Director Phobos

The Grand Usurper

General Grievous (Sworn Enemy)

Himself

Commander in Combine Army

Phovus was a Khorian soldier and scientist who had the rare distinction of working for both the Combine and Waifurian Empires. He was a fierce rival to the Employers and ultimately doomed the Omniverse through his own hubris.

## Early Life

Not much is known of Phovus' early life, however it is known that he was incredibly competitive in academics, had a fondness for science and its utilities, and held a deep-seated love for his home planet and its people.

## Conscription and Training

Sometime before the Great META War, Phovus was conscripted as an officer into the Combine Imperial Army as part of the Combine Armament Initiative which was a mandatory conscription bill issued by the Combine Emperor, Xos, in order to prepare for the imminent invasion of the Milky Way Galaxy. Phovus consistently ranked top of his class during training sessions, which earned him respect and admiration among his comrades, and envy among his competitors.

## Military Career

Phovus' military career began during his participation in the opening battles of the Combine's invasion of the Milky Way Galaxy, notably being credited for the successful assassination of King Marazok of the Tashiinan Empire after the disastrous Battle of Joroklovis. Phovus continued to rise through the ranks, eventually becoming one of the highest ranking commanders in the entire Combine Armed Forces, this is commonly believed to be where his egotistical behavior originated from as he made very little effort to conceal the fact he adored the renown, he also commonly provided advice to other commanders such as General Grievous and Admiral Amonger throughout the war. By the time the Combine reached Earth, he was considered of such value that he was given an entire section of the army dedicated to his protection. It was through this personal protection force that Phovus would come across an artifact that would change the course of the Omniverse forever.

## Beginning of Phovus' Scientific Career

In between assisting the other commanders with their invasion strategies, Phovus had taken a particular interest in the ruins of the ancient civilization known as the Bordesians, searching the Asteroid Belt for their relics. (Unbeknownst to him, the Asteroid Belt was in fact the remnants of Bordesia, after it was well, I'm really not at liberty to say.) Phovus believed that unlocking the power the Bordesians once held would not only secure their victory over the Earth's forces, but ensure the Combine's total rule of the Milky Way Galaxy. Phovus could hardly contain the excitement he felt at potentially being the man who would be responsible for the conquest of an entire galaxy, and all the adoration it would bring him. In the middle of his daydreaming, a report came through from one of his captains. "Speak, Captain Siklyon," Phovus calmly requested. "Sir, we've discovered some kind of artifact from the ancient civilization you've been looking into, it looks powerful," Captain Siklyon replied. "Excellent work, Captain. Bring the artifact to Polus Base. I want to have a look at it myself. If it is of any value, I will consider that promotion you requested," Phovus remarked. "By your orders sir," Siklyon responded, his tone of voice being noticeably more positive. Following this conversation, the artifact that would come to be known as the Nexus Core was uncovered and brought directly to Phovus. Tests ran on the artifact showed signs of unbelievable power lying within. Phovus was overflowing with anticipation of what the Nexus Core could accomplish not only for the Combine, but for his own reputation. For his accomplishment, Captain Siklyon did, in fact, receive that promotion he wanted. Phovus acknowledged the kind of power at his fingertips now, and innately understood that unlocking the power of this artifact was to be his magnum opus. He understood however, that the time required to solve the puzzle that was the Nexus Core, a title Phovus himself had devised for the artifact, would require him to sacrifice his position in the military. This choice was not easy and did upset his superiors, but his assurances that the power within the Nexus Core could allow the Combine to rule not just the Milky Way but likely the Universe itself ultimately swayed them in his favor.

