Stars, Crossed (part 27)
- Location
- Hampden Park
7th January 2004
16:51 GMT
Yellow beams from my eyes pass through the air outside the doorway and a brilliant white explosion radiates outwards!
"YYYEEEEAAAAHHHHHGH!"
"Full body armour! Mention it to your superiors if you ever return!"
Five percent remaining, Corpsman.
Right.
"In blackest day or brightest night-"
Another grenade flies in, meets a construct bat and flies back for a fraction of a second before detonating anyway! The bat crumbles and evaporates. Damn it! Ring, any idea what happens if I use the Garrick Formula while there's a hole in me?
None at all.
How did you become First Lantern again?
By not doing idiotic things like this. I would have never let the war between Thanagar and the Gordanians get this far. That Rayner boy has much to answer for.
Didn't you try to kill him?
I can admire competence, even amongst my enemies.
I send a filament out through the doorway near the roof. Still more marines… And mobile force field generators. They're not man-portable, but they're creating enough cover that a simple incendiary spray isn't going to kill enough of them. Internal doors are sealed so I can't just transition away… If that was safe for me in my current condition.
One near the back's got a radion blaster. Right. That's not good. The filament should be nearly invisible-.
"There!"
Or not. I extend it rapidly as a marine lunges towards it with an Nth Metal axe, grab the blaster and yank it back before the blow can sever it. Ludicrously lethal blaster and a mace. I'm rather conforming to Apokoliptian techno-barbarian type here.
"He just… Took it. How are we supposed to fight someone like that?"
"That's enough, soldier." Ah, the Commander himself. Please tell me this isn't going to turn into a duel. I'm not sure I could cope with the stupidity of it. "He's trapped. Our fighters are exterminating their primitive aircraft. We will complete our objective and then-." The ship.. rattles around us. "What now?"
Kragger comes up behind him with some sort of computer pad. "We're under attack from the outside. With the bridge out of commission and communications-."
"Take a fighter squadron-."
"We can't actually do that, sir. All fighters are currently deployed and-" Commander Talak's face is a picture. "-we can't signal them. We would have to send a shuttle down into the atmosphere in order to-" I guess his day has been worse than mine. "-get a message across. Our guns are operational, but the target is too small and emits too little radiation for them to reliably track. As long as it stay outside the range of our hull's defence field-."
"Do we at least know who is doing it?"
"It appears to be a Green Lantern, sir."
I lean forwards slightly. "Don't you Thanagarians have some sort of protocol for removing insane people from important positions? You can't possibly complete the hyperspace bypass under these conditions and they will get something through your defences eventually. Seriously, the mission was poorly conceived to start with and it's a bust now."
"It isn't if we kill you."
"No, still is! Your own intelligence reports say that Councillor Vayneek has enough support to keep the Gordanian Empire together in my absence! But he doesn't have enough.. authority, to keep the fleet in line to the degree that I do. If you want Thanagar to survive this in one piece you will take your shuttles and you will leave, now. My word that you can leave unmolested."
Yellow, yellow everywhere… Even without the ring keeping me informed, there's no mistaking that the remaining marines would much rather be elsewhere right now. Talak's still got enough wherewithal to realise that he can't be sure that his soldiers are still with him. Can I risk a recharge now? What's he going to do?
The ship rattles again.
"Hyperdrive off-line. You need anything else?"
"Let you know in a second." May as well. "In blackest day or brightest night
Beware your fears made-."
"Then I will face him myself!"
Wait, what?
"Sir, I don't think that-."
Commander Talak grabs a shield and launches himself into the air. He detonates a grenade right at the doorway a fraction of a second before passing through it, another already heading in my direction! I frantically transition to the side, trying to draw a bead on him with the radion blaster! I fire and he drops down to the deck in defiance of aerodynamics before accelerating towards me again, axe ready! Fucking Thanagarians! I activate aero discs, launch myself upwards and bend forwards, causing him to pass underneath me as he swings and misses. Blaster… Needs to recharge, right. OWFUCK! Aerobatics are not a good idea right now! I toss the blaster aside as he pulls an impossibly tight turn and comes back around. What to do when one party's a master of aerial combat and the other isn't?
Endeavour to be the master.
