6996/Shi'ar: We Come in Peace, Part I

Shi'ar: We Come in Peace, Part I
Date of Scene:	19 July 2021
Location:	Earth Orbit
Synopsis:	The Shi'ar arrive around Earth, announcing their hunt for the world-destroying Phoenix, and are met by its many heroes, who draw some firm boundaries around their beloved homeworld. Tense diplomacy ensues, while the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive bearing their own Shi'ar refugee, Lilandra. Ultimately, Superman and the Shi'ar ambassador agree to a formal meeting on the moon, while Terry O'Neil communicates with Rocket to teleport his passenger off the Milano and past the Shi'ar blockade to Earth.
Cast of Characters:	Jean Grey, Hyperion, Diana Prince, Terry O'Neil, Clark Kent, Rocket, Baxter Stockman, Donna Troy, Maxima

---

Jean Grey has posed:
The story is well-known by now; a few days ago, astronomers from NASA and other parallel international space agencies first detected several objects at the interior edge of the Oort cloud, a vast shell of dust, debris, small asteroids and other material that forms a sort of barrier between the solar system and true deep space, held in shape by the gravity of the sun. It is a vast region itself, but even the nearest portions of the inner edge are around a thousand Astronomical Units from the Sun, and just a little less from Earth. Traveling continuously at the speed of light, it would take the better part of a week to reach.

The approaching objects have met or bettered that time.

In the intervening days, the methodology has evolved, with scientists transitioning between various types of optical and radio telescope arrays. Initially, there was debate on the nature of the objects, but as time has gone on, the scientific consensus has moved steadily toward the layman's first guest: UFOs. Little green men. Objecs of artificial, non-human construction traveling under their own power. As these objects approached, the data has become increasingly detailed: their size and number, suggesting a small fleet of manned vessels rather than a simple probes. Of course, there are individuals and organizations on Earth operating well beyond even the established cutting edge of science, and they've probably been keeping attention too.

Which brings us to where we are now. The ships have passed Mars, beginning their final approach toward the inhabited 3rd planet of the Sol system. If there was any doubt to their nature, it's long gone. A trio of massive ships form the core of the fleet, with a half-dozen smaller escort vessels. The monitoring stations originally only saw two of the bigger ones, but they've somehow been joined by another mid-approach. And Earth's defenders are waiting, in force. They've dealt with this before. A single Earth vessel joins them, hardly as advanced or impressive, but proof that the planet is capable of seizing its own destiny. It carriers scientists and diplomats, hopeful that their heroic escort won't be necessary.

As the fleet reaches effective EM transmission range of Earth, they begin broadcasting, with translations across dozens of Earth languages:

"People of the Earth, we of the Shi'ar Empire come to you in friendship, to honor a planet that has stood against countless foes, and usher its people into their rightful place as citizens of a larger universe. We come in peace."

"And we come with a warning."

---

The Milano knows that third ship, of course. The cruiser T'Korr. And it's simultaneously an impressive display of the Shi'ar's technical ability and a bit of a knock to their pride that it managed to beat them back. But not by much. Resuming formation with the rest of the fleet, it hasn't given any indication it's spotted the smaller vessel on sensor.

Hyperion has posed:
    Picking up on various transmissions going all over the place, Mark Milton found himself curious. He -had- to know if these approaching ships had anything to do with his home universe. I mean anything is possible, right?

    And so, after a bit... at about the time when it was theorized that the alien craft would be reaching a range where transmission lag would not be intolerable, he finds himself in costume as Hyperion up in low orbit, his hyper-senses zooming in to see the approaching craft or crafts... his eyes seeing the EM energy surrounding the craft as he ponders what to do next. IT's not like he can speak in space... but he ends up roughly in their path, arms folded over his own chest as his black costume blends in with the background of space... while at the same time, his gold highlights... cape, boots, belt... definitely catch the eye in the glares from the unfiltered sunlight.

Diana Prince has posed:
The Invisible Jet is in high orbit of Earth having settled out past the bulk majority of space debris that flaots around the planet. The alien tech powered jet is in full stealth mode with its power signature masked and is merely monitoring the situation as it unfolds.

The NASA ship is not terribly far away from the Jet and is also being watched, guarded over in fact.

Aboard the Jet, Diana sits at the controls of the vessel. Her eyes on the holo displays glowing brightly on either sides of her in the ship's cockpit. She glances over her shoulders at the others with her. "It looks like they have arrived." She quietly announces before her eyes go back tot he view port ahead of her, and she pushes the throttle forward slightly to gain a bit more speed and control over the Jet's grav field that propels it onward....

Terry O'Neil has posed:
He is actually riding in the invisible jet! Terry O'Neil has seen it in action a few times, but he's never actually been /in/ it until today. He was in the jet with Wonder Woman and Troia-It was pretty exciting, all things considered, and it would be a bit of an awe-inspiring moment, except for the effect that that transmission had on Terry's subconscious.

We come in peace...

We come in peace (shoot to kill, shoot to kill)

There's Klingons on the starboard bow
Starboard bow
Starboard bow
There's Klingons on the starboard bow
Starboard bow, Jim!
Star Trekkin' across the universe
On the Starship Enterprise, under Captain Kirk
Star Trekkin' across the universe
Boldly going forward - still can't find reverse!

