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

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VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Rimbor

Apparition, Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl; intangibility
Shikari Lonestar of the Kwai; pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair, extensive espionage contacts
Timber Wolf, Brin Londo of Zuun; enhanced speed, strength, durability, senses and regenerative powers
Ultra Boy, Jo Nah of Rimbor; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers and flight, but can only use one power at a time

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

Shikari strained to perceive the path of this man - this Luonel Burdo. She had studied everything Spirited Legion had given her, every scrap of information, every article owned by this man.

By all accounts, she should be able to find him. Yet, there was nothing.

Her mind zoomed back out from the surrounding area, and back in to the rooms the Wolfpack called "The Q". She locked eyes with Spirited Legion, and lowered them. "I am ashamed to say there is nothing."

Spirited Legion froze for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you, Shikari. I know you tried your best. He must have some sort of cloaking device that can hide him even from your powers."

Shikari heartened a little, but she still felt ashamed that she could not help her friend. Her pathfinding senses had always been right before; she detested facing something that could block them.

Spirited Legion straightened up and sighed. "Or if not a device... a telepath? Keeping him hidden?"

Bold Legion placed a hand on his wife's shoulder to comfort her. "But Kari was able to see through Universo's illusions, and he was supposed to be the best of the best."

"A device does sound more likely," Whip Legion said. She held four different Omnicoms in her long red hair; she brought one up to show everyone. "I have found two or three that, with a few modifications, could possibly be used to stymie Shikari. And just to be sure, I checked - he could not possibly have gone off-world. He's a wanted man, and nothing short of changing his gene signature could have gotten him off Rimbor."

Shikari stopped listening. If it were technology, Whip Legion would find out what it was. Though, perhaps she should ask her later; if these things could block her pathfinding, it would be useful to know what they wee and how to counter them. For now, she began to tune in on the sensations of the area around the Q. Always best to learn a new area in case escape was needed. She did long to go out and explore, but the others had convinced her to stay behind. She was not so easily disguised as the others, and seeing a Kwai in the area might cause their target to run away.

Shikari sighed and tried to put Luonel Burdo out of her mind for now.

The Q. A curious name, that. What was a Q? Timber Wolf's wolf-kin Crody said it was short for Quarters. Her Legion friends had said that people in this galaxy liked using shortened names for things. She didn't quite understand it herself; names had to be descriptive. Like their Legionnaire code names - though she still preferred using the names she had thought up. Like the one for her teammates approaching her.

"Are you okay, Kari?"

"Yes, Hunter Legion. I am just... disappointed that I could not be more help."

"Yeah, well... Tinya's dad has escaped my own senses, and Ultra Boy's, and Spider-Girl's tech too. He is just really, really good at hiding." Hunter Legion sat down beside her. "Makes my head hurt, in fact. We've been thinking of everything, and I even got my crew looking."

"I am sure we will find him," Shikari said confidently. "Somehow or other." She was certain of that; even if it was not her own pathfinding sense that would lead the way. But there was no shame in finding him using a different method.

"I know we will," Spirited Legion said, and this time her smile seemed genuine. "Thank you, all, for helping me."

"We're teammates," Shikari said. What she didn't say was that she felt a close kinship with Spirited Legion; she had come to know her well back in her home Galaxy, or at least she thought she did.* She was still amazed at how Saturn Legion had mimicked Spirited Legion so well. Well enough to convince even her husband Bold Legion. Shikari felt no shame in not detecting the deception. Still, it did make her feel odd; it was not proper to be so familiar with Spirited Legion, even though she was so much like the Spirited Legion she had become friends with.

"Even so," Spirited Legion smiled as she took Shikari's hand. "I really do appreciate the help."

Shikari gave a slow smile as she squeezed back. Perhaps it would not be so hard to get to know this Spirited Legion as well as the one she thought she had known.

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

Apparition looked out at the Rimborian sky. The acrid air pollution and the flashing neon signs made the moonlit clouds glimmer in all sorts of colors. It was pretty much the only bit of natural beauty on Rimbor. How odd that something so disgusting could be so beautiful.

She sighed as she looked at the darkened rooms of the Q. Brin would be keeping watch downstairs, but everyone else was fast asleep. And now that things were silent, she began to wonder again if she was doing the right thing.

"Honey...?"

She gave a start as Jo peeked out of their room. He was shirtless, of course; he always was, and she usually loved feeling her skin on his. But she was preoccupied with thoughts of her father. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

He shrugged. "Nope... these Wolfpack beds aren't exactly the easiest to sleep in." She gave him a stare, and he held up his hands. "Hey, hey, just joking. I know how they took care of you**. Sorry, babe. Old habits die hard."

That statement made Tinya's heart wrench. She shifted her weight as she leaned against the wall. "Jo..."

He stood beside her and gently took her hand. "I know something's bothering you, Tinya. What is it?"

"It's..." She took a deep breath, then steeled herself. "I'm just wondering if I should be dragging everyone into this. Last time I was here**, the Wolfpack members nearly died; and your old Emerald Dragon gang was slaughtered! And that's just because of my mom's bounty hunters. We know my dad is involved with the Luck Lords. What if worse happens?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there," Jo said as he held her to him. "Baby, you always were a thoughtful and responsible one, and it's cool that you're worrying about all of us. But we're your friends, and your dad is a sprocking nasshead who deserves to be in jail. Even if he hadn't done what he did to you, he is a suspected accessory to slave trading, and that's enough reason to bring him in."

"But should we risk violence here? I wouldn't want any more people to get hurt because of my own personal business..."

"More people would get hurt if we don't bring him in," Jo said firmly. "As far as we know, he's desperate. And if he could do that to you, who knows what he could do to people he doesn't even know? And besides - he's hidden himself so well. It is going to take a lot of skill to find him."

Tinya breathed deeply as she let the words sink in. "I... I think you're right."

"Remember that next time we argue about what toys to get Cub," Jo laughed. She grinned as she poked a finger in his chest. "I'll concede that only if you concede I'm right about the diapers."

Jo's face fell. Tinya preferred the natural ones made from Avalonian wool, as those were easier to recycle and were softer. But they also made a much bigger mess. She laughed at his adorable look of dismay. "I'm just kidding, honey. Now, come on. Let's go back to bed." She grabbed his hand and led him back to their room.

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

IB's notes:

1) Legion Lost. In order to calm Ultra Boy down, Saturn Girl used her telepathy to make everyone think Apparition was Lost with them. She planned to tell Ultra Boy eventually, but decided not to when she realized how dependent Jo was on Tinya. Needless to say, the ultimate reveal caused a lot of consternation for the Lost team.

2) Legion Worlds 6. Tinya ran to Rimbor while she was pregnant with Cub. She and Timber Wolf saved each other's lives, and Brin and his gang (the Wolfpack) took her in. Tinya's mom, Winema, hired three bounty hunters to follow her; they cut a bloody swath across Rimbor and almost killed her, too.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Legion World

Andromeda, Laurel Gand of Daxam; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers
Babbage, I-45ENG/Nth Series of Robotica; combat mechanoid
Brainiac 5, Querl Dox of Colu; 12th level intelligence and force field powers
Cosmic Boy, Rokk Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis
Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Kid Quantum II, Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu; time manipulation. Current Legion co-leader.
Triad, Luornu Durgo of Cargg; triplication

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

Brainiac 5 wanted to raise an eyebrow at Cosmic Boy's ludicrous suggestion, but he knew better.

After all, he was intelligent enough to recognize that any sentient with the normal capacity to feel emotions would be offended by having a suggestion dismissed offhand. He himself certainly would; and if one with a twelfth-level would, surely he could not expect those of average intelligence to have enough self-control to brush such a thing off.

His dexterous fingers quickly tapped on his Omnicon, which was linked to Babbage through the laboratory's uplinks even while its body was physically elsewhere on Legion World. The Robotican Legionnaire was downloading the files from its experiments with the Coluan Sleepnet. Continue downloading, Babbage. I shall give the appearance of providing all my attention to the others, but will continue reviewing your files.

Understood, Brainiac 5.

Querl was grateful that Babbage, at least, did not question him at all. His teammate thought along the same logical lines as Querl did; though of course Babbage did not need to process and account for emotions. In making decisions, Babbage could be more efficient; but Querl also recognized that his capacity for human emotion meant he could learn more effectively from experiences and about sentient beings. Babbage had to rely on upgrading its programming.

Putting that thought away, Querl switched his overt attention from those of his thought-tracks that were occupied elsewhere, and faced Cosmic Boy and Kid Quantum. His background thought-tracks would continue learning, while he gave his teammates the appearance of his full attention. As always, being the most intelligent being in the room meant he had to make allowances for the rest.

"Why do you want me to rebuild my time machine?" he asked.

"We left Inferno behind in the past," Cosmic Boy replied. "Someone nearly burned down the Hall of Justice asking about her."

Querl shook his head. "I am perfectly capable of rebuilding the time machine, but unless we can ascertain that Sandy Anderson was meant to come home to our time, it would be reckless to retrieve her." Querl had already considered several scenarios. If Sandy did have to return home, convincing her would be a difficulty; they would have to forcibly return her. But the Legion had more than enough resources for that. Confirming her impact on history would be more difficult. Though, the fact that their timeline remained intact seemed to prove it; but then, if time had changed, would they know? He filed that thought away for future exploration.

"How soon can you do it?" Cosmic Boy asked.

Querl wanted to raise his eyebrow again. "The last time I created a time machine, you let the Science Police arrest me. I highly doubt President Wazzo will be as lenient with me as President Brande was."*

"And you didn't lift a finger to help him, either!" Gates snapped. "To be fair, I know you only let Querl get arrested to get close to Chu*, but you didn't even let him know!"

"Thank you, Gates." As his closest friend in the Legion, Querl knew Gates would rise to his defense. It was a small matter to express his gratitude verbally whenever he did. It was these little things that strengthened their bond, such as Gates calling him Querl instead of Brainy.

"I'm certainly not authorizing any time travel," Kid Quantum frowned. "Rokk, you are reading too much into your promise."

Of course. In talking down the man, Cosmic Boy must have promised to retrieve Inferno. A logical act given the circumstances, but one that would raise an ethical dilemma in someone like Cosmic Boy. Had it been Spider-Girl or Invisible Kid who had said that, they would not be having this conversation now.

"I'll make sure everything is above-board, Jaz." Cosmic Boy's face had a stubborn cast to it. Kid Quantum's face darkened. Though he was her boyfriend and the Legion's first leader, she could not like his lack of deference to her leadership.

"I can certainly help, but only if the proper clearances are given," Querl responded before Kid Quantum could speak. He had made sure to cut in before she opened her mouth, to avoid appearing rude. They could iron out their differences later; he did not want to waste any more time. "That is, I will look into the historical records to ascertain whether Sandy Anderson was meant to come home; I already have, but given the recent warpings of reality**, it would be good to confirm. But, I would rather we proceed through the appropriate channels before we do anything more. I would hate to visit Takron-Galtos as an inmate, again."

"And rightly so!" Gates chirped for emphasis. "Really, Cosmic Boy, I expect you to be less reckless! The situation isn't such that you have the license to be a James Bond, you know! I thought selective application of the law went extinct together with North Korea?"

"James Bond?" Kid Quantum muttered. Clearing her throat, she fixed Cosmic Boy with a look. "I agree with Brainy and Gates, Cos. Don't go forcing the issue. You have my permission to speak with President Wazzo, but don't do anything beyond that."

Cosmic Boy pursed his lips. Querl knew he must be struggling with his promise, but he would be too professional to disagree with Kid Quantum. At least in public. "Yes, Jazmin." He turned to Querl and the others. "Thanks too, Brainy, Gates."

"You are welcome," Querl called as the two left the room. As the door shut, he turned to Gates. "James Bond? I would not have expected you to be a fan, Gates."

Gates shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I enjoyed those spy movies when we were in the 20th century***, though I would not recommend them to impressionable youth who have the propensity for mimicking the stupidest actions in popular culture!"

"Hmmm. Perhaps. I am certainly not the least bit surprised that you implied disapproval of the North Korean regime's actions."

"Well, I'm glad you understand - though I never expected anything less!" Gates waved his arms for emphasis. "What most of our teammates fail to appreciate is that I only advocate the beneficial aspects of communism. The type of oppression that the Kims practiced only served to make things worse for their people!"

Before Querl could respond, the door to the lab buzzed. "Brainiac 5?"

