Most of the people in New Arabia disagreed with this course of action, but anyone who spoke out publicly against Malika ran the risk of suffering disciplinary actions. That is why the people looked to the heroine, Sultana to act on their behalf. And she did! Sultana possesses enhanced strength, speed and agility, wears a tactical shroud, and is an expert with blades. She would use these skills and abilities to periodically infiltrate New Arabian government facilities, or defend citizens from the state-created robot soldiers, (Everlaster Cyborgs) often deployed to help keep the people in check.

For many years Malika played both sides of the conflict in her country perfectly, continuing to strip more and more freedoms from her citizens as their ruler, while consistently inspiring hope as their shrouded vigilante hero. From time to time Sultana’s interests would match up with Malika’s, like the time the living-dead hyper-mummy, Sarcophagus arrived at her borders with a swarm of zombies, in an effort to steal a deposit of valuable minerals that could be synthesized into dangerous “soul-stealing” amulets. Malika publicly appealed to Sultana, and asked her to lead the fight against the super-zombies. Of course, she agreed, and the citizens of the country cheered as the heroic Sultana battled, and eventually defeated Sarcophagus.

This truce between her two personas only lasted a few months, as Malika continued to maintain partnerships with evil entities. Things, however, would change, when her biggest benefactor, Edgar Lockhart was exposed as the world’s most dangerous mega-villain. Lt. Rashard Bonds and the Alpha Initiative had been tasked with bringing Edgar down, while US President Enid Remington and the United Nations were doing everything in their power to cripple Edgar’s various networks. New Arabia, of course, was part of one of those networks, and it wasn’t long before Malika was visited by prominent Alpha Initiative member Liberty Star.

Initially Malika was very defiant, but soon the hero made it clear that the Alpha Initiative was aware of her double life, and would have no problem exposing her to the people of New Arabia, if she did not agree to cut resources to Edgar Lockhart, and join the UN push against the super-villain. Malika could not risk being exposed, and so she, like a lot of other countries and groups, agreed to acquiesce to the UN, and turn against Edgar.

Lockhart in return unleashed his army of hyper-mercenaries against the traitors, and most of the governments and leaders who had turned their back on him were easily taken down or destabilized by aggressive strikes, covert operations, espionage and cyber attacks. New Arabia, however, turned out to be a much tougher shell to crack, as Sultana and the Everlaster Cyborgs proved to be very powerful against Edgar’s forces. Furthermore, New Arabia’s cyber-security was second to none. But Lockhart was determined to cut off the resources she was feeding to the UN, and so he sent his most talented covert operative, Shefali Chisisi to infiltrate the UN, and figure out a way to breach New Arabia’s defenses. The spy had been in deep cover for the better part of a week and had not been able to uncover any info which could facilitate Sultana’s downfall. In fact, she was on the verge of being discovered, when she received an assist from an unlikely source – the Platinum City anti-hero, Onyx Haze. A seemingly chance encounter with Onyx put Shefali in the position to get the intel she needed, which was then turned over to Edgar Lockhart.

They now knew how to bring down Sultana and her Everlaster Cyborgs. Edgar’s team of sharpshooters, the Lockhart Force (Brandi Beretta, Tumbleweed, Dezzie, Rosko, Caliber, Doc Holiday and Chopper) were sent into New Arabia, and after a brutal battle, Malika’s Capital Complex was destroyed, and the weapons and resources New Arabia was sending to the UN were wiped out. Another byproduct of the attack was that Malika’s iron-rule was also crippled. Rebellion broke out all through her country, as the people saw the opportunity to take back many of the rights she had stripped from them. It was now up to Sultana to quell the dissent, and restore stability.

And she did just that! However, the people began to petition that Sultana take over as ruler. And that’s when Malika had a revelation – she would give the people what they wanted, while continuing to stay in charge of her country. Within a few weeks, Malika had announced her resignation, and power was transferred over to Sultana. As Sultana, Malika began to rule with the hope and optimism she had promoted as the vigilante hero, and before long, she had become beloved by the people of New Arabia. Additionally, she found that she actually enjoyed being liked. She came to believe that the Lockhart Force attack was a blessing in disguise, and that she was destined to be the adored leader of a great nation.

