Post by redsycorax on Oct 14, 2020 0:54:42 GMT
Sometimes, alternate history can take surprising trajectories. Take Earth-975, for example. This world diverged from the datum when an assassination attempt was made on the life of the 38th US President, Gerald Ford, on September 5, 1975. On many other worlds, the Sacramento episode was a failed attempt and a footnote in more comprehensive histories of the 1970s. However, on Earth-975, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme of the "Manson Family" cult had loaded her Colt M 1911 with .45 calibre bullets beforehand as she stood less than an arms length from the president before pulling the trigger. At that range, she couldn't miss- and the consequence was that Gerald Ford was shot through the head and heart, dying more or less instantly. Governor Jerry Brown moved quickly to close down the incident, and security staff rapidly disarmed the assassin, but the damage was done. Gerald Ford had become the fifth US president to die in office, joining Lincoln, McKinley, Garfield and Kennedy. As a consequence, Nelson Rockefeller became the 39th US President, winning the 1976 election on a sympathy vote, but increasingly unable to deal with the events of the late seventies as they battered the US economy and society. After he died in 1979, Ronald Reagan took on Jimmy Carter as the Democrat nominee and Carter won because the Republicans had to deal with the cumulative stresses and woes of governing for most of the seventies.
What happened to the world's metahuman community on that Earth?
++
Green Lantern sighed to himself as he stood above Guy Gardner's hospital bed. It had only seemed like yesterday that he'd talked about the back-up responsibilities that would ensue if he was incapacitated or killed in the line of duty. However, Guy had never recovered from his coma and indeed, had passed away on the previous day, never regaining consciousness. For better or for worse, John Stewart was the fallback GL now, although Hal acknowledged that the Guardians could have done much worse. John was a disciplined, steady man and a good replacement. He turned from the bed and silently left the bedside of the man who might have one day replaced him had circumstances been different.
Their eyes dilated, Katar and Shayera Hol knelt by the throne of Hyathis, Queen of Thanagar. She looked the couple. She had the consent of her adopted world through removing the Adaptoid plague from their lives. It had been simplicity to use her knowledge of hallucinogenics to warp the perceptions of the inhabitants of this world and secure her stranglehold over their lives. The Hols had been a windfall- she relished the information about their experiences on Earth and contact with one of the Green Lantern Corps, an integral member of their "Justice League". This could end well- Earth might have multiple interstellar relationships, but it was at heart still a dawn atomic world and did not possess interstellar travel as yet.
Batman looked up from the hospital waiting room table where he'd been sharing a cup of coffee, awaiting news about the fate of Kathy Kane, the former Bat-Woman, targeted by the League of Assassins. It had been touch and go, but as he saw the doctor's relieved face, he broke into a hesitant grin. His former comrade in arms would live after all.
"What time is it?" Barry Allen muttered, as Iris Allen checked their digital alarm clock
"Oh, Barry. We were so intent on 'making up' after that fight we had, we must have fallen asleep. We completely missed that CCPD masquerade party that we were invited to."
Aquaman held his baby Arthur Junior in his arms as, kilometres away, the body of Black Manta twisted and turned in the ocean currents.
"That's right, Bruce, I've decided to stop being Robin. It might have been okay when I was a kid, but I'm almost twenty now. Replacement identity? Okay. How does Darkbird strike you?"
"It's tempting, and I know the League could probably use my extra muscle, but with Steve Trevor's death, I...I need time to work things out. So, no... I'm sorry, but I won't be rejoining the League right now." And with that, Wonder Woman walked away, her footsteps echoing until she stepped into the Justice League teleporter.
"What about you, J'Onn?"
"I am afraid that I have responsibilities on New Mars to pursue, my friends. Rebuilding our way of life must be my paramount responsibility. I am sorry to refuse your offer and I hope you can understand why."
1985:
"Take Kara...my cousin, Supergirl... away from here, Doctor Light. There's something that I have to do." And with that, Superman flew back, his brow furrowed, his intent obvious. He was the Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, the paragon of virtue and he had placed his beloved adopted world's welfare above his own countless times. He broke apart the Anti-Monitor's antimatter cannon and battered his containment suit, laying out the Weaponers of Qward as they sought to shield the tyrant from his retribution. But there are some things that not even a Superman can withstand and one of them was a direct anti-matter blast. From the periphery of the battle, Supergirl cried: "KAL! NO!!!"
As the battle turned, a still-recovering Supergirl stood over her cousin, cradling him in her arms:
"Kal...hold on. Please..."
"Kara...did I...destroy the Anti-Monitor...and his machines..."
"You almost did him in. But you did destroy his machines. His base here is falling apart. Kal, you saved all the Earths."
"Kara...don't cry. It's...up to you, now. You became a beautiful, strong, intelligent woman and I'm... proud of all you achieved."