"Ah, Andromeda, come in." The statuesque blonde had her hands folded in front of her as she entered. Querl was not surprised; she had acted meekly around him ever since she returned to the team. He had saved her life, after all, despite her xenophobic contempt of his species.****

"This will take only 15 minutes," Querl noted as he directed her to the examination table. "I only felt the need to run the tests again because of the recent restoration of our universe."

"Please, don't apologize. I am grateful for your concern for my health," Andromeda replied. She lay down on the table, hands clasped on her stomach. She made as if to speak, then closed her mouth.

Querl studied her surreptitiously. It seemed that she had completely abandoned some of the vows of the Sisters of the Eternal Cosmos*****. He did not need to run any tests to know that Andromeda had some sort of crush on him, or at the very least an admiration. But he had no desire for that now; his early fascination with Andromeda****** had only been because she reminded him of his mother. Tall and blonde and confident. He idly considered that his decision not to pursue anything with Andromeda was because of negative associations with his mother*******, but even if that were so, she would not be a suitable mate for him. Too little in common.

While he was thinking that, he had already initiated the scan. And Gates had teleported over to where Andromeda lay. "If you don't need to ask her anything, may I, Querl?"

"Certainly, Gates."

"Wonderful. Andromeda, we are sending a team to Loberzia to assist in repairing their waste-recycling infrastructure. Would you like to join them? M'Onel isn't available then and..."

Brainiac 5 tuned out their conversation as he focused on the readings. Interesting. No chronal energy, no trace of frequencies from alternate universes. Whatever it was that had caused Andromeda to revert to her previous physical form, and presumably altered her thoughts enough that she felt no need to return to the Sisters of the Eternal Cosmos,********* it continued to leave no trace.

He shifted back to the present, where Gates was rattling off medical and developmental missions that his Legion committee was working on. Querl cleared his throat, and Gates graciously paused.

"I may have to run more tests," Querl began. "But as of now, you seem perfectly healthy. Whatever it was that altered you, you show no ill effects; indeed, your physical scans are, by all indications, identical to those taken before your experience in the Anomaly."

Andromeda breathed in relief. "That's wonderful. I do feel odd that I suddenly feel no desire to rejoin the Sisters, but somehow I just feel the need to take a more active approach."

"Saturn Girl certainly found no sign of telepathic tampering," Querl noted. "Well, that is all for today, then."

Andromeda stood to leave. "Thank you, Brainiac 5." He merely inclined his head. Andromeda stood there, fists clenched. She looked like she wanted to say something. Querl sighed. Yet more interruptions; he would have to devote precious mental resources to addressing whatever it was in a sensitive manner.

Thankfully, a call came over his Omnicom before Andromeda spoke. He quickly answered it. "Yes, Triad?"

Triad Neutral came on-screen, her purple and hazel eyes showing clear worry. "Brainy... I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is something you need to see. I can patch it through."

"Something else else about Colu, no doubt. Very well." Querl sighed. For all its intelligence, his homeworld had proven to be extremely obstinate and rather short-sighted. Yet, they were smart enough to make trouble.

Orin Fex's frowning visage appeared. Querl noted that he was addressing the UP Assembly.

"Consider the effect of the Legion's negligence during the Legion Day Attack!********," he thundered. "Giving two hundred and thirty-one of the galaxy's most dangerous criminals access to Legion World? Leaving 30% of guests as hostages behind while escaping?"

"Ludicrous," Querl muttered.

"I should say!" Gates was quivering. "We turned over all our logs to the UP, who cleared our actions! Our teammates attempted negotiation, and assessed the situation carefully before making a tactical retreat."

"And we have been helping the hostages recover," Andromeda said quietly.

"That's not the worst part," Triad Purple said grimly. "That squaj is really making me mad..."

"The Legionnaires may have returned to free the hostages, without any casualties," Orin Fex continued on. "And they had enough foresight to warn the UP before vanishing to retrieve the lost Legionnaires. But they left the Thresholds operational! We were only fortunate that they decided not to invade every single UP world!"

"Grife, he's right about that, you know..." Triad Orange whispered.

"Sister!" Triad Purple snapped.

"She is correct, though." Querl's voice was grim. He didn't blame Nightwind or the others who escaped. They all shared the blame; in their hubris at using the Thresholds to connect the galaxy, they had failed to build appropriate safeguards. But then, nobody had thought to prepare for an invasion on Legion World. They should have. "We were fortunate that the Monitor forbade the use of Thresholds - he didn't want to risk anyone invading Legion World that way. But even citing Thunder's knowledge of that edict to help justify the decision to abandon Legion World, does not excuse us from letting it happen again. And if that weren't enough, he could raise the issue of the weapons we have on Legion World."

"He seems to be making exactly that point," Andromeda said quietly.

"I propose not only imposing appropriate legislative and regulatory safeguards on Legion World," Orin Fex thundered on, his shoulder-length brown hair swaying as he gestured. "I propose imposing technological safeguards as well! Colu must be given access to Legion World; only we can be trusted to do that!"

The murmuring from the crowd could be heard through the transmission. But Querl barely registered that; he suddenly felt his blood rush to his head. Not only did most of his fellow Coluans detest him, but Orin Fex had once sent one to sabotage any chances of resolving the Robotican invasion of Earth peacefully***********. Anyone who believed Orin did not have an ulterior motive in mind was being quite naive.

Querl quickly wrenched all his thought tracks to focus on the remainder of Orin Fex's speech. Not since losing their universe had he done so; but then, few adversaries could be as dangerous as a Coluan with a grudge.

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

IB's notes:

1) L* 32 - under President Chu's regime. It was implied later that Cosmic Boy only did so as part of his attempt to investigate Chu. In LSH 80, then-President RJ Brande pardoned Brainy.

2) The destruction of their universe (as shown in Infinite Crisis) and its restoration (as told in Volumes 1 and 2 of my fic)!

3) The Team 20 arc running from LSH 85-100

4) LSH 70

5) Her Sister Andromeda phase. In her appearances in Legion of 3 Worlds she certainly never showed any indications she still thought of herself as a nun.

6) Prior to LSH 80, when Andromeda first joined the Legion

7) Brainiac 4 left after Brainiac 5 was born, as she felt that he could fulfill her obligations to Colu on her behalf. In her quest to "feel something, anything", she eventually ended up leader of the Dark Circle - where she discovered she enjoyed killing. She tried to kill Brainiac 5 in LSH 108.

8) Andromeda had become a nun and was then physically altered by the Space Anomaly (LSH 104). However, when she returned in the Fatal 500 story, she had somehow reverted to her original form. In Legion of 3 Worlds, she never showed any indications of being a nun. As I speculated in Volume 2, she was somehow altered during Infinite Crisis.

9) As told in Volume 3.

10) As told in Legion 10-14. Sharn Nux was sent to kill/destory COMPUTO. She nearly killed Brainiac 5 in the process.

Almost 2 months since the last installment. I do have a long term plot for Volume 4, which will tie in many of the plotlines I have sprinkled in so far. others are stand alone and due to be resolved soon.

My life is going to take a major turn in a couple of months though so I may not be able to continue for a while (have to be a reaponsible adult and prepare)!

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Enwa

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Lume, of Silvan; energy being made of light
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation. Current Legion co-leader.

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

Lume watched in silence as Nightwind sat, her back to him, long hair billowing in the wind. According to its Omnicom, the temperatures were in the single digits and the wind was cold and dry. Just like where Nightwind had grown up in Iceland, she had said more than once. Lume wouldn't have been able to tell; its self-generated light was more than enough to counteract the cold.

Lume still felt a slight chill, though, that had nothing to do with Enwa's harsh climate. It had tried to approach Nightwind earlier, but Ferro had stopped it with a shake of his head. Lume understood that Nightwind wanted to be alone, but it didn't understand why carbon-forms could be so... it struggled for the correct word. Lume's people had emotions, true, but they quickly shook off anger or sadness or fear, and bounced back to their normal state of contentment. Yet carbon-forms could spend weeks in altered states. Or weeks bouncing from one state to another.

"Shouldn't we...?" Lume began.

"No, not yet," Ferro whispered. "This is a lot for her to take in."

"She always did have very high standards for herself," Nightwind's grandmother whispered. She looked to Lume and Ferro. "I would have brought you some nice, hot ginger tea, but what would you do with it?"

"I'm sure our teammates will love the snacks you're planning to let us bring back, Grandma Amihan," Ferro said soothingly. Grandma Amihan smiled; she had insisted they all call her Grandma, and Ferro had seemed very pleased with that. He had never met his own grandmother, after all.

"Berta will love them too, when she gets her appetite back," she added as she folded her arms. "Knowing her, she will be back to her normal self soon. I only wish the news had reached her after her visit. But, ah," she said as she shrugged her shoulders, "might as well wish that the sun would rise every day." Her lined face fell silent as she looked at Berta again.

"Sadly, we're not on leave, though even if we were I think Berta would still be keeping up on Legion-related happenings," Ferro said quietly.

Lume nodded. "She is so responsible." Too much so. When Nightwind had seen news of Orin Fex's address at the UP Assembly, she had watched the holo right away. Lume knew she had never really forgiven herself for abandoning so many sentients during the invasion of Legion World, despite everyone agreeing that they had no choice. And she had spent more time than any other Legionnaire in assisting the freed hostages. Despite most of them coming to no harm, many still suffered from the fear and uncertainty of their captivity.

"She is a great leader," Ferro added. "She cares a lot. Maybe too much."

"I don't think you can care too much." The three jolted as Nightwind stood up and turned to face them, hair still billowing in the wind. "I apologize. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just automatically let the winds carry sound to me... It's a hard habit to shake, being alert at all times."

Grandma Amihan crossed herself, a habit Nightwind said had come from when her ancestors emigrated from Earth when Enwa had first been colonized. "You honor the Creator himself when you use your powers, Berta," she breathed. Berta smiled politely, though Lume knew she didn't put as much stock into her grandmother's religious beliefs as she did. Science had told her that her powers were merely a mutation, after all.

"Thank you, grandma," Berta sighed as she walked towards them. "And thank you for your concern and the kind words, Lume and Ferro."

"You deserve them," Ferro said simply. "We all think so. Being leader is tough, but you're not afraid to make the hard decisions."

"Is that how I seem?" Berta laughed, a laugh without mirth. "But they tear me up inside, too. And now I have to make another tough decision." She paused, and Lume saw her heave a very deep breath. "I've decided to step down as Legion leader. I don't have the right to hold that position anymore."

Lume opened its mouth in shock as it exchanged startled glances with Ferro. Beside them, Grandma Amihan crossed herself again as she mumbled a prayer. Lume felt very much like praying, itself. The wind whipped itself into a frenzy as Nightwind stared at them, defiantly. "I'm going to message the others right now," she added as she began to walk back towards the house. "And don't try to convince me otherwise, because I've made up my mind."

Lume felt a chill, one that had nothing to do with the weather. It watched silently as Nightwind walked by.

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

IB's notes:

1) Amihan is a season in the Philippines characterized by the cool northeast winds brought by the trade winds. Amihan is also a bird in Philippine mythology, one of the first creatures to inhabit the universe.

You write a brilliant Querl IB, capturing his arrogance and understanding equally.im surprised by his lack of attraction to Andromeda though look forward to seeing where you take us with that.

Your Nightwind is great - nicely nuanced with her flaws and strength and history, well written! Ferro's a sweetheart, and Luke is nicely alien without being too weird.

You are really great at your character writing, it is good to read your version of the team as it makes me think more about my own writing.

And what is Orin Fex up to now? Loving the suspense.

Great stuff IB, more, more, more!

Thank you Harbi, glad you liked all of the bits of characterization I included!

And it's a wonderful compliment to hear that my writing makes you think of your own. Your writing has also made me think of how I'll build up my own characters. There's so much creativity here on LW and it can be quite inspiring

Orin Fex is definitely up to something and I hope what I conceive will be worthy of such an intelligent adversary

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Siem Reap, Cambodia, Earth

Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; advanced telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body

Matter-Eater Lad, Tenzil Kem of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter. Skilled chef and Legion support staff member. (Reservist)

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

"Aw maaaaaaaan. Thanks, Tenz," Brek slurred as he plopped onto his bed. He took off his shirt and flung it onto the floor, then curled up with his head on his pillow. "I don't normally drink this much... I'm not drunk, though. Not yet."

