5461/Krypton or Bust: The Sto-Oa System

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Krypton or Bust: The Sto-Oa System
Date of Scene: 06 March 2021
Location: Oa
Synopsis: Upon arriving in the Sto-Oa system, the happy travel party is met with some very unhappy Oan ships and a fleet of Green Lanterns en route. Declaring that transportation of Kryptonians is a war crime, a stand off ensues resulting in Superman, Power Girl, and Super Girl surrendering to the Oans to get answers. Meanwhile, Jon Kent escapes the phantom zone and casually meets his dad and aunties and Maxima declares Green Lanterns forbidden from her empire. I am Groot!
Cast of Characters: Kara Danvers, Groot, Maxima, Zatanna Zatara, Clark Kent, Karen Starr, Conner Kent, 27, Jon Kent




Kara Danvers has posed:
    The sun of OA and the planet of Oa loom in the view screens of Maxima's imperial ship. The planet of the Green Lanterns. The planet of the Oans. Space cop central. Some of the passengers may not be too pleased to be here. Kara didn't think they needed to come here at all.. but she was outvoted by family and family matters most to her right now.

    "We're finally here. This planet is farther away than I realised. Krypton is so much closer to Earth," she says.. not for the first time. But there is a smile on her face. Finally, they're at a place where they can get answers about what happened to Krypton.

    "Do you think they'll throw us a nice welcome party?," she says looking around at everyone else gathered.

Groot has posed:
Groot drew the short straw to escort the passengers, but as time went on he kind of wondered...how exactly the ship being in the larger ship was supposed to result in them carrying passengers? But that was good since he had rigged the game to go with them. He found these people fascinating and quietly sat in his large looming seat observing their fascinating journey.

Maxima has posed:
For those who have never laid eyes on something like it, and really at least one or two of the passengers have never even left their planet before, the approach to a system like Oa is a marvelous sight. Given it is also their destination and there is meaning in that as well, Maxima has made an exception to the otherwise restricted space of the command deck and invited those who wish to view their approach to come and see it on the big screen. Also it may be useful to have them there when she is inevitably hailed by Oa and needs to explain why an Imperial Almeracian starship is on course to their planet, even if it is broadcasting a banner of truce.

Maxima stands in her usual place upon the raised command dais, watching the screen with her hands on her hips. If she is nervous about this, she is not betraying it outwardly. But leaning on diplomatic protocol is not her favorite thing and there are all kinds of ways this could go poorly, functionally sailing into the lion's den as it were.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna would be impressed and mildly discombobulated to even register on whatever passes for Space Cop records. "I expect we can receive at least a friendly greeting." Smiling to Kara, her vibrant good mood is on its way to being redoubtable. "No sense in expecting the worst, whatever we have prepared for. Any recommendations before we arrive?"

She must have little reason for concern about a negative reception among the Oans, given her readiness to descend to the planetary surface. A pretty disk sparkles on her wrist beneath the smart black jacket paired with a trademark corset of her office. Stowing away the tophat and wand seems sensible enough, the gem hung at her throat just another pretty bauble to the non-magical. Nothing at all suggests a threat because in the threatening pecking order, she ranks somewhere around the bottom rung.

Popping a caramel into her mouth, she lets the buttery flavour slip across her tongue as she admires the view. Appreciation isn't even the right word. Maybe everyone else is an old hand at the stunning display. For her, this is like fireworks at the Fourth of July, Christmas, and Constantine being clonked on the head by the Red Jar of Calythos she whipped at him via portal. Mostly.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman looks over the window at the spawning planet at the center of the Galazy. He feels like he should say something encouraging, intellegent, and morale-boosting. Something to really get everyone ready for what could be a very dangerous sitaution.

"I spy, with my little eye, something that starts with......" Superman's eyes narrow as he abuses his x-ray vision. "G. Hee hee, you'll never get it!"

Nailed it, Clark thinks, holding his arms akimbo.

Karen Starr has posed:
    For the past few hours, Karen has been staring unblinking at the space outside of the front of the ship, a grim expression on her features. Honestly, she hopes- an unfathomable amount, really- that this all goes well. The only problem is, that so much has gone wrong for Karen up until this point, that there is one part of her that understands the potential for, even without presentable answers, their approach to be altogether unwelcome.

    When the planet comes into view, she keeps her eyes on it, those deep blues suddenly locked on tiny specks nigh if not literally invisible to anyone who doesn't hail from a dead planet. She sees them, soaring clad in green through the sky, though what they're doing- whether it's drills or preparations is a detail that she can't discern just yet.

