Good… whatever time of day it is where you're at.

You're probably all a little upset with me. What with my total disregard for self determined schedules and the fact I completely ignored the vast majority of PM's sent to me during my time of fan fiction reclusion. But I have an excuse! Not a terribly good one, but hey, I've got something right?

I recently graduated college with my two year technical degree, I know I'm super smart (sarcastic), and started my first full time job. Unfortunately for you guys this is job is with a traveling construction company, which means that if they decide they need me at one construction site more than the one I'm currently at, they're well within their rights to tell me to pick up my life, and carry it to an entirely different area of the country. Already I've gone from northern Iowa, to New Orleans Louisiana, to Chicago Illinois, and there hasn't been a lot of time in between to sit down and write. Add to that I spend ten hours a day working outside and I'm a little tired by the time I get home at night. Fortunately I've been put on a long term job for about the next six or seven months, and things are slow right now, so I should be able to get back into the swing of things.

Well I've wasted enough time complaining about things you probably don't care about, here's the seventh chapter of Justice League: Dragonborn, and it begins with a nice family outing.

Cindy and her family were having a wonderful day. She, her husband, and her two children had taken an extended weekend and were spending some quality family time together for the first time in what felt like years. Currently the family of four were taking a whale watching tour just a few miles off the coast of Washington state. Something that, while having lived in the area for awhile, the family had never done.

It was an amazing spectacle for the woman and her family, watching these large, majestic, beautiful animals swim right alongside the boat, some even surfacing and splashing at them with their fins. One particular incident still had her children all abuzz when a large humpback jumped out of the water a little ways away and came crashing down.

"If you'll turn your attention to the port side of the boat, ladies and gentlemen, you'll see an infant humpback swimming alongside its mother."

"Mommy look!" her youngest, a girl of four said as she leaned against the railing, "I see it!"

Sure enough there was an undersized dark blue whale swimming next to an absolutely massive humpback.

"Isn't it beautiful, Martha?" Cindy asked her little girl.

The little girl nodded enthusiastically, "I hope it splashes us again!"

The mother and daughter continued to watch as the clouds parted and the sun finally broke through, a rare occurrence in the Northwest. Just as soon as the sun arrived though, it was gone, covered up by another cloud.

No, Cindy suddenly realized, not a cloud, a shadow. The thirty three year old woman looked up just in time to see a red ball of scales, muscle and fury slam into the infant whale.

The ruby red dragon gave a powerful stroke of its wings, spraying water in all directions and lifting the massive infant closer to the surface of the water. Then with strong legs and wicked talons, the creature spun the mammal over onto its back, leaving the soft, fleshy throat exposed to its devastatingly strong jaws and unnervingly sharp teeth. With one precise strike, the reptile ripped off the skin of the throat and took a large portion of the baby whale's throat.

The water beneath the boat turned red and the infant grew still. In less than thirty seconds a wonderful afternoon spent with family had become a gruesome spectacle involving a creature that should only exist and stories, and a young mammal that never even had a chance.

The boat quickly made for the shore, the captain rightfully deciding the day was done for the tour, but Cindy couldn't help but stare at that winged creature of awesome power as it stood on the floating body of its prey, letting loose an intense jet of fire before it began tearing into the mass of flesh beneath it.

Some many miles away from the open ocean, in the snowy valley hidden deep within the Rocky mountains, two people traded blows on a frozen lake. One of the figures was massive, muscular man clad only in fur leggings, boots, and gauntlets. The man's eyes seemed to glow, even in the bright snow blanketed surroundings and their predatory golden gleam perfectly matched his short royal red hair and beard. His naked torso was riddled with scars that rippled over his muscles as he spun two midnight black swords back and forth to block the strikes from his opponent.

Said opponent was a woman of average height, though she looked quite small compared to her towering companion. She was a beauty to be certain, with soft blue eyes, shiny raven hair that fell just past her shoulders, and flawless pale skin. Her clothing was opposite of the man next to her, who didn't seem to mind the cold, as she dressed warmly. Despite being warm, her clothes were form fitting, so as to not interfere with her movements as she hacked at her opponent with a dragon's head staff.

"Focus on your breathing," Tsun instructed his sparring partner as he blocked another strike, "If you continue on as you are, your enemy won't have to attack you, you'll be to out of breath to defend yourself."

