewhere some day! I am kinda jealous I never thought of it to be honest! XS's little moment of domesticity was cute! And I liked Dr Kabbo's sneaky way of checking up on them as well. This was a nice breather, I am looking forward to developments and very eager to see XS's new pals meet her old pals! (and forgot to mention, Po's anxiety is highly relatable, I think everyone has experienced those feelings when meeting their partner's old friends!)
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 14 June 23
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,203
Deputy
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Deputy
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,203 |
Hey Harbinger, I'm back for another round of read and review. hopefully i'll be able to get caught up. I'm starting off with Atomsmasher and Dawnstar on recon... Didn't know that Atomsmasher could extend its invisibility. That's pretty useful. As is how Starkling was used to infiltrate another Tyrazzian Planetoid. I still can't believe the team only has two of the 11 worlds. The Legion is going to be incredibly huge if they take all of them. But i have to wonder what happens to all of the Tyrazzian's? Is it just military/war mongers on these worlds? Do they have a home world? sorry i don't know much about the Tyrazzian's and how their people work. So with more war worlds i'm becoming curious about them. Haha another competition. The team sure loves to compete. But at least its all in good fun and there's some worthwhile pay offs. extra time off is always welcome. Great use of Dawnstar to catch what those in the thick of it can't catch. under a min and then 4 min for the other team. dang they sure are taking them out quick. Poltergist is getting some good props from the pros. that was a good move and quick reaction time! Hahah of course Brin's the one telling them to get back to fighting. Great thinking Bouncing Boy II. I'm glad someone thought of it. they usually leave that stuff in the comics for some later tension during the fight. Poor Atom Girl. But she'll get the recognition she deserves and the chance to take out a few warmongers. ooo taking them out in their sleep or rather keeping them a sleep. Great thinking again. Loving the side teams and how well their doing. Dang Karate kid made quick work of those cyborgs. Glad to see that Lu really does take pride in her team and former students and wants to still be there. it was a little touch and go for a while there. Dang it! i knew things were going to well for the team. Sickle birds with a taste for flesh? dang you one twisted cat! love it! lol. but know i gotta know why they had them in the first place? what use could these beings be to the warmongers? That is a new form of fire suppressant i had never thought of and in space would be super useful and probably very common. the team did well here and glad that Henry was able to help save the animals before they suffocated. I like that the team thinks of these things and tries to minimalize collateral damage. Ayla pretty sure they'll know. mission reports are a thing. Cham's team was doing pretty well...on snap! Poor Friction. i hope she's going to be ok! Go Impact Go! Lexicon is always a treat to see fight. A smoky glass sphere that is a tear in space? So how did it get in there? was this War world built around it? The team takes the planetoid! quick and efficient. i was worried for a second there when Atom Girl took the lead. thought we might have another injured teammate on our hands. Your version of Gear is truly the most useful! Glad Mindbender and Lu are working out their issues and i do hope they can move forward. Wow this part of the mission was brutal. What could have knocked XS out? whatever that light was it had to be it. but i don't know if it was that woman or not... So this is only the second female Tyranzzi ever seen? Wow! Poor Jan he's lucky Magno was there! Wait a second Legion? that has to tie with that drive...so they either travel in time and space or they only travel in space/ through it as in to other realities? The gold woman makes it seem like the Legion is taking worlds without provocation. So are they being preemptive? Were the Tyranzzi's about to attack Emerson Three or just coming near it? Are they not allowed in UP space at all? they seemed like the bad guys they way she was talking... Hahaha! i knew it! i knew it! Wowo! wait seriously? the Reboot Legion? XS is going to finally find her team? This is amazing...and interesting. I look forward to your take on the Reboot and where they've been this whole time. This makes another addition to the omniverse that is the Legion! Brainiac 5's return! Glad he was able to return. and the junior members aren't the only ones 100% surprised by that hug from Lu. But with everything she's been through and what we learned in her session with Dr. Faulker it makes sense. i just wish he returned it. that's great that he can fix it and so quickly! Loved the rundown of home base and how the Academy came to be. As i read the last line the whole thing took on a very ominous tone. I guess not all good things last forever... Sadly that's all the time i have for this R&R. But I'll be back soon to finish up. I'm really loving where this is going and can't wait for more more more!
read the adventures of the Reboot Legion!
http://www.legionworld.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=001232
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 18 July 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Chameleon Boy – Espionage Squad leader, Reep Daggle of Durla - shape changer XS - Jenni Ognats of an alternate dimension Aarok - phenomenal speed Glorith of Zerox - manipulation of magical energies The Huntress - Ambassador Amynta of Nostos ii - incredible strength, speed, invulnerability, space flight Thirteen – Dann Hortra of Naltor - line of sight probability manipulation Spy (also team counsellor) - Dr Noah Kabbo - heightened awareness and limited telepathy Seconded from the Justice Legion: Cosmic Kid - Po Miman, Justice Legionnaire of alternate dimension Mars - energy manipulation and flight Intern: Zero - Science Police Cadet Amrendra Mayasinghar of Zuyar - multi-dimensional shifting Support Staff: I.Z.O.R. - Gear ii – infrastructure manager - nannite collective being, technomorph Henry – Anti Lad – Spatial warp controller Consutant advisor: Brainiac 5 – Senior Team member, Professor Querl Dox of Colu, 12th level intelligence Laipas - hunting dog from Nostos ii - enchanted to never lose a trail, fast and tough. The team were called from the engineering deck over their flight ring holo-display. Chameleon Boy announced that after each transitioning between dimensions, the system required an hour to recharge. Thankfully, Brainiac 5 had understood the complicated algorithms used by the Trans-dimensional drive and announced that their next jump would not take nearly as long and would take them to the reality where XS's original team had been sighted. Brainiac 5 remained in engineering with Thirteen and Zero, while Chameleon Boy went looking for refreshments for them. Amynta and Laipas had found a large storage space where Gear had created a make-shift gymnasium. The Amazon wanted to make sure she would be battle ready, just in case. Glorith meditated in her quarters, grateful for the quietness. XS was hardly renowned for her patience and Cosmic Kid had run out of things to distract her with. Jenni raced around their apartment before barrelling out of the door and along the corridor. Po had no idea where she was going but couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief. The excitement of seeing her old friends, along with the weirdness of the dimension jumping had left her surprisingly anxious, which in turn made the usually laid-back Po feel increasingly nervous. When she reappeared two minutes later she explained that she had mapped out the entire inside of the planetoid... Po didn't want to tell her that this information was already stored on the flight rings as Gear had done this on the first day that the team had taken charge. He smiled and asked if she could shared her map and congratulated the speedster for her initiative. On the engineering deck, Thirteen felt uncomfortable. The Naltoran could feel how different this reality was to the one they had left. All it would take, he knew, would be a very minor tweak to any of the laws of physics and his abilities could be compromised - his altering probabilities depended on his understanding what he could change. Meanwhile, Professor Querl Dox tapped at a hard-light screen as he completed, checked and double checked his calculations. ............................ Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations Support staff: Solstin Wang of Earth - Booster - medical support - awareness and manipulation of physical properties of those around him Gord felt particularly disappointed as he walked away. Solstin Wang, Booster from the teams medical staff, had called the Naltoran earlier in the morning and asked if he was free to join him... of course, Gord had agreed. The pair had spent a rather exciting night together a couple of weeks before after a party, and due to conflicting shift patterns (and not wanting to appear too needy), they had not had the chance to meet up since then. As soon as the precognitive walked across the threshold to the young medic's apartment he knew that this meet-up was not going to have the happy ending he was hoping for... Solstin gave him a brief hug and turned away. "Is everything okay? You look tense. What's up?" Gord asked. "I... ah, look I gotta say, I was working with Glory last night and she told me you went to a dance party with her... under some wacky moons...?" "The mission to Telforatus 3, is that what you mean?" Gord was surprised, but had nothing to hide. "Was that the one? I would've loved an invite..." Solstin said sulkily. The look he gave the former Pre-Commando was accusatory. "The Academy sent me there to investigate two Rimborians with gene-mods, the dancing was incidental... pleasant, but not the reason I went." "Oh... right." Solstin said, his tone disbelieving. "Yes, right. Why, are you miffed at missing out? That's sweet." Gord teased, a broad smile on his face. The look he got in return was not a happy one. "Y'know, I kinda thought we had a chance at something but, well, guess it's true what they say about Naltorans..." "Pardon?" Gord was actually shocked by this. "Well, you came onto me and... you haven't hardly been in touch much since. Were you only wondering what it's like to fuck the boy who can give you unlimited stamina? You aren't the first to take advantage of my powers y'know. It wasn't easy before I joined the Academy." "Solstin... no. Just no." The Naltoran said softly, understanding now where the young medics fears were coming from. "So, I'm alright to spend time with when you wanna experiment in bed but... oh, when you're off having a fun night out it's 'a mission'... is that the way it is?" Before he could say anything else, Gord's flight ring pinged, alerting him that he had been called from the rota on the Mission Board. "So... that's me being called up again." Gord could see a flash of anger in Solstin's eyes and it triggered him to say something he normally wouldn't. "Have you been called up? No? Well, I guess this is another mission you won't be joining me on." And with that he turned and walked out of the apartment. As he took his first steps away from the young medic, Gord knew he shouldn't have said what he'd just said, but felt that the Terrans' possessive jealousy was so childish, it was unattractive and unnecessary. Gord would let Booster stew for a couple of days and then, maybe, they could talk like adults. While he had not been looking for a serious relationship, he was hoping they could develop some sort of arrangement, and he certainly never wanted to hurt Solstin. Gord Eno breathed heavily as he flew along the corridors towards Henry's warp control room. Until he saw Solstin again, Gord planned to focus on the missions he had been assigned to go on. ............................ Lightning Lass - Deputy Team Leader, Ayla Ranzz of Winath - electrical generation and manipulation Comet Queen - Grava of Extal colony - spaceflight, comet gas extrusion Kid Quantum - Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu - creation of temporal quantum fields, flight Comet King - Drinchnar Lamment of Extal colony - spaceflight, comet gas extrusion Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations Science Police meta-squad seconded to Legion World First Base: Gravity Kid - Science Police Officer Tel Vole of Earth - manipulation of personal or nearby gravity intern: Imp Master - Dorrolo Capicca Redsail of Zerox - Elven strength, speed and senses, minor mystic specialising in summoning and controlling imps Drungara Four - Often called "the Doll World" due to the short stature, porcelain-like skin and large eyes of the indigenous humanoid species. In 2931, the Drungarene were invited to join the United Planets, as their technology and culture were seen as suitably mature. The initial cultural exchange led to the accidental exposure of the Drungarene to Martian Malaria which subsequently killed 67% of the indigenous population within months. The whole solar system was quarantined while urgent medical assistance was given. The Drungarene are understandably wary of outsiders as a result. While much of their culture and technology was saved and the population is slowly returning towards pre-pandemic numbers, the once pacifistic race has taken a more belligerent stance in any trade deals with non-Drungarene races. In recent years there have been sightings of a group of Drungarene meta- heroes that are called the Inspirationals. It is unknown how many members they have or any abilities that they might possess. Ayla smiled as the team assembled in Henry's warp control room. "Right, we're going to the Doll World as there's been an alert picked up for a battle between metas... we all need to remember that they've not had the best of experiences with off-worlders, so we have to be professional. Okay? And, Grava, I know the locals are really cute but we need to contain ourselves, okay sweetie?" She added this last part gently, well aware that her teammate would swoon when she encountered the indigenous population. Ayla knew she would feel the same, though reckoned she had a better poker face when it came to hiding her feelings amongst the cutest humanoids in the known galaxy. "Any idea of the meta's we'll be facing?" Spoiler asked, his hand cupping his Pre-Commando baton attached to his belt in readiness. "Nope... we'll find out soon though. Let's go Legionnaires!" And with that, Henrys' warp opened and the team flew through. It was raining and night time so it took them a second to get orientated. The Legionnaires found themselves floating 20 metres above a wide, statue filled plaza beside a large domed building. Below them, through the downpour, they could see two of the small indigenous people fighting three humans. As the team dived down towards them, there was a loud crash from inside the building. <Jazmin, take Gord and Tel, see what that was please> Ayla sent across the telepathic matrix. Kid Quantum acknowledged and flew towards the double doors at the front of the dome. Spoiler and Gravity Kid flew close behind her, both eager to encounter the source of the noise. Lightning Lass let out a crack of electricity that exploded along the ground between the battled beings below them. "Hey there," her flight ring loudhailer amplified her voice so it echoed around the plaza, "we're Legionnaires and we want you to stop fighting..." A beam of fiery energy tore through the air, scattering the Legionnaires. <Get them!> Ayla sent to her teammates as she dived towards the human who had just released the blast towards them. Comet Queen raced ahead with Comet King, while Imp Master hovered for a second, the interns' eyes closed as he summoned mystical assistance. ................................ Lightning Lass - Deputy Team Leader, Ayla Ranzz of Winath - electrical generation and manipulation Comet Queen - Grava of Extal colony - spaceflight, comet gas extrusion Comet King - Drinchnar Lamment of Extal colony - spaceflight, comet gas extrusion intern: Imp Master - Dorrolo Capicca Redsail of Zerox - Elven strength, speed and senses, minor mystic specialising in summoning and controlling imps Below them, it was clear one of the indigenous people was injured. <Grava, take the wounded away, give them help. The rest of you with me> Before anyone could get any closer though, two dozen pale imps materialised around the fighting group below and started pulling at the combatants. It was chaos as imps were thrown about, crashing into sculptures and screeching as they tried to overwhelm the five beings below. <Imp master! Desist!> Ayla sent across the telepathic matrix, clearly unimpressed. <I am resolving this without bloodshed!> The Elven intern replied. <No, you are stopping it RIGHT NOW!> As the mystical imps started to disappear, Comet Queen and Comet King reached the group that had been fighting. Grava dived towards the Drungranene that appeared to be most injured. She swooped him up in her arms, surprised at how heavy and broad he was. "Oh, l'il starshine, you're gonna get all gleamy, never fear the Legion is here!" She giggled as she landed twenty metres away from the group and gently placed him, sat up against a marble plinth. The Drungrarene appeared semi-conscious, his head streaked with an orange liquid she assumed was blood. Grave quickly scanned him with her flight ring - it appeared he had taken a serious blow to the head from behind, though from what she could make out from the read-out, he did not seem in need of emergency treatment. "You rest there, l'il starburst, we'll sort this out for you." And with that she turned and flew back into the fray. While Comet Queen had been helping the injured Drungarene, Comet King had flown in amongst two of the humans and the remaining local and released a huge cloud of choking gas. As they struggled to breathe and see, Drinchnar quickly snapped incapacity cuffs on each of them. The third human was trying to make a run for it, having been outside of Comet King's noxious cloud, but the large bag on their back stopped them from sprinting and their cloak flapped around them in the rain and wind. Ayla flashed several electric arcs around them and floated down towards where they stood. As she got closer, Lightning Lass recognised the person below her, the distinctive waving hair - what she had thought was a cloak in the half-light and rain gave her away - Spider Girl! "Sussa... what are doing here?" Ayla's tone rung of disappointment. "Ah... Ranzz, I should have expected you to turn up... Your lot keep trying to stop me from getting rich, it's really quite inconsiderate of you, you know that?" As she spoke, she swung the bag off her shoulder and reached into it. "Don't try anything stupid please." Ayla nodded to the bag, her fingertips crackling with electric energy. "Totally, though... What if I do something clever instead?" Spider Girl smiled broadly and with a small implosion of air, she vanished! Ayla swore loudly. "My imps would've held her..." Imp Master declared from above. Ayla heard the intern but decided for the good of the team, she'd keep her opinions to herself. She wouldn't forget it though... ........................... Kid Quantum - Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu - creation of temporal quantum fields, flight Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations Science Police meta-squad seconded to Legion World First Base: Gravity Kid - Science Police Officer Tel Vole of Earth - manipulation of personal or nearby gravity Jazmin led her teammates through the wide doors of the domed building. There were security lights giving a dim illumination. The Legionnaires could see in the atrium before them a person with a flamboyant cape crouched over an unconscious body, surrounded by debris. "Stop there!" Jazmin announced loudly. The figure in the cloak turned and laughed. "More of you big 'uns to feel the might of Pop!" The response was a child-like voice. and with that he vanished. "I think that was a native...ow!" Tel was speaking when the caped Drungarene materialised above him and punched him on the head. With a high-pitched laugh, they vanished just as quickly as they appeared. He reappeared underneath Gravity Kid and kicked him hard on his right knee before laughing and teleporting away again. Tel started to glow, readying his abilities to hopefully neutralise the threat. Spoiler reached out and as the Drungarene teleporter reappeared, the Naltoran grabbed the high collar on his cape and pulled him in towards his chest. "We're Legion, here to help, so stop this nonsense." Gord said, in a low authorative voice. "Well, why didn't you say?" And as he finished speaking, the Drungarene teleported again. This time he materialised on top of a tall glass display case twenty feet away from them. As Gord and Tel had been dealing with the teleporter, Jazmin flew down to the unconscious man on the floor. A scan from her flight ring had shown that as well as being unconscious, with a possible concussion, there were currently eight different warrants out for his arrest. She snapped a set of incapacity cuffs on his wrist. "Guys... are you okay?" She asked as she turned back towards her teammates. <this guy's tricky Jaz, be careful> Tel sent. The 'tricky guy' and the Legionnaires held a truce while they discussed why they were there. The teleporter was part of the local enhanced team called the Inspirationals. He was called Pop! and alongside his companions Snap and Crackle, he was part of the shift that was working that evening. From what the Legionnaires could discern, the Inspirationals each had three day long shifts before they were give thirty days off... Pop! seemed genuinely surprised that the Legionnaires had different ideas about what constituted a decent work/life balance. As interesting as he found this, Spoiler interjected and asked about the unconscious thug that Pop! had been fighting, and what had happened here. "We had a report that an alarm had been tripped..." "What is this place?" Gravity Kid asked. "The Museum of Extra-Planetary Artefacts... they stole a really old bit of space junk, and it's weird as there's more interesting things here." "Can you show us what was taken, any record of it I mean." Kid Quantum said. Pop! vanished and reappeared twenty metres away beside a broken glass topped unit. The team could see there were two more unconscious thugs sprawled on the ground beside it. As he flew over and spotted them, Tel decided to cuff them. As the three Legionnaires and the Drungarene hero reached the damaged cabinet, their colleagues flew int the museum from outside. They quickly made introductions. The muscular local hero called Snap had woken up after being drugged by his assailants and was quite belligerent to the Legionnaires, his pride obviously hurt that he had needed to be rescued. Crackle on the other hand, was gushing over the Legionnaires, clearly a fan. After they had all been introduced, both teams examined the cabinet in front of them. A holo display screen blipped in an out of sight above it. Ayla scanned the display as it was written in a language she couldn't understand but knew that the flight rings database would. Seconds later, a hard light screen popped up translating the text. "Oh-kay... the display said the item was found three hundred years ago and looked like part of the remains from a space craft... it had crashed here something like twenty five million years ago. Addition data from our base says it was from the... uh... Sgargrathi Confederation? Never heard of them... they were a war like species that the Oans took care of. Oh... that doesn't sound good, does it?" The two teams pondered why anyone would want something that was twenty five millions years old and what it might be used for, while Comet Queen insisted on hugging each member of the Inspirationals. Ayla called for a warp back to First Base for her team, while another to deposit the unconscious robbers onto Takron-Galtos. Grava waved and blew kisses to the three Inspirationals as Drinchnar dragged her through the warp. ................................... Couple of bits of housekeeping: First, I was going to call the natives of Doll World the Drungaree, but my auto-spell check thingie wanted to change it to Dungarees.... and I was worried I might miss one of these changes, so the Drungarene were born Second, the Sgargrathi have popped up twice before, in passing - first, when the team met the two Cosmic Children in LW4. And then in the origin of the student Kid Flux, in Tales from the Academy Two.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 18 July 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
yay, more!! nice characterization re what each team member is doing, XS' impatience is so familiar, well done! interesting bit re how different realities might have slightly different laws of physics! I never quite considered that ! ooh, what a realistic convo between Spoiler and Booster. I've definitely been on both sides of this discussion before. I do think there may be some cultural differences at play here too. hopefully both of them can talk like adults indeed... on one hand, Solstin was passive aggressive, but Gord indeed should not have gotten in that last jab. ah well! ooh Doll World! what a nice revisiting! yikes re that Martian Malaria, but sadly realistic - it HAS happened a lot in real life the Inspirationals, cool name! hahahaha at warning Grava not to get all excited about the cute locals ooph, Imp Master is not making a good impression on this mission. I bet Ayla will fllow up Spider-Girl eh? is this Sussa a bit of a not-so-bad type, are you planning to semi-redeem her from her Earth-Man associated days? (that is, make her more like thief-5YL Sussa than completely-evil-racist Sussa?) ooph re this teleporting troublemaker! remonds me of those cartoon characters lol Snap, Crackle and Pop! hahahaha thanks for sharing re the invention of the Drungarene name, some of the best names come up by accident this is quite an interesting development Harbi, looking forward to where you're taking this!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 18 July 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Hi Harbi...I picked a good time to log in, glad to see more of your Legion! Po humoring Jenni about her mapping the planetoid was cute - having a speedster for a partner must be anxiety-inducing at times! I think I would need to institute a time-out policy occasionally just to catch my breath! It never occurred to me that Thirteen's powers could be altered by the physics of a different universe, but it makes sense! Big oof at Gord and Solstin! I can kind of understand both their perspectives...Solstin is obviously letting his insecurities lead, but it's easy to see why he would (especially if guys have used him before for his abilities like he said), and Gord didn't actually do anything wrong but he could probably be a bit more understanding of how it looks from the outside. However, it also made me think about something...I wonder how Naltorian relationships work when they might foresee an argument happening before it actually does? I imagine it would be like when you have a dream your partner did something bad and you're annoyed at them when you wake up, except in this case it's not just a dream... I quite like the Inspirationals as a team name! Comet Queen is adorable as ever, and it was nice seeing Ayla both anticipate what Grava's reaction would be and having a gentle touch when she told her to behave. I like your sassy Sussa! The fun 5YL version is much more entertaining than the cliche bitter Legion Reject! Imp Master is gonna be a problem though....I don't know if I'd be keen to get on Lightning Lass's bad side! Snap, Crackle and Pop! I love it!! I also love that Grava's idea of behaving herself is to smother three strangers in hugs and kisses
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 July 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Dreamer awoke with a start!
"Thom!" the platinum haired precognitive shouted out. "Thom! Quick, get M'onel and Andromeda!"
Thom Kalor raced into their shared bedroom and saw that Nura Nal was looking towards him with a smile on his face.
"What is it?"
"I saw another Legion coming to rescue us."
"Really? Wow, okay, I'll go get the rest of the team... ah, did you see if they succeeded and we'll finally get away from this hellhole?"
"Ah... no, that wasn't exactly clear, sorry." Nura's eyes flickered downwards as she remembered the ghastly fate she had foreseen for one of her colleagues.
"Anyway," she continued, "Go! You must tell Lar to make sure they switch off the broadcast on the flight ring frequency or they'll bring the horrors here."
Star Boy turned and ran.
.........................................
Chameleon Boy – Espionage Squad leader, Reep Daggle of Durla - shape changer XS - Jenni Ognats of an alternate dimension Aarok - phenomenal speed Glorith of Zerox - manipulation of magical energies The Huntress - Ambassador Amynta of Nostos ii - incredible strength, speed, invulnerability, space flight Thirteen – Dann Hortra of Naltor - line of sight probability manipulation Spy (also team counsellor) - Dr Noah Kabbo - heightened awareness and limited telepathy
Seconded from the Justice Legion: Cosmic Kid - Po Miman, Justice Legionnaire of alternate dimension Mars - energy manipulation and flight
Intern: Zero - Science Police Cadet Amrendra Mayasinghar of Zuyar - multi-dimensional shifting
Support Staff: I.Z.O.R. - Gear ii – infrastructure manager - nannite collective being, technomorph Henry – Anti Lad – Spatial warp controller
Consutant advisor: Brainiac 5 – Senior Team member, Professor Querl Dox of Colu, 12th level intelligence
Laipas - hunting dog from Nostos ii - enchanted to never lose a trail, fast and tough.
The journey through the inter-dimensions had taken thirty minutes.
As the planetoid materialised into this new reality, Chameleon Boy gave a small cheer to himself. He had met his counterpart from the same dimension as XS almost three years before during a rather chaotic battle, and he was looking forward to meeting them again under less stressful circumstances.
XS was racing around the corridors in her excitement. Cosmic Kid stood beside the intern Zero in the engineering deck, both young men smiling as they had reached their goal and they shared their excitement at meeting another team of Legionnaires. The rest of the team where there as well, waiting for Brainiac 5 to announce the all-clear. Chameleon Boy and the Huntress were discussing her training session as their Coluan colleague tapped ont a hard-light display.
"Oh, I just had a thought," Thirteen said, "the last time Jenni's team saw this planetoid it was full of Warmongers..."
"That is why I am broadcasting across their flight ring's frequency who we are and our intentions." Querl said, rather snappily. "Ahhh... there's a response..."
"Zzzkt> switch off this broadcast now! You will attract attention. Switch it off now!< zzzkt!" The voice was unmistakably that of a young Lar Gand. Brainiac 5 immediately turned their friendly broadcast off.
At that moment, Glorith cried out as she collapsed unconscious onto the floor. As she lay there, the young sorceress sparkled with mystical energy.
............................
Andromeda, Shikari and M'Onel approached the planetoid.
They recognised it as the small planetoid that had brought a band of Tyrrazians to them three weeks before, but had vanished as the team had chased it out of the planetary orbit. And here it was again, in orbit around the world where their team had taken refuge ...only this time it had been broadcasting along their flight ring communications channel. If Nura hadn't have already told them it was genuinely a team of Legionnaires that they had met before, they would have never have believed the message. It had been three years since they had met with their counterparts from two other realities and it felt like a lifetime ago to the two Daxamites.
Just over six months ago, Querl had brought the team to this dimension as they continued to search for their home reality, after a technical error on their Warpship. It wasn't the reality they had been aiming for but initially the team didn't mind... only this time the reality they found was far worse than any other they had been to previously.
They had almost immediately realised that there was no United Planets, and in fact no human race at all. They still had their Jump Ship at that point and had visited Earth; it was an outpost for an empire that never existed in any reality they had visited previously so the team avoided them as they investigated. The dominant indigenous life forms on it were mainly reptilian. It was as if the dinosaurs had never died out.
They investigated other home worlds of their teammates and what they found was disturbing - Durla's sad history had been much the same up until roughly six hundred years prior when that world had been co-opted by the Dominators who, the team were to learn, had then been savagely beaten into submission by the First Sons of Thanagar. Colu had been decimated in a war many centuries before with the Warworlds of Mongul. The ultra-aggressive Thanagarian Empire had overpowered Mongul's hordes and then added the few hundred Coluan survivors and then Daxam to its impressive list of conquests - the once proud civilisation now reduced to a slave population that numbered only in their thousands. They had control of the majority of planetary systems the team associated with the United Planets in their home dimension. It appeared that as the human race had never evolved here, this entire section of the Milky Way had a radically different, more blood-thirsty history.
Perhaps most disturbing for them had been what Lyle had discovered while accessing an old Thanagarian data bank in a deserted mining station they discovered in an asteroid belt; the Kal El of this reality had been rocketed off Krypton to Thanagar. As the young Kryptonian grew, the Thanagarian military became invested in his upbringing and the being who in multiple realities that was seen as an almost god-like figure for peace, became a living weapon for the Hawk-lords to use in their endless wars. It was the Kal El of this dimension, or the First Son as he was called, who singlehandedly defeated Rann and cemented his place in the Thanagarian Empire. It was this Kal El that destroyed J'onn J'onzz the Last Martian and forced his armies to kneel before him as he carried the brutal dictator's head in his hands.
Within two years of ending the Rann-Thanager war and defeating J'onn J'onzz, the First Son, was ruling over his Thanagarian empire with an iron fist. It was recorded that the Oans intervened to limit his power, though not before he had brought over a hundred world under his personal control. And now, almost a thousand years after those atrocities, the Thanagarians, with their Nth metal and Dominator gene-enhanced troops - the First Sons, named in honour of their greatest emperor, still ruled over large swathes of the Milky Way. Only the Khunds had stood against the Thanagarians, and a thousand years after their first skirmish, there were still battles over resources and hostility between the two empires.
A little over four months before, the Legionnaires had first encountered a small contingent of the First Sons face to face; the team had barely survived. Ferro had been beaten unconscious, Cosmic Boy was blinded, Violet had virtually every bone in her body broken. The team had been running ever since. The team had met and joined up with a couple of resistance fighters along the way, but they knew that their best chance at survival was to keep away from the expanding empire, not get involved in the blood-thirsty politics of this reality.
While escaping from that initial encounter, their warpship had been damaged and Brainiac 5 had been desperately searching for the rare elements needed to repair their trans-dimensional drive ever since.
Both Saturn Girl's telepathy and, equally alarmingly, Dreamer's precognition, could not pick up the enhanced guards of the First Sons, as their Nth metal technology blocked psionics. This meant the team had less chance of having any warning if they were close-by. It had all contributed to a very anxious couple of months as they dodged and evaded the Thanagarians. Brainiac 5's data crunching, Lyle's stealth skills and Shikari's pathfinding abilities had been the only thing that had saved them on many occasions. In their last encounter in a desolate proto-planetary disc around a newborn star, Lyle Norg had sacrificed himself to give the team enough time to get away...
And now, here was a team from another reality broadcasting their location along a bandwidth that the Thanagarians could intercept...
M'Onel and Andromeda had to warn the team within this small planetoid that they needed to get ready to run!
.......................................
Glorith sat up, her teammates standing around her with concerned expressions on their faces.
"Sister, let me help you." Amynta held out a hand, which the young mystic gratefully accepted. The team stood back as she gracefully took to her feet and started to hover a few inches off the floor.
"That was... unpleasant." Glorith said as she rubbed a hand across her face. Her teammates immediately got closer to the young mystic and started asking questions.
"Let her have space to get her breath." The Huntresses voice was firm as she shooed her teammates aside.
"I saw something..." Zero said, "was it temporal?" Glorith nodded at the intern's question and slowly began to speak.
"It was a message... from myself. My future self. I... I will reach back along the threads of time to give myself a warning. That spell is costly... We don't have long before we will be overwhelmed."
"It'll only take an hour until we can jump again." Querl Dox said, his tone almost dismissive.
"We have forty minutes until... they are horrible, savage silver winged supermen who want only to kill us. We must be prepared to repel their attack or none of us will get away from here alive."
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 July 23
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IB and Raz, thanks again for your responses. Glad you liked Snap, Crackle and Pop! I thought it best to add a little bit of silliness before the next story takes off.
This Sussa is more like the 5YL Spider Girl/Wave, and I'll address the earth Man version as well .
I've quite a bit to catch on so I'll leave it here.
Thanks chaps! More, more, more coming soon as things go ...ummm... wrong!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 July 23
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OOOH very ominous opening, with Dreamer's vision and Glorith collapsing like that!! Oh wow, this universe sounds horrible! I really like how much work you have put into the history of different worlds, and the mood is super tense already! "We have forty minutes until... they are horrible, savage silver winged supermen who want only to kill us. We must be prepared to repel their attack or none of us will get away from here alive." What a cliffhanger!! Harbi, I am scared but very excited to see where this goes! It's got really good horror movie vibes! (on another note, sorry but I think I forgot to DM you! I posted another chapter on the weekend as well )
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 July 23
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yay, more! what a treat to read over lunch! ooh it's the Reboot Nura! ack! ghastly fate - which Legionnaire from which team, now I'm super curious and a bit afraid! and the horrors... goodness, where are they? well you've certainly set the scene, Harbi! and now Glorith collapsing, oh dear! I wonder what triggered that? three years since! lots to catch up on. ah and things come full circle now, with the Reboot team filling in the blanks re the warworld. gosh what a dismal reality! no wonder Thom was so eager to be away from there! oy, and a Kal-El raised not the right way, that sure ups the stakes... ah, and this J'Onn was also brutal... I wonder what interventions the Oans laid in place, did they do something relatively permanent? (makes sense they would step in at some point, although without interfering too much I see - very Oan!) oh my stars. Ferro beaten unconscious, Cos blinded, Vi severely injured.... yikes! and now the team is just running, focused on survival (well, calls up a bit of the memories and vibe of Legion Lost v1 versus the Progeny!) I can imagine spirits aren't high at all! wow! even Dreamer's precognition is blocked by the Thanagarian helmets, that ups the ante. interesting take too, that Nura's visions require... some kind of contact with the subject? oh snap, Lyle's dead! some fates are consistent across 'boots ah, future Glorith warning current! smart, but also scary - it must be something really serious, then! heh, so like Querl to sound dismissive, not really seeing the danger Glorith saw... but hopefully 40 minutes, and the combined forces from two teams, will be enough... I hope! nice scene-setting, Harbi, you really captured the gloom and doom in this reality. curious and eager to see what you have planned, and who else on the Reboot team is still standing~!! oh and eager to see you addressing the two Sussa versions!! I knew you had thought of that! as always, this has been a treat. more, more, more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Aug 23
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First off, before I forget, thanks must go to Invisible Brainiac for the help he gave me with filling in details for the U247 team. Take a bow IB, as without the list you sent through, I would have definitely used the wrong team members.
.....................................
Chameleon Boy – Espionage Squad leader, Reep Daggle of Durla - shape changer XS - Jenni Ognats of an alternate dimension Aarok - phenomenal speed Glorith of Zerox - manipulation of magical energies The Huntress - Ambassador Amynta of Nostos ii - incredible strength, speed, invulnerability, space flight Thirteen – Dann Hortra of Naltor - line of sight probability manipulation Spy (also team counsellor) - Dr Noah Kabbo - heightened awareness and limited telepathy
Seconded from the Justice Legion: Cosmic Kid - Po Miman, Justice Legionnaire of alternate dimension Mars - energy manipulation and flight
Intern: Zero - Science Police Cadet Amrendra Mayasinghar of Zuyar - multi-dimensional shifting
Support Staff: I.Z.O.R. - Gear ii – infrastructure manager - nannite collective being, technomorph Henry – Anti Lad – Spatial warp controller
Consutant advisor: Brainiac 5 – Senior Team member, Professor Querl Dox of Colu, 12th level intelligence Laipas - hunting dog from Nostos ii - enchanted to never lose a trail, fast and tough.
and the Reboot Legion:
Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Live Wire, Apparition, Triad, Invisible Kid, Chameleon, Brainiac 5, Spark, Violet, Andromeda, Star Boy, M'Onel, Ultra Boy, Umbra, Sensor, Ferro, Kid Quantum II, Karate Kid, Wildfire, Shikari, Gear, Timber Wolf, and Dreamer
...........................
39 minutes until contact:
Brainiac 5 and Chameleon Boy stepped through the warp first.
XS sped after them and was soon zooming through and into the enclosure in her excitement to see her friends again. Cosmic Kid and the Huntress, with her hound Laipas, followed. After the Legionnaires had walked through, a holo of Henry materialised to join them as he closed the warp behind him. Spy had remained on the planetoid to ensure Glorith was okay, while Thirteen and Zero were working busily on the Trans-Dimensional Drive with Gear.
They were met by the alternate version of Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy. The senior team members could see that Rokk's eyes were different from the last time they had met; instead of his usual piercing blue, these were a pale orange. Both Chameleon Boy and Brainiac 5 recognised the Dominator technology that must have been used t grow them, and knew that they would have to wait to find out the story behind them as they had far more pressing matters to deal with.
Imra Ardeen immediately established a telepathic link between the team that had just arrived and the three Legionnaires waiting for them. She couldn't help but see in their minds that they were concerned by how thin and tired she and her teammates appeared to them. The senior Brainiac 5 had shared Glorith's warning before they had warped down to the world where their counterparts hid from the First Sons. Saturn Girl, their current leader, had immediately put her team into action. They had established evacuation procedures previously so had sprung into action. The junior Querl Dox was impatient as he was desperate to pack up the vital equipment from his field laboratory.
A woman rushed through the door and the senior Reep Daggle and Querl Dox both recognised her immediately even though she looked exhausted and wore ragged clothes with a hood over her head - it was their Phantom Girl!
.........................
38 minutes:
Thirteen rushed out of the engineering deck, claiming an urgent call of nature.
The Naltoran reached a nearby rest room and dived in. He locked the door behind him and quickly undid his belt and unfastened the button on his fly.
As he did Dann Hortra's began to groan and his form started to shift...
While Querl stood with their counterparts to make a plan of action, Reep walked Tinya over to the far side of the room.
"I knew I'd see you again Reep." Her voice was surprisingly quiet.
"What happened? We searched and searched..."
"That machine on the Dominator base was a power booster... I used it and brought their whole base with me through the dimensions... we fell for so long Reep, and I knew those bloody thugs that Sa Lok created needed to be taken out of action so I pushed by powers to keep phasing, and I don't know for sure but think the power booster tore through a stack of realities and brought us here."
"What...? "
"I know..." Tinya's eyes were moist with unshed tears. They stared at each other for a long couple of seconds before Reep pulled her in towards him. Tinya responded with an uncharacteristically fierce hug. After about five seconds, she pulled away and gave an embarrassed laugh.
"So," Reep said, "you met with this team here? What happened to Sa Lok's ...creations?"
"Ah... we materialised into the middle of a skirmish between the Khunds and the Thanagarians. Their planetoid was destroyed pretty quickly. I didn't know at the time what happened to everyone else but I managed to get onto a Thanagarian clean-up craft and hide while I got my bearings. I've been part of the resistance ever since. A few dozen of Sa Lok's gang did actually survive, it turned out they set up an enclave on, I think, Trom... the First Sons massacred them all. It was only about four or five months ago that I met this team. I'd been running for so long."
"How long Tinya? You've only been missing for three months."
"No... no Reep, that's not right... it's been almost five years!"
.........................
36 minutes:
The two Brainiac 5's had shared their plan.
