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

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

On an island on Summer World, just a normal beach island

Active Legionnaires

Cosmic Boy, Rokk Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis
Kid Quantum II, Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu; time manipulation. Former Legion leader.

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

The sun shone brightly on Summer World, the year-round beach planet. With weather control* maintaining a comfortable tropical climate, Summer World was the best destination for those who wanted a comfortable, lazy holiday.

Kid Quantum playfully beaned Cosmic Boy on the head with the nearest pillow. "Rokk Krinn, did you really just dial us into the latest Legion meeting?"

"Jazmin! Quit it!" Rokk laughed as he beat off the pillow. "Imra told me we'd be discussing whether any of the Cadets were ready for another VR test, and I wanted to put a good word in for Dryad!"

Jazmin drew herself up in mock anger. "I'm sure the others can argue for or against Dryad. Just because you're one of the founders, doesn't mean you need to butt in while we're on vacation!"

"Okay, okay," Rokk raised his hands. "You win, I'm sorry."

"Good, now you can apologize by fetching me brunch," Jazmin sighed as she stretched her hands behind her head. "Ah, this is the life... Omnicom off... warm tropical weather with a cooling breeze... mimosas and berries..." A falling leaf from the tree above caught her eye. She launched a quantum-sphere at it, aging it to dust before it fell on her face. "Mmmm..."

As Rokk came back with a tray full of coffee, mimosas and waffles, Jazmin opened her eyes. "So, what happened at the meeting?"

"And why do you want to know?" Rokk teased. Jazmin made as if to throw another pillow. "Okay, okay," Rokk laughed. "Well, Triad and Gates actually had sat down with Dryad, and it said it didn't feel ready. It acknowledged it has been doing well in combat, but it feels like it still doesn't understand the modern world enough. Not yet."

"Shikari became an Active Legionnaire* when she was fresh out of the Kwai Galaxy," Jazmin pointed out. "Ferro became an Active member back in the 20th century, and we just put him through a futuristic orientation."

"They said exactly that," Rokk winked. "Dryad countered that Chemical Kid and Inferno were on probationary status for a bit while going through combat training, and they graduated from that only after passing a VR test."**

Jazmin craned her neck. "Well, Dryad's been studying our history."

"That's what Triad said... and Triad reminded it, that its combat skills are excellent. Triad also reminded it that it has done well in virtually every group VR simulation its been in, including those involving crowd control, disaster relief, fighting villains..." Rokk enumerated. "But the answer was still no, Dryad wants to be very sure of itself."

"Eh, it's not like Dryad is going anywhere," Jazmin countered. "Better to raise someone up too late, than too early."

"That's exactly what the membership concluded," Rokk's eyes twinkled. "They're going to VR test Dryad along with our senior Cadets soon."

"Okay, that's all I wanted to know," Jazmin grinned as she sat up. She grabbed two glasses off the tray, and handed one to Rokk. "Now... let's have brunch, and then you are going to show me a good mag-surfing time." Rokk grinned back as the couple clinked their glasses in a toast.

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

IB's notes:

1) Summer World first appeared in Legionnaires 77!

2) Shikari became honorary in Legion Lost, and gained full Active status in Legion 3 - shortly after the Lost Legionnaires return from the Kwai Galaxy to United Planets space. Ferro becomes a full Legionnaire in LSH 93, while the team is still stranded in the 20th century.

3) Chemical Kid and Inferno got probationary Active status at the end of Volume 3, but only probationary - they could use their powers well, but didn't have relevant combat training. They agreed to the VR test to see if they were ready for full Active status.

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Earth

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

Matahari van Dam, Earthgov's spymaster, leaned back as she read the reports from her agents. Sandy Anderson had been contacted, but had not yet opened the message left for her.

Well, even if Sandy never did read the message, they had many other willing candidates. Perhaps not truly willing, but capable.

She pored through her files. Mano; with Leland McCauley, the object of his revenge dead**, perhaps Mano could be considered. He had turned on Tharok when Tharok threatened genocide on Braal and Titan. And with the magical object stolen by the Fatal Five gone, Mano had no real reason to stay loyal to the other Five members.

The only other Five member worth considering was Validus; who was more like an angry, wild animal than a true villain. But Validus was too powerful, too uncontrollable.

Matahari pored over her other files. There were four more candidates that she could consider... four very strong ones, who were feeling very guilty about some of their recent acts.

Those were the easiest to manipulate, she thought. She leaned back in her seat, twiddling with her Omnicom. It was time to activate these four.

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

IB's notes:

1) Matahari van Dam first appeared in Volume 4, when Invisible Kid and friends obtained information about Jacques Foccart!

2) Mano targeted Leland McCauley, because McCauley sold weapons to both sides of the civil war on Mano's homeworld Angtu - which wiped out everyone on Angtu except Mano himself (Legionnaires 19-20, LSH 63). Tharok was supposed to launch Braalian missiles at Titan to incite a new Braal-Titan war, but when Mano realized this, he stopped Tharok (LSH 80). Mano misses the Fatal Five's next appearance (LSH 121-122), but rejoins in Legion 15-16 to retrieve a mysterious object that can only be accessed by all of the Five together. In Volume 4, I reveal that the object is the magical Serpent Crown, and Chameleon and Sensor deduce that Mano had been intending to keep the object from the rest of the Five.

I've fallen behind again, but I've got some days off to catch up with this and the first five eps of this season of Harley Quinn.

Just wanted to say, gosh, I love that you spelled 'pored' correctly in the above post about Matahari. So many times I see someone type that a character 'poured over' some documents and it just makes the English major pedant in my think 'What do they 'pour' over the documents? Coffee? Whiskey? Fruit juice? Argh!'

thank you, Set! it's the little things maybe they poured whiteout to get rid of all the typos

happy viewing re Harley Quinn!

IB, hey there, you've been busy!

Loving your focus on Triad. And, of course she's want to spend some time with RJ. It was sweet of Chuck to remind her how competent she really is. And RJ enjoying a decent whisky, and why not, he deserves it. Switching glasses for Lori so she had a drink she enjoys was cute. And using poor Condo as a hangover neutraliser - bet he must be busy quite a lot

Lu keeping up to date with the espionage Squad missions is smart. That's the sort of oversight that I imagine team leaders could easily miss and it leads to problems. And, again, it was nice to see her being reminded of facts by Chameleon - they're never going to now everything and deal with it at once.

Triad Purple - oh dear, never the most patient of Legionnaires. And, I suppose, as royalty Jeka wouldn't have a problem speaking back. Ra's al Ghul's punishment was really brutal, but I guess no-one will complain too much about it after eveything he put the team and the rest of the UP through. Interesting that the team send Saturn Girl, Mentalla or Sensor to TG every day to check on the Zodiac team - you'd think the SP's hsve telepathic staff that could do that? Ah, things never go smoothly, do they? And Diana, Goddess of Truth? Fantastic!

Gates asking for advice on being more sociable with the mammalian bipeds is hilarious and awesome! Sounds like Brainy used a bit of nudge techniques to get his friend into a leadership position - shades of the WAK Brainy there! I really love Gates happiness at the team reminding him when he was quick to critisize them, his ego really isn't fragile And inviting Lamprey as she didn't vote for him but is nice, haha, that was great. Brainy calling Gates personality "earnest openness" - yeah, that's as good a polite description as I've ever heard

Interesting team you've got together - the four old elements? Was that intentional? And Ares has the former Zodiac crew? Another war with gods? You like your ancient divinity, don't you I'd forgotten that in the reboot Valor was seen as a Christ-type figure, nice little reminder with Triad wondering how reverent she should be in the presence of an actual Goddess. Zeus wanting a break and letting Athena lead? Let's be honest, he's off chaasing exotic alien tail, isn't he? Gates and Triad having that little push n' pull at the end of this section rang true - Lu doesn't want him to run rampant while she's on a mission and he wants to show he's a good deputy - that is bound to flair up, but for now it's working.

The floating island would be a sight! Dryad reminding the team that it would be impolite to manipulate the elements there is clever. "Living rock etiquette 101..." indeed! Funny how Aeolia calls Dryad 'myliege' as if he's one of the Greek Pantheon. A challenge to get to Ares, of course, there was always some test of worth before you could get your god-given reward, you had to earn it. I love the air maze for Berta to find her way through - that was clever. Lamprey's doubts are understandable, her abilities are a relatively recent thing aren't they? Very clever the way she floated the bridge to the narrowest point in the river! Dryad is an interesting one, how they remember being a planet and the power they had, it does make me wonder if iy might do something stupid further down the line when it's a bit more confident if it's offered the opportunity to return to its former size. The fire trial was the most fun to imagine, as the risks were horrible! Dirks confidence is intact whichever Boot he's in And it's nice how you contrast that with Tayla's behaviour. Nice of Berta to big up Tayla, reminding her that she can be resourceful and get her own way without offending people - good call!

Nice that Ares struggles with different magics from another pantheon. And using his armour as a weapon is smart! Ferdinand being bound by Athena makes it eaaier for Ares to free - good call. Ah, the old keep a team hidden until they are needed trick! Good choice having Sensor and the White Witch - though Ares isn't as stupid as they think, eh? He is a god afterall and you'd think he would ace tactical thiking really.

Ah, I'm out of time now. I'll try to get back to this later on today IB. Loving it so far and looking forward to more, more, more!

Hi IB! I had some time tonight to catch up, so let's go!

LOL @ RJ and Marla acting like an old married couple

Aww, poor Lu being overwhelmed...it makes sense, she's always been in a support role before this but I think she'll surprise herself! If Neutral is feeling like this though, I wonder what it's like for the other two?

Oh, and I suspect we are about to find out! Nice touch that Purple deals with it by putting up a hard front and lashing out, that fits! And WONDER WOMAN!!?? Wow!!

Gates trying to win hearts and minds is actually really cute, and I am sure will lead to a lot of laughs as it has already

Triad being a bit awed by Diana is also a nice touch! I remember her being weird about M'Onel!

The elemental tests were all clever and a nice excuse to have some individual focus on characters - Lamprey's concern about being a pushover was nicely handled, it must be tough being understated in a group of boisterous personalities!

And of course, some patented Legion teamwork to get the reinforcements there! Love Triad, Gates, Mysa and Shikari working together like that!

That was a nice little adventure, IB! A good first outing for Triad and Gates!

Also, I still love the name Matahari Van Dam for a spymaster, and am curious about who her other potential recruits could be! Reboot Mano is by FAR the best Mano, so I wouldn't object to seeing him pop up again in some capacity!

oh wow, that was fast, thanks tons for the comments, Harbi and raz!

Harbi:

re telepathic staff to check on prisoners, you are absolutely correct that they do have that the team just likes having an additional layer of security by having one of Imra, Mentalla or Sensor do the checks. just to be mega sure although, they don't go to Takron-Galtos daily; they only do this for prisoners left on Legion World.

tee-hee re Brainy! Yes, he's more canny than most give him credit for and Brainy knew that Gates would be over the moon with winning, plus he believes that Gates can do a good job.

four elements was definitely intentional, and I do like the divinity - TBH it was an excuse to have Wonder Woman around. plus, I was thinking it was a waste to have 5 of the Zodiac Signs just lying around doing nothing, and I wanted to draw on them again

Ra's is definitely in a living hell. TBH I was pleased to do that to him, he was always so smug and nasty.

re Aeolia and Dryad, I was struggling with a gender-neutral term - Dryad is neither he nor she, but it. Liege is the first thing that popped into mind lol!

glad you liked the tests, and the character bits esp. with Tayla and Berta Tayla's worries are definitely drawn from my own!

TBH Ares was a tough write! he definitely knows some tactics for sure! so indeed, I thought it would be too easy if Sensor/White Witch succeeded right away -- and besides, it wouldn't have been as fun if the rest of the Zodiacs just lay around doing nothing

raz:

I knew you'd dig having Wonder Woman show up

glad you liked all these little character bits! Lamprey's struggle is a personal one for me too, lol, I used to worry that I was too nice!

I love how Gates is always well-meaning but a bit "off" in how he does things!

re reinforcements, thanks! And having so many Legionnaires, I just love using as many of them as possible in a given adventure, especially when there are a lot of the enemy too!

agree that Reboot Mano is the best, and there's a lot more to him - so look out for more re him and yay Matahari, we'll see a more of her in the future too!

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Braal

Active Legionnaires

Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Chameleon, Reep Daggle of Durla; shapeshifting
Density, Jed Rikane of Earth (Mongolia and Nepal) and Quothon; controls his body's density

Reserve Legionnaires

Magnetic Kid, Pol Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis (magno-ball athlete)

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Rainbow, Dori Aandraison of Xolnar; rainbow-based light powers
Veilmist of Khundia and ??; teleportation

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

"This is going to be meteor-rad!" Blizzard was practically bouncing up and down in excitement as he stepped onto the VIP guest box on the magno-ball court.

"I know, right?" Rainbow was shivering with excitement. "Here! On Braal! With some of the galaxy's best magno-ball players! I could nova-burn-scream!"

"It's almost like Comet Queen is still here with us," Density whispered to Chameleon and Veilmist.

"I still do not understand why we are here," Veilmist shook her head. "I understand now that some of our missions are humanitarian, but this..." She waved her arm at the field behind them, which was festooned with colors and flags from different United Planets worlds. "What does entertainment have to do with the Legion?"

"This is for a charitable cause, Veilmist," Chameleon explained patiently*. "I dislike pageantry as much as you do, but the Legion also stands for diversity, cooperation and acceptance. We are trying to accomplish two things today: raise money for charitable funds, and show that beings of different worlds can come together for a common cause."

"And we get to have fun doing it!" Density grinned. "This is important work, Veilmist. Even if you're not into magno-ball, you can enjoy it. Besides," Density lowered his voice and gave an exaggerated wink, "we can enjoy gawking at all the sexy athletes!"

