Shadowland - The Vanguard Issue #1A The mirror crack'd

The 'cucumbers' hung in the trees, their leaf like limbs possessing impressive strength to support their huge bodies. Each creature had a trunk like body that measured over six feet long and must have weighed several hundred pounds.

It was then that Sentinel saw more of them racing up from the forest floor, and dropping down from the highest level of the trees! In moments there were over 50, and more were on their way!

One of the cucumboids (OOC cringe) moved closer, looking at Sentinel and his companions. \\You. You are living, breathing. These others, all abomination and affront to life! Weapons of war and destruction, like those that came before, that reside in the accursed place! They must be destroyed! Shed your metal trappings and be free of the curse of metal!//

Sentinel glanced to the sides. Sunburst hadn't heard that and neither had the robots!

So, the creatures could talk mind to mind, but only to living creatures like himself. A robot spoke up again. "Unless we open fire now, there may be no other opportunity to disperse the creatures. Based on their speed and physical attributes, there is a high likelihood that they will regenerate from injury quickly. We may run out of ammunition before they are subdued. You should leave, and we will cover your escape."

Sunburst looked at Sentinel, then at the creatures. "They haven't attacked - yet. They don't look friendly through, and I hate to say it, but the robot is right. If we don't fight our way out now, they will overwhelm us with numbers!"

Overhead the huge flying creature circled, tentacles writhing! It was waiting, and expecting a meal!

"These 'metal beings' these machines of man are but a tool, an extension of our will. They are only abominations if they are used for evil and are only as evil as the ones who control them. Now please we crashed here and only ventured from our vessel to aid the ones who set off the distress beacon" sentinel spoke with a kind soft tone as he wasn't even sure if they could understand him.

"......who were the ones who came before, maybe we have common goals but ether way im sure we could help".

The winged demon bellowed again causing Steve to even feel it resinating in his chest

OOC: I'm sure it went okay really mate, everyone gets nervous in interviews. You never know you might be pleasantly surprised. Who was the job 4?

OOC A company called 'Grand Central'. They are fairly new, and to get onto East Coast (used to be GNER) it's more a case of who you know rather than what, so figured I'd give these guys a try (use same routes, but less stops so faster travel time). Anyway, my revision has been less than stellar (partially blame the kids for that, but I suppose my heart wasn't in it so its an excuse) save that after the interview I was kicking myself and wished I'd tried harder. Oh well. Would've been a sideways move with regards money (they are getting a pay rise in January apparently) but better conditions. And no 13 hour days, like today...

The cucumber thing considered Sentinels words. With a rueful glance at the robot it seemed to flick its upper torso, and the other creatures vanished into the undergrowth as quickly as they'd come!

\\Many have come, like you, searching for the man of metal in the great jungle at foot of mountain.// said the creature. \\He visited on them that which they would do to him, but big battles, many trees and creatures of forest dead. No more war! NONE!// it warned.

And with that, it was gone!

"What was all that about?" asked Sunburst. "I'm glad it didn't come to a fight - we left a war on our own world, I'd hate to bring a war to another!"

The group watched through the gaps in the canopy at the huge creature circling overhead. After a few minutes it finally gave up, and soared across the forest in search of less elusive prey...

==========

The group followed the trail of the beacon across the huge forest

The creatures they saw were larger, sometimes five or ten times so, than creatures that might frequent jungles on Earth. All were different colours and shared characteristics with other creatures such as reptiles and birds, but mixed with mammals.

"The beacon is close" said Sunburst, checking the readings on a Robots chest panel. "Just up there. Do you want to..."

Sentinel looked through the trees to where what looked to be a mound of vines was growing. He could clearly see the glint of metal underneath the thick undergrowth, and was about to suggest a course of action when a voice shouted out "Don't bother trying to sneak up on me! I know you're out there!"

Sentinel was taken aback. English? Spoken out here? And it was English too - in fact, an English accent! Sunburst turned, looking at Sentinel. The Robots were hovering with weapons primed, then all of them, without exception, suddenly folded and morphed into perfect cubes of metal, and clattered to the forest floor!

