Notice: The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. The correct title is “The Great VSP/WASTE Saga, Part III, Chapter 9.”
The Great VSP Saga:
Part III
Revenge of the Good Guys
‘THE FATED HOUR’
Magus passed around a couple of Megalixirs for everybody to share and they were refreshed. Magus cast his strongest spell, Dark Matter. The pod on Lavos' left appeared to be invigorated by this, while the Lavos humanoid appeared to be in great pain. The pod on Lavos' right appeared unscathed. "Use your weapons and take out the pod on our right, as magic will only heal it!" yelled Dark_T_Zeratul, quickly using the traditional Chrono Trigger strategy. "Then go for the humanoid. When both of those are dead, the part on the left will lower its defensive shield. That is the only time you can hit it, and that's what we need to kill. But we'll only have a short time to destroy it before it uses Active Life and restores the other two parts and it's defense! Understand?" "I do," said Codebreaker, and he tore apart the right pod in one slash with the Masamune. It fell down and was sucked into oblivion in the constantly moving timestream. After that, they fell through a timestream distortion. They all peered down and saw that the timestream they were it was moving above the jungles of 65,000,000 BC. They were interested in seeing what Crono and his friends were up to, but now was not the time. Now was the time to fight! And Lavos knew that perfectly well. He used Grand Stone, the ultimate physical attack. A gigantic boulder was sucked from the jungle floor below, into the timestream. It rolled through them like a bowling ball through pins. Most of them weren't hurt badly, and a Megalixer helped them survive, but Codebreaker had been right in front of the boulder and hadn't had time to get into a defensive position. He was hit hard, and badly wounded. As Mack Kilimaro and MysteriousGuy raced to help their leader, Dark_T_Zeratul informed Zeus, Mason, and Magus what to do. "Look, you guys, we need to kill this thing. We can't survive another attack like that. Zeus, I'm assuming that you can cast lightning spells, correct?" "Yeah, but how did you know?" "Well, you like Chrono Trigger, I saw a Chrono Trigger SC Patch in Aus' basement, and the mythological Zeus used lightning bolts. It just made so much sense." "Oh, yeah. Well what do you want me to do, cast Luminaire?" "No, that wouldn't do much good. Flare and I will help kill the humanoid part while you, Mason, and Magus charge up your magic. Once the left pod lowers it's defense, attack it all at the same time. Zeus will use Luminaire, Magus: Dark Matter, and Mason: Flare. If you pull it off correctly, you should perform a never-before-used triple tech. The combined power of the triple tech should be enough to kill the thing. If not, my DarkScythe should do the trick. Magus, got any more Megalixirs?"
"Sorry, I'm all out."
"Any healing items?"
"I've got HyperEthers. Lots and lots of HyperEthers."
"Never mind then. Let's do this!"
Dark_T_Zeratul and Flare charged the central humanoid, which had already been weakened by Magus' precious Dark Matter spell. The beast fell quickly, and the pod shut off its defense. Flare and Dark_T_Zeratul rushed to help CB while the others performed the triple tech. The result was impressive to say the least. First, green laser beams shot out of the Lavos Core. Then, a large amount of fire energy was involuntarily absorbed into it. Then the energy exploded out of it, being mixed with dark magic by Magus. A large explosion of flaming, electric, darkness burst outward, all but destroying the pod. And that was it. It used Active Life. As two small space portals opened up, revealing clones of the other two Lavos parts, Dark_T_Zeratul rushed forward with his scythe and tore apart the Core, just as it's defense was going up. It suffered the same fate as the previous pod, falling in pieces and being sucked away by the timestream. The other parts of Lavos screamed loudly, and collapsed into the timestream, their remains lost for eternity. Then they heard Lavos scream again. This time it was Lavos' last.
The timestream became unstable, and they were all sucked into a large Time Gate.
The Gate soon split into two. One they could see exited near the other heroes. Mason spoke up. "Mack, Flare, Zeus, MG...take CB through that portal and get him some help. DTZ, Magus, follow me!" Everyone did as instructed.
Tarun's psionic essence, soul, spirit, whatever you want to call it, watched helplessly as his friends and comrades battled the being known as Lavos. He snarled an unheard curse as his rage continued to build. Rage at being unable to help his friends... and being cold-heartedly killed by the woman he loves more than anything. He swore revenge upon her if it was the last thing he would ever do before he joined his ancestor, Adun.
The battle was over sooner than he expected, but not without tragedy for the Good Guys. Codebreaker was seriously injured, and not everyone was yet back, but Lavos was beaten.
Tarun watched helplessly as Codebreaker lay, bleeding badly. Tarun knew how to save him, but he couldn't as he couldn't be seen or heard. He screamed, and everyone cried out and held their ears.
Tarun silenced himself quickly and looked at them all. Could it be? Could they have heard him? There was only one way for him to find out.
'Guys? Can you hear me? It's me, Tarun,’ he said telepathically (Duh! How else would he have?).
Seawolf looked around quickly. "Tarun?!?" he asked, hoping he wasn't hearing things. (YOU try being imprisoned in a dark cell for that long and see if YOU'RE still sane!)
Tarun smiled as best a Protoss spirit can.
'HEY GUYS! I'm NOT dead! Well...not completely anyways,' he chuckled a bit despite his rage. Flyspeck just stood there blinking and munching on pretzels. Everyone's mood was slightly lightened hearing from the Zealot, but it quickly passed when Codebreaker groaned, regaining consciousness.
"Tarun...did I hear...Tarun?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah, yeah you did man," Seawolf said, half smiling and half frowning.
'Alright, enough already. I know a way to save CB, guys. On my...body...is an FHU,' Tarun said.
"FHU?" MysteriousGuy asked.
'Field Healing Unit. We Protoss use them (rarely) to heal massive wounds sustained in combat while on the field. I'll warn you though, it hurts like hell when you use it. What you do is activate it, wait for the charge cycle to complete, hold it over the wound and press the pretty green button. Got that? Good. Seawolf, you know what it looks like, I showed it to you once,' Tarun said.
Seawolf reluctantly walked over to Tarun's body and retrieved something that looked like a device a mad scientist would use in one of his experiments. He switched it on. A quiet hum emanating from the unit as it charged, and a Khaydarin crystal in the top of it blinked furiously as the charge cycle completed. He walked over to CB and held it over the gaping wound on his stomach and pressed the pretty green (well, more of a bluish green or teal actually) button.
A blinding light shot out of the device and CB screamed. He screamed so loud that everyone back in 65,000,000 BC heard it.
"What make big noise?" a primitive asked.
"Grog not know," the one called Grog said as he shrugged.
Tarun just "smiled" to himself as CB's wound healed. Codebreaker quickly stood and looked at his stomach in shock. He then punched Seawolf square between the eyes. "THAT HURT, GODDAMNIT!" he shouted as Seawolf staggered back and fell on his ass.
Tarun laughed as he never had before.
What will our heroes do now?
Will Tarun avenge himself?
What do the Bad Guys have in store for our heroes?
This and more! Well...you know the routine. ;)
As CB and his helpers exited the portal, Magus spoke up. "Mason, why did you not want to help your friend? He came to this realm with you, and now you're abandoning him? I do not understand." "Magus, I have always been a big fan of this game. I want to see where this leads. I'm taking Dark_T_Zeratul with me because he shares my enthusiasm, and I'm taking you because we just might find your sister Schala." "I see. I thank you very much for your kindness in that respect. Hey, look! The portal is ending!" And sure enough it was. They were all thrown out of the portal—and into another part of the timestream. Up above was another path leading to the rest of the group. They looked up ahead, and saw something wholly unbelievable. "This... we are inside a CT fanfic!" yelled DTZ, as he recognized the creature before him. It was Lavos, with the top of its shell blown off. And attached to it's top was a crystal prism. Schala was floating inside. Her energy was being drained to revive the abomination. "Schala..." whispered Magus. "You two get out of here. NOW! I will take care of this myself. I must rescue my sister and destroy this thing on my own, and avenge the destruction of Zeal!" Mason and Dark_T_Zeratul nodded, and swam through time-space to reach the gate. And then they were through, staring at everybody else. CB was standing among them, perfectly fine. "Hey... I'm back!" yelled Mason.
