The four passengers inside the experimental craft were buckled in safe and sound. Lieutenant Marlena Glenn, a very skilled and highly decorated pilot for the United States Air Force, exhaled slowly as she did her best to control her excitement. She enjoyed the freedom that came with flying. With each chance she could get while she was in the air, she would push her jet farther and farther until it would reach the boundary between Earth and space. She dreamed of flying amongst the stars. She knew space travel was far off for now, but hopefully she would be helping get humanity's foot in the door.
The spacecraft she was sitting in, the Valiant, was designed and built at the Middleton Space Center in Colorado. Despite being so far north, they had created some of the latest and most amazing technology of the early twenty-first century. It had been in development for five years, and it took another three to test the systems and engines before the craft was finally constructed. In the co-pilot seat and engineering station were the two scientists who designed the Valiant and her systems. Dr. James Timothy Possible and Drew Lipski were friends and college roommates, and now co-workers at the Middleton Space Center. They were on board to make sure the test flight went smoothly and correct any malfunction that arose. But if any medical problem arose with any member of the team, mission control had chosen Dr. Possible's wife Anne to act as the on-board medical officer.
So now, here they all sat. While Marlena, James, and Drew were excited about the impending launch, Anne couldn't help but be extremely nervous. She knew her husband had to pull a lot of favors in order for her to be apart of this mission, but she honestly was wishing that she was at home in their apartment. She and James had recently decided to finally start a family, and they were looking into a house that wasn't far from Middleton General, where she worked, or the Space Center. But at that moment, there was something in the pit of her stomach that was telling her this flight was a bad idea. She didn't know if it was just her nervousness or what, but she just couldn't help but shake this bad feeling she had.
"Anne? Is everything okay?" James asked as he glanced at her station behind him and Marlena.
"I'm fine, James. Just nervous." Anne said as she took a deep breath herself.
"Lieutenant Glenn, this is Mission Control. We need a final systems check." Mission Control said over the young pilot's headset.
"Roger, Control. We are now going through pre-flight check list. Lipski?" Marlena asked.
"All computers are functioning. Engines, sensors, and life support are in the green and operating at one-hundred percent." Drew said from his station.
"Dr. Possible?"
"Navigation is on-line as well as thrusters. Communications are in the green as well." James said.
"Anne? How does medical look?"
"All vitals are in the green. Emergency medical supplies are filled and ready in case of an emergency." Anne said.
"Mission Control, this is Valiant. Everything is in the green and ready for launch." Lt. Glenn said with a smile.
"Roger, Valiant. T-minus five minutes for launch." Mission Control said.
"Everyone hold on to your sphincters, this is going to get bumpy." Marlena said as she and the others slid her helmet visor down and locked into place.
As the clock began to count down, the platform the ship was resting on rose to a forty degree angle while the ship itself began to rumble as the engines came on-line. Anne quickly tightened her belt as she began to feel queasy and her heart began to race. She couldn't believe she was actually doing something like this. As the rumbling of the engines became louder, she kept picturing the movie Apollo 13 in her head.
"T-minus three, two, one, ignition."
As the engines ignited with what almost sounded like a bomb going off beneath them, the small ship was sent hurdling into the blue skies above. The massive G-forces were pushing the four travelers into their seats as the ship fly skyward farther and farther, fighting against the strong pull of gravity as the engines kept increasing the ships speed faster and faster still. Anne kept her eyes closed with her fingers digging into her console tightly that her fingernails threatened to puncture the gloves of her space suit. Lt. Glenn, James, and Drew were smiling like kids on Christmas morning when they saw the gifts Santa had brought for them. They kept their eyes glued to the world outside the main viewing windows as they watched the clouds streak by them as they flew ever higher into the atmosphere. Soon, after what almost felt like an eternity of waiting for them, they saw the blue sky fade to black and were rewarded with the sight of open space.
When the ship finally stopped shaking, Anne opened her eyes, She feared the ship had stopped too soon was would be forced to watch themselves freefalling. Anne gasped when she saw star filled space in front of her as the ship was maneuvered into a standard orbit around the Earth. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds before opening them again to make sure she wasn't dreaming anything. Outside their small ship was the world they called home. From up here, it was hard to believe that below them is where they grew up. That so many people were directly below them. It was simply incredible.
"Lipski, what's the status of the ship's systems?" Marlena asked him.
"The engines need to cool off for a little while. Other than that, everything's in the green. We've still got plenty of fuel, and the environmental systems are coming on-line now." Drew said to her.
"Good. These visors are too tinted for my taste." James said as he unlocked the visor and lifted it, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air.
"Okay everyone. Shut down your suit's air supply before you open the visors." Marlena said as everyone followed James' example. "Don't get too comfortable yet, guys. We need to do another systems check and get the navigational computer ready for the next phase of the mission."
"Next phase?" Anne asked her.
"Anne, I thought James gave you the mission details." Marlena said.
"He told me NASA was testing his ship. I thought that meant orbiting the Earth. Maybe checking on the international space station." Anne said to Lt. Glenn.
"James," Marlena said as James began to look a little sheepish.
"If I had told her everything, she wouldn't have come." James said to the commanding officer next to him.
"Marlena, what is the next phase?" Anne asked her.
"You were right about us orbiting, but it isn't going to be Earth. After we get the navigational computers up and running, our next stop is the moon." Marlena said.
"DO WHAT?" Anne shouted.
"We're going to be scanning the surface of the moon for possible colony sites and test our new communications device. Hopefully, we'll still be in contact with Mission Control when we orbit the dark side of the moon." Drew said to her.
"Control to Valiant, is everything all right up there?"
