Part 2 of the Infinity Quest
Written by Space Jawa
Edited by WakandaMan

With the Gem of Reality beyond the Guardians' grasp, those who had fought Thanos rushed to find Gamora and Mantis, and then the entire team made their way back to the Far Seeing Eye of the Osiris with all possible speed. They quickly got on their way.

In addition to a desire to avoid any further direct conflict with Thanos, the speed with which the team departed from the Labworld was also an expression of feeling of urgency to obtain the next gem, as well as of the need to get Jazinda medical attention before her injuries became fatal. Fortunately, the Osiris had come complete with a medical bay outfitted with the best military medical equipment a Shi’ar ship of its size had to offer. Even in the weak state the Skrull female found herself, as Adam Warlock helped Mantis tend to the injuries, it was well within the capabilities offered to them to prevent the scars of the previous battle from turning into any long-term complications.

“It appears as though she will make a fully recovery,” Mantis said as she checked the last of the post-treatment scan reports.
*Of course it is,* the ship’s computer replied. *The superior capabilities of Shi’ar medical technology make such matters trivial.*
“Something’s a bit full of itself,” Gamora said in a cynical, barely audible voice from a nearby doorway.

The woman had entered the room after the ship had gotten underway, watching as her teammates fixed up Jazinda from a single position. While the other Guardians hardly suspected that she cared nothing for the Skrull's life, there were was little sign that her presence was out of concern for whether Jazinda would live. Rather, through her half-closed eyes and otherwise unrevealing face, there was a sense she had come to get a better look at what kind of damage Thanos and his goon had caused.

“Even so, the impressive levels of this technology did make the healing process relatively simple,” said Mantis. “All she should need now is rest. Had we been on Earth, this one doubts we would have been able to save her, even at the speed she received medical attention.”

While she didn’t speak as if it were the case, the abilities of Adam and Gamora allowed both of them to tell that she was actually quite impressed with what she had been able to accomplish. Such devices had been rather commonplace to either of the two space natives, even if at different technological capabilities. For Mantis, however, who was a native of what either of the other two would consider the relatively primitive planet of Earth, there were still countless things out in the wider galaxy she could not help but see as awe-inspiring.

“How wonderful,” Gamora said, though her voice didn’t give the feeling she cared all that much. “It shouldn’t have had to be an issue in the first place. And neither should have been the little issue with Thanos getting his hands on one of the gems.”
“Gamora…” Adam said, hoping the woman would drop the issue.
“We could have stopped him. I could have stopped him. I could have helped turn this quest in the right direction rather than put on a rush to catch up.”
“Gamora, perhaps this is not the best place for this discussion,” Mantis said, her voice remaining calm. Surprisingly so, as Gamora saw it.
“But where is?” the other woman said, then turned to leave the medical bay. “And when is?” she added as passed through then bay's entrance.

Both Mantis and Warlock watched as she stormed out, and the space wizard let out a disconcerted sigh before he said anything.

“This is not going well. I need to talk with her, try to set things straight before they get far too out of control.”

Adam hurried after Gamora, and caught sight of her heading down the hallway.

“Gamora,” he said, trying to get her attention as he followed after her.
“Yes?” she said with a touch of venom in her voice as she stopped and slowly turned around.
“Is there something you need to talk about?”
“Besides the obvious?”
“Including the obvious.”
“Alright, then how about we start with the seeming lack of trust you have in me?” she said as she walked back towards where Adam stood. “Why don’t we start there?”
“My apologies, but you’ll have to be more specific.”
“Labworld. You knew I had a history with Thanos. You also knew what I’m capable of. But what happened when it came time to face him? You sent me off on a pointless errand that pointed me away from the very item we were there for!”
“All I was aware of was that you had met up until we encountered him directly. What he said indicated your history runs deeper than that.”
“Let me guess – you didn’t know how I’d react? You were worried that without knowing what kind of history I have with him, you had no idea whether I could be trusted? If he might try to turn me to his side? That…”
“Because thus far, in addition to your impressive combat skills, you’ve also displayed an unsettling ability to take rash actions and get yourself hurt. Hardly the type of skills to match what I heard about you before we met.”
“Do you want to test that assessment personally?” Gamora said with a threatening tone.
“I have little doubt of your fighting skills, Gamora. However, I also sense a great deal of anger or rage that you are searching to release, one way or another. I fear that…”
“I’m. Fine.” She cut him off.
“Yet I cannot read your mind, and in situations such as we encountered on Labworld, I had to make a call based on what I could perceive. And based on what I could perceive I feared that your history with him might cause you to do more harm to yourself than to Thanos. This is a situation where we cannot afford to take risks like that.”