TGF smiled as he dropped down from the cockpit of his Advanced Wraith onto the battle station that had once been Kurt Broker's. The Nemesis was dead, and yeah, it had been a good ship, but its destruction didn't signal his defeat by any means.
He still had a full two command squadrons of Advanced Wraiths at his command, not to mention his vast army of RoboZerg. His scientists had supposedly recently made a breakthrough. 'Ah,' thought TGF. 'Here they come now.'
Two scientists approached, looking slightly nervous but pleased nonetheless. The older of the two, obviously the head scientist, addressed TGF. "Sir, we've created two new strains of RoboZerg. I think you'll be very pleased with them."
TGF lifted his eyebrows. "And what, may I ask, are they?"
The scientist smiled. "We only have one specimen so far, but we've managed to create a RoboZerg Torrasque. You can imagine its power and destructive capability. Woe to the VSP or WASTE if they try to take this station on foot."
TGF grinned, a malicious facial expression. "And if they try to bombard it from the air, my Wraith squadrons and RoboZerg flyers will blow them out of the sky. Excellent." Suddenly his face became threatening. "And MAKE SURE to be prepared for any Recall attempts, like what happened last time. Heads will roll if they are able to pull THAT off again." Then, the Man-of-Ever-Shifting-Moods relaxed again. "So tell me. What is the second new strain that you have produced?"
The head scientist leaned in close and whispered the answer in TGF's ear. "The Leviathan."
There was no containing TGF's smile now.
Far away, across many miles of cyberspace, in the Antioch Universe, Nannoth/Taeradun was gearing up his troops for battle. The large Archon floated among the ranks, inspecting the preparations being made. When he was satisfied, he went to the front of his troops and addressed them all in his strange Archon voice.
"My brethren, strangers have entered our universe. I have felt the disturbance. They have come to rescue their friend Mason Wheeler, even though he is no longer in this plane of existence. They are merely stopping here before making their trip to join him. They are none other than the VSP and WASTE."
At this announcement there were several murmurings of anger and indignation. Most of them knew who the VSP and WASTE were. The more psionically gifted of them could monitor the Antioch forum, and they knew of these people. They were also determined, once Antioch III came out, to defeat Nannoth/Taeradun once and for all. They could never allow that to happen.
"So what I propose, brethren," the mighty Archon continued, "is that when they leave this plane in search of their friend, we shall follow them through the planar rift. And there..." he paused. "We shall destroy them."
Protossian cheers erupted from the massed ranks of Zealots, Templar, and Lancers. (for as long as Auspex has created SOME version of A3 on his hard drive, the new units exist in the AC Universe) Nannoth/Taeradun knew that every one of them was willing to fight, yes, and die, for him and his cause.
That fool Lavos was dead, and because of a convenient healing unit of Tarun's, none of the Good Guys had died in the process. But it didn't matter. 'What need do we have of Lavos, when we have all this might?' Nannoth/Taeradun indulged in a moment of pride, forgetting about the Alliance's incredible luck when the odds were stacked against them. The Archon smiled. The VSP and WASTE wouldn't stand a chance.
In another part of the Antioch Universe, Kurt Broker was preparing as well. The Factories and Starports had been working all day long, churning out Wraiths, Science Vessels, Siege Tanks, Goliaths, and even the occasional Battlecruiser. His fleet was half again as big as it had been before, and his ground forces were equally bolstered.
The crime lord allowed himself a wintry smile. The slate would soon be wiped clean of his previous defeat at the VSP's and WASTE's hands. Broker had gotten where he was by not leaving any of his enemies alive. 'Well, and some clever plot development by Auspex,' Broker admitted to himself. But this time with the Antioch vigilantes would be the final confrontation.
He was right about one thing. This time would be the last.
"Hey, I'm back!" Mason yelled. He looked around, seeing all his companions before him. The TAC staff, the VSP, and all of WASTE. All except...
Seawolf and Jenni were not there! Mason felt a surge of despair. Throughout the entire battle with Lavos, Mason had been haunted by the niggling feeling that he had forgotten something important. Now he realized what it was! They could only be in one of two places, and neither one was to his liking.
He quickly checked the Havoc Wreaker and found the two of them sitting inside. Fortunately, they were only talking. But that didn't matter. Nobody betrayed Mason's trust like that and got away with it!
He hefted the Rainbow Sword, feeling its perfect balance, and swung it at Seawolf, hearing the fine blade sing as it sliced the air. "SEAWOLF, YOU TRAITOR! COME OUT AND FACE ME!!" he roared. Jenni yelled at him to stop, but he didn't hear for the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. She had never seen him this angry before. There was look of pure fire in his blue eyes that nobody had ever seen. Mason had never been this angry in his life. Even Seawolf, who once had faced down an evil infested clone of Mason, had never seen such a furious look.
"Mason, put down the sword." Seawolf said nervously. Mason did no such thing.
"I said come out and face me, if you have the courage!"
"Mason! Stop!" said Jenni. She saw Seawolf getting into his armor. "Seawolf! Don't!" Both of them ignored her. Suddenly, she was terrified. Seawolf seemed cool and level-headed; Mason was in a blind rage of insane jealousy. One or the other of them was sure to get horribly injured, or dead. She couldn't bear to lose one of them again.
Seawolf picked up his gun and hopped out of the Scout. A duel was about to begin, greater even than the Duel of Narrators.
All heroes must survive.
Mason must end up with Jenni somehow.
The rest, I leave for someone else to write.
A cold wind blew that day, perhaps the black wind that Magus always spoke of, perhaps something much darker...But with it came despair and tragedy. The animals were silent, the air was pregnant with the import of the events about to transpire. Outside of Auspex Studios, the place the Time Gate had spat them out of the Chrono Trigger Universe, two men geared for battle, and one woman's heart was on the line.
Mason stood his ground at one end of the field, radiating an aura of intense hatred and animosity, Crono's Katana clutched in his hands in the two-handed style of all samurai warriors. His eyes were cold and distant, his mind detached of all feelings, save those that would guide his hands. He would brook no mercy, and expected none in return. The picture of the warrior scorned, was he.
Opposite him was Seawolf, the image of cool confidence, his elbow resting upon his customized rifle, which was leaning against the ground at an angle. His were the eyes of a friend torn in two, his emotions conflicting between the new-found love he had found and the loyalty he felt towards his friend. Though outwardly calm and collected, he was waging an intense war on the inside, trying to decide how best to approach this situation. He was the noble knight caught between opposing duties.
"Mason, let's just talk this out. I'm sure we can reach some kind of accommodation. I'm sorry things have worked out the way that they have, but fighting amongst ourselves won't solve the problem any better." Seawolf took the direct approach, trying to avoid conflict all together with light words and a friendly smile.
"You were my friend, and you have betrayed me. Though often I have been led astray by events, never did I betray your feelings or hurt you like you have me. There will be no parlay, no mercy, no resolving this in any way except blood." Mason's voice was cold, too cold, the anger of a moment ago gone, totally directed into his hands. He was ready for battle, and nothing and no one could dissuade him.
Shaking his head sadly, Seawolf could do nothing but sigh. He had tried to resolve this peacefully but Mason would have none of that. With ease born of competence and skill, he kicked the rifle he was leaning against, knocking it up to where he snatched it out of the air with his hands. Though Mason would give no ground and show no mercy, Seawolf would. At the most he'd try and wound him in the legs to prevent him from fighting anymore.
The stage was set, the conditions right, and the battle for Jenni's affection was begun. A dark wind swept the area, bitter cold and chilling to the bone. The rest of the crew could only watch helplessly as the events before them unfolded, frozen at they were by fortune and fate.
Most affected by the paralyzing affects of destiny at work was Jenni. As she watched the two men she loved get ready to do battle, she could do nothing but cry. She was going to lose one of them, and she wasn't sure if she could bear it. She only wished she had the strength and the resolve to throw herself before both of them and end this charade. But alas, she did not, because no one can fight fate in action.
Mason and Seawolf stared each other down across the field of battle, both confident in their own skills, but respectful of their opponent's abilities. This would be a grim battle indeed. As they stared into each others eyes, seeing something of themselves mirrored in the other, the battle was begun by unspoken consent.