    "Well. We're here." she states, "And they probably knew it before we dropped from post-light." Turning, then, she faces the rest, reaching out over the League comms to reach anyone not currently staring out of this particular window. "Is everybody ready? Should be pretty simple, just here to ask a few questions before heading along to Krypton- and if anyone sees a gift shop, make absolutely sure that Lang doesn't make it inside."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner was starting to get annoying asking how longer would it take when they finally make it to Oa. Yes, going to the center of the galaxy (or near - wasn't the center a big black hole?) was quite a detour to get to Krypton remains just 'around the corner' as distance is measured by space travellers. He didn't vote for it, or against. In fact, he just wanted a trip in a spaceship. Because spaceships.

Also, he has to talk with some of the people in the spaceship, and he hasn't. Procrastinating some. Maybe on the way back.

He is here, though, with his 'family' and the others, trying to look unimpressed. And smirking at Superman's words. That... dork.

Chaucer (27) has posed:
If there's a geopolitical heart to the universe, the Sto-Oa system must be near it. It's certainly as near as is possible to the known geographical center of the known universe.

The neighboring sectors are extremely stable and there is little crime. The system governments exist in peace and trade flows through the systems with regularity. Even the hyperspace lanes are quite well patrolled, with signal buoys suspended in space directing traffic and mapping out the fastest routes between systems. The Oan-designed satellites certainly seem benign, and their drone-operated patrol vessels seem concerned only with keeping order and warning errant spacers and smugglers of their misadventures.

But it's hard to shake the feeling that this is peace bought at the hands of stern and watchful security. Oa might not claim to own the adjacent systems but there is clearly a power structure to which those planets are deeply subservient.

Well outside the system's boundaries, hyperspace collimators start destabilizing their vessel's hyperspace warp fields. Their ship is forced into realspace some 50 AUs away from the main sequence star. A long sublight burn will be necessary to cross that intervening distance. While the vessel's hailing frequencies proclaim Maxima's diplomatic credentials and peaceful intent, drones fly up to the ship and scan it repeatedly with incredibly sophisticated sensor arrays. It seems the Oans make very liberal use of automated machinery to secure their borders.

Twinkling green lights rise up from Oa itself in short order. Karen is the first to spot them. It is not five, or ten. Or a hundred. Some five-hundred odd shapes are burning towards the Almeracian carrier, bright stars of emerald light with a humanoid at their center. All around the vessel, near-invisible dormant vessels flicker to life to reveal they are warships built on the scale of small planetary bodies.

< ALMERACIAN SHIP.> The hail blasts through all frequencies, in the lingua fracas of Basic that is based on Oan language. < YOU WILL HALT YOUR VESSEL AND SUBMIT TO ARREST. YOU ARE ACCUSED OF WAR CRIMES UNDER OAN LAW. DIS-ENGAGE YOUR ENGINES AND SURRENDER TO BE TOWED INTO CUSTODY. REFUSAL WILL RESULT IN YOUR OBLITERATION. YOU HAVE NINETY SECONDS TO COMPLY.>

Groot has posed:
Groot briefly remembers that, Oa is spacecop central and he and most of the other Guardians are wanted ...in a lot of place. Sure, they've done some good but they have also done some...interesting things to say the least. Indeed, the Kryptonians were pretty up front about their itenerary, and he quietly begins signaling Rocket that they might need to ready some 'contingencies' they've discussed over time. Still, he is impressed by the power display from the Oans.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara just couldn't bring herself to feel as down and negative about all this as Karen. Karen had a way of expecting the worst. Probably because like Kara she lost her home.. but unlike Kara, she also lost her entire universe. She blinks at Clark and says excitedly, "Ground? Gravity? I am Groot? Gre...en Lanterns..." she says and stares out at the approaching armada.

    "Wait what... is..." she frowns and says, "They can't be serious. Can they? Hail them and tell them we come in peace. You're just ferrying us after all. We're no threat to them and we simply want answers. You're.. a Princess for goodness sakes."

    Damn, why must Karen always be right? She looks at her sister with growing concern and she then looks at everyone else gathered, "They have to see reason. They're meant to be the good guys.."

Maxima has posed:
There are ways to communicate with Maxima and ways not to communicate with Maxima. Really she probably could have predicted some of this, but the Oans flagrant disregard for a banner of truce does begin to raise her ire. She would love nothing better than to simply open fire and leave, but promises were made.

