The Starjammers had their Empress. They had their General. And now it was time for them to try and reclaim what was lost and take down D'Ken.
" I won't lie to you guys, we're going head first into a shit-storm. Over half the Shi'ar Armada is waiting for us, along with the Imperial guard. Not to mention that Vulcan himself is there along with Deathbird. What I'm saying is, the chances we don't make it back from this are high.... But does that matter?!" Corsair asked.
" Hell No!" The crew replied.
" We've faced near death experiences many times and yet here we are! Now, we have a job to do. And that's to take down D'Ken and Vulcan, Reclaim the throne for Lilandra and Save Charles Xavier! Are we ready?!" Corsair asked.
" Hell Yeah!"
" Then let's go!" Corsair shouted. The Crew along with the defectors from the Shi'ar Armada all prepped their ships and entered jump drive.
While the ships traveled towards the world where Vulcan's marriage to Deathbird would be, Ian and Rachel found themselves enjoying the last few moments of peace before the fighting.
" So, we're finally doing it huh? It seems like we've been out here for so long." Ian spoke.
" Because we have. We've gone for at least two months." Rachel stated.
" Man, two months. And now our goal is within sight. This is gonna be dangerous. We might not come back from this." In stated.
" It is possible..." Rachel replied.
" So, that leaves me with one question, what does that mean for us?" Ian asked.
Rachel hugged herself and then frowned.
" I... I don't know. I enjoy the time we spend together. But I..."
Ian smirked and then kissed Rachel on the side of her head.
" Nothing more needs to be said. We've got to focus. So, let's focus on the battle. We can talk more about us after we save our boys." Ian told the girl.
Rachel smiled and nodded. He knew she didn't want to broach the situation and she appreciated him putting it off for her.
" Come on, I think we're almost there. I can finally feel my lunch starting to settle again." Ian told the woman. He got up from his seat and walked off, to join the others.
.....
The entire ship was quiet save for the sounds of machines running and guns loading. The crew were focused, they needed to be, for the battle they were about to enter would be the most treacherous venture of their life.
For Ian, this would be the chance to see where he stood. He had heard of Vulcan's exploits. And had experienced first-hand how strong Gladiator was when he singlehandedly took down the X-men. And though he wouldn't admit it, he knew he was nervous. Anyone would be.
The moment the ship stopped the sound of screams filled the air and the ships guns started firing at the soldiers below and the other ships in the sky. And in an instant Corsair and his team all were teleported down to the field below.
" Starjammers! No retreat! No surrender!" Corsair yelled. And the moment the forcefield dropped, all hell broke loose.
" Imperial Guard! Attack Formation!" Gladiator yelled. He charged forward towards the group.
" Kurt do your thing." Warpath told Nightcrawler.
Kurt didn't reply, he had already teleported away before James could finish his sentence.
The Starjammers and the X-men had one plan. Keep the guard busy while Kurt grabbed Darwin and Xavier. And for Ian that meant fighting Gladiator.
Onslaught jumped up into the air to meet gladiator head on, and the moment the two men met, he felt all the wind in his body leave in one fail swoop.
Not once had he ever been hit so hard in his life, by something he could only describe as a flying mountain. However, he wasn't ready to be outdone. He leaned into Gladiator's grasp and pushed back against the man.
Ian and Gladiator both ended up crashing down onto the ground below and Gladiator had him pinned down by the throat.
" I remember your face, earther. You were at the institute when Cassandra Nova attacked. You've come far from the small child from back then. Shame you came all the way here to die. Forgive me for that." Gladiator spoke.
" Ugh! Grh!" Ian gasped. He could feel Gladiator's hand squeezing down harder and harder on his windpipe. " Like... Hell I am!" Ian raised his foot up and kicked Gladiator in his chest hard. It was a good blow, strong enough to cave a normal man's chest in.
But then again, Gladiator isn't a normal man.
Ian rolled over to his feet and was immediately once again beset upon by Gladiator.
The titan punched at Ian, but the man dodged it, and his fist hit the ground cratering it.
' He's strong.' Ian thought to himself as he looked at the whole in the moon that Gladiator left behind.
Gladiator suddenly appeared in front of Ian and sent a kick his way. Ian raised his arms to block the kick, but he was still sent flying from the force behind the attack.
' He's fast!'
Ian felt his arms pounding, even though he was healing fast the pain didn't disappear. And in that moment, he knew he wasn't going to beat Gladiator in a head up fight.
' Ian! You can overpower him.' Rachel told the boy telepathically.
' I don't have much else to do. Does this guy have a weakness?' Ian asked.
' His power comes from his confidence. If you can make doubt himself for even a moment, that could give you an opening to at least stun him.' Rachel explained to the boy.
' Make him, mad? I can do that.' Ian replied.
' Be careful!' Rachel exclaimed.
Ian nodded and faced the foe that was flying towards him.
" Is that all you can do, Gladiator? I expected better from the so-called leader of the Imperial guard. The way everyone talked about you guys, I thought you were special. But what kind of guard defends the man who betrayed his empress?" Ian asked the man.
" You know nothing of which you speak boy. The imperial guard serves the throne. Whoever sits on it... Matters not." Gladiator replied. His gaze wavered for a moment, going towards Lilandra and staying there briefly, but long enough for Ian to see it.
" Heh! So you serve the throne... Even if that means betraying the woman you care about? Is that it? Some fucking guard you are. Do you really believe the shit you're speaking? You're even more pathetic than I thought." Ian told the man.
Gladiator was visibly angered. His face crumpled up and his eyes turned red.
