The Rise of Darkness

Long before Star Command, before the Galactic Alliance brought law to the farthest reaches of space, the galaxy was ruled by a tyrant whose very name was forbidden to speak—Natron. He was not born of light, but in the endless dark. No one knew his origin, only that he rose from the cold fringes of the cosmos with powers that defied reason. He drained life with a touch, crushed planets with a gesture, and ruled not through armies but fear. Entire star systems fell without resistance. Whispers of his reign made even seasoned warriors tremble. But there, there came one who stood against him—a being cloaked in mystery, remembered only as the Protector. No race, no face, no name remained. Only myth. Their battle with Natron scarred the galaxy, ripping through dimensions, silencing worlds. In the end, the Protector did not kill Natron. Instead, they bound him to a tomb deep beneath the barren surface of a cursed world—Planet X. There, Natron slumbered for millennia, sealed away in silence. Until the silence broke. In 1996, a team of curious L.G.M.s (Little Green Men) from Star Command landed on Planet X during a routine research expedition. In their pursuit of ancient technology, they made a fatal error—they broke the seal. Natron awoke. His return rippled through the stars. Commander Nebula, head of Star Command, dispatched Buzz Lightyear and his elite team—Mira Nova, Booster, and XR—to recover the L.G.M.s. Zurg, hungry for power, sent Warp Darkmatter, once Buzz’s partner, now corrupted, to capture the resurrected tyrant. But Natron was no fool. He struck first. Warp was caught and drained—his youth and strength stolen in a blink. Left frail and dying, he was discarded like ash. As Natron tore through Capital Planet, freezing its citizens in a living prison of consciousness, Star Command fought back. With XR’s help, the team lured Natron into a trap using a prototype power-draining device. Buzz and a briefly-rejuvenated Warp worked together one last time. The trap succeeded—barely—and Natron was forced back into his tomb on Planet X, locked again in eternal sleep. But the damage had been done. While searching the wreckage of Natron’s short reign, the team stumbled upon a hidden chamber. There, chained and broken, they found a woman. Her body was bruised, clothes torn, mind shattered. She was pregnant—Natron’s victim and vessel. Taken into Star Command’s custody, she gave birth days later in a secured psych ward. The girl was healthy. Quiet. But her eyes… they glowed with the same eerie fire Natron once wielded. Before her last breath, the mother whispered a single name to Warp, who sat beside her as her strength faded: “Kirsten.” Chapter Two: The Rise of Darkness In 1996, a team of curious L.G.M.s (Little Green Men) from Star Command landed on Planet X during a routine research expedition. In their pursuit of ancient technology, they made a fatal error—they broke the seal. Natron awoke. His return rippled through the stars. Commander Nebula, head of Star Command, dispatched Buzz Lightyear and his elite team—Mira Nova, Booster, and XR—to recover the L.G.M.s. Zurg, hungry for power, sent Warp Darkmatter, once Buzz’s partner, now corrupted, to capture the resurrected tyrant. But Natron was no fool. He struck first. Warp was caught and drained—his youth and strength stolen in a blink. Left frail and dying, he was discarded like ash. As Natron tore through Capital Planet, freezing its citizens in a living prison of consciousness, Star Command fought back. With XR’s help, the team lured Natron into a trap using a prototype power-draining device. Buzz and a briefly-rejuvenated Warp worked together one last time. The trap succeeded—barely—and Natron was forced back into his tomb on Planet X, locked again in eternal sleep. But the damage had been done. While searching the wreckage of Natron’s short reign, the team stumbled upon a hidden chamber. There, chained and broken, they found a woman. Her body was bruised, clothes torn, mind shattered. She was pregnant—Natron’s victim and vessel. The team brought her into Star Command’s custody, and she gave birth days later in a secured psych ward. The girl was healthy. Quiet. But her eyes… they glowed with the same eerie fire Natron once wielded. Before her last breath, the mother whispered a single name to Kirsten, the girl who had been locked away for 14 years. She sat in her cell on PC-7, a prison planet that held those with powers that could threaten the galaxy. Kirsten was beautiful and powerful, with long, curly brown hair and bright piercing blue eyes. But at the age of 28, she was a legend in whispers. A guard entered her cell one day. He towered over her. “Kirsten, you have a visitor.” The sound of his voice was metal on metal— cold and calculated. “Zurg wants to see you.” She was led out of her cell and escorted to a transport vessel that awaited her. The vessel shook as it broke through the atmosphere. Kirsten peeked out the window to see her home planet fade into the distance. The following transport vessel had two passengers: 1. A prison guard wearing a suit of armor, secure transmission equipment at his belt. 2. Warp Darkmatter, her captor. She looked at him puzzled, “You aren’t—” “I’m Warp,” he said, his deep voice pleasing. His black uniform stood out against the dull grey interior of the ship. Kirsten was confused but tried to cooperate. But what Warp didn’t know was that Zurg had plans. Kirsten would become his pawn to dominate the galaxy, and with her on his side, nothing could stand in his way.