Author's Note:

---------------------

Compiled log entries, subject: 'The Collector of Worlds'

LOG ENTRY 00043

Officer twenty-eight thirteen, mission report, cycle one one, Oan time. I recently arrived on the most recently attacked planet with a squad of three other Lanterns. Again...we are too late. The Collector has been here and has already claimed a city for his twisted collection. I am tired of failing. A whole city. We knew what this psychopath was aiming to do, but once again he managed to elude us. However...I am not detecting any energy spikes in the star this world is orbiting. All other visited worlds have had their stars destroyed within millicycles of the city's removal. This one though, shows no signs of deterioration on any level whatsoever.

This is unprecedented, so as this world lies within my allocated Sector, I have elected to remain here to conduct a thorough investigation whilst my squad continues to track the Collector through space. Part of my reasoning...is that I feel that I should have stopped it. I am responsible for this sector...

The natives have already erected a monumental structure in remembrance of those taken with the City of Kandor. It seems that the ruling government, the Science Council, has covered the incident up, denying any extra-terrestrial origins of the attack. In my short time here, it is apparent that the natives are widely xenophobic and believe that they are the sole occupants of the universe. Because of this it is critical that I operate in secret. They have previously dabbled in space travel several handfuls of centuries ago, but had not advanced to inter-stellar levels of exploration.

The remaining cities on Krypton, including Kryptonopolis and Argo, have become heavily fortified with weapons and defence technology in fear of a return of the Collector, but he will not come back. He left this world's sun untouched and I intend to discover why... Tomar-Re out.

LOG ENTRY 0047

Officer twenty-eight thirteen, field report, cycle one nineteen, Oan universal time. I have covertly operated within Krypton's upper crust, in accordance with the Intervention Protocol which dictates the necessity to avoid contact with any civilisations currently unaware of the presence of alien life on other worlds.

I located an uninhabited region in the outlands surrounding the crater where Kandor once stood; the Kryptonians refer to this divisive range as the Jewelled Mountains. I drilled into the mantle using a specialised construct and discovered rare radioactive minerals that could be linked to internal instabilities. I sampled some of this green isotope and conducted several tests on the specimen with origin and effect in mind. My experiments harboured...concerning results.

The isotope is highly poisonous to beings with particular molecular structures and DNA architecture; I have found that all organic strands of matter originating from Krypton itself experience cellular degeneration after direct exposure to the mineral. After uplinking with the Kryptonian Science Guild's database, I learned that this mineral was the cause of a massive outbreak of suffering and death many eras ago. It was called the Green Death...and I believe it is the result of Krypton's core bleeding unstable radiation into its upper crust.

If it is, and these isotopes were indeed discovered millennia ago, then I must speed my efforts. The Collector may have left Krypton's sun untouched because he stumbled upon these readings himself; that Krypton's core may be unstable and viable to collapse in the coming cycles.

LOG ENTRY 0082

Officer twenty-eight thirteen, field report, cycle one two six, Oan time. The squad partaking in the search has come into direct contact with the suspect. Brainiac. That is its name. A genetically augmented being from the world of Colu. They spent cycles upon cycles fighting the creature on Corvex VI, and finally managed to turn it from seizing a city there. Brainiac sits protected within a space vessel of highly complex and intricate design. I have just viewed the technical readouts taken by the team and quite frankly, I do not know if I should be terrified or impressed.

Despite the victory, I cannot help but feel that it was simply given to us. That Brainiac simply thought the city was not worth the effort and lost interest. However, I digress. This requisition of knowledge is enlightening, but my concerns are still with Krypton.

After burrowing deeper into the planet to obtain more conclusive data, I have stumbled upon energy signatures that are only attributable to active machinery. At first I supposed that they were devices left behind by the kleptomaniac Coluan, but further inspection revealed that the constructs are of Kryptonian make and manufacture. Perhaps they detected the anomaly and are seeking to repair the core? I cannot say until I have run comprehensive tests on the devices.

I have spent an unhealthy amount of time here...away from my family. My wife...my son...but they must understand. An entire world hangs in the balance here. My success or failure means that trillions of innocent people will die, since I cannot directly interfere in this sensitive time for the natives. There are times where I question the existence of the Intervention Protocol...but I must trust the Guardians. End log.

