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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:42:23 GMT -5
On board his ship, Skurai was still thinking about Rose’s comments just before she had descended to the surface of Klendathu. Skurai himself was one of the most feared bounty hunters in all of the settled territories; his great skill was in being able to appear loyal to almost any cause, whilst in reality the only person he truly served was himself. As his craft orbited the planet, in a close formation with those of his temporary accomplices, Skurai’s eye kept wandering over to his ship detector, looking for any sign of Rose making a sneaky getaway. “I will find out what you are up to, my dear,” he mused to himself; he was fairly sure that unlike TNT and Cheng, he knew that there was more to Rose than met the eye, and that knowledge was a powerful tool that he could employ should Rose attempt to double cross him….. A loud warning siren shook Skurai out of his solitary thoughts; on their ships, TNT and Cheng also got the message. Cheng smirked as he looked at the readout – “Typical. You wait ages for a battleship, then two come along at once.”<br>“Oh, that is sweet, guys,” said TNT, rubbing his hands, “it’s the bitch and her lackeys.” There was no love lost between Alicia’s team and TNT; he had almost been caught trying to steal Space Corps secrets during a druid battle a couple of years previously, and though he’d escaped TNT’s ship was almost totally destroyed – it had taken him many months to re – equip and get himself back into the “game”. Engaging their cloaking devices, the ships peeled off, waiting for the Great Fox to get closer. It was coming in for a standard high orbit, just as the Meteora had done, and Cheng lined up a missile right at its bridge. “Watch this, guys…. I’ll take them out in one,” boasted Cheng, and with the computer confirming the lock he put his finger on the button- Suddenly the ship fired two missiles of its own; all the bounty hunters’ ships lurched aside, but the missiles were nowhere near them. “That was rubbish!” yelled TNT, laughing, “What do they expect to hit with a wild shot like that?”<br>TNT got his answer more quickly than he’d anticipated; the missiles slammed right into the little moon a few clicks away, and the shockwaves made all the other ships vibrate, forcing their pilots to fight to hold them steady. “What the hell was that for?” shouted Cheng. “Our shields can easily handle the debris from that-“<br>Skurai wasn’t listening to Cheng; he was the only one who had spotted the bright flares of three small but powerful engines through the dust. “EVERYONE! EVASIVE ACTION!” he yelled – but TNT and Cheng’s ships were already being soaked in laser fire….. “OOOOOOH YEAH!!!” roared RDK as he blew a fairly critical piece of Cheng’s ship into nothingness. “You gotta get up pretty damn early in the morning to fool us!” The Starfox team blasted through the neat hole in the moon to launch their counter attack; Wyvern’s message had given them all the warning they needed about rogue ships, and they’d taken off from the Great Fox well out of scanner range, circling in a wide arc before using the moon as cover from which to spring the trap. “Shoot down the gunship!!” shouted TNT to Cheng. “I can’t – my missiles have been disabled!” Cheng yelled back. “Shut up and engage them!” snarled Skurai; his own piloting skills were excellent, and he was determined to take out at least one of the crew in revenge. With his craft well shielded, he zigzagged around the other ships until he found himself on RDK’s tail; smirking, he let off a precise shot, taking a chunk out of RDK’s stabiliser. The craft began to roll and RDK fought to hold it level….. “You’re mine!” Skurai shouted – but his triumph turned to dismay as he felt a huge judder though his own steering column; his screen flashing red, Skurai realised that BK was locked on and ready to fire a homing missile. “Eat this, Skurizzle!” shouted BK, and let the missile fly. Skurai threw all his weight against the steering and the ship flipped, making the missile pass by within inches. RDK had already dropped away, knowing BK’s fondness for missiles – but TNT was not so savvy. The missile slammed into the side of the craft, blowing almost all the engines to pieces. “You BASTARDS! Not again!” TNT screamed. TNT decelerated; Skurai, still travelling at speed, pulled up just in time – but also presented a perfect shot to Alicia, who smiled silently before lasering Skurai’s cloaking dome into oblivion. As Skurai cursed, Cheng flew by overhead, his craft belching smoke from several RDK – inflicted wounds. “Screw this – I’m out of here!” Cheng shouted over the radio, his voice already fading as he made his getaway. With their craft also damaged, Skurai and TNT opted to abandon Rose, and the Starfox team followed until they were sure that the bounty hunters weren’t in a position to return and cause more trouble for them. “Nice work, gentlemen,” said Alicia as RDK and BK formed up on either side of her, “RDK, how’s your craft handling?”<br>“It could use some TLC. I’m going to take her back in.”<br>“No problem. BK and I will head to the surface and see if we can pick up any signs of life.”<br>The damaged Arwing peeled off and headed back to the orbiting Great Fox, and the other two pulsed their engines, looping downward toward the dusty planet.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:44:43 GMT -5
It hadn’t taken Latino long to arrange an audience with Queen Rena; his natural charm, assisted by Amo’s drop dead gorgeous smile and rippling muscles, soon pushed all the right buttons with the court officials, and the five companions found themselves in a beautiful, flamboyant throne room where gorgeous ladies in very little clothing were literally everywhere you looked. Carnage, Amo and DD swore they’d died and gone to heaven, and while Blade remained impassive but polite, even he blushed as servants offered him delectable refreshments. Latino waited at the head of the party; he’d heard plenty of rumours about the Selendrian monarch, and her world – shattering beauty, but he was certainly no stranger to the fairer sex; and he had to keep his head, remember what he was there for….. A burst of trumpet song heralded the Queen’s approach, and all five men fell absolutely silent as Rena entered the room. Their eyes were glued to her perfect body and flawless complexion, and even Latino had to fight to regain control of himself as his mind did somersaults of amazement. Rena walked forward and smiled, a smile that was bright and full of wonder as the new dawn. Latino took her hand, and delicately kissed it. “Your majesty….we are honoured to be in your presence.”<br>Rena blushed, and Daredevil looked about ready to pass out from happiness. “Thank you”, she purred, “you are too kind.” Rena looked around at her entourage; they seemed almost as happy to see the visitors as the men were to see them, and in particular a crowd was forming at the door as ladies pushed and shoved to get a glance at Amo. Amo felt himself going quite red, and Rena noticed. “Ladies! This is not a zoo exhibit! How dare you stare like that without offering our visitors a proper welcome?”<br>Latino almost felt as if he’d developed telepathic powers; he could practically hear the rest of his crew shouting “I want sex, lots and lots of sex, now!”. But he could also see Rena making eyes very subtly at him, and this gave him an idea. “Your majesty….. my crew would be delighted to accept your hospitality. But I am afraid that I am unable to join them.” Rena raised a perfect eyebrow. “You see,” Latino went on, “I have undertaken an oath to retrieve a lost treasure, on the honour of my family…..and until I accomplish my goal, I must abstain from all mortal pleasures.”<br>The attendants sighed, enraptured by the “sacrifice” of the smouldering man, but Rena wasn’t taken in; she knew that the data on the spare part drive that one of the planet’s many “visitors” had traded to a court official was valuable to others, even if she herself had no interest in it. And she also knew how to use her position to advantage. “How noble….. I understand your plight, for I too have undertaken a similar oath. My kingdom is currently split, many of my subjects are held oppressed by a cruel tyrant determined to overthrow my rule who has stolen an item of importance from me….and until I find a way to retrieve it, I also cannot allow myself any joy.”<br>Latino smiled. “I came here because I was told that you could help me….. perhaps I could help you in return.” Rena’s face lit up; she’d elicited the response she wanted. “I believe that could be arranged……so you will do it?”<br>Latino nodded, and then bowed. “I am at your service, my lady.”<br>Rena clapped her hands. “Oh, thankyou! My servants, bring provisions and transport….. my champion leaves at once, to overthrow the usurper and release us all!”<br>“Now?” whispered Daredevil, “Can’t we just….”<br>“No, holmes, we’ll get this out of the way first,” whispered Latino back. “We’ve just got to sneak in and lift a trinket from some other woman…..how hard can it be?”<br> Haha. That sounds like a candidate for famous last words to me,” grinned Bob. Everyone else nodded. “Heh….well it would be pretty dull if we just walked in and took it, I guess,” said Latino with a smile. “What am I doing at the moment, anyway?” said Kross. “It seems like I’ve been wandering around in those tunnels for ages.”<br>“Good point. Let’s find out, shall we?”
