Opening Notes; Vergil1989; Someone expressed concern with Shepard being too strong and unstoppable. Let me say again that there's a difference between training and actual combat. Especially in the GL Corp where the rules of engagement are vastly different, as are the enemies they face. Even so, thanks for keeping us honest. D
Archer83; What he said. ; )
Chapter 3; The Hardest Part is Not Knowing.
Oa
Green Lantern Living Quarters
Out of everything that hadn't survived being blasted by Harbinger, and her subsequent trip through some kind of spatial rift, Shepard's omni-tool was the lucky winner. After a long session of training with Arisia, Kilowog, and Hal, or rather their training with her, a little peace and quiet to look through the countless pictures and videos she had accumulated was exactly what she needed. She hadn't known she had passed out in her bunk, utterly exhausted, until the dream started.
She was on the Normandy again, more specifically, she was in her private quarters. When she turned over on her side, Erica saw that Liara was beside her. Dream or not, she wasn't about to complain about this one as Shepard gently tapped the asari's nose, earning an amused chuckle from the woman next to her. "Must you always wake me up Erica? I was having such a wonderful dream."
"Care to share, or should I guess? If it was Chambers, I can't really blame you." She wasn't all that surprised when Liara moved closer and pressed her forehead against her own. "So, it was Lawson then? Garrus? Oh I know, it was Wrex right?" The amused smirk on the asari's face only served to make Erica grin.
"Shepard, for such a fascinating woman, you have the worst imagination. I have only enough room for one person in my life, and she's right next to me." The moment their lips met, Erica forgot all about her earlier teasing and pulled her closer still. It was only when they pulled apart that she saw the tears streaming from Liara's eyes. "Why did you leave us Erica?"
"I didn't want to Liara." Her attempt to entwine her fingers with Liara's was met with the coldest glare she had ever seen on her lover's face. Erica's mind immediately flashed back to when they were finishing the hunt for the Shadow Broker, and it scared Shepard more than a little to see that coldness return, even in the slightest.
The young asari pulled away from her warm embrace, and Erica's heart broke at the look of betrayal in Liara's light bluish-gray eyes. "You were the one holding us together, the one giving us the smallest bit of hope that we might actually defeat the Reapers."
"I know….but I'm trying to get back. You know I wouldn't have left by choice! I wouldn't have left you." Sitting up in their bed, Erica tried once more to pull Liara into her arms, but the asari pulled away and stood, making it clear she didn't want to be touched.
"But you did...and we paid the price." Just as Erica's emerald eyes shot towards her love's naked back, the ceiling was blasted away by an all too familiar red beam of energy. Screaming her name, Erica's fingertips barely brushed against Liara's as they were both violently sucked into the dark void beyond.
"Shepard! Wake up!" Hal shouted, managing to get a shield up just in time to block Shepard's punch aimed at his face. Ignoring the frightened look in those otherwise defiance-incarnate emerald eyes he had come to admire, even if he had only known her a few hours, Hal kept trying to calm the soldier down as best he could. "Easy, easy, it was just a dream. And I'm gonna take a wild guess that it wasn't a great one."
"What was your first clue?" Erica sighed and looked away as she pushed herself to a sitting position on her bunk. Her omni-tool had since powered down from inactivity, but she wasn't too concerned about it.
"Maybe...the wild thrashing, or the fact you tried to punch me? Oh wait, you were trying to do that earlier." Ignoring the glare he received when he sat next to her, Hal continued. "When you screamed I ran in here to check on you. Don't you dare be embarrassed, I've had my fair share of crappy dreams Shepard." Hal paused for a moment, before sighing deeply, as if questioning his desire to share with her. "Kinda creeped me out when I woke up with Kilowog's arm wrapped around me while he nursed a broken nose with the other one. Do me a favor, don't tell him I told you that." Deciding to take a chance, Hal looked to the deck between them before meeting Shepard's intense gaze. "Some of the Green Lanterns here don't have anywhere else to go. Some have lost their entire home planets due to war or natural disasters. We might wear the most powerful piece of jewelry ever conceived, but that doesn't change much of anything. A lot of the GLs I've known have scars, most of them not on the surface, just like you."
Just as he was getting ready to head out, Erica stopped him with a question. "And you? What about you Hal?"
Turning slightly as he looked over his shoulder, Hal quietly answered her. "I've lost good friends. More than I like to think about. Briefing's in ten minutes Shep. And, by the way, thanks for saving one of them today, even if you were knocked out at the time."
"Shut up flyboy." Erica managed a weak grin before nodding in acknowledgment of Hal's thanks. "I'll be there, just give me a minute. Gonna need someone to show me the way after all." It was Hal's turn to nod as he left the room to give her some privacy. Thanking whatever luck she had left as she went to the bathroom that came with the living area, Shepard took a moment to clean her face and straighten her hair out. Such a simple task was soothing in its own way, and it gave her mind something else to think about other than that damn nightmare, as she pulled her blonde hair into a neat ponytail. Fabricating a band for it from the literal ton of omni-gel she had stored on her omni-tool was child's play.
Hal was surprised that Erica was true to her word as two minutes later, she was out of her room and already a foot off the ground. "I could get used to this."
Erica crossed her arms, a playful smirk on her face. "Having someone that's on time, or the fact I mean what I say? I think you forgot that I'm a marine, flyboy. Part of the job description."
"Once a marine, always a marine huh?" At her surprised look, Hal did his best to shrug his shoulders even though they were currently in flight to the briefing. "Soldiers are a dime a dozen on most worlds I've been to Shepard. Not only that, but I'm a test pilot back home remember? Military jets are my incredibly fast and agile bread and butter, well, technically Carroll Ferris's, since she owns the company I work for."
"Oh right, the one you're holding a torch for back home? Sergeant Kilowog apparently likes to dish out embarrassing info on you." Erica paused in flight for a moment as she pointed a finger at Hal's face. "And really, what's with the mask? He had a few choice words about that too. I'll give you style points for the white gloves."