"Yeah, I don't think you are," Tenzil said with a shrug, even though Brek's face was a bright red. He took a swig of water; helping Brek walk back to their room hadn't been a cakewalk. The Tharrian wasn't particularly heavy, but he had been talkative. And he had kept wanting to look around.

"This alcohol will go through my system fast," Brek promised. "And I'm not going to throw up. Promiiiiiiise."

Sprock, I hope not," Tenzil thought as he reached into his bag. He just wanted to clean up, change, and call it a night. He walked into the bathroom, but kept the door open so he could hear Brek, who was now humming a tune he didn't recognize. He was thankful for the earplugs he had brought along; now would be the perfect time to use them.

"Teeenz, don't tell me you're going to sleep alreadyyyyy," Brek called from the room. "It's still early!"

Tenzil sighed as he slipped into his sleepwear - shorts and a shirt. "We have a long day tomorrow, Brek. We'd better rest up."

"Okaaaay then..." Tenzil could hear Brek shuffling around. Good, looks like he's getting ready for bed.

Tenzil aimed the sonic cleanser at his face to get the dirt out, then gargled to clean his teeth. Little rituals he took for granted, but he had certainly appreciated them after Ayla had regaled him with stories of the appalling hygienic practices in the 20th century. Liquid scrubs, toothpaste? Those poor 20th century sentients. He gathered his things and stepped back into the bedroom, and gaped.

Brek was still on the bed, but he was now clad only in his underwear. Arms crossed behind his head, and one leg crossed on top of the other, he appeared not to care one bit at his roommate's obvious surprise. Tenzil bit his lip and tried to act nonchalant. He had encountered beings with a very lax approach to nudity - and Brek had told him once that on Tharr, people wore as little as possible because of the baking heat. And Tharrians and Bismollians had the same boy parts, both having come from Earth stock. Still, the toxic environment on Bismoll meant that covering up was necessary, and he was not at all used to Brek's casual approach to near-nudity.

Brek propped himself up on one shoulder and watched Tenzil. His head was swimming, but he wasn't quite ready to go to bed yet. "Hey, I know we have to get some rest, but maybe we can stay up and chat a bit. You know, get to know one another more..."

Tenzil shrugged as he sat on his own bed. Brek thought it was silly how his roommate went to sleep wearing so much. They were both male, and sleep was supposed to be comfortable! He idly scratched his side. "So, are you into ancient history? Do the crumbling temples excite you as much as they do Zoe?"

Tenzil laughed. "I do appreciate the local food we've been trying."

"But this wouldn't have been your first choice for a vacation either, huh? I mean, if Zoe hadn't wanted this so badly, I'd have settled for a relaxing snow-spa on Tharn..."

"I know what you mean. I love trying new dishes, but I could just as easily have popped into the restaurants and eaten them there. And the locals wouldn't be very happy to see me take a bite out of their temples..."

"Yeah. They are good sites, but I wouldn't go to all the effort the girls did to plan the trip." Brek yawned. "Still, it's nice getting to know the girls more. They don't nag, unlike some of the girls back home on Tharr..."

"Yeah..." Tenzil smiled, as he felt himself relax. He hadn't really gotten to know Brek that much before this trip, but he did appreciate the Tharrian's friendly, relaxed demeanor. Too many of the Legionnaires maintained an intensity that could be tiring. "And I like that they're not all helpless. I once dated a Bismollian who yelled at me for not walking on the danger side of hovertraffic..."

Brek snorted. "I blame that holo series for romanticizing those old courting rituals from way, way back. I mean, I once had a girl scream at me too, for not holding her hoverseat so she could sit. And I'm like, how was I supposed to know you wanted me to do that? I'm not a telepath!"

Tenzil shook his head. "Yeah. No problem for me to do it for you, but don't assume I should know."

"Exactly!" Brek raised his palm, and Tenzil hesitated for a moment before smacking it in a high five. He just hoped that Brek hand't scratched himself somewhere else besides the side of his belly.

"Ah, man..." Brek lay back on the bed, hands over his torso. "Hey, I'm using my powers to cool myself a bit - I'm used to the cold - but let me know if they're affecting you, okay?"

"Thanks. Just keep doing what you're doing," Tenzil said. He stifled a yawn, and raised his hands behind his head. This bed was amazingly comfortable; he would remember to thank the girls for choosing such a good hotel. "So, what made you like Zoe? I mean, I know she's a looker; but what else?"

"I guess... I found it fascinating, among the girls on the team she looks so dainty, always changing her costume. And the skirt and frills make her seem so prim and proper. But she can really take care of herself, you know? She's a beast in battle. I mean, I'm looking for someone who will need me without being too clingy... and what about you and Vi?"

Tenzil scrunched up his face in thought. "I've seen her when she was still her old super shy self... and I guess I like how she's grown as a person. She became way more confident, but not in an arrogant way." He turned to look at Brek, who was listening intently. He certainly wasn't the self-absorbed sort. "I guess I'm looking for someone who will be a great partner, not just some delicate flower I have to take care of, you know?"

Brek nodded. He was pleasantly surprised to see how much he and Tenzil had in common. And he really felt, instead of being just two guys who happened to be dating best friends, they could be friends in their own right. He stifled a yawn, and resisted the urge to lie flat on his back. If he wanted to get cleaned up, he would have to do so soon, before he drifted off. Still, he was enjoying this conversation. And he couldn't really see himself having this kind of guy talk with his other long-time teammates like Kent or Pol. And especially not Babbage and Lume! It was nice having a non-work conversation...

"So, are you one of the "sex only after marriage types"?"

Tenzil shrugged. "I'm okay with before marriage."

"Me too. Although Zoe's different, I mean, I'm okay if something happens, but I'm not in a rush to make it happen, you know?"

"Yeah, I feel you." Tenzil fell silent. Brek clicked his tongue, but decided not to press more. It's not like he needed to know Tenzil's intentions. It was just nice talking about it, that's all. He yawned again, this time spreading his arms wide. Sprock, he was really sleepy. He forced himself to get up by raising his legs and springing himself forward. "I'm gonna... get ready for bed." He felt himself wobble a bit.

"You need help?" Tenzil sat up.

Brek held up a hand. "Nah, nah, I'm fine, thanks." Besides, it would be a bit too weird to have Tenzil help him in the bathroom. "Was nice chatting... but you go ahead and sleep..."

Tenzil shook his head as he watched Brek disappear into the bathroom. He would have to stay up a bit longer just to make sure Brek didn't hit his head or anything. He stifled a yawn. Still, he had enjoyed their little chat, though he wasn't so quick to open up as Brek was.

And it was nice getting to know his teammates on a more personal level.

Tenzil settled back into bed with a small smile.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Angkor, Cambodia, Earth

Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; advanced telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body

Matter-Eater Lad, Tenzil Kem of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter. Skilled chef and Legion support staff member. (Reservist)

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

Kinetix clasped her hands in glee as she looked up at the sprawling temple in front of her, bathed in the light of the rising sun. "Angkor Wat, the crown jewel of the Angkor Park! I can't believe we're here! Can you imagine the treasures that lay inside?"

"Not powerful objects, I hope," Violet laughed.

"No, no, you know I don't look for power anymore," Zoe stuck here tongue out at Vi. "I'm talking about the beautifully-preserved carvings and bas-reliefs! They show historical events and myths... And imagine, they did it all with primitive technology. There are almost no places left on Earth this beautiful! And can you imagine, the stone here is still mostly the same stone the temple was originally built with? It's been reinforced from time to time, but conservationists have made sure it looks exactly like it did at the turn of the 25th century, when the Angkor Park was chosen as one of the first fifteen Earth sites to be preserved for posterity..."

"With you, we really don't need a tour guide," Brek quipped. Despite being all tipsy the night before, Brek was just as energetic as everyone else this morning. Everyone else except for Zoe, that is.

The foursome trooped inside through the temple's main entrance, as Zoe gushed about how the temple's layout replicated its ancient builders' understanding of the universe.

"I am a bit surprised at how vast it is," Tenzil noted, as he looked back at the long, long bridge they had taken just to get to the main temple.

"Yes... Such a large complex would be unthinkable on Imsk," Violet noted. "We have such little space, so all our facilities are more... practical."

"That's one reason why I find these ancient religious sites so fascinating," Zoe noted as she took a holo of the temple's towers. "It's fascinating to learn more about the beliefs they had in the olden times."

"And the architecture is pretty fascinating," Brek added. He winked discreetly at Tenzil, who winked back.

"Actually, it is..." Violet said quietly. "It's the architecture I appreciate most... as I said, most buildings on Imsk are functional. And not all that beautiful. Hmm..." She consulted her Omnicom. "Says here, there's a scale model of the temple over in the corner near the entrance. How about I take a look, while you guys go ahead?"

"Sure," Zoe said. "I want to see the apsara carvings, before we get in line for the upper levels. There's a queue to get in, so I think we should get that out of the way as soon as we can..."

"Okay, give me fifteen minutes," Violet smiled.

"I'll go with you," Tenzil offered.

"Okay, see you!" Brek waved. Zoe was already floating ahead, taking holos as she went.

"She always likes to levitate," Brek muttered as he launched himself into the air after her.

"Thanks for wanting to come along," Violet told Tenzil as they began walking. "I guess old espionage habits die hard. First thing I do in a new building is to understand the layout."

"Hey, always good to know that information. You never know when you have to anticipate where a bad guy will try to escape, or lead an evacuation," Tenzil smiled.

"You're certainly thinking tactically, for someone who doesn't want to move to Active status," Violet's eyes twinkled as she smiled.

"Can you blame me, after my near-death experience when the Monitor invaded?" Tenzil laughed. Violet giggled as they walked along.

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

"Oh, I like this shot!" Zoe beamed. She was standing beside a row of apsara carvings, mimicking the pose of the nymph closest to her. She had even used her powers to give herself the same hairstyle. "You are so great at taking holos, Brek!"

"I had a lot of practice on family vacations," Brek smiled. "My mom loved to pose. Her favorite was this..." Brek used his powers to generate a small snowball, and held it between his palms in front of his face. He stuck his tongue out as if to lick it.

Zoe giggled. "She's a very fun-loving mom."

"Yeah. She really encouraged me to join the Legion..." He trailed off. "Almost broke my heart to have to tell her I didn't get in."

"Oh, Brek... But you're in now. And she was so proud of you during Legion Day," Zoe said. "My mom thinks she's really nice."

"Awesome! My mom thinks your mom is cool, too," Brek said. "I think she's cool." Brek's heart leaped a bit as Zoe smiled at him. She had a really nice smile. And very lovely lips...

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh, there they are."

Zoe waved as Vi and Tenzil came running towards them. "Finally! Come on, let's go before the line gets any longer."

There were about ten sentients ahead of them in the line to the upper temple levels. "Wow, it's a good thing not many people decided to head directly here," Tenzil noted.

"I know, right? We'll be the first ones in today," Zoe said excitedly. "Oh, they're finally letting people in!" An attendant in uniform - a blue collared shirt and black pants - came up and addressed the line. "Just a few reminders before you go in," she noted. "No touching the carvings, please. And be careful when taking holos of yourselves. We do not allow you to use Omnicom-hoverboards, as they have damaged the temple before..."

"Must be hard for those traveling alone to take good holos," Tenzil whispered to Brek.

"Good thing we don't have that problem," Brek whispered back.

"And it's really nice to be on a leisurely trip," Zoe added. "Not Legion business, or even a work-related dig. I like the feeling of excavating something, but it's also nice to just look and appreciate..."

Neither Zoe nor Violet noticed Tenzil and Brek giving each other a surreptitious look as they carefully began their ascent. "Grife, these stairs are steep..." Brek noted.

"They did it on purpose," Zoe explained as she hugged the steps. She was determined not to take a shortcut and fly. "It was their way of showing that it should be difficult to reach the gods. There are some temples in the area whose steps are so narrow that you have to crawl to get up; and you're forced to show the proper respect."

"Imagine, Earthgov has to periodically renew the steps every couple hundred years to make sure they're this steep..." Violet noted. She was already ahead of the others.

"I'm okay if they don't renew them..." Tenzil huffed as they continued up. Finally, he thought as they got to the top. He took a swig of his water as he took in the ancient stone corridor. "Wow, this part looks a bit like a maze..."

"Over here," Violet pointed. "Sign says we should go this way." The tourists ahead of them were already far in the distance. The Legionnaires kept a slower pace, though. Zoe kept admiring the bas-reliefs and carvings as they walked through, while Brek marveled at the walls. "Don't tell me Earthgov purposely keeps it damp?"

