Rekindling the Spark

[Jack Darby]

Tier Five was according to gossip that he had heard on Tier One, one of the most lawless areas. The place was not well kept, and it was like the Empire had abandoned the place. Since Jack needed to grow more skilled at the manipulation, and use of Omnilium such a place was the ideal place to begin his practice. In addition, he needed to hone his will so that it was sharper than a sword and could cut his opponents down to size. His opponents in this case being the Sinestro Corps. As he was now, Jack knew he didn't stand a chance. The decayed city reminded him of some of the areas back home. People didn't care enough to attempt to repair the place, or rather, wouldn't waste their time doing so. Unlike them, Jack planned to do more for the people of this tier. Jack planned on making this tier shine, and make it great once more. Obviously to do that, he was going to need replacement limbs for himself because he couldn't do much without his hands. Using his tongue to push buttons had gotten old, and gotten old fast. 

The lawlessness of the Tier was going to work in his favor. Likely laws would not be as strongly enforced here, which gave the young Ex Lantern a bit of lee way when it came to training himself up so that he could be ready. Preparation was half the battle after all. Waltzing through the ruined streets, Jack noticed the stripped vehicles,  and the broken down doors. Walls that had Graffiti of various gangs on it were also observed by him. Tier Five was not a place for the faint of heart. And yet, for now, until he could consider himself ready to elevate his status, it would be what he called home. Law and Order needed to come back to this part of Coruscant and he was going to bring it back himself. To do so, he was going to need his hands back. 

No, he was going to need something more powerful than his limbs. His limbs had been fleshy, and weak. What he needed were limbs that were not as easy to cut off of him. Amputation had not been a fun activity that he had experienced. Fortunately she had knocked him unconscious, but that was the only kindness she had shown. His hands still surged with pain when he merely thought of what had been done. The psychological trauma of such was going to take a while for him to heal from. This was one of the reasons he was not engaging the Sinestro Corps in any form of combat yet. 

Another reason was that he didn't have the skills that he needed. Unlike previously he was not going to go into a battle half-cocked. Learning more about the enemy he was going to face was going to be essential. Yet even before he could do any of that, Jack was going to have the experience he needed to face off with the Sinestro Corps. 

Entering a run down, roach infested apartment building, Jack talked with the owner. 

"If I protect you from the protection racket, can I stay here?" asked Jack. 

"Why would you want to stay here?" asked the owner. 

"It's a fixer-upper, and a place where I can begin my preparations." 

"Alright. I'll charge you a tennis ball sized chunk of Omnilium, and then you're the new owner of the place." 

Jack handed over the Omnilium, and smiled. While not an ideal place to live, this would be the start of something grand. The start of his preparations to create the Green Lanterns in the Omniverse. Through his power the Green Lanterns would exist,  and he would be the rising star of the Omniverse. A symbol of Hope, for the citizens of Coruscant that lived on this Tier. Sure the place needed a lot of repairs before it would be 'fit for human habitation' but he could do those repairs himself. And once he had done the repairs he would have a place where he could stay free of charge. Granted, this was the best place for what he needed, given the circumstances that he was going to have to deal with.

[Jack Darby]

Lying down on the unforgiving floor of the pent house apartment, one that had been spray painted hideously on the walls, and had bugs skittering across the floor, Jack sighed. In the future he was going to need new limbs that could withstand a lot of things. And if what Moon Knight had told him about Omnilium was correct... perhaps he could have those limbs sooner than later. It was simply a matter of willing the specific items into existence. In this case a set of hands that could replace his own. Jack started to envision what the hands were going to look like. Every detail he could possibly think of was thought up, and slowly but surely the orb of Omnilium began to form the replacement hands where the stumps of his old one had been. In the future he was going to work to make sure that he could create the Power Ring he needed, to replace the one he had lost. 

