The Coming of Storms (How the Templars responded)

In this collection from our boards we had some neat RP responses to the Rikti's second and on going Invasions. I thought I would share some of them and any curious to our board rp and the like can follow our link to our boards in my siggy I am going to post one every day or so, so as to not spam these boards. Please I hope you enjoy them! D )

July 9th 2007 - The Shadow Shard

Kara sat quietly on the stack of ammo boxes just inside the air conditioned metal supply bunker. Outside she could hear the distant constant buzzing of the wing of Blackhawk helicopters preparing to embark on an afternoon of patrol. Like humming hornets they bounced softly on the metal tarmac of the airfield, as if eager to tear off into the orange sky of this world. Her eyes were glued to the wide screen television in the corner of the room, her attention was held, much like a few of the soldiers with her in the bunker, to the words of a US Senator.

"Who are the Vanguard today?" Senator Gilmore of Rhode Island asked, no Kara thought a beginning of a rallying cry for his platform of personal agendas "No one knows anymore. Their old standard bearers are long gone, like Hero 1, or have moved on to more current, real threats – like Statesman’s focus on the Arachnos terrorist group.” Gilmore also went on to say to the reporter from CNN. Kara watched him smoothly go through this speech and prepared answer with practiced ease as he continued. Her mind going back to a all to related briefing just an hour ago.

She had been preparing to go out with her 'boys' on routine patrols this morning, when an officer from S-2 stopped her. He told her that she had a meeting with some special UN envoy and could not go out on the operation this morning.

Her Rangers were out there, alone and unprotected. She grinned softly though. They would do fine without her, she thought they had a good and decent hero protecting them today. ConStar was a good blaster, he had a really good aim. She just...well she felt maternal when it came to her boys. Kara couldnt help but worry about them however. She hated not being there.

She had been summoned to the General's tent for a 'Special Briefing' with a UN contingent. A cool shiver runs down her spine as she remembers the nature of her special meeting. What the officials were asking of her, and what just such a offer might entail. Select words from the officials danced in her memory now as she listened to the Senator speak...

"Just a precaution"

"Your name has been submitted to us...."

"....a consummate professional...someone to be counted on"

"You must understand that the nature of what we are about to tell you is highly classified...."

"Of the utmost in National....Global Security...."

"Rikti...Portals...."

...possibilities, probabilities...../Gawd/. She closed her eyes as she listened to the Senator's words. As she remembered this new offer to work with Vanguard as she had been with the Expeditionary Force. What are they preparing for? What has them so scared?

What if they are wrong?

She thought then, what if /he/ is wrong...


She felt a presence next to her before he spoke. She opened her eyes as the First Sergeant cleared his throat with a soft disgust noise. "He loves to [censored] make speeches don't he?"

Kara grinned and gave her boy's usual response to Top's observation "OoAh"

Top grinned a bit as he chewed his ever present wad of bubblegum. He shook his head as they listened...

“The glory days of Vanguard are long past. The two-score and nine heroes of Omega Team were laid to rest with full honors years ago. "

Kara shivered, how quickly they forget. Her far off thoughts suddenly danced with frightful images of that day in the student center. The lights the explosions...the screams...

"They succeeded in taking the fight to the Rikti home-world, as witnessed by their only surviving member, Ajax. They broke the back of the Rikti then – so why are we still paying for an outdated dinosaur like Vanguard today?” Gilmore waved his hand in a well orchestrated gesture of mild disgust.

"Dinosaur eh?" The grizzled old soldier looked to the young heroine sitting next to him. "[censored] girl..I am an out dated dinosaur ain't I"

"OoAh" Kara smiled a bit more and nodded.

"And I [censored] do all right, don't I?" He quirked a brow at her "OoAh?"

Kara almost giggled as she nodded once more "Like SO OoAh!"

Top turned his steel like gaze back to the Senator on the screen as he blew a small pink bubble that he popped quickly in annoyance. He then turned to walk out, he called to her over his shoulder "Briefing at 1900hrs Arty, if you are tagging along for tonight's ops"

She smiled after him and nodded "Thank You First Sergeant, I'll so be there"

With another nod he was gone.

"Today’s Vanguard is led by a woman known as Lady Grey." The reporter at the desk at CNN explained to her viewers "Little is known about her background before being appointed by the UNSC to her role as director of the anti-alien task force, but she was championed by permanent members Britain and France with support from elected members, Germany and South Korea."

Kara quirked a small smile, she had only seen Lady Grey from a distance a few times, and had respected her for her commitment.

"Lady Grey has been criticized for fear-mongering with their propaganda campaign utilizing slogans such as: “Earth Is For Humans,” and “They Are Still Among Us.” Lady Grey, although she rarely speaks in public, has always maintained that the threat is still out there. "

Kara found herself shivering once more. All of this, what her life had become, had begun during their first invasion. NPI, her father, all of her friends, the old lost, the new ones found, life, death, love and ...loss..all of it since that day more than 3 years..almost four years ago now.

She watched as the screen showed footage of Incandescent, the hero who had sent the UN officials to meet with Kara this morning, was addressing reporters on the steps of the UN building in New York...

New York...she sighed softly.

Incandescent told the reporters, “We stand watch to deter hostile alien forces who would disrupt our peace and livelihoods. We know what to look for, even if you don’t. Keep your faith in us, and pray you never come closer to a Rikti than on the evening news.”

"Ain't that the truth" a soldier mentioned as he leaned across some boxes "as if floating eyeballs weren't enough"

Kara stood and stepped outside into the warmer breeze of the base. She had goosebumps running across her skin and a knot forming in her stomach.

"Keep your faith in us, and pray you never come closer to a Rikti than on the evening news.”

Gawd...

"Hey Arty?" The spell of her dark thoughts was broken by the cheery call of Sergeant Michele Peterson's voice yelling across the compound. Kara looked up to see the young MP waving to her

"Hey Petey!!" Kara waved "like what's up?"

"Mail you nut! " Petey waved a brown half opened box "Cheesecake from mom! want some?" her friend grinned knowing the response.

"Omigawd are you kidding me?" Kara laughed. "Give me like five and I'll meet you in your room!"

"You bet sugah! see you then...and you better hurry, word gets around fast around the firebase!"

