Green Lantern Corps

“The Rakkus Gem” Part One

By Brent Lambert

Mogo
Ganthet Tower

The living planet had been more than accommodating in allowing the Green Lantern Corps to establish their headquarters on his surface, which in effect was skin in a strange sort of way. Most Green Lanterns preferred to try and not to think about it. Two months had passed since Ganthet had mentally paid witness to the outpouring of green Lantern rings while he was at the Expanse. Since then, the Green Lantern Corps had vastly expanded their operations.

One such expansion was Ganthet Tower, which had been built on Mogo’s North Pole and was a silver spire in the middle of the icy plains. It stretched up for nearly a mile and look like a giant needle yet, despite its architecture, the structure was able to house a few thousands entities if need be. As of now it served as the home of the last Guardian, Ganthet. Guy Gardner often joked about why a man that small would need that much space, but the tower served an offensive function as well. When powered by Ganthet, the entire tower could fire off powerful ionic blasts.

It was an attack powerful enough to devastate many cruisers easily, but Ganthet had promised Mogo to only use it in cases of extreme emergency, as the attack could do damage to the sentient planet’s atmosphere. Ganthet hoped that the day would never come when he would have to use the weapon, but the events of two months ago made him thank that hope was best forgotten. On the edge of the universe he had tried to broker peace with an ancient enemy and was instead greeted with a sneak attack. If it had not been for the mysterious interference of Indigo-2 and her Indigo Lanterns, Ganthet might very well not have lived to see his Green Lanterns renewed. He still had many questions about his would-be saviors, but if there was one thing Ganthet had learned in his long life, it was that answers often found their way to you. So he would wait and, in time, he was sure more about these staff-wielding nomads would be revealed.

For now he had his own revelations to provide. The Green Lantern Corps were well on their way to a full revival and he needed to let them know the enemy that they were about to be engaged against. For that reason he had summoned Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Amon Sur to his tower. Gardner and Stewart were the leaders of his newly revived Corps with Stewart himself a burgeoning Guardian. Amon Sur was the son of the legendary Green Lantern, Abin Sur, and one of the newest Green Lanterns. Ganthet had to show the new Lanterns that he did not play favorites and only leaned on his older soldiers. Amon Sur was a new generation of Green Lanterns and they were going to have to be respected if they were going to be an effective force…and especially if he was going to be an effective leader.

The Guardian had gathered the three Lanterns in the top floor of Ganthet Tower where the Master Room was located. Zero gravity existed in the Master Room and it was full of blue orbs that represented various celestial bodies throughout the universe. By touching one of those orbs Ganthet was able to gain pertinent knowledge on what the present state of it was. Most of the orbs represented planetary bodies, especially those that were loyal to the Green Lantern Corps. Ganthet knew that knowledge was going to be the most important weapon for all of them in the days to come.

Patiently Ganthet waited in the center of the Master Room for the arrival of three Lanterns. He sat in a lotus position, which caused his legs to be completely invisible underneath his long red robe. His eyes were closed but he could clearly feel all three Lanterns enter his abode. As an Oan, Ganthet possessed great mental abilities and could feel his charges across solar systems easily, so to feel them out in his tower was mere child’s play. When the first of the Lanterns, John Stewart, entered his chamber, Ganthet lifted up his head and smiled even thought his eyes were still closed.

“Hello, John. I am glad to see that you so quickly answered my summons. Where are Gardner and Amon Sur? I feel that they are close, and Mogo has asked me to tell all of you to try and slow down. I believe it’s the equivalent of tickling him,” Ganthet said as he came out of his lotus position and floated close to Stewart.

John’s face was locked in the same serious expression it always held. “They’re right behind me, sir. I can tell them to hurry up.”

Ganthet waved off John’s suggestion with a casual pass of his hand. “There is no need for that, John. They shall be here in due time. I would rather enjoy these few peaceful moments as it is.”

John sensed worry packed behind those words. “What’s wrong, Ganthet? You seem troubled.”

“There is much that I have to tell you all, John Stewart, and I would rather wait until the other Lanterns arrive before I begin. This tale is not one I would like to have to repeat.” Ganthet felt John’s rising anxiety and he didn’t blame the man for being nervous because in the next few minutes he going to completely justify those feelings.

