BZPB: Future

<User HQ>

"These are like your stuffed toys, LM. This is only a fetch quest." the Architect said, stepping through the portal, arriving at a hangar. The ship within looked like a normal Earth car, with the exception of the large turret mounted on the roof. Once LM and his machines had (presumably) followed him, he snapped his fingers, closing the portal.

"It's been a while, old friend." he said, patting the ship's bonnet. He then turned back to LM. "I call it the Guiding Light. It'll be crowded with your pets, but we shouldn't be long."

-----

<Vizima>

"No, nothing. I just liked the portal. It was convenient." said Praxter. "I wonder how Klak's doing."

-----

*User MK placed his hand on his chin, silently observing.*

---

Carter: "Good question. We should find a way to contact him."

---

*The clash of swords reverberated through the planet. Blinding rays of light and horrifying blasts of pure shadow energy clashed constantly as the Klaks flew all over Malchior IV at breakneck speeds.*

*Klakk slammed his fist into Klak's face at the opportune moment. The force of the blow sent him crashing into a rock formation. The formation collapsed.*

Klakk: "Superiority, Klak! THAT. IS. WHAT. SEPARATES. ME. FROM. YOU!!"

*Klak weakly removed the rubble that was on top of him with his gravity powers. Klakk was gloating. Now was his chance.*

Klak: No. What separates us is a choice. Thousands of years ago. I chose good. You chose evil.

Klakk: "Then die knowing you made the wrong choice!"

*Klak fired a blast of right directly at Klakk's head, and the latter used his own laser attack. Both beams of energy met in the middle, and the power struggle ensued.*

*Drifting in space, Kakamu's body surges with purple electricity, and he screams in agony*

*In doing so, his ancient biometal body appears to melt slightly, his arms and legs dripping silver*

Kakamu: AAAGH... what are you..? WHY?

*The purple energy then ceases, and whatever was possessing him is now gone*

*The old man breathes a deep breath of nothingness and falls unconscious*

LM shrugged. "You can never be too careful. Besides, I feel more...comfortable, with them around." He'd never gotten on well with real people. Only his children, really, and even if the Architect agreed with him...

"Let's get this over with. And hope MK doesn't muck things up in the process." Somehow, he felt like that imbecile was going to screw things up. Again.

---

A spike which Anzu intercepted, a dark shield coming up around him. "My lord, please be more careful."

"Yes, yes, Anzu." He chuckled. "Die? Really? A third-rate fragment of Ynot's mind, kill the eldest mage in the galaxy?" He raised his hand, as the darkening room begins to glow with light. "I think not." His eyes flared white. "Holy." A massive pillar of searing light slammed down upon the hollow.

<The Ruins of Disney Land Florida>

Hugh: The castle, eh? Well, I've visited it only twice before, once in me youth, the other when I was older and rescuing some precious memorabilia from decay... I don't think there'll be much left, but you're bloody Walt Disney, you're bound to know of some hidden storage rooms and the like!

*He gives Walt a slap on the back, and hurriedly hobbles past him, towards the ruins of the castle on the horizon*

*User MK muttered to himself during the trip.*

MK: Hay aquellos que quieren destruir un universo para una agenda. Y luego están aquellos que salvaría a ese universo por todos los medios necesarios. Which group do we belong to, Users? That is the question.

---

*The power struggle between the Klaks continued raging. Now, Klak's beam was overcoming his clone's. He screamed in strength and pain, assumed his Nova form, and using his might he overcame the powers of his clone. Klakk was sent flying into the air, where his met a newly teleported Klak's leg. Klakk smashed onto the ground, and Klak landed near him.*

*Klak summoned his Keyblades. He was in Nova form, which meant that he had several blades of extreme power floating near him, and one in his hand.*

Klakk: "Wait! Wait! How is this possible?"

Klak: I know your weaknesses and a few moves here and there. I also know that light always triumphs over darkness.

Klakk: "No....No! I beg you, stop! Forgive me! Forgive me for whatever I have done to you!"

*Klak paused, and lowered his keyblade. He then smiled and laughed.*

Klak: Forgiveness?! YES! I FORGIVE YOU, KLAKK! I forgive you for everything. Everything! But that does not mean I am not meant to bring you to justice!

Klakk: "Very well. To the death then."

*Klakk assumed his own version of Nova form, and charged at Klak. The latter did the same. A cloud of keyblades clashing was formed. A loud, shrill slashing sound reverberated through the nearest cities and towns. A massive explosion then ensued, leaving a large crater.*

*At the center of the crater, there lay two emerald armored beings just like our warriors. For a brief moment, they were both unconscious, until one stood up, and walked away from the crater, limping and wheezing.*

((Dun dun dun. Not who you expect, y'all.))


OOS: Waiting on DRJ for Vizima

<User HQ>

"Are you kidding? Of course he will. Let's just hope this thing's fast enough to make it to Vizima and back again before he does." the Architect said, firing up the engines. The Guiding Light floated off the ground, rumbling so loudly it made the hangar shake to its foundations. The doors opened above them, and the Architect blasted off, appearing to head straight for the sun. Even before they had left the atmosphere, he projected a warp gate in front of them, and flew in at maximum speed, laughing as the portal slammed shut behind them.

"Let's see MK track us now." he said.

-----

<Vizima>

"There's no point. Klakk has probably reached him now. We'll know what happened soon enough." said Praxter. "Where's the encrypted comm again? I need to call Votron and Yoriba."

-----

<Space, the final frontier>

The Sabre slowly turned, and opened a warp gate, leaving the system. Ynot could burn in hell for all Blackout cared. There were so many other threats that needed taking care of, he thought as his antidermis floated out of his damaged armour. He made his way down to a prison cell, where a few Skrall were guarding a human. He was screaming something at his captors, something about the green cloud. He clearly recognised Blackout for what he was. That was nice.

Blackout floated into the cell, and entered the human's body through his nostrils, despite him holding his breath. The man screamed, and then fell to the ground.

