Action, Adventure, Excitement, Part 9: Finale
                               Chapter 1


Subject: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:01:51 -0700
Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012794

>On Mon, 29 May 2006 21:33:37 -0700
>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012785
>
>>On Wed, 12 Apr 2006 05:08:28 -0700 (PDT)
>>Ziactrice Said As CAoL Message # 00012768

<znip>
>>   "Let all things be well/All manner of things be well/In the order
>>of Order/Set in proper place and line/As shadows and reflections
>>upon the waters." A doorway - far less polychomatic than he is
>>accustomed to, but showing faint glimmerings upon its, well, shadowy
>>frame - stands now near the two of them upon the roof.
>>   "There. That should take you wherever you should properly be.
>>There is no sign of that... mechanical thing that attacked me, and
>>due to your assistance, I should be in fine fettle to take care of
>>any loose ends around here." She grins. "I'll just have to get your
>>story later."
>
>   Eric dares to stretch out his hand; if Zina Inverse takes it, he
>kisses the back of her hand in the proper manner. "Far too much
>later, I fear, but eventually, no doubt." With that, and without a
>second's hesitation, he strides through the gate.

   Instantly, he reappears next to Jefferies, who manages to recover
even before Eric. "May I offer you some refreshment, sir?" Jefferies
asks, a tray at his side.
   Eric boggles briefly, then laughs. "You are amazing, Jefferies. No,
thank you, not now. Right now...right now I just want to see Zia."
   Jefferies waits patiently for Eric to finish -- he's long since
learned that his Radar impression gets old quickly -- then nods and
turns left. "Follow me, sir." Eric simply nods, reverting to his
now-traditional Batman impression (which, fortunately, doesn't get old
as quickly ;-).
   In moments, they are in the central chamber of the headquarters.
The Champions, sans Defender and Solitaire, are in residence and at
various tasks. To one side, Steppenwolf continues to watch over the
unconscious(?) Zia. Seeker and Jaguar are running over tactics at the
conference table, Quantum is under a bank of computers, hip-deep in
wires and Kirby-tube circuitry, and Obsidian and Orchid are going over
the monitors, the latter at hyper-speed. Activity slows, but does not
stop, as everyone acknowledges the Hunter's return.
   "Hey, Lancer," Jaguar rumbles in a friendly purr/growl sort of way,
adjusting a holographic close-up map of Siberia. Seeker waves
jauntily, Quantum distractedly (head still in machinery) and Orchid
from three afterimages. Eric nods.
   "Hunter," Obsidian adds, nodding back.
   Eric sighs. "It was the pulp reality," he objects.
   Obsidian smiles faintly. "I never said otherwise. I was merely
speaking of your occupation."
   "Of course you were." Eric's voice drops back to its 'dark warrior'
tone briefly...which vanishes at the sight of Zia, safe and sound.
"Steppenwolf. Thank you."
   Darkseid's general simply shrugs. "It was merely a duty." He
glances back at the petite Amberite. "A pleasant one, to be sure."
   Eric nods, removing the sunglasses and gazing intently at her. He
prepares to speak.
   A MASSIVE explosion rocks the entire island.
   "By the Source!" Steppenwolf roars. (OOC: If Zia is still
unconscious on the couch, automated systems hold her in place.)
   Quantum darts out from the equipment and flies upright. "Orchid!"
   Orchid is at a dozen controls at once. "We're under attack!
Hundreds -- no, _thousands_ of zombie-plant-things are coming down on
us!"
   Eric is instantly at Obsidian's side, each of them taking a
console. They move with eerie synchronicity. "The Gaunt Man," Obsidian
intones.
   "Which means we're not just facing gospog drones," Eric rumbles.
   "Damn," Quantum sighs, blithely ignoring the Comics Code Authority.
"Jefferies, stay here and monitor our progress. If it looks like we're
losing the island, you grab the support staff and anyone else that
needs evac and get _out_ of here." Jefferies nods soberly. "Everyone
else, with me. We've got some bad weather that needs clearing up."
   Eric creates a tiny Prime duplicate by Zia's side, then follows
Quantum out. Steppenwolf grins a terrible grin and lights up his
Electro-Axe.
   "Mayday, mayday, calling the Slingshot," Jefferies says calmly into
the comm unit. "Champions Island is under attack. Repeat, Champions
Island is under attack. Orrorshan forces invading en masse. Request
assistance." The 'gentleman's gentleman' frowns faintly when he
realizes the signal is being jammed. Edward's fingers dance across a
handful of buttons, and the message repeats automatically, in case one
of the (other) heroes can disable the jamming. He then begins
activating defense systems, manning them as appropriate...

*

   "HAH!" Quantum roars, power bolts flying. The surface of Champions
Island is a war zone, with over a hundred UNTIL agents (several of
them Awakened) firing on a hundred times their number, the monstrous
forms weighing down the wondrous flying headquarters through sheer
numbers. The five Champions cut a swath through the invaders, but Eric
was right; far more dangerous foes lurk among the plant-like zombies.
A were-bear twice Jaguar's size leaps at the Bastet, roaring with a
voice that sends three UNTIL agents into convulsions; Jaguar caves its
head in with a single axe kick, but it slowly rises. Seeker dodges
half a dozen wasps each the size of a man's torso, vile poison
dripping from their stingers. A shark-toothed man in a business suit
chases Orchid, grinning manically as he does so, ignoring the fact
that their race tears through gospog but not UNTIL soldiers. A
two-headed gorilla with lamprey-like mouths pounds on Obsidian, who
absorbs the damage as he tears through horned demons that look like
cliched parodies, save for their all-too-real keening for the souls of
their foes. At last, one of the thing's mouths clamps onto Obsidian's
protective sheath -- which breaks off in a thin layer, leaving the
creature dazed and Obsidian effectively unharmed. He spin-kicks the
thing into Quantum's blast, and it howls for an instant just before
disintegrating.
   "This is impossible," Steppenwolf snarls, beheading nearly twenty
foes with a single swipe. "These creatures are no match for us in
battle, but their numbers are overwhelming."
   "Less whining, more fighting," Eric snarls back, destroying several
more gospog in an orgy of Solar Essence.
   "Discussing strategy does not impair my ability to slay my foes,"
Steppenwolf shoots back, proving it with each deadly arc of his blade.
"I _am_ a New God of War, after all. The island cannot be defended as
things stand. It must be booby-trapped and abandoned for the time
being."
   "That's Quantum's call," the Hunter says, staking a stunned vampyre
without missing a beat and disemboweling a pair of octopus-headed
creatures armed with blunderbusses with a swing of his kusari-gama.
"Besides, the Gaunt Man _must_ have sent a brain to coordinate all
this brawn."
   Steppenwolf considers this, reducing a patchwork monster to ash as
he thinks. "Yes. They are, in fact, coordinated. If we just had
slightly greater forces, I could turn the tide of this battle..." The
General of Apokolips stops, staring at a doorway that glows light red
and sky blue as it appears, though not pausing in his casual reaping
of gospog.
   "DEATH TO THE GAUNT MAN!" a wolf-man the size of the were-bear
howls, diving forward and slashing through monsters. The Dire Wolf,
Kurst, is followed in rapid succession by a petite cyberpunk warrior
girl (Hachi Mara-Two), a beautiful lady knight wielding a brilliantly
glowing blade (Tolwyn Tancred), and a priest with no apparent
superpowers (Father Christopher Bryce), just skill and faith -- both
of which go a long way against such horrors. (OOC: They showed up
waaay back during the first battle of AAE 9; they're in Chapter 6 on
the website.)
   Steppenwolf smiles ferally. "Ah. That will do."
   Eric nods and dives further into the fray, obliterating foes with
his usual nigh-unimaginable skill. His eyes slowly turn red, however,
and the fangs Infra-Red implanted in him pulse with an ache that has
nothing to do with tooth decay. Even beyond Orrorsh's borders, this
many creatures around him seem to be affecting the Hunter. A scythe
manages to draw blood; Eric obliterates its wielder with countless
solar shuriken and moves on. [I need to disrupt the heart of the
attack...]
   Just then, Orchid runs in a whirlwind, scooping up thousands of
fallen gospog, and Quantum fires a blast that sends them flying into
the ocean. "Whew! That's going to be one heck of a cleaning bill, but
at least things seem to be going our way," Quantum exhales.
   A roar echoes seemingly from everywhere at once. Even Eric's blood
runs cold at the dissonant, monstrous sound. "What in the name of the
gods..."
   "The gods have nothing to do with it," Kurst whispers. A
dragon...if a thing with a hide forged from the crust of dead worlds
and the pulsing, unclean power of a million million victims coursing
through its veins a dragon...circles overhead, teeth gleaming like
racks of bloody swords. "That...is the Carredon."
   Mara swallows and readies a pair of machine pistols. Steppenwolf
pulls the Axe out of a body and grips it by the handle. Tolwyn hefts
her sword and glares grimly at the creature. The Champions form a
circle in the heart of their island. And Eric...
   ...Eric seems to have vanished.
   The Carredon dives, its screeching howl sending over a dozen UNTIL
agents to their knees. The Champions attack as one, knocking the thing
out of its dive. Kurst, Mara, Tolwyn and Father Bryce hit it from all
sides, sending it spiraling. Steppenwolf leaps at it, slashing across
its belly and leaving a deep gash that would have cut a lesser being
in half.
   The Carredon lands all the same, sending Champions flying (some of
their own volition, others...not) in every direction. A single swipe
of its tail pins Tolwyn in an outcropping, and its teeth nearly rip
Steppenwolf in half; fortunately, a New God is made of sterner stuff
than most of the death dragon's victims. It spits Steppenwolf
out...and laughs. It makes Eric sound like Bubbles the Powerpuff Girl.
"What sport you give!" it crows. "I shall enjoy cleansing my teeth
with your marrow and presenting your souls to the Gaunt--AAAAGH!"
   Its scream of agony is, if anything, even worse than its laughter.
More rage than pain or fear, the sound of the wounded Carredon is the
loathing of entire peoples for the Other, the sheer unreasoning hatred
for whatever it is commanded to hate, all the more terrible for its
mindlessness. It rears up -- and beneath it is Eric Lancer, clinging
to the Black Stake, which he plunged into the gash Steppenwolf left
behind. "Still laughing, Happy Fun Ball?"
   The great creature beats its wings, knocking over most of the
combatants, and tears back into the sky, Eric still hanging on to his
one handle. The Carredon screams, rolls in the air, dives, jinks, and
finally slams itself into one of the massive force projectors keeping
Champions Island in the sky. The projector whines and dies, and at
last the stake came loose. As one, Eric and the island finally begin
to fall. Eric, however, is in danger of reaching terminal velocity,
while the island slowly descends. "Note to self: do not taunt Happy
Fun Ball," Eric comments dryly. He calmly rummages through pockets as
the Carredon breathes...something...at another projector, which comes
apart as if bathed in acid. Quantum flies down to duel with the
creature as Eric contemplates hitting Long Island Sound at about 120
mph...

