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

wow, Jed and Tel really need some more counseling!!

and ouch indeed, nice scene with Tinya and Imra, and highlighting all they're going through... love Imra's tactics and humor, there!

why am I not surprised Bgztl is matriarchal... just look at how Reboot Winema was... though that would be doing her a disservice, Winema was simply a force of nature lol

nice nod to Garth and Imra being engaged,

and I lvoe the mentions of Zoe being fashion consultant to Jo too

interesting seeing Dann use his power to change his appearance so... I wonder if you are going somewhere deep with this, or if it's just a touch of passing characterization

sweet, Otaki and Nel make a cute couple

Mentalla II! yeah! nice to see Mentalla's legacy live on in another reality

another great installment Harbi, looking forward to more more more

Home Base, the Academy:

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

It was twenty minutes later. Uri had opened up to Enali about his dizzy spells. She had asked him if there was anything she could do to help - no criticism about keeping it to himself, or overly fussing emotional scene, just good Titanian pragmatism. Uri admired her in that moment for her support.

"I keep feeling like I should go home but... I'm not sure if it's right. I want to get back to the place where I found... it found me... where it began."

She had heard the story behind how he gained his abilities so understood what he meant.

"Okay... Henry will warp us there. We are allowed to visit our families, daily if we really want, aren't we?"

Uri had smiled, understanding immediately that it wouldn't be his family they were going to see, though the holo-man from the future didn't need to know that. The two students left his apartment and made their way to the warp control room.

Henry surprised them when they had asked for a warp to Stratokoviesk xii.

Uri had explained to the holo-man that the wedding had made him think about his family and, as he didn't really know Jo or Tinya, he thought it would be a good idea that he'd use the time off to pop home instead. Enali put her arm around his body and smiled at her fellow student as he spoke, doing a fair impression of a love sick young woman. The warp controller looked at the two students and shook his head.

"Uri, you must be aware that at this time the team are monitoring all known artefacts connected to the Sgargrathi Confederation. This is due to a series of crimes involving both known and unknown meta-criminals that have resulted in multiple deaths. This is particularly concerning as the Confederation were one of the deadliest, most predatorial species known in the Milky Way's long history. Your abilities are connected to their technology, so it would be unwise to leave the Academy without gaining proper clearance. I am sorry but given the potentially serious risk I must decline to assist you, and strongly advise that you do not leave Home Base until it has been authorised by one of your tutors."

There was an awkward silence before Kid Flux nodded his head and said, "...okay. Thanks Henry." He had never heard of Henry giving advice to a student before, so he knew something important had just taken place.

After the holo-man popped out of existence before them, the students looked at each other.

"What does that mean?" Elani asked, her expression mirroring the surprise on Uri's face.

"I have no idea... umm, I'm ...do you think I should tell the tutors what's going on? I did some research on the Sgargrathi when I got here and they were really nasty so if the way I feel somehow involves them... what do you think?"

"Don't worry Uri, I'm sure the main team can take care of this without you getting dragged into it. And anyway, I got you." Enali smiled as she said this, before she hugged the confused young man.

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


The older Jazmin, Jan and Kent stood at the bar beside Gim and Yera. The group were keeping an eye on how much the students that were attending were drinking. Both Gim and Jan had perfected hard stares that gave quite a few of the student body pause... Yera was trying hard not to laugh which made Jazmin giggle.

Umbra sat next to Shadow Lass, Lady Memory and Jefarri Assam - the newly promoted Chief Adjudicator of the Peoples of Talok viii and also the current Champion of the Forests. The four women had spent several days together and become increasingly close. They shared small jokes and teased each other with a careful consideration that those raised to be Planetary Champions, and so therefore were often alone serving duties beyond their own control, aspired to have. If they had all been fully honest at that moment, they would have admitted that it was as close as they had ever felt towards other Talokeans. Jeffari, having been brought up as a commoner amongst the Forest People had quickly learned that the Planetary Champions were required to act in a certain way... she still struggled but at least tried. That said, she had strongly pressed back when she was told she was not allowed to smile in public. She now made a point of doing this at every opportunity, and both Tasmia and Kahnya shared her view and were now actively supporting her by giving their widest smiles whenever possible.

The Dead Brain walked through a warp, leading a small team from the Khundian Battle Brigade. The mystic known as Pressure Point followed close behind with the warrior called the Wrecker, and, after a few seconds Gates trundled through before the warp closed. The Vygran former Legionnaire no longer wore his red hooded top, and now had a striking black and gold uniform. His beak and his claws were painted with red spots. His cloak was held up into three points a full meter above his head before spilling voluminously behind him. He looked particularly uncomfortable!

XS was the first to greet Gates, though many from both team went over to their Vyrgan colleague. It was while the crowds gathered around Gates that Power Boy arrived. No one noticed that Gravity Kid wasn't with him. Tel Vole arrived several minutes later and made his way to the bar, where his husband was clearly not waiting for him...

The two Nura Nals had noticeably avoided each other, just polite smiles and nods through the crowd. Both Star Boys had noticed and in an attempt to bridge the gap, they approached each other and started to talk. As they did the two Nuras smiled at each other and with a nod of the head agrred to go to the bar together. They wanted their boyfriends to talk and get to know each other and both knew the other would be stand off-ish and do that awkward 'man-thing' while they waited for their partners to finish chatting. Neither of the Thom Kallor's were especially outward going, so at least this way they had made the choice themselves and didn't feel forced into it by their respective partners.

Poltergeist joined several of the more junior team members as they congregated at the rear of the seating. Strobe approached him, and they started to chat - they had built an unlikely friendship due to the simple fact they both had dreadlocks. Hair maintenance was not a topic that many of their colleagues really cared for, but the two junior members knew that with hair like theirs, it was an essential skill. The other junior team members and several students teased them about their conversations quite mercilessly though both young men just smiled and carried on, seemingly oblivious of the oft repeated good-natured comments of "just wash and comb your hair like a everyone else."

Tellus could feel the excitement bubble in the psychic aether around his colleagues and the youths from the alternate universe. It was giddy, almost euphoric at times. The concept of taking a singular life partner was quite strange to him, but he knew that humans appeared to see some special relevance to the act. Candi and Grava were surreptitiously handing out tissues to many of the guests while they were waiting for the service to begin, and Tellus stood close to the two young women as they exuded such happiness... he basked in their warm psychic glow, echoing it out around him.

Otaki and Power Lass were complimented by many of their fellow guests for their matching outfits. The two young women smiled, with Bna resting her head against Nel's shoulder once they finally took a seat next to Lexikon and Sky-Lieutenant Annanch'ha. The Tamaraneans smiled at their colleagues before continuing their whispered conversation. Otaki was happy to sense the loving bond between the pair, and she gave Nel a small nudge and nodded to the two golden skinned teammates with a small smile.

Glorith has asked Southern Lights if he wanted to sit beside her and Xao, but the winged mystic had declined saying his wings made normal seating awkward and, he added with a smile, they would obscure the view for those behind him. Instead, he stood at the back of the congregated crowd with Dawnstar. Glorith glanced around at one point and saw his arm was around her waist, and the tracker's head was rested on his shoulder. Her chair creaked ominously...

Kinetix wiped the tears from her eyes as Tinya and Jo approached the dias where they would give their vows. The young telekinetic had originally planned on something far, far more elaborate for Tinya, but as they had worked through the list of 'must-haves', they both agreed that something refined and elegant would be perfect. Zoe dabbed at her eyes as she realised that the security measures meant the media would never see the wonderful outfits that she had made for the bride and groom to wear today. Gahaji had told her it didn't matter, there would be holos that in years to come she could share. She had smiled at her boyfriend, though said nothing as she knew he would never understand.

Surprising many, the young Rokk Krinn stepped forward to officiate the ceremony. Rokk wore a long dark gray traditional Morning Jacket with pale purple threading and a gold chain strung in a zig zag from his right shoulder zig down that side, and a white ruffled shirt underneath matching the grooms, and straight legged trousers. He was clearly echoing the antiquated pirate look that Jo carried off so well. The Braalian hero was not quite as successful in that endeavour though there was no denying he definitely looked dapper.

Rokk gave a small speech on Tinya and Jo before starting the vows, telling quick tales of their adventures together and the example he said they set that proved that love could triumph - if the effort was put in! Several of the guests had happy tears in his eyes as he finished his speech. Rokk did too. Behind him, as the evening sun lowered itself into the horizon, the old team house glowed in warm amber tones. The sky above, clear of clouds, gently faded into muted hues of deep blue as distant stars and satellites started to appear. The screens that the team and Science Police had erected around the event kept the crowds from seeing in but they could all see more and more people and media drones as the evening progressed.

yay, more!

still tickled pink that you have a Mentalla II - I always felt the original Mentalla should have gotten more credit for infiltrating the Fatal Five for so long, and so successfully!

Henry's future knowledge sure is helpful, and I like how he uses it!

Bless Jefarri, I love how she's getting the other Talokeans to smile in public more!

Gates! Finally! Been looking forward to him showing up, this will be good!

LOL at the Nuras subtly, er, nudging, their respective Thoms, hah!

love Poltergeist and Strobe bonding over their hair!

oof, jealousy rears its head in Glorith!

and of course, the wings, nice of our Starhavenites to also think of that

hahahaha it is so Zoe, to also cry because the media will never see the ouftits she created, hahahahah

also a big ha, at Jo being more "pirate-y": than Rokk

beautiful. eager to read more... who will be the first to give Gates a talking-to, I wonder?

Both Jo and Tinya gave short speeches, stating their love for one another.

After Rokk had declared them officially married a cheer went up from the assembled guests and Tinya suggested they take to the sky to give the crowds outside something to remember. Almost all of the assembled Legionnaires and guests used their flight rings to take to the air as the opaque force-sphere around the wedding opened up at the top like a flower opening to the newly risen sun to allow the Legionnaires to fly out into the evening twilit sky. Several spotlights sprung into life, illuminating the group as they took to the sky above. In the evening sky, Tinya's dress shimmered with pale greens and pinks, as if made from the inside of rare shells.

The roaring cheer from the crowd outside was deafening!

Around the plaza were literally thousands of beings crowded into any open spaces, keen to glimpse their heroes. Air cars and media spy-eyes had been held back by the huge city's resident traffic monitoring AI system. Still, there were hundreds of beings in the air; either using their natural abilities or technology that was primitive enough to not be affected by the AI's orders.

Several dozen more from amongst the crowd had some abilities towards flight and took to the air to join the swarming flock of Legionnaires. For a minute or so there was a sense of pandemonium as the Legionnaires and the flying crowd mingled. Several of the team positioned themselves around the newly married couple and respectfully turned the approaching members of the public away.

