Chapter Four

Our latest mission had taken us to the planet known as the Utika Protectorate had originally been to find a mission Judge who had been employed by Omni. Along the way we managed to run into a contracted high powered team of paranormals intent on capturing Nialla. Now sadly what had brought about this situation had eventually become clear the problem was one that was not likely to dissipate anytime in the near future. In the end I was able to negotiate a cease of hostilities and even with the aid of the new investigation team known as Star Phoenix locate the Judge. In the end not bad for a day that had started then restarted becoming more hectic and perilous all the while. We even threw in the Judge’s wife and children for good measure as they were all being hunted by the local Red Menace and were preparing to drop them off on a new planet where they could make a fresh start. Now was it really just that simple well almost but I will add a few details to paint a more clear picture.

I had last left off with my new companions of Star Phoenix and together we had been engaged in a bit of shall we call a violent conflict of interest over something valuable. The conflict was that they had wanted to kidnap Nialla and had been forced to rethink their options. So obviously I was interested in making sure they did not try what they had attempted to do again so I was of course interested.

Suffice to say Nialla had been robbed of her power cosmic or magic as some prefer to call it and the figure whose name still is up for grabs who wore an impressive had who I shall call for now Topper had been just ripped from her body by yours truly. Now robbed is actually the best word for Nialla had been for a moment controlled and forced to expel all of her magic into a nearby tower which had exploded. Topper had proceeded to merge his form with Nialla as once she was controlled an aura of allure had erupted from her causing him to act so possessively of her as to merge with her.

Just a quick word on Nialla who at the time resembled what might be called a Succubus and whose physical and inherent abilities had most in awe and love or perhaps for some lust was indeed a sight to behold. I knew that even though she looked different she was still underneath her new form she was still a woman who I loved. I also knew that she had used the power cosmic to change herself into this new form and that if I drew the attention of Cosmic Entities whose names I shall not mention then with the power she was displaying she was opening herself and by default the rest of us to eventual cosmic dangers.

So I had held back and watched as my allies battled the remaining conscious members of Topper’s team who I knew were being controlled. Then the moment I had been anticipating arrived and Topper tried to gain control of me the way he had Nialla figuring I would be an easy target. Nothing could be further from the truth for I had heightened my senses to a level where any dangers around me became apparent moments before they occurred. I had simply by the power of thought not been where Topper expected me to be or anywhere in his range. No of course there was a little more to it than that as I had divided my consciousness into three identical forms so I had an additional advantage I could exploit.

It was with that in mind that I had used my connection to all forms of energy as I had departed to the nearby white star and communicated via the very light that shown in the area I had departed. I know I have not spoken about my abilities much and in the past I have been called an elemental force by the unenlightened. Perhaps from a certain point of view that might be true but I am also so much more than that so much so it perhaps defies description suffice to say I realized the consequences of my actions and leave it at that. In other words I tried to be careful with the actions I took as you never know who may be watching a lesson I realized I should have talked to Nialla about. It was via my communication thru energy therefore that I connected back to Topper and gave him a chance to save face and withdraw.

Purple Puma had created communicators for all of us which I took as they had for the moment not posed any danger to me or the others. I had not yet picked mine up so I had communicated to the Purple Puma Ship to relay my communications to my companions. They of course wanted Topper to surrender and I was able to convince them not with emotion or charm but cold logic that they were only an obstacle sent by another and we had actually came to the planet with a entirely separate cause in mind. Star Phoenix and Topper therefore agreed and Topper asked for two seconds and he would depart with his entire team and agree to leave this planet to us.

Of course we also learned that he had been hired and was not willing to be paid off as the others had wanted me to ask. Seriously back in my past I would have taken the same approach which is I am sure why I suggested it to begin with. Topper had claimed to now know who was controlling his companions but he also stated that he had been hired to give them extra firepower. He had then proceeded to see to and calm his companions and within the agreed upon two seconds departed using an Apokoliptian Boom Tube vanish from the planet.

With that dealt with Purple Puma summoned the Puma Mobile and we boarded while the mobile activated its cloaking device which rendered us invisible and we were off the Tower. The same Tower that had exploded after receiving all of Nialla’s magical energy while storing it for the use of the Red Menace. Meanwhile Purple Puma, Maiyar and Spectraman and his twin moved by various methods of stealth into the Tower. I had resumed my solitary form and enhanced all of my other physical senses of sight, sound, hearing and smell so that I could keep up with them and keep a watchful eye for anything that might appear dangerous before it became so.