He then very slowly got back up, as if he had forgotten how to use his limbs. "Ah, yes." he said, in a voice unfamiliar to himself. "So this is what organic life feels like." The Skrall shrugged, and opened the cell, releasing the now human Blackout.

<The Ruins of Disney Land Florida>

*Disney Castle is as ruined as the rest of the park. Walt Disney walks up to the gate confidently.*

Walt Disney: *cough* Sherbet Lemon.

*The doors stay firmly closed for a couple of seconds before the floor starts to rumble. The whole doorway moves backwards to reveal a staircase going into the ground. As Walt steps onto the first step it lights up in a fluorescent green, the second a fluorescent blue.*

Walt Disney: Hugh Hoard, get your magnificent self down those stairs, armed to the teeth and into my InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™ transport. We're off to find some timeless classic brands the old fashioned way; giving them the cold steel and a blast of Mickey'sPlasmaIonCannon™.

*Walt reaches slowly into his pocket for a pair of sunglasses, puts them on and continues down the stairs.*

<User World>

*MK looked to a small device in his hand. A blinking light showed where the Guiding Light was located in hyperspace. His plan had worked. During the attempted embrace, User MK attached a tracking device onto The Architect for security purposes. Of course, he knew that at one point the Architect would find out. He had a backup plan for that as well.*

*The BZPower Sun set in the distance as MK stared at the screen, grinning.*

*A few minutes later, he walked up to User MY.*

MK: EmWhy. The Architect's out. And he's gone mad. He's in the universe now.

---

<Vizima>

Carter: "It's by the camp."

*Carter made his way on another path towards the camp.*

---

<Malchior IV>

*The emerald being, the survivor of the Battle of the Klaks, suddenly shape-shifted into another form: a Makuta with black and white armor, and a Kanohi Crast mask. He panted, and panted.*

Klak: The future...is....changed....

*He collapsed.*

---


<Location Unknown>

*It was a stormy night. The sky was a hellish scarlet. Lightning struck near the head of an ancient robot, which was now crawling with small creatures. The robot was once known as Ultron, and it struck fear in the hearts of its enemies.*

HY's eyes flare a brilliant ruby red, an aura of the same color surrounding them, "Third rate? Third rate of this host is still better than the First rate defenders out there. Ultima." He holds up his right arm, dripping in blood and an orb of brilliant blue energy forms, growing and piercing through Malygos' Holy as it rockets towards Anzu.
----

MY looks up from the desk he's at upon hearing MK's call. He'd been working on an Arc for the immediate future, and a character or two. He pushes off the desk and slides over to his com center across the room. It's a large table against a wall of monitors, doubling as his universe monitoring station as well. Many of the monitors are now black, as their targets no longer live, but he can still see Ynot meditating, and HY battling Malygos. Picking up his com he replies, "I read ya Em Kay. Sending out a squad of Lanterns to retrieve."

Sliding over a few feet, he picks up another mic, this one to the Platinum Lantern Corps Headquarters in Universe, "Attention Lanterns, assemble a squad to retrieve User The Architect. It appears he has come down with madness, and has entered the Universe. You are not to kill him. Injure if you must, but do not kill."
----

(Platinum Lantern HQ)

"n the Depths of Space, and crevices of the sea, my reach goes there, and all throughout infinity. You had better run, there is no place to hide, from my power burning with Pride" The call goes out through the halls. One figure stands tall above the others and selects the group, "Leahf, Quolas. Take your squads and head out."

Leahf is a large treelike creature standing at the back of the room and nods at the leader, motioning for a humanoid with reptilian skin to follow. Leahf walks down the hall to where it's a bit quieter and hails the third member of his squad, "Barsu. We have a mission. Sober up and meet us on the way."

<The Guiding Light>

The Guiding Light rushed through hyperspace, straight towards Vizima, when all of a sudden, a loud beeping noise rang out inside the cockpit, and the ship began to slow. "Oh, oh, that's embarrassing. It seems we're running out of fuel. I'm gonna pull into the nearest station." said the User.

The Architect changed course slightly, and then dropped out of hyperspace, just next to a small space station orbiting a moon. When he pulled up alongside it, the station automatically extended a tube towards the ship, connecting to the fuel tank. "This might take a while."

-----

<The Sabre>

Blackout rather awkwardly made his way to the Sabre's hangar bay, where a shuttle was waiting for him. The cruiser had dropped out at the edge of his target solar system, and remained cloaked. He didn't want to be discovered by these people. He climbed into his ship, and blasted off.

-----

<Vizima>

"Alright, thanks." Praxter made his way up the hill, and into a tent where the transmitter was. The two guards that should have been by the tent weren't there. Praxter figured they were probably on an unscheduled lunch break, and made a mental note to assign them to trench cleaning duty for a few weeks.

He punched a password into the computer, and began working on his message. He had to be brief; their current encryption system only allowed 140 characters. He wrote "@Yoriba urgent,reveal urselves to D. arrange a meeting between me and him." Out of pedantry, he corrected "urselves" to "yourselves", and then sent. He shut down the transmitter, and then turned to leave the tent, only to be tackled.

-----

*Barsu leaped into the air, coughing. Brandy drips along his metal exoskeleton.*

Barsu: "I only had one drink."

*His ring created a glistening platinum armor around his body as he glided after Leahf.*

*User MK sent the coordinates to Leahf*

---

*Carter's Russian senses were tingling. He sensed a disturbance, and made his way to the tent that contained the transmitter.*

---

*Several Malchiorian hours later, the surviving Klak was spotted in a city's homeless shelter. He was quickly taken to a nearby hospital, where several soldiers guarded his room. A female general sat in front of his hospital bed as the Makuta silently stared at the ceiling.*

Klak: General Tatyana Washington, is it?

Tatyana: "Yes. I see that you finally returned to Malchior IV, Klak. Though there were rumors that you had a house in some mountain range in the South."

