Bravestarr Chronicles: A Legacy of Blast
Disclaimer: All Funimation's and Mattel, not mine.
Summary: A recent graduate from the Galactic Marshal Academy gets offered a great opportunity, but will he take it? This is the story of marshal Rio Blast.
AN: This is the first of multiple short stories that will detail the various characters found within the Bravestarr world. Some will crossover into He-Man, while others will not. Rio's story will be three chapters in length.
Chapter 2: Project: B.L.A.S.T.
"Okay," Rio said nervously, inwardly wondering what this was all about, his previous sheepish embarrassment forgotten about instantly.
From her seat on the council, Commander Kane cleared her throat, ruffled through some papers that were in front of her, and then looked up to Rio, meeting his gaze with her own. "There is an experiment that our scientists have been working on, one that will create the most powerful marshal in the entire Federation. It will increase your combat potential exponentially, with a single marshal being able to fight off an entire horde of enemies. We would like you, Rio Bass, to be one of the subjects to undergo the most dangerous of procedures, called Project: B.L.A.S.T. We must warn you, however, that there is a chance you will not survive the experiment or will not be the same afterwards if you do end up surviving."
"We cannot force you to undergo the procedures, nor do we want to persuade you in anyway." Another member of the council said, speaking up for the first time. He wanted to make sure that Rio understood just what they were saying, rather than confuse it as an order that he must execute. "We are simply granting you the opportunity to either choose to accept or decline under your own choice and volition, with no actions or repercussions against you for your decision."
"Am I the only one being selected?" Rio asked, curious as to who else was given the chance to change their life such as the one that was being presented to him.
"No," The leader of the council said, shaking his head in the negative. He had a round face that was centered by a crooked nose, green eyes, and grayish hair that was balding somewhat. Even with his older age, his build was large and stout, and because of that, Rio could tell that he was someone that wasn't to be trifled with in his prime. "The five others that we previously mentioned have already been or will also be presented the same opportunity as you."
Rio nodded his head, looked down at the floor and bit his lip, before a thought flashed in his head. "What exactly is the procedure?" He inquired, wanting to know just what it was that they were presenting to him.
Commander Kane leaned forward in her seat, apparently the most knowledgeable of all the council members about the procedure itself. "We will make your body a complete weapon in and of itself. The hollows of your frame will be filled with various laser weapons and technologies that will make you nigh invincible, a walking tank—a warrior of the greatest potential. You will be stronger, faster, and more durable than even the most athletic of humans found within the Federation."
"How long do I have to decide?" Rio whispered quietly, going over everything he had just heard. Transforming his body was something that he had never thought about before, something that, quite honestly, scared him, though he did understand the wonderful abilities that he would have afterwards.
"Take however long you need," Commander Kane responded, preferring that Rio was absolutely sure whether he wanted to do it or not when he made his final decision.
"Very well," Rio nodded once more, making his way to the door, knowing that he would have a lot to think about during the next few days. "I will tender my decision as soon as I come to one. Good day."
They all watched as he left, and when they were alone, a few of them let out a loud sigh, a curious mixture of both anticipation and relief. "Think he'll accept?" Commander Kane questioned the group, wondering what their opinion on the likelihood was. While it was a great thing they were being offered, she completely understood the hesitancy that the offer was being met with, as the risk to your life and the changes being made to your body were not easy side effects to swallow.
"I certainly hope so." One answered, as the rest silently agreed with her.
Two days later, Rio relayed his affirmative decision to the council, who acted with surprise, having not expected Rio to agree. Two others had accepted the opportunity as well, bringing the number of subjects for the procedure to three. On the morning that the experiment was scheduled to begin, Rio walked down the halls of the Marshals' Headquarters, entering into a small waiting room that was connected to the various scientific wings and offices of the headquarters, specifically Commander Kane's office.
"Roy Wayne, I should have known you would be one of the people who volunteered." Rio laughed, seeing an old academy friend waiting on the other side of the room, along with another man that he did not know.
"And I you, Rio," The other man smiled, shifting his eyes over to Rio, who was walking over towards him. "Rio Bass, meet Blake 'Blaze' Star. Star, this is Rio Bass." He said, gesturing over to another man that stood next to him.