## The Birth of the NCRI

Following the approval of his experimentation by his superiors, Phovus had his personal army reorganized into a scientific division within the armed forces, not unlike the Manhattan Project in Reality 12. Phovus titled this organization the Nexus Core Research Institute, or NCRI for short. Despite all he had invested into unlocking the power of the Nexus Core, it continued to elude him for years on end. This lack of progress greatly frustrated his superiors as the battle against Earth was beginning to turn against them after the losses at the Bombing of Columbus and the collapsing of the Western European front following the death of Admiral Trench. As the years dredged on, very little progress was being made by the NCRI and Phovus' reputation was very quickly spiraling downward. Alongside this, funding for the project was being cut and directed towards the war effort more and more every year. This deeply upset Phovus, how is it that a board of greedy warmongers could simply be allowed to undermine an scientific discovery so important that it could determine the very fate of the universe as they knew it? Phovus grew increasingly desperate as time progressed, so much so that he began to sell Combine technology and weaponry to the Earth governments in exchange for cash to continue funding his project. However, this only caused even more problems for Phovus. The Combine had become increasingly aware of a traitor among their ranks, and noone was excluded from the searches. This only served to increase the stress and desperation Phovus had felt for years on end now. This all culminated in one fateful night where Phovus broke down in his quarters, destroying things within his room in a fit of rage and frustration while tears streamed their way down his face. Eventually he collapsed, his arms crossed atop his knees, he hung his head down and pleaded for someone, anyone to help him. And this plea was answered.

## The Deal that Broke the Omniverse

Rising from a pool of black liquid, The Auditor revealed himself. Phovus was taken aback by this, he was not entirely sure what he was looking at. "Relax, pal. I'm here to help you," The Auditor said, taking a sip from his cherry cola that lasted just a bit too long to not be awkward. "So you heard my plea, then?" Phovus inquired.

"Yep, heard you sobbing all the way from the Outervoid." Mid-sip, The Auditor's face quickly took an expression of shock as he realized he had just accidentally revealed who he was.

"Oops, fuck. You didn't hear that last bit." "Outervoid? Are you one of The Employers?" Phovus asked, not entirely sure why a being of such grand significance would take pity on him or why he would be so, well, unprofessional.

"Fuck, gig is up I guess. Alright buddy I'll be upfront with you. You're in a very unique position right now. The Combine are up your ass and to the left and noone is listening to anything you say about how important your work is, am I right?" The Auditor said with all the grace of a drunken rhinoceros.

"The reminder was not necessary," Phovus said, his teeth grinding against one another in suppressed emotion. "Alright, touchy subject my bad. Look, I know how much this whole "Nexus Core" thing means to you." The Auditor paused again to take a sip of the cherry cola once more. "I can give you something that can harness the power of that thing, but you gotta-"

"I'll do anything you ask, this project is my life's work," Phovus interjected, much to the annoyance of The Auditor.

"Jesus fuck, what is with you mortals and constantly feeling the need to interrupt me mid-spiel?!" The Auditor again sipped his cola, seemingly quenching his anger for now.

"Alright whatever, I'll just ignore you did that. Anyway, my associates and I aren't too fond of the Combine, and I'm certain at this point you aren't either on account of them not understanding the importance of your work. I can cut you a deal, you get the ability to harness the power of the Nexus Core, and in return you do me a favor by betraying the Combine, well, more than you already have by selling the Humans your tech and all, and using what I give you to kick their asses out of the Milky Way. Got it?" Phovus took a moment to think. Betraying the Combine was almost certainly a death sentence, but perhaps he could avoid that fate with the power the Nexus Core granted him. But what of Khoria? He would almost certainly never see his beloved homeworld again, and his people would likely only know of him as a traitor for the rest of history. The decision weighed heavily on his mind, despite the Auditor's sipping which was growing increasingly less tolerable. Eventually, he came to his conclusion, and stretched his hand out to the Auditor. Clutching Phovus' hand, the Auditor began to speak.

"I knew you'd make the right choice. Hey, by the way, regarding those investigations, I've had an employee of mine plant some evidence around Polus Base suggesting that the Inherslohtian was the one selling shit to the Humans, see if you can't knock him off the board before you go. I have a representative working on the council, he and I haven't been in contact for some time but he knows who his boss is, you can trust him. Seeya, chump." And like that, the Auditor vanished into the air. Having had quite a turbulent day, Phovus decided to sleep for now, he would need his rest for the coming weeks. A few days after his conversation with the Auditor, Phovus awoke to the news that a mysterious machine had appeared in the NCRI's area of jurisdiction. He rushed out of bed to see what it was and before him lay the machine that would change everything: The Improbability Drive. He quickly ordered for it to be taken to the holding chamber for the Nexus Core, and for it to be inserted into the Improbability Drive. The NCRI staff complied with this order, and to their shock it worked. The power of the Nexus Core was now in their hands. Once Phovus stood alone with the drive, as everyone else had gone off to celebrate, he noticed a note attached to the machine. "Don't make me regret this or so help me god I'm going to come down there and vaporize you, your team, and then your homeworld. In that order. - A" Phovus took this message to heart, and any ideas he may have had about swindling the Employer were subsequently crushed.