"Just like the old days," Zoe giggled. "Cambodia is a humid place, after all. It used to rain here quite a bit before weather control."

"Wow... they sure know how to keep the atmosphere..." Tenzil quipped.

"Hey... you see that?" Violet was up ahead, peering through a window. "I thought I saw someone phasing through the wall down there."

The other three looked at each other. Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Another Bgztlian wanting to see the ruins up close?"

"Like in Shwedagon Pagoda?" Violet shook her head. "It's the most obvious explanation, but it seems odd..."

"And phasing through protected buildings is prohibited, even if you're a Legionnaire or a Science Police Officer," Brek mused. "Most Bgztlians should know that."

"The tourist signs ARE all over..." Tenzil trailed off.

"I'm going to check it out," Violet said as she shrank down. Before the others could react, she had zipped through the window she was looking at.

Tenzil shrugged as he looked at Zoe and Brek. "Well, you're the Active Legionnaires here."

"Vi will be fine," Zoe said. "Besides, it wouldn't feel right to psychokinetically widen the window so we could follow..."

All three crowded around the window, trying to see Vi. "I guess we watch and wait, then..." Brek trailed off.

Down below, Violet grew to normal height as she landed beside the wall where she had seen the figure slip through. She quickly inspected it for a crack where she could see the other side. Once she did, she shrank through and flew in, thankful that her transuit protected her from the tiny plants growing in the crack. That had been one of the things she found most difficult when using her shrinking power. It was toughest on the more rural worlds, where she often encountered animals that made her have to shrink down to subatomic size. Once, a Winathian orb-weaving spider had startled her so that she grew reflexively, almost forgetting that she was in a very small space. Luckily, she had remembered before hitting her head - or being attacked by the spider.

She paused on the other side of the crack, and surveyed the area. From studying the model, she knew she was probably in one of the side rooms on the upper levels. Up ahead, she could make out a small altar, decorated in red and gold, a smiling Buddha sitting in it. There was a small cluster of flowering plants growing to one side of the altar - Violet recalled reading that Earthgov purposely let some plants grow, in patches, to add atmosphere and color to the temple. But there was nothing else.

She quickly grew to about 7 feet; tall enough to get a better look, but not tall enough to attract unwanted attention from guards or other tourists. She turned around, scanning the area. Still nothing. Could she just have imagined it? She...

A flash of movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. It seemed like... something going into the rock behind the altar? She tapped her flight ring to signal Zoe and the others, and then flew to the spot. Crouching down, she examined the wall carefully. There were cracks here and there... She found a fairly large one, and crept down to peek through.

All she saw were trees in the distance.

She took to the air and flew to the top of the wall to scan the area. Still nothing.

She sighed as she landed. Well, she hadn't been sure, but it was worth checking out.

"Nothing, I take it?" Zoe asked as she flew towards Violet. Tenzil and Brek landed beside her. Vi shook her head sadly.

"It could be just the light..." Brek offered helpfully.

"Or even if there had been someone phasing, maybe it was just a tourist. Or a prankster, at most," Zoe offered. She tapped her Omnicom. "Though, I looked through the reports on the incident at Shwedagon, and nothing was stolen, no graffiti or vandalism was found..."

"We can keep our eyes out to see if anything will be missing here," Tenzil noted.

"I guess..." Violet added.

"I wonder..." Brek rubbed his chin. "I remember reading about the Kono/Viktor Rhysson case. Phasing Sklarian steals historic treasures for rich tycoon."

"I remember," Zoe's brow furrowed. "I was there when we caught him. But he wouldn't be dumb enough - or brave enough - to try that again. Another collector?"

"But nothing was missing from Shwedagon," Violet noted. "Unless, there was something hidden in the spire? And something here?"

Zoe shook her head. "Unlikely. Earthgov has thoroughly scanned and x-rayed all these ruins, and they do so regularly. And..." She paused. "I used to be able to sense magical objects*, but I seem to have lost that ability. I can still sense the structure of objects with my psychokinesis though, and I didn't feel anything in the spires at Shwedagon. And now..." She concentrated for a moment. "I don't feel anything under this altar or in this wall, either. They just seem like solid blocks of stone."

Tenzil scratched the back of his head. "Well, maybe you really did just see a tourist... though I suppose we could ask M'Onel or Andromeda to use their x-ray vision, just to be sure that nothing is hidden here?"

Violet sighed, then shook her head. "No... Even if there really was someone both here and in Shwedagon, there are no indications that any crimes were committed. I think your suggestions are best. Let's just keep an eye out to see if any graffiti or vandalism do turn up here."

The other three nodded. "Okay then," Violet smiled. "I'm sorry for disturbing our vacation."

"Nah," Brek smiled. Zoe clasped Violet's hand soothingly.

"We're Legionnaires, we have to be alert," Tenzil laughed.

Violet smiled back as the four took into the air to continue their tour.


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

IB's notes:

1) Kinetix displayed the ability to sense magical objects (or at least, emanations of magic) in LSH 66 and LSH v4 Annual 6, though her magical "sense" seemed spotty at best.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Rimbor

Apparition, Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl; intangibility
Shikari Lonestar of the Kwai; pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair, extensive espionage contacts
Timber Wolf, Brin Londo of Zuun; enhanced speed, strength, durability, senses and regenerative powers
Ultra Boy, Jo Nah of Rimbor; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers and flight, but can only use one power at a time

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

Timber Wolf's nose was on overdrive as he strode along the filthy alleys near the Q. With technology and Shikari's pathfinding failing, they had to resort to the old-fashioned methods. Time to cast a wide net.

On the plus side, Shikari had been able to trace Luonel Burdo's path up to approximately one week ago. That helped narrow it down to a twelve-block radius. And Spider-Girl and Apparition had been surprisingly effective at finding and questioning witnesses.

Brin liked working with Tinya, Sussa and Kari. All were efficient, all were fun, and all were extremely professional. He couldn't really say the same about...

"Hey, Wolf. Are you tracking or are you just out for a morning stroll?" Ultra Boy quipped over the flight ring relay. Brin sighed to himself.

"We real trackers don't project that we are tracking, U-Boy. What, you think I would have survived this long if people could tell I was sniffing?" He paused to let his comment sink in, then added a jab of his own. "So maybe you shouldn't pose like one of the Space-Pirates of Simballi, eh?"

"Har har, Wolf. Don't worry about me, I'm hidden. U-Boy out."

Brin sighed again. On one hand, he and Jo had developed a better working relationship. Jo had apologized. Still, rivalries died hard, and both of them were the alpha male type. Brin had to admit that he liked knocking Jo off his high horse every chance he could get, too.

He put Jo out of his mind as he continued sniffing, searching for a trace of the man who had brought them all here.

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

"How is the costume working for you, Shikari?"

"It is okay, Spirited Legion." Apparition looked Shikari up and down with pride. Her hair was done up in a bun and hidden beneath a beanie; her wings were folded up inside a bulky coat. To the untrained eye, she looked just like a typical bipedal sentient.

"Now that we're done preparing Kari," Spider-Girl interjected, "I was wondering... I know you have no love lost for the Luck Lords, but..."

Apparition folded her arms over her chest. "Are you suggesting contacting them for help?"

Sussa shrugged. "It could help."

Tinya shook her head. "I know it could, Sussa. But... the Luck Lords accepted my third self as an indentured slave. Well, servant, though she grew up in their care. Seems like slavery to me. In any case..." she took a deep breath. "I can see the benefits of asking them for help, I'm not that driven by anger... but their actions with my third self show they may be complicit in sentient trafficking, too. I don't want to ask them for help, if it means we lose the opportunity to put them away in the future."

Sussa nodded. "Yeah, it would be difficult to offer them an attractive enough deal for them to help us. Okay, then, let's go..."

"Thanks," Tinya smiled. She was grateful Sussa hadn't pressed the issue.

The three headed out the door. Sussa went one way, and Tinya and Kari another.

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

Luonel Burdo kept his head down as he lost himself in the throng of sentients. He was rarely alone these days; it was safest. The Luck Lords preferred to operate out of sight, and he was not nearly so important that they would risk exposing themselves to get their hands on him.

Of course, the artifact he had stolen was much more important than he was. And the Luck Lords were patient. They would not stop coming after him.

Unless... he could broker a deal. He had done it once before, with Tinya's two selves. Maybe they would leave him alone if he returned the artifact.

At least then he would only have to worry about being caught by the Legion.

They would certainly be more merciful.

He turned that thought over in his head as he kept walking through the crowd.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Legion World

Insect Queen, Lonna Leing of Xanthu; morphs into various insect forms, gaining the powers of the forms she takes
Kid Quantum II, Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu; time manipulation. Current Legion co-leader.
Sensor, Jeka Wynzorr of Orando; sensory manipulation
Star Boy, Thom Kallor of Xanthu; gravity manipulation
Triad, Luornu Durgo of Cargg; triplication

Echo, Troy Stewart of Earth (South Africa); sound manipulation (Cadet and Reservist)

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

Kid Quantum sank into her seat as she hit the "send" button. Today was not a good day, so far.

"I guess it's a good thing we have so many Reservists now, huh?" Echo smiled from beside her.

"Yeah," Jazmin groaned. "I'm not surprised that so many Active Legionnaires want to take time off. But it is a bit of a pain managing the schedules." She sighed as she stretched her arms above her head. "Still, I hope all you new Reservists realize that you earned your status. We didn't vote you up just so we could all take vacations."

"Of course not," Echo said with a twinkle in his eye. "We know we wouldn't have gotten in if we hadn't deserved it. Said with all humility, of course," he laughed.

Jazmin laughed as well. Echo certainly put in the work; according to logs, he was up there with Amp, Lamprey, Inferno and Chemical Kid in number of extra combat training sessions, and he was had volunteered for his share of Monitor Duty shifts too. He was definitely dedicated, and one of those the Active membership had flagged as one to watch for the upcoming tryouts.

The tryouts! She was just glad other Active members had volunteered to spearhead the preparations. It was taking a lot of time just managing everyone's leaves so the entire Active membership would be here for said tryouts.

She sighed as she looked at her messages. Nightwind's recent resignation as leader, and requests from some Legionnaires to take time off, had spurred her to draft her latest message asking all Legionnaires to send in their requests for time off ASAP. She had asked - nicely - that they log their plans for the next 6 months, at least. The Legion had more members than ever, but that didn't mean their workload wasn't increasing, either.

She checked the Monitor Board logs. As of now, only Blizzard, Kinetix, and Violet among the Active membership were vacationing. XS and Magno were still thinking of joining them towards the end of their trip; Jazmin had asked them to make their decision quickly. Live Wire and Saturn Girl had taken some time off to plan their wedding. Of course, the last two would take a much longer break after they did get married.

Apparition's team and Nightwind's team were on Legion business, so that didn't really count.

She looked at the requests that had come in. Umbra wanted to check in on Talok VIII; after her long absence, she wanted to make sure her people didn't give in to paranoia and xenophobia again. That would count as Legion business.

Brainiac 5 wanted to visit Colu to see what Orin Fex was up to. Gates wanted to tag along. Jazmin had been firm; Brainy could visit Colu any time he wanted, but given Orin Fex's fiery rhetoric, he would need an invitation if he wanted to visit government offices. She hadn't said it out loud, but considering how diplomatic Brainy and Gates were together, she hoped the Coluans wouldn't extend such an invitation.

And of course, Rokk had gotten wind of Rond Vidar's invitations to M'Onel and Thunder to participate in his studies on time. Rokk wanted in on that; he was becoming obsessed about leaving Sandy Anderson behind. Apparently, the pyrokinetic they had under custody was a distant blood relative. Jazmin shook her head. She had read Sandy's file; he was not a sibling, and the file had not mentioned any distant relatives. But then, Sandy had always been close-mouthed about her past, and her former Workforce teammates among the Legion had known nothing about her family.

Ah, well.

"Jaz?" She was shaken out of her thoughts as Triad stepped in. "Is now a good time?"

"Any time, Lu. What can I do for you?"

"Well... after the tryouts are over, I wanted to take some time off to visit Cargg. Just to see how the Divided Trinity is doing. I've already asked Chuck to join me..."

"Of course," Jazmin said without hesitation. It had taken a lot to convince Triad to go back to Cargg before, considering her terrible memories of the place. "Visiting the Divided Trinity could still be considered Legion business, you know. You don't have to take personal time off for that."

