Shatterstar:Warrior Born
by Leary
-- I am required to inform you that I am NOT a professional writer and have no affiliation to Marvel Comics whatsoever. The characters Shatterstar/Gaveedra Seven/Benjamin Russell, Rictor/Julio Richter, Skids/Sally Blevins, Windsong, Longshot, Dazzler, Spiral, Adam-X the X-Treme, Charles Xavier, Cable, Beast, MojoV, Major Domo, etc. are the intellectual property of Marvel Comics. The newly created characters Charblade, Delphi, Bloodbath, Moonscar, Razorwing, Wildwind, and Medic are mine exclusively.
<4 months ago>
"My valiant brothers and sisters of the Cadre, my friends; for the first time in a century and more past on this blood-soaked planet, Peace reigns supreme! Raise your swords to the stars and moons that dot our skies. Rejoice, for now we are FREE!!"
<The Present>
--That is what I had said the night of our victory. Words cannot describe how wrong I was. It has taken me a long time to realize that freedom, in all it's glory and power, no longer frees us. Instead, it has made us worse slaves than we were before. Slaves to a master of our own making....
...our Tradition.--
<from the distance>
**Fellow Spineless Ones, let this be the day that shall be remembered for all time to come. The day that we rose up to reclaim the rank of pow.... HURK!!**
--The Arena we sacrificed so much to destroy, we built again upon the ashes of the old. The battles we have fought, the blood we have spilt, all the sacrifice of a hundred years of warfare.... for what? So that we may do it all again? During my time on Earth, researching their past and present, I noticed an unending cycle that seemed to repeat itself for ages. From one millennia to the next, human cultures overcame hardship only to become hardships themselves. Are we also doomed to rerunning such things? I had always assumed, and even took pride in the fact that Earth and Mojoworld were two entirely separate cultures. Two worlds unlinked by any common ground; different in all ways. But I was wrong. We are mirror images of each other, controlled by our pasts, and destined to rerun them in the future. There must be something I can do to prevent this; something that can be done to maintain a stability of peace on our planet. But what?--
"Shatterstar?" Windsong gracefully slides into the Master Programmer's Inner Chamber, adorned in beautiful regal garb, her long black hair with a streak of deep blue flowing to her knees behind her, "There you are, sulking again. Come now, that is no way for our premiere gladiator to behave.. Join me in the Arena and let us both judge the events. One show has just ended, the other will resume shortly."
"I know the schedule I myself devised Windsong, but I will not join you. I have much to think about, the least of which is seeing some defenseless Spineless be led to slaughter."
"The way you speak, it is almost blasphemous. You would lend favoring words to the Spineless Ones? For over a century they preyed on us, now we are the ones in control. Is it not fitting that they be punished for their actions?"
"Perhaps Windsong, but perhaps we should not rerun the past. Perhaps we should try to forge our own path in hopes of not ending in the same bloody finale. I heard you found MojoV at last? Tortured him before the masses like his ancestor once did to Longshot, my father?"
"Of course, and you of all people should seek such retribution, as he and his line had done unto yours."
"But that is where it should end, Windsong. Vengeance has been claimed, his debt paid in blood. Mojo's sick dynasty is completed. All genetic patterns of his lineage have been destroyed and his clones as well. Why should we continue to slaughter the Spineless Ones after that?"
"MojoV has paid for his sins, but what of the entire race of Mojo's brethren? They watched and laughed at us for more than a century. How can they be completely unaccountable?"
"They were not of their own minds. It has been confirmed by our scientists that their sanity and wills were maintained by the broadcasts their brains received. That is how Mojo originally controlled the populace of this world, by truly ruling Mojoworld with ratings. We do not have this problem. There is no reason why we should continue like they have. We should treat their weak mental failings, not kill them for it."
"If you were not The Shatterstar, I would have you killed for saying such things! The Spineless are not worthy of mercy, they are cruel beings and deserving of their fates!", Windsong forcibly calms herself. "I shall go now, to do the job you do not see fit to hold."
"Go Windsong...." She storms out of the room, slamming the giant doors behind her, "Go to your Destiny." From out of the shadows walks the man who has just listened to every word they said. And he doesn't like it.
