Legion of Super-Heroes - The Battle with Darkseid

[fajrdrako_fic]

Title: The Battle with Darkseid
Author: fajrdrako
Fandom: Legion of Super-Heroes (DC Comics)
Characters: Shadow Lass and the Legion
Genre: Anglo-Saxon Epic
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine, no claims. Property of DC Comics all the way.
Note: No spoilers. Inspired by The Great Darkness Saga by Paul Levitz and too much reading of Anglo-Saxon poetry in translation. This is one of a series of Legion of Super-Heroes stories I wrote for the apazines Interlac, APA-247 and APA-LSH.

     The Battle with Darkseid

     Tasmia warrior       champion of Talok
Blue-skinned maiden      of Mallor's house;
Still they tell       of her courage in battle,
Numberless victories       valiantly won.
Shadow-told narratives       twice in the telling,
Sitting at campfires       deep in the wood
Remembering the valour       of Talok's valkyrie
Bringing not death       but the peace of our land.
Tales told at sun's height       heralding valiance
Heroic Tasmia       beloved of our land
Spoken at stop-places       deep in the desert
Oasis inspired       homage to her.
Never forget       fearless lady of darkness,
Saviour of Talok       hero to all.

     Young she was       this girl-scion of Mallor,
Left her home       for the Legio of Heroes
Adding her skills       to their might and their muster
Seeking the skies       for the sake of a dream.
There in the sea-rim       of interspace wandering,
She found a partner       the pale-skinned paladin,
Champion of Daxam,       the brave dispossessed,
Homeless great hero       of infinite fame,
Faithful true lover,       invincible Lar.

     Came then the hideous       scourge from the far-planets
Lord of Apokolips       demon-spawn damager
Breaker of planets       and bastion of bondage,
Darkseid the dreaded       power-mad god.
Whose was the heart       who could withstand his horror?
Where was the hand       who could turn back his blade?
Widowers wept       and their orphans lay dying
Sad, sad the day       for the land that lay dead.
Dark was that age       for the dwellers on Talok.
Ancestors cried       at the torture of now-borns,
The land itself cringed       to be subject to strife.

     Despairing and doubtful       Talokians suffered,
Some of the conquered       and some of them bold,
Sought from the skypaths       the help of their hero
Recalled the bold Tasmia       to tell her their woe
She had no fear       of the marauding monster
No heart but to fight       for the freedom of home.
Her ring the bold symbol       of free flight and thought,
She came back to Talok       to face the dark god.

     Then came the battle       ranged over continents
Darkseid's cruel warriors       facing the few.
Bravely the Legion       demanded departure;
Darkseid's cold laughter       replied to their call.
Then came the weapons,       the missiles and laser,
Light-cutting massacre,       time splitting tones,
All the destruction       that magic and metal
Can wreak on the victims       of slavery and fear.

     First to fall       was Titan's Imra,
Mind-blasted magically       fallen near death.
Next came Garth, her       strong love-partner,
Striken himself       to see Saturn Girl smote.
Then lashed infinite       blasting to lightning,
Neon-blue bolts       to drive Darkseid to doom.
Still he laughed,       the dangerous demon-god,
Short-circuitry furned       to freeze Garth Ranzz to the ground.

     Cosmic Boy came then,       backed by the others,
But nothing was metal.       His powers were mute.
Grappling in hand-fight       there with the foul fiends
Fell to their power       and physical strength.
Nura Nal, High Seer,       Champion of Naltor
Saw that the future       was fight-fraught and fearful,
Called her young sister,       Mysa the Magic-maid,
Bade her construct       a spell that would save.
Weaving her words       the spell-chanter crafted
While battleblades blundered       and fighting waged on.
Wounded was Sun Boy,       bright branded Earthman,
Timber Wolf striken       by numbers too great.
Supergirl floundered       next Dakseid's black spellcracft,
While Brainiac Five       sought a scheme that would save.
There in the dungeon       were Ayla and Violet,
Heart-lught though manacled       unable to shrink,
Caught by foul trickery       blackhearted magic,
Knowing that Darkseid was       merciless born.

     Tenzil lay dying,       tricked to digesting
A weapon ensorcelled       by toxins too strange.
Element Lad,       the last living Trommite,
Once a survivor       of Roxxas' rage,
Tried to turn mustard gas       into light helium
Tripped off a spell that       disabled his mind.
Cham the proud Durlan       who saved many planets
Managed to infiltrate       Darkseid's deep den.
Place of his magic,       his sleeping and privacy,
Place where no mortal       dared to decry.
Shaped like a cockroach,       Cham the courageous
Found that he no more       could become a man.
Furiously forced       to nibble on woodwork,
Watching while Darkseid       despoiled the world.
Mon-El the DSaxamite       went to his rescue
Failed to return,       was left lying in sleep.

