BZPB: Future

<Vizima>

Blackout spun around, and sliced the boulder in half with his buzzsaw. He was about to return fire on the other Knight, when an almighty fireball streaked across the sky, and crashed into a nearby forest.

Four guards approached the crash site, and found a wrecked rocket halfway embedded in a ditch. They looked around and, noticing no corpses, began to walk away to report to their superiors. Behind them, an armoured hand burst out of the wreckage.....

-----

<Teruga Prime>

The guard just barely escaped the fireball. Looking back at where Lon had lain just a second ago, he sighed with relief. He walked over to a giant hole in the wall, and waved to the Elites outside the building. He pulled out his radio to report to his commander, when he tripped over his own undone shoelace, and fell from the second floor.

((OOS:  ))

The Elites quickly herded the remaining employees into the vans, and drove off, abandoning their seemingly dead comrade.

-----

<Malchior IV>

"It's a good cop, bad cop situation, really." Raul replied. "Vea founded the party. She ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and fighting corruption. She likes to be seen as the stern but loving mother of the people. Meanwhile, Tox has quite the history. For a while, he was a member of a so-called political party. It was a gang, really. They'd go into immigrant-run shops and beat up the owners. No one ever proved Tox was involved in the militias, and everyone forgot about it by the time he ran for Parliament. Seeing as he was directly responsible for stirring up this mess, it looks like he didn't."

<Vizima>

Vraice: "What the hell was that?!"

---

<Teruga Prime>

OOS: I lol'd.


---

<Malchior IV>

Klak: Looks like Tox is the toxic one, then. Perhaps I'll talk to him first. Tox might just be Vea's lackey. Someone who'll deal with the opposition in a way that won't get her hands dirty. And he's more extreme than she is. Maybe we can convince them to turn on each other.

<The Space Station>

*Nix'rei uses his Lantern ring to form a brick wall in front of him which stops the blasts. Handing an unconscious Veel'a over to Quolas, he soars forward, on a crash course with Walt*

Nix'rei: Explain yourself, human!

<Vizima>

"A new variable." Blackout said. "Either it's an innocent ship, or it's someone else who knows of this place. Either way, we need to investigate."


Icarax picked up a scarf one of the Knights had been wearing a minute ago. He used it to clean the blood off his blade, and then threw it into a puddle of burning fuel. Looking around, he smiled, and walked away into the forest.

-----

<Malchior IV>

"You're right, he's a lackey. For all we know, Vea is just as extreme, just better at hiding it. Seeing as she launched this invasion in the first place, it's likely."

Raul pulled out another photo, this one of a middle-aged Terugan man in a uniform. "This is another interesting one. He's Irt, minister of the interior. He's in charge of the police and the Elites, and presumably approves of what they've been doing."

-----

<Xindi VII>

Mirage stopped on the lawn outside the palace, and began muttering something in a strange tongue. A guard tried to move him on, but Mirage continued chanting, seemingly oblivious to the outside world.

-----

<The Space Station>

*Barsu began to cry*

---

<Vizima>

*Carter quickly moved to the forest, silently moving amongst the trees.*

*Vraice looked to Praxter*

Vraice: "Your orders, sir?"

---

<Malchior IV>

Klak: I'm starting to notice something here. Vea relies on other Terugans to get the job done, and her government takes the credit. But if Irt and Tox turn on her, she has militias and the police going against her government. We could slip in at the right moment, while the army's distracted with their new war, and foment a coup. Then, we get rid of Tox, find out what Irt's price is, and install a government friendly to the Malchiorians. Just in case...any resistance groups, or perhaps dissidents in the police force that we have gathered intelligence on?

<Vizima>

"You heard the man. Let's go." Praxter said, and headed out to the forest. Blackout and several other Knights immediately followed.

Icarax moved through the forest like a shadow, almost flying through soundlessly. His keen hunter's eyes made out a human not far away. He hid behind a tree, and drew his blade. If Carter were listening carefully, he might've made out the sound of the sword leaving its holster.

The Makuta leaped out from his hiding place, and drove his blade into Carter's abdomen before the Knight could react. He grinned maniacally, and tore the sword out. As Carter blacked out, he heard Icarax hiss in his ear. "Always valiant. But never anything but."

-----

<Malchior IV>

"Well, it's still a parliamentary democracy, even if it's in name only. We should contact the opposition leaders, especially the Social Democrats. They were in power for a long time, and some of their sympathisers should still be higher-ups in the civil service." Raul said.

He was about to pull out another file, but his phone beeped. He apologised, and took it out to find out what was so important that someone felt the need to call him now of all times.

"Oh, no."

-----

<Xindi VII>

Mirage continued to chant his spell, ignoring the guard who was holding him at gunpoint. The Xindi agent continued to threaten him, hoping to get this strange monk off the lawn by himself. If he had been a little more proactive, if he had actually fired, he might have avoided what followed.

Behind the guard, the windows of the palace flew to pieces, and smoke drifted out of them all. A strange green fire began to consume the entire building. Mirage suddenly smiled and shrugged. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, sir. You clearly have bigger problems on your hands." he said. He then disappeared in a flash of light, and reappeared on his ship's bridge.

"Let's get out of here before they realise what happened." he said to the navigator. The ship turned and fled the system as fast as its engines would carry it, just as the security forces began to scramble.

-----

<Vizima>

*Carter gasped for air as the blade was driven into his abdomen. He then blacked out*

*Vraice and a squadron of Knights darted through the forest. A Toa of Plant Life placed her hand on one of the trees.*

Lily: "Perhaps I can sense something through the trees."

Vraice: "You do that."

---

<Malchior IV>

Klak: But what is keeping them so restrained? Their party leader, who is he? *Klak saw Raul's visage change* What happened?!

<Vizima>

Praxter, Blackout, and two other Knights roamed the forest, scanning it for any intruders. They stopped to catch their breath, only to whip around when they heard a rustling noise behind a tree. Praxter immediately ran there, and, without even looking at him, punched the perpetrator in the gut.

"Ow!" the man said, bent over in pain. "Why you gotta do this to me, man?"

"Wait.....Jimmy?" the Toa said. "Yeah, no kidding!"

Praxter and Jimmy walked back towards the others. "We're in luck, it seems." the Toa said, directing his words specifically at Blackout. "Jimmy here is the best hunter in the Knights."

"Who's the bozo in the Void suit?" the hunter asked.

"Ben Smith, weapons expert. Ever heard of me?" Blackout 'introduced' himself.

"Oh, yeah. Didn't your company make the A8 rifle?"

Blackout was surprised. He had done some research into his disguise, but a few small details had slipped his mind. He'd just have to hope he was right. "Yeah. Best rifle we came up with for a long time."

While the others were chatting, Praxter pulled out his radio. "Praxter to Vraice, come in. You got anything?"

-----

<Malchior IV>

Raul looked up from his phone. His face conveyed utter shock. "Someone set fire to the Presidential Palace on Xindi VII. The president's in hospital right now with third-degree burns. The Secret Service thinks the fire might've been magical in nature."

