When all was said and done the death toll aboard the Tragulon was one hundred and thirty-six. 136 alien souls lost to either the initial explosion or the ensuing vacuum of space. Although as many had tried to point out it could have been much worse. With a total passenger count nearing 5,000 it seemed a miracle that as many survived as they did. But for our hero Ben Tennyson, it was one entirely too many.
Of course, the news had spread like wildfire, especially once word had gotten out about Ben's involvement. The story was on nearly every front page of the extra net and had even managed to make it onto some of earth's own programming. They called it the 'Tragedy aboard the Tragulon'. Many of course, blamed Ben for the deaths. Some praised the hero for trying to protect the ship. A week had passed since the accident. A memorial service was held. Ben had attended out of formality, even though many still blamed him for what happened. Vilgax meanwhile, was nowhere to be found. Delegates from the victims home planets had all attended, representing the over 20 species comprising the victims. A memorial was erected on the nearest planetoid, a dry environment with sparse vegetation. It all seemed to pass Ben by in the blink of an eye. It all just seemed methodical to Ben's numbed pysche. The days came and went just like any other, as though the horrific loss of life simply hadn't happened. But Ben knew better. He knew that those people would never be back, would never see their loved ones again.
Ben stood staring up at the obelisk memorial once the ceremony was long finished. Every inch of the obsidian stone was engraved with the names of the victims. Ben stood silently reading the names, as if he were trying to engrave them into his own mind. The plumbers were all represented as well. Rook walked up to Ben from behind. The Revonnahgander stood silent for a moment as he watched Ben's unmoving figure. There was a tense silence as he considered the best words to speak.
"You must not blame yourself Ben. You did the best you could." Rook finally said. What seemed like an eternity of silence passed between them.
"My best wasn't good enough." Ben finally spoke quietly. Rook frowned for a moment as he took in his partner's sad visage. In the years that he had known Ben, he had never seen the boy like this. Despondent was the closest earth word he could think of for it. He tried to come up with some encouraging words, but he fell miserably short. Before he could say anything else he was joined by the rest of their retinue. Gwen, Kevin, Kai, and Magister Max all walked up to join them.
"Rook's right Ben." Kai's voice spoke. "You know this was all because of Vilgax. There was nothing you could have done." She tried to encourage. They were all surprised when Ben tensed and snapped.
"But there could have been! There should have been something I did. I failed and now these people are all gone. Do any of you have any idea what that feels like?" He asked angrily. The group all shied away sheepishly from the outburst. All except for Max who stood stead fast and spoke softly.
"Ben you can't save everyone. No matter how hard you try." He spoke sagely. Tears began to spill from Ben's face before he quickly wiped them away. He turned to look back at the stone monument. He felt like a powder keg of emotions, ready to explode and break down with each passing moment. He couldn't help but replay that day over and over again in his head. He kept asking himself what could have gone differently. How he could have saved all of those people. Each day he came up with a new answer, a way one of his alien forms could have saved the day. But ultimately if he hadn't been onboard in the first place none of this would have happened. Vilgax wouldn't have attacked, and all those people would still be alive. It was that thought which fueled Ben's rage more than anything. He would make Vilgax pay, no matter what. Luckily, he wouldn't have to wait long.
Only 2 weeks after the attack on the Tragulon, the Plumbers had finally tracked down Vilgax's ship. He had cloaked himself inside a treacherous asteroid field. The scouting ship reported minimal activity from the battle cruiser. Vilgax was likely biding his time and planning his next move. Unfortunately for him, the plumbers would not let him stay free for long. A sneak assault was planned. The plan was simple: overwhelm Vilgax with numbers, trap him inside the asteroid field, board the ship and capture him.
As the assault commenced, Ben was laser focused. This was his chance to make things right. The chance to bring justice to those who lost their lives. He couldn't afford to screw this up. Ben tightened his fist as he fiddled with the Omnitrix nervously, a habit from his childhood he had never fully kicked. The inside of the boarding pod was eerily quiet. Perhaps all aboard shared Ben's sense of seriousness. Gwen and Kevin occupied the short ride over by worriedly glancing at Ben and then to each other. Rook, the consummate professional he was, was silently preparing himself as well. Although he too couldn't help but send a worried glance Ben's way. Ben ignored everything around him, his eyes glued to the nav screen showing their approach to Vilgax's ship.
With a shudder the boarding craft attached itself to the hull of Vilgax's battleship. The boarding party of heroes and plumbers descended into the byways of the ship. With a flash of green, Ben's form was replaced by that of Four Arms. With hardly a word spoken he lead the charge deep into the heart of the vessel. It wasn't long before they met resistance in the form of robotic drones. Rook raised his weapon quickly to fire at the mechanical interference. However, he was too slow on the draw. Before either side could fire a single shot, Ben charged into the fray. His super strength easily crushing the mechanical menaces into sparking piles of servos. In a matter of minutes the way forward was clear once again.
"Come on, we're wasting time. Let's go!" Ben shouted. Our heroes looked between each other before dutifully following Ben down the hallway. The group proceeded in much the same fashion. Each obstacle they encountered was swiftly overrun by the raw power of Ben's alien strength. In a matter of minutes they reached the bridge. Once again Ben reared back with all four of his fists and hammered his way through the enormous locked steel doors.
"Where are you Vilgax?! We've got a score to settle!" Ben shouted upon entry. At the far end of the hallway Vilgax rose from his throne.
"Tennyson! You and these plumber scum will pay for invading my ship!" Vilgax threatened.
"The only one who's going to be paying is you, you psychopath." Ben shouted. He leapt into action, bounding across the distance from him and Vilgax in single jump.
"Ben wait! The plan!" Gwen shouted after her cousin. But Ben seemed too blinded by rage to pay attention.
He and Vilgax locked arms. Each of their muscles tensing with the effort of holding back the other. Four Arms had the advantage however. Using his second pair of arms Ben clasped his fists together and delivered a vicious swing up into Vilgax's chin. The blow caught the towering alien off guard. From then on it was a one sided battle. Ben viciously began pummeling Vilgax with all four of his fists. Blow after blow landed on Vilgax's body with relentless fury. Ben's friends could only stand by and watch stunned as Ben beat the ever living daylights out of his opponent. They had never seen Ben this terrifying before. It was as though he had lost all sense of control. Soon Vilgax fell to his knees and then his back not soon after. Ben however, continued to mercilessly pummel Vilgax's unconscious body. He began swinging with two fists at once, his human subconcious overriding his alien physiology. Ben brought his hand back for another punch, but he was stopped short as he felt a hand grab his wrist. Ben twisted his head around only to find Kevin's metal clad skin grasping his arm.
"Ben that's enough! He's out." Kevin scolded. Ben panted heavily before turning back to Vilgax. Indeed the alien warlord was unconscious. More importantly he was beaten into a bloody and bruised mess. The timer on the watch began to beep. In another flash of red Ben had reverted back to his human form. He shook with equal parts exertion and relief. He panted heavily, sweat dripping down his entire body. He looked down at his bruised and bloodied hands, still shaking from the adrenaline running through his He had done it. He had beaten Vilgax. He had made the maniac pay for taking all of those innocent lives.
So why didn't he feel any better?