To punctuate his teachings, the Nord warrior caught his opponents staff with the crossguard of Fo, kicked her left leg out from under her, swung Fo out wide to discard the staff and brought Yol to her throat.

"Do you see what you did wrong?"

Zatanna closed her eyes and leaned back as she sat further back on her heels, "I got lost in the eyes of my opponent?"

The Dragonborn smiled at the magician's joke before crossing his arms and leaning back, "Not exactly. You attacked too much, lost your breath, allowed yourself to become fatigued. All of these things let me take you apart with ease."

"Your constant attacks and lack of focus allowed yourself to become fatigued, your movements became slower and slower until I no longer had to anticipate your attacks, I could simply wait for them and react, then I was able to observe the way you moved, and come up with a quick and simple counterattack you would have no defense against."

Regaining her breath and her footing, the witch adopted a coy smile before responding, "Observed the way I move? Do you do that often?"

Tsun grew visibly uncomfortable at the question, causing the coy smile on Zatanna's face to grow into a full Cheshire grin.

"What's more," she said as she took a step closer and putting a hand on his bare torso, "do you like the way I move?"

The young man was growing more and more uncomfortable as the magician moved closer until her body was pressed up against his. By the nervous expression on his face Zatanna was able to deduce that he could indeed feel the way her body felt against his, even through her winter gear.

Finally the Dragonborn broke eye contact and looked off to his right, giving Zatanna all she needed as she reached her right arm out. With an unspoken spell, the dragon's head staff zoomed back into her hand as she quickly stepped away from her companion and swung the dragon head around behind Tsun's legs.

The large man felt his feet fall away from him, completely taken off guard, and felt his bare back hit the ice of the frozen lake. Before he could even think about getting back up he felt a pair of legs on either side of his torso and saw a staff held over his throat.

"Did you see what you did wrong?" Zatanna parroted playfully.

"I didn't get lost in my opponent's eyes?"

The beautiful woman leaned over her half naked sparring partner, coming face to face and making the young man even more nervous than he already was, and whispered, "Exactly."

Without any further ceremony she jumped to her feet and began walking towards the house at the edge of the frozen lake, "Now if you don't mind I'd like to get in out of the cold. I have no idea how you can stand the cold with no shirt on…"

She swiveled to look back at Tsun as he had begun following her, "… Not that I mind, by the way. You look very handsome without a shirt on."

The Nord shook his head at her compliment, doing his best not to continue being so easily flustered by her, and attempted to reply smoothly, "Well you look rather beautiful regardless of what you are wearing."

Zatanna stopped in her tracks and turned back to Tsun. Her eyes narrowed as she regarded the massive man. She had known him for almost a full ten months, and was proud to say she was one of his closest friends, easily the closest female friend he had. She had flirted with him, almost at every opportunity, and had certainly made her intentions clear, but he usually only got uncomfortable and nervous every time she did. Every once in a blue moon, however, he would return a compliment.

Generally they weren't anything terribly original or poetic, but the fact that they were so rare made them seem special, and every time she received one, it made her reevaluate the young man.

The fact he was nearly seven years younger than her sometimes made her feel just a little awkward, but he never acted like he wasn't old enough to drink. In fact he acted like a war veteran, someone who's seen a little too much, and gotten a little too comfortable with it. It was something she always meant to ask him about, but never did for fear of ruining the moment or for fear of ruining their friendship.

"Tsun…"

The large man stopped where the icy lake met the snowy shore and turned back towards the magician. Despite the fact he wasn't wearing anything to cover his upper body the Nord showed no discomfort in the freezing winds that cut through the valley. His golden eyes narrowed and he crossed his muscle bound arms across his chest as he tilted his head back, as if looking at her from a different angle would reveal her intentions.

"What is it?"

Zatanna hesitated, "You know what… it's nothing."

Tsun tilted his head back down, looking at her through a furrowed brow, "No, it's not nothing. What is it Zatanna?"

"I don't want to ruin it right now."

This time the Dragonborn simply blinked, "That would imply you want to ask a question of a personal nature, but you don't think I'd be willing to tell. There's no one I trust more than you Zatanna, ask me anything."

Putting aside the small thrill she felt at hearing him confess that she was his most trusted friend, the witch took a deep breath and asked, "How many people have you killed?"

Unfolding his arms and resting his hands on his hips, the Dovahkiin blew out a long breath before saying, "Now that… is a complicated question, one with many different answers… let's go inside, and I'll try and answer your question as best I can."

