Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

Guardians of the Cosmos

Xion, also known as the guardian of Sector X a piece of the galaxy that ringed the edges of the core systems, stared into the fathomless deeps of space. It was a view he could have wasted an eternity looking at, were it not for the army of unknown in front of him. These grotesque enemies had come from outside his home galaxy to destroy and conquer, but Xion, feeling no fear, hovered in front of the enormous force before him. He was not exactly standing his ground - one does not 'stand' in space - but he was nonetheless preventing the army from moving forward.
The Unknown were talking. Maybe they were wondering what Xion was doing, or perhaps laughing at the one-man resistance. Xion didn't really care, either way. He was, after all, here to destroy these invaders, not chat with them, although he did admit that the language they spoke intrigued him slightly. He, like all guardians, knew all the languages in his home galaxy inherently, but apparently this ability did not extend itself to species outside of the galaxy.
Perhaps the most puzzling thing about the unknown was that they were almost 100% organic. Their ships were no more than a larger breed of their ugly race - even the titanic moon sized carrier ships, which resembled giant sacs of flesh that had smaller 'ships' flying in and out of their many orifices. The most disturbing thing was - if these being could survive in the vacuum of space, like a guardian could, then what other powers did they possess?
This question was answered quickly enough, as what appeared to be the army's leader floated to the front lines to observe Xion. The guardian thought this was a strange strategy. The general, or whatever it was, had put itself in grave danger. After all, Xion could obliterate it from here. It was just a different variation of their race. This train of thought ended rather fast, however, as the general's feature blurred and twisted, until Xion was staring at a rather disgusting mirror image of himself. The being's flesh had even spread out to form a cape similar to the one Xion was wearing.
Apparently, the general wasn't satisfied with this image, so the cape melted into it's skin, and instead formed a second pair of arms, that flexed as the unknown experimented with its new form. "interesting" Xion murmured out loud, temporarily ignoring the laws of physics by speaking into the vacuum.
"Interesting." The general mimicked him. it's voice was rough and course, as if it had not formed its vocal chords properly. Before Xion could experiment with this notion however, the general had shot across the void towards him. Their collision was explosive, but silent, and the unknown army merely hovered there, as if waiting. Crushing the Xion in it's four-armed grip, the general plummeted towards the planet below.
Xion knew this planet well. Kah'Shara was a dying planet, with no more than a million years left to live. The guardian had visited the planet at regular intervals to check it's progress. Finally, he decided it was time for the inhabitant to evacuate. The Kah'Shan, a long lived race who respected the guardian's judgement, had agreed and left the planet for good. That had only been a hundred years ago - a blink of an eye to a guardian like Xion. The red sky and stormy black seas flashed by as the two powers wrestled in midair.
The general temporarily got the upper hand with it's extra limbs. In that instant the unknown used it's strength to fling Xion into the nearest mountain. the resulting CRACK echoed around the dead planet as parts of the mountain shattered, breaking away completely to make a new cliff face in the rock. The general closed in, but was blasted away by two bolts of red light. Xion was fortunate that his unique ability was entirely offensive. After several more blasts Xion followed up with a punch that sent the general flying into the black ocean. Ignoring the massive storms and the churning water, Xion followed.
The fight continued, the water offering as much resistance as the skies above. Xion's lasers were shooting off in all directions as the two battled, going deeper and deeper, breaking through the ocean floor and down into the planet's core. The planet's stability took a turn for the worse. If Xion looked at the planet now, he would guess this it's remaining lifespan had been reduced to a few thousand years. The guardian's and the general's actions in the core has pushed Kah'Shara past its limits. Even as they fought in the core the two could feel, and even hear, the planet shaking around them. They finally exploded from the earth on the other side of the planet, next to one of it's once great cities. The buildings towered to the heavens above, but they were still only obstacles when it came to the struggling beings. They plowed through the structures like they were made of paper, which were then consumed by the tidal waves of molten lava that erupted from the hole they made. Xion managed at last to kick the unknown general away into the base of a nearby skyscraper, which began to slow collapse. Not to be outdone, the general retaliated by throwing the whole building at Xion, who managed to duck and catch it on the underside. Whether the general was angry or amuses by this, Xion couldn't tell. It didn't seem capable of making any facial expressions. It simply charged forwards, unaware that Xion had changed his grip on the building slightly.
Swinging the skyscraper like one would a baseball bat, Xion hit the general square on, splitting the entire building in two and sending the unknown flying high into the sky. The guardian dropped his half of the building, deciding that this was the time to end this fight, as the general had clearly been stunned by the attack. He caught up to the monster and pulled it away from the planet as quick as he could. Once free of the planet's gravitational pull, he aimed for the nearest star, hoping that the general would be as doomed as any guardian that had experienced the overpowering heat of a sun. The general, waking at the last moment, gave a out a cry that the waiting army reacted to instantly. They all swarmed towards Xion, but too late, as the guardian threw the unknowns fallen leader into the crushing gravity of the star, which Xion knew it could not escape. It fell, burning as it went, and then it was lost beneath the fiery surface.
The unknown army continued its charge towards Xion, blindly following the last order of it's fallen commander. Xion, feeling fed up, unleashed an enormous torrent of red light at the enemy. The first wave perished instantly from the sheer intensity of the blast, and the waves behind disintegrated slowly. The unknown kept on coming, determined to kill the guardian until, quite suddenly, they stopped. Xion could tell from the chatter that broke out that the army was confused, as if they were taking orders from ten different people at once. Then, without warning, hundreds of portals opened around the army, ripping apart the fabric of space. Xion, sensing an opportunity, sped towards the portals, but by the time he reached them, they had closed, and the army had disappeared within them.
"A retreat?" he wondered out loud staring at the now empty space in front of him. Not that it mattered. He had accomplished his mission and saved this part of the galaxy. There were other areas, he knew, where the other guardians were fighting to defend star systems that were of strategic importance. He left this system and headed for the galaxy's centre, where the Grand Council resided. He would have to report his findings ASAP. What he learned in this fight could be of great importance. It might even be the key to winning this war...