The Cheshire cat clenches his knees with his hands and grits his teeth, trying to evict the earworm out of his head. Whomever they were, these aliens were evil, no doubt about that.

"I hope they meant it when they said they came in peace" shoot to kill shoot to- DAMNIT, "I was hoping to at least go a year without an alien invasion."

Vorpal was on board in case hostilities did break out. A brief discussion with Donna had ensued, and they had decided that if it came to blows, he would stay within the stealthily-hidden jet and use his Rabbit Hole powers to return their own fire unto them, as he did with Zod.

Glitterbombing them after that had not bene taken off the table.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman can hear the transmissions.

He looks towards the NASA shuttle's transmitter as though he needs it, because sometimes the smart Kryptonian thing to do is undersell just how much of the radio spectrum his super-hearing can interact with entirely on its own. The Man of Steel is here partially as a representative of the Justice League, and partially because giant space crosses have shown up screaming through the stars broadcasting a warning.

To Clark's practiced ear, there is an unspoken subtext to the warning. The sort of tone of voice a large man named 'Nails' would use when saying 'pal', for example. But Superman doesn't jump to conclusions about alien visitors polite enough to call first, instead of jumping straight ahead to the death rays and drop ships. It's honestly a nice change.

"Do we have coms?" Clark asks some nervous looking astronaut. This all happened so fast he didn't have a chance to learn the crew's names, a fact he mentally chides himself for.

"We can transmit, uh, Superman! We estimate a two-minute delay." Totally not Jimmy Olsen in disguise says.

"Thanks, Doctor Jolsen." Superman says, oblivious. He takes the mike, and speaks like the kind of person used to talking to a battleship like it's a neighbor who keeps leaving his fence open. "Unknown spacecraft, this is Superman transmitting. I repeat, this is Superman transmitting. We have heard your message of peace and respond in kind; the Earth is not an aggressive world, and does not seek enemies among the stars. I repeat, we take your message in the spirit it is given."

"What is your warning? Is your ship in danger in any way?" Superman asks, ends the transmission, and gives a giant thumbs up to what seems like absolutely nowhere in space. Diana will presumably see it, since it's aimed directly at her.

Rocket has posed:
"Yeah, so you just keep your shiny princess or empress or whatever self here where it's safe, and we'll bring ya something back. Ain't gotta draw any more attention to ourselves by parading you around, but we got needs," Rocket was explaining to none other than Lilandra Neramani after they pulled in at a secretive little spot that catered to weary space travelers near and far. They were in search of some grub, having run their own food stores down pretty far, and there was no way the Shi'ar fleet would happen to show up there at the same time, or at all. "You got any requests, we'll bring you back something."

Poor Lilandra, having to wait extra as the crew of the Milano took their sweet time before returning with armfuls of chow along with a few other trinkets. "Now that hit the spot," Rocket was saying to Groot as they trundled back aboard.

The side effect of this? The Shi'ar fleet, including the T'Korr, beat them to Earth's Solar System, and nearer to Earth orbit itself. Once they've got their way back on the proverbial road, Lilandra got more of an opportunity to see the individual personalities of the crew and what made them tick. Some of them could be charming in a weird way, especially the buff, studly mammal with the ringed tail and all the guns, and..that was probably just some dream he had while he was having a nap. Ahem.

Back in the real world, he confers with Star-Lord about their trajectory once they exit Hyperspace again, only to see..that ship ahead of them. "You have got to be fraking kidding me," he glares, hissing in the direction of said Shi'ar ship. Ships, really. "Did they not learn about what happens when they cross me?" Grumbling, he mutters, "Diverting power to keeping a low profile. Got others pinging up ahead on radar, near /that/ planet." It could only be Earth. Of course it is. That's where they were taking /her/ to meet with whoever it was she told them about. Maybe she at least liked some of the snacks they shared. Even in space, sugary sweets are to die for. Or kill for, depending.

Baxter Stockman has posed:
    Baxter isn't at the window. He's at the sensors. This is a once...no, first in a lifetime opportunity. "Transmitting, Milo, are you getting the data?" he asks. He floats in his suit, punching away on the wrist keyboard. "No, there's no more data yet, they are still quite a good ways off. No of course it's not safe, making significant discoveries rarely is."

    He stops, and turns to the window to get his first look at the incoming alien fleet. Even the cynical and methodical super scientist gets a chance to be amazed once in a while. A warning, well, that's better than an invasion. But it's not his job to talk to the aliens, so he just waits.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Troia leans over Vorpal's shoulder, the pair of Titans studying a display as it projects a holographic image of the Shi'ar ships. "We're getting visuals now, Diana. Looks like military vessels. Can you make this thing provide a scale in some more useful measurement like cubits or something? I'm not really sure what the size is, but they look big. Perhaps not the size of those Warzoon dreadnoughts, but bigger than Zod's ship I'd guess.

    She starts to indicate several points on the image of one of the three largest ships. "See here, Terry? I mean they could be... communications arrays, garbage disposal chutes, just decorative. Who knows. But they /look/ like weapons ports to me. And here... these must be the engines, and see here there's a kinda cluster of conduits or piping? Well, I'd pick that as a first target to return their weapons to if they try shooting at us. Or... you know. Anyone, really."

