Written by Barry Reese
"All My Pasts Remembered" Part Three
My name is Aric Dacia and I was born in ancient times, when the damned Romans ruled the Earth and when my uncle Alaric fought against their power. I was stolen from my wife and my people in the year 408 A.D., captured by the bastards I've come to know as the Spider Aliens. They used humans like cattle, treating us as slaves and foodstuff. I swore a blood oath to kill them all.
Eventually I managed to break free, stealing one of the Spider Aliens' greatest treasures -- the mighty X-O Manowar-class armor. Sentient, it bonded with me on so many levels, teaching me about the strange new world I found myself in. Somehow, I had exited the Spider Alien ship not in my native time -- but instead in the 1991.
I kept my blood oath as best I could, my "Good Skin" armor helping me as best it could. I slew many Spider Aliens and claimed one of their prizes, the conglomeration known as Orb Industries, as a spoil of war.
I grew to love my new world. I found new friends, new allies and new dreams.
Today it all ends.
Today I die.
September 1, 2004. The home of Aric and Gamin.
Phil and Gayle Seleski stood patiently as the doorbell finished ringing. Gayle held a small bowl of potato salad in her left hand, while her right was busy smoothing down her dress. "You sure I look okay, hon?"
Phil smiled. "You look wonderful. Relax. They're nice people."
Gayle rolled her eyes, a playful smirk on her face. "Nice people. You told me he used to be a Visigoth barbarian and she used to be a high-class thief. Geez, Phil, when I said I wanted us to get out and make new friends, I meant people in our line of work...."
"Honey, they are in my line of work, remember?"
Gayle's response never came, as Gamin opened the door at that moment. The beautiful woman still had the eyes of a thief, taking in her guests at a moment. Lower-upper class with no concerns over money, but not driven by it, either. Gamin probably wouldn't have bothered with them during her days as a burglar. "Hi there. Aric's told me a lot about you. Come in. I'm Gamin."
"Dinner was great, Aric. You're turning into quite a chef."
Aric Dacia, his long hair tied back in a ponytail, sipped from his beer. The two men were standing on the deck, watching the sun set while the women were cleaning up. "I enjoy grilling. Cooking should be done outdoors, seasoned in the old ways."
Phil nodded. He didn't need sustenance the way others did, but he didn't think Aric needed to know that. "Marriage suiting you?"
Aric's face clouded a bit. The shadow passed quickly enough, but Phil thought for a moment that he'd made a mistake in bringing it up. Perhaps things weren't going well? Aric dispelled that a bit by saying, "I love her. For as long as we have together, that will always be true."
"Hmm. That's an odd way of putting it. Anything you want to talk about?"
Aric glanced at him. Phil Seleski was in reality the man known as Solar, a man whom Aric would have considered a sorceror if they'd met in ancient Rome. It was a sign of how much the two had endured that Aric had been able to put aside his distrust of sorcery and call this man friend. "Do you remember when you resurrected Gamin?"
"Like it was yesterday. Cheng had killed her... Why? Has something gone wrong?"
Aric shook his head. "No. It's just that... I see the world around us darkening. Storm clouds are on the horizon. I wonder sometimes if I should have asked you to bring her back, considering what's coming. Maybe she would have been better off in whatever heaven awaits. The thought of losing her again... It won't be easy."
Phil touched Aric's arm, concern in his eyes. "You're talking like you know something I don't. I admit that there are problems looming, not the least of which are the increasingly powerful corporations that are starting to run things, but why in the world would you think I shouldn't have brought Gamin back?"
"There's a war coming. I--"
"You guys coming in for ice cream or not? The movie's about to start." Gamin stood in the doorway, hands on hips.
Aric moved towards her. "We're on our way."
Phil caught his arm, his eyes still full of worry. "Aric? What war?"
Aric Dacia shook his head. "Forget it, old friend. I promised myself once that I wouldn't talk of it, and I won't. I had a moment of weakness."
The Man of the Atom let it go, but the unease he felt didn't pass for long after. Despite everything they'd been through together -- Unity, the Chaos Effect, the dark days in '99, the Timewalker Incident last year -- Phil didn't think he'd ever quite seeen the same level of despair in Aric's eyes. It was as if there were a war waiting to be fought, but Aric knew he couldn't fight it. Not yet, at least.
