“What a mess!”
Jennifer Walters-Gand, the new Sentinel of this Multiverse, floating alongside her husband in space, looking over the carnage, could only agree with his assessment.
Several thousand vessels, of all shapes and sizes; in various stages of operational capability, were spread out as far as the eye could see.
“This is all that is left of sectors 2828 and 2815.” Lar Gand, otherwise known as Valor, shook his head.
Unlike his wife, Lar had a background in space travel and had, before coming to Earth to be placed in the Phantom Zone, traveled extensively.
“So many deaths…for what?” He clenched his fist in impotent fury at that which he could not change. He forced himself to relax and glanced over at his wife.
It was her power that sustained them both at the
moment. The Cosmic power she generated
As for Jenny, she had no such concerns. It was
And for that, Jenny was grateful.
Leaving Earth soon after they awakened within this particular Probability of this new Multiverse, Jenny and Lar had followed the suggestion of the Starheart and traveled to Oa where they submitted themselves to the Guardians for training. (It was only recently that Jenny had learned that she, despite the fact that she was not a true Green Lantern, had been awarded an honorary membership…indeed, she was now mentioned not only in the Multiverse Book of Oa, but in the Alterverse version as well!)
“Well, I wanted to test my power levels.” Jenny now spoke in a glum voice.
When they had entered this Probability, the Multiverse Starheart, an entity Jenny still did not understand, had decreased her power levels, capping her at a specific level except for extreme emergencies.
Since she generated much of her own power, she knew that meant the Starheart was siphoning off much of that energy continuously.
A good thing, she had discovered soon after arriving at Oa.
There she, with the help of the Guardians…especially the Guardian named Ganthet…had determined that, prior to leaving Otherverse, her power had been siphoned off by the Great Battery she had constructed out of the shard!
By pulling all that power into herself, filtering it, and
then releasing it back into the newly made
With no place to go, that energy
After returning from Alterverse, the Guardians had
dispatched a sizable portion of the Green Lantern Corps to both of the
devastated sectors. They flew sweeps through system after system, mopping up
any remaining Kayzik (not many and
Admittedly, the Guardians were more concerned
Jenny and Lar, with the aid and guidance of Tomar-Re of Xudar, the Green Lantern of Sector 2813, and Katma Tui of Korugar, the Green Lantern of Sector 1417, were
dispatched to rendezvous
“Where in the name of Dax do we even begin?” Lar mused.
Tomar started to speak but was silenced as Jenny answered.
“We start
“If that is Arisia, she gambles much.” Katma remarked. “According to the reports of your friends, Kara and Rogue, Arisia was badly injured in the battle.”(see the MV story Continuum 1)
“Her ring is sustaining her.” Tomar remarked, his tone grim. “That is the heart of a warrior...but even a warrior can push herself beyond her endurance. Her ring cannot keep her active and begin healing at the same time.”
“The rings heal?” Lar raised an eyebrow. This was something he had not heard before.
“In a manner of speaking.” Katma responded. “Though it is not instant.”
“The power of the ring aids the body in healing itself.” Tomar took up the explanation. “It speeds the process, giving the body the energy it needs…but it does not perform actual healing.”
“It is possible that it could.” Katma noted. “But that is one of the things that is forbidden. And for good reason.”
“It prevents a ring wielder from getting the notion he or she can play god!” Jenny put in, her voice barely above a whisper as she considered her own past. Hal Jordon…Parallax…had used his energy to heal her. Instantly. The result, however, was the infusion of power that had changed her from mere She-Hulk to…whatever she was!
“Exactly.” Tomar nodded approvingly. He may have added more, but closed his beak when Lar motioned towards the other figure flying alongside Arisia.
“I take it that is Princess Koriand’r?”
“Indeed it is.” Tomar answered grimly. “From Sector 2828. They refused to allow the Guardians to station a Green Lantern in their sector. If they had, perhaps the Princess would not have had such a hard life…and perhaps we could have stopped the Kayzik there!”
“Hard life?” Jenny turned to look at the bird-man.
“Princess Koriand’r of the planet Tamaran was given up to slavery in order to keep her world free.” Tomar spat, showing his distaste. “To the Psions. In an experiment at their hands, she gained the ability to absorb energy and project it in destructive ‘starbolts.’ Added to her natural flight ability and near invulnerability and she made an excellent addition to the Psion battle arenas.” He shook his head. “She escaped…only to lead a ragtag fleet of refugees out of her sector into sector 2815…barely one step ahead of the Kayzik.” He scowled and rubbed a finger across his beak. “I wonder if her sister, Komand’r…Blackfire…survived!”
“Komand’r was known to hate her
younger sister and was branded a traitor when she enlisted
Jenny wondered where the Princess had been during the final battle, since neither Kara nor Rogue had mentioned her. As the pair grew closer, Jenny saw the bruises and gashes, the cuts and scrapes and burn marks that literally covered the two and realized that, most likely, the Princess had been aboard a craft, placed there by Arisia before she, too, was overcome. They had both seen their share of battle…and, by the looks of them, were both bone-weary.
