The Interceptor touched the landing pad and immediately began the docking procedures. Zamaron looked just as beautiful as last time Razer had seen it, however the circumstances changed dramatically. He wasn't so bothered by all the violet and the brightness any more.

"They are not going to assist us" he heard Aya say with a slight indication of bitterness.

"I am just an emotionless machine for them, remember?" she added and stared at the controls in front of her.

She felt Razer gently touching her shoulder.

"If you insist on being an individual, you'll have to learn that the only opinion about yourself that matters is your opinion" he advised.

She nodded her head to signal she received the message, but Razer couldn't tell if she actually internalized it.

"Besides, he began, I have a feeling they'll be forthcoming"

'Please elaborate"

"It doesn't matter. I'll be back soon with the information we need. Meanwhile, stay out of trouble. Don't go poking around Zamaron like you did last time"

"Only if you require rescue... like last time" she reminded him, quite cheekily.

Razer smiled at her joke but then a shadow of sadness passed over his features. Aya took notice of the subtle twitch in his facial musculature. She probed her memory banks and made the only connection that seemed poignant.

"On our previous visit to Zamaron you discovered the truth about my physical form"

"I knew the truth before Aga'po pointed it out. I just refused to acknowledge it" he confessed.

"Are you still upset with me over it?"

Razer remained silent for half a minute, trying to find the words to express his feelings over the situation.

"I used to feel happy, that I get to see her face again every day. And that happiness was proportional to the hate I felt, for you, for doing what you did. But honestly, I haven't thought about Ilana in quite some time. And I don't think of her when I look at you any more. To me you're just... Aya now."

It was Aya's turn to remain silent and Razer took that at his cue to leave.

One awkward pause later

A welcoming committee was there, of course, on the landing pad, waiting to escort Razer to meet with queen Aga'po, just like they resolved over the comlink before landing. The girl, Gi'ata, was there, but she only gave him a polite head nod, as the security troops nudged him along. He looked back to see that Gi'ata was not entering the ship but she wasn't leaving the landing pad to join them either.

He hoped Aya would be ok. He hoped Gi'ata would keep her big mouth shut.

"I'm hoping for so much stuff I might as well be wearing blue instead of red" he thought in a self-deprecating manner.

They reached the palace where Aga'po lived and worked from soon enough. They entered the one of the queen's many lavish offices and just as Aga'po got up from her impressive desk Razer blurted out.

"No, don't get up, this isn't a social call"

"You'll still allow me the courtesy to salute you, my young crusader", she said, continuing to get closer to him.

"Greetings are irrelevant. I'm here for your violet light energy signature".

Aga'po stopped mid-stride and looked at him with her huge opal-like eyes, seeming almost surprised, though her face expressed little emotion outside of apathy and euphoria.

"Guards, leave us", she finally ordered.

The security staff exited the room and Razer and the Queen were left alone.

"You are.. quite audacious. Marching in here and asking for our most precious secrets"

"It's not your most precious secret. The secret to all Lanterns is having the adaptor that transforms emotion into energy. Thankfully, I have just such an energy adaptor. All I need is the energy signature of your violet light"

"And what, pray tell, do you need it for?" the queen asked, taking a seat on one of the many lovechairs in her office.

"Nothing bad" he said trying to sound as honest as possible.

"Nothing bad? You realise that sounds impossibly dishonest."

"Damnit", he thought.

"How is Aya, Razer?"

"She's... fine" he said taken aback by the question.

"Have you confessed your feelings to her?" she asked bluntly.

"That's... that's you trying to throw me off course, but I'm not leaving here without that information"

"And I'm not giving it to you, without knowing what you're going to use it. Though I have my suspicions..."

"You do?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Love by force, is not love at all. It is the Green Lanterns, that taught us that lesson and we took it lesson to heart. I will not allow you to use the violet light on an individual, even an artificial being, to try and coax feelings out of them"

"That's... that's what you think I need the violet light for?"

"What else could it be? Razer, your feelings are pure, for now, but if you do this you..."

"It's not what I want... I would never... I would never force myself on Aya"

Aga'po seemed to believe him, since she softened her expression. But the question remained.

"I'm not giving in to your request until you tell me the truth"

Razer sighed and hunched his shoulders in defeat. He told the Queen the whole story, how Aya approached him with her ridiculous request, how they worked for the past three days to get the technology right, and how eventually he figured the only way to make it work... really work... was to use violet energy. Aga'po listened intently and then simply said:

"Show me this technology"

Back at the ship

Gi'ata had not moved from her spot for exactly 34 minutes and 59 seconds, Aya noticed. She gave no sign she'd want to come on board, but she wasn't leaving either. She was just waiting. Aya remembered Razer's words, "don't start any trouble", but she was obviously not starting anything. Gi'ata was starting it by her questionable behaviour. Eventually, Aya's curiosity got the best of her and she came out of the ship, and flew over to Gi'ata's side.