"I suppose..." Veilmist said doubtfully. She cast an unimpressed look around. Even though she herself was only half-Khund, she was easily more muscular and larger of frame than even the largest males on the field!

"Aw, Jed, peeping at other men again?" Blizzard laughed. "Do you ever stop thinking about that, you horndog?"

"Hey, I was just joking!" Density protested. "I'm not oversexed himbo, you know!"

"Whoa there!" Blizzard held his hands up. "Sorry, Jed, I was just teasing! I promise, I don't really think that!" Brek studied his friend - usually, he and Jed were in the thick of this kind of "trash talking", along with some of the others. But well, everyone does have their berserk buttons. He'd remember to ease off on Jed next time.

"Well, okay, then," Density mumbled. He knew that he and Gravity joked a lot about it, but he was concerned about getting THAT kind of reputation among the team... Well, Gravity was more concerned about it, but Jed always believed that a happy spouse, made for a happy life...

… and besides, even when Jed had been single, he hadn’t been THAT easy…

"Ah, look who's here!" Chameleon gestured to the opening of the VIP box, happy for the distraction. Stretching an arm out, he high-fived Pol Krinn. "Our very own Magnetic Kid!"

"Cham, please!" Pol laughed. "Magnetic Kid is my Legion code name, but the fans and the media have adopted it as my name period! I really should have chosen a better name!"

"To be fair, Magnetic Kid DOES say more about your powers than, say, Cosmic Boy!" Rainbow said, somewhat cheekily.

"Hah, yes, well, my brother and I have taken different paths,"* Pol laughed. But something about his tone made Rainbow wish she hadn't made that joke. "But even though I've followed him into both magno-ball and the Legion, I'm carving a niche for myself. Too bad Rokk is on vacation with his lady love..."

"You're more than enough," Rainbow stammered, trying to salvage the situation.

"Yes, the crowd is here for US today," Blizzard boasted. "Let's give them a great show!"

"And that's our cue," Chameleon shifted his ear into a Kathooni Moonbat's, to listen to the announcers. "They've given the floor to us."

The Legionnaires flew out into the middle of the stadium, to great applause. As the senior Legionnaire present, and the one most used to public speaking, Chameleon introduced the charitable missions they were supporting. He then reminded the audience that each Legionnaire present was from a different world, and that their main purpose was to be a living, breathing example of the amazing things that could be accomplished when diverse worlds pooled their best together.

"But enough of that," Chameleon ended. "Let's get this show started!"

Pol Krinn stood in the middle of the field, eyes closed. Seven magno-balls lay on the ground in front of him. Then Pol opened his eyes and smiled right at the camera. There was one thing that Pol had cultivated, where he thought he could do better than his brother - showmanship. And he was living it up for all it was worth, waving his arms wider than they needed to be. Pol flowed into a wide stance, one leg bent so he almost kneeled. At the touch of his magnetic powers, the seven magno-balls levitated and rotated around him...

... and with a twitch, he sent them flying off towards Density.

Density heard the announcer explaining Jed's own powers. He paid no heed; though he could toughen himself up by increasing his density, he still wanted to ensure that nothing particularly sensitive was hit. He trusted Pol's aim, but...

Jed watched as each ball bounced off his massive chest. Flexing a bit, Jed winked at the stands.

Each magno-ball then arced towards Veilmist, who stood, trying in vain to hide her boredom and annoyance.

"Just think of it as a training session," she muttered to herself. She still couldn't help but think it was a frivolous waste of time! Well, she would do her best. As each ball zipped towards her, Veilmist triggered her teleportation field. Light-colored purple smoke surrounded each ball...

... and Veilmist teleported each one high up into the sky!

Blizzard floated high above the stadiums. He waved at the cameras broadcasting him. "Keep it cool, everyone," he winked. As each ball appeared above him, he coated it in a small, translucent sphere of thin ice. "All yours, Chameleon!"

Chameleon, flying below Blizzard, morphed his body into a Jovian Septopod. He kept his head normal, though. "The Jovian Septopod has evolved to deal with cold temperatures, so I can hold onto these balls safely - don't try to touch pure ice with your bare appendages, kids!" Catching each icy ball in one tentacle, Chameleon fanned them out in a circle.

Finally, Rainbow flew over to Chameleon. "I hope you like colors, everyone," she grinned. She couldn't actually change color, not like Spectrum, but she could do the next best thing for their purposes. Casting a wide rainbow beam, Rainbow scattered the wavelengths so each hit a different ball. The audience below oohed and aahed as each magno-ball lit up in a different rainbow color.

"The Legion of Super-Heroes, everyone!" the announcer called out, and the stadium quickly erupted in cheers.

"This is nice, isn't it, Veilmist?" Density whispered as they - and Pol - flew up to join the others.

"I suppose..." Veilmist sighed.

But before they could reach the field, a blast erupted on the stadium below!

Instinctively, Veilmist extended her teleportation field to cover her two fellows, and blinked high up above the crowd near where Chameleon, Blizzard and Rainbow were floating.

"What the sprock?!" Rainbow pointed below. "This isn't part of the program?"

"We have to assume we're under attack," Chameleon said, grimly. "Bomb blast, it seems. Density, you're with me - we need to check the scene. Pol, I suspect that bomb was plastic, so Braalians wouldn't be able to detect it. You coordinate with the Science Police and Legion World, do a sweep of the stadium to see if there are more bombs. Blizzard, take Veilmist and Rainbow and evacuate the place."

As the Legionnaires fanned out, Blizzard looked at a stunned Rainbow and a grim Veilmist. "Guess we're going to fight bad guys, after all, eh?" he said, trying to cheer the two Reservists up. He didn't feel very much like smiling, though.

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

IB's notes:

1) Chameleon's canon motivation for remaining with the Legion was partly this - to be an ambassador for Durla, and have people learn to trust Durlans and treat them as normal sentients. He resisted calls to return to Durla and take up the Spiritual Leader post after his father died, for this very reason (Legionnaires 46, among others).

2) Magnetic Kid (Pol) was a full Legionnaire in Volume 1-3, at the time his big brother Cosmic Boy (Rokk) was lost in the multiverse. Pol wanted to honor Rokk's legacy. But when Rokk and the rest of the Legion returned, Pol also realized being a hero wasn't his true passion - and decided to return to magno-ball, a sport he had taken up in canon.

As a reminder, Cosmic Boy himself was a magno-ball champion before he founded the Legion!

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

The Sklarian Asteroid Belt

Sklar used to be a non-aligned world, but had thriving trade ties with the United Planets. Tragically, the planet was destroyed by the resurgent sorcerer Mordru, killing all on it - except for the Legion away team that tried to stop him. After Mordru's defeat, the surviving Sklarians resettled on the asteroids that once formed their homeworld.

Sklar's pre-destruction economy was mainly focused on trade and services, and Sklar had little industry otherwise. Therefore, Sklar's destruction has not affected their economy much. However, criminality has increased; Sklar has always had a history of banditry, piracy and raiding, and - because these pirates were always female and tended to operate offworld,a large percentage of surviving Sklarians are female.

- Encyclopedia Galactica

Active Legionnaires

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
Wildfire, Drake Burroughs (energy gestalt of two beings); anti-energy being

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Battering Ram, Louie Lee of Pluto; concussive force blasts
Crystal Kid, Bobb Kohan of Earth (Brazil and Peru); crystal generation and manipulation
X-Bomb Betty, Betty Shell of Ventura; causes small explosions

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

"Score one for Wildfire, yeah!" Wildfire cheered as he blasted another meteor to smithereens. "Sprock, it's nice to have a simple mission for once!"

"Yes, the highlight of my career," Crystal Kid snarked. "Protecting the Sklarian asteroid belt from a meteor shower!"

"You should see this as a way to practice your abilities, Bobb," Violet chided, even as she grew a few more meters. She reached out with both hands to grab fistfuls of meteors heading her way and crushed them in her fists.

Wildfire flew up close to Crystal Kid and lowered his voice modulator. "And besides, you're the senior Cadet here," Wildfire reminded Crystal Kid. "You don't see Battering Ram or X-Bomb Betty complaining now, do you?"

Crystal Kid bit his lip and glowered. But he wisely held his tongue, and instead concentrated on generating the largest crystal bowl he could, and using it to collect meteors that passed by the others.

"Your control is improving, Betty," Violet complimented the statuesque Cadet. X-Bomb Betty smiled bashfully as she focused her power on another approaching meteor. It exploded from the inside; Betty had generated a charge just large enough to split it into rubble harmlessly. "You've all been so generous with your efforts in helping me practice," Betty said.

Violet smiled; many of the Legionnaires had dismissed Betty as a ditzy pretty girl, at first. But Betty had proven herself to be a very diligent and serious Cadet.

"Yours too, Battering Ram," Wildfire waved at the non-binary Cadet. Battering Ram grinned and brushed at their hair, cut short in a very modern style. Perhaps second only to Kinetix, Battering Ram had changed costumes the most times since being involved with the Legion. Having grown up on conservative Pluto, Louie relished their newfound freedom to express themselves to the fullest.

Crystal Kid tried not to seethe as he kicked himself for complaining so openly.

"Guys, a little help here?" Ferro called out. He was floating on the edges of the group. "I can deal with the smaller ones, but this one..." He pointed at a meteor that was about half the size of the old Legion headquarters on Earth.*

"I've got it," Violet smiled as she flew to Ferro. "After all, in this case, size matters." Growing even larger, Violet used her flight ring to brace herself. She caught the meteor in both hands, and let her flight ring carry her backwards until she could slow to a stop.

"Nice catch, Vi!" Wildfire whooped even as he blasted a few more meteors into pebbles.

Violet glanced over at Ferro. She had hoped that this mission would give them a chance to talk... Mentalla had come to Kinetix about her concerns over Ferro's recent behavior. Kinetix had promised Mentalla she'd keep an eye out for Ferro; and warned Mentalla that Ferro HAD had a crush on her, and she and Echo should probably be sensitive about that in front of Ferro. Mentalla had appeared surprised at this.

"But I just thought he was a really nice guy!" Kinetix had parroted Mentalla's reply to Violet as they were getting drinks in Kinetix's rooms. Kinetix had come to Violet because it wasn't a big enough issue yet tfor, say, Triad or Legion psychiatrist Dr. Ryk'rr with, but it was slightly worrying. "We all know he had a crush on YOU first, Vi," Kinetix had reminded.**

"He never actually SAID so," Violet had countered.

"It was obvious," Kinetix had rolled her eyes.

"I've always thought of him as just a friend..." Violet had protested.

"And that's why you're the perfect person to talk to him!" Kinetix had prodded. "When was the last time you actually had a nice 1-1 and caught up with him?"

And so Violet had promised to talk to Ferro.

"That's a real good punch, Ferro," Violet said as Ferro pulverized another meteor.

"Thanks," Ferro just grunted.

Violet sighed as she grabbed another meteor out of the sky, crushing it between her palms. "So... what did you think about going with me, Zoe, Candi and Mabuhay to that Ventura Fashion Week*** gig? She has room for one more..."

"Why don't you ask Blizzard? Or Tenzil?" was Ferro's curt reply.

Violet kept her face smooth; it wouldn't do to argue in front of the Cadets. For that matter, they were on a mission. She snatched another meteor in her hand. "Battering Ram, you want this?" she called to the Cadet closest to her. Battering Ram eagerly signaled yes, and Violet tossed the meteor to him.

"We want to ask you, Ferro." Violet waited for a reply.

Ferro sighed. "Thanks, but I'll pass..."

Violet decided to let the matter lie, for now. "Okay, well if you change your mind," she said. Then she turned towards the meteor shower. But this wouldn't be the last word. If something was bothering Ferro, she wouldn't leave him to suffer like that.

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

IB's notes:

1) The Legion maintained an Earth HQ until the Blight came (LSH 79). Concurrently, their was the old Legion Outpost (inaugurated LSH 100, destroyed as part of the Blight invasion). Now, everyone is headquartered on Legion World (first shown Legion 3).

2) Ferro's crushes. Gosh, Ferro had a bad time. He had a crush on the Sandy Anderson Inferno in LSH 94, but that plotline was dropped quickly. Ferro transferred his crush to Violet, but never acted on it (Legionnaires 59, 77). That was the last canon mention of his crush, and I decided to have Ferro move on... Ferro first starts crushing on Mentalla at the beginning of Volume 4. And we know recently that Mentalla and Echo started dating (end of Volume 4).

3) Mabuhay Corazon is Kinetix's childhood friend, and a budding fashion designer. She also consults with the Legion on practical and fashionable costume designs!

Taking a little intermission now from the two ongoing story threads, to write a Roll Call for Pollen's gang! As we've seen them as a group twice now (and many of their members also appeared in Volume 3, individually). And they're too much fun NOT to use again Roll call only, not bios


appearance 1: https://www.legionworld.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1001365#Post1001365

appearance 2: https://www.legionworld.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1027813#Post1027813

I call them...

The Bad Weeds

Bronto of unknown; saurian physique with enhanced strength and durability
Disks of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks
Gangster of unknown; generates unlimited duplicates that vanish if he loses concentration
Licht of Silvan; energy being made of light
Pollen of unknown; plant-based physiology, including production of spores that cause a variety of effects
Undertaker, unpronounceable of Sarccus; controls others' bodily functions
Ze Tongue of unknown; prehensile, stretchable, shapeshifting tongue
Zula Hex of Colu; 8th level intelligence

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Braal

Active Legionnaires

Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Chameleon, Reep Daggle of Durla; shapeshifting
Density, Jed Rikane of Earth (Mongolia and Nepal) and Quothon; controls his body's density

Reserve Legionnaires

Magnetic Kid, Pol Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis (magno-ball athlete)

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Rainbow, Dori Aandraison of Xolnar; rainbow-based light powers
Veilmist of Khundia and ??; teleportation

***********************************************************
Rainbow closed her eyes as Veilmist's telltale power signature washed over her. She always felt a bit tingly when teleporting; Doctor Impulse had said it was due to her Xolnarian physiology, but was harmless.

