Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business Post ZH Legion: Volume 5 - What Makes Us Special (August 26, 2023)

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

JS-1967

Planetoid JS-1967 was once an idyllic location, with rolling plains and grassland. This all changed after a battle between the Legion of Super-Heroes, volunteers from Xanthu's Uncanny Amazers and McCauley Industries' Workforce, a pair of sorcerors, and the United Planets fleet against the sorcerer-despot Mordru. Mordru is now dormant, entombed and under constant guard.

JS-1967 saw violence one more time, when the four Elementals of Disaster traveled there to awaken and slay Mordru. The Legion stopped the Elementals, though not before most of the UP forces stationed there were slaughtered.

- The Earth Spins, Planet Profiles *

**************************************************************

Apparition, Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl; intangibility
Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Ultra Boy, Jo Nah of Rimbor; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers and flight, but can only use one power at a time
White Witch, Mysa of Zarrox; sorcery

**************************************************************

"Wow... THIS is where it all happened," Blizzard looked around the chamber where Mordru's airtight intertron sphere was kept. "I still remember watching the report on the battle, and being there when the Legionnaires returned to Earth..."*

"Sssh, Brek," Kinetix chided softly. "Mysa needs to concentrate."

The White Witch didn't give a sign of hearing anything, though. She was focused intently on testing each of the spells she had laid around Mordru's prison. Each was in place, tied and set, but she did not dare risk being careless where that accursed father of hers was concerned.

Nearby, Ultra Boy stood, tense. Blizzard laid a reassuring hand on Jo's shoulder.

Apparition's head popped out of the sphere. "He's still asleep, kneeling; doesn't look like his physical form has moved at all." Despite trusting in her teammate's magical skill, Tinya still shook a bit. After all, she had already "died" once; and though she hadn't faced Mordru herself, she had fought the four Elementals.***

Jo relaxed visibly. "Good job, angel."

"So I guess we're done here?" Brek almost sounded disappointed.

"Yes..." Mysa began. "Saturn Girl has also scanned Mordru, and he is completely dormant."

"I wonder...Could he be fooling us somehow? Maybe we should..." Kinetix reached out to touch Mordru's prison.

"Don't touch that!" Mysa snapped. "Haven't you learned anything from your brushes with power?!"

Kinetix rounded on Mysa. "Oh, you want to bring that up, do you? I gained my powers because my mother helped you, then you took them away to manipulate me!"**

"You impertinent whelp!" Mysa drew herself up.

Zoe pointed a finger at Mysa. "Don't pull age on me, you ancient h-"

"Stop it!" Tinya phased in between the two. "We're all friends here, you know?"

"Friends?!" Zoe rounded on Tinya. "Friends don't steal their friends' powers, and continue to treat them like idiots even when they become teammates!"

Jo took one look at the thunderous looks on Zoe's, Mysa's and Tinya's faces, and wisely began to back away, pulling Brek with him. Jo reocgnized Tinya's expression from many past arguments with her mother Winema, and knew that the best thing to do was to wait for the emotions to wane.

"I told you!" Mysa walked through Tinya's intangible form to get to Zoe. If their faces were thunderous before, both Tinya and Zoe now looked like they could chew through inertron. "My friends were dead and I couldn't trust anyone, I did what I felt I had to do to ensure Mordru would never return!"

"Right, so you just used me like a tool! And you could have killed Violet when she separated from the Eye!"*****

Brek's mouth began opening and closing like a Mellorussian. Jo, desperate to avoid Brek saying anything, turned to him. "So, what was it like being possessed by the Seven Deadly Sins?" Brek turned to Jo in surprise. "How can you..."

Jo shook his head side to side, motioning with his hands to keep quiet. Brek took one look at the three women, saw their faces, and decided he didn't want any part of this. "Yeah, uh, it seems like a dream now. I talked to Wildfire and Density and the barely remember anything..."

Tinya stomped between Mysa and Zoe and turned to look both of them in the eyes. "Zoe, Mysa, you're both acting like Leland McCauley used to," she hissed. "Listen to yourselves, I thought you two talked this over long ago!"*******

Mysa felt like she had been slapped. It was true; she WAS acting like a child. She saw the same consternation and shame reflected on Zoe's face. Well... she was the older one by a few centuries. Swallowing her pride, Mysa bowed to show her shame. "I... I am sorry, Kinetix. You are right. We are teammates now, peers, and I should have treated you as one. I already apologized for my previous manipulations of you, and I apologize again - and also for my outburst today. I should not allow myself to become irrational where Mordru is concerned."

Zoe's face softened, and she stepped forward and took Mysa's hands. "I'm sorry, Mysa. I know you've been off on your own for more than a century, watching and waiting and hunting the Emerald Eye, and trying to recover from the death of all your friends... and dealing with the memories of the terrible things Mordru did when he ruled his empire..." She gave Mysa's hands a soft squeeze. "It can't be easy to deal with all of this. And we should be doing more to make you feel like you're one of us, one of the Legion."

Brek and Jo had by now stopped chatting, and were cautiously listening to this round of apologies.

Tinya smiled. "Now you two are acting like the adults you are."

Zoe shook her head apologetically. "Listen, I did mean everything I said. Why don't you two join me on Saturday? A bunch of us are going to that fashion school ******* my mom and Candi's dad opened..."

"I would honestly love to," Mysa's smile touched her eyes. "But I have to sit with Invisible Kid and Kid Quantum that day, and I don't know how long that will take. But I would love to visit another time."

"And we're taking Cub and my mom on a picnic to Starhaven," Tinya smiled. "Mom doesn't get a lot of days off, so we need to go on that day."

"Being UP President is like two full-time jobs," Jo offered, secretly relieved that they wouldn't have to spend the day looking at fashions. And now that his mother-in-law Winema was much calmer and nicer, he didn't hate the idea of spending an afternoon with her.

"Tsk, your loss," Zoe winked to show she was joking. "But I'll invite you again next time. Brek's really looking forward to it though, aren't you?" she elbowed Brek playfully.

"Oh yeah, yeah, more fun than a barrel of Kokos," Brek smiled his biggest fake smile. "I can't wait to see all the dresses..."

Jo pursed his lips, Tinya looked away awkwardly, and even Mysa began shaking her head. Zoe fixed Brek's eyes in hers, and Brek began to lower his gaze.

"Oh Brek, it's sweet that you want to support me," Zoe held Brek's hands this time. "But you already came with me on my first visit there. You don't need to be there with me ALL the time."

"But I want to be there for you..." Brek began.

"I know," Zoe put a finger to his lips. "And it's enough that you want to be. When we're together, we should do things we both enjoy."

A smile slowly spread on Brek's face, and he scooped Zoe up and swung her around. "You... are... amazing!"

"I know, and so are you," Zoe smiled as she kissed Brek.

"Awww," Tinya grabbed Jo's arm. Jo kissed her on the cheek. And Mysa even shed a tear. After Zoe and Brek stopped kissing, Mysa stepped forward. "So, I did think that you could help me ensure Mordru has no oxygen, Kinetix... I mean, Zoe..."

A few minutes later, Zoe had surrounded Mordru's prison with an airtight telekinetic shield. For good measure, Brek had lowered the temperature inside the sphere to sub-zero levels. Mysa had cast a spell to make both effects permanent. Tinya had phased through one last time to check on Mordru, and Jo used his penetra-vision as a last check as well.

As the five made their way to the exit, Mysa took one last look backwards.

"It fills me with hope to see that, even after all the destruction and pain wrought here, life still goes on..." she thought.

**************************************************************

IB's notes:

1) The Legion and company fought Mordru in L* 48-50, aftermath in L* 51-52. The Elementals were fought in L* 71-74.

2) L* 52! If you look closely, you will see Brek and Lydda in costume in the crowd on the 2nd last page!

3) Apparition "died" fighting the White Triangle in L* Annual 2. Her spirit survived, anchored to Ultra Boy's invulnerable form (revealed, LSH 82). She came back by merging with 20th century LEGION's Phase (LSH 100), who was revealed to be one of her Carggite bodies sold into slavery by her awful dad (LSH 101)! The third body was never found, but I am using Reboot's story as canon: her third body died too. No second chances for Tinya if she dies again, then!

4) Ah, where to begin... Kinetix's mom Azra (an archaeologist) was pregnant with Zoe. Azra found a badly wounded Mysa, and just so happened to have a magical scepter that could heal her. The scepter altered Zoe's body structure, making her receptive to magic; it also "forged a link" between Zoe and Mysa. Mysa became aware when Zoe first gained her telekinetic powers by absorbing an "energy pool" on Titan. Mysa then engineered the loss of Zoe's powers, and offered to restore them IF Zoe would help her search for the Emerald Eye... (revealed L* 42; Zoe lost her powers in LSH Annual 6, and Mysa restores Zoe's powers in L* 33). The Eye had been Mordru's most powerful tool. (revealed L* 48-50) Mysa, as Mordru's daughter, wanted to find the Eye and hide it away in case Mordru returned.

Mysa actually led a revolt against Mordru more than a century before the United Planets formed; she and her sorcerer friends defeated Mordru and sealed him away, but her friends all died in the process. (see: L*49-51).

5) So, Violet was possessed by the Emerald Eye (revealed LSH 83/L* 40); as a gamble to throw Mordru off from reclaiming the Eye and hurting Violet, they merged into one being (L*49); when Vi tried separating from the Eye, Mysa rushed the process (L* 50).

6) Zoe and Mysa sort of talked it over, and Mysa sort of apologized, in L* 51. Zoe even commented that Mysa had become so nice! (in L* 52)

7) See Volume 1. Zoe's mom Azra got Monstress' dad to fund the Zoe and Candi Institute of Design, as a way to honor the legacies of both Kinetix and Monstress. They both shared a love of fashion, after all!

All, I know I've been writing up a storm lately! This is only because last couple of weeks were relatively light; and I took advantage of that in anticipation of a busy period coming up for the next month or so. So I will likely be slowing way way way down until the end of March or so!

thanks to all who continue to read and leave comments I appreciate it a lot!

Hi IB, I caught up on your latest tonight and as usual I have thoughts!

- I like Sizzle's thoughts on urban areas vs the great outdoors...as someone who grew up in the inner city, I can relate!

- I also like this little grouping of characters, and putting M'Onel and Andromeda in a position where they're not automatically WAY more powerful than everyone else gives the group an interesting dynamic.

- I kinda miss Shikari's nicknames for everyone to be honest, but it does make sense that she would learn to call people by their actual names as she spends more time with them. Having her do it with the newbies is a good compromise

- Lume is turning out to be quite the good little Espionage Squadder! And it's always fun when Cham does his thing turning into different sneaky animals (I kind of wanna see what a Plevitzian Flying Rabbit looks like though!)

- man, that kid is scary! My initial thought was maybe he was a spin on Ol-Vir, but after seeing that he's an android I'm wondering if it's some future Kid Amazo in the making...

- oh wow, Brin's dad! I did not see that coming!! Although in retrospect, incredibly lifelike android who sees him as his father is a huge clue hahaha

- woooh the FUTURE future people! This is the storyline I have been looking forward to the most! Gear being overwhelmed makes perfect sense and is a good quick way of highlighting the technological difference. And the Seven Deadly Sins! Awesome! It's fun seeing who matches up with who....Tasmia as Pride definitely makes a lot of sense given Umbra's history, Calorie Queen is a natural for Gluttony and Jed and Tel with Lust and Envy seem like a natural pairing as well.

- all of the individual fights were well done, and it was cool seeing Timber Wolf's agility on display, but Gear beating Tel and Jed through applied flirting was the best


No wait, that bit was the best

- I didn't know that reboot Ayla is more powerful than Garth! Or that Tinya can pull a Kitty Pryde with electronics now either!

You left everything off in a nice spot I think, I look forward to seeing where we go from here when you get time to pick up again!

hey thanks raz, appreciate your thoughts as always! thanks for taking time to comment!

haha I was hoping the "lifelike android bit" would still come as a surprise, glad it did!

re Brainy's line, can't take full credit for it - he gave a similar line in LSH 100, when Team 20 returned to the 30th century. "I insist we leave before I invent anything else!" (it was also a bit of a cheat from me, to avoid having to think more about what the 90th century would be like lol - I slipped in Gear dealing with all the tech input to help show we were 6000 years in the future )

and yeah, I wanted to highlight Brin's agility more so he wouldn't just be that guy that slashes things

the Ayla > Garth thing was to my knowledge never brought up again after LSH 101, but I thought it would be a nice element to include re the twins. also to show Garth's growth, cause in LSH 101 he was a bit of a jerk to Ayla over her "uncool" anti-grav powers then.

and the Tinya/electronics thing was mainly used subtly too, but I like that aspect of her powers

I think I now need to write a story on Plevitz where the Flying Rabbits get featured

and thanks, I'm happy with this stopping point too!

the Daxamites (and Thunder, and actually also Mysa and Kid Q especially) are always tricky. at least Imra, Kinetix, Condo, Candi-as-Element Lass have limitations that are a bit easier to write; the others though are just so powerful! I always feel like I need to carefully think of how I can avoid having them just punch/wave their hands and solve everything

though next up, a team will visit Lallor; and I'll pick up that Fashion Institute visit that Zoe mentioned! and I have a couple other missions germinating which may or may not happen!

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Lallor

Lallor, like Xanthu, has become known in diplomatic circles as Earth Junior. Like Xanthu, Lallor has an Earth-like population with a number of unique post-humans (in contrast to worlds like Imsk, Braal, Tharr and Titan, whose inhabitants all have variations of the same abilities). Lallor is also similar to Earth in size, climate, and industry. Unlike Xanthu, Lallor sits firmly close to the center of the galaxy, and is a consistent yet unremarkable member of the United Planets.

