Ma'alefa'ak locked himself away in his lab, as he did most days. He had worked through the night and the sun was just peeking out over the horizon, but he wouldn't have been able to see it inside the windowless room. He had fallen asleep at his chair again. He hadn't known it was night or day for a long time, or what day of the month it was for that matter. He had all he needed right there in that room.
There was something so pleasant about his work. It didn't matter what his name was and it didn't matter how rude he was. He was either right or wrong when he set out to prove something. This room was his security blanket. There were no eyes or voices in his mind breaking through. He could finally be himself and no one was there to bother him. He was sure this was as close to bliss as he was going to get.
"Ma'alefa'ak?" It was his brother's deep yet gentle voice that broke him from the haze of sleep.
Well, he supposed something bad was bound to happen. "What?" He snapped.
J'onn peaked around his chair to see his face. "I wanted to make sure you were alive."
"Well, as you can see I am." Ma'alefa'ak didn't even bother opening his eyes and pointed towards the door.
"I'm afraid that isn't the only reason I'm here." J'onn didn't sound like he wanted to impart this news upon him but was going to anyway. "I'm also here on behalf of the council."
"Them again?" Ma'alefa'ak's eyes snapped open. "Tell them I'm busy."
"I'm afraid they won't take that as an answer this time Ma'alefa'ak."
He let out a drawn out groan. "What minor offense have I committed this time that they want to blow out of proportion?" It was so ridiculous. No one seemed to want him around and yet they couldn't wait to drag him out of his lab, wondering if he had finally gone mad as his mother predicted.
"You've been neglecting your studies." J'onn told him. "The brothers at the cathedral are feeling resentful that they put in so much time and you put in so little." He hadn't been to the cathedral in a month.
"I don't see why that's a problem. I'm on top of my class and I still write for them." He huffed. "Why don't they pick on a few of the fools who can't even seem to do one subject right much less two?"
"I know." J'onn tried to sound understanding. "But they still need to see you. Please come with me."
The way J'onn said that sent a warning through him. J'onn was trying to sound gentle but there was an urgency behind it. "I'm going to hazard to guess I'm not allowed to refuse?"
J'onn was hesitant but finally answered. "No."
Ma'alefa'ak got up from his chair. He wasn't going to have his brother drag him before the council. "Fine."
"Thank you brother." J'onn was happy he hadn't made this more difficult than it had to be. "I'm sure if you just apologize you will back here in no time."
Ma'alefa'ak didn't feel too sure of that. "We'll see."
Ma'alefa'ak was brought into the council chambers with J'onn just a step behind him. He must be the only Martian in existence who was brought here so often without committing an actual crime. It made him shudder to think what would happen to him if he actually did do something worthy of punishment. Rather than address them he lifted his hands into the air as if to say, "Here I am."
"Good morning Ma'alefa'ak."
"I don't know if I would say it's a good morning." Ma'alefa'ak interrupted. He watched his father rub the bridge of his nose at his words. He knew his father probably suffered for his behavior but even today he didn't care. He just wanted to make this quick.
The council member waited to see if he was finished speaking before continuing. "It has come to our attention that you once again have been neglecting your studies in the priesthood." Ma'alefa'ak was about to open his mouth and the council member lifted their hand. "Yes, we know that you receive top marks in all of your studies despite your absences. However, we feel that you haven't been putting the time in for charity as your brothers do." Their society was run on the expectation that everyone do their share of their work, if one of them didn't it bred resentment.
"So you are basing my performance on your feelings?" Ma'alefa'ak couldn't stop himself then. "Well then I feel that this council is wasting it's time. I feel like I am being singled out. I feel like I should be allowed to do as I please as long as I'm not hurting anyone."
"Ma'alefa'ak, please calm yourself." His father spoke before he whipped himself into frenzy.
The head council member appreciated M'yrnn's ability to rein in his son. "We are concerned about you."
"If you truly cared then you would leave me to my work." Ma'alefa'ak sounded exasperated.
"Never the less we feel that you need a little nudge back towards the priesthood." The church representative in the council said. "We are going to send you to Earth on a mission."
"Earth?" Ma'alefa'ak felt sick, "Where all the White Martians live?" Were they trying to send him to his death?
"There are a few factions that are still loyal to Mars and don't hate us. You would know this if you haven't been hiding in your lab for so many years." The church representative said, trying to impart how important it was to actually make an appearance in the cathedral. "A small village desperately needs a priest. They have built a small church and a home for you to live in while you stay there."