## Betrayal of the Combine

Phovus understood the delicate situation he was in and ordered a pact of secrecy among the NCRI membership, that being that the Combine could not be allowed to know about the Improbability Drive's existence. Failure to comply with this order was punishable by death. He then laid out his plan to his most trusted advisors, as he already had contacts within the Human's ranks, he would organize a meeting with them on the Jovian moon of Ganymede. Here he would state his intention of dissenting from the Combine, and, taking the Improbability Drive and a handful of troops with him, join forces with the humans. Those not brought along on the trip were free to do whatever they saw fit after his betrayal.

A few weeks went by and tension grew in the air as everyone knew what was coming.

## Emergency Meeting

On one largely uneventful evening, Phovus was called into Polus Base. Phovus questioned why he was being called in when nothing seemed awry but he was told the reason for the meeting was classified, and that he should arrive as soon as possible. Phovus immediately understood the situation at hand. Either the Combine were onto him, and everything he had ever worked for was about to come undone, or this was an opportunity to knock Amonger off the board. Either way, he couldn't ignore the call even though he very much wanted to. He organized for a stratosplane to fly him over to Polus Base. The trip took around 20 minutes, the entire duration of which Phovus was noticeably anxious. As he stepped off the stratosplane and onto the landing pad, he felt like everyone was watching him, waiting for him to make even the slightest error that could justify suspicion, and then pounce on him like a wild predator. But much to his relief, such an attack never came, despite this he was still very anxious. He questioned to himself if he could feasibly kill the council members on his own. No, not with Grievous there. He would be too powerful, too experienced. He had seen firsthand the General's ferocity during the early days of his own career, and not to mention the brutality shown during the "Spanish Inquisition." Against his better judgement, he eventually decided to simply sit and see where things go from there. Once he had taken his seat, a familiar voice rang from across the room. "

A pleasure to see you, Director." The Kaleesh general's damaged voice was unmistakable.

"I am surprised you made it here on such short notice," Grievous remarked.

"The quicker this wraps up the quicker I can continue my work," Phovus replied. "Not that the funding changes have made that particularly easy."

"Your funding issues are of no concern to me, Director. What I expect from you is progress, and I see none. Admiral Trench's death has left a sour taste in the mouths of our superiors, and this talk of a traitor has them very, very, wary as to who they trust."

"Do you trust me, General?"

"I trust results, Phovus, and you have provided none."

Phovus was growing increasingly bitter at the General's remarks, but held his tongue for now.

"So what is this meeting for anyway, Grievous?"

"I have called you, along with the rest of the council because Admiral Amonger is under suspicion of having collaborated with the enemy."

Phovus felt a wave of relief hit him, but he knew he had to maintain his act if he wanted to avoid suspicion himself. "Amonger? And what makes you think that?"

"Logs containing information about our technology being traded with the enemy were found in his quarters. The meeting is intended to find out if he is responsible, or if someone planted them to frame him." Phovus' earlier relief was now shattered, there was a chance he would walk out of here set for execution after all.

"So who all will be on this council then, General?"

"You, G-3301, Admiral Amonger, and Myself."

"Have the other two said when they should be arriving?"

"G-3301 is already on his way, Amonger has not yet been informed, we need him to come in last."

"Very well, General. May we hope this ends with a positive resolution."

Phovus and Grievous stood there in silence for many hours, G-3301 had gotten caught up in interplanetary traffic which did not do anything to calm Grievous' anger at his tardiness for which he beat 3301 until Phovus reminded him that they were here to trial Amonger, not execute 3301. A few hours later and Amonger arrived at the council, rather confused as to the purpose of this meeting.

"So, Grievous, care to explain why you've called us all here in the middle of our frontline collapsing?"

