posted
“At last,” said Lolita as she saw now in the near distance the secluded building on Weber’s World in the non-descript Zoning District. Within the building would be an even more secluded corridor leading to the secret meeting room of the LMBers. “I hope we’re the last to arrive,” she added, “after so many delays.”
Cobalt Kid landed, setting Lolita down from his arms, also eager to begin. He felt confident now he had not only the full backing on Weber’s World to sanction what was about to happen, but the proper military follow-up to make sure whatever was gained was not subsequently lost. He and Lolita walked side by side and even though there was no real need to rush, the anxiety of the moment had them moving at a very brisk pace. It was because of this that Cobalt’s sudden stop caught Lolita completely by surprise.
She turned back to Cobalt and witnessed his face slowly change from being stoic and all business to a small smile that widened into a large grin. She turned her head back and immediately saw why. “Oh,” she said, as before them was the LMBer who had come to greet them: The Royal Princess of Psyonia, Crujectra, known as the famous Spellbinder of the LMB. Once more Lolita turned to look at Cobalt’s reaction and suddenly realized why neither said something—they were communicating telepathically.
Crujectra was the true love of Cobalt Kid’s life and their love affair was infamous among the multiple universes. After years of building a strong love, the two had grown closer to one another than either had ever experienced before; yet the two had not actually seen one another in almost two entire years. Crujectra’s charitable causes had kept her from Legion World, as she traveled around the poor planets recently liberated and oversaw the social and economic assistance provided by the UP. Cobalt insisted to his friends that the relationship was as strong as ever but most of them, and the populace of Legion World in general, had begun to doubt it.
“Lolita,” said Cobalt, “I’ll meet you in there.” For an instant he felt guilty, since over a year earlier he broke Lolita’s heart by rejecting her for Crujectra. The two had recently rekindled their years long friendship and Lolita was now in a budding romance with Shark Lad, but the feelings may still be raw. Still, he was too distracted by the majesty before him.
«I’d almost forgotten,» he said telepathically to her, «just how beautiful you truly are. Almost.»
«Two years is a long time, » she replied, «I’m glad to see you haven’t forgotten me at all.» She was also smiling now as they walked towards each other. She looked magnificent, the epitome of regal authority combined with a stunning, breath-taking beauty. Both she and Cobalt were renowned for keeping their composure but neither maintained it now in this private moment.
«I never will», he said and suddenly she was in his arms and he was kissing her deeply. Neither had doubted their love for one another throughout all of the time apart but even that strength of belief cannot defeat the loneliness that sets in. All at once the loneliness was gone.
At last the kiss ended though they did not release one another. She looked into his eyes, “dark times are ahead for you,” she said out loud now, concerned. By not utilizing the telepathic link they shared—a bound some Psynonians believed was stronger than marriage—it underscored the seriousness of her words. “You better know what you’re doing, Cobie.”
“You know I do,” he said inhaling the smell of her hair and kissing her again on the cheek.
“It doesn’t make it any less dangerous,” she replied, “or controversial. You’re intending to bring down an entire political system…something that has only been accomplished a miniscule number of times in history.”
“Never let it be said I don’t think on a grandiose scale,” he joked. She smiled but jokingly hit him in the arm. They broke apart and now began to walk in to where the other LMBers were gathering. “I won’t be here long but you’ll be able to stay to see us off?” he asked, making sure it was the case.
“I wouldn’t miss a second to spend with you,” she replied, “and Kent, Darden and I will make sure you have everything you need.” As they walked they slowed down and she made sure to add her next thought telepathically: «I worry about this group assembling. Assassins, unknowns, and people with temper problems. The Barbarian. And Lard Lad…who from what I’ve heard is more unstable than ever. And then there is the murderess, whom I can’t believe is an accomplice in this.»
«You don’t know everyone yet—I have some surprises», he replied, «but you’ll have to trust me in that I trust them. I think they’re the right group for the job. All except Kalla Hrykos, of course…and I’ll be keeping an eye on her in my own way.»
She smiled now, deciding not to continue the conversation much farther as they were getting closer to the rest of the LMB now. “For someone with so much trust issues, Cobie-cakes, you have a tendency to hand out second chances a bit too easily. I worry, and will continue to worry throughout.” She held his hand now as they walked in. “As for your vague, overly dramatic references, you know I find that habit a little annoying so I won’t dignify it with a response”.
Cobalt smiled back but his face then grew slightly serious. “Having this chance to see you again before we go off…it’s what I needed.”
She looked deep into his eyes. “I know.”
The two walked into the room, to see gathered LMBers and soon the meeting would officially begin.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Rockhopper Lad sat waiting for this meeting to begin. His mind recalled a couple days earlier, as he was trying to sneak out of the Rookery. He got about as far as the front hall when he heard a voice "And just where do you think you're going?" It was Time-Teller Lad, standing there with Hyvvie the Wonder Beagle.
"Tim! Hyvvie! I--that is---"
"Did you really think we would let you go away on this mission without us?"
"How do you even know about it?" Rocky asked.
"Hyvvie's main power might be his Nose of Wonder, but he does have pretty good ears, too!"
"This is a dangerous mission, fellas! Very dangerous!"
"We know," Tim nodded. Hyvvie wagged his tail and nodded.
He was glad of their assistance, knowing that his evil double, known as Evil Emperor Pyngwyn was involved. He always wondered: What was it that was different in the life of the Eudyptes of that other world that made him into the monster that he was? How could he possibly be the same individual, albeit from a parallel universe? There were no differences that Rocky could fathom in their parents or upbringing. Somehow this other version of him had become a tyrant the like of which no one had ever seen. And his embracing of magic? Was that what drove him to insanity? The Evil Emperor Pyngwyn was what they called him, though he knew the his double did not like that name. And, of course, where the other Eudyptes was, there would be the Blaine Fey who was born in Rocky's own universe. The other dimensional-double of Rocky's first true love, Openly Gay Lad of Earth-4. Again, what was it that made this one so different? He could ask those questions all he wanted, but it didn't change the simple facts. They were dangerous!
And Adelie? What about Rockhopper Lass? There seemed much less difference between the Adelie of that other world and Rocky's own sister. Still Rockhopper Lass had been gone for so long now, Rocky sometimes thought he dreamed her up. She was in this somehow. He knew it. There was so much going on! Rocky shook his head as his reverie broke and he looked at his two closest friends, one human and one canine, on each side. Whatever he was going to face, Time-Teller Lad and Hyvvie the Wonder Beagle would face it with him.
-------------------- The only character in all of literature who has been described as "badnass" while using the phrase "vile miscreant."
From: The Pyngwyn Colonies of Planet Hyustyn | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Kalla Hrykos was in her and Timber Wolf's quarters by herself. Lon had gone ahead to be at the meeting place early. She told him she needed to meditate a while to gain her focus for the task ahead.
She lied.
It was something she was loathe to do to him, but in this case she felt it was necessary. For the first time since going under deep cover, Kalla was contacting her two closest allies in Hrykosia and the Dominion.
It had been too risky to try on Legion World with so many eyes on her and no secure Oval communications hub located there for her to use. But here on Weber's World, Hrykosian spies had a secure hub built in during the time when Hrykosia had invaded Legion World and part of the U.P. Hrykosian ambassadors had been invited to Weber's World for peace talks, and their entourage consisted of tech experts who secretly put in the most advanced, nearly impossible to detect communications programs known to modern technology.
It was still in place and still secure, Kalla discovered, and within moments she was in contact with Phe'Be Kyeatz and Juj Rinold.
Phe'Be was the mage whose image Kalla bore when diguised as "Hot Chick". She wove the complex spell that effectively turned Kalla into a sleeper agent in her mission to find Lard Lad and ensure that Lardy followed through in their plans to take down the other Oval powers. In turn Phe'Be played the part of Kalla, so none of the other Oval Elite would know Kalla was missing.
Juj was a Durlan friend whom Kalla had met during her days as an illegitimate outcast from the Hrykos Clan. Together with other likeminded individuals, Kalla and Juj had fought against the institutionalized racism and classism of Hrykosia. After Kalla had claimed her birthright as leader of Hrykosia, Kalla had dissolved those institutions and made Hrykosia an integrated, equal-opportunity society.
After Lard Lad worked with Kalla over three years ago and assassinated the Dominion's High Caste Leader, Juj took the Dominion leader's place, using his Durlan shape-shifting abilities. Kalla had effective control of two-fifths of the powers that comprise the Dark Oval with that move. This would give the Fellowship a better strategic advantage than they would otherwise have, but the remaining three powers were still the most formidable in the Oval's makeup.
Kalla put all of that aside for a moment and just enjoyed for a moment the sight of her two closest friends and allies on her viewscreen.
"You two are a sight for sore eyes!" Kalla said.
"And you as well, my liege," Phe'Be replied.
"Sprock, Kalla! We were worried sick about you!" Juj exclaimed.
"Yes, I'm sorry", Kalla allowed. "It was a difficult mission, though. We all knew that. But I can report that the mission was a success! Lard Lad is helping us...and bringing many of his friends. We will be going far beyond what Lardy and I had initially planned."
"What do you mean?" Phe'Be asked. "The plan was for Lard Lad to kill and replace Wyandotte, giving us a three-fifths advantage."
"Yes, it was," Kalla nodded, "but we have Cobalt Kid aboard, now, so the goal is much more...ambitious."
"Cobaltus?!? He was the one who launched a full-on war campaign against the Oval after the Invasion! His lust for battle and military strategy is legendary! You cannot trust him!" Juj yelled in exasperation.
Kalla smiled. "You're right...I can't. But I have some checks and balances in place with him. For one thing, there's Lard Lad. Lardy hates me but wants to honor our agreement, especially as he knows Hrykosia is in a much better place under my rule."
"The other is my new lover..."
