Not to be confused with Skylanders.
So, for those who don't know, Skyland is an old cartoon that came out in 2005. In this setting, in the 23rd century the world has been shattered into billions of pieces, which the rest of humanity now survives on (I don't know how that works, but whatever). Water is the most vital resource now, and some people have gained superpowers that are activated by sunlight.
It's an interesting setting to be sure, and visually it was stunning.
Now, this is also a bit of a preview into another story I had in mind, a crossover between Storm Hawks and Skyland which is why the former will show up, as well as a brief crossover with Legend of Korra.
Truth be told, it's more in the concept phase right now, but it takes place after Atmos Campaign and Spirits and Shields, which is hinted at in the former with Cyclonis' final fate in that story. But I've babbled on long enough, let's begin, shall we?
Disclaimer: I do not own Skyland, Storm Hawks, Legend of Korra, Halo or anything else that appears in this story.
Things hadn't been going well in Skyland. Ever since Mahad and Lena had broken their mother out of Kharzem prison, the Sphere had redoubled their efforts to destroy the Pirates.
Fortunately, many other blocks had joined them, allowing their resistance to really take off. Unfortunately, Oslo had survived and redoubled his efforts to recapture the Farrell family.
This 'witch' was rumored to use magic crystals to aid the Sphere, bringing an army of strange and terrifying monsters and machines to her fold. According to what intel they could find, her name was Master Cyclonis.
Her Night Crawlers were odd creatures: humanoid beings with black skin, dark-hooded clothing and glowing eyes. They also came with strange motorcycle-type vehicles that could transform into gliders. Fortunately, they seemed weak against Seijin power, but they were also more intelligent and used strange crystal weapons in their fights.
Fortunately, aid had come from an unexpected source. A group of children, called the Storm Hawks had interrupted one of the battles with Cyclonis and the Sphere, driving them back all while armed with similar crystal weapons.
When the fighting was over, the Pirates were surprised to find that three of these Storm Hawks weren't human, but were even more surprised to learn where they had come from: they claimed to have come from a world called Atmos, which was in an entirely separate universe.
Naturally, there was some skepticism at first, but that faded when they had created a portal to their world, and brought them through to see for themselves. These 'Terras' were eerily similar to blocks at first glance, but their nature as mountaintop lands was revealed when they flew below the cloud barrier.
There was solid ground on Atmos' surface, albeit infested with lava and giant monsters. Still, for the people who had lived all their lives on floating rocks, it was the most incredible thing they had ever seen.
Unfortunately, Cyclonis could also create portals to their world, and began using the crystals and what support she could to aid the Sphere in their conquest of Skyland. Battles had been raged all across the shattered world, with one of the latest being an all out assault by the free Blocks on Sphere territory.
During this particular fight, the Storm Hawks had apparently requested reinforcements, which had come from an unexpected source (to both parties). A team of young adults, led by a woman named Avatar Korra, had emerged from their own world to aid in this fight.
There were four others with her: Asami Sato, the two brothers Mako and Bolin, and Opal Beifong. With the exception of Asami, all members of this team had the ability to manipulate the elements, with Korra being able to bend water, air, earth and fire.
Even with this unexpected windfall, the battle against the Sphere was still proving difficult. The Storm Hawks were doing what they could, with Piper and Aerrow fighting off Cyclonis, and Team Avatar were dealing with the Sphere however they could, with Lena and her mother fighting Oslo.
But the structure they were fighting over was one of the Sphere's largest holdings, made of at least three blocks containing old cityscapes, connected by large bridges and heavy machinery. A significant amount of this location was dedicated to creating Brigs and Patrollers, and human Sphere soldiers were also trained here.
At this stage, the tide could turn in either direction. Then suddenly, three meteors emerged from sky and streaked towards the Sphere structure. Onboard the St. Nazaire, Cortes watched from the helm as they fell.
Cortes grimaced as the meteors struck the city, having hoped to keep the collateral damage to a minimum. Strangely, the meteors actually seemed to have deliberately been aimed at important sectors.
One meteor had impacted near the manufacturing sector, while another had landed in the heart of the civilian habitation zone. The third had impacted just outside the Sphere command center.
"Uh sir, we're getting some strange readings from those meteors." Dahlia reported. "Almost like they're... organic."
"Wayan, Mahad. I need you to investigate those impact sites." Cortes ordered. The two were flying in Mosquito fighters, fighting through the skies as well, but diverged from the battle at that order. There was a long moment before they spoke.