The one claim to fame that Lallor has, besides its native post-human population, is its biodiversity. Lallorian fauna, while unique to Lallor, shows a development similar to Earth's about 1500 years ago. Many species are endemic to certain regions of Lallor, resulting in the planet rivalling some unpopulated worlds for sheer number of species. This has led to the recent trend for tourists to visit Lallor "to see Earth without all the development and drama". Lallor's government and most of its population are not pleased by this trend. A small segment have now come to rely on tourism for their livelihoods, however.

- snippet from an internal, unofficial, communication sent between United Planets (UP) Senate civil servants



Babbage, I-45ENG/Nth Series of Robotica; combat mechanoid
Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation, enhanced vision
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair

Tellus, Ganglios of Hykraius; telepathy and telekinesis (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion Cadet)
Tomb, unpronounceable of Sarccus; controls others' bodily functions (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion medical staff)

Heroes of Lallor - have a cross-Reservist arrangement with the Legion

Beastmaster, Ilshu Nor of Lallor; transform into any animal
Hotshot, Staq Mavlen of Shwar; breathes fire
Splitter, Floyd Belkin of Lallor; ability to detach his limbs from his torso
Stone Boy, Dag Wentim of Zwen; turns self into stone
Vapor, Tal Nahii of Lallor; transforms her body into gases

***********************************************************************************

"That briefing reeked of ignorance and smugness!" Gates snapped as Babbage ended the transmission from the UP Diplomatic Corps. "Earth Junior, my thorax!"

"While I agree they could have worded it better," Nightwind sighed, "I do think it is important to understand the opinions of others, Gates. Some people can be reasoned with, if we know what misconceptions they have."

"Bah! That so-called civil "servant" was looking down his nose at us while perpetuating hateful stereotypes!" Gates continued. "Just like Leviathan did when we visited Xanthu... the UP has to up its standards!"*

Nightwind was glad that none of the others on this mission were Legionnaires at the time Leviathan was; if Kinetix or Violet had been here she'd probably have a fight on her hands. Even so, Karate Kid and Spider-Girl, both of whom had been on the Workforce then, had met Leviathan a few times - and Karate Kid had even been present when Leviathan died.** Both looked uncomfortable. "Enough, Gates," Berta said firmly. "The Legion and the UP have made efforts to train our members and staff on cultural sensitivity, and we have been invited to give feedback whenever we feel that representatives aren't living up to those standards. You can, and should, submit yours through official channels." Before Gates could retort, she looked around at the room. "Okay, gang - we leave at 14.00 UP standard hours. Briefing packs have been sent to your Omnicoms! Tellus, Tomb, I've scheduled 1-1s with you to go over your physiological needs and mission roles. See the rest of you at the Threshold chamber!"

***********************************************************************************

As they left the room, Karate Kid fell beside Spider-Girl. "This is our first small mission together in a while, Sussa. How are you settling in?"

Sussa laughed as she shook her living hair. "I can't remember you ever calling me by my real name when we were in the Workforce, Karate Kid."

"I realize I was a bit aloof..." Karate Kid rubbed the back of his neck. Then he smiled. "But we're in the Legion now, Sussa. We're not just a team, we're a family."

"Family might be a bit much," Sussa's eyes twinkled. "But I am liking it way more than when McCauley yelled at us all the time."

"I'm glad you made your way here. So, want to grab a banyo-shake before we have to pack for this mission?" Karate Kid asked.

Sussa's smile touched her eyes this time. "My pleasure, Val."

***********************************************************************************
Babbage made sure to maintain eye contact with Tomb, as it fitted the Reservist with a special transuit. Tomb's Sarccan's physiology had both its positives and negatives; a positive was that Tomb could sense other biological beings' inner workings at close range; a negative was that Tomb was extremely sensitive to foreign beings. This transuit would allow Tomb to use his powers to the fullest, while protecting him from such stimuli.

Internally, Babbage's programming was whirring. As a Robotican, Babbage had no need for social mores; but as a Legionnaire, Babage always made an effort to socialize. Other beings had their needs, and it afforded Babbage data with which to become a more effective team player. But Tomb was definitely different from most.

Babbage made eye contact. "How are you looking forward to your first mission as a Reserve Legionnaire and member of staff, Tomb?"

Tomb turned slowly in Babbage's direction, and stared at what seemed to be a point just to the right of, and behind, Babbage. "It will be new."

"Do you like new stimuli?" Babbage continued as it checked the transuit functioning.

"New is not always good... but it can be useful," Tomb's lips moved in what would have been a smile on most humanoid faces... but Babbage's sensors told it that Tomb's heart rate did not elevate in the way most humanoids would, were they excited. Curious.

"Your file does say that you need some time with a new kind of being, to understand and manipulate their functions, yes?"

"Like... Chameleon... with morphing..." Tomb's eyes glittered, though whether that was the light or the humor, Babbage did not know.

"And like most of us in new situations," Babbage intoned.

"And you are ready too?" Tomb asked.

"I need to download some files on Lallor and the Heroes there, and on the native fauna," Babbage answered immediately. "I will do my best to prepare."

"Good... good..." Tomb continued as it stood up to test its transuit. "I hope friend Tellus will be ready too..."

This gave Babbage pause, as it updated its observational databases on relationships between Legionnaires and Staff. It had never particularly observed Tomb and Tellus spending time together... but then, it's not like Babbage had drones or cameras everywhere. That would be unethical, and would make its teammates uncomfortable.

One definitely learned something new every day...

***********************************************************************************

"Welcome to Lallor, Legionnaires," Vapor smiled as Nightwind's team exited the Threshold. Lallor's Threshold chamber was situated right in the middle of LallorGov's headquarters, a wing of which held the Heroes of Lallors' own headquarters and personal quarters. "Or should I say, welcome, teammates?"

"Yeah, we act as each others' reserves now!" Hotshot's exuberance was palpable as he walked, hands outstretched, to greet his friends.

"Yes, you're reserve Heroes of Lallor, and we're reserve Legionnaires," Stone Boy grinned as he held his flight ring up.

"It is good to see you all," Splitter smiled as he shook hands simultaneously with Nightwind and with Spider-Girl. "Oops, watch the hands," he giggled as he detached his forearms.

"Glad to see you in good spirits, Floyd," Nightwind smiled, thinking of how disappointed Splitter was to have been rejected for active Legion membership recently***.

I can see why he didn't make it, Spider-Girl looked down at the detached forearm she was shaking. If I let go, his hand just drops to the ground... I don't have the best powers either, but at least I can attack enemies long-range with my hair...

"Teammates, hah!" Beastmaster scowled. "We have an alliance, that's all."

Vapor and Nightwind exchanged looks. Beastmaster and Vapor had both trained in the Legion Cadet program for a while; though always with the desire to return to Lallor. Yet, Vapor had received an invitation to join the Legion full-time; Beastmaster had been deemed too headstrong, aggressive and uncooperative to receive one. His ego was undoubtedly still bruised from that.

"We're here to help, Beastmaster," Karate Kid quietly moved in front of Gates; his posture showed that he was not in the least intimidated by Beastmaster's greater height and much more muscular body.

"And I expect that we will all work together well," Vapor sternly looked at Beastmaster. "We need help; Lallor's local fauna is acting up more and more frequently. It's only a matter of time before poor innocents get hurt."

"I wish we had brought our new Cadet, Fauna..." Tellus began. "She can communicate with animals better..."

"Oh, stop it!" Gates rounded on him. "You need to be more confident in yourself, Tellus! That's why you're here, not Saturn Girl - you're better at telepathy with non-sentient life forms...!"

"I also expect that we will work together, and encourage each other positively," Nightwind cut Gates off. "I know you'll do your best, Tellus," she continued soothingly. "Now, let's get briefed."

As they followed Nightwind and Vapor, Spider-Girl grabbed Karate Kid's wrist with her hair, pulling him gently beside her. "We sure are a family, in good times and in bad," she whispered jokingly.

"We have our squabbles," Karate Kid acknowledged. "But from experience, I know we come together when needed."

"I hope Beastmaster knows that..." Sussa eyed the tall Lallorian warily. "I don't think this one sees us as part of his pack..."

Beastmaster caught Sussa and Val out of the corner of his eye, and grit his teeth in a snarl.

Sussa made sure to smile back warmly. But I'm definitely keeping an eye on you this mission, she thought to herself.

***********************************************************************************

IB's notes:

1) LSH 82. Leviathan, fueled by his hope to get rid of Star Boy (because he thought Star Boy a reckless Legionnaire who damaged Legion property thoughtlessly, which to be fair he did in L* 33 and more egregiously in LSH 81), kept making fun of Xanthu being a backwater world. Gates called him out on it then too.

2) Versus Doctor Regulus, LSH 83.

3) Splitter's story spans a lot! In canon, he applied in Legionnaires 43; we see him being disappointed still in Legionnaires 49. In my fic, he badly messes up his VR test here ; we see Magno counselling him here; and he finally begins to accept his place as a Hero of Lallor and Reservist here.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Lallor

Babbage, I-45ENG/Nth Series of Robotica; combat mechanoid
Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation, enhanced vision
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair

Tellus, Ganglios of Hykraius; telepathy and telekinesis (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion Cadet)
Tomb, unpronounceable of Sarccus; controls others' bodily functions (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion medical staff)

Heroes of Lallor - have a cross-Reservist arrangement with the Legion

Beastmaster, Ilshu Nor of Lallor; transform into any animal
Hotshot, Staq Mavlen of Shwar; breathes fire
Splitter, Floyd Belkin of Lallor; ability to detach his limbs from his torso
Stone Boy, Dag Wentim of Zwen; turns self into stone
Vapor, Tal Nahii of Lallor; transforms her body into gases

***********************************************************************************
Tellus listened intently, the pods on his back glowing a dark blue to show concentration, as Vapor briefed the assembled heroes on what they knew. In the past seven days, there had been four incidents of Lallorian fauna suddenly and inexplicably rampaging. They had occurred thousands of kilometers apart. Each incident had been longer and more violent, with more affected animals, than the last.

"There is no discernible connection in terms of distance or biosphere," Babbage pointed out immediately. "One in the polar south, one in the middle of the World Ocean, one in the tropical rainforests, and one in the Eastern Grasslands."

"No discernible cause, either," Stone Boy shook his head. "We've checked recordings, asked the Lallor Military High Command to review their signals..."

"And I shifted into the species affected and spoke to the animals; they cannot remember anything other than inexplicable feelings of fear and rage." Beastmaster's eyes flashed with that second emotion. "I had to urge LallorGov not to put them down."

"We do have the animals in safekeeping..." Vapor added. "As you can imagine, Lallorians everywhere are scared too. We've been asking everyone to remain calm, but..."

"But we have to get to the bottom of this!" Gates snapped. "Sentients do stupid things when they're afraid. I'm sure Tellus can check if there's been any telepathic tampering!"

Tellus recoiled a bit at Gates' ferocity. "I will do my best... Not all minds are alike..."

"Take the time you need, Tellus. In the meantime, we will explore every angle," Nightwind said firmly. "Vapor and I discussed, and we want a three-team split. Tomb, assist Gates in keeping the animals calm AND checking for drugs or foreign substances. Babbage, Spider-Girl, I want you reviewing footage and recordings - and check if any other odd incidents were reported at the same time as these; they cold have been distractions. Karate Kid, Gates, we should visit the sites of these incidents and see if we can find anything."

Seeing Beastmaster and Hotshot about to react, Vapor spoke up. "We're going too, of course. Stone Boy, go with Nightwind's team - you might be able to help spot something. Beastmaster, you and I will join Tellus. And Hotshot and Splitter..."

"Yeah, yeah, someone has to stay behind and do the boring studying," Hotshot waved his hand. "Don't worry, I'm sure we will see action soon enough.

"Thanks for being a team player, Staq," Vapor made sure to look pointedly at Gates and at Beastmaster. "Okay, team, let's hop to it!"

***********************************************************************************

Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation, enhanced vision

Heroes of Lallor

Stone Boy, Dag Wentim of Zwen; turns self into stone

***********************************************************************************
"Ugh, this snow is worse than the Final Night*!" Gates snapped as he let his teleportation gate wink out. Operating Thresholds required a lot of energy and a Kwai guide, so for on-planet travel, Gates' own teleportation was a better option. He would never admit it to anyone except Brainiac 5, but he did like having this niche.

"Final Night, is that a new VR room scenario?" Stone Boy asked, innocently, as he shielded his eyes on reflex. The goggles they wore protected their eyes, and the transuits they wore kept them comfortably warm, but visibility was still poor from all the falling snow.

"Let me help clear this up," Nightwind quickly said, changing the subject.* Gates had been caught in the Final Night when he and others were stuck in the 20th century, but this time travel information was classified and known only to full Active Legionnaires, some of their support staff, some Time Institute researchers, and a selected few of the United Planets leadership. As a matter of security, Reserve Legionnaires and other Legion staff were only told the truth on a need-to-know basis. Waving her arms, Nightwind created a dome of clear air around them.

"Much better, thanks." Karate Kid immediately began to scan the area. "Sadly, the winds mean we won't find any tracks here, will we?"

"No," Nightwind admitted. "I think we'll have more luck in the grasslands myself..."

"... but we should still check everything out, eh?" Stone Boy finished. He pulled out his Omnicom. "Scans show there are some rocky mountains and caves over there." He pointed into the whiteness ahead. "If any clues here would be buried in snow, maybe something over there will have remained."

"Don't even ask me to teleport without being able to see!" Gates shook his head. "You might be fine materializing into a granite wall, but I would not recommend it!"

"Then we do it the old-fashioned way," Nightwind took to the air. "I'll clear a path; just tell me what direction to fly in, Stone Boy."