-----

<Mirage's ship>

Mirage's ship had finally dropped out of hyperspace in a barren system over two hundred light years away. No one was likely to pass by anytime soon, and the crew had some work to do.

Meanwhile, Mirage had returned to his office, and immediately poured himself a drink. He downed it in one gulp, then sat down at his desk and called Tox's private frequency.

"Yes?" the politician said. "Do you have something to report?"

"I killed the Xindi president for you, Tox. The Speaker will assume his duties, and he is a weak man. He won't be able to handle both you and the opposition at once. They will surrender soon."

"And you're sure there's no way it could be tracked back to us?"

"Oh, Tox. Of course it will be tracked back to you! You're at war!" Mirage smiled. "But it will make no difference. The Xindi are your vassals now."

-----

[Lantern Battle]

With no resistance from LM, Leahf and the other Lanterns escort Architect, and Presumably LM, back to the User HQ, MY waiting at the entrance leaning on his forge hammer on the ground. The Lanterns leave their charges in the care of MY. "Mind telling me why I got a call telling me that you needed apprehending, old friend?"
----

[Ynot's Mind]

HY shoves his claw into the guts of the Persona and flings him into Anzu, "I'm not like the Boy scout you freed from my influence, Mage. And I do resent you for that. Took me way too many millenniums to work him down. this is the point that he'd tell you to back down, you're out matched, blah blah blah. Too many words. Die". Spinning on his heals, HY slams his tail into Malygos

<User HQ>

The Architect sighed. "So MK didn't tell you. We were trying to get to Vizima to talk to the Knights about F-Klak's activities. We.....I suspect he's gone off the rails. If I'm right, he needs to be stopped."

At that moment, another User arrived. He was a tall, muscular human, with a concept of modesty that was alien to most other people. While he had no problem not wearing a shirt and showing off his muscles, he refused to ever remove his gold Avohkii mask.

"Charvak. I should've known he'd bring you in." the Architect spat out.

"Ynot," Charvak began. "I'll take him now."

-----

<Vizima>

Vraice: "Not much. Lily says that she definitely has sensed something moving along the trees, but our Psionics friend can't detect any telepathic signals. Maybe it was just debris from an asteroid? Has Carter found anything?"

---

<Malchior IV>

Klak: Magic?! *Klak chuckled, perhaps in disbelief* But Terugans aren't capable of that! Unless....what's Teruga Prime's relationship with Malygos?

---

<User HQ>

*MK silently walked into the room, and looked to the Architect.*

MK: You are mistaken. F-Klak is gone. *The User sighed* My last chance at winning this game goes out the window. Pft. I guess we let them clean up the mess the Users have made, right? That's what you wanted after all, LM. *He looked at Charvak and nodded at him* Great to see you, Charvak. I trust you've been well?

*MK turned around, and began walking out of the room*

*Meanwhile, Barsu followed Quolas and continued crying while drinking*

---

<Malchior IV>

*The President sat down with a group of generals and the Secretary of War, along with an ambassador from the Malchiorian Protectorate. The news of Teruga Prime's aggression was their topic of discussion. War was on the table.*

<User HQ>

*A door opens, and User KoN walks through it, pressing himself against the wall as to let MK pass. He has changed a lot in these hundred-thousand years; he now wears a black coat instead of his signature grey one, a black beanie hat instead of a mask, and has a short but furry brown beard. He is holding two full carrier bags, which he holds up to show the group*

Me: Got the Pringles for tonight, some soda, and some other stuff... wait... something's happened, hasn't it?

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

*Quolas and Genetoes (carrying Veel'a) enter a wormhole which goes back to Plat Lat HQ. Nix'rei stays behind to disable Walt's weapon*

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

<Deep space>

*Still floating in space, Kakamu finds himself semi-conscious after the unknown mental intrusion. Thousands of images stream into his consciousness, making no sense, until they all fit together like pieces of a puzzle. They form a blurry figure. Dreaming now, Kakamu concentrates on the figure, and eventually the image makes itself clear: it is a small purple bipedal creature in a navy blue suit and a suitcase*

???: Ah... no... we need to increase the power. Find the others. All he ever knew.

<Galactic news bulletin>

"Breaking news. The governments of Xindi VII and Teruga Prime have confirmed that the Xindi parliament has voted to surrender to the Terugan army. Representatives from both planets are expected to meet soon to discuss the terms of surrender, but it is likely the Xindi will have to make massive territorial concessions. We will bring you more information as it becomes available."

-----

<User HQ>

"Yeah, no kidding." the Architect said. "So, F-Klak is dead." The User smiled. "Very good. Who did it?"

-----

<Vizima>

"Hell if I know, I haven't called him yet. Praxter out." Praxter said. He then switched to Carter's personal frequency, but received no response. "Damn it. Something's happened to Carter. So much for debris from an asteroid."


Meanwhile, Icarax, using his chameleon power to stay invisible against the trees, silently observed Vraice's team from afar, waiting for an opening to strike.

-----

<Malchior IV>

"Ambivalent, I'd say. They maintain diplomatic relations, but very loosely. Unless there's an agreement we don't know about." Raul said. "Besides, what would he gain from letting the Terugans conquer a minor power light-years away from him?"

-----

<Teruga Prime>

In all his years of political activity, Tox only felt anxious a few times. When he was first elected, and when he was named Speaker. And now, it was happening again, because he'd been invited to a Cabinet meeting.

"Come in, don't be shy." Vea said. The Speaker did, and slowly put his briefcase down on the table and sat down.

"What's he doing here?" one minister said. "He's not in the government."

"Tox has done more than enough to earn our trust. He deserves to sit in on this meeting." the President replied.

"So, obviously the first item on the agenda is Xindi VII. With that idiot out of the picture, they'll agree to anything. We own them now." the Minister of Defence said.

"Yes, and now we can move onto the next phase." Tox said.

"Is that wise?" asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "We just came out of a war."

"This operation will require only a few ships and several thousand ground troops, most of which are already stationed there." Tox said.

"The Malchiorians are understandably reluctant to terminate our base. We have to do it soon." the defence minister continued.

"Very well." Vea said. "What's the status of the embassy employees?"

"They're in custody. We're interrogating them all one-by-one now, but they're not talking." Irt said.

"Do whatever you have to do."

<User HQ, floor X>

*UKoN opens a fridge, puts the food in, and sits on a nearby table. He listens in to the conversation with careful thought, saying nothing*

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

<User HQ, floor Y>

*Quolas comforts Barsu, and confiscates his beer. Curious, he drinks some himself, and it turns his skin a shade darker, like a wet cloth. He decides to put it down.*

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

<Deep space>

*Kakamu wakes up from his dream with a jolt and a gasp. His form suddenly becomes more defined, as if new information had been sent to his consciousness via the One-Way Permanent Transfer System. He pauses to think over this for a moment, and among all of the new words and images now present in his conscious mind, there was one name that stuck out among the rest. He knew who he had to find, more urgently than ever*

Kakamu: Jale.

