This chapter, White Lantern Diana reunites with old friends and meets new faces, one of which reminds her a lot of her first love. But their relationship...it's not gonna be the same. Just a heads up, I love Spirk and I prefer Diana with a female partner but this time around, WonderKirk will be endgame, just so our hero can complete his vengeance.
Chapter Elva!
Her name was Diana Of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta, goddess of war and now, the White Lantern and herald of the Life Entity. She had been found by a nice woman named Gaila, a member of an alien species called the Orions and was taught many things. One thing she learned was that some of her friends were alive. Nekron might have taken everything away from her, including her beloved Princess Audrey and her twin sister Nubia, but thank goodness, at least she still had something to hold on to. Another thing was, this Federation had many enemies but no superheroes to combat them. So Diana continued to help people as Wonder Woman, and upon learning that the Federation had made lots of allies in order to fight a new threat known as the Dominion, she asked Gaila if she can bring her over to Starfleet Headquarters some other day.
"But why?" asked the Orion. "No, wait, lemme guess. You wanna meet the other Lanterns, don't you?"
The Amazonian smiled, and nodded. She would kick the Weevil Bun's ass to Zamaron and back if she ever met her again. On the other hand, if Hal managed to rekindle his relationship with Sinestro, she would give them her blessing. After all, the violet light of love still burned stronger than ever within her, and the greatest love she held among it all was love for all life. That was part of the reason why the white ring came for her.
And right now, she was at the Starfleet docks, awaiting the Enterprise's return as the sun set behind her. The flagship had gone to a place called...Kronos? to negotiate with the Klingons. Maybe Gaila would drop a word or two about her to the crew. Soon enough, the ship landed and the crew disembarked. Suddenly, a familiar streak of green caught her eye and a voice cried out, "Diana? YOU'RE ALIVE!"
"Are you kidding me, Hal? Of course I am!" she said as the two enveloped each other in a fierce hug. She then placed a hand on her lasso of truth to ensure that she wouldn't be seen as an impostor, and explained "I almost died but dumb luck got me here, and then a white ring found me. I've been back to being Wonder Woman again since then."
"That's great!" said Hal. "C'mon, we've got a lot to talk about."
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, the White Lantern spotted someone. He looked an awful lot like Steve Trevor, but it wasn't possible. Half-dazed, she asked Hal "Who is he?"
"Oh, he's James T. Kirk, our fearless leader. I'll explain everything when we're back in our lair." said Hal.
LATER...
"O-o-h, so that's how it happened!" giggled Diana as she was sitting next to Uhura. "I think I'm gonna like it here."
"Welcome to the Tomorrow Knights, Princess Diana." said the African Star Sapphire with a warm smile. "I'll introduce everyone. You've already met Sinestro, Saint Walker, Carol F., John, Guy, Kilowog, Indigo-1 and Captain Kirk? That pointy-eared guy over there, is Commander Spock, our resident half-Vulcan. He's the captain's bondmate. The other two are Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock from this world's Anti-Matter Universe. They're bonded as well."
"Bonded? As in...married?" asked Diana, sighing. If it was real, then it meant she had no chance with the Kirk. But then again, they barely knew each other, so she might as well let it slide.
"That's right." Uhura said. "And these two, are Tirrok and Shenara. They're Klingons, and they're also father and daughter. That pointy-eared girl is Shiarrael, she's a Romulan."
"'Ello, lassie, me name's Montgomery Scott. Yer can call me Scotty if you want." said Scotty as he offered a hand to Diana, who shook it.
"He's my new boyfriend." Ferris added.
Diana was surprised. "Wait...you have a new man?"
"I do." said Ferris. "He opened my eyes, I owe so much to him. I'm done being evil. I formally apologized to Sinestro while making our way back to Earth from Kronos."
"That's great!" said Diana as Scotty blushed and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek.
"I'm Hikaru Sulu." Sulu introduced himself as well.
Aya was next. "Greetings, Lantern Diana. I am Aya."
"And...wait, where's Bones and Carol M.?" asked Kirk.
"They are locked in their bedroom." Guy informed him.
"Aya?"
"I am not getting into that. It's part of the code McCarol. I also have code Spirk, code Sinhal, and..."
"Alright, alright. Last but not least, our troublemaker Jaylah and our Most Valuable Player Khan." said Kirk as he got up and introduced the remaining two.
