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THE STAR SONG

Power Boy soared through the stars, high above the ship, the Star Song. He flew just outside of it’s magical atmospheric shell that protected the Legionnaires down below.

‘THIS is nice.’ He thought. Space, was one of the few places he felt at ease. Out here, his enhanced senses could reach out as far as he wanted, and there was mostly just quiet, or the low rumbling of a planet’s orbit rolling through the cosmos.

‘This is better than battle.’ He didn’t think anyone knew WHY he enjoyed combat so much. During the speed of battle, his senses were actually occupied.

The slow pace of the everyday could be nerve wracking for someone with his quick metabolism, not to mention that his enhanced senses constantly searched for stimuli. He saw minute and irrelevant details of everything, overheard conversations constantly, and smelled … well let’s just say his sense of smell was powerful too.

But during the frenzy of combat, he needed all of his senses and speed to be aware of his present, his surroundings. It sounds odd, but it was one of the only times he was able to relax, to focus on the task at hand.

As he took in the beauty of space, ears out far, eyes out wide, basking in the quiet slow pace of the stellar sea, he thought ‘This is better.’

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Lard Lad waved Power Boy over right after he descended to the deck of the ship.

“I heard about the battle on Prianopolis.” He said.

An awkward moment passed between them, Power Boy a bit embarrassed by the wild furor of that battle.


“Yes.” Power boy said as he thought to himself of the madness with which he fought. The madness that was required of him to fight Titus. Power Boy was strategic and pragmatic in life and battle, wild passions did not suit him. Even love making required him to remain controlled, for most people were more delicate than he.

.
.

“I heard you did well, nearly beat him all by yourself.” Lardy continued.

“I had help.” “IB nearly took out all the ghouls by himself. I was able to focus.”

“HA! You should tell him that, poor kid looks depressed whenever anyone talks about Prianopolis. I think he’s disappointed he missed the final battle.” Lard Lad explained.

“In truth I was surprised he was still alive, he accomplished a great deal. He’s turning into a fine warrior. He uses his wits as well as instincts, that’s rare.” Power Boy continued as he began polishing his power rod.

“You should tell HIM that.” Lardy laughed. “The kid looks up to you, it’ll do him good.”

Power Boy had an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Hey Peebs, It’s been a long time, you up for some practice?” Lard Lad picked up his sword from a nearby bench.

Power boy smiled “If you’ve recovered enough … I wouldn’t want to tax your delicate system.”

Lard Lad didn’t respond to the friendly tease, instead he chopped straight across with his sword for Power Boy’s neck. Instinctively Power Boy hopped back … and raised his power baton. At first he thought it a joke on Lard Lad’s part but as the sparring went on … Lard Lad pushed Power Boy harder and harder.

Power Boy’s baton whirled faster than sight but, Lard Lad was an extremely proficient swordsman. Lardy’s sword came alive as an extension of the man. What’s more, Lardy kept on the offensive, giving Power Boy no time to switch tactics.

A crowd gathered around, marveling at the intensity.

“ah.” Power Boy flinched as Lard Lad’s sword mark his left arm. Power Boy did not bleed but, a faint light emitted from the cut. “ah!” another cut slashed across Power Boy’s forehead. ‘Had I not ducked … enough of this!’

Instead of blocking the next strike of Lardy’s sword, Power Boy knocked it wide and went on the offensive. He bared his teeth and struck for Lardy over and over again, with such strength that Lardy was knocked back further and further until they fought at the edge of the stern. Lardy sweated and struggled visibly under the canny onslaught of the power-house. He felt the rail against his back, he’d fall over soon ….

Power Boy kicked at Lardy’s sword hand, numbing it. Lardy stumbled against the floor.

Lardy thought ‘Oh shit, I hope I gambled right …’


Power Boy raised his baton high as if at the beginning of a vicious strike.


Several tense moments passed between Lardy and Power Boy, the onlookers gasping.


.
.
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… and his hand came down to lift Lardy up.

Lard Lad visibly relieved smiled broadly and patted PB on the back hard.

“What were you playing at friend? You fought as if for real, harder than any of our previous matches?” Power Boy questioned at the oddity.

“OH, You know, just seeing if I still had it … If I’ve recovered.” Lardy responded, not very convincingly.

“Well, I’d say you still have it and then some, If I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to provoke me … or test me.” Power Boy said with a sly look. He then grabbed Lard Lad by the shoulder in a comforting gesture and said “I’m off for a shower … thanks friend.”

Lard Lad panted from the intense exercise. ‘Same old Peebs, I shouldn’t have worried, he did what he needed to do on Prianopolis. Sometime’s battles went that way, sometimes they pushed us to new limits of fierceness.’

Daroon

Sir John had heard that Daroon was a mass of chaos and hell but for the first time he saw how true that statement was. The Carrggitte was no stranger to war, having joined the Space Knights Templar years earlier, though he was not a holdover from the Triumvirate army days. But this was unlike anything he’d ever seen.

Regardless, he did not let it show. Triplicating into his three selves, the Sir Johns rushed head first into battle, leading the charge of the Daroonian resistance. He was flanked by a confederation of his fellow Knights, Daroon soldiers, UP militia and Daxamites, who flew above with their own strategy on how to battle the bugs. It did not take long for the lines to fold into one another and the chaos to push the fighting in every direction possible.

Sir John the Carggitte was one of the unique Carggittes whose three selves had a distinct personality. “Blue” was the leader of the three: a dashing knight with handsome features whose love of the ladies was legendary. “Purple” was identical but something about him made him even more handsome, and his love was equally as legendary, except it was for men; “Red” was a solemn, quiet one of the three known for his piety and spirituality. Ironically, Sir John “Red” had taken a vow of chastity. All three, however, were capable leaders, courageous fighters and heroic knights looking to make a difference in the world.

Battling the Hive was a complicated, difficult endeavor. Some of the bugs could be brought down by power-swords and blasters while others seemed impervious to the assaults. If there was uniformity among them, it was almost impossible to see. Sir John and the Knights surrounding him appeared to route a phalanx of giant eight-legged creatures with pincers, only to be cut off from their allies by a group of worm-like creatures digging under them through the Earth. Two of his fellow Knights Templar were brought down, one instantly dead and the other bitten through the torso brutally enough that it was obvious the wound was mortal.

Sir John “Purple” ran forward, swinging his power-sword with crackling energy and cutting the worm in two. “Red” and “Blue” flanked either side to back his play.

“Maurice and Gly’pp are down,” said “Red”. “They won’t be getting back up.”

“I’m afraid this battle may be useless,” said “Purple”. “The bugs seem endless and they are attacking from all angles. If we’re going to succeed it will have to be in another way.” He swung his power-sword again, hacking at another worm. “Unless those Daxamites can turn the tide…”

The fighting continued as the three of them made their way forward, continually being pulled apart from their allies. “They’re herding us all,” said Sir John “Blue”. “They want to separate us and neutralize us. Stick together and lets press on. I see a small clearing up ahead with some sort of starship.”

The three moved on, battling everything in their path and indeed, they did see a clearing and starship. The land was a series of muck and mire for as far as the eye could see beyond that. It was impossible to discern what Daroon once looked like before it had been so thoroughly ravaged.

“Up ahead,” said Sir John “Red”. “Is that a…Durlan?” They could see a lone figure watching from the distance with a purple hood. Sticking out of the hood were several tentacle shapes—a common form taken by Durlans.

“Indeed it is,” said Sir John “Blue”. “And I think I know who that is!” he finished, then running forward at full speed. As he raced forward, more Hive drones began to appear, hiding beneath the mud in various places, but “Blue” moved on without hesitation. The other two Sir Johns ran behind him, watching his back and nailing backwards all the various Hive combatants.

“You!” said Sir John “Blue”. “Angra Metternich, I presume?! Then this is a pleasure!” he yelled, moving forward to continue.

But in an instant Metternich was gone. Sir John looked around in confusion and then cursed himself for letting the adrenaline of battle overtake him. He’d stupidly walked into a trap. He looked to see his brothers but they were cut off battling bugs 50 yards away.

“You are a foolish one…but you know that,” said a voice. His voice. “My role is to lead and to watch but every so often I feel its important I participate in the slaughter. Less I lose sight of our goals here…” the voice continued. It was a deep, slithery type voice that felt slimy and evil. Metternich relished in instilling fear and anxiety in his foes.

“Show yourself, coward, and battle me one on one,” said Sir John thinking in his head of ways he might defeat the Durlan and turn the tide of battle.

“No,” said the voice and all at once many things happened. Metternich rose to normal size and turned his hand into a large spike, smashing it through the breastplate of John’s armor and piercing through his body, out the other side. Sir John “Blue” screamed in pain but his screams were cut off almost immediately as blood poured out and he was instantly dead.

50 yards away the other two Sir Johns screamed in pain and fell to their knees. They felt the exact same pain as their brother and though they lived, they felt every second of their brother dying. The Hive bugs were also stunned by the turn of events; they were confused why their prey stopped fighting them. However, they immediately descended on the other two Sir Johns to feed.

But in a flash, the Sir Johns were joined—a contingent of Daxamites descended down and picked up the fallen Space Knight, rescuing him off to safety. He slipped into unconsciousness as the two “Red” and “Purple” formed back into one single entity. His brother was left behind.

“Is he going to make it?” asked one Daxamite.

“Are any of us?” asked the other as they flew back.

Metternich was now a fly again, shrunken and hidden, ensuring his own survival. It felt good to kill one of them. But it wasn’t the one he truly hated. Not yet at least.

The Star Song

"And what have we learned today?" Tempest asked while calmly sipping her tea.

Invisible Brainiac took a tentative sip of his drink, a mango-pineapple-strawberry mixture. His tongue was still slightly burned from when he'd ignited the moth ghoul's dust.

"One: It wasn't my fault that I didn't reach the final battle in time."

"Two: In truth, I accomplished a lot by taking out nearly all the ghouls before Titus could have them attack you."

"Three: Even though I didn't find Cobie and Lardy, which was my main objective, I didn't "fail" because they ended up fine."

"Four: Titus was the one who sent the ghouls after me, because he felt I was the biggest threat among our group. So in a way, I acted as a very useful decoy."

"Five: I've been a strong contributor to the team, and everyone agrees so."

"Six: Power Boy lost control for a moment, but he regained it right away. We saw his fight with Lard Lad, so We don't have to worry."

"Seven: I did nothing wrong, and everyone is just glad that I am alright."

IB grabbed some of the dim sum he'd made on the ship. Eating helped him when he was lost in thought.

"You don't sound particularly convinced." Tempest helped herself to some as well. "You are a good cook, by the way."

"Uh, thanks. I don't know, maybe it's just my insecurities acting up again."

"Or pride," Tempest corrected. "Like most men, you have far too much of that."

IB pointedly ignored that statement. "Look, I should be fine after I get to thrash a few bugs on the Hive homeworld." He took another sip while he reflected. Maybe he was being too testy. "Thanks, Tempest. I mean it - you've been helping me through a lot."

"I did say we were allies. And, unlike with other groupings, I actually like you all."

IB didn't know why, but he blushed at that. "How is your neck healing, by the way?"

Tempest stuck her neck out slightly. The bruises were gone, leaving her pale white skin unblemished. "I am healing faster than you are. Which reminds me; my magics and your powers have repaired most of the damage to your body, but you need to heal. Off you go."

IB made a show of pouting. "And here I thought we were going to spend all night together. Your bed looks big enough for two - we could have a slumber party!"

Tempest smiled an amused smile, then firmly dug a finger into IB's chest. "I suggest you and I conserve our energy for now, you naughty young man. I am serious. Did you not also tell me that you had a lover back home?"

"I wasn't serious, Tempest. And yes, yes I do. I intend to be faithful, as well." He paused, seeing a hint of longing in Tempest's eyes. Must be about Lard Lad - she'd told him about their past. "I hope you get a chance to talk to him soon. He could use a good woman like you." Tempest nodded in thanks at that.

He stood up and gulped down his juice. "Have a good rest." He held out his arms to give Tempest a hug, but the awkwardness hit him. He quickly lowered one hand and stuck the other out to shake.

Tempest surprised him, and perhaps herself, by returning the hug. It was a very loose one, but a hug nonetheless. "Sleep tight, you good man."

"Y-you too," IB stammered. Just when he thought he'd gotten the suave act down. "Now... we should end this here, or we'll be up all night, yes? Good night." With a wink, he slipped out.

As he walked back to his room, he reflected. Sometimes he still felt like such a kid. He wished he could believe everything Tempest had said. He knew she wouldn't lie, but... he wasn't feeling confident right now.

Sighing, he plopped down on the bed, hands behind his head. Maybe he should man up a bit more.

It was only then that he realized - Tempest had called him "man".

He closed his eyes with a big smile. Coming from her, that was quite the endorsement.

Lon and Kalla had attended the memorial for Clark Marlowe. They had stayed in back and said nothing and had left as the members of the Covenant gathered together and talked.

As they walked down a corridor, Lon stopped all of a sudden.

"What's wrong Fuzzy?" Kalla asked.

"Can you give me a few minutes?" He said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll catch up as soon as I can."

"Take as long as you need," she said and gave his hands a squeeze. She knew who was behind the door, and that he had not shown himself at the memorial.

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Lon tried the door and it opened.

The room was dark except for a light on a workbench on the far wall. Lon looked around and saw Gear sitting on a tattered old couch along the right wall.

"I'm not good company right now, and I already gave them the marker for his grave."

Lon shut the door and walked into the room. "I don't care about none of that Jon."

Gear looked up and opened his one human eye. "Timberwolf?"

"Yeah kiddo. Not quite the one you knew, but feel free to call me Lon."

"I'm glad you made it back..."

"I wish it would have been sooner Jon, but sometimes things happen because there is no other way."

Jon stood, and Lon could see that he was wearing the jacket he had left for him.

"Sharky told me what happened. Told me what you were able to do, and what choices you had to make."

"I should have..." Jon said and sat back down holding his head in his hands.

"Shut up for a minute," Lon said and sat down on a stool, "think for a minute."

Jon looked at him and his right eye formed a squint. "Don't presume to..."

"Was there any other way?"

"There had to be another..."

"Not what I asked kiddo. Was there any other way? Would more people have died if you hadn't sent Clark out there?"

"Well...of course there..."

"Did you do the one thing that you could to help save lives...and do you think that he would have gone if he hadn't agreed?"

"He would have gone anyway...I saw him getting ready to..."

"Then give up this self pity act Gear," Lon said using Jon's code name. "You both did what you knew was the right thing to do."

"There's always another..."

"Grife kid, you sound just like my brother."

Jon's head snapped up again. He of course knew that Lon was the brother of the LMB's Dev Em. This universes version of his father.

"He's always looking for the other way...." Lon stopped and looked down for a minute. "Truth is...I envy him, and you in a way."

Jon cocked his head a little. "Why?"

"Because I see things a certain way...do things a certain way. Consequences be damned."

"You're saying..."

