| _ _ __ .|. COHERENT \ / /\ | ) WarStar #1 - "Astrogenesis" --X-------------- \/\/ / \ | \ ------------------------------------------- '|` COMICS __ ___ / \ __ An ASH Universe Miniseries | PRESENTS (_ | / _^^_ \ | ) copyright 2000 | __) |/' '\| \ by Dave Van Domelen ============================================================================ [cover shows the mighty WarStar, attired in "Kirby-style" armor and bearing the Astro Spear, stepping out of a field of crackling energy. Cover copy proclaims, "Welcome to Earth, WarStar...Hope You Survive The Experience!"] ============================================================================ [Private journal of the Wanderer] June 23, 1992 In the course of my travels, I briefly stopped in Milwaukee today, and paid a visit to fellow mage Aleph Null, who has recently moved to join the main branch of ASH there. Our discussion was interrupted by the formation of a dimensional gate, which Aleph Null was quick to disavow any responsibility for. From the gate emerged a fearsome warrior, clad in mystic armor and bearing a technomystical weapon of such puissance that only his apparent inexperience with it saved us from defeat. He did not speak any known language at first, so if he hails from a parallel Earth, it is a world that diverged from ours long ago. However, either due to inborn talents or a device in his wondrous armor, he soon had a basic grasp of English. Due to his bellicose nature and the shape of the crest on his armor, ASH member RavenFire dubbed him WarStar, although he never gave us indication of his true name. One thing did strike me as odd, however. Late in the fight, in desperation I called upon Raiden's lightning, using an incantation I learned from an aged master five years ago. While he shrugged off the lightning bolt, he seemed shocked that one could call upon external powers for aid. The concept of gods seemed alien to him, although this did not impair his ability to fight the heroic avatar of Set. Aleph Null agrees with my hypothesis that our visitor comes from a reality where there are no gods, or at least no gods that listen to supplications. But his powers were clearly magene-based, as demonstrated by the effectiveness of the Anchor who finally arrived and forced "WarStar" to flee. I would dearly love to stay and work with Aleph Null to study the remains of the gate which brought our visitor, but my visions of blood magic are growing stronger, calling me to Ohio. Perhaps someday I will simply ask WarStar himself.... * * * * [The Imperial City, Year 5630 of the Empire] My name is Arn, and I am rightly proud of that fact. Once I bore many names...my personal name, my father's name, my mother's name, the name of my city, of my street, of my profession...like most of the masses I was crushed under the weight of names. But through my strength and cunning, I have been able to throw off those shackles and join the elite. Those who are powerful enough to be known by only a single name, for no further identification is needed. It was only yesterday that the Emperor, he who has no name at all during life, granted me release from the name of my profession. Now I await a second audience, with no little dread. While I have cultivated a reputation as a great warrior of unquestionable loyalty to the Empire, I have been careful to not be thought of as a great mind, except in the realm of military thinking. My Gift is of strength and durability, my magical skills are very minor otherwise...there is little chance I will ever Vanish, as those with great magical skills are known to do. Between these two factors, the Emperor is likely to see me as a potential threat if I remain in the Imperial City. After all, my loyalty may be unquestionable, but the City is a place of intrgues. A "naive" general such as myself could be lured into a plot by any one of a hundred factions. Because I am unlikely to Vanish like so many other seekers of the throne, it would be difficult to simply kill me and cover up the fact by saying I Vanished. Even the Cult of Transcendance would not easily believe that one such as I had managed to attract the attention of whatever forces pluck our mages from their beds, and they think *anyone* can Vanish if they truly believe they will. Additionally, I am a strong man even without my Gift. The Spellbreakers who advise the Emperor and protect him would be hard-pressed to keep my sword out of the Emperor's heart should I actually wish him dead. They suffice to blunt the Gifts of other would-be assassins, but no 'Breaker can make a simple blade go away. So I sit and await my Emperor's attention. He is no fool, he will not want me here in the City. But he would also not wish to give me an army out at the rim...with no real enemies to fight out in space anymore, a frontier general could easily decide his troops would be better served taking the homeworld for him. So what would he do with me? It is possible he has seen through my dissembling and wants me as an advisor after all, but that is probably too much to hope. "Arn?" the slightly balding head of Minister Lor pokes into the room. He is one of the Emperor's Spellbreakers, and a man I had carefully cultivated in recent months as a potential ally. I stand and nod. Lor leads me into the Emperor's audience room, which has a simple elegance lacking in the palaces of many minor nobles. Formed from the living rock of the Imperial Mount by stonemages at the birth of the Empire, it had been further refined over