The Vega system had only known war. When that is all one knows, what is peace?
There was a loud clap. One that could literally be heard over continents. Like the many days before, which had merged into months which had merged into years, the Citadel attack upon the Euphorix planetary shield continued loudly for all those living beneath its scientific power. There was not a generation alive that remembered the day when the attack did not occur. The Euphorixians had known the presence of the Citadel for as long as they had breathed the very air which coursed through their lungs. It was the storm they could not escape. The sound of their thunderous attacks continued from the distance, yet another sound could be heard in the midst. The sound was faint, but grew louder if one concentrated on it.
They were the Magi, the priests and sages dedicated to the liturgy of Omega. As it was written, their chants to Omega resonated loudly. The fragrance of their presence extended high into the atmosphere. Their purple garb formed a sea of purple and gold which moved toward the shores which was the Temple of Lamentations. None, not even the Magi, had stepped foot upon the grounds for it was Holy. A construct which lasted the time itself. They dared not step foot on such land, for they separated wide to reveal one person draped in white and crimson. She was now their only hope. She was Kalista.
From the moment she had opened her eyes, all Kalista knew was Omega, the end of everything. She was born of royal lineage, a princess to the planetary kingdom Euphorix. Her parents looked upon her with joy in their heart as they had been blessed with a child. Her eyes sparkled on the day of her birth, much like the stars above. Too much like the stars above.
Omega had spoken. The High Priest recognized that she was born to be more than a Royal. She was to be the Oracle of Omega. The bridge between that which was and that which was meant to be. It was the way of Omega, the end of all. She had fallen on her knees before Omega, pleading for not only her, but her people and her planet. Her tears would fall heavily upon the Temple grounds, not knowing if Omega would hear her plea. Not knowing if the oppression of her people and planet was of some grand scheme. There had to be more. There had to be an end to days she had lived.
A breeze would originate from the west, a cool breeze which would be noticed by all the Magi gathered below. Kalista would not notice its soft, cool touch as a vision had now come to her like never before. Her eyes would go blank, now seeing which was not before her. She could see Euphoria and all Vega. She would see the Citadel arise out of the darkest nights and and a new hope come for the brightest of days. What seemed like an eternity as her mind traveled the galaxy, would snap back into reality with a gasp for air.
She would gather herself from the vision, contemplating what she had seen. Visions were not foreign to Oracle of Euphorix, but this one was the most intense she had ever saw. It was different, stronger as if it were on her doorstep. She would look over the horizon and notice things that were not there before. Even her touch upon her soft skin was new. Hurrying down to the Magi, the High Priest waited her arrival. They could see it in her eyes that Omega had answered their plea. They knew their prayers had been answered. The end would come.
EARTH
"Hal Jordan!"
He was wondering when he would be officially greeted. Aside from the security upon visiting the airstrip in the middle of nowhere, he found it odd that he saw no one upon his arrival. The facility grounds did not have too many buildings to miss, the flight tower was easily seen upon entering the facility grounds. The main assembly building was wider than all on the grounds and of course there was the hanger. The security guard at the gate told him to go to the assembly building, but the pilot inside his soul redirected him to drive pass the hanger and hopefully catch a glimpse of an aircraft or two. His aviator glasses would stop the look of his widening eyes as they locked upon the lone aircraft in the hanger.
Hal would rise from his car like a kid on Christmas. His eyes locked onto its metallic exterior knowing he was staring at a prototype but one of beautiful design. He would have expected no less from Ferris Aircraft. He knew instantly that it had to be someone with the surname to greet him directly rather than the click of a rifle.
Hearing his own name made the pilot reveal a humored smile. The source was female, one that he was hoping would show at the airstrip. It had been quite a few years so he did not recognize the sound of her voice, but he had an idea of who shouted his name. Hal would turn, locking onto a dark-haired woman with deep blue eyes. The years had passed, but age could not stop Hal from recognizing the same blue eyes he had seen as a teen years ago. There were no more braces. No more N'Sync shirts. Just the look from a now beautiful woman. "Hello, Carol."
Carol returned nothing but a fixed gaze, her arms folded in seriousness. She tried to hold the look but she too was flooded by memories of a young teen boy with his head always in the sky as a smile could be seen from Hal. She had noticed he had added more muscle than she remembered but it was still the same boy. "It seems as if the Air Force treated you good," she shouted from afar.
"It had its moments." He would gesture to the experimental plane now behind him, "They did not treat me this good though. Is this the prototype aircraft you want me to fly?"
