Author's Note

Just a few things before we get started. As usual, these characters don't belong to me, nor do their back stories or really anything vaguely related to them. But this story is an original, though it's based on one or two "MOTU" flashbacks and hints given along the way.

I need to note this or everyone will either kill me or get confused - or both, which is far worse. Continuity and canon is something I'll be taking somewhat lightly while writing this. Not lightly enough to destroy everything we know and love about "MOTU" and to alter it completely, but just a few adjustments for the sake of the story. This story takes in the same continuity as "The Crossroads of Destiny," "Prophecy & Change," "Roots," and "The Final Adventure." So . . . without further ado . . . "Preludes and Beginnings."

This story is a sequeal to "Preludes and Beginnings - Book One: Hate." You may want to read before you dive into this one. If you don't want to, here's the run-down.

Previously . . .

King Miro and Queen Lara had four children. Prince Randor, Princess Johanna, Prince Stephan, and Prince Keldor. During the birth of Prince Keldor, however, the queen died. Cursed with an early birth, Keldor had a weak heart his entire life, limiting his physical activity. He made up for the physical activities by studying sorcery - and the legends of the dark wizards of old. Keldor sought the legendary Castle Grayskull, in the hopes of using its power to prove to his overbearing family members his worth. To cause Castle Grayskull to return, Keldor gave the human leader of a band of Orcs named Monteeg a powerful horn - which would allow for an attack against Eternos. With Eternos under attack, Castle Grayskull would surely return. And return it did. Keldor reached it as Monteeg's Orcs battled at Eternos. During his raid, Keldor stole a blade from the Hall of Secrets - a blade known as the Sword of Darkness. Keldor took it, but was captured by a Lieutenant Duncan after the Sorceress of Grayskull alerted him to the situation. Duncan took Keldor to Eternos, and revealed his place in Monteeg's failed attack to the royal family. Under the advisement of the Council of Elders, Keldor was to be banished and his name to be stripped in secret - and a false report as to his fate to be released. But that evening, Keldor broke free and abandoned all of Eternos, divorcing himself from all of them forever on his own. Eventually, Keldor met up with Monteeg and agreed to join with his band of Orcs that were heading east from Eternos. Miro, broken-hearted because of his son's reckless abandon, left the throne to Randor and went missing during a secret confrontation with the evil Enchantress.

That was two years ago . . .

Chapter One

"The Star Raider"

It stopped raining early, and turned out to be a nice night in the end. The stars were out, and the moon hung huge and bright in the sky.

This was not Eternia - but a world galaxies away called Earth. A small, blue orb with one moon, orbiting an ordinary star with eight other neighbors. A world that yearns for what is beyond the confirms of its atmosphere. A yearning so deep that it spurns one woman to answer the call of duty.

Marlena Glenn walked down the corridor, breathing heavily underneath the spacesuit she wore. She carried nothing more than her helmet as the entrance of the Star Raider stood before her. Her whole entire life was leading up to this moment. She had sacrificed a lot to get here. She had no marriages, no children and only one relative left - a younger sister.

A younger sister that had begged her to not do this. There was fear in her voice, and a lot of concern. But Marlena assured her sister - Kristina - that this was a great thing for her to do. That it was worth it. That the danger was minimum.

The last part was a lie. The danger was very, very high. Marlena was going to the only member of a ship that was blasting off from a small island of the coast of South America - strapped to a nuclear reactor.

Once Marlena achieved orbit, the nuclear device was to propel her forward, using an experimental engine that would push the speed of the spacecraft. It was the hope that this engine would allow for a faster trip to the near-by planet Mars, in the hopes of landing there.

"Captain Glenn," addressed Mission Control. "Are you receiving us?"

"Affirmative, Mission Control."

Marlena went on to go through the pre-flight check-list. No warning lights went on, except for one that blinked off rather quickly. It was a electrical system light, but it went out just as Marlena reached for it. She told herself it was a short in the light and went on with the checklist.

"Captain Glenn," came the voice from Mission Control. "We are all set here. The final countdown is ready to begin. Are you still go?"

Marlena's eyes ran across the panels and controls before her. She nodded to herself. "Affirmative, Mission Control. I am okay to go."

The Star Raider began to shake and quake as the thrusters began to come to life. The countdown appeared both on her left and in her earpiece. She double-checked the panels around her, fingers doing the work they were trained to do.

This was her third NASA space mission. But this one was different. This time she was strapped to a live nuke.

"10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . . 7 . . ."

Marlena did a final check. The red light on the electric system came on again. She was about to reach up and cancel the flight - when the light went out. She nodded to herself and held onto the armrests of her chair hard.

". . . 6 . . . 5. . ."

She thought suddenly of her sister. Of how she used to lay out in their backyard while Mom and Dad cleaned up after dinner and looked up at the million stars above. About her great-uncle, John, who helped pioneer the space program.

". . .4 . . . 3 . . ."

Marlena recalled her life and found herself satisfied. She had nothing to lose. But did everyone else? It didn't matter now. It didn't. This was it. This was it.

". . . 2. . . 1 - ignition!"