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:46:42 GMT -5
Meanwhile, deep beneath the surface of Klendathu itself, Kross and Bob were finally nearing their destination. The tunnel they were following widened out, and then ahead of them the dim light of Kross’ amulet revealed a tall, carved archway hewn out of the rock itself. As they passed through it, the tunnel wall became smooth, and a new light source could be detected ahead; the light streamed from a second archway, and as Kross and Bob entered they had to stop and stare in wonder at the sight before their eyes. The chamber was at least 30 feet in height; it was circular, and all around the walls and up across the ceiling, carvings and paintings depicted the known planets, and even some as yet unexplored by humanity. Kross knelt and repeated an incantation, and Bob remained respectfully silent; even Kross’ soft voice seemed an intrusion in this place. The light in the room came from several chunks of a strange mineral, placed in holders around the walls, that gave off their own luminescence, and in the centre – “Kross,” whispered Bob, as quietly as he could, “Is that it?”<br>The sphere was sitting on a stone pedestal in the centre of the room; and the most striking thing about it was…..well, nothing really. It just looked like a simple ball, carved out of the same stone as the chamber itself, probably no more than about 6 inches in diameter; but Kross seemed almost afraid to look upon it. “Yes, that is what we came all this way for. Tread carefully as we approach it, I do not know if there are any booby traps here.”<br>Kross led the way forward, stepping as lightly as he could; but their caution seemed to be unneeded, and they stopped a few feet from the pedestal. Kross breathed deeply, and as his eyes moved downward, he suddenly saw words engraved around the focal point. Kross stepped back until he could see the whole sentence, and walked around slowly, decoding the ancient language as best he could. “The key…….brings light…….where there was darkness……but not all light…..is pure.”<br>“What does that mean?” asked Bob. Kross shook his head. “I am as mystified as you…..this is not what I was led to expect at all.” Kross sighed; there was still so much that he didn’t understand, but now was not the time to worry about such things. “I suddenly feel very weary, my friend,” said Kross, standing up straight once more; “Let us take the artefact and leave this place, there’s nothing more we can do here.”<br>“How true, priest.”<br>Kross did not have even a second to brace himself; the disruptor ray struck him from close range, and Kross fell to the ground convulsing from the massive charge. Alexandra showed no emotion until she actually picked up the sphere, and her eyes flickered for a moment with…..not greed, or triumph, but hope. Kross had instructed his pupil well; Bob did not make the usual heroic mistake of checking on his teacher, but instead charged straight for Alexandra. This unexpected application of logic almost caught her off guard, and Alexandra had to jump high in the air to avoid Bob’s swinging, spinning kick.
”I protest, AK,” said Alexandra. “Bob wouldn’t use logic.”<br>Bob frowned. “What exactly are you saying?”<br>“I am saying that you are a sensitive artistic type who thinks with the right hand side of their brain, and thus whilst having a graceful and poetic nature is not likely to apply quantitative reasoning to such a situation.”<br>“Um… in English?”<br>“Overruled,” said AK, pausing for a mouthful of Pimms and Lemonade. “Bob’s been in training, remember?”<br>“Oh, if you insist.”<br>“Right, that’s sorted is it? Marvellous, So, back to the battle…..”
“Give that back!” Bob yelled, making another grab; Alexandra fired off a second disruptor shot, but Bob star – jumped over it and tackled her to the ground. The pair struggled on the stone floor; Bob got a hand to the sphere, but Alexandra was now tiring of his efforts, and a swift knee to the groin left Bob unable to oppose her as Alexandra sprang back to her feet. Alexandra pushed a few buttons on her weapon, pointed it at the ceiling, and fired; the laser beam vaporised the rock above, and the daylight streamed in as she smiled coldly at Bob and Kross, both picking themselves up. “I congratulate you, gentlemen…you have come closer than most to defeating me, but I never lose an important battle. He is waiting for me…….. and I must answer. Farewell.”<br>Rose kicked her heels together, triggering the rocket boost in her boots; she shot upward, and her echoing laugh was all that was left……no, something else remained. The tiny metallic object flashed a couple of times, and then let out an ear – splitting tone; as Kross shook off the last of his paralysis, his expression became one of deep concern. “That tone will alert every insectoid within 10 clicks! We have to get out,” he called, and Bob moved as fast as he could whilst ensuring his companion could keep up, running back out into the tunnel by which they had entered.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:48:24 GMT -5
Kross and Bob knew that standing and fighting would be hopeless, and so they ran; the sounds behind them got louder, and the tunnel seemed to go on for ever. Then, their hearts soared as they saw light ahead; but in his joy, Bob misplaced a foot, and crashed to the ground. Kross was a few feet ahead, and could only watch in horror as a warrior bug pinned him to the floor- -But at the last second, a laser shot flashed past Kross’s head and blew the bug’s brain out. Bob scrabbled to his feet, and both he and Kross turned to see two heavily armoured figures in front of them. The figures retracted their helmets, and one saluted Kross. “Commander Wyvern at your service, sir. Sorry we’re so late. Do you have the artefact?”<br>Kross bowed his head. “I was not successful…..the White Rose has it.”<br>Wyvern looked stunned. “The White Rose? But she’s dead…” Kross shook his head slowly. “Much of what your government told you is not as it seems….if we can escape this planet alive, I will tell you everything.” Wyvern shouldered his weapon. “Of course….let’s get moving. Davey, cover the rear…..we need to get back to Oliver quickly.”<br>The party hurried up the slope to the entrance; Oliver was standing there, waiting with a grim look on his face. “Sir, I think we have a problem.”<br>They were back at the tunnel entrance where Kross had contacted Ginger before; but now the open space was absolutely rammed with insects of all kinds. The second exit from the area, by which Kross and Bob had originally entered it, was also now blocked off. The group looked up at the sheer walls; climbing was now the only way they would be able to escape. “Oliver, you’re the best of us with heights,” said Wyvern. “Davey and I will cover you, while you take a rope to the top and fasten it. Then our guests can climb up, and Davey and I will go last. Do you understand?”<br>“Yes, sir!” Oliver was already finding a foothold. As Wyvern had expected, the bugs weren’t slow to spot the new activity; they surged forward, but he and Davey swamped the attackers with laser fire, and Oliver was soon nearing the top. He sighed with relief as he could see the lip of the rock, but then the wall he was clinging on to began to vibrate. “Oh, shit!” Oliver cried, and just managed to jump aside as a burrowing bug exploded out of the rock just a few feet from him. Thinking on his feet, Oliver drew his pistol, shot the bug once, and then fired at the rock above it; the tunnel collapsed, crushing the insect and preventing any others from following it. “Great work, Oliver!” shouted Wyvern as his crew member hauled himself over the top and secured the line he had carried. Immediately, Kross and Bob began to climb; when they were nearly at the top, Davey began his ascent, with Wyvern a little way behind, and Oliver fired downward into the mass to cover his team – mates’ retreat. “We’re almost there, commander!” called Davey as he climbed; Wyvern smiled, but just at that moment a second burrower burst out of the rock; it almost sliced through the rope, and Wyvern and Davey could feel their weight straining the fragile threads….. As the bugs gathered below, Wyvern glanced up at Davey and Oliver; he knew what he had to do. “Davey, make sure that you keep our guests safe until you’re retrieved…..I’m counting on you.”<br>Davey’s face drained of colour, but he did not have time to protest; Wyvern let go of the rope and dropped to the ground. He winced as he landed heavily on his ankle, and hobbled into the centre of the space, drawing the bugs away from his team as they scrambled to safety high above. The bugs’ screaming was excruciating, and Wyvern began to feel dizzy as his weapon flashed up the “low ammo” warning….. “I can’t watch!” cried Bob; Oliver and Davey could not tear their horror – stricken eyes away…..but then the screams of the bugs were drowned out by the colossal roar of a warp capable engine. Alicia recognised the Meteora crew as she hovered over the natural bowl; spotting Wyvern at the bottom, she bit her bottom lip and started to bring the craft slowly downward. While it was technically possible to land or take off the ship vertically, it wasn’t a task it had been originally designed for, and it required extreme concentration at the best of times. And this time, there were several thousand angry bugs that didn’t want her to take away their latest meal; their ranks were being swelled by winged comrades, and if they got airborne…. The other insects launched themselves at the fighter craft as the winged creatures prepared for flight; though they couldn’t damage it directly they were intelligent creatures, and tried to push it into the solid walls. But somehow Alicia kept it level, and Wyvern scrambled up on to the nose, so that he was face to face with his rescuer. “Having fun yet?” mouthed Alicia. Wyvern smiled and gave a thumbs up before opening fire on the bugs that were trying to knock him back to the ground. Davey and Oliver joined in, but then Kross requested them to stop; while they’d been using their conventional weaponry, Kross had been preparing something a little more mystical. “Bob…..can you use your rhythmic abilities to plant this device into the body of those creatures?” said Kross. Bob took the little capsule and picked up a couple of small stones; he juggled all three before launching the canister into the air, performing a headspin to build up speed, and finally kicking the device out into the throngs. The canister sailed though the air and dropped to the ground; Kross held up his hand, and whispered a secret and powerful incantation….. The light which filled the space was so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes. As Alicia finally cleared the space, all the bugs appeared to have become disorientated. But they were recovering quickly….. “BK! Use your missiles, now!” Alicia yelled into her radio. As the first of the flying insects took off, there was a sonic boom, and BK blasted over the area, releasing his missiles with perfect precision. Everyone on the ground dropped and covered, and the earth shook as the bombs exploded; Wyvern clung to the Arwing’s fuselage as the fighter was rocked by the shockwave. Once everything had calmed down, still sitting on the nose of the Arwing, Wyvern was the first to look down through the smoke and see that nothing remained alive in the crater. He gave the thumbs up, and once they were over solid ground Alicia slid back her cockpit roof. “We’ll have time for pleasantries later, commander,” said Wyvern. “We’ve got to get Kross here wherever it is that he needs to go.”<br>“Not a problem,” said Alicia with a smile. “You guys still got your Tsunamis?”<br>“Yeah. We’ll fly them up to your ship, and then we’ve got to get going.”<br>Wyvern hopped off of the craft to rejoin his crew; in the distance they could already see V3 approaching in a land vehicle to pick them up, and begin their race to catch the woman apparently back from the dead.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:52:35 GMT -5
