A YJA Moment - Warworlds

The original Warworld was a giant planetoid, just slightly smaller than the Earth's Moon.  Armed with an array of devastation weapons, it was capable of laying waste to whole solar systems.  Though its creators were unknown, the powers of the Universe would wage endless war in order to possess it for themselves.  The last owner, a Rakatan warlord, took the Warworld beyond the boundaries of Known Space millennia ago, relegating it to the stuff of legends

In the years following Warworlds disappearance, many empires desired the fear and power the weapon represented and would attempt to attempt to construct a successor sphere.  The AI that controlled the artificial planetoid Ranx, turned its peaceful trading hubs into a battle-station.  The mysterious creators of the Cybertronians created the enormous Transformer known as Unicron.  The Manhunters would make a great construction and control center they called Biot. Even the great Devourer of Worlds, Galactus travels in the great Worldship that he has named Taa. 

However, the most famous heir to the Warworld title was the fabled Death Star series of battle-stations.  The Sith Lord Sheev Palpatine learned about the legends and sought to recreate it using is newly-founded Galactic Empire.  Taking decades, he constructed a number of prototypes of the Death Star, each one more elaborate than the next.  

The main weapon of the Death Star was a planet-destroying super-laser, which used the power-amplifying power of Kyber Crystals to make the weapon allegiantly more powerful than the laser possessed by the Warworld itself.  Sadly, no examples of the DS-series Battlestations remain.  The first two were destroyed by the Rebellion against the Empire, and a third version was destroyed by the Mythic Avengers before the Sinestro Corp could use it as the new home for its Central Power Battery.

Recently the original Warworld returned, helmed by the intergalactic villain known as Mongul.  When he found that the Reach sough the metahumans of Earth, he brought Warworld to the Sol System in order to destroy it.  He was defeated by Young Justice, but the Crystal Key that controlled the station was recovered by Vandal Savage, who took the weapon to Uncharted Space.  Its current whereabouts are unknown.

A YJA Moment - Darkstars

The Controllers had long sought to purge known space of evil and chaos.  These long campaign had a devastating toll on their population and resulted in many losses.  Because of their legacy of genetic tamping on their genome, they had developed difficulty in procreation.  With the lots of enemies seeking to eliminate them, the Controllers determined they had to create an independent fighting force to protect them and advance their agendas.

While they had long utilized extraterrestrial agents for its intelligence-gathering, this was the first time the Controllers had utilized them for combat.  The Darkstars were given advanced suits of powered armor which they called Exo-Mantles.  The original Exo-Mantles were well armed with maser beams and advanced guided cannons, making each of them equal to a battlecruiser in firepower.   They were normally kept secret, brought out only to defend Maltus, or to eliminate some threat to the cosmic order.  It was important that the existence and number of Darkstars not become common knowledge, as the Controllers were not willing to risk being entangled with their brothers, the Guardians of Oa, and their Green Lantern Corps.

This all changed after the possessed Hal Jordan betrayed the Green Lantern Corp and sundered the Central Power Battery.  Without the Battery, the Green Lantern Corps ceased to exist, stranding thousands of Corps members throughout the known universe. Realizing their opportunity to bring peace and order, the Controllers revealed the existence of the Darkstars to the known universe. Requiring new agents, they recruited from many worlds, even accepting former members of the Green Lantern Corps.

For a time the Darkstars were the only intergalactic law enforcement in known space.  Despite their more lethal methods, they gained a measure of respect and adoration from the major nations of the galaxies.  This was in no small part to agents such as former Green Lantern, John Stewart, who continued his fine record of service of the Corps into the ranks of the Darkstars.

On a mission on the fringes of known space, Stewart discovered an ancient tomb wherein lay the Power Stone.  He was immediately ordered by his superiors to turn return to Maltus with the Stone, but Stewart hesitated.  He knew what had happened the Oan Central Power Battery and saw the Stone as a way of resurrecting the Corp.  Disobeying his orders, he turned the Power Stone to the Guardians of Oa.

John Stewart was immediately expelled from the Darkstars but the damage was done.  With the Green Lantern Corp reborn, the Darkstars were soon supplanted as the protectors of the universe.  Within a few years, they were recalled back to Controller territory to resume their role as defenders.  

