Author's Note: Ehhhh maybe the M rating comes in here? Dunno for sure, but take this as a caution. Otherwise, enjoy!
Chapter 4: Every Good Deed
The Gerxaltans were a simple agricultural people who lived on a planetoid where their entire lifestyle depended on the changing seasons. They thrived on what they could grow and their harvests were entirely hinged on the nature of the environment. So when a very hot season came upon them, the Gerxaltans watched in horror as their crops struggled to grow and their wells started to dry up. All seemed lost as the denizens of thatched hut villages began to grow skinny and frail as food sources dwindled. They held out hope for rain to come… a hope that dwindled, but still reached out to the stars…
Michael Ryker flew to Gerxalt to answer, his ring responding to the hopes of the villagers below. His arrival was met with great awe from a simple people who had yet to achieve any technological advances. Understanding their plight, Michael had his ring perform a geographical scan of the planet and discovered deep-rooted deposits of groundwater that could be tapped for new wells. The hope of the people grew and his ring fed off of it, empowered to allow Michael to craft drilling machines at no cost to the reserve charge. He dove deep, drilling four new wells for the people that overflowed with abundant water, and would've been soaked had it not been for his ring's protective aura.
The Gerxaltans rejoiced as fountains of fresh water spewed forth from the ground, replenishing their hope for crops to grow and food stuffs to be renewed again. Michael felt every ounce of their hope and it filled him with a sense of proud accomplishment as the people thanked him over and over again. Bidding them farewell and encouraging them to get their crops going again (after making sure their needs were met in the meanwhile) Michael took flight and returned to the cosmos once more to cheers and waves from the Gerxaltans, smiling all the while. "So that's what it feels like." He murmured to himself, realizing this was how it felt to have a life-changing impact on people.
His ring led him onwards to another corner of the galaxy, travelling faster than light which made planet-hopping that much more expedient. The semi-sentient nature of his ring meant it could detect situations before he could see them as well as understand the hopes of the people involved. As such it guided him to where he needed to be exactly when he needed to be there.
From his vantage point, Michael could see a pale brown world orbited by a pair of gray, pock-marked moons. At a glance, nothing seemed to be amiss, but he knew better than to take things at face value. "Ring. Location."
"Planet Lusan. Homeworld of the Lusanese. Scans indicate a measure of upheaval in the populace." His power ring responded.
"What kind of 'upheaval' are we talking about?" Michael questioned.
"Unable to confirm. Suggest scanning the planet at a closer proximity." Heeding its advice, Michael drew closer. The more he did, he could make out the dark silhouette of something mechanical set against the enlarging sphere of Lusan. He squinted, trying to make out the details.
"That looks like a ship…" He murmured, pondering what could be happening here. His ring suddenly flashed rapidly.
"Proximity alert. Incoming assault imminent." It cautioned him. Michael had barely a second to register the warning before he was abruptly sideswiped by something with enough concussive force to send him spinning. Reeling from the passing blow, Michael's ring righted him as it's computerized functions leveled his gyroscopic posture while he sought out his attacker.
They weren't hard to miss.
A small one-man space-bike, with flames belching from the massive twin turbines keeping it moving, arced around in a slow turn as the rider made to make another pass at Michael. They had snow-white skin, concealed behind a shredded vest and a long tangled mass of black dreadlocks. Clamped between goatee-lined teeth was a lit cigar, smouldering almost as intensely as his blood red eyes.
"Well lookee here! Must be my lucky day: get ta bag two Lanterns!" He cackled. Reaching beside him, he drew a laser rifle and opened fire on the Blue Lantern with a barrage of red energy bolts. Michael quickly fashioned a medieval shield, taking the shots one by one until the space bike crashed into him and left him trapped aboard the nose of the craft as it barreled through space. "Hey! No free rides, ankle-sucker!" The rider snapped as Michael looked him in the eye. He vaguely resembled a member from one of Earth's biker gangs, albeit very alien in nature. Lifting his rifle, the rider seemed quizzical. "Eh, wait a tick, what the hell's a human doin' all the way out here? Shouldn't you be back in your dirty corner of sector twenty-eight fourteen?" He questioned. Michael's response was to charge up his ring.