<<Oa, this is Crown Princess Maxima of Almerac! You WILL recognize standard diplomatic conventions or invite open war! There is not a fleet behind me at present, but persist in your current course, attack this ship, and I assure you one will be here shortly! I do not particularly want to be within 1000 AU of you or your world, but there are others here who wish to speak with you! Now communicate like the civilized people you CLAIM to be or prove right everything spoken among the Great Empires about Oan barbarity!>> Maxima is fuming as she glares at the monitor, almost as if daring someone to appear on the screen.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman sort of looks at Maxima, as if worried she might have not mentioned some outstanding war crimes.

No, though, this isn't about Maxima, or the Guardians, all good people Superman's let fly into danger on his behalf. It's about his people, and the damage they did to leave scars like this. The Man of Steel frowns, slightly, and moves to the escape hanger to get into his solar charged spacesuit. He judges he should take just long enough for the Oans to turn down Maxima's attempt at diplomacy...

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
The blaring shouts resonating through the ship leave an impression. Zatanna scores a great success not putting her hands to her ears in a defensive position. It won't help the strident insistence of the Oan message from rolling through the very marrow of her bones. With luck no one notices the raven-haired magician wince, disguised by checking the nearest wall in anticipation of something slipping through. Not that the Almeracian ship lacks for likely very impressive security systems and technology, but habits get hard to break under duress.

She glances to Clark as Maxima begins speaking. A fleeting smile for him holds a kernel of reassurance and hope, though she makes a point of slowly approaching him before he seeks his suit. Well, if he's not back by the time she moves, then to Karen so as to alarm anyone aboard. Or the reception party outside.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Tell you what, when your universe ends and you're the last one standing- kinda- it gives you this odd perspective to be right about a bunch of things. Everyone should try it.

    With a light sigh, Karen- fully aware of exactly how much the Oans can field at any given moment just on the nature of how many Lanterns they'd have to employ alone, regardless of the warships- starts idly making her way towards the others.

    She doesn't say anything to Maxima, because even trying to dissuade the woman from employing no small amount of- well, exactly what she's doing, frankly- is likely a futile endeavor.

    Her expression is blank, as if this situation was something of a foregone conclusion, because of /course/ it was. "Is anyone else thinking that maybe enslaving a yellow star might not have been the worst idea, in hindsight?" she asks, quietly making her way to an airlock.

    "They'll back down. We come in peace. We just need to talk to them. Probably."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner squints eyes to look at the approaching lanterns. His telescopic vision is not as good as the full Kryptonians, but... they don't seem too friendly. "What the hell? War crimes?" Maybe Almerac broke some galactic major law recently and failed to tell them? He glances at Maxima, then to Groot. Simpler explanation, even though he likes the Guardians. They are fun. But they are kind of shady too.

Still, he is pretty sure 'war crimes' are not something they would get involved. Well, reasonably sure.

"'Obliteration' doesn't seems a word good guys would use," he decides. "Maybe they all got mind-controlled by that starfish guy, whatitsname?" He crackles his knuckles. "So, what do we do if they start shooting?" Kind of rhetoric question there.

Jon Kent has posed:
     From space comes a large rectangular object, twirling end over end. It appears to have not much depth if at all, like a mirror floating through the vacuum of space.

  Once every few rotations, colors seem to show up, red, blue, and yellow. Flashes of a face could also be seen, black hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. This was indeed a Phantom Zone mirror, and it was cracking along its surface. A flash of light beckons from the mirror as parts of it break and glimmer in the reflecting light of Sto-Oa. From it's light, out comes a body, a small figure contrasted with the black space around everyone. But with a little more clarity, his figure becomes more defined. A blue and red sweater, emblazoned with the crest of the House of El in yellow, a short red cape, at this time, it looks like it is a little small for the teen, clinging to his body tightly. Blue jeans with ripped knees, well worn and used in the everyday comings and goings of youth, and red sneakers, embellished with white, and showing signs of wear, still quite useful and whole, but the soles worn a bit.

  This boy seems to tumble frontwards while he lists away from the mirror-portal that spat him out. Not moving for quite a bit of time.

Chaucer (27) has posed:
Exactly thirty seconds tick past after Maxima's response. < PRINCESS MAXIMA OF ALMERAC. YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF INTERGALACTIC LAW AND TREATY 07J-0114. KRYPTONIAN DNA SEQUENCES DETECTED ON YOUR VESSEL. THEIR PRESENCE IS AN ACT OF WAR. SHUT DOWN YOUR ENGINES AND PREPARE TO BE TOWED. NON-COMPLIANCE WILL RESULT IN YOUR DESTRUCTION. PEACEKEEPING FORCES WILL BE DEPLOYED TO ALMERAC TO ENSURE SOCIAL STABILITY.>

Data spins itself up across the consoles of the ship. The laws of Oa are as vast as they are ancient, the product of millions upon millions of years of existence. No other civilization, no other species, comes close to the age of the Oan race.

