Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Against all the evil that Hell can conjure,

All the wickedness that mankind can produce,

We will send unto them...only You.

Put out the lights, until it is done.

"She refuses to cry!" said a white-skinned woman with black markings on her skin. Her name was Elphina and she had just given birth to her second child. Her husband was the pirate warlord Lekin, leader of the Sitrian space pirate clan.

"As stubborn as her mother." Lekin quipped. "Let me see her. Let me see her markings."

Elphina handed the baby to her husband, and he gasped in happiness. "Oh, my darling daughter! Her markings, there's no mistaking the meaning. Fierce. Our little fierce one."

Lekin's first-born and heir apparent, Keelah, came bounding into the room. "Can I see her? Can I see her?" she asked.

"Keelah, meet your new sister Jaylah. Born among the stars, just like you." said Lekin.

Keelah said, "Jaylah of the Sitrian clan...sounds good!"

A tween Jaylah was at her mother's deathbed, crying. "No!" she wailed. "I can fix you, Mama!"

"My daughter, I believe you can do anything." said the pirate lady. "But what ails me is far beyond even your super-smart brain. No matter where you go, I will always watch over you." She then began singing a special song that was well-known to all the space pirate clans in the universe.

ELPHINA:

The king and his men, stole the queen from her bed,

And bound her in her bones,

The stars be ours, and by the powers,

Where we will, we'll roam...

And with that, she took her final breath.

JAYLAH(TEARFULLY):

Yo-ho, all hands,

Raise the colors high,

Heave-ho, thieves and beggars,

Never shall we die...

Later on, every member of the Sitrian clan attended Elphina's funeral, to honor and remember their beloved lady who was a fierce warrior and a great leader. "She insisted on this." said Lekin as he prepared the coffin torpedo for his wife. "I've spent my life among the stars. Her words, not mine. The last thing she'd want is to be buried underground in a random mud ball. Honors...hup!"

KEELAH:

Some men have died and some are alive,

And others sail the stars,

With the keys to the cage,

And the devil to pay,

We lay to Fiddler's Green!

JAYLAH:

Yo-ho, haul together,

Raise the colors high,

Heave-ho, thieves and beggars,

Never shall we die!

EVERYONE:

The bell has been raised from its watery grave,

Do you hear its sepulchral tone?

A Call to all, pay heed the squall,

And turn your sail towards home!

Yo-ho, haul together,

Raise the colors high,

Heave-ho, thieves and beggars,

Never shall we die!

And as the song ended, Elphina's coffin was shot into deep space.

"Jaylah, if you want to join our ranks, you'll do what I say." Keelah insisted. "You can't spend your time tinkering with machines."

Suddenly, a voice came from above. "I already know how to fight, sister. I'm only tired of training."

Keelah looked up to see Jaylah on top of a large container of bounty, and was surprised. "How did you get up there?"

"Mother always said I was special." said another copy of Jaylah.

"And that I should practice it." added a third copy.

Suddenly, one of the Jaylahs snatched Keelah's staff away. "Can I borrow this?" she asked and all the copies began attacking Keelah. In less than a minute, Keelah was defeated. "Holy bagumba!" cried Keelah.

"I modified a holodisk to project multiple images at once!" said the real Jaylah. "If you want to know how to do it, then I'd be happy to train you."

"We're in luck. It's a class-M planet!" declared Lekin. "I knew it was worth exploring this sector further!"

"Let's just hope we get some bounty." Keelah smirked. A teenaged Jaylah snickered at her sister's antics.

"It's just as the song says, Keelah." Lekin told his heir. "The stars be ours, and by the power, where we will, we'll roam. Such is the life we chose. Free to go where we choose, with the universe on our side."

"Captain!" said the Chief Communications Officer. "I'm picking up a ship approaching us from the planet. Hold on, those readings don't make sense! It seems like the ship is...disintegrating!"

And, true to his word, the ship split into a buncha smaller ships. They effortlessly tore through the Sitrian dreadnought, causing it to lose power and get into freefall.

It was the fall of the powerful pirate clan Sitrian.

Later, the survivors learned the planet they were now imprisoned on was called Altamid, and it was ruled by a cruel man named Krall. And for that one time, the universe wasn't on their side. One by one, what was left of the Sitrian clan was dragged to a horrible fate until only Keelah, Lekin and Jaylah remained. One day the three were making plans to escape. "We go tonight." said Lekin. "Find what's left of our ship and then a new hiding place."

Suddenly, a voice came from an open door. "What's that chit-chat I hear?" The family turned their heads to see Krall. "Prayers to an uncaring god? Hope for a fate other than the one you face? All for naught. I must feed." He then grabbed Keelah and said "This one will suffice."

"Keelah? No!" cried Lekin. "Not her, you—" he yelled only to be beaten down.

"Leave my sister alone!" Jaylah yelled.

"No, girl." said Manas, Krall's loyal right-hand man as he held a knife to Lekin's throat. "Krall has made his choice. Keep resisting and I shall bathe in your father's blood. Tonight, when you hear her screams, know that she dies for a glorious cause."

Jaylah and Lekin could do nothing but mourn the loss of their beloved family member.

That night, a light pink-skinned woman came to their aid. "Come on, you have to escape now." she said.

"Who are you?" asked Jaylah.

"I'm Kalara." said the woman. "I know what happened to your sister. Krall drained her life force to add to his own, just like how he did with all the others. But much worse, he took her to bed and...and..." She trailed off.

"You mean my daughter was...violated?" Lekin sputtered out.

"Unfortunately, yes." Kalara confirmed. "He does that with all the pretty women. That's why you need to hurry up and escape. For the both of you, but more importantly, for you." Her eyes fixed on Jaylah as she said the last "you".

"Keelah..." Jaylah muttered as her eyes filled with tears. Clearly, her whole frame was shaking with anger.

"You must hurry." said Kalara. "You must both live to see another day. Continue on, and one day you'll be able to avenge her."

Jaylah nodded. "Thank you, Kalara. Come on, Father!"

Later, they were on the outskirts of Krall's base. "Father...we're free!" cried Jaylah.

"We must hurry. Get back to what's left of our ship and gather whatever supplies we can!" said Lekin. "Fear not, little fierce one. Together, we will make it off this terrible planet—"

Suddenly, a green beam from a phaser rifle caught Lekin smack in the shoulder—a fatal wound. It was Manas! He had come after them!

"Jaylah..." Lekin muttered. "Go. Leave me."

"But Father..."

"Go!" commanded the former pirate warlord. "I'll hold them off!"

And Jaylah ran. She ran as Manas prepared to kill Lekin.

Meanwhile, on the planet Oa, the Guardians Of The Universe were making plans for a green police force powered by willpower. The Head Guardian opened a container, revealing a beautiful green ring. "By the sacred pages of the Book Of Oa...may you find a worthy bearer." he said before sending it away.

How did I feel?

In that moment, when my whole life changed?

When I ran, helpless as my father was shot dead?

I felt...nothing.

Like the sky and the ground broke apart and all that was left was a void as big as everything.

And that void was inside me.

I didn't feel anything.

Not even fear.

...

Suddenly, a streak of green light arced into the planet's atmosphere.

But it was not the sickly, toxic green of Krall-issued phaser blasts. It was a brilliant, verdant green.

Emerald light bathed the prison planet of Altamid. A light brighter than the sun descended upon everyone. And a voice echoed.

Jaylah of -KRTZKT ERROR KAAK-, you have the willpower to overcome great fear. You have been chosen. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.

The ring landed upon Jaylah's finger, transforming her gray pirate's clothes into a green suit of armor.

I didn't overcome fear. It was obliterated from me.

And I didn't give any thought to the word "corps" or even what the hell was talking to me.

All I cared about was him.

...

"You bastard!" Jaylah yelled as she flew towards Manas.

"What the—?!" Manas cried.

"I'm not helpless now!" cried the first Green Lantern. "Die!"

Error. First law of the Green Lantern Corps. Lethal force not permitted. said the ring.

"I don't care!" yelled Jaylah. "Kill him! Do what I say!"

I didn't feel fear, or doubt.

I just felt the void inside me.

And I had to let it out.

...

Willpower at 100%.

"He deserves to die!" Jaylah told the ring.

Error. Willpower at 117%.

Error. Willpower at 181%.

Error. Willpower exceeds—skwaaak—

Malfuuuunctkrxbltdz—

Lethal force enabled.

The green light had a darker tone to it now, and a blast from the ring struck Manas dead. "Yo-ho, all hands, raise the colors high...Heave-ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die..." Jaylah sang softly. "Ring. Take me to Krall's base." she ordered, and it did just that. When she went back to the base, everyone began firing at her, horrified. The broken Green Lantern remained unfazed.

The ring worked by willpower.

And I'm willful to an extreme.

But the void was inside me, too.

I cracked open the ring. Pushed it past the light.

I let the darkness inside me escape.

...

"Ring?" Jaylah ordered.

Initiating blackout.

A great number of nightmarish constructs were unleashed from her overcharged ring, killing everyone in sight—all but one, one that was set to be punished.

"Kalara!" said Jaylah. "You're safe now. Don't worry."

"You...you came back." said Kalara. "But hold on, what are you wearing?"

"That's not important." said Jaylah. "Thank you for helping me back there. I avenged them. Not only my sister, but also my father. You're free to go wherever you want now."

"If that is so, then please take me to my ship." said Kalara. "I'll show you the way."

After hours of flying, they reached a broken down Starfleet ship called the USS Franklin. "I once served aboard this vessel." Kalara told her savior. "I was the Chief Engineer. Krall and Manas...they used to be my comrades and everything was fine, until it happened. We crash-landed on this place about a hundred years ago, and sent distress signals several times but nobody answered. We discovered on this planets a fleet of Swarm ships that could be manipulated at our will and an army of humanoid robots, and learned an energy transference practice that allowed us to drain the life energy of our victims so we may live longer. But as time went by, I felt sorry for everyone I drained. I wanted to put a stop to it all, but the others wouldn't give it up that easily. Thank you, Jaylah, for ending everything. Let's fix this ship together, and run away from this cursed world forever!"

Jaylah smiled. "With pleasure."

Weeks flew by. The Green Lantern and her friend put their all in repairing the Franklin, and during that process, Jaylah learned many things, including the Standard Federation Language and the human way of having fun. By the time the ship was repaired, the time for them to part ways also came. In the end, Kalara had chosen to remain on Altamid and make memorials for everyone she drained, and the Franklin would only fly again when the process was finished.

"I never wanted it to end like this." Kalara said. "Here, take my old playlist, and remember that I'll always be with you."

"I'll come back for you, I swear!" Jaylah told her, clutching the small black device. She then flew off into deep space, ready to face whatever the universe was about to throw at her.

Chapter Text

After leaving Altamid, Jaylah contemplated returning to her old pirating life but eventually deemed it pointless and instead joined the crew of the mercenary ship Leaping Lizard, giving herself a new name to signal a fresh start—Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker, "Osana" meaning "demon goddess" in her native tongue. With that, she decided to shed her old image as well and completely immerse herself in the green killing machine she's become. She lined her yellow eyes with a special kind of green powder, and tied her long silvery-white hair into braids and dreadlocks, weaving lots of trinkets into it. Her joining of the Lizard's crew had made life easy for them, although her being the only female had led to some complications. Many of her crew members had tried to get her into bed more than once, but she let them all down, since she did not feel for men the way most women did, and thankfully, the captain knew that.

The next turning point in her life arrived when the Romulan Star Empire heard of the Lizard, and the strange woman bearing a green ring who fought aboard her. A Commander in one of its military branches sought to employ Jaylah, and the crew looked appalled when they heard the details.

"Only her?" the captain asked.

"Only her." said the Romulan officer, making it very clear. Jaylah ignored the looks of betrayal on the Lizard crew's faces as she followed him to her new employer's vessel, the RIS Memenda.

"Welcome, ring-wielder." said a female voice. "I am Liviana Charvanek, commander of this vessel and three others. May you state your name?"

"Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker." said the young Green Lantern, still unfazed.

"Very well then, Miss Dawnbreaker. Me and my division are working under direct orders from Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Ael t'Rllaillieu herself, my aunt. We are to reclaim the Klingon-occupied planet Korai, once Romulan territory, now theirs. For that, I requested for your help and if the rumors they've told about you are true..."

"You're pretty." said Jaylah, cutting in.

"Pretty..." The Romulan commander rolled the word around in her mouth. Apparently she had a preference for both men and women, and everyone in her division knew that.

"You're welcome." Jaylah remarked.

"Miss Dawnbreaker, are you trying to hit on me or..."

"No." laughed the mercenary, spinning around in her seat. "Even a girl has standards, I'm not blind. My ring, it's for bringing justice to this universe only. To get rid of evil men, like Krall."

"Who's Krall?" inquired Charvanek.

"He imprisoned my family on this planet called Altamid." said Jaylah. "He took my father, and my sister. I avenged them, with this very ring." she said, as she held up her ring for her employer to see.

