#293 – One Step Forward – After Battletron's rat displays unusual behavior, Neutron, Battletron, Kubera, and Quiasar find coding inside of it that reveals a secret message about a T.O.T.E.M. strike on a clandestine weapons facility in Cleveland.  Aware of a waiting trap, the group alerts worldwide law enforcement, then Quiasar, Phase, Compass, Kubera, and Neutron head there in the Guardian Angel anyway.  As they conduct surveillance, T.O.T.E.M. androids (light shock troops) attack the compound and begin terminating the military forces there; the team intervenes, moving inside the building to stop them.  Leech arrives and attacks the androids, and the untrusting Guardians secretly plot to capture their former ally.  As the battle with the machines rages on, Compass knocks out Leech, but Phase (unaware of the plan) wakes him again.  Robots (heavy shock troops) and new light shock troops arrive and tie up the heroes outside; Leech continues to fight the enemy.  Other androids with ion rifles focus on Kubera, intent on capturing him.  The champion's armor begins to fail, and the adventurers try to get him out of the fight.  Jay Harris self-destructs his armor, but the light shock troops are successful in teleporting away with him.  He quickly grows larger and breaks away, and the attacking T.O.T.E.M. forces retreat.  The group is able to secure some of the android remains, but is unable to capture Leech, who swiftly flies away.

#295 – End Unending – The Star Guardian finally arrives at the Gwai'ir homeworld and finds it besieged by an armada of Ga'arn starships!  Kodiak, Crocodile, Araneae, Surge, Howling Hank, Typhon, and Paradigm are brought before the Gwai'ir queen, who welcomes Surge as a long-lost prince.  She explains that her people's situation is hopelessly dire; it would take many decades to heal a small minority of their race from the genetic drift threatening them.  The adventurers plead for her to allow them more time to work on the problem, but she refuses, concerned about Gwai'ir culture and technology falling into the hands of the hostile Ga'arn invaders.  After a small contingent of Gwai'ir citizens and an ark with priceless technology representing their civilization's knowledge are transported to the Star Guardian, the Queen and royal court say a final goodbye and destroy their own world, bringing a magnificent end to their glorious empire!  As a wave of energy from an exploding Ga'arn ship heads towards the heroes, time suddenly appears to stop outside of their vessel.  Years pass for those aboard, and they discover that time is not stopped outside their ship, but is moving very slowly.  Over decades, Paradigm is able to decipher how to get into the intricately locked container, where he finds incredibly sophisticated technology.  More decades pass, and with help Crocodile is able to construct an elaborate device that will harness the energy from the approaching wave and dilate time, shunting the group backwards in time to the original moment of impact; the only catch is that one person will have to sacrifice themselves by going back in time to perform a specific maneuver to make it happen.  After spending nearly a century together, the elderly crew puts their plan into motion.  Surge volunteers and travels back in time, where he is able to angle the vessel and use the wave's energy to propel them across the galaxy.  When they finally stop, Surge is the only one who has actually experienced the last 90 years aboard the ship; for everybody else only a few seconds have passed.

#297 – Uneasy Lies... – The Guardians receive a message explaining that Neutron has been forbidden from acting on Earth; he retires and takes leave of the planet for an indefinite amount of time.  The case against Lawson & Sons begins to look shaky as the government appears unprepared and an appeal is granted; turmoil and chaos abound in the various criminal organizations as they await the verdict.  The Guardians are called to a mansion on Long Island, where territorial squabbles at a crime scene overshadow the fact that the missing victim might be Vampire.  Forensic evidence leads to Agetor's Family Fun Park in upstate New York, suggesting to the group that the former Crimelord/Organizer might be involved.  Accompanied by Maccane and Blackstone (head of security at Alpha Site), Scion, Battletron, and Compass fly in the Guardian Angel to the long-closed amusement park and sneak past the patrolling guards.  Beneath a water ride they dispatch two boosted Intercrime Assassins, then venture into an underground powered armor factory run by the cyberpath Lowjack.  The heroes take out the villain and defeat numerous enhanced Power Infantry, shutting down the operation and securing much archaic Intercrime equipment; they also find that many power suits have already been shipped.  The team flies to New York City for a meeting with the F.B.I.  Security footage reveals that witness protection specialist Jack Krager (Whiteout) was assassinated in Boston by Vampire associate Viper and Tong agent Black Tiger, who used a device to extract memories before terminating him.  Scion decodes Whiteout's encrypted black book, and this leads the champions to St. Louis, where they arrive just in time to witness an explosion at a house.  They race inside, overcome Viper, Black Tiger, and two ninjas, and again rescue Douglas Gantry.  As they leave Missouri, news breaks of a massive gang battle erupting between Alliance and Intercrime forces.  Vampire's convoy is obliterated by the time it reaches the National Mall in D.C., and the criminal himself is disintegrated by enemy soldiers!  The Guardians attempt to race there, but the conflict is long over before they arrive home.  Epilogue: The government quietly drops the case against Lawson & Sons.

