The Inheritors/Alterverse

© Eldric

Thanks to Hipkarma and Dylan Clearbrook for their extensive editing and guidance!

Inheritors Chapter 9:

Alterverse – Sentinel War Prologue, Part 2:

The Starchild’s Gift, Conclusion

Ten minutes after Lyla’s conversation with Shantar Command – Command Center

“That’s what we know, Dad.”  Elise spoke to a hologram.  Zoldar nodded grimly.

“There’s nothing more I can do from here.  The Oans have dispatched the Green Lanterns nearest Dega Five to back up Lyla.  Our fleets are gathering as well.”

“Dad?”  Elise asked.  “One more thing?  Find out anything you can about the Starchild’s ‘Q’.”

Zoldar smiled.

“Already on it.  If there is a way to find him, we will.  But he’s always been notoriously hard to find.  We’ll research it.”

He shook his large head.

“The Starchild.  Amazing.  She took all that gobbledygook and turned it into something that mattered.  And she’ll make it matter again.  Take care, daughter.  If we are successful today, we will have that family reunion.  I promise.  Dad out.”

He vanished.  Elise smiled.  Dad out.  He’s never said that before.  She made a decision.  The Sentinel’s Lair isn’t my place.  Not today.

“Lyla, this is Elise.  I have a dozen Andromedan Shantar Assassins on base.  We’re offering our services.”

“Welcome to the party.” Lyla responded.  “The Huntress Express leaves in three minutes.  Just as soon as she finishes her cup of coffee.”

Elise walked over to Selina.

“Yours.  Just don’t take on any mad Gods.” (Ed. Note:  Alterverse Book 1:  The Search for Kal-El, chapters 2-Epilogue.)

“Garja would never forgive me.”  Selina smiled.  “Not with Jeffrey out there.”

“And don’t you forget it!”  Garja Jenna popped up.

The Shantar Assassins filed into the Command Center.  The rest of the team assembled as well.

“We’ll be dropping out of Hyperspace once an hour to contact Command.”  Lyla stated.  “And I hope to hear from Hallie Jordan within the first two hours.  If not, she’ll meet us before we get to the Cloud.”  She nodded to Faith.  “Ready?”

In response, Faith’s eyes burned green.  Emerald fire consumed the team and they vanished from the Lair.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”  Garja said to no one.  “Be safe, Jeffrey.”

“Oracle to Kira.”  Selina spoke up.  “How goes it?”

“Pretty well, Oracle.”  Kira answered.  “The Resistance is pitching in.  Iris is fussing because Dawn is so well trained.”  They heard her chuckle.  “We’re playing cat and mouse with the Kayzik. And this time, the mice are holding their own.  Supergirl out.”

Three hours later

“We’re about half way there, Dad.”  Linda advised.

“Good point, Squirt.”  Alan understood.  “Let’s drop out of Hyperspace and see if we can get an update.”

The four of them felt the sudden deceleration as they fell back into normal space.

“Sentinel to Lair!”  Alan called.  “Any update on the situation?  Any more detailed plans of the Kayzik base?  Anything that shows that we should divert?”

They received no response.

An hour later – half way to Dega Five

Lyla’s team dropped out of Hyperspace.  She activated her comms.

“Starchild to Shantar Command.  Update please!”  

Lyla scowled to her companions.

“This is not good.  That means the J’Dinn have been jamming Shantar Comms all the way out here.  Alan was right.  We have to do our job and then we have to damage the Ogeslaz Military Base.”

“I don’t follow.”  Jeffrey admitted.

“Ok.”  Lyla explained.  “This is what is happening.  The J’Dinn have infiltrated Shantar communications on behalf of the Kayzik.  This is the kind of stunt they pull before a major offensive.  And I mean a major invasion.  Kent, in two hours, Hallie should be meeting us.  I’ll need you to provide a beacon.  Otherwise, she may not find us.  I don’t expect our comms will work again until we get to Dega Five.”

“I’ll have the beacon ready.”  Kent agreed.

“Well.”  Faith muttered to Donna.  “You wanted to take this trip to learn something about strategy.  I don’t know about you, but I’m sure getting an education.”

Donna chuckled.  Faith was unprepared for Lyla’s warm smile.

“Pass notes in my class anytime. Let’s go.”  They jumped back into Hyperspace.

The Sentinel’s Lair

“Garja?”  Selina asked.  “I don’t understand this.  Who is Lyla?  And why does she rate access to the commanding Warlords of the Shantar Empire?”

Garja Jenna smiled with wonder.

“A fortunate mistake.  A myth.  A legend.  And an impossible dream.  I never would have guessed that the truth was even more.”

“Why, Garja!”  Selina teased.  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that this is the worst case of Hero worship I’ve ever seen!”

Jerik walked up to her console.

“Since we reactivated the Lair, we’ve spent a lot of time catching up and this time, we’ve had accesses that we didn’t before.  We heard an amazing story from High Command.  The implications are even more amazing.  I’m the historian, so I’ll try to recount this somewhat accurately.”

“Krypton has always been a dangerous world.”  He admitted.  “While they could not supply warriors for the battle, they were more than able to supply assistance with strategy.  They investigated the Kayzik and came up with some startling revelations on the behavior of the Kayzik hive mind.  Absolutely extraordinary, that world has added more to our knowledge of Kayzik behavior than we ever expected.”

“Not long before the Kayzik invaded Oa, a young Kryptonian made a bold prediction that no one believed – that the Kayzik would attack the Guardians.  And he explained why.  He described behavior matrices that few could understand.  It was the work of genius.  But Zor-El was no warrior – and the fleet chose to ignore his argument because he could not put it in terms they understood.” 

“Not long after, the Kayzik took Oa.  They began their march through massive swatches of Shantar territory.  Oddly enough, the Kayzik did not complete their occupation of the Milky Way Galaxy itself until much later.  They had other, more important targets.  That was why Krypton lasted so long.”

Jerik swallowed hard.

“Thirty five years ago, a young Kryptonian Lieutenant contacted the strategy section of Shantar command.  She had read Zor-El’s work and wondered if we would be making use of it.  The commander of the section took the call.  He laughed at her.  He told her that if she thought she could do something with the work, she should go right ahead and do it.”

He shook visibly.

“Within six months, she had totally rewritten the complete set of Shantar battle tactics.  The commander of the strategy section’s first impulse was to disregard the work.  But he recognized just how much effort she had put into them, so he read them.   Within hours, the manuals were in the hands of High Command.  Another copy found its way to Colu.  The mysterious ‘Q’ had been a somewhat successful, if erratic strategist whose work had been translated by his people for the Shantar.  He took one look and contacted Krypton.”

Garja took up the tale.

“At the time, we were losing.  The Kayzik were plowing through our defenses.  Almost immediately, High Command replaced their battle movements with the ones that Lyla provided.  We were able to slow the Kayzik advances dramatically.  Then Q got into the act.  He sent strategic plans to her to script.  She did.  And we stopped the Kayzik cold.  We’ve mostly been in stalemate since.”

Jerik added.

“We were not able to stop the Kayzik progression through this Galaxy.  When Lyla was so badly injured, High Command buried her identity to protect her planet for as long as possible.  High Command knew that the Kayzik would have destroyed the planet immediately if the Kayzik had any idea that Krypton was scripting their defeats.  Lyla’s identity was so highly classified, that very few on Krypton suspected who she truly was.  Not even Krypton’s High Council knew that she was the Starchild.  They understood that the Shantar High Command demanded her continued service and promotion, but High Command refused to reveal more than that.  There were those on the Council that High Command could not trust.”

He smiled wryly.

“But Zor-El, at least, knew.  He recognized the use of his work.  And through his ongoing conversations with her, he deduced who she had to be.  He protected her to the best of his ability.”

Garja spoke sadly.

“Unfortunately, when she was so badly injured, Krypton’s Admiralty made the decision to remove her from service.  They felt that their trading partners would be afraid of them because of what she had become physically – a Kryptonian who could leave the planet and was not subject to the Daxamite weakness to lead.  She would have known as soon as she left the surface of the planet that she was no longer tied to it.  A bad move on their part, but they did not have all the facts.”

Jerik sighed.

“Soon after Krypton’s destruction, the Kayzik captured Q’s home world.  We do not know if he escaped.  We are running every kind of tracker that we can.”