“It’ll only take a few hours, he said,” gasped Carnage, running for his life along a dimly lit corridor, “Easy, he said…. do you call this EASY?!”<br>It had all started well enough; a dropship had flown Latino and his colleagues into enemy territory, depositing them close to the rival’s fortress. This had been the first shock – it was a huge, towering structure, and all along the walls were ranged guards – they were women, and they were as beautiful as those who served Queen Rena, but they also looked well trained, well armed, and more than a match for the little team of five. Silently, they’d crept along a waste water tunnel into the bowels of the castle, but once inside it had all quickly fallen apart - a guard had spotted them, and from that point on the entire garrison was pursuing them. Knowing their only chance was to head upward, the group had raced though hallways and up flights of stairs; Carnage and Daredevil had hot – wired doors and shut down other defences, but periodically they had been forced to stand and fight, and though Blade’s code made it difficult to battle women, he’d soon revised his opinions when he’d seen how skilled they were, and in fact was rather pleased to get back into some proper fighting action. But the battles took their toll; their blaster weapons quickly ran out of ammunition, leaving them with only simple bludgeoning instruments and Blade’s sword to defend themselves. Now, at the top of the fortress, they saw a huge pair of double doors ahead of them. With a final effort, they charged through the doors, slammed them shut, and barred them with a conveniently located wooden beam. “So you’ve arrived at last. My spies informed me of your arrival…..men are so tardy.”<br>The group turned around and saw a woman in a long, flowing, purple robe; her complexion was much darker than that of Rena, but it would have been a brave man who made a judgement on who was the more captivatingly beautiful. She was seated on a simple ebony throne; her confidence and ability to overshadow all else in the room meant that she needed no further symbols of power, save for the circular jade pendant around her neck that Rena had described to Latino before their departure. Latino stepped forward. “We come on behalf of her highness, Queen Rena……you have taken something of hers, and she requests its return.”<br>The woman laughed a little, her mirth spiked with mocking tone. “She requests…….she should beg! I, the mighty Cordelia, am the person who should rule this world, I am more intelligent, more resourceful…and more beautiful. My armies and I shall prove to the galaxy that Selendrians are capable of more than flirting and being pretty to look at…. will you not serve me instead? You would not find me….ungrateful.”<br>As gorgeous as Cordelia was, Latino easily picked up the false promise in her voice. “I cannot trust you, chica……please give me the necklace, or I shall have to take it from you.”<br>Cordelia’s expression turned thunderous for a moment, and then she smirked. “Come then, you weak specimen of manhood…. I challenge you to try!”<br>Cordelia stepped forward, off of the dais holding the throne, and advanced toward the group. Latino also moved forward, but as soon as he crossed an almost invisible line in the floor, Cordelia snapped her fingers, and a forcefield encircled them in a circular area about 12 feet in diameter, isolating Latino from his companions. Cordelia smiled darkly as her pendant glowed gently; Latino continued to move closer, and Cordelia laughed again. “Now, face the very image of what your pathetic sex tries to be!”<br>Almost as she finished speaking, a hatch in the centre of the floor opened, and Latino was forced to move back. Latino’s expression became one of amazement and then of deep nervousness as a massive form rose up; it stretched, and Latino saw that it was indeed a man, one even larger than the sizable Amo. The man wore huge gauntlets of metal, and his head was encased in a helmet of black; his breath echoed through it, deep and ominous. The man advanced, but as Latino readied himself, his opponent began to stagger a little, and Cordelia gave a little cry of alarm; she dashed forward, and as the man bent toward her she pulled the helmet away. “Oh, Torak, I’m sorry…. you can’t breathe properly in your new armour, I knew we should have tested it!” Torak took a few deep breaths; a man of very few words, his face started to become less flushed, and he glanced gratefully at his mistress before turning back to Latino with a quizzical expression. “Oh, yes, uh……destroy him!” said Cordelia, throwing the redundant chunk of metal to the edge of the enclosed area. Torak smirked, and Latino backed away as his foe closed in….. Amo and the others were trying to get through the barrier to help their leader, but it was as solid as stone, and now a new problem was presenting itself; the door they had barred was under attack, and if it gave way entirely then all would be lost. Amo, Carnage and Blade braced themselves as the door started to splinter, attacking any guards that tied to exploit the holes that were appearing, but the door was getting weaker and weaker. Inside the forcefield, Latino was using all the speed and cunning he had to stay clear of Torak’s huge fists; but Torak had stamina as well as strength, and a single wrong move led to Latino being caught in a crushing bear hug. Unable to breathe, he was powerless to escape, and on the outside Amo and the others were only seconds from defeat…. But in the chaos, everyone had missed Daredevil slipping away from the others. He had realised that this time he couldn’t hack the forcefield, but the barrier did not extend all the way up to the ceiling of the tower; with all his skills of stealth and cunning, Daredevil had shimmed up the tall drapes, and made a daring leap to the candelabra in the centre of the room. With his pocket knife, he cut away at the supporting rope, and held on for dear life as the heavy structure fell to the ground – -in the event it missed both Torak and Cordelia, but the surprise landing made Cordelia scream and jump close to her henchman. Torak relaxed his grip unintentionally, but it was all Latino needed – he thrust out an arm and snatched the pendant away from Cordelia. Immediately the forcefield fell, and Amo dashed in to grab the insurgent; the door finally gave way, but the troops were brought to a halt as they saw their leader being held. Torak was both afraid and angry, but he was not the kind of person able to act without instruction, and he stayed still as silence descended on the room. Latino looked at the pendant; Cordelia looked nervous for the first time. “What…what will you do to me?” she asked. Latino furrowed his brow. “Nothing…..all we were asked to do is get this back.” A guard, looking out of the window, hurried over as close to her mistress as she dared; “Rena and her forces are here, my lady.” Cordelia sighed. “Then it’s over….”<br>Rena and her entourage had made excellent time getting up the stairs, and she swept triumphantly into the throne room. “My pendant! You got it back!” she trilled, taking it from Latino. Rena swung around, looking at all the people in the room, before turning to Cordelia. “Didn’t I warn you not to mess with me? I ought to have you exiled from this planet for good.” “Ummm…” said Blade, butting in for the first time, “could I ask a question?”<br>Everyone looked at Blade. “I’m still not absolutely clear what this argument was about. What does that pendant do that’s so special, anyway?”<br>Rena looked at Blade as if he’d gone mad. “It doesn’t do anything other than a bit of weak magic…but it was my favourite accessory. And that bitch borrowed it and wouldn’t give it back!”<br>“WHAT?!” cried Cordelia, “I thought it gave me control over my armies….I thought it made my warriors strong.”<br>“I think you’ll find,” said Blade softly, “that it was your own skill as a leader that made these women believe in you. Perhaps they shared your vision of being able to do more than use their looks to get what they wanted.”<br>The group was silent for a moment; Rena was thoughtful before she spoke again. “Look… I think we all got a bit carried away here…. but this whole setup is awesome, you know? I didn’t know that all these people wanted to fight and stuff….I could really use someone like you to deal with all this military kind of thing.”<br>Cordelia put her hand to her mouth. “So you’re not angry with me?”<br>Rena giggled. “No way honey….. girls like us have to stick together!” The assembled residents of Selendra cheered, and Latino’s crew also looked relieved and happy. Rena turned to Latino, and gave him a seductive look with her bedroom eyes. “I’m feeling a lot better…..how about you?”<br>Latino smiled. “I’d feel better once I had that information that you promised me…..”<br>Rena snapped her fingers; an attendant handed her a computer disc, which Rena tucked into Latino’s shirt. “There you go….. just feed that into your computer, and you’re all set. Now, where were we?”<br>Latino felt himself getting rather hot under the collar, and he took Rena’s arm in his as the substantial party filed out of the throne room, to head back to the capital city and a night of celebration…….
