Zodiac Force Cyberstars - Prologue (Part 1)

[CyberstarAries]

Read the backstory here (http://www.rangerboard.com/showthread.php?t=47357)

View the character guide (http://www.rangerboard.com/showthread.php?t=47438) (Sky Force, before Zodiac Force)

MAY 2000...

The summer day began like any other for 21-year-old Omar. The alarm clock went off at 10:00 AM - and he finally woke up at noon. The boy ran his fingers through his layered brown hair and rubbed his eyes before putting on his black wire-framed glasses.

"Damn..." he said to himself with a yawn. "Guess I should try to go to bed before five in the morning." He then looked over in the corner of his bedroom, where atop a red papa-san chair slept his three-year-old miniature Dachshund pup, Kooby. As if he could sense it, the dog looked up and wagged his tail at his master. "Morning, Koob." Kooby barked in response.

Omar stretched and scratched his head one more time before throwing back the covers and putting on the pair of jeans that he'd worn to the club with his friends the night before. He then pulled on a black tee-shirt and a red and white plaid shirt. He was glad the weekend was here, although Thursday night was usually the start of his weekend.

A vibrating noise startled him, and he looked over to his nightstand at his Nokia cellphone to see he had missed several phone calls and that his voicemail box had messages in it.

"Ugh... it's a bit early for this many calls," he grumbled. He didn't bother checking his voicemail, instead dialing the last number that had called him. He yawned again as a cheery female voice answered.

"Hey hottie!"

"Sup, Gwyn," Omar said with a smile.

"You and that band were fantastic last night!"

"Thanks... glad you guys could make it out."

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world, Omar," the girl's voice replied. "You and your violin stole the show as always." There was a brief pause as Omar yawned yet again. "Are you JUST now waking up?"

"Duh," he laughed. "I didn't fall asleep until sometime earlier this morning."

"Oh well, you deserved it. Now get ready. Dana and I are heading over so we can go meet Nick and James over at the lake."

"The lake?!" Omar cried. Kooby perked up at those words.

"Yeah, the lake. You're never going to get over you-know-who if you sit on your ass all day and mope around on the internet late at night instead of meeting some fresh, hot new faces."

"I'm getting used to being single again, thanks." The boy threw himself down on the bed, and Kooby then drooped back down on the large red chair, feeling Omar's vibes.

"You're in a bad mood when you're single, Omar," Gwyn retorted. "And the others agree with me... even Polycron agrees... so you need a distraction."

"Um, Gwyn, don't you think Nefarius and his cronies are a distraction enough?"

There was another pause before his girl pal replied.

"A POSITIVE distraction from a regular guy, not that self-assured, laser-toting egotistical spaceface."

"Fine..." Omar sighed. "I'll put on some shorts. But don't expect me to sit around in the sun, I'm quite happy being pasty." She'd hung up before he could even say goodbye. He smiled. Even though he preferred to be left alone after his recent breakup, it was comforting to know that his friends were still looking out for him.

*****

A white Miata tore down the freeway in Austin, Texas, swerving through the Saturday afternoon traffic. Cars and minivans honked their horns angrily as a sharp-faced, business-like brunette with auburn streaks in her hair adjusted her sunglasses like nothing was wrong. Next to her, a terrified blonde girl with her blue sunglasses pulling back her long, straight hair seemed to clench onto anything she could for dear life.

"Um, I'd like to make it to Omar's house in one piece, Dana!" she cried.

"Never mind that, blondie," the older girl remarked, keeping a straight face and smacking a piece of gum. "What'd he say? Is he still playing boo-hoo over Jeff?"

"Seemed like it, but let's change that..." Gwyn laughed. The two of them high-fived each other, and the blonde returned to covering her eyes as Dana, dressed in a white swimsuit and a pink scarf (which concealed her bottom), continued her trek toward their friend's house.

*****

An icy cool voice pierced the silence of a secret chamber lit only by metallic blue torches.

"So, that airhead of a Blue Cyberstar thinks I'm self-assured..."

"Not to mention egotistical, my Prince," a warrior clad in silver and black armor with gleaming red eyes added.

"Well, they have no idea how much more self-assured I am now that I have their mentor's most prized possession!" The blue light cast its gleam over a lanky young man dressed in black leather with white accents and shoulder pads, along with a shimmering black cape. He grinned, glancing over to the corner of his throneroom and laying his eyes upon the almost spectral form of a young woman with pure white hair and blue eyes. "Celestia...."

[CyberstarAries]

"Celestia..." Prince Nefarius, ruler of the Necronian Empire and a vain, calculating creature of greed and violence, arose from his throne, where he had been perched with his booted legs crossed over one another. He primped his perfectly styled silver hair and grinned at his prisoner. "How do you like your new home?" He chuckled to himself.

"You will not get away with this, Nefarius," the frail young woman, dressed in silky white robes and wearing a sparkling silver tiara around her forehead, said in almost a whisper. "My grandfather will send his warriors to rescue me the moment he discovers what you have done!"

"Perfect!" cried the handsome, young emperor of evil. "That's exactly what we want." He turned to his footman, the armor-clad warrior. "Isn't that right, Knightonyx?"

"Indeed, my Prince," came the reply, echoing within his metallic frame. Celestia frowned in horror. She was not bound at all, but she knew that any attempt at escaping would warrant her immediate destruction at the hands of Knightonyx's saber. "Your soldiers are ready for the preliminary attack."

"Excellent, my faithful friend," Prince Nefarius sighed, crossing his arms and turning his back on his beautiful prisoner. "Lure those SkyForce brats out where we want them!"
"At once!" the black and silver clad soldier responded, and vanished in a gleam of dark blue electricity.

*****

Lake Austin was located just west of the shimmering high-rises and office buildings of the downtown area, and now that it was summer, the sandy lakeside beach was crowded with relieved high school and college students as well as families and their children, along as a few dogs that had tagged along for the ride with their owners.

The great thing about Austin was that even though it was summer, the cool breeze of spring was still in the hill country, and was a relief to those who couldn't bear the hot sun - including Omar. He sat underneath a large red umbrella, wearing a shiny pair of red-lensed sunglasses and a red pair of shorts as well as a white muscle shirt and red and white floral-printed Hawaiian shirt that was unbuttoned.

A black-furred miniature Dachshund bounded through the sand after a red frisbee that was half his size, while Omar (the thrower of said frisbee) sat in-between his two girl friends, with Gwyn on his left and Dana on his right. Both of them were dressed to tan, while nearby, two taller, good-looking young men were playing volleyball with a rather large group of girls. Omar adjusted his red sunglasses.

"Nick and James don't ever give up, do they?"

"No, unlike SOMEBODY we know," Gwyn taunted. Dana shook her head and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sure there's a few hot boys out there waiting to meet you," she said in a sly tone of voice. She then looked at James and Nick. "Those two know how to play the game... and I'm not talking about volleyball." The three of them giggled. Omar stretched out on his beach towel, leaning back to look up into the sky.

"Thanks for bringing me out here, you two."

Dana looked up, smiling again and patting her good friend on the stomach. He jumped. The shorter-haired brunette then looked in his face and stuck out her tongue.

"No prob, babe. After all, what are girlfriends for?"

An attractive sandy blonde about Omar's age, wearing black and yellow swim trunks and a white tank top, came jogging up to the three friends and plopped down in the sand next to them.

"Hey Omy, you feelin' up for volleyball?"

"Thanks Nick, but no thanks," the sprawling young man sighed. He brushed sand off of his red swimming trunks. "The 'game' is all yours." Gwyn and Dana laughed together and Nick looked at both of them, clueless as to what Omar was talking about. They were joined by a taller boy, with black hair and green eyes and wearing a grey pair of shorts and a black tee-shirt.

"More girl talk?" he asked.

"I guess so, Jimbo..." Nick answered.

"Dude, it's James, not Jimbo."

"And it's not girl talk if I'm involved," Omar pouted, sitting up as his small dog came bouncing up to the five friends. Nick and James eyed each other knowingly and then the five of them burst out laughing. "So it looks like you two were pretty busy out there."

The other two young men looked back at the sand volleyball court, admiring their bikini-clad teammates who were waving at them.

"Well, I can't help it," Nick chuckled, brushing off his tee-shirt and feigning an egotistical air. "If all those pretty ladies want a piece of the Nickster..."

"The Nickster?" Dana groaned. "Please..." She proceeded to put on more tanning lotion.

"Yeah, right," the deeper voice of James laughed. "We all know they'd much rather enjoy the beach with the strong, silent type." Suddenly, Kooby whirled around and let out a sharp growl. Omar looked around in horror as another voice startled him and his friends.

"I don't know about that, humans! I would think those lovely girls would prefer a man in uniform... a uniform made of onyx metal!"

The teenagers and beachside patrons all scattered in horror as Knightonyx appeared in a flash of electricity, flanked on all sides by over a dozen of his sleek black and silver grunts, the Neclones.

"Man," Nick fussed, standing up with his four friends as the swimsuit-laden beauties ran for safety from the newly-appeared army. "You and your little black rubbernecks just had to come and ruin our fun, didn't you?"

"Always a pleasure, Yellow Owl!" Knightonyx cried. He readied his saber, his ruby red eyes gleaming as the Neclones prepared their attack. "And this time will be different, SkyForce. Today will belong to Prince Nefarius!"

"I don't think so, Knightonyx," Omar said, standing in the middle of his friends. He then looked down to his faithful puppy. "Kooby, make sure no harm comes to those people." The little dog barked in response and tore after the fleeing vacationers. Omar then made sure the area was clear of any civilians. "Okay, Neclones, you want a fight, you've got it... ready guys?"

"Ready!" came the answer from James, Nick, Gwyn, and Dana. In flashes of red, black, yellow, blue, and white lights, their transformation devices appeared on their right wrists.

"SkyForce Wing Bracers!!" the five teenagers commanded. "Cyberstars, transform!"

"White Swan SkyForce power!" Dana cried. She then lifted into the sky, twirling around gracefully as white and pink cybernetic armor formed around her body, her face and short brown hair vanishing under a sleek white helmet. She was suited up in her white and pink cybernetic armor and white helmet.

"Blue Swallow SkyForce power!" shouted Gwyn, surrounded by her blue and white armor and blue helmet.

"Yellow Owl SkyForce power!" Nick followed, morphing into his yellow and white armor and yellow helmet.

"Black Condor SkyForce power!" James commanded as he was equipped with his black and white armor and black helmet.

"Red Hawk SkyForce power!" Omar finished. Like those of his friends, his body tore into the sky, spinning at top speed as he was surrounded by red, gold, and white armor and a shiny red helmet.

Their transformation complete, the five SkyForce Cyberstars landed upon the sandy beach, ready to confront their attackers.

"Neclones, attack!" growled Knightonyx as he and the soldiers rushed forward.

*****

"Fancy that," remarked Prince Nefarius, watching the battle in his hand mirror. "It seems as though Polycron's little puppets haven't wasted any time in bringing out the welcome wagon for my army." He turned around to face his shimmering female prisoner. "It's unfortunate that this time, their efforts will be completely in vain!"

"You are wrong," Celestia said defiantly. "Your evil will never win."

"No, my dear," Nefarius replied with a cold tone of voice. "YOU are the one who is wrong." He put the mirror down in his throne, and held out his black-gloved hand, which exposed the almost pasty blue skin of his fingers. In a shimmer of golden energy which caused the robed girl to cover her eyes, a sphere the size of an Earth globe appeared in his hands, generating more light than even he could bear. Celestia was speechless as tears came to her eyes.

"No..."

"Yes," Nefarius grinned. "Yes, yes, yes."

"But, how.... ?" the prisoner cried in shock. "The Orb of the Zodiac Force..."

"It was almost too easy once I captured your puny little home planet of Estreia, you foolish girl." He playfully rolled the orb within his hands as it surged with energy. "I simply threatened to murder you, and your people gladly surrendered it as ransom in order to get you back safely. Morons... like I would have actually kept my promise!" The Necronian Prince cackled, rearing his head back and exposing his white fangs.

