Author's Note:

For those unfamiliar with the planet Oa, it is the current home of the Guardians and the interstellar headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. One of the noteworthy features of Oa is that it is actually a barren world, made habitable only by the will-power and power employed by the Guardians. It would not host life otherwise, as it is a cold and sterile place... Like its occupants.

Oa also houses the Central Power Battery, a massive power container from where all Green Lanterns draw their energy into their own smaller, personal Power Batteries (which, strangely enough, look like an old-style, hooded green lantern). In my AU, we have discovered that the Central Power Battery collects its power remotely from the five Gods of Magic and also poor Metron imprisoned on the Guardians' original home world of Maltus. That energy is transferred directly to the Central Power Battery by the nail-like transformers attaching the six deities to their crucifixes.

Khamett is simply a nasty little Guardian that I made up. There's a handful of existing characters I could have used, but I thought I would just go with something unique since he'll only have a limited appearance. I picture him as a little blue 'Senator Palpatine' (the old guy who later became The Emperor in Star Wars).

Our chapter starts two hours ago… back to the time when Bruce and Raven had arrived at the Pentagon only to discover that Ganthet and the Green Lanterns had paid an unexpected visit to a beleaguered General Johnson. We now learn what Ganthet's psychic 'distress call' was really all about, which prompted the Lanterns to make a hasty departure…

CXXXVIII
Oa

The psychic emergency call had been as concise as it had been worrisome…

All Lanterns and Guardians return to Oa immediately.
The Central Power Battery has been drained of power.
Use your ring's power supply sparingly.

Ganthet had no choice but to quickly make apologies to President Wayne, Trigon's daughter Raven (whom he had been sent to Earth to apprehend) and the American Military General named Johnson as the Guardian and the six attending Lanterns quickly teleported back to Oa. If the Central Power Battery had truly been drained of all power, then this was a grim situation indeed. Not only was it the sole source of a Green Lantern's power, but it also powered the entire planet of Oa - including the Sciencells that housed some of the Universe's most dangerous criminals.

Materializing back at the Council Headquarters on Oa and subsequently dismissing the six Lanterns, Ganthet entered the private Assembly and sat at his designated chair among his fellow members, pondering the information that Bruce Wayne had conveyed to him… that the evil Trigon was still alive and now positioned on Maltus.

Trigon had been a vexing problem for the Green Lantern Corps – one of their deadliest enemies. To learn that one of the two Goddesses obtained under the Paix Arcana may actually be his own daughter would explain past difficulties in apprehending him. But had Trigon now escalated his war against the Guardians?

If the demon had truly found a way to break through their planetary barrier on desolate Maltus, then perhaps the Crimson Scourge had also found a way to siphon the power from their Central Power Battery. It was a possibility… Someone or something had been able to completely drain their main power source almost instantly. There were very few things in the Universe that could handle that level of power – especially without being tracked.

The anxious Guardians seated around him also understood the terrible ramifications of the current situation and a long-term Central Power Battery blackout… Simply put, both Oa and the Green Lantern Corps would be devastated. Their adopted home world was nothing more than a giant, barren rock in space lacking atmosphere. When they had fled Maltus eons ago, the Guardians had chosen a lifeless world to call their new home as it had been considered unacceptable for the self-proclaimed protectors of the Universe to 'invade' a planet where life was developing.

They may regret that decision.

Truly, very few of the races recruited to the Green Lantern Corps could survive the harsh void of space without the power of their Rings. Which meant that as their Ring's remaining power level depleted, the Green Lanterns would have to use the last of their remaining emerald energy to return to their home worlds. How safe they would be from that point on would depend upon the inhabitants of the worlds they had been born upon - and also the enemies they had made.

Even more concerning were the Sciencells which housed some of the most evil and dangerous criminals in the Universe - who now resided subdued beneath their feet. Secured far under the surface of Oa, the Guardians had incapacitated beings of immense power who would bring about untold destruction if they were freed - and that destruction would likely begin with the Lanterns and Guardians themselves… It was the Central Power Battery which powered these ultra-secure detention units and kept the Universe safe from these malevolent beings. The reserve power supply from their back-up batteries might last two days…

It was clear to all of them that the fate of the Universe itself now hinged upon solving the mystery of the Central Power Battery's malfunction and quickly.

As the Council meeting began, Ganthet listened to other members with their facts and figures before he himself finally had a chance to speak - to reveal the information he had recently acquired. He wished he could have investigated the matter more thoroughly, but time was now limited…

"Fellow council members of Oa, I concur that our situation is indeed perilous. As many of you know, I have just returned from the planet Earth where I have confirmed the death of Abin Sur at the hands of our greatest enemy, the Crimson Scourge known as Trigon. Abin Sur's ring has already chosen a new champion, an Earth female called Barbara Gordon who has become our latest Corps member.