“That is not a happy woman.”
Lar remarked, seeing the look of anger that battled
“No.” The red skinned woman shook her head. “They attempted to, but Arisia’s ring might be damaged. They could not get through to her.”
“So why didn’t one of the little blue guys just pop over here and tell her in person?” Lar demanded, frowning. Tomar actually appeared scandalized by the suggestion.
“Preposterous!” He
blustered; making Jenny wonder why it always seemed aliens and translators
seemed to speak the English language
“You have got to be kidding me!” Jenny glared at the bird man and raised a
hand. Green energy poured out and
streamed towards the two approaching women, enveloping them
Both Katma and Tomar gaped as Jenny’s energy stream melded
Jenny held the connection and, as if her beam of energy were a tractor beam, drew the two women closer.
Soon they were close enough for those
Both were gazing at Jenny and Lar in pure amazement. They noticed Arisia’s eyes widen as she took in the small S emblems on the two large yellow buttons that held the Daxamite’s cape in place.
Their wonderment was not strong enough, however, to drown
out the anger and frustration and pure exh
“Where the hell were you?”
The golden skinned Green Lantern demanded of Tomar. Jenny knew that what she was hearing were not the woman’s exact words, but a translation…courtesy of the ring she wore.
“We called and called!” Arisia’s fists were clenched. “Where was the Green Lantern Corps? Why didn’t the Guardians respond?”
“Silence.” Tomar pulled himself up and glared at the woman…and never in her life had Jenny wanted to strangle some one so much. “Yours is not to question the Guardians…”
His voice cut off as a second bubble of energy from Jenny surrounded him.
Katma and Arisia…looked at the bird man…and then to Jenny.
“What he MEANT to say.” Jenny glared at the bird man. Member of the Elite Corps or not, there was a time for polish…and this was not it. She turned to Arisia, making sure she had the woman’s attention. “The Guardians did not receive your mayday until I arrived on Oa.”
“And who are you, stranger?” She looked pointedly at Lar and the emblems.
Jenny noted that The Princess was eyeing Lar as well…as if he were a possible new conquest. Time to squash that here and now.
“I am the new Champion of the Starheart. The Sentinel.” Jenny hoped she was saying it right. This whole Starheart thing was still too new to her. “Jennifer Gand of Earth.” She nodded as Arisia’s gaze jerked back to her. “And this is my husband.” She stressed the relationship…looking at the Princess. “Lar Gand. You have, I believe, seen, if not met, our friends, Kara and Rogue.”
Arisia made as if to respond but Jenny cut her off.
“Look, I know you are full of questions…but they can wait.” She indicated the gaggle of ships spread out before them. “Let’s see if we can’t get some order here and make sure everyone’s okay…then we can sit down and discuss what to do next.”
Jenny released Tomar and then took off in the direction of
the mass of ships…the last remnants of two complete sectors. Arisia tossed a glance at the other two green
Lanterns and then,
Tomar began to bluster up was cut short again. This time by an angry Daxamite poking a finger in his chest.
“How dare you?” Lar hissed. “Of anyone…of any Green Lantern, you should know better!”
“What…” Tomar began…but Lar was not finished.
“You are the Green Lantern of Sector 2813. In the reality I came from…Tomar-Re never got over the guilt…the guilt of not being able to prevent the destruction of a single world…Krypton!”
Tomar reacted as if Lar had sucker punched him…and in a way, he had.
“I could not get there….” He whispered.
“So you lost a world.”
Lar growled. “A
single world!” He threw an arm up
to point toward the women as they flew toward the ships. “She has lost an entire sector! And not bec
“IF we had gotten such a call…we would have been here…In force!” Tomar retorted.
“If.” Lar shook his head. “You don’t get it, do you? There’s no way she could have known that her calls for help were not being received. But did your precious Guardians think to contact her…once the communication lines were up again? No. She was not important enough.”
“We don’t question…”
“Then maybe you should!” Lar poked again. “Ask Jenny to tell you the story of a man called Parallax some day. Better, yet, borrow her ring and get the story first hand. Then maybe you’ll understand that sometimes it is not wrong to question…but wrong NOT to question. Loyalty is not a one way street!”
Lar then flipped over, speeding after the women, leaving a speechless Tomar-Re behind.
Team Sentinel
The next several hours were spent rounding up ships, using extreme care. Relying on Lar’s expertise, Jenny let him be the judge of the space worthiness of each ship and then, again under his direction, helping to make repairs when possible or evacuating the vessel altogether if not.
Those ships that had to be abandoned were quickly scavenged to repair others less damaged.
Every now and then, as they worked, Jenny would catch a glimpse of a face or two pressed against the ports of some of the vessels.
Though the faces were alien, Jenny recognized a look she had seen before on her world during the many wars that raged off and on around the globe. The faces of resignation…of despair. The faces of refugees.
And through it all, despite the thousands of ships….Jenny and Lar both came back to the same thought…so few. These pitiful refugees were all that remained of the civilized worlds of two sectors. Supposedly.