"Lover?" Phe'Be inquired with great curiosity.
"Yes. I've taken a new lover, who happens to be coming along and who has Cobaltus' ear. We are in love, and he will not allow me to be used or betrayed even by his closest ally."
Juj smiled. "Sounds like you chose wisely when you took on a new lover."
Kalla frowned at him. "Juj, you know me better than that! You knew me when I was with Huldnaf! I do not give my heart lightly or for nefarious gain! Our falling for each other was an accident. That it turned out so well for me strategically made it a particularly happy accident, but one nonetheless. In any case he will protect me and my interests with great ferocity. Cobaltus would be ill-advised to cross him."
"My apologies, Kalla," Juj conceded. "I am very happy that you have found love again. I was afraid you never would after Huldnaf was murdered on your brother's orders."
"I thought I never would, either. But here I am! In any case I leave nothing to chance. I will be securing additional assurances from Cobaltus, solid ones that would make it very difficult for him to renege."
"What about the Omega Sanction, my liege?" Phe'Be asked ominously.
"That, dear friends, is one of the primary reasons for my contacting you," Kalla grinned. "Are the plans proceeding accordingly, Juj?"
"Yes, Kalla. Everything is on schedule. My Durlan espionage squad is entrenched among the Earth-4 rebels...the Losers, they call themselves. Their latest reports is that the Omega Sanction is perhaps two weeks from being made a reality, right under the Losers' noses."
"Excellent, Juj! The Omega Sanction will be my ultimate trump card in this affair. Should Cobaltus step out of line, I will have it to threaten him with. Should our campaign somehow go badly, it will improve the odds drastically."
"But you will still use it even if those other two scenarios don't require it?" Phe'Be prompted.
"Oh, yes," Kalla smiled, "I don't believe in keeping my toys mint in their boxes!"
The two sentients on the screen laughed.
"I have a meeting to get to, my friends," Kalla said as the two stopped. "Stay strong! We will reunite very soon...and our enemies will rue the day! I will be in contact. Kalla out."
Kalla turned off the viewscreen and contemplated what lay ahead. She basked in her expectations for a long moment, then used Phe'Be's spell to change her appearance to mirror Phe'Be's own.
"Very soon," she said, "the need for disguises will be over."
She exited the quarters, and before very long she arrived at the meeting place minutes before it was about to begin. She sat beside Lon, gave him a kiss on the cheek and held his hand.
Lon couldn't help but wonder why Kalla looked for all the worlds like the cat who just ate the canary.
[ April 12, 2011, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: Hot Chick ]
Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
The trip to Daroon was uneventful for them. Dev Em and Loser Lad took the time to catch up, as they had not seen each other in quite a while. Helen and the kids got a good rest, but only after the kids were told several tales of their father and the LMBP.
Kar was at the controls of the ship and had just gotten clearance to land within the castle walls. The castle was under the watchful eye of King Graftun's elite guard, which had amongst them multiple Daxamite visitors. There was nobody getting into or out of the castle walls without them knowing.
Dev Em tensed as the ramp extended. he had not been back here since his initial visit. Through no fault of his own, one thing after another had kept him from visiting, and it stung him that with everything considered...this was for the best of the children.
He was the first down the ramp, and Princess Alyson was there waiting with Han and jon. They ran towards him and he got down on one knee and embraced them as tight as he dared.
Princess Alyson looked at the scene with a tear forming in her right eye. She hated herself for what they had done, but understood that there was no hope for a relationship with Dev again.
Kar Em and Loser Lad came down the ramp next. Han and Jon ran and gave their grandfather a hug and Jon smiled at Loser lad and said. "Eye Ooser!"
Loser Lad laughed and said hello back. He hadn't seen Jon in over a year, and was surprised he remembered him. He glances at Dev, and Dev mouthed "photographic memory."
Han Em smiled at Loser and said nothing. Hanging her head a little in that shy way girls do.
Helen, Helena and Hugh emerged from the ship and they looked around..
Dev walked to them and escorted them down the ramp. "Everyone, this is Helen, Helena and Hugh. He looked to them and then introduced the King, Queen and Princess Alyson.
Han and Jon looked at the two other children with big smiles on their faces.
Dev bent down again on one knee. He looked at Helena and Hugh, "Those two over there are my kids."
He motioned for Han and Jon to come over, "Han this is Helena, she's 6. Helena, Han is 10 years old."
Han took her hand and said, "I'll show you where you're going to stay." they started to run off, when Helena looked back at her mom. Helen nodded and smiled.
"Hugh, this is Jon...he's three. Jon this is Hugh, he's four."
The two boys stood there smiling and just staring at each other. Helen walked over to Hugh, "Why don't you two run along and play a little." Hugh nodded and the boys ran off.
Helen walked over to Dev and gave him a hug. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart Dev," she said as she wiped a tear away.
Dev looked at her, "thank them," he said as he tilted his head towards the King and his family. "They're the ones opening up their home to you.
King Graftun took the opportunity to walk over and greet Helen. "I hope you find everything to your liking. If there is anything any of my people can do for you, do not hesitate to ask."
He escorted Helen, Dev Em, Loser Lad, the Queen and Princess Alyson into the Castle. Once inside, they could hear the children running around and laughing.
"We have set you up to have your own room, with adjoining rooms for the children. The accomodations can be changed to however you like though. Dev and Kar have explained to me the situation, and my entire ?Kingdom is here to protect you my dear."
Helen tried to saya something, but Helena came running up to her and dragged her off to see the bedroom that they had set up for them.
King Graftun looked at Dev, "I believe we have something to discuss."
Dev looked at Loser Lad, "this is going to take a little bit. If you want, you can stick around. Dinner will be soon, and you're more than welcome to stay for that, and as long as you'd like."
Loser looked from Dev to the rest of the Royal Family. The King nodded his agreement with what Dev Em had said.
"Okay then, I'll stick around for a little while," Loser Lad said.
The Queen smiled and motioned for several attendants to scome over, "Prepare another room and see that Mr. Loser Lad here has anything he should need."
King Graftun and Dev Em retired into the King's study.
Loser Lad went to see where he would be staying.
Helen was being shown around by four excited children.
The Queen looked at her daughter and smiled, "I'm sorry that we ever got you into this whole mess darling." With that, they moved to another part of the castle to find Helen and the children.
[ April 12, 2011, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: Dev Em ]
From: Turn around... | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
Lolita sat in her chair, watching as the rest of the LMBers entered one by one. She filled the glass in front of her with water from one of the many jugs around the room. She made sure to fill Shark Lad’s water as well, to the top, and he grunted a note of thanks. She smiled at the grunt, thankful to be sitting next to him. She took careful note of the LMBers as they entered one by one, from Cobalt Kid and Spellbinder entering arm and arm (which didn’t exactly fill her with happiness) to Lard Lad and Tempest entering overly casual as if there wasn’t anything awkward about their entering together. When the woman known as “Hot Chick”, who was not an LMBer but actually a disguise worn by one of their former enemies Kalla Hrykos, entered, she was the only one of them who did not turn to watch her walk to her seat next to Timberwolf; instead, she made sure to mentally record the reactions of everyone who watched.
“Lardy,” said Cobalt Kid some distance away to Lard Lad who had just entered, “I think everyone is hear so we can begin when you’re ready.” Lolita saw how Lard Lad was able to force his self-doubt from his mind and muster his determination to lead this meeting; she watched as Cobalt Kid grew ever more confident in his plans for the Dark Oval, which meant it would be increasingly more difficult to change his mind should the need come.
She watched every one of them, because that was what she does. She analyzes data, she detects patterns and she makes assumptions on what it all means and what is going to happen next. It was not just that she was highly intelligent, it was the type of intelligence she had.
“Fellow LMBers,” said Lard Lad, directing their attention to the front, “we’ll call this meeting to order. Though what is about to be spoken is highly classified and cannot be made public to even our fellow Legionnaires, Time Teller Lad will be taking the minutes.” With that last sentence, Lolita noticed Lard Lad almost seemed to be taking a deep breath, realizing what was to come would be recorded. Lard Lad now nodded to Cobalt Kid.
Cobalt spoke, as Lolita knew that while Lard Lad was running this meeting, Cobalt would be helping keep it organized. ‘Just like back when we were Leader & Deputy’ Cobalt had said to her on the way over, referring to their infamous friendship from the founding of the LMB to the present. There were some Legionnaires who felt that when Lardy and Cobie were at odds, the LMB was at great risk; a smaller more skeptical number felt exactly the opposite. “Most of you know why we’re here though you likely don’t know the whole story. And for that reason, its proper that before we undertake this extremely dangerous mission, everyone understand exactly how events led us to this and what we are setting out to accomplish.”
Lolita looked around the room and she noticed almost all of them were sitting strait up; there was a tension building throughout the room. The room they were in was a very plane, Spartan-like conference room with tables and seats along the walls so it opened up into a giant upside down “U”. At the front stood Lard Lad with Cobalt Kid to his side. The walls were a metallic yellow, creating a bright, informal atmosphere. On the tables were jugs of water and water glasses but beyond that there was nothing. In the room to the side there was storage facility full of supplies gathered by the Gil’disphan Ambassador Hranzer, but beyond the doorway to that room, there wasn’t much else to look at. Only Time Teller Lad had any recording devices handy to take the minutes.
“For the record, let’s go around the room, officially introducing who is present,” said Cobalt now, further covering the bases to get the meeting official so Lard Lad could get to the heart of the matter.
Tim looked up from his recordings, realizing the onus was now on him as the LMBer closest to the front on the immediate left of the two at the front of the room. “Time Teller Lad present!” he said, and in the back of the room, Lolita knew Rockhopper Lad was smiling. Time-Teller Lad was a longtime colleague of the House of Rockhopper in addition to being an LMBer and every single person in the room knew that he was a good-hearted and loyal person they could count on. His powerset was not the most effective in battle, but Lolita sighed a breath of relief knowing he was present because his true-hearted nature. Additionally, she knew he was a savy detective which could come in handy.