"I've sent people into suicide situations before...hell, I've been sent into them as well."

"But..."

"I'm still here...yeah, but I'm a different case."

"The note you left me...it was almost as if you knew what was going to happen."

"Not really. Just that in a war like this, hard decisions have to be made by the people that are capable of making the. I know you wish that you could have been out there in his place...but that ain't the way things happened. Life is tough, I don't have to tell you that. You sent one of your best friends into a death trap against your father. From everything I have heard and seen, your dad is everything that my brother isn't...and that is a shame. My brother is one of the most noblest people out there, but even that comes at a cost to his relationships as well."

"What do you mean?"

"He tends to focus on the greater good at the expense of his family responsibilities. Not to say that he is a bad dad, but he's not the best husband in the universe."

"What about you? What kind of dad are you?"

"I am not a dad...as far as I can tell I cannot even have children. Part of being a genetically engineered clone."

"Odd. My father and Aunt were twins. I think part of him died when she was torn apart. They were really close. I think the fact that his whole family was destroyed before his eyes really pushed him over the edge."

"Sorry Jon, didn't mean to dredge that stuff up in you again so soon."

"I have to deal with it Uncle Lon. You know, I had a cousin...my best friend. He was killed that day as well, along with my sister and baby brother."

Lon looked toward the door and motioned to it. "You need to be out there. Clark's body is gone, and there's nothing you could have said anyway that the others don't already know. But they need to know that you are alright...believe it or not, they do care about you."

"They all seem to keep me at arms length though. Like they're afraid to get near me."

"You mean Clark did that? Does Hugh?" Lon went through a listing of numerous members of the Losers that considered Jon their friend. "Did Louis?"

Jon let out a something between a laugh and a sigh. "You are so much like her it's scary."

Lon laughed. "I at least hope she was better looking than I am."

"I'm the one doing the pushing aren't I...keeping everyone at arms length because I'm afraid of things like this happening to people I care about."

"It's not a fun way to live kiddo, believe me," Lon said and got up off of his stool and walked over to Jon.

Jon reached his hand up and let Lon lift him off the couch. "Thanks. I'll try to let people in closer...if they'll let me."

"They will...you have to let them. There are very few people that I have gotten close to in my life, and I am glad for all of them. Then someday you'll find someone that will take you for who you are and then everything changes and you'll allow yourself to open up in a way that you never thought possible."

"I can't see anyone ever falling in..."

"Either did I kiddo...but then when it was least likely, it happened. Now, I am not sure where life is going to take me...but I'm actually looking forward to it."

"What about my dad?"

"We'll find him...and deal with him. It's what we do."

"Clark said that same thing..."

"Because it's true and you know it as well. You just need to embrace it and live today to the fullest, because you never know what the next moment will bring."

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Timberwolf and Gear left the workshop and parted ways.

Lon went to the makeshift quarters that he and Kalla shared to see if she was still awake.

Jon went and found Hugh Taylor and a few others. Hugh got up and gave him a hug and they all started sharing stories about Clark again...some being repeated for Jon's sake as he had missed them the first or second time around.

Jon finally interrupted before someone else could start another story. "Did he ever tell you about the time when he asked me to..."

Old Gotham, Earth-4,
The Dark Oval

As everyone got settled in, the tension in the room was high. Lolita leaned back against the wall, clutching her trenchcoat tightly against her body, taking in all the various Losers who were entering. By her side was Zhiya, who was increasingly becoming more than just an ally in wartime; she was actually becoming a true friend.

Zhiya stood next to Lolita as her enhanced senses picked up on the tension within the various Losers as well. She was blind to their faces but could sense things that Lolita could not. She knew Kalla Hrykos and Timberwolf were protective of one another, and through their body language, still saw themselves as entirely separate from the other Losers. She could tell Faraway Lad was equally tense, feeling nervous as he prepared to take a leadership role more actively than he had until now. And surprisingly, she could see Rockhopper Lad was one of the more relaxed among them, as was his “sister” Rockhopper Lass. By having each other by their side, they drew strength from one another.

Zhiya detected all of these things and more: this facility was once a secret base of operations for Cobalt Kid in his Earth SMB Security office days. His presence had long since vanished, even his smell, but there were still elements of him having lived here. He had a great reverence for books—actual printed pages—and stacked them on shelves throughout the facility. While he assuredly had his own cataloguing system, it was incomprehensible to others. She missed him so much…though they only had two years together, she loved him with all her heart and still did. Before meeting her he was known as a great lady’s man among the SMB but during their time together he was monogamous and devoted to her. He was gentle and he was kind, and above all else, he loved to laugh. She had not laughed very much since those days

Lolita was oblivious to Zhiya’s reminiscence; “Lady Daredevil”, as the other Losers sometimes called her, could hide her emotions incredibly well. Instead, Lolita focused on who was in attendance. Rockhopper Lad and Rockhopper Lass stood forth among them as leaders as did the top lieutenants of the Losers: Hugh Taylor, Faraway Lad and Bat-Fem. Also present were some longtime SMBers who she knew were held in high esteem, such as Beagz and Lightning Lass. She was glad Satan Claws Cramer was not among them. She noticed Helena Handbasket had joined them and was glad for it. Helena was a leader and since the breaking of the Fellowship she was showing it more and more. Lolita admired and liked Helena immensely after all these years. And of course, there was Kalla Hrykos and Timberwolf, off to the side. It was clear the others made little effort to extend sense of consortium to them.

“I think that’s everyone, or certainly enough to get started,” said Rockhopper Lass. “What happened with the Evil Emperor Penguin’s Emissary is still weighing on us all, that is clear. Morale is low and more than ever our goal seems impossible. But the truth of it is we have forward.”

Bat-Fem let out a scoff. Lolita suspected she agreed with the sentiment but did not enjoy hearing the way it was phrased.

“My sister is right,” said Rockhopper Lad detecting some of the others might feel the same way. “The Evil Emperor Penguin threw his worst at us and it did immense damage—but we survived it. And now I think its time we returned the favor.”

“Agreed,” said Beagz. “It’s time to hit him back.” There was murmur of agreement among them all.

“We’ve been putting together various scenarios for an assault on his castle for some time,” said Hugh Taylor, taking his cue. Hugh was still very young compared to most of them but he was a natural leader. Lolita could see him one day leading the SMB if they all survived. “A combination of espionage and full-on assault with our powerhouses is the way to go. We also think a direct attack on the EEP himself is absolutely needed. He needs to be taken out of the fight, as does his lover.”

“Leave that element to me,” said Rockhopper Lad. His tone was gentle but with authority.

“And I, brother,” said Rockhopper Lass, whose tone was exactly the same only to Rockhopper Lad. He smiled and nodded, acquiescing.

“Our strength is down,” said Hugh, “so where we place every single Loser will be important. We held off until now hoping to free more of our allies and build our strength. However—“

“—that strategy has only done the opposite,” said Bat-Fem cutting him off before he could say exactly the same thing. “We need to hit him now while there’s still a chance.”

“Yes,” said Kalla Hrykos and they all turned to look at her. “The Evil Emperor Penguin is realizing the full extent of the quandary he’s in now. He’ll be calling the Dark Lord for reinforcements. And they’ll be coming en masse. Before that happens and before his Emissary returns, we have a small window.”

“Ladies and Gentleman,” said a smooth voice that implied intelligence and gravity, “this is all well and good. And I know we will work out the details on how to proceed shortly. But another topic must be broached now before we go any further. What is our ultimate endgame if we succeed in defeating the Evil Emperoro Penguin?” They all turned now to see Faraway Lad, who held the floor with an iron grip. He stepped into the middle of the room and all their eyes followed him. His question was rhetorical. “I know we citizens of Earth do not want to be co-opted by any allies,” he said, eyeing Kalla Hrykos who said nothing though Timberwolf was obviously not amused, “and we do not want free ourselves of one tyrant while another far worse sends an even larger and more grotesque army to finish the job.” By now they had all heard stories of the Hive and the thought of another wave of invaders—worse than before—was almost too hard to bear.

“Darden, we’ve all come to love your counsel,” said Hugh Taylor, whose emotions were plain for all to see. He had an air of alarm to his words. “But I truly hope you’ve got a follow-up solution to the dilemma you just laid out.”

“As it happens, lad,” he said smiling. “I do.” f they weren’t paying attention before, they were now. “Young lady,” he said to Lolita, “if you please.”

For a moment Lolita felt a flood of nervousness hit her like a bucket of cold water. Speaking in front of this many people when the stakes were so high…but no, she had to put that aside. “I’ve developed a plan that I think might be helpful in resolving both the problem Faraway Lad mentioned while also helping us in the assault on the Evil Emperor Penguin.”

“Go on,” said Rockhopper Lad, encouraging her.

“Faraway Lad has helped me put some shape around how it might actually work and we’re almost there.”

“Almost?” asked Lightning Lass. Lolita knew that until now a lot of them were wondering why she was even invited to this gathering. She knew they doubted what she could contribute.

“What we need,” she said, pushing forward through her anxiety, “is a power-source. Something else else massive—like a giant battery that could operate a satellite headquarters. If we have that, I’m confident we can make our final assault on the Evil Emperor Penguin more grandiose, and much more effective[i] that before.”

There was some murmuring as they all tried to discern where she was going with this. Some of them got it instantly, some did not. Lolita looked to Faraway Lad who nodded to her as if to say [i]Good job. I’ll take it from here. “So there you have it,” he said. “Obviously, we’ll go over the details now and explain what we’re bloody talking about. But that’s the issue at hand. We need some ideas and we need them rather soon.”

As some of them thought out loud about suggestions, in the corner of the room, Timberwolf looked at Kalla Hrykos to see what she was thinking. His look was one of curiosity as he purposely did not want it to be taken as accusatory. He could see she was thinking about it, considering all the possibilities. After all, though no one else knew it, they did indeed have a powersource.

THE STAR SONG

Days ago :

Ameratsu viewed the contest between Power Boy and Lard Lad with interest. His bronze form stood just to the side. His robotic eyes recorded their every move. He could analyze their fight moves for copy and use later. Over the past few days he had observed this fellowship of heroes. They were impressive. He had bargained his knowledge of the Dark Oval for passage on the Star Song. They didn’t quite trust him yet, despite their shared enemies. Lard Lad had been outright hostile to him, blaming him for the conditions of the slave children. Ameratsu had done his best over the years, Lard Lad didn’t know about the many children he had helped escape.

Earlier today, he met with Lard Lad and Cobalt Kid. He explained his abilities, and how he could be of use. He didn’t tell them everything but, he told them of how he could detect weakness from his keen android senses and calculating mind. He also told them of how he could predict outcomes from a mathematical command of probabilities. Basically, he could find the weak points of almost any foe, and any situation, as well as predicting the most likely outcome of situations. They also saw how quickly his android form healed, the puncture Titus made with his spear now fully closed and repaired. Ameratsu still carried Titus’ spear. He could wield that as good as anyone. He hoped his conversation was enough to show them his value in combat and his trustworthiness.

For now, they accepted him for his cartographical knowledge but, Ameratsu would join them in battling the Dark Oval, one way or another. He had waited so long, sabotaging Titus for years. Titus had crushed his small species of artificial intelligence. Ameratsu was the last one standing, Titus was surprised when he showed up at his door surrendering and pledging service. Arrogantly happy to see the android so crushed, he used new god circuitry to enslave the android over the years but, it turns out the new god technology was not inherently evil and bonded to Ameratsu instead of enforcing Titus’ wishes.

As the sparring ended, the android noticed how generously these heroes interacted together, one minute battling at near full strength, and a moment later congratulating each other on their fierceness. Ameratsu had plotted and waited for long years for an opening, a way to eventually defeat Titus. When this fellowship showed up, especially the other immortal, Power Boy, Ameratsu saw a chance and joined with them. It was only a chance though, and he had yet to see Titus’ dead body. Well, these were the best warriors he had seen in a very long time, if anyone could defeat the Dark Lord, It would be them.

Suddenly, Ameratsu realized he still wore the long grey cloak that marked Titus’ elite ghouls. Carefully, he removed it, and retied the spear to his back. Then, he casually tossed the grey cloak over the side of the Star Song. The dark cloak floated and shook like a thing alive as it fell behind the Star Song, disappearing in the vibrant night of space. Ameratsu remained, his bronze form shimmering under the light of the stars.

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Now: Evening on the Star Song

The dining room was lively at dinnertime. This time, everyone sat around Cobalt Kid, Lard Lad, and Power Boy as they told a particularly outrageous story of adventure.

Ameratsu stood at the edge of the gathering, listening in, and while the android had emotions he was naturally reserved, and unused to interacting with others after his long tenure as Titus’ worst servant.

Power Boy roared mightily, spilling some of his drink, as Lard Lad mentioned something about a “Princess No Protection.” Even the sorceress snickered at that.

Cobalt Kid rolled his eyes and pointed at Lard Lad with a mock threatening finger …

and switched the conversation to a certain Minotaur, a certain Porn Queen, and a certain bacchanalian festival.

At the mention of this Power Boy blushed and quieted, “I brought that minotaur for my OWN amusement … why else does one bring a Minotaur to an orgy!”

This caused the dining room to erupt in laughter.

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As the room quieted down, Invisible Brainiac announced that dinner was ready. He had overseen this night’s meal through requests to the Star Song. The Star Song magically provided what they wanted almost in an instinctual way, sometimes it needed to be told more detailed requests. Tempest was instrumental in these asking for these specifics.

I.B. and Tempest had decided to cook an especially extravagant feast for tonight. Everyone knew they were approaching the HIVE, they could feel it. It seemed like a great time for a celebration.

Power Boy commented on a particular dish as Tempest and IB placed the food on a large round table in the middle of the dining room “Elva bird breast, my favorite!” Tempest slapped his hand as he reached for a piece.

Cobalt Kid thought to himself about how happy everyone looked in the warm glow of the room. This journey by the Star Song was actually very nice. You would never know they were on their way to battle insurmountable odds and most likely death.

Goon Boy sat to the left of Cobalt Kid, Lard Lad to his right. Juj settled in by Lard Lad. Power Boy sat directly across from them, Disaster Boy sat at his left. Disaster Boy seemed to always be near Power Boy lately. Cobalt Kid supposed it made sense, the wounded boy wanted to be next to the big guard dog all the time. IB and Tempest filed in to PB’s right. Ameratsu sat last, next to Disaster Boy. The bronze of the android’s form shined in the warm light, and Cobalt Kid remarked that this was the first time he saw him without that dirty grey cloak.

Ameratsu raised his hand “Before we begin I would like to say something.”

“By all means” Cobalt Kid replied.

“I want to say how grateful I am, for your existence. Not only for my rescue but also, your camaraderie. You are the greatest fellowship of heroes I, in my long life, have ever seen. A group of heroes like nothing except in the ancient myths. Thank you.”

Even Lard Lad smiled at those words, nodding to the android, and Goon Boy raised a glass. Disaster Boy’s face brightened as everyone held glasses high and shouted “Hear Hear!” and “Long Live the Legion!”