But then, something extraordinary happened.

It was about a year after Sultana’s new rule had taken hold, when she was suddenly transported to a strange, alternate realm called the 5th Oblivion. She awoke in a huge ornate palace, surrounded by over two dozen other hyper-beings, superheroes, supervillains, and warriors – all female. She, like everyone else in the room, was confused beyond belief. Then, a large door opened and to Sultana’s surprise, the President of the United States, Enid Remington entered. She was accompanied by an ethereal being – one of the goddesses of the 5th Oblivion, Nevaeh.

Enid called for everyone’s attention, and revealed to them that they had all been called to the 5th Oblivion to fight in the Empress Wars. She explained that a little girl called Slate was being hidden away deep in the palace, and that in order to win the Empress Wars, they would have to protect her from the Chainmail Militia – a group of opposing hyper-beings, whose goal was to release Slate. The Chainmail Militia had been brought together by the other goddess of the 5th Oblivion, Sedah.

Sultana, like the others, could not believe what she was hearing and seeing. She demanded that the goddess return her to Earth. Nevaeh simply smiled, then wished them all luck in the Empress Wars, and flew back into the depths of the palace. They all looked to Enid, who further explained to them that in the 5th Oblivion the goddesses were all-powerful, and they would not be allowed to leave until the Empress Wars were over. She then revealed that Nevaeh had made her the commander of their army, which she referred to as the “Daughters of Deborah”. After some discussion and debate about their precarious situation, the women decided it was probably best to do as the goddess had commanded, and protect the palace and its one resident.

Sultana, however, was still not sold on the idea of Enid serving as their leader. She looked around, and regarded the likes of clearly powerful beings, such as Lightrider, Virtuosa, Ember Brook and Lady Paige, as well as women she knew very well by their heroic reputations, like Kharma Lucky, Makeda and Night Bird; and even Liberty Star and Brandi Beretta, whom she’d of course had personal encounters with – and she wondered aloud why a mere mortal should be allowed to lead them, for her status as president did not in any way correlate with any potential acumen as a warrior. That is when Enid stepped up to reveal that she was not simply a mere mortal; but that a ghost orphan had phantom-fused with her body and soul, giving her enhanced physical abilities, hyper-paranormal powers, and a vicious mean streak to boot.

She suddenly leaped at Sultana, and floored her with a combo of lighting-quick blows, then stepped back to see if anyone else wanted to question her ability to lead. There were plenty of extremely powerful women in her presence, but it seemed clear that Nevaeh had put her in charge for specific reasons no one else felt the need to question – not even Disa Philadelphia and Paula Thyatira, whose sole purpose for existing was to snuff out the existence of ghost orphans. That battle would clearly have to wait for another day.

With her leadership role solidified, Enid encouraged the Daughters of Deborah to introduce themselves to one another, as she began to lay out the plan for defending the palace. Sultana, meanwhile, tried to shake of the effects of the beating she’d taken, and pull herself to her feet. At that moment a hand reached down to help her up. It was the hand of Nevaeh, and as she grabbed it, they were both teleported to another section of the palace – it was the area in which the little girl, Slate was living. It was an immaculate enclave and the child, who looked to be about seven years old, seemed happy and content; innocent.

Nevaeh explained to her that Slate should be permitted to grow and mature without interference from the outside; she should be allowed to let destiny decide her future, not the whims, opinions and prejudices of others. Nevaeh then explained that all of the women who had been chosen to be a Daughter of Deborah also believed strongly in the power and absolute nature of destiny, which is why they would be able to work together, despite the number of rivalries and adversarial relationships that existed within the group. Sultana finally understood, and with that she was ready to do her part, to ensure her side was victorious in the Empress Wars.

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