Joseph fell deep into thought. He was aware of the atrocities the Citadel were committing. Nova kept him informed through Green Lantern communications.
Intergalactic conquests, colonization, and genocide under the guise of bringing order to chaotic worlds. The scale and cruelty was already surpassing even the Reach of old before the Green Lantern Corps went to war against them. And Joseph had been turning a blind eye to it all, using the excuse that it wasn't his planet, so it wasn't his problem.
But Joseph had the power to do something about it. He could give desperate people the means to protect their homes.
But he would also bear responsibility for all the future conflicts and bloodshed that followed as a result. As the saying went, with great power comes great responsibility.
And Joseph had plenty of power.
Primus bowed ninety degrees at the waist. "If you could help us in any way, it would be greatly appreciated."
Colos dropped to one knee and lowered his head.
"Come on, Joe. You apparently saved Thanagar even after they tried to turn Earth into a Hyperspace Bypass Generator and blow us all up. And you saved me and Cassandra. Why not save others?" Jason spoke up.
Yeah. Why not save others?
He'd already saved the universe by stopping Trigon. Why not continue?
With the number of mysterious powers scattered throughout the universe, Joseph couldn't rule out the possibility that one of them would eventually endanger both the universe and Earth as well.
And from Mongul's memories, which he had already scanned, the Reach was planning to target Earth at the earliest opportunity. Too bad for them, their scarab was now in his possession, and he would never let them set foot on his planet.
A force beyond the limited and stretched-thin Green Lantern Corps could help maintain peace more effectively and watch for threats that might one day affect his people.
He had already considered creating a Nova Corps, but why create one solely to watch over Earth when the planet was safer and more protected than ever, even without Superman's return?
But was it even his place to interfere?
Vandal Savage's long life and eventual downfall had left an impression on Joseph. Savage's philosophy of survival of the fittest made a certain kind of sense.
Without it, humanity would never have evolved to this point. Without it, Joseph himself would never have existed. Who was to say the Citadel's domination wasn't simply the natural course of history? Who was to say their colonization wouldn't eventually create a prosperous, orderly society?
'Should I create a Nova Corps to help them, Nova? Should I interfere at all?' Joseph asked mentally.
The AI could simulate reality and calculate outcomes with far greater certainty than Joseph could. It saw farther than he ever would. And it had never once led him astray.
//My purpose is to serve you. I will help you achieve whatever you ultimately decide. If you are asking what I calculate as the optimal answer for the greatest progress in the universe, then you should step aside and allow one of the empires to eventually conquer and unify everything by the end of this century, or the next at the latest.
If you are asking what I calculate would result in the greatest happiness across the universe, then it is best to introduce a Nova Corps to oppose the Citadel and the Reach.
The Citadel under the Czar seeks complete order and unification. Complete unification is not the answer. People are driven by individual interests—family, love, ambition, wealth. Take those away, and you lose individuality and become a husk.
Unification is the antithesis of existence and one of the defining causes of conflict throughout history.//
'Thanks, Nova,' Joseph replied.
Joseph was already leaning toward creating the Nova Corps. Truthfully, he was itching to do it. But he had to restrain himself with the awareness that he was essentially a god now. Any action he took could alter the course of the universe for better or worse, so every decision had to be made carefully.
No wonder the Old Gods eventually stopped interfering in mortal affairs. It sounded exhausting. And unlike him, they had also been restrained by treaties and agreements enforced by the other gods.
But Joseph wasn't bound by the laws of either the Old Gods or the New Gods.
No one could check him.
"Fine," Joseph finally said, causing both men to sigh in relief while Jason pumped his fist victoriously. "I'll establish a Nova Corps—an intergalactic organization dedicated to maintaining peace across countless worlds. The Warworld will serve as its base of operations. Each of you will be issued Nova helmets, allowing you to contend with Gordanites even at your weakest."
He paused.
"But you'll have to wait for uniforms if you want to join. I've run out of Nth metal. Though I'm sure the Thanagarians would be more than willing to lend me some."
"Thank you. I will dedicate my life to the Nova Corps," Colos swore fervently.
"Yes. Thank you," Primus added, though with far less fanaticism.
"I get to join too, right?" Jason asked immediately. "Since I was first, I should get a cool rank like Centurion or something."
"Don't push your luck, kid. Cassandra already went to sleep, and it's your bedtime too," Joseph replied.
"I just helped beat up an alien conqueror and you're talking about bedtime? Seriously? I don't even feel tired."
Which was true.
Applying knowledge Nova had analyzed from Green Lantern rings, the Nova helmet could keep its user operating at peak condition for extended periods of time.
//Analysis of Genesis fragment complete. Able to remotely control and monitor the Warworld at all times now. Silent Boom Tubes successfully created and designated as Hush Tubes.//
Sweet.
'Thanks, Nova.'
"I'll consider it when you're older. This was a one-time thing," Joseph said as he opened a Hush Tube, the portal lacking the thunderous crack of a Boom Tube.
"Can I at least—"
"No, you can't beat up Billy just because he keeps beating you in games," Joseph cut in, lifting the helmet off Jason's head. The nanite suit dissolved alongside it.
"But… thirty-piece combo. Sixteen games in a row."
"Just get good."
