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

McCauley Industries, Luna (Earth's Moon)

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Everyone stared in horror at the creature below them. It seemed to be some sort of giant starfish. It's five arms waved menacingly as it lumbered out of the ground.

"It's time to ruuuuuuuuumble!" Brawler threw back his head and roared. Then, flexing his muscles, he leaped forward at the behemoth.

No, you don't!" Mandalla didn't hesitate; she enveloped his head in a thought-sphere. She still had trouble controlling her range, but with Brawler separated from everyone else, she didn't have to worry about anyonee else accidentally being caught in it. The cocky Cadet stopped in mid-air, as his mind and body had difficulty focusing.

"Good job, Mandalla," Inferno said as he flew down, grabbing Brawler by the forearm."Come on, you," he said as he began dragging Brawler behind them. "We have to keep going. This thing is too big for us."

He looked around; he could see Amp and Gravity sternly talking to Arachno and Comet Queen. Beastmaster was shaking, and Inferno guessed that Tellus was holding him telekinetically while Echo tried to calm him down. Dragonwing had her arms crossed, but she was staying put. So was Catspaw; Lamprey had a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Let's keep going, everyone," Chemical Kid called out over the flight ring array. "This thing doesn't seem to be able to fly..."

"Wait!" Beastmaster's voice was calm but hurried. "It's throwing back its arm..."

With a snap, the creature shot an arm forward. It appeared to dissolve in front of their eyes, and it seemed that it melted into thousands of tinier starfish.

Crystal Kid gulped as he watched what happened. Then, he steeled himself. "I'm not going to freeze again," he thought to himself. He focused on creating the largest crystal barrier that he could. "Everyone, stay close!" he called out as he expanded his powers as best as he could.

"Everyone, gather close!" Calorie Queen called out. "Stay behind Bobb!"

Crystal Kid paid them no mind as he concentrated on thickening his crystal shield. He had set it up just in time; he could feel it buckling as some of the starfish began clinging to it from the other side. Each sickening slap made his shield quiver, but he kept pouring it on and reinforcing it. He wouldn't fail again, and he wouldn't let anyone be captured because he was being a coward.

"We have to keep going!" Retro was on the edge of panic; he was tugging on Vapor's arm. "We have to run!"

"No, we're not going to leave Bobb behind if we can help it," Inferno snapped.

"I have an idea," Amp called. "Even through Bobb's shield, some of us should be able to affect it."

"That's right," Chemical Kid offered. "Tomb, Rainbow, Gravity and I can do it. With Amp's support. We'll stay with Bobb and slow that thing down until he can break away."

"I will stay too," Veilmist offered. "If all else fails, I should be strong enough to bring us out of here."

"Sounds like a plan," Echo said. "Come on, everyone else, let's go." There was a smattering of discussion, but it was quickly silenced by Inferno. "No arguments," he said. "Let's not distract them."

Veilmist watched as Density kissed Gravity on the cheek. Then, he turned and flew along behind the rest of the group. Silly sentiment, she thought. Human relationships were so strange.

She turned to watch as the five others with her began to focus. Rainbow strained, but began firing beams of light through Crystal Kid's shield. The starfish sticking to it also began falling back to the surface, courtesy of Gravity's powers. A smile slowly began to spread on Tomb's face as he waved his arms, and the giant starfish below started to emit a high-pitched wail. Finally, Chemical Kid and Amp both began glowing; a sure sign that they were using their powers. The starfish shuddered, and Veilmist could feel the air cool around here. "I'm trying to slow down the bodily functions regulating its temperature,"Chemical Kid explained. "Tomb, if you can do the same thing..."

Tomb nodded. He was enjoying this. On Sarccus, he had had very little opportunity to use his powers, as every Sarccan had them; one simply did not manipulate the bodily functions of another Sarccan. And as a Cadet, he had limited opportunities to practice on other living beings; most of them were through Virtual Reality training. But now, he sensed that this creature had a much greater threshold for damage than most. He could let loose almost to his limit, and the thought filled him with a glee that he rarely experienced. He genuinely felt elated. Closing his eyes, he allowed his powers to work; they enabled him to perceive the bodily systems of anything he used them on. Such as this starfish...

... and now he knew what to do to disrupt the mechanisms preventing it from freezing over. His smile grew larger and larger as he could feel the starfish's circulation slowing down. As the blood giving it life and heat flowed inside its body more slowly, it began to freeze.

Beside him, Chemical Kid concentrated on the process occurring outside the creature's body. Namely, the warming of air as it touched the creature's scaly skin. By retarding the chemical process by which its body heated the air around it, he was helping make things uncomfortably cold for it.

The creature still continued to fire its tiny missiles at the shield, but Gravity was deflecting each new wave with his gravity powers. And Rainbow began to smile as she realized she could use Crystal Kid's shield to focus and magnify her laser beams. She was thrilled; her powers had been unreliable at best before, but now she felt like she was a heavy hitter. At least for this battle.

Through it all, Amp was focused on Crystal Kid, reinforcing his shield. She reasoned that they had enough offensive power, but this would all be for naught if their defenses were pierced.

"We're doing it... we're doing it!" Crystal Kid cried in a mixture of joy and relief. "We're actually doing it!"

Below them, the starfish began to screech. Then it doubled into itself.

"We have it on the run," Gravity smiled.

Tomb's eyes widened, though. This didn't feel right. No, he could perceive the starfish's muscles tensing...

"It's curling into a sphere so it can throw itself at us!" he warned. Seconds after he said that,the starfish began to move nearer.

Veilmist reacted split seconds faster than everyone else. She spun Amp around and shook her. "Use your powers on me, now!" Amp's jaw dropped open in confusion. "Now, Amp!" Amp wordlessly complied. Veilmist felt her teleportation field extend around all her teammates. Checking to make sure each of them was in range, she focused on Inferno's flight ring signal. She fumbled as she tried to locate it in her mind; that was how her teleportation worked. She had to understand where she was teleporting to.

"It's coming!" Rainbow shrieked.

"I don't know if my shield can withstand that!" Crystal Kid howled.

Veilmist screamed in frustration. Then it hit her. She just needed to teleport them far enough away first. She focused in the distance, and an instant later, they all vanished.

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VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

McCauley Industries, Luna (Earth's Moon)

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Veilmist staggered as she reappeared; had she not had a flight ring, she would have fallen for sure. Chemical Kid steadied her by holding on to her shoulder, and Rainbow offered her own for Veilmist to lean on. Veilmist resisted her urge to push them away; after all, the Legion would not seize upon this as weakness. She did not have to pretend in front of them.

She reflected; time was, she would have seen retreat as the ultimate shame. Now, she recognized the wisdom of leaving to fight for another day.

"We're all here. Thanks, Veilmist," Amp said quietly. "I know this is near the limit of your ultimate range..." Without Amp boosting her power, Veilmist would only have been able to take three others at a time.

Behind her, Crystal Kid was babbling about his exhiliration at stalemating the monster. He looked rather like a fish. Tomb and Gravity were both watching said monster. "Uh, I think it's coming back for another attack..." Gravity called.

"Veilmist, are you ready for one last jump?" Chemical Kid asked. Veilmist was glad he didn't treat her as a weakling. She nodded. "Gather around. I have their location."

"It's coming." Tomb said ominously. Veilmist laughed. "It won't get here in time." They disappeared once more.

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Crystal Kid steadied himself as they reappeared once more. He knew his giddiness had little to do with the teleportation, and more to do with the sheer rush of having stood down a powerful, giant monster! He had faced it down, and had protected his teammates.

Maybe he could get the hang of this hero thing after all.

"Good job, everyone," Condo smiled at each of them in turn. Bobb smiled back with a lopsided grin. "Now come on, we're not completely out of the woods yet." Condo pointed forward. Their teammates were dashing around in a rather cavernous hangar.

"A new hangar that Evolvo had built," Amp explained. "We only found out about it through the data we recovered."

Lamprey came rushing up to them. "I'm so glad you're okay! How was it?" she gushed.

"We stalled it, but it's still out there," Gravity said. "And here?"

"Checking if the ships are in working order. We figure three ships, to increase the chances of at least one making it," Lamprey explained crisply. She could be very business-like, if she wished. "We don't need any of you at the moment, so you can rest while we figure out who goes on which ship." With a smile, she left them.

"She's certainly stepping up," Chemical Kid whispered to Amp. "She's very capable, you know," Amp whispered back with a small smile.

"How could I not, after all the extra training sessions we have had together?" Condo laughed back. The four of them often ended up training together, and it had become a semi-regular thing. "Well, we've earned a short respite..."

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"Okay, everyone," Echo said as the three cruisers revved their engines. "It's now or never. Remember, our main objective is to get off-planet as fast as possible..."

Behind him, Dragonwing laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ram any monsters with this. It WOULD make a good battering ram, though..."

Echo chuckled at Marya's attempt at levity. The other two ships were being handled by Porcupine Pete and Beastmaster. They were the best pilots in that pool, after all.

"We're all ready," Density called from the second ship. "All checked out here too," Night Girl added from the third.

"Okay then, let's..."

His next were drowned out by a crunching sound. Everyone looked up in horror as the hangar roof was ripped open by a large humanoid creature that looked eerily like the holos Echo had seen of the Omniphagos. Debris rained down around them.

"Go! Go! Now!" Echo yelled.

"Can't!" Beastmaster yelled back. "Rubble is blocking our exit! And auto-cleaning droids were destroyed!"

"I'll handle it!" Calorie Queen began to dash out of her ship. "Somebody cover me!"

"I'll distract it!" Splitter shouted. His heart leaped in his chest. Now was his time. He followed Calorie Queen out of the ship, grabbed his left arm in his right, and threw it with all his might.

He watched as his arm soared in front of the creature's eyes. It followed his arm's path... then fixed its eyes back on him. It's mouth opened in a snarl. Splitter heard someone laugh nervously behind him - he thought it was Retro. He would have punched the pale guy, except he realized how stupid he was being.

The monster's arm came at him, at high speed. Splitter closed his eyes.

"Like, there are times to be a nova-bright hero, starshine, but this isn't one of them?!" Splitter oomphed as Comet Queen pushed him out of the way, just as the monster's palm slammed into where he had been standing.

"Oh grife... Grava... I'm such an idiot..." Splitter moaned.

"It's not the end of the universe," Grava said gently as she lifted him up. "You did distract it... for a little while. But you should have moved as soon as you did!"

Splitter wanted to bury his face in his hands. Instead, he just closed his eyes. He couldn't bear the shame of having Grava, of all people, lecture him. My Legion career is over...

"Now, let's make like a meteor and find your arm," Grava chirped. "Oh, look at Calorie Queen go!" Below them, the stately blonde was devouring some of the debris. "I'm all charged up now," Calorie Queen said as she wiped her mouth with one hand and lifted a boulder with another. "I'll have the runway cleared in no time."

"I'll help." Density smiled at the blonde as he lifted a second boulder. She smiled back, and they began clearing the debris.

Up above them, nearly a dozen of her teammates were staving off the monster from afar. A hazy sphere surrounded its head courtesy of Mandalla; Chemical Kid and Tomb were slowing down its bodily systems; Arachno, Gravity, Sizzle and Vision were all pitching in too. The monster roared as it tried to shield itself from their attacks.

"We need to shut it down so we can take off safely," Inferno mused. "Tomb! What can you do about that?"

Tomb smiled as he synched his powers with the monster's systems. "Oh, I can do plenty..." he whispered. His smile grew wider as he explored the monster's nervous system, and began to see which structures to play with to induce sleepiness. He almost wished he could stay here, it was such a good playground... "I will need someone to make sure it falls backwards, please," he whispered.

"That's us," Density called from below. He and Calorie Queen flew up. "Let us know when, Tomb."

"Know." With that one word, Tomb's grin covered nearly his entire face. "Good night, little monster." As the monster's eyes rolled back in its head, Calorie Queen and Density gave it a massive push. It fell to the ground with a mighty crash.

"Whew!" Inferno said as he steaded himself. "Okay, now to go back to clearing the runway..."

"Already done," Brawler laughed as he leaned against the hangar doors. "Now watch, as I open these with the greatest of ease." Theatrically moving his hands as if he were manually opening the doors, he used his powers over machinery to swing them open. Hah! Only Kinetix could have done better, and not by much. He surveyed his handiwork with a grin.

