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

thanks Harbi, appreciate your comments a lot!!


ah yes, I should have been clearer with this one. this was a completely new incident, not related to Babbage and Hotshot joining up with Nightwind. I decided to skip ahead a bit and cut out some of the detecting and analysis


I also can't fully claim credit for Tyr and Sklarian raiders, they were both part of the Reboot Dark Circle (L* 62-65, LSH 106-108). Asimov circuits too, they were mentioned in Legionnaires 78 and played a key plot point too!

happy that the character bits stand up, esp. Beastmaster and Tellus, and Beastmaster/Vapor

indeed, Tellus gets to escape from Gates a bit; Gates isn't the type to stand down and stop but no worries, Tellus will still appear quite often the Lallor Heroes are too fun to leave alone for long



glad the slow burn with the Pig's group isn't dragging on too long

I blame the Reboot for the tongue-sticking-out part, Spark did that so, so often under Jeff Moy's pencils

and yeah, I thought that not enough was done in the Preboot with Yera's acting career, so I wanted to showcase it here!

glad you liked these bits, Harbi! thanks again for the read and review

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Zarrox

White Witch, Mysa of Zarrox; sorcery. Currently the only Active Legionnaire whose whereabouts are known.

Reserve Legionnaire (Not Legion Cadets or Support Staff)

Thunder, Cece Beck of 90th century Binderaan; SHAZAM-empowered human with enhanced strength, speed, durability, stamina, wisdom and flight powers

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

"Get back!" Thunder punched at her attacker, a glowing image of a Chinese Dragon. Its form shattered at her touch... but there were eleven other attackers behind it.

"Mysa! Whomever you're searching for has likely found us first!" Thunder had no proof, of course; but the Wisdom of Solomon told her that this was no coincidence.

Mysa sat, eyes closed, mouth slightly hanging open. She wished she could answer her teammate, but she needed to keep weaving their spell. This scrying spell was difficult in the calmest of environments, but with an attack...

"Mysa, do we alter..." Traci Thirteen the XIIIth began.

"Already doing..." Mysa whispered. Then she focused her concentration on subtly shifting the magical energies she wove to consider the twelve attacking animal forms around them. If the spell could study them and trace the source of their energies...

... she could feel them, emanating vaguely in the distance. If she could only trace it...

Above them, Thunder grunted as the form of an Ox charged into her. A Monkey pressed the attack by jumping on her head. She quickly flew into the wall, knocking the Monkey off and giving herself distance from the Ox.

"Traci... you're most experienced... .help Thunder... need more time..." Mysa muttered.

Traci nodded. She knew that the other three sorcerers linked in the circle were not advanced enough in their studies to be able to multi-task. But she could. Drawing on the staff passed down to her through the ages, she blasted at the Tiger, Horse and Rooster forms converging on Thunder. Traci dared not stray too far though; her own magical abilities were still powering Mysa's circle. She dared not break it.

"Even the ones we destroy reform slowly," Thunder snapped. She grabbed the Ox by its horns, throwing it into the Dog and the Goat. Then she spoke into her flight ring. "Mayday, Marla, need back-up! Send whom you can!"

**************************************************************************
Legion World

Other Legion Support Staff

Marla Latham of Earth (Germany and Sweden); Legion adult advisor
M'rissey of Mercury; advanced scenario modelling; manager of the Legion's Disaster Relief and Development arm
Theena of unknown; attached to a symbiotic alien able to open "viewscreens" allowing communication across distances (Communications, Search & Rescue)

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

"Who do we have?" Marla asked M'Rissey. Thunder's call had just come in. Hearing the desperation in her voice, Marla knew they had to act quickly.

"Nobody fresh," M'Rissey said somberly. "Everyone is stretched, Marla! Nobody's had more than an hour of rest since this all started. It's been ten hours of emergencies popping up here and there..."

"I wish I had more range," Theena wanted to cry. With communications channels tied up trying to connect across worlds, she had taken to linking with staff on Legion World. Her viewscreens winked open, showing every Reservist and sorcerer currently on Legion World. She wished she could communicate across interstellar distances, but...

Marla quickly studied the faces. "Theena, please ask that teleporting sorceress - Viki, was her name? To come help us. And then, please call the following over..."

As Marla read the names, Theena began talking into her viewscreens. She could feel Viki jump a bit; she knew it took some getting used to, as Theena's voice would be perceived as a disembodied voice in their minds. "Viki, it's Theena. We need you to urgently send an away team to Zarrox..."


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

Zarrox

White Witch, Mysa of Zarrox; sorcery. Currently the only Active Legionnaire whose whereabouts are known.

Reserve Legionnaire (Not Legion Cadets or Support Staff)

Thunder, Cece Beck of 90th century Binderaan; SHAZAM-empowered human with enhanced strength, speed, durability, stamina, wisdom and flight powers

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Crystal Kid, Bobb Kohan of Earth (Brazil and Peru); crystal generation and manipulation
Rainbow, Dori Aandraison of Xolnar; rainbow-based light powers
Vision, Rhent Ustin of Earth (Egypt and Spain); microscopic, telescopic, heat, freeze, and hypnotic vision

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

"I don't get why so many of us are going," Crystal Kid began. "I know it's important that the White Witch complete her spell. But we're spread thin as it is, and..."

Marla Latham just looked at him, even as the teleporting sorceress Viki completed her spell. Crystal Kid felt his body warp, and in a flash, he and his two companions were on Zarrox.

"Get down!" Thunder flew in front of them, facing away; and Crystal Kid gasped as a glowing Goat slammed into her form.

"You have to hit them hard enough to shatter them!" Thunder said, not looking back. "But they reform anyway!"

Crystal Kid gawked as he watched another half dozen or so glowing animals circle around them.

Vision's eyes lit up, and a blast of pure heat evaporated the form of a Rabbit. Rainbow's body glowed in all colors as she fired on a Snake that had reared back, as if to strike.

"Bobb! Protect Mysa!" Rainbow spat.

Stammering, Crystal Kid ran to where the White Witch sat. "Mysa, if I erect a dome..."

"Spell can go through crystal. Go!" Mysa said, not even opening her eyes.

"Leave me outside," a dark-haired girl said. Bobb jumped a bit as the staff she held unleashed a bolt of energy at a charging Pig.

Bobb gulped as he spun a dome of crystal around him, Mysa, and the other three sorcerers sitting around her. He willed the crystal to be transparent so he could see around him. He thought about setting it, then decided against. If it shattered, he needed to reinforce it quickly...

He crafted a small chair so he could sit and rest, and concentrated on reinforcing his dome while he sat. Outside, Rainbow had ducked as a glowing Dragon fired at her. Thankfully, Vision's eye beams drove it back before it could do much damage.

Part of Bobb wanted to be out there fighting, but part of him was secretly glad he could focus here as he sat. Considering, he began forming spikes of crystal on his dome, and fired a pair at the Dragon. He grinned as he watched it dissipate from his strike.

Turning around slowly, Bobb's hands glowed as he readied himself for what might come next.

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

Pon, the Lesser Moon of Xanthu

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

The Pig smiled, even as he watched the reinforcements help hold the line on Zarrox. They could not defeat these avatars; sooner or later, they would wear themselves out.

And he didn't need to delay that accursed Mysa for long. They were ready.

Weaving his own spell, he set it around himself and the other Zodiac Signs. The Monkey was already grinning in anticipation, and the Rabbit looked like he was having fun. The Rooster had called forth her Kwai army, and the Tiger looked to be on guard. A blinding white light surrounded each of them, sending them off to their targets.

The Pig could feel his smile growing bigger as he, too, disappeared.

So I'm back for more! Yay!

The scenes in the fashion institute were great, highlighted eveyone nicely. I loved Ayla becoming a judge and was looking foward to her honest apraisals of all the contestants. Lori is a character that I always hated - a young child has no place with the Legion to my POV, but the way you wrote her calming don and reassuring the trapped child was really well done. I still dislkike her but at least she was useful Nice to see Yera getting a little bit of character growth too and helping the team out. Vi saving Zoe's family was sweet. Nice to see Proty too btw.

I like the team that's investigating the ancient temple. Zoe's awareness of magic is nice to reference, it's usually pretty useless in the hi-tech 31st century but good to see it in action. A crazy cat lady? Sounds like a couple of my friends So, I assume the fake Legion on Wellur was a reboot plot? It's sounds pretty nasty.

So, the Wellurian is connected to Brawler - same 'benefctor', the Pig - you are building that storyline up nicely.

Umbra, yay! She's always fun. Nice backstory to Talok, thanks for adding that. And nice to see local customs in action. Nura being unable to foresee anything is always a worry. Nie having Tasmia talk to her ancestors at the end there, that was a plot in canon that could have been mined but was never really considered. And, I'm assuming that whatever was taken was for the Pig? I know, wait and see...

I forgot Jazmin and Rokk where a couple for a second there And nice to differentiate between Brainy and Babbage's capabilities. And well considered group to get together to discuss the issues at hand. Clever tinking by Jaz to investigate their new members.

Nice to see a list of your full membership! Wow, it's really grown. Loving all your support staff and the roles they fill.

Playing Chuck at billiards, haha, yup, great rite of passage. At least it would be over quickly. The former Subs checking in on each other is sweet. Gates on recruiting trups? Well, that would get rid of a lot of time waters, I guess... nice character moment that Andromeda is overly-sensitive to a spy potentially being on the team. I like how open Jazmin is to everyone, thogh wonder that if there is a spy they now know what the team are doing.

Troy and Deyla, nice! Also, it's good to see the different sorts of athleticism on the team, from the supple Val to the weight lifting Thom. Sega Square's new Ultimate Final Crisis XVI - my son would love that I'm going to kind of call you out here IB, the VR gamers are mostly boys while the fashion show are girld, it's a bit too cut and dried along gender lines, I'd hope by the 31st Century we'd see a more nuanced split. Ferro's jealousy is sadly on point, that's a typical teenage reaction. And Taryn and Brin - nice! I think they would make a fun couple.

Triple date - eeek! I'm with Garth and Jo, that sounds awful Otter and Big Bear... okay, that fits and is cute

"But you hate fashion!" Chameleon protested. "Yes, but I love annoying Kinetix," Spark grinned evilly - I laughed out loud at this.