Adam could see that Gamora had several things going through her head, and yet she said none of them.

“Yes, Gamora, this is a team, and yes, we should be able to trust each other. However, it is difficult to trust the unpredictable. So while I do trust your commitment to this team, I find it difficult to trust that your recent behavior won’t eventually put you on a course towards disaster.”

This time, it was Adam who turned away, and began to walk towards the bridge, but stopped part way to deliver some last thoughts towards his teammate.

“That we’re a team also means we need to be capable of being open towards one another, and to be able to trust that we can help each other both in and out of battle. If there's something you need help with, then hopefully your commitment to this team is such that you can trust us to help you if you need something. Just as we hope that you can be there to aid us if we need you, I hope that you can trust us to be there if you need us.”

With that, Adam turned back and made his way to the bridge of the Osiris.

--------------------

“How proceeds our quest?” Adam asked as he entered the bridge.

There, he found both Eros and Major Victory, who had been busy in the room since the ship had left their last destination. While Major Victory sat at the ship's flight controls, Eros was interacting with a display of ISAAC through the ships long-range communications.

“Other than having lost the first gem to my brother, it shows promise,” Eros said. “ISAAC has been attempting to extrapolate the precise positions of the remaining gems ever since we left Titan, examining all information he can possibly access to find where their last known locations are. From that, I believe we now have a reliable location at which to search for each of the remaining gems.”
“The closest gem we know of is most likely on an obscure planet known by the nearby systems as Tatakis,” Victory added.
“From what ISAAC could tell, the planet is the last known location of a thief and con-man who was believed to be in a possession of a mysterious blue gem that he was using to influence the minds of others. It flows well with older information that points at the same gem, and the accounts we could find give us every reason to think it’s exactly what we’re looking for,” Eros explained. “Fortunately, he didn’t seem to realize the full extent of what he possessed. He had a run in with the Nova Corps, and was tracked to this system, but when they were finally able to send someone to follow up on the case, they found signs that his ship had been destroyed in-system. Since he hasn’t been heard from since, they considered the issue closed.”
“I’ve already set a course and we’re on our way there now.”
“Good news,” said Adam.
“As good as we can hope for at the moment,” said Eros. “By the way, do you know how Jazinda is doing?”
“We’re expecting her to be all well soon.”

--------------------

“There it is,” Eros said as the Osiris reverted to a more controllable speed, within the system that the planet Tatakis called home, yet still a fair distance off from their final destination.

The system was a binary one, with a small star that in addition to having a couple of planets which orbited it, in turn orbited the larger, central solar body. Tatakis itself was one of the two planets orbiting the outer star, and was slightly smaller than the average habitable planet. Colored in a dark sandy hue with the occasional solid brown or gray markings of mountains, a sprinkling of blue and green near the planet's poles indicated it was not entirely barren. While it had no moon, there was a long, thick planetary ring orbiting the planet as a sharp angle, one that nearly stretched the limits of how big an area such rings could inhabit without violating the natural laws of science.

“But what is it?”

The rest turned, surprised to see Jazinda up and about already.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” asked Eros.
“Tried. Couldn’t. After I woke up, I couldn’t stay put, and since the scan Mantis took with the Osiris’ medical equipment shows I’m not causing any harm by doing so, I thought I’d get up and see what everyone else was up to. Have we found the next gem yet?”

As if on cue, Mantis followed into the bridge at that moment.

“Almost,” Adam said, deciding it wasn’t worth arguing the point. “We believe it’s located somewhere on the planet in front of us.”
“Are we sure it’ll still be there when we arrive?”
“If this is indeed its last resting place,” Adam responded.
“From what I’ve seen, there’s no possible way my brother could have beaten us to this gem, if he even knows it’s here,” Eros said. “As impressive as his ship is, it has nothing on the Osiris’ speed. We left Labworld soon enough after he did that we should have easily overtaken him. And nothing from the ship's sensors indicated he was traveling in this direction anyway.”
“But couldn’t he just ask for it?” Jazinda asked.