"You mind explaining that last part to me 'Star?" He says from the shadows.
"ADAM! How did you get in here without my knowledge!" Shatterstar says as he spins to stare Adam-X square in the eyes.
"Ways an' means. Now, back to the subject, what did you mean by that 'go to your destiny' bit?"
"I cannot explain."
"Can't or won't?"
"Can't."
"Why? What are you hiding from us Shatterstar?" Shatterstar rises from his throne and walks to the window looking over his world.
"Adam, since Rictor returned to Earth after our victory over MojoV, along with Deadpool, you are the only person on this planet I would dare to call a confidant. Other than Rictor, I have told no person about what I am about to say, but you have -- special -- concern for Windsong and must I respect that. You know of the Prophecies that the Cadre has adhered to for so long, correct?"
"Not like I could be with Windsong for a minute and not hear them, why? What's this got to do with her?"
"There was a piece that Delphi did not tells us, the Cadre Elite. But before we went to bring the end of Mojo's dynasty, he told me that to ensure the path to true freedom and peace, we must become like the Spineless Ones and return to their bloody ways."
"Okay, looks like that's been accomplished. What's next?"
"I do not know what will happen next for certain. All I do know is that it must be Windsong to lead them, not me. Meaning a confrontation is in store between us both."
"You know 'Star, I love her with all my heart. It took me a long while to accept that, but I do. And no matter how much I wish it otherwise, there is a cruelty in her that just won't go away. She's obsessed 'Star, her eyes tell me that much."
"There must be some alternative. I cannot allow the hardships we felt to be rerun on the Spineless."
"Okay, but why must there be a "confrontation"? Why can't you just leave her in charge and return to Earth. If you can't stop it, like Delphi said, why not let it play out?"
"A warrior does not simply run in the face of hardship. It is a weakness I have always despised in humans and I would dishonor myself by doing so. No, running is *not* an option here. I see no alternative but a confrontation between Windsong and myself, and I do not like that."
"Why don't you ask Delphi? He knows all the answers, right? Couldn't he tell you an alternative if there was one?"
"When I saw him before, he left me no choice. There is nothing I can do." Shatterstar turns his back on Adam and looks out upon the Arena. Adam scowls at this and quickly walks up behind Shatterstar, mere inches from his neck.
"Come on 'Star, I've never known you to give up.... ever. You've always fought things through no matter how difficult, don't stop now. You might not be running from this problem, but you sure as hell aren't doing anything else about it." Shatterstar turns and glares at him, but says nothing. He walks down the steps and leans one arm against a marble pillar, or a close Mojoworld comparison. "You can fight this 'Star! Don't turn your back on me, get yourself together and become the man I've always known you to be. Be a warrior, fighting the impossible odds you love once again. You're better than this." Shatterstar storms out of the room. Angry. Furious. Outraged. But not at Adam, at himself. He doesn't like failure, less so when his entire planet is at stake. He forces Delphi's door open and marches in, lifting Delphi by his long, purple cloak.
"I want answers." He puts Delphi back on his feet and sits down. "I want them now and I do not have the time or patience to play your petty games."
They stare at each other in cold silence for a moment.
"Very well, the time I predicted has come. For the answers you seek, you must go to the Forest of Urr in the Kaytoo region. There is nothing more I can tell you. Go there, and the truth is yours."
Expecting a bit more of a confrontation, Shatterstar is caught off guard by the ease of it all.
"Well -- do you want the truth or would you rather remain blind to all around you?"
Shatterstar says nothing, he stares him in the eye for a moment, and then darts off. His heart races and his mind moves faster. For the first time in so long, Shatterstar once again has a mission, a goal in a life that has been aimless for months.
--It would be impossible for me to leave this tower without being noticed, unless I looked like all the other dregs shuffling in to see my peoples' bloodsport. The latest contest should be nearing completion, so I'll simply depart with the crowd.-- He quickly wraps himself in a nomad's garb and heads out the gates before parting from them towards Urr. Once he arrives there, he walks in carefully.