   Elsewhere, simultaneously.

>On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 23:15:30 -0700
>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012777

<snip Theah finale, in which Nerezza swallows its High Lord>
>   The ship wheels around, a wind miraculously soaring into its
>sails, pulled around by the swirling Nerezza vortex. The twin
>impulses, pushing and pulling, hold the Black Phoenix in place for a
>few short, nail-biting moments -- then the sails win, and the mighty
>vessel snaps free to burst through the sky as the deadly machine
>becomes a pinpoint of shadow in the sky. While the reality storm
>clouds continue to flicker with pink and blue lightning in the
>distance -- good news, since it means there's no reality backlash
>killing millions -- everything else is still.
>
>/Aurora, it looks like you can deal with the stelae now without
>worrying about the Darkness Device. We're heading back for
>Marseilles, I think, to drop off Jeanne. I think I also heard
>something about loot and--/

   Rio is cut off...

>On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 20:14:38 -0700
>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012791

<snip Vader pulling the Star Wars invasion>
>   The techno-demon's eyes widen. "That...by the self-created
>Dominator! We must return to Tharkold at once! An entire army of
>monkey war-gods has invaded, and without a High Lord--"
>   "You and your whole vile kingdom are Thor all over," Defender
>quips darkly. "Or at least you will be once you've had the worst case
>of hammer tow of all time."
>   /Don't you mean hammer _toe?_/ Some wit asks.
>   /You've never seen Thor fly, have you?/ Roland replies dryly.
>   By the time this conversation is complete, the techno-demons have
>fled Earth-9. <eg>
>   Defender does a quick 'ping' of the local CAoL group. (His armor
>is the Machine That Goes Ping. It's the most expensive machine in the
>whole building. Aren't You Lucky? ;^)
>
>>On Sun, 14 May 2006 05:22:58 -0400
>>Dr. Energy Said As CAoL Message # 00012784
>
><Mega-Snip>
>>@Greetings. Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. But
>>enough seriousness. Anyone wishes transport is free to come aboard.
>>Anna informs me that we will be dusting off as soon as.@ he sends
>>out to nearby CAoL members not currently incapacitated.
>
>   Roland sighs in relief. "/And that would be the last of our
>prodigal members, I believe. Okay, folx, let's mount up and head back
>for.../"
>   Defender never gets to finish the sentence. <EG>

   A shaft of energy so dark it eats light like a black hole lances
into the sky in Siberia. It strikes the far edge of the stratosphere
and seems to splash against it, extending out like some strange,
anti-gravity oil spill. It's visible from the remnants of both
invasions.
   "...by the Source..." Roland exhales, while Morgan is left
speechless, even the veteran Champions stunned by the sight.
   /*"Seven-sector callout. The Gaunt Man is making his move -- he's
not wasting any time now that his 'allies' have all been defeated or
turned. We have to counter quickly, or there may not be an Earth left
to defend."*/ He checks the lens-link. /*"Anyone need a ride to the
ride?"*/
   In that moment, Dr. Destroyer appears in a flash of Gate Key
mastery, the Ultimates around him. "Defender," he says, smiling
faintly.
   Roland's eyes lock on to the lord of Nova Valdoria and narrow.
Morgan leans back, appearing to relax to the untrained eye (which
would be...no one present, most likely :-), but ready to draw and
strike instantly if need be. "Destroyer," Defender replies as calmly
as he can. "You heard me?"
   "Indeed." Destroyer's ghost of a grin vanishes. "That," he
explains, gesturing at the Oblivion Lance, "is why we are allies now,
against a common foe. I can transport our respective forces to Siberia
instantly."
   "No tricks?" Defender asks carefully. "On your honor?"
   Destroyer looks slightly aggrieved. "You have the word of
Destroyer."
   Defender nods, relaxing. /*"Okay, folx, all aboard who's coming
aboard. Anyone who wants to make their own way, now's the time to
speak up."*/
   @Give me a second,@ Eric replies.
   /...Eric, what's that sound?/ Roland asks.
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 13:05:20 -0700 (PDT)
Ziactrice Said As CAoL Message # 00012795

>On Mon, 29 May 2006 21:33:37 -0700
>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012785
>
>>On Wed, 12 Apr 2006 05:08:28 -0700 (PDT)
>>Ziactrice Said As CAoL Message # 00012768
>>
>>   Eric dares to stretch out his hand; if Zina Inverse takes it, he
>>kisses the back of her hand in the proper manner. "Far too much
>>later, I fear, but eventually, no doubt." With that, and without a
>>second's hesitation, he strides through the gate.

Zina Inverse raises an eyebrow, her cheeks blushing faintly, but she
watches him depart without a further word. The look of fulminating
interest doesn't quite match the modern-day Petite Amberite's one of
plotting and scheming, but it is a promising beginning.

<Twice upon a following time, and a very different place...>

>As one, Eric and the island finally begin to fall. Eric, however, is
>in danger of reaching terminal velocity, while the island slowly
>descends. "Note to self: do not taunt Happy Fun Ball," Eric comments
>dryly. He calmly rummages through pockets as the Carredon
>breathes...something...at another projector, which comes apart as if
>bathed in acid. Quantum flies down to duel with the creature as Eric
>contemplates hitting Long Island Sound at about 120 mph...
>
>   Elsewhere, simultaneously.

<znip>
>   /*"Seven-sector callout. The Gaunt Man is making his move -- he's
>not wasting any time now that his 'allies' have all been defeated or
>turned. We have to counter quickly, or there may not be an Earth left
>to defend."*/ He checks the lens-link. /*"Anyone need a ride to the
>ride?"*/

<znip>
>   Defender nods, relaxing. /*"Okay, folx, all aboard who's coming
>aboard. Anyone who wants to make their own way, now's the time to
>speak up."*/
>   @Give me a second,@ Eric replies.
>   /...Eric, what's that sound?/ Roland asks.

@Got it covered, thanks.@ Zian Solo Lenses briefly, even her
NEMO-enhanced, multi-tasking, lucid-dreaming attention mostly on her
piloting.

The Milennium Unicorn breaks into the heavily-occupied space around
the plunging Champion's Island from a huge, polycromatic doorway -
just happening to disrupt that chaotic battle somewhat more. With a
snap-roll only Starbuck could have taught her, she slams the controls
downward. The heavy ship's fall turns into screaming dive, the echoes
of the decelerating sonic boom her only further contribution to the
contretemps on the Island itself.

Fortunately, her former copilot seems to have been left behind for
this particular ride; there is no one next to Zian to worry as she
bites her lip and her grin goes grim. Her entire body shakes with the
effort to maintain level flight through the controls, fighting with
the buffeting force of the atmosphere to slide up alongside - as close
as she dares - to the falling Eric.

"Good thing I got a chance to dress-rehearse this with Wedge. The
floor is a bit lower." She mutters, performing another - more careful
- snap-turn under him. Both bodies in motion continue to fall as trim
jets fire here and there around the Unicorn's bulky frame. In seconds,
she has matched falling velocity - a bare fifty feet from splash
(crash?) down.

"Little tight." Zian says, not showing the strain - since no one is
here to note the beads of sweat running down her temples. Another very
large, this time horizontal, polycromatic door appears below the ship,
which falls through. With a sigh of relief, she starts to pull back on
the controls, even as the Unicorn meets doorway.

A good twenty miles up, well above the battle and Long Island Sound,
the Unicorn reappears, still falling. The controls are yanked up,
banking it back sharply to sit on its own engine-flare, to kill
momentum. Keeping it to only five gravities decel takes precious
seconds.

@Eric? I need you to come take the controls.@ There is a certain
urgency he knows her well enough to read, despite the appearance of
calm she tries to project to cover it. @I think I'm - @ Zian Solo
softly and silently vanishes away.

"Waking up?" Zia sits bolt upright on the couch in Champion's falling
Island. She looks around with that air of someone waking up from a
nightmare to something even more confusing for about a second, before
her Lens comes into play to catch her up to events again. "'corn's
Beard. Take a little nap, and the shadow goes right by you." She
cusses softly, wiping at her glow (as Zia never sweats, right?)
daintily with a silver handkerchief as she jumps up. She looks up out
of a handy view-window.

"Eep. I wonder if Eric even knows _how_ to fly?" A glance at Jeffries
shows him, as usual, soundly in control, but she is juggling falling
large objects, now. The Unicorn will be safe for a time given her
altitude. Unless he totally can't figure out the control stick - or
the enginer breaks down or ... well, solve the problems as presented.

"Can you stop it, or do I need to move it someplace where the impact
won't tsunami New York, Mr. Jeffries?" Zia doesn't look eager to try,
but she does radiate determined in a Lensman sort of way.

The Petite Amberite
"Never pass up a chance to pee or sleep."
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 18:28:31 -0700 (PDT)
Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00012796

>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012794
>
>   A shaft of energy so dark it eats light like a black hole lances
>into the sky in Siberia. It strikes the far edge of the stratosphere
>and seems to splash against it, extending out like some strange,
>anti-gravity oil spill. It's visible from the remnants of both
>invasions.
>   "...by the Source..." Roland exhales, while Morgan is left
>speechless, even the veteran Champions stunned by the sight.

   "..." Rob says, as he blocks out everything except his hearing to
give mage-sight, ki-awareness, and his new sense of dimensional
limitations maximum bandwidth.
   He can just barely reach Siberia to sense what the Gaunt Man's cosm
allows.

>   Defender nods, relaxing. /*"Okay, folx, all aboard who's coming
>aboard. Anyone who wants to make their own way, now's the time to
>speak up."*/

   Letting his awareness drop back to normal, Rob starts to step
forward, then pauses to work a small spell. He slips the resulting
pieces of gum in his mouth and starts chewing. "Ready to go."
===========================

Subject: AAE9S/X: Moonstone Steps Aside.

On Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:45:13 -0400
Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00012797

   Moonstone, riding her Gungan-bred mount, caught up with Leia's team
just before they were ready to infiltrate the Emperor's palace. Behind
her, along with the disembodied robot head of Roger-Roger, sat a tan
Ewok holding a spear.
   "Who's your friend?" Leia asked.
   "Nickit, I call him. Sticky fingers he has, curious about our
devices." Moonstone said with a laugh.
   "Keep him away from us then. Last thing we need is a blaster going
off at the wrong moment."
   Moonstone nodded as C-C, the protocol droid's head slung over her
back, explained to the Ewok what they were about to do, and
importantly, what not to do.
   Nickit grunted a bit in reply, waving his hands in an exasperated
way.
   The pair dismounted and Moonstone sent their ride off into the
forest.
   "Keep watch to the rear, we should?"
   Leia nodded. She wasn't comfortable having such tiny allies along,
but keeping them in the back ought to afford them some protection.
Moonstone did seem good enough with a lightsaber to guard their backs,
and after some assurance that she wasn't going to tip off the
Force-wielding enemies from the Jedi back at the base (who were
pointedly avoiding the fact that Leia herself might do that) she'd
agreed to have the petite Yoda-like creature on the infiltration team.
With the proviso that Moonstone first check and see if she had any
extra allies to provide a secondary distraction.
   Moonstone's return with the single Ewok was disheartening, and the
looks on both female's faces said it all, so nothing was said about
it. The Gungans and Ewoks had mostly been immune to the plea, though
'Nickit' had met with Moonstone after to join her. Ceecee had
explained he was looking for some adventure and a story to tell back
home and would not be dissuaded.
   So, the party slipped into the sewers under the palace without
further discussion after Nickit drew away the stormtrooper guards for
the team to incapacitate.