"Everyone has a few choice words about the mask, but you try making a living where there's 24/7 news cycle and they know your face. Believe me, it's not easy." Hal flew on, not bothering to see if she would follow. Quickly catching up with him, Erica frowned at his last words, knowing from personal experience how hard a military life could be.
"Guess some things never change. Alright, I'll give ya that one flyboy. On the other hand, my entire galaxy knows what I look like. Don't see me wearing a mask." Hal smirked and pointed at the helmet that had appeared on her head after she cleaned herself up.
Jordan made a show of looking her up and down before gesturing at her 'gear'. "I don't wear a full set of armor. Also, I don't carry a grenade launcher...and a shotgun...and a sniper rifle...and-"
Holding up a hand, Erica couldn't have kept the chuckle out of her voice if she had wanted to. "For the record, I only used a shotgun and a pistol...most of the time. I never used them on nosy reporters though. I had considered it once or twice, don't get me wrong."
"Yeah, knowing you, they'd probably be lucky to get away with just a broken nose." As Erica subtly rubbed the back of her neck, Hal's grin widened. "Assaulting a poor, defenseless pain in the ass reporter. Why am I not surprised Shep?" Hal shook his head in mock disappointment.
From the appearance of a hint of rage, he knew it was a bit of a touchy subject. "She was badmouthing the sacrifices of several ships' crews that went up against the first Reaper we had ever seen. I made the call to save my galaxy's Council, the heads of the entire galactic community, and the ten thousand crew members aboard their ship, at the cost of thousands of human lives. Damn right I punched her."
"Not judging you. You're done punching me for today, right?" Hal felt a slight sting in his shoulder as Erica whacked him, hard. "Ow."
"I am now. There is something that's been bothering me since I woke up though, Hal. How did you know about the Reapers before I even mentioned them?" She knew she hadn't said anything about them before Hal had back at the medical facility, and she had only then remembered it. Now, Erica wanted an answer.
"Uh...the ring did more than analyze your abilities and give you that little crash course. Rings act as recording devices, among many other uses, so we were able to observe the events that happened to you right before you arrived."
"It read my mind, literally?" She wasn't sure what she thought about that fact, but Erica did know she wasn't so thrilled about having her life laid bare, even if it was standard operating procedure for the Corp's new ring bearers.
"Hate to say it, but….more or less. You're uncomfortable with that. I can't blame you, believe me, so was I, at first." The rings usually had a better understanding of their bearers than the wielders themselves did, but most got used to that idea sooner or later. "I was assured that no really private moments are ever shared, save with the Guardians themselves, and they usually never talk about the lives they've witnessed since the founding of the Corp." Jordan paused for a moment, unsure of how to explain this next part."They, ah, might have shown a few of us what you'd could call a 'highlights' reel of your personal experiences." Hal held up his hands defensively at the frosty emerald gaze he was receiving. "Probably only because of the incredible nature of your arrival and all." And from that horrified look on your face I just royally screwed up explaining that somehow.
Now she really was horrified, not to mention embarrassed beyond belief, and Hal wondered if flying into the nearest black hole would have been preferable course of action at that moment. "Good to know they don't air out everyone's dirty laundry or anything. I mean, why would I care if a bunch of ancient beings I know nothing about have my entire life in some data file?"
"How do you think I felt about them knowing about my college days?" His attempt at humor might as well fallen into its own black hole, for all the good it did.
"You didn't destroy an entire star system Jordan!" In a flash, Shepard's cold rage had turned into something that looked a lot like guilt and shame to Hal, not to mention betrayal. "Don't bother trying to lie to me, I'm sure you skim through all your new 'students' lives before you train them."
As if to prove her point, a new voice entered their argument amidst the Oan skyway. "The Bahak System. It was either the nearby batarian colony, or your entire galaxy then and there." Arisia said, having flown to them once she had spotted them, while making her own way to the briefing. "You tried to send a message to them to get them to evacuate, but it was blocked by Harbinger's interference."
"Thank you for proving my point Arisia." Erica growled, her stone cold glare making Hal wonder if flying off as fast as he could was even an option at that moment. With a heavy sigh, Shepard looked away. "Damage's done, let's just get this over with."
"If it's any comfort Erica, what we were shown of your crew….I'd have been honored to have been there." Arisia finally said, and while she was understandably upset over having her entire life laid out for everyone to see, the elfin teen managed to get a smile out of the battle scarred soldier in front and to the left of her. The awe in the young girl's face helped in easing some of Shepard's anger and shame.
"They were the best people I could have ever served with. They were the greatest friends and family anyone could have asked for." Hal couldn't help but notice how Erica rubbed at the ring beneath the green power ring on her right hand.
Jordan took notice of the platinum band, and how much it obviously meant to her. "At least one of us had the courage to chase after their heart's desire. Must have been a Hell of a guy, or gal, love is blind after all."
"Uh...well, it's….complicated. Liara's an asari….and they are technically monogendered." When Erica's words sunk in for Hal, Arisia couldn't help but put her hand in front of her face and laughed into her gloved palm at the embarrassed look on his face. "Here, take a look, can't blame me for falling head over heels can ya?" Erica smirked as Hal's jaw dropped, seeing the image of Liara she displayed for him.
"The hot blue archeologist? Huh, and she was so innocent and sweet before she met you." Shepard's glare was firmly back in place as she shut the device off, just as Arisia took a quick peek out of curiosity.
"Shut up flyboy." Erica cringed as a sudden thought struck her. "Oh God. If my relationship with Liara was on your 'highlights reel'...I swear I'm going to-" Hal frantically shook his head and started to back away from the now seething Spectre.
"It wasn't, I promise. The Guardians aren't quite that invasive. Or perverted. Lucky for you and me." I just had to open my big mouth, and then Arisia helped stick my foot in it. I'll be amazed if the council chamber is still in one piece after the briefing at this point.
If he had paid attention to the full 'highlights', and not just the parts where things blew up, Hal would have known that Shepard was restrained when it mattered. There was no doubt that she'd make them at least answer a few pointed questions, if nothing else. Arisia had seen more than enough to know that if anyone could make the Guardians talk, it'd be Commander Shepard. Landing on the entrance pad to the hall, Shepard turned to her new allies. "Stop looking at me like that Jordan. I'll be fine."