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The group ate late and talked long into the night. The conversation bubbling, Tempest looked relived that everyone stayed away from the earlier bawdy talk of Porn Queens and Minotaurs. Tempest and IB were the first to retire after the long night of conversation and food. Power Boy and the Star Song made for a speedy clean up. Lard Lad said a few words to Goon Boy before sending him, Juj, and Ameratsu to bed. Power Boy did not need sleep but he appeared to like it very much, Disaster Boy followed … chatting up the immortal.

Finally, CK and Lard Lad remained alone in the dimming light of the dining hall.

Lard Lad smiled “That wouldn’t be the worst pairing … for either of them. Hmmm I always thought Peebs had a thing for Sir John the Carggite though. ”

CK instantly wondered how the Knights were doing and laughed “I think Peebs has a great many things for a great many people. You’re right though, it would be nice if he had a human anchor.”

Cobalt Kid and Lard Lad agreed to let the others sleep in, and enjoy the entirety of this night. They would meet with Goon Boy in the morning to plan their strategy. They should probably include Ameratsu as well, with his particular abilities with probabilities but, could the android be trusted?

Lard Lad returned with the maps they had originally drawn from Power Boy’s interstellar scouting; they now included several colored annotations based off of Goon Boy's and Ameratsu’s intelligence reports.

Cobalt Kid took a long drink of his ale as Lard Lad laid out the maps.

Daroon

Dev Em tore through the lines of bugs for what seemed an eternity.

The problem was, they kept coming. If they were not completely destroyed, they kept flailing about trying to move forward.

Dev saw the technique being utilized by the bugs to divide and destroy. He did his best trying to keep that from happening.

He thanked whatever gods there were that a ship of Daxamites had come to see what had happened to communications. Double thankful that some of these were his dad's former men from Daxam. That meant that they knew how to fight, even if they seemed a little on the older side. The younger ones that had brought them here were also very eager to help, as most of them lost friends that had been stationed here.

After about an hour, he flew towards the castle, which was their main base of operations.

He banked hard and landed where he knew his family would be. He went to his quarters first and washed up enough to be presentable to his wife, the Queen, as well as feeling comfortable enough to hug his children.

He spent some time with each of his kids. Han gave him a necklace she had made him and Jon gave him one of his action figures to take with him for good luck.

After telling them all what was happening, he walked with the Queen and they were finally able to talk.

"Dev, I wish you would stay here with us. The children need you here."

"I'm not having this argument again. I am needed where I can do the most good, and unfortunately that is out there right now."

"Look, I know why you want me here, but the kids actually do understand. I have to go."

Dev took off before she could say anything else.

Old Gotham, Earth-4,
The Dark Oval

Shortly after the meeting went into further discussions, Lon started feeling antsy.

He leaned over to Kalla and whispered "come and get me when you make your decision."

She looked up at him and just grinned a little.

He turned and left the meeting room and started wandering around their new temporary base of operations.

He walked past one room after another. The rooms were scattered about and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to them. As Lon walked around, he felt at home. He smiled to himself and thought that this was exactly how Cobie would have done it...in fact...

There was a loud crash that came from a room to his left. He moved to the door, and smiled again.

Val Armor, Karate Kid was holding a training session for some of the Losers that were more reliant on hand to hand combat than those with ranged powers. In the corner one of the students was dislodging himself from a stack of boxes.

Lon slipped in the back and watched for a while, content to observe a master at work.

Val watched Lon for a while as well and finally stopped the sparring session that was in progress.

"That's enough for now," he said and Lon saw his eyes flash towards him.

Grife... Lon thought as he slipped his jacket off.

Val nodded at him and Lon walked to the front of the room.

Val looked at his students. "This is Timberwolf. He is one of the very few people alive that has trained with several of the masters that taught me."

Lon finished taking his boots off and was in process of taking off his weapons belt.

Val waited as Lon set everything to the side, and then threw him a sparring uniform. Lon slipped it on over his shorts and tank top.

"The rules are basic...best two out of three. One solid strike counts as a hit. No glancing blows. No fabric hits allowed. Trust me, these kids will know when a hit is a hit."

Lon grinned. "Sounds good to me."

Val faced Lon straight on and bowed. Lon returned the bow and they both went into their stances.

Lon moved to his right slowly, and Val moved with him. They kept the space even, and started with firm but testing hits that the other easily blocked.

Lon lunged forward and let loose with a flurry of strikes. Val dodged and moved back, blocking as he went. Strike after strike were blocked and Val started a offensive move of his own. He struck high then low, then with an amazing move had his right foot flash about half of an inch from where Lon's head had been a second earlier.

Lon had dodged the kick and instinctively threw his left hand back and blocked the follow up strike at his midsection.

Val landed and Lon could see s slight grin on his face.

"Haven't seen that move in a long time," Lon said as he flipped back and bounced forward at Val with a speed that most men would have not stood a chance against.

"Not many have ever seen that move..." he said as he twisted his upper body and grabbed Lon to use his momentum against him.

Lon had counted on that and twisted in mid air tying up Val's left hand in tunic. He then attempted a leg sweep that Val went with and they both hit the ground with a loud thud.

Val used the split second he had to push off of Lon with his feet and they both bounced off the ground and resumed their stances.

This pattern continued for close to two hours before an actual strike was scored. Val had pulled a strike short at the last moment and Lon's defensive counterstrike took him off balance just enough for Val to get a strike in on Lon's back.

"Nice feint Val," Lon said as he got up off the ground, "took me just out of the play enough to strike."

They faced each other and bowed again.

This time, the second strike came within the first half hour. Val had gone in for a flurry of strikes, and Lon had let himself fall backwards to the ground. Val stopped himself in time to avoid falling into him, but not long enough to avoid a leg sweep and Lon's rolling strike to Val's chest.

"Nice. Making a fall work to your advantage, and not giving me time to think and taking instinct out of the equation with speed."

"Coming from you, that means a lot," Lon said with a bow.

"Ready for the last one?"

One of the students stood and left the room.

Lon and Val bowed and began their sparring session again. Both were so intent on the other, that they did not notice the room filling in the rear with numerous people, some from the strategy meeting that had taken a break for a moment when they heard of what was happening.

If they came for a show, they were not disappointed. The two struck and deflected blows faster than some could even follow.

Those that knew Val, and the few there that knew Lon could tell that they were both fighting on instinct at this point. There was no real thought process involved for either of them. They were moving and striking with strikes that even those that knew multiple fighting techniques couldn't identify.

After over two hours of a pace that none could imagine being possible, they both made jumops towards each other at the same time and both went flying with the resulting blows.

They both laid still on the ground for several seconds before they lifted their heads and began getting up. They were both drenched and breathing just a little harder than normal.

Kalla went to Lon and helped him up, and Zhiya helped Val to his feet.

Lon and Val both laughed and gave each other a hug. Lon whispered, "you took it easy on me until the last one...didn't you?"

"Did I?" was Val's whispered response.

Val held Lon at arms length. "I have never met anyone that knew how to deflect that last blow."

Lon coughed a little. "Never met anyone that knew how to deliver it. Not exactly something that you learn at your everyday dojo."

Some of the students were looking at them with confused looks on their faces.

Val turned to them and bowed.

They bowed back, still with anxious looks on their faces. In fact most of the people in the room had no idea what had really happened.

Gear, who had been observing the whole thing cleared his throat.

Everyone turned to him.

He pointed to the far wall and they all turned that way. On the wall was a projection of the last second of the match.

Val had two fists hitting Lon in the chest at odd points, and Lon had one fist striking Val in the mid chest area. Both had a pained expressions on their faces.

The scene was paused at the moment of the strikes...in fact all three blows hit at the exact same time.

"So who gets the call?" someone asked.

Lon looked up. "Val does. Two strikes to one...plus, his strikes can be deadly if struck properly. It actually takes more control to not kill an opponent than to kill one."

Val looked humbled. "My friend here speaks truth my students, but also know this...he is still able to move right now because I recognized a form of fighting that is taught by one man. I knew that if he studied with him, that he would be able to defend the strike, whether struck with deadly accuracy or not. Know this as true...he could just as easily have won this session, which I would call a draw."

"Tournament rules state that you win Val."

"Very well."

A cheer went up by the Losers in the room at the win that Karate Kid had garnered, even if it was in a friendly sparring match.

Kalla gave Lon a hug. "We need to talk Fuzzy."

Rockhopper Lad and a few of the others were talking. "We will meet again in the morning to finish the plans. Everyone needs some rest."

Daroon

Serj Ontranik led his baker's dozen of Lard Knights in an all-out offensive against a flank of giant mantis-like bugs. Accompanying them was erstwhile LMBer Lumber Fox.

The fourteen of them were making a tremendous impact against the mantises' superior numbers. The Knights' swords were charged with Lard Force and cutting down the bugs left and right. For his part, Lumber Fox was a vortex of controlled fury, slicing the bugs with razor-sharp claws which clove one after the other in two.

In the midst of battle, Serj called out, "Foxy--I've got eleven so far!"

"Eleven?" Lumber Fox yelled back. "Pretty impressive! Not as good as my nineteen--" He paused as he slashed another. "--make that twenty! Step it up, Serj! Ha-Ha-HAAA!" And Foxy plowed into another group.

Serj smiled as he glimpsed Foxy disappearing into the mass. His smile faded as he felt a shadow fall over him. Looking up, Serj saw the shadow was being cast by a huge swarm of insect fliers of a species he was unfamiliar with. What caught his eye was their double stingers dripping with green venom. Looking back around him, Serj saw that the mantises were retreating to make room for their brethren.

"Heads UP, Knights!" Serj screamed at the dozen under his command. "Incoming!"

All at once, the fliers descended, stingers first, on the area where the Knights stood. Immediately, one impaled Hurm Shang, who had been down with a leg injury. To his horror, Serj saw Hurm begin to foam at the mouth. Hurm let out a garbled scream just before the acid in the foam liquefied his insides.

One of the fliers came for Serj, but he deftly severed both stingers in a single stroke. Recovering flawlessly to a defensive position, Serj saw that four more of his fellows had fallen to the fliers in that instant.

Serj saw the other seven nearby and yelled, "shield!" In response the seven combined to form a shield of pure Lard Force around them. A dozen fliers crashed right into their shield and met a similar fate as a fly attracted to a bug zapper would.

Serj admired the moment grimly from his vantage point, then surveyed the fliers. He removed a rope from his belt and disappeared in a pop of Lard force.

He reappeared on the back of one of the fliers and used the rope to strap around the flier's neck as a makeshift reins. Using the reins to steer it, Serj flew towards other fliers and lopped off a wing here, a head there, a stinger here and jabbed a set of eyes there.

Serj had been the very best teleporter among all the Knights in the Lard Monastery. None could manage a chaotic 'port like the one he'd just pulled off. Not even Lard Lad, who was otherwise foremost amongst Knights in all other skills.

He took a moment to survey the battlefield below from his vantage point. The seven Knights had maintained their shield but it was buckling under some new species' energy barrage. He couldn't see Lumber Fox but noted there was still a mass of mantis creatures engaged in some tumult.

Serj thought a moment and then guided his 'steed' down into the bombers midst. His flier landed on one of them and quickly took it out with its stingers. Serj, however, had already teleported off and had slashed through the other three bombers within moments.

Serj looked toward his seven charges and was horrified that his rescue had been two late: the shield had fallen, and all seven were either injured or dead. Worse, the mantises who had retreated were coming for them.

"NO!" Serj yelled and then charged at the mantises, firing bursts of Lard force with one hand while slashing at them with his sword with the other hand.

He must have taken out five before, all at once, one mantis knocked his sword off while another stabbed him in the leg. In terrible pain, Serj managed to fight the urge to black out and started blasting the bugs with all the Lard Force he could manage.

He knew it wouldn't be enough. I'll go out fighting, damnit! he thought as a look of grim determination colored his face.

Moments later, his blue power bursts were weakening, and the mantises closed in. This is it, he thought.

Just as one of them was about to deliver a killing blow, Serj heard an animalistic scream fill the air. And then, a red blur could be seen plowing into the mantises. A voice said, "left some more for me, didja?"

"F-Foxy!" Serj yelled with a grin. With renewed vigor, Serj found his sword and rejoined his friend in battle.

The next few moments were a blur. Serj struck blow after blow and just slashed blindly at anything that moved. he was only vaguely aware of Foxy, hearing his friend howl at times and then yelp in pain. Until, suddenly, Serj realized that there was nothing left to fight. Staggering, he look around and saw insect body after insect body strewn and cloven as far as the eye could see.

To his left, he saw some movement. It was his surviving fellow Lard Knights tending to each other. But where was...

"Foxy!" Serj wailed as he suddenly located his friend among the insectoid bodies. He ran toward him.

"F-fifty seven....g-give or t-take a...d-dozen," the vulpine LMBer said weakly.

Serj gasped. Half of his friend's face was missing. Both legs were severed at the knee, and his entire left arm was missing. "My god..." Serj managed.

Quickly, Serj was accompanied by the surviving Knights. They used their powers to render first aid on Lumber Fox as best they could, cauterizing his wounds with their powers.

Lumber Fox howled in pain. Being cauterized was not a pleasant experience.

"He's going into shock! Let's get him to medical!" Serj commanded. And the entire group disappeared in a burst of Lard Force.

They reappeared in a M.A.S.H. unit that was run by three Daxamite surgeons. Daxam was galaxy-reknowned for their superior medical techniques.

"Please save him," Serj pleaded to Dr. Den Zel as they arrived.

Zel looked the patient over grimly. "We'll do our best. He wouldn't have a chance if we weren't here." He motioned for his team, and they took Lumber Fox off to surgery.

Serj said a prayer, then passed out from exhaustion.

The Star Song,
approaching the Hive

Juj finished using the communicator and turned to Lard Lad. Smiling, he said, "the refugees from Prianopolis have safely arrived in Hrykosian territory!"

Lardy smiled back. "Good! I'm so glad we didn't make a mistake by leaving them before the rescue arrived."

"No, according to the reports, the guards who defected from Titus were as good as their word and protected the women, children and elderly with honor."

"I'll have to recommend them to Cobie for the Space Knights Templar, if they need a job." He looked at his armor's chronometer. "'Bout time for the meeting, Juj--let's go!"


Moments later, the two found themselves the last to arrive on The Star Song's promenade for the Hive mission briefing. Already seated were Cobalt Kid, Tempest, Power Boy, Disaster Boy, Goon Boy and Invisible Brainiac. Standing at the forefront was their newest ally, the android Ameratsu, who would lead the first part of the meeting.

"Good of you two to join us," the android said sarcastically. This elicited a bit of a chuckle from Invisible Brainiac and Goon Boy. The rest had no reaction, either because their minds were gearing up for the upcoming conflict or because they didn't know yet how much they trusted this new ally--or both.