Floating in silence for the next few minutes, they waited until Amon Sur and Guy Gardner both came flying into the Master Room encased in green shields that bent fluidly to the shapes of their bodies. Guy picked up on the solemn silence between Stewart and Ganthet easily, so the cocky smile that was his trademark disappeared. “How bad are talking here?”

Amon Sur felt privileged to be called by Ganthet at the side of two legendary Green Lanterns, but now even he was curious. Why had he been summoned alongside them? What was he being called to pay witness to? He hoped that he had been called because of his own credentials and not just because of whom his father was; Amon had felt animosity towards his father for a long time for never being home but Ganthet and Stewart had showed him the error of his ways. His father was more than deserving of respect, but Amon wanted to earn his own glory and not have to ride in his coattails.

“As you all know, the Maltusians were the first sentient race in the universe. The threat I have called you all here to discuss is the race that followed us: The Reach.”

Stewart rolled around the implication of that in his head. “How many of them are there, Ganthet?”

“Thousands, my friend Stewart…thousands, “Ganthet said as he floated towards the center of the Master Room. All of the glowing blue orbs moved away in an orderly fashion to pile themselves against the walls. The luminescent white light in the room gave way to a large hologram of space that encompassed the entire area. It was a shift that didn’t disturb the Lanterns as they were use to standing in the reaches of space.

Behind Ganthet floated a world that was a mix of navy blues and dark purples with only a very little green to be found at its poles. “This was the home world of the Reach. Shortly after our war against magic we found ourselves locked in war against this race, which was nearly as old as us. We Guardians are only their elders by a million or so years and, unlike us, the Reach had never splintered off so fighting them was far from easy.”

Explosions could be seen erupting across the Reach’s home world and Ganthet continued his story. “In time, we both came to see that war was only going to tear us apart utterly so we struck a peace accord, one that was meant to last for many, many years. The Reach left their ancient home world and departed to see what was beyond the Expanse. I had hoped their animosity toward us had ended, but the events on Palu have shown me otherwise.”

Gardner was shocked. “They’re who the Vuldarians are kissing up to?!”

“Yes. For very soon, the time limit on our accord will expire and I shall be one Guardian standing against the entire might of the Reach. And it seems their hate for my people has only grown in their absence.”

Amon Sur had heard of the brave Vuldarians and how they had stood against a dark race once. It seemed that nobility had been drained from them by the Reach. “My world spoke of the Vuldarians as honorable warriors, but their actions on Palu were anything but.”

Ganthet nodded and hoped that his next words would hopefully bring the conflicted Guy Gardner some comfort; he had been in turmoil ever since returning from Palu because Guy was both human and Vuldarian. “They were indeed noble and the ones that came to sire your lineage were of this stock, Gardner, but some of them grew desperate and feared total extinction.”

Guy gritted his teeth. “And the Reach gave the cowards a way out.”

“I am all that is left of my race so believe me when I say that I understand their dilemma. Is it cowardice to not want to see your people erased from the memory of the universe? I honestly do not know and what the Reach did for them was not in and of itself a horrible deed. It is what they use the Vuldarians for that makes it terrible.”

“So now what?” Stewart asked. “Do we strike?”

Ganthet shook his head. “Not yet. The Reach are still bound by the accord and thus are unable to attack directly. They’ll use their servants to do their work, so for the meantime we have the advantage. We’ll have to make use of it the best that we are able.”

Amon Sur paused in thought for a moment. His less than glorious past might be of some use in this situation. “I could speak to some of my contacts from my old life, have them keep an ear to the ground and see if anything out of the normal occurs. It might indicate some activity of the Reach’s that we need to watch.”

Ganthet folded his hands in front of him. “Yes, that seems like the prudent thing to do. You are a credit to your father, Amon Sur.”

“Don’t blow his head up too much,” Gardner said as he patted the Lantern on the back. “He might have to grow a new one.”

Palu (The Continent of Ka-Resh)
Gillvonger City

Prince Uzoomba stood side by side with his eldest brother, Lord Abamix IV, as a purple and red marble statue of their father was erected in the city square. Gillvonger City had been the home base of the Secessionists and Abamix wanted to send a clear message…that the civil war was over and he would not tolerate an ounce more of disobedience. Abamix’s action had been born from grief and a need to start his rule off strong; the last thing the Altah-Nemtu needed was another war to divide them, especially with the White Book of Omi out in the cosmos.