Suddenly on guard, Sentinel looked through the trees, and gasped when he saw a man step into view. He looked familiar, didn't wear breathing apparatus, and was stood casual, aggressiveness, despite what had happened to the robots!

"Well there's a face I've not seen in a long, long time." he said.



"Hello me. I'm you." he chuckled.

OOC: No way!

IC: "You're me? I mean I'm you? How can you breathe? And if you don't mind me asking WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON??????" Sentinel questioned and was still reeling from the other mans statement like he had been hit with a 12 pound sledge follow by a series of shrugs, head shaking and mouthing words like he was going to start another sentence.

Was this man truly him and from the future is so how did he get there and more importantly was Steve's head going to explode with a million questions

The man settled back. "you really are me" he chuckled. "It's like looking into a mirror and seeing myself, what, forty years ago? How old are you? 22? Ha... was I ever that young?"

He glanced at Sunburst and the robots, then muttered "Beth. It's been ... such a long time."

He stood and looked about. Sentinel noted the man had metal legs, but walked without a limp. The mound behind him was metallic, overgrown with vines and plants. Sunburst looked about, then spoke up "You're using the environmental controls of the spaceship..."

"MARO" smiled 'old' Sentinel

"...to create a zone of breathable air around the ship, held in place by an electromagnetic field..." finished Sunburst

"That keeps the 'friskier' natives away with a mild shock. Means I'm not too popular around these parts as every now and again they fancy a quick snack, and I'm on the menu." he turned to Silver Sentinel. "What year is... no, let me guess. 1944?"

"1941" replied Steve, sitting down on a log and looking about the clearing. The area around the mound was unusually clear of vegetation and seemed well tended.

"Right. '41. It's been a while, I'll have to think back... yes. The Devourer had arrived at Earth, and I'd been sent out to find where its limits were. The Earth was in a state of shock and panic. the governments reacted by outlawing the Vanguard and virtually declaring war on us. I was chased by a 'Dark Emissary' and forced to make a 'blind jump' which led me here but... how come you're here unless..."

He sagged back to slump onto a log "Unless the 'jump' hopped through space and time somehow. My ship crashed here and I didn't have the technical know how to fix it. I could maybe have called on the Dark Power but we realised - too late - that that was the cause of our problems! So I've been stuck here, able to shape metal to my will but lacking the knowledge to fix my smashed craft. Sunburst... Beth... was my only companion. We... I sent her out to find help but it became clear that even at the speed of light I would die of old age before she got back. The combination of the white sun and this strange planet meant she couldn't recharge. Her last act was to sacrifice herself by transforming into a beacon that ran off the ships power plant, what remained of it anyway. She... it... has been transmitting a distress signal ever since."

He looked at Sunburst and filled up. "You've no idea... the years..." he broke down, sobbing into his hands. Sunburst sat next to him, then looked at Silver Sentinel, shrugging. Placing an arm around his shoulder, she waited until he'd gathered his thoughts.

"I figured it out. By mistake. It was a combination of this place, this planet, and this..."

He reached into a cloth satchel by his side and pulled out a clear piece of crystal, rough hewn and about fist sized.

"What is it?" asked Sentinel.

"This? It's Lunarium... white lunarium... From the ships power plant. I thought it was discharged, so figured to get rid of it before it started to irradiate me. Instead it began to change colour... to this."

Sunburst shrugged. "What does it do? It looks useless, unable to power a ship or get you home. What use is it?"

"To me? None. I'm stuck here, and 'here' isn't even my universe. My own Earth will be long dead by now... But as best I can tell, this clear rock absorbs negative energy..."

"Negative Energy?" asked Sentinel.

"Yes. I figured it out when I couldn't use the Dark Power any more. The Shadow Demons, and the Devourer, which is a vast uncountable collection of Dark Powered beings from across multiple universes, feed on and derive their power from negative energy. This useless, worthless rock has no other property other than to absorb that negative energy! It's the reason I've been stuck here, all this time! And the reason my ship - built with Dark Power energy and my own superhuman powers - won't work well enough to get me off this planet!"

OOC: Sorry for the delay mate. This is a bit like lost in space, love it......unless the old sentinel is a walking bomb of killer mutant spiders?

