Abalan

"*I am my Master's weapon. Whatsoever stands in his path, I lay waste.*"
―Abalan[src]
**Abalan** was a former assassin and a major character in *Before The SMSB: The Dominion of the Dark Lord* and *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Mae* and a supporting character in *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Sheriff Bladepoint*.

## Biography

### Trained by Xod

#### Growing up on Mars

"*Please, let me come with you. I want to learn. I* can *learn."
"I have no use for a slave. And I already have a pupil.*"
―Abalan and General Chammor[src]
#### Deadliest man in Sol

"*You were weak when I found you. Now your hatred has become your strength.*"
―Xod[src]
### New mission

#### A defiance and a decision

As Abalan approached his former mistress, intending to finish her, Mr. Stupid NoHead approached, praising Abalan for his victory. The Dark Lord gleefully encouraged Abalan to execute Dorphane Giles and take his rightful place at the Emperor’s side. Abalan became conflicted; the changes brought on by his recent experiences with the police warring against his desire to continue using the Darkness and become a true NoHead. In addition, a significant part of Abalan still wanted revenge against Giles.

Ronald Koda, sensing Abalan’s indecision, intervened and telekinetically snatched Blutsammler, using the enigmatic sword to kill his guards before rushing the Emperor himself. NoHead easily fended off Koda with a blast of energy, prompting Sheriff Bladepoint to call on Abalan to help the officer. The sudden violence snapped Abalan back to reality, and he realized that he didn’t want to go back to what he once was; not after seeing what it did to people. He believed there was only one thing to be done, believing the betrayal on himself no longer mattered and this was not solely about him. Telling a heavily wounded Giles a mercy killing was better than she deserved, Abalan chose to finish off Giles, quickly relieving her of her sword and running her through with it, sending her flying out the window. Without a word, he proceeded to attack Mr. Stupid NoHead in earnest.

Mr. Stupid NoHead managed to project a powerful deflection construct before Abalan attacked, and a furious duel began. The two powerful mutants battled back and forth, trading kinetic attacks. Over the course of their contest, the Dark Lord would occasionally break off and allow intervening Imperial guardsmen to engage Abalan, though the mutant made quick work of them. As they fought, NoHead revealed that Abalan had never been Xod’s “secret” apprentice, and that he was abducted from Mars by General Chammor on the Emperor’s orders. Xod had been little more than a proxy; it was Mr. Stupid NoHead who had been Abalan’s true master all along. Enraged by the sudden revelation, Abalan seized the offensive by further pressing his attack against the Emperor. Dodging NoHead’s lightning strikes, Abalan began channeling them into his now drawn exosword, and he closed the distance. Throwing Mr. Stupid NoHead off of his feet with an electrokinetic shockwave, Abalan then blasted the Dark Lord against the ceiling of the dome with a telekinetic shove before slamming him against the ground.

#### The will of the Dark Lord

"*You will never have Abalan!*"
―Mr. Stupid NoHead, to the police[src]
Telepathically calling Laleh Clipso for evac, Abalan advanced on the prone Emperor. Mr. Stupid NoHead rose to his knees and declared that it was Abalan’s destiny to destroy him, by giving in to his hatred. Abalan initially struggled with the urge to do so, but repented in the end, sheathing his exosword. As the *Shadow Laser* landed nearby, Abalan told Koda to get the police aboard, but then the Qisheng sprung into action. Snarling at Koda that the police could never have Abalan, Mr. Stupid NoHead roared to his feet and fired a blast of lightning towards the officer’s back. Without hesitation, Abalan immediately deflected the stream with his hands.

Absorbing and gathering the energy, Abalan advanced on Mr. Stupid NoHead as the two remained locked in the chain of lightning. At the same time, he noticed that a squadron of soldiers had entered the chamber, with Dorphane Giles limping behind them, in pursuit of the fleeing police officers. With no other option left, Abalan grabbed the Emperor’s shoulders and redirected the lightning into the Dark Lord, causing NoHead to share in the agonizing pain of his own power. Driven by concern for his friends, Abalan embraced his powers completely and released all of the pent up energy, resulting in a massive shock wave that killed the robot soldiers and destroyed much of the dome.