    Troia moves forwards to take a seat next to Diana. "Shi'ar. They weren't involved in the Alliance invasion, were they. I mean that's a plus. On the other hand 'Empire'. That's a warning flag. Not sure I've met any Shi'ar." She tilts her head to look back at Vorpal. "Terry? Did we meet any Shi'ar in the seven worlds? Not that it would tell us a whole lot. I mean the friendliest guy we met there was a Warzoon, after all."

Maxima has posed:
"Bold of them to telegraph their approach from so far out." Maxima says through the comms as she stands the very top of the watchtower surrounded by a bubble of psychic force in the vacuum of space. Her hands sit imperiously on her hips and she is wearing her 'armor', which is to say metal space bikini. "They are the Shi'ar, a powerful expansionist militaristic empire." Takes one to know one it seems. "Almeracia has had many... dealings with them." The way she says that one can just hear the unspoken 'tense politics' and 'violence', which seems only natural for two expansionist militaristic empires in the end. "Be careful of believing anything they say. This could be a cunning trick to gain advantage in a surprise assault."

Just beyond Lunar Orbit, sits another large ship. It is the Raacal, the Almeracian Imperial Starship belonging to Maxima, normally cloaked it is putting on a show today in all of it's glory. Standing upon the Raacal's command deck on a raised metal dais in a similarly imperious pose is ...another Maxima. Clark has seen her do this before, apparently the Interstellar Warrior Princess is taking the arrival of this 'new' empire very seriously.

Jean Grey has posed:
When the ships gets closer, the Watchtower, NASA vessel, Invisible Plane, and several installations on Earth all receive a further signal with more data. It establishes a visual connection where applicable, displaying a dias-like structure in the center of what is presumably the central, transmitting vessel's main bridge. It is surrounded by duty stations with seated technicians, while a single figure stands at the center. He, like the majority (but certainly not all) of the lesser officers, is Shi'ar by race as well as affiliation: tall and humanoid, with a severe bone structure, and a crest of dark feathers where his hair would be. He wears flowing robes, dark with silver details. The other crew make up a variety of alien races, some familiar, many not.

"Greetings. This is the Kyr'shar. I am Ambassador Shakari, of the Shi'ar Empire, speaking on behalf of his Imperial Majesty, Majestor D'Ken Neramani."

No doubt, they have received Superman's communication, as they address his question, no doubt near the top of everyone's list of curiousities: "In ages past, the Shi'ar encountered a being of tremendous power, one which fed upon stars themselves to sate itself: the Phal'kon. Only by great sacrifice of our noble Imperial Guard was it defeated, and not before it had ravaged hundreds of worlds. This being, it should be understood, can only manifest in the body of a host, and rare is the genetic heritage which it chooses." The man, an exemplary orator, pauses for certain effect.

"We have knowledge that such a host exists on your world. Indeed, that she has manifested the Phal'kon already, that she has already felt that hunger, already exercised it once. While dormant, she remains among you. We have come to destroy her, that your planet, your galaxy," they apparently have their own, "might be spared horrific destruction."

---

On the Milano, Lilandra has made a wonderful guest. Although there is a certain, well, 'Princess-y' element to her personality, she is hardly so prim as not to find humor in the curious habits of her rescuers. In her brief trip, she has seemed comfortable. Yet as the Milano approaches, she rises from her quarters to join them in the cockpit. ".... If they see us, they will surely fire," she warns Rocket first.

When she sees the transmission (which they can certainly pick up), however, her expression is grim. "Lies wrapped in truth."

---

As the fleet makes its final approach, something else happens. Just as Earth has sent a few lone titans out into the void, a pair of entry bays open, and begin disgorging two lines of... people. Well, humanoids. Individual costumed figures of assorted alien ancestry, flying out into space. Soon the two lines merge, forming into a kind of 'V'-wing in front of the lead ship. At their center is a man in a red caped costume, with purple skin and a black mohawk hairstyle.

Apparently, they have their own champions.

Hyperion has posed:
    Arms still folded before him, Hyperion floats there, in the path of the ship, and of course.. in the path of Gladiator and his merry men and women. I mean he has no idea who this Gladiator is... and has no idea who any of them are. He has confidence however... in not just his own skill and might, but in that of his entire world. He could -feel- the signal, the transmission. That doesn't mean that he can respond to it... at least not audibly.

    He does not take heart in this however. IF these people are here to hunt and kill a single being on Earth, they will be opposed by all of Earth.

    His eyes watch calmly as these beings float out into space. He takes time studying each one... trying to see if any of them appear to be using artificial means to survive exposure to vacuum. But his eyes come back to Gladiator, and a single auburn eyebrow raises inquisitively. His body language still reads as... well, he considers himself to be blocking their approach with his very presence. Arrogant of him, sure.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana can hear Terry and Donna behind her and she spares a second to respond to Terry. "We will do our best to make sure peace is maintained. Superman is our best diplomat after all." She believes this too, and her eyes do look to the NASA shuttle to see him offering that gesture.

As Donna starts to speak of the new comers ships possible design features, she pushes a little more speed in to the Invisible Jet's thrusters propeling it forward and moving up to the starboard flank of the NASA ship now.

She listens to the Shi'ar transmission which makes her exhale quietly while her eyes go to the sensor readings showing the new sensor contacts coming fromt he Shi'ar ships.

"Mm, complicated. As ever." Diana reaches out a hand and touches a panel to sweep the Jet's sensors to focus on the new arrivals in to space in that V-formation far up ahead...