IC: "Then we have to get you out of here, you can help us defeat the devourer this time and save earth. There is just one thing....you must be me as your far too good looking to be anyone else but we have seen some unbelievable things and i want to believe you but how do i know your not a clone or something. The information you told me the enemy could already have on record, sorry but i ....we need some kind of proof. What was position in played in my old rugger time and what did the chaps used to call me?" he asked his future self with a squint in his eye

sentinel wanted to believe it was him so hard he almost jumped at the chance to rescue his future self but the universe had tricked him before and now he was finding it hard to trust....even himself.

The 'older' Sentinel frowned, racked his brain then looked back at Sentinel. "Well two can play at that game chum! Before I answer that question, tell me who it was that I fell out with as soon as I got my powers? The fellow didn't lost much longer after that, but I remember him..."

He looked down, somewhat crestfallen. "It was decades ago, but I remember them all. A lot of good men and women - young men and women - were taken before their time in the service of their country. I swear, if you're the Dark Power come to torment me after all this time I'll... I ..."

He spluttered. "I'll do my damnedest to hurt you before you scatter my atoms across the universe!"

OOC He knows the answer to your question, at any rate. He *is* you, you're convinced, but you might need to convince him! Hint: Story So Far section Silver Sentinel issue #1...

OOC: No need to look it up, what hero could forget how he came to be.

IC: With a very slight smirk and slowly shaking his head Steve spoke the words 'Tank man' out loud followed by which both silver sentinels chuckled out loud.

"Wasn't much of a people person eh?"

"i'd say. So what's the plan old man? Are you ready to fight back?"

OOC: In saving him have i rewritten his past or did his already happen for him?

OOC Ahhh time travel. Has he already done that which you have done, are about to attempt? No. His life took a different path at some point, after mirroring yours. Instead of coming to a planet like this one in his own time (1941) his ship went through time and space to arrive here... and here isn't even his own universe!

The older Sentinel chuckled. "Truth told I forgot my old rugger nickname. I was stuck here, alone, when ..." he glanced at Sunburst "when her power cells ran down. I spent most of my time trying to remember my life and trying to figure ou some way, any way, of using my powers to ... I don't know, 'magic' some way off this place and stay alive. So many times, alone, I wanted to give up..."

He stared Sentinel in the eye. "But you wouldn't give up, would you boy? And neither did I."

He sighed, then sagged back. "This place is lethal... but it's a force of nature. There is no evil here, no malice. There is simply an endless struggle to survive. Like there is out there, on Earth, but maybe we didn't deserve to live. So many wars, over what? Land? Religion? Money? The colour of a mans skin?" he sighed. "And yet... I can't help it. Now that you're here, I have to try and help save them. It's something to do with this" he said, holding up the 'White Lunarium'. "Wait!" he said as Sentinels instinct was to take it in his hand and look at it, turn it about "If you touch that, you will be drained of all negative energy - the Dark Power!"

Sunburst gasped in surprise "Why would he need to keep the Dark Power unless...?"

Sentinel groaned "Unless I need to use it again, to get us home!"

All three knew what that meant - using the Dark Power was like a beacon to the Devourer!

OOC Your call. You don't know why the white lunarium does what it does but the fact it absorbs negative energy might mean it has some use in your battle against the greatest evil force in the universe! Question is, will you get back in time to save the Vanguard and the Earth?

OOC: If i communicate with the other vanguard telepathically would that attract the devourer and I'm guessing even the mighty MAROs comms aren't strong enough to reach them.

P.S. when does the younger Steve jenson play johnny be good and help his parents hook up? Coz that would be sweet......oh what about the theory of the same matter can't occupy the same place at the same time? I.E. If one Steve touch's the other (like the gimp suit wasn't bad enough) will all life cease to be and all matter will implode?

Steve stilled his mind and reverberated his message like sonar through space as he didn't know where the others were.

'Vanguard, friends, i realized me doing his could very well bring the devourer hot my my heels but at least that'll buy earth some time. There is another strain of lunarium here that absorbs dark energy its self which could be the very answer we are looking for. I don't know how we got here but i we are a long way from home'

Sunburst looked about as Sentinel seemed to go silent. "So you've been on your own here for what... years?"