It had not been long since Memory's senses detected the deformity. He guessed that there were half a million or so of the spatial disturbances, spread out over the planet. They filled the horizon, and Memory considered the possibly they had surrounded the planet. They were an anomaly to Memory, their minds and bodies too alien to be easily deciphered. If, perhaps, one could be studied, their secrets might be archived. It would be difficult, certainly, so went the war.
Memory stopped as he felt the first lives end. A natural cycle, he knew, but the tiny lights flickering out were too many, too unnatural. The planet's inhabitant were under his jurisdiction, and he was to protect them. And protect them he did, preserving their memories as was needed, and warding off the largest threats to population. Otherwise, they could take care of themselves. These Unknown were a great threat, to be sure, and there was the war to consider. Memory did not enjoy taking lives, but there was no choice in the defense of the star system he held dominion over.
To an outside observer, it might have appeared that Memory was enveloped by nothingness as he was transported to the highest concentration of the Unknown. There really were so many. Memory was again left with no choice, calling upon the Legacy. A special ability unique to each Guardian, Memory was a collector of the dead. The imprint any living creature left upon the universe, a recording of their existance; such was Memory's domain. With a quiet word, he called to them, forming a cast of the psychic footprint into temporary re-existance. As Memory appeared, so did hundreds of thousands of warriors from each planet in the system. Thousands of uniforms and weapons, so integral to the soldiers' identities that they could not be removed. With another effort of will, Memory sent them to the corners of the world, their mission to confront the Unknown.
In moments, the force of Unknown creatures had their attentions trained on Memory, the attack temporarily disrupted, as he stood before the armies of the dead. It would not help to attempt communication: these beings had no desire to try diplomacy. Memory attempted anyway, giving the Unknown a chance to leave without further violence. For another moment, it seemed to stir some of the beings. But then, a cry roseout, and they surged forward in a tide of flesh. Memory gave the order to fire.
Weapons flashed and exploded, beams reaching out to slice at their targets all over the small planet as the Unknown met massed fire. The Unknown slowed, but their momentum carried them through the first volleys, and Memory felt their lives holding strong, though several were extinguished after concentated blasting. Not enough damage was done, it seemed, to stop the charge. Then the armies clashed, and blades leapt from scabbards or hilts, crystals powering up into coherent forms. Almost experimentally, Memory reached out and caught one of the invaders. It clawed at him, but was unable to find purchase before Memory simply crushed the creature. He felt its imprint forming, and caught the remains to store its Legacy. Again, Memory felt the alien presence, and was unsure he could work with it. As he tried to cast the imprint into something physical, another of the Unknown came after him, forcing Memory to lash out with a braided fist, breaking something within the creature. A hundred more took that one's place, and Memory transported himself above the field of battle. It seemed to be going well. Each time an Unknown struck down a Legacy, they were surprised to find Memory recasting them into place. While it was true that army of the dead had a difficult time harming the Unknown, they could not be permanently destroyed, not while Memory held the remains. Each unknown to be killed went to Memory, but still he could not form them, the remains too different from those he knew. The tide was beggining to turn, though it would not last at the current rate, as Memory's energy depleted for each revival. Nor could Memory stand to take the field himself; the numbers were against him, he knew. Instead, Memory took a new approach. The armie of Legacies simply disappeared, only to return in new positions, at flanks, surrounding broken ranks of the confused Unknown. The Legacy weapons fired again, to much greater effect this time. Massed fire to weakened areas, Legacies appearing in the worst possible spots, Memory did all he could to maintain the sowed confusion, even risking himself to join the fight. One blow, to the ground below the enemy's feet, and the terrain reacted, a shifting break in the earth. Unknown tripped and fell, while Legacies to the high ground, again shooting into disorganized clusters. It would take time to clean the planet, but Memory felt he could afford to wait.