Mission: Unlikely Saviors -

  4/17/2052 - Entry #1

  Greetings, my brothers, sisters, and kin. My hope is that these words will someday make it back to you. If you are reading this, then obviously it has. Whether I myself return is a different question, but despite the rough journey I ventured, I am feeling rather hopeful. Let me get back on track.

  This Journal is a record of my time on planet Sol-3, or as the locals call it "Earth", as part of the research and recruitment mission: Unlikely Saviors. You likely know this part already, but to give some context for future generations reading this, as I believe this mission, win or lose, will be forever etched in the panels of history, Mission: Unlikely Saviors is Eirainia's final hope for survival. For the past 7 revelations, our planet has been in a brutal war with the Onicidean, an empire of warriors trained from birth to become the strongest or die trying. They would seek out planets with little to no contact with the rest of the galaxy and ravaged them for everything they had. They are an unstoppable force that could easily desecrate any world. We put up a good fight for a while, but even with the armies from all regions of Eirainia and its colonies coming together, it hasn't been enough. The fact is that the longer the war raged on, the more Eirainia's source has dried up, and with less aether to go around, our troops have been growing weaker and weaker.

  This problem wasn't new. There are many theories as to why, but for generations our source has been slowly depleting, with many Eirainains being born with little to no connection to it. With the war demanding everyone to draw upon its full power, the depletion has been rapidly accelerated to dangerous levels. By our best estimates, if this war were to continue for even 2 more revelations, the source, and with it all life on Eirainia, would run completely dry.

  Just as all seemed lost, our spies had recovered a piece of information that gave our planet the hope to keep fighting; the unstoppable Onicidean empire had been defeated once before, by the unincorporated planet of Sol-3 of all places. How they pulled this off is largely unknown, but from the records they discovered, nearly 52 revelations ago the Onicidean attempted a full invasion of Sol-3 in order to seize its large and seemingly unprotected source of aether. What they did expect was that the people of Sol-3 possessed powers unlike anything the empire had ever seen. They were able to force their entire armada into a retreat within a matter of rotations. A defeat so embarrassing the empire tried to cover it up like it never happened.

  I believed we could use this one weakness to win our own war, so I came up with Mission: Unlikely Saviors. Oh, I suppose I should properly introduce myself now. I am Princess Calliope Eiraini, eldest daughter to Queen Clio and King Urphi, and heir to the Jewels. As I was saying, I proposed a mission to send someone to Sol-3 with two goals: conduct research on the planet and the powers that defeated the Onicideans, and, if the inhabitants of Sol-3 prove friendly and willing to cooperate, plead with them to lend us reinforcements. Despite my mother's concern, I volunteered myself for the mission. It only made sense, as a royal, I have one of the highest connections to the aether, and the status to negotiate with leaders of Sol-3. Still leaving my world behind wasn't easy, but this isn't the journal for my feelings.

  My voyage to Sol-3 took approximately 2.5 lunar cycles even with F.T.L. drives. I won't go into much detail on that here because I left many logs on my ship during my journey. Luckily, I arrived in the Solar System right as its 3rd planet was being hit by a harmless meteor storm. This gave me a chance to blend in with the other falling debris as I entered the planet. I charted the ship to land near this planet's source, but unfortunately, I failed to properly calibrate it to Sol-3's atmosphere and gravity, causing it to veer off course. I quickly took manual control before we crashed and steered it into a forest a short distance away from the closest city I could see. I wasn't targeted by any weapons, so it seems like nobody noticed my rough entry.

  As soon as I touched down, I set my ship to scan the surrounding area and camouflage itself accordingly. This can take a little while to do, but as long as no one goes to that specific spot in the forest tonight, it should be fine. With my people waiting for me, I took no time to rest and flew straight to the city, which I soon found out is called "Shadow Brook."

  There I saw for the first time these, "Humans" of "Earth". I have to say they are not what I pictured. They are much smaller than I imagined and possess quite simple features. They definitely don't look physically strong, but of course the real strength of any higher species comes from their connection to aether. As a master shifter, I was able to disguise myself as one of them quite easily. I haven't tried talking to them yet; investigating their source comes first, but I did go to a store and "borrow" one of their blank books to write in. In case my "alien" technology were to fail, I don't want this record to be lost.