Uzoomba had taken on a new duty since the last battle of the civil war. One of the many new Green Lantern rings to enter the cosmos had chosen him as a bearer. The Prince was far too honored to turn down the legendary weapon and felt he could better serve his people as a Green Lantern than leader of the Ozais Hickar, his people’s elite military guard. There were some in the royal court who regarded his decision as a betrayal to his people. They felt a Prince was to stay on Palu and not engage themselves with alien life forms.

The word of Abamix had silenced them all. “Tell me, brother…is the ring really as powerful as it is rumored to be?”

“Yes, my Lord, it is all that and more. The Green Lanterns are truly awesome. I do not know how we would have won the civil war without their aid.”

Ferrin Colos floated down from the milky white sky behind the two nobles. “Don’t be so quick to forget the Darkstars. There were only two Green Lanterns on Palu.”

Uzoomba nodded at the Zamban. Since he had began his time as a Green Lantern he had spent a great amount of time with Colos as they worked to help rebuild his world and he knew there was a great deal of anger in the warrior. “I would not forget the aid of your people, Ferrin. You have been invaluable in helping Palu to recover from the war.”

Abamix had no time to stroke Colos’ ego and cut straight to the mater that was at the center of all Altah-Nemtu minds. “Have you made any progress in locating the White Book of Omri? Every day we are without it my people grow more frightened of retribution.”

Ferrin narrowed his eyes at the ruler but his tone deftly disguised all of the displeasure he felt. The more he dealt with Abamix and the ungrateful Uzoomba the more he wanted to unleash a plague on these people himself. “Soranik and my Darkstar comrades have covered sixty percent of the planetary locations the Ozais Hickar provided us with. We’ll have the rest covered before the day is out, but we may have to face facts that the White Book of Omri is probably off planet.”

Abamix turned to his brother, his hair flashing from black to blue. “If the likes of Valia Mora and Piku Sar are unleashed upon our people then I shall hold the Green Lanterns solely responsible. I only ask for one book to be found and in two months it has yet to be discovered. It seems I would do better asking whiskle bugs to do my searching for me.”

Lord Abamix threw a white cloak over his head and walked away from the two with all the grace of a regal. The baggy sleeves covering his four arms were all trimmed in gold and illustrations of Mobal Leaves were adorned all across the attire. A group of Ozais Hickar followed closely behind Palu’s new ruler. Every one of them turned to Uzoomba and gave him a respectful nod.

Ferrin’s eyes were full of confusion. “Whiskle bugs?”

“They are blind insects and they move incredibly slowly,” Uzoomba explained as he watched his brother kneel reverently in front of the newly christened statue of their father while pointing a finger to the sky with bottom arms crossed across each other. He loved his brother but in times like this he greatly missed the wisdom of his father.

Ferrin followed Uzoomba’s eyes. “Certainly not, Lord Moreti. That’s for sure.”

“My brother will come around in time. The pressures of being a ruler are not slight, especially in the circumstances he has come to rule. The ancient, dark gods were among some of the most evil figures in all of our history. If they are unleashed, I shudder to think what may come of my world.”

Feeling the Prince’s despair the golden-skinned Ferrin was reminded of his own home world and how it had been so savagely ravaged. He took a deep breath to push the memory of burning cities and rotting carcasses from his mind. “I promise as long as I have breath I won’t let your people suffer, Uzoomba, and I don’t have a feeling Ganthet will either.”

Uzoomba looked up into the sky. “I have many unanswered questions about all of this. Why cause a civil war just to get a book? It’s too sloppy and exposed the Vuldarians to too much risk. There had to be a greater motive behind it. I feel that they had more than just one goal in coming to my world.”

“They might, but the Green Lanterns AND the Darkstars are growing stronger every day. Ganthet has been having us work double time on recruitment,” Ferrin said knowing that was both comforting and frightening. The universe always needed as much protection possible, but the speed that Ganthet was working at made him pause. Just what did he know was coming?

Vingardo

John Stewart had created a wormhole with his ring to make the travel from Mogo to his newest recruit’s planet a much quicker trip. The small planet was the sixth in its red giant solar system. It was more oval than it was round and was a blend of yellows, browns and pinks. The pink was the ammonia oceans of the world and thus dominated most of the planet. He knew the planet’s atmosphere was over eighty percent methane so he was positive it’d be completely toxic, but his ring would take care of that for him.

