The Legion War

Rising Star - Chapter 12

© Eldric

 

  

The Outskirts of the Oan Star System

 

Fifteen Legionnaires against Oa.  Of that number, thirteen were of their original Legion, Lara Gand was from a different Legion entirely, and their mission leader, Alexis Graves, wasn’t actually a member of any Legion. Drake Burroughs, AKA Wildfire, shook his head.

It felt odd knowing that his astronautical engineering skills were more important to this mission than all of his power as Wildfire.  The mission plan was built on the concept of asymmetric warfare: attacking the enemy where the enemy was weakest; eliminating any real possibility of force on force warfare.

The Guardians had lived in their little hutches so long that they were absolutely dependent on them.  Even their senses were managed by the ultra-complex integration with technology.  That was what Brainiac had exploited, and what they would exploit as well. 

The difference was that Brainiac had simply co-opted the Guardians.  The Legion planned to end them, once and for all.

Normally, the Legion code against killing would have prevented that.  But this was not a normal mission and they were not operating under any charter.  Too many lives would be lost if they did not succeed, and their adversaries would kill them without a second thought.

Two missions, then, awaited the Legion.  Removing the servant races from the scene, while keeping the Guardians in the dark.  Once that work was completed, the Guardians would be shut down and terminated.

Projectra and those supporting her, Dreamer and Umbra ,who had taken to calling herself Shadow Lass, would have the first task: enticing the servant races to report to the dispatch locations. 

He let his mind drift for just a moment.  Strange how much the team preferred the names used by the original MVP-1 Legion.  Mercy Luthor/Marie Santel had shown the team a video of the original Legion…so much like the team, but not.  But the names had tickled their fancy and given the team another way to tie itself back to the Legion that truly belonged in the future of MVP-1.  Perhaps, one day, those Legionnaires would consider the work this team had done when choosing their fighting names.  Could that be considered a paradox? 

Drake turned back to the mission.  While the servant races were reporting for extraction, Invisible Kid, Chameleon, and Apparition, or Phantom Girl as Tinya was calling herself, would invade the Guardian’s control centers, setting sensory controls so that the Guardians would remain unaware of the exit.

Once the evacuation was complete, Alchemist, or Element Lad, as he wanted to be called, would turn the Guardian’s control circuits and sensory devices to slag.  At that point, Wildfire, Ultra Boy, Sun Boy, and Leviathan would attack the remaining infrastructure, while Starman closed in for the kill.  Guardians on the half-shell…

Lara Gand focused on the Power Battery.  Just exactly what did the Sentinels intend to do with it after she delivered it?

Ugh…He knew the White Witch would be casting spells to hide their activities from the Guardians and Alexis had a mysterious task to support Thom Kallor, along with her coordination role.

Frankly, he was still trying to figure out how Alexis had conned them all into taking this mission.  They had all participated in developing the grand scheme, had convinced themselves and each other that it would really work, and had willingly followed her into battle.

Drake considered that something interesting had happened just before they departed.  Alexis stopped seeing herself as someone who served with the permission of the taskforce leadership and started seeing herself as the leader of the amalgamated Legion, answering to no one but the team.  Her confidence had increased just when they all needed it the most.

At the darkest midnight, Drake reflected, the Angel shone a light that none of them could ignore.  He had to admit that Tinya had tried to warn them.

 

RISING STARR

 

Projectra considered the insanity of her mission.  She was to inform the servant races that the Guardians were sending them off-site for re-education following the EMPing of Oa.  Death would follow for any who did not comply.

The White Witch had cast masking spells for Projectra and those who would help her.  Their Legion rings would be disguised long enough for them to carry out their mission.  Mysa would provide the same favor to the Green Lanterns.

With Dream Girl’s life at stake, Projectra had no doubt that the spells would be good.

The signal came through…the Lanterns were in position. 

Good God, what were they all thinking?  That they could actually pull this off?

Fortunately, the servants were not numerous, no more than the low thousands.  And the images used by the Guardians to intimidate the workforce were easy to imitate.

Projectra received her signal.  Dream Girl and Shadow Lass joined her.  So many of the Legion had been taking new names…old names?