The text reads: <<Section 12-Kappa-044456-129-09: Krypton. "It is recognized that the Kryptonian Hegemony represents a threat to all life on all settled worlds. Kryptonians must be confined to their world for the safety of all sentient life. Held: Any movement of Kryptonians outside their home system is an act of war. Held: transport of Kryptonians or Kryptonian genetic sequences is an act of war. Held: Conspiring with Kryptonians to transport them is an act of war. Determination: peacekeeping forces will be deployed to pacify any vessel or civilization transporting, cultivating, harboring, or abetting members of the Kryptonian Hegemony.>>

The scrolling message loops, over and over. A sparse moment after Jon tumbles from the fragments of the strange mirror, it freezes.

<KRYPTONIAN REINFORCEMENTS DETECTED. WEAPONS ARE ARMED. YOU NOW HAVE TEN SECONDS TO COMPLY OR YOU WILL BE DESTROYED.> The booming transmission echoes around the cabin. The massive defender warships come online and targeting sensors start pinging Maxima's vessel from all directions. From the energy readouts, any one of the massive warships could crack a planet in half or obliterate it in fire. At least four of them are online and more are rushing to firing range.

And half a thousand Green Lanterns are making swift time towards the surprised travellers, every one of them primed for a fight.

Groot has posed:
Groot says, "I am Groot." This is said in a way that makes no doubt what the actual meaning is, and the first word is "What" followed by the queen mother of all swear words, with the application of soap, do not pass go, do not collect $200 space dollars. There is a combination of shock, outrage and mild fear that the space cops are bonkers. Sure, he is a criminal, but he likes to know that the lanterns are out there, doing lanterny things. This is two fruitloops short of a cereal bowl.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara looks around the room, "Wait, where's Kal... oh no." She can hear him, air lock.. but then her eyes are fixed on the phantom mirror tumbling through this section of space.. and suddenly another person. "Wait... he's wearing our family crest," she says with significant concern, especially as the Oans make their declaration.

    "What is going ON!?," she says and ...an anger starts to rise up in Kara that so few ever see because she tries to very hard to keep it locked away. Her hands making fists and her eyes glaring at the Green Lantern fleet approaching.

    "Kal if you can hear me.. grab the stranger.. we need to leave this place. Right away. Oa... is _not_ our friend." She shoots a look to Karen. If her sister knew she hadn't said, so she doubts she would have stayed quiet about this. The urge to fight is strong but she is tempering herself, perhaps not well enough even as her eyes redden a touch.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima's eyes begin to glow like she might actually blast her own viewscreen at the Oan message, <<The Almeracian Empire will not fall to your pathetic rings, all that you will accomplish is laying waste to space between here and there. If you attempt to seize this vessel you are comitting a grave act of war against the entire empire and it /will/ be answered. These Kryptonians, have you have met them? While I was on Earth they greatly assisted with my mission while your precious Lanterns in that sector were too busy trying to remember how their rings worked! Your judgements based on DNA are laughable, take it from a civilization that has long mastered DNA each generation is different. You have accused our empire of much in the past, but here you would condemn for the actions of forebears? Those on my ship are granted ausylum by Almerac, now STAND DOWN or we will fight and many will suffer for your foolishness!>>

"Computer, fire on any that come within range. They have been warned." She looks at the others on the bridge, "Any who wish to go outside, follow me through this portal."

<As you wish Princess Maxima.> Comes the slightly feminine mechanical voice of the computer.

With that Maxima points the ring on her right hand out in front of her and a yellow beam of light extends from it before forming into a portal leading to the vacuum of space around the ship and she steps through. The Warrior Princess Cometh.

Clark Kent has posed:
How dare they.

How DARE they, Superman thinks, as he rockets out of the warship and into the gloom of space, cape fluttering despite itself. Clark is visibly furious as the Oan's annoucement, his hands curled into fists and his eyes gleaming red even behind the lead-lined visor. Picking up on the frequency the voice of the Guardians is speaking with his super-hearing, Superman crosses his arms and scowls at the incoming armada. Sorry Hal, Clark thinks, but I can absolutely take a few of your colleagues.