They had received word halfway through the project that the teams sent to investigate Sector 2828 had made a startling discovery. The Psion systems were gone!
Not destroyed…not over run…simply gone. Nothing remained in the areas of space the Psion systems had occupied. Nothing. No asteroids, no comets, no planets…no suns! Nothing.
Neighboring systems, however, revealed something even more startling. Khund technology!
“You do not understand.”
Katma shook her head, reminding herself that, for all her power, this
new Champion of the Starheart, this new Sentinel, was dreadfully ignorant of
this universe. “The Khund do not come
from that area of space. They come from
the same arm of the Galaxy your sector…2814… lies in. But further out. They could not have reached sector 2828
“And this surprises you?” Jenny asked, perplexed. “From what I understand the Khunds attacked Earth seventeen years ago and have been observed occasionally since then.”
“Why has this not been brought to the attention of the Guardians?” Tomar demanded.
“Probably bec
“The Guardians were made aware.” Arisia managed to answer in a near civil
tone. “They were made aware when the
first Khund scouts entered sector 2815 and I followed them back to discover the
attack on Earth in sector 2814.” She gave
Tomar a glare. “I made a report then…and
reported that the Khunds were not confining themselves to sector 2814. And in return, I was reprimanded for taking
un
The blonde Green Lantern then flew back to work
While Tomar was busy trying to decide whether to be embarrassed or indignant, Jenny and Lar exchanged worried glances. By unspoken agreement, they decided to hold off on discussing the matter until they were alone.
When they reached the point where the Green Lanterns were required to recharge their Rings, Lar called a rest period and, after singling out the largest of the refugee ships, a conference.
The ship, a hastily converted luxury liner from the Graxos system, soon became a beehive of activity as the
Green Lanterns, the Princess Koriand’r, Lar, and Jenny made their way through
the airlocks and started calling for a meeting
What had once been a ballroom designed for the entertainment of the Graxos wealthy and elite soon found new purpose as it was turned into a meeting hall.
“First things first.” Jenny stood before the assembled beings, noting the various different races that were represented. All, however, were humanoid. Those aliens that were non humanoid had, for the most part, radically different environmental requirements. That being the case, there were sadly few non-humanoids amongst the refugees.
“I am the New Sentinel.” Jenny pulled no punches. These people knew who and what the Sentinel represented. And they knew that there had not been a sentinel for close to seventeen earth years.
“Why did the Green Lantern Corps not come to our aid?” One representative yelled out, Jenny’s ring rendering the translation.
“The Guardians did not receive the call for aid.” Jenny answered bluntly, turning slightly to
glare at Tomar…daring him to say a word.
“We are still not sure what happened, but something the Kayzik did
…those creatures that attacked your worlds…blocked the communications between
any Green Lantern in their vicinity and Oa.
The Guardians were not aware of your circumstances until I arrived and
Oa and was able to receive your Lantern’s call for aid and pass it on.” Jenny p
Jenny trailed off at the babble of voices that rose. She c
“No, they did not die. The destruction of the Queen’s ship merely transported them…someplace else. Both Rogue and Superwoman are safely back on Earth.” She lowered her arm and allowed the smile to fade. “Even now teams of Green Lanterns are combing through both affected sectors, looking for survivors and determining when…or if…you can return to your homes.” She shook her head. “The Prospects do not look good. The Kayzik did not leave a single world capable of supporting life behind them.”
She p
Lar stood and walked to the podium, looking over the representatives.
“Soon we will get back to work. We have, we believe, taken care of any life threatening issues. But we still have to finish getting this…fleet…back together and get it moving. And that is the question… Where do we move you to?”
There was general discussion for a moment as the various representatives shouted first once suggestion and then another.
“I believe the answer is quite clear.” Tomar spoke up, c
There was stunned silence and Katma made a heavy sigh,
looking at the bird man as if she could not believe his
“NO!” All heads turned as Princess Koriand’r stomped to the front of the large room to stand beneath the podium…looking up on the stage that had, at one time, housed musicians that had played for the amusement of the paying passengers of the liner. “We will not wait on the will of the Guardians.”
Surprisingly, Arisia left her place beside Katma, and clambered down to stand beside The Princess.
“Princess Koriand’r is correct.” She announced. “With no disrespect to the Guardians,” her
tone said that the respect was only grudgingly given at this time, “but these
people cannot wait for the Guardians to pick and choose…and then scatter
them. We are all that is left of two
sectors.” She turned and indicated the
various races. “Many of our races will
not live to see another generation. Many
have been cut so far that they are no longer genetically viable.” She pointed
out the ambassadors from Tamaran and Graxos 4. “Some,
“There are hardly enough to settle two worlds.” Koriand’r spoke up again. “And you wish to disperse them even further? Arisia has the right of it. This I will not allow!”
As Koriand’r spoke, Jenny’s eyebrows rose and a hush settled over the vast room as a dark green sphere formed around her and Lar, obscuring them from sight!