"James, you're sleeping on the couch for the next year when we get back home." Anne growled at her husband.
"Roger, control. Just getting used to the zero-G environment." Marlena said.
"What's the status of the nav computer, Lt. Glenn?" Control asked.
"Computer's already up and running, Control." James said into his headset. "It will be three minutes before the ship's systems will have our course locked in. If everything works like it should, we'll reach the moon within 24 hours."
"Roger, Valiant."
TEN HOURS LATER
James has just come out of the on-board bathroom when he caught a glimpse of his wife with a bitter look on his face. He immediately felt guilty about lying to her about what they were exactly doing on the mission, but he knew she had a tremendous fear of flying. And he didn't want her to be worried about him while he was away. To tell the truth, he didn't want to ever be away from his wife even a minute. Just about everyday, he thanked God that such a beautiful woman like her could love an awkward geek like him. Knowing he had to try and make things right, he floated over to where she was sitting at her console.
"How are you feeling?" he asked her, wondering if she was getting air sick. Or maybe it should be space sick?
"I just finished having lunch. The freeze dried ice cream is good, but the pizza needs a lot of work." She told him as she put the wrappers in a built in garbage can.
"Anne, I'm sorry about not telling you everything." James said.
"Well, why didn't you? I thought you trusted me." She said to him, obviously still angry with him.
"I do trust you. But I was afraid you would have said no if you knew the details."
"Your damn straight I would have! Do you know how terrified I've been ever since those NASA guys told me I was apart of this mission?" she asked him.
"Your fear of flying, I know. But honey, this was a once and a lifetime opportunity. And as much as I would have enjoyed it, I would have been miserable without you." James said to her.
"I find that hard to believe." she scoffed
"No, Anne. I'm serious. I love you more than I even love science. And I wanted to make sure that if I was to go through the best life had to offer, then so should you. I mean, how many doctors can say they've been to the moon and back?" James asked her.
"Not that many. I am glad I came with you, but you're still going to have to do an awful lot to get me to trust you again."
"I'll go to hell and back if you want me to." James said to her.
"And you're still sleeping on the couch when we get home." Anne said to him.
"James?" Drew asked him as his console began to beep.
"What is it, Drew?"
"I'm getting something weird on the sensors." Drew said as James floated over to him.
"How weird?" Marlena asked, overhearing the conversation.
"I don't see how this is possible, but I'm getting strange gravity readings to our starboard side." Drew said.
"But we're no where near the moon yet." James said as he began to look at the data himself.
"I know that, James. But these readings are in flux. It's like they're there one minute and gone the next." Drew said as he kept trying to interpret the data.
"It can't be. Can it?" James asked himself.
"James, what's going on?" Marlena asked him.
"We have to change course." James said as he rushed to the co-pilot's seat.
"Come again?" Marlena asked him.
"Change course, NOW!" James said as he began booting some of the dormant systems.
"James, the computer has us locked on course." Drew said to him.
"Then we've got to switch to manual!" James said as he began to bring the thrusters back on-line.
"You know it isn't as easy as,"
"THEN TURN THE DAMN THING OFF! SMASH IT IF YOU HAVE TO!" James screamed at Marlena.
"James, you're scaring me." Anne said.
Soon, the ship lurched violently forward as they began to dramatically began to turn hard to the right.
"What the hell is going on?" Marlena asked as she grasped the controls and tried to steer the ship.
"JAMES?" Anne screamed.
"Everyone get your helmets back on and buckle in! We're caught in the event horizon!" James said.
"Event horizon of what?" Marlena demanded as she tried to maneuver the ship, but was having no luck in changing their course.
"We're caught in the gravity well of a wormhole." James said as he locked his helmet and visor back into place.
"A WHAT?" Drew shouted.
Seeing the panic in Drew's eyes, Anne immediately grasped her helmet and secured it back onto her space suit while Drew scrambled to do the same.
"Marlena, get your helmet on!" James screamed.
"I've got to get her out of this!"
"We're already caught inside of it! The best thing we can try to do is ride it out." James said as the ship's speed began to accelerate. Marlena could feel the ship shudder as everything around them began to move faster and faster still. Taking James advise, Marlena quickly locked her helmet into place and strapped herself in as the ship began to shake.
"James, we're already at mach fifteen. And we're going faster!" Marlena said.
"Everyone, hang on tight!" James said as they began to feel the ship's speed increase so much that they were beginning to be pressed into their seats again as the Valiant began to vibrate violently. Soon, everything outside began moving at such a fast pace that it looked like they had gone into light speed while the ship itself felt like she was going to shake herself apart.
Despite not having any control, Marlena gripped the controls tightly in a vain effort to try and ease the turbulence the Valiant was experiencing. She felt like G-forces at work were about to push her through the seat itself as the Valiant shook like a rattle in a dryer. Marlena herself felt like her teeth were going to shake out of her head at any second. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear Drakken screaming like a baby. She didn't blame him. She was so terrified right now that she was scared she might scream or ruin her space suit at any minute.
"JAMES!" Anne screamed.
"Just – hold on!" James said as loudly as he could as he felt blood begin to drip out of his nose.
With a violent lurch forward, the shaking and tremendous speed stopped. Everyone was groaning from the sudden acceleration and stop. Marlena felt like she had just got off a tilt-a-whirl ride while Anne rested her head against her console to stop it from spinning.
"Drew? How – how is everything?" James as ked as he tried to calm his shaking nerves.
"Give me a minute." Drew said as he made sure his dinner stayed inside of his stomach. He took several deep breaths before sitting straight and looking at the data displays. "She almost lost it there. Aft sensors are temporarily down, as well as the bathroom. All in all, it looks like the Valiant is a pretty sturdy little ship." Drew said.