"Sorry," Lardy said as he and Juj sat next to Cobalt. Cobalt smiled as Lardy whispered to him the update they'd received on the refugess.

Ameratsu began, "I was asked to start this briefing because I am one of the very few non-Hive beings to ever set foot on the Hive homeworld. I was there once accompanying Titus as he delivered a message from his Dark Lord."

There were some murmurs within the group at that point.

Sensing the question in the air, Ameratsu said, "no, I've never seen the Dark Lord, nor am I aware where he is quartered. That is one destination Titus ever journeyed without me or any other--not even his wraiths. I also was not privy to the nature of the message, unfortunately."

The android paused for effect, then continued. "The atmosphere of the Hive homeworld is very oxygen-poor. Those of you who require oxygen to breathe will need to wear whatever apparatus is appropriate."

Ameratsu nodded, and Tempest created a holographic 3-D image for all to see. "This is the Hive homeworld."

The image was a strange sight for all those gathered, not at all what they expected. It was very flat and oblong. It was all length with comparatively little width and mostly featureless. At one end it was rounded off with an area slimmer than the end connecting it to the main portion. At the far end there were two upturned portions. As the image rolled around, it looked as if four smaller extensions had once existed but had become fused with the main mass over time.

Cobalt squinted at the image as it revolved around. For a second he almost thought it was--

But his revelries were inturrupted as Ameratsu continued his briefing, highlighting the area slightly left of the center of the mass, closer to the rounded part, where Ameratsu said that Wyandotte and his Queen kept their home. He then highlighted the area where Titus had gained access. Then, Ameratsu's portion was concluded.

Goon Boy stepped up for his part. "In my travels 'round the Oval, I met one've what the Hive calls its 'princesses'. These're the Queen's female offspring, one've which'll someday take 'er place as Queen. Two've these have some kind've mutation which kept 'em free've Wyandotte's mental mumbo-jumbo. They've been lookin' fer a way t'free their mama from 'is control."

"One've 'em is on Daroon, tryin' t'innerfere wit' th' bug invasion. T'other, th' one I met, is helpin' us get inta th' Hive. She's gonna meet us inna coupla hours, jus' outsidda the Hive."

Goony went on to explain that the princess will be guiding them all inside. Her control of the bugs with her pheromones should enable the whole group to get in unscathed. Then, he was finished with his part.

Lardy arose with Cobalt to conclude the briefing.

Cobalt began, "the plan is for us all to go in together all the way, if possible. If things go nuts, Peebz, Ibby, Temp and DB will 'port outside via a spell Temp has prepared and assault the homeworld from without to draw the bugs' attention."

"In other words," Disaster Boy said pointedly, "we'll be a distraction."

Cobalt smiled, "only if necessary. If this princess can do what Goony says she can, this could be a real cakewalk!"

"Yeah," Invisible Brainiac laughed, "because it always works that way, right?"

As they all chuckled, Cobie admitted, "that's why we have a Plan B!"

"Anyhow," Lardy interrupted, "the objective is to get to Wyandotte and break his hold on the Queen. After that...we wing it."

"Wing it?" Tempest repeated.

"Yeah," Lardy answered, "all that depends on how the Queen reacts. We're obligated to the princess to give the Queen a chance to surrender. If she doesn't...well, things could go FUBAR."

"How FUBAR, exactly?" Juj asked.

"Well," Cobie speculated, "both the Queen and the princesses can morph into a humanoid form--that's likely how we'll find the Queen. But her true form is apparently enormous and very, very formidable. She could possibly take us all out."

Tempest thought for a moment and spoke, "I will prepare a holding spell to attempt to restrain her to her humanoid form."

"Sounds good, Temp," Lardy said. "We'll keep you with the invading group, then, if we have to use Plan B."

"And how will you break Wyandotte's hold on her?" Power Boy asked.

"Most likely," Cobalt said grimly, "with extreme prejudice."

"But he won't go down easily," Lardy added. "Wyandotte's ability to dominate the minds of others is incredible. He once erased the memories of a group of LMBers that first encountered him, including myself. We've all had training for that sort of attack, but it still may not be enough. If all else fails, though, Goony is completely immune to mental attacks. Hopefully, he'll be able to finish Wyandotte off if none of the rest of us can."

Goony nodded but looked uncomfortable. he hoped he wouldn't have to kill Wyandotte. Goony had killed when necessary, but he was especially skittish about killing someone who was an otherdimensional duplicate of his friend Lard Lad.

"Well, then," Power Boy exclaimed as he cracked his knuckles, "let's get this thing started!"

"You won't have to wait long, Peebz," Lardy repled. "We'll approach the rendezvous point in about thirty minutes."

"Get ready, gang," Cobie added. "Today, were glorified exterminators!"

And all parted to do whatever they needed to be prepared for the battle ahead.

Weber’s World,
The United Planets

“Solo! Kuryakin! Shields Up!” The order barely escaped her lips before the two male agents looked each other lovingly in the eye and raised their arms. Instantly a lavender sphere of energy appeared encasing the entire group with the exception of her and Abin. As the energy sphere appeared a small furry humanoid burst out of a ventilation duct in the ceiling and launched himself claws extended at Princess Crujectra.

The assassin was C'LAC'Nal, a marmoset -like being from the planet Ichoria. With his poison tipped claws he had one change to take out his target: the famous Princess Crujectra of Psyonia, also known as the LMBer Spellbinder. Crujectra could feel his approach but he was moving too quick for her to do anything about it. He’s got me, she thought as she unleashed a telepathic assault but to no effect. He must be wearing a Dark Oval grade thought shield. She braced herself for the impact but refused to scream or call out.

As C’LAC’Nal came within inches of her senses picked up on two immediate things: the smell of sulfur in the air that was distasteful to others but to the LMBers was a welcome thing indeed; and then the *BAMF* sound that could only mean one thing. “A welcome try, assassin!” yelled Nightcrawler, teleporting between C’LAC’Nal and the Princess and slashing his sword at the assassin. “But better than you have tried!”

With all of their attention now focused on the far side of the room, the other assassin struck—LAR Rall, the gelatinous blob, seeped through the electrical conduits and assaulted two of A.S.T.R.A. Corps soldiers from behind, burning their skin with its hideous touch and snuffing out their lives in an instant.

“No!” yelled Commander Jamelle Bond. As agent 007 of the Legion World Office of External Affairs elite A.S.T.R.A. Corps, she would hold herself responsible for any officers who died in the line of duty. She pulled out her blaster and began firing. It had no effect.

“Get the Prime Minister out of here!” yelled Saturn Girl to the other soldiers. “I’m telepathically scanning for more assassins…nothing. But they could be wearing thought shields…”

“Let’s combine our telepathy, Caroline,” said Spellbinder. It was a tricky move and often ineffective but in the heat of battle they figured it was their only shot at being sure.

“A little help here, Legionnaires…” said Bond as she fired.

“I’ve got it,” said Abin Quank, who focused his power ring on the blob. “It’s consuming everything in its path and it’s a force of pure will…” he said, gritting his teeth. “But if can have my ring wrap around it, and hold it there…we can imprison it…” as he spoke, the ring began to build a makeshift prison around the blob, holding it in place.

To the side, C’LAC’Nal dueled with Nightcrawler, and the battle at first appeared evenly matched. “Not the Founder I’d intended,” the creature said, “but good enough.”

Nightcrawler stepped back and smiled a mischievous smile. “I welcome the attempt,” he taunted.

The creature ran forward and this time Nightcrawler finished it quickly. He teleported to the right of it, then the left, then in back and then to really throw him off, on top of him. Each time he slashed him with his sword until at last the pain and damage was enough to bring him down. He teleported to the side as the A.S.T.R.A. Corps soldiers ran forward to secure the assassin.

The soldiers were still ushering out the Prime Minister in the hallway when it stopped. It was incredibly fast but yet each moment had been like an eternity. She began to walk back in as one of the soldiers attempted to stop her but she held her hand up in an abrupt way as if to say “stay out of my way.” She entered and Nightcrawler was smiling, waiting for her.

“That’s two more,” he said in a guttural, hissing voice.

She felt both annoyed and amused at the same time. “Thank you, Bal,” she said firmly and turned around and walked out.

“Wow, a thank you,” joked Saturn Girl to him.

“Uh, guys…?” said Abin Quank, still holding the gelatinous blob LAR Rall in with his ring. “A little help here?”

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

Much later…

Spellbinder stared out into the stars as Nightcrawler walked over to join her. Since the assassination attempt that was the closest to being successful, the Legion World Founders had sniffed out the remaining assassins on Weber’s World and taken care of them. For now at least—they knew more would be coming. They had barely a moment to rest and yet throughout all that time, events were transpiring throughout the cosmos of equal or even greater importance. It was difficult to keep track of it. Even worse, there was so much that remained unknown.

“I’m glad you’re all here,” Crujectra said to Nightcrawler, breaking the silence. “Most of the UP’s great heroes are scattered across the universes and all that’s left here with me are politicians and spies.”

Nightcrawler smiled at her. Though they were both held with such high esteem—sometimes so much that they were intimidating to those that did not know them—Bal couldn’t help but feel his own awe of Crujectra from time to time. In addition to being an incredible heroine and capable leader, she was an amazing ambassador, purveyor of peace and negotiator. He suspected much of what she did on Weber’s World went unappreciated on Legion World, but in his mind, it was probably the single most important work of all done by any LMBer. “We’re glad to be here. Kid Prime is waiting just beyond the atmosphere. He’s ready to take us into the Dark Oval if need be.”

Spellbinder thought about that for a minute. “Bal…I…” she began to say but stopped. It was very unlike her to be indecisive with her words. “I’ve lost my connection to Cobie,” she said at last. “Our telepathic link is dead. Somehow it’s been broken.”

A wave of angst went over Nightcrawler suddenly but he did not show it. He was angry with Cobie, Lardy and the others, but at the end of the day, they were still his friends a brothers-at-arms and he loved them all. If the telepathic link was broken it could only mean only two things: first, Cobalt had found a way to break it and did so, which was impossible since he not only loved Crujectra dearly but there was no way a non-telepath like he could do that to a master telepath like Crujectra. Or second, and the most likely and devastating possibility, was that Cobalt Kid was dead.

“Cru,” said Nightcrawler softly, which made his voice hiss all he more. “There are hundreds of reasons why you do not sense him…” he said.

“It’s not that I don’t sense him,” she said, as her eyes teared up. “It’s broken. I know that. Totally broken.”

Could Cobalt really be dead? Were they all dead then? “There must be other possibilities…”

“Yes, I know,” she said. “After the Khunds sacked Elia I was so angry with him. He was too far to send actual messages but I was purposely sending him my anger and sadness. Meaning that was the last thing he felt from me…” She couldn’t continue and put her head down, wiping away the tears though fresh ones came.

“He knows you love him,” said Nightcrawler. “You must know that. We don’t know if he’s dead,” he added, deciding it was better to make his words plain instead of hiding them behind pretty phrases. Crujectra would respect that. “You’ve got to believe he is okay. They’ve gotten through worse before…”

“I know,” she replied. “I know.” But the truth was she didn’t know. This was the most perilous quest any of them had ever been on. In all likelihood, he was dead—they all were.

Daroon,
The United Planets

The last two days had been yet another wave of devastating destruction and chaos that resulted in massive casualties on both sides. Just as it looked like one side might win, the tide was turned. And Faraway Lad had enough. He knew that if they continued down this path, there was a good chance they could hold out and be victorious. But that would mean more massive casualties and he simply could not risk it anymore. It was time. Time to confront Metternich once and for all. Whoever survived would lead their side to victory and whoever didn’t would leave their side without its head, likely causing the body to die.

He said nothing to anyone and gave no goodbyes. The time for words was over. Using his power, he teleported right to the middle of the Hive encampment where the Exarchs’ ships sat arrogantly on the killing fields of Daroon. He knew Metternich was inside. He knew if the bugs descended on him he was dead. So he could only play to one thing: Metternich’s arrogance.

“Vile Ambassador of the Dark Oval!” he called out. “Whose failure to negotiate treaties or prosecute war on Legion World led to his downfall! Whose plebian thirst for revenge led him to concoct a ridiculous plot to destroy the LMB and forego his honorable duties as an ambassador! He who has fallen so far that it embarrasses me to interact with him! Come forward!”

“You say it is I who have fallen so far, Darden,” said a voice, “yet it is you who has degenerated into foul insults. How unlike you. I suspect the war is taking its toll.” All that laid before Faraway Lad was dirt and debris of a bitter, broken land. Yet one small leaf of grass blew in the wind. It grew in size—a larger leaf of grass, then a vine, then a small tree. Soon it revealed a different shape: a cloaked Durlan.

The two looked at one another and silence passed between them. The enmity was so great that they were beyond anger or even exhaustion. A dull, quiet hatred existed between them and both had only the wish that this would be the last time they ever saw one another.

“All the good will the people of Durla have gained over the centuries is abolished by you,” said Faraway Lad slowly. “Durlans like you are what give the race a bad name.”

Metternich laughed. “You truly are at your lowest ebb, Darden! You speak of Durla, now? What next, will you speak of when we first met, long before the Dark Oval and United Planets were a part of our lives? Will you speak of a friendship long lost? I’ve always hated you.”

“And I, you, unfortunately,” said Faraway Lad.

Metternich laughed again but Faraway Lad could tell it was not genuine. He was laughing to cover up his…anger? Shock? Confusion? “You speak of Durla,” he repeated, “as if I cared about that backwards mudball. As if you cared! You only ever cared about Yera, and look what that got you! A dead girlfriend to mourn over! She’s been dead for 20 years and I bet you carry the guilt around like a badge of honor.”

Faraway Lad reflected on memories of a different era that he hadn’t thought about in a long time. For a moment he felt guilty to use Yera’s memory for this cheap ploy. Yet in his heart he knew she would not mind. “Do not speak of her,” he said, playing right into the role Metternich wanted him to play.

“Or what? What can you do to me?” Metternich said loudly. “You are surrounded, sir! And I out power you! Do you really think I’m going to let you leave here?! We’re going to flay you alive!!! You stupid, old fool! Did you think I’d duel you?! How can you fight a Durlan?!”

Metternich was yelling now, almost hysterical. Faraway Lad knew he walked a fine line and any misstep would mean instant death. “Like you killed her, you sick bastard,” he said in almost a whisper.

“YES!!!” yelled Metternich! ”Like I killed her! I’ll DESTROY YOU!!! Suddenly Metternich threw back the hood of his robe and used his Durlan powers to shape-change into the form of a female Durlan. He changed into a commonly seen form in the United Planets, often called “Durlan Prototype 1” because it was so commonly used. It was humanoid in appearance, orange-colored and welcoming; Faraway Lad knew it well. Here, in the form of Yera, a famous long dead Durlan, Metternich had a soft feminine look with thin eyebrows and red, pouty lips. He looked beautiful.

Metternich screamed. “When you die, the last thing you see if your precious Yera tearing you asunder!”

