18412/HUNGER: BLACKEST NIGHTS - Vega: Lawless Space

HUNGER: BLACKEST NIGHTS - Vega: Lawless Space
Date of Scene:	07 July 2024
Location:	Vega System
Synopsis:	The Milano travels to Okaara, as does Hal Jordan. Quill asks to be taken to their leader, and surprisingly, it works. On the planet, they meet the Warlord Tyros, formerly Terrax, a Herald of Galactus. He denies his role in the murder of the Green Lantern Corps in time for a different guy with a space axe to show up. At least one of them did it. Hal also finds out why the GLs are actually banned from the Vega system.
Cast of Characters:	Norrin Radd, Monet St. Croix, Peter Quill, Richard Rider, Noa, Hal Jordan, Warlock, Diana Prince, Mantis
Tinyplot:	Hunger

---

Norrin Radd has posed:
Alpha Lyrae, named as the brightest star in the constellation of the same name, is a star about 25 light years from Earth. It is also called Vega, and one might presume at least a dozen other things in the various languages of the alien species that inhabit its system. Because it is a very inhabited system. Over two dozen proper planetary objects, as well as dwarfs (like Ceres and Pluto) and a few other stellar objects. Unlike the Sol system, the majority are inhabited. This diversity of in-system life has given Vega a long and complicated spacefaring history. These people have traded - and warred - since long before Hyperspace tech and FTL was in their grasp.

This means there is a *lot* of traffic to be wary of, as the Milano approaches. Space is big, far bigger than most people intuitively understand, so the premise of 'bumping into' other travelers can be quite preposterous. But as space goes, the Vega system is a very very busy one. Even if bumper to bumper traffic is still implausible, the sensor ranges and speeds of most vessels can put any ship within the distance at which dozens of others might take interest.

And interest is rarely good.

The system, apart from being crowded, is notoriously lawless and violent. Packs of pirate vessels hunt openly, seeking cargo, salvage... and slaves. The latter are one of the great commodities of the sector. Not even the super-powered should feel confidently immune to their predations: The Psions are infamous in their interest in such beings, and have long developed -- and sold -- various power-suppressive weapons, which now proliferate the system.

Karras relates many of these facts, as will the databases accessible to interstellar law enforcement. In the latter case, their systems inevitably provide a warning as the Milano crosses the unseen threshold into the sector, that they are leaving any officially recognized jurisdiction. The Lanterns get something extra from their rings:

EXTREME CAUTION. AVOID SYSTEM.

-----

After ignoring the warnings like good super-heroes, the Milano makes its approach. Its destination is Okaara, a world where they have been told their closest thing a suspect, the 'Warlord Tyros' once called home. It is known as a planet of supreme warrior culture, vaguely neutral in the system's disputes, but also a training and proving ground for its leaders.

They get close, but they do not make it to the planet's orbit before several ships have taken interest, moving to intercept -- one from closer to orbit, and another from further out at a different angle. The bad news? They're obviously hostile. The 'good' news?

<< THE GRAND TYRANT CLAIMS DOMINION HERE, LOWER SHIELDS, STAND DOWN WEAPONS, AND PREPARE TO BE BOARDED. >>

That communique is from the lead ship of one the orbital patrol. And 'Tyrant' is one of the monikers they've heard for this Warlord they're looking for, even if the word is very broadly applicable. They did hear that he was consolidating power in the system.

So... found the badguys they're looking for? Yay?

Monet St. Croix has posed:
She's listened to the reports that have been given. With everything going on with space, wtih that very terrifying thing that the X-Men had found some months ago with the thing that could not be named which had left such an impression, with SHIELD passing along information of a destroyed planet.. And with conquered aliens seeking to revolt against their oppressors.. Now is the time to take part.

Monet does not particularly like the Milano. IT is cramped (to her) poorly maintained and the music being played is horrific. So she's mostly focused as they go on and floating just a few centimeters up in the air to keep herself stabilized as they go to drop in along like an old style troopship dropping through orbit.

HOpefully they're not going to be blasted wtih flak the entire way down - or whatever the space equivalent is.

Peter Quill has posed:
"Buckle up, boys and girls, we're going in."

Naturally, Peter Quill THE STAR-LORD is at the helm, guiding the Milano on a course through this evidently shitty part of space. It's not the worst he's ever visited, but it's... top five? And they've only just got here so there's flexibility in the ratings! He does his best keeping the ship clear of baddies as they navigate their way toward Okaara, but it figures that the planet itself will be a bit more densely patrolled.

"We got uh, bogies both on our twelve and nine, by the look of it. Oh look, they wanna talk."

Blah blah, threats!

"Hi, this is the Captain of the Milano speaking, the legendary Star-Lord." He gives it a pause just in case they react in SHOCK AND AWE to the name. No? "We uh, aren't going to be doing that... but trust us, we're cool. We're just here to see the uh, war council? Whatever kinda setup you got there."

He asides to whoever's with him near the cockpit. "Tyros is the guy, right? Do we just..?"

"Or you can TAKE US TO YOUR LEADER!" That's the line, right?

Richard Rider has posed:
    The Milano is definitely a bit cramped given the number of people tagging along on this sojourn to pirate central. Rich has claimed a section of wall just outside the cockpit and is leaning against it, listening to what's going on as they drop into the system. "Hmm, that's more than a little cliche. These guys need to get a bit more original" he muses before raising his voice to ask, "So do we want to give up, or do we.." He winces a little as Quill gets on comms to the approaching ships. "God, and I thought _they_ were using bad cliches."

    "Ok, so when they open fire on us for not going belly up, do you want me to pop outside and remove them, or would you rather test the Milano's shields? I'm somewhat partial to the remove option, myself." He shrugs, "And if they actually respond to 'take us to your leader', I may be forced to rethink my life."

