The Citadel Council was the most important government body in the galaxy. They were comprised of three members of the most influential races in the galaxy. The turian Sparatus, the salarian Valern, and the Asari Tevos. All three of these individuals were responsible for ensuring that law and order prevailed in Citadel space.
And right now, all three of them were confused by the footage being bought to them by their security executor. Footage that showed an unspecified green alien suddenly take flight and traverse the sky. By itself, without the help of any apparent technology.
Sparatus spoke first.
"Pallin? What exactly are we looking at? Because it seems to me that that editing technology has advanced."
"This is not edited footage, councilman. I was there. I saw it," Pallin referred to the alien. "This alien was the one who took down the krogan that attacked the incoming ship. According to witnesses, he did so barehanded. And that was before he flew away to escape questioning?"
"Questioning? Executor, what exactly were you planning to do with this alien?" Valern inquired.
"If he is responsible for ensuring the plane's safety, he has my gratitude. But he approached a dangerous and angry krogan by himself, with a crowd around him. No matter his intentions, he could have endangered civilian lives. He needed to come with me to answer for that."
"He?" Tevos questioned. "We are assuming that this alien is male?"
"Well, his voice did resemble a masculine one. Though his species, whatever it is, might be monogendered like the Asari," Pallin admitted. "That does, however, touch upon another problem. We don't know anything about him. Aside from a pseudonym."
"A false name? He gave you one?" Tevos asked.
"Well, I'm not sure if it was fake, but what he told me to call him certainly wasn't a given name. He asked me to call him Martian Manhunter."
That was strange. Though none of the council members said it aloud, it certainly wasn't any sort of name that could be expected. Both words in the name had some troubling connotations.
"The name has to be a misdirection. There is nothing of value on mars anymore. The only worthwhile thing ever found on that giant desert were the Prothean ruins that helped humans evolve."
"The humans have never found any signs of life on that world. That doesn't rule out the possibility," Valern stated. "While I admit that it is unlikely, the possibility does exist that the humans missed something."
"That may be something best discussed with the alliance," Tevos interjected. "I am a little more curious about the second word. Why would this alien address itself as a manhunter? Is there any meaning to the word?"
"I haven't put much thought into it myself, councilwoman," Pallin admitted. "But if this alien really is from mars, then perhaps there is a connection with humanity."
"Something I will look into." The statement from Sparatus came as a surprise. "There has been a recent collaboration between turian and human engineers. A unique ship whose captain I can contact."
"I see," Tevon agreed, knowing full well what he was talking about. "Do you have any objections executor?"
"None councilwoman. But I do believe that you shouldn't be the only ones working. We still don't know what the alien's goals are. We don't know why he decided to reveal himself now."
"Yes, that is troubling," Valern said as he rubbed his chin.
"I agree in spirit, even if I have my doubts," Sparatus added. "I agree that you should investigate executor. But I won't be surprised if this all turns out to be a trick."
Pallin frowned at Sparatus. "With all due respect Councilman, it's not a trick. It can't be. I was there, and I saw it."
"The topic of validity aside," Tevos said, injecting herself between the turians. "What plans do you have executor? Given the... uniqueness of the situation, we do not expect you to not take action."
"Neither do I," Pallin said. "I'm already working on starting an investigation. My people will be tasked with finding any information that could lead back to this individual."
"Executor, you cannot be pouring resources into something like this. It would be a waste."
"I will not be bankrupting C-Sec, councilman," Pallin assured Sparatus. "I am only going to ask my men to keep an eye out for any information on the alien. I won't be taking any action until we know for certain what we are up against."
The three council members shared a look. It was clear that they shared consensus among themselves. Even if Sparatus still had his doubts, he would not deny the executor. It was Tevos that spoke their verdict.
"Very well executor. You may proceed with your plan."
"Thank you."
"We wish you luck, executor," Valern said. "May your hunt go well."
Pallin walked outside the council meeting area. He would need to put together a profile on the alien. Try to find out how it thinks. What its goals are. And where it might be.
The last one might be the easiest. The Citadel was a massive station, but it wasn't infinite. There was only so far it could fly away.
"Why did I choose that name? Calling myself a manhunter would have been fine. Adding martian may have been too large of a clue."
J'onn kept that thought in his mind. Saying it aloud would be impossible, given that no air existed to carry sound in the vacuum of space. Though, he had no one to share that thought with anyway. No species in the galaxy was truly telepathic. He could do nothing except read their minds.
Minds that were aflutter with the news of his existence.
He could feel it across the citadel. It had not yet spread to every corner, but the news was moving. Everywhere across the Citadel, the existence of a green alien with the ability to fly was being reported on the extranet. Every major news organization was mentioning him along with the news of the plane hijacking. In some cases, his existence became more newsworthy than the actual attack itself.
There were different reactions to his reveal. Some were disbelieving, wondering what sort of editing was done to make the footage look so realistic. Others thought they might have to put a complaint to their favorite news network for disinformation.
The reactions of those that did believe it ranged from positive to fearful.