  That brings us to the present, where I write this on my way to traveling to this planet's source of aether. I will write in this again soon to record my findings there.

  5/24/2025 - Entry #2

  It's been over an Earth lunar cycle since I arrived. I've been meaning to record more of my findings in here sooner, but unfortunately, it has taken me some time to really understand what I've found. If my audio logs have been recovered, you'll know what I mean. Let's start with the positives. I was able to locate the source of this planet quickly, with my natural connection to aether that was the easy part. The difficult part was actually getting up there. The source was located at the peak of a mountain in what can only be described as the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, as I got closer to it, my powers started to malfunction, and my body became ill. I'm not exactly sure why, but my theory is that there's something different about the aether on this planet. It seems more wild.

  I managed to reach the top of the mountain on foot. However, when I got there, I started to have doubts about the mission. True, the source is still plentiful, but that’s only because it’s remained practically untouched. It seems like it has the opposite problem that my planet had. Their pool of aether is growing faster than it’s being drained. I was quite excited by this at first, but then I realized the reality of the situation. The source was overflowing with so much extra power that it spread to the surrounding nature, infecting the local wildlife. The pool seeps into the ground, causing the flora and fauna to be infused with mystical properties. From what I gathered, their source has remained hidden for millennia, meaning the human race has yet to evolve to access its power freely.

  The question is, if the source wasn't giving them the power to fight off the Onicidean invasion, what did?

  My current plan is to start running some tests on the source while I'm still up here. I've noticed my powers have begun to return even stronger than before after my body had a few weeks to adjust to it. We might be able to use that to our advantage. Next, I will try to blend in with the humans and learn as much as I can about their history and customs in a short time. This planet has very little experience with alien life, so if I want any chance at having peaceful negotiations, I have to make sure I can act like one of them. I also need to get their side of the story on how they fought off the invasion.

  It seems I still have a long way to go before I'm ready to return to Eirainia. I pray my people are able to keep holding strong until then.

  8/10/2052 - Entry # 5

  After my stroke of bad luck, I'm happy to finally be able to report some good news. I've discovered how Earth won their war against the Onicideans.

  Once I made it back to the city of Shadow Brook, where I had landed my ship, I discovered it had a building for the public to freely access information and literature called a "library." The nice lady there showed me how to operate one of their "computers", a device similar to a talking scroll that can be used to access information. I tried to find out as much as I could about the Onicidean war. What I found out was more impressive than I could have ever imagined. All the sources I could find attributed the victory to this group known as "The Empowereds". The truly unbelievable part is they weren't some kind of massive army like I initially thought. They were a team of ten heroes. Ten humans won against the might of the Onicidean Empire!

  It seemed my theory was correct; the vast majority of humans haven't been tapping into the source at all. However, a small percent of them have somehow acquired inherited powers they call "titles". Unfortunately it seems that humans haven't fully discovered what they are or where they come from yet.

  I found that in the modern day many of these humans with titles, like The Empowereds, have chosen to become public protectors known as "superheroes". Sadly, humans live such short lives most of the Empowereds have either died in battle or retired since then. However, I’m hopeful that the new generation of heroes will prove to be just as mighty.

  Today, I’ve been trying to reach out to the noblest of these heroes via the human long-distance communication technology known as "E-mail". In the culture of earth superheroes are looked up to as paragons that fight for freedom and justice, so I am hopeful they will be happy to help defend our home. None of them have responded yet, but I've been told they are often busy, so I had to leave the library and come back tomorrow to see if they respond to my "fan mail."

  ?/ ?/2052 - Entry #7

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  It took me several weeks (7 Earth rotations), but I finally got a reply from one of those superheroes! He said he would be interested in meeting me in-person to hear more about my people's predicament. From what I found out about him online, he's one of the most beloved heroes in the region of California. He’s incredibly strong and cares a lot about the people he protects.