Mason roared a battle cry as he charged towards Seawolf, his sword held high, ready for a strike that would end it instantly. Seawolf raised his gun slightly, aiming for Mason's legs and attempting to end the fight right then and there. As he fired a burst of rounds at his legs, Mason merely leaped forward and hit the ground rolling, coming out of it with a thrust directly at Seawolf's chest.
Seawolf barely had time to turn his gun to deflect the blow, staggering back under the impact. Mason rose to his feet and followed his last blow with an overhand chop to Seawolf's head, which Seawolf again managed to block with his rifle held in two hands.
Using the temporary opening left by Mason's overextended attack, Seawolf lashed out with a brutal kick at Mason's mid-section which knocked him back a few paces and left him gasping for breath. Seawolf did a quick once-over of his weapon, saw that Mason's blows had totally mangled the barrel of the rifle, and cursed to himself. Without the added range his gun provided, this battle would be long and brutal. But his rifle would serve as an excellent club, forged as it was from the strongest metals available in the Starcraft universe.
Once both men had fully recovered from their respective blows, they nodded to each other and began to fight once more. Seawolf swung at Mason's mid-section trying to injure his sword arm, but Mason had other ideas. Angling his sword in a way he'd read numerous times in numerous fantasy novels, he allowed the rifle to strike his blade, then used the leverage to slide the gun upward and allow him a quick strike at Seawolf's legs.
Hissing in pain, Seawolf looked down to see a small gash across his right thigh, bleeding profusely. Though the wound didn't hinder his movements too much, eventually the loss of blood would wear on him. Mason smiled wickedly and touched his forehead with the bloody tip of his katana "First blood, and it won't be the last old friend!" the last part dripping with sarcasm.
With clear knowledge that he could not win this battle in the long run, Seawolf gritted his teeth and launched into a fury of assaults on Mason. Coming in low with a few jabs of the rifle, he quickly followed up with numerous overhand chops, each time forcing Mason further and further back.
As he was slowly driven back across the field, Mason realized for the first time that he might lose this battle, and with it Jenni herself. This thought fueled him with such anger and passion that upon Seawolf's next overhand chop, Mason switched the sword to his right hand, and angled his left shoulder to take the blow. The brutal sound of bone crunching was audible to everyone, and a few groans went up as the crew thought the battle over. But Mason grinned, despite the pain, and with a challenging roar filled with hate, pain and desperation he swung upwards with his right hand, catching Seawolf off-guard and striking the very base of his rifle, knocking it right out of his hands.
Seawolf fell back a few steps, only to trip on a well-placed rock (as always happens in scenes like this) and fall on his back. He leaned up on his elbows, only to see Mason's blade poised right between his eyes.
"I'm sorry it had to end like this Seawolf, but you have betrayed me in a way I cannot forgive, and for that you must pay. Good-bye, you who I called friend." With those final words, Mason raised his sword in his good hand to deliver the final blow. Amidst the cries of despair, confusion, and fear, Mason brought the blade down to finish this once and for all.
Seawolf could do nothing but screw his eyes shut and await the deathblow.
...
...
Time passed, and Seawolf still didn't feel the painful bite of the sword passing through his innards.
Time passed, and though Mason felt resistance, it wasn't the kind that came from a blade meeting flesh.
Time passed, and when both contestants opened their eyes, they saw Mason's blade hovering an inch above Seawolf's chest. Holding it back was an onyx blade unlike anything ever seen before.
And wielding that blade was the one, the only, Deos Arcana.
"I'm a pretty solid guy for an illusion."
Seawolf stared at Deos in disbelief, amazed that this cloaked figure had stepped in to save his life, knowing that it interfered with the plot in ways unimaginable.
Mason looked at Deos, having never met the man before, with mixture between horror and anger. He was horrified that this iron-clad figure in black had appeared without warning, like an avenging angel come to take revenge. He also raged that this interloper had stopped his deathblow upon Seawolf, ending his one true chance to defeat his nemesis for Jenni's heart.
Jenni partook of Deos' visage with relief and joy. This man she had never seen before today had managed to save the life of one of the men she loved, and for that she was eternally grateful.
Deos looked at the two contestants, his face hidden behind his jet-black mask, with something between awe and contempt. He was awed to have seen the full extent of the fighting prowess both these men wielded. He was contemptuous of the way they squandered such talent in a meaningless way. Turning to face Mason, Deos only said "This is not the way" before raising his hand to Mason's face and unleashing a small flash that caused Mason to keel over, his sword slipping from his grip to fall to the ground with a clang of finality.
Seawolf barked in surprise, believing his friend injured or dead, and tried to rise to his feet. Deos turned to him and said, "Worry not, your friend isn't dead, but you two need time to resolve this... Preferably without killing each other." before doing the same to Seawolf as he did to Mason.
Deos turned to the people behind him, who had viewed all the events with a churning sea of differing emotions. He bowed deeply to all of them, and explained himself, "I have broken many rules coming here to settle this dispute, and Mark Brown will obviously be displeased with me, but I had no choice in the matter. Take care of these two, they will awaken in a few hours. I suggest you keep them in the same room, but tie them down so they cannot injure each other. Given time they should resolve this dispute like the friends they really are. And now, I bid you adieu." Sketching a quick salute with his sword, Deos disappeared without a trace.
A quiet voice rode upon the winds...Deos had one last message to impart. "Don't worry my friends, I will return."
The crew could only shake their heads at how much this entire event resembled some horrendously bad plot contrivance, or a Highlander movie...either one was equally bad. Together they collected Seawolf and Mason, and hoped that they would resolve things as Deos said they could.
Only Jenni was left standing outside, watching the spot Deos had once inhabited. Quietly she spoke, knowing he probably wouldn't hear her, but not caring, "You who I call friend, thank you for saving both the men I love" before turning around and walking into Auspex Studios with the rest of the gang.
What will become of Seawolf and Mason?
Can they ever settle this dispute?
Will the VSP and WASTE be left 2 men shorter?
Can they bring themselves together in time to fight the menaces that threaten them?
And what did Deos mean when he said he'd return?
All these questions and more answered on the next episode of...Dragon Ball Z!
Uh...I mean the VSP/WASTE Saga III.
Bakjak walked around Auspex Studios, a little confused about the situation. Of course, his thoughts wandered towards the subject of money...and how little he had. One million was simply not enough, and was laughable by today's standards. And even most of that was now gone.
Bakjak decided to use his computer on the Magius to connect to the internet. He pointed The Official Browser of the VSP™ v1.0 to HYPERLINK "http://www.tgf.com" http://www.tgf.com. The banner read ‘Plans for World Domination’. He clicked on the ship link which then displayed a number of ships, particularly one that caught his attention. It was called an Advanced Wraith and had an estimated value of 500k a piece. Bakjak smiled a big toothy grin as a plan formed in his head on how to steal these ships.
Just out of curiosity, he clicked on the journal link.
It read: ‘After several attempts at hacking the Crossover Patch, I have finally succeeded. Even now, Broker and I are on the verge of creating a partnership. All he wants in return is passage into the Saga realm. -TGF.’
Bakjak copied and pasted this into a composed message and sent a mass email to all the Good Guys, only to have his email blocked by DNS errors. "Piece of !@#$ email! Oh well, I'll just post this on the Antioch Forum."
After all that was done, he cloaked the Magius and secretly left the base. His heading was straight to Broker's old base... "I'm coming to get you, TGF," Bakjak said over and over again, much like in the beginning of Saga II. "And your ships. Muawhahahaha."
Deep within the World of the Banned...
"Gentlemen, you may be wondering why I called this meeting," said TELE, the self-appointed leader of The Banned Ones. "It has been 3 long weeks since we first arrived here. Since then, we have made some new friends. Trouble here was the first. And recently the VSP's enemies Sam and Little Timmy joined us. With Ruaquick1's help, I have been monitoring the progress of both WASTE and the VSP. It appears that the Nemesis has been destroyed." Murmurs rose among the crowd.
"Unfortunately, TGF and his remaining forces were not on board. They jettisoned in wraiths and escape pods shortly before it blew up. They are now at Kurt Broker's old fortress, training RoboZerg to destroy the VSP and WASTE." More murmurs rose amongst the group.