Kara laughed and yelled back "Oh I so think I can take any one who so gets between me and cheesecake!"

She watched her friend hurry off as the Blackhawks took to the sky behind her. She sighed a moment more as a strong breeze blew up around her and through her hair. She turned to look at the four helicopters as they tore through the sky. She frowned as she could see a mountain of dark orange and red clouds swirling off in the distance.

The clouds were coming closer, she thought. A storm is coming for sure, a bad one...

...for now at least, there was always cheesecake.

[Origninally posted by Templar Lucianna Addo]

July 10th, 2007 - Founder's Falls


Lexus opened the door, Ashley carefully tucked in the crook of her arm. Standing on the front porch were a trio of men in black suits with a stylized 'v' pin in their lapels.

“Lexus Alexis,” said the one in a front, a man with close cropped blond hair. It wasn't a question. “This is for you.” He pulled a white envelope from his jacket and handed it to her. “And this is for your husband.” A second envelope.

“What the hell is this?”

“It's classified information, ma'am. Everything you need to know is in that envelope.”

“You're just going to hand me a bloody envelope and walk away?”

“Yes, ma'am, that's exactly what we're doing. Have a good day.” The three men turned on their heels and walked back to a black SUV parked on the street.

Lexus shut the door and put Ashley into her playpen. “You may accuse your mum of many things, but I doubt you'll ever say life with me was boring.”

D'Angelo wheeled his chair into the living room. “Who was that babe?”

“Some unidentified government men. They brought these for us.” She handed him his envelope, then tore open her own.

This is a priority message from Vanguard, operating under the authority of the United Nations. You are being recalled immediately to active service as a Freedom Corps registered hero and are to report to Vanguard base Kappa for briefing and assignment to combat duty within the next seven days. This message is classified. Further details, including your new cover will be discussed in detail at your briefing. -Lady Grey

“Combat duty!” shouted Lexus.

“Non-combat duty!” shouted D'Angelo.

“I have an infant. They expect me to report for combat duty.” Lexus turned to look at her husband. “You can take my combat duty, but I don't know how you expect to fight in a wheelchair.”

“It's Vanguard, they have those exo-skeletons. I'm sure we could work out something. What kinda non-combat duty would they want me for?”

“You're a security expert. I think that's pretty straight forward. My question is what do want with me?”

D'Angelo shook his head. “You have the right security clearance.”

“Only because I live with you.”

“But you earned it. Just because you were never very active doesn't change that. But if they're calling you up, that means things must be pretty serious. And Vanguard only deals with one thing-”

“Bloody space aliens,” Lexus said, cutting him off.

D'Angelo's phone rang. “Hello. Hey Pop. Vanguard just sent you an envelope. Yeah, that's going around. I thought of telling them where they could stick it,” he looked up at his wife and over at his daughter, “but I wanta see how serious this is.”

[Originally posted by Templar Mazin Wystan]

July 11th, 2007



"War?" Fingers that were just recently claws move over the too black skin of the thing resting its head against his shoulder, questioning silently what it reminds him of. A moment later it comes to him, of a time long ago when he had visited Sea World and petted a dolphin... soft and slick, almost like oil transmuted into flesh. "You're not telling me anything I don't know. I fight wars every day. And if you've forgotten, I fought one to save you."

It's true. He can still smell the blood all around them and taste it on his lips. Burning flesh from those he threw into the fire pit mingles in the scent carried on the wind, combined with the food from the meal he interrupted. The combination is a particularly interesting smell, though one he can't begin to decide is good or bad. Something he has trouble with a lot in this dimension.

The thing lifts its head, turning at least three eyes toward him, perhaps more. Black eyes set into black skin beneath a black sun make it difficult to determine anything, but after the previous hour's experimentation, he knows it is at least humanoid with similar body parts, as well as female. "No. War at home." Yes, the voice is particularly feminine, but then again, that may simply be for his benefit.

"Oh?" Mazin chuckles, raising a blood slick hand to his face. "War at home. Soon, I suppose?" When he receives no answer, he lowers his face to where he remembers a mouth being and attempts to kiss the thing, but it takes a moment to find it. The last hour was full of that -- touching an area only to find something missing, but when exploring again in search of it, a second touch in the original position would find it once more.

"Yes." The voice comes again even while he has its mouth occupied, something that amuses him every time. Either it has more than one, or it creates a new one whenever it needs to. He assumes the latter, as he tried several times to occupy as many as he could during the experiment.

Moving out from under the creature, he lays its head back onto the altar that was to be the place of its sacrifice and moves over it. "Will I enjoy it?" The creature stays silent for a moment, but before he can encourage it, it finally nods. "More than here?" Another nod, more quickly than before.

A grin forms on the demon's face as he regards the creature below him. "Good. Now, my pet, close the door to the future and focus on the present. We have three hours before your black sun sets and I see you for what you really are. Until then, let's have fun."

Two of the three eyes close, the last still focused onto him, and in the language that eyes speak, he can see sadness. For a moment, he wonders just what future it sees for him, or perhaps for itself. For a moment, he wonders if saving it was the right thing to do, if giving it hope makes life harder for it in the end, and if leaving it now will end badly. But he knows that if this creature has seen it, it is what will happen, as part of his unavoidable fate.

With nothing to say, no way of reassuring it when he knows nothing of what is making it sad, he turns to actions. After all, he knows more about how to make things better with actions than words, at least in the short term. And if it is the long term that is the problem... well, that is something for the future and not the present.

[Originally posted by Templar Lucianna Addo]

July 22, 2007 - Founder's Falls

“D'Angelo Addo!” Lexus screamed.

“What's wrong?” he called from the living room.

“Come here! Now!” D'Angelo wheeled himself into the kitchen and was immediately confronted by a furious looking Lexus. “Do you know who was on the phone just now?” she asked only slightly calmer.

“How would I know, woman?”

“It was Vanguard,” she said slowly. “You've been excepted into a program to work on neurological solutions to your paralysis. To help get you,” she sneered, “combat ready.”

“What's that look for? I thought you'd be happy? Isn't this what you want? For me to try and get out of this chair.”

“Yes! But not like this.”

“Not like what?”

