I’ve got to get out! I’ve got to warn them! We were so far behind the lines; how could we have been found and attacked? Will seek help. Must deliver the signal. Must!
She could see the Kayzik attack craft leaping out of hyperspace. What chance do I have? The Shantar are doomed! Gotta move! She jumped back into hyperspace.
Elise knocked him off his feet again, leaving a nasty bruise.
“Come on, Alan! With the silly way you swing that blade, how do you ever expect to survive a battle?” He looked up at her, exasperated.
“Are you really serious about this, or do you just want an easy laugh?” His bruise had already healed. His pain gone, he smiled impishly. “Between you and Mary, I don’t need any help to look silly.”
“Alan, you need to know this. There will be times when you don’t wish to be obvious. I have to prepare you. All right now, one more time!”
She threw him again, but not nearly so quickly.
She looked to her companion.
“I hate the waiting. Kev, can’t we just take out a Kayzik base station or two?”
“Kira, I wish we could. You heard the Commander. We don’t want to fight from home base – it will get this world destroyed. You won’t always be here to defend it. You belong to the universe, not one world. But we live to make our home free!”
“This is an amazing little mudball. You know I’ll behave myself, if only for a while!” She smiled dreamily.
“I know, Kira, I know! I also know your patience is short. So does the Commander.”
We underestimated the J’Dinn. They don’t have a strong life force, so the Kayzik have little to gain from taking them. On the other hand, they are the perfect spies: humanoid, with limited shape shifting abilities. They conned us! Damn! They succeeded so far behind our lines. How can we stop them? My power is fading, even now. They are getting through my shields. Two more jumps and I’ll try to signal!
Several small craft followed her through hyperspace. She jumped again.
Hawksbill Peak, Skyline Drive
“Something is wrong, Jerik. I feel a chill up my spine.” She looked into West Virginia with her companion.
“Garja Jenna, I pray you are wrong. I know you won’t be. We can only hope we’re ready. At least we have the comms set up. Everything’s live.”
Constellation of Scorpio
There, I’ve signaled. Must keep going. I was told by Shantar Command to ask for the Mother of Exiles. What does that mean? Why have I been sent to this Galaxy? The Shantar don’t control this space! She winced as a plasma cannon blast tore through her shields. Damn them for our weakness! These coordinates will put me in the middle of nowhere. And now I have to follow a path I can’t deviate from. Damn! She jumped again.
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee
Sixty-five years. It had been asleep for sixty-five years. Its owners had abandoned it for their own safety. Its power reserves had been depleted during their battles 65 years before. Over its long sleep, solar power had just begun to restore it. Now it was being activated by an emergency signal. It broadcast an encrypted message.
Hawksbill Peak
“Commander! We have a Gamma Z signal from Base. Path as follows.” Jerik knew his job. The old man watched him.
“Anything I can do?” Kent Nelson followed him back to camp.
“Yes, coordinate the secondary teams. This is going to get ugly. The Sentry will be here with the Commander shortly. Kosmic and Ms. Marvel will follow.
Somewhere Over the Planetary Plane
Two grim figures jumped into Hyperspace.
“What do we know, Alan?” Kira knew he would keep their comms running, even here.
“Not a lot. The signal is a desperate one. A Shantar who uses it without good reason will be executed. They take it seriously. Elise thinks there’s probably a courier. It’s taking pretty long hyperspace jumps, so it’s fairly powerful.”
“Got it. I’m offense, you’re defense.” She was looking forward to doing some damage.
“Agreed, I’ll jam them. You slam them. We jump away together.”
“We’ll be home before dinner!”
They jumped again.
Polaris – The North Star
Got to keep going. Their lasers are tearing at me. Can’t last much longer. Have to build up will to jump. Not used to that. Exhausted. She knew she was slowing down. Repeated cannon blasts had left her a bloody mess. She struggled to continue. Shields going. Got to keep them up. Got to! I owe . . .
The cannon ripped through the remains of her shield. I’m going to die here. Gods of Glirell, forgive me. I wish you had been right. Sometimes peace is not the way. She saw the nearest ship fire at point blank range. Not enough power to rebuild shield. No time. Forgive me!
She put the last of her power into her shields. Not enough, must try harder. She felt the remnants of her shields give way. Then they reassembled, magnified, and reinforced. The cannon blast reflected harmlessly away. What? I didn’t do that!
A red and blue streak flashed by her. It dove into the battalion of Kayzik hyperspace craft. Her shields crackled with energy. She could no longer feel the plasma cannon blasts.
