Chapter 35

Shadows Beyond the Stars

Knowhere was a haven for the lost. The severed head of a Celestial being drifting at the edge of the cosmos. Here was where the scum of the universe gathered. Raiders, slavers, murderers, smugglers and even worse.

It was a lawless place, held in order only be immediate might, and nothing else. Where the weak were broken while the strong thrived.

However, even the strong knew there were some foes that you just got the out of the fucking way of.

A towering stone creature stomped through the city, shoving aside any who got in his way. While Kronan's were intimidating at the best of times, they weren't almighty. However, what deterred any from accosting this specific Kronan were the creatures following it.

Strange black beings with yellow eyes. One wore a suit of armor and carried a punch dagger in it's hand. Another had twin blades. One carried a bow while the last had most of it's body taken up by a massive hammer.

While some simply stared at these bizarre creatures, others shied away, dimly recalling records or memories of the horrifying 'creatures of dark' that hadn't been seen in millennia, or having heard news of these strange creatures appearing in isolated corners among the stars.

Thus, the Kronan was given a wide berth as he strode through Knowhere, towards his destination. The Marauders ship that had recently arrived.

"Open up you mutinous shitstains!" He shouted, slamming on the entrance to the ship. The hatch quickly opened, to reveal an angry looking Marauder.

'Do you even know whose ship you're… HOLY SHIT! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Those reports were greatly exaggerated." The Kronan said. "Take me to the bridge."

"Uh..." The Marauder eyed the creatures of dark behind him. "R-right away."

The Marauder led him through the ship, eliciting stares from other Marauders that were at first confused, then secondly fearful.

He was led into the bridge room where two Marauders were chatting.

"See, I told you it was a good idea. We're going to make so many-" he then turned, and jumped out of his seat. "B-boss? B-but you were chunked by Thor!"

"So they say."

"Well… um… welcome back." He said.

"Open the containment cells."

"W-what?"

"Open the containment cells."

"But we have a bunch of slaves in there. We just negotiated a massively lucrative deal for one of them and are waiting for transport." he said. "We can't just let them out."

"Are you defying me?"

"Maybe." He said, gripping the sword at his side.

"This is mutiny." the Kronan said.

"It might be." More Marauders entered the room, blocking off the exit and taking fighting stances, wielding swords, axes and rifles.

The Kronan looked around. And then gave a strange and uncharacteristic shrug.

"Ah screw it." He said in a strangely young and feminine voice. "We're in far enough. Madoka?"

The dark creature wielding a bow suddenly fired into the air, releasing a pink arrow that exploded in a burst of light, blinding the Marauders.

There was a blur of motion, and the sound of impacts and screams, and when the light faded, there was a pile of unconscious Marauders, while Kyoko, Thor, Sif, Sayaka, and Madoka stood over them.

"We really should have left one of them standing." Sif said, as she looked over the motionless bodies. "Now how shall we free the prisoners?"

"The Keyblade might be able to aid with that." Ramuh said, his hologram appearing over Madoka's shoulder. "Simply direct it at the console, like you would an ordinary lock."'

"Um… okay." Madoka said. She raised Crystal Clarity, and the tip of it glowed, like it had back in the mall. A beam of light shot out of the tip, directly into the control console of the ship, and strangely, there was the very satisfying sound of a tumbler unlocking.

Mami came too, feeling worse than ever. She felt nauseous, and was drenched in sweat. Her vision was blurry and unfocused, and as she sat up, she dry heaved.

Eventually, she managed to get her body under control enough to realize that she was in the cell again.

"Wha-what happened?"

"You fought valiantly, but alas, those villains used cowardly tactics to subdue you." Said a man.

"I'd say it's her fault for being uppity." Said a voice. Mami looked up to see several Marauders standing on the other side of the prison cell. She noted with no small amount of satisfaction that the one closest to her had a smashed nose and a black eye. Another walked with a slight limp, while the third was clearly missing some teeth when he opened his mouth in a grin.

"But it's all worth it in the end. You should feel proud. The Collector was fascinated and offered us 70 million units for you."

"Excuse me if I don't find being a prop for some creep all that exciting." She said, standing up.

"Well it doesn't matter in the end. The Collector gets you, and we get set for life." The Marauder chuckled.

Mami tried to think of a rebuttal, but nothing would come to mind. True she was more than a match for them even without the use of her hands, but as long as they had that shock function and the force field, then none of that mattered.