As they appeared in front of the area of the stands most affected by the blast, Rainbow gasped. Seats were strewn around, and she saw many injured - most moaning, but a few motionless. Veilmist was already flying towards the stands. Rainbow looked at Blizzard. "Do we...?"

"We wait, Veilmist!" Blizzard smiled encouragingly at Rainbow. "Emergency Response 101. Find the coordinating officer."

"I got your coordinating chump right here!" A squat, orange-skinned male Science Police officer with a crewcut and an eyepatch walked over. "Officer Vin Kolkin." Rainbow raised her hand tentatively to greet the man, but Officer Kolkin continued. "I need your help to triage the wounded - paramedics are on their way. And anyone who can walk, guide them to that exit there." Kolkin pointed up front. Satisfied that the Legionnaires knew where to go, he continued. "Any questions?"

"Where do we bring the wounded?" Blizzard asked.

"Right here," Kolkin waved, to indicate the area around them. "Pol Krinn's been in touch. This area's clear. We're scanning the outside of the stadium for bombs now."

Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away.

"He wasn't being rude, just efficient," Blizzard patted Rainbow on the shoulder.

"That's right, ma'am," Kolkin called over his shoulder. "This is an emergency!"

Mollified, Rainbow smiled gratefully at Blizzard. "Okay, Veilmist," Blizzard instructed. "You triage the injured, prioritize the unconscious and bring them here. I'll try to clear a path for those who can walk. Rainbow, fly up ahead and make sure people can exit smoothly." The three took off.

Veilmist had already teleported above the first row of seats. She surveyed the area in anger; thank grife the United Planets prized civilians! Her Khundian mother had told horror stories of how the Khunds prized fighters; in an attack such as this, the warriors and leaders would be prioritized, the civilians left to fend for themselves. Thankfully, her father was from Earth, and she and her mother were now Earth citizens - this had kept them safe from the Khunds.

Acting quickly, Veilmist flew over the crowd. She wished she could just teleport everyone, but the tangle of debris...

A crying young woman reached out to her. "I can't walk! Help me!"

"I'll be there in a moment, sentient, I promise," Veilmist called out. "There's someone unconscious here..." She reached down to feel for a pulse. Grife, thankfully there was one. She quickly teleported that one to the field, and handed him over to a waiting paramedic. Then she teleported back to the woman. Clutching her hand, she smiled. "I'm Veilmist. Your name?"

"Mirisa," smiled the woman faintly through tears.

"Okay, Mirisa, I'm just going to check you for injuries, so I don't make anything worse, okay?"

Up above, Blizzard's heart wrenched as he watched sentients clamber over debris. All Braalians had some measure of magnetic ability, which is why buildings were typically constructed of non-ferrous material - so no Braalian could willfully damage them. Only doors and windows were ferrous. He spoke into his flight ring, set to loudspeaker mode. "Sentients! The Science Police and the Legion of Super-Heroes are here. I am Blizzard. We have checked that there is no danger in the immediate area. Please, stand to the side, and I will clear a path for you!"

The crowd gratefully, if nervously, stepped back behind Blizzard. Concentrating, he created two ice walls, one on each side of the aisle, and pushed them as far back as he could. After satisfactorily clearing the aisle of debris, he motioned to the crowd. "Okay, walk in single file, please, this way everyone can get out..."

Near the exit, Rainbow was hovering, her rainbow aura turned on. Not enough to be blinding, but enough to get attention. "This way, please," she called as she motioned at escaping spectators. "Just file to the exit in an orderly manner..." She really wished her powers could be better put to use here!

She watched as a young woman came running up, clutching a young child with her left arm, and pulling another with her right. The second child was holding on to yet another, smaller child. Mother and three children rushed up to Rainbow.

"You're a Legionnaire, right? My husband..." The mother choked back tears, even as her youngest began to bawl. "Daddy, daddy!"

"It's okay, it's okay," Rainbow shushed the children. "My name is Rainbow, and I'll help you. Where is he?"

"Daddy's leg got broke, and he told us to run," bawled the oldest child.

"Okay, I'll go find him," Rainbow said. "But you have to keep going, okay? I promise, I'll come find you and either bring your Daddy, or tell you where to find him - depending on how badly he's hurt, I might need to bring him to the doctors. But they'll fix him right up, okay?"

The youngest child began to sob again.

"Hey, hey, here..." Rainbow addressed the mother. "I have an idea. My powers can interact with this powder to give your kids a rainbow glow. It's harmless, just cosmetic, and it will help me find you in the crowd. Will that work for you?"

The mother smiled gratefully. Rainbow pulled a small pouch from her utility belt, and told the children to hold out one arm each. She swiftly sprinkled some fine powder on each, then used her powers to light them up. The three children momentarily forgot their fear, and began clapping and cheering.

Rainbow quickly got the father's description and holo from the mother, gave her a way to contact the Legion's Monitor Board in case Rainbow couldn't find them in the crowd, and sent them off.

Satisfied, Rainbow turned to find the father, then thought better of it. After all, Blizzard HAD given her a job to do... She called Blizzard on the flight ring, and relayed the situation.

"You did good, Dori. I'll pass this on to Veilmist, and tell her to let you know what happens."

Rainbow smiled at that, and began to shepherd more civilians out of the stadium.

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

Over in the middle of the stadium grounds, Chameleon and Density examined ground zero of the blast.

"Plastic fragments, just as I thought," Chameleon mused. "To ensure that the Braalians wouldn't have detected anything with their powers."

"Some metal too," Density crouched down. "Non-metallic, I assume." He looked up, and frowned. There was something...

"Reep..." Density began. "Wouldn't it be weird if someone were all bundled up in this weather... and seems to be a civilian, but is acting very calm while heading to the exit?"

Following his teammate's gaze, Chameleon discreetly morphed his eyes into those of a Lythylian Telescope-Bird while keeping the rest of his face the same. "Yes, suspicious indeed..."

"Do we go after..." Density began. But they were interrupted by Pol Krinn's voice on the flight ring array,

"Gang, I'm with the SPs. They've found another explosive on the far side of the field."

"Sprock," Chameleon muttered.

"Shall we rush that civilian, or..." Density trailed off. "This bomb takes precedent..."

"And we don't want to cause a panic, either," Chameleon noted. He took his Omnicom out, as if consulting it for something. He quietly took a shot of the civilian that Density had spotted, and sent the holo over to the Mission Monitor Board with a note to work with Braal Science Police. "I've asked for Gear or Babbage to get hooked into securi-cams. Hopefully they can track that mysterious sentient," Chameleon said. "Come on, let's go."

Taking off into the air, Density and Chameleon flew over to Pol Krinn and Officer Kolkin. Both looked grim.

"They've found it," Officer Kolkin pointed to a non-descript wooden container on the edge of the stadium. "But scans show we only have three minutes..."

"Then we'd best detonate it safely," Chameleon said. "But do we know how strong it is?"

"Negative," Officer Kolkin muttered.

"I can shield it with my body, but..." Density offered. "Or we can call a Threshold to dump it in space, or..."

"Or!" Pol Krinn's eyes lit up. "You're right about moving it, Jed! It may be non-magnetic, but..." He reached out with his hand and pulled some magno-balls towards him. Molding their form, he surrounded the bomb, sealing it into a metallic sphere!

"Brilliant, Pol!" Chameleon said. "Now we can try to carry it away - up into the air!"

"Officer, can you clear the airspace above the stadium?" Density asked.

"Already on it!" Officer Kolkin began barking into his comms. "And tell everyone to cover their ears!"

The quartet watched with bated breath as Pol Krinn pushed the sphere into the air magnetically; their silence was broken only by Chameleon updating the other Legionnaires, and Kolkin telling rescue services to prepare the crowd. Blizzard responded that he was going to create an icy shield above the wounded in the stadium, as a precaution.

And then, a minute later, Pol staggered as his metallic sphere shook.

"Hm, about as strong as the first blast," Chameleon whispered under his breath.

"Thank grife it was only so," Pol muttered. "I was worried that my little shield would blow up in a dozen different directions!"

"Good news," Officer Kolkin called. "Scans show the stadium, and the area around, are clear. No more bombs."

"Good..." Chameleon said. "Then we can do some detective work and catch the squajes who did this."

Chameleon, Density and Officer Kolkin began walking away. Pol took one last look at the sky, and followed them.

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

The Legionnaires and Officer Kolkin huddled in a room at the Science Police Headquarters in Braal. The Captain, a stern-faced woman with a white streak in her reddish-brown hair*, had told the officers to give the investigating team everything they needed.

Shortly after the explosions, an anonymous message had been broadcast to Braal's largest news network. Taking responsibility for the bombing, the message had said that more would unless a ransom were paid tomorrow.

Chameleon and Density had briefed the rest on what they had found - the civilian acting oddly in the stadium - and now they were waiting for their Robotican teammate Babbage - through remote link - to filter through the Science Police databases to find a match.

Officer Kolkin came up to Rainbow with a mug of coffee. "Want some?"

"Oh, thanks!" Rainbow said.

"Yeah, sorry for being so gruff out there on the field," Kolkin said. "Emergency, you know. I thought I'd introduce myself properly this time."

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Officer," Rainbow smiled, taking his hand.

Chameleon sidled up to them. "Magno told us we meet see you here, Officer."

Kolkin barked. "Hah! I've told Dyrk Magz time and again that he should visit, now that he's been fully pardoned and everything! He did technically help a fugitive escape, even if it was Cosmic Boy!"**

Pol Krinn walked up with a laugh. "Yeah, at that time my folks had no idea where my brother was... turns out, he'd been working as a secret Legionnaire, even though the team had been officially disbanded then!"

"Bleak times," Density laughed. "I am so glad things are better now."

"Yeah, well," Kolkin scratched his head in discomfort. "I gotta admit, I was one of the SPs who thought that an organized police force was better. But I gotta say, we couldn't have done some of the things you Legionnaires did..."

"Both the Legion and the Science Police have our roles to play, officer," Chameleon smiled. "We're both needed." Chameleon jerked as he heard a ping. Grabbing his Omnicom, he thumbed through the readouts, and began to smile. "Babbage got a hit, and it's a pretty big hit at that."

Pol Krinn's eyes widened as he saw Babbage's message. "Seriously?"

"You know this sentient?" Veilmist asked.

"Oh yes..." Pol said grimly. "Very, very well."

"You'll get a chance to say hi soon," Blizzard called. "We got the Kwai working on it, and we've just found their location."

"Let's get to it, then," Veilmist's eyes glowed. Officer Kolkin hurriedly made arrangements. And once the coordinates were beamed to Veilmist's flight ring, she enveloped the group in her purple mist and vanished.

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

IB's notes:

1) Warning: big info dump!! Officer Vin Kolkin and our unnamed captain first appeared in Legion Worlds 3! A then-depowered Dyrk Magz, formerly Magno, was a Science Police officer on Braal - partnered with Kolkin. At that time, superheroics and vigilantes were outlawed thanks to Ra's al Ghul (masquerading as UP President Leland McCauley). Dyrk caught a vigilante who turned out to be Cosmic Boy in disguise... he was working with Invisible Kid, Violet and Chuck Taine to get close to, and steal, a "footstep drive" ship that could warp long distances (the Stargates were then un-operational because of the Blight invasion, and the Thresholds had not been discovered yet).

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Braal

Active Legionnaires

Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Chameleon, Reep Daggle of Durla; shapeshifting
Density, Jed Rikane of Earth (Mongolia and Nepal) and Quothon; controls his body's density

Reserve Legionnaires

Magnetic Kid, Pol Krinn of Braal; magnetokinesis (magno-ball athlete)

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Rainbow, Dori Aandraison of Xolnar; rainbow-based light powers
Veilmist of Khundia and ??; teleportation

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

Ensconced quietly in a corner of the warehouse on the edge of Braal's capital city, Chameleon watched as the older man with the cane screamed at his companion. "You idiot!" The older man's red hair accentuated his angry features as he waved his cane. "I can't believe you actually went to the stadium to watch the bombs go off?"

"I needed to," his companion said. She was a middle-aged woman, with long black hair falling to her waist. She stood, back straight, muscles tensed. "You don't know how I've missed being on the field..."

"I've trained magno-ball athletes before, seen many end their careers!" The man thundered. "Many go to the field to relive their best days! But none of them were stupid enough to do so, while trying to extort money from the government!"

A third figure in the room spoke up. This one was younger, with green skin and androgynous features. Chameleon, in his guise as a Braalian Burrowing Beetle, discreetly morphed his antennae - the organs that Durlans, in their humanoid form, used to scan new beings and copy their forms. As he suspected; this sentient was from Hermaphrodite, the homeworld of Legion Support Staff member Vampire. Except Vampire had pale yellow skin; it seemed that Hermaphroditeans had a true rainbow of skin colors. Hmmm.

Chameleon filed that thought away, as the Hermaphroditean continued. "I used to work with the Science Police here, and I hid a backdoor in their systems when I was. They have footage of our amazing athlete over here. It's just a matter of time before they find us."

The first man slammed his cane on a table in frustration. "Then we go! Now!"

The woman glared angrily at him, then began gathering her belongings.

Satisfied that the three were working alone, Chameleon used his flight ring to signal Veilmist. And in seconds, a purple mist filled the room.

"Sprock!" The Hermaphroditean cursed, and began tapping away on their keyboard. "Gotta arm the guns..." Guns made of non-ferrous material emerged from the walls, and began firing at Veilmist.

"Uh uh," Blizzard said, creating a dome of ice. "Sorry, you're not going to shoot any Legionnaires today."

"Or anyone, for that matter." Chameleon morphed into the shape of an Alephian Anaconda and curled around the Hermaphroditean. Below him, Rainbow raised her arms and fired at the guns, shredding them to bits.

"I've got daddy over there," Density pointed to the older man, who was running towards the exit.

