Black Panther and Storm in Regime Change

Previously in The Black Panther and Storm:

For over ten thousand years warrior kings called Black Panthers ruled and protected the isolated and unconquerable African nation Wakanda. In their isolation Wakanda became the most scientifically advanced nation on Earth. Akeem T’Challa was the latest Black Panther and he believed that his great nation was obligated to use its resources to help the less fortunate; defenseless peoples of the world against tyranny, corruption and megalomaniac super humans.

Black Panther later married Ororo ‘Storm’ Munroe the non-Wakandan mutant hero Ororo. However, in Wakanda the royal couple’s noble endeavors were considered private affairs, which conflicted with their official duties.

Two years ago, Wakanda was fatally attacked by the royal couple’s super human enemy- the mind controlling Darkheart. In the wake of the attack that devastated the nation, the royal couple resigned on the principle of accountability; they dissolved the monarchy and they gave governance to a democratic government.

Recently Black Panther and Storm were temporarily reinstated to Wakanda’s leadership (orchestrated by the venerable politician Muki) to face a threat to all life on Earth from Azah the Hedus alien warrior king.

The incumbent president Achebe resigned which has left the Black Panther and Storm in power, until Achebe’s political party can elect a new political leader.

Meanwhile a shadow government member Nginda transformed himself into the Hatura- a secret hulking living weapon that was created to stop the Savage Hulk. Storm fought the Hatura and his female accomplice Slay, but they escaped and a conspiracy removed all evidence of the battle at the military facility where the Hatura formular was kept; therefore Storm only had her word, which only the Black Panther believed. It was revealed later that Muki, Nginda and Slay were apart of a secret society and Muki had ordered the removal of the evidence from the facility. Muki then unleashed a creature on his political party’s convention to stall the election of their new political leader. Nginda and Slay found out and they terminated Muki with the approval of the secret society.

Nginda has entered the general election race for President of Wakanda without the fear of being arrested because Storm has no evidence against him and Nginda wants Wakanda to return to isolationism. Storm also wants to join the election race so that Wakanda may help the world in climate change control.

Presently Black Panther has taken the alien king Azah back to his throne world for war crime prosecution.

 

 

 

Story: Regime Change

 

Ororo Munroe- thirty years old; slender; ebony; natural blue eyes and natural long white hair- poured over the figures for Wakanda’s increased elderly population. The life expectancy age had increased from 95 to 98. The committee that did the research recommended the construction of two hundred more elderly community centers.

Ororo used her digital pen to sign the document on her tablet computer screen. A reminder came up on the left corner of the screen- a 6.oo pm Associated Production Committee meeting to monitor food production for the next quarter.

A small message box shot up on the screen- Agent Abigail Brand of the Sentient Worlds Observation and Response Department requested to speak.

Ororo accepted the call. Agent Brand’s face appeared on the screen. Agent Brand was pale with green hair, thin nose and a broad forehead.

‘Good evening President Ororo,’ said Brand.

‘Good evening Agent Brand. You can call me Ororo. What is the reason for the call?’ asked Ororo. Brand was in a relationship with Hank ‘Beast’ McCoy who was Ororo’s friend and colleague in the X Men (a mutant protection and representative team). That was the reason the two women knew each other.

‘It is about your husband President T’Challa,’ said Brand, ‘ SWORD kept out the Azah threat to Earth because you and President T’Challa were on it and everything turned out favourably.’

‘So what is the problem then?’ inquired Ororo.

‘Since the time, President T’Challa took Azah back to the Hedus sector of space, which was two days ago, we have had reports from neigbouring sectors of stars and planets exploding in the Hedus sector. I would like to know what is going on?’

Ororo cracked her fingers and she rested the digital pen on the desk, ‘We lost contact with my husband and are trying to regain it. So we are in the dark like you,’ replied Ororo.

 

‘You are so calm about it,’ said Brand.

‘Experience and confidence in my husband’s abilities,’ said Ororo.

A second message box came on the screen- the alarm was activated in the military facility that held Azah’s helmet and lance. ‘Excuse me Brand I have an emergency to deal with,’ said Ororo.

 

Chapter

Two Days Ago

 

Damo’s blood stained the floor and the body had decomposed in the eight days since T’Challa and Azah had last seen it. T’Challa’s moral code had prevented him from killing Damo in cold blood  when the opportunity had presented itself. Azah murdered Damo mere seconds after T’Challa had chosen not too.

The scout ship computer started the engines and the ship began its return journey to the Hedus through the dimensional tunnel as ordered by the ship’s new captain- T’Challa.

‘T’Challa let me save you the trip,’ said Azah, ‘The Hedus will not prosecute me and they will not abandon the Nidas policy. Because I like my father and his father before him have protected and injected new blood into the civilization. The people love me. Unlike your people who loathe you. Wakanda will never forgive you. I kept to my laid down duties as king but you went contrary to yours and it came back to haunt you. You consider me a mass genocidal murderer but you are equally guilty of causing the deaths of a million of your people, ‘ said Azah the humanoid alien warrior king- long jade hair, red flaming eyes, harden face and a Herculean body.

