Spacebullies Two: The Search For More Parody

Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin had been driven underground long ago, by superhuman heroes who resembled China's legendary "Water Margin" warriors. This history, like most history in the Heyho sub-reality, was only a simulation. What would become Deuce Wayans' home world began to have its own real existence around the time the Roman Empire split into western and eastern halves.

An evil spirit associated with Hopecrusher Central had hastened to assume the identity of the earth-dragon. It accepted an interim of hibernation, so it could at least have some fun before having to face the judgment of the Almighty. To its frustration, it had to wait quite a while. Cast in the role of an ancient evil planning eventually to devastate a secular, industrialized world, it was sustained by deep magma, dreaming of its eventual chance to play Godzilla with unprepared humans. Since millennia (well, virtual millennia) had passed with no super-duper menaces to this Earth-variant, the Never-Stopping Story required no metahuman heroes to save mankind in later generations. Thus, the Hopecrusher creature intended to have as much cruel fun as it could manage in such a target-rich environment, before any forces of good got around to intervening.

Scattered, rare visits to this Earth-variant by Green Flashlights had faintly unsettled Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin; but only since outside heroes had come to visit Bat-Earth by way of an upgraded Starhatch, had the demon grown halfway conscious. Maskoflage the reformed Face Twister, posing periodically as Deuce Wayans, had been quite a nudge. The activity of Green Flashlight Fojadosh had added more disturbance. When it was conscious enough to resume planning, Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin aimed its thoughts at how the collectivist movement in America could weaken mankind's ability to fight back against a kaiju.

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Heinrich Austerlund, one of several chauffeur-guards employed in rotation by Street Bat's mother Beatrice Wayans, was on an unofficial errand, by the request of the new United States Secretary of the Interior. Ladora Greeley had dated Heinrich when she was a flirtatious political intern. Since then, Ladora had manipulated her way into a post in Parks and Recreation for Minnesota, then the governorship of that state. Recently completing her tenure over the Ten Thousand Lakes, she had gained entry to Mark S. Hegel's cabinet.

And to his private estates. But back to present time for the story.

Earthquake researchers in Utah had just lately presented the Department of the Interior with seismic readings that indicated a wave-like effect, seeming to originate under China, moving in an underground arc-- somewhat like an airliner following a "great circle" route when covering a vast distance. The phenomenon stayed clear of the Earth's molten core, and was expected to emerge in Utah or Nevada. Ladora cut short a speech about jet airplanes polluting the atmosphere, to hop aboard her private jet and fly to the area of interest. Heinrich, already nearer to the probable emergence location, was rounding up journalists and emergency-response personnel, so that Ladora could look good by seeming to be on top of any crisis.

The earthquake trackers, accompanied by Heinrich, discovered that the water level in many reservoirs was dropping. This occurred hours after an equally sudden level drop in the Great Salt Lake. "Whatever it is," the youngest woman among the geologists remarked to the chauffeur- bodyguard, "I think it's close to choosing its emergence point."

Heinrich's eyes widened. "Meaning it's a living creature?"

"The others doubt me on this, but I can't figure any way a non-living tectonic surge would move near the Earth's core without sinking in. What has happened requires it to move down, then up. Only a living creature can change course in ways which are independent of gravity, or changing consistency of the medium. I don't know if other inhabited worlds exist, but what we've been tracking could as easily be extraterrestrial as any other explanation."

Heinrich's beefy, thuggish exterior didn't make him a fool. "Secretary Greeley's about to have a great big mystery on her plate."

"I hope not also a gruesome horror story."
 
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Having returned from China, Deuce joined his two closest associates in their underground labyrinth near Gossamer City. Chang-Shi Kirby and Alvin Springbuck were clad in Bat-Earth's nearest equivalent of Spartan armor in the canonical Halo game, well supplied with a variety of equipment. All three men carried electronic tablets, which received intermittent reports from Deuce's brother Ben in Colorado. Friends of friends of friends were passing news to Ben about the Department of the Interior investigating something in the states west of Colorado. If Deuce's affluent upper-class mother knew anything in this connection, she wasn't telling.

Once they had reviewed all available updates on the subterranean investigation, Deuce flew them all at super-speed to Baton Rouge, where they could access a tunnel hidden under the Arkansas-Louisiana Life Avenue. "Alvin, you have some friends at a television station in town. Leave your armor here, go see your reporter friends, and find out if they're sitting on any hot scoops about the underground whatever-it-is."

Alvin learned nothing of importance. No more detours, then: Green-Street-Lantern-Bat, or whatever he might call himself now, flew them all to Utah. No more beating around the cactus. They didn't show themselves to any officials, but were able to intercept radio exchanges involving Interior Department and public- safety personnel. Alvin and Chang-Shi mainly handled this part, while Deuce used his version of ground-penetrating radar to distinguish natural rock layers from..... the legend of the elemental Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin.

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Ladora Greeley had long been accustomed to strutting and posing as a faithful apostle of Mother Earth. She smoothly evaded questions about her endorsement of using poisonous lithium and cobalt for the batteries of supposedly nature-friendly electric vehicles. It had never occurred to her that something like an earth elemental might take her more seriously.

The ground did not exactly shake. It moved like a conveyor belt constantly changing its mind about whether to slide toward the southwest or the northeast. And then..... the ground opened like a huge toad's mouth. Because your author doesn't want to present the sort of imaginary death toll that's common to Japanese monster movies, the upward-bursting movement caused Ladora and other people to fall away from, not into, the sudden crevice. But they screamed as loudly as if they were being killed. And out came a sight incongruous for the American West: the sort of pseudo-moustached monster common in classical Chinese art.

Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin exhaled a gigantic burst of white-hot flame, such as should have cooked people alive who were anyplace nearby; but no humans or animals in the affected area suffered more than the equivalent of a mild sunburn. Even vegetation was only partially scorched. But all of these non-player characters vaguely sensed that they ought not to press their luck. They even found the good sense not to run straight ahead of the monster, which of course would have kept them in its path. Instead, they peeled off, right and left, and got out of the way altogether.

The exception was Ladora Greeley, Secretary of the Interior. Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin dipped its head to rest on the ground close to her. With her long auburn-ish hair stirring in the wind, she drew nearer to the earth-dragon. "I sense an intersectional intersection," she told the monster. "You and I will direct the nurturing of nature." She saw that part of the top of the dragon's head formed a space between horns: a spot where she could sit and hang on, unlikely to fall off. The dragon's head rose, and then the whole dragon rose, carrying her in what she suddenly understood was a course toward an oil-field region.

Things fell into place for Ladora. Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin was going to destroy refineries which belonged to American energy companies. But it would spare similar installations belonging to U.C.C.R. interests-- which had illegally donated to Mark S. Hegel's presidential campaign, while claiming that Mark's opponent was the one really accepting foreign money.

Deuce Wayans' mother Beatrice had also donated to President Hegel's campaign; but the expectation of Wayans family assets being spared was no comfort to Street Bat; he realized that the narrative-softening good luck of people not being burned to death might not extend to Americans who were offstage. It was time for him and his assistants to do some flying themselves.

All three men were equipped with jet packs, which postponed a public revelation of Street Bat being also a Green Flashlight.
 
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I remind readers that "Yorkborough" is this Earth-variant's version of New York City, and was in the forefront of creating the Life Avenues. About two days before Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin surfaced, The Yorkborough Life Avenue was visited by Troy Lauderville, Mark Hegel's White House Chief of Staff. No city-level functionaries were told explicitly why Troy was here, but he made no secret of the fact that he was touring the two very large senior- citizen dormitories. In these relatively-tall structures, elderly persons were warehoused: being kept alive while the Department of Domestic Order surveyed the general population...... concerning whether citizens too old to work were deserving of indefinite sustenance.

"How are we feeling today, Missus Okpara?"

The eighty-something resident stared past Troy and mumbled, "Ibrahim, are the kids back from school yet?"

It's probably not logical to set one-size-fits-all cutoff ages for men and women, Troy thought, let alone a single cutoff age for both sexes. We won't put any of this in the media, until we see if young citizens consider old people a burden.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Forward in time again: Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin, in its peculiar way of communicating, told Ladora that it was aware of a government official who "had the right attitude." Ladora gradually felt the elemental beast remembering bronze-age China. Humans in that place and time had been a much thinner population; Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin had not minded humanity existing, but had felt that it should be the one to decide how many humans should be running around. This had led to its (unsuccessful) clash with Bat-Earth's early superheroes.

The earth-dragon perceived an ally in Troy Lauderville. It and Ladora would be contacting him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As surely as the Chinese elemental monster sensed the D.D.O. bureaucrat on his errand in Yorkborough, so a ravishingly-gorgeous golden- blonde non-Earth human woman sensed the elemental monster entering the Nevada of Bat-Earth. Deezla Vozard was a Heart Sapphire Sister..... who had arguably done more damage than any other gem-bearer during the gigantic interference committed on Jersey Earth. Deezla's home planet had long been under the sway of population- control enthusiasts; and on the Earth of Trace Dickey and John Stewmeat, she had enacted what her college had taught her. Coming upon senior citizens in nursing homes, she had played God: painlessly terminating those who had sunk into senile dementia.

The unelected regime of Deezla's world (a world long influenced by Highfyver of New Laziness) had programmed her not even to consider lengthening the lives of such persons; not to consider curing their senility so they could enjoy more time with their loved ones before moving on to the afterlife. When she finally grasped what she had been doing, she had become as penitent and contrite a sinner as the universe had ever seen. Informing her that all of her victims were safe in His presence, the Almighty had forgiven her..... and had not needed even to hint to her what should come next.

Spending time in the Star Wars-derived sub-reality, notably on Planet Kummanokkin, Deezla had poured herself into extending life and relieving pain. Contact with Banjolorians had improved her appreciation of individual value.

Which made her specially sensitive to any collective consensus which violated the dignity of individuals.

And across hundreds of parsecs, Deezla knew that Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin and Mark S. Hegel must be thwarted.
 
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Diving-- merging --into the ground again, under western Nebraska, the earth-dragon again made Ladora immune to being pulverized or asphyxiated. It made the politician aware of tunnels in this region, and the tunnels carried an aura of, oh yuck, noble virtue and goodness. Ladora didn't know what Green Flashlights were, but Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin was feeling a trace of Green Flashlight Fojadosh Ludping, who had created this tunnel for Street Bat's use.

The ancient horror now did what amounted to saying: Do you possess means of recording visual images?

"Yes, my smart phone still has 81% charge remaining. But it's dark in here."

Not a problem. I can generate a nice and hellish red light for your picturing. Afterwards, I will transport you to wherever you believe you can find authority figures who are of like mind with you. Then you can inform them of this hidden passageway. They in turn can declare publicly that unruly, disobedient humans are trying to overthrow your society.

Ladora grinned in the darkness, then took her photos. "This will be enough to let us accuse anyone of mutiny whom we want to get rid of."

