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#6

By Neil Gow

 

Edwards Air Force Base, California

Lets assess the situation. I'm tasked with acting as a babysitter for some teenage reality TV starlet called Mandy Moore as she does a photo opportunity at Edwards as a punishment for daring miss a flight test I could pass in my sleep, one of a set of hoops created by my new CO, General Adams. Everything was going perfectly until the Star Sapphire decided to intervene in my life again and inhabit Mandy and make her the next in a long line of Zamoran Queens to live on Earth. First Polaris, now Star Sapphire - someone, somewhere is commenting on me and dominant women?

Star Sapphire bathes the base in a deep cerise light, looking down at the media men as they scurry around, desperate to make sense of this turn of events. "You! You are the ones that would exploit me? You would parade my flesh across your screens to titillate and amuse? I am the Star Sapphire! You will learn to respect the form of woman - the creator!" The gem on her forehead glows and purple spheres of power form around her fists.

"NO!" Green Lantern swoops down and places himself between her and the cameramen who are running for cover. "I know what you are going through - the sudden rush of power - but you know me.we've met before."

Star Sapphire sneers. "How can you know what I am feeling? You are merely a man - you cannot fathom the mind of your superior. I do not know you, nor do I care to know you. Now begone!" Her hands flash, lighting her pink and black outfit, and beams of energy slam into Hal, sending him spinning through the air. He rights himself and shakes his head.

"Every time we dance this dance, it's the same." He forms a massive green hand and wraps it around Star Sapphire, pinning her arms to her side. "What is it that draws you to me?"

Sapphire grits her teeth as she concentrates. "You are the manifestation of the Oan myth. The masculine knight protecting the peons from danger. You serve your masters and wield their power but what of your sisters? What power do they wield?" The gem flashes again and Hal's mind is filled with images of Katma, Arisia and other female Green Lanterns that have fallen in battle. " They died and you lived. You think it is coincidence? I know it is an Oan plot - which should be avenged!"

Hal grabs his head as his grief wells up within him. What is she doing to him? He can see images of Carol Ferris, Cowgirl and Donna and every woman he has ever been close to - images of them crying in agony. His heart rends, his stomach cramps and he falls through the air, crashing into the canopy of a parked jeep.

Star Sapphire slowly glides to the ground, smiling. "The New Age of Zamora begins now - prepare to be judged!"

 

Oa

" Ok Poozers, this is a really nice show of numbers, but you took a wrong turn. It's time for you all to go home now." Kilowog floats across the path of an armada of alien craft that have just warped into the Oa system en masse. More ships are joining them as he speaks. Most are Thanagarian, but there are others - representing almost every major star-faring race. He flashes a series of commands from his ring to his flight of untested Lantern cadets - the incursion interrupted his training programme with them - to move to defensive positions behind his point. In his head, another voice appeared.

Honour Guard Kilowog, this is Administrator Salaak, is there a problem?

Oh nothing except every pissed off alien in the galaxy arriving at once! I can handle myself Sal, but some reinforcements would be nice.

It has already been attended to. Keep me informed of any complications.

Kilowog had a lot of respect for Salaak, but sometimes he totally understood why Gardner wanted to 'use him as a hood ornament' - whatever that meant.

"Green Lantern, my name is Legate Narn Tal of Thanagar. I am the designated representative of this fleet. We come in peace to serve notice on the Guardians of Oa." The communication came through the standard channel used to communicate with Lanterns. Everything was being done by the book. " You will note that none of our craft have any weapon ports open, missiles have been disarmed and all our batteries are cold."

" I appreciate your honesty, Legate, but this is Oa and you don't just waltz a fleet up to the Guardians and demand they listen."

" In this matter, Green Lantern, I believe we do. As representatives of the races that were drawn into the recent conflict in the Polaris system, we seek justice against the criminal that precipitated these crimes. "

Kilowog knew what was coming next and he still didn't want to hear it.

" We demand that the entity known as Superboy Prime stand trial for planetary genocide."

Salaak.we have a problem

 

Edwards Air Force Base, California

Slowly, Hal begins to regain consciousness, the images of female sorrow fading from his mind. He opens his eyes, but all he can see is pink. He tries to move, but he is suspended in a block of pink energy, a crystal floating in the centre of the Base's parade ground.

Around him, every man on the base has been arrayed in lines, kneeling with their arms behind their backs secured by lurid pink shackles. Each of their faces is twisted in agony, reliving the horrors of their female companions in the same way Hal was.