The Older Sentinel smiled sadly "Waiting for my friends to help me out. Without the Dark Power I couldn't send them a message and it seems that ships this far out are few and far between. The last person i expected to respond to my distress call was myself though!"

One of the robots suddenly turned and spoke to Sentinel. "the MARO detects a spacial anomaly at the edge of this solar system. Prediction: an object or being dropping out of warp and heading directly to this planet."

Sentinel opened his eyes and looked at the others.

Chances were that was a Dark Emissary! Didn't take long to find him! And it would take only a short while to cross the solar system and get here!

OOC Answers to questions. As you can tell from the time of this post (04.08AM) am on nights and not much time between getting home and going back to bed, so posting is spotty this week. Only a 4 day week this week but 48 hours in 4 days - you do the math

Have assumed several answers for Ross - will copy this post into his thread:

Sentinel paused for a second "They've found me. Haven't got long lads! Right... I was trying to see if there was some way of setting up a series of 'space mirrors' using my power and the robots to reflect light from the sun assuming the Devourer didn't encircle it completely, yeah? Well I didn't get that far. The Devourer chased me, and get this - I encountered an Alien vessel, a pirate no less, looking to find easy pickings! I think they bit off more than they can chew with the Dark Emissary... anyway, we had to make a blind leap to escape the Dark Emissary. It was gaining on us and there was little else I could do.'

"It led me to a planetary system... somewhere. There is a large planet here with several moons that we detected a strange distress signal from, so headed there. And... get this... after an encounter with beasts that would dwarf the dinosaurs, and these strange plant creatures that spoke mind to mind, I came across a crashed spaceship - a copy of my own! Even weirder, there was a man living in the wreckage, an older version of me! He came from a different timeline and said his had been overrun by the Devourer. He lost his Dark Power when this strange planet altered the Lunarium crystals that powered his ship, and they - somehow - drained all the negative energy from him so he only had his ordinary powers left and no Dark Power at all! It seems this planet is completely neutral - a true force of nature! No evil, no good, just natural survival of the fittest, and it somehow changed the energy that Lunarium puts out."

"Weird yeah? I don't understand all of it but the upshot is the Lunarium the other 'me' has is clear, like crystal, not red like the normal stuff. I daren't touch it - even going close I can feel it pull dark power from me, and the Shadow Demon inside feels like it's fading away! I think this stuff can help us if I can get it back! Using the Dark Power on it won't work! It absorbs that stuff we use to make us have godlike might!"

"Sunburst is here, she can help, but if the Dark Emissary stops me, it's all over! I think that this lunarium will be the key to stopping the Devourer, somehow. If we can... I don't know, use it to change the Lunarium in the moon mine to more of the stuff then channel that towards the Devourer, it might end the threat of the Dark Power once and for all! Of course that much white Lunarium will probably remove our own dark powers too..."

"My ship can get it back, but we're not fast enough to outrun the Dark Emissary and we're not quite... wait! If you can keep talking to me, maybe there's some way to use your minds as a beacon, and guide the ship back home!"

Frostbite mentioned sending a Robo Carrier to the planet, but realised it would take months to cross the solar system - it would take millions of years to get to where Sentinel was, assuming it had that much fuel and could find the way! His heart sunk a little, but he knew this was a glimmer of hope. Fighting the Devourer would be like battling an army of themselves. An army of millions! Despite the power the Vanguard had, there were limits. The only saving grace was that the Devourer, being so massive, needed sustenance on an unprecedented scale! That must account for the fleeting uses of its power and the fact that the Earth had not been disintegrated yet! They needed to farm the panic and fear from a beleaguered Earth long enough to sate their appetite before being able to expend the energy required to destroy the Vanguard!

There was something else. Nowhere Man had sacrificed himself needlessly apparently... but there was little he did without reason! The Vanguard assumed the most experienced of their number had some plan or scheme in mind, and even now would that scheme be under way?

OOC There may be other actions or messages you want to send to Sentinel or each other. Bear in mind communicating in this way highlights your position to the Devourer...