The teams were to unite on the former Tyrrazian Warmonger's planetoid. The two Gears were to work on the TD drive alongside Thirteen, Zero, and the Brainiacs. The junior Querl would have the broken TD Drive he had salvaged from their Warpship transported up to the planetoid as quickly as possible.
The rest of the two teams were split into smaller groups - the larger group was tasked with getting the resources from the world where Tinya and the team had been hiding up to the planetoid, while a smaller team were to ensure their defensive capabilities were up to scratch.
Wildfire, Star Boy, Shikari, Ultra Boy and Andromeda had been joined by the Huntress outside of the planetoid. They were given the task of checking the weapons that had survived the Legions taking of this planetoid. While the majority had been decommissioned with extreme prejudice, there were still several dozen hyper K-laser cannons, at least twenty gamma flechette guns and a dozen or so missile sites. The senior Brainiac 5 had noticed these on the holo-specs when he had helped arrange its remodelling and hoped they weren't too badly damaged.
The Huntress was struggling with a bulky cannon as Star Boy helped pull it up off the surface. His gravity manipulating abilities definitely helped the Amazon as she shouldered it into place. Amynta gave Thom a thumbs-up and they flew towards the next, where Andromeda had used her laser vision to free another cannon from the rubble it had been tangled in.
<we should take the fight to them, I'm sure we could get them to turn and run if we really went for it. At least give them the bloody nose they deserve> Wildfire announced as he buzzed over the top of his colleagues.
<Drake... no. You know how powerful they are. There are thousands of them with their bloody Kal El's genetics and that Nth metal armour out there. Remember what happened the first time? Vi and Andy nearly died. If Kari hadn't of gotten us out of there... and there were only four of them that time> Andromeda sounded frustrated as she replied. This was clearly a conversation that they had gone through before.
<yeah, I know> The anti-energy Legionnaire responded flatly before flying off to the next cannon to be examined. Shikari gave a small smile as an apology to Andromeda before following him.
<sister> Amynta sent across a private bandwidth of the telepathic matrix to Laurel Gand, <we will persevere, you must have faith>
<faith and I are not on speaking terms right now> The blond Daxamite responded bluntly as she unravelled the last bit of twisted metal debris and pulled the cannon out from underneath.
Thirteen had reappeared in the engineering deck and quietly got stuck into working on the Q-Drive. Gear didn't tell him that through the Linsnarians' nannites he was aware that the Naltoran had resumed his natural form and was now using the distorter on his belt to appear as his usual trim and muscular self. The technomorph knew that this was not the time for such a disclosure.
..........................
30 minutes:
Saturn Girl was following Brainiac 5's specifications for dismantling his rather basic laboratory.
Imra telepathically shared with her colleagues what was needed to be packed and what could be left.
Triad and Umbra had joined her. Tasmia was clearly anxious at the thought of another attack by the Thanagarians, so Imra gently soothed her mind as the Talokean stacked equipment into a central spot on the floor for Henry to warp away.
It was as much a repair shop as a lab. Mostly, it was used for fixing any problems they had with their flight rings, the body armour they had stolen while fleeing from various sites, and the one working space worthy vehicle they had left from their Warpship - a small shuttle that could hold a maximum of fifteen people. They had managed more of them in it with Vi shrinking down in size, Chameleon assuming the form of a small animal and Apparition and Phantom Girl phasing. Still, none of them really wanted to go through that again. With Shikari, Andromeda, M'Onel and Wildfire flying outside of the shuttle, they had escaped from the First Sons twice before on this small craft. Brainiac 5 had reverse engineered Phantom Girl's distorter from her belt into the craft's operating matrix so when they had to use it, they would be less likely to be tracked.
As Henry's warp opened up to deposit the shuttle into the planetoid's docking bay, Imra smiled. Despite being resolutely non-superstitious, she had begun to see the small craft as something akin to their lucky charm. As she looked at the expression on Triad's face when Henry's warp closed, the young telepath was fairly sure that her teammates felt the same.
<Saturn Girl> Brainiac 5 contacted her, <are you available to assist us on the engineering deck?>
Within the loading bay, the senior Chameleon Boy, and Dreamer were examining the drones in their wall silos left behind by the Warmongers. Bouncing Boy ii had smashed and disabled the majority though the Durlan and the Naltoran had found almost two hundred that appeared to be in working order. Reep had grown two additional arms and was currently punching in a command code to multiple hard light screens around the control panel. He programmed in a flight pattern where the small unmanned crafts would circle the planetoid until they were needed, then with a flick of a switch they would fly into the attacking force. They both knew these wouldn't be nearly enough to stop the First Sons, but using them might buy them a minute or two...
"These have got to be good for something right?" Chameleon Boy said.
"I really don't know Reep, the damned Thanagarians can block my sight, though who knows, Cassandra may bless us... " Dreamer replied as she flew up to examine another blocked silo on the large wall that ran around the docking bay.
The senior Chameleon Boy could see how deflated the junior team were and at that moment he promised himself he would do everything he could to ensure they got out of here alive.
.........................
27 minutes:
Livewire and Spark were ensuring the teams food supply was carefully stored and ready for transit. The Winathian twins had been sourcing seeds from the planets and settlements they had visited as they fled the First Sons, and finally on this world they had the opportunity to put the experience they had growing up on a farming commune to good use.
Within ten days of arriving, with the help of their amazing friends, the twins had cleared and planted almost thirty acres with crops. Almost half of the crops had already started to produce food, after Brainiac 5 had synthesised a fertiliser for them.
Sensor, Timber Wolf, XS and Cosmic Kid had volunteered to help the twins as they set about ensuring they had provisions for wherever their journey took them. Po had tried to explain that the planetoid was already self-sufficient but both of the Ranzz's insisted they didn't leave any behind if they could help it. Given how thin and exhausted the Legionnaires all looked, Po decided not to argue.
Garth had shown Jenni how to carefully dig out one of the nutritious tubor plants from the soil and load it into their makeshift crates. XS had then spent the next two minutes lifting a huge field full and loading them before returning to ask what to do with the other fruit and vegetables they had in their fields.
"Jenni, y'know I'd almost forgotten how truly awesome you are!" Ayla said with a broad smile.
XS ran up to Spark and gave her a hug. Ayla squeezed Jenni with a surprising passion, obviously close to being overcome by the emotions brought up in the situation; to meet an old friend and be offered a way to leave this horrible reality after living so desperately for the last few months... it was almost too much to hope for...
.........................
21 minutes:
The senior Brainiac 5 asked how Shikari's pathfinding abilities worked.
As Saturn Girl telepathically shared the information from her team's Coluan genius, the two Brainiac's smiled in unison. Imra, despite her formidable scientific training, couldn't understand much of the information they shared, though she could hear in both of their minds that they had just created a provisional plan that they strongly believed could help them escape in time.
"We will need both Tinyas, Zero and Shikari here... with the technology we brought and the work your Brainiac has completed while you have been here, we should be able to build a system that can use their natural skills to guide our Q-Drive..."
"With Kid Quantum assistance perhaps?"
"Yes, of course."
The two Brainiac's smiled at each other as they worked out the minute details of their plan....
............................
19 minutes:
Dr Kabbo followed Glorith to one of the smaller storage areas behind the docking bay.
The young mystic claimed she was fully recovered and needed to prepare the ingredients for the spell she would cast. Dr Kabbo didn't believe she was a strong as she claimed so offered to assist.
First off, she said, she would darkness... the small boxy room was certainly dark once Dr Kabbo switched off the illumination circuit. All he could see was the glow of the markings on Glorith's face.
"Okay, so what do you need next?" He asked. The psychic counsellor could feel her exhaustion and gratitude. The young mystic gave a small smile as she considered the items that would help her cast the spell to warn herself in the past of the dangers that were coming.
"The only other thing I really need is a copper effigy of myself, but how...?"
Before she could finish, Dr Kabbo was speaking into his flight ring,
"Gear, we urgently need your assistance."
..............................
16 minutes:
With all of the team's food and supplies having been sent through Henry's warps, Garth asked what else they needed to do.
He wasn't surprised to hear that the majority of the larger team were in a similar situation, so he offered to help the team that were checking the planetoids weapons system on the outside of the small world - his abilities made him a great welder. Rokk offered to help while the remaining team said they would give a hand in the docking bay.
Henry spun a warp for each team. As she walked through, Spark commented to XS that she wished they had Henry with them when the team had arrived here. There was a bittersweetness to her voice as she spoke that Jenni couldn't help but notice, though she only smiled at her former teammate in response.
Livewire and Cosmic Boy were grateful their Brainiac 5 had reverse engineered the eco-protect function from the older Tinya's flight ring and introduce the same technology to theirs as they stepped through the spinning warp. Both were momentarily disorientated as they went from a full gravity and atmospheric pressure to floating a few feet off the planetoids airless surface, looking down at the world they had just left.
Kid Quantum immediately put them to use helping as they fixed a broken Hyper-K cannon, larger than any they had seen before - if it worked it would definitely give the attacking Thanagarians pause!
The Huntress watched as the team worked quickly without anything more than necessary conversations. This was obviously a team that had been through the most desperate of circumstances and honed their skills so they had the best chance of survival.
The whole team paused as a telepathic message interrupted them from the junior Brainiac 5.
<all legionnaires, please prepare to assemble in main meeting room on the second level in the next five minutes. We are estimate we will be ready to leave in 345 seconds Shikari, Kid Quantum, Apparition and Phantom Girl, please come to the engineering deck as a matter of urgency>
...........................
12 minutes:
<<Zzzk Legionnaires! Legionnaires, you must run! They're getting close! Run now while you have a chance! Zzk>
The announcement that unexpectedly cut across the telepathic matrix surprised everyone as the voice was unmistakable.
It was Lyle Norg!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Aug 23
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Hi Harbi, I have been looking forward to reading your next instalment! Let's goooo!!!! First up, loving the countdown! It really maintains that creepy horror movie vibe I mentioned last time! Tinya's back! Her reunion with Cham was very touching "No... no Reep, that's not right... it's been almost five years!" <faith and I are not on speaking terms right now> The blond Daxamite responded bluntly as she unravelled the last bit of twisted metal debris and pulled the cannon out from underneath. Poor Laurel, that is heartbreaking! Old(er) Cham promising to get them out of there is giving me adult advisor Cham vibes from the SW6 Legion Aww @ Ayla and Jenni's reunion...lots of pulling on heartstrings in this story I see! You are painting a really clear picture of a team that has been desperate and on the run for a long time, and it's interesting seeing it be the reboot team as they're generally considered the more optimistic timeline....I am really enjoying this, Harbi! And Lyle is still alive! What a cliffhanger! More, more, more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Aug 23
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yay, more good stuff Harbi!
and thanks for the appreciation, and very happy to help! I know the Reboot Legion are in great hands with you!
as raz did, I love the countdown -- gives a sense of foreboding and urgency!
classic XS zooming around, wanting to see everyone now! they were here first friends after all!
glad that Rokk at least had his eyes regrown, and smart of both teams using/recognizing Dominator tech
goodness, you paint an amazing pic of how stressful and desperate things have gotten, with how thin the Reboot team have gotten. nice to see that Saturn Girl has taken up leadership, and curious as to how Kid Quantum handed it off.
whoa! your Tinya is there!!! well! I did NOT expect her to end up here too! but nice putting of the pieces together, that's a second storyline wrapped into this one!
poor Thirteen! It was a bit of a call to nature... makes sense that the diff laws of physics would impact his power's effect on his body!
oh my stars, poor Tinya has been alone for so long... (at least Sa Lok's loose end has been unraveled too)
nice way to show, and end, the reunion between Cham and Tinya too. the hug, and that scary ending (5 years!!)
powerful team on the planetoid there! but it makes sense, considering what they are up against. Nice convo re Drake and Laurel, with Kari apologizing on Drake's behalf. and Amynta trying to encourage Laurel, and Laurel just... wow... they HAVE been through a lot!
great reference to Umbra/Tasmia's anxieties and fears from Legion Lost, with Imra having to soothe her!
nice little tactical bits too - having Wildfire and Kari and the Daxamites flying outside the craft to react quickly, and reverse-engineering Tinya's distorter to hide the ship! you are so good at these little tactical bits and creative uses of powers/tech
there sure were a lot of drones around, if nearly 200 are stil left after BBII got through with the rest!
another nice nod to continuity, with Live Wire and Spark taking care of the food
aww at Ayla and Jenni hugging!
heh, love the bit with Imra sharing info between the two Brainys, and a good point that Imra will not necessarily understand everything she shares!
the mystery thickens, "with Kid Quantum's assistance perhaps", now you've got me all worried and scared that something has happened to Kid Q in the meantime!
good old Dr. Kabbo! his quiet support of Glorith was well done
loving the boosting of this Legion's flight rings wth an eco protect function. transuits are handy but not as convenient!
you do a great job with the countdown, and the little bits and pieces there showing just how badly the Reboot team has been beaten down!
whoa! and Lyle is still alive! a pleasant surprise for me, I wonder how he's been doing! kudos for giving Lyle a key role, Harbi, well done!
Another great installment,
I cannot wait for more more more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Aug 23
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Guys, that was fast! I just popped back to double check the spelling before anyone read it Glad you're enjoying it, there is a lot to cram in the next installment - and all within 12 minutes! Originally, I had planned on te team to encounter their Tinya while they were making their way to the U247 team, but it didn't read well so I ditched that and rewrote her reappearance, added the 6 years bit as iIt gives me something to work with when/if they get her home as we deal with her experiences while lost. Raz, I was totally channeling 5YL Cham when I wrote that part thought I'd slip it in there quietly so well done for catching it. IB, thanks for the comment about tactical thinking as I always wonder if I'm doing enough. That's the problem with trying to write not one but two Brainiacs - what would a pair of12th level genius' do? As much as he's probably my favourite Legionnaire, I do find writing Querl difficult. Anyway, more soon as a group of Legionnaires get into serious trouble and it won't end well for at least one of them. Thanks again guys.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Aug 23
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nice twist re Tinya, Harbi! I agree it flows well that she made it to this reality earlier.
oooh color me intrigued, excited and apprehensive! looking forward to the next bit!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 7 Aug 23
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12 minutes:
"Henry, can you open a warp and bring Lyle here please." the senior Brainiac 5 asked.
"Our sensors cannot pick up the exact source of his message..." the holo-man appeared genuinely surprised. "Once I have co-ordinates it will be simple enough to collect Lyle Norg."
Outside of an airlock, just as they were making their way in, Wildfire turned to Shikari and asked if she could sense a path to Lyle. The Kwai warrior considered his question for a few seconds before she nodded and pointed away from the planet.
<Let's go get him!> The composite anti-energy being blasted off in the direction his teammate had indicated.
<Drake!> Star Boy called out after him as he blasted into the darkness around them, closely followed by Shikari.
<I will retrieve him> the Huntress sent before flying off. Andromeda flew at the Amazon's side, both pushing themselves to catch up with their errant colleague.
<damn it!> Star Boy took off from the planetoid. <Dreamer...> Thom Kallor sent his message directly to Nura Nal, <Drake's gone to find Lyle, we're going to get him back! If you gotta leave before we do, then go Don't wait for us... promise me you'll save yourself!>
And with that, the gravity manipulator from Xanthu sped up as he followed his teammates and the Amazonian warrior from another reality out towards the approaching force from the Thanagarian Empire.
.....................................
11 minutes:
In the engineering deck, Ultra Boy stood at the side of Apparition protectively.
The Huntresses flight ring was sending data back to the team and the senior Brainiac 5 had arranged a holo-display to share the data for the group that had gathered. The inbuilt scanner was showing what the group following Wildfire were flying towards: two large Thanagarian battle cruisers, perhaps fifty smaller ships, and hundreds of silver dots that they all knew were the winged warriors that had Kal El's genetics grafted onto their own and wore Nth metal armour.
It was an impossible battle, approaching at just short of light speed,
"Brainy said we need Shikari for their plan to work... why did Wildfire have to be such an ass and take her? If he wants to kill himself he should just go do it by himself!" The young Tinya hissed, her eyes filling with tears.
"Ah, babe, you know how co-dependent they are. Let's hope they find Lyle quickly and the weird holo-man can get them back to us in time." Jo Nah said softly, though his posture was tense and his expression angry.
...........................
10 minutes:
The majority of the young Legionnaires waited in the second level meeting room as had been requested.
The holo-display showed them what their teammates and the Amazon were flying towards. All of them felt their adrenaline start to spike. They had only encountered the Thangarian First Sons a couple of times but it had been enough for the Legionnaires to be scared of them
Laipas, the huge wolf hound, strutted between the young Legionnaires, her tail wagging as she offered her chin up to be scratched. Violet resisted the urge to giggle as the wolf hound rotated her head like a clock hand so the Imskian could reach all the spots the dog wanted scratching. As Salu stopped so she could pay attention to the display, Laipas nudged her playfully in the stomach with her nose before stretching her head up, chin raised, so the young Legionnaire could rub the exposed parts being offered.
"I wish I could live in the moment you do, you gorgeous doggie..." she said to herself as she ruffled the hair under Laipas' chin. At her side, Cosmic Boy muttered his agreement as he focussed on the holo.
............................
9 minutes:
"I should give myself up... it's me they're really after." Phantom girl said quietly to Chameleon Boy.
The two old friends were stood by the door to the engineering deck, watching the read-out.
"These kids, Reep, they've only fought when they were cornered and I bet none of their opponents were ever any more than just knocked out. They still believe in... still practice the Legion's ethos. They haven't learned how to really survive here yet. Or they don't want to..."
"What are you saying Tinya?"
"I killed a planet full of them Reep... I should never have joined this team, the kids don't deserve to die just because of me."
In a whispered voice, Phantom girl shared her story.
As the planetoid she had arrived here on was blown apart, the former team leader had hid amongst debris until a small Thanagarian shuttle had gotten close. She had sneaked onto it and remained hidden until it reached a planet a day later.
Tinya had quickly realised that, for all their ferocity, the Thanagarian's technology was less advanced than what she was used to in her reality. She could figure it out and work her way around it with a little help of her flight ring's scanner and database. She had been in this awful dimension for over two years and wearing stolen clothes of a serving girl to make it easier to move around, committing small acts of sabotage in that time, and had worked hard to avoid discovery, when she had done something that would haunt her until her dying day.
Between her espionage skills and dumb luck, she had been inside one of the citadels on a highly prized outpost world of the First Sons.
On that day there had been a Conclave of Senior Warlords meeting to plan their assault into a new section of the Milky Way. Phantom Girl spied on it from a hiding place amongst the rafters above. The Thanagarian astro-scouts had identified over six hundred planets that could supply them with resources their toxic empire needed within striking distance of their outposts. Several of the warlords were gambling over whose force would kill the most and take the most slaves from the indigenous populations. There was also talk of a Green Lantern being reported within this sector though these rumours were unconfirmed and they discussed how to eliminate that threat if it were true.
First though, they had discovered a small contingent of strange beings, reportedly survivors from a planetoid that had unexpectedly materialised during a skirmish they had been fighting with the Khunds. Tinya recognised them as the surviving members of Sa Lok's meta-thugs. From the star chart that the Warlords were examining she estimated they had hidden out on Trom, probably figuring that the planet's toxic environment would give them some cover and protection. The Thanagarians had assumed that the Khunds had created these beings that had interrupted their battle. Over thirty of Sa Lok's gene-enhanced thugs had managed to flee before they could be captured and dissected.
As Tinya watched from her hiding place, the holo-screen that hung over the circular table where the warlords had gathered, displayed half a dozen of their Nth metal clad warriors attack the small base. It had been a massacre that was over in under a minute. As the Warlords clapped each other on their backs, the Bgztlar Legionnaire thought she would throw up.
The Warlords laughed and then returned to the business at hand... the advancement of their empire into new territories.
Over the next week, in between bouts of tears and panic she realised she had to act. Tinya Wazzo planned how to stop the Warlords from getting any further from their staging post on this world. Her plans revolved around their satellite solar energy farm that ringed this world.
"What did you do?" It was the first thing Reep had said since Tinya started speaking. He could see how desperately she needed to talk so had not dared interrupt her flow.
The Thanagarians had developed a rudimentary teleportation system many centuries before. They primarily used it to transport inorganic matter as their culture saw personal use of teleportation as a sign of weakness akin to cowardice. Among the Thanagarian warrior class, it would be political suicide to admit to needing instantaneous transport. They were expected to fight their way out of any difficult situation. As this point of view was heavily ingrained in the Thanagarian culture, their teleportation technology was often overlooked.
Tinya had never thought of herself as particularly technically minded, but by using the flight ring's AI information she had constructed a crude data corrupting device. She planned to take control over the satellite system that spun around this planet that collected solar radiation and transmitted the energy to huge power plants on the planetary surface.
She used one of the Thanagarians' trans-positioning systems to get her device up to the satellites then hid out on a shuttle that was bound for a nearby battle cruiser. By the time she arrived on the cruiser the damage had been done. Her device had scrambled the controlling AI, as she had hoped. Unfortunately, instead of shutting down the power being transmitted to the planet below causing black outs, the solar energy gathering satellites overloaded setting off a catastrophic chain reaction.
This caused a backlash that overpowered all of the energy generating plants on the planet. The Thanagarians used integrated energy producing systems to keep their population lit and heated. Mainly, it was geo-thermal plugs that tapped into active volcanoes, solar battery satellites, and finally power plants that used a technology they had stolen from the Khunds - the volatile nega-energy. The overload that Tinya's crude mechanism created led to three dozen volcanoes spontaneously erupting and over a hundred power stations exploding virtually simultaneously. The resulting blast of raw energy tore the tectonic plates clean off the mantle of the world.
The empire lost more of its military personnel to an enemy combatant that day than they had in total for the previous century. The damage to their campaigns of aggression and advancement of the empire were still being felt. The position of the Emperor himself was threatened and as retaliation he instigated draconian edicts that restricted the rights of all of his citizens.
Most worrying though, for Tinya, was that the Emperor's personal Coluan servants had quickly discerned the root cause of this tragic event.
The largest bounty ever recorded in the history of the Thanagarian empire was now on her head.
............................
8 minutes:
Glorith had insisted on watching the holo.
Dr Kabbo was unsure, as he could sense her anxiety already, but the young mystic had told him she had seen things in her vision that she would need to see for herself if the message she sent to her past self was to be the same. He didn't really understand her logic but as he could sense her conviction he acquiesced.
The holo shone in the darkened storage area where the two Legionnaires prepared for Glorith's spell.
"Amynta will lead the fight." The young sorceress said, her expression was unreadable, though Dr Kabbo could feel her concerns as she stared at the sight before them.
............................
7 minutes:
Ambassador Amynta of Nostos ii had trained to fight her entire life.
As the approaching hawkmen came into view, she could see they were carrying weapons. They would reach the Legionnaires in seconds. While she was unarmed, having had to return her magical spear to the Temple of Artemis on Nostos ii, she was more than confident enough to handle the attacking force. She smashed her wrists together to access the magic within her armbands - gifts from two goddesses that had admired her skills. With the magic activated, Amynta's strength, durability, skill and speed increased for a limited time.
Ahead of her, Wildfire desperately blasted at the two approaching Thanagarians. His anti-energy did slow them down, but not enough to stop them. Shikari had motioned towards a small shuttle, perhaps only 20 clicks from where they were. That was where the pathway to Lyle Norg was leading her.
Amynta sped past Wildfire and threw herself at the two Thanagarians. She kicked out at the nearest, while reaching out for the tip of one of his wings. As he flew away from the blow, she tore the wing off his back and used it to slice at the second, ripping the armour across his stomach. As he jerked back the Amazon swatted him with the flat side of the wing, batting him towards his maimed comrade.
Andromeda reached Amynta and Wildfire at this point and blasted at the two Thanagarians with her laser vision, melting their armour and fusing them together into an ungainly mass. The two warriors struggled against each other though ultimately were bound in Nth metal unable to move freely. Wildfire gave them a blast of his anti-energy to send them tumbling away from the group.
As the three Legionnaire followed their Kwai comrade towards the small shuttle that she believed held their missing teammate another of the fierce warriors swooped in towards them, swinging a spiked mace around his head.
Amynta blocked the spiked weapon with the wing she had torn off the other warrior and booted him firmly in the stomach. Andromeda used her laser vision again, blasting into his eyes while the Amazon grabbed his weapon with one hand and threw a mighty punch that sent him flying.
<that is how we deal with them!> She exclaimed empathetically across the telepathic matrix as she swung their opponent's mace, feeling its weight so she could use it on the next Thanagarian that came close to them.
.............................
6 minutes:
Star Boy reached out.
Thom Kallor was not as swift as his colleagues, despite using his gravity manipulating powers to push himself after them.
He watched as the Amazonian Legionnaire from the other reality smash into two of the Thanagarians, almost defeating them single handedly. Her savage fighting style was what was needed, he thought, as she tore the wing off of one to batter the second. The Xanthuan gave a cheer as he sped to catch up.
As Andromeda and the Huntress dealt with the two Thanagarian warriors, Shikari swooped to the side towards a small shuttle. Thom followed her, using his ability to pull the craft towards them. If Lyle was in there then they would get him away as fast as possible, and if he wasn't... well, hopefully the savage Amazon would be able to deal with whoever, or whatever was.
Star Boy was concentrating on the shuttle and didn't see the Thanagarian until the last moment. As the warrior in the Nth Metal armour charged towards him Thom had only seconds to defend himself and, without thinking, he turned ad continued using his gravitation manipulation to pull the warrior towards him, though managed to twist, throwing the winged attacker away. The Legionnaire gave a blast of gravity waves to send him spinning off into the darkness around them.
Thom Kallor gave a sigh of relief as he quickly looked around him and couldn't see any of the Thanagarians coming towards him. His relief turned to horror though as he realised that while he team had been fighting these few warriors, the majority had streaked past them and were approaching the planetoid where his colleagues were.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 7 Aug 23
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yay, more! ooh, Henry being genuinely surprised, that's rare! Kari saves the day, or at least finds Lyle. uh oh, Drake being all impetuous... Oh Thom, you did this exact same thing during the evacuation of Xanthu in Legion Worlds 4... LOL at Tinya and Jo calling Drake and Kari co-dependent, you wrote this irony so well, Harbi you really write the younger Legion's fear and anxiety so well, with little reactions like Tinya's frustration. aw, I liked that point you had older Tinya make, about how the younger Legionnaires are still all "don't kill", holding on to the last shreds of hope from their own universe! it's a great way to highlight the differences in their home realities. also a nice point that the tech here is less advanced, I guess that's what has kept everyone alive until now! balances the scales a bit. brilliant point re teleportation, makes sense a very violent warrior culture would view teleportation as cowardice also, wow at what Tinya did. tough choice, but I get it... also makes sense Amynta is field leader, she has the most combat experience and training! nice teamwork from the team there, quickly disabling two enemies like that! nice use of Thom's full gravity powers too...! and Andromeda is kicking butt... oh... boy... looks like we're spinning towards the finale! nicely done Harbi, way to up the ante!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 7 Aug 23
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Wow, thanks IB, you're fast! When I was planning this out it struck me that without the Coluans and the Terrans, I don't think technology on a galactic scale would progress the same, so while it balances the scales as you rightly pointed out, it was meant as a comment on the potential that the Thanagarians had wiped out. 'Our' Tinya never meant to destroy the planet so she's got some major grieving to do over that, and possibly a few more, actions. Amynta is hardcore so of course she's just going to take charge in a fight She hasn't had the chance to really cut loose since fighting Black Adams daughters so it was well overdue. Yeah, this part will be over soon, and then there's the falllout from it to deal with... More next week, thanks again IB C
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 7 Aug 23
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oh! also a good point Harbi, that the Thanagarian war-mongering has indeed set the galaxy back as a whole! and thanks for pointing out that Tinya never meant to destroy the planet and kill all those people. poor dear, she must be going through so much looking forward to the next bits Harbi!!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 15 Aug 23
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5 minutes:
"It's time." Nura announced.
Spark, Timber Wolf and Ferro had joined Dreamer in the lower docking bay. Nura had given them a very quick guide on how to operate their hastily put together planetoid defences. After that they had stood quietly by their hard-light command consoles, waiting for the Thanagarians to get closer. Brin tapped his fingers impatiently until Ayla shot him a dismissive glance.
They did not have to wait for long. The long-range sensor grid pinged as it notified the Legionnaires that their opponents were away to reach the effective range of their defences in the next twenty seconds.
The two hundred and fifty or so drones that Dreamer and Chameleon Boy had gotten ready flew a randomised pattern a hundred thousand clicks from the planetoid. The team knew they would be no real problem for the Thanagarians to smash aside. The hope was that they might distract their attackers enough so that the other, more potent, weapons would have a chance to hit their targets.
The Gamma Flechettes had the longest range so were first to be fired. Ayla targeted the front of the oncoming wave of winged Thanagarians. The warriors at the front dropped away but were replaced as quickly as Ayla could target them. The wave of winged warriors continued towards them.
Hyper-K lasers blasted out, scattering a group of the First Sons. The unfortunate few that were actually hit were exploded backwards into the paths of the advancing battle cruisers. Brin growled to himself as he gleefully switched targets and commanded the lasers to fire again and again. As fast as his reflexes were, the Thanagarian's were faster and for every one he hit, he missed half a dozen more.
Ferro took control of the missiles. There were only twenty three, and while they had powerful payloads, they had a limited range. He knew that he had to make each one count. He had pre-programmed a pattern where small groups would fire and take twisting circular routes towards the leading battle cruiser. If they could slow the dreadnoughts down, then it might give the First Sons pause... at least that's what the iron skinned Legionnaire hoped.
...........................
4 minutes:
Glorith concentrated, muttering the arcane words of the spell that would send visions to her past self, allowing the team to have these extra precious minutes to prepare.
Dr Kabbo had asked if she was okay just as she assumed a lotus position and closed her eyes. The young sorceress gave a rare smile before thanking him for the help he had given to prepare for this spell. He could feel her thoughts gather as she concentrated on the words she needed to say, and was pleasantly surprised by how focussed her mind was.
The air hummed and slowly, almost imperceivably, the room started to light up.
As Glorith finished saying the enchantment that would pass the information from her present self to her past, magic that she felt as natural using as she did her fingers and toes flooded her senses and a ring of purple light expanded out from her core and engulfed the whole room.
The message had been sent!
The young sorceress took a deep breath and opened her eyes. And there, stood in front of her, instead of the kind counsellor Dr Kabbo who had helped her prepare for this spell, was a child of at most three years of age. It was clearly Noah Kabbo, but instead of the athletic and intelligent man she was used to seeing...
"Mama!" the child yelled, before bursting into tears and falling onto his front to thump his hands and feet against the floor in frustration.
...........................
3 minutes:
Outside of the shuttle, the Huntress, Wildfire, Star Boy and Andromeda fought against the Thanagarians.
Shikari had torn through the outer hull with her armoured claws and barrelled inside. Inside, she could see Lyle; strapped into a glass tank with an oxygen mask over his mouth. He gave her a thumbs up and a voice came over a tanoy system.
"It's not a breathable atmosphere. This was a transport drone shuttle and my trans-suit is damaged. It's good to see you, Kari!"
"We'll take you home Sneaky-Legion" The Kwai said as she slipped off her flight ring. "Wear this, it'll allow you to breathe" She punched her hand through the tanks glass screen and Invisible Kid scrambled to grab the ring from her and place it onto a finger.
As Shikari helped Lyle out of the harness, they could see flashes of light through the hole she had torn in the shuttle.
Star Boy tried to push the two Thanagarians that were flying towards them away, but they fought against his gravity wave and barely paused. Thom changed tactics and swiped at both of them with contrasting waves, throwing them into each other. As they struggled to untangle themselves after the jarring impact, he blasted them with the strongest wave he could summon and both winged warriors tumbled away from the small shuttle. Thom took a deep breath, that was close...
The Huntress traded blows with a particularly burly Thanagarian warrior. She swung the mace she had grabbed earlier at him, and as he ducked out of the way the Amazon kicked out and caught him painfully on the side of his thigh. He swerved towards her, both hands reaching out trying to grab her but she got hold of and twisted one of his arms painfully, half turning away as she did so his arm was stretched across her body. He was close to her shoulder and reached around to strike at the Amazon while struggling to free himself. With accuracy borne of long hours spent training for combat, she elbowed him in the face, knocking him unconscious. Amynta looked around for another opponent to fight...
Andromeda used her laser vision to temporarily blind a couple more of the approaching hawkmen. As they put their hands in front of their eyes, she rushed in at super speed and threw one onto the other, and decided to use the same tactic that she had earlier. With controlled bursts of laser vision the young Daxamite fused their armour together. She knew it would only slow them down, but that was all they needed to do right now...
Wildfire remained close to the rip in the shuttle that shikari had torn. His anti-energy could actually hurt the Thanagarians, and he knew they would avoid him if they could, at least until there were enough of them to overwhelm him with minimal risk. A few sharp warning blasts had dissuaded the one warrior that had made a beeline towards him. Amynta had dealt with him as he tried to skirt around the shuttle, Wildfire was pleased to see.
He really admired her vigour; the team had been so exhausted by their travels over the last few years that it was a refreshing jolt to see someone with that much passion and energy... It reminded him of what the team used to have.
<Legionnaires, I have him, let's go!> Shikari flew out of the shuttle, carrying a thin and weary-looking Lyle Norg.
<Henry! We need a warp now!> Amynta yelled across the telepathic matrix. She and Andromeda flew back towards the shuttle.
As the Huntress retreated, a dozen of the Thanagarian warriors swooped in towards them.
...........................
2 minutes:
Henry's warp spun around them.
"Get Shikari in that harness now!" the younger Brainiac 5 barked as the Kwai pathfinder fell through the spinning warp onto the engineering deck. In her arms, Lyle Norg landed awkwardly against the hard floor. As the warp began to close, they could all see the Thanagarians swarming around it.
Amynta swung the mace she had taken in her hand, readying herself to defend the base. Andromeda floated up towards the warp, sure that the Thanagarians would get through to them, while Star Boy tried to catch his breath before the next wave of the winged warriors attacked.
"Damn it!" Wildfire exclaimed as his boots flared and he pushed his way through the closing warp. Even as the warp shut, they saw him floating in space and reach up to lift his visor.
<Look after each other and remember me>
Those were the last words anyone heard from Wildfire.
The sensor array that the senior Brainiac 5 had rigged up bleeped, indicating that there had been a massive anti-energy explosion just outside of the planetoid.
The young Ultra Boy rushed to help Lyle Norg up onto his feet. Shikari was screaming and resisting as the two Coluans tried to fix a harness across her shoulders. She was desperate to get back outside and somehow rescue Wildfire.
<Imra, you must calm her,; guide her to find our path home> The senior Brainiac 5 sent to Saturn Girl across a personal bandwidth of the telepathic matrix. The Titanian gave a fierce glance towards the older Coluan, though knew that as much as it pained her, she agreed with him. Gently, Imra used her prodigious psionic power to sooth Shikari's fears and deflate her eagerness to join Wildfire, and instead to focus on the pathway through the dimensions to get them home.
"If both Tinya's and Zero can stand there..." the younger Brainiac 5 pointed to a central part of the engineering deck where a ring of heavy cabling was laid out, "and Jazmin, once they start to phase, you will need to hold them there." He nodded to Kid Quantum who took a deep breath before nodding in response.
"Cosmic Kid, can you assist, ensure there is no leakage from the quantum energies, please." The senior Brainiac 5 asked. Jazmin gave both him and Po a dismissive glance but didn't say anything as she prepared herself.
Thirteen stood by the Q-Drive, his head was buzzing. Being in this reality had not been pleasant, and he wondered if it affected Dreamer the same way, somehow throwing Naltoran's abilities to see, and in his case influence, probabilities off kilter. Either way, he would be glad to get home and would never volunteer to travel to another dimension again.
"I have the way we need to follow." Shikari announced. "We're ready..." the younger Querl announced as he tapped on his omnicom, "let's go!"
...........................
1 minutes:
The planetoid was shaking...
"What the florgg is going on?" Kid Quantum said, a tad more robustly than she meant to. "Why aren't we going?"
"It's the Q-Drive!" Thirteen yelled as he tapped furiously onto a hard-light screen. "It's not connecting..."
The senior Brainiac 5 ran over to his side and started adding taps to the screen.
"Oh, Cassandra, give me strength!" Dann Hortra turned towards the device that the two Coluan geniuses had created that sat on the floor next to where the two Tinya's and the intern Zero were waiting. His eyes glowed brightly and everyone in the room could feel the hairs on their bodies start to stand on end.
The machine had been hurriedly made, in part from the remains of the Jumpship Reality Drive that had brought the junior team here, together with the T-D Drive that had been found on this planetoid and modified by the senior Coluan. Both Brainiac's had calculated an over 96.75% chance that their hybrid dimension opening matrix would work first time.
Instead, the newly built warp drive machine had hummed and vibrated. As Thirteen turned his mutant power onto it, the machine began to glow ominously and hovered just off the floor. Within seconds it was too bright to look directly towards.
"This off the charts!" The junior Brainiac gasped as he stared with his eyes wide open at the screen before him. The room started to hum as energy danced across the shining machine. The senior Brainiac had reached for his belt and a force field globe sprung up around the shining machine.
As tears of molten light ran down his face, Thirteen shouted "Hit the damn button, Dox!"
...........................
The planetoids' defences were exhausted.
The last of the missiles had exploded virtually harmlessly against the hull of the leading Thanagarian dreadnought. The drones that Chameleon Boy and Dreamer had salvaged and reactivated had all been disabled by the armoured hawkmen that circled the planetoid. All weapons on the planetoids surface had either been depleted, malfunctioned or been destroyed as the First Sons hurled their own hand-held weapons at them.
The advancing army had orders to take whomever they found inside alive, or they simply would have smashed this small world apart as they had done to countless others beforehand.
They knew that there were meta-powered aliens on board. Some had been shown to be worthy fighters, though previous encounters had led the attacking force to believe that they were cowards. The anti-energy explosion had made the Thanagarians wary though. Seven of their number had been killed by it. That was more than the Khunds had killed in the last half-year, and if these aliens could do that, then the Empire planned on adding their technological know-how to their own... before the aliens were publicly eviscerated.