"It's funny that you of all people were the one to ask that, Amonger. This council is being held to decide if you are the one responsible for the Human's obtaining of our technology." The anger could be heard in Grievous' voice, even past his labored breathing. Amonger was taken aback by this statement, simultaneously shocked and outraged by the accusations now being hurled at him. The council spent the next hour and a half discussing the evidence alongside Amonger's own testimony. By the end of it all, Amonger had largely proven his innocence. The council was not going to dismiss until the traitor was found, and Phovus could practically feel the Kaleesh war criminal eyeing him as the next suspect. Phovus then remembered what the Auditor had said about having a "representative" on the council. It was here he realized G-3301 was here to defend him. Unbeknownst to Phovus, 3301 was not acting of his own volition, as he rather liked Amonger due to the fact he was rather understanding and kind towards him, juxtaposed with the ever-abusive Grievous, one can infer why he would prefer working with Amonger. It is very likely 3301 only agreed to the plan out of fear of what the Auditor might do to him. Phovus had his life, organization, and race threatened and the Auditor actually liked him. The same could not be said for the G-Men as he viewed them as largely expendable, with the notable exception of G-8520, so one can only imagine the kind of threats 3301 was given. Despite his liking for Amonger, 3301 was ultimately forced to blurt out "Red sus!" which, for whatever reason, instantly convinced Grievous of Amonger's guilt. The rest is well-known Omniversal history as Amonger made a daring escape from Polus base, escaping in a emergency pod seemingly disappeared for several thousand years until Worlds Without Boundaries found him in hiding to recruit him in the fight against Waifuria.

## Battle of Ganymede

With Amonger out of the picture, Phovus felt now was the perfect time to enact his plan to dissent to the Human cause. Before packing everything onboard the ship, he utilized the Improbability Drive to generate a weapon for himself. A sword crafted from a new material he named "Unobtanium." It was perfectly light, yet unbelievably durable. The perfect alloy. After finishing his creation, he quickly sprung into action, packing a transport ship with the Improbability Drive, several dozen of his finest troops, including now-Colonel Siklyon, and his most trusted scientists. Before leaving, he urged the remaining NCRI members to flee Triton. A few members fled into the stars, seeking to avoid the Combine's grasp, Some flew to Earth, seeking to join their ranks, but most chose to commit suicide rather than risk stalkerification at the hands of the Combine or be persecuted by the governments of Earth for their involvement in the war. Some had even lost all purpose in their lives now that the Improbability Drive was completed, they believed this was the peak of their lives and that their legacy would continue, alive or otherwise. Despite all his clever planning, Grievous still detected Phovus' ship leaving. He questioned why Phovus would be leaving for Ganymede when suddenly it hit him. Phovus was the one selling technology to the humans to cover the budget cuts, he had framed Amonger, simultaneously giving himself cover and also dealing a significant blow to the Combine, and now he was likely escaping with the Nexus Core itself. Grievous was furious, never had he been so filled with hatred in his entire career. (That is until the Board of Waifuria Hostage Crisis.) He immediately commanded his troops onto fighter ships and flew off after Phovus, seeking to end the traitor once and for all. See: Battle of Ganymede

