Hi all,

This will be a side project to the main Legion Worlds fan-fics.

Back story - the Academy at Montauk Point has been destroyed (in Legion World Two, by the Daughters of Black Adam) and the students have moved all their kit and caboodle up to Legion World, a small planetoid the main team took from the Dark Circle and made their own headquarters (in Legion World One).

With the main team away to move to Legion World Two - the Forge Chosen Tyrrazians former battle world - the Academy now has full run of Legion World One.

Luornu Durgo-Taine is leaving three of herselves behind to run the Academy as its headmistress/es. Joining her are Cosmic Boy, Colossal Boy, Wildfire, Chameleon Girl and Night Girl as tutors.

The Academy has just welcomed thirty new students who have been split into teams of six and given a former Legionnaire as their mentor.

The teams are as follows:

Team Cosmic have Cosmic Boy, the Colossal Crew have Colossal Boy, the Trailblazers are being mentored by Wildfire, Chameleon Girl runs the Changelings and the Night Guard are being tutored by Night Girl.

I'll add to these vignettes on an as-and-when basis.

The Colossal Crew -


Ballistix:

Crishtrakrek 714 of the Amegtranian Conglomerate on Zuun couldn't sleep.

Literally, she had been created to not to require sleep. Instead she could selectively close down either of the positronic hemispheres of her brain at any time if needed independently of the other and right now she didn't see the need to. As part of the team assigned with Colossal Boy as a mentor she was feeling miffed that he was currently helping out with another group of students while her team had been given an eight hour break and been told to get some sleep as at 2200 standard they would be tested on their endurance.

Her endurance would not suffer for missing a single nights sleep. Her body was composed of far denser carbon than human stock and her silicon blood ensured her stamina and strength were far, far above those of the rest of her team. Her creators had built her to be physically strong enough to stand toe to toe against almost any opponent. Her fellow students would certainly all fail whatever the next day's test was before she even broke into a sweat, Crishtrakrek was certain of it...

Perhaps, she considered, the tutors would be creating individual tests for each student based on the students application data, in which case she would need to reconsider choosing not to rest. An hours rest for each side of her synthetic brain. One hour each would be more than enough...



Dragon Lass

Mari Baertling looked at herself in the mirror. She pretended to everyone that she was okay with the transformation as, she always replied when anyone asked, she had been rather plain before and she was anything but plain now. But now... with her tough gray skin and bat-like wings she was definitely unlikely to ever have any boy she liked pay her attention, not in the way she had always dreamed of. At least as she was before the accident she had a slight chance of being noticed. Now she would definitely be noticed but for all the wrong reasons.

Rimbor was full of freaks so she wasn't the only one that looked so different but on her home world she would probably end up tethered by a Guild Debtman so at least here her strength and looks wouldn't be out of place or misused. The Gray Sisterhood had raised her in one of their many street homes to try to be better... Try to get past her rough upbringing and become a productive member of society. And what could be more productive that being a Legionnaire?

Her application had initially been refused and she had almost signed up to a Guild for work. Her friend Sheesa had reapplied for her and perhaps it was because of Mari's poor writing skills or something on the initial application but almost immediately the Academy had contacted Mari and told her if she could pass the gene-scanner's assessment she would have a place on their next semester in Sol, and the Academy had even offered to pay for her transport as well... Mari had cried when the holo was read to her - Sheesa had explained a few of the longer words to her and she laughed and cheered with her friend. They had enjoyed one final night out where Mari carried Sheesa around the tower blocks as she flew ecstatically through the low lying clouds and they named the distant stars and constellations that happily shared the sky with them for a night.

Mari had been quiet for the first few days on Legion World One, too shy to speak to all the exotic students that shared the satellite.

Yesterday Gim Allon had introduced an exercise that involved the students role playing taking charge of a situation without resorting to a physical intervention. Mari had been so nervous initially that she had almost refused to take part, until she remembered Sheesa's final words to her as they parted at the Spaceport. Her best friend had hugged her tightly and said straight into her ear:

"Never doubt you are worthwhile Mari, you deserve this chance and you are good enough. Throw yourself into it Mari and make me proud."

Mari hadn't exactly had the best results, the Naltorian had won that round, but she at least had spoken loud enough and even shouted at one point just to be heard and Colossal Boy and her teammates had praised her afterwards. Maybe things would work out after all.

Mari tried to sleep, the tests this evening would be another chance to prove herself worthy of being here, her opportunity to show she was more than a street beggar's unwanted child, given away without a thought. She had to swallow her doubts and try... for Sheesa. For herself

Night Girl had smashed the attack-bot into pieces with three well aimed blows.

"That," She turned to her audience as she spoke, "...is how someone with a physical ability like myself would deal with this situation. How would you deal with it?" She smiled warmly while her eyes twinkled with mischief.

At the back of the group of stunned Academy students Gim Allon suppressed a smile. Lydda had chosen to take this particular group to mentor because none of them had any real destructive physical or energy manipulating abilities. The last few days she had been surprisingly gentle with them and allowed them to settle into their new home and asked them to come up with a team name. Lydda had felt rather proud of the name they had chosen for themselves - 'the Night Guard'. Lydda looked at the six students with a patient smile, she could feel that they were all going to be fine and do well for themselves even though right now they all looked aghast. Eventually one of the students picked up the courage to speak.

"Ma'am... please excuse me, but with your most gracious permission... if I may be allowed... " The tall young man with long silver hair said, bowing his head as he spoke.

"First off, my name is Lydda Jath. Or Night Girl... Not ma'am. I appreciate you come from a polite culture Shardwurd but here on Legion World we need to be pragmatic and there's no time to be polite when you're on a mission and face an attack-bot unexpectedly. So... please, call me either Lydda or Night Girl from now on. So, you were saying?"

<That was a bit harsh Lydda> Gim sent along their personal telepathic comm bandwidth.

<So are the Fatal Five> She replied without looking up at him.

<Ah... yeah, fair comment but this is their first full week here... perhaps we need to sugar coat that a little bit?>

<Nope. Disagree with you there Gim. We'll talk later about it, okay?>

<...sure> Gim Allon was certain that Lydda knew what she was doing but he didn't like seeing the kids before him looking so disappointed and dejected.

The overly polite student had been explaining, stuttering as he struggled after his tutor's rebut, that his abilities only affected living organic material so he would leave the attack-bot for one of his more physically empowered colleagues. Lydda bluntly failed his answer and looked around his fellow students.

"C'mon you lot, you need to develop a sense of personal responsibility. The Legion isn't a crèche, the team will need you to be as self-reliant as possible so your colleagues can focus on their jobs in hand. Come on then, who's next?" Lydda's smile never left her face but her tone was becoming more serious.

"Lydda... I would try to establish a robust plan with my colleagues to defeat the robot attacker." A thin bald girl with dusty mauve skin and golden crescent tattoos on both sides of her face spoke. Several of her fellow students nodded their agreement.

"I can understand that but I have a question in return for you Lavender. Do you not worry that by the time you had come to a consensus the chances are half of you would be smeary streaks on the floor? Sorry, that's another fail. No time to huddle and mull it over when you have an attacker in your face. Next idea?" This time the smile fell from her face and she looked at the group with a vaguely bored expression.

"Umm... Lydda...." A plump boy with unusually bright eyes said, "I would suggest we run and regroup." He looked nervous as he spoke, clearly expecting a put down as a reply.

"It's a possible scenario but what about any potential civilians you leave behind? Not a fail, but not a pass. Most realistic answer so far though..." Lydda gave him a brief smile for his effort.

<Lydda, let's call a break, they're not going to get it> Gim sent through. She gave a small nod towards him as acknowledgement.

Night Girl smiled again and her students all looked relieved to see it. "Right, tell you what... you guys have a thirty minute break before we pick this up again, okay? Though I expect you to have come up with a solution by the time you get back. We have a senior team visit later on today so if you want me to report good things about you to Element Lad and the rest of them then you need to have a good idea whern you return, okay?"

The students rushed from the dojo, talking conspiratorially amongst themselves as they left.

"That was fun! I love them when they're all new and shiny like this. All keen and interested before they get cliquey and arrogant..." Lydda grinned widely as she watched them leave.

"So, what is their solution? None of them can affect the material world in a meaningful way to battle a robot."

"Yeah, I know. To be honest I've absolutely no idea what the proper solution could be but wanted to know what they could come up with." Lydda gave Gim a big grin, "Being a Legionnaire is fifty per cent thinking on your feet so I throw a quick test at them on which would push their ingenuity. A big part of their learning will be getting things wrong and stretching themselves way beyond whatever barriers they think they have so if and when they do get out there on the firing line they'll be less likely to fail."

"Y'know what Lydda..." Gim mused, "I reckon Yera and I both have a load to learn here as well."

"Well you'd better keep up Gim... we have Jan and the senior team coming over later to speak with the students and they'll want to check us out one final time before they take Two out of Sol System. You don't want to let the side down now do you?"

She grinned as she spoke and Gim joined in as she started to laugh.

The Colossal Crew (continued)


Prescience:

In the next room Gord Eno of Naltor was finding it hard to fall asleep.

He'd already foreseen how poorly he'd do at the tests later on that day; he would fail all but one of them. He was going to be the lowest scoring member of the Colossal Crew.

He hadn't foreseen far enough ahead to know if he'd be a Legionnaire yet, his precognition usually only ran to a maximum of two weeks ahead, nowhere near as long term as Nura Nal's visions, but going by tomorrows scores it would be a while before he got a Flight Ring for himself.

He knew he had the potential, after all he was a highly proficient martial artist with the added benefit of being second to none for short term precognition making him a deadly hand to hand combatant. He was one of Naltor's elite - a fully licenced Pre-Commando. He was also by far the oldest human stock student here at 23 standard years old and felt the strong need to prove himself, some of his fellow students had started to call him 'Old Father Time' already. He needed to prove himself and get into the big team!

He already knew he would not be fast enough to pass the first test, nor strong enough to pass the second, his flying skills were not sufficient to pass the third, he had no idea what the fourth or fifth were going to be but he'd foreseen his relief and happiness at passing the last... It would be the only one he'd beat the android girl from Zuun with the impossibly statuesque physique in and the only one he would pass at all.

Meditation was not settling his mind, he'd not yet found anyone yet that caught his eye to spend the night with so that sort of distraction and relaxation was out of the question, and he didn't think there were any bars on Legion World One for him to have a drink in to settle his nerves. At least not where a student in there first week who had a test the next day would be welcome...

Ah well, thought Gord as he got out of his bed and padded over to the dark leather couch on the other side of his room, perhaps there would be something on a Holo-Stream to watch that would help take his mind off how poorly the test would go tonight.

So long as, he thought, it wasn't that Hot Zone trash.



Bouncing Boy ii

Stoor Chamble was not an overly confident speaker usually and when faced with the widow of the dead Legionnaire he had hoped to take on the name of he had stuttered and choked, nervously rubbed a hand through his thick red hair and blushed like a beacon. He could see her expression, usually so severe and haughty on all the holo-news casts he'd ever seen, start to soften until she had broken into a grin. Luornu Durgo-Taine said in a soft voice that Chuck would be so proud that anyone would want to emulate him, let alone take his code-name, that she fully gave her blessing and wished him every success.

That had been four days before, after arriving on Earth from Pasnic. He had been to Earth once before, six years ago, but it appeared even more amazing that he remembered - the building bigger and the people and many alien races were even more exotic! At Metropolis space port, after having spent five days relaxing in the mega-city, Stoor had gulped as he got onto the shuttle to Legion World One - he hoped he would fit in okay!

The first day had been easy enough but the amount of studying that the tutors expected was giving him trouble. He wasn't used to having to use his mind so much. Ever since he had received his abilities he had worked as a one-boy human demolition team so his days were usually full of activating his personal Sphere-shield and bouncing around and smashing buildings, followed by banter with the other construction servicer guys. At 16 he was fully capable of being self-employed and taking charge of his own destiny, and after multiple people had suggested it he had finally applied for the Legion Academy, almost as a joke - he certainly never thought he'd ever get an invite to join.

Seriously! All he could do was cover himself in a spherical force field, bounce and break things...

He was a bit disappointed when he heard that DUplicate Girl... Triplicate Girl as she had only left three of her selves on the Academy planetoid he had to remind himself... would be taking the senior student team so he would have one of the other mentors guiding his time here, but having Gim Allon, Colossal Boy, instead was pretty cool so Stoor hadn't grumbled.

And the Colossal Crew were going to have their first endurance test in under eight hours... he'd spent a few days with his teammates so knew they were tough cookies so he doubted he'd get a great result, still Luorno had said she had faith in him so Stoor planned on doing his best. He could alter the tensile strength of his Sphere-shield from rubbery - hence the Bouncing Boy name - to hard as diamond. HE could be a tough cookie too so he would try his best so Lu would be justified in her pride.

Stoor breathed deeply as he pulled the blanket around his head. He didn't need too much sleep usually but the test sounded tough so the young man closed his eyes and tried not to think of anything other than the lapis skies of home filled with soft pink clouds... it was so strange having day and night cycles here, not like his own tidally locked home world but at least these odd cycles of light and dark helped him sleep better when he needed it.

Within minutes the young man from the distant world was gently snoring and dreaming of floating amongst gentle breezes that kissed his distant world's sky.

Yera Allon and Rokk Krinn had agreed to each pick three of the six students from Yera's group - the Changelings - to be on their teams for this exercise then allow the Dojo AI to randomly decide on their challenge.

The exercise started like something that had taken place in every school yard since time began. The six students were lined up against a wall and Rokk and Year, the two team's captains for this match, strolled back and forth in front of them apparently mulling over each choice. After a little bit of discussion and the tossing of a credit coin Rokk picked first - the bulky young man with the pronounced lispfrom the heavy-G world. The Legion founder whooped as the student joined him. Yera then chose her first team mate - the Gil'Dishpan in the protective methane bubble that had only joined the academy two days before. She tooted her joy as the new student floated across to her side of the dojo. Rokk chose next - the tall girl from Dryad with hawkish features and dark metallic skin. Both he and his first choice cheered her as she bounded over towards them. Yera acted unimpressed with his choice by miming a wide yawn, before smiling broadly and pointing towards the small girl with pointed ears, short pigtails and a prehensile tail. Both Yera and her Gil'Dishpan first choice whooped as the girl effortlessly cartwheeled and back flipped across the dojo floor towards them. There were two student's left... the Winathian twins. Rokk and Yera had planned this as, amongst other things, they wanted to test how the twins could cope being separated. The boys shook hands with each other briefly before walking over to their respective teams. Both had smiles on their faces and accepted the pats on their back from their new teammates but it was clear neither were especially happy about this arrangement.

"Right... Dojo... what have you got for us?" Cosmic Boy said to the gymnasium's AI.

"Who-o-o-o-ah!" The students all cried as the lights went out!

In the command suite Luornu Durgo-Taine watched the dojo on a monitor board with a wide grin on her face. This was the sort of exercise that Chuck used to love to arrange. He'd plan meticulously what student would be on which team to face the supposedly random tests that would arise, all the while making it seem organic and fun to the participants. Chuck Taine had always told Lu that teaching should be fun as people learned more when they were happy. The Cargggite absolutely agreed but had never quite shared her husband's easy positivity and love of taking charge in the moment to achieve it, no matter how hard she had tried. Yera Allon had something similar in her spirit, an honesty and optimism alongside a desire to share them. Lu wondered if that was what had made the Durlan such a successful actress.

It was also a pleasure to see Rokk Krinn being prepared to join in with the games. The Braalian had suffered greatly while seven of their teammates had been stranded in the 21st century but ever since their return and the subsequent increase in membership of the main team Rokk had finally begun to relax. She was not the only one on the team that had worried about him either; he was one of her oldest friends and yet she had had no idea what to do to help him get through that dark patch - she was only happy that it had finally passed. Rokk was going to e a great tutor here, she could feel it.

Lu smiled again and turned around to watch another training exercise on a third monitor: Wildfire had taken a group into space just outside the southern docking bay for the first test of their skills while in a trans-suit.

The Colossal Crew (continued)


Yeti Boy:

Shik Al Sarju was annoyed. The young man from the Boismarshi Colony of the Aldanankrian Oort Cloud mining settlements was fed up with the Academy already.

When he'd arrived he was expecting a bit more than they'd seen so far. For one thing they had yet to get flight rings, then there had been that one hour talk by the Science Police and then they were told they could research laws themselves in their study time. Like, hello, didn't they know he was there already! The team he'd been placed in had met a couple of the tutors but so far no actual serving Legionnaire had come to visit. He had expected they would be swooping in and out and they'd get to know him and... Well, in no time Shik had expected that they would take him to their new base and he'd be one of them. If his plan went ahead he'd be leader within six months and fifteen days, beating Polar Boy's record of time from gaining full membership to becoming leader.

Seriously, he had been here six whole days so what were they waiting for?