"And as for the Good Guys, they are faring quite well. First of all, Bakjak has joined them. Truthfully. It appears as though he had a change of heart when Aklan betrayed him. But there is good news associated with that situation. Tarun is dead." Several cheers now rose from the group, and several calls for beer were heard.
TELE continued. "Yes, Tarun is dead and I am as happy as you are. Bartender?" A robot looked up at TELE. "Free beer for everyone for the duration of this meeting!" There was a loud cheer as the robot bartender poured several mugs of beer and handed them out.
"Alright, alright, settle down now everyone. We had best continue with our business. All of the Good Guys are now in the Crossover. Specifically, in the Chrono Trigger Universe. They have just destroyed Lavos, and Mason is back with them." Several angry hisses rose from the now-tipsy crowd.
"And now for the reason why you are all here. We hate TGF, because he tried to kill us." TELE pointed at Vank, who had at this point drunk so much that he was passed out on the floor. The rest of the Banned Ones were only a little tipsy, not wanting to miss what was obviously an important speech. "We also hate the VSP and WASTE, for, well, everything. Unfortunately, TGF and the Alliance, as they are now calling themselves, are also bitter enemies. We could not oppose one without helping the other. So I now propose this question: Which side should we help and then betray? We shall discuss this at length before making a final decision."
But the group was already cheering to help the Alliance.
"Well, if that's the way you want it, we'll help the Alliance. Just one question. Why them, and not TGF?" Optiplex raised his hand in response. "Two reasons. One, they have superior numbers and firepower. Two, it will be INCREDIBLY satisfying to stab them in the back when we're done. Literally."
"Then it's settled," continued TELE. "We will join forces with the Alliance until TGF is defeated, and then we will backstab them. And now, drinks for everybody! Drink until you're drunk! Tomorrow, we destroy TGF and the Alliance! Tomorrow will be our day of VICTORY!"
The entire group of Banned Ones cheered loudly, as they drank so much that they exceeded Boris Yeltsin status on the breathalyzers.
TGF looked over his base and was very pleased. "Makgraf, what is the status of our fleet?"
Makgraf glanced over a datapad and replied, "We have 10 battlecruisers. Add to that over 100 wraiths and 30 valkyries. Explorer class science vessels number...14."
TGF's joy was boundless. "Amazing! I told them to build a victory fleet for my return...but I wasn't expecting this!"
Makgraf continued, smiling. "It appears they drained the resources of the entire planet of Mars. We also have quite a ground force. Around two hundred marines, medics, firebats, lynxes, lancers, ghosts, and assorted Protoss infantry. Mech infantry and tank artillery have not been counted as of yet, but are estimated in the dozens."
"Excellent! Add these forces to the RoboZerg and victory is indeed ours!"
Makgraf put down the datapad. "Sire, what do you plan to do?"
TGF sat down and considered, "Find the location of Auspex. If we kill him we kill Antioch. Also, I'm going to lead a strike force to the Land of the Banned. It's time we rid the universe of those fools."
Later that day in the Land of the Banned
TELE knew he shouldn't have drunk that much. His head was throbbing and he could not stand. He looked around the small camp which belonged to the Banned Ones. Everything was blurry.
Unable to think straight, he immediately laid down again. He saw strange shapes in the sky, but they didn't matter. Only sleep mattered....
TGF brought his Advanced Wraith about after a successful strafing run on the Banned Ones' camp. He fired shot after shot incinerating anything in his path.
"Sir," one of his wingmen said, "We're receiving a transmission from orbit...it appears to be from one called 'Admiral Ra'Chek'."
TGF smiled, "Put him through."
"This is Admiral Ra'Chek of the Confederate Forces of Earth. State your intentions."
"We intend to rid the universe of these 'Banned Ones' and after that we intend to destroy Antioch."
Ra'Chek paused. "Antioch? What crime have they committed to warrant destruction?"
An idea occurred to TGF. "They've created a new strain of Zerg called the 'Leviathan'. A large and extremely powerful creature."
Ra'Chek was outraged. "A new strain of Zerg created by humans?!" He composed himself, "We will join you on this endeavor, and meet you in orbit. Ra'Chek out."
TGF loved the implications of having a ConFed Battle Platform under his command. It would make him nearly invincible.
"Sir...I don't understand it. The Banned Ones...they're not in the camp...I have evidence of a recall. Sir, they've gotten away."
"Curse it all!" TGF cried. These Banned Ones simply refused to die. "Well...at least we have Ra'Chek and his Battle Platform on board. Form up...we're going home."
Where have the Banned Ones escaped to this time?
Will TGF EVER get to kill them?
How will the VSP defeat TGF's formidable armada?
Find out in the next addition of Saga!
—TGF
"I need him to stay alive so that I can kill him later."
Seawolf had once said this to Jenni about Mason. It had been just a joke, but lately she couldn't get that memory from the last part of the Saga out of her mind. Seawolf and Mason were both out cold from Deos Arcana's disarming attack, and she was with the two of them, waiting until they woke up.
Mason's eyes opened, and he sat up and looked around. Half a moment later, Seawolf awoke as well. He turned and looked at Mason somewhat warily. Neither of them could see their weapons anywhere. Mason seemed to have lost his insane jealous rage, for the moment at least.
Jenni was the first to break the silence. "Good. You're awake. Now give me one good reason why I shouldn't knock both of you back out again!!"
Mason looked at her for a second and dryly said "You know, I've always considered you a knockout, but never *literally*." She tried to glare at Mason for this remark, but he grinned at her and she couldn't help it. She started laughing. She quickly regained her composure, and Mason said "Besides which, you don't have anything to do it with."
It was true. She had no club or similar instrument with her. "Well I could go get something! What were you THINKING attacking Seawolf like that?!? And you, Seawolf, why did you fight him?"
"Because he would have killed me if I hadn't."
"You know," said Mason. "Most girls would be flattered that two guys were fighting over them."
"I would be too, if they hadn't been using deadly weapons!"
"He betrayed my trust! What was I supposed to do? I've had rivals for you before, and some of them have been good friends of mine anyway, but *never* have I been STABBED IN THE BACK like this!"
Seawolf broke in with the first intelligent idea anyone had come up with in the last several paragraphs. "Why don't we ask Jenni which of us *she* likes better."
Mason, completely self-confident as always, said "OK, fine with me. Hey Jenni, he's right. It's really your choice. Which one of us would you prefer?"
This was not what Jenni wanted to hear at all. Both of them seemed totally unapologetic. It was more than she could take. "Neither of you, right now! You're both being jerks. I'm gonna go hang out with someone else for awhile. Maybe Lambda Corps; he seems like a nice guy." She turned and left angrily.
Mason and Seawolf simply looked at each other, wondering what had gone wrong.
Jenni had no intention of seducing Lambda Corps, or anyone, simply to get back at Mason and Seawolf. She just needed to think and be alone for a while.
"Hey Jenni, what's wrong?" Spooky had just come around a corner and seen the look on her face. "Things didn't go so well with Wheelie and Wulfie?"
Jenni couldn't help but smile a little at Spooky's silly names. She realized that this was probably the only person she could talk to about the whole mess, simply because Spooky was the only other non-male Good Guy around. "They're both so...stubborn and arrogant. Neither of them seems to realize that they did the wrong thing by fighting like that. I can't believe Mason could do that. I've never seen him like this. Even when he was angry at this one guy who was slandering me and ruining my reputation, he was never *that* angry."
"Dun worry about it. Wheelie's heart's in the right place. He's a guy, but generally a good person anyway."
Jenni couldn't stay depressed after a crack like that. She started laughing. "You're right. But still, what should I do? I can't let either of them off the hook for being so stupid."
"Why? They're guys who both have strong feelings for you, and there's no better way to make a guy act stupid. Give them awhile to think about it, and they'll apologize soon enough."
"Then what? They'll still both like me... and I'll... I'll still like both of them."
"That's something I can't help you with. Your choice; which one do you like better?" Spooky got up and walked off, leaving Jenni to ponder the last question.
'Which one indeed?'
“You broke my rifle,” Seawolf said.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Mason replied, his voice rich with sarcasm. “Say, I have an idea...why don’t I just break YOU to go along with it?!” He rose off of his cot and faced Seawolf, hands working at his sides, just ready for a fight.
