10th July
15:11 GMT -5
One by one I deposit the ceramic tankards down in front of my new drinking buddies.
"I've really got no idea what you people see in this stuff.
"
The
larger of the two Thanagarian men shakes his head as he raises the mug to his lips and… Sucks down one of the
worms sticking out of the froth. "
Pff.
Aliens."
I sit down next to him, slurping up a small amount of my own green and.. slightly gelatinous drink. It tastes a little like… Some sort of flower..? It's not unpleasant, at least. My other new companions are setting their tankards back down, having necked about half of the volume in what I can only assume is some sort of competition.
The woman opposite me narrows her pupils and pulls her wings back slightly, Thanagarian body language for 'you have my full attention'. She has short-cropped white hair and a tanned skin I don't usually associate with Thanagarians. "Not The Beast, huh?"
"I assure you that Larfleeze would
not respond to an attack by buying a round.
"
"Larfleeze, is it?" The
only Thanagarian still wearing her Hawk-helm makes a sort of hissing noise. Thanagarian for mild derision. "I hope the Beast of Okaara would put up more of a fight than
you did."
"I derive no particular pleasure from combat.
" I shrug-. Then realise that they probably aren't familiar with the gesture.
"So while I could
probably neutralise you all without causing you lasting harm-.
"
The man next to me twists his head to look me full on, his mouth slightly open and his wings slightly… Raised? Hunched? Disbelief. Even if they're mostly humanoid, their body language is different enough that I'd be lost without the ring translating it for me. "Yeah? You and what army?"
Orange filaments flicker around the room, depositing Praexis Demons in their wake.
"That army.
" His mouth closes, and the rings tell me that his expression is one of wary respect. Two of his colleagues have their hands on the hafts of their weapons, releasing them only after I dismiss the Demons.
"Seriously. Don't go after Larfleeze. You'll be killed, converted into orange constructs, enslaved and then he'll know everything
you do.
"
The blonde woman -and I can't believe that hair is regulation length- looks away for a moment, before giving me her full attention. Irritation. "And are we to believe that you have nothing to do with him?"
"I've never met him. Though… I am probably responsible for his recent.. activity. He doesn't like sharing the orange light.
" And… My drink is finished. I half turn, waving the glass at the bartender.
"Something else..?
"
He reaches for a bottle of something pink. "Coming right up!"
I return my attention to the Thanagarians.
"I've… I know that Thanagarians sometimes have…
Curious attitudes to personal protective equipment, but-.
"
The other Thanagarian man bows his head slightly, wings extending slightly over his shoulders. "We were at a party when the emergency alert came in. We didn't have time to do much more than grab our weapons."
I nod.
"Good response time. Considering.
" I frown.
"Wait, why are you on alert
here? Thanagar doesn't-.
"
The white haired woman makes a sort of flicking gesture with her right hand. "We're not
soldiers. We're
mercenaries. With all the visitors they're having, the planet's government decided they needed a few more peace officers around the place. Our flight got assigned to Raggashoon."
The big chap thumps his tankard down. "Yeah, lucky us. It's all fun and games
now, but you can bet things are going to heat up when the negotiations finish."
"Sorry, I-.
" The bartender puts my new drink down in front of me,
"Oh, thank you.
" I look around the table, eyebrows raised.
"I didn't think to ask your names?
"
Blonde topknot turns her head slightly aside. Too many possible meanings to readily translate. "You didn't give us
yours, either."
"Do you have a universal translator?
"
White hair nods. "We all have translators. We couldn't possibly-."
"No.
" I lean forward slightly.
"Universal translators. The super-advanced ones that can handle any mode of communication.
"
Big guy exhales sharply. "On
our pay? Why, what's it matter?"
"I can't say my name, but I've got it written on a card. In English, which you can't read.
" And which can't be written phonetically in any modern Thanagarian languages. I make a dismissive gesture with my right hand.
"Orange Lantern Two Eight One Four at your service.
"
"You're a
Lantern?" / "There are other colours-?"
Helmet and thin man glance at each other, then narrow their eyes and incline their heads slightly.
"I'm Olio!" The big Thanagarian taps me on the back of the head with the… Wrist, of his left wing then points with his left arm. "Olio Thux. That's Rayn Kral and Skalla Kol." The two glaring at each other. From where he's pointing I
think that Rayn Kral is the male one. "Corla Tavo." Topknot. "And our flight leader-" A squad leader rank with no direct equivalent. "-Tarra Karn."
I raise my now half-empty glass in a toast, then bow my head and create construct-wings on my back. I fan them
back, underside facing towards the floor.
Flight Leader Karn pulls her head back. Surprise. "You know our body language."
"Universal translator.
" I let the wings fade.
"And
yes-
" I lay my hands on the table, palms upwards and ring sigils on display.
"-they
do come in other colours.
"
Ms Tavo
smiles, a less friendly gesture amongst Thanagarians than it is amongst Humans. "How about that."
Mister Kral tilts his head to the left slightly. "So, the Beast of Okaara-"
"Who isn't me.
"
"-is just a
Lantern. I mean, yeah, Lanterns are
powerful, but… They're not
that powerful."
"Larfleeze is an ancient and quite insane Lantern who draws his power directly from the Orange Central Power Battery. He's much more-.
"
Ms Karn gives me her full attention. "There's a Central Power Battery on Okaara?"
"Yes.
"
Olio nods. "Ancient and powerful
whatever, that's probably worth taking the risk. Any power rings down there?"
"Dozens at least. Possibly hundreds. But you should understand… Larfleeze has taken all comers for as long as there has been sentient life in the Vega Systems. And not just locals; the orange light reaches out to the greediest beings in this universe. It draws them to Okaara. They challenge him, those people most in tune with the light he wields, and he always wins. Sure, it's tempting… But do you really think you're
that good? Do you want to risk it
when the penalty for losing isn't merely death, but your soul bound in eternal servitude?
"
I look around the circle again, and none of them meet my eyes.
"So. You said something about a negotiation?
"
"Yeah." Olio taps his tankard on the table, then upends it. Empty. "But that's a two drink question."