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"All of them very valid potential weapon bays. We'll make sure to keep an eye on- this seems too large a presence for just a 'hi there and by the way', if you catch my drift. I don't think any of the ones we met identified themselves as Shi'ar, but I wasn't paying that close attention..."

When the transmission begins, the Cheshire cat raises his eyebrows. "Feathers. They've got feathers. But no wings, so... probably not related to the Akiar. But maybe they know where..."

He listens to the message, and narrows his eyes. After a few seconds, he says "Translation: We have come to kill someone on your planet. You have to believe us that it is for your own sake." A grimace, as the feed shows a group exiting the ship. "And to show us how peaceful their intentions are, they roll out their own hitters. I guess."

He glances at Donna and Diana, and his brow furrows further. "I'll... just be ready to spring a Rabbit Hole just in case. This show of force makes me feel that they are as trustworthy of the Queen of Hearts inviting you over for croquet."

Rocket has posed:
Rocket is all business once he's on deck and the potential threats are shown ahead of them. With Lilandra joining them, he turns toward the rest of the crew, including the one who actually (feh) owns the ship, and says, "Guess that means we'd better not let 'em see us. They want you dead that badly? Maybe you can fill the rest of us in about these lies of theirs that have some truth to 'em."

With the other ships ahead of them, there are none they immediately recognize as ones they've encountered before, but the fact they appear to have positioned themselves as a barrier to reaching Earth tells Rocket a few things. "Hopefully if this turns into a big firefight, they got enough to stand up to these birdbrains. No offense to present company." They've already patched in to the communications going back and forth, but have thus far remained silent on their end. Any visuals that come from the non-Shi'ar side, he turns toward Lilandra to ask, "Any of these guys look familiar to you? We know about Superman. Kinda found that out through another of our..passengers."

Baxter Stockman has posed:
    "It's a simple solution, Baxter says, his face still watching the scene outside for a moment before tapping at his wristpad, accessing the data and making certain that all he can get is transferred to the systems below. "I'm sure some of the aliens among us are aware of the Shi'ar. Are they likely to bring false news? Are they subversive? If not, then we hand over this person and destroy her."

    His statement is simple and pragmatic. He looks to Terry, "There's no sense in risking our world for the sake of one compromised individual. We've executed people for significantly less." He nod his head and points at the vanguard appearing. "It looks like the matter is already settled in their minds. Now, if they are double dealing miscreants, that's another matter. If that's the case, we do have individuals such as Hyperion and Superman which may change their mind."

Jean Grey has posed:
The wing of flying humanoids is a truly diverse bunch, in appearance and -- as Wonder Woman turns her own alien vessel's sensors toward them -- in every other way. Many register as metahuman in ways that can be detected, perhaps others are yet in ways that cannot. One is on fire. Another shows bizarre gravity readings. All of them also register a worn power source, and around a portion of them, it seems to be generating a small kind of containment field, not wholly unlike how a Green Lantern uses their ring to operate in space.

---

On the Milano, Lilandra remains grimly determined. "My brother wants me dead not only because of my potential claim to the throne, but because I know the truth of his mad schemes. They do not come here to save you. They come /for/ the Phal'kon. To take it. So that he may use it to further his ambition. If anyone will destroy galaxies, it will be him."

As for knowing any of the people waiting in space, she shakes her head. "Xavier is on the planet. I... can sense him. But I know the Imperial Guard, the ones flying out to meet your own planet's defenders. They are honorable, but loyal, and so they follow D'Ken's command, not understanding the folley he is embarked upon."

Maxima has posed:
"Greetings Ambassador Shakari." The Maxima standing upon command deck of her starship watches the figures on the main screen. Her expression darkens somewhat when the Ambassador talks about having 'killed' a Phoenix, probably because on the Throneworld of Almerac the Phoenix is venerated by the Imperial Blood House. But it passes quickly enough. "I am Maxima, Crown Princess of Almeracian Empire." She has no doubt that he knows who she is but makes a point of stating it anyway. "Know this, this planet has recently done a great service to the Empire and whatever its defenders decide, the Almeracian Empire will support their decision." Superman can perhaps even feel her mental eyes on him as the Chairman of the Justice League as she waits to see how the defenders of Earth will respond.

Meanwhile the Maxima out in the void takes off from her perch atop the Watchtower, moving it would seem to join Hyperion in blocking the approach with her arms crossed in front of. Though she takes no aggressive action, not yet anyway. Internally she is gritting her teeth, she hates waiting for others to make decisions but Earth has become such a delicate matter.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman can appreciate the cape and jumpsuit look, even if the mohawk is a little showy. Clark frowns a little, years of a hard bitten lifestyle whispering one word into his ear. 'This guy's going to be a problem.'.

Clark listens, however, to the ambassador. He almost seems to be ignoring Maxima until he turns to the princess, and quietly murmurs to her, "How accurate was that little legend, just now? Between you and J'onn we'd be able to sense some kind of space god indulging in a cosmic hunger, right? Maybe we should call that Xavier guy, just in case." As far as really intense wheelchair wizards go, Xavier has a good record on psychic horrors.

Because the story is plausible. If Maxima hadn't mentioned their grudge match Clark would find himself lending it much more credence, and even then if there is some super...Phal'con on Earth, that bares watching right?