Klak: You could say that.

Tatyana: "Who were you fighting?"

Klak: It's a long story. I'm injured.

Tatyana: "Your species recovers quickly."

Klak: Irrelevant. Still in pain.

Tatyana: "Your medicine isn't helping you?"

Klak: No, not physical pain. Psychological pain.

Tatyana: "I don't follow."

Klak: You asked who I was fighting all over the world. Those witnesses saying that I was fighting myself? They were right. Tell me, Tatyana, if you had to shoot someone who looked just like you, would you do it?

*Tatyana paused, then nodded.*

Tatyana: "If it meant saving lives and following orders, then yes. And it's General Tatyana."

*Klak coughed while he laughed.*

Klak: It's not as easy as it sounds.

Tatyana: "So there was another Klak? From what, another universe?"

Klak: No.

Tatyana: "A clone?"

Klak: Yeah, you could say that.

LM glared at the Architect. "We were on our way to prove the foolishness of MK's plan." He sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his glasses. "And you are telling me you FORGOT TO FILL THE TANK WITH GAS?" He sighed. "We are nigh-omnipotent beings capable of changing the course of reality, and you have a car that doesn't self-generate fuel?"

He sighed, bringing up a display from his hand. "Bring the Secret Hand to my current location. We have no time for this foolishness."

---

Anzu brought up his scythe to block, the shadow energy tearing through the orb. He still took a significant amount of force damage, and was knocked back a couple feet, though he steadied himself with his wings. "Damn." He raised his scythe. "Milord, this guy's tough as nails."

"I'm aware, Anzu. You ready?"

"Damn right." He raised his hand, summoning blades of darkness up from the ground. He raised his scythe, and the swords began to move with it, coming together to form a massive blade. He smirked, slamming it into where HY was.

[Space Station]

As LM is calling for a ride, a bolt of radiant white energy shatters his com. "Sorry M'Lord. Orders are that Architect go no further than here." Leahf says as he, Barsu, and the reptilian lantern hover off to their left. "Will you come quietly?"
----

[Ynot's Mind]

Was being the operative word, HY descended into his pool and reappeared behind them, slashing at the dark angel with wicked claws coated in poison.
---

[User HQ, MY's Domicile]

MY returns to his arc planning when a thought strikes him. He scurries off to his forge and grabs his hammer.

<The Ruins of Disney Land Florida>

Hugh: Splendid! We could use the PeerPressurizedTaxBeam™ generator too, if you find it lyin' around.

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

OOS: Will reply with Quolas and his squad later once I know what they're supposed to do...

<Space station>

The Architect sighed deeply. "I should've known it'd come to this. No, I'd much rather come loudly." The old man giggled, and promptly shut up when he noticed no one was in the mood for such humour. "Fine. That said, there's a reason I took the Guiding Light. It's got guns." the User resumed, as the turret on the ship's roof turned to the left and opened fire, launching huge plasma bolts at the Lanterns.

-----

<Vizima>

Praxter fell to the ground, surprised by the being's assault. He instinctively lashed out, punching his attacker in the face. He then realised that wasn't particularly smart, but it was evidently enough, as the man fell back, clutching his bleeding nose. "Oh, damn!" the man said.

The Toa summoned his war hammer, and prepared for an attack which never came. The man stood at the edge of the tent, his nose bleeding like a faucet. "Damn it! I should've known." He examined the human carefully. He was a young male, maybe in his mid-twenties, wearing a brown tweed jacket, a shirt, and a red bow tie. "Sorry. New to this body. Still working out the kinks." he said, holding out his un-bloodied hand to the Toa. "I'm Blackout, by the way."

-----

<The Sabre>

A Skrall looked over his shoulder, and dived into a dark room. He took a small device out of his pocket, and pressed a button, which made it beep quietly. He threw it into a bin, and ran back out, carrying on his business.

*Barsu constructed a shield with his ring, but the blasts knocked him back quite a few inches*

*He regained composure, and leaped into the air. Barsu then created a bazooka construct, which fired 5 missiles at the Guiding Light.*

---

*Carter pulled out his gun and pointed it at Blackout*

Carter: "Who's this, Praxter?"

Leahf strafes above the Guiding Light with a saw blade construct digging into it's hull. The Reptilian Lantern Who is Totally Disposable coes in from the left and tackles LM.

<Space station>

*A wormhole rips itself into existence high above the Guiding Light, through which Quolas emerges, flanked by the rest of his squad. It is comprised of three other Lanterns:

-Veel'a, a translucent purple alien who is partially coated in the bright silver of the Corp. She has twenty hairs on her head, all of which are extremely thick, and appear to be pulsing with some kind of natural light or energy. Taking position behind Quolas, she flies through space elegantly, though it is also obvious that her body is surging with deadly power to be released at any given moment.

-Nix'rei, who appears to be of the same species, except he is green, bald, and wears thick silver armour. He also wears two large silver gauntlets, each with a green crystal embedded.

-Genetoes. A patchwork humanoid looking similar to the one we know from the Main RPG, but all traces of darkness appear to have been purged from his body. His usual shroud of black smog has been replaced by a silver glow.

Quolas opens a communication with Leahf using his ring*

Quolas: My apologies for the delay, it seems a plothole appeared on the way here. While it appears to be an act of god, we were also destined to assist you, as we are here now. My squad of Platinum Pride, go forth!

*Before he can bore Leahf for any longer, Veel'a and Nix'rei soar past his squad and form plasma saws from their rings, which they use to slice chunks of the ship off. Genetoes floats over to assist Barsu with LM*

<Space station>

"Oh, hell no!" the Architect hissed as he created a shield in front of Barsu's missiles, which deflected them into the void of space. He then grabbed the disposable reptilian Lantern around the waist, and began dragging him away from LM. "Blimey, you're heavy." he said, while flinging him into Genetoes.

