Avengers: Warlord of Baluur #1 (of 3)

The AEF series goes on hiatus for five months after the devastating events of AEF #3! But fear not Avengers fans! The exploits of your favorite team continues monthly in the pages of Marvel Comics with next month's Maelstrom Memorial one-shot, followed by the three issue monthly limited series Avengers: Warlord of Baluur! The AEF will return with the pulse-pounding issue four after that!

[Translation: Issue three is done after I see everyone has read it (please post there at least once more), then see The Death Of Maelstrom thread (read only - it's a closed thread), and then come here to continue the story - I'll post here once I see everyone has posted a final time in the Issue Three thread, which I will then close and move to Back Issues along with the Maelstrom Memorial thread. No, there isn't a "real" five-month hiatus!]

Crystal informs you that for the duration of this crisis, the resources of the FF are at your disposal. These include:
Six Antimatter Harnesses each equipped with a Gyro-Homing device
Fantasticar (not equipped for space travel)
Pogo Plane
Inhibitor Helmet (interferes with the use of natural abilities by aliens, altered humans, and mutants, -5CS to FASE, -7CS to Powers)
Stasis Ray (rifle-like weapon Reed Richards was developing, projects a ray of IN stunning ability causing target to remain immobile)
Universal Translator
Energystar just stares at her Com-link when the FF are listing the items that are at their disposal.
She lost a teammate. He was only around for a little while but had risked his life several times to help others or to help the team accomplish their mission. She already missed him. We have to see if we can recover the body.She shakes her head and comes out of her deep thoughts.
"Thank you Crystal. We will take you up on your generous offer. We have to see what happened and if he is...gone."
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Trying to fight back the tears.
I need to lead. I have to stay strong and get us through this.
"We will rap up here and be back in NY soon."

EnergyStar: 347
Maelstrom: 308
Pulsar: 261
Radical Warrior: 288

...and for their earlier exploits, even though they haven't been around recently (meaning they are free game to loot for the team's Karma Pool if they don't return ):

Jim: 321
Manta Man: 177

Current Team Karma Pool: 40 (some added, some spent)

Some of the finer highlights:
-200k to team to quickly kit-bash the force field device
-10k to Pulsar for ripping off the QuinJet door (I loved it!)
+30k to Pulsar and Manta Man for beating the snot out of each other
+5k humor award (of course)
+5k hanging out with friends (club dancing in NYC)
-50k Mysterious Death Of Teammate
+5k for meeting the President
+120k to Rad for defeating the Vulturions

Radical Warrior also gets a (probably unwanted) +12 bonus to Popularity for helping remove the snow and defeating the Vulturions.

"Someone's gonna have to go into the Negative Zone and get that warhead so we can detonate it", Nick muses, returning everyone to te present. "It's our only chance to close the gateway. There are no other options."

'Star begins to think through their options...they could borrow a SHEILD shuttle...

Nick objects: "No freakin' way! You'd all be blown to bits before ya got through the Distortion Area!"

...@$$...

You could always borrow the FF's pogo plane and go through, providing Nick would teleport you back to FF HQ.

...For that matter, you could use Reed Richard's Negative Zone portal to go through as well...

Thoughts?

"Hmmm, the negative zone. Warships, bombs...and a time stopping thing. I vote for going to the FF and pack a few desserts for the road and use thier portal. Maybe we can enter from an unexpected direction while they focus on anything else trying to come through thier portal."

We've got to fight them over there so we won't have to fight them here!

God, did I just say that? I sound like an idiot...

Let's grab some harnesses, hop in the pogo plane, and save Maelstorm! I'm sure he's in there somewhere.

OK Star you're the leader start acting like it.

"We need to go back to FF headquarters and gear up. We will take everything they offered. We will take the Pogo plane, which means we will have to return here and go through this portal. If we use the FF portal we may draw too much attention to it and they need time to repair it. Nick, give us your coodinates so we can find you using the Pogo plane. We will be back as fast as we can."

Majority rule: Pogo Plane it is.
Nick teleports the three of you back to FF HQ. There's a few hurried words between the FF, the three of you, and the rest of the Avengers, then everyone gets to work.
The plane is loaded with pretty much all the equipment you can stuff in and the three of you take your seats inside. The ship itself is stationed on top of the FF's tower.
The three of you stare at the empty pilot's seat for a few seconds before Pulsar gets up and moves into the pilot's chair. "Sorry. Forgot I had become the default pilot..."
Launching the Pogo Plane is noisy, frightening, and plays havok with radar controller's at NYC airports. Of course, you know none of this until its far too late to do anything about it.
In fact, you nearly collide with a passenger jet shortly after take off.
Fingernails dug deeply into the sides of your leather seats, 'Star and Rad manage to force a smile as Pulsar looks back and flashes them a thumbs-up.
[Pulsar, give me a % roll for piloting (this time, Agility based)]

In agility piloting roll:

Energystar regains her composure and swallows the lump in her throat.

"Ok fellas what's the plan? This aircraft has to have sheilds right? I guess we should have checked that before we decided to bring it. So this is my proposed plan: Shields up (Wow I sound like Captain Kirk), don the helmets and harnesses, go through the portal. Once on the other side we immediately start a search for Maelstrom. If we are interfered with remember diplomacy first then the ray gun. Do we have space suits on this thing?"