Who are they? She just looks at the craft and they disappear. He fights like one of us, but we don’t have that kind of power. Not against them. Can’t stay awake . . . The courier passed out from the pain as he approached her.
Heat vision quickly consumed the remaining Kayzik attack craft.
Kira flew over to the pair. She saw a severely wounded youngish woman. The woman had white hair and red skin and wore an unusual uniform. Then she saw the look of recognition in his eyes.
“Alan? Don’t hold out on me. I can’t play that game.”
“She’s a Green Lantern. What the hell is an agent of the Guardians of the Universe doing here?”
“I thought all the Guardians had been killed!”
“No. Not all. They had survivors and were reproducing with the Zamorans. The Shantar had kept them so far behind the lines they would not be vulnerable. The Green Lantern Corps has been doing a lot of disaster recovery operations for the Shantar worlds. Why the hell would they send one here?” He changed positions.
“I’m not helping her just standing here. Wait a second.” Green Flame went to work, healing the woman’s badly burned body. “She’s going to be okay, but she’s going to sleep for a while.” He turned to Kira. “You’re damned good. My compliments!”
“Thanks, partner. After seeing this crew, I really understand why we lay low. Let’s get the hell out of here before they send reinforcements.”
They jumped back into hyperspace.
The Roanoke Star, one week prior
Elise Zoldar had meant for the picnic to bridge gaps. She had invited both non-mutant and mutant members of the Resistance, as well as Kira’s team.
If the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, it got a double decking tonight! Alan Scott’s temper flared. Alexander Luthor lit into him.
“How dare you bring that creature to this event!” Alexander gestured towards Diana. “She and her people were responsible for the deaths of millions! (See Alterverse 2).” Mary Marvel heard the conversation. She slowly edged towards her cousin.
Oh great, I’ll have to keep Mary from killing him, if I don’t kill him first! Alan caught her eye. She stopped immediately to Alan’s left.
I’ll leave. I don’t mean to cause this. Diana had heard them. She took one last look at her friends before leaving. She stopped when she saw the determination in their eyes. I’ve underestimated my friends. I’d forgotten what they really are. I won’t forget again!
“Alexander, she was not responsible for the actions of the Amazons or the Gods.” Alan strictly controlled the tone of his voice. “She tried her best to plead our case to her people. They imprisoned her. She risked her life to get back to help us.”
“Bah! She’s an Amazon! She’d sell us out in a second.”
“It’s not her fault her people were vulnerable to the glamour.”
“Glamour, Hell, Sentinel! They were willing to have mankind wiped out, just to teach mankind a lesson!”
“Alexander, I won’t argue that. She did NOT take that position. They jailed her for it. She’s endured 65 years of rejection for something she didn’t do!”
“Why do you care? She isn’t even human! She never was!” The crowd grew. “You choose to live among aliens and mutants! Don’t you have any feeling for real humans?” Alexander took the offensive. “No wonder you defend her! You’ve lost your humanity! You’ve sold out!”
Mary Marvel and Diana locked gazes. They both retreated slightly, but just slightly.
“Alexander, you may think of me whatever you will.” Alan growled. “I was born in this world. It is my home and I will defend it. I was born a citizen of the United States of America. I believe each person has an inherent right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That happiness is not a guarantee, but each person has the right to pursue it. That is our shared dream.” He drew a breath.
“You have been away far too long! Your dream has been lost to time! Only survival matters now. Only survival will ever matter!” Alexander roared.
“Right now, this world is dominated by a threat that dwarfs us all.” Alan continued deliberately. We will free our world, but to do that we must work with others. They deserve our respect and our friendship. If they share our dream and help us to achieve it, they have a place here too.”
“You have no concept! You run with the mutants who contaminate this world.” Alexander glared.
“I was born a mortal man.” Alan would make his point. “I still am. I do not understand the distinction between mutants and non-mutants you make. People should be judged by what they are, not by what powers they possess. We must each contribute what we can to win the battle for Earth. If someone shares our dream and works with us, we are all that much stronger. This isn’t about mutant, Amazon, or alien. This is our shared destiny!”
Alexander hissed.
“We are here to defend humanity! I’ve listened to your speech! I’ll work with whoever I must to free this world, but it belongs to human beings!” He stormed off. Alan calmly watched him go.
Kira did not understand.
“Kitty, what was that all about? What is so different about a mutant? Do I have to leave, now? I just got here!”
Kitty drew a breath.
