Appeared In:   The Hunt

Occupation: "Deadliest Hunter in the Universe" (to quote Herc)

Equipment:

• Body-Temperature Sensor: Red-lensed eyepiece used to track prey by the heat-patterns they leave as they walk.

• Hunting Rifle: Can emit both lasers and a freezing liquid.

• Spaceship: Orion's starship has the ability to warp, meaning that it becomes utterly untraceable. The interior of the starship holds many stuffed hunting trophies, a large computer console with many screens, and several hunting rifles. The ship sports six braking thrusters on the bottom panel.

• Two-Way Communicators: Orion places these manacle-like devices on intelligent prey so that they can communicate with him. The prey can activate it by touch in order to speak to Orion. Orion refuses to use this device for tracking down his game or listening in on others' conversations.

Special Abilities:

Orion has instincts and senses similar to those in wild animals. These gifts allow him to deduce his prey's motivations, moves, and weaknesses.

Appearance:

Orion is a human male who appears to be in his forties to mid-fifties. He has blue eyes, dark blond hair, and a solid build. He wears a cream colored pith hat, brown boots, a brown belt with pouches, an orange tunic with yellow shoulder pads, and a light tan jumpsuit with long sleeves. Orion carries his hunting rifle on his back. His face is rugged and lined, reflecting his many years of stalking challenging creatures on wild planets.

Strengths:

Orion is the deadliest hunter in the universe. He is an expert in hunting, piloting, shooting, stealth, tracking, and trapping. He studies his prey in painstaking detail, learning all he can before the actual hunt. Orion has his own code of honor. He will ask for permission before pursuing another person's prey. Orion always allows intelligent game a sporting chance to escape alive.

Weaknesses:

Orion prefers his hunts untainted. This means that if anyone interferes or tries to help him while he is hunting, he will allow his prey to escape rather than capture it unfairly. Orion's animal nature has a tendency to isolate him from other people.

History:

Orion is well-known for hunting the most dangerous and cunning prey in the universe.

After some observation, he chose Jayce as a target. He saw Jayce as a worthy challenge. Orion got Saw Boss' permission to hunt him down with no interference.

Orion used Audric's notebook to lure Jayce and Oon out into the open. He caught them in a tractor beam and threw his ship into warp, making it untraceable.

He then set course for the planet Mortaros. Once there, he took away Jayce's communicator and Ring of Light. He dropped off his still-unconscious prey in the jungle. When they awoke, Orion explained the rules of the hunt through a two-way communicator. They were given a lightsword as a weapon and one hour's head start. If they reached a clearing in the east before Orion got them, they would be free to go.

Jayce pleaded the necessity of his quest, but his words fell on deaf ears. The only thing Orion cared about was the hunt. When Jayce requested that Orion let Oon go, he refused.

Orion tracked the pair using his body-temperature sensor. He caught up to the fugitives in a clearing, where they were trapped by a huge Mortarian Spider. Orion froze it with a blast from his rifle, and then took aim at Jayce.

Monster Mind troopers suddenly exploded from the jungle. Furious with the interference, Orion shot at them. He was promptly captured. Jayce and Oon, however, managed to escape. Because Saw Boss had violated their agreement, Orion refused Saw Boss' order to help the Monster Minds track Jayce. In fact, he wished Jayce luck in escaping. Saw Boss made Orion the bait in a trap to capture Jayce.

Jayce saw through the trap and tricked Orion's trooper guards into fighting an ape-like creature while he freed the captive hunter. The three new allies then tried to make their way back to Orion's ship. Along the way, Orion returned the Ring of Light to Jayce, who used it to create a magical bridge over a lake of boiling mud. The escapees soon discovered that the Monster Minds had camouflaged the ship so that passing vessels couldn't see it.

Jayce signaled the Pride using the lightsword Orion had given him. The League saw Jayce's signal and swooped down to rescue them. In the ensuing battle, Jayce ordered Quick Draw to rescue Orion from the enemy troopers. Orion used the vehicle for the duration of the fight.

After the battle ended, Orion and Jayce discovered that Flora had allowed herself to be turned back into a plant in order to track down Jayce. Gillian said he could change her back into a human by draining some essence from another human being, but the price would be a permanent loss of "vital sensitivity." Orion declared that he would be glad to volunteer. He considered it the least he could do in return for Jayce teaching him what a terrible thing it is to be hunted. After his essence had been drained and Flora was returned to her perky self, Orion claimed that his sacrifice made him feel more human than ever.

Orion decided that from that moment on he would use his skills to show others how to fight Monster Minds. His current whereabouts are unknown.