"Can you tell us where we are?" Marlena asked him.
"I'm trying. So far, the computers can't find any familiar constellations." Drew said as he kept scanning.
"Mission Control, this is the Valiant. Do you read me? Valiant to Mission Control, do you read me?" Marlena asked as she toggled with the communications systems.
"James, what was that?" Anne asked him.
"A wormhole. I thought they were just theories." James said to his wife.
"How about you enlighten the rest of us that don't have a clue on what you're talking about?" Marlena asked him.
"It's an anomaly in space. Supposedly, they may have the ability to transport an object from one point in space to another. Maybe even in time. But they're unpredictable, and very violent. We're lucky we're alive right now." James said to them.
"The computers finally found something. I almost missed it." Drew said.
"A familiar constellation?" James asked him.
"Orion. But – oh my God." Drew said as he looked at the readout.
"What is it?" Anne asked him.
"According to the ship's computers, we're eighty-thousand light years away from our solar system." Drew said in shock.
"Oh dear God." James said as he felt fear begin to grip the pit of his stomach.
"We're lost? Drew, you're telling me that we're lost in space?" Anne demanded.
"I-I'm afraid so." Drew said to her.
"Wait a minute. Can't we just turn around and go back through the wormhole?" Marlena asked them.
"That doesn't mean it'll still be there. Wormholes can appear in one spot, and be in another a few seconds later." James said.
"And I'm not detecting any of the strange readings from earlier. Even if we did find it, there's no guarantee it would take us back home. It might spit us farther out into the galaxy." Drew said.
"So what do we do?" Marlena asked.
"First thing's first. Drew, I need you start scanning. We need to find any planets near by that can support human life." Drew said.
"I'm on it." Drew said as he went back to work.
"And what do we do?" Marlena asked him.
"I guess we,"
James didn't finish as something struck the ship, making it turn almost a complete ninety degrees.
"What in the hell?" Drew asked.
"Oh, shit! We've drifted into an asteroid field. HANG ON!" Marlena said as she took the controls and began maneuvering the small vessel.
Despite being an ace fighter pilot, trying to maneuver a ship in space was completely different than piloting a jet in Earth's atmosphere. Marlena tried her best to try and avoid the floating chunks of space debris, but it seemed the more she maneuvered the ship the more it was struck.
"I don't want to tell you how to do your job, Lieutenant. But it might be more helpful IF YOU DON'T HIT THE FREAKING ASTEROIDS!" Drew shouted.
"I'm trying, damn it!" Marlena shouted as another asteroid collided with the ship's hull, causing several alarms to erupt. "Status report, Lipski!"
"Number one retro rocket is out. Long range communications is gone, and our primary oxygen supply is venting into space. Auxiliary is already coming on-line. We can't take anymore hits like that."
"No shit, Sherlock!" Marlena said as she tried to maneuver the ship. The asteroids were getting smaller and further apart. Marlena and the others began to breath a little more easily, hoping they were nearing the edge of asteroid field.
"James, the sensors just found a planet not too far from us. According to this, it has an atmosphere almost identical to Earth."
"Almost?" James asked him.
"There's a few variations. I'm reading strange energy readings throughout the planet, but it can support human life." Drew said.
"Where is it?" James asked him.
"If we can turn the ship a few degrees port, the computers can do the rest." Drew said as he began to lock in the coordinates.
The relief of Drew's news was short lived when they saw an even larger asteroid hurdling straight towards them.
"Lieutenant," James said.
"I see it!" Marlena said as she adjusted the Valiant's course. Everyone sat tensed and on edge as they saw the asteroid grow larger and larger in front of them. All of them were getting ready to kiss their butts goodbye when the ship finally maneuvered enough to pass under the massive rock safely. More importantly, Marlena could see the planet straight ahead. With a bit of luck, it looked to be no more than an hour away.
"Wow." was all Marlena could say as she saw the alien world in front of them.
"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" Anne asked out loud.
"Never." Drew said.
"I have." James said, causing Marlena too look at him for a moment.
"When?"
"The day I married it." James said, making Anne blush slightly.
"All right guys. We need to get everything ready for an emergency landing. Which means we're going to have to try and aim for a water landing." Marlena said.
"I'll keep the sensors on a continuos scan of the planet. Maybe we can find a coastline or something." Drew said. As he began to type in the commands, several panels began to spark before his monitor went out. Small strands of smoke rose from Drew's station as his monitor cracked while several lights and readings on James' panel went dark.
"What happened?" James asked him.
"My console is fried. That last asteroid hit must have caused more damage than I thought." Drew said.
"So no sensors?" Marlena asked.
"No sensors, nothing. I can't even tell you if the engines will work." Drew said.
"And the navigational computers are fried. We're going to have to try and enter the planet's atmosphere manually." James said.
"Then I guess we've just got to hope for the best, then." Marlena said as she tried to keep the ship heading toward the planet in front of them.
"Anne." A soft and feminine voice said.
"Who was that?" Anne asked.
"What?" James asked her.
"Nothing. I thought I heard something." Anne said and tried to keep her mind on monitoring everyone's vitals on her console.
"Only you can hear me, Anne." The voice said again, making Anne gasp slightly. "I mean you no harm, Anne Possible. I must warn you that no one will survive the landing that you are about to attempt. Not without your help." The voice said to her.
"What can I do? Who are you?" Anne whispered to herself.
"I am known only as the Sorceress. Listen carefully Anne, because my time is short. I am old, and must pass on my legacy onto another. I have seen that your heart is strong and pure, Anne Possible. If you agree to accept and uphold my legacy, you will have the power to save your friends. But I must warn you. If you agree to take my place, you will have a responsibility that you can not ignore. Ever" The voice said.