"Wasn't worried about you. I saw enough explosions to know I have good reason to worry about at least one or two of the Guardians though." Scar and Appa being the two he was most concerned about, off the top of his head anyway.
Arisia stepped in front of Erica, blocking her path to the large metallic door before them. "If they treat you unfairly, we'll be the first to stand up for you Erica."
Shepard had to grin at the determined look in the young girl's eyes. Sweet kid. Naive as hell, but sweet.
"Got that right poozer." Kilowog's rather heavy slap to her back almost knocked Erica over, but she recovered quickly and merely grinned at the giant alien behind her. "Had to make sure you found your way here, what with Jordan's bad sense of direction. And don't even get me started on the kid, woulda starved to death her first day if someone hadn't shown her the mess hall."
"Ha ha Kilowog." Jordan was about to say something else, but when another friend of his landed, he immediately turned his gaze to the red head that was heading their way. "Hey Laira, glad to see you made it."
"Hal Jordan, it has been too long." Bowing her head in respect to Hal, Laira merely nodded to Shepard and Arisia. Erica figured just from the way she carried herself, her culture was one driven by honor and duty, and that actions spoke far louder than any words she could have offered. As if to prove that, Laira got straight to the point with her next comment. "Greetings. You must be Jordan's new students."
"Erica Shepard, Arisia Rrab, meet Laira Omoto. Next to Sinestro and Kilowog here, there's no other Green Lantern I'd rather fight beside." Taking in the incredibly calm, yet obviously dangerous, woman, Shepard was distinctly reminded of Samara as Jordan introduced her to them. Purple skin and pointed ears did nothing to detract from the comparison her mind had drawn between the two.
"You pay me too much honor, Hal Jordan of Earth, but I thank you for your kind words. The sentiment is shared, for there are few Green Lanterns I'd trust beside me." From that one statement alone, Shepard's gut told her she could trust this woman at her back in combat.
"And I'm one of them, right?" Hal asked, sounding confident of the answer, and it wasn't hard to see the tinge of pride in his eyes.
Erica wanted to roll her own emerald eyes as Jordan put his hands on his sides and stood just a bit taller. Maybe he should add a long flowing white cape to his outfit while he's at it.
Just a hint of amusement appeared in her blueish green eyes, as a sly grin pulled at Laira's lips. "Perhaps." With that, Laira flew ahead of the pack, leaving the small group to catch up.
"So, what's her story?" Erica finally asked, doing her best not to get squished between aliens she had never imagined, as dozens of more Lanterns started to land behind them. She didn't need Kilowog to glare at her to start moving forward, clearing the way for everyone behind them. Her question wasn't asked to satisfy her own curiosity however. She could see that Arisia was starting to tense up in anticipation of what was coming. Need to get her thinking about something other than the coming battle.
"Maybe she'll tell you one day, like she told me. Once she trusts you enough that is." Noticing the way Erica kept subtly jerking her head to Arisia, Hal caught onto her game plan at last. "If you're looking for stories though, there is one that most rookies learn their first day in the Corp. About the first Green Lantern, Avra."
"Avra? Let me guess, he was the one that nobody expected to be a hero? Some normal person, like Arisia here, who found bravery within themselves at just the right moment?" Erica smirked at the mildly annoyed frown on Hal's face.
"You make it sound so meaningless when you say it like that Shepard." Hal groaned, but he recovered quickly as he looked to those behind him. "There's an entire story in the Book of Oa devoted to Avra for his accomplishments, but you did get the highlights just about right. First chapter, first verse: The first to be given a ring, was not the first Lantern. The first Lantern, was Avra."
Once again, Erica took the wind out of Hal's sails by cutting straight to the point. "Hmm...so he was the first one to use what you call constructs, the first to realize his ring's full potential?"
"I'm just gonna stop now Shep. You're sucking all the fun out of my story telling here!" Hal's finger shot out at a disappointed looking Arisia, as if to remind Shepard that this had been her idea in the first place. "See, some people like my stories."
"I don't know Jordan, heard most of 'em at least a dozen times by now. Wasn't too impressed the first time around either." Kilowog chuckled at Hal's offended glare.
"Alright, I'll shut up, this time." Shepard promised, holding up her hands in an attempt to placate Hal's bruised ego.
Hal just nodded with a slight sigh before continuing. "Thank you...as I was saying, before someone interrupted, the first Lantern was-"
Before Jordan could utter another word, the Guardians proceeded to enter the large chamber over them. "This session of the Council is now in order."
"Oh come on!" A distinctly irritated voice could be heard saying moments later.
"What was that Lantern 2814?" A particularly stern faced Guardian looked right at Hal from his place on the ring platform above the crowd, stopping his tirade cold before it had a chance to begin.
"Nothing Appa." Hal hurriedly replied, falling silent immediately thereafter. Don't need Guardian Appapoplectic on my ass. Heh. I'll save that one for later.
Kilowog quietly whispered behind Shepard and Arisia. "Aw, they ruined story time. How are we gonna know how it ends?" Erica had to fight not to grin like an idiot next to a now blushing Hal.
"Not. One. More. Word." Hal harshly whispered back over his shoulder as the briefing finally got underway.
"Yes sir." Erica chuckled quietly before letting her emerald eyes fall to the Guardians above them. Reminds me of the Citadel Council's meeting area, with these blue midgets above their soldiers. At least they don't make you climb endless flights of stairs to worship them. Damn...I really have gotten jaded in my old age.
The following fifteen minutes were enlightening, in more ways than one, for Erica Shepard. Having questioned how anything could survive a heat of a star, she had her answer when the tyrant, known as Krona, was revealed when Ardakian Trawl placed her ring in the center of the meeting hall. "The enemy is using Oa's very star against us, by opening some type of portal in its chromosphere. I saw Krona's army first hand, and it's made up of a massive number of Shadow Demons. We'll need every Lantern to deal with this new threat to Oa, and I would also suggest an immediate evacuation."