"I see. If you truly wish to rid this universe of evil, then why not start with those Klingon filth that took over Korai?"

"F-ine." the mercenary said. "Just promise you'll pay me pretty good so that I won't starve when I take back to the stars."

"I will." Charvanek promised—in the end, it was all just good business and, in all honesty, she too found the bearer of the green ring quite attractive. She poured two glasses of Romulan ale for them both, and offered a toast, which Jaylah happily accepted.

The next day, Jaylah was out in the front, up against a battalion of Klingon vessels. For a moment, she doubted if they were truly evil but quickly shoved that thought into the back of her mind and readied her ring. Aboard the Memenda, Sub-Commander Tal was asking Charvanek "You really seem to have bought into the ring-wielder, Commander Charvanek."

"It's just good business." said the commander.

Back outside, the Green Lantern was flying head-on into danger as the Klingon leader gave out orders, and every vessel began firing at her. A disruptor blast, aimed straight for her head, was fended off by an energy barrier from the green ring, followed by another, then another, then soon, all the Klingon ships focused their attacks on Jaylah, who fought them off, hardly bothered.

"She's taking all the fire!" Charvanek exclaimed. "All ships—engage!"

Jaylah cracked a defiant grin as disruptor blasts and torpedoes rained on her. "Alright, time to take this one down." She then picked a song from her playlist. "Ring?"

Initiating blackout.

Just A Girl-No Doubt

Take this pink ribbon off my eyes,

I'm exposed and it's no big surprise,

Don't you think I know exactly where I stand?

This world is forcing me to hold your hand,

'Cause I'm just a girl, oh, little ol' me,

Well, don't let me out of your sight,

Oh, I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite,

So don't let me have any rights!

Oh, I've had it up to here...

The moment that I step outside,

So many reasons for me to run and hide,

I can't do the little things I hold so dear,

'Cause it's all those little things that I fear,

'Cause I'm just a girl, I'd rather not be,

'Cause they won't let me drive late at night,

Oh, I'm just a girl, guess I'm some kind of freak,

'Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes,

Oh, I'm just a girl, take a good look at me,

Just your typical prototype...

Oh, I've had it up to here...

The Memenda flew over to Jaylah, who received a transmission from Charvanek. "I'm impressed, Miss Dawnbreaker. It seems the rumors were true indeed."

"Well, thank you." said the mercenary.

Oh, am I making myself clear?

I'm just a girl,

I'm just a girl in the world,

That's all that you'll let me be...

Oh, I'm just a girl, living in captivity,

Your rule of thumb makes me worrisome,

Oh, I'm just a girl, what's my destiny?

What I've succumbed to is making me numb,

Oh, I'm just a girl, my apologies,

What I've become is so burdensome,

Oh, I'm just a girl, lucky me,

Twiddle-dum, there's no comparison,

Oh, I've had it up to,

Oh, I've had it up to,

Oh, I've had it up to here...

In the end, the Romulans had triumphed and the Klingons had to surrender Korai back to them. Empress t'Rllaillieu wished to honor her niece and the green ring-bearer, so Charvanek's division was called back to Romulus, and of course, Jaylah was in tow. A lavish victory party was thrown, and Jaylah was obliged to attend. Tal threw an emerald green dress in her face, saying "Might as well be dressed for the occasion, alien." 

"Aye, sir." she spat back. 

Even at the party, she felt uncomfortable. There were Romulans everywhere, and she seemed to be the only alien. She would rather be dancing among the endless span of stars, listening to sweet songs from the playlist Kalara had given her and searching for new evil to vanquish. But surprisingly, it all vanished when Charvanek came up next to her, in her military uniform. "Hello, Miss Dawnbreaker." said the commander.

"Hello, Charvanek." Jaylah said. "Enjoying yourself, I see..."

Charvanek handed her glass of Romulan ale to Jaylah. "I know you want bloodshed, but trust me, you'll grow on us. Our people are warriors. Often savage. But we are also many other pleasant things."

"Yeah, whutever. Just release me with the promised bounty when it's all over." said the girl before downing the glass, and leaned in to whisper in her employer's pointed ear:"Besides, you wouldn't mind if I spice this boring party up a bit, right?"

"Do as you wish." said the Romulan, and the black-and-white alien complied. She made a construct table and jumped on it before yelling out a verse from a well-known pirate shanty, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Drink up, me hearties, yo-ho!"

"Damn alien!" Tal muttered under his breath. Strangely enough, everyone else in attendance found the sight entertaining, or, in Charvanek's case, seductive as the Lantern danced on the table, strumming a green axe-guitar, her skirt fluttering like wings.

"Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me..."

The commander's eyes were trained on the young Lantern like an eagle stalking its prey. One thought crossed her mind:Devil. Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker danced like a devil from Hell. She felt a green blush coming up her cheeks. But in the last minute, Jaylah lost balance and fell down as her constructs disappeared, and Charvanek knew she had to act—fast. She rushed forward and caught the younger woman's wrist, preventing her from hitting the cold, hard floor. That was when a servant announced her aunt's arrival.

"Presenting Her Honored Majesty, ruler of the Star Empire and her people, Empress Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu!"

The grand hall erupted into cheers of "Long live the Empress!" as the Romulan ruler entered.

"First and foremost, we have good news. A special envoy from the Klingon Empire brought word that an armistice agreement with our Star Empire has been signed." spoke the Empress. "We thank from all of our hearts all those who have endured this lengthy time of trial along with us. There are quite a many people who speak out in opposition to this armistice. Hatred of the Klingons among those who have lost friends and loved ones to the war has no doubt persisted for three generations. We sincerely sympathize with them. However, the rebuilding of our wearied nation is far more urgent. Hereafter, we must focus all of our strength towards our empire's prosperity. As you all know, my niece Commander Charvanek and her military division demonstrated exceedingly great merit leading to this armistice, but the one who achieved the greatest feat of them all would be, without a doubt, the green ring-wielder who gladly lent us her might."

"May I have a word with you, Miss Dawnbreaker?" asked Charvanek, before pulling Jaylah aside and to a terrace devoid of people.

"Wha—" Jaylah was surprised, but had no choice but to follow her employer.

"Her Majesty looks quite fond of you, so I've been thinking, if you could stay in my division and continue fighting for us."

"No, thanks." Jaylah simply said. "I'd rather be out there, among those stars." A flash of green light, and the dress fell off her lean frame, replaced with her Lantern Uniform in less than a minute. "Bed aoi, my lady." was what she said, before flying away. Goodbye forever. Like a bat out of hell, she had left before morning came.

In the following week, Jaylah continued scourging the stars for what she could do to prevent further injustice and rescue others from suffering the same fate as her—her before she got the green ring, of course. Some called her a miracle-worker, others a threat.

Her resolve had not yet broken, that was when she came in first contact with the United Federation Of Planets. One of its ships, the Constellation, had wandered into hostile space...which turned out to be Romulan space and through some assistance from her ring, she was able to figure out the Federation goons were in a covert mission to steal a cloaking device from her former bosses. She, being the kind-hearted person she was, decided to give the Romulans a little warning...only to meet Liviana Charvanek again.

"So, we meet again, Miss Dawnbreaker." the commander had said, "Felt compelled to return?"

"Um..." The Lantern couldn't find the words. Second time's a charm, they said, and she found herself drawn to her former employer. After the Constellation crew's attempt to steal the cloaking device was foiled, she permanently installed herself into Charvanek's military division and, as time grew on, even the most stubborn and conservative Romulan soldiers acknowledged the alien as their sister-in-arms.

And for four more months, Jaylah stayed, relaying her favorite tales to her once-employer, now-superior. How "King" Iora Daris, a legendary pirate captain who was the most powerful and influential pirate of his time, rallied his crew to go against Alte're, the queen of the stars, and imprisoned her in mortal form so everyone could roam the stars freely. The courtship of the young huntress Nekoma of Amerind and the lake spirit Wanji. And even a story from Earth, the core planet of the Federation, about a girl who made the stars.

With each story told, Jaylah found herself falling in love. And apparently, Charvanek felt the same, since she had begun calling her "Jay" when they were in private.

One night, the Lantern had called her superior out and tried to teach her how to dance. She made a green sash from her ring and began to move in the same manner as when she entertained everyone at the party. Her long limbs seemed to be everywhere at once and her body moved with a practiced grace although the dance was certainly the most unconventional thing the commander had ever seen in her life, but yet, it was just as alluring. Then Jaylah shuffled through her playlist for a moment, and when she found the right song, she reached out and grabbed Charvanek.

"Jay, I—This is most crude." said the Romulan, but the Lantern paid those words no mind.

"Who cares? Just follow me." she giggled. Charvanek stumbled for a moment, but she suddenly found that there was something almost predictable about the movements once she learned the rhythm and she was able to join Jaylah in this wild and joyous dance.

You Belong To The City-Glenn Frey

The sun goes down, the night rolls in,

You can feel it starting all over again,

The moon comes up, and the music calls,

You're getting tired of staring at the same four walls,

You're out of your room and down on the street,

You can feel the crowds in the midnight heat,

The traffic roars, the sirens scream,

Look at the faces, it's just like a dream,

Nobody knows where you're going,

Nobody cares where you've been,

'Cause you belong to the city,

You belong to the night,

Living in a river of darkness beneath the neon light,

You were born in the city,

Concrete under your feet,

It's in your moves, it's in your blood,

You're a man of the street,

When you said goodbye, you were on the run,

Tryin' to get away from the things you'd done,

Now you're back again and you're feeling strange,

So much has happened but nothing has changed,

Still don't know where you're going,

You're still just a face in the crowd,

You belong to the city,

You belong to the night,

Living in a river of darkness beneath the neon light,

You were born in the city,

Concrete under your feet,

It's in your blood, it's in your moves,

For a man of the streets.

When it finished and they wound up in each other's arms staring right at each other, Jaylah leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the lips.

Before Charvanek could quite figure out the proper reaction to this, and even as her brain thrummed with the confirmation that this was in fact her t'hy'la, Jaylah pulled her into another kiss which soon turned into more.

"You're crazy." said the commander as deft hands made work of the ties that fastened her uniform close.

"Thank goodness for that," the Lantern remarked, "because if I wasn't, this'd probably never work. And this, this is without a single drop of ale."

You can feel it,

You can taste it,

You can see it,

You can face it,

You can hear it,

You're getting near it,

You're wanna make it,

'Cause you can take it,

You belong to the city,

You belong to the night,

You belong to the city,

You belong to the night,

You belong,

You belong.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Holy unanticipated occurrences." Jaylah muttered. John Harrison, the man chosen as her work pardner, was not only conversing with a humongous black starship but the ship's humming answers were also audible to Jaylah herself.

What Jaylah didn't know was that she spoke loud enough for Harrison to hear. "M'Ress?" he said, and stalked towards her with a furious look on his face. "You shouldn't be here." he snapped.

"I—I just followed a call. It came from that ship." said Jaylah, pointing at the black ship.

Instantly, Harrison slammed her into the nearest wall. "You lie." he growled. "There's no way the USS Vengeance could have let himself heard to one such as you!" Just then, a faint whistling was heard and Harrison let go of Jaylah before turning again to the ship. "What? She's not lying?"

Click.

"You called her here?"

Whirr.

"Oh, I see..." Harrison seemed to relent after that statement from the "USS Vengeance", then sighed. "Alright, so you said he called you here?"

"Aye." Jaylah said.

"Aye?" Harrison said, a bit confused.

"Aye, aye!" Jaylah repeated, happily.

"You using that word could only mean one out of those two things; you're either a Scotsman, or a pirate." said the raven-haired man.

The dreadlocked Lantern grinned. "Oh, I did use to be a pirate, before it happened. Before the whole Green Lantern business, there was this guy named Krall. He had me and my family prisoner. My sister was raped by him, and then killed. My father sacrificed himself only so I could be free. I was but a little girl at that point of time, but then I got this green ring and thanks to it, I could carry out revengeance."

Harrison's eyes widened. "I...I never knew that."

"Anyhoo, you said something about the ship letting...himself heard." said Jaylah. "Care to explain?"

Harrison sighed. "You might not understand, but...he has a mind of his own, and I have bonded my very soul to him because I love him dearly, and he loves me too. Aside from that, he only lets himself heard to those he can fully trust, and he has never trusted anyone aside from me and Dr. Dehner, and now there's you."

"Oh, I get it! However, that part about you loving the ship...are you a Tesshan, just like me?" Jaylah asked.

"What is a Tesshan?" Harrison inquired.

"It is used as a sign of respect among my people, for the abnormal. For starters, I am called that since I generally find men to be unattractive, and instead find women to be lovelier. My father was also a Tesshan, for his attraction to both men and women. And then there's you. But you, John Harrison...you're unlike anything I've seen before. I mean, with a starship, of all things..." As Jaylah spoke, the "Vengeance" let out a chiding cry and for some STRANGE reason, she could understand it perfectly, like she understood her native tongue, Standard, or Rihannsu. That one cry alone held so much meaning and it left Jaylah wondering. "John Harrison." she said out loud. "Is that even your real name?"