"How small of a village?" Ma'alefa'ak wondered.
"A little over a hundred people." He answered Ma'alefa'ak's questions patiently. "You will go there on a goodwill mission of sorts. You will live among them, perform their sermons as well as help them with other things like infrastructure. You will be our ambassador to the White Martians."
"And you want me to do this?" He asked incredulously. Did they want another war? They must have picked the wrong person. "Is there no one else who will go?" He wanted to say someone with a little more finesse. He was not a people person.
"No one else has volunteered but we have faith that you will be able to complete this mission." The abbot said. "We believe it will do your soul some good and humble you."
He couldn't believe he was entertaining their ideas. They couldn't make him go. "And if I refuse?"
"Then you will be kicked out of the science academy and we'll strip your lab." One of Ma'alefa'ak's own professors was on the council and he sounded dead serious.
This was completely unfair. He couldn't pursue his scientific studies whether he stayed or went. How was this teaching him to balance his studies? "You can't do that!"
His professor tried to make his voice sound gentler. "We can and will Ma'alefa'ak. Despite what you might think we aren't doing this to punish you. We believe this is a great opportunity for you to become a productive member of society. You need to learn how to deal with people. You cannot hide away like you do."
So they wanted to take what little joy he had away from him? Ma'alefa'ak tried to calm down and remind himself that at least when he returned from this ridiculous jaunt he could finish his studies in the sciences. "Then what choice do I have?"
The church representative seemed pleased. "You will leave tomorrow. You have until then to hand over your work to your colleagues in the quantum physics department."
Ma'alefa'ak couldn't believe this, although he wasn't sure why. "But it's my work. I can resume it when I come back."
"You'll be gone for a significant amount of time." His professor darted his eyes over to the church representative, realizing he hadn't told him for how long.
Ma'alefa'ak had caught his look. "For how long?" What else weren't they telling him?
"It's a little under a hundred years." The church representative said without missing a beat. "Ninety-eight to be exact."
Ma'alefa'ak felt a flush go up his neck as his anger grew. He felt his brother's hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He shrugged it off.
"It's not that long Ma'alefa'ak, not to beings like us." His professor tried to sooth him.
"Maybe from your perspective," Ma'alefa'ak countered. "but I am a hundred years old." That was like sending him away for a lifetime.
"We understand."
No they didn't! He tried desperately to collect himself for the rest of their instructions but he could hardly listen as they went over the details. He only woke up again when they mentioned a guard.
"A Manhunter will be assigned to you to be bodyguard throughout your stay."
"Why would I need a guard? I'm just a priest." He wanted to laugh at how ridiculous that was.
"The last priest that went was killed after two years. He didn't have a good relationship with the locals."
Ma'alefa'ak's shoulders may have dropped down a centimeter or two. So they really were trying to get rid of him. He didn't wait for them to finish what they were telling him, he simply turned on his heel and walked out, J'onn trailing behind him.
Later that night J'onn watched his family eat. Well, his mother was eating just fine. She seemed to be out of it as usual. When she was at work she was the most focused individual he knew but when she was at home it was her time to unwind and let herself go. His father kept casting worried glances at his brother and was eating slowly. J'onn looked at Ma'alefa'ak, he had never seen him look so low before. Well, except when he was a child. Normally Ma'alefa'ak bore everything with sarcasm and with his shoulders back and his chest puffed out. His sullen look was gone and he looked genuinely depressed. He hadn't even touched his food. He was just staring at it. "Aren't you going to eat Ma'alefa'ak?"
He hadn't even looked up from his plate. "I don't feel much like eating J'onn."
"Please try." His father requested. He watched as Ma'alefa'ak picked up his fork but rather than eat he pushed the food around on his plate. "What's the matter Ma'alefa'ak?" M'yrnn asked. "I've made all your favorites."
"Thank you father." He said, and nothing more.
"Well, I think you'll have an excellent time." His mother finally broke in. "I can feel it."
Ma'alefa'ak glared at his mother, thinking she wouldn't be so cavalier if it were her going. "I'm going to bed."
"Aren't you going to ask to be excused?" His mother reminded.
"I'm a hundred." Ma'alefa'ak said, standing up from his chair. "I can leave the table if I want."
"That you can." She replied as if remembering. "I forget sometimes how old the two of you are. In my mind you will always be little boys."
Ma'alefa'ak groaned at her and left the table. Honestly, she probably couldn't say anything without incurring his wrath. He had never gotten along with his mother as far as he could remember. He intended to spend his last night on Mars in his room rather than grow more and more annoyed with her.