***********************************************************************************

Babbage, I-45ENG/Nth Series of Robotica; combat mechanoid
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair

Heroes of Lallor - have a cross-Reservist arrangement with the Legion

Hotshot, Staq Mavlen of Shwar; breathes fire
Splitter, Floyd Belkin of Lallor; ability to detach his limbs from his torso


***********************************************************************************

"Do you even need our help, Babbage?" Hotshot shook his head in amazement. "You're monitoring like ten streams live at the same time! I think only Brainiac 5 could do better!"

"We are a team, Hotshot," Babbage intoned. "And I believe your varied experiences can help detect something I would not..."

"Doesn't seem like it yet," Spider-Girl sighed, as she slowed down and rewound footage of the rampage in the rainforest. "I've been checking to see if any of the tourists in the holos are acting suspiciously, but if anyone here is a bad guy, they're pretty good actors!" She put her Omnicom down. "Maybe we have to take a different tack. If someone is causing these animals to rampage, why would they do so?"

"Uh... they are fighting for animal rights?" Hotshot offered. "Angry at tourists coming to visit?"

"Cross-referencing known animal rights activists..." Babbage intoned. "This is something I could not think of myself."

"That's one lead," Spider-Girl smiled. "Come on, keep going. Let's make a list."

"Maybe... someone wanted a distraction?" Splitter offered. "Either to steal something nearby, or conceal something..."

"Geo-locating and scanning..." Babbage continued.

"Now you're thinking!" Spider-Girl leaned back in her chair. "Now, Babbage, maybe cross-reference the timing of these incidents with any reported crimes or disappearances or accidents..."

Hotshot leaned forward as he watched Babbage jump between viewscreens. Wow, this kind of detective work was interesting after all!

***********************************************************************************

IB's notes:

1) The Team 20 storyline was intentionally kept secret on orders from then-President RJ Brande; the cover story was that the Legionnaires were on a secret mission. The face reason was to spare Violet from further embarrassment, considering everyone already knew she was possessed by the Emerald Eye. I always thought the time travel aspect was the main reason for the secrecy, though; as time travel (and research into it) had been outlawed by the previous President, Jeanne Chu. Brande did open the Time Institute again, but maybe there was some concern about time paradoxes and whatnot.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Lallor

Tellus, Ganglios of Hykraius; telepathy and telekinesis (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion Cadet)
Tomb, unpronounceable of Sarccus; controls others' bodily functions (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion medical staff)

Heroes of Lallor - have a cross-Reservist arrangement with the Legion

Beastmaster, Ilshu Nor of Lallor; transform into any animal
Vapor, Tal Nahii of Lallor; transforms her body into gases

***********************************************************************************

Tellus and Tomb watched as a swirling mist encircled one of the Lallorian Earthquake Beasts in front of them. The second stood off to the side, but was gently causing the floor to vibrate with its tail. Tellus could tell that it was a means of comfort that the Beasts used.

The first Beast fell asleep, and the swirling mist coalesced into the familiar humanoid form of Vapor. "Nighty night, sweet thing."

"He's really scared," said the second Beast as it shifted back into Beastmaster. "He's just started out as a lone adult male, all by himself, and he's not used to all this." Beastmaster gestured around the enclosure. "It resembles his natural habitat, but it's still different... No other animals, no familiar sounds..."

"By the blessings of great Mother Ocean, he will be back where he belongs soon," Tellus said. "I pray that the tides will bring me where we need to go..."

"And while you do that, I will see what I can find." Tomb stepped forward and placed a hand on the Earthquake Beast's belly.

As they watched the two work, Vapor moved closer to Beastmaster. "Ilshu, a word?"

Ilshu glowered at Tal. "I will not be nicer to the Legionnaires, and I will not apologize for thinking badly of them!"

"You are being extremely snappy!" Tal kept her voice firm, low and flat. A shouting match was the last thing she needed now. "What's gotten into you, Ilshu? Are you being affected by whatever has affected these animals, too?"

Tal watched as Ilshu visibly struggled to contain himself. He had always been assertive, bordering on aggressive; but lately, his temper was like a supernova. "I care about you, Ilshu," she continued. stretching out her hand. "You and I, we were the first post-humans to be discovered on Lallor. I'm not asking this because I want to bring you in line, I just want to make sure you're well."

Ilshu's features softened, and he took Tal's hand in his. "I'm sorry, Tal. It... I..." he breathed in, keeping an eye on Tomb and Tellus; the former was still crouched down, while the latter was floating in the air, eyes closed. "You know that when I turn into one of these beasts, I become them. It takes effort to reassert my humanity, sometimes. And lately... they're all scared, and they don't know what happened to make them angry, and they don't fully understand what's happening..." He shook his head. "I gave into that side of myself during Legion Cadet training, and it was not easy to accept that I should not." He looked down at his minds. "I am still a human first, after all."

"Oh, Ilshu..." Tal pulled Ilshu to her, and hugged him. "I will help you as best as I can."

Though he was only meters away, Tomb crouched, eyes open but unseeing. Having touched the Earthquake Beast, he was now perceiving its body systems. Nothing foreign int he blood... Tomb thought; having scanned Beastmaster and a few other specimens, he already had a good idea of what would be normal n an Earthquake Beast. Nothing in the nerves... Nothing in the brain...

At the same time, Tellus immersed himself inside the Beast's mindscape. He tentatively reached out to where the memories were stored. Bracing himself, Tellus sank in.

Jumbled impressions. A pinprick, then falling asleep. Waking up, in this strange place.

Tellus jumped out and searched earlier.

Trudging through jungle. Thirst. Bending down to drink. Something out of the corner of its eye. Movement? Then a blinding flash. Rage! Pain!

Tellus' eyes opened, and it took all of his discipline not to send out a telepathic scream. Instead, Tellus screamed physically, on a wavelength only he could hear.

"Tellus? What's wrong?" Vapor's concerned voice fills Tellus' ears as she flew to him. "I saw you arch back and tumble in mid-air, are you okay?"

"I have... found the... memory," Tellus breathed. "If I can... record it... we need to... replay it... cannot quite... understand it..."

"You need to take a break after this," Vapor said as she guided Tellus out. "We can't have you pushing yourself too hard..."

*******************************************************************************************

Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation, enhanced vision

Heroes of Lallor

Stone Boy, Dag Wentim of Zwen; turns self into stone

***********************************************************************************

Stone Boy grunted as he nearly tripped over a rock. "Ugh! I hate being in the dark! This cave is just so creepy!"

"I don't understand how you bipeds can walk such long distances!" Gates exclaimed. "Without my disks or my flight ring, I would never get anywhere!"

Karate Kid calmly reminded himself to hold his tongue. Having been raised with the utmost discipline, being drilled and trained over and over and over... He could never understand why some, such as Gates, who had such powers and privileges most of his species didn't have could complain so... instead, he focused on touching the rock around him. Something felt off and unnatural... "I feel something here, everyone." Shining his glow-bulb, Karate Kid pointed. "There is a hole in this rock wall, but it's smooth."

"Amazingly, unnaturally so," Nightwind observed. "I think we have a clue. Patching Babbage in..."

Nightwind held her Omnicom up against the rock face as Babbage appeared on screen. "What can you glean from this?"

"It was cut smoothly, as if by energy," Babbage intoned. "If I examine it up close, I can better tell what, but..."

"We'll leave a marker," Nightwind nodded. "We still have two more sites to visit. Gates, if you can bring us to the next site, then pick Babbage up?"

"Outside the cave," Gates tutted. "No teleportation indoors! Taxis can't park inside!"

"Understood," Babbage continued. "I will prepare and meet you outside."

***********************************************************************************

Babbage, I-45ENG/Nth Series of Robotica; combat mechanoid
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair

Heroes of Lallor - have a cross-Reservist arrangement with the Legion

Hotshot, Staq Mavlen of Shwar; breathes fire
Splitter, Floyd Belkin of Lallor; ability to detach his limbs from his torso


***********************************************************************************

"Already?" Hotshot exclaimed as Babbage ended the call with Nightwind. "But we were just getting somewhere here!"

"Then go with Babbage!" Spider-Girl didn't quite snap, but there was an edge in her voice as she typed increasingly quickly on the screen in front of her. "But don't interrupt, we're getting somewhere!"

Beside her, Splitter didn't even glance in Hotshot's direction. "Unrelated landslide on the same slope as the rainforest; and near the marine disturbance, a coral reef is recorded as having shifted slightly in position..."

"But..." Hotshot began. Spider-Girl and Splitter sssshed him simultaneously.

"I recommend that you accompany me," Babbage began moving out of the room. "They are in a flow state, and distractions will only disrupt their thinking..."

Hotshot sighed as he watched Spider-Girl and Splitter excitedly chatting and filing findings away. "Me and my big mouth..." he huffed, sending a sad-looking smoke ring, as he followed Babbage outside.

Hi IB - cool to see some more of the Heroes of Lallor!

Some commentary!

- Nightwind having a 1-1 with Tellus and Tomb is a clever idea, and one of those things it would make sense for the Legionnaires with different needs to do with missions generally!

- Babbage helping Tomb prepare was a neat way to get some insight on them both, I wonder do you find it particularly challenging writing Babbage at all? You always write Babbage consistent personality-wise, but I feel like I would probably struggle a bit with not having emotional connections or motivations to fall back on to find reasons for it to drive stories etc

- I like Spider-Girl playing detective, nice way of showing that Babbage might look superior on paper but they all have roles to play.

- I also liked Vapor (which is a MUCH better name than Gas Girl by the way :D) and Beastmaster's little chat...shades of poor Beast Boy back in the day. I was a bit confused about this bit though?
It sounds like Vapor heard him as the next bit says she flew straight to him?

hey raz thanks for your comments, always appreciate them!!

When writing leadership like Nightwind, I always channel my own corporate experiences lol... lots of little details to think about, like members' different needs

thanks for the compliment re Babbage! TBH he is probably the most challenging Legionnaire for me to write, even above Lume and Brainiac 5. Lume and Brainy at least have emotions, while Babbage does not -- I always have to put on my "be dispassionate and logical" hat on whenever I write him! The one thing that does make it easier, is that Babbage is driven by doing a good job for the good of the team.

yeah, the human element brought by Spider-Girl and company helps balance out, TBH I was inspired by the Criminal Minds show, where you have the profilers doing the detective work while the tech analyst does the techie search work - so you need both

The "other" fashion for code names here made it easier to drop the Gas Girl name

yeah, poor Beastmaster - I was indeed inspired by that old Adventure story. let's hope Beastmaster has a happier ending than his Adventure Era counterpart

oooh thanks for the catch! I have to go back and edit it - I'll have it that Vapor saw Tellus' physical reactions rather than hearing anything

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Lallor

Babbage, I-45ENG/Nth Series of Robotica; combat mechanoid
Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation, enhanced vision
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair

Tellus, Ganglios of Hykraius; telepathy and telekinesis (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion Cadet)
Tomb, unpronounceable of Sarccus; controls others' bodily functions (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion medical staff)

Heroes of Lallor - have a cross-Reservist arrangement with the Legion

Beastmaster, Ilshu Nor of Lallor; transform into any animal
Hotshot, Staq Mavlen of Shwar; breathes fire
Splitter, Floyd Belkin of Lallor; ability to detach his limbs from his torso
Stone Boy, Dag Wentim of Zwen; turns self into stone
Vapor, Tal Nahii of Lallor; transforms her body into gases

***************************************************************************************

Shiv Lassi rolled his eyes, not caring if the tourists beside him saw. "Oh my gosh," gushed the light-skinned Terran woman with slanted eyes and far too much makeup, as she pointed at the family of Zebra Tigers lounging in the shade of some giant Rainbow Mangroves. "They're so cute!"

Shiv bit his tongue; these creatures were majestic, but they were still wild. He was happy to observe them from the safety - and comfort - of their vehicle. The weather in the Lallorian Mangroves was far from pleasant...

He grit his teeth as two Alephians began chattering about how many animals there were here on Lallor, in contrast to their own world. Shiv himself preferred to see his own planet first; he'd travel to Naltor or Tharr or Colu some day, but he wanted to support his own...

His train of thought was interrupted by a heavyset man from Olo pointing at the water. "I see a dark shape, is that a Long-nosed Gavial?"

Then their craft began to rock violently. Shiv's icy demeanor dropped and he clutched at the tourist beside him in panic. "I don't want to die here!" Shiv heard himself screaming.

Then a gaping maw appeared at the window beside him, and Shiv fell into a dead faint.

"Call 111!" screamed one of the Alephian tourists, as she ducked to the floor.

Minutes later, above the craft, Nightwind tsked to herself as she surveyed the scene. The craft itself was, thankfully, intact and sealed; though she could see screaming sentients bouncing around inside. But her wind powers weren't at their best in the confines of a mangrove swamp... "Tellus, can your telekinesis lift the craft?"

"I will... try..." Tellus began.

"Let him answer, Gates," Nightwind said, a bit more sharply than she intended, as Gates opened his beak. A little annoyed at herself, Nightwind turned to Tellus. "If I support you with a bit of air, can you keep the craft steady?"

"I think... I can..." Tellus answered.

"Gates, please be on standby in case some sentients cannor evacuate by themselves," Nightwind continued, more softly. Gates nodded, tight-beaked. Using her flight ring loudspeaker, Nightwind addressed the sentients in the craft. "We are from the Legion of Super-Heroes! Please, buckle yourselves in; we will attempt to lift the craft out of range of the animals!"

Berta watched Tellus concentrate, as the two slowly lifted the craft.

Below them, Vapor's gaseous form hovered above the water. "I can't get to many of them," she called out. "Most of them are still below water, or diving too fast! I'm going to focus on animals on the trees!" And with that, she moved over to a rather nasty-looking Monkey-Eating Eagle that was cawing in challenge. Surrounding the eagle, she gently made it fall asleep.

"I can lure some away," Stone Boy flew to the far end of the water. "My stone form SHOULD be tough enough..." His skin turning grey, indicating his transformation; and he fell with a loud plop into the soft silt.