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


Zoe had noted that several of the U247 team were actively avoiding her as the flew across the cityscape, waving to the cheering crowds below. . Gahaji reminded her that in their reality, their Kinetix had died fighting Mordru, so perhaps seeing her reminded them how much they missed their friend... just as he would be broken inside if anything were to happen to her here in their own reality. Zoe considered this for a few seconds before agreeing with her boyfriend and giving him a quick kiss.

Mosaic and Little Loki flew up together. As students at the Academy on intern duties they had been invited and of course jumped at the chance of attending a Legion wedding. They both knew that there was no guarantee that they would make it to the big team so were taking every opportunity to interact with the Legionnaires whenever they could. The two young men were following behind Timber Wolf and Shield, and trying not to laugh as they listened in to the bickering between the two Legionnaires. Laurel had apparently promised Brin that she would wear a little more than usual for the occasion, and instead she had a red, very mini-shirt and sky blue short crop top with gold and red zig zagged lines around the plunging neckline, with a large joopli bloom on a fascinator in her hair. She was barefoot, both students noticed. Brin London had obviously had word of the pirate theme as he wore an extravagant shirt with frilled cuffs and decorative pleats running down the front, with brown baggy trousers tucked into black boots. The students were aware that Kinetix had been working on a themed wedding design and both wished they had taken up her offer to get an outfit made for them, as it was a dapper look that would probably be setting trends for months to come.

As the young Rokk Krinn flew amongst the team he had tears in his eyes. This experience was amazing! He had almost given up hope of their ever being in a place where they would be seen as true heroes again. At his side, Jazmin Cullen smiled at the crowds below, her happiness seemed to radiate from her.

"I love you Jazmin. I love you so much!" Rokk said as he turned towards Jazmin.

"And I love you too Rokk!" She felt a momentary surprise as she replied - they had never been expressive of their feelings and she could see on her partners face how close to the surface his emotions were at that moment, and she totally understood and reciprocated. She swerved around to kiss him on the cheek, though he turned at the same moment and instead they embraced and passionately locked lips.

"Hey Rokk... cameras remember, there'll be children watching." Thom Kallor's droll voice said from close-by.

"Leave them alone, jealousy is so unattractive." Dreamer said as she pulled her boyfriend in for a similar kiss.

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

Back on the Plaza, there were twenty of the wedding guests still on the ground.

Jed Rikane watched as the crowd of his teammates took to the air.

He would usually have been amongst them with the widest of smiles on his face. But... but, as everyone had taken to the air he had looked around for Tel and had spotted him, already in flight and clearly had not bothering to look for his husband as the gravity manipulator flew among the U247 team. Jed knew at the moment that it was over. They had been struggling more and more lately, and despite every week attending their counselling session it felt that for every step forward they took there were several going backwards. He felt exhausted by it. Tel was so immature sometimes; spiteful. Jed could feel the tears start to swell in his eyes and after quickly wiping them with his shirt sleeve, the muscular mutant put on his widest smile and made his way to the bar where he saw Gim and Yera speaking with a couple of the students.

Nor far away, the Dead Brain and the older Brainiac 5 were in a discussion about security strategies across their respective borders. With the recent issues that the Legion had experienced with the Dominion the two teams resident geniuses knew they needed to share relevant information if they were to remain safe. Several of their teammates drifted close by though when they heard what was being discussed decided to not trouble the two of them.

Shvaughn Erin and Roon Dvron had been keeping out of the way of the team. The two Science Police officers were on strict orders not to cause any sort of a scene. Instead, they chaperoned the DJ for the evening - a young Coluan with a surprising aptitude for rhythm, Brel Marqu Da Tune had a reputation for playing stunning sets, had been only too honoured when Professor Dox had personally contacted him and offered to have Henry warp him in for the evening. The music was going to be broadcast across all Legion streams that evening - it was an absolute coup for the young DJ to have an audience of potentially millions as people tuned in for all across the Milky Way. Even as he stepped out the warp and the two SPOs approached him, Ulu Vakk flew towards the Coluan and spoke in rapid-fire about how the substitute Legionnaire would enhance his set... Shvaughn groaned!

Gates and the young Brainiac 5 spoke for several minutes, both were clearly happy to catch up with the other. A few of the Vyrgan's former teammates approached them and tried to join in with the conversation though it was clear they were not really welcome. Neither Gates nor the young Querl were rude, though they would quickly get back to the subject they were discussing and ignore their teammate.

"We would like to have you join us when we leave in two days." Querl said.

"I... the Vyrgans of the reality have no idea of their true history. I have been educating them, but..."

"They have their own history in this reality Ti’Julk. Your history is not necessarily the correct one for them."

"I know! But... they are so... the Khunds rescued them about five thousand years ago from the Dominion and they are still acting like they owe them everything. Their culture is... it is so ugly, subservient and capitalistic!" He spat the last word out like the vilest curse.

"Do you think you can make a difference if you remain here my friend?"

"I have been trying to..."

"Are your results matching or exceeding your efforts?" Querl asked softly.

"Tsk... no, you know they aren't. They treat me like I'm some superstar and parade me around, though when I try to speak... it is awful."

"So why give yourself this impossible task. I have missed you and..."

"Maybe, maybe though Querl, don't make this difficult ...please."

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


Hotzone interview - Raymond Luxury-Yacht and Dirk Morgna


"...that's interesting Dirk, now tell me, have you heard anything from your old friends and teammates if these inter-dimensional team will be leaving or not? Word on the street is they'll stay and set up their own team and..."

"Haha, sorry Raymond old buddy, but I can't disclose that. Can I just get back to what an absolute delight it is to see Jo and Salu... and Andy, again. I was privileged to be a close friend with each of them and they are the best of the bunch!"

"Best of the best, eh?"

"Absolutely! The teenage visitors are a great reminder of what the Legion was... and what it should be. Fired up with that optimism and positivity, they are a true inspiration for us all!" Dirk gave a wide smile as he finished.

Raymond Luxury-Yacht raised an eyebrow at his co-hosts comment, reading through the lines at what Dirk Morgna was really saying.

"So, back to news... what can you tell us about these visitors..."

"Well, we have met before y'know. Not all of the teams adventures are shared with the public..."

"Tell us more!" Raymond leaned it, wondering if the former Sun Boy might spill the tea on a scoop that could help the Hotzone's hosts career...

ah lovely, I love these big parade type group shots!

I can see why some flying members of the public would want to join in!

nice touch, having some of the Reboot Legionnaires feel awkward about Zoe. Good old Gahaji, he's really good for her eh? they complement each other so

Zoe will be pleased to know that some folks are regretting NOT getting an outfit from her!

awww at a lot of other couples getting swept up in the emotion. (I wonder if Rokk and Jazmin will tie the knot soon, too?)

aww, poor Jed. I get him, though. Tel can be quite spiteful, and that's really painful...

of course, music is also intelligence! Great to see a gifted Coluan DJ!

yes! Gates and young Brainy! nice convo there, very true to form, with Brainy appealing to logic, but also open enough to admit he misses his friend. and Gates being torn.

Oh Dirk. just like Dirk to mention the living counterparts of his dead ex-teammates in an interview... and to take a snipe at the current Legion too. tsk! I can imagine some reactions will folllow...

The good thing about not being around for a while is I get a couple posts to catch up on! Let's gooooo!!!

oooh I feel like Mentalla talking Kid Flux out of going to the grown-ups with his concerns is gonna come back and bite them on the nass!

The line about Shady and the other Talokeans feeling closer to one another than they ever have anyone else from their world was sad, but rings true - it keeps with Shady's tendency toward aloofness.

Poor Gates, I can imagine how uncomfortable he would be hahahaha...the black and gold uniform sounds cool though!

Tellus being surprised by the idea of taking a single life partner is a neat way of throwing in some character-building!

I like the touch of the U247 team avoiding Zoe as well....it must be difficult being around her counterpart who is most like the Zoe they would all remember most fondly.

I never thought of the Legion setting fashion trends, but it is one of those things that totally makes sense and is something I wish I'd thought of now! Good work!

Rokk having a little emotional moment with Jaz was nice and well-deserved too....I wonder if they might be next?

Aww, poor Jed....can't say that it is a surprise though if they do break up, and have tried. Tel really is kind of a jerk across all universes though

Aww again at Brainy and Gates...Brainy misses his pal

I'm sorry but Raymond Luxury-Yacht is an amazing name for a TMZ type guy, I can't remember if we have seen him before or not but I love it

pretty sure Raymond Luxury-Yacht appeared in the Threeboot - love the name too

The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):

Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability
Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight
Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - Magnokinesis
Kid Nimbus - Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form
Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation
Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch


The Aldronlliphean Mega-Station is one of the seven wonders of the Aldronlliphea Major system.

The other six wonders are all hotly disputed, and in fact whether or not there are actually six other wonders is in fact most often what is so fiercely debated. Or at least, if this subject were ever to come up it would be....

It was quite large though, as a mostly artificial satellite went, with a roughly estimated population of somewhere around the three million mark. Given the transient nature of a sizeable percentage of this estimate, the truth was no-one could ever be totally sure how many sentients there were at any one time on the station.

The mega-station was seen as the very last place within the United Planets where one could be assured of the rule of law before traveling out to the Far Rim Worlds and Outer Colonies. The assurance of law is relative, of course, so it is not to say that this huge floating space shipyard-cum-layover point-cum-supply store-cum- brothel wasn't without crime or a criminal element. Where statistics of reported crimes ever to be audited it is likely that a substantially larger than average - for the UP - rate of crime would be found to be recorded. As it was estimated that at most 10% of all crime were ever reported it is likely that the Mega-station had in fact one of the most active criminal elements of any official United Planets station or planetary system, short only of certain less salubrious sections of Rimbor.

Anyone who ever had spent any amount of time here would agree.

Prince Alfron Gundrix Maunheesta knew full well about the truth behind the mega-station's unsavoury reputation from first-hand experience. On his way to Earth to join the Legion Academy, he had been attacked and beaten here. A robber had tried to steal his wallet but his abilities had saved him. The robber's associate had wacked the young and naïve prince firmly over the head with a piece of 2x4 after seeing his unsuccessful accomplice being thrown away by the young prince's powers. As the young and very stunned prince tried to regain his feet the robber's associate punched him in the face and rummaged his pockets. Thankfully the young prince's wallet had been within a DNA locked pocket so his money and identity were not taken that day. Only his pride...