Abalan and Mr. Stupid NoHead lay on the ground together, both seemingly too weak to move. He admitted to having foreseen the attack and out of the blue shocked Abalan with a blast of lightning before flinging him through a window out onto the landing platform. Screaming in terror as a blast of lightning bore down upon him, Abalan was struck silent and saw utter blackness the next moment.

Later on, Abalan conversed with Mr. Stupid NoHead in a dimly lit hallway. He was now wearing his own suit of armor, presumably the only thing keeping him alive. Mr. Stupid NoHead said he expected more from the apprentice and thought he could have one day become the greatest NoHead in the star system. Abalan became NoHead’s apprentice, obliged to do the Emperor’s bidding, and noted that he currently bore six swords on his belt —his original sword, Dorphane Giles’ sword, Ronald Kota’s sword, half of Baron Zarath’s sword, his new NoHead sword and the severed end of Casey Tartus’ long-handled sword.

Although Abalan was now more lost than ever and presumed dead by his old allies he could now not get to, the police remembered the apprentice as the original architect of their continued cause; his apparent sacrifice inspired the police to finish what he began: a full scale revolution against the Empire.

### Resurrection

#### Joining the Knights of Mae

The Knights of Mae came to the conclusion that they needed Lord Abalan if they truly wished to save the cosmos. The plan was a success and Lord Abalan's wounds were healed as he reawakened, tearing off shards of broken cybernetic armor he no longer needed as he was made whole again. When Queen Zygen, who felt threatened by Mr. Stupid NoHead, threw a birthday party, she sardonically invited Mr. Stupid NoHead, hoping to dispose of him. Mr. Stupid NoHead was busier than ever and sent a convoy forth to represent his presence, but Lord Abalan intercepted and insisted he be sent to Beta Prison instead of killing him as Triton suggested. Abalan, supposing he owed L'smae, agreed to come to the palace.

#### The Palace

"*I just might give you your way... take what you want..."
"Oh, Zygen. I already have.*"
―Queen Zygen and Lord Abalan[src]
Along with L'smae and Mr. Formidable NoHead, Lord Abalan sneaked in with disguises, but were revealed after Mr. Formidable NoHead blew his cover as a sentry. Lord Abalan and his company battled their way into the throne room, where Zygen made it clear that she refused to "negotiate with weaklings". She sent a guard named Jacob after her enemies, but Lord Abalan disarmed him and smashed him into the ground. Unnerved, Zygen pushed a button, and the floor disappeared under her quarries, lowering them into a vat of dirty water to be sentenced to death by lava.

Lord Abalan and company managed to escape the death trap by bringing about the premature Hurricane Harvey and arrived at the Palace. Zygen ordered her lackeys to fight the trio of NoHeads. During the chaos, L'smae threw a bomb down a flight of stairs, set on a five-minute delay, and the NoHeads escaped to the palace's roof. When the Palace exploded, Lord Abalan advanced on the Queen, who begged him for mercy. Predictably offering none, Lord Abalan ordered Mr. Formidable NoHead to kill the ruler.

#### Living an ordinary life

Deciding he wanted to live a normal life, he ultimately vanished from the public eye. A girl named Helga Black agreed to harbor him, much to Lily's surprise. He felt bad for apparently gambling Lily's sacrifice, but she assured him she wouldn't have it any other way. Along with Calypso Pourkarim, he went into hiding with the Blacks, getting on very well with a female adolescent named Annabeth Black. At one point, they ate out at a Chip shop during Black's eleventh birthday. They both sampled chocolate covered fries, which Abalan did not like at all.

#### Battle of Kansas

Later in the year, Mr. Stupid NoHead recruited Annabeth Black to the NoHead cause. As Black’s first mission, NoHead paired her with a recovering Abalan. He had subtlely had possessed Annabeth into encouraging him in the former’s place. The only reason Abalan agreed, however, is that he believed this may be his last mission, and he knew that Annabeth would have ended up in a depression if she never got to live her dream, and thus it would only make things worse if Annabeth did not join Mr. Stupid NoHead. Having made his decision, Abalan joined the aspiring NoHead on a shuttle.

By the time they arrived in Kansas, the two friends were prepared to work together. Touching down on the surface, Abalan and his robot soldiers rushed out, Annabeth right behind them. A heavy firefight with the villagers ensued, and several of Abalan’s robot soldiers fell. Annabeth dealt with the villagers and waved Abalan forward.