"The Zodiac Force is too powerful for the likes of even you, Nefarius," the Princess of Estreia snarled. "You are gravely mistaken if you think you can unlock and harness its powers for your own."

"Oh, I won't be unlocking anything," he said, reaching out to touch her. She recoiled back in anger. "YOU will." He then grinned, eyeing his prize like a small child would with his ball. "And once you do, I will use the energy of this Orb to unleash a force that will strip this galaxy of light forever, disabling the SkyForce's defenses and rendering all the people of Earth without energy. Then, they will have no choice but to succumb to my rule... for I will possess the only source of light in the universe!"

*****

Down on the beach, the Neclones were thrown into the sand as James, the Black Cyberstar, unleashed his brute strength upon them, slamming with both fists, while Nick, the Yellow Cyberstar, took two more of the evil soldiers in a powerful headlock, bashing their heads together. Dana, the White Cyberstar, and Gwyn, the Blue Cyberstar, soared high above the Neclones, respectively divebombing their attackers with a brutal kick and a forceful karate chop. Omar, the Red Cyberstar, went sword-to-sword against Knightonyx with his own SkyBlade (the Cyberstars' weapon of choice), sparks flying as their blades met with full force.

The armor-clad villain then stood back and sent lasers from his red eyes, knocking his Hawk-uniformed opponent back about twenty feet.

"No matter how hard you fight, fools, the Earth will be long to the Necronians!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that," Omar grunted, clutching at his chest as five more Neclones rushed at him. He whipped out his birdlike SkyBlaster, firing at the oncoming soldiers and then backflipping towards Knightonyx, wrapping his boots around the warmonger's neck and pulling with all his might and flipping the other way, throwing the knight onto his back. "Everyone, use your SkyForce Bird attacks, now!"

"Swan Song!" cried White Swan, stretching her arms as her suit's wings appeared. She now flapped her arms, unleashing a piercing sonic blast of sound that caused three of the closest Neclones to short-circuit and fall down, sizzling with defeat.

"Flock Mirage!" Blue Swallow hollered, flitting in a circle around some of the startled Necronian warriors as she then appeared in four identical, holographic images of herself, surrounding them. The six grunts had no idea what to do until she fired her SkyBlaster from her true position, destroying them all.

"Talon Crash!" Yellow Owl leaped above four more of the Neclones, rolling into a fetal position in the air and flattening them as he spread his arms and legs like the talons of an owl in both a powerful fist and kick attack.

"Soaring Vertigo!" Black Condor's body flew into the sky, eclipsing the sun with his wings and blinding his opponents as he then soared back down and tore into them with angry fire of his pistol.

"Raptor Slash!" Red Hawk lifted his arms above his head and generated two fiery energy beams from his fingertips, slicing back down in two diagonal strokes as the remaining Neclones were destroyed in a terrific explosion.

The sand was littered with the debris of the robotic warriors as the five SkyForce Cyberstars joined up to face Knightonyx, who simply relaxed his hand on his saber, which he had thrust into the ground.

"Is that the best you have to offer, Cyberstars?" he mocked them.

"Don't kid yourself, Knightonyx," Gwyn giggled, shaking her helmeted head.

"Yeah, we made short work of the Neclones, and now it's your turn!" James said, pointing his armor-gloved finger at the villain.

"I guess you're right," Knightonyx sneered with a determined confidence. Somewhere under his helmet, the face of his wicked spirit was smiling. "It IS my turn."

"Guys," Omar shouted. "Combine your SkyBlades and SkyBlasters to form..." They locked the signature weapons of their cybernetic uniforms together. "SkyForce RaptorRifles!" They lowered their sleek new weapons into position, with the Yellow, Red, and Black Cyberstars standing from left to right and the Blue and White Cyberstars kneeling in front of them. "Fire!"

"YEAGHHHH!" the one-horned soldier of the Necronian army roared, slashing his saber with full force as he rocketed towards the Cyberstars in a ball of surging purple electricity, slashing their weapons in half as the failing energy burst from the destroyed Raptor Rifles. "It's not very polite to point guns at anyone..." He laughed.

"Whoa..." Nick marveled in shock. "He cut our weapons into scrap metal!"

"He's never used that attack on us before..." Dana gasped.

"He must mean business," their leader said, standing in front of the other four uniformed heroes. "But so do we!"

"Heeyahhh!" the Cyberstars cried as they charged forward through the sand at Knightonyx, attacking with their armored fists and feet.

However, Knightonyx was even more experienced in this form of combat, as he flung the Blue and White Cyberstars upwards and down to the ground, and pulling a one-two kick on the Back and Yellow Cyberstars. He then sent forth a terrific punch to the chest of the Red Cyberstar, followed by beams of electricity which surged through their bodies and forced them to the ground, causing them to writhe in pain.

"I can't take much more of this..." Omar groaned.

Suddenly, there came a sharp bark as the small body of Kooby launched into the air from out of nowhere. The Dachshund locked his teeth around the robotic neck of Knightonyx, distracting him momentarily as the warrior ceased his attack.

"Kooby! Be careful!" his red-clad master hollered as the Cyberstars regained their footing.

"Foolish mongrel..." the villain snarled. He reached up and grabbed Kooby, throwing him to the ground as the little dog yelped in pain. Knightonyx then lifted up his boot, preparing to crush the downed animal.

"NOO!" cried the leader of the Cyberstars, rushing forward and body slamming the field general of the Necronian forces with a burst of red energy. "I won't let you destroy my best friend! Firebird Strike!" The body of Red Hawk reformed into a flaming firebird, blasting through Knightonyx with a terrific explosion as he landed on the opposite side of their attacker.

The little dog miraculously stood up, shaking himself off and limping towards the other Cyberstars while Red Hawk knelt down, feeling the painful effects of using such a massive fiery attack, which he had been warned about before.

All that seemed to remain of Knightonyx was a burning mess of debris upon the sand as black smoke filled the sky above the beach. Omar was breathless as Gwyn brought Kooby to him, handing the dog to the Red Cyberstar as the grateful creature licked the outside of his master's red helmet.

"Here ya go, little guy," the Blue Cyberstar said with a sigh of relief.

"That was close..." Omar said, shaking his head. "Kooby, don't ever do that again." The dog barked in defiance, then looked back and growled again.

"Uh oh..." the Black Cyberstar, James, muttered. The flaming wreckage of the black and silver knight seemed to be standing up as the villain reformed himself. Gwyn hid behind him

"I knew that was too easy," Dana said with dismay, crossing her arms.

The metallic voice of Knightonyx seemed stronger than ever as his metallic armor gleamed with the reflection of the fire around him.

"This battle is far from over, Cyberstars... HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh... no..." Omar said, shielding his dog from what was about to happen.

With a massive explosion, the body of Knightonyx seemed to heave violently as his armor grew even more hideous and his eyes glowed bright red. The black and silver warrior then enlarged at a mind-boggling speed, his feet sinking into the sand of the beach and shaking the ground under his immense weight. Knightonyx had gone from being just under 7 feet tall to being over thirty stories tall.

"I don't like the look of this..." the Red Cyberstar said, looking back at his friends, who stared up in frightened awe at the newly grown threat. "Not one bit."

TO BE CONTINUED in Zodiac Force Cyberstars - Prologue (Part 3)...

[CyberstarAries]

Hey guys, I'm open to any feedback, questions, concerns you might have. I had a couple of posting errors early on, but I've fixed that. Keep in mind that what I've posted so far is the prologue to Zodiac Force, explaining how what happened four years ago gets us to the present day. There's a lot more to come. Thanks again for supporting creativity!

-RedZeta

[Zord_Crazy]

Sounds really cool, but you really gotta space you sentences out more.

[HurricaneBlack]

I like it. It's got a nice mix of characterization and action, which is good for any type of story. Spelling and grammar-wise, I didn't notice a problem. The spacing makes it hard to read but that can be easily fixed. All in all, you've got yourself a good story going here. I'll be keeping my eye on it. :)

[CyberstarAries]

I like it. It's got a nice mix of characterization and action, which is good for any type of story. Spelling and grammar-wise, I didn't notice a problem. The spacing makes it hard to read but that can be easily fixed. All in all, you've got yourself a good story going here. I'll be keeping my eye on it. :)

Sounds really cool, but you really gotta space you sentences out more.

Thank you, HurricaneBlack and Zord_Crazy. The spacing was definitely an issue when transferring this out of Word Pad, and I don't know why, but this is easily fixed. I'll take care of this forthwith.

I've put many years and hours of work into designing this story and the characters - you should see the first two "seasons" of Cyberstars as well as the events that took them into Sky Force!

I apologize for the length/size of the Prologue - in Word Pad, it doesn't seem so long, but keep in mind it's actually the last "episode" of Sky Force and I really felt like this needed to be included in order for readers to understand where the characters are coming from.

I also apologize for the tone that these events are setting - there was much comic relief (in one ep, Omar seriously wigs out in drama queen style when his first club show with a band is interrupted and delayed by a Neclone attack) and romantic interaction between some of the leads (straight and not-so-straight but completely G-rated - no hanky panky). I assure you that once Zodiac Force kicks into high gear, that those moods and stories will return.

Thank you for your kind words and feedback... I appreciate your time that you've put into reading this so far.

-RedZeta

[Kali_WolfChilde]

i just got 2 read ur fic, and - man - that was way cool. i actually have a 3 yr old dachsund, a female named Holy, and if i were a ranger and some villain tried to attack her, i'd use any power at my disposal to save her, and damn the consequences

[BlueFireStorm]

I've read both the backstory and the prolouge and I'd have to say Awesome story, Great characters, Incredible plots. I am loving every bit of it, can't wait to read more and to start reading the new series. :=)

[CyberstarAries]

The metallic voice of Knightonyx seemed stronger than ever as his metallic armor gleamed with the reflection of the fire around him.

"This battle is far from over, Cyberstars... HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh... no..." Omar said, shielding his dog from what was about to happen.

With a massive explosion, the body of Knightonyx seemed to heave violently as his armor grew even more hideous and his eyes glowed bright red. The black and silver warrior then enlarged at a mind-boggling speed, his feet sinking into the sand of the beach and shaking the ground under his immense weight. Knightonyx had gone from being just under 7 feet tall to being over thirty stories tall.

"I don't like the look of this..." the Red Cyberstar said, looking back at his friends, who stared up in frightened awe at the newly grown threat. "Not one bit."

"HAH!" boomed Knightonyx, raising his gigantic saber and then pointing it at one of the freeway bridges that spanned the lake. In an instant, the bridge exploded into chunks of concrete and twisted metal, collapsing into the water below as vehicles screeched to a halt.

"Oh my God," Gwyn gasped. "That could have been, like, REALLY bad." Dana stared at the Blue Cyberstar through her black visor.

"Like, NO, REALLY?" The White Cyberstar shook her head, and turned to their leader. "Hey Big Red, it looks like our big problem just got a lot bigger." The Red Cyberstar nodded.

"Then it's time to take it up a notch..." Omar said. He looked around and spied a few of the bikini-clad teenage girls hiding behind one of the cars in the lakeside beach parking lot, and rushed over to them with Kooby still in his arms. "Ladies, would you mind watching this little critter for a few minutes?"

"No problem!" a cute little brunette, chirped, opening her arms and taking the Dachshund into her embrace. She winked at the red-uniformed warrior and smiled. "I love a man in uniform, especially if he has a cute dog!"
Omar rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief, at the fact that she should be taking cover rather than flirting.

Save it for the straight superheroes, sweetie, he thought to himself. He then rejoined his teammates, who were watching in terror as Knightonyx began to stomp his way toward the center of the city.

"Okay, Cyberstars, let's do it..." The five of them raised their right wrists, still bearing their SkyForce WingBracers above their gloves. They then called out together into the sky. "SkyForce Robo Jets, act..."

All of a sudden, in flashes of their signature-colored energy beams, the five young heroes vanished out of sight, startling both the teeny boppers and Knightonyx, who watched from his gleaming red eyes as the Cyberstars rocketed up into the sky. It was not at all what he had been expecting. He then shrugged and laughed.

