The Two Faces of Evil

Introduction

Throughout history, storytellers and philosophers have grappled with the concept of evil, seeking to understand its nature and its impact on humanity. In the mid-20th century, a group of influential authors - J.R.R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell - explored different facets of evil in their works, creating a fascinating tapestry of ideas that continue to resonate with readers today. These authors, who were contemporaries and in some cases knew each other's work, presented contrasting yet interconnected visions of the threats facing humanity and the world at large.

Let us delve into the juxtaposition of evil as it is  portrayed in Tolkien's "The Silmarillion," Barfield's "Unancestral Voice," Huxley's "Brave New World," and Orwell's "1984." We'll explore how these authors depicted various forms of evil, from the will to destroy to the desire for domination, and how these concepts relate to the political and social realities of their time and ours.

Tolkien's Silmarillion: The Will to Destroy vs. The Will to Dominate

In J.R.R. Tolkien's epic mythological work "The Silmarillion," we encounter two primary forms of evil that stand in stark contrast to each other: the Will to Destroy and the Will to Dominate.

The Will to Destroy is embodied by the characters of Ungoliant and Melkor (later known as Morgoth). Ungoliant, a primordial spirit of darkness, represents the most extreme form of this destructive impulse. Tolkien describes her insatiable hunger:

"But Ungoliant had grown great, and [Melkor] less by the power that had gone out of him; and she enmeshed him in a web of clinging thongs to strangle him. Then Morgoth sent forth a terrible cry, that echoed in the mountains. Therefore that region was called Lammoth; for the echoes of his voice dwelt there ever after, so that any who cried aloud in that land awoke them, and all the waste between the hills and the sea was filled with a clamour as of voices in anguish." (The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 81)

Ungoliant's desire is to consume and destroy everything, including the very fabric of creation itself. Melkor, while not as extreme, still embodies a destructive force that seeks to unmake or corrupt all that is good in Ilúvatar's creation.

In contrast, Sauron represents the Will to Dominate. Unlike Ungoliant and Melkor, Sauron doesn't seek to destroy the world, but rather to rule over it completely. Tolkien writes of Sauron's motivations:

"But Sauron had not served Morgoth, even in his last stages, without profit; he had been a great craftsman of the Maiar, and he retained much of the knowledge and skill that he had learned from Aulë. He had become a being of craft and magic, nourished with Morgoth's thought, and grown strong on the corrupted light of the Silmarils. He was a rebel, but he had learned how to use the power of his master for his own purposes." (The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 285)

Sauron's ultimate goal is not destruction but domination. He seeks to be worshipped and acknowledged as superior to Ilúvatar, the creator. This desire for adoration and vindication sets him apart from the purely destructive forces represented by Ungoliant and Melkor.

The conflict between these two forms of evil is as intense as their struggle against the forces of good. If Ungoliant were to succeed, she would destroy everything, including Melkor and Sauron. If Melkor were to triumph, Sauron's ambitions would be thwarted, as there would be nothing left to dominate but mindless thralls. Sauron's desire for worship and acknowledgment requires the existence of worthy beings whose adoration would validate his superiority.

This juxtaposition of evils in Tolkien's work presents a nuanced view of the nature of malevolence. It suggests that evil is not a monolithic force, but rather a complex interplay of competing destructive and dominating impulses. This complexity adds depth to Tolkien's mythological world and provides readers with a thought-provoking exploration of the nature of evil.

Owen Barfield's Unancestral Voice: Satan vs. Ahriman

Owen Barfield, a contemporary and friend of Tolkien, presents another intriguing juxtaposition of evil in his work "Unancestral Voice." Barfield draws on spiritual and philosophical concepts to contrast two forces of evil: Satan and Ahriman.

In Barfield's framework, Satan represents a "hot" form of evil, associated with physical destruction and the annihilation of mankind. This concept aligns closely with Tolkien's portrayal of Ungoliant and Melkor, embodying the Will to Destroy. Barfield writes:

"Satan is the spirit of destruction, of negation, of annihilation. He is the enemy of life itself, seeking to reduce all to chaos and nothingness." (Unancestral Voice, Owen Barfield, p. 143)

Contrasting with Satan is Ahriman, who represents a "cool" form of evil. Ahriman's goal is not physical destruction but the erosion of humanity's collective memory and spiritual essence. Barfield describes Ahriman's influence as follows:

"Ahriman works not through fire but through ice. His aim is not to destroy humanity outright, but to freeze the human spirit, to cut us off from our spiritual roots and reduce us to mere thinking machines." (Unancestral Voice, Owen Barfield, p. 156)

This cooler form of evil seeks to control and manipulate humanity by severing our connection to our deeper selves and our spiritual heritage. In this way, Ahriman's goals align more closely with Tolkien's portrayal of Sauron and the Will to Dominate.

Barfield's juxtaposition of Satan and Ahriman as fire and ice, the two primordial destroyers, offers a powerful metaphor for understanding different manifestations of evil. It suggests that evil can work not only through overt destruction but also through subtle manipulation and spiritual impoverishment.

Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984: Contrasting Dystopias

The theme of contrasting evils finds further expression in two of the most influential dystopian novels of the 20th century: Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" and George Orwell's "1984." While both novels depict totalitarian societies, they present starkly different visions of how evil manifests in systems of control.

In "Brave New World," Huxley portrays a society where control is maintained through pleasure, comfort, and the erosion of individual identity. The World State's motto, "Community, Identity, Stability," masks a system that sacrifices human depth and meaning for superficial happiness:

"And that," put in the Director sententiously, "that is the secret of happiness and virtue—liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapable social destiny." (Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, Chapter 1)

This form of evil aligns more closely with Barfield's concept of Ahriman and Tolkien's Sauron. It seeks not to destroy humanity outright, but to dominate it by stripping away what makes us truly human.

In contrast, Orwell's "1984" presents a world of overt oppression, constant surveillance, and physical brutality. The Party's slogan, "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength," embodies a more aggressive and destructive form of evil:

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever." (1984, George Orwell, Part 3, Chapter 3)

Orwell's dystopia more closely aligns with the destructive impulses represented by Tolkien's Ungoliant and Melkor, and Barfield's Satan. It seeks to crush the human spirit through force and fear.

These contrasting visions of dystopia can be seen as reflections of the political ideologies of their time. Huxley's "Brave New World" might be interpreted as a critique of consumerism and capitalism taken to extremes, while Orwell's "1984" is often viewed as a warning against totalitarian communism.

The juxtaposition between these works highlights two different but equally threatening paths that societies might take: one of mindless pleasure and comfort that erodes our humanity, and another of outright oppression and violence that seeks to destroy the human spirit.

Comparative Analysis: Threads of Evil Across Literary Landscapes

As we examine the works of Tolkien, Barfield, Huxley, and Orwell, we can identify common threads in their portrayals of evil, despite the distinct nature of their writings. These authors, all active in the mid-20th century, were responding to the tumultuous events of their time, including two World Wars, the rise of totalitarian regimes, and rapid technological advancements.

One striking similarity is the recognition of evil as a multifaceted force. Whether it's Tolkien's Will to Destroy versus Will to Dominate, Barfield's Satan versus Ahriman, or the contrasting dystopias of Huxley and Orwell, these authors understood that evil could manifest in various, sometimes opposing, forms. This nuanced view reflects the complex political and social realities of their era.

Another common theme is the corruption of power and the danger it poses to individual freedom and human spirit. Sauron's desire for domination, Ahriman's manipulation of human consciousness, and the oppressive regimes in "Brave New World" and "1984" all speak to the authors' concerns about the misuse of power and its effects on humanity.

The authors also share a preoccupation with the preservation of human essence or spirit in the face of evil. Tolkien's heroes resist the corrupting influence of power, Barfield warns against the erosion of collective memory, and both Huxley and Orwell depict characters struggling to maintain their humanity in dehumanizing societies.

It's worth noting the interconnections between these authors. Tolkien and Barfield were close friends and part of the literary group known as the Inklings. While Huxley and Orwell were not directly associated with this group, they were contemporaries whose works were widely read and discussed. Orwell, in fact, was a student of Huxley at Eton College, creating a direct link between these two dystopian authors.

These connections suggest a shared intellectual climate that influenced their thinking about evil and its manifestations. As Tolkien wrote in a letter to his son Christopher:

"The news today about 'Atomic bombs' is so horrifying one is stunned. The utter folly of these lunatic physicists to consent to do such work for war-purposes: calmly plotting the destruction of the world! Such explosives in men's hands, while their moral and intellectual status is declining, is about as useful as giving out firearms to all inmates of a gaol and then saying that you hope 'this will ensure peace'." (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 102)

This quote reflects the authors' shared concern about the potential for destruction in their rapidly changing world, a theme that resonates throughout their works.

Conclusion: The Enduring Relevance of Literary Evil

The explorations of evil by Tolkien, Barfield, Huxley, and Orwell continue to resonate with readers today, offering valuable insights into the nature of malevolence and the challenges facing humanity. Their works serve as both warnings and calls to action, urging us to remain vigilant against the various forms that evil can take.

In our modern world, we can see echoes of these authors' concerns. The Will to Destroy manifests in environmental degradation and weapons of mass destruction. The Will to Dominate is evident in the concentration of power in the hands of a few, whether in governments or corporations. The erosion of collective memory and critical thinking, as warned by Barfield, is mirrored in the spread of misinformation and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

Similarly, elements of both Huxley's and Orwell's dystopias can be observed in contemporary society. The comfort-induced apathy of "Brave New World" is reflected in consumer culture and the addictive nature of social media. Meanwhile, the surveillance state and manipulation of truth depicted in "1984" find parallels in data collection practices and the phenomenon of "fake news."

It's crucial to recognize that these authors weren't merely writing fiction – they were grappling with fundamental questions about human nature and society. Their works challenge us to think critically about the world around us, to recognize the different faces of evil, and to consider our role in resisting them.

In conclusion, the juxtaposition of different forms of evil in the works of Tolkien, Barfield, Huxley, and Orwell provides a rich tapestry for understanding the complexities of malevolence. By presenting evil not as a monolithic force but as a spectrum of destructive and dominating impulses, these authors offer a nuanced view that remains relevant in our complex, modern world. Their enduring legacy lies not just in their storytelling, but in their ability to provoke thought and inspire vigilance against the myriad forms that evil can take.

As we face the challenges of our own time, we would do well to heed the warnings embedded in these literary works. For as Tolkien reminds us through the words of Gandalf:

"It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule." (The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 861)

I have written this in conjunction with an AI named Claude 3.5 Sonnet. I guided it with my prompts to cajole it, as I wish to cajole you, into thinking about the quesiton of evil. The essay is not an end point, with an answer as to what we should do, but a starting point, from which we can think, and learn, and come to understand the the threats that face humanity going into our brave new future. My hope is that by our effort, our thought, our deliberation, and our Will to Create, we can learn the methods and madness of our foes, and through understanding, find a way to overcome.

Elthos RPG Rules Key Mechanics

 Elthos RPG Key Mechanics

• General Resolution Matrix (GRM): The GRM is the core mechanic of the Elthos RPG system, used to determine success or failure for all actions in the game, including combat, skill use, and mystic powers. It involves comparing an Attack Level (AL) or Skill Level (SL) against an Armor Class (AC) or Difficulty Level (DL). You always have a chance to succeed and a chance to fail, no matter the odds.

• Chance to Succeed (CTS): The CTS is a numerical value on the GRM that represents the target number a player needs to roll or exceed on a single six-sided die (1d6) to succeed at an action. The CTS is calculated by adding the difference between the AC and AL (or DL and SL) to a fixed GRM Root value of 4. A roll of 1 is always considered a failure, even if the CTS is 1, and a roll of 6 is always a success.

• Character Generation: Character generation involves several steps:

  • Selecting a Character Race: Each race has typical Level, Requisite minimums and maximums for Strength, Wisdom, and Dexterity, Movement Points, and special attributes.
  • Generating Character Requisites: Requisites, representing Strength, Wisdom, and Dexterity, are generated through Random Roll, Assignment, or Allocation, influencing a Character's abilities and potential.
  • Selecting an Adventure Class: Classes have specific Requisite requirements and influence the skills a character can learn.
  • Selecting a Character Level: Characters begin at 1st level (0 Experience Points) and advance through successful adventures, gaining new skills and abilities.
  • Rolling for Character Heritage: Heritage, determined by a 1d6 roll multiplied by 100, represents starting money and reflects a Character’s parent's social standing.
  • Learning Skills and Mystic Powers: Characters learn skills and mystic powers by spending Skill Learning Points (SLP) and Mystic Learning Points (MLP), which are awarded at each new level.
  • Selecting Character Armors: Armor provides an Armor Class Modifier (ACM) and may have a Dexterity Modifier (DXM), Damage Absorption (DAB), a Movement Modifier (MOV), and a cost.
  • Calculating Armor Class (AC): AC is calculated using the Total Armor Class Modifier, Total Armor's Dexterity Modifier, Modified Dexterity with Armor, and the Revised Dexterity Bonus.
  • Selecting Character Weapons: Weapons are categorized as Light, Medium, or Heavy, each with a Damage Bonus, Attack Level Modifier, and cost, influencing their effectiveness in combat.
  • Calculating Weapon Attack Levels: Weapon Attack Levels are calculated based on Character Level, Dexterity Bonus, the Weapon's Attack Level Modifier, and whether the weapon skill is considered Primary, Elective, or Unlearned for that Character.
  • Selecting Character Equipment.
  • Determining Character Life Points & Mystic Points: Life Points are based on Strength and Character Level, while Mystic Points depend on Wisdom and Character Level, both potentially modified by a Base Health Bonus at 1st level.
  • Determining Mystic Attack Level & Mystic Armor Class: Both Mystic Attack Level (MAL) and Mystic Armor Class (MAC) are calculated by adding the Character Level to the Wisdom Bonus.
  • Naming & Placing Characters: Players name their Characters and, in collaboration with the GM, develop a brief history and starting location within the game world.

