The King and Queen

The Princess' parents have arrived on the station. They are not travelling together. Her father, King Titanostar flew here without benefit of a spacecraft, because he is a Spaceknight and her mother arrived on a personal shuttle accompanied by a young male paramour at least half her age. She also appears to be drunk.

Ghosts in the Minefield

As you return toward the boundary seperating your Solar System with the rest of the galaxy you see figures moving around, impossibly, among the space mines. They look like this.

A God calls

Hovering in front of you, radiating pure cosmic power is the God of the Ab-Originals, the Gray Emissary itself, the preserver of cosmic balance...Gygek.

Season 2, Issue 10 The Royal Wedding (A transitional bridge filler one shot)

When last we left the Vanguard they were trapped inside the monastic temple of Lor surrounded my evil tentacle cultists from Grue while high above the sky filled with billions of Maxination drones intent on consuming the entire planet of Lore Prime and every life form on it. To make matters worse Scartax was revealed to be one of Somber Quinn's evil twins hellbent on recovering the two Chakra Crystals the Vanguard had recovered. The other evil twin also finally revealed itself, it had been Adela's living supersuit the entire time. With two them members down and the sky literally falling on them it appeared to be an unwinnable situation. But Doctor Robot used his unparalleled ingenuity and managed to hack into the operating system of the Maxinations themselves, isolating Max's consciousness and forcing the drones to reboot themselves. Meanwhile Spacewolf chased down the evil Quinn clones, saved Adela, discovered the real Scartax and recovered the crystals. But the worst was not over. Even after hurling Max into the nearest star the now reformatted Mechanations were still on an unstoppable march to devour Lore Prime. The Vanguard threw a Hail Mary. Using the monastic psychic amplifier and her mystical connection to the Q system Adela teleported every living creature off the planet, sparing the lives of billions of Lor Republic citizens.

The Vanguard are now heroes on a cosmic scale and their immediate future looks bright. Earth is being considered for induction into the Lor Republic, the Forbidden Zone may soon be lifted, the Gruen species will be liberated and Doctor Robot is about to get married...

Super Unknown Revealed

Adela screams in pain as the inside of her costume errupts in hundreds of hook like fangs, ripping at her flesh. The suit, normally a slick silken texture keyed to Adela's power signature is now something that resembles a thick tar like epidermis. It begins seeping into her ears, sinuses, nostrils and throat. Once porous the suit is now smothering and viscous. Adela is now blind, deaf and unable to draw anything into her lungs except the invading mass of thick fluid that was once her own supersuit. What is worse is the vision seen by those witnessing the conversion. The Super Unknown is now a monstrous entity writhing and pulsing over Adela convulsing tortured body. This is, as it has always been, the Metamorph Grue known as N-Quin. Its current mission, kill its host.

Somber Quinn revealed

The normally kind and quizative face of paranormal investigator and part time alien hero Somber Quinn twists itself into a rage filled grimace. Tiny hairs begin to sprout across its chin and upper lip. "I am not that traitor Somber Quinn" the figure spits with rancor "and I never have been. I am his evil twin... Y-Quin, tactical operation grue and your worst nightmare."

Coordination Agents Revealed

That's right... the coordinated agent clones are all secretly evil tentacle monster cultists.

Issue 2.9: Death and Maxs

In our last issue the Vanguard used sabotage, manipulation and subterfuge to work against the fake princess in control of Lor-Var. Split into two groups they attempted to both recover the two Sacramundi Stones from the Royal Palace and take control of the central telepathy hub in the Monks of Lore's Great Monastery with mixed success.

The team of Space Wolf and Scartax, Crown Prince of the Moon infiltrated the Palace inner sanctum and managed to wrestle the two stones from the Arcane Master using them to impersonate Princess Lorik. During the brief battle Scartax was knocked unconscious, revealing himself to be another member of the shapeshifting Grue race. When confronted by Space Wolf with this knowledge Scartax used his Tensor weapon to digitize the snarling space knight...fearing that contact with the Stones was somehow corrupting his judgement and senses.

The team of Dr. Robot, Adela and the true Princess Lorik teleported into the central telepathy chamber. When Lorik connected herself to the device the feedback from the machine nearly killed her, and alerted the Great Monastery's three caretakers, the Panglossian Colloquim to their presence. A stand off began with both sides blaming the other with sabotaging the telepathic hub. Eventually Adela was able to telepathically convince the Colloqium members that they meant no harm to the Lore Republic, despite Dr. Robot's computer virus deactivating the hub mechanism, effectively disabling their pan-galactic telepathy network. During their negotiations Adela suffered her own bout of mysterious telepathic feedback, resulting in a spasm so jarring she broke her own arm.

Once reunited the Vanguard rebooted the hub enough to present indisputable evidence that their Lorik is the true Princess and ruler of the Lore Republic. During this Space Wolf used the power of the Sacramundi Stones to escape Tensor confinement and accuse Scartax yet again. The two argued that neither could be trusted. In the midst of their argument a much larger threat arrived on Lor-Var. The artificially intelligent machines that have been plaguing Lore Republic outposts have appeared in orbit. To make matters worse they know resemble the face of the Vanguard's old enemy Maximilian Mars. Speaking collectively in Max's voice they demand the inhabitants of Lor-Var turn over the Sacramundi Crystal to him or he will extinquish all life on the planet. The Vanguard responded with a giant middle finger comprised of Dr. Robot's force field projections.