“The mighty Hrun is here!” roared Hrun the Barbarian, next to Time-Teller Lad, almost jumping out of his seat. “And I’ve been promised battle and a chance for glory but all I’ve gotten so far is a long trip at space and now a meeting that grows more and more boring! Let us proceed good warriors and destroy the Dark Oval!” At that, Hrun sat back down pleased with himself, and drank from a leather cask full of mead which he obviously brought with him. Most of the LMB were surprised by the outburst while Cobalt Kid laughed quietly in the corner of the room. Hrun the Barbarian was the Chieftan of a tribe of barbarian warriors who many years earlier had migrated to Legion World from the Barbarian Hordes; he was voracious, loud and destructive but while those were certainly true aspects of his nature, Lolita knew from Cobalt that Hrun was a great leader, a cunning thinker and the perfect ally to have for a war. Years earlier, Hrun and Cobalt worked side by side to battle numerous armies when Cobalt Kid was a Triumvir of Legion World, and Hrun also led his own barbarians into the Dark Oval during the last war so he was familiar with the territory. If war was coming, Hrun was good to have.
“Helena Handbasket,” said the strong looking soldier next to Hrun without anything further to add, a distinct difference between she and Hrun. Helena was only one of two of them that was not an LMBer here, though she had been an ally of the LMB for several years now. Of them all, she was the one with the truest military background; even more important was that background was in the Dark Oval itself—she was once a Dark Oval commanding officer who changed sides during the Invasion of Legion World, realizing she was fighting on the wrong side. What the others did not know was Helena had intel specific to this very mission; Lolita was the only one who was aware of Helena’s “covenant” with other LMB allies years earlier which might just turn the tide.
Lolita noticed next to Helena was a potted plant. For some reason, she hadn’t noticed it before but now it stood out like a sore thumb. Very odd, she thought, and made a note to ask Cobalt about it.
After the plant sat a woman beautiful flowing hair, a stunning gown and upright poise showing she was paying attention to every detail before her as well. “Tempest,” she said calmly as every eye in the room was on her. Since her return to Legion World some months earlier, Tempest had been at the center of multiple storms: she was not only in the middle of a love triangle between Lard Lad and Dev Em, but she revealed that a year earlier she had wiped everyone’s memories of her true nature, which was even more surprising (and to some, alarming). The truth was that several LMB members, allies and enemies over the years had turned out to have been dreams she was experiencing while in a cocoon state. This included, among other things, both the second wife of Cobalt Kid, and even more, an incredibly powerful mage who almost single-handedly destroyed Legion World. Having her along would be crucial during the final stages of the quest because her expertise in magic was unmatched by almost no one. Yet, both the tension between herself and Lard Lad, as well as the distrust many felt towards her for her deception, would further enhance the already simmering tension.
Beyond the mistress of winds, the tables along the left side now ended and the tables in the back of the room began. “Kent Shakespeare,” said the prominent LMBer who was next, “representing both the LMB and Bureau of External Affairs”. Kent was a well-known and well-respected LMBer but his presence here, like Spellbinder’s was notable because he was not going on the mission to come. They were here for a multitude of reasons: first, to help oversee the usage of Weber’s World as a launch point for the operation; and second, to sit-in on this meeting and have their concerns addressed since neither was totally on board with the mission nor understood the full extent of the events that brought them here. Kent had a third reason for being at the meeting: in addition to being an LMBer, Kent was a longtime member of the Bureau of External Affairs, a mysterious, secret organization that spanned throughout (and some wagered, beyond) the United Planets. They were directly involved in intergalactic affairs and this certainly fell within that range. Kent’s presence in that regard underscored how seriously he was taking this.
“Prince Eudyptes Chrysochome of the House of Rockhopper” said the regal man who sat in the middle at the back of the room, “or Rockhopper Lad of the LMB,” he added with a smile. Rockhopper Lad’s presence had helped legitimize the entire operation in the minds of Kent, Crujectra and other LMBers; he was essential to the mission for many more reasons beyond that. Among the grave threats within the Dark Oval, one of the worst was the Evil Emperor Pyngwyn, who was the Rockhopper Lad of Earth-4. If the implications were not obvious enough, to further complicate matters, the Rockhopper Lass of Earth-4, whom Rockhopper Lad considered a sister, was also trapped behind enemies lines; this last bit of information was unknown to most of the rest of the LMB but Helena would make it known soon. Lolita noticed how easy-going and welcoming Rockhopper Lad seemed to be in his posture. It made her wonder if during this mission, his history with Lard Lad, from being in love to breaking his heart, would come into play at all?
By Rockhopper Lad’s feet was Hywie the Wonder Beagle, the loyal companion of Rockhopper Lad who had proven himself several times over on Legion World. Though he had shown the ability to talk previously, he did not say anything here, perhaps showing his wisdom more so by not speaking.
“Princess Crujectra of Psyonia,” said the other regal presence in the room who sat next to the Prince, “Spellbinder of the LMBP.” Spellbinder’s presence in the room added an air of seriousness to the proceedings as she was impossible to read: as a lifelong telepath, she had learned how to completely masque her emotions to anyone other than a telepath. Lolita wished that she somehow planned where she sat much better, not considering both Royals would take the seats in the at the head of the table, which meant she ended up sitting next to the Princess. She wondered if the Princess was aware that two years ago, after many years prior being Cobalt Kid’s partner and friend, Lolita had professed her love for him? Or that when it Cobalt admitted he felt the same, he could not be with her and it effectively ended their friendship until recently?
She realized that while stuck in her own thoughts, the eyes of the room now turned to her. “Oracle present,” she said as firmly as she could but it still came out very quiet. She used her new LMB codename rather than simply ‘Lolita’ which she was known by or ‘Jailbait Lass’, the nickname many knew her by for years which she hated.
“Shark Lad,” said the ferocious LMBer to her left. She put her two slender arms around his and purposely sank into his side a little to let his massive presence distract any wandering eyes. Shark Lad and she had only recently entered into a relationship and thus far it was going really well in her eyes. It was not only playful, but she felt safe with him. She knew though that the reason he was here was because he was one of the most fierce LMBers in battle. When Cobalt invaded the Dark Oval last time, he was present, along with Hrun and Power Boy, so he also knew the Dominion territories as well.
“Timberwolf,” said LMBer next to Shark Lad, in a way that made Lolita think he took some delight in using the new codename—newly official that is, since he was using it in black ops for years—to the surprise of the other LMBers who had not recently been on Legion World. Timberwolf, the LMBer formerly known as Furball, had recently startled the LMB at large with the revelation that he was far more than a furry sidekick, but actually a highly trained assassin who was secretly working with Cobalt for many years. Most did not know the full extent but of course she did, helping Cobalt plan those ops. Timberwolf would be crucial for this mission as it was tailor-made for him. Or more precisely, he for it. Lolita noticed that Timberwolf was sitting right next to Shark Lad which a few years earlier would have seemed ludicrous. But in recent weeks the two had experienced even further revelations about their shared history and though there was obvious tensions when they were so close, they were making an effort to keep working together. She made a mental note to try to keep Sharky in check should the two begin to clash down the road.
“Hot Chick,” said the woman next to Timberwolf, and immediately, the air went out of the room. Most of the people in the room now understood that this was woman was not named “Hot Chick” and the beautiful, stunning figure before them was actually a glamour; her real name & image were that of LMB enemy, Kalla Hrykos. Several years earlier, Kalla Hyrkos planned an assault on Legion World called “the 52 Event” which resulted in numerous deaths and great damage on the LMB’s home. Now through a series of shocking events, she was working with the LMB. In likely a few minutes, her secret would be made plain for all to see.
It complicated matters that during the recent calamity on Legion World in which the Red Bee attacked the LMB, Kalla Hrykos and Timberwolf had seemingly fallen in love. So those who were obviously considering taking Kalla out of the picture completely, like Lardy and Cobalt, now had to consider what the most dangerous man in the LMB might do.
“Quite the collection of individuals,” said Cobalt, trying to lighten the mood of the room. “Cobalt Kid, present, and I now turn the meeting over to Lard Lad so he can begin.” He turned to Lard Lad and his usually stoic face had a look that said ‘well, here we go’. “Lardy?” he said, turning to the LMBer.
From: Right by Cobie's Side | Registered: Jul 2003
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"Er...hey, guys," Lardy said with a nervous grin. "My name is Anthony...and I'm an alcoholic!"
His attempt to break the ice was met with cold stares. Even Cobie looked a little embarassed for him.
"Uh, wrong meeting, I guess? Sorry, guys, nerves sometimes cause me to make stupid jokes."
"So here we are...", he continued and took a more businesslike approach. He'd had much experience with this sort of thing as a two-time LMB leader and during his relatively short stint as Chief of Security, so he was finding his voice for this sort of thing again. "...about to risk our lives in what might be the most ambitious and risky mission the LMB and its allies have ever been on. If we are to ask you to possibly give your life, we want you to go in knowing what this is all about. Full disclosure. No blindly following us into battle without knowing the sins of the men who will be leading this thing."
"Look, no one in this room takes me for an angel. I know that. But some of this is about me righting some wrongs that I've perpetrated. If you hear everything I'm about to say and decide its no longer the mission for you, then no one here will think the lesser of you."
He glanced at Tempest for a moment. A short time ago he'd confessed the sins he was about to share with the rest, and she'd assured him that he was still a good man in her eyes. She saw him looking toward him just then, made eye contact with him and nodded slightly. This gave him the strength to continue.
