Gone Native: Betrayal (ch. 9) (Patreon)

Boomerangs. It wouldn't be my first tool of choice for an assassination. Unless, of course, it was merely a distraction. Getting me into position so the traitors could line up a shot. Just like how Vegeta had been murdered. I nearly crushed the screaming man's arm in my hand, every sense honed to a razor's edge as something dark welled up in my chest.

I leaned into the Wrath State, slipping into a higher stage with the same ease as putting on a tailor-made glove. Before, I hovered between the first and second stages out of habit, but as I watched my brother die in my mind again, I jumped to the fifth stage. Because of it, I heard it. The whizzing of a bullet heading right for me.

I raised a hand and caught the bullet that had been aimed at the back of my skull. The bullet shared the same greenish glow as the boomerangs. I suppose they were designed to punch above their weight class. They were possibly useful technology, but I still flicked the bullet towards the one that shot it.

The one with the boomerangs knelt before me, his face twisted in a grimace as he clutched at his now free arm. Our eyes met as he looked up at me, earning an unimpressed look, "Well? I'm waiting," I told not just him, but the one that sent them here and the others that were a part of his team.

"Right, mates -- don't keep him waitn'!" The boomerang man shouted, before the others revealed themselves. My gaze slid to two that rose out of the water -- they were saiyanoid, but reptilian. One had the head of a shark, while the other was covered in green scales. They pulled themselves up onto the dock area, and I could feel the other presences moving around me -- not only were the other assassins revealing themselves, but the Teen Titans were approaching. Possibly to interfere?

In front of me, two women rounded a corner. Both had pale skin, but that's where the similarities ended. One carried what looked to be a wooden mallet, dressed in fishnets and a crop top, her face painted in colorful makeup while her hair was pulled up into pigtails and dyed red and blue. The other woman wore a black unitard, her legs and arms covered with black stockings and sleeves that left some parts of her skin exposed.

Frost hovered above her hand as she approached confidently.

To complete the encirclement, a man and a woman approached from the side. The man had his head covered with a bulbous helmet with ominous glowing red eyes. Next to him was a frail looking woman -- black hair, painted black lips, and seemed to be dressed in almost rags.

"Hm," I uttered, taking note that the Teen Titans were also in position. "Is this really the best assassins that America can offer?" I asked, crossing my arms. They were all more powerful than the average human, and they seemed to be equipped to further enhance their abilities, but… as far as all the traps that I've walked into went, this was fairly lackluster.

It certainly didn't help that Raven's words were ringing in the back of my head like a bell. I had fought for so many years for peace. I had paid a personal price for it, and the galaxy paid the price in blood for it.

Yet, here I was. Fighting assassins sent by the governing body of some of my citizens.

As much as I would like to dismiss Raven's point entirely, I couldn't help but notice the contradiction.

"Hey! How'd you know we were from America?" The woman in front of me questioned, sounding faintly impressed with my guess. The truth was that the power levels of the planet were so weak that even the few moderately strong still stood out. It was a simple thing to notice where they had come from.

"Harley-" the other woman sighed, but she still smirked at me a second later.

They closed in, and I spoke, "I suppose I should get your names. If you are the best that America has, then I'm sure I can find some use for you after the country is dismantled." Harley narrowed her eyes at me and leveled her mallet.

"Ain't no alien coming here and dismantling nothing! I'mma red blooded American through and through!" She proclaimed, seeming to take my offer as a personal insult. "America is the… well… it's in the top five of the greatest nations on Earth!" She settled, and I suppose I should give her points for being realistic.

"Is that so? Ruined buildings, children scavenging through the trash for something to eat, incompetent laws, an entitled population… the longer I stay on Earth, the more disappointed I become. And for America to be in the top five is… troubling, to say the least," I said, and Harley looked like she was mulling that over.

Then the one with the helmet spoke up as his eyes glowed red, "We aren't here to talk," he said with a cold and gravelly voice. His eyes glowed as a warning, that seemingly being the cue for the others.

Then I moved.

Speed was a vital component to combat and this group just didn't have it. I out paced them in the first stages of the Wrath State, but now that I was stronger than that? They stood no chance.

My fist slammed into the man's stomach, warping the armor around my fist, but I found that his stomach was harder than the armor itself. Taking note of that, as he folded around my fist, with my other hand, I grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed it into the ground. His helmet remained strong and unbent, except for the groove marks of my handprint.

The woman raised her hands, mystic energy flowing off of them like a sickeningly green poison, the others remaining in place for a moment as I planted a foot on the back of the helmeted man's head. "I asked for your names," I pointed out, stopping the combat in its tracks.