No matter what happens next, only two things are certain to result from this encounter:

Maxinations

Somewhere off in the distance sirens begin blaring. The sky grows dim and then dark as if a sudden and terrible eclipse as occurred. Something immense is blotting out the sun. There is a voice comprised of explosions that set off sonic bombs that clear away the clouds over the capital city. What is revealed is horrifying and familiar. A metallic representation of the face of Maximillian Mars hundreds of miles across hangs looking down on the helpless metropolis.

It says, "I am here for the stones, you lizard skinned asshats. I know you have them. Resist and I will make your conversion hurt like Hell. Welcome to the very first day as one of me... the Maxination!"

The face then begins to fall apart into hundreds of thousands of humanoid machines plummeting to the surface of the planet... each one capable of destroying any inorganic matter it touches, feeding off any energy it encounters and removing the conscious essence from every living being it comes into contact with. No matter what happens next the planet of Lor-Var will never be the same again.

The Maxinations have arrived...

The Panglossian Colloquim

 The monks of Lore have always been administrated and guided by three of their wisest and most sensitive members. These monks are collectively known as the Panglossian Colloquim. Each one possessing a duty to those monks that fall within their preview of expertise. They live their long lives sequestered away in the Monastic Temple of Lore. It is said there are no greater telepaths in the known universe that the three members of the Colloquim. They use their connection to all beings within the Republic to augment their wisdom and judgement on matters that burden or threaten the piece of the great Republic.

Issue 2.8: An End to the Unknown?

Last time the Vanguard discovered the dormant body of the true princess of the Lore Republic who has been hidden away in suspended animation for decades by a cultish faction of the Grue known as the Arcanists of T-Rax. They quickly deduced that the leader of the Arcanists is masquerading as the Princess on the Republic homeworld of Lor-Varr, half a galaxy away from their current position deep under the surface of the planet Phuudj. Accessing long forgotten Preserver technology embedded into the temple of T-Rax the Super Unknown gained access to the Quantum System, an extra-dimensional membrane separating the infinite expanse of the multiverse.

Using the Q System Adela teleported the Vanguard and the rescued princess hundred of light years across the known galaxy to the floor of the Lore Republic's Senate. There they presented the true Princess to a collection of dumbfounded senators. Security forces quickly arrived under the command of an unusual Lore Monk encased in jet black armor known as Ridder Gron.

The Vanguard was taken to the royal palace while the senate debated the validity of this new princess' claim to the throne.There things quickly went the way tense moments tend to go when the Vanguard is involved. Space Wolf wooed the false princess into her bedchamber only to meet her Blackguard consort Karess. Scartax, Crown Prince of the Moon, and Somber Quinn were involved in a brief conflict that ended with Scartax impersonating Ridder Gron who was tensored by a quick triggered Somber Quinn. Scartax Ridder and Somber, pretending to be a royal guard, then saved their Space Knight friend from a love making session that had gone dark by converting Karess into Somber's tensor gun as well.

While this was going on Dr. Robot, Princess Lorik and the Super Unknown snuck inside the Monastic Temple of Lore, home of the telepahtic monks of Lore and the location of the central telepathic network. By accessing the network directly at its source the princess hopes to locate a resistance of rebellious republicans loyal to her original rule.

Little do our heroes know however that there clandestine actions on Lor-Var have not gone unnoticed. Villains are maneuvering in the shadows in an attempt to reverse their gains and claim the Chakramundi Stones present on the planet for themselves. To make matters worse they have their sights set on getting revenge on one member of the Vanguard in particular. Will tonight's session mean...   

Karess

From behind the princess comes a sultry darkened form that emanates a deep purring noise. The room itself grows dim as light itself  flees from the approaching figure. It is a Blackguard, wielder of Shadow Band energy. This particular Blackguard is a feline alien from the planet Zultas. She is Karess, and she is the princess' personal consort and adviser.

Princess Lorik

Princess Lorik is the crowned sovereign of the entire Lor Republic, the largest and most advanced civilzation on this side of the Cradle of Lore. From her throne she governs trillions of sentient followers.

She may also be a shapeshifting Grue impostor in control of not one but two Chakramundi stones.

Ridder Gron

The Royal Guard part as a seven foot tall figure clothed in all black strides menacingly toward you. His breathing has a distinctive electronically amplified wheeze. Being near him you can feel a dull headache forming behind your eyes. This is Ridder Gron, the only living Sin Potentate of the Lore Republic. He is the keeper of the lore forbidden. Master of the subconscious mind. 

Lore Republic Royal Guard

You are surrounded by Lore Republic Coordination Agents and Polyphase Avatrons. They have trained glowing green tensor weapons in your direction.

Issue 2.7: Shifting into the Quantum System

Last time the Vanguard helped lead a rebellion against the Lore Republic's Punishment Station, freeing the Grue Homeworld and rescuing the Grue Metamind. With the assistance of the Metamind the Vanguard learned of a possible vocation of the Red Sacramundi Stone. They traveled to the mining facility on the planet of Phuddj to find the ruins of an ancient underground Gruen temple. There they were ambushed by the Arcane Masters, Grue cultists in service of the Collapsar. After a brief but tense battle the Vanguard discovered the source of the Sacramundi energy. Instead of the Red Stone of Potential they found the unconscious form of Princess Lorik, crown sovereign of the Lore Republic. The Princess was prisoner of a Metamorph Caul, a membrane creating a genetic link between the Princess and a Arcanist Metamorph. The truth of their discovery is devastating. The largest interstellar government in the galaxy is under the control of a secret cultist plotting to destroy the universe and in possession of not one but two Sacramundi Stones. To make matters worse the Vanguard are about spend the next few moments of their life...