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Post by Admin on Feb 28, 2006 22:04:04 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on Feb 28, 2006 22:08:24 GMT -5
Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Vidar
Issue 2 of 3: "From Elia With Love"
Written by Scott Kruger
Cover by Jim Dufresne and Scott Kruger
Editor: David Charlton |
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:12:48 GMT -5
OA, Center of the Universe, 2992
The Citadel of the Guardians of the Universe. It’s towering spires reach far up into the heavens beyond it’s atmosphere. Within it’s central dome, far below the highest spire, is the audience chamber of the Guardians of the Universe. Before the Guardians, stands Vidar, Green Lantern of Sector 2814.
“We appreciate the evidence you have brought to us, Green Lantern 2814, we will investigate it’s validity and proceed from there.” One of the nearly identical small, blue men says dismissively.
“Validity? But masters… the nature of this weapon alone could be devastating to the Corps. It’s apparent to me that the Dominators want us out of the picture to proceed with something.” Vidar replies, standing alone in the center of the chamber.
“’Something?’” a second Guardian speaks, “We have made our decision 2814, we will investigate these allegations and proceed if it is deemed appropriate. In the meantime, these weapons came from the planet you currently inhabit.”
“Locate the source of these weapons and bring them to justice,” a third Guardians speaks, as if on cue from the last. “You are dismissed.”
Vidar grudgingly left the audience chamber in a huff. The Guardians look at one another, all staring at Ganthet.
“Is there a reason why the Green Lantern’s of Sector 2814 are always so opinionated?” One says, to which Ganthet shakes his head.
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:13:34 GMT -5
Frakking Guardians…
I make my way from the main chamber to the turbo lifts ignoring the acknowledgements I get from my fellow Lantern’s. Well, I’m in a bad mood now… I can’t help it. I step into the lift and hit the ‘down’ arrow.
Of course the Dominion is up to something… they’re always up to something. It’s their nature. For Sprocks sake, they’re not called ‘Dominators’ because their passive.
But… I’ll go back to Earth. I haven’t seen Marissa or Rond in nearly two weeks. I’ve been so occupied with the Sector lately. Galte-Re always said it was unwise to have a family and be in the Corps. ‘you’re married to the Corps… you won’t have time for a wife and children’.
Frak that. The Corps is a job, not a life. I need my family… they’re the only things that keep me sane in this sprocked up galaxy.
Just thinking of Marissa & Rond lightens my mood. I’ll play good little soldier, but when the Dominators make their move, I’ll be first in line to say ‘see, I told you so’…
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:14:25 GMT -5
Earth, Metropolis Region, August 2992
Vidar stands in civilian clothes in the living quarters of his Metropolis apartment listening to his three year old son, Rond, play with his toys. Rond looks like his mother, dark hair, human ears… he just has his fathers blue-green eyes & fearlessness.
Shortly after he learned to walk, Rond found his way onto the balcony. He was attempting to catch a bird when he lost his grip and fell. Marissa just happened to see little Rond take a spill and screamed for Vidar, who immediately leapt off the balcony in pursuit. He zoomed past the falling boy, doubled back and caught him. Rond just laughed and pulled at his dads mask. They lived on the 150th floor.
Marissa put more security on that balcony than is used to keep the President of the United Planets safe. But that’s the way she is… a wonderful mother.
“Credit for your thoughts Vid” Marissa says with a smile, wrapping her arms around Vidar’s chest. She gently squeezes, he pats her hand in response.
“Ahh… the Guardians. They won’t listen to reason… The Dominion is up to something and they want to debate it instead of acting on it. You know, not all intergalactic incidents can resolve themselves diplomatically… sometimes, you need to jump in and cut off the serpents head before it can bite you.”
“And you want to be the sword they swing?” she says smiling at him.
“No, not necessarily!” Vidar turns to face her, “Elia isn’t even in my sector… The Guardians should send in the elite. Let them do it… it’s been so crazy in this sector lately I feel like I’ve been neglecting you & Rond.”
“Nonsense!” she scolds, smacking him gently in his sore shoulder. He winces slightly, “oops! Sorry!”