“Tomar, you are perhaps one of the best Green Lantern’s ever to wear a ring.” Katma whispered to the bird man while everyone’s attention was on the green globe that hid Jenny and Lar. “But sometimes I think you missed a course in basic diplomacy.”
“I do not understand!” Tomar seemed truly perplexed. “Were this my sector…my people, it would not be a problem.”
“Your sector…your people, and mine for that matter,” Katma told him. “Have a much different mind set. We have relied on the Guardians of Oa for thousands of years. Sector 2815 is fairly new. Arisia is its first Green Lantern. Sector 2828? They have ever been suspicious of the Guardians! Recall that they would not even consider allowing the Guardians to incorporate their sector into our sphere of influence! Much less station a Green Lantern there!”
Tomar thought a moment and then nodded.
“Perhaps you are right.”
He indicated the Refugees by pointing his beak. “There is just so much
suffering. I wish to help but I forget
that they are much more…independent than those that inhabit my sector. The only planet there the exhibited such
individualistic tendencies….” He p
“Only bec
If Tomar had thought of a response, it was left unsaid as the globe around Jenny and Lar began to dissipate.
There was a general gasp throughout the room as the globe dissolved to show not just the two individuals that had been enclosed…but two other figures as well.
One was clearly a hologram…a greenish tinged balding man…of a species similar to that of the white skinned, dark haired Daxamite that stood beside the Sentinel.
There was no doubting the identity of the second new comer. His red robes, short stature, and blue skin marked him readily as one of the Guardians of Oa. The Green Lanterns were able to identify him even further…Ganthet! The somewhat roguish Guardian placed in charge of the Sentinel’s training.
It was the Hologram that spoke first.
Looking out over the assembled races, clearly as surprised as they, the figure hesitated, took a deep breath, and took the plunge.
“Gentle…beings. I am Lex Luthor of the planet Earth.” The hologram spoke. “Je….the Sentinel…has informed me of your plight and made a request of me. A request that I was more than happy to pass on to our government.” The hologram looked towards Jenny and nodded.
Jenny raised a hand and, above the heads of the assembled representatives, a scaled down rendition of the Sol System, green of course, sprang into existence above their heads.
“This is our solar system.” Lex continued. “We inhabit the third planet from the sun. We are, even as I speak, working to terraform the second and fourth worlds.” Eyes studied the system and then turned back to the hologram when he stopped speaking. When he once again had their attention, Lex continued. “Neither planet can, at this point in time, support live outside bio domes. We are working to change that, yet our level of technology well not allow a speedy conclusion of either project.” He turned and nodded to Jenny again and this time the solar system vanished.
“Neither place is a paradise.” He went on.
“Nevertheless, I have been
All eyes then turned to Ganthet.
“The Guardians approve of this course of action.” The Oan
announced. “And have decided to
incorporate Sector 2814…
Arisia started to close her eyes in pain and acknowledgement as Ganthet turned his attention to Princess Koriand’r
“You are to be commended as well, Princess Koriand’r. Were it not for you and your brother, there
is little doubt the losses, as painful and plentiful as they were, would have
been worse. Those that survive be they
of Tamaran, Okaarans, or
others that dwelt
Jenny frowned at the Guardians choice of words but was given no time to dwell on it as Ganthet turned his attention once again to Arisia.
“For you, I am afraid, there is no choice. For though you will no longer the known as the Green Lantern of Sector 2815, you are not dismissed from the service of the corps. You, even should your people decided against it, must travel to the Sol System. It must be so…if you are to take up the mantle of Green Lantern…for Sector 2814.”
Team Sentinel
“That Ganthet is one smart cookie!” Jenny remarked as the representatives filed out of the room.
The discussion had gone on and on for what seemed like hours before it was finally decided that the fleet would split.
It had not been an easy decision…and Jenny had made it that much more difficult…by transmitting the entire session, including the speeches given by Lex Luthor and Ganthet, to every ship in the rag tag fleet.
The result of that had been near chaos. Several ships began signaling frantically when their “representatives” began voting contrary to the overwhelming desires of their vessels.
In the end, however, it was decided.
The humanoid Tamarans, led by Koriand’r’s brother Ryand’r, and Graxosians, easily the two largest groups of the refugee
population, along
“How so?” Lar lifted an eyebrow and looked at his wife.
“Easy.” Jenny indicated the departing representatives. “He made sure to praise both Arisia and the Princess in front of their people. He directed most of his comments towards them…persuade them…and the people will mostly follow.”
“Hmmm.” Lar shrugged and then grew thoughtful. “Something about this stinks.” He rubbed his chin in what Jenny had come to
recognize as an unconscious habit her husband had when in deep thought. “According to the reports we are getting,
there were absolutely no sign of the Citadel worlds of the Vegan system. Nor could anyone find the Psion worlds…which
should be in a neighboring system…Hell, they couldn’t find the system.” He p
Jenny remained quiet, allowing Lar to work it out. This interstellar thing was still much too new to her.
“And how…HOW…do you let two entire sectors get wiped out…
“You don’t think it was the Kayzik…do you?” Jenny ventured.