   Things were going well. This had everyone on edge.
   Fortunately, as the last of their party climbed out of the sewer
grates into an empty corridor, they heard the tell-tale sound of
lightsabers igniting. Three technodemons, thin ones, smaller than the
usual model, slid out of hiding.
   "Oh good," Leia quipped, "Now things are finally back to normal."
   "You killed two of our kind, little one."
   "Care to make it five?" Padme said, raising a blaster.
   "We don't have time for this," Leia said, firing her blaster.
   It riccocheted off the wall behind the three demons as they slid
smoothly out of the way, one's lightsaber-claws nearly slicing the
barrel of Leia's weapon off.
   But Moonstone had leaped up and blocked it.
   "Time for this we do not have. Go, deal with these three we will,"
she said, extinguishing the blade and passing Ceecee to Nickit.
   "But, Mistress, they're blocking the way," Ceecee pointed out.
   "We'll go around," Padme said, "Are you sure about this?"
   "Test their mettle, they would do, yes. A fight they have. Cut
through you all, they could."
   "I've got a bad feeling about this. Be careful," Leia said, trying
to usher Nickit along with them. He said something excitedly, and Leia
got the gist without needing it translated, "Okay, you want to stay
and help."
   "Enough talking," one of the technodemons said, "Go. The head start
will make our hunting you down more pleasurable."
   Leia and the rest of the group did, reluctantly, heading away from
the planned route into the medical wing.
   "Get through me, you first must," Moonstone reminded them.
   "You've ruined our reputation, little one," one of them said,
"Killing you will go a long way to redeeming ourselves. Bringing back
your leaders will put us in good standing once more."
   "To have been defeated by one so tiny," seethed another.
   "Enough talking," Moonstone said. Nickit growled, holding his spear
up menacingly.
   Moonstone stared down the technodemons, saber lit. They lunged for
her at once. She scampered backwards toward the medical wing, parrying
clumsily anything that got near her. Nickit's spear thrusts glanced
off them and his simple wood lance was cut to pieces when the lit
claws touched it.
   Suddenly, Roger^2's blaster fired in rapid succession, taking down
all three of them. He hovered down from the ceiling.
   "Vulnerabilities analyzed, Commander. We should return to-"
   A series of blasters sent the ancient soldier droid spinning into
the wall, sparking, where it fell to the floor in a small explosion of
burnt components.
   A mix of stormtroopers and technodemons, almost fifty in number,
had swarmed into the room. Nickit and Moonstone looked prepared to
run, but one of the stormtroopers shot a set of controls that lowered
a series of fire barriers, thick steel plates that cordoned off that
section of hallway. The only way out was behind the battery of heavily
armed and armored soldiers. One pulled a lever and another barrier
slid down behind them.
   "You're trapped, there's no way out that doesn't involve five
minutes of pumping at a hydraulic release mechanism."
   Nickit pressed his back against the wall, clutching Ceecee
protectively in front of him. Moonstone's lightsaber fell from her
fingers and extinguished itself.
   The nearest stormtroopers advanced.
   Moonstone growled in a way she hadn't since entering this realm as
a brilliant light shined through her.
   "M-Mistress Moonstone?" Ceecee asked, hesitantly. Nickit was trying
to hide behind the robot head in the furthest corner from the
stormtroopers and the glowing Yoda-ling.
   The enemy troops raised their weapons as they shrank back from
something within the growing sphere of light that sounded far more
dangerous than they suddenly felt.
   "Wh-who did you say was trapped, sir?" one young recruit asked.
   "Shut up and start pumping," his commander said quietly.
   There was a roar from a throat far too big for something Yoda's
size and a scream followed by a sickening crunch and blasters opening
fire.

   The blond man in the tuxedo, sans tie and cumberbun, his collar
button open, looked around the middle of the warehouse floor where he
stood. He took a drag on a cigar and took several paces toward the
living area built into one side of the building.
   A white Labrador retriever trotted out and sniffed his polished
oxford shoes. He scratched it behind the ears. It sat down.
   He let out a plum of smoke that curled itself into the form of a
dragon as it drifted out into the center of the room. As it beat its
wings, it dissolved into a simple vertical ring in the center of the
room.
   The short blond man patted the dog's side and walked through the
ring, vanishing.

   Nickit sniffed the air. He smelled smoke, from someone burning some
manner of leaves. It was hard to tell, because the stench of the
hydrocarbons from the monster in the center of the room where the
little figure of Moonstone had been was overpowering everything. He
clung to Ceecee protectively as the creature sniffed at a pile of
stormtrooper and technodemon pieces strewn around her. The giant doors
were still closed, looking the Ewok in with the monster.
   "Oh dear," a lilting voice said beside them. Nickit looked up to
see some sort of human standing next to him, smelling of the smoke
he'd just been detecting earlier. "You three seem to have a bit of a
problem here." That is, the human said it in such a way that Nickit
understood it without Ceecee's translation.
   "I don't know if ... it's in trouble or not, but I think we two
are." Nickit gestured with Ceecee's head at the monster in front of
him. Ceecee's "Oh!" of alarm drew the creature's gaze on them. It
advanced and sniffed at the blond man standing next to them.
   Then, it dug a clawed hand into the deck beneath their feet a few
times and stepped back, bowing its head in a gesture at the marks.
   "I thought she might be in there somewhere," the man said, "Okay,
first we need to send you home. Little robot head, do you want to go
with him or Moonstone?"
   "Ceecee, sir, and this is the Mistress, is it not?"
   "Yes, but I'm about to take her home," the man said, pointing at
the marks on the floor, "And I'm not sure where you would rather be."
   "That's -her-?" Nickit gasped, then shook his head, "Ceecee, if you
want to come with us, our village will be happy to take you. We could
use someone to talk to strangers."
   "Mistress Moonstone?" Ceecee asked, the question obvious. Moonstone
extended her neck, sniffing Ceecee's casing. She looked at the man. He
reached out and gently laid a hand on her head. Ceecee watched the
expressions change. She wasn't sure how to read them precisely, but
there seemed to be some sort of conversation occurring between the man
and her.
   Moonstone stepped back amid the ichor and laid down to watch. The
man smiled.
   "You may go if you wish it."

   The smoke ring hovered in the air as the man took another drag on
the cigar, adding another dragon to it, which sailed out and expanded
the ring until it was broad enough for Moonstone to slip through. He
looked around with a small smile.
   "Ceecee and Nickit are safe just outside his village," he said,
"And Nickit seems to have nicked your lightsaber. Ewok Jedi. They'll
cut you down to size."
   Moonstone stood up and walked through the ring of smoke.
   "Well, I thought it was funny."

   Moonstone deposited safely in her converted warehouse and already
slowly returning to her normal state of mind, the man with the boyish
face walked through the cracked door of Callahan's and leaned against
the far end of the bar.
   Mike Callahan was in his usual form, serving drinks to order almost
as quick as you could ask for them. He spotted the figure at the end
of the bar and saw right through it.
   "Your usual strawberry milkshake, sir?" he asked as he came over to
admire the blond in the tux.
   "There's no fooling you, Mike," the adult Tinkerbell Seven said as
her voice subtly shifted into her normal speech, "Campari and soda,
please. I've got to get back to Birdy-Tsutomu and Ranma. We're having
something of a pub crawl, but I wanted to take a moment and get
Moonstone somewhere where she could collect herself."
   "Nice tux, by the way."
   "Thanks, Birdy's wearing one just like it. So's Ranma. Looks great
with that red hair."
   Mike nodded.
   Tink waited.
   "I give you permission to say it," she said finally. "Thank you,
but no. I'll leave it for the folks who like the wordy-gurdy in the
paper."
   Tink sighed with a wan smile, "Well, I thought it was funny." Mike
held his nose obligingly, then went back to serving drinks. Tink shook
her head with a chuckle and vanished in a puff of cigar smoke.

   /Ugh,/ Moonstone said through the mini-lens link via Roland's
earlier link, still sounding a bit groggy, /Doctor Tink orders me out
of the charge on Orrorsh. Two invasions, two times I turn into
something nasty because that's what I'd be in that world. So, I'm
staying home for everyone's safety. Karma, see ya when you get back.
Good luck everyone, I'll be casting what spells I can to help the
cause from the sidelines./
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Sat, 1 Jul 2006 11:26:44 -0700 (PDT)
Hudzen Said As CAoL Message # 00012798

>On Thu, 29 Jun 2006 18:28:31 -0700 (PDT)
>Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00012796
>
>>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012794
>>
>>   A shaft of energy so dark it eats light like a black hole lances
>>into the sky in Siberia. It strikes the far edge of the stratosphere
>>and seems to splash against it, extending out like some strange,
>>anti-gravity oil spill. It's visible from the remnants of both
>>invasions.
>>   "...by the Source..." Roland exhales, while Morgan is left
>>speechless, even the veteran Champions stunned by the sight.

Hudzen helps Greymoran to his feet before his attention is on the sky.
[What the frell is THAT?]. Rarely has he seen anything remotely like
this.

"Captain," he says as he stares at the sky, "This cannot be good."

>>   Defender nods, relaxing. /*"Okay, folx, all aboard who's coming
>>aboard. Anyone who wants to make their own way, now's the time to
>>speak up."*/
>
>   Letting his awareness drop back to normal, Rob starts to step
>forward, then pauses to work a small spell. He slips the resulting
>pieces of gum in his mouth and starts chewing. "Ready to go."

Hudzen turns to the man who has spoken. Though he does not know him,
he's clearly with Roland's group.

"Go where?"
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 22:38:48 -0600
Greymoran Said As CAoL Message # 00012799

>On Sat, 1 Jul 2006 11:26:44 -0700 (PDT)
>Hudzen Said As CAoL Message # 00012798
>
>Hudzen turns to the man who has spoken. Though he does not know him,
>he's clearly with Roland's group.
>
>"Go where?"