" How dare you! You know nothing of our empire. You are nothing more than an earther far out of his league." Gladiator exclaimed.
" Out of my league? Look at me. You've barely even hurt me. Your punches are pathetic. You aren't some almighty protectors of the empire. You're a worthless worm. A pathetic weakling." Ian told the man.
" Shut your mouth!"
" Look around, all of this could have been prevented. And poor Lilandra, a woman betrayed by the closest thing she has to family left on this world. But that's what you get for trusting in a pathetic man like you. Porr Lilandra, just another victim! That GLADIATOR FAILED TO SAVE!" Ian watched as Gladiator's face twisted in anger and the man exploded right for him.
In his rage fueled outburst Gladiator let his guard down. The rage he felt along with the embarrassment and his already growing confusion on who to serve made that doubt within his mind begin to grow more.
And Ian took full advantage of it by cupping his hands together and slamming them down over Gladiator's back just as the man reached him.
Gladiator bounced against the surface of the moon they were on hard enough to bounce into the air again.
Ian followed his attack up by kicking the man right in his face, sending him rolling across the ground.
' Can't let up.' Ian jumped after Gladiator and tried to slam into him from above, but Gladiator managed to move out of the way and return a punch of his own right into Ian's jaw.
" UGH!" Ian grunted. Despite being weaker, Gladiator still hit like a bus.
Ian felt his jaw pop hard, almost like it broke, and the man spun around hard.
Gladiator hopped up to his feet and continued attacking, punching Ian in his face and chest over and over again.
Ian raised his arms to block the strikes, but they still just kept coming.
Gladiator pressed his attack throwing another punch at the side of Ian's head. The young man managed to catch his fist and used Gladiator's momentum to throw him over his shoulder. He ran towards Gladiator and jumped into the air only for a stray energy blast to knock him back down.
" Agh Motherfucker!" Ian cursed. He rubbed the spot where he was hit and saw how singed his skin was there. It seemed like his healing factor was affected by the energy blast, because his skin was healing slowly.
" Heh! That's enough of that." Vulcan stated.
Ian looked over at the man and glared.
" Heh! Gladiator finish it!" Vulcan ordered.
The moment Ian took his eyes off of Gladiator, the man had recovered and was already launching himself at Ian. Ian's head jerked back towards the man, but it was too late, Gladiator had already had his hand wrapped around Ian's throat before he knew it.
Ian struggled to break free, but Gladiator had him stuck.
" Know, that while I didn't want to do this, I will enjoy it." Gladiator told the young man. His eyes turned red, and his heat vision started burrowing right through Ian's eyes.
Ian screamed and squirmed, but Gladiator would not relent.
The others all looked at what was happening in horror. But none of them were in any position themselves to help, as they were all being swarmed by the rest of the guard and the soldiers below.
Gladiator continued pushing his heat vision through Ian's head, but over time grew suspicious. Even though the man was yelling from the pain, he hadn't yet died, which confused Gladiator. So, he kept going, using as much of his power as he could.
" Geh! Agh! AGHHHHHHHHHH!" Ian shouted as loud as he could, and in that moment a change occurred in his eyes. The moment his eyes grew back, they suddenly erupted with a burst of energy, and a ray of heat vision exploded out and pushed Against Gladiator's heat vision.
Gladiator was momentarily shocked by this discovery, everyone was, but the man wouldn't allow this momentary distraction to cause him to falter.
Gladiator and Ian began battling with their eyes, pushing back and forth with their energies, but eventually something had to give.
The two rays of energy grew so big and hot that they exploded and sent both men flying.
Gladiator landed on the ground hard, and soon found himself encased in a metal prison by Lorna. And Ian had the unfortunate luck of landing right in front of Vulcan himself.
Ian groaned and looked up as the man loomed over him.
" Well, now isn't that a surprise? I don't quite remember seeing you before. Who are you?" Vulcan asked. His smug face only served to piss Ian off more.
" The man who's gonna kick your narrow ass." Ian told the man.
" You? Ha! Look at you. You are wounded and weak. You can see that my powers already beginning to affect you. There won't be any more of that heat vision." Vulcan explained to the boy." You seem like a nice, guys, so I'll give you one chance. Kneel to your king."
Ian looked up at the man, he was hurting, bad. Whatever those guys on earth could do, these guys were in a different league entirely. And while he knew he could probably live if he did.
"Go fuck yourself." Ian told the man.
" Heh! Right answer." Vulcan replied. He raised his hand and a wall of energy dropped down and covered Ian.
" No!" Rachel shouted from across the field. She tried to use her power to help but, in the moment, she was distracted Gladiator broke free.
" YOU CAN'T HOLD ME!" The man yelled in anger. He was furious on being embarrassed over and over again. His pride as a member of the imperial guard being severely wounded.
Things were beginning to get worse and worse for the rebel fighters. They quickly found themselves being overwhelmed by the enemy. It looked as if things were finally over for them all.
' What is this? It feels quite nice. Like a ball of raging fire building within me. An inferno. I feel it. The power is growing. Swelling. And I like it!'
" Haha! This is what happens to all who defy me!" Vulcan laughed. He was so sure of himself and his victory that he believed no one could stop him now. He was a powerful mutant, had a powerful wife, and now one of the strongest armies in the entire galaxy served him. "What could go wrong?" Is what he asked himself. But his laughing soon came to an end, when a pair of hands covered in red energy shot out from below him and grabbed his hands. " What?!"
" Heh! I'm just as confused as you are. But I gotta say.... This feels pretty good. Now, I feel like I really can do anything."