Starline Base Sigma,[1] formerly known as Egg Base Sigma,[2] is a location that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing. It was one of the Eggman Empire's industrial sites on Earth. However, it was eventually seized by Dr. Starline and turned into his command center. It was also home to Surge and Kit until sometime after Starline's death.
Description[]
Starline Base Sigma is a modest (by the standards of the Eggman Empire) industrial site.[2] It consists of a complex of industrial buildings with turrets stylized as Dr. Eggman's head. It is as well heavily patrolled by Badniks.[2] Its focal point is a tower shaped like Dr. Eggman's head.
History[]
Bad Guys[]
Egg Base Sigma under the control of the Eggman Empire, from Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #1.
Dr. Starline once snuck into Egg Base Sigma's site in order to take over the base, avoiding the Egg Pawn patrols along the way. When Starline tried to enter the base however, he triggered the alarm when entering an invalid password. Although Starline managed to defeat a squad of Motobugs sent after him, he had to escape the base when the Egg Pawns arrived.[2]
Not long after, Starline managed to remove the Egg Base Sigma from the Eggnet's database, as well as reprogram its defenses to serve him and erase all its change logs. Sometime later, Starline moved into the Egg Base Sigma with his forces and began to remake it in his own image, namely by erasing all traits of the Eggman Empire.[3] In the aftermath, Starline made a video log recounting the lessons he had learned work while working with Zavok. Having realized the superiority of living beings' will and ingenuity over mindless machines, Starline shifted focus with Operation: Remaster by abandoning his original idea to built a superior robot and instead modify and reprogram two existing specimens whom he had acquired, designated "Surge the Tenrec" and "Kitsunami the Fennec", into obeying cyborgs.[4]
Chao Races and Badnik Bases[]
After a failed attempt to kidnap Tails in White Park, Dr. Starline returned to Starline Base Sigma. However, he had managed to obtain a fur sample from Tails, which he plotted to use for his long-term plans.[5]
Imposter Syndrome[]
After adding cybernetics to Surge and Kit, Starline went to work with the specialization of them while keeping details records on his progress. Having used the data he got from Belle the Tinkerer¨s emotional intelligence, Starline was able to override Surge and Kit's personalities with new ones befitting Operation: Remaster. He then spent hundreds of sessions with them in his base, using his hypnotic gear to instill them with false motivations that would serve his plans. Afterwards, he had the pair go through hundreds of test runs at Starline Base Sigma to test and improve their skills, powers and teamwork. In addition, whenever the pair got out of alignment, Starline would use his hypnotic gear to gaslight them back into order. However, Starline noticed that his frequent use of his hypnotic gear left Surge and Kit with psychological trauma and that they were learning to resist his hypnosis. Even so, he would keep them in check with edits and suppresses, priming them for their upcoming field tests.[4]
After having logged his latest progress on Operation: Remaster, Starline had Surge and Kit run through an obstacle course at Starline Base Sigma for one of their final tests. Although the test was a partial success, Starline insisted to Surge that they continued with his test runs for now, prompting the impatient Surge's anger. In response, Starline hypnotized Surge into submission and erased Kit's memories of what he saw him do. As the pair came around again, Starline sent them out on missions to test their skills further. Days later, at Starline Base Sigma, the trio read about the media's documentations of the events brought about by their missions. Afterward, Starline got ready for Surge and Kit's final test, much to Surge's displeasure: infiltrating Egg Base Alpha and help Starline test out his bypass algorithm for Operation: Remaster. As arguments flared however, Surge and Kit began questioning their programmed motivations, prompting Starline to reboot them with hypnotism. During this however, Surge displayed growing resistance to this method. Realizing he had to handle his creations more carefully, Starline gaslighted Surge and Kit with lies, convincing them to stick together and proceed with Starline's intended test.[1]
Soon after, Starline would log his next step for Operation: Remaster in Starline Base Sigma.[6] However, Surge and Kit, who were suspicious about how Starline modified them, would eventually hack into Starline's archives in Starline Base Sigma to get some answers. Upon learning the truth about how Starline had used and manipulated them, the doctor himself appeared to reboot the pair's memories again. This time, however, Surge and Kit were able to stop Starline's attempt and subdue him with his own hypnotic gear. Still furious over having their pasts robbed from them however, Surge and Kit decided to destroy everyone they deemed guilty for taken away who they used to be. To achieve this, the duo decided to use Starline to gather their targets in one place and then kill them all. As such, they lied to Starline when he recovered from the hypnosis with lies about being behind him on his plans despite having been told about what he did to them. Starline would then announce that they would now invade Eggman's newest capital city.[4]