Ma'alefa'ak woke up early and slipped out of the house hoping to miss his family before he was sent off. He wasn't usually emotional but today was a special case and he was worried that seeing them would upset him.
As he walked out into the night towards the cathedral he could see his breath coming out in plumes from his nose in the cold night air. He wondered if he would see his family again. When he heard that the last priest who had gone had been killed he had to find out who it was. When he heard the name he recognized it almost instantly and suddenly he wasn't surprised.
It had been a while since he met him but he remembered him wanting to visit with the White Martians on Earth. He said he said he was going to go down there and save their poor souls. Save them from what? Ma'alefa'ak had wondered. They believed in the same Gods. The older priest believed them savages, made assumptions so he would no doubt have angered them to the point of pain. He had lived among them for two years, and Ma'alefa'ak was just surprised it hadn't happened earlier.
Only two years down in a hundred year mission. Ma'alefa'ak almost couldn't imagine staying away so long. But he supposed he wouldn't be alone in his travels. He was told a Manhunter would be assigned to him while he was away. He wondered who it might be? It was a bit insulting in a way. He and his brother were unusually strong for their age both mentally and physically. He really had nothing to worry about as far as he was concerned.
When he finally found himself at the cathedral he was shocked to find that his family was there waiting to see him off. "J'onn."
"Thought you could sneak off without seeing us?" J'onn teased him.
"Ma'alefa'ak." His mother greeted.
Just who he wanted to see! "Mother." He sighed. Gods he hated her. She ruined his life and didn't even have the decency to admit it. He supposed it was just as well she was here. It would give him the motivation he needed to leave this ridiculous place. Then he saw his father and he weakened. He did love him very much and maybe even his annoyingly perfect brother J'onn to some small degree. "I suppose you are coming with me?" Ma'alefa'ak assumed J'onn would be his escort. It must be why he was there.
"Not this time." J'onn gestured to a Manhunter beside him.
Ma'alefa'ak hadn't seen her at first since there were so many people scrambling around. The Manhunter had a pretty face, nearly paper white skin and a beauty mark near her right eye. Upon closer inspection her skin might be the faintest shade of green in the right light. She had black hair on her head, which was strange. She was wearing nearly the same ridiculous neck to toe uniform J'onn and his mother were wearing. The only major difference was she had on an elbow length cape instead of one that nearly touched the floor like his family might wear. He wondered sometimes what governed their dress code. His escort snapped him out of his musing.
"My name is L'cill." She put her hand out for him in greeting.
He took her hand without thinking much about it and looked her square in the eye. L'cill was a tall woman. She was maybe a few inches shorter than him if that. He felt he had seen her somewhere before but he was having difficulty placing her. She was taking in his face as well, lingering it seemed on his earrings and pierced brow. "It is good to see your face L'cill." He repeated a common salutation among Martians when they spoke to new friends. His mother nearly choked when she heard him speak.
L'cill also seemed surprised at his greeting. He was a lot more polite than they said he would be. "It is good to see your face Ma'alefa'ak." She released his hand. "I will let you finish saying your goodbyes to your family. I'll be waiting outside the ship for you." And then she was gone.
"Do not worry Ma'alefa'ak, she is very good." J'onn told him with a good measure of confidence. "She will get you there and back again safely."
His mother was the first to say her goodbyes. "Do try to get along with her will you?" Sha'sheen sighed, taking her youngest twin son in her arms. "She's only doing her job." She knew well enough how much her son resented Manhunters, for reasons she could never fathom.
"I've said nothing to her yet." Ma'alefa'ak hissed in her ear. "In any case, I'll treat her as I like."
"Yes, I know dear." Sha'sheen gave him a knowing smile, but said nothing more on the matter.
Just as she moved away his father was there. "I'm sure you will do fine." M'yrnn embraced Ma'alefa'ak the moment his wife, Sha'sheen released him. "We are all so proud of you for doing this."
"Thank you father." He did so love his father's praise but he felt it was unfounded. He didn't volunteer to go. He was being forced into this.
"I shall not see you again for another hundred years." M'yrnn did seem saddened. "Please write to us. Don't disappear."
"I won't father." Although he felt like he shouldn't be making any promises he couldn't keep.
"Don't forget me." J'onn took his turn holding him as well. "I don't know what I'll do without you." They had always been together for as long as he could remember even if they didn't always get along. He was his other half.