"About five years ago, I had ventured into Dark Oval territory on a mission of revenge. I got my revenge by killing Hrykosia's leader Damyen Hrykos and his wife Mordra. I won't justify my actions in those instances, but I'd venture a guess that many people would have done the same if subjected to everything I went through at the time."
"As many of you know, the Oval had a brutal response and launched a devastating invasion of Legion World that cost us many lives." Lardy's eyes lingered for a moment on Rockhopper Lad, who lost his lover Openly Gay Lad in that conflict. Rocky saw this and gave him a meaningful, sympathetic look back. "Too many," Lardy added. "I helped end that invasion by working with some friends I'd made in Hrykosia to fake a Hrykosian attack on the territories that were then known as the Barbarian Hordes. This was a bold move on my part that I made without any LMB knowledge...no, not even Cobalt. It accomplished what it was meant to accomplish, namely drawing the Oval out of their invasion plans. But it ignited further galactic instability and set more dominoes falling that would be detrimental to the United Planets and Legion World."
"Some of those began to fall very quickly. Cobalt charged into Oval territories immediately and began liberating some of the systems that had been annexed by the Oval. This caused a lot of political hellfire, to say the least. At the same time the Oval began to support terrorist activity on Legion World by backing a doomsday cult known as the Church of the Eternal Void. With much of the LMB preoccupied by the unification of the Barbarian Hordes as the Khanate of Sol Invictus, the Church nearly succeeded in destroying Legion World during what was known as the '52 Affair', among other names. His gaze shifted between Helena and Lolita as he said, "many gave their lives during that one, too. Among them, the great hero Bat-Fem and...and my brother Hugh."
"It didn't end there, my friends. The Dark Oval soon developed an insidious plan to annex an entire crucial sector of United Planets space known as Epsilon Sector. They used a great deal of trickery, some inside men and a one-man weapon of mass destruction to pull it off and claim Naltor, Orando and Zerox among their spoils."
He bowed and shook his head. "My wife Dru was the Oval's sacrificial lamb in that one, along with scores of Zerox's citizens who had been duped by three of their leaders."
Lardy then looked at every single one of those assembled directly in the eyes, one by one, as he told them the next part. "I was in a very bad place after that, guys. I split my time between returning to the LMB...and making an alliance with Hrykosia's new leader, who had also been the key player in helping me fake the Barbarian Horde invasion back when. Coincedentally, she was also the woman who lead the Church of the Eternal Void in their assault on Legion World: Kalla Hryl, now Kalla Hrykos."
Disguised as Hot Chick in the meeting room, Kalla tensed up quite a bit.
"Kalla," Lardy directed, "show yourself."
The members of the Fellowship who didn't already know, gasped as Hot Chick's features transformed into that of the woman many had seen on holo-wanted posters or that some had battled firsthand. Timberwolf tensed up and let out a small snarl as he was prepared to fight off anyone who might make a move. If any were going to, that snarl changed their minds.
"Easy, guys," Lardy said, making 'stop' gestures with his hands extended. "Kalla's our inside man, our guide, for our quest. She's given us valuable intel and will continue to do so. In return I granted her amnesty before being suspended as Security Chief."
At that, there were more grumbles, but they subsided when Lardy resumed speaking.
"Like I said, I aligned with her after Dru's death in order to seek revenge on what I felt were the true controlling powers of the Oval. My soul...was sick at the time, understand. And while aligned with her, I assassinated the Dominion's High Caste Leader and had a Durlan ally of Kalla's take his place, effectively giving Kalla control over two-fifths of the Oval."
More grumbles.
"Yeah, I know. But with her as an ally, we now have a distinct tactical advantage here. Anyway, things were complicated by my dying in the conclusion of the Five Faces of Death affair. I had memory loss when I came back, and Kalla wondered what had happened to our alliance. So she came back and found me under the Hot Chick disguise."
"During this time, we were attacked by the Red Bee. It turns out that the Dark Oval helped him get here. Once again, many lives were lost, this time including our noble warrior...and my friend...Sir Roy."
"In the wake of this attack Kalla disclosed to many of us our best-ever look into the Dark Oval, including its entire makeup for the first time. As I've said, the Oval is made up of five powers:
Hrykosia, a very military-structured power, with some similarities to how it's run to Cobie's destroyed home of Ggrrgg. Again, we have the advantage of having its leader on our side."
"The Dominion is the scientifically super-advanced caste-based culture whose influence has most been felt in the taking of many of the Contested Territories disputed between the U.P., the Oval and the Khanate. It is the Dominators' military influence more than any other in the Oval that has made enemies with the U.P., due to their spear-heading many of the earlier Oval power grabs. With the Durlan loyal to Kalla impersonating their High Caste Leader, we have a big advantage there."
"The Hive is a colony of insectoid aliens who are controlled completely by their Queen. Their armies are overwhelming in their sheer numbers and their viciousness. What's worse is that their Queen, who controls the entire horde, is herself controlled by a man named Harold Ryan Wyandotte. Wyandotte has the ability to control minds." He looked all of them and sighed slightly. "He also happens to be another version of me from another dimension. Kalla's and my plan, before I died, was to somehow kill Wyandotte and get me to replace him...but that's not the plan anymore."
Epsilon Sector is the base of the next power of the Oval. Kalla thinks that its leaders may be the crucial brain trust in the mix. They are Romaltus and Mala, who were the perpetrators and insiders to what happened on Zerox. Romaltus," Lardy said as he glanced at Cobalt, "also happens to be Cobie's uncle. He played us like fools and pulled Epsilon from under our noses. He was also a friend and mentor to Dru, or so we thought."
"It should be noted that Romaltus communes with an unknown god and claims that this god is somehow behind the Dark Oval's power. This could all be religious hooey, but in our business with what we've seen, we can't discount that there may be some truth to this."
"You see, the larger mission here is to take the Dark Oval down! No matter what my sins have wrought, there's no disputing that the Oval is an extremely deadly danger to Legion World, the U.P. and the galaxies at large. In addition to all of the terrorist activity and invasions I've mentioned, the Oval funds itself by perpetrating over half of the crime in the U.P.! The Hive produces addictive, deadly drugs, the Dominion runs weapons to insurgents....it just goes on and on and on. It has to be stopped before they become too powerful! We--!"
Lardy is interrupted by someone clearing his throat. It was Shark Lad. "Aren't you forgetting the fifth power in the Oval?" he reminded Lardy.
"No, Sharky, I'm not. It's how I'm ending my part of the presentation. Because if you don't buy into everything else I've been talking about, the fifth power should be the clincher. You see, the fifth power is run by a guy we melodramatically refer to as the Evil Emperor Pyngwyn and his consort Blaine Fey. This Emperor happens to be our beloved Rockhopper Lad's double from Universe-4."
"That's the kicker, Lardy?" Shark Lad said with some bemusement. "I mean, we have an evil Lardy and an evil Rocky in the mix? Kind of par for the LMB course, isn't it?"
Lardy acknowledged, "yeah, kinda. But that's NOT the kicker, Sharky. The kicker is the Pyngwyn's base planet is...Earth-4!"
Those in the room who were not in the know gasped.
"I know," Lardy assured them, "we thought it was destroyed years ago. In reality it was transported across dimensions and exchanged with the destroyed Black Sun planet, which used to be part of the Oval itself. That's the most crucial intel Kalla shared with us. And, yes, many of our friends in the Society of Message Board Posters are still alive there...and enslaved."
More gasps came at that.
"We are going to liberate our friends in the SMB, my friends. But to tell you more about that, I yield the floor to Ms. Helena Handbasket. Helena?"
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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Note: This post created with grateful acknowlegement to Quislet, Esq., creator of Helena Handbasket, for his ideas and encouragement!
Helena took a long moment to rise from her seat. She didn't like being blindsided. Not by her being asked to contribute--that she knew about. No, she was among those in the room blindsided by the revelation of Hot Chick as Kalla Hrykos.
Helena was among the many Legion World irregulars who fought on the front lines during the onslaught of the 52. And it was Kalla who lead the 52 under the auspices of the Church of the Eternal Void. Helena witnessed firsthand all the Security Officers, citizens and costumed heroes who lost so much, many among them their lives, fighting the evil that Kalla brought to their home. How could they give someone so absolutely evil amnesty?
Easy, Helena, she thought. The side of her that had an extensive military background kicked in. You're too close to this! If you weren't so personally tied up in what she did, you would do exactly what Cobalt and Lard Lad were doing. The tactical advantage is worth the price they're paying. But, by Elios, it's so hard to look at her sitting among us...
Get it together, Helena. You made a commitment. Not just to this Fellowship...but to your Covenant. At least, this way, you can keep a close eye on what that evil bitch is doing when she inevitably attempts to betray us!
She smiled slightly, then finally walked up in front of the Fellowship.
"Hello, all," she began, "we've been introduced, but I thought I should tell you a little about myself. I was born and raised within the Dark Oval on a planet that had been conquered by Hrykosia generations ago. The planet was named Elysia by the Hrykosians. Its prior name is lost to the ages as our conquerors had all references to it and indeed our entire history prior to its conquest completely stricken. All adults and children who clung to the old ways were killed. So there exists no known historical record or even a verbal record left to existence."
"My people do not mourn this. I suppose it's because they have nothing to mourn. In fact we are the most beloved of Hrykosia's colonies. Though only pureblooded Hrykosians are allowed to serve in the Hrykosian military itself, Elysia's forces serve as the vanguard of the Dark Oval's General Elite Militia. Each of the five powers has its own personal militia, but the G.E.M. serves them all with great honor."
"It was serving with the G.E.M. as a Commander of an entire Company of infantry that I came to Legion World when the Dark Oval launched its Invasion. Something struck me about the place almost immediately after we landed. Maybe it was seeing common citizens rising up to defend something they believed in? Maybe it was Quislet, Esq. inviting my troops to talk with him at a magical dinner table that appeared in the middle of a battlefield? Maybe it was the fact that I never really wanted to join the G.E.M. in the first place, but my mother pushed myself and my brother into it to honor my fallen father?"