Eight hundred and thirty-three of the Nth metal armoured and winged warriors hung in space equidistant around the planetoid. They would allow the invading aliens one chance to surrender of their own volition before the First Sons of the Thanagarian Empire would physically retrieve them from their rocky base.
Before the ultimatum to surrender could be given though, a wave of translucent light rushed around the alien's rocky base and, as the winged attackers retreated slightly in case this was another anti-energy attack, the planetoid vanished!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 15 Aug 23
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yay, more! ominous start there, with 5 minutes left on the clock... it's definitely an escalation when the Reboot team needs to use these kinds of weapons! They did blast Warworld and Legion World before, but only at a shield covering Earth... not against sentients. desperate times and all that whoa! talk about unintended consequences with Noah Kabbo and Glorith! Sneaky :Legion, I love it! nice tactics from Thom! makes sense Wildfire would appreciate Amynta's spirit! shades of Legion Lost too, it was Wildfire's POV issue where he was thinking the Legion wasn't like the Legion they used to be... ooph talk about upping the ante Harbi, of course it would be Wildfire. poetic in a couple of ways; his loss is ripping Shikari up (and she's needed for the escape), and he was the one who led the charge to rescue Lyle too. what a moment! yeah, makes sense Imra would not be happy telepathically manipulating a friend, though it is needed. painful decision. I wonder what Brainy thinks about this, though surely he has concluded that there is no other way either sorry, I had to think a bit, who is Zero again? ah yes of course, your intern - I looked up the roll call earlier. carry on! lol at Kid Q getting annoyed at Brainy and Cosmic Kid, ah Kid Q, we know you're powerful, but... lol at Thirteen just being done with dimensional travel. I wonder if his thoughts will prove to be prophetic, and if he'll regret not saying anything... yeah, over 96.75% is not 100%... oh dear. BTW, I love the "Oh Cassandra!" exclamation! lol at younger Brainy just going speechless for a moment! interesting (and lucky) that the Thanagarians were told to take anyone alive. the empire thought they could study and use them I guess? ah yes, you answered that next paragraph also bears an interesting question: Wildfire killed a few in self defense, did any of the others kill anyone - maybe the weapons? How does that fit with the Legion code, does it count as self defense too? well, I'm sure you will touch on it later, you are very thorough in these things and have probably already thought about it and they're off, minus Wildfire but with Lyle back! nice twists there Harbi, having Lyle somehow escape himself. and Wildfire's sacrifice, wow! as always, looking forward to more more more, this has been an epic ride, and I'm eager to see you dealing with the aftermath!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 Aug 23
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First Base, seven days later:
Element Lad stood over the unconscious Thirteen in the medi-bay on First Base.
"I still can't believe he really looks like this..." It was the fourth time in as many days that he had said this to Dr Shakespeare.
"Yup, guess we all know now..." Kent didn't want to discuss it, he was too concerned by the lack of response from the unconscious Naltoran. Dann Hortra's condition was not the only on-going issue that he had on his plate, though he knew that they were running out of ideas how to treat this case. The High Seer of Naltor himself had contacted the doctor four days before, expressing his concern for Dann and offering whatever help they needed. Four Naltoran medics had visited and taken tests before leaving just as quickly. This had resulted in daily conversations between them and Kent, though no-one had any solutions to offer.
It had been a standard week since the planetoid had returned to their reality. The planetoid had only appeared to be gone for a couple of seconds but according to the team on board they had been away for hours. They returned with an extra-dimensional version of the Legion that the team had met years before, as well as an older and much fatigued Phantom Girl.
The other Legionnaires, the younger team from XS's home dimension, had been given support by Dr Falkner and a team of medi-paths to help them recover from the traumas they had been through alongside any basic clinical care they needed. After seventy-two hours, most of the young team had been given an all-clear and allowed to leave First Base, apart from Ferro who still needed treatment for the injuries he had sustained at the hands of the First Sons, and Cosmic Boy whose eyes were being regrown. The young Kid Quantum stayed by Rokk's side the entire time.
With the team from the alternate reality appearing, and the excitement they brought with them, the Senior Team decided to only run skeleton staff on the basses and allow the teams seven days of on-call duty - with the promise that they would only be called in emergencies.
Many of the young team took the opportunity to leave so they could visit this universe so like their own, often with members of the team from this reality as guides. They had agreed to return within seven standard days. The young Legionnaires were overjoyed to be in a reality where they would no longer be hunted, or worse, on sight. Thunder and Tyroc insisted that the newly arrived Legionnaires wore distorters at all times as they went to explore, and gave them each a line of credit, before wishing them a great time.
XS had called Gates, excited to reunite him with their old team. The Vyrgan had said he was too busy teaching his people in this reality their true culture, something they had lost under the Khunds, but he wished them well. Jenni was not impressed though wished him well before cutting the holo-feed.
.....................
"Andy?"
The young Ferro had been making his way to a rec room to grab some lunch when he heard the voice call out from behind. He had been released from the quarantined medi-bay only that morning and had been to check out the apartment that he had been assigned. It was perfectly functional, with a sitting room area with a holo-pit. large bed, dressing area, washroom and galley kitchen. His team hadn't decided if they were going to stay for long, though he doubted it, so he didn't plan on making many changes.
He turned around and stared at the man before him.
"It's me... Doug." The older Ferro said, his voice cracking as he did. There was a stunned moment while the two men stared at each other, before they both stepped forward and Douglas Nolan and Andrew Nolan hugged.
Neither expected to ever see their twin brother again. Not that, technically they were each other's twin, but both knew this was as close they would ever likely to get.
The steel skinned mutants both had tears in their eyes as they pulled apart.
"I... if you're up for it, Gazelle is waiting for us in Shakes... umm, it's our bar and recreational area. We thought you might want to kick back and enjoy yourself now you're here."
And so, five minutes later, the interdimensional brothers were sat in a side booth in Shakes with the Khundian Legionnaire.
"We must toast your reuniting!" Gazelle announced as they sat and with that, she left to get drinks for them from the bar.
"Wow, a Khund on your team..."
"Yeah, we're glad to have her on the team too. Me, especially... She's my... well, we've been seeing each other for almost two years now. J'zil changed my life. She's fierce and determined and always one hundred percent honest. I've never met anyone like her. For all her sharp edges she's really inspiring y'know? She definitely gets things done. Are you dating anyone?" As Doug asked this, he knew the answer would be 'no' and felt a momentary pang of annoyance at himself. Before another word could be said though, Gazelle slammed a tray onto the table with nine shot glasses filled with a suspicious clear liquid.
She picked one up and signalled for the Nolan brothers to do the same. "We must each make a toast, so that this day is remembered!"
"Ah... I doubt I'll remember much after this. I'm not really used to alcohol, Garth tried to brew some beer at the last base but it was not great... really, really not great." Andy admitted meekly.
"Then you must make your toasts count so we may remember them." Gazelle smiled as she stated this.
Reluctantly, Andy and Doug lifted up a glass towards their mouths.
"It is clear rum, from Mardru." The Khund said, "and let me begin... my toast is to a fulfilling life, a swift arm and sharp blades and that our enemies curse our names for generations after we are gone." And with that she chugged the contents of the glass into her mouth and slammed it back on the tray. Reluctantly, the two brothers did the same. Both shook and coughed afterwards, which Gazelle laughed at. After they had caught their breath, she indicated that Doug needed to make a toast.
"Ah... so, umm... here's to a long life full of good friends and family." Doug said, half-heartedly, before throwing the rum into his mouth and reluctantly swallowing. Both Gazelle and Andy threw back their shots.
"Douglas, you should toast for that which you desire... good friends and family? That is not a warriors toast." Gazelle gave her lover a disappointed look as she spoke.
"Honey... I'm not a warrior, at least not in the Khundian meaning of the word." He replied, between coughing as the rough alcohol burned its way down his throat.
"Clearly..." She turned to look at Andy, "you must toast for something you desire over all else."
"Ah, okay miss Gazelle." Andy replied, and appeared to consider his response for several long seconds before finally holding up his final shot glass. Doug and J'zil also picked up their glasses and held them in front of their mouths.
"So, here's to fresh vanilla ice cream, coated in chocolate sauce ...and sprinkles on top!" He glugged his drink and immediately creased up in laughter, coughing much of his rum over the table as he did. Doug cracked up as well as he shot the rum. The two brothers laughed and coughed together as Gazelle picked up the tray and empty shot glasses, muttering to herself about how she could not believe that the human race deserved to have ever left their home star system.
As she slammed the tray and empty shot glasses onto the bar, she heard Doug say loudly "...and sprinkles on top!" before the two Ferro's started laughing raucously again.
.................
Lyle Norg was on Earth.
He had tried to not think about this world while they were on their travels, but he knew as soon as he stepped out of Henry's warp, as he felt the familiar gravity and saw the sun shining through the grey clouds above the Metropolis skyline, that he had really missed his homeworld.
He had felt particularly homesick when he had been separated from his team in the last, horrific reality... he had not planned to fake his own death, but it was either that or risk revealing his team to the First Sons. After that fateful decision he had needed to live on his wits to find his friends again.
He had heard the elder Tinya's story when she had first met the team. As much as the majority of the team didn't entirely trust her, especially after hearing of the blood on her hands, Lyle had realised that in the reality ruled by the Thanagarian Empire, her sabotaging them and delaying their expansion had probably saved more lives than any one act his entire team had ever undertaken. Her grief at the accidental results of her action was clear. After she had told her story the team had voted on her joining them. It had been close, but ultimately sense prevailed, Lyle thought, and they welcomed her into their ranks.
It was a week later that, in the accretion disc of a proto-star system that the First sons had almost captured the team. Lyle had been on a resource scavenging mission at the very edge of the system in a stolen cargo scow when the Thanagarian craft appeared. Lyle knew the team were spread out and unlikely to be able to defend themselves, so he used the craft he was in to ram the First Sons' cruiser. After setting it on auto-pilot, he dived out of the airlock - grateful that just the day before Querl had added the eco-protect function onto his flight ring that the Coluan had copied from the elder Tinya's ring. He had made his way stealthily onto the cruiser and hid, aware that his teammates may well believe he had sacrificed himself for them.
He couldn't believe his luck that he had been on the lead battle cruiser the emperor had sent to track down a rogue agent that they claimed had destroyed an advance staging post. He quickly stole servants' clothes. He reasoned it would be easier to reunite with his team if he was hiding in one of their city size crafts. It was the longest month and a half of his life.
Looking back on it, between the ease at which he understood and could manipulate the technology, and the thrill of espionage, he had almost enjoyed it. The daily beatings of servants he witnessed kept him focussed though. He also realised that he was lonely. Before, whenever he had been locked in the laboratory, or on a mission, he always had the team to return to. This time he wasn't sure... and, slowly, he began to get homesick. Not just for the Legion, but for Earth and, surprisingly given that they had never been particularly close, for his family.
Lyle really wanted to see his parents, but as his counterpart from this reality had died year before, he knew it would be a cruelty if he were to contact them directly, but still he had options that made that unnecessary...
It was easy to locate their address on the Central Register of Sentients for Metropolis. Lyle hadn't quite made up his mind if he would simply hover invisibly outside of their windows or use the distorter he had been given so he could interact with them. Maybe he would do both. Whatever he chose, he knew he just wanted to know they were okay...
........................
Violet felt her heart catch in her throat.
The Imskian hero had been sat quietly in the rec room enjoying her breakfast when she spotted Kinetix walk in. The telekinetic was talking to an athletic young man. It was clear they wee a couple by the way he gently had his hand on her back and she twirled her long red hair in her fingers as she spoke to him.
"Zoe?" Salu said it without thinking, and the red head turned towards her. Although Kinetix smiled at Violet, it was clear from her expression that she didn't know the Imskian.
"Hi, Salu..." Kinetix stepped forward with her hand held out to shake.
Violet couldn't help herself as she got up, and hugged the counterpart of her friend.
"Ah.." Zoe was surprised for a second before she returned the hug, holding the obviously emotional dimensional displaced Legionnaire.
"I'm so sorry..." Salu started to pull away, her head turned away as she hid the tears in her eyes.
"Get back here." Zoe said with a chuckle as she pulled Salu in for another hug. "I got you, don't worry..."
.........................
The elder Tinya Wazzo had locked herself in her old apartment after she had been let out of Dr Shakespeare's quarantine and cried for two days solid, refusing both assistance or company. Word soon got about that she was not to be disturbed. Luornu managed to persuade Tinya to open her door and let the Cargggite in to speak with her for a couple of hours, Reep dropped by the next morning, and Tasmia visited twice over the next couple of days, but other than her three friends, she made it clear she did not want visitors.
Rokk, Gim, Imra and several others did manage to speak with her via holos, but it was clear she had been damaged by her time away from the team. She allowed Dr Shakespeare one visit. He checked her over, prescribed some minor medication, and left. And, as requested, after that she had been left alone in peace.
That was until Soddam Yat appeared.
The Daxamite Green Lantern flew to within a click of First Base before announcing he was there to see Phantom Girl. Thunder flew out almost immediately and was prepared to send him packing when Tinya sent a message through the telepathic matrix to let him in. She wanted to talk to him.
Three hours later, the Senior Team had a message from her:
"I love you all, but I need ...I need to leave for a bit. I will be back, I promise. My mind is... it's been a tough time away from you all, away from my home and I need space and time to heal. Apologies to everyone that tried to make contact but I'm not ready, not yet. Soddam will take care of me, and, I... I'll be in touch. Thank you for respecting my needs at this time."
Moments later, an emerald bubble phased through First Base with Tinya Wazzo snd Soddam Yat inside. It floated into space, and once it was a quarter click from the Legion's base, the green energy sphere with Tinya and Soddam inside it winked out of existence.
..........................
After the team had returned home, Glorith felt obliged to help Noah Kabbo.
Something in her spell had transformed him from an adult into a small child, and the young mystic knew she had to fix it. She was the person responsible for his current predicament, after all.
Forty eight hours after returning, alongside Dr. Shakespeare, the young sorceress visited Noah Kabbo's family to try to explain the situation. Kent dealt with Noah's family well, he was thoroughly charming while remaining professional the whole time they were there. Glorith felt ashamed for the problems she had caused for the whole two hours they spent with their teammate's family. Dr Kabbo's mother, also a psychic counsellor, reassured her that they had full faith in the Legion and her magical abilities to resolve the issues. While the mystic was explaining what she planned to do to resolve the problem, Noah's sisters played with him, giggling as they teased him. Glorith thought they looked so happy...
Professor Dox had spent several hours trying to get to the root of the problem, but as he explained to Glorith, he simply didn't understand the magical arts so was unable to give any suggestions that she would find meaningful or helpful. Both Xao and Southern Lights had examined the young child that had been Dr. Kabbo several times and had been unable to give Glorith any extra information. She hadn't really expected them to but still felt disappointed.
After a week of failed attempts to return Noah to his correct age and increased frustration at the lack of headway she was making, Glorith knew that there was only one option left - it was time to ask for help from Lady Mysa, the Black Witch.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 Aug 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
hi Harbi, what a treat to see the beginnings of the aftermath! yikes, poor Thirteen. I can imagine that Jan is so shocked by Thirteen's real appearance, just because it's so different from his "powered up" appearance. nice touch, having Naltor offer aid! whew, all this inter-dimensional travel and the differing speeds of time! nice touch having Kid Q stay by young Cos the whole time! also a nice touch having the Senior Team decide to put everyone on call! I can just imagine the excitement indeed, of having a whole alternate Legion (over two dozen of them!) popping up! I really dig the practicalities here - the distorters and credit lines are smart! and I can imagine the Reboot team would like to explore this reality. (I confess, I misread at first, I thought that the younger MEMBERS of your team were exploring this reality, then I read it again - mea culpa!) huh, a bit surprised that Gates wouldn't at least want to see his best buddy, the Reboot Brainiac 5 (I wonder what young Brainy thinks of this!). I'm with XS, NOT impressed - come on Gates, Henry could have warped you over in a heartbeat! Just like Jenni to be kind and thoughtful. Triad Purple would have given Gates a telling off! young Andy and older Doug meeting - brilliant! LOL at Doug putting his foot in it, re dating. And I love Gazelle being all "we must drink to celebrate!" also LOL at Garth trying to brew beer! nice call-back to Garth's agricultural roots and Gazelle's disappointment in the Nolans' "softer" toasts was well done! Nice exploration of the Reboot team's mentality, with them voting on older Tinya. Personally, I agree 100% with Lyle's PoV here. Kudos on writing him well, I know he's not your favorite but you are doing him justice! and wow, a month and a half in hiding, whew! ah, and wanting to meet his reality's parents, understandable! aw, young Vi seeing your Zoe! What a sweet scene... very, very well done, this one! aw re older Tinya. nice highlighting of her relationships, with only Lu, Reep and Tasmia getting to actually see her. And of course, having others check in on her too. good of Sodam to check in, and very understandable that Tinya needs a break! go go Glorith! smart of Kent to inform Dr. Noah's family. I really picture him as the consummate doctor, with a great bedside manner - you write him really well! and ooh, another visit to Black Witch Mysa, eager for that! I wonder if the younger Zoe is still stuck in Mordru, who is stuck in Mysa... hm... dare I get my hopes up? well done set of scenes, Harbi, including the choice of Legionnaires to focus on - two long-dead in your team's reality (Andy, Lyle) and one with a living counterpart (Zoe)! looking forward to more, more, more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 Aug 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Hi Harbi, I finally got an hour to sit down and catch up! Thoughts as I go: This countdown is really adding to the intensity, I love it! Oh wow, Tinya wiped out a whole planet??? That's wild, I wonder how the other Legionnaires are going to react when they find out? Always nice to see goodest boy Laipas again, and a very big YAY to Amynta and Andromeda kicking butt! Nice touch to have Star Boy acknowledging what a good fighter Amynta is too Whoa!! What's going on with Glorith and Dr Kabbo? Is she his mother in her future/his past??? Is she seeing a vision of when he was a kid?? Did she pull an Original Recipe Glorith and turn him into a baby??? I am intrigued! Shikari calling Lyle Sneaky-Legion made me smile, I love her kooky names for everyone GASP! Wildfire blowing himself up! I hope they manage to wrangle a recovery for him somehow! Oh, and poor Thirteen's out of action too! Ferro meeting his not-really-twin was a nice bit of wholesomeness among all the drama! And I also liked Gazelle's grumbling about their bad (by Khund standards) toasts I can't help feeling Lyle wanting to visit his not-really-family isn't going to end well! Aww, the Zoe and Vi moment was super heartwarming Sad to see Tinya leave the team when she only just got home, but it is totally an understandable reaction too...after what she's gone through, I can see how she wouldn't be able to just slip back into being a bright and shiny superhero again... Okay, so Glorith pulled the ol' "turn a Legionnaire into a baby" move then! Looking forward to seeing what comes of Mysa's involvement!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 22 Aug 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Ultra Boy and Apparition had decided to go to Ventura.
Despite every Legionnaire being welcoming, both found it uncomfortable being in a universe where the alternate of him had died and the version of her was... well... they had seen what had happened to her.
Polar Girl and Bouncing Boy asked to join them, and as neither were counterparts of those they left behind. Jo and Tinya agreed. Mel picked up on the vibe from the two Legionnaires from the other reality and arranged with Stoor that they were not going to mention their dimension's version of Jo and Tinya while they were on their break. The young Jo and Tinya deserved to face their future without worrying that they would have the same fate as the pair from this reality.
Kid Pulsar asked to join them, as he had heard about a virtual racing game in the Lucky Spire Casino that he was dying to have a shot at - he explained that the prize money rose with every failed attempt and currently stood at just south of a million credits! Ultra Boy said he'd love to try as well, and the two young men spoke excitedly about what they would do with the money if they won it.
As the group were discussing this in the Romper Room on First Base, Solar Gorilla was sat at a nearby table enjoying a big bowl of salad and couldn't help but overhear. She bounded over and asked if she could join them as well, as she had always wanted to visit Ventura. Her teammates happily agreed. None of them saw the sideways look Tinya gave Jo - the meaning was clear, this was supposed to be their break, but it seemed that the other team were taking over... they arranged to go the next morning, giving them time to get packed and rested.
As they met up in Henry's warp control room, Polar Girl casually mentioned that she had discovered that Chameleon By had access to a suite that R.J. Brande himself used to use so, and was still held in the company name, and she had judiciously begged him if they could use it. Reep had grudgingly given her the access codes so they could save money and stay there in style.
This unexpected bonus meant the six young Legionnaires were in high spirits as they stepped through Henry's warp.
...................................
Glorith had not found it easy to persuade the toddler Noah Kabbo to walk into the flames with her.
The little boy had burst into tears and tried to run away as she walked towards the fire place before them. In the last week, the young mystic had found the toddler to be both fantastic and exhausting in equal measure. Right now, she was veering towards exasperating...
"Glorith, is everything okay?" Xao asked from her doorway.
She was knelt before the crying toddler, cooing gently as she tried to soothe the young boy's fears. As she gently stroked the young Noah's face, she quicky explained to Xao that she was hoping to step through the fire with the child to take them to Zerrox. Dragonmage smiled and started muttering an arcane charm. As much as he relied on the Eternal Jade Dragon to empower his dragon magics, Xao Jin was a formidable sorcerer in his own rights, and as Glorith watched the fireplace became a brightly coloured doorway... a glamour that tricked her eyes, and she was certain would fool the child's.
Two minutes later, Glorith, Dragonmage and the toddler Noah Kabbo walked through the glamour-door and found themselves in an enormous hall made of milky white crystal. The floor was a mosaic of eggshell blues and darker browns that bounced the light. The light danced with rainbows while bird song chirped all around them. In the centre of the hall was a mighty oak, it's branches were covered in golden and copper-coloured leaves that sparkled in the light.
"This is the Temple for All Sides of Time... Mysa built it for me, though I have only been here twice before. All those that carry my name are entitled to palaces like this, as a place of contemplation," she said. "I find it... daunting." Glorith's voice was small as she finished.
"Glorith... it's so beautiful!" Xao exclaimed. As he did, the young Noah Kabbo giggled and started to run towards the tree, his little chubby hands reaching up to grab at the rainbows that danced in the sir.
"Xao, can you make sure he is safe, please. I need to call upon Lady Mysa."
He agreed, laughing as he chased after the little boy. Glorith's expression was unreadable as she hovered in lotus position and closed her eyes as she sent a message to the Black Witch.
...................................
Andromeda stepped through the warp onto Hope World two days before.
She had heard from the kind doctor in the medi-bay that one of the Legionnaires currently stationed on this planetoid might be able to give her some guidance.
It had been a few years since she had been one of the Sisters of the Eternal Cosmos, and she had grown to doubt the teachings that stated there was the Higher Being looking over all things, but she still wanted to somehow experience the serenity their teachings provided. After an extensive search on the UP database, she could not find any mention of the faith in this reality. Dr Shakespeare had seen her search and suggested that she speak to Sister Eclipse instead.
The reptilian Legionnaire had been waiting for the young Daxamite and welcomed her warmly. As she gave her guest a tour of the small planetoid they had taken to call Hope World, Sister Eclipse was aware that Andromeda was tense. They had reached the non-denominational chapel that had been added recently, and decided to sit on one of the pews.
"Laurel, may I ask... what is it that troubles you?"
"Ah, Sister, it is... my faith has not been great lately and meeting you and coming here, I fell... I'm sad that I had such doubts." Her eyes were filling with tears as she spoke. The Daxamite was staring at the abstract design on the stained-glass panel that rose up behind the dais on the far wall.
"Laurel," Sister Eclipse wasn't surprised by Andromeda's response, "I cannot speak of the experiences you have had, nor do I wish to belittle the feelings you have experienced, I only know there is always love if you look for it. And sometimes, I found in the most desperate situations, that love must come from within us so we can see the hope that we all need to carry on."
"I wish more people thought like you Sister... I did try to, but it has been so very hard."
Sister Eclipse sat quietly by her side as the tall Daxamite cried.
...............................
Ventura, Las Vega Casino Resort:
Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field Kid Pulsar - Neel Koduah of Earth - incredible strength, invulnerability, projection of explosive blasts Solar Gorilla - D'Nadka Endarooga of Dmansca - generate and project extreme heat and light
U247 Legionnaires: Apparition - Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl - intangibility Ultra Boy - Jo Nah of Rimbor - ultra- strength, speed, breath, invulnerability, flight and vision powers, one at a time.
The Legionnaires had spent half an hour in their plush suite familiarising themselves with it before they decided to explore the casino.
Las Vega resort was famous UP-wide for its top range of games, outrageous live shows from top nsme performers, an indoor theme park snd large zoo, and its high cash prizes. As a result of its elite profile, it also had an extensive security system in place. The main Monitoring AI had spotted and identified the Legionnaires within seconds of their arrival and alerted all staff that they were to be treated with an Alpha Platinum Star Double Plus rating of hospitality. In other words, nothing would be too much for them...
The young Legionnaires were unaware as they wandered through the busy arcades. Apparition and Ultra Boy said they'd like to have wander by themselves and arranged to meet the others several hours later in the main food court.
Polar Girl agreed quickly, before adding that she wouldn't mind some time alone with Bouncing Boy as well. Kid Pulsar rolled his eyes as he looked round to Solar Gorilla, who giggled as she took his hand.
"Let's go win some money, Neel " she said as the two couples left. He nodded and followed her to the Blackhole Jack tables.
After they had strolled past a couple of rows of arcade games, Jo pulled Tinya in against him and kissed her firmly. She did not resist.
"If we're going to do it Jo, let's just do it now " she whispered.
"You sure you don’t want the others there, babe? I know we both agreed that we ain't gonna turn into our counterparts, but we don't have to do this today if you don't one hundred percent want to do it."
"I think... if we stop and tell them, it'll blow out of proportion, and it won't be about us, and then we've got tradition and family and teammates, and the media wanting holos and interviews and God knows what else all interfering in our moment. No... no, I don't want anyone to know until after we've done it. Let's get married again right now Jo Nah, be my husband and I'll be your wife!"
"Okay! You got it Tinya, you're making me the happiest man..." He didn't finish his sentence as she pulled him in to kiss her.
The AI controller had monitored their conversation, alerted after the words "get married, now" had been uttered, and it processed this information and estimated the arrangements needed.
Unknown to the Legionnaires, though definitely known to the owners of the casino, several years before a small piece of code had surreptitiously been added to the Central AI control matrix and an alert was sent to the local media.
The headline and story ran almost immediately across the Ventura Couriers front screen, picking up traction from other media outlets with surprising speed:
"Phantom to wed a ghost?
"This morning, in the exclusive Las Vega resort, Tinya Wazzo (Phantom Girl of the Legion of Super-heroes) proposed to Jo Nah (Ultra Boy), and he accepted... congratulations to the lovely couple, only wasn't he murdered over two years ago? With Ultra Boy's DNA and physical profiles matching our scans to those on public record, we are all asking the same thing - if the Legionnaires have developed a way to resurrect their own, can they bring back our dear departed Nan?"
The young Legionnaires knew nothing of this as the wandered towards the casino's Chapel.
................................
Lyle had not planned to speak with the mother of his counterpart from this reality.
She had spotted him as he strolled through the large park that ran parallel to the mega-block where she lived in. She had been out walking and had stopped to sit on a bench under a wide branched tree. Her seat was five metres from the path, half-hidden in dappled shadows - a great spot to watch the world go by from. She had been skimming through holo-news sites when she spotted him and called him over. Too late he remembered that he could have used the distorter on his belt to disguise himself... but by then she had approached him and held out her hands towards the young Legionnaire.
"I'm not your son..." His voice cracked as he got close.
"I know, but you are... you are Lyle, aren't you? I was just watching the holo-feeds and they just announced Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl on Ventura... that isn't the same Jo I met, is it? He looks too young..."
"No... no, we're from another dimension, just passing though, I'm sorry." Lyle was unsure what to say as he had not planned on getting this close.
"I knew it!"
"You were always the smartest of us all." he laughed as he said this, "though you would never admit it." She gave him a wide smile.
"Your father... no, I'm sorry, our Lyle's father, passed away last year. Professor Dox, that kind Durlan, Mr Daggle, and Ms Wazzo all attended his funeral. They were all very kind." She gave a small, fragile smile.
He leaned in towards the older woman and she hugged him tightly.
.............................
Theena called all Senior Team members.
"Folks, the Ventura news cycle is reporting Ultra Boy has been resurrected... I think you might need to recall them back to First Base."
Holo's of Tyroc, Thunder, Lightning Lass and Retro all appeared before the Communications Officer. The four Senior Team members quickly discussed the issue before deciding to contact Tinya and Jo to let them know - if they didn't mind word of their extra-dimensional origins getting out then the team would not interfere with whatever they were doing, but at least the two young Legionnaires would be informed of their options.
"Ah, folks, before you go any further, it appears they are heading to a Quickie-Wedding chapel!"
"Well, I guess I'd best go find a hat to wear." Ayla said with a laugh.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 22 Aug 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Guys, thank you for all your kind words about my story. There's more coming up as I have fun showing how the U247 team react to finally being safe, and we learn a little bit about where they have been. Next up, Triad goes to meet Duplicate Girl, we touch upopn the Ferros, Glorith has a lesson from Mysa, and do we need to get new hats for Jo and Tinya's big day? Hmmmmm probably
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 22 Aug 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
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Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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Posts: 84,969 |
looks like all that time on the run (and seeing the fates of their older counterparts) has driven Tinya and Jo to reaffirm their love ! Although it also still looks like a small wedding, like their first one - but I totally get it, we went for a small wedding too cause we couldn't be bothered to plan lol
nice nod to our two nuns, Sister Andromeda and Sister Eclipse
good of other Lyle's mom to figure stuff out so quickly
some interesting twists Harbi, looking forward to more more more
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 22 Aug 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
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Done some more reading, here are my thoughts as I go... Poor reboot Jo and Tinya having to deal with well-meaning people when they just wanna be alone...I think we have all been there! Once again, I like Glorith and Xao having distinctly different applications of magic..you are very good at differentiating betweem magic users, Harbi! Sister Eclipse is such a good match for reboot Laurel! It must be difficult finding a whole universe where your faith doesn't mean anything... oooh, reboot Jo and Tinya getting re-married looks like it's gonna cause some issues - an awesome use of 31st century technology there; as bad as the paparazzi are in our time, it must be so much worse when they have access to so much more invasive tech! Aww, Lyle's reunion with his mum was much nicer than I was expecting tbh - I really liked their interaction, it is how I would like it go if I got to meet my mum in another universe I am VERY interested to see Triad meet Duplicate Girl!! I like that you're keeping the 247 Legion around long enough to get some good mileage out of them...looking forward to more, Harbi!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 7 Sept 23
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Wanderer
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U247 Legionnaire:
Triad - Luornu Durgo of Carggg, self-triplication
Triad had decided to visit Home Base.
Her counterpart from this reality was the headmistress of the academy, and Luornu knew that she wanted to meet her. Before she left though, the young woman from Carggg wanted to learn a little bit more, so accessing the database on the Luornu from this reality.
As she read the data stream, Triad had tears in her eyes: this other Lu had not had it easy! Losing one then another of her sister selves was one of the most brutal fates a Cargggite could imagine. She had somehow amped up her abilities to create multiple duplicates though Triad doubted these other selves would ever be as close as the original three self-sisters.
The tears didn't actually fall until Triad read about the death of Chuck Taine... she remembered Chuck from her home reality, so sweet and kind, and determined. She could understand how easy it would be to fully fall in love with him, and to lose him in such a horrific way would be heartbreaking.. Luornu struggled to think of another word, as really, language struggled to capture the depths of some emotions. The team had experienced so many during their travel's through the different dimensions...
When they had first begun their travels, the whole team had been buzzing with excitement, though they tried to remain pragmatic. She remembered that one of the first realities they had visited had developed to be almost entirely magical, with science as they understood it seen as a fringe eccentricity. They had traded an old flight belt - a real relic from their early days - for a spell that healed Ferro, allowing the steel-skinned mutant to heal enough that he could resume his flesh and blood form. Another mage they had met tried to kidnap Salu, saying that she had some sort of a bond to an ancient source of power he craved... after they had freed her and the local law enforcement had removed him, the team had decided to leave,; none of them had any mystical knowledge so they felt on the back foot after what had happened to Vi. That reality had been a mixed bag of emotions for them all. And only one of over a dozen places they had been through...
Triad brushed the hair from off her face and called on Henry for a warp across to the Academy. As she did, she hoped she would not been seen as being rude for turning up unannounced. At least, she thought, she had been considerate enough to integrate her sister selves so as not to remind this realities version of herself of what she was missing. From what she had picked up from the holo-data stream, Luornu read between the lines that the version of her here could be ...how would R.J. have called it? Prickly, yes, prickly was the word. Though after everything she had been through, Triad fully understood why this Luornu might have some sharp edges. Whatever the case, Triad planned on meeting her other self and perhaps if she was lucky, they could have a cordial meeting.
As the warp opened, Luornu could see an older version of herself standing at the other side, a big smile on her face and her arms wide open in welcome.
One look at the genuine pleasure in her other self's face told Triad that this was going to be so much more than a 'cordial meeting'. Triad ran through the warp into the arms of her alternate self.
...............................
Zerox, the Temple for All Sides of Time:
Dragonmage - Xao Jin of Earth - dragon magics Glorith of Zerox - manipulation of magical energies
Currently reverted to a very young age: Spy (also team counsellor) - Dr Noah Kabbo - heightened awareness and limited telepathy
Szenlong - newly hatched Spirit-Dragon... of Space!
Black Witch - Mysa Nal of Naltor - immense magical knowledge and power
As Glorith meditated and Xao played with the young Noah, the air above them started to sparkle. The spirit-dragon Szenlong materialised, and mewled at Xao in tone that made it clear it had not liked being left behind on First Base while Xao had joined Glorith here. The young dragon snapped its teeth together and blew out its cheeks to show its disappointment
"Szenlong, ahhh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to desert you." Xao smiled as he apologised to the small dragon, and gently stroked it under the chin.
Noah reached up, giggling as he ran his little fingers along the dragon's tail. Szenlong quickly turned and snapped at the toddler.
"Szenlong!" Xao stood up straight, his expression suddenly serious, "you will not, ever snap at a child again! That is not acceptable from you young dragon, do you hear me?" The spirit-dragon backed away, clearly taken aback by this reaction and mewled apologetically at the Legionnaire.
"Don't apologise to me, you need to apologise to Noah. He was only being friendly so there's no need to snap. Human children do not have the instinctive knowledge that dragons do so he didn't know you wouldn't like that. Now apologise." Behind them, Xao heard a laugh. He turned his head to look. Myra Nal, the fearsome Black Witch had a hand over her mouth as she giggled at the sight before her.
"There is some wisdom in the ancient saying that one should never work with small children or animals, don't you agree?" The Black Witch laughed again.
Xao bowed his head in deference but before he could reply Mysa spoke again.
"Xao, there is no need to be so formal, we are friends, are we not?" Her tone was light, friendly, yet he could see the mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Lady Mysa," Glorith interrupted, much to Xao's relief, "Thank you for coming so quickly. I need your assistance to help us return our friend to his proper age." She indicated the toddler that was giggling as he ran in circles, chasing Szenlong who flew in looping patterns just out of his reach.
The Black Witch considered the young child for a moment before turning back to Glorith.
"Ah... no, I'm sorry my dear child, but his condition will only be repealed by the temporal magics that reside within you, and you alone, as they are responsible for the reversing of his age." The Black Witch gave the young Legionnaires a sad look. "I fear you used an enchantment to mix the time stream, without considering your own birthright and the tremendous powers it accesses. You must find a solution within yourself, dear Glorith, for it is only you that can return this man from his relived childhood. You have it within you dear child..."
And with that, the Black Witch faded away until she was gone entirely, leaving the two magical Legionnaires, the toddler and the young spirit dragon alone in the huge temple.
Glorith turned to Xao, tears in her eyes, and asked "what do we do now?"
"Glorith, I'm sorry to say but I think the right question is, what can YOU do now?"
.................................
Ventura, Las Vega Casino Resort:
Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field Kid Pulsar - Neel Koduah of Earth - incredible strength, invulnerability, projection of explosive blasts Solar Gorilla - D'Nadka Endarooga of Dmansca - generate and project extreme heat and light
<Tinya! Jo! Where are you?> Solar Gorilla's telepathic message rang across the flight ring generated telepathic matrix.
After a few seconds she tried again as there was no response. Kid Pulsar heard her call and stopped the game he had been immersed in to find out what was wrong. D'Nadka pointed to a large holo-display that floated over the games hall - breaking news! Ultra Boy resurrected to marry Phantom Girl!
The two young Legionnaires called for Polar Girl and Bouncing Boy to join them - the couple had snuck off to a viewing platform that gave a clear view of the incredible vista of Ventura's raw landscape, that was renowned as one of the most romantic places in the casino. D'Nadka quickly explained what the news was showing and asked if they would join them looking for the missing couple. Jo and Tinya obviously didn't realise that they had been spotted and were front and centre on all news broadcasts - if the couple from a distant dimension were hoping to sneak sway for a quiet wedding they were in for a nasty surprise!
Polar Girl suggested they all use the flight ring tracker to locate them, and the four young Legionnaires could race to find their inter-dimensional colleagues.
Kid Pulsar agreed to the challenge, adding that the losing pair were buying drinks afterwards.
................................
First Base:
Theena Greglenn of Silgor Marregorraus - Network - Communications Officer - hyper-pathic communication through symbiote
The teams Communication Officer was unsure if she should follow orders.
As the Senior Team meeting had ended, Lightning Lass had asked Theena to contact the wider team to let them know they would be holding a surprise party for Jo and Tinya, and to ask them to get back to First Base at short notice.
But first, Theena wanted to let Tinya and Jo know that the press were onto their plans on Ventura. The couple didn't respond to standard messages through their flight rings but thankfully the Communications Officer had other resources to call upon.