She would appear at each of the primary population centers, casting her order and ordering the workers to pass it on, while not disturbing the Guardians.  These Guardians were capricious and the workforce was used to following orders that did not make sense…almost like civil servants everywhere, she supposed.

 

RISING STARR

 

Hal Jordan arrived at his designated spot.  He knew that Arisia Rrab, Stel, and T’cher had done the same.  Yes, there was the illusion…workers and their families commanded to gather at specific sites to hear commandments from the Guardians.  No one would dare delay.  And they would all take care to do nothing to alarm the Guardians.

Geez…

Here they came…filing orderly into the square below.  Hal’s orders were to wait five minutes and he would.  There they came, pouring out of every building.  Obviously, they had endured this type of insanity before.

Dozens, then hundreds, began to pour out, stepping into the square, waiting.  Fortunately, it was not a particularly cold day, just a fairly dark one.  And the fact that Shadow Lass was darkening places where they did not want the workforce to go made even less light available.

 

RISING STARR

 

Tinya Wazzo phased into the Guardians’ central control chamber, providing imagery through her ring to Lara Gand.

“That’s it…keep that signal turned off,” Lara confirmed.  Tinya knew Reep Daggle and Lyle Norg were getting the same guidance, each having arrived in their own unique way.  “They’re blind to anything on the planet.  And they don’t care enough to determine otherwise.  Their focus is on regaining control of the Manhunter fleet.  Just a little longer…”

 

RISING STARR

 

Projectra heaved a sigh of relief.  The Lanterns had departed the planet with the workers.  Their part of the job was done.  Had it been that easy?  No…it had been that well planned.

Projectra, Dream Girl, and Shadow Lass departed the planet, their part of the job done, as well.

Now the Guardians were about to breathe their last.

 

RISING STARR

 

Simple but deadly, Jan Arrah considered.  Protected by another of Mysa’s spells, he dove into the Guardian’s central command, joining with Tinya Wazzo.  The central circuits to the entire planet flowed through here.

How much power did he really have?  He was about to find out.

His comms signaled.  Leviathan, Wildfire, and Inferno were in their designated locations.

 

RISING STARR

 

Dirk Morgna fired at the comms relay.  He knew he would be attracting the Guardians’ attention; he wondered if they would have time to respond.  Wildfire would be attacking the remainder of the Guardians’ power generation facilities and Leviathan would be attacking other parts of the Guardians’ command and control.  But they were only the diversion for the main acts.

 

RISING STARR

 

Jan Arrah knew that Tinya had already interfered with the Guardians’ perceptions.  Tinya had activated programs that showed the Guardians the equivalent of a twenty year old movie.

His ring told him that the Invisible Kid and the Chameleon had already departed.

And now he would give the Guardians every reason to howl.  He focused his power, turning every bit of metal in the Guardians’ chambers into lead.  No communications, no sensory devices, no nothing.  Then he watched Tinya vanish.  And he felt Lara Gand snatch him from the chamber before the Guardians could lash out at him.

 

RISING STARR

 

“Are you ready, Thom,” Alexis Graves asked the Starman.

“Yes,” Thom Kallor answered.  “I just never thought I would use my powers this way.”

“I understand,” Alexis acknowledged.  “You won’t be alone.  I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“Thank you,” Thom drew in a breath.  “Let’s do this.”

Alexis drew forth a memory…the spell that was used to protect Themyscira from view.  Easy enough to produce a replica for just the two of them, she cast her small spell.

Alexis flew them to the Oan command center at super-speed, waiting until Lara signaled that Jan was safe.  They both watched the random energy blasts sparking out from the Guardians, dodging them while Thom prepared to use his power.

He concentrated, focusing on the Guardian’s chamber, focusing the density of the center of a white dwarf.

The Guardians never had a chance…collapsing into a single ball of lead and flesh before vanishing altogether. 

Thom and Alexis gazed at the results of his work…the empty pit where the Guardians had once been…nothing remained.  Absolutely nothing.  The Guardians who had ruled this probability for so long were nothing more than a memory.

 

RISING STARR

 

“They did it,” Hal Jordan crowed, “they actually did it!”

He and the other Green Lanterns were two star systems away from Oa, dropping off their evacuees to the capable hands of the Darkstars, when he heard the news.