"Cortes... I don't know what to tell you..."
"There are some kind of monsters down here!" Mahad interrupted, panic in his tone. "I've never seen anything like this before."
"We have." Aerrow's voice unexpectedly came over the radio, his tone grim. "It's the Flood." Stork spoke next, his words deadpan, predictable and true.
"We're doomed."
Team Avatar had been approaching the city when the Flood meteors impacted and the reports came over the radio. Fortunately, they were a fair distance away from the impact site, but unfortunately, the Flood were quick to spread, easily infecting the human workers and overpowering the Brigadiers.
"Keep the pressure up!" Korra shouted, her eyes glowing. "We need to contain them however we can!"
Bolin and Mako nodded, creating lava and fire respectively as the first wave of ground-bound Flood approached. The extreme heat, easily dealt with the infection forms, while Opal and Korra used their airbending to halt the Parasite's advance however they could.
Unfortunately, the Flood quickly adapted to Skyland's unusual environment. Seeder infectors took to the sky, targeting the airships flying above them. The battle dissolved into chaos, something the Parasite was quick to exploit.
The Storm Hawks now had a new issue of avoiding the Flood. The same could also be said of Asami, who had taken an interest to this world's vehicles and Atmos' skimmers, so much so that she built a hybrid, a skimmer powered by the same tech base as Skyland.
And right now, they all needed all the skill and power they could get. It had been less than five minutes since the meteors impacted and already the Flood were spreading quickly. Skyland was facing a plague unlike anything they had ever seen before.
Seeder forms spread throughout, aiming for the aircraft and diving after those that tried to flee. One had already latched onto a patroller, forcing the Brig pilot aside as it took control.
Truth be told, it was a new and unpleasant experience for all of them: while both Atmos and the Bending Earth had been attacked by the Flood, neither the Storm Hawks nor Team Avatar had had the displeasure of fighting the Flood up close, the former having been kept away by Republic agents and the latter (excluding Opal) having had to deal with Dark Samus and corrupted spirits.
The members of Team Avatar were soon forced to retreat, evacuating the city however they could as the Parasite quickly and efficiently overran the Sphere's territory. Asami and the Storm Hawks helped how they could, but even they were getting hard-pressed to do anything.
Meanwhile, Oslo, Mila and Lena were forced to break off their fight when they were hurled away by a powerful blast of energy. The three were scattered to different platforms, where they recovered to see an infected Seijin floating in front of them.
"What is this?" Oslo demanded, his voice angry with a tinge of fear.
The woman's head was twisted in an unnatural direction, her visage a permanent expression of terror. And the creature was radiating an unnatural amount of power, which it didn't hesitate to unleash against them.
Lena and Mila were forced to work with their worst enemy in order to survive, as they and Oslo were pushed back against so much power. While Oslo and Mila held on against this creature, Lena gathered her own energy, unleashing a blast which tore the creature apart.
"What was that?" Lena asked, staggering to her feet. Before her mother could answer, Mahad's voice came over the radio.
"Mom, Lena!" He shouted as his ship flew towards them. "We have to go, right now!" A blast of power knocked them back before pulling the two Seijins towards Oslo.
"You are not going anywhere." The Sphere commander said as the two Farrel Seijins struggled against him. "You will come with me, no matter what you do!"
Suddenly, a pair of crystal-tipped crossbow bolts impacted near Oslo's feet, stunning him and breaking his concentration. He didn't have a chance to recover as the block platform he was standing on suddenly broke apart, sending the Seijin flying.
"Have a nice flight." Junko mockingly saluted, his Knuckle Busters glowing green. Then he turned to Lena and Mila. "Ladies, I believe it's time that we leave." With Mahad flying up behind them, the two Seijins didn't argue.
...
Elsewhere, the battle was still going in the Flood's favor. Combat forms were able to leap between pieces of debris, guided by a mind and showing grace and agility that they were rarely shown to have.
Fortunately, the Flood weren't strong enough to leap between larger distances on their own. Unfortunately, the flying seeder forms, new flying pure forms, and the infected ships were more than enough to make up for that.
The leader of the Storm Hawks had flown through the debris, trying to aid in evacuations however he could. Currently, he was on the roof of an old building, his blades out as he fought against the Parasite.
Aerrow carved a combat form to pieces before unleashing an energy blast at another bearing down on him. Radarr's screech drew his attention, and the Sky Knight leapt off the edge of the block and landed on his skimmer.