"Why?" asked Harrison.

"The "Vengeance" called you Khan. Is there something I don't know, or..."

"Ask him yourself."

And so Jaylah did. The light of her ring provided full view of the large ship—bold yet sleek, intimidating yet beautiful, and strangely alluring. "Ollo?" said the Lantern, and the ship responded with a squeak.

"I," she said, pointing at herself, "Jaylah."

The "Vengeance" chirped in response.

"Yes. Jay-lah. And you are?"

Whirr.

"U-S-S-Vengeance Dreadnought-class, No Registry?"

The next moment, Harrison was next to her. "Advanced weaponry and warp drive, modified for a minimal crew. He was made for war, just like me. And somehow, he evolved. His sentience alone makes him the deadliest in the whole entire universe."

"He seems nice." Jaylah chuckled.

"Oh, and by the way...you said your name was Jaylah. Isn't your name M'Ress?" asked Harrison.

"No, that's just a cover. Jaylah is my name. It means fierce one." replied the alien. "Now when I think about it, we never properly introduced ourselves." she said, extending a hand to her pardner. "Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker."

"Khan Noonien Singh." said Harrison—no, Khan as he shook hands with Jaylah.

Since then, they stopped calling each other "M'Ress" and "John Harrison", and started calling each other "Jaylah" and "Khan Noonien". The Vengeance had brought them together, and since they were work partners, they combined their intellect to complete him. During that period, Jaylah had also learned that Dehner had advised not only her, but Khan to "remember who you are". And Khan did—in his heart, he was always the genetically enhanced leader who once ruled a quarter of the Earth. Jaylah appreciated his determination to save his crew; avenge the 12 that had died at Marcus's hands when he refused to cooperate and rescue the remaining 72, and she promised him that she would aid and abet in any plan necessary.

One day, they were working on the ship's phaser arrays when Khan noticed that Jaylah was listening to "Sabotage" by Beastie Boys. "What are you listening to?"

"A gift from a friend. I like the beats and shouting." Jaylah replied.

"Oh, then I'm sure you'll love Meat Loaf!" Khan declared, then tossed her his own playlist that he had set aside. Jaylah flipped through the songs, and picked one.

Paradise By The Dashboard Light-Meat Loaf

I remember every little thing,

As if it happened only yesterday,

Parking by the lake,

And there was not another car in sight,

And I never had a girl,

Looking any better than you did,

And all the kids at school,

They were wishing they were me that night.

And now our bodies are oh-so-close and tight,

It never felt so good, it never felt so right,

And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife,

Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife,

C'mon! Hold on tight!

C'mon! Hold on tight!

Thought it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night,

I can see paradise by the dashboard light!

Ain't no doubt about it,

We were doubly blessed,

'Cause we were barely seventeen,

And we were barely dressed!

Ain't no doubt about it,

Baby, got to go and shout it,

Ain't no doubt about it,

We were doubly blessed,

'Cause we were barely seventeen,

And we were barely dressed!

Baby, don'tcha hear my heart?

You got it drowning out the radio,

I've been waiting so long,

For you to come along and have some fun!

And I gotta let you know,

No, you're never gonna regret it,

So open up your eyes,

I got a big surprise,

It'll feel all right,

Well, I wanna make your motor run!

And now our bodies are oh-so-close and tight,

It never felt so good, it never felt so right,

And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife,

Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife,

C'mon! Hold on tight!

C'mon! Hold on tight!

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night,

I can see paradise by the dashboard light,

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night...

(In the deep dark night...)

Paradise by the dashboard light...

Soon, Jaylah was singing along while grooving on to the music. "You got to do what you can! And let Mother Nature do the rest!"

"Ain't no doubt about it, we were doubly blessed!" Khan joined in.

"How'd you get your own playlist? I doubt Admiral Marcus let you make one, I'm barely clinging on to mine." said Jaylah.

"Oh, I got help from one Marla McGivers." Khan replied. "I knew her even before I was assigned here. She was...fascinated with me. But like hell I'll return the favors, my heart is for my Vengeance alone."

Jaylah giggled. She felt the Vengeance give a low, possessive hum in agreement with Khan's statement. But it also made her sad in a sense, since she once had a time like that, when she and Charvanek were still madly in love with each other, before Tahani showed up and everything fell apart. Although Jaylah could not forgive Charvanek for what she did to the sphere, deep down, she still missed her and had never stopped loving her. She shoved the feelings aside and went through a few more songs from Khan's playlist as she worked, all of them sung by a specific singer named Meat Loaf.

Once they were finished, they headed to the lounge to take a break. There, Jaylah spotted a fair-skinned, blonde woman heading towards them. "Hello, my name is Carol Marcus, and I'm here to see my father. You must be Commander John Harrison and Lieutenant M'Ress, right? My father told me all about you."

That night after Carol Marcus had left, Jaylah was in the Vengeance's holodeck section, downloading some movies for her and Khan to watch, including the popular "Nacelles Of Glory" which told the strange case of Starfleet red shirt Ensign Nicky Lane and a half-machine, half-god named Aris. But she knew her pardner would love the two other movies in the list more—the classic "Tenacious D In The Pick of Destiny" which featured Meat Loaf himself and the 2196 movie "Independence Day", made for the 200th anniversary of the victory of '96, the event that marked the end of the Eugenics Wars, when aliens invaded Earth in 1996 and were beaten back by the same Khan Noonien Singh she had been working with. Back then, in 1996, when the other superhuman dictators were busy enslaving their own empires, Khan had joined forces with disgraced U.S Air Force captain Steven Hiller, the tech wiz David Levinson, and the brave pilot Ananya Kapoor to fight the aliens, and had won big time on 4th Of July. Since then, the meaning behind the 4th Of July celebration had changed forever—which was kind of ironic, considering that Khan was overthrown and forced to flee in 1998, two years from the aliens' invasion.

That was when the Vengeance sent her a distress call. "What?" Jaylah asked.

All she received in response were mechanical growls and hisses, but she interpreted it as You must know. and she understood.

"It's about Khan Noonien, right? Your one true captain, and my pardner." she said, and the Vengeance chirped. A yes. "Ring, locate Khan Noonien." she ordered, and her ring pointed to her where to go.

And to her surprise, he was at Admiral Marcus's office. The noises of agony in her head coming from the Vengeance alone was enough to confirm what Khan was going through, but the door was slightly open, making everything seen and heard.

Through the opening, Jaylah could hear Marcus say "You should see yourself. The mighty Augment, the hero of July 4, nothing but a little whore. Can't imagine how you even came into power way back when, unless you just screwed everyone into submission with that slut hole of yours."

For a split second, Jaylah wanted to throw up. With the knowledge that it could also happen to her any time, a chill went up her spine.

"Can't imagine how you stay so tight, unless you were made that way. Something tells me your creator made you just so they could use you, with your tight ass and your sweet little mouth...being a killing machine was just a perk, wasn't it?"

"It's too bad there aren't any records of how you were made. A perfect sex toy. Were I in another line of business, I'd make billions."

No, Jaylah wanted to cry out, to just barge in and say He is a true warrior, he was made for war and nothing else. If you ever do that to him again, I'll kill you. I'll tear you apart, I swear!

The ring on her finger seemed to bleed, in resonance with her aching heart.

Just as Jaylah was gathering every ounce of self-control to prevent herself from acting on impulse and possibly endangering Tahani, the mood shifted. "Anything unusual happen lately, slut?" Marcus drawls, but there is a tinge of cruelty, of something unsaid lingering in his tone.

"I am not sure as to what you are referring, sir." Now it was her pardner that was speaking.

SLAP.

Jaylah sucked in a harsh breath. The corrupt admiral had the audacity to slap one of the best people she had ever met on the cheek. She bulked up her willpower and barely avoided succumbing to the rising rage.

Marcus growled threateningly. "What did you call me?"

"Master." Khan conceded dully and Jaylah shed a tear.

"You saw my daughter." The words cut the air, an accusation. Gory images danced in Jaylah's mind, of eliminating the enemy and saving her pardner.

"She ran into me. In fact, I think she has been stalking me. Perhaps an infatuation. Master." Khan states, and the admiral continues to glower. "Don't worry, I have more than enough Marcus to start being involved with another."

Before Khan knows it, the admiral has pulled a phaser and is holding it directly to his temple. "You think you're so cute, don't you? I should stun you into submission and send you trussed up to the Orions to train that goddamn sass out of you, boy."

Now Jaylah was mad. Before the fall of the Sitrian clan, she and her sister had several run-ins with the Orions, and experienced first-hand what horrors the slavers can do to a person. Anyone else could treat her dear pardner far worse than the repugnant man in front of him. As she was barely suppressing the urge to blow the door clean off and eviscerate the admiral, she heard Khan say "Apologies, master. Please, forgive me. I have no interest in your daughter."

The following conversation confirmed that Marcus had one of Khan's frozen crewmates there, and was using them as leverage. The Vengeance was screaming in Jaylah's mind, and fat tears flowed down the dreadlocked Lantern's cheeks, knowing full well that Khan was hearing those screams too. "Forgive me..." she muttered, under her breath.

Jaylah continued to watch, then suddenly, red flooded her vision. She did not stand by in the presence of evil, and what Marcus was doing to Khan right now was pure and unadulterated evil.

"Such a good little whore. Some days I think I should just chain you in here. Or better yet, lock you under my desk at the office. That way you would be able to eat my prick all the time instead of waiting, greedy slut."

The Vengeance informed her that this wasn't the first time Khan had gone through this, and it made her blood boil. With her ring, she could kill the evil man with a single thought, rescue Khan and all 72 of his crew, find Tahani and escape with her, hijack the Vengeance and then they would all fly to Oa and seek refuge there. Ganthet and Sayd would gladly help them out, perhaps even provide Khan with a green ring. And on the next 4th Of July, they would find a way to defeat the Harvesters all by themselves, and the glory of 1996 would be restored once more.

As much as she longed to do all that, right now, she could just sit there and weep.

When the horrifying ordeal was finally done, Jaylah was there for Khan, tear stains visible on her face, silently wrapping her arms around his form and escorting him to the Vengeance's resting place at the heart of the Io Facility, now their sanctuary. She had used a bit of green light to float them both there.

Ever since that day, Jaylah had been conspiring with Khan to smuggle his crew into the new long-range torpedoes they were developing. She is finished with her work on the weapons, all 72 of them, when she receives mail from Dehner.

Dearest Osana,

I have been assigned aboard the USS Enterprise, alongside Lieutenant Mitchell and Nurse Chapel. Although I am concerned about what Mitchell and Chapel will do with Marcus's favoritism on their side, the ship's captain and first officer are good men and I trust they will keep them in check. If the universe wills it, then perhaps you and Lord Khan's path might cross with theirs.

Sincerely,

Dehner

Five seconds later and the message is gone. That is when a young Andorian, Ensign Shev Akria, barrels into her working place and informs her "Lieutenant M'Ress, Admiral Marcus requires your presence at the weapon testing grounds."

LATER...

In one swift movement, the giant sword construct summoned from Jaylah's ring took down the poisonous Grikkulian hydra that had been brought in to face her. Scattered around her were the corpses of a Vulcan le-matya, a saber bear from the Klingons' homeworld Qo'noS, a horned gorilla-like beast known as a mugato, and a Kwejian trance worm. "Is that all you got?" she roared from the square chamber she was trapped in, a single window just above her for observers. "I've been in more hells than you can count, you really need to do better."

"Magnificent!" Marcus said, clapping from above. "Since you and Harrison were practically inseparable during all the times I've observed you, I have decided to send the two of you on a mission together."

Jaylah swallowed down the bile in her throat, and said "I'd be glad to carry out whatever order you'll give me, sir."

And it turned out that she and Khan were tasked with destroying the Klingon moon Praxis, one out of many but the only one with a rich mineral supply. They had talked prior to the mission, and naturally, Jaylah refused to use her ring, since she swore it would only be used against evil and the Klingons were not evil, and the whole deal ended in Khan bringing several demolition charges to plant on the moon. Afterwards, they flew down to Qo'noS's Ketha Province to bear witness to their work and Jaylah had paid her respects to the poor Klingons that had lost their lives in a little skirmish that occurred, in the only way she knew.

"Some men have died and some are alive, and others sail the stars, with the keys to the cage, and the devil to pay, we lay to Fiddler's Green!" she began singing.

"What are you doing?" Khan asked.

"This song is special. Every space pirate, buccaneer and even privateer knows it. The first verse is used as a call to arms, and the second verse is sung to pay respect for the dead." Jaylah replied, and continued to sing with defiance. "Yo-ho, all together, raise the colors high. Heave-ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die!"

As the song ended, Praxis went off in a spectacular explosion over their heads.

When they returned, a terrible fate awaited Jaylah. She was called to Marcus's personal quarters, where he told her "Why did you not use your ring?"

Jaylah spat in his face. "I do not stand by in the presence of evil." she declared, and then added "My ring is only for justice, and what you plan to do has no justice in it. I know this Federation is practically defenseless, but we can find a better way to resolve it instead of starting a war and murdering thousands upon thousands of innocent people!"