"Bye, bye, birdies..." He roared and continued his trek towards downtown Austin, sending tourists and drivers on the roadway fleeing in horror from his destructive rampage.

*****

"What in the hell..." cursed Prince Nefarius, slamming his icy blue and silver handmirror down on the cold marble floor of his chamber. "Where did they go? They were supposed to call on their stupid Robo!" He then cried out into the mirror in anger. "Knightonyx, report!"

"They vanished into thin air, my Prince," came the rumbling growl of the iron clad onyx soldier. "Out of sight, out of mind..."

"Not quite," Nefarius sneered haughtily. He then paused to think aloud. "If they got called out of battle, then it looks like we've got trouble on our hands... Knightonyx, let the destruction begin at once!" In the corner of the chilly throneroom, standing alone and shivering out of her mind, Princess Celestia smiled to herself, reassured by the Cyberstars' disappearance.

*****

The streaks of red, black, yellow, blue, and white light rocketed up through the clouds and into the upper stratosphere until they approached a massive airborne structure, built to resemble a soaring eagle with its wings spread. It was made of a super-powerful white metal, with gold adornments and sapphire-blue eyes.

What should have been the talons of this immense eagle were two golden lazer-powered engines, shaped like the feet of the bird. The beak was made of golden metal as well.

On the left wing, there were two hangars with a metallic white and metallic black gate, and on the right wing, there were two hangars with a metallic blue and a metallic yellow gate. Above the tail was a hangar the same size as the others with a metallic red gate, and beneath it, concealed inside the body of this airborne base, was an even larger hangar with a metallic gold and black gate, and on top of it, Each of the five main gates bore the respective birdlike symbols of the five SkyForce Cyberstars.

Beneath the body of this massive robotic bird was another hangar mounted on its underbelly, but instead of opening towards the front like the main five or rising from inside like the sixth, it opened downwards and was shaped like a huge metallic blue and silver egg.

This glorious structure, reflecting the light of the summer sun as it floated above the clouds, was the SkyForce Jetbase.

"...activate!" finished the SkyForce Cyberstars. They were stunned to look around to find themselves within their dome of a command center, complete with metallic silver control panels and computer monitors the size of small cars along the walls.

In a shimmer of golden light, there appeared an elderly, white-bearded man clad in a white, evenly-pressed uniform and a golden belt (with the birdlike emblem of the SkyForce emblazoned on his left breast) and wearing a massive golden cape. He smiled at his young friends and his kindly blue eyes sparkled, but there was a sense of urgency and tension in his forced expression.

"Welcome, Cyberstars..."

"Hey, Polycron, what gives?" cried Nick, removing his Yellow Owl helmet. "We were about to pound the snot out of Knightonyx for good!"

"Yeah," Dana cried, removing her White Swan helmet with the others. "He and the Neclones attacked us and about a hundred civilians at Lake Austin, and was even about to make sushi out of Omar's dog!" She patted Omar on the shoulder, who sighed gravely, worrying about his furry friend who was back at the lake with several very frightened teenage girls.

"To make matters worse, he's still down there and has grown..." the Red Cyberstar began.

"My friends... I am well aware of the situation." Their ages-old mentor sat down and breathed deeply. "And I assure you, we will address it at once. However, there is something of the utmost urgency that has come to my attention."

"I'm sorry, sweet thing," Gwyn muttered, brushing back her long, beautiful blonde hair. "But what could be more important than stopping Knightonyx from going postal on downtown Austin?"

There was a bright flash of light in the large monitor behind Polycron as the computer-generated face of a silver-skinned woman appeared, with long gold dreadlocks wrapped behind her head and golden eyes, along with very accented red lips. The old sorcerer turned back to the screen, and nodded.

"Mainframe, what's wrong?" Omar asked.

"Honey, it looks like Prince Nefarius has played his ultimate card," replied the holographic assistant to the SkyForce in a sassy, smart tone of voice. "And let me tell you, it ain't pretty." Polycron began typing some commands into a keyboard mounted on the comfortable white leather chair.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Dana said, joining Polycron and looking at the screen. The other four soon followed.

"That's just it, Dana," their mentor replied worriedly. "It's not on Earth." In one of the screens further from the group of six humans, the image of another planet appeared. It seemed to sparkle like a billion stars all grouped together, with milky white splashes occuring across its broad surface. "This is the planet Estreia."

"Your home planet?" James inquired, holding his Black Condor helmet and looking at the planet in wonder. "It's... beautiful."

"No kidding," Gwyn remarked dreamily. "It's like something out of a fairy tale." Polycron smiled at the Blue Cyberstar and then looked back up with a grave expression on his face.

"You've not talked much about it before," Omar commented, taking the sight in with his brown eyes.

"I never had cause to, until recently," Polycron sighed.

"Cyberstars," Mainframe began. "Polycron's home world was recently attacked by another faction of the Necronian army, dispatched by Prince Nefarius himself." The five Cyberstars gasped in unison. "Their defenses were outmatched by the onslaught," the hologram continued. "And have been forced to surrender to Nefarius's evil rule."

"That's terrible!" cried the two female Cyberstars.

"What can we do to help?" the Yellow Cyberstar said quickly.

"Nothing," Polycron said sadly. His five young charges gave a start. "For now Prince Nefarius has the most precious thing on my home planet in his possession..." At once, the Cyberstars began asking more questions.

"A weapon?"

"A hidden treasure?"

"Even more than both of those things," Mainframe said, gazing down at her master with her shimmering golden eyes. "His grand-daughter." Gwyn's jaw nearly hit the floor of the SkyForce's control room, and James and Nick looked at each other in shock.

"You're a grandpa!?"

[HurricaneBlack]

Oh! An update! :)

Well, I've got to say this. You're a very good writer. Your level of detail is great. It helps put a clear picture in my head; that's always a plus in my book. Everything is tight and flows along smoothly. And you've got humor, too. That's always good.

I'm really being entertained by this story. I'm looking forward to reading more.

[CyberstarAries]

"You're a grandpa!?"

All five SkyForce Cyberstars stared at their white uniformed mentor in shock. Polycron had never let on much about his personal life, much less his past, other than the fact that he was originally from the beautiful planet of purity, wisdom, and virtue known as Estreia. The elderly man sporting a cleanly trimmed beared and moustache and shoulder-length hair smiled in half embarassment and half pride.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Omar asked, coming closer to Polycron and putting his hand on his shoulder. "I mean, you're like a grandfather to us as well. Finding something like this out is like finding out that we have a long-lost sibling somewhere out there."

"No kidding," Dana said, putting her hands on her white-skirted hips.

"I didn't feel it was relevant," Polycron sighed, standing up and staring off into oblivion. "My business has been here on Earth for centuries - long before you or your parents or grandparents ever existed. Long before these cities ever were built." He paused, but before he could say anything, his smart-talking computerized assistant spoke up.

"Don't look all busted like that, you crazies," Mainframe said with a roll of her golden eyes and a smack of her bright red lips. It was almost human in the way she behaved... TOO human. "Old Polycron was quite a looker in his day. I'm actually surprised he doesn't have more of those little grandbabies running around the universe." She smiled at him, causing their mentor to blush.

"Well," James said, looking at his friends and shrugging. "I guess the thought never crossed our minds that Polycron even had children..."

"Much less a grand-daughter," Gwyn marveled.

"Many centuries ago, the royal kingdom of Estreia was ruled by my only son... and his beautiful wife..." Polycron sighed, turning to face his five teenage charges and his holographic assistant. "When my son, the reigning King of Estreia, was killed in a battle against evil forces, the Queen fell into a deep depression and eventually succumbed to her sadness, passing away at a very young age. This placed Estreia in a vulnerable position, so for a time, I ruled in my son's place and raised the little Princess... my little star... as if she were my very own.

"When she had come of age, I felt safe and sure that she possessed the grace and intelligence that she needed in order to become the future Queen of Estreia, so that is when I left and eventually, years later, I came to Earth."

"You developed our original powers there on Estreia, right?" asked Omar.

"Indeed... the concept of the Cyberstars began there, and with Celestia having reached an age of wisdom and faithfulness to her subjects, I knew that she would be well protected by her bodyguards and the royal army and well-adored by the people... but that is long before the threat of the Necronian Empire stretched its reign of terror out into the galaxies beyond that which you call home."

"So, what would Nefarius want with Princess Celestia?" the Red Cyberstar pondered aloud. Mainframe answered this question.

"Polycron and I have our suspicions, Cyberstars. Estreia was not only the home planet of your mentor, your powers, and the Princess, but it is also the planet that was chosen to be the keeper of a mystical source of great power... the Orb of the Zodiac Force."

"Zodiac Force?" Gwyn stammered. "What's that?"

"A mystical source of great power, blondie," Dana snapped. "Don't you listen?" The three male Cyberstars looked at them condescendingly, while the Blue Cyberstar stuck her tongue out at her counterpart.

"It's much more than that," Polycron said to the five young heroes, crossing his arms. "The energy inside this orb contains the twelve keys to unlocking the unbelieveable powers of the constellations which the ancient Greek astrologers here on Earth called the Zodiac Calendar. It is truly an amazing force..."

Omar and his friends felt a strange feeling inside, but had no time to ponder this answer any further. Several of the large screens within the SkyForce's command center began to flicker and displayed vertical bars of static. Mainframe blinked twice and a startled expression came over her silvery face.

"Oh, boy... this is gonna get ugly..."

"What's wrong Mainframe?" Nick asked, rushing forward to the control panel.

"You're not going to like this... but we have a transmission coming directly from the Necronian Dimension..." All at once, a feeling of dread and uncertainty overwhelmed all five of the SkyForce Cyberstars and their mentor. "Polycron, what should I do?"

"Mainframe, we have no choice but to accept it."

"And I'll bet that jerk is calling collect, too," Gwyn whispered in Dana's ear. She got elbowed in the ribs. "Sorry!" she fussed. Omar looked back at them once more with a disappointed frown, and then up at the screen.

"Go ahead," he nodded. Mainframe's holographic display faded away as all of the large screens and the smaller ones at the central workstations buzzed and crackled with distortion until, one by one, they all showed the same image on their screens. Omar scowled.

"Well, well, well," came the voice of Prince Nefarius, seated inappropriately in his throne with both of his legs draped over one of the arms and his hand dangling over the opposite side. "It's such a pleasure to see all of you again... and what a delightful face you're making, Red Hawk. It makes you all the more handsome."

"Lay off, jerk," Omar said with a start, repulsed by his enemy's comment. "Make this short, we have a city to defend."

"Oh, that reminds me," Nefarius scoffed. "I've placed my dear Knightonyx on standby - consider it a momentary respite from your battle, or consider it a favor - after all, this is a VERY important occasion." His icy cold gaze then met with that of Polycron. "Polycron, say hello to your 'little star'!"

"Grandfather!" cried the Princess, suddenly coming into the viewing screen.

"Oh, my dear, I'm so glad you're safe... I hope you haven't been harmed..."

"No, grandfather, I'm fine," the silky robed girl said weakly. "But Nefarius... he has the..." The vain Prince seemed to shove her out of the way and glared fiercely at her before grinning back at his sworn enemies and their mentor.

"Look at her, trying to let the cat out of the bag! Well, I won't let her spoil my surprise... after all, this is MY party."

"What are you talking about, Nefarius?" James demanded in a deep, threatening voice.

Nefarius smiled, unwrapping his shiny black cape from around his slender body and revealing a glowing sphere of what seemed to be made of both gold and a rainbow of shimmering, colorful stars.

"Look what I have here!" he cried triumphantly. "This year, Christmas comes in May for pretty me!"

"Oh, heavens, no..." Polycron said, collapsing to his knees. Dana, Gwyn, and Omar rushed to his side immediately. "He has the Orb." Omar shook his head in disbelief and whispered into his old friend's ear.

"What can he do with it?" The Necronian ruler overheard him, and smiled again, rolling the Orb of the Zodiac Force between his long fingers as he had done before.