Eighteen months later, after leaving the Legion Academy, the Prince had suggested to the group of meta-beings he currently associated with that this would be a good place for them to start to achieve a reputation that would, ultimately, allow them to be seen as the galactic heroes they all wanted to be.

That had been a several months ago. It had taken them six weeks to get to the mega-station as both Ja Vlo and Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth had both wanted to visit their relatives before they went adventuring. They then stocked up on supplies and fuel for Slingshots personal space-disc yacht as the young prince had assured them that the price of goods would rise exponentially as they moved further out from the Inner Worlds towards the Outer Rim.

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


In the months that the former Academy students had been here they had stopped a total of four muggings, caught a rather scrawny youth as he ran away from some reasonably artistic graffiti on the side of a civic building with two spray cans in his hands, helped a damaged space craft successfully dock on one of the North-end pads, spoken at three classrooms for the stations education centre about the role of meta-beings in galactic stability and, assisted with crowd control during an off season visit to the mega-station by the current holders of Laser Ball Championship League Golden Holsters, the Ventura Blasters. They knew there was a lot of criminal activity going on, they could almost smell it in the aether around them, but without actually witnessing it there was very little they could do.

None of the team were feeling particularly great about their achievements. It wasn't quite how they imagined breaking into super-heroics would go.

Kid Nimbus and Flipside had both taken to spending time on their own to hide their disappointment at their current circumstances, while Ballistix often volunteered with the Pilots Guild; lending a hand at the landing pads and making routine inspections of space buoys. Meanwhile, Magno Lass and Kid Dynamo were clearly trying to hide that they were seeing each other in more than a purely professional manner and would sneak around together. So, generally, the young prince that had suggested they come out here to help clean up the mega-station from the rot that occupied it found he was sat on board their retro designed saucer ship alone monitoring the local security broadcasts

Of course, he also monitored all the news streams regarding the Legion to check that Atom Girl was okay. They had only contacted each other twice since he left... Prince Alfon knew Sylva had been annoyed that he chose to join this team, but he had genuinely thought they would have worked out some solution. Especially as the Legion had Henry to open warps in space for them. It appeared to him that the solution she had arrived at involved the Legionnaire avoiding him.

Right now all of the news streams coming from the Inner Worlds were full of images and footage of the wedding of the Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl from another reality. The young couple had decided to get married in Metropolis on Earth and were currently leading a flying stream of their colleagues around the city to the roaring approval of the many thousands of spectators below.

Atom Girl was part of the flying procession and Prince Alfon could clearly see she smiled with genuine happiness as she waved to the cheering crowds. Flying alongside a twirling Gravity Kid, she blew extravagant kisses at the happy, noisy throng of sentients below, laughing in delight, tossing her hair as she did...

If ever there was an image of an ex-partner who had moved on to live a better life, he knew he was looking at it right at that moment.

Overall, the young prince was less than satisfied by how his plan was turning turned out.

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


The Scardilleo - the local security officers of the station who were supposedly impossible to bribe (though no-one - absolutely no-one! - believed that), used security broadcasts to share soothing propaganda (that no-one took seriously).

Every now and again though, an actual event worthy of the young meta-team would be announced. Annoyingly for Prince Alfron, the team were rarely available in time to deal with the problems that were being broadcasted, and only the day before they had missed an opportunity to help in a residential fire. As had become their habit, the team were spread out across the mega-station doing their own things.

And, of course, at that very moment when an alert was shared that was the case:

"All sentients are urged to avoid the Second Level Arcade!" the announcement broke through an advert for Silverale, "There is a situation happening and we urge your co-operation to ensure there are no further casualties or hostages... ah, um collateral damage... wha'?" Whoever was speaking had obviously been yanked away from the microphone and an older and more steady voice continued, "Yes, Sentients, please help us to help you by avoiding the Second Level Arcade while we deal with a situation that has arisen, thank you again beloved citizens."

Slingshot jumped up from his seat, activated the team's alarm on the flight ring network and ran to the anti-grav chute that would take him to the Second Level Arcade. Thankfully, he thought, it was only a klick or so away, so he could get there in quickly.

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


Using his flight ring to levitate quietly through the rows of now empty shops on the Second Level arcade, Prince Alfon was struck by a strange thought:

The First Level was where the fancy shops traded - widely recognised brands from the UP - and high-end traders all jostled for the credits the crowds brought. Meanwhile, the Third Level was where the banks and financial institutions were established... the second Level arcade was mostly full of the smaller independent trader or the cut-price bargain shops. There were stores full of junk taken of deserted crafts found fliating outside, swapshops, and charity displays. So why would anyone create trouble here when there were much richer pickings to be had both above and below? Unless it was a way to access the levels above or below...

<Hey, your maj... what's the scoop?> Flipside asked through their flight ring generated telepathic matrix as she ran along the ceiling towards him from the opposite end of the corridor, her prehensile tail curled as it hung beneath her.

"I've told you before, my title is Your Highness..." He smiled as he softly said this; the team had been teasing him about his title since the day he joined the academy. For the most part, he really didn't care for it, though it had opened a few doors for him before so, when necessary, he knew how to use it.

The Scardilleo Officers already on site were unhappy that the two of the team were here, but as the former students had been given special dispensation by Madame Three, the current owner and CEO of the station, the team had full access to any level of the station they needed. It also meant they were allowed to take point in special circumstances, for instance if there were ever a suspected meta-being crime. It was something of a joke amongst many of the councillors in the station that they had their own team of meta-heroes but they had never had to use them. The senior members of the council also knew full well that if the team were ever proved to be fully effective then they would most likely lose a lot of their income, so this amateur team of teenagers was perfect for their own PR, and for keeping the credits flowing into their purses...

The Team knew that eventually they would be needed, or at least they had hoped they might be...

The security staff had let them pass the cordons though were clearly not impressed. There was a hostage situation in one of the stores at the centre of the middle floor mall - twelve sentients were being held by a group of heavily armed men.

<where's the rest of the team? Where are you, we have an actual mission here!> Prince Alfron asked. His exasperation showed as he opened out the question to the whole team.

<I'm ahead of you slow pokes, just away to enter the store> Kid Nimbus replied.

They all knew that in his gaseous state he could easily sneak into virtually any place so he was the best one to find out what was happening.

"Guys, uuugh, get in here." Kid Nimbus shouted.

Both Slingshot and Flipside could tell by their friend's shaky tone of voice that they were not going to be walking into a pleasant situation.

It was worse that they could have imagined.

ah, been a while since we've seen this bunch!

power-wise, they're no slouches, so I could see them eventually becoming full Legionnaires if they had tried. (I still remember Brainiac 5 standing up for Slingshot, using science to show just how powerful his abilities were!)

these kids have actually done a lot of good! not super flashy, but a lot of good.

ah yes, I remember Atom Girl and Slingshot dating. ah well... poor Slingshot.

heh at the less experienced announcer letting some facts (re casualties) slip

good of Slingshot to use his noodle. I bet you're going to tie this incident into your overall mystery!

love the teasing about his title!

LOL at the shady dealings of the council...

oh wow, what a cliffhanger! here's hoping the team do prove they are effective!

The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):

Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability
Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight
Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - Magnokinesis
Kid Nimbus - Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form
Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation
Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch


The Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system on the edge of Galactic South Rim Space.


In the twenty seconds it took the two young heroes to reach the room, Kid Nimbus had moved outside into the corridor and was aggressively vomiting.

Slingshot and Flipside took a deep breath before they looked through the doorway...

All of the hostages were dead; eviscerated. Their blood and entrails festooned the small storage space. There was no sign of the armed group that had bundled them in here.

Flipside ran outside almost immediately and joined her team mate as she puked in horror and disgust.

Slingshot hovered in the doorway. He felt his lunch rise up but he kept control.

As he took in the horrific sight in front of him, he realised he could still hear things: low chattering, shuffling... all the noises that they would expect if they were listening from outside and the hostages were still alive.

Prince Alfon tried not to breathe too deeply as he held his hand out and willed his flight ring to scan the room. The smell of freshly carved bodies was thick and cloying and he felt his eyes start to water.

It took a long twenty seconds, though when he had finished the scan a hard light screen popped up with its findings. In amongst the stock and horrible human debris, there were two pieces of technology that didn't below. According to the scans, they were recording devices that played the noises that the former Academy student could hear.

"This is a distraction! Damn!" The young prince levitated out of the doorway and swiped his hand in front of the sensor to close it behind him. He knew what he had to do and wasn't looking forward to it.

Madam Three owned the station and ran it with a ruthless disdain. She was a legend in this sector. In part due to her success and flamboyance, though also for how mercurial she could be - if she liked you, your time would be relatively easy, but if she didn't... and, no-one really knew how she decided who she would like and who she wouldn't so it was seen as a wise course to avoid her if at all possible.

"Madam Three..." He called into his flight ring. They had been told they would be given direct access to the stations CEO if ever they needed it, though in all the time they had been here, none of them had tried. "Madam Three, it's Prince Alfon... Slingshot!"

"Yes, I know, little hero boy, what do you want?" Her tone made it clear she was not happy at being interrupted in whatever she had been doing.

The young prince explained what he and his teammates had found, and what he presumed it meant. He ended by asking for full access to the stations security feeds; the armed attackers must have gone somewhere, and he reasoned that there would be something else going on that they hoped to keep the security services busy enough so as not to disturb it.

"Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. You will be granted access for one hour." And with that she cut the feed between them.

..........


Slingshot's scan had found traces of a known DNA - that of an alien that the Legion had recently dealt with. His flight ring database flagged extreme caution would be required as a holo popped up of a four armed, red skinned being whose fingers seemed to extend into blades.

He used the stations sensors to search for it, though the system was far from perfect and it took several long minutes before a report reached him that the unknown DNA had been found on a lower level. He had sent the coordinates to the whole team, even as he grabbed Flipside and Kid Nimbus to race down twenty three levels to where the sensors said the strange DNA could now be found. He knew that it was likely that the three teammates that were currently elsewhere on the station would get there before them. He hope they would be in time to deal with the being responsible for the massacre on the second Level Arcade.

"Call the big team Alfron... you saw that alert, this is heavy duty doodoo!" Flipside said.

"We can deal with it..." Kid Nimbus said, his eyes were have closed as he flew as fast as his flight ring could carry him.

"Dranna's right Ken... if this thug has got a warning like that we might not... "

"'nuff talking." Flipside held her right hand up to her face and willed her flight ring to broadcast a message to the Legion. "Legion, it's Flipside, we've come across a four armed bladed fingered killing beast on the Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system. Requesting assistance, I repeat we need your assistance. Am sending co-ordinates of where we suspect it is." She willed the message to include all the data that Slingshot had shared with the team and hoped that the Legion would arrive soon.