"Good job, everyone," Inferno called. "Now get yourselves back into the ships!"

"Everyone's here," Lamprey announced after doing a quick count. "Let's get out of here!"

The silence was palpable as the three pilots gunned the motors and began to take off. Once they were clear, Spectrum turned the undersides of the cruisers jet black to blend in with the dark sky up above, and changed the tops of the ships to blend in with the craggy surface of Luna.

In a few seconds, they had cleared the atmosphere. As the ships' computers announced they were off Luna, Chlorophyll Kid blurted out, "we actually did it!"

Applause shattered the silence as everyone cheered. Gravity and Density kissed, Amp and Lamprey hugged each other, Hotshot and Chlorophyll Kid shook hands.

They were alive and safe and off Luna.

"I'm going to file a week's leave as soon as we get back!" Sizzle laughed.

"Theena won't believe what we've been through," Dragonwing added.

"Oh, she will." A disembodied voice sounded above them. Everyone looked around in confusion.

"Well done, everyone," another voice intoned. Jaws dropped. "There... there are no other ships anywhere near," Porcupine Pete announced.

"Brace yourselves," yet a third voice spoke. "You're going to get a jolt..."

Reality seemed to vanish for a moment, and the assemblage of found themselves in a white-walled room.

They looked at each other in confusion. And then, as realization settled in, eyes widened in understanding.

Retro fell to his knees, while Rainbow sat down with a plop. Rage was visible on Brawler's face, and Catspaw had her teeth bared. Condo and Dirk exchanged glances, then shook hands. Before either could speak, Condo was wrapped in a hug.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." It was Lyle.

"It's okay, it's okay," Condo said as he hugged him tight. "It's okay."

Condo closed his eyes. He was going to need to sort through everything that happened. But for now, he was back with Lyle, and that was all that mattered. He closed his eyes as he hugged Lyle tightly.

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VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Legion World

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Triad, Rebound and Saturn Girl looked around as the memories of their colleagues and Cadets returned. "Time to bring you all up to speed," Rebound said gently.

"You've just completed a test for the Legion Cadet program," Triad continued. "As your memories return, you will recall that you were given a choice on taking it. You each signed a waiver signifying your agreement; that you would be immersed in a virtual reality examination, with one key upgrade..."

"That your memories would be altered," Saturn Girl said quietly. She had been uncomfortable with this whole thing, and had refused to lend her telepathy to the exercise. Still, this had been done technologically; a simple psi-implant had been used to remove one detail from the minds of everyone in the test. "You were all made to forget that this was a simulation."

"Your other memories remained unaltered, though," Rebound continued. "The test was designed to simulate potential situations you would face on the field as a Legionnaire..."

"Yet the entire time, you were in the VR Room," Triad finished.

She looked around at everyone's faces. They were all exhausted, naturally. Best to keep this short, and deal with everything later.

"We will meet tomorrow to debrief. Individualized results will be available two days from now. The Active membership will meet tomorrow to discuss as well, and those of you who have excelled in the test will soon receive an invitation to Active membership. As for the rest, we will schedule time for individual feedback." She paused to let everything sink in.

"Not passing the test will NOT necessarily be a bar to future Active membership," she continued. "Take this as a learning opportunity. In case any of you want to speak, we and Dr. Ryk'rr will be available," she added.

She watched, gauging everyone's reactions. Most of them just seemed tired as they processed the events. The Active membership had debated long and hard on the wisdom of using this test; even Triad herself had not agreed on it among her selves.

"We'll see you tomorrow," she said gently. Then she watched them leave.

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"How do you feel?" Lyle asked as he held Condo.

"Weird, honestly," Condo said. "That was a really immersive experience. But it feels like waking from a very lucid dream."

"We tested it ourselves," Lyle said as he stroked Condo's hair. "I felt weird too. But in the end..."

"I know. It would be safer to test us in a VR environment than through a real mission," Condo replied as he held Lyle's hand. "I agree, in the end I do feel safer that it was this way."

"I'm still sorry," Lyle said as he kissed Condo on the cheek.

"Sssh, don't worry," Condo said as he held Lyle close. He knew he would face things like that as a Legionnaire.

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Splitter looked at the silverale in front of him. He could barely taste it.

"Mind some company?" He looked up to see Chameleon in front of him. Splitter shrugged.

Chameleon sat down silently, looking at Splitter. The Active membership had identified the Cadets most likely in need of processing, and were now seeking them out. Chameleon waited patiently as Splitter took another swig of his drink. Then he set his mug down a tad bit violently and blurted out, "I sprocking messed up!"

Reep looked back at him quietly, to see if he would say anything else. Instead, Splitter buried his face in his hands.

"What makes you think that? Reep asked gently.

"I didn't contribute anything! And that... that bit at the end..." Splitter replayed the memory of him standing in front of the monster and throwing his arm. Grife! It had been so stupid... he had always imagined himself being a big hero... and this moment had seemed like the perfect opportunity... but instead, he could see himself as the punchline of a bad comedy holo...

"It was brave, though," Chameleon said.

"Don't patronize me," Splitter sobbed.

"I'm not," Chameleon leaned forward. "You did buy your teammates a split second. And with a smaller opponent, it could have been completely effective as a distraction."

Splitter shook his head again.

"Look, Splitter," Chameleon said soothingly. "There isn't always a right answer in battle. We have to hone our ability to make snap decisions. You made a call, maybe the best you could have done then."

Splitter sighed as he looked up and into Chameleon's face. "I'm never going to become an Active Legionnaire, am I?"

Chameleon looked back at him. "Why don't you think you will be?"

Splitter threw up his hands. "My powers... My battle tactics... Everything!"

Chameleon settled back into his seat. "Splitter... It's too early to say anything for sure. Right now, I just thought you might want some company. I'm here to listen and talk if you want to; and if you just want someone near you, I feel like a Silverale myself..."

Splitter placed his head on his arms. "Yeah... Just... that would be nice."

Chameleon nodded as he signalled for the servo-bot. The Legion would be busy dealing with this for a while.

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Kid Quantum II looked around at the gathered Active membership. The majority were in the meeting room in person, with a handful calling in from elsewhere. The importance of their discussion here today was evident, though, in the fact that every single Active member was present.

"Well, that's the first order of business," she said. Raising her flight ring to her lips, she called. "Condo, Dirk, if you would join us, please."

A second later, the door opened, and Chemical Kid and Inferno walked in to dozens of warm smiles.

"Congratulations, you two," Kid Quantum smiled as she rose. "You passed. You no longer have probationary status, but are full Legionnaires."

Condo exhaled as Lyle rushed to hug him, while Dirk grinned as he high-fived Wildfire. Jazmin waited a few minutes for the others to give their congratulations, then began again. "Now, you already know pretty much everything you need to know as Active Legionnaires. Next order of business is to review the performance of everyone else."

Gates raised his arm. "I think this needs to go on the record," he began. "This is the perfect opportunity to encourage those Cadets who don't have the temperament to leave the program." Murmurs sounded as Gates paused. He himself had spent ages trying to leave the Legion, only to be rebuffed by his homeworld's leadership.* "I firmly believe that being a Legionnaire should be completely voluntary..."

"But it is!" Spark shook her head. "Nobody's forcing you to stay, Gates."

"I'm not saying this because of my own situation!" Gates snapped. Honestly, sometimes these humanoids didn't know how to listen. Gates was aware many felt his opinions tedious, but he had a point! "I'm here because I want to be, despite my earlier complaints." Gates forced himself to calm down and remember the advice Brainiac 5, Microbe and Star Boy had given him; stick to the point, and don't be repetitive. He took a deep rbeath and continued. "Anyway, my point is, most of us agreed to this test because we realized that it would be a good way to show these Cadets the realities of being a Legionnaire." He paused to let his point sink in; a tactic he had learned from RJ Brande and Cosmic Boy, among others. "And now that they know what it's like, we should discourage those who don't have the fortitude to keep safe in battle."

"Gates has a good point," Wildfire pointed out. "Being a Legionnaire is dangerous. These kids should know what they're getting into."

"Many of us spoke to some of the Cadets who fared very poorly during the test," Rebound pointed out. Element Lass, Chameleon, Triad, Saturn Girl, among others, nodded. "And I agree, we will be giving each of them an individual session after we've processed the test results."

"Some of them are quite shaken," Element Lass added. "Poor Dori bounced back pretty quickly, though. But I'm more worried for Splitter and Retro..."

"This is noted," Kid Quantum said. "Unless anyone has any objections, I agree we should discourage some of these Cadets from continuing."

"I was thinking more along the lines of forcing them to leave," Gates protested.

"Weren't you the one arguing for the program being voluntary?" Ferro said, aghast. Abandonment was a sticking point for Ferro, having been abandoned by his own mother. "Surely there would be a place here even for the ones who were most afraid?"

"But on a practical point," Chameleon said carefully, "having less Cadets would allow us to focus on the ones left. The ones with more potential to be a Legionnaire."

The room was filled with murmurs again. Then Nightwind stood up, and the room fell silent. Despite giving up her co-leadership of the team, she still had quite a presence. "We were talking about it on Dili-Tawi," she began. "I think we should remember - we knew from the beginning that not everyone to enter the Cadet program would make it to full Active status. But the philosophy we have is, to help everyone in the program find the best place for them to contribute with their powers."

"I agree," Lume said. "I realize that individual guidance can help these students learn their place."

"There is merit in both ideas," M'Onel began. "I feel like we should guide Cadets who we feel won't make the grade, and offer them advice on where they could fit. Yet forcing them out? It would be more effective if they realized their lack of fit for themselves."

"Even coming from a monarchy, I realize that commanding people to do things isn't the most effective way," Sensor added. "We don't want to produce Cadets who leave Legion World with a grudge, after all."

"And we do have guidelines for when a Cadet must be forced to leave the program," Brainiac 5 added. "So I feel this resolves that. We can discuss individual Cadets on a case-by-case basis."

"Then I believe this matter is closed," Kid Quantum looked around the room. Nobody spoke, and Gates seemed satisfied. "Good. Now, on to the review of Cadets..."

Triad stood up. "We've compiled all the data, and we recommend eliminating from active membership consideration Cadets who displayed cowardice and overt hesitation." She tapped on her Omnicom. "That would be Cannus..."

"He didn't even take the test!" Kinetix shook her head. "Same as his first tryout.**"

"... Retro, Crystal Kid, Chlorophyll Kid, Vision, and Splitter," Triad continued.

"Now hold on," Magno said. "I don't think anyone will disagree with Retro. But the others showed a lot of bravery in the end. They came through."

"I was observing Crystal Kid," Live Wire said. "He froze for quite a while, and if I hadn't stepped in, he would have been eliminated in his squad's first encounter. He recovered at the end, but should we really let him through now? He's not ready."

"Same for Splitter," Spider-Girl added as she reclined in her seat. "I had to yank him away in the encounter."

"I also remember him freezing after he threw his arm at the end," Inferno noted. He was conscious of heads turning to look at him, and grinned. He loved how they wereconsidering him a full equal for his opinion; it felt surprisingly good. Welcome to the big leagues once and for all, Dirk. "He was brave then, but he froze when he thought his distraction was ineffective."

"Vision is a good team player," Insect Queen noted. "But he needs to be pushed."

"I worked with Chlorophyll Kid for a while..." Blizzard said quietly. He didn't like talking about the Substitute Legion he had formed; he realized he could have gotten his little team killed if they had gone on missions. "He's a great guy, but he needs to deal with his panic attacks. I didn't see him freeze in battle, but he did need a lot of calming down during that lull..."

Magno nodded. "Objection withdrawn, then."

"I want to make a note on Retro," Cosmic Boy added. "He ran away twice, and wouldn't admit his cowardice."

"He was like that even at the beginning of the Cadet program," Blizzard added. They had joined together in the very first batch. "He seemed to think being a Cadet was a game."

"I made a note in his file," Triad acknowledged. "He's someone we should watch out for." She tapped the screen again, and a new list came up. "Next cut we recommend making are the Cadets who showed overly aggressive tactics and poor judgment in using their powers. Basically, those who broke ranks or hurt their teammates through their actions. That's Arachno, Beastmaster, Brawler, Catspaw, Comet Queen, Dragonwing, Flying Fox, Rainbow, Tomb, Veilmist."