What most of the team didn't know, is that through her symbiote, Theena could focus on anyone that she had touched before and get a sense of their state of mind - not telepathy, but more a general feeling... when the team from the other dimension had appeared, Theena had been introduced to them all and made a point of shaking their hands. And through that physical contact her symbiote would be able to connect with them.
As Theena thought about the young Tinya Wazzo and Jo Nah, she got an impression of their current situation- a sense of freedom and happiness, it was almost giddiness!
Through her symbiotic hyperpathic ability, Theena was able to send a message to the two young Legionnaires. She apologised for interrupting them and explained what the news cycles were reporting. She didn't mention the Senior Team wanting to spring a party on them.
Theena believed that after everything they had been through, surely it made sense to let them have this moment to themselves rather than hold a huge surprise get-together in honour of something they clearly wanted to do privately. They needed quality time to themselves...
Oh well, she thought, if it went well then the couple would be happy, and if it didn't... well, Ayla could shoulder the blame for that.
Tinya thanked Theena for the information she had shared and promised that her and Jo would keep their heads down.
Once the hyper-pathic call was finished, Theena concentrated on all the current teams on First, Second and Hope World, as well as the inter-dimensional team with the obvious exceptions of Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl.
<Legionnaires, you are invited to return to First Base at a time to be arranged shortly as we will be holding a surprise party for Jo and Tinya. They are currently looking to hold a private wedding ceremony on Ventura to renew their vows. Please don't spoil the surprise and tell them about the party the Senior Team will throw in their honour, just be ready to meet up in the main Rec Room on First Base once we have established a time.>
.................................
Ventura, Rimbor Uprising:
Ultra Boy ii - Jo Ryd of Rimbor - ultra strength, speed, invulnerability, flash vision, one at a time Controller - Garetta Kloumhoff of Rimbor - psychic projection of dread, hopelessness and fear Stratus - Thon Romeo-Tango of Rimbor - assume gaseous form
It would not be an understatement to say Jo Ryd hated the Legion.
As a young child his mother had been murdered because of the Legion. It definitely didn't help that his father was one of them... and so the young orphan had been happy to be part of a gang on Rimbor. They gave him the family he had always desired and taught him how to get what he wanted from life.
Jo always knew he had ultra-powers as he had moments of strength othough they didn't kick in fully until he reached puberty, and once they had he rose through the ranks and his ambitions grew.
He had been approached by two Khunds several months before to help procure an arms shipment, which he had done. Then the damned Legion had raided their warehouse, caught most of the gang he had been assembling and destroyed the merchandise. He barely escaped, and the Khunds had deserted him, saying he was a trouble magnet that they could not be associated with.
After that, his anger burned even fiercer, and he knew that he would never work for anyone again. Although he was only sixteen standard years old, he knew that there was strength in numbers - both the gangs and the Legion taught him that! - so, he approached a couple of recently gene-modified gang-members that he knew were frustrated. He would build his own team, and when they were ready, he planned on taking Rimbor for himself and shaking the damned hegemony of the United Planets itself! He would create an uprising against those that would hold them down... and so, he called his gang the Rimbor Uprising, that way they would never forget their purpose.
Jo Ryd had travelled to Ventura on a speculative venture - in part to try to raise some capital, but also to make contacts to the various families that ran the underground on this world. And so far, four days since arriving, the two members he had taken with him had proven helpful, but they were not really much closer to his goals. It had not been the success he had been hoping for, and worse, his team knew it.
As Jo Ryd stepped out of the sonic shower, Thon Romeo-Tango, the scrawny thief they had taken to call Stratus shouted through the apartment to him:
"Hey Jo... you gotta see this, it looks like your papa is actually alive and well! All the news channels're saying he's away to marry that Bgtzlar witch here on Ventura! There don't appear to be any other of their team around, so wotcha think, we crash their do?"
At ultra-speed, the young man from Rimbor got dressed and then called his team together. Perhaps this visit to Ventura would be more successful than he had hoped after all!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 7 Sept 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
yay, more!
Reboot Lu's sadness at the troubles of older Lu was well done. nice nod to Chuck, too. also glad to see the team trading something to heal Ferro, that's the Reboot Legion I know! And the nod to Vi and the Emerald Eye was a nice touch too.
Also realistic and good to note that the team's travels started out with excitement, then descended into hardship.
"prickly", heh!
good of Xao to put his foot down at Szenlong!
lol at what Mysa said about animals and children... I agree! and I like her telling Xao to relax with friends
ooh, a problem that Glorith has to solve. makes sense that only the spellcaster can undo it...
great description of how Theena's symbiote actually works! gives her some nice range, without being too "powerful". and good of Theena to use her judgment too, I agree, I think a newly-wed couple (especially one that decided to get married without telling anyone) would prefer some privacy...!
ah, Jo's child revisited! another spanner in the works, uh oh. and he's named after Jo too, whoo boy... and his mom was An Ryd, of course! nice twist Harbi, I'd almost forgotten about Jo's unknown child. Well, this is going to be interesting for sure!
looking forward to more more more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 7 Sept 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
I got some time for more reading tonight and I am glad I did! Oh man, Triad reading up on this universe's Luornu must be heartbreaking! I don't know if I would be able to go through with it if I were in her place! Szenlong has so much personality, I love it! You really excel at making him his own entity and not just an extension of Xao...and I love Xao being the angry papa ooh I like this development for Theena, having a pseudo-telepathic connection with people she's touched before...I am curious as to why she would keep it from the rest of the team though, maybe she's worried people would be concerned about their privacy? 247-Jo and Tinya fighting Jo's alternate universe illegitimate son? Yes please!! Can't wait to see how this pans out!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 7 Sept 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Wanderer
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OP
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Thanks guys, I'm grateful for your kind words.
Yeah, Triad and 'our' Lu have had very different lives so it had to be touched upon.
Szenlong, haha, he's a little pest at times. Way I see it is Dragons may be born with some knowledge but that doesn't make them wise so poor Xao is forced to be 'papa'. I'll drop by them soon as we learn more about Glorith's story.
Theena, ah I have problems with her as there was so little done with her in the threeboot. I'm sort of sure where to take her story, and do have something planned for her pretty soon, but overall she's one of the team I'm least sure of.
Jo Ryd vs Jo Nah... coming soon!
More next week as we check in on what others have been up to, we find out what Jo Ryd's idea of a family reunion looks like, and it all gets a bit messy. ????
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 18 Sept 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Wanderer
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Ventura, Las Vega Casino Resort:
U247 Legionnaires: Apparition - Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl - intangibility Ultra Boy - Jo Nah of Rimbor - ultra- strength, speed, breath, invulnerability, flight and vision powers, one at a time.
They had not really cared when the wedding would be held, though after Theena had contacted them to say they were all over the news streams, Jo and Tinya knew they had to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. The sooner it was done, the less media intrusion was likely.
When they got to the chapel the two young Legionnaires were told there wasn't a vacancy for a wedding for another hour and forty minutes. The functionary was both embarrassed and clearly in awe of the two Legionnaires as she explained the delay.
Tinya was secretly happy that they couldn't do it immediately as it meant she had an opportunity to get herself ready and perhaps find a decent dress ...and maybe even a nice shirt and haircut for Jo.
He was less than impressed, but went along with her suggestions as they booked themselves into a salon for some last-minute pre-wedding pampering. She insisted they just enjoy the experience.
Jo was sat in a salon chair with two rather cute young assistants fussing around him, trying to decide what hairstyle would be best for his wedding holos. Meanwhile, Tinya had been taken aside to be shown some dresses that they had on site that she may want to try on.
They all saw the crowds gathering outside the salon, and could hear the manager ask the AI security to not allow anyone else in or any filming of those already inside. Tinya kept her head down.
She was mid-fitting of a particularly nice white sleeveless silk dress when the explosion ripped through the salon and the screaming started...
.........................
Winath:
Saturn Girl and Livewire had been visiting their counterparts on Winath for the last three days.
It had been a fun few days, where the older Garth kept trying to feed them at every opportunity while the older Imra had veered between attempting to counsel them and insisting they relax. The junior couple had both felt the love and compassion between the older couple. It reaffirmed to them that their own relationship was right; it was strong.
Playing with the older couple's children had been an added bonus. Garridan and Graym were surprisingly happy to meet the younger version of their father and, as all mischievous young boys do, they took advantage of his kindness to play far more than they usually would be allowed to. Both Imra's smiled as they watched.
Spark had joined them, alongside the older Ayla for a flying visit on their first night there; they stayed for a meal before hurrying back to First Base.
"Is this the life you imagine for us?" Imra from the alternate reality asked her partner as they lay on their bed on the second night.
"I... no, no I don't think so, not living on a farm back here but they're like, what ...fifteen years older than us? So, maybe in the future, just not for a while."
"And kids? How many do you see us having?" She asked softly, as her fingers gently ran through his hair.
"Well... a couple to start with, at least." Garth grinned as he imagined them as parents.
"Do you want to start making them now?" And with that she rolled on top of him and grabbed his hands, locking her fingers tightly between his. They kissed.
"Ah... it would be nice if we could at least practice." Garth said as he pulled his hands out of hers, grabbed her waist and twisted their bodies around so Imra found herself underneath him.
"Y'know I love you Imra Ardeen, every sprocking gorgeous, glorious inch of you." Garth said as he nuzzled into her neck.
"So you should Garth Ranzz, so you should." she responded with a giggle.
...............
Zerrox:
Glorith and Dragonmage were both hungry and tired.
Little Noah was asleep, curled up on a big cushion that Glorith had spun out of the air for him. Szenlong was curled up on the corner of it, keeping watch over the sleeping toddler. Xao smiled as he watched the spirit-dragon take on a more protective attitude around the small child.
The two mystics were discussing options to return Noah Kabbo to his correct age. Both were feeling frustrated.
"Let's break now, have some food, perhaps if we relax for a short while we can start again with fresh eyes...?" Xao had already suggested they stop for the day but Glorith's determination had driven them on.
"Perhaps you are right, and perhaps we need something to eat as well..."
With a spell, Glorith summoned a platter of fruit and cheeses, with a pitcher of sweet, cold water.
The two young mystics ate in silence. As they did, both relaxed for the first time since they had arrived on Zerrox. Neither were watching Noah. If they had been, both would have been surprised as his form shifted and he rapidly aged. The cotton one-piece he had been wearing as a toddler ripped leaving a naked, adult Noah Kabbo curled up on a large cushion. Szenlong took to the air and gave a happy honk.
Xao glanced over his shoulder to check the spirit-dragon was alright.
"Gorith!" He exclaimed excitedly as he jumped to his feet, "how did you d that?"
The quiet sorceress hovered across the floor and floated above the unconscious team counsellor.
"I have no idea how that happened Xao, I was simply relaxing and enjoying our meal..."
"Your chronomancy powers, Glorith... they must be tied to your emotions. As you relaxed..."
"But... the first thing we are taught is that we must always control our feelings lest they subvert our spellcraft." Glorith sounded unsure as she spoke, still surprised at their colleague returning to his true age.
"You're going to have to tap into them if you want to learn the extent of your heritage."
Glorith glanced up at her teammate and nodded, there were tears in her eyes. Xao was uncertain if they were for happiness that Noah had been returned to his proper age, or fear at the prospect of using her emotions to inform her natural magical talent. Either way, Dragonmage knew he would be there for her to help in any way that he could.
............................
First Base:
When the team had been given time off their usual duties, Tel Vole had hit the gym. His husband, Jed Rikane, felt deserted.
Jed knew that Tel was aware he'd promised his family they would visit them the next time they both had time off.
It was something they rarely did, not because Jed's family weren't anything but welcoming, it was that Tel found family gatherings uncomfortable so was always making excuses to dodge them. This time, with Jed's mother's birthday coming up, the young purple skinned man decided he was going to insist Tel joined him.
When Gravity Kid returned to their quarters several hours later, his husband was waiting for him, a carry-all packed ready for their trip to Earth.
"C'mon Tel, you need to get packed as we're heading to Earth... the Rikane Clan are gathering." Although he said it lightly, Jed could see the annoyance on his husband's face.
"You go. I'm... you know I don't understand your family Jed, I mean they're lovely and all, but... I just can't relax like you do. I don't get it, the dynamic. The way you and your brothers tease each other... it makes me really uncomfortable."
"You're coming Tel, so put on your best fake smile if you need to and let's get ready to go." Jed said a little bit more forcefully.
"No... no, I'm not Jed. Please...." Tel looked down at the floor between them, not moving.
"It's my mother's birthday, the day after tomorrow, and I promised we'd be there." There was a tone of pleading creeping into Jed's voice, tinged with anger.
"I'm not going Jed, I'm sorry but I just don't want to go." As he said this, Tel looked up and could clearly see the disappointment and hurt in his husband's expression - Jed Rikane could never be called inscrutable - and he knew that this would not be the last time they would speak about this matter.
"Okay." That was all Jed said as he picked up the bag he had packed and stormed out the door.
................
Timber Wolf and Shield had met with the young Brin Londo.
There had not been much of a connection between them until the older Brin had suggested they visit a resort that he knew. Laurel rolled her eyes as she had a feeling where her partner was going to suggest, but she remained quiet. She understood that her Brin wanted to make a good impression, and as it was his alternate self they were with, her Brin hopefully would know how best to break the ice between them.
The three of them had stepped through Henry's warp into a tree house build fifty metres up from the forest floor. It was surrounded by a forest of enormous proportions; flocks of colourful birds squawking in the branches close by.
The next five and a half hours had seen the two Brin Londo's play in the arboreal heights as Laurel Kent tried to keep up with them. At various points she had simply sat on a branch and watched in awe of the two acrobatic legionnaires as they spun their way through the treetops. She often lost sight of them as they spun and ran and jumped so quickly.
As night fell, the three of them collapsed onto the single huge bed that dominated the centre of the tree house.
................................
Ventura, Las Vega Casino Resort:
Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field Kid Pulsar - Neel Koduah of Earth - incredible strength, invulnerability, projection of explosive blasts Solar Gorilla - D'Nadka Endarooga of Dmansca - generate and project extreme heat and light
U247 Legionnaires: Apparition - Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl - intangibility Ultra Boy - Jo Nah of Rimbor - ultra- strength, speed, breath, invulnerability, flight and vision powers, one at a time.
Bouncing Boy heard the explosion; immediately, he took to the air.
Polar Girl was close behind him as they swerved along a corridor to where their flight rings locator app told them they would find their inter-dimensional fellow Legionnaires. As they got close, they both heard screaming and could smell smoke.
<get behind me Mel> Bouncing Boy sent as he activated his personal force field. He was a little surprised that the usually headstrong Polar Girl didn't argue... though as they turned the corner and saw the devastation in front of them, they both gasped. There had clearly been a store there once but now there was pandemonium: a debris strewn mess, fires burning all the way around the space, panicked residents and shoppers and gawkers running, screaming, and there was obviously several seriously injured amongst the chaos.
In the middle of this disater zone, two people stood, apparently uncaring of the flames and screaming.
In front of these two were Tinya and Jo from the other reality; both were on their knees, faces streaming with tears, apparently begging for forgiveness. Bouncing Boy knew the young man from Rimbor as he had encountered him in an arms warehouse on Rimbor, and suspected the woman must be some sort of psychic; Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl did not strike him as the sort to cry or beg....
<Mel, can you freeze the fires, I'll deal with those two> and with that Stoor pushed his force field to its densest form and sped up as he flew towards them. With a crash Bouncing Boy smashed into the back Jo Nah's son. Stoor remembered how powerful he was so, as much as he hated the idea of hitting someone from behind, hoped to end this fight as quickly as possible.
As Bouncing Boy smashed into the invulnerable back of the young thug from Rimbor, Jo Ryd was thrown off his feet, while the impact also flung the young woman at his side headfirst into a pile of rubble.
The Rimboran young man quickly stood up, his face livid as he turned towards Stoor.
"Bubbleboy! Yeah, I remember you. You'll regret that..."
But before he could act, an explosion erupted before his face and the young thug was thrown across the room to crash into a wall.
Kid Pulsar had swooped in just as Bouncing Boy had collided with the Rimboran thug, and knew from a previous mission report that the young man before them would be tough. With a thought he had extended his explosive ability.
"You wanna try your luck against me?" Kid Pulsar said as he flew towards Jo Ryd. As Neel had always been told his strength matched that of Ultra Boy's he relished the chance to find out how close they really were.
As Jo Ryd pulled himself from out of the wall, he saw that another Legionnaire, a Gorilla with flames licking across her fur, had also arrived and was drawing the fires out of the burning debris created by his flash vision attack on these premises. Another was close by carpeting the burning floor with ice, smothering the flames. That meant there was at least four of them here, plus Ultra idiot and his ghostly girlfriend here... he only had two of his gang with him so, perhaps, Jo Ryd thought, it was time to cut and run.
While Bouncing Boy and Kid Pulsar had acted, Jo Nah had regained his composure and feet after having his mind being messed with. It was fair to say he was not amused!
"You ruined our sprocking wedding day you squajj... You're mine!"
Apparition stood up beside him. "I'll take care of that mind witch, you go get him Jo."
And in a blur of ultra-speed Jo Nah was gone to confront the son of his alternate self.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 18 Sept 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
*eagerly rubs hands* yay, more!
lol at Tinya pushing Jo into the pampering. but of course, how often does one get married, right?
ooh, both Imras and both Garths, lovely! what a sweet scene, and it's about time younger Garth and Imra got some quality time together! After all they've been through! also love that the traditionally-reticent Imra is the one who makes the first move!
huh, glad Noah's problem is solved! and now Glorith has to learn more about her own powers, interesting! quite a bombshell for someone so used to keeping her emotions in check.
whew, more Tel/Jed drama. those two really come from very different backgrounds, and have very different personalities.
heh, nice bonding between the two Brins.
smart deducting from Bouncing Boy. indeed, can't imagine young Tinya or Jo just crying like that.
loving the imagery of Solar Gorilla flamed on!
well, we got a good fight on our hands! eager to see the next bits!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 Oct 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Thunder was covering the mission monitor board for both bases.
As the alert went out from Ventura, she quickly scanned the list of Legionnaires that were on either base; the majority being on First Base as they gathered for the surprise party.
Both Ferros, Gazelle, both Kid Quantum's, Cosmic Boy from the dimensionally displaced team, Mindbender, and Tyroc to lead them... even as she started to press the appropriate icons on the monitor board, Kinetix and M'Windaji called through that the news streams were saying there had been an explosion on Rimbor and they were grabbing some of their teammates and going to help.
One minute later in Henry's warp control room there was pandemonium as many of the recently returned members from both teams rushed to be on the Rimbor mission.
................................
M'Onel and Mon El had finally got around to discussing the one thing that had defined both of their lives as Legionnaires - loneliness.
As a member of the Senior Team, Mon El was supposed to have been in Second Bases on a stand-by basis, in case any urgent mission came up whle the rest of the teams were given down time. Dreamer of the alternate reality had approached him, alongside M'Onel, with a smile. The platinum blond precognitive said that she had a vision that in three days they would return from exploring a distant system, both greatly refreshed. She innocently asked if either had decided which system it was that they would visit...
The two Daxamites had spent the next day investigating a solar system on the very edge of the United Planets. Long range scans had indicated that the twin small red dwarf binary stars had fourteen planets and two asteroid belts. None of the planets had more than bacterial level life, though the incredible environments and vistas they had experienced had fulfilled them both.
Both had been solo explorers withing their respective home realities and still needed to fulfil that urge to go out there and see what they could find. Both had slso had their natural strength of character tested by being trapped within the Phantom Zone for a millennium, and as a result they now appreciated company and friendship far more than they ever would have before.
But still, a thousand years of living an eternal moment while seeing the rest of their realities move on had left deep scars within both of their psyches. And, as much as they had been blessed with love and support from their respective teams, neither had ever really opened up about it, until now. The words were difficult, often emotionally charged and deeply felt.
After another day in the system, without any interruptions from their teammates, the two Daxamites decided to fly back to Second Base under their own power with their findings. They took a few detours along the way, just to take in a few of the outrageous sights, and by the time they had returned, neither felt the anchoring weight that they had been carrying since leaving their prisons within the Phantom Zone.
...............................
"Kent, wake up."
Dr Shakespeare had been sleeping as the holo of Nura Nal appeared at his bedside.
The team's chief clinician had worked overnight and had been looking forward to having a day in bed. Jan had kindly waited up for him. That had been four hours earlier, and the couple had made it to bed a couple of hours ago. Both had been exhausted so, with there being so many Legionnaires available, had switched off their flight ring call function. They had planned on being decadently lazy for the next day.
"Whatisit?" Dr Shakespeare muttered as he turned towards the voice, his eyes were still closed.
"You need to get to the medi-bay, Thirteen is waking up. He'll need your assistance there."
With this the muscular doctor sat up, and in doing so threw off the duvet. "Yup, will be right there." He said, suddenly awake.
"Thanks sweetie." Nura's holo popped out of existence with a big smile.
"Is she gone?" Jan mumbled from under the duvet.
"Yup, and I better go too. Sorry..."
"Thazallright... loveyou." Jan muttered as he rolled over, pulling the duvet over that Kent had just moved, and immediately fell back asleep.
"Sleep well, love you too." The large doctor said quietly as he pulled on fresh clothes and walked out the door.
................
Friction and Ultra Girl had decided they were overdue to go to the Academy on Home Base.
A few weeks before, they had met two young men from Rimborian who were away to start attending there. The two young women decided it was time to give them a surprise visit. Both were quite nervous about it, though egged each other on with a false confidence neither truly felt. What if Victa and Bolton had decided to not take their potential relationships any further... or gossiped about them to the other students? Neither knew, but they also accepted that they never would unless they tried.
Victa Mogretti had taken the code name of Shape as he could manipulate his own body's dimensions and mass at will, and with his easy charm, quick wit and big smile he had become a popular student. He was not aware that the girl he had cosied up to a several weeks before was the Legionnaire called Friction. His friend Bolton Ash-Singh had figured out that the group they had met that night were Legionnaires but he hadn't told Victa. As Bolton was also enrolled at the Legion Academy, he hoped to see his friends face when Victa found out. As Phantom Boy, he could become intangible, and had unexpectedly discovered that he had the additional ability of x-ray vision. Bolton wasn't perhaps as charismatic as Victa but his generous nature and sense of humour had endeared him to his classmates.
The two Rimboran students were in class, studying for galactic law when Li-Fahn and Janee walked in, casually chatting to the student's tutor, Ella Drottmi. Victa started to giggle, his nerves getting the better of him.
"Shape... Phantom Boy, you're needed. Can you join these two Legionnaires please, they have a task for you." Ella said this with a straight face, aware of the situation but not wanting to let on to the rest of the class. The other students gave a few concerned exclamations, and someone said "you're in trouble boys!" as the two young men left their desks and walked out to the front of the class. Victa went to put his arms out to hug Janee but before he could, Li-Fahn got in his way and shuffled both students outside of the classroom. "Shh!" Ultra Girl whispered as they made their way through the irising doorway.
"What the...?" Victa said explosively, a huge grin on his face, as the door closed behind them.
"We told you we'd meet again, didn't we?" Janee replied, her smile was michevous.
"Hey!" Bolton said casually to Li-Fahn, his nerves showing despite his best efforts to appear cool.
"We got you both booked out for the afternoon... so, where do you fancy going?" Li-Fahn gave Bolton a warm smile as she said this, before putting an arm around his back and pulling him in for a quick hug.
"Ummm... Earth?"
"Okay, let's go then. I know just the spot. There's a cafe in Sydnopolis that we once went to, has great beach views and sells the most magnificent burgers."
Victa gave Janee a peck on her cheek, suddenly self-consciously aware that the girl he met was real genuine Legionnaire!
Friction led the way, fighting the urge to take Victa's hand; they didn't want rumours to start if they were spotted. As it was, as far as the student body was aware, the two students had only been asked to help two Legionnaires.
Both couples hoped it would stay like that, at least until they had a chance to figure out what was going on between them for themselves.
..................................
Ventura, Las Vega Casino Resort:
Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field Kid Pulsar - Neel Koduah of Earth - incredible strength, invulnerability, projection of explosive blasts Solar Gorilla - D'Nadka Endarooga of Dmansca - generate and project extreme heat and light
U247 Legionnaires: Apparition - Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl - intangibility Ultra Boy - Jo Nah of Rimbor - ultra- strength, speed, breath, invulnerability, flight and vision powers, one at a time.
Rimbor Uprising: Ultra Boy ii - Jo Ryd of Rimbor - ultra strength, speed, invulnerability, flash vision, one at a time Controller - Garetta Kloumhoff of Rimbor - psychic projection of dread, hopelessness and fear Stratus - Thon Romeo-Tango of Rimbor - can assume gaseous form
As Apparition approached the young woman from Rimbor that had messed with her mind, she felt herself start to choke.
Within seconds she was on her knees, coughing as her throat seized up. Polar Girl ran over towards her, desperately trying to get her attention. "Phase out Tinya, I got this!" The short Tharrite shouted as she sprinted across the debris strewn floor.
Tinya Wazzo was barely conscious but as soon as she allowed herself to swerve between dimensions her throat immediately cleared. Apparition had floated through the floor, into the storage space below the wrecked wedding store. She took a second to take a deep breath before floating back up to the fight above.
Polar Girl had attended the Academy alongside a student that they called Kid Nimbus so had recognised the way the slight mist in the air appeared to move against the air currents and wrap itself around Tinya's throat. Mel Lassar was grateful that Tinya was one of the few Legionnaires that could easily escape from this sort of sneaky attack.
Polar Girl lowered the temperature in front of her as the young Legionnaire from another dimension phased through the floor. The air seemed to twist and push against the force of the extreme temperature drop, but within seconds an ice sculpture of a twisted stream of vapor stood before her. She knew that this was the gaseous form of a Rimboran gene-modified thug.
Tinya phased back through the floor and saw what looked like steam coalesce into a frozen snake-like tendril around where she had been standing. "Thank you, Mel." She said, her throat still raw. Tinya looked around; the girl that had messed with her and Jo's minds was starting to stand up, pulling herself from the rubble where Bouncing Boy's impact had thrown her.
"You're mine!" Tinya hissed as she lunged towards the Rimboran gang member.
Garetta Kloumhoff reached out with her psychic power, hoping to incapacitate Apparition before she got too close, but the Bgztlar was too fast as she swiped her balled fist out, knocking the Rimboran back against the wall. Apparition ignored the pain in her knuckles and dived towards the young woman that had cruelly manipulated both her and Jo minutes before. A knee to the solar plexus followed by an elbow strike to the side of her head and Garetta fell to the floor groaning.
"Hey Tinya," Solar Gorilla yelled as she bounded across the debris towards her, "I've got just the thing for her..." and with that the gorilla took an incapacity cuff from a pouch on her belt and snapped it around the fallen Rimboran's wrist.
"Do you always carry them, even when off duty?" Tinya looked at the young gorilla with a quizzical expression.
"Never know when we might need them, so be prepared. That was our Academy training, and it was right again. Guess old Lu and Lydda knew what they were talkin' about, eh?" D'Nadka gave a wide grin as she replied.
...........................
Jo Ryd tore across the room at ultra-speed.
He could see that Jo Nah was following him so he dodged and swerved as much as he could, flicking debris towards the Legionnaires that were standing around like statues against his hyper-velocity. Jo Nah went out of his way to protect his friends, as Jo Ryd expected, and this gave the young gang member an idea.
As he ran past Polar Girl, he prodded her on the shoulder. At the speed he was passing that, along with the wind rushing behind him would be enough to send her flying. As expected, Jo Nah dived towards her to stop her from flying into a wall. Jo Ryd smiled and ran on, hoping to incapacitate enough Legionnaires that he could get his own squad out of here and away from law enforcement agents.
Bouncing Boy was in the air not far away so the Rimboran thug pushed at the side of the force bubble that surrounded him, which would send the Legionnaire spinning out of control. He might not be able to get his hands directly on him through the force field but Jo Ryd was inconvenience him as much as possible, and that would wrong-foot the rest of the Legionnaires.
Ahead of him, still flying towards where the Rimboran had been stood (though at several thousandths of the speed that Jo Ryd was moving), was the big black guy that he thought must have caused the explosion that had knocked him off his feet. Well, thought Jo Ryd, if this Legion scum can make things explode perhaps he wouldn't mind a bang for himself... and with that he took a swing at Kid Pulsar and punched him on the side of his face with as much force as he could muster.
As it struck at hyper velocities, Jo Ryd's hand virtually exploded down to the wrist against the invulnerable Legionnaire. He immediately skidded to a stop and switched his powers over to invulnerability, hoping that his ultra-energy would heal him. Before he could move, Kid Pulsar landed beside him and placed an incapacity cuff on his arm, knocking him out.
"Well, he wasn't much fun, was he?" Said the young Legionnaire as he picked Jo Ryd up and flung him across his shoulder. Kid Pulsar used his flight ring to call for emergency medical treatment for the unconscious thug. As he did, Polar Girl called the Rimboran thug a few choice Tharrian cursewords, before apologising quickly in case there were any eye-spy cameras monitoring them.
Seconds later, a spinning honey and violet warp appeared and fifteen Legionnaires flew through, ready for trouble. Before them, the wedding store and chapel had been virtually demolished, small fires still burning in pockets of debris. Polar Girl was stumbling across a fallen shelving unit, being helped by the Ultra Boy from the other dimension, while Apparition and Solar Gorilla were stood over an unconscious gang member, Bouncing Boy was landing on the floor before them clearly dazed.
"Oh, hey guys, f...fancy seeing you h..here, what ya's doin'?" Bouncing Boy asked innocently, his face split with a wide grin.
Polar Girl laughed so hard she almost choked.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 Oct 23
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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Posts: 84,969 |
ooh, the Legions are in full force here, nice! ah, lovely of Dreamer, nudging the two Mons. who else can relate to Mon's thousand year ordeal than... another Mon? and a great nod to the core of their characters, the love of exploring. nice bit of healing for them here awww re Kent and Jan... and lol at the two sleepyheads! ah, I've been looking forward to seeing the two new Rimborian students again! good that Phantom Boy has something extra to differentiate him from other phasers. sweet surprise from Friction and Ultra Girl, though I wonder if the tutors will give them (and Ella) a tough time for pulling these students out for a date? I can imagine Cos or Lu might not look at it so kindly Polar Girl continues to impress, she's way more competent than your Brek nice take down from Tinya. and yeah Tinya, you never know when you'll need these things... go Solar Gorilla! Jo Ryd is pretty smart! well, tactically anyway -- arguable if attacking some Legionnaires on Ventura was smart to begin with oooh, Jo Ryd's hand! that sounds painful... ok I take back what I said about his smart tactics, clearly, punching the super-tough Kid Pulsar was NOT smart! that was a nice quick takedown! Hopefully, with Jo Ryd in custody, he will get a good talking-to... and maybe get some healing of his own!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 Oct 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
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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.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 Oct 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 Oct 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
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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!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 10 Oct 23
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Joined: Sep 2003
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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,
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 20 Oct 23
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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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 10 Oct 23
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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."
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 10 Oct 23
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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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Nov 23
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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."
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Nov 23
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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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Nov 23
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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
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Nov 23
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Joined: Nov 2009
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Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
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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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 1 Nov 23
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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.
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Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 Dec 23
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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!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 Dec 23
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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
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 Dec 23
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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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 Dec 23
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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: Jo's stag night had been surprisingly restrained...
By Rimboran standards anyway. Although it was nice to see Jo having grown-up thoughts...all in all, this was a nice little interlude!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 20 Dec 23
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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.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 20 Dec 23
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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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 20 Dec 23
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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 Bra oh and sorry, looks like there's a bit missing here at the end!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 20 Dec 23
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Thanks IB, my laptop keyboard keeps freezing on me so I missed that that line hadn't typed. Fixed it now, thank you
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 20 Dec 23
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thanks too, Harbi! it was worth waiting for. Hyper Boy is turning into a fast fave of mine!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 20 Dec 23
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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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 Jan 24
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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.
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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.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 Jan 24
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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
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 Jan 24
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Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
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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! and as he was the shortest of the male students in their group, she secretly fantasised about the source of his swagger... 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!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 Jan 24
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Unseen, not unheard
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wow, Jed and Tel really need some more counseling!!
and ouch indeed, nice scene with Tinya and Imra, and highlighting all they're going through... love Imra's tactics and humor, there!
why am I not surprised Bgztl is matriarchal... just look at how Reboot Winema was... though that would be doing her a disservice, Winema was simply a force of nature lol
nice nod to Garth and Imra being engaged,
and I lvoe the mentions of Zoe being fashion consultant to Jo too
interesting seeing Dann use his power to change his appearance so... I wonder if you are going somewhere deep with this, or if it's just a touch of passing characterization
sweet, Otaki and Nel make a cute couple
Mentalla II! yeah! nice to see Mentalla's legacy live on in another reality
another great installment Harbi, looking forward to more more more
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 Feb 24
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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,
It was twenty minutes later. Uri had opened up to Enali about his dizzy spells. She had asked him if there was anything she could do to help - no criticism about keeping it to himself, or overly fussing emotional scene, just good Titanian pragmatism. Uri admired her in that moment for her support.
"I keep feeling like I should go home but... I'm not sure if it's right. I want to get back to the place where I found... it found me... where it began."
She had heard the story behind how he gained his abilities so understood what he meant.
"Okay... Henry will warp us there. We are allowed to visit our families, daily if we really want, aren't we?"
Uri had smiled, understanding immediately that it wouldn't be his family they were going to see, though the holo-man from the future didn't need to know that. The two students left his apartment and made their way to the warp control room.
Henry surprised them when they had asked for a warp to Stratokoviesk xii.
Uri had explained to the holo-man that the wedding had made him think about his family and, as he didn't really know Jo or Tinya, he thought it would be a good idea that he'd use the time off to pop home instead. Enali put her arm around his body and smiled at her fellow student as he spoke, doing a fair impression of a love sick young woman. The warp controller looked at the two students and shook his head.
"Uri, you must be aware that at this time the team are monitoring all known artefacts connected to the Sgargrathi Confederation. This is due to a series of crimes involving both known and unknown meta-criminals that have resulted in multiple deaths. This is particularly concerning as the Confederation were one of the deadliest, most predatorial species known in the Milky Way's long history. Your abilities are connected to their technology, so it would be unwise to leave the Academy without gaining proper clearance. I am sorry but given the potentially serious risk I must decline to assist you, and strongly advise that you do not leave Home Base until it has been authorised by one of your tutors."
There was an awkward silence before Kid Flux nodded his head and said, "...okay. Thanks Henry." He had never heard of Henry giving advice to a student before, so he knew something important had just taken place.
After the holo-man popped out of existence before them, the students looked at each other.
"What does that mean?" Elani asked, her expression mirroring the surprise on Uri's face.
"I have no idea... umm, I'm ...do you think I should tell the tutors what's going on? I did some research on the Sgargrathi when I got here and they were really nasty so if the way I feel somehow involves them... what do you think?"
"Don't worry Uri, I'm sure the main team can take care of this without you getting dragged into it. And anyway, I got you." Enali smiled as she said this, before she hugged the confused young man.
.............................
The older Jazmin, Jan and Kent stood at the bar beside Gim and Yera. The group were keeping an eye on how much the students that were attending were drinking. Both Gim and Jan had perfected hard stares that gave quite a few of the student body pause... Yera was trying hard not to laugh which made Jazmin giggle.
Umbra sat next to Shadow Lass, Lady Memory and Jefarri Assam - the newly promoted Chief Adjudicator of the Peoples of Talok viii and also the current Champion of the Forests. The four women had spent several days together and become increasingly close. They shared small jokes and teased each other with a careful consideration that those raised to be Planetary Champions, and so therefore were often alone serving duties beyond their own control, aspired to have. If they had all been fully honest at that moment, they would have admitted that it was as close as they had ever felt towards other Talokeans. Jeffari, having been brought up as a commoner amongst the Forest People had quickly learned that the Planetary Champions were required to act in a certain way... she still struggled but at least tried. That said, she had strongly pressed back when she was told she was not allowed to smile in public. She now made a point of doing this at every opportunity, and both Tasmia and Kahnya shared her view and were now actively supporting her by giving their widest smiles whenever possible.
The Dead Brain walked through a warp, leading a small team from the Khundian Battle Brigade. The mystic known as Pressure Point followed close behind with the warrior called the Wrecker, and, after a few seconds Gates trundled through before the warp closed. The Vygran former Legionnaire no longer wore his red hooded top, and now had a striking black and gold uniform. His beak and his claws were painted with red spots. His cloak was held up into three points a full meter above his head before spilling voluminously behind him. He looked particularly uncomfortable!
XS was the first to greet Gates, though many from both team went over to their Vyrgan colleague. It was while the crowds gathered around Gates that Power Boy arrived. No one noticed that Gravity Kid wasn't with him. Tel Vole arrived several minutes later and made his way to the bar, where his husband was clearly not waiting for him...
The two Nura Nals had noticeably avoided each other, just polite smiles and nods through the crowd. Both Star Boys had noticed and in an attempt to bridge the gap, they approached each other and started to talk. As they did the two Nuras smiled at each other and with a nod of the head agrred to go to the bar together. They wanted their boyfriends to talk and get to know each other and both knew the other would be stand off-ish and do that awkward 'man-thing' while they waited for their partners to finish chatting. Neither of the Thom Kallor's were especially outward going, so at least this way they had made the choice themselves and didn't feel forced into it by their respective partners.
Poltergeist joined several of the more junior team members as they congregated at the rear of the seating. Strobe approached him, and they started to chat - they had built an unlikely friendship due to the simple fact they both had dreadlocks. Hair maintenance was not a topic that many of their colleagues really cared for, but the two junior members knew that with hair like theirs, it was an essential skill. The other junior team members and several students teased them about their conversations quite mercilessly though both young men just smiled and carried on, seemingly oblivious of the oft repeated good-natured comments of "just wash and comb your hair like a everyone else."
Tellus could feel the excitement bubble in the psychic aether around his colleagues and the youths from the alternate universe. It was giddy, almost euphoric at times. The concept of taking a singular life partner was quite strange to him, but he knew that humans appeared to see some special relevance to the act. Candi and Grava were surreptitiously handing out tissues to many of the guests while they were waiting for the service to begin, and Tellus stood close to the two young women as they exuded such happiness... he basked in their warm psychic glow, echoing it out around him.