“Lucianna and I having been trying for three years to get you go see doctors, scientists, anyone who could help. Between you, her, and your father, there's enough connections that you could get in most anywhere. But over and over again you said 'no'! And now...now that you have the chance to fight space aliens, you're all about getting help! Good to see what really matters to you!”

“Lex, it's not like that...”

“Then what's it like??”

“I didn't want you and Lucianna to be disappointed if it didn't wo...”

“Rubbish! That's [censored] and you know it.”

“You don't know what it's like to be in this chair,” D'Angelo said darkly.

“Don't. You. Dare. Say that to me. I have a very good idea what it's like to be in that chair. I am the one who helped take care of you after you were hurt. Don't you dare act like this doesn't effect all of us. Do you have any idea how hurt Lucianna was when you were injured? She gotten better about it, but I can see sometimes she still blames herself. And then you don't want help. It's like you gave up. And that hurt her more. She tried so hard to find people to help you. And it was like you didn't care. And now you're talking about how you didn't want us to be disappointed?”

D'Angelo frowned and rolled back from his wife. “I didn't want to be disappointed either...”

“At least you admit that,” she said quietly. “But I hate to see the fight go out of you D'Angelo. And your eldest daughter does too. If you found something to fight for again..that's good. But it should have been us.”

“Lexus...”

“What?” she said sniffing.

“I...damn baby I don't know what to say. I didn't think o...”

“Damn right you didn't.”

“Okay, fine...I deserve that. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You're right. It's the wrong reason to get help. I tried to tell my self it was for Hector...”

Lexus nearly choked. “Revenge against Ritki for Hector? That's not going to bring him back.”

“I know baby. I know.” They sat in silence a moment; Lexus grabbed a napkin from the counter and dabbed her eyes. “Do you want me to drop out of the program?” D'Angelo asked.

“No. Of course not. But I want...promise me...while you're there and you're trying to get back on your feet...think of your family and not some bony space alien...”

“You got it.”

Lexus stared at him a moment. “Thank you. I think I'm going to bed.” She turned and went up the stairs. D'Angelo sat in the quiet kitchen alone, staring at the counter top. He turned and went back to the living room where he pulled himself onto the couch and laid down to go sleep.

[Originally posted by Mindwork for her Villian Concordat]

July 22, 2007 - Rogue Islands

What we've got here: Failure to: Communicate
(Communication: Cornerstone: Civilization)
Remember!

Dreams of the world turned upside down...

See: The Hate: We Are: Breeding
See: The Lies: We Are: Feeding

...fire in the sky.

There Is: Fear
There Is: Anger
There Is: Need
(...Lead Us Not: Into Temptation)

(Did you wear a black armband,
when they shot the man who said:
"Peace: could last: forever...")

Deliver us from evil!

Somewhere, the clocks are ticking.
-----
She wakes up, in the cool darkness. Outside, crickets are singing. Inside, she closes her eyes and listens...and knows their names. On far distant shores, they stare at the stars and know of hope.