Greymoran opens his eyes. "Oh gods, what hapepned? Last thing I
remember is a Darth Maul clone standing over me." He looks up, and
sees what Hudzen had been staring at. "We better go. I need to
recharge, and this isn't over yet."
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 22:12:46 -0700
Patrick O'Shea Said As CAoL Message # 00012800

>On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:01:51 -0700
>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012794
>
>   Defender nods, relaxing. /*"Okay, folx, all aboard who's coming
>aboard. Anyone who wants to make their own way, now's the time to
>speak up."*/
>   @Give me a second,@ Eric replies.
>   /...Eric, what's that sound?/ Roland asks.

/I-/ Quiet Moon starts to say, but stops.

"Hold it!" Lloyd, seeing that the Imperials had cleared out, charged
over to where the Kai was standing. "We're coming too!"

"Lloyd!" Barris, slightly exasperated, gives the swordsman a quick
smack on the head, then gives Quiet Moon an apologetic look.

"Llloyd...look, this Gaunt Man we are facing is extremely powerful,"

"Exactly why we should come with you!" Barris' hand smacks into her
forehead, a common side effect of Lloyd's unique from of logic.
Undaunted, Lloyd continues. "You're going to need al the strength you
can to beat this guy, right?"

"I don't..." Quiet Moon thinks for a second. "Somehow, I don't think
strength alone wil avail us in this final contest. However..." He
glances at Barris, then smiles. "There is something that I can ask you
to do. Should we not make it, we will need the rest of the Kai ready
to help. Can you make it to the Kai Monastery in Sommerlund on the
owrld of Magnamund?"

"Uhh..." Lloyd tries to look determined, managing a somewhat confused
look instead.

"We will," Barris replies, a bit relieved. "Though we will need a path
to follow between the worlds."

Quiet Moon nods. "I have a way. I had originally intended to use it
when I had caught my own quarry, but I think this takes precedence."
So saying, the Kai takes out a small greyish-black crystal, and dashes
it to the ground. From the fragments a large swirling gate opens.
"This Shadow Gate will take you to the Mage's Guild in Toran. Ask for
the Guildmaster. He will know what to do. And Lloyd?"

"Yes?"

Quiet Moon sighs. "Don't attack the mages. The Toranese are nice
people."

"Hey!"

--2 minutes later

/Master Defender? I'm ready to go./ Quiet Moon steps towards the Gate,
his own Nexus mastery blocking the worst of the side effects of Gate
Travel.

--And, on distant Magnamund...

Lloyd, still unused to the time-distorting effects of dimensional
travel, looked around. "So...all the stuff we did...is still
HAPPENING?"

Barris glanced at her student. "Lloyd, Master Unduli had a very
spcific bit of advice regarding temporal anomalies."

"?"

"Don't think about them too much. Eyes front." The Jedi bowed,
followed moments later by the Sylvarant Swordsman. "Grand Master Lone
Wolf?" Lone Wolf, Supreme Master of the Kai Order, bowed in return.
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 09:26:25 -0700 (PDT)
Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00012801

>Hudzen Said As CAoL Message # 00012798
>
>>Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00012796
>>
>>   Letting his awareness drop back to normal, Rob starts to step
>>forward, then pauses to work a small spell. He slips the resulting
>>pieces of gum in his mouth and starts chewing. "Ready to go."
>
>Hudzen turns to the man who has spoken. Though he does not know him,
>he's clearly with Roland's group.
>
>"Go where?"

   "Oh, hello. I didn't notice you before - chaos of a fight. My
name's Rob. As for where I'm going," he points to the north, "I
believe the phrase is 'following the sound of the guns.'"
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 11:00:57 -0700 (PDT)
Hudzen Said As CAoL Message # 00012802

>On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 09:26:25 -0700 (PDT)
>Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00012801
>
>   "Oh, hello. I didn't notice you before - chaos of a fight. My
>name's Rob. As for where I'm going," he points to the north, "I
>believe the phrase is 'following the sound of the guns.'"

Hudzen returns the greeting with a nod.

"I'm Hudzen." The android turns back to his still groaning captain.

>Greymoran opens his eyes. "Oh gods, what happened? Last thing I
>remember is a Darth Maul clone standing over me."

Hudzen motions to a nearby, blackened corpse lying beside the
shattered remains of a lightsaber.

"I took care of it, Captain."

>Greymoran looks up, and sees what Hudzen had been staring at. "We
>better go. I need to recharge, and this isn't over yet."

"My thinking as well, sir. Though I am not confident you will be given
much time to regain your strength. From what I understand, we are
departing momentarily."
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 12:26:57 -0700
Greymoran Said As CAoL Message # 00012803

>On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 11:00:57 -0700 (PDT)
>Hudzen Said As CAoL Message # 00012802
>
>"My thinking as well, sir. Though I am not confident you will be
>given much time to regain your strength. From what I understand, we
>are departing momentarily."

"In that case," Greymoran says. He bends down, grunting slightly as he
does so. His back hurts like nothing he's experienced. Getting old, he
thinks. He picks up a dropped blaster, and checks the charge. A good
ten shots left, 15 if he sets it to stun. "OK. Let's go. And watch the
arm, I think I tore something," he adds, weakly moving his left arm.
He looks at their new travelling companion. "Rob is it?" I'm
Greymoran. XDCA."
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 20:25:09 -0700 (PDT)
Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00012804

>Greymoran Said As CAoL Message # 00012803
>
>"In that case," Greymoran says. He bends down, grunting slightly as
>he does so. His back hurts like nothing he's experienced. Getting
>old, he thinks. He picks up a dropped blaster, and checks the charge.
>A good ten shots left, 15 if he sets it to stun. "OK. Let's go. And
>watch the arm, I think I tore something," he adds, weakly moving his
>left arm. He looks at their new travelling companion. "Rob is it?"
>I'm Greymoran. XDCA."

   Rob's hand is briefly surrounded in a cool green aura. "There's no
shortage of healers around here, myself included. If you need a little
boost, Greymoran, somebody around here should be able to handle it.
Oh, BTW, WTF does XDCA mean?"
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 21:59:55 -0600
Greymoran Said As CAoL Message # 00012805

>On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 20:25:09 -0700 (PDT)
>Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00012804
>
>   Rob's hand is briefly surrounded in a cool green aura. "There's no
>shortage of healers around here, myself included. If you need a
>little boost, Greymoran, somebody around here should be able to
>handle it. Oh, BTW, WTF does XDCA mean?"

"The Extra Dimensional Control Agency. I'm surprised you haven't heard
of us. You run with the Callahanains correct? Anyway, healing isn't
the issue so much as I need time to recharge my spells. I wasted a lot
of energy on the one I used to resuce my robot companion here."
Greymoran chuckles. "And for future reference it takes longer to say
WTF than to say the phrase that WTF stands for," he adds snarkily.
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:14:00 -0700
Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00012806

>On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 21:59:55 -0600
>Greymoran Said As CAoL Message # 00012805
>
>"The Extra Dimensional Control Agency. I'm surprised you haven't
>heard of us. You run with the Callahanains correct? Anyway, healing
>isn't the issue so much as I need time to recharge my spells. I
>wasted a lot of energy on the one I used to resuce my robot companion
>here." Greymoran chuckles. "And for future reference it takes longer
>to say WTF than to say the phrase that WTF stands for," he adds
>snarkily.

"Healing's no problem for this bunch," Morgan adds, doing a triage
round to deal with anything that the other Callahanians don't have the
time or ability to fix. "So no one needs to go into this battle with
any minor injuries. I might be able to buy you some time, though, if
you don't mind a quick trip to a faster dimension. Or depending on
your magical paradigm, I might be able to help with the recharge --
I'm pretty connected into the flows on this world." She looks in the
direction of the shaft of darkness. "We're going to need all the help
we can get on this one."
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Wed, 05 Jul 2006 01:07:46 -0600
Greymoran Said As CAoL Message # 00012807

>On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:14:00 -0700
>Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00012806
>
>"Healing's no problem for this bunch," Morgan adds, doing a triage
>round to deal with anything that the other Callahanians don't have
>the time or ability to fix. "So no one needs to go into this battle
>with any minor injuries. I might be able to buy you some time,
>though, if you don't mind a quick trip to a faster dimension. Or
>depending on your magical paradigm, I might be able to help with the
>recharge -- I'm pretty connected into the flows on this world." She
>looks in the direction of the shaft of darkness. "We're going to need
>all the help we can get on this one."

"By all means, if you think that will work," Greymoran says. "Of
course, if you could be so kind as to fill me and my Security Chief in
on what exactly is going on, and where we are, that would be very-"
Greymoran stops talking for a moment. "Oh dear. I just remembered
something. Hudzen?" "Sir?" "Do you remember, two years ago, during our
mission to the HGU, weren't there rampant rumors at the time that the
Callhanians were involved in a fight much like the one we find
ourselves in now? I remember Jerry telling me he'd sent an Agent to
check it out, and that everything seemed to have worked out fine."
Greymoran's eyes go wide with realziation, and he speaks before Hudzen
can reply to his question. "Oh no. Hudzen, if I'm right we not only
got yanked away from home, but we're two years in the past!"
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Wed, 5 Jul 2006 16:34:19 -0700 (PDT)
Hudzen Said As CAoL Message # 00012808

>On Wed, 05 Jul 2006 01:07:46 -0600
>Greymoran Said As CAoL Message # 00012807
>
>>"The Extra Dimensional Control Agency. I'm surprised you haven't
>>heard of us. You run with the Callahanains correct? Anyway, healing
>>isn't the issue so much as I need time to recharge my spells. I
>>wasted a lot of energy on the one I used to resuce my robot
>>companion here." Greymoran chuckles. "And for future reference it
>>takes longer to say WTF than to say the phrase that WTF stands for,"
>>he adds snarkily.

Hudzen glances at his captain for a moment, but decides to stay
silent.

>"By all means, if you think that will work," Greymoran says. "Of
>course, if you could be so kind as to fill me and my Security Chief
>in on what exactly is going on, and where we are, that would be
>very-" Greymoran stops talking for a moment. "Oh dear. I just
>remembered something. Hudzen?" "Sir?" "Do you remember, two years
>ago, during our mission to the HGU, weren't there rampant rumors at
>the time that the Callhanians were involved in a fight much like the
>one we find ourselves in now? I remember Jerry telling me he'd sent
>an Agent to check it out, and that everything seemed to have worked
>out fine." Greymoran's eyes go wide with realziation, and he speaks
>before Hudzen can reply to his question. "Oh no. Hudzen, if I'm right
>we not only got yanked away from home, but we're two years in the
>past!"

Hudzen nodded.

"Perhaps, sir, but we have seen in the past that dimensional travel
can also move us through time. Different universes at different eras.
Perhaps we can return in the same manner that we arrived, however that
was." Hudzen checked his ancient Browning Automatic Rifle as he
continued spoke, "Also take into account that we were on a starship
that was on a suicidal collision course when we were pulled out.
Personally, I prefer being stranded two years in the past to the
alternative.