*He blasts off into the cosmos at the speed of sound, filled with hope anew that he would find his purpose again*

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

OOS: Waiting on Addy for Walt, and Ferret for The Place That Wasn't There Yesterday

<User HQ>

*User MK popped back in*

MK: It was Klak, of all people!

*The User then walked out.*

---

<Platinum Lanterns>

Barsu: "Delicious, isn't it?"

---

<User HQ>

"Yeah, no kidding." the Architect said. "So, F-Klak is dead." The User smiled. "Very good. Who did it?"

---

<Vizima>

Vraice: "What's our next move, Lilly?"

Lilly: "We must keep moving."

*The group did keep moving*

---

<Malchior IV>

Klak: True. Though with this whole Ynot business, maybe he's trying to keep our Makuta friend distracted. Anyway, when do we leave for Teruga Prime?

<User HQ>

The Architect's mood suddenly darkened. F-Klak's fall was a good thing, but that Klak doing the deed seemed wrong somehow. Ragnarok could not have happened without F-Klak, so why hadn't they been affected by the change in history? Either the timelines had split off, or.....

"MK, you clever boy." he thought.

-----

<Vizima>

Icarax smiled faintly, as he witnessed the group moving away. Now that their backs were turned, it would be even easier to strike.

He moved to the path, still invisible against his background. He ran after the Knights, and slashed at one of them.

-----

<Malchior IV>

Raul looked out the window, and then at his watch. As if on cue, a loud roaring noise came from far away, getting ever closer, until eventually a small shuttle pulled up alongside the terrace.

-----

<Akalo>

The planet Akalo was on the periphery of the Malchiorian Protectorate, and located in a star system that the Malchiorians and the Terugans had agreed to divide up over a century before. As a result, it was inhabited primarily by Terugans, most of whom, like Ambassador Lon, were loyal citizens of the Protectorate. Another result of the treaty was that the Terugan army was granted a military base on the planet.

In the early hours of the afternoon, a hundred armed Terugans descended upon the Senate building. The police guarding the building were completely taken by surprise, and put up next to no resistance. The building was theirs within a matter of minutes.

An hour later, ninety senators were "summoned" to the building. While the armed men watched, they began an emergency session. After many seconds of lively debate, they unanimously voted to dismiss the government and install a new one.

<Outside User HQ>

MK: The deed is done. I did all I could. It's out of my hands.

---

<Vizima>

*The Knight felt something strange has he turned his back. Almost as though a voice in his head was screaming at him. Suddenly, he heard the rustling of leaves, and turned. By then, it was too late. There was now a wound in his chest. But he would not go down without a fight.*

*He lifted his hand up to his mouth and breathed into it. The blood drained from the cuts on his body. Suddenly, the breath from his hand turned into acid.*

*Vraice turned, and his eyes widened in those seconds that seemed like an eternity. He turned on his communication device.*

Vraice: "CONTACT! CONTACT!"

---

<Malchior IV>

Klak: Excellent. Once we're near Teruga Prime, I will shape shift. Raul, you will attempt to schedule a meeting with our persons of interest as a Malchiorian diplomat. If that does not work, I will pretend to be a Terugan who returned from the Malchiorian Protectorate with intelligence.


OOS: Hope I'm not missing anything.

<Platinum Lanterns>

Quolas: I do not taste matter like you... but I do taste it.

*He picks up the can, and peers into it through the top. He then sips some more, then hands it back to Barsu*

Quolas: The rest is yours to drink.

*He walks towards the door, stumbles over his feet, then quickly regains balance and exits*

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

<Deep space>

Now a streak of blazing light across the night skies of hundreds of worlds, Kakamu increases his velocity to overtake light itself. Still not content, he pushes even further forward, until the very molecules that make up his biometal form begin to vibrate and snap apart. Now in agonizing pain, he gradually slows down, instead stretching his arm out in front of him as he shoots an energy ring into space. Seconds after the ring is launched, the matter inside implodes and creates a wormhole. No longer flying straight, he topples over, spinning around as he falls in, starting to lose consciousness.

His body impacts a surface below him, which creates an explosion that ripples through his body, knocking him out cold. Even after a hundred thousand years his biometal form was just as strong, but retained the same weakness to concentrated sonic waves.

Some time later, Kakamu wakes up and gets to his feet. Surveying his surroundings, he finds himself faced with large walls of dirt all around. It takes him a moment to realise that these are not cliffs or canyons, but that his impact on... wherever he was was sufficient enough to blast through the ground several miles. Composing himself, he floats up and out of the large crater, quickly rising to the surface.

In front of him now is a glistening golden castle, with not one straight line a part of its architecture. Virtually every surface is curved, and it appears to be shaped like a fruit hat.

"Well, it's certainly insane," Kakamu thought, "So I might just have found the guy".

Lowering himself down to the ground, the gunmetal man strides through tall grass and towards the castle, ignoring the sounds of alarms and alien wildlife ringing around him.

OOS: Waiting for Ynot for Architect and Charvak.

-----

<Vizima>

Icarax leaped towards Lily, and hurled a shadow bolt at her.


Praxter grabbed his radio, and yelled. "Vraice? What's going on? Speak to me!" Not receiving any reply, he gestured at Blackout, Jimmy, and the other Knights. They ran towards the sector Vraice was meant to check out.

-----

<Malchior IV>

Raul jumped into the ship, (presumably) followed by Klak. "Wouldn't it be better if you came along? It would add more weight to the meeting." he said, not without a hint of anxiety in his voice.

-----

<Akalo>

Life's good, thought Lam, the newly-"elected" Prime Minister of Akalo. Why should Akalo have ever been Malchiorian? They were all Terugans here. They deserved to be ruled by their own kind, he believed. However, many on Akalo disagreed; his Terugan Unity party never received more than 6% of the votes. They were unpatriotic, of course, brainwashed and without any concept of what was good for them.

He entered the press room, and immediately had to shield his eye from the barrage of photographic flashes. Lam sat down behind the table, coughed, and finally spoke.

"In the name of the Akalo people, my government shall organise a referendum to see whether they wish to remain with Malchior or join the Terugan Empire."

<Unknown planet>

As Kakamu gets ever closer to the castle, he finds the sounds of high-pitched alarms all around him increase in pitch. Shrugging it off, he continues until he is but a few hundred yards away from the castle gate. As the sound increases to a frequency that begins to make the biometal of his legs melt, he stumbles to his knees in the field and his vision blurs as his body's cohesion disrupts yet again. Looking ahead of him, he manages to make out the sound of whirring equipment and grass being flattened amidst the alarms, and golden figures clad in armour and weapons of the same colour surround him before he passes out again.

He wakes up some time later to find himself slumped in a wooden chair. No more alarms, he mentally reforms the parts of his legs that degraded, and also restores his vision via the same process. Observing his environment, he appeared to be in... a dining room with reinforced wooden furniture. The room contained cupboards, drawers, candles, paintings of worlds he'd never seen before on the walls, and a stone bust of an unknown horned figure. Getting to his feet to observe these more closely, he walks around the table in front of him and mutters to himself.