"What do I have to do?" Anne asked the voice. If it meant saving her husband's life, there was nothing she wouldn't do.
"When the time comes, you will know what to do. From this day forward, my knowledge and strength are yours. It is now your duty to guard the secrets of my world, and maintain the balance between the light and the dark. You are now the Sorceress." The voice said as Anne felt what could only be described as both a warm and cold shiver travel up and down her back.
Anne felt slightly light headed for a moment and closed her eyes to try and make the strange sensation go away. She took a few deep breaths before finally opening her eyes again. As she did so, she saw that everyone's heartbeat's were going very fast. As she looked up at everyone, her eyes widened in surprise and shock as she saw that the ship was already beginning to enter the atmosphere of the planet! She had only closed her eyes for a few minutes, how could an hour have already passed?
"Marlena, straighten the nose!" James said.
"I'm trying, but she's fighting me!" Marlena said as the windows were blocked by the fiery glows of re-entry. The ship was shaking violently again and Anne could swear that the ship was starting to roll.
"Marlena, we'll burn up if you can't get that nose straightened!" James shouted.
"What am I going to do?" Anne asked herself. The voice said she would know what to do when the time came. Well the time was now, so what was she supposed to be doing? She didn't want her husband to die. She loved James too much. She would do anything to save him. Anything.
That's when she felt something stir inside of her. Something had just changed. An odd warm sensation began to rise in her chest and flow out and into her limbs. Placing her hands on her console, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Soon, she felt the warm sensation grow even more and willed it into the console. She could somehow feel power that was in her spread through out the ship, like she was trying to hold it with her mind. She could feel every part of the ship now. Almost like she had become one with it. Concentrating as hard as she could, the ship began to right itself as the shaking seemed to ease. As Anne kept concentrating at the task at hand, Drew glanced over at her and could almost swear that he thought he saw her eyes glowing with some sort of strange energy.
Soon, the ship had past through the outer atmosphere and was now flying through blue sky. James and Marlena could hardly believe that they had actually made it through re-entry. For a moment, it actually looked like they were fixing to loose the ship. But re-entry was the easy part. Now they actually had to try and land the ship, which had now just turned into a large flying brick. Marlena had flown past where they had wanted to land, and were now over open solid ground. James quickly deployed the landing gear, but that would help very little if at all. This landing was fixing to get rough, and that was an understatement.
"Everyone, hang on!" Marlena shouted as the ground was coming at them quickly.
Anne quickly rose her arm and opened her hand, enveloping the front of the ship in an energy field as the ship made contact with the solid Earth. The ship shook and jolted as it plowed along the ground and mud. Various consoles exploded and sparked as panels fell free and various wires and conduits fell loose and hung from the ceiling like veins in a jungle. Smoke was beginning to fill the interior of the Valiant as the ship struck several rocks and almost flipped several times. With instrument panel of both the pilot and co-pilot exploding violently, as well as Anne's station, the ship came to a stop before everyone was thrown forward as the rear engines exploded. What was left of the ship tumbled end over end as smoke and fire filled the small cockpit. The last thing JAmes saw was the front of the ship crashing into a large hillside before the windows shattered and piles of dirt came flooding in.
How long had it been? Hours? Minutes maybe? None of them really knew. As James began to wake, he could feel warm blood trickle down forehead and from his lower lip. As he opened his eyes, he saw Drew was standing over him and removing his shattered helmet. Drew's helmet was gone, and he had a nasty cut under his left eyes that was bleeding pretty badly as well as a few other smaller cuts. James tried to sit up, but immediately cried out as pain flooded his chest.
"Just lay still, James. I think you've got some broken ribs." Drew said to him.
"What – happened? The Valiant?" James asked.
"The ship's destroyed, James. Half of her went up when the engines exploded." Drew said.
To James' surprise, a young man in strange armor appeared next to Drew and placed a folded piece of cloth under James' head. The young man looked human, but was also dressed like a futuristic roman soldier. James was confused for a moment as he saw the young man wave his arm, with another armored man appearing by his side and begin attending to James' wounds.
"Who?"
"Natives, James. Humanoids." Drew said.
"Where – where's Anne?" James asked him.
"Just lay still. She'll be all right." Drew said.
"I have to find her." James said before shouting in pain as he tried to move.
"James, let them help you first." Drew said as he tried to hold him down while the medic tried to attend to his wounds.
James shouted before finally surrendering to the pain and laid still.
"We'll find her, James. I promise." Drew whispered as he let the medic attend to his ailing friends.
Drew looked back to the ship again, and tried to figure out what had become of Anne. When he awoke, he saw the natives arrive and help them escape. But because of the language they spoke, he didn't understand what they were saying. He was doing his best to try and use hand gestures to help them understand. But when they had pulled everyone from the wreckage, there was no sign of Anne anywhere. The only thing they had found of her at all was her empty spacesuit that was in her chair. Nothing was making sense at all.
On a near by ledge that overlooked the crash sight, a large eagle looked on at what was happening. If anyone had looked, they would have noticed how strange it was from other Eagles, even on this world. It's feathers were a stunning bright red while its eyes were as blue as sapphires. As it looked on at the scene before it, the eagle bowed its head and closed its eyes as tears began to fall. In time, she would be able to reveal what became of Anne Possible. But not yet. The eagle then took to the air and began to fly as it shed more tears over what she had given up to save the three from the wreckage. Ahead of her stood a large and ancient castle with the face of a skull carved into the main entrance. Inside of it lay her destiny, the destiny of those not yet born, and the fate of this world she would now call home. The world of Eternia.