T’Challa- thirty five years old, black, wide forehead, broad chin, squared shoulders, broad chest, six foot- paced the floor while his hands were behind his back like a soldier in the stand at ease position. T’Challa wore the ceremonial Black Panther battle body armour made of micro weave vibranium-the rarest and most resistant metal in the universe. The dark force blade sword with time and space travel capability, (which T’Challa had built) was magnetized to his back.

 

‘I am speaking to you,’ said Azah with a snarl. T’Challa glanced at Azah who was in the casket like mobile prisoner container. The only visible part of Azah’s body was his face, which was behind a window.

T’Challa turned away and he resumed his thoughts on the conspirators back in Wakanda. They must had used nano robots to quickly repair the extent of the damage that Ororo had described thought T’Challa but how long have these people operated and who can I then trust? Who are the tares and who are the wheat?

Selass- an alien artificial intelligence, disguised as a mid twenties young man, shaven head, long face, brown eyes, small wide nose, squared shoulders, strong arms- returned from his exploration of the ship. ‘Ada computer, I will enjoy terminating you when I am freed,’ said Azah to Selass.

‘Screw you,’ said Selass in a dignified manner and he was proud to have used the slang for the first time since he had memorized it. Selass had lived in Wakanda for ten thousand years and his mission was to call the Ada if the Hedus returned to Wakanda.

T’Challa stopped his thoughts when he heard Selass’s foul language. Selass’s good natured human like qualities reminded T’Challa of the android Vision (T’Challa’s former teammate on the Avengers under Steve Rogers the Captain America)

‘Found anything interesting?’ asked T’Challa

‘A laboratory and specimen holding cells,’ replied Selass.

 

T’Challa stared at the high ceiling. Suddenly the ship rocked violently. T’Challa maintained his balance and he shouted, ‘Ship report.’

‘We have stalled outside of the Hedus throne world,’ replied the ship in a feminine voice, ‘Incoming message.’

Who could that be? Thought T’Challa. A rough voice spoke in a language that T’Challa could not understand and he turned to Selass for assistance. Selass realized T’Challa’s disadvantage and Selass translated the message, ‘ I am the commander of the Wind Runners, release King Azah at once or die.’

 

Chapter

 

Loyalists thought T’Challa. ‘Tell him no,’ said T’Challa and Selass did as instructed. Azah smirked uncontrollably.

‘Who are these Wind Runners?’ T’Challa asked Selass.

‘Super speed warriors, swords are their weapons of choice. They move so fast that they seem invisible,’ replied Selass while he accessed the files that he had downloaded from the Ada server.

‘Ship transfer a destination coordinate to my sword’s computers,’ said T’Challa.

‘T’Challa there is a teleportation net around the ship. We cannot teleport through it,’ said the sword.

‘Captain we have been boarded by four hostiles, laboratory sector,’ said the ship.

 

Chapter

T’Challa devised a plan. ‘Selass catch,’ said T’Challa while he threw the controller for the prisoner container.

‘Where are you going?’ quizzed Selass

‘I am stepping out of normal time,’ responded T’Challa. Azah stopped smirking and he paid attention to T’Challa’s ploy. ‘Sword move us at a constant rate of point three milliseconds into the future then two milliseconds into the past,’ said T’Challa. Instantly T’Challa vanished from plain sight. He knew that the ploy had worked because Selass and Azah were frozen in their respective positions. T’Challa removed the sword from his back. The nano robots that sheathed the blade retreated into the vibranium hilt. T’Challa then remained still. Am I going to kill them? Thought T’Challa.

The first Wind Runner sprinted towards T’Challa. The Wind Runner was a masked humanoid in a brown uniform and it wielded a thin blade sword.

Do not kill it thought T’Challa. In a quick movement T’Challa knelt on his right knee and swung his sword into the Wind Runner’s left knee thus the lower left leg separated completely from the rest of Wind Runner’s body. The Wind Runner fell forward and froze.

 

In normal time the Wind Runner and its separated leg appeared on the floor. The Wind Runner went into shock; Selass kicked it in the face and knocked the Wind Runner unconscious.

Three more Wind Runners came at T’Challa. T’Challa skillfully slashed and severed the Wind Runners’ sword hands.

Selass finished off the Wind Runners when they appeared.

‘Sword switch to normal time,’ said T’Challa.

T’Challa returned and he had found Selass kicking a sword from a Wind Runner. ‘Ship can you resume course?’ asked T’Challa.

‘Yes,’ said the ship.

‘Continue course,’ said T’Challa while he examined Azah’s prison for tamper or damage. T’Challa found none.

‘There will be more,’ said Azah.

‘I do not care,’ said T’Challa. T’Challa then assisted Selass to secure the Wind Runners.

‘Why spare their lives?’ whispered Selass.

 

‘I only kill when it is warranted,’ replied T’Challa, ‘Besides I want to display them to the Hedus military to show that I am ruthless but can also show leniency.’