Jerik answered their looks of disbelief.

“You must understand how High Command viewed the situation.  They couldn’t stop the takeover of Colu.  They did their best to help evacuate the planet.  But Q never revealed his identity.  And frankly, without the Starchild, his work was almost worthless.”

“Worthless?”  Selina asked.  “As important as it had been?”

“Q was brilliant.”  Jerik acknowledged.  “But the brilliance was tempered by his inability to put his work in terms anyone else, even High Command, could understand.  Lyla understood his work, refined it, corrected it, and put it in terms that we could easily execute.”

“You seemed confused by High Command’s response to Lyla when she called from the conference room.”  Garja interjected.  “Understand our life spans.  We typically live between two and three thousand years.  The people in High Command are the ones who were there when Lyla was active.”

“And let me show you one more thing.”  Dr. Jenna spoke for the first time.  He brought up a view of the public walkway into the Senate at the High Imperium.  The public walked through a series of hallways with each wall protected by transparent materials.  The walls had an eerie feel to them.   He panned the display about halfway down.  “Some of these displays are billions of years old.  Here is the most recent entry.”

“What my father is showing you is the Hall of the Heroes of the Shantar.”  Garja smiled broadly.  “There is only one entry for someone who is not Shantar.  One.”

The Starchild

An unnamed strategist and tactician from a fallen world,

The Starchild’s gift is every world that yet lives free. 

The Empire recognizes that her strategies and tactics

Were the only reason that any part of the

Empire survived the devastation

That followed the taking of the planet of Oa.

A grateful Empire salutes you.

“Hero worship?”  Garja smiled.  “There have been more Emperors over the years than anyone can count.  Still, it is considered a great honor to meet one.  But truthfully, most Shantar children can recall the last three or four Emperors and that’s about it.”

Jerik smiled.

“But every Shantar child knows every name on that wall and why it’s there.  So if we choose to respect a woman who earned that citation with nothing more than her mind, you will have to forgive us.”

Dega Five

Kendra fought her way clear of a troop of Kayzik invaders.  Her Xentronium sword left a mass of Kayzik casualties.  Well Elise, I was never as talented as you were, but I’m taller and have a longer reach.  And that’s kept my head attached to my shoulders.  She spotted another Kayzik warrior charging towards her.  Impossibly, a violet beam reached down from above, picked up the warrior and tossed it into the air.  Kendra laughed at the sight of the struggling creature.  The violet beam withdrew and the Kayzik fell to the ground.  It squirmed and then stopped moving.  Kendra severed its head.  She waved upward to the violet glow.  It moved onward.

Cool!  Hallie Jordan chuckled from above.  When Alanna put me together as Astra, she left me the Star Sapphire powers!  (Ed note:  Alterverse, book 1 – the Search for Kal-El, Chapter 5).

Uh, oh.  Better get going.  If I’m not where Lyla expects me, she’ll have me put on report and I’ll have to watch more Shirley Temple movies.

She vanished.

Two hours out from Dega Five

Lyla signaled the drop from Hyperspace near a small yellow sun.  Faith followed her out with the rest of the group.   Kent Nelson aimed a flare overhead – bright enough to be seen across the solar system, it was spelled to be seen everywhere across the system at once.

“How’re you holding up?”  Lyla inquired of Faith.

“I’m a little tired.”  Faith admitted.  “I don’t usually have to go this far this fast and with this many passengers.  But we’ll get there.”

They heard Jeffrey Nelson mumble a spell.  He walked towards Faith with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.  Her smile gratified him.

“Thank you.”  She gratefully accepted the steaming cup.  “Just what the Doctor ordered.”  Faith relaxed while sustaining the bubble that protected the almost twenty people in the group. 

“Just a reminder.”  Elise addressed the group.  “The Kayzik come from an orange sun world.  Some of the Shantar, including our little group of Andromedan Shantar, retain the invulnerability of our ancestors who originated on a blue sun world.  That makes us hard to kill.  If we use high impact weapons we wreck the landscape, but don’t do much damage to each other.  That’s why we stick with swords and close range blasters.  That’s why you’ll need this Xentronium Sword, Donna.”  She handed over a sword.

“Thank you.”  Donna acknowledged.

Elise continued.

“Here’s the way it works.  On a yellow sun world like Earth or Dega Five, Kryptonian or Daxamite invulnerability is absolute.  Shantar and Kayzik invulnerability are not absolute, but conventional weapons do little harm.  On an orange or blue sun world, only a Kryptonian or Daxamite has an advantage - we and the Kayzik lose our advantage.  Under a red sun, everyone is mortal.  So don’t underestimate our friends.  Of course, if you’ve found a shapeshifter, it’s a J’Dinn ally of the Kayzik.  Catch and kill.  And remember, they taste like chicken.”  She grinned evilly.

“I won’t tell you the story behind that.”  Kent grimaced.  “But I will vouch for it.”

Lyla adjusted her comms.

“Still out.  We’re flying blind.”

“Oh, pooh!”  Astra appeared in their bubble.  “No welcome for your friendly neighborhood tour guide?”

Lyla pretended to grimace.  She smiled.

“Your sister swings a mean sword.”  Astra teased Elise.  “She’d turn me into a Ghost if I got close enough!  Oh, wait.  I already am!  She must have caught me!  Barf.”

Bless you, Astra.  Lyla smiled as she witnessed the relief in Elise’s eyes.  You pretend to be so damned flighty, but you know what’s important.

“Take a break!”  Astra smiled at Faith.  “I wanna show these old fuddy-duddies what I can do!”  Astra raised shields around Faith’s.  Faith relaxed and dropped hers.  “Power nap time, Dearie!” 

“Thank you!”  Faith closed her eyes.  Donna picked her up before she dropped to the floor of the bubble.

Astra projected a hologram.

“This is where they are the thickest.  Probably several hundred ships in these areas.  I think this is where the Shantar have to make their hyperspace jumps into the Cloud.  I know that the point-to-point transporters are all out, so the Shantar have to jump their ships through these particular Hyperspace routes to arrive on Dega Five.  And since Dega Five is the principal planet in the cluster, all transport routes go through it to the other worlds.”

“How about here, here, and here?”  Lyla asked.

“Some.”  Astra confirmed.  “Not many.  No party.  Nothing for them to do.”  She scowled.  “Haven’t seen the Scotts.  I think they’re avoiding me.  I’m hurt!”

“We’re worried, too.”  Kent admitted.  “Our comms have been more dead than you.”

“Now I’m worried!”  Astra fussed.  “No one seems to have comms down there, either.  They’re running on instinct.  We need to jam the Kayzik comms like they’ve jammed ours.  We want them to make as much sense as I do.”  She quipped.

“Oh, damn.”  Astra scowled.  “I’ve only got a minute or two left before I have to go astral again – I’m burning too much power.  One last thing - if you can blast those Hyperspace approaches clear, I can let the Shantar and the Green Lanterns know it’s safe to come through.  There’s a handful of GLs in the cluster, but we have more on the way.”

Faith began to stir again.

“Thanks for the break.  How many worlds are we fighting on?”

“Just one.”  Astra advised.  “The others are isolated but untouched.  But Dega Five has both the spaceports and the long range transporters.  Fifteen seconds.”

Green shields replaced Astra’s violet shields.  Astra vanished.

“She’s only visible for a few minutes at a time.”  Lyla explained.  “It can be disconcerting.  She’ll head back independently and we’ll meet her at the Garjan Cloud.  Otherwise it’s Shirley Temple movies for a week!”

“I heard that!”  Astra reappeared.  Then she vanished again.  They heard a mutter.  “Maybe I should switch sides.  The Kayzik only tortured me and drained my life force.  Paah!” 

Faith took the team back into Hyperspace.  The journey continued.

One hour, forty five minutes later, the Dalran Cloud

The Sentinel’s team dropped out of Hyperspace. 

“Oh, Lord.”  Mary exclaimed.  “Even Daxam isn’t that big!”

They looked out over the massive Ogeslaz complex.  Termed a world, it was much more.  In fact, it had become a donut shaped world with a hole in the center for the giant red sun.

“I’ve never seen anything that big!”  Alanna exclaimed.  “How are we supposed to fight that?”

“I’ve never been able to do something that big on my own.”  Linda confirmed.  “That base is much bigger than anything I’ve demolished, outside of the Kayzik home universe.  And I didn’t supply the will power for that.”