"Kal, don't go. I still need you, cousin. Kal?...Kal?" But his head drooped in her arms and his mighty heart stopped beating.
"So we live on, remembering the past and honouring the future. Clark Kent...Kal-El...Superman...I loved you so much and I will miss you forever." After saying that, Supergirl bound her cousin's body in his cape and flew off to Rokyn and burial amongst the last survivors of Krypton on their adopted new homeworld. She needed to be with her parents, Zor-El and Alura, now.
A moment of blinding light and heat ensued. It had almost been the end of everything, but the weakening of the Anti-Monitor beforehand had led to his inability to control the planned obliteration of all positive-matter existence now. Instead, the Anti-Monitor cried out in pain and bewilderment as his plan was undone at the beginning of time itself and the structure, if not the content, of the multiverse held steady. The Big Bang happened and a new, infinite multiverse arose to replace the old.
But some things were indelible. Superman was still dead. So was Kid Flash, Wally West, who had sacrificed his life in place of Barry Allen to stop the Anti-Monitor's fallback plan. On Earth-975, Kara Zor-El became Superwoman, conceding that her childhood was over. John Stewart and Alexandra de Witt, the replacement for Hal Jordan, fought him as he became corrupted and insane after the destruction of Coast City. Batman adopted a new Robin, Jason Todd, who grew to become Redwing in time as he matured. Nine months after they missed the CCPD masquerade party and at the end of a surprise but welcome pregnancy, Iris Allen gave birth to a daughter, Jesse. It turned out that she had inherited her father's speedster abilities. Wonder Woman and J'Onn J'Onnz never returned to the Justice League. Lois Lane became Daily Planet editor, and never married. Lana Lang did, and found new love wih Sfar's Vartox. In 1990, Lois and Diana met in a bar, to discuss their memories of Superman. Selina Kyle relinquished her criminal career, fought at Batman's side and crossed over to the path of unambiguous virtue. She did marry Bruce and the consequence was a daughter, Harriet. Bruce and Selina were present when Dick Grayson and Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran wed in their turn.
The world continued to turn. Earth-975's USSR did not become entangled in the affairs of post-colonial Africa, nor did it invade Afghanistan. It successfully negotiated Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with the United States under Presidents Carter, Dole, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Christine Whitman and Kamala Harris. Brezhnev's early death enabled the rise of reform communist Mikhail Gorbachev, comparatively young compared to the two men he had displaced in his rapid accession, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, who died shortly after his surprise ascension. There were certainly ructions as the Soviet Union withdrew from the former Warsaw Pact countries, and in one incident in Leningrad, a young KGB officer, Vladimir Putin, was shot and killed. The end of the Warsaw Pact saw the fall of NATO, as the USSR cut back on its prodigal arms expenditure and diverted it into agriculture and industrial modernisation. In 1992, the renamed Union of Eurasian Democratic Republics held its first free, multiparty elections.
In time, some of the perennial fixtures of superherodom reached retirement age and handed over to the next generation and some of the older figures, like Perry White, Commissioner James Gordon, Leslie Thompkins and Brigadier Darnell, passed away. The Silver Age gave way to the Bronze Age, as the Justice League gave way to the Justice Alliance, but increases in prosperity, technological endeavour, social equality and the cessation of international conflict meant that increasingly, there was little for superheroes to do, or motivation for supervillains to arise in the first place. The Silver Age Flash saw the arrival of grandchildren, as did Batman and Catwoman, and Superwoman even wed her old-time beau, Richard Malverne. As Earth-975's superheroes arose and its technology advanced apace, Hyathis of Thanagar rethought her original plans and did not attack Earth. Instead, she chose Rann instead. Vartox, Lana Lang and their children chafed at the neutrality of Sfar and Hebos in this context, but were powerless to intervene. It had been years since Adam and Alanna Strange had interacted with Earth and as a consequence, their deaths came as a shock to those who had known and respected them. Moreover, the identity of the Rann Army of Occupation's Supreme Commander, Katar Hol, led to an irrevocable breach between Katar and Shayera, and the Justice Alliance.
It is now 2020. Earth has a global government, the Terran Federation, and Superwoman, Batwoman II, Flash III, Alexandria de Witt, John Stewart and Wonder Woman are meeting in the newly constructed lunar JAA Panopticon...
"My friends, we face a unique, unparalleled situation. This world doesn't need our assistance any longer." Superwoman said as she looked out at the women and man who comprised the JAA:
"Uh, what about the Rannian Crisis and the encroachment of Thanagar?" Alexandria de Witt, one of Earth's two Green Lanterns, objected.
"So far, they've kept out of our own planetary system. Our patrols haven't even detected any uncrewed surveillance probe activity." Wonder Woman pointed out.