Marcus laughed. "Klingons are not people, don't be sentimental. They are savage beasts, who for some STRANGE reason have the ability to walk upright and talk and construct starships. God knows how they managed that."

"They are alive nonetheless! You can't..."

"Enough!" the admiral bellowed. "Do you want to see your sphere friend stripped of her resources until nothing is left of her but an empty shell? Oh, and I had my technicians run tests on her. Turns out her system holds the key to far more superior technology..."

"No, please!" Jaylah cried. "Not Tahani! She needs to live!"

The despicable man's lips curled into a sinister smirk. "Strip." he commanded.

And Jaylah did just that, overcome with shame. Is that what Keelah felt when Krall took her? she thought, and soon, she was shoved face-down onto the bed.

Fortunately, it was the first and last time she had to endure that. Dehner had found a loophole for her and Khan both. First thing Sunday morning, they escaped on a shuttle she had prepared for them, and went to London where Jaylah used up whatever money she had left to buy some new clothes for her and Khan. This time, they had taken asylum in the attic of one Thomas Harewood, with the firm promise that his sick daughter would be saved. Jaylah's kind heart had made it easy for the both of them, and she spent the following week making plans with Khan. Their target was the Kelvin Archive, which, in fact, was a super-secret Section 31 facility.

I Am Woman-Helen Reddy

I am woman, hear me roar,

In numbers too big to ignore,

And I know too much to go back and pretend,

'Cause I've heard it all before,

And I've been down there on the floor,

No one's ever going to keep me down again!

Whoa, yes, I am wise,

But it's wisdom born of pain,

Yes, I've paid the price,

But look how much I gained!

If I have to, I can do anything,

I am strong, (strong)

I am invincible, (invincible)

I am woman!

You can bend but never break me,

'Cause it only serves to make me,

More determined to achieve my final goal,

And I'll come back even stronger,

Not a novice any longer,

'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul!

Whoa, yes, I am wise,

But it's wisdom born of pain,

Yes, I've paid the price,

But look how much I gained!

If I have to, I can do anything,

I am strong, (strong)

I am invincible, (invincible)

I am woman!

I am woman, watch me grow,

See me standing toe-to-toe,

As I spread my loving arms across the land,

But I'm still an embryo,

With a long, long way to go,

Until I make my brother understand!

Whoa, yes, I am wise,

But it's wisdom born of pain,

Yes, I've paid the price,

But look how much I gained!

If I have to, I can face anything,

I am strong, (strong)

I am invincible, (invincible)

I am woman!

Oh, I am woman,

I am invincible,

I am strong,

I am woman,

I am invincible,

I am strong,

I am woman...

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Now you won't dream of leaving me for that pointy-eared bastard, will you?" Gary Mitchell asked as he slammed his girlfriend into a nearby bulkhead.

"Darling, it's not my fault that this ship had such a sexy Vulcan first officer." Christine Chapel drawled. She wrapped her arms around Gary's neck then whispered seductively into his ear; "Remember that threesome we had with that John Harrison guy before under our admiral's supervision?"

"I remember, that was the best sex I've had in years." Gary said, thrusting into Chapel again.

"Don't worry, I will only be using Mr. Spock, just like how we used sweet Johnny back then. Have you ever tried alien before?" Chapel panted between moans.

Gary groaned at his girlfriend's voice dripping with lust, he knew just how perverted she was, always willing to try out new things. Lost in their madness, the two lovers did not notice their admiral's arrival, only when the ship rocked violently just as they were nearing orgasm, they realized that they were being attacked. Gary pulled out of Chapel and the two quickly arranged their clothes before arriving at the bridge, where they noticed Carol Marcus trying to talk some sense into her father, only to be beamed into the other ship. Pretty soon, Gary and Chapel followed, having been noticed.

Jaylah waited at the airlock for Khan and Kirk to arrive, fully clad in her Lantern Uniform. The other two, suited up, came sooner than expected, and Kirk asked Jaylah "You don't need to breathe when you're wearing dat ring?"

"Just don't ask me how it works." Jaylah gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Scotty, how we doing over there?" Kirk asked.

"I wish I had better news, sir. They will have full power in only a few minutes and I won't be able to stop them again. Standby." the Scotsman replied.

"Captain, the ships are aligned." Spock informed. Kirk could detect the worry in the Vulcan's voice. He smiled sadly. "Thank you, Spock. Scotty?"

Jaylah heard the Scotsman say something about a car and a bridge and a shot glass, and giggled. That was when Dehner came to her. "Osana!" said the doctor. "I have something to inform you."

"What is it?" asked Jaylah.

"Marcus had been after people who associated with you before your recruitment into Section 31, to ensure everyone remembered only M'Ress and not Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker. Already a lot of people died." she said, then placed a reassuring hand on Jaylah's cheek. "No matter how many time you've spent among the evil, you're a good girl. Never forget that. Oh, and do bring that asshole Marcus to justice for me, will ya?"

"Aye, Doctor Dehner. That I swear!" Jaylah promised.

"Right, I'm ready with the door." Scotty finally informed.

"Open her up, Spock." Kirk ordered. He, Jaylah and Khan braced themselves.

Spock hesitated over the button and everyone on the bridge turned to stare at him. "Be careful, captain." He murmured. He took a deep breath and hit the button. "3..2..1" the door opened and they flew out. Spock felt like he was struggling to breathe as his eyes locked on Kirk and his vitals. His chest felt tight with anxiety.

Finally, the three were launched into space. Spock needed guidance.

"Lieutenant Uhura," he said. "Are we near enough to New Vulcan to get a comm signal?"

She checked her screen and keyed in the coordinates. "Yes, sir."

"I need to make a call."

He gave her the signal code and waited for a response. It didn't take long.

"Mr. Spock," Ambassador Selek said.

"Mr. Spock."

He smirked a little before he straightened. "I am calling to ask you about something important. In your timeline, did you ever encounter a woman named Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker?"

"Jaylah? No, I do not believe so."

"What about a man named Khan?"

The older Spock's eyes hardened.

"Khan Noonien Singh."

"Yes," Selek said softly shaking his head. He looked back to Spock. "I have made a vow to never give you or Jim information from my time that could potentially alter your destiny. Your path is yours to walk and your alone." Selek then paused and swallowed before his eyes hardened slightly. "That being said, Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced."

Spock clenched his fists.

"Khan is brilliant, ruthless, and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you."

"Did you defeat him?" Spock asked, illogically dreading whatever response Selek gave him.

"At great cost, yes," Selek sighed sadly.

"How?" Spock asked.

Meanwhile, the three were making their way to the Vengeance. Jaylah, who had flown before, weaved effortlessly through the debris as if she was flying through a familiar asteroid field, and even offered Khan assistance, using her ring. Kirk, on the other hand, was struggling quite a bit, much to Jaylah's amusement. Then suddenly, Khan was taken down by a large chunk of debris. Jaylah gasped, and flew to his direction.

Kirk's visor was cracked, and he was now flying blind. "Captain, without your visor, your chance of making it to the door is mathematically impossible." he heard Spock say. Just as the young captain thought he was going to die, a streak of green light wrapped around him, putting him back on track. Through his foggy display, he could see Khan and Jaylah come back into the picture.

"Thank god." he breathed.

After panicking slightly at Scotty not responding to being told to open the door, the door finally opened and sucked the three right in. When the the airlock closed, the three fell to the ground hard and slid and rolled right up to where Scotty was sitting. Jaylah was relieved as she felt the Vengeance all around her, cool and all-encompassing and was genuinely happy when she heard the warship's little cries of joy.

"Welcome aboard." The engineer chuckled.

"Good to see you, Scotty!" cried Kirk.

"And to the other lad and the lass..." asked Scotty. "Me name's Montgomery Scott."

"Khan." said the Augment.

"I am Jaylah, and you are Montgomery Scott." the dreadlocked Lantern introduced herself.

"Aye, Scotty."

"Come now, Montgomery Scotty." said Jaylah as she led the other three down the halls.

Janice Rand walked down the hallways, to check on Christine Chapel. The two had been close friends for quite some time. When she reached the nurse's office, she heard Chapel's voice, as well as some moaning and screaming. "Christine?" she called.

No answer.

Janice tried again, to no avail. She used an override to open the door and stepped in, then came across a shocking sight, Chapel watching video footage of herself, Gary Mitchell, and Alexander Marcus, "enjoying" different people, different sessions going by in a kaleidoscope of disturbing images, some of which involved "Khan". "My god..." Janice murmured.

"J—Janice!" said the nurse as she quickly shut off the footage. "It's not what it looks like!"

"I know, Chris. I know." said the red shirt, then flipped open a communicator. "Commander Spock?"

Taking down the crew of the USS Vengeance was easy; taking down Marcus was supposed to be easy as well. If that was the case, why were Khan's hands trembling? He and Jaylah watched on as Kirk and Marcus spoke, the younger human's voice cold, calm and collected as the elder grew ever angrier and hysterical in his justifications for his actions.

"If I'm not in charge, then our entire way of life is decimated. So if you want me off this ship, you'd better kill me…" Marcus shouted, like a raging bull faced with a tranquillizer, then suddenly, he turned his gaze to Khan. "You served your purpose, Harrison," the voice was dripping poison, the words corrosive like acid. "You played your part well…Soldier, engineer…Whore…" He flinched, "You have done everything you were created for, now step aside and know your place!"

White noise filled his head and his own voice was shouting at him to just stop listening.

His place…

Rage burned inside Khan. He was no one's toy. No one's. But before he could strike, Jaylah beat him to the punch and quickly made a construct cutlass to point at the enemy's neck. Her gaze was like a golden flame, hotter than the sun, all consuming in its fury and a lesser man—or a less prideful one in Marcus's case—would have turned tail and fled. Green energy levitating her dreadlocks like white wings and the deadly weapon held with a steady hand, Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker looked every inch the avenging angel that she was in that moment and Khan couldn't have been anymore grateful. You see, deep down, Jaylah was actually a very good-natured person that hardly ever got truly angry or blood thirsty, but she had her family's blood in her veins even if she no longer carried the Sitrian standard. And her family, although also not the blood thirsty type, were not averse to killing their opponents, those who had wronged them or have truly managed to enrage them.

Elizabeth Dehner had called her a good girl. Ganthet and Sayd insisted on it even now. Katma Tui had accepted and acknowledged that when she gave her a toast on that fateful night. Many others swore by it, despite how much Jaylah insisted otherwise.

But if that were true, then this is a situation even the devil would cower before.

For demons run when a good man goes to war and Jaylah was ready to bring hell to the universe for all that Marcus had ever done. To her personally. To Khan. To the Vengeance. To the frozen 72. To the poor, unassuming people at Section 31. To the Enterprise crew. To the Klingons. To the stars themselves. To his own daughter. Jaylah wasn't a vengeful creature but she knew, perhaps better than even Khan, how to hold a grudge.

"Don't you dare say that." she growled. "You took me forcefully while knowing I am only attracted to women. You blackmailed Khan Noonien into your bed, something he wasn't willing to do. You made the both of us develop weapons for your precious Starfleet, and treated the both of us as no more than mere objects. You exploited our power, our intellect. You made us slaves! You'll pay for all your indiscretions over the years. You'll pay for all the lives you've ruined. For the lives you've so unjustly ended. And you'll burn in Hell for it, knowing it was Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker who placed you there."

"You will pay dearly for this humiliation, M'Ress." Marcus growled.

"I only set the scales straight." the other replied, eyes narrowed. "Now we're equal."

"You will never be an equal to me, you wretch!" the old man snapped, face red.

"You're right. I'll always be better than you. You were but a replaceable link in a long, long chain when I was a hero for hire. My name was famous wide and far when no one even knew of Admiral Rapist." the Lantern taunted back with glee as she felt Khan place a supportive hand on her shoulder and heard the Vengeance's cry of approval. "We'll never be on equal ground. You are far beneath me, Your Nibs. Oh, and I'd love to rip out your entrails to see if you have any guts, but that would be too merciful so I'm afraid I'll have to arrest you instead."

"I am a Starfleet Admiral. You have no right!" Marcus sputtered out.

"I have every right. I am the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814." Jaylah retaliated.

"Damn right." said Carol, watching the scene unfold before her. "You're under arrest, Dad." She then opened up her communicator, dialed Kirk and said "Captain, do me a favor and dial up the PBI, will ya?"

"Alright, next case, People v. Marcus. Defendant has...what the...373 charges against him?!" The Judge said, bewildered.

"Yeah, the defendant is charged with a litany of crimes here..." The court officer explained.

"Isn't this a federal case?" The Judge asked.

"Yeah, but for whatever reason the arraignment had to be here." The court officer explained.

"Alright, whatever. How does the defendant plead?" The Judge inquired.

"Not guilty." said Gary.

"Yes, I am innocent on all of these charges!" Marcus said defiantly.

