Owner	Pose
Santolouco	The Utrom Empire has problems. Since the Triceraton revolt, many of the planets they control have attempted revolutions. It's training their resources quickly. Utromium, a unique element found only on their planet, is quickly being used to combat the problem. But the resources of only one planet is not enough to hold all of their planets. The planet Neutrino has become one such planet that's taken advantage of the shift in power.     They were being held by a large garrison, which has recently disembarked, leaving the Utroms without much manpower to defend itself. Still, they aren't without weapons. They aren't too different than many other advanced civilizations in their general weaponry, though. It's a wonder that the Lantern Corp didn't intervene long ago.     Even with the current loss of the Triceratons, the Corp still hasn't issued any orders to restore freedom to any of the planets the Utroms hold, perhaps a little out of character for them, leaving the systems to fight for their own freedom, or wait to see if a galactic congress will favor them.
John Stewart	The general mandate for the Green Lantern Corps is to preserve life and keep the galaxy from spiraling out of control. Without an opportunity like this, it would take far more resources than would be feasible to really break such a hold. Still, the news had been a thing for days... and his sector was quiet for now, so John has time to scout and check out what is actually going on in the region. The Lantern for the sector is probably busy... and as John exits from hyperspace on the edge of the Empire, he immediately starts to head in system, reaching out with his ring to see if this sector has any active Green Lanterns. <<This is Green Lantern Stewart. Is anyone out there?>> The mental message is broadcast to the sector, even as John approaches Neutrino, scanning with his own senses and that of his ring, making no attempt at hiding his signature as the field around him shines brightly.
Santolouco	Oddly enough, though, this sector's Lantern doesn't even respond. Of course, he or she never did anything to stop the invasion, either. Now the entire sector has gone from a throttled empire to a powderkeg in the passage of only a few days. Over the planet, an Utrom warship hovers, only one. It's massive cannons precisely orient, focus, and erupt with a blue pulse of plasma, releasing it to the surface below. Another. And another. An orbital bombardment. As the pulse reaches the atmosphere, the clouds whisp away from it, and the impact can be viewed even from space, however far and small it looks at this distance. It's hitting some sort of shield. Maps indicate that it's the former palace of the Neutrino royalty.
John Stewart	Troubling, but something to deal with later. Chances are whoever is out here is captured or in on it. Sinestro was a hard lesson for the entire Corps; a lesson in blind faith. For now, he has a a warship to deal with. He flies right up to the bridge of the ship and aims his ring at it. His comm ping interfaces with the warship, hailing the ship formally.
Santolouco	Before John can even make an announcement, the ship responds. "Green Lantern, will you assist us in the subduing of the rebel forces on Neutrino?" The voice is Utromium. "This is Commander Raagk. The Neutrino forces are proving difficult for us to deal with in our current power level. We do not wish to cause more death on this planet than necessary in restoring order."     That's right, the attackers are asking for help.     The area, according to records, hasn't actually had a Green Lantern in over a century, primarily because the Utroms had expressly declared that the Corp has no authority in their sector, and they had the power to back it up. The last time a Lantern interfered, it was a very short resistance. Corp records show that the Utroms actually have a weapon capable of nullifying the rings powers, though for how long is unknown. Every time it's been used, the Lantern was dead within minutes. It's suspected that use of their Utromium is involved in whatever weapon they have capabale of such a thing.     The planet itself has always been a hotbed of contention. Captured only 12 years ago, Neutrino was the last holdout in the sector against the Utroms, clearly having the ingenuity to keep one of the most powerful forces in the galaxy at bay on their own for centuries. However, Quanin, the most recent warlord of the Utroms, removed honorable combat from the races fighting tactics, and introduced biological terroristic strategies to finally subdue the Neutrinos. Quanin currently still reigns over the Utroms, his exact position is unknown.
John Stewart	Well, that settles that. Time to see if that nullification still works. Scanning the warship, John flies away from the bridge... and around to where there are few weapons to deal with. Then, he aims for the warship and start firing anti-ship torpedo constructs right at it. Time to see if their shielding technology has advanced enough to withstand him.
Santolouco	The Utroms are caught unaware, and as the torpedoes close in, their bombardment of the planet halts. They begin redirecting the energy toward their shields, not having needed them a moment ago.     "Green Lantern Stewart!" The voice of Raagk comes over the line. "This is Commander Raagk, you are firing on a legal authority of the Neutrino system! Cease your hostilities at once and surrender!"     The first torpedo explodes on the rear quarter of the ship, the shields have not yet allocated to handle the impact, and the first implosion can visibly be seen to warp the hull. The second strikes as well, and th spray of freezing oxygen can be seen exiting a crack in th ehull where the ship has been damaged.     However, the third and fourth constructs strike the shields first, their flash of defense seen as the torpedoes are deflected, the large ship rotating.     "If you do not surrender immediately, you will be fired upon!" the commander growls angrily.