"And this one's mine!" Magnetic Kid called as he bounded after the woman. She snarled, and used her magnetic powers to send a flurry of knives flying at Pol. Pol countered by calling a sheet of metal, using it as a shield. "Tonya Dinns! I used to look up to you!" he shouted. "You were a sports hero!"

"Until I got in that hovercar accident!" Tonya spat. "Nobody had any use for me then!" She ripped the floor out from under Pol; he steadied himself with his flight ring.

"Hah, cheating with your Legion gear," Tonya laughed.

"Fine." Pol took his ring off his finger and tucked it in his pocket. "Braalian to Braalian, just our magnetism."

"I can still beat you," Tonya commanded a flurry of tiny ball bearings to swarm at Pol. Pol used his magnetism against the metallic sheet of metal to propel himself upwards and above the bearings; and he sent another sheet of metal flying in front of them, preventing them from hitting Chameleon and Rainbow. "You won't hurt my friends, Tonya." Pol shaped one of the ball bearings into an arrowhead, and sent it flying above Tonya. It sliced through some cables holding a non-ferrous chandelier aloft, and crashed beside her. As Tonya dove to the side, Veilmist appeared beside her in a puff of smoke. "I hope you don't mind my aid, Magnetic Kid?" Veilmist called.

"No, I'm not like her," Pol spat. "I can rely on my friends."

"And that is why we're a Legion," Veilmist said with satisfaction as she kicked Tonya in the face. The Braalian woman fell unconscious with a thud.

"Looks like that's a wrap, then," Density called, smiling, as he walked in the door. The older man was slung over his shoulder; and Density had his cane in another hand. Though he kicked and squirmed and bit, Density's toughened hide was too much for him. Reaching the others, Density plopped the man on the ground, his hands handcuffed together.

Chameleon elongated his neck and stared at the man. "I see you're still up to no good, Alux Cuspin."

"You again! You stopped me from having Cosmic Boy killed, and sent me to jail AGAIN!" Cuspin spat.*

"And you showed today that you belong there," Chameleon said darkly, pulling Cuspin to his feet roughly. "Putting innocents in danger, how many people did you hurt?"

"We... we can cut a deal! It was all their idea!" Cuspin pointed to the unconscious Tonya, and the squirming Hemaphroditean. "I just..."

"Don't you throw me under the bus!" The Hermaphroditean screamed. "It was all YOUR idea!"

Density sighed as he watched the two. "Guess there's no honor among thieves, eh?"

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

Back in Braal Science Police headquarters, Chameleon finished debriefing the Captain. "Tonya Dinns' inability to let things go made it so easy," he continued. "Once we saw her in the stands, it was only a matter of time before we identified her."

"Although, Babbage's scan also alerted us to the Hermaphroditean's system hacks," Blizzard continued. "So we had another way of tracing them."

"This was extremely amateurish," the Captain shook her head. "What WERE they thinking?"

"This isn't Cuspin's first harebrained scheme," Chameleon offered. "He was first jailed for embezzling Cosmic Boy's earnings when he was still a magno-ball star; and he sent an assassin after him too, getting sent to jail again."

"I think he's going to be in for a long while, this time..." Density muttered.

"We will make sure we do a thorough check of all their devices, to be sure they weren't planning something bigger," Chameleon continued.

Outside the room, Rainbow watched Pol Krinn as he looked out the window. Veilmist was chatting with Officer Kolkin. Rainbow walked over to Pol.

"Hey, Pol, you seem lost in thought..." Rainbow began.

"Hmmm?" Pol looked up. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just wondering..." he sighed. "I have no sympathy for Tonya, but... I do understand, somewhat. When she got injured some years ago, her career came to a scratching halt." He shook his head. "A lot of former athletes become trainers, or motivational speakers, or find something else. She couldn't."

"There were many things she could have done..." Rainbow offered.

"Yeah, exactly. Instead, she chose crime," Pol muttered. "I mean, I've thought about what I would do when the time comes to retire. There are so many options! I just don't understand why she didn't put her fame to good use..."

"Some people just can't let go, Pol," Rainbow said quietly. "Maybe one day, she'll be able to."

"Maybe..." Pol said as he looked out the window, watching the soft rain outside.

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

IB's notes:

1) Alux Cuspin was Cosmic Boy's manager and trainer; Saturn Girl detected Cuspin's lewd thoughts and realized he was embezzling Cos' earnings to pay off gambling debts. Cos fired him and had him arrested (LSH 0). Seeking revenge, Cuspin hired the assassin Domain to murder Cos. Domain failed, though let slip that Cuspin was his client (Legionnaires 70). Chameleon, impersonating Domain, extracted a confession from Cuspin and arrested him again (Legionnaires 71).

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

The Sklarian Asteroid Belt

Active Legionnaires

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
Wildfire, Drake Burroughs (energy gestalt of two beings); anti-energy being

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Battering Ram, Louie Lee of Pluto; concussive force blasts
Crystal Kid, Bobb Kohan of Earth (Brazil and Peru); crystal generation and manipulation
X-Bomb Betty, Betty Shell of Ventura; causes small explosions

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

Wildfire watched as Ferro slammed into another meteor. Before embarking on this mission, Violet had asked him if he had noticed Ferro acting more aggressively lately...

Wildfire hadn't, but then he and Ferro - and more recently, Timber Wolf - had been using the VR room regularly to work off anger and frustration. Wildfire, as a sentient ball of energy, could empathize with Ferro's plight - neither could taste, touch, or smell anymore.

Although... Wildfire could feel, somewhat. He and Shikari had discovered that if Shikari vibrated her wings a certain way, she could generate soundwaves that made his energy form feel GOOD. Even better than the times he had slept with someone while still fully human. In return, Wildfire had had his gloves modified so he could touch Shikari properly.

Wildfire mused that maybe he should not have shared that good news with Ferro...

Now wasn't the time, but Wildfire determined he would chat Ferro up after this mission. He...

"Hey, we've got incoming!" X-Bomb Betty pointed. Wildfire looked to see a Sklarian ship flying towards them. "They're veering quite close!"

"And they haven't hailed us yet," Violet said cautiously, as she grew larger. "Be wary, but don't make any sudden moves... Let's try to communicate."

"No, we hit them first!" Ferro flew as fast as his flight ring could carry him.

"Ferro, what are you doing!?" Wildfire chased after his friend. But Ferro was closer; Ferro smashed into the ship's wing, causing it to explode! The ship began tumbling in space.

"No!" Violet reached out and caught the ship gently in her palm. Crystal Kid sealed the hole in its wing with his crystal powers, while X-Bomb Betty and Battering Ram flew towards the cockpit.

"Is everyone inside okay?" Battering Ram asked.

"My crew are injured!" The Captain of the ship raged over the commlinks. "How dare you attack us?"

"I-" X-Bomb Betty looked helplessly at Violet. "I'm sorry, ma'am, we..."

"We apologize for this grievous error," Violet took over. "We were mistaken, and realized our error too late. Please, allow us to assist you."

By this time, Wildfire had caught up to Ferro. "What are you doing, Andy?"

"They were probably Sklarian raiders!" Ferro began.

"No!" Ferro and Wildfire both turned, surprised, to see an enraged Crystal Kid flying towards them. "We just got a call from Legion World, asking us why we attacked a Sklarian government ship sent to relieve us!"

"But-" Ferro began.

Crystal Kid stuck his finger in Ferro's face. "I don't care if you're the Active Legionnaire and I'm the Cadet, you just caused a major diplomatic incident! One of the first things we learn in training, is not to use force unless we're certain of hostility!"

"He's right, Ferro," Wildfire shook his head. "I think you need to go back to Legion World now."

"But..." Ferro began.

"No, Andy, I'm sorry." Wildfire called Legion World before Ferro could say anything more. A Threshold opened, and a Kwai came to collect a dejected-looking Ferro.

Wildfire and Crystal Kid silently watched Ferro leave. Wildfire turned to his companion. "Kudos for telling it like it is, Bobb."

Crystal Kid blushed. "I can use my big mouth for good stuff, occasionally..."

"You have a good power, and great control over it," Wildfire noted. "Just keep working on being a good teammate, like you did just now. Now come on, let's see if we can salvage the situation..."

"I will..." Crystal Kid said as he followed Wildfire over to the Sklarian ship.

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

Legion World

Active Legionnaires

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form
Triad, Luornu Durgo of Cargg; triplication. Current Legion leader.

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

Ferro looked up as the door to the meeting room opened. Triad stood there, her face thunderous.

Ferro lowered his eyes. "Triad, I'm sorry, I overreacted..."

"It's good that you know that," Triad said sternly. "I've just spent the last hour placating the Sklarians, and promising to keep them updated on remedial action on your part."

Ferro sat quietly, head down.

"Ferro... Andy..." Triad kept her tone even as she sat down. "You're usually more level-headed. What were you thinking?"

Ferro shook his head. "I don't know, I..."

Triad stretched a hand out. "Maybe we haven't been supporting you enough, Andy. But if something is going on, we'd like to help you. And I'm not just talking about helping you work well as a Legionnaire... But helping you be well."

Ferro shook his head. "I... I just... I don't know. I feel..."

Triad sat quietly, as Ferro struggled to finish his sentence. Then he stood up. "I don't know what I feel!" He hung his head, his arms shaking."

"You don't need to know right now," Triad said softly. "But please, you need to get help." She stood up. "Andy, I'm sorry, but I have to take you off active duty. And I need you to talk to Dr. Ryk'rr as soon as possible. She'll be in touch to set an appointment."

"I understand..."

"And... and if you want to talk before..." Triad said quietly. "Wildfire, Violet... they've both offered to talk to you. I know others are willing too, if you're comfortable..."

"I.... thanks." Ferro said. "I just need to be alone first."

"Okay..." Triad lightly touched Ferro's forearm. "But you know where to find us."

Ferro didn't even look up as Triad left the room.

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Legion World

Active Legionnaires

Echo, Troy Stewart of Earth (South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago); sound manipulation
Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form (currently suspended)
Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Mentalla, Delya Castil of Titan; telepathic control of others' physical functions
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body

Other Legion Cadets (Not Reservists)

Teena Dav of Daxam; enhanced speed, strength, invulnerability, vision powers, flight

Other Legion Support Staff

Dr. Ryk'rr of Jaquaa; Legion psychiatrist

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

Echo sat quietly and attentively in Mentalla's room, as Mentalla told him everything. She had wanted to talk somewhere private. She spoke about how Ferro had suddenly turned cold; how Kinetix had helped her realize Ferro had a crush on her; and how Violet had come to her with news of Ferro cutting loose on their last mission. And how Triad had suspended him and ordered him to visit the Legion's psychiatrist, and how many of his Legionnaire friends, acting together, had convinced him to see it as a way to get help instead of a purely punitive measure.

Echo could tell this was tough for Mentalla, so he made sure to squeeze her hand and keep quiet.

"Violet told me it was clear that Ferro was struggling," Mentalla continued. "And I've always thought of him as a friend... And so I reached out, asking if he wants any of my support before he talks to Dr. Ryk'rr. And he said yes..."

"I feel awful," Echo said. "I never realized... He did make a weird comment when we were fighting the Ox, but I didn't think much of it... Now I think of all the times we sat together in front of Ferro..."

"I don't think we did anything wrong, exactly," Mentalla said quietly. "Ferro never confessed his feelings, or anything... I mean, I thought a few times he was really, really nice, but I didn't want to assume..."

Echo patted her on the back gently. "You have reached out to him, several times. And if you hadn't spoken to Kinetix about it, this may not have surfaced."

"I know..." Mentalla took Echo's hand and smiled. "Thank you." She gave him a quick smack on the lips. "A few of are supporting him - we thought it best to keep it small." She sighed.

"I can take a hint," Echo laughed. "Yeah, I don't think it's a good idea for me to be there. But... let me know if he's in a good space for me to reach out to him." Echo hugged Mentalla, then sat down as she turned to leave.

"Wish I had seen this coming..." Echo muttered to himself as Mentalla turned the corner. "Poor Ferro... stuck in his iron form, and now watching both his crushes date other guys..."

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

Ferro sat, forlorn, in Dr. Ryk'rr's waiting room on Legion World. Karate Kid and Element Lass were with him. Dr. Ryk'rr's office, in which she actually saw her patients, was in an adjoining room - one that sat behind an opaque wall, so the doctor and her patients would have privacy. Calm ambient music and soft lighting filled the waiting room.

Element Lass had been filling the silence with small talk. She and Karate Kid were here to keep Ferro company while he waited for his appointment with the doctor. It was slightly worrisome that Ferro had chosen to come so early; he had arrived a full hour early for his appointment, saying he preferred to sit in silence.

"Ferro... Andrew... dear..." Element Lass spoke tentatively. "Are you sure you're okay with Violet and Mentalla both coming over here?"

"They care, at least..." Ferro said glumly, staring straight ahead.

"We all do, dear," Element Lass said quietly.

Karate Kid just sat silently, offering quiet comfort. He and Ferro* had become close on Steeple, a planet of Halpashar monks. Karate Kid had learned how best to help his friend work through things. "Indeed, and I think you know that, Andy," Karate Kid said quietly. "I know you'll talk when you're ready," he said, more as a hint to Element Lass than anything.

To her credit, Element Lass got the hint. She and Ferro had bonded over society's reactions to their looks**, and she had seen Ferro slowly get over that. She had given him a lot of platitudes and reminders about how strong he was... now she was content to just be here.

Mentalla and Violet both walked into the waiting room, each looking a little awkward. The two had met - with Kinetix - for a coffee before coming here, and had both confessed that both had suspected Ferro had a crush on them before; but neither had really been sure; and both had been content to treat Ferro as a friend.*** They had both wondered aloud if they should have done anything differently... but neither had ever discussed their own dating lives with Ferro...