His quarters were sparse, with a fold down bed, holo pit and study area. He had asked for no further furnishings as he hadn't expected to be here for any great length of time. Shik got up from his bed and strolled across to the holo pit. As he did he activated his alter-form, at twice his height and almost eight times his usual mass, covered in long white hair, with slightly elongated arms and an extended muzzle he looked very fierce.

Well, he thought, the tests tomorrow might well be his doorway into the full team. He knew that really he should sleep but instead he ordered the holo pit to stream music - Ludwig Minkus - the striking music from La Bayadere. Before he had been mutated into the were-yeti Shik had been obsessed with ballet. It was the highest art form available to the Colonists back home and youngsters were encouraged to participate. Of course many of the youths had refused saying it was just the Colony Management getting them fit enough to work in the radium mines, but Shik had loved it. He could have had a career in it if he hadn't have been... If the change hadn't have happened.

Shik had mentioned the love of dancing to his fellow students in the Colossal Crew but they had teased him, obviously unaware of the joyous freedom of movement. The team he was on really weren't his kind of people at all so he had decided to not mention it again, they'd not see him again once he became a full Legionnaire anyway.

Unselfconsciously, Shik in his altered form started to dance the routine he had learned for the Kingdom of the Shade scene... It was difficult in this form as hie alter form was not as limber as his human form, stretching his yeti-form's limits to their very maximum, but he knew after this his mind would be clear and he would get to sleep.

Tomorrow at the test he knew he would succeed and then the Legion would invite him to join them. He just knew it.

He had been here for six days now after all so it was surely overdue.



Kid Dynamo:

Ja Vlo of Dryad had been a brainwashed pawn in an attempted coup on Rimbor before coming here.

With his brother, one of their cousins and three friends who could each afford the treatments they had all chosen one of the League of Assassins to mimic the abilities of. He'd picked Titania. At the time it had made sense, that somehow by mimicking that bunch of losers they could make the natives of Dryad appear less mental... not that there was anyone on Dryad anymore, not since it was blown up by their sun going nova and all, still the scattered pockets of survivors all suffered from racial guilt that the Assassins used their home worlds death to attack Legion - the team that had rescued them.

Before that he had been a successful athlete, being top of his field in his age group for gymnastics. Until his bloody brother had suggested they use their inheritance to get bootleg gene-mods. Ja's had been okay really, better than some of the others anyway. He'd had his strength, durability and stamina all greatly increased and he now stood at 6 feet 5 inches tall and had the broadest shoulders he'd ever seen on someone his age. The girls loved him and in return Ja continually tried to share his love with them, given the chance.

One other positive side effect of the change was he now only needed two hours sleep a night, so he quickly crammed in some more computo-tutoring on interplanetary legal variances before he'd climb into his bed to get some rest before the endurance tests began. The studying part of being at the Academy was a shocker he had to admit, and he'd heard several students say the same so he was grateful not to be the only one that wasn't naturally academically brilliant here. He knew his cousin Mi, currently part of Cosmic Boy's training group, would love this as she could happily spend her days with her nose pressed up to a hard light screen. She also had an ability that was unique, able to temporarily neutralise meta-abilities so she's gloated that she would be much more likely to be offered Legion membership... they had plenty of strong men already. Yeah, maybe so, but Ja would do his best while he was here and you never know, he could well become the first human-stock from Dryad to make the Legion.

Now, if only that new-boy telepath hadn't used the code-name Ja had dreamed of since he was 9 years old it would all be good... Kid Dynamo was alright, but Titan would have been so much better! And with that thought Ja Vlo started to concentrate on the tutorial before him as it described the similarities and differences between Thanagarian Caste Laws and Venturan Casino rules.

The anti-energy Legionnaire Wildfire, for all his infamous bluster and hot-headedness, had been one of the keenest tutors at the old Academy.

For years now he had visited them whenever he had time even if he had not arranged to take a training session and had exhibited a natural gift at bringing out the best in those on his classes; his challenging approach often seemed to target the students that needed that extra motivation, while supporting those that were genuinely trying their best. Drake Burroughs had been both greatly admired and loathed in equal measure amongst the former students which was something, Lu thought, he should be proud of.

Of the twelve students that had joined Wildfire for this exercise six of them where his team, the Trailblazers, while the others were Rokk's group, the Team Cosmic.

Drake was happy to see that only one had vomited as they stepped through the force field screen into the hard vacuum of space. It was their first trans-suit experience, not that the members of his team needed one. In particular Drake was impressed by the ease shown by the gorilla that had just joined the Academy to replace her older brother who had died at Montauk Point.

Wildfire quickly shooshed the other students before they could ridicule the young man that now had sick stuck down his face and chest and sent him back into the docking bay to get cleaned up. As that student had originated from a planet where the populace lived exclusively underground, Drake had been pretty sure of that this would be the student's reaction on being faced with the endless vista of deep space, even before it happened. Wildfire sternly reminded the students that they each had strengths and weaknesses so before they judged their colleague too harshly they should consider their own flaws.

<So, you each have flight rings and've had basic anti-grav training so let's play a simple game. I want you to catch me, that's all! I won't go any further than two hundred metres from the surface of Legion World and you have thirty whole minutes to do it. The first one of you to keep hold of me for three straight seconds will win. Now..... go!>

And with that Wildfire blasted into the group of students and barrelled them aside like ten-pins. Drake Burroughs was enjoying himself thoroughly as he played the impromptu game with the students. He swung through a clumsy attempt to catch him and lightly blasted another student just enough to send them spinning out towards space. Drake realised that even though he had only been fulltime at the Academy on Legion World One for nine days now in that time he found he thought of Dawnstar and their recently ended relationship less and less, and already somehow didn't it seem quite as important to him.

If ever Drake Burroughs needed confirmation that he had made the right choice recently to leave the main team and take on a full time tutor's role at the Academy then he knew this was it.

Night Guard:


Silver Shaman:

It was his fifth day on this small planetoid and Shardwurd Gandussen of the Ten Peaks of the southernmost continent of Underside on Avalon was away to meet someone that would change his life in the most magnificent of ways only he didn't know it yet.

In the last ten years his home world had become aware that there were other peoples and races out amongst the sparkling skies above, yet as far as he was aware, he was the first to leave.

When his abilities had manifest themselves Eld Garunshea, the tribal elder that had adopted him after his parents had succumbed to the Illbog Fever many years before, had ensured that rumours of witch craft were quickly quashed. He was a healer, she had said to the scared villagers, someone they should approach with open arms and embrace. That had been almost two years ago and for a time he was pretty much left alone unless the villagers wanted his glowing touch to cure them of some malady. In which case they would usually approach his home under the anonymity of night with their requests. He had gladly assisted all that had come to his door until the Lord of the Deep Red Seas was brought there, severely wounded and hanging onto life by only the most tenuous of threads. Shardwurd had heard about how ruthless this man could be but despite his feelings of fear towards the lord his teenage daughter, with her big eyes so full of tears, had persuaded him to help. It had take a little under a day to fix the Lord's damaged organdie and sort his fractured bones, not enough that he would be joining the mid-summer chorus but more than enough that he could walk and talk and continue breathing with some ease for some time to come.

After that the requests for his assistance had become daily, hourly, non-stop and he found he started to hate his gifts, hate the attention he received as well hating the desperation and need that they brought out in those around him.

Then three months ago a visitor from a distant kingdom had arrived at his home urgently needing help after a nasty fall from a horse. This woman, in her initial delirium, said she was of a far away city that was the size of the Ten Peaks themselves and more. A city on the home world of his people... the original home world, not this distant reflection of its past... Metropolis... it sounded like a place to escape, a place where he could finally be free of the prying eyes and urgent requests, lost amongst the crowds and buildings that, she said, were taller than the Central Keep that backed upon to the Ice Fields. Shardwurd listened eagerly and after healing her had offered to join his guest back to her vessel, requesting transport to this strange and magical place. The woman, a planetary inspector for a mining corporation from the United Planets that had been sent to Avalon to try to make contact with the ruling classes, refused and apologised for filling his head with her tall tales. She told him she was leaving and he must forget her as he would not see her again. By midnight she would be on her ship to return to her distant fabulous city.

Shardwurd followed her after she left. She was not used to riding horseback so left an easy trail to follow and when he found her strange and glorious metal vessel hidden in a gulley the young healer had stowed away. They were twelve light years from his home world when he was discovered. Sharwurd had managed to lock himself in a storage unit and as the hours turned he had dozed off to sleep. His snoring had alerted one of the three man crew and he was brought up to the command deck in cuffs. The woman he had saved, Level Nine Facilitator Ergani Schwarz, had recognised him and cursed in a most unladylike manner. They could not turn around, they had been travelling for almost a day and had a strict deadline. Shardwurd begged to join them, his home was no longer a place he could stay. One of the two crew to this strange craft suggested leaving him in some rough port called Rimbor, but despite his agreement - anywhere would be better than Avalon surely - Ergani refused. She could only think of one place where one with his upbringing and strange gift would be both welcome and safe, she had said. During the six day long voyage back to Sol space she would not discuss it any further with the young healer. Instead he had a non-stop itinerary of dirty jobs to complete and a small bunk that he was allocated for eight in every twenty four hours.

The paperwork to have him allowed onto Earth took nearly eighteen days to complete. Ergani had to formally adopt Shardwurd for the process to finally be agreed. As soon as that was done the planetary inspector had applied for him to be introduced to the Legion Academy. His application took a further fifty five days from registration through to acceptance. In that time he had tried his hardest to learn the very basics of the wonderous technology around him, his sleep-tutor and computo-learning courses gave him an understanding of the wide and dangerous new universe that was now his home. Luornu Durgo-Taine had personally arrived to take Shardwurd away to the new Academy... Legion World One. She explained that his bio-kinetic abilities were unique and would make an amazing addition to their ranks. Ergani had tried to hide that she was crying when he left but told him he would be safe and respected amongst the Legion... though if he had any problems her door would always open for him.

Since arriving the tall young man with long silver hair had tried to join in at every turn, tried to make friends while studying in this most strange of places. He was proud that he had not fled the first time he met Tellus two days prior as the yellow monster had proven to have a most gentle nature. His politeness had been mocked by his fellow students but at least none had taken offence at his uncouth origin. His fellow Academy students had initially rallied protectively around him as they discovered he was from an Outer Rim Lo-Tec World yet as the days progressed several had found their own supporting groups so he began to feel isolated again. This strange floating island in the ocean of space did not share the same sense of community that his home town had and for the first time since leaving Avalon Shardwurd was beginning to have doubts about coming here...

And today, his fifth full day here and Element Lad alongside a team of Legionnaires were said to be planning on visiting. Several long hours later he finally got to meet these heroes that had the other students so excited. The Legion leader appeared arrogant to Shardwurd, there was something about him that reminded the healer of the Deep Red Sea Lord. The young man from Avalon was so distracted by the brightly clad Legionnaires that he almost missed the tall muscular man with glass over his eyes that stood a little behind the team of heroes.It was this man that was to alter the young healers life and it started with a simple question:

"Hi, I'm Doctor Shakespeare, I run the medical facilities over on Two. I've heard you're a bit of a healer yourself. If you're free would you like to come over to Two to visit our medical bays? Henry'll warp us there and back so you'll only be gone for an hour or so..."

Shardwurd Gandussen would be encouraged so greatly by the Legion's doctor, Nurse Sehpt and Counsellor Kabbo over the next hour and by seeing such miraculous things on that visit that it would inspire him for the rest of his long life to become a healer of legendary skill.

These are awesome, Harbinger! Silver Shaman and Bouncing Boy are my faves so far, and I feel like Yeti Boy is gonna be trouble...Looking forward to more!

This is amazing, Harbi! You have such a gift for creating original characters, and I love how you are letting us get to know them through vignettes and points of view. You really capture the feel of a diverse student program - I am in one now and I think you have it down pat, people have different skills, strengths, weaknesses, backgrounds, cultures and personalities and it comes gloriously together in your writing! And you also don't forget the six trainers, you have really pushed and enhanced their personalities so well. Lydda's tough love, Gim's niceness (he really is a nice guy!), Wildfire's sheer love for training, Cos' deep sense of personal responsibility, Yera's optimism (which is not something we saw in the canon, so a welcome addition), Lu's reluctance at taking charge coupled with her sheer competence when she does take charge.

As always, more, more, more!

Wow, an android from Zuun (Timber Wolf will freak!), someone from the purple/orange world of Pasnic, a 'dragon-girl' from Rimbor, some Dryad-refugees who used illegal gene-grafts to give themselves the powers of Neutrax and Titania, a Gil-Dishpan, some Winathians, a Naltorian, someone from Avalon, there's a ton of neat characters here, from all over the Legion-verse!

Very cool.

The Trailblazers and the Night Guard are my favorite squad names.

Thanks guys, a fair few of the students are based on previous students of mine - I won't say which though.

Raz - Yeti Boy is certainly precious, not sure about trouble really though lets see how he copes as the various chips are knocked off his shoulder. I like the new Bouncing Boy too.

IB - thank you! The students all have a view or understanding of why they are there and it's fun to put myself in their place and write it. I've written out vignettes for 14 of them and have the rest drafted roughly, though I'll be coming back to this in between arcs on LW proper so there is definitely more to come.

Set - good call regarding Ballistrix relationship with Brin, there are definite plans with that one, for instance why exactly did Bin's father think it was a good idea to irradiate him? Bloody bonkers behaviour if you ask me, but I'm going to be delving into Zuun's history after the first major arc in LW5 so it'll all make a bit more sense when I get to it. As my current plans stand now Zunn is a very, very strange place!

Thanks again, greatly appreciate your kind words.

C

Harbinger I love this idea and seeing the academy! i had hoped we would see more of the academy i just hadn't realized it would its own story! so great job there.

The six cadets per instructor reminds me of how New X-Men: Academy X did it a few years back and i always thought that was an interesting. Get a good mix of students and how they have to work together and with their respective mentors.

Everyone has said so many great things and i agree with all of them and i'm excited to see the cadets perform and get along or not.

the Night Guard is a pretty cool name and i like Lydda's teaching style and her answer about there not really being an answer. She just wants to push them to their limit and see what they can come up with and she makes a great point that the Legion will need them to be as resilient and self sufficient as can be.
Wildfire makes a really good teacher it seems and i like that he's moving on from Dawnstar.

I like the use of the first person perspective for some of the cadets vignettes.

Cadet:
Its interesting to see how many cadets there are who don't require a lot of sleep.
Ballistix and her brain hemisphere's only needing two hours each was a neat wrinkle. I wonder what her reasons for coming to the Legion are though. She supper head strong right off the bat and i can see her rubbing people wrong.

Dragon Lass is cute and had a really cute story. She's gonna be the cheerleader i can just feel it. Her and her friend Sheesa seem like really good friends. i hope they don't lose touch. Her advice was great.

Gord Eno and his self fulfilling prophesy is interesting. I hope he doesn't psych himself out too much though. what made him try out though?
Hi being the oldest and called old father time is funny.

I like Bouncing Boy II. I like that you used a different way for that power to work and that it wasn't just a retread of Chuck's power. I also really liked your moments with him and Lu and how he made her smile. I can't wait to learn what his sphere can really do.

I'm looking forward to the Gil'Dishpan and seeing how it does on the team. I've only seen them as villains so this will definitely be a different take.

Yeti Boy is supper eager and i can see him clashing with people because of his ego. His journey could spell a lot of trouble. I like that he has goals i just think the attitude may be a problem for him. love his look though and a giant Yeti doing ballet was really an entertaining thought.

Kid Dynamo has some good potential and i wonder if his gene mod brings with it anything else besides the power of Titania. Another who doesn't need sleep. he might watch out as that could mean all night monitor duty. lol

Silver Shawman's story is very tragic and it was sad to see him leave his world like that simply because he couldn't just be. But i wonder how he'll deal with life in the Legion as it has the same aspect. Also a healer is great and i think him and Infectious lass could be a really interesting team up. Keep up the good work and can'twait for LW5 and the next installment of your academy kids.

Team Cosmic:


Kid Crush:

Gooshi Dreffergoff had never felt so excited!

Since leaving the Science Asteroid settlements she had visited Mars Mons Olympos Central Shopping Mall, Metropolis' Arcade Alpha on Earth and most impressive of all - and surprising herself it was nothing to do with shopping - She had met real live Legionnaires! Real ones, like real... Breathing... In The Flesh... Legionnaires! Her old class at the Science Asteroid Polytechnic College for Further Education for All Sentients would be so jealous.

Gooshi had been so excited when she had been introduced to the tutors at the Academy she had grinned like an idiot the whole time. And several had smiled back at her. Gooshi knew she would cherish these memories for the whole of her life!

She didn't care if her teammates thought she was an idiot. She. Had. Met. REAL. Legionnaires.

She had been assigned to Rokk Krinn's training team. They were calling themselves Team Cosmic and she had initially liked the rest of the team. Of course she wasn't sure if any of the team - herself excluded of course - were real Legionnaire material, but they seemed pleasant enough. Maybe one or two were a bit smug... Though none seemed to appreciate how simply amazing it was to be here. Perhaps, she mused, they had been slightly confused by her looks, people often were. Despite being 16 standard she looked to be about ten: Still short, without a woman's figure and she had her hair in three pony tails. She thought she looked great so didn't care if the rest of them were not so excited by appearance. Her red and gold costume with high collar would be all the rage back home.