Suddenly Faraway Lad smiled. “You predictable fool,” he said softly and suddenly held out his arms.

It happened at once: Faraway Lad grabbed hold of Metternich by the two antennae on his head and used his powers. Just as he’d done several times on Daroon, he teleported away just a piece of his enemy—the antennae. He sent it somewhere in space far, far away. Faraway Lad was very familiar with the Durlan form. “Prototype 1” was so commonly used that he knew it included two antennae at the top of the skull which housed all of the glands and nerves that controlled the natural biological shape-changing abilities a Durlan had. By removing or locking those antennae, other sentients had learned how to remove a Durlan’s powers. It was akin to castration.

“AAAAAAGH!!!” screamed Metternich, doubling over in pain and falling to his knees. “What have you…?” he yelled holding his hands up to his head. “No! NO! NOOOOOOO!” he screamed.

Metternich had lost the ability to shape-change. His over-confidence and his arrogance was his greatest weakness; Faraway had one shot—trick him into this form. And Metternich played his role perfectly.

Faraway turned to see the Hive bugs descending on him now to crush him. Metternich screamed in pain, rolling around on the ground. “Somehow I think this fate is worse than being flayed alive,” he said to Metternich, who was now stuck in the form of the female Durlan Yera. “Goodbye Angra…”

Faraway Lad used his powers to teleport himself away just as the bugs were arriving.

The Hive bugs were suddenly confused by his disappearance. Yet, they sniffed another prey close by. The smell of Metternich had changed with his loss of shape-changing ability. They bugs did not recognize him. To them, he was simply food.

And they began to dine.

Old Gotham, Earth - 4
The Dark Oval

Rockhopper Lad and Rockhopper Lass took advantage of a short break in activity and sat for a moment to talk.

Hyvvie approached and sat at Rockhopper Lad's feet.

“Eudyptes,” Rockhopper Lass began, “One thing I've always wondered and I've never been able to ask you is where did Hyvvie come from? You mentioned once that he was a gift, but something interrupted us and I never got to ask again.”

“He was a gift many years ago from Anna Lee Merrison, the Terran Ambassador to the Pyngwyn Colonies, Adelie. Father had just ascended the throne and she was named Amabassador shortly thereafter. She brought us each a gift from Earth: Father received a set of the complete works of Shakespeare, Mother received a string of pearls, you—that is, the Adelie of my world—received a diamond brooch and I got Hyvvie. She actually picked him up on a space station while she was en route, because she had forgotten to get me something. She's the one who named him “Hyfrydol”, after an old Welsh tune her grandmother used to sing to her.”

Adelie stared at her other-dimensional brother and then down at the Wonder Beagle. “Eudyptes, what were you like before you got Hyvvie?”

Rocky shrugged. “I was kind of lonely and a little withdrawn, but he helped me get out of all that, I guess.”

“Eudyptes, on my world, the Ambassador brought gifts for Mother and Father and me, but forgot to get anything for Eudyptes. He was lonely and withdrawn and it only got worse for him!”

Rocky shook his head in disbelief. Is that what it was? The biggest difference in his adolescence was that he had received the precious gift of Hyvvie, while the Pyngwyn who would become the Emperor was slighted. Was it the slight or was it the ongoing companionship of the Wonder Beagle that made the difference? Was it both?

Rocky closed his eyes and sighed. “There, but for the grace of dog, go I.”

The Hive Home Planet,
The Dark Oval

The Fellowship moved quickly but very carefully through the oddly shaped landscape of the Hive Home Planet. Once they were planet-side, they found there were many hills and lumps and weirdly shaped contusions protruding out of the surface of the planet, causing them to work their way through a twisty and winding path. Often they found themselves in valleys that were ripe for ambush, yet they pressed on. None dared fly above and get a better vision of what lay before them out of fear that they would fall outside the Princess’ pheromone range and the bugs would descend en masse.

Every so often they saw the Hive bugs but the bugs paid them no attention. The Fellowship had to forcibly hold back their disgust at the sheer size and grotesque visages of the bugs on the Hive home planet. They had learned there were numerous types of Hive species but it was clear that on the home planet there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, that had not yet been revealed to the rest of the galaxies. “Bloody Liberty they stink,” said Cobalt Kid to Disaster Boy and Invisible Brainiac as they walked. Some of them truly did carry a strange, awful odor that Cobalt thought had to be some sort of weapon or tool to discourage enemies.

Other than the short comments aside, for the most part they were very quiet. That did not stop them from trading looks however, and it was clear what the main topic would be if they were talking. Goon Boy was up at front, leading them through the Hive planet and showing them exactly why he was so vital for this mission. By his side, leading him, was the Hive Princess they had heard about. Though clearly her natural form was that of some sort of insect, she had the ability to transform into a humanoid form like her sister on Daroon and their mother, the Queen. She stood six feet tall with long, sensual legs, a tight stomach and firm, full breasts. Her shoulders were muscular and while her arms were petite, and she had a regal face and cheekbones. Her face was incredibly beautiful with blood red lips and dark yellowish eyes, while her skin tone was a grayish-green. Her hair was almost brunette, though it had hints or purple and a lighter green to it.

She was incredibly beautiful and seductive. Yet there was something terrifying about her. It was her posture and her decisiveness. She was a predator and it made them uneasy. Much like you’d feel if you were walking amongst a tiger or a wolf, you felt that there was something unrestrained and animal about her, that might give her cause to rip your throat out simply because you existed and you were meat.

Yet, Goon Boy seemed not to notice this at all. Because of the nature of his powers his wits were always a little duller, which had its uses. He was almost immune to telepathic attacks. Here, he must either not have senses the danger or perhaps simply did not find it threatening. Whatever the cause, it was clear that Goon Boy and the Princess were more than just allies.

Cobalt again raised his eyebrows at Lardy as the two watched Goon Boy extend his hand to the Princess and help her up a steep hill. Years earlier when Cobalt sent Goon Boy into the Hive territory to scout it, he knew he had made allies. But now he suspected somewhere along the way that Goon Boy and the Princess had fallen in love. It was incredibly convenient now and perhaps was their only hope. But Cobalt wondered whether that was good for Goon Boy in the long run.

Cobalt’s paranoia and sense of danger were too heightened for him to focus on the other things he’d been thinking about. Something else else about the Hive home planet did not add up. He suspected something that was almost too outrageous to put into words. But maybe it was time to ask Lardy? Beyond that, there was something else eating at him. This journey had been terribly difficult and now that they’ve come this far Cobalt began worrying that perhaps it wasn’t perilous enough? The old spy’s problem, he knew—when things went your way you wanted to know how that could have happened. He knew the Dark Lord was distracted by the rest of the Fellowship on Earth-4, plus the war with the United Planets. But he couldn’t help but feel there was something he was missing. Doesn’t he have more armies than this? he thought. Is he holding something in reserve? Why isn’t he striking directly? He knew it was impossible to get into the mindset of someone like the Dark Lord. Yet something was not adding up. If the Dominion had fallen, wouldn’t the Dark Lord respond in kind? He suddenly worried about his friends in the United Planets.

Lard Lad nudged him and Cobalt was brought back to attention. Up ahead, they could see the landscape was changing. There were more than just hills—there were mountains going up as high as the eye could see, and in front of that there was a huge cavern opening up. Great, thought Cobalt. Either we’re going underground or we’re going up into the mountains. Neither is ideal.

Daroon


"DADDY!!!"

Dev Em's head whipped toward the direction of the scream. What he saw drained all the color from his face. The western castle wall was collapsing under the weight of the bugs trying to force their way in.

"NO!" he screamed and flew towards the site at once. He arrived at the same time as several guards.he was trying to see through the debris, but the battle had taken so much out of him, he could only see a few feet into the rubble.

-----------------------

Miles away, Kar Em was fighting with every ounce of energy he had. He had already lost half the troops that had been cut off with him, but he refused to leave those still alive to a fate worse than death.

He heard a scream of pain from his left and saw another brave soldier from Xyler 7 go down.

"Damn it all," he said and yelled for everyone to get down.

He moved himself to the middle of the group and started spinning slowly at first, then faster. He cut loose with his heat vision and bugs started exploding one by one as their exoskeletons

started overheating.The soldiers on the ground started shooting into the mass of bugs that were still advancing and those started falling as well.

That's then he heard the scream that had sent Dev Em to the castle.

He slowed and reigned in his heat vision. He looked to the scene that his son was upon, and swore under his breath.

Then he heard the distinct sound of Faraway Lad Teleporting. He scanned quickly around, but saw no sign of his friend.

The soldiers stood and cheered. The bugs were running.

-----------------------

Dev Em threw another large chunk of the castle wall away from the searchers and on top of some bugs that were still trying to advance.

Someone behind him said something about the bugs suddenly acting confused, afraid or something. The only thing he really got from it was that the bugs were leaving.

Dev returned to digging, listening for heartbeats and searching with his vision as much as possible. There was nothing.

-----------------------

Kar Em rose into the air as several ships from Xylar 7 flew by giving chase to the scrambling bugs.

There was a huge explosion from the middle of several bugs about a mile away. Bug remains and dirt was flying everywhere.

Kar flew that way immediately, but there was nothing but a huge crater.

He heard more explosions starting to the west, then some to the east, north and south. Every few miles it seemed, bugs were congregating and setting off explosives of some sort. Destroying everything they could. If they could not have this planet, they were going to make it as uninhabitable as possible for any type of life form.

-----------------------

Dev Em finally came across the body of one of the Royal Guard. He had been crushed in the collapse. As help came they could see that most of the southern and northern sides were in shambles as well.

From somewhere below the guard he had found, he heard movement. He went back to digging after handing the guards body to some of the soldiers behind him.

-----------------------

Kar Em was flying towards the castle to help as he could when he noticed something at the ship that he and Faraway had encountered the Exarch and Metternich. The ship itself was moving, but there was no sound coming from it, aside from the creaking of the metal it was made of.

"What the..." he said and then he had his answer. Juf Un was standing holding the ship over his head as hundreds of women and children came running out of the cavern below.

-----------------------

Dev came across two Daxamites holding a rather large piece of the wall above them.

"Give me a moment to clear the edges," he said as loud as he dared. He saw one of them nod his head slightly in acknowledgment.

When the debris had been cleared, he let the two know to start lifting. He moved to move under it as soon as possible to catch anything that may break off.

They dumped the wall in a clear area and returned to help Dev.

"They went down here," one of the Daxamites said, "that friend of yours somehow caused the floor to give out under all of us with about half a second to spare.

-----------------------

Kar flew over and lifted the ship from the top and dropped it harmlessly off to the side.

"By the gods man...how..."

Juf Un just looked at him with an almost blank stare on his face. "I just never stopped killing those things. They kept coming, and I kept killing. There were others that I had to..."

Kar stopped him. "I know what their plans were...say no more. I am so sorry that you had to endure that."

"I saved most of them sir...I saved the ones I could," he said and then broke down in tears.

Kar put his hand on his shoulder and just said, "I know Juf, I know..."

-----------------------

Dev got to a small hatch in the floor. He opened it and could finally hear the breathing of his friends and loved ones.

SOmeone handed him a light and he went into the small room.

One by one he handed those that were in the room to the others outside, and they were rushed to the MASH unit that was set up.

A short time later, after insuring that there was nobody else trapped, he joined his father at the Medical tent's main entrance.

"You alright dad?"

"I'm fine. I worry about Juf though, he had to go through quite a bit rescuing those he could. What they had planned for the women and children is horrific beyond words, and..." he just shook his head.

Dev looked at his father, and for the first time in maybe his entire life, he saw a glimpse of something that made him shiver. If whatever was to happen upset his father this badly, then it was bad.

Before he could say anything else, he heard someone walk up behind him.

He turned to see Queen Alyson and Han walking out. Han immediately ran to him and gave him a huge hug.

"Are you okay hon?" Dev asked standing up.

Han nodded and rubbed her neck a little, "just sore. The Doctor said I was alright though."

The Queen walked to him and put her head on his shoulder while giving him a hug. "We're all alive," she said in a low voice.

A Doctor walked out and over to them.

"I have some good news for you," he said taking off surgical gloves.

He proceeded to update him on the condition of the others.

Loser Lad had taken a good blow to the head, but seemed to be alright otherwise. He was apparently trying to flirt with a nurse.

Jon had sustained a broken leg and arm on his left side, but both were clean and would be easily repaired with Daxamite technology that they had.

Hugh and Helena were both alright. A little bruised and knocked around, but fine.

Helen had been bitten by at least on bug, if not more, and was still currently in critical

condition. None of the treatments they had were making much of a difference, and the next several hours were vital.

The Queen cleared her throat. "She was bitten even before the wall collapsed on us. She threw herself between the children and the bugs with several of the guards. She saved their lives. The guards went down, but she was able to use the time they bought her to make all the difference in the world."

"We're doing everything we can Your Highness." The Doctor said as he turned and went back into the tent.

-----------------------

The next morning, Dev awoke to the sound of a light rain falling on Daroon.

He got himself some breakfast and then went to check on his son and the others.

Loser Lad met him outside of the Medical tent.

"Thank you for everything," Dev said.

"No problem Dev. Lumber Fox was in a pretty bad way in there, and Serj is still recovering. Not sure if any of the other Knights made it."

Dev shook his head. "So much death and destruction...and for what? Why here of all places?"

"They struck at those closest to you all," Kar Em said as he walked up behind them. The old mans voice back to its booming tone. "They tried it everywhere, and your friends all came through from what I am hearing so far."

He tapped a device in his left ear. Since the departure of the bugs, communication had been possible again, and reports were flooding in from everywhere.

"Still no sign of Faraway?"

Kar shook his head. "Whatever happened, he's not here. I can;t see him not having made it, he's much to resourceful for that...but I have no idea where he's off to. Nobody has seen him anywhere."

The three of them entered the medical tent and Jon hovered over to them in a hover chair. Hugh and Helena were with him. All three looked good, if not a little shaken from the events of the last few weeks.

Dev gave them all a hug. "Go find your mom Jon, and get the three of you something to eat. Some real food."

They moved along to find the Queen and a good hot meal.

Xylar 7 had had ships arriving all night with supplies and makeshift shelters for the survivors.

A Doctor approached them and took them over to an open area in the tent. "Helen is still in critical condition, and we're not sure what else we can do."

-----------------------

Later that day, Kar Em left for Weber's World. He had things to do, and that was the best place for him to accomplish them.

Dev and the Queen had been talking for over an hour, and she understood his decision, and for the first time in a long time...agreed with him.

"When will you leave?"

"As soon as I say goodbye to the kids. I have to get moving. Lon let me know a few key points of where to find a ride into the Oval, but I need to go now."

She walked over to him as he stood up. "You are a good man Dev. I'm so sorry things are the way they are, but you need to make sure that Hugh and Helena have their father back. She paused for a moment and continued, "you also need to make sure that our children have their father back as well."

He gave her a hug. "Have I ever not come back?" he said with a grin.