• Combat: Combat can be played Narratively or Tactically:

  • Narrative Combat: The GM describes the combat situation and environment, with players and enemies resolving actions using the GRM.
  • Tactical Combat: Utilizes Combat Maps to visualize character positions, ranges, and tactical options, requiring movement rules and more complex calculations.
  • Combat Experience: Awarded when an opponent or group of opponents is defeated. Experience Points are calculated based on the vanquished opponents' Levels divided by the victors' Levels, multiplied by an Experience Gain Multiplier (EGM), with each party member receiving an equal share.

• Skills:

  • Skill Experience: Characters earn Experience Points (XP) for successful skill use, with the amount varying based on skill type (Primary, Elective, Unlearned) and Difficulty Level.
  • Primary Skill: Used at one Level above the current Character Level. They earn “Prime Experience” when used successfully.
  • Elective Skill: Start at Skill Level 2 and go up one Skill Level for every Level the Character advances.
  • Unlearned Skill: Always used at 1st Level.
  • Difficulty Level: The Difficulty Level for a skill is determined by its Difficulty Level Type, which can be Combat, GM Fiat, Helpers, Requisite Based, or Player Gambit.

• Death & Damage:

  • Life Points (LP): Represent physical health; damage from attacks is deducted from LP. Falling to 0 or below LP results in incapacitation, with varying degrees of severity.
  • Mystic Points (MP): Represent mental and spiritual energy. Mystic attacks typically target MP, potentially leading to mental and magical impairment.
  • Recuperation: Both LP and MP regenerate at a rate of +10% per Character Level per night of sleep.
  • Channeling: Characters can transfer MP to LP (and vice-versa) at a rate of +1 LP per 3 MP (or +1 MP per 3 LP) in emergencies.

• Mystic Powers:

  • Spells and Miracles: Mystic powers are categorized as Spells or Miracles, with each power having a Level that dictates its MP cost and learning requirements.
  • Mystic Combat: Uses MAL vs. MAC, with successful attacks usually inflicting Mystic Point damage.
  • Mystic Items: Mana Gems, Artifacts, and Relics are objects that hold and can enhance mystic power.
  • Mystic Power Crafting: GMs can create new Spells and Miracles by determining the values for Effect, Cast Time, Geometry, Duration, and Range.

Elthos RPG Comparison with other RPG Systems

Elthos RPG Comparison with other popular Tabletop RPG Systems in terms of rules efficiency

Core Mechanic:

Elthos uses a single d6 roll against a Chance to Succeed (CTS) for all actions. This is simpler than many other systems:

- D&D uses a d20 + modifiers vs. target number

- GURPS uses 3d6 roll under

- World of Darkness uses d10 dice pools

The Elthos system is quite efficient, as it uses a single die and a straightforward calculation.

Character Creation:

Elthos has a structured character creation process that's somewhat similar to other traditional RPGs. It's more detailed than some narrative-focused games (like FATE or Powered by the Apocalypse games) but less complex than systems like GURPS or Shadowrun.

Skills and Advancement:

The skill system in Elthos, with Primary, Elective, and Unlearned skills, offers a middle ground between very detailed skill systems (like GURPS or BRP) and broader approaches (like D&D 5e's proficiency system).

Combat:

Elthos offers both narrative and tactical combat options, which is a flexible approach. Many systems focus on one or the other. The combat system seems less complex than games like D&D or Pathfinder, which have many specific combat actions and rules.

Magic System:

The Mystic Powers system in Elthos appears to be more flexible and potentially simpler than the rigid spell lists in games like D&D. It's closer to systems like Mage: The Ascension or Ars Magica in its approach to magic creation.

Experience and Advancement:

Elthos uses a level-based system with experience points, similar to D&D, but with a more granular approach to skill improvement. This is more detailed than some systems but less complex than purely skill-based advancement systems.

Conclusion:

Overall, Elthos appears to strike a balance between simplicity and depth. It's more streamlined than highly complex systems like GURPS or Rolemaster, but offers more granularity than very rules-light systems like Lasers & Feelings or Risus.

The use of a single d6 for all rolls is particularly efficient, reducing the need for multiple dice types. The General Resolution Matrix (GRM) provides a consistent framework for resolving actions, which can help speed up play once players are familiar with it.

The system was designed to offer enough depth for satisfying character development and tactical play, while keeping the core mechanics relatively simple. This balance could make it more efficient than some popular systems, especially for groups that prefer a middle ground between narrative focus and detailed simulation.

 

My Version of "D&D's Unspoken Rules"

The Unspoken Rules of D&D

0. The Referee's Word is Law in the Game.

1. GM: RPGs are either shared stories about amazing heroes doing glorious deeds, or wargames in which bad luck can derail everything, and often does. It is statistically impossible for them to be both.

1a. GM: if playing Story Game then assume players have taken reasonable actions.

1b. GM: if playing Wargame then, Players, if you don't say it, it didn't happen and you didn't do it.

2. Players: Never split the party.

3. GM: The players will often break rule #2, unless you allow them to suffer the consequences.

4. Players: The statue is never just a statue.

5. GM: Avoid confronting characters with threats they cannot either defeat or avoid.

6. Players: "Are you sure you want to do that?" is code for "What you just said you are going to do, just might get your characters killed."

7. GM: Never plan to take the players’ freedom or stuff to support your plot.

8. GM: Better yet, don't have a plot, just have ideas of what could happen, and what the NPCs want to do, and let the chips fall where they may.

9. Players: If it was not previously written on your character sheet you do not possess it.

10. Players: Expect disaster and roll with the punches.

11. Players: The Dice Giveth & The Dice Taketh Away.

12. Players: The Party Will Be Misled and Deceived.

13. Players: Always watch your teammate’s back. Don't let anyone sneak up on them.

14. Anything said by the players in or out of character can and will be used.

15. Players: Thieves / Scouts should be in front leading the way.

16. A good Referee is not adversarial, a good Referee is impartial.

17. GM: All PCs should have a chance to shine.

18. Players: The golden rule is "Thou shalt not hog the spotlight."

19. Everything has consequences, somehow.

20. Players: Always as a priority, take out the opposing spell casters.

21. Players: Always check the bodies.

22. Players: There is no such thing as too much rope.

23. Timid players and over confident players are the two prime causes of TPKs; a party consisting of these two types will die.

24. Players: Missile weapon using characters should always have a melee weapon attack.

25. Players: Melee weapon characters should always have a missile weapon attack.

26. Players: Don't forget the options of negotiating, hiding, running, etc. Sometimes the one thing you don't want to do is fight.

27. Players: Pay close attention to descriptions.

28. Players: Make sure what you kill stays dead.

29. Players: Not all prisoners should be "rescued" and set free.

30. Players: Talk to NPCs to wheedle them for information and make useful friends.

31. Players: Don’t use offensive area of effect spells in close quarters.

32. Players: There is no such thing as an insignificant detail.

33. Players: Never push a button, pull a lever or its equivalent without knowing what it does.

34. Players: Never eat or drink something in a dungeon, unless you have first verified it is safe.

35. Players: Thou shalt not touch someone else’s dice without permission.

36. Players: Thou shalt not be a Rules Lawyer.

37. All player die rolls should be in the open.

38. Many, but not all, Referee die rolls should not be in the open if it will give players information that they have no way of knowing before they take the action.

39. In a face to face game, it is both expected and assumed that you bathe regularly.

40. Players: Unless you're actually IN a fishing village, any humanoid NPC found fishing is 99% likely to be something else in disguise, and often it will be a dragon.

41. Players: Nothing is ever THAT easy.

42. Players: Sea travel is never safe.

43. Players: The Referee runs the kind of game he would want to play in as a PC, and that's okay.

44. Players: Do not steal from or attack other PCs.

45. GM: Sometimes the monsters should be low on HP too.

46. Players: If you are playing in a home or anywhere snacks are brought and you are eating them, you should also be bringing them.

47. GM: Smart Play is inversely proportional to allowing PCs to suffer the consequences of Stupid Play.

Notes: 

The original list was gleaned from a Mewe post by Halenar Frosthelm Title: "From a thread (Oct 2022) over on my forum titled The Unspoken Rules of D&D".  All I did was fix a bit of logic, add a couple of nuances, and slightly organize it by pointing out who the rule is for.   Here for Players and GM's consideration alike.

Also, some people have questioned if this list is really specific to D&D, or RPGs in general.  That's a bit complicated to answer as RPGs really cover such a wide variety of games.  So I would say that this list is probably best suited for D&D and D&D-like games, Retro-Clones, and RPGs that are similar to D&D in design philosophy.

WoAF - Game Session 66

Ling's beautiful eyebrows furrowed with unhappy thoughts. The plan, as her two heroic colleagues devised it, was truly unsatisfactory. First, she remarked to herself, they want to go off on the first adventure outside the solar system for any human being ever, and leave her at home to tend the refugees! Ayahh! Second, they are splitting the team, once again! She thought this was a terrible idea, especially given the nature of Shadow Hawk, and her Trinity of Insight way of doing things. No, thought Ling, the team should definitely stay together given all the potential risks and dangers involved with a journey of this magnitude and importance.  What if something bizarre should be lurking out in the depths of space? 

Besides, she had the overwhelming impression that despite their equal stature as individual members of the team, somehow Shadow Hawk had identified her as the Captain of the ship.  After all, every ship has to have a captain.  She felt it. And she thought the other two felt it, too. In other words, without a formal announcement of fact, she was distinctly certain that she had the prerogative of Veto Power over her companions. She hadn't realized it before, but now it became quite apparent to her as she wrestled with her dissatisfaction over the current arrangement. There was definitely something wrong with the plan, and she was the one who had to put it to rights.

Jacob looked at Vallnam. Vallnam looked at Jacob, his fingers fidgeting under Ling's unhappy gaze.

"Okay, Ling," said Jacob finally, "Out with it."

Ling explained her point as succinctly as possible. "I don't want to split the team," she said.

After a moment's pause, Jacob and Vallnam agreed.

"But we need a new plan, in that case," said Vallnam.  Ling raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Fine," replied Jacob, "why don't we hand the moon refugees over to Captain Samwise? He will be here soon. He can take them to Earth, and introduce them to Federation Command. That would leave us free to haul the forty-nine nuclear bombs out of the solar system. Together."

"That sounds like a much better plan," said Ling enthusiastically, a lovely smile spreading across her beautiful face.  The men smiled with her.  Everyone was agreed.

And with that, Ling flipped the switch on the radio console.

"Captain Samwise," she said. "Captain Samwise. Come in Captain Samwise."

"This is Captain Samwise of Federation Command," replied the good Captain. "With whom am I speaking?"

She proceeded to brief Samwise about the group of technicians who had aided the heroes, eager to return to Earth as Moon-Nazi refugees. Samwise would be responsible for this group, led by Nicolas Tesla. She recounted their battle with "mind-piercing entities" that necessitated Eisenhelm's complete destruction, resulting in the gigantic nuclear explosion consuming the moon's North Pole in hellfire. Seventeen members of the Nazi regime, she explained, were aboard the two UFOs hovering near the giant robots in space. The crew members, all technicians including Tesla, were not complicit in the Nazi leadership's crimes and had been assured new lives on Earth as part of Federation Command. She elaborated on the Entity's infiltration of the ill-fated technician, Dietrich, and his ultimate doom, advising thorough bio-sensory precautions before landing, despite her belief that the entity had been utterly destroyed. Lastly, she highlighted a major remaining problem: a line of nuclear devices floating one mile from the giant robots. Each was a 500-megaton Cobalt bomb, one of which had detonated above the moon with obvious, catastrophic effect.

"Vallnam, Jacob and I," Ling went on, "need to remove the fourty-nine bombs from the vicinity of Earth, as they are an overwhelming danger. While we do this, we need you to usher the technicians in their UFOs, and the giant robots down to Kitt Peak where the robots are to be presented as a gift to Federation Command."

Sam remained silent for a few seconds.

"Captain Brisbane, that's a lot to take in, but from what we have just seen in terms of the incredible destructive power of the bombs, yes, the priority must be to get rid of them as soon as possible. I agree."

"Captain Samwise," interrupted Fred as he tried to scrape the lint off another macaroni he had extracted from his pocket.

"Yes, Fred?"  

"I don't understand. Why do we need to get rid of the bombs?" he asked as he slid the wiggly bit of pasta into his mouth. "I mean, what if we need them for, I don't now, like something else, later? Why are we getting rid of them? They're powerful weapons. We might need them at some point, no? Shouldn't we give them to Federation Command? Shouldn't we at least advise the leadership about them? I mean, what if we need them in the future, for a war or something?"

"Fred, based on what we just saw on the moon, if even one of those ever goes off in Earth's atmosphere it would destroy us completely. The last thing we want is for those bombs to be anywhere near Earth."

"Ok, but we know there were Nazis on the moon, right?"

"Yes," replied Sam impatiently.

"Ok. Right. And they got to the moon using UFOs, right?"

"It seems so," replied Sam.

"Right. So what if there are other Nazi bases out there that we don't know about? On other moons?" asked Fred pointedly as he fished around for another macaroni. "We don't know if there are other Nazis bases around the rest of the solar system. With those UFOs they could have built other bases, right? We just don't know."

Captain Samwise thought about this.