Sweet scene between Rokk and Jazmin, and also Candi and Jeckie.

Vi and Berta opening up to their new teammates was great as well, you're really nailig these sweet interpersonal moments. The gossiping about their history and lack of understanding of the girls amongst the guys, then Sussa, et al, gossiping about the guys... yeah, that's pretty accurate Andromeda joining in a political debate would be interesting... and nice to see not everyone is looking for stimulation on their day off, a bit of silent solitue sounds good as well.

"Mentalla almost didn't hear what Echo said, she was too taken by his amazingly chiseled features" - oh dear, we've all been there

Calorie Queen is strong enough to snap inerton? Really? I thought that stuff could hold Validus, or is this just in the virtual world? And now everyone os being swallowed up in a white light? Is this the Pigs plan coming to fruition? It reminds me of the 5YL story where Mon El killed the Time Trapper and changed reality, or perhaps Zero Hour. Something massive is happening here! You fooled me with all the downtime and interpersonal moments, I really wasn't expecting anything yet. Ouch, Mysa is the only active Legionnaire left? Wow, this going to be great!

And I've run out of time again, but at least I'm getting closer to being up to date. Greatstuff IB, your characters personalities and interactions are really well observed, and I'm looking forward to whatever you've got coming up.

More, more, more!

yay, more comments! thanks, Harbi

Lori's not my fave either, which is why I use her veeeery sparingly I sometimes wish I could age her, but that would age everyone else maybe I have to revisit that fashion contest at some point I think I can have a lot of fun with Spark and some snooty designers as judges.

you assume right re whatever was taken in Talok momentum is building, and we're at the point where everything can tie in together, tee hee!

I wonder if it's even possible to get a spy onto the team these days, what with telepaths, a Coluan, a Robotican, a sorceress... would be interesting to see if a convincing plot could be worked out for that


good call out on the gender split, Harbi. I had thought about it too, but I was too excited to get to the next part that I decided not to change it. mea culpa for that one, it's all on me. I'll do better, promise!

I really need to research on how strong intertron is, to be honest. it's a great tough metal, but I don't really recall seeing its strength ever clearly being displayed anywhere.


glad you're enjoying the ride, and glad the surprise at the end of downtime worked

thanks again, Harbi!

Hi IB, I am back for more!

I didn't know that! Wait, maybe I did....was that when XS fought the Flash's Rogues? I am gonna steal it anyway, I have enough characters in my team that are history nerds, roleplaying nerds and/or superhero nerds to get something fun out of it

I am a sucker for stories where the team reserves and hangers-on have to save the day so I am all in for this!

I miss RJ! Loved seeing him here again worried about his pups

..and lol at poor Marla working up to an ulcer while he has to deal with these overeager kids

Lots of good scenes on Thanagar! Even though they're not the Subs in this universe, they really are kind of a Substitute Legion at the moment and I always love seeing them being used effectively. Pete's the real MVP here today, that is a clever use of his quills that I never thought of!

I also loved seeing the Cadets in action - obviously more Grava is always a good thing

The others are all doing really good though and I like how it's obvious that they have different levels of experience and skill level.

"Mister Dog" and Veilmist trying and failing to be reassuring gave me a laugh

Neep Liddle is an instantly recognisable Durlan name (a bit of a weird thing that there are such things as recognisable Durlan names, but good work!)

Aww, Ral giving himself a pat on the back for holding it together around X-Bomb Betty is cute

I like how your Tenzil manages to be involved in a lot without actually being an active member of the team - and Mandalla stood out here as well, not afraid to chuck a boot in when she needs to!

Kent's bit with Healer was well done too....I like how almost everyone here *coff*Marya*coff* is being as useful as they can be, and even with her it's more frustration and a lack of initiative than anything more negative than that.

It was cool to see Fauna do her thing on Vyrga, but man you gotta feel sorry for Vapor, Tellus and Hotshot getting stuck with the rest of these schmucks

You are good at showing what M'Rissey brings to the table! His abilities aren't very exciting to be honest but I like how it's obvious how useful he is from his meeting with RJ and the others.

Also I forgot to mention till I saw that GL asked, but I did have a momentary shudder where I thought it might be Cannus's poop that Retro stepped in

OKAY I am getting there! I think I should be all caught up by tomorrow, it has been fun having so much stuff to read here lately!

hey raz thanks for the read and review again

not quite, XS fighting the Flash Rogues was in Legionnaires 37 IIRC, in the VR room as a training session - she was with Spark and Triad. They made quick work of em, I think Triad triplicated out of Captain Cold's ice trap and beaned him. XS took Grodd and Spark took Weather Wizard. I think. the VR game in LSH 119 was just like a console game, but with VR graphics, kinda like Preboot Dungeons and Dragons

glad you're here for all the not-quite-Legionnaires I'm also a sucker for having the bigger group step up!

happy that Pete is getting his chance to shine, I thought it was his turn! and score on getting Durlan names down pat, hee hee and thanks, I always figured that testing for attitude and motivation should be like #1 when it comes to the Legion/Cadet program, so there should be extremely few, if any, slackers. (and don't worry, Marya will get a scene to make up for it later! hint hint, you might have to wait a bit though, I haven't posted it yet)

and yeah, the Vyrga crew got the short end of the stick. Martin Anderson... has had issues. Poor The Mess is, like Calamity, just trying to get a handle on his powers. (but watch for a useful scene for The Mess in a little bit too, hint hint!) Retro is kinda the spoiled rich kid in class... but he'll get his moment later on, too and Rainbow and Crystal Kid are a bit... what's a good word for em... but they, too, already have a nice scene or two coming up

thanks again, raz! I have some of the next bits written, but I'll wait til you, Harbi and GL are caught up as you're all really close. Omni will probably be a bit further away (ok, a lot further away) so Omni will have a nice long novel to catch up on

Hey IB,

now its your turn for me to catch up and it looks like i've got a lot to catch up on! so this will be a review as i read!

Man, i know Dirk isn't as well known as Inferno but i always get confused when i see that name and just think of Sandy.
but on that note it was cute to see this Dirk get all excited about working with Dr. Light and Superman and expanding his abilities.
Roxy's moment at the end where Wonder Woman included her before she could even ask was funny.
i liked Plastic Man trying to comfort Garth as well. its a side we don't see often from him.

Man the all white cell with no doors or anything is something i love and hate. like why can't the cell's be more inventive? but then i'm like its a great menacing tool. lol

Saturn Girl really has never been without her powers has she? its something we don't see a lot of and looking forward to how she's going to deal. i don't know if i ever thought of it as being blind/deaf though. but makes sense as its a core sense for her.
I'm enjoying how strong both Imra and Ming are and that they won't be defeated so easily.

hahah. Imra taking Superboy down was good. i chuckled at that a bit. must be the silly kid in me.
Hmm that is odd but also really lucky that Firestorm didn't split apart. But i wonder if this means he still has some of his powers.
bahhh!hahah! i have to agree the contest of heroes fighting to the death is so over done. But something i love seeing! i loved their reactions to it as well.
but they should have listened more. i feel like there's something they and we missed.

Damn it starts right out the gate and their already fighting and in some jungle? hmmm i wonder how real this jungle is.
Nice shot Cos! that was lucky and liked that Imra didn't give up and used her surroundings.
Of course the Legion came for you Rokk! but now i have to wonder just how long he has been there. or should i say thinks he's been there.

Of course Cos made a safe space for people.
I'm not familiar with Aura or the Superboy and the Raver's series. But its nice to know those characters went somewhere.
This is very reminiscent of the Harvest storyline from the Retroboot Lost Legion series.

Amp still recognizing the racial issues even as a passing thought was well incorporated. it would make sense that she would find this way of culture being jarring when its something she never gives any thought to. i wish we lived in the latter of those two scenarios.
Is Frostbite from the Heroes in Love series?

Firestorm have a little faith in your teammates!
Glad Rokk didn't say anything about being from the Future. i can see that going very badly.
i've said it before and Rokk is the heart and soul of the team. He's a true leader in every sense of the word.
58 heroes and still no Sandy? that's odd...

Thank you for the notes on who is who. i really don't know most of these younger heroes outside of little blurbs or small moments in the big crossover events.

I knew Harvest wasn't far behind! hopefully your plan for him will be better than the ever changing and uncertain one from cannon.
So its kind of like the movie, the Tomorrow War? so Harvest must be from before the Legion or father down the timeline... ok so he mentioned the 55th century. so he must be from father down. But how does he not know of the Legion?
hmm interesting tactic... But i don't think its going to go the way Harvest thinks it will...
That's the worst way to wake up in the am. But i love that Firestorm's fire hair is useful.
Wait so not just people with powers were taken? i mean that's smart. but its also a bit odd.
Cos does some great tactics and to defend his people.
White father's got a good shot...
Another person Superboy knows...and glad she wasn't trying to hurt him. But i'm with White Father and worry everything would be a trap.
Inferno is here! yes! i was really hoping they'd find her sooner rather than later.
The Inferior Five are fun choices.

Why does Sandy not want to go back to the 30th century? is she running from something or someone? But something tells me that the Legion can't let her remain here in the past.
quick question, why are they talking about time travel? i thought they were trying to keep that a secret and i figured they were all in close proximity.

Sun Girl and Persuader of the Terror Titans?
Shimmer and Mammoth are nice additions to this.
Sun Girl liked to be leader huh? wait she's from the future too? i thought she was Dirk's ancestor.

Poor Garth getting so upset. i don't think we've ever seen him this upset.
Lol oh Plastic Man.

its so cool to see Jazmin getting to use her smarts and a greed with the comments that its cool how she can keep up and only have dabbled in much of the science Dr. Light is talking about.

Thank you for the notes and reminders of what's come before!
This has been a really fun read and i'm enjoying getting caught up. hopefully it won't take me too long to get all caught up. That's all the time i have for now. But can't wait for more!

hi Omni, what a treat! I always dig your insightful comments and questions - and some of them have made me think too!