<The Forest of Urr>
There have been stories told about this place. That it is home to many strange beasts. This is but one of the many places of rumor and mystery on Talismane, for unlike humans, Shatterstar's race never had the instinctive drive to explore, to expand or to exploit their resources, preferring to simply remain in the cities and near the best televised broadcasts. As a result, at least one third of Mojoworld has been left completely uncharted and entirely unknown.
Welcome to the edge of the world.
He keeps moving, listening intently for any noise or movement. His eyes catch even the smallest insects flying about him. One even lands on his shoulder, and it is only then that he noticed it's not a bug at all.
--A machine!?-- He slashes at is with his sword, but it races off into the forest depths. Without realizing what he's doing, Shatterstar rushes in after it. Once he is brought deep enough to a clearing, the fly rises up and away from him. Shatterstar realizes he's been lured into a trap.
"FEKT!! I cannot believe I fell for such an obvious ploy."
Suddenly, from behind a wall of trees, a large worm-like creature emerges. Shatterstar is instantly battle-ready. Swords drawn and body tensed. He says nothing, but stares at it's eyes, trying to anticipate it's next move. But the monster's eyes are cold and hollow in appearance. Not alive. He realizes that he faces no beast, but a machine, like the insect. But before he can act, the belly of the beast opens with a puff of smoke and hydraulics. A man in black walks out of it slowly, staying with in the shadow of his mechanical creature.
"Who are you?" Shatterstar shouts arrogantly, with swords drawn and ready.
"What? You don't recognize your "old man"? I'm hurt." A white-tooth grin stretches from ear-to-ear as he walks out of the shadows.
"L- Longshot! But how? Your cancellation was recorded long ago!"
"Like the Earthlings say, don't believe everything you see on T.V."
"Very well, then tell me why you have been in hiding instead of fighting for our cause!"
"That's a loooong story. Trust me."
"I have time. For too long I have lived a lie, and I need the truth. I need to know, ultimately, who I really am."
"Geez, no 'Hi Dad, how has your century been?', it's all 'me, me, me'!" An exaggerated expression of irritation appears on his face.
"It's 'How has your *day* been', not century." He says, smiling that he finally got an Earth expresssion right.
"Um, that was... like, a joke..." shakes head a bit, "Anyway, you want answers, you've come to the right place. Come inside and make yourself comfortable, this might take awhile."
"You live here?"
"Yep. I've lived here ever since Arize moved out and.... um.... we'll get to that later. Go on, take a seat."
"No thank you, I shall stand. Continue."
"Okay, it goes like this...."
<Much, Much Later>
"....and now we're here. Any questions?"
"A few. How is it that you convinced everyone you were dead? If Mojo, any of the five, had even the slightest of doubt, he would have hunted you down unceasingly."
"I don't think you want to go into clones again do you?" His trademarked grin rising once again.
"No, I do not. I live with Cable, that is enough."
"Okay, so I can probably guess what you're thinking right now. You want to know about Spiral, right."
"And her connection to you, yes."
"Okay, Spiral's powers allow her to send anyone, including herself, to any time she wants, which you probably knew already. But as you've also found out, her insanity won't let her violate her sacred oath to protect 'The Destiny', either."
"We are on the same wavelength. Continue."
"Now, here's where your sister comes into play. The thing is, with Spiral's Destiny, you shouldn't have a sister, so Moonscar should never have existed. When she took you, Spiral didn't realize that Moonscar was in there, too. Alison gave birth to her and we thought everything was fine. We had no idea you were even a possibility."
"Hmm.... Spiral herself told me that she left Dazzler to believe she had miscarried. But how could Spiral have taken me and not noticed my sister?"
"My guess is that she simply teleported you out of Alison, while she was asleep probably, and never stopped to realize there might be twins in there."
"But what are the chances of getting the right...."
Longshot grins and winks his glowing eye.
"I guess even though I was in suspended animation, my power was working to keep at least one my children safe. If she had found Moonscar first, I have no doubt your sister would be dead right now and you would still have been taken from us. And again, when Ali gave birth to Moonscar, after I had been released from suspended animation, we thought everything was fine."
"Why was it so important for Spiral to raise the male child and not the female?"