the millennia. Every color was that of living rock, twisted and molded into sculptures and reliefs and columns, a riot of color without paint or gilt or gemstones. "Arn, we are pleased to see you today," the Emperor smiles, and I feel a pleasant warmth spread throughout my being. I had only been in his presence three times before, and I still could not tell if my reaction was simply to his natural charisma, or to subtle use of his Gift over the mind and heart. "How may I serve?" I reply. "Arn," he subtly emphasizes my name, both to remind me that I have him to thank for its shortness, and to make sure I still realize that I *have* a name, unlike him. "What do you know of other dimensions? And I mean other realities, not dimensions like height and length." Quite a bit more than I'm about to let on. I've studied Vanishing extensively, and one of the constants is that those with Gifts related to the fabric of reality tend to Vanish more often than any other sort. "Only two things. One, we have not been able to prove they exist. Two, if they exist, they would make for an excellent new frontier, as our expansion in space has reached practical limits." He smiles again, nodding. "Officially, you are correct on the first point. Unofficially, we *have* been able to prove they exist, although the more radical claims of the Transcenders do not seem to be bolstered by this. Through great effort and danger, my Artificers have finally managed to create a purely mechanical means of breaching the walls between realities." Involuntarily, my eyes go wide. The use of Artifice has long been known as a way to increase one's power without any apparent increase in the chances of Vanishing. The Emperor has just claimed a unique power as his own, and he is telling me about it? "Ah, you see the implications," he nods. "As yet, the Dimensional Gates, or D-Gates, are only one-way, with the exception of certain frequencies of light. We can observe other worlds in a limited fashion, we can send them messages if we desire, and...most importantly for you...we can send people through." NOW I see the implications. No frontier armada for me...I am to be sent across the dimensional threshold! "Even just looking requires a great deal of power, so our research has been conducted on the shore of one of the Five Lakes, hidden within the Imperial Preserve. The lake serves to absorb the heat generated by the process, you see. But we have found a world that seems suitable for invasion. The natives seem to have Gifts as well, but they are far weaker than we are, and far fewer of them are Gifted. You may be able to conquer the world on your own!" he beams, and I feel my trepidations melt away. Now I am fairly sure he is using his Gift on me. "So, I am to act as an advance agent on this world?" I ask. He half-nods, an odd little twist of his head. "My Artificers claim it will be at least five years before we can create either a fully two-way gate or one capable of sending a true invasion force through. However, if you can conquer the world using your own resources in that time, I will give it to you to rule." "The Emperor has great confidence in my abilities," I bow my head. "Heh. Perhaps. But not so great that I will hurl you naked through the D-Gate," he snaps his fingers, and servants roll two great cases into the room. "I give you two gifts to help you in your mission. First is this suit of armor," the first case is opened to reveal armor based on my own, but obviously stronger and more powerful. "It not only enhances your Gift in the same ways your current attire does, but it also contains a number of creations you will find helpful, such as a translation device so you can speak this world's barbaric tongues, and a transmutation matrix. Raising armies requires money, and you will be able to create whatever elements this society finds valuable, at least in amounts large enough to finance your initial actions." I nod. Transmutation was one of the spells I had worked long and hard to master, concentrating on being able to create weapons when unarmed. But I know the benefits of having a ready supply of gold, platinum, uranium or whatever else proved necessary. "My other gift to you is the Astro Spear," the other case is opened to reveal a shaft of dull grey metal and red piping, nearly as tall as I am, and supported as if it weighed much more than it appeared to. "Formed from compacted iron, this is a weapon only a warrior of your strength could hope to wield. It has many functions, but you will have to learn them after you pass through the D-Gate, as it is that very passage that will empower the weapon. Consider it a test of your ability to...land on your feet." He smiles and walks over to the Astro Spear, fingering one of four red studs near the head of the shaft. "Although I will be kind and tell you that this button activates a plasma flame from the head of the weapon. You may not have time to master the weapon before encountering the local defenders, after all." "I thank you, my Emperor, both for the gifts and for the opportunity to prove myself to you." "You are most welcome. And remember...you have five years. Make the most of them." With that, I know the audience is over. I bow and leave the room, hearing the soft footfalls of Lor behind me. Once we are out of earshot, I feel the familiar weakness that comes when a 'Breaker uses his abilities. Lor means to disable any magical or technomystical spying devices that may be aimed at us. "I am sorry, Arn," he