REPOST: RAC Challenge! #20

[Arthur Spitzer]

Chapter by Raymond "wReam" Bingham who wrote various
LNH stories and created a number of classic LNH
characters like the Ultimate Ninja, Self-Righteous Preacher,
and Cannon Fodder to name a few.

From: franke at indiana.edu (Jerry L Franke)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.creative
Subject: REPOST: RAC Challenge! Ch. 20
Date: 1 Dec 1995 16:37:23 GMT

Continuing the Challenge!

=======================================================================


                                RAC CHALLENGE!
                                       
Chapter 20: When the sky hits your eye like a big pizza pie, it HOITS!

   by wReam
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   In a calm meadow on the planet known only as "Gammani" a small village
   suddenly erupted into flame. The Conigli inhabitants fled for the
   hills. This was not the first time, that "the Settlers" had moved
   their inhabitants. The Conigli had been fighting these powerful beings
   for years now. And they lost every battle. The Conigli looked like
   harmless rabbits, if rabbits stood 8 feet tall and carried machine
   guns. But their primitive machine guns were no match for a group of
   super powered humanoids who had appeared from some other world.
   
   A woman with firery red head stood behind a blue field of shimmering
   light. With another squint of concentration she managed to ignite the
   field around the Conigli remaining in resistance. Soon the bullets
   stopped flying, and the blue haired man next to the firery haired
   woman opened his eyes and smiled, and the shimmering field dissipated.
   The air around the field made a thunder clap as the field was
   dissipated.
   
   "Well done Pira." The stout blue haired man said to the shapely
   pyrokinetic. Then turning to a hidden figure he said, "Aridalla, will
   they be safe here now?"
   
   "Yes, Malloc. The Conigli have been driven into the wilderness. It
   will take them nearly a century to rebuild their forces. By then, our
   new colonists will be well established in this shattered world." Said
   a mysteriously female voice from under a hood and cloak. "I sense this
   world was nearly identical to our lost homeworld, at one time. But the
   inhabitants of this world destroyed themselves. It is time the Humans
   took this world back from the horrible mutations which they created."
   
   "Aridalla, your ability to see into time has definately been a
   priceless gift to us. Even if you may not see the exact future, in
   this world we have learned much from your ability to read the past." A
   man the size of a small child in a leather jerkin and dagger bowed to
   the hooded woman. He had appeared from the underbrush undetected.
   
   Aridalla didn't seem surprised, or even turn to the halfman. "Perhaps
   now that we have secured part of this world, we may see some joy. Too
   many of my visions are full of pain and sorrow."
   
   "That is what we all wish." Pira nodded her head solemnly.
   
   "Torbin and Masheik are ready to return to our world and obtain humans
   willing to found our little colony. I only wish we could have found a
   better world to live on."
   
   "Midge, this world contains many fabulous secrets that we will never
   touch. But the colony will. They will find and rebuild this planet to
   grandeur. If we find another world worth saving we will try to save
   the rest of the human race, but for now, this world must suffice."
   Midge didn't like Aridalla's lack of exposition. He wanted to know it
   all, but he knew the danger involved in knowing your future.
   
   "Come let us prepare the gateway."
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   "Ultimate blood! I love ultimate blood!" shrieked Bloody Beth. "I am
   the Ultimate Vampyre!"
   
   "Whatever!" Artemis let loose a volley of arrows. Each one aimed
   perfectly at the heart. The shots pierced and the Ultimate vampire
   screamed and fell to the earth.
   
   "Gee, she didn't even put up a fight!?" Frisbee said disappointed. He
   walked past the vampire to find Paragon. His mangled corpse lay on the
   ground. Breaking a wooden chair he rammed a wooden stake through his
   heart. "Seems kinda pointless, we save him for a year and then he dies
   again!?"
   
   Paragon's corpse began to smoulder as it crumpled under the curse of
   vampirism.
   
   "Aren't all vampires supposed to crumple into dust when they die?"
   Esper said pointing to the Ultimate Vampire.
   
   "I don't know. Until a few minutes ago, I had always presumed they
   were a myth."
   