Once inside, and sitting next to the fireplace so that Zatanna could warm up a bit from their sparring atop a frozen lake, the witch posed her question again.

"It really depends on what you consider a person," Tsun started carefully, "I mean there are humans, orcs, elves, argonians, and khajiit, all of which are at least recognized as sentient beings, though some of my Nord brethren would argue that the last two aren't people. Of course then you have some of the supernatural creatures. Vampires, werewolves, spriggans… even dragons could be considered a person, just a huge, scaly, fire breathing person."

Zatanna looked at the young man ponderously for a few seconds before saying, "How many humans?"

"Well that brings up my second criteria, are you asking how many humans I have personally killed? Or how many have died because of my commands as a Legate in the Imperial army?"

"I'm not sure I want to know anymore," the magician confessed as she wrapped her arms around her, "but I started this conversation, how many humans have you personally killed."

"More than I can count, but somewhere between one and two thousand."

Zatanna failed to verbalize a response at that numbers thrown at her, instead her eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets and her jaw did its best to drop to the floor.

"Most of those came in the Stormcloak rebellion, I and around twenty elite soldiers would be tasked with sacking various fortresses and castles that dotted the land of Skyrim. The smaller ones would have around one hundred Stormcloaks inside, the larger ones could boast a force of nearly three hundred. Our orders were clear though, no prisoners, not that we had the numbers to guard any prisoners."

"Then there was the defense of Whiterun, where nearly ten thousand Stormcloaks laid siege to the city, and of course there was when General Tullius had me lead the charge into Windhelm when we finally cut the head off of Ulfric Stormcloak. I don't know how many rebels where in the city that day, but I do know that any who faced me, died."

"The rest were bandits generally, I'd receive an order from one of the jarls that I served, telling me of a local group, where they were last seen, what their crimes were, and what their sentence was."

"Did you ever spare any of them?"

"The sentence was the same, from the lowest of the gangs, to the chiefs that lead these criminals, summary execution."

Zatanna leaned over her folded arms and stared at her feet for a few minutes. She had always known that her friend had killed before, she just hadn't known how many times he had done it, and just how dispassionate he was about it.

"Do you feel regret?"

"For killing them? No, not really. That they had to be killed? Yes, but life in Skyrim was brutal, and more often than not, terribly short. The war was unnecessary, and every day it continued cost many people, soldier and civilian alike, their lives. I can't really say that the Empire's victory created a stronger Skyrim than if Ulfric had won, but Ulfric was set to start ostracizing and killing every non-Nord once he had won, he had already started in Windhelm."

This time the magician said nothing, she just stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact with the golden eyed man in front of her. Many thoughts were racing through her head, why did she even ask, how can he be so comfortable with it, and how much did she really know about him?

"Do you hate me?"

At that Zatanna looked up sharply, "Hate you?"

"You and many of the other heroes in this realm have dedicated your lives to saving the lives of others, even the lives of murderers. Everything I am is a slap in the face of such idealism, and I was wondering if that was enough to make you hate me."

"I could never hate the man I've come to know," the witch protested, "You're always so kind and sweet, and terribly ignorant in an adorable sort of way. I just now realized that you're not nearly as innocent as I once thought you were."

"The world can be cruel," Tsun admitted, then the television screen above the fireplace drew his attention, "and it would appear I'm not the only killer to have been outed this day."

Curious as to what he meant, Zatanna followed his gaze up to the screen and received another shock. There on the news program was video footage of a great red dragon tearing into the flesh of an infant whale, below the footage was the headline Dragon Kills Whale, Is the Dragonborn Responsible?

Despite herself, Zatanna laughed at the headline, "Okay, now that's ridiculous."

"What?" Tsun asked, "That he'd eat a whale, or that I'm responsible?"

"Well both actually. I assume you'd never tell Odahviing to eat a whale…"

"I would if he was hungry enough."

"… Whatever," she replied dismissively, "But why would he eat a whale? I mean sure maybe he was hungry, but couldn't he have eaten a whole bunch of deer or something else that's not protected?"

"I doubt he knows or cares what species we mortals choose to protect from hunting," Tsun explained, "The fact is, he will eat what he wants, when he wants, and no one can stop him."

"Except you."

"Odahviing is my oldest friend, and the only one I can really talk too."

Zatanna glared at Tsun, "Earlier you said I was the person you trusted most! That I was your closest friend."