-----

<Vizima>

Blackout whispered "Play along" in Praxter's ear, and quickly turned around. "Smith. Benjamin Smith." he said, while adjusting his bow tie. "I'm a weapons expert. Maybe you've heard of me." "I brought him in to help us train." Praxter reluctantly added.

The two guards, both Toa of Fire, ran into the tent. "Sorry we weren't there! We heard a noise. What's going on here?"

-----

<Special news bulletin>

*Lon and Mookius Max, as well as anyone else listening to galactic radio, hears the following*

"We interrupt this programme to bring you breaking news. The government of Xindi VII has now confirmed that Terugan ships have attacked one of their colonies, Nuruv Prime. Contact with the colony is being jammed and all drones are being shot down by Terugan ships, so we have no idea how the colony is holding up. We'll continue to bring you information as it becomes available."

<The Ruins of Disney Land Florida>

*The armoury was as well-stocked as promised with PeerPressurizedTaxBeam™s and Mickey'sPlasmaIonCannon™s amongst many other weapons. Walt Disney boards the InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™.*

Walt Disney: Uh... Hugh? I was rather anticipating that we'd have the most advanced weapons. What's this Space Station the scanners are picking up? Well I suppose it is the future...

*He locks the ship's tracking system on the Space Station and focuses the scanner on it also.*

<The InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™>

*Hugh leans over Walt, and peers at the monitor*

Hugh: Nope, never 'eard of it. But it can't hurt to refuel, right? As long as they still sell whatever powers this thing!

*He gives a throaty laugh, while reaching behind his hips to check his handgun is still there. It is, and he pulls his dirty shirt over it*

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

<Space station>

*Slowly but precisely, Genetoes propels himself towards the reptilian Lantern, and catches him. He then slaps the reptilian a few times round the face*

Genetoes: Steady yourself. Fools have no place in this Corp.

*He then drops him and soars towards LM, firing black-and-silver energy blasts of unknown effect*

*Meanwhile, Quolas works on closing the wormhole, Veel'a rips a panel off of the Guilding Light, and promptly pulls out some circuitry from the side of the ship*

Veel'a: Oops! This looks important! Oh well! *giggles*

*Barsu flew towards the Guiding Light, and created a massive saw construct.*

Barsu: "Mind givin' me a hand, Veel'a?"

*He began to saw off parts of the spaceship.*

---

*Carter nodded, while suspiciously looking at Benjamin.*

Carter: "I do apologize. My people have learned that you mustn't trust anyone. And they learned it the hard way."

---

*Lon's eye widened.*

Lon: "Katherine, send out a memo to everyone here. Burn everything that burns. Smash everything that needs smashing. Use acid if we have to. Data that isn't transferred to Malchior IV is to be completely destroyed. Tell them all. We have to be off this planet in 12 hours."

*The embassy does so, Argo style.*

<Users v. Lanterns>

"Oh, for the love of god!" the Architect shouted at Barsu and Veel'a. "The ship is already in pieces, what are you trying to accomplish?"

He created two balls of energy in his hands, and threw them both at Barsu.

-----

<Vizima>

"Oh, it's no problem." said Blackout. "A strange man in your camp at such a time. I don't blame you for being suspicious."

"Ben, you and I need to talk in private." Praxter said. The two left the tent, and ducked into a tent full of ammunition.

"Why did you come, Makuta?" Praxter spat out. "And why this charade?"

"Tell me, Praxter. If I came here as Blackout, wouldn't your knights try and kill me on the spot? I'd win, of course, but it would be an inconvenience and I'd lose quite a few allies." the Makuta replied.

"You want an alliance?" the Knight said, surprised.

"Oh, yes. I'm sure you know of the many threats to our worlds right now. Ynot.....and F-Klak."

-----

<Teruga Prime>

Outside the gates of the Malchiorian embassy, a number of police officers gathered. Officially, their job was to guard the diplomats against angry nationalist mobs, but in reality, they were awaiting orders to raid the embassy themselves and arrest everyone inside.

-----

*Barsu quickly created a shield construct, and blocked the blasts. A sense of pride grew in him. He was able to stop a User!*

Barsu: "There's no kill like overkill!"

*Suddenly, Barsu's shield construct collapsed. He crashed onto the ground. A sharp pain spiked through his arm.*

Barsu: "...Guuuh."

*The Metalliconite recomposed himself, and began firing Platinum blasts at the Users.*

---

*Carter's eyes narrowed.*

---

*Ambassador Lon smashed his phone, and typed madly on a small computer.*

---

Tatyana: "Once you recover, you'll be sent to Teruga Prime."

Klak: Do I have a choice?

Tatyana: "Yes, and I know you aren't one of our operatives. Supposedly you haven't been an official part of the Malchiorian Protectorate for centuries."

Klak: But since I've been a friend for millennia...

Tatyana: "You're one of the best. And you're someone we can trust."

Klak: What do you need?

Tatyana: "The situation over there is getting worse. Now they've attacked Xindi VII's territory. Our embassy on the planet reports that Malchiorians have been killed in riots. By the police. Hostilities to anyone from the Protectorate are high for the first time in centuries. The people hate us, and the leaders really listen to the people. Ambassador Lon fears for the life of our diplomats, and is currently organizing an escape. We want you to infiltrate Teruga Prime's government, and find out what their next plans are. We haven't been able to rely on spies of Terugan descent, and most of our other agents can easily stand out. We have resorted to sending shapeshifters, and even then....None of them are as strong as you are."

Klak: ...I'll do it. For Malchior.

<Users v. Lanterns>

"Don't get too cocky, lizard!" the Architect cried out. He dived and flew below Barsu's blasts, then shot a beam of energy at him from below.

-----

<Vizima>

Praxter's mood darkened upon hearing F-Klak's name. His sight immediately dropped to his feet, like a student who'd just been scolded by his father. "So, you've met him already, then." Blackout said.

"He killed Perseus." the Knight said. "He's probably going after Klak now."