Ganthet, the Guardian that had befriended her and nearly every Green Lantern recruit, spoke next. "We have already sent out the call to every Lantern, Ardakian Trawl, and evacuation is set to begin momentarily. The Book of Oa is being prepped for this very reason, and we plan to move all important documents and artefacts to the Brume Kane Star Cluster."
"Excuse me Ganthet, aren't these precautions a bit excessive?" Erica asked, having a hard time imagining running for any reason. The enemy was huge, but she was used to dealing with threats that were far bigger than herself. "Krona might be big, and I might be new around here, but I've seen what these rings can do. Is evacuation really the best course of action when we could be focusing our energies elsewhere?"
"While your observations are well founded from your personal experiences Commander, I guarantee you have not fought the likes of Krona in your brave endeavors to save your own galaxy." Ganthet replied, nodding his approval despite the fact she was well out of her depth this time. Not only that, he had purposely let a hint of her abilities drop in the gathering, and the buzz in the crowd was palpable as questions arose of just how strong their new recruit was.
Damn, I better watch myself around Ganthet. He's a born diplomat, just as I thought. Not to mention dubiously clever. Still, two can play this game. "Well, it was only one galaxy after all, how many galaxies does your average Lantern protect?"
"Three thousand and six hundred sectors are under our jurisdiction in the known universe, Lantern 147. Do the math yourself. Now, can we continue with this briefing, or do you have any more insightful comments to share while you continue to waste our time?" The stern faced Guardian retorted, and Hal was one of the few people to see how Shepard's hands clenched up at the verbal beatdown she had received from his least favorite Oan overlord.
Note to self, do not leave her alone with Appa. Period. Images of the Guardian getting the crap beaten out of him by an enraged Shepard, which, oddly enough, wasn't that hard to imagine, popped up in Hal's mind, causing him to shudder. He leaned over to quiet whisper in the deadly still woman's ear. "Take it easy Shep, Appa's a pompous wind bag on the best of days."
"Gee you think?" Shepard whispered back, calming herself down as the briefing continued. She needed to know everything they had on this Krona, then she'd worry about the blue midget if she got the chance. Pick your battles Shepard. Anderson's voice echoed through her mind, taking the edge off of her frayed nerves before she managed to relax completely.
"Monitoring stations are being set up as we speak, and the number of Lanterns in system should roughly double within the next twelve hours. This briefing is concluded. All Lanterns, recharge your rings immediately as the Central Battery will be the last item removed from Oa." Appa's clearly dismissive tone was enough to empty the chamber in rapid order.
Three hours later...
Even with a dozen people saying the oath at a time, Shepard and her new friends were still standing in line three hours after the meeting had ended. Being used to action, any action really, waiting in line was the last thing she wanted to be doing. Especially since she was wedged between Kilowog and Hal, with Arisia on her left and Ardakian on her right. Anytime the line moved forward, she had to worry about Kilowog bumping into her and sending her into Hal's back. "Fair warning guys. If I have to stand in this damn line another minute, I'm going to go nuts. Ummpphh!" Smacking into Hal's back for the second time as she stumbled forward, Erica glared at the suddenly apologetic looking Kilowog behind her. "I swear to whatever god you believe in Sergeant, if you push me one more time...I might end up getting court martialed on my first day." Kilowog just held up his huge hands and took a step back, shoving into those behind him rather than find out what would happen if he accidentally bumped into the glaring woman a third time.
"I would pay to see that. Try not to think about it though rookie, waiting is part of the job. I would have thought you'd know that by now, Commander." Ardakian replied, her arms crossed once again under her chest as her tail swished back and forth. To the untrained eye, she would have appeared perfectly at ease, but the minute twitch in her tail told Shepard she was just as eager to get to the sun, and Krona, as she was.
Okay, she saved my life, so I'll let that bitchy sarcastic lecture slide. "I mean, why do they stand on the platform, and not just hover next to it? You could get dozens of rings charged at the same time! I understand the symbolism and all, but what good is a morale booster if this place gets attacked and these people still have their proverbial pants down?"
"The point is to charge your ring, not use it every second of the day. Besides, old habits die hard, and this happens to be one of them." Trawl retorted, hating the wait as much as Shepard, but she was better at hiding it. "Krona hasn't escaped his prison yet anyway. We'd know the moment he did, trust me."
"Wait...some jack ass thought locking him up in a star was a good idea? The main star of the system where your headquarters happen to be located... What could possibly go wrong with that plan? Oh right, you could somehow break out and annihilate your conveniently located enemy's HQ." Sarcasm dripped off of her lips as Erica crossed her arms, sighing heavily at how today was going. The other day, the very idea of a titan the size of a moon would have been ridiculous, even by her standards. Now? It wasn't so outlandish, even with the fact said titan had been sealed away in his own pocket universe.
Arisia, as predictable as ever, was the one to try and calm the tension in the air. "Technically, he was broken down into disembodied energy. Except he reconstituted himself in his anti-matter universe, and he's using the sun as a doorway, as Ardakian explained. He could have come from anywhere to my understanding, but he chose to use Oa's sun as his point of entry."
"Oh." Rubbing the back of her neck, Erica had to shake her head and wonder how she had gotten it wrong. The level of physics for these people was staggering, let alone the enemies they faced on a regular basis. "Damn, all this is a lot to get used to."
"Did I just hear something resembling doubt come out your mouth Shep? Wow, I was starting to think that wasn't possible." As Hal raised a surprised eyebrow, Erica tried not to let the cocky man's smirk get to her. She wasn't entirely successful.
"Shut up Jordon... I mean sir. I'm human, just like you." Shepard had to wonder why the Guardians had bothered to go to such an extreme in the first place, as she took in the various interesting aliens around them as they prepared to battle the former prisoner. "Okay, answer this one smart guy, why didn't the Guardians just kill this Krona instead of letting him live? Leaving bad guys still breathing tends to bite you in the ass later on."