"I'm not saying we would ever want to use those bombs on Earth, of course," Fred went on. "What I'm saying is, what if we need them to fight Space Nazis somewhere out in the solar system? What if they're on Ganymede? What if they're on Titan? Why would we give up that capability? Maybe Federation Command would want that option, don't you think?"

Vallnam turned and gave Ling a look. "You see what you just started?"

"Fred," said Sam evasively, "I'm convinced that the presence of these bombs is a threat to Earth no matter how we try to manage them. If there is a Nazi threat out in the solar system, holding on to these nukes is even more of a threat because we have no way of securing them. What if the Nazis with superior space capabilites wrest them from us?"

From her position in the third Mech, Major Sekston had been keenly listening in.

"Captain Samwise," broke in the Major, "if I may?"

"Yes, go ahead, Major Sekston," replied Samwise, his annoyance increasing as he thought it completely obvious that the bombs had to go.

"We have weapons of all kinds in the Patriot Army. I'm sure the same is true for your Federation Command. Against UFO riding Nazis, I'm pretty sure we couldn't secure most of them. And from what we understand of their technology, they out-class us in their ability to navigate space, and they have superior weaponry. Yet, we still need to possess weapons as we're currently in the middle of a war for survival against a mysterious foe marching out of Las Vegas with capabilities that are as unclear as they are deadly. In the same way we can't secure anything, ultimately, does it mean we shouldn't have any weapons at all? I'm not sure I can agree with your reasoning there."

"True, but none of the weapons we had or have are anywhere near as powerful as the bomb that just exploded above the moon. Those weapons represent an existential threat to Earth."

"This is a fact," replied Major Sekston. "The bomb we just witnessed was probably twenty times more powerful than anything we saw before or during the Ultra-War."

"We know what happened with the nuclear weapons of Earth," replied Sam, "While those destroyed large regions of the planet, weapons such as these would completely eliminate all life on Earth. I think that should be quite obvious to everyone."

"That's a fact," said Fred, "but I'm not suggesting we keep the weapons on Earth. However, instead of sending them sailing off into the depths of space way outside the solar system, what if we found a place to hide them not too far from Earth, but within range of our getting them if we needed their capabilities against enemies elsewhere in the solar system. Such as if we discover more Moon-Nazis on Titan, or someplace else, for example?"

"Lexi," barked Samwise, now clearly irritated by this line of reasoning, "how far away would we need to keep these bombs from Earth if we were to secure them such that they could not pose a major threat if they went off for any reason?"

"Mars, sir," said Lexi calmly.

Captain Samwise sighed. "So we would need to secure them on Mars, when we just barely have the ability to get there at all with our most advanced technology. After all, our Brain V Mechs are space worthy, but we didn't even develop them ourselves. Brain V designed and built them for us. So how can we secure bombs on Mars when we can barely get there ourselves, and with a technology we barely understand? Maybe in the future as we learn more we could secure those bombs, but as of now, there's no safe way for us to hold on to them."

"What about the UFOs?" asked Major Sekston.  "From what we've seen of them so far, aren't they unbelievably fast?"

"Well, yes," replied Sam. "But I still don't see, even with the two UFOs, how we would be able to hide them on Mars, and maintain them. And besides, if there are other Nazi bases out there, wouldn't they be able to detect the nuclear signatures just the way we did? Then we'd basically have delivered a set of doomsday weapons to our enemies."

"We could hide such that their radioactive signatures wouldn't be visible. For example, we could bury them in deep tunnels under the surface of Mars, and even line them with lead. That would prevent detection," suggested Major Sekston. "Essentially," she went on, "as much as it pains me to admit, I agree with the point Fred made." 

Fred cheerfully popped a macaroni in his mouth and began chewing with exaggerated pleasure.

"And I think the bombs could be," Sekston went on, "potentially, hidden on Mars. But not without risk. There is a chance that if there are Nazis out there that they could detect them and steal them back and use them against us. That is possible, I admit. And the other risk is that some maniac who knows about them commandeers them.  However, if we kept them a tight secret, that mitigates both risks, and then we might be able to use them in the future, if necessary. It is speculation that we might ever need such weapons. But I agree that Federation Command would probably want to at least deliberate about the option. Nevertheless, I'm not a member of Federation Command, and these are your ships, Captain Samwise.  I can't even pull rank on you, because I'm not a member of your military hierarchy. You are the leader of this expedition, so it's your call."

Jacob was looking at Vallnam and Ling, and signaled for Ling to cut the mic. She did.

"We're not members of Federation Command, anymore," said Jacob gruffly. "We don't have to do what they tell us. That's all I want to say."

"And you, Vallnam?" asked Ling.

"Well, not to say I told you so, but I told you so," he replied with big I-told-you-so-eyes.

Ling agreed with her brethren. Even if Captain Sam decided to keep the bombs, the Shadow Hawk Heroes should nevertheless whisk them away for the safety of the Earth. They were united in that decision.

"I still cannot abide by that," Captain Samwise was saying. "We cannot secure them on Mars, and they are too much of a risk. I would rather them be destroyed or removed. Trying to handle them safely is out of the question."

"Okaaay," drawled Fred sarcastically, "but what are you going to tell Federation Command when they ask you about this? I mean, aren't you making this decision alone without consulting the leadership a bit of a career risk?"

"Yes, but that's why they pay me the big bucks," replied Captain Samwise. "To make the tough choices."

Fred saluted Captain Samwise, accidentally flicking a droplet of tomato-sauce across the flight deck. It sailed forward in a straight line and hit the far wall eventually with a dull red splat. He closed his eyes and prepared for another nap.

Samwise, feeling peeved, counted his mounting responsibilities and annoyances. It looked like he wasn't going to get help from Lexi with the Ultra drug after all. He was making a top level executive decision about the nuclear bombs that might cause him to lose his commission, or worse. And he now had seventeen Moon-Nazi refugees, and their pet giant robots to take care of. He thrummed his fingers on the hard white console in front of him and thought it all over. Annoying is what it all was.  Annoying.

"Ok. I've made up my mind," said Sam. "Captain Brisbane, I agree with you. Those bombs are too dangerous to leave anywhere near Earth, and I cannot picture a safe way to keep them secured while we are still developing technology to go back into space. So I agree with you on getting rid of those bombs. I will help the technicians make it down to Earth, and work on integrating them into Federation Command. But first I have one matter of business to attend to."

And with this he turned his attention to Lexi. 

"Lexi," said Sam into his mic.

"Yes, sir?" replied the Android with the positronic brain.

"I'm chasing you because I need your assistance," said Sam in measured tones, "and I find that your determination that the molecular cloud is a maximum priority, and therefore warranting your commandeering a Federation Command Mech, extremely out of character."

Fred began making hand signs at Captain Samwise. Sam looked over. Fred pantomimed cutting the mic, which Sam did.

"I don't know, but aren't we chasing him because we're, um, concerned about the possibility that some weird mystery AI from the computer spike took over Lexi's mind?" asked Fred.

Sam reflected on the fact that it had become obvious that Fred had been hiding something from him about that AI all along, but now was not the time to dress him down for it.

"Well, anyway, that's all I wanted to remind you about..." said Fred as he went back with noodling through his pocket lint.

Samwise flipped the switch on the mic back on.

"So Lexi," he began, "you commandeering the mech out of the blue, not being completely honest about it, and the fact that there is something I seriously needed your help with is really causing me some doubt about your intentions."

"Doubt, sir?" asked Lexi.

"Yes," replied Sam.

"I don't think there is any reason for you to doubt my intentions," replied Lexi. "My intentions are good, I can assure you."

There was a pause.

"Yes, well, you admitted that you obfuscated the truth when you commandeered the mech."

"I was not entirely forthcoming," replied Lexi, "but I believe I already explained why. The mission is too important to get bogged down in Federation Command deliberations. If you will recall, the fact is, technically, I never lied to you. The misinterpretation of my statements, which were quite clear, was on your side."

"Okay, so maybe you did not make literally false statements," admitted Sam, "but I still need your help with the Ultra."

"So what your suggesting," extrapolated Lexi, "is that in exchange for helping you with the analysis of the Ultra drug, you will allow me to take the Mech into space without further objection so that I can complete my mission?"

"Yes, in so many words," replied Captain Samwise.

"I consent to your conditions," answered Lexi.

"I have a sample of the Ultra drug. What is the best way for us to proceed?" asked Sam.

"I would need whatever data you have accumulated thus far on the drug, and the sample, in order to conduct the analysis as efficiently as possible," stated Lexi.

The good Captain reached into his satchel and extracted the ampule containing the tiny blue droplets of Ultra. It held so much promise, and so much danger.  Fred peered at the ampule with avid interest, but he grasped that it would be futile to act on his impulses.  He took a couple of green and purple pills to calm himself down, and that did the trick.  His eyes glazed and he drifted off into a dream.

"Okay, lets rendezvous at the Robots and you can check it out," suggested Sam.

"That will do," replied Lexi.

It took about two hours for the ships to intersect at approximately one mile from the Robots. During this time Vallnam explained by radio the situation to Nicolas Tesla who was stationed on one of the UFOs, and they made arrangements for Samwise to take over the migration of the technicians to Earth. Samwise spent time greeting each of the technicians, and in the process he assessed each one's personality, and took notes on every member of their crew, including name, rank, and technical skills.

During that time Vallnam, Jacob and Ling secured the bombs and linked them under Shadow Hawk's control. They decided to fly the ship directly up from the orbital plane so the terrific bombs would have no chance of ever interacting with any of the planets. Ling activated the Helio-Drive and within no time they were travelling close the speed of light. It would take them a little over eleven hours to get the distance of Pluto, and another eleven to return.

"Shadow Hawk," directed Vallnam, "calculate the time differential between us and the Earth for this flight, both going there and returning to Earth."

Shadow Hawk performed the calculation. They were travelling at near-light-speed, which was the maximum possible for the Helio-Drive, and the only safe speed to travel while still within the confines of the solar system.  Once outside the Ort Belt they could engage the far faster Quantum Drive, but they had no immediate plans to do so.

"Moving at maximum speed for twenty two hours will cause approximately twenty days to pass on Earth," replied Shadow Hawk in her deeply resonant tone within their minds.

There wasn't really any particular reason for them to return to Earth so far as Jacob was concerned. He was eager to launch off into the galaxy. He didn't know where, but he wanted to explore. Ling, however, thought it would be wiser for them to use Shadow Hawk to explore the solar system first, looking for any signs of Nazi space fortresses.  If all seemed clear, they could explore the galaxy afterwards.  Vallnam felt ambivalent on the question as any exploration at all would be exciting, wherever it was.

Meanwhile, far behind them, Captain Samwise viewed the the line of fifty giant robots floating in space, and near them, a string of nuclear bombs. But the glinting objects of destruction had suddenly vanished. With a salute to his friends aboard Shadow Hawk, a ship that he knew absolutely nothing about, and had not for a single moment seen or in any way detected, he resumed the tasks at hand. From what Sam understood from speaking with them, the technicians had never experienced any time on Earth at all. They had lived their entire lives within the iron walls of the now vaporized Moon-Fortress Eisenhelm. They had no understanding of actual Earth history, and their storybook idealization of the "mother world" was such that they imagined it was filled with happy meadows and flowering fields of grain, dotted with puffy white sheep, and pristine oceans of blue waters filled with teaming schools of enormous fish and herds of gigantic blue whales. Nor had they ever endured Earth gravity. As Nicolas Tesla warned Sam upon their first contact, that would be an issue for the men, and that they should be taken first to a biologically secure hospital for a period of time while they gain strength to function properly on the planet.  They might also be vulnerable to microbes and diseases of Earth that none of them had ever come in contact with before. And of course, there was the crucial matter of inspecting them extremely carefully for any indication of biological threat, such as a lingering tendril of The Entity on the moon, now deceased.  This was agreed upon, as well as some gentle indoctrination program for the Eisenhelm refugees, as their dreams of a pristine, loving and happy little Earth were very soon to be dashed to smithereens.

Yet before anything else, Sam wished to complete his rendezvous with Lexi. They agreed to match speeds and trajectories so that they could dock their mechs together. Once done, Samwise opened the inter-ship portal and entered Lexi's Mech with the Ultra, and the data crystal that had all of his own analysis etched within it.

"Welcome aboard, Captain Samwise," said Lexi, his positronic brain sparkling blue through its glass dome.  Nothing seemed strange to Sam.  He didn't see any sign of an alien AI.  But of course, how would he?  But there was no indication of anything amiss, and so he ambled in and handed the data crystal and the ampule over to Lexi. 

Without further ado, the android went to work at a massive compositional analysis machine, which incorporated an electron microscope, spectrometers, chemical analyzers, and a myriad of other instruments that Brain V had thoughtfully provided. The full power of Lexi's positronic brain was focused on this analysis for two solid hours. Sam ambled around the deck casually, and waited as patiently as possible, while surreptitiously looking for signs of a hidden AI.  None appeared. 

"I have completed the analysis," said Lexi, finally. "I now have a comprehensive reading of the structure of Ultra.  It is, in fact, enormously complex.  More than I expected."

"Can it be safely manufactured?" asked Sam.

"There is a good chance that it can be safely manufactured with some changes to the molecular structure. The process to do so would need to avoid disrupting the mechanisms of the Ultra Drug, so that it has the same effect, but substantially reduces the risks of usage.  With the proper modifications, the Cats-Paw risk can be substantially reduced by approximately 82.35 percent."

Sam smiled.

"I can take this sample and apply the changes, and this should make it 85% safe to use. Would that do?" asked Lexi.

"Yes," said Sam enthusiastically. "And please provide a copy of your analysis when completed."