#299 – R.I.P. King Brainwave – Brainwave dies of cancer.  Kubera receives a transmission from Robot 62417 showing gang members taking over a bank in Salem, Oregon.  C.H.E.S.S. forces intervene, but are ambushed by Pirate (disguised as one of their Knights); he disappears before he can be apprehended.  Disruptor, an amnesiac paranormal with a forged Guardians ID, asks questions at Foundation Headquarters; local accommodations are provided for the con man, Iron Horse, and Dr. Reality.  After multiple suicides in Salem, Blackstone rescues a young man before he is able to harm himself.  He is questioned, and the group learns the cause may be a mystical artifact Pirate is trying to get rid of.  After flying to Salem in the Guardian Angel, a base of operations is set up.  As Iron Horse, Blackstone, and Compass respond to an incident at the zoo, Kubera and Dr. Reality are called off to deal with Disruptor, who has arrived separately and stolen a police car.  At the zoo, C.H.E.S.S. forces strangely fight each other amongst demonic grizzly bears.  Hidden in a cave at the exhibit, medieval magician Remnil and guard Sir Gathius are taken out, ending the bear threat.  The police turn Disruptor over to Kubera, and they rush to the scene as Sir Gathius escapes and the brainwashed agents are subdued.  One mauled Valkyrie dies, and another Knight is barely saved after removal of a Pirate-inserted device.  A last Knight is followed to a nearby restaurant, where Jim Henderson kills Pirate.  Before Henderson can don Pirate's armor, Blackstone snatches them and teleports back to the zoo.  Robot 62417 arrives and a standoff ensues.  The heroes agree to turn over the new Pirate (Henderson) in exchange for the location of the artifact.  They're shown a hologram of a coin at a gravesite, but determine it is likely Brainwave's funeral in a few days.  Later, they resolve a situation with a suicidal Knight at a theater and remove another kill device.  They make a deal with Remnil, the persecuted wizard who created the artifact, agreeing to help him and his three knight brothers return to their own time.  The team sets up an elaborate ruse with a duplicate coin, but the plans dissolve when multiple forces converge on the funeral.  Many Future cultists attempt a bloody ritual to bring back Brainwave, but are foiled when Blackstone teleports the villain's corpse to the Moon.  Robot 62417 observes for a time but disappears.  With everyone after the relic, knights Sir Gathius, Sir Vayas, and Sir Lathar turn on Pirate and force him to flee.  When held, the object transports the bearer through time: Compass is briefly forced to battle Peregrine in a cage match in the future; later Blackstone watches as long ago a king signs a decree and Remnil gives him the artifact.  After the battle, the cultists are arrested and the coin is given to the brothers, who use it to return to the past.