“I don’t know what to think.” Lar turned his attention back to her. “But I will tell you this…that force that Kara reported…the one she and Rogue destroyed. It may have been big…but nowhere near big enough to completely wipe out two full sectors in a matter of weeks! Hell, it wasn’t big enough to do it in a matter of years!”
“What are you suggesting?”
Jenny crossed her arms and frowned.
She might not have the experience Lar did, but something
“Nothing.” Lar sighed and again shook his head. “Not yet at any rate.” He glanced around, making sure neither Tomar nor Katma was nearby. “But understand this. There is absolutely no logical reason that Arisia’s call for help should not have been received by the Corps or the Guardians!”
“Something interfered
“Anything that could possibly have jammed the GL’s, if they
worked that way, which they don’t, should have jammed you as well.” He p
“The Guardian’s don’t wear pants.” Jenny commented, thoughtful now herself.
“And how would you know?” Lar tried to shake off the mood. “Have you looked under those robes?”
“Oh god no!” Jenny sputtered, “Lar Gand! You are….”
She sighed and shook her head. “I
think the Starheart agrees
“Well that’s nice to know.” Lar remarked. “I don’t suppose it has any useful information to pass our way?”
Jenny frowned and shook her head.
“I am beginning to think it doesn’t work that way.” She mused. “One moment, it feels almost human…the next…it is more alien than I have ever felt. It doesn’t think like we do…and it doesn’t play by the same rules we do.”
“Which means…there are things it can and can’t tell us.” Lar grumbled. “Understandable. It isn’t a god…just the embodiment of the Creative force behind this screwy Multiverse…right.”
“It’s not a god.”
Jenny reinforced. “It may be extremely powerful…and may be the protector
of this Multiverse…but there are things that even it can’t do! And one of those is interfere
“Which gets us no closer to an answer.” Lar brought the conversation back around. He grew thoughtful again and his eyebrows rose as a theory began to formulate. “Someone is playing games.” He repeated. “And I think that, whatever else is happening, we are going to discover that Earth is right in the middle of it!”
“Damn that man!”
As President of the United Earth Government, Elizabeth Golder was supposedly the most powerful person on the planet. This did not make those people around her very comfortable when she decided to go on one of her private little temper tantrums.
Nothing the public could see, naturally. In the public eye, President Golder was the epitome of coolness. Nothing ever seemed to rattle her and she made sure, in that politicians way of hers, to let the ‘little people’ know that she was on their side!
The woman had a perfectly honorable record. From her time
serving
She had bided her time during that damned man’s first two terms…and then been cheated out of her rightful office for two more terms by Luthor’s immediate successor.
But she had attained her goal. She was now the President of the United Earth Government.
And that damned Luthor was still making her life miserable!
“The Legislators accepted President Luthor’s proposal by a 3 to 1 margin.” Her personal aide cringed even as the words came out of his mouth.
“He is NOT the President!”
“Yes Ma’am.” The aide
swallowed and tried to still the shaking of his hands as he glanced back at his
notes. “By the looks of it, he did nothing illegal in by-passing your office
and going straight to the Legislative body.”
He hurried on. “In fact, he made
it a point to show that he was in complete compliance
“And?”
“We researched the applicable paragraph…and he was quite
correct, ma’am.” The aide admitted. “It is stated in straight forward language
that any private citizen can, after showing good c
“Damn him.”
It wasn’t enough that she had to work daily to overcome the obstacles of trying to eradicate the Legend he had left when he left office.
She had finally began to make progress, pulling more and more of the political power into her own hands…for the good of the people, of course…then he goes and ruins it all…by introducing those blasted Kryptonians…Superwoman and Rogue.
And her propaganda department was getting nowhere fast
Nothing seemed to work.
Barely three weeks after their introduction, Superwoman…Kara Zor-El, and Rogue In-Zee were household names.
And somewhere…some one had started using another name for Rogue. No one yet could figure out where it had originated, but many people were now calling her Andromeda!
News reporters everywhere were getting interviews, learning all they could about these mysterious women. And yet her intelligence agency, the UIA, could learn absolutely nothing of real worth.
Oh, they had learned about the relationship between the two women…but her propaganda people had warned against trying to use that against them. In this day and age, it would only make her look foolish and prudish…not an image healthy for a politician running for re-election.
“Yes, it is rather depressing.”
A portly man, dressed entirely in white.
Wilson Fisk pulled a genuine
“Put that damned cigar out!”
Fisk affected surprise, glancing down at the offensive cigar in his pudgy hands.
“I am dreadfully sorry.” He exclaimed. He then looked up as he ground the lit end into the palm of his other hand. “Habits.” He stuck the cigar back in his coat and wiped his hands together.
“You are quite right, though.” He went on. “It is a very depressing turn of events. And I must apologize. UIA has not been up to its normal high standards since the bombing incident.”
“Understandable.” She said. “Though I cannot say your predecessor would have been any more helpful.”
