Awesome Land VI: Dawn of a New Era

[Sariel of Tevet]

"Now if you are just tuning in folks we seem to have encountered a rather strange rip in our dimension here at the Project Midnight Hideout, two miles west of somewhere if you are traveling on the I7. Be aware that dimensional rips are known to cause slow downs in traffic. We will keep you posted as events progress here at the site. This has been the The Channel Twelve Live Action Literally Right Now Usurped Newscopter Race Report Turned Project Midnight Alter System, signing off. "

The tiny remote controlled helicopter hovered around the dimensional tear, piloted by a pixie in aviators and his no nonsense, fast talkin', new anchor life partner. A stunning mechanical woman sauntered up behind the helicopter, grabbed it, and spun it around to face her.

"Would you two knock it off. You do realize we are the only ones who can get your little news report, right? Why do you insist on these antics?"

She shook the helicopter a little bit and all sorts of alarms began to buzz inside the cockpit.

"Viewers it would appear that we have, yet again, annoyed 2IRI. How you might ask? This reporter simply cannot understand, as he is just doing the job that he was assigned. "

The anchor gave a gruff smirk (as gruff as a pixie can manage of course) and did a mic drop...and it promptly plummeted to the floor out of his reach. No matter, of course, a well prepared news team has plenty of backup mics.

Suddenly, the dimensional tear began to rip open at an alarming rate, and Sark and Heimrall plopped out. Heimrall, at this point, was struggling as Sark's dark tentacles were wrapping themselves around her body.

"Where the hell have you taken me? When my almost boyfriend finds out about this, I swear to God.." She cut herself off with an attempt to bite at one of the passing dark tentacles.

"Well, well, well..." 2IRI let go of The Channel Twelve Live Action Literally Right Now Usurped Newscopter Race Report Turned Project Midnight Alter System, and approached Sark. "Welcome back."

She approached them and ran her fingers through Heimrall's hair, which was covered in dust and dirt.

"And who is this little cutie you have brought with you? I thought we were in the business of conquering the world, not teenage girls."

A voice echoed from down the hall.

"Yes, welcome back, Sark. Now please, do explain yourself. "

[Monika]

"Thank you for joining the Council," Artemis said before turning her attention to Knox. "Ideally, we would follow Heimrall and rescue her, but Sark is too unpredictable," she answered. "He can now travel the worlds unencumbered by the normal laws of Space antiphysics, so hunting him down will not be an easy task." She paused for a moment and stared at the new Immortal of Darkness. "In theory, Dace should be able to track Sark, now that he's stolen a slight portion of the Immortal powers, but even then there's no guarantee that he wouldn't escape again. We can't go after him without a well-formulated plan of attack." She sighed. "Besides, if Dace has to take care of the remnants of what were once Zais' people, then that takes mathematical precedence over trying to find two. We'll just have to hope that Heimrall can handle things for now."

The last few words came out of Artemis' mouth with a little bit more skepticism than she intended. Heimrall is an Immortal, she thought, but she still has the mentality of a teenage girl...Please be careful out there. With one final glance at the spot Heimrall had been standing in just moments before, Artemis opened another portal in front of them and began walking. "If we don't have any more business here, we should leave," she suggested. "Further discussion - such as when we begin training, Knox - should take place in safer territory."

---

"Hmph." Amelia kicked off her shoes and jumped onto the bed with all of the grace of an adolescent girl (as opposed to that of a trained ninja master). These guys shouldn't suspect anything, she thought, casting off her business attire and (manually, as opposed to magically) switching into a rather elegant nightgown that apparently the royal family just kept stocked in their guestrooms. Whatever. If they get too suspicious, I'll deal with them like any other target. I'm too early in the mission to have my cover blown.

And with a heavy yawn, she lied back and fell asleep, waiting for her badge to ring.

---

"Well, I have acted as Aurora's first mate on those few instances she tried her hand at sailing," Alastor began, "and I've played a few flight simulation games, but that hardly-"

"All I do in my spare time is pilot mechs!" Evangeline cheered. "I've got an experimental one hidden under this place right now!"

Alastor nearly choked. "You...You what?"

"Me and you and Alastor are practically a dream team!" she said to Captain Uggo. "So, how about it? Come on!"

---

"My, my. Has your faith wavered already, Clara?" Antitheon shook his head in what was either disappointment or disgust. Maybe even both. "Have you ever heard the story of the Four Orbs?" he asked. "It is an older tale, one that often gets lost amid the other pages of my Mother's story. But it teaches a valuable lesson. Long ago, mankind was frail. Defenseless. Helpless. They were weak and fragile, incapable of handling their own problems. Every time one would arise, they would say a prayer to the Goddess. And She would answer."

An image of a few faceless humans appeared before a tall, robed, golden haired woman.

"'O Goddess, we are cold!' man would cry, and She would answer," Antitheon said. The golden haired woman flexed her fingers and a few fires appeared around the humans, warming their bodies.

"'O Goddess, we are thirsty!' man would cry, and She would answer." The golden haired woman waved her hands. Great rivers appeared before the humans, and they greedily drank from their new streams.

"'O Goddess, we need shelter!' man would cry, and She would answer." The golden haired woman nodded her head, and the very earth rose to form huts and villas, which the humans scurried into like little mice.

"This went on for ages. Mankind would find a problem and the Goddess would solve it soon thereafter. But as much as she loved man, she quickly grew tired of catering to their every whim. She was a Goddess, not a servant, and She knew that the humans would one day need to learn to solve problems themselves. And so She created the Orbs of Nature."

Four perfectly spherical crystals, each a different color, materialized in front of the faceless people.

"The Orb of Fire, the Orb of Water, the Orb of Earth, and the Orb of Wind. Objects of magnificent power. From these four gems could all things be created, could all problems be solved! And so She entrusted each one to a different human. She thought that mankind would share this power and that an era of peace and prosperity would follow." Antitheon's eyes narrowed as each Orb fell into the hands of a different person, and hundreds of faceless men came from their homes to gather around the chosen bearers.

"But mankind was foolish," he said, his voice laced with malice. "They did not share this power. No, instead they coveted it. Creatures of jealousy and avarice, they fought over these Orbs. What was meant to solve their problems instead created new ones. The Orb of Wind was stolen. War broke out. Thousands upon thousands of the humans died, and the Goddess could do naught but look on in sorrow and despair."

One by one, each of the faceless humans fell down, and tears began flowing down the cheeks of the golden haired woman.

"Sorrow became anguish. Anguish became fury. 'How dare they take the gifts I bestowed upon them and use them like this?!' She thought. She knew that it was too late to save the humans that had already fallen. But the ones who were responsible - they still lived. And they would experience the full force of Her divine wrath."

The fallen bodies of the faceless disappeared, and soon there was but one person left. This one, different from the rest, was taller, winged, and actually had a face. One filled with hatred and contempt. And he alone stood before the golden haired woman.

"The Goddess identified one man as the progenitor of the conflict. This man, who blasphemously called himself the 'High Seraph' foolishly stood against Her. This man, who ruled the nation we now know as Super Land, tried to kill the Goddess. And this man was struck down for his arrogance."

The lone winged man disappeared, leaving only the woman with the golden hair.

"And so for a time, peace would be restored to the world. But the Goddess knew that it was only temporary. Mankind would not learn its lesson. Mankind could not be trusted. She could not stay in a world where her children would fight each other, nor could She find any way to stop them. And so the Goddess, racked with grief, left the world and vowed never to return."

The golden haired woman disappeared, leaving behind a vast emptiness.

"But there was hope for Her. The Orbs had been hidden and soon became a distant memory. New humans populated the land. As long as that kind of limitless power could be kept from mankind, perhaps humanity would flourish."

More faceless humans appeared and they walked about the land quietly. Peacefully.

"But the Universe - the very Universe She had created - conspired against Her! As faith in the Goddess waned during the years of her absence, mankind looked for new 'gods', and the Universe was happy to provide them. One by one, beings of unimaginable power were born. One of Fire and one of Water. One of Earth and one of Air."

Four shadowy figures appeared and towered over the faceless humans, and many of the humans bowed before the shadows.

"And as if it were some sick joke, more of them followed. More Elements beyond Her original four manifested themselves in the forms of these false 'gods'!" Antitheon snarled. "Beings of Metal and of Wood and of Lightning! Of Order and of Chaos! Of Time and Space and Knowledge! Of Darkness...and of Light."

Ten more shadows appeared and joined the first four. All of the faceless humans were bowing now.

"These false 'gods' plagued the world in Her absence. They brought more conflict. More war. Mankind would fight to serve them. Mankind would fight to take their power. But no matter what side they fell on, man fought. They fought and fought and fought."

The faceless humans bowed no longer and charged at each other while the fourteen shadows looked on.

"But still, there was hope. 'Powerful or not, they are still just humans,' the Goddess thought. 'And when they die, peace shall be restored to the world.' She needed only to bide Her time and let nature run its course. Decades passed. Centuries. Millennia. They lived longer than the normal humans, but even they could not last forever. The world would see peace and the Goddess would see happiness once more."

One by one the fourteen shadows fell to the ground and faded away, and the faceless humans ceased their fighting.

"Yet once more, the Universe conspired against Her. No sooner did those humans disappear than more rose up to take their place."

One by one, fourteen different shadows appeared, and the faceless humans began fighting once more.

"For their senseless tenacity, these false 'gods' became known to the world as 'Immortals.' And their existence infuriated the true Goddess of this world. The Immortals lived and brought conflict. And when their time came, the vessels died, but the spirits were born anew. As long as this cycle persisted, Her world would never see peace."

The fourteen figures encircled the faceless humans, casting a dark shadow over their existence.

"But still, there was hope. The Goddess knew that the Universe did not care who represented its fourteen Elements, as long as those Elements were represented. And so She crafted a plan. She would create Her own beings to represent those fourteen Elements. She would give them the same unimaginable power possessed by the Immortals. But She would not repeat the mistake She made with the Orbs of Nature. In accepting this power, Her fourteen would lose their identity. They would become mere extensions of Her Will. They would act only on Her behalf. They would be like Angels, spreading the message of Her Glory around the world. And they would kill their Immortal counterparts. Only then could an end be put to this cycle. Only then could peace be restored to the world."

As the fourteen shadows loomed over the faceless humans, each one was faced with a different pillar of light.

"There would be no more Immortals of Fire or of Water," Antitheon said, and two of the shadows disappeared. "Nor of Earth or of Air." Two more. "None of Metal or Wood or Lightning. None of Time or Space, of Order or Chaos or Knowledge. None of Darkness." As Antitheon named each element, a different shadow faded from existence, leaving just one by the end. "And none of Light." The final shadow shifted and warped, taking the form of Ollie, before finally disappearing to join the rest of its brethren. As each of the shadows disappeared, replaced by a pillar of light, one by one did the faceless humans bow before their new overseers.

"Your sister has committed no crime except becoming a sworn enemy of my Mother, and that is reason enough for her to be eliminated. Now I will ask you once more, Clara," Antitheon said. His voice lacked any warmth it may have started with. It was icy. Impatient. Filled with hate. Clara would have to tread carefully as she answered this next question: "Will you kill Olivia Lux in the name of the Goddess?"

[Sariel of Tevet]

A young woman sat perched upon the edge of a cliff, just as she did every other day. The cliff jutted over the ocean, and aside from the cascading waves below and the rustling wheat fields behind, there was a peaceful silence. Unfortunately, there was not peace in the world.

The city state of Pólemos was constantly at war. Not from outside invaders, but for something more akin to sport. The Pólemian people were trained, from nearly birth, to fight. It was all they knew, and all they enjoyed. An entire civilization was built upon the back of war, and its subsequent generations were funded by it. The Pólemian armies went out after every harvest, flushed with stockpiles of fresh food and sharpened blades, in search of new lands to conquer and enslave all across their planet of Ceinia. An entire civilization was built on the back of war, an empire was built on the backs of slaves. After a country or city state became enslaved, the Pólemian armies would sack their cities, raze their villages, and commission monuments to the Pólemian king, Kroisos.

Kroisos had become king in the same manner as all the rest, by killing the previous king and usurping the throne. As a child he had excelled in all of his combat training and strategy courses. He showed no mercy, even at such a young age. Though death during combat training was not all too uncommon, Kroisos certainly tipped the scales far beyond mere training accidents. By his thirteenth year, he had killed as many of his classmates sparring.

His legend quickly rose shortly after his thirteenth birthday. An instructor, fed up with the ruthless manner in which he treated his sparring partners (these classmates were potential fighters in future Pólemian army, of course), challenged Kroisos in order to teach him a lesson, or end him. Kroisos, in all his cruelty and arrogance, promised that by nightfall, he would have his instructor's head on a pike at the foot of his dormitory bed. And that is exactly how that night ended.
Kroisos carried his instructor's head on a pike to every class, every combat training, and only removed it from its place in order to put the King's head on it instead, at the age of 15.