"There's the catch, because Spiral's devotion to Destiny is so limited and narrow that *any* deviation from that is seen by her as wrong, and needs fixing. What Spiral has yet to fully realize is the fact that no matter how much she thinks she's operating on her own, she is still under Mojo's control. Mojo had Spiral created to *ensure* that his rise to power came about. Everything she does has been centered around that goal. Just for fair warning 'Star, this is where a whole mess of time traveling comes in. I'd understand if you want to get some headache medication right about now. In fact, I'd highly recommend it to *anyone* who hears this."
"I will be fine, go on."
"All right, down to business, the Mojo who created Spiral is one from an apparently distant future. But from what I gather, his rise to power requires many different things to happen in our present, his past. That's why he sent Spiral."
"So Spiral is originally from his timeline, correct?"
"No. I told you there was a lot of time-travel here. Mojo 0, as I call him, had sent several of his own time-travelers to the past, but none of them were ever able to survive more than maybe a few days after arriving in that new time. And with certain death awaiting them, not a lot of people kept volunteering to become his Temporal Soldiers or "Jumpers". So Mojo 0 needed someone who could survive time-travel repeatedly, and the only one on record to have ever done so was Spiral. I don't know how he did it, but he sent a final Jumper back in time and kidnapped the person who would become Spiral, Ricochet Rita, a "friend" of mine let's say. It's an even longer story about us. (See the Longshot TPB) After he took Rita from my time, 100 years ago, he also had another Jumper capture Arize at an earlier time. Unguarded and still totally Spineless, Arize was easily taken. They were both brought to Mojo 0's time, the Jumpers dying in transit, of course. Mojo then gave Arize an artificial spine, which led to his desire to give others spines and to create our race. In return for this great "gift", Mojo 0 traded in his favor to have Arize alter Rita's genetics so that she would permanently appear as Spiral would in Mojo's records, which technically had yet to occur in the order of things."
Shatterstar stares blankly at Longshot, blinking intermittently. Silently, he reaches for the bottle of pills, opens them, and pours the contents into his mouth.
"Heh, thought so. Moving on. Now that Arize had been given a spine and the desire to create the Spined Ones, Mojo 0 had to put Spiral in place so that she could ensure all the events would happen to even make Rita capable of time travel in the first place. Which meant sending her to work for the original Mojo. Eventually she and Mojo took Rita through the timestream, unprotected as she was bombarded by it's energies. She barely survived the experience, and only through the help of Dr. Strange and myself. Mojo's plans were made to exacting detail. If Strange and I had *not* saved her, Mojo 0 would not come to power and a whole mess of things wouldn't go right, or perfectly wrong as it were, for us. But to make sure that everything went according to plan, including Rita's journey through the timestream and my saving her, he used Pup. As it turned out, Pup turned into Gog, but that's another story. By leading me on a goose chase to Earth, I then met Rita, and got my only name, Longshot. Pup led me around this way and that, making things happen in certain ways and not others, even if he didn't know why. Mojo 0 even used messages on the astral plane to manipulate Dr. Strange into healing her. It gets even more confusing, trust me."
"These pills aren't helping." Shatterstar complains. Longshot smiles, winks knowingly, and continues.
"But let's get back to Spiral for a minute. After all this had been accomplished, Mojo 0 had her return to his time where she was meticulously brainwashed to fulfill his Future, which is the Destiny she so desperately clings to. Arize was also manipulated in a similar way, but it was on a much more subconscious and weaker level than Spiral's. Spiral's insanity made it easier to manipulate her, which Arize didn't have. Ever since, Spiral has been playing out an elaborate and tremendously orchestrated scheme leading her to ensure certain events would happen. We're all players in his game, even the X-Men and much of Earth is influenced by his plotting, though on a far less direct scale and through human players. I'm here to stop it, but I need you to do that. I've worked against his schemes as much as I can, but now it's your turn to take up the fight. Windsong must *not* rise to power. All I have seen has led me to believe that her place in power is a key to his future."
"You say Windsong cannot come to power because the plotted Destiny needs it, correct?"
"Yep."
"Then my mission, which is to prevent this from happening, requires me to combat her?"
"Yep."
"Though I may hate myself for it, may I simply leave this planet and retain my place as ruler, effectively accomplishing the same thing?"
"Nope."
"You are being difficult."