Mami slumped back to her knees. She was helpless, again, powerless to do anything but watch as everything in her life was stripped away from her, leaving her alone. Except this time, it was even worse as she would spend the rest of her life trapped in a cage for the amusement of some rich creep who'd probably forget about her once he found the next interesting thing.

She was a failure. All the others were depending on her, and she should depend on them, but none of that even mattered now. Only just started on their mission and she had led them to disaster, crashing on an unknown world and scattered. She had no idea where the others were, if they were safe, or even alive.

Perhaps the Marauders had already sold them to other buyers. Perhaps they were space dust. For all she knew, she was the sole survivor of the crash.

She looked again at all the other prisoners around her. They were her responsibility as well, weren't they. She was supposed to be a hero. A leader. But she was unworthy of the position. These people had ripped from their homes and sold as things. Things to be owned. It was supposed to be her duty to stop these horrific events, and yet, due to her own screw-ups, she was now just as vulnerable as them.

Her heart sank. She wanted to cry. She thought she had been doing so well, that she was someone others could look up to, seek advice from. But now…

"Hey, Mami, ya' down there? Don't say I never gave ya' anything. Light the fuckers up!" Said the intercom.

Mami shot up. That voice. Was that Kyoko?! That meant at least she was okay!

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. When it faded, the barrier in front of the cell was open, and at the same time, the energy manacles deactivated, freeing her hands. Alarms sounded.

The Marauders looked around in confusion, before settling on the prisoners. They raised their weapons, but by then it was too late.

A set of red ribbons appeared, binding them. Mami then gestured with her hands, and the Marauders were flung into the walls where they lay still. She took a deep breath, setting aside all her confused feelings. Deal with that later. Get everyone out now.

She lifted her hand, and felt the familiar feeling of comfort as the silver musket appeared in her grip.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Mami shouted to the crowd. However, they hesitated, backing away from her, causing her heart to sink. Were they afraid of her?

"We have to move, while their disorganized!" Mami said.

She then kicked down the door leading to the brig, revealing several confused and shocked Marauders in the hallway, with more approaching. While she had at first been bound and had to be cautious and careful, now, she could let loose. She opened fire, blasting one of them away. Then she dashed forwards, smacking her musket against the head of another, sending him crumpling to the ground. As the remaining Marauders opened fire, Mami leaped into the air and spread out her arms. A set of muskets emerged from her chest and shot into the air. As she landed she caught one of them and blasted away a Marauder, then spinning away from an attack from another Marauder, catching another musket, and opening fire.

It continued like that, gracefully dancing through the Marauders attacks as she opened fire avoiding harm as plasma shots streaked past her. The slavers couldn't keep up, their shots easily dodged, as she fired musket after musket, each shot blasting away another enemy as she advanced through the halls, moving with all the grace and elegance of a dancer, step to step, stance to stance.

She reached the end of the hallway as the last of the Marauders collapsed. She then looked at her handiwork. Every single slaver that had attacked her was now down, and she was unscathed. Not for the first time, she wondered where these skills had come from. They must have come with her powers, for there was no other logical explanation for how she had gone from an ordinary teenage girl to a kung-fu-fighting sniper in so short a time-span.

But that wasn't all there was. Mami had started to think of herself as a logical person but this was on a whole other level. She recalled the battle earlier where she had been bound. How she had calmly assessed the situation, sizing up her opposition and making a plan of attack. Weaving in and out of gunfire, taking cover from retaliation, changing the battlefield to disorient her enemies, using their numbers against them. It was all frankly amazing, and nothing she had even dreamed of being capable of. Those were the kinds of skills one would find in someone like a black-ops specialist.

And yet, I can't keep our group from fighting all the time, or not lead us into disaster. Mami thought. Though Kyoko was here, which meant that perhaps the others were as well. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind once more. Best to focus on getting away from these Marauders.

Mami pushed open the next door. She would get out of here and then...

As she stepped into a room that must be the cargo hold, Mami froze as she saw a massive force of Marauders, weapons trained on her.

...Walk right into an ambush. Mami thought. There had to be perhaps 20 or even 30 of them! There was no way she could take on all of them, at least not without putting the prisoners in danger.

Her heart sank once again. She hadn't anticipated this. She had led them to their dooms.

Then, the entire vessel shook. The Marauders stumbled back, looking confused. Then, all of a sudden, the entire ceiling exploded in a burst of electricity. Marauders were blasted away, screaming in shock and fear.

When the spots cleared from Mami's eyes, she saw a man standing in the epicenter of where the blast had been. He looked to be in his late twenties or mid thirties. He had blonde hair and wore a suit of armor with a flowing red cape and carried an oddly small hammer in his grip. She wasn't sure who this man was, but the others around her certainly did.

