Going Native: Feeling of Change (ch. 55) (Patreon)

"This is Prince Tarble and I'm speaking to you about broken promises. The Thanagarian Empire has failed its obligations to you, the citizens of the Empire. Long before it declared war on the Trade Organization -- in a poorly thought out attempt of theft, it proved itself unwilling to protect its citizens when Lord Frieza demanded rightful compensation for the empire's deeds. It sacrificed vassals and citizens alike to maintain its standing." The lies tasted bitter on my tongue, especially considering that the citizens taken from the empire ended up as slaves and were likely dead by now.

But, needs must.

"And again, the empire has proven that it is incapable of protecting you. It fell to my armies within minutes and after it left, the citizens declared their allegiance to us." Or, rather, they were in revolt against the empire. Just because we shared a common enemy didn't mean that the revolutionaries were allies. "If they cannot protect themselves, then what hope do you have? Their armies will not march to defend you, nor can they stop us if they did."

"To those listening to this broadcast -- declare your unconditional surrender. On my pride as a warrior and a Prince, you have my word that you will be treated with the respect due to you as a citizen of my empire and the Trade Organization. This offer extends to the lowest of the low, to the mightiest of kingdoms in the empire. Join me and prosper, or fall into ruin like the Thanagarian Empire." And with that, I ended the broadcast that would be relayed all across the empire.

The message would spread to every corner of the enemy empire. From its citizens to its leaders to its soldiers. Their doubts would grow, my words echoing their concerns, and as my armies grew closer to them the more likely they would defect.

"It's really different than fighting the Reach," I mused to myself. Something like this would have never worked on the Reach. The citizens of the Reach… calling them people would be a stretch in some ways. They were so thoroughly brainwashed, so mentally conditioned that any free thought was stripped from them.

Looking away, I saw Broly and Sinestro. The latter nodded, "A fine speech. For someone as inexperienced as you are with utilizing fear, you are proving quite adept with it." It might have sounded like a slight, but I knew he didn't mean it as one. Using fear wasn't something I was used to. I never had reason to with the Reach. With the Thangarians, fear could shatter their empire better than armies ever could.

"Do you think they'll listen?" Broly asked, his lips pressed in a thin line and his eyes were filled with disguised concern. His hands were clenched into fists before he looked out at the planet that we were on. For the first time in a decade, I could fight without a mask because the Thangarian's didn't poison their atmospheres. Honestly, fighting them was just so different from fighting the Reach, that the lack of extreme lengths to slow me down tripped me up more than anything.

When there was nothing there when experience told me that there was something like a bomb in the center of the planet, it just felt… like I had missed the shoe dropping rather than there just being nothing.

"It already has," I reassured Broly. A handful of days after we launched our all-out offensive deep behind enemy lines and after the slaughter of the Green Lantern task-force, we received no small number of surrenders. Rebels on the planets we invaded, planets surrendering as soon as we arrived, to several minor vassals surrendering after betraying the empire as much as they could. Though, those last few were likely due to the methods the empire used to ensure full mobilization and they saw which way the wind was blowing.

I swallowed a sigh, "I never would have guessed my biggest problem so far would be managing citizens…" Because it was by far the largest issue. It wasn't even a knock on the enemies that I've fought so far, but population control was just an utter pain in the ass that I hadn't expected. The planets that suffered overpopulation had the spillover sent to other planets, most of which were sent to my core worlds.

And they complained and dragged their feet every step of the way. They surrendered to me and they still had the audacity to complain. It would be impressive if it wasn't so annoying.

Broly, however, simply smiled at the news. That smile would quickly fall if he had to deal with half of my workload, but he didn't. "Good."

"Not eager for fights, are you?" Sinestro asked, sparing a glance at Broly who couldn't have looked more guilty if he had tried.

"N-No. I mean, I am, but… I want to fight the Reach instead of this empire," Broly said, unable to tell a lie to save his life. So, he told the truth. I had read the reports about Broly's conduct, and it was about what I expected. He defeated the enemy without fatalities.

Broly seemed to understand the difference between the Thanagarian Empire and the Reach as well. He avoided killing when he could, but he understood that killing a Thangarian soldier or citizen had… a lot more weight than killing a Reach warrior or citizen.

Sinestro, unsurprisingly, didn't seem to buy that but let out a non-commental hum about it in response. He turned his attention to me, "The Guardians will make their move soon. It would be prudent to consolidate."