"Nope. Shatterstar, I've watched all these things happen for almost a hundred years, you've just been introduced to everything all at once. Trust me, it's the only way."
"I do not like being so powerless, it makes me angry. If everything is supposed to happen like this, and there is nothing I could do to prevent it, then I shall do as you say, solely for the sake of all of Talismane."
"Good. Now go. You have to confront Windsong. Do it soon, because time is of the essence here, we can't let Mojo win at this point or there isn't a chance in hell of stopping him ever again."
"I will go, but tell me this one thing."
"What?" he says, rolling his eyes. --Kids these days. Too many questions.--
"My sister, Moonscar, where is she now?"
"To be honest, I don't know. The only thing I do know about her is that she's on Earth and she hates you."
A look of surprise appears on his face at the words. "But why would she hate me if I have not yet met her?"
"Thst's because you're The Shatterstar, the "Risen Messiah", and not her. In other words, she's violently jealous of you. Spiral had a lot to do with that of course, but she still hates you. She took the name Moonscar because of it's ancient meaning as The Shatterstar's most unrelenting nemesis. The name certainly seems to fit."
"Then she is destined to become my enemy? This is most confusing. Didn't you say there were no records of Moonscar being my sister?"
"Not quite. I said Spiral didn't know about her, but I never said Mojo 0 didn't. After Moonscar organized the various rebel clans into the Cadre Alliance and led our people in battle after battle, she finally went to face Spiral. It was then and only then that Spiral actually found out about Moonscar's true heritage. You have to remember, Spiral has no knowledge that she works for Mojo 0. All she knows are a few 'Prophecies', carefully selected by him, of course. And if you're smart, you wouldn't tell her either. Information like that is too precious to throw away."
"Fekt! So many possibilities, so many things based on a decision as simple as my coming here today. I must plot my next move very carefully."
"Luckily enough" eye glows, "I got that covered. I already told you what to do, so no more questions." --please?--
Shatterstar pauses....
"I will do as you say, for if what you say is true, the only way to stop Mojo is by stopping Windsong, the very thing I came here to prevent in the first place."
<God himself doesn't know where this place is>
"So, how is your cybernetic limb handling itself, 'Blood? I trust my Body Shoppe was quite capable."
"Yeah Spiral, it was. I still don't like it though, I can't explain it."
"That is your Cadre pride talking 'Blood. I had thought you rid of it. How else could I trust you, and your mate, as my personal elite."
"I'm faithful to ya Spiral, drank the blood of my best friends ta prove it didn't I? But it don't mean I like bein' weak. It don't mean I have ta feel good about needin' machines fer scrappin'. Fer killin'."
"I suppose there are certain things a Spined One, especially a former Cadre Warrior, can never lose. I do not doubt that you could quite easily kill most things single-handed, literally, but I will not take any chances. The next phases of our lovely scenario are key, if they are not accomplished in the right order, Destiny will be altered. I cannot allow that."
"Do not doubt me or my destined Spiral, The Shatterstar will be found and returned to you, I swear it." Razorwing's shimmering golden battle-armor brightly contrasts the dark reds and purples of her husband's.
"You had better hold true to your claim, Razor', or you will both die.... painfully."
"Yes, our Queen." They both say simultaneously, and then back out of her chamber.
<Talismane; Windsong and Adam-X's bedchamber>
"What troubles you Adam? We have not shared each others' company for many nights. Why do you distance yourself?"
"It... it's a personal matter. Something about the way this world handles things troubles me."
"Please, sit with me and explain yourself." She slides over and makes room for him on their regal bed -- or what goes for a bed on Mojoworld.
"I've told you how my race is one of merciless conquerors and religious zealots, correct?"
"Yes, I have always been fascinated by a race so powerful that they can dominate such a vast empire. I do not understand why you do not honor your place among them."
"Because they're evil, Diara. They have no honor or mercy. They take worlds like a child takes candy, all in the name of some foolish religious drive. I hate them. I hate Lilandra. I hate Kythri and all his damned zealots. I hate them all more than anything else in this life."
"But you are here now, alive and with me, they are a dimension and many galaxies away from us and we could destroy them quite easily should they even try to overtake our world."
