The memorial for Green Lantern Tomar-Re of Sector 2813 was a painful process for Hal. He couldn't deal with loss. His father's death when he was a child scarred him for life. He, like most humans, was never ready to lose someone he cared about. For Hal, he felt responsible for those close to him; he owed it to them to be there when it really mattered, when they really needed him. Whenever he lost a friend or family member, it was like a stake through his heart.

The other Lanterns who died at the hands of Dru-Zod were members of different Contingents, so their memorials were held by the crews that they were apart of. There were two who weren't killed in action but were unfit for duty. Lantern Xultori was crippled when his spinal column was severed, and Lantern Druce Noran was lobotomized. Xultori is recovering from shock. Xultori will be granted a support role on Oa if he chooses to continue his service, or he will be transported back to his homeworld and his ring will seek a replacement if he so chooses to resign. Druce however, was beyond saving. The Guardians were confronted with the morbid task of deciding his fate; to end his now meaningless existence or let him live on as a brain-dead vessel. Hal couldn't even stand to think about making that call himself.

Most members of Contingent 93 was formed up in the plaza in front of their crew quarters. There was a holographic image of Tomar-Re before them. Green Lantern memorial services were not bogged down by speeches; they were times for internal reflection for those close to the departed. Smaller conversations amongst the attending personnel was common, but Hal wanted nothing like that at the moment.

He hung towards the back, sitting on a bench on his own. His fellow Lanterns seemed to understand what he needed; he was probably Tomar-Re's closest friend. Several Lanterns were not present including Vell. Kilowog, being the Chief Medical Officer, was presiding over her medical treatment and promised Hal he would watch over Vell so that he could attend Tomar's memorial.

Probably the only person Hal could stand seeing and speaking to currently, was the one now approaching him. John Stewart, the second GL of sector 2814 and fellow human, lowered himself into the bench next to Hal. "The Guardians have given the order. Every Contingent is on code black alert. Allied civilisations have been alerted to the potential threat."

Hal ran a hand down his face with a sigh. "And Clark?"

"He and Kara are still rerouting the storm. According to projections, Zod is aware of what they're doing. He's going to hit us well before Clark and Kara can return." John said. He swallowed then continued "And as if that isn't enough for us to take care of, the Guardians authorised the 2813 ring to find a replacement for Tomar-Re. The recruit should be Oscar Mike and here in half a cycle."

Hal had gotten used to the ex-Marine's constant use of military jargon, so he knew that 'Oscar Mike' meant 'on the move', but it proved to be hilarious when Guy was present and had no idea who Oscar and Mike were. Hal looked towards the hologram "Did I ever tell you about our first mission together?"

John smiled weakly "I don't think so."

"There were these giant fish monsters on Xudar. He sent out a distress call, and since our beat is next door, I was the first one to receive the signal. And lucky for Tomar, I was Recruit rank. It was my first real gig outside of our Solar System. I was a nervous wreck...but you know him. He managed to deal with me somehow." Hal recounted quietly.

"Nervous wreck? Sure doesn't sound like you." John joked, slapping a hand onto his friend's shoulder.

The pair remained there in silence for several minutes. Hal knew that he'd have to step up...now that Tomar was gone, someone would have to take his place in the command structure. John had his own responsibilities as Chief Tactical Officer; he'd be accountable for managing the team's strategies during full-scale battle situations, and a war against a Kryptonian terrorist group seemed to fit that bill.

Hal finally said to John "You've got some work to do, right?"

"Yeah. I gotta liaise with the other Tactical Officers. Make sure we're preparing adequate defences for a Kryptonian siege."

"Easier said than done?"

"You bet. I'll see you at the briefing. Give Vell my best." He said as he pushed to his feet and took to the skies, soaring off and out of sight.

Minutes later, Hal entered the medical centre for Contingent 93. The bed holding Vell and slowly reconstituting her biological matter was in the far corner of the medical centre. At her side was Arisia, who smiled as she saw Hal coming in. "Arisia..." Hal said with a weak smile.