MASTERS
OF THE UNIVERSE
By FAH3
The sun was shinning down on another beautiful day on the world of Eternia while its inhabitants went about their daily lives. In the small village of Candar, situated not too far from the eastern shores of the Sea of Rakash, everyone was going about their normal day. The market place in the center of the village was busy and filled with bustling life as children played in the street. On a few buildings, the bright banner of King Randor and the Kingdom of Eternos fluttered in the wind while even the royal guards couldn't help but enjoy cool air that came in from the sea earlier that morning. But unaware to everyone in the village, a small device was floating above their heads.
The device's design was unique. If anyone had looked up, they would only see its silhouette because of how high it was and assume it was a bird. Only a closer look would reveal it was a machine as its sensors and cameras surveyed everything below and around it. The strange device was now past the center of town and making its way toward the docks. Every building it passed, it would carefully scan at a fast pace. If there was nothing of interest to it, it would move onward. For the past two hours, it had been doing this. Looking for something unique. And as it made its way closer to the docks, its sensors found something. Altering its course and lowering its altitude, the device began making several scans of one building in particular. To anyone else, it would seem that the building looked to be a simple shop. Various fruits and vegetables were in several baskets, as well as strung up in bags and small nets from the ceiling inside. But further toward the back, the machine found something. Simple or not, it could detect that there was more advanced technology inside of it. The kind used by the royal guard in an outpost or barrack. Scanning the building further, it had found a large lift that lead several feet below the village. Under these people's very feet was a very large and highly secured bunker. Its target was found.
"Excellent." The machine's pilot said from his chair while the device that covered most of his head began to adjust itself.
"This had better be good." The larger figure behind him said in a deep, and very rough voice. Almost sounding like he had gargled with a combination of broken glass and sand paper.
"Our spies were correct. What we're looking for is underneath their feet." The man said as he recalled his device using the remote built into his gauntlet.
"Then what are we waiting for? We have our orders." The large figure said.
"Agreed." The man said as he opened a comm link. "All forces, move in. It's time to begin the assault."
Peaceful and serene. No one could ask for a better or more beautiful day. Even the sentry that sat in a guard tower along the edge of the village enjoyed the cool air as he kept his gaze. Normally, the post of being a lookout was often a boring and sometimes dreaded duty to be given. It meant staying within the fortified tower of stone for hours on end with no relief until past mid-day. And the only thing to do was to just stand and stare at the surrounding land. The only thing to do at times was to just daydream.
"Command post to Sentry four. Come in." the voice of his commander said through the communicator in his ear.
"This is Sentry four, sir." He said as he placed to fingers lightly against the device he was wearing.
"I need your hourly report, soldier."
"So far, it's the same as usual captain. Nothing to report so far except the grass grow – hold on a second." The sentry said as he noticed something odd.
Coming from the woods, the sentry saw a strange large dust cloud forming. The wind wasn't powerful enough to cause such an effect, and he knew of no animal that could do any such thing as well. Reaching for his belt, he removed the binoculars that hung from his waist and looked through them. He couldn't make out anything at first. Whatever was stirring the dirt was still too far away. He zoomed in on the dirt cloud, and couldn't believe what he saw. It was a small band of figures that were dressed in black armor. The dirt cloud was being created by the vehicles that they were riding. They looked to be sky sleds from the kingdom of Eternos, but they had been painted black with a horrid screaming skull on the front of them that looked like it had been painted on with blood. All the armored men that rode them were armed with plasma rifles and pistols as wells as swords and daggers, but it was what they were towing that frightened him. Two large ion cannons were being toed by two armed armored transports. And it looked like both of the cannons were powerful enough to cave in a fortified castle wall.
"This is Sentry four. Commander, come in!" he said as he activated the comm link again.
"What is it, Sentry four?" the commander responded.
"Commander, we've got hostel's coming in from the Dagon Jungle. They are well armed and have two ion cannons with them, sir!" the sentry said as he did his best to control the fear that was forming inside the pit of his stomach.
"Are you sure, Sentry four?"
"I'm positive, sir. I've never seen anything like them before."
"Acknowledged." The commander said and cut the transmission.
Inside barracks for the royal guard, the commander immediately exited his quarters and walked to the command and ops center as fast as he could. He entered the large room as it was buzzing with activity and headed directly to one of the techs that was observing different locations on a large holographic viewer.
"Soldier!" the commander bellowed.
"Yes, sir?" the tech asked.
"I need a live feed of the Dagon Jungle to the South-West." The commander said as he loomed behind the tech like a predator on top of his prey.
"Coming up, sir." The tech said as he began to switch the feed to several of the cameras that had posted in that area. Soon, the large holographic monitor was filled with different views of the large force that was approaching them, including the two large ion cannons. "What the? Who are they?" the tech asked himself.
"They aren't friendly, that's for sure. Sound the sirens. NOW!" the commander ordered.
A large siren immediately activated, causing all of the villagers to immediately stop what they were doing. Worry and fear began to spread among them as the soldiers began to be deployed along the outer walls that surrounded the village and kept them safe.
"All villagers, proceed to the shelters as fast as you can! Repeat! All villagers are to proceed to the shelters as fast as possible!" the commander of the royal soldiers ordered over the several speakers that were throughout the village.
More soldiers began to fill the streets and began to order everyone to head to the nearest shelter instead of their homes. The fear began to rise in all of them as they were being lead to fortified shelters which were located beneath certain buildings. There were only two reasons that the villagers would proceed to these heavily fortified shelters instead of their homes. One would be an imminent natural disaster, such as a flood, large storm, or a tsunami. But there had been no sign of a storm of any kind. All the machines they had to monitor their world's weather had indicated that they would have at least a week of clear skies and calm winds. The perfect weather for harvesting crops and for gathering fish from the sea. That meant it was the other reason the shelters were used for which hadn't happened to them for several years. They were about to be attacked by a hostile force.