Superman crosses his arms and wishes Diana were on board. She's much better at dealing with diplomats, especially royal diplomats, than he is. Whenever Clark meets a king his knuckles itch.

"Sounds like we should be speaking in person." Superman transmits, "To discuss the details of this threat." There, Clark thinks, that's reasonable, right?

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Ahhh, a 'police action'," Donna says to Vorpal and Diana. "It's nice to know the great historical traditions of Earth's empires in is shared by people throughout the galaxy. It kind of makes you feel better about the Romans and the British to know their sneaky approach to getting a foothold is shared throughout the galaxy. Warms the heart."

    She gestures at the holographic display, making it zoom in on that V-formation of Shi'ar champions, and she takes a few moments to study them. "To me... that looks like an attempt at intimidation while at the same time trying not to up the stakes. They're implying they can meet us on our own terms if that's the way we want to play it. What do you think, Diana? Time to open comms and add a bit of Themysciran diplomacy to the mix?"

    Troia loosens her lasso and turns to Diana with a grin. "Or want me to go out there and join our team's line-up? It's kinda fun floating around in space. I haven't lassoed a spaceship in months."

Rocket has posed:
"What I'm hearing from you is your brother's a dirty, filthy, liar who's lying to everyone out there," Rocket answers, his eyes narrowing upon the screens in front of him. Whatever is projected that they can tap into, they're listening to, or watching as the case may be. "And he's got those guys doing the heavy lifting for him so he can keep his hands clean? That's weak."

Both hands glide over the screen closest to him after he confers with Star-Lord and the rest, and they decide getting word to those on the side of good is the best way to go. "I'd ask if you wanna send it, Quill, but we already know Earth people find me more interesting to look at. Well, me or Gamora. They just think Drax is some pro wrestler."

At that, he looks off toward one side, as if he's sharing a big secret with someone unseen.

Back to it. What comes over to the NASA ship, the invisible jet, Maxima's, and anything /not/ Shi'ar, is an encrypted message bearing the sigil of the Guardians of the Galaxy along with an image of Rocket that looks very much like an Earth emoji. It reads, 'Guardians of the Galaxy. Rocket here. That guy's sister is with us. They already tried to kill her. She says he's a lying piece of trash who wants to destroy everything with the power of what he's talking about getting. She needs to see some bald guy named Xavier. We are near the dark side of the moon. Star-Lord likes playing music named for that. Loves the color pink and some guy named Floyd. Do not let the Shi'ar see this.'

Jean Grey has posed:
"Greetings, Princess Maxima," the Ambassador returns, his tone perfectly polite. "I admit, you have me at a disadvantage. I did not imagine I would encounter an Almeracian this far from home. But perhaps the same can be said for us? It has been a long journey." He takes a momentary pause as she notes her political allegiance, and dips his head. "Of course. But I see no cause for disagreement. Is there some cause for conflict, over the fate of a being who would destroy worlds?"

The ships stop closing at a point, so as not to run into the one-man blockade that is Hyperion, and anyone who should choose to stand with him. In front of the ship, the wedge of counterpart alien heroes likewise stops short, with their stopping to hover directly in front of Hyperion.

"I am Gladiator, Praetor of the Imperial Guard." He speaks, crosses his arms, and does nothing more.

Cape dudes.

"A direct meeting would be indeed be preferable," Shakari then continues on, directing his attention to Clark, so much as such things are obvious among the screens and transmissions. "I am happy to transmit myself to whatever location you would deem acceptable to finalize the details. I understand your world lacks a planetary government, and moreover may not yet wholly embrace their position in a larger, living universe, so perhaps it would be more diplomatic to do so in orbit. But we see you maintain several orbital facilities that would suffice."

The man makes a sweeping gesture. "The fleet will remain in place until we can come to some agreement." And here, there is a pause, as if he has forgotten a little detail. "The Phal'kon has... conspirators, allies, some who we suspect may come here to disrupt this process. One is an Imperial citizen. You must understand that such a matter falls under our own legal jurisdiction, and if she approaches the planet, we will take action. Do not let it concern you."

So very kind and friendly!

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana's attention is on space, but she hears the communication from the NASA shuttle and Baxter aboard it. She doesn't directly respond to it as a lot is starting to unfold at once. The informaiton from the Shi'ar, the respones from their people and the sudden chime-in fromthe Guardians rep in the form of that semi-familiar space Raccoon.

"Not complicated at all..." Diana quietly says before she adjusts the Invisible Jet to fly toward where Hyperion and Maxima are in space, the Invisible Jet taking up a position behind them but not OVERLy close as to crowd their space!

Diana gives a look over to Donna and then back. "I will save my thoughts until we speak to them in person, hopefully then we can garner more information about who it is they are seeking on Earth. But... I have little to no intention of turning over any of our people to a random society coming in to our star system with a show of bravado and 'wing spreading'."

And yes, she's not saying this in to the comms!

Diana does then flip the Justice League comms on and speaks to Superman and Maxima, let alone anyone else on that channel. "Moon Facility would be perfect for a meeting. Far better than this... I dislike how this is shaping up out here in space...."