‘Oh,’ said Selass and he nodded his approval.

T’Challa transmitted a message through his palm held super computer- the Kimoyo- to ship computer and the ship computer sent the message to Wakanda.

 

 

Chapter

 

The ship emerged from the dimensional wormhole, which was over the palace. The ship landed; T’Challa and Selass both carried two unconscious Wind Runners and were followed by Azah when they disembarked.

T’Challa and Selass paused in awe of the technological wonder that was before them. The massive palace changed its shape every five seconds and it never returned to a previous shape.

In the palace’s front courtyard delegates of different shapes, sizes, hues, sexes and species from all over Hedus were gathered. In front of the delegates was a female humanoid and she held an infant in her arms.

T’Challa threw his Wind Runners in front of the delegates and Selass did likewise. T’Challa used the remote, which brought Azah forward.

T’Challa surveyed the congregation. ‘People of Hedus!’ said T’Challa and Selass began to translate in five languages to the delegates. T’Challa said, ‘ I am your king Akeem T’Challa and this is my assistant Akene Selass,’ T’Challa extended his right arm towards Selass and T’Challa continued, ‘ Before you are the dismembered bodies of those who sought to ambush me and free your former dictator,’ T’Challa pointed to Azah, ‘ But fear him no more and by extension the universe has not to fear the Nidas doctrine of wanton destruction! Today I will put an end to that doctrine and I will reinstate the Ada doctrine that intellectual populations could freely decide to choose whether to join the Hedus or not. No more coercion and no more genocidal killing of their less intellectual neighbours. Furthermore I am willing give the Hedus over to self-governance. Which ever people want to leave they can do so,’ said T’Challa, ‘Who amongst you will lead and who will go?’

The delegation remained muted. T’Challa unconsciously glanced at Azah who stared menacingly at the congregation. ‘Azah is to be tried by his peers for the genocide of the Hof System and the other peoples he killed. I also want his generals prosecuted’ said T’Challa

The delegation was still unmoved by T’Challa’s words. The female with the infant slowly approached T’Challa. The female was thin, her eyes were like crystal; her hair black and long; her ears were pointed and she was slightly shorter than T’Challa. When the female opened her mouth to speak T’Challa noticed that her tongue was multi coloured and her canine teeth were long like a vampire.

‘I am Zanda and wife of Azah. Before Azah is tried could his son and I be granted a moment with him?’ said Zanda-military aristocrat.

T’Challa’s eyes fell from the sympathetic face of Zanda to the infant she clutched close to her bosom. The infant boy stared back in curiosity while he sucked on his thumb.

 

Chapter

 

Azah remained in the prisoner container while he spoke with his wife and viewed his son. They were alone on the second floor of the palace while T’Challa and Selass were given a tour of the third and fourth floor.

Azah knew that T’Challa had hypersensitive hearing therefore Azah whispered to his wife, ‘Selass is an old Ada model computer and archaic Talon time line instruments operate T’Challa’s sword. The over ride and control codes are in the library under ancient operating systems. Find them and pass on the information to G’nartt. Tell him to sabotage the Planet Poisoner on the Liko planet and wait for me there. T’Challa is duty bound to visit the planet and his curiosity will ensure it,’ said Azah.

‘How did he defeat you? The force field was impenetrable’ said Zanda.

‘His sword penetrated the force field. I think the blade is made from the same dark force energy as my force field. On the mental side he had failed his people before and he did not want to repeat it. The battle could have gone either way but his fear of failure gave him the edge. The next time he will lose,’ said Azah.

‘And you will return to the throne,’ said Zanda.

‘Go now,’ said Azah tenderly.

Zanda raised the infant to Azah’s face and Azah smiled at his son. Then Zanda left.

 

Azah studied warfare in other cultures and it showed in the collection of weapons, paintings and artifacts that decorated the walls on the third floor. T’Challa was not impressed. He noticed that Zanda was not with Azah.

‘I want to interview each of the delegates immediately,’ said T’Challa to one of the servants. ‘Selass keep an eye on Azah’. A servant provided T’Challa with a universal language translator earpiece.

The interviews were done in a room on the sixth floor. There were eight hundred delegates and T’Challa surmised that it would be days until he finished the process. Days that he did not have- he had to return to Wakanda to hunt the creature that Ororo had fought. Unless I lay the ground work here then return to Wakanda and come back thought T’Challa.

T’Challa told the first five interviewees that the discussion would be strictly confidential. However the meetings were unproductive in T’Challa’s opinion. The five delegates supported Azah because he protected them from Galatacus and he kept order in the civilization. ‘What do you mean by kept order?’ T’Challa asked each of the delegates and the answers were the same: there were rival groups within the civilization; they were not violent but the possibility existed.

‘But do you believe that Azah was a cruel ruler?’ T’Challa had asked. Each of the delegates reluctantly admitted that Azah was a tyrant. ‘Have you ever questioned the Nidas policy?’ T’Challa asked and the response was that the policy was in effect for so many years that no one saw a reason to change it.