Seawolf sighed heavily. “I’m not going to do this, Mason,” he said, also getting up but not preparing to fight. “I’m NOT.” He started to walk out of the room.
Mason ran up behind him and came in with a chop aimed at Seawolf’s neck. Seawolf heard him coming and spun around just in time to catch his friend’s hand in midair.
For a long moment they both just stood there...Mason staring into Seawolf’s eyes with burning hatred, and Seawolf staring right back with pain and sadness.
Finally, Seawolf pushed Mason back, sending him stumbling backwards for a few steps. Seawolf opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it, realizing he had no idea what to say.
He shook his head sadly, suddenly feeling more tired than he had in years. He gave Mason a slight nod and left the room, going to find and repair his Gauss Rifle.
Mason stood for a moment more, eyes boring into the wall where Seawolf had just been standing. Finally, he let his breath out quickly and angrily and stormed from the room himself.
Most of the other Good Guys were all in the command room of Auspex Studios crowded around Tarun’s body, still dressed in his Lancer suit with double lances. They were trying to figure out how to get Tarun’s essence to reenter it. Dark_T_Zeratul had patched up his body with a leftover HyperEther from the battle against Lavos, but they still had no idea how to actually get “Tarun” back in.
As was typical during conversations like this, pretty much everyone said something like “hey, how about...no, nevermind, won’t work” about ten bzillion times. Their final conclusion after nearly an hour of pondering was that they had no idea what to do.
And then, as ALSO always happened in these situations, an idea came flying into the room. It stopped and hovered in midair for a second, trying to figure out who to go to, and then finally locked in on a target and went into overdrive.
Unfortunately, this particular idea was rather stupid, and it slammed itself into Tarun’s body, doing absolutely no good at all.
That is, until NovaSeaker saw it lying on Tarun’s stomach and picked it up. “Hey, guys! I just found an idea!”
“Don’t you mean you ‘just got HIT by an id...’?” Typhoon’s comment died off as he saw the idea Nova was holding. Even HE, the jokester, groaned at the long-running bad joke.
“So what is it, Nova?” Zeratul asked.
“Easy. We just tell Tarun to get back into his body.”
Everyone just stared, not believing it could be so simple. “Nah, there’s GOT to be something wrong with that,” Odin’s Eye finally said. “Too easy.”
“Oh, yeah,” Nova said sarcastically. “YOU were the one that suggested rubbing soap on Tarun’s feet!”
“It worked in Peter Pan!” Odin protested.
“That was a SHADOW, and no, it DIDN’T work!” Lambda said, rolling his eyes.
“Better than using a needle and string, LC!” Ytse quipped.
“Yeah, well...that DID work in Peter Pan!”
“No it didn’t!” Lucainan said.
“I still say we feed him pretzels,” Flyspeck spoke up. “Solves any problem!”
“You dummy,” Mat-Def replied. “Like THAT would work!”
“Hey, don’t call me a dummy!” Flyspeck said, popping a pretzel in his mouth.
The whole group went into chaos, throwing ideas around and scoffing at other people’s proposals, completely forgetting about NovaSeaker’s retrieved idea.
Up above the confusion, Tarun’s essence floated and watched. He sighed, shook his head (figuratively, of course), and decided to solve this in person. Live.
“Hey, guys,” Tarun’s voice said, trying to be heard over the din. “Hey! Hello!!”
No one heard, so he tried one more time. “HEY, OLD GUYS!” he said, borrowing a line from a similar situation in Men In Black.
Everyone whirled towards the sound. There, still lying on the floor but living and breathing again, was Tarun.
“Nice idea, Nova,” Tarun said, trying to rise. But he suddenly found that he COULDN’T get up. Heck, he could hardly move.
“Why won’t my legs or arms move?” he asked, near panic.
Zeus shrugged. “You’ve been mostly dead all day,” he said, smiling.
Tarun picked up on it. “So soon, I’ll be back up to speed and ride away on a white horse with a mercenary, a giant, and a princess with ‘Storybook Love’ playing in the background?” He was a big Princess Bride fan, too.
“Yeah, something like that,” Zeratul said, smiling. “Welcome back to the world of the living.”
Tarun smiled, about the only thing he could make his body at this point. It was good to be back, even if he needed some time to be back to full steam.
“Seawolf!” Phoenix said, shaking his friend’s hand as Seawolf entered his room. “How you doing?”
Seawolf patted the bandage wrapped around the gash on his leg and gave a sloppy grin. “Never been better.”
Phoenix chuckled, then turned serious. “How’s the guy that GAVE you that?”
Seawolf sighed sadly, plopping himself down next to Phoenix. “He’s not happy. Better than before, but...” he trailed off, not knowing how to finish. He sighed again.
“Yeah, I hear ya,” Phoenix said. “Oh, here,” he perked up, trying to change the subject. Seawolf had enough on his mind. “Bet you came here for this,” Phoenix finished, handing Seawolf his Gauss. The barrel had been replaced, he saw, but Phoenix had sawed it off so that it was the exact same length as before. The rifle was still scratched and charred in a few places from all the abuse it had taken in this part of the Saga, but it still had it where it counted.
Seawolf stood and flipped it up to firing position. ‘Perfect,’ he thought. ‘Same weight, same feel, just...’ “...perfect,” he said to his friend.
Phoenix smiled. “Why, thank you, boss,” he said, bowing low sarcastically.
Seawolf gave him a little slap on the head. “Loon,” he said, laughing.
They talked for a couple minutes more, catching up on each other’s thoughts and feelings about events so far, and then went to join the others in the command room.
On the way, Seawolf made a mental note to talk to Jenni later...he had some things he just HAD to tell her.
Will Seawolf and Mason ever be friends again?
Now that everyone is reunited at last, what enemy will they go after first? TGF? Broker? Nannoth/Taeradun? Prince Humperdink?
Who will Jenni choose? Mason or Seawolf? Bush or Gore (or Buchanan :P)?
Find out all this and more in the next exciting episode of... (trails off as someone chokes him, sick of hearing that same stupid statement)
GACK!
Kurt Broker was training his troops for the incredible battle to come against the Alliance. He was currently using Training Exercise #42: "How Not To Be Seen." He lined up his troops in a room with a large window. The window overlooked a large field with a forest in the background. Broker took the microphone and began the demonstration.
"In this area there are 57 troopers. None of them can be seen. In this demonstration I hope to show YOU how not to be seen." The troopers looking out over the field got excited with the prospect of learning something such as this. They remembered all of the security tapes from Broker's old fortress. Since the other troopers didn't know how to hide, they were slaughtered rather easily. They watched the field to see how it was done.
Broker continued. "In this area there is Mr. Thomas E. Bradshaw. He cannot be seen. Mr. Bradshaw, would you stand up please?" A trooper stood up from where he was hiding in a ditch. He was promptly shot. "This demonstrates the value of not being seen."
One of Broker's generals led the troopers to a similar room, overlooking a more wooded area. Broker continued the lecture. "In this area there is Mr. John Nezbit. He cannot be seen. Mr. Nezbit, would you stand up please?" Another trooper stood up from his hiding spot next to a large bush. He was also shot.
The troopers were led to another room, overlooking a large field. There was nothing there except for a lone bush. Broker kept talking. "In this area there is Mr. Samuel Johnson. He cannot be seen. Mr. Johnson, would you stand up please?" Nothing happened. "Mr. Johnson has learned the first lesson of not being seen. Not to stand up. However, he has chosen a very obvious piece of cover." The bush exploded violently.
The troopers were then led to another room, this one overlooking a field with three bushes. Broker kept talking. "Mr. Larry Morrison has presented us with a problem. We do not know which bush he is behind. However, we can soon find out." The bush on the left exploded violently. About five seconds later the bush on the right blew up similarly. After another five seconds the center bush exploded, and a loud tortured scream was heard. "Yes, it was the middle one," said Broker.