She noticed as their expressions immediately brightened, smiles of joy and relief on their faces.

"Thor! It's Thor!"

"Be wary. They're not down yet! Those who can fight, protect those who cannot! Take them back into the hallway!" 'Thor' said.

It was something she would be deeply ashamed of, but she felt a twinge of jealousy at their reactions. She watched the armed ones step forwards to defend the others. This man could inspire confidence in them where she could not.

Then she saw one of the Marauders rise from behind a crate, aiming a gun at Thor. Acting on instinct, Mami held out her hand, forming a ribbon that bound him. At the same time, Thor turned, and then hurled his hammer, smacking the man head on. He then held out his hand and the hammer returned to his grip.

"Hello, miss. I-" There was a sudden flash of light as another Marauder opened fire, only for Thor to block the attack with his hammer and then hurled a bolt of electricity. By that time however, the other Marauders were recovering from Thor's initial assault and preparing to fight.

Mami leaped into battle, a set of guns appearing in the air and firing as she dashed behind a crate. From there, she leapt over the crate, a new gun appearing in her hand, though this one was a bright crimson.

"Fireshot!" She shouted. The gun let lose a bullet infused with magic, which exploded on impact, blasting away Marauders in a fiery explosion. As she fired, she was already on the move, landing next to Thor, another musket in her hands and using it to smack away another Marauder that approached. Thor then hurled his hammer, rocketing the thug into a wall. He then summoned the hammer back to him, but instead of catching it, he sidestepped, letting the weapon fly past him to slam into two more Marauders who were approaching.

As he did so, Mami spun, ducking beneath a shot and then firing two guns in opposite directions, blasting away more Marauders.

"Good one!" Thor said, as he called his hammer back to him and then hung on as it flew, letting it pull him towards another group of Marauders, who reacted too slowly to avoid being clobbered.

A few more well placed musket shots dropped the last of the enemies in the room. With the coast clear, Thor alerted the former prisoners, and they began filing out.

Mami meanwhile caught her breath, leaning against a crate as she observed the proceedings, with the prisoners. The exit they had been led out of earlier was now open, and the prisoners were eagerly taking advantage of it. She noted the hopeful and joyous expressions they now bore, the mere presence of Thor seeming to lift their spirits.

Thor… that name sounded familiar. She looked at him. Tall, with a hammer that shot lightning. Could it really be the Norse god?

"As I was saying before, well met. You're quite the skilled warrior. The others were right to speak so highly of you."

"The others?" Mami asked. She then heard a familiar voice shouting.

"Alright assholes, get ready for an ass whuppin!"

Kyoko leaped down from the hole that Thor had made, ready for combat only to frown when saw what had happened.

"Aww… it's already over."

"Thank goodness for that." Said another familiar voice. Madoka dropped down from above, followed by Sayaka.

"Kyoko! Sayaka! Madoka!" Mami's eyes filled with tears as she saw them. They were okay! They were all okay!

"Mami!" Madoka and Sayaka rushed towards Mami, embracing her.

"I was so worried about you all!" Mami said, struggling to not sob as she leaned against them.

"Good to see ya' again." Kyoko said.

There was another thump as someone else dropped down. An armored woman carrying a sword and shield.

"What's the status, Sif?" Sayaka asked.

"It appears everyone is secure, well done, Thor."

"Much as I love the adoration, I can't give the credit entirely to myself. Tomoe here was the one who first led these people out of their prisons."

"I'm not really that good." Mami said. "But… thank you."

"If everyone's ready, then we really should get going." Sif said. "The liberated are waiting outside for a Bifrost to take them away from this desolate place."

"Wait!" Mami said, looking around. "Where's Nagisa?"

There was a pause, and both Madoka and Sayaka stepped away, looking uneasy.

"You haven't found her?" Mami asked.

"N-no. She's back in Asgard. But… it's just…" Madoka said.

"Just what?" Mami said.

"I don't know how to explain it." Sayaka said.

"Explain what?!" Mami said, growing increasingly worried.

"There's something seriously wrong with her." Kyoko said bluntly. "Nobody can figure it out. It's… best if you see it yourself."

Mami's heart sank into her stomach as any number of horrific visions of what could be happening to her raced through her head. Her mother had cancer. Risks of cancer were hereditary, it could be that. Or maybe she had caught some sort of alien illness, something her body would have no means of fighting off.

She numbly let the others lead her out of the ship, to where the others were waiting. There, she turned to where they were facing, a part of the station that opened to space. She heard Thor say. "Heimdall. When you're ready."