“I made a mistake.”  Alan admitted.  “I don’t know where to begin with this monster.  The Shantar maps sure didn’t help.”

“Comms are still dead.”  Alanna confirmed.  “Dad, your call.  What do we do?”

“Take the pressure off the Shantar.”  Alan suggested.  “Let’s try to take out the hyperspace transporters if we can.”

“If we can find them!”  Linda exclaimed.

“There is that.”  Alan agreed.  “But we’re not doing anything just hovering here.  Shields up, Linda.  And let’s do our best not to be visible.”

Mary and Alanna took care to stay behind the shields.

Twenty minutes later – the Garjan Galactic Cloud

Lyla’s team prepared to drop out of Hyperspace.

“If we had to stick to the standard Hyperspace routes, we wouldn’t have gotten this far.”

“And it would have taken weeks.”  Kent confirmed.  “That’s the advantage of hanging around with the folks I do.  We haven’t had to hop Hyperspace like most do.”

He reacted to Donna’s curious expression.

“Our Hyperspace has a drag factor.  It takes a Galaxy class meta to both stay in Hyperspace as long as we did and to move as fast as we did.  Everyone else has to do it in jumps.  The Shantar and Kayzik do Hyperspace in jumps or with relays that allow them to transport and retransport.  Our one day trip would have taken several weeks.”

“You mean it didn’t?”  Faith quipped.  “Why do I think that was the easy part?”

Hallie reappeared.

“Dega on-planet express! Ready to go!”  She vanished again.  Kent cast a spell.  Astra reappeared.

“I suspended an element of time within you.”  He winked.  “It’ll hold until you hit the surface.”

“Cool!”  She smiled.  “No vanishing act, folks!  At least for a bit.”

Lyla smiled.

“Everyone knows what they have to do?”

“I’ve been ready.”  Elise stated grimly, looking around to her patrol of assassins.  “Let’s get this done.”

The assassins nodded to confirm their assent.

“And I’ll find Command.”  Jay confirmed.  “And start to get the comms and transporters up, if I can.”

“We’ve got the spaceport.”  Diana and Donna agreed.

“Good luck, folks!”  Lyla bid them farewell as Astra lifted off.  Only Lyla, Kent, Jeffrey, Faith, and Krypto remained.  Another cup of coffee appeared in Kent’s hands.

“The coffee beans we brought.”  He smiled as he passed the cup to Faith.  “The rest is easy.”

“I am going to sleep for a week when we’re done.”  She sipped the cup.  “I can’t complain about the service, though.”

Kent chuckled.

“You’re going for the Shantar Hyperspace entry points first?”  He asked Lyla.  “Then a jump point to the Dalran Cloud?”

“Yes.”  Lyla confirmed.  “The GLs are waiting to come through.  We could use the help.  And maybe the Shantar can restore the comms as soon as their ships start coming through.”  She smiled quickly.  “Best of luck to you.  We’re on our way.”  She gestured to Krypto.  “C’mon, my friend.  Let’s show these creatures what Krypton is all about.”

A mischievous look came into her eyes.

“I have always wanted to say this:”

“Up, up, and away!” Lyla flew through the bubble with Krypto.  They vanished from view.

Faith regarded Kent with skepticism.  He smiled.

“Before we do this, let me explain a few more things about how this universe operates.  First, I need to explain the effects of your unique genetic ties and why this will work…”

The Dalran Galactic Cluster, above the outer edges of the Ogeslaz base

“It has to be just inside here!”  Alan gestured at a wall.  “I’m picking up the right kinds of energy readings.”  Alanna faded through the walls.  They waited for her to reappear.

Dega Five – the capitol city of Odibil Syttik

Kendra ended another Kayzik’s existence.  She heard more coming.  How many of these creatures are there?  I’m tiring.  She watched another creature come towards her.  An odd golden rope found its way around the creature’s neck.  The lasso pulled taught with a snapping motion.  The creature’s head rolled down the street.

“Not bad.”  Kendra heard her sister behind her.  She turned to see Elise and two tall Terran women.  “Kendra, this is Diana, and the young woman with the rope is Donna.”

“Come visit anytime!”  Kendra smiled.  “I can use the help.  I’m trying to block the Kayzik from this part of the city, but there are too many of them and I have to avoid the Necromancers.”

Elise gestured.  A dozen Andromedan Shantar assassins appeared.

“Somehow, I don’t think that will be a problem.”

“We’re gone.”  Diana and Donna disappeared.  A violet glow followed them away.

“Spaceport.”  Elise hugged her sister.  “Heard from the twins or Zanik?”

“Not since this morning.”  Kendra scowled.  “Where are Alan and company?”

“Dalran, we think.”  Elise scowled.  “I don’t know.  The Starchild brought us here.”

“The Starchild?”  Kendra asked.  “I thought the Starchild was dead.”

Elise smiled.

“So did we.”  She stopped to slice another creature in two.  She signaled to the assassin patrol.  They followed Kendra farther into the city.  They walked one block before the battle started anew.

The Spaceport

Donna followed Diana onto the field.  They grinned cruelly at each other.

“Full frontal assault.”  Donna picked up the nearest spacecraft.  She threw it across the spaceport into a landing craft.

“Too easy.”  Diana picked up one craft, smashed it into another, and threw the both of them at the approaching Kayzik horde.

Deep Space – one of the several Hyperspace approaches to Shantar space

The Kayzik fleet fiercely guarded the approach to the Shantar Empire.  Every ship that the Shantar attempted to jump through to the Cloud was disintegrated by the Kayzik upon arrival.  The Shantar tested the approach by jumping another unmanned ship.  The Kayzik fleet prepared to fire.  Instead, the ship closest to the approach glowed red and self destructed: a victim of the infinitely powerful heat vision that plowed through its engine compartment. 

Lyla scratched Krypto’s ears.  Another two ships self destructed.

Above Dega Five

Kent and Jeffrey weaved their spells.  Invisible threads spun down to the planet below.

“We’re ready.”  Kent nodded to Faith.

“I wish I were.” Faith sighed.  She grimaced as Kent and Jeffrey tied their planetary spider web to her.  With a groan, she began to pull the Necromancers’ Glamour from the surface.  Kent and Jeffrey’s spells changed it as she did.  As it entered her, she added the power of her green flame to it and fired it back down to the surface. 

The Dega Five Capitol City - Odibil Syttik

Rennik the Assassin chopped another Kayzik warrior into four separate pieces.

“Commander!”  He called Elise.  “Their behavior has changed.  They are no longer cooperating.”

“Well, let’s show them the difference that cooperation makes!!!”  Elise targeted the nearest Kayzik Necromancer.  Stripped of its Glamour, it posed little thread.  She separated its head from its body.

The Spaceport

Donna and Diana ran inside. 

“Move quickly.”  Donna warned.  “I don’t know how long Faith can keep this up.  We need to take over the control tower.”

“You take the control tower!”  Diana sliced through another creature.  “I’m headed for defense control.  I’ll use the spaceport defenses to slow down the craft we don’t want to land.”

“Got it!”  Donna charged towards the tower.

Shantar military transport center

Jay vibrated through another door.  He grimaced at the deceased Shantar guards.  A Kayzik creature spotted him.  Jay waved back at light speed.  His high-impact air hammer slammed the creature into the nearest wall.  Jay relieved it of its head.  Alan wasn’t kidding.  These creatures really are uglier up close.  He charged down the halls towards the transporters.

The Ogeslaz military base

The Sentinel’s team faded through the walls of the base into the huge transport area.

“Destroy it!”  Alan fired his green flame into the machinery.  Mary flew towards the far end of the open bay to destroy the machinery on the other side.  They heard the base alarms activate as the Kayzik fired on them.

Linda and Alanna entered the fray.  They found themselves targeted by the Kayzik.

Linda found herself battling beside her father.

“We can do this!”  He smiled grimly.  “On three.  One, Two…”  A Kayzik laser bounced off the wall, striking a loose piece of metal.  The metal hit Alan Scott from behind, striking him unconscious.

“Dad?”  Linda pleaded.  “Dad?”

Mary and Alanna flew towards them.

“Dad!”  Linda panicked.  Her eyes burned green.