"<This is Superman!>" Clark bellows on the freqency the Oans are using, "<Speaking for what's left of my people. How dare you violate your own charter and threaten an innocent planet over a few people looking for help?! You're supposed to be wise! You're supposed to be policemen! And you can't even give directions?! If you have a problem with me, Guardians of the Universe, take it up with me, but I swear to you right now if any Almeriacian dies because of this pathetic show of force...not to mention all the good work your Lanterns have abandoned to frown at a few lost travelers...you won't have to worry about a brewing Kryptonian problem because you'll have one right here in your front yard. Me! Now stand down and talk to us like adults!>"

And then a mirror in space burps open and a little boy goes flying out. Clark blinks, but acts on instinct; he flies down to nab the child, shocked that this part of space is so unstable that ten year olds go flying out of weird mirrors whenever they want.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
A bad enough situation to have a new solar system forming around their craft, and then Superman flying out from that imperial ship to confront the growing collective of emerald sparks and the child. She doesn't notice the mirror straightaway with the crushing pressure of the Oan rings building up like a fireworks show she is directly under. "I advise strongly against antagonizing the forces of Oa, especially given their numbers," she says, but that probably falls on deaf ears. Or computer ones.

A time for everything, and the magician blows out a breath. Open space isn't particularly kind to even Homo Magi, but the solution for that is right on her wrist. Three quick taps to the silvery disk enfold her habit in a fitted suit prepared for the rigors of space. Glowing lights all around fill the void and she shuts her eyes for a moment. Her hands reach out in front of her, petitioning the window. The portal. Something beyond it, far beyond, and almost within touching distance of the spread of her wide fingertips.

A whisper dances on her lips, that contortion of words as natural to her as command to Maxima or absorbing light to the Kryptonians. The heart of the galaxy, the centre of the universe, where ancient forces convene in a wellspring too deep to be fathomable, and yet still there, somewhat.

"tsriF thgil fo eht srats, emoc ot em ni a ngis fo ecaep dna lliwdoog nwonk ot aO." A prayer as much as a command, a gentle offer as much as an invocation. It's spoken as she moves after Maxima, eyes open. Hopefully this won't fail disastrously.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen tries her best not to just make things worse, honestly. Idly, her hand hovers over the button to start the airlock cycling, so that she can just book it into space and serve as a vanguard for the warship.

    She really does want to just... Hit the button, and see if she can punch her way out of this. Instead, her hand slowly lowers and she takes the same tactic as Clark.

    Her voice is more calm- but that's... a little bit more worrying, if anyone's here to be honest. It's that verge, that light thunder on the wind that betrays the oncoming presence of something altogether worse.

    "This ship carries Superman, Power Girl, and Supergirl of Earth. I want you to look up anything you have been sent as a report by Hal Jordan. You take the time now, and you read it, because I am telling you this: We aren't here for a fight. We aren't here to make threats and we aren't going to fire the first shot; But, we /will/ defend ourselves. We will defend those who have been gracious enough to bring us here in search of answers."

    There is a pause, there, only for a second or two- not long enough for them to start firing.

    "If there is anything you should be cautious about, and avoid with every fiber of your being, it's being the ones we're defending against. We want to talk. The only thing in the way is you. Please."

Conner Kent has posed:
"Kryptonian Hegemony? Wasn't that a like million years ago and..." Conner blinks slowly. "They might not even know Kryptonian exploded decades ago. Maybe we went to the wrong place to look for information. Man, how is the Green Lanterns don't even know about Superman living on Earth?"

Conner seems to assuming the Green Lanterns -are- the Oans, because no one has ever explained him otherwise.

And then Maxima speaks. "I'll get my breather," since Superman is already outside, Conner has no doubts about what to do. Besides, he is still suspecting space starfishes are involved.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon's hair is shaggy, himself looking...well rather like the fifteen year old he is. A skinny teenager, for now at least. When Superman grabs him, his hair settles, even though it's still a bit wild.

  Coming through the Phantom Zone seems to have drained him, at least for now.

Chaucer (27) has posed:
The Oan response to Karen's broadcast is... a pause.

There is silence from the Oans. The warships-- each one sporting more firepower than an entire Warzoon fleet-- starts to back away from Maxima's ship. Not a retreat; biding their time for reinforcements to arrive, to commit full power to the fight. The legion of Lanterns does not stop, pressing onwards at full go.

Except for a single green spark, which starts *blipping* forward at dangerous velocities. Entering hyperspace inside a star system is dangerously unpredictable. The approaching Lantern is taking a terrible risk by jumping forward in flashing leaps through hyperspace, the sort of travel that is illegal and extremely risky. It stops a few hundred meters away from the ship and the hovering Kryptonians, revealing a humanoid figure clad in black and green.