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"Oh, I'm sorry." The rider replied, seemingly pacified. "Here, my card," he promptly shot Michael dead in the face with his weapon, the Blue Lantern sent tumbling back through space as he reeled from the blow. His aura absorbed the otherwise deadly shot but he still felt the concussive force enough to make his ears ring.
"Ring… who is this?" He gasped.
"Biometric analysis indicates a member of the extinct Czarnian species." His power ring told him just before Michael felt something wrap around his leg. A chain hook led back to the Czarnian's hand where he was giving Michael a toothy grin.
"The name's Lobo. That's 'L' for laceration. 'O' for obliteration. 'B' for disembowel. 'O' for… hm, well, I guess I can use obliteration twice." He announced. "All you need to know, meatbag, is that I get paid top dollar for stinkin' carcases like yours. And the Main Man always delivers!" With that, he floored the accelerator and took off like a shot, dragging Michael with him as he careened through space. Flailing about at the end of his chain, Michael struggled for a moment to get his bearings before he fired off a few scattered bolts from his ring, missing Lobo and striking the chassis of his ride. "Watch the paint ya lousy blue bastich!" The Czarnian shouted over the roar of his own engine. Reefing the controls to one side, his whipped his hog around and sent Michael shooting past him, jerked to a sudden halt by the chain around his leg. "Ain't no lousy humie punk is gonna bust up the Main Man's ride! Do I gotta teach ya a lesson in mannerisms? Huh? Ya dumb blue bastich." Lobo griped.
Taking his chance, Michael snapped up an arm and unleashed a bolt of blue light that knocked the end of the chain out of Lobo's grip. Overloading his aura, Michael snapped the chains off his legs and freed himself. "Ya dirty rotten fraggin' scrud-lumper! That was my favourite chain!" Lobo snapped. "Alright, I tried doin' things my way. Now we gotta do this tha fun way!" Gunning his ride, Lobo spun around as he drew a double-barreled shotgun from his opposite hip and took aim at Michael. The Blue Lantern dove low and kept flying, narrowly avoiding the blast of energized buckshot. Lobo moved to pursue, overclocking his hog. "Go ahead a run ya filthy bastich! But the Main Man don't stop for nothin'!" The Czarnian cackled, opening fire with more buckshot rounds. Michael bled his hope into his shields, charging them up as he tried to put more distance between himself and Lobo.
There's no way I can take him as is. Not when he's got the advantage with that space-bike of his.
"Ring. Suggestions?" He asked.
"Czarnian, designation 'Lobo', is an intergalactic bounty hunter." Came the reply. "He is wanted for assorted crimes across all thirty-six-hundred sectors of space."
"Great. What does he want me for?" Michael demanded.
"Unknown. Recommend pursuing dialogue as a course of action." His ring proffered as a buckshot round thundered close by.
"I doubt he's in the mood. Not when he can control the area with that hover bike of his." Michael mumbled.
A sudden thought came to him and was amplified by something he read once. In the Art of War. Space control… of course! I can't fight him one on one but I can do something about that hunk of machinery he's joyriding.
Propelling himself ahead, Michael came to a dead stop and whipped around to face down Lobo. He took one look at the bladed turbine fans mounted on his engines and drew a quick conclusion, hoping it would pay off. Forging a crossbow with a flash of blue light from his ring, Michael took aim and fired a bolt straight at Lobo's spacehog. His projectile struck one of the intake engines and gummed up the cooling fan, promptly detonating in a belch of fire and smoke. "Scrub-ruttin' frakkin' bastich!" Lobo swore as his spacehog sputtered and he was forced to regain control. Michael used his distraction to dive out of the way and convert his crossbow in an ancient Egyptian kopesh sword, raking it alongside the hog's wounded engine as he split it in two.