"Oh... thank you," Triad smiled. "By the way, I've already set up the team calendar. Anyone can plot their requested leaves directly. Will make for easier tracking."

Jazmin smiled at that. "You're a lifesaver, Lu."

Triad winked as she stepped out of the room. She was quickly replaced by Star Boy and Insect Queen.

"And what can I do for you two?" Jazmin asked.

"I know you're aware of the recent anti-Legion sentiment on Xanthu..." Thom began.

"Yeah. You said you had ideas on fixing it?"

"It's quite an interesting idea," Lonna began. "Many Xanthians are resentful that the UP and the Legion didn't help out more during the Robotican invasion. They acknowledge we helped restore Xanthu, but they're worried we're leaving it undefended with so few active Amazers left."

"So we think we could second some of us to Xanthu. It is on the fringes of UP space," Thom noted. "Those stationed there would still be Legionnaires, but we would rotate out every so often. Just like what we used to do when we had the Outpost."

"Not a bad idea," Jazmin said quickly. It did make sense; back when the Outpost* was operational, the Legion's active roster had been split evenly between HQ and Outpost. It wasn't so necessary now that the Legion had Thresholds, but stationing some Legionnaires semi-permanently on Xanthu would be a good symbolic move. "I've thought about doing something similar for the Kwai Galaxy. Of course, we have to consider our messaging. Other planets might demand their own semi-permanent delegations." She sat up straight in her chair. "I don't suppose you'd like to come up with a proposed communications for this? We can vote on it next membership meeting."

Thom's jaw dropped open. "Wow. I thought I'd have to work harder to convince you."

Jazmin punched him playfully. "Hey, the idea makes sense. Besides, when I saw Lonna with you I knew it would."

"Har, har," Thom grunted as Lonna gave Jazmin a high five. Lonna ruffled Thom's hair playfully. "You always were the most fun to tease," she joked. The redhead stood up. "Thanks, Jaz. We'll work on it and get back to you soon."

Jazmin nodded. It benefited her, too; with so many details to consider in running the team, she delegated as much as she could now.

She looked down as her Omnicom pinged. It was a message from Echo. She rose her eyebrow at the Cadet, who shrugged. "I took the liberty of taking down minutes," he explained. "I always was good at taking down notes."

"Impressive, Troy. Very much so. I -" she was cut off as her Omnicom rang. Echo tried very hard not to laugh; Jazmin's ring tone was the latest hit on the UP music charts. It was a rather upbeat tune by the Graemlinz.

She shot Echo a look, who shrugged. "I have no preconceptions about what type of music you would like..." he said.

She laughed as she answered the call. Sensor appeared; Jazmin was pleasantly surprised to see that Sensor was in her own quarters, but the lights were on. A welcome change. She was becoming more and more comfortable with her appearance.

"Kid Quantum... After the tryouts are over, I should like to spend some time on Orando, as well. There are welcome changes to our treatment of the Raccoons. I should like to ensure that things continue to progress well."

"Of course, Sensor," Jazmin said. "The Legion upholds equality."

"I thank you," Sensor said with a smile. "We are fortunate indeed to have such a supportive leader as you."

Jazmin sighed again as Sensor ended the call. "I wonder which other Legionnaires would want to visit their homeworlds..."

Her Omnicom pinged again with yet another message from Echo. Jazmin looked down. "Minutes again? That was a very short call."

"No... a compilation of newslinks to all Legionnaire homeworlds," Echo smiled. "I know you're updated, but this can help."

"Wow. You're almost as efficient as Triad is," Jazmin laughed. "Maybe you two should teach a Cadet course in administration..."

"As long as I still get to go on the field," Echo chuckled.

Jazmin smiled as she scrolled through Echo's list. It was tiring, but she did take heart from the fact that so many others were working as hard as she was.

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

IB's notes:

1) The Legion Outpost debuted in LSH v4 100. At first, only a small group of Legionnaires would be stationed there. After the Dark Circle crisis (L* 62-65, LSH 106-108), then-leader Saturn Girl decided to permanently split the Legion membership between the Earth HQ and the Outpost, to make the Legion more responsive to issues off Earth.

You raise an interesting question here: would Shikari have detected something was amiss with Imra posing as Tinya? She wouldn't have known who either one was, but I wonder if her powers could detect falseness, impersonation, misleading.

Thanks for the tour of Angkor Park! I had to look up "apsara", which of course led to more link jumping/internet time gobbling, but they are really beautiful carvings. It's very positive to think that they will survive and be appreciated far into the future.

Brainy is the ultimate multi-tasker. His annoyance with Rokk does feel spot-on and it's good to see he is aware of others' social dynamics. That he's over his crush on Andromeda makes sense to me (although I liked the relationship in the comic). It made me think of Harbi's recent installment in which Zoe says of M'windaji "He's not the One". Brainy must have come to that same conclusion, although he probably treats it more as a finished experiment than a love affair.

Moons of Colu! Orin Fex! I love that character, such a grumpy, conniving, devious politician.

Polar Boy's mother, so funny! I can imagine she'd be a full-on enthusiast like her son, he must have got it from somewhere. They must be quite a team back home!

Finally, your story makes me think we really need a crossover with Rocket Racoon to liberate Orando!

Thanks for the usual thorough comments FC!

You raise a very good question on applications of Shikari's powers. I am a tad wary of overly expanding them, as she already has a bit of overlap with Nura as it is (in Legion 11 or 12 she "saw the future path" of a Batman hologram and avoided its attack). A bit too much like precognition. I was alluding more to her familiar with fake Tinya rather than to any new uses of her powers

Happy you liked reading up on apsaras and Cambodia!

We will be seeing Orando in the future

Happy you liked the Laurel/Brainy dynamic. Yeah, Brainy does not like wasting time!

Thanks again for reading and commenting

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Rimbor

Apparition, Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl; intangibility
Shikari Lonestar of the Kwai; pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair, extensive espionage contacts
Timber Wolf, Brin Londo of Zuun; enhanced speed, strength, durability, senses and regenerative powers
Ultra Boy, Jo Nah of Rimbor; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers and flight, but can only use one power at a time

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

Sweat poured down Luonel Burdo's face as he cobbled together the equipment he had acquired. Heh. Acquired. Just as he had acquired most of the meager belongings he now had.

He spared a glance for his hired guns. Two dozen Emerald Dragons waited outside the room he was working in, in various positions. Many were wrinkling their noses at the filth; their own headquarters was a mess now, but it was still much cleaner than the sewers beneath Rimbor. Burdo didn't care. This was the safest place he could think of. He was just glad the Dragons were desperate, and that they were still a long way from recovery after being decimated by those three bounty hunters*. Bounty hunters! Even if their numbers hadn't been reduced, their reputations would have taken a big hit. Being taken in by bounty hunters was much more demeaning than being taken in by Sci Cops.

He chided himself as he felt his mind wander. He had to focus.

He was interrupted by a loud rapping on the door. "Yo, this gonna take much longer?" Mo Seh, the senior Dragon, had a gruff voice made coarser by years of cigarettes and booze.

"Not much more," Burdo said as he tried to make his voice sound threatening. He was not a fighter at heart, but he always was able to put on a decent act. It was hard, though; being on the run for so long had left his nerves shot. "Remember our deal! You stay here until my contacts show up and bring me home. You know I've already set up the transfers..."

"Yeah, we checked out the link you said," Mo sneered. "Just remember, we only provide protection. My boys and I ain't gonna fire on no cops or Legionnaires..."

"Yeah, yeah," Burdo tried not to sound like he card. It shouldn't matter, anyway. The Dragons would be able to stall anyone pursing him, but they sure would not be able to stop either Luck Lords or Legionnaires.

His only hope lay in his contact responding right away, and agreeing to his offer...

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

"I really do appreciate you helping out, Sussa," Apparition said as the two Legionnaires trudged along the alleys. Tinya took care to watch where she stepped; there was plenty of filth, and she couldn't use her flight ring or her phasing as they had to avoid attracting attention.

Spider-Girl shrugged. Her long red hair was curled up on her head, hidden under a turban. Tinya marveled at how she looked just like one of the nomads of the Atlas cluster. "Scum like slavers deserve to be put behind bars," she noted. "I turned a blind eye to some of McCauley's unethical practices when I worked for him, but he certainly didn't go quite this far... Though some would debate that point."

"I'm just glad you're with us now," Tinya smiled. She trusted Jo completely and felt no jealousy towards her teammate, but she wanted Sussa to know that. "I admire how well you did for yourself after all the chaos after the Blight."

Sussa laughed softly. "Not bad for an orphan from Luna, eh?"

"I would like to know more about your past." Tinya wrinkled her nose as she stepped over a particularly smelly puddle. A couple of kids ran past and began stomping in said puddle; she drew her cloak tight around her to avoid getting splashes on the costume she wore underneath.

"Wait until we're past before you splash!" Sussa hissed at the kids. One stuck his tongue out at her before continuing. She glared back, then turned to Tinya. "Not much to say. My folks were McCauley Industries scientists. Died in a lab accident when I was younger, same one that gave me my powers. McCauley paid someone to watch over me after that, eager to exploit said powers; I was his first Workforce member. No matter how he tried, though, he was never able to replicate these powers. Didn't help that the accident destroyed my folks' notes..."

Tinya was about to ask a follow up when Sussa's Omnicom beeped. "Excuse me," the redhead said. Her eyes widened as she looked. "Movement from the Emerald Dragons. Over two dozen of them were seen gathering..."

Tinya and Sussa exchanged glances. "We know he spoke to some Dragons in the past couple of weeks..."

Tinya raised her finger to her lips. "You hear that, team? Kari, can you locate the Emerald Dragons?"

"Already done," Shikari's voice was eager. A lead was a lead, no matter how tenuous. "Location sent to your Omnicoms." Shikari learned fast.

"Then we'll see you all there," Tinya said. She hitched up her cloak and began to run.

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

"Once, you have broken our trust, and that cannot easily be restored," sneered a Luck Lord. Even through the video relay, contempt was evident in its voice.

"Twice, you have failed to pay your debts," added another.

"Thrice, you have shown your capability for deceit," scoffed a third. "And still you continue to do so, for you have not given us your true location."

Burdo winced. But then, he knew it would be difficult to convince the Luck Lords to deal with him again. Though their livelihood came from fleecing others through games of chance, they had succeeded only by being cautious. That they were even talking to him meant that the artifact he held was very precious, indeed.

"I'm just being careful," Burdo said. "And look, I don't want any trouble... I only stole this thing to keep myself hidden. I was afraid you'd cut me loose when the UP started looking into your operations..."

One of the Luck Lords laughed, a chilling laugh that held plenty of menace and not a hint of mirth. "Is that supposed to make us sympathetic?"

"I'm just trying to explain..." Burdo gasped, heart pounding. He hated how the Luck Lords could speak and laugh like that, when their faces appeared to be giant eyeballs. No mouth, no nose, no expression... He put that thought out of his mind as he continued. "Look, if you help me off-world and set me up somewhere hidden, I'll promise never, ever to leave there. And I'll give you the thing back. Isn't that what you want? You get your precious artifact back, and you are assured that I won't testify against any of your operations."

"And what operations are those, Luonel Burdo?" One Luck Lord leaned forward slightly. "Our gambling operations do not violate any laws. And we have no other businesses."

"And our taking in of your two daughters was done completely legally," another Luck Lord hissed softly. "Unlike you and your involvement in slavery operations."

Burdo began to sweat. It looked like his silence was not that attractive a bargaining chip. "In any case, it would still be good to keep me quiet... And I can give you back the artifact."

The three Luck Lords fell silent. Burdo wanted to wipe his forehead, but settled for loosening his collar. He took a deep breath as he watched the three Luck Lords. He realized that he had never even seen one blink.

Finally, one broke the silence. "Very well."

"Wonderful," Burdo said as he exhaled. He resisted the urge to break into a big smile. "So, how will I get out of here? Will you send a ship?"

"One of us will escort you until you release the artifact to us." Burdo could feel his face fall. He certainly did not expect to be traveling off Rimbor with a Luck Lord. He would probably be safer from other forces, but he didn't trust them. The Luck Lords probably sensed that; after a moment, the same one who spoke added, "We will not try to take it by force. Simply give us your coordinates and we shall be there in thirty minutes."

Burdo paused for a moment. But what choice did he have? He quickly gave the coordinates of a meeting point a few klicks to the northeast - close enough to his current position, but in a place where he could ascertain if he would be double-crossed.