"Brrrr," Spider-Girl shuddered as she watched some of the Gavials swim up to Stone Boy's immobile form, which was now waist-deep in water. Thankfully, none of their bites so much as scratched him. "I'd rather not be touched by any of these things..." Looking around, she spotted a few vines. Giving thanks that her transuit fit her like a glove and allowed her hair its maximum range of movement, she grabbed a few branches and waved them around. "Here kitties, here kitties..." being careful to keep far out of range of the Zebra Tigers, she began leading them away from the tourist craft.

Hotshot positioned himself at another end of the river. He looked around in annoyance; there were too many plants. How could he be sure he wouldn't cause a forest fire... "Ah," he smiled to himself. Flying over to where the river was wider, he breathed flames down towards the water surface. Sensing the hotter temperatures, the Gavials below began swimming back towards the main herd.

Finally, Karate Kid and Beastmaster positioned themselves below Nightwind, Tellus and Gates. Gates was now using small-diameter teleport disks with precision, to cut branches that were blocking the tourist craft from advancing. Tellus was completely concentrating on the craft, while Nightwind was simultaneously helping with the lift and with verbally calming the tourists inside.

Suddenly, a Crested Baboon leapt from one of the trees right at Gates. Karate Kid deftly intercepted it, and spun it around with just enough force to send it tumbling through the trees. The Baboon smacked its back on one of the branches and slumped down, unconscious but unharmed.

"Primate probably thinks all insectoids are food..." Gates muttered.

Before anyone could answer, a pair of Web-winged Pterosaurs flew down, screeching.

"These are mine," Beastmaster flew past Karate Kid, transforming into a Scythian Chimera as he did so. Before Karate Kid could say anything, a Horned Ring-Serpent began to coil its way at him. Val put Beastmaster out of his mind and focused on the snake, eyeing it warily for any sudden movements.

Up above, Beastmaster let his flight ring carry him even as he spread his wings out to be as threatening as possible. He made all three of his heads give out warning cries.

The Pterosaurs looked at each other. Then the larger one threw its head back to screech. Beastmaster snarled in return, letting his tail snake out behind him. He watched the two Pterosaurs warily...

"Beastmaster, behind you!" Ilshu's lion ears heard Karate Kid's warning. But before he could turn, he felt talons slash his back!

"Aarrrh!" Ilshu shifted his form into a Zwennian Stonefly's. Three more Pterosaurs began screeching. Stupid, flew right into an ambush, he thought.

Looking down, he saw that Karate Kid was alone, and now dodging and weaving between at least half a dozen apes and snakes. Nightwind and company had gone off in the distance. Ilshu knew he was alone.

He shifted again, this time into a Winged Tentacled Goblin. His bipedal primate form came with eight tentacles; perfect for a melee battle. Screeching, he threw himself at the nearest Pterosaur and began to flail his arms. He could feel other tentacles of his connecting with the rest of the flock. The sounds of the jungle filled his ears, and his eyes turned red.

*Beastmaster!*

Ilshu felt his mind being coaxed into reality. As his vision cleared, he stared down at his arms, still in the form of the Goblin. They were covered in blood. A struggling Pterosaur was flapping desperately a little bit below him. Another dangled helplessly from three of his tentacles; and he could see three more forms below him.

"What..."

*I had to enter your mind, Beastmaster," Tellus intoned. "You were... going..."

"Out of control!" Gates snapped.

"Ilshu!" Vapor materialized in front of him. "You were caught up in a frenzy."

"Did I..." Ilshu looked around. He loved animals, and knew their attack wasn't their fault. "Are all the Pterosaurs..."

"Some are badly hurt, but Tomb is healing them," Nightwind said quietly.

"They will be fine," Tomb called from below. "Only skin wounds. Nothing internal."

"Oh grife..." Beastmaster shifted back to his normal form, and buried his face in his hands. "I was lost in..."

"You became one with your form," Karate Kid said gently. "I suppose you really transform into the animals you become..."

"Maybe... Maybe I should stop being Beastmaster..." Ilshu wanted to hit something.

"Maybe some telepaths could help. Tellus was able to reach you!" Vapor sounded almost pleading.

"I did feel a connection..." Tellus began.

Before Ilshu could react, Splitter's eager voice came over the flight ring array. "Hey, Babbage and I found something! It was just like Spider-Girl's hunch! I think we've got them!"

"Okay," Nightwind took charge. "Let's get these animals to safety and make sure no tourists are in the area. Then let's get some rest, " with this, she spared a glance for Beastmaster and Vapor, "and review what we've found. Okay?"

Affirmative responses came all around. Tellus flew closer to Beastmaster. "Ilshu Nor... I could feel your animal rages, but I could also feel your inner desire to protect us. And I could feel your mind respond to me when I asked you to stop. I... I think I can help you... and maybe you can help me."

Beastmaster looked up. "What do you-"

"Your confidence and strength filled me too, Ilshu. When you are in animal form, I can connect better. I have never felt so in synch with any other Legionnaire... I think your sentience even as an animal gives me something to anchor myself to..." Tellus continued.

"If you can help each other, that would be wonderful," Nightwind said softly. She looked at Vapor. "I think, after we solve these animal rampages, you and I need to make a call to Kid Quantum...

"But for now, let's get going," Vapor finished. "The middle of a mangrove swamp isn't the ideal place to talk about this."

Beastmaster wordlessly flew after the others. "Tellus, wait up." As Tellus turned to him, Ilshu began to wonder. He knew Tellus seemed so alien to some others, but for Ilshu himself - who could turn to many forms - he did feel strangely comfortable. "Tell me more about how we can help each other..."

"Perhaps... with your permission... I can show you..."

Ilshu hesitated, then nodded in agreement.

As Tellus reached out telepathically, Ilshu began to understand. Tellus' mind was like an anchor for him, too. And he could feel Tellus gaining more resolve, as Tellus drew on Ilshu's own emotions.

The two flew silently through the treetops, both contemplating the future.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Lallor

Babbage, I-45ENG/Nth Series of Robotica; combat mechanoid
Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation, enhanced vision
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair

Tellus, Ganglios of Hykraius; telepathy and telekinesis (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion Cadet)
Tomb, unpronounceable of Sarccus; controls others' bodily functions (Reserve Legionnaire, Legion medical staff)

Heroes of Lallor - have a cross-Reservist arrangement with the Legion

Beastmaster, Ilshu Nor of Lallor; transform into any animal
Hotshot, Staq Mavlen of Shwar; breathes fire
Splitter, Floyd Belkin of Lallor; ability to detach his limbs from his torso
Stone Boy, Dag Wentim of Zwen; turns self into stone
Vapor, Tal Nahii of Lallor; transforms her body into gases

***************************************************************************************

Leena "Sprocker" Antal jabbed a finger at the chest of the Tyrazzian leader. "Listen, Tyr," she spat. "You Tyrazzians may be the technological brains of this operation, but we Sklarians are the thieves and raiders! We want AND deserve a bigger share of the cut!"

"Don't make me break your finger," Tyr growled as he loomed over the shorter Leena. "Without our sub-sonic transmissions, you would not have the distractions you needed to actually go and steal these resources!" As if to accentuate his point, a clump of faulknerite* ore tumbled out of the pile.

"Lusyo!" Sprocker and Tyr screamed in unison. A tall, timid-looking biped that looked like a horse** came rushing up, his forearms waving wildly and his brow furrowed. "Y-yes, Ma'am Sprocker, Sir Tyr..."

"You didn't stack them properly!" Sprocker yelled. "Our clients pay top dollar for this, you better protect this nass or you won't get a cut!"

"And you'll get a whupping too!" Tyr smacked Lusyo on the side of the head with his gun-arm. Lusyo knelt on the floor, rubbing his head. "No, no, sorry Sir Tyr, Ma'am Sprocker, I'll fix it!" Lusyo scurried away and began moving the pile, piece by piece.

"Now," Tyr turned toward Sprocker. "You were going to accept 30% of the profits."

"We DESERVE 75%!" Sprocker drew her knife. With a flick of the wrist, she jammed it into a joint in Tyr's left cyber-arm. "Any less, and I'll take out your good eye."

"Such violence. You could use a little bit of calm," came a high-pitched, feminine voice.

"What the s-" before Sprocker could finish her sentence, she dropped like a bag of rocks to the floor.

Tyr reacted instantly, cursing his compatriot - his arm didn't hurt, but he didn't dare use it without running diagnostics. "All hands on deck, posthuman attack!" Activating his built-in transuit, he watched intently as his suit sealed himself into safety.

What he didn't see was the green teleportation disk opening above him, or the grey immobile form of Stone Boy falling through it. Tyr crumpled like so much paper as Stone Boy knocked him unconscious.

Babbage, Spider-Girl, Karate Kid and Splitter quickly exited. "Wow!" Splitter stood, slack-jawed. "It worked, it worked! How did you know what kind of signals to monitor for, and how to trace them?"

"Detective work and process of elimination," Spider-Girl said flatly. "We can debrief later."

"Yes, now we have to focus," Karate Kid admonished Splitter gently.

"I suppose you'll find your own way out?" Gates joked as he closed his gate. "I have to go bus Nightwind around..."

Vapor reformed her head. "My work is done here, I'm going to scout around." Turning back into gas, she headed for the vents.

Babbage dashed to the controls. "I am synching with this cruiser..."

A series of blasts interrupted Babbage. "Ah, here comes the cavalry," Spider-Girl pointed. "Hey, don't you nassheads realize you're damaging your own ship??"

"I expected more from the group that stymied us for so long," Splitter nodded. "But I guess we took the brains of the operation out." Detaching one arm, he threw it at the lead Sklarian just so; without the body armor that her Tyrazzian companions wore, she was knocked out cold.

"Nice throw," Spider-Girl smiled. She quickly whipped her hair out to grab Splitter's arm with one tendril, and the fallen Sklarian's blaster in another. "I'll take this side..."

"And I'll cover this one," Karate Kid replied. He went silent, so he could analyze the situation. Ten armed opponents, six Tyrazzians and four Sklarians. The Sklarians were more agile, but the Tyrazzians tougher. Val knew what he had to do. Launching himself just so, he punched the lead Sklarian, then pivoted so he could fling her into the next two. He picked up one of their blasters and took out the last Sklarian. Now, he could concentrate on the six Tyrazzians...

"Karate Kid, watch out!" Splitter called.

"Don't bother, Floyd," Spider-Girl smiled. "He's in his happy place. Help me cover Babbage." As she used the blaster to clock yet another Tyrazzian, another tangle of her hair pulled the legs out of an advancing Sklarian.

"My pleasure," Splitter tried not to let his nerves sound. Watching Spider-Girl on one end and Karate Kid on the other, he was sort of glad that he could focus on watching Babbage. He picked up a fallen blaster with his remaining arm, and kept watch as Babbage tried to take over the ship.

A hatch opened above them, and a Sklarian poked out. "Sprocking filthy Robotican!" she aimed at Babbage.

Splitter quickly fired his blaster, wounding the Sklarian on the arm. The shock of the blast jostled her, and she fell out. "Argh!!" she spat at Splitter. "You're going to help that Robotican kill us all?!"

"My people deeply regret the actions we took when we were controlled by COMPUTO,"** Babbage spoke without pausing its work. "We are doing our best to atone, and we have reinstated our Asimov Circuits. I am incapable of doing harm to sentient life. And I am bound to ensure that you will not be harmed..." Babbage cocked its head to inspect the Sklarian's arm. "...More than necessary." What Babbage left out, as now wasn't the time, was that the Asimov Circuits had been reconfigured slightly. The original wording of the first law was: "A robot may not harm humanoid life." "Humanoid" had been replaced with "sentient", and the definition of harm had been adjusted to allow for causing minor injuries in the aim of saving other sentients. Babbage could, for example, have blasted the Sklarian's arm at low intensity, if she had been about to shoot Splitter.*****

"So, if you'll be a good prisoner and stay still," Splitter quickly rushed behind the Sklarian and slapped some cuffs on her. He exhaled in relief; "... and now let me close that hatch..." he muttered, as Babbage continued to work.


****************************************************************************************

Outside the ship, Gates opened another teleport disk. "Your chariot is here, your majesty," Gates quipped as he came out to greet Nightwind and Hotshot. Berta just ignored him; Gates never stopped complaining, anyway. "Okay, disarming time," Nightwind pointed to the weapons on the left side of the ship. Focusing her powers, she sliced off a couple of gun turrets; Hotshot melted a few more; and Gates opened his disks just so, slicing firing mechanisms in half.

Suddenly, a hatch opened on the side and six more guns emerged.

"How many weapons does this thing have?" Hotshot complained as he melted one more shut.

"It's a Tyrazzian ship, remember?" Nightwind replied as she ripped the hatch off its hinges, sending it slamming into the two Tyrazzian operators inside. "These always came armed to the gills."

"Filthy warmonging heartless buffoons!" Gates muttered.

"Why Gates, your insults are getting more and more creative," Nightwind teased as she began summoning the winds around her.

****************************************************************************************

Elsewhere on the ship, Tellus flew ahead of Tomb and Beastmaster. "The captive animals are here, I can sense their fear and confusion!" Tellus said.

"I almost couldn't believe how cruel these thieves are," Beastmaster spat. "So they captured members of these species, so they could program their subsonic ray to induce anger and fear in other animals?"

"Ssstop right there!" A Dominator with an oval that marked her as a scientist stepped out. Behind her stood a squad of Sklarian and Tyrazzian guards. "Do not..."

Beastmaster did not even let her stop. Transforming into a Jovian mastodon, he barreled towards the guards. The Sklarians ducked out first, and the Tyrazzians tried to fire but were met with Tellus' telekinetic shield. Soon, they too scattered, allowing Beastmaster to crash through the door behind them. Ripping the door open, Beastmaster snarled as he saw row upon row of energy cages.