"Maybe it was all of those things and more. In any case all of my troops decided to turn on our masters and fight for Legion World that day. And too many of my brethren gave their lives to defend it. Me? I lost my arm fighting the Oval's ambassador/warlord Angra Metternich." She pulled down her sleeve and showed the clearly robotic arm that had replaced the one she lost. "We all gave our lives...and me, my arm...willingly that day and would do so again if asked. To this day, every one of the survivors of my Company proudly live and serve on Legion World. With one exception."
"Her name is Mai Cheronna. She was my Company's tactical expert. She agreed to make a huge sacrifice and return to the Oval in order to keep an eye on things and report to me if anything of interest happened. She loves Legion World as much as any of the rest of us, probably moreso, given her personal sacrifice."
"Flashforward a few months. The 52 Affair happens, and several of us band together to fight off the Church of the Eternal Void." Helena's eyes rested directly on Kalla at this point, not bothering to hide the pure hatred she felt for her. After a long moment, she turned her gaze away and continued. "After our brave sister-in-arms Bat-Fem sacrificed herself to save Legion World, the survivors--mostly non-LMBers--made a Covenant to do whatever it took to protect Legion World from threats that the LMB might be unaware of or otherwise too bound by governmental red tape to look into."
"It wasn't long after that at all that Mai contacted me and told me that something huge was brewing in the Dark Oval. Based on what she told me, I decided I'd call the Covenant together and look into it. This was exactly why it was forged, after all."
"For many reasons too complex to go into, I summoned only a handful of those who had pledged to help. The ones called were myself, the second Bat-Fem, Rockhopper Lass, Clark Marlowe, Seth Gaterra and Grev Mallor. All agreed to honor the Covenant by accepting the mission, but it was decided that one would stay behind to await news or to inform the LMB of the mission if it failed. Lots were drawn, and...and I drew the shortest straw." She bowed her head in silence for a moment. Being the one who had to stay behind was a heavy burden on her soul.
"So," she finally continued, "stay behind I did. I...didn't deal with this role very well for a while." She smiled a half smile toward Lolita who had firsthand knowledge of this. "But I eventually found something to do by becoming a special administrator for the LMB Leadership Office, where I've served proudly now under four administrations to date."
"The Covenant was gone for well over a year, when I finally received an encrypted message from Seth Gaterra. There was only so much detail he could put on a message that would have to piggyback undetected on countless unrelated messages, but what he gave me was very illuminating."
"Seth confirmed Earth-4's continued existence despite all we thought to be true, complete with its actual coordinates within the Dark Oval. He confirmed it was under the rule of the so-called Evil Emperor Pyngwyn. He also told of how Earth-4 has been turned into an ice planet by its new ruler, ravaging its eco-system in the process. He told of how its populace is enslaved and being housed in concentration camps. All of the surviving SMB were imprisoned in a special maximum security facility located in what once was their city of Metropolis."
She paused a moment and smiled as a few rogue tears came from her eyes. She continued, "but he also spoke of hope! The five Covenant members had become a part of a resistance on Earth-4 that had been formed around the nucleus of several former SMB Academy students. Their leader is the son of Earth-4's Loser Lad and its Dru the Sorceress."
Lardy perked up for a moment at the mention of the Earth-4 counterpart of his beloved, departed wife. He knew this version's story from her sister, the original Bat-Fem, telling him about her. He knew Earth-4's Loser and Dru had a tragic end. He didn't know, however, that they'd had a son.
Helena continued, "Louis Banzer honored his parents' memories and founded the resistance, nicknaming them 'The Losers'. When Seth sent the message, The Losers had engineered a prison break of all the SMB and their allies. Though it was still in progress at the time the message was sent from the prison control room, Seth said that some of the prisoners had already been freed at that point and expected the mission to be as close to a complete success at the time as possible!"
"Unfortunately," she said looking down, "at the time he sent it, the control room was being attacked. I...have no idea whether Seth, Louis and the others in there made it out alive. I...I can only hope and pray that they did." She paused as she thought of Seth and their unrequited feelings for one another.
Finally, she said, "it's been months since they sent the message. It took that long to get through. But I have to believe that The Losers fight on and that they will keep doing so as they await the day when we arrive to liberate Earth-4 once and for all! And we will, my friends--we will!"
At that, Hrun was the first to get up and let out a huge war cry and hoisted his flagon of mead high in the air. The others rose up as well. Kalla was more reluctant than the rest but applauded politely. Otherwise, everyone there could feel the electricity in the room as Helena's account ignited their passion for the mission. "We will!" they all repeated.
Helena smiled broadly for a moment, then turned slightly and whispered to herself, "we will, my dear Seth..."
As the others in the room exulted their enthusiasm, Cobalt Kid came back to the front and held Helena's hands. "You did good, Helena," he said with some intimacy and compassion. We'll free Earth-4 and all of our friends. I promise you this."
She nodded and smiled a little, then went to hug Lolita and Rocky.
Cobalt stayed quietly in the front and let the others bond for a while. He knew their bonding would get them through the dark times to come.
Finally, he cleared his throat, signalling to all in the room that the meeting was not quite over. When he had all of their attention, he began to speak.
From: A spare room over Quislet's Table | Registered: May 2007
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Cobalt Kid waited until Helena took her seat before speaking. The tension in the room had subsided after Helena’s passionate words, but Cobalt knew many of them were not totally convinced yet; most were feeling mixed emotions. “I understand you all will have some questions,” said Cobalt, “and hopefully I can answer a lot of them right now before you ask.”
He stood in the center of the room and suddenly before him the wall turned into a large omni-screen. On it was a three-dimensional map of a solar system, containing several planets, stars, and other spatial structures. “Behind me is a map of the Dark Oval,” said Cobalt and he pressed a button on his omni-com which honed in on the map ever further. “In order to proceed,” he continued, “it would be useful if everyone understand a general outline of what our strategy is. It will be more complex than what you’re about to hear, but for the sake of brevity and since I fully expect to be adapting to unforeseen circumstances along the way, a general overview will suffice.” What Cobalt did not mention was that he was not ready to share aspects of his strategy with Kalla Hrykos.
“Lardy explained what our mission here is, but I’ll reiterate. Our primary goal is the liberation of Earth-4 and the rescue of our allies in the SMB. This is a noble cause that I think we can all agree must be done. I would be very surprised if anyone doubts this.” Cobalt had a very direct way of speaking; he was confident in his words and spoke with an authority that indicated he was not inviting any debate. Yet, he tried to curb his unyielding message by softening his tone and cradling it with the air of calculation and logic, as if what he was saying wasn’t an opinion, it was the truth. “But Lardy was very clear about our secondary objective: the complete annihilation of the Dark Oval as an entity and political structure.” Before any of the LMBers present could react to the harsh use of the word ‘annihilation’, Cobalt continued: “The key phrase here is political structure; we have no intention of instigating or encouraging a massive loss of life through full scale war. Any way that can be avoided will be taken. But ultimately, the Oval must be destroyed once and for all.”
A silence overtook the room now. Cobalt looked at Lardy and the two shared a private understanding: they were united one hundred percent in their intentions. Cobalt let the silence build to the point of becoming deafening.
At last, it was Spellbinder, the love of his life, who broke it: “Cobie, what you’re suggesting…you realize the implications of this are huge? In the history of the Legion of Message Board Posters, no mission has ever been undertaken with such political and social consequences.” Crujectra knew full well Cobalt, like Lardy, understood these things. But she felt it needed to be said. “You are correct that all of us see the necessity of liberating Earth-4. But I must admit my reluctance to bring down an entire political system, despite knowing full well those who hold the power in that system are truly evil.”
Cobalt nodded without missing a beat. “A feeling, I believe, many of our fellow Legionnaires will also have.”
Spellbinder smiled at him, though she was truly heartsick over the entire matter. “It’s very clear the United Planet’s will eventually be endorsing this entire operation. In that regard, Faraway Lad and yourself have taken your usual measured approach. But among your fellow LMBPers, I fear your upcoming actions will always be questioned.” With that, she seemed to have spoken her peace.
“It’s something that I’m willing to live with, as is Lard Lad,” replied Cobalt.
“Given the obvious support of the newly elected LMB Leader,” said Kent Shakespeare, now speaking up, “what you’re about to do does not seem to violate the charter of the LMB in anyway. Given the founder status of Lard Lad and yourself, I’m sure you know that. But I do truly wonder if you’re violating the spirit of the LMB,” he said. Kent spoke with a quiet authority that caused many LMBers to look to him as a natural leader of the group: this included many who had implied seniority over him, such as Cobalt himself. Kent seemed to have an implicit understanding of the ever hard to define spirit of the LMB. “However, only time will tell if that’s the case,” he added.
He then looked sideways at Spellbinder, then to Rockhopper Lad and around the room. “A more pressing concern is what we’ve now learned about Lard Lad,” he said now and Spellbinder nodded. “We’ve learned he’s not only committed murder, but during the Invasion of Legion World, when we pressed him on the motivations of the Dark Oval, he lied to us.”
“Honesty Lardy,” said Spellbinder now, “its not only disappointing, its very sad.” Both she and Kent seemed to sum up the feelings many LMBers would likely feel: betrayal.
Lard Lad rose to speak up in his own defense and instantly Cobalt also rose, preparing to cut Lardy off. He thought now was not the time to do so.