   Suddenly the corpse of Bloody Beth jerked back to life. Its eyes shot
   red and widened. "Hahahahaha!! I have tasted of eternal life! The
   Ultimate Life! The Ultimate Blood!" The vampire jumped up and grabbed
   Frisbee by the head and torso and bit deep into his neck. His entire
   body fell limp as he was nearly decapitated by the force of the bite.
   Blood spurted everywhere. The remainder of the delta squad fell back
   aghast. Two of their commrades fallen and they had scarcely done
   anything.
   
   "Is there any way we can kill that thing!?" cried Blacklight. Reaching
   to the shadows he ripped at the vampiress, but she only absorbed the
   darkness and smiled wildly in ecstacy.
   
   "Hahahaha! Is this my only opposition!? Something I already control!?"
   Then turning to Blacklight she pointed a finger and the shadows leaped
   and encircled the hero. Blacklight suddenly was propelled backward
   crashing into the wall. His figure stiffened as it hit then slumped
   slowly down the wall. A wave of shadows swept over him.
   
   Shield ran to his friend's side, but the shadows around Blacklight
   snarled and lept up at him like a rabid canine. He withdrew from
   Blacklight and the cold shadows fell away. "You monster!! We shall
   destroy you!" he yelled with defiant rage.
   
   "No! You cannot! There is only one way I can be destroyed!! And none
   of you are capable of doing it!" The vampire's dress encircled her
   like hypnotic snakes. The air was cold, but the blood was hot and
   steaming in the stale basement air.
   
   Suddenly Artemis was overcome with fear and threw her weapons to the
   ground. She could think of nothing more than to run and flee and hide.
   She ran headlong into the wall, and clawed at the brick wall behind
   her. It was hopeless! She was trapped! Suddenly her nervous system
   collapsed and she fell limp to the floor.
   
   Esper, who stood quiet in the background, suddenly grasped her
   forehead and screamed in agony. "Nooooo!!!" Bloody Beth just smiled as
   wave of psionic backlash extinguished Esper's consciousness.
   
   Panic surged through the remaining deltas as they backed away from the
   terror approaching. Thoughts became raw as the vampiric fear-paralysis
   settled into the room like a cold heavy weight. It was hopeless to
   resist.
   
   "Soon I will make you all my slaves. Then you will help me capture the
   rest of the delta squadron. Embrace eternal death!"
   
   "Well if we are about to die at least tell us how you may die."
   Blackfoot mustered as he felt himself drowning in a paralysis he was
   already too familiar with.
   
   "Fine... I will grant your a last request." Bloody Beth gazed deep
   into Roger Price's eyes. He could not move. Not that he was a
   paraplegic, but rather because he mesmerized by the sedductive power
   of the vampiress.
   
   "I cannot die any longer on this world, because I would have to be
   struck by a radiation and sunlight patterns different from the
   sunlight produced here from our sun. Even if it were not the middle of
   the night, I will now be able to walk in bright sunlight and be fine,
   because the mix of light is wrong due to the enhanced power I have
   gained from the Ultimate Blood" Bloody Beth strutted up to the armored
   Blackfoot. She stroked his armored chest. "Take off your helmet"
   Blackfoot complied.
   
   "Of course even if I was exposed to this type of sunlight I would have
   to somehow be obliterated such that I could not regenerate in it."
   Bloody Beth stopped short of sinking her teeth into her dazed victim
   to think. She really was invulnerable. "And the only way to obliterate
   me... uh... gee, I have no idea... my regenerative abilities are
   beyond any known phenomenae... I suppose I would have to have
   something disrupt the very fabric of reality and shred me, of course
   that would not kill me... just set me back... I would THEN have to be
   exposed to intense heat and that alien sunlight... hee hee hee..."
   
   Bloody Bath smirked. "You will be my second vampiric minion." She
   turned and opened her mouth wide exposing her fangs.
   
   Suddenly the fabric of reality shredded around and in Bloody Beth.
   Before she could blink even more her being was scrambled and a portal
   opened in the exact position of where she was standing. From within
   the portal a strong sunlight shone. The pieces of Bloody Beth boiled
   and sizzled like bacon, eventually shrivelling up to nothing.
   
   Immediately Blackfoot stepped back, and the remainder of the Delta
   Squadron jumped into action as if they had never been scared of
   anything.
   