Overpowered[]
Starline Base Sigma was largely abandoned after Starline's death. Following Surge's defeat in Central City, Kit, not knowing where else to go, brought her back to the base. Once Surge had recovered, Kit rerouted the base's power to recharge the Dynamo Cage, which tripped the circuit breaker and left the base running on auxiliary power. Knowing Sonic and Tails would come for them, Kit proposed fleeing to parts unknown, but Surge was determined to make a last stand. Sonic and Tails tracked them to the base hours later, but Eggman unexpectedly arrived as well with Metal Sonic and a cadre of Egg Pawns, hoping reclaim the Dynamo Cage and capture Surge for his own ends. Against Eggman's orders, Metal Sonic ambushed Sonic and they fought in a storage room. Due to Starline's renovations, Tails was able to elude Eggman's pursuit and come to Sonic's aid. Eggman soon detected the Dynamo Cage's energy signature and, realizing Surge was lurking in the rafters above, attacked her. After wiping out the Egg Pawns, Surge fought Eggman's Eggwalker in a corridor, eventually disabling it using the power of Whisper's Wisps, which she had abducted back in Central City. Eggman tried to escape, but to his horror found that Starline had removed his secret access codes for the base, allowing Surge to corner him. Metal Sonic heard Eggman's terrified cries and rushed to his aid, with Sonic and Tails following. Correctly predicting they would join forces, a panicked Surge fled and regrouped with Kit, who had locked down the base to trap the intruders.[7]
Sonic and Tails agreed to a truce with Eggman and Metal, thought both duos secretly planed to double-cross each other. They soon came across Starline's blueprints for Surge and Kit in his lab and learned what he had done to them; Sonic and Tails were horrified by this revelation, while Eggman was impressed by his former lackey's work, effectively giving Starline the recognition he longed for. The group proceeded to the heart of the base, a large cylindrical room with testing vats, where Surge and Kit awaited. Sonic requested they hand over the Dynamo Cage peacefully, but the duo declined and engaged the intruders.[7]
While Tails confronted Kit higher up in the room, while Sonic and Metal Sonic attacked Surge together. However, Surge soon noticed Eggman sneaking away and attacked him as a feint. When Metal Sonic tried to stop her, she grabbed him, clubbed Sonic using Metal's body, and then drained his power when he tried to immobilize her, taking the robot out of the fight. Left to fend for himself, Sonic evaded Surge as she assailed him with Wisp powers and Metal Sonic's V. Maximum Overdrive attack, flooding the room in the process as well as destroying the exit. Although Tails managed to talk Kit down, Surge gained the upper-hand and dropped Sonic into the puddle on the floor. She then pinned him down and zapped him nearly to death before the Dynamo Cage overloaded and broke, releasing the captive Wisps and causing her to pass out. At that moment, Eggman betrayed Sonic and Tails and ordered the now-repaired Metal Sonic to collect the unconscious Surge. However, Kit intervened, restrained both groups, and tore the room apart with his hydro-coil tails before fleeing with Surge in tow. The rest of people in the room escaped through the skylight above. On the base's roof, Eggman hypocritically invoked his truce with Sonic and Tails upon seeing their anger at his treachery. Fed up with the fallout of Eggman and Starline's feud and needing to return the Wisps to Whisper, Sonic reluctantly agreed to let his enemies go in peace, and both groups parted ways.[8]
Second Chances[]
Kit took Surge back to their dorm, where they hunkered down as Surge recuperated. Meanwhile, Eggman fully abandoned Starline Base Sigma, which deteriorated over the following weeks and eventually lost electricity, causing Surge and Kit's food supply to rot. As Surge and Kit debated fleeing, Clutch, Rough, and Tumble arrived with several Badniks and a large mech in search of Starline's remaining Eggtech, demolishing even more of the base in the process. Assuming Eggman had returned for them, Surge and Kit attacked the intruders and easily subdued Rough and Tumble before Clutch intervened. He offered to share what he knew of the tenrec and fennec in exchange for helping him take over the Restoration, to which they agreed.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #1, story one
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #1, "A Few Bad Men"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys #4, "No Honor Among Thieves"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #3, story one
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #36, "Chao Races and Badnik Bases, Part 4"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome #2, story one
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #55, "Overpowered, Part 4"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #56, "Overpowered, Part 5"
External links[]
- Starline Base Sigma at IDW Sonic Hub Wiki, the IDW Sonic wiki.