Until such time as he was ready, Jack was unfit to call himself Green Lantern. What he needed was a new code name he could use until he was ready to wear the power ring of the Oan Variety that he had once had. Thinking it over, Jack started to weigh the various options for codenames that he could choose from. Emerald Torch was too close to Green Lantern, and his will power was not at a level where he could deem it suitable. Mr.Prism also did not seem to fit. Spectrum was not a choice, since he didn't know what else existed besides the emotions of Will and Fear. Granted his defeat had been done without a ring, which had made it even more shattering for Jack that he had lost like that. 

Growling in irritation he held out one of his hands. A green glow engulfed one of them, and he shot a blast of plasma out of one of them killing a roach. And then another. And then another. While the blasts were not very powerful, they would do the job he needed as part of his toys. Still he was going to need more. Before he could go out as whatever identity he decided, Jack was going to need more equipment for himself. His crusade was not going to start until he was fully ready.

[Jack Darby]

As he trekked through the street in the new clothes he had put together, Jack Darby hoped that he could get his will power to a level where he would one day be worthy of a Green Lantern Ring once more. The ring of the Green Lanterns predated the power of the Sinestro Corps from what little he knew about them, and so would be ideal. 

While the costume chafed and was uncomfortable for him to wear, Jack knew he had to wear it. The mask sadly enough couldn't fool the sensors of the Empire, but it would do, for now anyway. At least, he'd have the psychological comfort of concealing his identity from some of the weaker natives. Yet an identity was what he needed. The Yellow Lanterns were known as the Sinestro Corps, and he had been known as "Green Lantern" even though he'd never finalized his training. For now however, he could not be Green Lantern, as to be Green Lantern, one had to have resolve that could endure almost anything. 

"In Brightest Day,"  Jack stopped himself. There was no need to say those words, because he didn't have his power ring. Of course he didn't need to charge his power ring, either, even if he did have it. In a way he should be grateful to the woman because she had opened his eyes. There were more abilities than the Emotional Spectrum out there, more powerful abilities he could unlock should he put forth the effort to do so. Obviously he had a lot to learn about the nature of the Omniverse. The outfit he wore now did not have his insignia on it, that of the GLC. There were reasons for that. For now until he could prove himself worthy of the mantle of Green Lantern, he'd have to be someone else, he'd have to be something else. 

There had to be an identity he could don for himself that he could put to use. An identity that no Lantern had ever worn. Finally he thought things over. Viridian Candle was similar enough to Green Lantern for his purposes, and he was pretty certain no Green Lantern had used the identity. Okay, he was 50% certain none of them had used it. From this point forward, his costume would be known as Viridian Candle when he was in this identity.

[Jack Darby]

"Help," shouted a woman in one of the grafitti ridden alleyways of Coruscant on Tier Five. The woman was pinned to the wall by a ne'er do well that had a knife in his hand. The man growled. "Give me all of your money," said the man. 

Heroes were ones who saved people from harm, and protected them. Approaching the individual, Jack gripped him on the shoulder tightly. "You're going to let the woman go," stated Jack calmly as he held out his other hand, beginning to charge it up with emerald energies. While he didn't have a ring, this was a similar power. Actually, it was the same power. For now however he couldn't focus on what he didn't have. There were lives on the line. 

The man lunged at Jack with the knife. Having relived the memory of what the woman had done to him, Jack knew what to do. Side stepping, he'd pivot, and punch the individual in the face. And then he'd punch him again, sending the man impacting into the wall hard, causing him to drop the knife. Picking up the purse that the man had taken from the woman, Jack returned it. Really a mugging was something that would normally be below a Lantern. Yet, he had to start somewhere because he needed the practice if he was to become a Green Lantern.