“Indeed?” Fisk shrugged his broad shoulders, looking more like a mountain trembling. “He was a good Controller. But perhaps he was not so well versed in…the politics of certain situations.”
“And you are?”
“I try, Ms. President.
I try.” Fisk stood, his massive
frame rising easily from the strained chair in which he had sat, belying the
muscles hidden
The aide, hearing this, trembled…waiting for the President to explode. She didn’t.
“I believe you are correct.” She replied, instead, her voice deathly calm.
“First Lex Luthor himself, and then, though I hate to point the finger at another agency, SecPol. After all, they were founded by Lex Luthor’s bodyguard…wife, I should say. Then these new Kryptonians…and now this.”
There was no need to expound on that last statement. The eagerness of the Legislative body, at Luthor’s bidding, to circumvent her office in order to bequeath colonization rights of Mars and Venus to the refugees had been a slap in her face. Just as the acceptance they had showered on Superwoman and…Andromeda, against her vocal protestations, had been in complete defiance of her wishes.
“More damned aliens!” She growled.
“As if we did not have enough aliens, mutants, and metas as it is.” Fisk agreed, watching the President closely. “And of course, people will now start to look to this New Superwoman and Andromeda for answers to their problems…rather than looking where they should look.”
“To me!”
“That may not be…entirely true, Madam President.” Fisk settled himself back in his seat and crossed his arm over his massive chest and belly. “There are…avenues…that could be explored.”
“Avenues?”
Rather than answer right away, Fisk glanced toward the still cringing aide and made sure the President saw.
“Out!”
The aide scrambled towards the door, only too happy to
comply
“Now, what kind of avenues?”
It had taken time, but they had finally gotten the ragged fleet of mismatched ships moving.
Those not wishing to join the majority in their journey to the Sol System had already departed. The number of vessels taking this course had dwindled as preparations were completed and once it became known that no Green Lantern would be dispatched to shepherd them.
The Corps was already spread too thin as teams continued to comb through the two devastated sectors in an effort to discover the true scope of the destruction…and any clues that might help them to understand exactly what had happened.
Underway at last, the now six man team took turns riding shotgun. At the moment, Tomar-Re and Katma were doing sweeping patrols along the path the fleet would take ,while Jenny, Lar, Arisia, and Koriand’r relaxed.
Despite their battered states, both Koriand’r and Arisia had insisted on doing what they considered their fair share.
For the moment however, they were content to take it easy in one of the ex-luxury liner’s staterooms, getting to know more about this new Sentinel and her mate. And to pump them for information about their destination…and about the two mysterious women that had virtually saved them from extinction at the hands of the Kayzik fleet.
Arisia, for her part, already knew a little about the Sol System…especially Earth.
Though she looked, in Jenny’s opinion, no older than an earth girl in her early twenties, Arisia had willingly shared her memories of the battle for Earth seventeen years earlier.
Upon learning that the women that had saved her people…not to mention herself…had been Kryptonians, she had shaken her head in disbelief.
Superman had been the only survivor of Krypton other than those in the Phantom Zone. At least that had been the popular belief. Now here was Kara and Rogue…and two teenage girls if this new Sentinel was to be believed. And her husband! He himself was an impossibility. A Daxamite! Yet it was well known, amongst the Lanterns at least, that Daxam had bombed itself into extinction thousands of years ago!
Before either Jenny or Lar could explain, however, the intership intercom began to squawk.
A strained voice, speaking in the native language of Tamaran, was shouting. Thanks to her ring, Jenny was able to hear an instant translation.
The ship’s captain was reporting that the fleet was under attack!
As if to underscore his frantic announcement, the ship bounced and buckled under their feet.
Lar, activating his x-ray vision, looked through the hull of the ship and frowned.
“Several small fighter craft.” He reported, his
face grim. “Most appear to be Khunds…but
there are some that I don’t recognize.”
He p
“No time for that, sweetheart.” Jenny h
So saying, she tried something she had only practiced so
far. Using her energy, she phased
through the hull of the ship, pulling her passengers
Once they were clear of the ship, Jenny released the hold and the four of them spread out.
“Arisia!” Jenny called out, know that her words would be broadcast to the GL through her ring. “Find out where Tomar and Katma are!”
“And find out why they didn’t spot these bastards!” Lar was hooked in via a ring, similar to the
ones Jenny had created for Kara, Rogue, and the twins. It allowed him to communicate while in deep
space as well as furnished him
There was no more time for thought as green beams, red flares, and heat vision stabbed outward to intercept the missiles
Lar was happy to see that space battles had not changed much in this new universe from what he had known in his own. Ships would often send out waves of missiles, thousands in each wave, to soften up the enemy fleets before closing in to use their energy weapons.
With this fleet of refugees, however, the softening blow
could well have been the death blow.
Very few of the ships were of military nature, which meant that few
would have the shield strengths needed to
“This is too slow!” Lar called out as his heat vision seared a path through the horde of on coming missiles. For ever missile he destroyed, there were a hundred more he knew he would never get in time. “Jenny, you, Arisia, and Koriand’r concentrate on the fighters, I’ll take the missiles.”