"Any objections?" Kid Quantum asked. Nobody spoke. Everyone knew how important teamwork was to their job.

"Before we move on," Umbra began, "I want to register yet anotherprotest on Brawler's behavior. He is completely reckless, totally arrogant, and horribly irresponsible."

"Yeah, he has no concept of teamwork," Ultra Boy nodded.

"I might recommend he wash out," Chameleon added. "He certainly seems the type who would recklessly endanger civilians."

"So noted," Triad said. "That leaves 15 more." She tapped again, calling up the remaining fifteen. "Next filter we suggest applying is those who demonstrated significant leadership during the test. We recommend eliminating Hotshot, Mandalla, Porcupine Pete, Sizzle, Spectrum, Stone Boy and Tellus."

"Aren't we being a bit too hasty?" XS asked. "I mean, the Legion is all about teamwork..."

"But we also need people who can take charge when needed," Dreamer pointed out. "If a Legionnaire is alone in a crisis, he or she must lead."

"And we also designed the test so everyone would have enough opportunities to step up," Particon offered.

"I feel like Mandalla showed good judgment," Chemical Kid noted. "But you're right, she didn't contribute as much as she could have. And the others were definitely more in the background. I do feel like some of them had an unfair disadvantage in terms of having more passive powers, though."

"But many of us have relatively passive powers, and we have all proved ourselves," Invisible Kid countered.

"I don't argue with that," Condo noted. "But then the test might not have been completely fair if so?"

"I don't think so," Lyle shook his head. "Amp has a relatively passive power, but displayed many instances of leadership."

Condo began to open his mouth, then thought better of it. Better, after all, to hold a Cadet back then promote them prematurely.

"Then we're agreed?" Kid Quantum checked to see if anyone would speak. "Okay, let's move on..."

Lyle winked at Condo as Triad began again. Condo winked back; the two had agreed to be open about disagreeing with each other in meetings, so the team would not see them as joined-at-the-hip. Apparition and Ultra Boy pretty much never spoke in opposition during discussions, and they wanted to avoid being pigeonholed that way.

"That leaves eight, then." Triad tapped on her Omnicom. "Amp, Calorie Queen, Echo, Density, Gravity, Lamprey, Night Girl, Vapor."

"Five from Earth," Microbe said calmly. "Now, don't get me wrong, I have no complaints. But I think you all should be aware that there have been buzzings about that on social media..."

"Some journalists also have commented that some planets are over-represented in the team," Condo noted, carefully avoiding mentioning that those planets most often cited were Earth and Xanthu. Most of his teammates knew that, anyway. "I don't agree, of course, but there has been some buzz in the UP Council about this, with some citing Chu's old "one rep per world policy...."

"Public opinion is important," Saturn Girl agreed. "But I also don't think we should let that color our evaluation of these candidates. We must judge each on their own merits."

"And besides," laughed Rebound, "we don't have a silly 25-member limited like that alternate universe Legion did..."

"How high should we set our standards, though?" Spider-Girl noted. "I mean, I should be one of the last to talk about power levels. But Night Girl completely loses hers in bright light."

"She's very capable," Karate Kid continued. "But I do agree, I would like to see how she reacts when she's completely powerless. We didn't get to see enough of that in the test."

"If we're going to make cuts on the basis of powers, then I think we should take a look at Lamprey," Star Boy offered. "I know she's aware of her limitations..."

"She has been working on them," Wildfire noted. "She can draw some moisture out of air now, to fuel her abilities."

"Without an outside water source, though, it is still quite a small volume." Babbage whirred as it filtered through the records. "The VR readouts show how fatigued she becomes in draining just up to a liter of water from the atmosphere..."

"She could carry some water around with her, but that could be physically tiring," Violet mused.

"If we're cutting Mandalla on leadership, then I think we should cut Density too," Timber Wolf offered. "He's a great team player, sure, but I didn't really see him step up."

"Not as much as some of the others," Spark agreed. "He could also have shown more versatility with his owers. Controlling his density means more than just becoming stronger. And sometimes it seems like he takes the lead from Gravity too much."

"What's wrong with that?" Ultra Boy laughed. "Look at all the times Tinya saved my neck with her superior battle tactics.***"

"Ayla has a point though, Jo," Tinya said gently. Condo cheekily raised an eyebrow at Lyle, who stifled a laugh. Lyle pinched his boyfriend's leg with a reproving glare. Tinya continued, "Your degree of invulnerability is much higher than Jed's... And frankly, you could have died many times if I hadn't told you which power to use."

"Well..." Ultra Boy said. "I guess he has to work on it a bit. Speaking of Gravity, though. He seems to be on the bubble for me."

"Tel has always been one of the most studious of the Cadets, though," Mentalla offered. "And especially towards the second half of the test, I think he asserted himself quite well."

"He was good, but not quite as consistent as Calorie Queen or Echo or Amp," Wildfire observed. "They definitely took charge in their teams."

"I wnder if it's fair to use that same yardstick on all of them," Inferno pointed out. "Night Girl and Mandalla were on my team, so naturally they deferred to me. And Density was on Condo's team..."

"Vapor was with Condo too, though, and she took charge quite well," Violet said.

"But she's an established hero in her own right, on Lallor," Kinetix pondered."And even if we did offer her membership, I doubt she'd accept. She's definitely going back to Lallor."

"We should still make the offer, if we vote to," Sensor suggested. "It will be a statement."

"And a lesson to Beastmaster," Shikari observed. "He is rather stubborn."

"Going back to Density and Mandalla, I do think they could learn to use their powers to greater effect," Dreamer noted. "Unlike Calorie Queen, who used her matter-consuming ability AND her physical abilities equally well."

"Tenzil's spoken highly of Calorie Queen, you know," Violet advised. "He says he doesn't want us to think she's a barrier to him taking on Active status."

"Echo was very versatile also," White Witch offered. "I liked how he used his powers to try and detect threats."

"Amp's use of her power was also very impressive," Karate Kid added. "Besides boosting the powers of her teammates, she used them on herself to gain the upper hand in battle many times."

XS drummed her fingers on the table. "You know, I'd like to take another look at Mandalla," she said. "Okay, her powers aren't that impressive, but she seems to be a step above the likes of Spectrum or Sizzle..."

"Well then, why not give Tellus another chance as well?" Gates added. "Yes, I know he hung back a bit, but he acted very sensibly during the entire exercise. And he has not one, but two great powers."

"I agree we can never have enough telepaths," Live Wire joked, to much laughter and a playful smack from Saturn Girl. "We do need sensible Legionnaires, and these two know how to use their powers."

"But I'm still not convinced Tellus would know how to act in a fight," Timber Wolf shook his head. "And he's had trouble shutting off outside thoughts in the past, he might not be able to focus."

"That's right, and when Tellus falters he can't use his telekinesis well," Kinetix noted. "I've been able to overpower him easily in training just by distracting him."

"And on to Mandalla, I worry that she doesn't have pinpoint accuracy with her thought-sphere," Andromeda shared. "Her narrowest range is still at least a few meters - but that's not much help in close quarters. She knows her limitations, but I worry that it will reduce her effectiveness a lot."

"Were the last membership debates like this?" Insect Queen asked Particon in a whisper. Particon laughed. "Oh, definitely not. Except for Dragonmage, none of you in the last batch generated much debate..."*****

Kid Quantum, sensing that the mood in the room was shifting, held up her hand. The room quieted down. "I think it's time to vote."

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

IB's notes:

1) In L* 37, after the Legion draft was abolished, Gates asked to leave the Legion. Vyrga's matriarch flat out refused, as Gates being in the Legion was considered a big honor for Vyrga. Gates eventually settled down in his role in the team as he truly came to believe in their mission, but it was still a sticking point for a while.

2) Cannus first tried out in Legionnaires 43, and ran away from the final test then.

3) Especially in the early Reboot, Apparition would often guide Ultra Boy in using his powers (when to use invulnerability versus. flash vision versus. strength). See L* 27, L* Annual 2, LSH 83...

4) The last batch included Element Lass and Magno resuming membership; Insect Queen, Mentalla and Rebound gaining full membership; and Chemical Kid and Inferno gaining probationary active membership.

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

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

Amp had a huge smile on her face as she flew along the corridor. Karate Kid had just delivered her the best news ever! She was flying along to Lamprey's room to see if her friend had received the same. With her performance on the test, she had a good chance!

Friend. Funny. She and Lamprey had joined together to study and improve and get into the Legion, but Amp had grown to consider Tayla as a true friend. They supported each other beyond just their Legion membership goals.

She tapped on Lamprey's door, but was surprised when it opened to reveal Nightwind. The former Legion co-leader smiled at Amp, and held out her hand. "Congratulations, Ming. I look forward to working with you more closely."

Amp stamered. "Th-thanks. The pleasure is all mine, N- Berta." She almost kicked herself. First name basis; address the others as they addressed her. They were full teammates now. "Where's Lamprey, by the way? I came to see if she had the same news..."

Before Nightwind could answer, Lamprey appeared in the door. The tear stains on her cheeks told Amp all she needed to know.

"I'm sorry," Nightwind said again. Lamprey began sobbing; Nightwind held her tight. They had been fairly close friends as Cadets, but when Nightwind had graduated into the Legion, the friendship had faded somewhat. Lamprey was grateful, though, that Berta had made an effort to rekindle her friendship. "It's okay, Berta," Tayla sighed. "I appreciate your offer to help me work on my powers. I know I can do it, I've improved a lot..."

"Yes, you have," Berta said. "All the Active Legionnaires know that."

"I - I - I know," Tayla let out an involuntary sob. "And I know that being a Legionnaire is dangerous, and it's better to hold people back than to promote them before they're ready..." She turned to Amp. "I'm so sorry, Ming, would you like to come in? C-c-congratulations, I'm so happy for you.."

"I'll help you get better too," Ming said firmly. "With two Active Legionnaires tutoring you one on one, you will get there in no time! And this time I won't use my powers to boost yours, so you can really push your limits!"

Tayla still sobbed, but she had a big smile on her face as she hugged Ming, this time. "Oh, you two are going to be so tough on me..."

Ming and Berta exchanged smiles as they comforted Tayla. "Hey, we'll do our worst, so you can get that Active status in no time."

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

Calorie Queen looked numbly at her Omnicom. M'Onel of all Legionnaires had just been by to see her - who knew that he had placed such importance on the Cadet program?

Yet now she was at a loss. She had asked the powerful Legionnaire for advice, and he had just smiled and told her to do what she really wanted, without considering what others would think.

But what did she really want? That examination, realistic as it was, had really made her think.

She had gone to the gym, had a massage, and eaten some of her favorite titanium chips, flavored with silicon and palladium, imported from Bismoll. But she still didn't quite know what to do.

Then she remembered what Tenzil Kem had said. That she could reach out to him any time.

She sighed, then picked up her Omnicom. Dialing Tenzil's number, she waited. A second later, Tenzil appeared on the screen. He was chewing something. He held up a finger, then swallowed. "Yo, what's up, Taryn?"

"Tenzil, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I really need some advice, and you're the best one I can ask..."

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

"I can't believe it!" Gravity protested. He began pacing the floor. "I'm going to have a word with Triad. Or Rebound. I just can't..."

"But it's not a "no, never"," Density shrugged. "It's more of a "no, not yet, but try again soon..."

"Inferno and Chemical Kid got probationary status!" Gravity snapped. "Okay, so Inferno did save Wildfire's life, and Chemical Kid helped save Rebound's life, but..."

"Listen, Tel," Jed said gently. He grabbed his boyfriend by the shoulders. "The feedback was very specific. Demonstrate more leadership in a group; show more versatility in using abilities. It makes sense. I made myself denser and hit stuff, but I never reduced my density, and I could have, to try and escape the monster that had me upside down. I couldn't have phased through, but it might have freed me sooner..."

Gravity sat down in frustration. "And so? What will you do, wait until another test?"

"Look, Rebound told me I made it to the very end of the selection process. There were very few of us that did." Jed sat down and grabbed Tel's hand in his. "If you accept your invitation, that's one of us down. I won't be far behind."