[Jack Darby]

After seeing to the needs of the woman, including providing her tea, and a blanket, Jack was leaning up against the wall. At present he was out of practice when it came to fights like this. Not that he'd ever had to actually fight like this, of course. Jack was going to need to change that if he was going to survive in the Omniverse. Yet he was not the kind of person who loved fighting, to be honest, although he understood the need to do so at times. Right now it was either learn how to fight, or perish. Jack was also going to have to recruit for the Green Lanterns that he would be putting together. Well, more than just Green Lanterns, if he had the power to do so in the future. There had to be more colors than Will, or Fear, Green, or Yellow. If there were more colors, perhaps he could lay claim to at least one of them to add to the ranks of the Corps he would put together. Already he had supplied Moon Knight the schematics for the Power Ring that he had once obtained, the Oan Power Ring. 

Eventually, Jack planned on fixing up the run down apartment complex so that he could truly call it home. Perhaps he could put in some sort of security system into the building. Ideally, he'd move somewhere else. Having a mobile command center that could travel around Coruscant at will would be a wise decision to invest in for the future. After all, as the only Green Lantern of the Omniverse, Jack needed to be everywhere on Coruscant. What he really needed were soldiers.. loyalists who could sling the Green Lantern Rings, and help to protect life in the Omniverse. The Storm Troopers were good, but they were not everywhere. Still, their search of him had been more of a strip search when he had come here, and Jack had been lucky not to lose the ring. 

Of course he hadn't had the ring, to be honest. Or much else, because of his humiliating defeat. While he was recovering, Jack knew he was nowhere near the level he'd need to be. To be a Green Lantern, one had to have will as strong as the Earth itself, and perhaps even stronger than that. His willpower needed to be able to withstand being shaken up by people like that twin sword wielding woman who had delimbed him. When his strength was enough, he'd face her again.

[Jack Darby]

Before he could even consider facing that hag again in any form of combat, Jack needed to get more practical experience under his belt, experience that he didn't have. If someone had told him when he'd arrived in the Omniverse, that he'd lose his hands, if he went into the Tangled Green, Jack would have avoided the place entirely. Honestly he was not sure what he was going to do in order to get the experience he honestly needed. For now he could not create the Green Lanterns. Until he was certain he could hold his own against the leader of the Sinestro Corps, Jack was not going to go up against them. Contenting himself to Coruscant and the lower tiers was going to have to do. While it felt unsatisfying to say the least, Jack knew it was for the best. 

Mastering the techniques needed to make sure his survival was guaranteed, and not left to chance was not going to be easy. First and foremost he was going to need somewhere more permanent than the HQ he had now. What he needed was an HQ that could last, something that he could use to move between the Tiers without taking the Elevator. Ideas began to form in his head. According to his research, Tier 7 was an industrial graveyard. Perhaps they'd have some left over ships that he could mold into what he needed because he would need them. It should also have the resources he needed to properly make the new power ring he was going to need for himself. Hopefully, if he was fortunate enough, the Forge of Solus Prime would also be there. That relic would come in handy for Jack. Of course, he wasn't sure how he'd make it work. But he'd burn that bridge when he came to it.

[Jack Darby]

As of now he couldn't proceed into the lower tiers. The likelyhood of the risk being higher than the rewards was certain, in the mind of Jack. In addition he knew he was simply not ready to do so. A lantern he may have been, but Jack had never had any for of formal education in how to use the ring. It was one of the reasons that his defeat had been so easy and so thorough. Right now he was not sure if he even had the will to keep going. On the one hand he had saved that woman, but he had felt an obligation to do so, rather than wanting to do so. How was he going to gain the will power that he had lost back? Jack didn't know the answer and hoped he would find the answer soon enough. Honestly, he had thought of ending it all, but no. He was not that type of individual and wouldn't let a set back like mechanical hands get in the way of living life. 

Truth be told, Jack knew he needed something more than being the Viridian Wick. For he, much like a wick had been extinguished by the brutal amputation of his hands. It had shattered his belief in his abilities, and he was not sure how to recover. The woman had proven to be superior to "one of the most powerful weapons in the universe" with a simple set of dual swords. It had not been an amusing scene for Jack. While he had the mechanical limbs he missed the organic ones that he had possessed. Regaining the confidence in his own abilities needed to make an Oan Power Ring, and use it again was essential. It was not, however, going to be an easy task by any definition of the word. Of course, few things in life were both easy, and worth doing. 