"I have no doubt about that, I've seen the power this world has, it makes the technology of my race look like a child's playtoy. But that is not what I'm talking about. What bothers me is the fact that no matter how much I hate my race, for some reason I can't help but to become like them all the same. We are them Diara, we are the merciless conquerors now, and the Spineless are like the countless worlds the Shi'ar prey upon."
"I cannot believe this! Both The Shatterstar and now you have spoken in the defense of the hated Spineless! What is it about being half-human which makes you so weak-hearted?"
--Damn.-- He thinks. --She isn't trying to be insulting, I can see it in her eyes, she really thinks being human, even part human, has something to do with it! Maybe she's right, but I know humans. They can be just as hateful and irrational as any race. Kythri's claws, my father was D'Ken! I should not be capable of mercy.--
"Do you ignore me!?"
"No!" He snaps, "No, I'm just thinking. I don't know if my being half-human has anything to do with it or not, but I don't see how it can't. My father was Majestor D'Ken, the most ruthless and cunning dictator to ever live. There should be no kindness in me. My mother must have been a saint, whoever she was."
"From the way you speak, it makes me feel fortunate to have been born not from biological parents, but mechanical ones instead."
"Having parents isn't a bad thing, Diara, it just makes life harder to live with. Imagine, living a life without having to worry about paying for your parents' crimes or running from their pasts. It must be incredibly liberating for you."
"It is simply how things are, there is no reason to dwell on it. I am tired of this conversation, will you be joining me in our bedchamber tonight?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute to collect my thoughts."
"But how can you gather brainwaves? Is that another special trait to your race or..."
"No, Windsong, it's just a Terran expression. Go to bed, I'll be back in a minute."
"Very well then, my love, don't keep me waiting." And Adam walks quickly out of the room.
<The Main Hall>
--How can I do this? How can I let her be used like a pawn in some religious power play? Better question Adam, of all the stupid things you could have done, why did you have to fall in love with her?--
"Do not feel sorry for yourself young one. Windsong's plight is something between only her and The Shatterstar. You need not concern yourself with this."
"DELPHI!? What are you doing here and how did you know what I was thinking? You're no telepath!"
"But I know the future Adam, and with that I can see, your indecisiveness leads your destiny in many different directions. What can I say, it's a gift." For the first time since Adam's known the withered old man, he cracks a barely perceptable smile from under his purple cloak.
"Okay, if you have all the answers, then you tell me what I should do!" His annoyance shows greater than he expected.
"You must follow your own path Adam, you cannot let anyone choose it for you."
"That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think? You've done nothing but tell Shatterstar and Windsong what to do all this time. Why the change of tone?"
"I have never chosen their paths for them. I merely gave Shatterstar the knowledge of what must be done to ensure the future peace. Your destiny has no effect on what shall happen to Talismane, therefore I have no concern for your future."
"Oh thanks, make me feel important why don't you." He rubs the back of his neck vigorously looking away from Delphi's gaze.
"I will tell you this Adam, this advice that I have cherished for my many years in awaiting The Shatterstar. In seeking your Destiny, patience is your greatest ally. Remember that."
"What in the name of Sharra does that have to do with me you old fool!? Ever since I can remember, I've been someone's toy. A piece in someone else's chess game. I've waited *years* to find the truth about my past, I've offered everything I've ever had to it's pursuit. But no matter how hard I try, all I end up doing is spinning my @#$%ing wheels while someone makes my decisions for me!!!"
"Wait longer, try harder. Destiny is not something you can simply bark at and wrestle to the ground, it is your master and you obey it's desires. Be patient, and all will be revealed eventually."
"What if I run out of time? What happens then? Does your precious Destiny simply say 'Oh well, I guess that loser just fell through the cracks.'?"
"You cannot run out of time, Adam. Destiny will show you the truth or it will not. There is no maybe."
"You've lost it old man, just take your stupid philosophies and leave me alone." He kicks the door open and heads back up to his quarters, where Windsong is waiting for him.
"Diara, I won't be going to sleep after all. I've got some major steam to blow off, would like to join me in the Cage?"
