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The Cadet and the Corsairs - part 3
A group of pirates calling themselves the Starjammers have attacked the ship he was on and killed the entire crew and all the passengers, including his father. Tolo’s father’s last action was to get him into a Lifepod and send him out to space. However, the Starjammers have captured him too. While Tolo is only a cadet in the Union Defense Corps of the Union of Intelligent Races, he will not die quietly.
Outside his Lifepod, the half-human half-cyborg Raza stands ready with a group of the tree-like Thorn, all ready to kill the remaining survivors of the Kurnit Corona, the princess’ royal flagship that they raided. Tolo hears Raza order a Thorn to crack open the pod. Sweating, the young man aims his pistol at the door and prepares for the end.
As Thorn warriors try to break open the pod door, Tolo has an idea. He finds the emergency flares and knows that they have flammable caps. He places the units by the door and, using the knowledge he retained from his U.D.C. handbook, is able to make a small crude explosive. Moments later, the door is blown open, much to the surprise of the Starjammers. Two Thorns enter, but cannot see due to the smoke in the air. Another asks where the human is and, almost as if in response, Tolo shoots him in the shoulder with his pistol. He continues to shoot at the Thorns, but they all swarm upon him and quickly overpower him.
Before the Thorns can rip Tolo to shreds, Raza comes into the pod and orders them all to stop. They have already killed everyone else on the royal ship, so maybe they can use this last human for something given that he hasn’t been too brainwashed by the U.I.R. yet. Two Thorns pull the bleeding Tolo up and the young man tells Raza that he will never help them. He would rather die. Raza and several Thorns escort Tolo to the brig and throw him in until he learns to behave.
They close the door, but Tolo bangs on it and screams to the Starjammers that he hates them all. Soon, he falls to the corner of his cell and takes in the events of the last day. Yesterday, he was sitting by Princess Sabra at the royal banquet table en route to the capital planet of Kinshaa to begin his new life in the U.D.C. Now, his future is gone. He couldn’t save his father and he cannot save himself. Tolo becomes angry when he thinks about how he should have died with the others on the Kurnit Corona.
Raza opens the eyehole to Tolo’s cell and informs the man that it seems that his wounds aren’t bad enough to need medical attention. The squeem will be fine in there. Insulted over being called a squeem, Tolo screams his name out to Raza. Raza offers to get Tolo food, but he will have to put up with the same rations as the rest of the Starjammers. The young man does not respond to the offer for food and instead asks why the Starjammers did not kill him like the others on the Kurnit Corona. Annoyed, Raza calls Tolo a self-pitying weakling. One day, when Tolo sees enough of his comrades die, he will appreciate being alive. The Starjammer then leaves.
A few days later, Tolo finds himself scrubbing the floors of the Starjammer, while Raza supervises him. Disapproving of Tolo’s technique, Raza orders the young man to use even strokes and to pretend that he at least cares about what he is doing. If they take care of the Starjammer, she will take care of them. Two Thorns come down the hallway and laugh at Tolo. One jokes that he never knew a human could be so useful. Horribly bitter, Tolo tells the Thorns that he will kill them all. Annoyed that Tolo has yet to learn his place, an angry Thorn punches the cadet in the face. The two Thorns leave Raza alone with Tolo. Raza looks down at Tolo and tells the man that he doesn’t appreciate what he has. He could have died on that ship. Tolo tells his captor that he should have died.
Suddenly, a commandeering voice resonates and agrees with Tolo. Captain Kalyx, dressed in his pirate uniform, tells Raza that they should have thrown the human out of the airlock. He never realized that the half-man half-cyborg had a soft spot in him. Upon seeing Captain Kalyx, a mad Tolo leaps at the monster that killed his father in an uncontrollable rage. Angry, Captain Kalyx slaps Tolo away and tells him that no human has the right to call him a murderer.
As Raza restrains Tolo, Captain Kalyx asks him as he leaves the hall what the boy knows about family and suffering. Raza angrily tells Tolo that he knows nothing. He once had a son who was also like Tolo; talented but headstrong. However, there is one thing the cadet has that Raza’s son, Danok, lost years ago:  life. It was the bloodthirsty Committee and their Union Defense Corps that killed Danok. Tolo’s precious “Union of Intelligent Races” has more blood on its hands than a thousand Starjammers ever could. Shocked and bleeding, thanks to cuts on his face, Tolo tells Raza that he must be wrong. The Committee serves Princess Sabra and the best interest of everyone in the U.I.R. Raza bluntly tells Tolo that he is deluded. Only purebred humans get fair treatment in the U.I.R.; everyone else is crushed.
Ch’od walks by, carrying some equipment, and Raza asks him to tell Tolo what the Committee has done to Thorn Forests. Ch’od doesn’t even stop and simply growls in anger over the thought. Raza, pleased, tells Tolo to get back to work. They will be back at their base in a week and he wants the ship to be perfect.
In the cabin of the Starjammer, Captain Kalyx tells his crew that there is just one more detour before they return home and one more raid. The Committee will feel their sting. One of the crewmembers receives the new coordinates and changes their course. Kalyx looks at a disc containing data taken from the Kurnit Corona and exclaims how useful the information will be. They now know of all Union shipping routes, Corps patrol vessels… and of course which ships have the valuable cargo.
Soon enough, Captain Kalyx spots the tiny Corps transport they are after. “Easy pickings,” brags the Thorn leader. The Starjammer quickly sneaks up from behind the tiny vessel. A call goes out through the Starjammer for all personnel to prepare to board. Tolo wonders about what is occurring, but Raza tells him to mind his own business. The Starjammer then assaults the defenseless Corps ship.
After the raid and aboard the Corps vessel, Captain Kalyx, Raza and Ch’od celebrate their victory. Raza comments that the raid was easy, or maybe the Corps troops don’t even know what they stand for. Kalyx tells Raza not to make excuses for the humans, for all the Starjammers have suffered under the U.I.R. These humans have no reason to be brave when they don’t believe in their own cause. As Tolo enters the ship, to find only two humans alive, another Thorn warrior runs in with Hyrax seeds in his hands, screaming that they have found the cargo that they were looking for. Upon seeing the Hyrax seeds, Captain Kalyx becomes furious.
The Thorn looks at the two remaining humans and asks if they should kill them. Kalyx towers over the two terrified humans and tells them that they should have died earlier when they had the chance. They have chosen their fate by wearing the uniforms of those who burn and pillage. They have forfeited their lives by allying with the destroyers. Kalyx raises his sword and informs the two that the sentence is just. Raza sees Tolo and shoves him along, telling the boy that he doesn’t need to see this. He should go help with moving the cargo. Tolo, however, screams for Captain Kalyx to wait.
Tolo rushes at Captain Kalyx, but a Thorn warrior grabs him by his jacket and holds him back. Scared, Tolo pleads with Raza and tells him that the men are just soldiers following orders. He was to be like them once. For whatever reason, Raza asks Captain Kalyx to wait for a moment. Perhaps Tolo is right; what is the point of victory if there is no one to live to tell the tale. Someone has to tell the Committee about who is beating them. Kalyx ponders about the idea and agrees that there is merit in mercy.
Ch’od grabs the two Corps soldiers and throws them in Lifepod #2. They better hope that the pod has enough fuel to get them somewhere. Happy now, Tolo tells the two humans that they are safe now and the pod will take them to a U.I.R. system soon enough. However, much to Tolo’s surprise, one of the soldiers spits at Tolo and gives him the dirtiest of looks. The pod then seals and is ejected. Confused, Tolo wonders why the soldier did that. Raza tells Tolo that he now knows the value of loyalty to his precious U.D.C.
On the arcane planet of Kinshaa, capital planet of the U.I.R., sits the palace of Princess Sabra, the most beautiful and benevolent leader in a long time. Her coronation will be quite spectacular; though unbeknownst to her, the Committee wants to make sure that she does not survive it! In her throne room with her bodyguard, Lenise, Sabra finishes reading the report of Anazar Prime, a highly influential member of the Committee, who stands in front of the other Committee members, who all wear the same red robes with hoods.
Sabra asks Anazar if he is sure that the Committee is doing enough to stop these pirate attacks on her people. Anazar Prime calls the pirates vermin, much like the ones who assassinated her father. She must remember that they are aliens and thus inhuman. Who can understand their thinking? Nothing the Committee does can make them act differently. Upset, Sabra reminds Anazar that they attacked and destroyed her flagship. Now she has just received word of two Corps who survived a recent pirate attack. What are they going to do to protect the U.I.R.?
Anazar tells Princess Sabra that the Corps will set up more patrols and use the strongest force possible to stop the villains. They have reason to believe that some of the other species of the U.I.R. are being sympathetic to the Starjammers. However, their message will be clear: the U.D.C will crush the pirates in due course. Skeptical, Lenise reminds Anazar Prime that she is Sabra’s bodyguard and has recently done her job by getting the future queen off of the Kurnit Corona. On the other hand, it is the Committee’s job to see that the U.I.R. is safe and happy.
Annoyed, Anazar Prime tells Lenise not to lecture him. There will always be lazy malcontents who won’t submit to the Committee. He tells Sabra that those malcontents prefer to steal their wealth. Having enough of this argument, Sabra demands that the Starjammers be stopped at any cost. The Committee bows and agrees to carry out her decree. They will find and destroy all the Starjammers and all those who sympathize with them. In fact, the Committee has just found out the location of all their bases…
Elsewhere in space, U.D.C. Viper 1 hails Viper 2 and informs the other ship that the Starjammer has been detected on the projected route. Viper 2 confirms and the two ships prepare for battle. The two ships find the Starjammer and a quick diagnostic shows that the two Vipers outgun the pirate ship. By Princess Sabra’s orders, they should destroy them now.