The Star Raider groaned and powered, and the sky above began to move. The stars shifted and began to fall as the ship pushed up. Marlena checked her monitors and displays. Her heart was pounding furiously. The Star Raider gained tremendous speed as it snapped free from gravity and was slammed out off the ground and into the air . . .

Higher and higher the little ship went. Marlena checked the readings of the nuclear reactor. Still secure. That damn electric system light came on, then blinked off. She ignored it and concentrated. The ship was free from the Earth and was now entering a very high orbit.

"Star Raider to Mission Control. This is Captain Marlena Glenn. Please respond."

"Captain Glenn, we read you loud and clear, Star Raider."

"I have achieved standard orbit and am breaking out."

"Affirmative."

Between then and the test flight of the engine, Marlena would have to achieve a complete orbit of the planet. Not a problem - she had done before many times. The electric light didn't come up once - at least not that she noticed.

She floated around in the small space she had, double-checking all the components of the spacecraft - making sure everything was on-line and okay.

After 24 hours and a few rests, Marlena prepared herself. All ships systems were on-line. The experimental engine - Avatar, it was called - was ready for testing.

"All systems secure," she called down to Earth through her radio.

"Affirmative. Begin count-down to Avatar thrust."

Marlena began to the count-down. The sound of the nuclear reactor starting up filled up in the cabin behind her and the cockpit. Monitors began to display telemetry, reports, and up-dates. An electro-magnetic field splashed before her as the engine kicked in.

That was when things began to go wrong.

"Star Raider, this is Mission Control. Do you copy?"

"Mission Control, this is Star Raider. I copy. What's wrong?"

"We're picking up some sort of solar activity. Satellites are detecting an electro-magnetic disturbance caused by the sun, but it seems to be . . . interacting with the electro-magnetic field created by the Avatar engine."

"What do you recommend I do, Mission Control?"

"Shut down the reactor and wait for further instructions."

"Affirmative. Beginning Avatar engine and reactor shut-down procedures."

She began flipping switches, her fingers dancing along the keys. And then things got worse. An alarm sounded. Marlena turned to the proper monitor and it was all apparent to her. There was indeed a electric systems problem and it was now causing the nuclear reactor to overload.

"Mission Control, this is the Star Raider. Copy, Mission Control. I've got a problem up here."

"What is it?"

"The nuclear reactor . . . it's overloading. I've been trying to shut it down, but all of the emergency systems are not replaying."

"Can you eject it, Captain?"

"No. With the way its overloading, there's a chance it'll be pulled to the Earth and that's not something I want to even contemplate right now. I'll try some of the - "

"Captain, the nuclear reactor is increasing the magnetic field interactions. Something is happening up there! Something we - "

A few more splashes of blue burst before the Star Raider - and something truly did happen. The whole ship's computers flickered on and off as a HOLE in space blasted open before her. It rimmed by white light, and the entire was a strange vortex of yellow flares and fast moving stars.

"Mission Control! Are you reading this?!"

No answer.

She stared at it long and hard, this strange thing in the emptiness of space. Did she somehow cause this hole . . . or had it been there all along? No. It was here the whole time. It was door. And she unlocked it and opened it up.

This thing was ancient.

The sound of the alarms roared in her ears. The reactor was increasing in its overload. She was surely going to die here and now. There was no way she could dump it without endangering people on Earth. The reactor was going critical.

"The vortex," she said aloud. Her fingers worked the navigation, all the while trying to contact Mission Control. It was a lost cause. Not one reply.

If she could dump the reactor into the vortex - the door - the hole - that would safe Earth and herself. Carefully, the thrusters flared and pushed her forward. She maneuvered the Star Raider close to the vortex and positioned it so the nuclear reactor would tumble right into it.

After easing it right into place, Marlena pressed the eject controls. The sound of mechanics from behind was heard until the oxygen was sucked out of the compartment. She put on her helmet as soon as the reactor was free.

Marlena then turned the Star Raider around, still trying to contact NASA. She had only a side-shot of the reactor as it neared the entrance of the vortex. She kicked herself suddenly, as the realization that she sent one of the most dangerous devices known to man into an unknown tunnel in space came to her. But there was nothing she could now.

The reactor entered the vortex. As soon as it did, the outline of the vortex seemed to shake and quiver. The reactor vanished. But then . . . the Star Raider was beginning to be pulled into the vortex.

All thrusters stopped working. Marlena made sure she was strapped in. There was no stopping this. None at all.

As soon as the Star Raider neared the edge of the vortex, she was sure she was going to die . . .

It's a wormhole, she realized.

And then everything changed. The Star Raider shook violently. Lights flickered on and off, panels sparks, monitors shattered. Outside, the Earth and the moon and the distant sun were all gone - replaced by stars that shot by faster than she had ever seen anything in her entire life. Every now and then, she saw bright yellow and orange and red orbs fire passed along with the streaked stars - but they all lasted by a second of so.

Her body began to grow uncomfortable in the space suit - the space ship - the wormhole - the outer space - the . . . everything.

Began - broke - time - down.

No - thing - stable - remained - place - in.

Scream - Mar - ed - lena.

Things went black when there was a burst of white light and then the stars went even faster.

Marlena closed her eyes and didn't open them for a long while.