It was a question that struck at everyone in the room in some form or another, and forced everyone to turn their attention in her direction. Even Major Victory looked, though he soon turned his attention back to his piloting in order to avoid flying into anything.

“What do you mean?” asked Eros, a hint of fear in his voice at what she could possibly be hinting at.
“Mantis filled me in on what happened after I was beaten senseless. That Thanos got his hands on the gem. The Reality Gem, specifically. If I remember your briefing correctly, that gem grants wishes. What’s to stop him from wishing the rest of the gems into his possession?”

It was a thought that caused pause for all of them.

“There are…a few ways…to look at that idea,” Eros said, clearly not wanting to fathom the possibility of such a reality.
“First, we might consider the idea that perhaps the gems by their very nature are exempt from such interference,” Adam said. “That while the Reality Gem can grant wishes contrary to the laws of reality, its fellow gems are powerful enough that they remain above such influence. Second, it is possible that neither Thanos nor his ally have considered the idea themselves.”
“Whatever the case may be,” Eros said, his voice still heavy, “we must hope beyond hope that does not happen.”

--------------------

The ship soon passed over the range of Tatakis’ planetary ring, and began scanning for signs of a wrecked ship. Nearly a third of an orbit was completed before anything was found, a barely discernible energy signature.

With no other signs of the ship in orbit, the Osiris soon traveled down into the planets atmosphere to continue its search. Once there, it didn’t take long before the scanners found signs of a crashed ship out amongst the planet's desert. It was scattered across a length of ground over a mile long, not to mention the assorted pieces that had flown off in every direction during the ship's obvious crash landing.

“That looks like the place,” Victory said as he brought the ship in overhead, circling the crash site a couple times to give them all an opportunity to get a good look at the ship and the surroundings.
The ship was put down on a nearby rock formation, more stable as ground went, yet still well within a comfortable walk's distance from the bulk of the crash site.

“Jazinda, regardless of how you may be feeling, I ask that you stay here and watch the ship,” Adam said to the Skrull.
“And do what, exactly?”
“Rest,” said Mantis.
“While the site appears to be safe, I would rather we not take any chances right now. It would be for the best that we have someone stay here to watch the ship and keep it ready to launch in case we need it.”

"I'll stay with the ship as well." Eros said giving Jazinda a sly grin. "Just in case."

--------------------

After finding Gamora and outfitting themselves with communication devices to link them to the Osiris, the rest of the Guardians made their way to the largest section of the ship.

“This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack…” Victory said half-flabbergasted as he fully took in just what kind of a search they were looking at.
“We better get started then, shouldn’t we?” said Gamora.

As the team made its way towards the main hull, Major Victory caught sight of what appeared to be some kind of small metal crate, out of which an assortment of valuables appeared to have spilled.

“I think it’s safe to say now that we won’t have to worry about the pilot,” Gamora said as she noticed the skeletal remains of a humanoid wearing a flight suit, half-buried in the sand, and having been picked clean of its edible flesh long ago.

Victory didn’t pay attention, but instead walked over to the crate, and noticed something that caught his eye. It was small, shiny, and had a familiar Blue color.

“I think I found it!” he shouted as he reached the crate.
“You have to be kidding me,” Gamora said. “It can’t possibly be that easy.”
“This one thinks that it would be unwise to question such good fortune,” Mantis replied.

Reaching down, the soldier picked up a couple items that were in the way, grabbed the gem, and picked it up. Now, with the gem in hand, there was no doubt – the Infinity Gem of the Mind was theirs.

“I found it!” he said, confirming the suspicion for his teammates as he stood up. But when he got to his feet, something happened. For a moment, the sky flashed from its previous clear bluish hue to a darker color with a reddish hue, then flashed back.

“What the frell just happened?!” Gamora said, which told Major Victory it clearly hadn’t just been him. Again, he sky flashed, but this time, it stuck, and the ripples in the sky of its original color that followed for a couple seconds after became the exception rather than the rule. Once Victory managed to turn his attention from what was right above him to what was around him, he realized it wasn’t just the sky – the entire landscape had changed from that of a space ship crash site to that of a futuristic, war-torn city -- a very familiar looking city.