"Please, call me Dawnbreaker." said Khan.
"Your ring." said Diana. "It's not like anything I've seen before. You got it from Atrocitus, right? Then how on earth did it..."
"How did it change? You'll have to get comfortable, Wonder Woman. It's a long story." Khan replied, and began his story. By the time he was done, Diana had tears in her eyes.
The Amazonian left her original seat to sit next to the Augment and held his hand. "I'm sorry, Dawnbreaker. Although your love story is the strangest thing I've ever heard in my entire life, Commander Spock had no right to do such a thing to you. Love is love, no matter who bears the heart."
Spock heard this, and walked over to Diana. "Excuse me, Miss Diana? I'm sorry to say this, but he doesn't deserve love. He's a criminal who killed many innocent men and women. We're only keeping him only because the Dominion has technology that can drain Lanterns' rings, but it's ineffective against him. Once the war is over, he will answer for his crimes."
"Actually, Admiral Nogura said that all of Lantern Commander Singh's criminal records will be erased if he helps us win the war." Aya informed him.
That made Spock frown. "Don't listen to her. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, I crippled the Vengeance because it was the only logical thing to do while Khan's...Lantern Commander Singh's feelings for it were not."
"For someone who is me, you're a pretty poor excuse for a Vulcan." Anti-Matter Spock butted in. "At least I know the meaning of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Before me and my Jim joined the Yellow Lantern Corps, we helped our Khan out so he could live happily ever after with his Vengeance. And what you did to Lord Sinestro, I had to apologize for it. And you claim that you love your Jim, but..."
"You don't give a hoot about who or what other people chooses to love." Diana finished for him.
Listening to all of this from a corner, Kirk decided to step up. "Spock...listen. I love you and I cannot forgive Sinestro for what he did to you, but they're right. She's right. Two wrongs don't make a right. You took his blood so I may live again, but you did nothing to bring the Vengeance back."
"No, t'hy'la, you listen. How can I do that? That's illogical! Romantic interactions between a man and a starship is illogical!" Spock yelled.
"Then why is the existence of super-blood that literally cures death not?" Kirk quietly asked.
Spock opened his mouth to speak, but Bones and Carol entered the living room, saying "Uh...what did we miss?"
"Leonard, Carol M., this is Diana." said Hal as he introduced his friend. "She's an old friend from back in our home universe."
"This is simply wonderful." said one of the admirals as she inspected Diana. "Will miracles ever stop happening?"
"Maybe they will. Maybe they won't!" said another.
All in all, the little talk with the Admiralty was successful and Diana's status as an official member of the Tomorrow Knights was cemented. After it was over, she decided to spend the time she had left bonding with her new colleagues before everything went to hell. She found Khan at the Tree Of Wonders listening to The Mariner's Revenge Song by The Decemberists while reading Moby Dick by Herman Melville. "Excuse me? Dawnbreaker?" she asked him.
He seemed to notice her. "Wonder Woman?"
"Is that Moby Dick you're reading?" she asked.
"Yes." Khan replied. "Captain Ahab lost a leg to the infamous white whale. On the day Spock took my Vengeance away, all my limbs were intact but something so much more had been lost. That left a void in my soul, and it was let out through my ring."
"I know how you feel. You might doubt it since I'm not from this reality, but trust me, I've been there. Twice. During the First World War, I found someone who I thought was the love of my life. He also looked a lot like Captain Kirk, if they were put next to each other, you'd think they were twins. But I lost him."
"I'm sorry." he said.
"Don't be." said Diana, and sang a verse from The Mariner's Revenge Song. "It took me 15 years, to swallow all my tears, among the urchins in the street..."
"I think it's gonna take a lot longer than that to swallow all my tears."
"Thank goodness, I found new love decades later. She was the most wonderful woman I ever met, but when my home universe was lost at Nekron's hands, she died as well. When you told me your story, I realized. You're suffering from lost love too. Oh, and I have some poetry that I would like to recite to you in honor of the recent, um, transformations in your life." Diana put a hand on her chest. "This is Rilke." she said.
"You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.
Flare up like a flame,
and make big shadows I can move in.
Let everything happen to you:beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Don't let yourself lose me.
Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.
Give me your hand."
Khan stared at Diana, his eyes bright. "Flare up like a flame!" he exclaimed. "That is moving, yes. That is quite lovely, flaring up like a flame. Thank you very much."