I nodded, "Do it." Sinestro knew the Guardians better than I did, so I would trust his instincts in regards to the Green Lanterns. If he said the Guardians were coming, then they were coming. After all, he was their star only a handful of years ago. Sinestro obeyed the order and told his three thousand and two hundred Yellow Lanterns to fall back to their designated positions.

A handful were being used to interrupt the Thangarian offensive, but only a handful. With the capital taken out, the chain of command was left floundering, and the military offensive already showed signs of stalling out. Though there were some quality generals amongst their number and they were stepping up to take command.

The reactions to the sacking of their capital were rippling out so it would take more than a handful of days to see where the pieces fell.

"What do you expect the Guardians to do?" I asked once Sinestro had given the order.

"It's difficult to say. A blow that we struck has never been dealt to them before, at least not as far as I'm aware. I would expect that they'll prepare a counter-strike, but I suspect that they'll be quite busy at the moment." Sinestro answered with a chuckle and it only took a moment to figure out what he meant.

Because as much as the Guardians were fighting us, they were also fighting the rest of the universe. A blow like losing a thousand of their lanterns at once couldn't be kept a secret. Especially when Ada'la was making it her life mission to make sure every sentient in the universe knew and that I was responsible. That information would spur others into action. And the thousand that they replaced their losses with would be recruits.

Blood was in the water and the sharks were circling.

"In either case, we should be prepared," I decided. The rest of the universe going up in arms would take some of the heat away from us, but it was just as likely that the Guardians would muster their full strength to crush the Sinestro Corps, and me to a lesser extent, before turning their attention back to the rest of the universe.

Broly nodded and Sinestro offered a noise of acknowledgment before he flew off to take care of his own responsibilities. Swallowing a sigh, I glanced at Broly, who looked at the once-proud capital of a minor vassal of the Thanagarian Empire. The cities were smoking, some buildings were collapsed while portions of the design plans would have to be redrawn during reconstruction. But the fraction of the 501stcthat I had stationed with me did their jobs well. The planet was taken with minimal destruction, and it only took a few knocks to get the planet to surrender.

I didn't want to jinx it, but after all those years of fighting the Reach… fighting the Thanagarian Empire was almost easy.

"You don't kill because it's more of a challenge for you to not kill," I told Broly, making his gaze snap to mine. "Elery and the others have been pestering you about it, right?"

Broly looked stricken before he looked away. "I just…" He trailed off, not knowing how to say the words. But I knew what he meant.

Broly wasn't like me. At the start, killing was something that I struggled with. It horrified me. As the years went by, I slowly got used to it. Then I accepted it as a necessary evil. Now… now it was just… normal for me. I was a general and a soldier -- my role was to kill the enemy. And that was that. Years of unmitigated slaughter desensitized me to the horrors of war.

But that wasn't the case for Broly. He was just as horrified with each new battlefield as he was with the last. And the last battlefield... had quite a few new reasons for him to feel horrified.

"I know. So, when Elery and the others ask you about it, you tell them that it's because it's more of a challenge for you to try to take them alive. Leverage your strength." I told him, offering a way to lighten on burden.

"You aren't mad? That… I'm not like you?" Broly questioned quietly.

It would be a lie to say that wasn't any frustration. Simply put, things would be vastly simpler if Broly had the same lust for battle as a normal Saiyan. Or if he had allowed himself to be desensitized to war like me. But, in the end, there was nothing to be done. "No. I… learned a lesson with what happened to Narra," I admitted.

The Night Mother was completely isolated from her people. Shunned. And Narra, as well as she carried the burden, I could tell how heavily it weighed on her.

"I can't say that you won't ever have to kill. Because, in the end, you'll have to. As much as you regret killing, I know you'll regret it more if you let someone die because you didn't want to kill," I told him and he looked down in shame. "But, I can't force you to do it. I won't. So, use the excuse that I have you, and work hard to grow stronger so that no matter who you're up against you'll be able to take them down alive."

I heard Broly sniffle before he wiped his eyes with his forearm. Just in time too. I felt a familiar presence rushing towards us and I looked over my shoulder to find Elery flying full speed in our direction. A sour expression tugged at her features when she yet again failed to sneak up on me, but she didn't let the lack of element of surprise stop her from trying to throw a high knee to my face.