In recent years, the Controllers have greatly upgraded the Darkstars exo-mantle, using their own knowledge as well as Oan technology that has been procured from the Weaponeers of Qward.  Using broadcast power from the heart of the Maltusian Core-Furnace, the new exo-mantles were granted enhanced energy manipulation powers.  They are also filled with personality inhibitors which assure that the Controllers orders are always followed.

So far the Controllers have been content to keep their newly-upgraded army within its borders.  Yet, with the recent upheavals in the galaxy, the Darkstars may be sent out to preserve the peace once again.

A YJA Moment - The Hutt Cartel

The Hutts are large slug-like aliens who originated in the swampy world of Nal Hutta.  Their society has traditionally been concerned with dominance, with many dynasties rising and falling throughout its early history.  Though most of the species live relatively mundane lives, most of the galaxy know of them from the five great Hutt Clans which form the Hutt Cartel.  

Much like its rivals in the Orion Syndicate, the Cartel is a large multi-planet enterprise that blurs the line between criminal enterprise and government organization.  Much of their control over systems has been determined by the strength of the surrounding political forces.

During the period of the Old Republic, the Hutt Cartel controlled numerous systems on the Outer Rim of the Milky Way Galaxy.  Though the Republic disapproved of the Hutt's acceptance of slavery, they lacked the political will to take control of the Cartel worlds directly, instead of attempting to exact political and economic pressure.  The Jedi themselves were continually frustrated by the Hutt's ability to resist their telepathic abilities.  

The succeeding Galactic Empire was far more direct in its opposition to the Hutts, occupying its worlds and blockading Nal Hutta.  During this era, the Cartel operated as a criminal organization, not unlike the Black Sun or the Ravengers, staying the shadows of the lawless Underworld.  They strengthened ties with various illegal groups such as the Bounty Hunters Guild and the Thenta Makur, as well as covertly aiding the Rebellion against the Empire.

In the modern era, the Cartels have embraced both parts of their history.  They have resumed control of the worlds which they had possessed in Republican times, and have expanded their holdings to include neighboring sectors.  In addition, the Cartel has influence or direct control over dozens of gangs and criminal operations throughout the galaxy, often fomenting anarchy so that the Cartel can formally move in to restore order.   

A YJA Moment - Legacy of Maltus

There are many ancient species in known space that claim to have been the first life-forms to develop self-awareness, but the aliens from the planet Maltus are thought to have the most validity to that claim.

Naturally evolving great minds, the Maltusians became obsessed with expanding their knowledge.  When natural selection proved insufficient to the task, they altered their own bodies, prioritizing intellect over physical strength.  Likewise, the Maltusians scrutinized every aspect of their social structure, realigning it to one that exalted logic and reason over everything else in society.  Yet, despite their great achievements as a species, they were soon to face forces that would drive them apart.

The first division within the Maltusians was the Zamar Schism. The movement was founded by a Maltusian known as Zamar, which had rejected the leadership's aims of developing a society devoid of emotional input.  The Zamarons, as they called themselves, believed that any healthy community required people to both logic and emotion.  Rejected by the Leadership Council, the Zamarons were forced to leave Maltus and settled on a planet they named Zamaron.  In the modern-day, they were responsible for the creation of the Star Sapphires.

As Maltusian society began to grow more powerful, a second schism occurred centering on their influence on their fellow sentient beings.  While most Maltusians believed in meddling in the affairs of other species, they were divided on their methods.  One group was convinced that the only way to ensure a peaceful universe was the complete of it of evil, while another wished simply to protect and contain any negative influences.  One side ended up being labeled Controllers and the other was called the Guardians.

As the disagreements escalated, it threatened to erupt into full civil war.  In order to preserve the peace, the Guardian faction left Maltus, traveling towards the center of the Universe to a planet they would call Oa.  Using the unique position and properties of their new home-world, the Guardians of Oa would continue developing technologies in the fulfillment of their goals.  They would develop several generations of protectors, including the Manhunters and the Green Lantern Corps.

Back on Maltus, the Controllers likewise continued their agenda, but their success was more limited. They embarked on many crusades against threats in the universe but often came up against powers equal or greater than their own.  A seemingly endless series of conflicts reduced their numbers greatly and eventually led them to retreat back to their homeworld. This led them to operate more covertly, using proxies to discover potential adversaries.  They would then use their own force to deal with their enemies, either through their Darkstars armored force or their star-destroying Sun-Eaters.