LOG ENTRY 0083

Officer twenty-eight thirteen, mission report, cycle one three zero, Oan time. I may not have to fret any longer... After perusing through Kryptonian networks, I have discovered information that seems to confirm that several scientists are beginning to discover oddities in Krypton's core just as I did. The first of these minds was a pioneer in the space travel resurgence of the recent cycles. However, his radical ideas have faced many obstacles and criticisms.

Perhaps his knowledge of the coming calamity combined with his experience in spacecraft may be his world's final hope and salvation. I pray that the Science Council heeds his warnings when he undoubtedly comes to the same conclusion that I have.

If not, hopefully the combined responses of scientists around the planet are enough to convince the governments of the danger.

In other news, I have determined that injecting refined stellarium into Krypton's molten core will ease its throes. The material will stabilise the core long enough for the inhabitants to make adequate preparations. In the meantime, whilst I continue analysing the strange machinations I found underneath Krypton's surface, I shall procure the stellarium needed to medicate its wounds.

This is not a solution to the problem, but the natives will definitely have time to evacuate at this point if I apply the stellarium.

LOG ENTRY 0090

Those machines I discovered. They're energy siphoning devices. They're harvesting the core. How idiotic...! How did I not foresee this? It was obvious...! The Kryptonians faced a resource crisis just after their foray into interplanetary travel and could look nowhere but to their feet. But surely...not a single individual thought that this was a terrible idea? At this rate, if my projections are correct, the Kryptonian Science Council will be undoing everything my stellarium project will be doing for their planet's core. But...I cannot simply stand by and watch...

I require guidance...! I must seek audience with the Guardians at once, and perhaps they in their wisdom may direct me towards a solution.

Again...I must calm myself. My compatriots in the Brainiac manhunt have come out emptyhanded. The trail has become cold. The universe is a gigantic place and even us, The Green Lantern Corps who stand three thousand strong, can lose a starship within it. We have no choice but to wait for any signs of his activity, only then can we strike.

It turns out that Brainiac is not the destroyer of Krypton, but it is the Kryptonians themselves...

My faith in that lone scientist? His research was deemed heresy and his craft all destroyed. He would not have enough time to construct another large enough to save any significant amount of people. He will die with the others.

LOG ENTRY 0103

I currently lie in a medical bed. Kilowog, the rookie medical officer for my Contingent, insists that I recount the events of my hospitalisation. But I would rather lie here in silence. I would rather not speak of what I had witnessed for the rest of my life. No one should have to see something that horrible.

But I must. For the record.

Despite the revelation that the inhabitants of Krypton brought about their own end by harvesting their planet's core, I continued collecting stellarium and administering it directly into the molten insides of the world. My conversation with the Guardians was sombre and depressing. They shared my sadness, but insisted that there must be some kind of natural selection or consequence in the universe. A species that chooses to destroy itself must be allowed to do so. To force them to exist when nature has deemed it their purpose to die in such a sure way as destroying an entire world, is to play god.

I did not wholly agree with this conclusion...so I continued to do what I could. I harvested stellarium from the nearby moon mines and fashioned them into specialised cooling rods. I then inserted them sequentially into Krypton's innards. It was on my way to mine more of this matter that things began to take a turn for the worse.

One of the last stellarium deposits rested within the reach of a dying star. Recklessly, I chose to ignore the danger and gather the materials regardless. There was not enough time. The star Ariel went supernova as was I compiling the last of what I needed.

The blast almost killed me, since the energy waves and radiation bypassed my energy shields entirely. Severely burned and blinded from the blast, instead of returning to Oa I urged my ring to take me back to Krypton. I wanted to insert the last cooling rods before seeking medical attention for myself.

My blindness from the light of the nova meant that the ring was on auto-pilot, and I waited in the complete silence and blackness for any sign that I was not already dead. Then, finally, my vision cleared. And I witnessed another brilliant, mind-numbing explosion as the planet collapsed in on itself before my very eyes.

That last batch of rods may have given the doomed planet maybe another several minutes...but I still feel myself responsible. I knew. I knew for cycles. And I could have told them...but I didn't.