"You know what the most annoying and stupid part about these 'internal corps issues' meetings are?" Margot questioned. "The fact that 60% are a green lantern and a violet lantern not being able to keep it in their pants!"
Even Aga'po sighed in agreement with that. It was their third case that meeting revolving around a green-violet lantern relationship souring. Often in public displays of contructs battles. Often in the nude, as the couples seemed dead set or arguing right after doing it.
Why was it Carol and Hal had their shit together but no other couple did?
"I think it would happen less if you simply let us take care of the unhappy couple the red lantern way." Bleez interjected.
Now Margot and Zox sighed.
"Bleez, we are not cutting off their genitalia over a little spat!" Margot cried in a way that told the council they had been through that discussion many, many times.
"We do it with our criminals."
"With rapists, not consensual relationships!"
"Wait, so is there just a red lantern who cuts off people's...you know?" Guy asked.
While all corps leaders had to be present at these meetings through holograms, other lanterns could watch or bring cases forward.
"You're looking at her." Bleez smiled.
"Wait, so--"
"Guy!"
"Please stop talking."
That came from Hal and John. Aga'po observed who else was present in hologram form. For the green lanterns, alongside their guardians, were the earth lanterns, Tomar-Tu and Mal (who were physically on the Star Sapphire homeworld after a nearby space battle), and Aya (who never missed a meeting, and enjoyed recording everything spoken). The red lantern council, Ganthet plus Brother Warth, Indigo-1 and Silvestri, and Larfleeze all appeared holographically as well.
To be fair, why would they want to meet in person for this?
"I really don't get why they're so upset. They're just fuc--" Indigo-1 nudged Silvestri. "Flings, I mean flings. Nothing serious, no kids, no custody."
"'Sexual beings are rarely smart enough to view their own relations'" Aya said, quoting her late daughter. She flinched as she said it.
"Well, whatever way it goes, we have one more petition." Aga'po said. "From Violet Lantern Laveria and Blue Lantern Niuq."
Margot's eyes narrowed. "Quin's--"
"She's not dead!" The Violet lantern shouted as she entered the Queen's viewing chamber.
A heavily muscled individual, Laveria's outfit was far less revealing than other Star Sapphire's. Her species' natural blue skin was covered in Violet and Red tattoos. Her eyes were a piercing brown and her stringy violet hair reached down her back.
Aga'po sighed, realizing this was another person's heartbroken plea that their loved one couldn't be dead. Laveria, in particular, had been on this for days since Red Lantern Quin's death.
The Zameron Queen's heart went out to her, and she did not expect the woman to move on fast or readily. But still, pushing this before their council was a bit much.
But wasn't that the way of all Star Sapphires?
"Laveria--" She began.
"No. I'd know if she was dead! I'd--"
"Feel it?" Appa finished for her. "Completely illogical. One heart cannot be so connected with another that they'd be able to feel it operating or not."
Margot nodded her head in agreement. "Hate to agree with Papa Smurf, but he's right."
The others all nodded in agreement, but Mal and Aya seemed hesitant.
Not at the faulty logic, of course. Because no matter how strong love was, it wasn't a heart scanner. Aga'po would admit that.
"No, but Litrons' hearts do." Blue Lantern Niuq stepped forward.
He looked a lot like his sister. Same markings on chalky black-and-white skin, short black hair cropped at the ears. But unlike his sister, Niuq was a blue lantern, and he wore form-freeing robes contrasted to Quin's armor and helmet.
He also smiled less. While Aga'po had not been close to Quin, she visited the Star Sapphire planet often, either as a diplomat between the two corpses or to visit Laveria. Quin was very social, a very odd trait for a red lantern. She actually reminded Aga-po of Hal Jordan. Had reminded.
"Litron twins," Margot corrected. "And only a handful of twins from your species have actually had the ability to feel the other's heart. You and Quin never did."
The human woman's knowledge of other species was fascinatingly large and no one was sure how she kept that much information in her head, ready at a moment's notice. Whether it be a species' culture, homeworld, traditions, medicine, or biology, Margot knew any available data on them. Many a life had been saved by her medical procedures when a blue lantern wasn't present to do it themselves.
All the newer red lanterns seemed to be filled with surprises. So too were the blue lanterns.
"That is because we were always in sync. And I didn't feel anything when she 'died.' Because there was nothing to feel!" Niuq argued, definitely not as calm as a blue lantern should be.
"Or there was no bond to feel." Zox pointed out.
"There have been other events in both your lives where if there was a heart connection between you too, if would have been felt." Indigo-1 said gently. When Quin first got her ring or when you received yours, when you were nearly killed by Tor-Un, in moments of great fear..."