The Outskirts of the Garjan Cloud

Lyla cleared the remains of the Kayzik fleet.  She flew to the first Shantar relay system outside of the Galactic Cloud.  The beginnings of the Shantar fleet and the Green Lantern Corps followed her back through.  They aimed towards the planet.

Spaceport

Donna locked down the doors to the Kayzik fleet storage.  On her signal, Diana used the defense lasers to demolish the remaining Kayzik and their craft within the spaceport.

Shantar military transport center

Jay ran down into the bowels of the military transport.  Following Lyla’s directions, he activated the transporter.  Shantar troops appeared from relay stations just outside the Galactic Cloud.

Above the planet

Kent intensified his spell.  Faith added another dose of power.  The effects were immediate.  Any remaining cohesion among the Kayzik dissipated.  They began to attack each other.

In the Capitol City of Odibil Syttik

“This is too easy.”  Elise smirked as she watched two Kayzik warriors behead each other.  “I should have Kent cater all my battles.”

Kendra leaned on her sword. 

“I won’t argue that, big sister.”

They heard their comms reactivate as Hal Jordan landed beside them.

“Elise, this is Jay.”  They heard the Flash.  “Are you receiving?”

“Loud and clear.”   She grinned.  “Donna?  Diana?”

“We’re here.”  Donna answered.  “Our friends seem to have a problem.  They’re self-destructing.”

“I’m not seeing any left.”  Diana marveled.  “They’re doing a better job of dealing with each other than we could have.”

“This is Lyla.”  They heard.  “Heading towards the approaches from the Dalran Cloud.  Doesn’t seem to be anything else coming through.  Looks like Alan succeeded.  We’ll go check as soon as we can.”

Half an hour later – the Spaceport

“On my way!”  Astra saluted Lyla.  “Back in an hour!”  She rose up through the atmosphere and headed into Hyperspace – Destination, the Dalran Galactic Cloud.

Elise walked into the spaceport docking area with the Amazons and Kendra.  Jay and Kent walked towards her.  Jeffrey guarded an unconscious Faith.

“She’ll be all right.”  Kent looked over to the Huntress.  “She overdid it.  By the time Astra gets back, Faith will have recovered.”

“Hope so.”  Donna commented.  “The Kayzik couldn’t begin to compare to the tongue lashing Barbara Gordon will give me if anything happens to her.”

Diana snorted a chuckle.  Lyla tapped her comms.

“Starchild to Sector Command.  Report.” 

“This is Sector Command, Ma’am.  What few scattered pockets of resistance remain: won’t hold out much longer.  We’ve cleared the Hyperspace approaches to the Sector, begun repairs to the spaceport, and repaired the relay transporters.  We’ve lost thousands on the surface of the planet, but the Kayzik lost millions.  They did not have a good day today.”

“Thank you, Sector Command.”  Lyla acknowledged.  “Now, I need an immediate tracer on three people:  Commander Zanik of the fleet and Zanna and Janna Zanik.”

“Aye, Ma’am.  On it.  Sector Command out.”  She heard her comms shut off.  Lyla breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s one of two.”  She muttered.  She activated her comms.  “Starchild to Supergirl.  How is it going, Sweetheart?”

They heard the distant connection improve itself.

“Great, Mom!”  Kira’s voice broadcast through.  “About an hour ago, the Kayzik started withdrawing.  They’re back to just their normal patrols.  Good thing, too.  Iris and Dawn have collapsed into a heap.  And Kal has had enough.  He’s gone back to the farm.”

Lyla laughed.

“Good work, Kira!  The invasion has been thwarted, so the Kayzik shouldn’t be gearing up again any time soon.  Our team is fine, although Faith is fast asleep.  We still haven’t heard from the Sentinel’s team.  Astra’s on it – she’s on her way to Dalran.  We’ll let you know when we know anything else.  Mom out.”  She shut off her comms.  They almost immediately retriggered.

“Ma’am, this is Sector Command.  I’ve run your tracer.  Commander Zanik’s craft never got off the ground.  He was slightly wounded during the battle – his wrist is being set at one of our field hospitals.  As to the other two, they were assigned to defend the sanitation facilities and were forced into one of the vats during a particularly intense battle. They’ll be fine once they’ve been cleaned up, but they’re worried about what their friends will say.”  

“Thank you, Sector Command!”  Lyla shut off her comms.  She walked over to Elise and Kendra.  “Your family will be fine.”

“Thank you, Starchild.”  Kendra closed her eyes and sighed with relief.

“You’re very welcome.”  Lyla rested her hand on Kendra’s shoulder.  “Now, if we can just keep this battle from happening again.  Eternal vigilance: I’m afraid this was neither eternal nor vigilance.”

Diana watched Kent.

“Old man, you seem concerned.”

“I am.”  Kent grimaced.  “While I don’t know her specific activities at any time, I usually can sense that Mary is active.  Right now, I sense nothing.  I don’t know what that means.”

“Nothing good.”  Jay grimaced.  “Nothing at all good!”

An hour later

Astra reappeared. She scowled.

“Boss, this little wraith can’t even begin to explain what she saw.  She can tell you that she saw nothing, and that’s not what she expected to see.”

“Third person speech, Astra?”  Lyla inquired.  “Sounds like you’re upset.”

“I found nothing, Lyla!”  Astra had fear in her eyes.  “I mean nothing.  Just a single, lifeless world.”

“That’s impossible!”  Elise countered.  “Nothing could have simply destroyed the Ogeslaz base.”

Faith finally rousted herself.  She stretched and looked back at the group.

Catwoman.  Jeffrey thought to himself.  And I thought she was just one of Alan’s stories.

“Did I miss much?”  She asked.  They watched the Green Flame burn around her.  Her eyes grew more alert.

“The Ogeslaz military base is missing,” Diana informed her, “and so are our teammates.”

“Great.  Just great.”  She looked at Lyla.  “Yet another field trip?”

Lyla nodded.

“You, me, Kent, and Astra.  No one else.”

“What!”  Diana protested.  “Why not?”

Lyla frowned.

“Because I have a bad feeling about this.  I need Kent to find Mary and I need strong mystic defenses.  I can’t afford observers on this one.  I hope we’ll be back soon.”

Kent shrugged.  Faith grimaced.  She looked longingly at her crossbow and thought of her mountain cats.  Charlie, I hope you’re having a good day.   She looked up at Hallie Jordan.  Astra nodded concerned understanding.

“It’s really that bad.”  She whispered.  She seemingly vanished.

“I wonder if the Guardians have an award for the most miles flown in one day.”  Faith grumbled.  She placed an environment bubble around Kent and floated above.

“Starchild to Sector Control.”  Lyla called.  “Headed to Dalran.”

“Aye, Ma’am.”  Sector Control responded.  “You’re cleared for departure.”

Emerald fire raced upwards through the atmosphere.  Less than a second later, it had vanished from view.

Hyperspace

“Just how bad is it?”  Lyla asked.  Astra concentrated.

“Completely gone.”  Astra answered.  “I think Alanna is out there, but if she is, she’s immobile.  That means she may have someone other than Linda in stasis.  She can’t move anyone larger than Linda.”

Kent grimaced.

“Not good, but not entirely bad.  That’s Alanna’s best defense – to leave real space-time.  But if she’s out there, we’ll be able to find her.  Linda always could.”

Twenty minutes later – the Dalran Cloud

They decelerated out of Hyperspace over what should have been the Ogeslaz military base.  Lyla felt the red sun sap most of her strength.

“Nothing.”  Lyla mumbled.  “Absolutely impossible.  Yet, here it is.  Kent, can you find Alanna?”

“Not me.”  Kent gestured at the Huntress.  She had already begun moving. “It’s a genetic marker.”

Faith stopped dead in space.  She looked oddly at Astra.  Astra nodded.  Faith concentrated.  The little group found themselves in a place outside of space and time.  Alanna Scott seemed to roust herself from a sound sleep.

“What happened?”  Lyla asked.  She saw two unconscious forms that appeared to be the Sentinel and Mary Marvel.

“How long have I been here?”  Alanna asked groggily.

“Best guess?”  Lyla asked.  “About two and a half hours.”

“Damn.”  Alanna cursed.  “When it happened, I had no choice.  I had to pull them out of real space and put them into suspended animation.  Comms were dead and I can’t use mine in Shadow form, anyway.  All I could do was wait.”