"Very well then, does the prosecution have a recommended bail amount?" The Judge asked.

"I mean, I'm not the actual prosecutor for this case, but the actual one recommended that no bail be set." The presiding prosecutor said.

"WHAT?!" Marcus shrieked.

"Yes, based on the fact he is charged with hundreds of crimes, and is seen as a danger to society, at least according to Enya Hardnose." The presiding prosecutor explained.

The Judge and Court Officer gasped.

"Who's Enya Hardnose?" Chapel asked the Judge.

"Only the most ruthless prosecutor in all of the Federation! She's taken cases for over twenty years, and has never lost once! Legend says it that she particularly excels in cases concerning women, especially queer women..." The Judge said, shivering in fear.

Marcus gulped. If what he did to Jaylah that one night were ever to come out, he was dead meat.

"Based on Ms. Hardnose's recommendation, I'll just go along with it and say the defendant will remain in custody. She scares me!" The Judge remarked.

Just then, a guard came into the room they were in.

"Sorry to disturb, but I figured I'd pass so more information about the trial to you guys. So it'll be held at the First Courthouse of the United Federation Of Planets starting next week. Your judge will be the Honorable Judge Swisher." The Guard explained.

"Judge Swisher?! She's the toughest judge in the Federation!" Marcus remarked.

"Yeah, and you got Hardnose at Prosecutor, good luck winning a trial with those two!" The Guard said, laughing as he left.

Marcus sighed, "Well, I know the odds are well against us, but I know that you two have gotten me out of sticky situations before, so let's keep that streak going, shall we?"

"Don't worry, Admiral Marcus, you can count on us!" said Gary as he saluted his admiral.

Khan and Jaylah's new prison looked more like a hospital and their jailers were doctors. It took the presence of Doctor Leonard McCoy, or McBones as Jaylah called him, to make them stop thinking everyone in the building was out to get them and that they were not in a prison. Not really.

Rehabilitation, they said.

Jaylah had her second or so visitor in her first three days, and it turned out to be Christopher Pike, who became the new head of Section 31 after the whole ordeal. "No fear, Miss Dawnbreaker, you and Mr. Singh are completely safe, I visited him before you." he told her.

"Look, Christopher Pike, I'm so sorry. I did not mean to..." Jaylah murmured.

"It's OK. Truth is, Marcus had tried to kill me for associating with you before." said Pike. "I will try to assist the both of you in the upcoming trial, and so will she."

"Who?" asked Jaylah as an elegantly dressed woman came in.

"Meet Serena Wallace." said Pike. "She is the mother of Lieutenant Carol Marcus, and the ex-wife of your Hated One."

"Nice to meet you." said Serena. "I have unfinished business with my ex-husband as well, so you can count on me."

"Thank you." Jaylah said. Pike and Serena both nodded at her as they existed her cell, and went outside the building to meet up with Carol and Kirk, who were talking.

"Jim, I have to know…" Carol starts, her voice shaking. "Is it true? What everyone said. Did my father—" She breaks off, wrapping her arms around herself as if afraid she might fall apart. Kirk has never seen her like this. "I keep asking myself how I didn't pick up on it. I was there, wasn't I? At the Io Facility. Each time I visited…I should have known..."

"Carol," Kirk stops her. "You couldn't have. Your father did everything in his power to hide the truth from you, and Khan didn't trust anyone to tell. There was no way you could have known."

That was when the young captain noticed a figure approaching them. A figure he knew all too well. "Chris?"

"Welcome back, son." said Pike.

"No way...it can't be..." said the captain as he walked over to embrace his foster father, his steps trembling.

"Oh, but it is." Pike replied as he gave Kirk a hug. "Miss Dawnbreaker saved me."

Watching this, Carol told Serena "Are you sure about this?"

"Don't worry." said the older woman. "You knew I could always bring Alex down if I wanted to."

Chapter Text

"All rise for People of the United Federation Of Planets v. Alexander Marcus. With Honorable Judge Olivia Swisher presiding." The Bailiff boomed as court began for the first day of Marcus's trial. Ganthet and Sayd were also present, as Delegates Of Oa. They would not stand by as a member of the Green Lantern Corps was abused, raped, and manipulated.

"Alright. Court is now in session. So, Alexander Marcus, you are fully aware of all 373 charges that have been brought against you, and it is still your intention to fight them all?" Judge Swisher asked.

"Indeed I am, Your Honor. I can assure you that I am absolutely, 100 percent, not guilty on all charges!" Marcus said confidently.

"You know, Admiral Marcus, in my courtroom, defendants who say stuff like that are always guilty..." Judge Swisher said coldly.

Marcus gulped.

"But of course, it could always be different, I never know...Does the defense have an opening statement?" Judge Swisher asked.

"Indeed I do, Your Honor." Gary said as he got up and approached the jury.

Khan and Jaylah looked at Hardnose and grinned, they knew Gary's opening statement was going to be weak.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, there comes a time in life when we are often faced with obstacles. Some of these are big, some are small, though our goal is obviously to get past them." Gary began. "The charges against our client are nothing but lies! Admiral Marcus is one of the most honest, hardworking, understanding, and generous bosses out there! He would never do anything illegal! He's being falsely accused by his enemies out of jealousy! They are jealous of his generosity which has helped Starfleet thrive for years on end!"

Hardnose got up to begin her opening statement.

"Perverted, reckless, abusive. These are just a few of the words that can be used to describe Alexander Marcus, who stands before you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, charged with several criminal counts including worker abuse, rape, harassment, attempted murder, just to name a few..." Hardnose began. "He is far more than a Starfleet Admiral. He is a rapist, a madman, a warmonger, abusive, the list goes on! And let's think rationally for a moment, would you really think that someone that has been charged on 373 counts really be innocent?"

The jury members nodded at each other in agreement. Marcus, Gary and Chapel exchanged worried looks.

Hardnose walked back to her table with a smug grin on her face, being rather pleased with herself.

"Well, now that statements are out of the way, will the defense call up their first witness?" Judge Swisher asked.

"Defense calls Serena Wallace to the stand!" Chapel piped in.

"You know what you gotta do." Carol told her mother as she approached the stand.

"Oh, trust me, I've waited years for this moment." Serena grinned as she made her way to the stand, then began to speak. "You might know me as the successful CEO of Wallace Technology. But deep down, I am a person, just like all of you. When I was a young lass, I had this wonderful boyfriend. Maximilian Marcus. We loved each other very much. But his older brother, Alexander, also loved me. He tried to woo me multiple times, even resorting to devious methods only to fail every single time. When all else failed, Alex finally crossed the impossible line and murdered Max, without me knowing it."

Everyone gasped. "Lies!" Marcus yelled out.

Judge Swisher banged out her gavel. "Order! Order in my courtroom!"

Serena continued on. "He then pretended to grieve with me, and sweet-talked me into marrying him. When I finally found out the truth, it was too late. I knew I had to leave him, which I would have did sooner, if it weren't for my dear Carol." She then smiled at her daughter, and earned a smile in return.

"Alright, then. Does the Prosecution have any witnesses they would like to call up?" asked Judge Swisher.

"Indeed, Your Honor, we actually have hundreds of them." Hardnose replied.

Gary, Chapel and Marcus gulped, while Khan and Jaylah grinned.

"...and after all that, he left me in the hospital for two weeks! The police didn't even bother trying to charge him, so he acted like it never happened!" said the Andorian Ambassador.

"And would you say that he greatly changed your view on Starfleet?" Hardnose asked.

"Yes! He claims that I laughed the whole thing off, and the organization refused to let me inspect the case again because he complained that I would be "unfair"!" The Andorian Ambassador said angrily.

"No further questions... Your witness, Mr. Mitchell..." Hardnose said cockily.

Gary walked up to the ambassador nervously.

"So, sir... Are you for sure that Admiral Marcus was behind the—"

"Oh, come on, Lieutenant Mitchell! You know that your boss was behind all of this! And you and Chapel were in on it as well! Had I not swallowed on that fly, that Argelian chocolate would've killed me on the spot! And he tried to cover up the fact with the various ways you three tried to kill me, and he gets away with it! What is there to prove?!" The Andorian Ambassador snapped.

"...No further questions..." Gary said meekly as he trudged back to his seat.

Marcus patted Gary on the back, "Don't worry, son, I'm sure the rest of these witnesses you can crack."

Unfortunately for the admiral, he was wrong.

The next several days further proved to incriminate him.

"Why, yes, we did briefly date, but it didn't end up working out. Since then, he's been trying to strip me of my rank by framing me for various things!" Commodore Paris, superintendent of Starbase Yorktown accused.

"You're a convicted felon! Why would anyone listen to you?!" Marcus shot back.

"Commodore, please! I'm sure you're mistaken!" Gary said desperately.

"You know that trying to convince me to help your boss isn't gonna help you get promoted, Mitchell..." Commodore Paris said.

"He tried to pull rank on me when I refused to marry off my daughter to him!" said the Romulan Ambassador, Joltair.

"Alexander Marcus ordered my girlfriend dead, and all she asked of that green-clad heroine was to confirm whether or not those pants made her look fat!" said a young man, holding up a pair of pants. He then looked at Jaylah and said "But do I blame her? No! She'd been helping many people since she showed up in San Fran, whether she wanted it or not. For that, I'm thankful."

Jaylah smiled.

"You're not alone here, young sir." said Pike as he came up to the stand, just as the young man was leaving it. Then he spoke up. "Marcus attempted to eliminate all evidence of Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker's existence from the universe by killing those who encountered her before, an attempt that was ultimately unsuccessful. I know it."

"And how is that, Admiral Pike?" asked Judge Swisher.

"Because I've been there. Miss Dawnbreaker saved me and my wife from an armed thug one day, and we almost got killed on it." Pike replied.

"To this day, I question why on earth I took on that job at Section 31. In the years that I have worked there, that warmonger Marcus that stands before you has mistreated me greatly! He once made me work for 43 days straight with no breaks at all! He barely even paid me! And that's just scratching the surface..." said Yuki Sulu. And so, for the next 45 minutes, Yuki went into great detail about Marcus's wicked habits and his various schemes. She discussed the dangerous working conditions, various safety hazards that were broken, and basically every other crime the admiral committed.

Hikaru Sulu heard it all, and felt sorry for his sister.

This went on for several days, and no matter how hard Gary and Chapel tried, they couldn't prove anything to help Marcus's case. And on the penultimate day, someone decisive was called upon.

"Prosecution calls Elizabeth Dehner to the stand." Hardnose said.

Dehner winked to Jaylah and Khan as she walked over to the stand. "All I'm asking for is that you keep an open mind. Admiral Marcus is not the upstanding citizen they are making him out to be—quite the opposite, in fact. During the course of this trial, we will show that Admiral Marcus coerced Mr. Singh and Miss Dawnbreaker into doing his bidding from the moment he recruited them, exploiting their vulnerabilities by threatening them with the lives of those who they hold dear. I'm sure you've all heard the news about Admiral Marcus's involvement in the secret Starfleet organization known as Section 31. I wish I could tell you that building weapons and hatching military strategies was all Marcus forced them to do. But it isn't. Commander, if you please...?" she asked as she gestured to Spock, who handed her the recorder he had confiscated from Chapel.

Time for fun, my dear, said Marcus, off-camera.

A hot, glowing poker entered the picture.

Several jurors cringed as muffled screams came from the television, then a ball gag was removed, the screams agonized as the torture intensified. Two jurors turned their heads away.

Dehner fast-forwarded to a naked man stretched out on his back, a large, serrated knife glinting above the bound body on the same platform, bloodstained from previous tortures. The hand holding the knife began sawing on vulnerable flesh, the screams filling the courtroom.

The doctor muted the sound, then once again fast-forwarded, this time to the bits involving Khan. Jaylah quickly covered her pardner's eyes with a construct so he would not have to endure that horrible time again. Not only Marcus, but Gary and Chapel had also had their "fun" with the Augment, so did some other high-ranking men who shared Marcus's perverted passion, and Jaylah was one step away from throwing up when she saw Gary bring in a large dog to rape Khan, his mouth reading As you ordered, sir.

The dreadlocked Lantern concentrated into her own mental link with the Vengeance. She hoped she, in this courtroom, could reach him, who was probably left to rot in some far-off shipyard.

And she succeeded.

Can you recall some happy memories you shared with Khan Noonien? He needs them right now. she thought, and the warship complied. Enticing images flooded not only Khan's mind, but Jaylah's as well. Her eyes were riveted on the video footage playing out, but the things in her mind served as a deterrent to those nightmares. And as the video ended, the Vengeance sent them one last, glorious, unforgettable moment.

You'll pay for all the lives you've ruined. For the lives you've so unjustly ended. And you'll burn in Hell for it, knowing it was Jaylah Osana Dawnbreaker who placed you there.