On board the Starjammer, all personnel rush to the deck and prepare for a fight. Raza informs Kalyx that the Vipers already have the Starjammer in their targeting circles. Kalyx orders all of his men to their weapons stations. Elsewhere, Tolo is organizing the stolen cargo when the alarms go off. He wonders what is going on. In space, the Vipers hail the Starjammer and order them to surrender of be destroyed immediately. Raza bluntly tells his captain that there is no way the Starjammer can stand against the Vipers. Desperate, Captain Kalyx asks Ch’od if he can divert all power to their weapons or strengthen their shields. No, says Ch’od sadly.
One of the Vipers shoots a small laser blast at the Starjammer and informs the pirates that it was a warning shot. Their ship is forfeit and the Committee will decide what to do with their lives. Captain Kalyx hails the Vipers and informs them that the Starjammers never surrender. Then they should prepare to die, says the U.D.C. officer. Ch’od announces that the weapons are charged and ready. They will go down shooting.
Before the Starjammers can make their move, Raza notices something on his radar. Confused, Raza tells Captain Kalyx that there is an energy disturbance approaching like nothing he has ever seen before. The Vipers, however, seem to be oblivious to the approaching storm behind them and order the Starjammers to surrender one last time. Captain Kalyx wonders if it is some sort of weapons blast or an ion storm. Raza is unsure, but whatever it is it is closing in fast.
In seconds the energy wave reaches the ships and overcomes all three. All three ships are fried with too much energy. Viper 1 attempts to evade the storm, but it is too late as the crewmembers are all electrocuted. Aboard the Starjammer, however, the crew smartly takes a few steps away from the controls in order to prevent death by electrocution. Raza calls out that all the systems are going dead. On cue, the lights go out.
The energy storm passes and all three ships sit dead in space. In the cargo hold, Tolo wonders what is going on. He then realizes that it doesn’t matter. If this is his chance then he is going to take it. The Starjammers made a fatal mistake in leaving him alone. As he crawls atop some boxes he opens the air vent and crawls in. Tolo intends to make the Starjammers pay for their crimes. “They’ll all pay.”


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[Assistant]
The Cadet and the Corsairs - part 4
It has been twelve hours since the Starjammer and two U.D.C. Viper’s were left dead in the cold of space, thanks to some sort of electric storm, which came out of nowhere. It isn’t a very glorious end to the Starjammers, if you ask Raza. They were ready to fight the Vipers to the end when that strange storm came.
Now that he thinks about it, Raza recalls a similar blast some time ago in the Shi’ar Empire; a surge at the fringes of a stargate which launched their ship halfway across the galaxy. The only difference now is that they don’t have Corsair with them this time. Today all systems are dead. Raza thinks to himself how this isn’t fair:  they could have kicked the butts of those Vipers! He and Ch’od can fix the systems, but Captain Kalyx and the Thorns may not survive in time. Thorns live by photosynthesis, so it is understandable that they do not do well in the darkness.
In a dark corridor, Raza and Ch’od hurriedly work to repair the ship and at least get the life support back on-line. Several dying Thorns crawl towards the two, for without light they cannot think properly and cannot breathe. Frustrated, Raza exclaims that not a single spark works on the Starjammer anymore. Even more frustrated, Ch’od informs his partner that he has tried all higher-order analytical system checks, but there is still no response from the ship. Suspicious, Raza tell Ch’od that that storm was not natural. It may have knocked out the two Vipers, but it incapacitated them as well. Ch’od assures Raza that he can fix the ship. As for the Vipers… there is no chance for them.
Raza kicks around a piece of scrap and reminds Ch’od that the Starjammer is a good ship. They have done everything possible to fix it, yet it still won’t work! Ch’od goes back to trying to repair the ship and thinks about what Raza said. It wasn’t a normal ion storm. There is something strange going on. Suddenly, Raza realizes that the batteries on their flashlights are almost done. They will need to build a fire soon to see around. The Thorns around them freak out at the mentioning of fire, as that is their one weakness. Raza is discouraged and asks the Thorns if they will stay away from fire even if its light will save their lives. Realizing that there is no arguing, Raza decides that they will need to find another way to get light. The rest of the ship will have to take care of itself.
Elsewhere, Tolo continues to crawl through the ventilation system of the Starjammer. He finds an empty corridor and pops open the vent to climb down. As he lands, he realizes that this is his only chance to escape the Starjammers. He will need all his knowledge and skills to pull this off. Nearby, he finds a match and some scrap wood, a perfect weapon to bring an end to the Thorns. He quickly lights the wood and runs down the corridor with his torch. He finds two Thorns, who quickly realize that they are in the presence of light. The two crawl towards the light that Tolo has. Tolo smirks and sees that there are only two of them. It will be some time then before he can call the score even after the massacre on the Kurnit Corona. The two Thorns finally come to their senses and realize that Tolo has fire with him. They quickly freak out and back away, but Tolo does not let them escape. He sets both Thorns on fire and, as they burn to death, he tells them that it was for his father.
Tolo reaches the Systems Control room and realizes that someone was just here. He checks up on the systems and sees that they are still dead. What is taking the pirates so long to fix it? In a rage, he rips out some essential cords. Smirking murderously, Tolo thinks to himself that it will take the pirates even longer now to fix the Starjammer. Suddenly, from behind, Raza grabs Tolo and lifts him into the air by this throat. Clearly angry, Raza tells Tolo that he doesn’t know when to stop causing trouble, does he? Tolo asks Raza not to kill him, to which Raza says that he would if he wasn’t so busy trying to fix the ship. Taking advantage of the distraction, Tolo thrusts the lit torch into Raza’s cybernetic eye. The half-man half-android screams in pain and drops Tolo, who runs away.
As he runs, Tolo hears Raza screaming at him to come back for he cannot hide. Even without the lights on Raza can see just fine in the dark. Tolo looks back and sees Raza right on his tail. In front of him is a dying Thorn, who is overjoyed to see the light. Unfortunately, Tolo tells the creature to get out of his way as he jumps over him. He wishes he had time to stomp the pirate to splinters.
Tolo runs into the cargo bay and hides behind some boxes. Raza enters and does not spot Tolo. He calls out to the boy and tells him to come out for the ship is in trouble. Half the Thorns are already dead and, if the systems don’t come back on-line, then they will all die. Tolo will either freeze or suffocate, not much of a choice. Tolo sneaks around some crates and, when Raza has his back turned, he runs out the door. Raza spots him one second too late, as Tolo closes the door to the cargo hold and locks it. Tolo tells the pirate to cool off for he has work to do. Raza bangs on the door and swears to get even with him, but Tolo is already off to find some more Thorns.
Tolo continues down the halls, but all the Thorns that he runs into are dead. He finds a Thorn in the corner of a room, but he is dead like the others. Angry, Tolo kicks the body and hopes that they all wither away for he hates every one of them. Tolo hopes that they don’t take too long to die though. It is already getting cold in the ship, but then again there is plenty of firewood.
At Princess Sabra’s palace on the planet of Kinshaa, the group known as the Committee settles down for a feast. Anazar Prime sits at the head of the table and informs the rest of the Committee that much of the city’s workforce will be preoccupied with the planning of the princess’ coronation. Everyone is enthusiastic in the streets, so no one suspects a thing. Their growing dependency on Hyrax requires that they now change their plans. The Union Defense Corps are totally under their control now. It is only a matter of refining their orders. They must increase their raids of Thorn villages in order to increase their stockpiles of Hyrax. The other Committee members pick up their plates of Hyrax and cheer before beginning to feast.
Anazar Prime takes a handful of Hyrax and immediately transforms into a large brown humanoid similar looking to a Thorn. This is how they will become the superior races, says Anazar. He looks upon his fellow Committee members as they all finish the transformation. They will dominate the galaxy. They have come too far now to stop. As they finish their Hyrax, Anazar proposes that they consolidate their power and make themselves known.
One of the members asks about Princess Sabra. She is not as pliable as her father was. They still had to kill him chuckles another Committee member. Anazar informs the group that the coronation gives them an opportunity. They can get rid of the last surviving member of the royal bloodline, secure access to all the Hyrax they want, and blame the Starjammers for it all!
Back on the Starjammer, Ch’od rushes at the door with a metal pipe and begins to bang on it. He screams at Tolo and tells him to let him out for he has a ship to fix. Tolo smiles and runs off, happy that he took down another one. This is easier than he hoped. Suddenly he stops. What does he do when they are all dead? He murdered them out of honor and revenge. It was the only thing he could do. These pirates ruined his life. He had no other choice but to kill them! Tolo finds a dead Thorn and slams his foot down on the creatures shoulder, dismembering it. Tolo does not want to die out here like the Thorns. He then proceeds to the bridge in order to find some way of getting out alive.
In the bridge, Captain Kalyx sits in his chair, dying, and looks out at the stars. He comments on how small the stars are; barely enough light to keep him alive. He does not think he has much longer time to live. He failed his crew, his people and his mission. He is so tired now. A voice tells Kalyx that even if he dies he is glad that he lived long enough to see this. Kalyx sees Tolo walk towards him. Tolo informs the captain that he is the last Thorn alive on the ship. He has come to kill him then, comments Kalyx. Tolo puts the torch dangerously close in front of Kalyx’s face and tells him that he murdered his father and all those innocent people.
Bothered, Kalyx asks Tolo if those people were any more innocent than the hundreds of thousands of Thorn children the Union Defense Corps have destroyed. What is he talking about, wonders Tolo. Kalyx informs Tolo that the UDC raids their groves, uproots their parents, and set entire forests on fire before the survivors could even weep. Now all the Hyrax seeds they liberated from the Kurnit Corona will drift in space never being able to be planted in the soil. They will never sprout and grow.
Tolo interrupts and asks Kalyx was the Hyrax as to do with it. They are pirates! Hyrax isn’t a drug, replies Kalyx, it is a living creature! Hyrax seeds are Thorn embryos. The Committee uses the Hyrax seeds for consumption. They use the life energies to transform themselves into unnatural creatures. The horridness dawns upon Tolo. By trafficking Hyrax, the Committee is eating unborn Thorn children.