## Arrival on Earth

The battle on Ganymede had cost Phovus a great deal. Sikalyon was dead, and he knew that toll would weigh on his soul for a very long time. Perhaps, perhaps if he hadn’t promoted Sikalyon to Colonel, he may have not been as loyal to Phovus. Maybe he would have lived. Phovus' rage had long subsided now, and he was left only with his guilts. Khoria. Beautiful Khoria. He would never see his homeworld again, and it's people would come to despise him in due time. He knew that when he had made his decision to betray the Combine, but the weight of that decision was finally crashing down on him. The mysterious figure's healing had only lasted so long, and now he was blind again. He wanted so desperately to cry, but his tear ducts were singed beyond repair by the lightsaber strike. He lay there, in the medical bay of the ship. He could tell he was likely going to die soon. He just wished he could lay his eyes upon his marvelous creation one last time. Although, it wasn't his creation was it? That Employer made it for him. He hadn't even worked for it. He cried like a toddler, and it was given to him. It was because of that damn machine that Sikalyon was dead. It was because he was too pitiful, too stupid to produce something of handling the power of the Nexus Core that Sikalyon had died. All because of his own failures. Phovus believed for a mere moment, maybe he deserved to die for all that he had caused. He paused mentally, gave himself time to breathe. Eventually, the sadness had begun to dissipate. He began thinking again. If everything he had thought to himself this whole damn spacetrip was true, then Sikalyon, no, everyone who died to create the Improbability Drive should not have died in vain. He alone would utilize it, noone but him would determine it's use, noone else could feasibly understand the cost of making it. He did not have the strength to smile, but in his mind he had the widest grin he had worn in years. Phovus entered a coma for some weeks, and the MTO ship was too damaged in the battle on Ganymede to make a proper landing, with some ground assistance they made a soft crash-landing in Australia, well, as soft as a crash landing could be, coincidentally the landing was nearby nearby Farmer Charlie's. Phovus was in critical condition, but the supplies on the ship were all but exhausted trying to save those they could. As such, Phovus' care was entrusted to Daniel Sproule for the time being, as he was the person with the most medical experience for miles. The MTO troops remained in Australia in some time, as most available resources were being diverted to the frontline. Phovus eventually awoke from his coma, although he was still severely injured. Sproule did his best to ensure Phovus was kept alive. Phovus was unable to speak due to his injuries, but internally he had not been this grateful since Sikalyon had laid down his life in the defense of Phovus' dream. Eventually the MTO troops were allowed a break following the success against the Combine at the Liberation of Hawaii. Phovus, the Improbability Drive, and the NCRI scientists were dropped off at Black Mesa. Rick, Keith, and the rest of the MTO got back to work fighting the Combine, unbeknownst to them Grievous was plotting his kidnapping of Joe Biden, and had just received plenty of upgrades after his fight with Phovus. Several of the NCRI members went on to either join the Black Mesa staff or join the MTO but either way, their purpose as an organization was finished and they were officially disbanded when they arrived on Earth. A small ceremony was held, celebrating those who sacrificed themselves for the cause. Soldiers of the NCRI left their helmets and armor near the monument, as tribute. The monument was engraved with the names of every single person who worked on the Nexus Core project, and the very first name was reserved for Sikalyon.

## Reconstruction at Black Mesa

Phovus' body was durable, but not invincible. Sproule's tending to him bought him time, but he would need further healing. Luckily for Phovus, Black Mesa was the #1 location on the globe for cybernetic surgeries. There was one caveat however. The only technology capable of keeping him alive despite his wounds, was Combine. Phovus despised the idea of this greatly, but ultimately he had no choice in the matter if he were to ensure the Improbability Drive's safeguarding from those unable to understand its cost. Phovus was reconstructed utilizing the Combine technology, much to his dismay. The optical system required that his entire head be encased in a cybernetic shell, with large portions of his organic body being removed in order for it to properly function. The same was true of his chest as well, and the only areas that remained organic were his hips and below. Phovus awoke after the surgery, and he very much understood the brutal irony of the situation. The very technology that he had sold to the Humans to achieve his magnum opus was now grafted to his being. The shadow of his past, and all the mistakes that came with them, was now permanently part of him. Despite his new calling, this broke him. It broke him down more than it ever had before. He had always loved this universe. He loved the people in it, he loved discovering how things around him operated. All he had ever done was love everything around him. But that love was never and can never, be reciprocated. He loved his homeworld, but he would never see it again. He loved his people, but they would hate him now. He loved the NCRI, but they were all dead or had lost purpose because of him. He had loved Sikalyon, but he was dead because of him. He had loved himself, but all he was now was a reflection of everything he had ever done wrong. In the moment all of these realizations hit Phovus, love died within him. Something new began to fill that void. Hate.