I know I have said it before but alas I can never say it enough what a rush it was to enhance my physical senses. I could literally see everything within seventy miles of me in every direction at once. Now it might have been perhaps better if I had not been sitting in a car with Nialla while she was still physically jacked up as it were. I was have such difficulty that I had to change cloths and I stripped in the car out of my black skin tight battle suit and changed into my khaki attire. To be honest it did not really help and so I tried eating something from my meal pack which had the ability to taste like anything one desired. Looking back I really need to stock up on something a little stronger than water for the future but I will leave that story for another time.

Inside the tower Purple Puma had found one dead Gandian at the controls of the magical energy storing device. There were six others inside the facility and each one of them I suddenly realized upon seeing them that they each were moments away from doing something that could be cataclysmic. In other words they were all scared and any of them at any moment could have tried to activate the energy in their defense or offense and instead possibly blow up the entire city. I of course shared that information and Spectraman and his twin acted by jointly teleporting all of the personnel away from the building into a nearby holding facility. I of course was busy studying the technology that looked part Apokoliptian and part something else which I could not determine from so far away.

As if reading my mind Spectraman had returned to the Puma Mobile and transformed back into George before cloaking before my eyes and telling me he was going to investigate the magical holding facility and to keep an eye on him. I had of course told him of course and good luck. Now that might have been a much smoother transition if before making the request which had started with Spectraman who had called me Nova. Something that since we were now all using the Pumacators as I had resumed a physical form was overheard by the Purple Puma. I will admit while I had believed George to be the very same George and Spectraman I had know in my recent past on Earth if I had any remaining doubt then it was in that moment erased forever.

So I watched as I alerted the others that the authorities and relief services were arriving that it was a good time to depart. Purple Puma faded and instead moved to the new target that Nialla had previously identified which just so happened to be the Mayor of the City. I had mentioned it because I could see him and he looked worried. Sadly he had reason to be for even while Nialla had said she wanted to as Purple Puma had said mind rape him she was cut short as Purple Puma had arrived and proceeded to slash the Mayor literally in half before he could even say a word. Perhaps it was the custom slightly Apokoliptian magic box that he wore at his side that prompted the attack and for what it was worth the Mayor was obviously immortal for otherwise he would have been most assuredly dead.

So while the Purple Puma mobile activated a healing ray upon the Mayor Maiyar had waited behind in order to be seen by the arrived authorities before vanishing to rejoin us within the Purple Puma mobile. I had of course offered to share my meal with both Nialla and Maiyar but they both had politely declined. I guess I eat when I am nervous which of course something I enjoy and Spectraman’s idle comment had me on edge. Then there was of course Nialla asking if I cared for any milk with my meal which was as we were alone in the mobile with the exception of Maiyar was an offer that I could not refuse but that is moment best left in private for now.

George had been for some time been interfacing with the containment facility and from the look on his face I knew he was enjoying himself and I hoped also gaining valuable information at the same time. Nialla had proceeded to of course mind rape the Mayor which was something that still bothered me but I was able to console myself by reminding myself that the Red Menace of which now was apparent were truly involved had destroyed her entire world and were even still milking the descendents in their never ending lust for power. The fact that they were the pawns of even more powerful entity known as Cthulhu as not lost on me either.

I had informed the others that the authorities were also connected to the Red Menace and were analyzing the area and while we had no yet been detected staying around was a sure way to change that fact. You just have to love when logic wins over desire not that I was one to talk but the idea was still a sound one. I had of course mentioned that while we still had the matter of the missing Judge to look into and I informed them I would look into the Red Menace situation in more detail. Looking back at it I should not have been really surprised by what I found and it truth I was not.

It would turn out while George and Purple Puma made their way to the home of the Judge and met his lovely clueless wife and children I found the reason behind the hiring of an outside contractor by the Red Menace. Believe it or not they had their own way of tuning into the universe. I had the ability but it was not one I paid much attention to for while I love knowing if I or my allies face any danger I really don’t like looking into the cosmos for answers. Sometimes sadly I have to admit it’s unavoidable and what I saw confirmed what Nialla had found from the Mayor’s mind during his rape. The Red Menace had been tipped off by their psychics that a mother lode of magic to great to pass up was arriving on the planet and they had taken the actions they felt necessary to acquire it.