"Oh, Kakamu," he thought, "You've fallen unconscious more times today than you have in several millennia. Literally get a hold of yourself."

He approaches one of the paintings and admires the artist's talent. It depicts an ancient forest of tall, dark purple trees, the ground visible under a layer of glistening turquoise water, reflecting the light of a white dwarf star in the heavens. The caption reads "The Western Forests of Drackovack, CMT 188,641".

"CMT..." Kakamu read out loud to himself, "Oh, right. Current Multiversal Timeline. I was one of the ones who inven..."

Tragically, this moment of clarification slipped away as quickly as it came, leaving Kakamu with his mouth agape, lost amongst random thoughts. He was still merely a shell of what he once was, and he reminded himself that that was why he was here. He needed to speak to a mercenary named Jale... though he had no idea where he got the name from, how he knew about him, or even if this was the location where he would find him. Before a feeling of utter despair overwhelmed the old man, the metal door at the other side of the room slid open, revealing a new face, flanked by two robots with golden skin identical to the ones from earlier. The figure was of a species Kakamu had never seen before - he was bipedal, and his skin was dark red and had a scaly texture. However, the only parts of his skin that were visible were his muscular upper arms and the bottom half of his face. Every other part of his body was covered by separate pieces of dark grey armour which appeared similar to tree bark. Over his torso he wore brown and purple royal robes which extended down to his waist. He wore a brown helmet that appeared to also be made of wood, except his left eye was covered by a mechanical telescopic attachment. His right eye was a bright yellow with a black iris, contrasting against his red skin. The figure approached Kakamu, and raised a four-fingered hand, twisting his triple-jointed fingers in some kind of salute or greeting before pulling out a chair for Kakamu and himself. He motioned for his two golden guards to stay by the door, and opened his mouth to speak to Kakamu.

"Kakamu. It sounds cliché, but I have indeed been expecting you - please, take a seat, we have much to discuss." The figure said as he sat down.

Kakamu wasn't happy. "Are you Jale?"

"No. But the one of which you speak is in my service, out on a mission right now, if I recall correctly."

Satisfied that he had at least one answer, Kakamu sat down on one of the chairs as it creaked under his weight. "You need no introduction, as your... adventures, shall we call them, are legend." The figure continued; "But let's see that mind-reading power of yours in action. What is my name, Kakamu?"

Kakamu frowned and gazed inside the figure's head, plucking a word and keeping it in his conscious mind. "Telemecus," he uttered. "Never heard of you".

"Well, I should certainly hope not".

<Platinum Lanterns>

*Barsu reached for his bottle, and began to mumble.*

---

<Vizima>

*The acid cloud continued advancing towards Icarax's face*

*Lily quickly moved her hands in front of the shadow blot, and a branch of a nearby tree grew out shattered, taking the blast for her*

*Lily pointed at Icarax while her eyes developed a greenish glow*

*A few vines from another tree reached towards the Makuta's arms in an attempt to restrain him*

*The other Knights used their respective attacks against Icarax*

*Meanwhile, Vraice disappeared. One of the Knights reached towards the ground, and threw dirt at Icarax's arm*

OOS: Who says you can't send a crap ton of attacks at once?

---

<Malchior IV>

*Klak entered the ship, and smiled.*

Klak: I'll add the weight once you fail. If they even try to kill you, I'll save you. By the way, did your government arrange for me to leave the hospital? I don't want any doctors freaking out about me disappearing again.

<Vizima>

Icarax, still invisible, found his mask being consumed by the acid. In considerable pain, he dropped to the ground, coincidentally removing himself from the path of the other attacks. He looked up, and saw someone tossing dirt at him. Amused, he suddenly got up and lunged at that particular Knight.

At the same time, Blackout, Praxter, and Jimmy arrived at the scene. Seeing Vraice and the others seemingly fire at nothing, they drew their weapons and stood there, unsure of what to do.

-----

<Malchior IV>

"Well, sounds like you have a lot of confidence in me." Raul said, pretending to be insulted. "Um.....I'm not sure about that." As the ship flew off towards the eye of hell itself, a doctor back at the hospital almost foamed at the mouth, having just found an empty hospital bed where Klak should've been.

-----

<Vizima>

OOS: Frak, forgot he was invisible.

*Lily panicked. It seemed as though she was attacking mere air.*

*She looked at Praxter*

Lily: "I could have sworn something was...there! I can sense it..."

*The Knight who threw dirt at Icarax suddenly found himself being attacked by an invisible foe, marked only by a stain of dirt on him. He screamed in pain and collapsed while the other knights surrounded him.*

*Meanwhile, inside the dirt, a microscopic Vraice began to feel around, hoping to attach himself to the unseen enemy. After wading through dirt particles, he nearly fell, but grabbed onto something. It was...solid air? He finally found the body of the assailant. Now to make his way through an invisible floor. Vraice knew that this was definitely more dangerous than his mission on Nimin*

---

<Malchior IV>

*Klak laughed*

Klak: It's not that I lack confidence in you. I lack confidence in them. These leaders are scum, and they must be dealt with.

<Unknown planet>

*As Kakamu tried to dig deeper into Telemecus's mind to recover more answers for his questions, he was met with a sharp pain in his forehead, causing him to withdraw back to reality - specifically, the small room in which he and the stranger were sat at a table. Telemecus drummed his temple with a finger and frowned*

Telemecus: Not that I wish to be rude, but it is important that you respect my privacy. Yes, inside my head are some of the answers you seek, but more importantly, it is where I store information about my clients, who understandably want to remain... anonymous.

Kakamu: Your... clients?

Telemecus: Yes. I am considered to be one of the most skilled personal martial arts trainers in this space sector. I may not look like much, but I have trained some of the best... my most recent pupil was a rather lovely young Hathulean woman who went on to join one of the most elite fighting forces in the known universe after she left. The best part? She was chosen to be inducted into their ranks because her skills in decision-making and close combat had, for the first time in her life, been equalised by my training... but their method of choosing new recruits was not even aware of my existence.

Kakamu: You're talking about the Platinum Lantern Corps.

Telemecus: See, you didn't need to extract that information from my mind, you deduced it yourself. You are aware that there are at least twenty other known organisations which operate in the same manner?

*As Kakamu was about to respond, another surge of random thoughts and images hit his conscious mind. Noticing his guest's sudden confusion and discomfort, Telemecus shakes his head and stands, walking to Kakamu and firmly placing his hand on the madman's shoulder, waking him from his delusions*

Telemecus: You are not whole, but I will train you. Believe me when I say that it will come in useful for the things to come, especially after we restore the eroded parts of your mind. Come!