"She's got us there Jordan." Kilowog scratched at his chin, having wondered that himself. "Some folks I can understand letting live, but someone as powerful as this Krona guy? And he was at least as bad as some of those Reaper things you fought. By the way, I really liked it when you shot that big Terminator looking one in the face with a mini nuke. Classic!"
"That was one of my better moments." Shepard shrugged, not about to go into further details about that particular mission. The Collector base had been one of the hardest missions she had gone through, and not because of the human Reaper that had been under construction. She had nearly lost her entire squad from the swarms of seekers and Collectors.
"Hey, I remember watching that part, you seemed awfully worried about What's-her-name when she almost went over the-" Hal stumbled forward, Shepard roughly shoving the man to get him moving again. The fact he almost face planted onto the walkway was just a nice bonus. "Touchy...I was just gonna say that was a hell of a catch."
"Thanks, I guess." Erica shivered slightly, remembering that moment like it happen yesterday. "I knew I was either going to catch Tali or end up going over the edge with her." Making the jump to the Normandy's open airlock hadn't been a choice. It was either she'd make it, or she didn't.
Kilowog's found his respect for the new recruit jumping up a few notches, along with his brow. "No third option huh? What about acceptable losses?" Deagon got one thing right, get a recruit madder than hell...and you'll see what they're really made of.
When most people got pissed off, their voices rose a few octaves. In Shepard's case, it dropped to a whisper that chilled the massive Sergeant's blood. "When it comes to my crew, no loss is acceptable. I don't leave people behind, no matter what."
Kilowog stuck his finger in her face, proudly beaming at the now confused, and still slightly pissed off, woman. "Good answer rookie."
"Why am I not surprised?" Realizing she had been played, Shepard rolled her eyes but managed a small smile. "Let me guess, you play that little mental game with all your new recruits, don't you Sergeant?"
"Better than being thrown into a volcano, trust me. I still have the singe marks from that little bit of training with my former drill sergeant. Guy named Deegan, and he was a damn good Lantern." Kilowog replied, remembering the entire ordeal all too clearly since he had only learned to respect the sergeant after Deegan had fallen.
"Yeah, ol' Kilowog here is positively gentle by comparison. Oops, did I say that out loud? Sorry buddy." Hal turned back to staring at the decreasing number of people ahead of them as he grinned, knowing Kilowog's eyes were probably burning holes in the back of his head at that moment. "You should ask him about that weird, furry little alien cub sometime. How the heck one got in the middle of a battlefield, I'll never know. Deegan probably would have eaten it, but Kilowog here just gently picks the thing up and-"
"Shut up Jordan." Kilowog grumbled, tempted to form a giant hammer and use his buddy as a nail. "Probably right about Deegan though."
"When you're done reminiscing about old times, we have rings to charge." Erica said, seeing an opening in the crowd at last and she made a beeline for it.
"Commander." Stopping before the central battery, Shepard turned and met a bird like alien's gaze. Yellow skin, long pointed ears, a head crest, and a sharp beak like face were her fellow Lantern's most prominent features. "Tomar-Re, it's good to meet you in person at last."
"Nice to meet you Tomar-Re. Name's Erica Shepard." Holding out her hand, Tomar surprised her and immediately shook the offered limb. "You know Hal I take it?"
"Earth customs aren't as uncommon as you'd believe. If not for the current pressing matter at hand, I would be honored to with speak with you at length. Perhaps later?" Seeing that the group in front of him was almost finished, the blunt, yet polite, Lantern nodded slightly to Shepard. "Now, if you'll please excuse me."
"Of course, good luck out there." Shepard said, earning a quick smile from the man as he prepared to lift off from the platform after charging his own ring.
"You as well, Commander." Tomar-Re replied, even going so far to offer a quick salute to her in a show of respect before flying off.
"Nice guy. He reminds me of a certain overly polite assassin." Erica mused, as she lost herself in a good memory for a moment.
"Oh! Can I make an educated guess?" Arisia asked, after pushing her way to Erica's side.
"Knock yourself out kid." Erica chuckled, curious to hear the girl's guess as she approached the central battery alongside Hal, Kilowog, and Trawl. She had a feeling that Arisia would get it right, since she was an incredibly smart girl.
"Since he seemed to have a similar personality, honestly he was a little more polite, and came from a species mildly resembling Tomar-Re's own... I believe his name is Thane Krios? ...Assassin kind of narrowed it down too." Arisia said, with just a hint of humor in her big blue eyes as she bit her lip, waiting for Erica's response.
"You forgot one thing kid. Thane is a lot easier on the eyes." Arisia felt her cheeks turn crimson at the innuendo that fell from Erica's mouth.
"His voice was rather...soothing." Trawl grinned widely, enjoying the uneasy looks that passed between Kilowog and a nearby Lantern while Hal looked ready to flee at a moment's notice.
Hal's eyes darted between the three women, their eyes suddenly glazed over in thought, as certain mental image popping into his mind. "Oh God! I can't know that!"
"Uh, what's that human saying Jordan? 'I'm gonna need brain bleach'? Yeesh." Kilowog proceeded to nudge the momentary distracted trio to the end of the platform as they all raised their rings along with a few other Lanterns.
"Okay, let's get this over with." Realizing this was her first time consciously saying the oath, Shepard started to realize why it was such a big deal. It was about reaffirming your commitment to something far bigger than yourself. Well, THAT, and measuring the recharge time so I don't blow up my ring, and my entire arm off, apparently. A dozen voices chorused together as one, adding further weight to the entire affair.
In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power... Green Lantern's light.
Taking a moment to look at her ring in an entirely new light, Shepard closed her fist and nodded before turning to her new found friends. "Okay then. Let's go stop Armageddon."
A pink skinned woman next to them with long white flowing hair quirked an eyebrow at the confident woman's over the top bravado. "You've got a thing for making epic statements don't you?"
"I have my moments. Why do you think I'm still alive?" Shepard grinned, earning a chuckle from the woman who gently pushed past her to get to the battery.