The large warrior smiled and leaned back in his homemade couch, spreading his bare arms across the back as he looked at the magician curled up in a chair of his own design, "You are, it would be safe to say I would not have acclimated as well as I have, I most likely would still be unable to use a cell phone, I wouldn't know how to speak and act like I'm from this universe, like I belong here."

"You belong here," Zatanna assured him.

"Well thank you, but as much as I appreciate it, if I were to speak to you in the language that I think in, the language that is always the first to come out, it would kill you," Tsun explained, "Odahviing is the only other creature, the only other person in this world that could survive, the only person that could bear to hear my thoughts as I hear them."

"It's really that powerful?"

"If not restrained properly, and I'm far from a true master. I've been practicing, honing my skills, but I have nowhere near the level of control that a dragon does."

The witch uncurled from her chair and crossed the plush rug to sit by Tsun's side where she curled herself up again, this time leaning into the massive man, "You'll get there, you're only twenty after all."

Tsun smiled down at her, finding himself believing her, and finding that he quite liked how she fit against his side.

"Thirty six… thirty seven… thirty ei- Oh hey guys!" Zatanna told the Dragonborn.

The two were currently in a room seemingly designated for weight exercises, there was a bench press pushed against one wall of the room, a squat rack on another, a row of dumbbells with a bench sitting next to it, and a pull up bar hung from the ceiling. Currently, however, Tsun was taking advantage of the clear area in the corner designated for weight free exercises like the one armed pushups he was doing, with Zatanna sitting cross legged across his broad shoulders.

Where was this room? Well it was currently closest to the country of Saudi Arabia, but it was actually a few hundred miles above the surface of the Earth. The pair was aboard a brand new satellite Batman had taken to calling the Watchtower. It seemed he had a proposal for the nine heroes who had helped stop the invasion some months ago, and had brought them all here to this Watchtower to discuss it.

Currently Zatanna and Tsun were testing the exercise center, specifically the weight room. Actually Tsun was making use of the weight room; Zatanna was just making use of the young man's broad, muscular back as a chair while she sampled the Watchtowers cappuccino machine.

Standing in front of the duo was the Thanagarian Shayera Hol and the Green Lantern John Stewart, both of whom stared at the two in front of them as though perhaps they had grown a second head.

"Uh… Hello?" the witch asked them, bobbing up and down as the Dragonborn continued his one armed pushups, "You guys alright? Forty seven by the way."

Shayera was the first to answer, "We were on our way down to test the combat simulator when we spotted you two."

John spoke up next, "Actually we just spotted Zatanna's head disappearing and reappearing."

"It seemed to require some investigation," Shayera finished for the former marine.

"Oh," Zatanna replied, "Well he's doing pushups and I'm sampling the kitchen."

The Thanagarian smiled knowingly at the magician, "Of course that's all your doing, and who decided he had to do the pushups shirtless? Do you even know what shirts are?"

The Warrior spoke up for the first time, "It's hot in here."

John frowned at that, "It's seventy two degrees Fahrenheit in here."

"In my homeland, people would freeze to death in the height of summer."

"Sounds awful," Shayera said.

"Oh not at all, have you ever seen a sunrise over glacial valley? Or listened to a herd of mammoths calling to each other as the sun sets? Skyrim was cold, and full of dangers… Seventy five…" Tsun finished counting and dropped to his chest, "But it was beautiful, and it was home."

"Are you done with the pushups?" Zatanna asked, still not moving from her spot sitting on his back.

"Seventy five with each arm."

"That's ridiculous," Shayera said with a sense of awe.

"Yeah, why not a hundred?" John added with a smirk, "Surely it can't be because of the girl on your back?"

"She's far heavier than she looks," the young man replied with smile as he stood up. Well, he was smiling until a manicured hand with black fingernails struck him across the face. Then his laughter rebounded off the walls.

"You jerk! I'm heavier than I look?" Zatanna said, anger clouding her eyes as she got up on her tip toes to get in his face, "Exactly how heavy do I look?"

Tsun, completely oblivious to the pair watching them, leans in and replies, "Too thin for me, I'm glad to feel the extra weight."

The anger dissipated rapidly as the magician heard the hidden compliment, combined with how close their faces were as she stood on her tip toes and he craned his neck down. Zatanna felt a shiver run down her back as she stared in his intense golden eyes and could feel his heavy breath run across her neck and the heat pour off of his masculine body.

