| In. Space. | |||||
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| What: Green Lantern and Superman respond to a distress call from a far off planet under attack by an unidentified ship. | |||||
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Both heroes catch the beacon at about the same time. The major alien race of the planet Kirospera has called for help. They reach out to all areas and heroes, but with special urgency to their protector, Hal Jordan, better known as GREEN LANTERN, and SUPERMAN, the Last Son of Krypton and friend to the Kirsosperan people.
Details are sketchy, but roughly an hour ago, an unidentified ship entered the interstellar space of the purple planet and began scanning the peace loving people. The ship was so large it could be seen from land, and the technology on the planet was good enough that the council of the peaceful planet was able to easily tell what was going on. When the first battery salvo came from the sky and destroyed a village in the southern hemisphere, the calls for aid were immediate!
Down on the surface of the planet, the Kirosperans would be forgiven for believing the green flash in the night sky was a shooting star. But out in the depths of space, the Green Lantern rockets with phenomenal speed towards the besieged planet. His right arm extended before him, a frown of grim determination crosses his features.
It doesn't take long for the hero to be joined by another, this one clad in blue and red and recognizable to the world as the Man of Steel. Superman flies in next to Green Lantern and gives the fellow Earthling a nod.
As his blue eyes begin to search the innards of the ship, Kal El is surprised to find that there are no sentient life forms aboard the ship. Instead, the ship is run almost completely by Artificial Intelligence. And whatever that AI is, it isn't friendly. Green Lantern, of course, will likely get similar information from his ring once he scans.
"Robots," Hal calls out, his voice projected by the ring even through the vacuum of space as he jerks a thumb at the spacecraft, "Guess that means there's no need to hold back, eh? You might want to sit back and watch this one, Blue."
With a burst of speed, he zips forwards in the direction of the ship and stops a few hundred meters out from it. He raises a hand over his head and what looks to be a grenade launcher wrought entirely of glowing, green light forms there. He wastes only enough time to smirk cockily over his shoulder at the Man of Steel before he fires an explosive burst of emerald energy at the ship's hull.
Superman can't help but grin. He's heard this guy is pretty brash, and by the initial conversation, it's clear that was no jive. That's alright. Brash can be good, even if it's not Superman's style himself. As Hal fires the burst of energy, Superman moves towards the ship at break-neck speeds.
When GL's shot hits the hull, there's a crackling of energy that reverberates across a wide swath of it, puncturing the armor and penetrating deep within. Speaking of, a different, albeit smaller hole is created as the Superman bursts through one side and out the other.
"They don't make alien death cruisers like they used to," Hal announces, tossing the constructed grenade launcher to one side as it dissipates into nothing.
That said, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 lifts his hand over his head and brings another construct into existence. This time, a giant glowing facsimile of his fist magnified to the size of a basketball court. He drives it down into the hull of the ship, the light of his ring glowing brighter as he does so.
Hal's mighty fist smashes down, creating a large hole in the top of the ship. It sends parts skittering out in every direction. Those that are caught by the planet's gravitational pull will surely burn the bits to nothingness.
From the other side, Hal will see a red 'knifing' blast of heat draw lines on the ship, easily cutting it in two. Gradually, one half of the ship is pulled back and away from Hal's half. There, down below, a small speck of red and blue is at the bottom of the ship, tugging it away.
Hal pauses a moment to admire the strength that Superman brings to bear, but he's got his own half of the ship to deal with now. The fist construct unfurls, becoming an open hand that proceeds to grow and grow. Soon, the great hand is as big as the half of the ship that it floats above. Reeling back, Hal swats at it with the hand in an effort to send it hurtling away from the planet.
Both pieces swing away from the planet now, heading in a 45 degree angle away from the two heroes who jettisoned them. Superman looks to Green Lantern and nods once more. "From the inside, the technology seemed designed for one thing: to search and conquer. It wasn't all that sophisticated though. Probably some upstart civilization hell bent on conquering, but still with its baby teeth."
"We can't have that, can we?"
