[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/xo9ZKcF.png?1[/img][/center] [b]Uncharted Space[/b] The inscetoid beast scuttled across the surface of the thick forest. Each step seemed to be more laborious than the one before. Pale, purple blood oozed out the wound on its side and it wheezed with every breath it took. The blood falling left a trail through the forest. It couldn't comprehend it, but it was leading its attacker right to it. It was being hunted, and the hunter was rapidly approaching. It wrapped its tentacles around the trunk of a tree and began to shimmy up it. If it acted fast enough it could either hide or ambush the hunter as it came through the thicket. The beast snapped its razor sharp mandibles and watched with its slit eyes as the hunter came through the bushes. The hunter kept their eyes down to follow the blood trail. The beast's eyes The animal jumped from its branch and let out a high-pitched scream. The hunter looked up and, with its eyes wide in shock, thrust forward with its weapon. A bright emerald lance shot from the hunter’s fist and impaled the beast in its forehead. The monster gurgled and twitched in its death throes as the hunter let it fall to the ground at his feet. “Fuck,” Guy Gardner said aloud. “You better be one tasty space squid.” [hr] Guy watched the fire cooking the alien animal’s body on a stick. He figured it would be his first hot meal in several weeks, at least since he’d arrived on this planet. His pack lay on the ground beside him along with a hatchet. The hatchet was made from Vibranium, one of the strongest metals in the galaxy. He'd acquired it over the course of his travels, traded for it with another wanderer out here in this part of space. Tied to his pack were Guy’s canteen and his Lantern battery. The pack contained everything he needed for his mission. Two years worth micro-freeze dried meals, a star chart, blankets, a few Richard Stark paperbacks, and Guy’s favorite Ravens knitted hat. He cut off a piece of space squad with the hatchet and tried it out. It was chewy but edible. Could have used some Old Bay. But, fuck, what food out here couldn’t be improved by it? After dinner, he settled in and rested his power ring close to his mouth. “Record transmission: Gardner’s log,” he said into the ring. “Day… 432. Jesus Christ, it’s been that long? Anyway, Pinkie -- you like that I call you Pinkie and you can’t do anything about it? -- I’ve been on this planet almost three weeks now and haven’t seen any clues that this is the one. I’m planning on heading out after I rest. I found out the hard way that these star charts you provided me with are a bit outdated… by like several millennia, but I have a rough outline of where to go. There should be some kind of civilization about three days transluminal burn from here. We’ll see if that intel is good or not when I get there. More news as it develops. Gardner out.” Guy held his fist into the air and fired the message overhead. The green bolt of energy tore through the night sky before it disappeared in a flash of light. It would probably take a week or two to arrive on Oa. By then… who the hell knew where he would be? He took another bite of meat and scratched his face. His beard was coming in nicely. Before long he would have real mountain main facial hair. After he slept, he rose and packed up after dousing the campfire. Guy strapped on his pack and looked up at the still dark sky. He stared up at the foreign stars above and thought about where he’d come and where he was going. He was outside his home galaxy, that much he knew. He was on the outer edges of somewhere new, somewhere people had explored a long time ago but hadn’t since. He was following maps and guides that were ancient in search of some lost planet. This was probably a wild goose chase, but Guy didn’t really care. He was a long way from Baltimore and it didn't matter to him if he ever saw it again. He was home now. Out here on the frontier, living the dream. With a smile on his face, Guy let the green aura cover his body as he shot up into the sky and left this small planet behind for whatever else lay in store for him out in the void. [hr] [b]Oa[/b] [b]Space Sector 0001[/b] Kilowog led the pack of Lantern trainees through space in a flying V formation. At a few hundred miles away from Oa’s surface, they were the furthest in space Kilowog had allowed them to venture thus far. “Alright so you can fly,” he shouted to the group as the followed in his wake. “Congratulations on mastering the bare minimum, Slicks. Let’s see if you can actually do two things at once. Where’s my bright penny. Al-X?” “Yes, sir,” the small pink-skinned Lantern answered from the back. “Why do I call you poozers ‘Slicks’?” “Our chests and rings,” said the young alien. “There’s no Green Lantern logo on either of them.” “We have to earn it,” said the Daxamite trainee. “I didn’t tell you to speak, Yat,” Kilowog growled. “But since you’re so eager, I have a question for you. What are the official Lantern designations?” “Alpha, Beta, Gamma,” said Yat. “Wyrm?” Kilowog shouted to the insectoid Slick over his shoulder. “How about you explain the difference.” The cockroach-like alien rubbed his hands together before speaking. “Gamma Lanterns' purview is only to patrol and protect their assigned space sectors. A beta Lantern oversees their own sector as well as the six immediate space sectors surrounding their own. They supervise the Gamma Lanterns in those sectors. Alpha Lanterns oversee hundreds of space sectors and the Lanterns beneath them. The Alpha Lanterns answer to the three Senior Lanterns, who answer to the Guardians.” “Not bad,” Kilowog grunted. “And are all of you Slicks content to be Gamma Lanterns?” “No!” They shouted in unison. “Well, show me what you got!” Kilowog began to steer into a nearby asteroid field. “Fall in behind me,” he shouted behind them. The trainees formed into a single file formation as Kilowog picked up the speed. The asteroid field was as old as the planet Oa and the GLC itself. Every Slick took their first flight through the field. Its debris was spaced out far enough to not seriously harm any but the most inept Slick, but not far enough apart to offer any sense of comfort. Kilowog looked back at his charges and flashed a wicked grin. “Try to keep up,” he said. “And sing me a lovely tune while you do.” The pack of Lanterns flew into the asteroid field. Kilowog went faster as his group of Slicks began to sing the song that was Corps legend at this point, handed down by recruits from generation to generation for thousands of years. [i]“I wanted a ring ‘til I got the godsdamn thing. Now I don't want it anymore. They taught me how to fly, then they sent me off to die. You can save those dangers for some other stupid rangers. I wanted a ring ‘til I got the godsdamn thing. Now I don't want it anymore!”