The Wonder Worlock: Olympia Strikes Back! Part 2

PART THE SECOND

"The battle for the Threlkellian Empire, by Bulent Sarilar"

The Olympians come in quick, even as emergency sirens on Threlkel’s surface continue sounding. On most video scopes from the attacking armada (as well as on the sides of most of the vessels) is the ancient sign of the Grecian War God Ares, the former flag of Olympia before it became a Threlkel ally.

Even the Wonder Worlock is startled by the attack’s suddenness, his cosmic awareness never even hinting at approaching danger. And yet … here they are, the forces of Warlord Kwang, of His Majesty King Boltart, already beginning attack sequence faster than Zavar can contact King Traven and also dispatch the Star Blazers into action.

Luckily, the Wonder Worlock is visiting SB HQ and thus is able to affect a mass teleportation spell, sending many of the Threlkel elite guard into the middle of the frey in outer space. The others safeguard the home world while notifying allying worlds.

The hex leaves the dark mage quite drained, almost as drained as a time decades ago when he protected the planet N’Moy from the explosion of its shattered moon. He had time to heal then, time to rest.

No time for such thoughts now, not if he is to help his friend King Traven.

In a first strike, the Olympians savagely unleash radioactive meteorite bombs onto Threlkel, hoping to render the planet's surface uninhabitable. Whiz and several of the Star Blazers rush the planetwide populous into deep underground shelters, but the radioactivity is feared to slowly be seeping its way underground, affecting them as well.

Threlkel’sown defenses leap to the challenge, but science not war has been the focus of this throne world since the Great Solar Wars … science and the expansion of the Empire under Traven’s rule.

Kwangis careful that his troops do not disturb the life-giving energy rings of Threlkel. They have undergone enough damage from the carcass of Kat’Wallidur – and, in truth, the Olympian hopes the world will again be habitable in but a bleem.

Armed with photon torpedoes and laser cannons, Threlkel’s space fleet is hopelessly outclassed by the Olympians and their scientific wonders, many either invented or discovered by the man on both the warlord and the king’s hate lists: Java Lyn.

Prima Dona physically downs many of Olympia’s one-man attack vessels herself, as well as disabling two massive battle cruisers. Even the battle-hardened Kwang is impressed before placing a null containment field around the Criptonan and bringing her aboard his flagship, appropriately named The Ares.

Without their leader, the SBers do what they can, with the Inhuman Tornado and Prism leading the way for Threlkel’s forces.

Traven, meanwhile, transports himself to the other side of his world to ensure the defense of that populous, using his enchanted blade Memorell to great affect against the attack force there.

“Have at thee!” the sky-warrior repeatedly shouts as dozens upon dozens of single-man vehicles go kamikaze without their own approval. “For the Founders! For the Empire! For Threlkel!”

Whiz, seeing that the odds seem in Threlkel’s favor in that clime with King Traven’s intervention, returns at lightning speed to SB HQ to check on the Wonder Worlock. He finds the dark mage deep in thought, lowly chanting.

“I am trying to summon the great Shield of Survok, but without the influence of N’Moy’s shamans – not to mention the proper preparation time – I am afraid we are undone,” the mage tells a quizzical Whiz.

“Sir, the Tornado is in space fighting the invading forces and I fear for our people with the radiation spreading from the meteorite bombs!” Whiz says.

The Wonder Worlock immediately sends his consciousness outward, determining the yin and yang of the injury he is trying to heal on this living world. “Ahh …” is his only comment.

A moment’s concentration by the mage. Freezing winds then begin to blow on the landscapes of Threlkel. As the Vortex of Viruses engulfs the “radiation” – in reality contained solar energy -- slowly, inexorably, the whirling winds create a downward spiral and literally suck a majority of the destructive force into conjurers cones – planetwide!

The Wonder Worlock calls for refreshing rains from the heavens to wash the natural radiation and the energies that were once those of a star from this world. He then strengthens the storm and directs a bolt of celestial lightning directly at Kwang’s flagship in space above. In that same moment, the teleporting Star Blazer Smoke enters the craft, grabs Prima Dona and is back at HQ in – well, a flash!

Ignoring the young women, the eye slits of the mage’s black cowl seemingly fill with stars, and the Wonder Worlock becomes as one with Threlkel’s very damaged ecosystem. Psionically reaching out across the world, the cosmic champion lifts both hands and, in a spectacular display of his space-bending power, literally extinguishes the solar radiation and the damage it has wrought.

The wizard takes a breath, and hopes the moment’s respite might become a partial victory … at least for the surviving population of this world.

The people of Threlkel are safe … for now!

*****

INTERLUDE

Mere hours before Olympia’s sudden attack on Threlkel, in an ancient temple on the opposite side of the capitol city from the Palace Royale, six of Kwang’s greatest warriors, fierce regiment commanders, perform a ritual almost as old as the Gods themselves. They slaughter a bull over a black shield before the commencement of battle, and then touching the bull’s gore with their hands Kwang and his fellows swear an oath by Ares, by Enyo, and by Phobos, who delights in blood, that either they will level the throne world of their Empire and thus, in taking command by force, return honor to Olympia or will in death smear that soil with their blood.

The seven then laid a huge fire and set up an altar proper to Ares on the green turf on the temple’s grounds. Departing, they later arrived back at the temple carrying wine-skins and driving a whole flock of farm animals before them. From it they selected a huge goat, old and shaggy, and sacrificed it to Ares, Follower and Comrade.

It was then, the drunken warriors will swear ‘til their dying day, that straight from Mount Olympus down Ares darted, swift and bright as any thunderbolt terribly flashing from the mighty hand of Zeus! Deadly Ares the spoil-winner himself! He held a spear in his hands and was red with blood as if he had come from slaying living men. His eyes glowed redder than the fires.

