The Galactic Protectorate Supplemental Fanfic

Since Mission Architect has rekindled my interest in writing once again, I've decided to write a supplemental fanfic that ties in with my story, which I'll be posting chapter-by-chapter in this Thread

Since Architect Enterainment was introduced into the game, I knew that there would be literary hurdles that would be insurmountable within the Mission Architect system, and that I would have to take a slightly different approach to the way I usually write stories in order to have the plot "work" within the parameters of the game engine. Fortunately, I think I've worked out a system that will allow me to tell my entire story and still fit within the confines of Mission Architect, though only time will tell if I'm correct.

I realize that very few people who play the game visit these boards, let alone this section of the forums. Rest assured, this fanfic is NOT required reading for those who wish to enjoy my arcs. This fanfic is exactly what I call it: "supplemental". It's a way for me to flesh out some of the characters and plot points of my arcs in ways that would be impossible within the MA system, and a way for those who DO visit these forums and ARE interested in my story to learn a bit more about the world I've created.

I plan on posting a new chapter in this fanfic once every week or every other week. I've been lax about keeping a schedule with some of my other stories in the past, but I plan on rectifying that habit with this fanfic. For the few of you who are interested, I hope you enjoy my story

Accessing Portal Corp. Main Computer…
Enter Passcode: *********
Passcode Accepted… Accessing Profiles…
Enter Universe ID Code: COV-117
Processing… Universe Found
Do you wish to view the current activity in Universe COV-117? Yes
Validating Access Level of User… Access Granted

The Galactic Protectorate: Prologue

“My lord, the perimeter defenses have been breached!” The Arachnos Arbiter informed Lord Recluse, trying his best to maintain his composure in front of the supreme commander of Arachnos. Given the situation at present, however, even the most composed soldier would be hard pressed to remain calm.

The alabaster skyscrapers of the island metropolis known as “Grandville” had been hastily outfitted from roof to base with turrets armed with missiles, plasma shells, flamethrowers, webbing, and a slew of other munitions one could scarcely believe even existed in this world. The streets were filled to overflowing with Arachnos soldiers clashing with the horde of costumed heroes that were continually pouring into the island fortress from all directions. The villains had an advantage in numbers, with roughly 10 soldiers for every hero that was storming the stronghold, but the vast majority of those soldiers were only foot soldiers or the older models of drones. The loss of the higher-ranking officers, high-spec Arachnos Tarantulas, and most of the generals of the Arachnos army in the failed siege of Paragon City just several hours ago had been, as Lord Recluse feared, a fatal blow to Arachnos. Lord Recluse could only watch from his tower as his minions were pushed back, unable to stand up to the Freedom Phalanx, who were leading the charge straight into the heart of Grandville.

Damn it… Lord Recluse thought, clenching his left fist so hard that the strong elastic material, designed by Arachnos scientists to be nigh-unbreakable, split effortlessly. His red eyes glared brighter than they ever had before, visible even under the shadow of his mask, and causing the handful of remaining Arbiters present in the room with Lord Recluse to back away slightly in fear. If only… if only it hadn’t backfired… why?! WHY?!

“WHY?!” Lord Recluses suddenly lashed out, grabbing the nearest technical operative by the throat and pulling his trembling body so close that the panicked Arachnos follower’s face was only an inch from his own. “TELL ME WHY THE DARK HEART BACKFIRED EVEN AFTER ALL THE CONDITIONS HAD BEEN MET! TELL ME HOW THE ARTIFACT I HAVE BEEN SCOURING T HIS PLANET TO FIND FOR OVER 30 YEARS JUST DISAPPEARS IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF EYES?!” Lord Recluse quickly spun around so he was facing the window once more, bringing the arm holding his terrified minion with him as he lashed his arm out, slamming the operative head-first against the window so hard the specially-reinforced glass (said to be able to withstand any caliber bullet in existence, and even small explosives) cracked as the operative’s body went limp.