Our hands are tied...
~~~~~
My hands are tied!
The billions shift from side-to-side,
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride,
For the Love of God and our human rights...
And all these things are swept aside,
By bloody hands time can't deny,
And are washed away by your genocide.
And history hides the lies of our civil war...
~Guns and Roses, Civil War

[Like the first post, this one was originally posted by me and is about Kara/Diamond my character with the Templars So unless posted otherwise it will be one of my posts Thanks I hope you are enjoying these ]

July 24th, 2007 - New Overbrook, "Faultline"


Screaming...

Fire....smoke....panic...sirens....

Chaos...shooting...blasting...explosions...

...always screaming...

She remembered the fear as she fled through her dream, through the rubble of the burning student center. She remembered the bodies darting by in colorful flashes of clothing as they darted to and fro around her as she fled.

They had come...her sanctuary, the place she called home for the semester, the place she had watched the news of the invasion with dread had now become invaded!

She hated the sight of them, she hated the fear they raised within her. They came and they killed, murdered without thought it seemed...

They appeared and people died...

...it was just that simple.

She remembers being cornered, her fear dancing through her dream to recreate the vision of that moment she become frighteningly real once more...

Cornered by a Rikti warrior, her friends scrouching around her begging, pleding to what was to her at the time a killing machine...

and she became angry, frightfully angry! She felt it at first, welling up within her...it grew painful..it /had / to be released!

Release it she did! She lashed out with an energy she never knew she had, blindingly white and blue, striking the invader with the force of a tidal wave washing over some distant shoreline.

She had saved herself and her friends..

It was seen...the news had her, her life was over...

...as surely as if she had been killed that night in the ruins of the student center...All around her...

Screaming...

Fire....smoke....panic...sirens....

Chaos...shooting...blasting...explosions...

...always screaming...

...She awoke laying curled up next to the couch, safe in her livingroom. The television was still on with the inane voices of an infomercial hocking their wares to the darkened room.

Kara shivered a little as she pulled her senses back from the horrible world of her dream. Her eyes moved lower to see the soft small shape curled up and snuggled safely in her arms.

She ran a single gentle finger through the soft hair of the sleeping little girl and sighed. "If they come back little one...i wont let them get you"

She leaned down to kiss Phil gently on the forehead and pulled her deeper into her arms. Her whispered commitment filled with the desire of a mother protected her threatened child. Eager to deny that child the horrors that she herself had once wittnessed.

"I wont let them get you"...

In time her eyes fluttered closed, her breathing becoming calmer as it merges with that of the little girl in her arms.

Her little girl...

...her daughter.

With that thought, she passed easily into sleep, ready now to face any horror the world might have to offer.

(Awesome stuff.. although I have to wonder why THIS Templar Knight *pointing to me* wasnt called!! Anyway, cool stuff besides)

((Aww "Templars of the Abbey" Not really -the- Templars nor affliated with them. The Templars here are just your friendly neighborhood Super Group based out of a very stylish club caled the Abbey in King's Row. But once I've caught this thread up to Present day I was going to Open the thread to any and all who wish to post their Rikti Experiences during the upcoming invasion offensives

That way we all can have a litle fun and express ourselves ))

[Originally posted by Templar Lucianna Addo]

July 24, 2007 - Founder's Falls



A voice crackled over Vanguard's secure channel. "Pin-Up, come in." Lucianna pulled her gloves tighter and glanced over to where Kara and Phil where sleeping on the couch. "This is Pin-Up." "It's time. Report to the RWZ immediately."


"Lucky Dog, come in." Freeman sighed to himself and climbed out of his favorite armchair. "Yeah, what?" The voice of the Vanguard communications officer paused only a second. "Report to the RWZ immediately. We're hitting the ground now." "On my way."

He looked around the living for the cordless phone and found it laying on the couch beside the remote control. He dialed the third number on speed dial. "Hello?" said a woman's sleepy voice. "Danshea," Freeman said softly. "Marry me."


"Scarlet Star, come in." Lexus gave her comm an incredulous look. "I'd prefer my civilian name." "That would be against protocol solider. Report to the RWZ immediately." "Very well." Lexus closed the channel. "I suppose I'll have to talk to Lady Grey in person, will I?"

She walked upstairs to the bathroom and examined her reflection in the mirror. It had been fifteen years since she'd worn the scarlet and gold bodysuit and thank god she had stayed in shape. 'I really have to getting around to telling Lucianna about this,' she told herself as she adjusted her mask.

In the bedroom, her husband, who had woke when she climbed out of bed, was cradling their thirteenth month old daughter in his arms. "It's time," he said, not really asking. She nodded and sat down on the edge of his bed. D'Angelo took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I still get the feeling I should said no," she said. "I don't remember this being optional," he replied. "At least," he added, "they let me off to look after Ashley." Lexus leaned over to her sleeping baby on the forehead then stood back up, wiping a gloved hand across her eyes. "I'll be home soon." "I know you will."

July 28th, 2007 - Galaxy City - Invasion day 4


Heaven bent to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight

Guardian Star lay sprawled on the cracked bloodstained pavement, motionless, and breathing in and out slowly. It had been too long since he had smelled air that was not rank with blood, choked with the dust of bombs. Even if he were to smell it, he mused it would be unfamiliar to him. He couldn’t bear to open his eyes. His whole body was filled with an unexplainable pain that rendered him motionless, the searing burn across his chest smoked. He had never saw the Rikti blaster bolt that tore through his force fields that struck him down. He had been so intent on protecting others, he must've gotten careless. He failed, he knew that now. He could hear faint footsteps and far off shouting all around him as the sounds of the battle grew distant, but could not lift his head from the street to glimpse their faces. Eventually all was still around him, and that was the part that scared him the most.

For a young man from the suburbs of New Jersey, Bill had done great things recently. He had managed what others could not; he learned how to begin to use his powers to aid others, and had since he arrived in Paragon. He had become more than he had once dreamed of being, a rookie superhero who had now fought beside heroes whose names would scatter through and fill tales of selfless sacrifice and bravery for years to come. But now, as he lay broken in the street between consciousness and sleep, he felt smaller than he ever had before. He was supposed to do the saving, and now he couldn’t save himself.

Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear

He thought he could hear someone calling his name, a voice all too familiar to him. But he pushed it out of his mind as he lay on the cold, stiff ground. He feared death, but had let that fact escape him as he stood amongst his fellow heroes, preparing to do as he had all week, make a stand against the invader. To stand beside the woman who at one time he had turned his back on. Afraid to admit he was like her, a mutant something to be feared and despised. She was incredible, so helpful when he came to this city, he sought her forgiveness and she gave it willingly. She stood by him and supported him, patrolled with him even teaching him without knowing how to be a true hero. He would have given his life for her, and now, as the burning in his extremities, spread to other parts of his body, he feared that he had now done just that. When he was younger, he had always seen in war movies about the moment right before you die, and this felt like that, very gray, but also very clear moment in which everything was supposed to be revealed. God, he thought, I'm going to die...


Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...

Bill had so many things he wanted to do before he died. He thought that maybe he’d get married to Patti, someone who wouldn’t always want to control him or make demands of him he could not meet. Pattie was a lot like Kara in so many ways. His face softened involuntarily as his thoughts turned to his friend, it seemed he had known Kara his entire life, and they had been the most unlikely friends growing up together, he the jock, never taking anything seriously, sort of the wild man of the field and she was the proverbial cheerleader, so good all of the time. He could not help but to smile a little as his mind wandered back to the time he 'stole' his dad's pick up truck just so she could learn to parallel park.

All through elementary school right on up through High School, they had known each other. It was only natural that they eventually had dated, though it didn't take. It was as if they both knew they were better as friends, meant for someone else. Though he had been grateful that they had remained friends after that. Kara had always been there to keep him out of trouble, and now, for all he knew even she was gone. She could be lying somewhere like he was now, dead or dying in the street. Out of his reach, where he could not protect the friend who had still believed in him, even after he wasn't there for her when she needed her old friends the most all of those years ago. Like a Judas, he denied his friend to cover his own shame for being like she was. A mutant.

We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
And the lonely light of morning
The wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
I held so dear.

Another jolt of shearing pain jolted through his body as he wondered if she was dead. She most likely was, right? I mean he thought, how many more fights can we win? How often can her luck hold out, she always found herself knee deep in the most dangerous situations every time she was given the opportunity. Always there for the city, his fogged mind was filled with questions, she is dead isn't she? It's so quiet now, are they all dead?, As Bill lay still on the battlefield, his entire body chilled at the thought of losing his closest friend. He took a sharp breath, and tried to push these thoughts and memories as far away as he could because it was likely that he would never see her alive again, if he were to live another day. That too, now seemed highly unlikely.

I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...

The soldiers of Vanguard had been right to laugh at him when he approached them; He did not belong on a battlefield. He was barely even close to his twentieth clearance level, no where near some of the heroes he had stood beside here in Skyway. He wasn't as great as they were, he just wanted to stand between the invaders and the innocents of the city. He didn't belong here, he was no warrior, this was nothing like football nor lacrosse, it wasn't a game. He belonged at home, in Finnesville, with Pattie, Johnny, Carl, Mark his old buddies and of course Kara. Back to the safety and happiness the innocence of childhood provides. Neither He nor she chose this path; it was handed to them by way of their gifts, gifts that made them different, a gift that had dumped this awesome responsibility on them both. A gift Bill now longed to kill. He felt himself become enraged, and yet was relieved to find that he was still breathing.

Heaven bent to take my hand
Nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh they turned their heads embarrassed
Pretend that they don't see
But it's one missed step
You'll slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed

But whether or not he belonged in the midst of this battle; he couldn’t change his fate. All at once, Bill felt a surging warmth take over his body as a brightness surrounded him. He was sure this was his moment of death, the supposed end of it all. As the brightness began to envelope him, he heard a far off voice calling his name again. And this time, he strained to hear it, to take in its rich quality, and to reach out to it, because he didn’t want to die. A warm, though rough leather gloved hand stroked Bill's face. It's touch so tender and soft. He felt his own body respond to that warmth. It was like something out there, someone out there, was saving his life. A rope had been tossed around his spirit and was pulling him back.

Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't ya come round here
And tell me I told you so...

Bill was finally capable of opening his eyes. They immediately fixated on the hand stroking his face tenderly, and with all the care in the world. His eyes traced a line up the arm until his eyes finally met those of Kara's. He felt like all the pain had evaporated from his body and that nothing else could possibly matter. He felt like if she was here, then everything could be alright, and even if he were to die, it wouldn’t matter because he had felt something that nothing in this Terrible war could erase. He had felt love. Love for his closest friend, the friend that had made it through and found him, he closed his eyes and could hear her voice screaming out to a nearby empath.

A pale woman, the Police Detective/Templar was suddenly kneeling beside him beside him as Kara cradled his head in her lap. Izzy, Kara had called her. He could hear her tell him in a very weary voice as she looked at him with almost ancient eyes that he was going to be all right. He looked up to Kara's face and saw the concern in her eyes, yet her resolve as well. The determination to keep him alive, her love for her friend...for her family.

Though...
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...

All around behind her he could see the shapes of the other heroes. We won, he thought, again. He felt his friend take his hand and squeeze it tightly, he could hear her far off voice telling him to hold on ...to fight! His pain began to numb and heal as Izzy placed her hand across his burned chest. He smiled, he would see Patti again, he would live. He knew this as he squeezed Kara's hand, he was out of the fight for now, but he would be back.

His friend had found him...again.

August 7th, 2007 - Rikti War Zone - Invasion day 11


She held up a bleeding hand to release a blast of her energy, it's lethal blue white force strikes the Rikti Conscript flush in the chest, knocking her opponent out in one deft movement.

Her head turned to her left as a drone materialized next to her, another to her front along with three more Rikti warriors around her. She closed her eyes and glowed brightly as they stood momentarily entranced as a conflagration emblazoned in response to their arrival.

There was an eerie beauty in the total release of the energy she generated, her eyes glowed hotly as she she detonated in their midst. There was a horrible noise followed by an equally terrible silence, she shuddered and dropped to her knees fighting to catch her breath as the Vanguard troopers finally caught up to her. Flanking on either side of her they laid down a field of suppressing fire around her to protect the heroine until she could recharge. Panting she lifted her head to survey the masses of bodies around her. A year ago, no a month ago she would have wept.

She would have mourned.

Today, the charred flesh that flapped listlessly from the bones just seemed to simply delineate a piece of the picture. Coarse fabric seemed to blend into skin, and the hands of the fallen were curled adamantly inward. Across from her she watched as a form rose from the bodies. She winced she hadn't hit all of them hard enough.

The charred metal armored hand reached out to shake a crumbled and crushed Rikti form, its fate obvious to any now. The metal helm snapped up to fixate on her, its electronic eyes seemed to burn into her. Its unspoken rage and demeanor sang volumes. The warrior stood as volleys of Vanguard fire raged around it, scoring hit after hit across it's fellow warriors.

"This is your fate." she heard it's song again in her mind.

All around them raged the dance of war, as she stood up and breathed deeply. A siren screamed out across the battlefield, yet it was almost as if the rest of the fight's cacophony of sounds had dimmed as she met the gaze of the wounded and worn Chief Mentalist. The setting sun shone its soft amber hue onto the twisted metal ruins of the fire base as fading star began to set, and the moon had begun her haughty ascent to the throne.

Who was that to you? she thought as she felt her energy grow and swell within her tired and exhausted body. Was it a brother? or a lover? Do you mourn for a life left behind by this war /your/ people began?