"Well I guess I've been getting a little thicker since we started sparring regularly," she admitted quietly, "Makes me think it was your idea all along."

Bearded lips split wide with a smile, bearing unnaturally long canines, "My evil plans have been revealed."

Shayera cleared her throat uncomfortably, "Uh, yeah, we can see you two are busy in here… we'll come check out the combat simulator later."

John Stewart agreed readily and the two exited the weight room rapidly, almost as if they wanted to get out of the room as fast as possible.

"What's their problem?" Tsun asked naively, "they smelled… uneasy."

"Who knows they're weird people," Zatanna told him confidently, "We should probably meet up with the others anyway."

"I suppose Superman will make the proposition official, even though it was Batman's idea," the Dovahkiin agreed as he put his armor back on with easy practiced motions.

Zatanna eyed him curiously as he quickly and precisely tightened the straps that held his armor tight against his body before asking a question that had been bothering her lately, "Why don't you just use that summoning spell you have for your armor? Then you wouldn't have to do the straps."

Tsun looked up at the magician briefly as he finished buckling the belt that held the plate skirt to his waist, "I don't like abusing my magic, or my Thu'um. Both can be taken away too easily. I don't have much magicka to use, certainly not as much as an experienced mage, and a gag would be all it would take to stop me from Shouting down my enemies."

"Well it's not like your arms and legs couldn't be cut off, besides, I'm just talking about using one spell, to save five minutes."

The giant ginger smiled a little as he finished and walked past Zatanna and out into the hall where the witch followed him, "I just like doing it, the ritual, the sounds, even the way my armor feels as it tightens around me. It reminds me of the few peaceful times I had during the rebellion, and it brings me comfort to do it."

Zatanna pursed her lips thoughtfully, nodding in understanding. After a few moments walking down the hallway towards the control center of the Watchtower she reached over and tightened one buckle just a little more than what Tsun had it at.

The young man smiled at the smaller woman who smiled back before they finally entered the control center, hearing the voices of the two people the Dragonborn had first met in this reality.

"Does your board of directors know about this, Bruce?"

"A line item hidden in the Aerospace R&D budget," came the dry reply.

Zatanna had a smirk on her face as she walked up to the two, "I wish I had that kind of money. Brand new space station? Here let me check my pockets for spare change."

Clark smiled at the friendly teasing the magician so easily gave Batman. She and Tsun were most likely the only people on Earth with absolutely no fear of Bruce or the things he was capable of. Zatanna because she was his childhood friend, the Nord because, well, what was a guy in a bat suit compared to a dragon god?

Superman turned his attention to the Dragonborn, "How do you like it so far, Tsun?"

"It's well constructed," he replied, the blacksmith easily appreciating the craftsmanship of the space station, "Very efficient…"

"It's an impressive installation," Green Lantern's voice came from above, where he and Hawkgirl were approaching.

The elevator doors opened with a swoosh to reveal two more of Earth's Greatest Heroes, both of whom were holding onto plastic cups as though they held the answer to life's greatest treasure.

"It's got a fully stocked kitchen," Flash said as he and Diana walked up to the other six, "Iced mocha?"

"Absolutely!" Zatanna gratefully accepted as she took the extra one from the Scarlet Speedsters hand, "These things are the best!"

Tsun was not as impressed, "Vile concoctions, shocked they aren't poisonous."

The magician of the group turned back to the warrior, "Says the man who eats his meat so rare the outside is still pink!"

The werewolf's lips parted to reveal inch long canines before massive shoulders shrugged, "It's not my fault I have good taste."

Diana slurped on her iced mocha, "I don't know what he could be talking about. I wish we had these on Themyscira."

"Well stick around, Princess," Zatanna told the Amazon, "There's plenty more here in 'Man's World.'"

The Princess of Themyscira looked down at her drink in delight, "Perhaps I will."

"If I may ask," Shayera interrupted, "What does this space station have to do with us?"

It seemed like that was the question Superman was waiting for, Tsun noticed, his entire body language shifted, from an informal easiness to a rigid commanding one, like a general about to address the troops.

"I once thought I could protect the world by myself, I was wrong. But working together we saved Earth! I believe that if we stay together as a team, we could become a force for peace and justice."

Flash was, of course, the first to respond, "What? Like a bunch of super friends?"

What a stupid name, Tsun thought.