#300 – The Invasion of the Machine Men – Four people are executed during a robbery at the Toronto Tessla Society and much high tech equipment is stolen; one of the two men manipulated over a year earlier at GearFest in Seattle is among the victims.  The other pawn from that incident appears to have flown to Venezuela.  Localized storms begin hitting the Caribbean.  Responding to an alert, Kubera, Scion, Compass, Mischief, and Blackstone rush downtown to find a strange gateway being powered up near the F.D.R. Memorial.  A large paramilitary group has cordoned off the area and cleared it of civilians.  One of the soldiers informs the Guardians of the imminent arrival of Dr. Erich Von Reichart, a World War II experimenter with mechanical limbs.  The portal appears to siphon energy directed at it, and eventually the champions' interference activates the gate.  Suddenly an endless stream of golden machine men pours through at a rapid pace, marching two-by-two with Dr. Von Reichart in the middle.  Battletron arrives, and by the time the team disables the doorway via explosives planted on the origin side, 88 automatons have made it through and appear to be headed toward the Capital.  The heroes quickly learn that the robots are extremely durable, taking effort from the entire group to dispatch a single one, so they decide to focus their attacks on the obvious leader.  The battle is long and intense, and the vigilantes begin to fall against the superior troops.  In desperation, Blackstone grabs Von Reichart and teleports him to the moon; as a result the powerful mechanical army immediately powers down.

#302 – Sands of Time – The four explorers find themselves in a vast desert, but even with technology they are unable to determine where they are. Someone nearby is spotted and captured; they are surprised to discover that it is Nemo.  After initial distrust both sides agree to a truce; he informs the travelers that they are all stuck in Egypt nearly 6,000 years in the past. Meanwhile, Delphi alerts other Guardians that the first team has disappeared. Phase, Blackstone, and Kubera cautiously check out the missile silo and determine that the time dilation is expanding, but are confounded by the same puzzle within. Though it is hours later by the time they are pulled into the unusual instrument , they arrive in the desert only moments after their teammates. Battletron reveals that he is actually a smaller, scorpion-like being, his outer carapace serving merely as an external shell. Nemo leads them to a nearby settlement, and their reclusive ally disappears as they take down two Vai'Kesh warriors. Using the aliens' technology, the team teleports to northeastern Iraq, where a native town has been constructed around the newly crashed remains of `the Ship' (the extraterrestrial spacecraft recovered by the N.I.D. and Vai'Kesh during their own time). As the heroes carefully approach what appears to be the human sacrifice of a local, Compass recalls the flaming beings from his original vision, realizing that the two leaders before them are actual Vai'Kesh that must be stopped!  Scion suddenly appears to betray his companions, addressing the male (Anub) and female (Anupu).  The Vai'Kesh reset Scion's brain, who responds by smashing their teleportation device, sending the pair back where they came from.

#303 – Time Echoes – The team decides to invade the Vai'Kesh stronghold. They make their way inside, but encounter Anub and Anupu in addition to Vai'Kesh warriors. The two powerful entities annihilate the invaders, routing them with devastating, deadly attacks. One by one the vigilantes fall until only Quiasar remains; he surrenders, but the aliens kill him where he stands. Compass comes out of a trance and reveals the vivid details of the previous assault, including the slaughter of the entire team. He also shares (from the Primordial) that one of their own must be sacrificed if they are to succeed. The group prepares a more indirect and clever plan to stop the time dilation, return the team to the present, and trap the two Vai'Kesh.  First Battletron's smaller form is altered, using Vai'Kesh technology and marks to disguise it, and a tracking device is installed. Scion boosts his own personal appeal and flies to settlements around the Middle East, decrying and belittling the Vai'Kesh.  His efforts drain power from the near-deities, and their strength wanes as followers abandon faith in them. As expected, the two beings race from the structure, following Scion in an attempt to stop him. The other heroes stealth inside, overpowering the Vai'Kesh warriors guarding the base and making their way to a hangar. Kubera activates a time-travel device there, and Scion races back; all but Battletron then go through the doorway. Nemo arrives and gives a message (for Neutron) to Scion before he exits, then valiantly chooses to stay behind with Battletron, becoming stranded in the past as the portal closes. Back home, the Guardians learn that they were seen as a threat to the Vai'Kesh in the present due to their actions in the past; they also locate Battletron at Area 51 in Nevada.