Baxter Stockman has posed:
    Baxter watches with a frown, and looks over at Superman, pausing from his data transmission, "Just weigh the cost," he says, "If ending one life will save thousands. The answer is yes, that is a fair cost." Not that he expects his input to matter. the Blue Boyscout's reputation for finding it important to save EVERYONE is not exactly a state secret. He lets out a sigh, unmuting the conversation again. He transmits quietly to the ground. "Milo, I want to get a reading on what kinds of radiation these ships give off. Let's find out what kind of fuel source is used for interstellar travel."

Hyperion has posed:
    His hyper-senses taking in the energy and containment fields of the spacefarers, Hyperion was preparing to unleash his atomic eye-blasts on any of the devices generating said fields. He wants to be prepared to disable as many as he can if things come to a head.

    Which means he was not looking at Gladiator as the Praetor approached. So suddenly, the guy is there in his face. He -hears- the voice too. That's strange. Isn't this space? So he clears his throat and bam, he could hear it. It's a combination of psionic power and cosmic energy BS. So... then he is about to respond when he hears Rocket's broadcast. Then both of his brows go up. "So, you should know that this world is not under the authority of your Empire. I think you might do better to take your sense of authority to a world that might actually accept it."

    Then... he snaps his mouth shut. That wasn't very diplomatic. Was it?

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"That's Rocket," Terry pipes up as the HeIsNotARaccoon transmits his message, "He and his crew brought us back. Superman, Supergirl and Lois also went with them when they went on their important trip. And Lois didn't even bring me a souvenir.." but regardless, "Still, if he says they are up to no good, I'm inclined to believe him. And just think about what they want to do because of this Phal'kon or whatever. Imagine what their reaction might be if they found out about /Raven/," he says, glancing over at Donna.

"Di can't exactly throw the lasso around this ambassador... but you can smell a lie when it's spoken. You should be at that meeting."

He glances back at the readout of the ship, "And if they think we'll run away from a fight because of one life, they sure don't know us at all."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Oh really. Co-conspirators in our ranks who might side with the threat to all of us." Donna gives a short snort of amusement. "See Diana, this is what I was saying about space. It sure /looks/ alien, but it turns out there's really not much difference. Terry, what do you say we beam them a copy of /Il Principe/ in response and see if they turn tail and go home out of sheer embarrassment at being so damn derivative?"

    Donna flicks a switch on a control console, and opens a tight-beam transmission to one of the Titan's microsats to relay to the Almaracian flagship, keeping things nice and stealthy. "Racaal, this is Troia of the Titans for princess Maxima. This guy's lying, he knew you were here. Not sure what kind of game they're playing here. Could be these guys aren't playing their entire hand yet, maybe more ships out beyond the Oort cloud. Got some scouts you could dispatch?" She switches off the broadcast and raises an eyebrow at Diana.

    Donna leans back and shrugs in Terry's direction. "I'd trust Rocket to steal his grandmother's crutch and eat everything that looks like food, probably after swearing at it. But yeah, when it comes to trusting Rocket or these guys, my money's on Rocket. We'll do the meeting, we'll point out just how /good/ we are at policing our own planet, and be very welcoming of any information that they can give us to apprehend this supposed bad-guy ourselves. And when they don't like that answer, we'll send them that copy of /Il Principe/ and tell them to f..." she stops and glances guiltily at Diana a moment. "Fly off."

Maxima has posed:
The sound of the main screen is muted as the Maxima aboard the Raacal turns to the private screen keeping her ship in communication with Clark's. "He speaks of the Phoenix, an ancient and primal entity. It is revered by my family, the Imperial Blood House of Almerac. It's hosts are those of potent psychic power capabale of withstanding the being's presence, becoming its divine avatars. But I was not aware of any such invidual existing on Earth. Almeracia has not recorded a manifestation of the divine bird in several thousand years." She grimaces, the Shi'ar ambassador's statement about 'killing' it returning to her mind. She certainly does not seem to think of it as a cosmic horror.

Turning back to the main screen and unmuting its transmission Maxima addresses the Ambassador again. "This is neutral space ambassador, a backwater beyond the edge of civilized territories, but neutral space and a neutral world all the same. Do not presume. Any unwelcome violence will be met in kind, so I suggest you make your case to the planet's defenders. Do not underestimate them, and do not underestimate the service they did for Almeracia and the conviction of Almeracian Honor." Maxima can be kind and friendly too it would seem.

Even as she is speaking, the message from the Milano comes through. She knows that raccoon and the information vexes her even more, but she has agreed to be part of the Justice League for now and Almeracian Honor is a powerful thing, capable of even restraining her temper it would seem ...for now.

Though that is again tested when she receives the tight beam communication from Troia and she grinds her teeth behind pursed lips, her own attemtps to know the ambassador's thoughts having been foiled by some truly powerful mental protections.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark takes in council from his teammates. Diana and Maxima are of one mind, which Clark thinks is worth a beer for sheer rarity. He picks up on Rocket's transmission, and trusts the little runt just enough to know he is probably not lying. Not about space princesses, the Guardians are romantic like that. Hyperion is facing off with their cape guy, which is fine. Hyperion can handle himself.

Superman pauses and chews that thought over. No, he decides, that's true. Hyperion's been working incredibly hard to make up for past mistakes. This is an excellent time to delegate and trust the nuclear powered hero with watching their back with the hairdo up there.

JLACOM: Superman: Thanks, Maxima. Where do we put the princess? These people are going to start shooting if they see her. We can slow them down with talks for a while. Is anyone close with Xavier? Maybe we can slip her past the front lines, so to speak.

