A Beachport Reader's Guide

But they also made her pick a weakness. For, in the past, these strange men had had problems with their creations going rogue. At one point, they had given the same weakness to all of their servants - but then that had turned out to be a bad idea, when an enemy had figured it out and exploited it. So now, they made each new servant - each new Warden - pick a unique one.

They did this in a peculiar, if effective, way. Rather than ask her, they strapped her into a strange machine that bombarded her with images, which rapidly blurred together like a dream, and then a suggested weakness popped out. Her response came from a confused mixture of both shock and self-justification. Abigail's old dictum - "a cowgirl should never let herself get hogtied" floated up into her head. But at the last moment, her fond memories of her time with her friend created a reflexive desire to excuse her own behavior. So, her subconsious added a hasty caveat - "by a man" - to the end of it. And that was the proposal that floated up out of the machine.

The strange creatures were slightly puzzled with this, so they followed up by showing her a bunch of images of the species would be policing, to see how she would classify them. The results delighted them: the things her own mind (which would be enforcing the ruling) classified as men were male-presenting members of her own species, and themselves; almost every other being they showed her was 'just a weird monster-like thing' regardless of its actual position within the several known systems of naturally-evolved biological reproduction. Since the strange men had no intentions of sending her to police her own kind any time soon, this suited them perfectly, and so the proposal was accepted - and sealed into her, along with the other aspects of her transformation, so she could never undo it.

From there, equipped with a new and massively empowered version of her trademark weapon, and a title drawn from her own primitive homeworld's cultural tropes, the newly minted Star Sheriff joined the ranks of the galactic policing corps known as the Star Wardens. She was initially rather uncomfortable by the extremely minimal official costume was given; but then she realized all the other Star Wardens dressed the same way and that the extremely brief attire, with added cultural signifiers (such as, in her case, her hat and chaps and boots), was effectively the Star Warden badge of office. Soon enough it became second nature, such that she barely even thought about it.

Thus, a long career as an immortal and superhuman enforcer of interstellar peace and tranquility began. It would be many decades before, having ascended up steadily through the ranks via a combination of her natural skill and talent and sheer survival, she would eventually reach a position of sufficient seniority to occasionally once more have to visit her home planet.

When it did, she found it had changed enormously - for both the better and the worse. The planet had started to develop in quantity its own beings who, though generally somewhat weaker, were quite like her. That meant that it now needed a permanent liaison with the Warden Corps - and, as one of the most senior wardens who also happened to be from the same planet, she was naturally chosen for the position. Thus, after over a century of busy absence, she finally began to spend a significant amount of time on the soil of her homeworld once more.

It would take her quite some getting used to. Especially the way the people - especially but not exclusively the men - reacted to her; in her now long-accustomed official uniform. For the treatment the strange men had given her had arrested her aging, her body had continued to mature in the form of steadily widening hips and steadily growing breasts. The changes had been so gradual, she had barely recognized them - unless she chanced to look at a picture of herself from over a century ago. It puzzled her why this, combined with her attire, seemed to cause many of her fellow Earthlings to pant and stare at her more prominent features as if under some form of mental domination. But this mystery, too, would just be one more she would have to eventually figure out, in her role as one of the leading Wardens of the sector. She had done her duty for decades, and she would continue to do it in the future.

Special: she is at this point among the longest-lived and most powerful known living members of the Star Wardens; but she is not the only one. See their own entry under Superteams for more information on the Wardens, where they come from, why they operate the way they do, and etc.

Appearances to Date: A Game of Stealth (epilogue only)

SUN IDOL

Concept: Japanese solar-powered superheroine

Public Name: Harumi Matsugane (Western naming order)

Public Identity: International student and model

Residence: luxury penthouse apartment in downtown Beachport, with windows all around and a rooftop pool; which she almost exclusively enters and exits from the air. She actually prefers to fly out as Sun Idol and then land elsewhere to change if for some reason going out in civilian identity. Has numerous security cameras throughout to allow monitoring by her all-female team of remote 'minders' - in some stories said cameras then get spoofed or hacked by the villains for nefarious purposes.

