Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business RAINBOW GIRL Book 01 - Winath

Chapter One: Lightning Ring Farms

Five years after five years later:

The hundred thousand hectares of the Ranzz property had lain fallow for twenty years. It had not been entirely unprofitable: while the young heirs were offworld, they had collected grazing fees for the nutgrass, wild anise, and other weeds that sprang up on the property. Twenty years of artificial Winathgov rain had infused with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and twenty years of organic Perfectly Normal Beast dung had rendered the soil astonishingly fertile. The difference was evident from the air: Lightning Ring Farms was noticeably lusher, brighter, and more varicolored than any of the surrounding properties.

Lydda met Dori’s runabout at the Farm’s aeroport.

“So good to see you again,” said Dori. “In person, for once.”

“Let me run back inside and say ‘good-bye’ to Pol,” said Lydda. “Should we take my flyer?”

“Fine with me,” said Dori. “Can I come in with you? I’ve never actually seen the little guy in person before, only on Omnicom.”

Pol Krinn II shared the black hair and blue eyes of his parents. His five-year-old face was lightly spattered with freckles. “Look at the trick I can do with Auntie Ayla!” he cried when his mother walked in.

Ayla Ranzz spread her hands out, palms up. A trickle of pink lightning arced brightly between them. Little Pol concentrated a few feet away, forehead wrinkled, tongue sticking out between his lips. The a semi-circle of pink rose and spread, as the electrical energy followed the lines of Pol’s magnetic field. Gradually, it bent toward the young boy, slowly snaking across the space between him and his Auntie Ayla.

“Careful, Pol,” said Ayla. “Don’t get over-confident. Not too close…” The lightning jumped, and for and instant the woman and the boy were joined by a single crackling bolt. With a pop, the spark disappeared.

“Hey! You shocked me!” said Pol.

“You shocked yourself,” said Ayla. “Did it hurt?”

“Ha-ha!” Pol replied. “It tickled!” He beamed at his mother.

“You are amazing,” said Lydda. “But you still need to play with your magno-blocks at least a half-hour every day. Give Mommy a kiss and I’ll be back tonight.”

“Salu will be dropping by after her meeting,” Ayla reported. “Then Garth will be picking up Pol about noon, and taking him to Kindergarten with Dacey, Dorrit, and Chip.”

“Is Chip in Kindergarten already?” Dori asked. “He can’t be more than what… two? Two-and-a-half?”

“He ought to be in High School, as far as intellectual development,” Lydda answered. “But what he really needs to develop is social skills, and five-year-old Terrans are nothing if not social.”

“Left to himself,” Ayla added, “Chip would just sit by himself all day in one of the gardens like a… like a…”

“Like a rock?” asked Dori.

“I was going to say,” said Ayla, “Like a lawn gnome.”

“I like Chip,” said Pol. “He’s tough.” He gave his mother her long-awaited kiss.

“You’re pretty tough yourself,” his mother answered. “I’ll be back late. Daddy will put you to bed. I love you.”

Dori and Lydda headed toward the door. “I love you twice, Mommy!” Pol called after her.

“I am so jealous,” said Dori, on the stroll back to the aeroport. “He is completely adorable.”

“He can be a handful, though,” said Lydda. “He’s all-Braalien and all-Kathooni. He has all the magnetic power Rokk lost, and then some. And worst of all, he has both Braalien quantum-magno-vision, and Kathooni infra-red vision. You can’t hide anything from him—he sees everything.”

“Still jealous,” said Dori, and they climbed into Lydda’s personal flyer.

Author’s note: On my paracosm of Earth-K, Chip is the parthenogenetic offspring of the late, lamented Blok, hatching from the head of his ‘father’ on Shanghalla. Fortunately, Zoe Saugin and Jasmine Cullen of Legion 1.5 were visiting the asteroid at the time. Possibly a coincidence, or possibly the presence of friendly life-forms was what causedthe hatching in the first place. The young Chip has only dim, mirrored reflections of Blok’s memories, like forgotten dreams. They do seem to be intensifying as he grows older.
Chip spent his first few months in the care of Mysa (Jewel), which unfortunately did not go well. He was later under the care of Kid Quantum 2 and Brainiac 5.1, eventually becoming the Legion 1.5 ‘mascot’. He eventually joined the Ranzz family and their associates on Winath, in a far more stable and healthy environment.