Yeah, I thought about this when I named him, in "real life" Dirk got the Inferno name first in the SW6 series... I can just imagine some fans getting really angry when Sandy comes along in the Reboot as Inferno, with no Dirk around lol... I let Dirk get the Inferno name partly for that, and partly because I was certain I would never make Sandy a full Legionnaire - she's killed before, and she doesn't quite have the personality to be one But I understand it can be confusing!


Glad you liked these subversions and different angles for these characters


I know I would be disoriented in one! but good point, all-white cells are in almost any futuristic movie lol


completely honestly, Firestorm maintaining his form but not his powers was my way of not having to deal with him splitting into two characters... but also, when Harvest did actually appear, he had a few captives who were in non-human forms (I think Skitter was one) without having their powers. So I just went with it

you are correct that they should have listened carefully, they were listening but talking while doing so might have made them miss something!


very astute I hated that Harvest was a loose end in the Retroboot, so I thought of dealing with him here once and for all


Me too, me too, I wish we'd advanced to a point where racial issues weren't a thing. I do take it as a sign of hope, that the 31st century Legionnaires wouldn't deal with it BUT would have learned about it and how awful it was!

and yes, Frostbite is from Heroes in Love


I had to think carefully about this, actually! I was reflecting while having my morning coffee lol. I'll just say that I imagine Harvest is from much, much, much farther in the future than even the 55th century; that he wasn't really a historian; that records became a bit hazy. He did know about the Legion, but Harvest was so fixated on getting a 21st century army that he didn't even stop to think that Cosmic Boy was from the 30th century or part of the Legion. He might have made the connection if he realized Cos had magnetic powers, but powerless as Cos was, it just didn't occur to Harvest


Sandy was being more of a "how dare you assume I want to go home without asking me first" type, rather than not really wanting to go home. of course, she was the one who decided to stay in the 20th century first back in LSH 100/her Inferno mini

Re talking about time travel, I should have made it clear that Cos, Imra and Sandy were away from the rest when they did, so there was little risk. Plus, Sandy was the one who mentioned time travel - Cos was careful to just say "we'll get you home", which could have implied dropping her off in Kansas or Tibet or something


correct, from Terror Titans! I also thought Sun Girl was Dirk's ancestor, but I looked her up and her bio said she comes from the future relative to the 20th/21st centuries. So, she could potentially still be Dirk's ancestor...
https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Deborah_Morgna_(New_Earth)


I figured Garth would, after he proposed to Imra the Blight came, then the Rift, then Legion Lost, then he turned into Jarth... they've delayed their wedding for so long

and yeah, Jazmin's origin story in Legionnaires 60 showed she studied how to increase her powers, I always felt it was a shame her smarts were never referenced. She might not be the Legion's top scientist but she should be advanced relative to the typical 31st century person

thanks Omni, glad you're enjoying it, and I am enjoying your comments a lot!! I'll be slowing down a liiiiittle bit with posting, so hopefully that'll help you catch up a bit too

And back for more....

So, the White Witch survived the purge. somehow I think she may wish it had been anyone else, still she's versatile enough to figure out what happened.

"By damn..." Nice to see RJ be RJ, whichever boot he's in And good of M'Rissey to call in reserves - he's a smart boy! I think Marla felt a little bit upstaged there.

Nice to see Grava get to save someone, and Pete use his quills constructively. Pairing Colour Kid and Night Girl always makes sense. Nice to see your newer adets get involved too. Mr Dog - haha. poor Flying Fox. "Veilmist did her best to give a reassuring smile, though she showed a bit too much teeth" - very nice!

Takron-Galtos! This could get scary... power failures on the prison planet are always a worry. Nice that Tenzil is who the warden wants to speak to, good to see him given some gravitas. Also good to see Ral's confidence increasing. Oh, good plan to limit the routes that the prisoners can take. Polecat - ew! Though effective so that's a good ew, I guess

Mandalla is always good to see, I can't remember a single comic where she actually appears and does anything so I do enjoy it when she is given something to do. Dream Boy and Dream Girl, ummmm do you want to get some rioting prisoners horny? Wouldn't that be a even more disruptive? Ah, they can do more than just turn people on, they're more versatile then, that's good.

Colu - okay, you are giving us a decent tour here I wonder if there's a reason these particular planets are so badly affectted? This team has Dr Shakespeare and two healers on it - Tomb and, ah, Healer, is there a reason? Oh, lack of Sleepnet, that'll require a couple of healers really. Nice scene between Pol and Kent. And good to see Dolphin be useful, it's always great to see the lesser powered characters get their moment in the spotlight, and also good leadership shown by Pol as he directs Marya into action. Also, Paragon is pretty handy here as well. Kent allowing Healer to use his own strength was a good moment, rang very true.

And now to Vyrga! I'm really enjoying the little snippets introducing each planet by the way, sorry meant to mention that earlier. Nice to see Winathian culture is changing with the influence of Garth and Ayla. Where they really seen as so out-there as they did things separately in the reboot? Crystal Kid, ah, in every reality he's desparate to impress. Was that Cannus poop Retro trod in Inferno's cousin Martin seems just as reckless as she does, oh dear! And Crystal Kid is still a glory-seeking dick, haha.

Shut down thresholds - that'll be interesting, as it will leave planets even more cut off from support. M'Rissey showing off his smarts is great, exactly how he should be used. Good to see yhst Marla and Gigi take him seriously too. These disruptions are pretty major so my fingers are crossed your not doing a Giffen on us and destroying 31st century civilisation. Also I'm enjoying you including the senior UP staff's conversation. Winema planning ahead with a potential UP in the second galay even while dealing with this crisis rang true. RJ and Shaughn's little chat was sweet.Hannah and Devlin standing up for their morals was good, though likely to get them sacked. But then, when you're potentially looking at the end of civilisation having a job isn't really a priority, is it? And good to see Winema looking after Cub, she's not a heartless machiavellan shrew afterall, or t least not all the time

Gosh, even the Workforce are getting involved - it must be serious! Gazelle in the Science Police? Well, why not I suppose. Nice to see the softer side of Amber - I don't know her from the comics, onlt here and always assumed she was a bit of a psycho. Interesting that Daxamites want to keep out of the limelight, culturally they've never been shown to be extroverted so this fits with what Dar Zel says. Nice to see Turtle in action too, well inaction really, but you know

Zarrox and the White Wirch and Thuder - been looking forward to seeing what they get up to. not even two dozen mystics? Wow, they really are a rare breed! Mysa using an Omnicron was clever - nice to see she is as open minded to technology as she is to magic. Traci Thirteen the XIIIth, sweet. And using Thunder's magical energy to power the spells should keep them going for quite a while.

Brawler - oh dear, I'd kinda forgotten about him. He's still bonkers then, the Pig really did a number on him. The Pig playing up the fantasies to keep Brawler enthralled made me feel quite sad actually, and it doesn't bode well given how the Tiger was treated.

Back to Mysa - And it seems the Pig is onto them, and these animal avatars must be pretty powerful if they can give Thunder trouble! Hopefully Myas will have enough power and time to track where they have come from.

Marla to the rescue Nice to see Vision and Rainbow Girl join in and help Mysa, and Bobb, oh Bobb, really isn't suited to be a Legionnaire is he?

And the Pig is going into action now - nice cliffhanger! You've been building up to this for so long now I'm really looking forward to seeing where you take it from here.

Haha, I've caught up finally! That some some journey getting here, you've certainly taken me on a wild ride here! Can't wait to see what you have coming up, as ever I'm keen for more, more, more!

hi Harbi, yay! more read and review! thanks for your comments you are also now the first reader to catch up all the way until the end (not that it's a contest, but...)

Indeed, White Witch made it - she was the logical choice, for being a sorceress herself although, she also has a big role to play, which is why I've left her alone for now

Yes, there was definitely a bit of Marla thinking that M'Rissey was being uppity, but Marla caught himself and focused on the protocols in place I think I will have some fun writing their dynamic later on.

and yes indeed, Dream Boy and Dream Girl can control the attraction effects: admiration, adoration, and can tweak it a bit to be sexual or non-sexual. definitely did not want to go the sexual route here

re which planets got affected and why, no, it was all meant to be random. I just thought Takron-Galtos and Colu would make for interesting picks and glad you're liking the planet snippets!

re Garth and Ayla, check out Legion Worlds 2 and Legends of the Legion 2 for cases of that. I was a bit surprised as well. though, Legends of the Legion 2 takes place way before DNA took over, and Legion Worlds 2 is towards the end of Legion Lost, and we already see an improvement. Still, both comics showed/implied that Winathian twins tend to spend lots of time together, do similar things, take similar careers...

My Gazelle is definitely a way different personality than the canon Threeboot one, or yours thought to take her in a very different direction lol!

Winema has a heart, too and glad you're liking all these little bits. don't worry, I'm not planning on ending the 31st century just quite yet

re Brawler, indeed, he was always brash and arrogant, but your reaction highlights - Brawler is a bit of a victim here too. and the Pig is definitely on to the team! This part was a bit tough to plot honestly, as we have the good guys working on the case, while the Pig is aware they're close to being discovered, so both sides are kind of racing here.

Amber, she was part of the Workforce, but I've re-read her canon appearances and she was not quite so bad as Repulse or Meta, so lucky her, she gets to remain on the good side in my fic

no, Bobb sure has some major issues eh? Rainbow and Vision are showing him up in the attitude department for sure...

I intentionally kept the number of sorcerers few, didn't want too many magicians running around

thanks again, Harbi! Things are going to get wilder in a bit, I've already written the next couple of acts. gosh, is the team in for a doozy!

gang, I've drafted everything until the end of volume 4 (dun dun dun!) so am gonna start posting sloooowly!

also, for the next 12 posts: I randomly picked which 4 Legionnaires would encounter which Zodiac sign. I'd be curious to hear feedback re: did it show, or did I manage to make it seem organic? it was fun seeing the teams that were picked at random, and thinking of how best to write the scenes given whom I was dealt

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

An Unknown Location

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The Rat is the first of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

Optimistic and energetic, people born in the Rat year are likable by all. They are sensitive to other’s emotions but are stubborn with your opinion. Their personality is kind, but due to weak communication skills, their words may seem impolite and rude.