Under Kroisos' rule, Pólemos prospered like never before. Conquest had been a sport before, taking a city here or there in honor of the harvest, but under Kroisos, it became a lifestyle. The army would be gone months, almost years at a time. He would not stop until the entirety of Ceinia was under the rule of Pólemos. After the first domestic attempt on his life failed, he began to contemplate the fate of Pólemos after his time. He grew distrustful of anyone to complete his vision of world conquest, as he deemed his army and his people too soft.

He sent for the brightest and youngest oracle at the temple, a young girl named Alala. He asked Alala what would become of the empire he built after his time. Entranced, she began to writhe about the throne room floor and speaking in tongues. Kroisos was skeptical of these practices, but assumed they had been around for thousands of years for a reason. He watched as she finally came to, and held her head low.

"What? What did you see, woman? What becomes of my empire after my passing?"

"My lord, there is no empire after your passing."

Kroisos picked up his throne, and threw it into the crowd of advisers and captains that had gathered in the throne room.

"Weaklings! Putrid, filthy, fucking weaklings all of you! How dare you, the supposed best this empire has to offer, be unable to keep this monument to our strength from crashing. "

The crowds began to disperse at the sight of his rage, though many stayed for fear of what their sudden absence would bring upon them later.

"Cowards, I cannot trust a single one of you. I can only trust my own blood. From this day forward, war will no longer decide who resides in this thrown. It shall be birthright, and my kin will be the first to come to power under this doctrine. But first..." He looked down at Alala, who was now cowering on the floor, and picked her up by her throat. "I must ensure that I will indeed have kin to grant power to."

The young woman, Alala, sat on the edge of that cliff, just as she did every other day, because she was awaiting the return of Kroisis; her king, her ruler, and her husband. Her marriage to Kroisis was not an easy one. She did no wait for her husband out of love each day, but rather because it was her job as queen to search for the flags of their army on the horizon. She neither loved nor respected Kroisis, but her position as queen and her infant sons kept her going.

"My queen!"

Alala snapped away from her thoughts and turned to find one of the city's messengers making his way up to the cliff. He tripped and fell straight to his feet in front of her, visibly shaken, though it was uncertain whether the message or the presence of his queen frightened him more. The years of marriage to Kroisis had turned her cold and authoritative, but it also made her a good queen for

"One of our scouts has returned, my queen."

"And what of it? We have scouts all over Ceinia. Why must you interrupt me for this particular scout? And why is he to much of a coward to share his message himself?"

The messenger stood up slowly and removed his helmet.

"Because, my queen. He died, just as he entered the gates of the city. We heard no word he had to say, if any. All he had on his person was this."

He handed Alala a piece of cloth. Embroidered on it was an eight pointed star burst with two katana crossing it. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, and almost smiled at the messenger.

"Give the scout a proper burial for his service to the throne. Kroisis and his army have fallen, and Pólemos is now mine to rule. Tell the city we shall rebuild this empire with honor, rather than fear and callousness. This is the dawn of a new era."

[Mizagium]

The halls of the Guardians’ as-of-yet-unnamed headquarters erupted in cheers, most of it Frederick’s. The six of them (Cruxias, Taylor, Taere, Frederick, Raem and Y’omi) celebrated their victory against the Dark Army – their first real outing as a team without Johnny or Vespi. It had been a rousing success, although Cruxias noted that towards the end a bunch of Shadow Warriors fled. Even so, a success. They clinked glasses and drank.

A radio Taere had filched played a staticy pop tune that kept slipping into a news broadcast about the battle. The new world hadn’t quite gotten its infrastructure reestablished yet, not after centuries of migrating landforms, but it was coming along nicely. After this, surely the authorities would be knocking on their door.

Snacks were simple: chips and dip, but it hard living these days. Yet for this moment, they could forget that, forget that at various times, they’d all tried to kill each other. Yes, it was a good day to be a Guardian.

Cruxias, the de facto leader, however, couldn’t quite reach the same level of joviality as the others. She didn’t feel bad about putting down a few shadow soldiers. No, it was something else. Something that itched at her breast. She carried her drink and wandered away to one of the large open windows, overlooking a nearby town. Her hometown. She remembered living there, the mayor’s daughter, sheltered. Then along came Johnny, and everything changed. She’d awakened to her powers fully, and easily conjured Soul Blades and Armor, where before a single knife had been taxing. Having her soul Fragmented and restored, might have had something to do with it.

Johnny. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him since he’d left, charging them with protecting the world. Cruxias’ cheeks flushed in her reflection just thinking about him, and she tried to force it down. It was impossible, anything between them. He was older than her, and already involved. Still, a girl could have a crush, right?

Because of her reverie, the apparition almost didn’t register. Then it crystallized and she saw Johnny in the window! She wheeled, expecting – what? Not a blazing white ghost of the man staring at her. The silence in the room took her eyes for a moment. Everyone else was staring, too. She wasn’t crazy. This was real! But it couldn’t be. Johnny was gone and – well, he did have an apparently random assortment of powers, teleportation being among them.

But this wasn’t like that. Cruxias felt a strange conflux of energies in that moment. This apparition was Johnny, but at the same time, it wasn’t. Tentatively, she stepped toward him…it. “Johnny?” It didn’t speak. “Johnny? What is this?” The almost-Johnny let her approach within arm’s length, then tapped a finger to her forehead. And she understood.

“Fragment,” she muttered, aghast. She hadn’t known a person could Fragment externally. Souls shouldn’t work like that. Alternatively, he knowledge of how souls operated was incomplete, which seemed far more likely. It tapped her again. “I understand,” she remarked, surprised.

The Johnny Fragment nodded appreciatively, tapped her for a third and final time, then blinked out. Silence rushed in to fill the space he’d left, and the other Guardians turned their stares to Cruxias.

“What,” Taylor said, “was that?”

“A Fragment,” she answered absently, still processing the third gift of information. “Of Johnny.”

“A Fragment, like what happened to you?” Recovering from his stupor, he came to her side.

“Yes…no. Mine was internal. My soul Fragmented, but by body continued to contain it. Johnny has apparently Fragmented so violently, that they have scattered about. Putting him back together is going to be very difficult..”

“Where do we start?”

Cruxias frowned at him, then at the others, waiting expectantly. “Oh. No. Just me.”

“What?”

“You should not do this thing,” Frederick boomed, his armor chittering with each word. “Going alone – you should have help.”

“I will, but…not you all.”

“Not us,” Taylor repeated, crestfallen. “Why you?”

Cruxias turned away, ashamed. “You need to stay here. The world still needs heroes. I…my powers are what will weld his Fragments back into a complete soul. Anyone can gather them, but only someone like me can re-forge a soul.”

“You said help,” Frederick prompted. “Who else?”

“Vespi, and another woman I haven’t met. I think it’s his girlfriend.”

“Just three?”

“Three will be enough. He showed me. He…linked me.”

Taylor huffed. “Is this another thing only you can do?”

“Yes,” she said, feeling small. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said with a tone indicating he realized how harsh he was sounding. “If there isn’t anything we can do, then, well, that’s that. Like you said, we’re still needed here.” Bitterness crept back in. “You go save the jerk.” Then he stalked off.

Taere followed, and Raem and Y’omi had apparently disappeared, leaving only her and Frederick. IT was almost comical how contrasted they were: her small and dressed in traveling clothes; him huge and armored.

“Don’t mind him,” the big man declared. “He will get over. Men are fragile, soft egos. Easy to offend, easy to forgive. Women – hah – hard to break, hard to fix, yes?”

“Maybe, but I feel like a jerk all the same.”

“Eh, feeling jerk keeps you humble. Look at Frederick. Frederick big jerk. Frederick very humble.”

Cruxias smiled despite herself. “Then you think I should go?”

He shrugged. “What think not important. What you know – that important. Johnny ghost come to you, say do this thing, find piece of me – why should anyone say no, do not? He tapped you, gave you knowledge, you must do this. Johnny say only you – only you.” Everything Frederick said had a finality to it, which was oddly comforting.

“I think you are right.”

“Good. Frederick not so sure – Frederick say words, hope they mean something, yes.” A hand fell on her shoulder. When he wanted to, Fred could move like the wind. “Go, then. Be strong. Save our friend. We owe him much, you most of all, perhaps.”

She turned and stared at his grinning face. Once he refused to remove his helmet, now he rarely wore it. Things had changed so much, and Johnny had been at the center. For better or worse, they all owed him something. Cruxias disagreed on one point: she thought Johnny had done more for Frederick than herself, but now wasn’t the time for that.

“Thank you. Tell the others, I’m sorry.”

“I tell them suck it, babies! Maybe next time, quest come for you – maybe next time, you go find quest.” He laughed from his gut and evaporated the last of Cruxias’ doubt. He squeezed gently and released her.

Cruxias opened to the Soul Link the Fragment had established, feeling the tether reach through space, through – surprise – dimensions, and let it pull her away.

-

Knox eyed the land around them. He wasn’t sure what would become of Umbra Isla, wasn’t sure if his powers would be able to restore the land, but decided he would do some research into exactly what had occurred, and return to mend this wound, if he could. For now, he regarded the portal.

“Yeah, it’ll be nice to be back in Super Land. “Come on, Dace, you should see out sweet castle.”

He stepped through the portal – and was greeted by a crowd of refugees. “Oh right,” he muttered. “This is still a thing.”

-

Uggo shrugged. “Sure, why not. If I’m gonna die in fiery explosion, I’d prefer to at least be attempting to return to space. Let’s go.” He spared only a thought for Butterface, Mayweather, and Dresden, but didn’t bother looking for them. He wasn’t a heartless man, but he just didn’t care. Maybe he’d finally be rid of the ol’ ball-and’chain.

The cockpit, having been assembled by Earth-bound engineers resembled something of a ship’s bridge, which suited Uggo just fine. It was a common enough layout, and he seat himself in the pilot seat.

“That seat,” he waved a hand to his right, at a station that faced the starboard side, “is primarily the engines and whatnot. That,” he indicated a similar console to port, “is internal systems and sensors. If something goes wrong, it’ll show up there. This,” he indicated his seat, “controls where we’re going. Also weapons. Pick a seat and get familiar. I think there’s some diagrams under the desks.”

He didn’t check to see who picked what, instead choosing to familiarize himself with the ParFunSpa’s controls. They mostly checked out, but here and there a control wasn’t where he expected it to be.

-

Clara swallowed hard. Antiteon was asking a lot of her, to kill Olivia…but…was he really? Ollie apparently now possessed a power that insulted the very Goddess herself. Such a heresy could not be forgiven. Yet…little Ollie. She’s always been a wild one, but not a heretic, not a [ib]ad person[/i]. Surely there was another way?

No, there wasn’t, and she knew. Were it anyone else, Clara would strike them down without a second through. She’d probably strike them down a few more times for good measure, just for their affront. Why should Ollie be any different?

She shouldn’t.

Clara lifted her head and met Antitheon’s eyes levelly. “For the Goddess, for her safety, for her command, for her pleasure, I, Clara Lux, seraph of the children of the light, will kill my sister, Olivia Lux.”

-

Hrathen shook his head. We can be in and out in a heartbeat. Veritaz doesn’t like her either, so there’s that. But right now, we can’t risk offending her, being an Awesome Land emissary. You know how well things with Awesome Land usually turn out.”

He shivered, remembering that time the princess had been captured by the Awesome Land Emperor and the Prince had disappeared, after getting violent with his tutor. Man things could get weird sometimes.

[Calefrun]

Sark chuckled. “Hello again, old friends. I assure you that I have not forgotten our goals, but you should know that this is no ordinary teenage girl.” He walked around so that he was in front of Heimrall, put a hand on her chin, and tilted her head so that she was forced to meet his gaze.

“This... creature is one of several beings of immense power inhabiting a place called Awesome Land. I've already consumed some energy from one of these so-called 'Immortals' as he died, and it felt as though my own power was nearly doubled; in addition to granting me some new abilities.” He let go of Heimrall and turned so that he was facing the hall the second voice had emanated from.

“If we could harness the power of these Immortals, why... we'd be unstoppable! You could have your world domination, and I would be free to consume as many mortals as I saw fit.” Turning back to Heimrall, the vampire licked his lips and bared his fangs menacingly. “Now, I hope you don't think me rude, but it was a very long trip between universes. Do you mind if I have a quick snack before we continue with the usual scheming?”

---

"That seems like something very important to just forget."

“Ah, right...” Kayla scratched the back of her head. “Sorry, there's kinda been a lot going on lately. Anyway, I found this world's Rift; it was in the basement of a Whooter's downtown. I don't really want to move on to the next dimension while Sark is still around somewhere, and I know you've got something that you need to take care of, so... I'd be up for some adventuring, if you'll have me.”