As the image of the Luck Lords winked out, he began throwing his belongings into his bag. An hour! In an hour, he would finally be off this forsaken world. He could almost jump for joy.

He was interrupted by Mo Seh's insistent voice. "Burdo!" It was accompanied by a loud banging on the door.

"I'm almost done!" Burdo snapped. "You'll get your pay in an hour, once I've met up with my contact!"

"These Dragons and your contact are all going to be very disappointed, then," a chilly voice said from behind him. Burdo froze. It couldn't be... He turned to face his assailant.

"Tinya, baby?"

"I'm no baby of yours." Tinya's face was like thunder. Burdo shuddered. She obviously knew. Behind her, he could see the Dragons raising their arms. True to their word, they had decided not to fight Legionnaires. He recognized Ultra Boy, and saw three others he didn't know. One, a pretty redhead, was checking the licenses of each of the Dragons.

He licked his lips. "Listen, Tinya, I..."

She cut him off, all the while maintaining eye contact. Rage and pain were evident in her gaze. She quickly moved up to him and grabbed his arms, twisting one behind his back. Before he could gasp in pain, she had slammed him against the table on which his bag lay. "Luonel Burdo, you are under arrest for the violation of the UP Anti-Slavery Act. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You are entitled to an attorney." She quickly patted him down, emptying his blaster from his pocket. Then she turned him around.

"Are you integrated?" she snapped.

Burdo smiled faintly. "I'm sorry, Tinya." Then he felt himself zip through space, into his waiting "main" brother just a short distance away.

He quickly checked the inner pocket of his shirt. The Luck Lord's artifact was still there. Good, his deal could still hold. He looked back over his shoulder for a moment. Well, Tinya would never forgive him. And neither would Winema. At least they could live their own lives far, far away from him.

Then he ran for the rendezvous point.

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

IB's notes:

1) Legion Worlds 6. The Bounty Hunters that Winema Wazzo hired to retrieve Apparition and Cub.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Rimbor

Apparition, Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl; intangibility
Shikari Lonestar of the Kwai; pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair, extensive espionage contacts
Timber Wolf, Brin Londo of Zuun; enhanced speed, strength, durability, senses and regenerative powers
Ultra Boy, Jo Nah of Rimbor; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers and flight, but can only use one power at a time

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

"I knew it!" Apparition thundered as she raced out of the room. As she phased through the door, her four teammates turned to look at her. "It wasn't his main body! We have to move fast. Carggites can only integrate over short distances."

"I think he still has the object that masks him from my senses..." Shikari noted. "I can only find his path up to a point..."

"And from my penetra-vision..." Ultra Boy said through gritted teeth.

"I have his scent. We can at least guess the direction where he's headed, and hopefully get close enough for us to find him with our eyes." Timber Wolf raised his head and sniffed. "There," he pointed northeast.

"You four go, and I'll follow," Spider-Girl noted. "I'll check this room to see if he left anything behind." She cocked an eye at the Dragons, arms still in the air. "And I don't think these guys will give me any trouble. We've already disarmed all their guns. They own them legally, so they can keep them, of course."

The leader shook his head. "Hey, we don't want any trouble. Can't afford any. Besides, Jo here used to be one of us, eh?"

"Used to," Jo replied grimly. "Don't try anything." He turned to address the others. "Now, come on."

Timber Wolf raced down the hallway, Shikari and Ultra Boy hot on his heels. Apparition turned to Spider-Girl. "Holler if you need anything." Without waiting for a reply, she dove through the walls and headed straight northeast. Her father was not going to get away.

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

Burdo kept his cloak tight about him as he weaved his way through the crowds. He had about fifteen minutes before the Luck Lord would appear. He wished they had decided to meet sooner; the Lords had a base not too far from here, and could teleport short interstellar distances. But this would have to do. The crowds would make the Legionnaires act cautiously. He slowly inched his way to the coordinates.

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

Timber Wolf, Shikari and Ultra Boy aligned themselves behind Apparition. The four zipped through the skies, silent and focused.

"He's somewhere down below..." Timber Wolf trailed off as they flew into a square full of sentients. It seemed that nearly every race, every species, in the United Planets was represented. "Sprock."

"I can use ultra-speed to check every one out," Ultra Boy offered. "Shikari can help me."

Apparition bit her lip. "Wait. If he still has something that makes him immune to your senses, would it help to search for a blind spot?"

Ultra Boy's face lit up. "Angel, that's genius!" He gave Tinya a peck on the cheek and flew off, Shikari close behind. Timber Wolf gave Tinya a thumbs up and followed.

Tinya took a moment to tamp down the anger she felt. She had honestly expected to be a bit more conflicted... but she supposed that she had never spent any time with her father. She remembered him hardly ever being home. In fact, her hyper-busy mother had had much more time for her, growing up.

This, coupled with his betrayal, made bringing him to justice so much easier. Instead of worrying about the love she did not feel, she would have to restrain her anger.

She swooped down after her teammates.

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

"Hey, I know that babe. She's a Legionnaire!"

Burdo's heart jumped as the crowd around him began to turn towards the sky. He ducked and kept moving, all the while thinking that crouching down would make him stand out.

But he only needed to stay out of sight a few more minutes. The rendezvous point was already in sight.

Up ahead, a Luck Lord stepped into view. Ordinarily, a member of such a strange species would have drawn more than a few looks. But now, everyone was looking at the Legionnaires in the sky. Burdo felt a little bit grateful for that. It would help make his getaway cleaner...

A winged insect-girl appeared in front of him. "Stop, Luonel Burdo."

He felt himself being lifted up into the air, even as his heart fell. "Good going, Kari."

Burdo twisted his neck in horror to see Ultra Boy lifting him. "No! Help me, help me!" He stretched his arm out towards the Luck Lord.

"It can't help you," Tinya said grimly as she landed in front of him, facing the Luck Lord. Burdo blankly registered that the crowd around them had vanished. Nobody on Rimbor wanted to be around four angry Legionnaires. "This man is under arrest. Any act aiding him now is grounds for arrest as well."

The Luck Lord spread its arms. "Well, then, who am I to stand in the way of the law?"

"No!" Burdo screamed. "We had a deal!"

"Our deal was that we would assist you off this planet," the Luck Lord said calmly. "But we certainly did not know you were a felon. Another convenient obfuscation of the truth from you."

"Probably something you are used to doing yourself," growled another Legionnaire. Burdo recognized him as Timber Wolf; he was often featured in news that featured Tinya.

"No, you..."

"Oh, be quiet." Ultra Boy yanked Burdo's arm back, causing him to groan. Burdo hated pain. He fell silent with a whimper.

"Our operations are completely legal," the Luck Lord said with a hint of satisfaction. "I am certain you know that."

"Your operations may be," Tinya said as she stepped up to the Luck Lord, "but your act of indenturing two of my selves was not! We were infants then!" She pulled out her Omnicom. "We can take you in for questioning, in suspicion of your violation of the UP Acts on Child Labor."

"Indeed? Well, we would be happy to cooperate, but I fear such questioning will lead nowhere. You see..." The Luck Lord pulled a document from its sleeve. "Your father put your selves up for adoption."

The Legionnaires fell silent, and Tinya looked as if she had been hit by a hammer. Wordlessly, she reached for the document. The others crowded around it.

"You... adopted me?" Tinya said. She looked at the Luck Lord.

"And we only put you to work in the casinos once you were of the age of majority. 14 years," the Luck Lord said with satisfaction. "Anything before that? Simple chores."

"The sprock they were," Ultra Boy said menacingly.

"You will also note," the Luck Lord continued, "that the document is silent on your Carggite origins. Indeed, as far as we knew, Luonel Burdo was from Earth. I am certain you will find his fake identification among his belongings."

"We can still take you in for aiding Burdo's escape..." Timber Wolf growled.

"But we didn't," the Luck Lord said as it spread its arms again. "We arrived here with the intent to aid him, certainly. But once you advised he was under arrest, we took no further action."

The Legionnaires erupted in a chorus of anger.

"Why, you..." Ultra Boy growled.

"Vile tricksters," the winged female hissed.

Tinya held up a hand. "The Luck Lord is right," she noted. "We don't have any legal basis to detain them." She faced the Luck Lords. "I assume we can keep this as our copy?" At the Luck Lord's nod, she tucked the document into her belt pouch. "But don't think this means we won't be watching."

"We would welcome your watchful eyes," the Luck Lord said cheerily. As cheerily as any sentient with a giant green eyeball for a face could. "We would welcome your assistance should anyone threaten our operations."

"Wait! You can't just leave me here!" Burdo began struggling as he tried to kick Ultra Boy. If the Legionnaire was using super-strength, then he would not be invulnerable. "I still have the... the thing!"

"Oh, yes, this man has something of ours. Indeed, he offered its return so that we would aid him," the Luck Lord said calmly. "Simple blackmail, in fact... perhaps and you can return it to us once your investigations are concluded?"

"Send us a formal request," Tinya said brusquely. "Come on, let's go home."

"Tinya... baby... don't do this to your daddy..." Burdo whined.

She fixed him with a stare that would have made Winema proud. "Don't you ever use the father card again, you selfish, vile coward!"

"You'd better keep quiet when she uses that tone," Ultra Boy whispered in Burdo's ear as he lifted up into the sky.

The Luck Lord watched in satisfaction as the four Legionnaires took off. Once they were out of sight, it bent down to the ground and picked up a small, dark green sphere. "Ah, our treasure. What luck for it to have fallen out of Burdo's pocket just as he was caught..."

Tucking the sphere into its robes, the Luck Lord walked off.

Unseen by anyone, a figure peeked its eyes out from the ground. Smiling to itself, it began to follow the Luck Lord.

Excellent story IB, I love your choice of characters and their interactions.

Luonel is such a creep! His schemes within schemes are great, as was his using the reintegration of his selves to escape- nice trick. His plan to get off Rimbor was so close to fruition. But did he really think the Luck Lords could be trusted? I reckon they manipulated it so he'd get so close before failing at the final stretch. And speaking of the Luck Lords, oh they're tricky. So officially they adopted Tinya, oh that's clever! Neat idea there IB. I'm looking forward to finding out what the mysterious green globe is. I assume that was Tiny at the end spying on them?

Tinya's anger towards him is well written too, she's a tough cookie. Youve really captured her determination to bring her father in for questioning well. Her idea to scan for blind spots was very clever too, nice way to show that she's so smart.

Speaking of tricky, Sussa is always fun and you've caught that too, street smart and sassy. Timber Wolfs gruffness was good to read too and it's interesting that he could still smell Luonel while the others hyper senses couldn't track him. Jo's protective nature towards Tinya was well done, as was his casual dismissal of the Dragons- nice to see him moving on.

Excellent stuff IB, looking forward to more, more, more!

Thanks, Harbi! Glad you enjoyed this outing.

Burdo is indeed a creep. If Tinya's this mad, wait until Winema gets her hands on him. He IS very tricky, though. The reintegration thing was a bit of last-minute inspiration, as I remembered how he used his Carggite abilities to pull the wool over Winema's eyes all these years.

The Luck Lords do have a lot of luck The adoption was my solution to the question - how do the Luck Lords escape liability for whatever happened to Tinya? They're smart; while Burdo is tricky, he's a short-term thinker. The Luck Lords plan for the long term. And that green globe will eventually show up again But it wasn't Tinya spying on them...

I wasn't very clear with Brin's power use here, or the nature of the globe, mea culpa. The globe masks the user's presence within its sphere of influence, but it doesn't eliminate all their traces. So Brin was able to track Burdo's scent along his path, up to the edge of the globe's range.

Happy you liked all the little character bits. Tinya especially, she got a lot of flak from fans for doing a lot of whining in the Postboot after she died (not that I blame her of course); I decided to use this arc to highlight her toughness and intelligence. She did have many instances where she directed Jo's use of his powers, proving she has quite the tactical mind.

Thanks again for reading, I do very much appreciate it!

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

The Wolf Den Bar (soon to be opened), Rimbor

Apparition, Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl; intangibility
Shikari Lonestar of the Kwai; pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair, extensive espionage contacts
Timber Wolf, Brin Londo of Zuun; enhanced speed, strength, durability, senses and regenerative powers
Ultra Boy, Jo Nah of Rimbor; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers and flight, but can only use one power at a time

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

"You're gonna love this, Tinya!" Mash grinned as he licked his fingers. "Saw this on the cooking channel. Bgztlian brownies!" The portly Wolfpack member donned oven mittens and popped them in the oven.