whispers. "Do not be," I reply. "It is a kinder end than I could have made for myself. The way I chose to live was successful in dragging me from the gutters of my home, but I knew from the start that it could be a liability should I ever rise too high. Tell me, though...is he serious about the five years?" "You mean, is he just telling you that in order to make you go into permanent exile willingly? No, I do not think so. We all know that there has been no serious challenge to the Empire since the T!rir were finally crushed a thousand years ago, along with their Pranir vassals. The Emperor may secretly hope you fail...for it would mean this other world is a worthy foe, one we can throw our efforts into defeating. But he does not mean to simply abandon you, no." I grin. "Perhaps I will surprise him by bringing him news of my success in person before the five years have passed?" Lor chuckles. "Any other man, I might take that as casual boasting, or even a joke. But you? You might very well surprise us all...." * * * * [An island off the shore of Milwaukee, Wisconsin - June 23, 1992] The Emperor's coy "this is the button" move bothered me all the way to the other side of the planet, but I couldn't quite put words to my concerns. And I really should have known what would happen when I saw that the D-Gate was on an artificial island some distance from the shore of the lake. I suppose I was thinking too far ahead, and not about my immediate future. Now, as I stand on another artificial island in another world's version of Icedeep Lake, I see that this is to be my first true test. That the Emperor knew exactly where he was putting me. An armored woman sheathed in flames is flying out of a low, bunker-like building at the other end of the island...I have arrived at a citadel of some sort, home to the Gifted of this world. Other figures emerge from the bunker as well, some shouting in their alien tongue. A low murmur at the back of my mind tells me that my armor's translator unit is busily scanning all information sources in the area, apparently the natives use electromagnetic communication as well. It will not be long before I know their language, but at the moment it doesn't matter...the language of battle will speak clearly enough for me. The flying woman sends forth a gout of flames. My visor tells me the intensity of the fire and I choose to stand my ground. Flame washes over me, and I feel a faint warmth. The armor holds, although this may have been a test, a probing attack. Very well, I shall answer in kind. I envision a specific mystic pattern, bringing together a bolt of magical energy. One of my few spells, it is a rather weak warmagic. If it fells her, I will know I have nothing to fear. If she shrugs it off, they may underestimate my power. I let loose a rousing war cry, "selling" my attack to keep them from thinking I am merely probing. The bolt flies true and strikes the woman full on, causing her to jerk back in flight. She was hurt, but not felled. Before I can react, a blur is upon me, obviously one with the Gift of speed, and he is hammering away at me with insane intensity. I almost feel the blows through my armor, and I do not know yet if my new raiment has weak spots the fast one can exploit. I am fast, but not fast enough to strike this man. So I slam the hemispherical butt of the Astro Spear on the hard ground with my full strength, intending to shock him off his feet. To my pleasant surprise, a wave of plasma shoots out from the point of impact! It washes my own legs in a warm glow, but the fast one is hurled into the lake by the shockwave. I smile...the Artificers wrought well. "Enjoy your swim," I mock, although I know he cannot understand the True Tongue. Now that they know my weapon is not merely a cudgel, there is no point in dissembling. Pressing the stud the Emperor showed me, I activate the spearhead, a contained plasma flame that shudders through the spectrum of colors as it stabilizes. In response, the flying woman...according to the chatter I am beginning to translate, she is called RavenFire...peppers me with focused bursts of flame. These do no more damage than her first attack, and I immediately suspect she is trying to divert my attention. Just in time, I turn to see a jackal-headed man, easily my equal in size and bulk, swinging a strange staff at me. I raise the Astro Spear to block, but I feel the impact through my arms. By the Elements, this freakish figure is not only my equal, he is stronger than I! "Nice hat," my foe snarls. The words have the tone of a taunt, but none of the meaning. Perhaps my translator still needs time to assimilate the language. Or perhaps this man simply lacks the ability to taunt effectively. "Thank you," I reply, the strange words of his foreign language tripping haltingly off my tongue. "Perhaps you should get one to cover your face." Not my finest verbal jab, but I sense I am up against weak competition in *that* regard. "Yeeha!" RavenFire crows. "Get 'im, Set!" Out of the corner of my eye, I see two other figures at the mouth of the bunker. Neither seems to be a warrior, but they have the demeanor of mages. Set may be another distraction, one I need to deal with quickly. Worse, I can see a glint of light over the city on the shore. Other warriors coming to help? I suspect the visor has a magnification factor, but there is no time to search for it, nor would it be advisable to take my attention away from the immediate area. Set swings his staff