Niuq just shook his head, but didn't say anything more, defeated in this point. Mal stared at him with silent pity. She too, as had other lanterns like Zox, lost a sibling. But at least she had a body to mourn over.
Quin, like Vera and Saint Walker before her, had been totally disintegrated. Even her ring was gone. That seemed to be Laveria's next point.
"Where's her ring?" Laveria stepped forward again. "It never returned or went to someone else. Lantern rings can survive a planet blowing up. And what about Vera's and Walker's? We never found theirs's either. What if..."
Laveria's eyes flew to Aya for a second. She didn't feel right filling a parent with hope their child was alive. But what if she was?
"Rings are not indestructible." Appa said with ice cold finality. "As are the bonds of love and grief. These mad claims of a bereaved lover and a grieving brother are preposterous and keeping up from important actions--"
"Like finding Atrocitus?" Niuq snarled. "He should have been given to the red lanterns for punishment. Instead he escaped and now 3 lives, if they are in fact dead, are on your hands. And you have done nothing. What are you doing to find him?"
Appa sputtered, caught off guard. "We are sending any available green lanterns..."
Margot scoffed. "Well, they're all dead. Haven't, like, 5 of them turned off dead in the past week. Their bodies found..." Margot thought about that. Their bodies were found their rings returned. "floating in space."
"Unrelated. Red Lantern Quin is dead. Red lantern Vera is dead. Blue Lantern Saint Walker is dead. End of story." Appa thundered.
Silence. Lanterns like Hal and Margot glared openly at the guardian. But no one disagreed.
Until Mal spoke up. Or more, signed.
"End of story? You call Atrocitus continuing his murder-spree end of story? End of people's lives maybe." Mal said. "And you are doing nothing. Just like when Atrocitus first started killing Green Lanterns.
So what are you doing now. Sending out a handful of separate lanterns to the slaughter!"
Appa glowered. "And what do you suggest Red Lantern Mal. That we send out a highly-trained team? Great idea, only we have no one available. The galaxy is bursting apart in every corner, and we are spread to our limit. Unless you are suggesting to hunt down Atrocitus yourself."
F
Mal stepped forward in front of Aga'Po.
"I will."
"Mal!" Bleez suddenly hissed.
"But when I find him," Mal continued. "I get to decide what to do with him."
Margot raised an eyebrow at that.
"Well, it would be a much better way to deal with the problem--"
"You can't be serious." Appa gapped.
"We have a spare ship." Zox agreed.
"We are not sending a immature red lantern alone after Atro--"
"I'll go with her."
All eyes turned the figure beside Mal. Tomar-Tu looked shyly back.
"I...I will join Mal. I will aid in capturing Atrocitus. But leave his final punishment to her."
"To us." Nuiq spoke up. "He did something to my sister. I want answers. And if they're not the ones I like," He gestured awkwardly, as if to flex imaginary muscles. "I'll deal him justice."
"I will be doing the dealing of justice with Mal." Laveria stepped forward. "Nuiq is too blue for red blood."
"Wait, wait, wait," Aga'po began.
"This is completely--" Appa started.
"Its agreed then." Margot smiled.
She turned to Ganthet. The blue lantern guardian looked at her, then the hope-to-be ragtag crew. He sighed.
"You better be right about this."
"Aren't I always?" Margot responded. She turned to the four. "Meet on Shard 2 for your ship."
___
__
_
As the halo call ended, Mal and Tomar-Tu walked off to leave the Violet Lantern homeworld.
"So, why'd you join up?" Mal signed.
"Why did you?" Tomar-Tu questioned.
Mal rolled her eyes. "I'm a red lantern, duh. Plus...those were my friends. And before you try to deflect more, Laveria wangs revenger for hee girlfriend, Nuiq for his sister."
Tomar-Tu sighed. "You remember Lor-Zod? I stood back as he nearly destroyed everything. The killer of my father."
"You didn't know--"
"I want to stop this mad tyrant." He said.
They walked in silence for a moment. But just as they were about to take to the sky, Tomar-Tu asked a question of his own.
"Do you believe any of them are alive?"
Mal hesitated. "I want to, Tomar. I want to so hard. I want Vera to walk in and talk about the latest transformers movie. I want Saint to give me his hope-filled blathering. I want Quin to get all up in my apace again. But...hope is different. I don't...have a reason to hope they're alive. And I need a reason Nuiq. I know that's not how hope is supposed to work, but I need one. What about you?"
"I think the inly thing we can hope for," Tomar said slowly. "Is that we find Atrocitus. And survive."
Mal smiled. "There's my reason.
They won't find them you know. I mean, these second generation Interceptor crew wannabes won't find Vera and her friends. Don't get your hopes up about that.
But they are important. All life is but these four especially are.
What? What was that?
Who am I? Haha, who am I?
Wouldn't you like to know.