Alien Starlight Prelude

Prelude

“German whiskey?”

The woman looked up from the clear orange liquid in her heavy glass, blinking slowly, not turning to face whoever had spoken to her.  She had made it more than clear to the bartender that she wanted to be left alone, hence her request for the seat at the end of the bar.  Evidently she hadn't been concise enough.

“Sometimes you just have to forget things.” She said slowly, trying to avoid slurring her English.  “Sometimes you're not able to when you want to.  The whiskey helps.”

“Really?”

She finally turned her head a little, lifting her eyes to see who was addressing her.  It was a stranger, a young man she didn't recognize, and his features appeared to be unremarkable in the sickly lighting of the bar.  She frowned in mild annoyance, setting the glass down heavily.  This wasn't exactly what she wanted to spend her night doing, having to deflect some younger guy trying to pick her up at a bar.  But he was a civilian, from what she could tell, and that meant no unnecessary violence.

“I'm not interested in strangers.” She muttered.  “Or younger men.”

“Heh, I'm—I'm not trying to pick you up.” He chuckled nervously, holding up his hands.

“Do you say that to all the girls you meet in bars?” She asked, raising her eyebrows.

“No, I...heh, I'm seriously not trying to pick you up.  I just wanted to talk to you.” He answered.  “I mean...you're her, aren't you?”

She looked away, staring at a spot on the wall on the other side of the counter, focusing on nothing in particular and lifted the glass to her lips again, swirling the whiskey in it idly.

“You're the Blue Lantern.” He added, a hopeful note in his voice.  A muscle twitched down in her jaw in irritation; even outside of her uniform, the presence of her ring and her emotional aura still ignited hope in those nearby.  But what was most irritating was that this complete stranger knew who she was.  She knew that it was an inevitable side effect of not hiding her identity when in uniform, but still, it was a little unnerving.

“I am Basir Nuriyah, the Blue Lantern of Earth.” She declared, her voice dry and toneless.  “Who wants to know?”

“Oh, I'm not anyone important...” The man said quickly.  “Just a fan.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes.

“I'm serious!”

“Why don't you go find Booster Gold if you want an autograph?” She said, letting out a mirthless chuckle.  “I'm sure he would love an ego boost.”

“Who's Booster Gold?” He asked, making a face.

Nuriyah rolled her eyes again and began to rise from her stool.

“No-no-no, wait!” The young man said frantically, flapping his hands to get her to sit back down.  “Please, don't go!  I didn't mean to offend you, and I'm not here for an autograph!  I just want to talk, really!  I mean...it's not every day that I get to talk to one of my heroes in person.”

The tall Arabian woman paused, narrowing her eyes at him.  If there was one thing that both John Stewart and Brother Razer had taught her, it was that sometimes trusting your suspicions could save your life.  And while she could not pinpoint what about this situation was particularly dangerous or unwanted, she did not trust simply sitting around and talking to a complete stranger like this boy.  Still...he appeared genuine in his desire to just talk to her.  And Saint Walker had always encouraged compassion toward others where John had recommended caution.  Carefully, she slid back onto her stool, looking him in the eyes.

“What were you wanting to talk about, then?” She asked coolly.

“I wanted to know what it's like!” He said in a low, excited whisper.  “You know, to be chosen by your ring and to get to fight crime and become a superhero!”

Her lips pressed into a thin, unimpressed line.

“You want tales of glory, valor, and adventure.” She stated.

“Come on, you've got to have a few stories to share!” He said excitedly.  “I've got time to kill, and I'd love to hear about some of your fights!  You're part of the Lantern Corps, you've been trained by the Justice League, and you were a part of the Teen Titans!!  There's no way you don't have a story or two.  I can even buy you a refill of your whiskey if you want!”

Nuriyah bared her teeth for a second as she made a short, dry chuckle.

“That answers my question, I suppose.” She said, shaking her head slowly.

“Your question?” He echoed, before it seemed to dawn on him.  “Oh, right, right!  Sorry, stupid of me.  Yeah, glory and valor and all that!  I mean, I see stories on the news all the time about how different members of the Justice League has helped the world and saved people and stopped supervillains.  But you know, it's not really the same as hearing about it firsthand from one of your favorite heroes.”

Nuriyah had been fishing for her power ring in her pocket and slipped it onto her finger as he finished speaking.  At that moment, she cracked both hands down hard on the counter as her outfit shifted to her blue and black Lantern uniform, and a wave of blue energy pulsed through the entire bar.  Only the young man seemed to see it, but the effect of the wave of her emotional aura touched everyone present.  The other customers, both the regulars and newcomers, all seemed to perk up a bit.  They started smiling more, sitting straighter, and the snatches of conversation around the bar became happier and more light-hearted.  The young man looked around, his mouth falling open in amazement.  He slowly turned back and looked at Nuriyah, leaning back when he saw her eyes turning fully blue-white, pulsing with the same energy as her ring.

“If you are looking for stories of heroics and adventure like you are hoping to find, you had best either find a different hero or go read a book.” She said in a low, angry voice.  “My life is not the sort of epic tale you are familiar with from fantasy books.  There is always a price to pay, sacrifices to be made, to walk the path of hope.  My life is not glamorous or filled with heroics and glory.  It has been harder than you could possibly think, thanks to this ring and rank.  I have watched friends and family, loved ones, all die in my arms painful, horrible deaths and I have had to bury them.  I have made powerful enemies, and even now, one of them is still out there, seeking my spilled blood at any cost, and he will kill everyone who gets close to me in an attempt to break my spirit and shatter my hope.  I can no longer afford to allow loved ones close to me if I want them to live, and there are more deaths left behind in my wake than I can bear to carry upon my soul.”

She leaned in quite close to him, the blue-white energy around her eyes threatening to blind him.

“I am Blue Lantern Nuriyah of Earth.  Are you sure you still want to hear my story?”