  I’m going to meet with him tonight. I'm so excited, but a little nervous too. I hope my people can hold on for a little while longer, help will be on its way soon.

  Mission.U.S./log.92.mp3

  "Mission: Unlikely Saviors, audio log, number 92.

  Last night I met with the hero I spoke of, and while I plan on giving a summary in my journal, right now I am filled with so much excitement I have to give a detailed account of tonight in this log.

  Let me start from the beginning.

  Right after I finished writing my last report in my journal, I put my pen down and stretched my arms, getting a glance at my watch as I did so. 10:30pm already, I should get going. So I closed my journal and went out to the city center. I quickly walked towards the closest alley and checked that the coast was clear.

  Once I saw no one around, I chanted a spell in my native tongue that roughly translates to, “Oh great forces of the wind, let me join those that soar among the clouds.”

  My eyes glow a soft blue as whips of the same colored energy formed from my hands and feet, then shoot at the ground, launching me into the sky. The brisk autumn wind rushed through my long blond hair as I’m propelled far above the city’s looming skyscrapers until their lights seemed as far away as the stars. Oops, might have overshot it. I’m still getting used to this planet’s effects on my spells. I let Gravity take over and dive down towards the hero's tower. As I approached my destination, I pulled myself into a glide and swooped by his office. I had to make a full lap around the building to slow my momentum enough to come to a mid-air stop right outside his window. He must have been pretty surprised to see me floating there because claws popped out of his fingertips like a frightened cat. I knocked on the window to get him to open it.

  “Who are you? Ma'am, are you licensed for flying at this altitude?” He asked authoritatively.

  “My name is Calliope, you have a meeting with me, remember?” I said with a confident smile, “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Hanson.”

  “Oh? Yes, you must be the "alien girl". Forgive my rudeness, I was expecting you to come in the door. You may come in.” He grinned and retracted his claws. There's something about him that gave me an odd feeling. I can’t quite tell if he’s being fully genuine. Maybe it’s normal on Earth; I shouldn't judge him right away.

  I floated inside and whispered, “Aquenūl” (meaning release), the blue energy dissipated, and a touchdown. He gave me a strange look. I took a good look around his office. It seemed pretty well kept, other than a pile of letters spread out on his desk, which he discreetly cleared off and placed into a box labeled “Fan Mail”. Other than the desk, the room was pretty empty. The only decorations he had are a shelf proudly displaying all the various trophies and awards he’s won, and a poster of him in dragon hybrid form posing with children in what looks to be a hospital room. He took a seat in the armchair behind his desk and gestured for me to sit in the office chair across from him. I did and noticed how this gave it a sense that he was looming over me in this position, creating some sort of weird power distance. On one hand, this made his presents intimidating, but on the other, he was wearing such a warm smile that matched all the pictures I’ve seen of him. It was hard to get a read of this guy's vibe.

  “Thank you for being willing to hear me out, Mr. Hanson.” I started.

  “Oh please, you can call me Drako-Knight.” He laughed.

  “You go by your fake name even in person?” I wondered.

  “Well, yes, it’s my hero name, all of us have them. We chose them to inspire hope among the people. To me, it’s as real as my birth name.” He explained.

  “Oh, I see. Where I come from, it’s considered unwise to trust those who use fake names and hide behind masks, for good reason.” I told him.

  He sighed and got straight to the point, “Very well, you may call me Arthur. Now tell me more about where you come from and why you are here.

  “I am from the planet Eirainia. I’ve come to Earth to seek help in fending off the Onicidean invasion of my world.” I recapped.

  “Yes, you’ve said as much in your e-mail. I’ve been thinking it over and I would love to give you all the help I could. But first, if you don’t mind, I’d like to see some proof that what you say is really true.” He suggested.

  “Of course, I have nothing to hide from my allies. Just please don’t be alarmed,” I warned him. “Aquenūl.” I released my disguise spell, unveiling my true form. I grow to 7'5", my skin shifts into a pastel purple color, my hair turns to its natural sky-blue hue, and I regain my curly horns and fiendish tail. My face gained larger eyes with deep cerulean sclera and alabaster pupils. My ears arched out with lobes that drooped down into a ring. At first, changing back felt nice and relaxing since I’ve been stuck in my human form for so long, but I soon got light-headed because my natural body is adapted for an atmosphere with a greater concentration of oxygen.