"Actually I was thinking more like a Justice League."

That's even worse!

"Do you have any idea how corny that sounds?" Flash spoke, apparently agreeing with the Dragonborn's silent sentiment, "But the big guy has a point, working together we can do some real good. I'm in!"

"Me too," John Stewart said, his ring flashing.

Hawkgirl flexed her wings, "And me."

"Sounds like fun," Zatanna said as black and white cane materialized in front of her for the witch to lean on, "Count me in."

"My mother may not approve," Diana started, "but I feel that there is much to learn in Man's World, I will join."

"What about you Batman?" Superman said looking at one of the two members to not join.

The Caped Crusader considered his words carefully, "I'm not much of a people person, but if you need me, and you will, call me."

The Dovahkiin cocked his head at the arrogant statement. Of course Batman would be an invaluable member of nearly any team, with his strategic mind and not so insignificant combat prowess, but the way the vigilante said it seemed exclusively designed to retain the image of his being a lone wolf.

"Wait," Diana said suddenly, "J'onn is not here!"

"Hey yeah, she's right. Where'd our favorite Martian go?" the Scarlet Speedster asked.

Tsun knew where he was, he could smell the shape shifter from where he was, one floor up, staring out the window into the inky abyss beyond.

When they finally caught up with him, Superman was the first one to say something.

"J'onn, are you alright?"

"My family and loved ones are gone," the Martian replied, "my people are gone. I'm the last one left."

Clark put a hand on the Martian's shoulder, "I know how you feel."

J'onn nodded, "I… suppose you do."

"I know we can never replace your family, your home," Superman started, "but we would be honored if you could learn to call Earth, home."

J'onn paused, contemplating what kind of life he could have on Earth, whether or not it could replace the life he had on Mars, the life he had with his family. Nothing on Earth could replace what he had on Mars, but it might get closer than anything else in the universe.

"I accept your offer," the shape shifter told the eight standing before him, "of calling this place home, and I will join this 'Justice League' you've created."

"How did you… Right, telepath, duh."

"And what of the Dragonborn," the Martian continued, looking at the ninth member of their group, "Will he join? His silence has been a burning question in many of your minds."

Batman spoke next, "We're going to have to work on your respect for the privacy of others thoughts, but you're right. We don't know what to do with the Dragonborn."

"What do you mean, 'we don't know'?" Flash said incredulously, "He did just as much, maybe more, than any of us during the invasion. Of course he's on the team!"

"What Batman means is that the Dragonborn's membership could cause… complications," the Man of Steel interpreted for the Caped Crusader.

Diana looked confused, "What kind of complications?"

"I think they're referring to his less then harmless demeanor," Shayera pointed out, "He certainly carries a deadly reputation, and I doubt the world would be terribly pleased at the thought of an autonomous group of super powered individuals one of whom has been known to dismember his opponents."

"If he had just surrendered he'd still have his tail!"

Batman sneered, "How reassuring, but what about the incident in China? Or at Apollo's temple in Athen's? How about the forty three dead by your hand at the Bludhaven steel mill?"

"You killed people?" Flash asked in shock. He knew the guy seemed a little more hardcore than the rest, but to actually kill someone?

In response the Dragonborn gave the Fastest Man Alive a funny look, "What did you think the swords were for?"

"The point is that you are a killer," the Dark Knight said, cutting off any response by anyone else in their little group, "And that's-"

"I am a killer," Tsun interrupted Batman, something most wouldn't dare to do, "I don't necessarily like that about myself, but it is a part of what I am. By myself I've probably ended more lives than all of the criminals in Arkham put together and in the United States of America I would be unable to legally drink alcohol."

"If you don't want me to be a part of this League you're creating," the Nord continued, "That is fine, no hard feelings with any of you. I know what I am and you know what you are. If you decide that we cannot work together I understand, but don't you dare think I'm some sort of bloodthirsty monster that kills for the sake of power, greed, or even for the sake of killing itself."

Golden eyes glared down each member of the group before him, "I've killed for justice, I've killed for duty, I've killed for revenge and I've killed for money. I know the difference between right and wrong because I've been right, and I've been wrong."