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Deezla Vozard was flying at least as fast as a Star Trek ship doing Warp Seven. As she went, she was mentally hailed by the elusive Master Yoga-Rug, native of Toofah-Roff, sometime hermit of Nagobah.

"Promising child, I perceive your situation. I can give you an extra resource for your mission. I have been a party to changing evildoers into good persons." Deezla felt sudden warmth. Yoga-Rug added: "You now have the power, one time, to purge out all wickedness from a person's mind and spirit. It isn't that easy on Original Earth, but it will work for you in this plot arc."

"Thank you, honored mentor of heroes!" Deezla was further emboldened for her mission, even though the readers would have to wait to find out who would get converted to goodness on Bat-Earth.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The pampered politician found it surprisingly natural to converse with a behemoth of darkness and chaos. Fin-Zin-Chin-Pin told her calmly about the ancient superheroes who had taught it that it wasn't omnipotent. And if it had anything in common with mortals, it was that it liked anyone who flattered it. Ladora had decided that the dragon was like an undecided voter in downtown Minneapolis.

"Don't be hard on yourself, Zip-Chip. You probably were blindsided; you didn't realize how hateful those ancient Nazis were."

What is a Nazi?

"Anyone who disagrees with us."

When they discovered one of Deuce Wayans' multiple Bat Cave equivalents, the monster told her: There is a compartment over here. Human garments are stored in it, made to fit a muscular human male. Each outfit includes a long cape.
 
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ON THE FRINGE OF THE "DUNE"- DERIVED SUB-REALITY: >>>> Since we last saw the speedster Giles Magg on Planet Bakwudza, he and Sub-Chief Punchout's desert-warrior squad on Bakwudza had repelled a determined Wendigo assault on the town of Toehold. The Srirachian veteran Punchout was the only man in his contingent carrying a raygun, since tactical conditions within the Galactic Empire favored bullet-guns. But the Fremen-counterparts _had_ at least been able to put the predators off balance by numerous bullet impacts to their heads, enabling Punchout to choose his energy-weapon kill shots. (Glancing beam-hits had not been enough to kill them; direct hits were necessary.)

Councilwoman Sally Porter had urged the construction of simple flamethrowers to combat the Wendigoes. Only one flamethrower was completed before the monsters attacked, but that one slew five of the evil bipeds. Punchout's laser took out eight more of the people-eating beasts. All that time, Giles had kept on racing around the perimeter, knocking down every Wendigo that was close to claiming a defenseless victim (just as he had previously rescued colonist Henry Daikoza). When the dismayed surviving monsters fled, Giles had still not been able to kill one himself; but he had thwarted all of _their_ attempts to kill humans. Which was enough to cement his popularity in Toehold.

No humans died. Some were wounded; but no, they did not change into Wendigoes.

Before the murderous magical primates could work up the nerve to attempt a new onslaught, two friendly non-Jalapeno-dependent starships arrived. one was Groan Starr's own Selenium Falcon; accompanying Groaner were his wife Princess Vixen and his niece Gladiola Ashtrayides. The other, larger ship was the Resolute Hound, commanded by Ulysses Bardette, with a copilot named Zorvita; they brought along Captain Kracknuk of the Ashtrayides army, with a squad of Ashtrayides soldiers. Gladiola, via Penny Jezebel- type foresight, had let her uncle know that they needed to bring energy weapons.

Once on-planet, Gladiola exerted her clairvoyance further, naturally focusing on where the furry aggressors originated. After half an hour of trying, she told the following to her own companions, and to Sally, Giles, Kracknuk and Ulysses:

"Those monsters are called Wendigoes. They are sapient, they are in fact supernatural, and they are consciously wicked. They came into existence on an Earth-variant which has powerful protectors of its own. Those protectors are mighty enough that the Wendigoes were always forced to keep a low profile. When hyperspace travel to _this_ planet became possible for them, they grabbed the opportunity. A chance at victims who would be unprepared to deal with them. I, for one, will not grieve if they all get exterminated."

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After the ships had scouted and ascertained that the Wendigoes were far away, and after wounded person s had been treated, Gladiola exerted her Jalapeno power again. "There are people who have a self-serving interest in the Wendigoes."

" 'People,' meaning maybe the Hotblood Matrons?" asked Zorvita.

"Correct," replied Gladiola; and Giles added: "I was with heroes from one of the Earth-variants in an action against the Matrons. The ambition of those grossly selfish women has no restraint. But please continue, Gladiola."

Gladiola looked at the clone of her grandfather. "Some of them are on another Empire world, one called Vojodren. And you remember the discovery of Starhatches? One of those is on Vojodren; and another one is _here_ on Bakwudza. These Matrons didn't bring the Wendigoes from their Earth-variant, but they saw the monsters a useful weapon to conquer _this_ planet. The Hotbloods on Vojodren have allies, whose identities I haven't sensed yet."

Groan Starr, in his turn, tried reaching out with his Fuss intuition. "I'm not picking up as much as my niece did, but some _names_ have come to my mind. There's a Mentalcat named Piper Dizeeze. There are military-grade robots, called 'Ironhides.' Two of the Hotblood Matrons on Vojodren are named Narzississa and Robjendra; Narzississa is the elder of the two. Narzississa only recently decided to work with Mentalcat Dizeeze."
 
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The frontier planet Pointfar was on one edge of the former Calamari empire, but not close to Vojodren or Bakwudza. Around the time when Groan Starr and family joined Giles Magg on Bakwudza, two nieces of General Alec Hurdygurdy landed on Pointfar in the non-Jalapeno-dependent starship Careful Hand, about the same size as the Selenium Falcon but with much more armament. Valluree and Vallurah brought along a Chimpanzian who was known to Groan Starr: Hadrianus Tolpin, a transportation overseer for his people. Hadrianus was involved with Chimpanzian efforts to produce home-designed airplanes, and would avidly study atmospheric flying craft on any industrialized world he had the chance to visit.

Green Flashlight Sheckmarosh, a centauroid stallion from Planet Hoofmark who had facilitated scientific education for the closely-related Jinobridon people, was currently on Pointfar to help guard it against evil robots, assisted by a battalion of long-armed Ziblamot soldiers borrowed from the Second Galaxy. After an initial conversation with Hadrianus, Sheckmarosh said to the beautiful (by human standards) twins:

"The Janitors of the Universe, who observe the galaxies _very_ meticulously, have informed me that none of the ancient evil robots are in a position to menace Pointfar very soon. At the same time, some _different_ evil robots are threatening the zone of space where Groan Starr and Giles Magg are. If you can stay in this star system for a while, your addition to Pointfar's overall security will make me more free in conscience to go and assist Groaner and Giles. The danger _they_ face is more magical than anything likely to come against _this_ colony, so it's well for me to go to Groaner's aid for a while. Green Flashlight energy is marginally magical, thus able to combat the evil afflicting Bakwudza."

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \

Vixen Starr-Ashtrayides, as she was called when the point was to affirm her sworn union with her husband, was a superb markswoman with anything like a rifle. Groaner was not intimidated by her; his Fuss power could have both foretold any hostile intent from her side, and blocked her shots if she had for any reason tried to shoot him. But it did give him peace of mind about her safety when he had to be away from her.

The royal couple had befriended a teenage boy named Jebragoth, who was deeply familiar with the terrain in a 25-mile radius from Toehold. He guided the Starrs on an independent patrol. Being a smart kid, he said to Groan and Vixen before they set out: "I own a bullet-rifle sufficient to deal with most normal animals. I realize that it can't kill a Wendigo; but since _you_ can kill one, my having my rifle, _pretending_ that I don't realize its futility, may set the monsters up to be fatally surprised after I seem to be the one foolishly underestimating the danger."

In keeping with Jebragoth's idea of a setup, they advanced along the bottom of a long ravine, absolutely _inviting_ a Wendigo to spring upon them from above. As they went, Vixen played especially dumb, pretending not even to realize that it would be _possible_ for them to be killed.

Their simulated unreadiness evoked _genuine_ unreadiness in the _three_ Wendigoes perched on one high edge of the ravine.

When the creatures leaped, Jebragoth reflexively fired at the first one to jump, while Vixen reflexively fired her plasma carbine at the largest one. This largest Wendigo hit the ravine floor with its head cooked. The one the boy had shot was unhurt; but both it and the third monster were _stopped_ in midair by Fuss levitation, struggling vainly to escape what had snared them.

As has been said before, Fuss users could not read minds like reading a text word-by-word; but they could perceive tendencies or moods in the minds of thinking beings. "They are not redeemable," said Groan Starr quite solemnly; "they have no conscience. Therefore--" Having learned that suffocation could kill them, he executed a Fuss choke which soon made them non-alive. Then he let them drop to the ground, once he, his wife and their guide were out from underneath.

No more than three minutes later, a clamor of roaring and screeching came to their ears. "They must have something like down-side powers," Vixen muttered tensely. "Some of them have _sensed_ that we killed these fuzzies."

"All right: now for a fighting retreat. Jebragoth, don't hesitate to tell me anything useful your hunting skill suggests. Vixen, be ready to shoot any new playmates. They might start hurling boulders; I can deflect those, but this might leave me not noticing ground-level movement."

The Wendigoes must have been smart enough to realize that their most dangerous single enemy on Bakwudza was here. They circled around each flank; more hurled rocks needed to be fended off; and the monsters got smart enough to show their heads only for very short moments. Vixen's plasma weapon inflicted serious burns on six monsters, but none immediately fatal. One flying rock, part of a larger volley, got past Groaner's defense, and hit his right collarbone at half speed. He didn't collapse, but the others had to slow their own retreat to stay with him.

_Before_ the desperate-last-minute-needing-cavalry-to-arrive had come...... the cavalry arrived anyway. Almost literally cavalry, since Hoofmarkians had horse-like bodies. Fierce green beams thrust into the Wendigo ranks. Sheckmarosh had been briefed by the Janitors that these beings were beyond redemption, and he was allowed to kill them. Right when entering atmosphere, not waiting to call Sally Porter or Giles Magg, he pulverized every Wendigo he could see.

When the Starrs and their local guide were safe, Sheckmarosh landed and introduced himself. Groaner and Vixen already knew of the existence of Hoofmarkians, but had not known Sheckmarosh personally.

"Prince Groan Starr, let me form an energy-cast to immobilize your damaged shoulder. _Other_ foes, not magical but smarter than these brutes, might hyper-jump to this planet any time now."
 
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On an unremarkable Imperial planet named Fectalim, one which had accepted Stillneater Ashtrayides' offer of collective emancipation, a dozen Hotblood Matrons had gathered for wicked purposes, with a regiment's worth of Imperial army veterans who had formerly served with Colonel Gruntygoon. The most senior Matron present was named Koridmi; she had been part of the assault on Planet Gumwad, which had been foiled largely by Seedubb heroes including Spiderweb-Man and Cyberdork.

