[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/rFsVPbQ.png[/img][/center]
[center][b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5272151]Previously On Create-A-Hero[/url][/b][/center]
[center][b]Aubrey Adkins | Emily Prichert[/b][/center]
[center][b]Day of the Arlaaekan Invasion[/b][/center]
[center][b]Pacific Point, CA[/b][/center]

	“Captain, our sensors are picking up non-Earthling hostiles engaging our forces,” an Arlaaekan officer alerted Captain Tri’Karda as they manned the deck.

	“Inform our forces of this development, not that it will matter much,” Captain Tri’Karda commanded. 

	While his words displayed blatant arrogance, the annuals of the Arlaaekans supported his confidence. For millenniums, the Arlaaekans had been sending out golden rods to the younger races of the galaxy. No matter whether each world had accepted the Great Concord, the Arlaaekans had always prevailed. Over two-thousand worlds had already fallen to the Arlaaekan armada and hundreds more still awaited their judgement day. 

	This was not the first time the recipients of the golden rods had tried to band together in vain to fend off the Arlaaekan scourge. Because the Full Disclosure reveals the inevitability of the Arlaaekan conquest, it was only natural for some of the newly enlightened civilizations to contact one another. Decades ago, one such alliance arose to face the Arlaaekans, the so-called “Great Coalition.” The Arlaaekan armada massacred the combined forces of the alliance, leaving their homeworlds nearly defenseless against their impending doom.

	“Is the Psionic Inducer prepped and ready?” Captain Tri’Karda asked while he reviewed the latest status update for the invasion. The hard-light projection of the Earth displayed clear outlines of the various landmasses that dotted the oceans that covered much of the planet. It represented the areas under Arlaaekan occupation with a teal highlight. Considering that the invasion had only started a few hours ago, the invasion had gone relatively according to plan, with large swaths of the planet under their control and ever increasing. Only the isolated pockets of irregularly high metahuman population were throwing a wrench into their plans. But Tri’Karda was not concerned, as the rest of the armada would overwhelm these last holdouts once the rest of the planet was under Arlaaekan dominion.

	“We just need to sap some psychic energy from the indigenous metahuman population,” the ship’s first officer reported on the status of the Psionic Inducer.

	“Then proceed,” Tri’Karda ordered. Because not every species in the universe has the capacity for or have developed psionic abilities, the Arlaaekans did not always have to utilize the Psionic Inducer. The last time the world conquerors had employed the device was on Atyndro 5, a world that had been populated by a naturally psionic race. Those poor souls did not know what hit them before it was long too late. While the humans did not have the same psionic potential as the populace of Atyndro 5, there were enough psychic metahumans in Pacific Point for it to be effective.

	“Any other orders, captain?”

	“Reinforce the shields. There’re reports that the first invasion force took heavy damage from an unknown power source. I will not have my ship be taken out of the sky so easily,” Tri’Karda added to his commands. He paused for a moment before speaking up again, as another thought came to mind. “Also, take us over the city. The natives wouldn’t want us crash landing into their civilian sectors, now would they?”

[hr]
	This certainly wasn’t how I would have liked to have spent on the day I got married. Well, I guess nobody really expected aliens raining on everyone’s parade today. And the whole alien doomsday scenario might have been a factor that influenced Will’s and my decision to get married on a whim. But that doesn’t matter; let’s focus on the killer aliens who are not only tearing up Pacific Point, the town I now call home, but also the entire world. Nobody, and I mean nobody, likes freaking aliens invading. Heck, even the evil masterminds of the world are probably unhappy, even if it is only because they’re not the ones doing the whole world conquest thing.

	Emily and I were catching our breaths atop a rooftop after we had fought off some alien invaders. No matter how many of these aliens we take down, they just keep on coming. We retreated onto this rooftop not only to get a respite, but also to get a better view of what we’re dealing with. Ever since that big spaceship drove through the giant wormhole in the sky, the attacks had intensified. What would aliens want with Pacific Point, anyways? Unless they want a tan, there’s not really anything strategic here. Maybe they’re trying to take out the resident superheroes?