Tolo informs Kalyx that he does not believe him. It sounds like one of Raza’s crazy stories. You have been blindfolded by your own beliefs, replies Kalyx. Many alien species have been persecuted and crushed by the Committee and Union of Intelligent Races. Raza has told him about his life and the life of the Thorns. Tolo knows the truth, but refuses to acknowledge it. Raza thought he could make him see the truth. It was a faint hope.
Angry, Tolo hits the wall and then turns to leave. Maybe it wasn’t a faint hope after all. Scared, Kalyx tells Tolo to leave the light behind. Tolo places the torch near Kalyx so he can live and tells him that he will come back, unless he comes to his senses. Moments later, the door to the room that Tolo locked Raza in opens. Raza tells Tolo that he ought to break him to pieces, but Tolo interrupts. They need to get this ship working again.


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[Assistant]
The Cadet and the Corsairs - part 5
Life-threatening situations often forge strange relationships. In this case, Tolo Hawk, a young cadet from the Union of Intelligent Race’s Union Defense Corps, works side by side with two alien pirates, who not only kidnapped him but aided in murdering his father. However, now he must work with Raza and Ch’od to get the Starjammer’s systems back on-line so life support can start working again. After an odd ion storm, the Starjammer has been left dead in space with almost its entire crew dead. Also dead are the two U.D.C. Viper’s that tried to engage the Starjammer in battle shortly before the storm.
As Ch’od examines some circuits, Raza tells Tolo to move his torch closer so Ch’od can see well. Tolo watches Ch’od work and even offers him some advice. Ch’od follows Tolo’s advice and gets a little shock through his body. Raza and Tolo slap hands, happy that there is still electricity in the Starjammer. As the systems on the Starjammer turn back on-line, Ch’od wishes that that physics would show him the proper respect next time instead of electrocuting him.
Elsewhere in the ship, the dying Captain Kalyx mutters to himself that he needs light to live. Suddenly, Raza’s voice comes over the ship’s intercom and informs Kalyx that they systems are back on and nothing should go wrong. At that moment the power in the Starjammer goes back off, leaving Kalyx back in despair.
Raza wonders why the ship broke down again, but Tolo reminds him that they don’t even know how it got fixed in the first place. Ch’od agrees. It seems as if it repaired itself for a moment. Something is not right on the ship anymore. Suddenly, the lights go back on, but Ch’od tells the others that he did not do anything. Raza and Tolo suggest that maybe there are ghosts aboard the ship. Ch’od tells Raza that without Corsair around he feels responsible for the ship. He will fix it permanently. However, he needs spare parts to replace the fried ones. Tolo yells at Ch’od and reminds him that they are dead in space. Where does he think he will get spare parts from? Tolo then realizes where Ch’od wants to get the spare parts from: the two U.D.C. Vipers.
Ch’od grabs Tolo and takes him to the launch bay to put on some space suits. As a former cadet in the U.D.C. he knows the systems in the corps ship. Angry, Tolo corrects Ch’od and tells him that he still is a cadet. The two suit up in special space outfits, but upon seeing the distance between the Starjammer and the nearest Viper, Tolo wonders if they can make it. Ch’od assures him that they can, as they have jet packs.
The two fly across the vacuum of space and Tolo tries to hail the Viper. However, there is no response. As they land on the side of the Viper, Tolo informs Ch’od that the crew is probably dead. Ch’od does not mind, though, as he just needs more spare parts not prisoners. He opens up a panel in order to get the door to open, but there is no power in the Viper either. With his tools he plays around with the circuits. Tolo informs Ch’od that there is an emergency release, but a spark is needed. Miraculously, a spark ignites in the emergency release. The two are surprised, but waste no time in entering the now open ship. Ch’od is sure that ghosts are helping them now. Tolo, however, is relieved that the ghost is cooperative.
As the two traverse the dark corridors, Tolo ask Ch’od if he knows what he is looking for. Ch’od confirms that he does, and Tolo takes the time to admit that the green beast looks smarter than he looks, with all due respect. Ch’od admits that he has heard that often. Tolo rounds the corner and finds a dead body, which is why they didn’t get any response when hailing the ship. The two enter the cockpit, where Tolo hopes to learn something. Ch’od becomes angry and asks Tolo what he hopes to learn. The Vipers came to destroy them. There is nothing to learn.
Tolo finds the dead captain and, after seeing so many dead Corps soldiers, he feels ill. Ch’od comes to Tolo’s side and tells him to think about all the dead Thorn on the Starjammer, who fought for their survival. Are they all that different from these dead U.D.C. soldiers? Tolo looks at Ch’od in silence then tells him that they should get back to work. The two get all the spare parts that they need. Ch’od is sure he can get the Starjammer back running again. Provided that they get cooperation from their ghost, adds Tolo.
Two days later, the Starjammer is back up and running again. Ch’od informs all that that ship is actually fifty percent functional and that it is all he could do for the moment. Raza informs the now healthy Captain Kalyx that it is good enough to get them moving. Captain Kalyx tells his two surviving crewmen that this has been a long and hard journey for all of them so they should get moving now. Raza tells the Captain that the Starjammer wasn’t designed to run on fifty percent functionality. Ch’od reminds Raza that the engines are still quirky, so jokingly Raza asks him to go out and push. Kalyx looks out to space and tells the two to set the Starjammer at maximum possible speed. He is too ancient for this life now and needs to feel soil beneath his roots again.
As the ship heads off into space, Tolo asks Captain Kalyx about what will happen to him. Will the other pirates kill him once they reach their base? Kalyx is honest with Tolo and tells him that, with all the dead Thorn on board, he is not sure he could stop them. Upon hearing this, Tolo asks them why they just don’t throw him out the airlock and get it over with. Raza consoles Tolo and tells him to give the others a chance. There is plenty of time to die later, if that is what is going to happen at all. Sometime later the Starjammer reaches the Thorn home planet. Ch’od slows for descent and Kalyx orders Raza to inform Hepzibah that they are coming and that is all. It is better to deliver the rest of the news in person.
The Starjammer lands in a thick forest full of mostly Thorn, but of other alien races as well. Included is the camp leader: the feline woman, Hepzibah. It’s about time he returned, comments Hepzibah. A multi-armed insectoid named Centene orders the others to move back unless they want to get crushed by the Starjammer. The Starjammer comes to a rest and the doors open to reveal Kalyx, Ch’od, and Raza. Hepzibah comments to Kalyx that it looks like he took good care of the Starjammer, considering it has already been to one end of the galaxy to the other by accident. She then asks where the rest of the crew is. Kalyx informs all that the crew is dead thanks to the Corps. One of the Thorns is horrified to hear that humans killed the crew.
Hepzibah notices Tolo and relates him to the Shi’ar Empire. She then wonders which bone she should break first in his body. Raza steps in and calms Hepzibah down. Tolo, however, tells Raza that he will face whatever he has to and doesn’t want help. Yes, you do, replies Raza lowly. Hepzibah reminds Raza that she runs the base, but she will always listen to reason before an execution. She orders the Thorn to take Tolo to the Grove of Elders.
Tolo is taken to the Grove of Elders, which is comprised of a ring of giant ancient Thorns, who bear a very striking resemblance to towering trees. Tolo is shocked, but Hepzibah explains that they are mature, wiser Thorns, who have set their roots in the soil permanently. Hepzibah turns to the Elders and informs them that the U.D.C. has slaughtered many Thorns, who were on a mission to liberate Hyrax seeds and thousands of unborn Thorns. There is only one captive. What should they do with him?
Raza steps in once again and informs the Elders that they did save the Hyrax cargo and killed plenty of humans in the process. Tolo may be salvageable, so he will speak on the human’s behalf. Captain Kalyx also steps up and explains to the Elders that Tolo fought bravely, though he is disillusioned. He even saved his life. Tolo is just as misguided as any other human. However, the Committee is their enemy. That is why all these races have come together isn’t it? Some have joined them to rob the U.I.R. and take some booty. Others are here for revenge. Some are here for political purposes. Before, they believed that anyone who willingly serves the Union should die. Tolo did indeed slay many Thorns, but he claims that they killed his father. Who knows? All humans do look alike to them. The point is that they should teach Tolo the truth about the Committee, not kill him. One of the Elders speaks up and tells the group that they will need time to think about this.
Tolo is taken to a tent to wait for the Elders’ decision. Raza comes in with a package of new clothing. His Corps uniform is a bit too conspicuous. After Raza leaves, Tolo moves towards the package. He worked hard for his uniform and it is all he and his father ever wanted. Throwing it away is like shedding his old life. However, now he has seen the rebels first-hand and has heard their stories. What if all these tales are true? He was taught that the Committee was just and kind. What is the truth? Tolo changes into a green, rebel outfit with black boots and black gloves that go up to his triceps, leaving the shoulders exposed. He is, however, presented with another problem. He has seen the pirates commit atrocities with his own eyes. Somehow, he must remain true to his ideals, no matter what side that leaves him on.
Outside, Centene screams to the others to take arms. Scanners have detected incoming ships, lots of them! As women and children run and hide, Hepzibah tells the men that they must fight for their lives. Tolo runs out to see what the ruckus is about, but is left dumbstruck when he sees several U.D.C. ships landing. As ground troops move in, the ships begin to shoot at trees and set them on fire. The ships use standard procedure to decimate the forest, like they have done before. As the ground troops flush out the aliens, they kill them all off.
Several other U.D.C. soldiers begin to collect Hyrax seeds before the fire spreads to them. Other soldiers run around with flamethrowers. They come across the Grove of Elders and set the Elders on fire as well! Raza and some Thorns take cover as the U.D.C. soldiers over power them. Ch’od knocks over a tree to crush some soldiers, but it is no use. Hepzibah tells her troops to fall back to whatever shelter they can find. They are outgunned.