"Kid Dynamo's gonna be real pissed you did that, this is our chance to prove ourselves y'know." Even as Kid Nimbus said this he started to laugh, "We're rubbish heroes, aren't we? Calling for help on our first real mission..."

"So long as we catch that ugly frickin' bastard and survive, we're good." Slingshot said gruffly.

"Oh, you been slumming it too long if you're using language like that your Maj. Go wash your mouth out!" Flipside retorted with a smile.

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


Ballistix had been in one of the central level docking bays when the announcement had reached her. The Zuunian synthesoid immediately took to the air and flew towards the rendezvous point, calculating the quickest route with incredible efficiency. Within the atmosphere of the station she could not reach her fastest speed though she still knocked over several people in a corridor with the wind that tore in her wake. She had seen them and calculated that they looked fit enough to not sustain meaningful injuries.

The silver skinned synthetic woman was the first of the team to arrive. She was in a long dark corridor which had been hewn out of the bedrock of the asteroid that the station had originally been built around. Even had she not calculated that she was approaching the correct place, the three heavily armed men who started firing at her were a good indication that the trouble Slingshot had warned the team to expect was correct.

Ballistix increased her speed and smashed into them, knocking them roughly into the walls. She heard bones snap but as she could also hear their breathing as they lay in a heap on the floor she did not stop to check on them - as far as she was concerned they were still alive and she had a mission, so their health could wait.

Ahead of her a thin man with a blond crewcut, wearing military fatigues appeared out of the darkness. He had obviously heard her bashing the guards and was coming to investigate, though unlike the first three, he was unarmed.

"They send a sprockin' robot... haha, this'll be fun" Even as Ballistix recognised his accent as Braalian, he stretched out a hand and a wave of magnetic force tore through the young synthesoid sending her back along the corridor that she had just flown down. She was viciously bumped against the walls as she flew back. Two hundred metres from where she had encountered him, Ballistix was dropped to the ground where she skidded and rolled to a rough stop.

"You may live to regret that!" She growled as she got back up onto her feet. The synthesoid reached out to her side and grabbed a chuck of rock from the rough hewn walls. Her attacker was going to learn, quite painfully that she didn't need to e close to do them damage, after all it was child's play for her to calculate vectors. As she had spend so much time with Slingshot, she had learned how effective a weapon almost any thrown object could be.

She hurled the rock and it smashed into the wall not ten feet from the Braalian. It shattered and dozens of sharp fragment exploding along the corridor. Even as he turned away from the shower of fast moving rocks, Ballistix flew down the corridor at speed, crashing int him only a split second after the small stones had struck him.

She casually dumped him onto the ground and, accessing her enhanced night vision she easily made her way along the twisting dark corridor towards the co-ordinates she had been given.

Ahead, she heard a loud crash!

..........


Kid Dynamo and Magno Lass flew through the corridors towards the under-basement stores.

They had been exploring some of the subterranean structures of the base when Slingshot's message had been broadcast. They knew that their afternoon of finding new and exotic places to have... ahem... intimate moments was over and it was time for them to earn their stipend.

They were already on the lower levels so it was easy enough to reach the area called 'Bedrock' by the locals where the satellite was wedged against original asteroid base.

From the co-ordinates they had been given, Magno Lass estimated they could be there in minutes... perhaps quicker, she reasoned, if Kid Dynamo tore through a couple of metres of the bedrock that between the corridor they were in and the one they needed to get to. Ja Vlo knew that he was nowhere near as smart as Josi Rista so when she suggested they go through the rock below them rather than fly half a klick to the nearest grav-shaft he didn't stop to question it, instead he turned his powerful frame downwards and smashed into the floor beneath them.

Magno Lass had estimated they would crash through rough twenty metres from the co-ordinates they had been sent so she breathed deeply and prepared herself. From what Slingshot had sent through, they were dealing potentially with mass murderers, so she knew they would need to be extra careful. It only took twenty seconds before the powerful young man from the dead world of Dryad had torn through the satellites rocky shell and they dropped into a dark corridor. There had been a lot of noise as the ceiling collapsed onto the corridor below, but they knew that this was an urgent mission, so the time for stealth was past.

Both had spotlights on their belt buckles - standard Legion kit that they had been given before leaving the Academy. It was only because they activated these that they saw the threat as it ran towards them...

The four armed, red skinned alien that the legion database had warned them about was diving towards them - all twenty of his razor clawed fingers were pointed at the two young heroes. Kid Dynamo flew towards him, putting his invulnerable body between the creature that was attacking them and Magno Lass.

With a crash, the attacker struck at the young man from Dryad, their claws ripping the shirt from his torso though thankfully not breaking his skin. Kid Dynamo gave a mighty back handed slap in response, which threw the alien aside to smash into the wall. In the darkness it was difficult to see where he had gone as he quickly scurried back onto his feet.

"Ripper won't stop, so perhaps you should make it easier on yourselves, especially if you want to stay alive, and leave now." The woman's voice came from behind the two young heroes, and as she finished speaking the tunnel was lit by a bitter yellow glow as a sword, composed of energy appeared to spin out of the air. Behind it stood a woman with dark skin and cruel eyes.

Magno Lass had always been rather studious so she recognised the energy signature from their many lessons at the Academy straight away - The floating sword that was flying towards her was a construct created by a Yellow Lantern!

ooh. wow, these poor kids - I bet they haven't encountered anything like this before.

good on Slingshot for keeping a cool head - he has potential!

I know some people in real life like mercurial Madam Three...

also nice that they still have their flight rings, despite leaving the Academy and presumably cutting all ties... they're not officially affiliated with the Legion anymore, are they?
though if they were allowed to keep their rings...

smart of Flipside to call for backup!

love how Ballistix thinks like a ...well... bit like a computer

ah,Magno Lass and Kid Dynamo give Reboot Tinya/Jo vibes. Tinya was the smarter one, tactically, and Jo would often just follow

a Yellow Lantern! wow! and the Lantern is offering to let them live if they leave... eek!

nice cliffhanger, Harbi!

The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):

Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability
Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight
Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - Magnokinesis
Kid Nimbus - Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form
Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation
Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch

The Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system on the edge of Galactic South Rim Space.


Magno Lass could hear crashing behind her as Kid Dynamo and the red-skinned alien fought.

She tried to ignore it as she tore whatever ferrous material she could from the tunnel walls around her to fashion some sort of weapon or shield. Her outfit had been made with metallic threads that she could use but there was only a couple of ounces of that to work with and she doubted that would be much use against the Yellow Lantern that stood not twenty feet away from her.

Josi concentrated, desperately trying to stop her mind from slipping from the task at hand - she clearly remembered from her Academy class that the yellow Lanterns were manipulators of fear... she would stand her ground, master her emotions... yet even as she had this thought she could feel the primitive part of her mind urge her to turn and tun!

While pulling every bit of metal she could towards them she also ducked and dived in the limited space around her as she dodged out of the way as a sickly yellow cutlass that swung through the air and whooshed centimetres from her head. Small fragments of metallic ore alongside several pieces of piping tore through the walls and spun in towards the Yellow Lantern, breaking her concentration enough the Magno Lass could move further down the corridor, away from their deadly constructs.

Josi concentrated on trying to cover the Lantern's face with the metal debris, as she figured if they couldn't see what they were dong it would be more difficult to strike at her. She also switched off her belt buckle spotlight; she didn't need it as the yellow glow would give her opponent away and, hopefully her dark costume would help keep her from sight and a counter attack in the darkness.

Magno Lass knew this was at best a holding pattern, but she hoped her teammates would arrive quickly and they could tackle these two together.

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


Kid Dynamo was almost as strong a Ultra Boy and just about as invulnerable as Laurel Kent.

He had trained relentlessly in martial arts and combat techniques. He was top of his group at the Academy for the more physical side of the training almost from the start. Colossal Boy had even complimented the young man on a few occasions for his determination and quick thinking when faced with a physical challenge. And for all that, the red skinned alien with four arms and razor like fingertips was pushing him around in the dark corridor with a childish ease.

As the two fought, it was clear the alien was used to shredding his opponents, and as the young hero's skin was not ripping as the talons tore across it, the alien changed tactics, tearing its claws across the rocks of the tunnel sending sparks and small stones into the former students' eyes, pulling his leg out from under him with one hand while the other three appeared to go for the young mans face... in the darkness, with only his belt buckle spot light giving off any illumination, Ja Vlo was struggling to hold his own.

Kid Dynamo knew he was being beaten in what was becoming a battle of attrition.

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


Balllistix flew down the corridor at speed.

She could see the flashing of her colleagues spotlights and aimed herself towards them.

<Duck!> the synthesoid sent to her teammates across the flight ring generated telepathic matrix. Both Kid Dynamo and Magno Lass had enough experience working alongside Ballistix to know that she could analyse a situation and then react at great speeds, though often having little concern for repercussions. So, while neither knew what she was doing they both threw themselves at the floor.

With a whoosh the synthesoid flew over Kid Dynamo and grabbed the face of his four armed opponent, dragging him after her as she flew towards the sickly yellow light further down the corridor. She spun and threw the red skinned alien towards his Yellow Lantern colleague. As they crashed together Magno Lass, who had been looking on in awe at Ballistix's action, spun all the metal already under her control into a wire that she wrapped around them.

As Kid Dynamo stood up he turned his spotlight beam onto the two villains. They could see the Yellow Lantern had a nasty gash across her shoulder and left cheek, presumably where her red skinned colleague had tore into her.

"Well done Ballistix, that was bad-ass!" he said with a wide grin.

"Surrender now as next time we will not be so gentle!" Ballistix landed in front of the pair as she uttered her ultimatum.

"You stupid, stupid child... we were the ones being gentle!" The yellow Lantern hissed. On her right hand, her ring pulsed ominously.

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


Legion World, First Base:

Gear picked up Flipside's distress call and sent out an alert.

There had been volunteers requested to deal with any potential trouble that might arise during the wedding celebration was taking place. Retro had offered to lead a team and, as the alert pinged on the volunteers flight rings he quickly called for them to assemble by the front of the old Club House.

Duplicate Girl, Babbage and from Hope World, Titan were all waiting for him as Deen flew across to the large red door. As he touched down in front of them Starkling's swarm drifted in towards them alongside the Wraithcat, Atomsmasher.

"Wait for us!" Tectonik and Impact from the Academy interns swooped down to join the team, both looked flushed with excitement.