## Service to Waifuria

Over years and years that hate grew, primarily driven from the atrocities committed by the Waifurian Empire, he was particularly disgusted with the incident at Shallberry Granlope, and he very rarely had a release. The only notable exceptions being the adoration he received for being the one to construct the Gigamagnet and end the Great META War, (Mister Nefarious who?) and the destruction of the poor souls of the Southern Belt Coalition. In truth, he did not even hate them, what he had truly hated was the endless requests for the Improbability Drive, his magnum opus, to be used for military production. He constantly told them that it was an instrument of science, not war. But even the weaponization of Waifuria Prime and the end of the SBC did not satiate them, in fact the requests grew ever more numerous. He had complex feelings towards the destruction of those three capital worlds. On one hand, the celebration of his name brought him some comfort. On the other, he had just ended several billion lives over mere nagging. A twinge of regret existed for a few mere moments, but Phovus shook the thought from his mind. It did not matter now if what he did was justifiable, it already happened, and it cannot be undone. Phovus eventually came to be director of the Black Mesa Research Complex and almost immediately research into the Improbability Drive increased tenfold, and it did not take long for the scientists to discover something beyond anything the universe had seen before: Dissonance Energy. It was a revolutionary discovery in of itself that the Improbability Drive could even create energy, something previously thought impossible by the laws of physics, but the properties of Dissonance Energy were soon unveiled. Reality itself was warped by the Dissonance Energy, likely a carryover from the Improbability Drive's ability to do the same, matter of any form could be distorted into whatever any potential harnesser could think of. Not only that but due to the fact that Dissonance Energy was never meant to exist at all, a fact entirely unknown to Phovus or the scientists at the time, it acted as a sort of antimatter capable of obliterating anything on a atomic level. These discoveries would boost Black Mesa's funding tenfold which brought Phovus even more fame and recognition than before, not that he had any qualms about that.

## The 2nd Great META War

The second Great META War was largely uneventful for Phovus, he merely kept to his work and let the Waifurians sort themselves out. He did however design something that could let him harness Dissonance Energy, that being the Keystone Fragment, a halo-shaped object that would hover above the user's head. The days went by and Phovus seemed to largely disappear into his quarters for hours on end. He thought about everything in his life for the first time in years. But something interrupted him, one of the scientists informed him that the war was over. The Combine were again defeated. Waifuria Prime had blown up the C.O.C.K. over Ghetsin 3. Unbeknownst to everyone there, the destruction of the C.O.C.K. was Rick Hernia's doing but the official story provided by the Waifurian Empire was that Joe Biden himself had fired the cannon on Waifuria Prime to destroy the C.O.C.K. and end the war. Phovus announced that all work scheduled for that day was postponed in celebration of victory over the Combine, much to the approval of those under his command. The celebrations lasted for weeks, but the death toll was still being counted. Phovus kept a very loose eye on it, he was anxious to see if any of his former comrades in the NCRI had made it out alive. Unbeknownst to him, far worse news was about to reach his ears. A few weeks later The Combine, or rather what was left of it, confirmed that the energy blast that destroyed the C.O.C.K. had kept going through open space and had made contact with a planet, entirely destroying it. The planet was confirmed to be Khoria. Upon hearing this Phovus flew into a frenzy, all the hatred pent up through the years unleashed itself upon anything he came across. By the time he was calmed down, several of his own staff were dead and plenty of infrastructure was damaged. Phovus took a minute to catch himself. He knew who was responsible for this. That godforsaken rotter sitting atop his throne in the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid. He fired that blast himself. The blast that destroyed his homeworld.

## The End of the Board of Waifuria

In an instant, Phovus decided that he would avenge the obliteration of his homeworld. He quickly travelled to Australia to visit Daniel Sproule, he had visited him in the time since his arrival on Earth and the two had become close friends, with Phovus frequently confiding in Sproule on matters that troubled him. When Phovus arrived in Australia, he quickly informed Sproule of his plan to assassinate Joe Biden. Sproule had his doubts about this plan, but Phovus told Sproule that he already had an emergency order for the Improbability Drive to be delivered to Sproule in the event Phovus died in his attempt to kill the Mummy. Phovus told him to use it in whatever means he saw fit. Phovus then left Australia, on the flight back he ordered a meeting of the Board of Waifuria in the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid, excluding Biden. Upon arriving at the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid, Phovus explained his plan to assassinate the Mummy, with or without their help. The council entirely rejected to assist Phovus, angering him greatly. He obliterated the entire Board, excluding one member, with a massive surge of Dissonance Energy. He approached the remaining BOW member, a young man, and told him "I spared you because you still have a life left to live, unlike those practical corpses that inhabited this board for however many years. Run. Run as far as you can. And remember the mercy I showed you today, for it is limited in its use." The young board member fled out into the streets of Memphis, Tennessee. Unbeknownst to Phovus, this one member held a very important item. What he held was the hypertransmitter given to the BOW by Rick Hernia after he had sworn off violence following the end of the 2nd Great META War, in case of emergency. The man pressed the hypertransmitter. "Rick? Rick we need you down here, like as soon as possible." "What's going on?" "It's Phovus, he's.. he's lost his mind. He vaporized the entire Board. He's going to try to kill Emperor Biden." "Shit.. okay. I'll be on my way. Thanks for letting me know, Marvin." "Of course."

