Eleven months ago...

"Hey, Chris?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Have you ever thought about exploring more than just this? You know, seeing other things?"

"Well, what'd you have in mind?"

"Just to see more of the un -- I mean, the world."

"Do you want to take a vacation? We'll go somewhere you've never been to if you'd dig it."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind."

"Well let me know where you're at, K. I'm no mind reader."

"It's just... nothing. Forget I brought it up."

"Uh, uh, can't do that to me. I've been your man for almost a year and a half. I know you like the back of my hand. What's up? What don't you want to tell me?"

"It's... I..."

"You're not thinking about... him, are you?"

The woman's silence is all the answer Chris needs.

********

The present.(Possibly)The financial district of New York City, specifically, inside the offices of Vaughn-Tanaka Industries

MV1 COMICS PRESENTS		1
YEAR TWO	by Travis George	MAY

Note: As soon as you read this, you'll know I took the in medias res approach to writing this first issue. Why in particular? I realized that the CPU trilogy skimped on the action, and I wanted to include a good dose of it here so no one thinks I'm shying away from it... But of course, all will be explained so you'll get the action first, and answered questions later.

Deep space

"Die, organic scum!"

The hateful cry accompanies an extremely powerful blast. The Charter ship NCC-1701 is barely able to swerve out of its way in time.

The hatred felt outside the ship mirrors that which is felt inside the ship.

"We should kill those p'taghs! for what they did to us -- and Fanto and Vort" Morfex decrees.

Xlyym, the octopoid of the group responds to this threat with his own rage. He launches one of his tentacles in Morfex's direction.

"Stop!" Quasar blasts Xlyym away, and tries to appeal to all the occupants of the NCC-1701, both friend and foe.

"We can't afford to fight amongst ourselves. We all have to band together to stop Skeletron."

"Skeletron wouldn't harm us, you fool," Fabrikant replies. "We are his Starblasters. We freed him."

"It doesn't look that way to me," comes Quasar's rebuttal. "He didn't seem to care who was on this ship."

"Well, a quick communication with him will put a stop to that and signal your death as well," Insidio says. Then he goes to the control panel, and turns on the ship's communication device. "Skeletron has a built in signal receiver and will be able to communicate." Less than three seconds later, Skeletron's mechanical face becomes visible on the screen.

"Skeletron. You have returned," Nyborn says.

"Yes, you organic fool."

Despite his alien features, the doubtful expression on Nyborn's face is recognizable by human standards. "We are overjoyed at your return, liege. Now we can at last fulfill our goal of conquering the galaxy."

"We? Idiot. Now that I have the Starbrand, I have no need of you."

Quasar looks at Insidio and Nyborn, and it's obvious they've finally realized their folly.

"I see that Earth fool Quasar is aboard that vessel. I will destroy him --"

Quasar tenses up for battle, as do Morfex and Xenith.

" -- But first I have other matters to attend to. I had the foresight to download data contained in the Stranger's computer banks before he stranded me in that barren universe. I bade my time, waiting for an opportunity to return and seek vengeance upon all the pathetic organic life in this multiverse. That Earth fool will be one of the first to feel my fury. But there is one even more worthy of my wrath. Where is the Stranger?"

"I don't know, my liege." Insidio answers, beginning to cower.

"Useless as always, Insidio. It doesn't matter. I sense his home planet is not far from this location. He will return here in due time. Till then, I have entities to contact. I shall return to deliver your fate, Quasar."

Quasar does a good job of hiding his fear, but he knows he's in for it, as he watches Skeletron disappear in a flash, and the screen fading to black.

********

Not far

"My name is Uatu. I am called the Watcher. It is my charge to observe all the major events in this sector of space. Recently, the being known as Skeletron returned to this multiverse, wielding the extradimensional energy known as the Starbrand. These events do not bode well for the fate of this galaxy, or any of the lifeforms that reside within."

"Where is he, Watcher?" says the Stranger, having materialized in time to heard the important parts of the Watcher's monologue, which he composed on an asteroid that orbits the Stranger's home planet.

"He is not here. But he will return. And he has vowed to destroy you first."

"Well, thanks for breaking your vow of non-intervention once again simply to inform me of the obvious. Now stay out of my way."

The Stranger disappears, and reappears right outside the force field of the New Universe Earth*
[*Last seen in Quasar #60 - TG]

'This is one thing Skeletron must not obtain. When he returns, he will no doubt attempt to add the anomalous energies of this world to his own already staggering power. Time is of the essence. I must -- eh?'

The Stranger turns to see the NCC-1701 approaching. The cargo bay door opens, and Quasar flies out of it.

"Stranger!"

"What do you want, Quasar?"

"Probably the same thing you want. Not to die at Skeletron's hands."

"Indeed. And one way to make that less likely is to prevent him from accessing the energies this planet is bathed in."

"Yeah, but there's no way he would be able to breach the Living Tribunal's force field. Is there?"

"It's doubtful, but still too possible for my comfort. Now stay there and be quiet, so I can contact the Living Tribunal. He quarantined this world; only he can remove it from harm's way."

The Stranger shuts his eyes and appears to concentrate on something.

While he is doing this, Quasar creates a platform in space for himself to stand on.

About a minute into the Stranger's trance, he opens his eyes with a strange look on his face.

"What happened?"

