Chapter 37: Power of Green
Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Green Lantern belong to DC. No infringement is intended.
Thaal Sinestro of the planet Korugar, long-serving Green Lantern of space sector 1417, strode along one of the corridors of the great Citadel on the planet Oa, bored out of his mind and feeling increasingly irritated. Several other Green Lanterns that crossed his path gave him a respectful nod of the head, but apparently sensed that he was not in the mood for conversation and quickly moved on.
The Guardians of Oa, the founders and leaders of the Green Lantern Corps, were wise and powerful beings that were worthy of respect, no doubt. But occasionally they seemed to forget that their Green Lanterns were more than just warm bodies to put a ring on. Sinestro had been called to Oa for unspecified reasons almost a day ago, but ever since his arrival he had been forced to wait. The Guardians would receive him when they were ready, he had been told. Be patient, they had said.
Patience had never been one of his stronger attributes, he had to admit.
Looking out through the viewing windows beside him, Sinestro took in the wide empty plains of the planet that was supposedly the very center of the universe. It was immeasurably far away from his home sector, even using the power of his ring. The only way to reach it within a reasonable amount of time was to make use of the wormholes the Guardians had seeded throughout the universe and those wormholes would only open for someone wearing the green ring, no one else.
In the distance he could just make out the great Power Battery, the source of the Green Lanterns' power. It looked almost exactly like the smaller power battery he had been given all these years ago, which he used to recharge his ring, only far, far larger. All the smaller batteries were just conduits to the near-infinite reservoir of power that was the central battery. He clenched his fist, the ring on his finger humming in response to his will, and not for the first time he wondered what it would be like to tap directly into that vast green power instead of just the portion of it that he could access.
"Those look like some pretty heavy thoughts," a voice sounded next to him.
He looked up, amazed and embarrassed that he had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed the newcomer now standing directly beside him. He was even more amazed that said newcomer was not a fellow Green Lantern. It took him a second to recognize her. The last time he had seen her, she had been beaten within an inch of her life, after all.
"You are the Kryptonian that fought alongside Abin Sur," he said, his eyes briefly taking in the Kryptonian coat of arms on her chest. "I am sorry, I do not remember your name."
"Nothing to be sorry about," she replied, waving him off. "Our last meeting wasn't exactly under ideal circumstances. I am Kara-El."
He nodded, shaking her outstretched hand. Her grip was strong, but not oppressive. He knew how physically powerful the Kryptonian was, but apparently she saw no need to flaunt her strength. Admirable.
"Thaal Sinestro. I am surprised to see you here on Oa. The Guardians do not usually allow outsiders into their own home." A Green Lantern must have brought her here, he knew. Probably that imbecile Gardner. How that idiot had been selected as Abin Sur's successor he would never understand if he lived to be as old as the Guardians themselves.
"Yeah, being invited kind of surprised me, too. Especially as I don't really have a good track record when it comes to interacting with Green Lanterns, sadly."
He knew, of course, what she meant. Abin Sur had spoken to him about his encounters with the last of the Kryptonians and how strained they had been. Abin had carried the guilt of failing to save the planet Krypton from destruction for many years. He had died trying to mitigate it.
"Interesting," Sinestro simply said. "I, too, was called here to speak with the Guardians, but have been relegated to the waiting chamber for quite some time now. May I assume that it was you they were busy with then?"
The Kryptonian nodded. "Yes, I only just left that big meeting chamber of theirs. It was an... interesting conversation."
Some time earlier
The central meeting chamber of the central Citadel of Oa, home world of the Green Lanterns, had a rather telling setup, Kara mused. The Oans were humanoid in appearance, blue-skinned, and rather small. The largest of them barely came up to Kara's hip. Despite being frighteningly powerful, essentially immortal, and arguably the most influential beings in the cosmos, they apparently still felt the need to compensate for their diminutive height.
The meeting chamber consisted of a round central area where visitors were apparently meant to stand, surrounded by a very high podium where the Guardians sat. It allowed the Guardians to look down upon anyone entering their chamber, while their visitors were forced to crane their necks and look up.
Thus the first thing Kara did upon entering the chamber was to float upwards and position herself at eye-level with the Guardians. Well, slightly above eye-level, possibly. She was tired and frustrated after the whole Brainiac thing, so they would just have to deal with a certain amount of pettiness from her.
"Thank you for following our invitation, Kara-El of Krypton," one of the Guardians said. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female and if they were peeved about Kara floating up to them, one couldn't tell by their voice or mannerisms.
"Your messenger needs to work on his manners a bit," she replied, "but it's not every day one gets an invitation from the famous Guardians of the Universe. So what it is you wanted to talk about with me?"
The Guardians exchanged glances for a moment, then one of them was apparently elected spokesperson.