Still, as he began to descend into the atmosphere, he would have felt a little better having brought the Naatu Hilak along with him, but the cruiser belonged to the Darkstars and he would be wrong to take it for a simple recruiting effort. It had become a symbol of pride for the Darkstars as more of the cruisers were being built above Mogo at this very moment. Merayn had been made captain of the Naatu Hilak since she was more or less the de facto leader of the group.

John was glad for that because it would make working with them a lot easier given his and Merayn’s pairing. Ferrin, Chaser and even Munchuk still held some resentment towards him for what had happened on Rann. He didn’t necessarily blame them, but it wasn’t productive as there was nothing to be gained from resentments that festered and began to smell as bad as Vingardo’s atmosphere. That was mostly John’s imagination at work as the ring kept out any unpleasant odors.

After a quick descent through the thick atmosphere, John let the ring’ subtle AI guide him to where the ring on Vingardo was. He was coming up on a small chain of islands off of the largest continent on the planet. At just a first glance, John surmised the island he was headed toward was roughly equal in size to Florida’s Panhandle, though he had a feeling that these beaches would hardly compare as the light of the red giant struggled to filter through the dense atmosphere.

Landing on a beach of dark brown sand, pink water lapped at John’s boots but the protective field of his ring kept them from actually getting wet. As he walked across the sand, he heard little noises that sounded like the squeals of tiny children. With each step about a dozen worm-like creatures would pop up from the ground and make the noise.

“They are Shelaal, Worms of Music. It is said amongst my people that when they speak a good omen is to be had.”

John looked up at the alien and forced a smile. “If that’s music, I’d hate to hear what’s racket.”

The alien before him stood a little over six feet and had large, innocent, raspberry colored eyes. His bumpy skin was a bright crimson and on top of his oval head were tiny black spikes. The lower half of his body was like a snake tail covered in white quills. At the shoulders of his two muscular arms were tiny white blades that looked like they had once served some evolutionary purpose but were now just biological decoration.

“You are a stranger here, Green Lantern.”

Stewart’s ring hummed softly on his finger as he crossed his arms across his chest and looked at the alien sternly. “But I think you know why I’m here.”

The alien moved his long, spindly fingers in front of his face almost like a mindless cheerleader. Stewart tried not to smile at the display; the last thing he needed was cultural misunderstanding. “Indeed I do, Green Lantern. I am Py’jag and the universe has humbled me with your presence.”

Maltus
The Illgonist Mansion

“This was our ancestral home before we departed for where we now reside. It will always hold significance to my people.”

The hairless, pink-skinned humanoid looked down on the new Maltusians with fake tenderness. He was floating above a white rectangular table that seated fourteen representatives of the most powerful factions on the planet. There was the hazel-eyed, straight laced Admiral Heruld Munn of the Planetary Expedition Fleet. Seated next to him was General Tum Yutt, commander of the Maltusian Infantry League, who was a bald, stone faced man chiseled by never-ending ambition. Across from him was Amma Illgonist, head of the Ainsworth Pharmaceutical Corporation, ander company was the largest producer of contraceptive drugs put into Maltus’ water supply to control their massive overpopulation problem. Munn, Yutt and Illgonist were often referred to as the ‘new Triach’ and their power was quickly becoming legendary.

Despite that, none of them were the first to speak. It was Niya Lawthud, Director of Food Services that was the first to speak. He fit the role that was assigned to him because he was obese and had a pot-marked face full of overindulgence. “I believe all of us here are well aware of the role you once played on this world, but what we want to know is what draws you here now?”

Calibetu had to bite back a rebuke towards the lower life-form. He forced his face to not cut down the fat inferior with a sneer. “What draws me and the attention of my people here now is the massive problem that faces your world. My people want to offer you a solution.”

Admiral Munn stroked the gray stubble of his chin as he contemplated a response. “Your people are called the Controllers. Why shouldn’t we assume that’s simply what you seek to do here?”

“Is it not true that your population is nearing a trillion? Isn’t that why you have been campaigning colonizing other worlds to alleviate the problem? That will take time. What my people offer is a more immediate solution.”

General Yutt wasn’t a man generally given to fear, but the power emanating off of Calibetu gave him reason to pause. His gruff voice was uncharacteristically low as he said, “Then tell us what this proposal is.”