Superman looks at Stockman, raising an eyebrow at the scientist. Baxter, for a second, the friendly champion of what's right doesn't look so friendly. It's like.

It's like he can look at your SOUL. All of it. Every greasy little detail.

Then Clark smiles. "I wonder if you'd feel the same way if your finger was on the trigger, Doctor Stockman. Regardless, I will need your expertise in analyzing these aliens. The more we know about them, the safer we are. Unless you can track the energy this god-being hiding on our planet makes?"

Superman pauses because that's actually a good idea, and transmits to the ship.

Transmission: Shi'ar vessel. Meet us on the moonbase, where we can discuss terms. Surely we can find a way for everyone to come away happy from this situation.

Jean Grey has posed:
The space talking, on Gladiator's part, is actually a byproduct of their rings; he doesn't need it to fly, nor survive, but it gives him a little micro-atmosphere to speak in, and then acts as a transmitter, on frequencies that can travel in space and -can- be picked up by Hyperion, Superman and their ilk! Science! (or close enough for comics!)

"Rook'shir died at my hand," Gladiator answers, his tone even and serious, solemn even, despite any provocation that Hyperion offers. "While beside me, the rest of my Guardsmen perished in cosmic flame, their beings reduced to particles and cast across the void." He pauses. "I do not blame you, for you do not understand the gravity of what you face, and the necessity of what it is we do."

He continues, resolute: "But I will carry out my duty, to my very death."

Behind him, the fleet begins to disperse, taking advantage of their numbers. The second and third cruisers each aim off on disparate trajectories, while moving no closer to Earth. In fact, they seem to observe the exact distance at which Hyperion stopped as the radial length of an imaginary sphere around the planet. Very exacting, these folks. Nonetheless, the maneuver gives some clear indication of their interest in cutting off this supposed fugitive they've spoken of. They're not numerous enough for a proper blockade, but for all the folks doing scans or even just those with energy senses of their own, it's more than clear that each ship represents some incredibly vast amounts of energy, and with it, presumably range and firepower.

On the transmitter, he responds to Maxima first: "We recognize the planet as a neutral territory... inhabited by primtives. According to the M'ndavian --" he intentionally forgo translation; those who speak Shi'ar or can magically translate mark the term as representing the body of Shi'ar law and legal procedure "-- without a sovereign government, it is a wildland. No body exists to give challenge, and thus our jurisdiction over her person remains supreme." The man takes another pause, and then offers: "If you choose to intervene, understand that such action will be construed according to such terms, as intervention against lawful pursuit of a criminal of the Empire."

While this may seem a bit further escalation, Clark's invitation earns a friendly-looking smile. "Very well. Please relay any diplomatic regulations or stipualtions to be observed, and I shall prepare for a prompt departure. It shall be a momentous event, I think, the opening of relations between your world and our great Empire."

Diana Prince has posed:
Donna's words spoken over the comms has Diana look over to her sister to eye her for a moment befor eshe just supresses a smile and looks back to her sensors dispalyed via the holographic displays over the Jet's control console.

"Vorpal." Diana speaks up then. "Could you please prepare a passage way for this passenger that the Guardians have on their ship behind the Moon?" She asks while the comms are continuing to speak between the others involved in this.

"Join them and then offer transportation to the ground. We will see to it that this person gets to where they need to be...."

The Jet is then guided away from where Hyperion is having his face-off toward the Luna facility of the Justice League. As the Princess flies she watches the capital ships of the Si'ar fleet taking up positions in a wide sphere around Earth.

Diana isn't fond of that one bit...

Rocket has posed:
Rocket sits there, twiddling his little thumbs on his little hands. "Soooo, far as I can tell they want to meet on the moon and..yeah, there's something over there. Thinking we'd better not be here much longer, and their ships are starting to move." He gives Lilandra a glance and shrugs in place. "We could make a run for it, but there's a good chance they'll detect us on the way and it'd be a lot easier if we can show 'em you ain't here."

As such, he sends another communications to the side of good, which when decrypted reads, "Risk being caught with our hands stuck around the shiny thing here soon." Something most raccoons, and not-raccoons would probably understand. "We need to get /her/ down /there/ before it's too late. Respond, or I am biting someone when I see you."

Baxter Stockman has posed:
    The soul that looks back at Superman is one that is unintimidated. Amazingly arrogant, similar to perhaps another brilliant genius that Superman is familiar with.

    "I would be happy to trace it, if I knew what kind of signature they would have us be searching for," he comments. "Perhaps you could convince them to share that with us."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"On the double, Diana. Donna..." he turns to his friend, makes a pause, and then says- "Try not to punch them too hard if they get jerky. Leave some for me..."

Once a secure frequency has been established to the Milano, Vorpal makes contact.

"Rocket, this is The Cat. I hear you have some merch you need to get to Earth. When you give the word, I can /hop/ over and help you guys with that. Any objections?"

Even if it is a secure frequency, it never hurts to be careful. This being Rocket, they could be talking about anything. Especially smuggling.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima seems to have had enough of the Ambassador, she made her position clear and his retort falls on deaf ears as she cuts the transmission off midway through. She has said her piece and see's no point to further banter. They have been warned. "Computer, prepare to open fire if they initiate any hostilities."

<<Yes, Lady Maxima.>> Comes the slightly feminine robotic voice of the ship's computer.