[/i] [hr] [b]Venkoth[/b] [b]Space Sector 2813[/b] [b]72 Hours Until Solar Apogee[/b] Tomar-Re and Arisia jumped out of transluminal speed and made their way to the surface of Venkoth. Winds in excess of two hundred miles an hour roared across the surface of the planet. It took every bit of their willpower to keep themselves on course for the rendezvous spot. As far as Arisia could see, the entire planet was dead. No water, no flora, and certainly no fauna. "Where is everything?" "The wind," said Tomar-Re. "With the solar equinox imminent, tt's a pale imitation of it at its height. Wind that blows so fiercely nothing can grow on the surface, wind so fierce it strips the flesh from the bones of everything that dares to land here." Arisia nodded without comment. “Is this your first time coming to Venkoth?” Tomar-Re asked politely. “It is,” she said as they touched down in the dirt. The wind howled so loudly they could only communicate through the comms in their rings. "But not your last. That much I can promise." She followed him across the sand towards what looked to be a shack. How it was still standing in this wind was beyond her. As they got closer she saw why hadn't succumbed to the wind. It was rusty and dusty, but the entire building was metal. Tomar-Re banged a fist on the thick metal door and waited. A slot in the door slowly opened and an electronic eye surveyed the two Lanterns. “Tomar-Re, Lantern 2813.1.” “Arisia Raab, Lantern 2815.2. I believe we are expected.” The eye retreated back into its slot. There was a whirring noise from the door and it shot open quickly. They stepped through and it slammed shut behind them. They were in a small room with yet another metal door. A laser scanner swept over them several times before the second door opened. A group of five aliens in black uniform greeted them. Four held blasters down low while the fifth spread his four arms wide as way of greeting. “Welcome, Lanterns, to Venkoth.” They followed the group of guards down a sloped catwalk towards a bulkhead. Arisia glanced down and saw nothing but darkness below. “The drop is about twenty-five thousand feet,” said the guard. “In the event of an emergency, this catwalk will drop and cut off any attempted escapes. Not our last line of defense, but pretty damn close.” "The wind is the real deterrent," said one of the guards, this one seemingly older and more gruffer. "I've seen fourteen runners since I been here. Not a one last more than a minute out in that wind." At the bulkhead of the corridor was another reinforced door. All five guards took turns scanning their palms against the surface of the door. “You need at least three confirmed biorhythmic readings to get passages to open around here.” The door hissed as it swung on its hinges. The guards went first with the two Lanterns following behind. They stepped out on a landing. Stretched out before them was a floor that went on for miles. Gray jumpsuit clad prisoners could be seen as far as their eyes could see. “Welcome to gen pop,” one of the guards said over the noise. “Population: sixty-five million.” “We need your special ward,” said Tomar-Re. "Isolation, protective custody. Whatever you call it." “Who are you here for?” one of the guards asked. "A threat big enough to require [i]two[/i] Lanterns," said Arisia. A look from Tomar-Re silenced him. A hover shuttle arrived and they boarded it. The shuttle passed above the prison floor. Arisia looked out at the prisoners. So many all together, packed in close. “Where did they all come from?” “All over,” said Tomar-Re. “Venkoth houses the worst offenders galaxy-wide. I don’t understand how they're behaving so well..” “Fear and discipline,” said one of the guards. “We give them a healthy dose of both here. None of these guys are getting off this planet alive, so we have to make them far more scared of us than they are of death.”. Arisia caught a few of the looks from the prisoners as they flew above them. She was a Graxosian and her people were known for their empathic abilities. While she had far less sensitivity than other Graxosians, bu she had enough to read the emotion's of the prisoners below. She felt no fear from them, saw no fear in the eyes of the men. She only felt rage. Murderous, burning rage. And she could feel more anger, a powerful rage, somewhere off in the distance. But they drew closer with every passing second. The shuttle began to dip as they went deeper under the surface of the planet and deeper into the prison. The large spaces gave way to narrow corridors. They flew below a sign that read: SUPERMAX WARD, SPECIAL CLEARANCE ONLY. The shuttle landed at a docking bay. Another round of guards scanned them and gave them the okay before another set of guards led them through tight rows of cells. Arisia could feel eyes watching her as they ventured further in. More thoughts of murder, mayhem, and other unspeakable acts. A small, furry alien in expensive clothing waited for them outside one particular cell. He grasped his taloned hands tightly as the two Lanterns approached. “Greetings,” he squeaked. “I am the warden here, I am always happy to meet fellow law enforcement officers.” “Is this his cell?” Tomar-Re asked without greeting the warden. “It is. We have restrained him and made him ready for his journey.” The warden stepped aside and let two guards open the cell door. They disappeared inside and emerged several seconds later pushing a hover gurney. A hulking alien monster was strapped to the gurney and stared down at the two Lanterns with a neutral look. Arisia could feel that this was the source. All the rage that swept through the prison started here. This was its epicenter, the root cause of the cancer. “Atrocitus,” said Tomar-Re. “For crimes against the galaxy, the Galactic Council has seen fit to sentence you to life imprisonment in the Oan sciencells. Do you have anything to say about your crimes and the massacre of Sector 666?” “Let me out of here,” Atrocitus hissed. [img]https://i.imgur.com/OX9MFlD.png[/img] “Let me out of here and I’ll do it again. Burn… I will burn… this entire galaxy. Set it all on fire...”