Retro smiled as he relayed what information they had been sent - it appeared the mysterious thieves that they assumed were targeting relics of Sgargrathi technology had turned up on a planetoid satellite... Well, Deen Toro said, he intended to find out what their game was, and not allow them to escape this time. Atomsmasher would be warped outside the station to ensure no-one escaped into space, and the rest were to warp to where several of the former student's flight ring data showed them to be engaged in a confrontation.

Retro didn't mention the mysterious woman that had recognised him on Bibliothecix... if she were with the thieves this time, he would do everything he could to catch her and perhaps he could finally find some answers to all the questions he had about his own past!

"Henry, warp please!"

Hey IB, thanks again for your kindfeedback - here's some more for you.

When this group left the Academy to form their own team, Brainiac 5 gifted the rings and tech to them. I've had my team give out flight rings to quite a few of their allies - the Dead Brain has one, the Lallorian team, the Wanderers. The way I see it, the Legion would want those pthers to contact them as quickly as possible if they needed help, and also kinda sorta monitor these other teams and so be better informed if something major where to happen with them.

Ballistix thinks like a computer , absolutely right - fast, logical, pragmatic and with no nuances at all

Madam Three is based on someone I used to work with that was a total tyrant, though just about pleasant enough to not cause a rebellion. Unfortunately, we'll all meet people like that from time to time.

Kid Dynamo and Magno Lass as the next gen Jo and Tinya? Yeah, that's pretty close to how I see them too

More soon as the Legion arrive, Atomsmasher gets some action and we might get another clue to what is really going on.

hi Harbi, yay more! and thanks for the background info - very practical indeed of the Legion to give flight rings to some allies!

ooh here comes the cavalry, hopefully they will be in time...

Hi Harbi,

Glad to see there is some more to catch up on, I didn't realise it's been so long since I logged on!

Good scene setting with the description of the Aldronlliphean Mega-Station, and I quite like the idea of DNA locked pockets!

I also like that for all the League's good intentions, crime doesn't usually just conveniently appear in front of someone, waiting to be stopped - it's very much a trope for superheroes to just stumble across evildoers in their everyday life so it's good to see the inverse of that sometimes!

The team's reactions to the slaughter is a good way to show they're still newbies, and I like that they're not too proud to call for help when they feel over their heads.

OOH A YELLOW LANTERN!!!! There is so much potential with the rest of the Lantern Corps outside of the green ones a thousand years in the future, I am looking forward to finding out more!

Interesting squad for the Legion to assemble...Starkling and Atomsmasher are always fun, and I wonder what Retro's gonna find out?

EDIT: wait maybe I'm dumb....I just went back and re-read the Bibliothecix adventure.....is the Yellow Lantern the same woman who knew Retro?? Intrigue!!!!

Earth, Metropolis, Weisinger Plaza


Garth and Imra Ranzz stood at the bar with Jan Arrah, Gim and Yera Allon, and Dr Shakespeare.

The senior Legionnaires all had a slightly wistful expression as they watched the younger members fly over the crowds outside the force field. Dr Shakespeare smiled as his eyes darted across their faces. He personally hated using a flight ring; there was just something very wrong, to his way of looking at things, with being able to see clear air underneath yourself while in mid-air and not falling!

Jed Rikane walked over to the group, his eyes darting upwards to follow his flying teammates as they swooped and waved and entertained the cheering sentients below. The wistful expression on the purple skinned man's face had an edge of sadness.

"Hey Big boy!" Yera called to him,"you didn't fancy flying either? Too right, come join and help me decide which cocktail I'll try next... what do you suggest? These old geezers..." she indicayed Gim, Jan and Kent, "have absolutely no taste, you wouldn't believe what they'd have me drinking..."

<Yera, easy does it, we want him to feel welcome, don't scare the poor lad off, hes going through enough right now> Imra Ranzz sent across a personal telepathic wavelength to the Durlan.

"Yeah, sorry but I'm a craft ale kinda guy." Gim said, lifting a flagon of foamy beer.

Yera put an arm through Jed's and pushed her way past her husband to the bar.

"I'm glad to finally have a man of good taste present..." Yera said in mock indignation.

Jan, Kent and Gim all smiled as Yera and Jed looked through a holo display of cocktails available, discussing the pro's and con's of each.

Several of the flying group were returning to the plaza. Amongst them, the younger Garth Ranzz and Imra Ardeen. They spotted their older counterparts at the bar and joined them. Before they could talk, several of the students rushed to the bar. A young woman who called herself Twister due to her air manipulating abilities rushed straight up to the older Garth and Imra and excitedly exclaimed that she was born on the day they had rescued R.J. Brande, so she had always known she would one day be a Legionnaire... Although neither of the founder's expressions changed the atmosphere appeared to get a little bit chillier...


The two Ferro's and Gazelle landed near to the edge of the event - seats had been set up around the edges and the three of them flopped onto a deep, wide, plush looking sofa.

"I'll miss you guys when we go." Andrew Nolan announced without looking around.

"So stay." Gazelle answered directly.

"Or you could join us? Why not, eh?"

"I... I don't want to leave this reality Andy. I fought so hard to get back that I'm not going to give that up..."The older brother put an arm across the shoulder of his brother from a different dimension. "Sorry, but I'm staying. Once you get home you'll understand."


Zoe and Gahaji touched down near to the newly cleared seating area - while the team had been flying around Metropolis, the seating had been removed so it could be a dancefloor. Lighted pads that would give the dancers their own displays as they moved around had been laid across the plaza floor. As Zoe watched, Uku Vakk sidled up to the DJ as they preparing for their set. The Sub didn't say anything but it was obvious he wanted to contribute. Zoe felt an uncomfortable embarrassment as it was clear the DJ and his drones were intentionally ignoring the young man from Lupra.

"Ulu, hey!" Zoe shouted out and waved to the slim Sub. Colour Kid hovered over the dancefloor to join them.

"Hey, you're not expecting anything from that Coluan are you? You know how far the stick goes up their ... well, you know, you'll be waiting all day at this rate. But tell you what, I noticed the bar looks really dull, doncha agree, and wondered if you could help? I'm thinking of making some flower sculptures, and would really be grateful if you could add some of your pizzazz to them?"

Ulu glanced over at the bar where a few people gathered. There were a couple of pin lights but, as Kinetix said, it was really kind of dull. He smiled as he agreed to help her make it more attractive and exciting... he'd show that stuck up Coluan what he had missed out on. Colour Kid was going to show them some real Substitute pizzazz!

After an initial burst of rainbow streaks of light popping with firework-like displays of raw, eye-watering colour, Zoe rather diplomatically mentioned to Ulu that starting off with a subdued atmosphere was a much better way to show his range and versatility as he slowly, very slowly built up to the finale.

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


The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):

Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability
Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight
Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - Magnokinesis
Kid Nimbus - Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form
Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity orientation
Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch

The Bedrock levels on the Aldronlliphean Mega-Station in the Aldronlliphea Major system on the edge of Galactic South Rim Space.


As the Yellow Lantern issued her threat a wall of energy shot out from her ring, throwing the three young heroes backwards.

The red skinned alien race towards them as they tumbled down the corridor, it's intent was clearly murderous!

Magno Lass lay unconscious against a wall, blood smeared in her short hair. Kid Dynamo checked on her, saw the blood and knew he would make sure that someone was going to pay! As he fumbled at the small medi-pouch on his belt, behind him Ballistix picked herself off the ground and flew towards the approaching four-armed attacker.

The synthesoid from Zuun and the red skinned alien crashed into each other with a loud bang! While her synthetic skin gave Ballistix a high level of durability, she was nowhere near as invulnerable as Kid Dynamo, and the razor sharp claws dug into her torso and thighs. Ballistix spun around and grabbed hold of one of the creatures arms and flicked him over her back to slam into the ground. The jolt as he crashed into the ground ripped his clawed fingers out from the her flesh and she reacted with speed. As the former Academy student gripped tightly to the arm she twisted her wrist to slam him into a wall and then the ceiling and the floor again before repeating these moves at incredible speed. The thunderous noise echoed down the corridor as the red skinned alien was brutally smashed into the rocky corridor walls and floor a dozen times in seconds, throwing up a cloud of dust and debris.

<I think you've got him now Ballistix, let's go do the same to the Yellow Lantern. I'm owe her a good beating for hurting Josi>

Ballistix looked up at Kid Dynamo as he sent his message and gave a small smile. She dropped the now unconscious four armed alien and turned back towards where the Yellow Lantern had been standing.

"She's gone... if we hurry, we might catch her." And with that, Ballistix tore down the dark corridor.

As Ballistix had left her colleagues to search for the Yellow Lantern, Magno Lass had regained consciousness and told Kid Dynamo that she would be okay so he should follow their Zuunian teammate, "...and stop her getting into trouble.". She had added with a small smile.

Kid Dynamo gave his Braalian teammate a surprisingly tender kiss on the forehead before turning and racing down the dark corridor.

"Take care..." Josi Rista said weakly as she willed her flight ring to hover her upwards so she could get back onto her feet. This was the first time he team had faced against an opponent as tough as the villains they had encountered and she gave a silent prayer to whichever deities looked after this sector of space to return Ja Vlo to her, unharmed.

Magno Lass watched as the beam of light from his belt buckle spotlight bounced down the dark corridor... her head ached and she felt a little sick. She accessed the scanner in her flight ring to check for injuries; it's readout told her she had a large cut on her head, large bruises across her shoulders and a sprained wrist along with a mild concussion. It suggested she needed to rest...

The corridor was dark and even with Ballistix' enhanced night vision she almost collided with a large man as she turned a sharp corner where the Yellow Lantern had been standing at speed.

The man was easily as tall as Kid Dynamo and equally broad, wearing a simple pair of dark shorts. His skin was pale blue with a frosty sheen and he was almost invisible to her infra red vision. As she flew in towards him he swung a huge fist towards her. She barely dodged it, twisting around his muscular arm and careering into his torso. He wrapped his arms around her, crushing the synthesoid into his chest. As he did, she felt the temperature lower dramatically as frost and ice formed across her skin. She could easily survive that, but the pressure as he squeezed her was unbearable!

As the synthesoid struggled to get out of the crushing hold Kid Dynamo roared around the corner and ran towards them. In the flickering light from his belt spotlight, Ja Vlo couldn't make out exactly what was happening but he heard Ballistix grunt with exertion and knew he had to do something, so the powerful young man from Rimbor charged at the dark shape in the corridor before him.

There was a loud crash as they all fell onto the rough floor.

Kid Dynamo could make out the head of a brutish looking man and he quickly punched it several times, knocking him unconscious..

"You can get off him now Dynamo..." Ballistix voice came from the bottom of the pile.

"What...? Where are...?"