“Don’t worry about it… it’s almost healed up.”
“Vid… Rond and I know you are very important and have a job to do that calls you away sometimes. I know that there are other sectors out there that are so bad, they have two GL’s out there. We’re just lucky that you’re stationed here!”
She leans in and kisses him softly.
“eeewww… Gross!” Rond says interrupting the couple.
“Eeewww?” Vidar teases, “eeewww? Come ‘ere you! I’ll give you ‘eeewww’” Vidar releases Marisa and starts chasing Rond through their apartment.
“Vid! Don’t mess his clothes up! My mother is coming by to pick him up later today!” Marisa leans against the wall watching her husband and son at play happy to have their little family at home together again, at least for a little while.
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:15:14 GMT -5
The Durlan, in human guise watches the apartment of Vidar from a building across the street. It watches as the bald, pointed eared humanoid chases the smaller one with hair. It watches as the female begins to chase the other two around. It waits for any sign that his target is Green Lantern. The order was to eliminate the target either way, but the Durlan was smarter than that. Green Lantern rings protected the bearer automatically, then it would become the target.
It had assassinated many in it’s life, it had learned patience. It had perfected the craft. It would wait.
And it waited.
The small humanoid leaves with an older humanoid. The target embraces the female, then leaps out the window, he is gone in a green flash of light.
Target acquired.
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:16:07 GMT -5
Hawaii Province, later that night…
I walk in civilian clothes through the streets of old Honolulu. Tourists are on either side of an old street made of ‘asphalt’. Actual street cars are parked on both sides of the road, and horses pull carriages filled with newlyweds & families. Couple of people go by me like maniacs on two wheeled peddle bikes. The strangest sight I’ve ever seen. It’s like a scene straight outta one of them old 25th century holos. Hard to believe this is where some of the biggest battles in Earth’s history were fought.
During the last great war, before the unification and creation of Earthgov, the Hawaiian province was the final stand between the warring factions. The island paradise was nearly obliterated, in fact 3 of the islands were lost completely. In the century since unification, Earthgov spared no expense in rebuilding the island province. It has once again become a major tourist attraction for beings across the United Planets.
Now some Dominion scumbags are using it to traffic weapons.
I start at the shipping lanes. A place called Pearl Harbor. I watch as the cargo vessels launch from platforms set into the sea. Some lift off upward towards other systems, others stay low to the ground, flying East toward the North Am province, or West to one of the Eurasian provinces. But these aren’t the vessels I’m looking for, their much too large.
I wander from the larger platforms, to some of the smaller, privately owned platforms. I make sure my ring is hidden from site, but always there, ready for anything.
I start asking the locals questions about the Daxamite vessel and about the two Braalians that flew it. I show them holos of the pilots ID cards. I play the part of collector looking to collect on stolen goods to those that looked a little more reputable. And I play a smuggler looking to move weapons to those that look shady.
I will my ring to make a special note to those that are willing to ship my contraband. Have to visit them when my mission is over…
Otherwise, I ‘strike out’ as my wife would say. No one knows anything about the ship or Ellison and Ratchet (yeah, found out the engineer called himself Ratchet). I ‘rent’ something called a ‘motorcycle’ and make my way through the mountains toward the Northern shore. Frakking thing is noisy as Hell, smells too, but I like it. Yeah, I could fly there… But ‘when on Trom’, you know?
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:16:45 GMT -5
The doorbell rings in the apartment, waking Marisa out of a deep sleep. She pulls on her robe and slippers after turning on the light in the bedroom. She stretches & yawns as the doorbell rings again.
“Hang on a moment, I’m coming!” She shouts in response.
She walks quickly through the living area to the door of the apartment. The screen next to the door lights up with the image of an Interplanetary Express deliveryman.
“Yes?”
“Ma’am, I have a delivery for Marisa Vidar?”
“Alright, hang on.” She shuts the monitor down and unlocks the door.
The deliveryman stands there with a small package in his hand and a signature pad. He hands the package to Marisa who immediately looks at the card attached to it. She opens the card and it simply read:
From Elia, with Love!