"Beastmaster, please see to the animals. We will take care of the personnel," Tellus called telepathically. Remembering to ration his power, Tellus picked up some light debris and propelled them at the heads of guards still standing, knocking them out.

"I prefer this way," Tomb smiled as he approached the Dominator scientist. "You are not the first Dominator I have met." Staring into her eyes, Tomb simply uttered a command. "You want to sleep." The scientist's eyes rolled up in her head as she fainted.

"There are more in her!" Beastmaster called telepathically. Tellus and Tomb quickly rushed in, to see Ilshu Nor had turned into a Mimbian Brontopod. He was wrestling with at least eight more Tyrazzian guards.

Tomb quickly spotted a quartet of Dominator scientists in the back of the room. "I will take those," he said, and flew off. "You help Beastmaster. I think he will need it."

Before Tellus could respond, Beastmaster let out a wounded wail as one of the Tyrazzians shot him in the side. Blood flowing down his wound, he turned on his attacker and moved as if to slash him.

"Ilshu, remember who you are!" Tellus called out telepathically, even as he used his tail to swat another Sklarian away. "You are Lallorian first!"

Ilshu slowed, and shifted instead into a Xanthusian Great Ape. He swatted at the Tyrazzian, knocking him out. "Thank you, Tellus. Non-lethal force."

"That is the Legion way," Tellus replied, sending a jolt of happiness and encouragement along their telepathic link.

"These scum do not deserve sweet dreams," Tomb added from the back of the room; he had gotten close enough to affect the scientists. "I am inducing some nightmares in them, to show them the error of their ways..."

"And finally, the last one," Beastmaster called as he felled the last two guards. "Now, let's see to the captives."

Tellus sighed as he looked at the number of cages. There were at least thirty. "I will try to calm them, but they are so many..."

"Will it help if I transform into each species in turn?" Ilshu offered. "Then you can link me to them..."

"Yes," Tellus said as he tucked his tail under him. "We might as well begin, it will take time..."

Ilshu turned into the first species, a Majestic Monkrat. Tellus linked with Ilshu, and began to drink in the simplicity and earnestness of Ilshu's animal mind. As a human, Ilshu had the same doubts and fears and complexity of any other sentient... but as an animal, the baser and purer instincts came forward. And to Tellus, this was actually much easier to manage... it was somehow purer and simpler.

As Ilshu and Tellus calmed the Monkrat, Tomb then came to check on its vital signs and ensure no injuries were present. And even when Babbage called, to say it had taken control of the ship and was flying it to the Lallor Armed Forces Airbase, none of the three replied.

Nearly an hour later, the three finally finished.

****************************************************************************************

Back at the Heroes of Lallors' headquarters, Babbage, Nightwind and Vapor sat together. Spider-Girl had led Splitter and Hotshot in cataloguing the mineral resources that the raiders had stolen; while Tellus, Tomb, Beastmaster and Gates returned each of the animals to their natural habitats. Karate Kid and Stone Boy were assisting the Science Police in decommissioning the raiders' ship.

"It appears that this technology was developed by the Dominators and Tyrazzians together," Babbage reported. "But Tellus was unable to determine more than that through telepathic scans."

"I trust you'll report this," Nightwind said. "It's a new and potentially very dangerous weapon."

"Already done," Babbage responded.

"Thanks, Babbage. And now for the hard part..." Vapor said. "Do you think Kid Quantum will be upset that I've invited Tellus to stay?"

"It's what he wants, too," Nightwind smiled. "And while Tellus is competent, I think he will be happier here, away from the cacophony of minds on Legion World..." She watched as Tellus and Beastmaster returned a Polar Penguin-Bear to its home on the southern pole. "I haven't seen him this confident before."

"And I haven't seen Ilshu so calm and in control before, either," Vapor noted. "They're good for each other."

"Then we're agreed," Berta smiled. She tapped on her Omnicom, and the familiar face of Kid Quantum appeared on the screen. "Hello ladies," Jazmin said, earrings dangling. "Ready to come home from Lallor, Berta?"

"About that, Jazmin..." Berta began.

****************************************************************************************

"Be well, Tellus," Tomb came up to his former fellow Cadet. "I am happy you are finding your own place."

"Thank you, my friend. And I am happy you have found yours, too," Tellus replied.

Gates came up. "Tellus, I-"

"Please, friend Gates," Tellus said firmly. "I know you believe I belong in the Legion, but my heart tells me I will be more effective here, working with Beastmaster. I can focus more here; the variety of minds on Legion World is simply too much."

"I WAS going to congratulate you for making a good decision," Gates said, a bit sheepishly. "I realize my encouragement was expressed harshly... for what it's worth, I think you have made an excellent decision."

"Oh!" Tellus couldn't hide his surprise. "Well, I thank you very much, friend Gates."

"But if you ever decide to join the Legion full-time...!" Gates began.

"I think you need to know when to quit, Gates," Nightwind laughed as she stepped up to Tellus. "Let's visit often, okay? You still have to come collect your belongings and update the other Cadets personally, you know."

"With the Thresholds, we will never be far from each other," Tellus replied. "May the tides bring you to good places, Nightwind."

****************************************************************************************

Splitter frowned at the database he was building. "I could have sworn that Babbage's initial download said there were 85 tons of ore in total. But our counts show only 84.7!"

Hotshot didn't even look up from the holo-game he was playing with Stone Boy. "That's not a big discrepancy, is it?"

"No, but..."

"Ah, even Legionnaires can get it wrong," Hotshot waved Splitter off.

"Maybe the raiders miscounted. Or rounded up," Stone Boy added. "Hey! That move isn't fair, Staq!"

"Tell that to the referee," Staq teased.

"I guess you're right..." Splitter trailed off.

****************************************************************************************

As darkness fell over the Lallorian Highlands, a shadow shifted. Lusyo emerged, eyes twinkling. Those stupid thieves had never suspected that timid Lusyo was a plant...

Hefting the sack on his back, he carried his precious cargo along. The Pig had been right; Lusyo could feel the magical energies contained in the gems in the sack. To all those not magically inclined, these would look like plain, unpolished rock; but Lusyo could see the sparkling colors signifying magical energy behind them.

And now that he had moved far enough away from the site of the Legion's raid, he could leave this blasted planet.

With this little offering, Lusyo was positive he would claim the seat for the Horse. Shifting the shadows, he opened a warp to Pon and stepped through.

****************************************************************************************

IB's notes:

1) Yes, named after Kitty Faulkner from the 20th century STAR Labs! She appeared in LSH 88, having given the time-lost Legionnaires shelter... though she kicked them out after Brainiac 5 and Impulse nearly destroyed STAR Labs.

2) Yes, Lusyo is based partially on H'Hrnath, but also on the Phlippine mystical creature tikbalang.

3) See L* 78, Legion Worlds 4, and Legion 9-14 for the full Robotica/COMPUTO story!

4) Full wording of the 3 laws: 1) A Robot may not harm sentient life. 2) A robot may not commit an act that will indirectly harm sentient life. 3) A robot may not, through inaction, cause a sentient life form to come to harm.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Aleph

Aleph is an archaeologist's dream. Among the United Planets worlds, Aleph has the biggest concentration of ancient ruins relative to its size. Many of these ruins and artifacts hint at a magical civilization that thrived long ago. Researchers have recently theorized that this civilization ended around the time the wizard conqueror Mordru began consolidating star systems into his empire; speculation is that Mordru destroyed the ancient Alephians for resisting him, leaving the ruined world as a testament to his power and wiping most of the memories of the survivors.

One archaeological camp believes that the keys to unlocking Aleph's past lie elsewhere, on other worlds touched by Mordru or by magic. One of the most prominent of these advocates is Azra Saugin, who is also the mother of Legionnaire Zoe Saugin, code-named Kinetix.

- excerpt from the Journey to the Past podcast

Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Spark, Ayla Ranzz of Winath; electric manipulation
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Matter-Eater Lad, Tenzil Kem of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter (Legion World head chef, Reserve Legionnaire)

Lori Morning of 20th century Earth (USA); RJ Brande's adopted daughter
Proty of Vyrga; shapeshifting and limited telepathy

*************************************************************

The Legion cruiser glided through the darkness of space. "I've missed this!" XS smiled as she gently guided the cruiser on its path. "We've gotten so used to Thresholds*, that I think most of us have forgotten how to pilot one of these!"

"I've heard some of the Cadets - and even some of the newer Legionnaires - say that we should drop pilot training," Violet said thoughtfully. "Kid Quantum put her foot down hard when she heard those, though. It's still a useful skill to have." She looked off into the darkness of space. "I like it. It is amazingly peaceful out here."

"More so out there than in here," XS laughed, as she gestured towards their friends.

"I can't believe you let Blizzard off the hook!" Spark stuck her tongue out at Kinetix. "Seriously, we're going to a fashion institute named after YOU, and your boyfriend isn't coming along?"**

"Well, I don't see YOUR boyfriend here!" Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well that academy isn't named for ME, is it?" Ayla teased back.

"Whoa, whoa, we're all friends here!" Ferro held his hands up.

Ayla and Zoe both looked at him, then at each other. Ayla lifted her eyebrow as if to say, "Boys..." Zoe shook her head, as if in annoyance at being misinterpreted.

"They're just having fun, Ferro," Tenzil winked as he gently patted Ferro on the shoulder. "They're not going to actually punch each other or anything."

"Oh," was all Ferro said, before sitting down dejectedly.

"Don't feel so bad, Andy," Element Lass said kindly. "So, I heard that you used to sew back in your own time. Have you thought of taking it up again?"****

"I've been trying," Ferro sighed as he looked down at his hands. "But, well, I'm still trying to get used to having heavier fingers... I can make do with a sewing machine - Gear kindly built one for me using pictures... but I can't do anything with a sewing needle!"

"That is so, like, a millennium ago!" Lori Morning piped up. Proty, sat on her shoulder, jolted a bit at her sudden reaction. Though she and Ferro came from the same time*****, Lori had embraced the future much more eagerly than Ferro had. "We have way more efficient ways to make clothes now!"

Seeing Ferro slump dejectedly, Candi shot a look at Lori. Lori bit her lip. "Although... I do get why you'd want to have some hobbies..."

"And your hobby of making clothes is exactly why I invited you along," Zoe smiled as she tapped Ferro's shoulder. "And why you're judging the contest later."

"And I'm only to cater the refreshments for that, am I?" Tenzil said jokingly.

"Hey, you wanted your name to be out there as an up-and-coming chef, didn't ya?" Ayla stuck her tongue out. "Plus, Vi would never have forgiven us if we didn't - hey!" Ayla yelled out as Violet tossed a stuffed animal at her.

Candi chuckled to herself as she watched Ayla retaliate by generating static all over Salu's hair. "After all we've been through as a team, it's great to see that we can still horse around and have fun... Too bad that dear Kid Quantum isn't much into fashion, and that Insect Queen and Particon, are on vacation now - they make such a lovely couple! Oh, and I hope Sensor is enjoying her visit home... but it would have been fun if they were all here!"

She leaned back to watch Ayla, Vi and Zoe play-bickering, as the Legion cruiser approached Aleph.

**************************************************************************************

IB's notes:

1) Introduced by DNA, the Thresholds are doorways to anywhere . The technology came from the Kwai/Second Galaxy, which Brainiac 5 studied and re-engineered (Invisible Kid and Gear helped). They just require a navigator to use. This is the role the Kwai, Shikari's people, play with their pathfinding sense.

2) See Volume 1. Zoe's mom Azra got Monstress' dad to fund the Zoe and Candi Institute of Design, as a way to honor the legacies of both Kinetix and Monstress. They both shared a love of fashion, after all!

3) Ferro used to sew in the 20th century! See LSH 93, LSH 94...

4) Recap: Ferro first encountered Superman, then the Legion, during the Team 20 storyline (Adventure of Superman 540, LSH 86). Cosmic Boy brought him along to the future because Ferro was an orphan with no family. Lori Morning was brought to the 30th century by the time-travelling villain Chronos (LSH 75, L* 32); she was also an orphan and decided to stay.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Aleph

Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Spark, Ayla Ranzz of Winath; electric manipulation
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Matter-Eater Lad, Tenzil Kem of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter (Legion World head chef, Reserve Legionnaire)

Lori Morning of 20th century Earth (USA); RJ Brande's adopted daughter
Proty of Vyrga; shapeshifting and limited telepathy

Mabuhay Corazon of Aleph; fashion design student and Legion costume consultant; childhood friend of Kinetix

*************************************************************

"What, no giant statues of you two?" Spark teased Element Lass and Kinetix as they approached the Zoe and Candi Institute of Design. "I mean, statues would complement those big letters with your names on them!"

"Spark, you're just envious that your parents didn't build some sprocking lightning rod with your name on it," Kinetix rolled her eyes.

"They're still just teasing each other, Ferro, don't worry," Violet whispered into Ferro's ear. Ferro just nodded awkwardly.

Before Spark could retort, a heavyset, dark-skinned young woman with elaborately coiffed long hair ran up to the group. "Girl!!!" she held her arms out at Zoe.

"Mabuhay! Girl!!!" Zoe hugged her old friend tight. Then she made a show of pushing Mabuhay back a bit so she could eye her up and down. "You made this yourself, didn't you?"

"Of course!" Mabuhay giggled as she spun around slowly. It was an iridescent skirt and blouse, with alternating coiling stripes of white, blue and silver. Tasteful jewelry completed the look.

"The blue is too dark, girl!" Zoe made a show of gagging. "You look like an overripe pluberry!"

"Well, YOUR outfit looks like something your mother would wear," Mabuhay made a show of turning her head away and holding her hand out in disgust. Zoe and Mabuhay giggled as they hugged again.