again, crudely. He has no skill or finesse, apparently trusting in pure strength to do the job for him. But now that I have taken his measure, I am ready. In training my troops, I taught them a great many tactics to use if forced into close combat with someone as strong as myself, and ironically I now have to use those tactics against my own superior in strength. I parry nimbly with the massive Astro Spear, quickly twisting it so that a loop of energy conduit catches the head of Set's staff. With another quick move, I pull in the direction of Set's swing and yank him off balance. To his credit, he does not let go of his weapon. The plasma flame is still lit, so I pull both weapons down and drive my spearhead into the ground, instantly kicking up a spray of vaporized matter. Set coughs at the cloud of grit this creates. His hold slackens and I sweep his staff away, throwing it towards the lake. Set snarls and tries to punch me, but I block him with one of the almost decorative projections on my gauntlet. It holds, and I am satisfied to hear bones in his fist crunch against the angular metal. I leap back a step and thrust the Astro Spear at Set's chest. Hair and the metal of his adornments vaporize in a rush, along with a portion of his body. The sudden expansion of vaporized skin and bone hurls him back almost a body length, and seems to have stunned him. The mages join the fray now, hurling their own warmagics at me. I block one with the Astro Spear, and the other impacts harmlessly on my armor. RavenFire adjusts something on her gauntlet, and a terrible keening sound emanates from her. The filters in my armor quickly generate counternoise and block out the sonic attack. Then I start to shake. I had forgotten about the fast one...information trickling into my brain tells me his name is Fracture, while the two mages are the Wanderer and Aleph Null. Fracture has grabbed me from behind and is trying to shake me to pieces. Warning signals go off in my helmet...he may actually harm my armor if allowed to continue. I smile. The bulk of my body might protect him from another shockwave from the 'Spear...if I was fool enough to slam the butt down in front of my body! I strike the ground between my legs, slightly behind me, and another plasma wave rushes outwards, knocking Fracture loose and incidentally scorching the legs of Set. RavenFire and the mages remain too far away to be harmed. I quickly reach around and grab Fracture's stunned form. "RavenFire!" I shout. "Catch!" With all my might, I hurl Fracture back towards the lake, in a high, arcing curve. I test a theory, that her earlier outburst means she is no trained soldier, but a civilian playing at warrior. I am proved correct when RavenFire flies off to save Fracture instead of trying to find a way to harm me. Or perhaps she has exhausted her stock of Gifts and knows she cannot affect me? "I call upon the lightning of Raiden!" the Wanderer shouts, after mumbling something I cannot hear. Who is Raiden? The approaching spark? Then lightning arcs down out of the clear blue sky, playing over my armor and actually causing me some small pain! I look up, seeking the source of this assault. "Who is Raiden?" I ask aloud. "Where is he, that I may fight him fairly!" "He's a god...like Set," Set growls, slamming both fists against the ground. At the unasked question, information enters my mind from the helmet interface. A god is an entity of great power who resides outside reality. These people give loyalty and worship to gods. Preposterous! Or...could gods live where the Vanished go? Sensing my confusion, but assuming it came from his own attack, Set leaps towards me, his broken hand apparently now healed and the hole in his chest closing slowly. I break out of my reverie and bring the 'Spear around. It is too late to strike him with the flame, but I am able to club him down with the shaft. I then reverse it quickly and slam the butt into his back, eliciting a howl of pain. Now it is my turn to howl. Fire shoots through my guts, a slow flame that seems to eat at me from inside out! I try to look past the pain, and I see the mage Aleph Null concentrating intensely. The Wanderer notices my attention and tries to interpose himself between me at Aleph Null. I push all the buttons at once, pointing the Astro Spear at the two mages and hoping something useful happens. A dark spot appears between me and my attacker. Space seems to ripple around it like water going down a drain. "A black hole!" Aleph Null gasps, and the pain stops as he focuses his efforts on the spacetime warp that now drifts in his direction. While I was concentrating on other matters, the spark has gotten close enough to be resolved as a vehicle of some sort, using a primitive air-drive propellor. I start to feel the Astro Spear grow heavy in my hands, and the plasma flame gutters. The vehicle must contain a Spellbreaker! Even if the Astro Spear will allow me flight, that is no longer a route of escape, not with the 'Breaker up there. I need to escape from this place. I need time to plan, to learn the extent of my powers. Only a fool stands and fights when it is not necessary. So I jump into the lake. Within moments, its dark waters conceal me from pursuit, and the flare of the Astro Spear pushes me through the depths. Perhaps the Emperor didn't expect me to survive five years.... * * * * [Near Escanaba, Michigan - July 3, 1992] I am tapping what the natives call "cable television" using my armor, gaining information