   A two foot tall man stepped through the portal.
   
   "Eeew! Look at the mess!?" Midge commented as the last pieces of
   Bloody Beth were wisped through the portal in the form of some type of
   sulfurous gas.
   
   Blackfoot aimed his weapon at the small form cautiously and said,
   "Friend or Foe?"
   
   "That depends on whether or not you like freedom and new worlds, or
   whether you are into slavery, oppression, and all that evil stuff..."
   Midge said comically. He showed no fear of the weapon.
   
   "We are the Delta Squadron. We fight opression." Waterfall said
   approaching with open arms.
   
   Midge looked her up one side and down the other and smiled. "The Delta
   Squadron!? Didn't you guys all get killed by Bloody Beth?! Oh great!
   Aridalla is NOT going to like this, somehow we have moved a year or
   two in the past. What year is it?"
   
   Before Blackfoot could answer Aridalla came through the portal. "That
   was our plan Midge. By combining Torbin and Malloc's abilities Masheik
   was able to hypothesize that it was possible for them to create an
   actual time gate. It not only travels through space, but time as well.
   Of course we did need a bit of luck." Aridalla explained. Turning to
   the Delta Squadron she said soberly. "We have to come back in time to
   get colonizers. In a year this planet will be destroyed and nothing my
   time seeing abilities have seen can avoid this calamity. It simply
   WILL happen. "
   
   "How?" Esper said inquisitively as she dragged herself from the floor.
   
   
   "Our sun will explode. It is already very unstable. It is a reason
   that so many of you have been gaining super powers... " Aridalla
   talked quietly and then concentrated. "Even as I reveal this to you, I
   can see into the future. I can still see that this planet is
   destroyed."
   
   Esper closed her eyes, then as if she was peering directly into the
   hooded woman's mind she opened them suddenly and placing her hand over
   her mouth gasped audibly. Nodding she stepped back unquestioningly.
   
   A shapely firery red head stepped through the portal. Pointing to the
   last quivering blob of what was once Bloody Beth she winked and it
   burst into flame and vapor. "That is the last of Bloody Beth..."
   Aridalla nodded.
   
   "Did we come in time to save Paragon and Frisbee? Are we in the proper
   time?" Pira said with wide eyes. Midge sniffed indignantly as if he
   was insulted because he was not let in on the entire plan.
   
   "I am afraid zey are beyond savink!" It was Dr. Headzhrinker. He was
   examining the mess of the two dead heroes.
   
   "Where did you come from?" Shield said confused.
   
   "Frizbee'z and Paragon'z emergenzy beacons vass activated. But I haf
   com too late." Dr. Headzhrinker shook his head with disappointment.
   
   Another figure emerged from the portal. "Let me have a look at them."
   
   Aridalla approached the female who was dressed in a long white lab
   coat. "Are they salvageable, Masheik?"
   
   "Barely. I think that I can revive Paragon, but it will require me to
   completely replace his body with cybernetic implants. At least, from
   what I can tell, his brain is still fully intact. Frisbee here is
   practically braindead already. I think that he must have been hit a
   lot harder from the vampire. I would suggest that reviving him would
   not be very beneficial to anyone, especially to Frisbee." Masheik
   attached a flashing metal ball to the side of paragon's neck, and it
   levitated. "I need to get him to my lab. If I don't hurry he will
   become nothing more than the Ultimate Vacuum Cleaner..." She
   disappeared back through the portal with the floating remains of
   Paragon.
   
   "Blackfoot." Aridalla returned her attention to the Delta Squadron.
   They didn't know quite what to think. "I know this is a bit
   overwhelming, but we need you to round up as many peaceful citizens of
   this planet as you can and prepare them for transfer to this planet we
   have prepared for."
   
   Blackfoot nodded. He was still a bit dazed but he thought he
   understood. His planet was about to be destroyed and there was nothing
   he could do about it. All he knew is he had to save as many innocents
   as possible...
   
   "You must do this without the notice of any of the Baron's troops
   noticing. We have saved your life for this mission. You must not fail
   us." Aridalla stuck him with a piercing gaze. "Do you understand?"
   