March 9, 2016. Boston.
The final battle between Alloy and myself was played out in Boston, where the being that had once been Paul Bouvier had managed to pierce Solar's Time Corridor. The Corridor was supposed to keep out alternate universes, but Alloy had gone completely insane. His period spent in Unreality had given him knowledge of things to come, as well as perfect knowledge of the past. As such, he believed that the only way to restore meaning to his existence was to rip the veil separating our universes from one another -- and journey to a reality where the element of surprise was still possible for him.
Paul had broken into one of the Harbinger Foundation's labs, interrupting an attempt by Harada's men to understand alien technology he'd claimed from the Men in Black. As a dimensional rift opened, energies spilled out through the lab, surrounding us.
X-O stepped over the broken bits of machinery, his eyes narrowed. "Paul... You've pushed me too far. I no longer want to just kill you. I want to break you."
Alloy stood before a chromatic puncture in the air, rainbow-colored bits of light spilling from it. His expression was solemn, lacking in the passion that had characterized him in life. Since his return from Unreality, he had become more and more distant from humanity. "You are the only man alive who can sympathize with me, Aric. You have knowledge of the future -- I know you do. This conversation we're having is like a distant memory to me. I'm cursed by what I am, by what I know."
X-O paused only a moment. Alloy's words rang true to him. He'd stood aside, watching as Harada took the first steps to the near dictatorship he would eventually possess, taking just enough action to protect his loved ones and ensure that Toyo did not rise to prominence too quickly, too soon. "The Good Skin says you're endangering everyone by opening that rift, Paul. Those energies are foul... No matter how I feel about your situation, you must die. There is no other option."
Alloy's metal lips twisted every so slightly. "I knew you'd say that."
Aric rushed forward, his armor-generated sword in hand. It would end here, and there would be one less enemy to worry about in the future.
In the end, that was all that mattered.
October 17, 2032. The Dromak Homeworld.
Aric's ion cannon pulsed again and again, raining burning death down upon his enemies. The Dromak defenses, battered by the efforts put forth by X-O Manowar and the renegade Dromak champion known as the Singularity, were no longer a match for the angry Visigoth.
The Singularity hung in space nearby, his ghostly white form illuminated by the glowing rod he held in one hand. <The way to the palace is cleared, Aric. Go -- and find your peace.>
The alien's words were filtered through the Good Skin's ears, translating them into something that Aric could understand. He nodded once in response, feeling a familiar tightness in his chest. This would not bring Gamin back -- nothing could, not even Solar -- but it would make the pain somewhat easier to bear.
He ignored the few that rose up in opposition as he streaked towards the center of the Dromak's civilization, the capital from which they had staged their grand designs against Earth. Aric's wife, the mother of his 24-year old daughter Diedre, had died in battle with one of their kind. She'd been disintegrated to ash, her essence lost forever.
Aric could hear his daughter's cries even now, cries for a mother who would never return.
He burst into the central complex, sending the Dromak inside scurrying for safety. He was the Destroyer, the Liberator, the Avenger. He had come to be known by many different names to the races enslaved by the Dromak. In their own native tongue, the Dromak favored him with the title K'lu'thum, "the monstrous fury."
The Dromak Warlord, Emperor of seven star systems, stood impassively as his killer approached. "It has come to this, Terran? You could have joined with us. You could have surrendered the armor to us. There were so many ways you could have avoided your fate."
Aric snarled, "Damn you to a thousand hells. Your empire... like that of the Romans... is doomed to fall. And it will be a Visigoth who tears down the walls!"
The Dromak warlord lashed out, eager to destroy this human who had wreaked such havoc to his empire. He had risen to his status not through inheritance, but by crawling over the corpses of those who stood above him.
The blows they exchanged echoed through the palace, as neither would give the other any quarter. In the end, however, there was no denying Aric's warrior spirit. He straddled the bloodied chest of his opponent, hefting his head up until the armor's right cannon was aimed between the alien's eyes. Through swollen and cracked lips, Aric murmured, "For my wife... for my world."