from their newscasts, when a priority signal comes in. It has been ten days since my arrival, and finally they see fit to send me a signal. It is on a style of carrier wave I have not seen in use on this world, so it is likely not a fake. Also, I was told it would take this long to recharge the D-Gate enough to even send messages, so this was consistent...my indignation at waiting is more an emotional response than a rational one. "Arn, assuming you have survived your first challenge, know that we didn't send you in ignorance. We knew that you would arrive amidst one of the most powerful groups of defenders your new home has. We hope you savored the gift of combat...and if you slew the defenders, so much the better." I snarl. If this were a two-way channel, I would certainly let them know how much I "savored" it. I do not recognize the voice of the speaker, but the words sounded like they were dictated by the Emperor. "We also presume that, given your skills, you have determined the capabilities of the Astro Spear by now." True enough. I had nearly burned down a woods in the process, and I had to flee from the "Academy of Super-Heroes" again when I was finished testing the weapon, but I think I have most of the functions worked out. "In the event you have not found all the combinations yet, however, we are downloading the information into your armor's computers. Study it at your leisure." A chill runs down my back. I had considered it as a possibility, but now my fears are confirmed. The lack of instructions in advance was not a test of my ingenuity, it was a safeguard to ensure I did not find a way to power up the Astro Spear and use it at home. And I would certainly not be permitted to bring the weapon back with me, not in five years or five hundred. Not unless I could make good on my boast to Lor and return on my own terms. Simply raising an army here would not work. Society was too geared towards peace, the warriors too controlled and regimented to hire away. I would need to find allies, contacts who could help me find Gifted warriors willing to work for the gold I could create. There was a place, mentioned in the newscasts, that might be helpful. A place where so-called "villains" ruled, and "supernatural" mercenaries lived. It would be distasteful dealing with criminals and thugs, but perhaps this "Haven" would be useful. But, judging from my brief survey of the Gifted culture here, I would need a name other than Arn. Something flashy and descriptive. Like the name "WarStar" that the newscasts had attached to me. It would certainly do. I frown. Half a moon ago, I was proud to be finally shedding my second name, and now I contemplated taking a new one. Well, so be it. On this world I was far from nobility, and I had run from the two fights I had been in. For humility's sake, I will take this second name again...only it will not be the Emperor who removes it from me. I will be the one to decide when I abandon the name WarStar. And it will not be until I have tamed this world. ============================================================================= Next Issue: WarStar gets embroiled in the high-powered politics of Haven, and his dreams of conquest start to turn to a simple desire to survive! ============================================================================= Author's Notes: Back during the DEEP ARMAGEDDON storyline, Tony Pi came up with a bunch of 1990s supervillains whose names he could drop here and there. One such name was WarStar, whose powerless Astro Spear was hurled at SkyHaven. Later, the Astro Spear allowed Triton to defeat Doublecross and helped him take over Khadam, and Matt Rossi established some of the nifty things it could do. I got to thinking...what, exactly, did the Astro Spear look like? It had been established as being made from Collapsiron (iron which has been made denser at an atomic level by bringing another electron shell into the metallic bonds), something that only powerful supernormals or even gods could create. Who was WarStar? How did he get the Astro Spear? And why was it drained of power when Triton found it? Well, eventually those questions got to me, and I came up with answers. Rather than try to just dump the information into a footnote or have Tony try to work it into an issue of the CSV, I decided to write a story about WarStar, from his point of view. This would also let me get a lot of my ideas about the 1990s ASH Universe out into the open, instead of clanking around in the recesses of my brain. While this is a limited series, I'm not sure right now how long it will be. Probably no more than four issues, might even be over in two, although three is a more likely number. It's inherently limited by the fact that I can't go beyond 1998, obviously. Could WarStar come back in 2024? Perhaps.... WarStar created by Tony Pi, Matt Rossi and Dave Van Domelen. Wanderer created by Damon Buckwalder. Aleph Null and Set created by Mike Molinsky. RavenFire created by Jason Campbell (no, not the Image artist). Fracture created Randy Lander. With the exception of Wanderer, the ASH members were all part of my Champions campaign in college at some point or another, although not necessarily in the main ASH group. Wanderer was in my Avengers of Justice (later changed to Modern Knights) campaign that started six months after I shut down ASH. This story takes place between the two. See http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~dvandom/warstar.GIF for an image of WarStar.