A YJA Moment - The Manhunters and Cyborg Superman

The Guardians of Oa had pondered long about how to begin their noble crusade.  Looking at the endless wars and criminality of the younger races, the Guardians came to believe that they were incapable of embracing the need for order and order.  Using their great intellects, they instead created android soldiers known as the Manhunters.  Possessing potent weaponry and adaptive intellects, they sent the Manhunters throughout Known Space to fulfill the Guardian's goals.

Initially, the Manhunters proved efficient in their policing of the younger races.  However, when they were faced with the threat of the Empire of Thorns, the limitations of their programming were made evident.  After repeated failures to liberate the worlds of the Sector from Imperial control, the Manhunters decided the only way to protect the rest of the Universe was to eradicate it completely.

The murder of trillions of innocent lives horrified the Guardians, who immediately deactivated the Manhunters, recalling them to their bases across Known Space.  As the Guardians were sworn to protect all life, even artificially-created life, they refused to destroy the Manhunters outright and left them entombed in their holding vaults.

Yet the Manhunters were more adaptive then even the Guardians were aware.  Reactivating secretly, they reorganized themselves under a Manhunter who was reconfigured for leadership.  This Grandmaster sent his Manhunters to resume their crusade of order against the Universe until they were opposed by the Guardian's successor army, Green Lantern Corps. 

Even in defeat, the Manhunters adapted.  Knowing they could not openly oppose the Guardians, they created infiltrator units that would appear biological and could infiltrate planets, calling the regular units only when criminal behavior was detected.  On Earth, Hal Jordan would discover the Manhunter threat again, and the Justice League traveled to the Manhunter homeworld of Biot.  

Destroying both the Grandmaster and entire Manhunter control apparatus, it was believed that the Manhunters were a threat no more.

Enter Hank Henshaw.  Part of a secret government attempt to recreate the accident that created the Fantastic Four, Henshaw and his crew suffered lethal radiation poisoning and died before Superman could rescue him.  Believed dead, Henshaw had actually developed telemechanical psychic abilities and "inhabited" the remains of the Shuttle.  

Able to jump from machine to machine.  He managed to make it to the Fortress of Solitude, where he used advanced Kryptonian technology and Kal-El's genetics to make a cyborg Body for himself.  Blaming Superman for allowing him to die, Henshaw attempted to use his new form to ruin the Man of Steel's reputation but was repeatedly defeated. Because of his appearance he became known in the press as the Cyborg Superman, much to his displeasure.  

Eventually, Henshaw discovered a Manhunter infiltrator and used his powers to take control of the collective.  Now their new Grandmaster he has used Kryptonian technology to upgrade the Manhunters to a more fearful form.  Now the aliens have resumed their goals fo conquering the galaxy and eradicating both the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardian masters. 

A YJA Moment - The Power Stone

The mystery of which New God wielded the Power Stone has yet to have been revealed.  In most timelines, Orion the son of Darkseid who was sent to New Genesis as a hostage of peace was assumed to have used the Power Stone.  Yet, this would have been impossible, as the exchange of Orion and Mr. Miracle had not happened yet.

Almost ten years ago, the Green Lantern Corps faced its greatest threat.  Their greatest hero, Hal Jordan, had been possessed by an alien entity known as Parallax.  Twisted by its influence, he sought to eliminate the Guardians of Oa and launched an assault on Oa.  During this attack, he entered the Central Power Battery, draining it of all its energy and severely damaging it.  This prevented the recharge of all Power Rings and effectively eliminated the Green Lanterns as a force in the Universe.

Despite their great knowledge, repairing the Central Power Battery was no easy task.  Indeed, the knowledge of how the Battery worked was limited to Krona, who had manufactured the Rings untold millennia ago.  Krona has long since rebelled against the rest of his Guardian brethren and had been exiled from known space.  There was little chance that he would help them now.

The former Lantern John Stewart had joined the Darkstars to fill the void left by the removal of the Green Lanterns.  He eventually discovered one of the Infinity Gems, the Power Stone, on an alien world.  Realizing its potential, he disobeyed orders from his superiors and turned the Stone over the Guardians of Oa.  Using the Battery to channel the Stone's power, the Oans were able to re-empower the Green Lantern Corp with few knowing the truth of their resurrection.