"The question you should be asking, four-eyes..." Omar adjusted his black wire-framed glasses and glared defiantly at the villain. "Is what can't I do what it?" Nefarius sighed and looked down at it, then off into the far corner of the chamber, where Celestia was being held by two Neclones. "My dears, this source of power will help me bring an end to Earth's civilization as we know it and will render your world in eternal darkness! Then, you all will bow down to me!"

"Never!" the Red Cyberstar cried angrily.

"You would not do such a thing," Polycron said, his voice failing him as he fought back the tears.

"Oh, you really think so, eh, you old fool?" the pasty-skinned tart clad in black leather and white adornments said, laughing hysterically. "You really have no idea who or what you're dealing with this time."

"Don't address my grandfather like that!" Celestia said. "Or I will be forced to take hostile action against you..." Prince Nefarius waved his hand at her, dismissing her threat as the Cyberstars and Polycron could only look on helplessly.

"Whatever, Sparkles. Your magic can do nothing within my palace." He then faced the Cyberstars from the massive monitors, surrounding them with his gaunt, grinning face and fanged teeth. "SkyForce... Polycron... I have stolen this Orb of the Zodiac Force and my armies have conquered that pathetic little Lite Brite of a planet, Estreia."

"God..." murmured Gwyn.

"Furthermore, I did it with the sole help of the one and only Princess Celestia, who willfully betrayed her own people by unlocking the powers of the Zodiac Force FOR me!" There were tears streaming down the milky white cheeks of Celestia's face.

The old sorcerer shook his head in further disbelief at this terrible news.

"That's right... the once source of power that could stop me is now MINE... along with the key to unlocking it's secrets... and I used it and your puny little wannabe witch of a grand-daughter to cast darkness over your entire home world!" He cackled viciously. "If you don't wish for this same fate to befall your pathetic little Earth, you stupid humans, then I offer you the chance of surrendering to me as my willful slaves and prisoners forever. It's not a very BIG sacrifice... five Cyberstars and one tired old man for the rest of the human civilization..."

There was a long hard pause as the five SkyForce Cyberstars made eye contact with their mentor, nodding at him and smiling, and then at each other.

"Not a chance, you wicked bastard," Omar said, gritting his teeth. "You give pretty boys a bad name. You want a fight, you've got it. Right, guys?"

"Right!" Dana, Gwyn, Nick, and James said together, raising their fists at Nefarius's face within their computer screens.

"There is no way we'll ever surrender to the likes of you... and furthermore, we'll prove how WRONG you are by stopping you and rescuing both Princess Celestia and the Orb of the Zodiac Force!" the Red Cyberstar continued.

"Hmph," Nefarius snorted. "Typical... but have it your way, fools." He then picked up his handmirror and stared into it. "Knightonyx... destroy the city!!!" In an instant, the images crackled into fuzz and static as Mainframe re-appeared, shaking her head.

"I've lost the connection..."

"Well, then I guess it's time to finish what they started," Gwyn said, preparing to put on her helmet. The others did the same, when Polycron held up his hand.

"Just a moment, Cyberstars." He sat back down in the white leather chair, typed in some commands on his main keypad. "Knightonyx has proven time and time again to be a formidable warrior and dangerous opponent." He continued typing, while Mainframe spoke up.

"We are increasing the power output of your SkyForce RoboJets as well as the BlueBattler Robo, should you need it... which I am sure you will." Polycron continued the briefing of his five uniformed charges.

"The Gold Thunderbird Robo is also at your immediate disposal..." He smiled and stood up, patting each one of the SkyForce Cyberstars on the forehead. "Please remember, as I've said before, that these machines are only machines - let them be extensions of your minds, bodies, and souls, just like the five bird spirits of the legendary SkyForce..."

"You've got it," Omar said with a reassuring smile, and the others nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime, we will figure out a way to rescue Celestia," Mainframe said, making eye contact with her master and creator, the ancient sorceror, who smiled wearily at her. "And to get back the Orb of the Zodiac Force from Nefarius." The Red Cyberstar nodded once more, then looked at his friends. Simultaneously, they held up their helmets above their heads.

"SkyForce Cyberstars, re-energize!" The helmets instantly re-materialized over their heads and faces as a door on the far side of the immense, brightly lit control room opened with a metallic hiss. One by one, the Red, Black, Yellow, Blue, and White Cyberstars rushed out of the SkyForce JetBase's command center, heading for the shafts that would take them to their respective hangars and RoboJets. The door slid shut behind them.

"Good luck, my young friends," Polycron sighed with a tear in his eye.

"Go kick some Necronian ass," Mainframe's face said with a nod.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[HurricaneBlack]

I can't wait for more. I like how this is turning out. Your characters are great. They're well-rounded and believable. And I like Mainframe; she's funny. She reminds of some talking computer from a television show years ago. :)

All I can say is great. Good work.

[Kali_WolfChilde]

i totally agree with hurricaneblack. this is one really great fic.

and to HurricaneBlack - u said something about a computer on a show years ago. there used to be - and might still be - a kids cartoon show called " Cyber-Chase" and the talking computer was called Motherboard. her littl bird friend was called Digit. the three heroes were called Matt, Inez, and Jackie.

and again to RZR, i cannot WAIT for another ep.

[CyberstarAries]

Before I get into Part 5 of the Prologue and one of the last chapters of the Sky Force saga, I wanted to say how much I appreciated the positive and encouraging feedback that I've gotten thus far even after posting this fic so soon. I also appreciate the criticisms I've received, since it helps to make me a better writer and developer of the story and the characters.

It was a conscious decision to not post the entire Prologue all at once, instead doing so in pieces, since it can be overwhelming to read and I know that not all of us have all the time in the world to sit in front of a PC reading a fanfic for hours.

It was also easier for me to do, since I haven't touched Sky Force in what seems like years and so there were some necessary revisions and edits to be made, while keeping the outcome the same.

Now, onto Part 5 of the end of Sky Force.

-RedZeta

*****

"Mainframe," Polycron said, manning the controls in the dome-shaped command center of the enormous Jetbase. "Prepare to descend and launch the SkyForce Robojets."

"You got it," she replied as the talonlike golden turbine engines created a gutteral whirr. The sorcerer looked up into the glass dome of the structure, watching as the blue sky above faded into the wispy white clouds. "We are now at minimum altitude, Polycron."

"Thank you," he smiled.

Down below in the center of the city of Austin, cars and trucks screeched to a halt as businessmen on the sidewalks and bicyclists alike stopped to gaze in amazement at the gleaming white eagle-like fortress which had descended from the sky. The SkyForce Jetbase was so silent in its approach that as it passed over the downtown office buildings and apartment towers, nothing more than the sound and rush of a soft wind could be heard or felt.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the freeway, there was a flash of electricity as the surging energy rematerialized into the gigantic form of Knightonyx, whose red eyes gleamed with hatred at the glorious metal bird.

"It's about time..." he growled. He pointed his onyx saber, encrusted with rubies and emblazoned with silver to match his armor, up into the sky at the Jetbase, which circled around and now flew back over the city, finishing its final approach. "I'll take you all out before you can even launch your ridiculous bird planes!"

A crackle of thunder rumbled from Knightonyx's general vicinity by the lakeside village of condos and stores as lightning erupted from his saber, blasting the sides of the approaching Jetbase, which was about ten times his size. Explosions rocked the hull as Polycron grabbed the arms of his command chair. Mainframe's digital dreadlocks were writhing about like snakes as she screamed in frustration.

"We're under attack, Polycron! Get those kids out there!"

"Yes, yes, of course," he nodded. He then spoke into a headset microphone which was strapped over his shoulder-length head of gray and white hair. "SkyForce, board and launch your Robojets at once!" He typed in some more commands as the five other screens which did not display Mainframe's silver face changed their images to show the inside camera views of the respective hangars of the five Cyberstars' Robojets.

"Right, Polycron," the Red Cyberstar said. He and his comrades had arrived in a smaller room, where, located within the longest wall, were five vertical jump tubes, each bearing one of the five signature colors of the uniformed officers of the SkyForce. "Let's not waste any time, you guys... the longer we wait, the sooner the chance that Nefarius has of using Celestia to unlock that Orb!"

Without another word and only a quick nod, the five of them stood in a circle, raised their SkyForce Wingbracers on their right wrists, and then thrusted their left fists into the center of the circle, forming a five pointed star. They then broke formation, with Nick and Gwyn jumping into the Yellow and Blue tubes on their left, heading for the right wing of the Jetbase, and James and Dana jumping into the Black and White tubes on their left, heading for the right wing. Omar jumped into the Red tube in the center, and all five of them were propelled upwards, disappearing into the upper bowels of the airborne fortress.

*****

Below in the city streets, a light blue VW beetle was parked at a stoplight. The driver was the same brunette who had been entrusted with ensuring Kooby's safety, and with her in the car was a tall, skinny redhead. The miniature Dachshund was barking at something that seemed to be behind the car.

"Hush, puppy! You have to wait until we can find your friends..."

"Um, where exactly did his friends run off to?" her girl friend asked. The brunette shrugged and lit up a cigarette. Kooby looked at her and growled.

"He was with those two hotties from the beach and that one gay guy that looked like the color red vomited all over his Hawaiian shirt." The stoplight still hadn't turned green, so the driver, clad in cutoff jean shorts and a tee-shirt over her two-piece swimsuit, looked in the rearview mirror to fix her makeup. She gasped as the ground quaked beneath the car. An enormous boot that seemed to be made of shiny black steel crashed down on a red sports car that wasn't more than forty feet behind them. The two girls watched in horror as the poor driver, who had escaped with his life and his briefcase, up the hillside away from the street.

"Oh, crap!" the redhead shrieked. "Tiff, let's get out of here!" Tiffany shook her head, as the light had switched to a blinking red. Other cars were speeding past her to escape the giant feet of Knightonyx.

"No way, Samantha," she scoffed. "I just got my driver's license and I promised my Dad that I wouldn't run any red lights!" A massive shadow loomed over the VW bug.

"Fine, then this pooch and I are out of here..." Samantha said, grabbing Kooby (who was barking and snarling up into the sky at Knightonyx, and bolting out the passenger side door. She had left her basket-woven purse on the floorboard. Tiffany watched her friend run as fast as her long, gangly legs could carry her, then looked down by the passenger's seat. She gasped and snatched the purse, leaving the keys in the ignition.

"Sam, wait!!" she called after her friend, leaving the driver's side door open as she scurried after Samantha in her flip flops. "You forgot your..." She heard a massive crunch of metal and a distorted, toylike car horn as she turned around and looked at where her car had been. "...purse..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "My Daddy is SO going to kill me.... Samantha, wait for MEEEEEEE!"

"RAGGHHH!" snarled Knightonyx, launching another volley of lightning bolts at the soaring Jetbase. Another explosion rocked the control room, and Mainframe blinked, looking around as if in a panic.

"What on Earth are they doing? Surely Omar and Gwyn didn't pick NOW to fix their hair..." Lights within the Jetbase began to flash. "...it's about damned time. SkyForce Robojet launch sequence has been activated."

The Jetbase now maintained its altitude as the five colorful, metallic hangar gates began to hiss open. On the far ends of the wings, the Yellow and Black gates opened, while the Blue and White gates closer to the body opened shortly afterwards. Finally, the Red gate atop the body of the SkyForce's flying headquarters open. The whirring of enormous jet engines could be heard inside the control room as Polycron watched the monitors for his young friends' departure.

In a matter of seconds, the hangars had deployed their cargo at the speed of sound. Creating sonic booms, five sleek, bird-shaped jets tore from their positions within the Jetbase's five main hangers and rocketed up into the air, reflecting the clouds and the blue sky upon their beautiful, glossy bodies.

"White Swan SkyForce Robojet, ready!" Dana cried with a firm, sharp tone.

"Blue Swallow SkyForce Robojet, up, up and away!" Gwyn chattered.

"Yellow Owl SkyForce Robojet, go!" called Nick.

"Black Condor SkyForce Robojet, online!" James followed.

"Red Hawk SkyForce Robojet, flying high!" Omar finished. The five Robojets flew in a triangular formation, with the largest of all, the Red Hawk, leading the charge through the sky, flanked on its right side by the Blue Swallow and the Yellow Owl and joined on the left by the Black Condor and the White Swan. "Remember, guys, we can't waste any time." He then spoke into his cockpit microphone, communicating with the command center back on the Jetbase. "Polycron, you and Mainframe try to hold Knightonyx off while we bring these things together."