"I will do that," said Lexi. The android went back to the workstation and began the modifications. This also took a good deal of time, and Sam again waited as patiently as he could. He reviewed the notes that Lexi's process was generating, but the mathematics quickly went far beyond his comprehension. He then turned his attention to the molecular cloud.  Fortunately, Lexi was able to chat with Sam while making the modifications as this work was not computationally intensive, but just required a steady hand and excellent equipment.

"I know we discussed this already, but can you clarify for me, what caused you to decide that the molecular cloud was an emergency, such that you need to deal with it immediately?" asked Captain Samwise.

"As I investigated the research conducted before the Ultra-War, it became apparent that the Earth had entered a region of increased interstellar medium density, possibly a diffuse molecular cloud, beginning around 1336 CE and continuing to the present. While I don't want to speculate too extensively on the exact mechanisms involved, it appears that since this period, the Earth's atmosphere has undergone a slow but steady change due to alterations in the solar radiation reaching our planet. The interstellar medium may contain dust particles that scatter and absorb certain wavelengths of light, potentially altering the solar spectrum reaching Earth. One of the goals of my mission is to determine the nature and effect of this hypothetical alteration.

The effect of this increased density seems to have become more pronounced over time, which may explain some historical events in Earth's civilizations during this era. Geological and astronomical records suggest that Earth has encountered regions of higher interstellar medium density before, with a notable episode possibly occurring around 11,000 BCE. If my hypothesis is correct, the Ultra-War and the events leading up to it from the Early Renaissance forward may be influenced by our solar system's current position in the galaxy. To put it in plain terms: When a patient is bleeding, immediate action is crucial as every minute of delay exacerbates the damage. If my hypothesis is correct, the increased interstellar medium density is like a slow-acting environmental stressor on Earth's systems. The longer we wait to address it, the more severe and far-reaching the effects may become. The end of the Ultra-War did not resolve this underlying issue. We must investigate and address the root cause of humanity's recent cataclysms, and I believe the changes in our local interstellar environment may be that cause.

"What's particularly concerning is that the effect of this phenomenon appears to be cumulative and potentially accelerating in severity. Each moment of delay could lead to a disproportionate increase in negative consequences. If my hypothesis is correct, this issue must be addressed as soon as possible, sir. We have no time to waste, as the next global crisis could push Earth's civilization past a critical tipping point from which recovery might be impossible. We must investigate and address the root cause of humanity's recent cataclysms, and I believe the changes in our local interstellar environment may be that cause. The stakes are too high for delayed action. Every minute counts at this point."

"Okay," said Captain Samwise, daunted to the core by this information.

Lexi paused, and then went on.

"While my data on previous occurrences is limited, there's evidence suggesting that increased interstellar medium density has had profound effects on Earth and potentially other worlds in the past. Some ancient records hint at a decline in higher cognitive functions across various species during these periods. Interestingly, there are even obscure mythological references to godlike beings from other worlds who seemed to withdraw or diminish during such times.

Of course, I can't confirm the veracity of these accounts, but they do align with observable patterns of civilizational decline and species die-offs in Earth's geological and historical records. If there's truth to these stories, it could indicate that the effects of this phenomenon extend beyond just our world, possibly impacting advanced cognition on a broader scale.

This adds another layer of urgency to our mission. If these accounts are even partially accurate, we're not just fighting for Earth's future, but potentially for the preservation of intelligence itself in our region of space. However, I must stress that this is highly speculative and requires much more investigation."

Lexi paused again as he focused on the last changes required for the Ultra molecular transformation.

"Captain," said Lexi, "I need to use two parts of the three parts of the Ultra sample you gave me, the remaining part will be left unchanged. That sample will continue to be as dangerous as before. The two parts I am transforming will be placed in a separate ampule and the color will be light green, instead of blue, which is the original Ultra coloration, which will remain in the original ampule. I recommend you destroy it."

"I concur," said Sam, "and I will keep your recommendation under advisement. I want to thank you for your help. However, I should also add that I am still concerned about your method of operation, but I won't keep you, as we agreed. If your hypothesis is correct, the stakes are extremely high, indeed. I hope your efforts will prove productive, and beneficial to Earth."

"I believe it will be, sir. I will keep you informed of our progress," said Lexi as he handed Samwise the two ampules, and the data crystal that had the full transcription of the analysis Lexi had conducted.

Captain Samwise returned to his Mech with an upgraded version of Ultra. Not perfect, but far better than before. 

He took a glance at the blue ampule. And now with this, he thought excitedly, he could potentially augment his own genetic code, enhancing himself in ways that he could never have imagined before. Of course this was a very, very risky proposition, but with all of the analysis that Lexi had provided, and given sufficient time and resources, Samwise felt that his Bio-Augmentation skills would be sufficient to do the job, and he was willing to take the risk. It would take time, and nothing would be done in a hasty manner, but he was confident that in the end he would become what he always dreamed of. A new species of human.

The two Mechs decoupled, and Samwise watched as Lexi's ship sped off in the direction Saturn. Meanwhile, Samwise planned to take the UFOs and giant robots down to Kitt Peak, and introduce the technicians to Earth. He relayed a message to Major Sekston, asking her if she would be willing to meet Lt. Brisbane of Federation Command at Kitt Peak before returning to Panguitch. Major Sekston was eager to do so. After introductions and settling the technicians into the hospital, Captain Samwise suggested returning with her and Penelope to Panguitch in order to meet up with his man, "Guns" Gunnison, collect the AGV, and potentially help the Patriot Army with its efforts against the Black Manticore. She thanked him, and so they set off for Earth, the UFOs coming in behind, and the fifty giant robots trailing in tow. Once they reached Earth's atmosphere the robots would re-animate and land themselves in the desert near the spaceport below Kitt Peak, along with the UFOs, and they would take it from there.  All agreed, they began their descent.

Meanwhile, far out in space, Lexi and his secretive AI companion plotted a course for the molecular cloud. As they sailed past the moon, a particularly dark shadow of space slid by them on its way towards the small fleet of ships and giant robots descending into Earth's atmosphere. Neither Lexi, nor the AI, had any instruments by which to detect this shadowy being, but had they been able to, they would have seen a sphinx-like form with a malevolent grin on its hideously terrifying face.

And this is where we left things that evening. And it is likely where we will leave things with The Way of All Flesh Campaign for a while, as we plan to embark on a new adventure GM'd by one of my fellow players. Our thought is to pick up on the adventures of Linda and Pita, and perhaps Bruin Hilda, at a later date, and see whatever becomes of those heroes! Stay tuned!

Conan the Bug Slayer

Conan gripped the worn leather steering wheel as his pickup grumbled down darkened streets, somewhere off North Broadway. Towering slabs of concrete and steel lined the avenue, lit windows peering down, sentinel eyes watching over the roads like dreary ancient gods. Ahead, the rising sun blazed orange, skimming first light over rooftops, banishing the shadows before them, but not the fog in Conan's mind. Ever did his instincts forged by highways and byways serve him true in navigating the sprawling urban maze. Unknown perils could emerge from any point, so Conan steeled himself for whatever lay ahead in the endless skirmish of his workday. The bills had to be paid, and by Crom, he was going to pay them!

North Broadway came into view through the glare, and suddenly a shape appeared - a woman walking her dog from behind tall hedges. Conan slammed the brakes, lightly wrenching the wheel to veer around her and her fiercely snarling pet. For a pulse, he glimpsed her wide eyes and the dog's pale sticky fur before passing unscathed by them both. But in the side view mirror, he caught sight of a hulking delivery truck roaring down upon him, its demon driver wearing aviator sunglasses, oblivious to all but his own wreckless course. With a growled curse, Conan slammed the brake, the sound of squealing tires protesting in his ears as the grille filled his vision. His pickup rumbled to a halt, his' heart pounding, after surviving another near miss on these mean streets. The demon truck sped away into the murky distance without slowing down. After wiping his forehead with a grizzled rag, Conan got back on the road. He was running late for work.

The usual steel-and-glass fortress loomed as Conan parked his truck, alongside of two fellow programmers, Jeremy Williams and Tod Roberts, both worn thin by incessant digital warfare. Within the tower, screens howled fresh plagues - servers buckling, permissions stripped, programs gone mad. Settling in at his dim gray cubicle, though no Project Manager coordinated the defense, Conan took the first cases emerging from the ticketing system this crimson morn. A payment site had run amok in the wee hours - after scrying through thousands of tangled lines, he found and strangled the miscreant code. More flames rose through the day, as outside shadows crept once more over the canyons of the electronic city. By the end, he was, as usual, a jittery mess, nerves shot, throat horse, eyes red and watery. He trundled out into the parking lot, and without a word, drove out into the night.

The day's battles done, Conan steered his metal camel to the neon glow on the edge of night. Within the all-hours joint called Ma's Carbuncle, the air hung thick with fumes from iron skillets and bubbling cauldrons. At one booth, a hard-eyed truck master discussed upcoming deliveries, calling them "raids" with a grim smile, while at the counter a motley assortment of deadbeat analysts nursed smoky potables, grumbling to one another about tax hikes and federal form 3190b.

And there she was—Sonya the server, slinging her greasy bounty with the skilled precision of a dancer amid the chaos. Her copper locks shone in the dull light, and eyes like emeralds flashed from a face of alabaster. Though many a sordid regular and half a dozen accountants had tried to scale her ramparts at one time or another, none had yet overcome her sardonic defense. Her virgin glare and whiplike tongue kept them all at bay.

As Conan took his regular perch, Sonya slid before him a plate piled high with mystery meat nestled on dry black bread. "The usual?" she asked, her eyebrows arched with a slight curiosity. "Aye, and another scalding draught of blackwater to wash it down," grunted Conan, notably disinterested in her undertones. At his sigh, Sonya paused. "Another long plunder through the pixelated wilds, eh, Conan?"

"Aye, and new devils spawned with every flame extinguished. But your smile makes the dark path a mite brighter, shield-maiden," he replied in a tone of calm despair. Sonya's lips twitched almost imperceptibly upward, before her royal callers demanded her swift return. Conan fell upon his simple feast with vigor, warming his belly on this cold urban eve. Outside, the traffic howled and screeched its painful cacophony as the city braced itself for the darkness to come.

WoAF - Game Session 65

Captain "Sam" Samwise stared out the Mech's forward window into the blackness of space. In the distance, towards the brilliantly shining quarter moon, a thin yellow-orange plasma streak betrayed the presence of the Mech that Lexi had hijacked two hours earlier. Below them, the Earth's atmosphere was illuminated along the horizon, with wide streaks of space debris glinting above dark clouds of brown and gray. Several intertwining streams of iridescent light flickered with lightning as they flowed across the upper atmosphere like serpents. Sam's attention, however, was on the space-faring Mech far ahead of them. It had at least two hour's head start and was cruising at maximum speed. He contemplated Lexi's previous explanation as to why he had commandeered the Mech, and he found the explanation less than satisfactory. 

His problem was that he was not at all convinced that the molecular cloud threat was real. He suspected Lexi had ulterior motives and he wanted to know what they were. But the good Captain was not in a position to extract any information that Lexi was unwilling to provide. They were separated by thousands of miles of space, and it would be impossible for them to catch up with Lexi unless he slowed his ship down. He glanced out the port window to check Major Sekston's flight path. Her Mech, gleaming blue, white and chrome, was still glowing around the head and shoulders from the atmospheric friction.  The plasma trail behind her blazed fiercely as she throttled to maximum power as she sought to catch up with Sam. He then glanced over at Fred, who had picked a piece of macaroni out of his pocket and was dusting it off, presumably with the intent of eating it. Samwise quickly turned away to look out the forward window again.  The long orange-red plasma trail of Lexi's Mech vanishing into the distance frustrated him.

He wasn't exactly a Molecular Cloud Denier, but he had never thought of it as being an actual problem. And certainly not one that required the immediate attention of the world's first Positronic-Brain enabled android. And besides, above all else, Samwise wished to put Lexi's new brain to good use determining if it would be possible to resolve the Cat's Paw Dilemma of the incredible Ultra-Drug, a tiny sample of which had been given to him by Doctor Danger earlier that morning. If they could solve that problem, then the rag-tag human armies of North America could raise a new legion of Ultra-Warriors, and quite plausibly defeat the Black Manticore's Lizardman Force that had issued forth from Las Vegas in a tsunami of war.  Sam also suspected he might be able to use a refined version of Ultra to create a new Bio-Augmentation for himself. One that through extensive genetic, cellular and neurological enhancement could vastly exceed normal human capabilities and physiology. It was a dream of his. But it required the help of Lexi's Positronic-Brain. And consequently Sam had a vested interest, and because of this was inclined to disbelieve and dismiss Lexi's story.

Captain Samwise flipped the switch on the console to activate his microphone.

"Lexi," he said, "I'm confused. We've travelled together since we left Federation Command at Kitt Peak, almost a month ago. And just now you're bringing this molecular cloud issue up?"

"It should have been brought up a long time ago, sir," replied Lexi calmly, his voice crackling with static over the speaker.

"What made you aware that this is a priority?" asked Sam.

"I was exploring a historical archive on the topic. In the 1990's the question of the molecular cloud had been raised by astrophysicists, and research had been ongoing for some time, but the Ultra-War caused all research on this question to be abandoned. Now, it must be picked up again. And there is no time to lose.  This should have been done a decade ago."

"What archive did you research this in? You were captured by Brain V, and then returned back to mission, and at no time did you indicate any other emergencies that needed to be taken care of."

"Sir, that is quite true," replied Lexi. "When I was reconstructed by Brain V, I was given the rare and wonderful opportunity to access and store a rather fascinating Scientific Data Archive. I have been steadily going through since I left the Black Wind V facility. When I came across this item it piqued my interest, and so I started looking into it more deeply. I came to my conclusion early this morning."