“TELL ME HOW I AM SUPPOSED TO DEFEND MY EMPIRE WITH ONLY THE WEAKEST OF CANNON FODDER AT MY DISPOSAL?!” Lord Recluse roared, pulling his arm back and slamming his minion’s head against the window again, and again, and again. The once small crack now branched out across the entire wall-sized face of the window, yet Lord Recluse continued slamming his now-dead follower’s corpse against the glass. “TELL ME HOW IT CAME TO THIS?! TELL ME!!!” Lord Recluse let out a howl of rage and frustration so loud and animalistic that most of the assembled Arachnos soldiers in the room quickly made a hasty retreat. Only the bravest and most loyal Arbiters (along with Ghost Widow, Lord Recluse’s last remaining general) stayed by their master’s side. With one final thrust, the glass finally gave way, and the follower’s lifeless body crashed through the window of the ziggurat that was Lord Recluse’s headquarters. As the man’s body descended to the battlefield below, the glass shards reflected the light of the early morning sun as they fell, almost in slow-motion, alongside the body of the once proud Arachnos operative.

Lord Recluse closed his eyes and sighed heavily, his entire body shaking as he quietly regained his composure. The sounds of gunfire, explosions, and the screams of both heroes and Arachnos soldiers as they fell in battle were now clearly audible within the previously sound-proof chamber. As Lord Recluse turned away from the window to face his loyal officers, the morning sunlight shone through the destroyed window, revealing 4 large cracks on either side of the rather large hole that now occupied the center of the glass. The morning light was refracted against the destroyed window, each crack across the glass resembling a sinewy leg, with the center hole obstructed by Lord Recluse’s face. The previous anger and desperation in his expression was gone, replaced by the solemn resolve of the veteran of a thousand battles.

“Ghost Widow,” Lord Recluse finally commanded, the sternness and unmistakable tone of authority in his voice enough to snap the Arbiters present out of their shocked states and stand at attention, each one ready to give their lives for their lord and master if necessary. Ghost Widow, who had been floating in a corner of the room with her legs crossed in a sitting position up until this point, uncrossed her legs and lowered her body to the floor. She kept her eyes on Lord Recluse as she stood with her arms crossed, her head slightly cocked to the side as she awaited her orders. Lord Recluse took several steps forward, not turning his head towards Ghost Widow, but nonetheless glancing in her direction so their eyes met.

“Today may very well be the day that Arachnos falls.” Lord Recluse said, his words causing a noticeable stirring amongst the Arbiters present. Noticing this, Lord Recluse turned to address his followers. “But fear not; even if the Heroes overwhelm and destroy this city, Arachnos will NEVER die!” Lord Recluse turned back and looked directly at Ghost Widow, his eyes narrowing. “Isn’t that right? In some way, in some form, Arachnos will survive this day.” Ghost Widow stared back at Lord Recluse, and even on her emotionless, ethereal face, one of the Arbiters present could have sworn he saw a look of revelation in her eyes.

“That is correct.” Answered Ghost Widow, her voice nearly a whisper; she had a cold, distant tone to her voice, even in the situation Arachnos was currently in.

Lord Recluse once again turned to address his officers. “I want all of you to take command of the remaining forces in this building. Defend Arachnos to your last breath!” With his last statement, Lord Recluse raised his fist above his head in determination, and his Arbiters followed suit, swearing their loyalty to Arachnos with a single, unified yell.

As Lord Recluse handed out assignments to each of his Arbiters, his gaze constantly shifted to Ghost Widow, her normally calm expression now showing the faintest hints of anxiousness, uneasiness, and perhaps… fear?

*****

“Push forward, heroes!” Statesman yelled over the battle cries and explosions erupting in the chaos surrounding him. “We’ve almost broken through to Recluse’s inner sanctum! Victory is in sight! Today is the day Arachnos’ tyranny ends once and for all!”

The Freedom Phalanx had taken point in the massive battle, each member leading a battalion of heroes into Grandville from a different flank, making escape impossible. Each member of the Freedom Phalanx was in command of hundreds of heroes as they marched ever closer to Recluse’s fortress. The low-level Arachnos troops were doing their best to keep the heroes at bay with machine gun fire, energy blasts, and grenades constantly hampering the costumed army as they advanced. Every few minutes, the assault would prove to be too much for a hero or two, but the fallen warrior would be replaced by reinforcements from the rear almost instantly, thus the assault never lost momentum. One by one, the make-shift bunkers and sniper nests of the city were cleared or destroyed, and inevitably, the heroes found themselves surrounding Recluses’ headquarters.

“Sister Psyche, I’ve got the northeast passage locked up.” Manticore radioed in as he shot down three drones simultaneously with his trademark arrows. “How are things going on your end?”

“Just finishing up here on the southern end.” Sister Psyche responded as a spray of machine gun fire ricocheted harmlessly off her force field. Turning towards the source, Sister Psyche spotted several Arachnos Wolf Spiders using the fallen debris of a building for cover. She effortlessly unleashed a psychic shockwave, dislodging the top of the debris and burying the soldiers in the falling rubble. “Positron?”