"Oh, I think your outfit is perfect!" Candi cooed.

Zoe smiled as she turned to face the group. "Mabuhay, you've met Violet before." Violet waved. "Oh, come here, girl," Mabuhay pulled Vi close and kissed her on the lips. Zoe quickly introduced the rest, and Mabuhay made sure to hug each one - even Lori, though she had to stoop a bit to reach her. Zoe had briefed her very well in advance, and Mabuhay knew that Lori was touchy about her young age. "Welcome to the Institute, folks! You have the best, most promising student as your guide!" She made as if she were whispering a secret. "I'm not just bragging, I'm in the running for class valedictorian!"

"And, she's been invited to display her collection at Ventura Fashion Week," Zoe whispered conspiratorially.

"No, oh my goodness, that's wonderful! That is THE fashion event of the galaxy!" Candi clapped.

"You're all invited," Mabuhay winked. "I can bring four more guests, anyway, so you'll have to fight amongst yourselves."

"They can have it; I hate fashion, I'm only here for the food," Spark whispered to Tenzil.

Mabuhay continued, as if she had not heard. "Zoe and Vi have dibs of course, and so do you, Candi, cause you have an eye for fashion. Now, come on, we have plenty of things to see!" Mabuhay motioned, and the group followed.

"The Institute isn't terribly large, and the philosophy is on quality over quantity," Mabuhay gestured as they entered the reception area. "We make sure we have plenty of space for everyone! And by the way, you probably already know that Aleph is full of funky ancient ruins, yes?" Violet and XS nodded, but the rest - except Zoe - looked puzzled. "You can see some ancient temples in the distance - " Mabuhay pointed, and everyone looked to follow; Ferro took his Omnicom out and made a holo. "And the building itself is designed in what archaeologists call the Old Aleph style. Watch the pointy spires!"

Mabuhay turned into one of the hallways. As she did, Proty began shifting its form to copy the outfits of sentients they passed in the hallways. "Over here are our design labs. Hey, Prats!" She waved to a dark-skinned young man who was trying to pin some fabric to a mannequin.

Prats looked up and nearly dropped his scissors. "Oh my stars! You!" He walked over to Zoe and Candi. "You! The founders! Well, not founders, but you know what I mean! The inspiration for this marvelous place!"

"Guilty as charged," Zoe laughed. "And you are Prats...?"

"We call him Plaid Lad,"** Mabuhay teased. "Come on, show them what you can do!"

Prats threw his head back in exasperation. "My dear Mabuhay! I am more than just my power!"

"You have powers?" Lori asked, impressed.

"Oh, these powers are a sight!" Mabuhay egged Prats on. "Come on, show them!"

Prats made a big show of sighing. "Fine. Look down at your clothes."

Everyone gasped as their outfits suddenly transformed into chequered patterns, though they retained some semblance of their color schemes. XS looked down at her yellow, white and blue shirt. "Wow, this is... uh..."

"Oh, I'm under no illusions," Prats shook his head. "I KNOW I'm not going to fight crime or solve hunger with this. But, it helps me create, so it's all good!"

The group spent a few minutes chatting, before Mabuhay motioned them to go on. "Plaid Lad" was still waving even as they left the room.

Lori looked at Violet uncomfortably as she watched Zoe and Mabuhay chatting and giggling. "Violet..." Lori began.

"Yes, Lori?" Violet tore herself away from staring in awe at the designs being displayed all around.

"Aren't you... I don't know..." Lori shifted. "Aren't you kind of annoyed that Zoe and Mabuhay are so..."

"Oh, Lori," Violet smiled. "I'm not. Zoe told me once - Mabuhay is her oldest friend, but I'm her best friend." She patted Lori on the shoulder. "I don't mind sharing."

"Okay..." Lori sounded unconvinced.

"Ah, and here is our Publicity team!" Mabuhay gestured to a quartet of sentients. One had a holo-camera, another was fiddling with some lights, a third was wheeling some dresses and clothing over, and the fourth was taking notes furiously on their Omnicom. But a fifth sentient was stood in the middle, hands on hips. She turned to face the group, and her familiar features were instantly recognized by all.

"Oh, darlings!" Yera Liggle**** rushed over. The staff with the holo-camera began scowling, but Yera simply said "sorry, one second please!"

"Yera!" XS was the first to hug her. "Haven't seen you since you left the Cadet program - not in the flesh, anyway! But your holo..."

"I loved your acting!" Element Lass gushed. "When you cried in that one scene..."

"Oh thank you, thank you!" Yera bounced. "I'm so glad some of you could attend, I know how busy you all must be."

"So, are you branching into modelling, then?" Tenzil asked.

"No, acting is still my first love," Yera smiled. "But one must promote oneself; and besides, we are contracting the Institute for our costume design! Mabuhay is going to make one for my next holo!"

"Ugh, I hope you can still choose someone else," Zoe quipped. Mabuhay stuck her tongue out at Zoe.

After chatting for a bit more, the Legionnaires took their leave; though Jenni and Candi kept waving to Yera even as they exited.

"Now, I have one more surprise for you..." Mabuhay rounded the corner, and the group gasped as they entered a sumptuous lounge.

Except Candi, who inhaled sharply at the tall, pale-skinned, well-dressed man who smiled warmly. "Daddy!"

"Princess!" Candi's father moved forward and hugged her. He had to look up at her. "It's so good to see you."

"What a surprise, Daddy!" Candi cooed.

"Well, I did fund this wonderful institution," Candi's dad smiled. "Thanks to Zoe's mother."* He gestured towards Zoe, who nodded and smiled.

"Mister Le-Parc..." Tenzil began.

"Ah, Mister Kem! Yes, I will respond tonight about the menu for the house party you're catering," Candi's dad nodded. He briskly walked around the room, giving firm handshakes to each. Then he turned back to Candi. "I regret that I can't stay longer, my dear, but I will see you next week at our company anniversary, yes?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the universe," Candi kissed her father bye on the cheek.

As Candi's dad left, Mabuhay spread her arms. "Well, it's been quite a whirlwind, hasn't it?"

"You're telling me, it's gone faster than XS running a marathon," Ayla plopped herself on a couch, and grabbed a nearby pitcher of juice. "Can we rest now?"

"That's why we're in the lounge, silly," Mabuhay laughed. "Relax, enjoy... we have a couple of hours before the fashion design contest."

"And Mabuhay, do you know if..." Zoe began.

"Your mom and bro should be JUST in time for the contest," Mabuhay laughed. "That's what they told the secretariat, anyway."

"Sounds just like her," Zoe sighed. "At least she remembered to actually notify the staff!"

"I'd better take my leave, then," Tenzil bowed out. "Need to get the cooking started."

"Oh, I'll help, dear!" Candi raised her hand. "If you need it, anyway."

"With pleasure, milady," Tenzil bowed.

"Aren't you going to stake your claim, Vi?" Ayla made a point of pushing Vi forward.

"Eh, I'll just get in the way," Violet said as she pecked Tenzil on the cheek. "Unless you really need it."

"I think I have enough hands," Tenzil smiled as he kissed Vi's cheek. "See you all later."

Vi smirked at Ayla, grabbing the pitcher beside her. "Now, be nice and let the rest of us relax, Ayla."

As Tenzil and Candi left the room, Ferro, Zoe, Mabuhay, Vi, Ayla, Jenni, Lori and Proty sat down and began chatting.

*****************************************************

IB's notes:

1) Yes, "Plaid Lad' is a rebooted version of that one-shot wonder and Legion reject, Plaid Lad from the SW6 era.

2) Yes, Yera Liggle is a rebooted version of Yera Allon/Chameleon Girl.

3) See volume 1 for the origin of the Institute!

Yikes! I need to figure out where I left off!!!

The recap thread can (hopefully) help you definitely commented on Garth and Imra's wedding

Yes, I've bookmarked it - Now to start with my trusty Notepad handy to stream of consciousness four months of your stuff!!! (and then raz, and then Harbi!)

Not sure as to how best present this for your V4, so I'll just do it in chunks based on the date of the posts...

10/31:

Dreaming as analagous to a search engine is brilliant. Also, Lydda's reasoning to be on the Xanthu team makes perfect sense.

For Porcupine Pete - take a look at the scifi concept of the Gauss gun or the Needler from the Halo video game. That's totally where I'd go with him, but that's me. :)'

Great jeopardy with the Asteroid - Legion stories really get good when the first plan doesn't go as, well, planned.... I especially love how Zoe still has the sass for Nura!

Ooof - love the Particon/Radion friction!!!

And can I get a shout out for my fave sub Infectious Lass, I mean Microbe? Nice!

That's one cute interaction between Ferro and Insect Queen. Too bad she's accounted for

11/1:

We didn't get to know Atmos much in the reboot. I'm glad you've made him testy.

Seeing Konk in action is great - as is a Zoe who has learned and grown from her life lessons!

Oh no! Lume!!! Now I really want to know what this asteroid is about!

hiya GL, thanks for the read and review! always appreciate your thoughts

Glad you find things make sense. And, thanks for the suggestions re Pete - I will definitely have him using his abilities for combat in the future a search and rescue mission just wasn't the ideal time for that I have been remiss in not having him use his powers more - though he did in this training session (I had to go back through the recap thread to check lol)

Sassy Zoe and Testy Atmos are here to stay Insect Queen is actually a very nice and compassionate gal too

Drura will have another mission soon from where you are reading, hope you like it

hope you enjoy the rest of the asteroid bit

The rest of November:


I love these little vignettes around Luonel - looking forward to seeing where they pay off.

It took me a second to realize that Zoe was chatting over comms and not there in person!

Also - Sussa in the E-Squad is a cool angle. I hadn't thought about using her that way.

Was Lume caught up in that planetary creation process? That was a cool sequence - even cooler that Candi got to rescue it!

Ahhh, it's Dryad, isn't it???

"The one who punches things" -

The whole sequence of the reformation of Dryad and the Legion communicating was really great - all the chaos due to Dryad trying to "hurry up" was a neat touch, and the character moments were well done. There were a lot of characters to juggle there, but everyone did something given the changing nature of the situation. I'll say this for the thresholds - they're able to get characters into position really fast!

Ah good - we get the confrontation between Jen & Roy. He definitely needs somebody to talk to. Xao may need the same, but at least he has Mysa. I share his disappointment that Dryad won't be back to "normal" for a long, long time.

Kono!

Aha, Sandy's back! Hope she won't go to pieces like Splitter!

Man, you have her down pat! Such a literal firebrand!

Hmm, what's up with Chuck??

God, I love this Dyrk/Omar confrontation. Omar's such a jerk and I love seeing Dyrk throw it back at him.

The Mano conversation is also great - kind of a good cop/bad cops thing going on, and I wonder where this is going.

OUCH! Chuck slamming someone to the wall doesn't sound too comfortable!

I really love how you're making Sensor extremely powerful - something that is not done enough.

Ah, so Chuck is feeling some body shame. Sensor is a good friend to be giving him the pep talk as she is 100% right.

Uh oh - I have a bad feeling about this bit with Mano...

I like Slizz - the concept of an evil Orandan is neat.

This is fun, Ibby!!!

Thanks GL

Luonel will stay in jail for now, but he’ll stay in jail for a bit. Though with a vengeful Luck Lord and an angry Winema outside… he’s probably safer there

My bad re not establishing well that Zoe was calling from Xanthu!

Glad the whole Dryad bit worked! I’m very particular about giving everyone something to do, I hate when some characters are just there for no reason

Glad you liked my writing of Sandy too!

Omar is such a jerk and I dislike that he never got his comeuppance in canon!

Considering how Sensor’s illusions once fooled Mordru, and another time COMPUTO, she is definitely underrated! And physically, she once punched Terrorform Zoe…

Hope the Mano pay off was enough. And Slizz will be back

Glad you’re liking it GL!

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Aleph

Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Spark, Ayla Ranzz of Winath; electric manipulation
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Matter-Eater Lad, Tenzil Kem of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter (Legion World head chef, Reserve Legionnaire)

Lori Morning of 20th century Earth (USA); RJ Brande's adopted daughter
Proty of Vyrga; shapeshifting and limited telepathy

Mabuhay Corazon of Aleph; fashion design student and Legion costume consultant; childhood friend of Kinetix
Prats Pradesh, "Plaid Lad" of Dolcegabanna; fashion design student
Yera Liggle of Durla; shapeshifting (actress) (former Legion Cadet)

*************************************************************

"She's always doing this!" Kinetix threw her hands up in annoyance as she looked at the raplidly-filling auditorium. "I don't even know if she'll show up before the contest is over!"

"Maybe we can find a substitute judge?" Violet offered. "After all, your mom is notoriously late, and for some reason unreachable..."

"I'll do it!" Spark volunteered.

"You?!" Kinetix, Violet and Mabuhay all said in unison. "But you don't know a thing about fashion!" Kinetix began.

"Nor do you care one bit about it!" Violet finished.

"That's why I'll be the perfect judge!" Spark beamed, her eyes flashing mischievously. "If the contestants can wow someone like me..."

One of the professors at the Academy, a woman who looked like her nose was always turned up because she smelled someone inferior, drew herself up. "Now see here, young woman... I, Professor Vera Coco Vuitton Armani XVIII, will not countenance..."

"No, it's a great idea," Kinetix butted in. "We have some knowledgeable judges, such as yourself -" Zoe made a point to acknowledge Professor Vera, whose eyebrows had climbed to her forehead - "and one judge who is coming in completely uneducated about the topic... this is perfect!"

The Institute staff quickly began briefing Spark on the contest rules and judging criteria. Violet watched as Zoe plopped in her seat.

"I know that look," Violet smiled as she sat beside Zoe. "You're thinking: your mom always forgets stuff, maybe she left her Omnicom. But your brother Thanot would never do that, he's the responsible one, so what if I go out and search for them while you stay here and do your stuff?"

