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By StarbearerTM
Disclaimer: Dark Horse Comics owns the most recent rights to publish the KISS comics, originally published by Marvel. This is a work of Fanfiction, and is not intended to harm or demean those involved. KISS owns themselves, and this is based on real persons. All original characters are property of their respective owners.
*It was so easy, Ace realized as a wave of space washed over him, and he felt his body glowing. What was it that one of the writers had called it? Madeline L'Engle was right about her tesseracts, he cackled to himself as he felt the surges of cosmic tides overwhelm him, and he embraced the force. He had teleported as he had always done, but it was a rare moment he had spent in this dimension. Time seemed to stand still as he observed Earth curving below, materializing outside the upper layers of the atmosphere. While he knew the clarion call of the heavenly spheres, he had to get his bearings. It was a huge expanse, and he wasn't used to jumping. He knew it would take much practice before he could make the rendezvous point.
The harsh bright brassy sunlight fell upon him, and Ace opened his mouth. He was in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere. The space fold he had made was only a tiny wrinkle. Just to test if he'd been right. He couldn't be expected to make the jump at once, could he?
*I don't grok it all, he said inside his head as he realized that he needed no oxygen, or space suit. He was wrapped in a bubble of solidified space and time, stopping his journey as if it were a freeze frame. Of course he was fine. Space was his element.
*I'm home, home at last, he reflected, as he saw the earth spinning below, and glanced up at the moon shimmering with no atmosphere to distort it. The radiant sun bathed him with its bath of rays, surging him with its strength and power. He could see the solar wind, feel the chiming stars as they burned brighter and did not twinkle. Gravity tugged him only a bit, but the call was far greater.
*They don't grok it, he said as he looked back to earth. *So much to learn. All the time in the universe.
*Where should I explore first? he wondered. The call had told him he had to make the first leap. To ascend to the heavens. It wasn't specific, he cackled mentally. But coming past Earth to this point was the step on a long voyage in the Cosmic Ocean.
He had to stretch his space wings and learn the currents, the rips. He couldn't just point his focus in some direction. It was tiring to fold space, not to mention dangerous. The rules of the gravity wells had to be mastered first. Warping near a planet could be messy. No, he'd travel as light traveled first. To do that, he'd slip the bonds of matter, and become energy itself.
*I want to see the planets first, he decided as he drifted towards the moon. Taking the solar wind, he extended his arms and felt it capture him. Pushing him away from Earth, and giving him the jump he needed. Slowly he shifted towards earth's gravity, and used it to catapult him towards the Moon. There he would spin himself into the trajectories that many a spacecraft had taken. Granted this was simple, but he wanted to try it, for the hell of it. Why waste exploring by jumping and folding by tesseract when you could see all the planets of your solar system first?
*Mars, he nodded. *Then Venus, and Mercury, then the ol' slingshot around the sun… to see if Star Trek was right…
Smiling he reveled in the pull of the gravity wells. He perceived far more than with five human senses. He could taste gravity, and smell solar winds. Hear radio chatter from a million pulsars. Dodge whizzing space junk as he slipped the bonds of his Earth forever and spun himself off towards his own Grand Tour of the solar system of his birth.
*Time to leave the cradle, because it's Childhood's End, he told himself. *And go where nobody's gone before. Eat your heart out, Gene Roddenbery!
*Wait, he cautioned himself. There were so many things he didn't know about Space travel. So many things to see, so many stars that held life. He knew the voice had told him that he could take whatever steps he had to, like some Silver Surfer. Get to know his space legs, and then go towards Alpha Centauri. The journey of a hundred light years began with mastering space travel. Then he'd work to the fourth and fifth dimensions.
It seemed like nothing to him when he reached the sun, realizing his mass had increased, and he saw the comets like Enke and Halley whiz by. The boiling face of the comet was touched by sunlight, and slowly particles streamed out behind the dirty snowball only yards away from him.
His heart and mind leapt at the mysteries he was discovering. Those thousands of years of scientists had only brief glimpses of. So much to see, and so much time. All the time in the Universe once he mastered time travel. But first he had to know Space.
*You are the Space Ace now, but can you aspire to become the Celestial? challenged the call. It was the voice he'd heard more and more over the endless days and years.
*I heard you say all that inside my head, in millions of ways, like, Ace realized. *What's the difference between the two? How I use my powers? I know I've got to evolve beyond my human limitations and all that… but how the hell do I do it? I'm your grasshopper, if that's your aim…
*Already your mind is open to different experiences of
consciousness. You master teleportation
on Earth. You have the beginnings of
how to traverse space in short hops.
However your potential is untapped.
Do you want to see all time and possibilities?
*Quantum space instead of classic mechanics and all that jazz? Ace laughed. At last he could think clearly.
*You're not ready to join us yet. There are many things you must learn first… for instance you must leave behind all vestiges of your human limitations, to focus your mind… which is the ultimate space ship.
*Cool by me, Ace answered in his mind. *I'm still having too much fun here.
*Excellent. It's prudent to first learn your limits, before you can surpass them, said the voice. *You've got time. Enjoy it. But be wary of other explorers who do not know the rules.
*Rules? Say what? Are you some
Time Lord or something?
*Other civilizations that are
arrogant enough to presume they know everything. Those are not modest enough to conceive that they are only one
voice in the cosmic fugue.
*I get it, Ace snorted. *You're talking about all those other alien races out there which can use space ships, warp drive and time travel, but they dick around with things they don't know shit about. Am I right, or right?
*We have seen you for the span of your three dimensional
existence. We watch and observe. We are of Jendell. But you must come to us, to prove that you are evolved enough to
master and use the talents you hold.
You're an embryo with great potential, which has just been born into the
way of it all. To improve you must do
what you are doing now, taking the small steps. WE can't expect you to jump
across a thousand light years when you do not have yet the skills.
*Um so you mean I've gotta get into
the kiddie pool before you throw me off the deep end. Well that makes SOME sense. I grok that.
*Good. And in your journey to
where we are, you'll grow. Be
warned. There will be many in your way,
and the road is long. But we of Jendell
will point you on the path. Better by far to hone your skills in simply leaps
before you come. And take time to sniff
the solar winds… and see what you can see.
It will enhance our Encyclopedia Galactic…
*Can I ask a dumb question?
*As you say… shoot…
*Are you one mind, or one person… er being? Ace asked.
*I am the voice of Jendell, chimed the thoughts in his
mind. *Coming to you across space and
time. I'm the mouthpiece that was
selected. You may refer to me as
Jenlynn… primary watcher of Earth 20th century. I've been assigned to guide you. We of Jendell have watched Earth knowing one
being would evolve who could learn our ways.
*So, you're like time cops? Do ya
have some prime directive not to interfere or something?
*Quite. We are only one of the many races who know time and space travel. And we must stop those who are not ready from causing damage… harnessing forces they are not able to understand.
*Don't ya mean… I can't walk before I run? I grok it already, Ace asked as he approached Jupiter. He fancied himself with overtaking the Voyager 2 craft, and leaving it behind in the dust. Already he was close to light speed.
*Right, Space Ace. And now it's
time for your first lesson. Observe,
and learn. I will be with you, or one
of my colleagues. Sometimes it will be
Yahrmes, and sometimes it will be the Superiors… I am but a servant of
them. And you will be graded…
*You mean I'm in school… crap… Ace shuddered.
*This time you'll not have to cram.
You can learn from your mistakes.
There is no gravity to hold you down. But as Isaac Newton said, for
every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Every race you will encounter you'll
discover is part of a greater pattern.
In time you'll see that past, present and future are one.
****