"As for the HGU mission, Captain, I do remember it. Prior to our
engagment with Lord Yu, you voiced your desire to aid the
Callahanians." He looked over the ambient area. "It seems that you
will have that chance. In fact, I believe that this is the situation
to which I earlier referred: a known occurence in which Earth makes
contact with the Galactic Empire. You had also mentioned that."
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island

On Wed, 05 Jul 2006 21:05:16 -0600
Greymoran Said As CAoL Message # 00012809

>On Wed, 5 Jul 2006 16:34:19 -0700 (PDT)
>Hudzen Said As CAoL Message # 00012808
>
>Hudzen nodded.
>
>"Perhaps, sir, but we have seen in the past that dimensional travel
>can also move us through time. Different universes at different eras.
>Perhaps we can return in the same manner that we arrived, however
>that was." Hudzen checked his ancient Browning Automatic Rifle as he
>continued spoke, "Also take into account that we were on a starship
>that was on a suicidal collision course when we were pulled out.
>Personally, I prefer being stranded two years in the past to the
>alternative.

"Fair enough. We will have to be very careful going home though
Hudzen. It could cause all sorts of probelms if we return to Avalon
and 'whoops, aren't we suppsoed to be in HGU'? Best case secnario,
paperwork, worst case, paradox."

>"As for the HGU mission, Captain, I do remember it. Prior to our
>engagment with Lord Yu, you voiced your desire to aid the
>Callahanians." He looked over the ambient area. "It seems that you
>will have that chance. In fact, I believe that this is the situation
>to which I earlier referred: a known occurence in which Earth makes
>contact with the Galactic Empire. You had also mentioned that."

"Yes. It pains me that it did not occur to me until now. My memory
rarely fails me."
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9x: The Fall of Champions Island (Theah Side)

On Thu, 06 Jul 2006 06:04:31 -0400
Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00012810

OOC: Hmm, looks like my other email program had some sort of lossage,
so I'll resend with one I'm sure works.

>On Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:01:51 -0700
>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012794
>>
>>/Aurora, it looks like you can deal with the stelae now without
>>worrying about the Darkness Device. We're heading back for
>>Marseilles, I think, to drop off Jeanne. I think I also heard
>>something about loot and--/
>
>   Rio is cut off...

   "We're busting our humps trying to take down that island, and these
rats are robbing the joint and shaking down the locals," Karma said,
throwing up her hands, "At least--"

<snip>
>   A shaft of energy so dark it eats light like a black hole lances
>into the sky in Siberia. It strikes the far edge of the stratosphere
>and seems to splash against it, extending out like some strange,
>anti-gravity oil spill. It's visible from the remnants of both
>invasions.

   The look in one of the crewman's eyes told Karma to stop grousing
about the pack of seadogs and see what was behind her.

   "--Crap," she said instead of whatever she'd been going to say. She
took out her spyglass and compass. "Far away. And north-by-northeast.
Isn't that--?"

<micro-snip>
>   /*"Seven-sector callout. The Gaunt Man is making his move -- he's
>not wasting any time now that his 'allies' have all been defeated or
>turned. We have to counter quickly, or there may not be an Earth left
>to defend."*/ He checks the lens-link. /*"Anyone need a ride to the
>ride?"*/

   Karma puts a hand to her forehead and closes her eyes in
concentration, mentally listening to the CAoL's collective mental
network. Her eyes snap open.
   "Right, of course, it's the Gaunt Man making a move now that he's
out of High Lord allies," she explains for those not privy to the
telepathic communication, "Anyone going to Siberia to stop him, speak
up now. Else I'll tell Defender it's only me going. Volunteers only,
of course."
   [At least I'm starting to sound confident about this hero
business.]

<snip>
>   Defender nods, relaxing. /*"Okay, folx, all aboard who's coming
>aboard. Anyone who wants to make their own way, now's the time to
>speak up."*/
>   @Give me a second,@ Eric replies.
>   /...Eric, what's that sound?/ Roland asks.

   "Okay, any last-minute changes, speak up now."
===========================

Subject: AAE9: A World of Horrors

On Sun, 03 Sep 2006 19:24:20 -0700
Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012811

   OOC: Great Gods, is it ten years already? My apologies for taking
so long to get here, but life has been...interesting lately. I expect
it'll get more interesting as election season ramps up, but I'm 'on'
again, so here's hoping we can go out with a really big bang! 8^)

   Getting a final tally of those coming along and staying behind (and
sending sympathy to Moonstone, along with anyone else avoiding Orrorsh
for reality-clash reasons), Defender turns grimly to Destroyer and
nods. "Do it," he says reluctantly.
   Destroyer, incongruously, grins. His charred, scarred flesh makes
the expression at least as disturbing as his fury. Then, with a moment
of concentration, he folds space and halts time.
   In the final moment before the universe folds, spindles and
mutilates, a blue and gold blur explodes across the Atlantic, rockets
toward Champions Island, then at the last moment, shoots straight up
towards the Millennium Unicorn.
   When space and time are restored, the CAoLers are at the base of an
enormous, largely barren mountain. The mountain is wreathed in strange
fog that moves independent of the wind. (Doc Energy instantly knows
that the mountain's presence is supernatural; no terrain in this part
of Siberia looks like what squats before the CAoL.) A chill pervades
the air, one that has nothing to do with the temperature. A few small
villages -- more like tiny clusters of huts, really -- dot the
mountain, with a large, lightly fortified manor visible at the
mountain's apex. Perhaps most disturbingly, not a single foe appears
to be present. That includes supernatural senses of all sorts, but
precogs and cosmic-awareness types can feel an oppressive menace
hanging over the entire conquered region, like a gigantic Sword of
Damocles waiting to fall.
   Roland clearly feels it as well, but he puts on his game face,
turns, and grins at his comrades. His family. "Well. Seeing how Ol'
Prune Face went to such lengths to put out the welcome mat -- no
offense, Doctor," he adds to Destroyer -- "it would be a real shame to
disappoint him, wouldn't you agree?" With that, he turns and raises
his hands.
   A gi-normous chunk of rock tears itself out of the ground. Clearly
showing off, Roland mimics "heat vision" to carve several chairs in
the slab, then leaps on. "All aboard that's coming aboard!" he calls,
then leaps to the "front" of the rock, and when everyone who isn't
traveling under their own power is aboard, he gestures upward. The
stone lifts into the air again, then skims along the mountain surface
quickly.
   The trip is eerily uneventful. Eyes watch from the huts, beady,
gleaming and suspicious except for the occasional wide-eyed wonder of
children too stubborn to break under the weight of the Gaunt Man's
paradigm. Sometimes the fog *moves,* to obscure windows, huts, or even
entire clusters.
   Before the rock has gotten very far, however, Eric walks up the
slab toward Roland, a young woman clad almost entirely in blue (see
this picture --
http://www.stornc.rpggallery.com/images/artfiles/BlueJayLoRes.jpg --
for something that comes very close, except her hair is redder and the
inside of her capelet is yellow-gold) following him. "Roland," he
says, his voice its normal low, quiet tone.
   "Speaking," he replies, turning. To his credit, the slab keeps
moving. Roland, however, freezes in mid-turn.
   The young lady smiles sheepishly. "Hi, Daddy."
   Roland sighs. /Morgan./

/Turnabout,/ she replies with a grin.

   /It's uncanny. Except for the hair, it's a lot like looking at
myself at that age -- well, as a girl./ Roland clears his throat.
*Rachel?*
   /*"Yep,"*/ she replies, her smile steadying. /"By the way, I _am_
on the lens-link, you know."/ She has her hands clasped behind her,
staring up with a mix of adoration and frustration at being thought of
as a child. /"And these days -- um, 'when' I come from -- I go by
Blaze."/ Roland sighs.

^She always was Daddy's girl,^ Morgan quips privately.

   ^Sure, but not _this_ much!^ Roland objects. "Well, Blaze, last I
saw of you, you were about twelve years younger--"
   "--fourteen." Blaze winks. "I age well."
   "--and still in, ah, somewhere safe." The slab continues to skim
forward. "Would it be pointless to ask you what you're doing here?"
   "Well, _someone_ had to land the Millennium Unicorn. Aunt Z _likes_
that ship." At Roland's stern gaze (and quite possibly Zia's as well
;^), she wilts somewhat. "Seriously, sir, it was an accident. The Ys
and I--"
   "'The Ys?'"
   "Brothers. Y Chromosome, get it?" She grins again, but when Roland
doesn't, she gets serious again and continues. "Anyway, we were
fighting Timemaster, and Roger did...well, you know Roger."
   That finally elicits a smile from Defender. "Indeed."
   "Anyway, Timemaster activated a temporal distortion field on top of
Roger's warp, and _that_ brought Uncle _Wrinkle_ in, and I didn't have
a lot of personal time to fix it, so I just kind of...fudged it." At
this point, Roland isn't even bothering to be thrown by this
explanation. He gestures, and she continues. "Barry taught me how to
absorb time vibrations, so I 'ate' the anomaly and did the drunkard's
walkabout."
   Defender raises an eyebrow, obvious even through the orichalcum.
"And it brought you here. Now."
   Rachel shrugs. "Looks like. This is the Reality Crisis, right?"
   At that name, Roland groans. [^Not 'Crisis.' Please, Source, not
that.^] Morgan replies with a sympathetic mental hug. "We're going to
face the Gaunt Man," he says prosaically.
   Blaze pales. "oh."
   Roland nods. "You should go home now." He turns to face the citadel
ahead -- those on the lens-link immediately get its name, Illmound
Keep, from the Champion's mind. "Is everyone ready?"
   Rachel swallows. "Um, sir, I can't. Go, I mean." Roland glances
slightly behind.

"What's wrong?" Morgan asks.
   Rachel grins sheepishly at her mother. "Time's been hard-synched. I
think Wrinkle's set the whole hyperline on lockdown." Her smile
vanishes again. "This is an extremely pivotal moment in our history.
Maybe the most important since Atlantis..." Blaze shakes her head.
"That's odd. My memories are in flux. That shouldn't be happening..."
Instantly, she looks around in concern. "Wait. Where's Rog?"
   "Oh, here and there," Defender quips.

"Although since the rest of the invasions have collapsed, shouldn't
have he reformed, or re-integrated, or _whatever_ he's going to do?"
Morgan asks.