"You will understand that the men and I have misgivings about accepting robots as co-belligerents," muttered Major Takamura Jamison. "We know the remote but still relevant history of evil robots trying to exterminate humanity. What is to be _gained_ by lining up with a new generation of war-fighting robots?"

Koridmi nodded. "I understand, believe me. We Hotblood Matrons have our own history of staying alive in the face of the robot menace. >We< knew about them for generations before the Imperial court on Lousy Sekondhanstor even guessed that any evil robots remained active. But all of our clairvoyance testifies that Piper Dizeeze has eluded the pitfalls of artificial- intelligence design. _His_ robots will obey him. Not only are they _not_ free-willed, but each of them runs random diagnostics on others, to head off any deviation before it starts."

Takamura Jamison didn't look very reassured. "All right, the Mentalcat's robots won't mutiny against him. But what if he orders them to kill us?"

"He won't; he has no incentive to betray us. He hates the new constitutional system as much as you and I do. He wants to return to the days of privilege, domination and hereditary power. And..... my clairvoyance informs me further that someone of the Ashtrayides bloodline is on Bakwudza. Any hostility Piper Dizeeze may feel toward adherents of the ex-Emperor will vanish when set beside his hatred for House Ashtrayides."

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \

On an extremely remote space station which did not need any air inside it, an evil robot called 82741-53302 digitally conversed with an identical robot called 90003-68718, as follows......

82741-53302: I have begun surveying remote observation posts in regions where there has been no activity of interest to us in the last 800 years. Two planets have now come to my attention: Vojodren, with a stable human presence, and Bakwudza, where humans are in an early stage of occupation. There are not sufficient sensor arrays usable to us to confirm where the humans on those two planets were located before travelling to their current habitats; but there is a 72% probability of a Mentalcat being active on Vojodren. And on Bakwudza, erect-walking flesh- beings of an unfamiliar species recently arrived from an unidentified starting point.

90003-68718: Do the unclassified creatures appear to possess their own resources for galactic transit?

82741-53302: No evidence of such capability on their part is forthcoming. But there is an aura accompanying them, what some humans call "magic." Estimate 36% probability that this energy field had a causal connection with their appearance on Bakwudza.

90003-68718: Is there evidence of the newcomers possessing relevant technology for hyperspace travel?

82741-53302: Negative; nor any sign of their possessing military technology.

90003-68718: Is there evidence of friendly interaction by the new creatures with humans?

82741-53302: Insufficient data.

90003-68718: Recommend space-folding excursion to determine if unknown beings should be exterminated.
 
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DEFINITELY PAST TIME FOR MORE ACTION ON PUNKSTEEMA!
SO LET'S REVIEW RECENT EVENTS THERE.

Count Omar MacFrancis, current leader in a rotation for Silnarp, is on speaking terms with Jaheg-Jorod, and knows all about the development of "rattle-guns" which use "cannonpowder." Neridim Yubiwaza, artisan for the corrupt House Burakarut, is in charge of the development.

The necromancer's attention was recently fixed on interfering with telegraph lines, notably in Bavrid, figuring to "edit" messages.

Field-Master Nefekor of the Samplibami Shogunate Army is now a Towerman, thus able to injure weapon-resistant monsters with ordinary attacks. He, and several Tengu, have helped out the Tagdossans and Flodmarthers (west of Samplibam) by cutting short an incipient plague of werewolves.

Near the end of a globe-circling journey with Wyatt Hickok, Frethric Belgus, a native of the southern continent, was badly wounded while defending Perdida Fortescue's merchant ship against pirates from the Fishing Line Islands. Captain George Rothermill of Tablanor organized a punitive naval expedition against the pirates, which can be assumed to have broken the power of the maritime criminals. Frethric will be in Vodranor (a friendly neighbor country to Tablanor), getting serious about learning to use the "claw-sword."

In the open country someplace west of Samplibam, Jonawiku the ronin (who also has Towerman anointing) acquired a collie-like stray dog, naming her Fish Hook. They were joined by Dijimoyat, a male Tengu.
 
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In Bavrid, Wyatt Hickok, with Ilya and Lagmarosk, had engaged the father-and-son mountain guides Shugdil and Shugsem for an independent inspection tour, with the consent of local authorities. None of the three Towermen was an expert mountain climber, but the Loi-Bavrid wire-layers had not gone out of their way to make any part of the wires inaccessible. The guides helped them to follow the routes paralleled by the lines. Lagmarosk had never seen anything like the sturdy fruit-bearing vines which hung down most cliffs; Shugdil explained to him that the fruits on these vines were the most important of plant-based foods in Loi-Bavrid cuisine.

It required more than a tenday-- even with Shugsem leading Wyatt along some paths while Shugdil guided Ilya and Lagmarosk on others-- for Wyatt to become virtually positive that Jaheg-Jorod had not physically sabotaged or magically disrupted the telegraph connections. "But he could cast some kind of spell on the sending-and-receiving offices."

This discussion taking place over a camp supper, Shugdil replied, "If our enemy wants to confuse our communication, he might simply ensorcell the operators. But I'm not aware of any Loi-Bavrid operator showing strange behavior."

With no comprehensive solution forthcoming, the two guides asked to hear more about the Towermen's adventures. Wyatt accordingly related how his party had fought against an undead outbreak on the Wellvernian continent; how, later, they had been treacherously arrested by Chieftainess Grenlu Avireska of Quelidar, the enemy of the inventor Jizbrol Tazaff-- and then had been rescued by resourceful friends.

The fact that the Frantic Druids entered into the account suddenly induced Shugsem to say: "Oh! Maybe we haven't uncovered sly tampering with the telegraph lines --because nothing was done that we would recognize as tampering. We've heard speculations that the necromancer is open-minded to using science in addition to magic, whereas the Frantic Druids hate science. It might be that the Frantic Druids don't know what's good for their cause; therefore, Jaheg-Jorod might resolve to help them whether they like it or not-- by passing facts to them which he picks up from telegrams between good people and other good people."

Young Lagmarosk was the next to perk up. "So maybe some folks like William Seldunin should send real-seeming false telegrams to confuse Jaheg-Jorod."

"They themselves can decide if they want to do that," said Wyatt. "I think we need to seek guidance as to where we personally should be going next, once Frethric is fully recovered. Last we heard of, Mister Jizbrol was beyond the pole, and had some contact with the Samplibami."

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

In the wild lands east of Lower Wenzeppu, the ambitious merchant Victor Shelsidan was with Captain of Skilled Labor Jarsken Bowdrie, and Gamble Tarmo who was the best marksman in Veskamet Jolut's Loi-Jeltua airship crew. They were dwelling with members of a prairie tribe whose name for themselves was The Snow Drinkers. Though not inhabiting the frigid latitudes, they had no mountains interposing against cold air masses coming down from the far north, so things were often hard for them. Before the Cloud Wagon had flown off toward Gahurr, the whole crew had assisted with ensuring supplies of meat and firewood for the Snow Drinkers. Thereafter, thanks to Victor knowing enough of the tribal tongue to get by in the absence of language-crossing magic, the three travelers had begun a mutually profitable project: to create a trading post, such as Prince-Consort Felipe of Mifdola had already brought about in the land corridor between Jeltua and Mifdola.

An important dialogue had preceded the beginning of this work: Victor speaking with the local headman, whose name would translate as Crouching Archer, indicating his preferred posture for shooting arrows. Part of their talk had gone like this......

ARCHER: So how did Chieftain Felipe persuade the Sledge Nomads to accept a palisaded camp for trade being built on their land?

VICTOR: By an arrangement of time, not of place. The trading post is manned by Mifdolans or Loi-Jeltua only at times when their presence does not interfere with the Nomads' hunting and woodcutting. This was determined with many Sledge Nomad elders being heard.

ARCHER: Do you intend to offer the same arrangement to us and our kindred clans?

VICTOR: I do not think it will be needed hereabouts. Unlike the Sledge Nomads, your people dwell on open ranges. No single pathway or valley is the only route you can take when hunting, foraging, logging, or mining copper.

ARCHER: Have you discussed selling them guns?

VICTOR: Not yet, but this might arise after another year or two.

ARCHER: And what about us?

VICTOR: Your people are far more peaceful than the Nomads have been. If the trading post here succeeds, we might feel safe with selling you simple types of guns. One advantage in your case is that the copper you mine can be made into musket-balls for your guns to shoot. If you make enough of those, you may be able to sell them for your own profit.

ARCHER: Very well. This is a good beginning. Since you speak of copper, perhaps you and Jarsken would be willing now to inspect our mining pits, and suggest ways to improve the smelting.

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

The search party from Samplibam still was hunting for signs of Neridim Yubiwaza from House Burakarut, the craftsman who had built the first "rattle-guns," intended to be sold to enemies of the Shogunate. Jonawiku, son of Mofiruzo, who had served House Burakarut until the Burakaruts revealed themselves to be as corrupt as the Hayatebas, was pursuing his own search, many miles south of Nefekor's main party. With him were the Tengu Dijimoyat, and the collie-like she-dog Fish Hook. {If I ever said that someone else had accompanied Jonawiku in his detour to the south, assume that this man is tarrying in a populated area to make inquiries.}

Eventually, Dijimoyat flew north temporarily, to exchange updates with the larger team. When he rejoined Jonawiku, it was to report the following:

"Field-Master Nefekor has had a dream. In this dream, he spoke with the Colorless Quetzalcoatl, the reptilian demigod who restored the life of the chivalrous foreigner Wyatt Hickok. The Quetzalcoatl, as you will recall, cannot resurrect persons into terrestrial existence who are all dead, but can revive some who are only mostly dead. He told Nefekor that the detestable Jaheg-Jorod changed a certain woman of this region into a ghoul-or-lich-or-whatever; but contrary to the necromancer's design, the Creator has willed it that the Quetzalcoatl can restore this woman to full humanity, so that she can make amends for an evil deed she committed. According to the dream, we will discover the rest of the necessary facts if we question a country woman whose dress is brown on one side and green on the other."

This prediction bore fruit the next day. Tengu were not unheard of in this part of Arcondoyla; so no one from the cabins in the farming hamlet panicked at the sight of Dijimoyat. He told the autonomous peasants whom they were seeking, and one old man confirmed that his own widowed younger sister, named Hislafez Gohuhal, wore a dress of green-and-brown motley.

When the Tengu was introduced to the widow, she answered his questions bluntly. In substance: "My husband only lived long enough to give me our daughter Odilladet. At least she, thanks be to the gods, was both smart and strong. My husband had taught me to use a musket, so I taught Odilladet. She took a husband, but he died in an accident. Eventually, my daughter departed on her pony, hoping to make a fortune in Silnarp-- but then she dropped out of knowledge."

Speaking for himself, Dijimoyat told her, "We have received a prophecy of sorts, which suggests that we will discover what became of Odilladet."
 