"They may not need it. They seized Rann's technological infrastructure almost intact, and that includes its optical advances. They may be engaging in depth surveillance."
"Earth has reached the point where it can defend itself unaided. It has FTL travel now and planetary colonial garrisons within our solar system."
"But this is only one solar system. Thanagar has occupied several and has an aggressive interstellar navy. Look, I hate to say this, everyone, but this is not the Thanagar that the JLA's Hawkman and Hawkwoman came from. It's changed, it's darkened, it's become corrupted through fear and avarice." Green Lantern I replied.
"We aren't being complacent, Alex, but this world has changed as well. It's not a soft touch, which is why the Thanagarians targeted Rann instead of Earth." Bat-Woman II responded.
"I know, Harriet, but perhaps we've been too damned complacent. There have been an increased number of skirmishes between the Green Lantern Corps and Thanagarian vessels over interstellar mining, piracy and trade disruption concerns."
"John? You've logged the most interstellar exploration time of almost any of us, apart from Kara. What d'you have to say on the Thanagarian situation?"
"I agree with Alex. It's a question of expansionism. Sure, Katar Hol was a friend, but that was several decades ago. He's loyal to Hyathis now, even if his marriage to Shayera disintegrated as a result."
"All right. Let's vote. How many want to disband the JAA?" Only Superwoman and Batwoman II raised their hands. The Flash, both Green Lanterns and surprisingly, Wonder Woman, all raised theirs in opposition.
"Linda?"
"Thanks for your support, Harriet."
"Don't mention it. Is anything the matter?"
"Today's the anniversary of Kal's death during the Great Crisis. Hard to believe that it's been ten years."
"Of course. I know what that's like. Apparently today's also the forty-fifth anniversary of President Ford's assassination."
"It's odd, Harriet. The United States could have spiraled into darkness and despair with that assassination after the Nixon corruption trial and conviction, but it didn't. Facing Alex and Jesse on the other side of that table was sobering. I would say that it's a generational difference, but Diana seems to agree with them."
"Well, most of the old Silver Age contingent of superheroes have retired, haven't they? Dad, Barry, Dick, Koriand'r, Oliver, Dinah, Ray."
"That makes me feel ancient, you realise? I wish that I had the ability to synch with Diana that Kal had. More often than not, we seem at odds these days."
"It's not your fault, Linda. I think she feels that she's honouring Kal's memory this way, by keeping the JAA together."
"Yes, well, mine involves honouring Kal's code against killing. At least there's common ground between John, Alexandria and I on that front, after what happened with Hal after the Coast City disaster and Kyle Rayner's murder by Major Disaster."
"Thank god that bastard is in the Phantom Zone."
"He'll have to be released eventually. I wish I could go back to the older, more innocent days sometimes, Harriet. When I'd just been revealed to the world after all those years as Superman's secret emergency weapon. When Hal was still an inspiration to the Green Lantern Corps instead of the mass murderer he became. When we could still talk with Hawkman and Hawkwoman over details of interstellar politics. Now... Kal's dead, Hal died trying to destroy the black hole at the centre of the galaxy in his madness and Katar Hol is a foil of Hyathis."
"Yes, but you're married and have children. Clark could never achieve that."
"I wish things had been different for him, Harriet."
"I'm just glad Dad and Mom saw sense and settled down with each other before it was too late. Either one or both of them would have ended up lying in an alleyway somewhere, full of... what is it?"
"Trouble. A Thanagarian warship has just materialised above Eris. Alex, Diana, John, did you get that?"
"Suiting up now."
"Just charged my power ring, be with you shortly, Linda."
ERIS:
Some things are constant across the multiverse. In Earth-975's universe, transplutonian planets and minor planets were discovered, although Pluto wasn't demoted to the category of 'dwarf planet' because the decision at the International Astronomical Union went the other way. Eris, Makemake and Haumea, Gonggong and Goblin are all still classified as planets despite their small scale, and received the same names because they were discovered by analogues of the same people at roughly the same locations. Above the chill of the solar system's tenth planet, then, the Tnanagarian warship sat and waited. Katar Hol looked blankly across the parsecs as his vessel's holographier resolved the incoming images of Superwoman, Green Lanterns One and Two and Wonder Woman. He cleared his throat:
"Stop your incursion now. The Thanagarian Empire does not tolerate resistance."
"Incursion? Your vessel is the one of bounds, Thanagarian. The Green Lantern Corps will not allow any invasion of Earth or any of the collateral worlds within this solar system." Alexandria de Witt said, displaying the same historic courage and iron resolve that she had become famed for.
"Katar? Is that you, man?" John Stewart had recognised the slight accent to Commander Hol's telepathic broadcast.