---

MEANWHILE

Cozal dove into the space below the wall as a rocket exploded behind him, sending lasers flying in every direction. How did I end up in this situation again? he wondered as he jumped back to his feet and started running again.

Bartosz had gotten himself eliminated right off the bat again, and Mareike had been picked off when peaking around a corner. As for his other two teammates...

Cozal glanced at the tower. It was true that it was an ideal spot for snipers, as it gave one a clear shot at almost anywhere on the battlefield, but it was also the most obvious place one might go. Even though she had Kohaku with her, it seemed probable that Kallie had already been defeated too. Which meant that Cozal was left by himself against at least three other enemies. Again.

He jumped to a moving platform and knelt at the edge, trying to find the source of the rocket from earlier. Some motion near the edge of his vision caught his attention, and he looked just in time to see another rocket heading straight for him. He tried to jump off of the platform, but several lasers from the resulting explosion struck him in the back, and he was teleported out of the arena.

---

“That was... unfortunate.” They masked woman projected from her phone as she and Mariachi Guy observed the fight. “Kinda surprised those guys made it past the first round. They're uh... not very good.”

She received no response and looked up at the man, who was still staring at the arena. “Hey,” she said aloud, using her power of Voice so that he (and only he) would hear her, ”you alright?”

”Sorry,” the man apologized using the same power, ”I've got a hunch about something, but I'm going to need to test it out first. Here.” He handed her a stack of papers that were clipped together. ”I want you and Jerrus to read through this. It goes without saying, but don't let anyone else see it.”

She looked at the documents she had just been handed, and could tell right away that it was a report of some kind. Her eyes widened when she noticed one of the names listed on the first page- Carl Efun.

”Whoah, hang on a second! What the hell is this?” She looked back up, but the man was nowhere to be seen. ”Yeah well fuck you too.”

[Sariel of Tevet]

"So did you have any family that died?"

Atys took a sip of wine from his cup and drew in a long breath before replying.

"Just a nephew. My sister is more devastated than anyone, understandably. Damn Kroisos and his blood thirsty ways. Good men are out there being slaughtered every day, young men. "

Mnesus shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against a few crates that were stacked on top of each other. The two men were sitting in a warehouse by the docks drinking what was left of the day away. There were a few strands of light that made their way into the room here and there, but the sun was nearly down. Mnesus grabbed a nearby torch and began to light the fixtures in the rest of the room.

"Suppose you can't blame Kroisos too much, you know. Pólemos has always been this way. It is in our nature I guess. "

The room echoed as Atys slammed his cup on a nearby crate.

"Not my nature, not for a long time. And this ends now. The shift starts with us, Mnesus."

A purposeful series of knocks and taps could be heard on the back door of the warehouse. Atys picked up a second cup of wine and carried it with him to the door. He opened it and a nervous looking man made his way inside. Atys extended a cup outward.

"Is everything ready for tomorrow, Praxis?"

Praxis drank the entire cup of wine all at once with shaking hands.

"Yes, yes it is. I have the guard placements for the speech tomorrow, and our weapons. I will take out our new queen, and then you two will take the guards nearest to the crowd. Everyone will be so confused that we should have no problem taking out the last two guards. ."

Atys smiled and plopped back onto a sack of wheat that was on the floor.

"It's the only good thing about having all of our boys away at war so often, no security left here to watch us old men. Don't let us down, Praxis. If you miss your shot, we are as good as dead. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alala's servants were busy putting the final touches on her robes while she prepared to give her speech. It was going to take a lot to convince the people of Pólemos to uphold Kroisos' laws about control staying in the bloodline, especially when his sons were still only babies. She had to look strong, swift, and decisive. Alala had to prove that she could run this country and hold it to the high standards that their forefathers had set in stone centuries ago, but it would be difficult.

Not because she was a woman, Pólemos may be bloodthirsty but it is quite progressive. With the men away such a large percentage of the year, many of the women had managed to secure long standing and highly ranked positions within the city, and powerful women were a common sight already. Pólemos always seemed to break down during transitional periods between crowns. When one head was removed, every man in the state seemed to believe they should were the most qualified to take over. There was always a bit of restrained chaos, but if she were to secure a future at the helm for her sons, she would have to bring order as quickly as possible.

"Ready, Lady Alala?"

A guard in his full ceremonial gear walked into the room and planted his spear before standing at attention.

"I suppose I am. If I couldn't rest last night, there is no sense in doing so now. Let's get this dealt with."

He escorted her to the throne room and showed her to her seat, the most important one in all of Pólemos. It had been many months since Kroisos had been seated in his throne last, and no queen dared to sit in this sacred place while they were away at war.

It is true that they and the king's advisers ran the country in the absence of the king, but they never dared to give the impression that they intended to usurp their husbands. So for the first time in Pólemos' history, a queen set herself down into the throne.

It seemed as if half the city state had filled the throne room, but that was only because of Alala's rampant nerves. Another guard took his place on her side opposite of his counterpart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Praxis made his way through the crowds of the throne room. It was a much easier task to bring his bow into the event than he had expected. His cloak covered it entirely, and he only needed the one arrow tucked into his sleeve.

Atys and Mnesus had taken their places behind the two guards nearest the crowd, and both whistled when they were settled and ready. Praxis whistled back. Their success was now placed on his shoulders, and he became to pull his bow from the front of his cloak, with shaking hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alala closed her eyes in an attempt to shake the butterflies from her stomach. Public speaking never bothered her, but there was just too much riding on this address. If anything at all went wrong, there is no telling what could happen to her family, but more importantly, Pólemos.

She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and stood up from her chair. An arrow sliced through the throne room and clipped her side. A man had stepped out in front of the crowd, eyes as wide as the sea and frozen like a spook animal, bow still drawn.

Before the guards could move, she snatched the spear from the nearest guard and threw it straight at the bowman, hitting him hard enough in the chest to pop all the way through and stick itself into the ground behind him. The two guards nearest the crowd turned around to see where the commotion had come from, and both saw two men trying to push their way out of the room. Alala saw the breaks in the crowd and shouted "Seize them both", as she placed a hand on her wounded side.

She snatched a sword from the wall of the throne room and stomped her way to the edge of the crowd, where the guards were making their way back with the two accomplices. Without hesitating, she closed her eyes tight and swung, slicing the throat of one of the would be assassins.

She opened them to see herself covered in blood and subject to the eyes of the crowd. They looked almost as surprised as she was, though with much more horror on their face. Alala was unaware of if this face was fear, but it was not an emotion that needed to be rampant in Pólemos right now, she knew what Kroisos would have done.

"Make him kneel." She pointed to a spot in the center of the room.

An adviser rushed from the stage and made his way to her side.

"My lady, forgive my brashness, but you can't do this. What if there are more? What if this is a movement and not some disgruntled citizens? You must question him."

Alala refused to acknowledge him and made her way to the center of the room as servants tried to keep up with her and dress her wound. The guards took the last man and had him kneel, next to the queen, facing the crowd. She thrust the sword into the ground and began to pace in front her citizens.

"The only weakness seen in this kingdom, is laying before you." She gestured toward the two dead men who had made an attempt on her life.

"Many of you know me as the child that Kroisos plucked from the temple years ago. You see me as a young oracle who has no place in the court, or even in the king's bedchamber. Look at me today, look at your queen. Look at your ruler before you."

She held up her hands, which were drenched in blood.

"Does this look like weakness? Are these the hands of a temple girl? Or the hands of a ruler of Pólemos? Weakness does not flow through my veins, nor through the veins of my sons. Your king's sons, Kroisos' sons. They will be your warring rulers, some day. Strong, vicious, and covered in blood just as I am now. They will conquer Ceinia, just as your king promised. "

The crowd began to cheer and throw their hands up for their queen. Alala felt the hair on her neck stand as a rush of adrenaline coursed through her. She circled back to the sword and pulled it from the ground and slung it upward and laid the blade flat against her shoulder. The guards placed the man's head down and readied him for execution.

"Men like these, these patches of weakness in our society, my kingdom, will no longer exist."

She kicked the man in his stomach, and he nearly lifted up from the ground.

"Your queen will not stand for this. I will protect the lineage of my sons, your future kings, and ensure a strong future for Pólemos. If you want a strong Pólemos, do not place your future in the hands of men like this."

She brought the sword high above her head, and brought it down on the prisoner's neck, sending his tumbling toward the crowd. Alala knelt down, placed her hands in the pool of blood, and showed them to the crowd.

"Place your future in these hands. The bloody hands of Pólemos."

The crowd was rampant, and began to chant the queen's name. Alala turned and began to walk back to her changing room and the guards scurried to her side. Her adviser caught up as well and went to place a hand on her shoulder, but refrained.

"This may not have been the call that I would have made, but it was certainly the way your husband would have handled this. Maybe some stability will be best for the country. How long do you think you can keep this up?"

"Only time will tell."

[Mizagium]

Once, the Cosmic Shogunate was a mighty and feared galactic empire, spreading out in an unending wave of conquest and blood. Lead by the mighty Star Samurai, the Shogunate carved out a sizeable chunk of known space for themselves, including such lands as Space Land (the origin), Lunar Land, Solar Land, and even Tsuno Basho. Then, at the peak of their power, they stopped. The Ascension of the Space Ninja House Elders put an end to the Expansion Era, and the Shogunate contracted, bringing the Star Samurai home, honored heroes. The new peace brought about the rise of the Samurai families, and the Shogunate entered into a long period of stability and stagnation.

Arcturus, Fuku-shogun of the Cosmic Shogunate, looked over Astro City in disgust. Centuries had come and gone without any significant growth of the empire, and it had become bloated and corrupt, too concerned with House politics, blind to the machinations of the Ninja Houses. They all were, Samurai and citizen alike. But not he, not Arcturus. He saw the man behind the curtain, and he was done with it. With his last order, his plans were set in motion, the culmination of his alliance with Landro Takayaki.

Hands clasped behind his back, Arcturus considered the sprawling cityscape below him. As Fuku-shogun, he occupied the second highest level in the Astro City Pillar; above was only Polaris, the Cosmic Shogunate. For now.

His azure armor reflected faintly in the window and he studied himself against the backdrop. He looked tired. More than he should be. Forty-seven wasn’t old by any means, but he felt it in that moment. A life of skirmishes on the imperial fringe would do that to a man – except Leporis, apparently. The old rabbit was absolutely elated to be given another chance to fight. Arcturus, conversely, was perfectly comfortable with allowing others to fight for him.

“I should have you arrested,” a cool voice observed from behind him. Yoko Kiriyama, youngest of the Ninja House lords (but still over a decade Arcturus’ senior) materialized in his office. She wore the deep midnight robes of her office, but she no doubt was fully armed beneath.

“Lord Kiriyama,” Arcturus greeted without turning. “It is an honor to see you again.”

“I should destroy you right here and now.”

“Such hostility from an Elder.” This time he did turns, but only just. “Have I offended you?”

“You have offended the Elders.”

“Please, enlighten me, for I am but a simple country bumpkin.” He said with no trace of his backwater accent, but laced with a hefty amount of sarcasm.

Evidently, she felt like playing tonight. “The Octopodes. You’re dealing with Landro Takayaki.”

“Is that a crime? I’m well within my powers to establish diplomatic relations with foreign powers.”

“You have done so without the approval of the Shogun.”

He sneered. “You mean I have done so without the approval of the Clan Elders.” Yoko was silent. “I don’t need your permission in this, Kiriyama. I don’t even need the Shogun’s permission. He is free to do what he wills with the open talks I have brought, but you – you cannot. Hm, no, that isn’t true. You can press on the Shogun. You can suggest. You can threaten. If things go badly, you can even order, although I know you don’t like to, since that’s as good admitting your control over the Shogunate.”

Fury flared in her eyes. “Children shouldn’t speak on adult matters.”

“Adults should know when to step back, when they are beaten.”

Elder Kiriyama stiffened. “What have you done, Arcturus?”

“Put us on the path to greatness once again.”

-

Draconis emerged from the transporter to a world of extreme sensations. Blinding lights, pulsating bass, rancid odors. He actually had to pause and collect himself, but only a moment. Draconis was trained in the techniques of mental and physical control. He would not be unsettled just because he found himself in a new area. Not even this den of debauchery. One Thousand and One A-rave-ian Nights was…a place. Not a place Draconis would have chosen to come to on his own, nor was it a place he would have suffered to exist if left to his own devices. But he was not. He had orders, and he was a Star Samurai.

He fished a grainy security image out of his pocket to refresh his memories. Cozaltene, a fugitive from a botched Cloud Land spy mission. With Cloud Land now an ally of Space Land and the Shogunate, this Cozaltene was, regrettably, marked for death.