"I'm sorry." Blackout said. "I fought alongside Perseus once. He seemed a good man."

"Like hell you are." Praxter muttered. "So, what do you propose to fight him?"

"Like I told you before, we shall train together. I'll show your Knights how to truly fight shadow."

-----

<Teruga Prime>

Several police vans drew up to the gate of the Malchiorian embassy. Their occupants, armed Terugan Elites in full riot gear, got out, and waited outside. One of the vans revved its engine, and crashed hard into the gate, forcing it to swing open. The Elites charged through the open gate and smashed the front door, throwing tear gas grenades into the corridor ahead. Others circled the building to block the other exits.

-----

<Galactic news bulletin>

"We have just received word that communication with Nuruv Prime has been restored. The planet is broadcasting a message on all frequencies, announcing that it is now under Terugan jurisdiction. The Xindi President has made an address threatening a counter-attack against the Terugans if they don't withdraw within one standard day. However, given the situation on Nuruv, it is unlikely they will heed the President's warning. In other news, the actor John Simpson has been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on Malchior II. We will bring you more information as it becomes available."

<Users v. Lanterns>

*Veel'a drops her plasma saw, which dissipates, and floats upwards away from the ship. She makes sure her ring is still glowing to show that she can be heard by all life forms in the immediate area. With a few strange loops and twists through the vacuum of space, she flies behind TA and bear-hugs him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides*

Veel'a: You're comin' with us, mister!

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

<The Place That Wasn't There Yesterday>

*Zax twiddles his thumbs*

*Barsu dodged the blast quickly.*

Barsu: "I'm sober!"

*He walked up to Veel'a, and punched The Architect in an attempt knock him out.*

---

*Lon looked outside of his window, and watched the soldiers break in.*

Lon: "No...."

*Everyone in the embassy panicked. Some of the workers began to pull out their own handguns. They weren't going down without a fight.*

<Users v. Lanterns>

Veel'a: 'Toes, get that other one, will ya?

*She frantically bobs her head in the direction of LM. However, Genetoes is already on the task, swooping in and tackling him to the ground*

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

<The Place That Wasn't There Yesterday>

*Yun twiddles her thumbs too*

OOS: THE BATTLE IS IN SPACE

<Users v. Lanterns>

"I didn't ask you about that!" the Architect shouted at Barsu, as he feebly struggled against Veel'a's iron grip. His melee fighting days were long over, he thought as he reminisced about his battle with Orion Pax years and years ago.

Barsu's punch snapped him out of his flashback. He rolled his tongue around in his mouth, and spat a broken tooth at the reptilian. "You broke my dentures, asshole." he hissed. He and Veel'a then began falling away from him, to the latter's surprise. "What are you doing?" she shouted, as the User smiled. The station, a mass of silver metal and gleaming solar panels, was getting ever closer, until they crashed into it with enough force to stun Veel'a, and rattle the Architect's brittle bones. He was lucky not to be injured, but Veel'a was knocked out.

The User floated away from the station, and back towards Barsu, charging two balls of energy in his hands as he did.

-----

<Vizima>

Blackout and Praxter left their tent, only to be confronted by another mob of Knights. "I see news travels fast in this outfit." the Makuta said.

"So, I hear you want to help us train." one Knight said.

"Not want. I have to. We start now. Do you have a suit of Void Armour anywhere here?"

"Yeah, I think it's in the back." she said, pointing to another tent. Blackout nodded, and walked to the tent.

-----

<Deep space>

A rocket tore across space, flying through star systems and ripping across nebulas that hadn't seen life in years. The ship was rusted out and beat-up, kept in one peace perhaps only by the fury of its owner, who seethed within its small cockpit as he got ever nearer to Vizima.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

The Elites threw tear gas grenades ahead of them, and fired stun beams at the armed employees.

-----

<Galactic news bulletin>

"We have received reports that Xindi warships are massing on the edge of the Nuruv system. Everything seems to indicate that the offensive is about to begin. Our war correspondent, Kranxx XXV, is at the scene in a cloaked ship, and will observe the battle. Kranxx, what do you think?"

"Well, there's no way to tell which way this will go. The Terugans have been warned in advance, so they're well-prepared. Still, they've been moving around a lot. There's no rhyme or reason to the way their ships have been moving around here. They have a plan."

"With all due respect, Kranxx, you sound like you're commentating on a sports match."

"I just left the sports department."

[Users vs. Lanterns]

Barsu: "That wasn't really nice, you know."

*Barsu's arm was engulfed in a sword construct. He swung his arm towards The Architect's shoulder*

---

[Vizima]

*Carter walked up to Praxter*

Carter: "Didn't Perseus and Klak warn us to not trust suspicious looking people? I don't trust this one. Something about him...."

---

[Teruga Prime]

*Several employees and visitors to the embassy collapsed to the ground, either affected by stun guns or by tear gas.*

Employee: "THEY'VE TURNED ON US!!! GAAAAAH"

*Lon smashed the remaining items in his office, and went to an elevator after grabbing a cigarette case.*

<The InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™>

Walt Disney: By rights the Disney Corporation probably owns it anyway. Let's go!

*The ship begins to shake violently. The top of the highest tower of Disney Castle creaks open and the InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™ takes off through it.*

Walt Disney: In case we meet anyone I've got these highly collectible hand-painted Disney models. If we meet any trouble we can detonate them using this...

*Walt Disney gives Hugh a TV remote with one large red button. The InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™ trundles onward towards the Space Station.*

<Users v. Lanterns>

"Oh, but cutting up my ship was?" the old man said, as he floated away from Barsu, avoiding the slash. He then threw one of the energy balls at the Lantern. "LM, a little help here!" he shouted at the other User.

-----

<Vizima>

"I think we can trust him for the moment." Praxter said. "But if I'm wrong, we should be ready. Put more guards around the camp, and tell everyone to be vigilant."

-----

<Teruga Prime>

A Terugan Elite ran into the corridor behind Lon, and fired at him.