The troopers were then led to another room. This one had a conveyor belt moving past a large window overlooking a forest. The troopers stepped onto the belt as Broker spoke. "The Danson brothers chose a very cunning way of not being seen. When we checked their quarters, we found that they had gone away on vacation for three weeks. However, a friend told me where they were." The conveyor belt let the troopers off at a window overlooking a large tent. The tent exploded violently into flames, burning everything nearby. Broker continued. "And this is the friend who told us where they were." The general who had been leading the troopers around pulled one of them out of the crowd and led him over to a small pedestal. The general stepped behind him, took out a large chaingun, and fired round after round into the trooper's body until he looked very much like a chunk of Swiss cheese with armor. By this time the chaingun had run out of ammunition. The trooper slumped to the floor with a sickening splat. The janitor walked over and picked up the body. He carried him over to the garbage disposer and dumped him in. There was the sound of blades grinding something up and blood gushed out of it. The janitor then proceeded to wipe up the large amounts of blood from everywhere.
Broker kept speaking. "DO NOT betray myself or one of my men under ANY circumstances. Do I make myself clear? Now, there is one more demonstration I shall make. Step into the room next to you." The troopers stepped into the room next to them. It was round and circular. When they were all in the door closed. The room shot up at high speeds.
Eventually it slowed, and stopped next to a large window. The window was in a high tower and the troopers got a great view of the game world. Broker's voice came booming from the speaker. "See that city straight ahead of you? The one surrounded by nice, lush, forests and beautiful lakes? THAT is the area in which Mason Wheeler was recently Guardian. Watch it carefully."
There was a large explosion in the center of the city, followed by several more. They proceeded outwards, in a circle, until the city had been completely destroyed.
Broker continued. "My troopers, I have made a deal with my old friend TGF. He will get us back into the real world in exchange for our forces and our help in destroying the Alliance. We will finally be victorious. Troopers, prepare your weapons and meet in the teleportation chamber in two hours for dimensional warp. Today will be our day of vengeance!"
NEARBY....
A small group of ragtag Terran soldiers was gathered on a hill, watching Broker's fortress. They had been aroused by the explosion of Wheeler's former city and come to see the likely source of the destruction.
At the head of the pack was a man standing on top of a highly-modified Arclite Siege Tank. He held binoculars to his eyes to get a good view of the fortress. The tank he stood on had loud rock music blaring from the open hatch.
Another man walked up behind him, a bit nervous but determined to say his piece anyway. "Um...sir?"
The man on the tank turned and raised his eyebrow high into the air, questioning the other with his face.
The younger man swallowed and continued. "Don't you think we outta turn that music down a bit? The enemy might hear us..."
The other cut him off. "Rockwell likes his music. Now shut your mouth and know your damn role, and don't try to talk back to Rockwell again."
The younger officer made a little noise, but nodded and walked back to the others.
Mason Rockwell went back to looking at the fortress. 'So, that big-time jabroni Broker is after Rockwell's friend Wheeler, huh?' he thought to himself (yes, his thoughts are worded much like his actual voice).
Rockwell and his small band of renegades had witnessed the arrival of Mason Wheeler to the Antioch Universe. "The Great One" had recognized Wheeler instantly as one of the good friends of his rescuers from Part I of the Saga. Curious, he and his men had taken it upon themselves to watch Wheeler very closely, whether Wheeler liked it or not.
Therefore, Rockwell had seen Wheeler's Proto-Cruiser suddenly appear and attack Broker's base. He saw Wheeler and one of the main rescuers from the Saga—Codebreaker, Rockwell thought his name was—enter the base.
He hadn't seen them since. And Wheeler's ship had been captured. And now Wheeler's city had been destroyed.
Rockwell was left to assume that Broker had captured both heroes, and though he had no idea HOW yet, Rockwell was determined to return the favor of rescuing. He held favors dear, though he would never let anyone know it.
"What now, sir?" one of Rockwell's men asked him.
"Rockwell says we wait," he replied.
"Ach," one of the highlanders said. "We can't wait forever...I'm almost out of scotch!"
Ah, that was that Anduin character. When the Protoss had swooped onto Tornod III and rounded up Gurney's forces and that roody poo Mox, Rockwell had escaped with a few followers and hid out with the highlanders. Over time, they learned to work together, and since their home had been pretty much destroyed in that three-way battle, Rockwell had offered to let the highlanders join him in exploring a bit of the galaxy.
In truth, Rockwell had just wanted to come here to spy on Broker. Rockwell had secret ties to that man, and they were NOT friendly ones. Besides, this was the last place the Protoss would come looking for him.
"What are we waiting for?" Ian Anduin asked him.
"Rockwell assumes that the same jabronis that rescued him before will be coming for their two friends now. So Rockwell says we just wait until they show up and then use the distraction to go in."
"Ach, that could be a bloody long time!"
"Rockwell doubts it. Those roody poos are very close...they'll be here as soon as they can, if ya smell what Rockwell is cooking."
"Sure, whatever," Anduin replied, walking back over to his Vulture to fetch his flask.
What kind of help will Rockwell and the rest offer when the time comes?
How soon WILL the Good Guys come for Broker?
Will Anduin run out of booze before then?
Find out next time, in the Great VSP/WASTE Saga: Part III!!
At last, all of the Good Guys had been united, nobody missing. In fact, Seawolf and Mason weren't missing each other much, either.
Tied down to separate beds after Mason had tried to attack Seawolf again, the two “friends” brooded over each other and Jenni. Mason was particularly pissed, especially since Mason was the one who wrote her in, and Seawolf was the one who had made himself so irresistible to his best friend's girl.
‘Heh’, thought Mason. ‘Best friend. Not anymore.’
Seawolf kept trying to think of ways that he could end this without bloodshed or someone getting hurt (physically OR emotionally). He thought and thought on this for quite a while (Seawolf isn't always the thoughtful type, but in his position, he didn't have anything else to do), and realized something. ‘Whose place was it for him and Mason to decide who Jenni would be best with? Huh?’ Huh? Common boy, bring it! Don't make me go over there!
Er...sorry...got a little excited. Anyways, Seawolf realized that it wasn't their choice; they couldn't do anything to change anything.
"Mason," said Seawolf.
Mason grunted back.
"Mason, I think that this really needs to be resolved."
"Do ya think?" retorted Mason, who was really mad by now.
"Well, we're not getting anywhere fighting each other, and I think that it's not our decision who Jenni should be with."
"Easy for you to say," said Mason, "You've been working on her for the past three months in my absence."
"Dammit, Mason!" yelled Seawolf, "Just listen to me! I think that we should let Jenni decide, have her come in here and decide who she really loves."
Mason agreed to this, so he yelled down the hall for someone to come in. Fenrir was closest, so he dashed into the room, thinking that one of them had escaped and was beating the crap out of the other one.
"Fenrir," said Mason, "Bring Jenni here."
Deep in the bowels of Auspex Studios (i.e., Auspex's basement), Desler, Zeus, Ytse, FistOfGod, and none other than Auspex himself decided what their next move was. The Antioch Universe was still in chaos, with Broker and Nannoth/Taeradun both flying in and out of reality with their own agendas, and these confounded fan characters running around and shooting them all down. Man, fans are so friggin' ANNOYING! They're so weird, they write stories with them and their heroes fighting side by side...gimme a break! Fans SUCK!
*Ahem*...anyways...rather. TAC, accompanied by Desler and the newly-joined FistOfGod (who had decided to drop by after he heard of the big mess at the Battle of Auspex Studios), had decided to go into the Antioch Universe itself and fix it themselves. They all knew what needed to be done, since they had written it and everything, and they were the experts, and had decided not to let any of their fans come with them. Auspex Studios couldn't release Thoughts in Chaos until the Antioch Universe was restored to its rightful place...as far away from reality as possible. And at the moment, the Antioch Universe was practically OVERLAPPING reality. They would leave silently, leaving a note for the Good Guys to not follow them, to take care of TGF while they were gone, and everything would be fine.
And so, the TAC Staff (Auspex, Zeus, Ytse-Jam, and FistOfGod), accompanied by Desler, entered a top-secret room unknown to anyone but them. Inside was a whirling rift, which Auspex had spent the past few days working on. After Ytse-Jam hastily wrote the note on a post-it note on the basement door, they entered the rift.
Phoenix was about to sigh, but then remembered that he did that way too much, so he didn't. Instead, he went in search for the nearest Good Guy un-affiliated with VSP or WASTE.