The air shimmered and his target curiously appeared before him, having apparently been forcibly teleported to the area. Draconis issued a silent thanks to his support team; they had sent him rather randomly into this relatively uncharted dimension. To have this Cozaltene appear before him could only be a sign from the galactic spirit that he was true in his path.

Amused, Draconis circled his uncertain opponent. “Are you the one called Cozaltene?” he asked, resting a hand on Ootenkiryuuga.

-

Vega loved the feel of falling. Many of the Star Fallers loved to fly, but not Vega. She loved it most when her powers were out in full force, when gravity pulled her at over three times the normal rate, and the air around her was still. At 3Gs of pull, she wasn’t in danger of blacking out, but control was essentially out of her hands. She so loved surrendering herself to the fall.

Besides, what the Fallers did wasn’t flying. They could only glide. True, most could maintain a zero-G free fall, but that wasn’t the same thing. Most didn’t like to admit they couldn’t fly, but she had no qualms. Neither did Altair, but now wasn’t the time for that.

Vega opened her eyes to the darkness below. Strange, the reports hadn’t mentioned that geographic feature, but then the reports hadn’t mentioned much of this world. Just on the edge of Shogunate territory, it had gone unnoticed for centuries. In the Expansion hadn’t ended, perhaps this world would have been gobbled up, as well. Perhaps it would when her mission was completed.

She repeated the name of her target: Al. Simple, just like her mission: drop in, exterminate, and extract herself. After that, Altair would be hers again.

Later.

She increased gravity’s pull up to 4Gs – 5Gs – her black spots plagued her vision, she felt light headed. The ground rushed up to meet her – She stopped, gravity falling to zero, and wind resistance instantly increasing, otherwise she would have continued forward. She couldn’t create negative gravity, as far as she knew, but she could create heavy atmospheric pressure, which, when placed in front of her, acted as a cushion. Vega hovered for a minute, allowing her head to clear, then gently lowered herself to the ground.

She glanced about, frowning, before accosting the nearest Shadow being. “Is the one called Al here?”

The Shadow being shrugged. “I don’t – “

She punched him in the stomach, then grabbed him by the throat and – wind resistance down to zero, gravity to zero – jumped, until she was suitably high, then ramped up gravity, dropping again. She took the shadow being with her. When they neared the ground, she let go, simultaneously negating all forces. She didn’t bother to see what became of him, instead she pushed herself forward a ways, dropped, and leaped again with zero resistance until she was high enough to get a clear view of the city, then pushed again.

Vega balanced the wind resistance ahead and behind, carrying her forward in a bubble of frictionless space. She passed over the twisted landscape, frowning at the Shadow beings. What in the? There! Al, her target, was apparently playing limbo with some of the Shadows. Angling down, she increased the forces acting on her, and slammed into the makeshift luau, not negating last minute like before. The shockwave she generated, knocked many of them over.

Without slowing, she charged at Al, flashing a pair of tanto blades.

-

Arcturus turned to face Yoko Kiriyama fully now. He put a hand on Hokule’a, but didn’t draw the blade. Now that they were face to face, Arcturus was confident he could defeat the Elder if it came to blows. She would assume the upper hand thanks to her stealth abilities, but Arcturus hadn’t revealed all of his abilities to the Elders. Her stance shifted ever so slightly, indicating she also anticipated fight. Luckily it wouldn’t come to a straight up fight.

In that moment, a third figure melted out of the ceiling like warm cheese, congealing on the floor. After a moment, the head of a green-haired scientist formed.

“Lord Arcturus,” he greeted.

“Ophiuchus,” Arcturus returned. “Is it done?”

“Of course.” An arm formed and tossed something to Arcturus. The Fuku-shogun caught it without letting Yoko see.

“What is that?” Elder Kiriyama couldn’t keep the urgency out of her voice. “What have you done?”

“As I stated, Elder, I have put us on the path to greatness once again.” He smirked and allowed her to see: an eight-pointed star pendant, which he fastened around his neck. “The Pole Star was weak, he continued the cycle of corruption and decadency that has beset our Shogunate for generations. The Great Samurai Houses have devolved into infighting and political games. We no longer look to the stars, but to our own hands, our own wallets. We have forgotten what it means to be Samurai.” He fingered the amulet. “True, Polaris attempted to restore our lost glory with the ill-fated Pólemos campaign, but that has become a joke. A new shame on this empire. And I have you to thank for that.”

Yoko Kiriyama flung off her robes, revealing her ninja garb and dropped into a ready stance. “You…killed the Shogun.”

Arcturus held up a finger. “No, a ninja killed him. And, after we’re through here, it’s going to look like a ninja tried to kill me, too. The Shogunate is going to know that the Ninja Elders have turned on their Shogun. Remember how you were content to rule from the shadows? To show deference to our Shogun in public? The people remember. For them – not all, but enough – it will appear as if the Elders have turned on their leader.”

Kiriyama glanced sideways at the door. “You wouldn’t tell me if you didn’t have a plan.”

“Very good,” he mock applauded. “You get an A today.”

Apparently that was enough, for Yoko charged – and met unbreakable resistance.

“I never revealed what happened to me in my absence those six years, but suffice it to say the universe spoke to me, showed me the path, and gave me the means to act them out. The Azure Dragon has given me a gift, Kiriyama, and with it, I will destroy the Ninja.”

She turned to run, and met another barrier of burning azure. It surrounded her on all sides. The Ninja Elder hissed and struck at the barrier, which only served to break her kunai.

“Don’t bother. The Azure Dragon gave me the power to protect, and I am protecting the Shogunate from you. Whatever I choose to protect cannot be tarnished.” Arcturus made a fist and clenched. The Azure barrier started to contract. “Your death will be a symbol, Yoko, a message to the galaxy. The Shogunate will be the force that conquers without equal. Be proud, for both yours and Polaris’ death will be remembered as the dawn of a new era.”

Yoko fought to the end, as any warrior should, but the azure barrier contract until it completely enshrouded the Elder. The burning blue lifted off her feet, and she clawed at her throat, unable to breathe. When she finally fell limp, he dropped her, and Ophiuchus hurried over.

“Don’t worry, Lord Arcturus, the scene above was staged perfectly. This one won’t be any trouble, but I will have to, uh, injure you.”

Arcturus grunted. “Just do what you have to do.” He turned his back on the scene, prepared to suffer the brief pain for the good of the Shogunate. He looked over Astro City once again, for the first time, as the Cosmic Shogun. His gaze shifted upward from the city, to the stars, to the Shogunate. The empire.

His empire.

[Sariel of Tevet]

Doctors were scouring the the battlefields, searching for fallen samurai. An elderly man, clad with a star and katana insignia, held a vial of strange liquid found a nearby deceased body. He bent down, and poured it into the mouth of the fallen samurai, who suddenly drew in a huge breath of air and sat upright.

The setting sky echoed with the gasps of men returning to life. One by one the Star Samurai army was reborn and their ranks refilled. Ophiuchus, one of the daimyo for the Star Samurai, was seated at the edge of his camp, speaking with his subordinates and watching his army being revived.

"Soon..." Ophiuchus leaned over a large table with crudely drawn maps of Ceinia. "Scouts have informed us that this is only the beginning. Apparently, the Kroisos, is king of a warring city-state known as Pólemos."

He paced around the table, glaring at the map.

"It seems as though nearly the entire planet has been conquered over the last few centuries by these...Pólemians. Even for an immortal army, there is no telling how long it will take for us to take over this filthy planet. I want those doctors working through the night, we march in the morning. I cannot return until the mission is over, and I refuse to stay here longer than I have to. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few miles away from the star samurai camp, a mountain because to subtly take the shape of a face.

"Calamitous, this is making me uneasy."

Above the mountains, a group of clouds swirled into a nearly identical face.

"Yes, me as well. These star samurai may be more problematic than the Pólemians for this section of the universe."

"And don't forget the prophecy, brother."