- extracted from https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/rat/

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Kono forced herself to stop thinking about the last meeting of the Zodiac. Each interaction let her build a better view of her companions. The Pig was certainly at the top of the pecking order, but Kono was determined to be as close to the top as possible. By her assessment, the Dragon, the Horse and the Snake were the next most dangerous.

But that was for later. Now, she had her part to play. The Pig had been clear: they must get the Legionnaires to expend as much energy as possible, and weaken the team as much as they could. This was only the next phase of their plan, and they needed to set the pieces up well for the final phase.

She knew who their ultimate targets were; those must be kept alive. But the rest could be killed.

Fortunately for the Legionnaires, the White Witch had successfully cast a protection spell before the Legionnaires had been pulled in. Fortunately for Kono, as well; she could use that as an excuse for not killing any of them. Ah, problems, problems; many of her colleagues had no qualms about killing to get their way. But she was a thief, not a killer. And another point: her anger at Sklar's
destruction was firmly directed at that squaj Mordru; the Legion likely wouldn't have stopped him that day.*

Though she wouldn't mind hurting Live Wire a little... the logs had been clear, he had deviated from the Legion's plan, letting Mordru reorient and counter. Had Live Wire not foiled the Legion's plan... Sklar's destruction would only have been delayed, not prevented. Kono was realistic enough to realize that Mordru had been too powerful, and Sklar had been doomed the moment he landed on it.

Just as Kono was realistic enough to know that she couldn't stand against the Pig by herself.

Putting that sobering thought out of her head, Kono carefully hid herself just so inside the rock wall, where she could watch the Legionnaires without them seeing her. Thankfully, Apparition and Saturn Girl weren't among the ones pulled here. She began thinking of how she could make this look good AND weaken the Legion, without actually killing anyone...

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Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Lamprey, Tayla Skott of Earth (Maldives and Palau) and Neptune; underwater survival; hydrokinesis
Spark, Ayla Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Wildfire, Drake Burroughs (energy gestalt of two beings); anti-energy being

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Anti-energy streamed from Wildfire's suit as he gestured at his teammates. "What the sprock? One moment we're enjoying ourselves during a free day, the next the world whites out, and now we're here?! How can you be so calm?!"

"You get used to it after a while," Spark snarked. "The Time Trapper pulled us away before**, and then there was the Rift...***"

"I was there, Spark!" Wildfire raged. "It's an experience I don't want to go through again!"

"Wildfire, please!" Lamprey stood in between her teammates. "Spark isn't the enemy. We have to work together to get out of here!"

Looking at Tayla's face, Wildfire wavered. "Point, point, look, I'm sorry! I just don't like all of this... this!" Wildfire blazed.

"How do you think I feel?" Gates snapped. "I'm the teleporter, yet I can't get us out of here because I don't know where to go!"

"Okay, okay," Wildfire mused. "What if I fly up and try to find where this mudball is?"

"That might work," Spark sighed. "I can't get a signal on my Omnicom, so we have to explore things ourselves."

"I think it's a great idea," Lamprey said, even as she filled up a flask with water condensed from the air. It was straining her, but she wanted to be sure they had enough to drink.

"Okay, then..." Wildfire gunned the thrusters on his suit... and gasped as he felt himself sinking into the ground. "What the-" his words were swallowed together with him, as he disappeared from sight.

"What?" Lamprey jumped forward. "He just sank in...?"

"My doing." Kono phased herself out of the ground, smiling.

"Bring him back!" Spark zapped at Kono. The bolt passed harmlessly through her, shattering some rocks behind her.

"I can't pull anything from her!" Lamprey gasped, even as she started condensing water vapor from the air. "It's like she's not here!"

"Brilliant observation," Kono laughed. "You can't touch me unless I want you to."

"Like Apparition, then," Gates snapped. "Don't let her get near you!"

"Oh please," Kono smiled. "I'm not reaching into your chests to squeeze your hearts, or anything gross like that. No, not when I can just..." she snapped her fingers, and Gates began to sink into the ground.

"No!" Spark reached out, and gasped as her hands passed through Gates' outstretched own.

"Why are you doing this?" Lamprey rounded on Kono. "What do you want?"

"Nothing that you can give." Kono smiled. Then, like an uncoiling whip, she lunged at Spark and plunged her hand into the Legionnaire's chest. Ayla screamed as her body short-circuited, her lightning feeding back onto herself.

"Ayla, no!" Lamprey, thankful for her transuit, caught her teammate. She gently laid Spark on the ground, even as Ayla shook uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Gates was summoning his strength. He could feel the dirt around him; but he also felt his body was solid, and not to be melded to it. He focused around himself, calling forth a teleport disk...

And made himself warp above Kono. He shook his abdomen, freeing the soil to crash onto the Sklarian.

Most of it passed harmlessly through her, though she did laugh. "Almost got me there, bug." Kono dove through the soil, cackling as she did.

Lamprey flew to Gates. "That was brilliant! I think if we keep airborne, Kono will have a harder time getting to us..."

Gates looked sadly at Spark, who was still trembling. "I wish we could do more for Spark. And for Wildfire."

Lamprey nodded, intently looking at the ground for the next possibility of Kono appearing.

What neither Gates nor Lamprey saw was Kono leaping above them. One of the charms the Pig had lent her gave her the power of flight. Both Gates and Lamprey barely had time to cry out as Kono landed on their heads...

... and Kono watched in satisfaction as the two Legionnaires crashed into the earth below.

Now she just had to go after Wildfire; if the Pig questioned her for her failure to kill any of her opponents, she could claim the anti-energy Legionnaire was the biggest threat and that she had been intent on disabling him. Smiling, she dove into the ground once more.

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IB's notes:

1) Mordru destroyed Sklar in Legionnaires 48.

2) The Time Trapper pulled the whole team away in L* 61 and LSH 105, but also took (most of) the Team 20 stranded Legionnaires in LSH 92, and took Legionnaires from both Team 20 and Team 30 in L* 54!

3) The Rift: the Rift that led into Legion Lost. See Widening Rifts (LSH 124-125, L* 81) and Legion Lost volume 1.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

An Unknown Location

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In Chinese culture, the Ox is a valued animal. Because of its role in agriculture, positive characteristics, such as being hardworking and honest, are attributed to it.

Oxen are honest and earnest. They are low key and never look for praise or to be the center of attention. This often hides their talent, but they’ll gain recognition through their hard work.

They believe that everyone should do what’s asked for them and stay within their bounds. Though they are kind, it’s difficult for them to understand persuasion using pathos. Rarely losing your temper, they think logically and make great leaders.

- extracted from https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/ox/

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Ferdinand watched as the four Legionnaires shimmered into view in front of him. The Pig had said they would be disoriented for a few minutes. Ferdinand could see them groaning.

He began feeling the earth around him, a gods-given gift to his kind. Yet, the old Greek gods had forsaken them, casting them around the stars, left to fend for themselves on worlds whose magic had dwindled.

So Ferdinand switched his allegiance to the ancient Chinese gods. And today... today, he and his companions would move a step closer to gaining those gods' favor. And Ferdinand was certain of the boon he would ask: a new world for his kind, where they could live at peace and in prosperity.

Ferdinand smiled to himself as he watched the four Legionnaires stir. He would give them a chance, of course; there was no honor in striking down unconscious foes. But he was certain he would prevail in this fight.

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Echo, Troy Stewart of Earth (South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago); sound manipulation
Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Live Wire, Garth Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Triad, Luornu Durgo of Cargg; triplication

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"Are you okay?" Ferro towered over Echo, who was groaning.

"Twisted my ankle, I think..." Echo said through clenched teeth.

"Maybe Mentalla can make it better..." Ferro muttered.

"What...?" Echo said.

"Nothing." Ferro bent down and lifted Echo up. "How are you two doing?" he called over his shoulder.

Live Wire rubbed the back of his neck as he stood. "What happened? I remember a bright light, then feeling like I was falling..."

Triad sat up. She knew, but still... she willed herself to triplicate, and sighed in relief. All three of her were indeed here. A Carggite always knew, as the feeling of being combined versus being triplicated was different, but with all the magical beings and telepaths and reality benders the team had met, well... "All three of me are okay." She began to look around.

"Speak for yourself" Purple spat. "We're stuck in the middle of nowhere. When I find who did this to us..."

"You have found me, then." All three and three-thirds Legionnaires turned to look in the direction of the voice.

"A minotaur!" Ferro gasped. "From Greek mythology!"

"I don't suppose Wonder Woman is here somewhere?" Live Wire asked hopefully.

"Don't say that name," Ferdinand's face darkened. "She owes my people much. Now..." Ferdinand lowered his arms and began to paw at the ground, clawed hooves clattering. "Prepare to die."

Echo reacted first, sending a blast of sound at Ferdinand. The Ox smiled; he loved a good battle. Reaching into the ground, he made the soil under Ferro erupt. The iron Legionnaire tumbled to one side, while Echo screamed as he fell another way.

"Troy!" Triad Orange ran to her fallen teammate, while Neutral and Purple turned to face Ferdinand. Live Wire joined them, arms crackling with energy. "I don't know who you are, but..."

Ferdinand turned to look Garth's way, and Garth unleashed a blast of electricity. A wall of vines and branches erupted from the ground blocked Garth's attack. Then, the branches shot towards Garth. He tried to fly away, but he wasn't fast enough; they wrapped around his hands.

"I can't blast through!" Garth gasped. "Too thick..."

Purple and Neutral had already launched themselves at Ferdinand, and Ferro was not far behind. Two purple-gloved arms punched the Ox, one on each side of the head. Ferro followed, his arms above his head. He swung down, beaning the minotaur on the head.

Ferdinand felt himself stagger, but he stood. "Not bad," he smiled at Ferro. "I actually felt that. But as earth bears metal, so can earth bury you." Stomping his hoof, Ferdinand made the earth open up beneath Ferro."

"Nice try, but I have my flight ring," Ferro flew above the crevice. "Now..." but before he could leap at Ferdinand, he felt a tug on his leg. Looking in horror, he saw dozens of vines erupt from the pit. Thrashing wildly, Ferro broke one; but for every one he broke, ten more looped around him. He clawed desperately at the pit walls...