"Hello Aya", the Zamaron princess greeted her.

"Why are you stationary in this position?"

"Well, I wanted to just say 'hello', but I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, given how... difficult things were last time for you. So I was hoping eventually you would take pity on me and come outside"

"I am not merciful. Merely inquisitive"

"That's good too. How are you?"

"All systems are functioning at peak efficiency"

"That is good to hear. How... are you and Razer?"

"I apologize. I fail to understand why you refer to myself and Razer as a collective that would warrant an inquiry on its status quo"

"I... I just thought... Never mind" she quickly corrected herself.

"No. Explain", she insisted.

"I... I wanted to know how you were getting along, after last time you were both here"

"We have moved past that incident. But that is not your intended meaning"

"It's not?"

"No. You assumed prior to my correction that Razer and I form some sort of cohesive unit. Perhaps sharing a romantic link. That assumption could not be based on previous experiences with us, so you must have based it on a supplementary interaction with Razer, that I do not have data on, but I can speculate on"

"Speculate? He hasn't told you anything about his second visit to Zamaron?"

"No... but I know he was here with Green Lantern Hal Jordan. And I know Hal Jordan used your teleport technology fueled by romantic attachment to transport himself to Earth... and then Razer saved me via a transport to the Interceptor in orbit around Oa. There's only one way that could've been achieved."

"So you know"

"I've always known. It took me until now to acknowledge it..."

Back at Love Central

"Your programming skills are quite impressive, Razer" the Queen complimented him.

Holographic projections of code and schematics swirled around in front of the queen, as she absorbed the info. Razer thought maybe she wouldn't understand any of it, but obviously, he underestimated the Zamarons, again. Just going by her initial reactions towards Aya, he thought technology, especially robotics, might be a tabu subject on Zamaron. But then again, you don't get to be Queen without knowing a lot of stuff.

At some point Aga'po cocked her head in an extreme fashion and had a puzzled, semi-disgusted look on her face. Razer thought she might've have difficulties understanding something, but then he saw what she was looking at.

"Oh, he said embarrassed, yeah... she's probably not going to get to use that subroutine"

Aga'po looked at him, with a flat expression.

"Not if she's with somebody that has a spine, no. As stated earlier, very impressive", Aga'po said turning off the projector.

"So now you understand why I need your violet energy. This will all be for nothing, unless she can feel pleasure"

"It may all still be for nothing, even if I give you the energy signature"

"What do you mean?" Razer asked, trying to hold back his fear.

"Knowing the electromagnetic coordinates to our light is not enough. You cannot create it out of nothing. She needs to feel love, real love... for the process to function. Are you absolutely sure she is capable of that?"

"Yes" Razer answered without a moment of hesitation. He was absolutely sure, otherwise wouldn't have put himself through all of this.

"She deserves to feel happy, and loved, like everybody else. And in return she will make somebody very happy", he explained.

"Somebody... but not you?"

Razer did hesitate now.

"What kind of Red Lantern would I be if I was happy?" he said with bitterness.

"I don't understand your motivation in all of this, then, honestly"

"I'm just helping out a friend"

"Friends don't do these kinds of things for each other", the Queen remarked, echoing Razer's own words from three days previous.

"Friends don't perform miracles. Love does that. If your Aya is a smart little machine, she'll figure it out"

"Well I'm figuring something out right now. You're stalling. Are you going to help me?"

Queen Aga'po sat back in her chair, and tapped her fingers on the shiny surface of the desk in front of her, pensive and quiet.

"I will help you Razer. I will provide you with the Violet light, in fact, I will help you refine it for you, in order to achieve the exact result you want. But, there must be a restitution for the Star Sapphire order"

"And that is?"

"Free use of your technology. It could be adapted, for other forms of artificial intelligence"

"I don't care about other forms of artificial intelligence. Just one"

"But the Star Sapphires do care. Give us the ability to do for others what you wish to do for Aya"

"I don't know... what if you're going to use the technology to further your own interests"

"And where would be the harm in that? Love is our only interest. It is our responsibility to bring love and emotion to as many intelligent life forms as possible. If you don't believe our intentions are ethical, then I will just say one thing. Somebody gave you the benefit of the doubt once upon a time. Can't you do the same?"

Razer hated to admit it but the Star Sapphire queen was right. Nobody would expect anything else from a Red Lantern but to be a murderous mad man. He should expect more from the Star Sapphires. The blasted influence of Hal Jordan was getting to them all.

"Fine, he finally conceded. You have a deal. But I don't know who you could possibly help with this"

"There are more things between heaven and earth then you dream of in your philosophies"

"What does that mean?"