## The Confrontation at the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid

As Rick's shuttle touched down on the Memphis landing pad, a million thoughts ran through his head. He knew Phovus, not well, but well enough to know something was very wrong with him. He and Keith, who he had brought with him because he wasn't sure how powerful Phovus was now, rushed through the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid. They ran all the way to the throne room at the very top of the structure. Along the way they found guards impaled through the chest, beheaded even, and mysterious piles of ash that Rick could only assume were more guards. Rick was nervous, he was powerful, yes, but he had only begun seriously training in the Force. When the two reached the throne room, they were met with the sight of Phovus, Binary Sword in hand, with Biden raised off the floor with one arm. Phovus immediately sensed the two, and dropped Biden to the ground. Phovus turned to face the two.

"Welcome, Rick. You as well, Keith."

"What the hell are you doing Phovus?"

"What is necessary."

"How is this necessary in the slightest?"

"Tell me, Rick. How would you react if the planet you were born on and loved so dearly were destroyed? Would you avenge it?"

"I would, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"This monster, this decrepit rotting fool, he has earned the death I am about to grant him."

"Khoria is gone?"

"Yes. The Combine, they announced it a few weeks ago."

"How is he responsible?"

"That blast from Waifuria Prime, the one that destroyed the C.O.C.K. and ended the war. It kept going. It destroyed my home, and he will die for it."

Rick was silent for a moment, he had not been aware that Waifuria had changed the story about who had ended the war, for he had already resigned himself to Ghetsin with the Warshippers by then.

"Phovus."

"What?"

"He didn't do it."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because it wasn't him who destroyed the C.O.C.K."

"Then who?"

"I did."

Phovus stood there in shock for a moment, before throwing Biden backwards and into his throne.

"You, you destroyed it?"

"I did. It nearly cost me my life."

Rick could sense the anger building within Phovus.

"I know you're angry, and rightfully so."

"You think you know anything about what this feels like?"

"Phovus, please, calm down. Noone has to die here."

"You should have just let me kill him."

With those words, Phovus launched forward towards Rick, swinging the Binary Sword with an indescribable speed, to which Rick narrowly dodged. Rick and Keith both drew their starmetal katanas from the wars, and engaged Phovus in combat. Despite their combined strength, Phovus was too fast, too strong. He was overpowering them, slowly but surely. Rick was getting tired, his body had not yet fully recovered from the blast that had nearly destroyed the Earth. Phovus swung the Binary Sword with a ferocity the Omniverse had never seen before, every strike came down with more force than before. He could tell Rick and Keith were exhausted. Good. He would kill that bastard Rick for destroying his planet, his people, and then Keith for even daring to help Rick. Thankfully for Rick and Keith, Phovus was so lost in his thoughts that he slipped up for a mere moment, fell for a juke and Keith plunged his blade into Phovus' abdomen. Phovus reeled back in pain, before launching a blast of pure dissonance energy at Keith, sending him careening into a nearby pillar. Phovus then turned his attention to Rick, and pulled Keith's sword from himself and tossed it to Rick. "Just you and me now, murderer. No distractions." Phovus grinned with joy, he had never looked forward to killing anyone this much before. Despite having two blades now, and the desperation to defend Keith behind him, Rick was still unable to overcome Phovus' strikes. He was too fast, too powerful. Rick remained on the defensive for now, losing one of the swords in the process. Rick locked blades with Phovus, trying desperately to keep him at bay, but the anger that dwelled within Phovus empowered him too much. Rick's blade broke, and the Binary Sword tore into his flesh in a diagonal slash down his chest. Rick collapsed onto the ground, too paralyzed by pain to move. Phovus grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into a nearby pillar, choking him.

"When I'm finished with you, I'll be paying those fools on Ghetsin a visit."