   Rachel frowns. "Yes. He's supposed to _be_ here." She looks around.
"Most of this is right...but..." she pales suddenly.
   Defender's face turns to stone. "This has to be done, Rachel."
   "...daddy..." Rachel whispers. Morgan pales slightly as well.
   "We're here." Defender slows the slab down as the team reaches
Illmound Keep. Extra senses pick up a horde of ugliness within the
Keep, including great and terrible powers shielded from even the
mightiest abilities -- but the cosmics can tell that they are ancient
and powerful. The slope of the mountain has lessened, but the Keep is
not quite on a plateau, and the ground isn't exactly level -- it cants
and rolls at odd, unnatural places. At least there are a few areas to
take cover in, which Roland adds to once everyone's off the flying
rock.
   Only one being is visible, however. The Gaunt Man stands placidly
before the gate to his manor, leaning on his ebon cane. His scarred,
just-marginally human face regards the heroes in a singularly
unperturbed manner. "Champions. Callahanians. Welcome to Illmound
Keep," he says in an almost polite, conversational tone.
   "High Lord," Roland says warily, but remaining polite since the
Gaunt Man is doing the same. "I appreciate the greeting. Nevertheless,
you are trespassing, and are categorically not welcome here. I don't
suppose you would simply leave."
   The Gaunt Man chuckles. Aside from a dry rasp, it isn't
particularly monstrous, simply...disturbing. "You know better than
that, Empyrean. Too many times, you have interfered with my plans.
Now, you and your world will repay my losses in kind." The smile
vanishes. "And in spades."
   "Don't make me do this, Salisbury," Defender warns. One hand
reaches into his cape.
   "Salisbury?" The Gaunt Man laughs mockingly. "A mask, and one that
has reached the end of its useful life. I have always been a lord of
fear. I was a surgeon and a sorcerer, called D'Onston, then Redjack."

^Is he usually prone to monologuing?^ Morgan asks wryly.

   ^Yes, but not in this detail. Let him rant,^ Roland replies,
ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. ^This has already
been useful.^

   "After my initial experiments," he continues, watching Defender's
discomfort with considerable satisfaction, "I wandered, finding ever
greater knowledge of the true power of the occult. Mystery is
inherently a source of fear, you see -- the hidden, the unknown, is
terror to the masses. In that terror I found my triumph, and Heketon."
An ebon heart, only slightly larger than a human heart yet eerily
visible to all, floats up from the highest turret of the Keep, pulsing
like some hungry black hole. "And thus I began my conquests, a
thousand thousand worlds falling to my exquisite art of fear."
   "You exaggerate," Defender snarls.
   "Not excessively," the Gaunt Man replies dismissively, "well within
the bounds of dramatic license. It was, after all," he continues,
leering mockingly, "enough to create OMEN." The stick-figure
projection of that entity appears behind the Gaunt Man. Curiously,
Omen seems only to be observing now.
   "Any time you want to get near a point," Defender says in a low,
dangerous voice.
   "Point?" The Gaunt Man's amusement vanishes. He looks at Roland
like a frustrated teacher facing a dull, recalcitrant student. "There
is no point. That _is_ the point. No matter what we do, entropy
swallows all. The Nothing will have its due. All that matters is _how_
the Possibilities are devoured, and none have devised a more beautiful
and elegant system than I."
   Defender snorts. "You know, I thought you were epic, like Darkseid,
or glorious and terrible, like Mobius before he redeemed himself. I
was wrong." The Gaunt Man's placid demeanor vanishes, and he becomes
more furious with each of Roland's words. "You're nothing but a sick,
twisted mockery of a man, a mad slasher with pretensions, too afraid
of judgement to let go of your folly and your pathetic shadow of an
existence." His head inclines slightly as he addresses the CAoL. "The
rules are, whoever duels the Gaunt Man must do so alone, one on one.
We can stay in mental contact, so if his forces try anything, I can
still throw gospog around, and you can warn me if he tries something
desperate and stupid. Physically, however, this has to be him and me."
He grasps at something within his cape.
   His hand closes on empty air. "Wh--?!"
   The Gaunt Man laughs, cruel and terrible. "Fool. Arrogant, witless
fool. Did you think I would permit you to draw the Sword of Apeiros in
my presence? Did you think I would not know that you had claimed it?"
Space screams, begging for mercy but receiving none, as holes open
around the CAoL, above them, ahead of them, in every size. Some of
them bleed, others scream, still more gape as dark, horrible maws with
nothing visible but a black disk. Roland Dracul steps out of the
first, grinning viciously as his Champions of Evil follow almost
instantly. Villains and monsters of every stripe follow:
   Kagato, the Ruins Buster, emerges above an army of gospog marching
out a wide hole of nothing.
   Manwaring the vampire appears near the evil Obsidian, a pack of
werewolves stalking in behind him.
   Lex Luthor, clad in his green and purple armor, rockets through a
screaming slash, followed by several classic members of the Legion of
Doom (explicitly including Cheetah and Sinestro).
   Ming the Merciless, thankfully short a Darkness Device but leading
an army of "metal men" around the Keep.
   Darth Tyrannus appears near him, battle droids and stormtroopers
marching side by side.
   A ten foot tall werewolf with mangy fur and fangs dripping poison
howls with terrible glee as he lopes forward; Morgan immediately
recognizes this abomination as Gaiasbane.
   Markoth the Sorcerer appears through a bloody hole, with a
dark-winged fallen angel and a black-armored warrior riding a dragon
with identical scales flanking him.
   A sinuous form darkens the sky as the very taint of the Wyrm given
form, the dread Ebon Dragon, snakes into reality above the battle.
   Perhaps most terrifying, however, is the titanic, sickly green
figure of Cthulhu, ululating with some alien emotion as its tentacles
flail in the air. Two armies, one of gospog and one of Deep Ones,
march beneath the Old One, taking impressive casualties beneath the
feet of the uncaring eldritch horror.
   Roland is distantly glad that Caprice is not here, for her sake.
   (Note: there are many other villains emerging from the fog and
through the portals, so feel free to call out one of your own. That's
part of the idea here. However, writers are responsible for their own
villains. Also, The Gaunt Man, Gaiasbane, Markoth and the Champions of
Evil are basically unkillable for now; I have uses for them. The
others I brought in, however, are fair game. Feel free to finish off a
favorite villain.)
   "Meet my Flaggesque Army of Darkness, Phoenix-boy," Dracul cackles.
"Some of the greatest forces of strength and superiority--"
   "--you mean evil," Defender snarls.
   "Whatever," Red Fury replies. "Your every ace has been trumped.
Ming's rocket fleet, the Cylon armada, Vader's Imperial Navy and the
Eddoran forces are blocking your Lensmen and Galactican allies. The
Wheel of Time's Forsaken, Old One avatars and an army led by Balrogs
block entry by your magical allies." Dracul leans forward and sneers.
"And my forces outnumber yours at least ten to one."
   "Destroyer," Roland says quietly.
   Far smoother gates open, letting in UNTIL agents and a small army
of irregulars from across Earth-9, joined by Skywalkers and what
remains of their rebel allies.
   Red Fury waves dismissively. "Okay, _five_ to one. It's _over,_
Phoenix. Even if you can hold your own against us, you'll never draw
the Sword of Apeiros in time."

"It's not over as long as a'one of us still draws breath," Morgan
growls.

   "We'll cure you of that soon enough, hero," Morgan Bloodwolf
replies with a bloodthirsty grin.
   /Looks like the 'spandex brigade' is rubbing off on you, love,/
Roland sends to his wife. "Is there a reason we're not fighting yet,
Fury?"
   "Sure. I'm offering you the same chance you offered High Lord
Stephenson," Dracul replies. "As much as I hate to admit it, I feel
kind of sorry for you, still buying into all that garbage about truth
and justice." He waves them away. "Go. Live. Take your Morgan and your
kids, find some other reality, grow some brains."
   Morgan's growl, subvocal and very lupine, is clear to anyone who
'speaks' wolf (or is on the lens-link) as the Alpha Female protecting
her pack and territory. Bloodwolf chuckles and shakes her head, and
she shares a moment in private link with Dracul. Roland's eyes narrow.
"I bother you as much as you bother me, don't I? You see what you
could have been, and it's like an itch you can't scratch."
   Dracul's moment of mercy pops like a soap bubble. "Phoenix..." he
begins dangerously.
   "You see a better self in me," Roland continues all the same,
sudden realization striking him like thunder. "It's always been there,
inside you, gnawing away at a lifetime of pain and betrayal. Except
for Obsidian, you have a family now, a trust you can't deny, not with
telepathy binding you together." He leans forward, gesturing to
Dracul. "_This_isn't_you,_ Roland. You know the Gaunt Man is nothing
but lies."
   "You fool," Dracul spits, clearly shaken. "You're about ten years
too late. I was brought to Malfeas by my own father, given to the Caul
to have my soul turned inside out. I shoved him down that same Caul to
set myself free, then carved an empire in the underworld of a reality
that makes yours look like a paradise. I have a harem of women bound
in orichalcum, a gallery of skulls taken from my deadliest enemies,
and the most dangerous rogues my world has to offer for a team. You
think you can tempt me with 'redemption?' ME?!" Dracul blazes with
crimson fire. "KILL THEM!"
   "FIGHT!" Phoenix shouts back, force shields flying up to create
defensive emplacements.
   His Army of Darkness roars and charges at Dracul's command. The
battle is joined. The end has begun.
===========================

Subject: AAE9: Blaze of Glory

On Mon, 04 Sep 2006 23:56:56 -0700
Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012812

(Second try -- originally sent right after the previous post)