Zoe slowly began to beam, though worry still furrowed her brow. "You really get me, Vi. You know you're my number one best friend, right?"

"And don't you forget it," Salu winked. "I'll ping you once I find them, and call you if there's anything urgent."

Zoe watched, smiling, as Salu zipped out of the room.

**********************************************************************************

"Tsk, I should have asked for more time," Tenzil Kem wiped his brow as he looked at the clock. The Institute kitchen was a hive of activity. Some canapes and finger sandwiches were ready, but some of the pastries still needed a bit of time to bake...

"Don't worry, good food is worth waiting for," XS said cheerily. "And this coming from an impatient speedster!"

"Besides, some of the appetizers are ready," Element Lass' tongue was between her teeth as she stacked some dirty plates away. Her large fingers were not ideal for decorating cupcakes, but at least her strength could be put to use elsewhere.

"I'll say," Lori Morning rubbed her hands greedily as she stared at some of the cupcakes.

"Noooo Lori!" Proty chided as Lori reached for a cupcake.

"Fine, fine," Lori rolled her eyes. "You're such a Jiminy Cricket, Proty."

"Thanks, ladies, your reassurance means a lot," Tenzil made as if to bow. "Now, if I could ask for a bit more help?"

As Jenni and Candi acquiesced, Tenzil quickly gave instructions. Jenni was to set up the catering table and take point until Tenzil could finish up inside. Candi was to bring the trays and pitchers out as they were finished. And Lori...

"I'll help Jenni," Lori's eyes brightened. "Staying by the pastry table sounds WAY more fun than watching boring fashions!"

"I'll help too!" Proty said, as it morphed into a serving spoon.

"Thanks, Lori, Proty, Tenzil smiled. "But Proty, no touching the food directly unless you sterilize yourself first, okay? Maybe you can hand napkins out. Now, I appreciate your help, but I have to start plating these..."

**********************************************************************************

Ferro sat silently, scrolling through his Omnicom. He had decided to come along to help distract himself, but... he tried to stop thinking about how he used to be able to feel a fabric's softness when he could turn back to flesh and blood...

His thoughts idled over what Brainiac 5 had said. In theory, Candi COULD transmute him back... but with her limited biological knowledge and lack of practice with her power... after all, it had taken Element Lad - the Progenitor - millennia of practice and a trip through an inter-dimensional barrier, to hone his abilities to do what he did in the Second Galaxy.*

"You're really taking this seriously, aren't you?" Ferro looked up as Spark sat beside him. "I bet you can describe each designer's style and influences by now?"

"And what do you know about design influences?" Ferro bantered back, though his heart wasn't really in it.

Spark made a point of looking around, then lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I just know that all these fancy shmancy designers always name drop two or three big shots whenever they give an interview." She puffed her chest out and mimicked a nasal tone with an exaggerated accent. "Yes, my own style evolved after I closely studied the works of Madame Vera Coco the Stuck Up..."

Ferro laughed. "You're so mean, but in a good way, Ayla."

"I try," Ayla winked. "Anything to make a friend smile."

"You can't see it through my mask, but I am smiling now," Andy replied. "Thank you, Spark."

"Okay, places, everybody!" one of the staff came, gently ushering all the judges. Spark and Ferro took their places beside Kinetix, Yera, three of the professors, and two apparently famous designers of the time - "Plaid Lad" had nearly fainted when they walked into the room, and Candi has popped out of the kitchen to get autographs AND gush about their work. All Spark knew about them was that they had names that were terribly difficult to pronounce. "I walked by one of their stores with my mom once," she confessed to Ferro and XS. "Mom was just like, I don't understand why all these sentients are willing to wait for 2 hours just to get inside the store - I could have bought a years' worth of working clothes in that time!"

It didn't help that that designer had very obviously fawned over Zoe and Candi, but also over the other Legionnaires; mentioning their upcoming shows on Ventura and on Mars and where have you, and hinting that the Legionnaires would be looked upon very favorably among upper class society if they attended AND let the designer dress them...

The emcee, a rather nervous looking young woman whose demeanor didn't match her elaborate gown, began. Once she did, her voice and manner became surprisingly confident. "Welcome to the first annual design competition of the Zoe and Candi Institute of Design! Each participant will have a segment of their own, though we will do a blind show - each designer will have their features hidden, and their identities will only be revealed after judging. For the contest duration, each will be designated by a number..."

"Wow, this is really serious business!" Spark muttered to Ferro and Yera.

"You should see how they do it at the Venturan contests," Yera whispered back. "I do get the logic, but I wonder how well it really masks someone's identity... the more famous a designer gets, the more you'd expect people would recognize their style!"

"Sssh!" Professor Vera snapped.

Yera gave her best "I'm so sorry, I'm so mortified look!" Then she turned back to the others and made a face.

Ayla was trying hard not to burst out laughing.

"That was funny, but we should probably settle down though," Ferro whispered. "These contestants worked hard, and I think we should show appreciation for that." Ayla and Yera nodded, and all three settled down as the emcee began to announce the first contestant.

**********************************************************************************
Satisfied that she was a safe distance away from the Institute, Violet grew to colossal size - enough that she could see a wide-enough radius while still being maneuverable. She made sure to hover safely above the ground; she didn't want to accidentally step on something. Consulting her Omnicom, Violet located the ruins where Zoe's mom had been the day before. Then she traced the path they would have taken to reach the Institute.

Seeing the way point north, she started flying in that direction...

... but before she went far, a speeding two-person craft came barreling at her.

"Azra?" Salu called.

A comms channel opened, and a familiar voice responded. Thanot's voice was deeper than Violet remembered. "Hey, Vi! Sorry, mom lost track of time again. I had to drag her out of the -"

The end of Thanot's sentence was drowned out by something Salu could only describe as a screaming of reality. Everything seemed to ripple around her, and Salu felt consciousness slip away.

**********************************************************************************

IB's notes:

1) See: Legion Lost!

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Aleph

Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Spark, Ayla Ranzz of Winath; electric manipulation
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Matter-Eater Lad, Tenzil Kem of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter (Legion World head chef, Reserve Legionnaire)

Lori Morning of 20th century Earth (USA); RJ Brande's adopted daughter
Proty of Vyrga; shapeshifting and limited telepathy

Mabuhay Corazon of Aleph; fashion design student and Legion costume consultant; childhood friend of Kinetix
Prats Pradesh, "Plaid Lad" of Dolcegabanna; fashion design student
Yera Liggle of Durla; shapeshifting (actress) (former Legion Cadet)

Azra Saugin of Aleph; Kinetix's mother, archaeologist
Thanot Saugin of Aleph; Kinetix's younger brother, archaeologist

*************************************************************

Reality seemed to break for a moment inside the Institute. Kinetix felt her vision turn white for a moment; then she found herself clutching the desk in front of her as she regained her bearings. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"My stars, I should really lay off the designer drugs!" muttered one of the guest designers, a lanky, light pink-skinned sentient wearing a rainbow of colors.

"Is everyone okay?" the familiar whoosh of a speeding XS came by. "They're ok in the kitchen, Candi managed to catch a falling freezer, I don't think anyone is hurt here?" As everyone nodded no, XS ran off to check the rest of the Institute.

"Oh my gosh, Vi! And my mom!" Zoe began to fly towards the door...

... when another rumble came. The lighting went off, and emergency lighting came on. The ceiling began to crack, and screams began to erupt around the room.

"Spark, lead everyone out!" Zoe called as she flew to the ceiling. Unleashing her telekinetic field, she began stitching the ceiling back together. "Ferro, I can't reach everything in time..."

"Say no more, Zoe!" Ferro flew up to the largest slab that had formed from the cracks, and angled himself under it. He tried to ignore the smaller bits of debris falling past him. The slab itself was light, but he had to hold it up properly so it wouldn't crack...

"Okay folks, come on out - and no running! You trip, you'll hurt yourself more!" Spark held one hand up to give light, while ushering people out. "Hey, I said no running!" She snapped at Professor Vera Coco, who had hitched up her dress and shed her heels so she could sprint to the door.

Vera bumped past a young student, who tumbled to the ground with a cry. "Hey!" Ayla yelled again.

"I've got you," Yera helped the student up. "Just a bit of a scratch, I see. Go on." As the student left gratefully, Yera called. "I'll check to make sure nobody's trapped."

"Thanks," Ayla responded. "While you do that, I'll see how the rest are doing..." She held her flight ring up to her lips. "Spark here. We've got the main contest hall covered. The rest of you?"

"I'm in the student quarters! Searching room by room!" XS replied. "What the sprock happened I don't think it was an earthquake I'll call Brainiac 5 and..."

"You do that," Ayla said as she zapped some more falling bits of rubble into bits.

Over in the kitchen, Lori picked up her ring. "Hey, we're okay here! Kitchen is a mess though..."

"I hate to do this, but people over furniture," Element Lass began transmuting a collapsed table into oxygen. A trapped server underneath looked on gratefully as his leg was freed.

"That will help me keep to my diet," Tenzil quipped as he began to eat through a portion of a wall that had fallen.

"Someone.... here..." Proty pointed to yet another area of the kitchen. "Candi, Tenzil..." Lori called.

"We'll be there as soon as we're done here, dear!" Candi replied. "There don't seem to be any aftershocks. If you want to, take Proty and have a look, but be careful!"

"Okay!" Lori held her hands out to carry Proty. "Lead the way!" Proty grew a pair of wings and began to fly ahead. "Here, here...." Proty pointed to a pile of rubble.

"I can see a door behind," Lori said. "Hey, is anyone in there?"

"Help me, I'm trapped!" came a panicked reply.

Sounds like someone even younger than me, Lori thought. "Hey, I'm Lori, what's your name? Are you hurt?"

"I... I'm Meghyn," came the frightened answer. "My momma let me use the bathroom by myself, and now I'm stuck here!"

"You know the Legion, right?" Lori responded. "I'm here with them, and we'll come get you soon and take you to your momma, okay?"

Meghyn's voice sounded buoyed. "Are you a Legionnaire, Lori?"

"No, but..." Lori's stomach sank for a bit. But hey, she didn't have powers, so... "But I'm their friend, and they're just as cool as the holos make 'em out to be! I can tell you some stories..."

And Meghyn listended intently as Lori shared a few relatively harmless stories of life on Legion World, behind the scenes.

*************************************************************

Violet came to slowly. "What... where..." She was staring down at a patchwork of buildings and open land, and...

"Oh, sprock!" She suddenly remembered. Using her flight ring function to trace comms, she searched frantically for where Azra and Thanot had been. Where... where... THERE! Violet willed her flight ring to move as fast as it could, as she spotted the falling two-person craft. Gliding gracefully under it, she positioned herself below and began to grow...

"Gotcha!" Violet sighed as she caught the craft in the palm of her hand.

"Thank our lucky stars!" Azra Saugin sighed as she opened the craft doors. She looked just like her daughter Zoe, only more mature, of course. "You saved us!"

"Part of my job," Violet quipped. "And besides, Zoe would never have forgiven me if I hadn't."

"What happened?!" Thanot struggled to right himself. "One nano we were chatting, the next I was out cold, then I woke up to see the ground coming up..."

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out." Violet scanned the horizon... no visible threat detected. She pulled her flight ring to her lips. "Zoe, I got them!"

"Salu, you're the best!" came the answer back. "The Institute is literally falling apart now though..."

"Okay, we'll meet you there." Salu addressed Azra and Thanot. "Buckle up tight, and I'll fly you over to the Institute." Cradling the craft carefully in her hands, Violet began flying back.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Aleph

Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Spark, Ayla Ranzz of Winath; electric manipulation
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Matter-Eater Lad, Tenzil Kem of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter (Legion World head chef, Reserve Legionnaire)

Lori Morning of 20th century Earth (USA); RJ Brande's adopted daughter
Proty of Vyrga; shapeshifting and limited telepathy

Mabuhay Corazon of Aleph; fashion design student and Legion costume consultant; childhood friend of Kinetix
Prats Pradesh, "Plaid Lad" of Dolcegabanna; fashion design student
Yera Liggle of Durla; shapeshifting (actress) (former Legion Cadet)

Azra Saugin of Aleph; Kinetix's mother, archaeologist
Thanot Saugin of Aleph; Kinetix's younger brother, archaeologist

*************************************************************

As Violet reached the Institute, she found a place to land. "I'm going to put your craft down, okay?" She gently placed Azra and Thanot's cruiser on the ground, then shrank down.

"Vi I'm glad you're ok!" XS came running over. "Mabuhay's been keeping track of everyone, nobody's too badly hurt here, and I've been checking the surrounding area. Whatever's happened is in a small radius, and I tracked your flight ring and it's well within, and emergency services are on their way..."

"I was going to say you're fast, but you know that already," Violet smiled.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Kinetix rushed up and hugged her mother and brother. Then she stepped back and waved a finger at Azra. "If you hadn't been late, you would have been safe and sound inside the auditorium when whatever this was happened!"

"Well, safer, anyway," Thanot muttered as he looked at the damaged walls of the Institute.

"I know I was late, but we were wrapping things up at the site!" Azra frowned. "We found a temple full of artifacts, and...oh." Everyone looked at one another.

"Where's the site?" Violet took out her Omnicom.

As Azra gave the coordinates, XS' breath caught. "Based on what I've seen, that looks like it could be the center of the area where things have been going bad!"

"What exactly HAS happened, anyway?" Thanot scratched his head. "Things are damaged, our cruiser failed, I remember momentarily losing consciousness..."

"It's just as you described," Mabuhay came up. "AlephGov's told me that basically, some kind of energy explosion happened. It knocked people out for a bit, and caused machines to fail. Thanks mainly to you all, nobody's been killed or hurt too badly that we know of..."

"... but we have to make sure this doesn't happen again," Kinetix finished. "Looks like we're going digging."