John Stewart	"The Green Lantern Corps has no official treaty with your Empire, and has no formal diplomatic status with your Empire..Let's see if your bite has teeth." John replies, coldly, before he suddenly flares with Green energy and starts flying around the ship. He's like a very small interceptor... with the firepower of a battleship. Concussive blasts, green lasers and anti-ship torpedo constructs start firing from the hostile Green Lanterns ring as he zooms around the ship, probing for weaknesses. "You've never been interested in cooperation before, why would that change now? I owe you and your Empire no favors." On anyone else, that last would come out as a sneer... For John, this is just standing up to a bully who he couldn't touch before. Time to see if they can take him on without their anti-ring weapon.
Santolouco	"Then it is WAR!" Raagk shrieks back over the comm. "It is one thing to decline to involve yourself, but you are aiding a terrorist organization within our empire! You'll die just as they will!"     As the shields absorb the impact of the lasers and torpedoes, they seem to be holding for the moment. Utrom engineering is not known for being second rate. Suddenly a spray of chaffing rounds bursts like a fan across the side of the ship, bursting all about where John's small target is tracking.
John Stewart	Reaching out his ring, John focuses for a moment... and a massive radial concussive wave fires towards the chaff to clear it up. He knows ahat they're doing, he's done it himself when he was in the marines; confuse and blind so you can buy time to reposition. Still, he can't stand still with their power, and he continues to fly around them... like an annoying insect. "The rest of my colleagues seems too afraid to test if you can disable their rings. I'm not." He flies right up to their bridge, green eyes looking directly at it, "Why, you want to talk now?" His ring aims for the bridge as he charges a /massive/ torpedo, "or are you gonna still pretend you have authority over me?"
Santolouco	Through the windows of the bridge, the slimy brain-like creatures known as utroms can be seen screaming at each other furiously. The torpedo is incoming, and surely will end the ship in its entirety if it's able to hit.     But that never happens. The green construct suddenly dissolves into nothing, as if reaching the edge of existence as it is only a hundred yards from the bridge. It's just...gone.     The utroms inside look to be exceedingly relieved, and the commander rolls forward on his chair to look out at John directly. "You were saying, Lantern?" he asks.
John Stewart	"I see a limited range shield that you may or may not be able up keep up with, or you would have tried that on me directly. Nice bluff, Captain." John starts flying around the ship again. Attrition it is. "I never did like bullies, and your Empire are one of the worst." Meanwhile, John mentally talks to his ring, <<Ring, find me their target and establish contact while I keep them distracted.>> He states as he fires a laser or two at the ship from flanking angles.
Santolouco	Previously, the shields had taken the damage, clearly registering the hit, but now? The lasers simply disappear into that unknown void. There's no more banter from within the ship, it just sits there for a moment, allowing the hopeless attacks to prove ineffectual. The base of the ship juts out a launcher at once, and it blazes to life, a rather large torpedo exiting, firing down out of the ship. It begins a curve, on its way back toward John!
John Stewart	So, it's a shield. Scaling back the technology? That's an important bit of intel. This trip was not fruitless. Still, the ring needs time to find anyone planetside to talk to. That torpedo? He fires a concussive blast at it, testing if it is equipped with the shielding technology from a safe distance... If it is, his time learning evasion with his mentors is about to pay off...
Santolouco	The torpedo, as it gets closer, seems to be...not quite a torpedo. It's a casket, spiraling toward John. The attacks seem to have the same challenge against the small casket that they did against the ship.     "Green Lantern John Stewart," Raagk chuckles. "You are hereby under arrest. I'm sure a prisoner of the Lantern Corp will ensure us no further trouble from your nosey compatriots until our regions are once again secure." As the casket continues to close, it suddenly blossoms like a flower, and a crackle of electricity starts to charge from it.
John Stewart	So, localized nullfication field. That's not in the database, but useful. Of course, it's coming right for him... and John has no intention of getting trapped by that thing. So, he does the only thing he can; he turns into an emerald comet as he activates his subspace field and starts to fly across the system, trying to lose the 'casket'. Can't just open a wormhole this close to the planet, or he'll tear the natural forces of the system apart. Gotta get to the edge of the system...
Santolouco	The casket follows, and as John attempts his escape, a pulse blasts from the device, nullifying his ring. He is nothing more than a man with a ring. And no space suit. The coldness of space's vacuum starts to pull, but only for a split instant as the casket catches up, enclosing him and repressurizing.     The casket turns, heading back toward the ship, John's impending imprisonment ensured.     A burst of light from the planet below suddenly beams a yellow streak through part of the ship. It slides laterally across it, shredding the massive warship like a knife through hot butter, leaving a massive gouge. The warship lists, clearly adrift as large portions of it wrench free. A large piece of scrap slams into the casket, and the view begins to spin. A klaxon sounds inside the casket, unknown lettering in Utrom bursting a warning across the control panel.     The pod continues to spiral down, toward the Neutrino homeworld below...