“Kwang, my son,”Ares said, “brothers of Kwang, go forth in thy will to the battle waiting. Restoreth honour to this, thy birthright land, and by so doing avenge thy King and thy God, and let not one drop of blood be spilt lest ‘tis that of thine enemy on his native soil. Truly am I thy God of War and Battle, Violence and Rage, but hark, for I also be God of Stealth and Cunning. My gift to thee, Kwang, is the gift -- of surprise! No detection – supernatural, technologic or otherwise – will give eye to thine arrival on the battle grounds. Fly swiftly, Kwang and brothers of Kwang, and strike thee sure!”

Five moments later, the warriors awaken and it is as if the Almighty Himself had landed eagle-like on Kwang’s shoulder.

“What ho, my brethren!” Kwang shouted. “Vengeance is ours!”

END INTERLUDE

*****

A major attack against the Threlkellian right flank fails to force Traven’s chief general, Eorge Wellton, to commit his reserve, but Kwang presses on with his main assault against the population centers of the volcanic world. As the attack progresses, Kwang spots the cloaked military might of Threlkel’s staunch ally, the world of Bluecher. Kwang, disdainful of Threlkellian fighting ability and (with Ares obviously on his side) overly confident of his own leadership and the abilities of his men, continues the attack in the belief that he could defeat Wellton at the throne world before allies the Orthgons, Sconscions and I’rhjats join the fight.

Kwanghas no idea that a recovering Wonder Worlock is at Star Blazers HQ, overseeing the execution of the elite group’s swift yo-yo style attacks. Utilizing his own teleportation powers and that of Smoke, the SBs are swiftly entering and exiting prime battle areas, either shielding them as best they can using Prism’s vaunted cosmic stone and the vortexes from Whiz and the Inhuman Tornado or causing as much destruction to Olympian invaders as possible. Prima Dona, Prism and the feral Wolfin have taken out whole regiments by themselves this day under the guidance of Zavar and the mage.

Slowly but surely, Star Blazers praetor Prima Dona is getting it! 

For three days, Olympians and Threlkel’s Allied Forces fight, with everything from laser cannons to bayonets. The Olympians finally secure a commanding position at the center at Lat’aye Sine, but the Allied lines hold. Late in the afternoon, the Bluecher transport forces down to the land mass and seize the villageof Plancenoitin Kwang's rear, which forced the Olympians to fall back. After a brutal battle in space, in the sky and on the ground, the Olympians force the Sconscions to withdraw. Kwang then turns back against Wellton.

Kwang orders his most experienced battalions forward from their reserve position in space for another assault against the Allied center. The attack almost breaches the Allied defenses before Wellton commits his own reserves. When the survivors of Kwang's best battalions begin to withdraw from the staggering fight, other units join the retreat. The Sconscions, who had regrouped, attack the Olympian flank, sending the remainder running in disorder to the south. Kwang's last few reserve battalions lead him to the rear where he attempts, without success, to regroup his scattered army.

Meanwhile, the one-man army called Traven has utilized Memorell to clear all invaders from the planet’s local space – including an incursion from the X’rron no one even knew about, unrelated to Kwang. The barbarian ruler had refused both the Wonder Worlock and Zavar’s repeated requests to send reinforcements his way. But the expression on the King’s face as the dark necromancer arrived and fought for two hours by his side belies his accusations of treason, which the mage laughed off heartily with his friend whirling the enchanted blade.

Although defeated, the Olympians refuse to give up. When the Allies ask an Olympian Old Guard officer to surrender, he replied, “Olympians die, they never surrender."

More than 26,000 Olympians – including Kwang and his six top generals, those scions of Ares -- were killed and another 9,000 wounded or captured during the invasion. Threlkel Allied casualties totaled 22,000 – including four Star Blazers (Terysaur, Amaza, Micron and, ironically, the cunning SBer who called himself Ares – he was from Olympian blood but lived and died a free Threlkellian).

At the end of the three-day cosmic war, more than 45,000 beings lay dead or wounded within a three-square-mile battlefield surrounding the capitol city. Thousands more on both sides were killed or wounded in the campaign that led to what would soon be called the Olympian Incursion.

POST-GAME

Former Olympian rulers Boltart and Meducil along with Kwang’s surviving command staff are found guilty of treason and sentenced, with the permission of the Neptunians (other-dimensional friends of the Wonder Worlock), to a pocket universe called the Ghost Sector for all time.

Others receive lesser sentences; some even join Marlee in the tiny cells of the Forbidden Zone, by way of King Traven’s reluctant command.

By vote of Threlkel’s Circle of Allies – a new body consisting of all planets which came to the throne world’s defense – the telepath Zavar is crowned new ruler of Olympiaand the Star Blazers’ headquarters is resituated there. (Traven not one to deny democracy, the Olympian people, most of whom never desired war against their beloved emperor, will choose Zavar as their leader by popular vote mere months later. His only opponent in a very minor planetary sector? Java Lyn’s nephew! He receives not a single vote.)

“So, my good friend,” Traven says to the Wonder Worlock, “how say you on the ‘test by fire’ of our Star Blazers now, eh?”

“They have truly picked up the concept of team work and were able to apply it in a military fashion, sire,” the dark mage responds. “I think they are destined for good things ahead … well, except their leader perhaps.”

“The Criptonan? Why, she is their finest – my own hand-picked! Powerful, strong, a leader and warrior born …!”

“Don’t get your sword out of place, your majesty,” the sorcerer says, a rare smile under his ebony cowl. “I just find her a bit … of a prima donna.”

Like Kwang days ago, the Wonder Worlock suddenly finds himself … alone.

-FINIS-