From behind a tree, Tolo watches the carnage unfold. He wonders why the U.D.C. soldiers are doing this. They are supposed to defend intelligent races, not kill them. Tolo then realizes that he could run over there and join the U.D.C. soldiers. If he explains what happened they will take him back to Kinshaa. He can still be a part of the U.D.C. and be a soldier like them. Tolo runs off to a group of troops to get to the bottom of this attack, but Captain Kalyx jumps out and confronts the soldiers. He orders the murderers to face him, which they all do with their guns trained on him. Tolo calls out to the troops not to kill Kalyx. He then informs them that he is part of the U.D.C. as a cadet.
The soldiers are disgusted with Tolo and call him a vermin. If he is with the pirates then he is a traitor to his race. Raza tackles Tolo down just as the soldiers open fire on him. Kalyx takes advantage of the distraction and attacks the soldiers. The guard captain orders his troops back. They got the Hyrax seeds and they taught the pirates a good lesson. The soldiers move the Hyrax on board and fly back to Kinshaa.
As the forest burns, Hepzibah orders the survivors to grieve later. First, they need to put out the fires. Centene freaks out, as this was the worst attack ever. How will he keep track of the damage? He had a careful account of their assets and provisions. They will never recover from this. Hepzibah tells Centene to be quiet and to trust her. She and her comrades have lost everything before and made it back up. Kalyx returns back to the Grove of Elders and finds only a few of them still alive. Tolo begins to cry in shame, as he cannot believe that the troops did this. Several Thorns stop him and give him angry, murderous looks. As they surround him, Tolo yells that not everyone is the same and they cannot murder indiscriminately. Hepzibah asks why not. Didn’t the U.D.C. just do that to them? Tolo informs the pirates that they murdered his father though he was innocent. What does that make them?
He never signed up to do what the Corps just did. He did not swear an allegiance to just the Corps, but to the ideals for which it stands for. This is not one of those ideals! If he was lied to by the Committee then so were a lot of other people. He met Princess Sabra on the Kurnit Corona. He knows that she doesn’t know what is going on out here. She has a good heart. The Committee must be the ones issuing these orders under her good name.
However, because the Starjammers are outlaws they - no, they all - won’t be given audience and a chance to air their grievances… but they can find a way to talk to her. After seeing what they did to his father on the Kurnit Corona he is sure that the Starjammer way is not the right way. However, he knows this massacre here was wrong too. He never thought he would say this, but for now he chooses to stand with the Starjammers and fight on their side!


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The Cadet and the Corsairs - conclusion
Hepzibah and Captain Kalyx survey the damage to the Starjammer camp. As trees smolder, Hepzibah tells Kalyx that they will recover and somehow they will rebuild the base, with increased defense. However, she would enjoy wringing a neck or two of any Committee member. Kalyx, however, has sunk into a depression. The Grove of Elders is destroyed. The wisest among them are dead. The humans have taken their children. How will the Thorn race continue? The humans are barbarous and they have the audacity to call them pirates!
Nearby, Raza and Ch’od finish putting out the last fire. Raza looks around at what remains and admits that he will have to sift through several different languages to find a curse harsh enough to call the U.D.C. soldiers who did this. Centene, still freaking out, wonders how they can continue. How do they pay for all this? How many people are still alive?
Elsewhere, Tolo hangs his head in shame as he watches several Thorns use scrap wood as gravestones for the dead. Not long ago, Tolo hated these pirates. They killed his father, destroyed the Kurnit Corona and held him hostage. Now, he understands why they hate the Union of Intelligent Races. Princess Sabra cannot know what is going on in her name. The Committee is the true evil. They are using Hyrax to boost their strength. Everyone was told that Hyrax was a drug, but in truth it is actually the seed of a Thorn. To gain more power the Committee is eating children. In one point in time, Tolo wanted to nothing else but a member of the U.D.C. How can any member of the U.D.C. justify what has just happen?
Tolo walks back towards the Starjammer ship. These pirates couldn’t possibly be much of a threat to the Union of Intelligent Races with only one ship. A U.D.C. fleet would crush them. That doesn’t even take into account that the Starjammer is glitchy now. Thinking about that ion storm, Tolo enters the Starjammer and recalls how the ship has been acting weird ever since it was hit. The systems are quirky, damage repairing itself; even the systems rerouted their course to avoid meteoroids. It’s like the ship is haunted, or possibly it has a mind of its own since the storm. Tolo enters the cockpit and looks at the main computer screen in the ship. As he plays around with the controls, he speaks out loud that this was just more than a space storm and this is definitely not the doing of a ghost.
Suddenly, a voice confirms that he is not a ghost or a storm. Sparks of energy coalesce from the computer system and form the image of a humanoid, but made out of pure energy. The being introduces himself as K-zzat. Tolo introduces himself as well and informs K-zzat that he has been causing much trouble around here. He then asks the being what he is. K-zzat explains that he is an outlaw, much like the Starjammers. His people are the Zhynn, energy beings who study the universe by breaking down the bonds of matter. They destroy vessels, cities, even whole planets to liberate the energy within solid matter. When he discovered that even a creature of matter is sentient he called for the end of this murder. Instead, he was seized and sentenced to dispersal. His essence was broken down and beamed to the far reaches of space. However, a being of energy cannot be destroyed.
Instead, he drifted, holding himself together until he encountered the Starjammer. With the ship’s systems he has found a way to manifest himself in a corporeal form. He has now chosen to take the Starjammer as his new body and live in it. Tolo informs K-zzat that Captain Kalyx may not be happy to hear that. In fact, Ch’od would probably find a way to drain him out of the system. They are touchy about this ship. K-zzat explains that he does not wish to hurt them. Angry, Tolo tells K-zzat that when he first arrived he killed the crew aboard the two U.D.C. Vipers. K-zzat explains that it was unintentional. In his state then, he couldn’t control himself. He is aware of Tolo’s situation and understands that the group known as the Committee is after him. He can help.
A short while later, Tolo gathers Captain Kalyx, Hepzibah, Raza and Ch’od in the cockpit to introduce K-zzat. Tolo happily announces that he will be their secret weapon. Raza ponders this and is surprised that the Committee is so bad that even a creature like K-zzat sees it. K-zzat explains that injustice is constant in the universe. Beings are different, but the concept is the same. Tolo explains that Princess Sabra will stand up for them if she knows what is happening. The Committee will do whatever they want unless they get to her. Hepzibah is not so sure, and tells Tolo that he puts a lot of faith in the Princess. Kalyx agrees and points out that Sabra has been brainwashed. No one will believe them. Even if she does believe them, the Committee would most like kill her before she can help them. Somebody assassinated her father and blamed it on them.
Ch’od adds that the Princess is at the Union capital in Kinshaa. Her palace is surrounded by Blackstar guards and her Committee advisors. Raza concludes that since her grand coronation is only a few days away, the security will be tight. They can never break though and, if they catch them, the Committee will use them as a scapegoat for something or another. Tolo reminds the four about K-zzat. He is comprised of energy. He can be transmitted just like any other signal, just like how the Zhynn exiled him. Raza understands what Tolo means and asks if he wants to use K-zzat as an energy weapon to attack Kinshaa. No, says Tolo. Not a weapon. Instead, they will use him as an energy transmission; a message.
A few days later, the festivities for Princess Sabra’s coronation begin. Thousands of people arrive in Kinshaa to celebrate the occasion. Some believe that this will be the biggest spectacle the galaxy has ever seen. Other comment on how this should be more fun than the old king’s funeral. In her palace, Princess Sabra looks out the window as her five best make-up artists, hairdressers and gown designers put their finishing touches on her and her extravagant blue gown.
Sabra tells Anazar Prime that the crowd started gathering yesterday. She didn’t think this many people would come to support her. Anazar explains that the people are hungry for a strong leader. They want stability in the Union again. The acts of the Starjammers have made them all nervous. Sabra turns her attention to her servants and tells them not to make such a fuss over her. No one will see her from so far away. One of the designers tells Sabra that everything must be perfect. The hairdresser explains that her image will be projected across the Great Square and transmitted to all the U.I.R. planets. They cannot let a single skin pore show or allow an eyelash to be out of place. One of the gown designers, in his or her excitement, comments that this will be their finest hour. “Uh, I mean, your finest hour, princess!”
Anazar Prime heads to leave, but tells the Princess that he is going to double check security. An entire company of Blackstar guards will line the approach to the coronation throne, and several other Committee members will be on hand. She should have no worries, for she will be safe. After he leaves, Lenise comes out of the shadows and cracks her knuckles. She informs her princess that she will keep her most safe. She does not intend to leave her side for a second. Sabra tells Lenise that she worries too much.
Anazar Prime walks down to the Committee chambers, where the rest of his peers sit at their dining table, ready to consume a feast of Hyrax. Anazar informs them all that the Princess is almost ready and she suspects nothing. Every piece is in play, every operative in position, and the Blackstar guards are theirs. He then orders the others to consume a does of Hyrax before the grand events. Today the Committee will come out of the shadows and assume the real power they have craved all along. Princess Sabra will suspect nothing as she ascends to her throne. There is an energy mine attached to the bottom of her throne, which is programmed to detonate as soon as she is crowned. Arrangements have been made to have all evidence point to the Starjammers.
Some time later, the coronation begins. Princess Sabra begins her procession and the announcers tell the crowd that she will arrive to her thrown soon. As Sabra walks to her throne, she admits to Lenise that she is intimidated by the size of the crowd. At times like these, she misses her father more than ever. Lenise tells Sabra that she is doing fine. The people love her and she will make a great queen. As Sabra approaches her throne, one of the Committee members whispers to Anazar Prime that he received word that several of the perimeter satellites in orbit have blanked out, thanks to some sort of power surge. Are they under attack? Anazar dismisses the threat and tells his companion that Princess Sabra has only them to worry about.