-----------------------

A short time later he met with Loser Lad.

"Thanks for agreeing to stick around for a little bit."

"No problem Dev. The kids need someone they know and trust here, and I seem to be that person right now. Now go get our friends back."

Dev floated into the sky. "I'm on it," he said and flew off.

-----------------------

Loser Lad turned and looked at the devastated landscape.

The Hive Home Planet,
The Dark Oval

Disaster Boy’s feet were tired, as he trekked on in his parka. He couldn't tell if they were walking up or down, which was strange since his elemental powers usually gave him a sense of … the elements.

Maybe he was just tired, his frame was still thin from his time as Titus’ slave, his legs weak.

The fellowship walked through a chasm, with high shear walls on either side, at some points the path was so narrow they could barely walk two across. After what must have been hours, Disaster Boy could no longer see the sky. Sometimes they walked up, and sometimes they walked downhill but, he couldn’t get an impression of the general direction they were going. All he knew is his mouth tasted like the strange dirt of this planet.

DB chuckled at the lunacy of the situation. 'This is so obviously a trap!’ He thought as Cobalt Kid gave him a strange look.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cobalt Kid really hoped Disaster Boy wasn't cracking up again.

CK and Power Boy followed the insectoid princess closely. Power Boy wore everyone’s frustration plainly. He ground his teeth and looked in every direction several times trying to keep watch. None of them liked travelling this way but Cobalt Kid had to wonder why Peebz had abandoned any effort to be subtle …

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tempest walked at the head of the pack with the Princess and Goon Boy. Tempest was the only one other than Goon Boy that the Princess would converse with as they travelled. She thought the Princess must be used to females commanding males. Tempest smirked to herself and spared a glance for the men trailing behind them. ’Could the Princes think these were all HER males?’ and then Tempest thought of the complications ‘Was this a large number of males to own … or … a small number?’

Tempest returned to her conversation with the Princess, her amusement disappeared as she looked at this woman. She was bred to fight her sisters for the title of Queen, physically and to Tempest’s dismay politically. Tempest had intended to learn what she could from the Princess but as the conversation wore on, it became clear that the Princess was only revealing what she wished.

A chill went down Tempest’s spine as she wondered if the Princess was playing her, using their conversation to learn about the fellowship?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Power Boy was being driven mad by the sound of scratching all around them. Little ticks, like the scratches of insects ... at first they were soft and he assumed it was his enhanced hearing picking up ants or small beetles. Now he was not so sure, the noises were louder as if made by larger bugs … No, he knew now … it was several large insects … getting closer. He couldn’t tell how many closed in on them because the bugs all had varying amounts of legs. The scratching could be made from a few insect creatures or from a dozen.

The others would be able to hear them soon.

100 meters ahead the chasm opened to a wider clearing. ’That would have to do.’ He thought. ‘For a battle and for an ambush.’ However, he had the very bad feeling it was an ambush for the fellowship.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Princess led the fellowship into the clearing, the android Ameratsu was the last to enter, falling behind for some reason. Power Boy remembered Lard Lad telling him that the android could predict probabilities; it gave him a danger sense and a fairly accurate precognition.

The bronze android filed in tentatively.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tempest started as dark shadows flew down into the chasm all around them!

The world whirled around her as the rest of the fellowship moved into defensive positions.

It took a moment but Tempest realized the shadows didn’t fly down but were insect creatures that hung all around them like spiders from web. She nearly averted her gaze as she saw large half-human half-spider creatures surrounding the fellowship hanging just above the ground like spiders.

They were poised, spider arms tense and ready.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disaster Boy was really too hungry for this. He was wondering if he could eat these spider people’s flesh after he used his fire powers to roast them … when a figure came into view as it walked into the clearing. It was an enormous half-man half-spider. It’s human torso and muscular arms had wet pale skin but its lower half was the body of a spider with eight lower legs covered in platinum white fur.

DB thought it was like some wicked mirror reflection of the centaurs of ancient Earth myths.

Long dark hair covered it’s face, and … multi faceted bug eyes.

“Ew gross!” DB whispered, not as quietly as he thought since Lard Lad gave him an admonishing look.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lard Lad drew his sword, these creatures gave off a smell that enraged him, he wanted to fight, his blood boiled. He saw Power Boy move to intercept the large warrior spider that walked towards them. The spiders obviously gave off a pheromone that caused a battle lust, in theory, such a thing could inspire allies and make enemies fool hardy.

As Power Boy intercepted the creature, Lard Lad thought how much worse it must be for the boy’s enhanced senses.

The huge white man spider looked down on Power Boy from its height advantage. It had a human head but the eyes and mouth pincers of an insect.

In a blindingly fast motion the spider drew two warped blades from its back and slashed at Power Boy. Peebz parried with his baton, face filled with hate for this creature.

They circled each other, the creature hissed loudly, clearly frustrated that it was unable to land it’s slashes on Power Boy’s incredibly fast form. Power Boy sped in striking the spider across the face hard.


It looked like a normal human hitting a brick wall.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


“ZILA ENOUGH!!”

The Princess clapped her hands loudly.

The giant man spider backed away from Power Boy ... who was trying very hard to pretend his fist didn’t hurt. He stared down the spider as it backed away reluctantly.

Cobalt Kid turned his head as the Princess spoke, apologizing for her guards. She explained that this was where she planned to rendezvous with her elite and most loyal guards. CK assumed the large one must be a praetor of sorts, a champion or leader of the Princess’ faction. These spiders would have been bred for murder, speed, and strength. ’Were their humanoid and insect combined forms a mark of these guards high birth?’ It was a question for another day.

Right now Cobalt Kid couldn’t help but think that they were now outnumbered by their surprise ‘escort’ and that the Princess had failed to tell him about this rendezvous.


… And she let Power Boy and the Praetorian insect’s fight go on … just a bit too long.

Invisible Brainiac crept up to Power Boy as the latter recovered from his fight.

"Here, Peebz, let me see your fist." IB brandished a little towel in his hand.

Power Boy drew back. "It's fine, kid. Really. I'll be good."

"If you could just hold still...!"

"You don't need to fawn on me."

"I'm not. Besides, my lover back home would kill me if I went all nurse on you."

Before Power Boy could react, IB grabbed his fist. "I just need that guard's DNA. I know your fist hurts, but I also know you'll probably heal it off in minutes. Spiders don't secrete venom through their faces, and you took care to miss anything resembling fangs."

IB walked off, tinkering with his Omnicom, while Power Boy looked on, bewildered.

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

An invisible IB walked up to Lard Lad and Cobalt Kid. He held up his omnicom with a message typed into it.


"Don't make a sound. My illusions are visual, so the Princess can't see us talking, but I can't block out audio.

DNA analysis of the man-spider guard shows a mix of DNA. On the spider side, there's a mix of seven different species. Four are venomous. One is known for its leaping ability. One is a water spider. The last is the single largest spider in the known galaxy.

On the human side, it's definitely humanoid, though I don't know what particular race yet - or if there's even one. It's all twisted and warped.

There is a distinct possibility that there are traces of various races - including Khundian and Daxamite.

I can't tell you more with the equipment I have now. Sorry to say, I've also been neglecting my scientific studies.

I'd ask Ameratsu for help... but do you think we can trust it?


Lardy and Cobie looked at each other, then shook their heads. Cobie mouthed "No, not yet." Lardy inputted his own message - "Warn everyone except Ameratsu. Keep an eye out on him until we're sure."

IB nodded and vanished. He tried not to dwell on the pounding in his chest that told him to get ready to run.

Earth-4,
The Dark Oval

In an office in the new Loser Cave just outside Old Gotham, Lolita stood over the blueprints to the device that Gear had designed. Gear was waiting only for the power source Kalla Hrykos had promised to move forward with the construction.

Even after all they'd been through as part of the Fellowship, Lolita still didn't trust Kalla. But if Kalla didn't come through, Lolita's plan was dead in the water. This Earth's Faraway Lad and the device together would not be enough without something that could generate an amount of energy equivalent to a small star.

And time was quickly running out. The Losers were only an hour away from deploying their assault on the Emperor Pyngwyn. It would all be for naught if they couldn't activate the device that would--

Suddenly, Lolita's ponderings were interrupted as the door to the office opened. In walked Kalla herself sporting a big, self-satisfied grin.

"Bring it in, Fuzzy," she said as Timber Wolf lugged in a globe about four feet in diameter. As strong as Lon was, it was apparent that the bulk and mass of the object were considerable enough to be uncomfortable for him to handle. He placed it gently on a reinforced podium that the pair had had Gear prepare for the device.

"Well, I'm as good as my word, Lolita! It wasn't easy extracting this from where it was, but it's here. Now, we need to get Gear and Darden, so we can keep on schedule."

Lolita barely heard what Kalla was saying. She circled around the device, noting its Tromium casing, the size and the peculiarities of the wiring. To her horror, she knew exactly what this was.

"A nega bomb, Kalla?!? How in the hell did you just happen to know where to find one of these?" Lolita said with an edge she didn't bother to hide. She knew very well that this was the core to the single deadliest device known to all sentients, one capable of taking a planet out all by itself.

Kalla's grin turned to a frown. She looked over to Lon who seemed really uncomfortable. Though highly protective of the woman he was in love with, Lon was always very fond of Lolita as they'd worked together for many years.

"Lon," Kalla said simply, "why don't you go find Gear and bring him here. I need a word with Little Miss here."

Lon hesitated for a moment until Kalla rolled her eyes and gave him a look that assured him that she wasn't going to kill Lolita while he was out. He gave Kalla a wink and headed out of the office.

"Well?" Lolita prodded, arms crossed.

Matter-of-factly, Kalla answered, "I knew where to find one...because I had it put here almost two years ago. It was my failsafe plan to take the Emperor out of the picture."

Angered at this, Lolita lashed out. "What?!? At the expense of this entire world?!?"

"If it became necessary, yes."

"You bitch!" Lolita yelled and walked right up to Kalla. Kalla was about five inches taller than her, but Lolita pulled her down to her level by her collar. "You call yourself a freedom fighter, a believer in sentient rights?!? You would sacrifice an entire world to eliminate one of your rivals?!? UNBELIEVABLE!"

Kalla shook her head and pulled Lolita's hands away. "Hands off me, 'Jailbait Lass'!" she barked. Then, she calmed herself down some and continued. "Look, you've barely seen a taste of the atrocities committed by these men in the Oval Elite. From the moment I earned a place within their ranks, I've secretly worked to bring them down through any means necessary, so that they one day couldn't continue slaughtering, enslaving and subjugating all who fell beneath their bootheels. So feeling that the sacrifices of the few would spare the many, I justified potentially using the device here. I couldn't find any way to get to the Emperor more directly, so this was my final solution."

Lolita simply shook her head.

"Until very recently," Kalla continued. "Being among our Fellowship and among the Losers has changed me, Lolita. I've seen that there can be another way as I work with allies who constantly seek the best solution as they work together. That...that's something I've never really had in my life. I've always had to fight alone or with a very small number of like minds...or with people who were using me. I genuinely want to save Earth-4 and what's left of her people, now, above all else. My bringing this bomb here should demonstrate my sincerity."

Lolita shook her head again and muttered, "I am so fucking SICK of people and their Macchiavellian points of view..."

Kalla smiled a little. "Ah. Like your beloved Cobaltus."

Lolita deflected this somewhat. "Exactly! And like his pal Lard Lad and Ambassador Mirenna Helene and too many others lately!"

"Hm," Kalla noted, "and none of them seem to care what you think, right?"

Kalla hit a nerve with Lolita. "I..." Lolita didn't finish, but her silence confirmed she felt that way.

"Well," Kalla affirmed, "I've been there and done that--having been thought of as no more than a pawn by the Oval Elite. Well, you're proving yourself here with your part in this plan. If it works, you certainly will have shown him something!"

"There's got to be a better way than what he did to the Dominion," Lolita said distantly.

"Don't judge us too harshly, dear," Kalla said as she turned Lolita's head back to her and looked directly into her eyes. "Sometimes, people like us have to make ugly, hard decisions for the greater good. Time will tell if we were right or wrong, but until you've been put in that spot yourself, you can never truly sit in judgement."

"I would make a decision I could live with," Lolita affirmed.

"I hope you would, Lolita." Kalla paused as she sized up the short, petite woman whose spirit defied her modest size. "You have much potential. I've always assumed you'd end up crawling back to him when this is all over. Maybe I was wrong."

"If this succeeds," Lolita said, "and assuming I ever see him again....I won't tell him about where we got the bomb."

Kalla smiled. "Though I do not fear him, that would keep things...less complicated."

"The last thing I want to see is Cobie waging war on Hrykosia after all this. But I'll have my eye on you, Kalla Hrykos. It's easy to say you've changed...much more tricky to actually change."

"Indeed. And I'll keep my eye on you as well, Little Miss!" Kalla winked at her.

Lolita allowed Kalla a small, genuine smile.

That same moment, Lon returned with Gear in tow. Gear got straight to work on finishing the device while Kalla and Lon prepared to join in on the coming battle.

"Don't let us down!" Kalla said back to Lolita and Gear as she and Lon headed out.

You either, Lolita thought as she pondered her mixed feelings for the complicated woman and her actions. Then, she went right back to helping Gear with his preparations.

Earth-4,
The Dark Oval

Deep within “the New Loser Cave”, the Loser known as Gear worked diligently. He checked, rechecked and then checked once more all the various facets of the machinery in front of him. Lolita had explained her plan and some of the science and logic that went with it, but it was up to Gear to make that science a reality. Luckily, she had secured the power source though how she did that remained a mystery.

Gear said nothing at first, ignoring Lolita hovering over his shoulder. He had hoped she would go away but soon he found her presence comforting—she was actually quite intelligent. Just like him, she was always under-estimated. Not far from them was Earth-4’s Faraway Lad, who poured himself a glass of port to steady his nerves. Lately Faraway Lad had seemed to be revitalized; he worked hard and expected everyone else to do the same. He was giving orders, helping plan and coordinate attacks and finding every little job possible to occupy his time. It was good to see after the noble SMBer had been a ghost of his former self for so long.

“While I do appreciate your keeping an eye on us,” he said to the other two companions, “I think its largely unnecessary. We should be able to take care of ourselves and I’m sure there is much better use to be made for you in the field.”

“Nope,” said Polka Dot Kid matter of factly. He was wearing full military regale with a huge vest full of knives and pouches, a belt of grenades wrapped around torso and a giant-sized gun in his hands. The fact that they were all now polka-dotted was weirdly humorous. “Orders are to stay by your side.”

Zhiya nodded in their direction, her extra senses picking up their every movement despite her blindness. “What you are doing is vitally important. We cannot afford to let anything disrupt it.” Lolita had found out from Faraway Lad that Zhiya had insisted she stay behind to protect them; Faraway Lad suspected it was really to protect Lolita. That had made Lolita smile—they were becoming fast friends, ironically.