“It’s not that simple. There is a gene in a minority of this population that gives us certain gifts. That is what makes us mutants. We’re somewhat feared for our potential power. Both we and the non-mutants work together in the Resistance. Still, many of them resent us. We don’t hold the high positions in the organization, because of their fear.”
Kevin joined the conversation.
“Since we’re outsiders, we align more easily with the Shantar. That makes the non-mutants fear us even more. Alexander is divisive. He inflames the hatred, but very subtly. It increases his power and authority in the Resistance. We must cultivate our friends very carefully. Most non-mutants accept us individually, but many still fear us as a group. They fear aliens more.”
“But I don’t want to hurt people. I want to help! Is there no place for me here? Krypton is gone and I would only endanger my friends on Daxam!” Nervous, she looked for reassurance from her friends.
“You’re not going anywhere, honey! Not unless you believe the drivel coming out of Alexander’s mouth.” Mary Marvel joined them. “As long as you share our dream, you have a place here.”
“Aren’t you a mutant? Aren’t you afraid of him? He won the argument, didn’t he?”
“Honey, I’m not a mutant. I’m the sole possessor of the Power of Shazam. Long story. I’m not afraid of Alexander. I dislike what he represents. But look around you. How many people walked away with Alexander? Not many. This was not his shining moment. Alan recalled the common dream of our people. Someday, there’s a lady I’ll introduce you to. You’ll understand a little better.”
“Then, what did happen?”
“Honey, people remember the Green Lantern. He was a mortal man who had nothing but a special tool to defend his world. And that he did until his last breath. He was fighting demons and blowing up transporters as soon as they were laid on the planet. Eventually, the Kayzik got him. But his fight bought months of life for billions.” Mary focused on Kira.
“That same man just told Alexander Luthor to take his intolerance and stuff it. People noticed and more importantly, many of them believed him. Don’t think this little episode ends here. The dream has been ignited. It will spread throughout the Resistance. Now, he’s left all of you with the hard part. You have to prove him right!”
“I am ready. I am Kira Jor-El and he is my friend. He has earned my trust. I will redeem it! We will free this world!”
I’ll say this for my cousin. He doesn’t pick fair weather friends! Mary nodded her approval.
Thirty yards away, Kent Nelson found Alan Scott.
“Alan, you did your best.”
“I’m glad you think so, Kent. I’m worried that I just dealt the Resistance a fatal blow.”
“No, my friend. You just said what everyone knew. And then you gave them hope!” Charles Xavier approached with a young man. The young man had blue skin and metal wings.
“I’m supposed to be the great orator around here!” The young man smiled. “I’m Warren Worthington. Some folks call me the Angel of Death.”
“Warren is an invaluable asset.” Xavier smiled. “Vision like a hawk. Moves swiftly and silently. Hyper alert to threats, like our mutual friend Alexander.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Warren.” Alan shook his hand. “This is my friend Kent Nelson. He was the first Dr. Fate. He’s consented to join our little crew and add to our knowledge.” The old man grinned, then shook hands with them.
“When you’re suspended 50 feet in the air, it’s hard to argue!” His smile broadened.
“Now Kent, you know that’s not true!” Diana lectured.
“That’s true. He just told me I’d have to explain to her why I wasn’t coming.” He teased Diana. Sure as hell beats scavenging for a living in the New York slums. Nabu retarded my aging, but I’m not a young man. How I miss Inza!
“We could have left you with your friends, Nelson.” Diana reminded him.
“You know what, Diana? I think I really like it here.” The image of a gang of flying thugs went through his mind. He and Alan had watched as Diana gave the gang an assist into the East River. “Yep, I like it here better all the time! Yessiree, I sure do!” He grinned, then turned serious. “Thank you for coming back for me. I was surprised that you remembered me after all this time.”
“I could not forget. I just wish I’d known how the Kayzik banished you. Together, we might have made a difference.”
“Perhaps we still can, Princess. I’ll do what I can.” He watched her move. Nice to know I’m not dead yet!
“Speaking of making a difference, we start small arms training tomorrow.” Elise wrapped Alan’s arm around her. “While Diana may be a natural warrior, some of the rest of you could add to your skills.”
Hawksbill Peak, at the camp the next day
“These are Xentronium swords.” Commander Zoldar waved her blade. “Except for the end of the end of the handle, they are pure Xentronium. Xentronium is tough enough to slide through even a Kayzik’s neck – provided you put enough force behind it. The Kayzik have equivalent weapons to get through an assassin’s neck. Let’s demonstrate, Diana!”
“Can do!” Diana and Elise sparred while Kira, Kitty, Kevin, Mary, Alanna and Alan looked on.