"Of course, Red Hawk," came the fast reply.

"Okay, Cyberstars, let's get it in gear!" Omar commanded.

Together, they all called out: "SkyForce Robojets, transform and combine into SkyRobo!"

Meanwhile, Knightonyx held his right hand to his face and then sent searing beams of red light from his ruby-like eyes, blasting the five Robojets. He then felt a massive explosion on his right shoulder as the golden turbine talons of the SkyForce Jetbase fired powerful golden laser beams at the metal clad warrior, causing him to cry out in pain.

Up in the brilliant blue sky, surrounded by clouds and the glow of the summer sun, the round-faced Yellow Owl and sharp-beaked Black Condor began to change form. Their heads, encasing the cockpits, swivled until they were upside down, and then the two Robojets both performed one-hundred-and-eighty degree turns in midair. Now, the heads were right-side up while the bodies were upside down, and their wings folded and locked onto the sides. Their rear turbine engines, located next to one another, shifted down as well, with large silver feet swinging down and locking into position.

The perky-faced Blue Swallow and the sleek White Swan performed a different kind of transformation, with their graceful wings rotating forwards and then locking onto the sides. The heads then rotated downwards and locked into the underbellies of the two Robojets, with large cylindrical joints coming out of a hatch on their backs. The turbine engines, like those of the Yellow Owl and Black Condor, rotated downwards and fists folded out of the rear ends of the blue and white Robojets.

Finally, the Red Hawk, largest of the five, performed an even more complicated transformation. The Yellow Owl and Black Condor now flew in front of it, while the the Blue Swallow and White Swan flew on either side. The Hawk's noble head cockpit, with the golden beak and red and white adornments, folded up and swiveled backwards until it was right in front of the golden tail fins, which rose out of the rear like twin feathers. Now, two cylindrical silver turbines which had been on the sides of the Red Hawk rotated forwards, with the one on the right rotating counterclockwise and the one on the left rotating clockwise. They then locked into position and revealed two more cylindrical joints on their ends, forming a pair of muscular thighs.

The massive red wings of Omar's Robojet were released, revealing circular hatches for the cylindrical joints of Gwyn and Dana's Robojets. The heads of Nick and James's Robojets swiveled forward. The Blue Swallow and White Swan locked into the sides of the Red Hawk, forming the arms, while the Yellow Owl and Black Condor locked into the thighs, forming the legs. The wings of the Red Hawk now joined together and locked onto the back of this formation, forming a new pair of wings, while a hatch just above the newly placed Hawk cockpit opened and the tail feathers rotated upwards and out, revealing a silver-faced head with brilliant golden eyes and a noble expression. A golden crest then folded up from atop the head, as the entire robotic body did a flip and soared downwards with its fists facing forward.

With its blue and white arms and its black and yellow legs, the central red body was energized by the unison of the five Robojets. The head, crowned by the golden crest and twin feathers adorning the sides, resembled a colorful metallic version of the messenger god of speed, Mercury.

The SkyForce Cyberstars were propelled in their command chairs backwards and out of their cockpits being relocated into the head of their newly formed robotic soldier. Omar sat in the center, with Gwyn and Nick to his right and Dana and James to his left. They all removed their golden Wingbracers from their right wrists and inserted them into the control panels in front of them.

"SkyRobo, energize! Flying Fist Attack!"

Knightonyx looked up in astonishment as the two powerful fists, worn by the Blue Swallow and White Swan, bore down upon him and sent him flying backwards into the wreckage of the destroyed freeway bridge which he had blasted earlier.

"Damn you," he growled, regaining his footing and readying his saber. "Take this, you human scum!" The blade let loose yet another searing blast of electricity, this time on SkyRobo, as it crashed to the ground below with the painful grinding of metal and stone.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[CyberstarAries]

"Damn you," he growled, regaining his footing and readying his saber. "Take this, you human scum!" The blade let loose yet another searing blast of electricity, this time on SkyRobo, as it crashed to the ground below with the painful grinding of metal and stone.

"Crap!" Dana cursed as sparks flew from her console. "That hit was fierce..."

"Then let's hit him back," Omar said, shaking his fist. "SkyForce Saber and Shield, energize!" The SkyRobo sprang from its fallen position amidst the rubble of a parking garage as civilians scattered from the battlefield.

Now, it spread its blue and white arms as there was a sparkling blue and golden glow in the air. The Blue Swallow's long, metallic feathered tail appeared, growing a golden hilt emblazoned with five gems, each one bearing the color of the five Cyberstars. A handle then formed from the hilt as the SkyRobo grabbed it with its right hand.

The wings of the Red Hawk then vanished from the SkyRobo's back, converting into a massive red and gold shield, also emblazoned with the colored gems.

"Bring it on, Tin Man," Nick taunted. The heroic robot charged forward on its yellow and black legs and swung its mighty SkyForce Saber as KnightOnyx met it with his own black and silver weapon.

The SkyRobo was quick to react, bringing up the shield as the knight's saber crashed with a flurry of sparks and electricity into it. The two titans now sparred with each other with fierce intensity, saber to saber.

KnightOnyx took a step back, cackling as he once again brought his right hand to his face, firing a volley of red lasers from his glowing eyes.

Explosions erupted all across the surface of the SkyRobo, sending it stumbling a few steps backward.

"Be careful, Cyberstars," their leader cautioned. "We've got to get KnightOnyx as far away from the metropolitan area as possible before he causes more damage." The SkyRobo tumbled into a pedestrian bridge, crumbling it like a sandcastle. Gwyn tapped him on the shoulder.

"...or before WE cause any more damage..." Dana, Nick and James all glared at her.

"Will you shut up for once?!"

"C'mon guys, stop," James sighed. "We have to remain focused!" Omar then manned his controls and gave another command.

"SkyRobo Feather Daggers, fire!"

The SkyRobo leaned forward and relaxed its arms, sending its golden head adornments rocketing forward like twin boomerangs, slicing across KnightOnyx's torso as he cried out in pain.

"We got him good that time," Omar chuckled, as his friends nodded at him. Then, he gasped. "Whoa, look out!"

WHAM! The Necronian field general's saber made a direct hit on the SkyRobo's left shoulder, rocking the cockpit and sending the combination warrior to the ground once more.

The Cyberstars were battered and bruised within the head of their robot, as they struggled to get SkyRobo back on its feet. He now raised the SkyForce Saber and charged forward again, swinging violently as KnightOnyx met him once again with his own blade.

"That, Cyberstars, was only a taste of my power. I shall make you repay for the murder of my one true love..." KnightOnyx paused for a moment to reflect, hearing the soft tones of a classical piano echoing in his mind. Visions of a dark-haired female clad in white leather and wearing a white hat adorned with a red rose danced through his head. "Krystl..."

"You mean he's STILL not over that?" Gwyn whispered. "That was like, so last year."

"Nick, give me a report," the Red Cyberstar said to his friend on his right, ignoring the Blue Cyberstar's incessant chatter.

"We're taking a major beating here," the Yellow Cyberstar replied, shaking his head in frustration. "If this goes on much longer, our weapons systems will completely fail."

"We can't let that happen!" the White Cyberstar cried in anger. "Omar, isn't there something we can do?" The SkyRobo's weapon met once again with KnightOnyx's, who then spun around and swung it into the side of the Cyberstars' massive weapon.

"Definitely," came the answer. "What we need is some additional firepower."

"Of course!" the Black Cyberstar exclaimed. "The BlueBattler... we should have thought of that little guy before!"

"Yeah," the Black Cyberstar laughed with confidence. "That onyx bucket of bolts will never know what hit him!"

*****

Prince Nefarius watched as his two Neclone bodyguards dragged Princess Celestia into the center of his frosty chamber, lit by the hauntingly eerie torches of blue ice. He then held his handmirror up to her face and she watched in horror and dismay.

"See?" the young-looking emperor purred. "Not even the mighty SkyRobo can defend itself against my strongest warrior!"

Celestia hung her head in sadness, her lovely locks of platinum white blonde hair falling over her tiara and covering her face.

"You must stop this insanity," she whispered.

"Hah... shows how much you know, you worn out little wench. Insanity to you is genius to another." Nefarius turned around, his black cape hissing on the cold marble floor of his throneroom. "Neclones, prepare to take our ship into Earth's orbit. We're going to make the cameo appearance at the party of a lifetime and show those Cyberstars and that old fool Polycron the real power of the Necronian Empire... courtesy of the Orb of the Zodiac Force!"

"The Zodiac Force will never become a pawn in your quest for power," Celestia growled.

"Too late, pasty face," the evil Prince teased, wagging his hand mirror at her. "It already has... take a look for yourself... behold, the face of your home world's royal capital!"

The Princess of Estreia gazed deep into the plaything of Nefarius, while an image became clear of a once marvelous city of ivory and gems, smoking and laying in devastation, as fires burned throughout the palaces and towers and smoke filled the sky with darkness. Neither the sun nor the moon showed their light amidst the destruction.

"No..." Celestia choked. She looked up at her captor, clenching her fists as her blue eyes began to glow a brilliant white. "This is not acceptable..." The two Neclones stood back in fear as she stood up and raised her right hand, pointing it at Prince Nefarius.

"Oh, put a cork in it..." he muttered and pulled back his gloved hand, backhanding her across the face. The slap echoed throughout the chamber as the Neclones jumped back in surprise. Celestia's silver tiara clattered across the marble as she fell hard, bruised and weakened but nonetheless angry. Nefarius then addressed his two soldiers. "Don't worry about her, you two. If she's not going to cooperate willingly, then I'm just going to have to force her to do so..."

He glared at her as his own, cold eyes began to glow with a deep blue energy. The Prince then held up his handmirror as it began to glow as well, bathing the Princess in an eerie blue light.

For a moment, the lovely Celestia struggled not to gaze up into his own frosty stare, but the Neclones forced her head up and her blue eyes met with his own, as well as the beam cast by his twisted, silver handmirror. Her mouth fell agape, her creamy white skin sparkling under the wicked gleam of Nefarius's spell.

"You are mine, now..." he hissed.

*****

"Mainframe..." Omar called to their computer-based femme friend from their cockpit. "We need the BlueBattler Robo!"

The BlueBattler Robo, with his blue body and silver and blue limbs adorned with black and red plating and designs and bearing the golden, birdlike emblem of the SkyForce, was a gift from someone very close to the Cyberstars - the original Blue Cyberstar, Jordan, who chose to gave his powers to Nick before returning to being a civilian. As Omar's eleven-year-old nephew, he originally created the BlueBattler as a toy-sized science project in middle school after Nick and the others had already become the Sky Force, designing it to be a laser pointer equipped with a very experimental artificial intelligence.

However, Krystl, the wickedly beautiful white leather-clad henchwoman of the Necronians and love of KnightOnyx who eventually met her end, had stolen it from the retired Cyberstar for the former King Necron's own evil purposes. They energized and enlarged it into a sentient robot that was almost the size of the SkyRobo, turning into a weapon of destruction, as the BlueBattler could transform from robot mode into a quadruple-barrelled ion cannon.

Jordan, powerless in that he was no longer a Cyberstar, felt that it was his fault that this had happened, and managed to sneak aboard the BlueBattler Robo after the SkyRobo had successfully disabled it in a fight. With the help of Mainframe, he turned it from evil to good. Although Omar's nephew had lost his homework assignment (his excuse was not easily believed by his teacher), the SkyForce Cyberstars had gained a diminuitive but mighty new ally.

High above the city of Austin, the SkyForce JetBase soared down as the Polycron typed in some commands, while Mainframe closed her golden eyes.

"Initiating BlueBattler Robo drop sequence," the sorcerer said aloud.

"BlueBattler," the woman's voice echoed. "Energized."