Otaki and Power Lass were complimented by many of their fellow guests for their matching outfits. The two young women smiled, with Bna resting her head against Nel's shoulder once they finally took a seat next to Lexikon and Sky-Lieutenant Annanch'ha. The Tamaraneans smiled at their colleagues before continuing their whispered conversation. Otaki was happy to sense the loving bond between the pair, and she gave Nel a small nudge and nodded to the two golden skinned teammates with a small smile.
Glorith has asked Southern Lights if he wanted to sit beside her and Xao, but the winged mystic had declined saying his wings made normal seating awkward and, he added with a smile, they would obscure the view for those behind him. Instead, he stood at the back of the congregated crowd with Dawnstar. Glorith glanced around at one point and saw his arm was around her waist, and the tracker's head was rested on his shoulder. Her chair creaked ominously...
Kinetix wiped the tears from her eyes as Tinya and Jo approached the dias where they would give their vows. The young telekinetic had originally planned on something far, far more elaborate for Tinya, but as they had worked through the list of 'must-haves', they both agreed that something refined and elegant would be perfect. Zoe dabbed at her eyes as she realised that the security measures meant the media would never see the wonderful outfits that she had made for the bride and groom to wear today. Gahaji had told her it didn't matter, there would be holos that in years to come she could share. She had smiled at her boyfriend, though said nothing as she knew he would never understand.
Surprising many, the young Rokk Krinn stepped forward to officiate the ceremony. Rokk wore a long dark gray traditional Morning Jacket with pale purple threading and a gold chain strung in a zig zag from his right shoulder zig down that side, and a white ruffled shirt underneath matching the grooms, and straight legged trousers. He was clearly echoing the antiquated pirate look that Jo carried off so well. The Braalian hero was not quite as successful in that endeavour though there was no denying he definitely looked dapper.
Rokk gave a small speech on Tinya and Jo before starting the vows, telling quick tales of their adventures together and the example he said they set that proved that love could triumph - if the effort was put in! Several of the guests had happy tears in his eyes as he finished his speech. Rokk did too. Behind him, as the evening sun lowered itself into the horizon, the old team house glowed in warm amber tones. The sky above, clear of clouds, gently faded into muted hues of deep blue as distant stars and satellites started to appear. The screens that the team and Science Police had erected around the event kept the crowds from seeing in but they could all see more and more people and media drones as the evening progressed.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 Feb 24
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yay, more! still tickled pink that you have a Mentalla II - I always felt the original Mentalla should have gotten more credit for infiltrating the Fatal Five for so long, and so successfully! Henry's future knowledge sure is helpful, and I like how he uses it! Bless Jefarri, I love how she's getting the other Talokeans to smile in public more! Gates! Finally! Been looking forward to him showing up, this will be good! LOL at the Nuras subtly, er, nudging, their respective Thoms, hah! love Poltergeist and Strobe bonding over their hair! oof, jealousy rears its head in Glorith! and of course, the wings, nice of our Starhavenites to also think of that hahahaha it is so Zoe, to also cry because the media will never see the ouftits she created, hahahahah also a big ha, at Jo being more "pirate-y": than Rokk beautiful. eager to read more... who will be the first to give Gates a talking-to, I wonder?
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Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 Mar 24
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Both Jo and Tinya gave short speeches, stating their love for one another.
After Rokk had declared them officially married a cheer went up from the assembled guests and Tinya suggested they take to the sky to give the crowds outside something to remember. Almost all of the assembled Legionnaires and guests used their flight rings to take to the air as the opaque force-sphere around the wedding opened up at the top like a flower opening to the newly risen sun to allow the Legionnaires to fly out into the evening twilit sky. Several spotlights sprung into life, illuminating the group as they took to the sky above. In the evening sky, Tinya's dress shimmered with pale greens and pinks, as if made from the inside of rare shells.
The roaring cheer from the crowd outside was deafening!
Around the plaza were literally thousands of beings crowded into any open spaces, keen to glimpse their heroes. Air cars and media spy-eyes had been held back by the huge city's resident traffic monitoring AI system. Still, there were hundreds of beings in the air; either using their natural abilities or technology that was primitive enough to not be affected by the AI's orders.
Several dozen more from amongst the crowd had some abilities towards flight and took to the air to join the swarming flock of Legionnaires. For a minute or so there was a sense of pandemonium as the Legionnaires and the flying crowd mingled. Several of the team positioned themselves around the newly married couple and respectfully turned the approaching members of the public away.
........................
Zoe had noted that several of the U247 team were actively avoiding her as the flew across the cityscape, waving to the cheering crowds below. . Gahaji reminded her that in their reality, their Kinetix had died fighting Mordru, so perhaps seeing her reminded them how much they missed their friend... just as he would be broken inside if anything were to happen to her here in their own reality. Zoe considered this for a few seconds before agreeing with her boyfriend and giving him a quick kiss.
Mosaic and Little Loki flew up together. As students at the Academy on intern duties they had been invited and of course jumped at the chance of attending a Legion wedding. They both knew that there was no guarantee that they would make it to the big team so were taking every opportunity to interact with the Legionnaires whenever they could. The two young men were following behind Timber Wolf and Shield, and trying not to laugh as they listened in to the bickering between the two Legionnaires. Laurel had apparently promised Brin that she would wear a little more than usual for the occasion, and instead she had a red, very mini-shirt and sky blue short crop top with gold and red zig zagged lines around the plunging neckline, with a large joopli bloom on a fascinator in her hair. She was barefoot, both students noticed. Brin London had obviously had word of the pirate theme as he wore an extravagant shirt with frilled cuffs and decorative pleats running down the front, with brown baggy trousers tucked into black boots. The students were aware that Kinetix had been working on a themed wedding design and both wished they had taken up her offer to get an outfit made for them, as it was a dapper look that would probably be setting trends for months to come.
As the young Rokk Krinn flew amongst the team he had tears in his eyes. This experience was amazing! He had almost given up hope of their ever being in a place where they would be seen as true heroes again. At his side, Jazmin Cullen smiled at the crowds below, her happiness seemed to radiate from her.
"I love you Jazmin. I love you so much!" Rokk said as he turned towards Jazmin.
"And I love you too Rokk!" She felt a momentary surprise as she replied - they had never been expressive of their feelings and she could see on her partners face how close to the surface his emotions were at that moment, and she totally understood and reciprocated. She swerved around to kiss him on the cheek, though he turned at the same moment and instead they embraced and passionately locked lips.
"Hey Rokk... cameras remember, there'll be children watching." Thom Kallor's droll voice said from close-by.
"Leave them alone, jealousy is so unattractive." Dreamer said as she pulled her boyfriend in for a similar kiss.
...............................
Back on the Plaza, there were twenty of the wedding guests still on the ground.
Jed Rikane watched as the crowd of his teammates took to the air.
He would usually have been amongst them with the widest of smiles on his face. But... but, as everyone had taken to the air he had looked around for Tel and had spotted him, already in flight and clearly had not bothering to look for his husband as the gravity manipulator flew among the U247 team. Jed knew at the moment that it was over. They had been struggling more and more lately, and despite every week attending their counselling session it felt that for every step forward they took there were several going backwards. He felt exhausted by it. Tel was so immature sometimes; spiteful. Jed could feel the tears start to swell in his eyes and after quickly wiping them with his shirt sleeve, the muscular mutant put on his widest smile and made his way to the bar where he saw Gim and Yera speaking with a couple of the students.
Nor far away, the Dead Brain and the older Brainiac 5 were in a discussion about security strategies across their respective borders. With the recent issues that the Legion had experienced with the Dominion the two teams resident geniuses knew they needed to share relevant information if they were to remain safe. Several of their teammates drifted close by though when they heard what was being discussed decided to not trouble the two of them.
Shvaughn Erin and Roon Dvron had been keeping out of the way of the team. The two Science Police officers were on strict orders not to cause any sort of a scene. Instead, they chaperoned the DJ for the evening - a young Coluan with a surprising aptitude for rhythm, Brel Marqu Da Tune had a reputation for playing stunning sets, had been only too honoured when Professor Dox had personally contacted him and offered to have Henry warp him in for the evening. The music was going to be broadcast across all Legion streams that evening - it was an absolute coup for the young DJ to have an audience of potentially millions as people tuned in for all across the Milky Way. Even as he stepped out the warp and the two SPOs approached him, Ulu Vakk flew towards the Coluan and spoke in rapid-fire about how the substitute Legionnaire would enhance his set... Shvaughn groaned!
Gates and the young Brainiac 5 spoke for several minutes, both were clearly happy to catch up with the other. A few of the Vyrgan's former teammates approached them and tried to join in with the conversation though it was clear they were not really welcome. Neither Gates nor the young Querl were rude, though they would quickly get back to the subject they were discussing and ignore their teammate.
"We would like to have you join us when we leave in two days." Querl said.
"I... the Vyrgans of the reality have no idea of their true history. I have been educating them, but..."
"They have their own history in this reality Ti’Julk. Your history is not necessarily the correct one for them."
"I know! But... they are so... the Khunds rescued them about five thousand years ago from the Dominion and they are still acting like they owe them everything. Their culture is... it is so ugly, subservient and capitalistic!" He spat the last word out like the vilest curse.
"Do you think you can make a difference if you remain here my friend?"
"I have been trying to..."
"Are your results matching or exceeding your efforts?" Querl asked softly.
"Tsk... no, you know they aren't. They treat me like I'm some superstar and parade me around, though when I try to speak... it is awful."
"So why give yourself this impossible task. I have missed you and..."
"Maybe, maybe though Querl, don't make this difficult ...please."
.........................
Hotzone interview - Raymond Luxury-Yacht and Dirk Morgna
"...that's interesting Dirk, now tell me, have you heard anything from your old friends and teammates if these inter-dimensional team will be leaving or not? Word on the street is they'll stay and set up their own team and..."
"Haha, sorry Raymond old buddy, but I can't disclose that. Can I just get back to what an absolute delight it is to see Jo and Salu... and Andy, again. I was privileged to be a close friend with each of them and they are the best of the bunch!"
"Best of the best, eh?"
"Absolutely! The teenage visitors are a great reminder of what the Legion was... and what it should be. Fired up with that optimism and positivity, they are a true inspiration for us all!" Dirk gave a wide smile as he finished.
Raymond Luxury-Yacht raised an eyebrow at his co-hosts comment, reading through the lines at what Dirk Morgna was really saying.
"So, back to news... what can you tell us about these visitors..."
"Well, we have met before y'know. Not all of the teams adventures are shared with the public..."
"Tell us more!" Raymond leaned it, wondering if the former Sun Boy might spill the tea on a scoop that could help the Hotzone's hosts career...
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 Mar 24
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ah lovely, I love these big parade type group shots!
I can see why some flying members of the public would want to join in!
nice touch, having some of the Reboot Legionnaires feel awkward about Zoe. Good old Gahaji, he's really good for her eh? they complement each other so
Zoe will be pleased to know that some folks are regretting NOT getting an outfit from her!
awww at a lot of other couples getting swept up in the emotion. (I wonder if Rokk and Jazmin will tie the knot soon, too?)
aww, poor Jed. I get him, though. Tel can be quite spiteful, and that's really painful...
of course, music is also intelligence! Great to see a gifted Coluan DJ!
yes! Gates and young Brainy! nice convo there, very true to form, with Brainy appealing to logic, but also open enough to admit he misses his friend. and Gates being torn.
Oh Dirk. just like Dirk to mention the living counterparts of his dead ex-teammates in an interview... and to take a snipe at the current Legion too. tsk! I can imagine some reactions will folllow...
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 Mar 24
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
The good thing about not being around for a while is I get a couple posts to catch up on! Let's gooooo!!! oooh I feel like Mentalla talking Kid Flux out of going to the grown-ups with his concerns is gonna come back and bite them on the nass! The line about Shady and the other Talokeans feeling closer to one another than they ever have anyone else from their world was sad, but rings true - it keeps with Shady's tendency toward aloofness. Poor Gates, I can imagine how uncomfortable he would be hahahaha...the black and gold uniform sounds cool though! Tellus being surprised by the idea of taking a single life partner is a neat way of throwing in some character-building! I like the touch of the U247 team avoiding Zoe as well....it must be difficult being around her counterpart who is most like the Zoe they would all remember most fondly. I never thought of the Legion setting fashion trends, but it is one of those things that totally makes sense and is something I wish I'd thought of now! Good work! Rokk having a little emotional moment with Jaz was nice and well-deserved too....I wonder if they might be next? Aww, poor Jed....can't say that it is a surprise though if they do break up, and have tried. Tel really is kind of a jerk across all universes though Aww again at Brainy and Gates...Brainy misses his pal I'm sorry but Raymond Luxury-Yacht is an amazing name for a TMZ type guy, I can't remember if we have seen him before or not but I love it
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 25 Mar 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
pretty sure Raymond Luxury-Yacht appeared in the Threeboot - love the name too
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 April 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):
Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - Magnokinesis Kid Nimbus - Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch
The Aldronlliphean Mega-Station is one of the seven wonders of the Aldronlliphea Major system.
The other six wonders are all hotly disputed, and in fact whether or not there are actually six other wonders is in fact most often what is so fiercely debated. Or at least, if this subject were ever to come up it would be....
It was quite large though, as a mostly artificial satellite went, with a roughly estimated population of somewhere around the three million mark. Given the transient nature of a sizeable percentage of this estimate, the truth was no-one could ever be totally sure how many sentients there were at any one time on the station.
The mega-station was seen as the very last place within the United Planets where one could be assured of the rule of law before traveling out to the Far Rim Worlds and Outer Colonies. The assurance of law is relative, of course, so it is not to say that this huge floating space shipyard-cum-layover point-cum-supply store-cum- brothel wasn't without crime or a criminal element. Where statistics of reported crimes ever to be audited it is likely that a substantially larger than average - for the UP - rate of crime would be found to be recorded. As it was estimated that at most 10% of all crime were ever reported it is likely that the Mega-station had in fact one of the most active criminal elements of any official United Planets station or planetary system, short only of certain less salubrious sections of Rimbor.
Anyone who ever had spent any amount of time here would agree.
Prince Alfron Gundrix Maunheesta knew full well about the truth behind the mega-station's unsavoury reputation from first-hand experience. On his way to Earth to join the Legion Academy, he had been attacked and beaten here. A robber had tried to steal his wallet but his abilities had saved him. The robber's associate had wacked the young and naïve prince firmly over the head with a piece of 2x4 after seeing his unsuccessful accomplice being thrown away by the young prince's powers. As the young and very stunned prince tried to regain his feet the robber's associate punched him in the face and rummaged his pockets. Thankfully the young prince's wallet had been within a DNA locked pocket so his money and identity were not taken that day. Only his pride...
Eighteen months later, after leaving the Legion Academy, the Prince had suggested to the group of meta-beings he currently associated with that this would be a good place for them to start to achieve a reputation that would, ultimately, allow them to be seen as the galactic heroes they all wanted to be.
That had been a several months ago. It had taken them six weeks to get to the mega-station as both Ja Vlo and Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth had both wanted to visit their relatives before they went adventuring. They then stocked up on supplies and fuel for Slingshots personal space-disc yacht as the young prince had assured them that the price of goods would rise exponentially as they moved further out from the Inner Worlds towards the Outer Rim.
............................
In the months that the former Academy students had been here they had stopped a total of four muggings, caught a rather scrawny youth as he ran away from some reasonably artistic graffiti on the side of a civic building with two spray cans in his hands, helped a damaged space craft successfully dock on one of the North-end pads, spoken at three classrooms for the stations education centre about the role of meta-beings in galactic stability and, assisted with crowd control during an off season visit to the mega-station by the current holders of Laser Ball Championship League Golden Holsters, the Ventura Blasters. They knew there was a lot of criminal activity going on, they could almost smell it in the aether around them, but without actually witnessing it there was very little they could do.
None of the team were feeling particularly great about their achievements. It wasn't quite how they imagined breaking into super-heroics would go.
Kid Nimbus and Flipside had both taken to spending time on their own to hide their disappointment at their current circumstances, while Ballistix often volunteered with the Pilots Guild; lending a hand at the landing pads and making routine inspections of space buoys. Meanwhile, Magno Lass and Kid Dynamo were clearly trying to hide that they were seeing each other in more than a purely professional manner and would sneak around together. So, generally, the young prince that had suggested they come out here to help clean up the mega-station from the rot that occupied it found he was sat on board their retro designed saucer ship alone monitoring the local security broadcasts
Of course, he also monitored all the news streams regarding the Legion to check that Atom Girl was okay. They had only contacted each other twice since he left... Prince Alfon knew Sylva had been annoyed that he chose to join this team, but he had genuinely thought they would have worked out some solution. Especially as the Legion had Henry to open warps in space for them. It appeared to him that the solution she had arrived at involved the Legionnaire avoiding him.
Right now all of the news streams coming from the Inner Worlds were full of images and footage of the wedding of the Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl from another reality. The young couple had decided to get married in Metropolis on Earth and were currently leading a flying stream of their colleagues around the city to the roaring approval of the many thousands of spectators below.
Atom Girl was part of the flying procession and Prince Alfon could clearly see she smiled with genuine happiness as she waved to the cheering crowds. Flying alongside a twirling Gravity Kid, she blew extravagant kisses at the happy, noisy throng of sentients below, laughing in delight, tossing her hair as she did...
If ever there was an image of an ex-partner who had moved on to live a better life, he knew he was looking at it right at that moment.
Overall, the young prince was less than satisfied by how his plan was turning turned out.
...........................
The Scardilleo - the local security officers of the station who were supposedly impossible to bribe (though no-one - absolutely no-one! - believed that), used security broadcasts to share soothing propaganda (that no-one took seriously).
Every now and again though, an actual event worthy of the young meta-team would be announced. Annoyingly for Prince Alfron, the team were rarely available in time to deal with the problems that were being broadcasted, and only the day before they had missed an opportunity to help in a residential fire. As had become their habit, the team were spread out across the mega-station doing their own things.
And, of course, at that very moment when an alert was shared that was the case:
"All sentients are urged to avoid the Second Level Arcade!" the announcement broke through an advert for Silverale, "There is a situation happening and we urge your co-operation to ensure there are no further casualties or hostages... ah, um collateral damage... wha'?" Whoever was speaking had obviously been yanked away from the microphone and an older and more steady voice continued, "Yes, Sentients, please help us to help you by avoiding the Second Level Arcade while we deal with a situation that has arisen, thank you again beloved citizens."
Slingshot jumped up from his seat, activated the team's alarm on the flight ring network and ran to the anti-grav chute that would take him to the Second Level Arcade. Thankfully, he thought, it was only a klick or so away, so he could get there in quickly.
..............................
Using his flight ring to levitate quietly through the rows of now empty shops on the Second Level arcade, Prince Alfon was struck by a strange thought:
The First Level was where the fancy shops traded - widely recognised brands from the UP - and high-end traders all jostled for the credits the crowds brought. Meanwhile, the Third Level was where the banks and financial institutions were established... the second Level arcade was mostly full of the smaller independent trader or the cut-price bargain shops. There were stores full of junk taken of deserted crafts found fliating outside, swapshops, and charity displays. So why would anyone create trouble here when there were much richer pickings to be had both above and below? Unless it was a way to access the levels above or below...
<Hey, your maj... what's the scoop?> Flipside asked through their flight ring generated telepathic matrix as she ran along the ceiling towards him from the opposite end of the corridor, her prehensile tail curled as it hung beneath her.
"I've told you before, my title is Your Highness..." He smiled as he softly said this; the team had been teasing him about his title since the day he joined the academy. For the most part, he really didn't care for it, though it had opened a few doors for him before so, when necessary, he knew how to use it.
The Scardilleo Officers already on site were unhappy that the two of the team were here, but as the former students had been given special dispensation by Madame Three, the current owner and CEO of the station, the team had full access to any level of the station they needed. It also meant they were allowed to take point in special circumstances, for instance if there were ever a suspected meta-being crime. It was something of a joke amongst many of the councillors in the station that they had their own team of meta-heroes but they had never had to use them. The senior members of the council also knew full well that if the team were ever proved to be fully effective then they would most likely lose a lot of their income, so this amateur team of teenagers was perfect for their own PR, and for keeping the credits flowing into their purses...
The Team knew that eventually they would be needed, or at least they had hoped they might be...
The security staff had let them pass the cordons though were clearly not impressed. There was a hostage situation in one of the stores at the centre of the middle floor mall - twelve sentients were being held by a group of heavily armed men.
<where's the rest of the team? Where are you, we have an actual mission here!> Prince Alfron asked. His exasperation showed as he opened out the question to the whole team.
<I'm ahead of you slow pokes, just away to enter the store> Kid Nimbus replied.
They all knew that in his gaseous state he could easily sneak into virtually any place so he was the best one to find out what was happening.
"Guys, uuugh, get in here." Kid Nimbus shouted.
Both Slingshot and Flipside could tell by their friend's shaky tone of voice that they were not going to be walking into a pleasant situation.
It was worse that they could have imagined.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 2 April 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
ah, been a while since we've seen this bunch!
power-wise, they're no slouches, so I could see them eventually becoming full Legionnaires if they had tried. (I still remember Brainiac 5 standing up for Slingshot, using science to show just how powerful his abilities were!)
these kids have actually done a lot of good! not super flashy, but a lot of good.
ah yes, I remember Atom Girl and Slingshot dating. ah well... poor Slingshot.
heh at the less experienced announcer letting some facts (re casualties) slip
good of Slingshot to use his noodle. I bet you're going to tie this incident into your overall mystery!
love the teasing about his title!
LOL at the shady dealings of the council...
oh wow, what a cliffhanger! here's hoping the team do prove they are effective!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 April 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):
Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - Magnokinesis Kid Nimbus - Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch
The Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system on the edge of Galactic South Rim Space.
In the twenty seconds it took the two young heroes to reach the room, Kid Nimbus had moved outside into the corridor and was aggressively vomiting.
Slingshot and Flipside took a deep breath before they looked through the doorway...
All of the hostages were dead; eviscerated. Their blood and entrails festooned the small storage space. There was no sign of the armed group that had bundled them in here.
Flipside ran outside almost immediately and joined her team mate as she puked in horror and disgust.
Slingshot hovered in the doorway. He felt his lunch rise up but he kept control.
As he took in the horrific sight in front of him, he realised he could still hear things: low chattering, shuffling... all the noises that they would expect if they were listening from outside and the hostages were still alive.
Prince Alfon tried not to breathe too deeply as he held his hand out and willed his flight ring to scan the room. The smell of freshly carved bodies was thick and cloying and he felt his eyes start to water.
It took a long twenty seconds, though when he had finished the scan a hard light screen popped up with its findings. In amongst the stock and horrible human debris, there were two pieces of technology that didn't below. According to the scans, they were recording devices that played the noises that the former Academy student could hear.
"This is a distraction! Damn!" The young prince levitated out of the doorway and swiped his hand in front of the sensor to close it behind him. He knew what he had to do and wasn't looking forward to it.
Madam Three owned the station and ran it with a ruthless disdain. She was a legend in this sector. In part due to her success and flamboyance, though also for how mercurial she could be - if she liked you, your time would be relatively easy, but if she didn't... and, no-one really knew how she decided who she would like and who she wouldn't so it was seen as a wise course to avoid her if at all possible.
"Madam Three..." He called into his flight ring. They had been told they would be given direct access to the stations CEO if ever they needed it, though in all the time they had been here, none of them had tried. "Madam Three, it's Prince Alfon... Slingshot!"
"Yes, I know, little hero boy, what do you want?" Her tone made it clear she was not happy at being interrupted in whatever she had been doing.
The young prince explained what he and his teammates had found, and what he presumed it meant. He ended by asking for full access to the stations security feeds; the armed attackers must have gone somewhere, and he reasoned that there would be something else going on that they hoped to keep the security services busy enough so as not to disturb it.
"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. You will be granted access for one hour." And with that she cut the feed between them.
..........
Slingshot's scan had found traces of a known DNA - that of an alien that the Legion had recently dealt with. His flight ring database flagged extreme caution would be required as a holo popped up of a four armed, red skinned being whose fingers seemed to extend into blades.
He used the stations sensors to search for it, though the system was far from perfect and it took several long minutes before a report reached him that the unknown DNA had been found on a lower level. He had sent the coordinates to the whole team, even as he grabbed Flipside and Kid Nimbus to race down twenty three levels to where the sensors said the strange DNA could now be found. He knew that it was likely that the three teammates that were currently elsewhere on the station would get there before them. He hope they would be in time to deal with the being responsible for the massacre on the second Level Arcade.
"Call the big team Alfron... you saw that alert, this is heavy duty doodoo!" Flipside said.
"We can deal with it..." Kid Nimbus said, his eyes were have closed as he flew as fast as his flight ring could carry him.
"Dranna's right Ken... if this thug has got a warning like that we might not... "
"'nuff talking." Flipside held her right hand up to her face and willed her flight ring to broadcast a message to the Legion. "Legion, it's Flipside, we've come across a four armed bladed fingered killing beast on the Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system. Requesting assistance, I repeat we need your assistance. Am sending co-ordinates of where we suspect it is." She willed the message to include all the data that Slingshot had shared with the team and hoped that the Legion would arrive soon.
"Kid Dynamo's gonna be real pissed you did that, this is our chance to prove ourselves y'know." Even as Kid Nimbus said this he started to laugh, "We're rubbish heroes, aren't we? Calling for help on our first real mission..."
"So long as we catch that ugly frickin' bastard and survive, we're good." Slingshot said gruffly.
"Oh, you been slumming it too long if you're using language like that your Maj. Go wash your mouth out!" Flipside retorted with a smile.
.....................................
Ballistix had been in one of the central level docking bays when the announcement had reached her. The Zuunian synthesoid immediately took to the air and flew towards the rendezvous point, calculating the quickest route with incredible efficiency. Within the atmosphere of the station she could not reach her fastest speed though she still knocked over several people in a corridor with the wind that tore in her wake. She had seen them and calculated that they looked fit enough to not sustain meaningful injuries.
The silver skinned synthetic woman was the first of the team to arrive. She was in a long dark corridor which had been hewn out of the bedrock of the asteroid that the station had originally been built around. Even had she not calculated that she was approaching the correct place, the three heavily armed men who started firing at her were a good indication that the trouble Slingshot had warned the team to expect was correct.
Ballistix increased her speed and smashed into them, knocking them roughly into the walls. She heard bones snap but as she could also hear their breathing as they lay in a heap on the floor she did not stop to check on them - as far as she was concerned they were still alive and she had a mission, so their health could wait.
Ahead of her a thin man with a blond crewcut, wearing military fatigues appeared out of the darkness. He had obviously heard her bashing the guards and was coming to investigate, though unlike the first three, he was unarmed.
"They send a sprockin' robot... haha, this'll be fun" Even as Ballistix recognised his accent as Braalian, he stretched out a hand and a wave of magnetic force tore through the young synthesoid sending her back along the corridor that she had just flown down. She was viciously bumped against the walls as she flew back. Two hundred metres from where she had encountered him, Ballistix was dropped to the ground where she skidded and rolled to a rough stop.
"You may live to regret that!" She growled as she got back up onto her feet. The synthesoid reached out to her side and grabbed a chuck of rock from the rough hewn walls. Her attacker was going to learn, quite painfully that she didn't need to e close to do them damage, after all it was child's play for her to calculate vectors. As she had spend so much time with Slingshot, she had learned how effective a weapon almost any thrown object could be.
She hurled the rock and it smashed into the wall not ten feet from the Braalian. It shattered and dozens of sharp fragment exploding along the corridor. Even as he turned away from the shower of fast moving rocks, Ballistix flew down the corridor at speed, crashing int him only a split second after the small stones had struck him.
She casually dumped him onto the ground and, accessing her enhanced night vision she easily made her way along the twisting dark corridor towards the co-ordinates she had been given.
Ahead, she heard a loud crash!
..........
Kid Dynamo and Magno Lass flew through the corridors towards the under-basement stores.
They had been exploring some of the subterranean structures of the base when Slingshot's message had been broadcast. They knew that their afternoon of finding new and exotic places to have... ahem... intimate moments was over and it was time for them to earn their stipend.
They were already on the lower levels so it was easy enough to reach the area called 'Bedrock' by the locals where the satellite was wedged against original asteroid base.
From the co-ordinates they had been given, Magno Lass estimated they could be there in minutes... perhaps quicker, she reasoned, if Kid Dynamo tore through a couple of metres of the bedrock that between the corridor they were in and the one they needed to get to. Ja Vlo knew that he was nowhere near as smart as Josi Rista so when she suggested they go through the rock below them rather than fly half a klick to the nearest grav-shaft he didn't stop to question it, instead he turned his powerful frame downwards and smashed into the floor beneath them.
Magno Lass had estimated they would crash through rough twenty metres from the co-ordinates they had been sent so she breathed deeply and prepared herself. From what Slingshot had sent through, they were dealing potentially with mass murderers, so she knew they would need to be extra careful. It only took twenty seconds before the powerful young man from the dead world of Dryad had torn through the satellites rocky shell and they dropped into a dark corridor. There had been a lot of noise as the ceiling collapsed onto the corridor below, but they knew that this was an urgent mission, so the time for stealth was past.
Both had spotlights on their belt buckles - standard Legion kit that they had been given before leaving the Academy. It was only because they activated these that they saw the threat as it ran towards them...
The four armed, red skinned alien that the legion database had warned them about was diving towards them - all twenty of his razor clawed fingers were pointed at the two young heroes. Kid Dynamo flew towards him, putting his invulnerable body between the creature that was attacking them and Magno Lass.
With a crash, the attacker struck at the young man from Dryad, their claws ripping the shirt from his torso though thankfully not breaking his skin. Kid Dynamo gave a mighty back handed slap in response, which threw the alien aside to smash into the wall. In the darkness it was difficult to see where he had gone as he quickly scurried back onto his feet.
"Ripper won't stop, so perhaps you should make it easier on yourselves, especially if you want to stay alive, and leave now." The woman's voice came from behind the two young heroes, and as she finished speaking the tunnel was lit by a bitter yellow glow as a sword, composed of energy appeared to spin out of the air. Behind it stood a woman with dark skin and cruel eyes.
Magno Lass had always been rather studious so she recognised the energy signature from their many lessons at the Academy straight away - The floating sword that was flying towards her was a construct created by a Yellow Lantern!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 April 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
ooh. wow, these poor kids - I bet they haven't encountered anything like this before.
good on Slingshot for keeping a cool head - he has potential!
I know some people in real life like mercurial Madam Three...
also nice that they still have their flight rings, despite leaving the Academy and presumably cutting all ties... they're not officially affiliated with the Legion anymore, are they? though if they were allowed to keep their rings...
smart of Flipside to call for backup!
love how Ballistix thinks like a ...well... bit like a computer
ah,Magno Lass and Kid Dynamo give Reboot Tinya/Jo vibes. Tinya was the smarter one, tactically, and Jo would often just follow
a Yellow Lantern! wow! and the Lantern is offering to let them live if they leave... eek!
nice cliffhanger, Harbi!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 April 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):
Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - Magnokinesis Kid Nimbus - Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch
The Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system on the edge of Galactic South Rim Space.
Magno Lass could hear crashing behind her as Kid Dynamo and the red-skinned alien fought.
She tried to ignore it as she tore whatever ferrous material she could from the tunnel walls around her to fashion some sort of weapon or shield. Her outfit had been made with metallic threads that she could use but there was only a couple of ounces of that to work with and she doubted that would be much use against the Yellow Lantern that stood not twenty feet away from her.
Josi concentrated, desperately trying to stop her mind from slipping from the task at hand - she clearly remembered from her Academy class that the yellow Lanterns were manipulators of fear... she would stand her ground, master her emotions... yet even as she had this thought she could feel the primitive part of her mind urge her to turn and tun!
While pulling every bit of metal she could towards them she also ducked and dived in the limited space around her as she dodged out of the way as a sickly yellow cutlass that swung through the air and whooshed centimetres from her head. Small fragments of metallic ore alongside several pieces of piping tore through the walls and spun in towards the Yellow Lantern, breaking her concentration enough the Magno Lass could move further down the corridor, away from their deadly constructs.
Josi concentrated on trying to cover the Lantern's face with the metal debris, as she figured if they couldn't see what they were dong it would be more difficult to strike at her. She also switched off her belt buckle spotlight; she didn't need it as the yellow glow would give her opponent away and, hopefully her dark costume would help keep her from sight and a counter attack in the darkness.
Magno Lass knew this was at best a holding pattern, but she hoped her teammates would arrive quickly and they could tackle these two together.
.......................
Kid Dynamo was almost as strong a Ultra Boy and just about as invulnerable as Laurel Kent.
He had trained relentlessly in martial arts and combat techniques. He was top of his group at the Academy for the more physical side of the training almost from the start. Colossal Boy had even complimented the young man on a few occasions for his determination and quick thinking when faced with a physical challenge. And for all that, the red skinned alien with four arms and razor like fingertips was pushing him around in the dark corridor with a childish ease.
As the two fought, it was clear the alien was used to shredding his opponents, and as the young hero's skin was not ripping as the talons tore across it, the alien changed tactics, tearing its claws across the rocks of the tunnel sending sparks and small stones into the former students' eyes, pulling his leg out from under him with one hand while the other three appeared to go for the young mans face... in the darkness, with only his belt buckle spot light giving off any illumination, Ja Vlo was struggling to hold his own.
Kid Dynamo knew he was being beaten in what was becoming a battle of attrition.
.......................
Balllistix flew down the corridor at speed.
She could see the flashing of her colleagues spotlights and aimed herself towards them.
<Duck!> the synthesoid sent to her teammates across the flight ring generated telepathic matrix. Both Kid Dynamo and Magno Lass had enough experience working alongside Ballistix to know that she could analyse a situation and then react at great speeds, though often having little concern for repercussions. So, while neither knew what she was doing they both threw themselves at the floor.
With a whoosh the synthesoid flew over Kid Dynamo and grabbed the face of his four armed opponent, dragging him after her as she flew towards the sickly yellow light further down the corridor. She spun and threw the red skinned alien towards his Yellow Lantern colleague. As they crashed together Magno Lass, who had been looking on in awe at Ballistix's action, spun all the metal already under her control into a wire that she wrapped around them.
As Kid Dynamo stood up he turned his spotlight beam onto the two villains. They could see the Yellow Lantern had a nasty gash across her shoulder and left cheek, presumably where her red skinned colleague had tore into her.
"Well done Ballistix, that was bad-ass!" he said with a wide grin.
"Surrender now as next time we will not be so gentle!" Ballistix landed in front of the pair as she uttered her ultimatum.
"You stupid, stupid child... we were the ones being gentle!" The yellow Lantern hissed. On her right hand, her ring pulsed ominously.
........................
Legion World, First Base:
Gear picked up Flipside's distress call and sent out an alert.
There had been volunteers requested to deal with any potential trouble that might arise during the wedding celebration was taking place. Retro had offered to lead a team and, as the alert pinged on the volunteers flight rings he quickly called for them to assemble by the front of the old Club House.
Duplicate Girl, Babbage and from Hope World, Titan were all waiting for him as Deen flew across to the large red door. As he touched down in front of them Starkling's swarm drifted in towards them alongside the Wraithcat, Atomsmasher.
"Wait for us!" Tectonik and Impact from the Academy interns swooped down to join the team, both looked flushed with excitement.
Retro smiled as he relayed what information they had been sent - it appeared the mysterious thieves that they assumed were targeting relics of Sgargrathi technology had turned up on a planetoid satellite... Well, Deen Toro said, he intended to find out what their game was, and not allow them to escape this time. Atomsmasher would be warped outside the station to ensure no-one escaped into space, and the rest were to warp to where several of the former student's flight ring data showed them to be engaged in a confrontation.
Retro didn't mention the mysterious woman that had recognised him on Bibliothecix... if she were with the thieves this time, he would do everything he could to catch her and perhaps he could finally find some answers to all the questions he had about his own past!
"Henry, warp please!"
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 April 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Wanderer
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OP
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Hey IB, thanks again for your kindfeedback - here's some more for you. When this group left the Academy to form their own team, Brainiac 5 gifted the rings and tech to them. I've had my team give out flight rings to quite a few of their allies - the Dead Brain has one, the Lallorian team, the Wanderers. The way I see it, the Legion would want those pthers to contact them as quickly as possible if they needed help, and also kinda sorta monitor these other teams and so be better informed if something major where to happen with them. Ballistix thinks like a computer , absolutely right - fast, logical, pragmatic and with no nuances at all Madam Three is based on someone I used to work with that was a total tyrant, though just about pleasant enough to not cause a rebellion. Unfortunately, we'll all meet people like that from time to time. Kid Dynamo and Magno Lass as the next gen Jo and Tinya? Yeah, that's pretty close to how I see them too More soon as the Legion arrive, Atomsmasher gets some action and we might get another clue to what is really going on.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 April 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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hi Harbi, yay more! and thanks for the background info - very practical indeed of the Legion to give flight rings to some allies!
ooh here comes the cavalry, hopefully they will be in time...
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 16 April 24
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Hi Harbi,
Glad to see there is some more to catch up on, I didn't realise it's been so long since I logged on!
Good scene setting with the description of the Aldronlliphean Mega-Station, and I quite like the idea of DNA locked pockets!
I also like that for all the League's good intentions, crime doesn't usually just conveniently appear in front of someone, waiting to be stopped - it's very much a trope for superheroes to just stumble across evildoers in their everyday life so it's good to see the inverse of that sometimes!
The team's reactions to the slaughter is a good way to show they're still newbies, and I like that they're not too proud to call for help when they feel over their heads.
OOH A YELLOW LANTERN!!!! There is so much potential with the rest of the Lantern Corps outside of the green ones a thousand years in the future, I am looking forward to finding out more!
Interesting squad for the Legion to assemble...Starkling and Atomsmasher are always fun, and I wonder what Retro's gonna find out?