A part of her mind tried to recall what her life had been before all of this had began, Her daily battles were often with her family, but there were never any repercussions after a loss in such a verbal match. Teasing, taunting, tickle fights: only her pride suffered a daily carnage.

She thought of her children and of the simple life of her classroom, of her dear friend's weddings, hearing her musical laughter of the happiness she finally deserved. Memories of happier moments of verbal sparring with the sweet goof inside of her mind, of listening to her brother and her wacky tech of a friend banter and of a photo shoot for her best friend, listening to all of her hopes and dreams.
She can almost taste an ice cold glass of sprite while talking with her friend the 'old lady', to listen to Jada's wit and playful sarcasm over the comm. To the youthful naitivity of the little one and her beloved cat to the friend who also had another cat run her life.

In her mind's eye she can still see a simple smile from someone dear to her heart beside a waterfall, still softly feel her touch, and most of all the small touch of eye lashes whispering across her cheek from a 'butterfly' kiss from little Phil.

Sometimes, when driven to tears and exhaustion, she would be reminded that it was all pretend. None of the danger was really there. The adrenaline rushes were just primal mechanisms to protect a fragile heart, an innocence that wished to ensconce itself into the abyss of time. An unfamiliar feeling surfaced in the pit of her stomach, it stirred in her something she was truly afraid of, and she fought in vain to quell its hunger. Gnawing incessantly at the walls of her heart, the feeling began to tear and rip into her soul.

She breathed in the horror and heroics that filled the acrid air around her as her arm rose up, her energy flowing down along her skin. She let the surrealism-turned-reality into her heart no longer for just this moment caring for sides anymore. Who was this enemy to take away all of that from her? Who were they to bring more horror here? Everything had already been too much!

It had to stop!

The two lone warriors isolated by anger and exhaustion, fueled but a mutual desire for revenge fired and began their final dance...

It was over in moments, too weakened by her explosion the mentalist found her thoughts to primal and too focused to disturb, its attempts to disrupt...to break her resolve were as futile as they were in vain. She moved with an elegant grace as she dodged in coming fire and positioned herself perfectly each time to strike his body fiercely with a powerful salvo.

Soon his world threaten to sink into blackness as he fell, his armor cracked and broken, his weapon dropping to his side as he fell, his strength ebbing from him.

She stopped for just a moment to confirm he was down before an explosion to her left swept her away once more into the maddening tide of battle. Dark smoke danced and wafted eerily across the blood soaked battlefield as the fighting shifted away from the body of the dying mentalist, who reached out with his last ounce of strength to close his armored fist around that of the Rikti he had mourned.

She continued her performance across the stage of battle, dancing through the lines of Rikti, swirling deadly pirouettes of fire and energy until a shadow appeared next to her, and she turned to face its owner panting her eyes wild with her determination.

A smirk was plastered ominously on the face of the Vanguard Commander "We're clear Ma'am" , she felt an inevitable lust for more action, yet a desperate need to stop.

She nodded as he walked off, her eyes surveying the scorched field of battle. Flashes of light and explosions lit up the horizon of the war zone as the moon shone sensuously in the distance, casting a mischievous gleam across the field of ruins.

As if tempting her for more...

She fought it down fiercely, it was not the fighting she yearned for, she reminded herself, but for its end! She took to the night sky, heading off to the next fight, even as she continued her struggle within.

All around her sirens blared as explosions thumped and pounded away at the peace of the night.

Originally posted by Templar Ebon Drake

October 29th 2007 - Vanguard Headquarters, Founders Falls


"What the -hell- do you mean 'I can't help you," Drake nearly screamed in frustration, staring at the Vanguard representative in front of him. Since Drake's return to Paragon, he had been trying desperately to get into the crash site, but had been told on countless occasions to speak to the Vanguard first. Now, standing in the Vangaurd HQ in Founders, his arms shaking uncontrollably, he stares down the representative sitting at the desk through his helmet's visor.

"I'm sorry, Ebon. Lady Grey has said that no Hero under security level 35 can enter the Warzone. It's simply too dangerous and we need the most experienced Heroes to keep the Rikti confined to the crash site."

"But I'm security level 34! You're telling me that one level is going to make that much of a differance?!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but my hands are tied. You're going to have to wait until you've reached the proper clearance level. But until then, I'm sure we can find you some other assign-"

Drake cut the man off abruptly by slamming his fist down on the desk. "I don't give a damn! There's people out there who need my help and I can't do that with you giving me [censored] about security levels! So screw your damn protocols and let me FIGHT!"

Drake fumed, and removed his fist from the representative's desk, not even noticing the hole he had placed in it. The young man glanced at the hole but wasn't impressed. He'd obviously been dealing with Metas for some time. "I'm sorry, Ebon, but there's nothing I can do. Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave before I'm forced to throw you into confinement for interfering with UNSC operations."

From out of nowhere, two Vangaurd power armors stepped forward to flank Drake on either side, their stun batons humming to life. Drake looked at them, then back at the representative, then back to the power armors. Beneath his helmet, Drake's features twisted into an angry snear. He scoffed and without another word, turned on his heel and walked out of the building, slamming the door behind him. The door shattered immediately, it's hinges snapped, and sent shards of glass skittering out onto the sidewalk. Several nearby citizens stared at Drake, a somewhat frightened look on their faces. Drake didn't even notice and with a thought, he telekinetically pushed himself off the ground, rocketing up and over the buildings across the street, leaving the screaming representative and staring citizens on the sidewalk far behind him.

Several blocks away, Drake touched down on a rooftop next to a large, brick chimney. With a scream of pain and frustration, he drove his fist deep into the brick. Frustration quickly gave way to rage as he found himself repeatedly driving his fists into the chimney. Bricks, dust, and debris flew in every direction, sent careening into the air by Drake's augmented punches. Anger clouded his vision and he continued punching, the action becoming more of a necessity than he may have realized, taking all of his frustration out on an inamimate object, rather than the nearest person. He simply kept punching...because it was the only thing he -could- do.

After some time, Drake finally managed to compose himself, panting heavily at his exhertion. He stared at the pile of bricks that used to be a chimney and took a deep breath. Anger again gave way...this time to helplessness. His knees buckled and Drake sank to his knees. He struggled with his helmet but finally managed to tear it off, tossing it aside just as he wretched onto the black tar of the roof. On his hands and knees, he continued wretching and his anger slowly subsided. He coughed, spittle and vomit trailing from his lips before he wiped it away. He grunted and stood, walking across the roof to retireve his helmet, and slipped it on over his head, the suit re-pressurizing with a 'hiss.'

He felt powerless. All his friends and fellow Heroes were out defending this City against it's old foe...and he could do nothing but watch.

"[censored] protocol," he breathed. It had taken him a long time to come to terms with his parent's death...but he could never forgive the Rikti for stripping them from him. They had taken the only family he ever had, and he was -not- going to stand by as more people lost their loved ones because of the Rikti. Drake clenched his fist tightly, the metal of his cybernetic hand groaning in protest.