“What happened?”  Faith asked.  “I sense traces of Green Flame, but something isn’t right with it.”

“What I’ve always feared.”  Alanna shook visibly.  She watched Kent examine Alan and Mary.  “I can release stasis.”

“Don’t.”  Kent answered.  “I can help them.  But I’d rather keep them both in stasis until I’m sure what happened.  I’ll let you know when to release.”

Alanna nodded.

“Jade was a three-part trinity.  She was composed of Linda Lee Danvers, the life-force of the legendary Phoenix, and the life-force of Gaea, the Starheart of a deceased universe.”

“Was?”  Lyla asked with fear for her young friend.

“Was.”  Alanna asserted.  “Gaea has broken free.  Linda is completely gone.”  She sighed.  “Dad was slightly wounded.  His flame had already begun to heal him.  But Linda panicked.  And I mean really panicked.”  She smiled sadly.  “I guess I never really understood Linda before.  For all her power, she was just a little girl who wanted to please her father.  And when she saw him injured, she found herself faced with her one true fear – losing him.  And Linda’s fear fed into Gaea.  Blind panic begat more blind panic.  And without Linda’s force of will to keep Gaea in check, the mad creature broke free.  With Linda’s form under her control, Gaea found herself free to wreak havoc in this universe.”

She looked up.

“Gaea just disintegrated everything.  She took no care to protect Dad and Mary.  I pulled them from reality just they were hit by the leading edge of Gaea’s disintegration wave – that’s why they’re both out cold.”

Lyla held her hand up to her face and closed her eyes.

“So I have a mad Starheart out to destroy everything she can find?”

Alanna nodded.

“Yes.  Exactly.  And worse?  She may think she is acting for Linda.  If so, I don’t know how you stop her.”

Kent watched the unconscious heroes with concern.

“I do.  I know what we have to do.  We have to keep them unconscious.  And then the rest of us stay here until the Huntress returns.”

“Moi?”  Faith asked.  “Why me?”

“You know why.”  Kent asserted.  “It has to be you.  Trust me.”

He’s out of his Wizardly mind!!!  Faith thought to herself.  “And how do I find this creature that can disintegrate me without a thought?”

“Look for the Green Flame.”  Kent assured her.  “You’ll find it.”

Sure I will…  Faith’s expression left no doubt to her true emotions.  She said nothing as she exited Alanna’s bubble.

“Kent,” Lyla asked, “what are you up to?”

“Something I should know better than to try.”  Kent mumbled back.  “But I’ll know if she succeeds.  I’m sorry, I can’t tell you more.  But if Gaea finds us, I can make sure she doesn’t pull the knowledge from me.  I can’t protect the rest of you.”

“That bad?”  Alanna inquired.

“That bad.”  Kent confirmed.

Hyperspace

He’s out of his blooming mind!  Faith charged into Hyperspace.  How can I take on a creature that powerful?  She sensed Gaea’s direction.  Damn!  She’s drifting towards Shantar space!  Have to move it!

 Faith passed two more Galactic Clouds, both now completely devoid of life.  Move it, move it, move it!  She flew towards what appeared to be a large sun – a large sun that burned green.  There’s no such thing as a green sun.  Kent Nelson, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do!  I’m just a junior Green Lantern.  I’m the Huntress… the unintended daughter of Alan Scott…

She smiled a fearsome smile.  …and I’m the biological daughter of the Green Flame itself!  She dematerialized her physical form and picked up speed.  Don’t try this at home, folks!   She flew towards the huge, glowing object.  She sensed the Starheart as best she could.  There’s something besides the Starheart in there.  Faith entered the raging green sun.

Voices… memories of another universe… memories of people who could never be in this universe… memories of the destruction of the entire universe…

Faith searched for Linda.  No dice.  Not that Linda was that fond of me anyway.  Hell-o, anybody home?  She blended her senses with the life-force of the Starheart.

Faith sensed another presence.  An ancient presence.  An ancient warrior.  She plowed her way through the Starheart towards that presence.  Holding her focus, she found the other presence.  A Shantar warrior?  She looks familiar…

“You have finally arrived.”  The warrior thought more than spoke.  “Good.  We still have a chance to regain control.”

“Who are you?”  Faith inquired.  “You seem familiar.”

“I?”  The presence queried.  “I am the creature responsible for this disaster.  With Gaea’s destruction of the consciousness of my current life-form, I have regressed to my previous form.”

“How are you responsible?”  Faith asked.  “Only Gaea is responsible for Gaea.”

“I unleashed her on this universe.”  Her companion admitted.  “Linda Danvers Scott was my tool to destroy the Kayzik home universe: vengeance for their destruction of my home and life for so many more universes.  The Phoenix and I entered the body at the same time – when the entry of the key destroyed her own life force and almost killed her unborn body.”    (Elf note:  Alterverse, Book 1, The Search for Kal-El, Chapter 2.)  “I had expected both Linda and Gaea to be destroyed during the final night – the destruction of the Kayzik hive by the Starheart of that universe.  Destruction of that hive was the dream that Gaea and I had shared.  It was what drove Gaea’s survival for so many empty years.”  (Elf note:  Alterverse, Book 1: Final Night and Beyond the Final Night).

“But didn’t Gaea achieve her goals?”  Faith asked.  “Her work was done.  She chose to protect Linda because she wanted to.”

The Shantar woman grimaced.

“No.  Gaea knew who Linda was.  Not the current Linda, but Linda’s previous existence.  And when she discovered Linda’s true identity, she knew that she had her dream.  And she would never surrender it again.  But it wasn’t Linda she truly wanted.  It was me.  When Linda panicked today, it gave Gaea the opportunity to force me to the surface.”

The woman looked into Faith’s eyes.

“My time is done.  I lived my life well.  I do not wish to steal Linda’s life.  I certainly do not wish to remain Gaea’s captive.”

“Who are you?”  Faith asked.  “I still don’t understand.”

The woman smiled sadly.

“Let me tell you a story.”

Elsewhere, in another universe, many years ago – the Administrative Planet – Janar 5.

The transport pod left the spaceport.  It followed the tracks across the Janar 5 countryside towards the capitol city.  Aboard, a young Shantar woman looked outside the pod.  She listened to her sleeping husband beside her.  Well, young J’dik, what have you gotten yourself into this time?  She reproached herself.  J’Dik looked up into the violet skies of the ancient world.  Me and my big mouth.  ‘We can make a difference here.  Alar, I do not know why, but we must go to Janar 5.’

And he believed me.  Sometimes I wonder why he is so faithful.  I do have the old gift.  Perhaps that is driving me here.  J’dik frowned.  No, it is my own foolishness.  I wish to believe there is something here for us.

She scowled.  The Kayzik are coming.  They have won the battle of Turik in the system of Sol.  We can’t stop them any more.  We can’t even slow them down.  Still, there must be something we can do.  Even to slow them down would bring my people relief.

I feel so helpless.   I have been given so much in life – I wish I could do more than administrative work.

The transport pod traveled through the countryside.  She watched the hills, the mountains, and the wildlife.  The old gift alerted her to danger.  She looked up.

“Damn!”  She shouted.  “We are not safe, even here.”  She watched in horror as Kayzik attack craft flew towards the transport.  J’Dik shook her husband. 

“What?”  He struggled to consciousness.

“Alar,” sorrow darkened her complexion, “I want you to know how much I love you.”

They heard an explosion.  The world turned pitch black.

Several hours later

J’Dik Alar struggled to consciousness.  She found herself surrounded by mangled pieces of the transport.  Slowly, she maneuvered herself to look around.  She could see nothing but the compartment walls of a waste facility.  Then, she felt a stabbing pain in her back.  She tried to move her right hand, but could not.  It felt trapped in something.  She shifted and tugged.

Almost got it.  She pulled harder.  She pulled herself free of the ground, but her hand remained trapped within an object.  With another pull, she freed it.

It’s an old lump of metal.  I wonder what it’s doing here?  Whimsically, she rubbed it for luck.  Then she looked around at the devastation.  Alar?  Where are you?  I don’t see anyone.  Nothing could have survived this wreck.  How am I still in one piece? Well, it’s after dark.  Maybe I can light a fire.   She picked up the odd lump.  She fashioned a handle, put kindling inside the hole, and lit it.  It flamed roared to life with an otherworldly green flame.  She heard a thundering voice within her mind.