Gooshi thought about the team she had been placed into and decided that really they were an odd bunch who seemed to take these early training exercises so seriously... the fighting class had involved real fighting... sorry, she had been told to call it 'combat'... anyway, today that combat training had hurt her knuckles but she had still smiled even when they had really ached! Which was more than the mopey Nemesis Girl ever did.

Well, tomorrow Team Cosmic were going to get another day with the dreamy Rokk Krinn. She'd show the team when she used her abilities, her high-gravity field generating abilities gave her all the power she would need to get into the Legion.

It was going to be so much fun that Gooshi that could hardly wait.

She was just so excited!


Nemesis Girl

Mi Pra of Dryad was tired and irritated.

Her teammates irritated her for the most part and she was not really renowned for her patience.

Her cousins, Ja and Ke had only asked her to join in their misadventure as she had more money than the rest of them. She was well aware they didn't really like her, that's why when the gene-mods were introduced she had chosen Neutrax to base hers on. No-one wanted to be Neutrax, what a boring villain he had been. still, the group had been less that as grateful than she had expected when she's taken that one for the team. They never were...

She had spent yesterday happily esconced in a library nook learning about variances in interplanetary law - it had been fascinating! But then today they had a day of learning how to fight with their fists and elbows and knees and feet. she had joked that if she lifted her visor that would be all that the rest of them would be able to do, she had been joking as she wouldn't really want to neutralise their abilities, even temporarily but none of the group had laughed. They were such a sappy bunch. Training today had not been as enjoyable as yesterday. She wonderd if there was a way she could get out of the physical exercises that Cosmic Boy had insisted they do at least every other day...

Still, she may have had the worst score today but the day before she was top of the class... focus on the good... she repeated this mantra to herself... focus on the good... but her thoughts kept going back to the fat bore from Banamil that had laughed after he had thrown her three times on the trot. Of course he was going to beat her, she wasn't going to dirty her hands touching someone who sweated as much as that!

Well, tomorrow would be another day and she could get back on top of the leader board again. And if not there would be plenty of opportunities after that to get there. Mi was patient as she knew they would all see her truth worth eventually, she just hoped she wouldn't have to put up with the rest of her team for too long.

Yera looked at the scores from the tests her class had held over the last two days and she wasn't surprised to read that not one of them had a perfect score.

At this stage, Lydda had assured her, they weren't polished enough to see the bigger picture. Lydda had told her that not many students ever did get the perfect score... They were being scored on their interactions as much as their individual actions but would not be informed of this. The Academy had to show that potential members would slot right into the fast moving lives of the Legionnaires, the team would offer new members a three month mentorship if they made it in but after that it would be expected that the former student would be fully intergrated.

Still, Yera liked her kids. She had the odd-ball bunch Gim said. He had been given the physical students, Rokk had the energy projecters, Drake had the ones that could endure space unaided, Lydda had the students that they expected to take up support roles or be placed in the Science Police, Luornu took charge of the five remaining senior students, and Yera had been given the ones that didn't quite fit into any of those categories but had been assessed as needing support to be more valuable members of society.

And she loved them!

Gim came back to their quarters at night with bruises from never-ending combat training sessions and tales of stepping in between arguing students and clashing egos meanwhile Yera had spent that same day teaching her team how to follow people in a crowd without being seen and they had laughed as they role played each scenario. When Wendl and Josha of Winath had asked why they were learning to act, not fight, she had given them a history lesson of the Espionage Squad and told them that 50% of the Legionnaire's actual job was being a role-model so they had to learn to fake it to make it... the kids had all laughed along with her and thrown themselves into the next exercise.

Tomorrow the training rota said Gim had her team for day of mandatory martial arts and crowd control classes and Yera would have his bunch to train in espionage techniques.

Gim's team were all so serious, she would have to think of a game to loosen them up first... they would need to learn to fail and not take it too seriously, laugh at their failures as they picked themselves up, before they would ever succeed in any of her classes. That was a life lesson she hoped they could take with them whether or not they made the main team.

...She had it!

Tomorrow she would get them each to show a physical skill to the others from their lives before the Academy and ask their teammates to copy it. She knew from the apartment surveillance holos Gim had shared that Yeti Boy was a decent ballet dancer so she'd save that for last. It would be funny to see the oh-so-serious Colossal Crew try to copy some of the moves that boy could pull off.

Well, she thought with a mischievous grin, if the students didn't enjoy it at least she knew she would...

Solar Gorilla

D'Nadka Endarooga knew the other students hated her code name and if truth were ever to be told so did she but just couldn't think of another name that would serve her as well. She could generate immense heat and light, much like Sun Boy. She had never wanted to be a hero. After the accident that gave her and her sisters their abilities she had wanted to hide away, throw herself into research on some distant asteroid somewhere and figure out how to get rid of her powers. Her older sister, k'Lami had immediately applied to the old Legion Academy at Montauk Point where she had by all accounts been a prize student. The Daughters of Black Adam had murdered her when they had destroyed the Academy.

The High Council had voted and decided that a meta-descendant of their Gorilla Knights should represent Gorilla City from their new homeworld of Dmansca, the humans were not the only race from Terra that had reached the stars and they wanted the United Planets to remember this. As D'Nadka's younger sister was too young to leave there was only one choice.

And here she was.

The Legionnaires, in particular Duplicate Girl and Night Girl, had expressed their condolences over her sisters death. Luornu had shared several stories of K'Lami's time as a student. Lydda had simply hugged D'Nadka. Both were appreciated. Both the Legionnaires had shown a genuine warmth she had not expected, the solitary gorilla in the Academy had thought that they would be more battle weary and jaded.

She didn't think the Legion would ever really accept her, she could do what Sun boy did but without his experience. But still... If after everything they had been through they could take the time to recognise her grief, show her that compassion when they didn't need to... Well, maybe she wouldn't be a full fledged Legionnaire but she could still take the chance to learn from them. Maybe she could join up with the other students whose abilities duplicated the Legionnaires and they could form their own team and in time inspire others like she had been. Now, if only she could think of a better code name!

Now that was something she could aspire to!


Tectonik:

Hardal of Granite Falls on Mondriak iv was used to being encased in rock.

His people were subterranean by nature, created by genetic tampering several hundred years ago when they settled on their distant world. They were generally shorter than standard human stock, though broader, stronger too... They also hated bright lights but had a much sharper sense of smell. None of which were reason enough to get him a place here at the Academy, though his geo-kinesis was the best of his kind and that definitely earned him a place. At his best Tectonik could moves hundred of tons of natural earth and rocks in minutes.

His apartment had been modified to his specifications: four small compact rooms hewn from the natural rock of the planetoid that the Academy was housed in. He hadn't invited any of his classmates back as he imagined they would all prefer space and light and all those things he thought of as unnatural and unnecessary and often unpleasant. One of the Trailblazers was said to even had an apartment with its own air lock supposedly so they could fly out into space when they needed to. Now that was just weird to Hardal.

He'd tried to cope with space... That big empty lack of anything remotely solid that made up the majority of the universe, but his mind balked. He'd thrown up the other day when Wildfire had taken him outside the asteroid for a training exercise. It was just so wrong! All that nothingness and emptiness was just wrong...

Actually, Wildfire had been really decent about it and come to speak to Hadral after the exercise was over, the former Legionnaire had even apologised for taking him out there without checking first. That was cool of him. Creepy Krinn hadn't mentioned it in any of the classes since but he must have known, the tutors must be talking about their classes to each other. Did Krinn think he was a loser? Was that why he hadn't mentioned it?

Hardal didn't like Rokk Krinn.

The girls fawned over him and the former Legionnaire didn't stop them, he pretended not to notice but secretly the student knew the Braalian loved it... even though his fiancé was here too. The Braalian was an ego-tripper, he probably wasn't even very good as a legionnaire... Hot zone was saying the Legion were always producing phony news to hype their funding, he could see someone like Krinn being involved with that. Hardal wished he was on Wildfires team, or Luornu Durgos senior student class, though knew he'd have to suck it up for now.

If he studied hard perhaps they promote him quickly and he could get away from bloody Rokk Krinn. The arrogant tosser.

M'Rissey had a lecture to give to the whole student body in four days time on business management.

It was a one off tutorial that they were mandated to attend and he was super nervous as from what he'd seen of the students so far they were a mixed bunch. Still he had started his Holo-Point presentation and had written out 61 slides so far. It was really exciting as it included the different tax bindings Meta- beings could claim from their expenses on seven UP worlds so far. He knew that the students would be grateful he'd taken the time to explain that as everyone loved knowing the tax laws, it made life so much easier! And, while he thought about it, he must write something about insurance liability and how there were ways around paying top-credit premiums if one were on different planets. Oh, that was such a good idea... Oh, oh, and while he remembered it he must include the nugget he'd put into place when he joined the staff here about claiming back expenses of costume cleaning after helping with any incident involving Terran residents...

The ding-dong of his door chime made the business manager jump!

His heart raced as he checked the holo screen by the door and sawit was Luornu. He asked the door to iris open and smiled as she strode in.

"How are you M'Rissey? Settling in well with the students?"

"Hey Lu... Yeah, they're a good bunch. I'm just preparing a presentation on good business management for them, they'll love it." his smile shone with his eagerness of the subject matter. Lu smiled back in return.

"I'm just checking in with you as Gim said you'd missed your last two personal training sessions. Is everything alright?"

"Ah... Yes.... You see, I meant to apologise to Gim for that but... Ah... Well, it's just..." he blushed furiously and desperately looked around his apartment for some reasonable excuse to present itself to him. He had attended one class, been thrown around and embarrassed by the former Legionnaire so never returned for any further physical humiliation. He did have reports to write, audits to investigate and tax returns to complete after all. He was just as important as all of Gim Allon's muscles to the running of this place, didn't they know?

"It's okay... Gim is a former Science Police officer so he can be a bit rough. Your skills are far more cerebral so how about, if it makes it easier for you I take on your training and you can build up to tackling Gim sometime in the future?" Triplicate Girl smiled warmly as she made her offer.

M'Rissey, still blushing like a beacon, nodded and muttered his thanks.

"I'll tell Gim that you had reports to run for me so that's why you missed his classes and that your rota clashes for the next few weeks so I'll be taking over your basic self defence training, okay? Just do me a favour and apologise to him, okay?"

He muttered that he would and Luornu thanked him and said she'd leave him in peace now, though would see him at 0700 in the gym on level 16.

After the door closed behind her she walked ten feet along the corridor before looking back to make sure he hadn't followed her out. Once she had checked she held her flight ring up and a holo of Gim Allon popped into the air.

"Was I right Lu?"

"Yup, poor kid's terrified of you. I'm taking over his training for the foreseeable."

"Okay, thanks... And sorry about that, I honestly thought he'd at least know some basics before coming to class."

"Was he that bad Gim?"

"You have no idea Lu, Antennae Lad could beat him up with one hand tied behind his back..."

Magno Lass:

Rokk Krinn was her tutor!

That was the thought that went through Josi Rista's mind at least 1,000 times a day. Her home planets one good claim to fame, Rokk Krinn's the Legion founder and hero of the galaxy was her tutor! She knew her magnokinetic abilities put her in the top 0.25% of Braalians, even placing her above Cosmic Boy, but she needed to learn how to use them better... Just yesterday she had dropped the ball when on a skill test, she hadn't thought quickly enough how to move the wooden handle of the antique Mardru Tech that she had been tasked to strip and reassemble. It was more of a challenge than she had expected as everything on Braalians had at least one bit of iron in it, apart from toilet paper and food... And given the taste of some of her mothers cooking she wasn't sure about the latter. It was an old joke but it made her smile.

She had been brought up watching footage of her tutor as a member of the Legion, as had her entire generation, so she had memorised all the feats he had accomplished and moves he'd used to get around the problems he'd encountered. She had learned and applied each one and when she had thought there couldn't be anything else to learn the Academy threw tests at her that totally flummoxed her but in hindsight she could have dealt with.

Like... Nemesis Girl was such a drain! She was the most dreary member of the team who seemed to enjoy sucking the happiness out of every situation. How were the students supposed to learn when they had a walking talking cloud of doom in the class with them every day? And Tectonik could have surgery to sort out his nose, Josi thought he looked like he had been running for a bus and it stopped! If the earth mover wanted to be a Legionnaire then he'd have to look at the image he portrayed, seriously what a ghastly sight!

Her daddy had always told her that her prettiness would make others jealous but she wanted to use it as an example to others, what they could look like if they only put in some effort. She got up thirty minutes before the rest of her team every single day so she could prepare for the day. Why didn't they put in the extra effort? And when she thought about it, as a top flight celebrity hero sports champion why was Rokk with that wooden head Lydda Jath? Night Girl looked like she'd never heard of a derma-primer! Josi knew Rokk Krinn could do better if only he'd allow himself to. Even her team mates had commented that he looked at her differently, fonder than he did to the others. Rokk Krinn would see the error of his ways soon if she just kept on going... He must know there were other options available...

And every day she would get up early to put in the effort to make sure he knew that the better option was sat right in front of him.



Polar Girl:

Mel Lassar of Tharr loved being here at the Legion Academy.

Ever since Brek Bannin had went back to their homeworld, and according to local gossip had thrown himself around every dive bar and brothel on the planet since returning, she had known that it was her time to take to the spotlight and go out into the wider universe to be famous. She was top of her class back home for her cyrokinesis and smart enough to pass the academy entrance questionnaire. Her teammates might tease her for being short but she was going to make sure that when the history of the Legion was writ she would be front and centre of it!

She thought about her classmates. The only one that may be a challenge if it came to a spot on her team would be Mago Lass. The rest either had abilities that already matched Legionnaires or their attitudes stunk. Mel knew she had a shot and so she had quietly mentioned to her main competition on the team that she thought their tutor appeared keen on her. Such a simple little lie that made Magno Lasses eyes widen. After that the Braalian student had appeared at classes with that little bit more make-up, her hair freshly brushed, and all the while she looked like a stupid girl in front of her classmates and tutor it meant Mel had a better chance of getting membership.

Mel Lassar had wanted to be a Legionnaire for so long that she wasn't going to let a simple thing like her classmates stand in the way of her getting her dream. She would have her time in the spotlight, one way or another...

Hey Omni, sorry for not replying earlier to your kind post above.

You are right that I kind of stole the idea of teams of six for the training squads from the X-books, it's a good number so I can build up the cliques and social groups bit by bit rather than working out all thirty students immediately.

Also, the training style of each of the tutors will be different so I'm happy you liked Lydda's approach - she fun to write so I'm enjoying thinking of scenarios for her.

Thank you for your individual thoughts on each of the students, they will be a very varied bunch so hopefully you'll keep on digging them. I hadn't thought of putting Silver Shaman with Drura, that would be interesting! I'll see what I can come up with to do them justice.

Thanks again, always appreciate your feedback.

C

I love all these students! Solar Gorilla is a nice callback to the destruction of the original Academy, and I like her realisation that the Legionnaires were more compassionate than she'd have expected. I like Tectonik and Magno Lass seeing Rokk in completely different ways (and I have to admit, I kind of like the irony of Lydda having to deal with someone who has a crush on Rokk that borders on the creepy)...Polar Girl seems to have Brek's ambition without the humility he had when he started; I kind of feel like she will end up being a good hero but she'll need to learn something along the way about how to be a good person. Everyone thus far has a sense of being really three-dimensional individuals with different personalities and motivations

On another note, it's also really cool seeing the Legionnaires in mentor roles; Lu being a natural at it, Yera's enjoyment of it all...this series reminds me of the Adventure series that spotlighted the last Academy class with Chemical Kid, Dragonwing et al...it's a really good way of exploring the Legion's universe from a different perspective!

Wow! Amazing work, Harbi. You really write these characters so well, they are so much like real students! All that potential for interpersonal conflict, I love how they all have such different motivations... and some sneaky tricks (Polar Girl, eek!). And M'Rissey, even, what a treat. And I got a laugh out of Tectonik's dislike for Cos, and Magno Lass' attempts to oust Lydda!

And again, the six trainer Legionnaires. You really characterize them so well.

Harbinger another great batch of installments. I'm liking all of the cadets. But a couple are in the i love to hate them vain. lol. I have to say i find it interesting that Team Cosmic has some very self assured members.
Also it seems none of the energy casters want to get physical. So i like that your putting them through the rings.

this was my favorite explanation of how the academy works!"

"At this stage, Lydda had assured her, they weren't polished enough to see the bigger picture. Lydda had told her that not many students ever did get the perfect score... They were being scored on their interactions as much as their individual actions but would not be informed of this. The Academy had to show that potential members would slot right into the fast moving lives of the Legionnaires, the team would offer new members a three month mentor-ship if they made it in but after that it would be expected that the former student would be fully intergrated."

and i like how you broke the students down to each of the instructors. It makes sense to break them up that way.
I do have a question about the security cameras in the student's rooms. is that common practice or something new? i honestly don't know how i feel about it. is there sound to the videos? It just feels like a big invasion of privacy.