The blast tore the Dromak's head from his shoulders in less than a second.
The weary barbarian sank to his knees, hot tears in his eyes. For so long he'd put aside the full depth of his loss, focusing only on his revenge. Now that it had come, the dam that held it all in check began to break.
The feel of the Singularity's hand on his shoulder made Aric look up. "Aric... There is still much fighting left to be done. Can you...?"
X-O Manowar stood. "Yes. I will stay here until the Dromak dogs are all beaten to the ground." We have time to spare, Good Skin. Many years still left to us... and home is too painful for now. Diedre and her friends can maintain the peace until we return.
I spent almost 8 years in space. When I'd finished liberating those enslaved by the Dromak, I wandered. The adventures that Bekhara and I had... they would be enough to fill a thousand books. We feasted on alien wildlife, hunting like I had in ancient times. I met proud races, some barely recognizable as life.
But I never forgot where I came from, nor the duties that were mine alone. In the year 2040, I returned to Earth.
Diedre had run Orb well in my absence, protecting my holdings from Harada. Conceived while I was bonded to Bekhara, she was in some ways a hybrid being -- capable of some things that not even I could have achieved. Physically, she resembled her mother very much, something that haunted me almost as much as it pleased me.
While I was away, Ken Clarkson had died a second time. In 2016, his consciousness had been projected into a robotic form created by Angel Computers. It had been a synthetic existence, but one that allowed him the freedom he'd craved since his resurrection as a hologram. The destruction of his body in 2037 (during the Great Los Angeles Quake) sent him to the afterlife at long last. Perhaps, in retrospect, there will be two Kens there -- the original, who died at the hands of Crescendo, and the second, who served me faithfully from 1999 on.
In 2045, I met Amy.
She was a friend of Diedre's son Thomas, with a voracious appetite for history. The love we shared was sweet, but I was growing older by the day. My passions ran softer now, and in some ways I think that made our relationship deeper.
In 2047, our son was born. It was then that I became to actively watch the clock. So many things I had to do. So many things to make sure were in place.
And now, today, my destiny has come. By my estimation, I have about five or ten minutes before my past self -- from the year 2000 -- comes to this year, which is 2062. He will be confused, but he do what needs to be done. He will slay Harada and end the nightmare. I know this, because I have lived it.
I sent Ian away, to visit Diedre in Italy. She is 54 now, a middle-aged woman. She is my daughter and her brother is merely 15. My life has been strange indeed, Good Skin.
And now, we must part. Bekhara -- we have been bonded for 62 years now. But we must separate now, so that you can be safely hidden from Harada's eyes. So let us be free of one of another... so that you may live.
It has been a good life.
To Randy, Ken, Diedre and Gamin -- I come.
2062, the home of Aric Dacia
Lucinda had been hesitant to leave, but she had finally relented to Aric's orders. The Visigoth waited until she was gone before tossing his robe over a nearby chair. The Geomancer would be nearby, he knew, waiting to make sure that he didn't decide to cheat death somehow. But why should he? If he wanted to return home, this had to be done -- and the ramifications would not catch up to Aric for over 60 years once he returned home. Besides, better to know one would die with honor than wonder idly if a dishonorable death awaited.
Airc approached the armor, watching as it unfolded. It looked ready to be worn, ready to wrap itself around its master one last time. Aric touched it with fondness. Good Skin... We killed many enemies together. I hope that your next master will recognize your bravery and loyalty as I have.
He slid the control ring off his finger and placed it inside the armor. If he was truly going to die today, he could not leave the armor behind. Harada, if what Lucinda had told him was true, was now crazed by a desire for immortality. The armor's life-prolonging abilities were sure to bring him knocking at the door soon enough. After all, with Orb destroyed, why would Harada hesitate to at last strike down Orb's master and take the armor as a spoil of war?
Go, Good Skin. Go the farthest depths of this universe and do not return until Harada is long dead.
The armor hesitated for a moment before acknowledging its master's final command. It closed itself into a tight sphere and rocketed away, smashing through the window and heading towards space.