    In any case, he does pull what looks like a yellow stocking cap from a pouch, but when he puts it on, it takes the form and material of his helmet. "Ok, that's all I needed to do before the fight, let's see where this goes." The glow of the Nova Force surrounds him as he speaks. He may be waiting to see how dumb these guys are, but he's going to be ready for the likelyhood that they don't respond well to Quill's message.

Noa has posed:
Noa doesn't particularly know the Milano crew. But Xara, her ship's computer assistant, was instructed to look for disturbances after the hijacked Kree ship incident. So the fact that a system has a WARNING being attached to it gets her attention.

"Xara, shouldn't we avoid it if even the Lanterns are avoiding it?"

"Unclear. They're a trading system. Maybe we should see if they care for Earth Corn, as food."

And so, one interstellar hop later, the little jump ship appears in the system with its innocent cargo of foodstuffs.

Hal Jordan has posed:
It has long been understood that the Vega System is off limits to the Green Lantern Corps.

Just why that is has become something of a legend amongst the Lanterns. Something to be discussed and debated amongst themselves. Occasionally a particularly ambitious member of the Corp might even dare to ask the Guardians themselves just why that is.

They almost inevitably come away disappointed. When they receive any sort of answer at all, it is always that such things are not their concern. That they should attend to their duties and not attempt to meddle in affairs that do not concern them.

Unsurprisingly, that doesn't exactly sit well with Hal Jordan.

Fair or not -- and it is totally fair -- the Green Lanterns of Earth have gained a reputation for being somewhat difficult at times. Always effective to be sure. Some of the most effective in the entire Corps. But not always willing to blindly take instruction, to just follow the dictates of the Guardians, no matter how many billions of years of greater experience they might have.

All Hal knows is that fellow Lanters are dead. There is a menace out there. And this is what the Green Lantern Corps is supposed to be guarding against.

So wrapped up in that emerald glow, he streaks through space

Warlock has posed:
Self is current wrapped around Monet's wrist as a series of fabulous bangle bracelets. He's been quiet on the journey so far, just vibing to the music as they make their way through space. He could fly faster alone, but this conserves energy and makes him less of a target to the various species and traders that run amok in the Vega system.

It reminds him of his travels in Madripoor, except worse.

At the announcement of The Grand Tyrant, Warlock opens his eyes and focuses on M, then adds little frowny eyebrows before rolling his eyes dramatically. This man sounds as violent as his own father - admittedly terrifying, but also extremely over the top. In his mind, the blaring of the security announcement is replaced by the teacher's voice in Charlie Brown, and if there were more space to move around he'd turn himself into a trombone and try to emulate it. Peter Quill is not much less dramatic, but he's the captain of the ship, and Self likes his musical stylings, so he can be forgiven.

Warlock thinks all of this with the annoyance of someone who can also be very over the top, and vows to share his thoughts with Monet after.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana, seated in the chair just behind Quill's right shoulder, is dressed in her golder golden armor, her arms simply resting atop the arms of the chair, and her eyes forward on the view screen out in to the stars beyond. She has a calm expression on her face, with her ruby red lips pursed in a neutral expression. It is Quill's reaction to the developing situation that first draws her eyes to him, an even stare presented to the Milano's Captain.

But Rich's words draw Diana's eyes away from Peter, and back behind her own right shoulder. She eyes the man, as he slips his hat on, which becomes a helmet. "If you believe you can handle them with ease, then I would suggest you do, indeed, make such arrangements." Diana says in her smoky flavored voice.

Her eyes return to Quill, and she leans toward him ever-so-slightly upon the chair she'd selected for her personal use.

"We may have options that do not require your typical hastey decisions." She tells him in a low voice, though she does afford him a small smile, since she has enjoyed his irreverent personality since the trip had begun. "Best to be on-guard though, all the same I would say." The Princess finally offers, as she begins to visually scan over Quill's control displays, trying to further familiarize herself with the foreign starcraft, with spaceships rapidly becoming a rather tugging interest within the Amazonian woman's mind. Afterall, the Themysciran Starguard was a thing now, if still a bit light on the spaceships within its non-existent space fleet. Goals. It is good to have goals.

Mantis has posed:
This time, it is Mantis seated in the co-pilot chair. This is not an indication of her relative experience piloting the Milano or working her various systems. It just felt right that she should sit there, if for no other reason than to make sure an overly confident passenger doesn't claim the spot for themselves.

She can be helpful, though. When the Milano's sensors start indicating the ships approaching, Mantis sets to work acknowledging each alert. After hearing the most certainly unfriendly incoming transmission, Mantis licks her lips and flips the switch that activates two-way communication so Peter can work his magic. She doesn't even need to be asked.

Mantis doesn't weigh in on what the group should do or how they should handle this. She is but a feather in the wind.

Peter Quill has posed:
It's true that Quill doesn't always think his plans all the way through. Rich's own commentary gets kind of a 'what?' shrug and a gesture but...

OK, Wonder Woman has suggestions. And she's pretty persuasive. And tall. "I'm cool with playing it cool! It's a classic ruse. Oh, oh, and I got an idea. Mantis, if we let their goons on can you... you can do the THING, right?"

After a quick team huddle (not to be confused with a team cuddle) he flips the comm back on. "Lowering shields. But I promise you, the big guy? He's gonna wanna talk to us."

Norrin Radd has posed:
<< YOU ARE BRAVE, OR STUPID. IF YOU WISH TO KNEEL BEFORE THE GREAT TYRANT, THAT CAN BE ARRANGED. LOWER SHIELDS! >>

And, shockingly, the Milano obeys the request.

Thus, with a bit of a quick cut, the expected combative hostilities are avoided, and the good starship Milano is quickly joined with one of the patrol vessels. The second group breaks away entirely; if there's going to be no fight, they may as well go find prey elsewhere.