Recently an alien incursion led by Thanos led a bold and direct assault on Oa.  They managed to push their way towards the Central Power Battery, allowing Thanos to directly access it.  Driving his infinity blade into the Battery, he cleaved the structure in two.  In a blaze of energy, years worth of collected energy were lost, and once again the Green Lantern Corps found without a means to recharge their rings. With the last of their reserves, they were able to force the aliens back. but it was only a matter of time before the Corps would be powerless again.

On Earth, the Mythic Avengers were alerted to the situation by the now-powerless John Stewart.  Joined by the stranded Guardians of the Galaxy and Alan Scott, the Mythic Avengers constructed a starship and used Loki's access to the Rainbow Bridge to Oa.   They were updated on the situation by Hal and the Guardians and personally inspected the damage caused by Thanos and his Chitauri.  They discovered the existence of the Power Stone in the Battery but were divided in what to do about it.

The Guardians of Oa wished to repair the Battery and keep the Stone, but the risk of another attack by Thanos was almost certain.  However, without a means to restore the Battery to its original state, there seemed no other way to restore Green Lantern Corp. 

Alan Scott released the power of the Starheart, the magical weapon that had been created by the Empire of Thorns and had been captured by the Guardians.  Because the Starheart had been transformed by its time within the First Ring, it had a sympathetic connection to the Power Rings Green Lantern Corp.  This allowed it to infuse the Battery and every Power Ring with a magic power that almost fully replicated their previous Willpower-derived abilities.

No required by the Oans or the Corp, the Power Stone was turned over the Mythic Avengers.  It is currently in the hands of Doctor Strange, stored in the Black Room within the Sanctum Sanctorum.

A YJA Moment - The Old Republic

The current galactic landscape is a fragmented one, dominated by hundreds of species, including the Klingons, The Kree, The Nova Empire, The Romulans, and The Skrulls, Even amongst the oldest living races, few remember a time when the Milky Way Galaxy was united under a single banner.

A long, long time ago such a government existed, known as The Galactic Republic.  From the urban world of Coruscant, the Republic drew in planets across the galaxy, granting them seats in their enormous Senate.  So pervasive was their reach that for most of its history it had no need for a standing military to protect it.  Its only defenders were the quasi-religious order known as The Jedi Order, who boasted psychic abilities.

The Jedi Order may have been the first to tap individuals latent meta-gene to create their Jedi Knights.  Little remains of their skills and training but those that do mention The Midichlorian Process which helped Force-sensitives tap into their potential power.

The seeds of the Republic's end were sown by the Jedi themselves.  Rogue members of the Order known as The Sith worked within the government to sow dissension and paranoia.  They created the Separatists in order to spark what would be known as the Clone Wars, forcing the Republic to create a standing army for the first time in millennia.  

After the defeat of the Separatists, they turned the Republic against the Jedi, resulting in the Great Jedi Purge.  The Senate passed emergency powers and almost overnight the Republic was reformed into The Galactic Empire.

The Empire itself was short-lived, defeated within forty years by galaxy-wide rebellion.  The New Republic was formed in its place but was never able to unite the known universe as its predecessor.  Eventually, the government fell apart and disbanded, with Xandar and the Nova Empire as the only reminder of those earlier times.

Coruscant still is a center of trade and civilization, its overcrowded towers pushing even further into the sky.  Sections of the Galactic Empire that were never fully conquered by the New Republic would eventually unite into a new government known as The First Order.  

A YJA Moment - The Reality Stone

The essence of the Highfather, leader of the New Gods, coalesced into the Reality Stone.  This red gem was capable of changing change current events on a universal scale.  People can be added and erased from existence, whole Empires created or removed at a whim.  Unlike the Time Stone, the Reality Stone cannot change events in the past.  Although the current and subsequent timeframes were altered, time-travel will not find any evidence of an event occurring.  

Infinity Stones do keep a measure of self-awareness, even if it's not fully intelligent as sentient beings would understand it.  The Reality Stone desired to have someone control in and use it to reshape existence.  It created a tournament that would have to be fought for it - although its participants believed it was one of many such contests, this was the first only battle for what the believed was The Holy Grail.