The human whipped around just as he Czarnian drifted his hog to a stop, smoke belching from the missing turbine. "That was custom, ya blue bastich! You have any idea how many units its gonna cost ta get that fixed?!" He demanded, rising up in his seat with his double-barreled shotgun in one hand and a new chainhook in the other. Michael responded by loosing another beam of blue light from his ring that wound its way into the internals of the spacehog, causing the vehicle to shudder and shimmer as living blue tendrils wrapped around the mechanics.
"You're going to wind up needing a lot more repairs unless you end this." He retorted. Lobo growled, teeth clenching down so tightly on his cigar he nearly bit it off.
"Skrag-suckin' frakker! Ain't nobody lays hands on the Main Man's hog!" He snarled. Leaping off his ride, the Czarnian opened fire on the Blue Lantern. Michael shunted back as his aura took the brunt of the pellet burst, giving him a chance to regroup and retaliate.
And there was no simpler form of retaliation than a big blue fist.
He creamed Lobo with a massive right hook that snapped the bounty hunter's head to the side. A sudden flash of pink caught his eye, standing out starkly against the Czarnian's otherwise monochromatic appearance. Michael's gaze was drawn to a chain around Lobo's neck where a pink ring hung suspended. In one deft move he reached out and ripped it free, pulling it in close to study.
It was a ring, crafted out of a pink crystalline material this close to a polished metal. Emblazed on the flathead was a starburst emblem: the symbol of the Star Sapphire Corps. Maybe it was an old trophy, or maybe it was fresh. Either way, Michael wanted the truth. If a fellow Lantern was in trouble he refused to do nothing about it.
"Where did you get this?" He demanded, meeting Lobo's gaze as the Czarnian massaged his jaw.
"Why do you care?" The bounty hunter scoffed. In response, Michael generated another tendril of blue light that snared the bounty hunter and bound him tight with cords bound by the hope they would hold him long enough to get answers. "Hey! What the frakk was that for ya cheap bastich?!" Lobo roared as his tools were flung from his hands. In response, Michael whipped him around and smashed him across the front og his spacehog.
"Any more smart remarks?" The Blue Lantern questioned. Lobo lifted his head up, still looking irritable. After a moment, he cracked a small toothy grin.
"Heh. You're a tough bastich, I'll give you that. For a blue." He snickered. "Fine. Lifted it off a broad the Gordanians wanted. Must'a wanted 'er bad, they paid me extra to bring 'er in. Pink bastich fought good 'n hard but the Main Man never loses to broads." He explained in his usual colorful way. "Last I saw they was tuckin' her away in their ship. Heh. You should've heard the broad squeal. No ring but puttin' up a helluva fight." He added. Michael looked up and tracked the silhouette of a distant spacecraft hovering in front of the planet.
"Thanks for the tip." He proffered, loosing the bonds around Lobo before taking flight again.
"Hey! What the frakkin' hell am I supposed to do now?" Lobo shouted after him.
"Sit tight and if you're patient, I'll come back and fix it." Michael responded over his shoulder. He tuned out the Czarnians loud and colorful tirade as he made a beeline for the Gordanian ship in question.
The vessel was rough and scrappy with jagged edges and hard irregular lines. Michael rocketed in close and flew along the edge of the hull, examining struts and ridges that resembled striations on an alien face. "Ring, status report: what kind of ship is this?" He asked his power ring.
"A Gordanian slave ship." Came the reply. Michael frowned.
"We're a little far from the Vega System… what are they doing out here?"
"Patterns indicate searching for new slaves to sell back in the Vega System." His ring answered.
The Vega System was a lawless sector of space, one that the Green Lantern Corps did not have jurisdiction over. The knowledge base of his ring filled his head with necessary data concerning the Gordanians and Vega System, information that put Michael on edge and inspired him to not waste any more time surveying the spacecraft.