Ultimately, the police managed to escape, but Abalan and Annabeth’s search would not be thwarted for long. Former Senator Finn Zame of Missouri, who had opposed Mr. Stupid NoHead’s rise to power, had thwarted Imperial orders to remain in Missouri and fled the state, finding refuge with Sheriff Bladepoint in San Antonio. When Annabeth learned that Zame had been in contact with a crime lord to arrange for passage off Hawaii, she concluded that Zame’s escape plan was tied to her mission and went to deal with Zame, bringing Abalan with her. Abalan and two of the robot soldiers accompanied Annabeth on her shuttle to the city’s surface and stood by as Annabeth ordered Bladepoint to turn over Zame. Bladepoint prepared to comply, but they soon learned that Zame had fled his quarters. Annabeth sent Abalan in pursuit of the former senator and headed off on her own to find Zame, while Bladepoint dispatched his men with the same goal. Annabeth reached Zame first and executed him as the senator attempted to flee.

Though Black encountered Noace in San Antonio, the police officer escaped yet again; an F7 war robot soldier soon informed Black that Noace and the party of police survivors that she had gathered were headed for the state of Kansas. Abalan and Annabeth immediately traveled to that state in the Exactor. Spotting the police ship landing in Kansas, Annabeth told Abalan of the plan that she had devised. As Annabeth took off after the police, Abalan supervised the initial part of the invasion from the bridge of the Exactor; the commander summoned the officers in charge of the various theaters of battle to meet with the Dark Lord, then joined them as Annabeth briefed the group. Once the robots were clear on their duties, Abalan and Annabeth descended to the surface of Kansas to take on the police. As they landed, Annabeth was informed over the comm by one of the officers that the villagers were fleeing into the safety of the forest and would soon become impossible to root out. Abalan suggested that they initiate surgical orbital bombardments to flush the villagers out, and Black agreed.

#### Death

When the shuttle touched down, Abalan and his robot soldiers rushed out, Annabeth right behind them. A heavy firefight with the villagers ensued, and several of Abalan’s robot soldiers fell. Annabeth dealt with the villagers and waved Abalan forward, only to have several of the police officers step out and meet them in combat, some engaging Annabeth and some Abalan. As Annabeth killed those attacking her, the police fighting Abalan withdrew and set their sights on the new NoHead apprentice, only to be slain in turn. At last only Olena Selby remained, and Annabeth ordered Abalan and his men to leave Selby to her and deal with the last few surviving villagers. A new ship arrived next to the robots, though, with Ronald Noace on board. Noace telekinetically pulled one of the fallen officers’ swords to him, and with it he decapitated Abalan.

In the last moments of his life, Abalan felt himself leaving his body as death took hold of him. With his final thought centered on Calypso Pourkarim, Abalan died. Although he ultimately perished as a result of Noace’s strike, he transcended physical existence and his spirit went on in harmony.

### Legacy

Despite being pleased with the general results of Annabeth Black’s mission, Mr. Stupid NoHead was disappointed by Abalan’s demise. Not only was he robbed of an extremely powerful new apprentice, but the prisoners had escaped and would go on to lead a rebellion that had inadvertently been created by the two NoHeads themselves. However, thanks to Abalan’s actions, the Empire finally knew who their enemies were and Mr. Stupid NoHead vowed to hunt down and crush them, as he intended long ago. NoHead correctly foresaw that the police had to be quickly and decisively dealt with, or else they could very well pose a grave threat to his totalitarian rule. It also proved that not even the likes of Admiral Xod or Chief Enforcer Dorphane Giles could overthrow the Dark Lord or even do so much as unnerve him with the idea of it. Nevertheless, his actions had already facilitated Annabeth Black’s survival the return of the police, and the continuation of the resistance.

Clipso asked Koda if he knew that the man who reactivated the alliance was the same one who tried to kill him less than a year earlier. Koda revealed that he had always known, and still agreed to help. He explained that despite all of the dark thoughts that filled the mind of the NoHead assassin that had accompanied him, Koda was able to glimpse at the one bright thing that both Ratchet and Abalan held on to until the very end: their mutual love for their steadfast companion Laleh.

