[color=gray][INDENT][COLOR=SILVER][SUB][SUP][H3][b]MORAG IV[/b][/H3][/SUP][/SUB][SUB]Morag System - Andromeda Galaxy[/SUB]
[SUP][i]Nine Months Ago[/i][/SUP][/color][INDENT][color=#ffffff]“The Main Man expected so much more from you.”[/color]

The pale skinned alien smiled as he lifted Clark by the neck until they were at eye level.. Clark could barely keep his eyes open as he struggled to fight back. Warworld had left him far more weakened than he had been able to admit to himself, he was still reeling from fighting against gladiator after gladiator over the course of the last year. The Monguls had left him nearly drained, physical and mental injuries plagued his body.

It was hard to recharge this deep into space. 

The red eyes looking into his own belonged to a Czarnian, at least that’s what Marchew had called him. Apparently he was the last Czarnian in the galaxy, a feat he boasted, especially given that he had killed the rest of his people. Rocket had said he was an old rival from his bounty hunting days and referred to the alien by the name of Lobo. The normally brash and dismissive Rocket had even gone so far as to warn Clark that Lobo was not one to be trifled with lightly.

Apparently there was a bounty on Clark’s head. More than a few of the ‘gladiators’ were hunters who had infiltrated Warworld in much the same fashion that Clark had. But none sent a chill down his spine like Lobo.

[color=#b45f06]“He’d devour your entrails if the contract called for it, and he’d thoroughly enjoy doin’ it too.”[/color]

Rocket’s voice floated through Clark’s head, as he turned towards his friend’s crumpled form. Lobo had taken them by surprise, a frag grenade lobbed haphazardly that had devastated the ancient ruins of the Kryptonian Colony world and tossed the Guardians in every direction. Marchew hadn’t even had a chance to react before Lobo was upon him. A sickening snap echoed from his spine while Rocket moved for his weapon only to be swatted away like no more than nuisance. 

The others were currently lost, swallowed by the crumbling temple of the Religious Guild.

[color=#6fa8dc]“Rocke-” [/color]Clark tried to call to his friend, the raccoon-like alien laid motionless several feet away, his breathing laboured, blood dripping from his nose and ears. Clark could feel his heart aching, panic setting in as things had quickly spiralled out of his control.

This was all his fault.

[color=#ffffff]“Look at me, Kryptonian,”[/color] Lobo ordered, squeezing tighter and turning Clark’s face back towards him. [color=#ffffff]“The Main Man wants his face to be the one that haunts your nightmares while you spend the rest of your life in a cage.”[/color]

[color=#6fa8dc]“Why-” [/color]Clark managed to spit out, [color=#6fa8dc]“-are y- doing th-?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“Speak up, my man, it’s starting to sound like you’re choking on your own blood.”[/color] Lobo brought a knee up to Clark’s abdomen, driving it into his diaphragm as Clark spit blood onto the ground.

[color=#ffffff]“After all the work the Main Man did to track you down, the least you can do is make it a challenge for me.”[/color] Lobo smiled, before his facial expressions rapidly shifted into a frown. 

[color=#ffffff]“Your ancestors are looking down with such disdain.”[/color] He added, before laughing wildly, Clark felt repulsed by the alien’s enjoyment, nearly gagging on Lobo’s breath that reeked of smoke and decaying flesh.

[color=#ffffff]“The galaxy at large forgets your kind, but not me.”[/color] His voice dropped to a gravelly whisper, [color=#ffffff] “I remember every poke and prod, I remember the burning of the radiation as my body was exposed to it over and over again.”[/color] Lobo’s voice rose louder, [color=#ffffff]“The madness and waking up with the blood of my own family on my hands.”[/color] He threw his head back and laughed free of any inhibitions, his entire body shaking with a form of mirth Clark couldn’t comprehend. 

[color=#ffffff]“And it was [b]exhilarating![/b]”[/color] He snapped before slamming Clark into the nearest temple column. Lobo’s hands released the Kryptonian, letting the inertia carry Clark to the ground as he flew through walls and supports before landing with a dull thud. Dust filled his lungs while debris ripped through the Sakaaran leather jacket he wore, the unfamiliar sensation of his own warm blood on his skin overwhelming his senses.

[color=#ffffff]“Here I thought you could fly,”[/color]

Moving towards Clark, Lobo was suddenly stopped in his tracks as intertwined branches began to ensnare him, wrapping around his body and slowing him to a halt.

[color=#e6b8af]“[b]I AM GROOT![/b]”[/color]

[color=#6fa8dc]“N-no!”[/color] Clark managed to spit out, [color=#6fa8dc]“Groot, get out of here!”[/color]

[color=#e6b8af]“I am GROOT!”[/color]

[color=#6fa8dc]“No one else is getting hurt today because of me!”[/color] Clark retorted, struggling to stand. 

[color=#ffffff]“Look at that,”[/color] Lobo sneered, [color=#ffffff]“He does have some fight,”[/color] He laughed jovially, before launching himself backwards towards Groot. The sudden movement created enough slack in Groot’s branch-like arms that Lobo had freed his arms.

Clark could only wince at the sound of snapping wood, falling to his knees again in dismay and anger.

[color=#ffffff]“Tell me, tree, do you burn?”[/color] Lobo asked, lighting a cigar before flicking the ash towards Groot as the Colossus Flora struggled to get away.