I love Yera a mentor. Her game was really inventive and i like that her first thought with such a serious squad was to make them be silly. I also love that she got the good ball squad. She's going to make such a great mentor. You've really given her a voice that is so strong. I liked that she made it clear that part of being a Legionnaire is about being a role model. its really interesting especially with whats going on with the main team and how their perception isn't always the greatest. (ie the backlash) i like the fake it till you make it advice but for some of these cadets i could see that being a big problem down the road weather its for their own mental health and the team's image. i could see some of them going out of control if they had to pretend who they were for too long.

She really is playing to her strengths and love it. her life lesson is so true. Laugh it off to pick yourself up. i wish it was something i found easy to do. So great parable!

i love that Gim is getting the tossed around. its a funny image when ever it happens.


Kid Crush: Gooshi Dreffergoff is cute i like that she smiles no matter what even though her bruised and bleeding knuckles. Is her look the standard for planet? do they have extended life making them reach maturity later?
she seems super cute and i enjoy her energy. I think her and Nemesis Girl are either going to find some weird common ground or be bitter enemies.

Nemesis Girl: Mi Pra of Dryad - i don't know how i feel with her. she seems like she wants to try but has no interest in people...so it makes me wonder why she came to the academy. if you have no patience for people i could see her disregard some key elements to this life style particularly the teamwork aspect. But i wonder if its just because of her treatment by her cousins or if its because she's wealthy?

Solar Gorilla: D'Nadka Endarooga. i really like when you introduce these societies from DC cannon. It makes sense that so may of these cultures would leave Earth. Lexion's one of my faves and i can see Solar gorilla being a new favorite. i agree its a horrible name and i also like how you brought it back to the academy and her sister. it was so sa. i'm glad she's stepping forward to honor her sister and i hop in the process she really learns to shine(pun intended :P) and accept her abilities as a gift and have confidence.
I'm glad that she was so warmed by the Legion mentor's compassion and it helped start her change for the better and i like the idea about another team of hears who duplicate the Legion's powers would be cool.

Tectonik:Hardal of Granite Falls on Mondriak iv. a subterranean species is really good. i haven't seen too many of those represented anywhere. his getting sick was amusing and i liked that Wildfire came to apologize. Geo-kinetics i love it. and it makes total sense. its interesting that he doesn't like Rokk at all. the what is it about him that he hates? usually when someone hates some like that off the bat its because of either jealousy or they see something in that person that they relate to themselves and hate about themselves.

M'Rissey: i'm really glad that you have included him. he honestly made me smile with how into his presentations he was getting and how much he just wanted to share his information with the team. his not wanting to do combat training makes sense and wanted to share his information with his fellow students. it was sad to see that he was terrified of Gim and i hope they can work it out.

Magno Lass: Josi Rista i honestly don't like her. her attitude was something that i just the entire time i was reading i wanted to smack sense into her. thinking Tectonik needed a nose job was rude. i hope Lydda knocks her on her nass.

Polar Girl: Mel Lassar of Tharr i love hate her. like her tactics to a point but i think she may have to be humbled a bit. and it makes her seem less like the best and insecure.,but still like her her. i want her to prove she's the best because she is the best. ( i have a soft spot for cryo casters.)

can't wait for more harbinger!

Omni just reminded me - I was a bit taken aback by the quarters being monitored as well, but I think it could also be a clever way of showing the change in social mores that can happen over a thousand years....We are more monitored now in society than we were 100 years ago, it makes sense that might continue to be the case as time goes by and technology becomes less visibly obtrusive. And like finding out in the reboot Legion about vegetarianism being the norm, maybe by this point in time nobody even bats an eyelid about big brother knowing their every move because for them it's always been that way...

The Night Guard:

Kid Nimbus was tired.

Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth was unique amongst the team who had enhancements to mimic the League of Assassins abilities. His family had not been settlers on the dead world, they had been merchants that had been caught up in the exodus when their sun went nova. His fathers were suppliers of grain and seed, bringing new crops to the rim worlds settlements. When the arc ships had fled that star system his fathers had followed the refugees flotilla and joined them on their new planet in the nearby system of Kafferty Minor. As the shocked refugees got to grips with their new situation his fathers had established a trading point where they took charge of the influx of merchants and hawkers that decided the desperate folks that had survived Dryads death were an easy mark. Within three years his fathers had went from outsider merchants to pillars of the community and he had become one of the most popular kids on their settlement.

Those had been the happiest days, when he had people who looked up to him and his family.

He had chosen Mist Master to emulate only because Kendall liked the colour green. His dreadlocks were dyed that colour so it had seemed like an easy choice. He had never expected them to go through with it and chase down a bio-sculptor and gene-surgeon that could give them these abilities, not really. It was just a fun adventure for six kids with bulging bank balances on an epic quest that would involve lots of stories to tell to their grandchildren, that was all, he thought.

It had taken a huge amount of credits and eight months of prodding and poking and experimenting but eventually they had all gotten what the asked for, kind of.

And now with a thought he could assume a gaseous form...

He didn't really like his ability, it was sneaky and couldn't really help that much... Not really. Still, they had their quest, they would make up for the bloody League of Assassin's mistakes and the survivors from Dryad could hold their heads up high with pride. Which was all fine and dandy until they arrived in the Inner Systems and found no-one cared about the League or their poor actions. The six kids had blown their inheritance on abilities that half of them didn't really want to prove a point no-one else cared about. Kendall actually found the irony hilarious, though his friends hadn't shared his opinion. Now it seemed they were even more driven to prove themselves as heroes, prove that their stupidity was worth the expense...

Kendall Mekensy- Wolff the fifth would not let his friends down, he had made it this far after all, but he knew in his heart that out there in the wider galaxy there was a kid who deserved this opportunity more than he did. So, for their sake, whoever that unknown untrained meta was, he threw himself into the training and tried his best to achieve everything he could. If his fathers had taught him one thing in his life it was to do his best for others, and from those actions one would reap the best results.

Kendall would do his best even though he thought he had a silly super power, even though he felt a bit like a phony saying he wanted this to make up for the Assassin's, even though it wouldn't necessarily achieve anything. He would do this as it was the right thing to do for those around him.

But boy, was it ever tiring!

Yera laughed!

Rokk was recounting a tale of the Legion from not long after the team had first taken recruits that had involved Gim crashing through a building while chasing some thief or another, only to realise that the thief had actually hid and doubled back so the team had needed to spend the three days trying to fix the damaged building and Brande had used a sack-full of mega credits to get their public relations disaster sorted out. Lyle had caught the robber two roads along at least, while Gim brushed ferro-concrete dust from his hair and apologised to the family whose apartment he'd just trashed unnecessarily.

"I don't think any of us would pass the Academy training had it existed and we were to have tried out for it back then. Our only criteria back then was they needed to have a decent ability and Irma not being freaked out by whatever she saw in an applicants mind. We didn't even get the Science Police to check potential members out, can you believe it?"

They both laughed.

"Gim's struggling, isn't he?" Rokk had a soft smile on his face but his eyes were hard as he asked.

"Yeah... yeah the poor man doesn't have their respect yet. They are a tough bunch, the Colossal Crew. All trying so hard to be better than their team mates. A couple are fine but... phah! I'm glad I've got my team rather than his."

"Yeah, me too. Mine are okay, though a couple of the girls are trying my patience... I'm tempted to set Lydda on them to tell the truth."

They laughed again.

"You're a cruel man Rokk Krinn." Yera said with a huge smile. "Do you miss being a Legionnaire? I mean, you've done that your whole life, being a teacher is something entirely different surely?"

"Yup, it is, and I'm really enjoying it Yera, it's good to try something new. You're loving being here, aren't you?"

"Oh Sacred Egg, yes! It's a relief to be honest. I enjoyed acting, it was fun, though this seems to be another level up from that... like, it's fun and it's useful."

They both smiled.

"You've given your class a basic espionage training session, haven't you?" The Braalian asked.

"Of course, they were great, I was really impressed by their grasp of basics." The Durlan smiled proudly.

"Do you want to do something for my team? I mean, I'll take yours for the day if you take mine?"

"Sounds like a laugh... I have a great idea to test them too, watcha think?" As Rokk looked at his Durlan friend her skin spun and changed until his mirror image sat before him.

"Let's see if they even notice the difference, eh?" She said in his baritone voice.

"Yera, you are a constant surprise..." Rokk said with genuine pleaure.

"That's what Gim keeps telling me too." She said with a giggle.

"Yeah... though... you being me doesn't have to be one you share with him." Rokk said, suddenly serious.

"Oh don't worry, we got that out of our systems years ago."

This time when Yera laughed louder and Rokk Krinn wasn't sure whether or not to join in.

The Trailblazers:


Strobe:

Denal Lort of Dryad loved it here at the Academy.

Of all the students from Dryad he had settled in the quickest and was happiest being here amongst the other students. In part he knew that was because he had the Legionnaire he had always idolised as his squads tutor. He was being taught by Wildfire! If ever there was an all time favourite Legionnaire... amongst the many good and great heroes that had earned a flight ring it was Wildfire that Denal had admired the most.

He had chosen to mimic Lazon of the League of Assassins purely so he could assume an energy form, which was a close as he would ever get to Wildfire's form, which was actually anti-energy he knew but still, it was close enough. Denal realised that meant the two would be an explosive combination together... Denel had hero worshipped his mentor for as long as he could remember! Kendall had teased him about being an anti-energy perv... they had fallen out over that, something the two of them had never done before. Did his planetmates not understand? He had the coolest tutor, that was all, and if there was one Legionnaire to emulate it was him.

Wildfire! The student called Strobe thought the Legionnaire had the coolest name, the best outfit with that mysterious visor and winged star logo... And Denal had that former Legionnaire as his mentor. Was it any wonder the young man who wanted one day to be a hero called Strobe was the happiest of his group of friends from the distant dead world of Dryad?



Ergus Atomsmasher

The being called Ergus did not understand the need for names. They confused it but still it had agreed to follow the humans convention for having an individual form of denomination. Its own race had no need for such things. They recognised each other in their family pod by the radiation trail they emitted as they flew.

It had been given living quarters that opened directly onto space so it would be able to access the solar winds that fed it and for that it was grateful. The human race needed atmospheric protection from the great depths of open space but Ergus came from a race that danced amongst these wonderful places. It's race were called the Wraithcats by the humans. Not that they looked anything like cats, they had no limbs to speak really only a few sensory nodules along the back of its sinuous tubular body with a head of sorts at one end with two pointed sensory nodes and three long whip like tails at the other, but they moved in a sensual manner as the flew between the stars and that was the similarity, or so Ergus had been told.

Humans had learned to communicate with the Wraithcats over a century ago and the two species had a cordial, if rare, relationship if they ever met. A Xeno-anthropologist had studied Ergus' family pod as they swam the cosmic routes around Betelgeuse and the Wraithcats had learned as much from her as she had from them. The Wraithcat species were superstitiously seen as a lucky omen by a large percentage of the beings that navigated between stars as their large family pods danced in the ultimate vacuum absorbing the radiation that other beings found so toxic to feed themselves. It had also learned that just as often though they could be referred to as simple beasts... as the Wraithcats needed no technology and spaceships that those beings had to use to move between stars the ignorant amongst humanity assumed Wraithcats were somehow lesser beings.

Ergus Atomsmather had also learned about the Legion's existence from the same xeno-anthropologist and from that point it knew then that they would introduce it to the path it needed to follow if it ever wanted to understand the beings who inhabited the planetary bodies.

After encountering the Xeno-anthropologist Ergus had had an epiphany of sorts and knew its role was to understand the strange beings that wrapped themselves in metal and unnatural energy fields to travel from their world's. Ergus had wanted to know more while its pod-kin were more intrigued by chasing comets and playing within planetary rings.

The Wraithcats had an image projecting and receiving form of telepathy that made communication possible, if sometimes confusing. The Wraithcat's senses encompassed far more of the electromagnetic spectrum that human eye could interpret leading to confusion for the almost-blind humans. With the introduction of Brainiac 5's artificial voice modulator attachment the Wraithcat and the soft bodied beings it was surrounded by here within the Academy could communicate with far less confusion.

These humans and their strange reliance on gravity and atmospheres and metal and technology were a wondrous race that Ergus would enjoy learning about while showing them that Wraithcats were a species of being equally worthy of their respect. Ergus' species might be few and far between but they could manipulate energy fields and had senses more precise than most beings. Adapted to the hard vacuum in space their bodies were as tough as diamond, yet nimble and swift and able to match the background radiation of their location so become effectively invisible... smart, tough, swift, psychic and stealthy. The Wraithcats were a rare breed of cosmic being that were seen as legends by many, and Ergus planned on becoming exactly that as a Legionnaire.

Ergus had not realised but from its initial inquiry into attending the academy it had been a front runner all the way for fast forwarding into the main team.

Colossal Boy needed advice.

His team were not working well together. They were too over competitive and unwilling to let their guards down amongst each other, other than Bouncing Boy and occasionally Dragon Lass they barely spoke to each other as they focussed on their singular goal of gaining membership of the Legion. With their attitudes they would never get that far, but they each had such potential that it was a waste to give them this training then watch them leave the academy with the best option available being to join the Science Police special squads...

Gim could see what was happening with the main team; in the last year the membership had more than doubled and it was clear there were plans afoot to increase the remit of the Legion as they left Sol system. He had to get the students up to speed quickly as they could miss their chance very soon if they let this slip.

He had set up a pre- and post-training session huddle where the team would discuss what they expected from the day and then what they had learned. He had ensured they knew that their team work was being monitored by him during their sessions. He had calmly explained and he had shouted in anger. He still felt like he was banging his head on a plasteel wall. To add to the problem Yera laughed about how much fun her class had each day. Every. Single. Day... Yera loved it here while Gim contemplated how much a failure he was that he couldn't even look after six students.

The Legion needed new blood who wouldn't rock the boat when they joined, especially now as they moved out into the wider galaxy and whatever lay beyond. And his team simply weren't up to it.

Gim needed advice badly.

Lydda smiled sagely as he asked her for any tips she could offer to help him get on top of the situation.

"Kick their asses Allon, make them know that by being so selfish they are just another bunch of wannabe dicks and you don't need to waste your time on them... you can have fun with them but not until they earn your respect. They need to earn yours, not you there's. Remain calm, consistent and cold... that was what Lu taught me when I joined the staff here."

"That's tough Lydda... Surely... I mean that's what the Space Programme at the Science Police academy was like back in the day but even they've stopped it as..."

"Listen Gim, we had almost five thousand applicants for this semester and if your guys won't cut it then kick 'em out and get another class in. Okay? ...go ask Lu, if you doubt me." Lydda smiled again.

Gim Allon was silent for a moment before nodding. "Okay... Though perhaps I need a quick tutorial on tutoring as Yera's team seem to have fun, your guys are getting on well, Rokks team are okay... Am I doing something wrong?"

"You're too nice is what. So we both know the main team has big personalities that can clash but they know they're on the same side. If a situation comes up they are mature enough to unite to deal with it. Your students don't get that yet. Kick their butts Gim. Kick them hard. Then kick 'em again until they get it. Make them have a common purpose and unite like professionals or get rid and get another. Lay in the line to them, shape up or go away. Sorry but that's what I'd do."

Gim knew Lydda was right, it was perhaps a bit blunter but still exactly the same advice that both Rokk and Lu had given him earlier.

Ultra Girl:

Li Fahn Qiong had not originally chosen the name Ultra Girl for herself, she was going to be Meteor! That had been her idea but after her abilities had been tested by the Xanthuan Science Department they had commented that like the deceased Legionnaire she was strongest when she focused her Red Energy into one purpose at a time.

When she wanted to go fast she channelled the energy to carry her in a certain direction and she glowed brilliantly - like a meteor - as she sped. She had learned quickly that if she used the energy to boost her strength then she would need to visualise it bracing her as well so she wouldn't get thrown aside by her own endeavours, the same when she tried to project blasts of the energy or harnessing it to become invulnerable to outside forces. She was still learning though and it was getting easier each time she used it.

Today in class she had tried to use her powers to lift objects, not just smash through them as she usually did. She had kind of succeeded, at least she hadn't destroyed anything, which was a success as far as she was concerned though she saw the disappointment on a few of her classmates faces. Wildfire congratulated her before telling the whole class how it had taken him months to work out how to move his fingers in his suit, let alone do any of the amazing things he now could, so he would be patient with them as they learned to use their abilities with more finesse. So long as they tried he would always be on their side.

For a being made of a self-propagating anti-energy forced to exist within a feelingless techno-suit he had shown more humanity than she had ever imagined possible. At that moment Li Fahn knew she would work her hardest every single day just to be half the person he was.