Ultimately, it was Rockhopper Lad who spoke up. “These dark secrets coming to light,” he began calmly, “are indeed alarming. But I wonder if given the fact that this mission is about to begin, and Lard Lad is a crucial part of it, we should temporarily put on hold any further debate on these actions, and the…consequences of them.” With these words, Rockhopper Lad looked directly at Lard Lad, and the two shared a long moment; Cobalt wondered if there were tears in the eyes of them both. They were in love not that long ago, and it must be a terrible burden for Rockhopper Lad to support Lard Lad and yet stay true to his own interpretation of the LMB.
“Bah!” said Hrun the Barbarian suddenly, causing Time-Teller Lad, by his side, to jump. “Lard Lad did what needed to be done! His execution of the Dominator Caste Leader has given us a great advantage! I say he should be given a triumph for his actions!”
Cobalt Kid himself said nothing. In his mind he was already working on how to make sure Hrun’s point would one day be accepted by all of the LMB membership. But that would have to come later.
“Rockhopper Lad is right,” said Timberwolf matter-of-factly. “Let’s table it for now and move on. It’s time we learn about the strategy here.” Cobalt knew Timberwolf could care less about Lardy’s actions in the Dark Oval.
Crujectra spoke: “We can move on,” she said, “but this discussion is far from over.”
Cobalt watched Lardy’s reaction and knew this would be just one more huge amount of pressure on Lardy, which only enhanced the massive guilt he already felt. Seeing his moment, he re-seized the meeting. “Let me direct you back to the omni-wall,” he began. “Here is the Dark Oval map, which Lolita was able to put together based on Kalla Hrykos’ intel. You will see the five sections of the Dark Oval and their relative proximity to one another, as well as the borders of the United Planets and the Khanate of Sol Invictus.”
On the omni-com the three-dimensional map showed the Dark Oval at last: The three sectors of space made a perpendicular three-way intersection, with the United Planets along the bottom bordering both territories; the Khanate of Sol Invictus along the right side, bordering the UP at its bottom and the Dark Oval along its leftside; and the Dark Oval was on the left side, with the UP at its bottom and the Khanate alongs its right side.
Cobalt now focused in closer to the Dark Oval again. “Along the UP border is the Dominion,” he continued, “which we’ve already known, as the tensions between the Dominators and the UP planets are centuries old. You will see just along the border there is a slim territory known collectively as the Contested Planets. These are the planets we were able to liberate during the last war with the Dark Oval,” he added, masking his pride, “and since then they continue to be battleground between the Dark Oval forces and the UP, in a guerilla war. Our Space Knights Templar are most active there, protecting the liberated citizens from Dominator war fleets.”
“The Dominion is many different planets that have been conquered by the Dominators over the centuries. Elia is their home planet, but most of the administrative work is done off-planet on Hul, which is another planet almost entirely made up of Dominators. Our initial goal and entry point will be through the Dominion. First, it is the closest to the UP and so makes sense logically; second, we already have a huge advantage in the High Caste Leader is actually a Durlan installed by Lardy and Kalla Hrykos a few years earlier. Thus, when things go wrong, we can ensure the leadership will quickly collapse.”
As Cobalt spoke, the various LMBers were now leaning forward. Helena seemed like she was in a dream, to hear someone actually speaking about bringing down the Dark Oval. Timberwolf was having trouble suppressing the growing grin on his face.
“I’ve developed a strategy to bring down the Dominion very quickly with a limited amount of LMBers through organized chaos supplemented by their collapse in leadership. This will be the major initial goal of this quest for us and without doing so, all of our plans are wasted.” Cobalt now turned back to his screen, looking at his own strategy. “Following the collapse of the Dominion, it will effectively serve as our beachhead to enter the Dark Oval. While we, the Fellowship, move on to other territories, we will have allies following us in to maintain our gains and watch our backs. I’ve coordinated with the United Planets Military Fleets who will be sending in an occupying army to overtake the Dominion forces, since it will only be a matter of time before they install new leadership and begin a counter-assault. The Space Knights Templar will also be entering the Dark Oval to oversee the liberation of the conquered planets. Additionally, Hrun the Barbarian’s people and other allies will be joining us.” Cobalt turned back to them. “This should be accomplished in a matter of days.”
“Unbelievable,” said Kent out loud.
On the map, the LMB saw that beyond the Dominion, to the right was the territory of Hrykosia. Hrykosia had a small border with the UP at its bottom, though mostly it bordered the Dominion as well as the Khanate of Sol Invictus. This made sense since the Hrykosians had immigrated from the Khanate territories many decades earlier when it was known as the Barbarian Horde.
Behind Hrykosia was Earth-4, bordering Hrykosia and the Khanate as well (which also was logical, considering Earth-4 now existed in the area of space once occupied by Helio Nocturnos, the home planet of the Black Sun, which had constant interaction with the Barbarian Hordes. It also explained how Earth-4’s existence in Universe-1 had gone so unnoticed—there was no UP border and no possible way for the United Planets to ever see past Hrykosia and the Khanate.
“From there, the Fellowship will part ways, splitting into two groups,” said Cobalt. At this, everyone but Lard Lad and Lolita were surprised as this was new to all of them. “One group is to continue on to Hrykosia and from there, Earth-4, to oversee the planet’s liberation. Kalla Hrykos will be able to provide military and covert assistance while on Earth-4, the Losers will help coordinate the efforts. It is my intention for Rockhopper Lad to ultimately take the lead on the liberation of Earth-4. Eventually, I hope the Society of Message Board Posters will be freed and will join in on the effort.” Cobalt had a way of making it all seem so simple but in his heart he knew what they all did: it would be an incredibly difficult undertaking, almost doomed from the start and likely resulting in mass death.
He continued anyway, refusing to dwell on it. “Meanwhile, a small group of us will move on to the Hive home planet.”
On the map, it showed that beyond the Dominion strait back was the Hive territory, which shared a border with Earth-4 on its right and a border with the Epsilon Sector to its left. Beyond the Hive territory was unexplored space, the furthest reaches of space still not yet seen by the races who had evolved in the present day United Planets.
“Lard Lad and I will lead a group into the Hive,” he said, taking a deep breath as he understood that for him personally, this would be the most dangerous aspect of the quest. “We have only just become aware of the Hive but what we know is truly horrifying. They are beyond dangerous and there sheer numbers are staggering. I highly doubt a coordinated military action would result in victory—either defeat or a never-ending stalemate that would result in a Pyrrhic victory at best. The only way we might have a chance at succeeding is again using a small covert assault to try to cause internal chaos and destroy their leadership, namely the Queen and Wyandotte.” He turned now to look at Hrun the Barbarian. “Who is going in which direction at this point is still up in the air, and I truly think it would be best to decide once we’re further along the quest, but Hrun, I think it would be best if you joined Lardy and I. Can I count on you, brother?”
Hrun smiled widely. “At last you speak a language that brings me joy,” he replied.
“We have somes ideas on the strategy for the Hive but I won’t go into them,” added Cobalt, as he turned back to the map.
To the left of the Dominion and the Hive territory was the Epsilon Sector, which would be the most difficult territory to overcome. “Ideally, we would defeat the Hive and Earth-4 would be liberated and we would coordinate a multi-frontal assault on the Epsilon Sector, with Tempest lending magical support.” Cobalt sighed now. “But I know that won’t happen. At that point, so many steps away, it’s unlikely all will have gone according to plan. Therefore, we’ll adapt and figure it out when the time comes. But if we can somehow keep some communication open between us, and accomplish the goals I’ve laid out, I truly believe we can defeat the Dark Oval once and for all.”
As Cobalt turned to the LMB, he could see the amount of information they’d taken in was all being processed. There were conflicting emotions: the sense of relief that there was a plan, and yet the sense of such an overwhelming undertaking and such immense enemies.
“One other thing,” said Tempest, as they all turned to look at her. “Tell us about this deity they worship in the Dark Oval. And how this could be a problem.”
Cobalt clicked off the map and looked down for a minute collecting his thoughts. Before he could reply, Lard Lad once again spoke: “To be honest Temp, we don’t know much. Not even Kalla Hrykos, a lifelong native of the Dark Oval knows much. Helena?”
“I suspect what I can tell you, you already know.”
“I thought as much,” said Lardy. “As far as we know, the Dark Oval inhabitants worship a dark deity who symbolizes aggression. But not even all of the inhabitants worship it. Certainly not the territories near the Khanate, Hrykosia and Earth-4. But in Epsilon Sector…there, they consider this deity to be a living entity that interacts with them on a normal basis. Their dedication to this Dark God is alarming.”
“Is it real?” she now said more directly.
“The short answer is we don’t know. Most think its like any other deity—real in the sense that if you have faith, you’ll meet it in the afterlife. But Cobalt and I have discussed it and after all we’ve seen throughout these many years, a living deity does not seem so far-fetched. So yes, it may be real. And if so, we have a very real threat to keep in mind throughout this quest.”
Tempest nodded, satisfied with the response.
Cobalt and Lardy nodded at one another, indicating they had said all that needed to be said. “It’s a lot to think on,” said Lardy, “we know. You have tonight to do so and like I said earlier, anyone who decides they no longer want to be part of this quest, we would understand.”
“For our part,” said Kent Shakespeare, speaking for both Spellbinder and himself, “we’re satisfied. Everything we’ve heard here today isn’t necessarily to our liking but we realize this is going to happen…and you’ve got our support. We will provide the necessary distraction to exit Weber’s World. But I urge you,” he said to them all, but turning to Lard Lad specifically, “be careful in your actions and make sure everything you do is measured.”
“When the time comes for the entire LMBP to join you in the Dark Oval,” said Spellbinder, speaking of such an occurrence for the first time, “we will be ready.”
At that, the meeting came to an end and slowly they all began moving to the hallway. They would have one night here on Weber’s World to get a proper sleep, proper meals and then in the morning, the quest would begin.