"Because you always had the best people supporting you?" Hal pointed his thumb at his chest with a grin. "See, more or less the same here, you'll have me by your side Shep. Oh, and Kilowog, Arisia, and the rest of the Lantern Corp of course." Ardakian huffed at being left out of his little list.
"Sounds like I'll have the best...right behind me most likely. I've always taken the lead anyway." Erica grinned at the suddenly not so smug Green Lantern's frown.
"Hey, I can't let this handsome, chiseled face get dinged up, now can I?" Hal just sighed in defeat as his joke fell flat, the others flying past him, heading of the battery room alongside Shepard.
"Handsome? That might be pushing it flyboy. Wait…." She hadn't seen a single ship since waking up on Oa and exploring the planet to some limited degree, and wondered how they were going to get to the literal center of this particular universe. "Um….guys? How are we going to get there exactly?"
Kilowog stopped and stared at Shepard, surprised the question had even come out of her mouth. "Oh come on rookie! I was really starting to like you, and then you ask a dumb question like that."
"There are no dumb questions Sergeant. Only dumb instructors who don't answer them." Ardakian said with a slight scowl, holding her ring up to demonstrate for Shepard. A green glow enveloped the smirking woman as she flew alongside Erica and Arisia. "Now, Arisia, want to fill Commander Clueless in on how you got here? Nevermind, I got this." In a flash, Trawl was a green streak darting high into the atmosphere, before rapidly returning to her former spot in their little formation.
Shit. This is not good. "Would now be a bad time to mention that I got spaced and had a bad case of dead for two years?" The four of them just stared at her with understanding eyes for a moment, not surprised at all, having already seen that terrifying moment. It helped that there had been a long period of nothing before the images recorded on the ring had started up again. "I ah...I seriously might be a liability if I have to do what I think you want me to do."
"First time you ran into the Collectors, we saw that part too." All trace of humor had vanished from Hal's face as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Shep, the ring does more than make fancy constructs and shields. You'll be fine."
"To be a Green Lantern means you have the ability to overcome great fear Erica. I'm afraid, but I'm still willing to do my part in this. At first, I wondered why Hal wanted me to witness some of your experiences, but now I know. It's my responsibility to stay by your side, so you know you can count on my help if you ever need it. That's what...'squadmates?' do."
Impressive choice of words kid. "Damn it Arisia, now I can't chicken out." Thanks for the kick in the ass, kid. If only Joker could see this, he'd be laughing his ass off right about now. "I'd be the laughing stock of my entire galaxy if they found out I let a kid get the best of me." Despite the gentle gut punch to her ego, Erica smiled over at the young blonde beside her, glad to have Arisia by her side in this critical moment.
Flying a little behind the trio, Kilowog looked to his partner and smirked at the obvious bonding moment between his new recruits. "Arisia and Erica seem to be getting along. Did ya pair them together on purpose Jordan?"
"Not telling." The grin on Hal's face was answer enough as they made their final approach to Oa's upper atmosphere. "Ready guys? As soon as we breach atmo, push towards the sun with all you got!"
"Got it flyboy." Following Hal's example of forming a skin tight shield around herself, Shepard took a steadying breath, giving Arisia a final nod as blue sky gave way to the void of space. The moment they left Oa behind, Shepard couldn't help but marvel at the unobstructed view she had of the stars and a nearby moon around her. "Never thought I'd say this, but this is a thousand times better than seeing it through a cockpit window."
Ardakian actually managed to smile that the awed look on Erica's face, all the while keeping an eye on her just as much as she knew the others silently were. "Not bad huh? I'll have to take you sightseeing some time. Watch a couple supernovae, fly through a nebula, beat up a few space pirate gangs, we'll make a day of it."
"Just don't get too close to a black hole. Even these rings have their limits." Kilowog told her as they started to near the massive blazing star.
"Duly noted." She was about to say more, but the moment they flew past one of dozens of green shaded monitoring stations, she saw something flying straight for them. Something black as the void itself. "Scatter now!"
"Wha-" Arisia didn't get a chance to finish as Erica yanked her to the side before the Shadow Demon could tear into the young girl.
Seeing that the demon couldn't turn on a dime despite its speed, Erica banked 'up' hard and did her best to evade the seemingly endless stream of black death rushing to catch them. Grabbing Arisia's shoulder, she spun the shocked girl around to face the enemy as well as they raced backwards from the anti-matter creatures. "Start shooting!" Shepard led by example, grabbing the assault rifle off her back and laying down a rapid stream of emerald fire into the vicious entities. Spots of black were torn off the enemy in front of her, before it disappeared completely once she had done enough damage. "Smaller ones are easier to kill off. Good to know."
Hal's concerned voice emitted from her ring seconds later. "Watch out you two! There's a huge one heading in your direction! Running might be a good idea!"
"No! Form up and protect each other's backs! NOW!" Shepard gave Hal the 'look' she was so well known for back home, and he had no chance to argue. To her mind, if they ran, they'd just be chased down until they were torn apart. Having seen as many battles as she had, all she sensed from the demons was a mindless intent to kill and maim and devour. "Hal, Ardy, Sarge, better bring out your big guns now, no point in saving them if we're dead. Arisia, just keep blasting at them, try to straff as many at a time as you can."
"When did she get the right to call the shots?!" Kilowog shouted, but despite his complaint, his gatling guns and missile pack combo made its appearance, and he wasted no time in unleashing his own version of Hell against the Shadow Demons around them. For every one he gunned down, they'd split into two more, filling his 'sky' with black shades intent on only one thing.
"Fire in the hole! Space...whatever." Erica had already switched out her rifle for her grenade launcher as she sent multiple rounds into the streaming horde approaching them. The huge green explosions ripped into the demons' ranks, shredding their front lines. A giant grin plastered itself on Shepard's face when she suddenly realized thermal clips need not apply to objects formed out of pure Will energy. "I could get used to this!" Her finger now held the trigger down as a dozen 'grenades' wreaked havoc on the nearest enemies threatening them.