“Here, let me try it!” Shade sparred with Elise for several minutes. Elise finally knocked her over.
“Very good! We’ll work on your technique, but given your human strength, you did far better than I expected. You honor the Green Lantern.” She indicated the family crest on Alanna’s blade. “Now, Alan, it’s your turn!”
“Do I need to do this? This isn’t how I stop Kayzik.”
“Alan, you need to be able to kill without attracting attention to yourself!” She handed him a blade with the same Green Lantern crest. She handed one to Mary as well. To Kira, Kosmic, and Kitty, she handed swords with an ‘S’ crest. She handed Dr. Fate a sword with an Ankh.
She faced Alan. He noted the ferocity in her eyes. Within five seconds, he was on the ground. He looked up at the laughing crowd.
“Couldn’t I just use a blaster instead?” The crowd roared even louder.
He got up and tried again. And landed almost just as quickly.
“Alan, I promised you would have the skills you needed to survive here.” She grinned a wicked grin. “I do have to admit I’m enjoying this! Finally, something I can really teach you!”
“If I can just survive the lessons!” He got no sympathy. Tough audience!
Elise tested them all. All the members of Team Supergirl demonstrated ability with the blade. Mary Marvel’s strength and lifetime survival skills helped. She was not as skilled as Team Supergirl, but she had skill. Dr. Fate was another story. His skills were better than Alan’s, but not much better.
“Dr. Fate, Garja Jenna will be working with you on you skills. Alan, I know a deserted beach we’ll become well acquainted with.” Alan tried his best to look ill.
The Hawksbill Peak Summit
Supergirl, Kosmic, the Sentry, Ms. Marvel, Dr. Fate, Wonder Woman, the Shade, and the Sentinel stood at the peak. Elise Zoldar again spoke to them.
“This is a major test and I don’t know how else to do it. I know that Alan can survive in space (see Alterverse 2), but I don’t know about the rest of you. I need for each of you to go as far up as you can. Then I want you to meet at the Moon. Anyone who can’t, come back immediately. I’ve encoded a set of instructions for you. I’ll give them to Alan to hold, since I know he’s going to be there. Good luck, every one!”
They took off as a group, aiming for the Moon. Wonder Woman was the first to turn around.
“I have no more wind to ride.”
Ms. Marvel and the Sentry traveled to the upper edge of the atmosphere and made choking motions. They both needed air, and there was none to be had. The Shade stopped as well.
Dr. Fate cast a spell and rose. Kosmic increased his invulnerability and quickly followed. Supergirl left them in her dust. The Sentinel and the Shade remained behind. She shook her head from side to side. An impish expression crossed his features.
“Tag! You’re it!” He quickly flew off.
Oh no, old man, you’re never going to leave me behind again! Determined, she instinctively shifted to shadow and charged after him.
The Moon
“I wonder how this works. There. That’s got it.” The Sentinel placed the tablet in front of him.
“Here’s your hyperspace lesson in a nutshell.” Jerik’s hologram appeared. “Hyperspace can be entered one of two ways. The first is to punch a hole between two points and hold it open. That takes a tremendous amount of energy and does a lot of damage if the rift is held open too long. Our teleporters operate this way. Even though they only beam energy across, we can only run our teleporters for so long before they must be shut down. There are also restrictions on how far we can beam objects. While we can potentially beam for quite a few light years in a single teleport, it really comes down to several star systems at most before we must have another gate. This is why it is so difficult to capture a new galaxy and why it is so difficult to recapture a lost galaxy. We must build a teleport bridge across the space between galaxies and defend it.”
“That’s an advantage the Kayzik have. They are harder to detect than we are. They will frequently build a transport bridge to a galaxy. They will stop just a few teleport hops away from a target world. Then, they will use attack craft to drop off demons on a target world. The demons will terrorize the target world long enough for the Kayzik to implement their final transport hops into the new Galaxy. From there, it’s a world by world battle. Fortunately, unless they can attack with overwhelming force, they are not usually successful in taking one of our worlds. It’s even more difficult for us to take one of theirs. Their glamour is extremely effective against us. Both our races spend much of their time probing and counter-probing.” The hologram caught its breath.