‘Wakanda had a similar problem,’ T’Challa said, ‘ For centuries the country was isolated from the rest of planet Earth. The first king Bashenga had started the isolation policy because of a vibranium meteor that crashed into the land and it had mutated the people, flora and fauna into horrible and amazing creatures. Bashenga thought that if those creatures were allowed to spread to other lands then it would be devastating. So he sealed the borders and it remained that way for centuries. I lost my mother at childbirth and my father died defending Wakanda. I was orphaned at a young age but I also had the freedom to make my own choices. I chose to explore the neighbouring lands, which was the rest of Africa. I saw first hand a world of fear, poverty, strife and injustice; a stark contrast to Wakanda and I questioned my country’s foreign policy. I met my future wife Ororo and she was the epitome of all that I saw and something more- hope. I helped her and in so doing I believed I could help the world. I returned to Wakanda and started to make changes- I reached out other state leaders and started a transformation of the foreign policy. The point is that you have to question the policy and change it if necessary despite if it existed for centuries- the Nidas regime policy needs to be changed.’

Still the interviewed delegates were adamant that they were satisfied with the status quo and saw no need to alter it.

 

It was the sixth interviewee who made the turning point in T’Challa’s opinion. The delegate’s name was Edratt- a hundred and thirty pounds; thin; blue skinned; a smooth face and large eyes.

‘Did Azah give preferential treatment to any of the groups?’ asked T’Challa.

‘The first five persons you interviewed received special treatment’ replied Edratt ‘But can I ask you a question?’

‘Yes,’ said T’Challa.

‘What has stopped Wakanda from becoming a lazy people in the technological paradise that they created?’ inquired Edratt.

T’Challa pondered for a few seconds, ‘It is our military orientation- we are a total defence nation therefore all our advances were first devised for protection from foreign threats. We then translated the military inventions and understanding into the society and our lifestyles. Why did you ask?’ said T’Challa.

‘Because the Hedus are lazy in terms that we let our technology do everything for us,’ Edratt made his point as he pressed together the seven fingers on both hands, ‘We have dedicated our lives to research, analysis, experiments, archiving results and presentations. It is a loop and for what? We help no one but ourselves with the scientific breakthroughs. The Nidas are the only military group and they spend their time developing weapons like your Wakanda does’ said Edratt.

‘What about self-government? Would you be interested?’ asked T’Challa.

‘If there were guarantees,’ responded Edratt.

‘Like?’

‘Safety of my family and relatives.’

That is understandable thought T’Challa. ‘I will see to it,’ said T’Challa.

‘How can you, realistically speaking? The Hedus are spread over ten galaxies. The Nidas were able to keep strict control because of fear and the communication network that they created-which was integrated into every technological aspect of the civilization. And that worked because they resided here. Will you be staying? Will there be an occupying force from Wakanda to maintain the order?’ asked Edratt.

‘No. I will not be able to stay as long as I want to. I have to return to Wakanda shortly but I will be back. And I did not bring my army because I believe that diplomacy would be able to do the job,’ replied T’Challa.

‘Well for all our sakes I hope you are right,’ said Edratt.

‘How can I contact you?’

‘I am presently in the Crylis system studying a dwarf star,’ replied Edratt.

‘I will call you once I return from Wakanda,’ said T’Challa.

T’Challa concluded the interview. He scheduled the rest of the interviews for the day after. The fact that there was a lack of dissidents meant that T’Challa could not leave Azah behind. A servant informed T’Challa that an emergency had occurred- the Planet Poisoner on Liko was malfunctioning and needed T’Challa’s urgent attention.

 

Chapter

 

The Planet Poisoner was a tower that drilled into a planet’s core and injected octualion energy, which corrupted the planet’s life force energy and would effectively kill the planet eater Galactus if he ever devoured the planet.

The octualion energy was created by the fifth generation of the Hedus civilization and the Nidas used the octualion energy as a benefit of joining the Hedus.

T’Challa was needed in Liko because there was only one Planet Poisoner and it was the king’s duty to personally deal with any problems with the machine. However Azah had secretly ordered the construction of another Planet Poisoner.

T’Challa had no choice than to carry with him Selass and Azah and they were transported on a hyperspace ship to Liko. T’Challa was informed that the Liko’s population had been temporarily relocated to another solar system and only the Planet Poisoner operators were on the planet. The operators could not ascertain the cause of the malfunction.

T’Challa requested a star map of all the Hedus systems and it was given to him.

 

Chapter

The spaceship landed on a platform, which was in sight of the Planet Poisoner. There were four other spaceships on the platform. Loud explosions came from the tower. There were strong earthquakes and tremors, which occurred frequently.

The tower’s architecture reminded T’Challa of a snail shell.

A large rectangular door slid opened and the chief operator who floated on a hover platform met the visitors. The chief operator was an insectoid and he had two short antennas on his forehead.

‘There is an imbalance in the mixture of the atoms,’ said the operator to T’Challa. The visitors boarded the platform and the operator guided it into the tower’s door.