Suddenly, there was a burst of multicolored light, and Mami was whisked away.

Though the ships alerts sounded in his ears, it was not what awoke him from his long slumber. Instead, he felt it. The Aether, his birthright. That fool of an Asgardian king would have tried to destroy it, only to realize that such a task was beyond the abilities of a lesser creature like himself. So he would have sealed it away, in some distant realm beyond the ability of it's rightful owner to sense.

And so, with no other options left, he and the remainders of his people had gone into hibernation, to shield themselves from this wretched light and await a time when their holy goals were within reach. When this wretched world of light could be annihilated and restored to it's true state of primordial darkness.

His kind came from that darkness. They were old when the universe was still young. The first of their kind were not truly born unless that primal darkness could be considered a parent. The universe had a name for their kind Svartalfar, named after the husk world they had to live on, to call it their homeworld like the rest of the base creatures. Their true name, Harudheeniksel, was known only to themselves, a survivor of the era that had come before.

They thrived in that chaotic void, reigning supreme among the Govelemefe, but then came light, and from that light came the people, and the people had Hearts.

That light was an aberration, a blasphemy, robbing them of their supremacy and dividing their once mighty power among lesser, inferior, creatures. But someday, they were assured, a reckoning would come. A day when the Harudheeniksel would one day claim back all they had lost, where the glorious darkness would once again rule the universe. Where the Dark Elf would take their rightful place ruling supreme among the mongrel peoples of the world.

And now, the day had come. Not only could he sense the Aether calling to him as well, but the Convergence was nigh as well. The Yggdrasil was blossoming, the Nine Realms that comprised it coming into alignment.

Malekith exited out of his hibernation chamber, and stepped towards a balcony near a window of his ship. He looked outside, to the asteroid belt where his ship had been concealed for the past 5 millennia. There, beyond the drifting rocks was a rich tapestry of stars. Some might have called it beautiful, but to him it was repulsive, nauseating. Still to this day, there was so much disgusting light, chasing away the wonderful darkness. The Harudheeniksel had thrived in that darkness, in the age before ages. They had been rulers, gods even, able to shape the World to their will. None today could remember such a glorious time, and no surviving records confirmed those claims but they were assured it existed all the same. A time better than this weak and pathetic era.

He looked down to the lower levels of his ship. There he saw the rest of his people, also awakening from their long slumber. There were so few left, after the rest died in holy sacrifice to ensure the future of his cause. But they weren't alone. Malekith held out his hand, and saw the great darkness swirl about it. The Govelemefe were still about, in this era. They would serve him once more, and the Dark Elves would claim their rightful place as overlords over the universe again.

It was then that he heard footsteps behind him. A pair of footsteps, one of which was too heavy to be from a Dark Elf.

He turned, and was indeed confused at the two figures approaching him, emerging from a Dark Vortex. One was similar to himself, a dark elf. Though he did not bear the mask and armor of his followers, electing to wear a set of armor mixed with dark robes, and he did not prostrate himself before Malekith in worship, instead standing straight and proud. He even wore a strange crown upon his head.

The second was perhaps one of the strangest of inferior life forms that had ever blighted his presence, resembling an obese two-legged feline clad in a jumpsuit with too many zippers.

"Are ya sure this feller is the one? Don't look like much to me." The feline said, crossing his arms and sneering. The creatures voice was perhaps even more offensive. Unlike the perfection that was their language of Shiväisith this creatures words were base and crude.

"Who are you? Why have you brought yourself before me, creature?" Malekith demanded. Though he could speak in lesser tongues, the words were repulsive to him.

"Creature?! Why you stand before the mighty Pete! I outta-" This 'Pete' was cut off when the Dark Elf soldiers immediately rushed into the room bowcasters aimed at his head.

"Uh…" The feline's confidence wavered.

"Give the word and we will end these intruders." Algrim spoke in their own language.

"I wouldn't be so hasty." The newcomer Dark Elf spoke. He communicated in the tongue of Shiväisith, though he spoke it with a heavy accent, and slight hesitation. It was clearly not his native tongue, strangely.

"Then speak. Who are you, Dark Elf who does not bow before me?"

"I am not of your court, King Malekith. Allow me to introduce myself, I am King Astos."

"I did not believe there were any surviving Dark Elf kingdoms." Malekith asked.

"Not how you would think. I come from… significantly farther away." Astos said.

"And yet you have come all this way." Malekith said. "Why? I can assume not to prostrate yourself before me."

