"We are certainly close to something…" Drew spoke with closed eyes as he held his hand out, apparently straining a bit to use The Force, since it was still very new to him. "Or at least… I think we are."
Drew, Thrawn, and Kowalski were in a heavily armed Defender-class Star Destroyer, the Obi-Wan, while Superman slowly flew alongside them, accompanying them on their quest to find the origin of this 'anomaly'.
"Still picking up nothing on the sensors." Kowalski reported.
"Keep scanning. We're closing in on it." Thrawn replied, his arms folded behind his back as he looked out into space.
The Grand Admiral then looked to Drew. "Sense anything?"
"I…" Drew began, before his eyes shot open. He began to hold his head in slight pain as he took some breaths, appearing to strain himself a bit too hard. "You know, sometimes this 'Force' thing is a whole bunch of nonsense! It's nearly impossible unless you're solitary in a quiet room…" He vented, appearing frustrated at his failure.
"I still don't understand the 'Force'..." Kowalski shrugged. "Telepathy and telekinesis...quite hard to explain...even for my scientific mind.."
"Believe me," Drew turned to Kowalski while still clutching his head. "Me too… Yet here I am, learning all it has to offer in its teachings… Not even sure why. At first I began learning it for the sole purpose of quelling the Darkness held inside of me for so long, but now I've gone as far as attempting to master the art… Well, if that's even a term you'd use for it."
Drew shook his head, quickly adding with a small huff,
"Though I will admit, it is at least ten times harder to master than the martial arts I trained in over the years… And even then you might call it an understatement…"
"Jack spoke of how it took him quite a while to get as strong as he has. What he's capable of now is far more than he was when he first used the lightsaber in 2018. But even still, you can always keep learning.." Thrawn replied. "Even Master Yoda said he still has much to learn about the Force."
"Well duh," Kowalski chuckled. "I knew he came up a bit short when it came to mastering the Force."
Thrawn rolled his eyes at the rather poor attempt at humor, while Drew could only cross his arms.
"It is easy to say that until you spar with him in the training area." Drew brought up. "He is perhaps among the most skilled combatants I have ever seen… Not many can keep up with me, and yet Master Yoda… he always seems to be a step ahead of me."
"Fair enough..." Kowalski replied. "Skipper said that he might want us to learn the Force as well, mostly because he wants to see what Rico could do with it."
"That just sounds like a brilliant idea..." Thrawn deadpanned.
"You do realize you have to be Force sensitive, correct?" Drew asked Kowalski. "As me and my Master, Anakin, have had to inform the Tatooine girl: becoming a Jedi isn't as simple as taking a few classes."
"Oh I know," Kowalski chuckled. "I just don't want to be the one to tell Skipper that.."
"That," Drew looked to the side temporarily. "I could understand."
"Don't mean to interrupt…" Superman spoke as he softly tapped on the window so as to not break it, but also catch their attention. "But I think I see something out in the distance."
Drew looked ahead of where Superman was pointing, before he squinted his eyes.
"Uhm…" Drew began, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh…" Superman chuckled in remembrance. "Well, a few light years out in the distance."
"Right…" Drew sighed. "That's not too far at all…"
"Yeah, not far at all..." Thrawn agreed, before looking to Superman. "Tell us where to go, and we'll get there faster in hyperspace than on conventional drives."
Superman pointed a direction, before he informed,
"You'll have a clear shot of making it if you go this direction… Technically it's faster if you go a bit to the right, but unless you want to wind up smack in the middle of a star, I suggest going this way." He chuckled.
"Setting course around the star, now." Kowalski replied, before Obi-Wan jumped into hyperspace, and moments later, exited near where Superman had told them too.
And of course… he was already there, arms crossed with a grin.
"What took ya so long?" Superman asked them, deciding to poke a bit of fun.
"Oh, ha ha…" Drew Mock laughed in a sarcastic manner. "Hilarious… Keep it up and you'll be as much a comedian as Freddy seems to be."
"Oof…" Superman frowned. "Point taken, Bats…"
He then turned around, before motioning to the now obvious spinning black hole before them.
"Well," Superman began. "I would say that this is the place…"
"Lord almighty…" Drew breathed. "That black hole is enormous!"
And indeed it was… With every passing second, the black hole sucked in a singular star or piece of space debris. However, it would be no time at all before it came in the vicinity of a planet. And that was something none of them could allow to happen.
"Actually, it's a small one, when compared to the one at the center of the galaxy, at least." Kowalski commented. "But still, it's definitely dangerous."
"Picking up something different about this one...More gamma radiation than usual, which..." Thrawn began, before putting his hand on his chin, as if thinking. "Perhaps the gamma radiation, combined with the gravity of the singularity, is what causes the anomalies to appear?"
"A very plausible theory." Drew nodded. "But that won't matter for very long… We're gonna shut this thing down once and for all."
"And that's why you brought me…" Superman guessed, crossing his arms. "Is that correct?"
"Basically…" Drew shrugged.
"Figure that all out by yourself, did you?" Kowalski added.
"I'm not sure I like you as much as the other penguins…" Superman frowned, intentionally trying to get under Kowalski's skin, before he grinned. "That Private on the other hand sure was a delight to be around…"
"Everyone says that..." Kowalski muttered. "So how are we going to stop this?"
"Easy." Drew said matter a factly. "Clark is going to pull this black hole closed. Or at least… that is what we're going with for now."
Everyone cocked a brow in Drew's direction. Usually he had his plans a lot more calculated and planned out.
"Hey," Drew responded, seeing the looks. "Have you ever dealt with closing an inner dimensional anomaly portal before? Didn't think so…"
"Have you?" Thrawn asked.
"No, that's why I said it." Drew responded, before walking past him, wanting to get the show on the road. "Go ahead, Clark. Give it a shot."
"Well," Superman looked at the black hole's intimidating form and strong suction power which led into an endless abyss before him, before he merely shrugged. "Here goes nothing…"
In that instant, he flew up to the black hole, before somehow grasping both sides of it with both of his hands, pulling in tight.
However, while it did begin to close shut a bit, you could definitely see the strain on Superman's face.
"Uh oh…" Drew muttered. "This is gonna be a close one."
"Al…most!" Superman strained, clenching together his teeth, before-
"Agh!" Superman was pushed back violently, as the black hole immediately reopened itself, this time perhaps even a bit bigger than it was earlier.
"Oh no..." Kowalski muttered. "We might have...supercharged the Black Hole..."
Drew's eyes narrowed, before his more laid back side started to temporarily fade away. This was the time to get serious.
"Clark, are you okay?" Drew asked him.
"Ughh…" Superman rubbed his head a bit, but still continued to float a bit behind their ship. "Yeah, I think so… That black hole is more powerful than it looks."
"It's getting stronger, by the looks of it." Kowalski added, before his eyes widened. "If we don't move the Obi-Wan back, it will suck us in!"
"Thrawn, move the ship…" Drew's eyes narrowed a bit, getting an idea. "Clark, you make sure the black hole doesn't damage anything important. Kowalski, you keep tabs on it as well. I think we still have a shot of shutting this thing down."
"How?" Superman asked him, before floating between the black hole and the fleeing Obi-Wan.
"I'm going to call a couple friends…" Drew stated, before taking a breath and closing his eyes.
This was a technique that they had touched upon only a little bit, but he was at least confident he had the basics down. He would only have one shot at this before he gave himself another massive headache…
Holding his hand out, Drew used the Force to transmit a message into a select couple of individuals' heads…
"This is Drew… I know you can hear me. Follow the source of this voice into our Solar System, for your aid is required! Not only for us, but potentially for the universe as we know it…"
Billy shook his head as he heard the voice in his head, before he clutched his forehead while on a date with Amelia.
"What is it?" Amelia asked, looking up from the menu.
"I- I don't know…" Billy admitted. "But-"
Billy stood up out of his chair, as the voice grew ever louder in his head.
"I- I think I gotta go…" Billy abruptly stated.
"But-" Amelia began, before Billy tossed about $50 on the table.
"Here's fifty. Have a good time, eat well, and knock yourself out…" Billy grinned, before kissing his girlfriend's forehead. "Love ya, bye…"
With that, and before another protest could be made, Billy rushed out of the restaurant.
Amelia watched him go, before looking down, crossing her arms in frustration. She went on this date in the first place...because she had very important news to tell him. And now...she wouldn't get the chance until he got back…
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"What is it, Princess?" One of the more elite Amazon warriors asked Wonder Woman, who had paused mid spar.
Wonder Woman stepped away for a moment, before her eyes widened.
"Great Hera…" She muttered, before turning to the Amazon. "Sister, inform Mother that I will be gone for a temporary period… I will not be long."
"But Diana, where are you-" The Amazon spoke, as Diana began to fly away, reassuring,
"I shall return!"
Before long, Wonder Woman was out of sight, leaving the Amazon to simply watch where she had flown off, before walking away from their sparring grounds to fulfill the Princess' request.
It was definitely strange, whatever she was doing…
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"Give me just a second, guys." Jack said to Geoff and the rest of Cabinet. "I gotta go."
"Like, what's going on, man? You good?" Geoff asked.
"Yeah, it's just-" Jack stopped, sensing something again. Though this time...it was...worse. Far worse…
It was like...a shadow in the Force. A shadow of complete and utter darkness…
The others noticed Jack's expression almost immediately, before Bridgette silently looked down, going into her own thoughts.
She knew that look, even still. Whenever he or anyone else did, that's when you knew more trouble was on the rise.
And just when peace was looking up…
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"Keep firing!"
A squad of Imperial soldiers blocked off the street, as they aimed their sights directly at the… monster before them!
The beast stood at an astounding nine feet tall, was bulky in its appearance, and was grey in color. Its defining traits was its seemingly stone white hair that hung down to its shoulders, its glowing red eyes, and finally its many sharp appendages.
From its knuckles to its shoulders, you couldn't see it without some sort of sharp spike sticking from its body. One touch from something so sharp would likely cut you right open…
It shook the ground with every step, its face completely blank. It had not a care in the world about what it had already done…
From men, to women, to even children and animals, it had already ripped each of them apart that stood in its way. And it had done it without so much as a smile, a tear, or even any sort of emotion.
It simply had no sympathy.
The bullets fired from each soldier's gun as it hit the beast known as Doomsday. However, the bullets did nothing more than ricochet directly off of it, as it continued to march forward.
"This is captain Granger to the Fleet, commence bombardment of our position!" The officer in charge of the squad began.
"You're in a populated area! We can't-"
"Nothing else will kill this-"
However, the transmission suddenly cut off, and the only thing those in the Navy could hear now were the screams of the soldiers as they were ripped to pieces.
As had happened with thousands of Imperial soldiers and dozens of vehicles, the monster had torn through their defenses and destroyed them with trivial ease.
Already, almost eight thousand people had been murdered by this...thing. The City of Denver was in ruins, covered in blood, entrails and bones.
And after Denver was depopulated...nothing would stop this monster from moving on South Park itself.
As it ripped apart the soldiers, the monster's attention was turned when a beam of light materialized behind it.
Sensing the source of the light to be the strongest living organism around, automatically it was drawn towards it, to end whatever life it possessed.
Jack emerged from the light, and for a split second, his eyes widened at the monster rushing towards him. He could only describe it as a living nightmare. A mess of stone-like skin, spikes and teeth…
But he would not back down. He would stop this menace and save his people.
He yelled in rage and sent a torrent of lightning at it with Stormbreaker.
The monster stopped in its tracks… but only to look down in curiosity at what was being fired into its body.
It could feel absolutely nothing at all… It only stopped due to its own curiosity…
Jack's heart sank upon seeing that. His most powerful attack...had done literally nothing to this...abomination!
This would be harder than he thought…
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"Mom! Ma! Where are you going?" Maisie asked as she followed Gwen and Kyle out of the Imperial Headquarters, many of their friends close behind.
"We're going to help your father." Gwen said firmly.
As she said this, Ahsoka put a hand on the girl's shoulder, before promising softly,
"We will watch over her in your absence…" She then looked at Anakin from the corner of her eye. "Won't we, Master?"
"We will." Anakin agreed. "Maisie, like all your other kids, are family."
"We're going with you." Thor added as he and the Avengers joined Kyle and Gwen. "You and your husband are going to need all the help you can get."
"That bad, huh?..." Ahsoka frowned as she asked anyone who was willing to answer. "How bad has it gotten? Is there anymore news?"
"Nothing." Carandial said. "Denver's...almost gone silent."
"Oh…. no." Ahsoka hung her head down, fearing the worst for the town. "I… would go with you as well, but-" She looked down at Maisie, seemingly conflicted with herself, feeling as if she should be out there fighting with them to do her part.
"Go," Carandial said. "We can watch Maisie and the other children-."
"I'm going too!" Amelia declared, joining the others.
"Absolutely not!" Kyle began. "We need you to-'
"Mom, I'm not going to stand by and let anyone else die!" Amelia declared.
Kyle opened her mouth to protest, before Amelia added.
"I'm not going to be sidelined again! I'm just as much a fighter as you are!" She narrowed her eyes. "My father is out there, and I won't let him die when I know he'll need all the help he can get!"
Kyle bit her lip, unsure of how to respond, before replying. "Just...don't get hurt. You're my daughter, Amelia. You're asking a mother to put her child in harm's way...please be careful."
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Jack leapt out of the way of Doomsday's punch, which he could definitely feel the wind off of. Doomsday had enlarged the spikes on his fists in order to make it more effective in successfully puncturing internal organs.
As Jack backed up a bit, Doomsday roared as he slammed both of his fists down much like Bane or The Hulk might do, which Jack avoided. However what he could not avoid was the shockwave, which knocked him back several feet.
Jack crashed into the wall of a nearby building, causing it to buckle a bit from the force.
Blood began to seep from his nose and several cuts on his face and chest. His clothes were torn, and his face was covered in bruises.
The Emperor looked up at the beast as it approached.
He narrowed his eyes, and stood up, but immediately fell back to his knees, coughing up blood.
As the Bifrost brought them to Denver, this was the sight that greeted the heroes as they arrived.
The Emperor on his knees, almost broken before the might of an abomination…
"My...god..." Captain America breathed in shock at the devastation around them, and the image of their greatest hero nearly defeated.