********************************************************************
"I wish I could have gone with them!" Lori Morning grumbled as she watched the Legionnaires fly away.

"No, safer here!" Proty shifted into a steadier form on Lori's shoulder. "Much safer!"

"There are still a lot of people here who need help, Lori," Tenzil said gently. He gestured to a hover-ambulance that had just landed. Medics were taking out a woman, her face and chest heavily bandaged.

A Science Police Captain came over. "Captain Ruth Goldberg. Spark told me you'd be here to help."

"At your service," Tenzil playfully saluted.

"Me too," Yera flew over in the form of a large bird, though her head remained in its usual form. "What can we do?"

"We need to clear space for vehicles to land," Captain Goldberg gestured at a crumbled wall near the Institute. "And some of the injured need to be taken inside, so we need space.

"Time to get chewing, then," Tenzil rubbed his palms eagerly. "I'll tale the outside, and you go inside, Yera?"

"Deal," Yera winked. Taking the form of a Naltorian Land Octopus, Yera used her flight ring - which she had been allowed to keep after graduating from the Legion Cadet program - to fly towards the Institute.

"And Lori..." Tenzil bent down. "I'm sure you can help, too."

"Yeah, how?" Lori crossed her arms in front of her.

"Lori!" A little girl* came running up, and hugged Lori around the waist. "They say mama is going to be okay!"

"I think you've found your answer," Tenzil grinned. Lori stood up slowly, as she patted Meghyn, the girl she had found trapped a bit earlier, on the head. "See, I told you, you just had to be brave and wait."

"Yeah, and I'm going to be fine, too!" Meghyn showed the bandage on her lower arm. "It hurts a bit... but I'm already feeling better!"

"Do you want to go help make others feel better?" Lori bent down. "I'm sure the medics could use our help carrying supplies and stuff."

Lori held Meghyn's hand as the two followed Captain Goldberg. Tenzil took off his trademark shades as he watched them. "Well, Lori's growing up nicely." He watched for a few more seconds, then turned to the rubble in front of him. Cracking his fingers, he bent down to start eating it away. "Mmmm... nice combination of potassium and sodium..."

********************************************************************

"It's magnificent..." Kinetix took in the site of the ancient citadel, nestled in a pit that had been recently cleared away. Spires decorated with statues rose up above ornate buildings that were green-tinted with moss and age. "Imagine, this has been here for centuries, and we only rediscovered it last week!"

"Aren't there any guards here?" Ferro looked around.

"No. Here on Aleph, we respect history. Vandalism and theft are unknown, and offworlders who try to take anything will find heavy fines," Kinetix said with a hint of contempt. "And these force-barriers aren't just for show, either. Watch."

She telekinetically picked up a nearby pebble, and flung it at the translucent barrier separating them from the citadel. It jolted as it connected. "It's very weak, but..."

"But it would be enough to make most non-invulnerable sentients think twice," Spark finished.

Kinetix crouched down so her eye was close to the ground. "Luckily, you have a certified member of the Aleph Archaeological Association with you." A melodious feminine voice sounded. "Accessing... Zoe Saugin, welcome to the Angkodarona Archaeological site." Ferro gasped, and Element Lass cooed, as a shimmering portal appeared in front of them.

"I'll go ahead and scou-" XS began.

"No, we should stick together," Violet said firmly. "If there's some artifact here causing everything, who knows what it could do to us?"

"Or what traps there could be," Kinetix continued. She consulted her Omnicom. "Mom said that one of the temples had an unusual concentration of objects, and it's over there..." she pointed.

"And what about your magic sense, dear?" Element Lass asked. "Do you sense anything?"

"Frankly, it's been tingling since we've landed," Zoe sighed. "Very faintly though, and I can't get a read on a direction."

"It's not like Shikari's pathfinding, is it?" Spark questioned.

"No, I just get a vague sense of magical energy," Zoe said as she led the way to the temple. The floor - an ancient highway - had been cleared of debris, and she imagined how it must be like to have walked here eons ago, when it was full of people. "It feels like this whole place us suffused with it, and..."

A roar was the only warning she had, before she felt herself being carried away. As she got her bearings, she looked around. "XS, what?"

"Some crazy cat lady!" Jenni pointed. A humanoid with feline features snarled as she crouched in front of the other Legionnaires. "Legion scum!"

"Wait!" Spark held her hands up. "You're from Wellur, aren't you?"

"Don't pretend you don't know! You Legionnaires killed and tortured on my world for years!" snapped the Wellurian.

"Please, that wasn't us!" Spark knelt down. "Listen to me. Your former king, King Kradok, copied some of our powers and pretended like the Legion oppressed you* I swear, we weren't involved in it. Our team stopped the king!"

"That's what those that you fooled on my world say!" The Wellurian's eyes blazed with anger. "But I watched your cursed brother zap mine to ashes, and now I'll gut you in his memory!" The Wellurian leaped at Ayla.

"No!" Ferro intercepted the Wellurian, grabbing her by the waist. "Please, listen to us!"

"Don't hurt her!" Ayla called.

"I think she's more likely to hurt herself trying to scratch Ferro," Element Lass sighed. She quickly transmuted some knockout gas around the Wellurian. She continued to struggle, however.

"I... I'm... she's immune to it," Candi shook her head. "And I don't dare transmute the air around here into inertron, not while she's flailing like that."

"She still needs oxygen," Jenni began zipping around Ferro and the Wellurian. "And Ferro doesn't, so..."

Despite not needing to, Ferro closed his eyes out of instinct as Jenni whipped hurricane force winds around him. Mercifully, after a few seconds, he felt the Wellurian go limp in his arms. He gently laid her down on the ground.

"Now I can make some manacles around her claws," Candi stepped forward, enveloping the Wellurian's arms in lightweight plasteel.

"What was she doing here?" Zoe stared down at the Wellurian. "How could she have gotten off Wellur and on Aleph?"

"Let's try to answer that later," Violet pointed towards the temple. "First, let's see if we can figure out what happened here."

Zoe lifted the Wellurian telekinetically, and they walked closer to the temple.

As they did, Ayla fell behind Ferro. "Thanks for saving me back there. I'm sorry I told you not to hurt her, I just..." She gulped. "I was the first Legionnaire to encounter Wellur. A pilot saw my cruiser... and he killed himself, because he thought I would kill him."*

Oh, Ayla... That must have been awful," Andy said gently.

Ayla turned to look at the unconscious Wellurian. "It was, and if anyone is manipulating these Wellurians, they've got a fight on their hands."

*************************************************

Two hours later, the Legionnaires had scoured the whole citadel. Nothing seemed to be missing; but considering the contents of the site had not been fully catalogued, it was impossible to say.

The captive Wellurian had just stared at them angrily, and had refused to say anything other than to snarl threats.

"I think we've done all we can here," Kinetix sighed. "The magic I've sensed has remained constant this whole time, at least."

"And no other incidents have been reported," Violet continued. "Maybe we'll have to come back with Mysa to see if she can find anything."

"Maybe our captive can tell us something..." Spark muttered. "Back on Legion World, anyway."

As the group prepared to leave, Kinetix took one last look back at the citadel. Whatever secrets it held, would have to wait for later.

*************************************************

IB's notes:

1) Legionnaires 75! The Legion was really a flying craft with three dummies standing in for Cosmic Boy, Live Wire and Saturn Girl. Machines simulated electricity and magnetism, while Saturn Girl's telepathy was faked. The events Spark describes also happened in L* 75.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Legion World

Saturn Girl, Imra Ardeen of Titan; telepathy

Question, Akiko Li of Venus; makes people question their inner motivations (Legion support staff: Intelligence and Negotiation)

Gigi Cusimano of Mars; Science police lieutenant and commander of the Science Police contingent on Legion World

Brawler, Brash Knightley of Moxie; super-strength and durability, can mind-mesh with machinery to control it (former Legion Cadet, now incarcerated on Legion World)

**********************************************************************

Akiko Li gulped nervously as she sat in the interview room.

"Nervous?" Saturn Girl smiled encouragingly at her. "Don't worry; our bonds are foolproof; and anyway, this prisoner doesn't have long-range powers."

Akiko nodded; she didn't want to say that she was intimidated as sprock! She was sitting beside a Legion founder, former Legion leader, and one of the most powerful of them all... She took to fiddling with her badge to calm her nerves.

The door opened, and Gigi Cusimano stepped in, leading the angry Wellurian female. "You! One of the tyrants!" she spat, her ears perking up.*

"Sit down," Gigi pulled a chair out. The Wellurian plopped on the seat, hissing.

"I wish I could make you believe," Saturn Girl said calmly. "But I don't tamper with minds like that. But if you would let me show you..."

"You are not entering my mind!" The Wellurian snapped.

"I won't alter it," Saturn Girl promised, as her eyes glowed. "But for the good of Aleph, we need to know if you know about anything danger- uh!" Imra jerked backwards as if punched physically.

"Are you okay?" Akiko stood up, shocked.

"There are some very formidable psychic shields around her mind," Imra slumped in her chair. "They forced me out of her mind like a rag doll." She opened her eyes. "This is almost as strong as something Micah Aven could manage... whoever did this is incredibly skilled!"

"There aren't many telepaths who could manage that," Gigi said, her voice grave. "This is troubling."

"Let me try, then." Akiko's heart beat in her chest; but her voice sounded full of confidence. Her eyes glowed as she used her power.

"Why were you on Aleph?" Akiko asked.

"To defeat the Legion," the Wellurian glowered as she answered.

"Why were you in that temple?" Akiko continued.

"To defeat the Legion," the Wellurian glowered again.

"What caused the tremors and technological failure on Aleph?" Akiko repeated.

"Something that will defeat the Legion," the Wellurian repeated.

Akiko's eyes turned back to their normal dark brown as she sat back in her chair, brow furrowed. "I don't understand... usually by the third question I've gotten further, but..."

"The shields must be affecting your power, too," Imra laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault."

Gigi motioned to the two officers with her. They pulled the Wellurian to her feet and led her out. Then she turned to Saturn Girl. "This is just like what happened when you tried Brawler, isn't it?"

Saturn Girl sighed as she remembered; the moment she had tried probing Brawler's mind, she had been thrown out. And Akiko's questioning - on why Brawler had sabotaged a Legion membership test and attacked several Legionnaires** - had only given them the answer: "Because it was my glorious destiny to do so."

"So," Gigi muttered. "First we have a Legion Cadet suddenly get enhanced powers; and now we have a Wellurian native - from a world that has not yet established relations with the United Planets - suddenly appear on Aleph. I don't like these unexplainable events..."

"Neither do I," Saturn Girl said, grimly. "But mark my words, Gigi. The Legion won't quit until we solve this puzzle."

************************************************************************

IB's notes:

1) See L* 75 for the story of Wellur. The ex-king, King Kradok, created a flying craft with three dummies standing in for Cosmic Boy, Live Wire and Saturn Girl. Machines simulated electricity and magnetism, while Saturn Girl's telepathy was faked. He used this fake Legion to terrorize Wellur in a bid to regain power.

2) See here for Brawler's turn at villainy!

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Pon, the Lesser Moon of Xanthu

The Pig stood and looked at the gathered Animals around him. Six other seats were filled, besides his.

"We are seven now," he began. "But we should have been eight."

"The Tiger didn't listen..." began the Rooster. "When the portal opened, she refused to step in!"

"... and we barely escaped Aleph ourselves!" the Rabbit pounded the table with his muscular arms. "The amulet you gave us didn't protect us from that magical sword you had us steal!"

"You didn't use it properly," the Pig sneered. He snapped his fingers, and a bolt of energy zipped through the Rooster, who screamed. It lasted only a second, then the energy zapped the Rabbit, who sat straight back in his chair. His teeth clenched, and his furry toes curled back, as his eyes rolled back. The Pig watched, impassively. Then, mercifully, he turned it off.

The Rabbit slumped onto the table, heaving.

"Be grateful that I do not have the time to replace you," The Pig said. "And also, you were at least intelligent enough to listen: retrieving the artifact was the most important part of going to Aleph." Across him, the Snake shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The Rat stared back at him unflinchingly, while the Horse sat quietly, confident in his place. "And that one is the Tiger no longer; her failure means she has lost her chance. I will deal with her later; for now, the enchantments will ensure she does not betray us."

He waved a hand. "We have almost collected enough magical objects. We need to accelerate activating the remaining five." As he spoke, five images appeared.

"Another Wellurian?" The Rat shook her head. "I hope this one listens better."

"This one will," The Pig smiled. "Their affinity with the Tiger is marginally weaker than the first one, but this one is more level-headed."

The Dog sniffed at that; she didn't believe any Wellurian could be level-headed.

"I recognize the species of the Goat," the Horse peered at the images. "But not the Ox."

"And of course, we know the Dragon and the Monkey," said the Rooster quietly.

"We will approach those two last," The Pig noted. "Precise timing is crucial to our success. For now, you have your assignments."

The Pig waved his staff in front of him. "And I... I have an errand to run." A portal appeared before him. The Rat, Kono, blinked, curious. That looked like... recognition dawned on her. If she were right... the Legion would not be happy that this world would be visited. And things would happen quickly, after that.

*********************************************

IB's notes:

To help you all keep track:

1) Rat - Kono, of Sklar. Mass-shifting that allows her to phase. Her power may also have other unknown applications. Master thief and pirate.
2) Ox - ??? to be recruited
3) Tiger - an unnamed Wellurian to be recruited
4) Rabbit - a muscular rabbit-like humanoid
5) Dragon - ???
6) Snake - Slizz, of Orando. Sensory manipulation.
7) Horse - Lusyo, a humanoid horse
8) Goat - ??? to be recruited
9) Monkey - ???
10) Rooster - Shakuq, of the Kwai. Pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space
11) Dog - a female
12) Pig - the leader