So it isn't long until the ship shudders under the connection of a docking clamp, and soon, a party of burly grey-skinned, tusked aliens make their way on board. Some of the group has encountered them before, the species that was pursuing Karras on Knowhere. Citadellians. They are brutish and threatening, and hold both long pole weapons and small but high-tech looking blasters in the other hand, and are happy to threaten and bully their way around the ship, conducting a search. They do quickly confiscate some obvious weapons (much to Rocket's dismay). Although they react to resistance with violence, they are probably not difficult to distract, sneak around, or isolate and ambush.

While this is happening, the attached ship guides the Milano down toward the surface to dock. Perhaps they truly are being taken to see the leader? Sometimes it pays to ask nicely!

Monet St. Croix has posed:
With Warlock over on her wrist, Monet is thus staying quiet. This is not the way she would prefer to do things, but she can also admit that it's far better than simply having tried to blast their way in through everything. So she goes to steel herself over then as she would pay attention to the guards. Warlock on her wrist just looks like some gaudy jewelry. Mantis can probably pickup the strange, almost irritable looks that Monet keeps on giving the member of the Technarchy on her - but also admittance that he's much, much better to have with them.

She scans the minds of the guards and recoils. Slavers. Worst kindof scum. she closes her eyes and passes along to the others one by one telepathically - information they already know but good to confirm.

<<They serve the Tyrant. They're rather useless and serve as enforcers here. They seem the many body of occupiers and garrison.>>

Mantis has posed:
Mantis' antennae perk up when she hears her name.

"I can do many things," Mantis answers earnestly. She smiles and goes back to working the co-pilot controls, apparently missing Star Lord's point entirely. It only takes a moment, this time, for her to realize her own foolishness. Mantis unbuckles her shoulder straps and stands.

"I will do the thing," Mantis tells Peter as she leaves the cockpit.

---

When the guards board the Milano, Mantis would be ready to receive them. "Welcome to the Milano!" she announces with an awkward, manufactured smile. She steps forward, hand out, and gently touches one of the guards on their forearm. "You feel much admiration and affection for us," she tells him as the tips of her antennae glow!

Warlock has posed:
Self is clever, sometimes. He reaches sneakily out, snatching a weapon or other piece of equipment here and there from the least observant of the guards as they pass through. Once he has one eaten, he steals another, injects it with the techno-organic virus, and consumes it. Some of the pieces are fairly high quality and give him a decent bump of energy, but all of them mean one less thing on their enemies.

Warlock prefers not to fight, but he finds slavers particularly disgusting. Perhaps a little guard for him later. As a treat. For now, he swipes the blaster from the last guard as it moves from hand to holster, injecting it and stuffing it into his face. His cheeks bulge like a chipmunk, but otherwise he stays a light-fingered yet mostly ornamental piece on M's wrist.

Peter Quill has posed:
Quill is one of the one with actual guns. And he's the Captain. So he's there to greet the boarders, and offers up his guns with the usually show-offy twirling quick-draw, except that it ends with the grips pointed toward them. Hopefully that doesn't cause any misunderstandings. "Welcome aboard, gentlemen. I'm gonna want those back, by the way."

Otherwise, he's hands off. If this is the plan one of the rules of playing a con is that you commit to the bit. Plus a fight's riskier now, with the Milano vulnerable. His plan is mostly to bullshit loudly and keep their attention on him. He has no fancy mind powers but he knows someone who does!

"Can I interest any of you in a fine beverage?" he wonders, when the tour passes the mess. "We've got coffee. Do you have coffee here? If you don't, you are in for a treat, let me tell you." Lots of bullshit.

"So, you got any dish on this Great Tyrant of yours? Seems like a cool guy. We're really excited to meet him."

Hal Jordan has posed:
As the solar system appears up ahead, that sheer, faster-then-light speed slows almost imperceptably, the greenish glow that surrounds the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 dimming just fractionally.

As he enters the Vega system proper the emerald ring that wraps around his finger almost immediately begins to beep it's warning. << This Sector is off-limits to all Green Lanterns by order of the Guardians. Turn back immediately. Progress into this system is forbidden, >> his ring begins to chime at him over and over again. At least until he puts it on mute.

Certain someones are not going to be very pleased with him when he reports back in.

Indeed, as he streaks deeper into the system, that ring begins to chime once more, indicating that he has an incoming transmission. A green construct screen pops up in front of him, but one glance at it confirms that the transmission is indeed coming from Oa.

"This is why I screen my phone calls," Hal mutters to himself, banishing that screen and the call for the time being. He suspects it won't be the last one that he gets, but he has other things on his mind right now. Other priorities.

"Ring, scan the system for any anomalous signals. Bring up a display," Hal instructs, yet another green glowing screen popping up in front of him, a readout of possible points of interest beginning to scroll across it until he signals one out in particular. "That one," he says with a nods. Lets head there," he instructs.

And that ring leaps to obey as the Lantern lurches ahead, soaring past an outer ring of asteroids, deeper into the Vega system proper towards a collection of ships.

Richard Rider has posed:
    As it became obvious that Quill's plan was actually working, Rich shakes his head and removes his helmet, which reverts to cloth and gets tucked away. The glow of the Nova Force fades, and a moment's concentration is all it takes for his clothing to change from Nova Corps uniform into something one might see on your typical Ravager. May as well fit the ship, after all. He returns to leaning against the wall so he can keep an eye on what happens in the cockpit area. He has no weapons to be taken away and basically does his best to ignore the boarders.

    <<Thugs who found a powerful boss. Seen it before, they'll be pretty much useless to us except to get to the proper spot on the planet>> he thinks back at Monet.

    He does his best to convey the persona of a normal Ravager dealing with slightly bigger criminals, but doesn't take it so far as to start a fight right when they seem to be catching a break. But he's keeping tabs of numbers and equipment as they move past and around him, building a tactical picture of the enemy force's capabilities. Most importantly, he keeps his ears open for any info they might spill when talking amongst themselves. With the Worldmind backing him up, he can understand them no matter what language they speak around here.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana watched Quill, and Mantis, leave their chairs, and step toward the back of the ship. She was the last at the forward controls to follow-suit, and when she rose, her hands went to her coiled-up lasso at her hip...