In her typical blunt manner, Kinetix had told them both to stop feeling guilty, as this was about Ferro now. "You can't change the past, so just think about how to help him better from now on!" Kinetix had urged. "Now shoo, before you become late!"

As soon as Mentalla saw Ferro, she realized why Kinetix hadn't come. Ferro looked so forlorn... he needed something other than Kinetix's brand of bluntness and tough love.

"Are you ready, Ferro?" Violet asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Ferro shook his head. "I'm suspended from Active duty, after all."

"We just want you to be well, Ferro," Mentalla said quietly.

"I guess..." Ferro buried his face in his hands.

The door to Dr. Rky'rr's inner office opened, and a young female with short-cropped brown hair peeked through. "Oh, I just finished," she whispered. "Dr. Ryk'rr says she'll call you in a few minutes."

Element Lass waved and smiled, and the young female smiled back. "Take care, Teena!" Element Lass called as Teena exited. The Daxamite had suffered quite an ordeal at the hands of Dr. Mar Londo; since being rescued, Teena had received the best psychiatric care right here on Legion World. She had decided to join the Legion Cadet program, though the Active membership as a whole felt that she was only doing it to learn to use her powers for self-defense. Nobody really expected Teena to want to join the team full-time; she was too bent on exploring the universe.

Maybe seeing the universe was something Ferro could explore, to feel better... Element Lass gently laid a hand on Ferro's shoulder. He didn't even twitch.

The door to Dr. Ryk'rrs office opened again, and Dr. Ryk'rr peeked out. "Ferro? I'm ready for you, if you are."

Ferro stood up without a word, and followed Dr. Ryk'rr in. He spared one glance for his four teammates, then entered without a word. The door to the office closed, and the four Legionnaires remaining in the waiting room looked around, awkwardly.

Violet puffed her cheeks out as she sat down beside Element Lass. Mentalla quietly took a spot beside Karate Kid, hugging herself. The waiting room suddenly felt very small.

"So..." Violet began. "I guess we wait."

"Yes," was all Karate Kid said. "And we be here for our friend."

The four turned to watch Dr. Ryk'rr's door.

"I'm sure she'll be able to help him..." Mentalla said quietly, as they all settled in to wait.

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

IB's notes:

1) Karate Kid invited Ferro along to travel and "find themselves", and they both ended up on Steeple (Legion Worlds 5). This was where Ferro finally became comfortable enough to take off his mask and show his disfigured face (note: disfigured by 20th century standards; it was implied in Legionnaires 58 that by 30th century standards, Ferro looked perfectly normal to people - after all, with so many alien species out there...!). This was also where Ferro got severely injured in his iron form, meaning he had to stay iron - if he switched back, he'd bleed to death. In his iron form, Ferro has very little sense of touch, and no sense of taste or smell.

2) Element Lass (as Monstress) and Ferro talked about their looks in LSH Secret Files 2! Ferro tried to hide his face from Monstress, and she told him that even though people stare, nobody should be ashamed of how they look.

3) Recap of Ferro's crushes: Gosh, Ferro had a bad time. He had a crush on the Sandy Anderson Inferno in LSH 94, but that plotline was dropped quickly. Ferro transferred his crush to Violet, but never acted on it (Legionnaires 59, 77). That was the last canon mention of his crush, and I decided to have Ferro move on... Ferro first starts crushing on Mentalla at the beginning of Volume 4. And we know recently that Mentalla and Echo started dating (end of Volume 4).

Hey IB,

I'm having to do this on my phone as my laptop is not playing - it is over 10 years old so in tech terms it is ancient! After two hours of fighting with it thus morning ive decided to leave for my partner to look at when he gets back from work tonight, the lucky guy So, anyway, this will need to be quick review instead of the usual stream of consciousness that you get

Was good seeing the Zodiac crew again, and nice that Jeka got to face off against the Snake. Dryad and Ferdinand fighting on a small island could have been disastrous so I'm glad that didn't get out of hand too quickly.

The teams Plan B was very clever. I always wondered if the was a limit of how apart Cargggites bodies could get, so your having one Lu back on their base while another is in another dimension was interesting.

Good to see the team in action, its always great when there's a mob of them working together. I think my favourite part was Triads shyness around the gods, its good to think that even the Legion leader, a strong, intelligent and competent hero, would be aware that they are dealing with something on another level entirely.

I really like the scene with Rokk and Jaz. She's got him right under her thumb, and he knows it. I agree that Dryad shouldn't be a full member until they've had a lot more training.

The Braal goodwill mission got of to a nice start, though there's always someone who wants to ruin a good deed, isn't there, haha. Thankfully, or our stories would be pretty mundane. Like your description of Vielmist, not the usual slinky barbie doll then, good-oh!

Rainbow feeling like her powers are useless even though she's being very useful was a good moment - we've all felt like that when there are others more skillful around us. I'm sure she'll get her moment to impress.

Pol was useful. He's another character that I never thought quite get anywhere, I mean he only joined because Rokk was his brother, not because he particularly wanted to be a hero. So, nice to see him in action and you've written him well explaining his motivations.

Ferro being more of a hot head than Wildfire - oh dear, that's not going to end well. Crystal Kid getting in his face was great though, unexpected but totally get why he did it. And, Wildfire being the peacemaker - you knows things are going wrong if Drake's taking that role on.

Of course, teammates will talk when one of them is out of character, and your team are sweet that they didn't bitch about it but spoke compassionately. That was good. I like the love/lust triangle you've created there.

I didn't u derstand the last scene - was Ferro in the counsellors office with the others? It didn't flow for me, sorry if I missed something obvious there.

I love your character work IB, your team are brilliantly written, with everyone being nuanced and believable. Well done, that's tricky to get right.

Can't wait to see what you have for us next, more, more, more!

hi Harbi, what a treat! lots of nice detailed comments - and on your phone too!

My personal laptop died on me a few years back... it gave up and I just gave up too. good luck with yours!

yeah, Jeka vs. Snake was a treat to right. I do think there should be limits re the Carggite reintegration distance, so this was only possible through magic

I wonder if Rokk is happy to be under Jazmin's thumb, so he can relax a bit from time to time. after all, he's had to be the responsible one for so long!

glad you agree re Dryad, I also thought it would be too fast to make it a member this soon!

hee hee! Veilmist's description is a nod to Khundian females in the series, actually I can only really think of one - Amilia Crugg. But I do like the Reboot idea of having Khundian women also be big and formidable, I imagine Veilmist is more petite than, say, Element Lass/Monstress, but she's still a big athletic type!

glad Rainbow's and Pol's moments went true, and I did have Wildfire and Crystal Kid taking on unusual roles because of Ferro's bit.

thanks for your note re Ferro's scene, I'll firm it up. Ferro and company were together in the waiting room, but only Ferro actually went into the psychiatrist's office. I'll go back and make it clearer

and thank you for your very kind words re my team, appreciate it a lot!

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Dagosk

Active Legionnaires

Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks. Current Legion Deputy Leader.
Live Wire, Garth Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Particon, Jennifer Sanchez of Earth (India and Philippines); "hard light" energy casting and manipulation
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Dragonwing, Marya Pai of Earth (Singapore and Tibet); breathes fire and secretes acid venom
Flying Fox of H'lven; levitation, enhanced agility and strength, claws
Vision, Rhent Ustin of Earth (Egypt and Spain); microscopic, telescopic, heat, freeze, and hypnotic vision

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

Dagosk and Dabron are sister worlds in a remote area of the Milky Way Galaxy. Both were invited to join the United Planets a few years back, but only Dagosk accepted. After a series of murders, which were solved by the Legion*, Dagosk realized that tensions with Dabron would escalate if only one world joined. Both worlds have since made a pact to only join together... and disagreements on the timing of UP accession have intensified unrest in recent months.

- excerpt from Legion liaison (Captain Shvaughn Erin of the Science Police)'s communication to Legion Leader, Triad

***********************************************************
"You okay, XS?" Particon asked her teammate, as they watched the stars zoom by. As neither Dagosk nor Dabron were United Planets worlds, the Threshold protocols stated that any approach to them from UP space should be by cruiser. So, the Legionnaires had taken a Threshold to a point outside the sister worlds' territorial space, and were now covering the last parsecs by cruiser. Live Wire was piloting and Gates was navigating; the two were also having a rather animated discussion about the merits and disadvantages of Live Wire's homeworld of Winath remaining in the Affiliated Planets, rather than joining the United Planets.* Not eager to join in that debate, XS and Particon were sitting off to the side.

"Yeah, thanks, Particon," XS smiled as she forced herself to stop twitching. "This just brings back memories. Last time we were here, Leviathan was still with us*..."

"I understand," Particon offered a smile of support. Though Leviathan had died** before she herself had even encountered the Legion, she really did understand. Dragonmage's recent death had made her feel a lot of conflicting emotions; and he had only been a Reservist, and part of a much bigger team than when Leviathan was still on it. There had been, what, fewer than 20 Legionnaires at that time? Not to mention, Leviathan hadn't had the baggage that Dragonmage did, joining the enemy, no matter what his reasons had been...

In fact, considering the villains they had faced, sometimes Particon wondered that more of them hadn't died...

Almost as if she were telepathic, XS turned to Particon. "I remember my very first mission... the first Kid Quantum died then, and I panicked too***," she whispered. "I haven't panicked in the face of danger since, but it can be tough...."

"I know..." Particon said quietly. "It took me a while, too. Remember when Element Lass first asked to join, after we fought Mordru?**** I thought about asking to join too, but after seeing all the death and injury during the battle..." she faced away. "I couldn't join yet, not then."

"But you did, eventually," XS smiled. "And I'm glad you're here. It's not easy, but at least we can face danger together."

"Yeah..." Particon smiled back. "Strength in numbers, and all that..."

Over at the back of the cruiser, Legion Cadets Vision, Dragonwing and Flying Fox were chatting. Gates had told them to read up on Dagosk and Dabron; Vision was still diligently doing so; Flying Fox had skimmed through various articles; and Dragonwing was simply planning to ask Vision for a summary after he was done.

"Finally, another real mission," Flying Fox looked eager. "This one seems a bit more diplomatic, but maybe we'll get some action too!"

"There had better be," Dragonwing winked. "Yeah, I know these more boring goodwill missions are needed too, but come on... I joined the Legion to fight bad guys, you know?"

"I'm still surprised they brought so many of us Reservist Cadets," Vision idly wondered. "You'd think something like this would be left to the Active members."

Dragonwing rolled her eyes. "Of course they brought us, Vision! Duh!"

"Vision lowered his Omnicom, and peered at Dragonwing. "What do you mean?"

"Rhent, for someone so book smart, you can be so people dumb sometimes!" Dragonwing's exasperation was evident. "Think! Besides the three of us, Crystal Kid, Rainbow and Veilmist are the only other Cadets who were there when the Monitor took over Legion World*****. Well, okay, Polecat and Retro too, but they haven't made Reservist status. So anyway, the six of us are the "Senior" Cadets. Plus Dryad, who's new but really competent. And guess what, everyone has been going on missions lately!"

Vision blinked his four eyes, trying to drink in everything Dragonwing had said. Flying Fox tilted his head. "So then... this mission is a test?"

"Of course it's a test!" Dragonwing hissed. "Crystal Kid, Rainbow, Veilmist and Dryad all just came back from missions recently!"

"But in a way, aren't all missions tests?" Vision stammered. "As Cadets, everyone knows we aspire to be full Active Legionnaires one day..."

Dragonwing slapped her thigh in frustration. "But the symmetry! We're all getting the same number of missions, if that makes sense, and they're giving us mission types that we're not used to! Diplomacy for us, some charitable stuff for Rainbow and Veilmist, an offensive-type space mission for Crystal Kid where they put him with some junior Cadets..."

"Isn't Rainbow used to doing charity, though?" Vision asked. "she used to be a model. right?" Dragonwing glared at him, and began to stand.

Flying Fox leaped in between his two classmates. "Let's just put it this way," he kept his tone soothing and calm. "I've heard them talking of assessing whether we're ready, soon. After all, we've been here long enough. All our peers have moved on, either into the Legion, or to the Amazers, or the Lallor Heroes, or into the support staff... but basically, everyone else who joined along with us has graduated, pretty much."

"Yes, exactly!" Dragonwing spread her arms wide, shaking them at Vision. "It takes resources to train Cadets. We can't, and shouldn't, be Cadets forever," she went on.

Flying Fox thought for a moment, that some other long-studying Cadets, like Retro and Polecat, would probably be leaving the program soon... Polecat's stink powers made him a very unlikely Legionnaire, and Retro had only just managed to pull himself up from the brink of being thrown out, due to his lying and cowardice. If Flying Fox had to bet, Retro would never make it as a Legionnaire, either.

The three Cadets were interrupted by XS running over. "We're making planetfall!" The super-speedster barked. "Buckle up! Are you all ready?"

"Well, I am!" Dragonwing crossed her arms. Flying Fox nodded in the affirmative. "I still have three paragraphs of this article to finish," Vision mumbled.

"You can read while we land," XS smiled. Then she dashed off.

"How much are you reading, Rhent?!" Dragonwing hissed. "I was going to ask you for a summary!"

Vision blinked and stammered. Flying Fox shook his head as he watched the two bicker. He could see either one being a Legionnaire, in time. But he really couldn't imagine BOTH of them on the team at once!

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

IB's notes:

1) Dagosk and its sister world Dabron appeared in Showcase '96 #8. Gates, XS and now-deceased Leviathan fought Quicksand and Holdur, who were murdering officials on Dagosk. Turns out, both worlds were invited to join the United Planets, but only Dagosk accepted. N'cia, an official who was half-Dagoskian and half-Dabronian, hired Quicksand and Holdur to murder officials and stop Dagosk from joining the UP without Dabron, fearful that Dagosk would prosper alone and cause tensions - and eventually war - with Dabron. High Chancellor Pen'ta and fellow ruling council member D'ned realized that, though N'cia's methods were wrong, her concers were valid - and Dagosk declined to join the UP without Dabron.