   "Yes, Ma'am." Blackfoot said hesitantly. He was not sure if he was
   allowed to speak. "May I ask a question?"
   
   "Speak, but be quick about it. Torbin cannot hold this portal open for
   much longer. We will have to return to you tomorrow, but Midge here
   will remain with you."
   
   Midge smiled and winked at Waterfall.
   
   "Who are you?" Blackfoot asked exasperated.
   
   "We are heroes from your world, who saw the end of this world as you
   know it. We banded together to form a special task force. Its main
   objective was to save this world's population in some form. During the
   next year the Baron will start some hideous experiments on humans. We
   will be the result of these experiments. Do not tamper with the Baron,
   you must save the people of this planet, not him. He will get his own
   in the coming future.
   
   "While on earth we had different names. We had codenames like you. We
   were supposed to be the future militant force for the Baron, but I saw
   a future destined to destruction. It was Midge here who found our
   deliverance. He was on the edge of being destroyed when Torbin, the
   fellow holding open this gate, materialized out of nowhere and saved
   him. One by one, we were secretly lifted from the Baron's grasp. I was
   only 1/2 a year old when I was saved. The Baron used his hero Time
   Bandit to accellerate our growth into full adults. We call him Malloc.
   We chose to not use our codenames, since they remind us of a dark time
   of slavery."
   
   "A half year old!? That means you have not been born yet!" Blackfoot
   was stupified.
   
   "That is correct. It is confusing, I know." Aridalla simply continued.
   "You must not tamper with the Baron's experiments. I doubt you could
   find them, but if you did, you might interfere with my birth. And the
   rest of our abductions. Before we escaped from this place I visited
   this basement in hopes of unlocking some secrets of the Ultimate Man
   that were hidden in the past. He and your entire Squadron had become
   Vampiric slaves to Bloody Beth. I saw this battle in the past, only it
   didn't end with us moving back through it. That is how I knew how to
   relate the exact timing to save you... I saw you die. I saw your
   friends each lose their lives. I figured with Midge's luck we could
   actually save you guys and maybe this whole plan will work..."
   
   Aridalla ducked into her hood. The portal became a little less bright.
   "I cannot say anymore. I have already tainted the future too much. We
   will return to you in a day." With that the portal closed behind
   Aridalla... The one that would be known as "Visionary."
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Pira looked over the patient that Masheik had placed in her
   underground medlab. Masheik was an inhabitant of Gammani, who had
   placed herself into voluntary stasis, just before "The Calamity" which
   aparently destroyed or mutated all humans and life on the planet. She
   had been unaffected, except that her memory was shady in spots. The
   Settlers all treated her with respect, and she was the master of
   technologies that made most of their heads spin so she was more than
   useful.
   
   Still, for some reason, Aridalla avoided Masheik. She avoided most
   everyone, because at times she would say things that would cause them
   to act uncertainly or alter their futures, but she was most careful
   about Masheik.
   
   Pira sat gazing at the mangled Dirk Darringer. This was the legendary
   one that had done so much and then ended up squandering his powers in
   pettiness. Pira could not help but have pity on him, for he warranted
   the Ultimate Pity.
   
   "Can you warm up that flask of water for me?" Masheik broke Pira's
   gaze with the question.
   
   "Sure." Pira half looked at the flask and the water was instantly
   boiling. Heating things to burning temperatures was quite easy to do
   if the thing was not alive, and had a low boiling point.
   
   "What is salvageable?" Pira said a bit disappointed looking at the
   Ultimate Man's quite frail appearance. He looked as if he had been
   dead for a year or something.
   
   "Um... not much. Mostly his head... Maybe some of his internal organs
   and tissues... I suppose. But eventually most everything will need to
   be replaced." Masheik was a scientist, and Paragon was her experiment
   at this moment. She felt nothing for the subject. Pira could never be
   so cold.
   
   "It is a shame. He has some nice features." Pira said not thinking.
   
   "Well, I doubt he will be capable of much 'Love and affection' once we
   have him all pieced together again, so don't get your hopes up."
   Masheik said smiling.
   
   Pira smiled back. "That's okay... That Shield guy, and Silverhawke
   both looked quite nice as well."
   