The small legion of soldiers that were in charge of defending the village were now all in place with their weapons armed, charged, and ready for battle. The commander of the legion was standing on the main wall, over the now closed gate to the village. His men had just finished locking the gates as the hostile forces were now visible, as well as the two large ion cannons the sentry had informed him off. The sky sleds they rode were very similar to the ones that the kingdom of Eternos used, but they had been heavily modified. Wherever their sky sleds came from came from, it was obvious the vehicles creator had copied their design. Soon, the hostile force was at the wall and began to fall into formation.
Some of the armored men stood to their feet and fell into ranks as others remained on their vehicles. He could see that many had what looked to be a large splash of red on their right shoulders while others had a darker burgundy color splashed on their left shoulders. From the way they were arranging themselves, the ones with the bright red on their shoulders were the higher-ranking officers. And on all of them, on both their forearms, was the same hideous red screaming skull that matched the ones on the sky sleds.
"Steady men. Be ready for anything." He said to his men as they kept their eyes on the hostels.
Below them, one armored soldier with both shoulders covered in red and wearing a back cape surveyed the walls of the city as well as his men as they all stood in formation around him. Everything was primed and to his satisfaction. A small, and yet predatory, smile formed underneath the black helmet that hid his features from everyone. On his right forearm, his gauntlet came to life as it opened a communications link.
"Everything is in place, sir. Awaiting further orders." The soldier said.
With a loud hiss, one lone figure exited one of the transports that had pulled one of the heavy ion cannons as its door opened. He wore a sickly dark green suit of armor over his frame that looked like it had been created by salvaging parts from various other things. A large broadsword of similar color hung from his belt, with the blade carrying several scratches and chips from being used over the course of several years. The soldiers that were standing in formation stood stiff like statues while every single one of them saluted the man as he walked to the closed gates of the city.
"All of the men are ready, sir. What are your orders?" the commanding officer asked the man in green armor.
The man turned to him, revealing the entire upper half of his head was covered by a strange green helmet that looked to be made of several various mechanical pieces, with one lone large blue lens in the center of where his eyes should have been. Various pieces of the smooth helmet began to shift as the blue eyepiece rotated away from his face and was quickly replaced by a glowing red one.
"Blast the gates." The man said as the ion cannons began to power up and he stepped out of the way.
"FIRE!" the commanding officer ordered as loudly as he could.
With a massive and thunderous roar, both of the large cannons unleashed a torrent of destructive energy toward the main gates. With an explosion loud enough to sound like an erupting volcano, the main gates and part of the wall was obliterated in an explosion powerful enough to shake the entire town down to its very foundations. Several of the royal guards were either knocked off the wall as it shook or killed by various flying pieces of debris, piercing straight through their armor or helmets. The smoke didn't even have time to clear as the dark figures began to storm the city and began firing at the valiant royal guard. Several armored soldiers immediately began flying through the streets on their sky sleds while other soldiers on foot took their place and began to fire and advance upon the royal guards. A full bloody battle had erupted in less than a minute as the smell of burnt metal and charred flesh began to fill everyone's noses.
"STAND YOUR GROUND, MEN! DRIVE THEM OUT!" the commander shouted as he drew his sword and began to charge into the fray, hacking away at limbs and driving his blade through the bodies of several raiders that they were fighting.
Even though it had been less than an hour since the battle had begun, it felt like it had been so much longer for the soldiers as they continued to fight. Buildings were now burning from stray blaster fire as several others were nothing more than ruble from the enemy's large ion cannons. Most of the royal guard was scattered on the wall and ground, either laying dead or immobile because of their wounds. The commander was still alive and fighting, although he was now growing weary and heavy hearted as he stepped over the bodies of his men. How was such a small attack force able to beat them? It was almost as if these raiders actually knew their defenses and fighting styles. But that was impossible.
"DRIVE THEM OUT, MEN!" he shouted to any of his soldiers that could still hear him. "DO NOT GIVE UP! DRIVE THEM AGGGHHH1" he shouted as a large, jagged knife erupted from his chest. He could taste the copper of his own blood as he felt it begin to fill and overflow from his throat as he looked down at the horrid weapon. With a massive jerk, the blade was ripped out from him from the back, and felt himself go limp as he fell to the ground.
"You talk too much." A rough voice said as he stepped out of the smoke.
He was a large, broad man with pale blue skin that was covered in various scars of different kinds. His left arm held a large plasma rifle while his right revealed it to be a large cybernetic prosthesis that was joined to his body at the shoulder. The large jagged blade retracted into the forearm as it shifted and transformed into a large energy weapon that immediately began to power itself up. His jaw was also a cybernetic prosthesis that had several razor sharp and jagged teeth set into it to make him look like a vicious predator. His head was covered by a large and dirty red helmet that looked to have been salvaged from elsewhere, protecting the obvious cybernetic enhancements to his brain that could barley be made out. His face, also riddled with many scars, was a sickly green as a large sneer formed as he looked down at the mortally wounded captain.
"A word of advice. You should have given up when you had the chance." He said to the man as he aimed his cybernetic arm and obliterated the man's head and upper torso with a large energy blast.
"Was that really necessary, Trap Jaw?" the man in the green armor and cycloptic red lens said.
"Mind your own business, Tri-Klops." The large man said as several of their men made their way toward them. "Report!" Trap Jaw ordered.
"We have secured the bunker, sir. There is more than enough weapons inside to supply all of our forces." The commanding officer said.