"That is human literature. The best in the galaxy when it comes to describing the exalted power of love. And we're especially fond of the human writer Shakespeare here on Zamaron..."

Later

Razer was waiting nervously in one of the many rooms of the Queen's palace. Aya had been gone for a couple of hours, after being taken away by the Star Sapphire engineers. Gi'ata waited with him at first but she had been called away.

Now he was fidgeting, anxious, wondering how the final alteration were proceeding. It took longer than he expected, what if the technology and the violet light weren't compatible? What if he missed something?

The door finally squeeked open and he froze. Aya entered the room and came over to him. She looked exactly the same, just as calm and just as serene as she always was.

"Well... how do you feel?" he finally asked and sucked in a breath.

She cocked her head. signaling she was running an internal diagnostic.

"The Star Sapphire implant was succesfully interlinked with my neural pathaways. I feel... fine."

Razer exhaled and felt the tension drain away from his muscles.

"Good, good" he said and for some reason started feeling more and more awkward.

"That's great then. We should return to Oa, I'm sure Hal is wondering where you've been"

He made his way to the exit door, but just as he passed Aya she grabbed his hand. She turned around to face him and placed both of her hands on his forearms, looking him straight in the eyes when she proposed:

"I believe a test is in order"

He felt lightheaded all of a sudden, and had to swallow the saliva build-up in his mouth. He didn't allow himself to feel joy or excitement at the prospect though, because he knew how unlikely it would actually be.

"It's not that simple, Aya. You have to love the person that you're with. Otherwise it won't work"

Aya just remained silent and continued to look into his eyes He thought maybe it wasn't registering.

"Do you understand?"

"I understand", she replied drawing her body closer

"And I reiterate my previous statement. We. Should. Test. It."

Razer's mind raced. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? Aga'po said that she would figure it out, that he had fallen hard for her. What if she thought that was enough, for love to be one-sided. But what if it wasn't one-sided?

He cupped her face in his hands and exhaled.

"A small test then", he whispered.

And kissed her.

There they were, the familiar tingles he felt the first time they sort of kissed, like a million wicked fireflies dancing on his lips. But unlike that first taste, which was chaotic and clumsy, the difference now was that she was present. It felt not like a desperate gesture to prove a point, but an actual kiss between two individuals who wanted to taste each other. And she was definitely present, and actively engaged.

Aya linked her arms behind his neck, and parted her lips slightly. He was hesitant to deepen the kiss, but when she brushed her tongue on his upper lip he threw caution to the wind. His hands, which had been resting on her hips, circled her waist and pulled her even closer, impossibly close, as the kiss turned from inquisitive, to hungry.

After a while though, he realised something was wrong. Like he was forgetting something. Oh yes, oxygen. Aya didn't need to breathe, but he did.

He pulled back, breaking the contact of their lips and drew in a long breath. When he looked back down he saw Aya still had her eyes closed. Violet light shone from under her lips, forming a strange pattern of circutry. He slid his hands across her shoulders and down to her arms. The violet pattern of light followed his touch wherever it went. Aya herself looked at her arms in surprise.

He brought his hands back up to her face and brushed his thumbs over her lips. They still felt the exact same way, the only difference was the light that shone through, tracing her newly functional circuits of desire.

"Amazing, he whispered. It actually works"

"I think we should expand the parameters of our test",

She released herself from his hold and hovered a bit in the air before coming down to land on the bed in the room. Razer did wonder why they made him wait in a bedroom of all places, but now he saw the convenience of it. And perhaps the strings being pulled to get him in this situation, with Aya gently tapping the space next to her on the bed, to get him to come over.

But this was too different and he was too scared.

"Hal is so going to kill me for this"

"I am not very experienced in these matters, but you worrying about Hal at this particular conjecture is troubling" Aya said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Aya, I..."

"I know how you did it, she interrupted. I know how you managed to rescue me on Oa. And the level of my own emotional attachment to you should be obvious by now. So really, what is the purpose of this delay?"

"It just... I told you we could not be friends after this is over"

"Affirmative. We'll be more then friends. Don't you want that?"

Interesting question, he thought but didn't have an answer prepared. He felt like crap for so long, in part because he thought that he deserved it. But the last couple of days he realised how much he missed being wanted, needed. And now Aya was making him feel desired. That's a good feeling to have. And he would not deny himself or her any longer.

"Yes" he finally conceded and took off his Red Lantern ring.

"I do."

AN: Okey, now, sorry for the delay. Life type issues. Any-hoo, I think this could be a good stopping point for the people that don't want to actually read the Razer/Aya sex-scene that is coming in the next chapter. Poor choice of words, I know. :) For all the other pervs, I'm gonna try and keep tasteful.