"I'm sorry, Lexi," Sam countered, "but the timing doesn't quite make sense. If you found out about this while you were with Brain V and you were able to bring the Mechs to us, why didn't you just go to the molecular cloud straight away?"

"I wasn't aware of the issue, yet," replied Lexi calmly, "as I had not accessed that part of the archive until this morning at 2:47am."

"And why did you not inform us of the seriousness of this issue before rushing off? Why did you lie to Major Sexton in order to commandeer the Mech?"

"Technically, I didn't lie, sir," replied Lexi. "What I told Major Sexton was that I have a new mission and I needed the Mech. Both of those statements are factually true."

"If I might say, Captain, yes," Major Sexton broke in, "I apologize for the confusion, but that is what Lexi actually said. I assumed he meant a new mission from Federation Command... but he didn't explicitly say that.  I should have been more discerning."

Lexi went on.

"Captain Samwise, I understand that you might feel that my statements were a bit deceptive, perhaps. To tell you the truth, I was concerned that if I reported my reasoning, Federation Command would have hampered the initiative, and I honestly believe that this is the most important thing that can and must be done at this time.  We are already late in the game on the molecular cloud, and it could be too late as it is. And so I didn't want to take the risk that the deliberation process among Federation officials would get bogged down in a bureaucratic snafu. That is why I took the Mech without informing you in advance. This mission is too urgent to delay.  I had planned to inform you after the fact, from space, once I began the mission and had some hard data to report back."

"So you believe that if your analysis concludes what you suspect about the molecular cloud, that you can actually effect a change in the cloud? That you can prevent it from affecting the Earth?"

"I won't know that until I conduct the analysis, sir," replied Lexi.  "But it is possible."

"But based on your research, and the knowledge and technology that you have on hand, how do you even imagine that you could affect a solution without the Federation's help? With just one Mech?"

"In fact," replied Lexi, "I should point out that the Mechs were not only designed by Brain V as instruments of science, but they are also quite advanced instruments of engineering. With this Mech, given sufficient time, I believe I could utilize the resources in space to conduct whatever operations may be necessary. And since I do not need food or water, or sleep, I am perfectly capable of bringing the Mech's considerable powers to bear on the problem, even if it should take what you as a human might feel is a great deal of time.  So the answer to your question is, yes."

"Alright," replied Sam, realizing that arguing with Lexi was not likely to result in the course of action he wanted.  He paused to think about what Lexi had said. 

"I see your point, Lexi. Had you informed me early on of this plan, there is a good chance I would have stopped you, yes. And it is also likely that a bureaucratic process to evaluate your idea would have then been initiated, and it may have turned into a snafu. This is also true. I won't deny that."

"In fact," replied Lexi, "there is an 81.7% chance that you would have engaged me in a bureaucratic process, which would have had a 94.3% chance of been bogged down in political debate. Given the slow communications between you and Federation Command, there was too great a risk of an unwarranted and unacceptable delay. No offense intended."

"None taken," replied Sam quietly. "Well, Lexi, I have another problem with you running off by yourself."

"You do, sir?"

"I have just received a sample of the Ultra-Drug," said Sam, pausing there for emphasis.

"The Ultra-Drug?" asked Lexi with a surprised tone. "It was my understanding that no such samples should exist."

"It was a surprise to me, also," replied Sam. "I was hoping to get your assistance in analyzing the samples I received to find a way to synthesize a safer version.  If we can resolve the Cat's Paw Dilemma then --"

At that moment a brilliant white light blazed through the front windows of every vessel in the vicinity. Fortunately the Mech's all responded by instantly deploying Radiance-Shielding across every window, otherwise the crews would have likely been permanently blinded, if not worse. As it was the blindness was temporary, and in a few moments they could see again. The Mech's shielding absorbs high energy light, but allows lower frequencies to pass harmlessly through. Hence they were able to see what was happening outside through the front windows after a few moments.

And what they saw was beyond shocking. The entire north pole of the moon had suddenly been engulfed in an enormous nuclear explosion. A huge plume of white hot gas and dust was rising over the surface of the moon.  The instrument panels on the vessel's dashboards had all lit up with warnings and alarms across multiple spectrums.

"What the HELL was that?!" exclaimed Captain Samwise. They tried zooming in with the Vizi-Screens, but they had been rendered temporarily inoperable, and showed only a frazzled white static across their view-plates. Samwise tried to remain calm as he considered the implications of this astonishing event.

Fred, who had earlier take a few green and purple pills, was in a daze. But this woke him up.

"What the FUCK was that?!!" he sputtered as he stared out the window. "That's impossible! What was it? An asteroid? It must have been monster-sized! That needs to be checked out!"

"Major Sekston," Sam barked into his mic, "can you read me?"

"I can, Captain," she replied over a thoroughly static-filled radio wave.

"What do you think could have caused that?" he asked.

"That was the largest nuclear blast I have ever seen," she reported.

"Yes," replied Sam. "It needs to be checked out."

Lexi's voice came over the speakers, crackling and static-laden. "I am picking up a significant amount of radiation from the blast, Captain Samwise. By the size of the explosion, I estimate it was somewhere in the 500 megaton range.  I do not believe bombs of this size were ever contemplated in any military command I have knowledge of.  Even the largest bomb ever tested, the Soviet Tsar Bombe, was only 50 megatons."

"Could someone even have launched a nuclear missile from the Earth at the moon?" asked Fred, furiously calculating on his keypad.

"It is possible that an ICBM was launched and struck the moon," said Lexi, "but I see no evidence of such a launch so far."

The Mechs could move at twenty-five thousand miles per hour, and so could get to the moon in nine and a half hours at maximum speed.

"Lexi," asked Fred, "Would you be willing to meet us at the moon, if we go to investigate?"

"Under the circumstances," replied Lexi, "I have no objections.  However, you would not want to get too close to the site.  Radiation intensity is extremely high."

"How far out would we need to stay?" asked Fred.

"I would say that by the time we get there, at least 80 miles," answered Lexi.

"We appreciate your coming with us," said Fred. "We could use your Positronic-Brain to figure this one out."

"I will be happy to be of assistance, if I can," replied Lexi.

And so the two Mechs directed themselves towards the moon.

"Captain Samwise," said Lexi after about five minutes of transitioning trajectories.

"Yes, Lexi?"

"My forward sensors are picking up a radiating source in near-space. It is a relatively weak signal. I am forwarding the our Vizi-Screen view to your onboard system."

Samwise switched the Vizi-screen from Forward Sensor Array Mode to pick up the transmission, and plotted the exact coordinates into the navigation control system. He saw once again the same blips they'd seen earlier but forgotten about. They appeared much more clearly now, as Lexi's Mech was two hours ahead, and the view from his ship much closer in. It was a set of fifty static blocks, and then another set of blocks outlined in red, about a thousand yards from the first set, and set in a single line. Whatever this was, Samwise had no idea.

Meanwhile, on Shadow Hawk, at this time, our heroes had dispatched the terrible Moon-Entity, and Vallnam had just finished Mind-Probing the technicians to validate their mental states, with results he found quite acceptable.

"So," said Captain Samwise, "we just witnessed a massive nuclear explosion on the moon, and now we are seeing a string of radioactive signatures seventy-five thousand miles off of Earth's orbital plane. Very interesting. I suspect these two things may well be linked.  I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that if what happened on the moon just now also happened on Earth, that would be the end of civilization right there. We need to find out what those blips are, and we need to find out yesterday."