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Far from being anywhere among the Loi-Bavrid mountain ranges, or from being in Silnarp, Jaheg-Jorod was currently on the wrong continent, insofar as anyone hunting him was concerned. He was on Wellvernia, the southern continent. More specifically, he was in the Ominous Lands, much more sparsely peopled than where Odilladet Gohuhal had been born: the region where Sir Ronald of Goliad had vanquished the Wolves of the Crybabiya. In the northernmost march of the Ominous Lands, the necromancer looked to the west-by- northwest, where Punksteema's improbable atmosphere-cruising small moon was drawing closer.

Jaheg-Jorod knew that life could exist on the moon; Frantic Druids had a permanent base there. From there, they had tried to ruin the quest of the airship Queen's Favor with magical attacks of their own. Being thwarted in evil designs was an experience which the evil nature-mages and the even-more-evil necromancer shared in common. Thus, he now cast his voice into the sky.

"Mighty Frantic Druids! We each have something the other lacks. You have an unassailable stronghold in the sky, while I have access to science which could add to your strength against servants of the hated Creator. If you could bombard the world's land surface with projectiles unrelated to magic, people such as the Mellow Druids would have no defense against your shooting. Consider how I could assist you, and you could assist me......

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

Back on the northern continent, Zutozar the lady Tengu flew down to meet Dijimoyat and Jonawiku.

"I received an intuition that you are acting upon Field-Master Nefekor's dream. I believe there is greater evil to be dealt with, so I'm joining you. The rest will continue hunting for clues elsewhere."

And so, not yet fully knowing the story, the Towerman-ronin, his dog, and two Tengu, went in search of a redeemable zombie.

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

Nefekor was not left without airborne reconnaissance; he still had the Tengu Butabik and Widagro, nephews to Zutozar and the late Chatahem. The adolescent bird-beings were continuing to deepen their friendship with a wingless teenage boy, Kambijud from Flodmarth. A new carrier-kite having been constructed, one or the other of the avian siblings periodically towed Kambijud through the air, letting him gain skill at observation of terrain from above, exactly as had been done previously for Jonawiku.

Yarbeck Trask, favored henchman of Jaheg-Jorod and murderer of Loi-Tidumo sailors, had the bad luck to be steering his own Reslagorian dirigible away from Silnarp at a time when Kambijud was in a position to see the airship. As a piece of good luck for Kambijud and his friends, the sun was at their backs, and no one on the airship saw the carrier-kite. Butabik happened to be towing Kambijud at the time; Widagro grabbed the main towing line and headed them into as sharp a descent as could be done without endangering the Flodmarther lad. None too soon; one of the dirigible's crewmen had caught an unclear sight of something in the air east-away.

Once underneath the large gondola, Kambijud shouted to his winged comrades, "Can one of you carry me directly, without the kite?"

"At least long enough to get you landed safely," replied Widagro.

"Then use the tow-rope to foul the ship's rudder!"

By the time Yarbeck Trask understood that his steering was compromised, the three youths were well away, heading to tell Field-Master Nefekor that the airship was going to need to descend for a landing. The Shogun's Towerman then deployed his men to capture Yarbeck's ride.

The first intimation Yarbeck had of just how severely his luck had changed was when the first three holes appeared in the starboard side of his buoyancy envelope, instantly matched by three exit holes in the port side. Other bullets damaged the engine. The socket-bayonet-bearing bolt-action rifles carried by Shogun Wajitujit were similar to late-19th-century British Army Martini-Henry rifles on Original Earth: only holding one round at a time, but that one bullet easily loaded, very powerful, and far-traveling. Only the advantage of "cannonpowder" in the airship crew's own rifles enabled them to match range. Two of Nefekor's men were badly wounded, and were dragged into the nearest cover by their fellows.

Widagro, Butabik and Kambijud wanted to help by attacking the sky pirates from the opposite rail, but realized that they might get hit by friendly fire. While they were cautiously circling to try something else, they spotted crewmen bringing an ominous object into view.

It was a rattle-gun, which would also be provided with cannonpowder ammunition, thus also long-ranged. This could not be permitted to go into action. The three youngsters had the intelligence to figure out that the vertical magazine atop the weapon was vital to its use. All three accordingly hurled rocks at the gun, and at least one rock hit, skewing the magazine out of position.

The Silnarpian airmen were not crack soldiers. Dismayed by being unable to play their hole card, they began yelling that they wanted to give up. When Yarbeck Trask attempted to make them keep on fighting...... they slew him.

All in that instant, Jaheg-Jorod lost a valued henchman; and the design of the rattle-gun was as good as in the hands of the Samplibami.

Yet it struck Nefekor that the Colorless Quetzalcoatl, when appearing to him, had not even bothered mentioning Yarbeck Trask or the gatling-gun equivalent. So..... the matter of Odilladet Gohuhal must be EVEN MORE important than the menace of the new armament. Therefore, Nefekor placed his corporal-equivalent, a man named Chizamazo, in charge of securing the captured airship and rattle-gun, and asked Kambijud and the two Tengu to stay with Chizamazo.

Then, Field-Master Nefekor mounted his horse and rode southward, aiming to find Jonawiku, Dijimoyat and Zutazor.
 
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Jonawiku and Fish Hook proceeded on foot, as the dog busily sniffed for any unknown scent. The two Tengu cruised aloft, left and right of him, never going so far as to lose sight of him. A day, a night, and a morning passed in this way, after which Field-Master Nefekor found them. This enabled a wider search front, with Dijimoyat and Jonawiku ranging a bit farther south, Zutazor and Nefekor as much farther north.

Two days after the join-up, Zutazor dashed back to check on Chizamazo's party. They reported having met country folk who had witnessed rattle-gun practice exercises with non-living targets. Some of these locals even proved capable of minding the prisoners taken from the evil airship crew. Chizamazo was competent to follow that line of inquiry; so, after scouting nearby in case of any threat endangering this party, the Tengu matron flew to rejoin the Field-Master.

Another day passed. The next afternoon, Fish Hook alerted, indicating that her already-beloved master should follow her. Three hours later, the ronin beheld an average-looking Silnarpian woman walking southward across his field of sight. The collie-type dog behaved as if this were not an enemy. They approached Odilladet Gohuhal, for it was she.

"Odilladet Gohuhal!" Jonawiku called out in commerce language. The drab woman reacted sluggishly, but with understanding. Jonawiku cried out again: "I am a friend! I know what happened to you! I am here to help you recover your life!"

She started toward him. In response, Fish Hook trotted toward her, her crooked tail held high, not at all behaving as if this were a sort of undead person. In fact, she reared up to brace welcoming forefeet against Odilladet. And when Odilladet petted Fish Hook, the revived woman immediately looked more human.

But the lone archer had another surprise coming, as Odilladet spoke with a healthier voice:

"Where I was, at the edge of Paradise, the Quetzalcoatl gestured with one wing, and then an impossibly beautiful woman in a white robe came up to me. She introduced herself to me, then said: 'Please tell my darling Jonawiku that a distant cousin-once-removed of mine whom he only ever met once, a girl named Azellajo {accent second syllable}, whose parents later brought her out past the north end of Samplibam, dwells now a in homestead with a few other families. Three tendays from now, Azellajo will be in terrible danger. If my husband completes his present mission faithfully, there will still be time to rescue my little cousin, but he will need then to make haste. And I ask him to take you with him on this errand; it will do your soul good, and I will not be jealous.'

"Those were your wife's exact words. I cannot imagine how a criminal such as I am could give a noble-hearted lady any cause for jealousy; but I most heartily do desire to assist your next mission in any way I can." She lowered her eyes.

Jonawiku looked straight up and waved, assuming (correctly) that his wife could see him. Then he returned his gaze to his new ally. "Haruyaso the All-Maker is able to change evil into good," replied the Christian ronin. "The weapon skills you have acquired, however wickedly they were applied before your near-death, can in future days be turned against the wicked. If we can capture an intact rattle-gun for your use, you will be as good as a squad of warriors."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The Tengu had brought word to the Shogun about his men's victory in the west. Wajitujit assigned a troop of cavalry, armed with swords and the new magnum revolvers, plus a troop of mounted infantry with breech-loading rifles, to go and join Chizamazo at the site of the victory. Lord Toshiram Yagahodo, friend both to Towermen and to Tengu, led this detail, bringing along plenty of spare horses. Some of the men would hire locals to help dismantle the airship for eventual overland transport; the majority, accompanied by any available Tengu, would exploit the momentum gained for the side of good.

The Silnarpian oligarchy was about to be held accountable for its evil deeds. But a message from Jonawiku reminded Toshiram's force: Remember that NOT ALL Silnarpians are evil.

Jaheg-Jorod would have been increasing his attention to bargains with the Frantic Druids in any event; now, partly because of Yarbeck Trask's death, he discerned that Silnarp was pretty much lost to him. But he cared just enough about Count and Countess MacFrancis to pass them a warning. The crooked couple collected their family, as much treasure as they could safely haul away, and some trusted retainers, then boarded another airship to flee for parts northwest. Which left other members of the rotating Silnarpian oligarchy to surrender to Lord Toshiram. The presence of winged, bird-headed creatures made it less of a disgrace for the Silnarpians to give up.

There were no massacres, because good guys. But there was talk of reforming Silnarp's whole approach to law and order, plus talk of building relations with the also-recently-enlightened Udraskians. The chief of the Yagahodo Clan confiscated the two functional rattle-guns his men could find, and one prisoner disclosed that guard officers had escaped with at least one other.

Those who had withheld part of the new arsenal from the Samplibami had to have been experts at stealth; even the Tengu couldn't catch them. Lord Toshiram remarked to Nefekor, "We'll make sure that the Tagdossans and Flodmarthers know the danger from these new guns has not ended."

"And," Zutozar put in, "we Tengu shall follow up on related incidents. But since the snakes are out of the burrow, you need to stay ahead of them. Those who do not make a habit of oppressing the helpless, need to be adequately armed henceforth. If not all with rattle-guns, then perhaps with mortars like the one which helped to vanquish the bandits in Udraski."
 
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MAJOR CHANGE OF SCENE:

I remind readers that Tohaz, a nation on the coast of Wellvernia the southern continent, is near the lands where Lagmarosk and Frethric were born. Tohaz was where Wyatt and Ilya, with the two novices, had combated a relatively-small undead outbreak. A Frantic Druid named Star Swallower had sought to worsen the effects of this latest zombie crisis-- which, not so strangely, was one of the reasons why Jaheg-Jorod nurtured the hope of joining forces with the Frantic Druids to overthrow all of that yucky goodness. I don't recall if I said Star Swallower was brought to trial for his crimes; but if I did say so, assume that other Frantics broke him out of prison after the Towermen departed.

I have briefly established that, in the near-antarctic zone of Punksteema, there are heroes who parody Witchers in the print-and-screen franchise made popular by Henry Cavill. My derivative heroes are called Whistlers, and are of a virtuous character very compatible with Towermen and Smoke Maidens. Whistlers rarely interact with the other groups: not because of any hostility, merely a difference in preferred environments.