Without waiting for a response, Lar kicked it into high gear, flying at super-speed to meet the oncoming missiles head on.
Jenny cast a worried glance in his direction and then did as directed.
As powerful as she knew herself to be, she knew there were limits to what she could do on her own.
There were those that mistakenly believed that she could do anything so long as she had the will. Sometimes will was not enough. Sometimes it was a matter of simple ability. She could not put up a shield around the entire fleet. Such a task would require more concentration than she could spare…and more energy than she held…or rather, more energy than the Starheart allowed her to keep.
Nor could she simply sweep the thousands of missiles out of
existence. Again, a
matter of scope. Given time, she
could have handled it…but there was no time.
Before she would have been able to destroy even half of the ordnance,
the other half would be ripping into the virtually unprotected hulls of the
ships…each over crowded
And so she trusted to Lar.
He could, she hoped, use his super-speed to accomplish what she would
not be able to…or at least accomplish enough so that she,
With that thought, she turned and let her energies join
Lar redoubled his speed, stopping just short of light-speed, as he waded into the mass of destruction headed for the refugee fleet.
Back and forth he sped, his heat vision flaring out to slash through scores of missiles while his hands and arms moved like whirlwinds, slapping, punching and nudging hundreds more.
Some would get through…of that he was certain. But he could not allow that to deter
him. If he tried to chase down every
missile that got by him, hundreds more would speed on, unopposed. And this, he realized
It was quite obvious from the reaction of the fighters and their sudden erratic flight paths, that they had not expected to meet any resistance…much less resistance in the form of three very pissed off women…two of which seemed to wield the power of the green flame and one that seemed to have harnessed the power of a sun!
While Jenny, at first, tried to merely incapacitate the fighters she tackled, neither Arisia nor Koriand’r was being so civil. Nor were they interested in form or style.
Blast after blast seared through fighter after fighter, sending each one expanding through space as clouds of hot dust.
Eventually, Jenny had to abandon niceties. It took far too
long to target a fighter’s engines and then execute a precise blast that would
knock those engines out
Before long she was gritting her teeth in anger and frustration as she realized the necessity of stopping the fighters, in any manner possible, before they could do any more damage to the fleet.
Even as she thought this, her thoughts were underscored by a
great flare of a refugee ship exploding…taking
The missiles were thinning! Lar finished one more round and was about to make sure Jenny and the others knew to watch for missiles he knew he had missed, when he noticed green flares flashing on and off between him and the refugee fleet. Tomar and Katma! The two Green Lanterns had returned from their forward patrol in time to intercept the missiles he had missed.
Leaving them to it, Lar turned his attention towards the
still advancing fleet. Any second now
their sensors would be telling them their missiles had failed to reach the
targets and they would l
Lar poured on the speed, racing towards the fleet as fast as
he could. He had to be there before that
second salvo was l
Around the refugee fleet, the fighters were beginning to thin out. Many had turned tail and were already accelerating away, presumably back to the massive carriers that probably lay in wait somewhere behind the advancing fleet of destroyers and battleships.
Leaving Arisia and Koriand’r to mop up, Jenny did a quick fly by down through the fleet of ships…looking for any fighters that might be hiding or damaged ships that would need instant attention.
Seeing neither, the fighters were retreating and the those ships that had taken very many hits were now mere clouds of expanding incandescent gas, she looped back over and settled between Koriand’r and Arisia just as Tomar and Katma joined them.
No words were spoken, but the looks on the faces of Koriand’r and Arisia were cold.
Finally Jenny broke the silence.
“Where is Lar?” She demanded, looking around.
“He stopped most of the missiles, and then sped towards the enemy fleet.” Tomar reported.
“Alone?” Jenny gave
the bird man an incredulous look. “What
is it
She left the group floating there and sped outwards, hoping to catch her husband before he could intercept the fleet. She had not gone far before Arisia and Koriand’r joined her, on either side.
“One of you should stay
“Tomar and Katma can handle that.” Arisia argued.
“You and your mate may need our help.” Koriand’r added.
“Besides, out here we can talk.” Arisia added in an almost conspiratorial tone. “Something is not right, Jennifer Gand.”
“What do you mean?” Jenny never faltered in here flight, yet she had a feeling she knew what Arisia was going to say.
“Tomar-Re…and to a lesser degree Katma.” Arisia explained. “They are both members of the Elite Guard. This…incompetence…is not like them.”
“Not like them how?” Jenny demanded.
“They seem…disoriented.
As if their thoughts are cloudy.” Arisia went on. “And yet…it does not seem to affect their
thought process. They are
themselves…until action…” She p
She gathered herself together, however, and turned to Arisia. Something was up here and it might be important…to all of them.
“Yes?” She prompted when Arisia remained silent…staring at her ring.
“They are themselves…until they have to draw heavily upon the
power of their rings!” The golden
skinned Green Lantern continued to stare at her ring. Finally she looked towards Koriand’r, the
worried look in her face asking the question
“Since we entered your sector, you have not acted in what I would call a disoriented fashion.” The Princess reassured her.