## Personality and traits

After Dorphane Giles’ betrayal in Japan, Abalan displayed not only anger, but also pity for the Enforcer, remarking that if he were to die there, then Giles would never be free from her master. With this last betrayal, Abalan rejected the NoHeads and the Darkness, and finally admitted his love for Laleh Clipso, and held on to it until his death. When he converted to the Light, the last of his NoHead persona ceased to exist, and he fully accepted his destiny in the makings of righteousness. During his battle with Giles, Abalan stated that he did not hate the warlord, but pitied her, declaring that he would kill her to free her. When the Emperor tempted Abalan into killing Giles, Abalan struggled briefly with his emotions, but in the end decided he would not return to the darkness, and so made his choice to attack the Emperor instead, saving himself from the darkness.

However, Abalan was forced to return to NoHead service when he was made as a cyborg. Feeling miserable, he was comforted by Mr. Formidable NoHead, who helped him realize his life could still have meaning, and he ultimately realized after opening up to L'smae about his past that it was not too late to go on the run and be free of the Dark Lord.

In the end, Abalan was driven by loyalty to his friends, and willingly surrendered his life to help one of them find purpose in life, which he had been denied.

## Powers and abilities

* **Electrokine Physiology**
	+ **Electrical Beam Projection**: As a trained NoHead apprentice, Abalan grew to master the projection of beams of concentrated electricity, which can shock or cause electrocution, pierce through almost anything, or create destructive explosions upon impact. Unlike simple electrical blasts, these beams did not flicker, but instead traveled in a straight line at high speed; they could also flow like water, allowing them to be guided. He could cast energy so powerful that it would kill an opponent with a single blast, and could target more than one opponent at a time. He was also able to channel beam attacks through his exosword, thus amplifying blade attacks with negative energy.
	+ **Electroportation**: In addition to his considerable array of techniques, he possessed a version of enhanced speed through a cloud of Teleportation, allowing him to transport himself by electricity, by lightning or electronics. This was achieved by his riding the flow of electrons, yet in 2022 he was seen *becoming* electricity itself for travel, which Annabeth Black acknowledged him for mastering. He could make lightning strike himself to transport his own molecules from one point to another.
* **Death Beam Emission**: It is highly likely he has the capability (but not the willingness) to perform the Death beam as well.

**Master combatant**: Trained to be a living weapon, Abalan’s use of the Darkness’ combative nature was exceptional, but also rendered him nearly incapable at developing alternative and less aggressive tactics.

## Relationships

***The D.I.T. Wiki*** has an article focusing on the relationships of ***Abalan***.
## Behind the scenes

* D. Isaac Thomas, writer of *Before The SMSB: Where is the Darkness?*, said that his codename began with “A”; it was later revealed to be “Abalan,” which he claimed he did not know how he’d thought of it. He insisted that it “just popped into his head.”
* In concept art, Abalan also wears what appears to be some sort of shackles.

## Author's comments

When the character of Abalan was first conceived, he was intended as what Baby Intelligence would have hypothetically become had he joined Rotta Hecks at the end of *Sebiscuits Cardarphen: Dawn of Transcendence*.

*“The Apprentice is the photo negative of Baby Intelligence. He’s been raised by one of Mr. Stupid NoHead’s best lieutenants, and is what Intelligence would have become if he had joined his mother. Xod’s not a very nice daddy. This guy has been raised to be a Martian soldier for a good ruler. When the S.M.S.B. uses their mutations, they respect them and don’t overuse them. The bad guys — the NoHeads — keep testing their limits. Xod discovered this person who had the potential to be the most powerful mutant ever. He’s up there with the top tier. He’s extremely powerful. Xod has trained him in such a way that he just kept pushing his limitations, seeing how far he could use the Darkness. So, where a normal mutant might use their powers to trick his way past a few robot soldiers, the apprentice might use the Darkness to bring down an adjacent building on top of those troopers. He’s extremely confident in everything he does. He’s been trained by Xod to be an assassin, an unstoppable force.”*
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `BTS3`
2. ↑ *Before The SMSB: Where is the Darkness?* (Postscript)
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `BTS4`
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `BTS5`
5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `TM`