G’nartt and his ten soldiers were disguised as operators. They watched the chief operator enter the tower with Azah on the platform. Azah spotted G’nartt. When the door closed and the platform landed, Azah shouted ‘Speak the over ride codes now!’

G’nartt shouted the codes that over ridden Selass’s artificial intelligence and left him at the command of the speaker of the codes. T’Challa’s sword was disabled in the same manner.

G’nartt and his soldiers revealed their weapons and they fired at T’Challa. T’Challa flipped out of the way of the laser beams and he hid behind a crate; the crate slowly disintegrated from the rapid laser beam shots. The soldiers began to surround the crate. T’Challa took out his two energy blade knives from his uniform and he charged like a berserk into one of the soldiers. But a strong and concentrated laser beam attack pushed back T’Challa and he took cover behind another crate.

‘G’nartt transfer command me,’ said Azah. G’nartt shouted ‘From now on you will take orders from King Azah’.

‘Selass release me,’ shouted Azah. Selass used the remote to open the prisoner container. Azah came out; he seized the remote and crushed it under his heel. ‘Sword come to me,’ said Azah. The sword teleported from T’Challa and it appeared in Azah’s hand. ‘Stop shooting,’ said Azah to his soldiers.

The soldiers ceased their fire. Azah used his hands to call the soldiers and G’nartt to his sides. Then Azah told the chief operator, ‘ start the self destruction sequence’. The operator complied and he initiated the countdown from the computer attached to his body. The chief operator knew that by destroying the tower the planet would explode.

‘Selass kill T’Challa,’ said Azah. Selass approached the crate and he tossed it with one hand. T’Challa held the knives in a hammer grip and he faced Selass.

‘Back to the ships,’ said Azah. The chief operator opened the door and Azah’s party left. Azah boarded the spaceship he came on and he ordered the soldiers to destroy the three other space ships- Azah did not want to give T’Challa any opportunity to escape and that was the reason Azah chose to trap T’Challa in a situation, which he could not survive. G’nartt did as he was ordered even though he had imprisoned the operators his soldiers and him had impersonated in the space ships. G’nartt’s team left in the fourth ship.

 

 

Chapter

Selass tried to snatch T’Challa’s throat. T’Challa stabbed Selass but the wounds healed instantaneously. Selass punched T’Challa in the face and the impact floored T’Challa. A tremor interrupted Selass as he lifted his foot to stomp on T’Challa’s chest.

I do not want to kill you thought T’Challa. T’Challa sprung up and he raced towards a wall; T’Challa activated the magnets in his boots and he ran up the wall until he reached the ceiling.

‘Selass listen to me, fight it,’ shouted T’Challa.

Selass sunk his fingers into the wall until he had a firm grip. Then Selass climbed the wall at first slowly and faster after he got better grips.

T’Challa leapt off the ceiling and landed on his feet. He deactivated the magnets in the boots. Selass landed on the ground and sprinted towards T’Challa. Selass punched at T’Challa’s face. T’Challa placed his hands behind his back and dropped on them; he kept his legs slightly off the ground and he used them to swipe Selass’s legs. Selass fell to his right but he regained his balance and he pushed up with his hands.

A fissure vent suddenly opened near to T’Challa and he moved out the way while the fissure vent widened. He then punched at Selass. Selass blocked the attack with his right hand and his left hand snaked into T’Challa’s throat. T’Challa caught the left hand and he turned the wrist. Then T’Challa used all his strength and he tossed Selass into the fissure vent. Selass held onto T’Challa’s right shoulderand pulled.  T’Challa felt that his balance slipped. T’Challa and Selass fell into the fissure vent.

Selass released T’Challa’s shoulder. T’Challa activated the claws in the gloves and he snatched blindly at the wall. The claws scraped the wall until they sank into it. T’Challa turned his head to find Selass but he was gone. T’Challa climbed up the wall.

He reached the top and then he realized that his shoulder was injured. He ignored the pain and he surveyed the area for a means of escape. There was none.

 

Chapter

 

T’Challa broke opened the Kimoyo and took out the battery. He joined the battery with the power source from an energy blade knife. He attached both items to a magnet from his boot and placed the make shift bomb on a wall. T’Challa ruptured the power source and he backed away.

The bomb exploded and it left a hole, which T’Challa ran through. The three space ships on the platform were on fire. One of the space ships was completely destroyed by the fire. Nevertheless T’Challa broke into the first space ship. He searched for the escape vessel. The first space ship’s escape vessel was destroyed.

The second space ship’s escape vessel was intact. T’Challa slipped into the escape vessel. The vessel was three seated-the pilot seat was in front of the two other seats. T’Challa stared at the alien control displays. There were two discs on the seat armrest. T’Challa removed his gloves and rested his palms on the discs. He felt a surge to his brain. Eject thought T’Challa. The vessel shook as it detached from the space ship. Elevate thought T’Challa. The vessel rose out of the space ship. Increase altitude and velocity to the maximum thought T’Challa. The vessel responded and did a barrel spin before it flew at full speed into space.