Telemecus hoists Kakamu up out of his chair and places him on his feet. He motions Kakamu to follow him, and together they exit the room accompanied by Telemecus's robotic golden guards. They pass through many twisting corridors of various design, some well-lit, some not. At one point Kakamu asks for Jale, to which Telemecus replies "He will be a part of your training, as he is a part of your destiny. But be patient. There is much you have to learn... and remember."

*Finally, they arrive in a garage containing several alien motorbikes, all equipped with rocket-launchers. A red one with wings attached is being worked on by three aliens of Telemecus's species, who depart when they are told. Kakamu admires the design of the motorbikes, and Telemecus notices this, chuckling*

Telemecus: I'm awful at modesty, truly I am, so forgive me - but you have heard of the Toa Master of Elite Vehicles, correct? Well, this is where he trained... this planet was different back then, over a hundred millennia ago... but I never let go of this garage. Too many memories.

Kakamu: Wait... the master of elite vehicles... Toa MoE's vehicle? TMV?

Telemecus smiles and nods, which only adds to Kakamu's confusion. "I thought you weren't supposed to tell me your "clients" by name, Telemecus. At this, the teacher bursts out in a guttural laugh, and has to stop to catch his breath before responding.

Telemecus: If you know who TMV is, you've met him first hand. Does he seem like the modest type either?

*Kakamu pauses to think this over and is hit by a memory of TMV, suddenly resurfacing like a float held under water was just released by the hand. He agrees, but has one final question...*

Kakamu: "Telemecus" is one hell of a mouthful. Can I call you something else?

Telemecus: Well, I suppose you can call me TMC. It works just as well.

<Vizima>

Praxter picked up a large boulder, and threw it blindly away. It crashed next to the Knights, where Icarax had been just a moment ago. Now safely hidden behind some trees, the Makuta sighed. He hadn't anticipated reinforcements so quickly. I'll need a new approach, he thought as he walked away.

While Praxter and Blackout greeted Lily, Jimmy was crouching next to a bush, carefully examining the soil. "Good god, Jim, what are you doing?" Blackout finally shouted. "Oy, I know what I'm doing. You wanna lift the rock?" The Makuta shrugged, and carefully latched onto the rock with his claw. He picked it up, and dropped it a few metres away. "Yep, footprints." Jimmy said.

As he tended to the injured Knight, Praxter suddenly realised he'd forgotten something "Where's Vraice?" he asked.

-----

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

"You know, Makuta, there's one thing that confuses me. Why did you leave the Protectorate?" Raul asked.

-----

<Vizima>

*Vraice made his way up to Icarax's arm. He grew a few inches, thus being able to make the trip faster.*

Lily: "What the hell was that?"

Another Knight: "Vraice just...disappeared."

*The Knight that threw the dirt weakly nodded at Praxter*

???: "I know where he is. Gotta give him credit for his ingenuity. He's shy, but when you give him a chance to plan..."

*Vraice was on Icarax's shoulder now, at a centimeter tall. He slowly and carefully continued feeling his way around*

Vraice: "*whispering* The neck must be close by. Maybe...."

*Vraice grew to about 12 inches tall, and leaped forward in the general direction of Icarax's neck. He grabbed onto the first thing he could reach with one arm, and pulled out a knife with the other. He swung forward, and his hands met as he wrapped his legs around the surface he was holding onto*

---

<Shuttle>

Klak: Long story short: I found that it was necessary to do hero work somewhere else, as demonstrated in the past few years. I then decided to retire to attract my clone's attention, and eliminate him. *He paused* You do mean my most recent resignation from the Protectorate, right? Or do you mean the one several centuries ago? *He whispered to himself* Or was it millennia ago?

[Plat Lantern HQ]

Leahf walks out of council with the Head Lantern, head low, but a relief off his chest. He has no ring on his finger, only the overalls he wore when he received it. As per regulation, he will be dropped at the nearest space port and left to fend for himself.

<Platinum Lantern HQ>

Quolas: You sure about this, old friend? We're losing a valuable ally in you.

*Assuming Leahf's response is a positive, Quolas uses his power ring to form an oxygen bubble around the two. They gently float up into the air, gaining upwards momentum. Eventually, they gather enough speed to soar through the layers of the atmosphere, the silvery bubble laced with fire that could not be breached. After a few minutes or so, a space station is visible in the distance. They fly into one of its ports, and Quolas turns off the bubble once they're inside. The two walk through a corridor and emerge in a large room of people going about their business - think a train station*

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

<Unknown planet>

Kakamu: Okay, "TMC". What do you call this pla-

Telemecus: Enough questions. Some you'll have to earn the answers to... how do I do that, I hear you say? Well, hit me.

Kakamu: Hit you?

*Telemecus steps backwards, and spreads his arms out. Kakamu hesitates for a moment, but then decides to go for a punch to the chest. As he does so, TMC's telescopic eye retracts and makes a whirring noise, after which he ducks under the punch and grabs Kakamu's arm. He then flips over it and lands on Kakamu's shoulders with a knife to his neck*

Telemecus: Lesson number one. Why hold back when you are one of the most powerful entities in this universe?

Kakamu: Because I could hurt people.

Telemecus: But people could hurt you.

*He presses a tiny button on the knife, and the edges glow red and hum, like a lightsaber*

Telemecus: I suppose the question is... how far are you willing to go, especially after the death of your son?

<Vizima>

"So, where is he, damn it?" Praxter was starting to lose patience. Balckoot had showed up, Carter was off the grid, now this..... He really didn't need a rogue running loose.


Icarax suddenly felt something crawling on the back of his neck. Believing it an insect, he instinctively reached out and slapped at it.

-----

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

Raul smiled. "All of them, ideally."

At the same time, the pilot decided to turn up the radio. ".....ordered to surrender. The new Prime Minister, Lam, said that he was quite confident that the majority of Akalo's population would vote to join the Terugan Empire. The Malchiorian government seems to have been overtaken by events, and has yet to respond."

-----

<User HQ>

Charvak circled the kneeling Architect, carefully examining the old man's reactions. The Architect himself stubbornly refused to move a muscle. They continued in this odd stand-off for another few minutes. Finally, Charvak spat at the ground behind his prisoner. "What do you hope to gain here?" he said.

"What do you hope to gain?" the Architect said, twisting his head to give the impression he wanted to look at Charvak. "What are you playing at, old friend? I don't get the feeling you're with MK."

<Vizima>

Knight: "He's following our enemy."

*Vraice suddenly was hit by a large, unseen force. He nearly lost his footing, and was shocked. Suddenly, he felt as though he was stuck to another surface, one that was moving wildly. As he came to, he began to grow to normal size.*

---

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

*Kalk looked in the pilot's direction*

Kalk: What did the radio say?

[Random Space Station, not far from User HQ]

Leahf thanks Quolas for the lift and bids him well, he takes a look about the station, seeing what he might make of himself now that. Thinking perhaps a Mercenary job might not be to bad, he heads to the nearest Bounty Board to take a look. "10 Trill on a Fresh post? Eh, Who's this Why Naught, fella?"