A blue energy bolt erupted from his ring and blew open a hole in the lower deck, granting him immediate access. He was inside before a containment field switched on, sealing the opening and protecting the crew within from the vacuum of space. Michael's aura shone brightly, casting a blue glow across the room he had entered… revealing a trio of Gordanian slavers. The aliens were green-skinned and clad in a bronze armor that protected their chests, heads, and arms, while leaving their lower body exposed. Two thick toes kept them balanced on the steel floor as burly tails swished back and forth. They whirled about, revealing scaly skin wrapping around bulbous snouts filled with teeth. All three had power lances in hand and took aim at Michael.
"Let these people go!" He declared only to immediately regret the turn of phrase. "Ugh, that sounded better in my head." He muttered as the aliens opened fire. Golden streaks of light ricocheted off his protective aura as Michael quickly dashed to one side and crafted halberd with his ring. Swinging his weapon around, he bashed the nearest Gordanian across the face and sent him tumbling to the floor before he forged a medieval shield to block another barrage of power lance rounds. Quickly converting his shield into another crossbow, he dropped both of the Gordanians with explosive bolts that pitched them clear across the room. His construct dissipated and Michael spun around to check for more. "None? Good." A sudden pulse in his hand drew him to the pink ring he'd lifted off Lobo and he discovered it was glowing with violet energy. "Ring. Analyze." The report was almost instantaneous.
"Subject is a power ring belonging to the Star Sapphire Corps. It has been charged with the violet light of love." Michael lifted the ring with two fingers.
"Love, eh? I bet you'd love to be reunited with your user." He remarked as the ring began to flash again. Taking it as a hint, he scanned the room with hand outstretched, watching until the ring flashed as bright as possible indicating his desired course. Michael took flight down a hallway, one that was lined with cells filled to the brim with natives from the planet below. They reminded him of the alien from the E.T. movie, albeit with a longer body and a less hunched-over posture. Their large sad eyes glimmered briefly as they spotted him flying by and Michael could feel a swell in power as his ring fed on their hope for freedom.
No wonder the ring brought me here… these people need to go home. Their loved ones are hoping to see them again.
His eyes briefly met theirs, seeing their desperation and struggling will to hope for release, and Michael resolved to return them all safely. His chances of success would increase with another Lantern at his side and, with any luck, this Star Sapphire would be eager for some payback for getting captured.
Following the pink glow down more cellblocks, the light abruptly stopped in the middle of a seemingly vacant hall. Michael paused, confused, and held out the ring again. It remained dark and did not shine a way forward. The human began waving the ring around, hoping it would ignite again, and was surprised when the violet light flashed when he pointed it towards the floor. "What? She's below?" He said aloud. With a shrug Michael fashioned a spear and drove it into the floor, promptly using his existing construct to create a pair of pry-bars to wrench open a hole in the metal. He dropped down onto a dark deck of the ship where lighting was sparse and the hall was eerily quiet. Michael chose to ignore the disquieting nature and focused instead on the massive steel double-doors in front of him. The violet ring was blazing brightly, urging him forward.
Guess they weren't taking any chances with her.
Blue light poured forth from his ring, filling the seam in the doors a hairsbredth in size. His light hardened into a pure energy that caused the doors to buckle before he drew back his arm and tore out the two doors with a burst of blue light. He floated inside, clenching the pink ring in his hand as his own power ring illuminated the space within. A figure appeared to be standing before him, "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you," he announced as his eyes adjusted to the dark, "I'm here to get you… out… of… uhhhh…" his words died on his tongue as he suddenly realized who was in here.
It was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Truth be told there wasn't a shortage of those back on Earth; Michael's own ex, not to mention the absolute specimens that were the heroines and even a few exuberant villainesses, all of which he may or may not have fantasized about at least once, like any red-blooded male would.
But none of them could compare to the woman before him.