"<Is Jordon on board?>" The words come across the transponder. "<No, of course he's not. By the Light!>" he spits. "<What are you fools doing here?>" The speaker wears the distinctive colors of the Green Lantern Corps, his pink skin and high forehead quite distinctive looking.

"<Nevermind that. I'm Thaal,>" he explains. "<Listen to me. Hal is a friend. You need to surrender before the guns come out,>" Thaal explains. Real worry edges his voice. "<Please. Power down your weapons and agree to parlay,>" he begs. "<Protective custody is preferable to being atomized, and the Guardians absolutely can and will do whatever it takes do destroy this ship. You do not understand how much firepower you are facing here. We don't need to turn this into a battleground.>"

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara cannot help but fume. She knows she shouldn't, but she's never been referred to as a war crime before. She taps in to the group communications too with her league-comms since Clark has already done the hard work there, "Yes.. look us up!" she insists with Karen even as her mind goes back to the first time she met Hal Jordan. After a large battle with Brainiac's forces, she found him floating in space - unconscious. She saved him. And that was the start of their friendship.

    She hadn't even realised she was floating off of the floor as she slowly forces her hands to unclench. Sinestro? she ponders as she hears that voice and looks around the room. Dare they surrender. "I'm not a war crime," she says with annoyance, though she can't help but keep watching that young man in Kal's arms.

    "And according to your stupid laws we are the weapons. We can't power ourselves down. Princess Maxima will not shoot, she gave me her word. If only came here for answers about our home world. Krypton. You're meant to be.. the bastion of righteousness and you greet us this way.. what could we have possibly done to deserve this? The Kryptonian Hegemony was... so.. SO long ago."

    The light in her eyes fades as she places her feet back on the ground. "Oa must know what happened to Krypton.. how it.. how it was destroyed." Still an extremely sore topic of conversation for her as it still only happened about two years ago. It's extremely fresh in her mind. "And by the light of rao I swear if you fire on these good people who brought us out here I will never.. never forgive you."

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman has a child in his arms. A child wearing his symbol. It hasn't taken the fight out of him, but, well, a kid who looks like him and is wearing his cape and his shirt is in his arms, looking hurt.

Superman briefly considers destroying this army of tiny men with their tiny guns. The sun gleams against Clark's visor, briefly making him look strange, harsh, a different sort of larger than life than Superman usually acts.

"The child needs medical attention." Superman tells Sinestro, "If your bosses will help him out, and back off of Almerac, I'll go with you and answer their questions."

Superman holds his hand out, looking Sinestro dead in the eye. "And if I don't like what I hear, I'll leave. Deal?"

Maxima has posed:
Maxima watches the single green spark blip forward as she floats within the void of space. It is foolish on so many levels, not the least of which because she has previously ordered the entire arsenal of her ship's weapons to fire on anything coming into range. And yet, perhaps it is a result of her time on Earth and seeing such foolishness many times from its 'heroes' that bring about her next words. <<Computer, modify previous order. Do not fire on this one approaching alone.>>

She watches Sinestro come, her warship looming behind her, a shield of powerful psychic energy shimmering around her body. To her credit, she does at least listen before her anger begins to peak again, <And you clearly do not understand Almeracian warriors despite your ring Thaal. Now, please listen because I am /really/ tired of repeating myself, normally I don't do it at all, but I made a promise to someone.> She's seething, it's like that calm tone your Mom uses when you're about to be grounded forever, <We came under a banner of Truce, we were not the first to draw weapons. There is no protective custody, we will parlay under the ordinaces intergalactic law. You cannot shout war crimes selectively while throwing away the rest. We wish to come and talk, you have all of your guns here anyway, but if anyone fires by the old gods there will be hell to pay and you will be the victors of nothing but ashes!>

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen actually departs the ship as soon as Sinestro starts blazing towards it, properly making her way to parlay with the others.

    Let it be known, for those in the know, that Karen considers it lucky that she had to save Scott's life not long ago from the menacing Peaceful Eels That You Get Stuck To If You Pet Them. It helped her think about the fact that outside of the spacesuit, she doesn't have air to use to speak. As such, she taps her gauntlet and the suit she'd put together for herself projects itself over her form, cinching in and providing her with the ability to speak despite that she doesn't need its life support functions, this time.

    Over the frequency that Thaal is using to talk to them, her voice alights. Her tone is stern, and she clearly isn't about to back down- even if she's somewhat less furious than Maxima may be, at least outwardly.