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:54:49 GMT -5
Out at the furthest reaches of the known galaxy, the occupants of all the ships in the Space Corps Armada were on edge. Ginger walked up to the huge main view screen of the flagship, and gazed upon the boiling clouds that shrouded Kalia’s surface. Very few people had ever ventured to its surface, and only a handful of those had escaped alive; its land was infested with nightmare creatures, whose only fear and weakness was the light that under normal conditions was totally absent from that world. So dangerous was it considered, that even to approach within orbiting distance was outlawed; but, Ginger thought to himself, if you wanted to hide something from the eyes of civilisation, there was probably no better place in the charted systems. The ship to ship transceiver crackled, and a voice was broadcast to the bridge. “Communications officer Sgt. Pilko, calling Starventure….. Captain Bane wishes to speak with General Ginger, over.” Ginger glanced over to Will Anger, who opened a channel; “This is Starventure…General Ginger is listening. Go ahead, Sir.”<br>A deeper, powerful voice replaced that of Pilko. “General, my troops are standing by…..what are our orders?” Ginger smiled; Bane was an old school, “shoot first and pansy about asking questions later” kind of man. “Hopefully, Captain, we’re just here for some sightseeing. But be prepared to move at a moment’s notice…..”<br> Ginger had no idea just how true his words were about to become. Concealed just below the cloudline of the planet, the mighty destroyer Opus Maleficus was powering up its weapons; at its helm sat a young but brilliant defector, waiting for a signal…<br>“Malificus, this is Vengeance. Is all in readiness?”<br>“Yes, my lady. We await your instructions.”<br>“You know what you must do, Fallensouls. Engage anyone who attempts to reach the surface of the planet, do whatever you desire to achieve this. Your only goal is to ensure that I am not disturbed…… once I have reached the temple, no one in all of creation will be able to stop us.”<br>“By your command, my lady. All units, lock on and prepare for attack.”<br> ”Whoa! How come Fallen gets a destroyer?” said Davey Marvel. “That’s not fair.”<br>“It’s just a whimsical piece of nonsense, Davey. Anyway, what usually happens to the enemy’s main spacecraft in these stories?”<br>“Oh…….right. Cool.”
The first indication that Ginger and the fleet had that they were under attack was when an enormous pulse laser blast completely incinerated the carrier Endurance, only a few thousand metres from the flagship. Breaking cover, dozens of pitch black fighters swarmed upward, every one piloted by a disciple of the druidians who was more than prepared to perish in the name of their cause. Rose’s plan had been meticulous and carefully thought out; while using small groups of followers to make their cause seem weak and fragmented, in secret new armies had been raised, using the cult’s notorious brainwashing techniques, and new ships built; Rose had taken much of the druidians’ technical knowledge with her in her flight from Sirius, and as a result the Space Corps had believed that they had scored a far bigger victory than was actually the case. Fallen himself had undergone training at the Space Corp’s prime strategic development centre before his treachery, and he knew exactly where to strike in the crucial first moments of battle; he smiled with a dark satisfaction as his planes wreaked havoc on the launch bays of the mighty carriers, crippling them and preventing more than a few of their own warplanes from being deployed. The Space Corps personnel were shaken to their very souls as the stupendously large druidian flagship rose up into full view; it was at least twice the size of the impressive Starventure, and Ginger could not help but be impressed by Rose’s ability to have such a ship constructed in total secrecy. But, he thought to himself as his ship was rocked by missile blasts, the cards are on the table now…..
Unfortunately for Ginger, the cards he was currently holding were a very poor hand indeed. The few fighters that had got airbourne were massively outnumbered, and the Maleficus’ main beam weapon was picking off the larger ships almost at leisure. “We’re going to be wiped out, General!” roared Bane over the com system; “I cannot get any more pilots into the air! Do we retreat?”<br>Ginger’s mind was racing. “No, Captain, switch all your power into your defensive shields, and fire your stationary weapons at that destroyer – keep it here at all costs. This may be our only chance to disable it – if it gets away we may never catch up to it again.”<br>“Understood, Sir-“<br>The Maleficus’ beam struck the Starventure at maximum force; the ship’s shields absorbed some of the blast, but the impact still caused explosions all over the flagship. Ginger was thrown several feet backward against a metal support; as he came to a few seconds later, he could see fires raging all around the bridge, and all its personnel were lying motionless on the floor. With the place in darkness except for the light of the flames, Ginger struggled to the upper level close to the door. “Is anyone still conscious? Can you hear me?” he shouted; the room was ominously quiet, until….. “Sir, yes sir!” The man’s uniform was badly ripped and torn, and Ginger could only read the end of his service number written across his lapel; -004. “Good man,” coughed Ginger, as a second person staggered over, covering his mouth against the smoke. “General, are you all right?” gasped Anger; he was bleeding slightly from a wound to the head. Ginger looked through the cracked view screen, and his rage was building as he saw the damage being done to his fleet. “Ensign, what position do you hold?”<br>“Weapons, sir.”<br>“Excellent! If you can get any of the systems online again, direct everything you have at that cursed flagship – you have authority to use anything you can bring into operation. Will, come with me.”<br>“Where are we going, sir?”<br>“Back to the shop floor.”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:56:30 GMT -5
While all this was going on, not too far away the mood was far lighter on board the Galaxy Wanderer. It had been a night to remember for the “heroes” of Selendra, and Latino closed his eyes as he leant back in his chair on the control deck, listening to his crew boasting to each other of their exploits. “Let’s see,” said Amo. “There was Noa, and Eva, and Toni, and Carma, and….ooh, about three others….. let’s just say I gave them a magnificent seven, if you know what I mean.”<br>“Pah,” snorted Daredevil, “Fine, if you like quantity over quality…I showed a set of triplets how the Welsh Dragons do it – with fire!”<br>“And even Blade enjoyed himself, didn’t you Shade my mate?” laughed Carnage. “From what I heard you were demonstrating your prowess with your chopper-“<br>”Hmph. Are all men as coarse as they are?”<br>Latino opened his eyes; Yoko was pacing about, and obviously feeling a little bit left out. “Don’t mind them, Chica, they’re just having a bit of fun,” said Latino. Yoko stopped pacing and walked back over to him. “I suppose you had “fun” as well, did you?”<br>Latino’s expression was hard to read. “It was…….. interesting. Not what I expected.”<br>Latino thought again about Rena; he’d been surprised to find that underneath her confident exterior, once they finally managed to slip away to her private quarters that she was restrained and refined; and she’d noticed straight away once they were in bed that his mind was wandering. “Do you want to do this?” she whispered, stroking his hair. “I do…. but….”<br>“There’s someone else.”<br>“Yes, and no. It’s difficult to explain.”<br>Rena looked at him with her crystal eyes, and Latino saw for the first time the intelligent and sensitive woman beneath the glamour and raw attraction. “Tell me about her.”<br>“Is it important?”<br>“I think it is, for you.”<br>Latino sighed. “It was a long time ago….. we were both young and full of wild ideas. At first I though we had nothing in common – she knew what she wanted to do, and was prepared to work until she got it, whereas I let myself drift with the currents. But we made each other happy when we were together…we even came close to getting engaged at one point, I was ready to take a post in the merchant service, settle down…… but then the Sirius incident happened, and everything changed. I barely saw her, she was being feted by all these high ranking people….. I knew I’d never fit into that. So I left before I became a problem for her, I wasn’t exactly Mr. Squeaky Clean, and there was no way I was going to jeopardize her future.”<br>Rena leant up on one arm. “I think that your feelings are holding you back, Victor…. you have unfinished business. If I were you, once you’ve done what you have to do with the information that I’ve given you, you should seek this person out and find out if she still has feelings for you…. because part of you wants to believe that she does.”<br>Victor was stunned; Rena had put her finger on the thing that had been quietly gnawing at him all that time. “How did you know…..”<br>Rena hushed him. “I’m not just a pretty face, you know. So, now that’s sorted out…..” She reclined and smiled. “The two of you aren’t back together yet, after all.”<br>Latino thought about this for a moment, then leaned over and turned out the light. “Well, a little practice never did anyone any harm….”<br>“Hey, Latino! Quit daydreaming, we’ve got ourselves a situation here!”<br>Latino was snapped out of his internal thoughts; everyone was clustered around the main viewing screen. “Holy shit, that’s a full scale battle!” said Daredevil; the group stared at the myriad of ships on the radar screen. “Yoko, are we out of their scanner range?” said Latino; Yoko nodded. “All right. We know where on the planet we have to land…..Yoko, bring us in on a wide arc, silent running. Hopefully all that fighting will be enough of a distraction for us to slip past.” “Are you sure we should be doing this?” said Amo, looking nervous. “I’ve heard terrible stories about this place.” “Trust me,” said Latino, “we’re going to land right on top of this “treasure”, grab it and get out; we won’t be here a minute longer than necessary. It’ll all be done in accordance with good old Space Corps Directive 7833, right Yoko?”<br>“Er…..right, yes, good idea,” said Yoko, nodding. “Everyone, go and check that all the hatches and entries are secured before we land, like the directive says.”<br>The group dispersed, leaving Latino and Yoko alone. Yoko bit her lip, but couldn’t contain her laughter any longer. Latino looked at her, and sighed. “All right…… what does directive 7833 say?”<br>“All planetary terraformers are expressly forbidden from recreating Delaware or Swindon.”<br>“Just take us down, would you?”<br>Yoko was still laughing as the Wanderer began its risky landing on the dark planet below.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 17:00:10 GMT -5