“The second method is to transit hyperspace directly. A powerful enough entity will detect a discontinuity when it approaches ¾ light speed. If the entity shifts towards the discontinuity, it will enter hyperspace. There really is no better way to explain it. You’ll see what I mean. How far the entity can go in one jump is determined by that entity’s power level. A standard hyperspace ship will jump no more than 15 minutes before reappearing in normal space. A high end entity may jump for up to ½ hour. Any entity that can exceed ½ hour will generally have no limit to how long it can stay in hyperspace. When you enter hyperspace, you will feel the beginning of a power drain. That’s true of a person or a vessel. It’s that power drain that will force you out of hyperspace. You’ll recover quickly once out. If you don’t feel the drain, you won’t be forced out.”
“Many entities that follow our travel paths will follow the 15 minute jump rule, even though they can stay in hyperspace longer. That helps them find us and us find them. When we give you routes to follow, you’ll notice they follow the 15 minute jump assumption. If you can exceed that time, you’ll learn how to take short cuts.” The hologram paused.
“Kira, this rule is the one you need to understand more than any other. When you are in hyperspace, you have the power you had when you jumped into hyperspace. If you see that your next stop is a red sun world, do not stop! Extend your jump if you can. You’ll be able to pass the red sun in hyperspace. On the other hand, if you enter hyperspace under a red sun, you’re stuck with that power level until you leave hyperspace.”
“Now, this is how you use coordinates to establish your position in hyperspace. The more powerful you are, the faster you’ll go. Here’s the test we’d like you to try. Each of you take one of the data recorders attached to this projector. Follow this set of coordinates for five minutes and see how far you get!”
They looked at each other and shrugged. Kira took off first. She hit just short of light speed and disappeared. Soon it was the Shade’s turn. Her shadow form disappeared even more rapidly. The Sentinel followed the Shade. He disappeared.
Dr. Fate and Kosmic nodded to each other. Dr. Fate cast a spell and increased his speed. Cosmic shifted between speed and invulnerability. Dr. Fate gained, then lost speed. Kosmic gained speed and shifted out. He immediately returned and signaled “shield” to Dr. Fate. Dr. Fate understood. He spelled a shield into existence and Kosmic provided the speed. Together, they jumped.
Alpha Centauri
“Dr. Fate, we made it!”
“Friend Kosmic, we succeeded in out jump, yet I wonder what happened to our compatriots. They also should have arrived.”
“I don’t know. It will be a few minutes before I’m strong enough to take us back.”
“We shall have to wait. I am concerned.”
“I figured that out. You’d have thought they’d made it into hyperspace.”
They waited five more minutes. Then, they jumped back.
Beyond the Constellation of Scorpio
Supergirl ended her jump and looked backwards. She thought she saw a shadow approach. Shade. Odd ability. She can do this, but only as a shadow. Must be because of the lack of mass. The Sentinel soon appeared. Shade stepped into his aura and shifted back to her human state.
“Anyone feel any kind of a drain?” The Sentinel looked at both of them.
“Nope, but then I don’t travel as matter.” Shade answered.
“Well, you matter to me!” The Sentinel delighted in one of her smiles.
“Are you both noticing a light headedness?” Supergirl teased.
“No more than usual.” The Sentinel admitted. “Let’s see if anyone else shows up before we head back.”
They toured the closest solar system. Then they retraced their jump.
Hawksbill Peak
“What happened out there?” Jerik had seen all of them return at the same time.
“We don’t know what happened. Dr. Fate and I joined forces to make a jump. We hit these coordinates after five minutes.” Kosmic handed him a data recorder.
“Impressive! You’ve done as well as one of our ships would in that time. Did you feel the drain?”
“Friend Kosmic supplied the power and he remarked on the drain.” Dr. Fate spoke approvingly.
“The three of us wound up fairly far out, I think.” Shade handed him her data recorder. “Don’t know if we went nearly as far as they did. We didn’t get tired at all. We must not have gotten very far.” He looked at the recorder.
“Jerik, are you all right?” She looked at him and the Sentinel and Supergirl shrugged to each other. “Jerik?”
“This recorder must be faulty. Alan and Kira, please let me see yours!”
“Sure, no problem!” Kira handed hers over.
“Everything, OK?” Alan inquired. Jerik looked at the readouts.
“No! This is not what I expected! But I should have guessed. Commander!”
Hawksbill Peak, One week later
The Green Lantern finally stirred. She sat up quickly.
“Guardians, they’ve captured the Guardians!” She looked around. “Where am I?”
“I’m Command Assassin Elise Zoldar of the Shantar. You’re safe here.” She turned around. “Alan! Kira!”
Kira and Alan entered the tent.
“Green Lantern, for you to have that pass code, someone thought your situation was serious. What happened?” Elise watched her.
“You know what I am? What saved me? How did I get here? Where am I?” She was more fully awake. “Did I really see another Green Lantern in this Kayzik occupied space?”