"Underneath the oaf that's underneath you. It ...is not pleasant!" Even as she spoke, the synthezoid from Zuun started to stand up, lifting both her assailant and teammate off of her and dumping them to the side.

"The Lantern left this one to delay us..."

"Look!" Ballistix exclaimed, pointing down the dark cavernous corridor.

Ahead of them, the ceiling had collapsed in, blocking them from going any further.

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


Retro - Deputy Team Leader - Deen Toro of Ventura - limited reversal of personal timeline
Titan - Deputy Leader -Nasir N’Cube of Titan - alpha-level telepathy
Duplicate Girl - Senior Team member, Luornu Durgo of Carggg - creation of multiple identical duplicates
Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds - strength, durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness and analytical skills.
Starkling – telepathic swarm-being composed of indestructible ball bearing sized components


Interns:
Tectonik - Hardal of Granite Falls from Mondriak iv - geokinesis
Impact - Dillon Blackstream of Myar - incredible strength, speed, durability, stamina, motion sense


Henry's warp opened up into a dark corridor.

About twenty metres away, Magno Lass stood next to a wall, clearly shaken, as she spoke into her flight ring. As the warp opened she reacted with surprise, throwing up a shimmering magnetic shield between herself and the Legionnaires.

Duplicate Girl rushed forward, "Josi, it's okay, it's us, the Legion. What's going on?"

As the young Braalian explained what she had seen, Retro, Babbage and Impact moved further down the dark corridor. Ahead they could see a slumped figure. Retro recognised it as the for armed being that had given the younger Timber Wolf trouble on Bibliothecix. Deen quickly slipped an incapacity cuff on the creature's wrist and called Henry to open a warp to an enhanced holding cell - this being would give the team answers, and Retro hoped it would help them find the woman that had recognised him, calling hin Klaus...

<Duplicate Girl and Tectonik stay here with Magno Lass... the rest of us are going to find the rest of the team. Starkling, you take point. Babbage, you're next, Impact, I want you behind Titan and me to keep our rears safe. Titan, can you pinpoint them?>

As the team jumped into action, Slingshot broadcast across the telepathic matrix <Hey guys, we're only moments away, wait for us>

<You'll need to catch up> Retro replied brusquely as they flew down the dark corridor.

Behind them, Luornu had triplicated and was helping Josi Rista to sit om a slab of rock that the intern Tectonik had raised from the floor for her. One of the Cargggite's selves scanned the young Braalian, and reached into a pouch on her belt for medical treatment.

One of her sister selves stood by the intern Tectonik and could see the obvious disappointment in the young man's face at being left behind.

"You'll get your chance, y'know..."

"This is the perfect environment for me to show what I can do and I'm making a seat... tell me straight Luornu, should I stay? Do I have a chance, because..."

"Hardal! We don't know who else is down here and I may have experience but am lacking in raw power. You are the most versatile person on the squad so you are the obvious choice to remain while we tend to Josi. Now, we need to assess the area, check for any clues to who is behind this..."

"And," Magno Lass interrupted, "if after this, you want to join us out here we'd love to have you." The young Braalian smiled cheekily as she said it though her expression fell, "though I bet it's more exciting where you are. We haven't really achieved all that much..." She looked down at her feet as she finished, clearly embarrassed.

As she finished, her teammates, Slingshot, Kid Nimbus and Flipside flew around the corner and darted towards them. Slingshot was dragging an unconscious and bleeding man in army fatigues.

"Ballistix took this guy out..." She said as she let him go and he fell onto the floor with a thump. Duplicate Girl shook her head as she saw the damage that had been inflicted on him - there were multiple cuts, a clearly broken jaw and bruising rising quickly all over his face. Lu tutted as one of her selves slipped an incapacity cuff on his wrist and dealt with his injuries.

"Tectonik, lead the League after our teammates. Magno Lass, you're staying here with me..." Duplicate Girl stated.

"Hey, we're not Legionnaires to be bossed around..." Flipside grumbled.

"You called us for help. Hardal, on you go." Luornu gave the intern a tight smile before she joined her two sister selves that were ensuring the unconscious man survived with the minimum of trauma

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


Starkling flew ahead of the team.

The composite Legionnaire had no problems with the lack of light, its senses incorporating far more range than many of its colleagues suspected. Its telepathy had already discerned where the two members of the League were, and there was an another unconscious mind not far away from them.

As it flew round a wide curving corner, it could clearly sense the two Leagues; Kid Dynamo was pulling large boulders away from a huge pile that blocked the corridor while Ballistix was punching her way into the ceiling. They were both covered in dust and it was clear the ceiling above them was damaged.

<we are here, younglings> Starkling sent <how may we assist>

<Starkling?> Ja Vlo recognised the polyphonic speech of the composite Legionnaire and turned towards it, his belt buckle spotlight turning with him so he could see back along the corridor.

The Legionnaires flew around the corner and came to a halt beside the two members of the League. Retro looked up at the wall of rocky debris that blocked their path and momentarily regretted asking Tectonik to stay behind. They would be able to get through this, though it would definitely delay them from catching up with the Yellow Lantern.

Deen Toro hoped that Atomsmasher would be okay against such a potentially powerful opponent until they got out there to help.

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


The Yellow Lantern had turned her energy upwards.

When the android flung Ripper at her, the collision had done more than just rattle her... it had damaged her teleport beacon that she had held in her hand, effectively stranding her in this appalling planetoid. She knew though that if she could get outside, see the stars and get her bearings then her ring would find the path back to the Immortal to claim her bounty. She would leave the potential addition fees for killing a Legionnaire to those stupid enough to stay behind...

So, with the honesty to follow their survival instincts, she had pushed those troublesome children as far away as she could and turned to flee. Ripper was struggling to regain consciousness and the ice giant that called itself Freezem was eager for a fight, so she flew away without trying to persuade either to leave with her. In a pouch on her belt she had the component from the ancient technology that they had been sent to retrieve... why risk it?

Ripper, Magnetic Man and Freezem would stay behind and she reckoned they would ultimately be caught and have to face the authorities, regardless if they managed to kill one of the heroes; she couldn't rescue them and guarantee to complete the mission. In fact, she was more than happy to leave them to their fate. She had what they came for and that was what they were being paid for - her loyalty was to the money they would receive after the mission, and if three quarters of the team were left behind then all the more for her. The Qwardian warrior that had gifted the Yellow Power Ring to her had given her a mission, and the money she could collect from this bounty would all go towards her reaching their goals. The Immortal's plan to use this long dead technology to further her own ambition was of little interest to the Yellow Lantern...

As her power ring tore through the planetoids rocky epidermis, she could hear the stones and debris tumble down behind her, blocking any of the meta-powered children that were following her. As she burst through into the thin and very toxic atmosphere that clung to the planetoid, her ring automatically cloaked her in a protective sheath.

It was at this moment that the Legionnaire Ergus Wraithcat, known as the Atomsmasher struck!

oohhh more!



of course not everyone would be comfy with the idea of flying,

bless Imra for her sensitivity, and Yera for her welcoming

lol at poor Twister

Zoe is such a good egg, that's one reason I've always loved her. she's generally kind (but don't get her riled up). nice of her to involve Ulu!

whew, glad that Magno Lass, Kid Dynamo and Ballistix all survived their encounter, I was scared some of them would not!

I like Lu's pep-talk to Tectonik - you're staying behind cause you're actually the most versatile of us!

yup, the difference in experience is showing. Lu took charge well, and I love her "you called US for help"

ah, good work showing the Yellow Lantern's motivation. because indeed, I expect she could certainly have killed some of our good guys...

Time for Atomsmasher to shine!

Yay, more!

Kent being wary of the flight rings is something I'm surprised has never come up before to be honest! All of these people place a remarkable amount of trust in a single piece of jewellery to defy one of the natural laws of the universe constantly

I laughed at Twister reminding Garth and Imra they're old now....that reminds me of way too many conversations I have had with younger coworkers

Zoe and Color Kid's scene was fun as well...you know things are concerning when Zoe is the one telling someone to tone it down a bit

The League and the Legion teaming up is well done, I like Lu explaining in pragmatic terms why Tectonik wasn't in on the action and your subtle way of showing how the Legion are obviously the more experienced team.

I am digging this Yellow Lantern! And looking forward to seeing Atomsmasher get some time in the spotlight!

Hey guys, thanks for you kind reviews, they're appreciated.

Kent has an ongoing issue with flight rings - first mentioned I think when they faced the Cosmic Children. I like giving him these minor issues to deal with, like if there's a medical emergency he'll be asleep in bed and Jan will stay there while off he goes to deal with it.

IB, you're right about Iimra and Yera being sensitive to Jed's needs, they're two compassionate ladies. Both are pretty bad ass too when they need to be too of course

Raz, Twister was based on a conversation I had with a student - yeah, it definitely got chillier after they told me I qualified before they were born... thanks.

Zoe and Ulu, well bless her, I've become quite fond of Kinetix so enjoy finding these little moments for her.

The League definitely have a few rough edges that need smoothing out. I haven't quite finished with them, yet.

More wedding shenanigans and the Yellow Lantern coming up and we'll get a bit more of an insight into Atomsmasher's past as well as seeing them in action. Hope you enjoy it.

Weisenger Plaza, Earth

The team had reassembled onto the plaza for the speeches and toasts.

Everyone had been handed a flute of whatever beverage they requested and asked to retake their seats.

Yera felt embarrassed that Gim had opted for another tankard of ale to toast the newly married couple but knew that saying anything about it would not help the situation. Gim was obviously happy to flaunt tradition, so why make a fuss about it... still, it did rankle her a little bit as she watched everyone sip delicately at their champagnes as he gulped his ale like a Rimborian docker.


The Khundian mystic called Pressure Point had joined Dragonmage and Glorith, and it was clear that there was a little flirtatious spark between Xao and her. Glorith looked around, hoping that Danielle was still there. While the young mystic hoped to see her technopathic friend, she spotted Southern Lights instead... his arms around Dawnstar's waist; the winged couple floated behind the crowd. From their body language, it was obvious that they were both very happy as they whispered and giggled between themselves. Glorith took a deep breath as she turned away and ran through her Scales on the Order of Dissimilarity in her head to distract her from her disappointment...


Sparks and Lightning Lass played with their nephews. The two Winathian Legionnaires had become close and hey both knew time was running out before the younger left with her team so wanted to stock up on happy memories. The boys, of course, loved having two auntie Ayla's. The boys were ecstatic when Backlash joined them; the gentle tigerram allowed them to sit on his back and the two boys would take turn sitting on his shoulders with their small hands around his horns, pretending to steer the great cat as is padded through the event.