On the badly damaged Starventure, Ginger and Will Anger were having to climb down a disabled lift shaft to the engineering decks. Ginger held up a pocket flashlight, and followed the signs to the shuttle bays. “Sir, do you have a plan?” asked Anger, jogging along beside him. “You’ll see in just a moment, Will.”<br>The pair emerged into the shuttle hangar; all was chaos, with debris littered everywhere. Ginger headed over to a control desk, flipped open a numeric panel, and punched in a string of numbers. “Enter authorisation code…..”<br>Ginger smiled for a fraction of a second, and entered the security code known only to him; “Don’t cross the boss.”<br>There was silence, and then an invisible hatch in the centre of the hangar began to slide back; Anger watched in amazement as a pair of sleek spacecraft rose from their concealed dock. Ginger felt a frisson of excitement. “Will, how long has it been since you flew solo?”<br>“Oh, General, you can’t be suggesting-“<br>“I am. I don’t know how long we’ll last out there, but if I’m going out, it’ll be out there fighting to protect my troops.”<br>Anger watched as Ginger began to climb up into the cockpit; he saw that each craft contained two seats. “Ginger, aren’t these two - man ships?”<br>“They are,” called Ginger, “but two planes are better than one, we’ll just have to do our best-“<br>Ginger was interrupted by a sudden banging, coming from a pile of metal debris. Will hurried over to the pile and pulled away some pieces; two rather grubby men in plain overalls crawled out. “Oh, thanks,” gasped the first man. “Jonny and I thought we were gonners…” Ginger had already climbed back down to the ground and jogged over to the group. The men in overalls recognised him and saluted, looking extremely surprised. “Gentlemen, whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?” said Ginger. “Second and Third Technicians, JonnyG and GooeyGarth, sir.”<br>“What part of the service are you in?”<br>“Maintenance, sir….. we service the ship’s vending machines.”<br>Ginger and Anger showed a commendable restraint by not laughing at the absurdness of the situation. “Have you ever played a space combat AR simulation?”<br>“Once or twice, sir.”<br>“Well, let’s hope the third time’s a charm, shall we? Because this time we’re playing for real.”<br> Conditions could hardly have been worse down on the surface of Kalia; it took Yoko two sweeps of the co – ordinate area before she detected the tiny, crashed pod. Landing only a couple of hundred feet away, all the ship’s external lights were switched on, and as the crew looked out they could see an occasional flash of talons, the hint of a barbed tail, even perhaps the outline of a wing in the darkness beyond the little halo of illumination……. “No way!” whispered Daredevil, shuddering. “You’d only have to get that bit too close to the edge and SNAP! They’d have you in their grasp before you could even cry out.”<br>Latino and Blade tried not to listen; arming themselves as much as they dared without compromising their mobility, they were mentally calculating the quickest and safest route to take to the pod, and on their backs they carried bright mobile light beacons. Latino also fixed a camera to the barrel of his gun, so that those on board the ship could see what was going on. “Right, everyone, keep the engines ticking over – as soon as we’re on board, Yoko will take us up and away,” said Latino. Carnage switched on a huge spotlight, aiming it at the pod, and shadowy creatures fled from the beam as Carnage steadied it. Blade and Latino took a deep breath and jumped out on to the sandy ground below…… They hit the floor running; with the wind howling and trying to freeze their blood in their veins, the pair had never moved so quickly as they raced across the ground, charging toward the pod. They almost slammed into the wrecked craft; the door was closed. Breathing hard, Latino charged his blaster, stood back, and motioned to Blade to open the door – -the creature that sprang out with a shrill cry made everyone on the ship jump almost out of their skin. It lunged with dagger – like claws, and Latino dropped on to his back, unleashing his own weapon right into the creature’s face until its head exploded. Latino rolled to the side as the body hit the floor, and Blade helped him up. With the ninja on watch, sword drawn, Latino stepped into the escape craft and immediately saw its former occupant. The corpse was now nothing but bones – all the flesh had long since been chewed away. Latino searched the little cabin, but it was bare; Latino felt a huge wave of anger and frustration as he had to face the thought that all his efforts had been for nothing, and he kicked the skeleton. “You lying toad…… where is this goddamned jewel, cujo?” shouted Latino….. …..and then he saw the tiny computer disc; it had been concealed by the man’s hand. Latino slowly picked it up, and a look of absolute shock came over his face. “Blade…..esse, you won’t believe this…” he whispered- Suddenly, the spotlight beam from the Wanderer flickered and died. “Shit! Latino, let’s go!” hissed Balde urgently; though the pair of them were carrying light beacons, they lacked the strength of the spotlight and the shadow creatures were already starting to overcome their fear. Latino pocketed the disc and rushed out of the pod, but as he left the doorway a screeching black shape launched itself at him. Latino ducked, and Blade’s sword flashed over his head, rendering the creature asunder; the two men began to run, and creatures began to fling themselves at them, coming close to tackling them into the darkness. But Latino and Blade kept their eyes forward, and the vicious beasts screamed in fury as the pair scrambled back on to the ship; the doors slammed shut, and the craft rose triumphantly into the gloomy, swirling sky….
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 17:03:01 GMT -5
It was amazing, Ginger thought to himself, how quickly old skills come back to you. It had been years since he’d flown a fighter craft, and he’d never actually been in a full combat situation; but his abilities were at least sufficient to keep himself and his passenger alive. Equally impressive were the efforts of the two technicians he’d press ganged into manning the secondary weapons; only a few missiles had gone wide before Jonny started to get his eye in and be more choosy about his targets, and if they lived through the next few hours Will was seriously considering recommending Garth to the ballistics training board. But their situation was still desperate; only Ginger and Anger, and a tiny number of other pilots were still in combat, and only the three largest and best – shielded ship of the fleet were still intact. Ginger sensed that the opposition were biding their time, perhaps massing for a final assault, and though he and Anger had destroyed at least a dozen fighters with their more resilient two man craft, it was but a dent in the overall strength of the enemy. “Ginger to Anger, come in Anger.”<br>“Anger here sir….. we’re down to our last few missiles. Is there any way to replenish our stocks?”<br>“I’m afraid not. Will, there may be only one thing left for us to do here.”<br>“Sir?”<br>“I’m going to briefly dock with the Starventure and drop off my co – pilot, and I suggest you do the same. Then, I need you to cover me – I’m going to attack the bridge of that flagship directly. “<br>There was silence; Anger knew what Ginger was suggesting. But the next voice Ginger heard was that of Jonny from behind him.”<br>“Sir, permission to join you on this mission? The enemy may be about to strike again at any moment…..”<br>Ginger felt a wave of pride and humility wash over him; he had always believed in the value of every person in the Corps, from highest ranking to lowest, and he had never felt more conviction in that belief than he did at that moment. “Granted. Gentlemen, let’s take this monstrosity down.”<br>The two ships fired their thrusters and began screaming down on the Opus Maleficus; a barrage of gunfire stated up, but Ginger and Anger slid their craft between it, racing at full speed toward the nerve centre of the destroyer. Reclining in his seat, Fallensouls watched their approach and smiled with anticipation as he brought his missile – scope down to eye level. As the critical distance came into view, Fallen locked on to his targets. “Minion, how strong are our shields?”<br>“90%, sir – easily strong enough to absorb their weaponry.”<br>Fallen laughed. “A futile gesture, then. How entertaining.”<br>Even as he spoke, Ginger released his last two missiles of his own; they exploded, but the shields held, and Fallen laughed again cruelly as he began to squeeze the trigger for his own weapons…. …..but at the split second before the missiles fired, the Maleficus was rocked by a mighty rocket blast on its left hand side. The ship skewed over sideways, and Fallen’s missiles shot past Ginger and Anger, missing them by a whisker. “What on earth was that?!” yelled Anger as he pulled up and glided away over the massive destroyer. Ginger checked his radar, and grinned as he saw a familiar outline slide into view.