Diana was looking at the floor; a troubled expression marring her beautiful face, Flash was inspecting his boots, rubbing the back of his neck as he clearly didn't know what to think. Both John and Shayera were looking right at Tsun, the Thanagarian with a look of acceptance and respect on her face where the marine looked more contemplative. Superman and J'onn were both stone still as they looked at the Dragonborn with masks of granite, though the werewolf could smell the concern rolling off of the kryptonian. Batman looked just as calm as he smelt. Of the eight standing before him, Zatanna had clearly taken his impromptu speech the best, giving the large man a smile of reassurance.

"It seems you have a decision to make," Tsun said, "I'll leave you to it."

The stench of cleaning products and antiseptics invaded the werewolf's nostrils, making him long for the smells of the forest. The view wasn't bad, however, as golden eyes took in the planet below him. At the moment the great dunes of the Sahara were passing by the window, the light from the sun some millions of miles behind him reflecting off the windswept piles of sand making them stand out from the rest of the African continent.

The sounds were high pitched and annoying, what no doubt passed as the highest quality soundproofing on Earth were no match for magically enhanced hearing as Tsun grimaced at the sound of the reactor cycling. There were times he wished he could choose how much he wanted to hear the way Clark or Kara could.

Then there were times he was glad he was constantly aware of every sound around him as footsteps sounded just outside the observation lounge the Nord was currently occupying. The tiny contactor for the door's motion activated motor clicked and the slab of metal slid open to reveal a heartbeat that sounded…

"What can I do for you Sergeant Major?"

To the soldier's credit, he didn't miss a beat, "Just wandering the station, sounds like I might be spending lots of time here."

That got the warrior's attention, "What do you mean by that?"

"Due to his extended contact during the invasion, and his ability to coordinate his own forces with the metahumans on the battlefield, it is believed that Sergeant Major Avery Johnson of the National Guard is best suited to act as liaison between the United States Military and the newly formed Justice League."

"Good for you."

Johnson snorted, "Wish I felt the same. Bunch of children in colorful costumes, think that superpowers means they're the only ones capable of fighting."

"I doubt that's what they all think," Tsun said, "But you are somewhat correct, they may not know it, they may not think that they do, but they look down on humanity."

"And you don't?"

"Mankind didn't rise to the top of the food chain by relying on people with superpowers. The fact of the matter is that they rose with cunning intelligence, and a thirst for dominance that was unmatched. There wasn't a problem humanity encountered that was overcome because one person could fly, or lift thousands of pounds with one hand. It was overcome because one 'normal' person is far more dangerous than anyone cares to admit."

"Son," the soldier started, "What the fuck is up with you?"

Tsun raised an eyebrow underneath his midnight black helmet.

"I've had a total of maybe ten or twelve conversations with you," the Sergeant Major began to explain, "Most of them in the middle of a battle, but for the four or five where we're not ducking lasers, you always manage to turn the conversation towards some philosophical bullshit."

That, caused the larger man to let loose a small laugh. A laugh that exposed his significantly longer than average canines, "Must be all the time I spend with Odahviing."

"What the hell does a giant talking lizard have to do with this?"

Again the Nord laughed, "The fire a dragon spews forth, the frost it can spray from its maw, are not because of some sort of organ inside the creature itself. They are words. Two dragons fighting is actually nothing more than an incredibly deadly debate. Dovah are natural philosophers, which stems from being older than most species, let alone individuals."

"Well I ain't millions of years old, and neither are you, son," Johnson pointed out, "So I'd appreciate it if you'd dial back on the Socrates."

"As you wish."

Avery stared at the young man, causing the Nord to shift a little uncomfortably, "What?"

"Just reminded me of someone I knew," the Sergeant Major said, "That's all."

The man's scent certainly didn't indicate any sort of lie, but he was certainly holding something back. Tsun didn't press, however, he had his secrets and the Sergeant Major had his, trust wasn't founded on knowing everything about the other person, it was founded on knowing everything they needed to know about the other person.

I think I see what he means, the Dragonborn thought.

The two stood in companionable silence for a few more minutes before Avery broke the silence.

"Soooo… say I wanted to try walrus, or seal. You think your dragon buddy could hook me up?"

The two veterans burst out laughing at that.

Zatanna walked through the corridors of the Watchtower looking for Tsun, she had been chosen by the newly formed Justice League to tell him the news as she was far closer to him than any of the others. She had tried all three observation lounges, the commissary, the weight room, the cardio room; all that was left were the training simulators. Hopefully he was in there, and not running anything too dangerous.

The door swooshed open to reveal the man she was looking for, and another familiar shape.