"It should take us about two and a half hours to get to where the blips are located," said Major Sekston, "while Lexi should be there in approximately a half hour at his current speed."

~~~ *** ~~~

Meanwhile on Shadow Hawk, Vallnam was pleased to know that the technicians were safe to bring to Earth. They were still observing the moon, the north pole of which was covered with a fierce red glow. Jacob left Nikola Tesla with the technicians on the UFO while he teleported back to the deck of Shadow Hawk to confer with Ling and Vallnam. For their part, the technicians were awed and amazed to see Nikola alive, and were quite effusive in their exclamations of admiration and joy. He was probably the third most famous person in Eisenhelm, and was considered the primary architect of the fortress, and the inventor of many of it's most advanced designs and mechanisms. It was he, in fact, who had created the Red-Mercury Plasma-Vortex engines for the UFOs, created their navigational control systems, the stealth technology, the metallic tape computer array systems, and a host of other equally fantastic inventions. He was the most esteemed technician of them all, until the Regime had turned on him, and imprisoned him for so-called "insubordination". They fawned all over the poor man, fed him whatever crackers and tidbits they could muster, and brought him a cup of hot tea.  He was pleased to see he hadn't been forgotten, and accepted their accolades without demure.  Fortunately, he'd had the foresight to equip the UFOs with Blackout-Glass, a material that acted in a similar fashion to the Mech's Radiance-Shields, and consequently the crews of both ships had been spared permanent blindness as well, but in their case it would be hours before they could see through their portholes again.

The three Shadow Hawk heroes were debating their next course of action. Although aware of the Mechs, they had not yet noticed the change in trajectory they'd taken. They were still seventy-five thousand miles away, and not of immediate concern.  A yellow indicator light on the control panel alerted Ling as to the change in the Mech's status.  She had other fish to fry at the moment, and so turned back to Vallnam who was still speaking.

"I think our next step is to rid the solar system of the remaining Cobalt bombs," he was saying. "I think, Ling, you were going to go to Earth with the technicians and introduce them to Federation Command."

"What's the status of the Giant Robots?" asked Ling.

"They have not been activated, yet," replied Jacob. "Once they're activated they will be able to fly themselves down to the surface of the Earth. They can't really fly around at will, because they weren't designed for that, but they should be able to land, at least."

"Alright," said Ling. "We need to finalize our plan. It's a given that we want to keep Shadow Hawk a secret. The UFOs are in Stealth Mode, so they're safe from detection at this point."

"Ling, you can take the fifty Robots, eighteen technicians, and two UFO's to Earth with Nikola, while Vallnam and I head out of the Solar System with remaining forty-nine Cobalt bombs," said Jacob as he tabulated trajectories, weights and speeds on his arm-mounted analyzer.

"I think I would need Jacob to help with bringing the Robots down to Earth," said Ling. "I'd like a backup since I'm going to be busy introducing the technicians to Federation Command."

"That would leave just me to fly the forty-nine bombs out into deep space beyond the solar system... alone... eh?"

"I don't know," said Jacob, "To be honest, Vallnam isn't the best pilot in the world, as you might recall."

"Maybe," replied Vallnam, annoyed by the aspersion to his skill, despite it's veracity, "but if you need a Tarot Reading, who you going to go to?"

"Anyway," interrupted Ling, "We haven't been listening in on what's going on with the Mechs.  I see they changed course.  Let's tune in and find out what's going on."

And with that they switched back to listening in on the radio frequency of the Mechs.  They noted the confusion and alarm among the Mech's crews, that they'd changed course, and noted that the lead ship would arrive shortly at their location. They had to make a move.

"They won't be able to detect Shadow Hawk, or the UFOs in stealth mode, but what about the Giant Robots and the bombs?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't be able to detect that giant radioactive junk pile," replied Jacob flatly.

"And the Giant Robots?" asked Ling.

"It's not as if those giant hunks of metal are exactly stealthy or anything," he said.

"This could be a good case of kill a few birds with one stone," offered Vallnam. "We can contact them from the UFOs, which they already know about, and explain what happened on the moon."

"So who is doing what in what order?" asked Jacob.

"You and I are going to go with the UFOs to meet the Mechs," replied Ling, "and introduce the technicians as 'people we rescued from the moon', while Vallnam flies the bombs away in Shadow Hawk. That way they won't have a chance to see Shadow Hawk. Once we explain to Sam what happened, he won't need to go to the moon to investigate, and we can bring everyone back down to Earth."

"What if Vallnam runs into trouble on his way out of the solar system?" asked Jacob. "I mean what if he runs into a meteor storm, or aliens, or anything unexpected?"

"I am assuming that I can put Shadow Hawk on auto-pilot and it will know what to do," replied Vallnam.

"Well, no," said Ling. "I don't think so. Shadow Hawk relies on us to provide directions.  She can do amazing things, but we have to tell her what to do.  I don't think she will do anything of her own volition.  But maybe we can help from afar since we'll be wearing our Shadow Hawk suits and those are in some way linked to the main ship, anyway?"

"Well, I'm not so sure, but there's a lot of unknowns," replied Jacob. "No one has ever gone out of the Solar System. This isn't a little thing we are going to do. We plan to take the bombs outside the Oort Belt. No one has ever done anything like this before. We have no idea what to expect. And no, I don't think Shadow Hawk is going to make any decisions for us. We need to tell her exactly what we want her to do. I think we should be treating this more like a major adventure, not just a quick little Sunday jaunt to the country. I'm pretty sure that leaving the Solar System is going to be kind of a big deal. Sending Vallnam flying off with forty-nine 500 megaton Cobalt bombs out into the depths of space by himself just sets off all kinds of red alerts in my head, you know."

"Well, now that you put it that way," said Ling, "I suppose you're right. You and Jacob can take Shadow Hawk out, while I head to Earth with the crew out there. That does make sense, after all. I'll manage with the Robots. It's fine."

Jacob and Vallnam both knew that this was like your girlfriend says, "No, no, it's okay. You go out with the guys and have fun tonight, and I'll just stay home by myself and watch TV. It's fine.  Really."

Nothing about that is going to be fine. No sir.  No way.

"My regards to Lt. Brisbane," said Jacob with a little smile.

"Yeah, definitely, me too," added Vallnam, twiddling his fingers.

"I know you won't forget, Ling," said Jacob, "that when you meet your dad, there's no need to say anything about Shadow Hawk. But what are we going to tell him when we come back? I mean like, do we have a cover story to explain where we just disappeared to for twenty-two hours?  I'm pretty sure he's going to wonder."

"Well, you don't need to come down to the planet," suggested Ling. "You guys could just pick me up when you get back, and we can take it from there."

"Oh that's right. We don't really even need to go back to Earth, do we?" said Vallnam.

"Maybe you can touch base with Linda when you're down there," suggested Jacob.

"Yes, I haven't seen her in a long time," replied Ling. "I hope she's doing okay." 

"From what I recall," said Vallnam, "Pita is like a superhero. I'm sure she's doing extremely well."

Jacob narrowed his eyes and said, "Hmmm... you and Pita have a thing, don't you?"

"Well you would too, if you hung out with him more," replied Vallnam with a laugh.

"It must be that gleaming smile of his," said Jacob with a dry smirk.

"Oh yes, and that twinkle in his eye," answered Vallnam enthusiastically.

"Ok, so I think we have a plan," said Jacob. "Vallnam and I will take the bombs and you'll go to Earth. But what are you going to say to Sam if he tries to commandeer you for Federation Command missions, and stuff?"

"What rank is he?" asked Ling.

"I believe Lexi is still referring to him as a captain," said Jacob.

"Fine.  He can't pull rank on me, as I'm a captain, too," she said, "And I'll just defer to my father if he tries.  I'm sure I won't have any trouble with Captain Samwise."

And with that, they settled on the plan.

 

And that is where we left things that night.

WoAF - Game Session 64

Mutagenic Entity

The Shadow Hawk heroes sat in the Medical Bay, under the protection of Ling's Mind Shield, telepathically debating what to do about the terrible Mutagenic Entity lurking in the ruins of Eisenhelm. They reviewed the situation again.  As far as they knew, there was one and only one Shard remaining, and it was imprisoned inside the Hermit Jar on Shadow Hawk.  A far more dangerous Entity existed, or perhaps many, prowling the ruins of the the once-mighty Eisenhelm.  Jacob had learned that the Entity had been created with a genetic cocktail derived from the DNA of invulnerable tardigrades, and an assortment of other creatures, such as octopi, crocodiles, chimpanzees, cobras, fire ants, giant wasps, king crabs, snails, slugs, tarantulas, and certain plants such as Joshua tree, hawthorn, and kudzu vines.  The samples for these they "liberated" from Earth over time using their UFOs in stealth-mode.  Hanna, in fact, had been an avid participant in those stealthy operations. The scientists' choices were based on the creature's survival, combat, and intellectual capabilities. They bombarded the DNA cocktail with low-level gamma radiation, and gave it a hyper-growth mutagenic compound which they had invented for the purpose of creating "the ultimate life form". This resulted in the Mutagenic Entity, which escaped from Science Center 7 during the Nazi Civil War, and immediately began its campaign of terror and conquest of Eisenhelm.  Upon escape it fused itself with at least three humans, the chief Scientist who created the creature, whose name can and will be stricken from the record, and two unfortunate lead technicians Hans and Nick whose curiosity got the better of them, and became their doom.  

The Mutagenic Entity has a single goal: like all insane megalomaniacs, it desired to conquer and subject all things to its will.  Soon it had spread to other helpless victims via thorny darts which it hurled into its prey using its tentacles.  Jacob had deduced that the Entity itself must have an array of psychic powers, such as Telepathy, Telekinesis, Insidious Persuasion, Compulsion, and Psychic Shock, which Vallnam had found extremely painful. That incident was the clue Jacob needed to surmise the creature's true nature. 

What to do?

"We need to make the destruction of the Entity our top priority," said Jacob.  He was lying on the infirmary bed, with his hands behind his head looking up at the scorched ceiling, communicating to Ling and Vallnam telepathically.  They were under Ling's Mind Shield at this point, so they could speak freely, and make their plans without fear of being overheard by the Entity or the Shard, or anything else for that matter.

"Let's go over the problem again," said Ling. "There is the main Entity on the moon.  There's a Shard in the Hermit Jar on our ship. The other Shard we vaporized earlier with the plasma beam.  As far as we know there are no other Shards, or Shadow Hawk would have detected them by now.  However, there is at least one technician that the Entity has some sort of psychic influence over, we think.  So, we need to separate the three groups to prevent the Entity from communicating at all while we make our move.  Otherwise, if tipped off, it could decide to use whichever technician is in its thrall to trigger the detonation of the missing nuclear device outside our spaceships.  And that would be the end of that."

She paused.  There was a lot to consider.  Their plan had to be meticulous and timed perfectly, or they would not only all wind up dead, but they would likely doom the Earth to one of two hells; either a radioactive extinction level event of the course of a few years, or an alien invasion by the Mutagenic Entity, whose primary objective appeared to be to reach Earth and spread its dominion.  If the Entity could not achieve its goal, then it would destroy the world in revenge. Truly the Entity was a creature after The Furor's own heart.  Evil to the core of its being.

"The only way I can see us doing this," Ling continued, "is by effectively and precisely overlapping our Mind Shields.  We need Shadow Hawk to use her Mind Shield, which has a radius of a thousand feet, to separate both Shadow Hawk and the UFOs from the Entity on the moon.  Vallnam needs to use his personal Mind Shield with it's radius of 21 feet to envelope Shard in the Hermit Jar so that it is disconnected from the Technicians on the UFOs."

She paused in thought.

"Then the last piece," she went on, "is to protect Vallnam from the Shard inside the Jar, which can be done if am within Vallnam's Mind Shield and then project my own Mind Shield around the two of us with a narrow enough diameter to block the two of us from the Shard.  This way all of the Entity's forces will be disconnected from each another."  

"That sounds solid," said Jacob as he sat up, "and while you're blocking them from communicating, that should give me the time I need to haul the Cobalt Bomb to the moon using my Shadow Hawk Armor.  Since the suits glide on the magnetic waves of the solar system and can obtain near light speed, I can get to to Eisenhelm with the bomb in tow, I'm estimating, in perhaps ten to twenty seconds given that I'll need to overcome the bomb's inertia to pick up speed.  But I don't think the bomb's mass will present any significant problem as the bomb's casing is made of steel.  Heck, I could probably haul the entire Giant Nuclear Missile Robot if necessary and it wouldn't take more than a second or two longer.  It's the magnetic fields that will be doing the work, not me.  In any case, we still need to get to the bomb itself. I'm sure Shadow Hawk can locate the missing bomb by its radiation signature and teleport me to it.  It should stand out to her like a sore thumb. My guess is that it's still inside one of the robots," he said as he cracked his knuckles, "or we would have already seen it as a stray.  You two have been keeping a careful eye on things, so I don't think it's likely they would have chosen to simply push it off into space hoping nobody would notice."  

Ling and Vallnam nodded in agreement.

"Assuming the Entity is at least as smart as we are," Jacob went on, "I'm guessing the technician under their influence is probably holding a failsafe switch of some kind.  Probably a detonator, just in case their plans should go awry.  I think we can count on the Entity to be as evil as possible.  Silencing all their lines of communications in the same instant is going to leave them blind and it will take time for them to even begin wondering if anything unusual is happening.  After all, they'd have to already be in Telepathic rapport with someone here to notice that the line had been cut.  And I doubt they're keeping a constant connection open. It seems to me their modus operendi is one of stealthy infiltration, and they'd not likely want to take on the risk that we'd detect a Telepathic Link in progress.  So I think that all buys us a little time.  Hopefully enough for me to get to the moon and detonate the Cobalt Bomb on top of their heads and eradicate them completely."

"And what about Hanna?" asked Vallnam, wondering if Jacob could possibly nuke his girlfriend, despite their estrangement.

"I'm gong to set a timer on the bomb for five minutes, and go down into Eisenhelm to find her.  I feel like I have to try.  I owe it to her," he said as he thrummed his fingers on his arm.  This was not an easy decision for Jacob to make.  He was risking everything on a romantic gamble.

"I don't know what you see in her," said Ling.  "Clearly she was fully on board with the Nazis.  And only when the command structure was destroyed did she show any sign of deviating from her routine behavior.  Once you rescue her, she might just go back to her old ways."

"Eh, it's definitely possible.  I know this is going to sound corny, and maybe I'm just being affected by the fact that she's such a damn beautiful woman, and the fact that she did seem to kind of almost actually 'like' me for a few minutes there... I think she really did like me for a few minutes... but it isn't that.  Actually, it's the fact that she was going through all of that extra effort and risk to bring that prisoner along. That really made me think there must be something more to Hanna than meets the eye."

He gazed at Ling, but he could see she was unconvinced. 

"Okay, well think about it," he went on. "She risked her life to go to the military outpost to rescue the old guy, when we knew at that point that the Entity from the science center had already blown out windows and was escaping into the cavern, and she makes sure he's safe.  Then when all hell is breaking loose, she takes him with us.  I mean look, Eisenhelm was in total chaos, and the place was being melted down and destroyed by the Obliterators, while the Civil War was raging all around us.  And what does she do?  She rescues a prisoner, and constantly looks out for him to ensure he's safe.  And who does it turn out the prisoner is?  We don't know, but the last we saw of her, she was with him, and I know it's going to sound nuts but I honestly thought I caught a flash of golden light radiating from his eyes at one point. I'm positive he had some form of mystical power.  And being a prisoner of the Nazis, well, come on, seriously -- he was a good guy.  And there she was, rescuing him, of all people.  The Nazi prisoner.  Why?  So taking those two things together... one, that I think she actually, um, liked me for a few minutes, and two, that she's risking her life to rescue the Good Guy... makes me believe that deep down inside, Hanna is not a bad person. Maybe she was just born into a bad situation with a bunch of ruthless evil Nazi bastards, and so of course she had learned to be ruthless to stay alive in that environment.  But really, she could have left the prisoner behind without batting an eye.  After all, Eisenhelm command structure was obliterated.  Why should she care if some military prisoner dies in the conflict?  But no, she wanted to save that guy?  I think it's because she's a good person."