Her face was flawless, with soft cheekbones, a perfectly shaped nose, full, luscious and inviting lips. Her bright sea-green eyes shone in his light like two polished gemstones, framed by long locks of lavender hair that stood in stark contrast to her chalk-white skin. Her body was just as perfect. Her curves perfectly proportionate, not too big or not too small, her legs and hips absolutely eye-catching while her breasts and butt were nicely rounded in their own way. Despite having a body that would put every Earth supermodel to shame, she was also strong and athletic with toned arms and legs sporting the supple swell of shaped muscle, her torso sleek and svelte, her stomach flat and sculpted, the sloping V of her hipbones perfectly defined…
And she was completely naked.
Michael's brain was in mid-shutdown, his gaze riveted to the unclothed woman in the cell, standing there almost expectantly without a hint of shame. She made no effort to cover herself, seemingly at peace with her state… something that didn't help the red-blooded human. But her expression indicated a measure of confusion and a very real sense of distress.
That abruptly changed when, suddenly, the violet ring came alive within Michael's grip, fighting to get free. His closed fingers didn't last long as it shot out towards the humanoid woman and her outstretched hand. The pink ring slid over her middle finger and a sudden flash of violet light filled the cell, temporarily blinding Michael. His eyes adjusted yet again as the glow hardened into clothing that wrapped around the woman, creating a stylized crop top made of pink skin-hugging fabric that connected to small pauldrons fashioned around her shoulders, each the same shade of pink while also sporting the emblem of the Star Sapphire Corps. A belt bearing the same symbol fashioned itself around her hips that trailed a black-with-pink-trim skirt and sash down her shapely legs which were now covered by thigh-high black cloth wraps that covered most of her feet, leaving just her toes exposed.
The glow faded and the woman loosed an exhale of relief as her hair tucked itself behind her long, thin, pointed ears that reminded Michael of Earth's elves of myth and fantasy. The rest of her hair was pulled into a small ponytail, revealing a lack of eyebrows save for two small patched of hair above the bridge of her nose.
She smiled at him, revealing straight rows of pearly white teeth that seemed to gleam in tandem with the sparkle in her eyes. "Thank you!" She gasped in a silken voice. "A thousand times, thank you!" Flying forward, she threw her arms around Michael's neck, giving him a hearty kiss on the cheek as she hugged him.
Michael remained rooted in place, a stunned expression painting his face as his brain attempted a restart. He felt his cheeks burn with flush. "Um… You're, uh, very welcome…" He stammered in reply. The Star Sapphire's head withdrew to look him in the eye and it was then that another flash of pink light formed a choker around her neck the same shade as her black-trimmed crop top. Michael was rendered speechless again as her beauty captivated him and it took him a few seconds too many to find his voice again. He knew he was blushing but he couldn't help himself. "I'm, uh, Michael Ryker. Blue Lantern." He greeted, trying to be polite.
"Princess Ghia'ta of Zamaron. Star Sapphire." The woman responded, releasing him to give a tiny little curtsy. Michael blinked and cocked his head.
"Princess? Pardon my asking but what're you doing out here?" He wondered, brain fully back into gear.
"Much like you blues, I was trying to spread the love of the violet light to the universe. I wasn't expecting to get jumped by that Czarnian bounty hunter." Ghia'ta answered, a rough edge in her voice when she mentioned Lobo. Michael noted how her ears seemed to fold back in agitation.
A sudden commotion from behind shattered the moment as shouts and footfalls announced the arrival of Gordanian troopers. Michael surmised he must have tripped their security system, or else they were being very observant and it had simply taken this long for a contingent of guards to arrive. "Hold that thought." Ghia'ta said, floating past Michael and out into the open. Her ring blazed brightly as she forged an ornate spear within her grip, her expression hardening as she moved to confront the column of armored aliens pouring into her cellblock. With a shout, she attacked them, swinging her spear around to bash the leading Gordanian across the face before spinning it back around to club his body and send him shooting back into his comrades. Ghia'ta let her spear dissipate as she reforged the light into a pair of large ornate swords too big to hold. Instead they followed the motions of her arms and hands, whirling and slicing their way into the ranks of the Gordanians as the Zamaronian princess hacked and slashed at her would-be captors. Golden bolts from power lances struck her energized aura, but Ghia'ta was hellbent on victory and nothing the Gordanians did could deter her.