Harley seemed to be the spokesperson for the group, "I'm Harley! That's Killer Frost, that's Killer Croc, that's King Shark, the guy yer standing on is Black Manta, and she's Enchantress!" She informed delightedly, uncaring of her teammates' plight.

I frowned deeply -- that was wrong. Even if you didn't care for someone personally, when you worked together for a common goal, you cared for their wellbeing. If only because you shared a goal. But, looking at them, this group seemed to be one of circumstance. With the Fearsome Five and Teen Titans, it was clear that they cared for each other. This group, based on the lack of reaction, felt like a half dozen individuals rather than a team of six.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, my tone betraying that it was anything but. "I wonder -- should I consider this a declaration of war?" I asked, and almost as soon as the words left my lips, I… I didn't regret them, per say, but Raven's words were echoing persistently in my head. There was a chance to deescalate the situation here , and instead, I threatened to escalate it.

I wasn't wrong to. Actions had consequences, and the United States was trying to murder me with assassins. They did so arrogantly and shortsightedly. I was the King of a vast empire -- it would not do me well if every minor faction believed that they could spit in my face and get away with it. The Americans chose to escalate the situation first, and my response of escalating further until America, and the other nations of the world, backed down was justified.

I wanted peace, but I couldn't be seen as weak. Which meant escalation. Which possibly meant war.

It felt so contradictory.

Shaking my head of the thoughts, I looked at Harley, "Surrender now and I'll pretend that you're lone agents acting on behalf of your personal interests and leave it at that." There was an attempt at de-escalation. It was a struggle to find a middle ground, because… wanting peace didn't mean I was weak.

"Are ya' scared?" Harley questioned, sounding genuinely curious while Killer Frost just smiled as frost began to condense into ice above her waiting palm.

"For your sakes," I answered, and that brought Killer Frost up short. "Let me be clear for you and those that are listening through you -- you are mistaking a lack of willingness for lack of ability. That mistake, if you aren't careful, will end with a great many humans dead. I am asking, for your sakes, to try diplomacy despite the fact things would be vastly simpler for me if you choose war."

That seemed to resonate with Harley a bit as she looked at me. I'm not sure what she saw, but it seemed like she understood. That I was being as reasonable as I could, extending them an olive branch with in one hand, but the other hand was a fist that I would not hesitate to use if they smacked away the olive branch.

"Should you kill me, my people will exact vengeance on this world. And you will find that of all the Saiyans, I am by far the most reasonable," I finished, pointedly stepping off of Black Manta's head. He was quick to get up and even faster to settle into a fighting stance. He tensed just as Harley broke out into a broad smile.

"We got orders to pull back! Nice meeting you! Good luck being King," she said, offering an enthusiastic wave before she grabbed Killer Frost's hand and began dragging her out of sight. Black Manta shifted toward the boomerang man, who forced himself to his feet. Both men were glaring at me as they retreated. Enchantress faded into the shadows while the two amphibious men returned to the ocean.

In a minute, I felt their presences peel away from me, proving that this was a full retreat.

I looked up at the sky above, feeling unsatisfied with the conclusion.

"Am I really so weak-willed that it only takes a single sentence to change me?" I asked myself, knowing that I would have defeated them in combat if I hadn't spoken to Raven beforehand. It would have been simple. Easy. I would have robbed America of assets, made a show of force, and sent a strong message to the world leaders.

But that's what I would do if I was at war. And I wasn't. There was peace. A peace that had been paid for is so much blood. A peace that I had absolutely no clue what I should do with and… that single sentence rang with a sense truth. I was uncertain, so I leaned into what I knew. And what I knew was war.

"King Tarble! I am most glad that you choose the way of words to settle this dispute," Koriand'r greeted me, announcing herself as she flew down. There was a broad smile on her face, looking as if she meant the words. She was freer with her expressions than her sister. She was more generous with her smiles, for starters.

I grunted in response, pinching my nose as I gathered my thoughts.

"Not going to murder them for fleeing?" A dark-skinned young man dressed in yellow and red asked me, his tone sharp. He was another member of the Teen Titans. Kid Flash, by process of elimination.

I turned my gaze in his direction, finding myself increasingly annoyed. "I executed Adonis for fleeing when he didn't know the stakes. He betrayed his team and his planet. They, on the other hand, understood the stakes and chose the wisest option. They are fundamentally different," I stated with a sense of finality. I was beginning to regret executing Adonis, but only because of how irritating it was to continuously explain myself. "You can keep your opinions to yourself. I don't care enough to hear them."

That made Kid Flash scowl at me, but my attention was stolen when Raven materialized from the shadows behind him, looking at me with a purposely blank expression. Her face was unreadable, and I found myself wondering why I even cared. Or why her words had such a sway over me.