Faraway Lad made a face but then moved on. He knew they were right. Unfortunately, he told himself two more Losers will not make much a difference out there. We’re vastly outmanned in every way. We will only be successful through a combination of precision, fearlessness and more than a little luck.

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

Though some distance away from the Evil Emperor Penguin’s Castle in New Wystuv’ryy, Hugh Taylor spent another moment delighting in the fact that they were far closer to the EEP than the tyrant could ever imagine. The Losers always suspected they could get this far undetected but were not yet ready to take the risk until they had a reason absolute worth risking it. “So now we wait,” he said out loud to his companions. “I sure wish there was a signal or something,” he added with some regret in his voice.

“No signals,” said Rockhopper Lad. “Everyone else will be where they need to be,” he said reassuringly. Hugh had been overruled about the use of a signal to alert the others that the plan would be ready. Instead it would be a specific hour of the day and every one of them was required to be in place by that time. It was a risky move but so was everything else they’d be doing.

“I’m sure no one will forget the time either,” smiled Rockhopper Lass. Her smile was infectious to the others and they couldn’t help but follow suit. The time to begin was 12:34, as chosen by Shark Lad, and when they agreed on it Timbewolf laughed so hard that no one dared disagree with it.

“Once it hits, we’ll do our thing,” said Shark Lad of Earth-1, “and you all can get off and do yours. Right, partner?” he added with a smile.

“Right,” said the Shark Lad of Earth-4. He had rejoined the Losers just in time for the big assault on the Evil Emperor Penguin, and the two Shark Lads had been inseparable since. It was difficult to distinguish the two from one another at first, but their personality quirks became more apparent over time.

“17 minutes to go,” said Time Teller Lad with a smile. He was glad his powers were contributing so importantly.

Assembled together were Rockhopper Lad, Rockhopper Lass, Time Teller Lad and Hyvvie the Wonder Beagle, both Shark Lads, Hugh Taylor, Beagz, Portfolio Girl and Hummingbird. Theirs would be the first assault no New Wystuv’ryy with duel intent: The Rockhoppers would sneak off in hopes to confront the Evil Emperor Penguin at long last while the others initiated the ‘shock and awe’ element of the assault. With the Shark Lad’s able to grow in size, Beagz’ super-speed, Portfolio Girl’s “monsters”, Hummingbird’s sound powers and Hugh Taylor’s ability to bounce around the city, they would be the ultimate distraction. Their goal would be to cause confusion, weaken the Emperor’s forces wherever possible and keep the enemy so busy they would not know where the real attack was coming from. Soon after that, additional groups of Losers would begin their own assault so it would come in waves, causing panic and confusion among them.

“Are you up for this?” said Portfolio Girl to Hummingbird. The former was a grizzled SMB veteran who had a wicked streak about her that was sometimes endearing and sometimes annoying. Likely it came from being the zookeeper to an army of monsters within her ‘porfolio attaché case’.

“I am,” replied Hummingbird firmly. She was a former member of the SMB Academy and therefore younger than the SMBers. But she’d been a Loser openly in rebellion for quite awhile now—the term ‘battle hardened’ was an understatement.

“We all are,” said Hugh Taylor equally as firmly. Since their rescue, the SMBers had fallen right in with the Losers and helped fill out their ranks. Despite some of the difference in age and experience, there was no doubt the Losers had the respect of the Society of Message Board Posters. Still, it was something Hugh always kept an eye on.

“Good,” said Portfolio Girl with a smile. “Because this one is for all the marbles.”

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

In the center of New Wystuv’ryy, in Old Gotham, a giant statue stood of a great man from a thousand years earlier. His name had been lost to time but all that was known was he fought for truth and justice in the form of a caped crusader dressed as a bat. The statue had grown old and degenerate, and no one paid it much attention. Which is precisely what the Losers had counted on, as they pushed open the right foot of the statue from within, letting freezing cold air enter the tunnel. “One of these days,” said Lightning Lass with a smile, “you’ll have to tell me how in the world you learned about this old tunnel.” Ayla was a sassy one and knowing the big battle was coming had her in high spirits. Learning about a secret way into the city from an abandoned ravine outside its limits only furthered that feeling.

“Maybe,” said Bat-Fem. “But probably not.”

“You’re not even from our Earth,” said the ever grim Satan Claws Cramer. “I guess you never know when you might need to sneak in here and do some killing.” Lightning Lass laughed; Satan Claws was a gritty as she was grim. She looked forward to the day when the SMB could restore the old ‘no killing rule’, but during war time, such things could not be a concern.

“Something else else like that,” said Bat-Fem, though she did not smile. She felt it unnecessary to tell them her predecessor, the first Bat-Fem who had been from Earth-4 had told her about this secret tunnel once in passing.

“15 minutes until shock and awe time,” said Cuddly Beaver, also emerging.

“We need to move another few blocks to get into full position,” said Bat-Fem. “Tell them to hurry up,” she added.

Cuddly Beaver turned to do a she asked. Following them were Karate Kid, Grev Mallor and Super Dense Kid. “We’re coming,” said Super Dense Kid in complaint but Bat-Fem and the others ignored it.

“It’s been many months since you broke me out of my own prison,” said Karate Kid, emerging from the tunnel. “It will be a pleasure to give someone else that favor.”

The goal of this group was to free all the remaining prisoners in the Evil Emperor Penguin’s prison. This included a vast array of people from all over Earth-4, including many wealthy businessmen, world leaders and other dignitaries. Most important to the Losers were those that could assist in the battle, particularly the remaining SMBers: the SMB Leader Seahorse, her paramour Ratmage, Twilightcrawler, Stupendous Mountain Lion, Kid Heavyfeathers, Salad Tosser Lad, Eryk Davis Ester and others. Even Earthgov President, Numf-El, himself a former SMBer, would be useful.

The group of Losers moved quietly through the streets with Karate Kid and Bat-Fem at their lead.

“Up there,” said Satan Claws Cramer, nodding in the direction ahead of them. She sniffed deeply and her look indicated her heightened senses told her that was the right way. “I can smell blood.”

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

“There are so many of them I do not know,” said Helena Handbasket, taking a moment to look at the large crowd of Losers behind her. She was referring to the fact that many of their number were not former SMBers or SMB Academy members, or even super-powered for that matter. Just resistance fighters who would not stand by and let their home be consumed by tyranny.

“Same here, and I’ve served with them far longer than you,” said Seth. “I only know they’re heroes. Each and every one.”

She nodded at that. Helena had been a Commander of non-powered soldiers for many years prior to her time on Legion World and she was a natural choice to lead this segment of the rebellion. Once the ‘shock and awe’ began, they would wait until their designated time, and then send out another wave.

Both of them turned as they saw some of their fellow Losers approaching. “We’re going to split off now,” said Danny Blaine. He let out a big sigh. “I guess we’ll see you out there.”

“Indeed,” said Helena, then adding. “Good luck. All of you.”

They nodded, as Danny Blaine, Monkey-Eater Lad, Infra-Red Lass, Atypical Lass, Outdoor Miner and Ghost Girl went off on their own. They were another wave in the ongoing assault and had their own position to get into.

Helena turned to Seth and put her hand in his. Both were ready for the battle to begin. Now was the hardest part—the waiting. The two walked over to the others. They were still some distance away from the city but they had more time than the others as they were coming in different waves. The second assault had just departed, and now the third assault was gathering. Helena and her group were the fourth and final assault.

“Looking a little sparse,” said Seth Gaterra to Saturn Guy, who they moved next to.

“I told you they would never come,” said Saffron Kid. He did not look happy about being right; in fact, he looked pretty disappointed.

Saturn Guy ignored the comment, so Helena asked him her own question. “Any readings on the EEP himself? Or any of the other Captains?” she asked. Saturn Guy was the SMB’s resident telepath so she had wondered why he did not try to make contact with the EEP previously

“I don’t want to risk it,” he said. “I’m convinced they have a telepath among their numbers,” he said. “And a powerful one at that if they’ve been able to hide themselves from me so well for so long. Any move I make might alert the telepath to our presence.”

“As long as they don’t have another emissary on Dev Em’s level…” said Saffron Kid bitterly. He was in pretty bleak spirits, Helena noticed. And then suddenly, as a series of gasps were let out by the soldiers among them, she knew that something might have arrived to change all that.

Saffron Kid turned to see what they were all looking at and his eyes went wide. Silence fell among the crowd of Losers.

Before them were the most famous super-villains of Earth-4: The Primary Colors Gang. Gay Green Giant, a giant green butch lesbian; Big Blue Mean Mutha, Blue Cheese Lad and Bluetooth Kid, all three of the various ‘blue’ incarnations; Red Menace, the scourge of Mars; the infamous Kid Blackout, perhaps the most terrifying and most truly evil of the PCG; and of course, their leader, Yellow Kid.

Yellow Kid had a bemused look on his face at the gathering. “I got your message,” he said with a smile, noting the surprise on all their faces.

“Uncle?” said Saffron Kid. “You’ve come! But…but why…?” he asked. On Earth-1 where the LMB were from, Yellow Kid reformed in the LMB’s third year and joined the superhero team. Here on Earth-4, that had never occurred and the PCG remained arch enemies of the SMB to the present day.

“The Primary Color Gang bows to no one,” he said. “Especially a foreign tyrant,” he added. The others nodded in agreement, except Kid Blackout, who showed no emotion at all.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” said Saturn Guy, extending his hand out to Yellow Kid. “We’re glad for your assistance Art,” he added. After all these years, despite being enemies, there was some familiarity between the SMB and the PCG, Helena could see.

Helena Handbasket had gotten to know Yellow Kid during her early days on Legion World. The Earth-1 Gay Green Giant as well. There was a lot to like. Seeing him suddenly—and so similar—was a shock to her. She stepped forward, to Seth and many other’s surprise. “Yellow Kid,” she said. “It’s an honor to have you at our side. I knew your Earth-1 counterpart.”

Yellow Kid smiled but something in his eyes revealed a hint of sadness. The ‘blues’ and Gay Green Giant shifted uncomfortably. “Alas,” said Yellow Kid, “I did not. But I have heard of his heroic exploits.” He paused for a moment, unsure if he could continue. It became clear he could not hold back what he meant to say. “I regret not meeting the man. Learning of his life on Earth-1…let’s just say it’s made me reevaluate things.”

Helena did not press any further, respecting the notorious villain’s privacy. Perhaps he was looking for redemption—that was something she knew very well.

It was then that Kid Blackout spoke, and his cruel, monstrous voice actually spoke for them all. “We’re ready to begin,” he said. “Let’s crush the Emperor Penguin once and for all.”

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

In the New Loser Cave, Gear stood back from the machinery and seemed to be content in being done with it. “I believe we’re ready for the powersource,” he said.

Lolita nodded. “It’s right over here,” she said, walking it over to him. Doing so made her think about Kalla Hrykos and Timberwolf. Since Kalla had handed over the powersource, something had changed in Lolita’s feelings about her, and even about Lon. She felt closer to them—bonded by battle. For the first time, she felt clearly that she had made the right choice in coming to Earth-4 with this half of the Fellowship. I wonder where they are now? she thought. Knowing them, while the others have their plans of attack coordinated, the two of them have something special planned. She realized her thoughts were not without some admiration.

“Who is the second glass for?” asked Polka Dot Kid suddenly. It was killing him—he had to know. Faraway Lad had poured two glasses of port some time ago but had just let them sit there. Since he hadn’t poured five of them, Polka Dot knew it was not for them.

Faraway Lad grinned. “A very handsome man, actually.” Nearby, Lolita couldn’t help but smile. “He should be here any moment.”

“I’m here now, Darden,” said a still, rough voice several feet away as they all turned. Very slowly emerging from the shadows, they could see a familiar boot, and then a familiar costume.

“Another Faraway Lad?” asked Zhiya. Her senses picked up on his scent immediately.

“From Earth-1,” said Polka Dot Kid, figuring out who he was exactly.

“Welcome Darden…” said Faraway Lad of Earth-4, but he stopped short. Being a master of diplomacy he knew better than to stare but the Polka Dot Kid, Gear and Lolita let their surprise show for a moment.

Faraway Lad of Earth-1, fresh from the atrocities of Daroon, looked gaunt, sick, hurt and exhausted as he moved forward. His skin was pale and there were deep purple bags under his eyes. “Is that port, old friend?” he said with a forced smile, though even he could not hide his pain. “I would love a glass.”

“Here, Darden,” said his counterpart, giving it to him. “Is it rough then in the United Planets?”

“Yes,” said Faraway Lad. “But we were victorious on Daroon. Not without great cost. But here I am, glad to be here. Imagine my surprise when this young lady and yourself showed up at the most unexpected time to request my presence.”

“You said you had some unfinished business to attend to,” said Lolita walking over to him, “I didn’t know it was so serious.” She gave him a tight hug. Lolita considered Faraway Lad as something of a father figure in a way. “I’m sorry.”

“No worries, Lolita. I’m here now. And my powers remain as strong as ever,” he added.

The Earth-4 Faraway Lad nodded. “Then let’s have a glass, old friend, and get started.”

The two clinked their glasses together and drank. Lolita smiled at that, pushing her concern for Faraway Lad out of her mind. Once the Earth-4 Faraway Lad had his powers restored, the first thing she had him do was recruit the Earth-1 Faraway Lad, who would also be needed. Then they made another even more critical stop before returning to put the mechanical and engineering aspect of their plan in place. It just may work… she thought, but her attention turned to Zhiya who suddenly tensed up. “What is it, Zhiya?” she said.

“I can hear them,” replied the blind ninja. “The battle has started. The fight for Earth-4 has begun at last.”

Somewhere in United Planets Space

Dev Em flew through space at a calculated speed. He had triple checked his calculations and knew when he had to be at a good spot to join some friends on a trip into the Oval.

As he flew, his mind went back to everything that had happened since he had barely begun his stint as Security Chief of Legion World. He had been drawn into an intergalactic war, and was just now finally being proactive…instead of the reactive spot he had found himself in lately.

He had contacted Legion World, only to find that his request for a replacement in light of the situation he had found himself in on Daroon had never made it in to the appropriate authorities, or that they had ignored them and had him dismissed for some reason he couldn’t figure out based on what he was reading. Lightning Lad had never gotten his communications of what was happening, and that he was trapped on Daroon. He also could not grasp where they had thought he had appointed Question Lad as Chief…but that was something he would have to deal with when he got back. He had resent the communications to the appropriate people, in anticipation of questions that would arise. He had followed what protocol he could, and was a little annoyed that things had gotten this messed up.

He grinned a little when he saw his goal in sight. Grife…how does Lon know this stuff? When a ship is going to be where in deep space…to almost an exact location.

He activated his communications mouthpiece that allowed him to communicate with others in space. “This is Dev Em of the LMB requesting permission to come aboard.”

He waited for a moment, and the channel opened in his earpiece, “Permission granted Dev Em of the LMB…we’re glad to see you.”

Dev smiled as he recognized Kent Shakespeare’s voice. He arced toward the Battle Cruiser in front of him, the legendary “Dragon’s Teeth.”