   "I will agree with that hypothesis!" Masheik said returning a wry
   smile.
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   "I am zorry I haf to do dis!" Dr. Headzhrinker winced as he drove the
   stake through Frisbee's chest. He had been bitten by a vampire, and
   although the vampire was gone, Frisbee might have risen as an
   independent vampire and that was not permissable.
   
   "I'm hungry, anybody got any pizza?" Midge said bored.
   
   "Pardon me if I don't feel like eating..." Waterfall said wiping back
   the tears. Frisbee had been like a brother to her, and now he was a
   smoldering mass of corrupted flesh.
   
   Midge shrugged his shoulders and walked into the conference room.
   
   "Smooth move... That's one thing I have never been lucky in... Love."
   
   Blackfoot looked around the conference room. His entire plan to
   overthrow the Baron and Lady Mary Lu were set at naught. In one fell
   blow he had been informed that his planet was doomed and if he wanted
   any of his race to survive they had better act fast.
   
   "What evidence do we have that these guys are telling us the truth!?"
   Shield said suspiciously.
   
   "By the fact we didn't paste you guys to the wall?" Midge said
   indignantly.
   
   "Hah! I doubt that you could..."
   
   "That is enough!" Blackfoot interrupted. "We cannot afford to fight
   among ourselves. Whether we fight the Baron or not, we have too much
   work to do!" Blackfoot turned to Esper who was sitting in a chair with
   an icepack on her forehead. "What did you make of this Aridalla?"
   
   "She is sincere. She is hiding something about the future she comes
   from." Esper said looking a Midge. Midge hated telepaths. "Something
   terrible, and in fact, she may not be hiding it but trying desperately
   to forget it."
   
   "What of her story of the planet being destroyed?" Blackfoot said.
   
   "She is sincere. I caught a glimpse of the future she saw. And while I
   cannot use her powers or interpret all the visions she saw. I feel as
   strongly as she, that this star which we call our sun will explode in
   a little more than a year from now." Esper was deadly serious. Esper
   seldom joked.
   
   "For a snoop, you got one thing right." Midge said crossing his arms.
   The debate was over. The mission was clear.
   
   "Okay, well, it looks like we have an enormous amount of work ahead of
   us." Blackfoot said peering at a map of the earth spread out on the
   table around which they sat.
   
   "I will divide up the squadron. All 200 members will partecipate. Find
   anyone that will come. Tell them to bring as much of whatever they can
   find. We will have to contact Aridalla and tell her where they can
   open gates to transport the colonizers once we find them." Blackfoot
   looked around the room. The enormity of their task was starting to
   sink in. It looked all but hopeless.
   
   "And above all, we must act without the Baron's knowlege!"
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Paragon tried to open his eyes. He had been so close to death so many
   times, he was beginning to get used to the idea that perhaps he
   already was dead, and he was just experiencing periodic moments of
   life. For some reason his eyes did not behave the way they should.
   Suddenly his eyelids opened but in the back of his head he could hear
   a little motor whining.
   
   Looking down, he could no longer see his body nor could he feel it. He
   could not feel his face, nor the air touching his eyes. Something was
   dreadfully wrong, like he was in a dream, only he knew he was awake.
   Suddenly a woman in a white labcoat walked by and then looking
   Paragon's direction she smiled and began to speak.
   
   "So! Our patient is conscious!" Masheik said with a bit of excitement.
   
   
   "What have you done to me!?" Paragon strained to say. The words did
   not come. Rather they were broadcast on a speaker in an alien tone.
   
   "I am sorry, but about the only organs I was able to save were your
   brain and your ears." Masheike held up a mirror. In it was a brain
   suspended in some fluids in a vessel resembling a human head, and some
   ears attatched to some wires which were attatched to the brain. "I am
   sorry I had to wake you in this state but I feared keeping you sedated
   for much longer. Your brain would have probably become more like
   oatmeal."
   
   "My brain and my ears!?" Paragon was apalled, shocked, disgusted and
   scared spitless all at once. "What kind of scientist are you!?"
   
   "Well you didn't leave me with much to work with!" Masheik said a bit
   offended at her patients lack of gratitude.
   