Jack knew he was going to need more than just himself in the long run. If Primes could create anything out of Omnilium then perhaps he could create the allies he needed from the substance. Admittedly having a Corps to back him up would be a wise idea because they would be able to do things he could not at present. It would be even better if they had power rings of their own, because he did not have one, as of yet. Oh, he had one, but it had been stolen from him. The likelyhood of getting that ring back was slim to none, and so making a new one was for the best.  Yet, he didn't know how a Power Ring truly worked. However, with Omnilium it was simply a matter of desiring something strongly enough, and it came into existence. Still, he didn't feel like using Omnilium for this. It was going to be too easy, and he'd never truly progress, if he didn't use his own skills instead of the rainbow colored orb.

[Jack Darby]

Eventually, Jack traversed the path back to his "home" that he was squatting in. The place just did not feel right to him, like it lacked something major. Of course the place did not have electricity. It also lacked running water. Two things that through liberal use of Omnilium he could fix, but it would be easier to simply find a new place to call home. As this place had not been the perfect one, Jack decided he was going to proceed into the lower tier, the lowest tier, Tier 7. Perhaps there might be some sort of abandoned spaceship that he could bring up to the higher tiers. It certainly beat trying to create one from scratch, or building one. In any case he needed to be sure he was prepared, and ready to deal with anything one might find on Tier 7. With that, Jack sat down in the run down apartment that he wished he could simply blow up, and started to do research on the Dataverse. Slowly his will power was rising, but it was nowhere near where it had been when he had the Oan Power Ring.

[Jack Darby]

After a night of fitful sleep, Jack Darby woke up in the morning. Given he had slept on the floor in the buff, Jack noticed roaches crawling all over him. Shaking them off, Jack made a mental note that he was going to burn this place to the ground when he had somewhere that was more sanitary to stay at. Today he was going to look for somewhere else that he could call home. The rundown apartment building had more flaws than he had realized. Exposed wiring that was badly frayed, and if he tried to turn on any lights, or the oven in the place, would likely cause an explosion. Really, why it had not been condemned was a mystery to Jack and one that he planned on solving by demolishing the place from the outside of it. 


It was time he stopped wallowing in self pity, because of the lost limbs. There was no time for that crap anymore, he had to focus on what needed to be done. Becoming a Lantern again required that he regain what had been stripped from him. His courage, and spirit needed to be rekindled to the level they had once been at. Yet, on this Tier, things were too bad for him to effect any changes as he was now. Even with the mechanical hands, he was at a distinct disadvantage, as he had never had any training. 

Arcee didn't know enough about a power ring, to train him in how to use one. But perhaps Arcee was not the only option. Primes could create anything out of Omnilium which meant he could probably create a secondary who knew more about the Power Ring than he did, so that he could learn how to remake one for himself. Yes, that was a suitable solution to his current issue. 

In addition he needed to learn how to counter that woman's twin sword style with a style of his own. While he had never battled a Decepticon before, or anyone else for that matter, Jack knew he had the opportunity to destroy Megatron on Earth. At that time he hadn't taken it, because Megatron had been helpless. Now the situation was reversed, for the most part. Jack was almost helpless because of not having the Oan Power Ring, but he was slowly gaining in both skills, and power. 

Opening the box that contained the outfit that he had made prior, when he had gone out on patrol, Jack started to put on the outfit. While it was an outfit, it lacked style points, and needed something more. Perhaps some sort of overcoat, or armored boots would be a good idea to add to the outfit. A full facial helmet would also be a good choice for him to replace the mask because he needed to keep his identity concealed somehow. Of course, given the Empire possessed the technology to scan Primes and had already scanned him, that would be difficult to do. Yet, difficult things were worth doing in the opinion of Jack.