Ma'alefa'ak knew J'onn was trying to get some small measure of affection out of him. To say you remember someone was to admit you love them in the Martian language. To say you forgot someone was a great insult, even among strangers. So he decided on a compromise. "I couldn't forget you J'onn, even if I wanted to." And he definitely wanted to at times. He wasn't sure what else to say to his family so he said nothing and made his way to collect his things and meet the ship just behind the building.
True to her word L'cill waited just outside entry door of the ship. A priest was speaking to her that he hadn't seen before in the cathedral. He supposed he was from another area altogether and maybe had visited because of the mission to Earth. He heard nothing of their conversation as he came up to the ship but he took L'cill into his arms and embraced her warmly before letting her go. When he passed Ma'alefa'ak he seemed to recognize him instantly and glared at him.
Ma'alefa'ak passed him, he was used to getting dirty looks his whole life. Sometimes he said something about it and sometimes he didn't. Today he didn't feel like fighting. As he passed by L'cill he didn't say a word to her and began boarding the vessel that would take them to Earth. It would be a while before he could stretch his legs so he wasn't in any hurry to sit down. He could hear her footsteps behind him as they made their way through the ship. "When they told me they were going to assign a Manhunter to me I assumed it would be my brother." He finally addressed L'cill as they walked into the cabin door. "Everyone sees J'onn as my keeper."
"Sorry to disappoint you." L'cill followed behind him and sat down across from him when he took his seat.
At first he thought she was being sarcastic, but if she was it surely didn't show on her face. "Not at all, I am rather glad I won't have to deal with him." At least he wouldn't have J'onn hanging over him making him look awful in comparison in his own field.
"They wouldn't allow J'onn to leave for a two year mission let alone a hundred." He was their best up and coming Manhunter and they wouldn't give him guard duty. He hadn't volunteered either. She nearly stunned everyone when she raised her hand to go. She was the obvious choice, but they hadn't asked her since she was a woman. She felt several of the men worry about her. Ma'alefa'ak was known for being intimidating and they worried he might bully her. "I asked to go actually."
That was surprising to hear. He wasn't flattered but he never thought anyone would want to come with him. Then again, she probably had her reasons for wanting to tag along. Maybe she wanted to get away from Mars. "You are awfully brave."
"So I've been told, but I am not worried" She eyed him. "I think I can handle you."
A slow grin spread across his face. She had no idea what she was in for. "We shall see." Now that they were motionless he got a good look at her. He wondered with her skin tone if she was a White Martian.
L'cill noticed that Ma'alefa'ak was trying to figure her out. "You could just ask me you know."
"You look strange." He stated.
That wasn't much of a question. "Thank you, I know that."
"Why is your common shape so different?" Martians were shape shifters and wore different guises as it suited them. Their common form was a shape they assumed when they were out in public with strangers and their true form, what they looked like when they were resting they only shared with their families or very close friends. "Why do you have hair?"
"Because White Martians look like this on Earth if they even bother with a common form. They like to imitate humans." Most White Martians didn't wear a common shape, rather than seeing their true form as something intimate they saw hiding it to be dishonest. There were, however, pockets of White Martians that still adhered to the code but they often took on the shape from the people on their host planet.
Suddenly she captured his interest. "I've never seen a human in person."
L'cill smiled at his curiosity. "You might get to see one since we'll be there so long. Maybe I'll take you to one of their villages."
He finally decided to come out and ask. "So what are you then, some sort of cross between a Green and a White Martian?" Maybe that's why she was allowed to stay on Mars.
For once someone guessed correctly. "Yes."
"Hm, I didn't know you would turn out that way." He looked out the window.
"You thought I would look like either or?" L'cill thought it was incredibly annoying the way he speculated about her origins and appearance. Although she supposed it was better than when others had thought about her appearance to themselves but were too polite to mention it. They would think and think and think about it until it drove her to distraction. After all the wars between the White and Green Martians the White Martians hadn't been allowed on Mars since she was a young girl. She was an uncommon sight to be sure.
"Yes, I suppose." He didn't seem like he cared much, but he wasn't going to apologize for being curious. "I'm guessing that's why they agreed to assign you to me."
"That is correct." L'cill nodded. She could fit in better with the locals.
"I hate to inform you, but I am more than capable of protecting myself." He made a show of his claw like fingers for her to see.
"Yes, I'm sure you are." She didn't sound impressed at all. "But remember that the White Martians are a little testy around you Greens. They think you think you are better than them, and that they can't trust you. They have been proven correct in the past." There were broken treaties on both sides.