Meanwhile, Cyclonis was getting overwhelmed by combat forms, several of which were some of her now former Night Crawlers. She blasted several apart, but more just took her place, and soon she was forced to create a shield around herself to hold back the coming tide.
"What are these things?" She cried, straining as the Parasite battered away at her shields. The answer came from an unexpected source.
"This is what you wanted to let onto Atmos!" Piper said, flying through the air as she blasted infected birds. "You did let them onto our world!"
"Thank you for pointing the way, Cyclonis." A rasping baritone voice emerged from the Flood forms battering at her shield. "Now you are food."
With a roar, Master Cyclonis unleashed a powerful shockwave, her crystal magic hurling all the Flood away from her. With a start, she realized that they were already recovering and more were arriving.
The purple crystal on her staff emitted a brief glow, summoning one of the few remaining Night Crawlers to her position. She didn't need to say anything as the creature pulled her close and flew away with her.
As Piper watched, Cyclonis linked up with the remains of the Sphere, before forcing herself to fly off, as three infected Patrollers were bearing down on her. Abruptly, one of them exploded, the cause of which was revealed to be Aerrow, who slowed and allowed Piper to land on the wing of his skimmer.
"You alright?"
"I'll be fine." Piper replied, taking a moment to catch her breath. However, several energy bolts and Radarr's screeching reminded them that they still had two infected Patrollers on their tail.
"Ready for another round?" Piper asked, holding a green crystal in her hand.
"I thought you'd never ask." Aerrow grinned as he turned his skimmer around. Piper glowed as she infused him with the crystal's power.
"Titan's Might!"
...
Korra flew through the air on her glider, weaving through the chaos however she could. Opal was in the same boat, as the two airbenders kept moving to avoid the Flood that were bearing down on them.
Mako and Bolin were already getting to safety, thanks to the latter's Earthbending: the unique nature of Skyland allowed the lavabender to use his bending for a limited measure of flight. It wasn't quick, but it worked long enough for the Condor to pick them up.
Unfortunately, the Flood didn't miss the two vulnerable airbenders, and swarms of the Parasite followed. Most of them were particularly interested in Korra, for obvious reasons, and she found herself swarmed by the Flood, losing track of Opal as she avoided projectiles and infection forms as best as she could. Then her luck ran out.
Something impacted the staff of her glider, splitting it in two. The Avatar plummeted, using her airbending to cushion her fall and landing on a small piece of Earth, barely wide enough for four people. She wasn't alone long, as a flying pure form shifted into the lumbering tank, which landed right behind her.
Korra launched herself away from the Tank form's arm, hurling fire at it as she did. She landed on a smaller block, a pair of organic spikes narrowly whizzing past her head before she summoned a stone barrier to block the rest of the ranged form's barrage.
Unfortunately, more Flood landed nearby, and Korra was forced to bring up more stone to protect herself, creating a small cocoon that kept the impacts from reaching. However, the barrage wouldn't let up, and the Avatar was forced to burrow through the block she was standing on, just as the stone above her collapsed. She landed on a block below, but it didn't take long for more of the Flood to arrive.
"The failure Avatar. The first of the new cycle." The Gravemind's voice taunted. "You will be the last."
Gritting her teeth, Korra activated the Avatar State, unleashing a massive whirlwind that tossed the Flood away from her. Rising into the air, she unleashed fire from her limbs and mouth, while blocks gathered around her and water was pulled from the clouds around her.
"I'm not done yet!" Korra shouted, unleashing a precise elemental wave that carved through the Parasite swarm.
Despite the extra power, she knew that staying would mean that she would be overwhelmed, and so unleashed fire from her feet and hands, jetting through the sky as fast as she could.
Despite that, the Parasite recovered rather quickly, and another infected Seijin was at the forefront. Korra drew debris from nearby, both metal and earth, before hurling them at the solar-powered combat form.
A field of energy protected the Flood form, and it responded with an energy blast of its own, knocking Korra out of the Avatar state. She was barely able to slow her resulting fall, landing on yet another block before using Earthbending to launch herself away from another blast.
Activating the Avatar State again, Korra reached out with the elements, forming a sphere of earth, fire, water and air around the Seijin, similar to the one she used in effort to contain Vaatu.
This time it worked much better, as she brought the elements down on the Flood form, overwhelming its powers and slowly crushing it. Pulling herself out of the Avatar State, she quickly realized that the remaining Flood were moving to overwhelm her once again.
"Korra!" The Avatar in question looked up and smiled at the sight, then launched herself with air and earth bending and landed on the back of Asami's custom skimmer.