I missed your stories, Klar. It's good to have you back.

(Haven't read your post yet but I will soon!)

nice first post.

I liked this little team/family unit you've built and i hope we see more of them through out the story.

Pol II and Alya's trick was cute and inventive.

Chapter Two – The Textiles Museum

“Winath is known as one of the breadbaskets of the U.P.” Lydda Krinn explained. “But there is also a thriving textile industry. Most of it is done in computerized factories, of course, but there are a few places like this.” Lydda had brought Dori to the Winath-Terran Textile & Dry Goods Museum in the Demetropolis Hypermall. “Their displays her are amazing,” Lydda continued, “But they also have skilled craftspersons on-site that produce artisanal fabric and clothing.”

“All of our fabrics are vegetable-based product,” the docent explained. “Cottons and linens, of course, but also hemp, flax, jute, coir, abaca, and sisal. We have a few small displays of more exotic fibers, but there are other museums that specialize in natural extraterrestrial fabrics. And there is our sister museum in Osiris City that displays animal-based textiles: wools and silks and so forth.”

“Feel free to look around; ask us anything you like.”

Lydda and Dori began to browse, admiring the work—both computer-aided and artisanal—on display in the museum.

“You’re between assignments from the Diplomatic Corp?” Lydda asked. “Or are you going to be assigned as Winath’s new UP Ambassador?”

“Neither one,” Dori replied. “I’m making a few visits before I go back to Xolnar. I’ve decided to retire from UPGov. Working as a ‘First Contact’ specialist for State has been interesting, challenging, fulfilling—I’ve seen over two dozen strange new worlds—but I want to take a break now, get centered, get back to my roots. I’m taking the long way home—visiting a few old friends and acquaintances along the way. Mostly Legion. Oh, this is darling!” The piece was identified as a ‘Dutch Bridge Coat’. “This would be perfect for Xolnar,” Dori exclaimed. “I definitely need to put in an order for one… hand-crafted, if possible. I’ve never seen anything like this. Do you have any idea what these are for?” she asked, fingering the buttons. “Are they real wood?”

“Rokk has an old nineteenth-century ‘trenchcoat’,” Lydda answered. “Those were called ‘buttons’- but they don’t control anything. They’re used to loosely fasten the coat shut, in place of modern molecular seals. I would think on Xolnar you would want something a little less drafty… it’s pretty cold there, right?”

“It can sometimes get up to the high twenties Celsius within ten degrees of the equator,” Dori replied. “But yes, it’s usually pretty cold, planetwide; never bothered me, though, as long as I dress in layers. How is Rokk doing, working for the Ranzzes? Get enough excitement?”

“Oh, we both sometimes miss the Legion days,” Lydda admitted. “But saving the Universe is a kid’s game, really. You get older, you start doubting that you ever did any good. How many times did we depose Mordru? And he’s building a political following again on the Sorcerer’s World. I imagine Pol will be putting him back in his place when it’s his turn to be a Legionnaire.”

“Seriously?” Dori exclaimed. “You’d be OK with Pol risking his neck with some future incarnation of the Legion?”

“Rokk would be disappointed if he didn’t,” Lydda confessed. “And in ten years… well, he’ll be the same age Rokk was when they founded the Legion. Garridan is already talking about trying out with Legion 1.5 in a year or two.”

“So that’s what you’re doing on Winath? Feeding the Galaxy, and laying low, raising the next crop of Legionnaires?”