Shifting out of the way, I grabbed her ankle and spun her a few times before lobbing her in a random direction. She quickly righted herself, "What's our next mission?" She demanded, already going stir crazy.

I gave her a flat look, "I don't know. Maybe when I think you've learned your lesson?" I wondered, earning a pout and a scowl from Elery. "Don't give me that look. Playing with your opponent is becoming a bad habit of yours."

"But he was on the verge of a huge power boost! I could feel it!" Elery protested her punishment, unbudging from her beliefs despite scientific evidence that Thangarians didn't possess a transformation.

I sighed. "Elery, you aren't supposed to help your enemies transform or gain a power boost. If they happen to get one during a fight, then great, but you don't help them get one." It was telling just how deeply that instinct was ingrained into Saiyan biology because this wasn't the first time I had this conversation. Not just with Elery, but with the Saiyan soldiers as a whole.

Elery takes as she crossed her arms before she turned her attention to Broly. "Oh, and Technician said to stop by when you get a chance," Elery informed before she launched a surprise attack against Broly. There was a smile on his face as he effortlessly blocked the attack, and despite myself, I couldn't help but think that a smile suited him a lot better than crying.

I nodded, "Stay alert you two. Just because we've won doesn't mean that the enemy has accepted defeat," I reminded. So far, the few resistance cells didn't have much success, but our systems weren't used to taking prisoners at all so there were a few hiccups as we ironed out the kinks. Broly nodded whole Elery pointedly ignored me, prompting a sigh as I flew towards the sky after putting on a mask.

A handful of minutes later, I was walking down the hallways of my flagship towards the R&D section. My fleet, troops, and Team were spread out over various tasks. The enemy was simply too large to concentrate our strength in one place. The offensives into my empire were being harassed by the Sinestro Corps while everyone else was tearing bloody swaths through the empire.

The more damage we did, the more doubt would be sown in the Empire’s capabilities. And I was just waiting for that sweet spot to reveal itself that would shatter the empire into a million pieces.

“Prince Tarble!” Technician greeted me when I entered. R&D was busy as always, but I saw dozens of races experimenting on a dull gray metal. Nth metal. “Our tests are going well. Fascinating substance that thoroughly ignores the physics, causality, and the laws of nature.”

Narra stepped forward, her expression serene as she nodded, “That’s because the metal is mystic in nature. As I’ve said. Several times,” She added somewhat testily, and Technician chuckled at that.

I nodded, having expected as much. Nth metal was renowned for being… whatever the hell it was. “What can it be used for?” I asked, deciding to cut to the heart of the matter. Securing Nth metal was the secondary objective in the raid on Thangar. It allowed normal soldiers to perform better than thought possible, increasing strength, durability, and speed.

It was the source of the empire's strength. In the rest of the universe, there were barely grams of the stuff spread out. On Thangar, there was… well, most of the Nth metal in the universe. Where most planets had oceans, they had seas of Nth metal. Where most planets had mountains, hills, and valleys, Thangar had mountains, hills, and valleys made of Nth metal.

Billions of trillions of tons of the mythical metal. During the raid, we seized every piece that we could. We filled capsules, then cargo bays, then we started to shove it wherever we had the room. We had over a million tons of the metal, and we had barely managed to scratch the surface of the amounts on Thangar.

“In short? There are so many possibilities with Nth metal that it’s incredibly difficult to decide where it’s best spent,” Technician answered. “While I would like to make armor, ships, and weapons with the metal, there simply isn't enough of it to go around. Everyone in my division wishes to use it for their own project.” Narra nodded at that.

“As do mine. The properties of Nth metal… for my own people, it would augment our magic greatly. I can’t imagine it would be any different for the others," Narra echoed.

I swallowed an annoyed huff. We had managed to carry off more than we could reasonably fit, but it still felt like it wasn't anywhere near enough.

"What are the economy options?" I questioned with a frown.

"For the rank and file soldiers, a gram of Nth metal will increase the capacity and durability of their shields by half," Technician said, and it became extremely clear just how stupidly valuable the metal was. I did my best to take care of my troops. They were outfitted with the best equipment that I could afford and the best designs that the Trade Organization offered. And a gram of the stuff could increase that by half? "Larger portions can be reserved for the 501st and other elite troops."

Narra nodded, "We are still exploring the possibilities, but Nth metal tattoos would greatly increase my race's capacity for magic. It acts as an amplifier, in a way, which would allow us to use our magic on a larger scale. Or we could use it as a catalyst for spells."