In no time at all, the reptilians aliens lay beaten on the floor, an unmoving pile of bronze and green as Ghia'ta hovered triumphant over them. Michael lingered at the end of the hall, watching dumbfounded as the princess single-handedly wiped the floor with the Gordanians. Her beauty, her skillfulness, it was all so captivating…
I'm both impressed and aroused.
"Whew. I needed that." Ghia'ta breathed, hands on her hips. She turned back to Michael. "So, as I was saying-"
"That was incredible." Michael suddenly complimented, eyes wide in awe-struck wonderment.
"O-Oh! Thank you." Ghia'ta replied, brushing a few stray hairs behind her right ear. "You must be pretty good yourself to break in here."
"Er, uh, w-well it wasn't too hard. I was just following your ring." Michael stammered in reply, rubbing the back of his head.
"Aw, thank you." Ghia'ta said bashfully. "Wait a minute, how'd you get it back from that Czarnian?"
"Oh! I figured he had no spacefaring capabilities apart from that flying bike-thing of his, so I took it down so all he could do was drift." Michael answered.
"Huh. And then he spilled his guts to you." Ghia'ta surmised. "Nice work, blue. So, like I was saying, that Czarnian jumped me and took me down. Then he took my ring and the Gordanians… well…" The Zamaron trailed off, seemingly hesitant to continue. "Let's just say I have a score to settle with them."
"That makes two of us." Michael concurred. "I'm here to free the Lusanese they kidnapped. I'm not done here until I've returned them all to their home."
"Then our best bet is to go for the bridge." Ghia'ta hurriedly suggested. "We can take control of the ship and clear out the command crew." Michael nodded in agreement. "Here, follow me!" Ghia'ta beckoned, thrusting her fist towards the ceiling and firing a pink bolt from her ring that blew open another hole in the floor. She took flight and rocketed upwards, Michael hot on her heels in a blue flash as Ghia'ta powered on ahead of him, using her protective aura and ring blasts to punch holes through every layer of the ship as the pair raced up through the decks. Ghia'ta only stopped when she arrived at the bridge and Michael hovered just beside her as they faced down the Gordanian captain.
He sat in a command chair, surrounded by a small squadron of his personal guard. Unlike the ones Michael and Ghia'ta had already dealt with, these Gordanians possessed wings and much longer power spears. Ghia'ta was quick to fashion a two-sided spear with her ring, her weapon glittering pink within her grasp as the Gordanians took up defensive positions. "You!" The Captain snarled as he rose. "What are you doing out of your cell?"
"I made a promise before you threw me in there." Ghia'ta retorted, levelling her weapon at him. "One I intend to fulfill."
"You don't have the guts." The captain retorted as Michael's ring glowed blue and he took aim at the ensemble. "And you… what do you want?" The Gordanian growled.
"To free the Lusanese you've unfairly enslaved." He replied. "Now release them or we do this the hard way." In response, the Gordanian grinned.
"How about I take you down instead and make a killing selling two Lanterns to the Citadel?" He retorted. "You know how much I can get for your rings alone?"
"If only you weren't so pitiful as to try and claim them yourself." Ghia'ta shot back. "You had to send a bounty hunter to do your work for you." The captain flexed his wings and grit his teeth.
"Zamaron scum! Let's take this outside!" He snarled, flying ahead as his spear crashed into Ghia'ta's and propelled them both through the forward viewport. Shards of transparent material shattered as the vacuum of space threatened to suck them all out. But the timely activation of an encapsulating energy field kept Michael and the rest of the Gordanians within. As much as the Blue Lantern wanted to help the Star Sapphire, he had his own problems; namely being outnumbered ten to one.
