"Did you get it?" Kara asked. She was wearing jeans, and a dark blue T-shirt, with her hair tied in a tail behind her head.
"And it had better be good looking." Hawkgirl warned. I simply nodded, in answer to both questions.
"And safe." Batman grunted from behind me. I could almost feel Lantern nodding with him.
"I'd trust my life to it." I responded. Supergirl snorted.
"That's not a resounding endorsement." She grunted.
"She told me about that river boat." Hawkgirl laughed. Diana nodded.
"It only had one hole in the bottom when we got in." I replied defensively. "And she was the one so desperate for a cruise up the river."
"Let's see it." Lantern cut off the reply. I nodded, and touched the headset I was wearing.
"Orcane, decloak, sensor hot." I muttered into the throat mike. Alarms blared.
"Alert, unidentified space ship in range, unresponsive to hails." The computer's voice blared. Looking out the window, it was possible to see the long, silver ship. Almost 200 feet long, with two long, gracefully forward curved wings, the nose cone bristled with a main rail gun, and four smaller pulse cannons. Along the upper edge, three long range laser turrets sat. They were even offset, so they could fire past each other. Another one sat on each wing. There was no engine exhaust out the back, but instead yet another turret sticking out the back. The silver etched designs on the wings, and side were visible. A hologram appeared before them. It was a bald man's head.
"I resent the insinuation that I am unsafe." The man's head said.
"J'onn, cancel the alert, it's alright." Lantern muttered as he depressed the ear piece. The alarm shut off. "So that's the Orcane?" He asked, pulling the name out of the back of his memory.
"Yes, she's got capacity for four, and a Star skid drive." I grinned. "She'll skip across space, and get you where ever you need to go, in about 15 minutes." I swept my arm out to encompass the ship, including the floating head.
"You know I resent being called she." The head muttered.
"Stow it." I muttered back at him.
"It's perfect." Diana pronounced walking up. "Let's go." She turned, and Hawkgirl, and Supergirl followed. Lantern sighed, and turned away. Batman wasn't about to let me go though.
"That damn thing had better be safe, or I'm coming after you." Bats warned, and stalked off. I didn't even bother to stop, and look around, as I gave him the finger. I simply did so, and turned away.
---
Shayera, Kara, and Diana beamed aboard the ship, and found themselves face to face with the avatar of the AI. The young woman grinned at them, highlighted by the fact that her skin was blue. "Call me Ory." She grinned.
"But what was?" Diana asked, pointing out the window.
"That head?" The woman asked, grinning. "A private joke between the lord and myself."
"Lord?" Kara asked, fairly sure she meant Adam.
"Nevermind, if he didn't mention it, it isn't important." She grinned. "So, where do you want to go?"
"Gretadal." Shayera replied. Though she still had her mace hanging from her belt, she, along with Kara and Diana had not worn costumes, wishing to go inconspicuously. Instead she was wearing a black t-shirt, with two slits cut for her wings, and snaps underneath to hold the back closed. Jeans, and cowboy boots completed the look. She wore her hair braided flat. Kara laughingly referred to her as a wild west Valkyrie. Diana simply grunted. Diana was in her usual casual outfit, white pants, and blouse, along with a light grey suit jacket. Shayera thought it wasn't suited for what they were doing, but didn't want to say so, instead she just grinned. Kara said nothing about that. She was wearing blue jeans as well, along with sneakers, and a deep blue t-shirt, which proclaimed in bold white letters, Keep your eyes off my ass, and my foot will stay out of yours. Diana had disapproved, while Shayera just laughed.
"Never heard of it." Ory replied. Shayera gave her a disappointed look. "Hang on." With a wave of her hand, a holo-graphic map appeared in the air. "Point it out." Shayera turned about the room, before lifting her hand and touching a deep blue star. The system expanded, and she touched the seventh planet. "Oh, that one." Ory chuckled wryly. "Be there soon."
"How?" Kara asked, then her question was answered. The effects of bending space, both on the body, and the mind, are more than a little disconcerting. The world seemed to warp around her, and she found she could almost feel the ripples, as the ship bounded from wave top to wave top. It was as if space was suddenly compressed, to form waves, and the ship moved along the compressed space as easily as a jet ski jumping waves. She could tell they were slowing, as the time between impacts, and skips lessened. Then suddenly the ship stopped.
"Star skid drives. Bends space, so we don't have to travel the entire distance. Time lapsed: 32 minutes, EST." She grinned.
"Eastern standard?" Diana questioned.
"Earth standard." The hologram replied. "Different planets have different rotational cycles, but I put everything on human clocks." She shrugged. "Engaging gravitic drives." She muttered.
"I hope they aren't as jumpy as that last one." Kara muttered.
"No, they simply manipulate the gravity affecting the ship." Shayera smiled sadly. "Thangarians have used them for centuries."
"Where do you think we got the technology?" Ory grinned. "Clearance to land granted. Impact in thirty seconds." She burst into laughter at the expressions on their faces at the last sentence. "Landing now." There was a gentle thud as they touched softly to the ground. The three walked out the air lock, onto the planet.
"Is this what I think it is?" Diana asked, waving around. Shayera nodded, grinning. Kara laughed. "Great, an entire bar planet." She sighed. "Lead the way."
---
"So, you mean as long as I stay slow, I won't loose control?" The man asked, with a very light Russian accent. Flash nodded. "That's wonderful."
"Yes Peter, it is, isn't it." Alexia asked, with a sad smile. Peter nodded, hanging his head. "Can he be cured?" She asked Flash. Flash sighed.
"Yes, I think so, but I don't know how. We have our greatest minds working on the problem." Flash replied, with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Your uncle is working with them as well." He added. The two nodded.
"Thank you. Thank you very much." Peter smiled. Alexia smiled as well. Three stomachs rumbled at the same time.
"How about something to eat?" Flash suggested. Two grins met his suggestion. The three walked out the door. As the door closed, light flashed inside the room, and a small black ball, rolled out from under the bed. Four legs, long and flexible slid from holes in the lower half of the orb. From the top, two long, flexible arms, and an antenna. A moment later, and eye, and cybernetic ear appeared, each on it's own stalk. Then the orb began to ascend the wall, using suction cups, and unscrewed the air vent. The cover lifted, and the long slender arms enabled it to reach back through and replace the screws, so as not to be noticed. The robot turned and began to walk down the vent shaft.
---
"I wonder?" John mused. Bruce glanced at him.
"Wonder what?" He asked quietly. They were attending a party, that supposedly was going to be crashed, though by who they didn't know.
"Whether Shayera would say yes if I asked her." John replied. Bruce laughed slightly. John didn't say what he meant, but Bruce knew.
"Of course she would. She loves you." He replied. "Think you can find a minister?" He asked, grinning.
"No problem. Mine has already agreed. He doesn't care that she's Thanagarian, either." John laughed, a little louder than Bruce had.
"So, who is your best man going to be?" Bruce asked. John sighed.
"I can't decide. Either you or Wally." Bruce looked sideways at him.
"Go with Wally. I'm going to be busy." He smiled. John looked back.
"With what?" He asked.
"My own wedding." He replied.