"Weaponry should be a priority. A property of Nth metal is to ignore durability. I think," Technician added. "Two main methods for offensive use -- electrical current channeled into Nth metal produces a charged bolt which can replace our laser and plasma-based weaponry. Highly effective in results and Nth metal cost. Or, we can use physical slugs of trace amounts of Nth metal and use their anti-gravity properties to propel them at hypersonic speeds to shred the enemy’s shields and armor. More powerful but more wasteful."

Effectively, I had an army of over two million soldiers. Which wasn't enough. Not to fight a wide-scale front. Meaning that I had to make them as tough and as hard-hitting as I could. Quality over quantity.

"Large scale weaponry such as defense platforms and ships are also needed. The Fleet is state of the art but could be improved. In addition, defensive platforms for your empire to make up for a lack of soldiers would be recommended." He was right about that. I had no choice but to sacrifice a few worlds, but the fewer I could the better.

Narra gave me a lingering look, "Could you not buy soldiers?" She questioned, a tinge of resignation in her voice. And by that, I knew she meant buying slaves from the Trade Organization to turn them into soldiers.

"Captured citizens are also a possibility," Technician nodded.

But I shook my head, "I would trust the citizens to fight against the empire they were just a part of. As soon as we armed them, I'm guessing more than a few would have second thoughts about their unconditional surrenders. Robotic armies are barely worth the money spent on them. As for buying slaves…" I thought about it. "I'm not sure if I can? Technically I'm a slave to Lord Frieza, and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to buy slaves from him that he would utilize on his front lines. I guess there's no harm in asking though."

But if I was going to buy slaves to fight, then they needed a stake. Something to motivate them. Freedom was a given, but it was something far off. A reward with no tangible benefits. Money? Land?

Hm. Now that I had actual citizens, I should really sort this stuff out. Establish laws, punishments… actually… What kind of government did I even have? I was the shot caller, and there wasn't any kind of parliament that could limit my power. Except for Lord Frieza, of course. So, I was a… absolute dictator? So, I got to decide all of that stuff, right?

I looked between Narra and Technician, a frown tugging at my lips. I couldn't just reward those that would start fighting for me and not reward those that fought with me for years. I didn't have enough planets to start throwing them around… but…

Narra and her race had lost their home planet. Maybe I could buy it back? Or I could buy as many members of Technician, Avery, and Narra's races and give them new home planets tailored to their needs? Give them important positions and stuff like that. It would be a bit of a hassle, but if people were going to fight and die on my orders, I wanted them to at least know I appreciated it.

I shook my head, "We're getting sidetracked… but for now, don't spare the Nth metal. If it comes right down to it, I'll go to Thangar and pick up some more. If we don't conquer it outright." I couldn't spare any expense. "Outfit the soldiers with the best you can give them, same with weapons and magic. Leave the ships alone for the moment and give their share to defensive platforms."

Treating Nth metal as a renewable resource was a mistake. Simply put, as much as Thangar had, eventually it would run out if I used it recklessly. "Also, the priority is to find a way to make more of it. Failing that, to recreate the effects."

Technician and Narra nodded, neither surprised by my decision. If anything, they seemed to expect it.

Still, with that decision made, my soldiers would be worth a lot more than a one to one. If they could become a hundred to one, or even a thousand to one, then I could afford to get into slugfests with the empire's main armies. With proper support, I wouldn't even have to be there to do the bulk of the heavy lifting.

"Let me know the final decisions. Good work, both of you," I said with a nod before turning away. I could feel both of them returning to their tasks while I headed towards the command center to get an update on the war.

It was part of being a general. Always moving from one task to the next, constantly being on the ball because the moment I looked away I knew it would collapse like a house of cards. I was expecting counters from the Green Lanterns, from the Thangarians, watching my back just in case a Frieza-force army decided to hit me while they thought I was weak. Or out of vengeance for my brother's form of diplomacy.

I walked into the command deck to find my admiral sleeping in his chair while everyone else busied themselves with work. I paid them no mind as I took in the hologram of the war front. The yellow specs were Yellow Lanterns, the blue were my team, and the purple were the 501st. Red was reserved for the enemy, and…

I tsked to myself to see that the Thangarian's had seized a planet that I had hoped they would leave alone. A terraformed water world that was being filled with sea monsters. A breeding farm for them so I could get some decent food. If they killed them in an act of spite…

Well… I would continue doing what I was already doing. I just wish Mom hadn't eaten the Thangarian royalty so they could have ordered them to not kill my animals. And use them as hostages. I guess.