"John Stewart. You realise the fact that we shared time as comrades within the old Justice League does not mean that I will quail from the neccessity of what must be accomplished."
Diana frowned: "This isn't you, Katar. You're not a soulless tool of a planetary dictatorship. You had principles, moral standards, self-discipline. What happened to them?"
"It's no good, Diana. He's literally not himself. There's a reason for the flatness of his tone and emotional response. Hyathis has inserted some form of behavioural control implant inside his brain."
"How obscene. Linda, can't you remove it-?"
Superwoman shook her head: "Not without coming within range of gold and green kryptonite projectiles, Diana. They've also got yellow frequency lasers for John and Alex, so you may be the only one who can reach him."
"I wish J'Onn were still here, instead of back on his New Mars colony. He'd be able to deal with this-"
"Please, Katar. Don't do this. You're not a butcher. There must be something left of the older police officer, the honourable, fair and decent man." Wonder Woman implored Commander Hol.
"Face facts, all of you. He is. Even if Linda's right and he's not acting under volition, that is still Commander Katar Hol of the Thanagarian Imperial Star Force out there. He's not the man you knew. He's dead. He died when Hyathis cored his brain out and inserted that off switch inside his mind. He has no inhibitions or reservations left. If Hyathis told him to invade and subdue the Earth, or exterminate all life on it, he would do so." Alexandria protested.
"She's right, all of you."
"Shayera?"
THANAGAR:
Several hundred light years away, orbiting Polaris, Thanagar turned in its implacable path. In its central palace, the former Shayera Hol confronted the tyrant who controlled her world:
"Don't be a fool! Can you not see the years of peace and prosperity that I've brought to this world?"
Shayera shook her head: "You destroyed the mind of the man I loved. You've destroyed Thanagar's biosphere, enslaved my people, turned them into pawns for your imperial ambitions. Well, Hyathis, it ends here."
Hyathis sneered: "You must realise that this futile assassination attempt will not succeed. Already my loyal Praetorian Guard are battering down the barriers that your pathetic 'resistance' movement has established. You will shortly die, Shayera Hol, and die in vain. And do not assume that all that serve me are without volition or are under my intimate control."
Shayera said coldly: "Thank you for reminding me of what you did to my former husband, witch. You're right about one thing. It will end here, but not in the way you thought. Starvation, epidemic disease and political tyranny have decimated our world's population. Our species is almost extinct and we've poisoned and irradiated countless worlds in our death throes. All of those deaths are on your conscience, except I doubt you have any left."
"And what, then? Will you kill me? Will you destroy your own planet?"
"Better to die in freedom, breaking chains in the act, than live as a slave." With that, Shayera Hol displayed a small, intricately worked sphere. From the Cherenkov radiation darting around it, Hyathis recognised it at once. It was an antimatter fusion device. Hyathis ran toward the impassive Shayera, grappling with her for control of the device. Shayera's left hand pressed down on the device and
Thanagar erupted into heat and light as condensed antimatter atoms were released from a magnetic containment field and made contact with positive matter counterparts. In the space of microseconds, Njrath'Anagar's tall, crystalline crested towers were consumed by a blinding, roiling flare of heat and light as temperatures soared several million degrees. The blast shattered the planet's mantle and then hit its exposed core. Instants later, every faultline and volcano activated across the length and breadth of the planet and its seas boiled. But that was only for nanoseconds more, because the antimatter fusion chain reaction now made full contact with the planet's core. Thanagar became a white hot point of light in circumplanetary space, then it erupted forth into fragments. Elsewhere, witnessing the end of the planet that had enslaved them on tachyon imaging technology, its empire also shattered like a dropped windowpane.
ERIS:
Several thousand million miles from Earth, Commander Katar Hol did not survive the noble sacrifice of his ex-wife by more than a few seconds. As Thanagar perished light years away, Hyathis' control over his implant ended and it ceased operation. Tragically, that was impossible without causing a fatal aneurysm. As he slumped to the floor, the Justice Alliance entered the suddenly chaotic vessel. Alexandria and John had coated the kryptonite projectiles with leaden barriers and tore them out of the vessel's gunnery systems. Superwoman peered into his brain, but saw that it was fruitless and that her old ally was dead. Eyes brimming with tears, she glanced over at John and shook his head. Outside the breached vessel, other members of the Green Lantern Corps had started to arrive.
EPILOGUE:
Even now, several years later, controversy still rages over Shayera Hol's act of sacrifice and her role in the destruction of her homeworld. Many of the worlds liberated from Thanagarian control venerate her and regard her as a martyr and liberator. To the remaining voluntary supporters of dead Hyathis, she is execrated as a mass murderer and traitor who obliterated her own homeworld and its empire. They feel no sorrow for the tyranny on Thanagar, or for the people killed in its ill-begotten period of imperial expansion. The Justice Alliance honour Shayera Hol for her sacrifice, although not the act that accompanied it. Thanagar's abandoned armies and interstellar occupation forces were disarmed and confined to Rynaulte, orbiting a similar white giant sun to their native Polaris.