"Right" said steve with a heavy heart as he knew that time was against them and more than likely the devourer was hurtling through speed that very second

"Are you able to move old man and how the dickens do we get you back to our ship with out an oxygen supply?"

"Of course I am" the older sentinel replied and sounding more chipper as he could tell from him other self he was forming a plan. "I may be slightly loosing it and possibly senile but my spirit inst broken. My MARO environmental controls could support all three of us if needed if I control it my er our powers, why? Whats the plan?"

"Good. For a start we are going to need the 'bots' back" and no sooner had he said that they 'popped' out of their cubed compact state like nothing had happened. "In a nut shell use the 'bots' to collect as much of this dark energy sapping rock without sunburst and myself touching it, get back to our ship and mak....."

"....Some kind of clear lunarium powered weapon to rip the devourer a new one."

"Exactly"

"Sounds insanely dangerously.....sign me up" the older sentinel replied rubbing his worn hands.

All the time the sentinels were conversing Beth would of got neck ache, if she still had a neck, with the amount of times she looked from one to the other.

Shaking her head Beth watched as the two sentinels were busing there self's and she could just about make out the words "I wonder if we used the old MARO as parts and upgrade the newer one even further.....ultimate killing machine2, although she couldn't tell who was speaking at the time.

The Older Sentinel shrugged. "She won't fly under her own power. I'm wondering... perhaps there is a way to use the fusion coils in my crashed ship to augment yours..." he saw the blank look on Silver Sentinels face. "Ah, when you're stuck here for years and years, you look for something to do, something to read... I had the computers come up with technical manuals and other stuff. Put those fusion coils in and stand back. The downside is that it will be a one shot deal, might burn out both the extra and the existing coil, and leave us dead in space. Well, that's if the ship doesn't explode."

He chuckled.

"The upside is that the Dark Power, no matter how fast they fly, won't be able to track or beat us to Earth. The theory is shaky, but every computer prediction said it *might* work. One shot into space, aiming for a postage stamp on the moon."

"What we *really* need is a way to completely, absolutely guarantee that we are going the right way. That's because if we miss, or are even slightly off... we'll fly through a sun, planetary body or gravity well, or end up beyond the edge of space. I don't know what's out there, but using the two fusion coils - perfectly matched down to the last molecule, which is impossible by the way - in this fashion breaks any and all laws of physics. We need a miracle to escape the Dark Emissary. This is it."

OOC Any ideas on how to guarantee you point in the right direction from where you are (an unknown planet in the depths of space an indeterminate distance from Earth...) in the time before the Dark Emissary gets here?

The answer presented itself almost immediately, inside Silver Sentinels' head...

"Silver Sentinel! If you can home in on my thoughts, we have a weapon we can use with your special Lunarium. We just have to fight off hordes of undead zombies and ghouls while waiting for you to get here," Anyman paths on the Vanguard mental link, realizing that the Devourer can probably hear it too. "Get here quick! We probably will only have minutes to make the weapon work!"

Sentinel started, then smiled. "If you provide the miracle, I can point us in the right direction!" he smiled.

With only minutes to spare the group worked to strip all the serviceable parts from the smashed version of the MARO. The Older sentinel was even more versed with the power to control and morph metal to his will than the younger version, having had decades of practise and opportunity to hone his power to the nth degree. With the pair of them combined the ship quite literally gave up all of its useful components and flew in a stream onto a sled of sorts, that formed up with an anti gravity engine to provide a means for the group to be transported back to the MARO.

With a metal helm and limited air supply the older Sentinel spoke up "Been... a while since I wore one of these. Air won't last long."

He looked about and sighed "I dreamt of getting off this place, then I learned to accept my fate. Thought I'd die here."

"Maybe not. Let's go."

==========

The MARO thundered up and away from the forest canopy, leaving the vast teeming world behind it...

Both Sentinels were hard at work in the engine room when Sunburst came through, having to shout over the noise. "We left the atmosphere. A few... I don't know what they were... flying... shark. I think. They tried to catch us, but were eaten by something... the whole forest seemed to come alive, trees tossed in every direction, a shower of earth and... a mouth like you wouldn't believe! Anyway, it just... it just ate all the sharks, and we narrowly missed it!"