-----------------------

Hrun the Barbarian greeted Dev Em as he entered the ship.

“Welcome aboard!” he all but shouted and gave Dev a huge hug. “I remember the last time I saw thee very well, it was a night for the ages!”

Dev smiled as he remembered then night on Legion World. “That it was.”

Kent walked up to him and Dev was surprised to see CJ Taylor with them as well.

He looked at Kent with a quizzical look on his face, and Kent just smiled.

“Thanks for the lift guys. Not sure how I would have made it in if not for you.”

“You would have found a way,” Kent said as he turned to lead Dev and CJ to another room.

Weber's World

Angdar Fel’s ship docked on Weber’s World.

He did post landing work and exited the ship where he was met by three very official looking individuals. All had uniforms and all wore blasters. The lead one simply said, “…please come with us.”

They walked for a while and then into a building that seemed very small. Two of the men stayed with Angdar while the third went to meet with another person in the shop.

Seconds later they were moving again. They went through the back room, into a stairwell and then down a long hallway. Angdar felt a bit uncomfortable, as he disliked being underground.

The finally entered a small room and the three motioned for him to get into an elevator.

“When this door opens, you will meet the people that have brought you here.”

The doors closed, and he felt the sensation of moving upwards.

Hive planet,
The Dark Oval

Lardy walked behind the rest of the group as he took in their surroundings.

squish-squish-squish

They were all dead silent as they followed the Princess, so all he could hear was the wetness of their footsteps. He couldn't help but feel that something just wasn't right about this place. Besides the fact that they were inside the home of untold millions of killer insects, that is.

The whole place just seems so...so...organic! he thought.

He thought that the moistness of the ground and their surroundings might be caused by insectoid secretions and all that, but he wasn't so sure.

Then there was the awful, putrid stench of the place. Even being sealed off within his exo-armor, the smell got in and just made him constantly feel like he was going to vomit!

It just seems like it's worse than any insect droppings or secretions could ever smell! It smells...like death.

Lardy looked up and around him at the hoards of insects seemingly going about their normal business. Everywhere he looked, they were covering the walls and apparently feeding on them. He wondered if this place could actually be alive...or if it had once been.

He shuddered. Never had Lardy thought of himself as being claustrophobic, but the combination of being sealed up in his armor and the sense of being constantly surrounded and enclosed were causing him to sweat profusely.

But even beyond that, there was something--familiar?--about this place that he couldn't define. Perhaps it was some kind of attunement with Wyandotte's brainwaves, he thought. Wyandotte had formidable powers of mental domination, and he was also essentially a twisted alternate universe version of himself.

But, no, Lardy didn't think that was it. It was something about the very nature of this place that he couldn't put his finger on.

"Lardy!" came a familiar voice suddenly, interrupting him from his thoughts. Lardy thought he'd jump out of his armor until he quickly realized it was just Cobalt. "You're falling behind, buddy--and what's with the glowing?"

"Glowing?" Lardy repeated his friend's words absently. For a moment he panicked, thinking the red glow of the corrupted Lard Force had returned, until he noticed the glow was of a yellowish hue.

Remembering something, Lardy pulled out a sealed flask from his pouch. He held it up and saw the faint flicker of light within was as dim as it was when he'd received it.

"What's that?" Cobie asked.

"This? I'd nearly forgotten about it. Kalla Hrykos gave it to me right before the Fellowship broke. She said it contained a small expression of her power that, when opened, would light the way if we ever needed it in total darkness."

"Kalla did that? But you guys hate each other!"

"I dunno, man. I think that all we went through as a Fellowship has changed her."

"You're sure it's not booby-trapped, then?"

Lard grinned. "Not entirely! I've no intention of using it if I don't have to...just in case!"

"Yeah, well, the glow doesn't seem to be coming from that."

"Yeah, it's not. I wonder..."

Lardy thought of something. The necklace Lucifer lass had given him, the locket on which contained the eye of XXXauron they would need to destroy in order to insure that same Dark Lord's defeat.

From another pouch he pulled the necklace out and confirmed to his friend that it was indeed the source of the glow.

"Has it ever done that before?" Cobie said, half amazed and half concerned.

"No, it hasn't." Lardy looked around and something suddenly clicked. "I think I know what this is, Des," he said motioning around their surroundings. "The eye in this locket belonged to Pornis's father. I think this Hive planet that we're inside right now...I think it's what's left of Pornis!"

Cobie looked at his friend for a long moment after those words left his mouth. Finally he said, "shit. I...think you're right."

The Dominion,
The Dark Oval

“Step forward,” said a rude, rough voice that was muffled a blue helmet. The United Planets Soldier speaking was essentially indistinguishable from the other five soldiers with him except that he was the one talking.

“Excuse me?” said Kid Vudoo incredulously. He still could not believe this was happening. “Are you really insisting on taking us prisoner? We’re members of the freaking LMB! We’re all on the same side here! We don’t have time for this.”

“The General will be the judge of that, Legionnaire,” replied the voice with a sarcastic emphasis on the word ‘Legionnaire’.

Knightress, the famous female Space-Knight put her hand on the sword by her side. She looked at Tomar-Tu, her commander to see what his orders might be. “We can end this quickly, Tomar,” she said, as if the soldiers did not exist in the room.

Tomar ignored the implication. “The General has no authority over the Space Knights Templar either,” he said to the solider calmly.

“The General will be the judge of that!” repeated the soldier.

“Let’s just go,” said Dedman, finally. “We might as well see the General and be done with it.”

The four companions were an odd sight to the UP soldiers: two famous members of the legendary Legion of Message Board Posters and two well-known members of the Space Knights Templar. They were traveling back through the Dominion—now occupied by the United Planets Navy under the command of General Belisarius—on their way back to the United Plants. They had expected no complications and figured they would arrive back at Weber’s World quickly. They news they bore with them was frighteningly important. The first shock came when the soldiers responded to them as if they were enemy combatants. Though Knightress was ready to fight them, the other three kept their heads. The second shock followed: when they were placed under arrest.

“You have to admit this is odd,” said Kid Vudoo to a soldier. The soldier shrugged but Kid Vudoo could see underneath his helmet with his super-vision powers. The soldier had a look of distaste and skepticism on his face. He obviously did not like arresting LMBers either. “Can you at least tell us why we are arrested?”

“General Belisarius has issued an order that all members of the LMB and Space Knights Templar are to be arrested on sight,” said another soldier. “For charges of insubordination.”



The four were brought to a holding cell though no one dared place shackles on them. “If we need to, we can just break out,” said Dedman.

Tomar Tu nodded. “It should be easy enough. Still, this entire debacle is alarming. Has General Belisarius really turned on us? Why? What charges of insubordination?”

“I’ve heard the General was a hard man,” said Knightress. “But not this hard.”

Kid Vudoo looked out beyond the cell to see his surroundings. His eyes could pick up on the behaviors of the soldiers, especially when they believed they were going unnoticed. “There seems to be a general sense of anxiety around them,” he said. “As if they know something is wrong. While I enjoy thinking we’re all famous and enough to cause that, I wonder if perhaps something else is wrong?”

Suddenly their attention turned as the door opened. Three people entered: the first without a helmet but dressed in more decorative attire; the other two were common soldiers. “Leave us,” said the first and the two soldiers did. He was older, in his late 50’s, with graying hair that was once red, and thick mutton chop sideburns. He had a weathered look about him and his demeanor suggested he was not one for formalities and luxury. “I’m General Kilrain,” he said. “I answer directly to General Belisarius.

“Then perhaps you can tell us what’s going on?” said Dedman immediately. “Not only is this unusual, its downright illegal.”

“I’m afraid out here in occupied territory, the term “legal” means whatever the General wants it to mean,” replied Kilrain with a bit of dark humor in his voice that indicated he did not find it funny. “That is not good for either of your groups.”

“What do you mean?” said Knightress. “The soldiers indicate some sort of grudge Belisarius has against the LMB and the Space Knights.”

“I’m afraid that is accurate, though for you Space Knights its only because your order was founded by two Legionnaires—one being Cobalt Kid, who Belisarius hates most of all.” Kilrain sighed deeply. He realized his next actions would make him cross a line he never imagined he would. “The General is intent on destroying the Dominators once and for all and turning their Empire into UP space. He’s become obsessed with making the victory total. And at some point, he’s become convinced there was some slight done by the LMB against him, trying to undermine him.”

“Ridiculous,” said Kid Vudoo.

“Aye,” said Kilrain, “I know.” Those words said enough and they understood the man was not their enemy. “This war has done something to the man…I’ve known him since he was just a lad…but he’s become someone other than himself.”

“Surely these grudges can be set aside,” said Tomar Tu. “We’re all allies with the same goals.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” said Kilrain. “The General’s goals are known to only him at this point. I can tell you this, though. The General means to hang you.”

The words hit them like a bucket of water. Immediately, rage filled the hearts of Knightress and Dedman; Kid Vudoo was too flabbergasted to speak; only Tomar Tu took the words in stride. “The General goes too far,” he said.

“You have no idea. That is the start of it. Hang you all and all of your brethren. And Rao knows what he intends to do with the Dominion. Listen to me, and listen to me well now,” he added, cutting them off before anything happened. “The General has learned of an army on the march, making its way towards the UP. A huge, massive army. I’ve told him we need to engage. But it remains far away, and we would have to leave our current position. Belisarius has made it clear we will not engage.”

“What are you saying?” said Knightress, her eyes wide and her mouth twisted in anger.

“Belisarius is not going to fight?” said Kid Vudoo. “He’s going to let the Dark Oval army march right into the UP?”

“He doesn’t care where it goes,” said Kilrain. “He only cares about crushing the Dominion and then knowing Rao knows what with it. Including ridding it of the likes of you.”

“This is outrageous!” said Dedman.

“Of all the times,” said Tomar Tu, “we can’t afford for this in-fighting. We have to stay united. If an army marches into the UP. If—“ he stopped, realizing suddenly where an attacking army might go. “Weber’s World?”

“Where I’d bet money if I was a betting man,” said Kilrain.

The seriousness of what they learned overtook them now and all of them fell into silence. “We won’t let ourselves be hanged,” said Knightress at last.

“You won’t have to,” said Kilrain. “I’m freeing you. You need to get to the UP and tell them what’s happening. They think the General is just being difficult. But its far worse than that. He’s digging in here in the Dominion and he means to stay here. Something else else needs to be done.”



Hours later, the four companions were on their way, traveling in secret and silence. Soon, they left the Dominion to enter the Contested Territories, and would make a sharp turn towards Weber’s World.

None of them said anything but knew they shared the same thoughts. If we lose the UP army in the Dominion, thought Kid Vudoo, our offensive forces are a joke and we leave the UP open to attack. The war will be lost.



“I have been betrayed many times in my life, Buster,” said General Belisarius, “but none hurt more than this.” He stood right in front of Kilrain, who could still see him through beaten and battered eyes.

“Aye,” said Kilrain, “and the same goes for me. I’ve known you for thirty years, Sir. I’ve seen you grow up. First into a great man, worthy of your parents. And now into this. You speak of betrayal, but its you that’s done the betraying. To me and every soldier in this army.”

General Belisarius laughed. “Every soldier in this army is loyal. Only you have gone against my orders and allowed our enemies to escape.”

Kilrain spat, a combination of blood and phlegm. “Every one of us believes in what we are doing. Protecting the UP. You took that from us. And you’ve turned into something else. Something else else I want no part of, and I know the lads wouldn’t either. You can lie to them all you want, but they’ll see it. And you can lie to yourself too. But you know its wrong. You have a duty Sir,” he finished.

General Belisarius smiled. “Don’t speak to me of duty, traitor,” he said. He looked at Kilrain, who he had known all his life. The man was like an uncle to him—always some roughspun wisdom; always a kind word. With him by his side, he felt invincible in his decisions. Yet Buster Kilrain could not see they had been undermined every step of the way in this war. They had been robbed of their glory so the shiny Legionnaires could take it once again. They had conquered the great Dominion and could not afford to give it up. He promised to follow Belisarius to the ends of the Earth—and then he reneged.

The two men stared at one another, silence speaking volumes.

“Hang this traitor,” said Belisarius at last, turning around to walk away. “And give me an update on Elia.”

Buster Kilrain tried to remember what Belisarius was like when he was just a lad. But as they tied the rope around his neck, he somehow could not. All he could think about was those two Legionnaires and two knights. If they could get word to Weber’s World, they could save the UP. They could make sure he had done some good.

The choking was painful but did not last long.

Weber's World was abuzz with activity, more so than it had been in a while. Bureaucrats, ambassadors, soldiers, guards and servants all scurried about to keep things running.

The young man stared at the headlines. Several LMBers had been sighted all around the United Planets, keeping order and defending innocents as best they could. Speculation was rampant as to which LMBers WEREN'T being seen, though... and why.

Some LMBers' absences were more notable than others. Rockhopper Lad, the current leader. Cobalt Kid and Lard Lard, because of their famous exploits. The powerful Tempest, who had been seen on Weber's World. Dev-em and Power Boy, who were among the most powerful.

And Invisible Brainiac.

The young man looked at the message IB had sent him. It told him precious little; just that he was safe and very far away.

It also told him so much. That he had taken the time to send an update meant a lot.

So was the message itself. A characteristically cheeky message - "I knew you'd miss me if I didn't write Just wanted to let you know I'm still alive. Don't worry, I haven't made any new playmates!"

And a more serious little verse after:


I'm shivering in the cold of space
If only I could see your face
The thought of you keeps me nice and warm
And makes me feel like I'll come to no harm

Soon we'll see each other again
Hold me tight, I won't complain
We'll go into space to see the view
So I can tell you, that I love you[/i].

The message floated on the table in his room, a beautiful light scuplture frozen in time. Teardrops stained the tabletop. He usually hated poetry, but IB's poems had that effect on him.

A corona of fire enveloped him. With a start, he snuffed it out. IB had helped him learn to control it, but he was still working on it. He did enjoy how warm it felt - but he enjoyed the warmth of IB's arms even more.

He made up his mind. He'd master his powers, and then he'd join the fight for the United Planets. He'd make sure there was a home for when his heart came home.

Earth-4,
The Dark Oval
The Emperor's Palace

The Emperor stood on the balcony of his palace, flanked by Blaine Fey and Tempus.

“They are on their way, my lord,” Tempus reported. “They will be here in nine minutes and forty-seven seconds.”

“Let them come, Tempus! They will meet with the same end as all who have opposed us!”

“Of course, my love,” Blaine nodded. “We will be victorious, as we ever have been.”

The Emperor smiled in agreement, but inside, hidden even from the two beings he allowed to be closer to him than any others, he thought about the battle to come. He knew who was leading the charge. He had faced his double before with bravado. He never showed anything but contempt for him, dismissing his idealistic notions and devotion to tradition. He never showed his true feelings.

He was frightened. He was more frightened than he had ever been in his life.