"You most evidently seek to resume your war against Asgard, esteemed Malekith. Yet, your forces are reduced, while the Aesir have lost none of their formidable strength. Thus we have come to offer aid in your assault."

"Why?"

"I believe we have similar goals." Astos said with a grin. "Involving what is on the Realm of Asgard."

"The Aether. You seek the Aether." Malekith replied. There was a brief exchange of looks among his soldiers, before they refocused their weapons on the intruders.

"Oh no, certainly not. I assure you, the Aether, though mighty, would be useless for the goals I have in mind."

"Then what?" Malekith demanded.

"Well, we represent a sort of… alliance." He said, gesturing towards himself and Pete.

"Uh… I can't understand a word ya' two are sayin'."

"An alliance?" Malekith switched from Shiväisith to Allspeech, much the better to be heard, though the words of such an impure tongue left a foul taste in his mouth.

Astos for his part shrugged and continued. "A collection of groups seeking similar goals. I believe we are united in purpose, in darkness, in that we are enemies of Odin."

"Odin?" Malekith asked.

"Ah, I forget that you've slumbered for such a long time. Odin Borson, son and heir of your enemy Bor Burison."

Malekith snarled, his revenge against his hated enemy was denied by the ravages of time. Though he would have loved to bring his kingdom crumbling down around him, he would have to settle for destroying his legacy instead.

"Why do you seek to strike at Odin?"

"You are not the only one who seeks a prize within Asgard. Within the realm eternal is a young maiden with pink hair. A girl named Madoka Kaname."

"What value is this girl to you?"

"She's quite the interesting creature, not only is she the wielder of a Keyblade, but even stranger, she is the bearer of one of the shards of light. Her heart is a pure one, completely devoid of darkness."

Malekith frowned. He knew of these rare devices, strange key-shaped swords capable of immense magic. They were said to be truly capable of killing the creatures of darkness, where no other weapon could. But even worse was what he had said about her nature. All Hearts had darkness within them, they could make their pretensions of independence, but all things began in darkness and all would so end.

And yet, here, was the most bizarre occurrence. A Heart that rejected the natural state, an aberration, absolutely corrupted with the light.

"I see." Was all he said, though he did not entirely hide the disgust in his voice.

"And to this end. Towards knocking Odin off his golden throne, and claiming Madoka Kaname as our prize, I pledge to you the support of the Dark Elf mage-warriors under my command. Pete here is additionally on a quest for a Black Box, that may be stored within the treasure vaults of Asgard, and thus he brings the Heartless."

"The Heartless?" Malekith questioned.

"The primal creatures of darkness, born when a Heart is utterly consumed by it's darkness."

"The Govelemenfe." Malekith said. "I am more than familiar with these creatures."

Malekith held out his hand, and called. The darkness answered, and out of the shadows emerged one of its children. A horned, winged creature that the primitive minds of the universe would perceive as a demon from myth. At its appearance, his Dark Elf soldiers bowed slightly in reverence of the creature.

"Ah… a Pureblood."

"Pureblood?" He asked. Malekith had not heard this terminology.

"Again, you have slumbered for so long, my friend, there have been many new developments in the meantime, even among the beings of darkness." He gestured to Pete.

"Yeah, there's a ton more kindsa Heartless nowadays." Pete held out his hand, and Malikith was taken aback as he saw shadows swirl about it. This creature was attuned to the darkness as well?

Pete snapped his fingers, and there was the familiar sound as the "Heartless" emerged. These were different, however, with a strange variety of appearances. They all still bore the trademark yellow eyes though they also bore somewhere on their body a strange heart shaped crest. Though they looked more comical, Malekith was not fooled. These were indeed Govelemenfe or Heartless as they were called now. The dark power within them was blatant to his senses. Impressive.

"But wait, there's more!." Astos said. When Malekith turned his attention back to him, he found the other king holding a pair of crystals. One glowed and pulsed with a roiling mixture of dark green and black with the other a mixture of red and gold. He gestured, and one of them floated towards Malekith, who took the object, and inspected it. Within that green light he could sense immense power, just waiting to be called forth.

"What is this?"

"Magicite. A gift from our other allies. There are many who seek to strike against Odin. The spirit contained within should help you stand against the Asgardian king." Astos grinned. "I trust we are in agreement on our goals?"

Malekith pondered his offers and then nodded. This was indeed a most fortuitous meeting, ordained in darkness.

"We are in agreement." He turned to Algrim, who saluted. "Ready the men. We have Asgardians to kill!"

Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!

~Dragonexx