Aric stepped to the window and looked out. The armor was already a distant gleam on the horizon. Glancing down, he saw an all-too familiar figure exiting a parked vehicle. Toyo Harada was staring off into the distance as well, realization dawning on his face. Aric felt a cold smile touch his lips. I have ruined your victory, Harada. Now come to me and let me end your life, so that this world can know peace!
Aric moved to a nearby wall, claiming the sword that hung there as a decoration. To die with a sword in one's hand is to die with honor.
Behind him, the windows blew inwards with tremendous force. Aric whirled about to face his longtime enemy, who hovered in the air, hate in his eyes. "Aric -- show yourself! You've frustrated my efforts for the last time!"
Aric hefted his sword and rushed towards Harada. "Wrong, Toyo -- I still have some fight left in me!"
Harada landed his feet on the carpet, crouching low. "Always the noble savage, eh? Well -- you can die with your precious ideals!"
The two struck simultaneously, Harada blasting outwards with the Omega Harbinger power. Aric's head exploded, skull fragments sent flying. His blow, however, was true enough -- the blade embedded itself deep in Harada's shoulder, piercing his heart. Only Harada's psionic powers held him together.
"Aric? I-- Oh my God...! Aric!"
Harada, half-seated on the floor with the shoulder still protruding from his chest, turned to face Aric's wife with a smile. Blood caked his features, giving him a satanic appearance. "He's beyond your help, woman. But -- you may prove of some assistance to me."
Reaching out to force his mind into hers, Toyo Harada cheated death once more.
And the march of time continued on.
Coming up in X-O Manowar # 86 : There is no next issue! See letters page for more!
LETTERS PAGE
First of all, let me announce that this is the final issue of X-O Manowar. I've been writing stories starring Aric off and on since 1998 and the time has come to say a goodbye of sorts. Counting the series I wrote for the long-since defunct Valiant 1 Fanfiction Group, I've done over thirty stories with Aric. That's not to say that you won't see any new stories from me in the future with Aric, just none at the moment.
In this issue, you'll see references to lots of subplots I'd left dangling (such as the changes in Alloy that were first shown in issue 81), as well as closure to some of my more longstanding plot threads. I didn't answer everything and, in fact, posed a few new mysteries along the way (what was the Timewalker Incident in 2001?). This was intentional. A good story like Rai # 0, or this one, should always leave you wanting more.
Long-time readers of mine will recognize the Singularity as a character I introduced during my run at Valiant 1 Fanfiction.
From Mike Sacal :
Very cool issue. I liked how you kept the spirit of Rai 0 intact and were able to show a lot more of the story without once negating any of the events foretold in the book. I'm looking forward to the next issue. I just wish you didn't have to limit such a timeline to just one character and instead have it include all of Valiant, just like Rai 0 did.
Thanks, Mike. I'm glad you're enjoying things. As for this issue's glimpse into the rest of Aric's life, I felt I should limit myself to just detailing X-O's future so I wouldn't do anything that might conflict with what other writers in the Valiant Fanfic Association might be planning. I'm sure folks might not like having me reveal the ultimate fate of their pet characters, for instance. Still, I hope things turned out well. Let me know.
From Henry Freeman :
Great issues, I really love the fanfiction. It really brings back this great comic unviverse to me. Any idea when the others (Solar, Shadowman, Eternal Warrior, & etc.) will be written?
Thanks very much, Henry! Knowing that I've reminded you how great Valiant once was is quite a compliment. Kell Carpenter, the guy who wrote our Solar and Shadowman fanfics, left the group awhile back. I hope to have new writers on both series very soon, though. Eternal Warrior is a title we get asked about a lot. A great writer named Mike Hintze is talking about picking up a fanfiction series based on EW, so hopefully there will something happening there soon.
From Eric Gill :
Barry,
OUTSTANDING job on the latest issue of our favorite Barbarian. I could pick up the Rai #0 tie-in as soon as he sent the "Good Skin" away. I thought the dialogue between Geoff and Solar in the Lost Land was just pertinant enough to help fill the gaps. I especially like the fact that since you left Aric's memory intact, it leaves a lot open for the future.
Thanks, Eric. As you've seen this issue, Aric's memory being left intact had some interesting consequences. Thanks for all the support you've given me, throughout this series.