Star Sapphire sits upon a pink crystal throne, watching the anguish of the men. Hal notices that she has began to adapt the traditional Zamoran costume, fitting the personality of Mandy Moore rather than the latent memory of the old Queen. The irony of the juxtaposition is not lost on Hal - the costume shows more flesh now than before, more a sexy nightclub outfit than an old fashioned swimsuit.

Flanking Star Sapphire are the women of the base - their eyes glassed over as they have fallen under the spell of the insane gem.

"Subjects, this is the fate of this world. Before, when I have come here, I have been distracted by the desires of the flesh, the incalculable challenges before me and on some occasions . tricked into the machinations of the male ego. Never again. Since I left, I have watched this planet and seen it's potential. This globe could be a new home for the Zamoran race to be reborn and claim it's rightful role as the head of the Universe. However, for this to happen, the male taint must be removed until only the necessary few remain."

She stands and strides confidently towards the men. "I have watched, from a distance, and I have seen your world exploit women. I have seen them work their fingers to the bones whilst their men watch and laugh. I have seen girl children killed, deemed worthless in a male dominated society. Every piece of this ludicrous planet is built on the lies of the male and the blood of the female. It stops here and now! And you!" She points at an airman "You will be the first to receive my judgement."

She bathes him in pink light which shimmers and then slowly darkens to a deep, translucent purple. " The light of the Sapphire has judged you as a tool of the patriarch. I find you guilty!"

The light flashes, the man rises up, muscles taut and rigid and then falls flat on his face, broken and unconscious.

Hal twists his head away, trying not to look. His power ring flashes over and over again, desperate to find a weakness in the crystal that he can exploit.

"You will find no fissure to lever open, Green Lantern. Your prison is perfect, created from the mind of one who is one with the higher forces of creation. This is the start of your punishment, tool of Oa." And with that she turns and casts her light over another Airman.

Hal desperately fights to find a way to break out of the prison. He cannot stand and watch these men die - they are his friends, his comrades - he has seen too many people die in this life. The anger and the desperation well up inside him and the light around the airman begins to darken and the sick grin of satisfaction spreads on Star Sapphires face.

Suddenly Hal knows what he must do - he embraces the fear and the panic. He imagines his friends killed by this deranged maniac. He envisions the streets filled with corpses. He sees the people blaming him.just like they did with Coast City. He feels the fear welling within him, he feels his ring desperately wanting to reach for it..and with all his will he takes the fear and he channels it with his power ring. He feels the power surging through every cell of his body. One man. One person. One ring. One goal!

In a storm of fiery green energy, the pink prison shatters and Green Lantern stands, sheathed in the glow of the power ring. Star Sapphire drops the lucky airman and turns to confront Jordan.

"Leave those men alone, Sapphire - you want to prove that you're better? Beat me, here and now."

Sapphire sneers. "With pleasure!"

 

Malthus

"Even with my hyper-advance intellect, I am finding this explanation quite difficult to comprehend. An aging human of the military caste has allied himself with an insomniac Xanthuan from the future with a stated mission to avert an as-yes-unspecified disaster with as-yet-unspecified resources and this mission has brought you on a one-way mission to Malthus, and thus L.E.G.I.O.N.?" The green skinned forehead of Vril Dox furrows as he looks over his notes again.

"That's the top and bottom of it, Commander. We're not here to cause trouble, we're just here to save the Universe..somehow." General Stone, now quite used to the insanity that has overtaken his life, sits back in his white plastic seat and drums his fingers on the table before him. " The question is, how are you going to help us?"

"Help you? It is good to see that despite everything the human instinct of humour is still intact. We still have to ascertain whether your story is true or not."

"I am sure that when your geneticists return their results they will confirm that my base DNA is indeed Xanthuan however it will show alterations that could only have resulted from advanced manipulation - a technique as yet to be discovered by my home planet in this century." Thom, the traveler from the future stands up, precipitating a flurry of defensive activity from the android guards employed by Dox.

"Stand down." Dox looks at a data pad. " It would appear that you are correct. You are either a genetic anomaly of unprecedented evolution, or you are not from the present Xanthu. This lends some credence to your story, but it does not answer why you are on Malthus."

Suddenly the tension in the Interrogation Room is cut as a screaming alarm shrieks around the building.

ALERT! ALERT! PRISONER TRESPASS SECTOR FOUR-A!

Dox drops his head slightly. " Gentlemen, I will return presently, it would appear that some of our more tenacious inmates have chosen a rather unfortunate time to show there disaffection with their surroundings." He stands swiftly and marches out of the door, flanked by his guards. Thom flicks his finger and the door slows as it closes and just fails to lock.

