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[sub][ [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4967061]Prev[/url] ]  [color=#00bfff]“[b]PASSING THROUGH GETHSEMANE[/b], Part II”[/color]  [ [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4999130]Next[/url] ][/sub][/center][COLOR=1E90FF][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]G O R A N G K A A[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][sup][color=gold]Kymellian Agricultural Colony | The Milky Way Galaxy[/color][/sup][/INDENT]
[color=silver]The young boy descended from above the clouds.

Following close behind, the smartship Friday broke through the atmosphere. The surviving remnants of the Coalition defense was gathering on the planet’s surface. Gorangka was an agricolony -- a peaceful world with no defenses. It was basically the farmland of the Kymellian Technomancy.  Pastoral fields and temperate climates, with a high concentration of nitrates in the surface that supported a variety of rich grains, legumes, and other cultivars.

It was also the largest exporter of food to the other member states of the Coalition, making it a rather strategic target in the ongoing war effort against the expansion of the so-called Big Three -- the Kree, Skrulls, and Shi’ar Empires.

Up until this moment, the struggle against the Shi’ar Imperium had been a [b]cold war[/b]. For whatever reason, it seemed as though the Majestor of Throneworld was content to let the sparks ignite into open war.

Not an unintelligent offering, given that it put the Coalition on the back foot in a conflict that now opened on two fronts. Potentially three, if the Kree decided to similarly take advantage of the situation.

Against the Skrulls, the Kymellians and the Majesdanians were evenly matched.  Galladorian technology lagged behind somewhat, though it had been improved significantly since the Coalition had been formed out of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Still, against the technological superpowers of the Kree and the Shi’ar, the Coalition was the underdog.

Particularly if the Shi’ar brought the Imperial Guard to bear. From everything that Coalition intelligence had gathered about the members of the Guard, Billy might find himself in a battle that would make his struggle against Terrax seem like just a warm up.

Under different circumstances, then, the young Batson would opt to try and find any solution that didn’t involve prolonging the war.  Anymore than it had already been, any way. As it was, the Coalition had come together through [b]forty years[/b] of conflict.  More than anything, the galaxy cried out for a respite from all this war.  Billy wasn’t sure just how long he was going to live, but it’d be nice to have peace in his lifetime. 

Sooner rather than later.

But the fact that the Shi’ar would attack an agricolony -- a planet with no defenses of its own -- populated with farmers, not soldiers, was enough to convince Billy that the Shi’ar weren’t the kind of enemy that you [i]reasoned[/i] [i]with[/i].  Not with words.  The Shi’ar war machine didn’t seem to appreciate diplomacy.  They overpowered planets and simply took what they wanted.  The only reason that they seemed to respect was a force strong enough to repel them.

And looking at the damage to the farms and the Coalition fleet, Billy wondered how much longer the Coalition would be able to repel them.

Kofi and G’Kar were outside of Friday, surveying the damage to the smartship, as Billy finally touched down against the scorched earth and started walking toward them.  [color=#00bfff]“How bad is it?”[/color] the boy asked.

[color=#f9cb9c]“The ship, the planet, or the fleet?”[/color] G’Kar tossed back the boy’s way.

[color=#00ffff]“Bad, worse, and worse-er,”[/color] Kofi quipped.

The dark haired youth had glanced over at the large Okaaran, then cut a sharp glare over at the Kymellian bot. [color=#00bfff]“I thought you said [i]worse-er[/i] wasn’t a real word?”[/color] Billy remarked flatly.

[color=#00ffff]“It’s not,”[/color] Kofi affirmed, as Billy fired yet-another-look his way. [color=#00ffff]“...but its probably the best word to describe how bad this looks for us.”[/color]

The frown settled on Billy’s face. Craning his head back, his eyes took in the damage to Friday for himself. Black scorch marks cut scars across the white hull, carving out sections of the ship. Those same scars were apparent on the planet as well. [color=#00bfff]“What was the point of this?”[/color] the boy asked, as he turned and slowly took in the burning homesteads that cast the horizon into a cloud of smolder and smoke.

It was meant to be rhetorical.