Until moments ago, we believed that Trigon had been finally defeated by our newest member from Earth, but I have just discovered that the demon may have feigned his own death and be hidden upon Maltus. This information was revealed to me by his own daughter and the man she has taken as her mate…"

Ganthet paused as he was interrupted by one of his fellow Guardians, one of the Sciencells Wardens named Khamett.

"Where is his daughter, Ganthet? You were to retrieve Trigon's daughter and bring her here on Oa. That was our decision."

"She is still on Earth. With the apparent demise of Trigon, for which crime was she to be detained and placed into one of your cells, Khamett? For the crime of being the frightened child of our greatest enemy whom we believe was vaporized? Such ideas contravene the statutes of the land she has immigrated to. By the laws of that land, she has also become a legal citizen by marriage."

Khamett was unmoved.

"Our primary goal will always be to protect the Universe, Ganthet… even if doing so may contravene the laws of certain obscure worlds. That was the decision of the Council. Your concerns have already been addressed and the Counsel's direction was very clear."

"Then I have failed in my appointed duty. But if I may continue, there was crucial information which was revealed to me..."

The Chief Council Member held up a hand for silence, urging Ganthet to continue.

"… Thank you, Chief Council Member. We Guardians have never dwelled upon the origin of Trigon, having assumed that the Crimson Scourge was nothing more than a spawned demon hailing from another dimension. But why have so many Lanterns paid the ultimate price while facing this galactic threat?... It was just revealed to me that Trigon is in fact a New God… That He is the tragic brother of the author of the Paix Arcana… which would make Trigon the true Crown Prince of Apokolips, the New God once called Drax.

And that the Goddesses bartered to us under the Paix Arcana are his niece and his own daughter."

There were a few gasps from the members while Khamett reproached this information.

"How can that be, Ganthet?! All research and information has concluded these two Goddesses were the twin daughters of the Goddess Suli and Darkseid, and that their custody was willingly given to us to preserve the peace under the accord."

"There is a rare conception process known as heteropaternal superfecundation where two fathers can impregnate the same mother, resulting in the birth of fraternal twins. That is what I believe occurred… which makes interred Abraxas the first-born daughter of Trigon."

Ganthet watched as the rest of the Council pondered this idea - or made twisted faces of mild disgust - before he continued. Being immortals, most of them had forgotten the intricate and messy details of procreation.

"It was also presented to me that Trigon had entered into a Pact with his own daughter Abraxas to campaign against her blue-skinned captors… that would be us. This may be why our power has been ineffective against Trigon from the very beginning. It is simply because the source of our emerald power wishes the Crimson Scourge to come to no harm."

There was much murmuring amongst his fellow Guardians again.

"What evidence do you have of this, Ganthet?" asked the Chief Council Member.

"Only hearsay and one thousand dead Lanterns from the one thousand murdered worlds that we have allowed Trigon to destroy."

Ganthet paused as the room suddenly erupted into bitter shouts and protestations. It was rare for the Guardians to show emotion this way… but the loss of a thousand Green Lanterns had been a divisive and sensitive issue for them.

Ganthet sighed as he concluded that Bruce Wayne had been correct. How many more lives did they need to sacrifice against Trigon before they realized that an entirely new tactic was required? They had failed miserably against Trigon but had been too arrogant to admit it.

The Chief Council Member once again held up a hand for silence, posing another question for Ganthet to answer.

"But how may power decide what it will and won't do, Ganthet? Power is not a conscious thing…"

"Perhaps not, Chief Council Member… but what do Oans truly know of the nature of magic? After all, it is magic which is the very source of our power. Perhaps it is a sentient power. Or perhaps the will of the Gods from which this power is derived is stronger than the will of the mortal Lanterns who wield it. How effective is magic against Gods who themselves seem to be creatures of magic? There are the many things which we still do not understand about this fantastic power.

What we do understand is that the totality of this power has been entirely ineffective against the threat of Trigon. He has defeated us one thousand times. Whether we believe him to be a New God or a demon, it is clear we must develop an alternate solution to successfully defeat him."

The Chief Council Member continued…

"What you say does warrant further debate Ganthet, but what does Trigon have to do with the current Central Power Battery emergency? Let us first focus upon this pressing issue before any other."

"It may have everything to do with it, Chief Council Member… We have long conjectured that Trigon has been able to absorb the life energy of those he has slain, growing more powerful with each conquered world. Would he also be able to absorb the magical energy of the Central Power Battery? Has he feigned his own demise only to return to Maltus and begin the next step in his campaign against us? Will He free the Gods we have imprisoned and steal our power? Is he even now en route to Oa for one final act of revenge, with six Gods at his side?..."