"Kroisos believes he heeded the warning given to him by Alala, but now that he is dead, she may need reminding."

~~~~~~~~~~

Alala was sitting in the nursery, feeding the children, kept company only by a couple of guards. Despite her strong showing in the throne room a few days ago, her advisers were still quite on edge and have been upping security bit by bit. She looked down at her two boys, who bore a striking resemblance to Kroisos. Given her disdain for her husband, this was always an unfortunate reminder of their past, but their features would surely comfort the people of Pólemos during their training and rise to power. It could help grant faith in them.

"You two, one day, will be taking care of me you know. You will have taken my crown and then I could be the one being pampered and sleeping the day away. "

You have a pair of beautiful boys, you know.

Alala jumped at the unfamiliar voice and looked for the guards, who were slumped over asleep against the wall. The Professor, temporarily assuming the form of his earthly body, walked over to the nearest crib and hovered a bony exoskeleton finger over the youngest cooing baby, Kleitos. The child immediately seized the finger and began to suck on it and hold The Professor's hand in place with his tiny feet.

Alala took a sword from one of the of sleeping guards and held it in the the direction of The Professor with purpose.

"Who are you? What in the gods' names are you doing here? How did you get in here. "

The Professor chuckled, and picked up Kleitos and cradled him in his arms, swaying him back and forth while the room was filled with the baby's laughter. Alala lowered the sword a bit, confused at the sight before her. She wasn't sure what or who this creature was, but he didn't seem to want to bring any harm.

"I am a bring which you are likely not to have heard of. My origins, as well as my exact place in the universe (The Professor would have smiled if he had skin and muscles), are not important. What IS important, is a prophecy that you gave a few years ago. Do you recall the one I mean?"

The other child, Kyros, began to cry from lack of attention, no doubt jealousy pointed toward his brother, and Alala rushed to pick him up and sway him in the manner that The Professor was cradling Kleitos.

"I was an oracle for a number of years before my..." Her voice grew stern and somewhat spiteful. "...betrothal." Kyros reached up and began to tangle his hands up in her hair and she smiled, softening back up a bit.

"So you will have to be a bit more specific than that ."

"Aah. It is fortunate that you mention your betrothal. The prophecy I have in mind is the one which led to it. It is the one that caused Kroisos to seek out a blood line."

"Oh, that prophecy. Yes. I remember it clearly. It was the last one that I ever had. I lost my gift of sight after...well. A moment of trauma. "

The Professor let his shoulders rise and fall, as if he were sighing deeply.

Yes, what an unfortunate turn things took after that. I regret that you were to play the role you did, but there was another prophecy that was to be fulfilled. I could not interfere.

Alala was now intrigued, but angry. She held her temper in check as to not disturb the children, but her mood was quite obvious as she began to speak through clenched teeth.

"Could not interfere? So you knew what was about to happen to me? You better have had a damn good reason to sit idly by while I suffered for this prophecy of yours. "

"Your vision comes true, my lady. Your country falls after the death of Kroisos, there is no stopping it. In twenty five years time, these walls will crumble. It cannot be prevented. But there is a way. A champion is born, in this year. After your city falls, he will rise and deliver your freedom from the hands that took your king.

She took Kyros over to his crib and placed him down, letting the words register in her mind.

"So that symbol, the one the scout returned with. They are behind all of this?"

"Yes." The Professor placed Kleitos in his crib as well. "That symbol, is for the Star Samurai. I have been watching them for some time now. Their expansion has become...disconcerting. "

Alala stood at the foot of both cribs and looked down at her children. They were already falling asleep, not having a care in the world.

"Both of my sons were born in this calendar. One at the very most beginning of spring, the other just as the frost began to melt. Are you saying that they will grow to be champions? Was I meant to bare these champions? Is this why you did not interfere?"

The Professor hung his head down low and sunk his shoulders.

"No...no not exactly. Your children are not the champions. They are the ones that the champion are to prove himself against. They die at his hands."

Alala finally lost her temper. How dare this creature waltz into her kingdom, and tell her that she suffered for some prophecy in which her son won't even be the ones to save her kingdom. She ran at The Professor, grabbed him by his bony throat and pushed him into the hall outside the nursery.

"Gods damn you, monster. You sat by as I was raped, for what? For nothing. My innocence is on your hands and all because you want my children to grow up and died at the hands of some champion. Gods damn you, and damn your prophecy. "

She tightened her grip around The Professor's bony neck. She did not expect to choke him, but rather just needed an outlet for her anger.

"I will defend this country in twenty five years, as well as my sons. You will see. And just to spite you, they won't even train. I will send them away to the country, away from these walls and this academy, and away from your fairy tales. They will not so much as hoist a sword in their life. Your champion will have no cause to attack them. No champion would kill an unarmed civilian. Your prophecy has failed already, creature. Now leave my city."

The Professor gently released her now shaking hand from his throat and clasped her hands together in his own.

"I understand your frustration, but what has been foretold cannot be undone. Your sons and your city will fall. Be strong Alala. Everyone has their part to play, but I will take my leave. "

The Professor turned into the wind and swept through the city in a flash, and returned to his other half.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A star was formed in the sky above the city, and a twin star appeared right next to it.

"That conversation did not go as planned, my brother, but I understand her frustration."

"You should not have visited her. All would have gone as it was supposed to had you not interfered. Now the champion lacks a test."

"She will find her way, in time. These things always fulfill themselves, you will see."

"No!" Calamitous' star flared up. "You interfered, and now it is my turn. I must fix your mistakes, brother."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Calamitous turned into a gust of wind and flew into Alala's bedroom, where she was fast asleep.

"If she won't raise a child to fight, then I will raise one for her. He will be the ultimate test for the champion. But she must bear a son before the end of the year. But there is only a month left in this season. It will need to be a faster birth."

He turned himself into a chicken, complete with his usual metal exoskeleton.

"An egg will do just the trick."

He flapped his wings and made his way up to the bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Alala gave birth to a metallic egg, much to the surprise of herself and her servants. The egg was discarded through the window, with agreements to not speak of this to anyone. Calamitous swept up the egg with a giant gust of wind and took to his normal form on top of a nearby building. He held the egg up to where his eyes would be, and spun it around in admiration.

"In less than a month's time, you shall hatch. And in twenty year's time, my little champion fodder, you shall fulfill the prophecy. You will be quite the challenge for whomever this champion is meant to be, but they will be great for overcoming you, Atsáli Kotópoulo. That, I can be sure of."

[Calefrun]

Despite everything he had been through recently, this may very well have been the most intense moment of Al's life. He had faced difficult foes before, but nothing compared to this.

He had made it to the final round of limbo against the entire former crew of the Underboob. The boy had no idea how he could possibly have outlasted so many Shadow soldiers, but he needed only to pass below the bar one more time to win the whole game. This was it.

The pole was a mere foot from the ground. Al bent his knees and got as close as he could to the ground, then began inching his way forward. Cheers and jeers sounded from all around, but he didn't hear them. His entire being was focused on victory.

His feet had cleared the bar, and he was almost to his waist. Then his chest. His whole body was in pain, but he had to continue. He inched a little more forward and began to lose his balance. The crowd went silent. He righted himself, and continued to move... and then the ground began to vibrate, as though there had been some kind of impact nearby.

Al struggled not to fall, and became aware of the sounds of several Shadow beings screaming nearby, sounding as though they were being flung through the air. And then the unthinkable happened. The distractions proved to be more than he could handle, and he fell flat on his back. Less than a second later, a figure and a pair of blades soared over, only just barely avoiding him.

Infuriated, the German teen jumped to his feet and pointed to the newcomer, hands already ablaze. “You!” he growled, “What have you done?!?”

---

Meanwhile, back at da club...

Cozal reappeared just outside the arena, near the rest of his team.

“Dammit!” He yelled, knowing full well that they couldn't hear him any better than he could hear the stranger that had approached him from behind. In his anger, a question finally occurred to him. ”What am I doing here? I left Al back in Awesome Land with all those really tough guys. And not only that...”

The others walked over to him, and Mareike projected a message. “U OK? I get being bummed about losing, but the tourney's double elim. we just gotta git gud and climb up the loser's bracket!” With a friendly smile she added, “and by 'we,' I mean us,” she gestured to indicate herself and the other three members of the team. “u woulda kicked their asses if ur teammates werent so bad. Sorry bout that”

Cozal shook his head. “It's not losing that's getting to me, it's just... since getting here, I've been pretty caught up in all the craziness. Losing snapped me out of it; made me remember where I came from. The mess I left behind”

“dont worry about that! we just gotta win, then u can get the portal thingy and go back home!”

“Look, it's not just that... one of my friends... someone I knew since we were kids... he died recently. Like, maybe not even a full day ago. I can't keep track of time in this place.”

Mareike and the others looked shocked. After a moment she typed, “I... oh. I'm... really sorry to hear that. Are you alright?”

“That's just the thing. I'm fine. Not even fazed. Like, I've always been kind of a lazy asshole, but why the hell doesn't this bother me... like a lot?”

This time, it was Kohaku who responded. “You said the situation back there was a mess... and that you've been caught up in everything going on here. Maybe you're just... in shock?”

“I don't think that's it. And not only do I not feel anything, it's been weird in other ways to. I've gotten way stronger; I can do things now that I couldn't imagine before. Even my personality seems to have changed a bit; I'm not as lazy as I was before, and I talk way more. Just what the fuck is going on?”

Mareike started typing a message, then stopped and deleted it. Then did so again. Finally she responded, “I... I don't know what to say”

”Then I guess it's a good thing that I do." The group whipped around in unison, hearing a voice from nearby.

YES THAT'S RIGHT, HEARING. LIKE, WITH THEIR EARHOLES. OVER THE MUSIC. YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN THAT.

THEY TURNED AROUND, AND SAW NONE OTHER THAN THE MAN KNOWN AS “MARIACHI GUY” DANCING ON UP. EXCEPT INSTEAD OF HIS BADASS SOMBRERO AND MASK, HIS PROBABLY-BEAUTIFUL FACE WAS OBSCURED BY A MYSTERIOUS HOOD. HE MOVED RIGHT ON UP TO COZAL AND SAID WITH HIS MOUTH, “I THINK I CAN HELP YOU FIGURE THAT SHIZZ OUT. BUT FIRST WE GOTTA TAKE A TRIP”

BEFORE COZAL COULD ASK SOMETHING LIKE “A TRIP WHERE” OR “WHO THE FIZ ARE YOU,” THE MAN BEGAN TO GYRATE. A LOT. THE GROUND STARTED SHAKING, AND THE LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING; EVEN THE ONES THAT WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO. THE MAN'S MOTIONS GREW MORE INTENSE, AND THOSE WITH WEAK CONSTITUTIONS HAD TO LOOK AWAY, LEST HS SHEER MAGNIFICENCE IMPREGNATE THEIR RETINAS. HE STARTED GOING FASTER, AND FASTER UNTIL...

The rave suddenly vanished. The lack of disorienting lights or deafening music actually left Cozal dazed for a few seconds. Once he was finally able to take in his surroundings... he was not any less confused. He was in what looked like a grassy field near a river, but something about the way his surroundings were colored seemed... off. As though everything around him had been specifically designed for the sole purpose of being pleasing to look at yet also vaguely tacky. There were some trees scattered about, but from where he stood, they looked more like... legs.

The Mysterious Hooded Mariachi Guy, who had stopped dancing yet somehow not lost any of the fluidity in his motions, spoke up. “Welcome to Sexy Land, my home away from home!”

Cozal raised a finger and began mumbling, “Where... how... why... who... what?”

The man nodded. “Yes, those are all question words, though you forgot 'when.' Anyway, I brought you here because I wanted to test your ability for myself, and there's much more room for us to fight here. Unfortunately, I think he wants first dibs.” He pointed over Cozal's shoulder.

Turning around, Cozal finally became aware of Draconis. “Who the hell are you? Actually, who the hell are either of you?”

“Well, based on that getup...” the man craned his neck forward to get a better look. “You're a Star Samurai, right?” He folded his arms and took a relaxed stance. “Yup, no doubt about it. So tell me- do you travel beyond the Shogunate often? I'll let you have your fight, but first I want to know... have you ever encountered a particularly odd Space Ninja by the name of Stella?”

[Mizagium]

Cassandra Buresque slumped over in her chair, started, and straightened. Doctor Nuresenstein had long gone, and the King and Queen were returning to official business. Sarah was nowhere to be found, and only Johnny’s aunt Julia had lingered before departing wordlessly. Now only she remained with the unconscious Johnny. She felt so tired, and watching her love slumber just exacerbated the feeling. But she couldn’t, not yet. Johnny hadn’t woken, hadn’t even risen from unconsciousness. No, the doctor (nurse?) had said coma. Johnny had fallen into a coma after being stabbed – and whatever the light show that followed.

She didn’t need to stay awake. Doing so would neither hasten nor hinder his awakening, but she did anyway. She wanted to be there when he awoke, especially having only just gotten him back. Although Cassandra understood that his current state was wildly beyond her control, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she could have done something – that she had somehow caused it. If she hadn’t walked away from him like, would he still be in this condition? That kind of thinking lead down dark paths, but still.

Her hand squeezed his, but received nothing in return. She sighed again and ran her free hand through her hair. It was getting long and needed a trim. Maybe a pixie cut; this middle-of-the-back thing was getting old fast, and she couldn’t pull it off like Sarah could, anymore. Wouldn’t that be something for Johnny to come back to. She snickered. Of all the things to think about right now. She yawned, and decided to retreat to her room for a proper nap. Johnny wasn’t going anywhere any time –