#305 – Shootout at the Railroad Corral – The next morning, the team investigates more of the town and gathers additional evidence against the Russells.  Later, members of the notorious Kirby gang rob the local bank and attempt to flee on horseback, but a number of the heroes speedily take down the bandits; only the lookouts get away.  Further evidence points to the Russells being the aggressors in the ongoing battle, and the vigilantes learn that many members of the Kane party have been killed in the last few weeks, leaving that side of the conflict seriously undermanned.  Again visiting Babe’s Saloon, they confront the troublemakers, who challenge them to a duel at high noon the following day.  The adventurers agree, then spend their final day in Mad Mesa gambling and interacting with the townsfolk.  The next day the eight champions square off against an equal number of Russell gunslingers at the railroad corral, and they dispatch the ruffians in short order.  The victors are instantly transported back aboard the Star Guardian, where they find their abilities restored.

#306 – Fury of the Dragon’s Claw – An elaborate parchment is delivered to the Guardians, inviting the original members of the team to a funeral in Japan for business magnate Yasunari Yamashito.  Entropy, Dr. Desist, and Quiasar attend the memorial among beautiful gardens outside Kyoto, while Phase, Blackstone, and Mischief keep an eye on the event from a distance. After the service, a woman delays the three heroes while a procession of supervillains: Shogun, Tsunami, Komodo Dragon, Raiden, Dragonhand, and Spyder, march up to them.  The members of the Dragon’s Claw blame the legendary warriors for the years Komodo Dragon spent incarcerated, and after some brief verbal sparring, the two sides clash.  The Guardians, joined by the hero Goliath, quickly gain the upper hand on their adversaries.  Spyder is forced to flee and Tsunami escapes into a large pond; each of the other criminals is defeated and captured.

#308 – Consequences of Power - The swarm seems to be drawn to their usage of paranormal abilities, so the adventurers devise ways to counteract the menace, notably hiding under structures of ice created by Kubera.  In the diner they find a picture that matches Paradigm’s mental image, and this leads them to a nearby Sheriff’s Office claimed by numerous surviving humans.  The survivors refer to the heroes as “Capes” and attempt to hold them off with gunfire, but Majestic teleports to the back of the structure. Inside a locked safe he discovers a special pistol that matches Quiasar’s memory picture.  Again drawn by the heroes’ use of their powers, more nanites attack, and the vigilantes draw some of them away. Deep inside the police building, the humans barricade themselves, but the swarm gets inside.  Two of the people are changed by the cloud, transforming into zombie-like creatures that attack the others.  The Guardians rush to help, but are unable to save two victims.  Quiasar apprehends one human survivor; the others succeed in getting away.  The team interrogates and mentally probes their captive for clues about the apocalypse.

#310 – The Hatch – The heroes attempt to enter the hatch, but learn that they need a second key.  Clues lead them north-west, where they find more keys on another body, this one in a dusty Humvee outside a buried bunker.  The adventurers successfully enter the hatch and discover an underground facility, complete with a sealed laboratory.  They establish that the current date is October 2100 and the site, now owned and run by Wills Biomedical, is traced back to General Dynamics.  Extensive research shows that the U.S. Government H1N1 flu vaccine of 2009-2010 led to the APDV (anti-power death virus), a disease to intentionally suppress superpowers, probably created by the government.  They learn the history of the last century, including how in 2025 a paranormal with immunity to the virus, “Viral Violet” Hershog, broke into a biowarfare installation and weaponized the virus, using her powers and nanotechnology.  In less than three years, 3 billion were dead, and nuclear war followed as countries blamed each other.  Deadly swarms of nanites remain in the atmosphere, drawn to the surface by any use of superpowers.  William Wills, Geoffrey’s son born in 2010, poured his fortune into many labs worldwide, but without success; he has not been heard from for nearly 50 years.  The team considers attempting to build an aircraft to navigate the harsh surroundings, but decides they will need better equipment to do so.  They decide to follow another mental image north to Seattle in an experimental vehicle.  There a Wills Engineering facility, said to contain live reanimated specimens, is apparently guarded by Triskaideka, a paranormal criminal able to multiply herself.   Paradigm hacks a communication network, and the group learns that the N.I.D. and Force are possible culprits involved in the fall of mankind.