The Gordanians took flight and opened fire with golden bolts from their power spears. Michael rolled out of the way and retaliated by firing a grapple claw from his ring and grabbing the bridge's command chair. Ripping it free of its mountings, he turned and threw it into the midst of the swarm, knocking two out of the air as the rest scattered with a flurry of wingbeats. The Gordanians kept firing as Michael took flight, a flash of light erupting from his ring as he assembled a sizeable steam locomotive construct with a cowcatcher on the front. "All aboard!" He cried as his construct shot forward and barreled into the horde, sending Gordanians tumbling this way and that. Taking advantage of the chaos, he lunged into the fray with a blue Aztec war club in hand, swatting at the Gordanians with heavy strikes that sent several tumbling to the ground with shattered spears and dented helms. The others continued to swarm, hoping to do him in with a barrage of energy fire. Michael quickly refashioned his club into a javelin, sending it hurtling towards one of the Gordanians and felling him with a direct hit.
Outside the ship, Ghia'ta aura blazed brightly as she flicked her spear back and forth to counter the swinging blows from the Gordanian captain. Where the Gordanian possessed strength and brawn, the Zamaron princess had incredible skill honed over untold hours of training and practice. But the Gordanian could hold his own, as evidenced by his ability to lock Ghia'ta into a stalemate. "I will personally return you to your cell!" He threatened.
"Fat chance!" Ghia'ta retorted, allowing herself to dash backwards and out of his range before she hurled her spear at him, transforming it into a spinning disc of violet light that struck him across the face. The Gordanian snarled, firing off golden bolts from his power spear, as Ghia'ta took aim with her ring and fired a trio of crystal-shaped projectiles. They struck the Gordanian and detonated in a cloud of blinding violet light, stunning him long enough for Ghia'ta to dash back in as she formed a sword in her grip, long and curved with an intricate handle. Hacking her weapon in two dialognal slashes, she unleashed a pair of violet energy waves that sent the captain spinning though the air.
With a shout, Ghia'ta shot forward in a blaze of pink light and plowed into the Gordanian, driving her sword into him as she slammed him right into the hull of the ship. Righting herself, she stood over the defeated captain, his spear cloven in two by her strike and broken beyond repair. "I'm done living under your slimy hands, slaver." She announced. "And I have half a mind to make you regret ever participating in this foul enterprise." Easing his head up, the Gordanian chuckled.
"You think you can make me care? About the things I've done to others? To you?" He sneered. Ghia'ta frowned and fashioned another sword. The captain took one look at it and chuckled. "Go ahead. Try it. You won't make be beg mercy… you won't even get an apology out of me." He taunted.
"I'm not looking for an apology." Ghia'ta snapped as she raised her weapon, seemingly intending to strike him down. Instead, she rested it across her shoulder and then stomped down hard on his crotch, the Gordanian's cry of pain reaching falsetto levels as she ground her heel down. "Just like I promised: I would make you regret it." Ghia'ta spat.
The captain writhed in pain, clutching his wounded loins and making for a downright pitiable sight as Ghia'ta took her leave and floated back into the bridge. She was about to engage the Gordanians there when the Zamaron realized that most of them were already unconscious, the few that weren't about to follow in their footsteps. One of them charged Michael only to run head-first into a last-minute brick wall of blue, knocking himself out as he did. The other two Gordanians held back and opened fire on his solid construct, only to be sent scattering when Michael conjured up a wrecking ball and sent it hurtling through the bricks and into the Gordanians, knocking them clear across the bridge where they collapsed in a tangled heap.
Letting his constructs fade away, Michael dusted off his hands and looked to Ghia'ta. "You okay?" He asked.
"Better than I was back in that cell." The princess replied, letting her sword crumble to fading sparkles of light. "Thank you for your aid, Blue Lantern."
"Thank you for leading the way." Michael graciously replied and Ghia'ta smiled at his well-spoken nature.
Humans can be rough, but he seems almost… sophisticated. Moreso than the others I've met.
"Come on. Let me fulfill my end of our bargain."