A glance was afforded to Rich, as he removed his helmet once more, and with a small smile shown, Diana walked past him to eventually catch up with the others. The Milano wasn't a big ship, but she took her time to navigate to where the boarding party was being greeted.

When she appeared in the hatchway, the tall Amazonian in gold, had her lasso artfully tied around her waist, making the golden twine appear to be nothing more than a standard piece of her ornate attire. She simply occupied the hatchway, watching the grey skinned aliens with the big tusks making their interactions with the crew, whilst she stared with interest, but without words.

She did not always need to be the central focus, afterall, and there were plenty of capable people here already. She didn't even KNOW that an ally in Hal, had just arrived in-system either.

Norrin Radd has posed:
Far off from the Milano, although getting closer by the moment, Hal Jordan enters the forbidden system against all warnings. The Guardians (the other ones) will not be happy about it, as he quickly discovers. There is a reason no Green Lantern is allowed here, and it is a bigger reason than 'there is a little bit more crime than average.' It's actually almost a laughable excuse, for an organization whose sole purpose is protecting Law and Order across the galaxy. Go someplace with CRIME? Why, I never!

...

In the meantime, while pondering the sometimes obvious lies of his blue bosses, Hal's ring will register, among other things, the flight path of the Milano into the system. Aside from being different tech than most of what's ambient to the sector, the ship has stocked a whole lot more ABOARD, in terms of all its odd assortment of passengers. Not all of it shows on such long distance scans, but some of it will, further marking the uniqueness of the ship.

Also? The closer he gets to the destination, to that *specific* planetary destination, the more the ring starts popping up warnings. Odd coincidence, that.

---

Aboard the Milano, one by one the guards are compromised, in one fashion or another. Warlock gets some of the weapons (the blasters, as much as its obvious to him, are definitely some pretty spiffy tech), and Mantis starts making friends. Even Quill can convince one of them to try some coffee, although they'll make a show of 'taking' it, just to prove they can. There's probably something to be said for the lack of care of the whole boarding operation, but who ever said that brutal slaver creeps were smart?

Even Diana wins a fan, apparently... just by standing there. "You are very tall." Should Quill be worried that he and the guard sound alike?

Eventually, the ship lands on the planet surface. The local architecture surrounding the landing platform is ancient but somewhat brutalist, great laser-cut stone structures, flattened pyramid-like buildings.

The crew will be marched out by their 'captors,' all though by now one of the guards is happily telling Mantis about his work, bragging about the last load of Euphorians he captured. Lovely, really.

And then finally, well, they're taken to the leader. Sometimes a plan just comes together.

The 'audience hall' takes up the vast interior of one large stone structure. There are tiered seats along both sides, leading some distance to a raised throne. There are more guards at the doors, and some at the foot of the throne, along with some individuals sitting in the 'bleachers,' such as they are. The latter have some resemblance to he guards, but are not identical; native Okaarans, a cousin species to the Citadellians, via early system exploration and a bit of Psion genetic tinkering.

And on the throne is a large and imposing man. His grey skin makes him not disimilar in appearance to the others, but he lacks the tusks. And sitting at the base of his throne, the blades resting on the ground and the handle in his hand, is a huge shiny axe.

"Who are you who seek the audience of Warlord Tyros, Tyrant of Vega, Tamer of the Rebellious worlds?"

That's not him. He has a herald. It's... a bit of a joke, for him.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
And Monet goes to close her mind over while listening, humming, and seeming to do her best over while casually scanning around to watch where they're going. They go to approach the Herald of the Tyrant. Her thoughts of the being are immediately dismissive. The man is as far as she's concerned a fop. Someone completely useless, simply babbling along. The main thing in her not starting to look defiant and dismissive of the man is simply that they're still surrounded by enemies and striking at the man and threatening him will avail them of nothing. he's disposable and has nothing that the Tyrant would give him they could utilize.

This is quickly passed along to the rest even as she pauses and glances ta the axe. <<Warlock, can you look at that?>> Something about it has her attention. It's a rather strange weapont o have out. For a Tyrant, it's not particularly intimidating, and a big melee weapon would have no real use in space. So it's likely empowered?

Then Monet goes to try and scan around to try and pick up what, if anything she could from the higher Tyrant. Maybe he's about or such and she can locate him?

She picks up.. Something.. But then she begins to get disoriented as it feels like clamps are pressing to her brain. A snse of wanting to vomit that's held off by her biting her tongue to make it bleed and withdrawing her mind. <<I believe his.. Employer has some level of heavy psychic defenses. He's blocking me out>>

Peter Quill has posed:
Quill, for once, isn't in a super rush to do something super cocky. At some point, he may see if he can ask one of Mantis' new friends for his guns back without anyone noticing. But otherwise, well...

"So what IS the plan?" he asks as quietly as he can manage, to not be suuuuuuper obvious about it. "That's the guy, right? 'Warlord Tyros, In the Crab Nebula, with the Space Axe?'" Is that a... Clue reference?

"You just gonna try and space arrest him?"

Warlock has posed:
Warlock snorts softly enough to not echo in such a large chamber, but Monet's bracelet now sports a small screen similar to a smartwatch, and that screen is currently switching between a series of memes and gifs. "Sure Jan" features prominently, along with comically rolling eyes and an image of The Rock complete with a "Shut your damn mouth".

He shifts slightly along her wrist at the psionic request before complying, letting a faint light emit from her bracelet. To the casual observer, it looks like nothing more than a visual alert at most - perhaps a silent reminder or timer alarm. It's actually scanning the very shiny, very tasty looking axe. He can't identify the compound of materials with such a light scan at their distance, but it's much more dense than the appearance suggests doesn't match up with any alloy he's aware of. For now.