"Not like mom used to make, huh?" Rn'drr winked. He took a swig from his Jackpot Silverale - a premium blend from Ventura - and placed his boots on the table.

"Please, Rn'drr," Tinya giggled. "Mom would never be caught dead cooking. Her only domestic skills are ordering staff around." That prompted Jo and Brin both to snicker. The two exchanged glances, then burst out laughing. Tinya laughed too, but as the rest began to trade jokes, she fell silent.

Shikari twisted her head to look at Tinya. "You are very quiet, Spirited Legion."

Brin took notice as well. "Are you still thinking about what happened with the Luck Lords?" Tinya nodded. Brin paused a bit, then continued. "You certainly took the news of your other self's adoption pretty well. I guess you have some good news about it?"

"I'm sure my angel does," Jo said, giving Tinya a kiss on the cheek. "She's had quite the legal education over the years."

"A benefit of acting like mom's assistant before I joined the Legion." Tinya settled back in her seat. "That adoption is invalidated on so many accounts - my father's failure to disclose that he only handed over two-thirds of a Carggite child OR that my mother was still alive; my mother's lack of consent; failure to involve UP Child Services... I'm honestly not worried at all about the adoption. I'm more worried that we couldn't find the object my father was using to conceal himself."

"It is weird. We did a thorough search of the area..." Sussa pointed out. "And he obviously had it with him up until you caught him. You all had difficulty detecting him."

"Yes, the blind spot was definitely there," Shikari added. "I apologize. I only realized it was gone when we were returning here."

"It's all our faults, Kari," Tinya smiled. "My father himself was surprised. He swore he kept the device in his pocket. So it must have gotten lost after we caught him."

"Eh, then let the Luck Lords find it," Jo said dismissively. "It's theirs. Besides, it's not like its particularly dangerous. It's no Emerald Eye, and we know how to tell if it's active."

"Still, it would have been nice to study it." Sussa used her hair to bring her glass to her lips. Rn'drr made a surprisingly good Naltorian Sunrise. "Imagine, an object that can stymie almost all methods of detection within a certain radius..."

"I did realize that I could smell him within the sphere of influence..." Brin said. "But it took an extremely high level of concentration. And we could see him, but for some reason it was hard to focus on him."

"Like he was only in the corner of our eyes," Shikari added. She shivered despite herself.

The five Legionnaires fell silent again. It was a troubling tool. If it fell into the wrong hands...

"Hey, don't be so glum!" Crody spread his hands wide. The new Wolfpack leader shook his head as he held out his mug. "Come on! We're having your going away party AND celebrating the soon-to-be opening of the Wolf Den! Work can wait!"

"Yeah, and dinner's almost ready," Hubble laughed as he set the table, his cheeks almost as red as his hair. Tinya noted with amusement that, although they were gleamingly clean, none of the plates and dishes matched. Hubble grinned as he set the last plate. "And I've tasted Mash's cooking. They're actually good this time!"

"HEY!" Mash thundered from the kitchen.

Everyone laughed again. Tinya smiled as she lifted her own glass. "You guys are right. We caught a bad guy today, one who was involved in sentient trafficking. And the Wolf Den is going to be a great community center for your neighborhood. We should be celebrating."

Murmurs of agreement erupted from around the table. Tinya gave Brin a smile as she leaned against Jo. She would enjoy tonight, and worry about Legion business again tomorrow.

Well, except for one little bit. She pursed her lips as she excused herself to call her mother. If the Science Police gave her the news before Tinya herself did, she would never hear the end of it.

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Dili-Tawi

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Lume, of Silvan; energy being made of light
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation. Current Legion co-leader.

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

Dili-Tawi: This small planet is not much bigger than the largest satellites orbiting Jupiter and Saturn, but has a considerably larger population. Yet, its population is shrinking; citizens often migrate offworld for better economic opportunities.

Colonized by humans in the late 24th century, its early inhabitants were mostly drawn from the then-poorer regions of Earth.* Primary industries include mining and cultivation of cash crops such as organic coffee. It has few visitors besides citizens returning for short visits.

Dili-Tawi joined the United Planets during the great expansion precipitated by former President Chu's Sun-Eater hoax. - Encyclopedia Galactica**. Like with neighbor Enwa, its UP membership has made it an attractive destination for citizens of nearby non-UP worlds.

Ferro and Lume looked up in surprise as Nightwind spoke. She had been silent the rest of the trip, after all. "Okay, when we open the session, I'll give a brief update on the Legion's activities since we inducted our latest members. Then I'll give details on the upcoming tryouts. You've seen the holo, right? I was thinking we could split the parts among the three of us."

Ferro gave Lume a glance. "You're not going to announce your stepping down as leader, are you? Many of the others have good points."

Nightwind sighed as she thumbed her Omnicom. She had just finished reading the thread of her resignation announcement a few minutes ago. She had almost wished she hadn't approved the idea for a message board! But it had made sense; with such a large team, and with so many members out on missions, or taking time off, or doing who knows what, having a message board would allow the team to disseminate information and discuss points of action MUCH more effectively. A little bit too effectively.

A third of the team had reacted to her intended resignation in shock. Blizzard, in particular, had posted a most effusive endorsement of her leadership. Another third had come up with arguments on why she should not. Saturn Girl and Apparition had pointed out that resigning would be admitting guilt or wrongdoing. Chemical Kid and Inferno had argued about the negative publicity and the implications on public support. Babbage had shared a list of relevant UP laws stating why she should NOT resign. Cosmic Boy had posted a rather long speech, which she had skipped over - not that she would have admitted it to anyone else. Dreamer had messaged to say she hadn't seen anything about Berta's tenure, other than that she would definitely NOT be co-leader a week after the tryouts. And Brainiac 5 had shared his extremely detailed scenario analysis of the Legion World invasion; though unlike Cosmic Boy's post, his included a summary at the end stating that Berta's decision to abandon Legion World had been the most logical choice. And Kid Quantum had even called her to try and talk her out of resigning as leader.

Berta felt a bit ungrateful. Here she faced an outpouring of support from the team, and it still did little to alleviate her doubts. Still, she did agree to consider her decision. And even if she did ultimately decide to step down, she didn't need to announce it to the public... yet.

"No, Ferro, I won't." She gave her two teammates a smile. "Don't worry about it. Now, come on, and let's get ready."

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

This is Devlin O'Ryan from the Earth Spins! I'm sure you're all excited to see our THREE Legionnaire guests today; they have a very important announcement for us! Give a big appendage to: Mentalla, Microbe and Wildfire!

Thank you, Devlin! Microbe here, sentients. The Legion and our staff want to thank all of those who have been offering their time for our various initiatives throughout the galaxy. We're happy to announce that we've updated our links so you can sign up for the programs that most interest you. First off, you can volunteer your time to help with any number of programs that provide assistance to developing worlds.

Each link highlights our current programs per UP member world, including the stories of some of our volunteers.

Hi everyone. As a graduate of the Legion Cadet program, I'd like to stress that we have made our enrollment process easier. You can submit applications via our link. Each application is guaranteed to be responded to within one UP standard month.

And lastly, I think you will find this announcement very exciting. Save the date, sentients, because we are going to have tryouts soon! Yes, we are looking to expand our active membership! So get your costumes ready, folks - Wildfire and the rest of the Legion will be waiting for you! Legionnaires will also be visiting selected worlds to share more information!

Thanks, Legionnaires! So what are you waiting for, sentients? There are many, many ways to give back to the galaxy - just check out the Legion linkpage! I can see a lot of you excited sentients in the audience waving your flags - I bet you're checking it out already! I see the flags of Earth, Mars, Titan, Winath, Aleph, Kathoon... I bet there's more outside, isn't there? We'll cut to my colleague Keema Delf...

Yes, Devlin. I'm out here in Justice Plaza, and I see flags from almost every UP World, and more besides. I'm here with a citizen of Rann, and another from Lupra. Let's hear from them about their plans for the tryouts...


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

As the holo finished, Nightwind gave her biggest smile as she turned towards the crowd. She had to force herself to keep it on. Unlike the audience of the Earth Spins, the crowd on Dili-Tawi was decidedly more... subdued.

As the Governor of Dili-Tawi coughed gently, the quiet crowd gave some polite applause. She sighed inwardly.

"Perhaps Enwa will be more enthusiastic?" Ferro whispered to her.

"Well, this will be good practice for then," Lume whispered back.

Nightwind forced herself not to shake her head in disappointment. "So... if any of you have any questions about the volunteer opportunities with the Legion, we're right here!"

The crowd stared back at them, politely.

The Governor coughed again. A nervous young man stood up and shuffled towards the microphone. This time, Nightwind looked at her teammates; Ferro gave an imperceptible shrug. "Yeah, he's wearing the uniform of the Governor's Office, but it's something..." he said quietly.

"So... um... Ms. Nightwind, Mr. Ferro, and Sentient Lume..." the young man stammered. "Uh... do... do you give out flight rings to Cadets?" A small murmur went through the crowd, though it seemed only the younger attendees took interest. Ferro quickly took a microphone. "One has to reach Reservist status before getting one's own flight ring and being trained in its use. Any Legionnaire is entitled to one, whether Active, Reserve or Honorary..."

As Ferro continued, Nightwind took a step backward and leaned towards Lume. "I'm sure the Enwan crowd will be livelier, but I had hoped Dili-Tawi would show more interest..."

Lume cocked its head. "Perhaps we should find out what would interest them. After all, my own Silvan brethren did not show much interest in the Legion until I joined..."

"Hmmm... that's a good point, Lume." Nightwind mulled it over. She began going over what she had read about Dili-Tawi. Like Enwa, it was one of the poorer UP worlds. And like with Enwa, most citizens of Dili-Tawi she had met elsewhere lived frugal lives in order to send money back home... Because those left on the homeworld typically spent most of their time making ends meet.

She slowly smiled. She leaned over and hugged Lume close. "Lume, you're a genius!"

"I am?" Lume said in confusion. But Nightwind had already stepped forward.

Ferro was explaining the criteria for Reserve membership in the Legion. Nightwind coughed gently; Ferro looked at her and nodded. "And Reservists can be called upon to assist on cases as needed. I think Nightwind wants to add something?"

"Thanks, Ferro. One of the questions we normally get from new Reservists is how much time they need to give to the Legion. As of the moment, we only ask that Reservists be on call should their special talents be needed for a particular mission. Any commitment beyond that is purely voluntary... unless, of course, one is enrolled in the Cadet program." This caused not more than a few of the younger audience members to lean forward. Nightwind smiled to herself.

"When I was a Cadet and Reservist simultaneously, I had a few classmates who maintained part-time jobs to help support their families," she added. This caused a few of the older audience members to sit up. "Some had no intention of applying for Active membership, in fact. They wanted Legion training in order to move on to private security firms, for example. Well, I have to admit, those do pay just a little bit better," she added with a laugh and a meaningful look at Ferro and Lume. She surveyed the audience with satisfaction; most were leaning forward now.

Ferro seemed to get the idea. "That's actually a good point. We recognize that Active membership is not for everyone. The Cadet program allows students to develop their powers to the fullest and learn several, more useful skills besides. Skills such as forensics, basic psychology, languages, and more. I've spoken to quite a few students who appreciate the educational allowances we provide; many of the more frugal ones save up quite a bit to send to their families back home." A murmur rose through the crowd at that. Emboldened, Ferro continued. "We like to think of it as an additional incentive to those who want to learn."

Lume raised its hand and took a microphone itself. "Even volunteers get a little allowance, of course, to take care of transport and food costs when volunteering. Just a little thank you for sharing some time with the galaxy."

Nightwind beamed towards the crowd. "I hope that answered your question, sir," she addressed the staff member who asked. He stammered a quick yes as he sat back down. "Now, any more from the group?"

Several appendages shot up. Nightwind gestured towards an older woman in the back.

"You said some of your students went on to private security firms. What did other graduates of the Cadet program do?"

As Ferro began talking about the careers of former Cadets, Nightwind and Lume grinned at one another. The Legion had talked about this before. They had agreed that spending resources training those who never intended to become Legionnaires was still beneficial to the team, as it would increase their network. Moreover, it helped with the economic prospects of those who enrolled. A win-win for all. Nightwind made a mental note to bring this up next meeting, so the team could incorporate it into communications.