"We have observed your activities since Abin Sur informed us that a member of the Kryptonian species has indeed survived. Given the vast empire your people once ruled in space sector 2814, we were curious what actions you would undertake, especially given the tremendous abilities your kind gains when not under a red sun."
Kara frowned, she wasn't sure she liked the direction this conversation was taking.
"What do you mean by 'observed'?" she asked pointedly.
The Guardian raised his hands in a calming gesture. "We have not spied on you, Kara-El, if that is your worry. We have merely received regular reports from Abin Sur about his observations while visiting Earth and, more recently, from his successor Guy Gardner as well. We have also kept watch on Earth's media transmissions."
Kara nodded, hoping that was indeed all. The thought of these extremely powerful beings watching her every move was not very comforting, no matter how benevolent they might be.
"And what have your observations shown you?" she asked, hoping to get to the point of this conversation.
"We see that you are in the process of building a strong coalition in sector 2814. Your support on planet Earth is already very strong. The last of the Martians is your ally, also once a powerful people, and through their champion Adam Strange, you have a loose alliance with the people of Rann as well. Your group of allies successfully prevented the resurgence of the War World. And just yesterday you liberated the planet Colu from the machine intelligence Brainiac, which has certainly made firm allies of the Coluans as well."
Kara frowned again. "And this worries you? Do you fear that I intend to return to my people's empire days?"
She hadn't really spent much though on it, to be honest, but hearing it put into words by the Guardian made her wonder whether she was indeed laying the ground work for a future 'empire', so to speak. More specifically the United Planets, home of the Legionnaires, which she knew existed 1,000 years in the future and held her as one of their inspirations. Was this what the title "Seeder of Worlds" referred to?
"Oh, you misunderstand us, Kara-El," the Guardian said. "We are not worried about your actions, quite the contrary. We applaud them. We have formed the Green Lantern Corps to promote peace and order throughout the universe. Despite our vast power, though, the universe is a very large place and our Green Lanterns are spread thin.
"Abin Sur was an exemplary Green Lantern who performed above and beyond the call of duty for many decades, but he was still just one sentient. Sector 2814 has been without a stabilizing power for a very long time. Eons ago, the Martians were one such power, their Manhunters respected across many worlds. More recently your own people, before they abandoned space travel. We are hoping that this coalition you are in the process of building will fill this vacuum, so to speak."
Kara blinked, somewhat taken aback. She had assembled a group of allies to help protect Earth, true, but she had never really thought much beyond that. Still, this was not something she was going to discuss with the Guardians of the Universe. If they figured she was doing good work, well, good. The last thing she wanted was to make an enemy of the Green Lantern Corps, no matter what resentment she had carried for them for a long time. She did make a mental note to discuss this further with the rest of the League, especially considering her suspicions about Brainiac's actions on Colu.
"Thank you, I guess," she said.
"In order to aid that process, we would like to establish firmer ties between your coalition and the Corps, specifically our local agent Guy Gardner."
Ah, here came the hook then.
"I will be honest with you, Guardians. While Gardner has been of aid during our recent mission to Colu, I am not currently comfortable with officially inviting him into our group. He is..."
"Abrasive, arrogant, overconfident, and immature, we know," the Guardian interrupted her, actually showing something of a smile for the first time.
Kara's eyebrows rose. "Then why…?"
"Experience has shown us that the best Green Lanterns often emerge from the most unlikely candidates. Abin Sur, for example, was a very angry young man, disillusioned, on the verge of becoming a criminal himself. His first year or two were difficult, but he ended up becoming one of our greatest champions. We see similar potential in Mr. Gardner."
Kara made no effort to hide her feelings on the matter.
"In order to accelerate Mr. Gardner's reaching his potential, however," the Guardian continued, "we have decided to send one of our most experienced Green Lanterns into his sector to mentor and train him. I believe you have already met Thaal Sinestro before?"
Some time later
"You can't be serious," Sinestro said, his gaze sweeping across the assembled Guardians. "I do not have the time to play handler for a rookie Green Lantern. My own sector..."
"... is among the most peaceful and orderly in the universe," the Guardian interrupted him. "Surely it can cope without you for a few months. We will ask the Green Lanterns of the neighboring sectors to keep an eye on things, just in case there is any unexpected trouble."
Sinestro opened his mouth, but then realized he did not have a rebuttal ready. It was true, his sector was in good shape. There was no current crisis, no potential threats to keep an eye on, nothing that would require his constant presence. It was always possible, of course, for a threat to appear out of nowhere, but he doubted this argument would work on the Guardians.
The simple truth, that he had absolutely no interest in playing teacher to anyone, much less an abrasive rookie like Guy Gardner, would probably not help him much, either.
"Isn't it Kilowogg's job to train the rookies?" he asked, hoping it didn't sound like he was whining.