The Holy Grail War was fought by teams of two - a Practitioner of the Mystic Arts, and a manifested Heroic Spirit from history.  There were seven specific "roles" in the fight that the Heroic Spirits could embody - that being Archer, Assassin, Berserker, Caster, Lancer, Rider, and Saber.  Each role alters a Heroic Spirit to enhance some abilities, but generally, the Spirits' own history determines what role they will adopt.

The Heroic Spirits are expected to battle each other until one of them has been killed.  Generally, the magician is responsible for support effects such as healing.  However, they can become a target themselves, as their death will result in the Spirit being dispelled from the physical plane and back to the Underworld.

The battle continued until one pair remained.  The Magician would then receive the Grail, which was the Reality Stone in disguise. Combatants believe that they will get one wish, but in truth, the stone is looking to find someone to 

In the Holy Grail War, the Mythic Avengers found themselves as participants.  Billy Batson became the Magician controlling the Caster Captain Marvel, while Mel became the Magician controlling the Berserker Ken.  They battled various other Heroic Spirits, aided by magician Rin Tohsaka and her heroic spirit Cheiron.   

Winning the Grail War, the Reality Stone revealed itself.  Both Mary and Mel attempted to carry the stone but they were unable to wield its power.  Mary ended up wishing Cheiron alive again and Mel constructed a whole new personal reality where she married Loki and gave birth to twins, Vargr and Ani.

Managing to contain the Stone, they turned it over to Doctor Strange for safekeeping. The Reality Stone is currently in the Black Room within the Sanctum Sanctorum.

A YJA Campaign Phase Three - A Synopsis

The Third Phase started with the returning heroes remaining in "quarantine" in The Baxter Building.  The heroes decided to remain to the time being because there was a concern that the government would use their escape to brand them as villains.

Checkmate, consolidating their control on the United States, begin a massive public relations campaign to justify their exitance but undermind the good work of the Office of National Emergency.

The Mythic Avengers, including Mel, Ken, and Mary, went into hiding to figure out what they were going to do next.  Using the Chronicle of Hidden Paths, Ken was led to Citrisville, Florida where she encountered the entity known as Man-Thing. Using a piece of the creature she was able to travel to Outland, a pocket dimension that hovered over the fabled Nexus of All Realities.

With access to a portal to everywhere in existence, Ken evacated the quarantined heroes to Outland.  The Mythic Avengers, as well as their allies, begin a resistance campaign.

Some highlighted adventures:

• In response to the actions of Checkmate, Nick Fury uses all the connections with regional agencies to create SHIELD.
    
• Bruce Wayne outs himself as the financier of Batman and forms Batman Incorporated.
• Gyrich's betrayal weakens The Light and allowed a combined task force of Justice League and Avengers members to take down Stormwatch and place Lex Luthor into custody in Outland.
• The Producer Trilogy:  The League of Villains attempted to draw the spirit of a famous animator known as The Producer using the foul magics within the phenomenon known as Haunted Mansion.  Scar would escape the confrontation and murder Odin, forcing Thor to take his place as both King of Asgard and Allfather Christmas.  Finally, the Mythic Avengers joined with The Endless known as Dream, confronted the demon known as The Charming Prince, and freed the Producer's corporation from the Infernal Realm.
• David Xanatos, a mystic clone of Tony Stark, launches a hostile takeover of Stark Industries.
• Acting Director Gyrich struggles to remain in control of Checkmate.  This is made worse when the Sentinels launch a disastrous attack on the Xavier Mansion.  In response, Magneto drops an Aircraft Carrier on his press conference eliminating Checkmate's entire leadership.
• With the public face of the conspiracy under lockdown by the United States government, the covert parts of Weapons Plus reorganize into Orchis.  They declare war on metahuman-kind.
• World War M - The Brotherhood and Orchis nearly plunge the planet into warfare.  Discovered to be a plot by Demona, the Mythic Avengers manage to take down Orchis and convince Magneto to stand down.
• SHIELD is officially recognized by the United Nations as the successor to Stormwatch.

At the end of the Third Phase Ken, Mel, and Mary come to the knowledge of what caused the world to unbalanced.  Gaining Knowledge of the Infinity Stones, the group has the monumental task of scouring the cosmos for the Stones and then finding suitable individuals to take on the mantle of the (new) New Gods.

Joined by the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Mythic Avengers are about to explore the cosmos, on a direct collision course with Darkseid and  his Elite

The Final Phase is upon us:  The Infinity Crusade