   "How will I be the Ultimate Lover!? The Ultimate Man!? Without my
   Ultimate Body!?"
   
   "Well, I personally think you are highly overrated as it is. I mean,
   granted I only saw what was left of you, but if you are the Ultimate
   when men are concerned, I am afraid the human race would have died off
   long ago for lack of excitement." Masheik said unconcerned.
   
   "Gee, There really must have not been much left of me..." Dirk said
   disappointed. "So am I destined to remain a brain and ears for the
   rest of my existence?"
   
   "Well, in the flesh, I suppose. Although your ears will probably give
   out in a couple years. Then they will have to be replaced with
   cybernetic parts as well." Masheik continued to work. "But we will fit
   you with the best in robotic bodies and parts. I suppose since you are
   awake now, you can help me pick out some of these robotic
   attatchments! So... What do you want to look like?"
   
   "Oh Goody." Paragon said sarcastically.
   
   To be continued
   
     * Next issue: Chapter 21: "Stretching the World Wide Web" or "Brain
       Fever" by Michael Friedman
       
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Well, there you go. I was going to completely destroy the planet and
   start everything over, but then I thought... well, that is a bit too
   mean. I was pretty nice I suppose... I mean I only killed two
   characters. I must work on my viciousness. My original story idea had
   a lot more fuzzy bunnies in it... and I didn't even get to the race of
   buxom mutate Amazons. Oh well... :) So, anywho I think I left plenty
   of leeway for the other writers to enjoy. I left plenty of openings
   for new plot developments, betrayal and if you like one side of the
   story or the other you can spend time writing areas you want. Gammani
   is a new planet, which ought to provide the writers with lots of
   potential for creative exploration.
   
   Have fun!
   
   wReam 
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   For your writing convenience, and if you want to add something to this
   go ahead. The "Settlers" each have a code name with the exception of
   Masheik. (Don't add to the Settlers, but you may add to the GAMMANI
   list since there is now an entire new world to explore.)
   
   GAMMANI EASY WORLD REFERENCE: 
   
   Gammani: A world once ruled by humans. Apparently there was some type
   of holocaust called simply "The Calamity" resulting in terrible
   mutations, and creation of hideous beings and hundreds of newly
   sentient races. The advanced technologies of the past have been lost
   by the overgrown wilderness and assimilated by many mutate breeds that
   seek to rule the now tumultuous world.
   
   The Conigli: A race of Mutate rabbits. They stand about 8 feet tall
   from ear to paw and tote machine guns. They are hostile to most every
   other race, and are rather prolific (they reproduce like... um...
   RABBITS! ;). They have a suicidal nature much like lemmings only they
   prefer to take someone with them when they die.
   
   The Settlers:
   
   Name: (codenames while on earth were...) Description.
   
     * Pira: (Pyrate) A powerful pyrokinetic. She is capable of igniting
       any flamable material, which is not living instantly. It takes
       extreme concentration, but she is capable of generating enough
       heat to melt even the strongest metals given enough time.
       Naturally she is a shapely firery red head.
       
     * Malloc: (Time Bandit) Has the ability to generate stasis fields,
       which appear to slow the passage of time. He can use this ability
       to form forcefields as well by freezing the air solid in time,
       such that it becomes a solid wall. Malloc can accellerate time in
       fields as well. This causes things within the area to move at
       accellerated rates. However they also age, decompose, or whatever
       at accellerated rates. He is a wellbuilt blue haired man.
       
     * Aridalla: (Visionary) Is capable of seeing into time streams. She
       has powerful postcognitive abilities to see into the past with
       clear visions. Her visions of the future see possibilites. The
       only problem with seeing the future is that when she makes a
       statement of what she sees, it will invariably alter the future
       that she sees. She keeps herself covered incase even her very
       expressions may give something away to the outcome of the future.
       
     * Midge: (Leprechaun) Is only 2 feet tall, but is shaped as a normal
       man. He is extraordinarily lucky. Beyond the point of ridiculous.
       He has a tendency to walk directly into a conflict just to test
       his luck. Midge is expert at camoflage and lives to drink strong
       alcoholic beverages. Some tend to think that his luck is even more
       powerful when he is drunk, but it is probably just a side effect
       of the fact that he needs his luck more to stay alive when he is
       inebriated. His luck seems to be more powerful when it is not
       forced or controlled.
       