Starstorm

Lady L'Sari Du -Weafronsion-Rega of the Eternal Empire of the Nomadic Sunkind was unimpressed with her accommodation.

She had no handmaidens, only an AI. She only had one room for her bed, with a small en suite, one room for general living, a small kitchen space and a storage room. It was not enough. Did these Legionnaires not realise that she may need to hold court yet they expected her to hold all meetings in public spaces, as she were a commoner.

Wildfire had not shown the respect she had thought she deserved when she had raised these serious matters. When she had spoken to her Royal father that evening she could see on his holo that he was upset. What had surprised her was that he was not angry at the Legionnaire, instead he had told her in no uncertain terms that she would act like one of true royal blood, not as if she were one of the Nouveau Riche. She would remember that she had chosen this life so would endeavour to be the best she could be. He also stated that if she were to burn through the quark relay to reach their distant Bubble Arcs with such a childish complaint like that again he would take action that she would definitely not like. Before she could respond he broke the link, terminating their conversation.

After that she had tried to show humility, endeavoured to learn without automatically taking the authority her position should give her. Wildfire had noticed her change in attitude and complimented her on it. But then she much to offer the team so she expected some compliments. She was far, far stronger than humans, could generate energy forms - her favourite was a rapier- and she could fly at great speed unaided in the dark of space, and had political connections that would surely benefit the Legion.

If she made an effort at these training games then she knew she would soon be amongst the Legion itself as one of their members.

She would do that and more if only to have her father regain his pride in her.

Luornu liked her kids, mostly.

The senior Academy class were all decent students, not too rebellious and yet independent enough to be trusted enough that she didn't need to keep a 24 hour tag on them. Not normally anyway. Slingshot had been sneaking off a bit too much time across on Two lately as his relationship with Atom Girl started to bloom, Friction had skipped more than one or two classes on intergalactic law to go to a couple of concerts, Howler almost always slept in for early sessions and the Imp Master was a moody little sod at the best of times... But it was Kid Pulsar who gave her the most problems.

He was certainly powerful enough to be an asset to the Legion, with his strength and durability and kinetic bomb blasts he would be helpful in almost any scrape, and bright enough to learn everything they had thrown at him in almost record speed. He was sociable and adaptable and quite funny when he needed to be. He had high scores on his teamwork ratings... He was the Academy's best bloody student right now and the git had went and got into a bar fight on Earth and was currently being held by the Science Police. That wasn't all of the story though. Sadly. The media had shown footage of him using his abilities and started calling him a meta-terrorist. They had even broadcast that he was a student here on Legion World One. The news story had run nonstop for the last three hours with increasing calls for an investigation into the training young metas were being given here.

Luornu felt sick.

There was going to be hell to pay over this if they didn't deal with it properly.

Southern Lights

As a Starhaven native he had initially expected Wildfire to acknowledge him more but within a day of joining the Academy the young mystic had learned that his anti-energy team mentor had recently ended the relationship he had once shared with Dawnstar. As the young student knew his presence may upset the Legionnaire he had approached Luornu Durgo-Taine and asked to move training squads - the artificial being known as Ballistix could also survive unaided in space so perhaps he could swap teams with her... Duplicate Girl smiled and thanked Southern Lights for his compassion before refusing his offer outright. Wildfire had already okayed the Stathavenite mystic student and so he would remain on his team until told otherwise.

Southern Lights had not mentioned his worries after that though had kept his head down and worked hard, trying not to draw attention to himself too much in case the anti-energy Legionnaire took offence. Though over the last few days he had observed how the team mentor interacted with his group - encouraging, supportive and fair... the young mystic from Starhaven had been surprised. Wildfire's reputation put him as a hot-head with little patience or social skills yet day after day he had helped the training team as they faced increasingly tough challenges. Not that he was a push over, none of them tried anything less than their absolute best... without being told they all knew that Wildfire would not tolerate that behaviour. The young mystic realised that he had a tremendous respect for his mentor.

Of his classmates he was less sure; a couple were decent, of the other three... well two were okay, if not his sort really, and one really needed to get her ego in check, but that was her worry. Southern Lights was studious by nature and he had come here to learn for himself so he wouldn't let a princess ruin his opportunity.

Calling up a Speak-Spirit spell the winged student concentrated on the message he wanted his family to receive. He wanted to reassure them that he was happy, he was working hard and he had been right to follow his instincts to come here. The Academy was good!


Non

The being the Academy called Non was once several individual corporeal beings like the others here at the Academy. It had taken a freak accident and an infusion of Negative Energy to create the asexual being that they called Non. It was a unique being amongst the many strange and wondrous beings that occupied this place. Not that Non really cared.

After over four centuries of existing as it did Non had no views on whether it was better to be as it was or as it had been. It had no need for company, nor sustenance, it was... it was.

The Legion had learned of its existence somehow and the psychic known as Otaki had joined Duplicate Girl and Wildfire to ask it to join their ranks. Within it's non-being a spark of conscience... a hazy memory perhaps or urge from one of its component parts... stirred and it had agreed. And here it was. It had been given an apartment which was empty and it returned there to dark and silent solitude when the training sessions that Wildfire arranged for the group it had been assigned to were not being run.

The student body had tried to communicate with it but it had found their noise to be of little worth, they had no great truth to impart not information that could benefit any of their current situation. Instead they discussed each other, the Legionnaires, the tests they were set and the struggles they endured to get through each day. Non was not involved in such trivial conversations. The Wraithcat and the boy from Starhaven had learned quickly that Non preferred quiet so the three of them would go into space outside their planetoid base when not training and contemplate the wonders of the greater universe in respectful silence.

Non realised that it had grown to be quite fond of these two students. That in itself was something that surprised it, as it had not experienced any real depth of emotions in so long...

Its time at the Academy had been spurred by an odd impulse and so far Non was still intrigued enough to remain.

Guys, hi, thanks again for your kind reviews above.

As these Academy stories will ultimately feed into the LW5 storyline I've realised that I should complete these before continuing with that one.

Hope you are still enjoying this, thanks again.

C

Another round of some really interesting cadets Harbinger.

Kid Nimbus: i like him. he's a good egg. who wants to help people because that's how he was raised which is nice when some comes right out and says that. He's also a bit different than the rest of the League replacements. Although I wish he would realize just how powerful he could be. I do worry that his commitment could waiver and I could see something very serious happening that could change him.
Question you said "Fathers" but sometimes its used as if you meant to say "Father's". does he have two fathers or are those just missed apostrophes?

I find it interesting how the Dryadian's seem to want to atone for something the galaxy has forgetten. People have a lot of pride and its really cool to see people wanting to do the right thing to make up for the past mistakes. although it just makes me wonder how far some of these new drydian's are willing to go.

Yera and Rokk's conversation was super funny and a nice view of these two mentors. I like that Rokk isn't impressed with the few girls on the squad and that he may have to use the Lydda option. I think that would be super funny to see. Year is so relaxed and like how much she's enjoying being a mentor. I like that they discuss Gim and how much trouble he's having. it shows good support among the mentors.
Yera's joke at the end was amazing! i thought that was so funny. Hmm did Gim have a little crush on Rokk at some point? or is she just being cheeky? Rokk's reaction priceless.


Strobe = fanboy alert. which is uber cute and i like how much love Wildfire is getting from his students. he really is a great teacher from what's been showcased so far. Even Tectonik who didn't like him initially warmed to him.
I also like the name.

I like that you've started to introduce more character's who are part of the universal cosmos and not just more humanoids or sentient from a set world. The galaxy is vast and makes sense that there would be beings out there that live in space. Ergus Atomsmasher is an interesting one and i like that his reason for being there is to show to the universe that they are a intelligent and strong race. The fact that the Legion wants to fast track him makes so much sense. He's also another character of yours that i like the visual a lot and the whole its called a "cat" is because of how it moves through space is funny.
Another really good version of Telepathy and i like that there is a real reason for why the modulator is there other than it's easier. The sensory over load makes sense. i'd love to see some of the things he can see that we can't.

Poor Gim. He's really having a hard transition but i like the advice Lydda gave. Especially the kick them on their ass' and that they need to respect him. its so true.

Ultra-Girl was really well described and i like how she has to visualize her power usage.

Starstorm - i liked that a petty princess was put into place by her father and it changed her attitude. it show's she's obedient but i could see how it could mean trouble down the line, if she's just following an order and or to restore pride. Doesn't mean she's changed her position of feeling superior due to station. But energy forms are cool, so i'm looking forward to see how you use her.

Lu's team sounds like they could bring some trouble for the Legion especially with all the media trouble they've been having lately. Pulsar Boy almost sounds like he's acting out because he's bored.
I want to meet Friction and Howler. their names just sound cool.
Could this also change how the academy is run? Gim mentioned how the SP's have changed training tactics maybe the Legion's next?

Southern Lights is very respectful and paints Wildfire so well. With all this Wildfire praise i can't help but feel like something's coming for him that will shake these cadets.

Non- is intriguing and it be cool to see the origin or non played out along with how the Legion came across him. Those sparks of emotion are interesting. Could they lead to trouble later or maybe to a revelation about it's past that has some affect on the here and now? So many questions i love it! Non, Southern Lights and Ergus might be a new trio to fallow as their quiet nature might lead to some good discovers.

Great Job Harbinger and can't wait for more!

The Night Guard:

Doppelgänger

Roja Offred was originally from a colony out in the Rim called Darling Home. It wasn't really worthy of its name but the original settlers had been so grateful to find a habitable moon spinning around the stars sole Jovian planet. Their Transport Arc Settlers Ship had come close to complete technological failure after being out in the darkness of space for ninety six years beyond its projected lifespan so when they found the small world with a habitable biosphere the name had stuck. Thankfully his family had moved to the inner systems when he was six so his memories of the Long Days and Long Nights were few and far between.

Roja's family had moved from world to world as his surgeon father and pathologist mother would never agree where was best for their family to settle, or so he had always been told. it was not the truth though, nowhere near it.

Roja had quickly learned the survival techniques that all children who move often needed to survive; not be too open about the past when starting at a new school, don't become too close to the ones who immediately befriend you as often they were the ones that had no friends within their community, keep your opinions to yourself until you knew what the lay of the land held in store. In a way, his abilities were an extension of these rules, as on his thirteen birthday he learned the reason for his family never settling...

His great, great, great, great grandfather had been cursed by a fifth dimensional imp after lying to the mystical being and swindling it out of its fortune... Or at least trying to. The conman ancestor found that 24 hours later he could no longer lie or cheat anyone without turning into a hideous beast. The curse had followed the male heirs of the family, though thankfully the spell had lessened its hold somewhat, and somehow changed, altered with every generation, though there were still situations when it could rear its ugly head... Roja rarely lied now as he knew the curse would affect him as it did his swindling ancestor, he would become a disgusting monster.

His father had worked in medicine, specialising in traumatic surgery. He rebuilt those that had survived the most awful accidents. He also changed forms if he lied, and as a doctor he found it difficult to always be truthful, a small white lie would be excused by the curse but anything more... And so they moved, they travelled and they sought a sanctuary. His mother escaped into her work, dealing with the dead. She was unfazed by the living as they didn't hold her interest nearly as much. Roja had to admit now with the benefit of hindsight that they were a very weird family.

... But the curse also gifted Roja with the talent of mimicry: He could assume the appearance of any person he had met. He had to be careful though as, if in a disguised form he told a blatant lie he would immediately flip back to his natural, quite pale and fat form. And he hated his natural shape as no matter how much exercise, derma-sculpture or muscle growth supplement he took his natural form remained as a short, plump boy with bright blue eyes and a sampling of spots on his wide forehead and chin. Roja thought that his unfashionable looks were possibly a result of the stupid curse too.

The curse had given Roja one more rather subtle ability: if anyone told him a bare faced lie he would see them as a monster for the duration of their untruthfulness. It was a pretty crappy power so he hadn't mentioned it to his teammates though it had alerted him to Yera's form not being an actual Duran true form, and he clocked immediately that one time she impersonated her husband to the students. He had told her afterwards and the Durlan tutor had laughed.

Overall, before he came here to the Academy he had enjoyed far more time in his life while disguised as someone else, someone tall with muscle definition and great skin usually, than he had as himself but the curse's strict rules remained so he had to follow the rules he had learned as a child; don't trust anyone enough to be open about his situation... And find ways to carry a conversation without ever really saying anything, at least nothing that could be classed as an untruth. He wasn't lying though when he said he loved it here though, not at all.

Roja looked at the mirror again and sighed.

His team were all fine with how he appeared, seemingly more comfortable with his natural form than he was but then the Academy was full of the weird and wonderful so that shouldn't have been a surprise. Still, Roja wished he looked like any of the others, they all looked so much better than he...

Lu and Lydda ran a training session in the gym.

The lasers were set at a reactive power level whereby the student targeted would get a nasty stinging shock if they were caught. Rokk's team were failing the test, other that Solar Gorilla and Tectonik, and would take a deficit score forward. Magno Lass and Polar Girl had been sniping at each other since the start and would both fail unless they pulled off a miracle. Their behaviour was unacceptable, Lydda thought, Rokk would need to stop tolerating their childishness and give them a tough talking to. Her fiancé had to stop trying to be nice and get on with the job at hand, teaching these kids how to survive.

Lydda was rather proud of her squad as they ran the gauntlet; they interacted with each other to guide their teammates across the holo-simulated battleground. The Silver Shaman and Kid Nimbus took the lead shouting to their teammates behind where was safe and what to avoid. So far their tactics had worked and Lydda was happy to see that her drumming simple strategies into them over the last few days had paid off. She had to admit to herself that there was a little bit of schadenfreuden watching the Team Cosmic squabble and fall apart while her own squad, the team none of the other student teams rated due to their non-confrontational abilities, use their heads and succeed...

Wildfire's team we're on a similar exercise with Rokk and Yera in the asteroid belt while Gim had his crew on Antarctica completing a bespoke mission he had dreamt up for them. Tomorrow the Changelings would have a surprise test, and if Lydda had her way it would start at 0330. Yera wasn't quite as keen to give her squad such a rude awakening but understood they would need to get used to this potentially happening if they were to function within the main team. What the Durlan tutor hadn't told her Kathooni colleague was she had hoped to take her husband out for a surprise romantic meal tonight and wasn't planning on getting an early nights sleep...

While the tests were fun to organise there was a serious reason for them: Element Lad had told the Tutors at the Academy when he visited the day before that in one weeks time the Legion would be looking to hold a snap try-out for the Academy students, and there were spaces available for any of the new students if the tutors thought they may be ready. These tests would decide which of these students, if any, would be nominated.

Lydda was certain her entire crew would be on that list...

The Changelings:

Shadowsurfer

Walyed Reeaz came from the high gravity world called D-1457H234. The population were not known for their imagination or open minds, they had been bred to be workers and that was all they usually expected or wanted from their lives. But not Walyed. He had developed a mutant ability and, it seemed, a desire to do more than work in mines and factories until old enough to earn his place in a Rest Done.

He wanted to see the universe and do something admirable with his life and on the off-chance had applied to become a student at the Legion Academy.

He was still surprised that he had been accepted, and even more grateful.

He liked his squad, even though they were an eclectic mix. Initially he had been disappointed not to have Cosmic Boy or Colossal Boy as a tutor, they were legends! He then had heard that the Colossal Crew were always fighting each other while Team Cosmic schemed to get attention so was grateful now for the class he was in. And Yera was great fun, she made sure they enjoyed every lesson, no matter how difficult with her encouragement and support.

Given Walyed's mutation relied on darkness he really expected Night Girl to have been his tutor but she hadn't had much to do with him. As Chameleon Girl was a stealth operative he supposed that it made sense she taught him, as being able to dive into a shadow and reappear at any point within it was kind of sneaky, really. It was kind of teleportation in darkness. On the night side of a planetary body it was potentially awesome, though in a brightly lit room not so handy. His natural strength and durability as a being bred to thrive on a world with a 5+ gravity hadn't really been addressed, or at least not so far. But then with people like Mon El on the main team, his being able to lift half a dozen tons wasn't really all that impressive, not in the grand scheme of things.

The thing that had amazed Walyed the most though since arriving here wasn't the Legionnaire's or his fellow students, as wonderful as they were, rather it was the incredible carvings that ran along almost every wall... This planetoid had originally belonged to a religious cult who had decorated their home in the most magnificent ways, and yet none of the other students seemed to notice the craftsmanship and talent that had gone into creating the frescos, stained glass panels and ornate cornices that ran through virtually every room. The Academy was so much more cultured than anywhere on his home world were homogeny was prized, individuality and art were seen as odd and unworthy of the people of D-1457H234. Something else else as exotic as this asteroids decoration would have been scandalous!

Shadowsurfer knew that whatever happened here at the Academy he would never forget this incredible experience, never! With his face immersed into a virtual architecture tutorial Walyed hoped he would have time later to study the course work he'd been given earlier.

Just this last week had opened his eyes to possibilities that he would never have dreamed of had he stayed at home and he hoped to grab every one of them.



pH Zero

Shawyryn of the Gil'Dishpan Colony #2997B was unsure of its fellow students.