After three minutes of walking (well, closer to two and three fourths, but who's counting? [besides me? {and I don't really count!}]), he entered the game room. Pretty much all of the Good guys were gamers. Some more avid than others. (For the record, I don't know what avid means. But I've heard it mentioned like this, and I'm pretty sure what it means. So. Stop talking. OK. Back to the story.)
In the game room he encountered Pure Orange and Fenrir, both of them playing the same games Phoenix usually did. Right now, Fenrir and Orange were playing Heroes of Might and Magic III, with both the expansions.
"Greetings, Aeris and Ryland. How is the battle faring?" Phoenix slipped easily into the fantasy-world these three often visited.
"Very well, my dear Elleshar. Our front lines are under attack by both servants of Nighon and Eofol. But we are holding out," replied Fenrir, also known as Ryland.
They all three played Rampart, and they had their favorite characters, which they were named after. In fact, they had a small clan of some sort, referred to as 'The Trinity'.
In times of inter-dimensional battles to save game characters and fight evil clones and game overlords, some relaxation with kick-ass games was needed. Heroes III was one such game.
The game room was filled with computers, not surprisingly. All of them were somewhat new, except for a few computers that were there for memories' sake. They were all connected in a network, and all that fancy schmancy. They were all really cool and could do lotsa stuff.
"Would our possibilities to succeed in repelling the invading force increase if a veteran commander was added to our ranks?" Elleshar asked.
"If you are referring to your grand self, then most certainly yes," replied Aeris (Pure Orange. [and no, not Aeris from FF7 {he's a character in Heroes III.}]) Isn't it strange that fantasy-speak sounds like old English?
Time flew quickly, with little thought of other things than the game. The Trinity completed the current game, and started new ones. It was hard to tire of this game. Lucky them.
Suddenly, a green-blue-red parrot entered the room, sat on a table in there, and then flew out again. That parrot was imperative to the destruction of an evil force, but since he was so fast, someone, somewhere is going to die needlessly. Oh well. At least they had chips in the game room.
Someone knocked at the door.
Ryland went and opened it.
Who is at the door?!
What will happen with that parrot?!
Why am I so darn fahloop?!
What does fahloop mean?!
Find out in the next millennium! (If we're lucky. Which we aren't. Darn fiddely doo.)
In the main room, or the "Commons," the rest of the good guys were doing random things, playing Go-Fish, reading Mind Over Matter, playing the Slap Game (where two people hover their hands over each other and the bottom guy tries to slap the other guy's hands from the top...you know...), and watching the Olympics.
"Man," commented Flyspeck. "Kournikova's hot."
Everyone (at least, the males - Spooky shook her head from side to side, and Jenni was gone somewhere) looked up as the camera zoomed in on Kournikova's midsection as she served the ball.
All of the sudden, there was a bunch of static on the screen.
"Aw, man!" complained Odin's Eye. "Of all times!"
The screen immediately switched to an ugly-looking guy in a black, Western cowboy hat. It was Trouble. Everyone gasped. No, not like that, more like a "Huuuh!" No, a "Huuuh!" Yeah, you got it.
"Huuuuh!" everyone went. Okay, so I was wrong. I was one 'u' off, so sue me.
"This is Trouble, and you folks are the VSP!" said the sinister Banned One (who REALLY needed to shave).
"Well, duh," said Lambda, "What a moron."
"What did you say?" asked Trouble.
"Uh, guys, does this TV send sound BACK to Vancouver, too?" said a nervous Lambda. His suspicions were not confirmed as Vank whispered something into Trouble's ear.
"What?!" yelled Codebreaker in surprise, "What the heck are the Banned Ones doing in Vancouver? And how did Trouble get out?"
"Well, anyways," continued Trouble, "Me and a few new friends, namely the Banned Ones, have taken over Vancouver again! We're rulin' this town, and you can't stop us! So THAR! You were beggin' for trouble when you left Vancouver AGAIN! What a bunch of morons!"
'Hmmm,' thought MysteriousGuy, 'I love that word.'
"Damn," said Endarire, "I knew we should've never left Vancouver."
"So," continued Trouble, "Since you may be kinder hesitant ta leave your GARBAGE friends, or whatever ya call 'em, I have a little something fer Lambda!"
"Hmm," said Lambda, "I don't suppose it's payment for the damage at Baku Baku's. I'm the one who ended up paying for that."
All of the sudden, TELE dragged a girl (who was, coincidentally, and ONLY coincidentally, tied up) up to the screen.
"My god!" yelled Typhoon, "It's Kerrigan!"
WASTE and a few others pointed their weapons at the screen in fear of some kind of Zerg thing to crawl out of the TV. The VSP kind of laughed at WASTE'S surprise, while Lambda explained.
"It's a girl I know," said Lambda, "I know, she looks exactly like Kerrigan."
"So!" said Trouble, yet again ('so' is his favorite word), "I've captured KERRIGAN! And we all know how much Lambda loves her! I see him mackin' on her all the time in Vancouver!"
"And if you ever want to see her alive," continued Trouble, "You VST people had better come to Vancouver!"
The screen clicked back to Kournikova's tennis match.
"I wonder what he meant by 'VST'," Nemesis thought aloud.
"Maybe he means 'Vancouver Street Time'," suggested Mack Kilimaro.
"Regardless," said Lambda, "We've really got to head back to Vancouver. We'll see all you guys later, I'm sure you can take on TGF by yourselves. We can't very well let the Banned Ones take over our town. Tell Team TAC that we'll be back later, and give Seawolf and Mason our regards, as well."
And so, the VSP all climbed into the PossePlane (which was really weird...it was a silver, smooth ship which reminded everyone of a Valkyrie for some weird reason) and sped off to Vancouver.
"Man," commented MysteriousGuy, "I've got SO MUCH leg room up here!"
"Yeah," agreed Codebreaker, "I can just STREEAAACH out!"
In the back, the rest of the VSP groaned.
Inside the room where Mason and Seawolf were tied down, Jenni was there, crying. Mason and Seawolf tried to comfort her (from their distance, all they could do was use words), but to no avail. She couldn't decide. But she had to.
Then, it came to her. After all this time...
"I've decided," said Jenni, "It's clear to me now who I love. I love..."
Who does Jenni love?
Will the Saga ever end?
Hmmm?
Will it?
Find out next time.
Yay.
There was a loud rumbling from outside of the door, accompanied by a horrible scream and a deafening thud. Jenni, distracted from her original purpose, quickly opened the door to see what had happened.
There on the floor in front of the door, with an even score, (can I do more?) was Fenrir. He was quite unconscious, and there was a large dent in the wall where he had been smashed.
Jenni looked around, and saw nobody. "I knew I shouldn't have left my healing wand in my quarters!" Kneeling down, she lifted Fenrir (easy to do as he was scrawny) and began to carry him towards the infirmary. "Guys, I'll be right back," she said to Mason and Seawolf.
Jenni had only gone a few steps when she heard the horrible rumbling again. Looking around, she saw nothing, but the rumbling was getting louder, and it was coming from behind her.
Jenni began to run.
The pounding became louder and closer. Finally, Jenni found and ducked into a doorway. Just as she did she was buffeted with air as if something extremely large had just rushed past. The wall opposite her was destroyed.
The air smelled of...elephant.
Why is there an Elephant loose in Auspex Studios?
Why can't Jenni see it?
Who sent the Elephant?
You know the drill!
Mark Brown was very angry...and he was holding a very long pointer he was using to rap Deos across the knuckles with.
"And this is for leaving without my permission" *WHAP* "OW!"
"And this is for interfering in the plot like a drunken sailor in a china shop!" *WHAP* "OW!"
"And THIS is for breaking up Smashing Pumpkins!" *WHAP* "OW! HEY! That wasn't MY fault, the band had numerous reasons for breaking up."
"Yeah, I know, but it still pisses me off. Why did such a great band have to come to an end? Now go sit in the corner and listen to N'Sync and think about what you've done!"
"What!?!? Come on! I saved both their lives...I don't think I deserve to be punished that badly!"
"Alright fine, just sit in the corner with this dunce cap on your head." Mark Brown produced a large dunce cap and plopped it on Deos' head, then sent him to the corner.
Mark then went back to surveying the plot. His shoulders suddenly sunk low and he declared "Oh crap!"
Meanwhile Deos could do nothing but stare at the corner and grumble to himself. "Damn it, those two OWE me!"
