He still wasn’t certain how they had escaped Atrocitus. Something about knowing his daughter’s safety hung in the balance had given him more strength than even the leader of the Red Lanterns could muster. He squeezed the unconscious child a little tighter against him. She was still breathing. Unconscious but with no obvious injuries. His little girl was alive and safe. His little girl IS alive!
He needed a plan. Somewhere safe to go. To hide. That they had made him believe his entire family was dead, that he had believed them, that the Green Lanterns had recruited his child to their war… All of it only fueled the rage that had a grip on his mind. He knew it wasn’t healthy. He should be grateful for the Green Lantern ring that had probably saved Peesh’s life before and was almost certainly the reason she had survived Atrocitus’s attack back there. There was possibility for new life, for a new path now. Knowing his daughter was alive and in his arms had rekindled in him a hope he thought was lost. Things could change. He could change.
He was so focused on his wandering thoughts and the steady rhythm of Peesh’s breathing that he had failed to notice the person snaking up on them. A warning shot of green energy lanced past his shoulder, too close to Peesh for his frayed nerves. He whirled on the new attacker to find a Bolovoxian Green Lantern staring him down, ring held at the ready.
“Put my Rookie down, Red!"
Kilowog was fuming. He had told those thrice damned guardians Peace Walker was too young to go into the field. She was just a child, even by her people’s standards. It was ridiculous and irresponsible. He’d gone to check on her himself – and drag her back to the training hall, Guardians be damned. Instead he’d found the senior lantern that was posted with her dead, clearly a result of a Red Lantern attack, and no sign of Peace anywhere. He’d followed the traces of Red Lantern energy and found a lone one, seeming to wander aimlessly through space, carrying the young Green Lantern. He had no idea what the Red wanted with Peace, but he wasn’t going to let the poozer hurt her further.
He was a little surprised when the Red that turned to face him was one of Peace’s own people. So few had survived the devastation Atrocitus had visited on their homeworld, he couldn’t imagine why one would sign onto the Red Lantern Corp. The damned fool must be out of his mind. He had to get Peace away from him – safely.
"She is MINE, Bolovoxian."
Walker couldn’t tamp down the new wave of anger. First a new attack, and now the Green Lantern was trying to lay claim to his child?! The red energy around him surged again, reflecting off nearby asteroids. He would not lose his daughter a second time.
A movement in his arms caused him to glance down. Peesh stirred, her eyes opening, groggy at first. She focused on him first, her eyes narrowing as if she was trying to make sense of the sight, and then her head turned slowly to take in the Green Lantern he was facing off against.
"Sargent Kilowog…?” Her voice was uncertain, and then something seemed to catch in her eyes. Understanding of the situation perhaps? She squirmed a little in her father’s grasp, turning more fully towards the Green Lantern. “Sargent Kilowog, dont’–”
“It’s gonna be okay Peace.” Kilowog interrupted her. “I gotcha, Baby Girl.”
‘Peace’?! Walker’s fingers tightened over Peesh’s shoulder, suddenly even more furious that not only did the Green Lanterns attempt to steal his daughter away, they also wanted to erase her history, her culture, her very ties to her family?!
“You’ll not erase her name, Green Lantern.” The words were ground out between clenched teeth.
Kilowog started at that reaction. Peace had said she liked nickname the other Green Lantern recruits had given her. She’d been going by it commonly enough now that most of her fellow lanterns didn't remember her real name offhand. For this man to take offense to it, he must have known Peace before– Or he was truly out of his head, and might harm Peace before Kilowog could get to her.
“Okay Moonface, I think maybe we got off to the wrong foot here.” He lifted both hands in what he hoped was a conciliatory gesture. “Just put Peesh down, and we can all talk about this. Nice and peaceful like.”
Walker roared in wordless fury when the Green Lantern further insisted on separating his daughter from him. In a swift movement he shifted Peesh into a one arm carry and put his body between hers and the Green Lantern that would take her. His ring came to life, crimson energy spitting and sparking from his outstretched fist. The Bolovoxian Lantern had a giant hammer construct in hand almost immediately, and the tension thickened as they stood off, floating in the otherwise empty asteroid field.
He didn’t know how to react when Peesh pushed at him, whispering something he couldn’t hear. The next thing he knew she was slipping out of his arm, and his eyes widened with panic. “Peesh!”
Peesh didn’t move far. She wasn’t about to let go of her Father. He’d clearly been through too much, and she couldn’t let anyone hurt him more than he already was. Not even if it was Sargent Kilowog with the best of intentions. She could not imagine what must have occurred to make her Father a Red Lantern or how painful it must have been to lose his tail. She had no doubt of one thing though – Her father wouldn’t hurt her, not ever, but the Sargent didn’t know that.
“NO!” Her voice cracked on the yell, and she felt too small and too childish for this stand, but she would make it.
As she slipped out of her Father’s grasp, she grabbed his wrist in her unadorned hand, making sure he would know she wasn’t going to leave him. With her other hand, she outstretched her fist at Sargent Kilowog, summoning a shield construct between herself and him, making sure her father was behind her.
“Peace, get out of there!”
“No, Sir!” She forced her expression to soften, trying to force the panic and anger aside. “He’s my father, Sargent. He saved me.”
Kilowog’s eyes widened, and he started to lower his construct. “You sure about this, Peace? He’s safe?” Despite the uncertainty in his face, his construct was already shrinking and dissipating.
Peesh tightened her grip on her Father’s wrist. She had thought she would never see him again. She wanted to cry for joy that he was alive. “I’m sure.”
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