"Isn't that amazing... Has he ever let you ride his back like that?" Sparks asked her older counterpart.

"I did ask once, and he said yes..."

"Oh wow, what was it like?"

"Well, I didn't..." The older Ayla said, her expression turning serious.

"What?" The younger Ayla asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, he said I could so long as he could sit on mine afterwards!"

Both women laughed.

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


Kid Pulsar and Thirteen sat at the back. Both wore pirate themed suits. The Naltoran had a dark jacket of starfield cloth with long tails along with baggy black pants and knee high boots, his stark white shirt stood out against it. His hair was also tied back in a ponytail with a long red ribbon. The Terran had a green waistcoat and black shirt, with dark grey trousers tucked into red boots. They were feeling pretty proud of themselves for taking Zoe up on her offer to dress them earlier in the day. The two friends had been discussing Dann's evolving appearance. The young man from Naltor was easily four inches taller now than when he joined the team, and his physique while still impressively muscular was noticeably more lean. Dann explained that each time he used his abilities on his own appearance the easier it became so he was practicing making incremental changes as it might prove to be an asset to the team if he could switch looks at will.

"Yeah, and you enjoying the stares 'as nothin' to do with it? Could you become anyone?" Neel asked, surprised with himself for feeling a bit shocked by this; after everything he had experienced in the last year...

"I don't think so, y'see the more outlandish the look the higher the level of improbability it is to create and so the more power it uses. I'm kinda having fun with it right now so just playing around with the basics while I get comfortable with it."

"So next time I see you yer not gonna be a woman or anything'?"

"I hadn't thought of that... do you think I'd be good looking?" Dann gave a teasing look as he asked before he laughed outright at his friend's shocked expression.


Atom Girl sat with Strobe and Poltergeist.

The Comets were on their left, though they were giggling at in-joke between them so they weren't really interacting with anyone else.

"What do you think of Friction and Ultra Girl bringing their Academy boyfriends along?" Asked Poltergeist.

"They're cute." Atom Girl said, "the Shape boy is really sweet, I had him in a combat class the other week and he'd offer his hand to help people up when he knocked them down. He's a good kid..."

"I think it's a bit weird, a Legionnaire dating a student." Strobe said.

"I used to date a student. It really hurt when he left..." Atom Girl admitted.

"Ah, sorry, that was..." Strobe bean to say.

" So awkward! So effin' awkward!" interjected Poltergeist with a barking laugh.

Atom Girl and Strobe both stared at him.

"It really was." Atom Girl admitted before she too burst out laughing.


Several rows in front of them, Star Boy sat with Dreamer resting his head against her chest. They had both enjoyed spending some time with their older counterparts but the two couples had now paired off and were sat apart.

"You sure what you saw? You haven't had a clear vision in six months..."

"Of course I'm sure, in two days we leave in that planetoid the team rescued us in and meet yet another Legion team."

"They're gonna be good guys, right?"

"Oh definitely, a great bunch... Some of this group will be with us when we leave as the other team's friends of theirs and they want to visit though not all of them will return home here."

"Well Jenni and her boyfriend said they want to go..."

"No, it's not just them Thom, there's others who won't be coming back as well."

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


Atomsmasher - Ergus Wraithcat of Betelgeuse - spaceflight, durability, hyper senses, limited telepathy, radiation manipulation


Atomsmasher had flown through Henry's warp to a point only two clicks from the planetoids surface.

It made perfect sense to have Ergus appear outside the station, Wraithcats had evolved to not only survive but thrive in the cold hard vacuum of space.

The Betelgeuse system, where the species had originated, had forty six planets with only the furthest seven having any sort of atmosphere. Their home star was large, bright and volatile, so the inner worlds had long since lost any gasses that had clung to them. Of the last seven, six were gas giants and it was in the very upper reaches of the fourth of these where the spores that grew into the Wraithcat's kite-like larval state originated. As they grew they danced through the clouds and flirted with leaving the ammonia and carbon dioxide atmosphere, their bodies adapting to feed on the harsh radiations that burned so fiercely from their home star. With the loss of their wings and the growth of both their telepathy and their three long tails, the Wriathcats young would leave the relative safety of the gas giant's towering clouds to ride the solar winds around their home star.

The Wraithcats were adept at warping radiation around them, and as such could be virtually impossible to find if they did not want it. They also had evolved to possess a greater sensory perception than almost any species known. The Khunds, the Dominion and the intra-dimensional Qwardians had tried in the past to capture the Wraithcats to investigate the source of their radiation manipulation and hyper-senses. Until the expansion of the United Planets into the Betelgeuse system six centuries prior had stopped the three ancient empires from intruding, these hunts had greatly diminished the Wraithcat numbers. The strange beings that called themselves Human appeared to attach some strange superstitious luck to the rare species, and as such they were left well alone.

Atomsmasher's senses were such that Ergus was able to clearly perceive the electromagnetic output of the station that had been built into the enormous tumbling rock. As Ergus spun its sleek dark crystalline tubular body around the station it absorbed the leaking radiation into its cells, holding onto the energy tightly, compressing it into a dense ball of swirling energy.

Ergus could sense its colleagues from the Legion as they flew through the tunnels just underneath the proto-planet's outer layers which the station had been built upon. The being that its colleagues had named Babbage had a particularly intriguing electrical matrix that the Wraithcat found both fascinating and disturbing in equal measure - the life forces of all carbon based beings had certain similarities to Ergus' senses, yet Babbage displayed a truly unique structure. The Robotican was not the only unusual energy matrix that the Legionnaire could sense...

Not far from where the Legionnaires were, the Wraithcat could feel an energy signature that was somewhat similar to Dkyun Mu's Green Lantern ring produced, but somehow subverted... it was an odd sensation that emanated along the energy wavelength, an almost emotional subtext that sent the Wraithcat's sensory nodes tingling uncomfortably. It felt somehow familiar yet the planetoids surface was blocking the full spectrum of radiation from being properly accessed by Ergus' hyper-senses.

Atomsmasher swooped in towards where the energy appeared to be getting closer to the surface.

As the rocks and rubble of the planetoids skin erupted open Ergus recognised the being that flew out into space - it was a being Ergus had learned the humans called a Yellow Lantern! The Weapon Masters of Qward had sent several of these horrific beings to hunt Ergus' species in the distant past, and still their energy signatures were shared as a warning by the elders with the young that remembered the horror of the hunts... the young Wraithcats were taught to flee from them as soon as they were recognised.

Atomsmasher knew it had to do something to stop the foul creature that wielded such abhorrent power.

Wrapping background radiation around its body to be all but invisible, the Wraithcat swooped in towards the Yellow Lantern and swiped at it with one of its long tails, releasing the stored energy in an explosive burst at the Lantern's face as it struck.

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

The unexpected explosion blinded the Yellow Lantern.

As she struggled to regain her composure, Atomsmasher wrapped one of its tails round her wrist and violently yanked at her arm, spinning her off balance painfully. Another tail wrapped around her waist and spun her the opposite direction while the third slapped her hard across the face.

The Legion had taught Ergus combat techniques while it was in the Academy and it was making sure it used these to its advantage as it knew how powerful and destructive its opponent could be if she were given time.

If the Yellow power ring had not been protecting her, she would have been knocked unconscious. As the Yellow Lantern fought to regain her senses, the Wraithcat slammed its dense body into hers, head butting her on the side of her torso and sending her flying off into space.

Atomsmasher once again drew all the nearby radiation into itself, preparing another explosive attack, but before it could be released a giant sickly yellow hand flew out towards the Legionnaire. Ergus dodged and flew around it, losing precious seconds in the fight.

The Yellow Lantern may not have regained her full equilibrium after the sudden attack, but she was aware enough to know she needed to lash out against her unseen opponent so they couldn't take advantage of the surprise.

With a thought, she was surrounded by a wide bubble of force that would keep her opponent from getting close enough to physically assault her again. With a grin she added large thorny spikes to the outside of her protective sphere. Whatever had just attacked her had done some damage as her side and arm ached alarmingly.

The Yellow Lantern took a breath and fought back tears as her ribs sharp pains overcame her adrenaline rush. With a defiant yell she fired off a barrage of solid energy spikes, 360 degrees around her protective sphere, hoping that one would slice her invisible opponent.

Ergus easily avoided the attack and with a flick of a tail sent an explosive ball of energy towards the Lantern. As it did, the Wraithcat flew underneath the Yellow Lantern, aware that she would assume where the energy had come from was also where her attacker was hiding. She had no idea who her opponent was or how deft it was a moving within this harsh environment.

Much like the Legionnaire expected, as the energy ball exploded against the protective bubble, a bolt of yellow force shot out in the direction it had come from. As the Lantern lashed out, Atomsmasher concentrated its telepathy into a focussed blast of its full sensory experiences, hoping to overload the Lantern's mind so she might lose control of her power ring.

The psychic blast caught the Lantern off-guard and she momentarily stumbled as her energy bubble dissolved around her. Ergus flew in beside her, two tails whipping around her right hand as they tried to pull the yellow ring from her finger. The third tail struck at her face, releasing the last of the Wraithcat's stored energy in a small blast. The Yellow Lantern's eyes fluttered as the surprise of the attack caught her off guard.

For a couple of seconds it appeared that the Legionnaire would defeat the Yellow Lantern, though in that time she regained her control and with a thought froze Ergus inside a block of hard yellow energy.

Lots of nice character bits here, Harbi!

Re Dann, I think you mean - the less likely the effect, the more energy it uses eh? So I think it’s , the lower the probability - less likely it happens? Nice way to limit his power, and also nice way to include useful applications for his appearance changes (like espionage)

Ominous Nura vision, wonder who else will make the jump to the Justice Legion. Nice that Jenni is rejoining her team for a bit

lol at Yera being unhappy with Gim’s ale

Nice combat scene and spotlight for Atomsmasher, very impressive! Hope that’s given the rest enough time to catch up… I’m a big fan of Atomamsher now, wouldn’t want anything bad to heppen …

Yay, more!

Sorry Yera, I'm with Gim on this one - beer trumps bubbles! (now you've got me wondering what would happen if colossal Gim drank a keg of beer while giant size and then shrank down to normal Gim size again!)

aww poor Glorith....time to get some weird time glop and turn the Legion into babies!

I like the two Aylas being friendly, and Backlash and the Ranzz kids continue to be fun also!

Honestly, if I were Thirteen I'd be tweaking my appearance every time I could as well. I love a good costume change! I get how it could be a difficult thing to adjust to though, you would want to have a really grounded self-image to be comfortable around someone who can literally make themselves look their best at all times (weirdly I don't feel like this is such an issue with Cham or Yera, maybe because Durlans in DC always use their shapeshifting more as a tool than an expression of their identity?)

oooh love a good foreshadowing moment with Dreamy!