It was a shock enough to the Major that the gem fell from his hands, and he did not bother to pick it up again.

“So much for it being easy.” Mantis said.
“I had nothing to do with it.” Gamora said, half firing back at her as she drew her blade. “I can promise you that.”

Adam reached for his communication link, intent on calling Jazinda to see if she was experiencing the same thing, but soon found that he didn’t have it on him. It, like the blue sky and the crash, had apparently vanished.

“Something is very wrong here,” Adam said.
“You think?” Gamora said.
“It’s more than that,” Mantis said. “This place feels familiar somehow.”
“It’s New York,” Victory said. He didn’t know how he recognized it, he just did. Somewhere, deep in his mind, he held memories of this place. A great deal of memories. “It’s…home…”
“New York? Earth New York?” Mantis said.
“That can’t be right,” said Adam. “None of this is right. Give me a few minutes and I’ll see if I can find any clues as to what is going on. Major, do you still have…”

Kwa-BOOM!

His sentence was cut short as the remains of a skyscraper were hit by a destructive bolt of energy and exploded above them, sending rubble falling to the ground. The group scrambled to get out of the way, and soon found themselves diving for cover amongst the ruins as a volley of smaller rounds followed the first shot.

“It’s the Badoon!” Victory shouted, his memories flowing to him and overwhelming his sense of the present. “They’ve begun their attack!”
“Badoon?” Gamora said, clearly taking notice of the supposed species of the attackers. “They’re here?!”

Looking up from her cover, she could make out the approaching enemies. It took some effort, but once she got a clear look at them, she had little difficulty recognizing the foe.

“Nikki, we need cover fire!” Victory said, revealing a side of himself none of the Guardians had seen before. “Give us a clear path to move forward and watch my back! Aleta, go with Martinex, flank them from the North. Starhawk, you know what to do. Now let’s move, Guardians! EARTH SHALL OVERCOME!”

The rest simply looked on in amazement and confusion as the orders were given, and tried to figure out what the daast they were suppose to do as Victory began to move forward, strategically yet rapidly advancing towards the enemy through a combination of cover and the use of his Shield. Gamora was the first to act.

“Prepare yourselves, Badoon!” she screamed as she moved from her position and followed after Major Victory. “Today you die!”

“What in the galaxy is going on here?” Adam asked.
“This one is equally confused, but there is no time to wonder. Our friends need our help.”
“Indeed,” Adam said. “Follow them, and keep the Badoon back. I need time to find out what is happening and figure out a way to stop it.”
“Hurry,” Mantis pleaded and then ran off to try to catch up with the other two Guardians.

The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73
3) Mantis - 35
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
37 SV012 Badoon Commander*
w/Camoflague 8pts (which works off the Skrull TA for this game)
33 SV011 Badoon Guard
33 SV011 Badoon Guard
30 SV010 Badoon Warrior
30 SV010 Badoon Warrior
Total: 171pts

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Dials

Guardians of the Galaxy
sv058 R Vance Astro
Team: Defenders
Range: 8
Points: 49
Keywords: Guardians of the Galaxy, Psychic, Soldier

8 9 16 2

7 8 15 2

7 8 14 2

6 7 16 1

6 7 16 1

5 6 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

W/Stunning Blow
Prerequisites: Incapacitate
Choose a character.

When the character makes a successful attack using Incapacitate, in addition to the normal effect of Incapacitate the character may deal damage equal to its unmodified damage value. The attacker may choose how to divide damage dealt among the successfully hit targets.

si054 U Gamora
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 73
Keywords: Cosmic, Infinity Watch, Martial Artist

8 11 18 3

8 10 18 3

8 10 17 3

8 9 17 3

7 9 17 3

7 9 16 3

6 9 16 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

sv067 R Mantis
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 35
Keywords: Martial Artist

7 9 16 2

7 9 15 1

7 9 14 2

6 9 13 1

6 8 13 2

6 8 12 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

W/Vault
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes or Leap/Climb
Choose a character.

After the character resolves a close combat action, it may be placed in any square in which it may legally be placed adjacent to a target of the action at the same elevation as the target.

