Chapter Ten. A Plan set in motion

Previously...

"This is child's play!" Astra exclaimed in annoyance.

"Relax, Astra." Shanna replied, "I am sure they will tire out eventually. Hey. Wait a second."

"What?"

"Who is that blonde boy? Not Flash Gordon that one in the blue jacket next to that telepath girl."

"I do not know."

"Perhaps I can use my staff to find out."

Shanna used her staff which briefly scanned Rick from the safe distance that they were standing, "That boy is Rick Gordon. He is the son of Flash Gordon. I wonder. Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"Possibly." Astra replied, "We could use the young Gordon boy as our leverage against Flash. He is kind of attractive."

"Hey! I saw him first!" Shanna exclaimed before looking at the ice guards, who were now gaining the upper hand against the heroes, "Now ice soldiers, on with our next phase of our attack!"

The heroes were face to face against the ice soldiers.

"For the next phase of our attack," Shanna declared, "We shall eliminate all of you one by one!"

"You will not be eliminating anyone! Neither will Ming!"

The heroes looked to see Prince Tavrok and his lover/ Ming's youngest daughter Princess Castra arriving on scene of the battle.

"Prince Tavrok!" Flash exclaimed, "Princess Castra!"

"We are here to help you fight against Ming." Castra announced.

"Princess Castra." Baylin stated, "Ming's youngest daughter, and her husband Prince Tavrok. We meet again."

"Good to see you too, Baylin of Verden." Tavrok answered.

"Shanna and Astra," Ming appeared on Shanna's screen that emerged via her staff, "what is going on here? Is there anything wrong? I do not expect any delay in our plan."

"I understand," Shanna replied, "but these annoying interferences keep coming to stop us from executing our plan."

"Which is why I should have had my clay people to help in the battle here." Astra added.

"We had a plan in motion," Shanna told Ming, "and we would have it in motion if it weren't for the two that have just arrived here interfered with our plan."

"So I see." Ming replied, "Well, proceed with your plan with the Defenders and Astra, use your clay people to aid those useless ice soldiers."

"Yes, of course." Astra replied. Ming vanished from screen. Then, Astra used her new and improved bracelet to summon a group of clay people to the area, which had mucky blue skin in color and were dressed in beige hooded robing.

"We have no time for a reunion." Flash told the arriving allies, "We got work to do."

"We shall get ready to fight again!" Vultan declared.

The heroes quickly learned how hostile, how angry that these clay people can be as Baylin was tackled down by the clay creeps despite her best efforts in taking them down, but she was not going down without a fight.

"By jungle law, the ghost who walks calls forth the power of ten tigers!" the Phantom called for his power to fight ice soldiers and clay people that were coming his way. He was managing to do well despite how hostile the clay people now were. Lothar and LJ tried using their strengths to defeat their opponents but to no avail.

"Looks like these guys are bent on rage, Dad." LJ stated.

"You have said it, son." Lothar replied.

Flash, Barin, Thun and Vultan joined forces with Tavrok and Castra to fight off their respective opponents. Not even that team up could do well for so long before they would be overwhelmed themselves.

"These clay people are a bit more upgraded than we last saw them." Flash stated.

Jedda used Astra's old bracelet to knock down the clay people that were coming her way, "I am sure that is something Astra did not count on."

"She has my old bracelet," Astra told Shanna as she lifted her new bracelet, "and is using it against me. We got to take our prisoner now!"

The clay people proceeded to make their next move towards their planned prisoner: Rick Gordon. Baylin of the planet Verden observed this.

"Flash!" Baylin shouted, "They are after Rick! Protect your son!"

"Flash, hurry!" Zarkov added.

Flash didn't need to be told twice as he ran towards his son and fired at the clay people that were coming for Rick.

"What the...Dad?!" Rick exclaimed.

"Stand clear of the clay people! You will be safe, I promise you!" Flash assured his son.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Castra told her lover.

"As do I, Castra." Tavrok replied.

"They will not take Rick on my watch." Jedda stated before speaking to her panther, "Kisa, help Flash defend Rick against those clay people!"

Kisa leaped into action as she was helping Flash defend his son from being taken by the clay people. That would not do any good as the clay people shoved the panther aside and were coming closer to Rick.

"Oh no, Kisa!" Jedda cried before gasping as the clay people were coming for Rick, who was trying to make his way to the ship, "Rick, watch out!"

Rick was startled to see clay people were coming for him. Vultan managed to fly at the area and knocked them down, but that relief would not last too long.

"Nothing to it, laddie." Vultan told Rick.

"Those clay people are not as easy to defeat as they look, Vultan!" Flash exclaimed, "Rick!"

Appearing from behind the doorway of the ship, one of the clay people grabbed Rick from behind and began to carry him away as a couple of more clay people were helping dragging him to where Astra and Shanna were.

"Let go of me!" Rick demanded, struggling to get free.

"Oh no!" Kendra exclaimed.

"Rick!" Kshin added. Zuffy exclaimed in worry.

Baylin got her dagger prepared to attack, "They will not get far."

The clay people brought Rick to where Astra and Shanna were.

"We have him right where we want him." Shanna stated before using her staff to knock the boy out unconscious.

"Let the boy go, this is getting you nowhere to get your loved ones avenged!" Baylin demanded.

"And what is it to you Verden?" Astra asked.

"Let Rick go!" Flash pleaded, "it is me you want!"

"You may not worry." Astra stated, "your son will not be harmed. For now."

"Take him to the dungeon where we already have Flash's parents prisoner." Shanna told the ice soldiers. The ice soldiers gathered around the clay people and they vanished with Rick as their prisoner. Baylin tried to stop them but was too late.

"No!" Flash cried in anguish as he tried going after them but Mandrake and Lothar managed to grab him before he could even move. The others stood in shock and dumbfounded states as Shanna and Astra were not quite done with the others yet.

A/N: Weren't expecting new people were you? The characters that were introduced in this chapter are Princess Castra and her lover Prince Tavrok from the Defenders of the Earth episode "Like Father, Like Daughter?". Castra happens to be Ming's youngest daughter and also has a hatred for her father. That is the story behind that.