...and Atomsmasher! I have been looking forward to this, and a very cool start with a little Wraithcat backstory!

The combat scene was really well written as well! I would be happy to read a longer fight scene between these two, Atomsmasher's powers are so weird and fun to see in action, and the Yellow Lantern is a really fun bad guy!

Looking forward to seeing how the Wraithcat gets outta this one!

Hey guys, thanks for your kind reviews, they're are always appreciated.

IB, you are right, it should have been the higher the improbability so I've edited it, thanks for pointing that out.

More soon as I wrap up both storylines, we'll have a moment of heartbreak and it will bring LW9 to a close.

Earth, Metropolis, Weisinger Plaza

Ultra Girl sat in the next to back row with her new boyfriend.

She knew that people would be talking about them; she was a full Legionnaire while Bolton had only recently joined the Academy as Phantom Boy, but she didn't really care. They held hands and glanced at each other to laugh at the jokes in the speeches, bumping shoulders affectionately.

They had met at the party where fourteen moons had streaked across a distant world's night sky, and if that wasn't a sign from above, she didn't know what was. She smiled to herself as she thought this. Xanthu, her home planet, was highly technologically advanced and famous for its astronomy, so astrology and the like was not something that was taken seriously, but her Grandmother had always said that true romance blossomed under moonlight. Li-Fahn had always laughed as she said it, though right at that moment, the young Legionnaire knew in her heart that her grandmother had been right all along.


Jed had sat next to Tel.

No words were spoken between the two men as they watched Triad from the inter-dimensionally displaced Legion stand up to give the first speech in honour of the young Tinya Wazzo. They laughed at the appropriate parts and clapped as she bowed out. The young Garth Ranzz stood up to speak on behalf of Jo Nah, before being pulled back down into his seat - to much laughter and applause - by M'Onel who gave a florid bow to the group once Garth had sat back down. Still, Jed and Tel hadn't spoken a word to each other. Lar Gand's nerves showed a little as he stuttered a couple of times as he spoke, though his good nature and clear respect for his teammate shown through. Jed had turned his face towards his husband a few times, trying to catch his eye, but Tel didn't react.

At the end of his speech, when everyone stood to clap and toast the newly married couple, Jed silently walked away from his husband and made his way to the bar.


The young Imra Ardeen smiled.

Garth had made a joke about standing up to speak on behalf of Jo, and it surprised her. His impulsive behaviour had been somewhat tamed since they first met, which was a relief to her, though she had grown to enjoy these moments as they had grown together.

She leaned in towards him and gently kissed the side of his cheek.

"You missed." He said before turning to kiss her fully on the mouth.

Yes, thought Imra, Garth's impulses were not a bad thing at all.


Dreamer had insisted that Star Boy stand with her at the bar. There were a group of students standing around, but none of their teammates. Thom knew better than to resist as Nura was obviously fulfilling a vision by being there.

"So..." a muscular student with dark eyeshades approached the two displaced Legionnaires, "Do you gave an Academy where you train your metas in your reality?"

"To be honest, we don't know if we have a reality anymore." Thom replied.

"You'll have an adventure finding out though, won't you? And you're getting that planetoid when you leave so there'll be room for anyone who wants to join you, yes?"

"Excuse me," Nura stepped in front of her boyfriend, "we will have room, but we don't need freeloaders. It's hard work being a Legionnaire, so if you're looking for a thrill ride, our life isn't the one you want."

"Yeah... I've heard that line before..." the student said rather huffily before turning back to the bar.

"Don't mind Sergeant Stomper. He's been marked down in the latest assessment for not being a team player." Several students laughed as the slim girl with purple skin said this.

"You're Bloom, aren't you? One of the interns?" Nura asked her.

"Ah, yes..." The student froze momentarily, surprised to be recognised.

"You're going to go far darling, you really are." Dreamer gave her a wide smile.

"I hope so, though I haven't been picked to go on too many missions yet."

"Maybe you should choose the next mission you go onto... you have options."

"What about me? I'm called Mosaic." Another stepped forward.

"I'm sorry honey, but I haven't seen where your path leads, though I'm sure it'll be great."

More jeers erupted from the students.

Before anyone else could ask what their future held, the young Timber Wolf, alongside his older counterpart and Laurel Kent, arrived at the bar and started speaking with the young Nura and Thom. Jed Rikane joined them. Nura welcomed him and stood next to the Legionnaire, putting his large frame between the students and the pre-cog and ending their conversation once and for all.


Tyroc and Monica Sade sat near the front.

She had interlocked the fingers of her right hand through his left and was gently rubbing her thumb along the outside of his index finger.

"Do you ever see yourself getting married, Troy?" She whispered.

"As a Legionnaire, I never thought I'd get the opportunity t' be honest... seems like a big risk t' take and it wouldn'tbe fair to whiever was mad enough to marry into this life."

"Yeah..." she turned her face away from his as she responded.

"Unless, of course you're asking, then I'd say yes, o' course! In a heartbeat I'd say yes." He added.

"It's these two's day today we don't want to steal their buzz, so let's discuss this further tomorrow." She turned back towards him, gave a wide smile, and kissed him gently on the tip of his nose.

Troy Stewart's smile was glorious!

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


Retro - Deputy Team Leader - Deen Toro of Ventura - limited reversal of personal timeline
Titan - Deputy Leader -Nasir N’Cube of Titan - alpha-level telepathy
Babbage- I-45ENG/Nth Series, of the Robotica Confederated Worlds - strength, durability, internalised weapons, hyper awareness, and analytical skills.
Starkling – telepathic swarm-being composed of indestructible ball bearing sized components
Atomsmasher - Ergus Wraithcat of Betelgeuse - spaceflight, durability, hyper senses, limited telepathy, radiation manipulation

Intern:
Impact - Dillon Blackstream of Myar - incredible strength, speed, durability, stamina, motion sense


The League of Super Heroes (Former Academy Students):

Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength and invulnerability
Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of Zuun - synthezoid with great strength, speed, durability, stamina, and spaceflight


With Babbage's incredible computational skills, they had quickly discerned which of the rocks they could safely move without bringing down the whole cavern upon them.

Starkling was the first out, as its component parts worked their way through the smallest of gaps, with Ballistix punching through the last layer of rock and following quickly afterwards. Retro indicated to Babbage to get after them. Retro was pleased to see the station had fitted this region with Atmospheric Shields as an automatic force field popped up bocking the air from inside the tunnel from escaping. Thankfully, the shielding wouldn't be strong enough to stop the team from leaving through the hole.

Babbage tore after Starkling and Ballistix leaving Retro and Titan behind. Retro signalled his telepathic teammate to hang back with him.

<Titan, what are we dealing with out there?> Retro asked. The tall telepath nodded to the team leader and shared what he was reading from their colleagues...

Atomsmasher was trapped, unable to move, but still the Wraithcat was reaching out to absorb whatever radiation was reaching it through the block of yellow energy that held it in place.

Starkling had mostly avoided a burst of yellow force that the Lantern had blasted towards the composite Legionnaire. Perhaps a fifth of it's marble sized components had been scattered but they were returning to the main mass as it collected around the Yellow Lanterns head. As it tightly swirled around the Lantern, Starkling realised the it was not physically affecting its opponent, protected as she was by a yellow skin-tight force field. Instead, it tried to reach out to grab the Lantern's toxic ring but couldn't grab hold of the hand as the force field around it started to pulse.

As Starkling distracted the Yellow Lantern, Ballistix flew in and smashed a powerful double-handed blow to her back that sent her spinning. Several of Starklings components flew off though they quickly spun around and rejoined the swirling mass that was holding on tightly to the Lantern's head and upper torso.

<Titan> Retro had an idea <can you and Starkling use your telepathy to ...>

<On it!>

Titan quickly contacted Starkling, asking it to boost the message he would be shouting into the Yellow Lantern's mind.

<LET!>
<THE!>
<WRAITH!>
<CAT!>
<GO!>
<AND!>
<SURRENDER!>

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


As Titan and Starkling tried to overpower the Yellow Lantern's mind, Atomsmasher let the radiation it had been absorbing go in a flash that buckled the yellow energy block that had held the Wraithcat.

Babbage floated nearby. The Robotican's senses could tell it that their opponent was struggling. With immaculate precision Babbage pointed towards the Yellow Lantern's ring hand and released the strongest laser it could generate. The force field around the Lantern protected her from serious physical harm though there was a bright explosion and the construct around Atomsmasher dissolved. Ergus quickly flew away, out of reach of their opponent.

Ballistix swooped in again and started to pummel onto the torso of the struggling Lantern. As Starkling had effectively blinded their opponent the synthesoid estimated she would have a better chance at a continued attack rather than hitting and running. As she started raining down super speed blow Kid Dynamo reached them and flew up behind the trapped Lantern and grabbed their right hand where their toxic ring shone. The powerful young man from Dryad twisted and turned the hand with all his might. Impact joined him, the two of them smashing at the force field that protected her.

Just as it looked as if the Legionnaires, intern and former students were defeating the Yellow Lantern, a burst of sickly force erupted from her ring blasting them all away from her and once again it surrounded her in a solid bubble.

It was clear the Yellow Lantern was in distress as she hugged herself and stared though angry bloodshot eyes at the Legionnaires as if imprinting their features onto her memory, to be stored for future reference. Before any of them could act there was a flash of brilliant yellow light and she was gone!

"Shysa!" swore Retro.

<Look what she left behind!> Kid Dynamo held up a pouch that had been torn from her belt during the encounter, <Well, at least she left empty handed!>

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


Home Base, the Academy:

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


Uri and Enali had returned to his quarters and were discussing the conversation they had with the enigmatic AI warp controller, Henry.

Uri had finished explaining to his friend that he felt he needed to tell a Legionnaire about what he was going through, when the pain returned in a brutally sharp burst. As the sharp stab of pain shot along the length of his spine the young student from the distant Fringe World collapsed on the floor.

<Help! Anyone, please.... Medical emergency!>

it just clicked now, silly me - Ultra Girl and Phantom Boy! Opposite of Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy! hah!

ouch. Poor Jed...

sweet moment between Reboot Garth and Imra!

of course, easy for any Nura to fall into the role of a fortune teller...

aww at Monica and Troy!

smart of Retro to do a telepathic recon!



wow! everyone survived! but nice one Harbi, it was a good fight, and clearly a tough one! a bit afraid for the gang - will the League be safe from retribution?

yikes! cliffhanger...!

another nice installment!