“My people seek to help bring order to the universe and at this moment there is a sever lack of it. Grant us a few million of your citizens to work alongside us and we’ll personally build colonies for your world in a fraction of the time you could.”

Amma Illgonist was a practical woman and saw the population of Maltus solely in terms of numbers. “A few million would definitely be a start in alleviating our problems.”

Munn wasn’t so confident. “What exactly would they be doing for you? I’m not at all comfortable handing over our citizens like cattle.”

“It is a project that we are trying to keep secret for now. I would hope that all of you could appreciate my race’s discretion and the promise that your citizens will be treated with the utmost respect and care.”

Yutt knew a lie when he saw it, but the facts of the matter were plain in front of them. Crime, starvation and social apathy were all on the rise and there was no hope of decreasing it until the population on Maltus was thinned out. “I see no reason not to trust Calibetu in what he says.”

Garrick Fleeze, a close friend of Yutt and patriarch of the rich Fleeze family, knew when his friend was ‘plugging in’ and he was doing it now, so at least they were on the same page in trusting Calibetu. He didn’t trust any of the old Maltusians and was glad their schemes had been above the current residents of the planet, but all good things came to an end. The grim reality was that they could not afford to turn down the Controllers. “I’m not opposed to this plan as long as every effort is made to make sure our people voluntarily choose this and are given hospitable treatment.”

Calibetu nodded towards the pale, veiny man. “I would have it no other way.”

The Controller smiled internally. Soon, very soon, there will be an Effigy Force to rival the power of the Green Lanterns.

Space Sector 185
Vuldarian Cruiser - Boneblade

The Immersion Room was a circular room located in the tenth deck of the ship towards its rear. Five glowing green cylinders surrounded a white platform in the center of the room. The light coming from all of the objects created an eerie mix of colors that was reminiscent of a forest in dawn’s first light. Ever since swearing allegiance to the immortal Reach, every new Vuldarian cruiser had been built with one of these rooms in it.

Standing in the center of the platform was the captain of the Boneblade, Zindro-Ka. He was an alien gladiator rippling with muscles and rage, with black, red and blue tribal tattoos covering his indigo skin. Some indicated conquests he had made; others symbolized injuries he had suffered in battle and others still indicated pains he had willingly endured.

Vuldarians believed pain was a gateway to divinity and Zindro-Ka had seen his fair share of it. That was why he was able to ignore the pain that travelled up his spinal cord as his biological systems were locked into the immersion device. He felt the tremors travel through his body as the minds of the Reach connected with his own. It was a pain that would have crippled a normal creature, but Vuldarians were not normal. They were warriors and some of the best that the universe had ever produced.

Your people have proven most useful to us Zindro-Ka. The success on Palu shall prove to be very fruitful.

“Thank you, my Masters. The Vuldarians live to serve your wishes.”

It is that loyalty that has made you protectors through the ages. We now require your service once more. Our treaty with the Oans had not yet expired and while we honor it so will they, but you can be our intermediaries.

“I shall be your torch across the cosmos, my Masters. Just point me where to go.”

The planet of Mongesi is where your people are next required. You are to perform three tasks while there: Kill the ruler of the planet, Archduke Riglu VIII; find the Crypt of Mongesilopis where the Rakkus Gem is hidden; and, finally, devastate the world as much as possible.

“And if I encounter interference?”

Crush them to a reasonable degree, but use your wits instead of your heart.

The connection was severed and Zindro-Ka crumbled to the ground. It was an involuntary response, but he still felt shame at it and was glad no one had been around to pay witness to it. With wobbly legs, he stood up and grinned. At long last he was being called to battle.

Mongesi would be a burning husk when it was over.

Vingardo

Stewart walked while Py’jag slithered. He had a feeling that the potential recruit could move a lot faster, but was keeping pace with John because he was being courteous. The pink waves of ammonia lapped at their lower appendages as they moved along the shore. It was hauntingly quiet and Stewart wondered if Py’jag was alone. “Forgive me for asking, but where are the rest of your people?”

Py’jag stopped slithering and looked at the sky. He perched his lips up and gave a hoarse whisper. It was his people’s way of expressing sadness. “My people have abandoned all of our islands after the Ilkaat Monsur. I am one of the few that patrols them as a guardian.”

Stewart found the alien’s reaction to his question strange but he saw the sorrow in the alien’s eyes. There was a tragic event hidden in his words. “What are you guarding against?”