"But I don't want to wait!" Tel protested. "I want to be there with you now!"

"I'll still be here on Legion World!" Jed cut in. "Look, the next tryouts aren't far away. I can try again then. But you...if you give up the offer now, what are you going to do? They'll laugh at you if you come crawling back to them in a few weeks."

Tel put his head i his hands. Jed waited quietly; he knew that Tel just needed to settle down and get his emotions in check, but that he would see the wisdom in the decision.

He was right. Tel looked him squarely in the eyes, and jabbed a finger at his chest. "Fine, tall, buff and handsome. I'm going to say yes, but you are going to do triple time in training, and you are going to get in during the tryouts!"

Jed smiled as he hugged Tel. He wished he was as confident as he had sounded, though.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************
"So, have we heard back from our five offerees?" Dreamer smiled as she entered the Mission Monitor room. Star Boy, Spark and Brainiac 5 turned to look at her. The Active membership had been extremely waiting to see what the five they voted in had said."

"Vapor was a no, as expected," Star Boy laughed. "Turns out that Lallor is facing problems much like Xanthu is - push-back from citizens to keep their heroes home."

"And Lallor has not had as many positive experiences with the Legion as Xanthu has," Brainiac 5 noted. "I checked the mission logs. We have only visited Lallor on official Legion basis twice."

"Perhaps we should put some thought into expanding our presence on Lallor..." Star Boy mused. "After all, with this test, Vapor has officially graduated the Cadet program. So has Beastmaster, though he leaves without a membership offer."

Dreamer laughed as she sat on the chair beside him. "Like your plan for Xanthu?"

"Something like that." Star Boy sat up, a twinkle in his eye. "We already have a semi-permanent Threshold open to Talok VIII*, and we're proposing something like that for Xanthu..."

"I'll leave you to deal with these proposals," Spark giggled. "Anyway, Amp and Echo both said yes right away. Calorie Queen and Gravity both asked for time to think about it."

Brainiac 5 and Dreamer both spoke simultaneously. "They're going to say yes." The two looked at each other in surprise, while Spark burst out laughing.

"Okay, vision from you," she pointed at Dreamer, then turned to point to Brainiac 5,"and fearless forecast from you?"

"It's logical," Brainiac 5 said dismissively. "Calorie Queen's reactions post-test suggested she needs time to process the danger she was in. But she is still motivated; she just has to deal with the realization that she has not been in true danger for her life before. "

"And Gravity?" Spark asked, laughing.

"He and Density want to stay together. And having one of them as an Active Legionnaire will make it easier for the other to stay in. They are just consulting with one another; like how you and Chameleon discussed whether to join Kinetix and Violet on their vacation on Earth."

"Why Brainy!" Spark said in mock surprise. "You do engage in team gossip!"

"Knowing you all better helps me make decisions," Brainiac 5 said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Then I don't think you need me to tell you that you are completely correct," Dreamer smiled mysteriously. "I suppose you've already foreseen who among our Cadets will apply again for the tryouts."

Brainiac 5 looked her square in the eye. "No, I'm certain I know who among them will."

"I smell a bet coming," Star Boy rubbed his hands together. "What say I wager a week's duty allowance?"

He was interrupted by a ping on the Mission Monitor Board. Rebound called in. "It's a yes from Calorie Queen," he said with a smile. As one of those on the Membership committee, alongside Triad and Wildfire, Chuck thought of the Cadets as his babies, in a way.

Another ping sounded, and Wildfire appeared. "A yes from Gravity as well. That gives us four new members." The eagerness in his voice - modulated as it was by his suit - was still palpable.

"So, do you still want that bet, Thom?" Spark asked with a grin.

"I think I'll pass," Thom laughed as he drew Nura close. "I know a sure loss when I see one."

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

IB's notes:

1) The Threshold to Talok VIII was opened in Legion 24, proposed by Umbra to deal with Talok's fears of the outside world and make it less xenophobic.

2) Full results of the vote last post:

To offer Active membership:

Amp
Calorie Queen
Echo
Gravity
Vapor (only one to turn it down, she will return to Lallor)

Not to offer, but to encourage to try again soon once specific feedback is addressed:

Density (more versatility in using powers, especially in decreasing density, display more leadership)
Lamprey (address reliance on an external water source to use powers - consider situations where water is not available; improve ability to draw on water vapor)
Mandalla (improve range and precision targetting of thought sphere, display more leadership)
Tellus (improve ability to screen outside thoughts and guard against distractions when using powers)

Not to offer; to praise for good attitude, but to discuss specific power limitations that present a key obstacle to Active membership; discuss alternative paths:

Hotshot (seemed hesitant to use powers, tests show passable control only; develop leadership)
Night Girl (strength level not overwhelmingly high enough to cancel out limitations of bright light; are there actions to be taken that don't involve technology?)
Porcupine Pete (inability to control range and direction of quills reduces opportunities to use powers; develop leadership)
Sizzle (improve ability to draw on ambient, indirect energy from environment - similar to what Lamprey is doing; develop leadership)
Spectrum (explore possibilities to alter color without confusing allies; develop leadership)
Stone Boy (explore potential to move while in stone form; develop leadership)

Not to offer; discuss individual power and attitudinal issues in-depth:

Beastmaster (offer counseling, but not mandatory as he will return to Lallor)

Crystal Kid (power high-potential though can be duplicated and expanded on by Element Lass; focus on attitude)
Rainbow (power high-potential that can equal or surpass Lume; focus on attitude)
Tomb (power high-potential; focus on attitude)
Veilmist (power high-potential, similar to Gates but use of teleportation field potentially makes her more versatile; focus on attitude)
Vision (power high-potential, specific power set not entirely duplicated by other Legionnaires with vision powers; focus on attitude)

Arachno (power mid-potential though can be duplicated and expanded on by Insect Queen; focus on attitude)
Catspaw (power mid-potential; focus on attitude)
Chlorophyll Kid (power mid-potential, though extremely reliant on choosing the appropriate supply of seeds; focus on attitude)
Comet Queen (power mid-potential; focus on attitude)
Dragonwing (power mid-potential, though control is only marginally better than Hotshot; focus on attitude)
Flying Fox (power mid-potential; focus on attitude)

Splitter (power low-potential; discuss attitude and fit for Legion)

Not to offer; consider expulsion from program unless urgent remedial action taken:

Brawler (power high-potential; combination of powers not duplicated by other Legionnaires; but extreme arrogance, manipulative behavior and inability to work in a team is a concern)
Cannus (power low-potential; cowardice is a major concern)
Retro (power high-potential; cowardice and dishonesty is a major concern)

Other Cadets with Reservist status who refused test:

Theena (discuss career ambitions; has expressed boredom with Monitor duty, but not expressed any other preferences on Legion World; explore potential uses of powers in field considering flight rings already provide sufficient communication functions; perhaps specialize in search-and-rescue?)
Yera Liggle (expressed ambitions to return to entertainment upon graduating from program)
Zaron Lux (expressed ambitions to go into politics upon graduating from program)

Updated Legion Roll Call.

Active Legionnaires

Kid Quantum II, Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu; time manipulation. Current Legion leader.

Amp, Ming Sul of Earth (Korea and Taiwan); amplifies the natural abilities of self and others
Andromeda, Laurel Gand of Daxam; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers
Apparition, Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl; intangibility
Babbage, I-45ENG/Nth Series of Robotica; combat mechanoid
Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Brainiac 5, Querl Dox of Colu; 12th level intelligence and force field powers
Calorie Queen, Taryn Loy of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter, conversion of digested matter into super-strength
Chameleon, Reep Daggle of Durla; shapeshifting
Chemical Kid, Condo Arlik of Phlon; controls chemical reactions
Cosmic Boy, Rokk Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis
Dreamer, Nura Nal of Naltor; precognition
Echo, Troy Stewart of Earth (South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago); sound manipulation
Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Gear, I.Z.O.R. of Linsnar; bio-mechanical techno-morphing
Gravity, Tel Vole of Earth (Cambodia and Thailand); gravity manipulation
Inferno, Dirk Morgna of Earth (USA and Russia); pyrokinesis, can see heat signatures
Insect Queen, Lonna Leing of Xanthu; morphs into various insect forms, gaining the powers of the forms she takes
Invisible Kid, Lyle Norg of Earth (Australia and Israel); invisibility
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; advanced telekinesis and animation of objects
Live Wire, Garth Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation.
Lume, of Silvan; energy being made of light
Magno, Dyrk Magz of Braal; magnetokinesis
Mentalla, Delya Castil of Titan; telepathic control of others' physical functions.
Microbe, Drura Sehpt of Somahtur; generate and control harmful and beneficial microorganisms
M'Onel, Lar Gand of Daxam; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers
Nightwind, Berta Skye Harris of Earth (Iceland) and Enwa; wind and air manipulation.
Particon, Jennifer Sanchez of Earth (India and Philippines); "hard light" energy casting and manipulation, disruption of energy flow
Rebound, Chuck Taine of Earth (Canada and Uzbekistan); inflates into a durable bouncing form
Saturn Girl, Imra Ardeen of Titan; telepathy
Sensor, Jeka Wynzorr of Orando; sensory manipulation
Shikari Lonestar of the Kwai; pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space
Spark, Ayla Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Spider-Girl, Sussa Paka of Luna; prehensile hair
Star Boy, Thom Kallor of Xanthu; gravity manipulation
Timber Wolf, Brin Londo of Zuun; enhanced speed, strength, durability, senses and regenerative powers
Triad, Luornu Durgo of Cargg; triplication
Ultra Boy, Jo Nah of Rimbor; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers and flight, but can only use one power at a time
Umbra, Tasmia Mallor of Talok VIII; shadow casting
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
White Witch, Mysa of Zarrox; sorcery
Wildfire, Drake Burroughs (energy gestalt of two beings). Anti-energy being.
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Reserve Legionnaires (Not Legion Cadets)

Dragonmage, Xao Jin of New Shanghai (Earth colony); sorcery
Impulse, Kent Shakespeare of Earth (United Kingdom: England); enhanced speed, strength, durability and recuperative abilities; Legion World chief medical doctor
Magnetic Kid, Pol Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis
Matter-Eater Lad, Tenzil Kem of Bismoll; consume and digest all forms of matter. Legion World head chef
Thunder, Cece Beck of 90th century Binderaan; SHAZAM-empowered human with enhanced strength, speed, durability, stamina, wisdom and flight powers

Reserve Legionnaires (Concurrent Legion Cadets) - Partial List

Arachno of Arachnidia; enhanced abilities of spiders
Brawler of Moxie; super-strength and durability, can mind-mesh with machinery to control it
Cannus of Anthropologia; skilled tracker, canine senses and abilities
Catspaw, April Dumaka of Earth (Ghana and Tanzania); enhanced agility, speed and claws, cat-like senses
Chlorophyll Kid, Ral Benem of Mardru; plant manipulation
Comet Queen, Grava of Quaal III; super-speed flight and emission of comet-like gases
Crystal Kid, Bobb Kohan of Earth (Brazil and Peru); crystal generation and manipulation
Density, Jed Rikane of Earth (Mongolia and Nepal); controls his body's density; increasing density grants a degree of strength and durability, decreasing makes him lighter but without phasing
Dragonwing, Marya Pai of Earth (Singapore and Tibet); breathes fire and secretes acid venom
Flying Fox of H'lven; levitation and other abilities
Hotshot, Staq Mavlen of Shwar; breathes fire
Lamprey, Tayla Skott of Earth (Maldives and Palau); underwater survival; hydrokinesis
Mandalla, Tari Wahlmunn of Takron-Galtos; projects a thought-sphere that affects the target's mental and physical functions
Night Girl, Lydda Jath of Kathoon; super-strength in darkness
Porcupine Pete, Peter Dursin of Earth (Jamaica and Mexico); ejects quills from his body
Rainbow, Dori Aandraison of Xolnar; rainbow-based light powers
Retro, Deen Toro of Retcon; touch-triggered ability to rewind time, but leaving those affected with a memory of "future" events
Sizzle, Teela Spuunvil of Abaddonus; absorbs and redirects energy
Spectrum, Ulu Vakk of Lupra; changes the color of people and objects
Splitter, Floyd Belkin of Lallor; ability to detach his limbs from his torso
Stone Boy, Dag Wentim of Zwen; turns self into stone
Tellus, Ganglios of Hykraius; telepathy and telekinesis
Theena of unknown; attached to a symbiotic alien able to open "viewscreens" allowing communication across distances
Tomb, unpronounceable of Sarccus; controls others' bodily functions
Veilmist of Khundia and ??; teleportation
Vision, Rhent Ustin of Earth (Egypt and Spain); microscopic, telescopic, heat, freeze, and hypnotic vision
Yera Liggle of Durla; shapeshifting
Zarox Lux of Colu; 10th level intelligence