"Thanks for the help." Korra panted, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist.
"Always." Asami smiled, before going full throttle.
They reached the Condor, where everyone of the Storm Hawks and Team Avatar had arrived safely. After a quick meeting, Stork brought the ship closer to the St. Nazaire, doing what they could to get the Flood off their backs.
"So... what do we do now?" Mahad asked once the Parasite was nowhere near them.
The rest pondered his question as they looked out over the distance: the Flood had all but overrun the Sphere facility that they'd been attacking, with the token containment by the Sphere being overrun easily.
"Please tell me that someone's contacted the Republic." Mako said, turning to everyone on the Condor's deck.
"I sent out an alert." Piper replied. "They said they'd be here soon-" At that moment, there was a flash in the sky as more portals appeared and a voice broke out over the radio.
"Reinforcements have arrived."
The Pirates stared at the new arrivals: massive ships stretching over 5 kilometers hung in the sky, representing the basic cruisers of the Republic and Separatists. Kilometer/mile long frigates and destroyers were also present, and the air around them quickly became swarmed with fighters and drones.
"It's about time!" Finn shouted.
The Commodore watched as fighters and drones streaked through the sky, already dealing with the Flood where it landed. Beams of light and missile trails marked the devastation, as it was clear that the Sphere forces had all but been overrun by the Parasite.
Fighters effortlessly tracked down patrollers that attempted to escape, blowing them out of the sky alongside any ship that the Parasite had currently commandeered. Some uninfected Sphere ships apparently hadn't gotten the memo about the Flood, and moved to foolishly attack the Republic and Separatists.
"Ignore them for now." The Commodore ordered when he heard this. "We don't have time to deal with the Sphere's antics."
"Understood." The officer replied. "What of the impact sites?"
"Any survivors that can be safely extracted?"
"No sir." The AI replied, shaking her head.
"Then don't waste any time." The Commodore's expression hardened. "Destroy them."
Beams of energy lanced out from the capital ships, bathing the Sphere structures in apocalyptic fire. Every organic on the surface was instantly vaporized, and the buildings followed milliseconds later.
The blocks and structures instantly shattered into thousands of white hot shards, ensuring nothing would survive. Despite this, the Parasite was still free to run loose, having ample space to flee and spread.
Due to the nature of Skyland, the infestation was more difficult to contain, as the Parasite could launch themselves to dozens of different blocks, inhabited or otherwise. If necessary, they could collapse all of Skyland into a singularity, but the Republic and Separatists weren't willing to do that just yet.
They were however, willing to use nukes and antimatter bombs to clear out clusters of infested blocks. It wasn't nearly as precise as the superpowers preferred, but it was necessary.
Eventually, the firepower they brought to bear was too much, and after an hour and a half, they confirmed that the last trace of the Parasite had been swept away, and now all that was left were the surviving vessels and people who survived that conflict, the Avatar's team and the Storm Hawks among them.
"Scan everything and get any who remain into decontamination." The Commodore ordered. "We can't leave any trace of Flood biomatter behind."
It was standard procedure where the Flood was concerned, and unsurprisingly, the crews were rather efficient in that regard. Sentinels and drones swept their scanners over the survivors, while ship-based sensors scanned the entire region, disintegrating all Flood biomass that remained.
Fortunately, they came up clean, and with decontamination complete, the two fleets immediately withdrew from the battlefield. Unsurprisingly, not many of the locals were entirely thrilled about that.
...
"That's it?" Cortes asked incredulously. "They destroy hundreds of blocks killing these creatures and then just straight up leave?"
"Well the same happened on our world." Junko admitted.
"Why would they leave?" Mahad protested. "I mean with that kind of power, taking down the Sphere and Cyclonis would be easy."
"And the Flood would continue their rampage through the rest of the multiverse." Korra countered, suddenly sounding very tired. "This was but a tiny fraction of something far larger."
"I take it you've seen this before." Wayan said. There was a brief pause as the Storm Hawks and Team Avatar looked at each other.
"Yeah."
"You could say that." Asami ran her hands through her face. "It wasn't pleasant the first time."
"And if they come back again?" Dahlia asked. "What would they do if the Flood spread throughout Skyland?"
No one answered.
Yeah, I know that ending was a little abrupt, but I just couldn't think of how else to finish this one. Anyway, I'm not sure when or even if I'll get to the story leading up to this chapter, but feedback on this would be appreciated in that regard.
Still, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.