There was a sudden, uncomfortable silence in the room... For the first time in Oa's long history, a new emotion had suddenly crawled out of the earth into its sacred, inner chamber… fear. All Guardians remembered the onslaught that the Goddesses Selene and Hecate had released upon their once vibrant Maltus – reducing their beautiful home planet to a desolate world in only a matter of hours.

How would a declining Oa fare against those two Gods accompanied by four more – all led by vengeful Trigon? What chance did they have if the same enslaved Gods who had supplied what little power they had remaining now turned against them? Each of them quietly shuddered at the thought of that outcome, and it was not a favourable one for them.

"Chief Council Member…" interrupted Khamett once again. "While Ganthet's fear mongering may or may not be true – what is true is that we are facing a catastrophe of unparalleled proportions that will occur within a matter of hours… unless we decide upon immediate action. I have been discussing this matter with our engineers and we believe we have devised a readily-available, alternate power supply for our Central Power Battery..."

All council members went suddenly silent, anxiously awaiting Khamett's proposal for an alternate power supply. The fear that had seized their hearts had been cast aside, replaced by hope. They could be saved! Khamett smiled as he continued…

"As the members of the Council are aware, our power comes from those who would destroy us. As Maltus was lost, Oa was founded with that same power. Since that time, we have used that power responsibly to maintain order and safety throughout the Universe, apprehending and securing the most powerful and aberrant forces ever known.

This is the legacy of the Guardians of the Universe and the Green Lantern Corps.

Unfortunately, after millennia of incarceration, our bio-engineers and behavioural scientists have concluded that certain of these criminals held in our Sciencells must be held there for eternity. That these entities are beyond any and all attempts of redemption… that they are elemental forces of evil, if you will. We have devoted a large portion of the Central Battery's power into neutralizing and containing their destructive natures and must do so for eternity.

But we may have had the solution to this dilemma for as long as we have been on Oa. What our engineers have recently discovered is that the technology which siphons the magical energy from the six deities on Maltus may also be adapted to siphon power from these elemental beings incarcerated on Oa. The alternate power source I spoke of to fuel our Central Power Battery currently resides directly beneath our feet… in our own Sciencells."

The large room exploded into chatter. Each Guardian knew of the beings of immense power held in the cells below them, many comparable to the Gods on Maltus. Was it not logical to humanely eliminate the threat of irredeemable, all-powerful criminals and then harness that power to the noble cause of law and order? Khamett continued…

"Our engineers have assured me that this will not be capital punishment. As we have demonstrated on Maltus, these criminals will be kept alive. We will simply be transferring most of their inherit power - in a humane manner - to our own Central Power Battery, for the defence of the Green Lantern Corps. We will weaken the enemies of the Universe to strengthen its Guardians."

The Chief Council Member held his hand up to once again quiet the crowd while he posed a question.

"But how will this new power differ from our current power supply, Khamett?"

"Of course there are still unknown variables, Chief Council Member. This is a new and untried method of power acquisition. Given time and opportunity, we could develop various implementation scenarios and proceed accordingly. But I'm afraid our time is running out. Our hand is being forced by an unknown assailant and our choices are few.

Assuming that Ganthet's hypothesis is correct, this new power source should allow us to finally bring down the Crimson Scourge if he is indeed behind this attack. On the glorious day we are able to defeat and add Trigon to our Sciencells - the notorious monster responsible for the deaths of a thousand Lanterns, an entity who is certainly beyond redemption - I am confident we could ensure the Green Lantern legacy for centuries with his refined power alone..."

That almost brought a cheer from the Assembly…

"Let us put your motion to a vote, Khamett. If successful, we will conduct tests with this new power source - before it is released to all Green Lanterns. But I do see the evident merit of your proposal and this new approach. We will draft regulations concerning its governance in the near future…"

After the Council adjourned a short time later, the Green Lantern known as Sinestro, a red-skinned alien from Korugar approached his old friend Tomar-Re, an orange-skinned Green Lantern with a beak for a mouth hailing from the planet Xudar. Both were among the longest serving and decorated Green Lanterns in the entire Corps.

"Tomar-Re, my old friend… Have you heard the news?"

"There are rumours the Guardians will secure a new power source for us, Sinestro. That we shall live to fight another day."

"More than rumours… The Guardians will drain the criminals we have captured to fuel the Central Battery. Shall we change our motto to The power of my enemy is also my power?"