Below the Jetbase, on its underbelly, the enormous egg-shaped doors began to open as a metallic golden crane began to lower a blue and silver figure made of metal and steel into the airspace below. Now, the crane's claws relaxed their grip as the robot plummeted down through the clouds. Amidst the high-rises of downtown Austin, the SkyRobo looked skyward as the BlueBattler Robo came into view.

With a thud, the metal boots of the adorable little automaton made land contact as it looked up at its larger friend and nodded. The SkyRobo and the BlueBattler Robo knocked their right fists together.

"So, you've invited Little Boy Blue to play, too, eh?" KnightOnyx growled.

"He might be little," Gwyn shouted, shaking her fist at the monster. "But he packs a punch... go get him, BlueBattler!"

The sentient ally of the Cyberstars rushed forward, and as KnightOnyx swung his saber, coming dangerously close to cutting the surface of the robot, the agile BlueBattler sprang into the air, performing an impressive flip over the villainous warrior as he then spun around and kicked him in the back. KnightOnyx landed hard on his metal face.

"Alright!" the five SkyForce Cyberstars cried out with glee. Now, the SkyRobo reached down and picked up their downed opponent, spinning him around and hurling him into a rocky hillside, sending dust and debris flying into the air.

"Fools," stammered the metal menace, struggling to get back on his feet. "It will take a lot more than that pathetic excuse for acrobatics to defeat the mighty KnightOnyx! YAGHHHH!" He thrust both his armored gloves forward, sending searing blasts of red lasers from his eyes and electricity from his fingertips.

Both the BlueBattler and the SkyRobo were rocked with bursts of flame and sparks across their bodies. Omar, James, Nick, Gwyn, and Dana cried out in shock and pain as the two SkyForce defenders collapsed to the ground like dominoes.

"Owwww!" screamed Omar, waving his hands as sparks flew into his face from his control panel. "Okay, that wasn't cool at all. This guy is going to make me wig." His teammates eyed him warily.

"Don't drama out on me now, Omy," Nick sighed.

"Yeah, c'mon, we can't stay down," James said to his friends. "Let's give old Knighty a taste of his own medicine." Red Hawk shrugged.

"If you say so..." The SkyRobo slowly stood back up, alongside the BlueBattler Robo.

Together, they all commanded: "BlueBattler, Cannon Mode!"

Once again, the smaller blue robot leaped into the air, flipping twice and then pausing in mid-air as his arms and legs swivled and locked forward, with his head rotating and folding into a hatch in his chest. The silver and red-banded cuffs slid over his hands while the silver and red-banded boots rotated, retracting the feet. When the transformation was complete, the Blue Battler had transformed into the four-barrelled cannon, which the SkyRobo now grabbed and held on its right shoulder.

"BlueBattler Ion Buster Blast!" the five said together.

"Haha, that's fun..." the ditzy Blue Swallow chuckled to Yellow Owl. "I always like saying that. I think we should try it five times, fast." Nick shook his head in disbelief, while Dana cried out:

"Brace yourselves, guys!"

The BlueBattler Cannon sent forth a massive rainbow of multicolored energy surrounded by golden beams of light, jostling the SkyRobo as it staggered backwards in shock from the release of such power. The blast of energy tore into KnightOnyx's armor, as he screamed in distress. Chunks of metal fell from his body as he grabbed at his wounds, weakened by the explosive firepower.

[HurricaneBlack]

What can I say that I haven't already said before? I'm hooked. If this is what the prolouge is like, then I can't wait for the full story to begin.

Your villians are growing on me. For some reason (one I've yet to put my finger on), I like Prince Nefarius. Your latest update is just as good as the previous. I like the action that is going on, not to mention the humor that you've thrown in. :)

Now that I've read the character guide, it helps make the characters stand out more. It's easy to picture them in my head. And as I've said before, everything flows nicely. Great job.

[CyberstarAries]

What can I say that I haven't already said before? I'm hooked. If this is what the prolouge is like, then I can't wait for the full story to begin.

Your villians are growing on me. For some reason (one I've yet to put my finger on), I like Prince Nefarius. Your latest update is just as good as the previous. I like the action that is going on, not to mention the humor that you've thrown in. :)

Now that I've read the character guide, it helps make the characters stand out more. It's easy to picture them in my head. And as I've said before, everything flows nicely. Great job.

Thanks, HurricaneBlack. I think I might know why you like him!

(I edited out some spoilers!)

btw, I checked out your site. Very cool, although your Bio and Pics links don't work. *shrug*

Catch you later.
-RedZetaRanger (a.k.a. the Red SkyForce Cyberstar)

[Kali_WolfChilde]

daaaaaa-ammmnnnn! i'm w/HB, i'm getting to like Nefarius. always was one to like a guy who coul cast spells. *shrugs* can't wait for the next update!

[CyberstarAries]

Princess Celestia had been reduced to a mindless slave to Nefarius's will. The shimmer of her sky blue eyes had vanished, altered to a dull gray glow. The wicked Prince chuckled to himself, pulling back his handmirror and styling his pompadour of silver hair in his reflection. He then gasped at the images being displayed of the battle with SkyRobo and BlueBattler.

"KnightOnyx, you idiot!" he screamed into his handmirror. His cool, calm tone had become frantic. "Get back up on your feet and beat the hell out of those Cyberstars!"

KnightOnyx looked up, his entire body shaking as electricity crackled over his body from the blast given to him by the BlueBattler Cannon Mode. There were silver and red scars all over his armor.

"Their... attack... was... too powerful... my Prince," he gasped.

Prince Nefarius rolled his eyes.

"If that's all it takes to get YOU down, I'd be ashamed to know what happens when they pull out the heavy artillery..." he said through his clenched teeth. He paused, taking a deep breath. "Luckily, we won't see that, today." He turned to his Neclone bodyguards, who had placed Celestia's motionless, mindless form on the throne of the Necronian ruler. "Make sure she doesn't go anywhere... I'm going down there to take care of this MYSELF."

The Neclones nodded. Indeed, the Estreian heiress wasn't going anywhere.
Nefarius closed his eyes and crossed his arms like an upright corpse as his soldiers watched, a frosty blue energy surrounding his entire black and white leather-adorned form as his body then vanished from the dimly lit chamber.

*****

"Hah!" Omar chortled, pointing from the cockpit's viewing window at the wounded KnightOnyx. "See what you get when you mess with us, metalhead?" The soldier was indeed badly damaged, smoke coming from his body. Even the horn atop his helmet was cracked in a few spots.

"Yeah, I told you BlueBattler packed a punch," Gwyn said, crossing her arms and nodding.

All of a sudden, there was a crackle of thunder and a flash of blue electricity as the sky began to fill with surging, swirling clouds.

"Uh oh..." the Blue Cyberstar said, looking worriedly at her teammates. She tapped Omar on the shoulder, and the Red Cyberstar turned around. "You don't think... ?"

"I don't know..." he answered.

"Shhhh, look!" Dana hissed. KnightOnyx's entire body, glowing with a hauntingly familiar blue light, was floating up from the ground and the wreckage, as if possessed by some demonic force.

"What's happening?" James asked.

"I have a pretty good idea," Omar replied. "I don't think our battle's over just yet..." He then paused to think. "Crap, I have band practice in like an hour." The other four stared at him while the body of the wounded Necronian field general lifted higher into the sky.

"Okay, Omy," Nick said with a half chuckle and a half confused tone of voice. "If we were characters on the Japanese cartoons that our FEARLESS LEADER enjoyed watching so much, large, exaggerated sweatbeads would have appeared on our foreheads right about now."

"No doubt," Dana muttered.

"Hey, lay off... I do have a life, you know... and besides, I'm getting tired of these Necronian attacks interfering with MY schedule and MY gigs..." Omar began on his tangent. The others knew what was coming, until the Black Cyberstar gave a start.

"Wow... he's gone..."

Indeed, the giant form of KnightOnyx had been sucked into the sky. Just as soon as the black clouds and lightning storm had come, it was gone, as it faded back into the blue sky of the summer day.

"Now, that's better," the Red Cyberstar sighed with relief. "We did it!"

"All right!" the Yellow Cyberstar exclaimed, high-fiving his best friend and the Black Cyberstar with both of his hands. The White and Blue Cyberstars clasped their hands with excitement. "KnightOnyx is done for!"

"Now we can get back up to the Jetbase and get ready to rescue the Prin..." Dana began. There was a sudden flash of blue light as another large form appeared in front of the SkyRobo with his long, black caped back turned to the Cyberstars. "...cess."

At once, the Cyberstars were overcome by an intense feeling of dread and urgency - they had only fought Nefarius in hand-to-hand combat a couple of times, and even then, he had been a formidable opponent.

"...oh... shit..." the five of them mouthed within their bird-designed helmets.

"Now, now, now," the icy voice of Prince Nefarius echoed over the hills and the city. "Being that so many little kiddies look up to you so much, it's not a good idea to use such BAD language..." He clasped his handmirror in his right hand, fanning himself with it as he turned around slowly, revealing a devilish grin on his face. His shoulder and chest armor had grown even more hideous than ever, but his face remained as handsomely cruel and gaunt as before.

"What do you want, Nefarius?" Yellow Owl demanded.

"Here for KnightOnyx's leftovers?" Black Condor bravely volunteered.

"Oh, I'm just here to dance..." sighed the enormous villain, towering even higher than his onyx-armored predecessor had been. He crossed his arms and sighed. "After all, if SkyRobo can dance as beautifully and as well as Red Hawk can play his violin, then we're in for a wonderful time..."

Omar blushed ever so slightly.

"Awww, thanks..." he giggled. Dana slapped him upside his helmet.

"Hey, superstar, snap out of it. This is Nefarius who you're talking to!"

"Oh... right..." the Red Cyberstar nodded. "Okay, your MAJESTY, let's get it on." The other four gave another start and gasped. "I mean, let's do it..." James and Nick were shaking their heads and Gwyn and Dana's mouths were agape. "I mean... oh, whatever, you guys know what I mean!"

"Let's kick his ass!" cried the Black, Yellow, Blue, and White Cyberstars.

"Yeah, that," nodded the Red Cyberstar.

The SkyRobo now lifted the BlueBattler Cannon back into position, ready to fire again.

"I don't think so," Nefarius chuckled. He then held up his handmirror and slammed the gigantic, twisted, silver reflector down to the street below, the ground shaking as the mirror burst into two identical halves with a deafening crack of glass. Blue Swallow laughed.

"Hey, Prince, that's seven years bad luck!" she called out.

"Maybe for you, Blue Swallow..." the villain responded coolly. He opened his palms as the halves of his broken mirror reappeared, glowing with blue electricity as the two shards began to grow into two long, silver swords, with curved, twisted blades and shiny black hilts woven with white leather. "Now, about that dance."

"Dana, Gwyn, Nick, James," Omar said to his friends. "Let's not give him the chance for a last dance... hey, that rhymed!" The blonde clad in Blue Swallow's armor nodded excitedly.

"I'm feeling you on that one, babes!" she exclaimed. "Let's blast him!"

"Right!" the others agreed.

For the second time, SkyRobo prepared to fire the BlueBattler Cannon.

"BlueBattler Ion Buster Blast!" came the command, with the Blue Cyberstar giggling afterwards.

The four-barrelled cannon made of silver and blue metal charged up and let forth another multi-colored fusion blast. Nefarius giggled.

"Give me a break, you ninnies..." The Necronian Prince held his twin swords up into the sky, twirling them both around twice and bringing them together into an X formation in front of him.

The two blades met the oncoming blast of searing energy from the BlueBattler Cannon, causing a tremendous explosion as Nefarius was jostled only slightly. He now strengthened his grip on his weapons, swinging them outwards in a V formation.

"Dark Double Crosser!!!!"

As if reflected by Prince Nefarius's own handmirror, the two blades returned the powerful Ion Buster Blast from the SkyForce's robotic weapon, sending it back towards the SkyRobo at the speed of light. The Cyberstars had no time to react as the blast knocked their heroic robot off of its feet, causing it to drop the BlueBattler Cannon, and sent SkyRobo flying into the wreckage of the parking garage that had been destroyed earlier. All five of the cybernetic-uniformed pilots screamed in anguish and pain.