" The doors open isn't it?" General Stone raises a curious eyebrow at Thom.

" I believe it may be.. Should we aid Commander Dox during his time of need?"

" Oh wild horses, kid. Wild horses!"

Both men spring up and run for the door.

 

Edwards Air Force Base, California

Green Lantern and Star Sapphire float in circles in mid-air, one sheathed in a slim field of emerald energy, the other swathed in purple light. Below them, the men and women of Edwards Base - now released from Sapphires thrall - watch on.

"It doesn't have to end like this Mandy.you can fight the power of the Sapphire!" Hal dodges a blast of energy from his enemy. He is sizing her up. She has no real skills whatsoever but she seems to be driven by an almost incomprehensible hatred. The bile and the vitriol she was spouting before seemed to be . false. A façade. Remnants of the old Star Sapphire personas. However there was now something more desperate. It is as if the Sapphire has shown her the sheer banal insanity of her human life, and when faced with the fact that she is a very disposable plaything of rich and powerful people hell bent on exploiting her . she has snapped. The terrible combination of an entity without power and a power without an entity. There is an edge to that power that he never saw in Carol when the Sapphire possessed her. This Star Sapphire was dangerous. Dangerous and confused.

Hal spirals through the air, trying to outflank Mandy, but she spins with a dancers grace and keeps her facing, spraying the air with another volley of purple bolts, one of which catches Hal. She smiles and presses her attack. Hal concentrates and forms a green wedge, deflecting the incoming bolts harmlessly into the air. Sapphire screams with anger and stops.

"Damn you Green Lantern, you cannot stop me! I am the Star. I am immortal. My people stood at the Centre of everything. That which I represent is fundamental to life itself."

Hal stops. This is very different - so desperate. As Hal understands it, the Zamorans and the Guardians are two sides of the same coin. A long time ago, the two sides went their separate ways but recently, when the Guardians returned as both male and female, some of the Zamorans have returned to help them develop but . what of the rest? Hal asks the only question he can.

"What do you want?"

"What do I want? What do I want?" She laughs a haughty, irritated laugh. " I want to be returned to my rightful place. I want my people united. I want to end ." Sapphire begins to float down, towards the ground. As she descends, the troops below move the onlookers back, drawing their weapons. With a flick of her wrist, purple spheres envelope them and crush them to dust. The men stagger back, disarmed and stunned.

"Star.you can return. You can go back. Your people have - some of them. And they will have a way to contact the others. Your people can be together again."

"And how would you know that, pawn of the Oans?"

"Because they are there already. They have found a place alongside the Guardians. All you need to do is go there. I can give you the way - you just need to make a leap of faith."

"You are male, you speak lies, your place is always at the feet of deception."

Hal throws out his arms. "This isn't the world you remember, Star. The woman you are possessing isn't typical. Look around - there are women officers here, women pilots, women at the highest places in business and politics. It's not perfect, Star, but it's better. You don't need to be here - you need to be with your people and I can take you there. Trust me .. Please."

The air flashes brilliant pink and Mandy Mason falls to the ground, unconscious. A spinning crystal trailing cerise ribbons of energy floats above her.

Take me there, Green Lantern. Show me my destiny.

Hal smiles, his power ring pulses and they both disappear.

 

Malthus

The secondary compound of Sector Four-A of the L.E.G.I.O.N. Penal Centre on Malthus is a war zone. Two of the escaped prisoners have been recaptured but the remaining four are cornered within a vehicle compound, armed and thwarting any attempt that the intergalactic police force is making to apprehend them with extreme prejudice. Looking on, General Stone is impressed.

" These robots are following pre-set patterns of attack and someone in that compound has worked out what they are going to do next. They're excellent marksmen as well and by the looks of it at least one of them is an energy projector of some kind - look at that black stuff? That's not gunfire." Stone rubs his chin. " What sort of guns are they using anyway?"

" It looks like some sort of pulse gun - non-lethal." Thom floats next to General Stone.

" Have you got anything to bring to the party kid?" Stone reaches into his sidearm holster and checks his pistol.

" An archaic slug weapon?"

" The duty to bear arms, kid. I take my constitutional rights seriously."

Thom smiles. "I can indeed, 'bring something to the party', General Stone, but I am unsure what that weapon will achieve."

"Just get me into the middle of them and I'll show you."

With that Thom scoops the General under his arm and lets his Legion flight ring take his weight and he flies above the firefight in the compound. Gesturing with his free hand, a wave of intense gravity crashes down into the chaos, throwing everyone to the ground, suddenly five times their normal weight. Stone grins and nods to Thom who drops him to the ground.