     * Masheik: Is a scientist that was found on Gammani in a stasis
       tube. She does not remember much of the old times, since she was
       not defrosted correctly, but she is expert in very advanced
       sciences that were once commonplace on Gammani. Not much is known
       about her except that she desired to help the group reestablish
       humans as the predominant colony on Gammani. She wears a long
       white lab coat and tends to enjoy science more than relationships.
       
       
     * Torbin: (Portaller) is capable of making distant gateways for
       instant travel from locations many lightyears apart. He is the
       means with which the settlers were able to come to Gammani. Torbin
       is large in stature, but is quiet and withdrawn. Torbin can open a
       portal but does so blindly. Torbin does not require oxygen or food
       and is quite invulnerable to most things. Torbin has a large
       number of planets that he can travel to and has found
       experimenting with his powers of travel, but Gammani is the only
       planet that he has found in which his friends may live. Torbin is
       very old, and claims to not remember from which planet he was
       born, nor what happened to his race. But mention of the subject
       tends to make him sad and even more withdrawn. He is very
       committed to saving the human race.
       
   
   
   DELTA SQUADRON Writer's Guide.
   
   Remember that the Delta Squadron has about 200 members. Currently it
   is secret and hidden to the Baron's knowlege. (or at least that is
   what we know... there could be some spies or something I suppose... :)
   
   
   >Delta Squadron: This is the info I could gather.
   > are my comments. (wReam's)
   These are Arsenal's comments... He gave more detail on these
   characters.
   
     * >Artemis (Diana), Archer chick. A bit of a witch. Hates men.
       (Which
       >makes sense since the greek goddess did too)
       - No powers, relies on archery prowess. Full name Diana la Rocha.
       Her arsenal of arrows include broadheads and explosives
       
     * >Blackfoot (Roger Price), Leader of Delta Squadron. Typical Iron
       man
       >clone. Armored dude.
       - Paraplegic ex-cop. Leg braces enable hyper-running capabilities.
       
       
     * >Frisbee - Killed by Bloody Beth. So you don't have to worry about
       him,
       >but he was a british wisecracker of types. A bit too cocky, and
       that is
       >why he is dead. Bit by a vampire, but since the host vampire
       died, it
       >has been taken care of...
       energizes frisbees which explode on contact, deadly aim. And
       although I'm not surprised he's dead, think that he'd be best as
       the Squadron's "punching bag", always getting beat up, but not
       killed.
       
     * >Doktor Headzhrinker - stereotypical german accented doctor
       perhaps a bit
       >quackish...
       Also comic relief.
       
     * >Shield - a 20 year old male. Powers unknown to me.
       Primary abilities are a personal force field, ala Skids, but with
       better control. Also skilled with weaponry.
       
     * >Silverhawke - I have no idea who this is, just someone in the
       squadron
       Timothy Hoagland (feel free to change this name), flies thanks to
       artifical wings he invented himself. somewhat of a tinkerer.
       
     * >Waterfall - sleek 16 year old girl, powers unknown to me.
       Jessica Dixon, daughter of a man and a mermaid (or so she claims),
       think Aquagirl.
       
     * >Esper - unknown to me, sounds like a female character but I don't
       know
       Telepathic, telekinetic, psychometric, and empathic powers.
       
     * >Blacklight - sounds like a male character, but I don't know who
       it is
       He (you were right about that part) has shadow powers similar to
       Shadow Lass of the LSH. No name given.
       
     * >Paragon - Now a brain with no body...
       
     * You forgot Robyn Leighton (lie-ton), Blackfoot's former police
       partner and his second-in-command. Also, feel free to introduce as
       many characters as needed, I *did* indicate the Squadron had 200+
       members.
       
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Any writers that wish to block copy and chunk out new members of the
   Delta Squadron may do so by just appending to this Writer's guide.
   Also add more races and creatures to the Gammani Writer's Guide.

=========================================================================

-- 

Jerry L. Franke                        franke at cs.indiana.edu
Computer Science Dept.                 Indiana University
formerly from Florida State University http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~franke