Sarka
Tilnast Star System
Milky Way Galaxy

Blasts of energy lit the darkness.

Mantis strained her eyes; she had seen so much and sensed tenfold of that yet she had been unprepared. The Uncreated were bestial, their minds were empty of all but the pure and intense rage towards deities and those of an innate power, those such as her. ‘Celestial Madonna’ was another of the names she was used to receiving, she was a goddess but not in the way that those of Greek and Indian cultures were revered. Mantis had been punished for her status time and time again, she had always let things slide but now, her motives had changed.

A pacifist by nature, when possible, but Mantis was more than capable of looking after herself. She was no longer the defenceless Amanda Powell that she had been, or the Mandy Celestine character she had played before her. Mantis’ amnesia was gone, she had been on the run from the Cotati and they had killed her son, he had proved a threat to their leadership because of his mixed breed but she would gladly have died protecting him.

As a mother, Mantis had failed and she determined to succeed as a heroine.

Mantis had given birth to the Celestial Messiah as predicted, and she had lost him. Sequoia was gone but she would not allow that too destroy her, she would not drown in self-pity.

It was time for Mantis to fight.

Her mind slowly etched from its containment, she could sense all of the life around her and amidst the punches and kicks against the Uncreated, Mantis’ eyes shone a bright hue of emerald green. Whispers fell upon her ears and a smug smirk reached her full lips, vines and plants from within the Sarkan forest imploded in around her, ensnarling the beasts and ripping them away from her. Wind gushed around her, knocking Mantis to her knees, but she was overwhelmed.

Power surged from her every pore, she had never felt so powerful and it overtook her. Vegetation broke through the ground as she screamed, it grasped at the soldiers and the Uncreated alike and she had done what she had always feared.

Control was not hers.

Even when she had been a ‘normal’ woman in Vietnam under the tutorship of the Priests of Pama, she had learned her body to the point where her every movement was precise and under her control, it was difficult to have lost everything that she had worked for. Her eyes began to dim as she allowed a scream to overcome her. In the distance she could see the wearied and battered form of her leader and teammate, Major Victory.

Major Victory moved towards her, an athletic sprint, and he used the shield that he carried as an offensive weapon, cutting through the vines as he made his way towards her. Strain and blood were all she could see on his torn costume, but his panting was clear in her minds eye. His emotions rushed over her, his fear soon became her own and she was horrified to be the cause of it.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered to her as he came to a stop.

Major Victory, reluctantly, drew his shield across Mantis’ face as she collapsed to the side, her breathing heavy as the destruction stopped.

WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE

Part IV: The Divinity Theory

By Gavin McMahon

The Control Panel
Knowhere, The Rip
End of the Universe

Bug watched from a distance, it was clear to him that the two superhuman beings wanted little to do with him and he wasn’t surprised. In his years of being, Bug had never really viewed himself as valuable or an asset and so it was rare for anyone to give him the respect he longed to be shown. Tik…Tik… Breaking the silence that surrounded him he flinched at the daggers he received from the pair, it was an involuntary reflex, and he sank back into the wall.

He wanted to be seen as something more.

Persephone was a creature that astounded him, her body resounded elegance and grace through the posture in which she held herself. Golden locks ruffled against her porcelain skin, loosely wrapped in the green silk of her gown. She was the embodiment of beauty, untamed and refined to its purest form. She smiled as she looked into the face of Beta Ray Bill; it became clear to him that she valued her comrade, as opposed to the disdain that crossed her fine features when she looked at him.

“We do not have time to tolerate you. We ask that you leave and forget you saw us.”

His eyes widened, he had attempted to prove himself and now his chance had been blown. Slumping his shoulders the six foot creature backed away from them as he prepared to leave the room, giving the Grecian beauty a final glance from across his shoulders.

Persephone unfolded her arms as ‘the bug’ left the room and turned to face Beta Ray Bill. It was in this simple motion that she noticed the body of S.H.E.I.L.A lay tattered and broken by the wall, her viridian eyes met with Bill’s but his shaking head told her that it was useless to contemplate a resurrection. Her goal was to be as greatly viewed by the likes of the Avengers and the general public as that of her cousin, and there was no way she could do that if she were to pursue what was clearly a fruitless effort.