Meanwhile, the other Elites began rounding up the employees, and looking for surviving computers or files.

-----

<Galactic news bulletin>

"Hi, this is Kranxx XXV, war correspondent for the Interstellar Network. The Xindi fleet has entered the Nuruv system. They're moving into attack formation now, and going head-on at the Terugans. That's not smart.....OH MY GOD! THEY'RE BLOWING UP! The Terugans planted a cloaked minefield and the Xindi ran right into it! Everyone's dying! Oh, god help us all!"

"Aaaaand thank you, Kranxx."

<The InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™>

Hugh: I hope it doesn't come ta that, by the looks of it these are highly collectable!

*He puts the button in one of his pockets and hums "99 bottles of beer" until the ship arrives at the space station, floating in space above the battle between the Platinum Lanterns and the two Users. Hugh squints at the ship's monitor, observing the battle with bewilderment*

Hugh: Oh dear... this is not how I planned it. Not at all!

*He whacks his peg-leg against the wall in frustration*

*Below the ship, Nix'rei shouts "Veel'a!" in concern and flies into her, lifting her away from the scene while Quolas closes the wormhole*

*Barsu flew upwards and dodged the energy balls. He spun in a circle, attempting to drill the sword onto The Architect's chest*

Barsu: "You'll survive this."

---

Carter: "Da. *He left to do just that.*"

---

*Lon yelled in pain. The bullet had grazed his shoulder just as the elevator doors were closing. They were out for blood.*

*Some of the workers that were rounded up began to panic.*

---

Klak: When do I start?

Tatyana: "How are you feeling?"

Klak: Like crap. I might need a few days.

Tatyana: "Good."

*Tatyana nodded at Klak, and walked out of the room. Meanwhile, the Makuta felt a burning sensation under his eyes. He rubbed them for a moment, and the pangs went away. Slowly, Klak drifted to sleep.*

"If you were paying any attention," the bespectacled User said dryly, "I was getting your ship working again."  He snapped his fingers as the systems flared to life.  "Really, an oil-based fuel source?  Isn't that a little primitive?"  He smirked, pointing the main cannon at Barsu and knocking him out of the way.

He strode forward, as all sorts of malfunctions began to occur in all the PL tech systems.  "Technokinetic, imbeciles.  You really think I've spent this much time without developing a few countermeasures to your abilities?"  He chuckled, deploying a shield and producing a small, elegant pistol from his jacket.  "So you thought that you could come here, and defeat us.  No doubt you're working as MY's lapdogs.  He's always up to something."  He fired a couple shots...directly at the Platinum Energy.  "It took me a long time, but I've developed a method to completely nullify Platinum Lantern energy by shooting it with this."

The weapons he had shot crumbled into nothingness.  "Prime.  Hunter.  Pin them down."  They nodded, as the massive juggernaut and the agile sniper went into action, Hunter deploying his cloaking field and firing shots from a distance as Prime walks into the fray, deploying his personal shields and firing massive plasma shots at the Lanterns.

---

But just as the claws were about to hit Anzu, a card in Malygos's hand was crushed. "Persona." he muttered, as Izanagi was summoned forth again, blocking the claws with his spear.

"Took you long enough to summon him. Ready?"

"Always was." Izanagi slammed the butt of his spear up to knock HY into the air, as Anzu spun around to slam his scythe - and swords- into HY's chest...

<Users v. Lanterns>

"Woo!" the Architect cheered, while simultaneously trying to evade Barsu's attack. The sword missed his chest, but still caught his shoulder, drawing blood. The User hissed as he clutched the wound to try and stem the flow.

-----

<Vizima>

Blackout strode out of the huge tent, in a similarly huge silver humanoid mech, easily the size of a Toa with a Matoran perched on his shoulders. Over his head, he wore a black helmet which also protected his face. Instead of hands, the mech had a three-fingered claw and a buzzsaw for hands, and two huge gatling guns were attached to his shoulders. He walked to a barren field, where Praxter and one other Toa were waiting for him, weapons ready.

"Hammers and swords?" the Makuta spat out. "That won't be enough." He then sprayed the area before him with gatling fire, forcing the Toa to scatter. He then ran after Praxter, snapping his claw while trying to grab him.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

The Elites began restraining the captured workers, handcuffing them and putting blindfolds over their eyes, which was considered a high insult in Terugan society. Several others continued roaming the embassy, checking all the rooms for any remaining employees that might still be hiding.


The Elite chasing Lon hammered on the elevator door, cursing at his failure. He then pulled out his radio and shouted into it. "Beta 4 to all Elites. I got a runner. He's taking the elevator from the second floor."

"Copy that."

-----

<Galactic news bulletin>

"High on morale after their recent victory at Nuruv Prime, the Terugan fleet is advancing deeper and deeper into Xindi territory. They have already taken over three other outposts, with relatively little resistance from the Xindi military which seems to be retreating on all fronts. In related news, the governments of Malchior IV, New Z'traa, and Alpha Centauri have strongly condemned the invasion, and have called on the Terugans to withdraw."

<User vs. Platinum Lantern fight>

*Disappointment crept on Barsu's face. While he drew blood from The Architect, his Platinum power might be disabled in a moment, and he was blasted away by a cannon. He groaned, and reached into a satchel*

Barsu: "You think our rings are our only talent? You've been out of it for too long, mate. There's a reason MY chose us. It's a tradition for Platinum Lanterns to have their own set of abilities! Besides, you should have looked into my heritage."

*Barsu ran at breakneck speeds past the plasma blasts*

*He stopped behind User LM, and grinned.*

Barsu: "You ought to....put things into perspective."

*Barsu's leg jutted forward into LM's back*

OOS: Whoever guesses what he's referencing gets an internet hug

---

<Vizima>

*A rocket exploded near Blackout's mech*

Carter: "*from a distance* Is that enough?"

*Meanwhile, one of the Knights looked to Praxter*

Vraice: "Do we use our powers?"

