Star Boy rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Tenzil's tendency to be laid back grated on him. He considered ignoring the call and letting Hunger bother Brande or Brainiac instead. But both of the other Legion co-leaders were off-planet, so it was his responsibility...
"Yes, Hunger?"
"More coms requesting assistance from Spiderville!"
"Please don't let anyone hear you calling Daxam that, Tenzil!" There was enough outrage United Planets-wide at the Legion's negotiations with the Spider Guild, nowhere moreso than in the Legion's own ranks. That fire needed no additional fuel.
"This one isn't from Daxam, Number 3." Thom rolled his eyes again, and replied "Then, where--"
"It's coming from Braal. Someone's ruining Great Aunt Arachnid-Face's Sunday people-brunch, and she is space-pissed!"
"Understood." Star Boy ended the comlink.
Thom considered the problem for a moment. From nearly day one, rebels who had somehow come to the Guild-infested Daxam were causing all sorts of problems there. But the population of Braal had been destroyed when its atmosphere had been poisoned by the Guild. The Legion had given the already-destroyed Braal to the Guild. But what if...?
"Oh, Diety..." Thom broke out in a sweat. "Were there still people alive...?"
posted
Dawnstar, Wildfire and Spaceboy approached Braal with caution. Of course, Star Boy had sent them because these three could get there the fastest without a spaceship and would not be bothered by Braal's now-poisonous atmosphere.
They were cautious because all three had witnessed what a world clogged with the Guild looked like.
As they made planetfall, Spaceboy made a faint retching sound. Dawnstar placed her hand on his back. "Easy, Ol-Vir." "I'm okay." he replied half-heartedly. Ol-Vir remembered what it was like inside the webs of the Guild.
The Legionnaires surveyed the scene the com had come from. A Guild Command base, completely razed. Nearby Guild Web-Homes decimated. Elderly and young Guild wandered about aimlessly, some obviously injured.
"Yeeesh" Wildfire whispered to Dawnstar, "Somone had a serious grudge."
Dawnstar activated her tracking powers. "Several someones" she corrected.
Brianiac 5 pretended to listen to the Elders. He pretended to hear as they again stressed the importance of keeping the Guild content with Braal and most especially Daxam.
He nodded as if he agreed with the Elders' sentiments of the potential for disaster should the Daxamites escape the webs of the Guild and take to the stars... the non-red ones, specifically.
Colu had been aware of the massive potential of the Daxamite race since the mudball ages and had secretly plotted for centuries to keep that race from reaching their potential. And then came the Guild, and then came the Legion and then came betrayal and then came what amounts to genocide and then came her heartbreak and then came her anger and her leaving and then...
"DOX."
Brainiac 5 had become lost in thought, something that happened whenever he was morally conflicted... a rare state, to be sure.
Brainiac 5 continued to pretend to listen to the Elders, continued to pretend to care.
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