The nation of Tohaz is due north of part of the region frequented by Whistlers. In between Tohaz and the near-antarctic zone, I shall be introducing five neighboring modest-sized nation-states. In order from north to south, I'm calling them Austreejuntzland (with a capital called Pitcherton), Gloomenghast, Datsunsel, Shangri-Blah, and Ruffnekkia. Goliad is east of Datsunsel, sixteen days' horseback ride if sparing one's horse.

= = = = = = = = = = =

Now, here's how I give the newly-listed small nations a link with what has come before.

I remind you of Sir Ronald's friend, Brewster of Goliad. He was not a Towerman, but this doesn't require him to be a useless doofus. We pick him up as he rides west across chilly plains, heading for my version of Geralt's land of Revia in the Witcher novels. A powerful Goliadite Christian cleric named Elijah Parsifal rode beside him. Thanks to the same four guardian angels who had teleported Sir Ronald from Wellvernia to Arcondoyla years ago, Goliadites possessed some knowledge of what Sir Ronald and Sir Wyatt had been doing, and understood that all of Punksteema would be affected by a coalition between the Frantic Druids, the necromancer Jaheg-Jorod, and "regular" evildoers possessing innovative artillery.

Among dwellers in the just-named north-south stack of realms, the Ruffnekkian Whistlers were the most likely to take a global danger seriously, and the most qualified to help counteract it. Accordingly, since no telegraph lines existed between Goliad and the "stack of nations" to the west, Brewster and Elijah were traveling on behalf of Goliad's loosely-constituted guiding council, to request an alliance with the Whistlers.

= = = = = = = = = = =

Enter "THE" Whistler. Jerkysalt of Sneeziya (that being his home town within Ruffnekkia) had nothing against Goliadites, but he did not yet know that they wanted him to work with them. Just now, he was carefully moving along a precarious cliffside path, with a 200-foot drop under his feet. He was hunting for a handy generic-but-murderous monster, called a Frost Bat. When he drew near the most recent spot where a mountaineer had perished, he used his order's magical talent based on, of course, whistling. His choice of a tune was one composed to resist harm by freezing.

When the Frost Bat, a particularly large one, made its dive at him, Jerkysalt pretended to have been paralyzed by its wave of super-chilled air. Seconds before its teeth would have bitten into his flesh, the Whistler's heavy poniard (similar to the two-edged knife borne by Ronald of Goliad earlier in our saga) plunged into its throat. The monster's dying spasms toppled Jerkysalt off the ledge; but with his rapid reflexes, the hero took hold of its wing joints, and his macho strength held the wings just wide enough to slow his fall. As quickly as he could, he whistled a tune which stood for not hitting jagged rocks if one were falling.

Surviving the landing, Jerkysalt severed the Frost Bat's head, to be shown in the nearest village. On his way, he was met by his on-and-off girlfriend, the Elvish herbalist (close in spirit to Mellow Druids) Veevalamora. After they had greeted each other, um, very cordially, Veevalamora told him: "It's good that you scored a blow for mountain safety this quickly! The Goliadites are sending messengers to request aid from the Whistlers, against a major evil."


(Note to self: When I do more with my new setting, there should be a Brandon Darcy and a Marianne Bronte. Also a whining Tartarus Grunt.)
 
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Oh-kay, I need to pick up the suspended situation on Redundantworld in the Third Galaxy. I also need, very soon, to contrive another insert on Original Earth, with Monsignor Aquino and Mother Elizabeth.

Of the four super-duper-absurdly-overpowered alien races exploiting natural resources on Redundantworld _without_ so far offering any payment, the roughly bird-like Nomatterwhatlers were the first to take direct action, trying by force to stop the heroes from defending the rights of the indigenous Redundantworlders. Equivvalentor the Dragon of Reasonableness, and Adam Wornsock the mutant- slash-wizard, were in the forefront of thwarting this offensive, taking on the monster Madderdog and the tedious-cliche-power-stealing-robot Appraizalo. Black Admiral, meanwhile, gave an inconclusive setback to the super-villain Lowblow, who was in the employ of the Nomatterwhatlers.

The moderately-metahuman assassin Deathstink joined a regiment's worth of Nomatterwhatlers in an assault on some natives who were getting friendly with the heroes. Clara "Superhottie" Klint was the first top-level hero available to counter this move. The sophisticated hovering-eye energy weapons of the ostrich-like evil aliens offered enough massed fire to give the Tonkrypian beauty serious trouble; but Vidar Tree-Planter, joined by Lowerkey the good-aligned Loki-variant, came to her support. After knocking out several Nomatterwhatlers with his armored fists, Vidar engaged in a furious rematch battle against Deathstink, who eventually retreated. Lowerkey, meanwhile, cast a confusion spell on a dozen of the evil aliens, causing them to attack an equal number of their own comrades. The pressure on Superhottie was reduced enough that she could put the others to flight.

Superdude's cousin took four live prisoners from the impromptu enemy regiment, then got Lowerkey and the remotely-observing Astrosmeller to question them on various relevant subjects. In this way, they learned that the Nomatterwhatlers apparently were like the Omnipotentacons insofar as not slaughtering the weaker beings whom they-- mildly? --robbed.

Clara knew the history of her adopted Earth-variant. The America of Urth, after its colonial era, had committed some exploiting of less-powerful nations for economic advantage --but not as egregiously as these four smug alien races were doing. Third-World nations on Urth, as on Original Earth, had more than once nationalized American- originated industries, and gotten away with it.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

In a natural amphitheater in the southern hemisphere, one of the Omnipotentacons was addressing a throng of some of the _least_ intelligent Redundantworlders. The non-sexual speaker cast the gaze of its six eyes (three pairs, vertically stacked) upon its audience. It could not give them a comprehensible name for itself; Omnipotentacons named themselves with numbers in a non-ten-based mathematical system. Here is a summary of what it was telling its audience:

All of you understand by now that we Omnipotentacons have not slain any native of your planet. We have no need to do any such thing. Our kind's reproductive process is tedious and slow; our basic culture can be spread farther around the galaxy by beings who are even _partially_ assimilated into our ways. All of you already have better potential than most of the alien beings who are on your world now; if you trust us, your offspring will become as much greater than most of the present intruders as we are greater than you....."

The speaker's agenda truly was not to do any native harm. It really did have in mind to accelerate their civilizational evolution. But the Omnipotentacons _did_ have it in mind to let this world's thinking race add to the Omnipotentacon regime's overall strength. In another three or four generations, Redundantworlders could become a military force able to deal with low-level conflicts for their mentors.

No native was coerced to remain in the hollow, but only a few chose to leave. Of the majority who remained, about one in thirty eventually experienced a seriously remarkable change. Each of these had grown _one_ extra pair of eyes, placed above the original eyes. They found that they could already manage seeing with the extra eyes; that night, they would find that the new eyes could see in the dark.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The Ultraviolet Griffin was carrying three biped passengers: Rabbishop Malarkey of Planet Directvideo, with Mr. Inquiry and Father Vasili Rutintutin of Terra. Flying independently alongside the Griffin was another Directvidean: Duke Diskoduck, the cousin of Princess Vixen who had married Prince Groan Starr.

Copperfox reminds the readers that Diskoduck long ago acquired a crazy miscellaneous arsenal of odd superpowers by way of contact with two successive alien artifacts. This was why he could fly independently, although this gift never allowed him to fly a straight line with no curves, climbs or dives. At their closest pass over the Omnipotentacons' gathering, Diskoduck used the _first_ weird power he had ever gained: the power to make others hear the Dawn Sequence from "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (the "2001" theme). Before doing this, he warned the Griffin to use his own power to make himself, Vasili and Inquiry temporarily deaf. The music made everyone below them forget what they were doing.

The forgotten maker of Diskoduck's first-found artifact proved to have been mightier than the Omnipotentacons, for _even_ the six-eyed boasters were affected by the Space Odyssey theme. Their trance enabled the Griffin to take a skin sample from the alien who had been leading the meeting. The airborne good guys got away before even the mighty Omnipotentacons regained their senses. The skin sample was entrusted to The Inquiry, who began intuiting more of the nature of those boastful quasi-immortals.

Ultraviolet Griffin was convinced that the six-eyed aliens, who had been the first of the four disruptive ancient races to land on Redundantworld, were the _least_ likely to wish (let alone inflict) any harm upon the natives. But unless the offer of improving natural Redundantworlder abilities was genuine, the Omnipotentacons were no more concerned to _compensate_ the natives for the depletion of local metals than the other three outside races were. So if Inquiry's analysis of the skin sample yielded vital information, the Griffin was prepared to urge Bakerstray Bill to use this and any other intel to _beat_ the presumptuous outsiders.

When the recon team found a secluded place to land and rest, Diskoduck had one of his unguided visions of the future: "I perceive that, six and a half Directvidean years from now, Groan Starr's Kashorchekian friend Puke will _actually_ vomit for the first time in eleven of his homeworld's years."

Rabbishop Malarkey, the only being present who had the same homeworld as Diskoduck, told the others: "Whatever super-subtle race forged the first super-artifact my Duke handled, they made a hot mess of spell selection. That mark on his face activates the musical intervals."

Ever quick on the uptake, Inquiry said, "Intervals, plural?"

"That's right. Richard Strauss, the Original Earth composer, was uneven in quality. The _opening_ of his Also Sprach Zarathustra is exquisitely majestic, but all the _rest_ of that symphony is unbearably boring! I can make people hear the body of that composition starting _after_ the Dawn Sequence; once they've suffered through that, they'll usually do anything I command, rather than be forced to listen to that waste of sound waves again."

"Then why don't you hit the interloping super-aliens with it?" asked Father Vasili.

"Because if they are the cosmic Mary Sue's they appear to be, they're probably immune to it."
 
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The witch-goddess Hipstera, after the Rock of Banality brought her back from death, had been quick to relish the exciting-bad-boy aura of the smirking space-gangster Lowblow. She was glad to alert her new boyfriend when she foresaw Superdude coming for the bounty hunter. Giving Hipstera a hickey on her neck, Lowblow told her, "Hide yourself, sweet-cheeks; if Super-Doo-Doo has backup, you'll be my backup." So the evil goddess turned invisible, and waited.

When Superdude arrived, he came too fast for Lowblow to intercept in any way. In the next eight seconds, the mime-faced villain was hit six times with super-speed punches from six directions. When the Tonkrypian paused close to a flattened Lowblow, Hipstera did her bit. A major fireball hit Superdude; and being magical, it had an effect. Not the instant obliteration it would have thrust upon a plain human, but it did hurt Superdude. Most importantly, it blinded him.

Hipstera crouched, and whispered, "Lowblow, are you conscious? You said you get stronger after being hurt."

"I do, cuddly-crone, but not instantly. Can you slow him down for another half minute?"