Some time later…
The platform dissipated into twinkles of blue light as the last of the captured Lusanese were returned to their native soil. They raced to embrace their families, many happy reunions sprouting up across the countryside as their hopes were restored and they were filled with love for their own kind.
From a distance, Michael floated in the air with arms across, watching with a pleased smile on his face as the Lusanese made their way back to their homes. Families formerly torn apart had been made whole again and villages were coming together to recover from the terrifying ordeal they had been put through by the Gordanians.
A good deed is its own reward… I think I finally understand that now.
He turned to fly a little higher as a bundle of bright pink descended from the clear blue sky, bringing Ghia'ta to his level. The Zamaron princess was looking just as pleased as he was, though for different reasons it would seem. "The Gordanians are leaving the system. Likely limping back to the Citadel with their tails between their legs." She told him. "Hopefully that'll teach them to stray too far from the Vega System."
"Serves them right." Michael surmised.
"Is this the last of the Lusanese?" Ghia'ta asked, looking at the happy villagers reuinting.
"All present and accounted for it would seem." Michael affirmed. "Thanks to your aid."
"Which wouldn't have been possible without you." Ghia'ta responded, twirling a lock of lavender hair. Her ears canted up ever so slightly. "I owe you an immense debt, Michael Ryker. I cannot thank you enough for your intervention."
"Always happy to bring hope to the hopeless." Michael responded with a bow. "I confess I came here for the Lusanese but I'm glad I could lighten your day too."
"If not for you, I might've wound up in some Citadel harem somewhere." Ghia'ta admitted. "An unsavoury fate you denied me." A sudden idea came to her and the Zamaron's eyes twinkled. "You should come visit Zamaron some time. My aunt will probably want to meet the man who saved her dear niece."
"You have an aunt?" Michael asked quizzically. Ghia'ta nodded.
"Queen Aga'po of Zamaron and leader of the Star Sapphire Corps. I'm gonna tell her about everything that happened today so she's probably going to want to hear about it from the human who saved me: the crown princess and heir to the throne." She described, twirling in place with a dazzle of pink light. Michael digested her invitation for a moment, studying Ghia'ta's lovely features that seemed to only increase out here in a natural environment.
Well… visiting her homeworld and seeing her again wouldn't be so bad…
"I would be honored to come visit you-… er, uh, your homeworld. At some point." He hastily responded. "I, um, will. Soon. Eventually. Can't neglect my duty as a Blue Lantern."
"Of course not." Ghia'ta concurred. "But sometime soon, okay?"
"Yes. Soon. Definitely." Michael agreed with a slight bow. The sight made the Zamaron giggle.
"Is this one of those ways humans say good-bye to royalty?" She queried.
"Uh, well, no… we're a bit more cordial than that." The human explained, clearing his throat. While not wanting to blow his own horn, his study of other cultures had made him something of an expert in understanding the manners and practices of addressing those of rank and status. In his mind, he elected a simple yet understandable course of action.
Taking Ghia'ta's non-ring hand in his, he bowed down and pressed a chaste kiss to the back of her hand. "Until next time, your highness." He promised.
The moment his lips pressed against her skin, Ghia'ta suddenly felt a jolt shoot up her opposite arm. She glanced to see her violet ring pulsing vibrantly, almost as if it were reacting to Michael and channeling said reaction into her own body. The spark she felt was so real it was enough to render her speechless and the Zamaron floated nearly immobilized as the Blue Lantern straightened up. Confusion addled her mind while her heart pounded so loud she swore he could hear it.
"Next time." She promised, her throat suddenly dry. Forcing a broad smile, Ghia'ta promptly took flight and left Michael to his duties on Lusan. The Blue Lantern watched her go, marveling at the brightness of her pink energy field for a moment longer.
Well I should make sure these Lusanese are alright before I move on. His thoughts strayed to another topic and his shoulders slumped. Oh yeah… and then I have a grouchy Czarnian on a broken spacehog I promised I would help…