What's got Mark Brown upset?
Can we all point and laugh at Deos now?
Why DID the Smashing Pumpkins have to break up?
All these questions ('cept for the SP one) answered next time on...Beast Wars: Transformers.
Doh! I mean the VSP/WASTE Saga III!
"Sir!" Makgraf said, "While you were gone I discovered the location of Auspex and the majority of the VSP. They are at Auspex Studios planning the Good Guys’ next move."
"Excellent! We will launch in 24 hours. Where did you find this information?" TGF asked.
"I have an...'informant' in the Alliance. He was happy to tell me everything. But before we launch there is a loose end we should tie up... One of our observer patrols picked up a ship heading in our direction. It appears to be Bakjak."
TGF looked at the schematics of the ship. "That IS Bakjak... I really wish I knew why he was betraying me like this. He's most likely going to try to sneak into the station...have an observer tail him and make sure to have a force ready to greet him when he arrives."
Bakjak inched his way towards the station. It was going well thus far but he had a bad feeling about this. He looked back at the mercenaries he had hired. They were a tough bunch, though not very bright. He eased his ship onto the platform.
"Alright men, get your gear, we got some Wraiths to grab."
The Mercenaries grunted their acknowledgements and Bakjak led his men out of his ship...
"I'm sorry but you're gonna have to come with us," a voice said. Surrounding the entire ship were 16 marines and a few firebats and ghosts. Each had their weapons trained on Bakjak.
Bakjak looked at his men. They had already dropped their weapons. It was to be expected of course...mercenaries value their skin over everything else.
"Sir, your weapon...drop it. Now," The marine repeated.
Bakjak sighed and dropped his rifle. He held out his hands and heard a distinct snap as he was handcuffed.
"Bakjak has been apprehended, sire," Makgraf reported.
"Keep him detained until we're launched; then he is of no consequence." TGF replied.
The fleet was ready. The cruisers were fully upgraded and their Yamato Cannons were charged. His wraiths flew in perfect formation. He looked in great admiration at his Advanced Wraith Squadron which he valued so much. And the ConFed Battle Platform; huge in all it's glory stood in the center of his great fleet.
"Send a message to the fleet," TGF took a deep breath, "Our target is Auspex Studios. Our objective is to kill Auspex, the VSP, WASTE and any others that can stand in our way. We will be the ones to rule this universe. It is preordained that we take the stars into our hands and rule them with an iron fist. However there are those who would oppose us and go against the will of the universe itself. It is these people who will be vanquished and purged from this Universe. Now go, the time of out ascension is at hand."
And with that said, TGF ordered Makgraf to signal the fleet for launch towards Auspex Studios. Victory or death awaited him there.
Who is Makgraf's informant in Auspex Studios?
Will the VSP be able to defeat TGF's massive fleet?
You know the rest...
—TGF
Tarun sat in the cockpit of the Havoc Wreaker, alone. He had his head bowed and his eyes closed. He was searching... Searching the vast recesses of space for someone...he found her. He touched her mind, and knew what was about to happen.
He scribbled out a short note and left it on the table in Auspex Studios. He prepped Havoc Wreaker for launch, looking at Auspex Studios sadly. He didn't want to abandon his friends near their greatest time of need, but he had to. He had to save her. He had to bring her back, no matter the cost to himself.
He punched the throttle to full and went screaming into space.
Meanwhile, Mat-Def was wandering through Auspex Studios after many hours of trying to plan the Good Guys next move, when he stumbled upon the note on the table, he picked it up and read it...
"To whoever reads this, I've gone to take care of something. I can't say what it is, yet. But I want you to know that I'll do my best to get back alive. Tell the others I'm very proud of them, and honored to call them my friends. Take care. En Taro Adun. Tarun."
Mat walked back to the others, and they asked what he had in his hands and what was wrong. He handed them the note, and they paled.
Where is Tarun going?
What is he going to do when he gets there?
Who is “she”?
This and more next time on, Tarun's Merry Mis-Adventures! I mean the Great VSP/WASTE Saga!
Dark_T_Zeratul was in the basement of Auspex Studios, searching for the Antioch Crew. Eventually he gave up. In his anger, he hit the wall. Hard. The wall gave way and opened. Inside was another door. On it was a note. Dark_T_Zeratul read it.
"Dear Good Guys..."
"We have decided that you guys really aren't going to get anything done as far as restoring the plot of A3, so we've gone to do it ourselves. Screw you, and good luck getting your asses kicked by TGF."
"Signed, Ytse-Jam"
Dark_T_Zeratul sighed and opened the door that the note was taped to. Inside was a giant, swirling Warp Rift. Dark_T_Zeratul's eyes practically bugged out of his skull. He immediately ran up to the game room and read the note to everybody.
"Well somebody has some feelings they need to work out," said Phoenix. "Do you suppose it has something to do with the fact that so far Rockwell has been captured, erased, killed, revived, etc. during the course of our adventures, causing Ytse great pain and the temporary loss of his voice?"
"Yeah, that might have something to do with it," said Zeratul. "But that's not all! Behind the door that this was tacked to was a swirling Warp Rift!"
"Think it leads to the Antioch universe?" someone yelled.
"Only one way to find out! Let's go!"
Mark Brown's eyes widened. "They can't do that!" he screamed. "TGF is coming to annihilate them!" He stopped his tirade for a moment. He tried desperately to find a plot contrivance that would stop them. Then his mind settled on something and he grinned.
"But who will defend Auspex Studios if we got check it out?" Dark_T_Zeratul asked. "We've got Fenrir unconscious in the infirmary, and we still don't know why. Seawolf and Mason are tied down. We'd have to leave people behind. Who's staying?"
Nobody raised their hand.
"Fine, then we draw straws." Straws were drawn, and it ended up that Phoenix, Mat-Def and Pure Orange would be staying, while the rest left for the world of Antioch. The losers plopped back down onto the couches, while those who won gathered their equipment and headed back downstairs. As they headed down the spiral staircase to the sub-basement, they heard a loud rumbling. Having heard about the rumbling from Jenni, they quickly found cover.
Within seconds, the ground began to flatten and a strong wind pushed at them. The Invisible Elephant smashed into the sub basement and began to pound the warp rift into a pancake. Mark Brown had contrived the Elephant into being able to destroy Warp Rifts, and it was taking advantage of this. After it had smashed it into pieces, it swallowed it and burped.
The only thing the heroes saw was the warp rift being crushed and then disappearing, only to be followed by a large burp. Then they heard the war cry of an Elephant.
"Uhhh, how do you fight something that's invisible?" asked Dark_T_Zeratul.
"Carefully," answered the always-silly Flyspeck.
How DO you fight an Invisible Elephant?
Mat-Def was sitting on the couch playing a game of Solitaire and being bored. 'Stupid other guys,' he thought. 'Why do they get to have all the fun of going through the Antioch Universe while we have to stay here and wait for the Bad Guys to try and destroy us?' Suddenly he heard someone crying for help.
He, Pure Orange, and Phoenix rushed downstairs in time to see Flyspeck hovering in midair. He looked cramped, like he was inside something invisible.
"OH MY GOD!" yelled Ixyon. "THE INVISIBLE ELEPHANT ATE FLYSPECK!"
"Invisible elephant?" asked Phoenix. "How do we fight that?"
"Very carefully," said Dark_T_Zeratul, who was madly swinging his DarkScythe through the air, trying to cut the invisible menace.
Then Mat-Def got an idea. He ran past the heroes to Aus' control console and hit the big green button marked "Observer." A door opened and an Observer floated out. When it got near the elephant, the creature materialized. It was quickly dispatched.
"Well, so much for that," said Lucainan. Then they heard a muffled sound from inside the elephant. They remembered Flyspeck and quickly cut him out of the belly of the beast. Flyspeck emerged, covered with elephant goo. "I'm gonna take a shower..." he said, before stumbling up the stairs.
"Well," said Pure Orange, staring into the room where the Warp Rift had been. "So much for that. Hey! I've got a great idea! Why doesn't EVERYBODY help defend this place from the Bad Guys?"
Flare smacked Pure Orange as everybody moaned and walked slowly upstairs.
Edited Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 5:00 AM by typhoon.