Tsun and Avery were both inspecting something lying on a table and a target hanging from a set of rails on the ceiling. Seeing the bullet holes in the target it was pretty easy to guess what they were looking at.

Zatanna's suspicions were confirmed when the Dragonborn picked up some sort of advanced looking military rifle and looked down the sights, "Something we can do for you Zatanna?"

The witch smiled at the man's back, "As much as I hate to tear you cavemen away from your clubs, the rest of us have reached a decision."

The Nord set the rifle down, taking great care to make sure the weapon was rendered safe, and turned to the magician, "Considering the messenger they sent, they must not think it's good news."

She smiled wryly at that, taking a few steps to one side of the room and letting the door close behind her, "What makes you say that?"

"Good news doesn't need a beautiful messenger to soften the blow."

"Flattery will get you everywhere my dear," Zatanna flirted back before turning somewhat serious, "The truth is they've neither rejected nor accepted you."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Johnson said, speaking up for the first time since the witch had entered the room.

"It means that you won't be a part of the standard roster," she explained, "but you'll be back up if any of us or all of us find ourselves needing help."

"A compromise," Tsun realized, "It keeps me out of their sight and saves my ego, which is no doubt inflated by youth."

"Yeah I kind of got that too," Zatanna admitted, "but for the record I think you'll be getting plenty of calls. Besides I think Diana wants someone to spar with someone and test out that new sword you gave her."

The young man nodded, "I would be happy to. Truth be told I've been hoping to test my skills against that of Diana's for some time."

Johnson looked up from the rifle he was working on, "Think she's better than you?"

"Oh I've no doubt that she's technically better than me, her form is undoubtedly flawless…"

"Tell me about it," the Sergeant Major chuckled under his breath.

"… but if you are asking me if she is likely to defeat me in combat? I am not sure. There were times when we were fighting the Imperium where she seemed… inflexible in her strategy. Stealth, deception, anything short of pure brawn versus pure brawn seemed to escape her, and often left me in a position where I was forced to cover her as she charged recklessly."

"So you're saying that while she's a gifted warrior she's not a very smart one?"

Tsun shook his head, "She's plenty intelligent, just proud, arrogant, and fearful."

The magician squinted at that, "Fearful? Of what? The Imperium?"

"No she was never afraid of the enemy, which is just as unhealthy as being too afraid of the enemy, though that's a topic for another time," the Dragonborn explained, "She was and is afraid of something else. My best guess would be that she's afraid of disappointing her gods and her people."

"Son, you ain't gonna write a psych profile on me are ya?"

Tsun snorted, "Certainly not, I wouldn't know where to start with all the damage in that head of yours."

"Them there are fightin words," Johnson retorted.

Once more a room within the Watchtower filled with the Dragonborn's booming laughter.

Well there she is ladies and gentlemen. A relatively short filler chapter, but considering that it's been months since my last post, I figured that I owed you guys something. I hope it meets the standards to which you've come to expect from me, I admit it's been sometime since last I wrote mostly due to my recent graduation and full time employment.

But now that I have you here I would like to ask your opinions on something. As you know I'm quite slow posting, some of this is, again, due to my job where I work outside for ten hours a day and get home completely physically exhausted, and another reason has to do with the plot bunnies that have been attacking me. I've been trying to focus on one fic at a time but I'm constantly being pulled in a million different directions by my mind as it wants to write different fics, be they chapters of my already existing stories or completely new ones.

One in particular has been battling pretty hard to try and get onto paper, or to be more precise, my hardrive, is a Halo/Star Wars crossover. I have a pretty rough idea of the entire plot of the story, but then again I had a pretty good idea of what the plot to this story would be and as soon as it was written I realized that it had already taken off in a completely different direction.

The story would start right after Halo 4, and right before the Clone Armies hit Geonosis in Episode II. The entire story is based around a pairing I can't get out of my head with the Master Chief X Shaak Ti. This story would obviously cover the battle of Geonosis but also go through the Clone Wars where the Master Chief becomes the Clone Captain in charge of his own regiment under the direct command of Jedi General Shaak Ti. I know that in the cartoons Shaak Ti is in charge of the Clone training on Kamino but I personally think that's something that can very easily be worked around.

If you guys have any suggestions for that story, or if you just want to tell me to ignore it and keep my head on the fics I have right now that's fine too. Truth is I'm not sure what to do myself.

Drop a review, I don't want to write what you don't want to read.