“You’re with the children of the Mother of Exiles. You made it to Earth. You’ve accomplished your mission. Now, what happened to the Guardians?”
“The Kayzik captured the Guardians. They were overwhelmed and now they’ll be sent to a death world. Three of the Green Lantern Corps escaped: the three of us with some natural resistance to the glamour. We got out just before even we were overwhelmed. We contacted the Shantar. They sent my companions to a more secure location, but they sent me here. They said that Warlord Zoldar wanted me to come to this location. He thought it was absolutely critical – only here would I find real help for the Guardians. I do not understand.”
Elise sighed.
“I do. This is far more serious than I thought. We’ll have to open the base” She looked at Alan. He nodded agreement. I may disagree with my father, but he is not an idiot. We’re risking the secret of our existence here, but compared to the disaster, it’s a minor loss. Still, I don’t want to lose Alan’s home!
“Elise, I agree. I know you don’t want to, but we’ll have to take the risk. We can secure it – Dr. Fate can do that.” He stared at the ceiling of the tent. “This is a hell of a lot bigger than just us. We need the full team. Kira, do you agree?”
“Alan, this is beyond me. I know this is serious, but I don’t know how serious. Kev does those evaluations for us. But you’ve got my support.”
Elise left the tent. Alan and Kira sat on the opposite sides of the Green Lantern.
“She runs the Shantar on this world.” Alan told the Green Lantern. “They are partisans here. We’re far behind the lines. We’re too far behind the lines to use the Shantar transporters. That’s somewhat limiting, but we can and do get around.” Kira stifled a chuckle.
“My name is Kira Jor-El. I’m a Kryptonian. I go by the name Supergirl. My friend here is Alan Scott. He has a couple of names he uses. One is the Sentinel. You might be more familiar with another: the Green Lantern.”
“You, the two of you! I saw you in space! Warlord Zoldar knew you would find me! A Kryptonian? I thought you were legends?”
“I’m the last of my kind. I’m where I can act in their memory. The Kayzik will remember my world!” Green Lantern could not avoid Kira’s intensity.
“My name is Jeryll. I was born on Glirell.* My world is one of pacifists. Once I took on the role of Green Lantern, I found myself exiled. I believe in all the good I do, but I wish it had not cost me my life among my people.” She turned to Alan. “Why did the Guardians leave you here? How did you stop the photon cannon blast? It was yellow!”
Alan rolled his eyes.
“First things first. I have your battery. It has some power to it. Let’s put that power to use.” She reached to the battery with her ring.
We live to serve,
All in our sight.
We must guide our children to the light,
If that should fail, then we must fight
Ever Guided by Green Lantern’s Light!
Jeryll rendered her battery invisible and immaterial. She followed them out of the tent. He continued.
“I’ll try to explain the rest on the way. I don’t exactly work for the Guardians . . . .”
*(Elf note – Jeryll’s story can be read here: http://www.glcorps.org/jeryll.html )
Shantar Base, Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.
No wonder the Warlord sent me here. I’ve never seen so much power in one place! Galaxy Class Metas with high-end Hyper Class Metas? These people are impressive. I’m safer here than in Shantar controlled space!
Jeryll found herself in a large conference room within the hidden base. Heat vision, Green Flame, and the Helm of Nabu had fully powered the defenses. She looked over to Alan Scott. He was speaking to two women who resembled him. One had blue skin. She was nodding thoughtfully. The Commander joined them. She soon had the same look. Kira and a young man joined them. They had the same reaction as the Commander. The other woman who resembled Alan Scott seemed to be disagreeing, then changed her mind. She approached Jeryll as new arrivals continued to appear.
“I’m Mary Marvel, the Sentry. Not all the people you will meet on this world know my friends real names. Please don’t divulge them. We’ll let you know who it’s safe to talk to. Any Shantar is fine, as are Kira and Alan’s teams. In fact, anyone at today’s gathering is safe, but others won’t be.”
“I understand your reasons. After seeing the J’Dinn and Kayzik in action, believe me I understand. What’s next?”
“We’re making a deal with the devil, so bear with us.” She smiled at Jeryll as Ms. Marvel approached. “Kitty is part of Kira’s team. Kitty, this is Jeryll, the Green Lantern. She works for the Guardians that Alan told us about.”
“Pleased to meet you. Kira hasn’t had time to tell us much. I’m sure my brother will fill me in. I understand you’re an Exile. You’re sure in the right place. We’re all exiles here.” Kitty turned to Mary, “Mary, I think the gang’s all here.”