<Random Space Station>

*Quolas nods and flies out of the port, passing through the airtight forcefield and off into deep space*

*Leahf hears a laugh coming from a chair just next to the bounty board. The laugh belongs to a strange figure reading something on a tablet. Upon closer inspection, he appears to be a four-armed alien with spiked, greyish skin - the spikes appear to emerge from and then withdraw back into his body in time to his breathing. His torso is segmented in two parts, and he has the head of a lizard, except with four yellow eyes. He wears what looks like medieval tunic over his "top torso", and another piece around his waist. He's probably about eight feet tall standing up*

???: Don't tell me ya don't know who Ynot is!

*Noticing Leahf's confused expression, he shrugs*

???: Guess it's better ta show ya. 'Ere, take a look-see.

*He stands up and passes Leahf his tablet, which is playing a video of Ynot fighting Blackout in space*

???: If ya think you can take 'im on, be my guest - though I doubt you'll ever find 'im, eh. Name's Jaxidak, by tha way. Jaxidak Yik. Lookin' fer a job?

Leahf burtst out in laughter, "That's how ya spell it!? I thought it was with an E! Yeah, I'm looking for work, and no, I'm not going within a parasect of THAT loon." Joining Jaxidak at his table, he sits, "What ya got in mind?"

<Random Space Station>

Jaxidak: Well, as long as ye don't mind gettin' yer 'ands dirty, I've got all sorts. Lookin' at you though...

*He eyes Leahf up and down with his four yellow eyes*

Jaxidak: You look like yer capable of helpin' me with somethin' very important.

*He takes his tablet back, presses on the touch-screen for a few moments, then shows it back to Leahf. It displays a picture of Zax - a dark grey skinned Terugan outlaw and descendant of Yon*

Jaxidak: This fella. He took somethin' from me, and I'm gettin' it back no matter how much purpley blood I 'ave to get on me hands. His name's Zax. Not very famous, not very powerful, but nethertheless a pain in the arse.

*The two are approached by a dark green-skinned alien who looks like this, but with a white jacket on and a utility belt around its waist. Jaxidak nods at it*

Jaxidak: This 'ere's me mechanic, Aeoh. Charges up me ship an that. Ey, I just realised, haven't got yer name yet, mate. *turns to Leahf*

Aeoh: The one you seek, not in the mutiverse now. Passing through. No way to find him...

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

<The Place That Wasn't There Yesterday>

Zax: Yeah? No sudden moves, alright?

*With his flintlock pistol still hovering between Sanya and Blue, he backs away towards the entrance door, still holding his sister. Looking away from the two staffie's furious expressions for a moment, he pulls on the handle and opens it. Zax and his sister are immediately sucked out into interdimensional space, falling head over heels and holding their breath until they both land face-first on solid ground. Catching her breath, Yun gets to her feet and lifts up her brother before punching him back down to the ground*

Yun: Don't ever use me as a hostage again, you stupid, stupid man!

*Zax gets to his feet and wobbles a bit. He notices his sister is wobbling too. Looking down at the ground, they realise it is made of a turquoise jelly-like substance*

Zax: Well, uh, either I had way too much to drink or I can add another bar that I'm banned from. Probably both.

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

<Random Space Station>

Aeoh: No. Is here now. But for how long, hmm. Hmmmmm.

"I've had many names and fancy titles, but most call me Leahf these days. Just retired from police work, in a manner of speaking. Inner office politics getting to be to much, ya know? Sometimes ya just want to right the wrongs out there." Pulling a few coins from his satchel, he extends his arm to the bar and buys himself a drink, pounding it back like an old hand. "So, this Zax fellah. If you would be so inclined to allow me to assist in his apprehension, I would require a loaner or two in terms of munitions, if you catch my drift. Something pointy and something shooty would suffice."

<Space Station>

Jaxidak: Well yeah, I 'ave a fair share of rooty tooties. Figured I'd best leave 'em back at the ship, though. You can come take a look-see if yer serious about signin' up on this job. Worth it though, you get yer pay and a deep sense of satisfaction - oh plus, the ship's a beaut.

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

<Golden castle, lower levels, garage>

Kakamu stops suddenly and stares blankly into space.

Kakamu: My... son?

Telemecus gives a worried frown, and jumps back onto the floor.

Telemecus: Ah. You didn't know.

Kakamu: My son... Tra.... Tran...

Telemecus rubs his chin, his eye-device whirring and retracting as he walks around the room, eventually pausing to lean against a wall.

Telemecus: Something is wrong. I was told that when you would come to me, you would be an old man - but I was not aware of your current mental state. I need to make some calls... from there, we can recover your mind from the Kestora as soon as possible.

Telemecus walks out of the garage, shaking his head. The door seals shut behind him, leaving Kakamu alone in the room with about twenty of the golden robots. The ancient warrior has his mouth open, as if something is on the tip of his metaphorical tongue but he can't quite remember what it was. He starts to shake with anger, his emotions spilling out after memories of his son rush to the surface of his mind. He stretches his arms out, clenching his fists and screaming into the air.

Kakamu: WHERE IS MY SON?!

The golden robots lining the room snap to attention at this outburst, each one taking spears from their backs. Kakamu notices this, and already unstable, thinks that he is being threatened. Filled with confusion and grief, he summons power from within his body - just power, he doesn't care which - to pour into the robot closest to him. It stumbles forward with a tight grip on its spear, but it barely comes within a few feet of Kakamu before it starts to melt into the ground, becoming a golden pool. Now aware that Kakamu is hostile, the other robots charge towards him. Screaming "TRA-TRA-TRANT!!-" he causes one to implode. Another robot stabs the spear through his leg, but the spear is absorbed, running through Kakamu's body before reappearing in his hand. He electrifies it, throwing it through the head of another robot. Robots pile up on him, but he uses telekinesis to throw them all against the wall... then disposing of all of them in turn with plasma, acid, lava, gravity, radiation, boulders, ice, water and fire that all rapidly emit from his body. Eventually, he calms down, falling to his knees amongst the carnage that he has created.

Kakamu: Trantoshen...

<Vizima>

"Well, there's nothing else to do." he said. "Jimmy, you and Bla- um, Ben, follow those footprints and help Vraice out. Lily, you'll come with me. We'll look for Carter."

Jimmy and Blackout walked off, Jimmy's eyes locked to the ground to follow the enemy's footprints.



Icarax started rubbing his hands together to clean them off.

-----

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

"There's a new Prime Minister on Akalo. He wants to join the Terugans." The pilot said. "They say he's called in troops to take over the military base there."

"He WHAT?" Raul shouted.

<Golden castle, lower levels, garage>

*A spectral bluish figure of a man wearing a white mask and Jedi-like robes materializes behind Kakamu*

Stollercon: "Oh, they said it would be the wrong time, but I gotta do it. I gotta do it. Uhm, uh, hello! Kakamu! Do not be alarmed. I am but a mere holographic representation of an artificial intelligence, and my likeness is based on someone else. How are you?"