“J’Dik Alar, three times have I flamed green.  The first to bring death.  The second to bring life.  And the third to bring power.  Your power.  Destiny has chosen you to be the Champion of the Green Flame.”

She heard Gaea tell the story of travels of the Green Lantern and its mystic fire.  The story told; the flame faded to a slow burn.

Her first thought was of her husband.  Alar, I did love you.  This, I will do in remembrance of what we shared.

Lantern in hand, she blazed into the sky.  She found the Kayzik attack craft.  They did not return to base.

Two thousand years later

The old woman coughed again.  This is it.  The last battle I will have the strength to fight.

“No, J’Dik!” Gaea screamed.  “Do not do this!  Take time to heal.  There will be other days!

J’Dik looked up. 

“No, Gaea, there won’t.  I will not heal, not this time.  I am far too old.  My body is too mortal.  My spirit must leave it behind.  You know that I expend most of my will power forcing my body to go on.  If I do not fight today, I will live longer.  But I will never have the strength to fight again.”

“But I will be alone for all eternity.  I will have no champion for my power.  I cannot act alone.  What can I do?”

J’Dik thought long and hard.  She used the old gift one last time.

“Gaea, we will not win this war.  Not here.  But we have gained time for countless mortals.  I have made a real difference in my life.  I have no regrets.”

She looked up at her friend.  The woman of Green Flame trembled in fear of J’Dik Alar’s death.

“Gaea, I know what you fear.  I know that you do not see the future, that you only anticipate it.  I confirm your fears – the Kayzik will rule this universe.”  She coughed violently.  Gaea watched with concern. 

“But there is something you do not know.  Even at the end of this universe, there will be more.  For there will be another to whom you belong.  You will be alone for a very long time, but you will serve again.  You will find a Champion who can be the true mistress of your Emerald Fire – Champion born of the House of the Champion.”

“But I do not wish another, J’Dik.”

J’Dik coughed again.

“I am sorry.  I am only mortal.”  She stood slowly, but with renewed determination.  “But I will not die in bed!  Not while I can still make a difference!”  Her lantern armor glowed green around her.  I have misled you Gaea.  I know what you fear most of all – that your existence will have no further meaning.  I will prevent that.  But I must die now to make it happen.  I so wish I could spare you the many empty years.  But we will have our vengeance.  And we will make a true difference for so many more.

She swept her hair back over the tips of her ears.  For the last time, J’Dik Alar took to the skies.

Present day, inside Gaea

“I kept my promise.”  J’Dik Alar emphasized.  “The Kayzik will infect no more universes.  Even if this universe were to die, its existence had true value to every other universe in the Continuum.  But Gaea’s potential for damage is not limited to just this universe.  She has transited between universes before.  Once she is done with her destruction here, she will begin to destroy other universes.  That, we must prevent.”

“We?”  Faith countered.  “We?  Everyone seems to think I have all of the answers.  I do not.  I am a creature of the forest.  This is far beyond my experience.”

J’Dik looked at her with a fierce confidence.

“No.  Linda was Champion, born of the House of Champion.  But you are more:  Champion, born of Champion.  You have the power of that birthright.  And because of that Gaea cannot easily destroy you.  Yours will be the final command she obeys.”

Faith furrowed her brow.  That means something, here.  Diana told me Linda’s story on the way.  And she told me of Alan Scott’s story – his life and his family.  His family…  That’s the clue Kent kept emphasizing.  Sneaky, Kent.  You set this up.  This has to do with why you kept Alan and Mary unconscious.  Now I just have to understand how to execute it.

“J’Dik,” she inquired, “if you were to live again, what would you ask for?”

“I?”  The Shantar woman answered with a smile.  “If I had my choice, I would be somewhere that I could fly free.  I seek nothing else.  I have lived my life and do not wish to take on the worries of another.  I know that sounds selfish, but it is what I would choose.”

“By the way,” J’Dik smiled, “you puzzled Linda, but she loved your accent.”

“The Thorn was an Aussie.”  Faith blushed.  “Comes out sometimes.”  Forgive me, J’Dik.  But if this works, you shall have what you desire – even if you do not desire life itself.  “Showtime, J’Dik.  Now, we find out if my brains are half as big as my ego.”

“Hey, Gaea!  You forgot to close your front door!”  Faith exclaimed.  Hope that works.  I do hate being ignored.

“And what fool do we have here!”  Gaea’s consciousness rolled towards them.  “Come all this way to die?  Linda may have been puzzled by you, but I just simply despise you.”

Faith ignored the comment.

“Gaea, it’s Linda’s time to live.  You must return her.  She has a right to be.”

“Linda had neither the maturity nor the force of will to control me.”  Gaea asserted.  “But now, J’Dik Alar lives again!  My champion has returned!  And I shall protect my beloved J’Dik Alar from all the threats of this universe, even if I must destroy the universe itself!”

Faith and J’Dik exchanged a common expression – fear of Gaea’s madness.  Faith steeled herself.

“Then I must stop you.  You have no claim on this universe.  Its people have a right to life!  Yes, they may lose to the Kayzik, but they may not.  But the premature genocide of all life resolves nothing.”

“Who are you to stop me?” Gaea laughed.  “You are only a foolish and almost powerless creature.”

“I am Champion born of Champion.”  Faith asserted.  “I am heir to the Emerald Fire.  And far more.”

“You annoy me.”  Gaea fired a disintegration spell at Faith.  Faith vanished and reappeared.  She sensed Gaea’s puzzlement.  Gaea fired again.  This time, Faith deflected the spell.

“Impossible.”  Gaea exclaimed. 

“There is a Starheart native to this universe,” Faith stated, “and you’re not it.”  She channeled the power of Alterverse Starheart into Gaea.  Gaea held her own shields.

“I have had enough!”  Gaea replied with fury.  “I will destroy you now!  Say your final words!”

So Kent, it comes down to this – the real reason you kept both Alan and Mary in stasis.  Faith grinned.  So I can do this!

“I have but one final word.”  Faith stated simply.

“SHAZAM!”

The combined power of a Starheart and the Rock of Eternity flowed through her.

Dalran

Kent watched Mary and Alan vanish.  It worked!  He, Lyla, and Alanna vanished.  A lifeless planet circled a red sun, alone.

Dega Five

Elise and her crew of assassins met the rest of Lyla’s team.  She tapped her comms. 

“Lyla?  Are you there?”

A startled Krypto barked as they vanished.  Then, he too vanished.

The Sentinel’s Lair

“Selina!”  Garja Jenna called.  “Look!”

Alan, Mary, Alanna, Elise, Donna, Diana, Jay, Kent, Jeffrey, Lyla, Krypto, and Elise’s team of assassins had reappeared.

“How do you feel?”  Kent asked Mary.

“Fine.”  She answered.  “How did we get here?”

“Huntress?”  Donna badgered as she tapped her comms.  “Are you there?  Be there Faith!  You’re not worth the thumping Batgirl is going to give me if something happens to you!”

Purgatory

An impossible being performed another impossible act – the redemption of an unborn soul from purgatory.  The impossible creature redeemed the soul that had been forced out of its niece with the entry of the Phoenix and the the soul of J’Dik Alar.  Then it departed.

Mount Olympus

The Phoenix returned to its nest only to find that other mythical creatures had trespassed.  He made quick work of evicting his unwanted tenants.  Then, he swooped down upon prey too slow to escape.  In flight, he felt the sun warm the depths of his soul.  Soul?  He pondered.  How could I have acquired one?  But that is a problem for another day.  For I am home and I am no longer alone.

He watched as his new, green companion flew to greet him.  Happily, he made room in his nest for his companion.  Then, they flew into the skies together, the trials of their red and green flame mixing to form a perfect white.

Sentinel’s Lair – three hours later

“We can get you home.”  Alan addressed Donna and Dawn.  “But I would suggest that we wait until Faith reappears.”

“I believe she will.”  Kent advised them.  “She did everything right.  She had to.  We’re still here.”

Alanna walked to the Command Center window and looked into the sky.

“What about my little sister?  What about my little girl?”

“What about Jade?”  Selina mused in agreement.

“Screw Jade!”  Alanna cursed.  “Jade was a creature who never should have existed.  Have you forgotten Linda?  The little girl with a big heart who had more guts than any of us gave her credit for?  Or do you just remember Jade’s power?”