	“This certainly could have gone worse,” Emily said as she scanned the skyline of Pacific Point.

	[color=b22222]“What could be worse than an alien invasion?”[/color]

	“Well, the world my alternate came from had a run-in with aliens like these. They apparently shattered our moon during the invasion. That’s kind of important for Earth functioning properly,” Emily explained the information she gleamed from the memories she inherited from the elseworld version of herself she and many others (including myself) had been transformed into as of late.

	[color=b22222]“I know you’re trying to be reassuring, but it’s not quite working.”[/color]

	“Hey, I could have said that they cracked the Earth into a gazillion pieces.”

	[color=b22222]“Still not helping.”[/color]

	While we continued to take our quick breather, I noticed the sound of boots and steel tracks marching down a nearby street. When I peered over the rooftop ledge, I saw mechanized infantry rushing towards the alien invaders. While I could clearly tell that these soldiers weren’t the US military from their uniforms and equipment, it took me a moment to connect the dots: S.T.R.I.K.E. Although I haven’t had too many interactions with this secretive organization, I could recognize their gear from the one time I was held in their custody after I first acquired my powers.

	[color=b22222]“I thought these guys went defunct after the Hounds attacked?”[/color] I stated to Emily. While we need all the help we can get to fight these aliens, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed to see these guys again. It is kind of problematic that a secret spy organization knows my secret identity.

	“I guess their demise was greatly exaggerated,” Emily answered back.

	[color=b22222]“Well, we better get back out there. These aliens don’t look like the type to wait until we’re back at full strength.”[/color]

	From the corner of my eye, I noticed the components of the giant spaceship’s lower section move and reorient itself. A spire descended from the center of the ship. Although the spaceship was too far away for me to see any details, I could tell there were some moving parts in that contraption.

	[color=b22222]“I really hope they’re not bringing out the bigger gun.”[/color]

	I was expecting Emily to say something about the aliens were probably compensating for something if they had a ‘bigger gun,’ but she didn’t utter a single word. It wasn’t until I felt a buzzing sensation in my head when I turned and realized Emily had mysteriously fallen unconscious and was starting to tumble off the side of the rooftop. Thankfully, my spider reflexes allowed me to hit her with a webline and pull her away from the ledge. But what could have caused her to be knocked out cold, especially since I, nor any of the S.T.R.I.K.E. soldiers below had been affected? Luckily, Emily was only out of it for a mere moment before she started to come to.

	“Please tell me you have a pouch on that costume with some Advil,” Emily told me as she struggled to her feet.

	[color=b22222]“What the heck happened to you?”[/color]

	“The Arlaaekan capital ship seems to be siphoning off psionic energy. Her loss of consciousness must have been a side effect from the extraterrestrial technology,” Athena explained and thereby revealed her presence. “I cannot image anything good coming such a phenomenon.”

	[color=b22222]“So I’m guessing I wasn’t affected because I don’t have psychic powers.”[/color]

	“Aubrey, who are you talking to? Please tell me you’re not going crazy.”

	Oh great. Athena is staying invincible. We really need to figure out a way to distinguish when I’m the only person who can see her. I mean, I guess it should be obvious when people react to a Greek goddess standing in their midst. But we’re being invaded by aliens! Nobody has time to look for those cues while being shot at by aliens.

	[color=b22222]“Um, it’s kind of complicated. I’ll explain it after we’re no longer worrying about aliens destroying the world.”[/color]

	“I would call BS on that, but you’re right about the aliens. We got bigger fish to fry. So, what’s our next play?”

	[color=b22222]“I guess we need to figure out a way to get on that ship.”[/color]

	“I can easily sneak you onboard,” Athena spoke, although I was the only one who could hear her. “but I would recommend gathering up some allies before the infiltration.”