At nights, sometimes, Linda Danvers Malverne wonders about the world and universe she lives in now and what it has become. But then she looks at her husband Richard and her two children and reminds herself that humanity, compassion and mercy still exist there and for that reason, she will continue to serve it. For she is Superman's cousin, Superwoman, and she will carry on his heritage of valour, honour and ethical action.
THE END
What happened to the world's metahuman community on that Earth?
++
Green Lantern sighed to himself as he stood above Guy Gardner's hospital bed. It had only seemed like yesterday that he'd talked about the back-up responsibilities that would ensue if he was incapacitated or killed in the line of duty. However, Guy had never recovered from his coma and indeed, had passed away on the previous day, never regaining consciousness. For better or for worse, John Stewart was the fallback GL now, although Hal acknowledged that the Guardians could have done much worse. John was a disciplined, steady man and a good replacement. He turned from the bed and silently left the bedside of the man who might have one day replaced him had circumstances been different.
Their eyes dilated, Katar and Shayera Hol knelt by the throne of Hyathis, Queen of Thanagar. She looked the couple. She had the consent of her adopted world through removing the Adaptoid plague from their lives. It had been simplicity to use her knowledge of hallucinogenics to warp the perceptions of the inhabitants of this world and secure her stranglehold over their lives. The Hols had been a windfall- she relished the information about their experiences on Earth and contact with one of the Green Lantern Corps, an integral member of their "Justice League". This could end well- Earth might have multiple interstellar relationships, but it was at heart still a dawn atomic world and did not possess interstellar travel as yet.
Batman looked up from the hospital waiting room table where he'd been sharing a cup of coffee, awaiting news about the fate of Kathy Kane, the former Bat-Woman, targeted by the League of Assassins. It had been touch and go, but as he saw the doctor's relieved face, he broke into a hesitant grin. His former comrade in arms would live after all.
"What time is it?" Barry Allen muttered, as Iris Allen checked their digital alarm clock
"Oh, Barry. We were so intent on 'making up' after that fight we had, we must have fallen asleep. We completely missed that CCPD masquerade party that we were invited to."
Aquaman held his baby Arthur Junior in his arms as, kilometres away, the body of Black Manta twisted and turned in the ocean currents.
"That's right, Bruce, I've decided to stop being Robin. It might have been okay when I was a kid, but I'm almost twenty now. Replacement identity? Okay. How does Darkbird strike you?"
"It's tempting, and I know the League could probably use my extra muscle, but with Steve Trevor's death, I...I need time to work things out. So, no... I'm sorry, but I won't be rejoining the League right now." And with that, Wonder Woman walked away, her footsteps echoing until she stepped into the Justice League teleporter.
"What about you, J'Onn?"
"I am afraid that I have responsibilities on New Mars to pursue, my friends. Rebuilding our way of life must be my paramount responsibility. I am sorry to refuse your offer and I hope you can understand why."
1985:
"Take Kara...my cousin, Supergirl... away from here, Doctor Light. There's something that I have to do." And with that, Superman flew back, his brow furrowed, his intent obvious. He was the Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, the paragon of virtue and he had placed his beloved adopted world's welfare above his own countless times. He broke apart the Anti-Monitor's antimatter cannon and battered his containment suit, laying out the Weaponers of Qward as they sought to shield the tyrant from his retribution. But there are some things that not even a Superman can withstand and one of them was a direct anti-matter blast. From the periphery of the battle, Supergirl cried: "KAL! NO!!!"
As the battle turned, a still-recovering Supergirl stood over her cousin, cradling him in her arms:
"Kal...hold on. Please..."
"Kara...did I...destroy the Anti-Monitor...and his machines..."
"You almost did him in. But you did destroy his machines. His base here is falling apart. Kal, you saved all the Earths."
"Kara...don't cry. It's...up to you, now. You became a beautiful, strong, intelligent woman and I'm... proud of all you achieved."
"Kal, don't go. I still need you, cousin. Kal?...Kal?" But his head drooped in her arms and his mighty heart stopped beating.
"So we live on, remembering the past and honouring the future. Clark Kent...Kal-El...Superman...I loved you so much and I will miss you forever." After saying that, Supergirl bound her cousin's body in his cape and flew off to Rokyn and burial amongst the last survivors of Krypton on their adopted new homeworld. She needed to be with her parents, Zor-El and Alura, now.