    <"We aren't going to arrive in chains for the crime of existing. Krypton is dead. The Kryptonian Hegemony dead for far longer. We've done nothing wrong except for /exist,/ and I will be long dead before I let my family be arrested for continuing to live. If that's going to be a problem, I caution again- we came in peace. We're here to talk. I don't know how much you know, but that just means you have no idea the kind of firepower /you're/ facing here. Please. We just want to talk.">

    There is some level of... Finality to her statement. She's said please /three times./ She isn't going to beg for the right to continue living without it being illegal in the eyes of the Lanterns. It's probably the best anyone's going to get.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon's skin started to absorb the rays from the yellow sun of Sto-Oa. Now that he's out of the Phantom Zone, his body can drink in the light.

  The boy in Clark's arms shows signs of life, at least for a moment, hearing Clark and Sinestro talking, he opens one eye slightly, the one next to Clark, trying not to give away his return to consciousness, at least to Sinestro. Sounds like we're in some serious sh-tuff.

Chaucer (27) has posed:
Thaal licks his lips, looks over his shoulder. He looks back to the Kryptonians, then at the occupants of the Almeracian ship. The pitiful form cradled in Superman's arms gets a sympathetic look.

"<I'm going to be in a world of hurt for breaking ranks already,>" he advises them. "<I'm doing this because I owe Hal more than once for saving my life. I'll take my comeuppance from the Guardians, and I'll do it gladly. But you need to either surrender or *run*,>" he stresses. "<The Guardians have long memories. It doesn't matter how long ago it was to *you*. They don't forgive and forget.>"

A hand gestures at Superman, and shackles of green light-- open and unoccupied-- manifest in arm's reach. "<Surrender to my custody and I'll do my best to ensure you're treated fairly. Maybe we can even set some of this to rest. It sounds like you've got some questions of your own.>"

"<But you cannot take on this entire defense fleet,>" he advises them. "<Not even with the Almeracian and the Terrans on board.>"

Thaal looks to the ship, then at the last children of Krypton. "<You don't have long to decide.>"

Kara Danvers has posed:
    It was high time that Kara joined them outside the of the ship. She touches the bracelet around her wrist, but doesn't activate it yet. She exits through the airlock and floats out to be side by side with her family. Silently watching as Thaal offers her cousin glowing green handcuffs.

    The gaul to suggest her cousin should surrender himself in to their custody! She was asked to protect her young cousin by her family, and she sure as heck wasn't going to let these people harm him. She watched the video footage of attacks against Superman as part of her acclimation on Earth.. he died for that planet, and eventually came back to them too.

    Her eyes begin to glow red again and her hands clench in to fists. This insult is too much for her, even though she knows it is not her decision to make. A sudden and intense lance of red head sweeps out through the dark of space and slices through his green apparition. Her hand touches the bracelet again and her suit appears in place around her.

    "Unacceptable! We come here with open hearts and hopes of answers and instead are met with threats of violence." And after she made Maxima promise not to shoot first too, "You will talk to us as equals, peacefully, or not at all!"

    Whoops, there's some of that Kryptonian societal hubris coming through. It haunts her momentarily as she remembers her mother making a similar declaration to Zod during the brief civil war before Krypton was destroyed. She takes in a long.. deep.. breath.. she should not speak on behalf of her cousin, that is impolite.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman looks at the shackles, and the child in his arms, and the shackles again, as if to say 'are you kidding me'?

"Nah." Superman says, floating up to hand the kid over to Kara. "Hey, both of you take care of him, okay? Something's going on here. I'm going to have a word. Get out of here if they actually start shooting, this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."

Clark grins at Kara's show of temper because he really does agree, but he thinks he has a better idea. This is known, in history, as a 'fifty fifty shot'.

"I surrender." Superman says, and just starts flying past Sinestro. "To your custody. And accordingly, you'll take me to your leader." There has, Clark thinks, to be at least one Guardian willing to listen. Jordan wouldn't be in this racket if they were all maniacs.

Not waiting for an answer, figuring he has a real actual wizard in his pocket if things get really crazy, Clark starts flying towards the surface. His logic is this: he's officering the Lanterns a chance to save face without actually committing to anything. If his guess is right about different factions in the Guardains, the ones that looked the other way to let Sinestro out'll look the other way again, seeing him as an opportunity instead of a threat.

And if not, there's always Karen.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima continues to seethe, Almeracian Honor is truly something to behold in that it can even manage to chain her anger it would seem, though its limits are being tested by the moment. <I do not wish to assault your homeworld Thaal, though I will protect those who I have placed under my protection. Should harm come to me, you /know/ the response that will be demanded by the Throneworld of Almeracia, nobody escapes unscathed. Now, the Kryptonians no matter how much you Guardians may with to other them into faceless entities are people and will make their own decisions. So, meet with them as equals, pretend the lanterns actually believe that speach that they always shout, or don't. But if you can't even honor a banner of truce and other basics of diplomacy, never pretend to have the moral high ground again and if a Lantern so much as sets foot anywhere near Almeracian space, the consequences will be grave. Do I make myself clear?>

Maxima then looks between the Kryptonians, Clark included, "Do we stay or do we go?"