Rick was panicking, Francis, the Warshippers, and yes, even Millings. All of them would be at danger. But, more importantly, the Legume itself. Phovus could not be allowed to get that kind of power, Rick wasn't certain anyone could stop him if he gained that kind of power. Rick felt the life leaving his body, he had to fight back, he couldn't.. couldn't die here.. Right as Rick's vision was darkening, Phovus suddenly dropped Rick and screamed in pain. Keith, in an immense amount of pain himself, had stood up and impaled Phovus to save Rick. Phovus spun around to face Keith.

"Commendable effort, Mr. Cumshoes. But I'm afraid you've made too much of a nuisance of yourself for me to keep you alive."

Keith and Phovus then continued their fight, Keith was beyond injured from the earlier blast, and was easily overpowered by Phovus, who was almost certainly not even trying anymore. Eventually, Phovus caught Keith's blade in his hand and threw it to the side. Keith attempted to punch Phovus, who let the blow connect. But Keith's body was too exhausted and too injured to do anything to the cyborg. Phovus clutched Keith's neck, lifting him up like he had Joe and Rick earlier and thrust the Binary Sword into him, clean through his stomach and chest. Keith felt an unimaginable amount of pain run through his body, and, after Phovus released him, fell to the floor unable to even attempt to lift himself up. Phovus then raised the Binary Sword above his head...

"Goodbye, Keith."

With those words, Phovus swung downward with all the rage he had, cleaving Keith's head off in one motion, killing him instantly. After passing through Keith's neck, the blade lodged itself into the ground.

Phovus stepped back, admiring his work and laughing to himself.

Rick's Awakening:

Rick had been witness to all of this, far too injured to intervene. He was devastated by Keith's death, but also angry. Very, very angry. Phovus, after maniacally cackling to himself for long enough, picked up Keith's sword and began to approach Rick.

"Now you and I are more alike than you could ever know."

Phovus went to grab Rick's neck again, certain he could not fight back against him.

"Bullshit," Rick said, as Phovus lifted him off the ground.

"Anything you wish to say before I end you, murderer?" Phovus inquired.

"Yeah actually, I do."

"Go on."

"I said my sword would never again be used in anger, or for violence. But this isn't my sword."

With those words, Rick punched Phovus in the face, taking Keith's sword and the Keystone Fragment from him.

"You little fuck." Phovus spat out, the anger in his voice more than apparent as he picked up the Binary Sword from the ground.

Rick didn't understand it fully, but he knew he was now incredibly powerful, much more so than he had ever been before. That, and his body was healed, fully, even the damage done by the C.O.C.K. laser. Rick also felt the Force, much more so than he ever had before. Rick and Phovus engaged in combat, seemingly equally matched, but Rick's power continued to grow, surpassing his limits in the Force as the fight continued. Phovus immediately became fearful. Not only was Rick becoming more powerful at an exponential rate, but without the Keystone Fragment he had no ability to use Dissonance Energy. Phovus was losing ground, and fast. No matter how fast or strong he was, Rick was stronger, and faster. Rick, with one swing dismembered Phovus' left arm. Phovus yelled out in pain, his right arm just barely able to wield the Binary sword anymore. Eventually Rick knocked the Binary Sword out of Phovus' hand, and pointed Keith's sword at Phovus as he lay there on the ground.

"This is the end for you, Phovus," Rick said, a strange calmness to his voice as it rang out across the throne room. He then plunged the sword into Phovus' chest.

Through the pain, Phovus echoed his last words.

"We're kindred spirits, you and I."

Phovus then collapsed onto the floor, finally dead.

## Epilogue

After the battle, Rick traveled back to Ghetsin with the Warshippers in order to regain that power the Keystone Fragment had granted him. The Keystone Fragment itself was locked away in the Warshipper's vault, in the hope it would never be needed again. Rick hung Keith's sword in his room, in memory of his fallen brother.

Daniel Sproule knew what it meant when the Improbability Drive arrived at his doorstep. He also requested Phovus' body be returned to him. Phovus was buried, along with the Binary Sword on Sproule's land. As for the Improbability Drive, Sproule wasn't entirely sure what to do with it as of yet, and left it in his storage alongside his other valuables. Including a giant eggplant that had won Daniel the annual "Australia's Largest Vegetable" contest. Later the two would fuse, and the Omniverse's fate was sealed.