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
sv012 V Badoon Commander
Team: Skrulls
Range: 6
Points: 37
Keywords: Badoon, Soldier

8 9 16 2

7 8 16 2

7 8 15 2

6 7 14 2

6 7 13 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

W/Camoflague (Operating off Skrull TA)
Prerequisites: Shape Change
Choose a character.

When the character is adjacent to a wall or blocking terrain, any line of fire for a ranged combat attack drawn to the character is blocked.

sv011 E Badoon Guard
Team: Skrulls
Range: 6
Points: 33
Keywords: Badoon, Soldier

7 9 16 2

7 8 15 2

7 8 15 1

6 7 14 1

6 7 13 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

sv010 R Badoon Warrior
Team: Skrulls
Range: 8
Points: 30
Keywords: Badoon, Soldier

7 8 15 2

7 8 15 2

6 7 14 1

6 7 14 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Initiative Roll: 5,1 (6)
Objects Roll: 6,5 (11)

I'd be happy to take this game; i just thought i'd played you a bit too often lately... RookieBatman was interested, wasn't he?...

Initiative: 2+3=5
Objects: 1+6=7

Badooooooooon!...

The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 K23
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 F23
3) Mantis - 35 J23
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
37 SV012 Badoon Commander*
w/Camoflague 8pts (which works off the Skrull TA for this game)
33 SV011 Badoon Guard
33 SV011 Badoon Guard
30 SV010 Badoon Warrior
30 SV010 Badoon Warrior
Total: 171pts

Objects:
HO: B3, C3
LO: O3

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 K23
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 F23
3) Mantis - 35 J23
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
V Badoon Commander* H2
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
E Badoon Guard I2
E Badoon Guard G2
R Badoon Warrior J2
R Badoon Warrior F2
Total: 171pts

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

( good luck, sir! )

Guardians Turn 1
Vance moves to M14.
Gamora moves to C17.

The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M14 @
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 C17 @
3) Mantis - 35 J23
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
V Badoon Commander* H2
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
E Badoon Guard I2
E Badoon Guard G2
R Badoon Warrior J2
R Badoon Warrior F2
Total: 171pts

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

( R Vance has 8 on his first click and could not reach M14; i've pulled him back to M15; is that okay? )


Badoon turn 1b

It was fairly obvious which of the Badoon squad was the commander. Positioned in the center of his formation, he was bigger, looked stronger, and bore that regal tinge of superiority. He scanned the battlefield, which was strewn with debris and other heavy objects. Along one flank stood a structure, but it had been damaged. Two of its entrances had been partially blocked by chunks that had fallen from its roof. The Commander rejected that avenue and pointed. He then advanced boldly, and one of his minions followed close behind.


- V Badoon Commander moves to K10.
- R Badoon Warrior (in J2) moves to J9.




The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M15 @
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 C17 @
3) Mantis - 35 J23
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
V Badoon Commander* K10 @
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
E Badoon Guard I2
E Badoon Guard G2
R Badoon Warrior J9 @
R Badoon Warrior F2
Total: 171pts

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

"Aleta, what are you doing?" Victory asked as Mantis caught up to him. "Where's Nikki?"
"Major, what is happening?" Mantis asked, hoping she could learn something that might help the situation. She had never heard of the Badoon before, and so anything she could learn would be useful.
"The Badoon are what's happening, Aleta!" Victory replied, aghast as to what his friend could possibly be asking such a question for. She had fought battles like this countless times. How could she possibly be asking a question like that? "What's wrong with you?"

Guardians Turn 2
*Gamora uses Willpower, moves to A13.
*Mantis moves to L15.

The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M15
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 C17 @@
3) Mantis - 35 L15 @
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
V Badoon Commander* K10 @
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
E Badoon Guard I2
E Badoon Guard G2
R Badoon Warrior J9 @
R Badoon Warrior F2
Total: 171pts

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

(Yeah, thanks for catching and correcting that for me. )

( R Mantis has 7 onher first click, you silly... should she be in L16?... i think your map puts her in L16; i've adjusted the RECAP accordingly... )



Badoon turn 2b

- E Badoon Guard moves to G8.
- E Badoon Guard moves to H9.