“Just got done with the southeast passage.” Positron reported, kicking aside a charred Arachnos helmet at his feet. “How about you, Synapse? Taking your time on the northwestern route?”

“Taking my- oh, that’s hilarious.” Synapse groaned, even as he used his trademark super speed to plow through a defensive line of 4 Wolf Spiders. Sensing the hero, a small pack of Arachnos Tarantulas opened fire, but failed to hit anything except the ground. “Positron, do us all a favor and save the mid-battle quips to me, alright?” Synapse said as he hurled a charged ball of electricity into the midst of the tarantulas, overloading their circuitry and causing them to erupt into flames.

“I’ve almost completed my primary objective.” Citadel’s monotone voice reverberated across the radio waves. Checking his surroundings, Citadel detected several Arachnos Drones attempting to retreat. Their flight speed was nothing compared to Citadel’s, however, and in a matter of seconds he intercepted the drones, knocking them out of the sky with ease. “The western path is secure.” Citadel reported.

“There hasn’t been much resistance here in the southwest.” Numina said, tending to the injuries of several fallen heroes as she watched the few remaining Arachnos soldiers in the southwest path fall. “Most of the remaining Arachnos troops seem to be falling back to Recluse’s headquarters.”

“In other words, they’re regrouping to make one final stand.” Back Alley Brawler said as he backhanded a charging Wolf Spider, knocking him out instantly. “I’m really getting too old for this.” He chuckled as he watched the remaining Arachnos soldiers retreat into Lord Recluse’s headquarters. “Eastern passage is clear. You ready, Statesman?”

“Yeah…” Statesman whispered as he gazed out across the battlefield, the many colors of the costumed heroes surrounding Lord Recluse’s headquarters offered a stark contrast to the dark, muted hue of the fortress itself. “I want all Freedom Phalanx members to regroup at the northern entrance with me.” Statesman commanded, signaling to the army of heroes to hold their positions. “Knowing Stefan, he’s probably set up an ambush at every entrance.” Statesman clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the memories of his once-friend, the memories of a life he lived an eternity ago. “We’ll storm the north entrance together; no other hero is to move until we’ve secured the first floor.”

Several minutes later, the entire Freedom Phalanx stood at the gates of Lord Recluse’s fortress, the army of heroes only several yards behind them, ready to move in the instant the signal was given. Finally, Statesman nodded to his teammates, and the entire Freedom Phalanx stormed the entrance in unison. Stefan… Statesman thought as he drew his fist back, preparing to dispose of the large, armored door leading into Lord Recluses’ inner sanctum. Let’s bring an end to this… forever.

*****

A small probe, far more advanced than anything found on Earth, quietly observed the events unfold as it maintained its position just outside of Earth’s orbit. Its high-powered optical lens gathered every detail of the events taking place on the surface of the planet, just as it had been doing for years. As if a silent cue had been given, the probe withdrew, traveling faster than any space shuttle as it distanced itself from the planet it had been observing. It was soon joined by thousands of other probes identical to itself, all of which had been surveying the planet as well. All of a sudden, the space surrounding the probes seemed to ripple, as if they’d entered a non-existent body of water, and in the next instant they were gone.

An undetermined number of light-years away, the probes resurfaced, heading directly towards an enormous ship, the size of which was roughly equal to a large city found on Earth. The top of the ship was dome-shaped and protected by armor of alien origin, which shone a bright white against the light of the surrounding stars. The bottom of the ship housed gargantuan engines and armaments that were generations ahead of those found on Earth. Across the dome-shaped hull of the ship, a large insignia could be seen, resembling a large star; and underneath, the words “Galactic Protectorate” could be seen, written in a language many civilizations across the galaxy would recognize as Lilin.

The probes all entered one of docking stations the ship sported, and thereafter headed straight for the communications hub. Once inside, the probes all docked at an electronic debriefing port, where the ship’s mainframe downloaded the digital information the probes had gathered. The information was sent to the private quarters of the ship’s captain (and currently it’s only inhabitant).

The captain of the ship, known by many throughout the galaxy as “Lord Cosmic”, watched intently as the information recorded by the probes played on holographic viewports covering every wall of the darkened room.

I’ve finally found you… Lord Cosmic thought, a slight smile visible on his face as the lights emanating from the viewports flickered in the darkened room. My long lost siblings.