"What is that thing!?" Ahsoka paled upon looking at the monster. "What is up with this planet? It looks so- so…" She was honestly speechless, as was everyone else.
The monster was just so massive! In terms of height and just in raw strength. Not to mention how its face didn't appear to tell any story at all… No one could tell what it felt, if anything at all.
"Hmm…" Master Yoda, who had also decided to come along, frowned as he used The Force. "Great Darkness about it, I sense… Yet also feel a void within it, I do…"
Yoda opened his eyes, before he simply stated,
"Feel nothing, it cannot… No evil within it, yet no good in it either. Its actions appear to be… instinctual."
"It's...a killing machine..." Anakin realized.
Kyle and Gwen froze when they saw their husband.
Jack looked at them, before his eyes narrowed in determination.
He stood up, painfully, but still, he refused to die like this.
Doomsday looked around, and at those who had arrived via the Bifrost. It appeared as though it was calculating its next move, and about which target it should move in after.
Then, it was struck with Stormbreaker, as Jack renewed his attack. The Emperor swung the hammer into the beast's face, which stumbled it back a little bit.
It did not appear to be in any pain, but the blows were definitely doing something to it.
"Now!" Captain America yelled, and with that, the Avengers rushed forward, followed by Anakin and Amelia. Ahsoka began to rush forward as well, activating both of her lightsabers, but her arm was grabbed by Yoda, whom kept looking forward at the beast.
"Master Yoda…" Ahsoka cocked a brow, eager to get out there. "What are you-"
"No, young one…" Yoda shook his head. "Something not right, there is not… Impending doom, I sense."
Gwen made to follow them, but noticed how Kyle seemed...utterly frozen.
"Kyle…?"
Kyle didn't respond, merely looking at her husband and his companions as they fought. Hulk had attempted to smash Doomsday, but before Hulk could land another anger filled punch into its face again, the beast looked directly into Hulk's eyes, before causing some spikes to stick out of its face just as Hulk's fist collided.
Hulk's fist had now been impaled by the newly formed face spikes, by his own blow.
Hulk roared in pain, before Doomsday punched him hard in the gut, causing his fist spikes to slightly impale it, before grabbing Hulk's other arm, and yanking him down. The force of the yank caused green blood to spill. Hulk now lay on the ground, disemboweled.
"Bruce!" Tony yelled, trying to send a unibeam into the monster's face, before he too was knocked away, sending Iron-Man crashing into Thor.
Everyone by this point had froze in their tracks, really starting to have second thoughts. This thing had just taken one of the strongest superheroes alive, and made him look like common prey!
It was only now that Jack realized...they wouldn't stop this thing. Not like this…
"Go..." He said to Anakin.
"Right he is, Master Skywalker!" Yoda called out to him now. "Win this battle, none of us can…" He finished with a frown.
Anakin was about to protest, before Hawkeye was ripped in half.
"I'll hold him off!" Jack said firmly, before rushing forward, and hitting Doomsday again. As he did this, he Force Pushed the others back, and away from them.
CRASH!
A bolt of lightning crashed down to the ground, and suddenly the Thunder God Raiden and Tyromairon appeared into view.
Sensing the Earthrealm in danger, it was their obligation to stop this threat.
Raiden looked up at the monster, who towered over even him, who stood at a respectable seven feet tall.
This was not going to be easy, especially judging by the blood and entrails that blanketed the streets.
"I suggest that each of you flee…" Raiden looked back to everyone else. "Already I have seen what this monster has done. I know not where it comes from, but I sense its unquestionable power…"
"We have not faced an enemy like this in millennia..." Tyromairon realized. "This will not be easy..."
At this moment, Kyle snapped out of her trance, and she realized what...was going on.
Jack was being thrown around by this monster...just to give them a chance to flee.
By this point, Jack had been thrown to the ground, with the monster towering over him..
However, it didn't expect to be hit with the pebble thrown by Kyle.
"Kyle, wait!" Gwen yelled, but it was too late, Kyle was already rushing at the creature with her lightsaber in hand.
Raiden's eyes quickly widened teleporting in between Doomsday and Kyle.
Raiden used his staff to whack Doomsday square in the head, but he was merely backhanded aside by the still marching monster, who still had Kyle as its primary target.
Jack tried to get up, but couldn't.
Kyle stopped in her tracks as the monster approached her, growling as it's spikes extended…
Tears filled the two's eyes as they realized what was about to come.
"They need you..." Kyle began softly. "They need you more than me..."
The monster was now just feet away, as it lifted its hand up to rain down the finishing blow…
"I won't let you die for us..." She added, before closing her eyes. "I love you..."
SLASH!
Blood coated the ground, and for a split second…the world seemed to stop.
Jack blinked, before he looked down, and clenched his fists.
He stood up again, and said firmly.
"Go. I will hold it off...as long as I can. Just go!"
"Listen to him, we must!" Yoda rose his voice, something he almost never did. "To survive, flee we must"
Amelia watched the scene before her, as the monster began to stalk back towards Jack, who now activated his lightsaber.
"I won't leave them!" Amelia said, but was stopped by Gwen, who placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
Amelia froze, and looked at Gwen, who simply shook her head.
Anakin watched this, before he looked down, and grabbed Amelia by the arm, stopping her from joining her father as he fought tooth and nail to stop the monster.
As they teleported away in the bifrost...the last thing they saw was Jack falling to the ground, blood pooling around him, and the monster retracting its spiked fist from his chest…
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"Okay...looks like...that did it!" Kowalski exclaimed. "We closed the black hole! That should stop these anomalies..."
Superman, Wonder Woman, and Shazam all took a breath, as it took their combined strength pushing the black hole from opposing sides, combined with Superman's Heat Vision to at least seal the anomaly shut for good.
Even Drew had to take a breath of relief, glad that this was over.
"Mission accomplished, my friends…" Drew gave a proud smirk. "I appreciate the assistance Billy… Diana…"
"It was no problem at all, Drew…" Wonder Woman smiled. "It's just a shame we haven't spoken with each other more often as of late."
"Agreed there." Drew nodded. "Perhaps soon we can have more social calls instead of ones that are solely business related."
"Glad I could help put an end to these anomalies as well." Shazam added. "Maybe now we won't get any more surprises… Or at least, not as many."
"Guys!" The voice of Anakin exclaimed frantically on the communicator. "Guys, are you there?!"
Drew's eyes widened a bit upon hearing the frantic tone in his voice.
Superman gave a frown, looking towards Earth's direction.
"Something is… not right." Superman muttered.
"What is it, Master? Can you hear me?..." Drew asked his master.
"We need you all back here now!" Anakin replied, before hesitating. "We need Clark, Diana and Billy! Something's...here and it's...it's unstoppable!"
"What?..." Drew's eyes widened. "What do you mean 'unstoppable'-"
He then paused, his expression falling as a thought crossed his mind,
"Are Kenzi and Adia okay?..." He asked much more softly now.
"It's not at South Park, but it will be in a matter of hours." Anakin replied.
"We'll meet you all there." Superman told everyone in the ship with a determined scowl. "Whatever has decided to turn up at our planet this time will not succeed! It will fall just like the rest of those who have threatened our once peaceful world."
With that, Superman zoomed off faster than anyone could blink, followed closely by Wonder Woman and Shazam.
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Amelia held Maisie as her little sister sobbed. Both princess' eyes were red from tears, but Amelia was trying her best to keep it together, but she just...couldn't. Her parents...were dead. Again.
Calvin was nearby, looking at the ground, a mixture of a sad and angry expression on his face.
Kylie was nearby, holding a crying Ben, while Kyla sat with them, a scared expression on her face as well.
To be honest, everyone hated this feeling. Just being...stuck here. Waiting for that monster to arrive. Especially since they had just realized that Gwen had stayed behind...
Amelia couldn't help but look down towards her stomach, realizing now that her child would not get to meet his or her grandparents…
And might be born into a world of death and destruction, like she was…
The cycle was repeating itself…
Dylan sat beside Kylie and Ben, and placed a hand on Kylie's shoulder. Kylie flinched a bit. However, when she realized it was just her fiance, she simply leaned onto his shoulder, trying her best to stay composed.
"I'm...so sorry for your loss.." Thor spoke to Jack's children. "Your parents were...great people.'
Ahsoka sat off to the side, by herself. She frowned right along with Jack's children, feeling sorry not only for them, but for the now late Bruce Banner and Clint Barton, as well as every other innocent civilian slaughtered at the hands of that monster.
The events replayed in her head over and over again… She actually felt genuine fear in this moment.
Was it because of the creature itself? Was it because of what it may eventually do? Or perhaps maybe it was because she didn't know how they were going to stop it?
In reality… it was all of the above.
"As...were Bruce and Clint." Kylie replied. "None of those people deserved what happened...that monster...took someone from all of us, today."
"What...are we going to do?" Kyla couldn't help but ask timidly.
"Hmm…" Yoda looked down, his eyes closed with his thoughts running rather wild. "Nothing we can do, there is… However, lose all hope, we must not."
Yoda looked up, before he added,
"A savior in one of us, there may be."
As Yoda said this, they could hear it. The sound of the monster closing in. It was little more than a half mile from the town now, down the road.
"I- Wha- We-" Ahsoka shot to her feet, her face paling as she turned to Anakin. "What do we do, Master? We certainly can't fight that thing!"
When Anakin remained silent, she turned to Yoda,
"Master Yoda!?" Ahsoka asked more frantically.
However, Yoda remained rather vague, simply closing his eyes and looking up.
Then...they heard it…
As Doomsday approached the first denizens of South Park, it just so happened to be a trio of little kids playing outside.
The ground once again shook with every step it made, and while two of the kids ran away, one little girl in particular was not so lucky…
She tripped due to the shaking of Doomsday's footsteps, which caused her to cry and render her defenseless.
The girl faced up at Doomsday, before she let out a shriek at the monster looking down at her with his piercing red eyes.
"AHHH!"
Doomsday did not react. Instead, he watched as the girl cried, as he extended the spikes on his fists. Doomsday lifted his hand up and finally swung it down to end the girl's life…
But it was caught…
Doomsday looked at the one in particular who had done this, before he saw the scowling form of Superman.
"You've done enough harm, trespasser! Time for you to get out of my planet…"
POW!
Superman sent a punch directly into Doomsday's face, which sent the monster flying directly through a nearby building.
Wonder Woman and Shazam, who were not far behind him, saw this occur before they looked down at the little girl.
Wonder Woman waved Shazam to go on ahead, as she knelt down to comfort the girl.
"Do not worry, Sister… You are not alone anymore." Wonder Woman smiled, which in turn earned one out of the girl, as she helped her back to her feet to get her to safety.
As she watched this, Kylie couldn't help but feel a sense of hope fill her being.
"Don't. Hold. Back." She said firmly to Superman, Wonder Woman and Shazam. She wanted justice for her father, mothers, and all the others this monster had murdered.
"Our final hope, they may be." Yoda admitted, which earned a gulp out of Ahsoka. Never before has she felt so vulnerable before. But then again she had never encountered beings as powerful as this before!
It was all so surreal, not to mention terrifying…
Doomsday stood back up to its feet, not at all hurt by Superman's powerful punch. The monster punched its way back through the wall of the building and back out into the open, where Superman hovered above him.
The two studied each other, as if trying to figure out the next move.
Finally, Superman decided to make one, as his eyes began to glow red, shooting his Heat Vision directly into Doomsday's head.
However, as the sounds of his Heat Vision were definitely heard bouncing off of Doomsday's face, the monster continued to stalk forward, much to Clark's surprise and shock.
Superman increased the blast of his Heat Vision as Doomsday was now feet away from him, however, this would not matter…
Doomsday leapt up at Superman at such a height that shocked him, before he was grabbed out of the air.
On his way back down, Doomsday slammed Superman into the ground, creating a small crater in its wake.
"We have to get the people out of here." Dylan said to the others. "We have to evacuate the civilians."
"Avengers, gather the people nearest to the fighting. The rest of us will try to contain the fighting to that area as best we can. Kenny can gather the fleet to evacuate the civilians." Kylie instructed.
Superman laid face down in the crater, using his arms to raise his head up ever slowly. The extraterrestrial monster known as Doomsday began to stomp towards Superman, instantly recognizing him as the most powerful lifeform around. Thus, that would be its first target set for termination.
However, as Superman looked up, his eyes glowed red as he gritted his teeth, which caused Doomsday to pause and stare curiously. It would be this curiosity that would cause Superman's heat vision to blast Doomsday backwards and crash through a building just a moment later..
Dylan watched the fight, temporarily feeling a sense of renewed hope upon seeing that, though it was quickly dashed when Doomsday crashed through the building once more, this time charging quickly in Superman's direction, a giant roar escaping its mouth,
ROAR!
It echoed for many miles, as the abominable lifeform ran full speed towards a Superman who had just risen back to his feet.
Superman widened his eyes, firing his Heat Vision at it once more, but this time… it seemed to be unaffected as it ran through the continuous blast, grabbing Superman by the throat with its large hand.
Superman's heat vision faltered, as he was slowly lifted off the ground by his neck, a sharp pain beginning to pierce into his neck the higher he was lifted.
"Clark!" Amelia yelled in horror, readying to activate the Omnitrix.
However, with a growl, Superman used both of his hands to slap either side of Doomsday's head to stun him, before ramming his shoulder into it to get it off.
Doomsday slid back from the blow, dragging concrete along with him, before it looked up at Superman once more.
Superman took some deep breaths, staring the monster down who was just feet away. It was at that moment both alien and monster knew…
Only one of them was getting out alive.
The characters kept watching, realizing that fact too. And it was clear that the fate of the planet was at stake here. If Clark lost…
Kylie held Ben close, praying that their friend would come through. They knew how powerful he was...but this beast seemed strong enough to go toe to toe with him…
It was a near impossibility to watch the fight closely, as with every blow that landed, a shockwave would lightly hit any onlooker's face, forcing them to close their eyes. It was like a large gust of wind almost…
That's how they knew just how much power was on display here. Clark had fought before, but never this hard…
It was like for one of the first times in one on one combat, he was being forced to step outside his comfort zone, and go all out.
But there was that part of Clark that just could not do it… While he could probably destroy this thing in a few hits if he was lucky, that would simply mean this planet's entire destruction.