... and Ferdinand made the ground swallow Ferro up.

"No, let him go!" Triads Purple and Neutral flew at Ferdinand from opposite sides, their feet connecting simultaneously. He merely laughed as his head spun momentarily.

"Again, not bad. I did feel that, barely," he smiled. Two stone hands erupted from the ground, each one grabbing a Triad body with such force that both Luornus hung, limply, in their clutches.

Inspecting his work, Ferdinand turned to Live Wire. He also hung limply, the vines around him having constricted his chest. "I thought there'd be more fight in y-" Ferdinand's next words were cut off by the blast of electricity into his eyeballs, and the sonic vibrations playing havoc with his balance. He staggered for a moment.

"That's more like it," he smiled as he commanded the vines around Live Wire to choke him. Then he traced the sonic vibrations through the ground, finding two more heartbeats. He commanded the ground under them to erupt. As he watched the storm of dust settle, he smiled as he saw the two prone forms sprawled on the ground. "So much for the triplet and the loud one," he smiled. "Not a bad fight, though... These children are worthier than I expected."

Whistling as he collected his fallen opponents, he began to think of the arguments he'd make to the Pig to use them as sport later. He hadn't met many individuals in this century who could put up such a fight.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

An Unknown Location

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According to legend, Tiger was confident that no one could compete with its speed and vigor for the celestial race that would decide the order of the zodiacs. However, when Tiger climbed out of the river, thinking it was first, it was informed that Rat placed first for its cunning and Ox placed second for its diligence. This left the king of the jungle having to settle for third place.

Like their eponymous zodiac animal, people born in years of the Tiger are vigorous and ambitious, daring and courageous, enthusiastic and generous, self-confident with a sense of justice and a commitment to help others for the greater good.

- extracted from https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/tiger/

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The Wellurian called Scratch drew her claws as she moved into position. That had been her code name in the Wellurian resistance. She had chosen it because it represented the resistance's slow, grinding fight against the power of ex-King Kradok's fake Legion. And it also masked the powers that had helped her survive for so long, when so many of her fellows did not.

She only wished she had had enough power to reach that accursed flying Legion craft, or the ex-King's floating palace.*

But she was hopeful that the past could be changed. Maybe the old gods would hear her plea and take pity on all who had suffered and died on Wellur. And maybe, just maybe, changing the past and stopping Kradok's terror early would allow Wellur to flourish, as it should have all along.

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Invisible Kid, Lyle Norg of Earth (Australia and Israel); invisibility
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation, enhanced vision
Sensor, Jeka Wynzorr of Orando; sensory manipulation
Umbra, Tasmia Mallor of Talok VIII; darkfield casting

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Invisible Kid looked around, drinking every detail in. Beside him, Nightwind kept trying different frequencies on the telepathic plugs and on the flight ring network. Umbra just stood, her cape curled around her. And Sensor had stretched her body up, trying to sense any minds around them.

"Still nothing!" Nightwind cursed in annoyance.

"I cannot sense my ancestors, either," Umbra said, surprisingly calmly. "Even when we were lost in the Kwai galaxy, I could sense them from a distance. But wherever we are, is beyond our connection."* As if to reassure herself, she let wispy tendrils of darkness surround her.

"At least your darkfield still works!" Sensor snapped. "If I couldn't sense your minds, I'd think I'd lost my powers!"

"So we may be on another plane, one with different physical rules," Invisible Kid mused. "Someone brought us here, but why us? Either we four share a connection, or, everyone else is around here somewhere. But..."

Lyle was interrupted by a snarl and a whoosh. Before he could react, a dark form dropped seemingly out of nowhere and slammed into Sensor's skull!

"Jeka!" Nightwind called as she watched Sensor drop.

"I have her," Umbra said as she commanded her darkfield to cushion Sensor's fall.

Turning invisible, Lyle looked around. "What was that? I saw something, out of the corner of my eye, but..."

Scratch smiled. She was eager for the chance to test her skills a little bit. When she wanted to, she could pass unnoticed by a hundred men at a brothel... anyone looking directly at her would find their focus torn away. She simply could not be perceived, unless she wanted to.

This Invisible Kid was clearly the most intelligent one, so she focused her hearing. She had already tried to locate his smell, but he had likely been prepared enough to wear a transuit. But even transuits did not mask sound...

... and she heard it. A heartbeat.

Raising her claws, she struck.

To Nightwind's and Umbra's horrified eyes, blood started blooming on Invisible Kid's back and arms. With a cry, their teammate fell face-down to the ground, blood pooling under him.

"Whoever you are, get back!" Nightwind commanded the air around them to swirl. "We know you're out there!"

Umbra began tending to Lyle, trying to stop the bleeding.

It was, sadly, too late. Umbra received a wound to the back of her head, and fell forward onto Lyle, dark blood spilling on top of his. Nightwind realized that their attacker was right beside them; but before she could turn the winds around, Berta fell too. Blood flowed from her wounds as she collapsed.

Scratch stood, looking pleased, as the air calmed down again. She might not be the most powerful, but with the element of surprise and a little quick thinking, she could defeat any foe her claws could scratch.

She bent down to flip Umbra around. Raising a clawed hand, she pondered. This one was a fierce fighter; which limb should she slash, to make her a cripple?

Umbra's eyes opened just then, and a surge of shadows erupted at Scratch. Umbra still couldn't see her foe, but she wouldn't let anyone get close...

"Agh!" Umbra cried out as she felt her side rip open. Tears fell as pain blossomed, and she fall again. As her darkfield faded, Scratch stood over her, angry at herself. She had gotten careless... but thankfully, the Pig had given her the a ring with the essence of the Talokian Shadow Cave they had stolen. That had given Scratch some immunity to the shadows.

This one was indeed dangerous, Scratch mused. Perhaps she should simply kill her... though would it be safe to do so?

Scratch decided to ponder for a while. After all, none of the four bleeding Legionnaires was in any position to hurt her.

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IB's notes:

1) Legionnaires 75! Ex-King Kradok of Wellur was exiled to a floating palace. He created a fake Legion to try to regain power. 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.

2) See Legion Lost 6; Umbra gets tormented by the "cackling ghosts" of her ancestors.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

An Unknown Location

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The Rabbit is the fourth of all zodiac animals. Legend has it the Rabbit was proud—arrogant even—of its speed. He was neighbors with Ox and always made fun of how slow Ox was. One day, the Jade Emperor said the zodiac order would be decided by the order in which the animals arrived at his party. Rabbit set off at daybreak. But when he got there, no other animals were in sight. Thinking that he would obviously be first, he went off to the side and napped. However, when he woke up, three other animals had already arrived. One of them was the Ox he had always looked down upon.

To outsiders, the Rabbit’s kindness may make them seem soft and weak. In truth, the Rabbit’s quiet personality hides their confidence and strength. They are steadily moving towards their goal, no matter what negativity the others give them.

With their good reasoning skills and attention to detail, they make great scholars. They are socializers with an attractive aura. However, they find it hard to open up to others and often turn to escapism.

- extracted from https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/rabbit/

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Chemical Kid, Condo Arlik of Phlon; controls chemical reactions
Density, Jed Rikane of Earth (Mongolia and Nepal) and Quothon; controls his body's density
Kid Quantum II, Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu; time manipulation. Current Legion leader.
Shikari Lonestar of the Kwai; pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space

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Kid Quantum's body hurt all over. Why did she ache so? Last thing she remembered was sitting with Invisible Kid and Cosmic Boy, watching their teammates playing VR games, and...

Rokk!

She sat bolt upright. "Rokk?"

"He's not here, and neither is Lyle." She turned to face Chemical Kid, who was trying to pull himself up. "I don't know what happened, but I willed my body to secrete more cortisol and dopamine... I can't keep it up or it will play havoc on my system... I didn't want to wake you or the others up just yet, we might need..."

Jazmin thought of using her powers to accelerate Condo's body to a point a few hours later, then decided against it. They both had such complicated powers; without Brainiac 5 guiding them, she didn't want to risk their abilities interacting in strange ways. Instead, she offered Condo a hand, and pulled him to a nearby rock.

"Where are we?" she muttered. "I can't tell anything from the sunlit sky..."

"We could be anywhere," Condo huffed woozily. "All I see are featureless rocks..."

"You rest here," Jazmin said firmly as she ran over to Shikari. Neither Kari nor Density - the only other Legionnaires she could see - seemed to be bleeding, and she thought waking their pathfinder first would be advantageous.

A few minutes later, all four Legionnaires were sitting in a ring, pulling their transuits on. "At least we got ported here with our supplies," Density said forlornly. "I'm glad we got drilled to always expect the worst and keep our utility belts on us all the time..." he munched dejectedly on an energy bar.

"Something is masking my senses," Shikari's frustration was evident as she looked skyward. "I cannot perceive anything up there!"

A rustling between some leaves made the quartet look to the right. A small, fluffy, bipedal creature with long ears and jutting front teeth hopped out.

"Oh, a bunny!" Jed knelt down. "What a cutie you are!"

"Careful, Jed," Jazmin warned. "We know nothing about this place."

"Don't worry, I'll keep my distance," Jed replied. "It's just nice to see some adorable local life."

The bunny hopped along, not seeming to notice any of the newcomers to the area. It began nibbling on some blades of grass.

Jazmin made sure to keep an eye out on it. "Condo, do any of YOUR powers tell you anything about this place?"

Condo shook his head. "I can't detect any chemical reactions that would be out of place on Earth, or Phlon, or any of a dozen other UP worlds..."

Jazmin sighed as she looked at her flight ring. "And we can't raise anyone. The handbook says to stay where one is if lost, but we have to assume all our teammates have been whisked away to who knows where too, and... Wait a minute."

She turned to where she had last seen the bunny. It had been on the very edge of the clearing they were in, but now it was hopping near their feet. How could it have moved so fast?

"Whoa, fast little bugger," Density made his body denser just in case. "What are you..."

The bunny stopped hopping, looked at Jed Rikane, and leaped for his throat.

Lepus willed his body to expand into his humanoid, bipedal form. He felt his arms grow longer as he reached for Jed Rikane's neck.