Character Notes: raised from birth like an idol, sheltered, shy, very personally brave, not used to giving orders, image conscious, must maintain her public face at all times, plays lots of video games, not allowed to be alone with boys, does her duty, I must always be disciplined, in battle she tends to be fearless but also to become easily fixated on a single target

Sexual Notes: as noted below, she was essentially raised like an actual idol only worse, and from birth. She has not held hands with, kissed, or been touched in a remotely sexual manner by any boy, ever. She has never seen a penis in person, and has only seen them at all in a handful of educational videos and a few web searches. She has had a tiny bit of sexual contact with girls, but very very little, and that was years ago. She is a virgin. She is, needless to say, unbearably god-damned horny. Often listens in in fascination to her more experienced colleagues talking about sex, but only if they don't know she's there - if they spot her she'll immediately get flustered and leave.

Age: 23

Hair: Black, long, straight

Eyes: Dark

Race: Asian (Japanese)

Body: Buxom, busty, curvy

Color Theme: White and Red

Heraldry: Rising Sun

Costume: Rising Sun bikini, red and white boots, gloves, mask. Also has a 'dress uniform' which basically adds a matching sailor-suit on over her bikini.

Powers: Flight, Strength, Invulnerability

Weakness: Moon Stones, jet black spheres that suck light and take her powers

Aegis Host Status: Shield Bearer

Aegis Host Rank: Flying Squad, Rank 3

Aegis Host Clique: Proper Ladies (Rebel Belle)

Relations: none established yet; more attached than most to Valkyrie because A) she's her superior and she's been raised from birth under strict discipline, and B) Kaja Hammer set up her apartment and a bunch of other aspects of her life, largely freeing her from handlers, which has had the side effect of giving her more freedom than she's ever had before - and she's grateful.

Backstory: Ten thousand years ago, a great evil sorceress arose in what is now eastern Asia. She could draw upon the power of the moon to fuel her dark magic. She quickly became the evil overlord of a vast territory, ruling over the stone-age tribes with an iron fist, engaging in human sacrifice and worse to further her nefarious and otherworldly interests.

But, where darkness dwells, sometimes light will come. A shining solar champion arose to oppose her. Gradually, the warrior of the sun drove back the mistress of the moon. At last, destroying her last terrestrial sanctum, the solar champion drove the dark sorceress to the source of her power itself. Fleeing to the moon itself, the dark sorceress entombed herself deep beneath the lunar surface, encasing herself in a cocoon of rock infested with all her hatred and malice.

Realizing that someday the dark sorceress would return, the solar champion made the ultimate sacrifice. Descending into a volcano, she vowed to be reborn when she was needed.

Ten thousand years later, the day that was foretold finally came to pass. The sorceress awakened. Looking to the Earth, she saw that her time to conquer it had finally arrived.

But as soon as the dark one awoke, the reincarnation of her counterpart was reborn to continue their ancient rivalry.

However, this was a very different world. Through tablets of prophecy they had recovered in secret from ancient burial mounds, the government of the island nation in which the original solar champion had sacrificed herself knew to expect her return - and were on the lookout for her. While still in infancy, she was identified. And these authorities were going to leave nothing to chance. Taking the great champion, they put her in a carefully prepared and chosen environment - one where she would be shielded from all possible negative influences. And once she grew up, they deployed her as a living weapon against her ancient foe.

But, Sun Idol's name is no accident. Even after she grew up, she continued to live a very carefully controlled and managed existence. She was considered the Idol to her whole country, and treated as such. Thus, any time she was not engaging in combat, she spent touring around and making special appearances or photo-ops to help raise morale; always in one or the other of her distinctive costumes. But at these events the public was always kept at a carefully measured distance away from her - never being allowed to speak to her directly or to touch her.