Something he would never allow.
He was at a loss. He was cornered almost. Either way, he would lose.
The world would lose.
But he of all people knew… they were relying on him. Relying on him to keep pushing forward.
And that's exactly what he would do.
He had a plan now. And for this plan to work, he needed to get Doomsday away from here.
Clark knew he would eventually tire out and lose if he didn't use the full extent of his power, and to successfully do that…
They needed to be in Outer Space, away from the planet, and away from innocent lives.
Dylan watched the fight, and it was in that moment that he began to sense something else. Something...was coming. He couldn't quite describe it, but it felt like-
"Admiral!" A soldier yelled to Kenny. "You need to get a shield over South Park now! Headquarters is reporting...a missile moving towards South Park..."
"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Kenny responded, before he exhaled sharply, looking off to the side for a moment, before he returned to reality just a moment later. "I want that shield activated, and I want it now! Evacuate the town!"
Dylan turned to Doomsday and Superman, before he got an idea.
"Clark!" He yelled. "The missile! Use the missile against that thing!"
Superman narrowly dodged a powerful punch from Doomsday, but growled when he was still slashed across his chest, drawing some blood.
Hearing Dylan's words, Superman knew he needed to act quickly.
As if on cue, it looked as if a perfect set up would fall into Clark's lap after all!
"D- Diana! Billy! Distract this thing!" Superman exclaimed as he ducked down below another punch, using his breath to blow the monster backwards.
Having gotten the little girl from earlier to safety, Wonder Woman and Shazam didn't question Superman's order, as the two got down to distracting the beast.
CRASH!
Billy sent some lightning down on top of Doomsday's head, which did nothing more to it than causing it to turn around.
"Hey, ugly! This way!" Shazam taunted, before sending another bolt of lightning down onto its head.
Doomsday growled, but instinctively saw them as insignificant, and tried to turn back towards Superman. However-
Wonder Woman's lasso wrapped around its body, causing Doomsday to struggle in place, its primal growl increasing in volume.
"You'd better- Woah! Get this thing soon, Clark!" Wonder Woman yelled as she gripped onto her lasso, Doomsday dragging her feet as it walked towards Superman, still dead set on him.
Cocking backwards, Superman zoomed forward just in time, as Doomsday snapped Wonder Woman's lasso and got free.
BAM!
Doomsday was punched into the air, as Superman wrapped his arms around it, keeping the monster locked in an iron grip.
However, it would be a challenge, because all the while, Superman felt punches and sharp spikes piercing into his skin as he continued flying upwards.
Superman kept his eyes closed and his teeth gritted, trying his best to fight through the pain. And it was excruciating! Any regular man would have been killed after one of those blows, but Clark kept pushing forward, knowing how many people he would save this day.
As he pushed the Monster upwards, there was a tremendous explosion. The missile had gone off but, by this point, they were just above the shield. Had Superman been a second late or a few feet closer to the ground, the missile would have shot past them and destroyed South Park.
But the missile had been stopped, and the town had been saved, at least for the moment.
As he watched this, Dylan narrowed his eyes.
"Who did this..." He growled, seething at the thought of somebody nuking them. After all the referendums and acts of mercy and charity and attempts at rapprochement, these nations had betrayed them yet again…
"Someone who threatens this Earth…" Raiden crossed his arms as he shook his head. "As you will learn as Emperor, young one, as I have learned as Earthrealm's Protector over the millennia… it never seems to end."
"No..." Dylan said, taking that realization in. "It never seems to end..."
"They shall be dealt with…" Raiden spoke, before turning to Dylan. "But with the Emperor now dead, I now ask you… What will you do about this?"
All eyes turned to Dylan, before he looked to Kylie, who nodded for him to speak.
"We're going to bring those responsible to justice and we're going to end this madness. Earth will be reunited, regardless of the machinations of the tyrants who have done everything in their power to stop us." He declared. "Kenny, mobilize the Navy, and when this is over, I want every independent nation on Earth looking up at a star destroyer. And for those who resist, invade."
"In- Invade?" Wonder Woman's eyes narrowed in shock.
"We've shown too much mercy to our enemies." Caesarius spoke. "It's time that the Empire sends a message to all who consider threatening it. I agree, Dylan. There is no more room for independence or nationalism. This planet needs to be united under a strong Empire, no longer beholden to the whims of the rich or different tribes."
"I imagine there will be some of those who oppose this, however…" Kenny sighed, the corner of his eyes looking directly in Drew's direction, who just stood there with a thoughtful frown of his own.
"Probably because he is a man who knows that brute force is not the only solution…" Wonder Woman spoke. "Listen, I am a warrior, myself. All the Amazon are. But it is because of all the warfare these past centuries that have caused the generalizations of men by my Sisters…"
"It is time to abandon the past." Kylie spoke up. "The idea of nations, of races, of a divided humanity needs to left to rot in the ash bin of history, just as Communism and Fascism had to die. It is time to end this back and forth, and end it completely. We've tried to accommodate them for years, and they attempted to nuke us, and our citizens."
She looked up. "Henceforth, nations will lose all remaining legal and political power. The Empire will take over the entire planet, which will be placed under a single planetary governor. It is time to move on. This planet has a choice. Resist or give in. And if they resist, submit or die!"
Ahsoka kind of winced at those final words, glancing over at her Master, Anakin, to see how he might react to Kylie's small speech.
"The innocent need a firm, guiding hand to make sure they're protected." Anakin spoke. "As long as the people are kept safe, I say we do what needs to be done."
"I-" Ahsoka's gentle voice hesitated, before she spoke up. "-But what if they are but a common family? I can understand the leaders and politicians to an extent… but… should an everyday civilian really die based on something they may not believe in?"
"The nations of the world should have considered that before they sent a nuke at us. They weren't at all concerned with our people here. They sought to hurt us, to kill our people, our families, our children." Dylan spoke. "An eye for an eye."
"Sometimes sacrifices are required… to attain peace and prosperity." Raiden spoke to Ahsoka, trying to reassure her, and also Wonder Woman. "Sometimes a forceful hand is needed to reign the lost crowd back into a state of common sense and stability."
"We've been at war off and on for six years now. We have to draw the line now, or we doom ourselves to an eternity of this." Geoff now spoke.
"Drew…" Wonder Woman shook her head, not knowing how else to put things. Ahsoka looked over at Drew as well, who seemed to be staring off with a blank expression.
"Oh yes," Kenny sighed. "Here we go…"
"Drew," Kylie began, shaking her head. "We've tried to gain peace for years now. Now whether you like it or not, we're stopping this-"
"Russia…" Drew cut her off, beginning to humorlessly chuckle a bit. "Russia tried to nuke us, right after that monster took your father away from you! Took my brother away from me!"
Drew turned to Kylie, an eerie smile on his face.
"And had that nuke landed, not only would you be dead… but also me… Your child! My children! EVERYONE'S children!"
Everyone took a step back as he suddenly yelled, his aggression beginning to rise.
Tears began to form in his eyes, as an ominous frown now formed on his lips.
"Well, after all we've suffered, I'm sick of it!" Drew shook his head, before suddenly yelling, "Kill them! Kill them all! I hate them!"
As he finished, his eyes began to glow a slight yellow as he took some deep breaths.
"Wipe them out." Kylie said as she turned to Kenny again. "All of them. Burn Moscow to the ground under the guns of our Navy and dismantle every national government on Earth. Caesarius, oversee the establishment of new regional governments to replace them. But...no other killings. No rape. No pillaging. No other executions. We're sending a message."
"Why only stop there? With Russia?" Drew eerily suggested. "The time has come to teach everyone a lesson! You wanna go through with this? You wanna rule this Empire the way your Daddy did? Now you have the chance to do it better!"
"Drew!" Wonder Woman snapped, grabbing hold of his shoulder. "That is enough!"
Drew took some deep breaths, before he started to drift slowly back to reality, beginning to realize just what he had said.
"I don't know what has become of you…" Wonder Woman shook her head. "But I'm disappointed… Clearly you are not yourself anymore."
"None of us are." Kylie spoke softly. "You and your people have had the luxury of escaping most of the fighting, or having powers, but for the everyday person...they've been watching their loved ones die for years, it has to stop."
"That's how you feel?" Wonder Woman spoke, giving a sorrowful frown as she looked down at Drew, before looking seriously back at Kylie. "Then best of luck to you, Empress… It is clear my work here is finished."
"Either you're with us...or against us." Anakin spoke, looking away. "We do not wish to fight you, but we will defend ourselves from this aggression."
"Then do what you must, Master Jedi…" Wonder Woman looked at him, before beginning to walk away. "But stay away from Themyscira… If you come near, don't think we won't defend ourselves in kind…"
As they watched her walk away, Dylan looked down, pondering another thought.
"And what of Clark?" He couldn't help but wonder aloud. "And the Jedi? And the Avengers?"
"Clark?" Wonder Woman had to think out loud one final time. "Clark would never join something so… vile. He wishes to protect the innocents. Not… herd them around like a bunch of sheep."
"That's all they are..." Kylie couldn't help but reply. "The person is smart, but people are fearful, and extremist. My father refused to see that, even if he tried to stop it. But right now, it's clear that this planet is insane. It needs a guiding hand to keep the peace."
Wonder Woman could only scoff as she continued to walk away.
"Di- Diana… Wait-" Drew shakily spoke up, before she turned towards him.
"Don't try to convince me otherwise, Drew… You might not realize what is happening right now, but in time, you will see… Until you snap out of this, I'm afraid that includes you as well…"
Wonder Woman frowned, before gently saying,
"Goodbye, Drew…" She looked off to the side, before she added, "I've always-"
Wonder Woman drifted off, before just waving her hand off, and flew into the air, out of sight in a matter of seconds.
Drew shook his head as well, covering his face with his hands, the yellow in his eyes now gone, but the anguish and conflict in his heart still very much alive…
For a split second, Kylie couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. And even worse...she could almost sense the disappointment.
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Superman felt weak by this point. His destination was near, but the constant puncturing and powerful blows by Doomsday began to get to him the more he held onto it.
Superman was even forced to punch back after awhile, just to get maybe a second of relief from the pain.
Doomsday continuously roared as it attacked Superman, almost sensing the pain it was instilling into the Man Of Steel's being. No emotion, as usual, was shown, however.
It wasn't anything personal against Superman, nor did Doomsday show any fear of the current situation unfolding before it. It simply had the one goal of killing Superman, before finding its way to another target.
All life was to be eradicated, and it didn't care who it was or how.
Superman gritted his teeth as he saw the destination out in the distance: The Sun!
It would not be long now before-
Superman's vision now became clouded, as one of Doomsday's spikes punctured his chest. He prevented it from going too deep so as to kill him, but it took practically all the strength he had left…
It was only and only due to such strength that the spike hadn't punctured his heart by now…
However, much like anyone else, there was only so much the Man Of Steel could take…
Sensing he was about to go unconscious, Superman knew it was now or never.
Clenching his fists, Superman cocked back as his eyes began to glow red, before he did it…
THWACK!
A powerful punch went into Doomsday's jaw, before the monster's spike exited Superman's body, beginning to hurl towards the Sun's direction.
A final blast of heat vision made certain that Doomsday couldn't regain his balance to finish the job, as Doomsday was at last… blasted directly into the Sun's unmerciful being.
Seeing Doomsday disappear into the solar system's mighty star, Superman's vision slowly faded, before blackness was all he saw…
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A vast Imperial Navy fleet had gathered near Pax'Cyran, preparing to secure the Earth. On the bridge of the Executor, Palenix looked over the armada.
"Sir, we're receiving orders from Earth. The Lord High Admiral confirmed what happened. We are ready to reinforce the existing defense fleet to pacify the planet." A crewman reported.
"Good. Set course for Earth." Palenix said as he sat in his command chair. "When we arrive, deploy the fleet across all seven continents."
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"Dangerous mission..." The voice spoke. "You better have enough to triple my rate."
"I'm sure you're up to the task… With my original offer in mind..." Drew crossed his arms as they sat in the interrogation room inside of a max security Imperial Prison. "If not… I could always go to someone else…"
"I'll take it. That deal you offered is...acceptable. I assume I will get safe passage off this rock?"
"That was in the deal, yes…" Drew confirmed, definitely a different look in his eyes than has ever been seen before. "You will get your weapons and belongings back, and I'll even throw in a ship. Now, are you in? Or are you out?"
"I'll take it. Anything's better than this stinkhole..."
"I'm glad we understand each other…" Drew humorlessly smirked, before standing out of his chair and knocking on the metal door, signalling the talk with the prisoner was over.
No one could hear their conversation, as Drew had hacked the security camera before stepping inside.
When an Imperial Guard opened the door, Drew told him,
"Get me the Warden." Drew then turned back to the prisoner in question. "We have arranged a little… pardon agreement."
"A...pardon?" The Guard stuttered.
"Do you question me, soldier?" Drew's eyes widened, sounding a bit more aggressive than he meant to.
The Guard's eyes widened, before he shook his head quickly.
"No sir."
"Then go get the Warden." Drew repeated. "The sooner we get this transaction over with, the sooner our lives can resume."
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Dylan looked out the window of the Headquarters, watching as the fleet that had rallied over South Park now struck off to secure the rest of the world. Reports of some resistance, primarily in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, were received, but they were all liquidated rapidly. The main fleet under Palenix was now looming over Russia, ready to destroy Moscow.
"Look at them flee…" Kenny chuckled, gazing down at the civilians who saw the massive fleet above them. "Guess they'll think next time before they launch a nuclear warhead at us…"
"It feels good, alright. It's nice to finally end all this back and forth..." Thonaloc agreed.
Helo Roslia looked down, not necessarily agreeing with the other's sentiment. He had served the New Cyrannian Republic before it was absorbed by the Empire, and to be honest...doing this didn't sit right with him. He didn't blame the Empire for wanting revenge, but was this the right way to do it?
"In position, Lord High Admiral." Tector Decimius reported. "Shall we commence the bombardment of the city?"
Kenny looked at the civilians on the camera before him, before one in particular caught his eye.
It appeared to be a mother clutching her young son and daughter, as if knowing what fate awaited them. She gave them a kiss, before looking up into the sky tearfully.
Kenny frowned at this, before a few seconds later Tector Decimius repeated,
"Lord High Admiral?"
