Yue

 21st August

22:32 GMT

Right. I look away from my ring and toward Dox. "Would you mind if I answered this? I doubt that the Guardians would lift their communications ban if it wasn't important."

"You detailed your personal relationship with Lantern Gardner at length in your reports, along with your recommendation that we do everything reasonable to maintain a cordial relationship with the Green Lantern Corps. Answer him."

Okay. First time I've spoken to someone from Earth -aside from Adam Blake- in over a month… "Answer."

An image of Guy's… Chest and part of his leg appear over my ring. "…probably not even gunna-."

"Guy?"

The image from my ring blurs for a moment as Guy moves it in front of his face. "Paul! How's it goin'?"

"Pretty well, all things considered. You?"

"Couldn't be better. Hey, ah, Green Man told me about what you did in Vega."

Ahhh. "Which.. bit in particular?"

"Where you took down the Citadel, freed a bunch a' slaves and negotiated a peace treaty between alla the pirate groups. And Medphyll told me about that Dominator prison you broke open. Good stuff."

"Oh. Yes. Um, the Citadel was really a team thing, but… Yes, I was involved in all of that."

"What, you got a new team now?"

"… Yes. Guy, as much as I'd love a chat I'm.. sort of in the middle of a lesson-."

"What, you got someone new t'teach yah stuff?"

"No, I'm teaching a class of Orange Lanterns. It's.. not really something I can offload… Since I'm the only one who's really got any experience…"

"Oh. Yeah. Ah, listen, I kinda gotta talk to yah in person. Think we can meet up?"

"Sure. I'm a few systems away from Maltus right now. I'm still warded, but the other Lanterns aren't. You should be able to find us easily enough."

"What, you think I'm faster than you?"

"I assumed that the Green Lantern Corps kept you around for some reason. Why, where are you?"

"I'm in the Sector House in One Four One Six."

Never been, haven't planned to. Quick check where the class are… "Guy, I haven't got time to get to you, have a chat and then make it back here by the time I have to carry on teaching. On the other hand, you can fly here while I finish the class and we can talk then. That'll be quicker."

Guy looks away for a moment, his head sort of wiggling back and forth as he considers the matter. "There anyone there with you right now?"

"Yes. Vril Dox the Second."

Guy clenches his eyes slightly. "You know he's a clone of Vril Dox the First, right? The guy who took over his homeworld, turned everyone into bio-robots before deciding that they were crimping his style and flyin' off to steal cities?"

Dox's face is pretty impassive. My own is forming a rictus grin. "You know Kon-El is half a clone of Lex Luthor, right?"

"That ain't the same thing. He didn't bring him up, an' Wondy-."

"And you're half Roland Gardner. And he brought you up."

Guy's face hardens. "Low blow, Paul."

"You're insulting a colleague of mine who's standing right next to me. If he starts collecting cities I'll be sure to have a word with him about it."

"Alright, fine." His face becomes more serious. Professional. "Where exactly have you been recruitin'?"

"I've had an eye out for potential Orange Lanterns everywhere I go. I even offered Jack Chance a ring."

"You wh-?" His face grows larger as he pulls his ring closer and stabs his left forefinger towards my point of view. "Okay, new rule: no stealin' our guys."

"Why, are they indentured or something? I thought that a Green Lantern could give up their ring whenever they wanted?"

"No, I'm tellin' you not to do it because it's a dick move."

"Fine. I won't offer rings to any more currently serving Green Lanterns. Happy?"

"Not particularly. You been recruiting in One Four One Seven?"

Why would.. he have a problem with that? Not like the Green Lantern Corps are welcome on Korugar. "I've… Sort of. Why would that matter to you?"

"What, you didn't think having a Green Lantern and an Orange Lantern comin' from the same planet might be a problem?"

"Under the circumstances, no. Not really. Not unless Lantern Tui's banishment sentence has been rescinded. And I haven't-."

Guy frowns in bewilderment. "Katma doesn't like your guy anymore than I do, but what's that got to do with-?"

"'Guy'?"

"What?"

"No, not Guy. 'Guy'." He blinks, his head tilted slightly to the side. "You said 'my guy'. I'm trying to recruit a Korugarian woman, Doctor Soranik Natu. And I haven't recruited her yet. Given how.. the Korugarians feel about power rings I was trying to build up to it. What guy?"

"Prince Ragnar of Betrassus."

"Who?"

"He's flyin' around this Sector with an orange power ring. You sure there ain't somethin' you wanna tell me?"

"Guy, we've only just started making personal lanterns. We've only got four Controllers hooked up to our Central Power Battery. I'd like to move to a Sector Lantern system eventually, but that's not going to be for years yet."

"So who else is givin' out orange power rings?"

"Ah. The Qwardians, maybe? But.. it's more likely that he picked up one of the ones I called from Larfleeze's cave. I still don't know how many of those there were."

He frowns. "You haven't tracked them down yet?"

"It was… Fourth on my to-do list?"

Guy looks decidedly unimpressed. "Well when yer finished with yer class, get over here. You've got a mess t' clean up."