#312 – Triskaidekaphobia – The team travels north, accompanied by their loyal dog Gypsy.  Near a shack in the woods of eastern Oregon they are attacked by two savage, reanimated tyrannosaurs.  Joined by a lone vigilante, Silver Arrow, the heroes are forced to use their superpowers to survive, and this draws more nanite swarms.  After an intense fight, the nanites are destroyed and the downed dinosaurs revert into dead humans.  Under the shack they find another hatch, where it appears that people had been working on a cure for the original APDV before it mutated.  The scientists seem to have been working toward a theoretical neurotoxin; this potentially matches Quiasar's mental image of a Man o' War.  Knight Shade's mind probe of Silver Arrow leads to suits of armor for himself and Paradigm.  They journey on to Moses Lake in Washington, where they discover a large plane that matches Majestic's mind picture.  They hide their vehicle and fly the plane west over a devastated landscape to Paine Field, north of Seattle.  The group then takes a car into the ruins of downtown to Safeco Field, where they spot a mysterious woman near the place of Kubera's mental impression.  Triskaideka lures them into a nearby darkened lab, where her thirteen identical forms attack the adventurers in a sealed room filled with various jellyfish.  The powerful females pound her male opponents, and for awhile it appears that she will defeat them all.  The tide turns, however, and the champions finally convince her to talk.  Though she reads undead to them, Triskaideka is coldly rational.  She allows the Guardians to take a Man o' War from her collection in an attempt to find a cure.

#314 – Land of Confusion – Jedi Guardian experiences a vivid dream showing an old man draining life from a young tribesman until the victim turns to dust.  Days later, Guam ambassador Machatli Torres is attacked in downtown Washington, D.C. by supervillains R.A.M. 101, Brickibrak, and Armada.  Oz, visiting the Smithsonian nearby, responds and arrives at the incident at the same time as Goliath and Jedi Guardian.  The trio intervenes and slows the criminals, then Jedi Guardian races the target to safety.  Oz and Goliath continue to struggle against R.A.M. 101, but after the mechanical spider abruptly flies away the pair decides to disengage as well.  A grateful Torres invites his saviors to a feast in their honor, and two days later the three board a small plane bound for Guam.  Over the North Pacific Ocean the aircraft suddenly loses power, forcing the pilot to land in the water just off the coast of a small island.  After ferrying the people and supplies to shore, the heroes meet a small amphibious being named Grogg.  He points them to a village nearby where they meet many friendly natives, some of whom speak English.  That evening Oz follows as a group of the villagers depart.  They meet up with Grogg, who leads them through misty hills to the volcano at the center of the island.  Grogg takes them into a magma-filled chamber and turns them over to evil mastermind Count Hephaestus, who proceeds to absorb energy from the entire party.  When the villain begins draining the life from one young man, Oz calls his friends and attacks; the Count simply compels him to flee.  His two companions fly to the top of the volcano, but are unable to find a way in, even after they meet up with Oz.  Later, the champions find Grogg and convince him to take them back, but he leads them into the mountain and disappears, leaving them to three flaming beings!  After the men swiftly dispatch their adversaries, Grogg returns and takes them to the main chamber.  He transforms into a much larger, more powerful entity, but holds back as the vigilantes engage Count Hephaestus and three more Flame Fiends!  Jedi Guardian implores Grogg to change sides as the battle rages on, but he stays out of the fight.  The adventurers obliterate the flame creatures and defeat the psionic vampire.  A rescue plane lands and the murderer is taken into custody.

These last two issues were played at last year's GuardianCon (8), and it was even lighter (for campaign events) than this year was.

I just realized (another good reason for these daily postings) that I had not made reference in issue #313 to the Ant King's belt.  That belt (confiscated by the Guardians in modern times) is the same one they encounter in the future (in issue #316).

I'm amending each issue to properly reflect that!   