As one of only 100 or so Gil'Dishpan within the United Planets it was particularly interested in the commodity these strange bipedal beings called 'choice'. It appeared as if the bipeds believed in some almost random influence that could alter their very life-path without true-warning through these 'choice's' and resulting actions they brought. It understood the concept but as it's species had honoured the ancient art of societal sectioning for millennia it did not really grasp the point of following 'choice'. Why follow a seemingly random path when one could find contentment with one's allotted life journey?

Of course there were some, a very few, amongst Shawyryn's race who acted without due consideration and followed unconfirmed impulses... Every generation had their horror stories of such rogues, but it was following the plan laid before it from the moment it had left the lifesac eight cycles ago. It had been bred for this role.

Part of its heritage was of the warrior caste so could produce an acid that could damage most materials, while another part of its make up was that of a diplomat as it had almost instinctive understanding of a culture it became involved in. Finally, it had been bred to be physically more robust than most of its kind, more able to survive the rigors of a Legionnaire's lifestyle.

The Ones Who Thought knew that a Gil'Dishpan Legionnaire would help their race raise their profile and aid greater understanding between their species and the oxygen breathers that had spread throughout this galaxy. Fitted with an implant by its superiors before coming here that allowed levitation and the generation of a methane bubble, it was ready to achieve every success.

Sharywyn of #2997B knew it would gain Legion membership, after all it had been bred to do exactly that.

The Colossal Crew were struggling.

Gim Allon watched on the hard light screens of the control deck of the small cruiser that had brought them here to remote Antarctica shaking his head. They were struggling with the basics; they were all physically powerful enough, all intelligent, but they just tried too hard to succeed without realising that their team needed them. Bouncing Boy and Dragon Lass had sort of figured it out, though due to the rest of their team's belligerent attempts even those two members of the squad's team-spirit was flagging.

He was intentionally pushing them as far as he could; an impossible training mission and insufficient information to create a suitable plan. So, really, it was much like just about every real Legion mission...

The kids had to find and rescue two missing children. They had been given basic information on whereabouts the kids may be, a hint that there may be criminal activity involved, a tight timescale and, just to add a twist, he had roped in a member of the Science Police to 'assist' them - actually, Officer Franki Al-Hawza had been involved with planning this exercise with Gim so would not be as helpful as she might just to test the team's capacity for independent thinking. Gim, just to add a further motivational factor to this, had told the team that whoever scored the least on this test would looking a probable exclusion from the meal he had arranged for them once they had finished. Before the kids had left the shuttle he had reminded them they were a team and would be marked on their cooperation with their classmates to complete this test...

It appeared they didn't listen.

Gim groaned as Ballistix and Yeti Boy both went off by themselves leaving their teammates wondering where they had gone. Those two were the poorest rated tin Gim's eyes as neither would listen to their teammates and, when confronted by their mistakes would try to deflect any criticism. Neither were emotionally suited to the Legionnaires life, but the frustrating thing was both were potentially brilliant. Still, their dismissive attitudes brought the whole team down, and, truth be told, the rest of the team let themselves down enough.

While Gim was thinking this Prescience argued with Officer Al-Hawza while Bouncing Boy tried to be a mediator between them. Dragon Lass stood at the side awkwardly hugging herself as she watched the scene before her. Kid Dynamo stamped his feet angrily and looked around for his missing teammates.

The Colossal Crew needed to think like a team but from what Gim saw before him they were too self absorbed to see what was causing their problems.

Well, time to give them their real test... Gim sent a silent signal to Officer Al-Hawza warning her that she had seconds before the scenario they had plotted out was going to happen...

On the ice the four students were stood around the Science Police Officer as she repeated to them that she wanted to retrace their steps. Gordon Eno, the Naltorian student they called Prescience stopped arguining and dived at the officer, rolling in the powdery snow as they fell.

Below her feet the ice erupted and a huge crack tore through the frozen ground throwing up chucks of ice and a blinding flurry of powdered snow.

"I've got the SP, Dynamo go find Yeti and Ballistix... Dragon Lass and Bouncy, get in the air, see what the crack's thrown up... Move it guys, I've seen this is only the first of these... C'mon, we still got a kid to rescue!" even as he was shouting at his team mates the young man from Naltor was standing up and offering his hand to help the Science Police Officer up from the ground where they had just landed.

Gim Allon smiled to himself, he thought it would be Prescience that would take charge and was happy to be proven right. Maybe some of the team would get somewhere after all... Though they still had to achieve the mission objectives and Gim wasn't going to make it easy for them... He'd forge them into solid unit if it took a hundred phony ice cracks and traps and fifty more exercises. He wasn't going to give up on then just yet.

The Changelings

Metallix:

Dru Della of Dryad had joined her friends to the Academy but she hadn't really wanted to be here, not in her heart of hearts.

Her team were all decent, they had a laugh and looked out for each other. She felt as close to them she did with anyone... But she still had her doubts. She doubted the people here were really her sort of people and being a hero... Well, that was a dubious career choice she thought to herself... Not that she would share these views, the Dryad group had made a pact when they left their homes and Dru wouldn't be the first of them to break it. Actually, that wasn't true as Ke had left to go home, broken hearted after being manipulated on Rimbor, saying his gene-mod that gave him stone skin wasn't worthy of a Legionnaire. Ke had always been a farmer at heart though so none of them were surprised that he'd wanted to get back to his crops and cattle. His brother, their Kid Dynamo, at least had stayed. But then there were girls of a similar age here so he was bound to...

The five remaining Dryadians had renewed their pact; they would show the galaxy that their citizens could be heroes and could be worthy of respect. Metallix had almost turned away then but in the end she had simply repeated the vow. Her eyes were down as she spoke the words so none of the others could see her doubts. She had these abilities but that didn't make her a hero, she wasn't sure what they made her... She wasn't sure...

Since joining the Academy Dru studied hard, though she wasn't really academic, and joined in all the training exercises with as much gusto as she could manage. Today Chameleon Girl had set them endurance exercises, climbing cliff faces then racing around an assault course to then finish off with a swim before racing again to the finish. Dru had done well and felt a little bit of pride. She could do this... If only her heart was in it she would do this!



Flipside:

Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V loved being a student here at the Academy.

Her race were arboreal, adapted to their treetop life by having long limbs with a prehensile tail. She had her people's natural agility and athleticism, but had the additional ability to flip her own personal gravity allowing her to be far, far more acrobatic and sure footed that any of her kind - whichever way she perceived as 'up' was how her body naturally attuned its own gravity and it also allowed her to potentially move things she was in touch with much easier than she should as whatever she could hold would be affected by her internal gravity matipulation giving the appearance of incredible strength

Her quarters were three times the height of standard student apartments with a maze of branches from five trees that grew in a circle creating a comfortable environment for her. She swung through the branches on her way to the door, happily running down one trunk before leaping across to another. Shifting her own gravity she ran down the trunk as if it were a track on the floor before cartwheeling to the door.

She had won today's endurance exercise but now had to study for tomorrows legal test... She wondered if any of the other students would be in the refectory, as right now she was still buzzing from her success to consider putting her face into the Computo-tutorial.

Yup, a nice cup of Green Sap Tea and a chat with one of her peers, especially if it was that studly boy they called the Kid Dynamo... Then she'd be ready to study.

She's seen him smile at her a few times and the twice they had spoken it was obvious that there was some... chemistry. Drannananna rather liked the tall Dryad boy, he had nice broad shoulders... and spending time with her arms around them would be far more fun that studying.

Her mind made up, the student called Flipside strode out of her door and for the fun of it leapt up to walk along the ceiling of the corridor that led to the central refectory.

Wildfire sat in the shuttle with Kid Pulsar.

The student from central Africa stared out of the window with his broad hands on his head, his thoughts unknown. They hadn't spoken since leaving the Science Police headquarters. Lu had arranged it so they avoided the majority of the press that waited to catch them as they left, only giving two brief interviews where they didn't say too much before they rushed onto the shuttle.

"Ah didn't do anything Drake... Ah was mindin' mah own bus'ness, jus' chattin' to a pretty girl. Ah was set up man, she led me to them. Ah was defending mahself from a mugging when th' SP's busted us..."

"I know son. We're being targeted, the media do this sometimes. We're no longer their darlings but it'll pass... It always does. It was unlucky you were picked by that gang to mug... or maybe it's lucky they picked you, as when you think about it if that'd been a normal guy he'd be in hospital or worse now and you made sure that none of them'll be fit to attack anyone else for a while..." even though Wildfire's voice modulator was synthetic, the pride he felt for the student was obvious. Kid Pulsar turned to the Academy tutor and smiled.

"Thanks man... Ah only wish ah'd had the chance to maybe hit them a couple more times afore the SPs busted us." The student turned back to the window and looked at the darkness of space outside, his thoughts his own once more.

It was several minutes later that Wildfire broke he silence to ask "...were the police okay with you? They must've known you're a student."

"Yeah... well... they w're okay ah guess. It wasn't 'til the media arrived that they stopped tellin' me 'bout all the times they'd each worked with the Legion... then they started gettin' all formal, like. Talkin' 'bout assault and how ah'd damaged a wall with mah kinetic blast and stuff... but ah din't think they were takin' it too serious like, ah thought they were sayin' it f'r show, y'know?"

"Okay, that's good to know. The SPs are still mostly onside at least."

"Wotchu think's the reason f'r the media gettin' all garulsome on us is?"

"Oh, prob'bly Universo or some creep thinking they can undermine us and run us out of town... we'll beat them though, don't worry we always do."

"Won't the Big team leavin' Sol be seen as them runnin' away? It's def'nitely gonna make any support they give to Earth more dif'cult, isn't it?"

"That's why the Academy's staying. With Rokk and Lu and Lydda and Yera and Gim and me and all you guys too we've got Sol covered..." But even as he replied Drake Burroughs wondered if the team on the Academy and the students would be enough to face down whatever it was that was brewing. They all knew something big was coming so perhaps the student was right to worry about the main team going off on their own separate adventures to who-knew-where.

The Changelings:

Spook and Shifter

Sure, they were close and with a glance or nod of the head they could understand their twin far easier than others might. But why did everyone assume they were somehow psychic? The singletons that made up the majority of the population off of Winath were a strange lot.

Wendl and Josha Honnessen were still surprised to see so may non-twins everyday. It had been creepy for the first few days but they were getting used to it. It was easier with the non-terran stock as aliens were weird looking by definition...

Wendl used his abilities to check on their teammates, finding out if they were studying like they they had been told to. In his astral form he was invisible and intangible, virtually impossible to detect... Though Gear had somehow managed to find a resonance that could pick out where he was and had fitted all the tutors private apartments and a couple of key areas on the Academy with sensors. The Winathian student had been told most explicitly that were he ever discovered in these areas without it being a truly life or death situation he would be immediately expelled from the Academy. He would not get a second chance.

Josha, the 42 minutes younger of the two and usually more laid back, had suggested his brother check on the others in their training squad. The Winathian brothers disliked the academic part of their course about as much as they had really enjoyed the rest of the last week being here.

While Wendl was spying on their teammates, Josha used his shifting abilities to manipulate the contents of a glass of water between a solid and a liquid state, back and forth and back again... They both knew, as did the rest of their team, that Yera wasn't such a stickler for the academic work; she wanted teamwork, bravery, compassion, determination and loyalty, and as far as the twins could figure the training squad they were in had all that by the barnful. So, if no-one else was studying too hard the twins thought they might be able to wing the upcoming test...

"Flippers in the refectory chatting up that Kid Dynamo. He's all pumped after just g'ttin' back from an exercise where his crew din't fail for once..." Wendl appeared out of nowhere and began talking, "the Burning worm is doing gods only knows what in its' yucky room...Metal girl is sulkin' alone in her room like totally saddo and 'surfer's reading a file on architecture so I think we're in the clear!"

"Ace! So, let's get on then..." Josha handed a virtual mask to his twin and they immersed themselves in their latest game - Speed Bootships of Arcturus xvi. It was the best immersive game they'd ever experienced and the two boys from far away Winath were seriously addicted. Yera wouldn't mind, surely... They'd been here for under three weeks and there was only do many tests they could realistically be expected to complete, surely.

The Night Guard:

Bloom

Lavender of the Mita-Grrol peoples from Schentanhaumma iii was fed up. She was tired, both physically and emotionally, and had a thumping headache from immersing herself in a training session on outer-worlds legal systems. She had reported to Gear that her immersion set wasn't calibrated correctly but he had only given a weak smile and promise to look into it at some point. It probably didn't help that the tutorials were all so stuffy and boring!

Still, her idetic memory and quick eye reflexes made short work of the tutorials and lectures they were expected to immerse into and complete. not that the tutors seemed to care that she found the course work dreary or the studying unnecessary...

She had been accepted here because of her pheromone abilities, how she could manipulate living beings around her, but she had other skills... Intelligence, reflexes, a sense of smell so accurate she could tell a persons emotional state as soon as the walked into a room. And her classmates were really great. The other classes weren't so lucky, Lavender could tell that other teams didn't get on as well and were competing against each other... She didn't really have much to complain about really.

Her mauve skinned race were humanoid but that where their similarity to the human race ended. Her people were descended from something very similar to plants and while they drank water like humans they breathed carbon dioxide and fed on sunlight, in particular ultraviolet, for sustenance. They lived for tens of centuries and valued a philosophical approach to their lives. Lavender was an exception; still very much a child in her people's eyes she was almost four centuries old and wanted to be more active in her life. She was only the fifth to ever leave her home world through choice.

Her spore fathers were upset with her choice, saying that she would damage her life chances were she to get too involved in the barbarism that they saw in the wider galaxy. She may not find another to share her genetic material if she returned... Asexual reproduction amongst her people was possible but shunned as it was though of as crude, vulgar, and she knew by hr sixth century she would feel the need to propagate.

Right now Lavendar didn't have regrets at leaving her distant world so much as regret her aspirations for being so exhausting. Her sun lamp blazed onto her skin and she drank in the refreshing energy reciting a traditional mantra of gratitude softly. She needed to focus and she could achieve her dreams, she knew this, she had the drive and abilities to succeed if only she calmed her mind and stopped allowing all the exotic sights and smells from distracting her...

But it was hard as she found them all just so delicious!

Hey Omni, thanks again for yur student y student feedback - Kid Nimbus has more than one father, sorry that wasn't clear.

Here's some more for you to hopefully enjoy when you have the time. Thanks again.

C

I will have to sit down and do some proper notes when I get time but I like this latest batch - I think Non and the mystic from Starhaven are the ones that grabbed me the most, though I am also really intrigued by the idea of a gil'dishpan on the team at some point!

Also really liking how all the instructors have different relationships with and reactions to the kids. Yera and Gim particularly should be interesting seeing how they progress I think

Harbinger you've definitely kept me busy and intrigued with these latest post.

Doppelganger - i like the curse idea and it affecting an entire line. Although i find it interesting that you chose to have the curse decrease instead of increase. i do like that it gave him a sublet power of shape shifting. a Legionnaire incapable of lying because of their power could be both interesting and damaging. I could see that being put to use by whoever is trying to discredit the Legion in the LW5 main series. Sadly this leaves Roja off the espionage squad for sure. also i like that even though he's a shape shifter he can't take that as a permanent form like Dulran's possibly can. A non perfect looking super hero is something i can get behind. to many times they make them perfect. I totally understand the feeling out of place looks wise and its an avenue i don't think we see in the legion much just because of how alien everyone is that aside from Ferro and Sensor from the reboot i don't really remember any Legionnaires having body issues. Seeing through lies and turning that person into a monster is really cool and could have some good story applications.

Lydda is such a hard ass. i love it. her thoughts on Magno Lass and Polar Girl were spot on. an entire squad making it to the big team... him that could throw an interesting dynamic into the team mix. Especially with everything that's going on.
I like that the mentors haven't been completely relagated to that role and we still see them as people and full characters. Yera is just fun.

Shadowsurfer - cool power to start off and i like that how he's a pretty positive person taking in stride how he ended up on Yera's squad. 5+g wow. he must be stacked and i bet could go a few rounds with Jo and Mon. a breed worker race evolving is a really neat idea and i wonder if he feels like Mekt does being a singleton?

pH Zero - Shawyryn of the Gil'Dishpan Colony #2997B is neat. i don't know much about this race. but the idea that they have a predestined path and that they don't understand the idea of choice is different. we've seen beings have issues understanding a lot of cultural references and customs but i don't think we've seen this before. it will be interesting to see how it deals if it is not selected as it was bread for this and to be in the Legion. I know this isn't his power persay but Telepathic Corrosion would be kind of cool. maybe the next breed.

Antarctic mission: Ballasitx - so not surprised she ran off by herself. lol. Gim seems to be having a hard time with his squad getting together and finding their rhythm. His mission is a really good one and its so true those are the specs for half of the Legion missions. Good job. i like that the Science Police help out. (side note is there any plans to have SP's on either Legion World? it might make things easier for the team/ infiltration from another angle of whoever is doing this. just a thought. )

Metallix: she worries me just because that lack of heart or wanting it could get them killed. But i hope she starts to really want to be there. there is so much potential there.