Cobalt turned to Lard Lad, who stood there waiting for everyone to leave. He could see his friend was carrying a heavy burden. He put his hand on Lardy’s shoulder. “We’ll do this together,” he said to Lardy, “and you don’t carry this burden alone”. Lard Lad nodded at him, and Cobalt left, joining Spellbinder for a night together at long last.
[ April 27, 2011, 08:04 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
Faraway Lad
Senator of the UP. Permanent Ambassador to the Court of Saint James
posted
Aboard the Dragon Ship Devastation Atmosphere of Weber’s World
Hrun sat in his throne room, deep in thought. What? What were the options? Battle plans flashed though his mind one after the other. Options after option after option and in all he foresaw defeat and ruin it was all to no avail.
Hrun knew more about the power of the Dark Oval than most knew. For decades now he had fought war after war against them. For every victory there were two defeats, thousands of brave warriors left behind on the field of battle for the storm crows to feed on.
Cobaltus knew most of this of course, but did he understand the risk he was taking, to stir the Dark Lord in this way?
It took all of the Barbarian tribes working under his Kingship just to hold the outlying planets against the Hrykosian armies on their own. Once Hrykosia and the Hive joined forces it almost became impossible.
Now his Triumvir was taking them to confront the whole Oval. So far all that the LMB had faced, all that they had endured, was but the mere outstretched finger of one hand of the Dark Lord. Now they would face his full might, and Hrun knew, it will overwhelm them all.
Even with all the UP’s forces, led by that vain but able Bellassarius, General Maximus of the UP military, the Knight’s Templar, the Barbarian horde and any other allies they could gather it would not, could not be a victory. You might as well try to fight a supernova with a jug of beer.
Death! Death is coming ,the only option seems to be when you will meet your doom and how honourable your death will be.
Hrun stood, looking through the view port he raised his drinking horn towards the sun, now rising above the rim of Webers World, and he made a vow.
“To the most noble and puissant Triumvar Cobaltus, Oths I have made, gifts I have taken, now I will honour these oath’s I have made. I shall fight by your side until the end and if the Gods permit, such an end we shall make as to be worthy of song”
Hrun drained his mead and gave a rueful smile. “If any are left to sing such songs”
He looked to his left, at the “gifts” he had taken from his meeting with Kent. At least with these he may win a battle or two, even if he must lose the war.
-------------------- Faithfull
From: Newcastle upon Tyne England | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
Faraway Lad
Senator of the UP. Permanent Ambassador to the Court of Saint James
posted
DIPLOMATIC QUARTER WEBERS WORLD
Music played softly in the background of the darkened room. The sweet smell of lavender and roses wafted through the open window from the garden.
On a table stood a half drunk bottle of wine.
Ambassador Mirenna Helen still in the white ball gown she had worn earlier stood at the open window her figure perfectly illuminated by a shaft of moonlight. In her gloved hand she held aloft a glass of wine. Her face was twisted in concentration as she looked at the moonlight through the soft amber glow of the wine.
In a chair across the room Faraway Lad took the opportunity to study Mirenna as she stood there momentarily transfixed by the beauty of the midnight garden and the music. The moonlight had turned parts of her dress translucent and through it Faraway could see tantalising hints of the slim and fantastically toned body underneath. Faraway smiled, “that’s the sort of body that could make the Pope kick a hole in a stained glass window” he thought to himself.
“Now now my dear” said Mirenna turning to face him “what would your wife say if she could see you looking at me like that?”
“Damnation” thought Faraway, “how does she do that” but aloud he laughed and said, “she’ll probably smack my wrists and tell me I’m a naughty boy. Then tell you that you shouldn’t be doing that”
A cloud crossed Mirenna’s face, “doing what” she started to say, but suddenly she started to laugh, “oh I can’t do this Mata Hari stuff with you Darden, we go too far back together you and I”
Faraway Lad laughed too, it was true they had worked closely together for more years than he cared to remember, ever since Faraway had come to Webers World as LMBP Ambassador in fact. Over time they had become firm friends and Mirenna now allowed Faraway access to many UP and other secrets. Now they had discussed the fellowships plans and both were more worried that they would admit in front of the other.
“Mirenna” said Faraway, “I must go, and you know it”
“I know Far, but I’m worried, worried for you but more importantly for Cobalt Kid, will you keep him safe? Will you keep him secret?”
“I will” said Faraway “But first I must got to Legion World, there is something there they will need”
-------------------- Faithfull
From: Newcastle upon Tyne England | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
Faraway Lad
Senator of the UP. Permanent Ambassador to the Court of Saint James
posted
Faraway stood and walked to the table, he turned and filled Mirenna’s glass, she took it in silence and turned once more to the window, her face tranquil and serene
Faraway turned away from her as he filled his own glass, he had seen the small tell tale signs, she was worried, heck she was on her second glass and she never drank, preferring to keep her mind sharp and focused.
With the glass in his hand he turned to face her. “Mirenna” he said as her reached forward and took her hand in his, “we must be as one in this, the game is afoot, the great game, and one wrong move could lead to the destruction of whole planets, enslavement for millions or worse” He stepped a little closer to her, “blast her” he thought as he caught the scent of her perfume, “she knows that smell is my favourite and she knows its distracting” He continued “I need to know if I can trust you, really trust you on this”
Mirenna smiled as she said “of course you can Far” but her head turned away from him. He reached up and gently took her chin in his hand and turned her face towards his own, his eyes looked down into the steel grey eyes of Mirenna, probing, looking for the truth, for a second her eyes flashed defiance, but then they softened and melted, her posture sagged a little and for a second her composure left her and she was as frightened for the future as he was. They lent towards each other as if to kiss, but stopped.
“So, we trust each other” said Faraway as he held her gaze for a few seconds longer.
“With our minds, with our bodies and with our lives Darden. No more secrets” came the reply.
Satisfied Faraway Lad nodded and released her face, that was what he needed to hear although the unspoken words, the may have beens, the what ifs remained and hung thick in the air between them
“Damn you to hell and back Darden” she whispered “not even Cobalt Kid has got that close to the real me”
But then the moment was over, the steel returned to her eyes, the knowing, mocking smile to her face. Ambassador Helen was back in charge.
“When do you leave for Legion World Ambassador” she asked back to her most regal.
“Tonight your Excellency” replied Faraway, “I need to retrieve some bits and pieces, I think the fellowship is going to need them. Once I have them I plan on using Horace to infiltrate .................”
He never managed to finish that sentence, because there was a panicked hammering on the door of the apartment. Next second a security over ride had opened the door and a very flustered aide de camp rushed in quickly followed by members of the Ambassadorial Elite Guard who silently but very efficiently took up close order position to protect the two Ambassadors.
“Major Yuill” said Mirenna in her most icy and officious voice “You’d better have a very good reason for interrupting a private Ambassadorial meeting in this manner, or do you actually think a posting to a listening post on the Gil’Dishpian border is a good career move”
“Your Excellencies” stammered the Major, “please forgive me but the Council needs everyone to attend the Grand Chamber at once, War has broken out”
Faraway strode over to the Aide de Camp, “speak plainly man” he barked “what do you mean war, who’s at war, where is the fighting, and why in the name of all that’s holy are you panicking about war, it happens in this Universe, two sides fight, why are WE in uproar about it”
“Sir” gulped the Major, “that’s just it, it’s not just a border clash or two nations fighting for resources, it’s everyone. Don’t you understand sir; everyone of the major and a fair few of the minor powers have just declared war on the UP. The Khundians, the Kahnate, the Dark Oval, Taltar, even some of the Barbarian Hoard; they are all attacking UP space, all at the same time and from everywhere at once.
Sir” continued the Major, “it’s not a war it’s a massacre, the fleet just can't hold them, and they are spread too thin. The enemy Sir they ......they are pouring in through the gaps, it’s a flood and its heading this way”...
Dev and the King talked for several hours about this plan that they had devised. The paperwork had been signed, and now the next phase could begin.
The King put his seal on the document. "It is done. I am in your debt for this my son."
"It's a temporary thing, and everyone knows that."
"That it may be, but it makes things much easier for us to continue on with what has been begun. I am truly sorry for what we have put you through...and continue to put you through, I only hope that intime you can truly forgive us."
Dev nedded. "This is a step in the right direction, and by helping me with my friends, you have proven yourselves to be much more than what I thought of you just a few months ago. I am sorry as well that things couldn't have worked out differently."
The King smiled, "you could try again, now that you are officially married to my daughter."
Dev closed his eyes and put his head down a little. "I don't think that is really going to work though. I am having a hard time getting pst the circumstances that brought us together in the first place."
The King nedded this time. "We just need a little time to get the paper work in it's proper place and then the divorce proceedings can begin. While you are married though, please see if there is anything that you can find in each other...if for no other reason than for the sake of the children."
Dev Em sighed. He had known that the King was going to use that strategy...and it was one that he had thought of as well.
"We'll see sir, but no promises."
A man entered the room and took the document from them and carried it away.
They stood as he left and turned to leave.
"Let's go find the women and children. It's about time to eat dinner."
Dev agreed and was about to open the outer door when it burst open and Loser Lad ran in followed by several guards. "Dev...we're under attack!" He yelled.
[ April 15, 2011, 03:31 PM: Message edited by: Dev Em ]
From: Turn around... | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
Shortly after the meeting concluded, Helena made her way back to the quarters Cobalt had arranged for her to use. As she pulled her pass key out, she wondered if she would get any sleep this last night before their Fellowship would depart Weber's world.
Before she could open the door, Helena heard someone approaching. She turned to her side and noticed it was none other than Kalla Hrykos.
With a thought, Helena's robotic arm rose up, and the shirt sleeve that covered it receded. In a few quick seconds the arm transformed into a formidable-looking rifle-cannon.
"Make one move, bitch," Helena snarled, "and I'll turn you into little more than a red splatter at the other end of the hall!"