She had proven she was not the damsel of the story.

“Were we too harsh?” Bill mused.

“No. We do not have time for babysitting, we have to help them,” Persephone reminded him, her Greek accent slipping through the over-pronounced syllables.

Bill frowned. “We don’t know that they are in any danger.”

“We know they cannot be safe,” countered Persephone. “They have not been in touch and the beasts carried one of their communication devices. We need to make our way to Sarka.”

Bill knew she was correct; he didn’t want to shy away from being the hero. He had lost his reason to live and now he had to recreate himself. He was similar to Persephone, he was trying to find a place in the world where he fit, and he was just less adamant that it involved heroics. Regardless, he knew he had to make a move and stand by the team he had come to be a part of, even if that meant disobeying the orders of the de facto leader, Major Victory.

“Are your powers the only way?” Bill cringed at the thought of it.

“Unless a better idea has presented itself to you?”

Persephone placed her delicate hands on the hardened muscle of Bill’s forearm, her eyes closed as she began to chant in ancient Greco-Latin to perform an incantation she had known all her life, but entering the Dreaming was where her difficulty lay, her powers were somewhat rusty and unused, she had had little use for them in Hades. As she neared the end of the incantation, she heard a rustling from behind her and a weight pushed itself against her back and arms wrapped around her arms as she gagged.

Incantation complete, a flash of viridian left the Control Panel abandoned.

Sarka Imperium Citadel
Sarka, Tilnast Star System
Milky Way Galaxy

Handcuffs clasped around his hands for the second time in his journey to the planet Sarka, Major Victory was starting to notice a theme that was less than appreciated. A foot dug into the backs of his legs as he was pushed to his knees, pale eyes searched around him. Rocket Raccoon was kicking up his usual fuss, but Drax the Destroyer sought out his attention. Eeriness at the sight of his calm features was what really caught Major Victory’s eye.

Mantis was thrust to the ground beside him, barely conscious and bound also.

“Get off of me!” growled Rocket from across the line, a reoccurring them on Sarka as each member of the Guardians of the Galaxy found themselves in a horizontal line.

Major Victory attempted to blast the handcuffs from his wrists with a burst of psychokinetic energy, but he found himself incapable of doing so. His eyes narrowed as he searched for answers, when everything else had been so murky in his mind due to his amnesia his powers had always remained the same, and in his control. Grinding his teeth as he looked onto the delicate features of Mantis, he felt for her yet he recognised the threat she had brought to their lives.

“What happened out there?”

Mantis replied with a doe-eyed stare.

{”Silence,”} Hn’rik’s voice echoed around the large, ovular room as he entered once again from behind them.

Hn’rik demanded attention from all, but his intimidation was weakened by the sight of the Skrull being that walked behind him. The Skrull was draped in robes and his eyes looked ominously across the array of aliens, superhumans and gods lined before him. Distaste was clear in his face, almost as clear as the expression of superiority and ignorance that accompanied it.

Major Victory did not cower beneath his sight, although he suspected those weaker of will would. Although his past remained somewhat unknown to him, he had been a hero in his past and that was how he felt he should continue.

{”What is the meaning of this arrest?”} He ordered an explanation, shocked to hear the words resound in the room as Sarkan. His clear eyes fell to Mantis, who once again nodded slowly.

The Skrull turned to face him and Major Victory realised that he was a clergyman of some sort; it was evident from his dress. Angrier than before that he should be restrained by the very religious organisation he had attempted to protect. He knew little to nothing of the Universal Church of Truth, he relied solely on what he had been told by SHEILA and even her information had been somewhat uninformed. Major Victory had taken his position as a member and as the de facto leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, with pride but his pride had blinded him.