Karen Starr has posed:
    Immediately, Karen's response is to place a hand on Clark's shoulder. "No." she states, firmly. "Maxima can put him in the medbay, and he can join us on Oa when he wakes up- whoever he is. If he's wearing the symbol he's family until proven otherwise, but right now he needs medical attention and a yellow sun."

    She floats quietly around to Superman's side. "The Oans clearly don't like any of us, but they probably like Maxima the least. She doesn't have anything personal in this, so it just makes sense that she should hold back anyways. That means we all go together or not at all. There's no other way." At least not in her mind.

    Then, she turns to Sinestro. "And /not/ in /chains./ That's the end of that discussion. They hopefully won't fire on you if you're escorting us. We just want an audience, and then we'll leave. That's all we want."

Jon Kent has posed:
     Once Jon is passed to Kara, he opens the other eye, out of the view of Sinestro and hopefully the other green lanterns.

  Seeing Kara's face he looks a little confused, with Clark's space visor, it was hard to see his features, but Kara's face, so familiar, and yet not. He definitely looks confused now, among everything going on at the moment.

Chaucer (27) has posed:
Thaal puts his face in his hands wearily. "<Blackest Night, will you /please/ calm yourself?>" he begs of Maxima. He seems sincerely more concerned for the redheaded princess than for the potential fate of his fellow Lanterns.

He looks mute appeal at the Kryptonians, hands spread in desperation. "<No chains. Agreed. But stay slow, don't use any of your crazy mind-melting beam... things, and try not to look like you're spoiling for a fight.>" Thaal zips fifty meters laterally, and beckons the Kryptonians to follow. "<The Guardians are only worried about the Kryptonians. Everyone else, you should probably go home. Get out of Guardian-controlled territory at a minimum. I'll... try to work something out so you're at least not considered accessories to a war crime.>"

Thaal Sinestro starts flying towards the approaching armada, with a look of *extreme* trepidation on his alien features as he puts himself directly between the legion of Lanterns and the approaching Kryptonians.

"<Jordan, you are gonna owe me big for this,>" Thaal mutters.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Putting Jon in to her arms does, indeed, quench her anger. Not all of it, but enough. A very smart move by Kal-El. She smiles down at the stranger. He looks familiar, but not too familiar. He looks like family. "tul gem :bysh," (hold on friend) she says as Jon pries one eye open.

    There is not much to do with it, with this young man in her arms who is family, but she doesn't know it yet. The symbol on his chest means she assumes he is - or an ally of family. She takes him back in to the ship and says, "He needs rest and medical and lots of that sunlight. We must go with the Lantern to Oa.. we will be back as soon as we can." And to Jon she says, "nim khap w otem" (I will return) She smiles to the kid and then heads back out in to space.

    She floats over and furrows her eyebrows, "Very well. As much as I think this is a bad idea, I am with you sojehb, ie" (cousin, sister). She flies with Sinestro, though she doesn't look happy about it. She tries her best to not look like she's about to brightburn any of the other lanterns.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima looks in Karen's direction for a moment, "I gave my word that I would see safely to the end of this pilgrimage, that has not changed." The other side of Almeracian Honor, it is binding even when not so convenient, "I will wait here for the time being, but I am not going anywhere." The brilliant light show of coruscating psychic energy around her fades out for now however.

The redheaded warrior princess looks pointedly in Thaal's direction feeling the contour edges of his mind and intent, "I will be in touch."

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon stands up once they are on Maxima's ship. As Kara drops him off and assures him she will return, the teenager looks a bit more confused before responding. "ta...ta-nahn tiv d-dhruzh?" (Wh...Where is the bathroom?) Okay, so clearly he knows SOME Kryptonian. But he probably didn't mean to say that. He stumbles through it like a high schooler trying to recite for a foreign language teacher.

  Since it seems she and the rest have business on Oa, Jon just stuffs his hands into the pockets of his sweater, and turns to the nearest person. "Excuse me...umm, was that Supergirl?" He asks in plain English. His color was coming back to his skin, and he was starting turn the corner, health-wise now that he was awake and not in a parallel dimension prison. "And why are the Green Lanterns calling dad a war crime?"