It looked like Dili-Tawi would not be a waste of time, after all.

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


IB's notes:

1) Dili-Tawi's name is a portmanteau of Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, and Tawi-Tawi, a province in the southern Philippines.

2) As depicted in LSH 78. Chu skillfully used her Sun-Eater hoax to scare worlds into joining the UP. Her exact words: "I promise you all: The Sun-Eater will not destroy one single UP Star-system." As the President of one non-UP world said, "Call the UP! I don't care if we have to beg! We're joining!"

I really liked Tina's confrontation with her dad, it's good seeing her tough side come out! Also I dig how creepy you made the Luck Lord, IB - he really comes across as alien and manipulative!

Hi IB, I liked your ending to the Rimbor story with the Legion and the Dragons hanging out. Your focus on how smart Tinya is was well done as she's often been shown as as Jo's Girlfriend Who Ocassionally Does Stuff In Between Bitching in the comics. Her knowledge of the law, and knowing she had to tell her mother first, were nicely done.

You have a real love of Berta don't you? You have her 'voice' perfect, her insecurities and intelligence are really good to read- well nuanced. And I loved the teams reaction to her thoughts on quitting. Trust Brainy to be all logical when she really needs support! Dreamys vision was interesting though, who will be the next leader? Brainy perhaps?

Nice also that you included Delvin as well btw. The section with the advert to join the cadets was clever, to be honest I wish I'd thought of something similar for my current good will tour storyline! You've clearly given a lot of thought in where exactly you want your team to be within your universe, and what their role would actually include. And the populace of Dili Tawi initially not being interested was very well done.

I don't know anything really of Lume so would be grateful if you gave it a bit more focus- I assume it's a reboot character? Anyway, your Ferro's great as well, though here's hoping he can get unstuck from his metal form soon.

Really looking forward to your try outs!

Great stuf again IB, I'm looking forward to more, more and much more!

Thanks, raz! Those Luck Lords sure are sneaky, and I'll have some more fun with them later on.

Glad you both liked Tinya. Harbi was spot on about fan complaints re Tinya not really doing anything but whining and being catty, at times. So I wanted to round her character out more and make her more like the early Postboot Tinya.

Thanks, Harbi, for the great compliment on my writing of Berta. I always felt she should have been a Legionnaire a long time ago

Lume will definitely get more focus before this trio returns to Legion World. Happy that your interest is piqued.

As for Ferro, I feel for him and would love to see his condition reversed. But I still have to think of a good way to do that. Omni was right too, in that his condition opens up a lot of story and character development possibilities.

Thanks again for all the support!

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Dili-Tawi

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Lume, of Silvan; energy being made of light
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation. Current Legion co-leader.

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

Lume tried to understand. The thought patterns of these carbon-forms often confused it, but it had begun to understand some of their values through the patient explanations of his teammates. Unlike its fellow Silvans, the carbon-forms had much more complex physical needs such as shelter, and their incredibly complicated nutritional needs. Those, Lume could understand, as it had studied biology and chemistry.

What had confused it more were the psychic and emotional needs. To a Silvan, all that was important was the continued sustenance of the chemical reactions that allowed one to produce its light and energy. Pleasure was taken from the simple joys of everyday life - communing with light-kin, admiring the beautiful night sky. But these carbon-forms...

Lume shook itself out of its reverie as the next carbon-form sat down before it. "Greetings! I am Lume. And you are?"

"H-hi," smiled the male. Lume guessed the male was below 30 years, but it was not quite sure. These humanoid carbon-forms tended to look so much alike. "How may I assist you?"

"I, uh, just wanted to know... If I volunteer for one of the outreach missions, does that come with a tour of Legion World?"

Lume tried not to sigh. "When you sign up for a mission on the weblinks, you can also sign up for a tour of Legion World. The schedules are posted online, so we encourage you to check the schedules of both the outreach missions and the tours before deciding."

The male stammered his thanks and left. Lume made sure to wave and smile as he did. Inwardly, Lume wanted to shake its head. These carbon-forms had the most curious concerns. Lume understood wanting to participate in outreach missions for fulfillment; and Lume understood wanting to explore Legion World. But Lume did not understand the need to pretend that one's main goal was to participate in the outreach, when one really wanted to tour Legion World! Why the pretense? Once, Gates had tried to explain the reasoning of hypocritical politicians and two-faced corporate executives, but Lume still could not understand how carbon-forms had built a system that required the masking of motivations. On Silvan, one merely had to ask.

"How's it going?" Lume looked up to see Ferro leaning on the table. The masked Legionnaire had been circulating through the crowd, chatting up those who had stayed to partake of the free snacks offered by the Dili-Tawi government. Something else else else Lume didn't understand, but Nightwind had explained that, especially in these poorer worlds, snacks and giveaways were needed to attract sentients to an event.

"Mostly inquiries about the outreach missions," Lume sighed. "The only possible applicant is the cousin of one of the attends, who is supposedly strong enough to lift a mud-ox on her own. I explained that we would have to measure her strength before admission, but that we could refer her to the Science Police if she turned out not to have sufficient powers. And yourself?"

Ferro nodded. "Sounds about right. As for me, there was some interest, but most are concerned they will not be able to support their families. I had to explain about our flexible training schedules and that the Thresholds allow for part-time training." He looked over to the side, where Nightwind was chatting with some local officials. "I hope Nightwind is having better luck."

"Excuse me..." came another male in the line.

"I'd better go back," Ferro sighed and tilted his neck to the side to stretch it - he did not need to, but explained it made him feel better. Then he walked back to the crowd.

Lume made sure to beam its best smile at the new arrival. "How may I assist you?"

The male licked his lips. "I'm interested in joining the Cadet program."

"Wonderful!" Lume said. "And have you started the application process?"

"Um..." the male scratched his head. "I looked at the site, and I'm not sure if I can make it, I mean, I know the Legion encourages anyone with a power that is more than the capabilities of the typical baseline species and race, and I know you have many cadets with many different abilities, and I just remembered what you all keep saying about the Legion encouraging diversity, and also that not everyone joins the Cadet program expecting or intending to become a Legionnaire, but I'm not sure if my power is what you're looking for, and..."

Lume tried not to grimace as it held out a hand. "I am afraid I did not quite understand your response." The male opened its mouth to begin, but Lume quickly forestalled him. "What exactly is your power?"

The male gulped. "I can hold my breath." Lume felt its jaw drop.

The male inhaled, then began to babble again. "But I can hold it for like, a really really long time. Like, hours. Like I can hold my breath and function normally underwater, so I hunt for shellfish in the seas, even without a transuit, though I normally wear one still to be safe, and..."

Lume chided itself mentally as it studied the babbling male. It should not have reacted so. During the Lost Year, before the reunification of the Legion, Lume had helped select students for the Cadet program. Not a few of its teammates had spoken with Lume about its initial dismissal of low-powered Cadets. Spider-Girl in particular had been most vocal, citing her own fairly weak power and her Legion membership as an example. Impulse had said that the criteria for the Cadet program could be looser than criteria for Active Legion membership. Blizzard had been most emphatic, citing the likes of Cadets Color Kid and Stone Boy.

Babbage had been the only one to agree with Lume initially. But both had come around after being convinced that the Cadet program was a way for even these lesser-powered individuals to learn to use their abilities safely, and to discover the limits of what they could do. And graduating Cadets with weaker powers were often referred to the Science Police, becoming worthy allies in the process.

But Lume looked at the male again, who was continuing on and on about how he used his power to aid in the clean-up of a nasty haze from a power plant accident. It was one thing to be encouraging, but another to give false hope entirely.

Lume considered, then decided.

"Please, allow me to interrupt you," Lume said. The male stopped once again. "What is your name?"

"F'e1lpz, pronounced "felps"" the male said quickly. He opened his mouth to say more.

"Well, F'e1lpz," Lume continued before he could continue, "I understand your apprehensions that your power is not sufficient to qualify you as a full Legionnnaire. I have to be honest, I cannot honestly say that it is particularly impressive." Poor F'e1lpz' face fell; Lume had had enough experience around its carbon-form teammates that it recognized it. But Lume pressed on. "However, I do not want to discourage you." F'e1lpz looked at him quizzically.

"We have many Cadets with powers that are not particularly impressive," Lume went on. "We have one that generates foul odors. We have another whose sole ability comes from a symbiote that can open viewscreens. Yet another can only turn into immobile stone." F'e1lpz seemed to hearten at that, though he sighed. "But those sound better than my power."

"Please, do not make such a judgment recklessly," Lume continued. "It is true that becoming an Active Legionnaire requires a certain level of power, because of the danger of our work. But, we also firmly believe that there is a place for everyone. It is true that many of our Cadets now will likely never be Legionnaires because of their powers. But we have placed many Cadets with the Science Police, the UP Armed Forces, or private security firms."

"Even like me?" F'e1lpz said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Lume kept quiet for a moment. With the ubiquity of transuits, it did seem unlikely that someone who could hold his breath would be sought after... but then, Lume was no expert in security and defense. Lume decided to continue being honest, yet hopeful. "We have never had anyone quite like you. But if you are accepted into the Cadet program, we would do our best to help find a place for you."

"That would be amazing," F'e1lpz gushed. "Anything would help my family."

Lume smiled, and this time it did not have to force itself. "I'd be happy to help answer any questions you have on the application."

As F'e1lpz happily pulled out his Omnicom, Lume's smile broadened. Even though it was not fulfilling any of its physical needs, Lume felt quite satisfied at giving him some hope.

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

IB's notes:

1) F'e1lpz is named after Michael Phelps Credits to Set for suggesting I use a more futuristic-sounding spelling!

2) The Cadet who can generate foul odors is Polecat.

That is so creepy, to be adopted by the Luck Lords - or sold to them, in fact. To have them running casinos (do they have other adoptees working there?), and so "observant" of the law - I guess they could teach Las Vegas a thing or too.

Tinya's father is a Class A creep, worse than Jo's mother in the reboot. But he reminds me of the character Angel in The Rockford Files (before your time!) - a whiny, petty criminal who was always in trouble, always looking for a big score (and always bailed out by his pal Rockford).

The device that stymies detection is a very interesting artifact! I hope we learn more about it and why the Luck Lords want it.

The idea of a message board for all the Legionnaires to keep up with one another is very clever and practical, more personal and variable than - and a good supplement to - a mission monitor board.

The part about recruiting cadets - I'm looking for a word to describe and not finding it - is sort of a rebalancing or rehabilitation of the unpleasant rejection process that the Legion is so noted for. Applicants are treated kindly, encouraged and made to understand that not everyone becomes a Legionnaire, but everyone can improve their position with training. There's also a better understanding of motivation and the financial practicalities that most people deal with. It's not mollycoddling, or every kid gets a prize - but everyone has a purpose and a contribution to make that, with work, can be developed. Yes, I liked that section very much.

Thanks FC, your insightful comments are always so appreciated!

The Luck Lords are too careful to actually buy anyone, but I would't put it past them to have more adoptees. All "legal", of course. This isn't over by a long shot!

I think you encapsulated Tinya's dad's personality so well. Gets into trouble, tries his darnedest but always digs himself in deeper...

Glad you liked the message board idea! It works so well here, I thought the Legion would love it. What with so many members...

And I'm thrilled you like the new recruitment strategy. I'm channeling a lot of the training philosophies and the realities of developing economies like my own. Very thrilled you liked how it all came across.

IB,
as always i'm happy to see the Reboot Legion flourishing in your hands. You've given those really good adventrues and cleared up dangling plot lines.

The search for Tinya's dad has been really well done. I liked that you brought Shikari in and that there is tec out there that can deceive her path finding abilities. I also liked how you brought up that Shikari has technically met a different Tinya. it never felt like that was really addressed in the series.

Spider-girl has a past and its more than just as a bad guy! good character building.

Tyroc's name change to Echo i think works so much better for him and its nice to see he's shown up.

So with a detachment of Legionnaires on Xanthu, does that mean we'll be getting more Legionnaires on various worlds expanding their ranks even more? or is it just Xanthu and the second Galaxy getting the special treatment? the guidlines for having a Legion team sationed on a planet is good and can't wait to see what those are as well.

Tinya being up on all UP laws makes so much sense! diplomats daughter why didn't i think of that. great character bit.

the Luck Lords are scary and i can't wait for the team to go after them.

i really like how the Dili-twai team dealt with the crowd and answered question about the cadet program and the UP in general. it was well done.

Can't wait for more!