Mantis lay battered on the floor beside him, Rocket was restrained to his right and Drax was a ticking time bomb waiting to occur, but it would be his fault if he were to detonate. Major Victory realised he had been foolish and weak; he needed to save them from the predicament he had rushed them foolhardily into. He pushed himself to his feet so that he could properly make eye contact with the Skrull.

{”Hn’rik, this creature’s impertinence is growing tedious. You should stop playing with your toys and put them down,”} the Skrull dropped his eyes. {”Especially the female, she’s a danger.”}

{”Cardinal Villim, I urge you to reconsider. They have protected us after all, “} Hn’rik’s plea caught Major Victory by surprise, but he noticed the Cardinal was unrelenting.

{”Emperor, are you so quick to allow today’s incident to slip your mind?”} Cardinal Villim spoke slowly, his words laced with contempt. {”Your people, and soldiers, died through the mind-witch’s hand and both she and her comrades must also face that punishment.”}

Major Victory stopped suddenly; things had gone from bad to worse.

{”What is the meaning of this arrest?”} He repeated defiantly.

Sarka
Tilnast Star System
Milky Way Galaxy

Persephone burst from the viridian glare of her own power. “What was that?” She screamed as she turned to face the two she had carried along with her.

Golden ringlets cascaded her shoulders, frown lines etched across her face. Emerald eyes blazed with fury as they came in contact with Bug, sweeping her silky gown around her legs as she paced towards him her hand shot out and clutched at the alien’s throat. Gurgling for help Bug found himself in a compromising position, but Beta Ray Bill avoided making eye contact with the creature.

“What did you do?” growled the Goddess.

Lifting her hand and striking it across his face she breathed heavily, her heart was pulsing. Angry at the silence she attempted to repeat the process but was restrained, a hand grasped her arm and held it in place.

“This solves nothing,” Bill reminded her, pulling her back from Bug and separating the pair.

Grunting as she walked further from the two, her eyes narrowed on the landscape. Sarka was a grotesquely blue planet, she was less than riveted to find herself drawn to it and her previous connection to Beta Ray Bill was almost annihilated through her temper, she had never been able to hold her calm. It was what Hades had found endearing about her, a childish temper to coincide with her sheltered innocence.

“Th…Th…Tik…Tik…Thanks,” stuttered the insectoid.

“It was not a favour, little one,” growled Bill over his shoulder. “You have stepped into a warzone, now you can only hope to survive the experience.”

“Tik…Tik,” gulped Bug as he watched Bill follow the Goddess.

Red goggles clouded his vision in a haze of crimson, but the helmet was not only native of his people, Bug had created it with key features to help him on his “journey” to become something more. Unbeknownst to his comrades, heat detection from within the helmet allowed him to note the bodies around them as dead but also to discover the figure approaching them from the distance. In a few seconds, the figure expanded into a foursome and then doubled again. Choking as he stumbled forward, Bug pounced to warn them.

“This place is welcoming,” Persephone nudged one of the bodies with her foot after a short pause.

“We must be too late,” considered Beta Ray Bill cautiously. “If they survived this, were could they be?”

“I…”

“Guys!”

“I am speaking,” growled the beauty.

“I’m the least of your worries when that mob closes in on us,” Bug informed them. “Tik…Tik.”

Bill watched the insect with concern. “Is that a twitch?”

“Is that important, right now?” Persephone snapped, she marched to the forefront of the threesome, a viridian glow surrounding her hands and her eyes shining the same vibrant colour.

Beta Ray Bill closed in on her, and Bug followed the lead of the two. Cowering slightly behind the two Guardians, Bug fought his inner demons to find the courage to stand up for himself and to fight as he had done back on Knowhere. He had seen that the woman had had the upper hand, she had little need for him and he had just merely latched onto her heroism. In a warzone, he would have to genuinely prove his worth.

The Sarkans came to a halt, screeching unintelligibly at them.

“What is the meaning of that squawking?” groaned a frustrated Persephone as she prepared herself.

“Do not worry.”

All three of the foreigners on Sarka froze; the voice was unfamiliar and seemed to come from amidst the small group. There was silence among them, with the exception of Bug’s twitch, and they listened for the voice to sound again, attentive and curious of the source.