The GL Initiate of Sector 2815 returned his gesture as she sighed. "How are you doing, Hal?"

"I'm fine, I'm just worried about her. How is she?" The human asked.

"A lot better. Kilowog is about to come over with a nerve stimulant, bring her back into consciousness." Arisia explained.

Hal laid himself into the seat on the opposite side of Vell's bed. "I guess I timed it pretty well."

Arisia's eyes softened as she asked "Hal...you sure you're okay?"

"Y-Yeah...yeah I'm okay. I'm just...I'm just glad she's still alive."

He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her as well on top of Tomar.

Right on cue, Kilowog emerged from the medical lab station with an injector filled with a green substance. "Jordan." He greeted simply. "Your little lady here will be up and punchin' poozers again in a millicycle." The Bolivax-Vik native approached the right side of Vell's bed and carefully pressed the injector device onto her forearm.

Vell's pale skin was pale orange in patches, indicative of the now heavily reduced burns that she earned from Zod. Compared to the bright ginger of her skin when Hal saw her immediately after the attack, it was far less severe but still pretty bad. She was dressed in the standard issue, incredibly simple medical bay undergarments; a pair of matte black briefs and a matching tube top.

"Thanks, Kilowog." Hal said as he stood up and leant onto the left side of the bed in anticipation.

Kilowog squeezed the key and the lime-coloured substance was injected into Vell's system. The potent chemicals seemed to illicit a response immediately; Vell's breathing deepened and her eyelids began to twitch.

"This is the first time she's been conscious since it all happened. Come on Arisia, let's give 'em some time." Kilowog declared as he levitated his injector across the room with his ring and set it down onto an operating table.

The blonde alien stood nervously, nodding. "Yes, sir."

As she walked towards the exit, Hal called out to her "Thanks, Arisia. You're the only real friend she's got."

Arisia glanced back at Hal, seemingly glad to know that someone was there for her. Without another word, she exited the med bay, leaving only Hal and Vell within its walls.

Seconds went by like hours for Hal, who waited intently for his partner to come to. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered and she gasped sharply. Hal reached for her hand, softly gripping it as he spoke to her "It's okay. You're okay now. You're at the medical centre."

Vell's eyes snapped completely open, and they seemed to be incredibly slick with moisture. One thing that Bekkorians had in common with human beings was that they cried during times of extreme emotional duress. The glossy black orbs that were her eyes darted to and fro before securing themselves onto Hal's visage. "I've...never been so...afraid before."

The human Lantern furrowed his brow and swallowed, fighting the feelings that surged through his ever fibre as he watched the person he loved be so terrified and distraught.

"I-I...why did the ring choose me? I froze...! I was too grakking scared...! I couldn't hurt him...he was...he was unstoppable..."

Hal calmed her with his touch and argued "No, that's not what this is about. The only time to be brave is when you're scared."

Vell blinked at Hal, puzzled.

"We all feel fear. I did...when I heard what happened to you. I froze too."

Vell inhaled with a ragged breath, then said "I thought I wouldn't get to see you again."

Hal pushed himself forward, embracing Vell as she laid in bed. He couldn't bear to see her like this...she was usually so carefree. If he looked at her for a second longer after she said that, he would've started crying with her. Instead, he took a deep breath as well.

He then pulled back and looked into her eyes once more. Vell didn't wipe her tears away as they ran down her face; that habit seemed to be a derivative of the human desire to hide one's emotions. "I didn't listen to Tomar, Hal. He told me to retreat, to get reinforcements..."

"Listen Rook...you turn your back on General Zod, he'll just kill you faster. If you took your eyes off him for one instant, he would've taken that advantage and torn you to pieces."

"All of that raw strength wouldn't have mattered; there's no way he could've caught me in a trans-light jump. I could've outflown him."

"No. No you couldn't have. Not in space. Kryptonians are even faster outside of an atmosphere."

Vell's lips trembled momentarily before she steeled herself. "That...isn't possible."