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:17:28 GMT -5
I Frakking love this place. I’ve got to drag Marisa and Rond out here.
The only place I can think of that you can drive an hour and hit just about every climate. Granted, it’s all controlled, but still, you just don’t see this anywhere… Certainly not on Titan.
I find myself of the North shore. It’s even strangely more primitive. Huts made of bamboo. The ground still bares scars from past battles. There are even some structures from the old days that remain. I ask around, the area is designed to mimic Hawaiian culture through the centuries.
This isn’t the time or place for this though. The site seeing isn’t helping me with my main objective.
I find a slightly more industrialized area and hit pay dirt. Place called Turtle bay. Could have been a beautiful area once… now it’s littered with factories & cargo carriers. A few more stolen Daxamite freighters… some I don’t recognize. A freighter from Durla lifts off, heading for the upper atmosphere. Why they’d use a Durlan vessel, with racial tensions between the Earthgov & Durla, is beyond me.
Guards are everywhere, armed to the teeth, some of them even have those yellow particle cannons. This is definitely the place.
I quietly recharge my ring, foregoing the oath… it’s not necessary, just something to remind us of who we are and what we do.
Using my ring, I scan the uniform worn by a nearby guard. My ring duplicates it to the last seam. Even produces a replica of the blaster the guard carried. Mine won’t shoot yellow particle beams, but my green ones do just as much damage.
I prepare myself to walk right into this nest of pit vipers when I’m almost knocked over by this horrible feeling. I go down on my knees and try to regain my composure. I take a deep breath, gather my wits about me and start to stand when it hits me again.
Something’s wrong. Horribly wrong.
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:18:13 GMT -5
Marisa stands in her doorway, package and card in her hand. That name Elia sounds familiar to her, but she can’t quite place it.
“Elia?” she looked back at the deliveryman, he held a blaster in his hand. “No! wait!”
The deliveryman discharges the weapon. The beam tears burns through flesh and bone, disintegrating her heart upon impact. Marisa falls to the floor, dropping the package. The package opens and explodes, burning everything in the apartment instantly.
Doors in the hallway begin to open after the sound of the explosion. Neighbors rushing toward the sound of the explosion. The deliveryman’s body melts into the form of a common housefly and happily buzzes away.
Step one, complete. It waits again for its intended prey.
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:20:47 GMT -5
I know immediately that Marisa needs me.
I drop the disguise and take to the sky in my uniform. The frakkers below me start shooting at me, so I drop an emerald bomb on the facility. No time to sort through the mess. Frak the mission.
Marisa needs me.
I don’t even stick around to hear the bomb go off. I fly as fast as the ring will let me fly without burning up the Earth’s atmosphere. In seconds I’m flying over the Western coast of North Am. Seconds later I’m gliding over Central City. Keystone. Star.
Come on Dammit. Faster!
Metropolis, at last.
I see smoke on the horizon. I get closer to my home and realize it’s coming from my building. Closer. My floor. Closer…
…no…
I burst through the window, the fire crews on the site duck for cover afraid that I’m here to finish whatever job was started.
Marisa.
“Where’s my wife???!!!” I scream at the fire chief, lifting him off the ground.
He just looks to his left, and that’s when I see her. Still. Burned. Her dark hair gone… her brown eyes, gone.
I drop the fire chief and stumble over to her.
“No…”
I hold her hand in mine. Her wedding band is fused to her body. That’s when I notice the hole in her chest.
“Green Lantern, Sir…?” the fire chief looks down on me. “We found this lying next to her.”
He hands me a small pink card with white writing on it.
“From Elia, with love!”
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Post by Lantern Lad on Mar 1, 2006 0:23:49 GMT -5
To be concluded!
Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Vidar #3 of 3
"Rampage!"
The name says it all... Vidar reacts to the tragic events of the last issue without regard to what or who gets in his way. Questions are answered & more questions are posed. And the United Planets makes a fateful decision regarding the Green Lantern Corps that will change the face of the 30th Century forever!
And it's just the beginning...
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Post by mockingbird on Jul 30, 2011 15:06:20 GMT -5
To let us know what you think of this issue, please visit the letters page here!
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