Suddenly, all the electrical equipment in the area starts to short-circuit and emit energy. Terrified, Sabra asks what is happening. Lenise gets ready for battle and orders her princess to stay back. The crowd’s attention to drawn upward, however, as all the sparks meet in one spot to form an image. The image is that of Captain Kalyx, Tolo, Raza, Hepzibah and Ch’od. Kalyx demands to speak with the Princess and to all the members of the U.I.R.
Raza continues and explains that they have all been lied to. The Committee has labeled the Starjammers pirates in order to justify the slaughtering of innocent races. Tolo speaks up and informs the crowd that he was a cadet in the U.D.C. He once believed all that was said about the pirates. He witnessed them attack the Kurnit Corona and threaten Princess Sabra. However, he also saw the U.D.C. extermination squad obliterate a defenseless encampment. The soldiers filled their ships with Hyrax seeds, but not as contraband. They took it so the Committee could secretly consume it. Hyrax is supposedly an illegal drug, but the Committee is the largest consumer of it. Princess Sabra recognizes Tolo and reminds Lenise of him, but Lenise tells the princess not to listen to anything that the pirates say.
Kalyx explains that the soldiers have attacked their bases, burned their groves and killed thousands so they could harvest the Hyrax seeds. Hyrax seeds may be a power enhancing drug to humans, but they are actually unborn Thorn children! The Committee is eating Thorn children. What other choice did the Starjammers have but fight? K-zzat speaks up and adds that there is more. He detects a deadly device installed in the throne. Beings of matter could not stand the blast. Princess Sabra would have died at her coronation.
Lenise checks the throne and indeed there is an energy mine. K-zzat deactivates it. Lenise removes it and asks Anazar Prime to explain how the pirates installed a standard-issue Defense Corps mine on the throne? Kalyx continues on and explains that they have been blamed for the assassination of the old king. They are not responsible. Tolo adds that the Committee has had plenty of opportunities. Angered, Sabra asks Anazar if this is true. Has the Committee lied to them about the pirate raids? Did he kill her father? Lenise informs Sabra that they can verify this if they find stockpiles of Hyrax in the Committee’s chamber. Sabra demands an immediate investigation.
Anazar calls out to the people that this is all a Starjammer trick. He then orders the Blackstars to surround the Princess to “protect” her. He turns to the guard captain and quietly tells him to take the Princess out of sight and to make sure she doesn’t survive. The guards surround Lenise and Sabra and tell them not to make things difficult. Lenise scowls and asks the guards that if they are here to protect them, why doesn’t she feel so safe? She then takes on six guards by herself. In the crowd, four figures remove their robes to reveal their true identities: Ch’od, Tolo, Raza, and Hepzibah. Raza orders them to start fighting. Hepzibah attacks, but finds it unbelievable that a Starjammer would be fighting to save a human life. Ch’od reminds her that Corsair was a human, but Hepzibah tells him to leave Chris out of this.
In space, Captain Kalyx decides that he has waited long enough. He then brings the Starjammer down into the atmosphere and towards the royal palace, hoping the whole time that he was not wrong to trust Tolo. Tolo spots the Starjammer and orders the others to get on board. The Starjammer lands and Tolo tells the Princess to come with him or else she will die here. Sabra is hesitant, which prompts Hepzibah to tell her to make her decision now. Tolo extends his hand and tells Sabra that he is speaking the truth. She must trust him.
Lenise grabs Sabra and admits that she does not know if they can trust the Starjammers, but she is sure that they cannot trust the Committee. Sabra and Lenise board the Starjammer with the others and escape. Anazar Prime tells the other Committee members to get to the chambers beneath the palace. Since the Starjammers have Sabra and they can expose the Hyrax stockpile. They should also bring the Blackstar guards with them.
The Starjammer reaches the palace first. Down below, Ch’od breaks open the doors to the Committee’s chambers. Lenise informs the others that she has never been in the chambers herself and that the Committee would never tell anyone what happens in there. Once in the room, the group finds it filled with crates of Hyrax, which is proof enough for Tolo. Lenise agrees. Nobody can deny this now. Kalyx picks up some seeds and notices that they are ready to grow and become baby Thorns. Suddenly, Anazar Prime comes in with some Blackstar guards and accuses the Princess of being in league with the pirates. The penalty for this is death!
Sabra looks at Anazar with horror, but he tells her not to look so shocked. Sacrifices must be made to create stable government. There had to be a common enemy for everyone to unite against. In this case it was the pirates. Anazar picks up some seeds, but Kalyx desperately tells him not to consume them. Anazar ignores him and eats them anyway. He orders the Blackstar guards to kill them all. Later on, they can drag the bodies on the streets to satisfy the people. Tolo stands in front of his friends and tells the Blackstar guards not to shoot. They know that this is wrong. He was a cadet in the Corps. They all took an oath to never follow unjust orders! Lenise steps forward and reminds them that Anazar cannot legally give them orders anyway. Even if he could, they all just witnessed him consume an illegal drug, making him unfit for command. Angry, Sabra tells them to forget legality. She is their princess and they will lay down their arms!
Anazar orders the men to stop wasting time, but he is cut off as he is overcome by pain. Suddenly, a tree root grows out of his mouth and more rip out of his body. Kalyx smiles and recalls how those seeds were so close to germinating. Anazar’s body erupts with tree roots, as he is killed. Tolo smiles and realizes that the Hyrax has learned to fight back now that they are strong enough. Sabra confronts the soldiers once again and tells them that she hereby disbands the Committee. She will tell them one more time: lay down the weapons. Lenise cracks her knuckles and hopes she can have a word with the guards when they do so.
Later on, Sabra has the guards load the Hyrax seeds back onto the Starjammer. Raza tells the men that he will be counting every last seed to, so they better not leave one behind. Hepzibah mutters that she still does not trust the soldiers, but it matters little now. Sabra tells Tolo that, under her rule, the Union of Intelligent Races will truly be inclusive. Everyone will have equal protection under the law. Lenise agrees and tells Tolo that she will make sure that happens. Tolo admits that he wishes he could stay, but there is so much rebuilding that must be done at the Starjammer camp. However, he will return to Kinshaa as he promised his dad he would get a job in the Corps, and that is one promise he intends to keep. Sabra looks at the Thorn shoot growing out of Anazar and promises to take care of it until it has reached its mobile phase. They perhaps Tolo can come by personally to pick it up.
Some time later, the Starjammers return back to the camp, with many supplies courtesy of the Princess. Centene is relieved to see so much food and supplies. He then realizes that this will take a lot of effort to keep track of and thus freaks out once again. Hepzibah admits that the princess was generous, but there is much building to be done. Tolo informs Hepzibah that he studied engineering to prepare for his Corp exams. He can help with the building, the water and the power generators. Elsewhere, the Thorns plant the thousands of Hyrax seeds into the ground to replenish their race. Tolo then wonders where Captain Kalyx is. Hepzibah informs him that he went to the Grove of Elders, alone.
In the Grove of Elders, Kalyx tells himself that he is old and weary. Now he is the eldest of the Thorns. He has lived a life of adventure and accomplishment, but now he must come back to his home soil. He will rest and grow and become at last a Great Tree. With that said, Kalyx settles his roots into the ground and begins to grow to mammoth proportions until finally he is as tall as the deceased Elders!
Some time later, Tolo meets with Hepzibah, Raza, and Ch’od and tells them that the will be fine at the camp. Princess Sabra is sending Corps engineers to help rebuild the camp. Hepzibah pats Tolo and admits that he isn’t bad for a human. Raza tells Tolo that he will miss him a little bit. He plans on being busy, though, so he probably won’t miss him any more than that. The three board the Starjammer and take one look back at Tolo and the camp.
Tolo reminds Raza that the Thorns need a spokesman and he is more apart of their camp than he is. Are they sure they have to leave? Raza reveals to Tolo that the three of them were there by accident. With the help of K-zzat, they finally have a chance to do what they couldn’t do before. They can finally find their home again and the people they left behind - if they are still alive. Raza says goodbye to Tolo and wishes him luck.
As K-zzat starts the Starjammer and flies off, Tolo watches them go. “Good luck, Starjammers,” says Tolo, “It’s a big galaxy out there.”


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[Assistant]
Escape from the Negative Zone – part two
“Wow!” Pixie exclaims at the sight of Times Square, where she has just teleported herself and the White Queen, who promptly asks if she is trying to punish her for something by taking them to this unwashed tourist corral. She asked Megan to take them to the Avengers! Pixie points out that just arriving in Avengers Tower is rude, to which Emma calls her so thoroughly wholesome she could vomit. When a tourist photographs her, she makes him slap himself. More sensibly, Pixie points out that the Avengers may have deathtraps or something else to kill intruders.
Annoyed, Emma reminds her of their situation. Some unknown force has taken their teammates and, more importantly, her boyfriend! So if Megan would kindly get over herself, they can enlist some of the most brilliant minds on the planet to help determine where the hell they’ve disappeared to!
Pixie stares at one of the giant screens at Times Square, with good reason. Every channel shows a transmission by Blastaar, ruler of the Negative Zone, who announces he has apprehended spies trespassing and shows his prisoners Cyclops and Hope. Blastaar considers this an act of aggression against himself and the forces of the Negative Zone, and therefore the Kree Empire. But he will allow them to send one representative to beg for his mercy. So, if they wish to reclaim these lives and avoid a full declaration of war, they will send him Reed Richards!
At Avengers Tower, Steve Rogers, the former Captain America, has a video conference with the president, informing him that Reed Richards is unavailable at the moment. Besides, Blastaar is a terrorist, and they do not negotiate with terrorists. They do not try to incite them either, the president reminds him. Steve guarantees that Blastaar’s threats are just that. If the Kree Empire were really leveraging against them, they wouldn’t be hearing it from their backwater post. It is a hostage situation. Plain and simple.