Hal said nothing as he watched Vell push herself up into a seated position on the bed. "Tomar...is he really..."

"I-I'm sorry." Hal stuttered.

The tears, which had stopped for a few seconds, began to flow again. Unlike human crying, there was no sobbing. The tears came down just the same, however. Vell grimaced in anger. "What's the plan? Are we going to find him?"

"There's a briefing in the conference room soon. John and one of the other Chief Tactical Officers from another contingent are going to tell us what we're up against and what we should do."

Vell nodded. "Okay. I'm not going to stay in this stupid bed, by the way."

"Yeah I know that." Hal chuckled. "You want in on the counter-strike?"

"Of course I do, you idiot. But this time I want to know what I'm doing."

"How reasonable of you."

After another few minutes, Kilowog returned and talked Vell through how she should take it easy until her bones mended themselves. Her ring will be able to directly monitor that process and notify her when she can pull all the stops and ring sling like normal. Until then though, she was under orders to not go too crazy.

The pair then made their way to the conference room inside Contingent 93's archival hall. It was a large, oval shaped room with a circular table in the centre. The place was already filled with Lanterns eager to strike back against General Zod for the murder of six GL officers. Of course, Contingent 93 was present but since it was a joint briefing Guy Gardner's unit was there too. He, Arisia, Stel and Ch'p were clustered by the door.

Arisia immediately hovered towards Vell when she entered "Vell! Oh my god, It's so good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?"

"Absolutely terrible." She droned.

Ch'p floated through the air, his squirrel-like tail twirling in excitement. "Yep, going a couple rounds with one of those guys will do that to you."

Guy, with his trademark obnoxious flair, crossed his arms and shrugged. "Yeah right. They'd go down just like any other wise guy who wants to take us on if you hit 'em hard enough."

"Shut it, Guy." Hal said quietly.

Vell narrowed her eyes at the third human Lantern in complete and utter disbelief. "...You did see the part where he single-handedly ended seven of us, right?"

"Calm down, princess. We all know what happened to you, no need to cry about it."

Hal suddenly darted forward and clutched Guy by the collar. "Six perfectly good officers were K.I.A. today, Gardner! Six! One of them was ten times the GL you'd ever be. They all stuck to protocol, responded to the beacon with admirable speed and bought us enough time to make sure there weren't seven casualties. So if you'd like to tell me what they did wrong...I'd be happy to hear it!" He snarled.

Everyone in that immediate corner of the conference chamber was stunned. Vell especially. He wasn't exactly the type to fly off his hinges...he was always cool, calm, and collected. This was a side of Hal she would've liked to see a bit more. She curled her bottom lip inward in interest.

"Hey!! You two!!" John's voice called. He floated over in between his two fellow humans, pushed them aside with frustration in his eyes, then said "Why is it that you're always at each other's throats?!"

Hal didn't hesitate to answer his friend's rhetorical question. "Tough guy here doesn't know when to shut up, John. Thinks he can take Zod on by himself."

"Well I could kick the shit outta you, flyboy."

"That's enough, Gardner! Do whatever the hell you want when the rings are off but when they're on, you're soldiers not children!" John scalded like a furious staff sergeant. "Get the hell over here, Guy."

Hal crossed his arms and looked away from both John and Guy as the former escorted the latter to the other side of the room to avoid any further entanglements. All the while, Guy was arguing with John. Ch'p and Arisia were much too preoccupied by the awkwardness of the situation to say anything, so they kind of just drifted away, making idle small talk to each other.

Vell pressed herself closer to Hal and told him "You didn't need to do that, Hal. I could've taken care of him myself."

"Sorry...I can usually put up with his shit but with everything that's been happening, he still isn't taking it seriously."

"Don't be sorry. Seriously, you know enough about my culture now to know why that's fine by me."

Before long, the Chief Tactical Officers of Contingents 93 and 94 were standing by the circular table; John Stewart of Sector 2814 and Salaak of Sector 1418 respectively. Salaak was a four-armed humanoid lifeform with a head that vaguely resembled that of an Earth anteater. He was a no nonsense, logic-first kind of officer. So obviously, he and Hal didn't really get along.

