by Madam Marvelous
ID# 26130
Being aboard the BADGE non-orbiting Space Station was rather different than the previous two for me. Looking out the large exterior windows and seeing the snow and blue skies rather than twinkling stars and the pitch black of space made me think I was on one of those retro episodes of the old sci-fi space opera "Lost in Space". All the robots walking about didn't help much. I kept expecting one to glide down the corridor shouting "Danger Will Robinson".
I was with the Star Force Junior League once again, and I should have known what was going to happen. Of course, our first round competitors had to be SUFFERING. I'd been running into several of their members in my Event Challenges and rarely seemed to be able to stand my ground against them.in my division battles with them. NOMAD was a frequent participant, along with KILLING JOKE, ODIN, and BirdFlu. Between them and the two BOMB SQUAD leagues, I wasn't winning very many Event Challenges and when I did, they weren't the ones that offered the best prizes. The Events sponsored by one of the Avatars offered powerful boosts to any hero who captured the top spot. I hadn't won one of those in some time.
As I predicted, SUFFERING beat us by more than double our score. I barely defeated BirdFlu in one match, but others of my leaguemates had it worse. Most of them couldn't defeat even SUFFERING's lowest rated member. Thankfully, Wyldfyre was part of our team and he kept us from being fully embarrassed. He alone defeated six of their seven members in his battles twice, giving us a score that put us in double digits. Arcane Ace, our leader, managed to win a few bouts, but overall, we were spanked and left to walk off the tournament field with glowing red butts (proverbially of course, although I could make my rear glow if I wanted to, being a shapeshifter).
"Hey, Madam Marvelous. Quite a view, isn't it?" Arcane Ace asked as he joined me as I watched the night sky and the incredibly full moon. "Best get some rest, we have early training sessions tomorrow. I've been reading up on these new suggestions from the Hanzo School printed in the Sentinel and think we can benefit from some of their wisdom."
"I'm on my way. Just trying to put today's loss behind me, but it's hard. I really wanted to start out with a win today, but I knew when we got up up against SUFFERING, we didn't have a chance," I said as I searched the sky for hints of green from the Northern Lights. From space, the Northern Lights gleamed like a crown poised above the round ball of the planet Earth, but from the ground looking up, when they appeared, they filled the sky from one horizon to the other. I couldn't decide on which display was my favorite.
"There is always a chance. Remember, I'm Arcane Ace-," he spread out his arms wide and a unicorn stepped out from beneath his cape and nuzzled my neck, "-Magic's Wildcard. The trouble is that every league out there wants to win just as badly as every other. This isn't a fair and balanced competition, because if it were, then each match would end up in a draw each and every time. There are times we will have the advantage, and times our opponents will. And I hate to break it to you, but nobody wins forever. Look at the WMD. They're the top dogs right now, but they haven't always been so."
I put my hand on the unicorn's neck and stroked it once before it faded into nothingness. "I know. I know. I just want to win my first Gold Medal. I look at all the heroes wearing their League War Champion Belts, like the one you're wearing, and I want one. Well, ideally I'd like a League War Tiara, but you know what I mean."
Arcane Ace grabbed the buckle of his belt and polished it with his sleeve. "It is a great feeling to earn one of these, and one day you will, buy you aren't the only person waiting to do so. I'm rooting for our friend in the Legacy of Spawn, Krystal Fae, or should I say AcidBurn. She has never won a Gold Medal in a League War and the way things are looking, they have a strong opportunity to take it all the way this time."
I'd never thought about Ms. Fae not having won a Gold Medal. She had done so much else that it never crossed my mind, I'd assumed she must have done it before I started my journey as a hero.
"Most members of the main Star Force league haven't earned a Gold, but neither have members of the Realm Defenders like Aflima, Tri-Blade, and Macaia's Daughter, or Crossroads or even the Commissioner: Johnny Quick of the 5th Precinct." Arcane Ace said as he scrolled through several team rosters on his BADGE communication device. "With hard work and perseverance, and sometimes luck, winning a Gold Medal during League War will happen for you. The true test of the hero in you is whether or not you keep trying. Having a Gold medal isn't what makes you a hero, its the way you get it that defines you."
As Arcane Ace spoke, I watched as Santa Claus walked alongside several BADGE agents through one of the corridor intersections. Seeing him in person, the ACTUAL Santa Claus, brought forth a jubilous excitement through every nerve in my body. Heroes were meant to do good, but SANTA embodied everything good and festive. "I still can't believe it. To see him in person is... is... unimaginable, but there he is."
"That man does take most people's breath away when they see him," Arcane Ace said. "The world wouldn't be what it is without him. And he doesn't have a Gold medal either."
I turned and glared at Ace. "I get it. You made your point. A Gold medal shouldn't be the goal, success can be better measured in other ways."
Ace nodded and smiled. "Time to hit the hay, Kitt'n. Tomorrow is going to be a busy one."
He and I headed to our quarters side by side. I watched as Santa disappeared around a corner, hoping to be able to see him in person while at League War Avalanche and just once touch his glorious coat trimmed with white.
As Arcane Ace and I passed by a small pub just outside the lodging area, we heard a familiar voice.
"Yep. Lost the first round again. I pulled my weight, but the rest of the lightweights sucked. When I am I ever going to win my Gold? They're all holding me back..." Wyldfyre ranted at a bunch of other inebriated heroes sitting on barstools.
"Are you going to give him a pep-talk too?" I asked Ace.
He shook his head. "That boat sailed a long time ago. I'd be more successful trying to convince Gar that there is a moisturizer that will make his stone skin soft as a baby's behind."
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