[color=#f9cb9c]“Deny the enemy access to resources,”[/color] G’Kar intoned in his gravelly voice. [color=#f9cb9c]“Take them. Make them your own,”[/color] the Warlord of Okaara offered sagely, before adding, [color=#f9cb9c]“The Shi’ar are not benevolent, Billy Batson of Earth.  But they are [b]conquerors[/b].  And they are quite adept at what they do.”[/color]

[color=#00ffff]“We got here as soon as we could, but I think the Shi’ar already made off with some of the population.”[/color]

Billy turned his head to look back at the Kymellian boy for a moment. The look on the human’s face was one of resolve. [color=#00bfff]“Right,”[/color] he intoned solemnly, before turning around to face the Okaaran. [color=#00bfff]“G’Kar, where would the Shi’ar have taken the people they stole from here?”[/color]

Even before he’d asked the question, Kofi had a sinking feeling you already knew the answer. [color=#00ffff]“Billy, you can’t be planning to attack the Shi...”[/color]

[color=#00bfff]“Someone gives you a black eye, sometimes you gotta hit ‘em back,”[/color] Billy tossed back, interrupting the Kymellian. His eyes never wavered, holding the Okaaran’s gaze, waiting for an answer.

[color=#00ffff]“Lord Aelfyre’s command is to avoid furthering the conflict with the Shi’ar,”[/color] Kofi stated patiently, pleading, [color=#00ffff]“We can’t fight a war on two fronts and hope to [i]succeed[/i].”[/color]

[color=#00bfff]“Sometimes you don’t get a choice,”[/color] Billy stated, as he continued to stare down the large Warlord. [color=#00bfff]“One thing I learned, the enemy gets a say.”[/color]

[color=#00ffff]“But we [i]can[/i] [b]choose[/b] how we respond to the enemy,”[/color] Kofi fired back.

A low rumble seemed to resonate from out of the massive Okaaran frame. Finally, G’Kar gave a nod toward the human. [color=#f9cb9c]“Slaves are a commodity. The Shi’ar would take them to a world where they could be put on display as trophies to be dolled out to the highest bidder,”[/color] the Warlord reasoned aloud.

The large veteran of many wars seemed to pause there as he mulled the question over in his mind. Finally, after another minute of silence, he offered a name. [color=#f9cb9c]“[b]Spartax[/b].”[/color]

Billy simply gave a nod. [color=#00bfff]“Thank you,”[/color] he offered quietly. Taking a step back, the boy brought his left forearm up. Glancing down at the gauntlet on his wrist, the boy commanded, [color=#00bfff]“Location: Spartax.”[/color]

A holographic star map exploded into view above Billy’s arm, highlighting a star system. Standing there, Billy started trying to make sense out of the galactic coordinates so that he could plot an astrogation course.

Kofi’s voice interjected. [color=#00ffff]“[i]Dude[/i], they’ll see you coming from [b][i]lightyears[/i][/b] away!”[/color]

[color=#00bfff]“Then I hope they have something bigger in their torpedo tubes that what they brought to this fight here,”[/color] Billy quipped vapidly, as the map and astrogation plot began to solidify.

A three-fingered hand landed on his shoulder. As he looked back, a pair of Kymellian pink eyes stared back at him. [color=#00ffff]“I know you have a hard time remembering this, but you’re [i]not[/i] the most powerful being in the galaxy.” [/color]

[color=#f9cb9c]“If they have forewarning, they will be prepared,” [/color]G’Kar offered solemnly. [color=#f9cb9c]“They’ve seen what you can do. You can be assured that our next confrontation with the Shi’ar, they will have [b]counter-measures[/b] ready for you. It is [i]imperative[/i] that the Shi’ar not be allowed to choose the time or place for that confrontation.”[/color]

[color=#f4cccc]“I know a guy.”[/color]

All three heads turned at the sound of the voice. The Majesdanian teen was seated on the loading ramp, her rainbow hair disheveled and her face soot-marked from working on the interior parts of the ship. [color=#f4cccc]“He used to be one of the Ravagers,” [/color]Adora explained, before saying, [color=#f4cccc]“Now he’s with this group who call themselves [b]Starjammers[/b]...”[/color]

[color=#00ffff]“Starjammers!?” [/color]

Kofi was incredulous. Billy was just speechless. [color=#00bfff]“Those guys are [i]terrorists[/i]. You can’t be serious.”[/color]

The rainbow-haired teen just gave a shrug. [color=#f4cccc]“If anyone knows how to smuggle in or out of Shi’ar space, it’s them.”[/color]

Billy shared a look with Kofi, then glanced at G’Kar. For his part, the Okaaran gave a nod of his head in the direction of the Majesdanian to indicate his support for the idea.

Taking a deep breath, Billy finally asked, [color=#00bfff]“All right, where do I find this guy?”[/color][/color][/indent]