Green Lantern #16 : The Secret Life Of Star Sapphire!
Carol Ferris, the managerial head of Ferris Aircraft, takes her plane, Lady Carol, out for a solo flight. Ferris is torn between her love for a test pilot, Hal Jordan, and the Green Lantern. Unbeknownst to Ferris, Jordan is the Green Lantern. Ferris loses consciousness when her plane is forced down by the Zamarons. Upon regaining consciousness, Ferris is informed that, as she greatly resembles Zamaron's dead queen, she has been selected to be their new ruler. Ferris, however, declines to go to Zamaron, out of her love for the Green Lantern. The Zamarons explain their vast superiority over men.
Outfitting Ferris with a royal hunting uniform, and a powerful gemstone, the Zamarons send Ferris out to challenge the Green Lantern, as the Star Sapphire. Worried about the long overdue Ferris, Jordan heads out to search for her, as the Green Lantern. En route to the desert, where Ferris' plane was last seen, the Green Lantern encounters the Star Sapphire. The Star Sapphire challenges the Green Lantern to stop her from committing a robbery. In the skies over Coast City, the Green Lantern battles the Star Sapphire. Unprepared for the sheer magnitude of the Star Sapphire's power, the Green Lantern is repelled backwards, striking his head against a building's outcropping.
Rendered unconscious, the Green Lantern's power ring automatically saves him from suffering a mortal injury. Unconvinced of her superiority, Ferris asks the Zamarons to allow her to face the Green Lantern one last time. The Zamarons telepathically contact the Green Lantern, to lead him into another confrontation with the Star Sapphire. The Star Sapphire commits another faux robbery. As she exits the art gallery, the Green Lantern, laying in wait for her, cages her with a power ring construct. The Star Sapphire merely teleports out of the Green Lantern's cage. Once more, the Green Lantern duels the Star Sapphire, in the skies above Coast City.
The Zamarons broadcast the power of mind-over-matter to the Star Sapphire. Detecting the Zamaron's broadcast signal, the Green Lantern seals the Star Sapphire in a power ring-constructed cube, cutting her off from all outside influences. Drained of power, the Star Sapphire is defeated. The Zamarons teleport the Star Sapphire before them. Having been defeated by a man, Ferris is considered unfit to rule as the Zamaron queen. Ferris is stripped of the powers of the Star Sapphire, and left behind. The Green Lantern locates Ferris, and her plane, in the desert. The Green Lantern also discovers a star sapphire, laying on the ground, not far form Ferris. Despite the overwhelming circumstantial evidence, the Green Lantern never suspects that Ferris was the Star Sapphire.
Earth's First Green Lantern!
The Green Lantern recites his oath, while he charges his power ring. The Green Lantern resumes his civilian identity, that of Hal Jordan, a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft. Jordan's friend, Thomas Kalmaku, an engineer for Ferris Aircraft, stops Jordan from leaving the hangar. Jordan is still wearing his Green Lantern mask. Kalmaku asks why Jordan's predecessor, Abin Sur, did not wear a mask. Kalmaku also asks why Abin Sur was piloting a space ship, when he gave his power ring to Jordan. Wondering the same things, Jordan learned the answers by communicating directly with the power ring.
Abin Sur had been investigating why the civilization on the planet, Athmoora, was still in it's medieval age. On Athmoora, Abin Sur learned of a race of energy creatures, known as Larifars, who drained the "I" Factor, from advanced lifeforms. Without the "I" Factor, the intellectual creativity that leads to the advancement of society is lost, stalling civilizations. Abin Sur tracked the Larifars to the planet, Pendara. After a pitched battle, Abin Sur imprisoned the Larifars in a power-ring constructed bubble, and left them in perpetual orbit around the sun.
A sole Larifar, Balzona, became aware of his "brothers" plight, while preparing to attack the planet, Orlana. Balzona made contact with the Larifars, to learn everything they knew about Abin Sur. Balzona triggered an extinction level threat on Abin Sur's home world, Ungara. After Abin Sur resolved the crisis, Balzona followed Abin Sur to his home. Balzona took possession of Abin Sur. Abin Sur tricked Balzona into believing that the power ring would not have enough power to both journey to the Larifars, and release them. Balzona forced Abin Sur to commandeer a rocket ship.
Unseen by Balzona, Abin Sur grabbed his power battery, visible only to his eyes. To mask the telltale glow of the the power ring being recharged in the power battery, Abin Sur flew the rocket ship into the green radiation belt of the planet, Sirius. With his power ring fully recharged, Abin Sur subdued Balzona. Unfortunately, during their conflict, the rocket ship passed through bands of yellow radiation, emanating from the planet, Earth. Mortally stricken, Abin Sur crash landed on Earth, and chose his successor, Jordan, just before he died. Kalmaku records the final days of Abin Sur in his journal.
@tipu curate