"Hmm... even more exciting than what I had planned." She gets off the bed, quickly dresses herself in her classic battle gear and they head towards the Cage, the Mojoworld equivalent of the Danger Room, but far more advanced.
"Excuse me, but what does the phrase "major steam to blow off" have to do with what we're doing? Terran customs are very confusing indeed."
"Like most Terran expressions, I'm not sure where they make the analogy, and usually they don't either. I think it means 'to let out your anger', kinda like you'd let out steam."
"Then what has angered you Adam? Did it have something to do with collecting thoughts?"
"Sort of. I had a 'disturbing' meeting with Delphi. I didn't like what he told me, so I left. End of story."
"Then why did you go to see him if you wouldn't listen to his words?"
"I didn't, he came to me shortly after you left."
"I find Terran humor very confusing. It is so difficult to tell when you are 'joking' and when you are 'serious'. If what you said was not so ludicrous, I might have thought you were being honest." She cracks a small grin.
"I am being honest! He just showed up and..."
"Adam, do you comprehend the weight of what you are saying?"
"Um... no. Why?"
"Delphi has not left his chamber in over 10 years. We had to teleport the entire structure into the Tower, for he would not leave it."
"Oh."
<Interlude>
Shatterstar is standing alone, thinking about what is to happen in the next 10 minutes.
"Time. I had never realized how important it was. When I arrived on Earth for the first time, I had thought returning to my planet could wait. I came from the future, I could return to my time period mere seconds after I originally left, even though I had spent years on Earth. Now every minute counts. Everything I do is planned and scheduled like a television season. What is worst is that there is nothing I can do to prevent it. Do I avoid this battle with Windsong and possibly ensure Mojo 0's rise? Or fight her, and still result in defeat?" He pauses, and then silently walks off towards the Cage.
<The Cage Entrance, 10 minutes later>
"Woah, wait a minute. So he hasn't left? Ever. Not to use the restroom or even grab a midnight snack? Then why in the world did he come to tell me he didn't care about what I did?!?"
"In the 10 years that he has lived with the Cadre, Delphi has mystified us. No one has yet been able to understand his reasoning; all we need know is that he will lead us towards future victory, that is all."
"I still don't buy that. People make their own destinies. What's the purpose of struggle if we already know what will happen? Why fight if the outcome is inevitable?"
"Were you born dense, Adam, or do you have to work at it? Delphi predicts the future, he does not make it happen. He had told us that fighting for the future would bring us victory, so we fought. And because we fought for the victory he predicted, we now have it. That alone should verify the truth of Delphi's words."
"I'm still not bought. It was a fifty/fifty chance, the best odds for a fortune teller. If you won, he'd be the hero. If you lost, well, it wouldn't exactly matter much then, eh?"
"Fekt, you really do work at your stupidity! We are not simply blind fools, Adam. The philosophy we devote our lives and swords to is not simply based on the ramblings of some old blind man clever in words. When Delphi first arrived, we were -- somewhat skeptical. It was not until his predictions had foreseen one of MojoIV's most aggressive raids, allowing the Cadre to prepare for their arrival and destroy them, that Delphi earned our respect. Many were still unconvinced, especially The Shatterstar, then known only as Gaveedra Seven. He was the last to accept Delphi at his word, but even he acquiesced eventually, as will you. Our race reveres him and his prophecies even more than we do The Shatterstar."
The entrance to the Cage opens up before them and they enter together.
"I was a fool Windsong, I was right to distrust Delphi, we all were. His words have fooled us and our kind into the most tragic of fates." Shatterstar is standing in the center of a floating platform, ready for battle.
"NO!!! How dare you speak such blasphemy! It does not matter that you are the Shatterstar, you will recant your words or I will kill you!" Imagined or not, her eyes shift to burning red, rage seething from them.
"I cannot do that. The choice is no longer mine, we must do battle and you must fall or our entire world is doomed." He bows his head slightly, then looks at her, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Forgive me."
"THEN LET YOU BE DAMNED FOR YOUR HERESY, TRAITOR!!!" She lunges at him, almost flying up to the tall pillar Shattersar stands on. The speed of her attack puts Shatterstar off balance, but not for long. He quickly regains his footing and attacks her in return. There are no more words. The fight quickly flows from the Cage and out onto the roof of the tower, in more open battleground.