Jaylah smiled at her own voice saying that line in a clear static, a promise of vindication for her pardner and his ship, and one of righteous punishment to the man who mistreated them both. She then took off the construct from Khan's eyes, knowing that it was all over.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is what the defendant is capable of doing to unassuming people, and even the hero of July 4. After seeing this video, I hope that you will vote to convict to the fullest extent of the law. Those whose basic humanity are appalled at what you see here, and most importantly, those who still celebrate 4th Of July, reach deep down for your humanity and vote for conviction." said Dehner as she stepped down. Soon, another was called up, and her name was Sayd.

The Guardian opened her mouth and spoke up. "Omniscient as we are, we, the Guardians Of The Universe, were too pre-occupied with other sectors to see what was going on with Lantern Jaylah. But the time came for us to make one of our periodic secret checks, then we realized that she was violated." Using her mind, she placed a very down-to-earth reenactment of the night Marcus raped Jaylah in everyone's heads.

"That's not true! I can see it in her lying eyes!" Marcus shouted out.

"Silence!" Judge Swisher yelled as she slammed her gavel.

"The others didn't even bat an eye at it, but Ganthet and I could not stand by as one of our enforcers was subjugated. Hence the very reason why we are here." Sayd spoke out.

"And that should wrap up court for today, does the Prosecution have any more witnesses?" Judge Swisher asked.

"Only one more, Your Honor." Hardnose replied.

But who?

"So, Lieutenant Mitchell, would you please describe to the jury your experiences working for Section 31?" Hardnose asked the next day.

"Well...It's kinda hard to explain...I have worked for Admiral Marcus for many years. And in those years, he has taught me many life lessons and values, and has been a second father to me!" Gary Mitchell began.

"Oh, brother, he's going to go on for hours..." Carol mumbled.

And she was right, Gary went on for over an hour how great Marcus was and all that other sucking up to the boss kind of stuff.

However, to the Prosecution's surprise, the Jury seemed moved by Gary's testimony.

"You did it! I think you've done a number on them!" Marcus said, hugging Gary.

"All I had to do was tell the honest truth, Admiral, and that's all that really matters!" Gary replied.

Hardnose scoffed, "You see, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that testimony you heard right there shows how brainwashed that man is! I mean seriously, if you recall Captain Kirk's interaction with him yesterday, he is the only one out there that would stick with Marcus through thick and thin! I mean, come on! Out of all 105 witnesses, he's the only one that has spoken anything positive about him!"

"Because all the others were doing nothing by lying and spoiling my good name!" Marcus cried.

"Order! Order in my courtroom!" Judge Swisher yelled as she slammed her gavel.

"So to wrap this case up, ladies and gentlemen...for the past two weeks, you've heard scathing testimony about how Alexander Marcus truly is, from over a hundred witnesses nonetheless, and if you are honestly going to think Mitchell's testimony disproves everything that you've heard, then clearly you would have failed the judicial system. It's time he pays for his crimes, and those who suffered should get that restitution they most certainly deserve." Hardnose said as she wrapped up and walked back to her side, she gave Khan and Jaylah a thumbs-up.

"And that will wrap up testimony for this trial." Judge Swisher said, "Now, members of the jury, I ask you to think of everything you have heard over this two-week trial, and think to yourselves:Is Alexander Marcus guilty, or not guilty? That question is up for you twelve to decide." Judge Swisher said to the jury before they went to deliberate.

For three hours, the jury deliberated, everyone was in on pins and needles, waiting to see if the jury would come out. And after what seemed like forever, the jury filed back out.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Swisher asked the jury foreman.

"We have, Your Honor."

"Very well... now to make this go much quicker, I'll ask to see if you all came to the same consensus on all the charges." Judge Swisher said to the jury.

"We did, Your Honor, we had the same verdict on all of the charges." The Jury Foreman replied.

"Good. That'll make things go much faster. Will the defendant please rise and face the jury?" Judge Swisher requested.

Marcus got up and faced the jury. This was it. Two weeks full of witnesses seemed to dig a deeper and deeper hole for him, but Gary's testimony seemed to have caused the jury to consider a thing or two. Was it going to pay off?

Khan and Jaylah were also nervous. After everything they had done to bring Marcus to justice, they were this close to finally triumphing over him.

"How does the jury find the defendant?" Judge Swisher asked.

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Alexander Marcus..."

Everyone in the courtroom was at the edge of their seat, anxiously waiting to hear the verdict.

"...Guilty on all charges."

"No...He can't...he can't..." Gary said in disbelief.

"It's over...we actually won..." Khan said in disbelief.

Judge Swisher disrupted all the chatter.

"Well, then...I can't say that the verdict shocked me in the slightest. Alexander Marcus, you have been proven, and clearly shown to be nothing more than a perverted, warmongering, criminal scum. In my 37 years on the bench, I have had many criminals come through my courtroom. Some were thieves, some were harassers, some were cold-blooded killers. But without a doubt, you are by far the most despicable, reprehensible criminal that I have ever had come through my courtroom. It's a good thing the Planetary Bureau Of Investigation seized literally everything you own, because that will definitely help with restitution payments. And quite frankly, you don't deserve to have anything anyway. With that in mind, I hereby sentence you to life in prison at the Oa Sciencells as it is the Guardians' decree, hopefully you'll gain some sense for your crimes as you live out your days there." Judge Swisher decreed sternly.

"It was truly an honor to help you two out." Hardnose said as she shook hands with Khan and Jaylah.

"Ms. Hardnose, the amount of work you put into the case was extraordinary, and it had us coming out on top!" Khan thanked.

"It was my pleasure. I'll make sure you two get your restitution swiftly, hopefully in the next couple of days." Hardnose replied.

"Don't bother." Jaylah smiled. After all, she and Khan had their own trial coming up.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Run, little man.

The dark voice rang in Ganthet's head, haunting him as he fled.

Your rings follow like dumb mutts, but they will not save you. Mogo, the last Green Lantern, is dead. A fitting location for your own demise, do you not think so? Your fellow Guardians Of The Universe, foolish stragglers, are now ashes blowing across the cosmos. Give me the last rings, and I will make you watch as I extinguish their light forever. And then, will you finally die.

"You think it's over?" asked Ganthet defiantly, rings of six colors hovering around him—the colors of the rainbow, minus green.

Indeed, and victory is mine. the voice chuckled darkly.

"This day?" Ganthet said. "Perhaps. But not forever. Death cannot exist without life, and so I will work towards preserving life in all its forms. And you will never win."

A blinding flash of light, and Ganthet, as well as what was left of Mogo, was gone.

Meanwhile, In Another Universe...

"Congratulations on completing your training, Lantern Kirk." the oldest of the Guardians Of The Universe spoke calmly as the heroic crew of the USS Enterprise celebrated their captain's new position as a "space cop", as to say.

"Thanks, sir." said Kirk. "By the way, you guys should reevaluate your standards. Your very first recruit, Jaylah, used the ring's power to commit crimes."

"Crimes?" said Ganthet, as he stepped forward. "Well, they might have been, for your Federation standards, but what we saw was only her weeding out evil from within."

"Guardian Ganthet might have a point. I understand your distress, ashayam, but Miss Dawnbreaker also saved Admiral Pike's life." said Spock as he stood next to his bondmate.

Sayd also came over, and gave the blonde a kind smile. "Don't you have another mission to embark on?" she asked.

"Oh, right! The Nodell-16 mission!" exclaimed Kirk as he slapped his forehead, and quickly rounded up his crew.

LATER...

The Enterprise was situated in Nodell-16's orbit. From what it looked, the planet was just one big ol' rock, or an "orphan planet" or "rogue planet" to be more precise, one that had been eons since it last had been near a star.

"This one has no discernible atmosphere, and no indication of organic life, but we have, indeed, detected something on the surface. Orbital scans are inconclusive, so I recommend that an away team be dispatched to investigate." Spock suggested.

"He's right. Mr. Sulu, park us in geosynchronous orbit over the location. You have the conn." Kirk ordered.

"Aye, sir!" Sulu complied, and so Kirk, Spock, Uhura and McCoy went down to investigate.

"Is it wise for both the captain and the first officer to leave the ship on what, by all indications, is a routine scouting mission?" asked Spock.

"Aw, honey, you don't trust Sulu?" Kirk playfully teased his lover.

"My estimation of Lieutenant Sulu's capabilities, while considerable, is not relevant to the discussion, ashayam." Spock said.

"Hey, why the long face, pointy ears?" Bones chimed in. "Let's just enjoy the chance to stretch our legs!"

"Uhura, do you have trace?" asked Kirk.

"Close, sir. Should be just over this...ridge..." the African trailed off as she found a corpse wearing a robe similar to what the Guardians wore, and six rings of different colors scattered around it.

"But why in the universe would a Guardian even visit a dead planet?" Kirk asked himself, puzzled. "Also I thought they were immortal..."

"And look! Rings!" McCoy exclaimed. "I thought they only came in green..."

"OK, gang, let's bring those differently colored rings up to the ship for comprehensive scans. The body, too. If we don't get anything out of it, then maybe we'll get to Oa and ask the Guardians for some answers." said Kirk.

"Jim, I..." Spock opened his mouth to speak.

"I know what you're going to say, Spock, but this isn't a violation of the Prime Directive. It's a dead guy on a dead planet. Let's see what we can find out about him." Kirk cut him off.

"I was about to say that I agree." said Spock.

Back aboard the Enterprise, Bones exclaimed "Wow, he really is dead. Must have been for a good while."

"What about you, Scotty?" Kirk commed his Chief Engineer through his ring. "Have you found anything with the differently colored rings?"

"Aye, sir, it be quite interestin'! Come an' take a look!" the Scot exclaimed.

Later, in engineering, an excited Scotty was infodumping to Kirk. "These here rings, they possess a variation of the same complex nanostructure. Breathtakin', as I might say! As best as I can deduce, they all meant to be some kinda energy conduit, not unlike that there green ring ya have on yer hand, sir!"

"Keep a close eye on them." Kirk ordered. "We still don't know what we're dealing with."

"Understood, sir!" Scotty saluted as the captain left, then he turned to Keenser the Roylan, his loyal partner. "Aight, me grumpy little associate, time to add an invaluable addition to the sum total o' humanity's scientific knowledge!"

Keenser only let out a hrrmph in response(he was a man of few words), and started up the machine he and Scotty were holding the six rings in. Just then, the rings began emitting a bright glow—red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo and violet, much to the two engineers' wonder.

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Sulu told Kirk "Captain, proximity alert! Pirate ship approaching!"

"Shields up! Onscreen!" Kirk exclaimed.

"Captain, we're being hailed!" exclaimed Uhura.

"James Tiberius Kirk." said the pirate captain as he appeared on screen, a furry humanoid with a dog's head. "We meet again."

"Do I know you?" asked the Green Lantern.

"No, but I know you. My name is Polapol, leader of the Polapola clan, and I captained that vessel you outran at the Yuren Vortex. Many of my men, including my beloved son, were killed in the chase. After fashioning a new ship, I have been hunting you without rest so I may get revenge." hissed the captain.

"I'm flattered by your tenacity, Captain Polapol." said Kirk. "But your son was a criminal. The apple does not fall far from the tree."

Polapol's face became distorted with rage, and his mismatched eyes, one red and one blue, burned with hatred. "My son was the finest first officer a pirate captain could ask for!" he sputtered. "He was to lead the clan after me, and you killed him! For that, you will pay!"

"In that case, I will deal with you myself!" Kirk snapped back, and recited the oath that had been drilled into his mind for the last few months.

"In brightest day, in blackest night,

No evil shall escape my sight.

For those who worship evil's might,

Beware my power—Green Lantern's light!"

Instantly, the captain's golden shirt turned green, and a large Green Lantern symbol appeared on his chest. He was about to make it to the airlock when Scotty's voice stopped him. "Cap'n, we have a problem 'ere in engineerin'!"

"Not now, Scotty!" said Kirk.

"But, but...th' rings!" replied the Scot. "Their energy output is increasin' exponentially!"

With that, the comm link was broken, and a loud boom was heard over in engineering. "Captain, explosion in engineering! Cascading power failures throughout the ship! Shields failing!" Sulu exclaimed.

"Darn!" Kirk said, as he began searching his brain desperately, for a solution. Come on, ring, don't fail me now! he thought as he put his mind to diverting his ring's energy into the Enterprise. The green light of Will flowed from him, into the ship, supercharging it, saving it just in the nick of time as the six differently colored rings whizzed out of the ship to find wielders.

"Scotty, can you hear me?" asked Kirk, focusing all his willpower into keeping the Enterprise intact as the pirate vessel prepared for an attack.

"It's OK, sir, you just saved us." said Sulu. "And some to spare. Thanks for calling in reinforcements!"

Reinforcements?

Kirk was puzzled. He did not recall sending for more Green Lanterns. What the hell was Sulu talking about? But he did not have time to dwell on it as of now, as the six differently colored rings had found hands to rest on.

Polapol of Yaralo, you have great rage in your heart. Welcome to the Red Lantern Corps.

Pavel Chekov of Earth, you have the ability to inspire great hope. Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps.

Nyota Uhura of Earth, you are capable of giving great love. Welcome to the Star Sapphire Corps.