The tower exploded and it started a chain reaction in the planet’s core that lasted for one minute then the core exploded.

The force of the explosion rocked the vessel as it passed beyond the planet’s gravitational field, which would, had pulled back the vessel into the explosion.

 

Chapter

T’Challa studied the star map. He located the Crylis system and he directed the ship to the solar system. With Selass gone the only ally T’Challa had in the Hedus was Edratt. But T’Challa also believed that Edratt’s life was in danger because Azah would interrogate all the persons who T’Challa had interviewed.

Then T’Challa thought about Ororo. T’Challa and Ororo had an understanding when it came to their solo missions- that they would not get too worried. However it was easier said than done.

The vessel automatically exited from the hyper drive. T’Challa consulted the star map and the display screen indicated that an observation space station was in the center of the solar system. T’Challa sent the vessel into hyperdrive and it emerged in the vicinity of the space station.

The cylinder shaped space station was a mile long. The vessel guided itself into the space station’s docking bay. The bay was filled with larger ships than the vessel.

The crew of the space station hastily came to vessel- they believed that the reason the pilot ignored the hails was because he was injured.

T’Challa climbed out the vessel. The crew fell back in astonishment and fear- there were unconfirmed rumours that Azah was once more king. ‘Is Edratt here?’ asked T’Challa.

‘Yes,’ answered Edratt as he came to the front. T’Challa seized Edratt by the arm and led him to a private spot where T’Challa related the events on Liko.

‘My wife got a private message from a friend on the throne world but I was unsure,’ said Edratt. ‘Usually that kind of information would be broadcast everywhere through the Nidas’s system.’

‘How is that system controlled?’ asked T’Challa.

‘Through the king’s helmet. Do you not have it?’ asked Edratt.

‘It is in Wakanda along with Azah’s weapon,’ responded T’Challa ‘I believe he will come after you soon,’ said T’Challa.

A crewmember came and she informed Edratt that a battle cruiser approached the space station.

 

Chapter

 

‘What is the number of the crew on a battle cruiser?’ asked T’Challa because he wanted to commandeer the battle cruiser. The battle cruiser’s engines stood a better chance of getting T’Challa to Earth more quickly than the one on the escape vessel.

‘About twenty two,’ replied Edratt.

‘Do you have weapons?’ inquired T’Challa.

‘No,’ replied Edratt.

‘Alright you and your crew will move to a safe-’

‘T’Challa the crew and I are in the middle of an experiment with the star. We have slowly been shutting it down to restart it. If we leave it at this crucial stage then-,’ said Edratt flabbergasted.

‘Azah will be going to Wakanda. I have to either reach there before him or meet him there. But I have to get that battle cruiser,’ said T’Challa.

‘There has to be another way’ said Edratt.

‘Can the station survive a nova?’ asked T’Challa.

‘I am not sure. It depends on the shields,’ answered Edratt.

T’Challa weighed the pros and cons and then he said, ‘I will try to keep the damage to a minimum.’

 

Chapter

The battle cruiser docked in the bay. T’Challa was concealed in an oversized space suit next to Edratt. The door to the battle cruiser opened; the humanoid captain and two humanoid lieutenants alighted. The captain held out his palm and a holographic image of Azah’s face appeared.

Azah was in the palace. He had taken a break from torturing the second delegate interviewed by T’Challa as Zanda had indicated. Azah wanted to know what was spoken in the meeting and which side the delegate was on. The delegate had pleaded that he was on Azah’s side. Azah did not believe the delegate and showed the delegate’s family on a monitor; Azah said that the family was his prisoners and threatened to murder the delegate’s youngest son. The message from the captain that he had arrived at Edratt’s space station interrupted Azah. Azah left the delegate strapped to a chair.

Azah turned on the military communication device. ‘Edratt you are under arrest for suspicion of treason. You and your family will be brought to the palace at once,’ Azah said and he terminated the link. Azah returned to the delegate who pleaded for mercy. Azah took T’Challa’s sword (that had already tasted the blood of the first delegate) and he drove it into the delegate’s chest. ‘Kill the family,’ Azah said to the person on the other end of the monitor feed.

 

As instructed Edratt stepped away from the space suit and he hid behind a crate that was specifically placed there. T’Challa ripped out the space suit with his claws and he attacked the three soldiers. He slashed their throats then he proceeded into the battle cruiser.

The communications officer on the battle cruiser contacted Azah and transmitted footage of T’Challa’s rampage. ‘He survived’ thought Azah and then he shouted the words.

Zanda heard him and she came with her son from the next room. ‘What is it?’ she asked

‘T’Challa is alive. I am going to Wakanda to get my helmet and lance,’ said Azah then he stared at his son ‘My son’s helmet and lance’. Azah kissed his son’s forehead. Azah took a new dark force field controller and T’Challa’s sword; then he departed in a new spaceship into a hyperdimension for Wakanda.