  “So this is your alien body then? I would love to believe you, but there are humans such as myself with transformation titles.” Arthur reasoned. "Perhaps you could show me some technology that we don't have on Earth?"

  “If you want more proof, I could show you my spaceship.” I coughed, “Although it isn’t fully operational at the moment because someone stole some of its parts.” I recast the disguise spell with a chant that translates to, “May my body be one with the species of human.” I’m starting to get worried. He seems nice enough, but I can see why, from his point of view, I sound suspicious.

  “Your ship was robbed? What parts were stolen?” He inquired.

  “Most of the artificial gravity generators, as well as some small steering thrusters, the tractor beam, and multiple liquid battery cells,” I recalled.

  “Interesting…” Arthur paused to think for a suspenseful moment, like dots were connecting in his head. “Well, I believe you now.”

  “So, will you help me?” I asked, jumping out of my seat in excitement.

  “Oh dear, I would love to, however, our planet is still years away from interstellar travel. So unless you can get your ship working, we'd all be stuck here.” He stated, seeming to be deep in thought.

  "Yes, I'm aware of that much." I explained, "I should be able to repair my ship if I can get my parts back."

  "Hmm… now that you mention it, I might just have a lead on who might have taken them." Arthur grinned.

  “Really!?” I asked excitedly. "Who are they?"

  "I have no idea what their real name is, but they hide behind a mask and go by the epithet Night Hopper. You see, a few months ago, they showed up out of nowhere and used their gravity manipulation powers illegally to pick fights with gangsters and cause me a lot of trouble.” He started.

  “Are they some kind of criminal or supervillain?”

  “Well, they call themself a "vigilante." They may have been reported protecting people at times, but I know they’re plotting something. I had an encounter with them just two days ago and, for whatever reason, they seem bent on spreading lies about me. I fear that if they're able to fabricate enough evidence against me, I could be thrown out of the hero association,” Arthur explained.

  “They showed up around the time I did and possessed gravity ability? I agree it is an odd coincidence, but is there anything else that could prove they stole my ship's parts?”

  “Now that I think about it, their suit does have numerous gadgets built into it. I noticed that they messed with them every time they used an ability.” He stated. “Say, you seem to have some impressive powers of your own. Do you think you could help me handle them?”

  “Well, yes, I am moderately adept at combat, but I don’t know how I would compare based on my limited knowledge of the enemy. It sounds like you were unable to catch them, yes? If you weren’t able to best them, what makes you think I shall fare better?” I asked. I would agree right away, but I should really have more information before making him any promises.

  “Yes, they did get away from me, but only because they caught me by surprise. I would go after them myself, but other threats to the public require my full attention. So here’s my deal: if you bring me Night Hopper, I’ll make saving your planet my top priority, and you’ll get your ship parts back, which we’ll need to get a team of our best heroes to Eirainia.” He offered. So all I need to do is find this person who stole parts from my ship, which I needed to do anyway, and he'll send help? Sounds like a win-win.

  “Alright, I shall do my best to find this vigilante and bring them back to you.” I promised.

  “Great,” He got up and reached his hand out, “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Calliope.”

  “Likewise,” After an awkward moment passed, I realized, oh, he must be going for the earth tradition of the “handshake”. I quickly extend my hand, and he shakes it. I hope I’m doing this right. He sharply squeezed my hand pretty hard.

  “And do try to hurry, there are lives on the line, you know.” He said with a smile that somehow felt oddly threatening. Is that normal on Earth?

  “I will,” I let go and opened the window while chanting my flight spell, “Goodnight, Arthur.” I hesitantly smiled. I can’t keep my people waiting. I flew off into the night sky and began my search.

  I have yet to find this Night Hopper yet but given that they are the only thing in the way of me completing my mission, rest assured, I am coming for them with everything I have.

  End Recording."