Leonard McCoy of Earth, you have the ability to feel great compassion. Welcome to the Indigo Tribe.

"Yes!" exclaimed the pirate captain after vomiting up his own blood on the bridge floor, feeling the red flames of rage course through his veins. He flew outside the ship, with nothing on his mind except revenge.

Meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise, Chekov asked "Vhat iz happening?" as he stared at his finger.

"Holy bagumba..." Uhura breathed out as she did the same.

"Jim, look!" exclaimed Spock as the main viewscreen revealed the mysterious "backup".

"Nice ship." said the other Green Lantern. "Why is my friend's dead body aboard?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Kirk.

"I know you have my friend's skeleton on board. I scanned it with my ring." said the brown-haired human. "I want answers."

"Look, I appreciate the help, whoever you are," Kirk said, "but I've got my hands full."

"Keptin, I feel wery, wery strange!" Chekov exclaimed as he and Uhura floated about.

"I'm flying?!" Uhura asked incredulously.

"Life signs are stable. You are emitting a most unusual form of radiation." said Spock.

"I want your help, you pointy-eared hobgoblin, not your analysis!" screamed the African.

"You OK, Pavel?" Kirk asked his youngest crew member.

"Aye, Keptin! I feel like I can suddenly do anything!" Chekov exclaimed, and sent a stream of blue light at the main console, powering up the whole ship even more. Kirk could also feel his own green ring's energy being replenished.

"Looks like you've found a new power source." said the brunette. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll deal with angry red guy over there." Then he zoomed towards the wrathful pirate captain, who vomited a stream of napalm blood at his new enemy, but the brunette made a construct shield to block it. Polapol then made a construct cannon, and fired. A stream of red energy hit the brunette, and he was blasted away.

"Keptin, our new friend's taking one helluva beating owt there!" Chekov exclaimed.

"Sulu, arm photon torpedoes." Kirk ordered.

"Weapons system offline." the Asian informed him.

"Not to worry! We can improwise!" said Chekov, and pressed a button. Blue phaser shots were sent hurtling towards the pirate ship and her raging captain, and the brunette finished it by delivering a swift energy blast to the newly christened Red Lantern's back.

"Now, let's get to warp!" Kirk exclaimed, and commed the brunette with his ring. "We're leaving, stranger. You're welcome to follow us. I think we both have questions we want answered."

"Running away from the fight?" asked the brunette.

"No, avoiding escalation of conflict." said Kirk. "Pirates here are more like space Mafia than space pirates, they're a force to be reckoned with."

"OK, since you put it that way..." muttered the brunette, as he followed the Enterprise into who-knows-where.

Sector Z-6, the planet Romulus

"Expansion means survival." said a praetor named Decius. "For too long, we have been content to hide within our borders, chastened by accusations that we were responsible for the destruction of Vulcan. Meanwhile, competing civilizations have continued to increase their influence across the galaxy at our expense. We all know that the missions of "exploration" carried out by the Federation's fleet are just cover for expanding their own region of control. The longer we wait to resume our own territorial expansion, the fewer systems will be left for us to exploit."

"Exploit, you say, Praetor Decius?" asked a senator. "The word lacks the necessary...nobility as befits our proud Star Empire."

"Nobility does not carve out dilithium mines, Senator. It does not harness energy from solar arrays or harvest crops from agricultural colonies. Each of them necessary for the growth of the Empire. Each of them a form of exploitation." Decius answered. "If this august body is unprepared to grant me the powers necessary to ensure the security and prosperity of the Empire, then I will be forced to..." His speech was cut short as an orange light descended from the open ceiling.

Decius of Romulus, you want it all. The Orange Lantern can give it to you.

Jaylah was splashing around in a lake, wearing nothing but a green swimsuit, relaxing after a painful mission. She and her crew, the faithful crew members of the USS Vengeance, had finished evacuating the people of a doomed planet called Krypton to another habitable planet, Nibiru, which had a yellow sun. The Kryptonians had thanked her, calling her savior, and with the resources they carried over, had just begun to rebuild civilization, and while some had wished to subjugate the Nibiran natives, a vast majority of the new settlers disagreed, saying that they should respect the native people.

Just then, she saw a yellow streak whizz through the clear sky, and hurried out of the lake. Her swimsuit morphed into a full suit of armor, with the Green Lantern symbol on her chest. She hurriedly flew towards the direction where the yellow streak went, and found her friends there. "Mateys, I—" she began, but before she could finish, a yellow ring fell from the sky, and forced itself onto the finger of her pardner.

Khan Noonien Singh of Earth, you have the ability to instill great fear. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps.

Chapter Text

"Permission to come aboard." said the brown-haired human. "Before I do it anyway."

"Permission granted." said Kirk. "We can open an airlock, or beam you directly to—"

"That won't be necessary." said the brunette. In the blink of an eye, he was inside the starship. He landed on the floor, and introduced himself. "My name is Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814. Based on your hull markings, I guess we hail from the same corner of the galaxy. What is this, some kinda secret NASA ship?"

"NASA has been disbanded long ago, it doesn't exist anymore." said Kirk. "I'm Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Starfleet. And I'm pretty sure I'm the one and only Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814."

"What?" Hal asked, then he noticed the Corps symbol on Kirk's chest. "Oh. I didn't know the Guardians chose another human Lantern. And they didn't inform him about me, Guy, Kyle and John? They're gonna hear some words from me, if only they were still alive...by the way, what's Starfleet? And why do you have Ganthet's skeleton onboard?"

"That skeleton is Ganthet?!" Kirk exclaimed, shocked. "But it can't be...I met him a few long hours ago...he can't be dead..."

"Whaddaya mean, Ganthet's still alive?" Hal asked back. "No, you're the one who's not making any sense. That dead body belongs to him, I know it."

"He's speaking the truth." Spock backed his lover up. "My captain is, though your presence may suggest otherwise, the only active Green Lantern in Sector 2814, and he reports to the Guardians Of The Universe, all of them alive and well."

"Hal Jordan, was it? Whatever you're suggesting, it's complete and utter nonsense. Ganthet is alive, and you are not a Green Lantern. I don't know who that dead body was, but I found him alone on a rock with nothing but those differently colored rings alongside him. The rings that just wreaked havoc on my ship. Speaking of which..." Kirk said, and commed Scotty. "Scotty, can you hear me?"

"He can't right now, but he's OK." said Leonard McCoy as he flew in, his blue shirt now a shade deeper, a strange symbol on his chest. "I took care of him."

"Bones?" Kirk asked as he stared as his friend.

"I don't know what's going on here, but please tell me it's all just a bad dream." McCoy said.

"It's not a dream, Your Eminence." said Suzette, one of Khan's crew members, in a broad Louisiana accent. "That ring on your finger, it's as real as you and me."

"Real?" asked Khan.

"Yes, it is. It looks similar to Miss Jaylah's ring, but in a different color." Suzette announced in that drawl that never failed to surprise those who judged her solely by her Asian appearance. It was a trait that the two of them shared. If people judged Khan solely by his pale skin and light eyes, they would assume that he was Anglo, not Desi.

"Since I'm still allowed to perform my corps duties, I think I'll take you to Oa sometime and ask the Guardian guys to train you." Jaylah smiled. "They won't care what color ring you are wearing. But at first, can you make a construct?"

"A construct?" Khan asked his pardner, then remembered. "Oh, the things you make! Maybe I'll...start with a sword?" He then focused on the familiar shape of the saber he used to wield during the Eugenics Wars, the same weapon that slew enemies both of Earth and not of Earth. As if on command, the weapon manifested in his hand, but this time in solid yellow light.

"Will it work?" asked Otto, another crew member.

"You haven't seen the things Miss Jaylah did since we left Federation territory?" asked Malik, Khan's right-hand man. "Of course it will work!"

Khan smirked, then tried something bigger, the fighter jet he piloted when the Harvesters first invaded Earth, back in 1996. It took about half a minute, but there it was, all around him, in all its magnificent glory, except all of it was in yellow. He heard his beloved starship's little trills of jealousy in his head, and quickly pacified it. "No, that plane was just a weapon. You, are special."

"Can you get it to fly?" he could hear Maia, the youngest member of his crew, calling down from under.

"I hope I still remember how to do this..." Khan told himself, took a deep breath, and focused on the last time he flew a plane. He had shot many Harvester pilots out of the sky back then, as if he was personally delivering Lord Shiva's judgement to their doorstep. Surprisingly, the construct plane did not take many complex steps to take to the sky, just a single focused thought.

And in no time at all, he was flying high above the ground. Back in 1996, whenever he was flying his jet, he was constantly on high alert, with enemies all around him. He never had the chance to fly for the sake of flying like now.

Dancing In The Dark-Rihanna

(Come on)

I wanna dance in the dark,

(Come on)

We gonna light up the night,

(Come on)

I wanna dance in the dark,

(Come on)

We gonna light up the night,

Underdogs dance in the middle of the night,

Can see the night skies in the mirror of your eyes,

If you don't dance, make sure you got the rhythm,

Make sure that your heartbeat beats with the rhythm,

I wanna run wild in the middle of the night,

Right under the moon, bodies glowing in the night,

Nothing in between our skins but the rhythm,

Make sure that your heartbeat beats with the rhythm,

The night-time...

Is the right time...

I wanna dance in the dark,

And never stop,

We gonna light up the night,

Like shooting stars,

Whenever you hear the sound,

Don't be alarmed,

Ooh, ooh, ooh,

Dancing in the dark.

I wanna dance in the dark,

And never stop,

We gonna light up the night,

Like shooting stars,

Whenever you hear the sound,

Don't be alarmed,

Ooh, ooh, ooh,

Dancing in the dark.

Underdogs dance in the middle of the night,

Out here with the stars like the creatures of the night,

If you don't dance, make sure you got the rhythm,

Make sure that your heartbeat beats with the rhythm,

I wanna dance, dance in the middle of the night,

And see the night skies in the mirror of your eyes,

If you don't dance make sure you got the rhythm,

Make sure that your heartbeat beats with the rhythm,

The night-time...

Is the right time...

(RECORD SCRATCH)

(FREEZE FRAME)

"What—" Khan exclaimed as his plane vanished. Suddenly he was plummeting to the ground down below. "Gaaaaaaaaah!" he screamed as he fell down, and down, and down...

...only to stop a few inches short from hitting the ground. He was floating! Must be another capability of the ring. He straightened up, dusted himself off, and barked "Now what the heck is going on?!"

"I'm going on." said a pink-skinned alien as he appeared out of nowhere. He had pointed ears, striking golden-yellow eyes not unlike Jaylah's, an infuriatingly neat mustache and a yellow ring, just like what Khan had. "Having fun? Yellow rings aren't fun, they're all about fear. As long as you wear that ring on your finger, Sinestro will be giving the orders."

"It's called the Last Light." Hal said as he finished explaining, as he and Kirk were standing beside not-Ganthet's dead body. "An escape plan for the end of the universe. I've never heard of it actually being used before. Things never got that grim. But Ganthet would only have used it if he had no other choice. Theoretically, only a Guardian Of The Universe could do it. Only a Guardian knew how to combine the power of multiple Power Rings and open a portal to a parallel universe."

"This universe." Kirk said as he came to a realization.

"Theoretically, the Last Light pulls every surviving Lantern with it. But the effort was obviously too much for Ganthet—my universe's Ganthet—to bear. He sacrificed himself to save the rest of us."

"How did it end?" Kirk asked. "Your home universe."

Hal sighed. "Oh, trust me, you're not gonna believe it. There's this guy, who calls—called—himself, past tense, I hope, Nekron. Less a person than a personification of Death itself. He raised armies of the dead on every world in the cosmos, wiping out every single living thing. He'd tried it before, and he failed. We beat him. But one thing we didn't know, he always had tricks up his sleeve, tricks called sheer numbers. There'd always be more dead that he can raise than there are the living who can fight back. We all knew it was a lost cause, but we never stopped fighting. And then, just when we thought everything was lost, it was like Ganthet was with us, beckoning us to follow him. Everything went bright, and there I was, alone, in your world. My ring noticed it when you powered up the six rings you found with Ganthet."

"That makes sense." said Kirk. "Why did those differently colored rings...choose members of my crew?"

"Each ring represents different aspects of the emotional spectrum." said Hal. "They select a bearer who embodies that aspect. Violet is love, indigo is compassion and blue is hope. As for the other rings, as you've already seen with the red, whoever they choose are not gonna be friendly."

Shipwreck Corner

"Destiny smiles on me in the guise of this strange weapon!" Polapol announced, raising his ring hand high in the sky. "Soon, I will avenge you, my son, and the universe will bow before the might of the Polapola clan!"

At their captain's announcement, the Polapola pirates cheered. Just then, a loud foghorn announced the arrival of another pirate clan, and the gates opened to reveal a snow-white woman with black markings on her skin and yellow eyes, leading a smaller group of pirates.

"Awan." snarled the canine pirate. "What brings you here?"

"Polapol, whatever you plan to do, it's dangerous." said the black-and-white woman. "You have gone too far in your quest of vengeance."