“And acting as informal Adult Advisors, as well,” Lydda admitted. “The younger Imra and Rokk look at Lightning Ring Farms as a sort of a second home… their first home is the Legion, since the Titan and Braal they remember doesn’t exist… Even LiveWire has visited here. Although he doesn’t seem to get along with the older Garth, he seems to look up to Mekt as a kind of a father-figure. Spark and little Vi are comfortable here, too, although they are so different from the older two… We’re getting together as many of us and our families as we can this year at Yuletide.”

Chapter Three – ‘Validus Two’

Lunch was at a little retro-antique Italian place called Guidos.

“I’ve never had food anything like this before,” Dori commented. “Antipasto, Bolognese, Napoletana, Pasta Fagioli… it’s a whole new vocabulary, too.”

“Wait until you try their garbanzo-avocado fudge brownies,” said Lydda. “And tonight, I’ll take you to Nebuchadrezzar’s.”

“It’s all delicious—but is this entire planet Vegan?” Dori asked.

“Not really,” Lydda replied. “There are ranches here that breed various kinds of cattle: bovines, ovines, Elvabird, porçinoids, PNB’s and Schmoo. But a lot of that is for export: it’s true Winathans tend to skimp on animal foods in their cooking. Of course, they did create the Proteinaceous Melons, so a healthy and complete vegetarian diet is pretty easy.”

“I really am jealous of you and Rokk… Garth and Imra, too,” Dori admitted. “Your life on Winath seems so… normal. Family, kids. I’m afraid my chance has come and gone.”

“I was so sorry when I heard you lost Irveang,” Lydda commiserated. “But you’re young. You still have time. Maybe a ‘normal’ life with family and kids is still in your future.”

Dori laughed. “Rokk was fourteen when the Legion was founded. You’re three years younger than him. I was nineteen—nearly twenty when I applied for Legion membership. Another couple of weeks, and I would have been outside the age limit. I’m nearly a decade older than you, Lydda. On my next birthday, I’ll be fifty earth-standard years old.”

“Honestly?” said Lydda. “Seriously, you look so young… I’m not being complimentary. I am really surprised.”

“That’s why I’m heading back to Xolnar,” Dori explained. “I need to think about what I’m going to do with the second half of my life. I’ve done the indolent socialite scene, tried my hand at being a professional author, spent some time with the Subs as a freedom fighter against the Justice League—or semi-terrorist, depending on your point of view. Spent eight years with the United Planets Diplomatic Corps. But I’ve just been drifting from one thing to another, taking each opportunity as it came up. Now I want to, oh, live life intentionally.”

“To tell the truth, Rokk and I just drifted onto Lightning Ring Farms,” said Lydda. “Garth and Ayla always wanted to revive their parent’s farm, and when Mekt finally responded well to psychic re-conditioning, they took the opportunity. They needed some additional executive supervision, and Rokk and I just sort of fell into it.”

“I imagine that Rokk is the real man behind the scenes,” said Dori.

“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” said Lydda. “Natural-born leader, and all that. But it’s really Garth who runs the show. Imra is great with personnel, of course. No-nonsense, but people respect her. Maybe even a little manipulative, with that telepathic edge. But Garth is a real all-round executive and CEO. He has one finger on every aspect of the farm. Untapped depths, and all that. Imra jokes that he has enough depth of personality to be two people. Rokk basically runs shipping and scheduling. It’s important, and he’s good at it: detail-oriented, co-ordinates well with the customer worlds, he can smooth things over if there are problems—and he makes sure are seldom shipping problems. But it’s Garth who runs things. Mekt, Ayla and Vi supervise the Farm itself. I keep the books, and handle the outside investment portfolio. That is, my staff and I figure out what to do with all the money Lightning Ring Farms is making.”

There was a disturbance out on the street. A large humanoid, perhaps seven or eight feet tall, was shouting, smashing windows and walls. He was wearing some sort of helmet which shot out occasional bolts of electricity, causing more random damage. A couple of Winathan SP approached the character; they were blasted back. The giant ripped a piece of wall off a nearby building, and tossed it at them. From where Dori and Lydda sat, his shouting was unintelligible.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Dori. “Unfortunately, I’m thinking the same thing.”