---

<Vizima>

*Lily nodded, and followed Praxter*

*Icarax suddenly felt the weight of about 6 pounds on his hand. Vraice was sitting there now. He threw his knife at where he guessed Icarax's face was.*

---

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

Klak: We don't have much time to complete the mission, then. We must act quickly.

Leahf grins as best a tree man can grin, "I'd be thrilled to join ya. Lead on."

<Space Station>

Jaxidak: Excellent! Roight this way, mister Leahf.

*Without further ado he turns off his tablet, putting it into his chest pocket and rising from the table. He beckons to Leahf and Aeoh to follow him. Assuming that they do, the group pass through various tunnels and corridors past all sorts of weird and wonderful aliens, until they arrive at another port at the far side of the station. Parked on it is Jaxidak's ship - a yellow and blue three-seater spacecraft with booster engines and large mechanical wings for decoration. The nose of the ship is pyramid-shaped with lots of grills, which green energy pulses through to the forward cannon. A plaque on the side of it labels it as the Heliospear. Jaxidak walks up to it and pats it affectionately before going to the back of the ship to opens its trunk*

Jaxidak: Ooh, you're gonna love these. Some nasty tech 'ere. Take a look.

*He removes a few weapons from the trunk - some of which are as simple as old Earth double-barrelled shotguns, but some are organic and of fantastical design. These include two self-recharging energy sphere launchers, which are worn over each hand. Jaxidak points at them*

Jaxidak: Don't try ta make off with these or you're a dead burnt twig, mate. Rarest weapons in this space sector - collector's edition. Upon impact, the energy spheres that those things launch create a zero-gravity bubble around the area within a radius of about 10 feet. If ye want something more traditional though...

*He takes out a solar-powered laser rifle, an oriental katana, an AK-47, a handgun, a laser-powered cutting knife, a close-range acid spitter and a standard military combat rifle with kill/stun/coma settings. He puts them all on the ground, waiting for Leahf to pick out his favourites. Aeoh gets in the ship and hums to himself*

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

<Golden castle, lower levels, garage>

*After about thirty seconds or so, Kakamu's hands drop from his face and he looks up at the hologram of Stollercon*

Kakamu: I lost my son... I need... what Telemecus said I need to do? Do I know you?

*He pauses to think over this some more*

Kakamu: Of course I know you... my memory is eroded, my good friend. I heard someone say that we have to find my original datacenter... I don't know what that means... but I think the Kestora have it.

*Telemecus comes back into the room and notices the burned carpet, robot debris, and puddle of water in the middle of the floor. He takes a deep breath, then moves forward to give something to Kakamu, not noticing Stollercon as his hologram is on the other side of the room behind him*

Telemecus: Kakamu. Are you listening to me?

*He nods, like a scared child*

Telemecus: I have something here that will help you. It was recovered by Jale. It is a map of where you need to go. Once you reach the end of the trail, you will arrive at the location of one of the Kestora's original laboratories. It will be guarded, but that doesn't matter. When you have done this, you will be the man you were a hundred thousand years ago. You will level with the titans.

*He walks over to one of the Rocket-Launcher Motorbikes, thankfully still intact despite Kakamu's elemental outburst. Telemecus presses a few buttons inside, speaks into it, and the motorbike's wheels flip over and transform into jet boosters. A forcefield extends around the motorbike, now a tiny spaceship*

Telemecus: I'll be back to program in the co-ordinates. Wait right here.

*He leaves, Kakamu turns to Stollercon and shows him the map. Strangely, it is not made of parchment - it is on an electronic tablet. Only one location on it is highlighted - a large, fierce world labelled Slizeros - a planet which appears to have a large chunk missing, and is separated into different elemental regions. An arrow on the map points to its north pole, which a megacity is built on top of*

Kakamu: If you're an AI, you can access this vehicle's systems, right? You can fly me there yourself... I'd rather not wait here any longer.

*He climbs into the ship, then looks back at the hologram and smiles*

Kakamu: Thank you, Stollercon. Thank Telemecus. Thanks, everyone. I appreciate it.

Leahf whistles appreciatively, "Never in my years of service... I'll leave the fancy gravity guns to you, but the katana is a safe bet, and the combat rifle I'm already comfortable with. If I'm covering you from a distance, the laser rifle will be of good use. It alright if I borrow those?"

<Vizima>

Icarax screamed as something sharp cut into his eye. He put his hand over his damaged eye, and shook the other one, trying to get the invisible weight off. What is happening.....what is happening.....


Blackout and Jimmy slowly moved towards Icarax's location, following his footprints.


Using a machete, Praxter cleared a path for himself and Lily. They headed for Carter's last reported location.

-----

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

"Well, we're in luck." the pilot said. "Remember the new space bridge network they opened a few years ago? We're about to go by one of the entrances. We can reach Teruga more quickly that way, but....."

"There's a but?" Raul asked.

"Let's just say there's a reason it gets so little traffic. Makuta, it's your call."

-----

<User HQ>

"Listen to me, Charvak. MK is a fool. He made a tyrant and thought he could control him. Why are you supporting him?" the Architect said.

"Silence!" Charvak barked. "MK's goal was an honourable one. Had you simply let events unfold, I would've let F-Klak destroy Blackout and Ynot, and then eliminate him. But you had to get involved."

"I could not stand by while...."

"But you should've. God knows what will happen now that F-Klak's dead."

"F-Klak isn't quite as dead as you think he is."

Charvak's eyes widened. "Tell me more."

<Golden Castle>

*Stollercon raise his arms, and the ship came to life*

Stollercon: "Let's blow this Popsicle stand."


---

<Vizima>

*Vraice lost his balance, and crashed onto the floor. The fall did not knock him unconscious, but he rubbed his head as he grew to normal size.*


*Praxter and Lily began to hear groaning sounds*

Lily: "Carter?!"

---

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

Klak: We must do this. We signed onto the service of Malchior, did we not? Missions like these are expected. No sacrifice, no victory.

*For a brief moment, Raul could see a pair of purple marks under Klak's eyes. When the human blinked, he found that they weren't there anymore.*

<Space Station>

Jaxidak: It's all yours. Aeoh, do we have a location yet?

*The Vortigaunt meditates for a few moments*

Aeoh: Mrmmm yes. A wild world.

*Aeoh types a string of coordinates onto a control panel inside the ship*

*Afterwards, Aeoh summons vortessal energy through his hands that he uses to power the ship's engines*

*Aeoh motions for Jaxidak and Leahf to get on board*

*Assuming that they do so, the ship takes off and rockets into the cosmos*

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

<Golden Castle>

*Kakamu hums something to himself as the rocket-launcher motorbike turned spaceship floats above the ground and is pointed towards the window in the ceiling*

*Suddenly, the spacecraft breaks free of its tether and launches through the window at the speed of sound, becoming a mere a dot in the sky within moments*

*Telemecus returns to find an empty garage with shards of glass littering the floor*

Telemecus *sigh*: I hope he knows where he's going.