Hal extends his right hand towards the debris, the ring doing it's job of scanning and taking down any relevant information that might be of use elsewhere in the Corps. It only takes a moment, and with that done he looks sidelong at Superman.
"You're a bit far away from Metropolis, aren't you?"
"Seeing the sights," Superman says with a nod. "What about you? You get the same distress call I did?"
Green Lantern will pick up all sorts of information that his ring can deduce. Though it is not as if the annals of the society are written upon the walls of the craft, it is easy enough to discern. Superman's hunch was right: It is a young world. More interestingly, the Artificial Intelligence of this planet seems to have taken over their hosts and eradicated. The beings believe in aggressive expansion, and its homeworld is looking to grow the technological empire. Or something. That's just what the ring brings back.
"Looks like Sector 2810," Hal says, mostly to himself as he stares off at the debris, "You're right about it being a bunch of upstarts. Looks like they got wiped out by their own machines. We'll look into it."
It is only then that he seems to realize he was asked a question, and he quirks a brow at Superman, "Yeah, I did. This is on my beat, so to speak."
Superman smiles and nods, "Well, I appreciate the help." His head nods towards the planet below. "I'm sure they do too. It's nice to meet you. Odd that it's way out here, but it's nice to see a friendly face, especially out here in space. What do you mean by beat?"
"It's a long story," Hal answers, chuckling and gesturing around them, "But this, and Earth, is all part of Sector 2814. Each sector has it's own Green Lantern. This is my sector, so it's my job to keep it safe ... respond to the distress calls and all that jazz."
"Like an intergalactic cop?" Superman asks, wrapping his brain around it. "Well, in any event, it was good that you were here. The people below are a friendly people. Peaceful. I'd have hated to see what this would have turned into if we had not gotten here quickly. They owe you their gratitude, Green Lantern." Superman extends his hand towards Hal, "And so do I. In fact, a person in your position would be a great asset to the League. Have you ever thought of joining?"
"That gang of super heroes?"
Hal readily extends his hand to shake Superman's, though he looks a little incredulous at the mention of the League, "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it ... but I've got a big job out here."
Superman chuckles, "Well, I wouldn't call it a gang, Green Lantern. I'd call it an association of like minded individuals striving to go out and make the world...and other worlds...a better place. To prevent crime and increase security and safety." He nods at the last comment Hal makes, "You do have a big job, that's why it's nice to have teammates."
"What kind of teammates are we talking about?" Hal asks, still floating with his arms folded and his eyes fixed on the planet they just saved, "I'll be honest, I've heard the name but not much beyond that. I know you're involved, but who else?"
"Currently?" Superman asks, going through the rollcall in his head, "Dr. Fate, Colossus, Stargirl, Black Canary, Aquaman." He pauses for a second, "But we're recruiting and looking to expand. As you said we've got a pretty big job in front of us. Frankly, we could use the help."
"I don't have to sign anything, do I?" Hal asks, skeptical but apparently not completely shut off to the idea, "My duties as a Green Lantern have to come first ... "
"No, I don't believe there's paperwork or waivers," Superman chuckles. He nods in understanding, "We all have our spheres of influence and things that take priority. What this really is is an association of folks trying to help each other out. You're not signing your life away."
"Alright, I'm in," Hal answers, though the note of reproachfulness in his voice can be heard, "No hazing, though."
Superman grins, "No hazing, promise. I'll discuss the matter with the rest of the league and look forward to bringing you by the Watchtower." Superman reaches for Hal's hand again.
Hal takes the offered hand, shaking it with a nod of his head, "Watchtower? That some sort of clubhouse?"
Superman laughs out loud, "You know, I've never really thought about it like that before, but I think if you could imagine yourself in a high tech satellite-tree house made from assorted alien and human technology...well, maybe you won't be that far off track."
"Sounds like Oa," Hal answers, waving his hand as he says it as though to indicate he doesn't feel like elaborating on that, "Alright, well, I imagine you of all people would know how to find me. Let me know what they say."
"Absolutely," Superman says with a final nod. "Thank you again. I look forward to working with you and we'll be in touch soon."