T’Challa caught his breath as he stared at the last soldier he killed who had hidden in a cabinet but T’Challa’s keen sense of smell found the soldier. He had to kill the soldier since a prisoner would have slowed him down and endangered Edratt.

T’Challa emerged from the battle cruiser. ‘Edratt you need to come with me to Wakanda.’

‘Not without my family and my crew,’ said Edratt while he observed the blood covered T’Challa. Edratt had never killed an organism in his life so what he witnessed from T’Challa was repulsive to Edratt.

‘Crew?’ asked T’Challa while he smelt the hot metal from his uniform that was caused by the soldiers’ laser fire.

‘They will be persecuted for being my associates,’ said Edratt

‘All right but we leave now. We will have to leave the star. Hopefully they will believe that you perished in the destruction,’ said T’Challa, ‘Your crew will follow in the other ships.’

 

Chapter

Presently

The battle cruiser exited hyperspace near the moon and six other ships followed out of the hyperspace. A hail came from the Sentient Worlds Observation and Response Department space station the Peak II. T’Challa answered the hail. Moments later Agent Brand spoke with T’Challa who navigated the cruiser towards Wakanda. ‘ President T’Challa your entourage cannot enter Earth without permission,’ said Agent Brand

‘The people in the other ships are fleeing possible political persecution. I advise that you allow them safe haven at your space station for the time being,’ said T’Challa.

‘I spoke to your wife about two minutes ago. She was attending to an emergency,’ said Brand.

What kind of emergency? The missing creature or Azah? thought T’Challa

 

Chapter

 

Azah left his spaceship in the dimension route and he teleported to Wakanda. He followed a silent beacon that came from the helmet and lance. The beacon led Azah to a military facility that was guarded by bipedal robots. Azah teleported into the room where his items were kept. He fought off ten robot guards. The robots triggered an alarm.

Azah placed the helmet on his head. Then his instincts told him that an opponent was nearby. Azah activated his dark force field and grabbed the lance. He then waited.

Ororo came through the door. She viewed the destroyed robots with disgust. Then she focused on Azah and T’Challa’s sword-Ororo feared the worst. ‘From what I heard you were pivotal in shaping T’Challa’s character. I wonder what he will become once he loses you? Only one way to find out,’ said Azah.

T’Challa is alive thought Ororo.

 

Chapter

 

Ororo recognized that the peculiar energy pattern around Azah was the force field. Naturally Ororo manipulated all forms of energy but the force field was odd- she could not connect to it. Moreover Azah had the ability to teleport in an instant. I have to be creative thought Ororo. Ororo summoned a thick mist between her and Azah. Then Ororo used all the power of the Earth’s magnetic force to send through the roof as she cleared a path with lightening.

That same instant Azah had teleported from his spot to where Ororo had stood and Azah slashed wildly with T’Challa’s sword. Azah realized that Ororo had disappeared; he heard a noise from above and he stared upward at the night sky.

Then Azah noticed that the force field had been changing- small strange patterns created by Ororo grew all over the force field. Unknown to Azah the patterns seeped into the tiniest of spaces that were made when the dark force blade protruded the dark force field. Once inside of the force field the patterns transformed into charged electrons. The electrons exploded and caused an electrical power surge that attacked Azah’s body. The surge shorted out the force field and the helmet. Azah grimaced as he withstood the extreme pain.

Ororo then summoned plasma energy in her hands and she directed the raw energy down into the hole and onto Azah.

Azah mentally fought through the pain and he leapt out of the path of the attack. However the force of the plasma attack flung Azah through the wall and he landed outside of the building. Azah struggled to stand and then he realized that he had not T’Challa’s sword. However the force field controller began to work and it shielded Azah from the flurry of lightening bolts that came down on him.

Azah smelt the odor of his burnt flesh. His entire body pained and his vision was poor. He struggled to find his balance like a drunkard. Azah struck his lance in the ground and he leaned on it. The lightening bolts increased in ferocity but Azah merely watched the bright lights as he gathered his breath. He tried to mentally access the teleporter in his helmet but it was still offline.

 

Chapter

Wakandan warplanes threatened to down the battle cruiser. T’Challa identified himself and gave his air clearance number. He then called Ororo over their personal communicators. ‘Ororo where are you?’ asked T’Challa.

‘I am at the Nyah facility and Azah is here!’ said Ororo. T’Challa steered the battle cruiser westward and within seconds he was over the Nyah facility. T’Challa put the cruiser in hover mode. ‘Take over’ T’Challa told Edratt. Edratt took control of the ship while T’Challa rushed to the main door. T’Challa opened the door and then he made a High Altitude Low Opening jump.

Ororo caught T’Challa with a strong upper wind draft, which cradled T’Challa’s fall and T’Challa landed on the roof of the building. He then leapt off and landed in front of Azah.

 

Chapter

 

Ororo floated above both Azah and T’Challa. Ororo kept the lightening barrage on Azah. T’Challa spotted his sword on the ground. I have to chance it thought T’Challa. He dived at the sword and gathered it. T’Challa leapt like a panther towards Azah and T’Challa stabbed Azah through the chest. The lightening bolts bombarded T’Challa and he pitched back from Azah. T’Challa’s stunned body skated along the ground until it lost momentum.