"Yes, I studied history. I am well aware." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
"It may wound your pride for a woman to protect you but try to be nice to me." She told him. "I'm really only here to protect you from your smart mouth than to fight off attackers." Her captain told her she was on damage control and that it wouldn't be easy given her charge's temperament. She knew it would annoy him to know this at first, but maybe he would appreciate her being honest later.
Ma'alefa'ak glared at her. "Is that so?"
"It's so." She quipped back.
"I'll have to remember that." He cast her a frightening look before glancing out the window into the void of space once more. Her face was still bothering him. "Where have I seen you before?"
L'cill's serious look melted away and her face took on a more neutral appearance once more. "Oh, well I've been to your house many times."
He stared at her in disbelief. "I don't remember you."
He remembered her and yet he didn't? Her mouth formed a flat line but she said nothing to his rudeness. "I am the same age as you and your brother. J'onn and I trained together to become Manhunters. He would have me and a few of our friends over some nights to talk."
"What did you talk about?" He remembered being curious about what they were doing but he never asked J'onn.
"Philosophy. Your brother is very interested in that of course."
"Of course." Ma'alefa'ak mocked her tone, he didn't know why but she was starting to annoy him to death talking about J'onn. "Were you in both of J'onn's subjects? Being both a Manhunter and enraptured with philosophy?"
"Oh no, philosophy isn't one of my fields. I think he just invited me over because he wanted to hear my perspective on things."
"I see." She didn't tell him her duel subject so he didn't bother asking again.
L'cill thought she would jog his memory by giving him a specific example of an interaction between the two of them. "You probably remember me because you would come out every so often to tell us to keep it down. You told me that I cackled like a witch one time."
"Oh yes, I remember you now." Ma'alefa'ak couldn't help but smile at that memory. She had been so stunned that he said that to her. He had been so annoyed because she laughed so loudly and so oddly that he would find himself chuckling in his room while he was trying to study for his exams. It drove him crazy. "Do you still laugh like that?"
"Of course I do." She crossed her legs. "I didn't change myself simply because you were being rude to me."
"It was you being so rude, laughing so loud." Ma'alefa'ak unconsciously mirrored her pose and crossed his legs. "I was trying to study." Manhunters had physical exams, nothing like he had to deal with. Both of his fields required an extensive amount of study and he was still working towards his goals. L'cill and J'onn had long since finished their training.
"I've heard your laugh too." She gestured towards him. "You are just as bad."
He pointed to himself as if she had insulted him. "I don't sound like you."
"But you sound like a fiend." L'cill quipped.
He was about to retort back that he didn't but he had to admit he didn't sound good natured when he laughed either. "This is going to be a long one hundred years."
"Well, one hundred years is a long time." L'cill said, as if that were obvious.
"But didn't you hear? The council says it isn't a long time for people like us." Ma'alefa'ak said sarcastically.
"I don't think they really mean for us to stay out that long." L'cill wondered at the timeline. "I mean, there isn't one hundred years worth of work to do, I don't think. At least that's what my uncle says about the village. Maybe the council just wants you to display some humility and they are just using that number to scare you."
It was like she was coached by them. "Of course you would see their side."
"I'm not on anyone's side." L'cill defended. "I was just speculating about why they would give us such an odd time frame."
Ma'alefa'ak wasn't convinced. "Do me a favor dear, once we get on Earth please stay out of my way."
"I've been assigned to you." She said stubbornly. "And I plan on completing my mission without someone taking your head even if it kills me."
"Well, let's hope you don't fail on your mission then."
Author's long and boring notes:
I can't believe I'm writing a story from Ma'alefa'ak's point of view. This might only cover the time before he and J'onn went to Apokolips or maybe a little while after. I'm going for the angle that he's just resentful and a curmudgeon before Darkseid got ahold of him.
In the comics J'onn seemed to not be able to believe his brother was so evil and needed convincing over and over to the point of stupidity that he was a murderer/rapist. In the Others Among Us series he said something along the lines of "My brother wasn't himself." I'm going to assume that J'onn isn't the biggest dumbass that ever dumbassed and that Ma'alefa'ak, while a jerk, was probably not capable of the evil he did before he had his brain was tampered with on Apokolips.
I'm going to do my best and try to keep him into character that I've seen him when reading about him as a child/adult and before he went to Apokolips: argumentative, loud and unnerving. It's actually been a ton of fun.