Not helping. Ground him! The fears of this entire ship fuel the chain I wrap around his legs to pull him to the ground. Realising that I'm not going to fire direct blasts he drops both his shield and another grenade! The chain evaporates and I'm not quick enough to get out of the blast!
Aaaaaagh! "Erh."
My construct armour starts to fail FUCK IT! I step forwards while he's still off-balance from the chain and swing the mace! It strikes him hard on the right of his chest and I see ribs give way under his skin as he's knocked aside. That's what you get for wearing stupid, minimalist faaagh!
"Commander!"
"That hurt!" Yellow beams from my eyes blast through Kragger's hand, disintegrating the energy weapon he just used to shoot me in the head.
"Huyah!" He staggers and falls to the floor.
Ow! I'm just lucky it was a sidearm! I turn back to Talak just in time to get my left bracer up to block his axe agh! He pulls back slightly as I move my mace up to a guard position. Do maces guard? His attack pierced my armour and cut into the flesh, though from the feel of it not deeply. When I get back I'm plugging myself into that mana focus thing I offered Mister Queen. Divinity should not be this hard!
Talak changes his grip, left hand at the bottom of the haft and right just under the blade. There's another grenade on his belt but I can't spare the concentration to remove it. He's trying to shield his shattered ribs with his arm but I can see blood on his lips. I'm oozing again myself. He charges forwards, shoulder down and axe out to the side. I brace -he's nothing like as strong as me- and lean into-.
FUCK!
GAH!
Die, fucker!
Fucking elbowed me in the wound then tried to axe me. He overestimated how disabled my left arm was and I caught the haft before returning the favour by kneeing him in the ribs.
OW!
He's reeling. AAAGH! I don't even use the mace, I just punch him in the jaw, sending him flying backwards. Raaagh! I swing the mace overhead and bring it down. He rolls to the side but I still hit the bone of his left wing, the discharge from the mace ripping it clean off!
"Drehurh!"
The next swing hits him in the abdomen, the one part of his chest that could be called armoured. The discharge is still enough to wind him and smack him against the wall. I lunge forwards again, grabbing his helmet and slamming his head against the wall until he goes limp!
Okay Agh. I'm about… I'm about done.
Uh-uah.
"In… In blackest day… Or brightest night…"
16:51 GMT
Yellow beams from my eyes pass through the air outside the doorway and a brilliant white explosion radiates outwards!
"YYYEEEEAAAAHHHHHGH!"
"Full body armour! Mention it to your superiors if you ever return!"
Five percent remaining, Corpsman.
Right.
"In blackest day or brightest night-"
Another grenade flies in, meets a construct bat and flies back for a fraction of a second before detonating anyway! The bat crumbles and evaporates. Damn it! Ring, any idea what happens if I use the Garrick Formula while there's a hole in me?
None at all.
How did you become First Lantern again?
By not doing idiotic things like this. I would have never let the war between Thanagar and the Gordanians get this far. That Rayner boy has much to answer for.
Didn't you try to kill him?
I can admire competence, even amongst my enemies.
I send a filament out through the doorway near the roof. Still more marines… And mobile force field generators. They're not man-portable, but they're creating enough cover that a simple incendiary spray isn't going to kill enough of them. Internal doors are sealed so I can't just transition away… If that was safe for me in my current condition.
One near the back's got a radion blaster. Right. That's not good. The filament should be nearly invisible-.
"There!"
Or not. I extend it rapidly as a marine lunges towards it with an Nth Metal axe, grab the blaster and yank it back before the blow can sever it. Ludicrously lethal blaster and a mace. I'm rather conforming to Apokoliptian techno-barbarian type here.
"He just… Took it. How are we supposed to fight someone like that?"
"That's enough, soldier." Ah, the Commander himself. Please tell me this isn't going to turn into a duel. I'm not sure I could cope with the stupidity of it. "He's trapped. Our fighters are exterminating their primitive aircraft. We will complete our objective and then-." The ship.. rattles around us. "What now?"
Kragger comes up behind him with some sort of computer pad. "We're under attack from the outside. With the bridge out of commission and communications-."
"Take a fighter squadron-."
"We can't actually do that, sir. All fighters are currently deployed and-" Commander Talak's face is a picture. "-we can't signal them. We would have to send a shuttle down into the atmosphere in order to-" I guess his day has been worse than mine. "-get a message across. Our guns are operational, but the target is too small and emits too little radiation for them to reliably track. As long as it stay outside the range of our hull's defence field-."