“If I even had a flight ring and a trans-suit, I’d risk it,” said Lydda, thoughtfully. “He doesn’t really look that tough.” She sighed. “Your power set doesn’t happen to include projecting a field of darkness, does it?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never tried,” Dori answered. She stared at her fingers meditatively. There were certainly dark emotions deep within her… despair, discouragement… maybe if she could tap into those… and there was something else… a deeper darkness… wisps of blackness formed slowly around her fingertips, like smoke… she willed it to spread… the black was everywhere… filling the restaurant… spilling out into the street…

Lydda felt the strength arrive as the light departed. There was something different about this blackness, though. It wasn’t like Tasmia’s shadows, or the eternal night of Kathoon. More wavelengths than just visible light were blocked, even well into the infra-red. She was as blind as if she had closed her eyes. She looked up and around. Objects were invisible, but people shown like candles in the blackness. She moved carefully towards the restaurant door.

The giant was confused, disoriented by the blackness. Lydda, born and raised in darkness, felt a curious chill—something felt wrong with this dark world, something strange. She almost felt as if she were being watched by a host of invisible eyes. She concentrated on the tall, luminous humanoid, spectral lightning flashing from his helmet. She could hear his bellowing now: “I am the New Validus!” he cried. “Cower before me!”

“{I doubt he is anywhere near as powerful as the true Validus,}” she thought to herself. Stealthily moving behind him, she grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back. He resisted mightily, as she had hoped. She needed to gauge his strength before engaging him: she was sure she could do him serious injury if she wasn’t careful.

“I know Validus,” she taunted. “The fact of it is, my husband is his godfather.” He was straining against her hold: it was entirely futile. In another moment, he would dislocate his own shoulders. She twisted one arm, and heard a *pop* from an elbow. The ‘New Validus’ screamed in pain. Lydda lifted her now-free arm, pinching the nerve on the side of her opponent’s neck, just above the clavicle. “And you’re no Validus,” she said. He collapsed in a heap, unconscious.

The SP’s were getting up, but were lost in the blackness. Lydda hurried back to the restaurant, to Dori. There was an extremely pale young girl standing over the table.

“Your friend needs you,” the girl said. “She needs you to bring her back.”

“Back from where?” asked Lydda. “Who are you?” But the girl was gone.

Dori was slow to rouse. “You need to drop the field of darkness,” Lydda implored. “I think its spreading, and I don’t think it’s doing you any good.” Slowly, the light came back. Lydda felt her powers fade. Dori looked terrible: wan, fatigued, and glassy-eyed.

“I could hear them,” Dori whispered. “I could hear them all.”

“Hear who?” asked Lydda.

“The dead… all of them,” said Dori. “Millions of years of death. Trillions of them, at least.”

“What… the blackness connected you with the souls of the dead?” asked Lydda.

“No, no, not their souls,” said Dori. “Only their bodies. Empty, soulless bodies, experiencing their last moments—trillions of deaths—forever. Their souls and minds gone, lost… the pain of emptiness… the agony of physical death, of abandonment…”

“Oh, Dori,” Lydda was hugging her friend. There were tears on both sides.

“I never want to… I can’t ever experience that again,” said Dori. “I’ve never really completely understood these powers. They’ve grown and evolved over the years. But now… Now, I need to be rid of them, forever.”