She would nod as it was the pinnacle of research at Ferris Aircraft, "You have better options?"
Hal would glance at the plane once more and back to Carol. "I think I can clear my schedule."
Vega System
(Moon of Ogyptu)
The Citadel influence extended to many planets within the Vega system. Many planets flew the flag of the Citadel crest. All that resisted were destroyed. All that submitted were allowed to live under their rule, thus commerce amongst the galaxy heavily favored mobile gathering ports.
The doors of spacecraft opened with a soft hush, revealing a bar with many patrons indulging themselves in front of the two new guests. Smugglers, marauders, thieves many would be labeled by the authorities, but to those that saw Vega for what it was, they were survivors. That is how they knew to spot the one they needed. The person sat alone in the back corner of the room. Their features covered with a cowl. Anonymity was like air, so no one questioned any that entered dressed as such.
The two approached until they hovered over the table. It was cliché, but the position provided the best sight lines in an event of a blaster fight. The female of the two sat immediately at the open seat. Her white fur narrowing down the planet of her origin. While she greeted the mystery person with a smile, her partner was less than pleased as he remained standing as he did not want to expose his back to the other patrons. He would have much preferred to be the one sitting in the corner.
"You going to take a seat?" The person in the hood asked.
"I am the cursed," he would reply instantly.
The hooded person would sit back, silently examining the man. "I am the beggar," she replied as she pushed back her cowl to reveal her orange face. Her hair was white as his feline partner
He would
Earth
(Clay Kendall) (Richard Davis)
"How does it feel, Captain Jordan?"
"May I ask who I am speaking with first?" Hal announced over the com-link.
With a perplexed face, the engineer looked over to his fellow engineers. "Clay, Sir. My name is Clay Kendall. I am one of the chief engineers on the Sentinel design."
"Nice to speak with you, Clay. Do me a favor and just call me Hal though." Hal's gloved hands would caress the throttle in front of him, noticing the exquisite work put into the plane. "I have to ask, Clay. How did Ferris Aircraft do it?"
Clay would feel proud at the implied compliment. It took quite a few days and nights from everyone, but I am glad the Sentinel is to your liking, Hal.
"I was talking about Carol, Clay." Hal said with a chuckle in his voice. "I knew you guys had put in the days and nights once I spotted the plane."
Carol's eyes would roll instantly with her name being referenced. She couldn't see them, but she could feel the eyes of every engineer involved in the Sentinel project lock onto her due to Hal's comments. She was glad somethings never changed, but it was the change in Hal, more specifically the training in Hal that made her recommend him for the project. She would look unfazed by the comment as she entered the conversation. "We can talk about missed opportunities later, Hal. How about you just fly the plane and listen to..." she would look at her lead engineer with a smile, "...listen to Clay with any questions you may have."
Hal smiled, knowing he still had the ability to push the buttons of Carol Ferris. Somethings never change. Somethings never felt so right. "I'm all ears, Clay."
Clay would continue, not wanting to get involved in the obvious history between the two. "Yeah, uhm...the design of the Sentinel should be very familiar with any fighter you flew in the Air Force, Hal. You will notice there are some modifications due to the Sentinel is designed for orbital flight."
"I read that in the briefing. It’s like the Millennium Falcon."
All the engineers would agree at the reference with a smile, "Exactly. The throttle to your right is the orbital thrust to achieve escape velocity and space travel. The green switch is your external dampeners for the Sentinel."
Hal's mind would go over the instructions once in his mind and once again to make sure he would remember it. Orbital thrust on the right. Breaks on the left. I like green."
"Now the external dampeners act like the catapult on an aircraft carrier. It can dampen a lot of force. This way you can achieve escape velocity without the rocket tower, or the fuel needed."
Hal smiled, the jetfighter wondering if the cockpit cameras would reveal what he was thinking. "So, when I press the green button I go fast?"
Unaware of Hal's response, Clay remained fixed on the plane's efficiency. Carl simply opened the mic and responded. "Yes."
With a simple toss of the switch, the locked plane went from a soft idle to supersonic in no time. The sudden force even forced Hal back into the pilot chair. He didn’t think of what to do next. He pulled back on the fighter stick climbing upward in a way he never imagined.
"Are you okay, Hal? Carol asked with a concerned voice.
The immense pull of his gut made him giddy. "Carol, this plane is great. How am I looking on your end?"
There was a small delay only for Carol to speak once more. "Hal? Are you okay?
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