The positive reactions mostly came from children. They were astonished by seeing someone able to fly, their minds set ablaze by the possibility they were seeing. In a way, he was happy about that. It was nice to know that his presence did not frighten children.
The more mature audience had a less joyous reaction. Many of them were anxious at the very idea that someone like that could exist. It was a fear that he could understand, even if he didn't like it.
The different races generally very having different reactions. The asari were curious more than anything. Some wondered if the genetic sequences of this new alien would do any good for their species. The krogan were intrigued, wondering what sort of fight they could put up against someone with flight. The turians were fearful that he might cause public disorder. The salarians were curious how he achieved flight.
And J'onn could hear all of these thoughts. He stood in the dark emptiness outside the Citadel limits, his mind open to all the fears, hopes, and random thoughts of every person inside the massive space station.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
He could easily stick to be Calvin Swanwick. Changing his form and maintaining an invisible form until he reached his apartment would be very easy. he could do it in minutes and never have to show his true form again.
But that would be disingenuous to all the people he had saved. It would be disingenuous to himself. He felt good for saving the people on that ship, and he knew that he would do it again under the same circumstances. He would be able to stop himself any more than he could the first time around.
"This is what I am meant for, isn't it?"
J'onn had trained to be a manhunter. He failed to be one for his people. But maybe... Maybe he could be one for everyone else.
The Next Day...
Swanwick could tell that the office felt different today. There were more whispers among the crew than usual today. And he could hear all of them.
"You saw the news, right? Was that real?"
"It has to be special effects. There's no way..."
"What kind of alien can fly? How come we never...?"
"What even is it?"
'Does it answer to anyone?"
"How intelligent...?"
Swanwick did his best to ignore the whispers as he went to the one Turian in the station that wasn't gossiping. One that was a little too busy studying a datapad to note him at first.
"New case?"
Looking up, Garrus smiled at Swanwick.
"Something like that. More of a personal investigation," Garrus said as he put down the datapad. "What about you? Yous aid the injury flared up."
"Small scare. I checked in with Dr. Michel earlier today. I should be fine now."
"That's good. Pallin is going to want all his investigators after yesterday."
Swanwick frowned. "Why? What happened yesterday?"
Garrus raised a brow. "Are you being serious? I'm pretty sure the news spread through all the citadel."
"I was trying to deal with a back burn Garrus. I didn't feel like making time to watch the news."
"Fair enough, I suppose you would be distracted. It's just that-"
"Attention all Investigation officers. Executor Pallin has declared a meeting. All Investigation officers, please report."
"Hm. Guess that's our cue. I'll tell you later Swanwick. Come on."
Swanwick followed behind his turian partner. They, along with all the rest of the investigation sect, walked into one of C-Sec's meeting rooms. Pallin was already waiting for them.
"Good morning everyone. I want to get this over with as quickly as possible, so everyone takes a seat."
Swanwick and Garrus took seats next to each other. Once everyone else was seated, Pallin took out a clicker and began.
"I'm going to assume that most of you watched the news yesterday. For those of you that didn't, here's a refresher."
Pallin started his presentation. The first image was that of a ship.
"About twenty-seven hours ago, a ship carrying civilians was hijacked by a deranged krogan. Thankfully, none of the civilians were injured, and the krogan is now in custody. That's not why I called all of you."
Pallin clicked. The next image was a green alien wearing a purple cape. Glowing red eyes were also easy to make out.
"The ship landed safely, and the krogan was handed over to the officers on the scene. By this alien."
One of the human officers (Swanwick needed to learn and remember all their names) raised a hand. "Sir, is there any sort of idea of what he is?"
"None. At least, no conclusive ideas," Pallin informed. "Originally, I thought it might be some sort of deformed or mutated drell. But the voice didn't match. And the fact that could fly ruled out that idea. We're starting from scratch. It's a new species we are dealing with here. The only clue we have is the name he gave is. The Martian Manhunter"
That got him some attention. It wasn't a common occurrence to find a new intelligent species. Especially with how much of the galaxy had already been explored. The last species to be discovered were humans, over twenty years ago.
Swanwick, meanwhile, was trying not to cringe when he heard the name said aloud.
"I spoke with the council. And as of now, every investigator is going to be working on one case. Not as a priority, think of it as homework," Pallin explained. "I want each of you to try and find as much information as possible on this alien. It doesn't matter what you find. Its name, its favorite snack, its mother's maiden name. I don't care. If you can find any information, I want it on my desk."
One human raised his hand. 'Sir?'
Pallin acknowledged him. "Swanwick?"
"What happens if any of us manage to make contact with the alien? What's the procedure on that?'
"Cautious. Good. I'm glad you asked. And to answer your question, I expect you not to engage the alien at all yet. Not until we have more concrete information," Pallin said. "That goes for all of you. Once we are better informed of what this alien is capable of, then we will decide on an approach. Until then, our job is to study. Understood?"
"Yes Sir!"
"Good. Everyone, get to it. Dismissed."
That Evening...