"Excellent." Tri-Klops said.
"Lieutenant!" Trap Jaw said loudly, gaining the soldier's complete attention. "How many shelters are there?"
"We've found four, but our intelligence suggests that there are five all together." The soldier said.
"Which shelter is the largest?"
"The one in the center of town, underneath their temple, sir." The soldier replied.
"Good." Trap Jaw said with delight. "Seal it closed. Make sure no one is able to escape. Then blow it up when you're finished." Trap Jaw said as he began to turn to leave.
"S-sir?" the soldier asked, unable to believe what he just heard.
"Did I stutter, soldier?" Trap Jaw demanded as he turned to face the commanding officer again, annoyed that his orders were being questioned by a subordinate.
"No, sir. I just,"
"The people of Eternia must be shown who is in control, and who has the upper hand. And these – pests – are to be made an example of. Seal the temple, and burn it to the ground with everyone inside." Trap Jaw said.
"But sir, there's women and children in that shelter." The soldier said.
When Trap Jaw turned again, his cybernetic arm shifted into a large razor sharp claw and gripped the commanding officer by his throat. Trap Jaw couldn't see the soldier's face through the tinted screen of the helmet, but he could see the man trembling with fear. He slowly tightened the claw and could hear the armor around his neck beginning to crack from the pressure. A little more, and he would be cutting skin and opening an artery.
"Do I have to repeat myself again? Or should I just find your replacement that will follow my orders to the letter?" Trap Jaw growled as his breath began to fog the visor of the frightened soldier's helmet.
"I – I'll get – right to it, sir!" the soldier chocked.
"Good." Trap Jaw growled and let the soldier go. As he saw the soldier run away to carry out his duty, he looked down at what was left at the commander of the royal guard he had just killed.
"Is there a reason you thought he deserved to die like that?" Tri-Klops asked as he cleaned the blood off of his jade green sword.
"My reasons are my own. Keep asking, and I'll make sure I send you to hell right behind him." Trap Jaw said as he turned and left.
Inside the great Royal Palace in the city of Eternos, workers were busy getting everything ready inside the great dining hall for the grand celebration that was to take place later in the day. Today was a very special day in the kingdom of Eternia. It was the sixteenth birthday of King Randor and Queen Marlena's son, Prince Ronald. Ronald, or Ron as he preferred to be called, was seen by many as a unique Eternian, and not just because he was of Royal Blood. Everyone knew that the Queen came from a distant world many years ago. As she and her friends healed from their injuries and learned how to speak with the people of Eternia, it became obvious that Randor and Marlena had fallen in love with each other. From the moment of Ron's birth, it was almost as if many in Eternia knew that a unique destiny awaited him.
As preparations for the great feast were coming to a close, a strange little creature flew in to see what he could do to help. He wore red robes that were made of a strange cloth, with gold trim around its edges. A gold medallion hung from his neck while a burgundy sash was tied around what may have been his waist. A pair of blue hands could be seen, but no sign of any legs as he hovered in the air. In truth, the small being was only two feet high if he didn't have the ability to hover and float about as he pleased. A large red and tattered hat sat on his head while a purple cloth covered the lower half of his face. With the combination of hat and scarf, the only features that could be truly seen of the floating creature were his pointed elfin-like ears, and his bright yellow eyes. On his robes, beneath the gold medallion, was an elaborate and stylized black O. The creature was the royal court magician and jester known as Orko.
Orko had come from a world in another dimension known as Trolla. On his world, he was once a very powerful and respected sorcerer. But while he had been casting a spell, something had gone wrong and a dimensional tear had been formed. Before Orko had realized what had happened, he found himself thrown into the world of Eternia. Thankfully, he had arrived just in time to save a young Prince Ronald from being dinner for various creatures that lived in the very dangerous Tar Swamp. And even though he had made many friends in his new home, life was still somewhat difficult. Unlike Trolla, his magic on Eternia was unpredictable most of the time and usually had the opposite result of what he intended. Still, it didn't stop him from trying to help whenever he could; even though his unpredictable magic had earned him a reputation of being somewhat of a jinx.
"Man-at-Arms!" Orko called to the captain of the royal guard who was overseeing things. As Orko flew to the experienced warrior, the middle aged man couldn't help but groan to himself as he heard the shrill voice of the court magician. It was one headache he was hoping to avoid today.
"What is it, Orko?" the man asked as he turned to face the floating magician.
"I was just wondering if there was anything I can do to help. After all, you only turn sixteen once. At least I think that's how it is in this world." The little creature asked.
"Orko, we have already taken care of everything. In fact, only a few more tables have to be set. After that, we're done." He said to the small magician as he stroked the thick mustache and beard that covered his face, hiding the scars he had gained almost twenty years ago.
"But there has to be something I can do." Orko said, slightly disappointed.
"Orko,"
"I know! I can set the tables for you!" Orko said excitedly as he raised his hands and flexed his slender fingers.
"DON'T!" but he knew his words came too late.
Orko's fingers began to radiate with magical energy as he began to mumble words that no one could not understand. Within moments, two of the uncovered tables began to glow and slightly levitate. As soon as Orko was done casting the spell, the two tables landed on the ground and began to groan.
"Uh-oh." Orko whimpered. Those were words no one wanted to hear.
"What did you do?" Man-at-Arms asked as he heard the wood of the tables begin to groan even more. He looked back to the tables and saw workers slowly back away as the tables began to slowly swell like large balloons. Many resisted the urge to strangle the small magician as Man-at-Arms glared at him.
"Orko? What's going to happen?" he growled, sounding more like a beast than a man.