"Kythri's bloody claws! My lover is fighting my best friend, but who do I want to win? I know Windsong's being corrupted by her life here, but I still can't bear the thought of her dying. Shatterstar told me that it was absolutely neccesary for him to stop her in order to save Mojoworld, but why?" Adam's eyes suddenly widen as he realizes that there is only one person who can answer that question. "Delphi."
<Delphi's Chamber>
"Delphi! This is all your fault!" Adam says as he bursts in angrily.
"Yes, it is." He says, still stirring a cauldron of strange chemicals in front of him.
"Tell me how to stop it or so help me I will kill you right now old man."
"There is nothing you can do to stop Destiny now. Shatterstar has confronted Windsong, their path has already been forged."
"Don't feed me that line again. I know what you're all about. There is no Destiny and there is no 'go back along the dark path for true peace', it's all garbage and I'm not stupid enough to buy it any longer. Something Windsong said earlier bugged me, but I didn't realize what it meant 'til just now. She said that you knew all the futures and only with your guidance could they make the right decisions. Bullshit. Shatterstar didn't want to believe you, so he went to see someone else. That someone told him to do the exact same thing you told him to, so being the skeptical guy I am, I think the Destiny you think will lead the Cadre to victory is just a line of bull that somebody's been feeding you and everybody else since the beginning. If the Destiny you want to bring about is so great for the Cadre, then why is it both you and Spiral follow the same one? You're supposed to mortal enemies, right? Opposed at every turn? Tell me, what game are you playing at, Delphi?"
"I don't... I can't!", He falls to his knees and grips his temples. "Please, I can't take anymore. Stop."
"I've got to stop Shatterstar before he dooms his own planet." He turns to leave, thinking he has broken a fool's shallow faith.
"Wait!" Delphi wheezes out, reaching out an ancient hand towards Adam, "Don't go. -kaff- If you try to stop Shatterstar, you will only -kaff- ensure that Mojo succeeds. Don't."
"Sure old man, you expect me to believe you now? Pathetic. I'm going whether your master likes it or not."
"NOOOO!!!", Adam ignores him and leaves. "For the first time in as long as I can remember, I am in full control of myself. Curse his name, Mojo 0 KNEW this would happen!" The hood of his cloak falls back for the first time in a decade, and the face of a 270 year old Arize is shown -- weeping.
<The Tower Peak>
Adam-X runs onto the tower, trying to get Shatterstar's attention.
"Shatterstar!!", He screams "You've been tricked! Stop fighting, it's all a hoax! A trap!"
"I am sorry, my friend, but this is the way things must be. My father has told me that this is what must be done, so I must do it, for the sake of Talismane."
"Stay out of this Adam, this battle does not concern you. It only concerns a traitor who has hidden among our ranks for too long." Says Windsong, as she swipes her weapon at Shatterstar's heart, and misses.
"You are right Diara, but that traitor is not Shatterstar! I love you with all my heart, Diara, you must believe me! Delphi told Shatterstar to do exactly what Spiral told him!"
Adam regrets his statement as soon as he says it. He had only assumed that the person Shatterstar went to see was Spiral, foolishly linking Delphi to the worst possible suspect, but he had guessed at the connection. Now, he had also linked Shatterstar to Spiral in a way that he knew Windsong would take differently. Adam starts to realize exactly how right Delphi was about Destiny... and how it controls us, instead of the other way around.
"I knew it!" Winsong screams, face contorted in rage, "The Shatterstar has been taking orders from the Queen of Lies. His betrayal is in full, and so he shall die as a traitor!"
And with that, Windsong makes one last try for Shatterstar's heart, and her aim is true. Caught off guard by Adam's revelation, Shatterstar is unable to stop the flying weapon. Striking him dead in the chest, puncturing his left lung and through to his back, Shatterstar falls from the tower, hurtling towards the ground. There is no lake to catch him this time. He can see the faces of both Adam and Windsong looking down on him, but then all he can see is a light. The blinding whiteness of it is the last thing he sees before a the teleportation field envelops him, and sends him... to his New Destiny.
To be continued in... Epilogue: Going Home