Jed Rikane leaped backwards into the air, somersaulting with a grace surprising for his massive frame. Lepus knew that the purple man was using his power.

"Hold it right there!" Lepus heard Kid Quantum, and knew that a cascade of quantum particles was coming his way. Using his super-speed, he flew to the opposite end of the clearing.

"Not so harmless and adorable now, am I?" Lepus grinned. He watched the four Legionnaires, as they looked at him warily.

Lepus was used to being overlooked. He had been born on Earth-26, a universe of sentients who were just like him in his real form: to him, this was normal. To those in this other universe, he was described as a bipedal, anthropomorphic animal. That suited him just fine. He had been transported to this universe in one of those cosmic time storms* that all the heroes loved calling Crises; and somehow, he had gained the ability to shift his form into a normal rabbit like the ones in this universe. And he had also gained abilities as wonderful as those of his universe's Captain Carrot.

That was enough reason for Lepus to want to stay here, where he could start anew. Where he could be enough of the most powerful beings alive, instead of going back to being useless, plain, average, overlooked Oswald Lepus.

Grinning, Lepus charged at the four Legionnaires.

"Now, Condo!" Jazmin unleashed a wall of quantum bubbles, while Condo focused his powers on Lepus' nervous system, trying to give him an energy crash. Lepus laughed as he felt their powers tickle. Given time, they would work. But he wouldn't give them the time. "Still too fast for you," he taunted as he crashed into the ground. The resulting shockwave knocked both Kid Quantum and Chemical Kid into the air. Lepus flew at them, grabbed them both by the collars and knocked their heads together.

"No!" Shikari, armored up, charged at Lepus.

"You'll pay for this!" Density's skin was a deep dark purple now, signaling the increase of his mass.

Lepus smiled calmly as he threw the still forms of Kid Quantum and Chemical Kid at them.

"I got them, Kari!" Jed yelled as he caught Jazmin gently in both arms. He slung her over his shoulder as he chased Condo.

"You're just a bully!" Shikari screeched as she feinted at Lepus. She knew better than to think she could damage him, but if she could just buy some time...

As Lepus evaded her attack, Shikari pivoted mid-air to strike him with the back of her other hand. She quickly spun around as he screamed and countered.

"Ah, playing it this way, eh?" Lepus understood what Shikari was up to. "Fine, you're fast... but your purple friend isn't so quick." Lepus charged towards Jed, who was still struggling to reach Condo.

"No!" In frustration, Shikari chased after Lepus. But the Rabbit was fast... Kari watched in horror as Lepus crashed into Jed, sending him and Jazmin tumbling after Condo. She prayed that their flight rings would slow their falls... she pushed herself to fly past Lepus. If she could catch Jazmin and Condo at least...

Shikari never did make it. She felt her leg being pulled backwards with almost enough force to knock her out. As she jerked forward, Lepus headbutted her...

... and he discarded her still-armored form beside the bodies of her three teammates.

"That's a wrap," Lepus laughed as he sat down. "I bet I did it faster than my fellows." He leisurely grabbed a carrot from his belt pouch. After his snack, he would check to see which ones were still living... he had plenty of time to finish them off for good.

Hi IB, I am all up to date and enjoying this a heap!

Some more thoughts:

I like oddball pairings, and that is definitely Thunder and Mysa! Drawing on Thunder's power was a clever idea, that Wisdom of Solomon certainly earns its keep!

Mysa's sorceror apprentices are great! Traci Thirteen the XIIIth is so awesome, I wish I had thought of that name!! (nice to see her be the one to help Thunder out later too!) And Harlak!! And I am gonna be using Antonio Steffanaci myself soon so that is a bit of synchronicity! And does Elpheba happen to be an odd shade of green?


OH WOW!!! That was unexpectedly brutal!! As much of a violent idiot as Brawler is, I do feel sorry for him....I don't think this is gonna end well for him somehow!

I feel like I missed something with the first Tiger though...did the other Zodiac members beat her up while Pig was distracting Brawler? I can't figure out how she ended up with all the broken bones?

oooh you are doing leadership elections, that's exciting!

Interesting that your Bobb can make his crystal forms transparent, I like that development...and that he managed to be a good defence AND offence. He's actually got such a useful versatile power, it's beyond me why he never got anywhere in the comics!

I like your little real world synopsis of the zodiac signs, it feels like something Roy Thomas would have done in old Avengers comics

I also like that Kono isn't down for killing...she was one of my faves in the 5YL Legion so I am glad to see that she's not all bad here (and she walked all over the Legion!)

I keep forgetting your Lamprey has water powers! Drawing drinking water from the air is a cool move!

WAIT!!! Ferdinand as in Wonder Woman's pal Ferdinand??? OMG IT IS HIM! I wonder what the line about Diana owing his people is all about? I am so intrigued!!

Scratch is a cool name for a tiger and being able to remain unperceived is a pretty scary power for a slasher!

Chemical King detecting for unusual chemical reactions is another clever use of powers

Man, the Legion is NOT faring well! (although part of me always wonders if Sensor is just playing possum anytime we see her get knocked out lol)...I am digging these Legion squads though, they don't really come off as completely random and having Ferro and Echo on the same squad actually allowed for a reminder of Andy's subplot. I liked Kid Q's thoughts about her power interacting with Chem's as well.

The Zodiac are kicking goals at the moment! I really like all the individual villains we've seen so far and I like that they all have unique motivations that aren't necessarily evil....very much looking forward to seeing more!

hiya Raz, thanks for the read and review! Glad you're enjoying! This idea has been bubbling in my head for more than a decade now...


glad you're digging them! Harlak and Antonio were locks, being some of the very few magical characters in the Legion-verse. Elphaba is indeed Green and Traci, coming from a long line of Tracis, definitely knows her stuff compared to the other apprentices!


yeah, Brawler's an idiot but I did want to show he's being manipulated too. so the poor 1st Tiger had to get it...

and yes, sorry I wasn't clear. Pig / Snake are making Brawler think they are the good guys, so they only let Brawler see the first hit on the poor 1st Tiger. But Pig had Tiger beaten up to scare the rest of the Zodiac into line too.



Yeah! I always thought Nightwind and Crystal Kid got a raw deal in canon, they have useful powers. And I remember Nightwind and Lamprey giving Wildfire a good fight in their first appearance. Nightwind and Crystal Kid definitely had powers that could hang with the Legion... Lamprey's bioshocks duplicated Garth, so I gave her water powers instead to differentiate her

Kono did a good job eh? With her phasing, nobody could touch her... and yeah, I didn't want to make her fully evil, so kept her kill-free


I was definitely thinking of that Ferdinand when I made this one! They're not the same though, as I don't know enough about Diana's Ferdinand to do him justice. But there is some connection for sure


Sensor will definitely have to play possum one time... and glad the squads are melding well! Ferro and Echo ending up in the same one was a happy accident that I took advantage of for sure

And glad the individual Zodiacs are hitting it! I have a few more surprises in store, so hope you like the other 8 as much as you've liked the first 4! There are a couple in particular that I think will draw strong reactions

If the ones we have seen so far are anything to go by, I am hella excited to see them!

And I am MORE intrigued about Ferdinand now! I hope we get to see what his deal is before this is all over!

Ferdinand gets a pretty big moment in the finale I'll say that I probably won't answer all your questions about Ferdinand, but that does not mean they cannot be answered in the future

And super stoked you are excited... in fact, a few more will be up before the weekend

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

An Unknown Location

**********************************************************************
The Dragon is the fifth of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. Everyone expected the powerful Dragon to arrive early on. However, he came after Rat, Ox, Tiger and Rabbit. When asked why he was so late, Dragon said that on the way, he saw a village suffering from drought. He had to stop and create rain for them. The Jade Emperor was happy when he heard of this noble deed and gave him the fifth position.

Dragons are the most revered animal in Chinese culture. In the past, emperors were seen as the reincarnation of dragons.

- extracted from https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/dragon/

**********************************************************************
The Dragon uttered a silent prayer to his ancestors. He had prayed long and hard for guidance. He was not comfortable with all their methods... but he felt, deep down in his heart, that what he did today was the right thing to do.

As the four Legionnaires assigned to him by fate materialized in front of him, he knew what he had to do.

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Amp, Ming Sul of Earth (Korea and Taiwan); amplifies the natural abilities of self and others
Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Magno, Dyrk Magz of Braal; magnetokinesis
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

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

Sweat rolled off Magno's face as he focused his powers. But even with Amp beside him, boosting him up, he couldn't find anything metallic to latch on to... no magnetic fields called out to him, besides of the ground they were on.

"I'm sorry, I can't..." Magno sighed. "Can't detect anything that will give us a clue as to where we are."

Both Magno and Amp stopped using their powers, sitting down to rest.

"Hey, what if..." Blizzard snapped his fingers. "The 21st century Flashes could time travel, right? If Amp boosts XS up, maybe we can..."

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." A figure cloaked in green appeared in front of them. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, but it was hard to tell; its entire body was covered in a large, formless outfit that obscured all of its features. Even its voice was vaguely human, and very androgynous.

"Who are you?" Amp asked. XS stood at the ready.

"I am the Dragon," the figure said simply. "Please, don't fight back." The figure raised its arms.

"We so will fight back!" Blizzard snapped, sending a flurry of hailstones at the Dragon. The Dragon simply countered with a shield.

But that distraction was all that XS needed to run behind the Dragon. She reached out to knock him out...

... and passed harmlessly through him.

"I am slightly out of phase with this reality," the Dragon said. "Again, please don't fight back. It's useless."

"Okay then, what do you want?" Magno began. The four Legionnaires had already been discussing telepathically. Magno stepped forward. "Why did you bring us here?"

"We need you," the Dragon said simply. "We just want to cast a spell, and we need you to do it. So please, don't fight back, it will go easier."

"And you expect us to just watch and wait?" Blizzard asked. "What will your spell do?"

"Right some past wrongs, I hope," the Dragon said simply.

"Not good enough," Magno said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amp and XS discreetly working. A little bit more..."Tell us everything. If you mean well, we're happy to help. But what exactly are you trying to do?"

"I don't dare say any more," the Dragon said simply. Again, it raised its hands. "Please, don't make this more difficult than it has to. Just stand down and..."