"I was able to reach him, but he refuses to appear here."

"What's that about?"

"I'm not sure. He didn't give me a reason. He didn't tell me much. I almost got a sense of... difficulty. It's not something I've ever sensed the Living Tribunal ever have to deal with."

All of a sudden three figures materialize on Quasar's platform. One is an extremely tall, beautiful woman with platinum blonde hair and a white gown that speaks of royalty. The other two are men, short in comparison to the woman. One looks like Charlie Chaplain, the other a literally very scruffy, grungy punk mechanic.

"Hi there. I take it you're also here to observe the end of the universe as we know it?"

"Greetings champion of Earth. I am the Omniversal Mastrex, Opal Luna Saturnyne. These others are named Horatio and Bert. I don't just plan to observe, I plan to do something about this situation... if I can."

"Great. That would be nice if you could help. Mind if I ask what exactly is an Omniversal Mastrex? You don't seem like a cosmic entity, and I've never heard of you."

"That's because I wasn't directly assigned to you."

"Come again?"

"Every time there has been an emergency with alternate timelines or parallel Earths, the Living Tribunal or the Time Keepers have been free to intervene if any of them so chose. They were the ones assigned to your case."

"My case?"

"Yes, in addition to a hierarchy of the guardians of life, time, space, etc., there is also a system of assignment. Think of it as foster children assigned to specific social workers, only on a much grander scale. You have your share of cosmic entities to report to. Your tuetalage was assigned to Eon. Your inspiration to Origin. Infinity is your guardian angel. If you were involved in matters that threatened the timelines, the Time Keepers would take the necessary steps to straighten it out. Numinus was assigned to help you out if you were left on your own too long. And if you were involved in matters that upset the balance of power in the multiverse, you'd have a visit paid on you by the guy wearing the biggest brass hat of them all, the Living Tribunal. The latter is the one that asked me to overlook this situation. "

"I always wondered how it worked out. So why did the Living Tribunal decide to delegate the responsibility this time?"

"He didn't have a choice. Due to problems beset by --" she points to an image that Horatio projects from a crystaline device he is holding, and an image of Skeletron appears, "he was unable to attend himself."

"That isn't possible. There isn't supposed to be a force in the entire omniverse that can incapacitate the Living Tribunal. He is supposed to be the last resort of the cosmic checks and balances system of creation," the Stranger's voice almost denotes a hint of fear. "Did Skeletron defeat him?"

"No. Now please excuse me. I will brief you in a second."

Nonchalantly, she turns to Horatio. He finishes flipping through a book, and has just selected the page he wants.

"What's the next number available?" Saturnyne says, addressing him.

"3207, your whyness."

"Earth 3207, this is then." She looks at the planet, marking her new discovery.

Quasar, meanwhile is thinking of the special someone he left behind here.

********

"You've done well, Adversary. And so quickly, too. You will prove a most useful ally. Rest assured, you will be rewarded."

The Adversary, on the other hand has his own private thoughts he neglects to share with Skeletron, 'Yes you fool, delude yourself into believing you have what it take to deceive the Great Trickster himself. You've done your part, freeing me from Roma's prison. I will gain enough from this matter to prepare myself for what will come next*.
[*And you can read about that in the last few issues of Neil Gow's Crusaders - TG]

********

The alien known as Beta Ray Bill flies through space. He hasn't had much to do since he parted ways with the Starmasters, so he spent most of the time since testing the limits of his newly augmented powers. *
[* The ones he received as a result of events in CPU #5 - TG]

Under his own power, he's traveled two thousand light years into what seems like an uncharted region of space.

He slows his pace to investigate his location. Then his surroundings change. He is no longer drifting through space, but back on his homeworld of Corbinite.

"Outlandish freak!"

He hears the taunting and the names once again.

"Mutation! Deviant!"

He remembers how his own race cast him out for being different through no fault of his own. Even though his differences were meant for their benefit.

"You are even more outlandish and more hideous then when last we met, Bill. This time, you die!"

A mob of Corbinite farmers and workers surround their own kinsman -- their stances hostile, their expressions full of hate.

"No."

"You can't stop us, Beta Ray. Were you to defeat us, there would be more coming. Were you to defeat them, our entire race would gather for this cause. You have no choice but to surrender yourself to execution. Unless you want to make this even harder on yourself and put up a struggle."

"No. I need not raise arms against you. It's doubtful you could defeat me in my current state. But it doesn't matter. You are not my brethren. The other Corbinites were killed by the Axi-Tun. You must be an illusion."

"Congratulations."

A blond haired, gold-skinned woman appears to replace the faded aliens.

"Where am I?"

"Physically, you aren't anywhere."

"I'm beginning to believe that. If you are responsible for the painful hallucinations, I'd like to know who is toying me through knowledge gained of my painful past."

"I don't have a given name as such. I'm only half a being. Part of him, as a matter of fact."

She gestures to another figure, walking towards the pair, his body strangely shrouded as though he was being pictured standing beneath a ledge in the blackest night, devoid of even moonlight. This was odd, considering there was no such overhang, and it was bright as day in this place, whereever Beta Ray had been spirited to.

As the unknown figure walked closer, he seemed to "come into the light". It was then that Beta Ray Bill could see this man's similarities to the woman. And though they'd never met, he recognized who it was.

"Adam Warlock."