Flipside - just the visual in my head of her shifting her gravity and walking on the ceiling for fun was great. . i just picture these long limbs of hers climbing trees and then flipping about. like the flying monkey's in the amazon i think it is. She's a flirt and seems kind of ditzy but i like it. I love her quarters.

Lu and Wildfire delt with Kid Pulsar well and clearly they are being targeted. Even though we know somethings coming i really hope they can keep everyone safe. idk if i can handle loosing another academy. Last time we lost a lot. The SP's duality is interesting. But i think that duality will cause some problems very soon. Kid Pulsar makes a good point about the main team...

Spook and Shifter
Oh course Gear found a way to keep him out. Its Gear! lol.
Great contender for the Espionage squad though.
i could see how everyone thinking your psychic could be annoying.
Hmmm these two could be a bad influence for sure. a little too big for their britches kind of feel.
boy are they going to get a rude wake up call if Year does her next training that Lydda would.

Bloom - a sense of smell based empathy is out there and cool. another loner and long lived character. you've got a thing for the cosmic with this class which is cool. but it makes me think something so big is coming these kids are gonna be needed and tested unlike other classes. Asexual propitiation is shunned? hmmm i wonder where that belief came from, her world sounds interesting and i'd love a visit. "Spore fathers." haha love it.
exotic sites and smells and they were delicious... sounds like she's gonna eat them

Some good cadets. Although i'd love a score sheet for this thread maybe broken up by squad?

Can't wait for more.

Guys, thanks for your comments, greatly appreciated.

I've finally got a night to myself tonight where I don't have marking or day planning to complete so I'll get caught up with your excellent fics.

Omni, there's a role call call after the next batch, when I'll finish writing up the Night Squad and introduce the full senior students too.

Thanks again guys,

C

The Night Guard:

Booster

Solstin Wang felt awful.

He'd had the most evil headache for an hour now and had to go to the medi-bay. He had only just begun to enjoy the celebrations planned for tonight after the Night Guard had won their competitive test against Team Cosmic. The rest of his crew were continuing their night in the Olde Shakes Bar. Instead of dancing the night away Solstin had been put in an isolation cell and told to rest while his vital signs were being monitored overnight. There was no justice!

Silver Shaman had offered to stay with his teammate but Solstin had told him to go enjoy himself, not to worry... he'd had to repeat himself three times before his teammate finally left, though not before the healer had requested Drura Sehpt came over from Legion World Two to look after him.

The irony of his situation wasn't lost on Solstin. His abilities to amplify others natural attributes had surely been instrumental in the Night Guard's victory today; he'd sharped the Silver Shaman's eyesight and reflexes while the healer took point, Solstin had given Doppleganger a burst of strength at the end so that his shape-changing teammate could race across the finishing line, added to Bloom's balance and co-ordination when she slipped into the muddy trench and had to hop over the small stones while dodging kid Crush from the other team... the flaw with his abilities that he couldn't affect himself was not lost on the young man from Earth. That's why he tried so hard, worked out every morning, studied every night; he would only ever have his own human capabilities to rely on... and he was planned n being the best man he could...

And right now he felt as sick as a dog... the young student had not been ill for as long as he could remember and this experience made him wish he never would be again.

Drura Sehpt had come over from Two to personally look after the student, smiling at him in a reassuring manner as she scanned the young man and studied the results. With Dr Shakespeare currently on Naltor with Jan Arrah she was the most senior medical staff available to assist.

Solstin could feel her tiredness and stress, he was always aware of the physical attributes of anyone within ten feet of him and as much as he wanted to extend his biomorphic field to help the Legion's nurse the pain kept coming in crashing waves and he knew he would be unable to do much to help her at all.

"You'll be alright Solstin, I'm going to put you to sleep and then we can sort you out. Is that okay?"

"Yeah... thank you."

Drura pressed a small blue disc onto the young student's forehead and within seconds Booster was asleep.

After checking her patients vital signs one more time she lifted her right hand up and spoke into her flight ring.

"Dr Kabbo, I need you over here. I'm getting confusing readings here and the only possibility I can think of is this student's been intentionally poisoned. I'd appreciate your finesse and expertise here, see if you can find some agent that I'm missing."

"Be right there." The small holo bust of the Legionnaire's resident counsellor said before popping out of existence. Within five seconds a honey and violet warp appeared and the member of the support crew that the team had taken to call Spy walked through.

Senior Student team:

Imp Master

Dorrolo Capicca Redsail was technically an Elf. He had been born and raised on Zerox amongst his kind, living a fairly mundane life until the day he found the Gray Stones of Anath and without stopping to asses the risk had spoken an opening spell to reveal what they kept hidden. He hadn't heeded the warnings his friends had given and consequently was altered into the rather puny looking form he now had. Pale blue skin, his long golden hair now purest white, his once sparkling eyes now dark as stained mahogany... really, it was only his pointed ears and disdainful air towards the short lived humans that had been untouched by the damned Stones.

His apartment within the new Academy appeared to be one of the largest with a long, high wall full of books and grimoire, though in fact it was a minor illusion he had spun to remind himself of the library with the rotal keep that had once been his home. His fellow class mates, the one time he had invited them in, had been captivated by it! He chuckled as he remembered their faces, slack jawed with surprise spinning glamours was such a simple trick for one of Old Elf blood yet it impressed the human kind.

His imps helped him out of his clothes and brought him a silken evening jacket, resting it gently around his shoulders. He did not acknowledge them.

Tonight he would study further into the worrying vision he can caught the edge of within his scrying pool - yesterday evening it had shown a storm swirling around their Academy and then a flash as if of lightning followed by a sensation of abrupt separation... scrying was not a magick that he took easily too so the apparently ominous nature of what he experienced may not have meant what he had thought, though the Elven mystic knew without further research he may never fully understand the message he had been sent from the great Hands of Knowing.

Imp Master had almost been tempted to ask the winged human mystic called Southern Lights to join him but after a moments consideration he knew that no human was likely to understand the meaning of Elven chronomancy...

The Elven student on this space-floating Academy would live to regret this decision in the days and weeks to come.



Friction

Jadee Whittakka of Xanthu was determined to get in to the Legion at the next team try out.

Her unique ability to manipulate the strength of the force of friction between any two touching objects had been trained and honed and tested and pushed and fine-tuned and stretched and moulded over the last seven months so surely... surely, she would get in. She was currently one of the longest serving students, not that that guaranteed her a place, but she had studied the successful applicants histories and training tapes to giver her some clues as to what might add to her chances when the opportunity came. It was the only thing she could think about, or talk about, which sometimes annoyed her classmates. Her classmate Howler, with her usual acerbic wit had asked once if Jadee would finally shut up once she gained membership...

Friction didn't care.

She slid down a corridor towards the dorm area. Her abilities created small purple bubbles in the air around her feet as she loosened the grip of friction from the soles of her boots and the floor underneat. The sensation of sliding at great speeds, with her long hair flying behind her always made her happy. It was the feeling of release, she always thought. The feeling of freedom...

She spoun around a corner and almost bumped into Kid Pulsar.

"Sorry Neel... how ya doin'? We heard you'd a toughy on Earth... you okays?"

The muscular young man shrugged and pushed past her.

"Well..." She thought, "There's someone on a mission to break stuff... hopefully it'll only be the gymnasium ringing out with is kinetic bursts tonight!" she had never seen him look so annoyed and for a second considered following him to make sure he was okay, but she knew he could be quite private and what he'd just been through on Earth it was no surprise that he was upset, so left him to whatever it was he was heading towards and continued on her way back to her apartment and her studies. Tonight she had planned to read up all about Dragonwing, Chemical KJid and Comet Queen... they had had a couple of adventures, she had heard through the grapevine, before becoming full Legionnaires and tonight she would look to see what she could learn from their experiences.

Jadee knew her time was almost upon her to truly shine and she planned to make sure she was nothing less than brilliant!

Lu smiled as she studied the reports.

She was sure that somewhere, somehow, Chuck was smiling alongside her. Of the thirty new students they had accepted fifteen would be nominated for a chance at an academy exclusive try-out. Fifty percent were, their tutors estimated, ready for a chance to be given a try out for the main team. That was a stunning statistic, though Lu was certain that not all, if any would make it into the Legion on this attempt at least they would get the experience under their belts so would be ready next time.

Gim had asked that Yeti Boy's place be revoked, the young lad was just not emotionally built to be a team player, not that he would therefore fail... Chuck had taught her a long time ago that they had a responsibility to encourage their more independently minded students to set themselves up as solo planetary heroes elsewhere. The tutors had had a long talk about it earlier, with Wildfire saying he'd try to do the same with his student Starstorm. Lydda had joked with Rokk that perhaps if he offered that training model to a couple of his students they might realise that the tutors were onto their silly schoolgirl schemes; they had all laughed while Cosmic Boy blushed. If the students she meant had not been so god-damned good with their abilities and had anything less that stellar potential Lydda knew she would have made the statement a lot more seriously.

Lu smiled. They all knew that despite offering fifteen potential new students at a try out the chances that even five of them could make it into the Legion would be slim but the tutors had all joked about how great a job they were doing that half of their classes were ready to progress after just one full month. Colossal Boy, Chameleon Girl and wildfire had been talking about celebrating even before the try out had been held...

Looking forward she knew there were roughly five thousand other potential candidates who had applied to be here on record from a huge swathe of the galaxy that they could invite to join the programme if and when any of the current tranche of students either graduated or left. With a sigh Luornu decided she had best try to whittle that figure down to a more manageable number quickly as she could feel it that there would be changes coming soon...

If she could get the figure down to low double digits she would be satisfied. Calling up the Academy records she asked the AI to remove any candidates that had abilities that matched any currently active Legionnaire. With a Breep! there were suddenly almost three thousand seven hundred less candidates. Now... remove any with a juvenile record with the SPs... Breep! and another one hundred and twenty seven were removed... Right, next those whose test results were anything less than 90%... Breep! and five hundred and nine were gone...

She wiped hair that had fallen forward off her face and sat back in her plushly upholstered chair.

Now, she thought, how can I justify breaking the hearts of more these kids by finding ways to refuse them a place here?

Slingshot

Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh knew he was spending too much time with Sylva over on Legion World One but couldn't help himself, she was just so much fun to be around!

His AI tutoring rates were dropping and Lu had mentioned that while relationships were not frowned upon per se learning to time-manage them was a critical part of becoming a Legionnaire... and he had taken the hint. Tonight he had tried to holo Atom Girl to explain that he had a test he following day so would see her after that, but his call went through to the monitoring board where he was told that she had just left on a mission and they would ask her to call him when she got back. He graciously accepted this and gave his thanks.

It was a couple of minutes later, while he pottered aimlessly around his small kitchen trying to assemble some food onto a plate that would look edible that he acknowledged to himself that he was miffed she had not sent a quick message before leaving... did she not remember that he'd said he would visit tonight?

As this thought went through his mind he smiled as he recognised the spoiled prince that had joined the academy, before the tutors and various Legionnaires had knocked at the chips on his shoulders. He did understand that as a full time member of the Legion sylva had commitments that currently he could not fully understand. Until he actually gained membership himself he wouldn't know the pressures his Imskian girlfriend was under...

But he'd find out soon, he hoped. His ability to amp up the kinetic potential of any object he touched had been fully trained by the staff at the academy and he felt certain that he'd stand a good chance at the next try-out. He had built up good relations with various members of the main team while they had run courses, his test results were nearly always top of the class, he's proven he was not scared of hard work or long hours... he hoped he had done enough.

The young mutant prince from the distant commonwealth of planets gave a silent prayer to his royal ancestors that he was following the right path to fulfil his true regal destiny.

Only time would tell...



Howler

Elli Unji was happy.

She was always happy really, being blessed with a naturally curious nature and inquisitive mind meant she would never get bored or down, there was simply too much to do and learn...

Those character traits had kind of led to her being here, her curiosity about mixing genes and splicing DNA had mutated her into the semi-human form she had, and also having given her abilities beyond the norm. But she never complained as it was all part of whatever the great plan the Universe held for her.

She loved the exercises and tests the Academy threw at her as they pushed her and helped her understand the unique qualities her spliced DNA gave her. The other students were, for the most part, really cool especially stud boy Kid Pulsar with his fabulous muscles. Okay, so Friction lived up to her name and could rub them all up the wrong ways from time to time but she was okay too mostly.

She had spent most of the day practicing the sonic scream that she took her code name from and her throat hurt a bit, but a couple of soothing chilled pear juices later and she was fine.

Of all the students at the Academy she knew she would never get full team status, her abilities weren't unique enough... her screams could knock down walls - sure, but it was nothing compared to the finesse of Tyroc's sonic abilities, and she was tough and strong too - but then, whoi wasn't these days... Still, she loved her time here and knew that all the immense lessons she learned would help her wherever the Universe took her next.

As much as she smiled at this thought she also acknowledged that she was feeling slightly nervous. She had spoken out of line to Friction earlier, all snark like and that wasn't a good sign. Her time here would have to come to an end at some point and though her scores were still reasonably good, she wasn't really learning as much as she had...

In her heart of hearts the young woman called Howler by her teammates knew it was only a matter of time until her path would lead her onwards again...

The Night Squad:

Glory

Gloriana Crestellen of Grighshtall iv was confused.

Her empathic abilities were not as other psychics, she did not mentally read and influence the brain. Instead she tuned into and then shaped a living beings aura. It was not always easy to explain, though it meant her range was both wider and could also be more subtle. She could influence the aura around a person who ached physically and help them come to some actual ease rather than dampening their pain receptors as a normal psychic would, or she could influence a person's movement by turning their aura in the direction she wanted. If she really wanted she could turn a person's mind against them by inverting their thought processes, potentially driving them insane... She could do many things, so long as her target was actually corporeal and living. She could tell truth from a lie as easy as she could tell rain from fire. She knew a person's intentions from the feel of the spikes and heat of their aura and could tell or influence their mood with incredible accuracy at a glance.

And in the short time she had been here she had grown used to the crazy mixtures of energies and emotions and physical states that her tutors and fellow students exhibited.

And it also meant she was fully aware when someone was out of sorts. And one of her fellow students was definitely out of sorts, in fact he was so out of sorts he was coming across as a different being altogether. His fiery fluid open and generous aura had gone, replaced by something slick and sharp that felt of malignancy. She had spotted him as he had stepped off the shuttle earlier and had needed to sit down immediately as her senses were overwhelmed.

Gloriana knew she needed to tell someone but was not sure what to do as the tutors had all given the students a night off before, they said, making an announcement at 0800 in the morning. Should she disturb them? Would they listen? She knew it was so difficult explaining her perceptions to others... would they believe her?

She had only encountered an aura like the one now around her fellow student once before and that was around someone that had been at the Science Police headquarters in a tightly guarded cell the day they had visited, and it had shocked her then that such an evil person could exist... but at least that one had been in custody after committing several cold blooded murders.

And now... Now the soft spoken lad with twinkling eyes and an energetic aura so full of possibility had a dark and terrible aura that felt as sickening as the insane murder she had encountered at the Science Police cells.

Gloriana was usually in the gym by now but instead she sat on her small bed with her knees pressed up into her chest, unsure what to do next, scared that if she left her apartment she would encounter him...

Gim felt like celebrating!

Finally, four of his team had worked together and achieved their goal. Ballistix had joined in at the end too, surprising them all with her help. The best part of it was they all acknowledged their faults afterwards and were clearly planning to take this lesson in supporting each other going forward. Yeti Boy was looking likely to fail this semester outright. For all the strength and senses his alter-form could bring Yeti Boy simply wasn't a team player, but Gim thought the others would remain. Prescience and Bouncing Boy ii were most likely to earn a tutor nomination to the next Try-Out and possibly Dragon Lass and, if she could reign in her independent streak, the synthezoid Ballistix too. Yera had wondered if the Legion really had room for a third dragon child in their ranks... Or a moody synthezoid but Gim just smiled and ignored his wife's playful barbs...

There were two from Yera's team who would get her nomination, Shadowsurfer and pH Zero. They had heard that Solar Gorilla and Tectonik were getting through from Rokk's squad. Wildfire had nominate five of his six, with only the rather arrogant Starstorm missing out. Lydda had still to announce her intended nominees though Gim and Yera both thought the Silver Shaman and Kid Nimbus would definitely get their tutors vote. Along with all five of the senior student squad that meant a potential eighteen new Legionnaires! Thirteen of which would have been at the Academy for only a month or so... damn! That would be a tremendous success, if it, or anything near to it were to happen. Total validation of their taking over Legion World to focus on training the galaxy's metas...

They still had a little over a week until the try out, but Gim could feel it that there would be a few very happy students at the end of it. Until then Brin had offered to take the Colossal Crew training to the asteroid belt tomorrow and Dirk would be in the next day with Gazelle and Titan to support a couple of the other teams. the students were getting used to being around Legionnaires which would greatly increase their chances when it came to their opportunity to move up the ranks...