EDIT: wait maybe I'm dumb....I just went back and re-read the Bibliothecix adventure.....is the Yellow Lantern the same woman who knew Retro?? Intrigue!!!!
Last edited by razsolo; 04/21/24 03:34 AM.
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Legion Worlds Nine updated 15 May 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
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Earth, Metropolis, Weisinger Plaza
Garth and Imra Ranzz stood at the bar with Jan Arrah, Gim and Yera Allon, and Dr Shakespeare.
The senior Legionnaires all had a slightly wistful expression as they watched the younger members fly over the crowds outside the force field. Dr Shakespeare smiled as his eyes darted across their faces. He personally hated using a flight ring; there was just something very wrong, to his way of looking at things, with being able to see clear air underneath yourself while in mid-air and not falling!
Jed Rikane walked over to the group, his eyes darting upwards to follow his flying teammates as they swooped and waved and entertained the cheering sentients below. The wistful expression on the purple skinned man's face had an edge of sadness.
"Hey Big boy!" Yera called to him,"you didn't fancy flying either? Too right, come join and help me decide which cocktail I'll try next... what do you suggest? These old geezers..." she indicayed Gim, Jan and Kent, "have absolutely no taste, you wouldn't believe what they'd have me drinking..."
<Yera, easy does it, we want him to feel welcome, don't scare the poor lad off, hes going through enough right now> Imra Ranzz sent across a personal telepathic wavelength to the Durlan.
"Yeah, sorry but I'm a craft ale kinda guy." Gim said, lifting a flagon of foamy beer.
Yera put an arm through Jed's and pushed her way past her husband to the bar.
"I'm glad to finally have a man of good taste present..." Yera said in mock indignation.
Jan, Kent and Gim all smiled as Yera and Jed looked through a holo display of cocktails available, discussing the pro's and con's of each.
Several of the flying group were returning to the plaza. Amongst them, the younger Garth Ranzz and Imra Ardeen. They spotted their older counterparts at the bar and joined them. Before they could talk, several of the students rushed to the bar. A young woman who called herself Twister due to her air manipulating abilities rushed straight up to the older Garth and Imra and excitedly exclaimed that she was born on the day they had rescued R.J. Brande, so she had always known she would one day be a Legionnaire... Although neither of the founder's expressions changed the atmosphere appeared to get a little bit chillier...
The two Ferro's and Gazelle landed near to the edge of the event - seats had been set up around the edges and the three of them flopped onto a deep, wide, plush looking sofa.
"I'll miss you guys when we go." Andrew Nolan announced without looking around.
"So stay." Gazelle answered directly.
"Or you could join us? Why not, eh?"
"I... I don't want to leave this reality Andy. I fought so hard to get back that I'm not going to give that up..."The older brother put an arm across the shoulder of his brother from a different dimension. "Sorry, but I'm staying. Once you get home you'll understand."
Zoe and Gahaji touched down near to the newly cleared seating area - while the team had been flying around Metropolis, the seating had been removed so it could be a dancefloor. Lighted pads that would give the dancers their own displays as they moved around had been laid across the plaza floor. As Zoe watched, Uku Vakk sidled up to the DJ as they preparing for their set. The Sub didn't say anything but it was obvious he wanted to contribute. Zoe felt an uncomfortable embarrassment as it was clear the DJ and his drones were intentionally ignoring the young man from Lupra.
"Ulu, hey!" Zoe shouted out and waved to the slim Sub. Colour Kid hovered over the dancefloor to join them.
"Hey, you're not expecting anything from that Coluan are you? You know how far the stick goes up their ... well, you know, you'll be waiting all day at this rate. But tell you what, I noticed the bar looks really dull, doncha agree, and wondered if you could help? I'm thinking of making some flower sculptures, and would really be grateful if you could add some of your pizzazz to them?"
Ulu glanced over at the bar where a few people gathered. There were a couple of pin lights but, as Kinetix said, it was really kind of dull. He smiled as he agreed to help her make it more attractive and exciting... he'd show that stuck up Coluan what he had missed out on. Colour Kid was going to show them some real Substitute pizzazz!
After an initial burst of rainbow streaks of light popping with firework-like displays of raw, eye-watering colour, Zoe rather diplomatically mentioned to Ulu that starting off with a subdued atmosphere was a much better way to show his range and versatility as he slowly, very slowly built up to the finale.
............................
The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):
Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - Magnokinesis Kid Nimbus - Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch
The Bedrock levels on the Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system on the edge of Galactic South Rim Space.
As the Yellow Lantern issued her threat a wall of energy shot out from her ring, throwing the three young heroes backwards.
The red skinned alien race towards them as they tumbled down the corridor, it's intent was clearly murderous!
Magno Lass lay unconscious against a wall, blood smeared in her short hair. Kid Dynamo checked on her, saw the blood and knew he would make sure that someone was going to pay! As he fumbled at the small medi-pouch on his belt, behind him Ballistix picked herself off the ground and flew towards the approaching four-armed attacker.
The synthesoid from Zuun and the red skinned alien crashed into each other with a loud bang! While her synthetic skin gave Ballistix a high level of durability, she was nowhere near as invulnerable as Kid Dynamo, and the razor sharp claws dug into her torso and thighs. Ballistix spun around and grabbed hold of one of the creatures arms and flicked him over her back to slam into the ground. The jolt as he crashed into the ground ripped his clawed fingers out from the her flesh and she reacted with speed. As the former Academy student gripped tightly to the arm she twisted her wrist to slam him into a wall and then the ceiling and the floor again before repeating these moves at incredible speed. The thunderous noise echoed down the corridor as the red skinned alien was brutally smashed into the rocky corridor walls and floor a dozen times in seconds, throwing up a cloud of dust and debris.
<I think you've got him now Ballistix, let's go do the same to the Yellow Lantern. I'm owe her a good beating for hurting Josi>
Ballistix looked up at Kid Dynamo as he sent his message and gave a small smile. She dropped the now unconscious four armed alien and turned back towards where the Yellow Lantern had been standing.
"She's gone... if we hurry, we might catch her." And with that, Ballistix tore down the dark corridor.
As Ballistix had left her colleagues to search for the Yellow Lantern, Magno Lass had regained consciousness and told Kid Dynamo that she would be okay so he should follow their Zuunian teammate, "...and stop her getting into trouble.". She had added with a small smile.
Kid Dynamo gave his Braalian teammate a surprisingly tender kiss on the forehead before turning and racing down the dark corridor.
"Take care..." Josi Rista said weakly as she willed her flight ring to hover her upwards so she could get back onto her feet. This was the first time he team had faced against an opponent as tough as the villains they had encountered and she gave a silent prayer to whichever deities looked after this sector of space to return Ja Vlo to her, unharmed.
Magno Lass watched as the beam of light from his belt buckle spotlight bounced down the dark corridor... her head ached and she felt a little sick. She accessed the scanner in her flight ring to check for injuries; it's readout told her she had a large cut on her head, large bruises across her shoulders and a sprained wrist along with a mild concussion. It suggested she needed to rest...
The corridor was dark and even with Ballistix' enhanced night vision she almost collided with a large man as she turned a sharp corner where the Yellow Lantern had been standing at speed.
The man was easily as tall as Kid Dynamo and equally broad, wearing a simple pair of dark shorts. His skin was pale blue with a frosty sheen and he was almost invisible to her infra red vision. As she flew in towards him he swung a huge fist towards her. She barely dodged it, twisting around his muscular arm and careering into his torso. He wrapped his arms around her, crushing the synthesoid into his chest. As he did, she felt the temperature lower dramatically as frost and ice formed across her skin. She could easily survive that, but the pressure as he squeezed her was unbearable!
As the synthesoid struggled to get out of the crushing hold Kid Dynamo roared around the corner and ran towards them. In the flickering light from his belt spotlight, Ja Vlo couldn't make out exactly what was happening but he heard Ballistix grunt with exertion and knew he had to do something, so the powerful young man from Rimbor charged at the dark shape in the corridor before him.
There was a loud crash as they all fell onto the rough floor.
Kid Dynamo could make out the head of a brutish looking man and he quickly punched it several times, knocking him unconscious..
"You can get off him now Dynamo..." Ballistix voice came from the bottom of the pile.
"What...? Where are...?"
"Underneath the oaf that's underneath you. It ...is not pleasant!" Even as she spoke, the synthezoid from Zuun started to stand up, lifting both her assailant and teammate off of her and dumping them to the side.
"The Lantern left this one to delay us..."
"Look!" Ballistix exclaimed, pointing down the dark cavernous corridor.
Ahead of them, the ceiling had collapsed in, blocking them from going any further.
........................
Retro - Deputy Team Leader - Deen Toro of Ventura - limited reversal of personal timeline Titan - Deputy Leader -Nasir N’Cube of Titan - alpha-level telepathy Duplicate Girl - Senior Team member, Luornu Durgo of Carggg - creation of multiple identical duplicates Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds - strength, durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness and analytical skills. Starkling – telepathic swarm-being composed of indestructible ball bearing sized components
Interns: Tectonik - Hardal of Granite Falls from Mondriak iv - geokinesis Impact - Dillon Blackstream of Myar - incredible strength, speed, durability, stamina, motion sense
Henry's warp opened up into a dark corridor.
About twenty metres away, Magno Lass stood next to a wall, clearly shaken, as she spoke into her flight ring. As the warp opened she reacted with surprise, throwing up a shimmering magnetic shield between herself and the Legionnaires.
Duplicate Girl rushed forward, "Josi, it's okay, it's us, the Legion. What's going on?"
As the young Braalian explained what she had seen, Retro, Babbage and Impact moved further down the dark corridor. Ahead they could see a slumped figure. Retro recognised it as the for armed being that had given the younger Timber Wolf trouble on Bibliothecix. Deen quickly slipped an incapacity cuff on the creature's wrist and called Henry to open a warp to an enhanced holding cell - this being would give the team answers, and Retro hoped it would help them find the woman that had recognised him, calling hin Klaus...
<Duplicate Girl and Tectonik stay here with Magno Lass... the rest of us are going to find the rest of the team. Starkling, you take point. Babbage, you're next, Impact, I want you behind Titan and me to keep our rears safe. Titan, can you pinpoint them?>
As the team jumped into action, Slingshot broadcast across the telepathic matrix <Hey guys, we're only moments away, wait for us>
<You'll need to catch up> Retro replied brusquely as they flew down the dark corridor.
Behind them, Luornu had triplicated and was helping Josi Rista to sit om a slab of rock that the intern Tectonik had raised from the floor for her. One of the Cargggite's selves scanned the young Braalian, and reached into a pouch on her belt for medical treatment.
One of her sister selves stood by the intern Tectonik and could see the obvious disappointment in the young man's face at being left behind.
"You'll get your chance, y'know..."
"This is the perfect environment for me to show what I can do and I'm making a seat... tell me straight Luornu, should I stay? Do I have a chance, because..."
"Hardal! We don't know who else is down here and I may have experience but am lacking in raw power. You are the most versatile person on the squad so you are the obvious choice to remain while we tend to Josi. Now, we need to assess the area, check for any clues to who is behind this..."
"And," Magno Lass interrupted, "if after this, you want to join us out here we'd love to have you." The young Braalian smiled cheekily as she said it though her expression fell, "though I bet it's more exciting where you are. We haven't really achieved all that much..." She looked down at her feet as she finished, clearly embarrassed.
As she finished, her teammates, Slingshot, Kid Nimbus and Flipside flew around the corner and darted towards them. Slingshot was dragging an unconscious and bleeding man in army fatigues.
"Ballistix took this guy out..." She said as she let him go and he fell onto the floor with a thump. Duplicate Girl shook her head as she saw the damage that had been inflicted on him - there were multiple cuts, a clearly broken jaw and bruising rising quickly all over his face. Lu tutted as one of her selves slipped an incapacity cuff on his wrist and dealt with his injuries.
"Tectonik, lead the League after our teammates. Magno Lass, you're staying here with me..." Duplicate Girl stated.
"Hey, we're not Legionnaires to be bossed around..." Flipside grumbled.
"You called us for help. Hardal, on you go." Luornu gave the intern a tight smile before she joined her two sister selves that were ensuring the unconscious man survived with the minimum of trauma
.........................
Starkling flew ahead of the team.
The composite Legionnaire had no problems with the lack of light, its senses incorporating far more range than many of its colleagues suspected. Its telepathy had already discerned where the two members of the League were, and there was an another unconscious mind not far away from them.
As it flew round a wide curving corner, it could clearly sense the two Leagues; Kid Dynamo was pulling large boulders away from a huge pile that blocked the corridor while Ballistix was punching her way into the ceiling. They were both covered in dust and it was clear the ceiling above them was damaged.
<we are here, younglings> Starkling sent <how may we assist>
<Starkling?> Ja Vlo recognised the polyphonic speech of the composite Legionnaire and turned towards it, his belt buckle spotlight turning with him so he could see back along the corridor.
The Legionnaires flew around the corner and came to a halt beside the two members of the League. Retro looked up at the wall of rocky debris that blocked their path and momentarily regretted asking Tectonik to stay behind. They would be able to get through this, though it would definitely delay them from catching up with the Yellow Lantern.
Deen Toro hoped that Atomsmasher would be okay against such a potentially powerful opponent until they got out there to help.
........................
The Yellow Lantern had turned her energy upwards.
When the android flung Ripper at her, the collision had done more than just rattle her... it had damaged her teleport beacon that she had held in her hand, effectively stranding her in this appalling planetoid. She knew though that if she could get outside, see the stars and get her bearings then her ring would find the path back to the Immortal to claim her bounty. She would leave the potential addition fees for killing a Legionnaire to those stupid enough to stay behind...
So, with the honesty to follow their survival instincts, she had pushed those troublesome children as far away as she could and turned to flee. Ripper was struggling to regain consciousness and the ice giant that called itself Freezem was eager for a fight, so she flew away without trying to persuade either to leave with her. In a pouch on her belt she had the component from the ancient technology that they had been sent to retrieve... why risk it?
Ripper, Magnetic Man and Freezem would stay behind and she reckoned they would ultimately be caught and have to face the authorities, regardless if they managed to kill one of the heroes; she couldn't rescue them and guarantee to complete the mission. In fact, she was more than happy to leave them to their fate. She had what they came for and that was what they were being paid for - her loyalty was to the money they would receive after the mission, and if three quarters of the team were left behind then all the more for her. The Qwardian warrior that had gifted the Yellow Power Ring to her had given her a mission, and the money she could collect from this bounty would all go towards her reaching their goals. The Immortal's plan to use this long dead technology to further her own ambition was of little interest to the Yellow Lantern...
As her power ring tore through the planetoids rocky epidermis, she could hear the stones and debris tumble down behind her, blocking any of the meta-powered children that were following her. As she burst through into the thin and very toxic atmosphere that clung to the planetoid, her ring automatically cloaked her in a protective sheath.
It was at this moment that the Legionnaire Ergus Wraithcat, known as the Atomsmasher struck!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 15 May 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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oohhh more!
of course not everyone would be comfy with the idea of flying,
bless Imra for her sensitivity, and Yera for her welcoming
lol at poor Twister
Zoe is such a good egg, that's one reason I've always loved her. she's generally kind (but don't get her riled up). nice of her to involve Ulu!
whew, glad that Magno Lass, Kid Dynamo and Ballistix all survived their encounter, I was scared some of them would not!
I like Lu's pep-talk to Tectonik - you're staying behind cause you're actually the most versatile of us!
yup, the difference in experience is showing. Lu took charge well, and I love her "you called US for help"
ah, good work showing the Yellow Lantern's motivation. because indeed, I expect she could certainly have killed some of our good guys...
Time for Atomsmasher to shine!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 15 May 24
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Yay, more! Kent being wary of the flight rings is something I'm surprised has never come up before to be honest! All of these people place a remarkable amount of trust in a single piece of jewellery to defy one of the natural laws of the universe constantly I laughed at Twister reminding Garth and Imra they're old now....that reminds me of way too many conversations I have had with younger coworkers Zoe and Color Kid's scene was fun as well...you know things are concerning when Zoe is the one telling someone to tone it down a bit The League and the Legion teaming up is well done, I like Lu explaining in pragmatic terms why Tectonik wasn't in on the action and your subtle way of showing how the Legion are obviously the more experienced team. I am digging this Yellow Lantern! And looking forward to seeing Atomsmasher get some time in the spotlight!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 15 May 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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Hey guys, thanks for you kind reviews, they're appreciated. Kent has an ongoing issue with flight rings - first mentioned I think when they faced the Cosmic Children. I like giving him these minor issues to deal with, like if there's a medical emergency he'll be asleep in bed and Jan will stay there while off he goes to deal with it. IB, you're right about Iimra and Yera being sensitive to Jed's needs, they're two compassionate ladies. Both are pretty bad ass too when they need to be too of course Raz, Twister was based on a conversation I had with a student - yeah, it definitely got chillier after they told me I qualified before they were born... thanks. Zoe and Ulu, well bless her, I've become quite fond of Kinetix so enjoy finding these little moments for her. The League definitely have a few rough edges that need smoothing out. I haven't quite finished with them, yet. More wedding shenanigans and the Yellow Lantern coming up and we'll get a bit more of an insight into Atomsmasher's past as well as seeing them in action. Hope you enjoy it.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Legion Worlds Nine updated 29 May 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
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Weisenger Plaza, Earth
The team had reassembled onto the plaza for the speeches and toasts.
Everyone had been handed a flute of whatever beverage they requested and asked to retake their seats.
Yera felt embarrassed that Gim had opted for another tankard of ale to toast the newly married couple but knew that saying anything about it would not help the situation. Gim was obviously happy to flaunt tradition, so why make a fuss about it... still, it did rankle her a little bit as she watched everyone sip delicately at their champagnes as he gulped his ale like a Rimborian docker.
The Khundian mystic called Pressure Point had joined Dragonmage and Glorith, and it was clear that there was a little flirtatious spark between Xao and her. Glorith looked around, hoping that Danielle was still there. While the young mystic hoped to see her technopathic friend, she spotted Southern Lights instead... his arms around Dawnstar's waist; the winged couple floated behind the crowd. From their body language, it was obvious that they were both very happy as they whispered and giggled between themselves. Glorith took a deep breath as she turned away and ran through her Scales on the Order of Dissimilarity in her head to distract her from her disappointment...
Sparks and Lightning Lass played with their nephews. The two Winathian Legionnaires had become close and hey both knew time was running out before the younger left with her team so wanted to stock up on happy memories. The boys, of course, loved having two auntie Ayla's. The boys were ecstatic when Backlash joined them; the gentle tigerram allowed them to sit on his back and the two boys would take turn sitting on his shoulders with their small hands around his horns, pretending to steer the great cat as is padded through the event.
"Isn't that amazing... Has he ever let you ride his back like that?" Sparks asked her older counterpart.
"I did ask once, and he said yes..."
"Oh wow, what was it like?"
"Well, I didn't..." The older Ayla said, her expression turning serious.
"What?" The younger Ayla asked, incredulously.
"Yeah, he said I could so long as he could sit on mine afterwards!"
Both women laughed.
.........................
Kid Pulsar and Thirteen sat at the back. Both wore pirate themed suits. The Naltoran had a dark jacket of starfield cloth with long tails along with baggy black pants and knee high boots, his stark white shirt stood out against it. His hair was also tied back in a ponytail with a long red ribbon. The Terran had a green waistcoat and black shirt, with dark grey trousers tucked into red boots. They were feeling pretty proud of themselves for taking Zoe up on her offer to dress them earlier in the day. The two friends had been discussing Dann's evolving appearance. The young man from Naltor was easily four inches taller now than when he joined the team, and his physique while still impressively muscular was noticeably more lean. Dann explained that each time he used his abilities on his own appearance the easier it became so he was practicing making incremental changes as it might prove to be an asset to the team if he could switch looks at will.
"Yeah, and you enjoying the stares 'as nothin' to do with it? Could you become anyone?" Neel asked, surprised with himself for feeling a bit shocked by this; after everything he had experienced in the last year...
"I don't think so, y'see the more outlandish the look the higher the level of improbability it is to create and so the more power it uses. I'm kinda having fun with it right now so just playing around with the basics while I get comfortable with it."
"So next time I see you yer not gonna be a woman or anything'?"
"I hadn't thought of that... do you think I'd be good looking?" Dann gave a teasing look as he asked before he laughed outright at his friend's shocked expression.
Atom Girl sat with Strobe and Poltergeist.
The Comets were on their left, though they were giggling at in-joke between them so they weren't really interacting with anyone else.
"What do you think of Friction and Ultra Girl bringing their Academy boyfriends along?" Asked Poltergeist.
"They're cute." Atom Girl said, "the Shape boy is really sweet, I had him in a combat class the other week and he'd offer his hand to help people up when he knocked them down. He's a good kid..."
"I think it's a bit weird, a Legionnaire dating a student." Strobe said.
"I used to date a student. It really hurt when he left..." Atom Girl admitted.
"Ah, sorry, that was..." Strobe bean to say.
" So awkward! So effin' awkward!" interjected Poltergeist with a barking laugh.
Atom Girl and Strobe both stared at him.
"It really was." Atom Girl admitted before she too burst out laughing.
Several rows in front of them, Star Boy sat with Dreamer resting his head against her chest. They had both enjoyed spending some time with their older counterparts but the two couples had now paired off and were sat apart.
"You sure what you saw? You haven't had a clear vision in six months..."
"Of course I'm sure, in two days we leave in that planetoid the team rescued us in and meet yet another Legion team."
"They're gonna be good guys, right?"
"Oh definitely, a great bunch... Some of this group will be with us when we leave as the other team's friends of theirs and they want to visit though not all of them will return home here."
"Well Jenni and her boyfriend said they want to go..."
"No, it's not just them Thom, there's others who won't be coming back as well."
....................................
Atomsmasher - Ergus Wraithcat of Betelgeuse - spaceflight, durability, hyper senses, limited telepathy, radiation manipulation
Atomsmasher had flown through Henry's warp to a point only two clicks from the planetoids surface.
It made perfect sense to have Ergus appear outside the station, Wraithcats had evolved to not only survive but thrive in the cold hard vacuum of space.
The Betelgeuse system, where the species had originated, had forty six planets with only the furthest seven having any sort of atmosphere. Their home star was large, bright and volatile, so the inner worlds had long since lost any gasses that had clung to them. Of the last seven, six were gas giants and it was in the very upper reaches of the fourth of these where the spores that grew into the Wraithcat's kite-like larval state originated. As they grew they danced through the clouds and flirted with leaving the ammonia and carbon dioxide atmosphere, their bodies adapting to feed on the harsh radiations that burned so fiercely from their home star. With the loss of their wings and the growth of both their telepathy and their three long tails, the Wriathcats young would leave the relative safety of the gas giant's towering clouds to ride the solar winds around their home star.
The Wraithcats were adept at warping radiation around them, and as such could be virtually impossible to find if they did not want it. They also had evolved to possess a greater sensory perception than almost any species known. The Khunds, the Dominion and the intra-dimensional Qwardians had tried in the past to capture the Wraithcats to investigate the source of their radiation manipulation and hyper-senses. Until the expansion of the United Planets into the Betelgeuse system six centuries prior had stopped the three ancient empires from intruding, these hunts had greatly diminished the Wraithcat numbers. The strange beings that called themselves Human appeared to attach some strange superstitious luck to the rare species, and as such they were left well alone.
Atomsmasher's senses were such that Ergus was able to clearly perceive the electromagnetic output of the station that had been built into the enormous tumbling rock. As Ergus spun its sleek dark crystalline tubular body around the station it absorbed the leaking radiation into its cells, holding onto the energy tightly, compressing it into a dense ball of swirling energy.
Ergus could sense its colleagues from the Legion as they flew through the tunnels just underneath the proto-planet's outer layers which the station had been built upon. The being that its colleagues had named Babbage had a particularly intriguing electrical matrix that the Wraithcat found both fascinating and disturbing in equal measure - the life forces of all carbon based beings had certain similarities to Ergus' senses, yet Babbage displayed a truly unique structure. The Robotican was not the only unusual energy matrix that the Legionnaire could sense...
Not far from where the Legionnaires were, the Wraithcat could feel an energy signature that was somewhat similar to Dkyun Mu's Green Lantern ring produced, but somehow subverted... it was an odd sensation that emanated along the energy wavelength, an almost emotional subtext that sent the Wraithcat's sensory nodes tingling uncomfortably. It felt somehow familiar yet the planetoids surface was blocking the full spectrum of radiation from being properly accessed by Ergus' hyper-senses.
Atomsmasher swooped in towards where the energy appeared to be getting closer to the surface.
As the rocks and rubble of the planetoids skin erupted open Ergus recognised the being that flew out into space - it was a being Ergus had learned the humans called a Yellow Lantern! The Weapon Masters of Qward had sent several of these horrific beings to hunt Ergus' species in the distant past, and still their energy signatures were shared as a warning by the elders with the young that remembered the horror of the hunts... the young Wraithcats were taught to flee from them as soon as they were recognised.
Atomsmasher knew it had to do something to stop the foul creature that wielded such abhorrent power.
Wrapping background radiation around its body to be all but invisible, the Wraithcat swooped in towards the Yellow Lantern and swiped at it with one of its long tails, releasing the stored energy in an explosive burst at the Lantern's face as it struck.
.........................
The unexpected explosion blinded the Yellow Lantern.
As she struggled to regain her composure, Atomsmasher wrapped one of its tails round her wrist and violently yanked at her arm, spinning her off balance painfully. Another tail wrapped around her waist and spun her the opposite direction while the third slapped her hard across the face.
The Legion had taught Ergus combat techniques while it was in the Academy and it was making sure it used these to its advantage as it knew how powerful and destructive its opponent could be if she were given time.
If the Yellow power ring had not been protecting her, she would have been knocked unconscious. As the Yellow Lantern fought to regain her senses, the Wraithcat slammed its dense body into hers, head butting her on the side of her torso and sending her flying off into space.
Atomsmasher once again drew all the nearby radiation into itself, preparing another explosive attack, but before it could be released a giant sickly yellow hand flew out towards the Legionnaire. Ergus dodged and flew around it, losing precious seconds in the fight.
The Yellow Lantern may not have regained her full equilibrium after the sudden attack, but she was aware enough to know she needed to lash out against her unseen opponent so they couldn't take advantage of the surprise.
With a thought, she was surrounded by a wide bubble of force that would keep her opponent from getting close enough to physically assault her again. With a grin she added large thorny spikes to the outside of her protective sphere. Whatever had just attacked her had done some damage as her side and arm ached alarmingly. The Yellow Lantern took a breath and fought back tears as her ribs sharp pains overcame her adrenaline rush. With a defiant yell she fired off a barrage of solid energy spikes, 360 degrees around her protective sphere, hoping that one would slice her invisible opponent.
Ergus easily avoided the attack and with a flick of a tail sent an explosive ball of energy towards the Lantern. As it did, the Wraithcat flew underneath the Yellow Lantern, aware that she would assume where the energy had come from was also where her attacker was hiding. She had no idea who her opponent was or how deft it was a moving within this harsh environment.
Much like the Legionnaire expected, as the energy ball exploded against the protective bubble, a bolt of yellow force shot out in the direction it had come from. As the Lantern lashed out, Atomsmasher concentrated its telepathy into a focussed blast of its full sensory experiences, hoping to overload the Lantern's mind so she might lose control of her power ring.
The psychic blast caught the Lantern off-guard and she momentarily stumbled as her energy bubble dissolved around her. Ergus flew in beside her, two tails whipping around her right hand as they tried to pull the yellow ring from her finger. The third tail struck at her face, releasing the last of the Wraithcat's stored energy in a small blast. The Yellow Lantern's eyes fluttered as the surprise of the attack caught her off guard.
For a couple of seconds it appeared that the Legionnaire would defeat the Yellow Lantern, though in that time she regained her control and with a thought froze Ergus inside a block of hard yellow energy.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 29 May 24
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Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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Lots of nice character bits here, Harbi!
Re Dann, I think you mean - the less likely the effect, the more energy it uses eh? So I think it’s , the lower the probability - less likely it happens? Nice way to limit his power, and also nice way to include useful applications for his appearance changes (like espionage)
Ominous Nura vision, wonder who else will make the jump to the Justice Legion. Nice that Jenni is rejoining her team for a bit
lol at Yera being unhappy with Gim’s ale
Nice combat scene and spotlight for Atomsmasher, very impressive! Hope that’s given the rest enough time to catch up… I’m a big fan of Atomamsher now, wouldn’t want anything bad to heppen …
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 29 May 24
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
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Yay, more! Sorry Yera, I'm with Gim on this one - beer trumps bubbles! (now you've got me wondering what would happen if colossal Gim drank a keg of beer while giant size and then shrank down to normal Gim size again!) aww poor Glorith....time to get some weird time glop and turn the Legion into babies! I like the two Aylas being friendly, and Backlash and the Ranzz kids continue to be fun also! Honestly, if I were Thirteen I'd be tweaking my appearance every time I could as well. I love a good costume change! I get how it could be a difficult thing to adjust to though, you would want to have a really grounded self-image to be comfortable around someone who can literally make themselves look their best at all times (weirdly I don't feel like this is such an issue with Cham or Yera, maybe because Durlans in DC always use their shapeshifting more as a tool than an expression of their identity?) oooh love a good foreshadowing moment with Dreamy! ...and Atomsmasher! I have been looking forward to this, and a very cool start with a little Wraithcat backstory! The combat scene was really well written as well! I would be happy to read a longer fight scene between these two, Atomsmasher's powers are so weird and fun to see in action, and the Yellow Lantern is a really fun bad guy! Looking forward to seeing how the Wraithcat gets outta this one!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 29 May 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Wanderer
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OP
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Hey guys, thanks for your kind reviews, they're are always appreciated.
IB, you are right, it should have been the higher the improbability so I've edited it, thanks for pointing that out.
More soon as I wrap up both storylines, we'll have a moment of heartbreak and it will bring LW9 to a close.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 June 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Wanderer
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Wanderer
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Earth, Metropolis, Weisinger Plaza
Ultra Girl sat in the next to back row with her new boyfriend.
She knew that people would be talking about them; she was a full Legionnaire while Bolton had only recently joined the Academy as Phantom Boy, but she didn't really care. They held hands and glanced at each other to laugh at the jokes in the speeches, bumping shoulders affectionately.
They had met at the party where fourteen moons had streaked across a distant world's night sky, and if that wasn't a sign from above, she didn't know what was. She smiled to herself as she thought this. Xanthu, her home planet, was highly technologically advanced and famous for its astronomy, so astrology and the like was not something that was taken seriously, but her Grandmother had always said that true romance blossomed under moonlight. Li-Fahn had always laughed as she said it, though right at that moment, the young Legionnaire knew in her heart that her grandmother had been right all along.
Jed had sat next to Tel.
No words were spoken between the two men as they watched Triad from the inter-dimensionally displaced Legion stand up to give the first speech in honour of the young Tinya Wazzo. They laughed at the appropriate parts and clapped as she bowed out. The young Garth Ranzz stood up to speak on behalf of Jo Nah, before being pulled back down into his seat - to much laughter and applause - by M'Onel who gave a florid bow to the group once Garth had sat back down. Still, Jed and Tel hadn't spoken a word to each other. Lar Gand's nerves showed a little as he stuttered a couple of times as he spoke, though his good nature and clear respect for his teammate shown through. Jed had turned his face towards his husband a few times, trying to catch his eye, but Tel didn't react.
At the end of his speech, when everyone stood to clap and toast the newly married couple, Jed silently walked away from his husband and made his way to the bar.
The young Imra Ardeen smiled.
Garth had made a joke about standing up to speak on behalf of Jo, and it surprised her. His impulsive behaviour had been somewhat tamed since they first met, which was a relief to her, though she had grown to enjoy these moments as they had grown together.
She leaned in towards him and gently kissed the side of his cheek.
"You missed." He said before turning to kiss her fully on the mouth.
Yes, thought Imra, Garth's impulses were not a bad thing at all.
Dreamer had insisted that Star Boy stand with her at the bar. There were a group of students standing around, but none of their teammates. Thom knew better than to resist as Nura was obviously fulfilling a vision by being there.
"So..." a muscular student with dark eyeshades approached the two displaced Legionnaires, "Do you gave an Academy where you train your metas in your reality?"
"To be honest, we don't know if we have a reality anymore." Thom replied.
"You'll have an adventure finding out though, won't you? And you're getting that planetoid when you leave so there'll be room for anyone who wants to join you, yes?"
"Excuse me," Nura stepped in front of her boyfriend, "we will have room, but we don't need freeloaders. It's hard work being a Legionnaire, so if you're looking for a thrill ride, our life isn't the one you want."
"Yeah... I've heard that line before..." the student said rather huffily before turning back to the bar.
"Don't mind Sergeant Stomper. He's been marked down in the latest assessment for not being a team player." Several students laughed as the slim girl with purple skin said this.
"You're Bloom, aren't you? One of the interns?" Nura asked her.
"Ah, yes..." The student froze momentarily, surprised to be recognised.
"You're going to go far darling, you really are." Dreamer gave her a wide smile.
"I hope so, though I haven't been picked to go on too many missions yet."
"Maybe you should choose the next mission you go onto... you have options."
"What about me? I'm called Mosaic." Another stepped forward.
"I'm sorry honey, but I haven't seen where your path leads, though I'm sure it'll be great."
More jeers erupted from the students.
Before anyone else could ask what their future held, the young Timber Wolf, alongside his older counterpart and Laurel Kent, arrived at the bar and started speaking with the young Nura and Thom. Jed Rikane joined them. Nura welcomed him and stood next to the Legionnaire, putting his large frame between the students and the pre-cog and ending their conversation once and for all.
Tyroc and Monica Sade sat near the front.
She had interlocked the fingers of her right hand through his left and was gently rubbing her thumb along the outside of his index finger.
"Do you ever see yourself getting married, Troy?" She whispered.
"As a Legionnaire, I never thought I'd get the opportunity t' be honest... seems like a big risk t' take and it wouldn'tbe fair to whiever was mad enough to marry into this life."
"Yeah..." she turned her face away from his as she responded.
"Unless, of course you're asking, then I'd say yes, o' course! In a heartbeat I'd say yes." He added.
"It's these two's day today we don't want to steal their buzz, so let's discuss this further tomorrow." She turned back towards him, gave a wide smile, and kissed him gently on the tip of his nose.
Troy Stewart's smile was glorious!
............................................
Retro - Deputy Team Leader - Deen Toro of Ventura - limited reversal of personal timeline Titan - Deputy Leader -Nasir N’Cube of Titan - alpha-level telepathy Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds - strength, durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness, and analytical skills. Starkling – telepathic swarm-being composed of indestructible ball bearing sized components Atomsmasher - Ergus Wraithcat of Betelgeuse - spaceflight, durability, hyper senses, limited telepathy, radiation manipulation
Intern: Impact - Dillon Blackstream of Myar - incredible strength, speed, durability, stamina, motion sense
The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):
Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina, and spaceflight
With Babbage's incredible computational skills, they had quickly discerned which of the rocks they could safely move without bringing down the whole cavern upon them.
Starkling was the first out, as its component parts worked their way through the smallest of gaps, with Ballistix punching through the last layer of rock and following quickly afterwards. Retro indicated to Babbage to get after them. Retro was pleased to see the station had fitted this region with Atmospheric Shields as an automatic force field popped up bocking the air from inside the tunnel from escaping. Thankfully, the shielding wouldn't be strong enough to stop the team from leaving through the hole.
Babbage tore after Starkling and Ballistix leaving Retro and Titan behind. Retro signalled his telepathic teammate to hang back with him.
<Titan, what are we dealing with out there?> Retro asked. The tall telepath nodded to the team leader and shared what he was reading from their colleagues...
Atomsmasher was trapped, unable to move, but still the Wraithcat was reaching out to absorb whatever radiation was reaching it through the block of yellow energy that held it in place.
Starkling had mostly avoided a burst of yellow force that the Lantern had blasted towards the composite Legionnaire. Perhaps a fifth of it's marble sized components had been scattered but they were returning to the main mass as it collected around the Yellow Lanterns head. As it tightly swirled around the Lantern, Starkling realised the it was not physically affecting its opponent, protected as she was by a yellow skin-tight force field. Instead, it tried to reach out to grab the Lantern's toxic ring but couldn't grab hold of the hand as the force field around it started to pulse.
As Starkling distracted the Yellow Lantern, Ballistix flew in and smashed a powerful double-handed blow to her back that sent her spinning. Several of Starklings components flew off though they quickly spun around and rejoined the swirling mass that was holding on tightly to the Lantern's head and upper torso.
<Titan> Retro had an idea <can you and Starkling use your telepathy to ...>
<On it!>
Titan quickly contacted Starkling, asking it to boost the message he would be shouting into the Yellow Lantern's mind.
<LET!> <THE!> <WRAITH!> <CAT!> <GO!> <AND!> <SURRENDER!>
........................
As Titan and Starkling tried to overpower the Yellow Lantern's mind, Atomsmasher let the radiation it had been absorbing go in a flash that buckled the yellow energy block that had held the Wraithcat.
Babbage floated nearby. The Robotican's senses could tell it that their opponent was struggling. With immaculate precision Babbage pointed towards the Yellow Lantern's ring hand and released the strongest laser it could generate. The force field around the Lantern protected her from serious physical harm though there was a bright explosion and the construct around Atomsmasher dissolved. Ergus quickly flew away, out of reach of their opponent.
Ballistix swooped in again and started to pummel onto the torso of the struggling Lantern. As Starkling had effectively blinded their opponent the synthesoid estimated she would have a better chance at a continued attack rather than hitting and running. As she started raining down super speed blow Kid Dynamo reached them and flew up behind the trapped Lantern and grabbed their right hand where their toxic ring shone. The powerful young man from Dryad twisted and turned the hand with all his might. Impact joined him, the two of them smashing at the force field that protected her.
Just as it looked as if the Legionnaires, intern and former students were defeating the Yellow Lantern, a burst of sickly force erupted from her ring blasting them all away from her and once again it surrounded her in a solid bubble.