“My name is Fortunæ, and I am your chance of survival,” an old crone addressed them. “Come with me my children and I will teach you all you need to know.”

The three exchanged unnerved glances, before they lowered their eyes and followed the elderly Sarkan woman.

Sarka Imperium Citadel
Sarka, Tilnast Star System
Milky Way Galaxy

A Sarkan brute smashed its fist into the Major’s face, his legs buckled and he collapsed with a grunt. Use of his powers would never have been handier. Smirking as he moved in, the brute lifted his hand for a second time.

{”I wouldn’t consider it, if I were you,”} taunted Drax the Destroyer, with a malicious smile.

Major Victory felt the searing pain once again.

In a flurry of movement, Drax broke free from the shackles that had been intended to bind him, crashing the full weight of his green body into that of the blue Sarkan as the two men came into collision with the wall. Drax sneered at the beast, his eyes narrowed as he contemplated on making death quick, or prolonging the torture. He felt as if torture would bring him more amusement, but the voice inside his head, Arthur, pleaded for the release of the Sarkan.

Grunting to quieten it, Drax thrust the Sarkan through the glass door onto the balcony and as the alien rose to its feet, he used a concussive blast of energy to knock it over the balcony. Walking to the edge, he peered over with a sense of joy when he saw the creature had burst at its seams upon impact.

Drax re-entered the room, his unpredictable eyes catching those of Emperor Hn’rik and Cardinal Villim, who remained a deep concentration.

{”We had only wished to help you,”} continued Major Victory as Drax helped him to his feet with a simple tug of his arm, breaking the handcuffs as he did so.

{”Considering your witch killed more of our army than she saved, I have doubts about your position on the matter,”} replied Cardinal Villim, coolly.

Mantis and Rocket Raccoon moved in around him, as Drax lurked a little further to the right and Major Victory worried that he was considering his next victim. The main concern was whose team he was actually on; little was known about that man who had been introduced to them as both Drax the Destroyer and Arthur Sampson Douglas. A Sarkan had been murdered in cold blood, and although it had aided them, Drax’s volatile nature could easily turn on them.

{”An accident occurred, it was an uncalculated expansion of this one’s core power base,”} Mantis addressed them, and both men looked horrified that she had overstepped her boundaries. {”This one was unprepared for the change.”}

Cardinal Villim’s eyes narrowed. {”I trust you can make the right choice in this matter, Emperor, before anymore Sarkans must die under their hands.”} Cardinal Villim used this order, disguised as a belief in the Emperor’s judgement as a means for his exit as excused himself with a bow.

{”Emperor, we helped you once,”} Major Victory reminded him.

Emperor Hn’rik drew his attention to them. {”And I cannot take the uncalculated risk of harming my people again. Take the Guardians to the dungeons.”} Hn’rik turned his back on them coldly and made his way to the exit.

{”Ungrateful sonova…”} yelled Rocket as the Sarkan Guards moved in around them.

The Morbegs
Sarka, Tilnast Star System
Milky Way Galaxy

“There were once settlers from your world upon Sarka, they did not last long when the Royal Family rose to power.”

Fortunæ led the heroes into a darkened cavern, separate from the hissing and the screeches of the native Sarkan language of her own comrades. She was a tall and gaunt creature, with tuffs of grey hair protruding her pale blue scalp. It was clear to Bug that she meant for them to be intimidated, that was the reason for beginning with such an ominous note. Rebels, he could recognise them instantly, they had been a common feature on Klklk.

“Why did they not last long?” enquired the Grecian beauty.

Fortunæ looked at her with envy as she continued. “Hn’rik and the rest of his clan, the Tenes, were backed by the Universal Church of Truth, a true force to be reckoned with. The Tenes are foreigners, they were born outside of Sarka and raised without our customs, they were not fit to rule us but they were led to power by the Cardinal Villim upon the death of our Righteous Emperor Frn’z.”