“Wow, that was some good shootin’ pardner!” said V3; on the bridge of the Great Fox, Gary was doing an amusing celebratory dance. “Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, cool!” The dance was however missed by everyone else as they were all rather busy turning the druidian forces into scrap metal. “You all right in the back, bruda?” shouted RDK, barrel rolling to evade some enemy fire; Bob just groaned and closed his eyes, still not a fan of “exciting” space travel at the best of times. V3 and Gary had outdone themselves in modifying two of the Arwings to carry a second person; it had been agreed that Wyvern’s Tsunami ships would be left in full fighting order, and that the Meteora crew would take on the heaviest of the combat while RDK and Alicia took on the job of getting Kross and Bob down to the planet in the hope of preventing Rose from executing her scheme, whatever it might turn out to be. This, however, was easier said than done; Fallensouls knew what his job was, and every time the Arwings tried to make a break downward, saturating fire made any such attempt suicide. “We’ve got to put that flying hulk out of commission!” Alicia called over the radio. “Anyone have any ideas?” A short distance away, Wyvern was considering the same problem; as he flew around the nose of the Maleficus, he spotted the huge laser beam generator behind a set of sliding blast doors, and an idea came to him. “I think there may be one chance,” Wyvern spoke into his mic. “Great Fox, can you hear me?”<br>“Receiving you loud and clear, Commander. What’s the plan?”<br>“Just watch me and the others, and have whatever ballistics you have left on standby. When it’s time to use them, you’ll know.”<br>Listening in on the conversation, Ginger realised what Wyvern was going to attempt. “Starventure, did you copy that?” “Yes sir,” 004’s voice came back over the radio, “message understood. I’ll do what I can.”<br>Aboard the second modified Arwing, Kross leaned forward in his seat. “I hate to bother you when you’re fighting, but time is growing short. We have to get to the temple.” Alicia nodded and switched on her own coms. “BK, follow Wyvern’s instructions – RDK and I have to make a house call.”<br>“Oh, all right, I’ll try not to be insubordinate,” said BK. “Just try and keep up with us in that rust bucket!” laughed Davey; BK snorted. “I could outfly you any day of the week, greenhorn!”<br>“Ok you lot, you can argue later,” barked Wyvern. Alicia and RDK’s ships peeled off from the battle, and as soon as the Maleficus opened fire again, all the remaining Space Corps ships banded together and concentrated their fire on the turrets, knocking most of them out. Ginger checked his radar again. “They’re into the atmosphere – good job everyone!”<br>“Great!” shouted Wyvern. “Now, everyone get around the front of this floating scrapheap – attack those blast doors!”<br>Wyvern led the other fighters in; they threw all they had at the doors, but they were extremely strong. “This is pointless!” yelled BK, narrowly avoiding a head – on collision. “Just stay calm,” said Wyvern; he hoped his hunch was right….. On the Maleficus’ bridge, Fallensouls had just realised that the two Arwings had got away. “FUCK! Rose is going to be furious…….” Slamming his fist down, Fallen decided that he’d need to do something fairly major to make up for it. “Give me control of the laser, on my mark!” he yelled, and gritted his teeth as he targeted the Great Fox. “Guys…..we’re being lined up for a direct hit!” cried V3; Wyvern swallowed hard and crossed his fingers. “All right then….. everyone, charge weapons; aim for the centre of that laser generator.”<br>The light from the laser became incredibly bright; his finger on the trigger, Wyvern waited for the exact moment to attack……..and at the second the brightness forced him to close his eyes – “FIRE!!”<br>Fallen and Wyvern yelled at the same instant; the Great Fox, all the fighters, and even the Starventure poured beam and missiles into the open nose of the Maleficus. There was a mighty flash, and then an enormous explosion; the shockwave sent the little craft spiralling away out of control, and even the large craft were rocked making those on board hold on for dear life. When the smoke cleared, the Maleficus was still sound – but its front was twisted and damaged, its main weapon out of action. “Well that’s one problem sorted – good work guys,” said Wyvern as the rag – tag team regrouped. But though the two sides were now battle scarred and at a stalemate, the real battle was in fact only just about to begin.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 17:04:28 GMT -5
On board the Galaxy Wanderer, the ship’s crew were gathered around the control room’s table. In the centre was the mysterious disc; Yoko hadn’t been able to stop staring at it since Latino had gently laid it down in front of her. “I….I don’t understand,” she whispered; her own name, scratched on to the disc in a dying man’s blood, almost seemed to accuse her. Latino reached forward and picked the disc up. “Yoko, no one is going to force you to read this disc, even if it is still uncorrupted. But it was the only thing that this man took with him when he abandoned whatever ship he was on, and he cared about it enough to leave a trail for someone to follow….. “<br>Yoko nodded; she swallowed hard. “If I don’t at least try and read it, I may regret it for the rest of my lifecycle.” She motioned to the console; “Put the disc in, and I’ll do the rest.” Latino did as he was asked; great strings of letters and numbers flashed up on screens as Yoko processed the contents. At first, she seemed to be merely concentrating, but as they watched her expression became one of alarm, then shock…..and then devastation. “No, No, NO!!!” she wailed, and before anyone could speak her hologram corrupted and shut down. The ship came to a halt in the clouds, and the lights failed. “What the heck?” said DD. Everyone started talking at once, until Latino shouted over the din. “QUIET!!” There was silence, and then Latino spoke in words barely audible. “Yoko……Yoko, if you can hear me……whatever is on that disc, I promise I’ll do anything I can to help you.” There were a few quiet words of agreement from the other crew members; all was still, and then on the main screen a scratchy piece of a video log began to play….. The man was of Asian – Pacific extraction; Latino and Blade recognised the interior of the crashed escape pod. The man was badly injured, and he struggled for breath as he spoke into the camera. “Yoko……my child, my precious jewel, forgive me……”<br>There was silence in the control room as the crew watched the film, and no one noticed the ship once again starting to move and heading back across the skies of the dark planet to a new landing site.
”Are you lot still awake? You’re awfully quiet.” AK glanced around her; she’d been getting quite absorbed in her storytelling and hadn’t really noticed the time passing. “I’m awake,” said Yoko. “I want to know exactly what was on that disc.” Several other people indicated that they were still following the tale, and AK stretched in her seat. “That’s good; we’re coming to the big finish now. So, let’s get to the heart of the matter….”
Alexandra was glad she’d remembered to equip her own ship with spotlights before beginning her mission; she had to land a reasonable jog from the metallic door set into the jagged rocks of the mountain. She hustled across the terrain, but her determination was as hard as tung-diamonds, and she slid back the door to the buried temple just enough for her to enter. Her lifesign detector confirmed that the chamber ahead was empty, and she smiled as she walked through the narrow corridor until she emerged into the space ahead. Rose looked up at the huge carved columns, and the illumination stones similar to those on Klendathu which had activated on her arrival; their soft glow cast a multitude of shadows, and a lesser woman than Rose might have been alarmed by what those shadows could contain. Rose had never feared the dark; she was the unseen terror, the thing that others cowered from, and so Kalia was for her almost a natural habitat. Rose reached the end of the long chamber; there was a pedestal there, just made for the sphere that she held in her hand. Rose coolly brushed aside the fragments of rock littering it away on to the floor, and dropped her own sphere in their place. It rocked a little before settling, and Rose’s eyes were alight now with vigour and hope. She watched as from an open space in front of the pedestal, an archway composed of stone and metals unknown to man rose into position; at the arch’s summit was a tall metal spire. Rose extended her hand, grasped the sphere and closed her eyes – the archway began to glow faintly, and hitherto concealed symbols were revealed as a wind whipped up in the chamber, and bolts of energy began to crackle around the spire……. “Step away from the device, please.”<br>Rose did not open her eyes; she did not need to. The tone and the cool feel of a razor sharp blade against her throat told her all she needed to know, and she complied as she considered her situation. “You should not have followed me, Skurai. There is nothing for you here.”<br>Skurai raised an eyebrow. “You’re here. I’m sure the Space Corps would pay a great deal of money for your sculptured head – after all, they now know you survived Sirius.”<br>Rose’s expression did not alter. “Someone saved the priest.” She opened her eyes. “Then I don’t have time for this nonsense.”<br>In a single movement Rose twisted Skurai’s arm, making him drop his blade, and slipped free of his grip. She drew her disruptor and fired a blast, but Skurai backflipped over it. Laughing, Skurai threw a small ampoule to the floor, and a cloud of gas rose up; Rose took in a lungful before she could stop herself, and she sank to her knees as gas made her feel faint and dizzy. Skurai smirked. “Don’t resist it Rose….you’ll be unconscious in a few seconds.” He glanced at the sphere on the pedestal. “Guess I might as well take this too – you obviously covet it, so it must be worth something.” Skurai reached out a hand to take it…..