"And you, foolish woman, have you not stopped searching for someone who died long ago?" Polapol growled. "Face it. Your whole family died on Altamid, there's no surviving that place."

With an intense gaze that could have rivaled the flames of rage in her opponent's eyes, Awan glared at Polapol. "Jaylah is alive, and she has survived far worse than that ring on your finger." she snapped back. "I will find her, and together, we will restore Sitrian to its former glory."

"Hmph!" said Polapol. "All for naught. Ambitions can only take you so far, this galaxy is mine."

CRASSSSHHH!

A gigantic red fist grabbed Polapol, and slammed him into a wall. "A single galaxy?" a voice boomed. "You think too small."

"Gah..." Polapol spat out a mouthful of napalm blood, glaring at the armored being who attacked him. Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, Awan and her crew quickly left the site.

The being did not waste a second, and slammed the pirate captain into another wall. "Use your last words to tell me how you acquired that ring."

"This ring chose me!" Polapol raged as he fired a beam of red light at the being, only for him to deflect it effortlessly.

"Ha!" sneered the being. "You think you can harm Atrocitus, the greatest of the Red Lanterns? Your rage is nothing compared to mine!" He then restrained Polapol with red handcuffs and shackles. "I joined the fight against Nekron, believing the entire universe is at stake, only to find myself suddenly exiled to this strange place. I demand answers."

"Mercy, your Atrocitus-ness..." a Gorn, a reptilian alien, knelt at the armored being's feet. "With all due respect, sir, both me nor my captain do not have any idea what you're talking about."

"And who are you?" asked Atrocitus as he turned his gaze to the Gorn.

"First officer to Captain Polapol, whom you now hold in chains." said the reptile. "He only wishes to avenge his son, sir. Grant his freedom, and I believe we can come to an agreement that will benefit us all."

Romulus

"Decius!" said a senator. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"It means that a change in the balance of power is underway, Senator Vrax." said Decius. "Power now concentrated on the hand of the Romulan Star Empire's most loyal son."

"Listen to yourself!" said another senator. "Whatever it is that possesses you is now driving you mad!"

"Possessed, Senator Cretak? Yes, I suppose. By the certainty of what I must do now." Decius sneered. A beam of yellow energy struck Senator Cretak dead, followed by an orange wave that killed the whole senate. "There is no room for debate. I need a senate that will enforce my decisions, not debate them endlessly. Even if I need to create it myself." The dead senate was now back, but something was off with them. Their entire bodies were now glowing orange, like they were made of solid light. Triumphantly, the newly christened Orange Lantern said "Today is the day of a glorious new beginning, where, under my leadership, we will throw off the shackles that have thwarted our ambitioons, and embark on a glorious new future of conquest and expansion!"

"Expansion?" said a new voice? "Conquest, as in taking things that don't belong to you."

"Huh?" Decius looked up, to find a hideous alien dressed in orange, clutching what appeared to be a lantern, colored in the same orange.

"I like the way you think, but you have what's mine. For that, you need to be taught a lesson."

Chapter Text

Nibiru

"Not impressed." said Sinestro as he either dodged or blocked all of Khan's attacks. "I see you are a fan of blades? I happen to like them too."

"No one defeats Khan Noonien Singh!" said the Augment as he rained more fire and blades down on the pink alien, lost in his emotions. "Yield, stranger, or be destroyed!"

However, the newest wave of constructs all fizzled away before any of them could get a hit in. "As I said earlier, I am Thaal Sinestro of Korugar. And I bow to no one." With that last word, Sinestro blasted Khan into the ground. He hovered over the fallen Augment as he boasted "We can continue playing as long as you wish, but eventually your mighty imperial mind will realize that the newfound power coursing through you is but a drop in the ocean of my own abilities."

"Let's see about that." said Khan. "Ring—initiate blackout!"

But nothing happened.

"I said, initiate blackout!" Khan ordered again, but to no avail. Sinestro chuckled. Of course, initiating a blackout was impossible—one had to crack their ring open and corrupt it with darkness to unlock the special capabilities that came with it but in order to do so, they had to be in a truly oxymoronic state of mind, to be devoid of emotions and overflowing with them at the same time, something no one could achieve...yet.

"Hey!"

A high-pitched, very angry voice cut in, followed by an explosion of black-tinted green light. Both yellows turned their heads to the direction it had come from.

"You do that again, and you're dead meat." Jaylah growled, her ring posed like a gun, the same death-glare she gave Alexander Marcus now aimed at Sinestro.

That seemed to move something in Sinestro. He looked at Khan, then Jaylah, and then Khan again. A Green Lantern and a Yellow Lantern working together was something he never experienced since Nekron. "Are you his lover?" he asked the black-and-white woman.

"No, I'm his friend. I don't like men in the way most women do." said Jaylah.

"Oh." Sinestro replied. "My apologies. You and your friend reminded me of what I had with a certain someone I had been searching for. A Green Lantern, just like you, except his ring was pure."

"Who, precisely, are you talking about?" Jaylah asked. "Tomar-Re? Salaak? It can't be James T., since he's a fresh recruit..."

"Neither." the Korugarian replied. "His name's Hal Jordan. For all intents and purposes, he should be dead yet I cannot shake off the feeling that he's out there, somewhere."

"Hal Jordan?" Jaylah said. "Never heard of him. I swear with my life, I never met a Lantern named Hal Jordan in my fledgling corps."

"Oh, you may not understand." Sinestro told her. "My ring has analyzed the computer records of this world. It appears I have arrived in a reality parallel to my own, with no record of my—nor my brethren—having existed. I can only surmise that Ganthet attempted to invoke Last Light in an attempt to save those of us he could. I must remember to thank him after I hunt him down."

"You speak in riddles, stranger. If you got inspired by the Green Lanterns..." Khan began, only for Sinestro to cut him off.

"Inspired?!" he blurted out. "You cannot be further from the truth! My yellow ring is meant to outdo the green light! It was forged to snuff it out!"

"Calm down, tough guy." said Jaylah. "You said you're looking for someone called Hal Jordan, right? I know people who can help. What was your name again?"

"Thaal Sinestro. Hal called me Sin." said the Korugarian.

"OK, Thaal Sin. C'mon." said Jaylah as she took off, and Khan and Sinestro followed shortly after.

LATER...

"Welcome aboard!" Jaylah announced as she and Khan led Sinestro into the pitch-black halls of a once-Starfleet warship. "You, sir, are the first Korugarian-person to meet U-S-S-Vengeance-Dreadnought-Class-No-Registry in his full glory. You might not believe it, but he's a sentient being and also in love with Khan Noonien."

"That much is true." Khan said, smiling at his pardner's theatrics. "I call him Vengeance."

"C'mon, matey, we're allowed to visit a starbase once a year, maybe I can get Starfleet to help you out." Jaylah smiled, then yelled out to the other crew members "We got company!"

And in the blink of an eye, the three were surrounded by seventy-three more people, one of them giving off a more mysterious aura than the others.

"Doctor Dehner, and everyone, this is Thaal Sin." Jaylah gleefully introduced the new person.

"Sinestro." grumbled the Korugarian in question.

"Greetings, Lord Sinestro." said Dehner as she bowed, then looked into his eyes for a long moment. "Do not fret, for who you seek is out there."

"Don't mind her, good sir." said an Augment named Kati as she ushered Dehner away. "She's our resident crazy doctor. But her medical skills, they're out of this world."

"That's why I trust her." Jaylah smiled. "Yo-ho, mateys, shall we get going?"

Later, Khan and Sinestro were sitting alone in the ship's bar. "Sinestro, was it?" asked the Augment. "Have you heard of Pygmalion and Galatea?"

"I haven't." the Korugarian answered rather matter-of-factly.

Khan sighed. "Well, looks like it's gonna be a long trip."

Border of the Alpha and Delta Quadrants, aboard the Federation ship USS Constellation...

"Status, Miss Lin?" asked the captain.

"All systems optimal, sir. We should be arriving in exactly..."

Lin did not get to finish her sentence, as a red beam of light tore the Constellation in half.

"You are learning fast, Polapol." said Atrocitus, impressed. "That was an impressive display."

"No, Atrocitus, that was not a display." said Polapol. "A declaration of war."

Romulus

"I liked your speech, Pointy Ears." said Larfleeze, one hand curled around Decius's throat. "I liked your speech, so I think I won't kill you for now, but you should know that Larfleeze is in charge." He then released the Romulan, hurling him onto the cold, hard floor.

Decius hauled himself to his feet, and ordered "Senators! Attack him!"

But the orange-ified Senate stood still like statues. Larfleeze threw an arm around one of them, and taunted "You mean your Orange Lantern constructs? Nice work, but nothing orange exists that doesn't answer to me. Now, Decius, was it? Go back to that part where you talked about territorial expansion and accumulation of resources."

"It is the Star Empire's destiny." said Decius. "For too long, we have stagnated in a detente with the Federation!"

"O-o-h, I hate stagnating." Larfleeze said, a twinkle in his eye. "If this Federation has anything that'll catch my eye, then perhaps I'll make you my business partner."

Deep in the Alpha Quadrant

"Yaaaaaaaayyy!" Chekov exclaimed as he flew around, when his ring began beeping. "Huh?" he asked as he got the message.

"Pavel, I'm gonna need you to come inside Right. Now." Kirk said.

"Aw, man, can you please stop being so stuffy?" asked Hal. "Let the kid have fun, there's nothing like your first day with a ring."

"The fireworks are impressive, Mr. Jordan, but this is so not the time." Kirk argued.

"It's Captain Jordan." Hal shot back. "We have the same rank. I'm a captain in the United States Air Force. Which may not exist anymore in this world, but my rank stays. So address me by my proper title, or you could just stick to Hal."

"Fine, Hal." Kirk spat. "But as long as I'm helping you find survivors from your universe, you won't interfere with crew business." he said, then commed Chekov again. "Pavel Andreievich Chekov, you come inside this instant!"

But Chekov didn't quite catch the message. He was too occupied with a woman adorned in vaguely Grecian armor, a Green Lantern ring around her neck, and a golden lasso on her hip. She was carrying an injured alien in a blue Lantern Uniform.

"I don't know who you are," said the woman, "but if you're a Blue Lantern, I could really use your help."

LATER...

"Holy unanticipated occurrences!" McCoy exclaimed as he scanned the blue-uniformed alien. "They don't cover this in medical school, but as far as i can tell, as far as my ring's telling me...guy's gonna be just fine."

"Diana," Hal was asking the armored woman, "I didn't expect to meet you here. How'd you survive?"

"This ring around my neck did the job." replied the woman, "We all pulled through. But Nekron...he followed us. All he needs to manifest is the concept of death. Ganthet tried to save us, but I fear he has only doomed this universe as well."

"But how?" Hal asked his friend. "The Last Light that Ganthet invoked is only meant for those who carry rings powered by the Emotional Spectrum. Nekron's the exact opposite. He's darkness, decay...pure entropy."

"Theoretically, entropy is an intrinsic part of every universe." Spock speculated. "If Miss Diana is correct, and this Nekron she speaks of is a manifestation of entropy, he would most likely exist in some form in every possible universe."

"I guess you're right! How clever!" Diana exclaimed. "But there's an awful lot of poos in it. Are they something special?"

"As my superior officer here says, poo is a very strong word in any language." said Uhura as she joined the conversation. "I'm a linguist, I just know it."

"You said you beat him once before." said Kirk. "Can't you do it again?"

"Then Ganthet wouldn't even have needed to invoke Last Light." Hal replied. "Oh, if only Kyle still knew how to wield the White Light...no, let's not focus on that right now, Nekron destroyed all our power batteries, we can't recharge. If your ship's doctor can wake Saint Walker up, there's a chance his blue ring can keep the rest of us charged. But..."

"Did you say power battery?" asked Kirk. "Come with us, to Oa. Our universe's Central Power Battery is burning as bright and green as ever. You could recharge there once we've rounded up all your friends, but right now, here, you can use mine." With that, Kirk picked up the power battery he had been given and handed it to Hal.

"Thanks." said Hal as he put his ring to the lantern. "By the way, if your universe's Green Lantern Corps is still young, then is the rule forbidding lethal force still in place?" he asked.

"Of course it is." said Kirk. "There's only ever been one Lantern who overcame the rule, but we don't talk about her."

"That's a shame." said Hal. "She would've thrived had she been born in my universe. Back there, the no-kill rule was removed long ago."

Just then, Diana looked at Kirk and exclaimed "Steve?"

"No, ma'am, my name's not Steve, it's Jim." Kirk told her. "Jim Kirk, but you may call me captain. I think you have me confused with someone you lost long ago."

"My apologies, captain." said Diana. "It's just...you look a lot like a man I knew long ago."

"That I can get behind." said Kirk. "Now, let's get going, shall we?"

Former Location of the Vulcan Homeworld

The shattered pieces of a dead planet stirred, and moved, and then one gravitated towards another, then another, and then more and more hunks of dead planet began morphing together.

Rise.