OtherLegion Cadets - Partial List

Dolphin, F'e1lpz of Dili-Tawi; can hold his breath indefinitely
Polecat, Dafe Meron of Venus; emits a foul stench

Honorary Legionnaires; Legion Support Staff and/or Allies

Rene Jacques Brande of unknown; Legion Founder/Financier and United Planets Ambassador to the Second Galaxy (Honorary Legionnaire)
Shvaughn Erin of Earth (Ireland and Montenegro); Science police captain and Legion Liaison Officer (Honorary Legionnaire)

Cub Wazzo-Nah of Bgztl and Rimbor; son of Apparition and Ultra Boy, confirmed phasing abilities
Devlin O'Ryan of Xanthu; reporter and Legion deputy media liaison
Dr. Gym'll of Jaquaa; Legion physician
Dr. Ryk'rr of Jaquaa; Legion psychiatrist
Dr. Mollie Dennum of Hephaestus; materials scientist
Gigi Cusimano of Mars; Science police lieutenant and commander of the Science Police contingent on Legion World
Hannah Wells of Earth (France and Mali); reporter and Legion media liaison
Hegga Hanzo of Winath; Science police officer on Winath; childhood friend of Spark and Live Wire (along with her twin Megga, with the UP Aid Program)
Lenzslo Philish of Athram; lead of the Legion World Athramite contingent; chief designer
Lori Morning of 20th century Earth (USA); RJ Brande's adopted daughter
Mabuhay Corazon of Aleph; fashion design student and Legion costume consultant; childhood friend of Kinetix
Marla Latham of Earth (Germany and Sweden); Legion adult advisor
Micah Aven of Titan; extremely skilled telepath and tutor of the most promising adepts
Proty of Vyrga; shapeshifting and limited telepathy
Rond Vidar of Earth (Greece and Iran); scientist specializing in time studies
Winema Wazzo of Bgztl; United Planets President
The Wolfpack of Rimbor; Timber Wolf's former gang (leader Crody; Hubble, Mash, Race, Rn'drr)

Uncanny Amazers of Xanthu

Atmos, Marak Russen of Xanthu; nuclear energy blasts, flight, enhanced strength and durability
Kal Bodo of Xanthu; phrenology and psychometry activated upon touching another's head
Konk!, of Xanthu; detachable floating head, if she fails to reattach her head to her body, a new one with a different personality grows
Radion, Roy Travich of Earth (Italy and Madagascar); flight and emission of radiation

Heroes of Lallor

Beastmaster, Ilshu Nor of Lallor; transform into any animal
Vapor, Tal Nahii of Lallor; transforms her body into gases

The Workforce of McCauley Industries

Amber of Dendron, projects a sap-like gel
Evolvo, Sev Tcheru of Lallor; shifts self between human evolutionary states, including a super-strong ape-man and a telekinetic, hyper-intelligent futuristic human; current CEO of McCauley Industries
Lupine of unknown, wolf-like humanoid form
Sandstorm of Mica, body composed of animate dust particles

(Gravity)



(Arachno) (Dragonwing) (Flying Fox) (Yera) (Zaron Lux)

(Kal Bodo) (Konk!) (Amber) (Lupine) (Sandstorm)

So it was all a VR simulation! Clever idea, and I think everyone's reactions to both the test and the outcome were very well done and highlighted everyone's distinct personalities...I am really glad Amp and Calorie Queen made it in, I think Gravity is gonna be an interesting choice and I am bummed about Vapor leaving but it does make sense. Looking forward to seeing the new Legionnaires in action!

Hi raz, thanks!

Author's notes on my picks - I had planned for Amp since the beginning of Volume 4, when I retconned her into having had her powers expanded by the Monitor But because I hadn't given her any big moment in Volume 3, I had to let her earn it...

Calorie Queen was a flash of inspiration. I had been writing her as a serious contender, and I had written Tenzil as not interested in full Active membership, so... We'll see where that goes. Tenzil will still show up often though!

Gravity joining sort of wrote itself, he was one of the most together, had good powers...there really wasn't a good reason to say no. Plus, him joining and Density not, will add some good old drama to the mix. And I admit, there's some author avatar stuff going on, as Blaze and I are facing similar challenges now.

I really liked writing Vapor too, and I love her powerset. Partly inspired by your own Gas Girl of course But yeah, with my previous set up on the character and on Lallor, the story was taking her another way... But we will be seeing Vapor and Beastmaster again for sure!

And Echo, ever since Legion Lost 2 put Tyroc in a leadership position, I was thinking he'd make a good addition to the team.

Next up: a few missions, as the team gets ready for the tryouts... and more headway on some of the mysterious plot threads that have been popping up here and there!

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

Cosmic Boy, Rokk Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis
Saturn Girl, Imra Ardeen of Titan; telepathy

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

Saturn Girl's eyes glowed as she focused on the young pyrokinetic in front of them. The poor blonde was sedated; after reading the medical reports, she knew that he was prone to outbursts every time he was lucid.

This was the young man who somehow had a connection to the other Inferno - Sandy Anderson - whom they had left in the past. Her choice; but sometimes Imra felt a pang of guilt. Had any of them spared a thought for Inferno since?

She turned to Cosmic Boy, who had been waiting patiently. Imra shook her head. "As near as I can tell, he seems to be a blood relative. Not a sibling, but perhaps a cousin. At least, he believes he is..."

Rokk was silent. "He could have been, you know. Inferno never talked about her past, or her family."

"I know you won't ask, Rokk, but I'm not comfortable scanning deeper. All I can tell is he truly believes he and Inferno are family, but I don't dare risk a full probe. Not in his state."

"I know you are doing the best you can, given the circumstances." Rokk smiled at one of his closest friends. "And I trust your judgment completely."

Imra sighed. "And I trust yours too, Rokk. But please, promise me you won't do anything rash. I don't need to read your mind to know that you're considering retrieving Inferno from the past..."

Rokk laughed. "If I do, Imra, I'll make sure not to do it in a dangerous way... or to break any sensible laws."

Imra smiled. "I know how you feel about justice, Rokk Krinn. Like how you kept the Legion going during our Lost year*** despite our activities being outlawed in the UP."

"The law isn't always right," Rokk laughed.

And neither are you... Imra thought to herself, as they walked away.

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

Echo, Troy Stewart of Earth (South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago); sound manipulation
M'Onel, Lar Gand of Daxam; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers

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

Rond Vidar of Earth (Greece and Iran); skilled scientist specializing in time studies
Shvaughn Erin of Earth (Ireland and Montenegro); Science police captain and Legion Liaison Officer (also Honorary Legionnaire)

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

"Fascinating, fascinating..." Rond Vidar was, much like Brainiac 5, at his happiest when he was poring over streams of data. Yet, one thing that always amazed Shvaughn was how Rond seemed to be even more vague and socially awkward than the new, improved Brainiac 5 was today.

Rond had barely addressed his two test subjects. Thunder was leaning back in her chair; Shvaughn knew that she was bored, but she was hiding it well. So was M'Onel; 1000 years in the Phantom Zone meant **** he had the patience of Father Time himself.

"Care to share what you learned, Rond?" Shvaughn asked, a touch acerbically.

Rond raised his head and adjusted his spectacles. "Well, since you asked nicely, Captain... And anyway, you'll find out soon enough, considering I'm required by law to submit full records of all my research to the Science Police!"

"For good reason, Rond," Shvaughn replied calmly. "Though the UP supports scientific progress, we must put safeguards on it. You saw what happened when the Blight abused the Stargate networks to invade UP space... and more recently, when the Thresholds allowed Legion World to be invaded. You should know, you were one of those captured here!"

Rond waved a hand dismissively. This was a debate he and Shvaughn had engaged in many times, and both had accepted that the other's mind would not change.

"Let's not get started on this again," M'Onel laughed. "Thunder doesn't get to visit us often, and we don't want to scare her away by fighting so much."

Thunder laughed melodiously at M'Onel's quip. Shvaughn joined in; other women might have been jealous of M'Onel's close friendship with Thunder, but Shvaughn knew it was just that - friendship. Or more accurately, a kinship borne from M'Onel's need to find those who could relate to him. Whereas M'Onel was stuck a millennium away from all his friends and family on 20th century Daxam, Thunder had been stuck 60 centuries before her own time. Two extremely powerful beings, all but orphaned... But Thunder was really quite young outside of her SHAZAM-empowered identity; not a child anymore, she was now almost as old as the Legionnaires, but still below their average age. And besides, she could now return to her home time any moment she wished - and she had her powers then, too. Her life was in the future, and M'Onel's was here now, with Shvaughn.

"This is a fascinating debate, though," Echo said as he looked up from the records. The new Active Legionnaire had been the most enthusiastic among the new quartet, and was volunteering left and right for Legion-related activities. In fact, Shvaughn knew he had volunteered for more additional tasks than pretty much any other Active Legionnaire. He had a lot of energy, and being invited up had not dampened his ambitions any. "How should the UP balance progress with safety?"

"Very carefully," Cosmic Boy quipped as he strolled in. "Jokes aside though, that's a very insightful question, Echo."

"Isn't it? I've been working with Inferno and Invisible Kid on some studies for that..." Echo smiled.

Cosmic Boy paused. Shvaughn instantly caught it; that mention of Inferno. She had been stranded in the 20th century alongside them, and she knew about Cosmic Boy's recent encounter. He was planning something.

"So, what have you learned, Rond?" Cosmic Boy asked as he casually walked over to the control panel. A little bit too casually.

"That even though Thunder travels through time using the Rock of Eternity, it doesn't leave any excess chronal energy in her body..." Rond mused. "Not much, anyway. Her chronal energy levels are elevated, but not to the extent they should be..."

"A word, Cosmic Boy?" Shvaughn placed a gentle hand on Rokk's shoulder. He nodded, and she led him over to a corner of the room. "Rokk, I know you're thinking about Sandy..."

"Just exploring options, Shvaughn..." Cos said quietly. "Brainiac 5 won't travel through time, and I haven't even asked Rond because he won't dare do anything to risk closing the Time Institute down again. Unlike when he built a time machine to retrieve us from the past, he doesn't see the urgency in getting Sandy back..."*****

"And just as well," Shvaughn said. "Inferno made her choice, Rokk."

"And what if she regrets it? We don't know..." Cosmic Boy said.

"No, we don't. But she knew the risks when she made it." Shvaughn tried to hold his eyes steadily. "Let it go, Rokk."

"I can't, Shvaughn..." Rokk said. "That young man looking for her... it made me realize, I was the leader then. I should have tried harder to talk her into coming back..."

"Rokk, you kept us together as best as you could," Shvaughn said gently. "You're not responsible for guiding us through every life decision."

She sighed inwardly as she observed the stubborn set to Rokk's jaw. He wouldn't give up so easily...

Before she could say anything else, the instrument panel that Rond and Echo were working on began to flash.

"What's happening?" M'Onel sat up, alert. So did Thunder.

"I... I don't know..." Rond said. "We hadn't pressed anything," Echo sounded puzzled. "It just began to flash..."

Suddenly, an inky whiteness spread in front of her eyes. Shvaughn drew her blaster, though she doubted it would help. But best to be armed, just in case.

"This isn't anything like what happens when I use the Rock of Eternity," Thunder began.

"Oh no..." Cosmic Boy said. "I've seen this before..."

"indeed you have, Rokk Krinn," laughed a deep, dramatic voice that sounded like a bad holo-villain.

"Oh no... I know that voice..." Cosmic Boy paled visibly. "Everyone, be careful, it's..."