"Lydda wants to take my Changelings on an exercise tomorrow... At 0330 hours... And expects me to join her..." Yera dropped her news softly into the conversation as she kneaded her husbands shoulders.

"What? You're kidding me?" Gim looked round towards her, the smile gone from his handsome face.

"Sorry darlin' but it's an early night for me tonight, I'd better be on my bestest behaviour tomorrow."

"Well... I guess I could join you, if you like..."

"Thought you'd never ask." with that Yera Allon raced through to their bedroom with her husband laughing as he followed in hot pursuit.

Senior Student team:

Kid Pulsar

Stupid, stupid ex-legionnaires... Neel Koduah laughed to himself.

Ha, they had believed him when he had told them that he as defending himself from muggers. Ha, the bloody idiots had just let him walk back into their precious asteroid without a care... Wildfire had even said he'd done the right thing! Ha! Stupid gasbag ex-legionnaire.

His mistress had visited him, with a couple of her thralls and he had initially resisted, not yet having been shown her eternal magnificent truth, until she had made him understand that it was childish to not agree... and now he understood... she had opened his mind and he now fully understood... the Legion would fall and any of them that she allowed to survive would only rise when they began to follow her, to worship her as he did. They would take the galaxy for their mistress and remake it in her image.

He had told her what he knew of their plans; how the Legion were leaving Sol in a couple of days... But she had already known. He should have guessed... Neel Koduah smiled as he realised how invincible his mistress really was, how she would succeed in doing what so many had failed to do. She had done already after all... this was not the first group of foolish so-called heroes that would try to defeat her, and they hadn't even realised that it was the stupidity of one of their own that that brought her here in the first place.

Well, he had been back for six hours now and already he had started following his mission brief. Two students that his mistress in her wisdom had estimated would cause her problems had to be dealt with in the next 24 hours - although he had asked why these two when there were stronger... fiercer opponents at the Academy, she had smiled and told him to do his part, she had plans for the others. Kid Pulsar had smiled again ask she told him this. Well, one had already been poisoned, the weakling called Booster, and was in the medi-bay while the other, that hysterical psi-witch Glory, had yet to appear but when she did Kid Pulsar knew what to do. She had a routine that she always followed so the turncoat student planned on intercepting her... and dealing with her. He wondered why these two had been chosen and knew that in her wisdom she must be setting him a test of loyalty by requesting he get rid of these two minor students. He realised it was such a simple test to murder two of the Night Guard, everyone knew they were the weakest team full of wannabe's. Their deaths wouldn't even be remembered once his mistress came to call...

The gymnasium was relatively empty, two of the junior classes were here as the senior student shot out blast after blast of his potently explosive kinetic bursts against a curved inerton block. With each explosion he imagined another one of the senior team falling... another one on their knees as they begged for their life and screamed in agony... He knew that the excitement would be too much when that day actually came and until then he needed to be careful and not let others see through the façade.

When the day came he would take great pleasure in bowing before his mistress as she tore the Legion apart.

As promised, here's the list of students I introduced in this arc:

Colossal Crew:

Ballistix - Crishtrakrek 714 of the Amegtranian Conglomerate on Zuun - synthezoid with incredible strength, speed, durability, stamina and spaceflight
Dragon Lass - Mari Baertling of Rimbor - enhanced strength, durability, senses and flight, has bat-like wings
Prescience - Gord Eno of Naltor - precognition, specialising in short range visions for combat situations
Bouncing Boy ii - Stoor Chamble of Pasnic - creation of personal spherical force field
Kid Dynamo - Ja Vlo of Dryad - incredible strength, invulnerability and stamina
Yeti Boy - Shik Al Sarju from the Boismarshi Colony of the Aldanankrian Oort Cloud mining settlements - can assume hyper-tough yeti-like form

.........

Team Cosmic:

Kid Crush - Gooshi Dreffergoff from the Science Asteroid - creation of hyper-dense gravity bubbles
Nemesis Girl - Mi Pra of Dryad - neutralisation of energies
Magno Lass - Josi Rista of Braal - magnokinesis
Tectonik - Hardal of Granite Falls on Mondriak iv - geokinesis
Solar Gorilla - D'Nadka Endarooga of Dmansca - generate and project extreme heat and light
Polar Girl - Mel Lassar of Tharr - cryokinesis

........

Night Guards:

Kid Nimbus -Kendall Mekensy-Wolff the Fifth of Dryad - assume gaseous form
Silver Shaman - Shardwurd Gandussen of Avalon - biokinetic healing
Doppelganger - Roja Offred of Darling Home - assume duplicate form of anyone he has seen, detect untruth
Bloom - Lavender of Schentanhaumma iii - pheromone manipulation, enhanced senses
Booster - Solstin Wang of Earth - awareness and manipulation of natural physical properties of those around him
Glory - Gloriana Crestellen of Grighshtall iv - L- and T-aura reading and manipulation

....

Trailblazers:

Strobe - Denal Lort of Dryad - assume electro-magnetic energy form
Ultra Girl - Li Fahn Qiong of Xanthu - controls Red Energy to boost own strength, speed, durability, spaceflight and projection of force blasts, effectively limited to one at a time
Starstorm - Lady L'Sari Du-Weafronsion-Rega of the Eternal Empire of the Nomadic Sunkind - enhanced strength, speed, durability, spaceflight, creation of energy weapons
Atomsmasher - Ergus Wraithcat of Betelguese - spaceflight, speed, invulnerability, hyper enhanced senses, invisibility, telepathy, minor energy manipulation
Southern Lights of starhaven - spaceflight, magic user, has bird-like wings
Non - negative energy being - spaceflight, speed, invulnerability, intangibility, alter own dimensions, explosive touch, telepathic

........

The Changelings:

Metallix - Dru Della of Dryad - metal skin giving enhanced durability and strength
pH Zero - Shawyryn of the Gil'Dishpan Colony #2997B - levitation, durability, acid secretion, social empathy
Flipside - Drannananna Otticolli of Grathvarth V - strong, fast, agile, manipulate personal gravity, has a prehensile tail
Shadowsurfer - Walyed Reeaz of D-1457H234 - strength and durability, teleport through shadows or darkness
Spook - Wendl Honnessen of Winath - assume astral-like form allowing him to become invisible and intangible
Shifter - Josha Honnessen of Winath - manipulate density of solid or liquid matter

...........

Senior student team

Imp Master - Dorrolo Capicca Redsail of Zerox - Elven strength, speed and senses, minor mystic, can summon and control imps
Kid Pulsar - Neel Koduah of Earth - incredible strength, durability, project explosive blasts
Friction - Jadee Whittakka of Xanthu - control the effects of friction
Slingshot - Prince Alfon Gundrix Maunheesta of the Grindlaw Colonies of System Mondarsh - hyper-charge kinetic potential of objects by touch
Howler - Elli Unji of Nu Delhistroid - agility, strength, enhanced senses and reflexes, creates sonic booms

And that brings me to the end of the Academy shorts. The students will appear again soon over in Legion Worlds Five. Some will be joining my version of the main team...

Thank you for taking the time to read this, all feedback welcome.

C

Loved all these origin stories, Harbi! Such a range of powers, personalities, motives and maturity among the students. Each one is truly distinctive and well-developed in a few short paragraphs. I'm not sure who I'd want to cut from the group, apart from the clearly egotistical.

The teachers also present a good mix of approaches, strengths and weaknesses. It seems that the more long-term Legionnaires (Rokk & Gim) are less capable than those who are more outsiders, Lydda, Yera amd Wo;dfore (a physical outsider, as I see him). You make Yera, a character I never warmed to, an engaging personality.

M'Rissey made me laugh with his fascination with tax law and expense claims. Such an earnest type!

The wraithcat Ergus is another fine alien creation, and reminds me that in every species, there may be one outlier who thinks differently.

The Dryadians - well their motives were honourable, but it's a bit of a sad story. They're such earnest teenage idealists, wanting to make amends for something most people have forgotten, along with their own desires for adventure/fame/etc.

Casting Rokk Krinn as both a celebrity love interest and "creepy", according to different students' views, is so believable.

Thought you made up Ludwig Minkus as a mix of classical and jazz, but looked him up on a hunch and discovered he's real!

Now on to LW5 to see what happens next!

Goodness, there's a lot to love here!

I really like the detail that's gone into the myriad worlds and cultures!

One student's fascination with the carvings in Legion World (was it Tectonik?) was cool. I liked how different students had completely different interests and focuses. There was bratty and egotistical, but there was also a good mixture of other motivations and interests. I particularly like that the powerset or world of origin didn't necessarily fall into any tropes, so that while Silver Shaman was all wise and mystical, Imp Master was mystical *without* being particularly wise. A harder more mercenary 'mystic' is certainly a fun twist on an archetype that tends to be either cackling evil or wise-beyond-their-years/standoffish (the way Raven and White Witch sometimes are written).

Lot's of uncommon or unique powersets, which I love. Friction control? Super-rare, and very cool! Neutrax's neutralization beams? Also, a rare power, and one almost exclusive to villains. Astral projection? In a genre overflowing with telepaths, and, to a lesser extent, precognitives, that's a psychic mode not as often explored! Very cool.

Atomsmasher (and the idea of space-based lifeforms like the wraithcats) is very cool and Non is fascinating. I'm very intrigued by the possibility that Non is having memory flashes from people who died earlier in this storyline...

Lazon's easily got my favorite power of the League of Super-Assassins, so it's great to see that Strobe is one of the better-adjusted of the Dryadan kids.

Loving Presience, as well. A good 'combat Naltorian' has promise, and the idea of 'pre-Commandos' is probably one of the best ideas from the otherwise not-quite-ready-for-primetime Threeboot.

Doppleganger being able to assume other forms, but not be a more generic shapeshifter, and to have a 'real form' that, to him, is unsatisfactory, as well as an inability to lie, is a great way of stretching that powerset and making him very, very different than just a Durlan. He's very clearly not Espionage Squad material, for instance.

Love Flipside's personal gravity orientation control, and Shifter's ability to turn solid things liquid, and vice-versa, which sounds very useful, to liquefy guns and armor, or even the ground beneath someone's feet, and then resolidify it, trapping them waist deep in ferrocrete or whatever. I'm also intrigued to see more of pHzero, as there hasn't been a lot of development of the Gil'Dishpan, other than that their thought-processes are very alien, perhaps even more so than their physiology, so much so that even Brainy has trouble with their technology.

Tons and tons of neat ideas, and very different personalities. Very cool, Harby!

So glad i finally caught up Harbi, such a delightful hour of reading.

you have gotten me excited for what comes next! will Booster and Glory survive? you ramped up the tension, Booster seems safe but who knows, and Glory's fear was well done

from Glory's POV I knew something was up with Kid Pulsar, but you masked it so well (his pretend story to Wildfire was well done and on keeping with the "good kid entrapped" cover)

love the kids in general, but I find Doppelgänger particularly intriguing, one of the more unique abilities. love his self consciousness about his appearance. I can relate, used to be just like hat

I love how you stress the importance of attitude, many of the nominees for tryouts are not necessarily the most powerful but are certainly among the best at teamwork and learning

loved you getting into the heads of everyone. as a nice guy too I can so relate to Gim and his struggles

above all, kudos for the realism. being in business school now i can recognize the environment - even down to Lu's dilemma with cutting down the applications - many good applicants but the team just doesn't have the capacity, and they really need to get the best of the best

also loved the bit about encouraging the strong willed, horrible team players to be solo heroes, finding a place for them despite them not fitting well into the main team

i should add - you have such a talent for creating characters. i like how you give people such unique and interesting abilities and creatively apply them. even the likes of ph Zero, whom many would dismiss as weak - but hen you give it the ability to understand new cultures! a great asset to a team protecting entire galaxies

and i also like how you have characters like Friction or Flipside whose abilities can, in practice, mimic super strength or speed or agility BUT you give hem a unique power that can do so much more than just that!

finally, I like how the team still upholds the "unique power" requirement BUT is also pragmatic enough to be a bit loose with it. that is, they are strict with the likes of exact duplication, but can bend it for very deserving candidates - at least candidates with duplicate or highly similar powers can get far enough to be judged on their own merits, if you get what i mean

Hey Harbinger sorry its taken me so long to respond to these. I sad to see this mini series come to an end as i was really enjoying your academy students.

Booster -
an amplifier of others only. nice twist! Poor Solstin and I wonder who poisoned him?

Im Master -
an elf that controls imps - his description made me thing of Nightcrawler and his imps. But with the white hair. i love the disruption of his apartment as well. the books can he pull them from his actual home? that would be really cool. No! he got a warning and should have asked for help!!! Why are Elve's always so cocky? lol

Friction -
the way you show her power is great! i love the little balls that separate her from the ground. I love how dedicated she is and really funny how much friction that dedication causes with her teammates. longest surviving student...that spells trouble.

Lu's scene -
I love how she carries Chuck with her. its great to see. wow 15 up for the tryout!
I love the idea that the academy tries to not only train to be a Legionnaire but to be solo heroes and create more allies. its true not everyone is cut out to be in the Legion or in the S.P's.
too bad about Yeti Boy.
Lydda is right about those girls. might make them wise up if they think there really is no chance of Legion membership.
Wow that's a lot of potential candidates. could you ever imagine an academy that accepted all of those potential candidates.

Slingshot -
I like that Prince Alfon recognizes when he is having princely moments and can reign himself in.
potential kinetic energy amped up could be so useful i think he'll make it. I had forgotten that they were dating and its good to be reminded of that. i like that he wasn't happy with Atom girl for not messaging him and hopefully his marks will get better.

Howler -
I like that she's happy about being there and wanting to learn and open her mind. that's a trait i admire in anyone and that she acknowledges she won't make membership. its interesting that she's so in tune with herself that she knows when she will leave and that the place is changing her.

Glory -
an aura manipulator is wicked cool! i've never seen that before. it has so many capabilities.
Hmmm Glory is sensing some crazy stuff and is really afraid. was that visit to the S.P. headquarters and the murder in story or something that happened off panel?
I hope she says something soon...

Gim's scene -
It was cute i always enjoy Gim and Yera together. they compliment each other well.
It was good to see the rundown of the students.
Yay Bouncing Boy II! can't wait for him to make it to the team.
Dragon Lass is- a third dragon child hmmm i smell a story there. The Dragon Triad!

Kid Pulsar -
Oh no he's been corrupted. his mistress hmm there are so many options but i have a good idea but i'll keep that spoiler to myself. Glory and Bootser are his targets? Glory i get but booster i'm not so sure of and i wonder what her plan is for the others? with the way Glory described him it makes sense he was so easily corrupted.

Again sad to see this end but can't wait for the main series!

Thank you for all your kind words everyone, I'm very grateful for them. Some of these students were ideas I had for the first try-out in LW2, and have been hanging around in my draft folder for a couple of years now so it was good for me to get them out there finally.

FC, I think that Rokk and Gim are too institutionalised by the Legion to be natural teachers, much as people who have worked full time in a given industry often struggle when they first try teaching - it isn't always very easy, and when you have big personalities it can get really tough even for those with more experience. Yera is based on a very good friend of mine who was a relatively successful actress back in the day who I met in a college as she helped run a degree show. Her attitude towards life is an inspiration and I thought after all the poor writing that had went into Yera's canon existence she was due something positive. Ludwig Minkus was definitely a real life composer, Don Quixote is possibly his most famous piece of music, and while I can't claim to know too much about him I have seen a couple of ballets that include his work and thought they were very good so wanted to reference it, and the idea of a ballet dancing yeti kind of appealed to me.

Set, I hadn't thought of Imp Master as a more mercenary type but that certainly fits, the boy has a solid ego! And thank you for your kind words on the power sets I used, it was a good exercise to plan them out and work out the characters to go with them. The twins from Winath were something I really wanted to do - just to show that they could have very different abilities but still function on that 'twin-level' that Winathians are shown to have.

IB - the Glory/Booster/ Kid Pulsar storyline will continue over in LW5 just as soon as the Zuun/Espionage Squad storylines come to a close. And after that there will be a big reveal and another change to the main teams membership. Thank you also for mentioning the business side to the Academy as I've always tried to avoid that in my real life but have seen enough of it to know it can be brutal. Poor Lu getting the unenviable job to informing the unsuccessful candidates, eh?

Omni, thank you again for your break down of each character and scene, I always enjoy reading what you have picked up on. The Glory visiting SP HQ was off panel. I had written it in m drafts for the first batch but didn't include it ... and then remembered why I had written it as I completed Glory's storyline. Oh well, not all plans go smoothly. I think you may have misunderstood what I meant with the Kid Pulsar section though as he's a very tough guy, it's just the main villain is a lot tougher so he was corrupted after a very brief skirmish. He was definitely a decent guy before then. I'll get into that in LW5 so hopefully it'll all make sense in the end for you, and everyone else too.

Thanks again everyone, greatly appreciate your feedback.