"Pleasure's mine," Star said, shaking Rio's outstretched hand. "You're known as the fastest gun in the western worlds, no?" Star questioned in a thick accent, though Rio couldn't quite place it. He was tall and thin, with long, dark blond hair and dark eyes. His outfit consisted of blue pants and a blue vest with purple trim, a yellow scarf around his neck, and purple cowboy boots and wristbands, making him look quite strange and original for a marshal.
"And you're known as the best sniper outside of the Kuiper, right?" Rio grinned back, knowing of the incredible sniping prowess that Star had from stories that he had heard during his training. Apparently the man could hit any trick shot that he wanted to hit, and would oftentimes show off his skills for all to see by making the impossible shot.
"The one and only," Star replied confidently, giving a small bow in jest. "And before you ask, no, I am no way related to Marshall Bravestarr." Star said jokingly, knowing that many liked to ask him about it to his great annoyance.
"Ah, I see you've all met." Commander Kane came in just then, wearing a long, white science coat. Another man with red hair stood at the door, looking a bit flustered, as if he had just gotten scolded or into an argument about something. He nodded his head to another doctor who had black hair that had just walked up next to him, though they did not speak to one another. "Good, now here is how it's all going to happen: we will test you all individually, make our assessment, present to you a detailed explanation of what the procedure entails and then give you one final chance to back out. If you do not, then we will begin the procedure immediately. The procedure, should you choose to undergo it, will take sixty-five hours of surgery, and it will take much longer after that for all of you to fully recover."
"Understood," The trio said in unison and nodded in agreement, accepting what Commander Kane had told them.
"Very well," Kane said, heading towards the door, where the two other doctors were waiting for them. The red-head gestured for Rio to follow him, while the black-haired doctor motioned for Wayne. "Rio you can enter the first room on your right with Dr. Cult, while Blaze you can go with me into the first room on your left, and finally, Wayne you can follow Dr. Wesson."
"Good luck," Rio said to his comrades, before walking down the hall and entering the private screening room that Kane had relayed would be his. The red-headed Dr. Cult gave Kane a scorning look before closing the door behind them, apparently unenthusiastic about working with Commander Kane.
Four days later found Commander Kane being deposed in front of the other members of the council. "Unfortunately, Blaze could not undergo the entire procedure; however, we were able to use the previous project, which instead of turning the entire body into a weapon, only turned his hands into weapons, specifically holstering a laser gun in each of his eight fingers and two thumbs. We are also planning on outfitting him with a cybernetic holster, which will allow him to mentally control waist mounted laser pistols that will shoot nearly any direction he desires. While he won't be as powerful as he would have been had he undergone the entire procedure, he will be more than sufficient enough to counter the various threats the Federation has to face in the coming years."
"Why was he unable to undergo the project?" A male member of the council questioned, curiously. While he was of a police background, serving as a Planetary Marshal for many years before being appointed to the council, and knew nothing of the various scientific projects that Commander Kane oversaw, he was interested in them on a personal level.
"He has an allergy to an integral part of the process. If we were to infuse the metal needed for the chest plate, he would have been radically poisoned and died within minutes. While he was certainly willing to take the risk, I assured him that there was no risk: he would die, with no chance of survival. He tried to argue his case, but instead, I offered him the solution of undergoing the lesser procedure that we had tossed out in favor of Project Blast."
"What of Wayne?" The leader of the council questioned, moving on to the second test subject.
"He did not make it." Commander Kane admitted, as a great sadness stole over her. "My scientists and doctors tried to abort when they saw the physical strain of the effect of the procedure taking its toll on him, but unfortunately by that time it was too late. His brother, Russell, has been alerted of the tragedy already." Kane paused and took a breath, wanting to give Wayne's death the respect that it deserved before moving on. "In the end, Rio Bass was the only one to survive the entire procedure, and he only did it barely."
The council leader nodded, knowing that the proper arrangements for Wayne would need to be made in order to honor his sacrifice. "And when will Rio be fully recovered?" He questioned about Rio, wondering when the marshal would be able to return to duty.
"In a few weeks time, I would estimate. He still has not awoken just yet, but I expect him to be conscious by tomorrow." Kane answered, looking down at Rio's chart, which had the evaluation that Dr. Wesson had done on the man just moments before the meeting began, having taking over Rio's case since Dr. Cult left the organization before he could see the end product of his subject. "Hopefully, he will be recovered by the end of the month."
AN: Dr. Cult would go on to become an arms dealer on the black market, both for technological weapons and mystical ones. I may write a story about him one day.