He remembered his days as Parallax when he had destroyed the Guardians.  But these kids had not had his power.  No, not just kids…the Legion.

 

RISING STARR

 

“Jenny, they did it,” Kara Gand informed Jennifer Walters-Gand.  “The Guardians are gone, the populace has been evacuated, and Lara is in possession of the yellow power battery.”

“Are they alright?”  Jennifer asked with concern.

“Alexis and Thom were there at the end,” Kara explained.  “Thom is a little shaken up, but that’s to be expected.  He never expected to have to use his power that way.”

“Let’s hope he never has to, again,” Jennifer acknowledged.  “It was necessary…saved many, many lives.”

“Yes,” Kara agreed.

“Kara?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for your belief in them,” Jenny replied.  “I had my doubts.”

“I know…”

 

RISING STARR

 

“It was just too easy,” Thom complained.  The team had gathered on the same small ship the Darkstars had loaned them to transit to Oa.  Only Lara Gand had not joined them.

“No, Thom, it wasn’t,” Nura Nal comforted the distraught Starman.  “You were only one player in this drama.  We all had a part of it.  Otherwise, they would have killed you outright.”

“But,” Thom argued as Alexis approached.

“Thom,” Alexis knelt down in front of him.  “The fact that it bothers you so much says volumes for you.  I hope we never have to do anything like this again. And I hope it is never easy for you to do anything like this.  But we saved billions of lives today.  We minimized casualties.  And whatever replaces the Guardians will be better…we’ll see to that.”

“Spoken like a truly overconfident leader,” Thom remarked sarcastically.

“Perhaps it’s because I have such an effective team,” Alexis attempted to reassure Thom, ignoring his sarcasm.  “And we’ll be here to see it.”

“Yeah,” Thom felt the life slowly coming back into him, “yeah, I guess we will, after all.”  He drew in a deep breath.  “So how do all those Amazon teachings guide you through this?”

“By teaching me that when battle is inevitable,” Alexis responded, “the most important thing you can do is to plan to minimize the casualties.  And we did that.”

“Yes,” he finally acknowledged, “we did.”

 

RISING STARR

 

“They did it,” Mercy Luthor, who had once been Marie Santel, cried with relief.  “My work is done.”   She stepped towards an observation portal, staring out into space, recalling the many, many days of her life.

She had carried out the last of far too many missions, she knew that.  She no longer had the will to carry on, and now she did not have to.  She would compose a short note to her successors and then she would simply stop willing herself to carry on, and find a way to join her beloved Lex, the only man she had ever loved.

All things to their season…and hers had long since passed.

 

RISING STARR

 

Lara Gand flew into the hold of one of the Darkstar ships under Arisia’s command.  She carried the Great Battery of the Guardians, which held the Guardians’ remaining yellow energy.  The Manhunters’ batteries all charged from this device; without the Battery, the Manhunters would run out of power in short order.

There were many ways to destroy the Battery, ending the Manhunter threat.  But could it be drained to the task force’s advantage?   Could the power be repurposed?

Frankly, Lara wanted to take the Battery apart and figure out how it worked.  But that was too far beyond the scope of the mission with which they had been chartered.

The Controllers could easily make sense of it, Lara knew, but she wasn’t so sure that she wanted them to have it.

Her orders from Alexis had been explicit…remain with the battery until personally relieved by a Sentinel or one of the Inheritors…no one else.  Alexis had bet on Jennifer-Walters-Gand and Lara had not seen any reason to disagree.

Ah, here they came…all three of the Sentinels and the Darkstar Task Force Commander.  They had brought Karik Gand as well.  That made sense…the one possessor of an Oan ring that they could trust absolutely.

 

RISING STARR

 

“Pretty much what I expected to see,” Jennifer Walters-Gand stated as she, Arisia Fentura-Gand, Faith Scott, and Arisia Rrab watched Karik Gand attempt to interface with the Battery.  Lara Gand had departed, allowing them to make an independent assessment of the technology of the Battery.  Probably stupid on their part, Jenny considered, but this was her mission and the Legion had done more than its share.