Kenny turned to him with that same frown, before his brow furrowed.
"You may fire when ready…" Kenny told him.
Decimius frowned, but nodded, and turned to the city.
"On my command," Decimius began, and the guns of the fleet began to pick their targets.
However, at that moment, a message was received.
"Lord High Admiral, this is ISA. We've successfully assassinated the Russian President and have taken the rest of their government prisoner." An agent reported with a voice masker.
"W- What!?" Kenny's eyes widened. "Who is this? Speak, agent! What is your badge number?"
"6728432." The agent reported. "We thought you had received the message that we would arrive? Either way, the Kremlin is our's."
After confirming the number to be a genuine one, Kenny now had to stand there in confusion. Just what had happened? How did this information slip past him?
"You… have taken control of Russia?" Kenny questioned with less authority, wanting to confirm what he thought he had heard.
"We had some help. Apparently, some of their officers didn't want their families to pay for the oligarch's mistakes, and helped us take the Kremlin. They are offering to surrender the forces all over the country in exchange for the safety of the civilians." The agent replied.
Kenny looked back towards the camera now, only to see the still tearful mother still looking up into the sky, wondering why they weren't dead yet.
Kenny's face hardened, but he gave another order,
"Cease order to fire. Withdraw."
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While the destruction of Moscow had been avoided, the Empire had not withdrawn from the nations which they had occupied. Indeed, it was obvious now that the planet, almost every inch of it, was under absolute Imperial control.
Dylan watched this, before looking down. He had a feeling Drew had something to do with this…
How? He had no idea, but even still…
"You are clearly dying to tell me something…" Drew suddenly spoke, catching Dylan a bit off guard. Drew was still looking down, seemingly texting someone on his phone. "Do so if you must."
"Why didn't you interfere?" Dylan asked incredulously. "Beyond that? Why did you let us do what you always warned Jack not to do?"
"And why would I interfere?" Drew asked, not a hint of anger or anything in his voice. "How would I have stopped you? How could I have stopped Jack? I find it easier nowadays to simply let the cards fall as they may…"
"You were Batman. You always had a plan." Dylan pointed out. "Surely you wouldn't just...let us do this without a reason?"
Drew looked up from his phone, before a twinkle in his eye was shown, as well as a smirk that lasted maybe half a second, before he looked back down at his phone.
"Perhaps you're correct… But perhaps you're wrong as well…" Drew cryptically responded.
Dylan frowned, before turning back around.
"Regardless, you saved lives today. Russia paid for their mistake when we killed the Oligarchs after they were taken prisoner. Maybe now the bleeding can finally stop..."
"I saved lives?" Drew asked of Dylan, before getting up while acting oblivious. "I don't know what you mean by that…"
"None of us, from Geoff, or Caesarius, or any of the others, sent Kenny that message. I ordered them to go along with it. Few can hack our communications servers, and fewer still have the respect to be trusted when they do..."
"Hmm…" Drew nodded his head while facing the opposite way. "Your detective skills are admirable in their own right. So then… I assume you are aware of Cad Bane?"
"Yes. I am. The blue guy with red eyes who's not on our side..." Dylan shrugged.
"Listen, kid…" Drew turned around, before looking around to make sure no one else was around, before looking back to Dylan. "If I may give some advice… Try trusting those you may not have trusted before… Not completely, but enough… That little arrangement with a bounty hunter saved countless lives today, at the cost of a few."
Drew was silent for a bit, before he finished,
"And if we can keep that happening instead of the chaos the past five or six years have brought us?" Drew shook his head. "Well, then… Why not do it? You follow this advice, and you'll be a greater Emperor than perhaps Jack was."
Dylan frowned at that, but he nodded nevertheless.
"Well, your advice is always welcome. I will try my best to follow it." Dylan said, pondering over the idea of actually being Emperor.
Drew's phone went off again, before he looked at the text.
"It's Kenzi again…" Drew informed Dylan. "She got her a new phone. Can hardly get her off of it." Drew chuckled, actually giving a genuine smile for perhaps the first time today.
Seeing Dylan was still silent, Drew looked up at him and added,
"I'm meeting her and Adia for lunch to just… catch up. I'm not really around as much as I should be, but… I'm certainly trying more and more these days."
More silence reigned, before Drew said,
"You and your family are welcome to join us. Well… If you want. I'm not one for giving out invites too often…"
"Thank you, Drew. I'm sure Kylie will like that." Dylan replied with a sad smile, before adding. "May the Force be with you."
Drew gave a nod, before replying,
"And may the Force be with you…"
With that, he slowly turned and walked off, leaving Dylan in his thoughts.
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"Welcome, everyone." Tyromairon spoke. "Today, our people were met with unimaginable tragedy. Superman...is missing. The Emperor and one of his empresses are gone. And our people...were viciously attacked by a monster we had no chance of stopping and it was only through the efforts of Superman that he was stopped."
The Oikoumene Lord looked down, before continuing.
"Today, we read the will left by the Emperor in the event of his passing, and begin to pick up the pieces of the tragedy this monster brought to our people. I would like to thank each and every one of you for attending this ceremony, and it is with a heavy heart that we read the will of the Emperor this day."
Amelia looked down, sitting next to Billy. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure, but the pain was just...too much. It didn't help that the hormones were kicking in as well.
Billy was just as upset, feeling rather guilty he couldn't have done more to help Clark fight Doomsday. But he knew he wouldn't have been able to do much more than what he had already been able to do.
Seeing his girlfriend in pain, he turned to face her, whispering,
"Are you gonna be okay, babe?"
Amelia looked at him. "I...I miss mom and dad...Why...why does this keep happening?! Why can't things just...get better?" She whimpered. "How will..." Amelia stopped, looking away, avoiding Billy's gaze.
"How will what?..." Billy asked her, managing to catch her drift off.
Amelia looked up, tears in her eyes. "I...don't know how you will react to this. I...don't want to lose you. Please...please don't hate me, Billy."
"Amelia, calm down…" Billy chuckled in worry, holding onto her hand. "Babe, why would you think such a thing? What's the matter?"
"I'm...I'm..." Amelia stuttered. "I'm pregnant."
Billy's grip immediately loosened, as his eyes now widened, and his face paled.
"W- Wh- What?..." Billy asked her.
"I'm pregnant, Billy." Amelia whimpered.
"Y- You're certain?..." Billy's nervous tone of voice was visible, and his eyes grew wider.
"Yes. I...took a test yesterday. I'm pregnant with a baby boy..."
"I- B- But that's… impossible…" Billy muttered.
"But we-" Amelia began, before Billy stood up, kissing her on the top of her head.
"I… am gonna step outside for a bit. Get some air. Be back soon, okay?" Billy said with a meek smile.
Amelia didn't smile back, and just nodded, before looking down, a thoughtful expression on her face as he exited the building.
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Simba walked forward, a pained, expression on his face as he stared forward, avoiding the gazes of Nala and their cubs, who were on the brink of adolescence by now.
"Mom?" Kopa asked Nala. "Is...dad okay?"
"Well, Kopa," Nala spoke in her usual gentle voice, looking to the side as if thinking of how to phrase her words. "His mother and father… And well, your grandparents, have… passed away."
"They...what?" Kopa asked, his eyes wide.
"I meant to tell you cubs sooner…" Nala frowned, as Kiara's eyes widened as well at the news. "But your father was so distraught… I didn't want to bring it up on the way over here."
"They…" Kiara looked down, her ears folding behind her head. "They're just… gone? Just like that? We hardly even knew them…"
"That is the unfortunate truth, Kiara…" Nala frowned, nuzzling her daughter to comfort her. "But this world is a wicked and awful place sometimes… And for every tragedy this world experiences, it takes a lot of good people with it."
Nala looked to the side, before quietly finishing sorrowfully,
"Such as your other grandparents…"
Kopa looked down, stunned. He didn't know Jack and Kyle very well, but given how much Simba loved them, and spoke of Jack in the same tone of admiration that he spoke of Mufasa, the news hit him hard.
"I'm...I can't believe this." Kopa said, before Simba spoke.
"It's not easy..." Simba said, speaking for the first time in hours, before he looked to the others. "But at the very least, having my family here makes it easier...Thank you for coming...It really does mean so much."
"Well, of course, Daddy…" Kiara frowned, confused as to why he would think such a thing, as them potentially not coming for this. "We wouldn't dare miss it. What was it you told me? That 'we are one'? We all need each other, and that is what we are doing today…"
Simba smiled at that, before nuzzling both of his cubs. "I'm proud of both of you. You'll make fine leaders when the time comes. If that is what you wish." He added, looking at Kiara, knowing full well she didn't like the idea of being queen.
"'Leader'… Blegh…" Kiara muttered, not at all pleased with such an idea.
No, she wanted to just be free… Do her own thing… Be what she wanted to be and saw as just.
Kopa chuckled at that. "What could be so bad about being a leader, anyway, sis?"
"All that responsibility placed on your shoulders…" Kiara answered quickly. "The stresses of making sure the people are all in line and okay. The high expectations and standards set forth in your path… No thanks. I don't need all that stress as Queen…"
Nala sighed, though smiled, trying to be as supportive to her daughter as possible.
"True, there's a lot of hard work… But there is a lot of perks as well." Nala told her.
"Yeah…?" Kiara spoke, before she made it clear her stance wasn't gonna budge. "Still, no thanks…"
Simba chuckled, before replying. "Don't worry, we love you either way."
They continued for a little while, before reaching the place of the funeral. When they got there, Simba noticed Billy.
"Shazam." He said with a saddened smile. "How...are my sisters doing?"
Billy quickly turned away, as put his hand up towards his eye, as if wiping something away.
"Wait… is that dude… crying?" Kiara questioned aloud.
"Kiara…" Nala emphasized, scolding her for the rude comment.
"Sorry…" Kiara apologized, looking to the side in a bit of guilt.
"Simba, is it?" Billy spoke in as normal a tone he could. "It's been awhile, so I've heard… Good to meet Amelia's 'long lost brother'!" He forced a chuckle as he finished.
"Yes, I'm Simba." Simba replied, before his smile faded. "I remember Amelia told me about you, and how you were one of the greatest heroes out here."
"Oh… God." Billy spoke, burying his face into his hands. It was obvious that Simba's statement only piled more guilt on top of him.
"What...is it?" Kopa asked tentatively.
"Yeahhh…" Kiara looked at him while cocking her head to the side. "Are you… alright?"
"Well…" Billy sniffled, though angrily wiped away another tear, mad at himself for crying. "Not particularly…"
"What happened?" Simba asked, getting worried, before the door opened.
"Billy, Amelia asked-" Dylan stopped when he saw Simba and his family.
"You...must be Simba, Kylie and Amelia's older brother…" He said with a slightly friendly, if sad smile. He looked to Billy, who finally exhaled sharply, standing up off the curb.
"Y'know what? Fine. I'll say it! I'm… I'm scared, okay? I'm scared of being a father!" Billy admitted, releasing all his emotions at once.
Everyone's eyes widened at that, Kiara taking a step back, before muttering,
"Wow… That was a turnaround…"
Dylan blinked, before looking down. "Could...you guys give us a moment?" He asked Simba, who nodded in understanding, before leading his family in.
"Yeah…" Billy sniffled once more, though his face was now dry. "I know what you're gonna say… I'm 'a piece of shit' for thinking this way, right? That I'm too mentally unstable to be a dad anyways? What with all my childhood traumas and lingering fears and whatnot… Is that it? Because, well…" Billy looked down, before finishing,
"You'd be right…"
"No...it's understandable..." Dylan sighed, looking to the side. "I've been in your position, and let me just say...it's not something to take lightly. But...you're not a piece of shit, dude. You've been through a lot, man, and frankly, I understand why you're scared, but..."
He shook a head. "The fact that you care about the kid enough to worry about if you would be a good father already shows that you care about him or her. It's not easy, but parenting is one of the most rewarding things ever."
"But…" Billy sighed. "How can I expect to be a father… when I haven't even had a father of my own? Hell, I didn't even have a mother… I don't know what having parents is like… How am I supposed to be one for this kid I haven't even met yet?"
"Follow your instincts." Dylan said honestly. "Honestly, that's what most of parenting is. Do what you believe is right. And besides, you won't be doing it alone. I think you and Amelia will be good parents."
Billy took some more breaths, before he asked,
"You really think so?"
"Yes. You can. You just need to try."
"Ugh…" Billy hung his head down. "I've probably already upset Amelia big time, haven't I? Just walking out of her own parents' funeral service."
"She's mad, but...she's worried about you. She asked me to get you to make sure you were okay." Dylan replied.
"Well then…" Billy stood up, before putting on a grin. "As Freddy likes to tell me, 'it's time to be a man'..."
"Er, well…" Billy paused. "Actually I hear Freddy say that to himself every morning in the shower as part of his 'pep talk'. But still, the same meaning applies."
"True..." Dylan chuckled, before he paused. "Let's go. Those girls need us right now."
"Let's do it…" Billy agreed.
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"To Drew, Jack left his lightsaber and a permanent position as advisor to the Emperor and Empress, equal in authority to the President." Tyromairon read off of the will. "To Dylan, he left Stormbreaker. To Billy, Clark and Freddy, he left them positions as princes of the Empire and honorary members of his family, and freedom to defend the innocent as they see fit."
"You hear that, Dad?" Kenzi whispered to Drew with a meek smile. "That's quite a position that Uncle Jack has left you in. And his own lightsaber! Cool, isn't it?"
Drew looked down at his now biologically 12 year old daughter, before he forced a grin of his own, before nodding.
"I just wonder what he might have left you…" Drew spoke to her, before looking back up. "Quiet now, sweetheart. Let Tyromairon speak."
"Jack left Kenzi a bouquet of white roses." Tyromairon spoke, causing Drew's eyes to widen upon remembering that Bebe always loved those kind of flowers.
"Roses. That's… cool, I guess." Kenzi spoke, before looking up at her Dad. "Dad, why are you tearing up?"
"You wouldn't… fully understand, Kenzi." Drew sighed. "It's- Well… Your mother would never stop talking about those things whenever she'd see them."
"Ooh. My Mom liked them!?" Kenzi perked up, eager to learn this fact.