"Above you!" Hal shouted, throwing a jet at the giant demon that was bearing down on her at top speed. The resulting explosion was enough to throw even Shepard back several meters. When the 'smoke' cleared, he did a quick scan and saw other than a few stragglers which Arisia picked off, all of the major threats had been destroyed. "We're in the clear."
"For the moment." Trawl replied, the sword in her hand disappearing back into her ring before she addressed her fellow Lanterns. "Seeing your memories and seeing you in action are two completely different things. No wonder the Reapers saw you as a threat."
Shepard shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just a colossal pain in the ass like that."
"No kiddin' Commander." Kilowog replied, grinning like a loon after the display he had just been a part of.
"Commander huh? I'm missing 'poozer' and 'rookie' already." Despite how easily she had helped repel the anti-matter entities, Shepard wiped some sweat from her forehead, only then feeling how tired she was after the fight was over. "I will say this, this kind of fighting takes a lot out of you."
"Let's try and get some downtime then, before Krona rears his ugly mug." Hal said as he led the way to the nearest station, which was a hexagonal shaped disk of sorts that was in orbit around the sun. Using his ring to open a temporary one way door for his fellow Lanterns before closing it behind him. "Should be safe to power down for a while."
"Great, now we get to wait for Krona to make up his damn mind already." Erica's impatient eyes took in the many other Lanterns surrounding them before they fell on one man in particular.
"Patience Commander." Sinestro said from the front of the station, his arms behind his back as he stared at the sun. "When Krona comes, we will need every Lantern behind us to stop him. Rest while you can, you're going to need it." Turning his head to look at the new arrivals, he offered her a small smirk of approval. "I saw the fight by the way. Impressive work, for a pair of rookie Lanterns, Commander. We are far too used to fighting independently, far too confident in our own singular ability. The Corp could certainly use more of a squad based tactics mind set, in my opinion."
"I can see why you would be confident in your abilities since these rings are a powerful tool. Why would you need a squad when you have the power of an army in the palm of your hand?" Shepard could see the benefit of having single Lantern units, but she also saw the weaknesses behind such an ingrained habit as well. Small man units could slip in and out of enemy territory with ease if they did their jobs right, but because they were small units, if not a single soldier, they were also easily overwhelmed.
Confirming where her mind had gone, Sinestro continued. "One Lantern, no matter how powerful, is still one Lantern, Commander Shepard. Members of the GL Corp are not nearly as invincible as some of them like to think they are." Sinestro gave Hal a rather pointed stare before turning back to gaze at the star in front of him. "But, on the other hand, one person can change the tide of any conflict if they are in the right place at the right time."
"I seem to have all the luck when it comes to getting that particular position in a given battle." Erica mused, knowing she would do her best in this fight, but that she would be more of a hinderance than anything if she tried to command a battle she didn't fully understand. This would be more Admiral Hackett's area of expertise anyway.
"I saw as much when the Guardians showed us your life story Commander. It is truly amazing how far your luck extended. But luck will always fail you in the end. Just as it did Abin Sur." At the slightly guilty look on Hal's face, Shepard realized he had gotten this Abin Sur's ring. Shepard found herself reappraising Sinestro as he turned to a clearly uncomfortable Hal, and spoke up in a solemn voice. "I cannot think of a worthier person to wear my friend's ring, Jordan. You've done amazing things for the Corp already, and I suspect, you'll do much more."
Maybe I haven't seen enough of the Corp? It's pretty obvious these guys wouldn't hesitate to lay down their lives for each other...or for me. This was the unified galaxy she had fought for back home. Dozens of alien species, working together in common cause, it was enough to make Erica glad to be alive, even if this wasn't her reality. "So, how often does the Corp face an enemy of doomsday proportions Sinestro?" Shepard asked, having taken a spot next to the famous Lantern by the window.
"It depends on who you ask Commander. I'm sure Abin Sur would be quoting scripture right now. But to get back to your question, more than I'd care to admit. 'And so it is written, the enemy long buried shall return from a fire, and Oa will be consumed in its flames.' Almost makes you want to hide under the nearest rock." Sinestro replied, turning to look at the woman at his side, as well as the young girl that was fidgeting nervously behind her.
Hal put a hand on Arisia's shoulder before speaking. "Yup, sorry to disappoint you Shep, but dealing with planet sized bad guys is a usual Tuesday for us."
"Good to know this isn't a special occasion or anything then." The sarcasm in her voice was thick enough to dull an omni-blade's edge.
Ardakian grinned as she joined the small group by the station's window. "There was this one planet full of interesting alien amazons that I was sent to check out. That seemed special to me at least. More like a special week actually."
Hal smirked as he rolled his eyes at the smiling woman. "I really didn't need to know that. Still, least you had some fun right? We can't work all the time, after all."
"You're not the only one Jordan. Yeesh. Some of us try to make Lanterns look slightly more respectable." Kilowog grumbled, shaking his head before noticing something odd about the surface of the nearby sun. "Is anyone else noticing the tornado on the surface, or is it just me?"
(For added effect, play A Hero Will Rise - Future World Music)
Erica peered closer at the growing disturbance on the surface of the star. "Well, either the Wicked Witch of the West is going to make an appearance any second now, or Krona just got off his lazy incorporeal ass."
"Oh God... Is this the Blackest Night everyone talks about?" Arisia asked, having a really bad feeling this was going to be one of the hardest days of her life, if not her worst, or her last for that matter if things went badly.
"No my dear, only dusk." Sinestro replied, his ring already forming a skin tight shield around himself the moment it looked like Krona truly was coming.
"Just remember what you learned Arisia, and stay close to me, Ardakian, Hal, or Kilowog. You'll get through this." Shepard said, determined that if anyone would see another day, it'd be the naive young blonde student.
Sinestro's eyes narrowed as the star started to bulge outward. "Everyone to your positions!" Not a moment later, a massive blast of stellar debris raced to engulf the nearby monitoring stations as the Lanterns covered themselves in shields, taking the sun's explosive wave without a scratch. With the stations now gone, they would be directly exposed to whatever came next.