   Earth-9. Reality Crisis + 14 years.
   "Come on, Timemaster, don't you ever get tired of being one big
bruise?" Blaze laughed, racing around her foe at several multiples of
the speed of sound.
   /Don't get cocky, Rachel,/ Orchid sent as she battled Viper legions
halfway around the world. /Superspeed will only get you so far against
an enemy who can control time./
   /Oh calm down, Aunt O,/ Rachel replied, dodging half a dozen
defensive systems from Timemaster's armor. /This isn't my first
blow-up with a blowhard. Where are the Ys?/
   /Liam is inbound. He's catching a ride with Thunderbird in the
Umbra. Roger...your guess is as good as mine./ Orchid faded from the
link briefly. Blaze raced around Timemaster, firing electric arcs and
flaming bolts at him. /Be careful, Ray. Timemaster's one of the bad
ones./
   /Are there any good ones?/ Rachel replied wryly, throwing a mental
spike at the villain for variety as he responded with 'time razors'
and Source disruptors.
   Orchid chuckled. /You haven't met Foxbat. Orchid out./
   Rachel returned her full attention to her opponent, who was
rocketing straight up to limit her super-speed advantage. Blaze
chuckled. [Mistake,] she thought, flying up and creating a kinetically
enhanced whirlwind around the time-tossed tyrant.
   Timemaster braced himself with jets and some speed-enhanced
stabilization of his own. "You have interfered with my plans for the
last time, you carbon copy speedster," he intoned.
   "Oh geez, villain rant number two," Blaze sighed, switching to
physical pummeling until a forcefield thrust pushed her back.
"Someone's been double-dipping at the cliche shop. And for the record,
I'm an heir, not a copycat."
   "Die, you absurd dilettante!" Timemaster roared, firing space-time
'ripper' effects that arced after her.
   "Hey! I'll have you know I've been training half my life for this!"
Blaze objected. "For example," she added with a mischievous grin,
"those time-rip trackers of yours? Get a load of _this,_ you central
casting conqueror!" She darted straight at Timemaster, then zipped
around him at the last instant. When the seekers tried to follow her,
she nudged them into him!
   "AARGH! You'll pay for that, witch!" Timemaster howled, turning
glowing gauntlets on the heroine.
   "Oh, a bigot too," she replied coldly. "And for the record...the
term is WEATHER-witch!" A storm quickly took shape overhead, thunder
booming ominously.
   "Dodge this," Timemaster snarled back, taking several lightning
strikes as his gauntlets flared. Rachel bit back a scream as the
Source itself twisted and thinned, protesting all the while.
   [oww...] she thought, retreating as best she could. Timemaster
slowed her down with his temporal mastery, taking advantage of her
distraction.
   Then a grey-furred humanoid wolf-titan appeared on top of him,
claws sinking into his chest plate and thigh guards. "I know she can
be a bit obnoxious," Liam drawled, his accent light but clear, "but
that's my sister ye're shooting at."
   "Cutter!" Timemaster wailed in fear.
   "Aye!" 'Cutter' replied, pulling his claws free and tearing
impressive gouts from the villain's gear. He fell towards the ground,
looking entirely unconcerned. Blaze caught him before he had dropped
twenty feet.
   "Thanks," Blaze said. "I know how much you hate playing superhero,
but you need to fly if you're going to help."
   "No problem," Cutter replied. "Grab me a whirlwind."
   "Check." A squall appeared beneath the wolf-warrior, and he rode it
expertly.
   "Bah," Timemaster spat.
   "'Bah?' Liam asked incredulously. "Did he really just say 'bah?'"
   Rachel nodded, beaming from ear to ear. "Yeah. Isn't it great?"
   "No," Liam replied, disgusted. "What's next, 'I'm invincible?'" He
bit back a laugh when Timemaster choked on his next comment.
   "Laugh this off," Timemaster snarled. He slapped the central disk
on his belt. Time itself seemed to waver, twisting and warping around
them.
   "Oh, frack!" Blaze blurted. /Li, can you get Big W?/
   Cutter descended, frowning. /I'll try, Ray-chan.../
   /That's my bro./ Blaze put on her serious 'time to kick butt' face,
then began racing around Timemaster again. This time, however, she
began to vibrate, sending shockwaves at him on multiple frequencies,
from kinetic to Hypertime to Source. "Timemaster, you nutbar, will you
lay off the arrogance for five seconds?! You're tearing the
dimensional fabric itself!" [I can't believe I just _said_ that.]
   "I can easily repair any damage necessary to rid myself of you,
Blaze," Timemaster laughed, "but can you survive my assault?"
   /Have no fear, Roger's here!/ an enthusiastic 'voice' cut in as a
new player appeared on the 'field.' Rachel and Liam groaned in unison.
   Timemaster, however, looked up at the youthful figure hovering over
him and panicked. "YOU!" The villain turned the dial on his belt to
maximum.
   "Um. Not good. Maybe this?" The newcomer threw a warp shield over
Timemaster. Unfortunately, whether he was simply unprepared for the
increase of power or it was simply Meant To Be, the two forces
reacted...poorly.
   "Oh great." Rachel redoubled her orbit speed. /Liam? Now would be a
good time.../
   /Hey, Big W isn't exactly on call, you know -- wait. I've got 'Dox
Sign.../
   With absolutely no fanfare, an elderly British-looking gentlemen in
an impeccable black suit and bowler hat, holding a cane and carrying a
pocket watch appeared. He looked carefully at whatever the watch
showed him, then snapped it shut and pocketed it. "It's about time,"
he said coolly.
   "Wrinkle!" Rachel blurted in relief. Timemaster gasped. "I've got a
problem here!"
   "Blaze..." Wrinkle actually had a note of regret in his voice.
"...you must handle this. If you cannot, I may have to obviate
portions of the timeline." Timemaster immediately attempted to turn
the dial back down, but it shifted uselessly in his fingers, the
mechanism shorted out by the sheer power at play.
   Rachel gasped. A moment of panic swelled -- then she forced it down
and crushed it with sheer willpower. [I am one of the most powerful
supers ever to walk the Earth. I am the daughter of Defender and
Solitaire. I've worked towards this my whole life. I CAN do this.] She
almost believed it.
   She whirled faster and faster around Timemaster until he was
surrounded by an azure ring. The very air hummed with determination
and power. Reality itself seemed to hold its breath.
   Something cracked. Places and times shifted wildly for instants
that lasted years and covered continents. Then dimensional order
reasserted itself. Timemaster fell, his armor depleted. Liam caught
him easily. He flexed his claws over the villain's body, then threw
the barely conscious figure to the ground with a snarl. "Where's my
sister, Wrinkle?"
   Wrinkle looked into the distance. "I hate time travel," he replied
prosaically.

* * *

   Rachel caught her descent just before hitting the water. [Ow. I
wonder if this is what a hangover feels like...wait. Why am I over the
ocean?] She looked up, distant sounds drawing her attention. Her eyes
flew saucer-wide.
   Champions Island was under attack. She had never seen its
assailants in person, but Rachel had reviewed her parents' files with
the enthusiasm of a super-fan with hyper-speed, probably a thousand
times over. She knew every battle, every ally, every foe as intimately
as if she'd fought with or against them herself.
   [Gospog.] Blaze trembled briefly. A brief vibrational check
confirmed that she was still in her home reality, which could mean
only one thing. Time travel. Rachel Greywolf-Phoenix was approximately
fourteen years in her own past. This was universally considered the
Champions' greatest adventure, even more critical than the Proprietor
War that immediately preceded it. [The Reality Crisis.]
   Then she saw a modified YT-1300 freighter doing things only two
YT-1300 freighters she knew of could do. Given where-when she was, it
was a safe bet that the raptor-themed option was in its home
dimension. "Auntzie, he can't fly the thing -- oh frack." She sighed
and raced after the ship; even with her speed, it took her a moment to
catch up. [Okay, this isn't a big deal -- it wouldn't have been
destroyed, but the Unicorn would have spent weeks in dry dock. Air
dock? Whatever.] She reached the cockpit just as Eric was literally
trying to get a handle on the situation. /Uncle Eric?/
   Eric actually stared for a second. /Gaia! Did my sister actually
have a child with Roger?/
   Rachel giggled. /Gods, no!/ She grew serious. /Hunter, sir, you're
about to be needed. I'll land the Unicorn./
   /Certainly,/ Eric replied evenly. /As soon as you identify
yourself./
   Rachel felt a cold chill as she heard the Hunter in his voice.
/Rachel Greywolf-Phoenix, code name Blaze, Young Champions Auxiliary,
from fourteen years in your future. Sir./
   Eric sighed. /Of course. Very well.../ he looked distant for a
moment. "Destroyer. Great." Rachel felt the telepathic contact between
the Exalt and the immortal conqueror, but stayed politely out. Eric
nodded, both to the villain and the heroine.
   In the instant Eric vanished, Rachel took his place in the cockpit,
wrapping the ship in her energy fields and grinning. "Hon, I know you
can outrace anything in ten thousand realities in hyperspace, but I'm
betting you'll _never_ move this fast in atmo again." The Unicorn
slipped through the air with incredible speed and grace, landing
neatly on Champions Island. With the heroes gone and UNTIL's forces in
the fortified portions of the flying land mass, she could cut loose on
the remaining, mindless forces. In less than a tenth of a second, the
entire Island was scoured clean.
   She stayed just long enough to see Jefferies emerge from a lift
carrying an Empyrean shot-blaster and say "My word!" before winking
and vanishing.
 Blaze appeared on a flying slab of rock next to Eric, who didn't seem
at all surprised at her arrival. "You sure this is a good idea, young
lady?" he asked politely.
 "Not entirely," she replied, "but time is locked until the end of the
Crisis, and...well, am I supposed to twiddle my thumbs on the Island?"
Rachel shrugged. "If I can help at all, I have to do _something!_"
 Eric looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then
he smiled faintly. "Definitely the boy scout's girl scout." He nodded
sideways at her parents as she grinned back broadly, and he led her to
her parents' past selves.
--
Rachel Greywolf-Phoenix
"Abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and
easy answers, and to begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in
the mystery and paradoxes of life, not to be dismayed by the multitude
of causes and consequences that are inherent in each experience, to
appreciate the fact that life is complex." --M. Scott Peck
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9: A World of Horrors

On Sat, 09 Sep 2006 19:02:41 -0700
Dane Said As CAoL Message # 00012813

>Roland X wrote As CAoL Message # 00012811
>
>   Rachel grins sheepishly at her mother. "Time's been hard-synched.
>I think Wrinkle's set the whole hyperline on lockdown." Her smile
>vanishes again. "This is an extremely pivotal moment in our history.
>Maybe the most important since Atlantis..." Blaze shakes her head.
>"That's odd. My memories are in flux. That shouldn't be happening..."
>Instantly, she looks around in concern. "Wait. Where's Rog?"
>   "Oh, here and there," Defender quips.

/*"Your presence was NOT an accident, child. You were brought here for
a purpose. Though whether it was The Stardragon or That Which Creates,
who arranged it with Wrinkle,even -I- do not know. I do know it was
not Wrinkle alone who locked time travel. Too many paradoxes are
causing The Stardragon some distress, and it is TIRED of 'itching'."*/
Oracle offers.

<More Snipage>
>   "You fool," Dracul spits, clearly shaken. "You're about ten years
>too late. I was brought to Malfeas by my own father, given to the
>Caul to have my soul turned inside out. I shoved him down that same
>Caul to set myself free, then carved an empire in the underworld of a
>reality that makes yours look like a paradise. I have a harem of
>women bound in orichalcum, a gallery of skulls taken from my
>deadliest enemies, and the most dangerous rogues my world has to
>offer for a team. You think you can tempt me with 'redemption?' ME?!"
>Dracul blazes with crimson fire. "KILL THEM!"
>   "FIGHT!" Phoenix shouts back, force shields flying up to create
>defensive emplacements.
>   His Army of Darkness roars and charges at Dracul's command. The
>battle is joined. The end has begun.

Six titanic forms apear above the field, dwarfing all save the Wyrm
and Cthulhu. Ignoring the less powerful entities, the four unknown
Starspawn move to counter Cthulhu. Two of them facing off against his
two armies, and the other two against the Great Old One himself. The
remaining two Starspawn, Hydra and Aurora, move to face the Wyrm, but
do not engage. Hydra's 'voice' rings out across the landscape as he
points to the Ebon Dragon. *"You are NOT our meat, but interfere in
this battle, and we will bring all the power we have available to us
down upon your head. Watch if you will. Defend yourself if you are
attacked, but do more and this day will be your last."* He tells the
Wyrm. With that, Aurora assumes her familiar form of battle, the
winged unicorn, and Hydra spins his glaive into battle ready position.
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9: A world of horrors

On Sat, 9 Sep 2006 20:06:25 -0700 (PDT)
Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00012814

   /Aurora - I can stall one of those groups for about a minute, as
long as it's non-magical. Any suggestions?/ As he sends this across
the lens-link, Rob whispers, "It's raining cats and dogs, hailing
taxicabs, and snowing reporters." A subspace gap opens, and he pulls
out three cards, quickly separating the index card from the others.