More importantly though, it shows very little signs of wear, almost as if the axe itself is practically brand new.

He relays all of this information to M via the psi-link, and then reverts back to smart bracelet mode, flashing an image of a large, juicy steak before allowing the screen to dim.

Mantis has posed:
"He is right. You are very tall," Mantis tells Diana. She reaches up puts her hand near the top of her antennae. "I am tall as well!" Mantis smiles cheerfully, sure that this one thing they might have in common would be the foundation of a strong friendship. Never mind the fact that antennae height doesn't count.

The walk to the audience chamber is a long one for Mantis, as one of the guards won't leave her alone after experiencing her pathokinetic powers, apparently dead set on telling her every little thing about his terrible, boring job. When the walk first began, Mantis' responses were cordial, bordering on interested, but by the time they get to the audience chamber? Well...

"Shut up about the Euphorians already!" Mantis suddenly shouts, having reached her boiling point for how much she can tolerate. Her voice echoes throughout the audience chamber.

Awkward.

Richard Rider has posed:
    Richard spends his time observing. Everything in the room gets a certain amount of scrutiny as he stands in the group from the Milano, just another crew member as far as anyone can tell. He remains silent as the herald asks who they are. So far Quill's bluff has worked unexpected wonders, they've been brought right to the person they wanted to find. So might as well let him continue to work his own brand of magic on the Tyrant.

    As low as possible, he whispers back to Quill, "Not just now, no. Starting a fight with everyone in the room would end our chances of getting any more info. I'd say that whatever you're doing is working, so go be Star-Lord. For some reason that's working well for you this time. Hell, maybe you can talk him into hiring us and we can check out the group from the inside."

    It wouldn't be the first time he's gone undercover, and it just might get them some answers.

Hal Jordan has posed:
As he gets deeper and deeper into the system, as that power ring feeds him the information it is gathering with each pulse of that emerald glow, a small frown creeps over Hal's expression.

The Milano is clearly an oddity. Even beyond it's design which doesn't conform to any of the space-faring races in this system, is the fact that the life readings coming from onboard are rather diverse. Not completely unhead of, especially out here with the number of different species that happen to propogate in this sector. But unusual. Even moreso because several of them are human.

That is more then enough to capture Hal's attention, though as he nears, as he spots those other ships close by, Jordan goes for a tact that he is not exactly known for; he chooses discretion.

Normally charging right in is his preferred course of action -- both because it suits him and because it tends to be effective. Most intergalactic criminals want nothing to do with the Green Lanterns. Backed by thousands of members with arguably the most powerful weapon in the galaxy at their disposal, messing with them is usually a losing propsition.

There is also the fact that Hal can normally rely on his ring to fill in a lot of the blanks in any situation, the galactic encyclopeia that is part of the ring's artificial intelligence has a wealth of information. But there is considerably less to call upon about Vega and it's current situation. Everytime that Hal tries, restricted messages pop up all over the place.

Sometimes the Guardians -- of the Universe, not the Galaxy -- are pretty damn annoying.

Actually, that might apply to both groups in this particular case.

Either way, as Hal nears the site, that green glow continues to diminish before fading out entirely and Hal simply... fades into the background, all but invisible against the starry backdrop.

Instead he begins to follow the others, trailing in their wake down to that planet, hovering above the MIlano and blinking in surprise when at least one familiar figure walks down that ramp, departing the vessel. What on Earth is Diana doing all the way out here?

Either way, he continues to utilize the intangibility function of his ring, following after the odd assemblage, monitoring his ring closely to see if there is any signs that he has been detected even as he enters that 'audience hall' with the rest of them, floating a few meters behind, watching with furrowed brow.

Diana Prince has posed:
Throughout Diana's interaction with the tusked guard, Mantis would have sensed Diana giving the man a chance, but truly disliking his presence, or at least not conveying a sense of trust even i the slightest for him. Diana did respond to his comments of her height, even playfully acknowledging that a few of the inches were 'in the boots', since she was standing on heeled armored footwear. Diana paid a grin toward Mantis to her left, nodding toward her. "I think you are taller than I am." Diana said, in an encouraging voice, to the other woman.

When they began to walk off of the ship, and toward the audience hall, Diana caught some of the story that Mantis was being lectured on, but when it started to get a little awkward, the Princess stepped faster, to catch up to Peter and Rich. She ended up beside them, as they strolled on in to the grand audience chamber. She heard Peter's question, and glanced toward Rich, before her eyes fell forward on the throne, and the herald that spoke for the man on it.

Monet's presence was noted, and with a faint glance given over her shoulder... Diana looked forward again. "Keep track of the one who has your weapons..." Diana quietly said, just loud enough for Star-Lord to hear her.

She stepped forward.

With the ambient light around them, glinting off of the curves of her armor, Diana speaks up, her voice carrying to the herald, and to the man with the mighty axe even more specifically.

"We are here on behalf of no one. We are conducting an independent investigation of the mass murder of a large number of Green Lanterns. We were told to come, and speak to... you... with regard to this matter." She states, voice confident, and shoulders high, with her golden wings folded up together behind her back, the metal tucked neatly together to create a shimmering spike upon Diana's spine that pointed down toward the ground behind her heeled boots.

Diana's eyes laid upon the 'Lord' as she waited his response, her words intended to somewhat vaguely 'call him out.'

Norrin Radd has posed:
As Hal surreptitiously joins the proceedings, his ring registers one obvious additional reading: the man they've gone to speak with, Tyros himself. It's actually a very interesting reading: massive power levels, but controlled to the degree that, well, he didn't ping them until he got close enough to target his scan more directly. Massive _controlled_ power.

He can't miss the axe, either. It has the potential to be the murder weapon he's looking for, used against so many of his comrades. More than that, it seems to channel some of the energy the man is wielding but... it is clearly not the source. It's a fancy axe, and scanning might show him much of what Warlock discovered already. But it is the man, more than the weapon.