Suddenly, Kirk landed next to the two. "Diana, Khan, you've gotta get around and see this. Everyone's here to bid us farewell. We're finally being sent. The Second Fleet hit the Dominion forces occupying Betazed, but they keep sending in reinforcements and fortifying their positions on the surface so we find it."
LATER...
Kirk and his mother Winona shared one final embrace while his brother Sam, sister-in-law Aurelan and nephew Peter said godspeed. Spock exchanged simple goodbyes with his father Sarek, his half-brother Sybok, sister-in-law T'Zet and niece T'Vik. McCoy wasn't expecting his ex-wife Natira and daughter Joanna to show up, but they had come anyway. Uhura's family, on the other hand, had heard about everything and her mother even said "I'm glad you finally ditched that stuffy guy and started courting a real man."
McCoy butted in. "Well said, Mrs. Uhura. That pointy-eared hobgoblin wouldn't know a thing about love or loyalty if it came up and smacked him in the face."
"Leonard, please!" Uhura giggled.
Carol was talking to her mother Serena. "Don't worry, Mom." said the Indigo Lantern. "I'll do my best to make it back in one piece."
Serena was in tears. "But how can I not? After all, you're the only family I have left!" she said, and cried even harder. Carol made a construct towel and started wiping the tears off her mother's face.
Sulu was searching desperately for the two people that were missing. They weren't out of the shuttle yet. Suddenly, a voice called out. "Hikaru?"
"Ben!" said the lieutenant, and ran in his husband's direction.
"Dad?" said Demora as she came from behind her Pops. "I heard you were going to war. Me and Pops are very worried about you."
"Look, I've got something to tell you two." Sulu spoke nervously. "The truth is, all those years I've been out in space, I was...I had a boyfriend."
"What?" the two yelled out at the same time.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm so sorry. But hurting either one of you was the last thing I wanted. I love you, Ben, but I love him too. And now he's dead. Are you upset?"
"Upset?" Ben asked. "Sure. I'm upset. I'm upset that you didn't call Demora up and tell her that she almost had three daddies."
Demora just gave a sly smile. The rest of the Tomorrow Knights had sure heard the conversation, and Kirk said "Alright, team, it's off to war we go!"
Meanwhile, two certain members were out in space, and one of them were very surprised. "You did it...again?!" cried Hal.
"Sure!" Sinestro said, gesturing at the moon. It now had a gigantic love-heart with their names on it carved on its front. "It was much easier than last time, since I have Parallax now."
"Wow, Sin, I...I appreciate the gesture, but if this universe ever gets destroyed and we get flung into another one, then don't vandalize the moon for me." Hal muttered.
"I will try." replied Sinestro. "Also, when the Dominion attacked Oa, you said that you would marry me if we ever made it out of this alive. I'd love to make it official, right now." He then began singing.
SINESTRO:
I'll swim and sail on savage seas,
With ne'er a fear of drowning,
And gladly ride the waves of life,
If you would marry me…
No scorching sun, no freezing cold,
Will stop me on my journey...
"Is this from that viral video?" asked Hal.
Sinestro nodded. "Yes. And I mean every word, just like that Lei-yeh-nar person." he said before continuing on.
If you would promise me your…heart…
And love…
"…and love for all eternity…" Hal finished, then sang his own lyrics in response, deeply touched.
HAL:
My dearest one, my darling dear,
Your mighty words astound me,
But I've no need of mighty deeds,
When I feel your arms around me!
Soon, the two were swung into a frolicsome fandango. They couldn't stop smiling as they did a wild and joyous dance together.
SINESTRO:
But I would bring you rings of gold,
I'd even sing you poetry,
"Oh, would you?" Hal snickered.
SINESTRO:
And I would keep you from all harm,
If you would stay beside me!
HAL:
I have no use for rings of gold,
I care not for your poetry,
I only want your hand to hold,
SINESTRO:
I only want you near me,
BOTH:
To love and kiss, to sweetly hold,
For the dancing and the dreaming,
Through all life's sorrows and delights,
I'll keep your laugh inside me!
I'll swim and sail on savage seas,
With ne'er a fear of drowning,
I'd gladly ride the waves of life,
If you would marry me-e-e!
They kissed, and Hal said "See you on the battlefield." before they parted ways, Hal to the Enterprise, and Sinestro to the Narada.
Next stop:Liberate Betazed!