I can’t say I had not been warned I had even warned the others when we had approached the planet. Looking back it might have been interesting to find out what the Red Menace would have done if Nialla had been an even bigger blip on the psionic magic seeking radar. I informed Nialla of my findings while Purple Puma and George prepared to track down the Judge. Maiyar was upset that the wife of the Judge had been left knowing nothing of her husband’s whereabouts and was literally at a loss of what she would do. Which prompted Maiyar in a surprisingly and unexpected act of if misplaced generosity. For he had left near her hand by teleporting out of the mobile and dropping two hundred gold on a table near her hand. She had quickly picked it up placed it in her purse and went to go clean up. Thankfully George was there to shall we say clean up the money from her purse and left behind a few credits. George like I had realized that the gold would be a sure way to track back to us if anyone were to try.

Purple Puma and George had located the Judges last known location a nearby train station and between George’s computer skills and Purple Puma’s super enhanced senses they tracked him exactly where he had departed from. So everyone rejoined us aboard the Puma Mobile and we were off. We had considered the ship but I reminded everyone one that we had never officially been seen leaving the ship and perhaps the mobile would be a better idea. It did not help that I could sense danger to us mounting as the local authorities continued their search for us.

Meanwhile I had been keeping an eye on the Mayor who had been left behind and recovered by emergency services. The surgeons were of course surprised that the Mayor was even still alive much less breathing and talking. Sadly I had to inform the other of what was happening so that Nialla could alter a few of his recollections of the events that had landed him in the cities medical facilities. It was a hard choice but the Red Menace had already proven they were evil and malicious and therefore I was able to accept what had to be done. So even before the Plexis Rangers who were being called in for back up support could arrive we were arriving in a new city. Granted after breaking the sound barrier in the Puma Mobile might have alerted someone eventually I had planned to have our situation resolved before they had the chance to further narrow their search.

With the new data at hand and being in the right city it was easy with my senses enhanced sense to find the Judge. Once I had I even chose to alter my form into a modified quantum scope in order for Nialla to perceive what I had seen and to as you might have already guessed perform her mind rape. Now when I say altered I mean just that for while I have the ability to alter my physical form into almost anything I wish I actually happen to love my own form and I had learned long ago that one’s sense of self was essential to maintaining one’s sanity. I had asked the other to look away and of course the only one who would not was Maiyar and so Nialla was able to make the mental contact she needed and I resumed my natural form. For the record I will tell you I had become the most attractive quantum scope you could imagine.

The rest was clean up for while the Judge had fallen in with armed rebels since he had felt that he was a wanted man and he had been right. Nialla had already found out from the mind of the Mayor that he was already on his list and if the Mayor’s people had him then his days would have indeed been numbered. I of course suggested that we take the Judge and his family with us away from this world where he was outnumbered and outgunned. In the end it would be our duty to report back to Omni that they need not pay twenty five thousand credits in insurance to his widow as we had found him. Truly she was happier to see her husband alive and their family reunited and free of Utika. Regarding Omni we did not need or were we required to tell them where we found the Judge as one never knew if the Red Menace had already infiltrated Omni.

In the end there had been a few touch and go moments but the two hundred gold would soon be converted to credits and given as a gift to the Judge and his family. Nialla had magically erected shields to conceal her new form and cloak her magic. I knew it might be for naught as she had seemed to become addicted to the power cosmic and while that was an addition I had never shared I knew addiction when I saw it and it was written all over her amazing new body. George’s memories were returning and I would have to deal with that as I could not just ignore it if he brought it up. Purple Puma’s computer if it was anything like I expected it to be would be relaying similarities between Starchilde and Liquid Nova. For the most part I was safe in that regard for none of them had ever seen my true form which I now proudly sport as Starchilde. On the other hand my abilities and former classification as some kind of Elemental who was once part of a band of heroes known as the Wrecking Crew might give him a clue. Maiyar had show compassion and kindness for I believe the first time and I would have to see that she was rewarded in turn for even if she was a former killer she had proved she had a heart.

That of course left me to deal with my own issues of which I have many but for the moment the issues of my companions of Star Phoenix I would let come first for they all seemed with the exception of Purple Puma to have issues of their own. Purple Puma worried me and perhaps it had something to do with his ship for if I was right he too was more than met the eye and if he was not then he would actually be the only one among my new companions who was what he actually appeared to be. Logically it did not stand to reason but then again seeing how violently he reacted to even the alteration of someone’s scent it made one wonder what he was hiding. In truth it did not really matter to me who or what he was as I was no one to judge. For my part I was still on a path to redeem myself in the eyes of my Parents for the folly of my youth. Star Phoenix and I were headed to a large asteroid called Venue home of the Authorian’s and of course a new mission hopefully it would be less exciting than our trip to Utika I did not even get the chance to sample the local cuisine or any of the other pleasures of the planet.