"Easy, Helena," Kalla said soothingly, "I'm here to talk, not fight."
"Well, I don't care what fancy light powers you have, you lunatic....because it wouldn't be much of a fight!" The cannon began to whir and hum, and Helena aimed it at Kalla's head. "I lost a lot of good men in my Company to your 52, Hrykos! And countless of Legion World's citizens died as well--and a great heroine named Bat-Fem! You've got lots of blood on your hands...give me an excuse to take it back!"
"I told you...I'm not here to fight," Kalla said, the smile disappearing from her face. She knew very well that Helena would fire that cannon in a heartbeat. "I want to tell you about myself, how I'm not the same woman I was with the Church...and how I've changed Hrykosia...and Elysia...for the better under my leadership."
"I don't want to hear it, Hrykos! Nothing you could say or do will ever erase all those lives you took!"
"You're right," Kalla conceded, "it won't. But you see, like you, I was oppressed by my people. My family wouldn't acknowledge me because my father conceived me with a commoner. My mother was executed, and I was treated as little more than a servant girl while my younger brothers, conceived with my father's proper wife, were royalty."
"Well, boo-hoo!" Helena laughed derisively. "Kalla was a poor widdle rich girl!"
Kalla's eyes glowed with a hint of her power as anger arose within her, but she pushed it back. "It opened my eyes, Helena, to what my people were doing. The racism, the classism, the speciesism, the oppression. I got out into the worlds and saw it for myself. I met aliens, experienced other cultures and revelled in them. I even did the unthinkable and fell in love with an alien named Huldnaf. We...were going to get married. But my brother Damyen had him executed. That's...that's when I went over the edge and became a terrorist for the Church. I...didn't want to live."
Helena held her cannon up for emphasis. "I can fix that."
Ignoring Helena's threat, Kalla continued, "after being set free in the prison break the Trumpeter engineered, I was inspired by my second chance! Lard Lad had already murdered Damyen and his wife. I made some...influential friends...and killed my brother Collus. I claimed my right to Hrykosia's throne. But what is more...I used my position to apply what I've learned and to right the wrongs of our people. Integration is happening and is spreading to all of our colonies...including Elysia! I'm going to restore your history to you!"
"So," Helena responded, unmoved.
"So?!?!" Kalla exclaimed with more than a hint of anger. "I'm freeing your people! And now I'm working with you to free all of us from the larger oppression of the Dark Oval! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!?"
"Yes," Helena said coldly, "it means our power-mad despot is trying to put on a politically-correct face as she works to gain more power than she ever has before. I've got your number, Hrykos, and it's on speed-dial. You're all about power. You'll betray us. And when you do," she points to the cannon, "this will be ready for you."
"Fine!" Kalla yelled. "Think what you will!" And she walked away. She paused at the turbo lift and said, "Lubahæfen."
"Huh?" Helena said, her cannon still pointed at Kalla from across the hallway.
"'Lubahæfen'," Kalla repeated. "It's the true name of your home planet. It means 'haven for love'. Elysia will be Lubahæfen, once again. I promise you."
At that moment, the turbo lift doors opened, and Kalla entered. The doors shut, and she was gone.
"Lubahæfen..." Helena repeated and had a haunted look on her face. Her cannon transformed back into its more armlike, though still obviously mechanical, normal appearance and her sleeve extended and covered all but the mechanical hand.
She finally entered her quarters and eventually lay down in her bed.
She didn't sleep a wink.
From: A spare room over Quislet's Table | Registered: May 2007
| IP: Logged |
Lon asked Kalla to meet him back at their quarters after the meeting broke up. He left the meeting room and wandered Weber's Worlds streets. He entered a seemingly random building and went to the top. Minutes later Cobalt Kid landed on the same roof and walked over to him. "Everything alright Lon?"
"Yeah...no...I knew Lardy did some things that the others would find questionable, but I didn;t expect that kind of reaction from them. It worries me that she..."
Cobalt Kid held up his hand for Lon to stop. "You know her better than that Lon. She knows things that we have done...and she also knows the whys of those things as well. Lardy was out for revenge...and not in a good place at the time. We have done everything in the name of the United Planets. It may not make the actions themselves any les ideal for her, but she knows our motivations."
"Okay then Cobie. If you say so. I just can't stand to think that she would be that upset with me...after the entire time I essentially lied to her about who I even was."
Cobalt put his hand on Lons shoulder. "She knew about that the whole time. She understands why you did what you did there, and doesn't hold anything against you for it. the rest of them though..."
"Thank you Cobie, and I noticed that about some of the others as well. Whatever. I could not care any less about what they think of me. I do what I do, because it needs to be done, and the United Planets and your other girlfriend, the Ambassador wants it done."
"Are you going to start that again?"
"Admit it...nobody that has actually met her would blame you."
"Nothing has happened between us Lon, give it a rest."
"Sure....sure..."
"Alright then, you ready for what we need to do, are you confortable with everything?
"I would not be going if I wasn't, and if I didn't trust you."
"Good, that goes both ways, because I don't think I would trust anyone else with that."
They talked for several more minutes cementing certian aspects of what they needed to do.
They finally parted company, and Lon made his way back to his and Kalla's quarters.
She was still awake waiting for him.
"You have a good walk about Fuzzy?" she said from the shower.
Lon smiled and took his jacket off.
"Yeah...you need some help with your back?"
"Of course."
They didn't sleep at all.
From: Doing the things that need to be done | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Weber’s World, Private Quarters of Princess Crujectra of Psyonia
Cobalt and Crujectra lay in each other’s arms in bed, trading little kisses to one another, enjoying the relaxed glow they each felt after their first private hour together in a long time. Both were smiling at one another, taking deep breaths. Cobalt opened his face into a wide grin and she started to giggle: “You’re so proud of yourself, aren’t you?” she said, rolling over so she had him pinned, as her long blonde hair hung over her shoulders in his face.
“Yes,” he laughed, grabbing her arms and pulling her close to kiss her again. “Now I’ll have something to think about while I’m away,” he added, kissing her again.
-------------------
4 hours later
Cobalt slept soundly by her side, somehow in a deep sleep despite all the heightened tension. Spellbinder laughed to herself at Cobalt’s ability to do that: the man could sleep through the most anxiety-filled times. He also had a knack at finding his appetite too, when no one else was able, she thought, looking at the tray of plates and bowls off the side, where there was once a decadent spread of the finest Psyionian dishes. You’d be hard-pressed to find a single morsel left, she thought smiling again. How is it, all I feel is tremendous anxiety for the mission their about to undertake, worrying that I might never see him again, and he is able to sleep like a baby?
She knew why: when a plan came to fruition, or events long thought about were finally happening, Cobalt Kid was at most relaxed.
Unable to stare at the ceiling any longer, she flipped on her omni-com to look at the news feed and immediately saw dozens and dozens of messages awaiting her. Evidently, when she told her Royal Guard she would not be interrupted, they followed her orders to the letter—perhaps overly so. She looked at the news feed and messages and her eyes lit up with horror.
The United Planets was suddenly in intergalactic war! She could see immediately quite a lot of the “news” was pure panic-stricken hyperbole, but it was clear that the UP was facing a multi-front assault. The Khanate, the Okaarians, Imsk? The Khunds threatening their own action against the UP?
Somehow the Dark Oval knew something was coming for them, and they have struck preemptively. But how? The Dark Oval doesn’t have the political or real power to get so many different territories and nations to act in concert. It was as if a much greater force was controlling these events.
“Cobie, you have to wake up,” she said out loud, not thinking to use her telepathic link.
“I’m up,” he replied, suddenly sitting up in bed. A deep sleeper, yes, but it didn’t take much to wake him up. “You waking me up can’t be a good thing…” he said, seeing that she was looking at her omni-com.
------------------
“This changes things,” he said, packing the rest of his belongings which he would be bringing on the quest. “The immediacy of it all. The ability of the Dark Oval to coordinate this assault—it leads me to reconsider this talk of a Dark Lord. And it means we’ll have to count on every single one of our allies in the coming days.” He spoke to Crujectra as she was now in her Spellbinder costume and alerting her guards telepathically that she would be joining them momentarily. “It looks like every member of the LMB is going to be involved in this one way or another.”
Suddenly Spellbinder turned and grabbed Cobalt by the shoulders. “When we step outside this door, I’ll have to do my duty as an Ambassador here at Weber’s World, for Psyonia, Legion World and the UP in general. And you need to face this danger head-on. I just want you to know, Cobie, that in your darkest moments on this quest, just think of me. Remember you have a reason to come home and see this through the end. I need to know you’ll be safe.”
He looked back into her eyes deadly serious. “I promise,” he said. In a rare moment of true intimacy, Cobalt spoke further: “Crujeckie…I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said, and they kissed furiously, embracing one another tightly.
------------------
Cobalt walked down the corridor on his own now, several hours ahead of schedule. His trademark trenchcoat was held over his arm; replacing it was a trusty-old grey cloak, given to him by the Elves as a gift many years ago during another quest. He would need it in the coming days, as he would need the numerous items he’d brought along in his pack, which hung down around his side in a series of pouches, hidden by the cloak.
In two days, the UP media machine would show Spellbinder and Cobalt Kid leaving Weber’s World together on a long good will tour, through the use of illusions and a Durlan actor. It would be reported as tabloid fodder but would be picked up on by their enemies. Given recent news, many might not believe it, but that would be okay. Even if one did, it was enough, and it would throw off their certainty of the timeline.
He’d be careful in the Oval—everything he did was measured. And he knew full well he something to return home to in Crujectra. But he also knew that what he was about to begin in the Dark Oval would be perhaps the most important thing he’d ever been a part of, and he would see it through no matter what the cost.
[ April 15, 2011, 10:28 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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