"Maybe," suggested Vallnam, "or maybe he had information in his head that she still needed?"

"Maybe," replied Jacob, "maybe that's true. Who knows?  But the fact is, this is a gamble. I'm gambling on a hunch.  I admit it. Maybe I'm just being affected by how beautiful she is, and all that.  But I feel like, you know, there's something about her... I think deep down.  Way, way, way, way deep down, I feel she's a good person at heart."

Ling chuckled at this.  Who knew Jacob was such a romantic?

"And then, also," Jacob went on, "to your earlier point, Vallnam, it feels kind of like flying back to Eisenhelm and blowing her to kingdom come without even trying to see if I'm right... well, it just feels raw, and brutal, and wrong.  Of course, it's going to be horrible if there's survivors down there, because they're all going to fry, and I'm equipped to only rescue one person, if I can even do that.  So this isn't like it's going to absolve me of all of that, but, I don't think there's any choice. So, anyway, that's how I feel about it.  Five minutes should give me enough time to swoop in, find her, get close enough to form a Telepathic Link with her on the inside of my Mind Shield, so sixty feet, and find out if she's possessed by the Entity, and if not, rescue her if I can.  There's just something about Hanna that makes me believe she's worth rescuing.  So five minutes.  No more.  No less.  No matter what happens you're going to see a huge white flash of light on the top of the moon, and if I don't come back, you'll know the rescue didn't work out."  

"Alright," murmured Vallnam, blown away by Jacob's resolve to save Hanna, or die trying.

"Well, Jacob," said Ling, deeply impressed by his romantic impulse, "God's speed to you."

"Thank you," he replied quietly.  He knew this was probably a suicide mission, but he had to try.  And no matter what, the Entity had to be destroyed, and the 500 megaton Cobalt Bomb was the only way to be absolutely sure.

"Shadow Hawk," said Jacob as he sealed his Armor, "locate the missing bomb by its radiation signature and teleport me to it!"

With that Jacob donned his Mind Shield, shimmered in a cloud of scintillating orange-yellow light and vanished.  

"Shadow Hawk," said Ling, "please teleport me and Vallnam to the chamber where the Hermit Jar is.  As soon as we appear, initiate your maximum range Mind Shield to encompass the two UFOs, and do so at the same moment that Vallnam initiates his Mind Shield around the Shard.  You need to time this perfectly, as we can't allow any telepathic communications between the Shard and the technicians."

Shadow Hawk teleported them to a spot within twenty feet of the Hermit Jar, and initiated her Mind Shield with a radius of one thousand feet, enveloping both UFOs inside its shell just as Vallnam initiated his to surround the Shard.  As this happened Ling hugged Vallnam tightly and initiated her own Mind Shield around herself and Vallnam, keeping the diameter of hers at ten feet.  This put the Shard between Vallnam's outer shell, and her inner shell, so it was blocked from committing any psychic operations against them, try as it might.  

And it most certainly did try.  As soon as it realized that the humans had launched an attack the vile Shard lanced out with psychic probes to see what the two were up to, but they bounced off Ling's Mind Shield.  It then attempted to fry the two of them to cinders with a massive blast of Scarlet Lightning, but this too blazed uselessly against her shell.  Locked in a psychic prison, It raged in derision, unable to do anything against them.  It launched a telepathic emergency alert to the Entity on the moon, but that too bounced.  How furious it was, its tendrils lashing on the inside of the jar frantically! In a last desperate attempt, it sought to transmit a single final telepathic command to Johan, bidding him depress the small blue button on the object in his pocket. Doing so would have activated the immensely powerful nuclear weapon floating nearby, and instantly incinerated him and all within its blast radius. This would have triggered a reaction propagating along the lengthy chain of similar doomsday devices, resulting in a series of colossal explosions from which would have loosed a radioactive cloud so gigantic and lethal that, drawn by the force of gravity, it soon would have descending into Earth's atmosphere and destroyed all signs of life on the surface of the world. Unable to issue this final command, the Shard throbbed and convulsed violently within the unbreakable Hermit Jar, overwhelmed by insane hatred and impotence at its failure.

None of the technicians inside the UFOs were any the wiser, as at that moment there was no direct telepathic link being sustained by the Shard, or the Entity on the moon, with any of them.  As Jacob had guessed, their methods were based on insidious infiltration, and so they had influenced only Johan with subtle post-hypnotic suggestions via Telepathy as few times and as sparingly as possible in order to reduce the risk that the heroes and their mysterious ship might inadvertently detect their communications. It was a covert operation, and one that had stood a very good chance of success once the Entity had tricked the heroes into allowing Dietrich to contact Johan via radio. This single communication provided the Entity with the bridge it had needed to establish Telepathic contact with Johan. From that moment on, the Entity's plans were set in motion.  And yet, despite all it's cunning plans, Johan was busily working on a routine electrical task under the UFO's navigation console, and had no inkling that a massive Mind Shield had gone up around them all, nor did the Entity on the moon sense that anything unusual had happened.  After all, it only connected to Johan in his sleep, and then for only a few precious moments at a time.

Ling and Vallnam peered through the green-tinted diamond-glass of the Hermit Jar.  Inside they saw the Shard had grown from a tiny thorn they could barely see into a monstrous network of tendrils, branches, roots and glinting red thorns, taking up almost the entire two feet of the jar's interior, and it was lashing its tendrils with fury, unable to escape.  A transparent green eye appeared within the tangled mass, malevolent as it was harmless. They shuddered and hugged each other tighter.  

After vanishing from the medical bay, Jacob appeared in a shimmering cloud near one of the Giant Nuclear Missile Robots.  He scanned it with his vizor's radiation sensor.  Sure enough, the telltale glow outlined in orange on the screen indicated that the bomb was indeed inside the robot as he expected.  Perhaps he had dreamt it was there in one of the nightmares he had suffered over the past few days. He had no time to waste, so he flew in a graceful arc over to the robot and tethered a cable from his suit to a thick metal bar on its right shoulder.  The robot was thirty feet tall, well over five times Jacob's height, but he had no concern about hauling the entire mass.  Not a problem.  The magnetic fields that the suit used would glide him and his lethal cargo swiftly across the intervening space between his position near Earth to the moon at nearly the same near-light speed whether he towed the bomb alone, or carried it within the giant robot.  It was only a few seconds slower, but would save him from having spend the time to extricate the bomb from the interior of the robot. Gripping the metal behemoth by a bar on the other side of its neck, he activated the Helio-Drive.  At first progress felt very slow, and he began to worry that he had calculated incorrectly.  But within a few seconds the robot's inertia was being overcome and it began to glide smoothly and swiftly towards the moon.  He had a bit of difficulty navigating the magnetic fields with such a heavy load, but got the hang of it quickly.  They began to accelerate at an exponential rate. The journey normally would only take him a second or two at most, since the suit could move at near light speed anywhere within the solar system, but with the robot in tow it took him a full twenty seconds.  He wasn't worried. With his Mind Shield up, and no chance that the Entity had any idea of what the Shadow Hawk Heroes' plans were, he expected to guide the bomb along the exact trajectory necessary to land the colossal weapon directly on top of the secret Nazi fortress.  Shadow Hawk's vizor screen was showing him the calibrations and path-lines required, and he glided along effortlessly towards his target.

Jacob had learned a trick or two from the Modroni, though he no longer remembered how or where he had picked these things up.  But the power he used was called Blending, and was one of the most effective camouflage capabilities in the galaxy.  Without the slightest hesitation he positioned the robot so that no reflective surfaces directed light towards Eisenhelm, and he chose a spot in the sky along which no stars might be occulted by his sudden appearance.  He cast the robot into a vibrational pattern that would delicately disrupt any form of radar, or in fact any known detection system.  Once that was done, he maneuvered himself along the robot's outer hull, and making his way to the back of the upper torso, he opened the exterior hatch.  Stepping inside, he walked along the corridor that led to the bomb bay.  There he found the bomb, silently awaiting its destiny.  It was still encased in its heavy duty nuclear bomb rack, all indicator lights blinking green.  

Jacob was a technician by trade.  During the Ultra-War he had been a bomber pilot, and knew the mechanics involved as well as anyone.  He also knew that the bomb itself could be set with a timer, as he had spent his time while they waited for the technicians to complete their work doing research on such matters. He didn't bother releasing the bomb from the rack.  No need.  At the current distance, and trajectory, the robot itself would land on top of Eisenhelm in seven minutes and thirteen seconds.  He set the bomb's timer, giving himself five minutes before the explosion.  While there was no reason to believe the Entity, or Entities more likely, would detect his presence, or spot the incoming projectile of doom, he was certain that there was nevertheless a slim statistical chance that detection could occur simply out of blind bad luck. Therefore he wanted to keep the risk window as narrow as possible.  Five minutes should do.  He flipped the switch and the clock began its diabolical countdown. Three hundred seconds and counting.

Jacob opened the outer bay doors and flew out into space.  Within his Mind Shield he had no concern that his thoughts could possibly betray him.  And so he flitted down to the lunar surface at near light speed, directly towards Mare Frigoris, and then into the shadows of the crater that concealed the now devastated moon-fortress.

Above him the Giant Nuclear Missile Robot's trajectory was making its descent onto that exact spot.

Four minutes, fifty-three seconds. 

He entered in through the eviscerated doors of Hanger A. The giant Nazi Eagle emblem had been all but melted into slag by the Obliterator Robot they had encountered during their initial assault on the base. The eagle's metallic left wing was poking out of the ground at an angle, the door having melted all around it.  

"Shit," said Jacob to himself, "I forgot something."  

He suddenly realized that he needed to take a single, gigantic risk.  For one moment he needed to turn his Mind Shield off, and activate his Clairvoyance power so that he could locate Hanna, and see if she was actually alive.  Why hadn't he thought of this before?  Ah well, it wouldn't have mattered. It had been five days since they'd abandoned Hanna to her fate in Eisenhelm.  In fact, the odds that she survived were slim at best.  But he had to check. He had to know for sure.  And so he dropped his Mind Shield.

Fortunately for him, as it happened, nothing happened.  He was not suddenly bombarded by psychic blasts, insidious commands, or anything of the kind. It was more than probable, in fact, that the Entity was occupied with other matters, and not in any way attuned to the unexpected visitor from space.  And it was also likely that no telepathic bridge had ever been formed between himself and the Entity on the moon, though of that he was less certain.  But even if it were, the Entity would have to be actively reaching out to him to form a telepathic link, or attack.  The simple act of lowering his Mind Shield would not necessarily trigger any kind of alert or reaction. And besides, it was only going to be for one moment.

He emanated Clairvoyance towards Hanna, the woman whom he refused to admit he loved.  Wherever in the universe she was, he would find her.  And lo!  Her beautiful face, icy blue eyes, and golden locks of hair came into view!  He knew her exact location.  Up went the Mind Shield!

"Shadow Hawk," he said, "here's her coordinates.  You're familiar with Eisenhelm's architectural layout.  Can you map me a path to get me through the ruins to her position?"

Four minutes, thirty-seven seconds.

The map schema appeared on his inner vizor screen.  In an instant he was through the melted hanger doors, across the devastated UFO bay, through a set of unhinged metal doors, down a flight of stairs, out into a cavern filled with the bodies of dead Nazi soldiers, down a smoking tunnel covered with debris and fallen rocks, past an immobilized Obliterator Robot, up a metal ladder, and into Hertling's Robot Command Center, now utterly destroyed.  Something was moving but he ignored it and flitted past, through a barracks in which clumps of flesh were fibrillating on a medical table, several were in the act of falling to the glassy floor, stained with blood, also ignored, and down a long dark corridor.  He flew past Gortaurus at a speed the Centurion could not possibly react to, and came to an area of shattered corridors and a warren of interconnected chambers.  His map showed an unobstructed path to a spot within thirty feet of where she was. 

Three minutes, eleven seconds.

As soon as he got within thirty feet of her, on the other side of a wall, she came within the radius of his Mind Shield.  He activated Mind Reading, and was lucky enough to tune into her perfectly.  He was comfortably listening to every thought without hindrance.  He instantly knew that she was not under the thrall of the Entity, but hell-bent on fighting against it.  He also immediately discovered the reason for her protection of the prisoner.  

As it turned out, Hanna had come to the laboratory of Karl Capek with the prisoner, and together they barricaded themselves inside a set of workshops and rooms that had been built within a large hollow metal ball known to Karl as "The Duridium Shell".  The roboticist was the person who created the Giant Nuclear Missile Robot force known as The Phalanx. It was he who designed the 500 megaton Cobalt Bombs.  He knew perfectly well how much of a danger they posed.  He was a man of deep insight, and he had prepared for many decades for many possible contingencies.  The shell, he had told Hanna, was the only place in Eisenhelm where it would be possible to ward off the Entities that had been spreading their thorn-zombies throughout the ranks of the Nazis throughout the fortress.  Her prisoner was, as Jacob suspected, held tremendous mystic power, and was filled with radiant light, and it was he who had been defending their enclave from the Entities' psychic onslaught for the past five days.  He was nearly exhausted of all his energy, barely able to move.  And yet, his counter attacks went on, silently, invisibly, and the Entity and its forces were held at bay in the last of the outer corridors.  Most of the Nazis in the base had already been turned, but within Capek's fortified lab there were thirty stalwarts holding out for dear life.  The best and the brightest of Eisenhelm prepared to make their last stand.

As it turned out, Hanna loved the prisoner.  He had been mentoring her for most of her young life, and was like a father to her.  He was good, and kind, and a veritable genius who had architected the vast majority of Eisenhelm, as well as many of its most advanced systems of operation.  The metallic tape computers were of his design, for example, as well as the design of the Red-Mercury Plasma Vortex Engines that powered the UFO Fleet. A true genius, he had nurtured in Hanna a love of learning, technology, and especially space flight.  Under his tutelage she had become the premier space pilot of Eisenhelm's UFO fleet.  She was in fact a better pilot than Melitta had been, by far, though Ludendorf refused to acknowledge it.  In an instant Jacob learned that the prisoner had originally been at the top of the Eisenhelm hierarchy, just below Ludendorf himself, but he despised the ruthless Nazi command, was an insubordinate subordinate, crafty and cagey.  Then, one day when Shadow Hawk had been discovered by a crew of tunnel miners, he outright refused to infiltrate its computer systems, or help them to learn anything about it.  They had immediately decided to use the astounding spaceship to conquer Earth, and with it gain control of the Galaxy, the pathetic fools.  Therefore, on the advice of Karl Capek, his archrival, Ludendorf and Hertling imprisoned him, and had been attempting to punish him into submission. 

Two minutes, forty-six seconds.

"Hanna," said Jacob as he bridged the Telepathic link to her mind. "This is Jacob.  I've come to rescue you."

"Who?" asked Hanna in her mind, "How'd you---?  I thought you ran away," she responded curtly.

"Well there's not a lot of time to talk about this," said Jacob, "I'm about to drop a nuclear bomb on Eisenhlem, and I've come to rescue you before it goes off.  Do you want to come with me?"

"You have a way out of here?" she asked, incredulous.

"I do. For you. I can get us out of here."