--

The group standing before the Warlord's throne approaches, talking amongst themselves, but it is ultimately Diana who steps forward. The woman speaks plainly and honestly, probably to the surprise of no one who knows her. She is every bit the avatar of Justice individually that the Lanterns are as a group.

That is why she is here for them.

Tyros listens, the herald starts to open his mouth, but then the larger man lifts a hand and speaks himself.

"I did not kill your little green army."

Even as he says it, the hand resting at the top of his axe moves slightly, making the blade grind against the stone floor.

"It is a shame they died, in fact. Let us hope that... one prevails, where the many failed."

At this point, it may be a shock when he looks up, to a spot that to most of those present is empty, but in fact contains the peeping-Lantern Hal Jordan. "Come to avenge yourself? You've come a long way after the wrong man. But... you will know the truth of all of this soon. He comes. To punish. To feed."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Even Monet hadn't picked up on the Lantern being there. Her heart hammers, as she goes to tune out Mantis, tune out the others.. She's expecting the others to barrage Tyros over about what he knows them about what killed the Green Lanterns if it wasn't him. She doesn't bother with clenching her hands into fists. If this comes to a fight, they'll be well out of thier league here. And then she slowly goes to speak up then. What could make the Tyrant so wary then as if he's.. Unsure? Then she goes to speak up.

"And /who/ comes to punish and feed?" Her tone is icy, but not disrespectful. Firm. That's a question that she is rather interested in after all. She doesn't add to her commentary with more questions, threats, or peppering. There's gonig to be more than enough yelling right about soon and she wants to make sure to get her bit out of the way first. She goes to twist her hand over in such a way that if things do get hostile that Warlock can quickly deploy, transforming to take use of the full Omnitrix transformation.. Wait, wrong series!

Peter Quill has posed:
Quill turns and stares. Is Rich... validating him?!

"Right, obviously this is a job fo the Star-Lord!" He picks himself up a little, puffing up his chest, but then quickly looking around among the guards. "Oh, hey, pardon me- mind if I get those? Thanks buddy, listen later- no, yeah I'm sure they make great slaves."

Somewhere in there he shoots Mantis a proper 'yikes' look.

"Alright, alright, you're Star-Lord, you're Star-Lord, you're-"

By the the time he has marched up proudly to present himself, Diana has already spoken. And this is... for the best? Yeah. But he's got a thought or two.

"So, hey there buddy, as a Star-Lord to a War-Lord, lemme just be honest with you, maybe... it'd be better if you just tell us what the shit is going on? I get it, dramatic timing and all that, but if you've got a plan, share with the class."

Warlock has posed:
Warlock is slowly extricating himself from Monet's wrist once she twists her hand, slinking down the outside of her leg to coil around her ankle instead. He covers her shoes like the fanciest steel-toed boots in the universe, blinking widely at the appearance of a Green Lantern and then quickly scrunching his eyes shut so he won't giggle out loud as Quill starts talking. If combat starts, he wants to eat the big, shiny axe. He's not even hungry, but it looks very, very tasty.

As he settles over her boots, he flashes a little card with a 10 on it at her. Well delivered question, much more polite than Self expected. Excellent work.

Richard Rider has posed:
    Rich nods in approval as Monet asks the million dollar question. If this guy is working for a bigger boss there could be all sorts of assets, both equipment and personnel, that need to be recovered. 'Punish and feed' promises nothing but bad things for the group in general, and perhaps for the galaxy itself.

    He opens a connection to the Worldmind and shoots a thought through, <Search and cross reference the phrase 'punish and feed'. Send the results to my comm.>

    He waits for the Worldmind's response, watching Quill psych himself up before heading towards the Tyrant. He edges a bit to the left, to get a chear shot at Tyros should it be needed.

Mantis has posed:
Somewhere in there, Mantis returns Star Lord's 'yikes' look with an approximation of her own. She starts with a smile and slowly extends her bottom row of teeth a little bit. It doesn't, at all, convey 'yikes' to any meaningful degree. It's uncomfortable to look at. Yikes.

Like she typically does when surrounded by others who have a better handle on things, Mantis stands with a stiff posture and both hands gently pressed together in front of her waist.

Something's wrong. Mantis can sense someone getting closer. She just has a funny feeling about it. Her suspicions are confirmed when she turns and spots a figure approaching.

"Stand by someone else!" Mantis shouts again, catching the Friendly Guard from earlier trying to reposition himself to be closer to her, probably to continue telling her about guarding and guarding accessories.

Wait. Mantis' antennae perk as she picks up on a new source of emotions. She around and stares at the newly arrived Hal Jordan, antennae wafting upwards in surprise!

Hal Jordan has posed:
The axe is interesting, giving how his breathen died.

But the man holding it is considerably more so, his ring pinging it's warning in his mind even as he watches the discussion go back and forth between that odd collection of individuals and the Warlord who greets them.

And then he gets that confirmation that his presence has indeed not gone undetected. It was always a vain hope in all likelihood, but he had to at least try. He's not exactly opposed to a straight up fight when it's necessary, but there is still too much about all of this that isn't clear yet. And provoking something just for the sake of feeling like he's doing something is what the old Hal would do.

Still, it would seem that the jig is up on being a silent, unknown observer, and at the strange figure calling his out, the Green Lantern in their midst wills himself back into tangibility, that green glow appearing first as if simply shimmering from an unknown source in mid-air.

Then Hal appears seconds later, still hovering just meters to the rear of the rest of those gathered in the hall.

"It's not vengeance that I seek," Hal says flatly, fastening an impassive stare on the axe-wielding warlord. "But justice. If you are not responsible for my comrades' deaths then you won't be held responsible for them. But I mean to learn the truth."

The whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Does he believe the man? Hal is genuinely not sure. He is also aware that he is a little late to this party, that the group assembled before him is seemingly seeking the same -- or similiar enough that it doesn't matter -- so he stays his hand. For the moment.

If all else fails, well there's always room for aggressive negotiations to begin.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana's hands moved together in front of her lap, her fingers interlacing together, not out of any particular need for such a casual gesture, but because the end of her lasso is hanging directly behind her hands now, meaning she can grasp it and unfurl the length of rope from around her hip within a milisecond, if needs arise.

Her glancing eyes look to the others who speak up, each one presenting another valid question, or remark, before she lastly looks upon her Justice League teammate. Hal is here for the same reason she is, for Justice, imagine that.

With a light breath taken, and her chin softly lowered, Diana stares forward toward the Warlord himself, past his herald, and a glance given to his weapon.

"We were also informed, that the deaths were likely caused by a weapon similar to the one you are lazily fingering there." She states, making her comment almost playfully accusatory, not to upset him, but perhaps to amuse him. Though, something tells Diana that this man is not easily amused.

"You do not strike me as one not to take credit for winning in a fight, however. But, should you know the answers that we seek, we would be most grateful for your sharing with us." She adds, because hey, galactic neighbors share things, like eggs, and butter, or information on who slaughtered a legion of your friends' friends.

Norrin Radd has posed:
Everyone with special senses will feel it, detect it, witness the event in their own way. As they stand there, demanding answers, the universe deems it fitting to answer.

It is... a pulse. A disruption. A twisting of space and an expenditure of energy. The Lantern rings and Worldmind analytics (and perhaps Warlock's own strange method of seeing the world) can dump huge amounts of information, although the data itself is confusing. A massive spatial anomaly, given into being somewhere in the midst of the star system. In the single moment, gravity __breaks_ and readings yield numbers inconsistent with known equations.

Others may have a more symbolic experience. A moment of emergent dread, of cosmic weight and inevitability. Almost religious, to one like Diana, who deals openly with the Gods. Or a moment of terrible thought.

Star-Lord and Mantis experience it through the uniqueness of their own cosmic heritages. Something that even Ego would fear. And beyond that, Rocket can relay some scanner readings from Milano, confirming the general 'space gone bugshit' that the others may have detected.

All the same, together they feel it: something has come.

--

In the room, they've demanded their answers of the Tyrant, and with a look of reluctance, he rises from his throne. "Long ago, I called this world my own, a cosmic orphan, raised by the Warlords, forged into a mighty conqueror. And then He came. I would have fought him, but I was given a choice instead. To Herald his coming to others, that my world would be spared. And so I did. Watching so many die, without remorse... only anger at my own weakness."

His hand fixes on the axe, and he raises his voice. "I will not announce his name. This is my rebellion. I have taken power, forged this system into one ready to fight." He looks between Diana and Hal (and oh yeah, Star-Lord is here): "Your murderer is my _replacement_, as this weapon is for the one he took. And now they both shall come. So you'll have your chance. For disloyalty, the boon shall be revoked, and my world will die."

After the initial moment, he steps forward, and lifts a hand. The ground begins to shake, and then somewhere in the chamber, the hard stone floor splits open. It is not technology, not an ancient vault, but pure re-sculpting of the rock. Though as he peels away the layers of stone, creating a short starways down, it reveals a deeper cave beneath.

He looks at Hal. "There is another power here. I hoped he would help us, but we have never... come to terms. Perhaps he might like you better." At the bottom, the cave reaches a sealed point, but on the surface there, a circular rune. It has a visual similarity to Oan writing, but the symbol is... different.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The sudden, immense disorientation of space rippling and reality warping has Monet stagger, even as it's Warlock turning into a set of boots that stabilizes her and holds her upright and from hitting the ground hard over in a howl. She still does yell, even as panic bubbles up and over the surface as her mind automatically reaches out and just as fast snaps back. She dimly hears the communications coming along distantly and forces down her scream after it's hit her mouth and extended beyond. Her heart races - raw terror being pressed down as she quickly comes to hold back that thing that she has felt very, very few times.

Something on par if not beyond the most powerful thing that Monet has ever distantly experienced, only seen a fragment of at most restrained. Only seen completely unleashed through the aura of others. Something that breaks existence, something primordial on a level that is beyond comprehension.

Her eyes are wide over as she forces bcak a stammer at the pulse that hits her. Over the psi-link <<Warlock, compare to readings of full manifestation of Phoenix level entity>> And that's the only frame of reference that she has, even as she forces the near disintegration of self for comparison.

<<It feels like Phoenix. Like Phoenix. Not..>> But, that's the only frame of reference that Monet /has/ for something she has encountered. And even then only ina restrained way, way holding back..

But this is like the Being at full manifestation, in full terrifying and all powerful exposure.

Peter Quill has posed:
Quill... yeah probably the discussion is a bit over his head. And the guy just refuses to be anything but vague. "Is this a Bloody Mary situation? You say his name and then out he comes? Because- woah."

Maybe that was closer to the truth than Peter realized. As there is a great cosmic bullshit event of considerable size and magnitude, he finds himself reeling, even stumbling in place a little. Some people are lucky enough to get readings, but he feels it in his weird space-god DNA.

And he is also getting readings from Rocket on the comm, in the form of a mix of math equations and swear words. "-I dunno buddy! Can you pinpoint it? Just- just keep relaying what you get, I'm gonna try to not pass out. Get the ship fired up too, case we need a lift."

He looks around to the others. "Do we... wanna be here when this dude comes and gets punished?"

Richard Rider has posed:
    Rich develops an instant headache from the feedback from the Worldmind. The data he's getting is impossible, yet at the same time, it's there, so it has to be possible. But it's _wrong_ on a fundamental level. He shakes his head and says quietly "I think it might be a very good idea to try and talk to this person before deciding on any other action." He gestures to Hal to take the lead, since the Tyrant singled him out.