"Fine...they want me to get another security level? They'll have it."

With renewed resolve, Drake once again launched into the air. He had several hours of daylight left and a lot of his contacts to call. He'd be in the War Zone tonight...even if it killed him.

((Gonna try /really/ hard to get to 35 tonight. Wish me luck! :P))

March 6th, 2008 - New Overbrook, Faultline

She couldnt believe what she had heard...

All they had fought for last summer...

..what it had cost them. What it had cost her...

Kara's weary eyes looked out through the frost covered glass of the living room window. She pulled her knees up to her chest hugging them tightly to her body as she let her eyes wander over the snow covered grounds and gray skies.

New Overbrook seemed so peaceful as it's citizens went about their normal routines.

".....as we have said before the calculations have been verified as of Friday...."

She hadn't believed it as she sat with dozens of other heroes in the beseiged bunker in the Warzone.

"...the numerous fluxuations in the dimensional eddies we are now able to detect are allowing these gaps to begin to open, thus indicating as many as six different ....."

She hadn't believed it even when she had to tell the girls. Little Kat and her own Philomela. They had taken it in stride and she was proud of them...this time was different. The two girls had been prepared /not/ like last time...the scramble to get Phil to Tokyo, the effort to find Katrina after her building had been bombed....

"...the time frame for the enemy's renewed offensive will take place from March until November at the very least...we have begun to calculate the arrival times and the time of course when the portals may be shunted away from..."

Kara shivered as she hugged her legs tighter to herself. She thought of her family, of... She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath...

".....the primary battles will of course take place in all major Earth cities that have access to the Portal Corps systems....."

She opened them and swallowed, she could feel each tick of the clock now. Soon it would be time for her to once take a stand for her city, her country and her planet for those she loved. She knew that tonight the president would be addressing the rest of the country...this was to be the last rest she would get for some time now.

She could hear the girls elsewhere in the house, finishing their homework, preparing in their own way for the nightmare that was to come...she felt a surge of pride in them, as she did for all of her family.

She and Luci would need to coordinate with Jada once more, She had turned the Abbey into a bunker like refuge last time. Might be a very good place for the girls to stay til this first wave relented once more..

"As of now the world is once more at war......Good Luck"

Originally posted by the Templar Ebon Circuit

March 6th 2008 - Hospital Galaxy City

Drake watched the screen in mild shock. Longbow had been kind enough to allow him a TV while he recovered in their medical wing. Several broken ribs, a fractured eye socket, and the complete loss of one of his cybernetic arms had Drake sit and watch helplessly as the broadcast droned on. He grunted softly and rubbed his aching sides, the news of another invasion force doing little to ease his discomfort.

Damn...they couldn't have picked a worse time. A huge wave of Rikti is on it's way and here I am in a hospital bed....not to mention my 'probation.'

Drake sighed and looked at the replacement cybernetic Longbow had grafted on. It was old, at least a ZR-35 series, which you still had to charge up every night. It was slow, clunky, and had nowhere near the amount of mobility his arm had. After wearing it for so long, it almost felt as if he'd lost his arm all over again.

He could build another one, but it would take some time. What with his probation, getting into the War Zone for more Rikti tech wasn't going to be easy. He then chuckled softly and smiled as the proverbial 'light bulb' clicked on in his mind.

Maybe I should go pay "UberTank" a visit. I've busted him with tech on at least three separate occasions. Guess it's time to call in a 'favor.'

He grins and chuckles once more as the thought of roughing up that big, dumb, Freak gives him a very small 'something' to look forward to. Still, glancing back up at the screen, his thoughts return to the coming invasion.

They're going to need every Hero in the city to fend off the tide...let's just hope I can help.

Drake sighs, leans back into his pillows, and begins to create a list of equipment needed for the coming battle in his mind.

March 14th - Rikti War Zone


Bill Chamberlin, The hero known as Guardian Star was tired.

The bone deep weariness that often accompanied war had finally caught up with him and huddling freezing in his 'foxhole' while waiting for the next attack to begin, did nothing to help remind him of why he was fighting this war.

He settled deeper in the foxhole, securely wrapping his almost paper-thin blanket borrowed from the nearby Vanguard bunker around his shoulders. His fields absorbing much of the chilling New England March wind, he found the blanket was more for security than warmth. He drifted between cold awareness and warm oblivion until the crunch of boots in the crisp snow put him firmly into the former. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he looked up to see his long time friend the veteran heroine Diamond lowering herself into his foxhole. He couldn't bring his partially frozen and exhausted body to move and gladly suffered through Kara shifting him over until they were both as comfortable as they could be on the wooden frame that served as a bench in the dugout.

Bill's white gloved hand absentmindedly stroked the top of the empty metal flask he often carried with him. What he wouldn't give for a swig of his beloved Jameson's to warm him up right now! But he was fairly certain that what had been in his flask was the last of it until the Vanguard Unit they had been accompanying moved to a standby alert status, relieved by a fresher unit…or at least until he could con Kara into letting him lift the rest of his stash from the Abbey.

Around them all of Bravo 'Sword' was silent under the obsidian night sky and the howling of the wind.

"I like thought you might want some of this." Kara smirked playfully as she handed over a small bottle of the Irish brew "From the way you're fingering that flask, I'd so say you've been without for at least two hours."

Bill scowled, not so much annoyed that it'd taken Kara so long to give his precious drink to him as amused at the faint laugh he heard in his friend's voice. Kara had so little to smile about these days that Bill would gladly be the object of her amusement if it would keep something besides coldness from permeating her green pale eyes. She had bore so much of the fighting recently, he worried she would become jaded.

Hell he was worried /he/ himself would be come jaded.

"So? What's the occasion? Usually you let me get it myself." Even as he says this, his fingers are closing over the neck of the bottle off, raising the three-quarters full bottle to his lips. Kara watched her companion a few moments, listening to the muffled sound of the winter winds rushing through sleeping trees and fallen buildings, enjoying the flush of color the alcohol brought to Bill's cheeks and his mild coughing fit as he adjust to the warm biting taste of the strong whiskey, before replying.

"You've sooo been in top form lately, especially with the way things have been going so I thought I'd bring the bottle to you for once." She wrapped her arms around her knees pulling them tightly to her chest. "Plus this way you so don't mess up the bar on Jada , while you hunt for the right bottle"

Bill chuckled slowly around the mouth of the bottle before lowering it and mockingly offering it to Kara. As expected, she wrinkled her nose and pushed the bottle back to him rather firmly.

"Ewww" She protested.

Bill chuckled at her response and leaned back letting his weary form fall back against the back of the hole. The cold ground rattled and shook as just beyond their team's perimeter a convoy of armored vehicles raced to some other location to respond to a renewed threat. Over his comm he could hear the recent Longbow and Vanguard battle updates.

It had been like this before, last summer and now he thought closing his eyes, all week..all week.