“How did that affect the colony of humans from Earth?” Bill urged Fortunæ to answer Persephone’s question.

“The Earthling Massacre, of course. I believe it was aided by a government cover-up, I was formerly a member of the Cabinet, and it was through me that the representative of Earth came to make a deal with Hn’rik and those imposters.”

“Massacre?” echoed Bug. “I…Tik…Tik… Don’t like the sound of that.”

“I doubt the humans appreciated it either,” snapped Persephone, her words laced with sarcasm. “Why do these Tenes represent a threat?”

Fortunæ’s eyes narrowed, and intensity focused within them. “There is a corruption within this world, even without the threat of this oncoming invasion. There are public lynchings for those who disobey the Tenes militant regimes.”

“So…Tik…Tik… Sarka was a more utopian society?”

“It was not perfect, but it was peaceful.”

“So, you blame the Tenes?” Bill asked.

“No,” Fortunæ replied tartly. “I blame the Universal Church of Truth. They are the corruption.”

All three of the heroes froze. Persephone’s eyes shot up to make contact with the alien crone, she moved forward slowly as her dress rustled across the dirt of the cavern. She twisted the golden ringlets around her fingers as she approached Fortunæ.

“But that is who we are here to protect,” the Goddess revealed.

Sarka
Tilnast Star System
Milky Way Galaxy

Uncreated screeched and clawed at the domed protection that had been in place to prevent such an invasion, the dome had been activated after the beasts had scattered from the battle with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Sarkan Militant Forces. Cracks and sparks were clear as the Uncreated continued to collide with the dome. Guards watched them from the Sentry points, rifles cocked and aimed.

Squinting in the darkness, one of the sentries fingered the trigger of his gun, a cold swept over him in anticipation and his breath was clear before his eyes.

Something blunt smashed into the side of the young Sarkan’s face and knocked him from the ledge whilst pulling the gun from his hands. A shot fired above him, and he could hear his comrade collapse into the cold concrete with a thump. Tears swelled in his eyes as he screamed from help in Sarkan, but as the feet approached the broken young man he knew his time was up. Paralyzed by the fall, a bullet was lodged in his brain.

Dropping the rifle to the ground, the assailant moved towards the controls of the dome and lowered it, moving into the darkness and into safety as the Uncreated burst into the city.

Sarka Imperium Citadel
Sarka, Tilnast Star System
Milky Way Galaxy

Sirens echoed around them, catching Emperor Hn’rik’s attention.

Guards backed away from the Guardians and watched Hn’rik before rushing from the room with a wave of his hand. Major Victory powered up as did Drax and Mantis, Rocket pulled his weapons from their holsters and all of their eyes were set on Hn’rik as the target. He merely turned to face them; no fear was in his eyes just a longing that they failed to understand.

{”Betrayal is a wicked form of karma,”} he simply said to them.

Major Victory walked towards him. {”We are not going to kill you Hn’rik; we intend to do what we came here for. We’re going to save the Sarka if it kills us.”}

{”A prospect which gets more likely by the minute,”} muttered the anthropomorphic raccoon, Rocket from behind him.

Hn’rik’s eyes widened as he looked at them. He had mocked them as being the Guardians of the Galaxy when they had first offered their help to him, yet they now stood before him with a second chance for redemption, despite the fact he had threatened their lives only minutes beforehand.

{”I do not understand.”}

Mantis stepped forward. {”We are not the villains, we are here to help.”}

{”Even if you don’t deserve it,”} gnarled Rocket.

Hn’rik simply nodded, reaching back behind the throne; he thrust the shield towards Major Victory.

Major Victory led his team out of the throne room, they were silent as they moved but there was a clear understanding between all of them. Major Victory reached out and grabbed Mantis’ hand; her eyes were wide but blank of emotion as she walked ahead of him, loosening his grip. He watched her slender body disappear into the darkness of the night, and seconds later he joined her.

One of the Uncreated knelt at the bottom of the steps eating from the distorted body of Vik’trya Tene, Queen of the Sarkan Empire.