All the other GLs were called over to surround the table once the briefing began. John, hands planted on his hips, started to recount the Kryptonian attack in Sector 2813 as his ring produced holographic images of the planet Jeelsabor and the destruction on its surface above the table. "Several cycles ago, a targeted attack on Green Lantern Tomar-Re of Sector 2813 was conducted by General Dru-Zod, an escaped Phantom Zone fugitive. Threat level is priority one. All other assignments that aren't code black are to be stowed immediately."

Vocalisations of shock permeated through the crowded room as detailed holograms of Zod's face appeared, paired with biological scans of his physiology. "We are up against at least five other fully developed, militarily-trained Kryptonian soldiers who possess the same physical properties as he does. A Kryptonian under yellow solar conditions is one of the most powerful, durable and destructive lifeforms ever encountered by the Corps. They are incredibly dangerous and can kill, even a fully charged GL, with ease."

Salaak added "For the few of you who may not be aware, in addition to superior strength, speed, durability, and flight capability, Kryptonians are also capable of discharging heat-based energy by finely focusing their optical organs and projecting sub-zero temperatures with mere breath. Field recordings detailing the precise nature of these latent Kryptonian abilities are available on the archival servers. I suggest a thorough investigation of these resources before any further action is taken after this briefing."

Astonished murmurs began to echo through Hal's ears.

John continued "Our one chance is to take advantage of weaknesses exclusive to their species. The most obvious of these is kryptonite; radioactive material found only in Sector 2813 that is poisonous to their physiology. Another is red solar energy; this counteracts and can, in extremely high concentrations, nullify Kryptonian abilities. Several officers are en route to 2813 to secure kryptonite samples, and schematics for a simple red solar emitter have been uploaded to the archive server. Every single one of you needs to know that device inside out, including the atomic structure of red sun energy particles, if we're going to stand a chance. If you blast a Kryptonian with one of those, he'll feel it. Every other Contingent is going to do the same, so you all do your part. Every officer in this room is hereby ordered to study those schematics."

There was a quiet chorus of anxious and worried voices. Hal was pretty concerned. Out of everyone in this room, and most likely even the entire Corps, Hal had seen Kryptonians up close the most. The things that Superman could do never made him uneasy before, but now they did. The man could punch mountains apart, same with asteroids. Now, there were reports of about six people with the same powers but none of the restraint or responsibility. Superman could easily flick Lex Luthor into space but he never did because you know, it wouldn't be the right thing to do. He could also just step through the wall of the White House and tell everyone inside that he's the President now, but yeah he doesn't do that because he was raised by a couple of modest farmers. Zod and his crew? They'd do those things in a heartbeat because they believe that what they're doing is important enough.

First, Zod took his revenge on Tomar-Re for failing to save Krypton...and Hal gathered that he maybe blames the Guardians too. The Corps. He'd be gunning for Oa to tear it to the ground, because it's a reminder that Krypton wasn't the centre of the universe. It blew up, yet everybody else continued.

Salaak, in conclusion, declared calmly "The Guardians have allocated our two contingents to defensive positions. We shall maintain standard guard post positions in Oa's orbit with a shift in patrols every five cycles. Five other contingents are proceeding to act upon our previously acquired intelligence to locate and capture Zod. Should he elude our intercepting units, we as well as other defensive teams, will be primed for a counter-attack."

Hal, much as expected, spoke out of turn as he stepped forward. "They have no idea what they're up against. I need to be out there, John."

John hesitated in speaking, so his fellow tactical officer took the initiative. "The related mission files logged by Lantern 2813 and 921 have been made available to all officers. All officers are quite aware of the hostile party's offensive and defensive capabilities." He said, puzzled by how wrong Hal's statement was.

"That's not the point. A video's a video. Seeing it with your own eyes is different."

Vell suddenly found that she knew exactly how that felt.

Salaak cocked his head. "That is...highly illogical."