A moment of blinding light and heat ensued. It had almost been the end of everything, but the weakening of the Anti-Monitor beforehand had led to his inability to control the planned obliteration of all positive-matter existence now. Instead, the Anti-Monitor cried out in pain and bewilderment as his plan was undone at the beginning of time itself and the structure, if not the content, of the multiverse held steady. The Big Bang happened and a new, infinite multiverse arose to replace the old.
But some things were indelible. Superman was still dead. So was Kid Flash, Wally West, who had sacrificed his life in place of Barry Allen to stop the Anti-Monitor's fallback plan. On Earth-975, Kara Zor-El became Superwoman, conceding that her childhood was over. John Stewart and Alexandra de Witt, the replacement for Hal Jordan, fought him as he became corrupted and insane after the destruction of Coast City. Batman adopted a new Robin, Jason Todd, who grew to become Redwing in time as he matured. Nine months after they missed the CCPD masquerade party and at the end of a surprise but welcome pregnancy, Iris Allen gave birth to a daughter, Jesse. It turned out that she had inherited her father's speedster abilities. Wonder Woman and J'Onn J'Onnz never returned to the Justice League. Lois Lane became Daily Planet editor, and never married. Lana Lang did, and found new love wih Sfar's Vartox. In 1990, Lois and Diana met in a bar, to discuss their memories of Superman. Selina Kyle relinquished her criminal career, fought at Batman's side and crossed over to the path of unambiguous virtue. She did marry Bruce and the consequence was a daughter, Harriet. Bruce and Selina were present when Dick Grayson and Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran wed in their turn.
The world continued to turn. Earth-975's USSR did not become entangled in the affairs of post-colonial Africa, nor did it invade Afghanistan. It successfully negotiated Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with the United States under Presidents Carter, Dole, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Christine Whitman and Kamala Harris. Brezhnev's early death enabled the rise of reform communist Mikhail Gorbachev, comparatively young compared to the two men he had displaced in his rapid accession, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, who died shortly after his surprise ascension. There were certainly ructions as the Soviet Union withdrew from the former Warsaw Pact countries, and in one incident in Leningrad, a young KGB officer, Vladimir Putin, was shot and killed. The end of the Warsaw Pact saw the fall of NATO, as the USSR cut back on its prodigal arms expenditure and diverted it into agriculture and industrial modernisation. In 1992, the renamed Union of Eurasian Democratic Republics held its first free, multiparty elections.
In time, some of the perennial fixtures of superherodom reached retirement age and handed over to the next generation and some of the older figures, like Perry White, Commissioner James Gordon, Leslie Thompkins and Brigadier Darnell, passed away. The Silver Age gave way to the Bronze Age, as the Justice League gave way to the Justice Alliance, but increases in prosperity, technological endeavour, social equality and the cessation of international conflict meant that increasingly, there was little for superheroes to do, or motivation for supervillains to arise in the first place. The Silver Age Flash saw the arrival of grandchildren, as did Batman and Catwoman, and Superwoman even wed her old-time beau, Richard Malverne. As Earth-975's superheroes arose and its technology advanced apace, Hyathis of Thanagar rethought her original plans and did not attack Earth. Instead, she chose Rann instead. Vartox, Lana Lang and their children chafed at the neutrality of Sfar and Hebos in this context, but were powerless to intervene. It had been years since Adam and Alanna Strange had interacted with Earth and as a consequence, their deaths came as a shock to those who had known and respected them. Moreover, the identity of the Rann Army of Occupation's Supreme Commander, Katar Hol, led to an irrevocable breach between Katar and Shayera, and the Justice Alliance.
It is now 2020. Earth has a global government, the Terran Federation, and Superwoman, Batwoman II, Flash III, Alexandria de Witt, John Stewart and Wonder Woman are meeting in the newly constructed lunar JAA Panopticon...
"My friends, we face a unique, unparalleled situation. This world doesn't need our assistance any longer." Superwoman said as she looked out at the women and man who comprised the JAA:
"Uh, what about the Rannian Crisis and the encroachment of Thanagar?" Alexandria de Witt, one of Earth's two Green Lanterns, objected.
"So far, they've kept out of our own planetary system. Our patrols haven't even detected any uncrewed surveillance probe activity." Wonder Woman pointed out.
"They may not need it. They seized Rann's technological infrastructure almost intact, and that includes its optical advances. They may be engaging in depth surveillance."
"Earth has reached the point where it can defend itself unaided. It has FTL travel now and planetary colonial garrisons within our solar system."
"But this is only one solar system. Thanagar has occupied several and has an aggressive interstellar navy. Look, I hate to say this, everyone, but this is not the Thanagar that the JLA's Hawkman and Hawkwoman came from. It's changed, it's darkened, it's become corrupted through fear and avarice." Green Lantern I replied.