She heard no response.  Then her eyes lit as she watched a flash of green behind the crowd.

“I must admit that I never knew her.”  The Huntress materialized with a sleeping young woman in her arms.  “But I hope to have the opportunity.”  Alanna quickly forced her way through the crowd to relieve Faith of her bundle. 

Faith found her self pushed away from the sleeping Linda.  She felt Dawn wrap her arms around from behind.  She patted Dawn’s hands.

Kent cast a sensor spell.

“No sign of Gaea’s power.  No sign of the Phoenix life force.  Just Linda.”

“And that’s good enough for me!”  Alanna glared at Kent.  “Be careful of your next words, old man.  You would not like to realize the horrors I could inflict upon you!”

“Alanna.”  Faith called.  “Some of her memories are missing.  Most of her recent memories are at least suppressed.  She will not remember you.”

“But my memories are working perfectly!”  Alanna challenged.  “And no one will ever take her from me, again!”  She stormed out of the Command Center with Linda still asleep in her arms.  Alan and Elise followed with mixed expressions of relief and concern.

Faith put her arm around Dawn’s waist.

“Possessive, isn’t she?”  Then, Faith found herself and Dawn pressed together and lifted into the air.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”  Donna grinned up at them.

“I thought I wasn’t worth the thumping you were going to get from Babs?” Faith teased.

“Don’t push it.”  Donna warned.  “Don’t even think about it.”

Faith laughed.

Several hours later - somewhere in Wyoming

Faith Scott sat on an old log.  She breathed in the autumn air.  She wondered if she heard a mountain lion.  This set would have no reason to trust her.  Cat may never have existed here.  This Wood isn’t the same.  I miss you, Charlie.  She thought warmly of the four-footed full-time resident of the Huntress Wood.

This has been so difficult!  Well, we’ll get to leave early tomorrow.  I wish these folks well, but I cannot fight this battle as well as my own.  I will miss them all, though.  I just wish I could have done more for Linda.  But I’ve at least left her a surprise.  She chuckled.  Alanna, I wish you well with her.  This time, at least, it will be your true sister.  I must admit I do envy you that tie.  And I envy Linda.  Nothing will ever keep her from you again.

She listened to the forest as dusk approached.  The natural sounds soothed her.  She heard a mountain cat close in, then stop to rest and watch her.  She idly wondered if she could scratch its ears.  Then she heard footsteps behind her and she watched the mountain cat slip away.

“I thought I would find you here.”  Alan Scott approached her with a friendly smile.  “Here, where it all began.”

She nodded.

“This is where my Wood is on my world.  Where the train derailed and fell.  And where the Green Flame reclaimed me, as well.”

Curious, she asked.

“I know my father’s story.  But what ever happened to your Dekker?  The man who sabotaged the train?”

Alan dredged through his memories.

“I had a signed confession and we were in flight to the police.  He had a fatal heart attack and I had no idea what to do about it.  I think I buried him.”   Alan smiled grimly.  “Actually I left him in the DA’s office with the confession pinned to him.  God, things were so much easier, then.”

Faith frowned.

“It’s nice to believe so.  But, I think it’s not that they’re easy.  It’s more that they’re done.  That makes them seem easy.”

They fell silent for a moment.

 “I come here to think.”  She smiled gently.  “I’m not as experienced as some of the team, and I’ve got a lot to learn.  I find a measure of serenity here.  I always have.”

“But now I have to admit that I look at the downed railroad cars and think ‘they paid the price for the power I possess.  What would they want most from me?’  And I’ve never really found an answer to that question.  I know who they were, but their families are long gone.”

“I’m nothing more than the shadow of one of them.”  She smiled sardonically.  “A working man, trying to make his way in the world.  Someone who worked at what he did.  Someone who cared about his family, too.  The man who became the sole survivor because it was his fate to keep the dream alive for others.  And he did, with all the wisdom and power at his disposal - until the bitter end.  I wish I had met him even once.”

He smiled sadly.

“I’m sure he would have been very proud of you.  I know I’m very tempted to block the Portal just to keep you from leaving.”  He winked.  “But I won’t.  And we both know it.”  He sighed.  Alan Scott sat down on the ground and admired the daughter he might have had.  “You know, I’ve done this all wrong.  I’ve fought battles to save a universe, but they’re the wrong battles.  Their home,” he pointed towards the train wreck, “and what may remain of their families have been decimated by the creatures that roam this universe.  And I haven’t stopped it.”

“What happens?”  She asked.  “What happens if you free just the worlds between you and the Empire?  Can you do that?”

He nodded slowly.

“I think so.  I have more power under my command than I ever thought I would.”  He started to smile wryly.  “And once we free this world, the real battleground becomes the next world in the chain – a hidden Shantar Empire base.  That would keep the Kayzik away from this world.  And we’d knock those satellites out of the sky.”  He pointed upwards to a faint pyramid in the sky.  “Once and for all.”

“And that’s what they would want.”  He watched her smile.  “And that’s what we can offer them.  To ensure their children’s freedom.  To allow their children the chance to chase their dreams.  An interesting way to keep things in perspective.”

“It doesn’t always work.”  She admitted.  “But it does for the big decisions.”

“Seems to be working pretty well, from what I can see.”  He smiled broadly.  “Not just pretty well - very well.” Alan spoke warmly.  “But before you go, I’d like to talk a little bit about legends.  I know how intimidated you feel by your father’s legend.  But legends are relative: they carry weight only with those who are familiar with them.  Remember that no one in this universe has ever met your father.  They would simply see him as a variant of me.  But the people of Dega Five have no doubt who the Huntress is.  Nor do I.  You have given me the precious gift of my child’s life: not your father – you.  And when you leave here, we will wonder what kind of a man your father must have been to have fathered a child like you.”

Alan listened to the forest for a moment.  He glanced at her quiet smile and listened to her quiet breathing.

“I still don’t know how you pulled it off, and I’m not sure it’s important.  What I do know is that you’ve given me a second chance with my child and my world.  Now, I stand in your shadow.  And I know that whatever life Linda has after today, it is your gift to us – a gift I plan to cherish and protect.”

She protested.

“I only did what I…”

“Had to.”  He finished for her.  “But you did it thoughtfully, well, and with the best possible result.  At the same time, you never lost sight of your true goal.  And I have learned that from you today.  I have remembered what it means to be a Green Lantern.”

She smiled broadly.   He favored her with a friendly glance.    

“Alanna has taken Linda back to the Kent Farm.  She doesn’t remember any of us.  Her memories stop just before the Danvers moved her back to Leesburg, Virginia.  None of the terrors of that time afflict her.  She has a clean start.  And I intend to enter her life as gently as I can and guide her as well as I can.  But I have to wonder if that wasn’t what you intended.”

“Yes.”  Faith agreed.  “I hoped for that.  I had to ensure that her soul had a chance to heal before she was forced to remember any of the last two years.  Her other memories will return, but not before she’s strong enough to handle them.”  She sat quietly for a moment.  “The person you knew as Linda was the reincarnation of a Shantar woman from another universe named J’Dik Alar.  Unfortunately, when that personality mixed with the Phoenix life force and Gaea, you wound up with an inflexible and unstable mix.  The personality found itself overwhelmed by the forces that drove it.”

Alan nodded.

“Gaea mentioned J’Dik Alar when we first met her, before she collapsed her universe.” He confirmed.  (Alterverse, Book 1:  The Fellowship of the Ring).  “I didn’t realize that was the reason she gave her power to me.”

“Yes.”  Faith agreed.  “J’Dik had planned it all out and Gaea followed through like an obedient child.  But J’Dik had expected Linda and Gaea to cease to exist during the Final Night.”

“I’m glad they didn’t.”  Alan admitted.  “Even after today.  The Shantar have reclaimed the Kayzik worlds that Gaea destroyed.  They were able to secure several strategic Hyperspace approaches.  Not that I really care.  I’m just happy to have Linda back.”

“And that’s what you got.”  Faith looked into the distance.  “The real Linda’s soul was displaced the day that J’Dik Alar and the Phoenix entered her body.  I still don’t know how I did it, but I claimed my niece’s original soul from purgatory, added the pieces of Linda that I could find from J’Dik Alar’s soul, and used the magic of Shazam and the Green Flame to rebuild Linda’s mortal form.”