The Dragon's next words were drowned out by a sonic boom. Powered by Amp, XS had found the vibrational frequency that matched the Dragon's own form. She appeared before it in an instant, punching it back. It landed on its behind with a groan.

"Now let's see who you are!" Also powered by Amp, Blizzard encased the Dragon in a block of ice, chilling its every muscle. Unable to move, the Dragon could not resist as XS ripped its cloak off...

... and gasped, as she saw the features of Xao Jin.

"Dragonmage?!"

Dragonmage averted his eyes. He wished it had not come to this. He wished that XS had been just a second slower, while his chanting finished. He wished he didn't need to confront them openly, for the Pig's spell to work. He wished that violence wasn't needed. And he wished, oh how he wished, that his former teammates hadn't seen his face. He didn't want to - he wouldn't - kill them... and doubtless, they would survive, and maybe tell Mysa about him.

And that would break her heart. He had hoped to avoid that.

But it was too late now. Dragonmage looked, not hearing the protests and shock from XS, or from Amp, Blizzard and Magno, who had all now flown up to them. He watched, not hearing, as the dragon-forms he had silently been conjuring appeared in the sky, behind and above the Legionnaires. He watched, tears streaking down his face, as one dragonform passed through each Legionnaire. He heard their screams of pain and shock as their bodies jerked. And he felt the ground shake as each one fell, in a heap, at his feet.

He forced himself to look at them as his dragonforms melted the ice around him, and warmed his body. He forced himself to watch as the mystic energies from their battle, the energies of violence, flew up into the air, to their collection point. He forced himself to feel the magical energies around them burning stronger, as his own betrayal added to the mix.

Soon, soon, there would be enough negative energy to call forth the Great Ancestors. He just hoped that all his friends would survive the process.

He sat, crying, his warm tears mixing with the cold melted water, as he imagined all the heartbreak that would come from this.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

An Unknown Location

**********************************************************************
Snakes usually have a negative diction and are symbols of witchcraft. However, Nu Wa, the creator of the world in Chinese mythology, had a human’s head and a snake’s body.

In a chaotic environment, they are the eye of the storm. Snakes are able to hold their ground and calmly think of solutions.

They are always making new plans and follow them without relying on others’ input. They’re usually correct, but this also comes from a distrust of others. You cannot judge a Snake by its cover. Their slow and lazy talking hides their fast-paced thinking. Behind their calmness, they are alert and observant.

- extracted from https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/snake/

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Dreamer, Nura Nal of Naltor; precognition
Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Mentalla, Delya Castil of Titan; telepathic control of others' physical functions

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

"How could I not have foreseen this?" Dreamer asked herself over and over, even as she dodged the attacks of her teammates. "How?" Despite her discipline in skimming the future regularly for threats, she still didn't predict this!

A few minutes ago, she had found herself in a quiet clearing with Element Lass, Karate Kid and Mentalla. The four had all remembered a blinding white light on Legion World, and had found themselves here.

They had been overjoyed to see some bushes part, and had seen Echo, Ferro, Kid Quantum, and Star Boy walk through. They had rushed to their teammates, only to see them smile twistedly before charging at them!

Kid Quantum had caught Karate Kid and Mentalla in her quantum spheres, but Element Lass had swiftly turned the air around Kid Quantum into knockout gas. Star Boy had then sent Element Lass sinking into the ground. Dreamer, knowing how dangerous her paramour Thom's powers could be, had dashed to him and knocked him out with a chop to the back of the knock.

As she watched Thom fall to the ground, Dreamer forced herself to snap back to the present. Her teammates needed her!

Andromeda and M'Onel emerged from the bushes as well.

"We've done this dance before*," Karate Kid told his teammates. "I'll keep M'Onel busy." Val began twisting and turning in the air as M'Onel blasted around with his heat vision.

"I'm sorry, dear," Element Lass turned her attention to Andromeda. She quickly turned Andromeda's utility belt to lead, and concentrated on the elements she knew made up Andromeda's lead serum. "I'm just glad Brainy had me study that serum of his...!" Andromeda's eyes turned from a blinding red to their normal light blue color, as she began to stagger.

Echo and Ferro both advanced on Mentalla. The blonde telepath paled as she tried to push into their minds. "Troy? Andy? This isn't like you!"

Thoughts ran through Mentalla's mind. She had spent time with both; her date with Echo had been the best of her life. And she knew Ferro had had a crush on her, but he had always acted so gently and kindly, and had treated her just as a friend. They were both moving so coldly and cruelly now, though...

"I can't detect any mind control in them!" Mentalla yelled to her teammates as she propelled herself backwards. Just in time, as Echo let loose a sonic blast that shredded the tree that had been behind her. "Think, Delya, think!" she told herself.

Dreamer's mind darted through the possibilities. Not mind control, perhaps a dream, or...

Mentalla and Dreamer gasped at the same time. One more option.

"An illusionist!" both exclaimed. Mentalla began casting her telepathy wider. Dreamer flew to Element Lass. "Candi, start transmuting. Besides us four, we have to assume everything around us isn't real!"

"If you both say so, dears!" Candi turned her powers around them, creating knockout gas everywhere.

Val somersaulted in the air; he had just dodged a punch from M'Onel. He had not needed to; as Candi's transmutation worked, their fellow Legionnaires faded from view...

... and instead, the rogue telepath called Universo fell to his knees, coughing.

"How did you get free from Steeple?" Karate Kid called as he flew at Universo. Val raised his arms, ready to strike.

"He's not alone!" Dreamer pointed; the telekinetic called Brainstorm and the mind-controlling Charma appeared.

"Brainstorm's mine!" Mentalla entered Brainstorm's mind. "Get out, witch!" Brainstorm spat.

"No." Mentalla forced Brainstorm to use his telekinesis to fly into a tree branch.

Dreamer, meanwhile, charged right at Charma. Charma could only affect males. "I can beat you with my hands," Charma snarled. The yellow-skinned beauty lunged at Dreamer. Nura dodged one punch, only to have Charma land a kick in her side.

"Shouldn't have underestimated the pretty girl," Nura scolded herself. Using her power, she saw Charma's follow-up punch. Twisting her body so it missed, Nura kicked Charma in the face.

"There are more!" Candi gasped as a half-dozen more villains appeared. She began transmuting like she never had before. "Nura, Delya, Val... what is happening?!"

But there was no answer. Slizz the Snake could see what was really happening. If she were a mammal, she would be smiling right now; Slizz settled for coiling her body comfortably as she watched the show.

Fooled by her illusions, Karate Kid had kicked at harmless air. Mentalla had taken control of his body, not Brainstorm's; helpless to resist, Val had knocked himself out on a tree. That part was real.

Dreamer had in turn knocked Mentalla out in a fight, not Charma.

And Element Lass, thinking Dreamer was the assassin the Empress, had encased her own teammate in a block of inertron.

Slizz was pleased that her plan worked. Make the Legionnaires think they were winning, and knock themselves out. She knew they would figure the illusion part out eventually, and that they wouldn't think of a second layer of illusion after the first. She only regretted that none of the three defeated ones could really have harmed Element Lass' crystalline form. Else, she would have eliminated her first. But no matter; perhaps she could think of a way for Element Lass to harm herself. Maybe if she had someone attack from above...

Slizz willed the pendant around her neck to renew the protection spell it cast on her, just to be certain no stray transmutations from Element Lass would take her out. Then she continued to bombard Candi with imaginary opponents. Sooner or later, Candi would take herself out... or, if time ran out, Slizz would just disable her with one of the magical trinkets she brought to this battle. But Slizz was enjoying her way to that outcome.

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

IB's notes:

1) Karate Kid fought a possessed M'Onel in LSH 111, though M'Onel was at half power then (being under an orange sun), and Val didn't quite beat him - just sent him flying off into space. Karate Kid also fought a full-powered Daxamite in Legionnaires Annual 2, and was able to stagger him for a moment.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

An Unknown Location

**********************************************************************
The Horse is the seventh of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. Horse had to pass a cemetery on his way, but he was too scared. He hesitated for the longest time because running past it with his eyes closed. After he overcame that obstacle, he went at full speed and managed to arrive seventh.

Horses are full of energy, albeit a bit too much. Both studious and athletic, they are strong believers of chasing after dreams. Rather than wealth and fame, happiness is what motivates them. They expect others to operate at the same speed as them and don’t understand why others can’t.

- extracted from https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/horse/

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

As Lusyo fingered the magical ornaments that the Pig had given him, he wondered why he had waited so long to say yes. When the Pig had approached him, only the Rat's position had been filled; but when Lusyo finally claimed the title of the Horse, the Rabbit, the Snake, the Goat and the Dog had all preceded him.

But no matter. Even if the others were first, Lusyo knew he could rise above them.

What exactly did rising above them mean, he pondered? He doubted they would rule over anything as a cabal. Each wanted a different thing; the only reason they were united was because they needed one another. Twelve Zodiac signs, which just happened to be filled by twelve individuals whose personalities and souls made them good matches for their respective sign.

Well, Lusyo knew what he wanted. Power and fame, so he could shove it in the faces of those who'd laughed at him, bullied him, all his life. He had told them there was so much more out there, outside the little backwater world they came from. He would return with riches, and make them grovel before him, begging... and cruelly yank the riches away just when they thought they'd gotten his pity.

He smiled as he heard the voices approaching. He would have a lot of fun with this.

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Brainiac 5, Querl Dox of Colu; 12th level intelligence and force field powers
Inferno, Dirk Morgna of Earth (USA and Russia); pyrokinesis, can see heat signatures
Sizzle, Teela Spuunvil of Abaddonus; absorbs and converts energy
Timber Wolf, Brin Londo of Zuun; enhanced speed, strength, durability, senses and regenerative powers

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

Brainiac 5 angrily tossed his Omnicom aside. "What good is technology when it won't work?!" he snapped.

Timber Wolf caught it easily. "Easy, big brain... maybe it just needs a charge?"

"I'm happy to provide some energy," Sizzle said hopefully.

"No, no! The battery is nearly full!" Brainiac 5 spat. "Even when we were lost in the Second Galaxy*, I could rely on my Omnicom! But I can't detect anything wrong with it to repair!"