[color=#6fa8dc]“Do you?”[/color] challenged Clark from across the ancient narthex. His eyes illuminated the darkness with an eerie red glow before unleashing the full force of his heat vision on Lobo. He stood, taking a step forward as Lobo let out a roar of pain. The acrid smell of burning flesh overwhelmed Clark’s nostrils before suddenly, he felt a hand clamp over his eyes.

He cried out in pain as his skull began to fracture under Lobo’s grip.

[color=#ffffff]“Boy, that hurt [i]so[/i] [b]good.[/b]”[/color] Lobo hooted, [color=#ffffff]“Give me some more, the Main Man wants more!”[/color] He hollered, hurtling Clark through the nearest wall. The cold damp air of the oceanic planet hit his skin while the moon glowed overhead, the reflected light of the system's orange star doing little to recharge his drained cells.

[color=#ffffff]“More! More! [b]More![/b]”[/color] Lobo continued to yell, each word accompanied by another blow of his chain wrapped fist. Clark watched the moon as it moved in and out of focus, the faces of friends and family hazily floated in front of his eyes.

[i][color=#6fa8dc]Chloe; her green eyes sparkled along with her beaming smile, no one had ever looked at him the same way that Chloe had except maybe-[/color][/i]

Blood flew from his split lip.

[i][color=#6fa8dc]Lana; heat flushed behind his eyes, still remembering the first day of school in Grade 10. Lana in her cheerleader uniform triggered his heat vision for the first time.[/color][/i]

[color=#ffffff]“Oh no, we’re not doing that again,”[/color] Lobo laughed before jamming his fingers in Clark’s eyes. Clark cried out in agony, the sensation reminding him of-

[i][color=#6fa8dc]Ryan; playfighting with his brother while he was younger. Coughing up a lung while scrambling for his inhaler, asthma holding him back until one day he was suddenly faster and stronger than his brother.[/color][/i]

[color=#ffffff]“Stop fighting and this can all be slaggin’ over.”[/color]

[i][color=#6fa8dc]Mom; Intervening between him and Ryan. Mom always had a solution that didn’t involve using strength or force to get your own way.[/color][/i]

[color=#ffffff]“You can still quit while you’re breathing my man, or the Main Man can turn you over to the Collector for his taxidermy collection.”[/color]

[i][color=#6fa8dc]“You can quit if you want, Son, but just remember, quitting’s a very hard habit to break.”[/color][/i]

[color=#6fa8dc]“Dad!”[/color] Clark cried out, barely able to see before suddenly pushing Lobo off of him. His eyes were in agony, he definitely felt like a lung had collapsed and his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of his own blood.

Through the blurry shadows, Clark saw a flurry of motion, bracing for another attack from Lobo only to let out a small sigh of relief when it didn’t happen. A warcry rang out through the night air, echoing over the alien ocean. The ground shaking from the impact of another’s approach.

[color=#b6d7a8]“Yargh!”[/color] A woman’s voice echoed over the desolate planet. Her weapon swung through the air as Lobo moved to avoid the attack.

[color=#b6d7a8]“Leave my husband alone!”[/color] The redheaded warrior shouted, her sword threatening to cleave Lobo in two as Maxima wielded it expertly. 

[color=#ffffff]“Hey, I didn’t see no ring!”[/color] Lobo chuckled, blocking the blade with his hook and chain. “[color=#ffffff]The Main Man respects the sanctity of marriage.”[/color] 

[color=#b6d7a8]“I will hold no quarter after your underhanded attack!”[/color] Maxima roared, lifting the blade above her head and swinging hard.

[color=#ffffff]“My man, you pulled this?”[/color] Lobo roared hysterically, as he looked at Clark trying to crawl away. [color=#ffffff]“That’s one premium babe, look at the way she handles that thing.”[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Lylla,”[/color] Maxima muttered to herself, [color=#b6d7a8]“On my position.”[/color]

Lobo realized too late that the warrior woman was speaking to another through a communicator as the roar of the Guardians’ Thanagarian craft filled the air, the swift vessel banking around and opening fire where Lobo and Maxima were locked in combat.

Disengaging, Maxima dove to Clark protection while Lobo did his best to avoid the weapons fire. Growling, he turned to attack the pair before being blocked by another assault run of the ship as the Lylla deftly navigated the craft. 

[color=#ffffff]“Slag it.”[/color]

The Thanagarian vessel pulled around again, opening fire on Lobo as he ran to get out of the way of the blasts. The ground beneath him began to crumble, tripping the Czarnian as he ran. Stumbling to a knee, he roared in agony as a weapons blast made contact. It was followed by another blast and then another until the cliff and Lobo both were gone, swallowed by the alien ocean. 

Landing the craft, the otter-like Princess scurried from the cockpit to the landing ramp where Maxima was helping Clark to his feet. 

[color=#c9daf8]“Where are the others?”[/color]

[color=#6fa8dc]“Inside,”[/color] Clark managed to weakly, [color=#6fa8dc]“I’m so sorry-”[/color]

[color=#b6d7a8]“Shush, my love,”[/color] Maxima replied, kneeling in front of Clark,[color=#b6d7a8] “Save your strength.”[/color]

[color=#6fa8dc]“H-he’s gone?”[/color] Clarked asked as the redhead woman nodded slowly.

[color=#b6d7a8]“Yes, I pray we never see him again.”[/color][/INDENT][/INDENT][/COLOR]