In battle, she was frequently supported by an all-male team of warriors; but they exclusively appeared in full body suits with face-concealing helmets. While this was mostly to conceal from the public their horrific casualty rates, she was never ever allowed to fraternize with them outside of their uniforms; and was barely allowed to interact with them outside of missions at all. They, nevertheless, represent the closest contact she had with boys her own age up through her early twenties.

For the other half of her duties, she was also provided with a set of all-female backup Idols, in the more traditional sense - who, lacking any superpowers whatsoever, existed pretty much entirely to stand around behind her wearing pretty outfits based on whichever of her official uniforms she was also wearing. She was permitted, very rarely, to have unsupervised evenings with them; and it was during these occasional times that she experienced the events that, though extremely brief and perfunctory, still count as the closest to romantic contact the Sun Idol has ever had.

Yet, despite the extreme constraints of her existence, she continued to fight - it was, after all, her destiny, and she knew nothing else. Having grown up in a very rigid and structured environment, the chosen child had by now become a brave, disciplined, but extremely sheltered young woman. Nevertheless, she fulfilled her purpose. Hunting tirelessly, she eventually drove the minions of Lady Luna first from the cities of her new homeland, and then from her final hidden lairs.

At last - with admittedly some very limited help from a few others - she triumphed. The evil sorceress was no more. Gone. For a time, the Sun Idol faded back into an existence defined almost entirely by her endless carefully orchestrated public appearances, only occasionally being deployed to stop the odd bank robbery or to help after a natural disaster.

But, the young champion's handlers were about to find out they had done their job of making a good and virtuous soldier out of her just a little too well. One day, despite their system of careful control, it managed to slip in to the Sun Idol that her nemesis, the sinister Lady Luna, was not actually destroyed. She had instead resurfaced in a strange and distant city. And for the very first time, her handlers found their beautiful and exceptionally powerful charge expressing a very forceful will of her own. She had been raised from birth believing she had one purpose. That purpose was not fulfilled. She would not rest until it was. She would go to the distant city, and she would finish things once and for all. And she would not return until it had been done.

Her handlers did their best to talk her out of it. But for once they failed - her mind was made up and she was adamant. And, it was true - as her continued existence became steadily more obvious, the fact of Lady Luna's escape was becoming more and more of a public relations crisis for them. At last, they relented. She was allowed to go. The same system of intense control she had been raised in would be almost impossible to maintain in a foreign land. But, very fortunately, the city Lady Luna had fled to famously possessed an all-female superteam. Quickly, the head of that team was reached out to and arrangements made, so that at least most aspects of her carefully cultivated modesty and image could be maintained.

And so it came to pass that the Sun Idol came to Beachport - and swiftly realized she was now in a world unlike any she had ever been raised to expect...

Special: among other quirks of her upbringing, the Sun Idol is, in her own person, considered a major asset of the JMSDF, equivalent on her own to an entire capital ship or fighter-bomber wing. This is sometimes deployed as an excuse, on the rare occasions one is needed, for why her existence and activities are subject to continuous government monitoring and control. It is also used - again on the rare occasions needed - as an explanation for the symbology of her costume. So the story goes, regulations require that she display the ensign prominently at multiple positions upon her chassis - and there really aren't any more prominent positions available, now are there? Officially, during her time in Beachport, her status is changed to being on 'indefinite expeditionary deployment'.

Appearances to Date: Valiant Valkyrie in the Zoo Ch .4; Valiant Valkyrie vs the Boarman (multiple chapters)

TIGER QUEEN

Concept: 'jungle goddess' with exotic animal ranch

Epithets: Guardian of the Wilds, Protector of the Preserve

Public Name: Felicia Walsh

Public Identity: Exotic animal rancher

Residence: Felicia lives on a sprawling ranch in the wilderness just outside of Beachport and adjacent to the Fertalian Preserve. The Ranch is home to many exotic animals, most notably her collection of tigers. The Ranch itself is a going, money-making concern due to breeding, training, and other activities. It contains, among other things, its own airpstrip.