“The power of their rings.” Jenny thought hard and fast. She had not noted either of the Green Lantern’s, or any of the others, acting as erratically as they had been…until after their return from Alterverse.
Jenny dismissed any notion that perhaps the journey to the
alternate universe had anything to do
So what had occurred since then? And what could affect them…and yet not affect Arisia?
Jenny thought it through, running over her mind everything that had occurred since they had returned from Alterverse.
They had returned, the Guardians had dispatched the teams to search the two sectors…and then dispatched them to aid the refugees.
No. Jenny
frowned. “The Great
“Yes.” Arisia nodded, perplexed. “It has not been able to draw fully on the Great Battery. My charges are less than twelve hours now.” She shrugged. “I thought maybe it had been damaged and would need to be taken to Oa for repairs.”
“Those things can’t be damaged…and still work.” Jenny voiced her thoughts. “At least that is my understanding.” She gave the two women a quick run down on
the recent adventure and ended
“You are suggesting that something is wrong
“The Guardians don’t draw on the Great Battery.” Jenny reminded her. “They feed it! Like me, they generate their own power…and
while the Starheart draws off my excess, they feed theirs into the
While Arisia wrestled
“The power is being tainted!” She exclaimed. She grasped Arisia’s arm. “And your battery is filtering out that taint! That is why you are not able to get a full charge.”
“That does not make sense.” Arisia shook her head. “The individual batteries are not meant to filter. There would be no way of knowing that such a function would be needed!”
“I think you underestimate the forethought of the Guardians.” Jenny mused. “People that have lived so long realize that nothing…nothing…is infallible. I would venture to wager they built in filters…not thinking they would ever be needed, but preparing…just in case.” She glanced at the GL and frowned. “But sooner or later those filters will fail”
“And you will draw upon the tainted power!” Koriand’r finished.
“This is just supposition!” Arisia countered, clearly worried. “But even so, I have no choice…I have to draw on the power…if I am to be any use at all.”
“Not…necessarily.”
Jenny responded, rather slowly.
She closed her eyes and then reopened them, c
Jenny’s eyes now glowed a brighter green than the glow that normally surrounded the one time She-Hulk while she was in the depths of space.
She looked at Arisia and energy poured from her eyes to engulf the startled GL.
As quickly as it began it ended and the bright glow faded.
“That should do you for a few days, at least.” Jenny explained.
“I…my ring is charged!” Arisia exclaimed. “For days?”
“Not permanently.”
Jenny c
“So much power!” Arisia marveled.
“Don’t let it get to you.”
Jenny forced a l
“If you say so.” Arisia responded, the doubt obvious in her voice.
“I say so.” Jenny smiled and then turned her attention back to the mission at hand. “Now let’s go find that man of mine.”
Lar, for his part, was counting his lucky stars. He had reached the battle-line of the enemy
fleet well before they began to l
The Battleships and destroyers, all
Lar could almost imagine the scene aboard which ever ship was the flag. As the Admiral, or what ever the Khund…Lar’s eyes narrowed. Those were not ALL Khund vessels! Some where similar in design to those of the refugee fleet that had fled from Vegan System!
“By Dax.” Lar unconsciously called upon the Daxamite version of Rao. Some of these vessels HAD to be from the Citadel!
A closer look
He was given no more time for observation as the ships’
shields flickered and died. They were
preparing to l
Lar readied himself and, even as the first ship began to l
Flying the length of the battle line, Lar cut loose
The result was spectacular…and deadly.
Ship after ship exploded as the missiles were detonated,
blasting backward into the l
Dozens of ships flared briefly and silently in the emptiness of space before cooling to reveal blasted, lifeless hulks.
Not one single missile escaped Lar’s heat vision and, in a matter of seconds, the remaining ships…all heavily damaged, signaled that they had had enough by turning away.
Lar resisted the temptation to follow and finish them off. Instead, he let them go. Killing needlessly had never been his style…and killing, even when unavoidable, was not something he took lightly.
As the last of the massive vessels turned to limp away, Lar flipped and headed back towards the refugee fleet. He had a lot of questions…and no answers. But he intended to find them.
The refugees came first however. They….
Lar stopped.
Why would such a large fleet even bother
He put on a burst of speed…and the universe exploded in his face!
-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2003 by Dylan Clearbrook
-- and may not be reprinted
-- The Continuum Worlds Concept is a joint creation of
-- Dylan Clearbrook and Eldric.
-- Otherverse and The Multiverse, as depicted in the
-- Continuum Worlds, are original creations of Dylan Clearbrook.
-- Alterverse and The Inheritors, as depicted in the Continuum Worlds,
-- are original creations of Eldric.
-- The Realm and The Web of Shadows, 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, Eldric, Michael Liebhart, Jake H., Jason G.,
-- Andrew Shields, Kyle M., Brian, or Jason Froikin and may not
-- be used
-- All DC characters are property of D.C. Comics.
-- All Marvel characters are property of Marvel Comics.