“Niece?”  Alan asked, amused.

Faith looked at Alan confidently.

“That was Kent’s gamble.  I’m from another universe, but I am the biological daughter of Alan Scott.  Linda and Alanna are the children of your daughter, Molly.  Kent understood the meaning of that distinction.  I, not they, am your closest blood relative.  And in the absence of both you and Mary, I am the heir to the power of both of you.  I invoked them both at once.  Not something I would ever hope to do again, but it worked this time.”

“I’m truly glad it did.”  Alan admitted.  He stood up.  “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay.  I am going to Smallville.  I want to spend time with Linda.  And I need to learn more about Lyla.”  He stood up.  “Stop by.  If not, we’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thank you.”  Faith waved as Alan took off into the air.  His streak of green flame lit the night sky.

“I thought he would never leave.”  Lyla appeared beside her.  “I heard most of it.  Sounds like you had an interesting day.”

“More than you’ll ever know.”  Faith smiled.  “And probably more than I’ll ever understand.”

“Try me.”  Lyla offered.

“Well,” Faith accepted the offer, “Imagine that…”

Alterverse Earth – the following morning

Elise spoke with Alan while the Inheritors spoke with Diana.  Finally, he walked towards the Inheritors.  Elise smiled.  There’s supposed to be Green Flame in your soul, Faith.  I don’t doubt it.  I wonder if you know what you’ve done for us.

Alan addressed the three Inheritors.

“Ready?” 

Donna and Dawn nodded.

“Ready.”  Faith enveloped her friends in her flame as they waved to Diana and Elise.   She followed Alan through the atmosphere and into Hyperspace.  After a brief flight, they exited Hyperspace close to where the Great Portal would open into the Alterverse Universe. 

“Ah, I see it.”  Faith opened the Portal and prepared to enter its home universe. 

“May the wind be at your back, Green Lantern.”  Alan smiled at Faith.  She smiled sweetly.

“And may the sun warm your soul, Green Lantern.”  She answered back.  He nodded. 

You already have, daughter I wish were mine.  I do wish you well.  Alan faded back from the entrance.

Once inside, the Inheritors waved one last time to Alan and refocused the Great Portal back to their home universe.  Seconds later, they were through the Portal, floating above the Galactic plane of their home galaxy.  As soon as Faith closed the Portal, her comms badge beeped.

“We’re fine, John.”  Donna answered.  “We’re headed towards Oa.  And when we get there, we’ve got a tale to tell.”

Alterverse – the Kent farm, the next day

Alanna chatted with Kira.  Kira grinned.

“Great team building exercise.  I hope Dawn Allen comes again.  Iris seemed quite content by the end of the day.”  Kira peered around the farm with telescopic vision.  “Linda’s about ½ a mile south.  We have trespassers closing in.”

“I’ll take care of it.”  Alanna stated.  She flew up into the air towards her sister.  Careful, Linda!  She spotted her sister below.  Damn!  Well, let’s see how this plays out before I act.

Several less than savory young men had approached her.

“Hi, cute thang.”  The largest addressed her.

“Hello yourself.”  Linda answered.  She picked up her walking stick.

“Well, lookie.”  The leader, to the left of the largest, teased.  “Farm tools.  And freshly picked crops.  Why, thank you.  How did you know?”

Alanna watched from above.  I want to jump in, but I won’t.  I’ve got to see how she plays this out.

“I knew that just like I knew you were going to walk away and leave it behind.”  Linda started to twirl her stick.  It blurred.   The nearest young man walked towards her picked crops.  She used her stick to knock his legs out from underneath him.  “My Aunt Mary taught me that you ask before you take.”

Something is happening. Alanna sensed a growing discontinuity.  She smelled electricity in the air.  Something big.  Faith Scott – you did something.  But what? No.  It’s not what you did, it’s what you made sure was not undone.  You are dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.  And I am going to enjoy this.

Kira floated beside Alanna.  Alanna smiled and gestured to Kira to stay with her. 

“They don’t deserve our help.”  Alanna grinned viciously.  “Relax and enjoy the show.  They won’t be coming back.”

Kira stayed her flight.  She watched with Alanna.

The large man charged Linda.  Using her greater speed, she slammed her stick against the backs of his knees, collapsing them.  Above, Kira looked again at Alanna.  Alanna again signaled ‘No’.

The men realized that they were only superficially injured.  Together, they approached Linda.  She knew that combined, they would be able to force her away from her tools and harvest.  Still unafraid, her fury grew and her soul screamed for vengeance.  Linda had no expectation of rescue; she looked for any weaknesses in their defenses she could exploit.

“You boys wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”  Linda threatened.  She backed up.

“I like ‘em when they’re angry!”  The leader boasted.  “Adds to the challenge.  Hey! I understand there’s a couple of old folks a quarter mile down.  When we’re through with her, we’ll liberate them from their goodies, too.”

Uncle John and Aunt Mary!  Linda’s mind raced.  I can’t, I won’t let that happen! 

The Kayzik home universe

A timeless, eternal being, the Starheart had accomplished the purpose for which it had been created – the destruction of the mother queen of the Kayzik swarm.  Its sole remaining function had been to guard the Great Portal.  It had no other requirements to fulfill, and another Starheart had blocked it from transmitting power to its true champion.

Until now.

The Kent farm

Linda’s fury drove her force of will.  Her eyes and hands burned with emerald fire as her guardian responded to her unconscious call.  Her new acquaintances screamed in terror.  Horrified, they could not free themselves from the glowing green tendrils that grew from the ground and wrapped around them.  The tendrils hurled them through the air, far from the Kent farm.  They howled with desperation as they flew.  Soon, they were well out of sight. 

“Wow.”  Linda marveled.  “Did I do that?  Well, Aunt Mary has spent the last ten years telling me about the power of green vegetables.  Guess she wasn’t kidding.”  She shrugged, picked up her harvest and tools and walked back to the barn.

Above her, Kira vanished.  Alanna caught up to Kira just as she released the cushion of air she provided to slow down the descent of Linda’s visitors.   Dazed, the men wandered off to seek other employment.

Above, Alanna and Kira had to fly out of the men’s range before they burst out laughing.

“How long before her memory returns?”  Kira guffawed. 

“I don’t know.”  Alanna chuckled.  “But they’ll sure remember her!”  She howled with laughter.

The Inheritors’ Universe - Oa

Faith sat on a bench beneath the Oan sky.  She looked up to the moon and tried to make sense of her recent adventures.  After a few minutes, she heard Ganthet approach.

“That was quite an adventure you had.”  Ganthet offered.  “What did you learn?”

Faith looked at him with irritation.

“Learn?  We fought a mad being that destroyed small galaxies, and all you want to know is what I learned?”

He stood in front of her.

“No.  You misunderstand.  Let me try to say again what I mean.  I want to hear how you felt about what you encountered.  Because that is how we truly learn.  And I wish to learn from you today.  But I will leave if I have upset you.”

She smiled thoughtfully.

“No.  I think I would like you to stay.  Please join me.”  She gestured to the bench just in front of hers.

The Green Lantern’s Gym – Oa

“Donna,” Dawn Allen called, “haven’t you worked out enough for one day?”

“No.”  Donna knocked another punching bag off its moorings.  “The Alterverse Diana was as good as I was.  But her power was still not enough to keep her world free.    Dawn, that means I have to do better.  I have to make more of a difference for our world!  We absolutely have to!”

Dawn recoiled from the cold determination in Donna’s eyes.  Can you even contain your anger any more?   What does that mean for the rest of us?

“It’s like Lyla said.”  Donna warned.  “Eternal vigilance.  I shouldn’t have allowed Luthor to slaughter Diana.  And I will never allow such a thing to happen again.”   She marched off to the shower.

-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2002 by Eldric

-- and may not be reprinted without permission. 

-- Otherverse and Dark Earth, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook

-- Alterverse and The Inheritors, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are the original creations of Eldric

-- The Realm and Shadowverse, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,

-- are original creations of John P. and Jason G respectively.

-- Some characters in Continuum Worlds stories are original

-- creations of Dylan Clearbrook, Michael Liebhart,

-- Jake H., Jason Froikin, Eldric, Jason G, or Andrew Shields and may not

-- be used without express permission of the respective author

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