The BlueBattler Cannon fell to the ground with a crash of metal, glistening as it returned automatically to Warrior Mode.

"Oh my God, that was rough!" Dana exclaimed, rubbing her head through her helmet.

"Weapons systems are failing!" Nick called to his team leader.

"We've got to re-energize," Omar said furiously. "We can't take another hit like that!" He then gasped with amazement as he pointed outside. "Look, the BlueBattler's going to help!"

Sure enough, the blue and silver robot equipped with artificial intelligence jumped back into action, delivering a swift kick into Nefarius's abdomen and causing him to gasp for air.

*****

Polycron watched cautiously from his white leather chair as the battle unfolded on the six massive screens within the dome of the SkyForce Jetbase.

"BlueBattler sure is giving that tart Nefarius a run for his money!" laughed Mainframe as the SkyRobo stood up once again, preparing to re-enter the fray. The BlueBattler Robo delivered another massive kick to the evil Prince's chest, as Nefarius returned with two strikes from his swords.

The old wizard sighed and looked back up at his holographic female assistant.

"Mainframe, never mind that... we must work quickly now that he has abandoned command of his Necronian Starship." The head nodded, closing eyes as she began to enter commands into the Jetbase's piloting system through her automated software. "I just hope that it's not too late..."

*****

"That's how we do it, little guy!" Gwyn cheered as the BlueBattler somersaulted under Prince Nefarius, tripping him and knocking him down onto his face.

"Now it's our turn," Omar said with confidence. "SkyForce Saber, re-energize!" The dazzling weapon gleamed and returned to the right hand of SkyRobo, which then proceeded to charge towards Nefarius, who was kneeling on the ground as if in defeat. He then looked up with a smile.

".....ENOUGH!" He swung his silver twin swords so quickly, the Cyberstars didn't even see the flash as the long blade of the SkyForce Saber, made of the Blue Swallow's tail, slid evenly from the hilt and crashed to the earth.

"He destroyed the Saber," Dana marveled in both confusion and fear.

Prince Nefarius now stood up again as the BlueBattler charged towards him from behind. The blue and silver fighter never had time to react as the Necronian ruler flew upwards, backflipping over the BlueBattler Robo and landing behind him. There was a sickening crunch of metal, and all that the Cyberstars saw was the two blades bursting out of their little robot friend's metal chest, exposing sparking cables and damaged circuitry.

"BlueBattler, no!" Red Hawk screamed, having watched as the wicked Prince impaled his nephew's gift to the SkyForce.

"Time to take Little Boy Blue for a ride," Nefarius snarled. He lifted his swords up, taking the BlueBattler with them like an appetizer on a toothpick, and twirled around one... two... three... four... five times as his black cape surged like a hurricane around him. "See you later!"

Upon the end of the fifth spin, the impaled robot's metal body shrieked off of the ends of the blades, rocketing into the sky like a blue missile.

"Oh NO!" the Blue and White Cyberstars screamed.

"Dark Double Crosser... NNNNEEEEAAAAGGGH!" Nefarius shouted with a fierce look in his cold stare, releasing another X blast from his swords which shot into the air like a comet, tearing into the BlueBattler Robo as all five Cyberstars watched in horror.

With a tremendous blast, the poor BlueBattler exploded into hundreds of massive chunks of blue and silver metal, flecked with red and black armaments as they fell to the earth far below.

"He's...he's gone..." Gwyn said tearfully as Nick gently patted her on the shoulder.

"I can't believe it either," Omar whispered.

"Now, time for your SkyRobo to meet its end..." the evil leather clad Prince hissed, turning around to face his enemies. He then crossed his swords a third time, preparing to unleash his amazingly wicked attack.

"Brace for impact!" Yellow Owl cried.

Suddenly, there was a high-pitched metallic screech as golden lasers thundered into Nefarius, causing him to cower in fear, while there was the sound of wings flapping overhead. The SkyRobo looked up into the sky once more, and its pilots were relieved to see what had come.

"The Gold Thunderbird Robo!" Red Hawk cheered. "Thanks, Mainframe!"

With a dazzling gleam of white and golden wings and a golden and black armored body, the largest of all the Robojets tore from the sky, firing its wing-mounted cannons at the enormous Prince Nefarius, who screamed in angry defiance.

This particular mecha was even more birdlike in design than the main five, sporting sharp talons and a fierce head with a sharp, black beak. Intricate, metallic designs lay woven upon its back and wings, and the tail fanned out beautifully behind it. The Gold Thunderbird Robo was an ancient space-age artifact discovered by a group of explorers in the Grand Canyon, who accidentally released it from its mountainous prison by reading an ancient Native American manuscript within a cave.

Upon its discovery, Polycron and Mainframe had to use the force of the SkyForce Jetbase to overwhelm it as the sentient Thunderbird went on a destructive rampage, transforming into Warrior Mode and had overwhelmed the SkyRobo. By convincing it that the SkyForce were on its side, Mainframe successfully reprogrammed the Gold Thunderbird Robo to join their fight against the forces of evil.

Today, it had emerged from underneath an even larger hangar beneath that of the Red Hawk Robojet, the golden and black doors of which would elevate from inside the Jetbase and release its immense cargo into the sky.

The Gold Thunderbird soared down, spreading its talons and folding back its wings as it clawed into Nefarius's body, carrying him upwards and electrocuting him with blasts of golden energy.

"Man, Thunderbird couldn't have come at a better time," James commented, and the other four nodded with relief.

"No kidding," Omar said.

"What say we double team Prince Nefarius with the Warrior Mode and the SkyRobo together," Black Condor suggested. Red Hawk shook his head.

"No, we've lost enough time as it is, and I'm ready to finish this fight!"

The others nodded in accordance, and the Red, Black, Yellow, Blue, and White Cyberstars commanded: "Gold Thunderbird Robo, begin Super SkyRobo transformation!"

The massive avian screeched again, glowing with energy as it separated into seven pieces: the head, the two-pieced central body, the set of wings, the two pieces of the rear end complete with the talons, and the tail.

The SkyRobo launched into the sky as the Red Hawk's wings vanished from its back, replaced by the larger white and golden wings of the Gold Thunderbird. The two halves of the main body, complete with the front turbines, converted into two large black and gold boots and locked into position beneath the Yellow Owl and Black Condor Robojets. The end pieces of the Gold Thunderbird revealed large, rotund hatches into which the hands of the Blue Swallow and White Swan inserted, while the golden talons swiveled forward to form even bigger, clawed fists.

The tail opened wide, becoming a golden and white chest plate which locked over the torso formed by the Red Hawk. The head of the Gold Thunderbird rotated downward, while the golden feather adornments of the SkyRobo's head folded to the front. Now, to finish this impressive combination sequence, the Thunderbird's head locked down over the SkyRobo's head, with the beak and convicting green eyes facing to the front as the massive crest of the new helmet.

"Super SkyRobo," chanted the SkyForce Cyberstars. "Energize!!!"

The six-piece super combination soared high in the sky, casting a fearsome shadow over Prince Nefarius where he stood. However, his expression showed no fear... only a hateful determination. He closed his eyes.

"Princess Celestia of the kingdom of Estreia..." he called from his mind, unifying his connection with the hypnotized Princess. "Now is the time... come to me..."

*****

Within the blue-lighted chamber of the evil Prince of the Necronian Empire, Princess Celestia nodded.

"Yes, my Prince," she murmured. Seated on Nefarius's throne, she held up her two fair-skinned hands, opening her eyes as they flashed with a pure, white gleam. She begin to chant in what seemed to be a song, but with no music behind her beautiful voice. "Enduring beauty, stellar light, celestial force of powers bright, let the Orb of the Zodiac Force's glow to the hands of Estreia's future go!"

The Neclones shielded their eyes as a dazzling light erupted from her lovely palms. Floating and spinning above Celestia's hands was the spherical form of the Orb of the Zodiac Force, sending bright colors spinning into the darkened chamber and transforming its depressing, icy cold atmosphere into a rainbow-colored room of light and beauty.

Within the depths of outer space, the gleam of the golden orb radiated from a hideous, twisted black and silver ship with a horned silver skull scupted into its front. The red eyes of the oblong-shaped fortress released the golden rays into the vast field of stars, becoming like a star of its own.

The enormous object began to hum with a rumbling, metallic whirr as it began to move forward from its hovering position. The faster it went, it began to surge and glow like a fiery comet, with the silver fangs of the battleship gnashing with ferocity.

From the shadows within the Prince's chamber, the wounded KnightOnyx watched in awe as the Princess piloted the Necronian Starship using the Orb of the Zodiac Force as its battery.

"Earth is not far away... not far away at all..." the warrior mused to himself.

*****

Within the silence of the Jetbase's control room, Polycron opened his eyes from his brief rest and looked up in fear.

"No.... it can't be..." The old sorcerer, clad in his shiny white uniform, turned around as the sensors of his command center were blinking and sounding alarms. "She's activated the Zodiac Force..."

"No kiddin', sugar," she retorted quickly, researching the data that was streaming into her computers' memory at a fantastically high speed. "And it looks like within an hour, Earth is going to have some very unwelcome company. Somehow, the Necronian Starship has shifted from its position and is making it's way towards us!"

"Mainframe, we don't have much time... set a course for outer space... we must intercept Nefarius's ship before it enters Earth's orbit!"

Amidst the stratosphere, high above the city of Austin, the white form of the eagle-like SkyForce Jetbase shifted and soared upwards, passing through the massive white clouds. Polycron looked up into the dome above him as the pink and orange hue's of the sunlight mixed with the blue sky began to change into a darkened night, filled with stars. He then looked into the monitors which displayed the blue, brown and green features of the Earth, woven with the wisps of clouds and golden rocket blasts from the SkyForce Jetbase, got smaller and smaller.

"Good luck, Cyberstars," he whispered. He then reached into his uniform's breast pocket, which bore the birdlike symbol of the SkyForce, pulling out a silver and gold CD-ROM.

Mainframe blinked twice at him.

"Did you say something?" she asked sharply.

"No, my dear, I was just thinking to myself."

"It doesn't sound like it," the holographic face with the golden locks of hair said suspiciously. "What are you up to?" Polycron stood up and smiled. There were tears in his blue eyes as he began to type some commands into the main control panel's keyboard beneath her image.

"Mainframe, you have been my dearest friend and confidant for so many years... you brought me so many laughs when I was alone in this world, and you helped me to guide and serve the Cyberstars without fear and with great generosity, patience, and wisdom..." Her expression was aghast, and she proceeded in her trademark sass.

"Boy, take a step back, 'cause I know you're not thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of doing..." She paused and blinked, befuddled at her own remark.

"This isn't permanent," the sorcerer and mentor to the SkyForce continued with a chuckle. "And I promise it won't hurt. I'm only temporarily de-activating you and storing you on this CD, so nothing can happen to your database. Goodnight, Mainframe, and please... get some rest. You deserve it."

"Take your hands off of that keyboard, you old crazy!" Mainframe cried, shaking her head as Polycron opened a disk drive and inserted the shining CD into it. He then pressed the ENTER key. "You better shape up, honey, or..."

In an instant, she was gone. The screen was blank. Now, Polycron was truly alone. He looked around him, and shook his head sadly, proceeding to sit back in his commanding chair made of white leather.

"I'm coming, my little star."

[CyberstarAries]

Well, everyone... the journey is almost over for the SkyForce... and the Necronians... and as I've said before, I welcome any comments, feedback, and questions. Thanks for reading! -RedZetaRanger

P.S. Here's some interesting tidbits about Chojin Sentai Jettoman vs. SkyForce Cyberstars - although it was made in 1991-92, the Jetman story was set in 1999, which funnily enough happens to be the same year when the Series Two Cyberstars (from '98) became the SkyForce Cyberstars (that story will come eventually when I can get it out of my old PC!). Also, in the Sentai, "SkyForce" happens to be the name of the technological/military faction which created the Birdonic energies, whereas SkyForce is the name of the team's powers in my fic. That was not planned, but I'm amused at how it turned out that way... :confused:

[CyberstarAries]

Aboard the Starskull, Nefarius's immense battleship, KnightOnyx watched in awe as the golden Orb of the Zodiac Force now began to float high above Princess Celestia's head as she remained seated like a statue upon Nefarius's throne. Dazzling lights of many colors radiated throughout the chamber, causing the Neclones to take cover in fear of the Orb's amazing powers.