"Gardner has already gone through Kilowogg's training, but those are just the basics of using the power ring," another Guardian added. "You, Sinestro, are among our most experienced and proficient Green Lanterns. There are few active Corps members who know as much as you about what it is like to effectively police a sector and successfully pacify it. We would very much like for you to share your skills with the next generation of Green Lanterns."
He sighed, realizing that he was not getting out of this one.
"I assume that this is the reason the Kryptonian is here on Oa?" he asked.
"Kara-El is the primary protector of the planet Green Lantern Guy Gardner calls home," the Guardians confirmed. "We also wish to establish firmer ties with her growing coalition, which will be a secondary task for you during your stay in sector 2814. We fear that Green Lantern Gardner has yet to learn the finer arts of diplomacy and forging alliances."
There really wasn't anything he could say to refute that part, at least.
"Very well," he finally agreed. "I do hope that Lantern Gardner is a quicker study than he appears to be."
Otherwise this could end up being a very, very long assignment. "When do we leave?"
Some time earlier
"We also have a secondary motive for sending Green Lantern Sinestro into your sector, Kara-El," the Guardian added.
Kara raised her eyebrow, inviting him to elaborate.
"Thaal Sinestro has been a Green Lantern for many years and can rightfully call himself one of the greatest of the Corps. His will power is unparalleled and his dedication to the ideals of the Green Lanterns is second to none. However..."
"However?" Kara asked.
"Long-serving Green Lanterns sometimes reach a point where they have achieved everything there is to achieve using the vast but ultimately limited power we give them through their rings. While the Corps strives to establish peace and order throughout the universe, it is a goal that can never be fully achieved, only continually worked towards. Most Green Lanterns accept that. Some, however, feel the need to do more."
Kara nodded, understanding that kind of feeling only too well. For all her vast power, there were always things that she couldn't do, wrongs she couldn't prevent. "And you fear that Sinestro might be such a Green Lantern? One who is not satisfied with the power he has, but wants more?"
"There have always been Green Lanterns who have abused their power," another Guardian added. "That is sadly unavoidable, no matter how careful the selection process is. Those are usually dismissed from the Corps. Rarer, but ultimately more dangerous, are those who become overzealous in their dedication to our ideals. Who forget that true peace and order cannot be forced up others, but rather is something that all sentients must accept out of their own free will."
"We fear that Sinestro stands at a fork on his personal road," the first Guardian continued. "One path could easily lead him towards corruption and ruin. We have received reports from his sector that his methods are becoming increasingly heavy-handed, almost oppressive at times. In his desire to achieve perfect peace and order, he could well become the very kind of tyrant that Green Lanterns often fight against unless he is steered away from this path."
"That is worrying," Kara agreed, "but I fail to see what that has got to do with him visiting Earth."
"Quite frankly, we hope that by observing you, he will choose a better path. One more similar to yours."
"To mine?" she asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You are exceptionally powerful, Kara-El," another Guardian picked up the thread. "It would have been very easy for you, using your powers and the advanced technology of Krypton at your disposal, to make yourself ruler of Earth and forcibly change the planet to your desire. Instead, you have chosen a much harder, but ultimately more rewarding path. We hope that Sinestro may be... inspired by your example."
"What is it with people wanting me to inspire stuff?" she muttered, thinking of the Legion and their future again. "I think you are giving me far too much credit, Guardians," she continued louder. "I am merely someone making the best use of the powers and opportunities given to her. I am far from a saint."
"There are no true saints in the universe, Kara-El," another Guardian said. "There are only people. And sometimes it is less about what or how much we do, and more about how we do it and how that inspires others."
Kara was uncertain how to react to this sort of praise. It made her uncomfortable, to be honest, but at the same time it did help assuage some of her worries that had resurfaced after her encounter with Brainiac.
"I thank you for the kind words, Guardians," she finally said. "I hope you are correct, both about Sinestro and Guy Gardner. Maybe we can all benefit from this... exercise."
Some time later
"You gotta be kidding me," Gardner yelled, all but stomping his feet in anger. "I don't need a washed out has-been to teach me things I already know!"
"What you need, Gardner," Sinestro replied, managing to sound calm and pissed off all at the same time, "is some humility and respect. And the Guardians have appointed me to this task. Believe me; I like it no better than you."
From some distance away Kara and J'Onn watched as the two Green Lanterns got in each other's faces. Very soon these two would be on Earth.
"Are you certain this is a good idea, Karen?" J'Onn asked.
"Probably not," she replied. Then she smirked. "Five bucks says Sinestro loses his cool and gives him a whooping before we even reach Earth."
"I believe humans would call that a sucker's bet."
End Chapter 37
Author's Note: The Guardians of Oa used be good guys, but in more recent Green Lantern comics they seemed to become more and more morally ambiguous and borderline-evil. I'm not a fan of that portrayal, just saying. I am a fan, however, of the more recent portrayals of Sinestro, who used to be little more than "evil GL", nothing more, but has turned into a far more complex, multi-facetted character.