Kara Gand had objected to having the Legion back away, stating that if they didn’t have a mission to fulfill, they would create one, but Jenny needed time to develop an overall strategy.  The taking of Oa had completely changed the game.

 

RISING STARR

 

Kara Gand flew towards the small ship the Legion had used as their interim base of operations.  The mood seemed to be festive, but somewhat somber.  What would this time-lost Legion do next?  The Sentinels would not call on them anytime soon, Kara had no doubt.  The Legion had done its job a bit too well, leaving Ganthet, in particular, feeling a bit shaken.

Kara had come to congratulate the Legion on a job well done.  Before departing the main fleet, she had offered Mercy Luthor transportation, but Mercy declined, saying she had unfinished business to attend to.  Her words bothered Kara, but Kara had no basis to act.  And Mercy was extremely ancient and had the right to make her own decisions, even if Kara did not agree with them.

Kara was somewhat surprised to find Hal Jordan and the Wasteland Green Lanterns aboard the vessel.  She reflected that she probably should not have been; success would breed cooperation, at least in the interim.  And, frankly, Hal saw Alexis as a daughter of Superman, someone who he had respected.  He recognized some of the members of the Legion as well, from his last adventure in his native universe, The Final Night. 

“…time to figure out where we are going from here, Hal.”  Alexis was leading the conversation.  “No matter what happens, the Task Force leadership is not staying.  We have a much larger stake in what happens here than they do.”

“You’re assuming that any of the rest of us have plans to stay,” Hal countered.  “All of us Green Lanterns have other invitations.”

“Really?”  Alexis barked incredulously.  “Seriously, I’m not that much of an idiot.”  She could hear the snickers and guffaws in the room, but did not care.  “If you leave, you all can become extra Green Lanterns in somebody else’s Corps.  But you will never, ever have the chance to make the difference you can make here.  You want to fight the stench of evil in the Continuum?  Well, Hal, here it is!”

“Yeah,” Green Lantern Arisia Rrab responded.  “It’s good to be around people who understand what we’re going through—No Hal, I get to finish!”  Arisia drew a deep breath.  “I’m tired of getting dragged from universe to universe.  We don’t have anything…we have nothing but our rings and our batteries.  But here we can build a place for ourselves.  Here we can make that real difference you’re always talking about, Hal!  T’cher?  Stel?  Yeah, I thought so.”  Arisia’s eyes narrowed.  “And besides, who elected you leader?”

“Me?”  Hal retorted.  “Who elected her leader?”  He pointed towards Alexis.

“We did,” he heard Drake Burroughs’ voice behind him.  “And, strangely enough, we’re not feeling much regret.”

“Why be Spare Hal in any other universe,” Alexis challenged good naturedly, “when you can be our original pain-in-the neck?”

Hal laughed.

“When you put it that way…”

 

RISING STARR

 

As Kara entered the vessel, the Legion and the Lanterns immediately reacted to her presence.

“Aunt Kara?” Lara questioned as Kara entered.

“Don’t worry,” Kara assured them, “I don’t represent anyone but myself.”

“That’s what has me worried,” Lara teased.

Hal Jordan took Kara’s measure: very much like Kara Zor-El in some ways, but so very different in others.  This Kara felt little for him…almost no common history with any Hal Jordan.

“You,” Kara pointed to Alexis, “are dangerous.  You feel free to ignore any authority but your own.”

“Not ignore,” Alexis flashed a knowing smile, “calculated disregard.  Leader’s prerogative.”

“We’ve created a monster!”  Kara shook her head while chuckling.  “Seriously, you all did excellent work.  I know this wasn’t a pleasant mission, but it was necessary.  For many reasons.  But now that your official mission is over, what are you planning next?”

Alexis and Hal exchanged a quick glance as he responded.

“Oa,” Hal answered.  “We took out the Guardians’ offensive capabilities, but we did not destroy their knowledge banks.  As a group, we all need to know what’s out there.  So, we’ll be bringing back some or all of the support staff and learning how to take advantage of what’s there.”

“We are going to find out the lay of this universe,” Nura Nal, Dream Girl, added.  “We do want to find out if any of our home worlds exist, or if there is a more logical base for us than Earth.”