"Yes…" Drew looked down. "She did…"
Adia nuzzled him slightly, understanding his pain fully, and how much it still affected him.
"It's okay, Dad…" Adia whispered. "She'll always be with us… Remember?"
Drew looked out in the distance for a moment, before nodding.
"Yes…" He softly answered. "Yes, I remember."
He looked to Adia with a smile, and then down at Kenzi.
"You girls truly are a blessing… I- I'm glad that I still have you." He said. "I love you."
"We love you too, Dad." Adia grinned.
"Ooh, hey!" Kenzi then exclaimed. "Adia used to really love flowers too! Maybe I can give half of them to her, and I get to keep the other half!"
"That… would be nice. Thank you, Kenzi." Adia smiled at her sister, touched by the offer.
"Jack requested that Anakin and Padme raise Calvin."
Calvin's eyes widened, and he looked to Anakin and Padme. Padme smiled sympathetically, honored that Jack would trust them with his younger son. Anakin was in the same mindset. He really liked the kid, and to be honest, the idea of raising him gave both him and his wife a bit of hope. Especially given the fact that they couldn't raise Luke or Leia.
"And Jack requested that Drew keeps an eye on Maisie."
"Wait, what?" Drew's eyes widened, legitimately taken off guard. "Me?"
"Ooh! Maisie's gonna be my little sister?" Kenzi's face beamed. "That'd be so cool! Guess I'd be a big sister, myself."
"Wait- Tyromairon!" Drew interrupted, unsure if he heard him right, which caused Tyromairon to pause momentarily. "Did you say that… I am now in charge of caring for Maisie?"
"Yes, Jack said he trusted no-one else with caring for his youngest. Kyle and Gwen were in agreement. Kyle in particular said that she couldn't be safer with you." Tyromairon replied.
Drew looked over where the little girl sat, which was by her siblings, and saw that Maisie looked at him with wide eyes.
"Well…" Drew spoke softly. "She… doesn't have much place else she can go… And I definitely want to take the stress away from the rest of Jack's children as much as possible."
Drew looked at a rather ecstatic Kenzi, and a content Adia, before looking back to Maisie, walking a bit closer towards her.
"What do you think, Maisie? Will you… be okay, living with us?"
Maisie smiled a bit, even if it was a bit sad, before replying.
"Can...I call you dad?" She asked with a nervous smile.
That honestly touched Drew's conflicted heart in that moment. It honestly brought him back… Back to the old days.
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"You're sure this is the way?" Drew asked in an unsure voice.
"Uh, yes it is! I've lived here all my life, duh!" Bebe giggled.
"Well, I'm just making sure." Drew returned with a laugh of his own.
"You saying I don't know my directions?" Bebe gave a teasing look, cocking a brow.
"Uhh… Oh look! There it is! Stark's Pond!" Drew exclaimed, trying to change the subject quickly. "Wow… You weren't kidding. This mountain town sure has its hot spots."
"C'mon…" Bebe grabbed his hand as Drew parked the car. "I know a place that's just perfect."
"Oh- Okay…" Drew nervously grinned, following her lead.
It was their first date. Well… first date ALONE, that is. Ever since the disaster at the Japanese restaurant, they felt they needed another date to clear their head of high school's stresses.
"Man, you weren't kidding, Bebe…" Drew looked out in awe as she leaned against his shoulder. "That sunset is fucking beautiful."
"Don't curse!" Bebe smacked his shoulder with a giggle. "It's not romantic when you say 'fuck'."
"Well, it can be…" Drew smirked, which earned another smack from Bebe to his shoulder.
"Pft… You wish, pervert." Bebe smirked.
"Oh yeah?" Drew smirked in kind.
"Nope…" Bebe leaned back, crossing her legs as she gazed out at the sunset again. "Don't youuu bet on it!" She spoke in a singsong voice.
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The memory ended right there. It was… strange. Kind of random. But for some reason it made him feel so warm and fuzzy. A feeling that he had not felt very often.
Perhaps it had something to do with this 'Light Side' that Master Yoda kept rambling on about so much.
And just as the way he felt this feeling while dating Bebe all those years ago, to when he adopted Adia, to when Kenzi was born… He now felt it when Maisie asked him this simple yet meaningful question.
And so, Drew decided, it should be answered in a very similar vein.
"Only if I can call you my daughter…" Drew smiled.
Maisie smiled at that, and hugged her new father tightly, which caused virtually everyone present to smile. It was a welcome sight in these times, especially after all that happened.
Drew returned the embrace, smiling down at his new adopted daughter.
Just as was the case with Adia, adopted or not, that still didn't mean he wouldn't grow to love her as one of his own.
Drew knew it would be weird getting adjusted to such a thing, but after awhile… they would just be another part of the family!
Kylie and Amelia both smiled at that, the latter of whom leaned on Billy's shoulder, a happy smile on her face. It seemed that, despite all the pain of the fight with Doomsday...there was still hope.
"And finally, Jack requested that Kylie and Dylan lead the Empire, but that they would not forget their friends, their family, and their allies. And that the Empire remembered what it's mission was...peace and justice for everyone..." Tyromairon spoke, before looking at Kylie and Dylan.
"Kylie, Dylan?" He asked, causing all eyes to turn to them.
Kylie took a deep breath, before standing up, followed after by Dylan. They began to walk forward.
"Raiden, Drew, Anakin, Geoff, would you please join us?" He asked. "The time has come to welcome our new monarchs."
As said individuals walked towards the front, Drew looked towards Tyromairon, before asking,
"If I may, very quickly?"
Tyromairon nodded, and stood aside for a moment.
Drew stepped up into Tyromairon's spot, very briefly, looking at all the family, friends, and even just civilians in the audience who had come to pay their respects, before he spoke in a foreign tongue,
"Shàngdì bâoyòu tāmen de línghún, yuàn tiān fù shôuhù wômen…"
Obviously not many in the audience knew what exactly that meant, until Drew, just seconds later, translated the Traditional Chinese sentence into English,
"God bless their souls, and may the Heavenly Father watch over us all…"
Drew closed his eyes, making a cross with his hand, before stepping to the side.
"Amen," many of the civilians spoke, doing the same.
Kylie and Dylan approached, before they stood across from Tyromairon, Raiden, Drew, Anakin, and Geoff, before Geoff turned to Drew.
"I think it would only be fair if you did the honors here, Drew. Jack did leave you the power to do so, after all."
Drew nodded, before looking to Dylan and Kylie.
He was silent for a moment, before he smiled,
"Kylie, I have watched you grow from an energetic little girl, into the Empress that you shall become today. It is pretty strange, for me to say these words. It doesn't even feel like that long ago, but now here we are."
"And Dylan…" Drew looked to Dylan, before pointing at him teasingly, "The wife comes before the Empire, ya hear?"
Everyone had to chuckle at that, before Drew officially finished,
"Might I welcome to everyone, and officially introduce… the Emperor and Empress of the Dilanian Empire!"
Cheers rang out as Dylan and Kylie's hands intertwined, and they held them up together. It was official. They were the new monarchs of the Empire, and they would die to defend it.
"Empire eternal!" Dylan said with a smile, to which many of those present responded in kind.
"Empire eternal!"
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"Ah, beautiful day. Butterflies flying in the park and the sky is bright and blue..." Skipper began, before turning to his teen. "Perfect time for training! Heave, team, heave! Lift that boulder over the tree!"
"Skipper..." Kowalski breathed. "Forgive me...but...I'm not seeing the point of this...exercise!"
Kowalski, Rico and Private were trying to pull a boulder over a branch. A rope was tied to it, and they were 'training' in the words of Skipper.
"Oh, really?" Skipper asked. "What if the only way to save one of your Imperial brothers was to lift him as a team?"
"My Imperial brothers aren't...three ton boulders." Kowalski muttered, before-
"Wah hah!" A rather high pitched voice cried out, as said person jumped into the air, smashing the boulder with his fist, which caused the Penguins to fly forward, with Rico getting his face stuck in a beehive.
"AUGH! EE! OW!" Rico yelped as he began to run off, getting chased by bees.
"Damn…" The man in red overalls cursed, before calling out into a nearby path. "Theres-a no coins in here, Luigi! Any luck?"
"M- Mario?..." The shaky, yet deeper voice, also with an Italian accent, spoke. "I- I told you there was-"
"Oh, out with it, Luigi!" Mario said. "Enough-a with the stutter…"
"P- Penguins!" Luigi finally got out, in his usual scaredy cat tone.
"These-a guys?" Mario asked, motioning to the four penguins. "Luigi, you have to come out of that shell a bit… I've encountered many penguins on my adventures, and not one of them has ever-"
"All hands! Intruder alert!" Skipper yelled, leaping forward in a fighting stance. "Uh...all hands?" He asked, before seeing Kowalski and Private lying on the ground, while Rico kept running from the bees, now covered in sting welts.
"Well, I guess I'm going solo.." He shrugged, before he turned to Mario and Luigi. "Who are you and what are you doing in the Imperial Capital?! Don't make me take Rico off his leash-"
"Kaboom!"
There was an explosion, and the others turned to see Rico gasp, his face covered in smoke and soot, and blackened pieces of beehive all around him.
"Uh…make that Private." Skipper growled.
"Rrright…" Mario spoke with a cocked brow. "Listen, Mister Penguin, my name is Mario," he then motioned to the taller and lankier brother several feet away, still trying to hide, but peeking out slightly.
"And that is my brother, Luigi." Mario introduced, causing Luigi to dramatically fall out of his hiding spot as a snake hissed at him.
"He's uh…" Mario cleared his throat. "He's a bit much sometimes, but I still love him."
"Now then…" Mario crossed his arms. "What kingdom is this… 'Imperial Capital' in? Clearly not Ice Land, since it appears rather warm here. Are we near the Grass Land perhaps? Or the Pipe Maze?"
"Uh...you're in the Earthrealm Galaxy of the Dilania Realm?" Private offered nervously, before Kowalski slapped the back of his head,
"Dilania Galaxy of Earthrealm, actually. As for Kingdoms...you're technically in an Empire, which, while a monarchy, is actually-"
"Oh my God…" Luigi muttered. "Uh, Mario? He's starting to sound like Professor Egad. Should we be afraid?"
"Probably…" Mario quickly responded.
"Woah, overalls," Skipper said, referring to the blue overalls on Mario and Luigi. "We're friends, not foes. We haven't attacked yet, after all, and that's the only difference between the two."
"Dilania Galaxy, you say…" Mario stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… I've been to many galaxies, but I don't think there were any Power Stars located in this one."
"Power what?" Private asked. "I mean, we have Star Destroyers, but not power stars."
"I infiltrated a Dreadnought one time…" Mario brought up, recognizing what the term was similar to. "I needed to, in order to retrieve its Power Stars to eventually save the Princess and the entire Universe."
"And I helped!" Luigi spoke with a grin, most proud of himself.
Skipper cocked a brow. "You two...infiltrated...a dreadnought?" He asked, before bursting out laughing. "That's a good one! Any more good jokes?!"
"I remember the time I roasted a penguin who made fun of me with a Fire Flower…" Mario spoke rather grimly, which caused the other penguins to gulp in fear, though Skipper's eyes just widened.
"You know...maybe you did infiltrate a Dreadnought...By the way, if you want, Private is perfect for that!"
Private yelped, and hid behind Kowalski, who simply stepped to the side.
Mario and Luigi glanced at each other, before the two bros just bursted out into laughter of their own.
"Wait...that was a joke?!" Skipper asked.
"Perhaps," Kowalski quoted his favorite meme.
"Kowalski, standing order to fuck off." Skipper muttered.
"Hey, is he referencing that meme of the cow-" Luigi began, before Mario pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
"Not now, Luigi…"
"Well, it seems we agree on something. That meme is stupid." Skipper shrugged.
"Well, listen, anyways…" Mario shook his head, trying to remain focused on their goal. "Have you penguins seen a princess by any chance? Pink dress? Blonde hair?"
"Yeah, we're trying to search for her… Again…" Luigi muttered at the end.
"I heard that, Luigi!" Mario responded.
"Um, we've seen a few princesses, but none with a pink dress." Private brought up. "Blonde hair, though."
"Ooh, then perhaps you've met the Princess Of The Lumas… Rosalina." Luigi spoke, simply drooling at the thought of her. "Ohh… She was so beautiful!"
"For the last time, Luigi…" Mario sighed. "You gotta get over her, Bro… We'll probably never even see her again."
"Yeah, but…" Luigi shrugged. "A plumber can dream…"
"Did you 'plumb' her?" Kowalski asked with a snort and grin.
Luigi's face turned as red as a tomato, as Mario crossed his arms, looking unamused.
"You know, Mister Penguin… I don't think I like you penguins as much as the ones that live in Shiver City…"
"Oh, that hurt..." Skipper chuckled, before asking. "We're just kidding, overalls. Don't worry."
"Hmph…" Luigi crossed his own arms, appearing unamused. "Still not funny."
"Well…" Mario rolled his eyes. "Thanks, anyways… I guess. But me and Luigi had best get back on the road."
Mario turned to Luigi, before motioning for him to follow,
"C'mon, bro…"
And with that, the two overall clad Italian brothers were off… seemingly to save some 'princess'.
"That was weird." Skipper shrugged.
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"C'mon now, girls! Time to get to school!" Drew called up the stairs once again. "I don't care if 'every school in the country' is out for Coronavirus! South Park apparently isn't!"
"It'll probably be even weirder knowing this town..." Maisie giggled. "Didn't you say there was a time where a gay guy stuck Paris Hilton up-"
"That-" Drew chuckled nervously, grabbing onto Maisie's arms to motion her towards the front door, where they would catch the school bus. "-Is probably left said… for another time. Another time… Let's go with that."
"Dad's just nervous about talking about gay guys who shove celebrities up their ass…" Kenzi whispered to her adoptive sister. This caused Maisie to giggle even more.
"Hey! You know I can hear that…" Drew told them, before he sighed. "Anyways, out the door. I think I hear the bus down the road."
He knelt down a bit and hugged the both of them, saying,
"Love y'all. Be safe."
"Love you too, Dad." Kenzi responded. "See you and Mimi Sharon when I get back!"
"Bye dad! Love you!" Maisie added as she followed Kenzi out, though not without hugging Drew's leg.
Drew smiled at this, before once again he motioned her towards the door, waving them goodbye as the bus began to pull up.
"Bye, girls!" Sharon called out with a wave.
With that, the front door shut, as Sharon spoke,
"They certainly are getting bigger with each passing day…"
"They certainly are…" Drew had to agree, before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, and uh… Thanks for agreeing to let me stay here, until I find another place of my own. See, I usually just stayed at the Jedi Temple, but-"
"No, no…" Sharon held her hand up. "I completely understand. You want to be closer to your girls, right?"
Drew stood there, before nodding, confirming her guess.
"Well then, as far as I'm concerned, you can stay in this house for as long as you want to… You're family too, Drew." Sharon smiled.
"Well… Thanks." Drew grinned, before looking off to the side. "But again… I owe it to myself, and to the girls, to find my own place as soon as I can. I kinda lost the old apartment when I… Well, went overseas."
"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me…" Sharon put a hand on Drew's shoulder. "I get it…"
"Right…" Drew nervously chuckled once more, before Sharon asked,
"Well, what are you doing today? We could always go to breakfast down at the local cafe if you're hungry."
"That… would be nice." Drew smiled. "Thanks."
He stood there in a moment of silence, before he felt he had to add on,
"And… listen… I hope that things won't be weird between us… Y'know, ever since-"
"Oh!" Sharon exclaimed, realizing what Drew meant when he trailed off. "Oh, definitely not! I promise things won't be that way in the slightest."
"Thanks…" Drew sighed a bit in relief. "I just… didn't want there to be any weird feelings between us, y'know? After all, it was just a one time thing."
He began to go up the stairs, before adding,
"Gonna get my jacket, then we can go."
"Right…" Sharon meekly grinned as Drew disappeared up the stairs, before frowning with a sigh. "A one time thing…"
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The sun was high in the skies of Alderaan, as the final arrangements based on the referendum's results were now being carried out.
A huge transition was to take place, and as of today, Alderaan, as well as many of its neighbors, were no longer under the control of the Dilanian Empire.
Instead; they chose to join a much new style of government, one that would ensure preservation of their cultures and ways of life.
It was the first day that the New Republic, would officially exist as a nation.
A large crowd of people stood by, waiting for their leaders and the Jedi to finally arrive. After all, this moment would go down in the beginning in the New Republic's history books! Who would wanna miss a moment like this?
"A great day, this is…" Yoda spoke with a genuine smile as he sat on the ship, his wooden cane in hand.
"Indeed it is, Master Yoda." Apollo spoke, looking on in pride at the crowd before them. He and his closest political allies had joined with the Jedi to officially proclaim a New Republic. Among their number were such greats as Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Padme Amidala, Princess Leia Organa, and many others.
Not to mention a great majority of the Jedi. Mainly, the Jedi who still stood by the Jedi Code, and wished to preserve their more traditional viewpoints.
Among them were the Jedi such as: Yoda, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Aayla Secura, Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, and much more.
"The Republic shall rise as a bright beacon in the universe." Admiral Ackbar spoke. "Just as the Old Republic did as well."
"Indeed it shall…" Mace Windu nodded. "And with the Jedi's more clear headed guidance, no longer shall our Republic fall to the hands of corruption or the Sith…"
"We shall aid the Jedi in any way we can." Admiral Cretacea agreed. "You shall always have the support of the Republic Fleet and of course, the Grand Army of the Republic."
"In time, I see us matching the Empire's influence in the galaxy." Mon Mothma added.
"And influence, not by war it shall be…" Yoda waved one of his hands, as if dismissing brute force as out of the question. "The Jedi ways of old, and The Force… Guide us it will."
"It is time, Masters," an aide spoke, approaching the group. "Everything is ready."
"Well," Obi-Wan now spoke with a grin. "Then let's not keep our fans waiting, shall we?"
"Fans, master Jedi?" Apollo chuckled.
"Well just take a look at the size of this crowd, Apollo…" Obi-Wan quickly responded with that same grin. "Then perhaps you might understand my confusion."
"Yes, there certainly are many people out there, isn't there?" Shaak Ti observed.
Indeed there were. There were tens of thousands of people in the city below them, from every race in the galaxy, including the relatively common Libertus and Human races, to more rare species here and there. It was truly a representation of the diversity of the galaxy and the amount of races who wished to join the New Republic.
"Today is certainly a joyous day for democracy…" Mace Windu commented, beholding the amazing sight. "Wouldn't you all agree?"
"Indeed it is..." Apollo spoke, though he frowned a bit. "I can't help but worry though, about the Empire. After what happened on Earth, I am worried about the new Emperor and Empress."
"Worry not, Apollo…" Yoda calmly spoke to him. "Return there, I shall. Speak to the new leaders, I will. Come to an understanding, we will."
Yoda sighed, before adding on,
"Talk to Skywalker's apprentice as well, I must… A dark presence about him, I sense. Get that darkness under control, we will…"
"I hope so." Apollo said, before adding. "At the very least, the Empire isn't unreasonable. I'm sure we will come to an understanding, so long as neither of us want a conflict."
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As Yoda had promised, he returned to Earth just hours later, setting up a meeting with the new Emperor and Empress.
However, despite Apollo's suggestions of bringing someone with him, save for a pilot of the ship and a co-pilot, Yoda went alone. He saw no reason to have extra security that he knew he wouldn't need.
When he arrived, he noticed that there was a new atmosphere of hope in South Park. There were children playing in the nearby park, where the meeting was requested to take place. As Yoda approached, he noticed Kylie, Dylan, Ben and Kyla in the park. Kylie was watching Ben and Kyla playing, while Dylan, upon noticing Yoda, turned and began to walk towards him.
"Master Yoda." He said with a respectful bow, acknowledging his Jedi training.
"Truly fascinating it must be, young Dylan…" Yoda spoke, not so much interested in the use of titles, merely speaking to Dylan as an ally and in the same manner he had back when he trained at the old Jedi Temple. "From noble Padawan, to humble Jedi Knight… To Emperor of the galaxy's largest Empire…"
"If only it were under better circumstances..." Dylan said with a slightly sad smile. "But regardless, it is very refreshing to discuss peace, rather than war."
"War, a rather long and tedious subject it is…" Yoda spoke. "Grow tired of it one day, someone eventually will become… Peace, however, everyone would love to hear about… consistently. My goal, that truly is, Dylan. War with your Empire, let alone any faction, the New Republic's interests do not lie…"
"The Empire has no interest in war either." Dylan replied. "Only the protection of our people."
He turned, and looked towards his fiance and two children.
"I just want a better world, both for my fiance, and our two children. We...adopted Kyla today." He said.
"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is…" Yoda responded as he looked on at Ben and Kyla. "A difficult thing to raise, at first they might be… But much like peace after warfare, the galaxy's children are worth it in the end… For what they eventually become, determine the fate of the galaxy one day, it could…"
"All the more reason to make sure they are protected and loved." Dylan said, before looking to Yoda. "I honestly do hope for peace, after all that's happened...Especially with our Republic brothers."
"Hope?" Master Yoda questioned, looking up at Dylan. "Hope not… For hope can only turn to reality, if one deems it so. Hope for peace, reality it will become, if you desire it enough."
Yoda continued to look up at Dylan, who continued to think about this, before Yoda added,
"Tell me, Dylan… Do you desire peace?"
"More than anything..." Dylan replied honestly. "For my children, and fiance's sake..."
"Then evermore shall peace prosper, for as long as one thinks this way, hmm?" Yoda asked of him. "Linger, darkness always will… Help that, we cannot. But contain it and spread love to all, we can help!"
"A work in progress, universal peace is…" Yoda admitted. "But perhaps one day, the galaxy will at last unite as one…"
"Well, until that day, we must work for peace, for it is easy to go to war, but infinitely harder to end wars." Dylan replied. "Which is why I am giving the Republic open borders to the Empire's territories, though military units will be monitored when in our territory to prevent any problems."
"Agreed on this, we are. Accept, I do…" Yoda smiled. "If respect our culture and way of life you do, then do the same in turn, we shall…"
"Agreed." Dylan replied, with a smile of his own. "And feel free to return to Earth as needed. We're allies, and we shall trust you as such."
"Keep this in mind, I shall. Inform the New Republic, I will." Yoda informed, before he sighed, remembering one last task he needed to fulfill. "Before leaving Earth, one last thing to do, I must…"
"What do you require of us, Master?" Dylan asked.
"Master Skywalker's apprentice. Your new advisor, if not mistaken, I am. Speak to him, I must… Know where he is, do you?" Yoda questioned.
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Maisie laughed as Baby Yoda used the Force to throw the kickball at the court. It seemed he was popular with the other kids at school. The day was almost over, so her new dad would likely be here in a few minutes.
"Hey! Totally unfair, sis…" Kenzi crossed her arms. "The only reason the younger kids are winning is because he has the Force! That's like… totally cheating!"
"Oh come on! Let him have his fun!" Maisie laughed. As she did so, however, she suddenly noticed the other kids rush away from the court to the entrance of the school.
"Hey, what's going on?" Maisie asked as Baby Yoda watched the kids go with his big eyes wide with curiosity as he tilted his head to the side.
"Meh… Who knows." Kenzi shrugged. "Honestly, maybe the bell rang and I just missed it."
As they headed back to class, Maisie heard one of the older kids whisper something.
"Oh look, it's that dickhead Jack's kid..." He whispered to his friend as they passed by.
"Oh what the hell…" Kenzi muttered before looking at the kid with a scowl. "Hey, asshole! Got something to say!?"
"Maybe we do. That a problem? You gonna beat us up like your uncle or your dad, little miss daddy's girl?" The boy asked.
"I don't know…" Kenzi began, before she got closer to him, standing between him and Maisie. "You wanna find out? Or maybe you're too scared you'll get beat up by a girl!"
"I ain't scared of you!" The boy snapped, walking forward. "I bet you'd just sick your dad on me, and cause more trouble, because that's all the Batman and Jack did was cause trouble for us!"
"Don't talk about my daddies that way!" Maisie yelled.
"Shut up, shorty!" The kid growled.
"I'm my daddy's daughter! The Batman's daughter!" Kenzi exclaimed. "And you'd best believe I can take care of my damn self! Now last chance… Leave my sis the fuck alone, or you'll be sorry."
"Heh, whatever.." The boy snorted. "Not like some girl could take me down...I'm feeling generous. Just stay out of our way..."
"Oh, haha, show us mercy! Good one! I'll take you up on that offer- Let's just walk to the car, Maisie. They're not even worth it…" Kenzi whispered to her sister as she began to lead her away.
"Yeah, let's get out of here." Maisie agreed, following her adopted sister.
Seeing they were out of earshot of the bullies, Kenzi looked at Maisie with an arm wrapped around her, asking,
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just...I didn't like what he said about...both my daddies. It was really mean, especially after..." Maisie trailed off, before looking up. "Thank you, sis..."
"Anytime…" Kenzi smiled. "And hey… Between you and me? Idiots like that won't even matter one day. Because while they're serving us fries from McDonald's, we're gonna be living like Queens!"
"Yeah! Screw them!" Maisie agreed.
"There's Sharon's car." Kenzi pointed, making sure Maisie saw it. "I see Dad in the front seat. Looks like backseat for both of us again. Great…"
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When they got in the car, Drew asked the standard parent question,
"How was school?"
"Oh, it was great! For the most part anyway…" Kenzi said. "We kinda got this creepy new janitor today. He kept mumbling about how 'social security' screwed him and all that jazz… His name is 'Sanders' I think…"
"Yeah. He looked like Carl from that one show, to be honest." Maisie agreed. "Smelled like him too."
"Aqua Team Hunger Force…" Drew stifled a laugh. "Funny story; I called him that the first day I met Jack, Alex, Kyle, Bebe- Well, everybody."
"Wait...you guys met him? Was he still ugly then?" Maisie asked.
"Take a guess…" Drew smirked, which caused Sharon to roll her eyes and begin to drive away from the school. "And it was actually worse for the lot of us. He was our History Teacher. Or was it Geometry? He was a dumbass, okay? I was so confused all year."
"Ooh…" Kenzi smirked. "Dad with the roast."
"If I hear you kids mention that 'Ben Askren' and his roasts again-" Sharon began, before Drew cut her off,
"Oh, no worries, Sharon… Ben Askren isn't relevant anymore."
"Oh…" Sharon breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, good."
"But now apparently a stupid meme about a cow that says 'perhaps' is all the craze!" Drew then said, which caused Sharon to give him a look that said 'really?'.
"Perhaps..." Maisie giggled.
"You're grounded." Drew said.
"Oof. Haha." Kenzi stifled a laugh.
"K." Maisie replied to Kenzi, before her eyes widened. "Oh dam-"
"I was kidding, Maisie." Drew spoke, before he frowned. "But now I'm not so sure…"
"Heh, sorry." Maisie said sheepishly. "I won't talk like Uncle Kenny again..."
"Please never, ever talk like Uncle Kenny. Please." Drew tried to tell them.
"Hmm, I dunno, Dad." Kenzi smirked. "I dunno if you said 'please' enough times."
"Knock off the sarcasm, Bebe Junior…" Drew told her, which prompted Kenzi to merely stick out her tongue with a teasing grin.
Maisie did the same thing with a grin as well. It seemed she was taking after her new sister quite a bit…
"Oh God help me…" Drew facepalmed, to which Sharon could only smirk.
"You're probably on your own for tonight." She said, before Drew sighed.
"Great…" He said.
The Batman, a man known for striking fear into the strongest of men… Can't even control two rowdy little girls for a day.
What great sense that made.
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Anakin walked beside Master Yoda as they approached the Marsh Residence.
"So how is the New Republic coming along?" He asked.
"Very well, the New Republic is…" Yoda confirmed. "Sends her best wishes, Senator Amidala does. Welcome to visit anytime, you are, Skywalker."
"It does mean a lot. I didn't have the heart to ask her to give up her devotion to the people. It will make things easier though." Anakin replied.
"Hmm…" Yoda looked up at Anakin. "Away, you two may be. But apart, never you are. A quick trip away, and reunited you two would be."
Anakin smiled. "Good...It will also make it easier to speak with Obi-Wan. Unless of course he keeps greeting me while standing on a pedestal with a death stick in his hand and saying 'Hello there' like he did that one time..."
"Still understand you and your Master's humor, I do not…" Yoda shook his head. "A Twitter page, Ahsoka Tano made for me. Understand it, I do not. Funny posts, Master Kenobi does have at times, though…" Yoda smirked, before chuckling.
When they got there, Anakin knocked on the door.
"Drew! You home?" He asked.
Just several seconds later, an audible voice appeared to already be speaking to somebody, as the door opened,
"-Just chill out, girls. For the last time." Drew chuckled, looking back at Kenzi and Maisie, who appeared to be playfully debating about something in the living room. "We can find out what movie to watch first in a minute. Remain civil."
Drew turned to face Anakin and Yoda finally, seeing who the two visitors were for the first time.
"Oh, Master…" Drew looked down at Yoda with a grin, bowing respectfully. "And Master Yoda… Me and the girls were just hanging out. Anything I can do for you guys? Why are you here?"
Yoda stood there, clutching onto his cane in momentary silence. Even now, he was perplexed. Here he had sensed a dark presence within Drew, and now here he was as happy as could be.
Perhaps the happiness was all but temporary, but even still Yoda had to admit it would be a challenge to find out where to go from here.
"Padawan Drew King…" Yoda finally greeted, breaking his silence. "Here on a mandatory diplomatic mission, I was. Met with the Emperor and Empress, I have. Here to check on your welfare, I am here for."
Drew cocked a brow.
"My… welfare?" Drew now glanced towards Anakin, silently asking if he knew what that meant.
"Yes," Anakin replied. "You know, just to make sure you're doing okay, because..." Anakin trailed off. "We've just noticed something...strange lately, though under the circumstances, it's kind of understandable..."
"What do you mean by 'strange', Master?" Drew asked him, before looking back to Yoda. "What does that mean?"
"Daaad! Are you coming?" Kenzi called from inside the house, taking Drew's attention away for a brief moment, before he looked down with a sigh, afraid that this matter was yet another one that was dangerous for the planet in some way. Again…
"Just a minute, Kenzi." Drew finally called back into the house. "Some visitors are at the door."
Immediately after speaking that sentence, Drew knew that simply letting them come inside would be both easier and more polite, so with that, he stepped to the side a bit, making a motion with his hand that appeared to signal them to come inside.
"Oh hey, Uncle!" Maisie greeted happily.
"Hey, Maisie. Hey, Kenzi." Anakin replied with a smile.
"Is my big brother still annoying?" Maisie asked with a grin.
"A bit. Padme's struggling more than I am...Not used to Calvin's antics..." Anakin replied.
"Coming from you, Master Skywalker," Yoda of all people began. "Says a lot, that does…"
"Oh...that hurt..." Anakin said with mock hurt.
"Master Yoda…" Drew meekly grinned. "As wise as ever, it seems."
"Woahh…" Kenzi cocked her head to the side, looking down at Yoda. "You look cool. You remind me of one of the kids that goes to my school."
"Kenzi…" Drew hissed through his teeth, initially thinking she was referring to his stature.
Through red cheeks, Kenzi defended,
"No! No, for real! There's a kid who played kickball with us on the playground that looked just like him! Only y'know… A lot smaller."
"Hmm…" Yoda thoughtfully began. "Smaller, you say? A child, is he?"
"Well… Uhm…" Kenzi nervously began. "Yeah…"
Yoda looked at her for a moment, beginning to ponder this fact.
"How incredibly fascinating…" Yoda had to comment.
"Yeah, he's kinda adorable.." Maisie giggled. "His dad is nice, if not a bit...paranoid..."
"Wait a minute…" Drew began, starting to put the pieces together. "Are you referring to that little child that was with the Mandalorian and the ex Special Forces Sharpshooter?"
"Yeah." Maisie replied.
"Me, Master Skywaker, and Ahsoka encountered them on Tatooine." Drew explained, Yoda finally getting to hear the story. "They were nearly gunned down by almost an entire squad of Stormtroopers. But luckily, we managed to show up just in time to provide them aid."
"What? Really?" Kenzi widened her eyes. "So you mean you know them?"
"To an extent… yes." Drew confirmed.
"Wow…" Kenzi pondered, before her lips curled into a grin. "Cool…"
"Yeah, it was quite an interesting adventure..." Anakin mused. "Speaking of that, how is Rey doing?" He asked Yoda.
"Doing well, she is…" Yoda slowly nodded, indicating that she was safe. "A long way to go, she still has. Trying to make a living, the ex scavenger has tried to make."
"What does Rey do these days, anyway?" Drew cocked a brow, legitimately curious what she was really up to.
"A mechanic who repairs ships, Rey is." Yoda confirmed. "One small step at a time, she wishes to take. Respect her wishes, I do."
"Good idea." Anakin said. "It's definitely a good idea to not rush into things."
"Master Yoda?" Maisie asked.
Yoda looked up at the child speaking to him, before he responded,
"Yes, little one? Listening, I am."
"I saw your speech about the Republic. Does that mean you're not going to stay on Earth anymore?"
Yoda's neutral expression instead formed into a small smile, before he pulled her hand upwards a bit.
"Informed Master Skywalker of this very thing, I did…" Yoda spoke. "While away we might be…"
Yoda's hand was held up to Maisie's before a glowing light emitted off of it, and onto hers.
"Apart, we never are…" Yoda finished, before pulling his hand away, leaving both girls in awe.
"Wow… Sis, your hand is glowing!" Kenzi said, her mouth agape.
"Woah..." Maisie breathed. "So...we're all still friends, even if the Republic is something different than the Empire?"
"Look now…" Yoda spoke once more, holding up his hand again, where it started to glow, next to Maisie's still glowing hand. "Look with your eyes. What see you? One in the same, are we?"
"Yes...we are..." Maisie replied. "While we may look different, we're all still the same thing.."
"Good…" Yoda nodded, before putting his hand down and clutching his cane, Maisie's hand finally returning to normal. "And what does your heart tell you?"
"That the Republic and the Empire are one people, always have been, and always will be, no matter what? That we're all a family.."
"The child understands…" Yoda spoke proudly, looking up at the others with a grin. "Wise beyond her years, she is. If so clear this is to her, then clear to everyone else, why is it not?"
"Even if some seek to divide us, we are still allies." Anakin spoke. "The real enemy are those who try to hurt or control us both for their own gain..."
"Indeed…" Yoda nodded.
During that few seconds of silence, Kenzi tapped on Drew's shoulder telling him,
"I'm gonna go upstairs and see what Mimi Sharon is up to. Let me know when it's time to watch movies, okay?"
Drew rolled his eyes with a grin, seeing this coming sooner or later. Kenzi wasn't very much a social person, around those she barely knew mostly.
"Alright, Kenzi. Love you."
"Love you too." Kenzi responded as she bolted up the stairs, leaving everyone else still standing in the living room, the silence reigning for a little bit.
No one really knew what was to happen from here.
"You...mentioned that you were here to check up on dad's welfare. Is he alright?" Maisie asked curiously.
Drew almost instinctively opened his mouth to reassure her that he was, but out of discipline, he stopped himself, looking back down to Master Yoda.
Yoda looked up at the girl, before he then gave a much more careful look at Drew, as if scoping out his demeanor… Sensing his inner feelings, and all of that.
Yoda was no fool. He could still sense the darkness within him.
But with the aid of the Jedi teaching him to quell it, along with the fact that his family seemed to bring him joy, love, and more of the Light Side within his being…
"Fine, he is…" Yoda confirmed to Maisie, letting Drew off the hook.
Drew internally sighed in relief, before Yoda stepped a bit closer towards Maisie, giving a friendly grin.
"Simply worried about him, we were… The safety of all our fellow Jedi, our biggest priority, it is."
"That's good, then." Maisie declared, looking at Drew. "Do you think you're okay, dad?" She asked.
Drew looked down at his adoptive daughter, beginning,
"I…" Drew looked down at Yoda now, who merely looked back at him, silently telling him to remain cautious of the Dark Side.
Drew now looked back to Maisie, before kneeling down and speaking more softly,
"I'm alright… I promise." He wrapped her into a small hug, which caused the both of them to giggle a bit. "And I promise as long as I have you, your sister, and her mimi by my side… I always will be."
"Promise?" Maisie asked with a giggle.
Drew looked into his daughter's eyes, before chuckling,
"Promise…"
Drew now stood up, releasing Maisie from the embrace.
"Oh hey…" Drew smirked, a teasing tone now in his voice. "Looks like your sister's gone… So I guess that means you get to pick first movie."
"Ooh! Maybe that movie with you, other dad and Alex?" She asked.
"The one directed by Johnny Cage?" Drew asked her, half amused and half disappointed.
"No, the one directed by Deborah Chow! The animated one!"
"Oh!" Drew chuckled. "At first I thought you- Wait… Animated one? When did this happen?"
"It just released last week. Apparently it's going to be the start of a new series! This guy called Matt Lanter voices Uncle Anakin and Ashley Eckstein voices Aunt Ahsoka! They sound exactly like them!"
"Exactly like them, huh?..." Drew gave a toothy grin, glancing over towards his Master. "And wow… Ahsoka made it after all, did she? It's certainly been awhile since I've seen her. Not since our Tatooine run, I think."
"She's on a mission to Mandalore right now, to make sure that Moff Gideon doesn't try anything. She should be back soon, though." Anakin said.
"Is that why Greef Karga is gone?" Drew wondered. "Did he go to deal with the Moff? Or did he take our hint of locating that 'Lando' character in Cloud City in Bespin?"
"I think so, about the Moff." Anakin replied. "Though Dylan is worried about Gideon, especially given what ISA reported about him trying to acquire some ships, though that shouldn't be much of a problem. So long as we're careful, at least."
"Can we watch the movie, dad?" Maisie asked, getting a bit tired of all the grownup talk.
"Oh, alright…" Drew grinned. "You gotta get your sister and Mimi Sharon, though. That's the rule."
"Okay!" Maisie said, before getting up and running off to get her older sister.
"She seems really happy here..." Anakin said with a smile. "Sweet kid..."
"That's all I can really hope for…" Drew smiled, before turning to Anakin and Yoda, joking, "Guess I just can't escape my many daughters…"
Drew laughed, before tacking on jokingly,
"If only I had a son to balance out the chaos a little bit."
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"Tony, will ya cut that out?" Steve said, as Tony Stark had been tapping his fingers on their meeting table for perhaps the fifth time by now.
"Well, Steve," Tony emphasized. "Maybe I could try cutting out my obvious disinterest, when you stop insisting we have these same boring team meetings five times a week…"
"Oh you mortals...so obsessed with time..." Thor chuckled. "I for one enjoy these meetings...Mostly because it's a chance to discuss whose ass we need to kick next."
"Though things are starting to get better on Earth," Steve Rogers replied. "Which is why I wanted to suggest-"
"Yeah, exactly. That's the problem." Tony Stark responded, his statement not meant to be taken literally. "There's nothing going on out there that those Jedi or 'Superman' haven't taken care of already. So why exactly are we meeting here today? Please tell me Parker is at least picking up the donuts… I like mine glazed, thank you."
"If, you let me finish," Steve said, with a slight look of annoyance at the head of Stark Industries. "Maybe you'd learn that I was going to suggest expanding our missions across the Galaxy. There's a lot of planets we can help, after all."
"Yeah, agreed there." Thor replied. "We could probably find some good fights there as well. Well, entertaining ones at least. I think we've pretty much wiped out all the bastards that can threaten us in this galaxy."
"What, you mean like helping the Tusken Raiders get the sand outta their eyes?" Tony joked, obviously hinting that he thought Steve might actually see that as a real issue.
"Skywalker's probably getting an aneurysm now..." Thor chuckled.
"Please. That would be your job." Steve said in an uncommon example of sarcasm. "The rest of us would do some more hero work..."
"Oh, ouch." Tony said, putting a hand over his arc reactor. "That hurts my heart, y'know, Steve…" He said rather ironically.
"You have one?" Natasha chuckled, taking a sip of wine. "Kidding, by the way, Tony."
"It's called a joke." Tony pointed, before winking. "Google it."
"Okay." Thor said, pulling out his phone and typing up 'joke' on there. "Why did your a picture of you come up first?" He asked.
"Oh I get it, you're trying to be funny." Tony Stark slow clapped. "Way to go, Sparky. Though I suggest not quitting your day job as King of Asgard."
"True. And the new Emperor needs me to teach him how to use Stormbreaker. Poor kid can barely lift it...and it doesn't have the enchantment Mjolnir has."
"Yeah...speaking of students, when are we going to meet that kid from New York you told us about?" Black Widow asked. "Parker was his name?"
"Well, Peter Parker…" Tony said, being a bit more formal. "I suggested he was gonna get the donuts. What? You think I was joking? He's literally on a donut run right now. Don't like glazed? Too bad, I guess." He then shrugged.
"Is he the one that suggested we use the Replicator to shrink ourselves and go up every villain's ass and then grow back to normal or something?" Steve asked.
"Listen…" Tony sighed. "The kid reads too many sub-reddits and watches too many movies. The idea's stupid. Not to mention gross, but also stupid."
"But…" Tony added on, genuinely complimenting, "The kid's smart… Like, wicked smart. I trust him. Absolutely."
"That's good. We need more members...especially after what...happened to Banner and Barton..." Thor sighed.
Black Widow looked down, definitely missing her teammates as well. Especially Bruce…
"They fought admirably…" Tony looked down. "That's unfortunately the sacrifice of being a hero. It's very tough sometimes, especially when you lose those you love."
"Just look at Jack's kids. They still miss him and his wives, even if they don't show it to us." Thor agreed.
"Poor kids..."
"Not to mention that Bat guy…" Tony brought up. "Remember him? Ever since he lost his wife, he's just been totally out of it. Shows you what losing someone can do to a person. Especially in these times."
"Indeed. Which is why we need to remain vigilant. We never know when something will go wrong." Steve brought up. "But let's hope that this time, peace is more permanent."
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"Drew?" Kylie's voice asked on the phone. "Sorry if you're busy, I just...had a question."
"No, I-" Drew began, before the sound of laughing was heard in the background, as well as a lot of loud thumping. "I'm not gonna tell you again! Knock it off!" Drew scolded, seemingly to his two daughters in the background who were making a racket upstairs.
Drew sighed, before holding the phone up to his ear again.
"Well, kind of…" He admitted. "It's a weird feeling, being more of a father these days, instead of the usual routine of fighting evil. Though I'll admit it has its… frustrating moments."
"My sister wearing you out, then?" Kylie giggled, before turning serious. "Next week is...well, me and Dylan's wedding and...I want you to walk me down the aisle."
Drew's expression was a shocked one at first, but very soon it shifted into one of understanding. Her father… Both of her mothers. They were gone now.
She didn't exactly have anyone else to turn to on this matter.
He was perhaps the only direct family she had left that she could ever potentially see as a father figure, save for ironically his Master, Anakin. So on that front… it was still a huge honor.
"It would be my honor…" Drew made his thoughts more vocal. "Anything you wish for me to do to get myself prepared?"
"We're going for...well, a Jedi wedding. Which means formal robes or other formal clothing." Kylie said, before hesitantly adding. "Thank you, Uncle Drew. It...really does mean a lot."
"No problem…" Drew meekly grinned.
He really couldn't believe it, honestly… After all, he remembered when she was just real little. And now here she was getting married as a strong Jedi Knight and newly crowned Empress of the Dilanian Empire.
Still, though… There was a small hint of sadness in his smile as well. Not only because of the tragic fact that his brother Jack and his sisters Kyle and Gwen would never see this, but also because…
Well… While he had witnessed and been involved with quite a few weddings in his day, first of all, never had he walked someone down the aisle…
And secondly… He had technically never been married, himself…
Often, he wondered what that feeling was like.
But now it seemed that any chance of him figuring out such a thing was all but dashed.
Yes, he was aware that Sharon was in love with him. He was aware that Bridgette had taken a small liking towards him as well. He wasn't an idiot…
But that didn't matter to Drew… He knew he had suitors. But he didn't care!
Honestly, it was probably unhealthy to think this way… But Bebe was simply the love of his life, and she was gone. She was the first one to ever care about him in that way, and actually listen to his struggles.
But those times had passed now.
Drew knew he should probably move on, and that Bebe would probably want him to. But even still… His heart ached every single day. The thought of that night had never escaped his mind.
He couldn't go a single day without being reminded of it…
And honestly, thinking this way probably did more harm than good…
Drew sighed, finally snapping out of it, trying to remain focused on Kylie and the happiness she was feeling.
This was her moment! Not his…
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"I can't believe, it guys..." Dylan said as he finished putting on his robes. "I'm...actually getting married today."
"Well, we're all happy that you two are finally official in every way," Luke commented. In the last few weeks, Luke had become an unofficial member of Dylan, Billy, Freddy and Clark's friend group. They were all fairly similar in age after all, by this point.
"I still hate wearing this fancy get up… It's difficult." Freddy complained, tugging at his polo's collar. "I'm on crutches y'know."
"We gathered that..." Luke shrugged sarcastically.
"Hey, blame Kylie, not me." Dylan chuckled. "She wanted a formal wedding. And we all know you'd take 'casual' a bit too far, Freddy."
"Oh, I would not-" Freddy stopped himself, before saying, "-Yeah… Smart call."
"I personally don't mind…" Clark smiled, before putting a hand on Dylan's shoulder. "I am proud of you… You should be happy on this day."
Clark said all of this while not exactly being stable, himself… He limped with every walk, and had cuts, bruises, and puncture marks all over his body after Doomsday ravaged everything.
Clark had managed to throw the monster into the Sun, so any chance of it ever returning appeared to be slim to none…
And even through all this pain, Clark never brought attention to his injuries. He didn't make anything about himself. He didn't even seem to complain about the formal wear.
He was just happy to see his friends happy.
"Thanks," Dylan replied. "To be honest, as long as Kylie's happy, I'm happy. She deserves to have a good wedding. Especially because.." Dylan trailed off, before sighing.
"Anyway, thanks guys for coming. And thanks for agreeing to be my best man, Billy." He added.
"Hey, no problem, man…" Billy slightly smirked. "Quite frankly I'm surprised you chose me. I swear I probably stressed out more about this than, well… Most of anything in awhile."
He paused briefly, before adding on more quietly,
"Well… almost everything…"
"Yeah..." Dylan said, looking down, deep in thought. "How are you and Amelia doing?" He asked, hoping to change the subject.
"We're doing great." Billy grinned. "One step at a time. Though one thing that will never seem to get easier are her constant sudden cravings… I swear, I can hardly keep up with the woman sometimes! But, I still love her just the same." He chuckled.
"Yeah, Kylie was pretty hard with all the cravings. What is Amelia's biggest craving, anyway? Kylie's was pickles." Dylan chuckled.
"Well, what do ya know…" Billy chuckled once more. "Guess they're one in the same… Mainly, Amelia craves pickles as well. But sometimes, she may want a grilled cheese. Other times, she might want a Big Mac! It's all very random and complicated…"
"All women are..." Luke shrugged. "I wouldn't know, unfortunately..."
"Damn, really?" Billy asked Luke,cocking a brow in genuine surprise. "Why not?"
"Just haven't met a girl that has really caught my eye, to be honest." Luke said. "Well, there is one, at least, but-no, that's a bad idea." Luke shook his head.
"Well don't leave us in suspense, Luke…" Clark now grinned. "It's okay for you to tell us… Only if you feel like it at the end of the day, of course."
"Yeah." Freddy now said. "Usually I'm a dickhead about these things, but I promise for this one time I won't say nothing."
"Okay..." Luke sighed, before replying. "I kinda have a crush on Bridgette..."
"Ohh…" Billy was the first one to speak, the friends looking among each other, before he faced Luke again. "And why is that such a dumb idea? Don't tell Amelia I said this, but she's a catch, man."
"Yeah, she is really cute, plus, I've always wanted to try surfing..." Luke commented. "But still, I can't help but be nervous."
"Well, if I can say anything," Dylan chuckled. "I say go for it. Without these three, I wouldn't be with Kylie, today."
"But mostly because of me…" Freddy smirked, obviously intentionally trying to tease him.
"You followed his advice? And you didn't scare her away?" Luke asked, though it was clear he was joking. "Okay then, so what should I do, enlightened guru of love?"
"Uhmm…" Freddy began, though it was obvious he wasn't thinking very hard. "Ask her out. And see how it goes." He shrugged, giving the most basic answer imaginable.
"No…" Billy facepalmed. "I'll take it from here, Freddy."
Turning to Luke, Billy gave the best advice he could.
"Look, Luke, I would first maybe try getting closer to Bridgette first. Y'know, get to know her a bit more. And then ask her out. But, I suppose crazier things have happened before. So if you wanted to try your luck, then I suppose the 'Love Guru's' brilliant plan may work here…" He finished, sending a look Freddy's way.
"I'll take your advice. Because to be honest, it seems like the better idea, sorry former Love Guru..." Luke shrugged.
"I charge by the second, y'know…" Freddy huffed, crossing his arms.
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Kylie took a deep breath as she walked out to the altar. All the Jedi and her closest friends were here. She couldn't help but smile a bit as she walked forward.
Drew couldn't help but look around, as many of the allies he had made from along the way were all present in some form. The Jedi, of course, were present. At least the vast majority, even from the New Republic.
More notable individuals present here were: the Imperial Military, Imperial Cabinet, The Clones, the Shaolin, and the Avengers.
Everyone gave a smile, salute, or celebratory gesture as they walked down the aisle, Drew interlocking his arm with Kylies, both of them in their Jedi robes.
It was a rather humorous sight, especially for the Jedi, to see Drew with his Padawan braid still on, walking his much younger Jedi Knight niece down the aisle. It was especially funny in retrospect, knowing full well who he was and what he had accomplished.
Kylie took a deep breath as she approached the altar, barely able to contain her excitement. It was finally here. She was finally getting married to the one she loved…
If only her parents were here to see it…
Finally, they reached the altar, where the one who would officiate the wedding, began.
"Hmm…" The gravelly voice of Yoda began, looking up to observe the Jedi Bride and Groom. While certainly a new concept to him, the conditions and stipulations laid out for this ceremony seemed acceptable to him…
And besides that, relations with the Empire were very important to the New Republic.
"Certain you wish to declare your indefinite matrimony to one another, you are?" Yoda questioned both of them.
"We are." Dylan and Kylie declared together, both having a firmness in their voices that showed their conviction.
Yoda continued to look up at them, his usual serious yet wise look on his own face.
"Declare your personal vows to one another, you may. Showcase your love for the other, you must…" Yoda explained, before looking to Kylie. "Start with the Bride, we will…"
Kylie nodded, before she looked to Dylan.
"Dylan, I promise to love you, cherish you, protect you, and stand by you for as long as we both live on this Earth and in this galaxy. I love you with all my heart, and I always will." She declared.
Dylan smiled a bit, definitely touched by that statement. He was so...happy that he was able to give her that amount of happiness. And he promised to give her that amount of happiness for the rest of their lives..
"And now…" Yoda spoke up once more, motioning his hand up to Dylan. "The Groom."
"Kylie," Dylan said softly. "I love you. I always have, and always will. I promise to protect you, stand by you, cherish you, and care for you, no matter the circumstances. I love you. And I shall keep loving you until death do us apart."
"One final trial stands before you in this ceremony, before official Jedi matrimony is official." Yoda declared, crossing his arms behind his back.
Yoda stepped a bit closer to them, before he nodded and said,
"Remember your training…"
Yoda was silent for another moment, before he spoke, knowing full well that the two would catch on,
"There is no emotion,"
"There is no emotion." Every Jedi began, closing their eyes, and beginning the recitation of the code in unison.
"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is The Force…"
It was official. Kylie and Dylan were officially married
"Official, your marriage is…" Yoda gave the slightest hint of a grin. "A life of prosperity and peace, I hope you live. May The Force guide and watch over you."
Kylie and Dylan embraced, causing the guests to begin clapping. It was honestly a refreshing sight, to see a bit of tenderness in a world so often disturbed by violence and pain.
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The after party went quite well. Dylan and Kylie danced to their favorite song, 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift, and mingled with their guests. Billy, as the best man, gave a rather good speech that had both a perfect mix of his typical humor and heartfelt feelings about the couple, and even just the individuals in the room.
"Quite honestly, I'm lucky to be surrounded by each and every one of you…" Billy began wrapping up his near ten minute speech, certainly not intending for it to drag too long. "I know the road to get to a point like this has been bumpy… But, not to sound corny, we got through it together. And we will continue to face any other trial together just the same, no matter what."
Billy held up his glass of champagne, before smiling,
"To peace, and for more glorious moments like this…" Billy gave a toast. "Now and forever…"
"Now and forever..." Many of the guests declared in agreement.
As the party continued, one final event occurred.
"Everyone," Dylan said, catching the attention of those present. "Kylie," he said, looking at his now wife. "A month ago, your father spoke to me and Billy."
Billy knew immediately what Dylan was referring to.
Billy gave a sad sigh, looking over at his girlfriend, knowing how hard they may take what was coming up next.
But even still, he knew he and Dylan needed to fulfill said obligations.
Drew, quite honestly, was oblivious as to what that meant. Dylan and Billy definitely knew more about it than he did, so it definitely piqued his interest nonetheless. He was now sat down in between Adia and Maisie, with Kenzi sitting down conversing quietly with Maisie as things were getting set up.
"Kenzi, Maisie…" Drew whispered, shushing them. "Shh… You'll wanna look at this."
Dylan turned to the screen, and inserted a flash drive into the video projector. He walked over to Kylie, and wrapped an arm around her. She looked at him a bit quizzically, unsure what was going to happen.
Billy did similar with Amelia, her reaction more or less the same as her sister's. They didn't say anything, however, knowing that they would find out soon enough anyways.
The lights went off, and the screen began to play.
"To my children," The voice of Jack spoke on the camera, catching everyone's attention. "To my family, all of my family." He continued. "I don't know what the future holds. But...I want you to know one thing. I love you. Kylie, Amelia...I've always loved you. Calvin, Maisie, Simba, I love you."
Kylie's eyes widened at that, and it was clear she was already starting to get emotional. Just hearing her dad's voice again…
Amelia was the same way. Her hormones didn't help much, and she already was wiping at ear away.
"To my girls, I know your big days are coming. Which is why, I made this gift for you. I am so proud of you both, to see you grow into the strong, beautiful women you are today. I can't wait for this day to come. To Billy, and Dylan, I know you will take care of them. I know you love them, but just remember, I loved them first."
The familiar song began to play, and the first image was of Kylie and Dylan dancing. It was quickly followed by Billy and Amelia cuddling on the couch.
Then, it shifted to a much younger Kylie and Amelia, opening Christmas presents with Jack and Kyle.
Kylie's eyes began to water, and Dylan pulled her close, trying to contain his own emotions as the images continued, showing so many happy moments between a father and his daughters. Amelia couldn't help but smile a bit tearfully, seeing there were just as many pictures of her and her father as there were of Kylie and Jack or all three together.
One thing was clear to everyone present, Jack loved his daughters just as much as they loved him.
"It's honestly so heartbreaking…" Adia frowned. "He was taken so soon… As was Aunt Kyle and Gwen-"
Adia paused when she glanced to her right, seeing even her Dad had a tear run down his face.
It was so eerie, to be quite honest. The rest of his face was stone cold, but the tears still came flowing down… Internally, Drew was in so much pain as he reflected on things.
"Aww, Daddy… Come here." Adia spoke, as she wrapped an arm around Drew, as he could only sit there and attempt to hide his face from Kenzi and Maisie. They didn't need to see any of this too.
"Someday you might know what I'm going through..." The song began to slow, showing Jack holding a baby Amelia from when he and Kyle first adopted her.
"When a miracle smiles up at you." It then shifted to Jack reading Kylie and Amelia a story as they were in bed.
"I loved her first..."
The final image was of Kylie holding Ben while she and Dylan sat down on a couch next to Amelia and Billy.
"To my girls. Happy wedding day." Was what the final text read as the video ended.
Kenzi struggled to wipe her tears away while simultaneously rubbing a bawling Maisie's shoulder, trying her best to console her sister while also trying to do the same, herself.
That's when it most certainly became clear to everyone present: this was a different time. Times had changed, be they for better or for worse.
A new era had begun…