2) Winath left the UP to join the Affiliated Planets during the Dark Circle storyline. After the Dark Circle was exposed, Winath elected to stay with the AP - which aimed to continue on as a legitimate body.

3) Leviathan died fighting Dr. Regulus in LSH 83; Particon would only try out for the Legion in Legionnaires 43, and ultimately joined in Volume 1!

4) LSH 62! XS panicked when Tangleweb attacked, though she recovered and ran back to join the battle. Cosmic Boy talked to her privately, and the very next issue XS saved everyone from a bomb (Legionnaires 19)

5) Monstress asked to join in Legionnaires 51-52! The bits about Particon not joining are my own addition; Particon was last seen being put in the care of Winema Wazzo's staff along with Radion, but that's it. No motivations were explored.

6) In Volume 3! All the other Cadets joined the program later!

Hey IB, thakns for the PM.

The updated last post above is much clearer now, thanks. Your team are all nice folk aren't they? Echo and Mentalla are surprisingly concerned for Ferro. It's not as if Ferro was dating Mentalla when she started seeing Echo, or had even expressed his feelings, so he's acting really poorly by throwing a hissy fit over her dating Echo. Oh teenagers are such irrational beasts Being a little bit more serious now, while it's nice that his teammates are trying to be supportive, I find it weird that Vi and Mentallla are going to support Ferro at the psychiatrists - it does read as if they are feeling guilty and I don't know what for. It is a bit icky to me, almost as if they are subservient here and they should have known what he was after and acted to acquiesce to his desires. Nah, sorry I'm not a fan of that. There's a fine line between being supportive and being... I don't know, pandering to his irrational moods? I'm with Kinetix here, some tough love would work best here as he's acting like a baby. Hope you follow this up soon as I'm interested to see how the team reacts and how Ferro processes the realisation about just how childish he is being.

Nice to see Particon get some of the spotlight - I know nothing about her so am always interested to read more. XS remembering Leviathon was quite poignant, and her rememering that she had panicked at a difficult time. Particon seems a little uncertain... that's interesting as we're so used to the team being super-confident and even gung-ho at times. I love how the different cadets deal with the request to learn about where they are going. That's nice characterisation in a single line. Their discussion about why so many of them are getting onto missions at present, and I wonder if you have definite plans to have a couple join the big team, or are just teasing us And, the bickering between the very different Dragonwing and Vision is fun, hopefully you'll expand on this as they wouuld make a great comedy duo.

Oh, that's it, I thought there was more Looking forward to where you take this, you've a great mix of interesting characters so it's going to be fun!

More, more, more!

hi Harbi, thanks for your R&R! appreciate your comment and glad the edits worked!

re Vi and Mentalla, don't worry we're not done with them yet - there have been some unseen conversations between Vi/Ferro and Mentalla/Ferro, that we will get around to in a bit. (in hindsight, perhaps it would have been better to write those scenes earlier, but they will come - Ferro has a lot of unpacking to do, and his friends also don't quite know how to help him).

I do appreciate your comment though, I'd already been planning to touch on Vi/Mentalla, but your comment will help me ensure I touch on it from the right angle.

Particon's uncertainty is a part of her character arc, she's realized she had an in to the Legion much earlier, and is still a bit conflicted. on one hand, if she'd joined right after fighting Mordru, she'd have been around for things like the Rift and maybe even Legion Lost. on the other hand, she worked up the courage to join later, and got sucked into a whole bunch of things anyway. I thought it would also be good to have a few Legionnaires who're not quite always so gung-ho, although still being perfectly courageous and capable.

glad you liked the Cadets bit let's just say things are percolating re the team's next members, it's a bit early days yet to say for certainty but this mission to Dagosk and Dabron will move things forward for sure

thanks as always, Harbi!

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Legion World

Active Legionnaires

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form (currently suspended)

Other Legion Support Staff

Dr. Ryk'rr of Jaquaa; Legion psychiatrist

Reserve Legionnaires (also Legion Support Staff)

Mandalla, Tari Wahlmunn of Takron-Galtos; projects a thought-sphere that affects the target's mental and physical functions (Legion medical staff)

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

As soon as the door to Dr. Ryk'rr's inner office closed, Ferro exhaled. He didn't need to; he didn't even breathe in his iron form. But the simple act of doing so helped relax him.

He tried not to think of his four friends waiting for him outside. One part of him wished there were more... he knew he had alienated some of his friends, recently. Part of him was grateful that he had at least been able to smooth things out with some others, including Violet and Mentalla - at least, enough that they had offered to sit with him in the waiting room.

"Please, have a seat, Andy," Dr. Ryk'rr smiled at him, purposely using his real first name. She indicated several floating chairs. Each chair would mold itself to the user's form, but Dr. Ryk'rr knew that being able to select one helped put most of her patients at ease. It gave them some feeling of agency, after all.

Ferro plopped onto one. "Comfy," he muttered.

Dr. Ryk'rr leaned forward, calmly. "Andy... do you actually feel the chair?"

Ferro's eyes widened. Dr. Ryk'rr waited; she had read his file, and he should know that. After all, she had consulted with him what seemed like ages ago.

"No... no, I don't," Ferro said, softly.

"I still remember our first consult," Dr. Ryk'rr kept a small smile, though she didn't smile too widely - she didn't want to seem like she was making light of it. "You had a big decision to make then, didn't you?"

Ferro laughed bitterly. "Yeah... have my face sculpted to resemble anyone I wanted and look good, but stay in iron form or risk bleeding to death."

Dr. Ryk'rr sat back and waited. She didn't want to press too hard... but she already had a hunch where this was going. After all, Ferro had decided to forego the face-sculpting, as he didn't want to lose his senses of touch, taste and smell. And that conscious decision to do so, may be key to his inner conflicts today.

A minute had passed; Ferro was still looking down, not making eye contact. Dr. Ryk'rr tried another tack.

"Andy, you've come to me voluntarily before. I know you've been mandated to do so this time, but I believe we had a very good session when you came to me the first time. I'd like to think we can use this session in the same way."

Ferro peeked a bit, and nodded.

"Could you tell me what you were thinking and feeling, when you hit that Sklarian cruiser?"

"They were coming fast... X-Bomb Betty saw it. And I just thought... I just thought I should get the jump on them first."

"Why did you think that?"

Ferro could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. "It's not because I wanted to impress Violet! Or Betty!" he spat.

"Did somebody think that?" Dr. Ryk'rr asked quietly.

Ferro's mind flashed back. He had returned to Legion World, and Wildfire had followed moments after to shepherd the less-experienced Cadets back, too. Upon thresholding back, Battering Ram and X-Bomb Betty had looked at him with a mix of shock, sadness and pity, and had gone on their way. Ferro knew that neither was a big gossip, but the Cadets still talked... the other Cadets would be asking them about their mission, and soon everyone on Legion World would know about his actions.

Wildfire had rounded on Ferro, taking him off to the side so nobody else in the crowded Threshold chamber would hear. "Andy, what the sprock? Violet and Crystal Kid are back there, getting their ears chewed off by an angry Sklarian captain! What were you thinking?"

"I didn't want us to be sitting ducks!" Ferro protested.

"They weren't attacking us!" Wildfire countered. "Sure they were coming in fast, but they hadn't done anything yet! We weren't in actual danger!"

Ferro had clenched his fists. "Haven't we been victims long enough? Those Zodiac sprockers took us by surprise and nearly killed us all!"

"We can't just go acting half-cocked like that!" Wildfire blurted out. "We shouldn't start fights unless we know we have to defend ourselves!"

"Easy for you to say!" Ferro had began. "You don't have a physical body, you can't get hurt anymore!"

Wildfire had jerked back; as if slapped. "I can't believe you just said that, Andy."

"Yeah, well, it's true, isn't it?" Ferro waved his right hand in front of Wildfire's visor. "If your suit gets ripped, we get you a new one. If my iron body gets damaged, the more I can't switch back to flesh."

"Andy, I can still die..."

"But I guess we're not the same, you're right," Ferro talked over Wildfire. "Now you have that vibrating thing going on with Shikari," Ferro had pressed on without thinking. "What was that you said? When she moves her wings a certain way, you feel as if you were fully human again? It tingles your energy ball form just so?" Without realizing it, Ferro had moved closer to Wildfire.

Wildfire's own gloves clenched, and he visibly stilled himself. "I thought you'd be happy for me, Andy. You, me, Element Lass, we're all in the same boat."

"Not anymore, not with your little breakthrough," Ferro countered.

Wildfire had shaken his head, clearly with disappointment. "I would have been happy for you, if you'd figured something out, Andy. Maybe a bit jealous, but I wouldn't have taken it out on you." Wildfire had turned his back and flown to the Threshold without another word.

Dr. Ryk'rr had been sitting quietly, listening to Ferro narrate all this. She was grateful that in this day and age, sessions were pre-recorded or transcribed with patient's consent - she could not imagine how psychiatrists had managed to concentrate on their patients centuries ago, when they still had to take notes themselves! She leaned forward now, but not too far, so as not to threaten Ferro's personal space. He clearly seemed disappointed - perhaps in himself. "How did you feel after that interaction?"

Ferro sighed. "I know I wasn't fair to him, Doctor. I know. I just... in the heat of the moment, I..." Ferro hung his head.

"Have you spoken to him since?"

"I... I've been drafting a message for him. But I've been struggling to finish it..."

"Give yourself time; it will be difficult to reach out properly when you're not yet in a good space" Dr. Ryk'rr said kindly. This incident had already bolstered her theory, but as a trained psychiatrist, she knew that one incident was often not enough to make a patient see patterns. And so she altered her line of questioning. "Have you had similar encounters with other teammates and friends, Andy?"

Ferro breathed again. Then he talked about his meeting with Triad. "At the end, she seemed concerned too," Ferro muttered. "But I wasn't ready to talk to her more, then."

"It can be difficult, if one's not in the right space," Dr. Ryk'rr said gently.

"I know... I just wish..." Ferro turned his head, looking to the side. "Sometimes, timing sucks."

Dr. Ryk'rr sat quietly. Ferro turned to look back at Dr. Ryk'rr. "It was then that Violet caught me in the hall..." Ferro remembered that encounter vividly.

"Ferro." Violet had said.

"Vi, I already know how stupid I was," Ferro had said curtly, and turned away.

"You should," Violet said, quietly. "Wildfire told me what you said to him. You hurt him real bad."

Ferro thought of saying something, but didn't.

"Ferro.... Andy..." Violet had continued. "You know this isn't okay. Drake shouldn't have to stop living his life..." Violet paused, and as Ferro had said nothing, she continued. "And neither should I."

Ferro had jerked his head up then, staring open-mouthed at Violet.

"What do you mean?" Ferro had asked.

"Andy, you're my friend," Violet had said. "And it hurts that you're avoiding me because I'm dating Tenzil. I know now you had a crush on me back then**. But Ferro, you never said anything, never acted on it!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Ferro had began.

"No, Ferro, you wait," Violet had said calmly but firmly. "I still think of you as a friend, and I wish we could have talked about this, instead of you avoiding me without me really knowing why!"

"Vi, it's not like that!" Ferro couldn't stop himself. "Don't you understand what it does to me, seeing other people act all touchy-feely, when I can't even feel anything?" Without realizing it, Ferro had raised his voice. Violet had stepped back, eyes wide. "It's not you per se, it's not just you and Tenzil. It's everyone!" Ferro had wanted to cry then, but he couldn't. Not in his iron form. "Do you think I would have gone with you and Tenzil to that fashion school, if I'd had a problem with you both?!"

Violet's mouth opened, but she struggled with the words. Ferro continued; it felt liberating, somehow, to finally speak about his feelings. "It was better somehow, comforting even, to know that Wildfire couldn't feel anything either... but now he can, with Shikari! And what about me?" Ferro wanted to punch something; but he was in enough trouble now. He settled for stamping on the floor really hard. "The last time I felt someone touch me, was that sprocking thug who beat me up and left me in this iron state!"***

"Oh, Andy," Violet covered her mouth in shock. All along she and the others had thought it was about an unrequited crush, but this clearly struck deeper. Ferro had always been upset that he couldn't turn back into flesh, but she had never seen just how upset he was. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize..."

"Nobody did," Ferro said bitterly. He wanted to say that he was more self-aware than he felt everyone gave him credit for, but he decided he'd said enough. "I need to go, Vi," Ferro had turned and ran. If he were still human, he knew he would be blubbering right now.

As Ferro finished narrating this to Dr. Ryk'rr, he covered his mouth with his hands, and closed his eyes.

Dr. Ryk'rr let him compose himself for a moment. "Andy..." she whispered. "Crying releases hormones in humans, and these hormones can improve our moods. I can ask Mandalla to project her thought-sphere, to induce the effects of crying on you. Would you like that?"

Ferro nodded, quietly, even as he made sobbing noises. Dr. Ryk'rr pressed the button on her console that signaled Mandalla; Mandalla was sat in her own private office, working on her own projects, but Mandalla knew that the button meant she had to act immediately. Her telltale translucent sphere appeared around Ferro's head, and she set it to stimulate the effects of crying.

And Ferro sat, head down, as he felt a wave wash over him... even if his eyes shed no real tears.

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

IB's notes:

1) Legionnaires 58!

2) Back then = way back in canon, last appearance was Legionnaires 77.

3) Legion Worlds 5 - a literally big fellow called Nadir, from a high-gravity world - so he was tough and strong! He damaged Ferro's iron form so much, that if Ferro were to switch back to flesh and blood he would bleed to death!