"Okay," Inferno began pacing. "Well, can you tell anything from the sky?"

Brainiac 5 made a face as he pointed upwards. "Not while the sunlight blocks the stars!"

"Oh, sorry," Inferno said. "I sometimes forget that my heat-sensitive vision lets me see different things." He trained his eyes upwards. "If I describe the patterns, will it help... wait, I see something... it's shimmering, and..."

A tall, vaguely humanoid form appeared in front of Inferno, and unleashed a blast of energy at him. Dirk instinctively held his hands up in front of his face, calling forth a burst of fire to shield him. But the blast burst through and singed his hands.

As Dirk screamed, Brainiac 5 enveloped him in his forcefield. "Hold still and let me look," Brainiac 5 said.

"That was a big mistake." Timber Wolf stepped protectively in front of his teammates. Beside him, Sizzle began drawing in sunlight.

"Yes, I should have remembered your friend can see heat signatures," Lusyo said as he raised his hand to shoot another blast. Sizzle didn't give him the chance; she channeled the sunlight around her into five different forms of energy, loosing one from each finger. Lusyo just laughed; he waited until the last moment, then his body seemed to fold into itself as he teleported away.

"Some kind of teleporter!" Sizzle gasped. Timber Wolf began sniffing around, keeping alert for their assailant.

"Get in here!" Brainiac 5 commanded. "Inferno is already unconscious. But at least my field will protect us."

"Will it?" Lusyo smirked as he appeared above the group. He aimed and fired right at Brainiac 5... and his mystical bolt blasted through Brainiac 5's field. "No!" Sizzle cried as Brainiac 5's burned body fell, his forcefield blinking out of existence.

Lusyo laughed. "Two down, two to go."

"Magical energy is still energy, right?" Sizzle grit her teeth. "Brin... make your move!" Sizzle leaped at the blast heading towards them, and took it right in the chest. It drove her back, forcing her to kneel on the floor. "Ugh... need a moment to understand and absorb..."

Without wasting a breath on words, Timber Wolf leaped at a tree, using it to pivot himself at Lusyo.

"I can fire in two directions at once," Lusyo said, though he wasn't as confident as before. Sizzle actually seemed to be close to absorbing his blast! He began to fire in Brin's direction, but the agile Legionnaire dodged and flipped through the air.

Lusyo bit his lip nervously as he watched Sizzle begin to stand. Her hands began to glow, a sign that she was processing and changing the energy.

Behind Lusyo, Brin had his claws out and was approaching fast.

Lusyo began to sweat. Then, he remembered. His original power.

He warped out of his position. Too late, Sizzle watched her target disappear; and a nuclear blast hit Brin right in the face. "No!" she ran to where Brin fell. "Brin, I'm sorry, I..."

"I would have hit you if you hadn't blasted me..." Brin smiled weakly. "Keep on your toes..."

But Sizzle didn't get the chance. Lusyo instead blasted at the cliff wall beside Timber Wolf and Sizzle, and watched the pair cry out as they were buried in rock.

Wiping his brow, Lusyo sat down on a tree stump to rest. He had to remember not to get so overconfident next time... But still, his four Legionnaires were all down. He wouldn't do any worse than the other members of the Zodiac.

He sighed as he leaned back. Fighting was more fun if one wasn't in too much danger from it.

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

IB's notes:

1) Legion Lost volume 1!

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

An Unknown Location

**********************************************************************
The Goat is the eighth of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. Goat and Deer set off together, but they needed to cross a river. There were no boats available, so they had to swim across. The Deer couldn’t take it and gave up. Goat struggled on by himself and finally made it to the party as eighth place.

Goats are able to persevere through any difficulty. This is their most notable trait. They are strong and resilient, though their gentleness might be misleading.

- extracted from https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/goat/

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Andromeda, Laurel Gand of Daxam; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers, flight
Gear, I.Z.O.R. of Linsnar; bio-mechanical techno-morphing
Gravity, Tel Vole of Earth (Cambodia and Thailand); gravity manipulation
Saturn Girl, Imra Ardeen of Titan; telepathy

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

"Garth?" Saturn Girl said hopefully as lightning flashed down from the sky. It struck different points of the barren, rocky landscape before them.

"I don't want to be a downer, but this lightning feels... different..." Andromeda said as a blast hit the ground not far from them.

"You still can't sense anyone with your telepathy?" Gravity asked as he huddled behind Andromeda. He was thankful she and Gear were taller; they were both much more resistant to lightning than he was.

"No, and I've already reached the end of my range," Saturn Girl's voice was tinged with worry and frustration. "Something else is happening here. Could it be related to Brawler and...?"

A sudden flash of lightning made Imra gasp as she spoke. Knowing what would come next, she telepathically sent to her teammates: cover your ears!

Still fighting flashes of blindness, Gravity saw Gear extend some earmuffs from his arm. One pair settled on Gravity's head; but even through that, he could hear the loud crackle of thunder.

Tel shuddered. He had grown up knowing weather control. "How did you..."

"Winath is a relatively poor world," Imra shrugged. "Garth grew up with the occasional storm, before weather control. But usually the storm came with rain..."

Another crack of thunder came, and rain began to pour.

"I wish neither of you had said anything," Gear sighed as he extended an umbrella from the top of his head.

"Wait..." Andromeda tried to shield her eyes. There WAS something off about this lightning, it was so bright. "I see a silhouette over there..."

All the Legionnaires turned to where Andromeda was pointing.

"Is that... is that..." Saturn Girl said.

Gear's eyes telescoped forward so he could see better. "A lightning beast?!" he exclaimed.

The lightning beast looked at them, and pointed its horn. Then, the world lit up in a flash of lightning.

Andromeda braced herself as she sped in front of her teammates. Her last thought was that she hoped she were fast enough.

Gravity came to. How long had he been out? He grunted as he got up on all fours. "What...?"

"Sssh!" Saturn Girl's voice sounded in his mind. "That lightning beast is still out there, and Andromeda is..."

"Still alive, but barely." Gear looked up from Andromeda's prone body. Gravity gasped as he saw her blackened skin and frizzy hair. "But she's invulnerable..."

"And lightning beasts aren't that powerful!" Imra added. "Now hush, I'm trying to locate it, but I'm not at my best with non-sentient minds, and..."

Another bolt of lightning streaked out of the sky, striking Saturn Girl with uncanny accuracy. Gravity and Gear watched in shock as Imra's form lit up like a Diwali offering. She too, slumped forward.

"Sprock, sprock, sprock!" Gear quickly converted his arms into lightning rods. "Gravity, you're our only hope!"

"I... thank you." Tel took to the air, hoping to get some distance from Gear. He quickly turned his powers on, hoping to detect a shift in gravity, anything that would tell him where the Lightning Beast was. He heard Gear cry out as more electricity tore through his body. Gravity spared a glance; Gear was kneeling, barely conscious. How many more lightning strikes could he take?

Tel reached out, pushing to the limits of his range... There! Focusing on what he felt, he used his powers to toss the Lightning Beast into the sky, then slam it back into the ground. The beast snarled and whined as it fell. Gravity did it again, a second time...

... and then the thunder came. Crying out, Tel fell to his knees, his head ringing. It felt like his head had been caved in with a rock!

Snorting, the lightning beast watched as Tel tried to stand up. All she knew was that she had been brought here, that her name was now Goat, and that she could do things her pack members could not. And that she owed her newfound sense of safety to her master, the one called the Pig. And Pig had said to hurt these Legionnaires. So hurt them, she did.

Two flashes of lightning later, and both Gear and Gravity lay unconscious, smoke curling up from their bodies.

More Zodiac goodness, awesome!

Yay, XS really did a good job of knocking that dragon on its ass! Now let's see who's behind this pesky rubber mask WHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA XAO WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????

oops IB, I think you forgot to delete a bit - there are some notes under the Snake roll call still

Also this bit - I think Val humping in the air might be from the Black Label version of the story


I like that Brainy made Candi study the anti-lead serum! It makes me wonder if he would have gotten her to become familiar with some other helpful things now as well....(do they have Cancelite in the reboot?)

Also, nice to see Nura and Mentalla both reach the same deduction at once...I feel like Saturn Girl would have figured it out straight away but it makes sense that with their exotic powers they'd be a bit more attuned to this stuff than the regular person.

I kinda wish I had seen Val knock himself out on a tree; somewhere Keith Giffen is smiling and doesn't know why

Also nice to see that Candi's the last one standing, it's easy to underestimate how tough she is when she's so nice all the time

Sizzle did good too! Interesting that she can convert even magical energy!

A lightning beast!! I am a bit scared for Imra being hit by the same blast that took Laurel out!

I actually think the Goat Legionnaires are the ones I would most like to see on a mission together generally, they have a really good mix of powers and personalities. Assuming they all survive lol

Four more, right? This has been really fun so far, IB! I can't wait to see how our heroes get out of this mess and whether the more altruistic Zodiac members will let their better sides come to the fore before it's all over!

wow Raz, you read faaaast!


Oops and oops! thanks Raz! especially those notes. I read the Snake entry like 3 times, but kept missing it, how embarrassing!! have gone back and edited! thanks for being my editor!


We could have it...


I agree, Imra is just in another league (she would have figured it out quicker, and been annoyed with herself for not being even quicker) Nura was blindsided by the Snake's illusions affecting Nura's own precognition, while Mentalla's specialty is controlling motor functions - and Snake was able to use her illusions to make Mentalla think there was nothing there beyond their illusory enemies. at first, anyway. Illusionists are tough to write, I gotta say! layer upon layer of illusion!



I think Keith Giffen would have done way worse to Val


yup, and that crystalline body helps!


I figure, energy is energy, though indeed a "unique" and new form of energy gives Sizzle a tougher time!



Poor Imra, and Gear and Tel... although the lightning is a bit magical, so Laurel got taken out more easily

I should probably come up with a mission having Laurel, Imra, Gear and Tel next time thanks for this feedback Raz. they are a fun foursome to write, and probably I'll toss in a couple more.

and yes, 4 more... just for this act

thanks again raz, appreciate all your comments and feedback!!