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 17:07:02 GMT -5
“FREEZE, Ruffian!”<br>Surion had always had a surprisingly poetic streak for a Marine leader, but he was also extremely good at his job. “Fan out!” he shouted to Fury, Jay and Predator, and the marines spread themselves around with their guns trained on Skurai. Skurai glowered, but realised that he was outgunned and outnumbered. “Who’d have thought, guys….. we get assigned to tail some two - bit scavengers, and instead we find one of the galaxy’s most wanted criminals and an even more dangerous person whom we all thought was six clicks under.” Surion could already see a nice fat promotion coming his way. “Keep your hands in the air – I don’t intend to hurt you, but if necessary we’ll use lethal force- Rose’s movement was so quick that no one had a chance to fire their weapons. She snatched the sphere back from Skurai, rolled backward and pulled out a small remote control from her clothes; she pressed the button as the marines woke up and let a burst of laser fly, but the shield generators that she’d carefully installed on her previous visit kicked in and the fire was absorbed. Rose laughed as she saw a livid Skurai and the marines stuck on the opposite side; Surion shook his head. “Nice move, Rose….you’ve boxed yourself in. What are you going to do now?”<br>Rose’s eyes were alive with dark fire. “What I came here to do, fool.”<br>Skurai, thinking of himself as always, saw his chance, and fired off a blaster shot that made the marines dive for cover. Rose ignored the marines and Skurai as they exchanged fire, and calmly replaced the sphere in its slot; she put her hand on top of it, and as she concentrated the wind in the chamber rose again, and this time the spire above the arch pulsed furiously with energy….. Kross raced into the chamber; he too ignored the blasts pinging across the room, and Bob, Alicia and RDK followed. “Hold your fire!” Surion shouted, but his men had already stopped; they, like everyone else in the chamber was transfixed by the blaze of light and high – pitched wail coming from the device at the far end. Amidst all the chaos, RDK stepped out, and shouted….no, commanded in a tone of voice no one present had ever heard him use before. “Alexandra Kaesar, you must not do this!”<br>Rose glanced over her shoulder, and fixed RDK with a look of contempt. “Wolfsbane, you have no bond with me any longer – I will have what my heart aches for!”<br>There was a last pulse of light, and then from the spire a mighty beam of energy was discharged upward. It blasted through the roof of the temple, dispelling the clouds and shooting into space……and then seemed to strike something solid, but invisible. The beam lost much of its intensity, and those on the ground and in orbit saw a much more powerful light start to burn; a swirling, massive cloud of dust and light emanated from the “impact” point, and the once shadow locked planet felt light upon its surface, causing its creatures to rush screeching into any crevice or cave they could find. In the temple, Bob gazed up, and suddenly felt unaccountably afraid. “Sensei…..what is it?” He asked; Kross could not remove his eyes, and he too felt a surge of fear. “It is something that until this moment I believed to be nothing more than idle legend…it is a White Hole.”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 17:08:06 GMT -5
RDK had moved away from the others; he approached the barrier, and Rose faced him, her face wild with joy. “Alexandra… if this is what I think it is…..”<br>Rose almost spat at him. “Of course it is! It is what I have searched for, the answer to my prayers….” RDK looked at the archway; instead of being empty, it now seemed to have a mirrored surface. “All the ships….the armies….you lied to all of them, this isn’t about a civil war at all, is it? You don’t seriously believe those tales….. you can’t change the past, Rose.”<br>Rose glared at him. “At least I accept my past, rather than try to hide it. How could you desert me when I needed you most of all?” RDK looked at the floor. “I could not be a part of the madness any longer… neither of you would listen to me, we started out fighting against a corrupt administration, but I never wanted to overthrow the rule of law entirely…and when Ridley died-“<br>Rose spun away from him. “Died? He was MURDERED! And you, the man he trusted most of all, not only betrayed me – you joined forces with his killers! RDK’s own anger flared. “What did you think would happen? We were foolish, we thought we were untouchable, we had every base covered. But you’re a jabroni if you think like that, and now you’re doing the same thing again! Rose fixed RDK with a hard stare. “Justify all you want…..in a few moments, you will pay for your disloyalty….you will all pay.”<br>Rose turned back to the pulsating archway and raised her arms. The other people in the room, forgetting their other conflicts, moved forward. RDK turned to Kross. “Can she actually do what I think she’s trying to do?” Kross looked at the portal and shuddered. “Yes…yes, I misunderstood, like we all did. I think if her will is strong enough, she can.”<br>“Sir, I’m totally lost,” said Jack Fury. Kross nodded in acknowledgement and quietly began to speak. “This temple was created by an ancient civilisation. There was one like it on Klendathu, but the bugs destroyed it…..perhaps they thought it a threat to them, and they might have been right. It bends time and space, creating an energy bean that can slice through the very fabric of the universe as we know it. Do you know what a Black Hole is?”<br>“Yeah,” said Predator, “It’s a collapsed star…it sucks in matter and light.”<br>“Correct. A Black Hole draws matter out of the known universe…..theoretically, a White Hole returns it from wherever it is that it goes. Whoever built this temple found a way to harness the creative power of a white hole – the matter it spews has no form, no purpose. But it bears all the properties needed for life – the sphere, that dull – looking little object, directs the user’s thoughts to the matter stream and collates the raw material into anything that you wish for……”<br>“And that could include a person, could it? said Surion, his face draining of colour as he understood the purpose of Rose’s long and lonely quest. Kross simply nodded. As one, they turned to the portal which was now flashing with light of all colours…. Rose’s concentration was total; little bolts of energy sprang from the rippling curtain, and suddenly a huge bolt burst forth and struck her. Rose screamed and fell to the ground; she lay still, but as her eyes opened again she saw a great figure towering over her. Rose’s head leapt into her mouth, and a single tear ran down her face as the man extended a hand and lifted her to her feet. Rose was too awestruck to speak, and simply sighed with joy as he ran a hand across her cheek. “Am I all that you wished for, Alexandra?”<br>Rose took his hand in hers. “And more, Lord Ridley, and more…..”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 17:10:01 GMT -5
“That isn’t your love, chula. I’m sorry.”<br>Nobody had noticed Latino entering the temple; with his team following, he walked up to the barrier. His attention wavered for a moment when he saw Alicia, but that would have to be dealt with later, if there was a later. “I’m going to tell you a sad story. Once upon a time, there was a celebrated military commander…. he was brave and successful, but the most important thing in his life was his daughter. But while he was away on a tour of duty, his daughter became ill….he raced across galaxies to reach her, but she died only a few hours after he made it home. Distraught, the man turned to his closest friend, a brilliant computer engineer….. the friend was working on an entirely new kind of operating system for a computer, one that would speak, look like and even think like a real person. In an effort to ease his grief, the friend made his computer a replica of the man’s daughter, and for a time the man was able to go on with his life. The computer was installed into a prototype ship, and sent for testing away from all inhabited areas…<br>That’s when the man started having dreams… dreams of his daughter, telling him to come to this planet. Almost driven mad by his visions, the man tried to land his ship here – but a space storm damaged the ship and it crashed on one of the other three planets that lie close to this one. Shortly before the impact, the man commandeered an escape pod, and managed to reach the planet surface…… Drawn onward by his dreams, he found his way to this temple. It was much as it is now…except that it still had its original stone sphere in place. The man activated the portal, and his joy was equal to yours as his daughter returned to him…… but too late, he discovered that he was the victim of a cruel trick – the thing that came to him was not his daughter, but something so terrible that even as he lay dying he could not find the words to describe it-“<br>Rose could tolerate the stranger’s tongue no longer. “Silence! Whoever you are, whoever has sent you, your absurd plan will not work on me! I will not be turned as Wolfsbane was turned…..your little tale is pathetic!”<br>Listening in on Latino’s communicator, Yoko wanted to scream; she was suffering considerable trauma, which wasn’t surprising since she had uncovered the awful truth of her existence. For she wasn’t just a physical recreation of the girl known as Yoko …. she WAS Yoko. Her father’s friend had been more brilliant than anyone had ever realised; he had managed to retrieve Yoko’s own memories from her brain before the body was disposed of, and they had been stored on the disc that Latino had found in the crashed pod. Yoko shook with renewed grief as she remembered her shock when she’d first become conscious in her holographic form…..it had been hard enough then, and now she was having to deal with that revelation all over again. And now she knew what had happened; her father had removed her memories from the computer, not wanting anyone else to find out what he’d done; and anyway, he’d thought he would be getting his daughter back, in the flesh, but instead…..Yoko wept, grieving for her father’s demise, and only half heard the rest of the conversation in the temple. Latino was not surprised by Rose’s outburst. Once he and the crew had finished watching the video log on the data disc, they’d monitored the transmissions between the battling ships above and a scan of Yoko’s history data banks had given them a good idea of why the battle was occurring; they hadn’t survived this long on the wrong side of the law without understanding the power struggles that governed the sectors they operated in. The natural response would have been to make a fast getaway, but both Latino and Yoko had argued that they had to try and help; Latino wasn’t about to ignore his instincts again. The rest of the group, even Daredevil, were nothing if not loyal, and though they knew they were going into a desperately dangerous situation they were prepared to follow their leader and help if they could. “Rose, you are in very great danger. Look at the shards of the sphere on the floor….. the commander broke it in his struggle to shut the portal down. We won’t leave you here alone, if we work together-“<br>A sharp, mocking laugh blotted out Latino’s words. Ridley smiled and revealed sharpened, vampire like teeth. “This amuses me…..you pitiful creatures expect to be able to close this gateway? We were tricked like that once before – we will not allow it again.”