Christmas Dinner at the Ranzzes, Five Years After Five Years Later:
(01) Mekt Ranzz, ‘Patriarch’ of the Ranzz clan
(02) Garth and (03) Imra Ranzz, and their children, (04) Garridan, (05) Graym, (06) Dacey, and (07) Dorrit
(08) Rokk and (09) Lydda Jath Krinn, and their son, (10) Pol
(11) Ayla Ranzz and (12) Salu ‘Vi’ Digby, and their infant daughter, (13) Violet Ranzz
(14) SW6 Garth Ranzz, aka ‘Live Wire’, and his guest, (15) SW6 Lluornu Durgo, ‘Triad’
(16) SW6 Ayla Ranzz, aka ‘Spark’, and her guest, (17) SW6 Thom Kallor, aka ‘Hari’, aka ‘Star Boy 2’
(18) SW6 Rokk Krinn, aka 'Cosmic Boy 2', and his wife, (19) SW6 Irma Ardeen, aks 'Saturn Girl 2'
(20) SW6 Salu Digby, aka ‘Little Vi’, aka ‘Leviathan II’, and her guest, (21) Andrea Nolan, aka ‘Ferro’, of late 20th-century Earth
(22) Charles Foster Taine, and his wife, (23) Lluornu Durgo Taine, and their very newborn twins, (24) Aaron and (25) Lloyd
(26) Thom Kallor, his wife, (27) Yvyya Val Purtha Kallor, and his step-son, (28) Rol Purtha, aka ‘Dream Boy’
(29) Jo Nah of Rimbor, his fiancé, (30) Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl, and Jo’s eleven-year-old ward, (31) Ivés Benem Jor of Rimbor, aka ‘Ivy’ *
(32) SW6 Jo Nah, his wife, (33) SW6 Tinya Wazzo, and their son, (34) Cub Nah
(35) Rann Varal of Rimbor, aka ‘Wolfpack’, and his date (36) Korvea Mallor of Talok VIII, cousin of Tasmia and Grev, aka ‘Umbra’, both attending as guests of the younger Nahs.
(37) Chip.

Crashing the party, but leaving after less than an hour:
(38) Lar Gand of Daxam, and his wife (for the third time), (39) Tasmia Mallor of Talok VIII, and their adopted daughter (and Lar's distant great-grand-niece), (40) five-year-old Lauren Vidar Gand.
(41) SW6 Lar Gand, aka ‘Valor’ and (42) CeCe Beck of 90th-century Binderaan, aka ‘Thunder’.

(* Yes, the elder Jo Nah’s ward, ‘Ivy’, is in fact the daughter of Ral Benem, aka Chlorophyll Kid, and the late Jan Jor, aka ‘Elastic Lass’, who once joined the Legion under ‘False Pretenses’.) The Tragic Tale of Elastic Lass
(In fairness to Ral, he did not know about Ivés until she was ten years old. Also note: according to thirteen-year-old Garridan Ranzz, Ivés is also attending as his ‘guest’. Garth and Imra disagree.)

Whew. I like your exploration of the sinister side of Dori's powers. Lydda was also very effective.

I like your romantic pairings of the SW6 Legionnaires too.

And here it is:

Avocado-Garbanzo Fudge Brownies

1 1/2 cups mashed avocado (about four)
1 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 eggs (room temperature)
3 cups honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (not imitation, please)
1 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans, mashed

Heat oven to 375 degrees F (350 degrees F for glass baking dish).

Stir cocoa powder into avocado, beat until smooth.

Whip eggs, honey and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Blend in cocoa-avocado mixture and beat again until smooth.

Beat in mashed garbanzos until just blended.

Spread in greased & floured 13x9" baking pan. Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudge-y crumbs. DO NOT OVERBAKE! This cake will ‘seize up’ a little as it cools.

Cool in pan. Cut into small squares.

Yes, I know you will want to eat them warm. Use a spoon.

Love it! Dori is taking control of her life, well done her as its a tough choice to make at any age. Lydda tackling Validus 2 was well done as was the expansion of Dori's powers and their repercussions. their friendship was very well written too Klar.

You've a very interesting bunch of characters on Winath, am looking forward to seeing what you have planned.

Will have to try that recipe , I love avocados! Now if only I knew what garbanzo beans were. Must Google!

More, more, more!

Meant to ask, is three cups of honey right as it seems like an awful lot?

Yes, three cups of honey is a lot. These confections are intensely sweet.

Make sure you are using sugarless, pure black baking cocoa powder- that is part of what all that sugar is offsetting.

And this recipe makes a HUGE batch. You might want to make only 1/2 or 1/4 of a batch to begin with.