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Legion World

Active Legionnaires

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form (currently suspended)

Other Legion Support Staff

Dr. Ryk'rr of Jaquaa; Legion psychiatrist

Reserve Legionnaires (also Legion Support Staff)

Mandalla, Tari Wahlmunn of Takron-Galtos; projects a thought-sphere that affects the target's mental and physical functions (Legion medical staff)

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

As Ferro sat and cried in Dr. Ryk'rr's inner office, Mandalla's thought-sphere did its work. Though he could no longer shed real tears, Ferro could feel the soothing effect on his emotions. Out of habit, he groped around for a tissue.

Dr. Ryk'rr silently handed him one.

Also out of habit, Ferro gingerly took it, careful not to tear its flimsy form into shreds. He had been stuck in his iron form for so long...

Dr. Ryk'rr waited for Ferro to compose himself.

"Grife, I'm acting stupid in another way..." Ferro crumpled the tissue up. "I didn't even need that tissue."

"I think you needed that cry, though," Dr. Ryk'rr said gently. Ferro nodded. "I guess..."

"Andy, are there any other conversations you want to tell me about?" Dr. Ryk'rr prodded. Ferro sighed. "Yeah, I went to my room for a while... When I used to get upset, back when I could turn normal, I... I'd get some ice cream, or take a nap... now all I can do is draw. I've tried listening to music, but it doesn't do much for me..." Ferro looked at his hands. "It's just... I have to be so careful when I draw. I've broken so many pencils and brushes.... I can draw on my fortified Omnicom... it's a model that high-gravity worlds use... but... it's not the same, you know? I miss feeling paper. I miss feeling the crayon wax, and how they make my hands all colorful..."

"And what did you do to try and calm down?" Dr. Ryk'rr gently steered the conversation back. She didn't want Ferro to dwell too much on the loss of three of his senses; this wasn't a problem she could solve in this session, though she already made a note to explore longer-term solutions for that. No, this session should be focused on Ferro's expression of his feelings, and its impact on his relationships.

Ferro seemed to shrink in his chair, a sign of his shame. "I decided to go for a walk, to one of the nature reserves. I thought a change of scenery would be good, some real ambient noise..." he turned away. "I was flying hurriedly, I didn't want to see anyone... I forgot that I would pass the gym."

He had remembered just as he flew past the gym entrance, and a familiar voice had called out to him. "Ferro?"

Mentalla. Ferro had wanted to pretend that he didn't hear her, but she called again. "Ferro... please. I spoke to Violet and Kinetix. And… and Wildfire.”

That had stopped Ferro in his tracks, and he violently landed. "You've been talking about me?!"

Mentalla had held her hands up in a calming gesture. Ferro could see the anxiety in her eyes. "We're concerned, Ferro... Andy. Violet told me all about your conversation, and I... I..." Ferro could see Mentalla struggling with her words.

"So you know all about it," Ferro whispered.

Mentalla nodded her head. "I know you hav- had- a crush on me. But Violet told me about what you said..."

Ferro sighed. But he had already opened up to Violet - and even though it had been unplanned, he might as well run with it. "Mentalla... Delya... I want you to know, I'm not angry at you and Echo per se. I didn't do anything, I didn't say anything, and I can't expect anyone to love a hunk of metal. I wouldn't wish that punishment on anyone. I'm just... I'm just angry at what happened to me, to trap me in this form."

Mentalla looked at him with compassion. "I shouldn't have invited you to a picnic, of all things."

Ferro laughed, a bit bitterly. "Yeah... I've been avoiding the cafeteria too, because of that. Seeing everyone enjoying their food... just reminds me I can't enjoy it anymore." He hung his head, thinking about his earlier outburst at Wildfire. "Delya... it's not you and Echo alone that triggers me to feel this way. It's everyone, really. If you ask around, you'll see... I haven't been hanging out with anyone recently."

Ferro watched Mentalla studying him intently, as if trying to decide if she believed him. "I... I haven't noticed, I'm sorry," she began. If... if you still want to hang out after this," Mentalla's eyes showed that she believed him. "We could... go to a museum... or a concert... some places focusing on sight and hearing..."

Ferro looked up. "Why? Why do you still want to be friends with me?"

"Because as long as I've known you, you've always been kind and considerate," Mentalla said. "Yes, you've been a bit cold to me lately, but you've never been nasty, or violent. Because, even though I don't know myself what it's like, I feel..."

"Pity?" Ferro spat.

"Compassion," Mentalla continued. "Ferro, I hope we can make you understand that we do care for you. You're our friend," Mentalla stressed that last word; Ferro heard, and he didn't mind. Unlike what some may think, he had not been acting out because he pined for Mentalla, or for Violet. He just felt hopeless he could ever be with anyone.

He buried the pang of resentment. Nobody, besides Wildfire and Element Lass, had really asked him in ages how he was doing. How he really was doing.

Mentalla continued, "Maybe we don't completely understand how hard it is to be stuck in your iron form..."

"No, nobody does," Ferro muttered. "I thought Wildfire did, but..."

"But we want to understand, and to be there for you," Mentalla pressed on. "If you'll let us. It doesn't give you a pass to lash out, like what you did with Wildfire, but..."

"Yeah... I know that wasn't right, and..." Ferro hung his head, avoiding Mentalla's eyes. This was becoming too much, and he wasn't ready to deal with it. "I... I have to go, Delya. Let's... let's talk another time."

"Okay, Andy," Mentalla said quietly as Ferro flew on without another word.

As Ferro finished his story, Dr. Ryk'rr gave him a moment to collect himself. Then she asked, "Have you told anyone about all this before?"

"Only Karate Kid..." Ferro said. "Not really everything, even. But we were stuck together on Steeple for so long... he's the only one on the team who's seen my face under my mask.* So he's the one I'm most comfortable talking to. But I asked him not to tell anyone..."

"Is there a reason why you didn't share all this with, say, Wildfire or Element Lass?" Dr. Ryk'rr prodded. "After all, they share similar challenges as you do."

"I mean, sometimes we'd get together and do things to work our frustrations off," Ferro muttered. "Sometimes we'd talk about the scents we missed smelling most, or our favorite flavors of ice cream... But I never shared this much."

"Why do you think that is, Andy?"

"I... I didn't want to burden either of them. They're also going through so much."

"Is this also why you haven't talked to anyone else?"

Ferro looked away again. "Yes... I could have bugged Brainiac 5 or the White Witch to find a way to cure me, but I know they're busy. They have other priorities for the team. And as for talking about it to the others... I don't want to be that guy who brings a dark cloud along when everyone is having fun."

"You've been bottling it up, haven't you, Andy?" Ferro nodded at that statement.

"It is understandable that these feelings churned inside you, and exploded at a certain moment," Dr. Ryk'rr continued. "What you can improve is how you express them."

Ferro nodded again. "I know, Doctor. I know I could have acted better. I just feel trapped. I live in the 31st century, I can synth up anything I want from the autochef, I could go to the wellness center and get a massage, I could ask my room to spray any of a million scents. But I can't enjoy any of them." He shook his head, but decided to keep talking. "Like, sometimes I think, what if I just switch back? Just let myself bleed out, maybe I could get one last ice cream before all the blood rushes out of me... Or sometimes I wonder, would it be so bad if I just flew into a star? Would I even feel anything as my form melts into nothingness?"

Dr. Ryk'rr began to formulate a response. Was Ferro having suicidal thoughts? "Have you concluded anything about that thought?"

Ferro shook his head. "The one thing that keeps me going is hope. I still hope that one day, someone will come up with a solution to turn me back..." he sighed. Dr. Ryk'rr nodded, making a mental note to discreetly monitor Ferro for suicidal thoughts and actions.

Moving on, Dr. Ryk'rr began to weave some threads together for Ferro. "Andy, when you consulted with me before**, you told me about your childhood." Ferro nodded again. It had seemed so long ago. "We determined then, that your feelings of rejection from your mother, were what drove you to believe that having good looks was the key to being loved." Ferro nodded again. It had been long ago, before he'd even met the Legion. He still remembered how he had helped rescue his mother from a collapsing roof... and she had pretended not to recognize him.

Even after he had saved her life.

It still stung a bit, but time had helped heal that wound... or so Ferro thought. Apparently, his mother was still shaping his behavior...

"And you came away realizing that you deserved love, no matter how you looked," Dr. Ryk'rr continued. Ferro nodded again, then laughed bitterly. "ironic, isn't it? When I was on Steeple, I finally came to terms with how I look... and now I have to come to terms with something entirely new..."

"And I will help you with that," Dr. Ryk'rr leaned forward. "Something you said to Mentalla struck me. You told her you could not expect anyone to love a hunk of metal?"

Ferro looked up. "Of course! It would be like loving a statue!" Ferro sighed. "I'm not naive, Doctor. I know my teammates, most of them, have sex and kiss and stuff like that. Even if I found someone celibate, what would we do? Go to a restaurant, and I pretend to eat while they're enjoying their food?" He looked down at his hands. "I can't even touch them without fearing I'll hurt them!"

"Wildfire is in somewhat of a similar situation," Dr. Ryk'rr began.

"But not exactly the same," Ferro shook his head. "I mean, Wildfire spent some time as a disembodied ball of energy*** that couldn't interact with the outside world! And Element Lass... she was the same!****" Ferro leaned forward. "They've both had these experiences that made them think they were really dead... you should hear them. They always say that it sprocks, not being able to touch or taste, but at least they're still alive!"

Dr. Ryk'rr nodded; she had treated both Wildfire and Element Lass, and knew this from their sessions. But it would not be proper to share this with Ferro - though she was happy that he reached this insight himself.

"Did you tell them that your situation is a bit different?"

Ferro thought back to the last time the three of them had sat together. Element Lass had invited him and Wildfire to try out the VR room. Except even here in the 31st century, VR couldn't simulate his lost senses. Not completely.

Oh, they had tried. VR could let some people with nerve damage touch, smell, or taste. But without working organs, the VR room couldn't help any of the three of them.

They had set the VR room to simulate a quiet, grassy hilltop, with a soft wind blowing. Ferro could only feel it was soft by judging the amount of pressure his iron body felt; it wasn't pushing him back, so it must be gentle. Relatively.

And he definitely couldn't smell the scents from the flowers.

"This is nice," Element Lass had cooed. "When I was... stuck... after Jan transmuted my body, I never thought I would see a pretty sunset again."

"I know what you mean," Wildfire had whispered. "Before the team put me in this containment suit, I wasn't sure I would ever speak again."

Ferro had wanted to say: Well, I was blessedly in a coma after that sprocker Nadir beat me up on Steeple, so I wasn't even aware of anything. I just woke up one day all beaten up, with Karate Kid urgently telling me not to iron down!

But he hadn't. Now he wished he had.

"Andy..." Dr. Ryk'rr coaxed Ferro back to the present. "What do you think your teammates would have done if you'd, as you say, brought a dark cloud by talking about your real experiences and thoughts?"

Ferro shrugged. "I don't know. I worried that they'd think I was moaning too much, and..."

"And?" Dr. Ryk'rr prodded.

"And... avoid me."

"But instead, you began to avoid them," Dr. Ryk'rr said gently.

Ferro nodded. "It just got too much, you know. Bottling it all up, and not saying anything, and pretending to be okay..."

Dr. Ryk'rr leaned forward, watching carefully for Ferro's reaction. He didn't lean backwards. "Andy, beings who've been rejected before sometimes pre-emptively reject others, for fear of being hurt again. Do you think you've been doing that? Have you been afraid that your friends would reject you if they felt you were being too negative?"

"I... I think you're right," Ferro's eyes were still downcast. "I think that's what I've been doing."

"Andy, I think you've been building up resentment because you felt that nobody truly understood how you feel," Dr. Ryk'rr continued. "And your resentment was compounded because you felt like you couldn't be honest about how you feel, either." Ferro began to nod; this all made sense. He could recognize himself in that.

"And Andy, you referred to your encounter with Nadir on Steeple; and again to the attacks by the Zodiac Signs," Dr. Ryk'rr waited for Ferro to nod. "That incident with the Sklarian cruiser, when you preemptively attacked it; is it perhaps your way of trying to take control, to avoid being a victim again?"

Ferro nodded again; he was now rubbing his left thumb between his right thumb and finger. It was comforting, somehow. "Sometimes, I still think... if I had acted differently on Steeple... I could have avoided this." He looked down at his iron form. “And… and i can’t help it… sometimes I think back to the other times I could have acted faster… like… like… like when Dougie died…”

Ferro’s mind flashed back to when his twin brother, angry that Ferro was being favoured over him, lashed out at their captors… and was sliced apart for his efforts. Ferro didn’t even get to say goodbye…

But he had made his peace with Doug’s death… hadn’t he?*****

Then he looked up and into Dr. Ryk'rr's encouraging face. "But I can't change the past..." He sighed. "I haven't been dealing with this in a healthy way, have I?"

Dr. Ryk'rr smiled. "Many beings don't, not without help. That's what I'm here for; and I'm sure your friends will help you with that, if you will let them."

Ferro nodded, with a small smile. "I should probably make sure I have friends left, after what I've been doing."

Discreetly checking the time, Dr. Ryk'rr changed tracks. "Andy, we're almost out of time, but I want to see you again in two days. Your condition is a long-term one, but we should explore some long-term coping actions for that. In the meantime, here's what I want you to do - I want you to begin opening up to some of your friends. You've already started speaking to Violet and Mentalla; I want you to follow up with Wildfire, but don't push him. If he's not ready, don't force yourself to have a conversation." Ferro nodded in understanding.

"And I'll see you in two days," Dr. Ryk'rr smiled. "You're a strong fellow, Andy. Please, don't be afraid to ask for help."

Dr. Ryk'rr smiled as Ferro stood up and gave a small bow of gratitude. She watched the door close behind him.

Then she made a note to call Saturn Girl. Seeing the effects of Mandalla's thought-sphere, she had an idea.

Outside, Ferro saw the concerned and relieved faces of his waiting friends. He knew that all of them were here only because he had already shared with them some of his innermost thoughts and feelings... because he had given them a glimpse of the pain he was holding in. He took a deep breath - though he didn't need to. Talking to Dr. Ryk'rr had helped him clear things up for himself, and he now began to see the underlying, twisted logic in his actions. He stumbled a bit as he walked to them; he was feeling a bit shaky. "Guys... thank you... thank you for waiting for me. I have something to say..."