"Of course, big boy;" and she caused chains of ice, close enough to absolute zero, to materialize all around Corky Klint's unsteady body. Then, figuring on a sudden temperature change to make her magic more painful, she created a Balrog- style flaming whip to flog him. This, too, was magical, so it really hurt. Lowblow, meanwhile, regained the energy to stand upright once more. He looked almost intact.

"Good work, sweet-cheeks. Now I can--"

What would have been Lowblow's next word was replaced by the thunderous impact-- of Superhottie hitting him feet first. "Thought I was put down, didn't you?" She exclaimed, even as her eyebeams drilled into him. Her super-cousin was catching his breath-- and got more anxious to recover when Hipstera turned her flaming whip against Superhottie. Again: magic worked against Tonkrypians.

Another magical attack was about to enter the mix. Superdude used a kick of his own to stagger Lowblow. He and his cousin should have been able to overpower Hipstera despite her magic if they worked together; but the next moment, the temporarily- forgotten Deathstink dive-bombed them on a sky-bike of his own, and struck with his _magic_ sword. This hurt Superdude worse than the flaming whip had managed.

Things might have gone badly for the two lawful-good cousins now, as Lowblow threw a backfist which dizzied Superdude. He _was_ in fact stronger than before-- but someone _else_ had magic to bring to the battle. Casting his shadow over all five combatants, Dragon Equivvalentor did his own dive-bombing. A single knuckle on his right forefoot stunned Deathstink, a wing-stroke bowled over Lowblow, and in passing his right _rear_ foot knocked Hipstera onto her fanny.

"This villain >is< one to take seriously." Equivvalentor meant Lowblow, but he was not ignoring the other two. "Since we have to be at least _reluctant_ to kill, I will transport these three to my own cavern back on Planet Anoxia. They _won't_ escape from there, especially with She-Wow making sure no other villain can get in to release them. Give Deathstink's sword to someone with the strength of spirit to master it."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Astrosmeller, maintaining surveillance, could not _see_ the just-ended clash, but he heard and understood all that was spoken; and his interstellar sense of smell could tell that the super-cousins from Urth were all right. So he put out the word to Bakerstray Bill and other leading heroes that three leading villains were defeated, but the heroes would have to do without their good-aligned dragon for an uncertain time, and without Superdude and Superhottie for at least several hours.

Bakerstray Bill, who was friendly with Equivvalentor, caught up on the whereabouts of the Slippages, the Jiangs, and the-- Colosseumusses? The Brazilian and Gurkha troops, who had volunteered for teleportation from Earth-Whichever out of loyalty to Doc Slippage personally, clearly would be the most useful if they all stayed together, and enjoyed guidance from someone who had come to know the planet. Several competent Redundantworlders, who had spoken with Equivvalentor before he flew to Anoxia, recommended a vacant spot which could be made into a fortified camp. Running the proposed field hospital would be the foremost purpose of the camp; Zoorama Slippage magically communicated with such physicians as the natives had among them, then caused her husband Kirk, Jiang Fung-Yao, and Fung-Yao's ex-War Witch wife Litzelga, to absorb knowledge of Redundantworlder anatomy and metabolism. (Author's reminder: my War Witches are a parody of Darkseid's Furies in animated stories, but are NOT at a Wonder Woman level of strength.)

Until further notice, Green Flashlight Jamsorvad would be heavy artillery for the soldiers now garrisoned at the improvised fortress, while the Thor-variant from Hallpasscard would make this location a place to check on while flying wide patrols.
 
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Black Admiral, who by now had healed from the non-fatal injuries he had suffered while fighting against Nomatterwhatlers, detected the descent of a stupendous form through the planet's atmosphere. It was the Kaijusaurus, which ought to have been dead; but Tether Zappem, which was Admiral's birth name, knew about the Rock of Banality. A gross enough evil could bring back a supposedly- kaput giant monster-- like in countless monster movies produced by Toho Studios in the original Japan.

In the true Gojira spirit, Kaijusaurus came gliding down toward the nearest thing it could see to Tokyo: a Redundantworlder city with a population above 200,000 and a few buildings as tall as fifteen floors. Black Admiral interposed himself in mid-sky, volleying electricity from both hands.

Kaijusaurus lost some scales from each stricken part of its body, and roared angrily enough to shatter numerous windows in the imperiled city, but was not intimidated. It spewed, not flame, but a caustic vapor, from its nostrils. This washed around the superhero and continued past him. Though not disabled by the attack, Black Admiral felt discomfort comparable to a sunburn. But more importantly, he realized that the vapor was not dissipating the way it should have. The demi-humanoid natives did not enjoy any organic defenses against the ranged attacks of giant monsters; and the leading wave of the burning mist would be among them before Tether could make them understand their jeopardy-- even if he didn't need to go on fighting Kaijusaurus.

Everybody on the side of good here who had leisure to speculate, believed that the four intruding alien races had imported Kaijusaurus, Aqua-Scorpion and similar large brutes in order to frighten the natives just enough, whereupon the super-aliens would remove the monsters and look like saviors. But none of the real rescuers was willing to bet that the galactic trespassers wouldn't allow some "peasants" to die first. Therefore, the good-aligned Black Adam variant kept fighting.

Super-speed punches, alternating with further lightning strikes, at least redirected the monster's focus away from increasing its toxic-fume assault. Black Admiral knew that the cosmic beast was not unkillable, but there was no convenient hit-point countdown display for it.

Anxiety for the Redundantworlder civilians was reduced when Admiral glimpsed three cherry-red force fields flashing into existence at the near edge of the city. He knew what Heart Sapphire Sisters were, and there was every reason to be confident that the women hovering behind and beneath him would be able either to contain the corrosive cloud, or to force it into a different, empty area.

The Sapphire Sisters now rendering assistance, if named from eldest to youngest, would also be named according to increasing organic humanity. Shibwazushu, though mammalian and viviparous, had a scaly skin surface, but her scales were flush against her body, with no edges which might scratch a human male who embraced her. The only hair on her head, besides eyelashes, was a thick black ponytail which sprouted from the top of her head and hung down behind. An adult male of her species would have hair growing from the back of his head, rooted no higher up than his temples, extending forward on each side to form a beard. Shibwazushu's face conformed to human standards of attractiveness, and expressed her innate benevolence.

The crimson-haired, gorgeously statuesque Tiba-bo-Tola would have been easily able to bear healthy children by a true-human man. Her only obvious difference from Earthling women was that each of her shoulders had a long tail of hair naturally growing from it, like an epaulette. This meant that, unless she cut her shoulder hair short, it would be most awkward for her to don any garment with sleeves. Fatima Kutuzova, the youngest of these volunteers, was a native of Jersey Earth: from that world's version of Kazakhstan, where her father was an air-defense commander.

Black Admiral had no time just now to think of being attracted to any woman. Later, though, it would cross his mind that Shibwazushu probably would hold up in the embrace of a super-strong lover better than her two companions could.

Duty first!

The Heart Sapphires were channeling the dangerous vapor away from people, but its expansion was making it harder for them to stay ahead of it. Black Admiral was busy fighting Kaijusaurus, trying to guess whether he could break off the combat and help divert the gas without the monster closing in to wreck some buildings directly. But very handily, Adam Wornsock appeared near the three women, his entire body blazing with light. His light merged with the Heart Sapphire energy, and the monster's vapor began to be consumed.

Shibwazushu took the cue, directing her gem-sisters to push the harmful mist toward Adam Wornsock. Adam soon annihilated the vapor-- which Kaijusaurus was finally running out of-- and then, he and Black Admiral pounded the monster into collapse. Contact with Astrosmeller facilitated a merciful solution: they would communicate with King Truthside (Preston Vincent), asking him to take the giant flying beast into custody. Truthside was mightier even than Black Admiral, and could force Kaijusauarus to submit to him. If it could be tamed, well and good; only if it proved uncorrectable would it possibly be exterminated.

Once the danger was past, the three Sapphire Sisters and Adam Wornsock, all of them possessing some degree of healing power, combed the city in case any Redundantworlders might have suffered harm. Only when the few non-fatal casualties were taken care of did Shibwazushu take the initiative to introduce herself to Black Admiral, who gave his private name of Tether Zappem.

All Heart Sapphires, if not blinded by the smug self-righteousness which often develops in dogmatic pacifists, were capable of knowing instinctively if a human or near-human male was an ideal husband for them. Shibwazushu felt herself deluged with realization of just how profoundly good-aligned this good-aligned Black Adam variant was. We're talking Aragorn-level moral virtue here.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
 
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At some point around here, Doctor Dizwarn at Hopecrusher Central facilitated placing five thousand Postalfiends (native to the same sub-reality as Jacob Mossyhutch, "The Major Chief") at the disposal of the Everperpetualists in the southern hemisphere. Meanwhile, Swimmer Pluto of the Spacer Swimmers brought in three mortal heroines from Anime Earth: Cyborg Allsweeta, Liquid Snake and Anteater Woman. Also from Anime Earth, the male hero Masked Biker. Depositing these four in a lightly populated area of the southern cool-temperate zone, Pluto made introductions with local residents who had not so far been directly bothered by the super-aliens. Then she projected an image of herself to contact the hero-team led by the Jumpstardean hero Speedy Greyhoundus.

To remind my readers, this team included Sushi Strum the Woman Torch from Earth-Whichever, with her husband Colosseumus. Joining from Terra were the mystery man called The Inquiry, and the warrior-monk Father Vasili Rutintutin from the Russia of that Earth-variant. These two had been provided with laser pistols, while Vasili was also given a railgun to use for high-velocity sniping. Similarly to Towermen and Smoke Maidens on Punksteema, Vasili's clerical power made any weapon he wielded effective against evil supernatural beings.

With her ability to review vast expanses of time (something for which Timekall and Astrosmeller were much less gifted), Swimmer Pluto gathered some background on all four super-duper alien races now exploiting Redundantworld. All of them came from worlds nearer to the core of Galaxy Three. As with any galaxy, the closer to the center, the heavier the total intensity of cosmic radiation filling space. Everperpetualists, Fataldeathalyzers, Nomatterwhatlers and Omnipotentacons all seemed to have benefited from that radiation where having special powers was concerned. The same appeared to be true of some seriously bizarre, doughnut-shaped evil aliens who had previously troubled a different sector of the Third Galaxy. Thorpe, Bakerstray Bill and Ultraviolet Griffin had played a part in defeating those aggressors before the situation on Redundantworld began.

After hearing from Swimmer Pluto, Woman Torch flew reconnaissance, eventually sighting the army of centauroid- reptilian Postalfiends. She called out: "Green-haired super-lady, if you're monitoring me, these predators are marching toward your location."

"Acknowledged," Pluto replied. "I'll stall their movement, so your party can bypass them and join up with us."