"Now, now, let's not spoil the surprise!"

"M'Onel!" That was all Shvaughn could say, before her world lurched as she felt herself being pulled forward into the whiteness.

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


IB's notes:

1) For Cosmic Boy's first encounter with the blonde young man, check this post.

2) As a recap, Sandy Anderson (Inferno) was a Workforce member stranded in the 20th century along with some Legionnaires (LSH 85-100). Inferno left the team in LSH 96. She decided to stay behind in LSH 100. She never became a Legionnaire.

3) The Lost year refers to the Legion Lost mini. While Saturn Girl and others were stranded in the Kwai galaxy, the Legion had been disbanded and outlawed in UP space.

4) M'Onel was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for 1000 years, to save his life from lead poisoning. The Legionnaires and clone Superboy had to free him in the 30th century to avoid time paradoxes.

5) Legionnaires 47/LSH 91, Rond built a time machine using Brainiac 5's specs to try and rescue the trapped Legionnaires

6) Re the M'Onel and Shvaughn relationship, DNA sowed some seeds in Legion Worlds 1 (them working together to investigate a Robotican droid) and in Legion 17-18 (Mon saving Shvaughn from Ra's al Ghul). I pushed this in Volume 1 to 3, with Shvaughn figuring out that M'Onel was really Valor, Seeder of Worlds, and keeping his secret; and M'Onel realizing that Shvaughn knew yet never said anything. The relationship just wrote itself from there. Shvaughn being a few years older than most Legionnaires, and M'Onel technically being 1000+ years old and thus more mature, helped draw them together.

IB,

These last few "missions" were a great insight to so many of your cadets and I loved getting a real chance to know some of them. (Especially getting to see the differences in some of the similar cadets we have.)

I honestly have to say i had an inkling about this being the possible try out for the team. Once all the Active Legionnaires disappeared and we didn't hear anything from their side of things something just seemed off. But it was still a great reveal and I'm super happy that it was just a simulation.

I understand Imra's issue with the memory manipulation. But I have to side with the team that they need to know who is ready to be an active Legionnaire and it is the best way safely.
I just have to say IB you do a great job at showing all these different facets of what the Legion could be outside of just beating up the bad guys and you really show how this team particularly (as we didn't get to see the Reboot grow to the adult Legion the silver age had) has advanced and are a real organization and not just a super hero team. You've also fleshed out so much of how it works and it just amazes me and i see the growth of the team.

I was hoping Achrno would have gotten further. She's got my curiosity going.

I loved the part with Brainy, Dreamer, and Star Boy taking bets on who was going to join that was fun.
Glad Amp made it in and Gravity.

I hope Lampery can get her power levels up soon. it be cool to have a water caster on the team.

Poor Splinter he just can't catch a break.
Retro - wow. twice?

So many good moments in those missions and those who took charge are well deserving.

M'Onel and Shvaughn really do work as a couple in my head. ( much better than that weird 20th century flirtation with Ultra Boy.)

M'Onel and Thunder's friendship makes total sense when you put it that way and its nice to see he's not alone.

I'm so glad the Inferno thread is getting picked up. I hated never really seeing her again and with all the Crisis and Reality rewrites I had wondered what became of her.
There should be a series just about what happened to those who've disappeared because of the events never to be remembered or rewritten in to history. Could they all be on another Earth? Composite Earth?

Can't wait for more!

Hi Omni,

Thanks for your detailed feedback!

I did expect some readers would guess there was a trick behind this. That's why I didn't try too hard to make things too realistic, because I was going to use the post-hypnotic suggestion thing to explain why none of the Cadets wondered why all the Active Legionnaires were so conveniently captured or injured

I'm glad the conflict on using this VR simulation/memory manipulation came through. The Legionnaires certainly had a healthy debate about it, but decided the ends (making sure any new Legionnaires would be ready for danger!) justified the means.

Happy that you liked my fleshing out of the team's organization and processes! I'm taking a lot of classes on subjects like that now, so it's a good way to apply what I've learned. Also, with the team getting to be so large, managing their own Cadet training program, and headquartered in their own artificial planet... there's a lot of behind the scenes action going on!

Arachno is fun, isn't she? And considering how much trouble Tangleweb gave the team, she could be quite formidable.

Looks like Amp is getting universal approval! Gravity also "pulled his weight", pun intended.

Don't worry, Lamprey is a tough cookie, and with Nightwind and Amp helping her, I'm sure she will improve in her powers soon.

Yeah, Retro ran away once in the initial attack; Vapor had to follow him out to give him the data they collected. Then, he ran away again after Vapor left him to go back in and help the others.

And Splitter... poor Floyd. His heart is in the right place, but I could not think of a way to make his powers useful without it being too contrived and unlikely!

I'm also proud of separating the contributions of Cadets based on powers, battle tactics, teamwork, and leadership. Some candidates were able to contribute along all three lines, but others were not - like Lydda not being able to show off her powers, but helping as a leader, for example.

Happy to hear that Mon and Shvaughn work well! There were only one or two hints while DNA was writing the team (Legion Worlds 1, Legion 17-18); I had to add some character-establishing moments myself! The Mon/Thunder friendship started way back in LSH 110, and I always found it interesting how these two naturally gravitated towards each other.

I never really liked Sandy Inferno, but I also thought that some of the more conscientious Legionnaires - such as Rokk and Imra - would be bothered by leaving her in the past. They did ask her if she wanted to come home,and it was shown that they determined she wouldn't destroy the timestream, and also that they didn't have time to force her to go. But still. And yeah, she deserved better than the limbo she is now in!

Hey IB, some great things going on here, so it's about time I posted a review. Here are my thoughts as I'm reading this:

Love Grandma, and will use her "I may be old, but that just makes me wiser," line on my son from now on

I never really got Theena - she's a walking talking monitor board with a space octopus on her back - a great visual but not my cup of tea. So, it was really good that you gave her a personaily, from her cute crush on Gear to fear of Triad Purple, well done, it was well overdue.

As you know I didn't follow the reboot until DnA so Evolvo as a machiavelliean capitalist is an eye opener, and a really good well for storylines to be drawn from. Wha has been doing on Luna?

Dr zhivago? Well if you must, I used to have a real crush on Omar Sharif

Wow! That's a huge group you're sending out - this will be epic! (and give you a good way of showing the cadets off to us)

Just read through the list and isn't Gravity's abilities already represented by Star Boy (and most likely to a much higher extent?) - does this mean tha Tel won't get through? That'll cause issues between him and Jed if Power Boy does.

Lyle and Condo are cute. Nice that Condo realises the benefits of projecting confidence has, thats a life lesson for everyone I think.

I did like the reboot Tas, she wa such a fighter and her take down of Brawler was great - not your personal glory, indeed! Get with the Legion ethos man!

"Intelligent design" - I'm stealing that idea, nice one!

The idea that the team know when the othersare using their powers is really good, and you've shown it well in that post. Babbage still fighting after getting his head torn off was great as well - defintely feeling the Babbage love here.

Poor Grava, can't do right for doing wrong. Still, nice save of Ayla.

Doesn't Insect queens (Rather yucky in my mind) powers just mimic Cham's? I thought you were keeping the no duplication of powers rule? Or was that not ever really followed in the reboot?

Well, the Legionnaires didn't perform too well there, six of them taking out in the initial attack - I suppose that means we'll need to see the reverists and cadets step up.

Cut off from Legion World? They're not having a good day, are they?

Love the Cosmic Boy quote. "No wonder the other Legionnaires still spoke of him with a degree of reverence. Well, most of them, anyway." Haha, made me laugh.

Good that you're addressing the former Workforce members feelings about their past asociation with MacCauley. And I want a a Planetary Champion voice, that'd be a real asset Good to see Dirk consider Lydda, why didn't Umbra think of that? Rainbow being over zealous was undrstandable but her abilities are not really an asset if she can't focus them properly. Okay, so with Ultra Boy and Umbra getting taken leaving only the reverists and cadets there's definitely something going on... is this a set up IB?

"Apologize, or you'll get a fireball in your face!" - Marya has such a charming personality doesn't she Beastmasters ego getting stroked - we all know people like that. Poor Chlorophyll Kid, so well meanin but unfocussed. the Malean Narcoroot sounds like a good plant to have in his arsenal if only he uses it properly. Tellus'lack of confidence was always one of his defining characteristics, which is a shame as he's pretty powerful with an intimidating physique so could easily be an asset to the team. Marya standing her ground is perfectly in character and exactly what the team don't want at that moment. And Troy is cool, calm and collected - I hope he makes it into the big team soon as he's a great character. With Garth and Chuck taken I'm now positive this is a set up - nicely done IB. Is this the try out that the cadets have been waiting for?

You are really pushing Amps capabilities, her extending Tinya's abilities is quite staggering! Amp's potential is amazing. What would happen if she was to, say, amp Duplicate Boys abilities? Would those around be able to share ther powers making them a super elite force? "We're intangible, not inaudible!" Ha, poor Grava, again. Veilmist - what an idiot! Plans are not for weaklings, as I'm sure you'll show. Loved Grava headbutting mutant Evolvo, bet that was painful with her pronged forehead! Amp to the rescue again, boosting everyone left, right and centre - how much energy does she have? Particon ramming a staff into Evolvo's head was an 'ouch!' moment as I read this. And again, the main Legionnaires are taken. Let's see how the cadets cope? I'm loving how you are torturing them by taking away the legionnaires IB, it's great fun.

More soon, I need to get a cup of tea before I go any further.

Hi Harbi,

Thanks for your usual thorough comments! You really pay attention to all the details, and it shows!

I've been having trouble with Theena as well. I threw her in on a whim, but her power seems best suited to mission monitor board-manning or search-and-rescue. Happy her personality is showing, though.

Ah, sneaky Evolvo. He was McCauley's right-hand man for a while, and was clearly motivated by self-interest (though he wouldn't go so far as putting other people in danger... or would he?)

Happy you liked the "intelligent design" theory, the flight rings indicating power use, and Grandma's words of wisdom!

Gravity's powers are definitely duplicated by Star Boy - something not the case in the Retroboot. Ah, but who knows? We already have two lightning wielders (Live Wire and Spark), two Braalians (Cosmic Boy and Magno), and two Daxamites (Andromeda and M'Onel) all on active duty... and the Reboot never had a no-duplication of powers rule, and I'm not planning on bringing that in for the near future.

Insect Queen's powers are a subset of Cham's, except for one key difference - Cham mimics forms but not powers, but Insect Queen can copy powers. It's a very fine distinction, but if Cham morphs into a giant wasp, his sting won't necessarily be poisonous. A bit of a fine distinction though, I know.

Happy that you're liking my Grava and Marya. You write them so well in your own fic, so to hear you say they're perfectly in character is great to hear.

I'm not surprised you latched on to some clues that indicate it is a set-up

Happy you like Echo, he's great, isn't he? And yes, Tellus has potential but is so unsure... he would really need to deal with that if he wants to get a seat at the meeting table.

I like your idea for Amp and Duplicate Boy... something for me to think about, for sure. I will need to better establish some limits for her soon! I'm at risk of overusing her, if I'm not careful.

Thanks again Harbi, for the nice read and review!

So, back for more, yippee!

You've done a lot of work on Lamprey at the Academy so it's good to see her in the field. Her acknowledgement of the situation and pragmatism, mixed with more conflicted emotions rang true. She's a keeper, I really like her. Calorie Queen as class swot! I never saw her as that competent so it's good to see you focus on the more competent side of her nature.Ouch moment again - steam into open gashes? Ouch! That poor slug creature! Tomb is pretty powerful too, you mentioned before that he only appeared briefly in the reboot but I'm going to look himup afterwards as he seems interesting.Another two Legionnaires bite the dust... those poor cadets!

Oh Jed, stop putting Tel first, get over it and focus on the mission at hand man! Good build up of suspense before the doors open... Poor Splitter, I think he'll always be the bridesmaid but never the bride, so to speak. Yuck villain in ths section, I think I'd throw up too. retro won't win ant bravery awards, will he? and, once again, poor Splitter! Using Stone Boy as a club is both comedic and ingenious. And there goes Cos and Spider Girl, so it's the cadets against a world now! Should be fun as you've highlighted a wide range of characters that won't necessarily work well together.