Cassandra froze. Across her, on the other side of Johnny, stood – Johnny. She blinked, absolutely certain she was hallucinating, but after doing that, and shaking her head, the specter remains. Brilliant white, shining like the sun, this Johnny stared down at the comatose form in bed.

“Johnny?” she asked, quietly.

White Johnny lifted its head to look at her. Although the features were obscured by the near-blinding light, she could definitely tell it was Johnny.

“What?”

Light Johnny tilted its head, unable to indicate with unseen eyes, at his unmoving form.

“How are you - ?”

With a hand, it pointed at Johnny’s heart, then at its own, then spread its fingers suddenly, as if indicating a burst or explosion. It paused, considering, then repeated the gesture with two hands, and stared at her, willing her to understand.

“Ex…plodded? You exploded?”

It bobbed its head from side to side, a conciliatory gesture. Close but not exactly.

“But you are…Johnny?”

Again the same head motion. It followed by repeating the explosion pantomime, but continued on with one finger pointed to itself.

“You’re a piece of him that formed when he exploded – er – shattered?”

A nod.

“So there are others.”

Nod.

“Where?”

Shrug.

“Why?”

Hesitation, then a head tilt.

“Why are you telling me? No, why did only one of you come to me?”

Nothing, but it seemed to Cassandra that the Fragment was thinking.

“Is there some other way we can – can’t you talk?”

It hesitated a long moment, then seemed to consider her. With no change in expression (and no expression to speak of), Light Johnny extended a hand towards Cassandra. She frowned at it, but put hers out anyway. Their shared ability – Light, for those who forgot about that – connected them.

“Cassy – I – broken. Scattered.”

“I gathered that.”

“Need – fix”

“Can’t you speak in complete sentences, at least?”

“No – shattered – incomplete”

“How many?”

“Fourteen – each – element. Must – reassemble”

“Well, you’re one. How do I find the others?”

“Another – comes – two – guide – help”

“Who?”

“Girl – can read – souls – track – capture. Also – Vespi”

“What’s Vespi got to do with anything?”

“Help – you three – find me – please – together”

“I…promise. We’ll find you and put you back together.”

“Thank – love – go”

“Wait but – “

The Light Fragment of Johnny blinked out. They conversation occurred in less than a second - Light was fun like that – and it left Cassandra both refreshed and more confused.

-

She wandered back to her room in a daze and drew a bath. She undressed and sank into the warm water, and although her tension melted away, her concern remained. Johnny was broken, but she knew that already. He was Fragmented and scattered – and for some reason, the Fragment that appeared to her couldn’t stick around. She had been called to action and abandoned. Not that surprising, given her history, but still.

A quest wasn’t out of her ability, however. Her last quest hadn’t been a total disaster, so she could do it again. But how would she even start? The Fragment claimed there would be others to help her, but that just raised the question of how she would even seek them out? Cassandra slipped completely under the water – just as another light flashed, this time within her bathroom.

Cassandra resurfaced in time to see a young girl standing there, blinking in confusion. “You must be Cassandra,” she said uncertainly.

“I…am…” Cassandra could do nothing but respond.

“I’m Cruxias. Johnny, uh, sent me to find you.” They stared at each other for a moment, until Cruxias coughed. “I’ll, uh, wait outside.” Only then did Cassandra realize she’d stood upright in the bathtub. She flushed red.

-

A little later, Cassandra joined Cruxias on the balcony, dressed and dried this time. Neither mentioned the earlier incident. “So you met a Fragment, too?” Cassandra blurted, trying to move past.

“Yeah. It said – well, communicated, it couldn’t talk.”

“Same with mine.”

“Told be about the other Fragments and that we need to go get them.” She shrugged. “Seems straightforward enough.”

“Seems so, but how are we going to actually track them down when neither of the Fragments gave us anything to go on.”

“I believe that’s what Cruxias is here for,” said a third voice. A pillar of flame erupted on the balcony and Vespi emerged. “You can do that, can’t you?”

Having been forewarned by the Fragment, Cassandra wasn’t surprised to see Vespi. Neither was Cruxias, it seemed, because she answered right away. “I…yeah, actually. You see, my powers have to do with souls, and I can trace souls I’m familiar with.” She withered a bit under Cassandra’s glare. “And I’m, uh, familiar with Johnny’s soul.”

“How familiar?” Cassandra’s question came out icier than she meant it to. “Who exactly are you, anyway?”

This time, Cruxias blushed. “Johnny, uh, helped me out not too long ago. I’m Cruxias.”

“Oh, I remember. He did tell me about you and the others.” He hadn’t mentioned how young she was.

“You more or less jealous, now?” Vespi teased, intuiting Cassandra’s reaction.

“Oh don’t worry,” Cruxias muttered, her blush deepening. “Based on what I saw, she’s got nothing to be jealous of.”

Cassandra turned red again.

“Did I miss something?” Vespi deadpanned.

“No,” Cassandra spat at the same time Cruxias made a noise. “Let’s move on, please?”

“Sure, but I’m not letting this one go. Cruxias, anything?”

“Yeah,” the young girl said, not looking at Cassandra. “I can feel a Fragment nearby.”

Vespi nodded back towards her fire pillar. “Shall we?”

[Myrdraxxis]

"I need to check on something first." Dace started to say to Knox, then realized that the other Immortal had already left. "Oh. Okay." He stood there for a moment, then conjured his own portal. Somehow. He wasn't sure how he did it, it just kinda happened when he wanted it to. A shiver ran up Dace's spine.

"Let's check out the damage Zais did first. Last time I checked that Darkness was eating away at the ground. Might wanna put a stop to that." He said to Sindri. The two stepped through and were treated to the sight of a...luau?

"Oh lord." Sindri sighed as they looked around. "This has Captain Neero written all over it."

"Well it looks like the Darkness weirdness has stopped, at least. This place is totalled, though." Dace muttered.

---


Leske grinned at Kayla. "I'd be happy to have you along. It's been a while since we had any adventures together,." 'If only Cale was here to join us' went unsaid. "So, our first step is to get back up into space."

"Did someone say space?" Leske turned to see Neero walking -stumbling really, with his third martini in hand- towards them. "I happen to have an idea."

"Let me stop you right there." Leske held up a hand. "I saw your ship get blown out of the sky."

Neero waved him off. "Pff details. All we need to do is get another one."

There was a moment of silence. Leske realized that Neero wasn't going to continue, so prompted him. "Where?"

"Oh! Well, Zais' navy in Random World had about thirty Penetrator-Class destroyers in its fleet," Leske raised an eyebrow, "and several were being decommissioned. We just need to get our new boss to summon it for us." As if summoned, Dace and Sindri stepped out of the portal to Umbra Isla. They stopped and, in unison, swivelled their heads around to take in the sight of the impromptu luau. Dace muttered something and Sindri facepalmed.

Leske and Neero approached the new Immortal of Darkness warily, Leske motioning for Kayla to follow. Sindri turned and looked at them. "What do you want, captain?" he asked Neero.

"A new ship." Neero stated without a trace of shame.

Leske's bioemtrics could actually detect the aneurysm building in Sindri's brain. "And why the fizz would you get a new ship after losing the old one-"

"Sure whatever." Dace interrupted. Sindri whirled around and glared at his new boss. "We have a few just lying around right? I can sense 'em. What do you need it for, captain?"

"Oh, er.." Neero glanced at Leske, who sighed.

"I'm looking for a very powerful, dimension-traveling wizard. We're going world-hopping to find him."

Dace felt a sudden powerful sense of deja vu, and couldn't for the life of him explain why. "Okay."

"Why?" Sindri asked.

"Captain Neero. Your first mission under new management is to tag any plaent you find that has strong readings of natural resources." Dace ignored Sindri in favor of ordering his new follower. "Oh, and take Havoc Squad with you. I'm sure they can make themselves useful or something."

"You got it, boss-man." Neero saluted sloppily. Dace nodded and then closed his eyes to concentrate.

A moment later a portal of Darkness opened up in the sky and another giant Not-Star Destroyer appeared. "Go nuts."

[Bruce Leroy]

The Sky Captain let out a hardy laugh that seemed to shake the whole vessel. “Excellent! You look like fine campaigns to have drinks with! Let us make haste, lest the Ale be gone before we arrive mates! Plus I hear this bar, The Space Ninja, has quite the rambunctious lot there. And if we are lucky, there may even be a fight!” With that the two ships headed off towards booze filled adventures.

---

Elsewhere at a secret base

“Cod, we got Intel that says that MGF is headed into space.”
“Space? What could he be doing there?”
“We don’t know what he is planning, but it is your job to figure it out and stop him.
“I mean he could just be running away, trying to start a colony on a distant planet, trying to advance science. How do you know he is up to no good?”
“Cod, Do you really thing that METAL GEAR FISH is going to space for anything altruistic?”
“I don’t know I’m just sayin’. He could be doing something not so nefarious. But if you want me to go make sure that he doesn’t destroy anything, I’ll go up there. I assume you are building me a ship..”
“It is already being put together as we speak. I will contact you when it is complete. Colonel out.”

The com link went silent. Cod sat in his chair thinking about what Fish could be doing in space. What could he gain by going out there? None the less he needed to get his body ready for space. LET THE TRAINING MONTAGE BEGIN!

[Mizagium]

Vega missed her mark, having underestimated Al’s reflexes. She increased gravity and wind to keep her from slipping or spinning any more than necessary. “Failed to kill you in one strike,” she observed, a bit of an edge to her voice. “I didn’t want this to get messy.”

She charged again, dropping weight and negating wind resistance, only to stop short by increasing her weight and throwing a fist into Al’s gut.

-

Draconis narrowed his eyes at the Mariachi Man. “I have known many space ninja,” he said stiffly. “But seldom do I travel beyond the Shogunate. Of course, this says nothing, as the Shogunate is vast.” He hesitated, then, “I have…heard of such a ninja, yes, but we do not speak of her. She is…she was…we do not speak of it.”

Stella was a story only told in hushed whispers among senior Ninja clansmen. Draconis only knew the story due to his privileged position, and could not repeat it to outsiders. Or even other Samurai. Draconis was sworn to his Ninja masters, and would never betray that station.

“Now then, Cozaltene, draw your weapon and face me.” He had, apparently, not taken notice of his new surroundings.

[Monika]

Artemis stepped through the portal into Super Land. Truthfully, she'd wanted to go right back to Awesome Land to announce the completion of this mission to the emperor, but it made sense for them to regroup and debrief first. She was met with the familiar face of their resident Demon King and a handful of refugees from Awesome Land.

"Oh, Artemis, welcome back," Clyde said, frowning at the few stragglers who apparently weren't content to return to their domiciles. "Don't mind those people," he said, waving aside the small group of refugees. "I've already arranged housing for everyone that came here from Awesome Land. Those few just wanted some fresh air, I suppose."

Artemis nodded. "Thank you, Clyde. If the rest of my team could be as responsible as you are, there may yet be hope for the world."

Clyde smiled weakly. Yeah. Hope. That's certainly one way to describe what's about to come here.

"Knox and I have returned here because our mission was successful," Artemis announced, with just the slightest hint of triumph in her voice. "Zais has been killed."

"Oh, yeah, I heard," Clyde replied.

"Hmm? Heard from whom?" Artemis asked. News didn't exactly travel slowly around the world, not with the advent of the Awesomenet and the seemingly ubiquitous power of teleportation. But Zais had been killed in a completely separate dimension and Clyde...well, Clyde had been up here. How could he have found out already?

"Oh, uh..." Clyde shrugged. "Would you believe an angel told me?"

Artemis frowned. "Is that another joke?"

I wish, Clyde thought. "Doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm sure you were instrumental in the onslaught. Doesn't look like that team of yours could have done it without you." He nodded over to another portal as a few of the other Immortals began filtering in to Super Land.

"I wasn't as instrumental as I would have liked. Zais was able to overcome my Space powers and..." She sighed. "All of that is irrelevant for the time being. It just means I'll need to begin training soon." She looked up at Knox, whom she was sure had already forgotten about his promise. "In any case, we will be discussing the aftermath of the fight in the Royal Library. Please see to it that the people here are kept safe while we're inside."

"Of course. You can count on me."

Artemis turned away and began walking to the Royal Library, before calling back to him. "I really can, can't I? You've already done far more for the people of Awesome Land than I have, and you're not even one of them. In a world full of self-centered people abusing power for their own ends, you have no idea how refreshing it is to see someone that genuinely cares for others. I can't say this enough, but thank you."

"Heh...No problem...Take care, Artemis." The smile Clyde had just barely managed faded. The compliment would have meant a lot more if the girl who'd given it to him wasn't destined to become his enemy.

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

Artemis (and presumably Knox, Gale, Gallen Kah, Bill Nye, and maybe Noores) made their way into the Royal Library, seating themselves at the giant long table from which the war on Zais had initially been declared. Artemis took her place at one end of the table and looked around her, sighing.

There aren't even half of us here, she thought. Galro and Scern should still be back in Awesome Land, though it isn't really worth it to bring them back. They wouldn't be of much help anyway. There's no telling where Karzem is, though it was only a matter of time before he left anyway. Roewk and Ollie wanted nothing to do with this, so I wasn't expecting their presence. Her face took on a slight worried expression as the next thought popped into her mind.

Heimrall is missing in action and is hopefully holding her own against Sark for now. I thought for certain that Vespi would be here, but she can be briefed later. That only leaves...

She sighed again. "Welcome back, everyone. Let's not waste any time. We've all come here for the same reason: Zais is dead. First, let me thank you all for your parts in taking him down. This was certainly a group effort, and it could not have been done without anyone at this table." She looked down as she said this. It was probably a bit of an exaggeration; she was woefully cognizant of the fact that she hadn't really done anything, and (though she didn't say it out loud), she was skeptical of how much Knox had actually done during the fight. But, courtesies were courtesies, so she continued.

"The one person I really would have liked to have been here is Zais' successor, Dace. The newest Immortal of Darkness. I'm sure he has several questions and concerns about his new role, and this would have been an opportune time to address them. Unfortunately, it seems we will have to save that for a later date. With the rest of us here, however, does anyone have anything that they'd like to share? The table is open for discussion. Orderly discussion."