The president stresses it’s more than that. Scott Summers and his folk are important to him. To him as well, Steve agrees. That said, he’s going to do what he would for any American captured by a power-mad dictator: He’s going in and bringing them back, whatever it costs. The president wishes him Godspeed and Steve salutes.
She certainly hopes that wasn’t just for their benefit, Emma Frost tells him. They had come for one of the smarter Avengers. But apparently this has gone from scientific mystery to interdimensional incident.
Dr. Nemesis floats through the Negative Zone, following the beeping of a device of his, until he sees the fortress. “Ahoy there!” he greets the guard and assures him he comes in peace. He suggests he take Nemesis to the scientists working in there, so they can cut him up and look at his insides…
Earth side of the Negative Zone portal at Camp Hammond, Connecticut:Emma offers to have Pixie bring a team of X-Men, but Steve doesn’t want to do it that way. This is a controlled portal, he explains. SHIELD built this for the secret prison inside the Negative Zone. The one Blastaar has seized since then. They were designed to insure that only the number of people expected would… make it across. And despite what they may think, he prefers to use diplomacy first.
Emma points out that he isn’t Reed Richards. And that was Blastaar’s demand. What makes him think he won’t kill Scott, the minute Steve comes through? The portal initiates and Steve promises Scott and the others will be safe. They are Blastaar’s only bargaining chip. Then he will kill him? Plxie exclaims. Steve gives her a cocky grin. Blastaar can try…
Blastaar’s citadel, the former US prison 42 in the Negative Zone:At moments like this, he can almost believe in the grace of the gods, Blastaar boasts. It will be cosmic justice to see an arrogant worm like Reed Richards beg for his favor. He and his guards are waiting on their side of the portal. Blastaar prattles on he heard Richards had a hand in building this fortress. And he thought himself clever to bar this threshold, preemptively thwarting any chance of invasion but the blade cuts both ways. And now Richards must cross here alone. His hands glow with energy as Blastaar imagines showing Richards true power and fear.
A scientist announces that a male specimen is transporting in from Earth. Blastaar looks forward to the look on Richards’ face. Steve steps out of the portal, beginning he knows they were expecting Reed Richards…. “Kill him!” Blastaar orders. That’s gotta be a new record, Steve mutters as he attacks the soldiers, all the while announcing he is an envoy from Earth. No one could reach Reed Richards but they weren’t about to let his captives die. No, instead he chose to defy him and assure their death, Blastaar roars and fires at Steve who dodges the blast.
Just to clarify, Rogers asks, he has no intention of complying with the safe release of his prisoners, or even due process? The only thing he intends is to grind him beneath his heel! Blastaar snarls. Fair enough, Steve decides and tells him to prepare to have his empire dismantled. He uses a light grenade. By the time Blastaar and his people have regained their sight, Rogers is gone.
Elsewhere, Cyclops is tied up and blind. With lots of patience, he has managed to free a foot. He tells himself he can do it, when he hears the swishing sound of the door opening. He tells whomever is there he demands an audience with their leader. He is not in a position to demand anything, a very free and armed Hope informs him. In fact, she is tempted to leave him here.
He is astonished she broke out. She wishes he could see the look on his face or her face, for that matter, she informs him. How the heck did she escape so quickly? he asks. Cable and she have been in much tougher prisons. She’s surprised it’s taking him so long.
Scott asks her to get him down. No way, not until he says it, she smirks. Please? he asks. Nope, not that… After a moment’s silence, he admits that she is better than him, at everything ever. That good enough? She shoots open his shackles. Sounded about right, she agrees. Swell, because they should really get to someplace they can safely figure out what’s next. Hope thinks she saw a spot… Cyclops takes off the shackles on his face but, without a visor, he has to keep his eyes closed. They’d be least likely to look near the cells, he suggests. She snarls back he can’t see, so he doesn’t get to tell her where to go. Besides, he just said she’s better than him at everything… That’s never gonna stop, is it? he sighs. She doubts it.
Elsewhere, a monstrous cook gets several carcasses out of a freezer to prepare them, cursing the mongrel king who always demands the same dish. He looks surprised when in his kitchen he finds an almost delirious Namor, demanding water.
Soon several guards run this way, allowing Steve to sneak past them. He accesses the prison schematics and finds that the place he is looking for, maximum security level, is on the opposite side. He can’t wait for the place to be destroyed, he decides.
Elsewhere, Dr. Nemesis is threatening several alien creatures with a gun to make them work on the portal controls, which they have already tried to do for Blastaar, with little success. They must be close, he decides. This thing shows the exact same readings as when he got zapped there. This is good news, one of the aliens agrees. This might mean that they have found the true frequency. No more test. They can bypass control protocols. They just need to repurpose their device; it can reset the portal to the direct open path to Earth. He still threatens them? he asks when Nemesis doesn’t lower the gun. Nothing provides inspiration quite like a deadline, is the explanation.
Elsewhere, Steve causes an explosion to divert several guards catches one of their rides and surrounds the prison on the outside with guards hot on his heels.
In the meantime, Hope leads Cyclops through the airshafts, impatient at his doubts. Suddenly, there is a noise below them. She looks down the grate, figuring it’s a guard who crashed though the wall on a… thing. A really good-looking one, she admits.
Steve actually can hear her and looks up. Unfairly, Hope orders Cyclops to shush. Steve takes off the grate and calls for Scott, remarking he can hear them. Putting his head down, Scott admits, this is a little embarrassing
He and Hope get down as Cyclops remarks Steve is literally the last person he would expect to run to their rescue in the Negative Zone. He figured this was his big chance to finally meet the famous Hope, Steve jokes. He tells her he has heard a lot about her though. The only mutant born in a long while. She knows, Hope interrupts him. Nobody lets her forget! Steve continues, warning her not to get too full of herself. There are always people looking for someone to worship but, the minute you believe you are more important than those people, you’re not a hero anymore.
He turns to Scott offering him a visor or equally conspicuous red glasses. Emma sent them with her. Scott decides on the visor. Steve explains Emma said the bad guys pull this one on him all the time. She should know. She was one of them, Scott replies. He always meant to ask about that, Steve remarks.
The three of them fight their way through the guards. Hope protests they can’t leave without the others. They can and have to, Steve decides. They don’t even know where they are. They’ll have to fend for themselves until they can regroup and find them. Cyclops worries they might not last. Namor was out of the sorts from the moment they got here and panicked about finding water. That was days ago. Seventeen hours, Steve corrects him. The Negative Zone exists outside their dimension. Time passes differently here, but on Earth it’s been less than a day. He hopes Namor is still operating on Earth time, because they are about to hit that portal fast.
Cyclops’ optic blast shoots a way to the portal room where Blastaar is waiting. Steve recommends he let them return through the portal before they have to inflict any more damage on his operation. He declines and hits Cyclops with an energy blast of his own. Now, they were saying something about a portal?
Suddenly, a booming noise comes closer, the wall shakes loose, debris burying Blastaar. The next moment, a winged foot kicks him in the face and steps on him. Namor has arrived. Happily, Hope runs towards him to hug him. Namor swats her aside and Hope lands hard.
Panicked, Scott runs to her side and finds her unconscious and bleeding. Steve apologizes to Cyclops, calling him away from the wounded young girl. Preparing for the attaching Namor, Steve tells Cyclops that he’s gonna need his help here….