Good for Hotshot trying to perk up his colleague. Poor Ral and his lack of confidence and poor self image.

Beastmaster is another sad egotist that I hope learns a lesson here.

Brawler - oh please slap him down somehow, his attitude is like the worst of the gung-ho 90's marvel comics.

Lydda hugging Staq was sweet. Good to see the teams have all met up with each other.

"treat himself to a double sundae, diet be damned" - this is advice we should all take!

Perhaps Veilmist should have hit Retro a few times more as he kind of deserved it for running away. Though I guess not everyone is meant to be a hero.

Stone Boy having doubts is understandable, he doesn't really have the most useful ability, though it's a good measure of his character that he at least tries.

Nice to see the stealthier aspects, and Flying Fox saying he wanted to hit their heads with acorns was really sweet.

Nice that Marya acknowledges she doesn't want a leadership role, there are too many alpha characters as it is. Nice bonding between Marya and Catspaw - they have very similar personalities so it would be easy to have them at each others throats but your approach to show they are learning from the experience shows they do have a level of maturity. Arachno not understanding some situations and being wiling to listen to help her learn more was well done too. Interesting that Sizzle is quite neutral in her views, that's good to show that there aren't just the two diametrically opposed opinions in this scenario. CQ snapping at them to just go if they wanted is kind of what i feel I would do - you go Cal! Going for a vote - I suppose it's the only way to get a resolution, so long as everyone sticks to the plan with the most votes. Ah, Brawler and Veilmist, you just don't understand team playing, do you? Really interesting how you are showing the different team members motivations - Ulu surprised me, but it kind of made sense that he would think like that.

Nice to see your Dirk being mature and tackling Brawler on what he had said. The splitting up of the larger team surprised me ut makes perfect sense. Interesting politics you've shown with Mandalla's musings, her status as a citizen of Takron-Galtos meaning she couldn't find work and has to move on every 180 days, so like the restrictive visa policies we have today. Pete's power is really super gossiping! Ha, I have a workmate with exactly the same skill set.And it appears the trouble is still happening, those exploding floors are really inconvenient for the cadets aren't they?

STARRO! Yay! I'm planning on using his soon so it's great that you can preview him here. I do love galactic conquering starfish, it's such a silly and equally superb idea! Bbob to the rescue! Good to see Crystal Kid be useful. Also good to see the more aggressive and perhaps suicidal students being stopped from jumping into a fight they would lose. Amps idea makes sense and also great that Veilmist thought to offer to stay behind to teleport them out if needed. Tomb is a bit scary really, he seems to enjoy causing pain. Good for Veilmst to get Amp to use her abilities to max up the teleport.

Lamprey stepping up to take charge - she's a shoo-in!

Poor Splitter!

Okay, so it was a test. I'm glad you didn't decide to kill off your main team.

Imra being uncomfortable with altering memories was a good nod towards her strong morals, nice to read it.

Chameleon's talk with Splitter was really sweet, nice to know the Legionnaires have responsibility to their students mental wellfare as well as jus training them to fight.

Chemical King and Sun Boy as full members is overdue so it'd good to read. I agree with Gates that those that don't want to stay or don't share the teams ethos should be persuaded to go, but it's also a kindness that the team don't want to shove anyone out onto the streets just discourage them if they are particularly unsuited for the legionnaires life.

The comment about there being 5 from Earth an social media had commented on the Earth-centric membership was on point. I agree that the team need to show real diversity and start looking for more exotic members. And they are always fun to read about

Amp's in - good! it's no surprise but great to see, you obviously enjoy writing her so it woud be a shame not to include her this time.
Lamprey's not in? That was a surprise, though you will no doubt include her in some storylines going forward, won't you?
Calorie Quuen is in - didn't see this one coming but she did hold up well in the test and the team needs more strong women so I'm not complaining. Interesting that she called up tenzil for advice.
Tel is in but Jed isn't - not what i expected and it's going to lead to some interestign dynamics betwen the two of them.
And Vapor turned them down. Okay, understandable but a shame.

Oh, Echo is in too? Splendid!

Your team is huge IB, and great fun, a good mix of personalities and powers. I'm really looking forward to where you take them next. Wherever that is I'm here looking forward to more, more, more!

Yay! more comments, thanks for a fast read and review!

Alas poor Lamprey. I've given her so much screen time, and highlighted her hard work and positivity so much, it was almost a shame to not give her an invite. She was probably the most surprising no. But, I wanted to also show the Legion's pragmatism; if Lamprey were in a situation without enough water around - and there could be many - what would she do? Saturn Girl and Dreamer and Invisible Kid have hand-to-hand combat skills, Nightwind can play with the air in people's lungs so she's not helpless in space, etc. Lamprey needs to show she's versatile enough not to be hamstrung by her environment.

The good, the bad and the ugly... I had fun thinking of how each Cadet and participant would react, and how each is motivated. Not everyone is cut out to be a Legionnaire...

Brawler is quite horrid, I did make him worse, but he showed many signs of this in his one and only appearance (which was shared with Tomb, by the way).

Poor Mandalla's situation hits me close to home. In my class now, those of us with "weaker" passports face quite the struggle. I need individual visas for the UK, Ireland AND the Schengen Area, and that means I miss many opportunities - unlike my classmates who can happily zip off to London or Dublin for a job interview or a conference with a day's notice, whereas I need to plan ahead.

Happy that some Cadets sort of redeemed themselves, like Crystal Kid and Veilmist. They still have a ways to go, but they stepped up more than Brawler or Retro did.

And poor Splitter... there's just so little he can reasonably do with his powers, so it's hard for him to get a break.

Happy that you like Echo - so far everyone has liked Amp, and I've been 2/3 for Calorie Queen and Vapor and Lamprey, but Echo has received relatively little love

Ah yes, the team diversity question. Even after bringing in Lume and Baggage, sadly I don't have so many non-humanoids on the team: Gates, Sensor, Wildfire, Chameleon, Shikari to an extent, and Gear when he uses his powers. Characters like Brainiac 5, Umbra, Nightwind, Microbe help, but not enough. One big struggle I have with team diversity, is I'm not so good at creating new characters. Arachno is a step in the right direction, but there aren't so many other races - yet - that I can draw from. And Tellus, Arachno and Flying Fox weren't quite ready yet for the big leagues.

Hmmm.... this gives me a couple of ideas for public tryouts...

thanks again, Harbi!

Love your work so am happy to comment when I have time IB

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

VOLUME 4: MOVING FORWARD

Colu

Andromeda, Laurel Gand of Daxam; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers
Brainiac 5, Querl Dox of Colu; 12th level intelligence and force field powers
Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Mentalla, Delya Castil of Titan; telepathic control of others' physical functions

********************************************************************************************************************************************************
Colu.

A world of unparalleled intellect, the United Planets depends much on its scientific contributions. Even with the membership of Robotica, Colu still retains its seat at the forefront of UP research; the Coluans maintain that their organic minds and capacity for emotion allow them much more creativity and imagination than any robotic mind could ever hope to achieve. The Roboticans call that logic sound and do not dispute it.

Recently, Colu and Robotica have begun tentatively exploring methods of research cooperation. Robotican Legionnaire Babbage connected to the famed Coluan Sleepnet in a move that has met widespread support in Robotica. However, Coluans are split on this, with Coluans younger than 31 expressing 75.87% support, yet those 31 and above polling at only 36.54%. This is particularly significant considering the extended lifespans of Coluans, compared to the galactic average.

Though the government approved this initiative, it is rumored that this was only done through subtle United Planets diplomatic pressure. Many analysts believe it was a show of good faith, after Coluan Sharn Nux tried to murder Legionnaire Brainiac 5 during the COMPUTO War, allegedly under orders from the Coluan government.* This has never been proven, and Colu's Premier Orin Fex has vehemently denied the allegations, blaming Robotican drones for turning Sharn Nux's behavior erratic through the bio-toxins they occasionally emitted.

Many Coluans still insist on calling the COMPUTO War the Robotican War, despite the Roboticans' provision of evidence that they were being controlled by COMPUTO.

- from The Earth Spins, 3018 May



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

"Bah! Just what I would expect from a selfish politician!" Gates grumbled as he scanned the Earth Spins entry. "i swear, these manipulative squajes are so used to doing things in a roundabout way, that they would turn three corners right rather than make a left in order to save face!"

"Tell me about it," Andromeda said quietly. After all, the Daxamite Ambassador to Earth, Roxxas, had manipulated her into aiding the White Triangle by threatening to return her to Daxam, where she would have lost her powers.** Roxxas had known exactly what to say, and he had fooled everybody... "I wonder, Gates. From what you've said before, this sort of thing is alien on Vyrga."

"Hmph! It is, because on Vyrga we learn early on that we need to work together to survive the harsh environment. But then it's also because most Vyrgans think alike..." Gates shook his head in annoyance. "That makes them too closed to new things. But then, manipulative behavior is not the sign of an open mind. Look at how Orin Fex continues to be so obstinate!"

"I suppose..." Andromeda fell silent as she tuned out, glanced outside the window. Their ship was passing through a Threshold; Brainiac 5 was at the controls, following their Kwai guide. Yet while Laurel was admiring the beautiful whiteness of interdimensional space, Brainiac 5 was focused on the task at hand.

And so was his co-pilot, Mentalla. While Querl was focused on piloting, Delya was handling the communications and navigation. And from Andromeda's vantage point, they seemed to be doing a very good job.

She turned back to Gates, who was still waving his arms around for emphasis. She should really try to pay attention to him...

... but her mind could not help but wander.

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"Nicely done, Mentalla," Brainiac 5 said. "You anticipate my informational needs so nicely, it's almost like you're precognitive... or reading my mind."

Mentalla smiled faintly. Time was, she would have brushed off Brainiac 5's praise, pass her performance off as just her doing her job. But... she had been pleasantly surprised in her past few months as a full Legionnaire. For one thing, she actually enjoyed the company of her teammates. And she enjoyed how they interacted with one another. Even the most serious-seeming ones, such as Brainiac 5 or M'Onel or Umbra, would engage in banter with the rest.

Even Saturn Girl; despite the Legion founder's superior thought-casting and mind-reading, she praised Mentalla's own superior ability to control the physical functions of sentients. She treated Mentalla like an equal.

All this helped make Delya's tenure as a Legionnaire much more enjoyable. She had been motivated to join the Legion by a sense of duty, but now she really found herself having fun.

"Thank you, Brainiac 5. I promise you, I'm not using my telepathy... I just paid a lot of attention during my Cadet days." She softened her lips into a smile, though she didn't look at Brainiac 5 directly. She was focused on the instrument panel in front of her.

"And you're certainly not part-Naltorian. I should know, I studied the genealogical and DNA records of every Legionnaire..."

"... and of everyone who works on Legion World, I'm sure," Delya laughed.

"Of everyone on Earth, even. I'm working my way through the United Planets," Brianiac 5 quipped, though he too remained focused on following their Kwai guide through the Threshold.

Mentalla laughed. She knew Brainiac 5 wasn't seriously interested in her; this was just harmless flirting. But she was flattered that Querl Dox, of all sentients, chose to engage in witty banter with her. And for that matter, he had asked her on this mission to Colu personally. She considered it a personal triumph that she, and not Saturn Girl, had been chosen. Yes, she wasn't as good a thought-caster as Imra Ardeen was, but she was good enough for what needed to be done.

What needed to be done. She wasn't completely sure if it was the right thing to do - not by universal standards of ethics. However, she was convinced it was necessary to ensure the survival of the Legion.

And right now, that was the most important consideration.

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Brainiac 5 quickly calculated the optimum facial muscle movements to convey the appropriate amount of warmth for greeting Orin Fex - respectfully, but not too familiarly. As he smiled, he carefully modulated his voice just so. "Salutations, Orin Fex." His grip, likewise, was at just the appropriate firmness to demonstrate equality; after all, Querl Dox was of the Brainiac line and a Legionnaire, which made him equal in rank to the Coluan head of government, all things considered.

Orin Fex looked at Brainiac 5, his face and body language betraying nothing but a casually warm welcome.

Once more, Brainiac 5 was both grateful that he had decided to approach interpersonal relations as a scientific problem; and wary, as many of his fellow Coluans had no doubt decided to treat it in the same vein.