---

"Yes! I call the engines!" Without missing a beat, Eva dove for the seat with the engine controls and began drooling (literally) over the various buttons. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

"I suppose that means I'll be monitoring internal systems." Alastor took his seat and examined one of the diagrams Captain Uggo had mentioned. "Seems straightforward enough. I think an hour or so of review should give me-"

"Ooooh, I think I found the one I was looking for!" Eva grabbed one important looking lever and pulled it toward her with vigor, nearly snapping it in the process.

There was a loud whooshing noise as the engines in the back of the ship all fired up at once.

"Leeet's goooo!!!!"

The entire building shook as the ParFunSpa started, and the exhaust from the ship sent papers and desks flying everywhere. A couple windows probably broke too.

"Evangeline, you're going to get us all killed! The ceiling isn't even opened!" Alastor shouted. "We're going to-"

The partially functional, patchwork spacecraft crashed through the roof of the Awesome Land Technology Center and ascended through the atmosphere.

---

Antitheon flashed Clara a smile once more, this one cold and menacing. There was no more reason for the false pretense of warmth and compassion. Clara had just signed her very being away to the Goddess. His work was complete.

"That's just the answer I was hoping to hear." He snapped his fingers and a playing card materialized in his left hand. The surface of the card glowed and from it rose a single sword. A simple broadsword with a blade as white as the brightest star. "This," Antitheon announced proudly, "is Seraphina's All-revealing Light."

As the sword was summoned, the air was again whipped into a violent frenzy, and the heat emanating from the blade seemed to melt away the very land before them.

"The one who bears this sword shall forever be bound to the Goddess. You are chosen to represent Her Hope. You are chosen to represent Her Warmth. You are chosen to represent Her Light. Let the ceremony commence."

Suddenly, Clara found herself standing fully upright, not of her own volition or will - no, she didn't have those anymore - but of Antitheon's. And as she stood, she was facing the business end of Antitheon's sword.

His smile widened. "This is going to hurt." With no warning beyond that, he plunged his blade into Clara's chest, and there was a sickening sizzle as it burned her flesh. Somehow, as Antitheon continued pushing the sword into her body, the tip of the blade did not protrude from the other side. Instead, by the time he was through, the entire thing seemed to be embedded inside her body, hilt and all. When he was finished, a strange marking - something akin to a stylized 'W' - appeared on Clara's forehead.

"Congratulations," Antitheon said. "You are now an extension of the Goddess. You have no will. You have no self. You are no longer Clara Lux. You are now my Mother's Angel of Light, a Weapon to be used solely on her behalf." He paused, allowing the woman a brief moment to recuperate. "Do you understand? If so, answer me these three questions: Who are you? How do you feel? And what are you going to do next?"

[Myrdraxxis]

"Sindri, I'm leaving the cleanup here to you." Dace said. Sindri stared at him, then around at the ruined landscape, and the luau that was now beginning to peter out as the shadow people noticed their new boss among them.

"Do you really hate me that much?" Sindri asked blandly. Dace snorted.

"You know these people better than I do, and right now we need some stability. Summon what remains of Zais' forces here and get things sorted out. I'm going to have to deal with this Council before anything else."

"So what does come next?"

Dace paused, humming thoughtfully. "Who knows?" With that, Dace closed his eyes and concentrated. It was weird, knowing how to suddenly do things without really understanding them. He could sense the presence of the other Immortals. Even Heimrall, though it was very faint. He waved a hand and created a portal.

He paused. "Can't go looking like I just fought a war." He muttered. Another wave of his hand and wisps of Darkness formed over him, and his tattered clothes were replaced by a sharp black suit. His old sunglasses had been lost at some point, so he replaced them with a smaller, more rounded lenses.

He stepped through the portal and into the meeting of Immortals.

"Sorry I'm late. Things are kind of a mess back there." He looked around. "So uh, what exactly is this Council for?"

[Mizagium]

All my Immortals sans Ollie and Vespi took their respective seats. Knox noted the absence of Ollie, Vespi, Scern, and Heimrall, and shot Artemis a questioning look, then Dace appeared, looking rather slick.

“This Council,” Knox said, addressing Dace, “is to decide how best to apply our abilities as Immortals. For a long time, we – the Immortals in general – have basically done whatever we wanted. I understand wanting to just be left along and deal without the problems that come our way, just handling the issues related to our respective Elements. However, in light of the recent ordeal, I think it’s important to reiterate to those who’ve already heard the pitch, that this creates a new set of problems.

“Zais was left alone for a long time and during that time he embarked on a multi-dimensional campaign of conquest; he also, apparently, created – or at least facilitated the creation of – and entire new race of living beings. Both of these issues have now fallen on your shoulders, Dace. And this is hardly the only incident. I’m sure most of us remember my predecessor the Time Keeper and his, uh, exploits.

“Point is, Dace, with this Council, we want to prevent future incidents and share the burden of handling the fallout of any that occur. I know going after one of our own seems counterproductive, but I’m sure you understand why it had to be done. You’re one of us now, Dace. You don’t have to go it alone.”

“Well, if we’re done with the heartfelt business pitch, you’ll be pleased to know,” Bill Nye declared, without a trace of irony, “that our campaign into Cardinalos was a success.”

“Rousing,” Gallen Kah agreed with a grunt.

“We vanquished the fell beast!” Gale declared, leaping to the table and striking a heroic pose. “Perhaps now we should talk about vanquishing the other fell beast, the one that currently resides within our home?”

“No.” Knox said at once, voicing what he assumed were Artemis’ similar thoughts. Clyde is…well not one of us, exactly, but he’s proven at least to not be antagonistic towards us. Plus he helped relocate all the refugees, so, no, we’re not killing Clyde.”

A long silence settled over the table until Gallen Kah cleared his throat. “Can I go home now? There’s some, uh, personal matters in Cardinalos that I’m still seeing resolved.”

Knox shrugged. “Unless anyone has any objections, once we adjourn this meeting, I don’t see why not.” Gallen grunted in acknowledgement and sat back satisfied.

Bill Nye spoke next. “Perhaps we should acknowledge the elephants in the room?”

“What. Where?” Gale spun around reflexively, brandishing his giant sword that appeared from somewhere.

“No, Gale,” Bill sighed. “Not that kind. Why are four of our number missing? I know Ollie and Roewk weren’t happy about our decision to kill Zais, but I didn’t think they ran off. Vespi, however, I did expect to run off. She’s like that. Which leaves, uh, the teenager. Has some high school crisis summoned her away?” He meant it as a joke, but by the way Knox and presumably Artemis frowned, he amended. “Is there a new crisis on our hands?”

“We might. Not to pass the buck, Artemis, but you know more about this particular issue than I.”

-

Captain Uggo wrestled with the control for a few tense moments before he shouted, over the roar of the engines, “It’s ok, I have control!” I think. “It’s rougher than other ships I’ve flown, but then this isn’t a normal ship!”

He wasn’t sure why he was shouting or even talking at all. These two didn’t care. Or maybe they did. Maybe his banter would assure them of his experience. Or maybe he was just trying to convince himself that he wasn’t about to explode. “We’re almost out of the – atmosphere.” Suddenly the noise ceased the shaking stopped. Uggo had to grip his seat to stay in it before flipping the switch for the diamondillium-powered artificial gravity.

“Ah, there we go. See?” He turned to Alastor and Eva. “Piece of cake. Well, congratulations, I suppose. You two might be the first Earthlings to go to space.”

And that’s when various alarms started blaring. Uggo frowned behind his mask. He hadn’t familiarized himself with the various warning and sensor systems, at first not thinking he’d be flying it so soon, and then assuming he wouldn’t need them. His own crash aside, Earth was outside all the major space lanes, and grouped in with the backwater worlds in the Cosmic Shogunate, the Astropiratical Collective, the Pólemos Administrative Zone, and even the Cowboy Planet. No one should be out this far.

And yet…

The viewscreen blinked to life showing a small fleet of craft bearing the Sun-and-Blades of the Cosmic Shogunate. He had expected perhaps a Cloud Land vessel, given his recent escapades, but not the Star Samurai.

“Uh. So. If my being here wasn’t already a clue, space is already lousy with people. Most of them not so friendly.”

-

Monoceras scowled at the space suit a crewman handed him. “What is this?” he demanded.

“It, uh, keeps you alive out there,” the crewman said uncertainly.

“Yes,” the horned man said, flatly, “I know what it is. What I want to know is why you’ve handed this to me.”

“Be…cause…you’re going out?”

Monoceras rolled his eyes and thrust the bulky contraption back at him. “Only the peasantry requires such cumbersome contraptions.” He retrieved his staff from where it reclined and shoved past the crewman towards the airlock.

“But, sir!” The crewman rushed after him, desperately waving the suit. “You’ll die.”

The Tsuno quite literally turned his nose up at the other. “Do not presume to think you know what is best for me, lowly plebeian.” He slammed the airlock button and turned towards the far door. While the door behind him locked, he began chanting. Mystic energy focuses on his horn and spread through his body, coalescing in his staff. As the locks on the space-facing door, he released his hold on the magic energy, which formed a perfect shield molded to his body. It was flexible to allow him freedom of movement, and constructed in such a way to pull stray bits of oxygen and hydrogen from space to create a breathable atmosphere. When the airlock finally opened to the void, Monoceras felt not change aside from the artificial gravity dissipating, but that, too, was soon corrected with magic.

He locked eyes on the ramshackle spaceship that triggered the alarms and scoffed. “How disgusting.” Then he stepped and fell, using the magic from his staff to pull him towards it. Hastily painted letters declared it the ParFunSpa which only deepened his scorn. He landed lightly on the hull, locked his feet to it, and searched for the weakest section. It was, unfortunately, towards the stern that he found the least shielded section. A small, blue flame erupted from one end of his staff and he used it like a welding torch to cut a Tsuno-sized hole; the metal he cut, he let float away, opting to seal the breach with more magic.

Casually, Monoceras made his way towards the cockpit, noting the absence of crew, security systems, or general sense for layout. The hallways apparently branched off from the main corridor seemingly at random. Nothing was spaced or sized consistently.

In the cockpit, he found a young lady, a rather ordinary looking man, and a silver-masked pirate in the captain’s seat. “Captain Uggo,” he declared. “My name is Monoceras. On behalf of Shogun Arcturus, you – and your cohorts – are under arrest for treason against the Cosmic Shogunate. This vessel will now be secured and impounded. Please do not resist.” He smiled thinly. “Or do. I don’t have explicit orders not to kill you.”

Uggo sighed. “Ah, dip.”

-

Pain flared through Clara Lux’s body. Pain and – enlightenment. For a long moment, Clara felt absolutely at one with everything in the universe. She felt a piercing heat fill her, a warm, inviting sense of peace. She would have cried, had she the ability, but all control was out of hers. In the final moments of true sensation, Clara thought she saw a form – not Antitheon that opened its arms in a gesture that said, Come to me, child. You are welcome here.

And then there was nothing. The person who had been Clara Lux was no more. She was only a shell, filled with the Light and Will of the Goddess. It retained enough self-awareness to operate independently and recognize itself as one who had been an individual, and to execute orders using individual judgement. But there was no Clara Lux, not anymore.

The Angel of Light, examined itself, as if familiarizing, for the first time, what it meant to be corporeal. When Antitheon spoke, it snapped to attention. “I am the Angel of Light – I am an extension of the Goddess herself, her Will executed on Earth. I have no self beyond what she wills.”

At the nest question, it paused, considering. “I…feel…nothing. I feel – I am compelled to do as She desires. My feelings are hers. This is right. I feel – I feel good.”

It didn’t answer the third questions immediately. Instead, the Angel of Light that had once been Clara Lux, flexed its enhanced power, easily opening the Seal of Malkuth and resisting the flow of power. She became a burning, golden Herald of the Divine. The marking on her forehead stood out as a dark design against her glowing form. “What am I going to do next?” She summoned the All-Revealing Light, which manifested as a larger, more ornate version of Belaneir. “I am going to kill Olivia Lux.”

[Myrdraxxis]

"It's a fine ship." Neero observed, craning his neck to take in the Penetrator-class warship hovering overhead. "Looks a lot like our 'Underboob'." He said without a trace of shame or irony. Yda just sighed.

"Well, it IS the same class of ship, sir."

"Right, right of course."

There was a moment of silence as the surviving crew of the Underboob stared up at their new ship wordlessly. A moment that was punctuated by the sounds of combat as some strange samurai fellow had decided to crash their luau and was harassing one of the guests. They all ignored it.

"I guess we should head up there and get situated." Neero said. There was a general murmur of agreement.
-

"This place is pretty neat." Leske said as he glanced around the foodcourt. He was fairly certain that most spaceships didn't have food courts, but whoever had designed these ships didn't skimp on luxuries. Or absurdities. Leske's head followed a pair of Shadow beings as they led a small elephant across the room and down the hall labeled "Petting Zoo".

Well, anyway...

"About damn time we started making some progress." He muttered.

"No need to be so impatient. It's not like you don't have all the time in the world." Codex piped up. Leske just grunted belligerently in response. He glanced around again. Hadn't Kayla said she was coming along. Leske assumed she followed him aboard.

-

Standing on the bridge, Neero let out a sigh of relief. It was good to be back on a ship. He hated being on the ground. Weird shit happened down there.

Behind him, the doors of the bridge hissed open and Gree stepped in, the rest of Havoc Squad trailing behind him uncertainly.

"Captain." Gree said. Neero nodded.

"Commander. I understand that you've hauled the wreckage of your old ship into the cargo bay?" THe captain asked. Gree hadn't even asked, just kinda telling his odd crew of aliens and humans to haul up the less destroyed bits and chuck em into the warships's hold.

"Yeah. We drafted a few of the soldiers from the Random World garrison as engineers to repair it. Figured the Ariadne would serve as a good scouting frigate for us out there."

