---BLACK PLAGUE, PT I---

THE CITADEL OF DARKNESS
PLANET NEW ALCATRAZ, PARIAH SYSTEM, IMPERIAL UNIVERSE
1602 HOURS, APRIL 25, 3037 A.D.

A single helmet, connected to a console by a few cables, sat idly in the center of a great, circular room, hovering over a rat's nest of wires and circuitry. Technicians prepared the chamber, attending to any damage in the wiring as the Dark Lord entered. Upon his entrance, everyone stopped and saluted Akasi, only returning to their work with a wave from his hand.

A large monitor lowered itself in front of the console as Akasi put the headgear on. Securing it to his forehead via a few straps, his fingers then proceeded to tap away at the console, as he prepared to send a warning to one Samir Stukov, who arrogantly believed he could double-cross the Dark Lord and get away with it. However, he would need to hurry – with 2 hours past, the ability to trace Stukov was almost gone. Alas, they would not be able to determine his exact location, but it was of little consequence – Stukov would likely have fled the location by the time they reached it, and the man couldn't hide forever.

“Lord Akasi, the Amplifier has been calibrated and the Admiral has been found. Shall we begin transmitting?”
The Dark Lord nodded. “Proceed at once, Fabricator. And be quick – we must strike while the trace is still fresh.”
“Yes, my Lord.”

OFFICE OF SAMIR STUKOV
UNKNOWN LOCATION, NOVA UNIVERSE
1301 HOURS, MAY 6, 3961 A.D.

Admiral Stukov busied himself with the matters at hand. Thanks to Nar Akasi's “generosity,” he now had the means to begin his own agenda. And with the so-called “Dark Lord” having been dealt with by a living bomb, he saw no reason to fear for his life.

You should have heeded my warning when I said not to test me, Admiral.

Stukov sat up, erect. He didn't recall asking for any officer to meet him – and certainly not with those words, which would have gotten the man responsible shot.

Suddenly, the walls, drawers, and desk seemed to vanish into blackness – the only thing he could make out was the chair he sat on. He could hear the door to his office close, then lock, but he had asked no-one to do any of the sort. Everywhere he looked, only sheer blackness greeted his vision.

A ghostly-red image of Akasi suddenly formed in front of Stukov. He reached for his sidearm, but found it not to be there. He was sure he had it holstered before this all transpired, and yet it was missing. He attempted to leave his seat, but his legs refused to respond to the input. In fact, the only things he could move were his head and arms – the rest of his body seemed like an immovable mass.

“Akasi! I thought I did away with you!” he stated, through barred teeth.
Akasi laughed evilly. “And you might have succeeded...but alas, it was a futile attempt, I'll have you know. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for your human bomb – he does add a nice contrast to the stone, though, splattered across the walls and all.”
“I'm not afraid of you, you son of a bitch,” Stukov hissed.
“Really? Well, you ought to be,” Akasi replied, coolly. “You ought to be thankful – or lucky, one of the two – that I don't, or rather, can't crush you like the despicable gnat you are, Stukov – in the Ebon Trance I've placed you in, about the only thing currently functioning is your mind. I only sealed the doors to ensure there is no physical interference in our meeting – though I can already feel Vell-Os trying to block my psionic presence, and were it up to me, I would have mind-controlled them myself and sent them to kill you.”
“So why don't you?” he mocked.
“Well, for one thing, I can only do so many things at once – but for another, it's so much more fun to watch you squirm, traitor,” he remarked, placing heavy emphasis on “traitor.”

Akasi then walked toward Stukov, who retained a defiant stare.

“Hear me, Stukov, and hear me well,” he began. “I have matters to attend to in another universe presently, but once finished, I promise you this – I have no intention of letting your little stunt go unnoticed. And do not think that you can simply hide from me – run all you want, Admiral, but I will find you, Stukov...and once I do, you shall witness the extent of my powers.”

Akasi then stepped back. A bolt of black lightning struck him, and Stukov could do nothing but bear witness to the horror he saw, his expression of defiance deteriorating to one of shock.

“You now witness my true form, Stukov,” the Dark Lord threatened. “I assure you – you will not be the only one who sees me like this, and when I make my entrance, I will ensure that you do not cross me again. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!”