But, for the most part, the war hadn't changed much in the last ten minutes it had been since I checked. While I watched the front, I felt a presence near. Bracing myself for a very different battle, the doors slid open to reveal Ada'la.

"Prince Tarble," She greeted, giving a bow that I could see. I just knew she was doing it because every time she saw me since I broke the Shield Wall. "I have good news about your ratings -- you're trending again! But, I know you're touchy about the subject, so I wanted to clear it with you -- you have another show starting soon, and the Green Lanterns are going to be portrayed…"

Another show? "I… another one? How many do I have?"

"Ten. At the moment. Two animated shows about the Hero Force and the 501st, a documentary series about you, one live-action recreation, a dramatization, and the new series will start with your growth spurt. The live-action will run into it to cover everything in your first stage of life. The first Tarble Saga, as it were." She rattled off a few more that I hadn't realized that I had and I knew she wasn't counting the spin-offs.

I was the top ten shows streamed in the Frieza-force. Me. Just me. At this point, the rest were competing for eleventh place. So I knew wherever Captain Ginyu was, he was pissed.

Still, I considered her question as I picked up the green ring dangling from my neck. The final stand of Kilowog replayed in my mind. They had died well. Maybe the smart thing would have been to surrender, but they wouldn't have been worthy of the ring if they weren't stubborn enough to die for what they believed in.

"They're willful idiots being led astray by the Guardians of the galaxy," I answered after a moment. That described them best. I had meant every word I said to Hal and Kilowog. If they believed so fiercely in doing the right thing, then they wouldn't have let losing their ring stop them from being a hero. But it wasn't like I didn't understand that things weren't always so clear cut.

In the end, Kilowog did his best. He fought and died for his ideals. Even if I believe that he failed short of living up to them, I can at least respect that he chose to die by them.

"Hm. A misguided force trying to do good but stumped by the Guardians at every turn. With the information that we have, it won't even be difficult to spin-" Ada'la started, only to be interrupted by an alert. The sound woke up my admiral and the hologram shifted to display a fleet that jumped into the system and their location.

The ships themselves were eerily similar to Mom's flagship. A brick with guns slapped on every surface until there just wasn't any more room, so they put guns on top of guns. "Unknown fleet in the system! It's not Thangarian or TO!"

"We're receiving a transmission!" One of the crew informed, and I nodded.

"Patch them through," I ordered, crossing my arms as the hologram became a screen. On the other end was a Khund -- red-skinned with blocky, almost stone-like facial features wrapped in a Saiyan-like appearance. The leader was dressed in a dark blue battle suit. "This is Prince Tarble of the Trade Organization. State your business."

The Khund seemed to look down at me through the screen. The crew was deadly quiet, likely realizing who the alien was. "War is my business, Saiyan," The Khund answered, his voice rough like gravel. His words caused a ripple to travel through the command deck.

"And who is it the Khund empire is declaring on?" The Khund empire was one of the few empires outside of the Reach I had learned about. I knew of their race because they were among one of the few races that didn't drag their feet during the war. They fought to push the line and fight for the sake of fighting. Though, most died young due to their honor and insistence of using weapons like swords and spears. Not that I had any room to talk. "The Thanagarian Empire? Because I won't share my enemies so freely."

The Khund's lips twitched at that, and I realized that we were both on the same wavelength. "The Khund Empire is declaring war on the Trade Organization," He answered, speaking the words as a reassurance rather than a declaration of war. "For the cause of reckless expansion, and crimes of gross misapplication of strength."

I frowned, "I have gone against the personal laws of your people?" I questioned, wondering where I tripped up.

"You, your master Frieza and Sinestro. After the sacrifice of Kobald and his final request to let his sacrifice to unite our people eons ago -- a law was implemented to regulate the amount of force the strong are allowed to use on the weak to prevent murder." The Khund explained, causing me to blink as I mulled over that for a split second. "You have violated this sacred law."

Huh. "So, the defeat of the Thanagarian Empire at my hands is so apparent that you felt compelled to step in?" This was unexpected. From the sound of it, it was just a convenient excuse for them to declare war, but it certainly sounded impressive.