Neero hummed thoughtfully. "Probably a good idea. Believe it or not, despite being a space ship, we've never actually been to space. Zais just sorta teleported our fleet around to different worlds." he shrugged, kind of embarrassed.

"Well, I've been in space but uh...not technically this dimension of space." Gree muttered, trying to think of a way to explain it. He gave up after a moment of thought. "But Lord Dace-" he made a face at the sound of those words-"Wants us to scout out and tag as many potential resources as we can out there."

"Well that's certainly better than 'bombard this clocktower until it's dust' like Zais would have us do." Neero chuckled. "That guy was kind of a dick."

There was a tense moment as everyone froze, just waiting for Zais to appear and slap the shit out of them before common sense asserted itself. Zais was gone, and they could actually say whatever they wanted to about him.

"Yeah fuck that guy." Corr spoke up. "Man, that was liberating." He sighed.

"Anyway," Gree cut in, "Should we get going?"

"Right." Neero nodded. "Yda?" He caught the attention of his executive officer. "Let's get underway."

"All hands, prepare for launch." Yda spoke through the ships' comm system. "Lock down the bar, and prepare the zoo animals for interplanetary travel."

Neero smiled happily. It was good to be back. A thought occurred to him. "We still need to name the ship!" He realized after a moment. Gree and Yda glanced at each other. the latter sighing.

"Do you have anything in mind, captain?" Gree asked. Neero's grin widened.

"As a matter of fact I do! Everyone prepare for the maiden voyage of the SS Sideboob!"

The newly named Sideboob left Earth's atmosphere and headed into the stars, setting out on a voyage into the unknown. What wonders would they find out there, where mankind had yet to tread? What sort of strange secrets would they discover? Neero's mind raced at the possibilities and his heart soared as dreams of adventure spurred him onward-

"Uh sir? I think we're hitting some traffic here."

Neero's eyes snapped open. "What." It wasn't really a question. Just a declaration of his disbelief.

"There's uh," The crewman paused, squinting at his screen. THen the viewport. "There appears to be a fleet in our way."

Beyond them, the Cosmic Shogunate fleet loomed menacingly.

"...So go around." Neero ordered.

[Monika]

Artemis nodded, summoning a pad of paper from her extradimensional closet. "Heimrall has been kidnapped by the self-styled 'Lord of All Vampires', Sark," she explained, scribbling something onto the paper for a few moments. When she was through, her notepad now depicted a mathematically perfect sketch of Sark, impossible in its accuracy. "This man," she said, passing the picture around the table, "seems to be possessed with a particular lust for power and is intent on stealing the abilities of the Immortals for himself, hence his capture of Heimrall. Beyond that, he has been terrorizing innocent civilians in Awesome Land and quite possibly elsewhere. I have encountered him - and let him escape - twice."

With a heavy sigh, she went on to warn the group, "He is not to be underestimated. Sark is a surprisingly crafty individual and has already drained some of the power of Zais. While this is certainly a matter that concerns everyone at this table, I would ask that you all avoid engaging him at all costs, lest you end up like Heimrall. I am confident that I will be able to resolve this issue myself. He will not escape from me a third time."

---

Evangeline's eyes widened in what should have been abject terror, but was instead something more like appreciation and bewilderment. "Oh. My. Goodness. A real alien!" she shouted, wildly running (and tripping) over to Monoceras. "I can't believe it!" She wrapped her arms around him tightly, bouncing up and down. "Can you believe it guys?!" she called back to Uggo and Alastor. "We've only been in space for a couple of minutes and a real alien has already come to greet us! This is awesome!"

"Ah, Evangeline, I don't think he's-" Alastor sighed and shook his head. He knew that it was pointless to stop that woman once she got an idea in her head, so he decided to let the scene play out for a few moments, readying his ice kunai just in case.

---

"You are a quick study, aren't you?" Antitheon smirked, regarding the being formerly known as Clara with some degree of pleasure. "Since you already know what to do, I no longer need to be here. My angel business isn't going to tend to itself." He petted his new Angel of Light on her head like an obedient puppy, deeming her clean enough to be touched by his divine hands. "Of course, as long as you are connected to the Goddess, I will never be more than a prayer away. If ever you should find yourself in some form of trouble, you need only close your eyes and call for me. 'Ask and ye shall receive', as the clergy like to say."

Antitheon slowly ascended into the air and was encompassed by a sphere of light. "This goes without saying, but you are an angel now, Clara. You exist only to fight and serve on behalf of the Goddess. Your goal is singular and your purpose is pure. Anything and anyone that would impede your mission is therefore impure, and must be treated accordingly. Burn them all with my Mother's righteous fury. Be ruthless. Be merciless. That is the Will of the Goddess."

And with that, Antitheon disappeared in an explosion of light, leaving Clara - the Angel of Light - to faithfully carry out her heaven-sent task.

[Mizagium]

“I thought you said they weren’t a spacefaring society.” The large, rugged-looking man folded his arms and studied the monitors. Behind him, low-ranking IT Samurai bustled back and forth, gathering data and feeding into calculations. It was all very esoteric to Betelgeuse, but he wasn’t focused on that anyway. He concentrated on the output, the various display screens and data readouts provided by the flotilla in orbit. He took a moment to appreciate faster-than light data transfer, but let it go as alarms blared.

“I did say that,” a slender man responded icily. “But I also said our data indicated an unusually mismatched civilization. Remember when I said we detected unobgassium emissions leaving the atmosphere a few days ago?”

Betelgeuse grunted and didn’t look the scientist in the face. Ophiuchus reminded Betelgeuse of any of a dozen kinds of serpents he’d hunted. He’d said as much, and Ophiuchus had simply laughed.

“You’re losing control of the situation, Ophiuchus.”

“Hardly. Two ships is nothing compared to the fleet.”

“Two ships is two ships more than we expected.”

“We?” Ophiuchus fixed an unreadable look on the big man. “Since when did this become we? Have you changed your mind suddenly?”

“No.” The hunter hesitated. “I haven’t joined your army.”

“Neither have you abandoned us. Your arm is fully functional. No one here has the ability to stop you from leaving. Antares is on another mission. You could leave.”

It was true. Nothing stopped Betelgeuse from abandoning the mission, such as it was. He was outside the military, beyond the chain of command. He hadn’t even officially accepted the role of ‘special advisor’ to the Shogunate. He simply was there, with a new robotic arm and…and what? He watched as the new ship, a strange design, approached the fleet and…started to turn away.

“Smart,” he observed with a hint of a smile. “The previous ship didn’t even attempt to course correct.”

Ophiuchus took a report offered to him. “This vessel is of considerably more advanced design. As you can see, it’s much larger, and has engines that rival some of our dreadnaughts. That’s interesting: it’s apparently at least fifty percent constructed by magic.”

“A magic ship?”

“Not entirely, but it does give off Dark-spectrum emissions. I’ll have Monoceras interpret these findings when he returns.” He paused. “Suggestions?”

Betelgeuse scratched his beard. “It launched from a different location than the previous one. Close, but not exactly. Too far away for me to consider it the same facility.” This time he did look at Ophiuchus. “Yes, I know our spaceports are larger, but if we’re still operating on the assumption that this is a new space-culture, than they likely don’t have large spaceports. I’ve seen planets like that. This is an independent launch from the first, so let’s treat it as such. Isolate the ship. Don’t let it contact the other, so jam transmissions.”

“Of course.”

“Pull the fleet back.”

“What?”

“Two ships have launched from this general area. I think this is the heart of it right now. Leave token guards and our satellite network in place, but pull the fleet back to this location. I want this continent scanned down to every square imperial mile. Hack communications. Find out everything you can: politics, culture, religion, porn viewing habits, everything.”

Ophiuchus snorted, but Betelgeuse didn’t laugh. “You’d have fit right into the military.”

“I never liked taking orders.” That he was very comfortable giving orders was an irony not lost on him.

“Does this mean you accept?”

Betelgeuse hesitated for a long moment, watching the fleet close in on the new ship. “Yes. I’ll be your Special Advisor, and as the Special Advisor, I’m advising you do everything I just said, and send Leporis to infiltrate the Dark ship.”

“That desk-fungus?”

“I’ve read the reports. I knew Leporis once upon a time. He’ll take the ship without severely harming the crew. I’d like to interrogate them.”

Ophiuchus motioned for those orders to be carried out. “What about the Crusaders? They, at least, we know are on the planet.”

“I want to interrogate the crews first.” Ophiuchus waited, but there wasn’t a followup to that. Betelgeuse turned away from the green-haired scientist to study the readouts again.

He wasted so much time and talent living in the wilderness, Ophiuchus thought sadly.

-

Leporis belched loudly and slammed his mug down. “A mission! Ha! My first in ages.” He belched again and laughed. Samurai crew of then Geisha’s Mirror waited nervously for their commander to finish. The command to board the strange ship had come nearly fifteen minutes ago, and they were in great danger of losing the ship, since they hadn’t actually been ordered to pursue.

“Uh, sir?” a mousey young woman podded.

“Eh? Oh yes.” Leporis pushes away from the table, which was dumb, since it was really a bench. He rocked backwards and fell off the seat. He laughed and rolled onto his side, where two aides helped him up. “I can do it,” he slurred, and shoved them off.

Despite his ungainly first few steps, Leporis walked without stumbling, taking the exo-breather handed to him. “I hate spacewalks,” he muttered. Another aide helped him affix the device to his face and strap the oxygen tanks to his back. Both were considerably more difficult considering the man’s, uh, girth. Leporis was a fat man, there was no two ways about it. His clothes and armor barely fit around his body, not to mention his belly, which protruded from beneath both and glistened like a polished bowling ball.

“Now, Leporis – sir. You have ordered to infiltrate and incapacitate the ship, but the leave the crew alive. Lord Orion – I mean, Lord Betelgeuse wishes to interrogate them later.” He showed a bladed pole weapon into the fat soldier’s hands.

“Blah blah blah,” Leporis waved the aide away and shut the airlock himself. He hiccupped once. “Oh boy. First mission. Oh boy. First mission. Oh – “ The other end of the airlock opened, and Leporis was sucked out backwards.

He floated in space for a long moment, fighting to keep his beer down, then oriented himself against the Geisha’s Mirror and kicked off, using his stored light to propel him toward the SS Sideboob. After a minute or so of flying, he reached the other ship. He stuck his naginata into the hull to keep himself from bouncing off. Unbeknownst to Leporis, he effectively performed the same boarding procedure as Monoceras had done not twenty minutes prior, in that he cut his way into the ship with his weapon.

Unlike Monoceras, Leporis dropped down right into the middle of the Food Court, one foot squishing into a plate of chicken fettuccini alfredo. “What the?”

-

“Cool,” Bill Nye said and clapped his hands together. “What’s for dinner?”

Gallen Kah was already standing up, preparing to leave.

Knox however decided not to be so blasé about it. “Are you sure, Artemis? I know it’s like your personal shame or whatever, but…” he gestured to the incomplete Immortal Council. “We can help you, you know.” A part of his mind spiked with guilt, though. He hadn’t seen Sarah in a while, had basically up and left after the whole Time Eater crisis. He really should get back to her, soon.

-

Uggo watched Evangeline hug the Tsuno with growing anxiety. “Does…she has no idea what she’s doing?” He knew the answer, but had to voice it.

Monoceras, meanwhile suffered the indignity with only the promise that it would end eventually. Yes, eventually. Any day now. By his own estimation, the bouncing continued for nearly ten minutes before his put his foot down.

“Alright that’s enough!” He forced Evangeline off him and shoved her back into her seat.

“Look, your, uh, hornliness, there must be – “

“Do be quiet,” Monoceras sneered. “Captain Uggo you are wanted on numerous counts of intergalactic piracy, so I’d advise you not to add to it by opening your mouth. Or whatever it is you do to speak. Do you even have a mouth? No, don’t answer that – I don’t care.”

Uggo stiffened. His rap sheet was extensive, and for some reason he’d forgotten to bring his energy cutlasses or plasma pistols.

“As for you two.” He regarded Evangeline with an especially disgusted look. “Refrain from anymore outbursts and you will be treated well. The Shogun desires information, not the slaughter of primitives.” The slant of his mouth indicated he would actually enjoy doing that very thing. “Now, please remain seated while the fleet takes your…ship into custody.”

[Bruce Leroy]

After very intense, patriotic, and mildly erotic montage Cod Commando was ready to begin the trip to space. As he cleaned up from his montage, he thought to himself; what could MGF be doing in space? Why would he travel so far? It seemed during their last encounter, in the secret base that wasn't secret, that something seemed off. He tried to think of anything that MGF said that could have hinted to his motives as to leave. Nothing came to mind.

Then his thoughts changed to when both MGF and he were training in the academy. He was always one step behind MGF. No matter how much he felt he grew as an agent MGF always seemed to be a step ahead of him. Every time MGF defeated him or proved his superior skill his own, we would train for hours to make sure he would not make lose the same way again. MGF always seemed to distance himself from the rest of the students, as if he knew that he was better than the rest of them. It filled him with rage anytime a teacher would compare him to the rest of the students. What could have made him so mad to be compared to us? What did we do to make him hate us so much? Cod began to this about the graduation exam, but was interrupted from a comm coming from The Colonel.

“Yes Colonel.”

“Are you ready to head off on your mission?” The Colonel asked.

“Yes Sir, I am packing my gear as we speak.”

“Excellent! I have news about your departure.”

“Sir?”

“You will arrive at the base at 0700 tomorrow. Then you will have your briefing at 0730.” The Colonel took a pause then continued. “After which Big Bass would like to speak to you personally, alone.”

Cod had never spoken to let alone seen Big Bass. What could he want to talk to me about? “Permission to speak freely?”

“Granted”

“What does Big Bass want to talk to me about?”

“He did not say. He just said that it was imperative that you speak to him before you leave.”

“Understood! Anything else sir?”

“No Commando. We’ll see you in the morning. Rest up solider. Colonel out.”

Feeling uneasy, Cod placed the com link on the table next to him. “I guess I could get some answers tomorrow, but for now there is nothing I can do but pack and try to relax.” With that he finished packing his gear and tried to rest up for his journey tomorrow.