"Colu is pleased to welcome you, Querl Dox," Orin Fex said. To almost any other sentient, it would have been courteous and gracious; but to Brainiac 5's superior mind, Fex's choice of address left no doubt. Calling Querl by his birth name meant Fex was disregarding his Brainiac 5 title and his Legion membership. It was a subtle reminder that Querl and his teammates would receive no special treatment here on Colu.

Just as he had anticipated.

"It is my honor, Orin Fex," Querl inclined his head ever-so-slightly. Yet it was millimeters away from granting Fex the higher status.

Out of the corner of his eye, Querl observed Gates, Andromeda and Mentalla. Despite his contempt of pageantry and pretense, Gates was holding his tongue; he knew how important their mission was here. Mentalla managed to remain polite yet impassive; she looked regal, rather than aloof. Andromeda was subdued but radiated confidence. Good. They were each playing their parts. He had considered and rejected several of his teammates; Sensor, despite the usefulness of her powers, would have been too much of a signal for the Coluans to use technology to ensure she was not using her illusions; Saturn Girl had her own ideas of what was necessary, and would also have put the Coluans on their guard; Invisible Kid was too prone to improvising and his invisible form would easily be detected; Gear's techno-organic physiology and Babbage's robotic one would easily be detected by the Coluans' advanced new systems. And besides, Babbage, as a Robotican, would have met with too much hostility.

No, his team now was perfect for the mission. Or rather, he had devised the perfect plan to maximize his team. Even his friendly flirtations towards Mentalla was designed to put her in a relaxed mood, and his relative aloofness towards Andromeda was a clear signal that he was not considering any romantic relationship with her.

He quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he focused again on Orin Fex. "I am pleased you have offered to aid us in developing a plan to safeguard the Thresholds against unauthroized, threatening use," Fex intoned. "Your firsthand experience, combined with the unparalleled intelligence of Colu, should be sufficient to develop protocols for ensuring the Thresholds are not abused."

"I am quite certain of that," Brainiac 5 smiled. As he followed Orin Fex into the Coluan Hall of Research, he was careful not to glance at his teammates.

As they trusted him, he would need to trust that they would do what was needed.


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IB's notes:

1) Legion 10-14; the COMPUTO War refers to the Robotican invasion of Earth. Sharn Nux was sent specifically to destroy COMPUTO, Brainiac 5 was likely collateral damage. Orin Fex was the one who gave her her orders in Legion 12, telling her not to fail even if it cost Earth.

2) L* 27. Andromeda had been involved with the White Triangle before becoming a Legionnaire; her parents had been members, and had pulled political strings to get her to be a Legionnaire. The Triangle doubtless went along with this so they could gain influence on Daxam too.

Thanks, Harbi, appreciate it a lot!

I think one of the more difficult things for any writer to portray is Brainy's 12th level intelligence and how it places him so far above anyone else that he operates on a level most people wouldn't even imagine exists...and you've done that really well with the above, IB! I like his meticulous approach to body language and verbal tone, and the way he chose his team and how he's interacted with them to ensure that they present exactly the image he wants to present. Looking forward to seeing how the Colu mission proceeds!

Thanks, raz! I always figured Brainy should be start enough to understand emotions and human behavior, so it was just a matter of motivation for him.

He is quite fun to write, isn’t he? I think that’s why he has become such a team mainstay

Maybe I was reading fast, but the simulation surprised me! The battle was exciting, with the individuals' abilities and weaknesses brought forth. Love the idea of being able to see when others are using their power - very useful for team coordination. Brawler's a thug, but I sort of liked seeing Veilmist acting like a Khund warrior instead of a subservient or conniving female appendage (as she was written in the comic), even though she messed up mission-wise. What I really enjoyed was the discussion afterwards among the members regarding who would be offered full membership, more training or asked to leave.

It was so realistic of Lyle and Condo to be concerned about appearing to speak with one voice. Also liked Ral's concern with being overweight. These little touches bring a lot of personality to your characters.

There was a basis for a Shvaughn-M'onel relationship in DnA's run. They make a good pair and it's refreshing to see she isn't jealous of any attention M'onel gives to Thunder.

I'm suspecting an appearance of the Time Trapper as the voice Rokk recognizes, but you may have some other trick up your sleeve.

The mission to Colu looks like it's going to be a real chess game - two devious super-minds with their own agendas. It's good to see Brainiac 5 using his super-intelligence to do more than calculate by studying sentient emotions. It's a bit cold, but it seems his intention is honorable. I hope Mentalla doesn't think he's going to be her pal! And, of course, I wonder if all his machinations are going to backfire on the personal front. Maybe emotions aren't so easily studied and manipulated after all....

Hi FC, thanks for the comments! Glad the simulation came as a pleasant surprise to you, and that it wasn't too obvious!

Veilmist, unlike Brawler, does have more of a warrior streak to her. Brawler is just crazy stubborn.

I enjoyed writing the healthy debate too, though it was tough having everyone chime in

Glad you liked the little touches and the featured romances!

The Time Trapper is a good guess...

and more on Brainy soon - it's tough writing these super-intelligent characters, as now I have to make sure both Brainy and Orin Fex display their intelligence!

Updating to say, I've been quite busy after graduation. Once things get settled though, I plan to dive right in and finish these two storylines I just started.

And coming up... a couple of other trips to other Legion homeworlds

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

Cosmic Boy, Rokk Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis
Echo, Troy Stewart of Earth (South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago); sound manipulation
M'Onel, Lar Gand of Daxam; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers

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

Rond Vidar of Earth (Greece and Iran); skilled scientist specializing in time studies
Shvaughn Erin of Earth (Ireland and Montenegro); Science police captain and Legion Liaison Officer (also Honorary Legionnaire)

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Thunder's head spun as she felt herself plunging through space. The swirling colors around here weren't helping things any. She closed her eyes and focused on bringing herself to a hover.

Cosmic Boy had been saying something as they had been sucked into... wherever here was. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then opened her eyes.

The assault on her senses almost made her wish she hadn't.

Around her were concrete steps that led in all directions; some upside down, some right-side up. At least, from her perspective; even without the Wisdom of Solomon, her experience as a hero taught her to be careful. Flying carefully, she landed on one of the steps and tested it gingerly; it appeared solid enough.

Seeing nothing threatening around, she brought her flight ring to her lips. "M'Onel? Cosmic Boy? Echo? Shvaughn?"

Nothing. And poor Rond Vidar didn't have a flight ring; unlike Shvaughn, he had not been granted Honorary status despite being considered a member of the Legion's support staff. Thunder looked around, but couldn't see anyone...

"Look out, Thunder!" Thunder looked up to see M'Onel barreling towards her. She quickly jumped out of the way using Mercury's speed, thanking the Shazam dieties that her powers were intact. Mostly. She wasn't as fast as she should have been... Something else else to worry about for later. Shielding her face with her cape, she still coughed as rubble and dust flew up. She lowered it and ran towards M'Onel. As the dust cleared, she gasped.

"Rond, thank grife you're safe!" She quickly pulled the scientist up. "Are you okay?"

"M'Onel was able to shield me," Rond huffed. "Though I fear his rescue of me was more dangerous than just leaving me alone out there on my own..."

"I apologize, Rond," M'Onel said as he pulled himself up. "My powers aren't working properly, but I couldn't leave you alone."

"Yes, the logical decision..." Rond made a show of triggering the auto-cleansing function of his spectacles. He still recalled Lori Morning's innocent questions about his eyesight; of course they were perfect, the spectacles were merely to protect against dirt and sunlight. Nobody had needed corrective lenses for centuries.

He realized that he was letting his mind wander again - a bad habit that Brainiac 5 had called him out on several times - and angrily refocused. He was prone to doing that when faced with a problem he didn't know how to solve... and this was one. He made a show of harrumphing, then fished his chronal energy detector out of his pocket. "I suppose you have already tried using your flight rings to locate the others?"

"Just now," Thunder said. "It shows they are somewhere nearby, all three of them; but it can't begin to navigate around this place. Each individual signal seems to be coming from... well... everywhere."

"Hmmm." Rond fiddled with his detector. "When I heard the voice that Cosmic Boy recognized, I also noticed a large surge of chronal energy... luckily, I was able to grab this in time." He raised the apparatus and began rotating slowly. "There."

"Off we go, then," M'Onel said. "Um, Thunder..."

"My powers aren't quite working well either," Thunder said. "But I'll be gentle." Lifting Rond up, Thunder took off, M'Onel following close behind. As they flew, M'Onel marveled at the floating rock around. Despite there not being any discernible planetary body, the fragments seemed to follow some sort of regular orbit. Clearly, the normal laws of physics did not apply here.

"So if there is chronal energy involved, is this the work of the Time Trapper?* M'Onel asked. He was a little wobbly; this annoyed him, but having started life out without super-powers, he could cope. "But then, I would have recognized the voice. Not that it means much, where such a powerful being is concerned..."

"We do have other foes that can travel through time," Thunder noted. "The Emerald Eye** could, though it's probably still in our prison? And we didn't notice any emerald energy signatures."

"And there's even Xotar the Weapons Master***," M'Onel added. "Too many possibilities at this point. Cos would have recognized Xotar's voice too..."

"And sadly, there are no records of the chronal energy signatures of this Xotar," Rond grumbled. "Coming from beyond even your time period, Thunder, he probably has such advanced technology that we wouldn't even be able to comprehend it..."

"Wait, I see them!" M'Onel hissed. "Behind this rock!"

Still carrying Rond, Thunder followed M'Onel. "What is it?" she whispered.

"I think I know who that is..." M'Onel felt a twinge of fear in his belly. Shvaughn, Cosmic Boy and Echo hung in their air, struggling against the viscous milky-white bonds that held them in place. In front of them was a vaguely-humanoid face, featureless except for two angry orange eyes.

Yet, the face was much larger than it should have been. In fact, based on the mission reports, the face was expected to have been dead. But it made sense; they had been yanked out of normal space into this weird dimension, and Cos had recognized the voice.

"We have to be extremely careful..." M'onel whispered, as Thunder and Rond crouched beside him. "If I'm right, our enemy can warp reality itself in this place... Though without perfect control over it."

"Who is it?" Rond whispered, somewhat testily. "Enough with all the drama, this isn't some stage performance. It you have a hypothesis, spit it out and we will test it."

M'Onel began to speak, but had to stop as a waze of dizziness washed over him. The pit in his stomach deepened. He was not going to be able to pull off any sort of super-speed rescue. He looked over at Thunder, whose eyes had widened. She had read the mission reports too, and this villain had appeared shortly after she had joined.

"Are you saying it's..." Thunder swallowed. "I'm sorry, I'm feeling queasy, just like I imagine you are." Then she turned to Rond. "I hope you have experience with pocket realities, Rond. We will need this, if it's really..."

She and M'Onel looked at each other, as they both uttered a frightening word. "Domain."****

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IB's notes:

1) This Legion faced the Time Trapper in L*61/LSH 105. In L*64, the Trapper was revealed to be a future version of Lori Morning; and thatthe Trapper had been "training" the Legion to restart time when it stopped due to a space anomaly. In LSH 108, the Trapper offered Cosmic Boy a reward for the Legion's success, but he insulted her and she angrily tossed him back to reality. Whether the Trapper was malevolent or not was not really made clear, though.

2) The Emerald Eye could likely travel through time, as in LSH 84 it sent half the then-Legion into the 20th century.

3) Xotar fought the team in L* 68.

4) Reality-warper Domain tried to assassinate Cosmic Boy in L*70. He was believed dead at the end of the issue.

Sounds like you've sent your team to an Escher print IB, very disorientating.

MonEl and Thunder not having full control of their abilities is worrying, as is everyone else being strung up like that - like bait perhaps?

I don't know who Domain is other than through Omni's stories so I'm looking forward to reading more, more, more!

Thanks Harbi! I was originally planning to finish off this segment in the last post, but I'm not quite in the right place or frame of mind to do so right now - too many things going on in "real life".

Bait, could be, but could be not Domain was in a very bad place after his original appearance in Legionnaires 70. He almost died, which is one reason M'Onel didn't consider him first. More on that towards the beginning of the next post