"Do we at least know who is doing it?"
"It appears to be a Green Lantern, sir."
I lean forwards slightly. "Don't you Thanagarians have some sort of protocol for removing insane people from important positions? You can't possibly complete the hyperspace bypass under these conditions and they will get something through your defences eventually. Seriously, the mission was poorly conceived to start with and it's a bust now."
"It isn't if we kill you."
"No, still is! Your own intelligence reports say that Councillor Vayneek has enough support to keep the Gordanian Empire together in my absence! But he doesn't have enough.. authority, to keep the fleet in line to the degree that I do. If you want Thanagar to survive this in one piece you will take your shuttles and you will leave, now. My word that you can leave unmolested."
Yellow, yellow everywhere… Even without the ring keeping me informed, there's no mistaking that the remaining marines would much rather be elsewhere right now. Talak's still got enough wherewithal to realise that he can't be sure that his soldiers are still with him. Can I risk a recharge now? What's he going to do?
The ship rattles again.
"Hyperdrive off-line. You need anything else?"
"Let you know in a second." May as well. "In blackest day or brightest night
Beware your fears made-."
"Then I will face him myself!"
Wait, what?
"Sir, I don't think that-."
Commander Talak grabs a shield and launches himself into the air. He detonates a grenade right at the doorway a fraction of a second before passing through it, another already heading in my direction! I frantically transition to the side, trying to draw a bead on him with the radion blaster! I fire and he drops down to the deck in defiance of aerodynamics before accelerating towards me again, axe ready! Fucking Thanagarians! I activate aero discs, launch myself upwards and bend forwards, causing him to pass underneath me as he swings and misses. Blaster… Needs to recharge, right. OWFUCK! Aerobatics are not a good idea right now! I toss the blaster aside as he pulls an impossibly tight turn and comes back around. What to do when one party's a master of aerial combat and the other isn't?
Endeavour to be the master.
Not helping. Ground him! The fears of this entire ship fuel the chain I wrap around his legs to pull him to the ground. Realising that I'm not going to fire direct blasts he drops both his shield and another grenade! The chain evaporates and I'm not quick enough to get out of the blast!
Aaaaaagh! "Erh."
My construct armour starts to fail FUCK IT! I step forwards while he's still off-balance from the chain and swing the mace! It strikes him hard on the right of his chest and I see ribs give way under his skin as he's knocked aside. That's what you get for wearing stupid, minimalist faaagh!
"Commander!"
"That hurt!" Yellow beams from my eyes blast through Kragger's hand, disintegrating the energy weapon he just used to shoot me in the head.
"Huyah!" He staggers and falls to the floor.
Ow! I'm just lucky it was a sidearm! I turn back to Talak just in time to get my left bracer up to block his axe agh! He pulls back slightly as I move my mace up to a guard position. Do maces guard? His attack pierced my armour and cut into the flesh, though from the feel of it not deeply. When I get back I'm plugging myself into that mana focus thing I offered Mister Queen. Divinity should not be this hard!
Talak changes his grip, left hand at the bottom of the haft and right just under the blade. There's another grenade on his belt but I can't spare the concentration to remove it. He's trying to shield his shattered ribs with his arm but I can see blood on his lips. I'm oozing again myself. He charges forwards, shoulder down and axe out to the side. I brace -he's nothing like as strong as me- and lean into-.
FUCK!
GAH!
Die, fucker!
Fucking elbowed me in the wound then tried to axe me. He overestimated how disabled my left arm was and I caught the haft before returning the favour by kneeing him in the ribs.
OW!
He's reeling. AAAGH! I don't even use the mace, I just punch him in the jaw, sending him flying backwards. Raaagh! I swing the mace overhead and bring it down. He rolls to the side but I still hit the bone of his left wing, the discharge from the mace ripping it clean off!
"Drehurh!"
The next swing hits him in the abdomen, the one part of his chest that could be called armoured. The discharge is still enough to wind him and smack him against the wall. I lunge forwards again, grabbing his helmet and slamming his head against the wall until he goes limp!
Okay Agh. I'm about… I'm about done.
Uh-uah.
"In… In blackest day… Or brightest night…"
Last edited:
:lol