"Screw you," Jason muttered before dejectedly trudging through the portal.
Joseph laughed, shaking his head, before turning back to Colos and Primus.
"I invite you both to join the others and rest on Earth for a while." He'd pick up Match and Conner later and let them spend time with the cousins of their people. "Trust me, you'll love Sebas Tian's cooking."
**
| Metropolis - December 26
Joseph's modest two-story house was more crowded than ever as sounds of laughter, conversation, and more than a few emotional tears at eating food with flavor filled the air.
Humanoids across the galaxy tended to have similar palates, but just in case, Joseph had Nova analyze the native animals and herbs from each of their home planets before sending the information to Sebas, who carefully prepared dishes tailored to each species.
Aellans preferred their meat raw. Changralynians were strict vegans. Zambaii liked nearly everything with a citrus flavor. The Euphorians, meanwhile, adapted easily to regular Earth cuisine.
There wasn't enough room at the dining table, forcing several people onto the couches. Maybe it really was time to consider buying a larger house. Three bedrooms definitely weren't enough anymore.
Of course, Joseph hadn't let any of them sit around covered in grime from the Genesis mines. With a simple spell, he cleaned them instantly and restored the tattered rags they'd worn into proper clothing.
Joseph leaned against a wall, quietly observing the gathering after sending Jason upstairs to his room.
Suddenly, someone approached him.
"So, you and my sister, huh?" Ryand'r said in Interlac.
The Tamaranean stood roughly Joseph's height at 6'5", maybe an inch taller than Kori, with dark dreadlocks and purple clothing. In his right hand was a cup of mango juice. Joseph had quickly modified one of Arsenal's spare cybernetic arms to replace the one Ryand'r had lost.
"Yeah. I love her a lot," Joseph replied in Tamaranean.
Ryand'r raised an eyebrow in appreciation at the effort Joseph made to speak his language.
"And she loves you too," Ryand'r said. "I'm glad she's happy. Thank you for saving her… and for everything you've done for her. I wish I could've saved her from that pit of despair myself."
"She saved me first," Joseph replied softly. "And I appreciate you agreeing to stay with her for a while."
"I missed her just as much as she missed me. If circumstances were different, I'd gladly spend years making up for lost time." Ryand'r drained the rest of his juice before continuing. "Anyway, Primus and Colos filled me in. Thanks for agreeing to create the Nova Corps. And thank you for the food, the drink… and the arm."
Joseph laughed lightly. "I've heard 'thank you' too many times today. It's the least I could do for my girlfriend's family. Besides, I probably would've created an organization like this eventually, even without you asking."
"Still. Thank you." Ryand'r smiled before patting Joseph's shoulder. "You have my blessing to wed her. I hope I'm invited to your Blorthog, brother."
Unlike Teth-Adam weeks earlier, Joseph didn't sputter or freeze at the implication.
He knew exactly what he wanted with Kori.
He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
So hearing his future brother-in-law approve of him honestly felt… nice.
Joseph smiled as Ryand'r rejoined the others before making his way toward Kori. He remembered she'd wanted to tell him something earlier before everything with the Warworld interrupted them.
As he approached, he overheard the tail end of a conversation.
"Are you aware—" Kalista asked quietly.
"Yes," Kori replied with a radiant smile.
"Congratulations," Harpis added warmly.
Joseph still wasn't sure whether it was vanity or mild xenophobia on his part, but Harpis' altered appearance made smiling look vaguely terrifying. He made a mental note to ask later if she wanted to be restored to her original Aellan form using the same process he'd used on Airstryke and planned to use for Croc.
Strangely enough, most humanoid DNA across the galaxy was remarkably compatible. It was how Tamaranean and Changralynian DNA had integrated into Joseph's own body without complications. Reversing Harpis' alterations shouldn't be much harder.
Kori's face lit up the moment she spotted him.
She immediately left the others, grabbed his hand, and pulled him into a quieter hallway before wrapping her arms tightly around him.
"What's going on?" Joseph asked as he hugged her back.
"I'm just so grateful," Kori whispered. "Sometimes I wonder if you were sent into my life by X'Hal."
A third sun deity? The second one today.
That was becoming mildly concerning.
"Your family is basically my family. You don't have to thank me," Joseph said.
Kori laughed softly, the sound warm enough to melt away every ounce of tension in his body.
"Yes… but that's not all."
Joseph blinked. "What's going on?"
Kori looked up at him, her green eyes shimmering with emotion and joy so overwhelming she could barely contain it.
"I'm pregnant, Joseph."
The world stopped.
For a single moment, Joseph couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. His mind simply froze as the words echoed over and over in his head.
'Did you know, Nova?'
//Yes. I periodically scan those closest to you, as their wellbeing directly affects yours. My apologies for withholding the information, but I determined it would be better if Miss Koriand'r told you herself.
Congratulations, sir.//
Emotion crashed into him all at once so intensely it nearly overwhelmed him.
Joy.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Hope.
Fear.
Love.
Joseph pulled Kori into his arms and kissed her deeply, holding her as though she might disappear if he let go.
He felt his chest tighten as laughter threatened to escape him at the sheer impossibility of it all.
After everything he'd endured.
After all the violence, the loss, the bloodshed, the responsibility—
He was going to have a child.
'I'm going to be a father.'