---

<Teruga Prime>

*Lon grabbed a cigarette and put it in his mouth.*

*The elevator arrived to its destination. Lon pulled out a lighter*

---

<The Communicators of all of F-Klak's Agents>

????: Continue all operations. Ignore any possible news you get. He may be dead, but that does not mean our goals are compromised.

<Users v. Lanterns>

The Architect created another energy ball in his free hand, and hurled it at the Expendable Reptilian Lantern.

-----

<Vizima>

"Of course we do." Praxter said, focusing on a nearby rock formation, which transformed into a fist and punched Blackout hard, knocking him down. The Toa then dashed ahead, and swung his hammer at the Makuta, which only served to dent the Void Armour.

"You're not fighting a fleshie here, Praxter!" Blackout shouted, slowly getting to his feet. He then grabbed Praxter with his claw, and threw him back at Vraice.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

Another Elite stormed out of the corridor, and aimed his gun at the elevator door, just in case Lon decided to get off here. It was a long shot, one that would never have worked in a taller building.

-----

<Mirage's ship>

Mirage sighed, as the Terugan Speaker, Tox's face popped up on his screen. "Greetings, Mirage. I trust you've heard of our exploits by now."

"Yes, yes. You've done excellently."

"You're right, we have. Alone. What of our allies? You told us Coridan VI would join in soon. Come to think of it, where are your forces? You promised us support!" Tox shouted.

"We shall come to your aid soon," Mirage replied. "Tell your admirals to slow down. Xindi VII will soon be yours without a drop of Terugan blood spilled." He drummed his fingers on the table, sighing again at the mention of Coridan. Dealing with the Party was exhausting. They were all for imperialism, until they actually had to fight. "And as for Coridan, they are still rather hesitant to engage, but I'm sure I can convince them."

"You better. Tox out." The screen went blank again.

"Goddamn politicians....." the warrior muttered. He then called the bridge. "Jack, take us to Xindi VII, maximum speed. I need to talk to a few people."

-----

<Galactic news bulletin>

"The Terugan fleet is continuing to advance in Xindi space, but at a somewhat reduced pace. At the same time, protests have begun in the Xindi capital city, Kalaquipryx. The protesters are demanding the resignation of the government. A spokesman for the opposition Reform Party, which supports the protests, said 'We cannot fight against such overwhelming foes. We must negotiate with the Terugans to preserve what is left of our sovereignty instead.' The Xindi President refused to comment."

<The InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™/The Space Station>

Walt Disney: Well rats! I suppose we ought to go down there perhaps?

*Walt Disney doesn't wait for an answer. He takes a handful of the collectible explosives and Mickey'sPlasmaIonCannon™ which is a large arm extension that covers his right arm just beyond his elbow. He walks across room in the ship towards the door.*

Walt Disney: I know what you're thinking but... I haven't killed anyone in years. You coming?

*He opens the door of the ship and pokes his head gingerly outside with Mickey'sPlasmaIonCannon™ outstretched.*

OOS: Completely forgot that the FRPG was a thing, oops...

<The InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™/The Space Station>

Hugh: Always up fer a fight, mate. Need ta hone me skills an' all that. Just wasn't expectin' one 'ere, was I?

*He takes out his pistol, grabs a PeerPressurizedTaxBeam from a shelf, and presses a button to open the ship's ramp*

Hugh: Set 'er down, Walt!

<The InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse™/The Space Station>

*Walt Disney opens fire three times in rapid succession at Nix'rei. He jumps from the ship as it lands and the ramp opens.*

Walt Disney: Eat pressurized ionic fission charge, demon!

OOS: I don't know what he just said but those four words sounded sufficiently sciency.

[Space Station]

The Expendable Reptilian Lantern is expended. Leahf descends on the Architect and wraps his other arm to his head with a thick branch, "We've lost one comrade today. I understand you don't want to come with us, but it would be better if you did. Even if you are in the right to do what you are doing, then someone has it out for you. Perhaps you should deal with them, before you proceed."

The massive tree man kneels to AT, looking at him eye level, "I do not claim to know how you Users operate and decide our missions, but it occurs to me this one did not sound like the typical orders we receive. That being said, we still have orders to follow, odd as they are. Please call off Lord Malygos and come quietly."
----

[Ynot's Mind]

The blades pass through HY cleanly, "Hehehe. Boys, do you know what happens when a hollow of human form destroys his blade?" HY unsheathes his sword and crushes it, "He becomes a Ressureccion."

His bone mask liquefies and spreads across his body, eviscerating his clothes, revealing all the blades to have went through a hole in his chest. The bone expels the blades, forcing the Persona back. His face elongates into a snout, his teeth becoming more pointed, venom and poisons dripping from his fangs. Arm like structures with wicked long fingers erupt from his back, curving downward and filling with a thick film. Creeping down his arms, they become thin and lithe. His fingers tripling in length, halving in width with talons sharper then most swords tipping each off.

Following his spine, thorns rip through and continue past his rear, forming a tail that just barely touches the floor. His legs follow a transformation mimicking his arms, the balls of his feet coming off the ground, his foot elongating to accommodate. His mere presence emanates a feeling of dysphoria and dread along with a massive pressure that would paralyze lesser men. In less than a flash of light, he lunges at the off balance Persona with one of his claws.

<Lantern Battle>

*Barsu kicked Lord Malygos in the back*

Barsu: "You heard Leahf. Step off."

---

<Vizima>

*Vraice suddenly disappeared. The Knights near him ran for cover.*

*Vraice reappeared, his height now equivalent to that of the mech. He grabbed the two arms of it and began to pull*

---

<Teruga Prime>

*The elevator door opened, and Lon saw the guard aiming his gun at him.*

Lon: "Damn you. Just...let me smoke first...."

*He grabbed his lighter. With a flicker, it produced a flame.*

<Lantern Battle>

"Fine. You win." The Architect sighed. "LM, call off the robots! We're coming with them."