I could use this.

"Are you declaring an alliance with the Thanagarian Empire?" I asked while those around me began to move frantically. Preparations had to be made for battle, relaying the information, and so on. I paid it no mind.

"The Khund empire does not associate with the weak," The Khund responded. That perception was something new. The Thanagarian Empire was once considered mighty but in a handful of years, that reputation had suffered terribly. Years of giving into Lord Frieza's demands, years of struggling to control their vassals, which was the source of their strength, and now what they suffered at my own hands.

Okay. How could I best use this to crush the Thanagarian Empire and get what I want?

"Very well, but I do have two requests to make of your empire," I said, my tone even and confident. The Khund frowned at me.

"Mercy shall not be given on cowards," The Khund informed. "But you have been recognized, Prince Tarble. You are worthy of Kundmong -- conditions of battle."

I guess those shows were good for something. "I formally request that the Khund empire ally the Thanagarian Empire," I could hear a strangled breath from Ada'la behind me but I pressed on. "And the Khund empire declares solely on my empire. I shall ask Lord Frieza to not interfere on my behalf." Not that I thought that he would. Not personally, at least, but it sounded impressive.

The Khund looked down at me, blinking a few times before a slow smile spread across his face. "You seek worthy foes." It wasn't a question. And he sounded like he understood in a way that I honestly thought that only Saiyans were capable of.

"I do. Will my conditions be met?" I asked and there was silence as they were likely relayed to the higher-ups.

But, a second later, the Khund nodded, "I cannot speak for the empire, but I shall act on your conditions, Prince Tarble. As you have conquered this planet, can my fleet disengage to assist my allies where they need it?"

"Of course. I look forward to facing you on the battlefield," I told the enemy alien.

"And I you, Prince Tarble." And with that, the communication ended. There was a brief moment of silence and the enemy fleet already showed signs of following through with their end of the bargain.

Ada'la broke the heavy silence, "What have you-"

"Take that conversation and spread it to every Thangarian in the empire," I cut her off as my mind raced. "I want them to know that their new ally is being granted by me because I didn't find them worthy of fighting alone."

There was the sweet spot. Their pride as an empire. No matter what, the Khund empire was becoming my enemy. A vast war-loving empire that wasn't as large as the Thanagarian Empire, much less the Reach's, but they were sizable and powerful. But I was allowed to dictate what kind of enemy they would become.

"Prince Tarble, I would never dare to question your brilliance in warfare, but… please, for those that have absolutely no idea what just happened, would you kindly explain?" Ah, Ada'la was freaking out. For her, that was the equivalent of screaming and tearing her hair out by the handfuls.

"This is the final blow to the image of the Thangarian Empire's strength -- they have to be aided by a third party and the enemy’s request. The vassals are going to jump ship as fast as they can, and those that won't are going to buckle underneath the weight of their new allies. Highly aggressive, expansionists that look down on them. They will be fighting each other as much as they fight me." I explained, fitting the pieces together.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Ada'la was visibly stressed out, but she nodded slowly as she saw my logic. "And the request for the Trade Organization to stay out of this conflict?"

To that, I offered a small shrug. "The Reach is the true enemy and I don't want or need resources that should be spent fighting them," I started. "But another factor is that I understand how the Khund empire thinks."

Their warrior code, their honor… and how they reacted to defeat.

"I have to crush them. Thoroughly and utterly. And in doing so, they will fight for the honor of declaring loyalty to me first," I explained, making Ada'la go still as the implications sank in.

I would take the Khund empire and turn them into my armies. The Thanagarian Empire will fall to me and their territory will be added to my expanding empire.

Then, once my foes are defeated and I rise to the position of Supreme Commander… I could finally… finally bring this war to an end.

…

Time was a funny thing. It can stretch and shorten depending on your mood, making a minute feel like an hour or an hour feel like a minute. But, that really didn't apply to getting flung onto a tear in the space-time continuum.

Hal Jordan spent days through time and space, traveling countless light-years. He was gone for a few days in normal time. It felt like it had only been a second to his body. To his mind, it was like it had been months.

Without warning, Hal found himself floating in space. Transferred and deposited somewhere in the universe. The battle was nowhere to be found. It had ended some time ago.