Swanwick was contemplative on his walk home. He was a little concerned about how to deal with the case that Pallin had dropped on him and everyone in the investigation department. A case that Garrus, based on how he sounded on the other end, was not excited about.
"You're not even curious Garrus? New species, kinda seems like a big deal."
"I am Swanwick. It's not about curiosity. It's about priority," Garrus explained. "I know things have been hectic lately, but there is one case I want to try and crack. Chasing this supposed martian is only going to take away from it."
On the one hand, Swanwick was glad that Garrus was focusing on his own case and not being hostile towards the alien. On the other hand, the way 'supposedly' was said rubbed him the wrong way.
"You don't have an opinion here?"
"The alien makes one appearance, and it was to help a ship full of civilians. From that, I can hope that its heart is in the right place. Other than that, I just hope it isn't dangerous."
A fair and objective analysis. Though Swanwick was beginning to resent the word 'it'.
"Tell you what. I help you with the case you're focused on, and we can help each other through this alien case. How's that?"
"I appreciate it Swanwick. I'll see you tomorrow."
Swanwick hung up, now walking silently towards his apartment. And he tried to figure out the answer to the question that had irked him since he saved the ship and apprehended the krogan.
"What should I do now?"
His existence was known now. There was no reversing that. Maybe he could...
"Hey!"
He heard it before it happened. Just one block over. A cab with brakes that were no longer functioning. And a child who was in the way. Swanwick could hear the child's heartbeat.
Swanwick's didn't waste much time. Only a few short seconds to ensure that he was alone. There were people in the street, so he quickly ran into a nearby alley. And once his cape was materialized, he took to the sky.
He descended back to the ground just in the nick of time. The cab's thrusters were going haywire, sparking and making the vehicle swerve far too much. And there was a dirty-looking child directly in its path.
J'onn started by using his telepathy to slow the cab down. He didn't put too much focus onto it, wanting to make sure his power didn't crush the vehicle and the people inside of it. But he did use enough effort to make it swerve less. And once the cab was moving in a straighter line rather than a zig-zag, J'onn stood right in front of it.
Behind J'onn, the duct rat boy was watching in disbelief as the green caped alien stood in front of the moving car. His cap had fallen off when the alien landed, the wind knocking it off his head. He was fully expecting the car to crush the alien into a paste.
What he didn't expect was for the alien to catch the car in his hands.
J'onn had little difficulty catching the car. Holding it back was a slightly larger challenge. As strong as he was, pushing the car with too much of his strength would crush the cab and everyone inside of it. So having his feet skid backward as he made sure the car slowed down was out of necessity, not out of a lack of power. But once the cab had stopped, J'onn was able to safely place it back on the ground.
Looking inside, J'onn saw a human driver. In the backseat, there was another human with what seemed to be her human partner. And all three individuals seemed to be very shaken.
"Are you all alright?"
The two riders and the driver were a little too shaken to give him a full answer. Between almost dying in a car accident and being saved by an alien the likes of which they had never seen before, they still trying to ground themselves back in reality. All they could do was nod at him.
Turning his attention away from the cab, J'onn looked back to see the child staring at him in bewilderment. J'onn, noticing the cap, walked over and picked it up.
"You dropped this young man."
Still looking at his face, the boy picked up his cap. "Thank you, um...?"
Realizing his confusion, J'onn introduced himself. "I am the Martian Manhunter. But... you may call me J'onn J'onzz if you like."
"J'onn J'onzz?" The boy questioned with a frown. "What kind of name is that?"
"A martian name, and mine," J'onn said as he reached into his back pocket. He pulled out credits and handed them to the boy. "This should be enough to get you some food."
Smiling, the boy took the credits. "Thank you. Thank you so much, mister J'onzz."
For the first time in what seemed like decades to J'onn, he was able to smile.
"You are very welcome."
J'onn took off into the sky, leaving the amazed and happy child on the ground. But rather than go to space as he might have before, J'onn stayed above the skyscrapers of the Citadel. He stayed in the city limits, looking down at all the vehicles and people making their way in the night city.
The smile from the child's joy was still on his face. And it made him feel like he had finally found an answer. He had struggled to decide if he should be J'onn J'onn or Calvin Swanwick. If he should try to help people as a manhunter or as a C-Sec officer. But maybe there was a different option.
Maybe he could be both.
This is where I will stop for now. There will be a few chapters focusing on C-Sec trying to apprehend J'onn, and J'onn trying to apply his manhunter training to the Citadel. I'm looking forward to these next few chapters.
There is also one question I would like to ask of you guys. I do intent o add a few extra DC characters later on in the story. Not too many, I don't want t take away from this being J'onn's story. But I am willing to add a few, preferably as enemies for the Manhunter to face. Are there any preferences?
Just know that I will not be adding any magic characters. I intend to keep this story strictly within science fiction.
Finally, I intend to introduce Tali and J'onn fairly soon. If you saw the change in the tags, you might have noticed why. Once I figure out the best way to do it. Since she was by far the most popular choice for a love interest, I'm looking forward to their meeting.
Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you think, and I will see you all next time.
Bye!