Sushi accordingly took to the air, scouting for the best path. But the Everperpetualists detected her, and exerted time reversal against her flight. So Swimmer Pluto proved she wasn't a fantasy goddess for nothing. Re-reversing the time alteration, Pluto also caused the Postalfiends to slow to a crawl. Then she outright teleported all of Sushi's companions along with her. By the time Pluto got severely tired, Woman Torch's party (including any extra good guy I may have overlooked) ended up joining the ones from Terra and Anime Earth. She had to depart to where she could recharge, but now the isolated province had a strong defense. Pluto left a parting word for her friends: "Those beasts have no morals, no conscience. Do not spare their lives at the expense of the innocent."

Natives prepared pitfall traps for the mob of reptiles to drop into. The natives ranged themselves beside their new friends, deploying slingers, archers, and users of matchlock muskets. Vasili and Inquiry took station on the flanks of the defense. Woman Torch would be safely out of her friends' line of fire when she deluged the attackers with flame from overhead. (NOTE: unlike the Posleen in John Ringo's "Posleen War" novels, these monsters don't have any kind of distance weapons. If they did, the side of good would need far more firepower.) Colosseumus would be a one-man reserve, ready to dismember any Postalfiends who made a breakthrough.

Local foods being edible for the new arrivals, the locals provided refreshments to their new defenders. There was even time for those locals to evacuate their weaker kin to well-hidden places of refuge, while Speedy Greyhoundus and Masked Biker made final, close-range scouting runs.

And then the reptilian horde came into view, mere minutes after the motorcycle hero returned. Speedy Greyhoundus drew first blood, ramming his way through the thickest mass of evil quasi-reptiles and hacking a dozen of them in half before they realized they were in danger.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Just before taking off to strafe the enemy, Woman Torch suddenly clasped her husband's hands (which, as she had already learned, could become warn and smooth to caress her) and said: "We've been so immersed in the superhero subculture, we're accustomed to using our code names. But what is your BIRTH NAME???"

He smiled fondly. "I was born Pavel Ignatovich Razumnik. So if at any time you choose to go by a Russian-style married name, you are Sushi Frank-LIN-ov-NA Razumni-TSA. But now to business"-- and he kissed her, after which Sushi took to the air.

The pitfalls had begun to disrupt the Postalfiend advance. Woman Torch burned lines through the vast mob, carving it up into segments. Vasili's railgun intersected the segments, each projectile penetrating thirty or more Postalfiends before slowing down. All other guns, bows and slings were steadily working on the nearest carnivores; this included Masked Biker wielding two firearms resembling Uzis. The Inquiry estimated that the good guys would need to make one fighting retreat to the nearest fallback positions; but he estimated at least fifteen percent casualties for them before the centauroids were finished.

Vasili's railgun ran out of ammunition around the same time Inquiry's laser pistol exhausted its charge. The Russian warrior-priest (not from the same version of Russia that Colosseumus came from) swiftly tossed his own laser to the less-powerful detective with perfect aim, then drew his saber and a hand-axe. It took two hard strokes to lay open the skull of the next Postalfiend to come at him, but he delivered those chops quickly enough to be able to kill the one after that. A moment later, the fighting retreat began. Vasili got separated from his friends because he was protecting them. After badly injuring three more Postalfiends, he suffered a deep rip across his stomach from alien claws. But Colosseumus grabbed him up, closing his arm over the huge gash to slow the bleeding. With his free fist, Pavel Razumnik fractured four alien skulls, while Postalfiend fangs vainly tried to bite through his armored body. At the same time, Speedy Greyhoundus was keeping the draco- centauroids off balance by splitting skulls or backbones here and there at random. But it still was in doubt whether the alien monsters' advance would be shattered before they could overrun the casualty-treating area.

Guess what? Adam Wornsock wasn't magic-capable for nothing. He perceived that his two Russian allies were in trouble..... and was with them in a matter of seconds. All surviving Postalfiends within view who were not too close to the defenders, were lifted high by reverse gravity, then dropped hard. Adam wasn't powerful enough to lift all of them high enough that they would all die from the fall, but he drove the wind from all their lungs. Almost as rapid as he, Tiba-bo-Tola flew to the scene of combat. Heart Sapphire power didn't instantly cure all physical damage, but could and did refresh every wounded person's life-force, enhancing the recovery chances of even the worst friendly casualties. Her wide-field application of benign power was followed by creating hard-light constructs equating to tourniquets and clamps, for the benefit of six Redundantworlders who were in imminent peril of bleeding out.

Fatima Kutuzova was much less experienced than Tiba-bo-Tola or Shibwazushu; but once she caught up, she found plenty to do, rendering emergency aid to friendly casualties as Tiba was doing. Masked Biker had some conventional first-aid knowledge, so he also helped the healers. Speedy circled the whole area, to prevent any rallies by Postalfiends whom Adam had overlooked.
 
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Doc Slippage's field hospital in the northern hospital was not visited by Welbymark of Hallpasscard, because Welbymark knew that Kirk and Zoorama Slippage, Jiang Fung-Yao, and the Nepali and Brazilian personnel working beside them could hold up their end. Welbymark, with Astrosmeller's guidance, would look for other sapients, local or not, who needed medical attention.

The first hostile showing against Fort Slippage (as a few soldiers had begun calling it) took the form of three dozen animated Redundantworlder skeletons trudging toward the palisade's entrance. Kirk Slippage, observing them from the rampart, calmly carried out a logical test with undead things. He tossed a stone toward the skull of one skeleton. The skull was knocked clean off of the cervical spine; the rest of the skeleton groped around, then retrieved and reattached the skull. Eight of the Brazilians opened fire next. Twenty-six of the skeletons were broken apart; of these, the eight or so that were the least shattered, began trying to reassemble themselves.

Zoorama muttered to her husband, "More than bare minimum revival, I see." Doffing her theatrical top hat, she opted for a spell which she hoped would be a surprise to the Fataldeathalyzers: "Let all skeletons still able to move around, go back and attack those who animated them!"

The undead ones returned the way they had come. Litzelga Jiang asked Kirk: "Doctor Slippage, can we chance allowing civilians to bring their own sick people here for treatment?"

"I think so. Hopefully, Astrosmeller will watch out for any more substantial menace to us here."

As if to prove that he still was paying attention, Astrosmeller transferred Vidar Tree-Planter to the small fort. As a Hallpasscardean, Vidar had magical-being power against evil supernatural creatures, and his armored fists could easily shatter monsters made of bone.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jamsorvad, the baboon-shaped Green Flashlight, was flying long-range recon when he spotted and was spotted by, the same gang of Fataldeathalyzers who had sent the probing force of skeletons. They tried to transform him into an undead being, and it required hard exertion by his prosthesis to fend off their negative energy. When the evil super-aliens appeared to pause and confer among themselves, Jamsorvad let fly a fist of green energy, which socked the tallest Fataldeathalyzer in the face.

Not lingering to slug it out with multiple high-powered adversaries, he withdrew, and soon was reporting the skirmish to Doc Slippage. As a welcome result, Astrosmeller asked Timekall to send over somebody else powerful. The sentry of the Dentfloss provided the enormous hero Vastbulk, who was more than glad to join Zoorama, Vidar and Jamsorvad in defense of Doc Slippage's current home base.

The Fataldeathalyzers did attempt a storming that night. They were driven away with no fatalities on either side; but the evil aliens came away with some painful ouchies. Green Flashlight Poradsimu then came and painfully dive-bombed the Fataldeathalyzers while Jamsorvad slept.

Bakerstray Bill reached out to the zombie-makers, urging them to be reasonable. When the evil aliens replied by threatening the fort afresh, Bill cut loose with enough lightning to bring two prominent evildoers close to THEIR OWN demise. By the time the Fataldeathalyzers decided to advance to the rear, Vastbulk was on Redundantworld and on the job.
 
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Walloper Woman, the Yummyzon princess from Foamy-Dice Island on Minorleague Earth, and the demoted demigoddess Grrrryll, Twerpseid's reformed daughter who was now a Heart Sapphire, were transported to a valley in Redundantworld's southern hemisphere, where some Everperpetualists were using their little organic fireballs to refine heaps of rare-metal ore.

As has been related elsewhere, physical contact improves the ability of Heart Sapphires to communicate mentally. By keeping one arm around Princess Deanna's waist, Grrrryll enabled her Yummyzon companion to follow the Sapphire- driven kinda-sorta-telepathic exchange with what seemed to be the leader in this group of gender-neutral evil space aliens.

Take heed, boastful Everperpetualists! Regardless of what you want to believe, might does not make right!

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU GENETICALLY PITIFUL INFANT? HOW CAN YOU PRESUME TO CRITICIZE US?

To begin with, I am no infant. I am the daughter of Twerpseid, who once ruled many planets and had dealings with other galactic rulers. I am over two centuries old, and my companion Walloper Woman is much older, even though she doesn't look it. Both of us have extensive knowledge of worlds and sapient races. And I'm here to tell you that no one failing to distinguish right from wrong can rightfully claim to be wise.

INFANT IN THE ORDER OF THINGS! WE EVERPERPETUALISTS WERE AN INVINCIBLE FORCE BEFORE THE ANCESTORS OF TWERPSEID CRAWLED OUT OF A SWAMP! WE DECIDE WHAT IS RIGHT! DO NOT TRY OUR PATIENCE.

Pressing more closely against her former enemy, Deanna now spoke on her own, trusting that Grrrryll's Heart Sapphire artifact would relay her meaning: An actual child is wiser than you, if she or he learns to value the rights of others. It is you who had better not try OUR patience.

HAPLOID VERMIN! YOU SHALL FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANS TO DISRESPECT YOUR BETTERS. WE DO NOT EVEN HAVE TO CHASTISE YOU DIRECTLY. WE SEE ALL OF YOUR PAST, AND WE SHALL RETURN YOU TO THE TIME OF YOUR PAST ENMITY.

Suddenly, the red gem disappeared from Grrrryll's forehead, and she felt her old strength returning. But the arrogant interloper overestimated its own control of reality; Grrrryll's heart had NOT reverted to its former wickedness. Before even landing on Redundantworld, the two ageless beauties had solemnly discussed the possibility of someone trying to turn Grrrryll evil again, and had asked the True Creator to foil any such influence. Twerpseid's reformed daughter still was reformed; and she winked at Deanna.

The next instant, both super-women yelled at each other incoherently; then, both of them began comically flailing at each other with their fingertips. A moment later, they toppled to the ground together, arms and legs wrapped around each other, forehead pushing against forehead, and rolled straight toward the monster which imagined it had sabotaged them. Seconds later, not having done each other the slightest bit of damage, they rolled right up to the feet of the senior Everperpetualist; then they detached from each other, grabbed the alien monster's front legs, and jerked it off its feet. Astonishment caused it to lose control of the small pseudo-comets which it otherwise could have used as weapons to drive the women away. As it was, the ugly thing fell embarrassingly onto its hindquarters, and then was pummeled into unconsciousness by Deanna and Grrrryll.