Having faced Reapers in all of their terrifying glory in every shape and size, Shepard thought she had seen enormous enemies before. Krona proved to be far greater in scale, making Harbinger seem small by comparison, as the moon sized black and yellow titan of anti-matter rose from the sun's core. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but that seems pretty damn ominous to me." The sun's plasma like core dripped off of Krona in searing cascades that had no effect on the giant himself.
Kilowog glanced at the Lanterns streaming towards the star, mostly on their own or in two's. "Everyone stick together! If I catch any of you on your own, you'll owe me five hundred push ups after this!" The cacophonous replies were all in the positive, much to the Sergeant's relief as the small 'squad' darted into the coming fray.
They didn't have to wait long for Krona's army of Shadow Demons to make an appearance, as the vile, writhing black creatures streamed out of the portal below him. Dark tendrils of death were seemingly everywhere in an instant, as they reached out to devour whatever lay in their path. Scattering before the massive number of demons attempting to chase them down, the surrounding Lanterns did their best to thin out the enemy lines.
"So, got a plan of attack Shepard?!" Hal shouted, swinging a baseball bat through a demon that got too close before throwing a jet into a tightly packed cluster.
"You want a plan?! Attack the damn things!" Erica shouted back, unleashing as many explosive shells from her grenade launcher as she could on anything that wasn't wearing green. Noticing one particularly huge clump of enemies barreling down on a section of Lanterns, Erica suddenly felt a familiar comforting weight settle in her arms. "Everyone brace yourselves! I'm done screwing around!" With a roar of defiance, the Cain construct that formed from her ring powered up before spitting out a single round right into the heart of the huge group. The resulting explosion was spectacular as a small spherical nuclear explosion shredded apart anything caught within its blast radius.
Warning: Ring charge down to 85%. Continued use of the current, and might I say, overpowered construct, will rapidly drain remaining power. Shepard ignored the almost annoyed sounding voice in her mind as she fired off another blast from the devastating weapon. Ring charge now 75%...I'm fairly sure you did that on purpose.
Thanks for stating the obvious you mickey mouse piece of shit. Shepard grumbled to herself, having just enough time to glare at her ring before slicing another demon in two with a hastily constructed omni-blade.
Hal stared in awe at the still expanding sphere of deadly energy as it wiped out the rest of that group of demonic enemies. "Son of a bitch! Maybe a little more warning next time Shepard?!" Turning to face the rampaging beings on their flank, Jordan sent a fleet of fighters slamming into the ravenous horde.
"Less talking, more fighting!" Trawl shouted, a pair of heavy swords in her hands as well as a whip construct in her tail's grasp. Flipping about every which way, the whip in her tail had far greater reach than her swords, and it was just as sharp as she cut down several demons with every attack.
"What she said, Jordan. Pick up the pace!" Kilowog was putting his usual set of missile launchers and gatling guns to good use as he focused on keeping their immediate surroundings demon free so that the heavy hitters had a clear line of fire.
"Stop with the honorable combat crap Trawl!" Shepard yelled, as she whipped out her less energy intensive grenade launcher. "Think a little bigger, size does matter in battle."
"We need a new plan! There's too many to take on like this!" Arisia shouted, her ring discharging a continuous stream of green at everything that was missed by the explosions around her.
For every group of demons they destroyed, more kept coming out of Krona's anti-matter realm. Krona himself merely watched the proceeding with the same interest as a malevolent child with a magnifying glass, frying ants on a sidewalk. While they were holding their own, it wouldn't be long before Krona moved onto his main objective out of sheer boredom. A large group of Lanterns moved to intercept him, placing themselves far too close to the behemoth titan for Shepard's liking.
What the hell are they thinking?! Erica's emerald eyes widened as she played out the inevitable outcome in her head, seeing Krona started to lift his hands above and below them. "GET OUT OF THERE!" She didn't wait to see if they heard her or not over the communication device that was a part of the rings, as she flew over to the group as quickly as she could. Slamming his hands down on the now trapped Lanterns, just as Shepard would have done if she were in the same position, Krona had every intention of crushing as many of them as he could. Except something was holding his enormous strength back. "When I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed!" Shepard shouted, pouring everything she had into the Barrier she had created around herself and the idiots caught with her between the massive set of hands. Sweat poured down her face as cracks formed in the shield, the enormous pressure putting far more strain on her ability to hold Krona at bay. "Get out of here! NOW!"
"You heard the Commander! Move!" Tomar-Re shouted, as he gave Erica a nod of gratitude, before turning to ensure the rapidly fleeing Lanterns cleared the area in time. "Gods be with you Shepard." Erica only nodded to Tomar-Re before he too fled the scene, joining the fight once more with his fellow Lanterns.
So this is it. Getting squished between a giant megalomaniac's hands. Can't say I saw that one coming. At least I managed to do some good here... Looking at the wedding band one last time, her arm outstretched as she poured her remaining energy into her shield, Erica wouldn't have wiped the tears from her eyes even if she could have as her Barrier continued to crack around her. Guess I'll be finding peace in the embrace of the goddess a little sooner than I thought, Liara. You better not keep me waiting for long.
"Tomar, where's Shepard?!" Hal shouted, catching sight of another of his friends even as he threw another fleet of jets at another swarm of anti-matter creatures. When he pointed to the sight of a flickering green shield in Krona's crushing hands, Hal's eyes shot open in shock. "No…. SHEPARD!"
"Hal stop!" Kilowog reached out and grabbed his recklessly courageous friend as Jordan started to dart towards the smug titan. "It's too late..."
With a huge and triumphant smirk, Krona pressed down completely, right before thousands of emerald shards shot out from the titan's colossal hands. Jordan watched in horror, his fists shaking with rage.
Ending Notes: Vergil1989; Did we seriously just kill Shepard?! Maybe Arisia is right, and Blackest Night is coming early?
Archer83: It certainly looks that way, doesn't it? As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Reviews, follows, favorites, and PMs are awesome!
Vergil1989; Archer said it pretty well already, so I'll just close out with a nice little farewell lol. As always, keep the light burning strong ladies and gentlemen.