Meanwhile out in the void of space, the other Maxima looks between Hyperion and Gladiator. She has seen Hyperion fight before and gives at least some acknowledgement of his abilities. 'He should be able to hold them back at least for a short time if it comes to it.' She thinks to herself, and with that turns to shoot through space, back towards the watchtower where this 'diplomatic' meeting will occur.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket rolls his eyes upon receiving the message and filtering it through any code to reveal what's what. "Oh, it's one of the kids from the building we landed on."

A response is sent over as rapidly as he can create and transmit it. "In case you missed it, we already told you guys we have her and they want her. They also know we have her because they saw us rescue her from her shuttle and I flipped them off when I buzzed their bridge. The point is...yes, get your tail aboard and let's get this over with so we can get out of here or whatever."

To Lilandra, he adds, "Looks like you're about to get a catty visitor who's gonna take care of getting you down to your Xavier pal. We probably ain't gonna see you again so, uh, good luck and try not to die. And make sure your stupid brother doesn't win, all right? Take some extra snacks if you want 'em. Our treat."

Clark Kent has posed:
"Of course. I'll be bringing in a few of my people, for a full cultural exchange." Superman transmits, "I'll see you on the Watchtower."

"I'll see what I can do, Stockman." It isn't a bad idea, honestly, if..

look not every scientist can be a junior luthor, Clark insists, they can't all be crazy.

And quietly he presses the button on his wrist communitator, signaling an all-alert to any active JLA member throughout the globe. He has a feeling he's going to need backup for this.

Hyperion has posed:
    "Color me impressed." mutters Hyperion softly to Gladiator before everyone disperses.

    For his part, Hyperion floats along towards the designated meeting place. He is trying to restrain himself from doing something monumentally stupid.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Hah--- you flipped them off? You're a riot. Anyways, Roger Wilco, Rocket, incoming." Vorpal cuts off the comm then, just in case Rocket doesn't know what Roger Wilco means. Because then it'll bring him joy. "Diana, Donna, I'll take her to the Embassy and we can contact her friends from there. If /anything/ happens and you need me to play Rabbit Hole Dispenser, comm me and I'll come up here right away. Otherwise, I'll make sure she gets to her intended destination."

A Rabbit Hole into the Milano later, the Cheshire cat steps through.

"Good evening, the Vorpal express is here, ready to bring a passenger to Earth!"

Rocket has posed:
When Vorpal arrives on the deck of the Milano, he'll find most of the crew at their stations and Lilandra Neramani herself ready to go. Rocket explains, "This guy's with one of the groups on Earth, the Titans. He can teleport, and he's gonna get you down there without your, uh, family noticing. Then we're gonna slip around to a safer place and figure out what to do next."

The way the portal opens up would confirm the abilities, and Rocket hops out of his seat at the front of the cockpit to make his way closer. "Don't screw this up. We might have some shit to talk about after this is all over, and we gotta see if they're gonna need these guns or not." No, not the weaponry he's packing. /That/ weaponry, as he flexes...somewhat less than impressively. Being buff is not his thing, no matter what kinds of fantasizing he does.

Drax might just be laughing.

Jean Grey has posed:
It is true that with the Shi'ar ships beginning to take a more... comphrensive position around Earth, the moon's shadow will eventually come under scrutiny and the Milano will be exposed. Perhaps this is even more likely as the decision is made that the site will soon host the formal diplomatic summit. All told, it's as good a time as any to get their precious 'cargo' clear.

---

Aboard the smaller ship, Lilanda listens to the exchange. Although she doesn't know who these 'kids' are, nor anything about Terry at all, she is familiar enough with teleportation that the principle of the plan is clear. "Very well. I shall make ready." Saying this, she makes as if to turn and head back to her compartment, although she pauses to look back as Rocket speaks. "Who can say. Space is vast, yet across all those light years, I found Xavier. And now, in my hour of need, when fate looked darkest, I found you and your friends."

She waits just a moment longer, and smiles. "Whatever happens, I am glad to have met you. Sharra's blessings, brave Rocket. Live long, and eat well."

The Shi'ar woman moves back into the ship, collecting her few possessions, only the portions of the armored silver spacesuit she wore as she came aboard. There are more goodbyes to be said, and they echo her sentiment of gratitude toward the colorful crew she has only barely come to know. When she is done, she stands ready for the arrival of one FURTHER colorful character, in the person of one Terry O'Neil. Her eyes widen a little as he appears.

"I am in your care." And while Lilandra has seen many things in her life among the stars, but she's still in for something new this time as she steps into the portal. "Oh my!"

---

For the moment, the status quo is diplomacy, but a tension hangs over what is to come. Above Earth, the Shi'ar fleet continues its movements, the great crescent-winged ships circling like the very raptors their appearance emulates, while their Almeracian rival stands ready. The dozens of Imperial Guardsmen have returned to their vessels, but likewise stand ready to -- in the words of their Praetor -- fight and die for their Emperor, and to end the threat of the Phoenix.

In a few minutes, the Shi'ar Ambassador Davan Shakari will be transporting himself down to the Watchtower, the Justice League's installation on the lunar surface, while various members of the League are called in to oversee the proceedings. He travels with a few aides, who will arrive without weapons, abiding any and all stipulations or requests, and submit to whatever security procedures are demanded of them.

Peace.

For now.