     Then came the magnificent       Lady of Shadows,
Driven to anger       by rape of her land.
Driven to fury       by hurt to her fellows,
Flying with flight ring       sign of her faithfulness,
Threw herself into       the fortress ill-fated,
Brought down on Darkseid       an unconstrained darkness
Greater than any       his magics could make.

     There in this darkness       of ten thousand midnights
She found lying Lar       and woke him with her kiss,
Moved him from the circle       of magic to hurt him,
Found Ayla and Vi and       released them from chains;
Disurpted the killing-spree       Apokolips armies
Wrought on the innocent       targets in dark.
While Brainiac Five       found a potion for Tenzil,
Tasmia darkened the       depths of the fortress,
Foul-smelling lair       of the fear-spreading lord.
There the Cham-cockroach       chewed in his anger
Black rawhide tethers       binding his realm.
Lightning Lad, rising,       blasted electrons
Breaking the weapons       that science had wrought,
While skillful spell-charmer       Mysa of Naltor
Shredded the line       of the magical shrouds,
Saving her fellows       all of them whole.

     Then they found Darkseid       deep in his domain,
Cornered in ire       at the heart of his web.
Tasmia boldly       stepped forward foremost,
Raised her black cload       and the mantle of darkness
Spread it over       his body and mind.
Then the proud Darkseid       pleaded for mercy,
Railed and reviled       while threatening worse.
Angry, she threw him       lost in his rambling,
Into his starship       and flew it aloft,
Sending him shooting,       tumbling and reeling,
Back to Apocolips       where he was kin.

     Once again Talok,       the greatest of planets,
Flowered and blossomed       and lived in the sun.
Legionnaire heroes       had rescued a lost world,
Smiled to see it       restored to the free.
Then they left also       climbing craft cloudward,
Ready to help       the imperilled and hurt;
When Talok shall need her       the Champion shall be here
Tasmia warrior       child of Mallor.

     Then again liltingly       lands will be shouting,
"Long Live the Legion,"       and may it be so.

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

Notes:: Unlike most of my writings about the Legion, this is not set in the period of vol. 4, as you can tell by the reference to Supergirl. Picture them all in their most colourful costumes.

Talok was a planet that seemed medieval, which was what inspired this poem.

Characters:
Ayla Ranzz (Lightning Lass): A Legionnaire with the power to cast lightning. From Winath.
Brainiac 5: The cleverest member of the Legion; a scientist from Colu. His skin was green and his hair yellow.
"Cham the proud Durlan" - Chameleon Boy (Reep Daggle): A shape-shifter; a Legionnaire from Durla, with (in his usual form) orange skin, antennae and pointed eras. A cutie.
"Champion of Daxam" - Mon-El (Lar Gand): A Legionnaire from Daxam with powers like Superboy's.
Cosmic Boy (Rokk Krinn): One of the three founding members of the Legion, with magnetic powers.
Element Lad (Jan Arrah): A member of the Legion with the power to alter chemical compositions. The last survivor of the planet Trom.
Garth Ranzz (Lightning Lad): One of the three founding members of the Legion, lover and husband of Saturn Girl. From Winath.
Jo Nah (Ultra Boy): A Legionnaire from the planet Rimbor. His powers were essentially the same as Superboy's, but he could only use one power at a time.
The Khunds: Evil aliens.
Laurel Gand: Very tall blonde woman with the powers of Supergirl, from the planet Daxam. A member of the Legion in vol. 4.
"Lord of Apokalips", Darkseid: A megalomaniac villain.
"Mysa the Magic Maid" - The White Witch (Mysa Nal): A Legionnaire who was a spell-caster, with pale hair and antennae. She was the sister of Nural Nal of Naltor (Dream Girl).
Dream Girl, High Seer of Naltor (Nura Nal): A very beautiful Legionnaire with the power to dream future events.
Roxxas: The villain who destoryed the planet Trom for gain.
Sun Boy (Dirk Morgna): A Legionnaire with heat powers; from Earth.
Tasmia Mallor (Shadow Lass): Ruler of Talok VIII and lover of Mon-El; a blue-skinned, black-haired Legionnaire with the power to create darkness.
Matter-Eater Lad (Tenzil Kem): From the planet Bismol, a Legionnaire with the power to eat anything.
Timber Wolf (Brin Londo): An agile, acrobatic Legionnaire from Zoon.
"Titan's Imra", Saturn Girl (Imra Ardeen): one of the three founding members of the Legion, as - she was a telepath from Titan, a moon of Saturn.
Vi: Ayla's partner, a Legionnaire who could shrink to small size. Originally known as Shrinking Violet, her name was Salu Digby. From Imsk.
Wildfire (Drake Burroughs): A Legionnaire from Earth whose body is noncorporeal energy; he wears a containment suit.