But, the answer was obvious. Raven had just told me what I already knew.

It was all too easy to see how my words and actions didn't line up.

"Why are you all here?" I pressed -- Raven told me that her reason was to gain perspective, but I had doubts that that viewpoint was shared by the others. Robin pressed his lips into a thin line, all but confirming my suspicion, until he let out a small sigh.

"Are you serious about trying to talk all of this out?" He asked me, earning a small frown from me.

"If I wasn't, then we wouldn't be having this conversation right now," I told him bluntly. Did they really not see how easy it would be to invade? I knew all too well that a handful of powerful individuals weren't enough to win a war. Drop pods would fall like rain, and even the weakest of my soldiers would be more than a match for most humans. "But, I think we both know that it's not going to do any good."

However, Koriand’r seemed to disagree. “Diplomacy only fails when both parties refuse to compromise. I cannot speak for humanity, nor can any of us, but I do not believe that the situation must be resolved with violence.” She said, her voice dripping with sincerity, and she really couldn’t be more different than her sister. She offered me a kind smile, “You have expressed interest in learning about people here -- we would like to help you gain perspective, just as we have gained some perspective by watching many hours of television about you.”

There was a measure of truth in her words, but I did find it to be a bit naive. In the end, I didn’t see a reason why I should compromise anything. I had a legal deed to Earth. They were my citizens and I would protect them. I had already gone out of my way to be more than reasonable and accommodating to humanity. By what right did they ask for more? Why should I compromise more to accommodate a relatively primitive race? Especially when humanity showed no signs of returning that favor?

“I mean what I say -- I intend to solve this issue diplomatically,” I said, but I was forced to wonder if that was a lie. It was a nagging doubt in the back of my head, a lingering question that made me second guess my actions. I had already accepted that conflict was inevitable, and I almost preferred it simply because it would be… familiar. Simpler.

Koriand’r seemed to take my words as if they were a promise based on the smile that she wore. “Most excellent! I cannot wait to show you the glorious bounties that Earth has to offer! There are so many delicious foods and interesting cultural rituals to observe,” she excitedly exclaimed.

“Lex Luthor has seen fit to throw a wrench in that plan,” I said, knowing that was the one who had leaked the conversation in all likelihood. Superman and I had spoken on his building and not long after, the recording was released. It was a simple thing to guess.

The others looked far less enthused with the idea, but Robin offered a begrudging nod. "I don't know how this is going to end, but if it does come down to a fight, it won't be because we started it," he decided. However, I could hear the unspoken truth in his voice.

We both fully expected for this to come to blows, but neither of us were willing to accept that it would be our fault that it would.

"Very well. If humanity has any good traits, feel free to show them."

…

PR was something that Bruce Wayne understood well, Batman noted as he perched himself on the back of a gargoyle in Gotham city. It was something he had all but mastered. He wielded it like a weapon, using it to deflect suspicion that Bruce Wayne and Batman were both two personas of the same man, as well as using it as a tool to advance his agenda in his civilian identity as Bruce Wayne -- charity initiatives, offering jobs to ex-cons with Wayne Enterprises, homeless shelters and more.

Good PR was the grease on the wheels of bureaucracy, just as much money was. Because, in the end, PR was your reputation. With a solid and reliable reputation, doors would open for you. With a poor one, they would close. It was a powerful tool, but a fickle one. All it takes is one mistake, real or imagined in the minds of society, and that spotless reputation would be ripped to shreds.

Batman witnessed evidence of that ice-cold truth below him as people protested in the streets. Many of them displayed signs decrying the Justice League. For every one holding up a sign against Tarble and his claim on the Earth, there were three for the League. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Batman swallowed it the same. It was more than he could say for other members of the League.

In the end, Tarble was an unknown entity until recently. Most people had no connection to him. There were degrees of separation there. People weren't happy with him in the slightest, but all of that negativity paled in comparison to the reaction of the leaked recording that was directed at the Justice League. Because, as much blood as there was on Tarble's hands, the Justice League committed a far worse crime in the eyes of the public.

The Justice League had betrayed humanity.

It was factually untrue, but feelings didn't care about fact. Humanity felt as if they had been betrayed, so they acted like they had been.

"Gotham is under control. For now," Batman said, his voice a low growl as he reported in to the Watchtower. They were monitoring the riots across the globe, despite their charter being in danger of being revoked. The protests in Gotham were nonviolent so far -- firmly in the realm of an actual protest rather than the mindless destruction of property of a riot.

"The East Coast seems to be calming down," Diana, though the world knew her as Wonder Woman, responded. "The troop mobilization worked," she added, sounding uncertain how she felt about that.