#318 – Message Delivered – Back in town after 2-1/2 years away, Paradigm learns from various contacts that new gangs have proliferated in the D.C. area.  A cut from most criminal enterprises appears to be going to an organization called C.R.I.M.E.  Mischief and Moonfang are moved to inactive status.  Delphi brings the team up to speed on various groups like T.O.T.E.M., Intercrime, and the N.I.D., and they learn of an incredibly powerful new vehicle (the Havoc) that Geoffrey Wills (the new head of General Dynamics) has attempted to stall production on.  Adalwolf and Blackstone each have one of the three in existence; the location of the third is unknown.  While they discuss things with Neutron (still far away in space), a pregnant Coral Snake is seen in the background.  Gypsy is taken home by Majestic and Kageryu.  Scion meets with insurance collections agent Leonard Fritz, who seeks compensation from the Guardians for Battletron’s reckless damage to the Maryland freeway 1-1/2 years prior.  The GamesMaster meets the heroes at an electronics store in the Shops at National Place. She foreshadows the group's future by showing them the regal Prince Kalm in the Pacific Ocean, mud men deep inside the Earth, and the heroes Psimon and Cheetah in the Secret Land (a prehistoric sanctuary in the Amazon that she watches over).  Based on info Paradigm gets from informant Cole Peters, the team sets up an ambush for a drug deal near the Titanic Memorial. When a boat pulls up off the Washington Channel and begins unloading, Scion, Battletron, Paradigm, Blackstone, and new crimefighter Mr. Electric spring into action.  They take down most of the intended recipients (members of The Darlings gang), as well as CR.I.M.E operative Calvin Rich and the nonchalant suppliers, who they later discover are MS-13 gangsters.  The group decides to deliver a message to C.R.I.M.E., so they drive to Diamante's, an elegant restaurant in Fairfax County, Virginia.  Blackstone and Battletron remain outside while Scion, Paradigm, Compass, and Mr. Electric go in.  Scion quickly discovers stairs in a back room which lead down to an illegal casino.  The other three join him, and they explore the private quarters of boss Wendell Starr, then find an elaborate lair complete with cells, a torture chamber, and traps.  Scion rips open the massive door to the control room and the adventurers deliver the message to C.R.I.M.E. that their criminal activities in D.C. will no longer be tolerated!

#320 – The T.O.T.E.M. Shell Game – Scion calls an important team meeting, and a large number of past and present Guardians and affiliates meet to discuss some important issues.  Neutron and Paradigm are connected via video conference, and Entropy, Majestic, Kageryu, Phase, Goliath, Knight Shade, Araneae, Portal, Quiasar, Battletron, Maccane, Prism, Oz, Jedi Guardian, Scythe, and Compass join Scion on the holodeck of the Star Guardian.  The 19 heroes discuss the potential threats from T.O.T.E.M. and MS-13, as well as the two supercomputer targets (the Jaguar in the U.S. and the Nebulae in China).  They warn the Chinese government of the threat, and after the departure of Entropy and Oz two teams are assembled from those remaining to guard D.C. and Tennessee.  Blackstone secures the Havoc belonging to Wills Aerospace and flies with Quiasar, Battletron, Prism, Compass, and Paradigm to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory outside Knoxville.  They hide the powerful vehicle and set up in preparation for the assault.  A green mist descends on the area, disrupting communications and long-range teleportation as Panthera, Sable, and scores of T.O.T.E.M. mechanical troops arrive.  Heavy shock troops target fleeing civilians while light shock troops spread out across the battlefield.  The two supervillains flee, but the robots and androids have superior numbers and prove difficult to stop.  In D.C., MS-13 thugs create disturbances and clash with the second Guardians unit as the area is blanketed by a similar green mist.  Back at Oak Ridge, Prism, unaware of the urgency, triggers the Havoc’s EMP just as the androids are about to self-destruct, shutting them down and stopping the threat!  The group then learns that the Tennessee attack and D.C. disturbances were only distractions; simultaneously in China the Nebulae was being stolen.