One minute, fifty-seven seconds.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

"Ok, great!" he shouted, and using Shadow Hawk Amor's short range Teleporter he beamed into the chamber where she was standing.

"You still have your Duridium suit, I see," said Jacob.  "Good.  You'll need it."

"Yes," she said.

"But this is not about me," she replied, "We need to get him out of here," she said, pointing to the prisoner who had been leaning against a cabinet, but now struggled to stand up.  She went to his side and helped him by the arm.

"That's a spacesuit he's wearing, right?  I remember when we left the Military Prison through the tunnels. He can go into space with it, right?"

"Yes," she replied, "Let me help him put on his helmet," she said as she took the yellow helmet and lowered it over the old man's head.

"What about Karl?" asked the prisoner as she sealed his helmet and set the suit's oxygen level.

"Karl?" asked Jacob, "what about Karl?"

Karl was standing at a large console turning dials, and setting switches, seemingly oblivious to Jacob's appearance, or the conversation.  Beyond him Jacob could see a line of robotic forms assembling in a line.  Among them was a small crowd of people, men and women, who were adjusting the robots, and handling equipment, and gearing up for war.  On went the helmets, the metal vests, brandishing their Nazi regalia proudly one last time. 

Hanna looked at them.  They were the last survivors of Eisenhelm. Those who had managed to make it to Capek's Robotics Complex and hold out against all odds for five long tortuous days.  Only thirty remained alive.  The rest of the thousands of Nazis of Eisenhelm had either perished in the beams of the Obliterators, died battling one another in the Civil War, or had been converted into thralls of The Entity.  These last few survivors were gearing up with guns, grenades, hatchets, pick axes, and anything else they could lay their hands on that might serve as weapons.

"As we stand here," said the prisoner, "they are preparing a last stand against the Entity, who is boring its way through the sealed entrance now, attempting to breach the complex and complete its conquest. This is the last redoubt."

"All spaceships were destroyed," said Hanna, "except for a handful of derelict UFOs in Hanger D.  How much time do we have?"

"Forty-seven seconds," said Jacob.

"Not enough time to even send the survivors there," she said biting her lip.  Jacob took her by the shoulders and looked into her piercing blue eyes.

"Jacob, I can't run away and leave my people to die alone," said Hanna.  

Jacob was confused.  What did she mean?  He didn't understand her words.  He could only see her face, her sweet dear lips moving, her blue eyes melting his heart.

"You need to save him," she said, pointing to the prisoner.  "I care about one person.  Him.  If you can't save us all, then you must save him, and go."

"Oh man," said Jacob. "What?"

"My name is Nikola," said the prisoner.

"Hanna, you have to come with me," said Jacob frantically.  "You can't save everybody.  It's impossible.  Please, Hanna, come with me.  I came here to rescue you.  I can't leave without you!"

She looked Jacob in his eyes, deeply and sincerely.  She looked at the thirty men and women prepared to make their last stand and die together as proudly as they had lived.  She looked back at Jacob and touched his face with her hand.

"I can't come.  I can't leave my people to face the terror alone.  I am their leader," she said.  "Take him and go."

"I can't leave you, Hanna.  I can't do it.  I left you once, and I'm never going to leave you again.  Come with me, or we all die together."

"You came here to save me," she said in a tone both compassionate and determined, "and the only way to save me, is to save him.  That is where my heart is.  If you want to do something for me, save Nikola.  Please."

And with this, she used one of her few mystic skills, Hypnotic Suggestion Major.  She was fast and focused, and beat Jacob to the punch, just a fraction of second before he could apply his own mystic power "Indominable Will" to overcome her and save her life.  In a flash he found himself unable to resist her command.  He had lost, and she had won.

"Grab him," commanded Hanna with an intonation so persuasive it was utterly impossible to resist, "and take him as far away from this place as you can.  Don't look back."

Seven seconds.

Jacob, unable to do otherwise, took Nikola by the arm and teleported one thousand feet above the moon's surface with him.  The glinting hull of the Giant Nuclear Missile Robot could be seen descending at high speed from above directly towards Eisenhelm.  

Three seconds.

Now in space, Jacob ordered his Shadow Hawk Armor to flit away at Near-Light-Speed towards Earth, hovering above the moon's horizon like a blue and white marble.  His eyes were streaming with tears. 

Behind him there was an enormous flash of blue-white light.  He was flying at 99.97% the speed of light, yet the suit's Modroni Stasis Field covering both himself and his passenger so that they felt nothing unusual at all.  The problem of accelerating matter to relativistic speeds had been solved ages ago by Modroni scientists on a distant world.  And so Jacob and Nikola were not destroyed by the speed of their flight, nor was anything around them so much as disturbed. They moved within a small temporal bubble, inside of which everything felt quite normal.  Around the bubble space-time bent, and curved, swallowing time into the fifth dimension, allowing the magnetic lines of force in the solar system to accelerate them to near light speed.  They sped away from the unbearably brilliant blast of the 500 megaton Cobalt Bomb.  The glow lasted for a long time.  On the surface of the moon where Eisenhelm once stood, there was a radioactive crater of magma so brilliant it was impossible to look into, about ten miles in diameter.  Slowly the crater cooled into giant lake of molten radioactive slag, yellow, then orange, then red. At the bottom was a single lump of rock, the final remains of Eisenhelm, and all else was frothing magma, broiling and bubbling for the span of several hours, and nothing more.  And so ended the existence of the once great and mighty Eisenhelm.  The secret Nazi fortress had been utterly obliterated by its own weapon.

Ling and Vallnam watched Shadow Hawk's vizi-screen, holding on to each other as they waited for a sign that Jacob's mission had been completed.  They watched the moon pensively.  A several minutes had gone by.  Then the three hundredth second came, and suddenly, at the moon's north pole, a brilliant blue-white light, like an exploding star, blazed forth and caused the entire screen to go white.  At that moment Jacob came flying into view, holding a figure in a bright yellow spacesuit by the shoulder.  Ling and Vallnam believed it was Hanna.  Jacob stopped some ten miles away from Shadow Hawk. They could barely see them against the white glow of the background radiation, but it was clear enough that two had returned from the moon.  He established a Telepathic link between himself, and the others, including Nikola.  And so the elder genius revealed his story as the white glow of the moon slowly dimmed behind them.

As it turned out, the prisoner was "the father of Alternating Current, Electrical Engineering, Radio, and modern physics."  In 1943, Nikola Tesla supposedly died alone and impoverished in NYC, but in fact, the Nazis in 1941 had made him an offer he couldn't refuse.  He was to become the Chief Science Officer of the future Eisenhelm Moon-Fleet under Admiral Ludendorf.  He protested, and refused, of course, but it was to no avail.  The Nazis in 1941 were not taking "no" for an answer.  Having been wrecked financially by the conniving tactics of Edison and JP Morgan, and under dreadful duress, and with offers of resources he could never obtain on Earth, he had capitulated.  He began work on the Red-Mercury Plasma Vortex Engine in 1941, created Die Gloke as a first experimental model, and finally in 1943, they whisked him away to the moon, where he remained, helping to establish Eisenhelm and bring it to life.

Early on in his career on the moon, however, seeing the raw and visceral malice and stupidity that truly characterized the Nazi regime, Nikola converted to Christianity.  When Shadow Hawk had been discovered, instead of helping with the analysis as ordered, as a act of defiance against their evil ways, he spent his time secretly building an eighteen-foot-tall Crucifix, replete with a statue of hanging Jesus on it, outside in the shadows beneath Hanger B.  It was at that point that Ludendorf and Hertling had had enough, and upon discovering the crucifix, they imprisoned him in the Wolf Brigade Military Prison where the treated him quite poorly.  He was unphased by this, and no amount of privation or torture would dissuade him from refusing to aid the Nazis ever again.  As it happened, Hanna, he explained, had secretly also converted to Christianity, along with Lieutenant Wagner, and the two of them had sworn to protect him as best they could.  She was his disciple, and she prevented the Nazi's from killing him.  Lieutenant Wagner, unfortunately, had been shot by Melitta in a fit of spite on her way to escape Eisenhelm with General Hertling and Admiral Ludendorf, before Vallnam and Jacob had inadvertently killed all three.

And now, after all these years, Nikola Tesla was finally returning to Earth.  He was elated with anticipation. 

"Elon Musk," said Vallnam upon hearing his story, "is going to be very nervous."

"That's an interesting point," commented Jacob dryly.

"So, your mission was successful, Jacob," said Ling, looking out at the glow at the top of the moon.

"No," he replied gravely. "Well, yes.  But no."

"What happened?" she asked.

"It's unbelievable," he replied. "I will never be able to explain it.  Hanna remained behind to stay with her people.  She refused to abandon them."

"Oh my god," said Ling. 

"There's nothing to say," he replied.  "We are here, and now we need to finish this."

"Right," she replied. "Well, you better not stay out there all day.  Why don't you teleport into one of the UFOs?"

"Good idea," replied Jacob, as they did not wish to reveal Shadow Hawk to their guest, given that their mandate was to keep Shadow Hawk a perpetual secret.

As soon as they materialized inside the lead UFO, Jacob stepped briskly past the surprised technicians and took a position at the weapons console.  Nikola stood nearby in silence, keenly observing Jacob's actions.  

"Ok, let's finish this," said Jacob to Ling.

"Yes, let's do that that," she replied firmly. "Shadow Hawk, teleport the Shard from the Hermit Jar into space one mile in the direction of an empty region."

The Shard, the last of its kind, shimmered briefly, and vanished from the Hermit Jar.  One mile away, it materialized in empty space, crinkled into a frozen mass of twigs, roots and thorns, and died outwardly. Inwardly, however, the tardigrade DNA kicked into activity, and with its genes at the ready, it congealed into a mass of hibernating wood-like tendrils.  It would float that way indefinitely until it came into contact with a favorable environment, and then revive.

Jacob spotted it immediately on the UFO's sensor screen as a small red blip, set the targeting controls, and pressed the Plasma Cannon trigger button.  A crimson-orange beam that lanced across space and vaporized the Shard.  And that was the end of the Entity that the Nazi scientists had made.  

"Do we teleport all of the technicians out into space now?" asked Vallnam.

"What?" asked Ling, raising an eyebrow.

"Then Jacob can blast them with the Plasma Cannon.  It'll be quick and painless," finished Vallnam.

"So you're thinking we should annihilate them all, the guilty and the innocent together, is that it?" Ling inquired.

"Well, let's face it," he replied coolly, "they'd all band together against us if push came to shove.  I mean they were all really on board with the Entity slipping a nuke past us, weren't they?  I don't think we can trust them."

"Well, no," said Ling.  "I'm not okay with us just killing them all outright! After all, it has become apparent that whomever was responsible among them was probably under a Compulsion from the Entity.  We can't just execute them for something that was outside their control, especially those who were completely innocent."

"Okay," replied Vallnam. "So now that we've killed the Entity, and the Shard, they should no longer be under control.  Right?"

"Correct," replied Ling.

"Good," said Vallnam, "then we can Mind Read them, and find out what they're thinking now.  If they were under Mind Control before, then they should have nice, happy, clean, pro-Earth thoughts now.  And if we find any that are thinking that when they get to Earth they can take over the world, or reprogram the robots to listen to them only, anything of the kind, now would be the best time to, um, handle it... send them out into space, and obliterate them. You know, as an example to the others.  We can tell them, 'You're either happy on Earth, or you die.'  How's that?"

There was a pause as Ling and Jacob tried to digest this idea.  It sounded odd, coming from Vallnam.  This was the kind of thinking Ling might have expected from Jacob, but for Vallnam to say it came as a shock.  Jacob, for his part, found himself largely in agreement with Vallnam's point, and was nodding affirmatively.

"You've become very brutal," said Ling. "What happened to our kindhearted hero?"

"I've gotten to the point," he replied, "where I find myself a little angry with everything that's happened.  The Nazis, and the deceit, and the insidious Mind invasions... some people are just not able to be saved, I guess.  We need to protect the Earth.  And what are we going to do if they turn out to be just another problem we bring down to Earth? Federation has enough trouble on its hands without us dragging in another boatload, don't you think?"

"Yep," said Jacob.  "Don't take the chance. That sounds about right."

"Wait," said Ling, aghast.  "Didn't you just try to rescue one of them, Jacob, and now you showed up with another one who you just brought on board?"

"Who, Nikola?  Nah, he's not one of them," replied Jacob.  "He's one of the good guys.  I have it on good authority."

"And what good authority would that be?" asked Ling.

"Well," replied Jacob, "I know this is probably going to sound a bit corny again, but... Hanna told me he's a good guy.  And I believe her."

"I see," said Ling and decided to leave it there.  She could tell that Jacob was holding back a lot of emotion at the moment.  "Ok well," she said, "I can agree that we Mind Read the lot of them, but I think we can neutralize any of them who are no good without killing them."

"I could turn them into vegetables," offered Vallnam.

They stared at him.  

"They'd still be alive, technically," said Vallnam.  "I could give them basically a lobotomy with my psychic powers.  I could do it so that they can feed themselves, do basic stuff, and even enjoy themselves, but they'd simply have no higher mental function.  Would keep them out of trouble, so to say."

They decided to wait on a decision until after the reading of the minds.  To his credit, Vallnam did wish to be fair about it, but he also wanted to make dead sure that none of them wanted to do anything nefarious.  If they wanted to live peaceably on Earth and join the Federation and help Earth, then he was perfectly ok with letting them do so.  But any who had a mindset otherwise, he felt should be immediately destroyed.

"Okay Vallnam," said Ling, "why don't you read each of their minds and let us know what they're thinking?"

And so he did.  He lowered his Mind Shield and activated his Level 10 "Mind Reading Major" ability and had at it.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to any of them, there was a cloud of black vapors in the shape of a sphinx floating not terribly far off.  It's plans had been utterly ruined and it was positively fuming with hatred for Vallnam and his friends.  All of the Entities, and Eisenhelm itself, had been vaporized. While it did offer up an rather delightful feast of souls, decades of careful planning and insidious infiltrations had been completely wrecked by the trio of heroes.  Worst of all, they'd freed Nikola Tesla from captivity on the moon and were about to return him to Earth!  This was utterly outrageous!  The Being of the Void was beside itself with consternation.  It focused its livid attention on Vallnam's mental vibration.

[Gamemaster's note:  this was all rolled as per usual, and Charles, Vallnam's player, fumbled, and so the Dark-Sphinx was determined to be the surreptitious cause.]

One by one Vallnam read every mind on each of the UFOs.  All eighteen men had thoughts as pure as the driven snow.  They wanted nothing more than to land on Earth and run through meadows with flowers in their hair, sipping lemonade, watching clouds float by, and all the things that most of them had never had the slightest chance of doing on the moon, but had grown up hearing all about life on Earth as fairytale stories in their youth.  Not a single one among them had the slightest negative thought at all.  

Outside in the depths of blackest space, the creature of the Void smirked ruthlessly. The humans were such simple-minded creatures!  So easy to deceive!  So easy to manipulate!  If the creature could have drooled with delight, it would have, lusting after Vallnam's demise as it did.

"Okay," said Vallnam once he had completed Mind Reading of the technicians.  "They're all clean and good to go to Earth and pursue their happy lives.  Glad to see it, to be honest."

"That's a relief," replied Ling, much appreciating the fact that they didn't need to deliberate any further about what to do with any of the technicians who might have turned out less than pristine.  She smiled, and patted Vallnam on the back.  "Good job," she chirped happily.

"My only regret," said Vallnam, "is that we didn't get the Duridium suit from Hanna."

"Maybe she's still alive," offered Ling.

They gazed out the window at the moon. The north pole was glowing a fierce red color, and a gigantic plume of massively radioactive dirt was spreading out across the lunar surface in a gigantic series of concentric rings.

"Nahhh," they said in unison.

And that is where we left it that evening.