<br>With a movement so fast it appeared blurred, Ridley scooped up the sphere and cast it into the portal. Rose’s expression was one of confusion. “My…..my lord?”<br>Kross was already scanning his target for points where his Shaolin spade would have most effect. Rose took a step backwards, but Ridley advanced on her, grasped her around the neck and lifted her off the floor. The others drew their weapons, but Rose’s barrier was still in operation; Rose, however, retained clarity of thought and pulled out the controller, crushing it in her hand. The barrier wavered, and then fell. A wave of fire swept toward the fake Ridley; but the doppelganger sprang aside with an agility beyond that of a true human. Ridley smiled again. “How thoughtful of you to remove that forcefield…… as thanks I will make your death less painful than I had intended.” Ridley held out his free hand, and a stream of matter coursed from the portal, forming itself into a narrow, curved dagger; he laughed, and raised it before pausing. “Oh, I’m sorry…I’m neglecting the rest of you. Perhaps you’d care to meet more of our number….” “I have a very bad feeling about this,” whispered Daredevil to no one in particular. “You’re not wrong,” replied Predator, and he tried to ignore his thumping heart as the portal pulsed once more – The chamber was suddenly darkened as a horde of shadowy, indistinct creatures poured into it; Ridley watched them and smiled again. “We are all the things, the ideas, the nightmares that have never been given the chance to exist…… we have waited endlessly for our chance to break through the barriers and take possession of this plane of existence. We tried before, in times that are long forgotten; we wanted only to take form, to be, to feel…. to live. But the beings already here were afraid, they taught us only of pair and sadness before shutting us out from the universe as you know it. So we will destroy all other life…. only then can we be free to make this place our own at last!”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 17:14:56 GMT -5
The shadows swarmed; their forms fluctuated, and the humans gathered there were surrounded. It seemed that no one knew what could be done, but then Kross stepped forward, suddenly taken with a bizarre but possibly brilliant idea. “These things may be from a place we can’t fathom, but they’re in our universe now – so they’re playing by our rules. And rule number one is, if it lives, then it can die too!”<br>Kross prayed that his assertion was correct, and swung the Shaolin spade, daring to believe in its power. A flare of light came from the blade as it struck; the shadow howled, and then dissipated. “That settles it – last one to kill a bad guy buys the beer!” yelled Latino, and the room erupted into an all – out battle. But more and more creatures were coming, and in the chaos there was no one to help Rose; the false Ridley looked about him, and smiled. “I think we both know what the result will be, don’t you? Our legions are infinite. No point hanging around for the end……”<br>“Touch one hair on her head, and I’ll make you give yourself a fucking blowjob on your severed cock before I’m done, you cunt.”<br>Rose did not dare allow herself to believe what she’d just heard, but the profane yet appropriate threat drew the attention of all the other humans in the room, and they stared as even the void creatures seemed to be confused by what they were seeing. The new arrival was drawn and pale; his clothes were worn and threadbare in places, and to gaze into his eyes was to look upon the very dark of the void. But intermixed with this was that essential spark of life and will to exist, and the almost obsessive passion for the woman before him that had kept Ridley alive during his exile to a place that no other living creature had journeyed to and returned from. The fake Ridley glared, and looked both annoyed and surprised. “How is this possible? You are one of these pitiful creatures, yet you have come from our world. That is impossible!”<br>Ridley gave a sardonic smile. “I specialise in the impossible. Not that any of this was my idea, of course…… I was channelling dark energy to empower our forces during the engagement at Sirius, and got distracted when some prick set off a load of explosions in our asteroid base. Next thing I know, I’ve been thrown through a rift in the fabric of the universe by the blast…….” He shrugged; his expression suggested that his mind had been put under considerable strain by being imprisoned for so long. “But screw that – no one tries to harm Alexandra.” Ridley grinned, and from behind his back he produced a long, glowing sword charged with a shadowy force. “Bad news for you is that my saber has absorbed plenty of the energy from your dimension – I think I’ll give it a test.”<br>The fake Ridley laughed; he pointed his dagger at Ridley, and it morphed into a ludicrously long blade. “Such bravado…… I am not impressed by your boasts. If you desire a battle, I will gladly give you one!”<br>The “twins” began to move closer as the fake Ridley dropped Rose; Rose pulled her gun, but the real Ridley shook his head. “This dickhead is mine…. make sure none of his friends try to interfere.” The pair charged and swung, each narrowly missing the other; Ridley skidded to a halt, gave Rose a fleeting kiss, and then with a demented laugh plunged forward again to meet his shady double.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 17:16:13 GMT -5
”Hang on a sec, it’s here somewhere.” AK was digging about in her backpack; she rooted around until she found what she was searching for – her “Prophet of the Last Eclipse” CD. “Can’t have a climactic battle without some music courtesy of Mr Turilli, can we?” She passed the disc to Amo, who popped it into the CD player, and its futuristic, symphonic metal tones filled the room. “Nice. So, it’s all kicking off on the planet, and….”<br> The battle in the chamber raged fiercely; Kross and Blade formed a stunning partnership, piling up the corpses of the creatures all around them. Inspired, the rest of the human group used their blaster weapons to mow down the ranks of monsters, but the fake Ridley’s assertion looked to be correct; the numbers just kept increasing, and fatigue was starting to set in. Sheltering behind a pillar, Latino drew a deep breath; someone thumped against the stone next to him, and he jumped a little as he came face to face with Alicia, who did the same. Each looked at the other, not quite knowing what to say, until Latino plucked up the courage to speak. “Uh…hi. Fancy meeting you here.” Alicia fired off a few shots and then ducked back behind the pillar. “Um, yes, hi. So……how are you keeping?” Latino threw a grenade from his belt out into a group of creatures, and there was a loud explosion. “Not so bad. You know, the usual.” The expression was so appallingly inappropriate that they both laughed before pumping out a few more rounds to keep the hordes at bay. Latino realised that if he didn’t say what he wanted to say now, he might never get another chance. “Uh, Alicia…… look, I know we didn’t part in the best of circumstances…..”<br>Alicia looked at him and Latino started again. “Ok, so I just left without saying goodbye…that was a mistake. We don’t have time to go through that now, but I just wanted to tell you…..I still care about you a lot.”<br>Alicia didn’t say anything for a moment; then she reached into an inside pocket and handed him a little scrap of paper. Latino opened it and read it aloud. “My darling….your eyes are limpid pools of loveliness…..your hair is like spun silk…..plus those tight tops you wear make me really horny”. Alicia smiled. “That was the love letter you sent me in the Space Corps Mail…… it got mixed up with Admiral Benton’s state of the nation address to High Command, and he read it out to a global audience of several million. I almost got discharged on the spot.”<br>Latino furrowed his brow. “So why have you still got it?”<br>Alicia took it back from him, pausing only to vaporise a shrieking monster as it lunged at them both. “It reminds me that I’m more than just the uniform….. and for what it’s worth, I think about you every time I put my hand to my chest.” Latino thought for a moment. “You do that when making the full Space Corps salute….. a commander probably does that every day.”<br>Their eyes met again, and for a second the battle, the years that had passed, melted away. Then reality intruded, and the pair had to jump aside as their cover was literally blown by a powerful stray laser blast. “Hardcore, watch what you’re doing soldier!” yelled Surion. “I’m sorry sir, just trying to kill some beasts sir!” bellowed Jay; he pulled out a couple of stick grenades, and looked at them. “Sir! Permission to sacrifice myself in a spectacular but ultimately pointless gesture, sir?”<br>“Denied!” shouted Surion. “If we can’t think up a way to shut this portal you’ll meet your grizzly demise soon enough…” Behind the fallen pillar, Alicia and Latino heard and had to agree; their ammunition would soon be worn down, and once they’d fallen there would be nothing left to stop the creatures pouring out into the rest of the planet, and from there, what was to stop them eventually spreading to the inhabited systems? Alicia pulled out her transceiver. “AK to Great Fox, come in Great Fox.”<br>There was a delay before V3 answered. “Receiving…..we’re in big trouble up here. Everything’s getting pummelled by debris coming from that anomaly……”<br>Almost as soon as the White Hole had opened, all the remaining ships had been bombarded by a storm of rocks and space trash, some of it very sizable indeed. The fighters had returned to the nearest friendly ship, and now everyone was desperately trying to maintain their shields against the barrage; survival overrode any thoughts of fighting each other. Ginger took the mic from V3; he and Anger had taken refuge on the Great Fox to escape the storm. “Ginger here. What’s the situation?”<br>“Very bad, sir. An invasion is begun – we have no chance of stopping it from here. “Latino joined the conversation; “General, your only option is to invoke Space Corps Directive 88372/b.”<br>There was a pause. “I’m not sure I follow your logic…. for that we’d need 2 live chickens and a Rabbi.” Alicia sighed. “Try 88372/c, sir.”<br>Another pause. “Are you certain that there is no other possible solution?”<br>“I’m afraid so, sir.”<br>There was a loud screeching noise over the radio. “Sorry sir, I’ll have to go.”<br>Nothing but static remained. Ginger took off his peaked hat and stared at the floor, before flicking the radio over to another channel. “Starventure, do you copy?”<br>“Aye sir.”<br>“Prepare for a 88372/c – code Apocalypse.”<br>
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