It was clear the Yellow Lantern was in distress as she hugged herself and stared though angry bloodshot eyes at the Legionnaires as if imprinting their features onto her memory, to be stored for future reference. Before any of them could act there was a flash of brilliant yellow light and she was gone!
"Shysa!" swore Retro.
<Look what she left behind!> Kid Dynamo held up a pouch that had been torn from her belt during the encounter, <Well, at least she left empty handed!>
...............................
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 and Enali had returned to his quarters and were discussing the conversation they had with the enigmatic AI warp controller, Henry.
Uri had finished explaining to his friend that he felt he needed to tell a Legionnaire about what he was going through, when the pain returned in a brutally sharp burst. As the sharp stab of pain shot along the length of his spine the young student from the distant Fringe World collapsed on the floor.
<Help! Anyone, please.... Medical emergency!>
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 June 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
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Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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it just clicked now, silly me - Ultra Girl and Phantom Boy! Opposite of Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy! hah!
ouch. Poor Jed...
sweet moment between Reboot Garth and Imra!
of course, easy for any Nura to fall into the role of a fortune teller...
aww at Monica and Troy!
smart of Retro to do a telepathic recon!
wow! everyone survived! but nice one Harbi, it was a good fight, and clearly a tough one! a bit afraid for the gang - will the League be safe from retribution?
yikes! cliffhanger...!
another nice installment!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 11 June 24
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Hi Harbi, awesome to see an update on your team! I don't think I clicked on Ultra Girl and Phantom Boy being a couple either until IB mentioned it - love it! Ouch @ Jed and Tel...something tells me things aren't getting any LESS messy for them anytime soon lol I like Imra's thoughts about Garth's impulsiveness...they compliment each other really well, which I guess is why they're THE Legion couple Dreamer's little interlude raises an interesting question that I have wondered about myself before - how often does she take actions specifically because she's foreseen them happening? Like "okay it's time for me to walk over there now" even when there's not really any other reason for her to do that except that she saw it happen? OOOH TYROC'S GETTIN' HITCHED! He and Sade are fun together, I dig it! Man, that Yellow Lantern's a tough cookie...she is a great villain! And leaving on a good cliffhanger!! More more more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 18 June 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Wanderer
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OP
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Earth, Metropolis, Weisinger Plaza
With formalities over, Mon El and M'Onel stood to the side of the celebration.
Neither had said very much to the other though they both understood that there wasn't really all that much left to say.
The younger of the two - as relative as that was to two beings that had spend over a millennium in the Phantom Zone - was excited to be going soon, to continue on his exploration of the multi-verse now that the team had rested and recuperated from the horrific time they had endured recently. With the planetoid as a base, and the supplies they were being given, he doubted that they would need to go through any experience like that again...
The older Lar Gand had thoroughly enjoyed the day though it had brought up a feeling he had buried. He hadn't realised how much he missed Jo Nah until today. The Jo Nah from this reality had been so similar to the younger version that had gotten married earlier. Together with Tinya, looking so optimistic and enthusiastic... Lar Gand felt something he thought his exile in the Phantom Zone had taken away from him - he really missed his friends.
The young Rokk Krinn and Jazmin Cullen took to the dancefloor.
"You gave the perfect speech up there, Rokk. I'm so proud of you, you know that?"
The young Braalian athlete kissed her on the cheek, before pulling a hand into the air, allowing her to twirl beneath. As they came together again he spoke.
"I was thinking, Jaz... When we get home, would you do me the honour..."
"Oh, definitely yes Rokk! I was going to ask you the same thing." They laughed as the continued to dance across the sparkling floor.
Jed was starting to feel drunk!
He had always been a lightweight when it came to alcohol so he thought it best to ask the Bar-Bot if they had any anti-alc drinks he might enjoy. As the AI that managed the bar had been programmed with all of the Legionnaires tastes it knew to provide a fruit flavoured beverage that included synth-proteins that would absorb the alcohol from the large man's system. Jed hoped it would be enough to save him from potentially embarrassing himself later on. Tel always said he shouldn't drink alcohol at all... As he took a mouthful, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
Kent Shakespeare, in an immaculately white long coat, stood there with a small smile on his face.
"Do you fancy a dance Jed? Jan's a stick-in-the-mud and won't join me. You like to dance, yeah?" The large doctor glanced at the dancefloor - it was only at most a third full. "Let's get up there while there's room for us... us big guys are always cramped in, aren't we? Let's claim the space while we can."
Jed was surprised as he had never seen Dr Shakespeare dance at any of the parties before. "Uh, yes, umm, let me just..." Jed quaffed his drink in one hearty gulp before following the doctor onto the dancefloor.
Otaki could feel the bubbling happiness from the crowd around her.
Usually she would not have enjoyed being around so many people butas the unified emotion was so uplifting she felt almost dizzy as she lowered her mental shields to revel in it.
"... I asked, are you okay?" Nel Duwi, the Daxamite officer stood in front of Bina, her expression clearly showed her concern.
Bina reached up and pulled Nel in for a kiss. "It is beautiful... Just like you!" she said as they broke apart.
"Are you sure?"
"Nel, I sense minds and everyone is so happy, it's almost euphoric.... Here." Otaki placed her fingertips gently across her girlfriend's cheeks and temples and shared the feeling that permeated the psychic aether around them.
"Wow!" After a few seconds Nel stepped back, her eyes wide, "is that what you feel? Wow, that was such a rush!"
"And can you guess what makes it even better?" Bina asked with a mischievous smile. Nel smiled back.
Nel and Bina kissed once more.
Dragonmage and the Khundian mystic Pressure Point slow danced in a corner of the dancefloor.
Szenlong swam in circles through the air above them, releasing a trail of sparkles that slowly fell onto and around the couple.
Other dancers avoided them as it was clear they were sharing a quite literal magical moment!
Chlorophyll Kid and Gorilla Girl danced for a few minutes though neither were really confident on a dance floor so quickly left and joined a couple of their colleagues at a round table not far from the bar.
Stone Boy and Rainbow Girl had been joined by several of the students and - surprising Ral Benem - Wrecker of the Khundian Battle Brigade. The Khundian was laughing as two students explained why they wanted to be Legionnaires.
"Come to Khundia, find out what a true warrior is!" He exclaimed with another snorting laugh as he slammed a fist into the table!
Rainbow Girl leaned across the table and started talking in a low voice to the Khundian warrior, her aura sparkling as she did. Ral smiled to himself, Dori could do amazing things with her rainbow powers... He wasn't exactly clear on what they did, if he was being 100% honest, but he knew that at least her aura could affect people's moods if she got close enough, and that was good enough for him at that moment.
..................................
Gates had spent the ceremony with XS and Cosmic Kid, though as it finished the Vyrgan had an urge to seek out Brainiac 5 again.
The Coluan must have known that his words would have had an affect on the decision that he was making regarding his place in this reality. The Vyrgan wanted to explain to his friend that there were reasons why he should stay. He didn't want Querl to have anything other than a perfect understanding of the task that Gates had set for himself... As he hovered across the crowded area, he was bumped into by Oodoo Shanair, the Lallorian Ambassador.
"Mister Mr’Asz, apologies... How did you find the wedding? Very moving, don't you think?" The Lallorian had a bland smile on his face as he asked.
"Ambassador Shanair... *chich* it was friendlier than the Khund's mating ritual... A lot less blood." Gates replied. Before he could turn away the Lallorian mutant continued.
"Yes, we have a Khundian on our team, Sentinel, and his expectations can sometimes be a little... Ah, bloodthirtsty. Still, they are an honest species, I've found. It's so much easier when all parties deal with honesty, don't you agree? What is that old earth saying again... The truth shall set you free! It's so true, don't you agree?"
Gates muttered to himself as he nodded and turned away.
<What are you doing, Oodoo?> asked Proty iii. The protoplasmic shape changer was currently sat on the Ambassadors head, disguised as a rather flamboyant tricorn hat.
<He's knows he fighting a losing battle trying to affect Khundish culture... Sometimes we all need a reminder to let the truth out>
<you just can't help interfering, can you?> The Antarean sent telepathically.
<Oh pooh! Some folks need reminding that honesty is a virtue>
<Really? And when are you going to practice what you preach?> Proty asked in a tone dripping in friendly scorn.
Oodoo Shanair laughed to himself as he made his way through the crowd.
Kinetix had persuaded M'Windaji to join her onto the dancefloor.
Zoe had always found Gahaji's style to be a little bit archaic; at least three years out of date, she reckoned, and had decided that she needed to teach him the 'in' moves so he could flaunt his stuff in style, without any shame. Gahaji laughed as she tried to encourage him to copy her.
"You look like a robot chicken." He said, between laughing.
"It's all the rage on Mars right now, c'mon, do it!" Her eyes flashed with momentary concern. He could see her worried expression and decided to not tease her anymore. Instead the young tracker struck a pose and started mimicking her moves. The two of them strutted around the dancefloor like prize cocks in a robo-farmyard parade.
The Monstress stood at the side of the dancefloor, enthusiastically clapping and cheering them on. To her surprise, the young Salu Digby approached her and indicated they should join Zoe and Gahaji. Candy threw her head back and laughed as they strutted onto the dance floor, copying the robotic chicken dance that Zoe assured them was in fashion at the best clubs in the system.
Shikari Lonestar perched on the back of a chair and watched the celebrations around her.
The Pathfinder from the Second Galaxy had found the whole day to be ...weird! The thought of a life-mate went against her upbringing, where the culture was anything but monogamous. Those that followed that path were often seen as somehow less than normal. Still, the humans seemed to approve and she no longer with her brief-home searching for provisions amongst distant Oort clouds... She wished Drake was with them, as the anti-energy being, her Wild-Star - had often explained these things to her when she didn't understand them.
As she had this thought - perhaps the fiftieth time she had thought about Wildfire that day - her senses alerted her that something as out of synch, but with the amount of meta-beings present she couldn't quite hone in to where the strangeness was emanating.
With a flap of her dragonfly-like wings she took to the air and flew around the space.
It didn't take her long to find what she was searching for - the mystic called Glorith was sat by herself. She appeared to be staring across the dancefloor. As the Kwai pathfinder fluttered down to a seat close to the mystic, she said "Shikari is also confused by this celebration, it is a strange day, is it not?"
Glorith didn't stop staring across the dancefloor as she muttered her reply, "... It could have been beautiful."
And with that, the young Xeroxan mage stood up and walked away.
"Well, Sprock me sideways with a deckchair!" Shikari cursed, repeating one of Wildfire's favourite expressions.
Grava cried as she held onto Drinchnar.
He knew that she always cried at weddings, but still felt a little bit embarrassed. Thankfully, they were floating ten feet above the dancefloor and there weren't any witnesses as the tears streamed from her eyes and she repeated how beautiful everyone looked and hoe perfect the day had been.
Drinchnar Lamment held on tightly and whispered to her that she looked the most beautiful of them all.
Jan Arrah had been standing at the end of the bar with Gim and Yera when the opportunity he had been waiting for presented itself.
Tel Vole had floated up to the bar and casually leaned across it. Yera eye's swept across towards the gravity manipulator before she turned away and smiled at Jan - they had been discussing the obvious awkwardness between Tel and Jed earlier, with both Kent and Jan saying they would speak to the two men if the chance came up. Jan nodded to his Durlan friend and left them to stand next to Tel.
"Hey Tel, how are you there?" Jan asked, as he signalled the Bar-Bot.
"Hey Jan, all's grand, thanks, how 'bout you?"
Jan could smell the alcohol on Tel Vole's breath, which surprised him as Gravity Kid was renowned for his studious nature often at the expense of his social life.
"I'm doing fine Son, thanks. Days like this are special, aren't they? Jo and Tinya were always bound for each other, in every dimension it seems."
Tel took a few seconds before he replied, his voice low, "You're checking up to see what's going on with Jed and me, aren't you? You've barely said three words to me in a year and now we're drinking buddies..."
"I'm checking you are okay Tel, you. Are you okay there Tel?" Jan kept the tone of his voice gentle.
"I'm just dandy, thanks. I'm fine." And with the last two words being emphasised to show the conversation was over, Tel Vole floated up into the air and away from Jan Arrah and the crowd around the bar.
...............................
Takron-Galtos, the prison planet - current location highly classified.
Titan and Retro were given permission to watch the questioning of the prisoners.
The first in the Cube - a specially designed room with dim lighting and anti-grav to keep the prisoners docile as they floated in the half-light, supposedly - was the mutant from Tharr who called himself Freezem.
"Prisoner number XMTT23659 - BTHJ9, Halod Harten of Tharr, we have some questions for you." The voice was modulated to be non-threatening by the resident AI.
The thug that the former students had beaten unconscious floated in the dingy interrogation room, his cuts and bruises had been taken care of immediately when the Legion had first warped him into this facility. He had bandages around his torso and the remains of a healing paste smeared around his chin, though in the forty five minutes since the Legion had watched the Yellow Lantern escape, the three remaining aggressors that they stopped had been brought here, and made ready for the science Police to question.
In response to the AI, he swore coarsely.
<there's a telempathic officer currently holding his mind steady, so he won't be able to plan an escape or lie in any reply he gives. We're not allowed to directly probe his mind though. His statement must be freely given to hold up in court> Titan explained to the deputy team leader.
<no, the Science Police aren't allowed... we, on the other hand, are not them and we have diplomatic immunity >
There was a moments silence before Nasir replied.
<are you okay Deen? That was... a bit harsh>
<we need to know what's going on. These thefts and.. and I need to know as there's another one in their gang... on Bibliothecix, there was a woman who recognised me. She said she knew me from long ago, before I can remember>
<do you believe her? She may have been trying to throw you off balance>
<I can't explain it, Nasir, but I knew she was telling the truth. Only she escaped before I could find out more. She might be able to tell me what happened before I was found on Ventura>
Inside the Cube, the Tharrian thug that called himself Freezem continued to swear, creating rather inventive compound-curses in responses to each question.
Titan looked at the Deputy leader. It was clear how much this meant to him.
<Okay... Let's see what I can find out... >
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 18 June 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
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Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
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oooh a Jazmin/Rokk wedding! I'm tickled pink! I love how they proposed to each other at the same time,basically!
ooh boy, I wonder if Tel will get all hissy at Jed dancing with Kent. not that Jed or Kent are doing anything wrong, just that Tel is... well... Tel.
Love how Otaki is drawing in the mental mood, and that she can share it with Nel!
glad to see Gates socializing with a friend, and seeking Brainy out!
lol at Oodoo trying to get Gates to see, uh, reality... and hah at Proty III calling Oodoo out!
hah at Zoe being all it-girl. poor young Vi, she must be missing her friends, so she's seeking out their counterparts...
hah at Kari cussing like Wildfire would have!
a-ha! so Jan and Kent are "dividing and conquering" so to speak! Love it!
well, Tel is smart, even though he may not be wise. he saw through Jan right away...
hopefully, Retro and Titan can get some answers!
another great installment... looking forward to more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 26 June 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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The Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system on the edge of Galactic South Rim Space.
Duplicate Girl - Senior Team member, Luornu Durgo of Carggg - creation of multiple identical duplicates
Intern: Tectonik - Hardal of Granite Falls from Mondriak iv - geokinesis
League of Super-Heroes: Flipside - Drannananna "Anna" Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch
Duplicate Girl, Babbage and Tectonik had remained with the League on the distant satellite to help with the clean-up.
While they did, Atomsmasher flew outside, using its impressive senses to ensure the Yellow Lantern was not hiding nearby. The synthesoid Ballistix had joined the Wraithcat, offering to give protection in case they found anything. Kid Nimbus and Flipside had muttered between them that she just didn't want to do any grunt work... Starkling joined them.
Lu couldn't help but smile as she saw Kid Dynamo carry Magno Lass back to the team's base - Slingshot's ship, currently in Drydock 618. The Braalian could easily have walked, or if that proved too much, used her flight ring to hover. Instead, she gratefully wrapped her arms around the muscular young man's neck and rested her head against his shoulder.
Tectonik and Flipside remained behind to clear up the tunnel in the bedrock. Although they had both been at the Academy at the same time, they had rarely spent much time together. Hardal couldn't stop himself watching as she deftly ran across the ceiling of the cave where the teams had just had their battle with the Yellow Lantern, using her flight ring scanner to check for any risky micro fractures that might cause problems. Her natural dexterity and agility were more impressive than he remembered.
"How's internship treating you there, Almost-a-Legionnaire Boy?" She asked, teasingly.
"Well... to be honest, when it's great it's everything we imagined when we were students, Anna... when it's great. It's not always that exciting though. How's life being an independent Rim hero?"
"Ah, well... you're probably seeing more fun than us, though I found a tremendous Caff dispenser that gives us 25% off on one of the lower concourses... that was exciting!"
"Yeah, I guess things have improved a bit for both of us since we were all students together. " They both laughed.
"You look like there's something on your mind Hatdal, what's up?" Flipside asked.
"I almost didn't come on this mission when i saw it was an alert from you guys. Do you remember, Josi made my life hell y'know, with all her snipes and back-stabbing... I was so scared when I joined the academy, I'd never left a cave system before, never seen an open sky even once. Is she still a bitch?" Hadral asked quietly.
"Yeah... Yeah she was awful, wasn't she? Her and Polar Girl were such schemey's, always plotting! I spoke to her about it once and she said it was the only way she could get off Braal so it was ingrained into her. She has calmed down a bit though. I think not having access to cutting edge beauty treatments and her relationship with Kid Dynamo mellowed her though."
"Same with Polar Girl. Did you hear she's seeing Stoor? Actually, they're quite cute together. Who knew that all it would take to stop them being mean was to get laid, eh?"
"Lucky sods!" Flipside said with a chuckle.
They both laughed as they carried on with the clean-up.
Slingshot approached Duplicate Girl; his expression was grim.
"We didn't really achieve much, did we?"
"We stopped them, captured several of their team and sent a warning to whoever is behind this..."
"I meant my team, you Legionnaires were..."
"Stop that Alfon! We've been doing this for as long as you've been alive so of course we'll have experience on our side. You won't get that by giving up. Keep going, your team are more impressive than you realise. Okay... you hear me there?"
The young prince nodded and gave the Legionnaire a small smile.
"Thank you... We've been questioning our role out here."
"I question your role out here too, but that doesn't mean it's wrong, only that you're smart to not take things for granted. If you don't think things are working here then move on, but don't give up please. You know there aren't enough of us around." She paused here to turn to look directly towards him before continuing. "You don't know just how proud we all were when you all said you would leave the Academy to set up your own team. You do realise you're utterly amazing, don't you? Don't you?" She smiled warmly at her former student as she said this.
Lu resisted the urge to give him a hug as the young prince started to blush.
..........................
Weisinger Plaza, Metropolis, Earth
The older Jazmin Cullen danced with Rol Purthra from the Academy.
They had hooked up at Rokk and Lydda's wedding and spend a few enjoyable evenings together since, when they had time. She rather enjoyed the ease of their... Relationship seemed like the wrong word to use, but it was as close as she could imagine. Whatever the right word, Jazmin leaned in against his broad shoulders and relaxed. enjoying their dance. The music was Nu-Retro that required couples to dance while in hold. Neither really knew how to dance like this but were enjoying the closeness it afforded them.
Jazmin was startled upright as they bumped into someone!
She turned round to apologise and came face to face with her opposite number from the younger team who had been similarly snuggling up to the younger Rokk Krinn. They both smiled at each other and the older Jazmin reached out to hug her younger counterpart. Both women leaned into it and gave the other a tight squeeze.
As they pulled apart the older said "y'know I'm so, so proud of you. You guys are amazing!"
The younger Jazmin seemed momentarily taken aback before hugging her older alternate tightly again. The two women swayed to the music, happily lost in their moment of connectivity.
Dream Boy turned to Cosmic Boy and gave a smile before offering his hand to dance. Perhaps it was the champagne he had enjoyed earlier or the whole mood of the day but Rokk Krinn, legendary for his moral fortitude and straight-laced attitude gave a surprising giggle before sweeping in and the two young men danced beside their respective dates.
After a couple of minutes spinning around, the two young men heard laughter. The two Jazmin's clapped as Rokk and Rol let go of each other and approached the two Jazmin's obviously wanting to continue with their previous dance partners.
"Don't let us stop you, guys." The older Jazmin said.
Rokk and Rol looked at each other and with a smile got back into hold to continue with their rather wooden waltz. There were plenty of amazed faces as the two men danced through the crowd around them. Both women howled with laughter.
Friction was finally able to dance alongside her new boyfriend, Victa Mogretti.
He was currently a student at the Academy, and she had expected a few comments or questioning glances from her colleagues, but much to her relief no-one queried their relationship. They had met at a festival where Spoiler had gotten into a dance competition against Victa; the Legionnaire had lost, though to give him credit he didn't know that Victa was a championship level dancer.
As Shape, the student with the personal dimension and mass shifting power, Victa was popular at the Academy. And Friction knew that after his display on the dancefloor earlier he would become even more in demand as he had spent ten solid minutes dominating a quarter of the dance floor with his spectacular moves. For the next half an hour various fellow students and a few Legionnaires had approached him to compliment his display and ask questions. She was incredibly proud of him, though more than anything she just wanted to spend some quality time with him right now.
It was clear that Victa enjoyed being in the spotlight, and there was a little voice at the back of Janee's mind that raised a red flag over it, though taking into consideration the range of egos within the wider 'Legion Family' enjoying dancing in front of crowds was hardly a fatal flaw.... Was it? As they spun around the dancefloor she wondered if she had just seen the start of the end of their budding romance.
Gas Girl had joined the other Lallorian heroes to the event, not because she was particularly keen to see the wedding - as sweet as it was - but because she hoped to catch up with Retro. The pair had established a rather easy-going relationship which suited them both, but in the last couple of months they hadn't managed to make the time to see each other. She missed him, as she had come to realise that Deen Toro was champion lover and secretly also a total sweetheart! She had been looking forward to spending the evening with him.
Instead, he was away leading some mission to a Rim colony and, according to M'Windaji who checked the flight ring tracker for her, he was currently on Takron-Galtos. While she waited on his returm, she stood at the bar, chatting with Legionnaires from both realities and a few of the students, counting the minutes until his mission was over and they could retire to his quarters to get ...ahem... reacquainted.
Ulu Vakk was having the time of his life.
As Colour Kid danced, he made sure the very air around him swam in vari-hued strips, with fluid blobs and swirls spinning in time to the beat. As the music became more subdued so did the display. If the tempo quickened then his displays would match their ferocity. He had been practising this for such a long time he was relieved to finally use his abilities like this out in the open.
Several Legionnaires had complimented his skills which only added to his happiness.
Ulu Vakk was living his best life!
Tinya and Jo had hoped to make a quiet getaway from the party at least an hour before this point.
Alas, despite Henry offering to open a warp whenever they were ready, the newly re-married couple had yet to find a moment without someone being close by wanting to wish them well. While both were very appreciative, they were starting to get a little bit frustrated.
"I'm going to create a distraction... nothin' major, I'll set fire to Lar's trousers or something." Jo muttered as he hugged his wife. Tinya laughed as she hugged him tightly.
"Ah, just the couple I was looking for..." The voice belonged to the Lallorian Ambassador, Oodoo Shanair.
Jo gave a half smile as he let go of Tinya, and she had a big and clearly fake smile on her face as she turned towards the Lallorian.
The short ambassador put a hand gently on both of their backs and led them to the side, beside a large bushy flower all the while offering his heartfelt congratulations and gratitude for their inviting him and his team from Weber's World. As they reached the big bush he told them that Reep Daggle had mentioned that he had booked them an exclusive suite at a very expensive resort for the evening, and with a wide smile he lifted his hand up to his face and said into his flight ring "Henry, warp please!"
Tinya smiled - genuinely this time - and Jo shook his hand. "Well, I could feel your frustration all the way across the dance floor, it was quite lowering the mood."
With that, a honey and violet warp spun into existence behind the couple.
"Go, before anyone else takes up your precious time. They can't see you here. Go!" With this, the ambassador motioned as if to push the couple into the warp.
Tinya reached forward to give Oodoo a quick peck on the cheek before dragging Jo through the warp.
<now, don't you go saying I never do nice things> Oodoo shared with Proty iii. The protoplasmic shape-changer sighed.
...........................
Home Base, the Academy, The medical bay:
Dr Boom - senior physician and United Planets Government envoy - Danii Schwartz-Geltt of Myar - physician and alchemist 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,
Dr Boom had eased Kid Flux's pain with a potion and asked the young student to lie down on one of the floating medi-bay beds.
As the Alchemedic calmly patted the young man's hand to reassure him, the screens behind the bed popped up with examination results. They did not reassure the physician: Uri's system was resonating with a pulsing energy that the medi-bay diagnostic AI could not identify. The physical response it generated was causing extreme fluctuations in the young man's blood pressure, temperature and, most worryingly synaptic rhythms.
As the results poured across the hard-light screens, Dr Schwartz-Geltt checked against the patient's existing records and realised that this was the first time that the auto-examination AI had been able to perform any internal scans as usually Uri's abilities adapted to block them. All the information they had on the young man came from Dr Shakespeare's painstakingly thorough examinations of him when the student had joined the Academy...
It appeared that Kid Flux's abilities were no longer operating in a stable manner.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 26 June 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
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Hey IB, thanks for your comments above, they are always appreciated! Re a Rokk/Jaz wedding - I don't think we'll see that as I don't have too many more plans for that team after they reach the Justice Legion. It's been fun to write about them but I feel it's almost time to wish them bon voyage. Jed and Tel will have a moment in the next batch, which will lead into some big things going forward as I finish off the wedding scene and will also give Retro a couple of answers nd a few more questions to ponder. After that, it'll be goodbye to the U247 team and LW9 will be almost over. I'm going to end on a bit of a bombshell, so stick around Thanks again, more, more and more coming soon!
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 26 June 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
Harbi, totally understand - not everything has to be shown anyway, and with such a large cast one has to keep the focus shifting as always, super eager to see what you have planned! nice callout to Polar Girl and Magno Lass being nasty before, I do remember their points of view. both were "ambitious"! nice tough love from Lu as well! with some good advice. I like how she thoroughly encouraged Slingshot. great moment between the Jazmins! and also between Rol and Rokk, lol! Friction has a good head on her shoulders, at least, she seems aware. hope she doesn't make any rash decisions! for that matter, hope Shape doesn't give her reason to! all the little relationships are fun! good on Ulu for developing his powers so! ah Oodoo, he is such a good diplomat, so great at reading the room I giggle at Dr. Boom's nickname! ahh poor Kid Flux! hope he'll be fine!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 26 June 24
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
Aww poor Mon missing Jo...I wonder if this is gonna dredge up any trauma for him; I always see Mon as keeping a little bit of emotional distance from everyone because he's already lost everyone he loved once, it must be difficult having to face that again when one of the few people he did actually have a good relationship with is gone now as well. Jed and Kent would be a VERY good looking couple on the dancefloor, I am okay with that mental image Otaki getting high on the loved up atmosphere is cute and makes sense; I like how you pointed out that she normally wouldn't enjoy having so many people around. I get a bit antsy in large crowds as it is, I wouldn't wanna think about the extra burden of actually being able to sense people's thoughts as well! hahaha I like how Rainbow Girl having vaguely defined rainbow powers is just kind of her primary trait in all universes now "Well, Sprock me sideways with a deckchair!" Shikari cursed This is hilarious hahahaha.....Glorith's getting a bit ominous though! Lu's pep talk with Slingshot was really well done....I like that she honestly acknowledged that she's not sure if they're doing the right thing but they shouldn't be letting insecurity guide their decisions; it feels like the kind of tough love she would be good with. The bit with the two Jazmins was really nice, as was Rokk and Dream Boy dancing together; I like the idea that in a utopian future like the Legion's time, people aren't gonna have the same hangups about masculinity and sexuality that we do now...like it doesn't have to mean anything other than two guys just being silly and having fun, and nobody gets weird about it. ...and good on Color Kid for living his best life! All the other interactions I didn't comment on in any more detail were great as well...I love seeing the different relationships and personality quirks that come out in quieter moments like these, good work as usual Harbi!
Last edited by razsolo; 07/08/24 01:35 AM.
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Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 July 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
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Retro had led Titan back to First Base.
Both were aware that they had missed the majority of the wedding on Earth though had agreed that verifying the information that they had just taken from the prisoner's couldn't wait.
A year before, after the group had encountered two unusual spaceship sized aliens, Dkyun Mu, the Green Lantern had told them that her Oan power ring held the story of how the Sgargrathi Confederation had come close to total dominance of their sector of space before being obliterated.
Retro knew that Dkyun had downloaded this history into First Base's databank. With the information Titan had just taken from the minds of the three prisoners they had just deposited on Takron-Galtos, Retro wanted to double check what the information they currently held and see if it led them to any further clues about what the team might be up against.
According to the information Titan had been able to dredge from the prisoner's minds, the woman that said she knew Retro called herself the Immortal. She had been collecting pieces of technology from the remains of the Sgargrathi Empire for at least the last year.
Nasir had found that the Tharrite and Braalian prisoners had been hired in the last month or so by the Immortal as she realised that they would likely encounter law enforcement agencies in her ongoing mission. The two prisoners had also alerted the Legionnaires to the fact that there were currently another half a dozen other meta-mercenaries working in small teams alongside armed soldiers to find and retrieve these rare ancient technologies.
It appeared the Immortal had already gotten hold of a quite a bit of Sgargrathi remains from unpopulated and out of the way places, but to complete her plans she needed to find more of the brutal race's technological remnants, and she had established that these would be found on more populated planets. As a result, she had begun building herself a small army...
Each mission followed the same basic mission strategy if they were on an occupied planet - cause a distraction, usually bloody and horrific, and sneak in and steal the ancient tech while emergency services dealt with the problem they had caused. Their non-meta mercenaries were kept out of the loop or even fed false information as they were seen as expendable to the Immortal's plans.
The third prisoner, the fierce fighter with four arms and red skin called Ripper, had proven resistant to Titan's probes. Nasir was able to confirm that Ripper had been in the Immortal's employment for at least two years and had been part of at least a dozen missions that had successfully retrieved items for her. As Ripper appeared to know the mysterious Immortal, Retro pushed his telepathic colleague to extract as much information about her and her plans as he could. Unfortunately, the red skinned killer had a defensive psychic white noise that interfered with the Legionnaire's mental probing. Nasir had to stop before it became too painful.
As the readouts appeared showing the data Dkyun Mu had given the team from the Oan database, they both felt a chill. Retro had read through most of these reports recently but he wanted to double check the data... it was all as terrible as he remembered: The Sgargrathi Confederation had been one of the most brutal and bloodthirsty races the Green Lanterns had ever encountered. Both Retro and Titan were worried why the Immortal had gone to such lengths to get her hands on this incredibly violent long dead races technology.
"I'm going to call a senior team meeting tomorrow Nasir. We can discuss it further then..." Retro was still re-reading the hard light screen as he spoke, though with a flick of his hand he cancelled it. The room was suddenly dark around the two young men. "Perhaps we should go catch the end of Jo and Tinya's wedding, we deserve a party after this."
..........................
Lozaro Koosta-Nevrra, the Rimboran student better known as Rebounder, was on a curfew.
He had been one of half a dozen students that had snuck out of Home Base and embarrassed the academy tutors, and while the punishing regimen they had been put on when they returned was slowly lifting, there were still consequences for their impulsive action.
Lozaro was fine with it, really. Had he acted like that while he was in the gang on Rimbor he would be either wearing concrete boots in a deep river or be found scattered amongst several hundred tins of dog food... While the rest of the group had grumbled about their treatment, he reflected on the blessings that being amongst Legionnaires brought - he was still alive, obviously the primary one!
He spotted his friend Mor Gwakyalya, the newest Invisible Kid, with that stone girl that hung around with him at the back of the seating. Mors had been confined to the medical wing since returning and as a result, there were more rumours about him that any other students. Lozaro waved and shouted across as he made his way to the dance floor - he only had until 2200 hours to make the most of this event, so Lozaro didn't want to waste any of it on just chit-chat, there would be plenty of time for that tomorrow!
Right now though there were several of his fellow students that he wouldn't mind an up-close and personal tango with...
Violet had finally sat down. Her feet would ache in the morning but she didn't care.
This evening spent dancing and laughing with Zoe and Candi had been the best experience she had had in... Well, probably since her Zoe had died. The Imskian felt tears swell in her eyes and she smiled, surprised that she was only now about to cry for her lost friend. With that thought she gave a choking sob and shrunk down to the microscopic so no-one would see her release her emotions like this.
Comet Queen and Comet King stopped twirling in the air above the dance floor and made their way to the bar, Lexikon and Sky-Lieutenant Annach'ha - the team's new Sun Boy - were talking between themselves. Everyone agreed that they had never seen the Tamaranean princess as relaxed as she did now her fiancé had joined her from Nu- Vega.
"Drinchnar, salutations! The humans have such quaint customs, don't they... to be married in the space of a day is quite incredible, isn't it? I would spend the longest month assuring my princess I was worthy..." Annach'ha said, waving the two Comets in towards himself and his fiancé.
Comet King replied with his lop-sided smile. "When my gravalitious Queen red-shifts her blessing for a binary-join I'll glom agreement in a nano!"
"Your gravalitious Queen would be zenith sunbeamed to the stellarist heavenly heights if you did, Drinchnar." Lexikon said with a warm smile.
Grava blushed.
Tel had been dancing in one corner of the dancefloor close to several of the students, though he had made no move to join in with them. The gravity manipulator was enjoying the moment; the lights and colours matched the beat of the music perfectly. Rainbow Girl moved close-by dancing with the Khund called Wrecker; stripes of coloured light were radiating from her as she moved and the burly warrior seemed entranced.
Without realising it, Tel cut between them.
"Get out of my way!" The Khund growled, and pushed at Tel, knocking him onto the ground. The young gravity manipulator was on his feet within a second, his fists tightly clenched and glowing with energy as he stared at the brutish warrior.
"Hold on there..." Jed Rikane's voice said, before the large purple skinned man confidently strode in front of the Khund. Close behind him, Dr Shakespeare looked on, his expression stern.
Wrecker looked at Power Boy, a slight smile on his lips as he replied, "this time the boy-child's yours, maybe next time I'll fight you for him." And with a barking laugh he turned back to Rainbow Girl and ignored the Legionnaires. Jed turned to Tel to check he was okay.
"I could have dealt with that myself." Gravity Kid said as he dusted himself down.
"I saw him push you Tel, and no-one treats my husband like that."
"Yup, because your husband can look after himself." And with that, Tel Vole turned around and levitated over the crowd away from Jed Rikane.
Tal Nahii, or Gas Girl as she was more commonly called, was beginning to feel drunk, though not as bad as a few of the students that stood around talking in loud voices about the achievements they would have as full blown Legionnaires....
As she reached across the bar to get the serving droids attention, there was a voice from behind her, "I hope you've ordered one for me there."
"Deen... Nice of you to finally show up." Even as she teased Retro, the Lallorian could see he was trying not to show whatever had worried him from the mission he had been on. "How about some nice Bgztlar rum punch?" She gave him a warm smile and stepped towards him for a hug.
"You okay there?" Tal asked him quietly as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sure it'll be fine... After the day I've had I really fancy getting smashed. Want to join me?" He smiled at her, kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose and walked up to the bar to order a large pitcher of Bgztlar rum punch.
"Oh, oooh-kay...." Gas Girl knew that Deen Toro was keeping something serious to himself, and she also knew it wasn't her business to find out unless he wanted to share it, so in that moment she thought to herself she would give him the best night he had had in a long time to help take his mind of whatever it was that had him so tense.
The two Nura Nal's hugged.
The older was away to retire for the night back to Hope World where Gear was looking after her daughter Mattie. While the toddler loved her uncle Izor almost as much as the Linsnarian loved her, Nura and Thom thought it was about time to give him a break.
While the two Thom Kallor's gave each other a bear hug, the younger Naltoran beauty whispered a question in her older counterparts ear.
"Haven't you told Thom yet?"
"Not yet, honey, we have two important missions coming up. He's so old fashioned he'd try to stop me going if he knew..."
The two women exchanged a knowing look and smiled, fully understanding the reasons for not sharing the good news right away.
..........................
Shessan Monasdotta, Granite Girl, and Mors Gwakyalya, Invisible Kid iii, sat near the back of the space. Since he had returned to Home Base after a mis-adventure on Earth, the young man had been under medical scrutiny as the recent run-in with J'onn J'onnz on Mars had altered his power set. As a result the academy had decided that until they were better understood he would bunk in a side-room to the medi-bay and was not allowed to rejoin his training group.
So far, the tests that had been run had discovered that Mors' had developed an additional sensory capacity that made him aware of sapient being's mental energy. This didn't appear to be psychic as such, though he only became aware of it when around beings with actual thoughts - fish and small animals like mice and even insects were just as clear to him as humans or Coluans, though artificial intelligences did not register. He had also developed a reactive, defensive intangibility that allowed objects that he perceived as a threat to phase through him. This was the ability that excited him the most though so far he hadn't been able to use it to pro-actively phase through any barrier before him. He was practising though...
As it was approaching 2200 hours standard, Mors knew he needed to return to the Academy - he was still on curfew after he had joined a few of his fellow students to sneak off their planetoid school base to have an adventure on Earth. He called up a warp from Henry and, after kissing Sheshan good-night, he stepped through to the Home World Medi-Bay.
As Mors arrived in his temporary quarters, he could hear a noise from the medi-bay next door, it sounded like someone arguing with Dr Boom. He quickly faded into invisibility and cautiously left his quarters to investigate.
Uri Yekolleks Kid Flux, was on a anti-grav gurney, writhing and shouting as if he were having a seizure! Dr Boom and the student Enali Drycommo, the latest Mentalla, were at Uri's side, desperately trying to calm him down. The gurney had automatically extended straps that held Kid Flux by the ankles, wrists and across his midriff, as he bucked and shook.
"What's going on? Can I help?" Mors asked as he became visible again.
"Call Dr Shakespeare please." Dr Boom said calmly.
Mors raised his flight ring to his face and called up the Senior clinician, aware that he had seen him moments before twirling around the dancefloor on Weisinger Plaza.