“We’re also curious what the Guardians knew about the Controllers,” Reep Daggle chimed in.  “We know that they oppose the Guardians, but we don’t know how they feel about the other races…will they be benevolent, now that the Guardians are out of the way?”

“What did the Guardians know about the Starheart?”  Gim Allon posited.  “There’s just too much left for us to find.”

“The Sentinels now have the battery,” Lara explained.  “They can end the Manhunter threat in short order.  If needed, we remain available, but we have a universe to discover in the meantime.”

“Yes,” Kara agreed, “you do.”  She nodded, smiling sadly.  “Good luck, Kiddo, wherever the winds of fate take you.”

“Thank you, Aunt Kara,” Lara reached to hold Kara’s hands.

“Long live the Legion,” Kara answered, biting her lip.

 

RISING STARR

 

“This is what you really want,” Kara and Lara had stepped out of the main room, chatting in a small cabin.

“It is,” Lara agreed.  “You know that I’ve always needed the structure that comes with being a member of the Legion.  And, as good as she is, this leader lacks experience: not that rest of this Legion is much more experienced.”

“You noticed that,” Kara observed.

“Still,” Lara admitted, “it is difficult for me to find leaders worth my respect.  I am willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt, at least for now.”  She grinned at Kara.  “I want my life to make a difference.  And here, I believe it will.  And I am sure that no matter what happens today, we will meet again.”

“As long as you are sure,” Kara agreed. 

“I am.”

 

RISING STARR

 

Mercy Luthor stood alone in a corner of the ship’s cargo hold.  She had prepared her final correspondence.  It would be ready when…

She hated even the idea of suicide, but she knew her presence would only be a continuing problem for the Legion.  They would attempt to find a place for her, a way to make use of her unique skills and knowledge.  But that would be wrong.  She knew that she would only hold the team back, only prevent the team from gelling as it should.

Perhaps she could take a ship and maroon herself on an alien world?  Something…

“Congratulations!”  She heard a familiar voice behind her.  “I commend you on your excellent work!”

“You!”  She whirled towards the voice, seeing the owner on the other side of a…

“Yes,” the voice admitted, “you have made the difference that needed to be made.  You have brought them together.  And there is work that only they and those they will attract can do.”

“So, finally,” Mercy felt a sense of peace, “I have earned my eternal rest.”

“A rest, certainly,” the voice agreed, “followed by a much less difficult assignment.  I know we have asked far too much of you this time.  But your work is not yet done and your friends are standing by, awaiting your return.”

“It will be good to see them again,” Mercy acquiesced.

“Then, come home,” the voice offered warmly, “it’s long past time for you to rest and for you to understand what you have made possible.”

“I will,” Mercy still felt the weight of her years, but not as much.  She would have rest and a new purpose.  She reflected on all of the poor options she had considered earlier and felt grateful that they had all been trumped by a promise of a real future.

She stepped through the opening, wondering if the ship’s computers had recorded any part of the conversation.  Then she felt relieved to be home at last.

When the portal closed, Mercy was gone.  All that remained in the hold was what appeared to be nothing more than a slightly oversized playing card…but it was a card that held no relation to any known deck of cards…and the figure it depicted was that of…Mercy Luthor!

 

End—The Legion War

 

 

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2016 by Eldric

-- and may not be reprinted without permission.

-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of

-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric.  

-- Otherverse, Multiverse, Primalverse. and Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes,

-- as depicted in the Continuum Worlds, are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook.

-- Alterverse, The Inheritors and Rising Starr,  as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of Eldric.

-- Wasteland, The Sorority, and Otherverse 2.0,  as depicted in the Continuum Worlds

-- are original creations of Nomad (Jake H.).

-- The Realm and The Web of Shadows, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of John P. and Jason G./ Andrew Shields respectively.

 -- DCM: The Merging, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- is an original creation of Chip Caroon and the stories therein remain

-- the property of the respective writers.

 -- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original creations

-- of Dylan Clearbrook, Eldric, Michael Liebhart, Jake H., Jason G.,

-- Andrew Shields, Kyle M., Brian, John P., DTO,  or Jason Froikin and may not

-- be used without express permission of the respective author.

-- All DC characters are property of D.C. Comics.

-- All Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics.