Frontline Read online

  Frontline

  The Xandarius Saga

  Dedications

  This book is dedicated to three incredible women:

  To my mother, T.M. Brown, who encouraged me to follow my dreams and inspired me with her tireless drive.

  To my wife, A.C. Jackson; without her, this book wouldn’t be half as marvelous as it turned out.

  And lastly,

  To Reverend Patricia; without her loving support, this book would not have been possible.

  Book I

  Frontline

  Chapter I

  First Contact

  Somewhere on the planet of Angolis, Maxzor the Dreaded let out a long roar of frustrated rage. All around him, his fortress was falling to ruin. Explosions rocked the facility throughout, and countless fires had started, some small, others threatening to consume the facility before the final explosion did. All around him lied the remains of his forces. Super soldiers, genetically engineered to be unbeatable, had fallen unmoving on the ground, while advanced kill-bots were scattered about in sparking pieces. Even his trump card, a massive beast dubbed the Tyrant Lizard, had been brutally slain at the entranceway to Maxzor’s main chamber.

  This is all their fault, he thought furiously, surveying the battle’s remains.

  Once more, they had bested him. Despite his masterful plans, his deadliest weapons, and his massive forces- The Seven had beaten him. Crushed him and left him to his fate in his self-destructing base.

  The counter on the exceptionally large screen to Maxzor’s right entered the final stretch of the countdown.

  My only regret is that I never pulled Omegazon’s heart from his chest, he thought bitterly, falling to his knees, (and that I never published that cookbook.)

  Before Maxzor could draw one last breath for a final scream, everything around him turned to white.

  An instant later, Maxzor was in a dark void, still on his knees, feeling like he’d been tossed about in a storming sea. After a moment the sensation passed and Maxzor was able to look around, but aside from the shaft of light that he was currently occupying, the area around him was too dark to make anything out.

  Is this the afterlife? Doesn’t seem too bad. A bit cramped and dark, but overall I was expecting much worse. Unless this is just what comes before all that…

  The supervillain’s train of thought was halted by a loud, metallic sound coming from behind him. He spun around, perhaps too quickly, considering his injuries, and saw a thin, blue line of light appear a short distance away. It gradually grew wider, illuminating his surroundings. He saw seats and equipment, indicating he was in some kind of facility or vessel, but as he slowly turned at another source of light behind him, his investigations ground to a halt.

  He was looking at the surface of Angolis. He was orbiting above it, and its eastern hemisphere was laid out below him. The last remnants of the eastern continent’s coastline stretched out across the blue planet, with the only other landmasses visible being the Massacre Islands, a collection of small and scattered land that all featured blood-red sand and rock formations. Maxzor’s base had been on one of the smaller islands, as had Maxzor himself just a few moments ago.

  A second mechanical noise caused Maxzor to turn away from the window, and he held back a pained hiss as his wounds ached at the movement. This time, the noise was coming from a large platform not too far from him. Maxzor held his breath, wondering what new surprise would reveal itself.

  The seconds ticked by, the sound getting gradually louder as whatever Maxzor was waiting for approached. Finally, an opening appeared in the floor, and as the mysterious new arrival slowly revealed himself, Maxzor blinked in realization.

  It wasn’t merely a platform, it was a dais.

  The massive throne that rose from the floor was only matched in size by the being who occupied it. He was easily twice Maxzor’s size, and Maxzor was a solid two meters tall. His skin was bone white, his hair, thick eyebrows and goatee grew coal black, while his eyes shone a bright indigo. From his throat all the way to his fingers and toes, the gargantuan being was covered by a skin-tight suit that was comprised entirely of flexible, silvery metal bands.

  He was sitting straight on his throne, his fingers steeped before him, while his gaze locked onto Maxzor. Maxzor waited for the giant to speak. And kept waiting, and waiting and waiting. Maxzor was familiar with power plays, what with his long career of supervillain intimidation, so he recognized the one currently being employed.

  He thinks he can psyche me out; well he’s got another thing coming. No one intimidates Maxzor the Dreaded!

  Maxzor’s wait ended just before his pride could stand no more as a voice finally broke the silence. However, the voice that greeted him did not come from the giant before him.

  “Forgive us for the wait,” came a male, but artificial sounding voice.

  The voice’s owner did not remain hidden for long. Floating up from behind the giant’s left shoulder, a small, ovoid shape with a bright, glowing arrowhead shaped screen, appeared and quickly hovered over to Maxzor.

  The little machine was twice the size of Maxzor’s head, and was colored a dull, metallic gray. A small fin ran the length of the bot, from its ‘forehead’ to its tail. Two smaller fins were placed on its sides, giving the whole thing an almost fish-like look.

  The little bot hovered closer and closer until it was uncomfortably close to Maxzor’s face. Before the supervillain could do more than slightly move his head, the strange machine retreated to a more acceptable distance, unknown letters dancing across its screen.

  That was....odd.

  “I am Administrator Delta, major-domo, personal assistant, and loyal confidant of his majesty, Emperor Xandarius the Conqueror, the Uniter, the Unparalleled and the Great, Emperor of the Xenlong Empire.”

  Well, someone likes his titles. Though, I can’t say I blame him- that is quite an impressive string of epitaphs. Maybe I’ve been thinking too small; “Maxzor the Dreaded” could really use a few addenda.

  Before Maxzor could draw a breath to question the machine, his host’s mouthpiece continued.

  “Your world has been selected to join the ever-expanding collection of planets joined together by the strength and wisdom of Emperor Xandarius. This makes you the one-hundred-and-thirty-seventh planet to join the Empire. Congratulations!”

  This new information hit Maxzor’s stomach like a rock.

  So, there go every last one of my plans to take over the world. Not that I was getting much done on that front before King Shiny-j showed up.

  “As an Imperial Protectorate, your world is entitled to the advanced technology the Empire has to offer, as well access to dozens of alien cultures. You are also now under the protection of the Imperial Military, whose various beings fight to defend and expand our realm across Imperial Space. These gifts do not come without a price, however, as all Imperial worlds are expected to pay tax and tribute to the Empire in the form of goods, materials and soldiers.”

  So his majesty is looking for soldiers, huh? Maybe I’ll get lucky and Omegazon and his idiotic friends will sign up for a few tours…and hopefully fall in a black hole.

  “Additionally, your world shall be requiring a royally appointed governor, who shall serve in the Emperor’s place as acting-ruler.”

  Hello, what’s this? Is this guy giving away the job? Just like that?

  “This governor is responsible for ensuring the wellbeing of his world, enforcing the Emperor’s will, and ensuring that all Imperial laws are followed.”

  Wait…is that why I’m here? Did this behemoth of a conqueror rescue me from my exploding fortress so he could make me the appointed ruler?

  “However, before we can come to that, we must first deal with the matter of your immediate and complete surrender to the
Xenlong Empire…”

  Well, on behalf of my new planet, I humbly surrender to His Majestically Polished… for now.

  “…which brings us to the Challenge.”

  ....The what?

  “The Emperor is aware that, when given the choice between surrender to an outside force, or fight to the utter end, many, many, many, worlds choose the latter. As such, in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, the Emperor instituted the Challenge. Simply put, your world may select one Champion from amongst your population to face the Emperor in one-on-one combat. If your Champion bests the Emperor, your world shall be left in peace. If the Emperor defeats your Champion, however, then your world shall surrender to the Empire immediately.”

  Well, if you’d give me a nanoclick’to interject I could surrender and we can avoid this whole ‘Champion’ nonsense.

  “It is customary to give the planet a bit of time to decide their course of action, so we shall be terminating transmission shortly. However, before that, the Emperor customarily likes to present new member worlds with a gift, and his gift to your world is the execution of its greatest living criminal, Maxzor the Dreaded!”

  …WHAT!?!?

  Lights and sounds suddenly erupted behind Maxzor and he wheeled around as fast as his bruised body would allow him.

  The viewscreen that had previously displayed a glorious orbital view of Maxzor’s world was now obscured by archive footage of various crimes the supervillain had committed. He saw footage of his armies marching across the Eastern Desert, destroying everything that opposed their master. He saw himself battling The Seven with the Staff of Darkness, one of the few things capable of matching the heroes’ combined power. He also saw footage of the destruction of the Fortitude, the official transport craft of the Council of Ministers, and one of his ploys to seize power that actually worked, albeit temporarily. Despite the circumstances, Maxzor felt the smallest hint of pride as he saw the highlights of his handiwork.

  Shining purple light gleamed brightly behind Maxzor, but he was unable to bring himself to turn around. The light came closer and closer, but Maxzor could neither hear nor feel any footfalls. Eventually, the light held steady, but began to glow even more intensely, its shine building to become brighter and more powerful.

  Oh zog.

  A flash of brilliant purple light erupted from the glowing hand of Emperor Xandarius as he floated a few feet off the floor, and in an instant of indigo light, Maxzor the Dreaded was reduced to burnt ash.

  Xandarius looked directly into one of the many cameras capturing the events on the bridge and said, in a deep voice befitting a being of his stature:

  “You have one planetary rotation to decide.”

  Chapter II

  Combat Evolved

  Omegazon couldn’t believe what he had just seen. What the whole world had just seen.

  The team was in their private craft, tending to their minor wounds from their battle with Maxzor as the ship rocketed over the water back to the mainland, when they had received a transmission- from an alien force orbiting the planet.

  The Seven had had their fair share of experience with aliens attempting to invade Angolis, both overtly and covertly, and the heroes had come out on top each time. This time, though, was clearly different. This Emperor meant business.

  His execution of Maxzor, one of the most dangerous and feared beings on the planet clearly showed how powerful the Emperor was. However, Omegazon was also surprised by this action, as the alien ruler had showed that he was aware of Maxzor’s criminal record, and his choice of making an example of such a ruthless villain indicated a sense of some form of honor. This situation was unlike anything his team had faced.

  Omegazon called up to the cockpit. “Zindigo!”

  “What’s up, Red?” asked the team’s designated pilot.

  “Take us straight to the Parliament; I have to see the Executive Council immediately.”

  Zindigo was silent for a moment before replying. “You’re the boss.”

  Omegazon sank back into his seat, avoiding eye contact with any of his teammates to save everyone the trouble of starting conflict. Omegazon knew what he had to do. He just hoped he’d be able to do it.

  A few hours after the broadcast had been made, aboard the Emperor’s throne ship, a notification alarmed on a bridge console. Diamond the Prizmid (or “Dee” as he was known amongst the bridge crew), a floating, diamond-shaped being composed of an organic core inside a dark green, metal shell, remotely accessed the information and analyzed it briefly before summoning the Emperor’s artificial intelligence and right hand, Delta.

  The major-domo floated over from his ever-present place at the Emperor’s side to the communication station.

  “Yes, Chief Communications Officer Diamond?”

  Diamond, unable to communicate verbally, transmitted a message to the A.I.

  ~Administrator, the natives have sent a reply to the Emperor’s challenge.~

  “Excellent, his majesty shall be pleased. Forward me the information.” The Prizmid did as instructed and Delta returned to his ruler.

  “Sire, the challenge has been accepted.”

  Until this point, the Emperor had been staring thoughtfully at the world below him, patiently waiting to find out what his next course of action would be.

  Now, he gave a small, satisfied smile. “Excellent.”

  The next morning, The Seven stood awaiting the coming brawl in the area known as the Gray Wastes. The only thing nearby in the bleak, scorched, lifeless region was a long-abandoned military base. It was the definition of “the middle of nowhere.”

  And the middle of nowhere was exactly where Omegazon wanted this battle to take place.

  Omegazon, leader of The Seven: a tall, sturdily built man who had been given the ability to emit blasts of bright red energy. The professor who had been responsible for the accident that gave him, his best friend, and his girlfriend their powers had designed a suit for him that would not only allow him to safely emit these destructive blasts, but to also fuel the suit with his energy, allowing enhanced strength, speed and flight.

  Omegazon was clad in slightly heavy dark gray and red armor that protected all of his torso and limbs, but kept his head exposed. A giant, red Omega symbol adorned his chest.

  “I don’t see why you have to do this alone,” grumbled Betarange.

  Betarange was Omegazon’s oldest and best friend. In the accident that had given Omegazon his energy powers, Betarange had been given enhanced speed and reflexes, making him fast enough to avoid a bullet at point blank range. Betarange was clad head to toe in a tight, orange speed suit with a black Beta symbol on his chest. A swept back helmet and goggles offered the only real protection to him.

  “For two reasons, Beta: firstly, because this nut said he wanted a one-on-one fight, and I intend to give him the fight of his life. Secondly, if this guy turns out to be less than trustworthy…”

  “Perish the thought,” muttered Veta.

  “Then Angolis is going to need you guys to lead the fight against whatever this invader is packing.”

  This statement silenced any other protests for the moment, though it was clear to the Omegazon that his teammates were troubled.

  Yellta, Omegazon’s girlfriend who had developed telekinesis in the accident, was staring straight at Omegazon, her anxious eyes and crinkled brow the only indicators that showed how worried she was. Clad in a tight, yellow and white outfit, Yellta was also clothed in a large cape and hood, with her mouth covered by a concealing cloth, leaving only her eyes to be seen. The Delta symbol was emblazoned in black on her chest.

  Gamreen’s expression was unreadable, clad as he was in his own heavy, emerald green outfit, the spines and protrusions that kept the garment from lying flat the only visible sign of the massive, monstrous figure underneath. A silver Gamma-symbol was over the left side of his chest, while a matching one adorned the belt buckle of his pants.

  Blusilon was clearly troubled by the situation, as he was
contemplatively rubbing his jaw and staring transfixed at a spot on the ground, his mind busy. Blusilon was the team healer, being able to stabilize and rejuvenate even the most grievous of injuries. If it hadn’t been for Blusilon, Omegazon would only be at half strength after the battle with Maxzor. Blusilon was clad in sky blue, loose fitting pants, a tattered, blue sleeveless shirt, with his forearms wrapped in strips of blue cloth and a blue bandanna atop his head. The Epsilon-symbol was adorning a bronze badge on his chest, as well as his bandanna. Having no offensive abilities, Blusilon kept a small blaster holstered at his side.

  Zindigo seemed the calmest of the heroes, aside from the indecipherable Gamreen. The team pilot, Zindigo was clad in an outfit that most closely resembled a fighter pilot’s, only colored deep indigo with a white Zeta-symbol splashed across her back. The only sign that she was nervous was the way she wrung her hands around her collapsible staff, her primary weapon to aid her in combat along with her teleportation abilities.

  Veta had her arms crossed tightly across her chest, her face showing quite clearly how unhappy she was with the situation. The shiny parts of her combat armor glinted in the sun as she fidgeted around, unable to hold still for more than a few moments. Veta’s heavy armor, which allowed her to get close enough to enemies to use her “stasis touch,” a move that temporarily trapped her foes in a stasis field, had an Eta-symbol welded into the chest.

  The group spent the majority of the time leading up to the agreed-upon moment when the battle would begin in silence. Just before the moment of truth, Yellta pulled Omegazon aside.

  “I know you’ve fought tough guys before,” she began, “and I know that you know just what is at stake here. Still, I feel that I have to tell you myself: if you get killed, I will find some way to bring you back and murder you with my brain.”

  This brought a laugh from Omegazon, and he hugged the love his life. “I love you, too, Lynea.”

  “And I love you, Rodo,” she said quietly.