Ferro was grateful that Element Lass, Karate Kid, Mentalla and Violet sat quietly, without interrupting, as he poured his heart out to them.

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

IB's notes:

1) Karate Kid and Ferro's time on Steeple is shown in Legion Worlds 5, and again in Legion 22!

2) Ferro first sat down with Dr. Ryk'rr in Legionnaires 58! Short history of Ferro: he and his twin Douglas were born in the 20th century to theatre actress Nancy Nolan. Both twins had disfigured faces from birth. Nancy couldn't bear the sight of them, and gave them away to an abusive foster home (Legionnaires 93). Ferro broke out of the home, believing his mother couldn't take care of them and unwillingly gave them up; his illusion was shattered when he saved Nancy's life; she recognized him but pretended not to (Adventures of Superman 540). Ferro later returned for Douglas, who had stayed behind because he already knew their mother didn't want them. Douglas was hoping his loyalty at staying behind would be rewarded by the home's owner, that he could join the security/enforcement team. But the owner respected Ferro's guts more, and offered Ferro a place on the team - this caused Douglas to lash out angrily, and Douglas was killed in the fight (Legionnaires 93).

3) Wildfire's physical body "died" in Legionnaires 49-50. In Legionnaires 76, it was revealed that Wildfire had survived as a ball of energy, the Legionnaires and Dr. Mollie Dennum helped gather his being and build a containment suit that would allow him to see, speak and hear.

4) Element Lass (formerly Monstress) was killed by the Progenitor in Legion Lost 11. In Volume 3, I have her return (albeit in a crystalline body), explaining that she was actually transmuted into a disembodied consciousness!

ok gang, after this I'm going to run with Gates' team's mission to Dagosk, then I'll follow up Dr. Ryk'rr's idea with Saturn Girl and the fallout re Ferro's realizations... this should take the next couple of weeks. then I'll take a break for a while.

The way my mind works is, once I formulate an idea well enough to execute it, I need to write it out. So I need to get these two plotlines written out "on paper" (for my own peace of mind lol), then I need to give myself a break. Now's a good stopping point, as I have a few bullet points for the coming stuff, but nothing too developed yet.

The Ferro one in particular is taking a lot out of me, as I've had to write out the twists coming from his sessions with Dr. Ryk'rr (which included flashbacks!!), and I've had to take Ferro in quite a few directions by placing myself in his (unenviable) shoes.

But I'll admit that having such a large cast also generates so many ideas, and while I find it fun to come up with different groups to rotate the focus on, it can also be tiring. Especially as my writing style involves getting into the heads of my characters, and with so many... I will also add that I've been trying hard to not only maintain, but expand on, the camaraderie and team unity that I loved so much about the Reboot team... and takes some effort to get right!

Not to mention, we're in Volume 5 now - there's a lot of continuity to build on (the Reboot did last for about 10 years!) plus my own writings, so Volume 5 takes more effort than Volume 1 used to!

I figure I'll pause for September; I'll be away much of October and November; and will probably continue in December. Post-hiatus, we'll be seeing more of what Matahari van Dam has planned; I'm planning to look in on Brawler /the Monkey (last left as an amnesiac; as a matter of both mercy and practicality, he's been filled on in on his actions as the Monkey, so he's having to deal with that too); I have a couple of ideas on revisiting or progressing some plot elements from both canon and my own writings (no hints yet, as I've a jumble of ideas but nothing concrete); and a few (more) hints on what the core idea and arc of Volume 5 will be.

And of course, more on the most senior Cadets - since Volume 1 a core them of mine has been helping folks become the best they can be, as well as finding a place where they're best suited. As a reminder, Dragonwing made some observations about the "Senior Seven" here (Crystal Kid, Rainbow, Veilmist, Dryad, Dragonwing, Flying Fox, Vision).

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Dagosk

Active Legionnaires

Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks. Current Legion Deputy Leader.
Live Wire, Garth Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Particon, Jennifer Sanchez of Earth (India and Philippines); "hard light" energy casting and manipulation
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Dragonwing, Marya Pai of Earth (Singapore and Tibet); breathes fire and secretes acid venom
Flying Fox of H'lven; levitation, enhanced agility and strength, claws
Vision, Rhent Ustin of Earth (Egypt and Spain); microscopic, telescopic, heat, freeze, and hypnotic vision

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With much self-control, Gates refrained from saying anything as XS regaled their companions with stories of their first mission to Dagosk. What he couldn't understand was how XS kept talking about Leviathan in such a glowing way! But this did seem to be a bipedal mammal thing; he found that mammals tended to either remember the departed as saints or demons, no in-between.

Take Leviathan. When Gates had been new**, his first memory of meeting Leviathan had been of the then-Deputy Leader dismissing himself and Gates as "an outpatient and a revolutionary"... while Leviathan had been trading blows with Cosmic Boy! That had already cemented Gates' opinion of Leviathan as a violent buffoon.

When Leviathan had led a team to Star Boy's homeworld of Xanthu, Leviathan had spent the entire cruiser flight perpetuating hateful stereotypes about Xanthu as a rural, uncultured world. When they had first fought the Fatal Five, Leviathan and Star Boy had been trapped alone with Mano and Validus; when Gates had teleported down to join them, Leviathan's first utterance had been "Gates? They sent you?! We're dead!"

"Thanks for the encouragement, nasshead!" had been Gates' reply, before he and Star Boy had stopped Validus. Leviathan had only grudgingly congratulated them.

Gates had also seen Leviathan snap at others on the team before, such as Chameleon***, without even so much as an apology for losing his temper.

So when Leviathan died fighting Doctor Regulus, Gates had not been happy, but neither had he been particularly sad. He certainly didn’t thinner Leviathan had deserved to die, nothing like that. But he didn’t miss him, either. There was no love lost between him and Leviathan, after all. Gates understood that Leviathan had made a heroic sacrifice... but he always found it odd how most of his teammates had treated Gim Allon like a perfect saint.

But, Gates had also learned that his opinion on the matter served no good purpose today. Recalling the advice his teammates had given him, he resisted the urge to speak up, and let XS continue. After all, how would his opinion affect their mission? And as Leviathan was deceased, was there really any harm in letting his teammates have their rosy view of him? If anyone displayed any unsavory behaviors, Gates would just call them out then and there.

He shook himself out of his reverie as the Legionnaires approached the council chambers. Sternly reminding himself about tact, Gates spoke up. "Sorry to interrupt, XS, but we're here."

XS, who had been recalling the food that the Dagoskians had served them so long ago, snapped to attention. "Aye aye, Gates!"

The staff smiled as she punched them in, and the doors swung open.

"Welcome, Legionnaires." High Chancellor Pen'ta approached them with a smile. "Thank you for coming to our world; and it is good to see two among you who have been here before."

"Happy to be at your service," Gates bowed. Live Wire resisted the urge to react; he wasn't used to the normally-acerbic Gates acting so... respectful! Perhaps becoming Deputy Leader would be good for Gates' social skills...

The team took seats around the briefing table, as staff walked in carrying trays of refreshments. Everyone politely took a snack and a drink. Gates was pleased to see that the Dagoskians had clearly done their research; there were some juicy grubs suitable for a Vyrgan palate. Flying Fox eagerly grabbed a bowl of nuts. "Just like what we have on H'lven!" he grinned.

"Yes, even though we haven't joined the United Planets, we've already been improving our trade ties with the UP worlds," Chancellor Pen'ta's eyes twinkled.

"I understand you and your sister world Dabron have been vigorously debating UP membership," Live Wire began cautiously.

"Indeed," the Chancellor affirmed. "We have a public consultation set up in two days, and we've asked you here - as a body linked to the United Planets, but that also serves non-UP worlds - to advise on, and provide, security. Whatever you recommend, all resources on Dagosk and Dabron will be at your disposal." His eyes twinkled. "In this, we are able to decide and move fast." Gates was nodding vigorously, and Live Wire smiled at the Chancellor's self-referential humor regarding his planet's long road to UP membership.

"That makes sense," Particon nodded. "The Science Police is a United Planets body, so you couldn't reach out to them. But the Legion has members from both United Planets and Affiliated Planets*** worlds, and even some worlds that don't belong to either group."

"And we serve any planet that calls for our aid," Gates said proudly. "Chancellor, before we speak about security, do you mind... how do you assess the mood on Dagosk and Dabron, regarding UP membership?" As the Chancellor considered Gates' question, Live Wire shot Gates a look. Gates nodded, and continued. "It will be helpful if we get a sense of the climate... then we can consider it in our security recommendations."

"That sounds wise," the Chanceller conceded. He motioned to his staff. "Please switch to the briefing that we shared with the Council yesterday."

Everyone turned to the screens in front, as the Chancellor shared some developments and statistics. "Public opinion on joining the United Planets has steadily grown after the advent of Threshold technology," the Chancellor began. "However, while 73% of Dagoskians are in favor, only 34% of Dabronians are. As our planets have many economic and social ties..."

XS, having already read everything displayed on the screen, eyed the Cadets discreetly.

Gates leaned forward in interest, as did Vision. Live Wire, Particon and Flying Fox were a bit more restrained, but polite. Dragonwing was covering her mouth, trying very hard not to visibly yawn. XS caught her eye, and Dragonwing had the grace to appear embarrassed. XS simply gave her a wink; as a speedster, she got bored easily. As long as someone was trying not to be rude, XS would give them a pass. She did discreetly motion her head towards the others as a signal; Dragonwing smiled and nodded. Dragonwing placed her hands on the table in front of her, doing her best to at least maintain the appearance of interest.

XS did the same, looking straight ahead... though she did allow herself to tap her finger on her leg.

After all, she needed to model good behavior for the Cadets... and being a Legionnaire was about more than just leaping into action.

After the Chancellor's briefing, Gates had taken charge. The team were to start at 09.00 Terran hours the next morning; they would review the current security protocols and draft improvement recommendations; and they would present to the Chancellor at 15.00 Terran hours. The Chancellor personally showed the team around the guest wing of the building, where they would have their rooms; Dragonwing was pleased to see that each of them had their own private room! Particon was already planning to use the gym, and Flying Fox cooed as he saw the gardens; lots of nice trees to climb on!

At 20:00 Terran hours, the team had a nice dinner with the Chancellor and others of the Council. Gates had reminded everyone to be sure to mingle, and to observe the Council Members carefully; after all, it was a Council Member who had masterminded the murders on their first mission*, so many years ago. Live Wire had had to gently advise Vision to act casually while doing so; "We don't want them to get the impression that we don't trust them," Live Wire had whispered. "We can tell you're using your X-ray vision, Rhent." Vision had stammered, and Dragonwing had done her best not to snigger.

And at 22.00 Terran hours, the team had retired to their individual rooms.

Dragonwing sighed as she jumped into her bed. This had, so far, been completely boring... it didn't look like they would get to crack any heads on this mission. Once more, she wondered whether there would be enough brawls and battles to keep her engaged as an Active Legionnaire, if she chose. She drifted off to sleep soon after, her dreams filled with pleasant street fights on Rimbor and on Khundia.

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IB's notes:

1) Gates, Leviathan (now deceased) and XS first visited Dagosk in Showcase '96 #8. N'cia, an official who was half-Dagoskian and half-Dabronian, hired Quicksand and Holdur to murder officials and stop Dagosk from joining the UP without Dabron, fearful that Dagosk would prosper alone and cause tensions - and eventually war - with Dabron.

2) On Gates and Leviathan. Gates is being a mildly unreliable narrator here - at least, Gates is factually recalling his interactions with Leviathan, BUT he's not taking Leviathan's viewpoint into account (well, how could he, he's not a telepath )

Gates and Star Boy reported for Legion duty in LSH 76. For context, Cosmic Boy had just followed then-President Chu's orders not to let Ultra Boy and Element Lad join, but to accept Gates and Star Boy: Leviathan was upset at Cosmic Boy not standing up for the team. Star Boy was then recovering from an accident, with both arms in casts; Gates was a reluctant draftee, constantly referring to the Legion as a "Teenage Death Squad" and refusing to attend training sessions.

The mission to Xanthu was in LSH 82. Leviathan was asked by RJ Brande to get Xanthu to let Star Boy stay in the Legion; Xanthu had been wanting to recall Star Boy, to raise their own prestige. Leviathan was upset, as he saw Star Boy as a destructive, irresponsible shmuck. Key scenes: Star Boy wrecks part of the gym floor in training (Legionnaires 33); in Star Boy's defense, Leviathan told him to use his powers... which are... to make things heavy! Star Boy also broke through and destroyed the Legion HQ facade (LSH 81), which set the repairs back by a lot, and Star Boy didn't even apologize! This explains Leviathan's annoyance with Star Boy.

Leviathan snapped at Chameleon while trapped on the very hot Planet Hall (Legionnaires 22), and in the aforementioned LSH 76 scene, he angrily shoved Chameleon while walking away from Cosmic Boy et. al.

The Fatal Five battle took place in LSH 79.

Leviathan sacrificed himself to stop Dr. Regulus in LSH 83.

3) The Affiliated Planets was initially created by the Dark Circle; after the Circle was exposed, some of the AP member worlds decided to stay together as a bloc outside the United Planets.

Nice use of Gates. I love how he tends to go against the grain. Others say nice things about Gim, he remembers the less fun times. Others expect him to be all ascerbic and poor at diplomacy, he's the picture of respectful and attentive! It amuses me, and is totally in-character for him, to defy expectations and leave the tall walkers confused.

Thanks, Set, glad this bit with Gates rang true he’s very single minded, I’d actually hate to debate him because his opinions are so deep seated

With the diplomacy, he’s committed to being the best Deputy Leader he can be… with a lot of effort