Chapter 2
After hours of initial questioning and torture, the separatists got nothing out of Kale. Beaten and bruised, they dragged him to a cell and left him there to rot. Even though every part of him hurt, he was able to pull himself to the simple cot and all he could do was think about his life, his family and how it had all led him to this place.
He knew his father as a legendary Sky Captain in the Hierarchy military that was killed in the Relay 314 Incident or better known as the First Contact War with humans. Kale was born five years prior to his father's death and so did not get to know him that well, only through war tales and stories from his mother. She always told him that he was the spitting image of his father, which always made him feel proud. He had heard that his father was one of the bravest turians flying for the Hierarchy and that he died protecting his squadron.
After giving a proper service for Kale's father, his mother moved and settled down on Taetrus for a quiet life. Against her best efforts, Kale was just like his father and strived to be more like him; a daring combat pilot not scared of anything. In 2155 his sister, Aela, was born and she was only two years old when their father died, so she did not know him at all. She looked up to her older brother, which caused him to be protective of her. Matters become frustrating when at an early age it was discovered that young Aela had rare biotic potential. She was to be given a different course of schooling, separate from the populace to prepare her for life in a Cabal unit.
Growing up Kale had always had a knack for computer systems and engineering. When he reached the age of fifteen, like most other turians he joined the military and led a life serving the good of the Hierarchy. He saw very little of his mother and even less of his sister, but he knew this was the life he wanted. He lived his life in hopes of it would have made his father proud; he was a fierce pilot, a smart worker, and always tried to do the right thing.
He tried to stay in contact with his mother and sister through his service to the Hierarchy. Kale was always pleased to read that his sister was excelling at biotic training and joining the ranks of a special Cabal unit. He knew that she was the jewel of her mother's eye and was beloved by the rest of the Raynor family. In his youth Kale was jealous of the abilities his sister possessed. He knew that they would take her to far and exotic places the common turian may never see, but as he rose through the military ranks, he began to feel only pride for his sister.
It had been nearly six hours since his fighter was shot down. He tried to get some sleep in the dark cell of the separatist base, but all he could think about was where his sister was and if she was a part of this civil war. It had been eighteen years since he enlisted in the military and although most turians retire from their service at the age of thirty, he wanted nothing more than to continue flying and working on engines. Wrapping his leg wound in the flimsy bed sheet, he started to think how he was going to get out of the base before the real assault began.
The next day, Kale awoke to the sound of the separatists coming into his cell and hauling him out of the cot. Before even asking any questions, they repeatedly struck him in the face and torso, causing him to cough up dark blood. Forcing him to stay conscious, they started to ask more specific questions, focusing on the size of the army the Hierarchy brought with them and the amount of native Taetrian forces. They wanted to know the exact number of sky and naval units and their plan of attack. Between breaths and coughs of blood, Kale decided that today he was chef in the military and began to read off a menu of his favorite meals.
The separatists were not amused.
After a whole day of abuse including more torture and the breaking of his already wounded left leg, he was thrown back to his cell. He tore apart his cot to make more bandages for his leg and other wounds. While being dragged back to his cell, he caught a glimpse of the time and day on one of the separatist's omni-tools and figured that it was about midnight. If he could get some sleep and prepare to move, the main offensive on the wetlands was going to commence at dawn. Every part of his body hurt as he dragged himself underneath the frame of his metal cot and hoped that he would awake to the sounds of massive cannons reigning down destruction.
The ground he laid on shook as alarms began to ring throughout the facility. Even through the thick walls of the compound he could feel the strikes of continued mass cannon fire pummel the surrounding area. Still extremely hurt from the torture, Kale tensed up as the blasts seemed to be getting closer. He tried to remember the assault pattern the Hierarchy had designed and attempted judge where he was being held based on the sound of the cannon strikes. The powerful mass cannons continued to rain down massive blasts all throughout the Diluvian wetlands until finally striking close enough to the compound. The entire structure trembled from the shockwave and Kale could hear walls falling all around him. Seizing the moment Kale mustered all the strength he could, leaping from underneath the cot and saw the destruction that had befallen his cell and the rest of the facility.