The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M15
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 C17 @@
3) Mantis - 35 L16 @
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
1) V Badoon Commander* K10
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
2) E Badoon Guard G8 @
3) E Badoon Guard H9 @
4) R Badoon Warrior J9
5) R Badoon Warrior F2

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

"Major, this situation is not right." Mantis replied. "This is not the way things should be. What is happening?"

He was unsure how to reply to what his friend was saying. But he did know they needed to stop the Badoons advance, or else he might not get a chance to find out what was going on.

"We need to settle this right now!" He said, indicating to the battle as shot flew past their position. "They won't give us an opportunity to deal with anything else if we don't take care of them. I saw their commander our there, he's leading the advance. I think I can take him out if they're not focused on me. If we do that, this group should start to panic. Can you get out there and provide a distraction for me?"

Mantis nodded, conceding that it would be Warlock who would have to find out what was taking place, and that if she was going to learn anything about where they were from Victory, she would have to do it through action and paying attention to her surroundings.

Leaping over the mish-mash barricade of rubble that half blocked the road, she dodged and rolled as the initial Badoon forces opened fire on her. Leaping over the leader, she delivered a quick kick to his face as she landed next to him and his ally, though the lack of power and aim put into it only sufficed to catch the aliens attention and make him angry.

With Mantis keeping the attentions of his enemies, Victory took to a stairwell, climbing up to gain a hight advantage. He'd have a much easier time attacking the enemy if they weren't able to hide behind cover as well.

Meanwhile, Adam was trying to find where Major Victory had dropped the Mind Gem. It was a challenging task, finding a small jewel such as that amongst all this rubble. Fortunately, he remembered where the soldier had been standing when things had changed, which gave him a starting point.

But there was something else, too. It was as though he could sense the gem. Something about their current situation caused the gem to give off some kind of signal - one that someone looking for it could find. And Adam was most definitely looking for it.

Guardians Turn 3
*Mantis pushes, moves to K9, takes a click of damage.
*Major Victory moves to L11.

The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M15 @
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 C17
3) Mantis - 35 K9 (5/6) @@
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
1) V Badoon Commander* K10
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
2) E Badoon Guard G8 @
3) E Badoon Guard H9 @
4) R Badoon Warrior J9
5) R Badoon Warrior F2

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

Wow...I am really missing those things so far. And it's only the third turn of the game!

Badoon turn 3b


- R Badoon Warrior (in F2) moves to H6.
- V Badoon Commander attacks Mantis > 9 vs 15 +2 (Combat Reflexes) > roll: 5+6=11 HIT. Mantis takes 2 damage.


The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M15 @
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 C17
3) Mantis - 35 K9 (3/6) @@
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
1) V Badoon Commander* K10 @
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
2) E Badoon Guard G8
3) E Badoon Guard H9
4) R Badoon Warrior J9
5) R Badoon Warrior H6 @

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

( Happy New Year, SpaceJawa! i am awaited -- otherwise i'd enter the story post i have in mind... )

GotG Turn 4
*Gamora moves to D10.

Victory and Mantis rest.

The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M15
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 D10 @
3) Mantis - 35 K9 (3/6)
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
1) V Badoon Commander* K10 @
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
2) E Badoon Guard G8
3) E Badoon Guard H9
4) R Badoon Warrior J9
5) R Badoon Warrior H6 @

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

Badooooon! turn 4b

Mantis was risking a great deal and she knew it. Despite her conviction that something was terribly wrong with the combat situation the Guardiansd found themselves in, she was determined to help her teammates as well as she could. She dodged and rolled as the initial Badoon forces opened fire on her. Leaping over the leader, she delivered a quick kick to his face as she landed next to him and his ally, though the lack of power and aim put into it only sufficed to catch the aliens attention and make him angry.

Indeed, the Commander displayed some remarkable combat prowess. While keeping an eye on the approach of Major Victory, he was able to turn and deliver a nasty blow to Mantis with the butt of his blaster-rifle.

Mantis realized she had to concentrate harder. She used the force of the blow to alter her defensive posture. As another Badoon attacked her with a veritable flurry of blows, Mantis' combat reflexes enabled her to avoid further injury -- for the time being.