"We aren't being complacent, Alex, but this world has changed as well. It's not a soft touch, which is why the Thanagarians targeted Rann instead of Earth." Bat-Woman II responded.
"I know, Harriet, but perhaps we've been too damned complacent. There have been an increased number of skirmishes between the Green Lantern Corps and Thanagarian vessels over interstellar mining, piracy and trade disruption concerns."
"John? You've logged the most interstellar exploration time of almost any of us, apart from Kara. What d'you have to say on the Thanagarian situation?"
"I agree with Alex. It's a question of expansionism. Sure, Katar Hol was a friend, but that was several decades ago. He's loyal to Hyathis now, even if his marriage to Shayera disintegrated as a result."
"All right. Let's vote. How many want to disband the JAA?" Only Superwoman and Batwoman II raised their hands. The Flash, both Green Lanterns and surprisingly, Wonder Woman, all raised theirs in opposition.
"Linda?"
"Thanks for your support, Harriet."
"Don't mention it. Is anything the matter?"
"Today's the anniversary of Kal's death during the Great Crisis. Hard to believe that it's been ten years."
"Of course. I know what that's like. Apparently today's also the forty-fifth anniversary of President Ford's assassination."
"It's odd, Harriet. The United States could have spiraled into darkness and despair with that assassination after the Nixon corruption trial and conviction, but it didn't. Facing Alex and Jesse on the other side of that table was sobering. I would say that it's a generational difference, but Diana seems to agree with them."
"Well, most of the old Silver Age contingent of superheroes have retired, haven't they? Dad, Barry, Dick, Koriand'r, Oliver, Dinah, Ray."
"That makes me feel ancient, you realise? I wish that I had the ability to synch with Diana that Kal had. More often than not, we seem at odds these days."
"It's not your fault, Linda. I think she feels that she's honouring Kal's memory this way, by keeping the JAA together."
"Yes, well, mine involves honouring Kal's code against killing. At least there's common ground between John, Alexandria and I on that front, after what happened with Hal after the Coast City disaster and Kyle Rayner's murder by Major Disaster."
"Thank god that bastard is in the Phantom Zone."
"He'll have to be released eventually. I wish I could go back to the older, more innocent days sometimes, Harriet. When I'd just been revealed to the world after all those years as Superman's secret emergency weapon. When Hal was still an inspiration to the Green Lantern Corps instead of the mass murderer he became. When we could still talk with Hawkman and Hawkwoman over details of interstellar politics. Now... Kal's dead, Hal died trying to destroy the black hole at the centre of the galaxy in his madness and Katar Hol is a foil of Hyathis."
"Yes, but you're married and have children. Clark could never achieve that."
"I wish things had been different for him, Harriet."
"I'm just glad Dad and Mom saw sense and settled down with each other before it was too late. Either one or both of them would have ended up lying in an alleyway somewhere, full of... what is it?"
"Trouble. A Thanagarian warship has just materialised above Eris. Alex, Diana, John, did you get that?"
"Suiting up now."
"Just charged my power ring, be with you shortly, Linda."
ERIS:
Some things are constant across the multiverse. In Earth-975's universe, transplutonian planets and minor planets were discovered, although Pluto wasn't demoted to the category of 'dwarf planet' because the decision at the International Astronomical Union went the other way. Eris, Makemake and Haumea, Gonggong and Goblin are all still classified as planets despite their small scale, and received the same names because they were discovered by analogues of the same people at roughly the same locations. Above the chill of the solar system's tenth planet, then, the Tnanagarian warship sat and waited. Katar Hol looked blankly across the parsecs as his vessel's holographier resolved the incoming images of Superwoman, Green Lanterns One and Two and Wonder Woman. He cleared his throat:
"Stop your incursion now. The Thanagarian Empire does not tolerate resistance."
"Incursion? Your vessel is the one of bounds, Thanagarian. The Green Lantern Corps will not allow any invasion of Earth or any of the collateral worlds within this solar system." Alexandria de Witt said, displaying the same historic courage and iron resolve that she had become famed for.
"Katar? Is that you, man?" John Stewart had recognised the slight accent to Commander Hol's telepathic broadcast.
"John Stewart. You realise the fact that we shared time as comrades within the old Justice League does not mean that I will quail from the neccessity of what must be accomplished."
Diana frowned: "This isn't you, Katar. You're not a soulless tool of a planetary dictatorship. You had principles, moral standards, self-discipline. What happened to them?"
"It's no good, Diana. He's literally not himself. There's a reason for the flatness of his tone and emotional response. Hyathis has inserted some form of behavioural control implant inside his brain."
"How obscene. Linda, can't you remove it-?"
Superwoman shook her head: "Not without coming within range of gold and green kryptonite projectiles, Diana. They've also got yellow frequency lasers for John and Alex, so you may be the only one who can reach him."