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

<Science and Outer Space>

*Kakamu's flying rocket-launcher motorbike-ship whizzes through space, with Stollercon's AI having been successfully integrated into its systems*

*Eventually, Kakamu's spaceship reaches its destination and stalls over the planet of Slizeros*

*A nearby satellite sends a message to the spaceship, which is detected by Stollercon*

???: Identify yourself!

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

<Another space station>

*Walt continues to keep Nix'rei suppressed with his Mickey'sPlasmaIonCannon*

Walt Disney: Die! Die! DIE! Wait, wh-what?

*Walt Disney's last few shots are deflected off a platinum shield that has been formed around Nix'rei's arm*

Walt Disney: Incredible, simply incredible! I must buy the patent for that! How much?

Nix'rei: How much for what, my imagination? Not for sale.

*Using his Hathulean ability of energy absorption, Nix'rei draws energy from nearby electrical equipment into his body, rendering the Mickey'sPlasmaIonCannon powerless*

*Combining the absorbed energy with the energy from his Platinum Lantern Ring, Nix'rei unleashes a silvery-green blast at InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse that hits Hugh Hoard square in the chest*

*Hugh Hoard doubles over in pain and stumbles off the Clubhouse's extended ramp, falling next to Walt Disney on the space station*

*Walt Disney gasps in horror, but seems more concerned with the failure of his weapon than with Hugh Hoard*

Walt Disney: Well, time for Plan B!

*Reaching into Hugh's pocket, Walt Disney retrieves the remote detonator that he had given to Hugh earlier and smirks at Nix'rei*

*As Nix'rei prepares to charge another blast, Walt Disney throws what looks like a cluster of figurines of classic Disney characters at the Platinum Lantern*

Nix'rei: What?

*Walt Disney presses a button on the detonator, causing the figurines to violently explode in Nix'rei's face*

*When the smoke clears, Nix'rei sports minor burns across his body, but is otherwise unharmed*

*However, Walt Disney has made it back to the InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse while Nix'rei was distracted*

*Walt Disney can be seen aboard the ship waving at Nix'rei*

Walt Disney: Bon voyage! I'll be back with a better offer!

*Walt Disney turns to Hugh Hoard, who is still lying crippled on one of the space station landing pads*

Walt Disney: And good luck, my friend!

*Unfortunately, Hugh is barely conscious enough to be able to acknowledge the gesture*

*Using his Platinum Lantern Ring, Nix'rei extends a series of tentacles towards the InterStellarDreadnaughtClubhouse in an attempt to wrap them around the ship and trap it*

*However, the Clubhouse jumps to lightspeed before they can close*

*Nix'rei sighs and retracts the tentacles, turning them into handcuffs that he locks Hugh's wrists in instead*

Nix'rei: You're going to have a lot of explaining to do.

*Nix'rei takes Hugh Hoard back to the User HQ for interrogation*

OOS: I've waited long enough, Malygos.

Removing his claw from the unfortunate Persona, HY wheels around and shoves the same into Malygos's abdomen, "I know that wont kill you, Mage. But this is gonna hurt like hell."

OOS: Next I fire Ultima at that range. 24 hours.

<Vizima>

Icarax uncloaked, and drew his blade. Spitting and growling, he lunged at Vraice, swinging his sword wildly at the level of the Knight's neck.

Suddenly, a laser beam pierced the Makuta's shoulder, forcing him to drop the blade. He turned to see Jimmy wielding a rifle, but before he could react, Blackout charged at him, and kicked him to the ground.



Praxter ran towards the source of the noises. Carter lay on his back there, bleeding out. "God damn it. Lily, do you have any medical training?"

-----

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

"All right, then." The pilot took the ship into the space bridge, which instantly propelled the shuttle into another dimension. "God save us all."


Raul noticed the purple marks, but chose to ignore them. The Makuta was probably just tired or something.

-----

Malygos winced in pain, then smirked. "And here was your mistake." He snapped his fingers, and a rune on the floor flared to life. Magic rings of bluish light began forming around the pair, paralyzing HY.

"Now, Hollowed One, you will see the depth of your recklessness." He closed his eyes, and began to recite an incantation. "Heaven's light, shine upon me." More rings formed, and the arcane sigil grew more complex and elaborate. "Gates of hell, open your passage. Strike, Lightning of the Heavens!" He snapped his fingers and teleported away, just as he spoke the final word. "Indignation!"

A massive bolt of lightning came down and struck the runic circle, exploding in a torrent of magical energy. "Ready yourself, Anzu, no way was he defeated that easily."

He nodded, readying his scythe.

[Ynot's Mind]

HY is where he was before, charred and scarred, drool dripping from his mouth, arms hanging at his side. His previous transformation falls away in shattered pieces as he collapses on the ground. "Well...played...Mage of Light." HY passes out and as a door off to the side blasts open, chains of wrought iron wrapping around his limbs, waste, and neck.

Ynot strolls out of the door, chains in hand, wrapped around his arm, "Thank you, Magoo. Couldn't have tamed the beast with out you."
---

[Jaxidak's ship]

Leahf looks around from his seat, taking in the lower quality ship than what the Lanterns had once ferried around in. Life is going to be different, Torrin. You don't have luxury like you had back home, you left that behind. You don't have necessity like with the Lanterns, you left that behind. You must work for what you want and need now. *Mental sigh* Life is gonna suck, isn't it? Yep.

<Vizima>

*Vraice quickly stood up, bewildered. He staggered back and grabbed onto a tree's trunk.*

Lily: "Yes. I can mend the wound naturally, but that will only slow things down."

*She raised her arms, and Carter's wounds glowed green. Herbs began to rise from the ground. The green energy covered Carter's wound*

Lily: "We must give him proper medical attention, and fast."

---

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

*Klak smiled.*

---

<Science and Outer Space>

Stollercon: "You will identify first!"

<The Heliospear>

Aeoh: Dark times ahead for all, not just one. The light at the end is fading. The lesser of two fates, mm, yesss...

Jaxidak: What're you on about?

*Jaxidak then looks behind him for a moment as he's piloting the ship, and notices Leahf's thoughtful expression. He realises*

Jaxidak: Ah, sorry mate. Aeoh here is telepathic. Not gonna lie, it can be a right pain in the arse sometimes.

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

<Orbit of Slizeros>

Comm: Very well!

*A hatch on the satellite opens, and several metal objects are launched out of it. Their onwards trajectory in space curves round, which puts them on a collision course for the bike*

Kakamu: Yes... I remember! Almost remember!

*Some of the objects stop in mid-space, but three continue on, pausing only inches away from the bike's forcefield. They transform into short, silver robots with multicoloured faceplates. Upon closer examination, organic material seems to be beneath the transparent faceplates - especially the eyes, which are slitted. The leader of the group with several red markings over its body speaks*

???: We are the watchmen of Slizeros. What is your business here? If you're tourists, I strongly suggest you go back to whatever planet spawned your kind. There's a war going on.

*Kakamu forgets what he was doing, and he looks to the bike's computer, which contains Stollercon, for help*