Limping through a broken wall, he watched other turians scrambling about. They didn't seem to care about one of the prisoners getting away after the blast as Kale struggled to hop over several broken ledges and finally saw the outside. He looked back to see if there were any other prisoners he could help, but in his condition, they would likely be struggling to assist him. Everyone was in disarray anyway and there was no way to call out to anyone over the sound of the cannon blasts. Taking a deep breath he turned and hobbled out a wrecked wall and finally reached the smoke filled outdoors.
Out in the open now, he looked around and covered his eyes as another orbital strike lit up the sky and caused him to brace himself against what was left of one of the compound's walls. He began to breath heavy as he forced himself to start moving and noticed the facility he was being held in was at the heart of the wetlands, almost in the middle of nowhere. He gazed out over the flatlands and saw firsthand the destruction the mass cannons, but had to remember the separatist terrorists who brought this upon themselves.
Kale started to limp as fast as he could away from the destroyed facility. He could hear more orbital strikes in the distance as he headed towards the blast zone of one of the previous strikes, hoping the Hierarchy would not shoot there twice. He knew that the constant offensive was supposed to be in effect for nearly twenty four hours, but still recalled the strike pattern. He made his way to the blast radius of the massive strike and fell again due to another tremor. The previous explosion had unearthed a rocky level under the wetlands, with many holes and sharp points protruding from the ground. Kale cut his arm on a jagged edge as he rolled into a large hole, falling several stories down.
He landed hard with a grunt as he slowly opened his eyes, not yet adjusted to the darkness. Kale looked up and could see the night sky light up with each blast hitting the planet. He cursed his hurt leg and tried to stand himself up, pressing hard on the ground below him. He then noticed how cold the ground he had landed on was, while he rested his leg and started to feel around.
The ground felt smooth and metallic, different than what Kale expected. His eyes started to adjust to the darkness and he could see light reflecting off the metallic surface. Now looking over the surface, Kale could see a crack, probably due to the barrage of cannon fire. He slowly ran his hand over the crevice and quickly pulled his hand back, swearing he saw the crack begin to glow with a green hue.
Another blast boomed through the sky as he covered his ears and fell backwards against the rocky, rough wall. Composing himself, Kale was curious now as he ran his hand over the fracture in the metal and it once again began to glimmer. Kale's eyes went wide as he watched the whole surface start to brighten, shining an emerald glow all through rocky hole. With the green light now illuminating his rocky prison, Kale could now make out something etched onto the metal surface. He got closer and could see that is was some sort of symbol, almost like an old beacon. The crack was at the center of the symbol and soon began to expand, spreading deep cracks all over the surface.
Kale tried to back up off the metal surface as it began to break apart, but there was nowhere to go, revealing the bright green light from within. The light intensified, causing Kale to close his eyes and fall back. The coldness of the pit was replaced by warmth as the green light bathed over him. He opened his eyes and saw the source of the intense light, a small green piece of jewelry had emerged from the metallic shell that now seemed to fade away. The ring hovered at eye level and Kale instinctually put his hand out to grab the metal ring. The very instant that he touched the warm ring, his mind was flooded with images and experiences he could not understand, followed by a voice that seemed to speak all around him.
"Kale Raynor of Taetrus; you have been chosen to bear the last ring of the Guardians of the Universe."
The voice penetrated Kale's entire being as he felt his mind being flooded by the small ring. It rapidly imprinted him with the knowledge of who the Guardians were and what their mission was. Information about what the Corps was and what they stood for was transferred to his mind. He could see the Corps fighting enemies they called 'The Old Machines' and their eventual fall on the planet called Oa.
Through the images of the Corps battling the Old Machines, a new voice talked about the history of the Corps. He revealed himself to be Ganthet, the last Guardian and to use the last power ring to change the galaxy's fate. The Guardian's voice faded as he recited, 'Long live the Corps!' and then fell silent. Then as if in a trance, Kale formed a strong fist around the ring as strange words began to resonate within him.
His eyes changed color, matching the green aura that now swirled around him. In front of him, in a flash of green light an object started to hover in front of him. Kale looked at the metallic beacon and then at the ring in his open hand. With his other hand, he placed the ring onto his center finger of his right hand. He held his fist up against the metallic beacon as the ancient language started to get louder in his mind. He translated it the best he could, speaking it aloud as his body was overcome with the raw emerald energy:
"In Brightest Day
Through Darkest Night
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil's might
Beware my power
Green Lantern's light!"