The Princess continued her chant, over and over again:

"Enduring beauty, stellar light, celestial force of powers bright, let the Orb of the Zodiac Force's glow to the hands of Estreia's future go!"

Suddenly, twelve small sparks erupted from within the spherical artifact, twirling around the Princess and flitting around the Necronian command chamber. Even the battle-damaged warrior clad in black and silver armor covered his head in fright.

Magically, the small sparks began to grow and take shape into twelve circular forms, each having been engraved with strange symbols and twinkling with the gems that were inlaid in their metallic surfaces.

"Amazing..." KnightOnyx marveled. "The twelve medallions..."

*****

Prince Nefarius, now standing over fifty meters tall, shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked up into the sky. The Super SkyRobo, formed by the SkyForce Cyberstars' five Robojets and the sentient Gold Thunderbird Robo, blasted through the clouds overhead, causing the Prince's cape to fly furiously behind him.

"So you want to play cat and mouse, eh?" he mused. "So be it."

He raised his gloved arms upwards as his cape transformed into a hideous pair of batlike wings. With a powerful kick-off from the rubble and devastation around him, Nefarius tore off like a lightning bolt into the air after the SkyForce Cyberstars' mecha, his dual swords at the ready.

In the Super SkyRobo cockpit, Black Condor examined the monitor in front of him.

"Dude, he's hot on our tail!"

"No joke, Jimbo," White Swan murmured with a roll of her eyes - which was concealed by her visor. "What did you think he would do, knit a sweater and wait for us to come back for him?"

Omar and Gwyn both chuckled at this.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Red Hawk. "He seems like the knitting type."

"Focus, focus, focus!" Yellow Owl cried. An explosion rocked the entire hull of the Robo as the pilots maneuvered it around to face the oncoming winged Prince. "He's attacking from behind!"

Sure enough, Nefarius had launched the Dark Double Crosser on his prey as he pursued them.

"We don't have our Saber anymore," Omar said to his co-pilots. "But we have enough firepower to take this style-challenged nincompoop down."

"Right!"

"Super SkyRobo Twin Talons, fire!" the Red Cyberstar ordered. Airborne, the multicolored mechanical warrior pointed his hands directly at the approaching villain, shooting out the two enormous golden talons of the Gold Thunderbird Robo.

Sending Nefarius flying backwards as he cried out in surprise, the claws locked around his shoulders and sending an surge of golden energy into his body. They then returned to the Super SkyRobo, which now had a firm grip on the Prince and proceeded to peck him in the head with its birdlike helmet.

"Let me return the favor..." he hissed angrily. Concentrating his mind power, he sent an equally powerful surge of blue and purple energy into the Super SkyRobo, causing it to release its hold on him.

Prince Nefarius then soared skywards and over the robot's head, swinging his swords down with a victorious roar. All that the Cyberstars heard was another deafening screech of metal, as sparks erupted in the cockpit. The White and Blue Cyberstars screamed in panic as alarms began to go off.

"What just happened?!" the Red Cyberstar cried. "Report!!"

"Oh, man, we're in for it," the Yellow Cyberstar answered, grabbing the sides of his helmet. "He's completely clipped our wings!!"

From the cockpit of the Super SkyRobo, the dramatic view of the beautiful city below began to change as the robot jerked in its position in midair, beginning a rapid descent to the ground. They watched as the two beautiful wings of the Gold Thunderbird plummeted down beside them, twisting in the air. Prince Nefarius was cackling with wicked glee.

"Hope you enjoyed your flight, Cyberstars... be sure to fly Nefarius airlines again soon... NOT!"

The wingless Robo was now falling faster than the wings which had been torn evenly from its body.

"We're losing altitude!" Gwyn screamed.

"And gaining speed!!!" Dana followed.

"There's only one thing we can do," Omar instructed. "Try to steer the Super SkyRobo away from the metropolitan area where we can cause less damage. We're going to abandon the Gold Thunderbird and separate the SkyRobo's five components on my command!" Without another word, the five Cyberstars got to work, as the body of the damaged Robo twisted down to fall head first, passing through the wisps of the clouds.

"Gold Thunderbird Robo, disengage!!!" they all commanded.

Piece by piece, the boots, gloves, helmet, and chest plate from the Gold Thunderbird Robo each glowed brightly, disconnecting from their positions on the SkyRobo's body. Upon their release, they shimmered and vanished, as di the wings. The magical spirit of the Gold Thunderbird had faded away, taking with it its physical form. However, the Cyberstars couldn't take any time to reflect on this tragic loss, being their second of today's battle.

"Separate the SkyRobo NOW!!!" came the command from Red Hawk. As quick as possible, Omar, James, Nick, Gwyn, and Dana's chairs propelled them backwards and out of the cockpit.

The SkyRobo then released itself into the five separate Robojets, which transformed into their flight modes from their body part formations.

"Man, when he drops the drama queen act and uses his brain, that dude can work it!" Black Condor marveled into his microphone.

"Right?!" the Yellow, Blue, and White Cyberstars agreed.

"Never mind that, guys," the Red Cyberstar said dismissively. "Let's get Nefarius!"

Returning to their triangular flight formation, the Yellow Owl, Blue Swallow, Red Hawk, White Swan, and Black Condor SkyForce Robojets blasted back into the sky to meet with the airborne Prince of the Necronian Empire.

"Coming back for more, eh? Well, you're all invited to dinner and your metal canaries are the main course!!!" Nefarius bellowed, grinning with his fanged teeth and spreading his webbed wings and preparing his swords for his signature attack.

*****

The glistening white form of the birdlike SkyForce Jetbase blasted out of clouds and into the void of outer space, now rocketing through Earth's orbit. Exhausted from his flight and feeling very lonely within his control center, Polycron watched in awe as his aircraft was surrounded by a vast spanse of gleaming stars. Not far from where he was, the milky-white surface of the cratered moon was suspended in orbit around the blue planet.

He then gasped, watching the monitors as he saw what he had come for. The hideous, horned metal skull, heralding the rapid approach of Prince Nefarius's battleship, came into view, but there was something drastically different about it this time around.

The oblong-shaped Necronian Starskull was emitting bright rays of multicolored light from within, illuminating the darkness like a sun made of the colors of the rainbow. The aging sorcerer marveled at its beauty as the glow entered through the glass dome above him.

He snapped out of his awe-inspired trance. Polycron knew that he had work to do, taking manual command of the immense winged fortress as it soared quickly towards the oncoming battleship. He spoke to himself as he typed on the keyboard in front of him.

"The SkyForce Jetbase will be destroyed if I bring it any closer to Nefarius's vessel," he whispered under his breath. "My only chance is one of the escape pods." The bearded sorcerer then typed in another command, causing the Jetbase to slow in its apporach.

*****

As the blinding glow of the Prince's chamber glowed all throughout the oblong-shaped Starskull, an siren began to wail furiously, and the wounded KnightOnyx was tapped on the shoulder by a frantic Neclone, who emitted a strange droning noise towards his field general. The armored warrior stepped back in shock.

"What?" he cried. "The SkyForce Jetbase is approaching?"

The alarms continued to shriek, while the Princess was unfazed by the alert. She remained hypnotized under Nefarius's evil spell. KnightOnyx glanced at her just once, then gestured for the two Neclone bodyguards to come forward.

"Deploy the Skull Cruisers at once," he ordered. "Destroy that ship!" Hordes of Neclones were charging through the massive hallways of the Necronian command ship, disappearing into smaller portals. "Polycron... you old fool... prepare for destruction!"

*****

A large schematic of the massive starship appeared on the screen where Mainframe had once been. Polycron scanned it quickly with his ancient eyes. "I'll have to direct it into the mouth of the Necronian Starskull in order to gain entry... it's the only way... AGHHH!"

The Jetbase was rocked by the laser fire of smaller skull-faced aircraft with metallic, batlike wings, which tore out of the mouth of the Starskull like a swarm of angry bees. Polycron had remained so focused on rescuing his daughter that he had forgotten to tell Mainframe to activate the SkyForce Jetbase's cloaking device, protecting it from detection. Now, he was under attack.

Thinking quickly, Polycron rose from his comfortable chair, typing in one last command as he looked towards the center of the control dome. A circular command console began to rise from the metal floor, complete with an even larger chair made of white leather as its nucleus. This particular command seat was adorned with gold and silver armor plating, equipped with several control levers and triggers. Taking his position amidst his own personal battle station, the old man smiled.

In the outer space surrounding the two enormous vessels, the Necronian Skull Cruisers fired their red lasers furiously, but were soon dwarfed by the eagle-like form of the SkyForce Jetbase, which then proceeded to fire high-powered ion blasts from its golden turbine talons.

Although the smaller attack ships were causing severe damage across the metallic white surface of the Cyberstars' command center, the energy blasts from the Jetbase obliterated several of them at a time, while several cannons elevated from atop the Robojet hangars, firing white and yellow energy pulses at the oncoming Cruisers.

*****

In the evening sky above Austin's metropolitan center, the five birdlike machines blasted right past Prince Nefarius as he stared up in confusion. The triangular formation now turned around.

"Fire your weapons!!!" the Red Cyberstar commanded.

The five Robojets sent their respectively-colored ion lasers at the Prince, ripping into his wings and leathery armor as he shrieked in terror at what they had done. Not thinking, he reached up to make sure that his face was unharmed, releasing his hold on his twin swords. Now, he was the one plummeting towards the ground as his batlike flight aids vanished and his cape reappeared. The SkyForce Robojets maintained their flight path, pursuing Nefarius as he fell.

"Bring 'em back together!" Omar ordered. "We're going to crush him if we have to."

"Are you nuts?!" Gwyn cried. "We'll all be destroyed!"

"Not if he provides some padding for us," laughed the Red Cyberstar.

At once, the SkyRobo was reformed, with the Yellow Owl and Black Condor becoming the legs, the Blue Swallow and White Swan becoming the arms, and the Red Hawk becoming the body and head.

"Give us a hug!!!" Omar shouted at Nefarius, having returned to his position in the main cockpit. The Prince screamed in terror as the SkyRobo reached out and took hold of his body, pinning his arms down and falling even faster than before.

*****

On a rooftop cafe which was perched upon the tower of one of Austin's office buildings, there were several couples and families enjoying their dinner and drinks as the sun began to set on Central Texas. At one of the tables, a handsome, tall young man with tanned skin and wearing a dark blue tee-shirt, white khakis, and a pair of sandals, was seated with two other younger guys, one of whom was wearing a glittery pair of silver sunglasses pushed over his dyed blonde hair, and the other who was wearing a tank top and had his hair styled upwards in a mass of spikes.

The taller of the three, who had light brown hair and brown eyes and very sharp facial features, seemed to be staring blankly into space, and the blonde seemed quite annoyed by this. A full bottle of beer sat in front of him, untouched.

"Um, Jeff, what is your deal?" chirped the blonde, clad in only a black sweater vest and a pair of tattered jeans. "You haven't even taken a sip of your beer. We're supposed to be having FUN, considering we made this trip back to this crazy Texas town all the way from Vermont just for YOU."

Jeff snapped out of his trance, and glanced back at his date.

"Oh... yeah... uh, sorry, Robbie..." he said, faking a smile and taking a quick slug from the bottle. He then looked at his companions' glasses. The two of them had each downed three, and this was his first beer of the evening. "I just have some stuff on my mind."

"Oh, like what?" inquired Robbie, adjusting his sunglasses and wrinkling his upper lip. The spiky-haired boy nudged him with a sly grin.

"You mean, like WHOM?"

"Yeah, like whom?" Robbie corrected himself.

"Nobody you should be concerned about," Jeff replied, shaking his head and sighing. "Forget it. Let's have fun." The other two boys eyed each other knowingly and the snotty-faced blonde boy pinched his arm.

"I get it, Jeff. You're thi