The other Badoon noticed Gamora, even as she tried to close range to their ranks surreptitiously. Unable to draw a decent line of fire to Gamora, the Badoon shifted tactics and fired at the crumbling structure standing along one flank of the battlefield. The shots struck above a couple entrance-ways to the structure, and the blasts loosened debris, stones, and dust, creating a hindrance to both movement and vision.




- R Warrior (in J9) attacks Mantis using Flurry > 8 vs 13 +2 (Combat Reflexes) > roll: 2+1=3 MISS second attack > roll: 1+4=5 MISS.
- E Guard (in H9) uses Smoke Cloud to generate hindering terrain in E8-E9-E10-E11.




The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M15
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 D10 @
3) Mantis - 35 K9 (3/6)
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
1) V Badoon Commander* K10
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
2) E Badoon Guard G8
3) E Badoon Guard H9 @
4) R Badoon Warrior J9 @
5) R Badoon Warrior H6

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC

Gamora clenched her teeth in anger. These vile creatures were brighter than she was expecting, and the were lead by a commander who knew what he was doing.

It was these thoughts that kept her at bay as debris from the building above crashed down around the entrances and smoke rose from the ground. She had no doubt that once she got a fix on them, she could close in and strike before they could get an accurate shot off, and remove them from the battle entirely soon after.

Problem was that they had a good idea where she was, and the smoke made it difficult for her to keep track of them in turn. She was tempted to rush out to slay them anyway, except the words that Warlock had given her earlier were still on her mind. She needed to play this smart. She would get a chance to strike and attack soon enough, she just needed to maintain some level of patience. Enough to last till she found a clear path, or a distraction drew the opponents attention away from her long enough to give her the upper hand.

That distraction came in the form of Major Victory. Seeing what was going on below, he threw his shield so that it collided with one of the aliens who had shot at his allies cover - an ally he thought was Nikki. The impact knocked the Badoon to the ground, and drew the attention of his companion, who turned around and attempted to draw a bead on the other attacker. While he could follow the projectile as it returned to its owner, Victories positioning provided him more than enough safety from the attack.

Not so much could be said about the Badoon. When Gamora heard shots being fired from where she recalled the Badoon being located, and realized they weren't being fired at her, she knew her opportunity had presented itself. Lifting herself over the debris and leaping through the smoke, she rolled along the ground the short distance to her targets. One of them saw what was happening as she closed in and tried to fire, but the gun was kicked away.

She followed by slicing him across the chest with a blade, but he backed off quickly enough to keep it from becoming a serious wound.

"You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this." She said, her mind slowly forgetting the need to fight the battle with the greater picture in mind, and instead began to give into her feelings of anger and revenge.

GotG Turn 5
*Major Victory will use Stunning Blow against Guard 3, 9 vs 16. Attack roll is 5,2 (7), hitting to give Guard 3 an action token and 2 damage (+1 for pushing damage, 3 total), and looses smoke cloud, causing the tokens to vanish. Vance gets 3 IAP/TAP.
*Gamora uses Willpower to Charge to G9. Attacks Guard 2 with BCF, 11 vs 16. Attack roll is 1,4 (5), hitting. Damage roll is...2. <_<. Since I'm assuming that I can't give any of the IAP here to Victory (since it was an attack action that allowed Gamora to pull off the move), she gets 2 IAP/TAP. No pushing from Willpower.

The Guardians of the Galaxy:
1) Major Victory (Vance Astro) - 49 M15 [3 IAP/TAP] @
*W/Stunning Blow - 10
2) Gamora - 73 G9 [2 IAP/TAP] @@
3) Mantis - 35 K9 (3/6)
*W/Vault - 3
Total: 170

The Brotherhood of the Badoon:
1) V Badoon Commander* K10
w/Camouflage 8pts (works off the Skrull TA for this game)
2) E Badoon Guard G8 (3/5)
3) E Badoon Guard H9 (2/5) @@
4) R Badoon Warrior J9 @
5) R Badoon Warrior H6

Objects:
HOs: B3, C3, E17
LOs: O3, L11, H10

BC: MADNESS (Icons #002): Critical hits are critical misses instead, and vice versa. When a character uses Support, the target is healed of 1 fewer damage on a critical hit.

Map: Post-Apocalyptic NYC