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part two: Storm’s Seven
Flashback / narration:Yes, she remembers how Arakko died, Storm recalls to Destiny. She confronted the Quiet Council. Krakoa had only grown worse, while Arakko had got better. She wanted to know the reason why and learned to her horror that the Council members carried Mr. Sinister’s DNA and were controlled, or at least changed for the worse, by him. She escaped only via a psychic fail-safe implanted by her fellow Arakkii. They were ready to go to war then and there, but were advised by cooler heads to wait. They marshalled their forces; they grew their strength. Apart from the Great Ring and the Brotherhood there were the members of SWORD, Nova, the original Famine, Dust, Thunderbird, Wrongslide and many more. They were ready for anything but not for everything, and everything was thrown at them.The Krakoans blamed the attack on the Skrulls, but they were chimeras – flying eyeballs with Cyclops’ optic blast, Madrox dupes combined with other powers and many more. They felled Famine and Nova. Sunspot died in Storm’s arms. They fought against all hope. They fought, knowing they would lose. Because that is what it is to be of the broken land, even if that land is broken for all time!The Present (10 years later):Their people are scattered to the winds or hiding here in the asteroids of what was once Arakko. Perhaps if they had gone against her kind advice, had struck sooner, they would have had a chance, but Destiny told them to wait! Storm states accusingly. She orders Irene to look her in the eyes. How does she think Storm feels about that?Destiny observes that Storm hasn’t forgiven her yet, but she won’t kill her – at least not today. Storm warns this is not the place to test the infallibility of her predictions. If her predictions can fail, the prediction she made for them can be forgiven. But if she was just arranging the chess pieces for later - choosing a more opportune hour for their death – she should not have come here! If she came here at all, she adds cryptically and calls out the name Jon.There is a metallic sound and Destiny demands who is there.The young, horned man creates a blade from his arm, as he announces this isn’t Destiny. The body language is off. He impales her on his lance and, as he knew, she turns into her true shape, that of Mystique.Raven angrily shouts he could have chosen a less painful method. He could but he didn’t, is the curt reply. And anything he stabs, she grows back, so don’t play for sympathy. Jon Ironfire, Ororo’s gruffest attack dog, Mystique mocks. From the rebel without a cause to the inner circle. How the mighty have risen… though she thought only omegas could serve on the Great Ring. Has that rule died with their planet? Or is he the omega of molten metal blood? He’ll let her know if he ever hits a limit, he shoots back.Storm orders them to stop bickering and asks why Raven is here. To protect her wife, is the reply. Irene predicted she’d be safe, but some things you don’t gamble with. So, she came wearing Destiny’s face to deliver her message. To make a point, she shifts to look like Destiny again and asks how would they like Arakko to live again?She explains that Nathaniel Essex has a secret cloning facility, dedicated to a secret clone of Moira MacTaggert. It has an activated mutant gene, the power to reset the universe to her birth, should her life end. The clone’s life began almost ten years ago. It was a safe point of some kind. That will save them from Sinister. Destroy the facility. Kill the clone. Reset time. There is no guarantee that things won’t play out the same way, but at least there is a chance to save everything, and all she has to do is end it!Storm orders Jon to assemble the Brotherhood. They have a mission.The Brotherhood currently consists of Storm, Jon Ironfire, Cable (who is now bonded with Xilo and called X-Man), Khora of the Burning Heart, Wiz Kid, Quick aka Loolo Marshall and now Mystique.Soon, Cable teleports the group to Muir Isle, where Sinister hid his secret lab. Storm explains that, according to Destiny’s vision, Sinister’s lab is hidden in the rock beneath. Assuming they trust her or her wife, Ironfire states pointedly. Not to worry, Wiz Kid assures them and asks Mystique how the guns he fabricated for her are. She replies by threatening to set them on them, after they are through, causing Quick to attack her. Wiz Kid explains the security lock on the guns won’t let her attack a Brotherhood member, not to mention that they will all be too busy to quibble among themselves: Muir Isle is defended. He points at several zombielike chimeras closing in.Cable, now combined with Xilo, and calling himself X-Man, analyzes that the chimeras are half Marrow, half Maggot. Every bone in them is a flesheater! The chimeras throw flesh-eating bones at the Brotherhood. Quick uses her speed to take them down. Quickly, Storm orders her, Mystique, Khora and X-Man to defend the surface, while Jon. Wiz Kid and her will dig up Sinister’s lab. She creates a localized tornado to open the doorway to beneath the rock and they fly in.Impressed, Wiz Kid asks why she needed the rest of them. She doesn’t, Jon replies. She might, Storm corrects him. She senses something beneath them, not so much energy but absence. On the floor beneath, there are more chimeras who are defending what looks like a huge black globe. A chimera unlike anything they have ever seen, Storm ventures Like a living forcefield. Unus genes, Wiz Kid figures, amped by who knows what else? Skids? Armor? How many mutants with forcefield powers are there? He doubts even a teleporter can get in… but maybe they don’t have to. Leave it to him! He throws several hexagon-plated at the globe. Not his usual tech, Storm observes. A little something he has been saving for just these occasions. He asks them to hold off the goons.Gladly, Ironfire grins and throes several iron spikes at their foes, who are partly based on Glob Herman. His rain of pain moves the chimeras need a little extra. Storm uses the metal to conduct electricity at the chimeras.That leaves the unbreakable shield, Wiz Kid muses. The question is not how you break it, but why would you bother. He grins and counts down. Further away, Khora enhances Looloo’s speed, so she can take out all their foes almost instantly. As her powers enhances, so do Looloo’s perception and she see Mystique glitching. That’s not Mystique, she realizes.Wiz Kid tells Storm, he teleported the whole forcefield and its content away. Storm praises his work. Now they can return to the base and switch the field off at their…Taki impales her with a sword from behind, grinning it is not at their base. Did he spot her this time? he (or more to the point Mystique) asks Ironfire. No, because he was looking at the fake tells she fed him for years! And he was looking at the Shi’ar hardlight hologram of her above, perfect down to the thermal temperature. Ironfire tries to kill her but she is prepared and teleports away.He crouches next to Storm, shouting he has failed her. Not yet, she replies weakly. He shouts to the others they need a medical evac. Storm continues that Mystique cannot kill them. Sinister cannot kill them. Arakko survives. And they will find her wherever she hides…Meanwhile the real Destiny is currently at the Worldfarm and informs its master that Mystique has returned with their prize. Destiny muses it’s ironic: if they hadn’t lured Ororo into action, the timeline would have reset. Tomorrow a Quiet Council vote will go against Sinister and he will decide to cut his losses… too late.The other person remarks, he knows how Sinister thinks. This chaos was his idea of a controlled experiment. A shame for him that he won’t be the one to control it. He is curious though. He knows why he doesn’t want to undo the last ten years, but what about her? What does she get form a diseased reality like this? Destiny replies, it is simple: in this timeline her wife is alive. And some things you don’t gamble with. The other person agrees. They are similar like that. They play long games and they like to play them safe. But nothing is forever though and at the end of the game there is only one winning card. There can be only one who has dominion, Orbis Stellaris, the spade-clone of Nathaniel Essex warns.


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part 7: No Hope
100 years later:A large space station, Arakko Base, somewhere in unknown space:Control addresses the starship Ananke that they are allowed to dock. However, control asks for the cycle’s code words, which are immediately stated by the ship. Control is about to clear them, when Commander Noh-Varr tells him to wait and demands Ananke give them next cycle’s code. The confused ensign points out that they don’t even have the code yet. Nevertheless, the reply comes from the starship. The ensign asks the computer to generate the next code and it is precisely the same.Noh-Varr orders him to signal the old lady. It’s the real thing.The ship’s passenger, Destiny, is welcomed by Ironfire, X-Man (Cable/Xilo) and Khora who remarks acidly that Noh says it is really her this time, in the ancient flesh. What could bring her out of her safe conformable bunker?Not her mockery, Destiny retorts. Where’s the old Witch? If she means the Goddess, show a little respect! Ironfire admonishes her. Destiny orders him not to start with that nonsense. Even Exodus grew out of his one-man religion. He left his messiah to be eaten alive by Chitauri. That’s Sinister for you, Ironfire replies, unimpressed. Unable to see anything greater than themselves.Give her strength! Destiny sighs, then addresses Cable, or is it X-Man? Is he too wormridden now to give a damn about his daughter’s death? X-Man replies that this body is more history than humanity now, and there is a dead loved one on every page. They will all be avenged. And what about her dead? Irene shouts and takes off her mask. Where is her vengeance? What about Mystique?Flashback:An ice planet:Destiny begs Mystique not to join a battle. That recklessness isn’t her. Yes, it is, Mystique replies as she loads her weapon. It’s just a part Irene never liked. She reminds her, they are the reason this timeline is still ticking. She says they fight for it! The Brotherhood can’t win their rebellion alone, and the truth is she doesn’t want to spend the rest of forever as a keepsake in Destiny’s vault. If she loves something, set it free! is her parting shot to Irene as she leaves the bunker to join her Freedom Force consisting of Hercules, a young Nova and a large chimera.Present:She wanted to live forever with her! Destiny cries. Or for as much of it as they could steal. With her in her arms, decades flew past like summer days. It was enough for Irene, but not for Raven.She puts on her mask. So Raven died for Storm’s damned cause. To keep some backwater world free… whatever that means. A red diamond on the forehead. A golden ball on the flag. What is any of it worth?Everything! comes the reply, as a wizened but still beautiful Storm enters in her hoverchair. Jon Ironfire bows and a muscular blue woman announces: Commander on deck.But if she has to ask… Storm continues. It’s been a long time. How’s that bunker of hers? How’s her war against the entire galaxy? Irene shoots back. Not as lonely, Storm suspects, nor as cold. She is sure it won’t be, Destiny warns her. If she could find Storm, so can the Compact. As her hand begins to glow, the blue woman, Ganna, angrily asks if that is a threat. Storm orders her back. Obviously, it’s a threat, but they needn’t be rude. Is there a carrot to go with that stick? How can their humble rebellion help her today?Destiny explains that they once offered Storm a chance to end all this cleanly. At the time, it was a lie. Irene simply had too much to lose… but now? Raven is dead. The galaxy is on fire. They all lost everything. It’s time to end this phase of the game. It’s time to kill Moira for real.Soon, the Brothership and all the X-fighters are in Warpspace. At the helm, Noh-Varr the Accuser informs the fighter they are two minutes to drop out. Once they drop, the X-fighters are to launch. The fighters are manned by X-Man, Ganna and Jon Ironfire. Ironfire and Ganna banter and X-Man tells them to be serious. This isn’t a game. This is history!They drop out of hyperspace to face the giant golden globe of the Deah Sphere - a scaled up version of Orbis Stellaris’ life-support shell. It surrounds the World Farm and allows it to travel anywhere in the galaxy, enabling total domination of all worlds under the Compact’s aegis, while in the World Farm Orbis Stellaris’ Progenitors are working on Project Dominion.The bridge of the World Farm is manned