Ororo stopped the lightening. She flew at T’Challa who trembled from the electrical shock. Ororo peeled backed the mask. T’Challa barely made out Ororo’s face. Then T’Challa felt the handle of the sword in his hand and he remembered Azah. ‘Is he dead?’ asked T’Challa

Ororo stared at Azah’s lifeless body, which had slumped onto the ground. ‘Yes,’ replied Ororo.

 

Chapter

T’Challa returned to the Hedus with the political refugees and Azah’s body. T’Challa had cut the force field controller from Azah’s body so he could be handled properly. Respectfully T’Challa gave the lance over to Zanda. ‘I hope your son will not need it’ said T’Challa. Zanda took the lance and she left the palace.

T’Challa announced that he still wanted Hedus self-governance and the prosecution of the Hedus generals involved in mass murders. However Edratt warned T’Challa that if self governance and a peaceful Hedus was to be a reality, it needed T’Challa’s effective leadership and he Edratt would need protection from Wakanda.

‘I will protect you,’ said T’Challa.

‘No. That is not what I mean. The country Wakanda has to be committed to oversee the transition no matter who is in power,’ said Edratt, ‘this is a crucial junction in the Hedus civilization because we are the ancestors of the Celestials.’

‘How is that possible, when the Celestials have existed for centuries?’ inquired T’Challa.

‘I have to show you something,’ said Edratt.

 

Chapter

 

The name of the building was pronounced Jack Kirby. Inside the building rested the 15,ooo feet long, gigantic and decapitated body of a Celestial. Edratt related the story of the dead Celestial: The Celestial was the first The One Above All whom was the leader of the Celestials. The Celestial came to Azah’s great grand father Rzah and tried to stop the further growth of the Hedus. At first Rzah believed that the Celestial was angry that the Nidas had killed intelligent populations who were being studied and experimented on by the Celestials. But the One Above All stated that the Hedus might be his race’s ancestors. The Celestials believe that they were constructed and a great amount of collected knowledge was placed in them. They escaped from a dimension millions of years in the future and they followed cryptic memories that led them to our universe. They assumed that a people from our universe created them and they want to stop it because, the Celestials suffer from ennui and depression. So if they kill their creators it will prevent the life that they suffer-’

‘They could not wait for intellectual evolution to reveal their creators so they interfered with it to quicken the process,’ said T’Challa.

‘Correct. When they saw the intellectual level of the Hedus, the One Above All thought he had found the creators and he attacked us. Rzah killed him in space and brought the body back here,’ said Edratt.

‘What did he use to kill the Celestial?’ asked T’Challa.

‘The lance that you gave to Zanda,’ answered Edratt. T’Challa sighed for the mistake he had made. ‘The Celestials have not bothered us since then. But with the Nidas gone it is possible that they may strike,’ said Edratt.

‘That will be another holocaust,’ said T’Challa. ‘And you need a superpower nation of warriors to deter that threat,’ said T’Challa as he realized the necessity of Wakanda to Hedus stability.

‘Led by the man and the woman who killed the Nidas king,’ said Edratt

 

That will be a problem thought T’Challa since Ororo and I are to leave office in a few months. Ororo had told T’Challa of the destruction of the OPTM political party hierarchy that had crippled the party before they had elected a new political leader and that had left T’Challa and Ororo in Presidential office until the general elections.

 

Chapter

 

T’Challa’s sword returned to his control since Azah had died and T’Challa removed the over ride programming while he told Ororo of the events in the Hedus. Then Ororo told her story about the destroyed Climate Change Regulator and her battle with the insane superhuman.

‘And the creature and one of his associates have revealed themselves to the public,’ said Ororo and she handed T’Challa Nginda’s and Slay’s files. ‘They have a political party. Nginda is running for President and he is a hard-line isolationist with regards to the foreign policy.’

T’Challa sucked his teeth because Nginda and Slay were either the leaders of a conspiracy or apart of a wider agenda. T’Challa was disappointed that he had not spoken to Muki about the conspiracy before he had passed away. ‘They want to take us back a hundred years. No allies and no foreign relations just total isolation,’ said T’Challa.

‘I am also running for President,’ said Ororo, ‘The world needs Wakanda’s intervention especially in climate change control.’

‘I agree and I need to be in office to ensure that the Hedus are protected,’ said T’Challa.

‘Then we will run a joint campaign,’ said Ororo.

‘Yes,’ said T’Challa. ‘Besides it is better that the people mandate us to help others. But it is how to convince them to do so?’

 

 

Chapter

 

Zanda along with her son arrived on the planet Teku, which revolved around its sun three times faster than any other planet in the solar system. She brought with her a youth preservation machine that she would use on herself while the planet aged her son quickly into an adult who would one day avenge his father’s death.

 

Next story: The Last Humans On Earth

~ by blackpantherfanstories on August 11, 2008.