The older sentinel looked up and over at the younger one. "Luck is on our side lad! keep at it!"

Sunburst added "Wait. There's more. We picked up a subspace disturbance on the far side of the system. Gravity wells limit it's speed, but it's the Dark Emissary. It's found us."

Hurrying to the bridge the Sentinels, Sunburst and the MARO crew looked at the viewscreen. "I see only stars" said the Older Sentinel. The younger, with better eyes, pointed "There!" The screen, magnified thousands of times, show a tiny patch of utter darkness that winked out the stars as it passed.

Suddenly there was a flash of pure darkness!

"Incoming!" shouted Sunburst. "Shields to maximum! Brace for impact!"



A beam of unimaginable power sliced into the shields, smashing them, and through the ship, punching through the hull, various floors and out the other side!

Thrown about like flotsam on a raging tide, the occupants of the MARO knew the ship was badly damaged! Alarms blared, smoke hissed through the bridge and sparks flew from nigh on every panel. Ominous creaks and groans echoed through the ship, and loud cracks were followed by muffled explosions...

Yet the ship flew on.

"Keep going!" shouted the Older Sentinel. "I'll get to the engine room and make sure she keeps flying! Keep steering towards your friend!"

Sunburst shouted "You'll die! The force fields are barely holding any atmosphere in!"

The Older Sentinel grinned "A few minutes, Beth, that's all that's needed. Of course.. in the state that the ship's in, we might not survive the journey!"

One of the robots, despite an arm sheared off and sparks mixing with pouring fluids from it's shattered form, turned. "Scanners... partially functioning... hostile is firing again!"

OOC Options time...

1) Silver Sentinel calls on the Dark Power to do battle with the Dark Emissary
2) Hope that Older Sentinel can hold the engine room together, finish installing the new parts and hit the 'jump' button... Despite the fact the ship is ready to split in half!
3) Reconfigure what's left of the ship to strengthen the hull and hope she can take another hit, long enough to make doubly sure of your path, fix the engine and go...
4) Younger Sentinel fixes/holds the engine room together and older sentinel holds the ship in one piece, hoping that he'll have a better chance of surviving the exposure to vacuum
5) Send Sunburst out to delay the Dark Emissary as best she can whilst repairs are made
6) Another option, not listed...

Have a think, or come up with another plan. Basically the single blast from the Dark Emissary smashed the ship almost in half. It's held together by strands of metalwork and faltering force fields. Most of it is open to vacuum. It's doubtful it'll get far in this state without repair, and the parts still need adding to the engine.

ooc: Weird question but since the neutral Lunarium is on board, wouldn't it absorb the Dark Emmissary's attacks?

OOC: Good question

IC: "No. I'll go old friend" the younger Steve spoke out. "The shields are useless against the beasts attacks, just try to hold MARO together till i get back the crew is counting on you" just as he sped off silver sentinel popped his head a round the corner "....oh and if you see the technicians tell them now would be a good time for a lunaruim weapon.

The young hero made his way down to the blue tinted engine room through crashing steel beams and exploding consoles all the while being slammed into railings like he was out on one of his dads famous fishing trips.

smaug wrote:OOC: Good question

OOC: I imagine the white lunarium could do if the Emissary is brought near it. That might be your answer. One that hopefully means that it/he will lose their powers before being able to contact the Devourer and alert it to the danger.

Sj

OOC trying to snatch a quick post before I go to bed (for 1 hour) then get up for a (12 hour) shift. You can virtually smell my rotted sleep deprived brain cells...

Smoke spat from ruptured pipes and panels sparked, popped, cracked and died as Sentinel flew and ran through the corridors. Metal moved to let him past, and when he got to the engine room he saw a number of smashed robots where the ceiling had given way and crushed them as they fought to stop a fire in there.

With a limited air supply on board, Sentinel held his breath and sealed the wall behind him (the door was shut and blocked by fallen debris, so he'd stepped through a hole in the wall). Then he looked about, barely able to see through the smoke and flames. Time to put the fire out.