Tears burned at Hal's eyes, a muscle spasm in his jaw, his lungs struggled to breathe and his eyes couldn't tear themselves away from the green ring on his finger. His entire body shook, trembling with emotions so powerful that Hal couldn't even identify them.

He was alive. He was alive… and Kilowog wasn't.

"AhhhhhHHHHHHHHH!" A scream ripped from Hal's throat, feeling like it was made of glass because his throat was torn raw from the force of it. His chest heaved, struggling for breath as it all hit him. Everything. The loss of the battle. So many Lanterns dying. Kilowog's sacrifice. All the things that Tarble said. The fact that he was alive when he prepared himself to die. And the Guardians…

Did they send them to die as Tarble said? Did they keep the secret that Tarble was really the owner of Earth from him? What else were they hiding?

"AhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Hal screamed again, tears flowing down his cheeks. He couldn't even tell what he was crying about. For the last six years, he lived to be a Green Lantern. It was everything to him. It was who he was. The entirety of his person could be summed up in two words and that green ring.

And it betrayed him. It betrayed him so completely and utterly that Hal felt lost.

>12.33 Charge remaining.< His ring chimed, oblivious to his turmoil. Hal gasped for breath, his throat raw and his eyes burned. Guilt tore at his heart -- it should have been him. No matter how Hal looked at it, he should have died with all the others. He prepared himself for it. He accepted it. If it meant that someone else got to live then Hal could accept death.

He shouldn’t have been saved.

“Fuck,” Hal cursed, summoning his battery. His mouth was devoid of any moisture as he took hold of it, finally able to use it again, so he was far away from the battle. Pressing his ring against the surface of it, Hal spoke his oath. “In brightest day, in blackest night…”

The next word burned like acid, “No evil shall escape my sight…” Except that it had. Completely and utterly. But, even still, he continued. “Beware my power, Green Lantern's light…” The words tasted like lies.

>12.33 Charge remaining.< His ring told him, not charging up at all. A problem that Hal never had before. It wasn’t a problem with his battery or his ring. It was a problem with him. Because the problem was always with him. For the battery to work, you had to say the oath but, more than that… you had to believe the oath.

And Hal couldn’t do that.

“What a bad joke,” Hal remarked, shaking his head as a disbelieving chuckle bubbled from his chest. He was saved at the cost of his friend's life and he was going to die here, alone, because he couldn’t muster up the willpower to pretend like he still believed in the oath. Because he couldn’t. He… he just couldn’t.

A flash of red light caught his attention, making Hal look over to see a swirling red portal was opened not too far away. It looked vile, like a pool of blood circling the drain. A figure walked forward, emerging from the portal. A large alien with jagged sharp teeth, glowing red eyes that were filled with rage. But, most eye-catching was the red armor he wore with a symbol not dissimilar to the one displayed on Hal’s chest. A symbol that was matched by a ring on the alien’s finger.

“First yellow and now red?” Hal questioned, eyeing up the… Red Lantern. His hand clenched into a fist as he squared his shoulders. Suddenly it felt like he wasn’t flung here at random. “Is there a ring for every color of the rainbow now?”

“I am Atrocitus,” Atrocitus spoke and… yeah. “I know your doubts, Hal Jordan. I know how you have suffered at the hands of the Guardians. And I know the rage you harbor in your heart.” He drifted forward, his red ring glowing on his finger as he approached. “Join me and you will have vengeance.”

Hal looked at Atrocitus before his gaze drifted to his ring. A ring… that had betrayed him. Hal didn’t know how much, but the Guardians betrayed him. The secrets, the probation… possibly getting a thousand of his comrades and friends killed because they wanted to do the right thing. His ring and the Guardians had unquestionably betrayed him.

But… Hal couldn’t bring himself to betray the ring. The ideals that it represented -- protecting the weak, kicking the ass of the bad guy… being a hero. Even if those ideals betrayed him, he wouldn’t betray them. He was too set in his ways. Too damn stubborn to just give up the life that he’s lived, the life that people died to save, because of his hurt feelings.

“Sorry, but I’ll have to pass. A name like that… well, I learned my lesson with Sinestro,” Hal decided. Being a hero didn’t start and end with being a Green Lantern.

Atrocitus flew forward, his eyes glowing. “We will see about that.”

Hal put up the best fight that he could. He really did. But, in the end, Atrocious broke his constructs like glass and spewed a vile liquid all over him.

And then Hal’s world became rage.