    He pulls the cloth helmet out again and puts it on, the shape and sheen of metal forming as his clothing returns to his Nova Corps uniform. If they are talking about something that destroys worlds, he's going to need every advantage he can possibly get. "I very much doubt we _want_ to, but something that destroys worlds probably needs to be stopped.

Mantis has posed:
As impressive as Diana may be while grilling the Warlord, Mantis is naturally attuned to other parts of this situation.

Mantis watches Hal with mournful eyes. Her empathic abilities grant her a certain amount of insight over this moment, despite not knowing the Green Lantern personally. Her antennae droop forward a little, allowing her to keep a respectful posture while also standing up straight.

But then she feels something else. And, secretly, she knows that Peter feels it, too.

Mantis reaches out towards Star-Lord with an outstretched hand. "Peter!" she shouts.

Warlock has posed:
Warlock's mind does not like this. No, nope, no thank you, do not knock, no solicitors, Good! DAY! Sir!

His broadcast to Monet over their light psi-link is the mental equivalent of an all-caps keyboard smash turned into copypasta, complete with emojis highlighting how very Not Okay What The Fuck he is right now. A bowl of jello is far to stable for how he feels right now, and part of him very much wants Selfsoulfriend RIGHT NOW while a bigger part of him will do a whole lot to make sure Soulfriend never, ever, EVER feels this level of gibbering terror. Again. Nope, no thank you.

Granted, if they were Douglock right now, they might be a teensy, tiny bit more coherent.

Maybe. Self has doubts about this.

It takes several long moments, and Monet's scream has been released and gulped back down before Warlock feels stable enough to broadcast anything again, and he is still quivering with fear. << Beyond-too-much, SelfBestM, unmeasurable data obtained, equations wrong. WRONG. Error, rebooting. >> His quiet terror filters across clearly, even though he is Trying To Keep Self Together, This Is Important.

He does not want to be here when this being is punished, no, nope, no thank you, but all the same he is so very, very curious. He wants to know, but he thinks knowing might lead to being unmade, and he has already - no. He will get back to Soulfriend, and he will bring SelfBestM with him, even if he becomes the world's strangest, lest comfortable rocket and needs an entire week of electricity afterward.

His resolve firmed, Warlock stretches upward, encasing Monet's legs in very strange black-gold armor. He is not eating, because she is drama-companion-complicated-family much like the rest of the Xavier's residents and there are shiny weapons Right There that he can eat instead if he needs the energy.

Hal Jordan has posed:
Floating there, wrapped in his aura of emerald Will energy, Hal simply listens, doing his best to maintain that implacable, impassive visage as the Tyrant explains in his cryptic fashion just what is going on.

Is it all clear? Not it is not. But it seems plain that there is something to what he is saying. That he at least believes it completely enough to be compelling..

So when he simply takes a step to the side and opens up the that cave with a simple gesture, the Green Lantern allows himself to float forward, to peer into the new chamber, the stairwell leading downward.

And in particular at that rune, familiar but not the same as the ones he knows from back on Oa.

"Maybe he will," Hal finally says quietly.

Diana Prince has posed:
The mental dread wave that washes over Diana's spirit, simply causes her eyes to flutter shut. She can hear Rocket's angry words to Quill over his comms. She can hear the other's reacting in a variety of ways around her, and she can hear the words from the Lord of Axes, though it is his actions that cause her eyes to open again.

She turns her head to stare at the chasm that he revealed in the floor, and with a step toward it, she peers within, just as Hal does.

this means little to nothing to her, on a personal level, but with a glance back to the others, Diana appears beside Hal.

"What is this?" She asks him. "Should we prepare to leave?" She questions further, before she once more regards the crew of the Milano. "I do not think we will linger here much longer." She advises them, not that it will do them a lot of good at this stage.

Norrin Radd has posed:
The initial feeling lasts moments, the tangible _arrival_. In its wake, some presence remains. There are two aspects to it. One remains weighty, yet somehow unknowable. Although the math starts correcting itself, the final readings confirm: there is *more* mass in the system than their used to be, an amount, if not enough to throw off orbital paths, to at least register in their slightest, hair's breadth of a change. It lingers, invisible, like Dark Matter, the excuse scientists found when their math couldn't explain the distribution of mass in the universe.

The second reading is not at all enigmatic, nor it obvious to those who lack longer-range sensory equipment. To Hal, it is a mirror to what he detected here in the room, in Tyros. A tiny dot of incredible power. Except this one... is hurtling itself at them at incredible speed.

There's about a blink of time, between fully registering the trajectory, and the explosion of the stone ceiling above them, sending debris hurtling down into the chamber. The guards scatter, the resident warlords lift weapons, and Tyros... hefts his axe.

Between them all, a burning crater is left in the center of the floor.

In a day of meeting strange aliens with space axes, this would be their... second. Rising from the scar in the stone comes a figure, shirtless with a kind of rough reddish-brown skin. Muscular and fierce looking (as both of them are), he has scraggy black hair and his arms are lined with spikey growths. But all of this is far less interesting than the weapon he wields: another axe, almost identical to the first. This one burns with a halo of crackling energy, hungry and red and shot through with little black bubbles, mini-implosions as matter seems to boil away into nothing.

He hoists the axe in the direction of his counterpart, in challenge.

"He who was Terrax the Tamer, once-Herald, I am here to conduct your EXECUTION. In the name of Galactus, this world is doomed. But you, traitor, will die first."

---

In the cave, as Hal reaches the door, he can feel something beyond. His ring activates, but... the readings are nonsensical. And yet, as soon as it comes near the wall, the symbol on it activates, glowing through with orange light. It rumbles then, and twists away, to reveal a greater depth and darkness below. And a light, deep in it, like the one that bled through the wall.

"Oh, a Green ring. I haven't seen one of those in a loooong time..." speaks the voice, from deep within.

"I kind of... WANT it."