“I think you’re right.” She spotted a Shantar warrior. “Garja! Lockdown.”
“Got it, Sentry. Jeffrey, do you copy?” She spoke into the air.
“Got it. I’ve locked down. I’ll fully secure when Sentinel is back.”
“Good deal – he’s gotta start this show anyway.”
Elise, Kira, and Kev wandered back into the room. They all seemed to share the same expression of concern.
“Garja!” Elise caught her attention. “He should be back shortly. Make the call – it will take a while to coordinate.”
“Aye, Ma’am! Underway.”
Above the Planetary Plane
“Please remember two things, sweetheart.” Alan held his grandchild.
“What’s that, old man?” Alanna was more than a little nervous.
“Don’t solidify if you’re not in a secure place. Don’t rescue anyone – the knowledge you’ll gain will save many more lives. I know that’s going to be difficult. I’d have the same problem.”
“I know. What’s the second thing?”
“I’m very proud of you and I love you.”
“I love you, too. That’s the reason I’m going to be so careful. Trust me – I can do this!” She spoke confidently.
“I know you can. Go get ‘em, kid!”
She faded to Shadow and burst into hyperspace.
Shantar Base
“Welcome everyone. Thank you for coming.” The Sentinel walked into the room. “What you’re going to see in this base today is privileged information. People will die if it leaks out, if only from the blind panic that would ensue. This is Armageddon. We are about to risk everything to stop it.” He scanned the group. Xavier, Warren, Diana, Kitty, Kevin, Kira, Elise, Mary, Jeryll, Jeffrey, Kent, Garja, and Jerik: Everyone that should be here is.
“I’m not exaggerating. Here’s the deal. Right now the Shantar hold the remaining quarter of the Universe. It’s still enough to keep the Kayzick somewhat restrained. If the Shantar lose that quarter of the universe, then the Kayzik are no longer occupied with them. With no threat, the Kayzik turn their full attention to their conquered worlds. They’ll completely eliminate many of the captured world populations, rather than just culling them periodically.”
He let it sink in.
“The young lady few of you have met is a Green Lantern of the Green Lantern Corps.” He gestured towards her. “She works for what remains of the Guardians of the Universe. I know Elise has shared the horror stories of what happened when the Kayzik caught the last batch – it cost the loss of half of Shantar-protected space, including Earth. Now they’ve managed to kidnap the remaining Guardians from deep within Shantar space. Fortunately, they haven’t begun draining them yet. I can tell because her power battery is still operating. But once they do, there’s going to be very little to stop the Kayzik. We can’t let that happen, and we won’t. Commander?” He gestured to Elise Zoldar.
“Thank you. Welcome to the Shantar Earth Base. Until today, no human has ever entered this facility. Our people have used it continuously for one million years.” She heard several gasps. “In other times, my people operated hyperspace teleporters from this facility. Earth was a convenient transit hub for us between two other major worlds. Both of those worlds were taken from us at about the same time Earth was invaded. Most of our contingent escaped before the Kayzik invaded. The remainder chose to stay with you.” She gestured towards her troops. “This facility has not been used in 65 years. It would not be in use today, except for the current crisis.” She walked around the table where most of them sat.
“We have very little intelligence about where and when the Guardians will be taken. They are no more immune to the glamour than the Greek Gods of this world were. The Shantar are watching Daxam. When that population is culled, it will be shortly before the offensive. We do not have a lot of time, but we will have some. It will take the Kayzik time to act, but they will act decisively when they do.”
Kevin Pryde stood up.
“When the Scotts became part of our team, the Commander’s staff and I quickly realized that we had an unparalleled opportunity. A unique individual, Shade can be completely undetectable by any known mechanism. She has very little offensive capability, but her defenses are extreme. Add to that, her undetectable trips through hyperspace, and you’ll guess why she isn’t here today.”
The intercom beeped.
“Ma’am, session is ready!”
A wall sized screen revealed itself on one side of the conference room. Elise stood in front of the table. Alan and Kira stood slightly behind her. The rest of the party remained seated. She shot back to the table.
“Rules are simple – stay quiet and I’ll answer your questions later. Whatever you do, don’t react to what you see on the screen unless Alan or Kira do. You’ll see what I mean!”
The screen lit up.
“Well, well, well, after 65 years, my little girl finally shows herself!” A large man of Elise’s race was surrounded by his staff.
“I love you, too, Daddy!” There was no smile on her lips.
Mary Marvel watched the interchange. And I thought Alan and Alanna had issues. Yuck! I’ll keep my family, thank you!