"I wish J'Onn were still here, instead of back on his New Mars colony. He'd be able to deal with this-"
"Please, Katar. Don't do this. You're not a butcher. There must be something left of the older police officer, the honourable, fair and decent man." Wonder Woman implored Commander Hol.
"Face facts, all of you. He is. Even if Linda's right and he's not acting under volition, that is still Commander Katar Hol of the Thanagarian Imperial Star Force out there. He's not the man you knew. He's dead. He died when Hyathis cored his brain out and inserted that off switch inside his mind. He has no inhibitions or reservations left. If Hyathis told him to invade and subdue the Earth, or exterminate all life on it, he would do so." Alexandria protested.
"She's right, all of you."
"Shayera?"
THANAGAR:
Several hundred light years away, orbiting Polaris, Thanagar turned in its implacable path. In its central palace, the former Shayera Hol confronted the tyrant who controlled her world:
"Don't be a fool! Can you not see the years of peace and prosperity that I've brought to this world?"
Shayera shook her head: "You destroyed the mind of the man I loved. You've destroyed Thanagar's biosphere, enslaved my people, turned them into pawns for your imperial ambitions. Well, Hyathis, it ends here."
Hyathis sneered: "You must realise that this futile assassination attempt will not succeed. Already my loyal Praetorian Guard are battering down the barriers that your pathetic 'resistance' movement has established. You will shortly die, Shayera Hol, and die in vain. And do not assume that all that serve me are without volition or are under my intimate control."
Shayera said coldly: "Thank you for reminding me of what you did to my former husband, witch. You're right about one thing. It will end here, but not in the way you thought. Starvation, epidemic disease and political tyranny have decimated our world's population. Our species is almost extinct and we've poisoned and irradiated countless worlds in our death throes. All of those deaths are on your conscience, except I doubt you have any left."
"And what, then? Will you kill me? Will you destroy your own planet?"
"Better to die in freedom, breaking chains in the act, than live as a slave." With that, Shayera Hol displayed a small, intricately worked sphere. From the Cherenkov radiation darting around it, Hyathis recognised it at once. It was an antimatter fusion device. Hyathis ran toward the impassive Shayera, grappling with her for control of the device. Shayera's left hand pressed down on the device and
Thanagar erupted into heat and light as condensed antimatter atoms were released from a magnetic containment field and made contact with positive matter counterparts. In the space of microseconds, Njrath'Anagar's tall, crystalline crested towers were consumed by a blinding, roiling flare of heat and light as temperatures soared several million degrees. The blast shattered the planet's mantle and then hit its exposed core. Instants later, every faultline and volcano activated across the length and breadth of the planet and its seas boiled. But that was only for nanoseconds more, because the antimatter fusion chain reaction now made full contact with the planet's core. Thanagar became a white hot point of light in circumplanetary space, then it erupted forth into fragments. Elsewhere, witnessing the end of the planet that had enslaved them on tachyon imaging technology, its empire also shattered like a dropped windowpane.
ERIS:
Several thousand million miles from Earth, Commander Katar Hol did not survive the noble sacrifice of his ex-wife by more than a few seconds. As Thanagar perished light years away, Hyathis' control over his implant ended and it ceased operation. Tragically, that was impossible without causing a fatal aneurysm. As he slumped to the floor, the Justice Alliance entered the suddenly chaotic vessel. Alexandria and John had coated the kryptonite projectiles with leaden barriers and tore them out of the vessel's gunnery systems. Superwoman peered into his brain, but saw that it was fruitless and that her old ally was dead. Eyes brimming with tears, she glanced over at John and shook his head. Outside the breached vessel, other members of the Green Lantern Corps had started to arrive.
EPILOGUE:
Even now, several years later, controversy still rages over Shayera Hol's act of sacrifice and her role in the destruction of her homeworld. Many of the worlds liberated from Thanagarian control venerate her and regard her as a martyr and liberator. To the remaining voluntary supporters of dead Hyathis, she is execrated as a mass murderer and traitor who obliterated her own homeworld and its empire. They feel no sorrow for the tyranny on Thanagar, or for the people killed in its ill-begotten period of imperial expansion. The Justice Alliance honour Shayera Hol for her sacrifice, although not the act that accompanied it. Thanagar's abandoned armies and interstellar occupation forces were disarmed and confined to Rynaulte, orbiting a similar white giant sun to their native Polaris.
At nights, sometimes, Linda Danvers Malverne wonders about the world and universe she lives in now and what it has become. But then she looks at her husband Richard and her two children and reminds herself that humanity, compassion and mercy still exist there and for that reason, she will continue to serve it. For she is Superman's cousin, Superwoman, and she will carry on his heritage of valour, honour and ethical action.
THE END