Stone turns towards the stunned prisoners and holds his gun by his side. "OK people, everyone has had their fun now, but it's time that this ended. I'm impressed, I really am, but it ends here and now. You drop your weapons and I'm sure the nice emotionless nerd with the green skin will cut you some slack." He walks slowly towards the prisoners.

As Thom's burst of gravity subsides, one of them pushes himself to his feet and grabs his gun. The alien is brutish, with white hair, blue skin and short tusk like teeth. As he raises his gun to shoot Stone, the former air force officer shifts his stance slightly and with one shot blows away the alien's kneecap. He screams in agony and falls to the ground, clutching his shattered leg.

"Oh yes, my alien friends, none of this girlie stun rubbish from me. 10 rounds of lethal force backed by American military training and a whole lot of stubborn bastard. Now stand down or the next shot goes through someone's head!"

Guns drop to the ground.

"General Stone, it would appear that you have a certain way with matters such as this. I am sure my security forces could have dealt with the situation, but you have my thanks." Dox strides out from his cover, assessing the damage, as Thom lands next to Stone.

" Your thanks? Those four men had your entire organization closed down Dox. I want more than your thanks. I have an idea that could help us both. Tell me Commander Dox, are you aware of the Earth movie, the Dirty Dozen..?"

 

Edwards Air Force Base, California

General Adams sits quietly behind his desk and flicks through a stack of papers as he takes the report from his subordinates.

".and the press seem to be saying that with the intervention of Green Lantern, the event was closed quickly and easily. I have even read that Ms Mason's new look has increased her popularity even more."

Adams looks up. " New look?"

"Her eyes are pink now."

"Quaint. And we lost a test plane?"

"And a pilot sir." The lieutenant tries to impress upon his superior the seriousness of the moment. Nothing has been found of Hal Jordan since the plane exploded. Both him and his ejector seat were missing but after hours scouring no trace of either could be found.

"Captain Jordan hasn't been found and until then he has to be categorized as M.I.A. I notice however, that Captain Jordan has a record of being absent from his duties."

"Sir. We all saw the plane explode."

"Lieutenant, you might misinterpret my statement as somehow being antagonistic - as if I bore Captain Jordan ill-will. A man has been lost on my watch and he will be MIA until it is proved otherwise. because I don't lose men - or women - on my watch."

 

Oa

Hal's emerald warp closes as he makes his final approach to Oa, at the center of the Universe. In tow, he is the Star. His ring alerts him as soon as he comes back into normal space.

Oan space currently highly active. Beware for collisions. New Cronus is inbound to Oan system. Lantern Administrator Salaak orders immediate conference.

Hal casts around the system and picks up the dozens of spacecraft currently in fixed orbits. He sends a message to Guy to meet him.

Green Lantern 2814.2 is not in this system. He is currently leading a Corps force to Earth.

Guy going to Earth? Donna on the way here? What the Hell is going on...

 

The Blackest Night

Darkness surrounds the proud erect figure of John Stewart as he throws his captive at the feet of his master. The face of the battered and bleeding Okaaran captain is lit slightly by the dark green glow thrown out by Stewarts black and green power ring. The former Green Lantern's matt black eyes look down on him without an iota of emotion.

His master stands forward. A tall man, towering well over eight feet, dressed him jet black ornate gothic armour. The glow of the power ring highlights the detail on the armour - animated naked bodies writhing in agony. The black-clad goliath removes the half helmet to reveal not a head, but a skull covered in dry, taut dead flesh. His eyes are black and empty, his mouth a sickening grimace of death.

"This one survived did he? Reluctant to pass into my kingdom?" The figure reaches out a long arm and grabs the Okaaran under the chin, lifting him at first to his feet and then into the air. The sound of small bones breaking in his jaws and the stifled groans from his crushed throat are the only sounds in the room. The gauntlet slowly closes as fingers press through flesh and muscles and finally he drops to the ground, his head nothing but pulp.

" Master. What would you have me do now?" John Stewart falls to one knee before the skeletal murderer.

" My army is ready. It is time to take back what is mine. There is one person who has escaped my grasp - not once, but twice - and I would have him back. Bring me the broken body of Hal Jordan, my broken warrior, and feed him to me. Make your blood sacrifice to your master, Nekron, Lord of the Dead!"

Stewarts ring flashes. "I obey, Master!"

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Next Issue: Hal and Donna meet again. The Trial of Superboy-Prime begins! General Stone meets the troops! And the Swarm hits Green Lantern with deadly consequences..