Alan’s hands began to flame green. Kira floated a few inches off the ground, her arms crossed.
“We need information, Daddy. What do you have? Or am I wasting their time?” Elise gestured to Alan and Kira.
“Not at all, daughter, not at all. We have some locations, but I don’t know why you’re so interested. We’ll gather intelligence in due time.” He looked into the room. “Quite a menagerie you’ve managed to collect. Care to explain why they’re in our secure conference?”
Elise grinned viciously and gestured to her team members individually.
“Supergirl of Krypton. Kosmic, a channeler of the power cosmic. Ms. Marvel, Kree warrior with phase ability. Charles Xavier, Omega class telepath. The Angel of Death, a reconnaissance specialist who fires adamantium projectiles. Diana of Thymscara, last of this world’s Amazons. Dr. Fate, our most powerful sorceror. Kent Nelson, sorcery historian. Jeryll, the Green Lantern you sent.” Kira could see the fury in her eyes. “You could have warned us – she was almost dead by the time we got to her.”
“But you did get to her! I had no other way to force your comms open. You’ve been keeping them down recently. She should consider herself fortunate – she’s safe and alive. For a Green Lantern, that’s doing damned well!”
“True. Mary Marvel, the Sentry of the Rock of Eternity. Her cousin, the Sentinel: he’s also known to you as the Champion of the Green Flame. You’ve met Garja Jenna and Jerik.”
“As well, Commander Zidan of Andromeda base and Commander Zelek of the intelligence staff. They will be available to coordinate once we know something.”
“They will be available, now!” Elise watched the wall behind her father darken. “Father, I will have those locations.”
He held a small data capture device above his head and leered.
“Come and get them.”
A blue hand burst from the wall and took the device from his hand. It faded back into the wall.
“Father, I compliment you! I’ve never known you to be so cooperative, before!” The Shantar beside him were not able to contain their laughter. Neither was the room on Earth. “You can come out, now!” Shade solidified in the room. “The young lady is the child of the Sentinel and my ward. You may call her the Shade. You do understand?”
The old warrior smiled a wry smile.
“I do. Under our laws, I must respect your choice even if I was not consulted.” He looked to the Sentinel and Supergirl. “I hope the two of you know what you have gotten yourself into. She always was a willful child. Zoldar out.” The screen faded.
“Perfect! Beautiful idea Kevin, beautiful idea!” She beamed at Kosmic.
“What the hell was that all about?” Ms. Marvel did not like being kept in the dark. “That sure seemed like a hostile conversation to me!”
“Not at all, not at all.” Kosmic explained. “Alan brought me the problem and we got creative. This is what really happened. We knew that Zoldar would have to convince the intelligence folks to help us. They would not want to work with outsiders. So we set them up. When there are others in the room during one of these calls, the Warlord and the Commander follow a set procedure. Good thing: we had no way to coordinate with him ahead of time. Zoldar knew she’d supply the cues when she initiated the call. He simply reacted to her cues. Zoldar had to appear uncooperative, extremely uncooperative and he did an excellent job.”
“My father will appear to suffer ridicule,” Elise smiled, “but that’s not really true. Despite the bravado, I’m part of his team. In essence, one of his operatives managed to bypass every security mechanism our people have on a secure planet. As my ward, Shade is considered an extension of his family. He has a right to oversee her conversations with Shantar intelligence – that is her true protection. He’ll help her to coordinate her activities with them. He’ll also know in a second if they are playing games. We gave him everything he could want. We did very well today, my friends.”
“One last note – when he acknowledged the two of you, that gave you the right to contact him directly. You’ll discover that means something in our society. He gave you both a true compliment.”
“Interesting.” Charles Xavier interjected. “Now, my colleague, what are the next steps? I know you – you have a plan.”
“For the moment? Charles, Warren, Diana, Kent, and Jeffrey: you have two tasks. The first is to secure and shield this facility – no small task given the Kayzik and our current power levels. The second is to develop any tools you can to divert, reduce, or reverse the Kayzik glamour. I don’t care how you do it, but our teams will need shielding of some kind. Until this disaster is over, this station will have five assassins and twenty warriors available on site at all times. Either Garja or Jerik will be here.”
“As to the rest of you: we meet at Roanoke to train tomorrow morning. Our key to success is our ability to stay undetected. Now, you’re really going to have to learn to use those swords! For now, Mary has promised Jeryll, Kira, and me a trip to New York. We have a rather tall lady to meet. She stands in the harbor and holds a torch. We’ll be back.”