“It would take any Vingartin a day to say their names, so we just call them the Illusions. They are evil warlords from the land of the white spirits. They seek to purify the world through massacre and sacrifice. During the time of Ilkaat Monsur, we defeated them and imprisoned them in our oceans.”

“And you watch in case they return?” Stewart asked as they began to move more inland, away from the waves of pink ammonia.

Py’jag nodded. “Yes, it has been my duty for ten years. The island was once my home but my people fear proximity to the oceans. They think the Illusions will drive them to madness even while imprisoned.”

Stewart wasn’t one for superstitions as they were entirely impractical, but he knew magic to be unpredictable and that their fear might have had some grounding in reality. “So they would risk your sanity?”

“I chose this fate. That is why–”

“–you haven’t taken the ring yet,” Stewart finished, finally having put all of the pieces together. “I wouldn’t imagine trying to marginalize your duty, but as Green Lantern you’d be protecting your planet from threats as great as the Illusions.”

Py’jag nodded as their movement put them in view of a cavern entrance. “I do not doubt your words, trusted Lantern, but we Vingartin like to see something of personal value to us before we make any major changes in our lives. And my island rotations did not bring me to this island until a few days ago.”

Stewart looked at the cavern entrance and took an educated guess. “What you’ve come to see is in there I take it?”

“Yes. This island was where I was born. I would take it as a great honor if you accompanied me.”

Truthfully, Stewart wanted Py’jag to suck it up, put on the ring and be on their way. But that wasn’t going to win him a recruit and, besides, who was he to judge alien behavior? He was sure many of Earth’s customs would be seen just as odd to Py’jag. “I’ll be happy to come with you.”

They moved along the shifting sand and rock until they reached the wide cavern entrance. Py’jag bowed his head in front of the cave and folded his hands behind his back. “Bless the broken moons and the blood that was shed on them. Forgive the red spirits and all the sorrow they wrought. Save the people of Vingardo from the times of Arkadyun.”

Lifting up his head from the prayer, Py’jag turned to Stewart and nodded. “Now we can enter.”

"Do I need to say the prayer as well?" Stewart asked the Vingartin. He truthfully didn't want to waste any more time and having to stumble through a prayer would do just that. But the ring had chosen Py'jag for a reason and Stewart wasn't going to contradict it because he was impatient.

John wondered by what means Vingartins express anger because their faces were too innocent and cartoony to ever convey any serious emotion. All he saw on Py'jag's face was sweet goofiness, but the spikes on his head, the blades protruding out his shoulders and the quills covering his lower body helped to counteract that. The alien responded to John's question from a tiny mouth that didn't seem anywhere near as threatening as those three features.

"You are not required to join in pray with me, but I am humbled you would ask. We have many prayers for many occasions and if we required our visitors to join in them all, I do not think we would have many visitors at all. Our atmosphere already gets enough complaints."

John nodded and the two began to move into the cavern entrance. Py'jag slithered with the powerful muscles of his lower body while Stewart floated with the power of his ring. The two descended down into the cave for almost half a mile before they were greeted by a dazzling blue light.

In front of them was a wide expanse of crystalline structures that looked awfully close to the shape of Earth trees and Stewart was completely taken aback by the splendor of it. A jeweler would make an enormous fortune here. How long had it taken for this natural wonder to form? For the first time, John was glad that he had come to Vingardo.

“What is this place?” John asked, hoping that Py’jag had as much awe for it as he did. It would be a terrible shame if some silly superstition was attached to this place.

“My people call this the Crystal Forest and a group of holy men once called it home. My father was one of them. I hoped by coming here that I would get some sense of his spirit.”

John was beginning to understand why the ring had come to Vingardo now. Py’jag possessed a kind, protecting spirit, and the love he had for his people would translate well into service for the Green Lantern Corps. “Where is your father now?”

“His life was claimed during the Ilkaat Monsur.”

“I’m sorry,” John said, wondering just how awful this Ilkaat Monsur had been. How many fathers had died? How many lives would the Reach claim?”

“Do not be sorry, Lantern Stewart. My father went into the Holy Blackness with distinction and honor. I hope to one day travel there and not be shamed before my ancestors.”

“We would be happy to speed you along your way.”