Character Notes: loner, distant, considers her words carefully, prone to action over speaking, introvert, curious; extremely confident in her abilities, sometimes to the point of hubris; possesses a very keen sense of duty, feels science and morals trump financial concerns, environmentalist, easily distracted by new things she hasn't seen before which she will want to study and examine

Age: 31

Hair: Red

Eyes: Blue

Race: White (Irish-American)

Body: buxom, athletic, long powerful legs

Color Theme: Tiger Stripes

Heraldry: Tiger Stripes

Costume: Tiger fur bikini, a few amulets and bracelets, nothing else; bare feet.

Powers: Low-Tier Super (strong and tough, but not bulletproof); exceptionally tough and sensitive feet, experienced in wilderness survival; has a special affinity for the Fertalian Preserve and its inhabitants (see below).

Weakness: None

Base: her wild animal ranch also serves as her superheroine base

Vehicles: the Tigershark, a super-vehicle acquired on one of her early adventures. It can fly, and can land on water, and can submerge and operate as a submarine, and carries multiple passengers. However, it is not very maneuverable and generally needs to be either escorted or kept out of combat. The Tigershark serves as one of the main transports for the Aegis Host if they are going on a long-distance mission.

Aegis Host Status: Shield Matron (sidekick: Wilderlass)

Aegis Host Rank: Defense Squad, Rank 2

Aegis Host Clique: the Exotic Nerds (Clique Leader)

Relations: Wilderlass is her younger sister.

Backstory: Felicia Walsh comes from a long line of explorers and adventurers. Her father was an accomplished pilot and tracker who traveled all over the world, helping to capture rare and precious creatures and bring them back alive. Her mother was an animal breeder and veterinarian. Together, they established a large and private ranch some ways outside the city of Beachport, where they raised many exotic animals - both for various financial returns and for its own sake. It was here that Felicia grew up, in her own amazing world within the vast walls of their compound, surrounded by awesome creatures. She especially took to the big cats, and developed an affinity for training, grooming, and playing with them from an early age.

Then, this already unusual upbringing became even stranger. Adjacent to the Walshs' ranch was a vast swath of government land, which was mostly left to primeval wilderness. At its heart was a restricted complex, filled with strangely-shaped buildings, doing... something. Exactly what remains somewhat shrouded in mystery to this day, buried under competing cover-stories, at least to the general public.

Regardless, when Felicia was a teenager, whatever was contained in that restricted complex stopped being contained. There was a roar, and a strange flash of light. Looking out from their ranch, the Walshes could see flickering lights and what seemed to be oddly-colored flames leaping out from the direction of the complex. Come morning, the vast expanse of what would become the Preserve appeared blasted and twisted. Concerned, Felicia's parents prepared their plane and, at Felicia's own insistence, allowed her to board. At the first crack of dawn they flew out over the twisted landscape that had once been pristine wilds, looking for survivors in need of help.

Unfortunately, they had no idea of what they were dealing with. Over the middle of the wastes, over the tangled mass of strange half-destroyed machinery that would become one of the Preserve's defining features, some strange force seized their plane. It was one of the many anomalies that now make the Preserve off-limits to aircraft unless a battery of sensors and numerous calculations are used to carefully pre-approve a flight plan. With no idea what was happening, the Walshes lost control; their plane went down and impacted into the very center of the wastes.

Eventually, rescue personnel located the wreck. They found the remains of Felicia's parents. But of Felicia herself no trace was found. Attempts to search for her promptly ran into the chaotic madness that the former lab-site had now become; and after the searchers suffered several casualties at the hands of the many hazards that even then were starting to infest the wastes, the search was called off. Felicia was presumed dead.