"These are desperate times, Sinestro. They call for desperate measures. We are responsible for safeguarding life in the Universe. There are also rumours the Crimson Scourge will move against Oa itself. We must not take Trigon lightly. I battled him on Krypton… the only Lantern to ever escape his terrible wrath."

"No one doubts your valour Tomar-Re… But what of ethics? Is this an ethical thing the Guardians do? Shall we justify that our need outweighs our morality?"

"There were no questions of ethics that day, Sinestro. There was life and there was death. It was my ring that kept me alive after Trigon swatted me away like an emerald house fly… and then only barely. In the end, I survived because of a young, blonde-haired Kryptonian woman saved me. And also because the Guardians later retrieved my battered body shortly after Krypton exploded.

That woman lost her life battling Trigon while I lay helpless and dying… I still bear those scars to this day, both on my body and on my soul. I learned that the demon will never rest until all Lanterns are destroyed, Sinestro… but also that I will never rest until Trigon is defeated. He will not take Oa."

Sinestro placed his arm upon Tomar-Re's shoulder. The gentle Xudarian had never been the same after his battle with Trigon on Krypton.

"We all bear scars, old friend. But we must never allow those scars to pierce our sacred virtue. Otherwise, we become no better than the criminals we apprehend."

"Agreed Sinestro… virtue is a fragile commodity for a soldier. That is why we are united in our oath… Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power - Green Lantern's light!"

"It's a shame the Guardians do not share our oath, Tomar-Re. I have come to suspect that our masters worship might far more than anything else…"

Tomar-Re suddenly stopped and nervously peered around him, carefully whispering his response to his old friend.

"Those are dangerous words, Sinestro. You must not speak them aloud."

"Fear and secrets are not things I indulge in, Tomar-Re… And it appears to me that the Green Lantern Corps have become nothing more than power brokers… the willing servants of our vampire overlords…."

Sinestro carefully gauged Tomar-Re's reaction before he continued…

"Ah, but forgive me, old friend. I had a childish dream that all life could learn of peace and goodness... But I do not have the wisdom of immortality to guide me. I am naïve. I have been told this often."

Tomar-Re also regarded his old friend carefully. Slender Sinestro was among the mightiest of all Green Lanterns. The moustached Korugaran seemed incapable of fear and wielded his Power Ring with an indomitable will that vanquished all known enemies. Even loyal Tomar-Re had to admit that his friend had a valid argument. The Council's latest decision was morally questionable regarding a prisoner's rights. But sometimes the choice was reduced to a life or death decision…

"We will raise your concerns with the Council afterwards, Sinestro. I am sure there are other Lanterns who will agree with you."

"But not you, Tomar-Re?"

"When the current danger has passed, of course I would prefer to have the matter revisited - with the Lanterns given an opportunity to voice their concerns. But allowing the hundreds of galactic criminals we have captured to go free over a question of ethics does not seem like a wise choice to me, Sinestro. In this particular case, the correct choice is the lesser of two evils - not the absence of a choice."

"I do not fear the choice, Tomar… I fear the precedent."

"Noted, my friend. Let us swallow this bitter taste today and think carefully about drinking from this fountain again in the future."

"You Xudarians always did have a way with words. Let us preserve our Light on this night - and then we shall question the stars that provided it when the morning sun has risen."

There was a deeper message here, but Tomar-Re let it go. The Green Lantern Corps were the only thing standing between the Universe and sudden oblivion. War was beginning…

"In brightest day and in blackest night… our Light must always shine, good Sinestro."

"Light must shine, good Tomar-Re."

The two old friends smiled and then departed along their separate ways… their paths diverging.

Post-Author's Note:

Fans of the Green Lantern mythos will immediately recognize red-skinned Sinestro, and true fans will even recognize Tomar-Re. Before Sinestro defected and became a sworn enemy of the Corps, he was once its greatest and strongest champion. In the comics, it was Sinestro's insatiable lust for power which drove him to abandon the Corps into a life of villainy.

I thought it would be an interesting contrast to have Sinestro question the Machiavellian decisions of the Council and question their own insatiable need for power… To sort of turn the tables and examine these characters from a new light. I'm pretty sure that Sinestro and Tomar-Re won't be reappearing in this story, but it's fun to see them in different scenarios and explore how the Guardians' decisions affect the individual Lanterns.

Believe it or not, Tomar-Re actually did attempt to save Krypton in the comics. Not from Trigon of course, but from its imminent explosion due to internal tectonic pressure. A blinded Tomar-Re was unsuccessful in his mission, and he was also gravely wounded when the planet did explode - shortly after an infant Kal El was rocketed away towards Earth. I thought it would be a nice touch to have him gravely wounded by Trigon instead and then saved from the brink of death by Kara Zor El (a.k.a. Supergirl).