He turned, grasped a metal beam, adhered it through metal bonding at the molecular level to the walls and floor where it touched, then did the same with a thought to all the other metal in the room. Metal was his thing, tossing it away would only lessen his ability!

After that he turned and gestured.

The far wall opened up into the hard vacuum of space, and the air WOOOOOSHED out, as did the flames!

Waiting a moment for a glance about, he turned to the hole in the wall and sealed it with a gesture. His lungs were burning, and he suppressed the urge to breathe in even as he tried to ignore the intense, biting cold! With shivering hands he turned, gestured, and the wall parted in a neat square, allowing air and heat back into the engine room. Gasping and clawing at his helmet to get it off, Sentinel moved to the parts of the old MARO that had been shipped over to the new one. After a few moments of clearing fallen debris, he found where the two main sections had been coupled to the engine, and where the supports had sheared from the superstructure.

If they'd have jumped 'blind' it would have torn the ship to pieces...

"...skrrzzzz... we doing?" asked Older Sentinel. "...scanners show... round again..."

Though the message was garbled, Sentinel got the gist. The Emissary was coming about again. Why had it not finished them off already? The answer was, of course, the two men sharing the same DNA and separated only by age. It wanted them.

More specifically, it wanted them to use the Dark Power, and in doing so become part of the whole that was the Devourer! Little did the Emissary know that the chunk of rock the older Sentinel held had drained his Dark Powers and would prevent him from using the Shadow Demon that was tied to his mind, body and spirit.

"Hurry up!" shouted Older Sentinel. Silver Sentinel desperately fixed what he could, but the metal was sheared and the reason was clear thanks to his superhuman power. The Dark Power that had helped build the ship had been massively disrupted. There were gaps in the molecular bonds of the metal itself that had been filled by that strange force of cosmic might that was the Dark Power, and which had made the ship unique, almost sentient. It had also saved their lives. Without it that single blast from the Emissary would have destroyed them!

Struggling to fix the engine room up and hold it to the rest of the ship, Sentinel suddenly became aware of a light. He turned, and saw Sunburst in the 'doorway' he'd made.

"I have an idea, but you might not like it. Get your older self to give me some of the white lunarium. I will go out there and meet the Emissary head on. You use that distraction to get back to Earth!"

Sentinel was struggling to hold the engine in one piece. He had 'become one' with every metal component in the room and where the bonds broke down, he stepped in, concentrating, shoring up and fixing. The problem was, with the two engines connected, it would take all he had to stop the engines ripping free of the ship! Older Sentinel must have been holding the rest of the ship together, quite a task, but doubtless causing him to strain his abilities to the max!

Sunburst shouted "Steve! We must do something! The Dark Emissary is going to board us in moments!"

"No. You know i can't let you do that Beth. No way its suicide."

Steve, its okay. We have to think of the bigger picture and not let human emotions get in the way if we are going to beat this thing"

"uh" Steve replied with a heavy expel of air "Quickly then before i see sense and change my mind. I've give you a hand with the lunaruim" the tin man said reluctantly.

After sentinel helped Beth with the first steel box of the strange pearl stone he said to his glowing friend, who so bravely was willing to give her life for the crew and even her planet even though she was now beyond human yet still so human in being so selfless

"Just one more grate should do it"

And as she turned to pass him the next into the airlock Steve had stepped in and sealed the door.

"Sorry but i cannot let any member of the crew or even a dear friend do something i wouldn't be willing to do myself.......god speed"

And with that launched himself into the cold vacuum of space not knowing how much air was left in the air tanks of the apparatus from the last planet for he didn't have time to check.
Sentinel didn't have to worry about has poor flight speed getting him to the devourer as in the distance he could see the black bulk homming in on his position.

"Come on then......you want dark energy? You've got an all you can eat buffet"

As the dark cloud grew ever closer sentinel fired bolts of plasma energy randomly at its mass causing the demon amusement more than anything intact causing it to form mouths from its writhing surface eating up what it could.

"IS THIS THE MIGHT OF MAN" is sinister voice boomed as Steve thought he could here it coming from inside his head too.

"Try his missile then foul scum of Satan and call me in the morning" sentinel taunted launching a missile shaped lunaruim container at the devourer causing it to happily chomp it up