The two turned to the sound of the voice and saw the dozen muscular aliens stomping toward them. They were all seven feet and taller, with tribal tattoos shaped like daggers, arrows and jagged spirals. Some had white eyes and others red, but they were all without pupils and looked like they were holding back a sea of violence. They appeared strong enough to tear a normal person limb from limb.

Stewart recognized the aliens as the ones he had faced on Palu. “Vuldarians! What the hell are they doing here?”

Py’jag sensed the distress in the Green Lantern’s voice. “This is a sacred place. Violence is not permitted here!”

Each of the Vuldarians’ arms morphed into either a long sickle or a double barreled energy cannon. The lead Vuldarian warrior smiled at Py’jag and John with teeth as white as they were sharp. Py’jag’s shoulder blades flared out a couple of inches more at the sight. The Vuldarians was amused. “The Harrak Brood knows only violence. It is the universal language.”

John knew he wasn’t going to be able to consider Py’jag’s misgivings, as the Vuldarians were too lethal to be talked down. He just hoped that the potential Green Lantern could forgive him striking first. Rearing back his arm, John’s ring flared to life and a volley of green steel beams were shot at the hostile warriors. The beams clanged and crashed into them, creating confusion and not allowing them to get a solid shot. Using the time to his advantage, John created a solid brick wall between the aliens and himself.

“Violence…in this place…my father would be ashamed of me for allowing this unholiness to occur,” Py’jag lamented as he plucked two quills form his tail and raised them to the sky. “Do not take me this hour, Holy Blackness. Allow me to smite those who violate that which you have declared safe.”

John felt anger in those words, the first time Py’jag had expressed such an emotion. “Sounds like a proper prayer to me.”

“The Holy Blackness is good at giving loyal followers the right words,” Py’jag said as he heard the pounding of energy weapons against the brick wall. “Who are they?”

“Vuldarians, a race of warriors that until recently was believed to be extinct. They work for people who hate us.”

Py’jag nodded slowly. “And they would do away with me before I accept the ring as my own.”

“That’s how it would seem.”

Py’jag made a strong clicking sound with his teeth and his fingers tingled as aggressive hormones pumped through his body. A large part of him lamented having to fight in this sacred place, but he was not ready to be taken by the Holy Blackness yet. “Can we beat these defilers?”

John didn’t want to insult Py’jag, but he would rather be fighting them alone. “Is there a way to escape from here?”

“The Harmony Stream lies beyond this forest. It is a two hour swim to the surface.”

Before John could respond he heard the thoughts of the Vuldarian warriors in his mind. He was tuned in to Py’jag’s thoughts as well. His telepathy had chosen this moment to return and it broke his concentration, allowing the barrages of the Vuldarians to break through his brick wall. The Green Lantern quickly turned and tackled Py’jag to the ground.

The Vingartin twisted his quill covered lower body away from John. “Be careful of my et-ka! They are poisonous to non-Vingartin.”

John didn’t hear him because of the riot of thoughts in his mind. Telepathy was one of his least favorite Guardian powers. It was chaotic and hard to get a grip on. Reacting only to what he could see, he erected a dome shield around himself and Py’jag. Playing defense wasn’t going to be an option he had forever, but he couldn’t make an attack until he could get his thoughts straight. It was hard enough keeping the energy dome intact.

The Vuldarian blasts bounced off of John’s shield and struck the crystalline structures. Blue and white crystal shattered across the landscape, trickling down on them. John felt Py’jag’s abject horror and the intense emotion surprisingly gave him the jolt he needed to focus. Taking advantage of the clarity, John sent the power of his mind out like a wildfire across the minds of the Vuldarians. The aliens roared and buckled as John re-directed Py’jag’s intense feeling into a mental assault.

Gripping their heads, the Vuldarians backed away from the dome. Their malleable bodies morphed wildly as spikes and rifle barrels of various sizes erupted across their bodies. Py’jag watched silently as they fell to the cavern floor one by one. He was in awe of the Lantern. “Will I be able to do that?”

John rubbed his temple and was filled with dread. In the backlash of the attack, he had picked up on some stray thoughts. The Vuldarians were soon to directly attack a world. The problem was that he had no idea which world and he could do nothing to find out. The warriors at his feet had been completely emptied by his power.

What world was soon about to be ravaged?

To Be Continued...

Next: In Green Lantern Corps #2: Zindro-Ka begins his attack on Mongesi while Ganthet talks to Calibetu about the Controllers plans.

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