by Starsky Hutch 76
Tur-Thol was barely conscious of the Director of Agriculture’s words as the two of them walked down a sidewalk on the main street of New Vathlo. He was far too worried about his daughter. He had seen the news holo-vids where the new Green Lantern had fought the invaders. She had been wearing a mask, but he recognized his own daughter when he saw her.
The two stopped when an aircraft began to descend in front of them. It bore the easily recognizable insignia of Superman. The Man of Steel himself and Valura Tur-Thol stepped out of the aircraft and approached them.
The white-haired, scholarly looking black man stared at his daughter in amazement and said her name, “Valura?” as if to make sure it was really her in the Green Lantern uniform.
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “Yes, it’s really me, father.”
“Have you finally come home to me?” he asked.
“I — I have to go away again, father,” she said. “For just a little while.”
“But why?!” he exclaimed. “I was so worried about you,” he said, almost pleadingly.
“I know,” she said. “But I have been given a responsibility.”
“But you’re so young…”
“I was younger than her when I first started,” Superman said.
“That’s different,” Tur-Thol started.
“I’ve seen the same heroic qualities in her as in the many heroes I’ve fought alongside and have had the pleasure of calling my friends,” Superman said. “I owe her my life. If not for her bravery, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you now.”
Tur-Thol stared at his daughter in amazement. “I always knew she was special,” he said hoarsely.
“This is my chance to do be able to help our society — to do something meaningful,” said Valura. “Just like you do. I just want to make you proud.”
“You do,” he said. “You always have. You don’t have to risk your life to do that. I just don’t want you to get hurt. If anything ever happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do. You’re all I have left in the world.”
“With your permission, I’d like to introduce her to Earth’s Green Lantern as well as many other seasoned veterans of the Green Lantern Corps,” Superman said. “She can benefit from their knowledge and develop her considerable potential. It might help put your mind at ease if you knew she was the best at using that ring that she could be.”
“When does a father ever stop worrying, Kal-El?” Tur-Thol said.
“Never,” Superman nodded. “I have a little girl at home now, so I’m coming to understand that.”
“Kara Zor-El’s daughter, yes. That is more reassurance to me than any Green Lantern Corps could have given me,” Tur-Thol said. “I trust, then, that you will look after her as if she were your own.”
“You have my word on that,” Superman said.
Tur-Thol watched as the odd-looking aircraft rose into the air until it finally disappeared from sight. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop worrying until she set foot once again on New Vathlo Island. Would he be able to even then, considering the new path in life that she had chosen for herself?
The End