   A transdimensional knight-errant, even a self-appointed one, tends
to collect favors. Some of them are small ones. Some of them are saved
for rainy days. And a very few are reserved for days when the cosmic
equivalent of a class 5 hurricane hits.

   "Crimson power, spells of force, strength to change a planet's
course. Form the sphere to hold these back: CITADEL OF CYTTORAK!" The
index card disintegrates as a blizzard of red triangles rushes
forward, englobing Ming's forces in a geodesic sphere that could
contain a 200 megaton explosion.
===========================

Subject: Re: AAE9: A World of Horrors

On Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:33:30 -0700
Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012815

   For nearly anyone else, Orrorsh is a nightmare made manifest, a
living hell of a reality that simply should not be. To Eric Lancer,
it's more like going back to the office at a job you thought you quit
years ago. Even Blaze's arrival and assistance doesn't affect this.
   Outwardly, he is silent as Roland leads them to the final battle,
inwardly, aside from a few private conversations, the truth is little
different. He checks his weapons one last time, opens his awareness as
far and wide as it will go, and prepares for the last battle.
   They're going to face a world of monsters. In this battle more than
any others, the Callahanians are going to need him. Strangely, The
Hunter is at peace.

>On Sun, 03 Sep 2006 19:24:20 -0700
>Roland X Said As CAoL Message # 00012811

<Snip of Doom>
>   "You think you can tempt me with 'redemption?' ME?!"
>Dracul blazes with crimson fire. "KILL THEM!"
>   "FIGHT!" Phoenix shouts back, force shields flying up to create
>defensive emplacements.
>   His Army of Darkness roars and charges at Dracul's command. The
>battle is joined. The end has begun.

   Eric was moving even before the posturing began. Even he hadn't
been capable of determining where the portals would open, but flanking
a batch of them had been as easy as anything can be in a mad, vile war
zone such as this one. Creatures, THINGS, that were clearly the Gaunt
Man's work strode from bloody rents in the universe.
   [Time to clock in.]
   The first creatures he face are a pair of writhing, marginally
humanoid masses carrying blunderbusses, apparently herding a huge
octopoid creature with a distant resemblance to Cthulhu's head. He
smoothly kicks the humanoids' blunderbusses out of their 'hands' and
shoots them with their own weapons, then holds out his hands. "Salt,"
he says simply. A bag appears in his hands, and he throws it at the
thing. While it writhes in agony, he conjures an occult circle around
the thing, and it melts with alacrity. Its scream as it dies gives
nearby gospog-grunts the shivers. He points at a scaly, bald humanoid
with bulging red eyes. "Behead," he says as it charges at him, drawing
his pistols as a pack of Orrorshan werewolves comes baying at them.

Rio moves out from the illusion-shield Eric had covering her, the
tiger claws on her left hand morphing into a katar-like blade. She
flanks the creature, severing its spinal cord with one blurred punch,
while she picks off a couple of weres with her pistol.

   Eric easily dispatches the remaining six werewolves, shooting each
neatly through either the heart or the skull. The bullets are, of
course, silver, as are Rio's. Spotting four Orrorshan vampyres trying
to sneak towards the CAoL's rear, he leaps almost invisibly towards
them. @Sand,@ he sends, mentally pointing at a trio of red globs
snaking their way towards the pair. @Bury them in sand.@

/Switch,/ Rio sends to Mobius, as a dead ringer for General Grievous
freezes in mid-swing, caught having just leapt off his wheel-bike at
the former Pharaoh. The now-Good Doctor grins, transforming into a
sandstorm and swirling over the three strange creatures in an instant.
He rains down on them like the wrath of the gods until there is
nothing left of them but desert sand with a slightly crimson tint. As
Mobius re-forms, Rio releases Grievous, who lands face-first in
mountainside, his wheel-bike skidding to a halt near where the two
Morgans duel.

   Eric grins faintly as he reaches the four vampyres, who look at him
contemptuously. "So, you wish to be our first meal?" one asks with a
hiss, her sibling monsters circling him confidently.
   Eric's eyes narrow, and he flips the sunglasses into place with a
flicker of fingertips. "You've had your fill," he replies coolly. Then
the Hunter becomes a blur of motion, even the undead monsters moving
as if in molasses compared to him. He spins, his right hand reaching
into his duster and throwing a stake. As it goes into the first one's
heart, his left hand is already flowing into the next pocket, pulling
a second stake. As that one leaves his hand, the right arm withdraws
in the same fluid motion. The right flies out again, the third stake
plunging into a chest as the vampyres just begin to realize their
danger while his left hand is already flowing into his jacket. His
spin adding momentum, he easily leads the last vampyre, which is just
starting to panic, as his right hand returns to the duster one more
time. The fourth stake paralyzes its victim just as his right hand
re-emerges -- holding the kusari-gama.
   He briefly wonders, purely out of academic curiosity, if the
vampyres would scream if they could. Then the bladed chain
flicker-flashes out, and all four are neatly, almost instantly
beheaded. He pulls the chain back with a single twist of his arm,
shaking the blood off as the blade's hilt thumps in his palm with a
comforting slap. He notes with relief that Rio is hitting from a
distance, the pistol firing all manner of bullets when she determines
specific weaknesses. The incendiary ammunition in particular impresses
him.
   That's when a tall, muscular woman in combat fatigues, the only
weapon visible a greatsword strapped to her back, strides over the
hillside. Her hair is cut short, but lightning plays in it all the
same. Still, the most striking thing about her is what she's carrying.
   A child. She has a girl tucked under one arm, holding her easily in
spite of her struggling and wails of terror.
   "You must be Eric," she drawls. Her accent is strange, it sounds
old even to those who hear her translated through a lens, but it has a
hint of German to it. "I am Anathema, Paragon of Pride Eremite."
Eric's eyes narrow at the sight of the tremendously powerful Immortal,
but widen in horrified shock at the child. "Ah, good, you know who I
am. In spite of the witch Greywolf, we infiltrated the accursed Aeon
Covenant. They are being dealt with as we speak. As for you..." she
glanced down at the terrified little girl. Her smile was cruel,
mocking. "...I think we can do something about you." She looked back
up, her eyes completely black. "Did you not think we would be prepared
for The Hunter in this of all battlefields?"

/"Priscilla?!"/ Morgan, in spite of her desperate battle (having just
kicked Bloodwolf aside and mounted the wheel-bike), notices the
exchange -- as the CAoL's den mother, she keeps an eye on everyone as
much as she can -- and blinks in astonishment at the sight of one of
the twins' school-mates (information she provides via lens). Then
Gaiasbane leaps at her, howling in venomous joy, and she has no more
time to wonder.
   Blaze-Rachel almost runs headlong into a woman in Viper colors in
shock, dodging and careening across half the battlefield in the last
instant.

   /"Julie,"/ Eric growls. He's been able to largely suppress IR's
'enhancements' until now, but in that moment he is all but consumed by
them. His skin pales almost to translucent. His fangs grow until they
jut over his lips. Fingernails become crimson claws, and his entire
body shifts as muscles bulge.

"Whoa. Vampire Hunter E," Rio quips a bit nervously.

   Anathema shares Rio's concern. "Come for her then, if you dare."
She retreats even as she says so, however.
   @Speed. Luck. Power.@ It is clear that these comments are not for
Rio alone. Still, Time itself weaves around him, and an ebon blur
explodes towards Anathema. The Tainted Immortal draws her greatsword
one-handed just in time to face Eric with it. The Hunter blurs around
his prey, tearing at her forcefield, and after that, little can be
seen of either one other than sheer motion.
   /By the Source,/ Defender gasps mentally, but he has his own
problems. He and Dracul are locked in deadly battle, his crimson sword
raising sparks from the Phoenix Rod as they strike a dozen times a
second. Markoth fires spikes of _something_ at Roland, which the hero
barely deflects with his Prime shields, while Luthor cackles
sadistically and powers up his purple gauntlets. /"SWITCH!"/ Phoenix
and Dracul shout as one, and there's some chaos as the two teams
jockey for what their leaders obviously thought was to their best
advantage. Fortunately, the evil version of Obsidian has his own
plans, and he ends up tackling Quantum; as a result, the Champions'
battlefield seems to largely line up the way Defender wants it to.
With one exception.
   Instead of Dracul, he finds himself facing Morgan Bloodwolf, the
evil Solitaire, who grins at him in a manner so predatory even he's
badly shaken. Dracul is now chasing the wheel-bike riding Greywolf,
with Gaiasbane and the somewhat-recovered Grievous trying to give
chase. The enormous mountain gives her plenty of room to maneuver, and
gospog material quickly coats the wheel's track as she (barely) evades
all three villains. Dracul is the most problematic, but even though he
seems to have dealt with his weakness of noble magic much as Phoenix
has to foul, she can still disorient him and outrun the other two, if
just barely with Gaiasbane.
   Defender, meanwhile, sees his problems multiplying. Blaze's brief
sparring partner, Viperia, has flown over to face him (think Supergirl
in green and black with a big V on her chest). A scantily clad woman
riding a flying octopus floats lazily towards him, smiling hatefully,
and several old-timers immediately recognize her as Jodi Blake, last
seen trying to assassinate Morgan and James (Bond, one of Zia's
husbands) waaay back in AAE IV. Markoth still lurks around the edges,
waiting for a chance to strike, but with Luthor apparently on to
greener pastures, the real threats are obvious. Roland swallows. "I
don't suppose," he says as confidently as he can manage, "that you
ladies would be willing to surrender." Bloodwolf actually laughs
throatily, but Blake's eyes tighten.
   "You cost me years of prestige and reputation among the Nephandi,"
Jodi says, stroking the side of the octopus' bulbous head as she moves
to flank him. "I mean to hear you scream for as many years in
repayment."
   "No one escapes Viper," Viperia adds a bit mechanically.
   "I see Viper's mentalists are as subtle and considerate as ever,"
Roland notes dryly.
   "Defender," Bloodwolf says huskily, "moonsilver chains are much
less onerous than what the barabbi has in mind for you." She gestures
with a nod towards Blake. "Give yourself to me. Make this easy on
yourself."
   "Sorry," Roland replies, a hint of genuine sympathy creeping into
his voice, "but I already belong to a Solitaire." His face and voice
harden, and the Phoenix Rod spins like a tornado in his hands. "Let's
see if you dance as well as she does."
   A trio of amazonian battle-cries echo around him, and they
charge...
===========================