Less than ten seconds later a warp appeared and the tall doctor strode through, wiping his tussled hair off his face.
"Status report?" Kent asked.
"Student Yekolleks arrived just over three hours ago... His condition appears to be deteriorating. He reported dizzy spells, nausea, then only moments ago started fitting. Strangely, I was able to take scans without his ability blocking them..."
"There are two sets of thoughts!" Mors exclaimed, interrupting Dr Boom.
"Tell me what you see, son." Dr Shakespeare responded, turning to stare intently at the newest Invisble Kid.
"There's... It's weird, Uri's thoughts are there..." Mors held out his hand and indicated his fellow students head, "but there's another set that's kinda emanating from all over him, as if it's in his blood and bones!"
Dr Shakespeare took a couple pf seconds to digest this before he urged his colleague and the Titanian student to stand back from the side of the anti-grav gurney.
"Immediate initiation of quarantine protocol, student Yekolleks." he stated. A shimmering force field sprung up around Kid Flux, separating him from the rest of the room.
"I don't sense a thing." Mentalla ii said, looking around clearly confused.
"Uri's always been immune to telepathic scans, though perhaps not to Mors' extra-senses... a second set of brainwaves is a major concern so we must isolate him until we can figure out what's going on. The resident AI will take care of his needs and keep him comfortable..." Dr Boom said softly.
"We need to get to the bottom of this, quickly!" Dr Shakespeare said, his tone matter-of-fact.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 July 24
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Guys, thank you again for your very kind words. LW9 will come to a close very soon as there's a change in the team roster and the U247 crew head off on an adventure.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 24 July 24
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Unseen, not unheard
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ahh, that scene of Vi crying got me. after dancing with two doppelgangers of two dead friends, including her bff...
hahaha! amazing! Lekixon can speak Comet-speak! of course her linguistic abilities would extend to slang and all that!
ach, Tel still acting like a... well. poor Jed...
Tal and Deen are making a cute couple here. and now I'm a tad worried about just what Deen discovered... at least he has time to enjoy the festivities
good news? oh? now I'm curious as to what the Nuras have seen!
cool that Mors' new powers are becoming useful re: Kid Flux's situation. whew! curious as to what will happen here!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 13 August 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
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Earth, Metropolis, Weisinger Plaza:
The wedding had wound down until around midnight there were only thirty of so guests left.
At that point Kinetix had announced that they owed the crowds that remained outside one final fly past.
Twenty three Legionnaires from the two realities took to the sky and flew over the surrounding plaza, waving and smiling for the crowds. Many of the group that had been rescued from the Thanagarian controlled reality had tears in their eyes. They appreciated how lucky they were to be there after their horrific experience in that distant dimension.
The Comets left large love-heart shaped smoke trails behind them as they flew back to the reception.
Within an hour both teams of Legionnaires, their allies and fellow revellers had left the party to the automated cleaning drones.
................................
The next day:
During the Senior Team meeting that Retro had called, Brainiac 5 created an AI algorithm that calculated where the Sgargrathi debris was most likely to be found. Deen had tried not to let his awe at the Coluan's skill show as Professor Dox announced that he could provide this assistance.
Chameleon Boy had contacted the intern they called Snoop. It had an immense astral projection ability that they could use to check on the sites the algorithm speculated where potential sites... If the intern found any, the Durlan said he would take a team to investigate further. Thunder and Tyroc had both volunteered teams to assist in the search if required. Retro thanked them all.
Chameleon Boy called upon half a dozen of their colleagues that he estimated might have the smallest hangovers. He included M'Windaji and Kinetix on the team as both their abilities would be useful if they needed to excavate the technology. Reep regretted it later as the couple squabbled and turned frosty towards each other as the day progressed - perhaps, he realised, they were more hungover than they claimed...
Eight hours later, Reep had let the senior team know that Brainiac 5's algorithm had successfully located five sites with technology intact and they had returned to First Base with the technology they had found on these sites. On eight other sites there were signs of recent acctivity, which they all agreed was alarming. Thunder suggested that Takron-Galtos would be the safest place to store the technology, if the Immortal was searching for it.
Within half an hour, Chameleon Boy had arranged the transfer of the technology to a secure vault on the prison planet.
.............................
Two days later:
Legion World Infinity.
U247 Legion:
Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Live Wire, Apparition, Triad, Invisible Kid (Lyle), Chameleon, Brainiac 5, Spark, Violet, Andromeda, Star Boy, M'Onel, Ultra Boy, Umbra, Sensor, Ferro, Kid Quantum II, Karate Kid,, Shikari, Gear, Timber Wolf, Dreamer
Element Lad - Senior Team member, Jan Arrah of Trom - elemental transmutation The Huntress - Ambassador Amynta of Nostos ii - incredible strength, speed, invulnerability, space flight Karate Kid iii – Mithindrivithis Ngandraffa of Lythyl - strength, reflexes, mimetic motor learning giving incredible combat skills XS - Jenni Ognats of an alternate dimension Aarok - phenomenal speed Strobe - Denal Lort of Dryad - assume electro-magnetic energy form
Other seconded members currently based on Legion World First Base: Cosmic Kid - Po Miman, Justice Legionnaire of alternate dimension Mars - energy manipulation and flight
Interns from Home Base: Zero - Science Police Cadet Amrendra Mayasinghar of Zuyar - multi-dimensional shifting Tectonik - Hardal of Granite Falls from Mondriak iv - geokinesis Bloom - Lavender of Schentanhaumma iii - pheromone manipulation, enhanced senses Shadowsurfer - Walyed Reeaz of D-1457H234 - strength and durability, teleport through shadows or darkness
Laipas - hunting dog from Nostos ii - enchanted to never lose a trail, fast and tough, far smarter than she looks!
Amongst all the smiles and well wishes, the tears on both sides were clear for everyone to see.
Almost three dozen Legionnaires had turned up in person to say their goodbyes to the team from the reality they were calling U247.
The day before, four of the current intern program had requested to join the team on the leaving base. This had initially caused some consternation, but as they were technically adults they could not be stopped if the U247 team agreed - Dreamer had smiled when it was announced and persuaded her teammates that this was as Cassandra had shown her. As the team leader of the U247's, the young Saturn Girl had spoken to Cosmic Boy on Home Base and assured him that the Legionnaires would look after the interns and, if at any point they wanted to come back they would be returned. Of course, when the news broke, Luornu wasn't very happy about it but, surprising everyone, she hugged each of the interns in turn and wished them every success.
Both teams had transported to the planetoid the teams were calling Legion World Infinity; the U247 team's new dimension hopping planetoid base.
Element Lad had agreed to take a small team with the U247 team, including XS and Cosmic Kid who would not be returning and the Spear of Artemis who insisted she join them as there was someone waiting for her... Of course Jan agreed that the Amazonian Ambassador join them. With Karate Kid and Strobe, Element Lad was ready for a trip through the dimensions. Dr Shakespeare had given him a hug and told him that if he didn't come back soon then the team's medic would sell the Trommites' crystal collection to pay for the gold statue the team would no doubt erect in his honour... Jan laughed and promised he'd be back as quickly as he could.
Twenty minutes later the crowd that were there to say their good-byes warped back to First Base Team Meeting Room where a large holo was projecting an image of Legion World Infinity for all to watch as it activated the EDDIE system to leave their reality. Many of the gathered heroes had tears in their eyes as the holo-screen displayed the planetoid the team had recently taken off a tribe of warmongering Tyrazzians fade out against the darkness of eternal space.
..............................
As they left the meeting room on First Base, Retro and Dr Shakespeare were discussing the information that Deen had brought to a senior teams meeting the day before regarding Sgargrathi technology.
Kent was musing that as the student Kid Flux had been infested with this long dead races tech, he had always shown a particular range of abilities, yet in the last few days as the Immortal's team appeared on more populated worlds the student's powers had flickered on and off... "it's almost as if it's switching itself on and off again because it doesn't want to be found." Kent finally said, almost as an after-thought.
"That's it! Kent you're a bloody genius!" Deen Toro patted the doctor on the arm as thanks and turned, going back to Henry's control room. "C'mon, Uri's on Home Base, right? Lets check to see if we've missed a signal or something that the Immortal's using to find the tech..."
"What?" Kent asked as he caught up with him.
"We've been looking at this from the wrong way - it isn't the Sgargrathi tech that's alerting her to where it is. As far as we are aware, other than Uri's infestation it's all inert. I reckon she has some way of ...I dunno, activating it or something, and if we can figure that out we'll be able to track her."
Both men sped up as they raced along the corridor to Henry's warp control room.
Last edited by Harbinger; 08/19/24 08:42 AM.
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 13 August 24
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IB, hi there, thanks again for your kind review above.
These last few posts have been intentionally quieter and more personal than usual as I wanted to highlight the people involved. not just their adventures Next up will be the final posts for this chapter, and it's going to break your hearts... before things really start to take off in LW10 - I promise it's going to be bigger and more outrageous than any of my stories so far!
Thanks again,
C
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 13 August 24
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Joined: Nov 2009
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Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
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Hi Harbi, I have been catching up on your excellent last few posts! Some thoughts: Some moody buildup with Retro and Titan...you have set the tone well here that they're in for something maybe darker than usual. Aww poor Vi...those kids have really been through a lot! The idea of Vi battling through all the really life-threatening stuff without falling apart and then getting all emotional when she's in a space that's safe enough that she can afford to cry is very realistic, I like the way you presented that without any melodramatics. HAHAHA I love that Lexikon is obviously not flummoxed by the Comet speech patterns...I would almost think you came up with a character with a linguistics power just to pull that scene off one day Glad to see Tel is being consistent across all universes in being the biggest asshat in the room Wait...is Dreamy pregnant?? Intrigued!! The Kid Flux situation continues to develop, I see! I am a fan of kooky powers as you know, so it was cool to see Invisible Kid's weird new power getting a chance to shine here! With the combined Legion flyover after the wedding, you mentioned again the trauma that the younger team have gone through; I like how this isn't something they just get over in time for the next story. And the Comets doing love-heart shaped smoke trails would be such a good splash page image in a comic ...and we say goodbye to the 247 Legion! It has been so good having them around, I think you got a lot of really valuable character interactions between the older and younger teams that you wouldn't really be able to write in any other context so take a bow! Oh, I thought this was actually the last post for this chapter till I saw your final comment! I am a bit scared about what's gonna happen next now, but also very eager to find out! To borrow a phrase: more, more, more!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 13 August 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
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Unseen, not unheard
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yay, more!
so like Kinetix to be the one to think about the crowds
can imagine that the poor u-247 team still has some trauma, or at least distressing memories, of their nasty time in that other reality!
and yay for the Comets celebrating love so
ooh, is this Brainiac 5 coming back to the team? he seems to be settling into a nice role now
lol at Reep selecting a team based on how hung over they are!
interesting that some of the interns want to jump to another reality! I can see Shadowsurfer comboing well with Umbra. awww at XS rejoining her original team, and Cosmic Kid going with her. true love... alas, Gates decided not to go... and what's this about someone waiting for Amynta, what does she know?
so Element Lad and Strobe are the only two meant to be returning from this group...
and wow, eager to see how you plan to close this... looks like you have some big shake-ups planned!
as always, looking forward to more more more!
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Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 August 24
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Jed Rikane knew something was up with his husband but Tel Vole wouldn't tell him what was wrong.
His husband had been acting oddly for over a week, since they had a counselling session that had focussed on Jed's relationships prior to the couple meeting. Not that Jed thought there was much to tell on that front as he had joined the Academy at 16 so any fun he had tended to be brief and not very memorable... until he met Tel.
Afterwards, Tel had become withdrawn like he was mulling over something.
Jed had seen this sort of evasive behaviour before, most obviously around the time they had joined the team when Sun Boy had asked Tel to apologise for his rude behaviour to Mon El. Jed had been paying far more attention to Tel's moods since then and had noticed that whenever Tel was mulling over anything he became more reserved and aloof, usually only for a day, but this had been going on for over a week now so Jed knew that there was definitely something serious worrying his husband... and over the last few nights Tel had thrown some monumental strops and asked Jed to stop prying where he wasn't welcome.
They hadn't spoken in more than short, sharp sentences in five days now. Tel had been sleeping on the couch and leaving for his daily gym session earlier than usual in the morning.
Tel getting up early to go to the gym wasn't all that unusual, and normally Jed was more than happy to spend an extra hour or so in bed by himself. However, this morning Jed got up as soon as he heard the door iris closed behind his husband. After a quick sonic shower, he checked through the apartments comm log.
There was something niggling at the back of Jed's mind that this might involved someone else and he needed to know who it was. Other than a call from Thirteen the other day there was nothing that Jed wasn't aware of, and Dann's call had only lasted forty seconds. Probably something to do with the meditation classes he ran. Jed thought they had seemed to settle Tel down... but it wasn't working now.
Jed went back into the couple's bedroom and looked around. He was hoping there might be something here that could give him a clue.
He stood there for several minutes just looking at the bedside cabinets they each had; he'd never looked into Tel's storage before as it felt weird to do so. With a grunt he jumped across the room and pulled open the top drawer - it was incredibly organised, which didn't surprise Jed at all, and nothing looked out of the ordinary. Jed gently pushed it back in and sat down on the edge of their bed. He wasn't going to find anything here...
...........................
Three quarters of an hour later Jed walked out of the apartment he shared with his husband and made his way to the apartment of the person he thought may be able to assist him... or at least perhaps give a pointer towards whatever the problem was. Jed had checked with flight ring data to confirm his colleague was at least awake before he banged on their door.
Thirteen had woken up early and meditated for half an hour before starting his breakfast. He had just sat down with a mug of green tea in one hand and a banana in the other when his doorbell buzzed.
"Yeah, enter!" The Naltoran shouted across his apartment.
Jed strode in, trying to appear far more confident than he felt. He had a worried thought for a split second that he might find Tel here...
"Hey Jed, how you doin' there?" Dann shouted out from the couch, waving across to his teammate.
"Yeah, okay... sorry Dann, I'm hoping you can help me..." Jed could feel the blush rise as Dann got up from the couch and walked across to him. The Naltoran was only wearing a short see-through robe that left very little to the imagination.
"Sure, are you... you feeling okay there? Do you need...?"
"It's Tel, he's acting weird Dann, really off, and I know that could be seen as the norm but it's more than that, he's hiding something... I know that there's something going on and..."
"Wait up there, buddy! You wait right up. There's nothing going on here with your husband, he hasn't even come for the meditation classes in ages, nothing! Okay? We'll just clear that little misunderstanding up right now." Dann had stopped smiling as he spoke. His tone abruptly serious as he stared at the purple skinned man in front of him.
"Uh, no, that wasn't what I meant... or I don't think that's what I meant. Dann I'm sorry, really, but I'm just worried about Tel and I know you two have been working together and I just wondered if you knew anything...? I'm really worried about him as he's acting strange."
"Okay." Dann's voice softened and he blew out a deep breath. "Hah, I thought you were away to hit me for a second there Jed, haha! I'm so glad you didn't... That would've hurt!" Thirteen's laugh lightened the atmosphere and Jed felt himself relax, suddenly aware that he had been really tense when he arrived and so may have looked pretty aggressive.
He felt his blush return to his cheeks.
.....................................
"So, let's figure this out." Dann indicated the couch and started to walk back towards it.
"Yeah... only... ah, do you mind putting on some more clothes, you're like ... ummm... a bit distracting there." Jed's blush fully reignited as he glanced at Dann's perfectly sculpted body.
Jed heard Dann laugh to himself as the Naltoran walked through to the dressing area off his sleeping quarters to grab his trousers.
Dann quickly returned to the couch, wearing flared black trousers with a starfield pattern on the lower leg and a tight black vest. He was still barefoot, Jed noticed.
"Have you tried using the flight ring locator?" Dann held up his right hand and called out "show Gravity Kid's location!" and a hard light screen popped up with a 3-D representation of First Base on it. There was a red dot on the lower level, a small gym that was rarely visited.
"Ah, I can't believe I didn't..." Jed started to speak.
"Hey, it's fine matey, go get your husband, okay? You know you two are good for each other." Dann could see the doubt on Jed's face as he said this. Jed Rikane would never be accused of being inscrutable!
"Jed, you need to talk to him... work it out. Okay?" Dann gave a small smile as he said this.
"Thank you, Dann... I'm sorry I barged in here, really, I'm..." Before Jed could finish his sentence Dann stepped forward and gave him a hug.
"Go, go get your man. Good luck bud." Thirteen said with an encouraging smile as he turned Jed around to face the door.
After Jed had left Dann turned back to his couch, his eyes glowed and probability altered, ripping his clothes off. The Naltoran really couldn't understand why the Earthers had such a fascination with hiding under clothes; when the air was a comfortable temperature it really didn't make sense to him to wear anything at all.
.................................
Jed took a deep breath before he strode into the gym.
As he had walked down the corridor towards it, he had double checked that Tel was still there and half-hoped that he had left; Jed instinctively knew that the conversation they were about to have would be painful....
Tel was pumping weights with his back to the door. Jed could hear the music from his husband's earbuds - it sounded quite aggressive.
<I'm right behind you Tel, perhaps we can talk now as this has gone on too long. It hurts when you shut me out...> Jed sent across the telepathic matrix. He knew shouting would be useless and didn't feel confident going up to his husband at that moment.
Tel stopped for a second before replying <I want to finish my training so can it wait?>
<no, no it won't, not anymore Tel. Enough already please, let's sort this out now. And at least have the manners to turn around and look at me!> This time Jed's emotions showed in his message.
<will you then have the manners to leave me alone?>
<no... no Tel, c'mon... We're a married couple so we go through whatever it is together or... we don't go through anything else together. You understand? I need you to be open so I can support you with whatever this is>
Tel slammed the weights down and pulled his earbuds out as he turned towards his husband, "What is it you really want Jed? Can I not have any time to myself?" Tel's voice was raw with emotion and there were tears in his eyes which startled Jed.
"...darling? What's wrong?" Jed immediately forgot about his own feelings as he stepped towards his husband.
"Don't!" Tel held a glowing hand up to stop Jed as he turned his face away and wiped the tears from his eyes. Jed stopped six feet from Tel and remained silent. This was advice that he had picked up from their counselling sessions - give Tel the space to formulate the words to express himself. For all of his intelligence and drive, Tel Vole simply didn't have the life experience of his husband so expressing his emotional needs often took what Jed thought was a torturous route.
"Jed I'm so sorry but after our last counselling session I've started to think we rushed into marriage, or at least perhaps I did..."
"What?"
"I'm... no, it's not about me, it's you, you are the kindest person I've ever known and I do love you... but..." There were tears slowly rolling down his face as he was interrupted.
"...no." Jed's voice was small. "Don't do this Tel, I won't let it end like this. Not without trying..."
"That's what we've been doing Jed, can't you see?"
"Just give me one more session with Dr Griffor, we deserve that don't we?"
"I'm not sure Jed. I'm...ah, I don't know, I just know I don't want to be... this."
There was a silence between them. Both were quietly crying though neither moved to comfort the other.
"I'll sleep on the couch until we get new apartments set up." Jed said eventually.
"And there's that, of course." Tel's voice had an edge to it this time as he spoke, "That is exactly why I'm so mad at myself, tearing myself up with these doubts; you're always the nice guy aren't you? You don't seem to notice or care that it always puts me in the bad guy role! I don't know how to cope with us... with being with you anymore."
"What are you going on about?"
"I'm fed up of you always being so bloody nice! I'm always the villain who doesn't support his man in all our teammates eyes... they're not my friends are they? They're 'our' friends. Seriously, my head's in a mess and I know I'm being a selfish dick here and you... you still have to be so damned considerate."
There was a moment of startled silence.
"Oh, well why don't you fuck off then, you idiot!" Jed bellowed.
He stopped and blinked as Tel turned to face him.
"That's the fist time you've ever sworn at me!"
"You deserved it, and you can find another apartment to sleep in until you sort your rubbish out, you selfish... aggh, why did I have to fall for such a... a... twit!" Jed Rikane stormed out of the gymnasium without another word.
After he left, Tel Vole looked at the empty corridor and realised that if his husband had only been more like that, not the swearing part admittedly but showing the more forthright side of his personality, then Tel would probably never have had these doubts about his own nature. He also wished that they had never needed to have such a hard conversation... When they first met they had smiled at each other so much... No, but that was then and this is now so he needed to focus on what was best for him in the here and now!
He also acknowledged to himself that seeing Jed so upset was not what he wanted so they really did need to talk with Dr Griffor again... he only hoped that Jed now felt the same.
.......................
News had spread quickly that Tel and Jed were not in a happy place.
In the next 24 hours Tel found that increasingly his teammates were clearly avoiding him. He understood it; Jed had that easy going, helpful, self-depreciation charm that made him welcome wherever he went. The gravity manipulator knew that the majority would see that he was the 'bad' one in this relationship. He was seen as moody and waspish while Jed was a straight up kind-hearted guy... it was what had attracted Tel to Jed in the first place.
Tel holoed Troy and asked to be moved onto the Second Base rota. Tyroc considered the request for a long few seconds before he had replied, "do you think that'll be wise, son? Ah'm not gonna lie, ah've heard what you're going through and I want t' make sure you really want t' do this... do you? If you two separate like this... well, it'll be tough."
Tel didn't think it would be wise and wasn't sure if he really wanted it, not really, but he reiterated his request anyway. Troy Stewart nodded and said he'd arrange it for him and asked if he wanted to move apartments that day, as there were quite a few sat empty he could choose from. The Second Base team leader asked Tel to pick one and get Henry to warp his personal belongings over, Gear would make sure he had everything else he needed in place by the end of the day.
Tel thanked Troy and cut the holo transmission.
He called up a 3D holo of Second Base and checked out where the residential suites were - mainly around the midsection of the planetoid. He picked one that was on the same corridor as Dr Kabbo and the Science Police contingent and asked the AI to earmark it as his. Tel knew there would be some pushback from this action, but at least he could hope for some professionalism from his fellow Science Police Officers until it blew over.
Thirty minutes later, a team-wide holo-alert popped up stating that there would be a change in Science Police representation on the bases going forward - Tel was to move to Second Base while Officer Dyrk Magz, or Magno as he was more commonly known, would be taking his slot on First Base. Tel felt tears build up in his eyes as he listened to it. With this announcement it was official then, Gravity Kid was off the First Base mission rota and would be stationed on Second Base.
Tel knew that by requesting this move everyone would know that his marriage was over...
Within twenty minutes of the formal announcement, his personal effects had been warped to his new quarters.
Tel looked at the holo-plan for his new apartment. He was struck by how much starker it would be than the one he had shared with Jed - none of the colourful rugs that Jed had brought from his home decorated the walls, there were no mementoes from planets they had visited on shelves, the lighting was basic and functional... Tel felt a momentary panic as he now realised that all the choices he made would be his alone. He had never decorated before... how would he decide what to put where? This momentary panic was quickly overtaken by his self belief that he needed to make this move. Decorations weren't necessary right now...
Whatever he chose, he was aware that from now on he was on his own. And, as he mulled this realisation over, Tel Vole knew that he felt absolutely fine with that.
As he walked into Henry's Warp Control Room on First Base the holo-avatar of the consciousness that controlled the Legion's teleportation technology smiled at the young gravity manipulator.
"You'll settle in well on Second Base Tel, I just know it." Henry said with a smile as he opened the warp.
Tel thought about that strange comment a lot over the next few days...
......................... .........................
Legion World Ten will be the final chapter of this fan-fic, and as it currently stands, it will start with this line up:
Legion World Home Base - the Academy:
Former Legionnaires:
Triplicate Girl - Luornu Durgo of Carggg - able to split into three identical duplicates (part of Duplicate Girl) Cosmic Boy – Rokk Krinn of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields Night Girl - Lydda Jath of Kathoon - incredible strength and durability out of direct sunlight Colossal Boy - Gim Allon of Earth - increase personal size and mass at will Wildfire - Drake Burroughs of Earth - composed of sapient anti-energy, extreme strength, speed, durability, space flight, anti-energy blasts Chameleon Girl - Yera Allon of Durla - shape changer Shadow Lass - Tasmia Mallor of Talok viii - summon and manipulate total darkness
Science Police training staff:
Jumping Jack - Science Police Senior Training Officer Jaxi Delgrado-Hynd of Morshesh 5 - hyper-awareness, reflexes and agility Ms Big - Science Police Officer Erikka Chowdrey of Venus - increase her own muscle mass and density at will, combat specialist Brain Girl - Science Police Officer Ella Drottmi of Titan - telepathy and telekinesis Dream Boy - Pre-Commando Sergeant Rol Purtha of Naltor - precognition Tues El - Science Police Officer Vae Loct of Daxam - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability.
Probationary tutor:
Sun Boy ii - Sky-Lieutenant Annach’ha of the Tamaranean Sun-Corps - combat specialist - flight, strength, solar energy absorption and projection, tactile telepathy.
Support Staff on LWHB:
I.Z.O.R. - Gear ii – infrastructure manager - nannite collective being, technomorph Henry – Anti Lad – Spatial warp controller Numbers Guy - M’Rissey of Earth - super-efficient business management skills Dr Boom - senior physician and United Planets Government envoy - Danii Schwartz-Geltt of Myar - physician and alchemist
Current interns from the Home Base training program included on missions in a probationary status:
Imp Master - Dorrolo Capicca Redsail of Zerox - Elven strength, speed and senses, minor mystic specialising in summoning and controlling imps Impact - Dillon Blackstream of Myar - incredible strength, speed, durability, stamina, motion sense Little Loki - Magnus Laviksen of Nordhelm - illusion casting Mosaic - Science Police Officer Rish'ha Nor of Lallor - tactile mimicry of material properties Thunderbolt - Ness Strakinos of Gardenhome - assumes electrical energy form Haze - Science Police Cadet Tkemwa Autmi-Hu of Ungara - strength, durability, induce confusion and senselessness Polestar - Science Police Cadet Nykko Rine of Braal - magnokinesis
Support staff trainee: Snoop - Science Police Cadet Horol Gyllaspi of the Galentorio Satellites - astral projection
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Legion World First Base:
Thunder - Team Leader, Cecelia Becks of 21st Century Earth, immense strength, speed, indestructibility, space flight, wisdom Lightning Lass - Deputy Team Leader, Ayla Ranzz of Winath - electrical generation and manipulation Duplicate Girl - Senior Team member, Luornu Durgo of Carggg - creation of multiple identical duplicates Chameleon Boy – Espionage Squad leader, Reep Daggle of Durla - shape changer Tellus - Ganglios of Hykraius - telepathy and telekinesis Comet Queen - Grava of Extal colony - spaceflight, comet gas extrusion Otaki - Bina Nawoti of Earth - mind-sense Kid Quantum - Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu - creation of temporal quantum fields, flight Ferro - Douglas Nolan of Earth - can assume invulnerable iron isotope form Dragonmage - Xao Jin of Earth - dragon magics Kinetix - Zoe Saugin of Aleph - telekinetic animation MWindaji - Gahaji of Kiringyaga - super tracker, carries the Ruby of Life allowing tactile transformative magic Backlash - Mrruaw MNau of Simballi - enhanced strength, speed, senses, absorbs kinetic energy to boost own size and mass Comet King - Drinchnar Lamment of Extal colony - spaceflight, comet gas extrusion Atom Girl - Sylva Nrilsan of Imsk - can shrink to microscopic size Ultra Girl - Li-Fahn Qiong of Xanthu - incredible strength, speed, indestructibility, spaceflight, and projection of force blasts, effectively limited to one at a time Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis Friction - Janee Whittakka of Xanthu - manipulates the force of friction Spoiler ii - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations Solar Gorilla - D'Nadka Endarooga of Dmansca - generate and project extreme heat and light Strobe - Denal Lort of Dryad - assume electro-magnetic energy form Triple Nova - Elthur Mundo of Carggg - split into three separate bodies, each with either strength and durability, speed and reflexes, or laser vision
Science Police meta-squad seconded to Legion World First Base:
Captain Heavyweight - Senior Team liaison, Science Police Captain Tuk Shir of Daxam, Senior Team liaison - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability Replicator - Science Police Officer Tarev Jusool of Talok viii - can mimic meta-abilities of those nearby for limited periods of time Magno - Science Police Officer Dyrk Magz of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields Power Boy - Science Police Officer Jedidiah Rikane of Earth - personal density control
Other seconded members currently based on Legion World First Base:
Gazelle - J'izl Dtutuu from the Khundian Battle Brigade, of Khundia Prime - enhanced strength, speed, agility and metabolic control
Support Staff on Legion World First Base:
Professor Querl Dox - Brainiac 5 - Operational Manager - 12th level intelligence Dr Richard Kent Shakespeare - Impulse - Chief Medical Officer - enhanced strength, speed, durability, stamina I.Z.O.R. - Gear iii - infrastructure manager - nannite collective being, technomorph Danielle Foccart - Kid Computo - Technical support - technopathic communication and control over advanced technology Henry - Anti Lad - Spatial warp controller Ming Sul - Amp Girl - investigative officer - hyper-enhancement of her own sensory capacities Shardwurd Gandussen of the Ten Peaks from Avalon - Silver Shaman - Medical Officer - biokinetic healing Science Police Psychiatrist - Doctor Anje Falkner - alpha-level telepath Flaurianarelle of Zerox - Greensleeves - orchard and farm caregiver - magical manipulation of plant life Theena Greglenn of Silgor Marregorraus - Network - Communications Officer - hyper-pathic communication through symbiote Solstin Wang of Earth - Booster - medical support - awareness and manipulation of physical properties of those around him Gloriana Crestellen of Grighshtall iv - Glory - medical support - awareness and manipulation of bio-auras
Taikonglong - previously 'Szenlong' - newly hatched Spirit-Dragon... of Space!
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Legion World Second Base team:
Tyroc – Team Leader - Troy Stewart of Marzal city pocket dimension - sonic control Retro - Deputy Team Leader - Deen Toro of Ventura - limited reversal of personal timeline Element Lad - Senior Team member, Jan Arrah of Trom - elemental transmutation Mon El - Senior Team member, Lar Gand of Daxam - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability Dawnstar of Starhaven - Senior Team member - space flight, incredible speed, tracking Timber Wolf - Brin Londo of Zuun - enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes and senses Dragonwing - Marya Pai of Earth - breathes dragon fire and acid Glorith of Zerox - manipulation of magical energies Shield - Laurel Kent of Earth - physical invulnerability, tactile psychometry Monica Sade of Rimbor - strength, reflexes - line of sight teleportation Lexikon - Princess Daheenisha of Tamaran iv - enhanced speed, strength, durability, flight, omni-linguist The Huntress - Ambassador Amynta of Nostos ii - incredible strength, speed, invulnerability, space flight Karate Kid iii – Mithindrivithis Ngandraffa of Lythyl - strength, reflexes, mimetic motor learning giving incredible combat skills Thirteen – Dann Hortra of Naltor - line of sight probability manipulation Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds - strength, durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness and analytical skills. Starkling – telepathic swarm-being composed of indestructible ball bearing sized components Spy (also team counsellor) - Dr Noah Kabbo - heightened awareness and limited telepathy Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field Atomsmasher - Ergus Wraithcat of Betelgeuse - spaceflight, durability, hyper senses, limited telepathy, radiation manipulation Kid Pulsar - Neel Koduah of Earth - incredible strength, invulnerability, projection of explosive blasts Mindbender - Marmud Illic of Titan - alpha-level telepath Poltergeist -Jaun Vineo of Titan - alpha-level telekinesis Non - negative energy being - spaceflight, speed, alter own dimensions and density, explosive touch, limited telepathy
Science Police meta-squad seconded to Legion World Second Base:
Captain Phantom - Senior Team liaison, Science Police Captain Gryal Vrizza of Bgztl Dimension - intangibility Power Lass - Science Police Officer Nel Duwi of Daxam - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability Changer - Science Police Investigative Officer Urill Yagthal of Durla - shape changer Gravity Kid - Science Police Officer Tel Vole of Earth - manipulation of personal or nearby gravity
Other seconded members currently based on Legion World Second Base:
Green Lantern - Dkyun Mu of Xudar - wearer of a Green Lantern power ring
Support Staff on Legion World Second Base:
I.Z.O.R. - Gear iii – infrastructure manager - nannite collective being, technomorph Henry – Anti Lad – Spatial warp controller Hethuk Bran Drommsi - Smith from the Green Rift Forge of Talok viii - weapon maker and engineer Dr Shoodixi Singh - Science Police Medical Officer - bio-empathic
Laipas - hunting dog from Nostos ii - enchanted to never lose a trail, fast and tough, far smarter than she looks!
....................................
HOPE WORLD is the latest planetoid base, specialising solely in disaster relief.
Dream Girl- Team leader - Nura Nal of Naltor - precognition Titan - Deputy Leader -Nasir N’Cube of Titan - alpha-level telepathy Star Boy - Senior Team member, Thom Kallor of Xanthu - stellar mass transference Harmonia - Senior Team member, Professor Harmonia Li of Earth - manipulation of the natural environment Invisible Kid - Jacques Foccart of Earth - personal and tactile invisibility Sister Eclipse - of Rhoohanisett iii - durability, heightened senses, physical possession of any living being Southern Lights of Starhaven - spaceflight, magic user
Interns:
Dragon Lass - Mari Baertling of Rimbor - enhanced strength, durability, echolocation and flight Orion -Science Police Cadet Tw'gg of H'lven - tracking skills, agility, enhanced senses and awareness of flaws or weaknesses Tesseract - Sar Jerash Mor Toark of Mars - access to intra-dimensional space Army of One - Ashia Servito of Luzonus Prime - self-replication
Support Staff on Hope World:
I.Z.O.R. - Gear iv – infrastructure manager - nannite collective being, technomorph Drura Sehpt - Infectious Lass – medical officer - containment and control over bacteria and viruses Henry – Anti Lad – Spatial warp controller J2351 of the Dominion - Ivy - bio-manipulation of Hope World's chloro-technology The Bludgers - clone-grown Dominion workforce with enhanced strength and durability but 28 hour lifespan
Science Police Liaison Team:
'Smart Boy' - Senior Team liaison, Strategic Analyst Graq Maurus of Colu - 10th level intelligence specialising in disaster relief scenarios Groovy - Science Police Officer Droo Vri of Daxam - incredible strength, speed, stamina, senses, laser vision, space flight, invulnerability Magnetix - Science Police Officer Jooli Esra of Braal - manipulation of magnetic fields Mama Tank - Science Police Lieutenant Lolla Grayfrau of Badenhoff vi - cybernetics giving incredible strength, invulnerability, AI manipulation
..................................
Current interns from the Home Base training program included on missions in a probationary status:
Imp Master - Dorrolo Capicca Redsail of Zerox - Elven strength, speed and senses, minor mystic specialising in summoning and controlling imps Impact - Dillon Blackstream of Myar - incredible strength, speed, durability, stamina, motion sense Little Loki - Magnus Laviksen of Nordhelm - illusion casting Mosaic - Science Police Officer Rish'ha Nor of Lallor - tactile mimicry of material properties Thunderbolt - Ness Strakinos of Gardenhome - assumes electrical energy form Haze - Science Police Cadet Tkemwa Autmi-Hu of Ungara - strength, durability, induce confusion and senselessness Polestar - Science Police Cadet Nykko Rine of Braal - magnokinesis
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 August 24
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969
Unseen, not unheard
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Unseen, not unheard
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 84,969 |
poor Jed, the poor dear tried so hard.
good old Dann. Love how he can be direct and to the point, but when misunderstandings are cleared up, he softens
good callout that Tel hasn't really been able to learn how to express his emotions in a healthy way!
I hope Jed's outburst was cathartic for him! Jed really is such a nice guy, the poor dear
maybe these two did rush into things too quickly...maybe Tel needs to learn how to be his own person first. and as for Jed, he needs someone who can be his partner in life...
I wonder if Henry's comment is a hint about the future...
aha! nice to see Brainy taking up a full time support staff role!
well, what a way to end Chapter 9! looking forward to Chapter 10!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 August 24
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767
Legionnaire!
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Legionnaire!
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,767 |
I am glad you made Jed and Tel the focus of the whole post, Harbi...you have given us a very realistic (and slightly uncomfortable to watch) depiction of a relationship breakup between two people that are attracted to each other but don't have any substance to their relationship beyond that; making them the sole focus gives it some space to be explored. While Tel is definitely being an ass here, he's also not being written as some melodramatic bad guy....they're just not in a position to meet one another's needs. And I feel like this post did a lot to flesh Jed out a bit more, I am curious to see where he goes from here! I am also scared to see where you're gonna go with finishing everything up, you are good at killing your darlings and I am attached to a lot of your characters!
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 August 24
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866
Wanderer
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OP
Wanderer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,866 |
Glad you both enjoyed it - as much as we didnt want them to split up, they kinda wrote themselves into that corner, though I imagine it wasn't too much of a surprise really. I think this has been the toughest slog and most enjoyable section of the Legion Worlds saga to write, primarily as it was more focused on the characters than the action than usual. The next section, going by my drafts so far, will be more action orientated. And Raz, me kill my darlings? Never... Anyway, it'll be a few weeks before I get posting again, so until then keep being amazing! C
Legion Worlds NINE - wait, there's even more ongoing amazing adventures? Yup, and you'll only find them in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Re: Legion Worlds Nine updated 19 August 24
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 9,055
Long live the Legion!
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Long live the Legion!
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 9,055 |
Man, that line up is SOO large! I love it! I've enjoyed the downtime, even if it wasn't as fun for Tel and Jed. So many fun characters! Plus some of them make me laugh out loud, like a Daxamite called Tues El. Cool that Rol Purha is a former Pre-Commando, I remember that being a theory back when the Threeboot introduced 'Dream Boy,' that he might actually be one of the Pre-Commandos that Nura outwitted during her visit to Naltor, perhaps the one whom she predicted would be single soon as his wife was leaving him? (Mean use of precognition, or guile? Love it!) I like that there are multiple Naltorians, Titanians, etc. on the spread out teams, and that they don't all have the same powers. Some variety is cool.
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