He then noticed Walt, and the Clubhouse. "What the blazes is this?"

-----

<Vizima>

Blackout smiled. "Clever boy!" he said, pretending to struggle against Vraice's grip. Suddenly, his shoulder-mounted tailings spun into life, and opened fire on the Toa.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

The Elite lowered his weapon. After all, he thought, this guy just wanted a cigarette. "Finish it and we're going."

-----

<Malchior IV>

A tanned, 20-something man in a grey suit and tie excitedly knocked on Klak's door. He'd just been given his first assignment, and a big one to boot; he had to advise Klak himself on the biggest diplomatic crisis in recent memory!


Elsewhere, at the site where the Battle of the Klaks ended, a strange man, completely bald, wearing a top hat and a suit in spite of the scorching weather, examined the crater where Klakk's corpse lay. He bent down to touch it when, suddenly, he felt another being appear, by the same means he had used. He got up to face it, only to be struck by a volley of fiery pellets. He cried out, and vanished into thin air.

<Lantern Battle>

Barsu: "Well, that went well."

*Barsu saw Walt Disney and the Clubhouse materialize, then looked at his bottle. It looks like he had one too many swigs.*

---

<Vizima>

*Vraice, who is of a different species, looked in horror as one of his Toa friends was damaged*

((Never specifically said he was a Toa ))

---

<Teruga Prime>

*Lon closed the lighter, and bit the cigarette. He collapsed onto the floor of the elevator.*

---

<Malchior IV>

*Klak stood up from his hospital bed. It felt good to stand again.*

*He opened the door.*

Klak: Yes?

OOS: Waiting on the others for the Lantern battle.

-----

<Vizima>

"Well, I need to work on my aim." Blackout said to himself. Exploiting Vraice's distraction, he broke out of the Knight's grip, and fired his mini-guns at him.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

"Damn it!" the Elite cried out, and knelt down next to Lon. He instinctively started performing CPR on the ambassador.

-----

<Malchior IV>

Klak opened the door and was immediately confronted with the sight of a completely bald man in a suit, his formerly-white shirt now red from blood. He was supporting himself by leaning on the door, and with it gone, he fell to his knees.

"What have you done....." he gasped, and immediately vanished. He was replaced by the smiling Latino man, who vigorously shook Klak's hand. "Good morning, sir. I'm Raul. I'm your new diplomatic aide."

-----

<Xindi VII>

Mirage's ship dropped out of hyperspace near Xindi VII. It was immediately confronted by a fighter squadron, but they retreated when the ship broadcast a signal that identified it as a diplomatic vessel from the Gamma Republic of M83. The Gamma Republic was actually a micronation located on a small space station in the M83 galaxy, and sold diplomatic credentials to whoever could pay, but since it was so far away, no one would know.

Mirage himself beamed down to the surface. He had a meeting with the chairman of the Reform Party.

<Vizima>

*Vraice was knocked back by the blasts, and shrunk in size to his original height*

*Another Knight, a Toa, leaped onto the mech, and began slashing at it with two Air Blades*

---

<Teruga Prime>

*The Ambassador smiled at the guard*

Lon: "G-gotcha."

*No longer was there a lighter in his hand. Now, there was a detonator. He removed the cover. His thumb inched closer to the detonator, until finally...*

---

<Malchior IV>

*Klak was surprised by the man who had just disappeared. Stranger things have happened to him before. He left a mental note about investigating it later.*

Klak: Ah, yes! Welcome! I'm sure you can give me a good debriefing on the situation on Teruga Prime.

*He walked over to his bed, and sat down.*

*Meanwhile, Nadle's projection materialized in a corner, unbeknownst to neither Klak nor Raul*

Nadle: "*he whispered* But...how?"

<Vizima>

Blackout grabbed the Toa out of the air with his claw, and threw him away. Praxter re-appeared beyond Blackout, lifting a huge boulder and flinging it at the mech.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

The guard cursed, and ran away, hoping to get out of the explosion's radius.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Elites were done waiting. They led the bound and blindfolded diplomats out of the building and into vans, while an angry mob jeered and shouted racist abuse at the Malchiorians, and journalists both Terugan and alien alike avidly photographed the event.

-----

<Malchior IV>

"Yes, of course I can." Raul sat down, and pulled a green folder out of his bag. He opened it up, and laid out several sheets of paper on the table. They featured the faces, names, and brief descriptions of the main Terugan politicians.

"This," Raul said, pointing to a picture of a smartly-dressed Terugan woman, "is President Vea. She's the head of the ruling Neo-Democracy party, and after a terrorist attack that was claimed to be engineered by foreign governments, she got emergency powers to deal with 'enemies'. She and this guy," (he pointed to a picture of a young-looking man)", Tox, Speaker of the Parliament, are the two big players here. The rest of the government just do their bidding. We need to talk to them."

-----

<Xindi VII>

An hour later, with his business concluded, Mirage left the HQ of the Reform Party somewhat richer and with a new assignment. He could've done it on his own, without being asked by the opposition, but the organisation could use the money, and, if necessary, the truth could bring down any future government.

He moved on to the presidential palace, where he showed the guards his Gamma Republic credentials. He had a meeting with the President.....

*Another Knight flew into the air and began shooting at the mech with a high caliber rifle*

*Vraice regained composure*

---

<Teruga Prime>

*The explosion shred through the walls as a fireball pursued the guard.*


((Whether or not he escapes is on you. o7))

*The Malchiorians outside sighed as they were being led into their vans*

*One muttered "It's because we're human."*

*Suddenly, everyone outside heard the explosion*

Meanwhile, the rest of the Elites were done waiting. They led the bound and blindfolded diplomats out of the building and into vans, while an angry mob jeered and shouted racist abuse at the Malchiorians, and journalists both Terugan and alien alike avidly photographed the event.

---

<Malchior IV>

Klak: Understood. What do we know about their personal backgrounds?