by different kinds of aliens, including Skrulls. They are on orange alert. An ill-mannered Orbis Stellaris demands where the attack came from. How did the forces of the Red Diamond cloak themselves so? To his surprise, he learns the Brothership is responsible. Three fighters and a ship ready for scrap are attacking them? Are they desperate or has the old witch finally gone senile? Stellaris decides not to take his Progenitors from their research work. Standard fighters should suffice. He sends all of them, about a hundred.The Brothership:She hopes Storm knows what she is doing, Destiny remarks on the bridge, as Khora of the Burning Heart boosts her power making her precognition more accurate. X-Man is to send those predictions to the fighters. Destiny warns that perhaps all that will be broadcast are their inevitable deaths. Even she can only game the future so far… Raven’s death was proof of that.Or proof of a more human failing perhaps, Storm suggests and asks what she sees. A pitched battle, but she admits that her prescience, Xilo’s processing power and Nathan’s strategy are an unbeatable combination, a self-fulfilling prophecy. She sees Storm give the order to destroy the artificial sun at the heart of the Sphere, and the Moira lab at the heart of that. A moment’s euphoria in victory… and then darkness. No more to see. The end of a universe. The future is set, they will win!Storm and Khora glance at each other.X-Man sends the visions to the other fighters and tells Ironfire to trust his instincts. Ironfire scoffs. Suddenly, he sees Mother Righteous sitting in front of him. Definition of faith, some would say. She tells him she is only a daydream. She is just catching the show, this will prove her right in so many ways. But while she’s here, any regrets to share? Anything he’d do different if he could?The Genesis War, Ironfire admits. He made a mistake, took a life. That haunts him still. His faith is a penance. Because he didn’t have faith then. He didn’t trust the Storm but, as long as Ororo is with them – leading them – there is nothing they can’t do, he grins. Does she want proof? Look around her! And indeed, the forces of the Compact do not manage to hit their foes.How are they this lucky? a Skrull wonders. Orbis Stellaris corrects him. Not luck. This is destiny! Somewhat disappointed, he mutters he expected more foresight from Irene. He wonders what their goals are, then realizes it’s the fighter ejection hatch! The last fighters are leaving the sphere now, the Skrull replies. Orbis Stellaris interrupts him and orders him to close the hatch.Too late! The three Brotherhood fighters are inside the Sphere, and the forces of the Compact are outside. No one here but the Progenitors. And before they can be re-tasked from their labors… Noh-Varr tells Storm that the black torpedo is locked on the center sun. If she says the word, they will all go down together. Do it, Storm orders. “Until next time, my love,” Destiny whispers, then she is killed by a sword from behind.Painless, she hopes, Storm asks Khora, who replies it had to be or she’d have sent the intel back to herself. Instead, darkness – as prophesied. The end of a universe – her own.Storm orders Noh-Varr to disarm the torpedo. He hesitates: they fought their way here, and they are not blowing up the Moiras? If Destiny was right – this reality is hell… Storm strictly corrects him, it is a hell that still supports life and therefore hope. Ninety years ago, she was angry and still is. But how many have lived and died since then? One dead planet does not justify a murdered universe. The Moira lab is an abomination – one they must defuse, not simply destroy. And if they cannot, they must guard it with their lives, for they guard the lives of everything that is.X-Man wonders how to achieve that, since they just lost their window on enemy tactics. As soon as they get that hatch back open, the Brotherhood are literally fish in the barrel.Storm corrects him: they are fish in an ocean, and she sailed this ocean before. She orders Khora to enhance her powers. Storm explains, to be an omega level mutant is to be without limit, but there are limits beyond limits. Powers beyond powers that she is also heir to, for they do not call her “the old witch” without cause. Her mother was a sorceress from a sorcerous line. Her blood is in Storm, and in her name and those before she calls: In Ashake’s name – in Ayesha’s name - she calls Amun of the invisible! She calls Hauthet who rules space. She offers them fire! And a life incarnate! That through magic and mutation she may command the weather of the cosmos itself – and summon a storm to shake realities! In Ororo’s name - let the wormhole open!And it does, swallowing the Worldfarm and the Brothership.And on his bridge, Orbis Stellaris finds his life work gone with the Worldfarm and his Progenitors. And to add insult to injury, it was done by a magic spell. He orders the computer to switch off life support on his ship.The Brotherhood now find themselves at the edges of the universe, where they are sure to not be found.Ganna asks about the Progenitors, but X-Man tells her it is her job. An electromagnetic pulse in the right place should wipe their orders. Without an overlord to command them, they will be happy just maintaining their artificial planets. They should leave them to it and concentrate on the center sun. With a little work it could be a fortress - Fort Arakko. Maybe a new home for their scattered people.Ironfire agrees if the goddess agrees. She hasn’t led them wrong yet. He asks Khora of Storm’s idea.Khora weeps. Storm said something about a life offered. She smiled and… She sits beside Ororo’s smiling, dead body. They are on their own, she tells Ironfire.


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part 9: The Song of the End
1000 years later:900 years after Storm cast her spell and moved Orbis Stellaris’ Worldfarm (and with it Sinister’s Moira lab) far away to the edge of the galaxy, to what is now called the Storm System. Its lone ruler, a wizened Jon Ironfire, a mutated dog at his side, looks outside and wonders how many still know what the Storm System means. What Arakko once meant, what it’s come to mean again: A land under siege.The Queen in Red is coming to break them and they are not ready. After the Diamand Jubilee disaster, they are a shadow of their former strength. Yet, if they fall, all that is falls with them, he muses. They need hope… a symbol… Someone once asked him his deepest regret: He said he should have trusted the Storm. Can he trust her now? he asks Khora of the Burning Heart, his only contemporary left. She tells him that is not the question. It’s not her he has to worry about trusting. He agrees.They walk past a gallery of former Great Ring members. Ironfire laments X-Man’s death at the hand of the Orphan-Madrox. They could have used his counsel. Khora impatiently retorts he would tell him the same thing: Ironfire is putting his faith in the devil himself, the father of all Sinisters, to give him back a northstar he has long learned to navigate without. It’s folly! she continues, and it goes against their oldest ways. Even out here, at the edge of everything, they are of Arakko. They are not afraid of a life that ends! Maybe they should have been, Ironfire insists, when it was her life that ended. Anyway, they are committed now.They enter large hall. Or they should be! Mr. Sinister puns, disappointed that no one reacts. He is there with four further mutants.All right then, Jon Ironfire, regent of Arakko, Mr. Sinister announces with a grin. Shall they see what his new Five can do?Lightyears away but closing in fast is the fleet of the Red Diamond Empire, led by its queen Emma Frost. Having spied Arakko, her psychic clone brains send out missiles.Unaware of that, in the Storm System the new Five begin their ritual of resurrection. Sinister offers a single vial of Hope Summers’s blood to ensure true resurrection. He injects it into Old Oda’s egg. Caana the Commander makes the egg viable. Bloodroot the Boneshaper forms the body and Genas Mindflayer tears memories from the king himself of his goddess. Khora bathes them all in her heart’s fire creating union… and, surrounded by clouds and lighting, Ororo rises reborn.Ironfire whispers her name in reverence while Sinister grins darkly.The new Storm asks her name. Is that who she is? Kneeling before her, Ironfire explains it was her name in her last life. She likes the name and tells them it is good to meet all of them.Ironfire reluctantly thanks Sinister, who quips he kept that DNA around for a rainy day or for a day he needed some rain. He reminds him that she has the knowledge Ironfire supplied but no memories. The Storm he knew is dead. But if he is feeling that grateful, they could discuss…He is interrupted by an alert. Enemy of Arakko sighted. Ironfire orders the Brotherhood to their arms.It is Emma Frost, her attack spearheaded by several cloned, four-level chimeras: High Summers, Hot Claw and Sage Advisor who savage their foes.The Red Queen criticizes that she wanted this wrapped up by the time Beast arrives with the rest of the fleet. They are running behind. She decides to take matters into her own hands. Emma enters a red bath and orders her servants to die for her. She can take it from here. As she complains about Beast being unable to forge a more desirable chassis, she muses, there is a certain beauty in coopting an old nightmare, isn’t there? She connects to the overbody, a giant shell she is steering via the red synaptic fluid, giant whip in hand, as she turns against the enemy: “hello darlings” she announces. Auntie Emma’s come to punish them!Ororo protect them! the forces on the Storm System mutter as they see her. She heard that! Emma chides telepathically. They’ve broken her first commandment: Praying to another goddess. The giant form strikes with her whip, destroying part of the Storm System.Inside, Ironfire warns that the battle is endangering the integrity of the center-sun. Ororo pleads, they must reach the surface. This is too enclosed. She can hear the pain of the sky and stars…Sinister interjects, asking wouldn’t it be better to head to the center of their center-sun? If there were an impregnable vault they were guarding… Ironfire cuts him off. They owe him, but the vault at the heart of Arakko is not to be touched. Death’s door will never be opened! None of them have ever been inside, though their psychics dream of bones and sulfurous incense. Calling him a metal-veined hippy, Sinister mutters that he has other friends, referring to the Doombot who now consists only of his upper half. Sinister ask where Moira is. The Doombot replies that Doom knows all the arts, all the sciences… “I don’t know” would have been sufficient, Sinister replies and steals his arm, which contains a gun.He joins the others who come to witness how Emma’s chimeras (among them a Havok-Cyclops-chimera) are attacking them. Sinister mutters Emma finally got herself a body that fits her ego. Ororo tells Ironfire she has his memories of what she can do, but she doesn’t know how to do it. He replies, when all hope died, she fought on. That’s who she is. Trust her instincts! Trust the Storm!Wielding lightning against the chimeras, she replies that experience would be better. Khora offers her power to support Ororo and tells her there is a trick they’ve done before. She joins her powers with Ororo’s. But now she is drained while the Brotherhood are battling the chimeras. Caana tries to make the whole sun her weapon but she and Gebas are killed by the chimeras. Angrily, Khora marshals the rest of her energy to fight by hand but then she and Bloodroot are killed by one of the Cyclops chimeras.Emma faces the newborn Ororo not taking her seriously without her experience. She hasn’t learned to fight yet, Emma mocks, never mind how to win. She hasn’t learned yet to lose, Ororo replies calmly. She has not learned limits or boundaries or fear. All she knows is the play of the living sky, the wind, the seasons… the lightning. She calls the lightning home, shattering the form of the diamond queen.Their enemies collapse, their psychic strings cut and a lethally injured Ororo falls to the ground. She didn’t block the radiation, she realizes. Maybe next time, she mutters in Ironfire’s arms and asks if Arakko will live. Ironfire believes reinforcements will come, Beast most likely, but she has given them a chance. The universe has a chance now. That’s good, she mutters, to live is good, but she isn’t afraid of a life that… She dies before she can say “ends.” Ironfire grieves, his back turned to Sinister. With a smirk, Sinister aims his gun at Jon’s head. He isn’t afraid either, he grins and fires…