Diamond stared hard at her friend with a degree of concern. She smiled a bit, her friendship with Bill was an odd one. Already they had been through too much together to feel like 'just friends'; their bond was deeper, much deeper, than mere friendship. They had grown up together, even dated once. Kara smirked remembering the disaster that had become. Yet they had remained friends even as High School had quickly become a faded memory.

He had come to her for help after he had been 'outed' as a mutant. Despite denying her initially when she had returned home as such a 'monster' to her family and friends after her abilities had first appeared. How could she reject him, she could only forgive, she knew the pain and suffering that followed abandonment. What else could she do? It was one more thing they had in common once more. Something as he once told her, that friends always 'gear up for'.

Friends...

Yet, she noticed however that the sparkle that had entered Bill's eyes at seeing his present had already faded to the dullness so visible in his eyes since the Rikti had returned. A hard fought victory so recently overturned.

Bill rested his head against the sides of the foxhole and sighed wearily.

Kara shared his sentiments exactly. The two of them sat for a long while in the cold dark, the soft hiss and occasional battle update from distant shores their only companion.

"Why are we here, Kar?" His voice finally cutting through the dark.

Kara started, surprised that she had failed to realize Bill was awake; he sounded so tired, she'd thought for sure that his sigh signaled his intent to sleep. Apparently not. His pale eyes narrowed as he processed the question.

"What do you mean, Bill? You know orders are orders are to assist and aid this Vanguard...…" She trailed off when Bill began to firmly shake his head.

"No! Why are we here? What made us –you, me, everyone else- volunteer? Just what the hell are we fighting for everyday?" The winter cold muted Bill's words preventing them from slinking through Bravo Sword and further destroying what morale was left to them. Kara sighed wearily. She knew she had no real answer that would satisfy her friend's question and bring him from the brink of the exhausted abyss he was leaning over, but she knew she had to say something, anything, to keep Bill from letting go.

She smiled a tad impish then in what could only be described as a extremely bad imitation of Jack Nicholson she turn to to look at him "You want the truth son?"

Bill blinked a tad confused at her tone of voice as his tired mind tired to figure out why she was talking like this, or if he was just hearing wrong "Wh...what?"

She tried to scrunch her face up in a dark scowl and continued her butchering of Nicholson "You can't handle the truth. Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns." she nodded assertively as his eyes grew wide ..staring at her "Who's gonna do it? You? You, Guardian Star?"

He blinked, then blinked again finally chuckled "Oh ..My ..Lord..." he shook his head at her utterly amazed "You really need to stop that ..I mean right now...that is so awful it is practically a weapon of mass destruction"

She smiled a little and then shifted her tone immediately now that she had his attention "Seriously...you like need a reason? How about this then?" Her tone softening almost maternal as she locked her gaze with his, her voice calm, confident "If you can't think of any better reason to keep going, William, then please…fight for Paragon City. Fight for those who can not fight for themselves. Fight for me, Fight for /Patty/ " he flinched looking down, knowing she got him by mentioning his girlfriend, a field reporter now for the local news. His worry for her was something more for him to latch on to...her and the innocents caught in the cross fire.

He looked back up as she continued " and for God's sake Bill like remember that as a Templar, we fight for each other…/always. /"

She sat back at bit as well against the cold dirt wall of the dugout, her fields sparking a bit as the cold ground emitted a bit of steam as she came to rest against it. Bill nodded slowly as he he too sat back and resumed his former position. The tired look didn't quite disappear, but some of her words seemed to have reached him on some level.

"That will have to be enough then, I guess." They both sighed, proof of their lives billowing out in soft white vaporous clouds.

Kara gazed up into the unforgiving dark of the night sky. All around them were soft flashes of distant battles throughout the besieged city. She closed her eyes and thought of those she herself fights for every night, her white gloved fingers softly running over the locket she always wore. "It so always is William"

"It'll have to be enough." he said in a tired voice.

The prayer rose up to Heaven as Bill took another swig of his whiskey the soft warmth briefly spreading a small degree of comfort through him staving off the cold bite of the winter night.

May 12th, 2008 - King's Row

A lone figure stood in before the wide glowing screen of the Templars' main computer. Stored in the back, behind the club's bar, the machine kept the heroes that protected the meta human only bar up to date. Data streams poured by with crime statistics, Hero Corps and Most Wanted updates, every bit of data that the Templars might need to continue their enforcement of the laws of the land. Information from Washington, The Department of Defense and Homeland Security merged with that of Longbow and Interpol.

Yet it was the one report from Vanguard the figure had fixed on. With a gloved hand he keyed in the necessary codes to bring up and highlight the coming date. The newest predictions on the upcoming wave of the recent Rikti offensive. His eyes narrowed as he drew a breath, realizing it was sooner than he thought.

He wasn’t much a soldier, but then he didn’t pretend to be.

He was something different and yet very much the same these days.

He didn’t join the military like many of his friends, but was drafted in a way. Gifted with powers he once spent most of his life denying. It had taken him sometime and the help of a friend's example to get him to come to grips with what he was. To come to terms with the powers he possessed and how to use them to help others. What choice did he have now.

Now that he was here, in Paragon he was discovering that he wouldn’t change places with anyone for the world.

Back home he’d been a jock, a lacrosse player destined for a career after college as some middle management clerk or accountant. Perhaps even a little league coach or simply alone with his secret, a mutant in hiding.

Hiding from his responsibilities. Back home he had been a coward, afraid even to attempt to take the very stand that his friend Kara had been forced to make four years ago. He had not only been denying himself but he had also been denying others the very help his powers offered.


A hard lesson earned, when he discovered what she had gone through after he had joined the others in decrying her as a monster.

Here however in Paragon City, he was becoming almost indispensable. She was helping him now, helping him become a hero. Working to safeguard the lives of those who could not protect themselves.

He had no real name any longer. In fact, he doubted most of the other heroes of the city spared a thought as to what his given name might be at all. To the heroes and heroines he worked with each day he was known now only as Guardian Star.

He didn’t take lives, he saved them. In the war against the Rikti, he was an anachronism.

He was proud to be so, though he’d be the first to admit that wasn’t always the case. In many ways he thought he walked alone in this man’s war. Being a defender made a man a loner of sorts. Not really at the forefront of the fighting, blasting a Chief Soldier nor smashing the wreck of a tank down across the fallen body of a Rikti Communication's Officer to prevent the opening of a portal. His job was much different, his force fields, his 'bubbles' extended to any and all within the held perimeter of any given stand on the streets, while his fellow heroes fended off the invading hordes.

Bill smirked as he soon came to realize walking alone and being alone are nothing of the same. With the flip of his finger he reset the main board and turned to head out of the quiet and dark of the Abbey.

He paused and looked up into the night sky above the sleeping city and found his thoughts looking beyond the coming fight.

When this war ends, as it must, he knew deep inside, he would never be alone again.

All those he had helped, all those with whom he served and fought, walked beside him now and always.

And he was be proud to stand beside them.

A coward no more, now something more important...

He was a defender.