The other aliens present, sharing in their fellow's cocksureness, had been perusing possible futures in which the two women might suffer all sorts of embarrassment and pain. This put those other invaders also off guard-- and they also got punched and kicked into the middle of next week. Surrounded by defeated adversaries, Walloper Woman and Princess Grrrryll kissed, high-fived, fist-bumped, kissed again, elbow- swung each other like square dancers.... and then began talking with the nearest natives about coordinating planet-wide liberation efforts.

Grrrryll DIDN'T get her Sapphire implant back; but regaining her former bodily strength, without becoming evil again, was good enough. For one thing: henceforth, any time Princess Deanna felt like hugging her new bestie, she could hug her at full force, without causing any harm. As soon as Astrosmeller contacted them, he arranged for Lowerkey, and the lately-arrived Captain Sha-Na-Na, to come down and help them assess what to do with the vanquished Everperpetualists.
 
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AS OF THIS POST, it's time at last to bring Monsignor Aquino and company back onstage.

Well, that is, after a vignette involving side characters. You'll see eventually how it connects with the Never-Stopping Story.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Deep winter, with icy winds off of Lake Michigan. The house was comfortable. This being the Chicago area on True Earth, triple locks front and rear, and surveillance cameras inside and out, made it MORE comfortable for Perdido Carranza. Comfortable, but still empty. It would not have been empty if Brandy had not persistently refused to give him children, and had not at last left him for her office boss. This desertion had occurred not long after the first scene I ever posted in Original Earth's Illinois. Perdido, a friend of then-Father Aquino, had sought comfort from the church, and had helped periodically at Aquino's original shelter.

The boss had soon discarded Brandy, leaving her to scramble for another lover. Perdido, having no dependents, kept on supporting Father Aquino and Sister Elizabeth. He was employed as a foreman of electricians, and his income climbed with his responsibilities. Now, months after Aquino and Elizabeth had been promoted, after Brandy dropped off the radar, and after Aquino had begun hinting that Perdido could make a case for annulling his childless marriage to Brandy......

A night of cold sleet was pierced by the doorbell, and then by frantic pounding. The security system revealed this to be, of course, Brandy. But not so "of course," not so foreseeable, was her shabby clothing, soaked from the weather. She appeared to have aged three times as much as the actual elapsed time since she had bailed; and the look on her face was a universe removed from her former narcissistic self-complacency.

Apart from his church-related activities, Perdido's only social diversions had been wholesome outings with the families of his fellow electricians, and the occasional union meeting. In the solitude of all other nights, he had watched countless men's videos. About a third of these had been stories about unfaithful wives of good men being brought low as they deserved. The lonesome electrician felt no guilt for watching these videos, because he knew just HOW MANY people-- even some of his less- discerning friends-- automatically blamed the husband for EVERY failed marriage.

The deserter must have been deserted; maybe been deserted a dozen times. I can afford to let her inside; my security system will vindicate me if she makes up a story of me hurting her in a savage temper tantrum. He opened the door.

Brandy's drenched, shivering condition became far more obvious when seen directly. But she had the strength left to pour out her no-doubt- rehearsed words. "Please, Perry, please let me in. I know I deserve nothing but hate from you, but I have nowhere else to go. Please."

He replied: "I wouldn't leave a flea-covered mongrel outside in this weather. You may come in-- just DON'T TOUCH ME. And don't call me Perry anymore." He made way for her as he said this, aware that some of the video creators would have called him a simp.

The arms which had just begun to reach for him dropped at once when he forbade it, but she still came inside. Perdido closed and re-bolted the door. "Before anything else, go upstairs. There's an old sweatsuit of yours in the second bedroom's closet, with sneakers. And you remember that my socks will easily fit your feet. Get out of your soaked clothes, use the toilet if you need to, take a hot shower, dress yourself, and then I'll fix you something to eat-- unless you need to sleep first."

"No, I'm starving."

"Then I'll give you something easy to digest; not too heavy at first on an empty stomach."

"Pe-- Perdido: I'm so sorry."

"Sure: sorry that your boyfriends got tired of you. Still, I give you credit for NOT saying 'I made a mistake,' when you did everything ON PURPOSE. Hurry up now, get warm and clean. Bear in mind that every move you make is on video and audio. I'll be in the kitchen."

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Perdido Carranza slept in the locked master bedroom. Brandy slept in the second bedroom: alone, but in such comfort as she had not known for months. A prayer that Perdido would let her inside had been her first sincere prayer in years; this having been granted, she prayed that Perdido would give her a chance to make things right. One thing she vowed NOT to do was to shift blame onto an honorable man.

What followed the next day was not an immediate chick-flick happy ending. Perdido persuaded Monsignor Aquino to let Brandy stay at one of the shelters. "Call it penance if you will; but if you and I are ever to be EVEN so much as amicable ex-mates, you need to absorb an atmosphere where people care about something OTHER THAN their own selfish pleasures."

This transitional time was as good for the unfaithful spouse as the betrayed spouse could have wished. Reverend Mother Elizabeth was happy to report that Brandy NEVER ONCE attempted to get away with any "both sides equally guilty" nonsense. And here's how this fits into the Never-Stopping Story: Brandy became acquainted with Willie Ekubo, the boy who played the Warhammer and Halo games. Willie went on to introduce Brandy to The Dancing Lawn-- where she could read stories which praised virtuous, unselfish conduct. She did not fail to notice that the Writing Club stories also made room for grace and redemption.......

....especially in long stories where Copperfox had made up true-hearted Christian heroes like Duncan MacBrae and Alipang Havens.
 
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>>>>>> We return to the "real" story; just assume that Brandy Carranza eventually starts reading "Spacebullies" from its very first post.

Most opportunely for Deanna and Grrrryll, Doctor Unusual magically blinked himself to Redundantworld, just in time to take charge of interrogating the super-powered prisoners. Aaaaaand-- he brought the almost-forgotten Anti-Villain Device from Spark Laboratories on Seedubb. Used on a squad of immortals, it only served to weaken their bodies and their willpower a bit; but with the sorcerer's presence now added to that of Sha-Na-Na and Lowerkey, ready to zap them if they tried anything, it was enough.

King Garryowen of Hallpasscard sent his magical birds Ignore-It and Forget-It to Redundantworld, because Timekall and Astrosmeller were both growing weary from trying to keep track of all the players in a planetwide game. Based on this fresh intel, Timekall soon sent some reinforcements from Wonkabara on Mediumgard Earth, led by the now-recovered warrior Drumwhacku. With Nagmore of Zakkeldakkel having been vanquished, and the Wendigo threat to Mediumgard ended, the South American hero Esteban "Golden Gaucho" Mazarino was now available with his mighty warhorse Conquistador, as was Fuss user Oliver Hackman with his moderately- magical Tibetan mastiffs Vitamin and Mineral. These two men and their noble beasts (the stallion also enjoyed anti-evil -monster anointing) joined Ballwun the Uncommonly Decent, who bore the "old" hammer Oatmealnir, as a distinct mobile unit.

Drumwhacku's company was set to the task of hunting down and slaying Postalfiends who had escaped in all directions after their failure to massacre a community of native Redundantworlders. Ballwun, Oliver and Golden Gaucho took on a more complex assignment: seeking to rebuke a party of Nomatterwhatlers in a setting similar to what Walloper Woman and Princess Grrrryll had handled against Everperpetualists. Ignore-It and Forget-It had ascertained that this particular alien party was much more aggressive than any of the other Nomatterwhatlers.

The exceptionally tall male heading this contingent of the bird-like interlopers was not surprised. Although none of the four alien groups actually LIKED the others, they saw no reason to leave each other unwarned about actions by good-aligned characters who were adversaries to ALL of the trespassers. Thus did Flock-Leader Shoshok Foozath know what to expect; and by now, fact-sharing was extending to language assistance. "What business do you trivial creatures have troubling your betters?" the Flock-Leader demanded.

"Our business is to demonstrate that you ARE NOT better than we are," snapped Ballwun, holding Oatmealnir in his right hand and a shortsword made of something like "Nth Metal" in D.C. comics in his left. "You certainly are not proven superior by your acts of taking without paying. If you are so superior, you have much knowledge that you could teach to the natives, which would in fact compensate them sufficiently for the minerals you are taking by force. It is not too late for you to do the right thing."

"I will give these feeble dwarfs knowledge, all right--the knowledge that you are of no avail for them;" and Shoshok Foozath produced a Balrog-style flaming whip, whose end reached for the Hallpasscardean knight. But Ballwun let the weapon wrap itself around Oatmealnir's handle near the head; then his shortsword sliced the whip to less than half of its intact length. Esteban and Oliver, with their formidable beasts, closed in for a melee with the other Nomatterwhatlers.

With his whip disabled, Shoshok resorted to his impossibility power: altering space itself in a perfectly senseless manner. From Ballwun's side, Shoshok was now miles away-- but at the same time, Shoshok was within four feet of Ballwun, and could strike the hero easily with fists wearing something like brass knuckles. After taking six hits to his face, however, Ballwun THREW Oatmealnir. The magical hammer crossed the miles of distance in that direction, and cracked the skull of the overconfident alien.

The other evil aliens fought on. Golden Gaucho, and all three brave beasts on the good side, were gravely wounded (with some of the wounds being inflicted by the Nomatterwhatlers' beaks); but they did some damage in return. Enraged to see hostiles trying to finish off his mastiffs and Gaucho's horse AFTER they were disabled, Oliver found himself generating Fuss LIGHTNING for his first time ever. This electrical bombardment wiped out those Nomatterwhatlers who had not been otherwise killed. And guess what? Oliver Hackman did not become a down- sider just because he slew actively-threatening enemies in a fight which the enemies had started.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Attentive readers might remember that Sorcery Lass of Alwaysurnia had been with Golden Gaucho in the South America of Mediumgard. Now to resolve this loose end. Sorcery Lass returned to her place of power at Castle Greyhair, to recharge her unfailing youth. After some rest, she reached out with her mind to Queen She-Wow on Planet Anoxia. She-Wow reported that Equivvalentor still was busy working to convert captured evildoers. But She-Wow had many capable associates who could manage things in her kingdom; so, by Sorcery Lass' aid, she herself would come for a while to Redundantworld and lend a hand. Several available helpers would come with her: Winkyblue the sensory expert, Tunakassrol and Tunafishla the mer-couple, and the tiger-like Battery-Cat who was now the mate of ex-villainess Katlittura in her feline form. Note that the married undersea cousins could function on land just fine.

Sorcery Lass delivered this new team where Bakerstray Bill would find them. The Jumpstardean thunder-wielder welcomed them.

"Your Majesty of Anoxia, if you agree, I wish your mer-person friends to join with Howie Maui and Black Stingray. We are convinced that the monster Aqua-Scorpion has established itself in what the locals call the Twice-Branching Sea. We have warned residents of that coastline to stay off of their inland sea until we can make it safe."

She-Wow nodded. "That sounds correct. I will still have Battery-Cat and Winkyblue to assist me in whatever mission we undertake."
 
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