The darkness vanished, and Stukov suddenly fell forward in his chair, almost slamming his head on the desk. He looked about, and noticed that the door was now open exactly as it was when he “fainted,” seeing little better choice of words for the event. His sidearm was exactly were it was, and he could stand up and sit down normally.

He got up, and left his office, returning to other matters.

Meanwhile...

C.N.S. OBLIVION
COLOSSEUM SYSTEM, NOVA-VERSE
0847 HOURS, MAY 7, 3961 A.D.

Bowser walked into the bridge to deliver the latest set of core readings before shipping out to the Ubercept Universe. They figured it would be a good idea to give it a day's rest before the hunt officially began. His eye caught a familiar face as he headed back to the reactor...

Mike.

He sighed, sadly. Bowser couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through the young wolf's mind, all things considered...

For three months, Mike, and his family and friends had prayed continuously in the hopes that maybe things would turn around – upon being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, the docs were going to do everything in their power to treat her and get her back to full health. Mike had remained optimistic from the start, constantly believing she could still make it.

Sadly, it was not to be. On July 31, she died at 7:25 that morning.

He had told Bowser, indeed, his friends, how he wished he could have hit a “reset” button and caught the illness before it got to an advanced stage – the problem they soon discovered was that it is extremely difficult to detect Myeloma before Stage 4 – and at that point, the disease has more or less gotten full control of the body.

And yet...there were bright spots to all of this.

Mike had come forward and confessed his involvement in the ASW Forums, of which the Empire knew the Nova-Verse originated from, before his mom had passed. He had also gone through quite a spiritual reformation, taking a considerably more active stance as a Christian. And he was much more dedicated to his work than he had been, previously, which would be necessary if he was to be an engineer.

Every dark cloud has its silver lining, Bowser thought to himself.

[ATTENTION, ALL PERSONNEL – REPORT TO YOUR ASSIGNED STATIONS AND PREPARE FOR DIMENSIONAL TRANSPORT.]

“Looks like that's my cue,” the Technician commented to himself. With that, he hurried out.

Mike just wasn't sure what to do with himself anymore. It felt like all his motivation was gone, in light of his Mom's death. In addition, things back home just didn't seem to have the same pizzaz they did before, and nothing seemed to hold his attention for any extended period of time; the fact he had to move 6 hours away to continue his studies only seemed to compound the problem. He missed his friends, and his family...

...and his mom.

A tear ran down his cheek as he remembered all the times they had with her, biting his lip. Oddly, he didn't cry as much as everyone else, but he also cried the loudest. Perhaps, his grievance counselor reasoned, it was because it took a fair bit of prodding to set him off – Mike wasn't ever quick to anger, whereas his father had a bit of a short fuse. And his father cried a lot during this whole time.

This was no dream any more – this was a nightmare. A nightmare he wished he would wake up from. A nightmare he couldn't wake up from. The loneliness, the lack of motivation, the various duties – oh, how he wished he could just end it all! Just to make it all go away...a simple game of roulette...one round...pull the trigger, and...

NO!

He defiantly, angrily stopped himself.

That is NOT the kind of person I am!

He rose from his seat, bearing a face no longer of sadness, but determination.

I don't know why He called you home so soon, Mom, but I know that you're having a great time up there. I am not about to throw my life away just so I can get myself out of this funk! God put me where I am for a reason, and I am not about to challenge His decision!

With newfound vigor, Mike suddenly felt amazingly relieved to finally get that off his mind. Perhaps this was the start of a new stage of development for him – what it was, though, he could only guess. He quickly shifted into his Human-Form, and made for the Hangar – after all, it wasn't polite to keep one's guests waiting.

Mom, I promise you – I WILL do whatever it takes to do the best I can.

---TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED---

---

NOTES:

And here we go with another update! =)

You'll just have to wait and see what precisely Akasi revealed to Stukov - but I assure you that the end result won't be pretty.

There isn't a whole lot else I wanted to say about this section, except that I had decided I would post it as a memorial, of sorts, to Mom.

The Ubercept are © their creator
Samir Stukov is © his creator
Bowser is © Nintendo
The Empire and all characters w/in are © me