The President, after receiving a clear threat, had issued a flurry of troop deployments . The public saw it as a warning to contain the rioting -- no direct action had been taken yet, but it wasn't needed. However, with Batman's spy satellites, he saw that the troop movements were more than just that. The US was preparing for an invasion.

They weren't the only ones. China had lost a squad of generation fighter jets against Tarble already, along with a military base. No one had been killed, but it was a show of force that the entire world was responding to. Some countries were looking to the Justice League, knowing that it was for this reason they had been formed, but others were looking elsewhere. Other exotic methods of countering Tarble and his empire.

Some were going as far as looking to villains to pit against Tarble.

"For now," Batman agreed. The timer on the meeting with the UN to discuss ownership of Earth was ticking down. Two days were left. Countries were pushing through legislation to prevent the land that their countries occupied from being owned by an outside force. Lawyers across the planet were working to comb through the Galactic housing laws for loopholes to exploit, acting under the assumption that those would be the ones that Tarble would use to argue his case.

"Hal Jordan is not responding to our hails," Diana continued, giving him an update on the ongoing situation. To that, Batman frowned deeply.

Batman respected Hal Jordan, but he didn't care for him. They were fundamentally different people, even if they were both heroes. However, that might have changed considering the quality of the information that they had received from Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

The Justice League had formed a few short years ago in response to Tarble. They were granted a UN charter upon sharing the information with World Leaders. The charter came with more stipulations than the Justice League cared for, but they hadn't been in a position to ask for more. It all came down to politics.

Lex Luthor had leaked the conversation between Clark and Tarble. Now, those that had been unhappy with the Justice League's existence since the League had been founded, and those that had grown unhappy with them over time, had a powerful position. The people felt betrayed, and politicians were playing off of that feeling to add more stipulations to,if not outright revoke, their charter.

"Last we heard, he was forming the New Lanterns. The universe is much larger than Earth," Batman said, voicing the only excuse he would accept. Otherwise, Hal had abandoned Earth after giving them poor information that had hamstrung their ability to create countermeasures against Tarble.

"It is possible that he is unaware that Tarble is here. I can't imagine that he would remain away if he knew," Diana pointed out, which did seem likely. Hal Jordan hated Tarble. That obvious bias had tripped red flags, but he had also supplied evidence that supported his story.

Once again blind trust had proved to do more harm than good.

"A pity. The New Lanterns could have offered validation to humanity’s appeal," Batman remarked -- Batman had spent hours pouring over the Galactic real estate laws that the Trade Organization had used. In short, they did have a case, but it wasn't a strong one. Having a galactic force would give humanity backing, giving their position more validity. Law, as much as Batman hated it, was just as much about who you knew as the law itself.

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't even close to ideal. But reality was what it was regardless of what you wanted it to be.

"I have asked my mother and the gods for wisdom -- the gods have taken council, but their decision is unknown. My mother offered words of caution," Diana stated, her tone grim. There were few words that Batman disliked more than the word unknown. Especially when it came to forces like the Olympian gods, who remained mostly inactive outside of Diana. If they were taking an active role in the situation, then…

"This should be decided by humanity," Batman offered his opinion. If the gods decided to take an active role, then it would be a simple thing for them to decide to remain active. In that case, they would trade out a galactic king for the gods of old. Of which, Batman was uncertain who was worse.

Diana made a noise of agreement, "The gods will do whatever they decide to be best. Can any of us claim to be any different?"

That was a fair point, "No, we can't." Batman agreed as he stood up, the Batcomputer giving him an alert from downtown. He threw himself off of the building, wind rushing by him, before he used his cape to glide above the streets of Gotham.

In the end, regardless of what was said… Tarble had been right about the Justice League. They were a group of individuals that decided to take action. Their reasonings varied, some had the power to do good and the will back it up. Others suffered had loss and wished to protect others from suffering that same loss.

Batman himself… was born because of the cracks in the system. Because if Thomas and Martha Wayne's murder could go unsolved, then anyone's could. With all of his ability, with all of his resources, his parent’s murderer was still at large. He was still out there. That was unacceptable, and every night when he donned the cowl, he felt the same need for vengeance boiling in his chest.

Because of it, Batman understood the truth.

The Justice League were individuals that had chosen to take action. They chose to take the law into their own hands and support it where it was weak.

If Tarble pushed his claim to Earth with force, he would be met with force. The Charter didn't matter.

Which is why when Diana spoke, his stomach clenched.

"North Rhelasia has restricted Tarble's broadcast," she began, her tone urgent. Batman knew the next words out of her mouth before she said them.

"Tarble is on his way to carry out his threat."