"Um, I think the term is – 'duck and cover?'" the magician asked.
"GET OUT OF HERE! THEY'RE GOING TO BLOW!"
Everyone began to flee from the dining hall as fast as they could as the tables were now so swollen that it looked like they were shuddering violently. Acting quickly, Man-at-Arms grabbed Orko and ducked down to the ground as fast as he could and tried to cover the little magician as both tables exploded violently. Strangely enough, Duncan didn't feel any debris pelting him or heat from the explosions. Instead, as he opened his eyes, he saw small brightly colored pieces of paper falling to the ground.
"What do you know, that was my confetti spell. I was so scared that I'd forgotten it a long time ago." Orko said with a small chuckle. As he glanced toward Man-at-Arms as they stood, he felt a cold chill run down his spine as he saw the middle aged captain's face turn bright red as the veins in his neck began to throb. It was obvious that he wasn't amused at all. "I'm guessing I'm in trouble?"
"That would be an understatement." The captain growled as he balled his fists out of pure habit and instinct.
"I think it's wonderful." A very sweet and feminine voice said, causing both to look to the entrance to the great hall.
Standing in the doorway was none other than the king and queen themselves. Queen Marlena was smiling as she brushed a few pieces of confetti off of her bright green dress and white cape. Randor was doing his best not to laugh at the look on his old friend's face while Orko begun to shiver from being so nervous.
"Your majesty, I can explain!" Orko began to say franticly.
"I agree with my wife, Orko. But instead of using your spell on the furniture, why not use it on the balloons instead?" Randor said with a small smile.
"Um – sure?" Orko asked, confused by the king's reaction. Whenever a spell backfired like that, he was usually scolded by King Randor. However, this looked like one of the rare moments he would be spared a stern lecture. He couldn't help but exhale a sigh of relief.
"Orko, do you know where Ron is?" Marlena asked.
"He and Kimberly are out by the stables. Drakken is trying to help them with their combat practice." The small magician said.
"Make sure that he's distracted until this afternoon, Orko. I wouldn't want his surprise to be ruined." The queen said to him.
"I'm on my way." Orko said as he immediately floated out of the great hall to find Ron. As soon as Orko was gone, Randor began to chuckle as Man-at-Arms tried to calm himself down.
"If we hadn't arrived when we had, I think your head would have erupted greater than the volcanoes in the Chaos Wastes, James." Randor said.
"If you hadn't arrived when you did, we would be short one court magician. I swear, that little imp causes more damage than a young dragon!" James said to himself as he popped his neck. "Sometimes I think things would be just so much easier if we banished him to the Evergreen Woods, or maybe to the Mystic Mountains just so things can actually be quiet for a change."
"James, you don't really mean that." Marlena said, knowing how Man-at-Arms could rant at times whenever he let his temper get the better of him. Ever since his wife Anne disappeared so many years ago, he truly hadn't been the same.
"What if I did? Every time he tries to help, things just go from bad to worse. He flooded my laboratory when he tried to get me a drink last week! And last month, when I asked him to hand me a tool in order to fix a sky sled, he thought he could fix it himself. Do you know what happened afterward? The damn thing exploded as soon as I tried to start it! I thought my eyebrows would never grow back!" James ranted as his face turned a deeper shade of purple.
"You also forget that he saved Ron's life, and has been of help to us on more than one occasion." King Randor said.
"That was by pure luck." James said to himself.
"Luck or not, James; he's more than a magician to us. He's as much a member of the Royal Family as Ronald is. And should know that by now." Randor said as the tone in his voice took on a more authoritative tone, letting James know it was time for him to calm down before he said something he would regret.
"Yes, your majesty." The captain said and bowed his head.
"Besides, just think of how boring your life would be without him." Marlena said.
"I dream of days like that." James said to himself, earning a small chuckle from the Queen.
"King Randor, sir!" a messenger said as he ran into the great hall as fast as he could. He quickly kneeled in front of the king as he tried to catch his breath and looked almost as pale as freshly fallen snow.
"What's wrong?" King Randor asked as the messenger quickly stood to his feet and handed the king the data pad he had been clutching tightly.
"I was told to deliver this to you as soon as possible, your highness." The messenger said.
Randor took the pad and began to read the data that was on it. The more he read, the more crest fallen and appalled he looked. After he was done reading the data pad, he closed his eyes and looked down.
"That will be all."
"Yes, sire." The messenger said and left the great hall as quickly as he arrived.
"Randor, what's wrong?" Marelna asked as she saw the scowl on her husband's face.
"James, please fetch Drakken and your daughter. I need to speak with all of you." Randor said, ignoring his wife's question for the time being.
"Kimberly, your highness?" James asked in confusion.
"Yes, James. The matter is urgent. I'll meet all of you in the throne room." Randor said.
"At once, your highness." Man-at-Arms said, following the same way Orko had taken only moments earlier.
"Randor, please tell me what's wrong." She said as she caressed her husband's cheek through his thick beard.
"There has been another attack by the dark raiders." Randor said solemnly.
"Another raid?"
"Much worse than the other incidents, I'm afraid. I hope I'm wrong, but it appears that war may be on the horizon." Randor said as he held his wife's hand in his. It never ceased to amaze him that her hands were so much smaller than his and almost seemed fragile at times.
"It's grown that bad?"
"I'm afraid so. Keep Ronald distracted, Marelna. He's not ready for news such as this yet." Randor said as he let go of his wife's hands and made his way to royal throne room as fast as he could. It seemed a dark storm was on the horizon for the kingdom of Eternos.
DISCLAIMER: He-Man is property of Mattel, and Kim Possible is property of Disney. I work with neother and wrote this for pure fun.