Set Sail! Destination: Knowhere!

On the bridge of the Jokester, all the core members had assembled.

Link sat on the Throne, built from dark metal and bone, his gaze fixed on the blue planet beyond the viewport. Harley Quinn lounged beside him like a haughty Persian cat, toying with a diamond-studded revolver.

At the main console, Cyborg Victor Stone had linked his digital consciousness to the Flagship's central computer. Data streamed through his eyes like a waterfall. He was the ship's nervous system.

In the holographic projection below the bridge, Kraglin and the Marauders under his command stood at attention aboard their respective ships. Newly dressed in Chaos Direction uniforms, they waited eagerly for their new master's orders.

The Jokester's energy core, the Artificial Sun, pulsed steadily and powerfully like the heart of a sleeping beast. Everything was ready.

"Before we leave, there's one more thing to take care of."

Link spoke calmly. He raised a hand and tapped the control screen on the Throne's armrest.

The next second, his face appeared once more on every screen still lit across Earth—televisions, computers, phones, the giant billboards in Times Square...

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at the man who had become Earth's sole ruler.

"Citizens of Earth."

Link's voice reached every ear through the global broadcast system. His tone was calm and commanding, without a trace of emotion.

"As you have seen, under my order, Earth has entered an age of unprecedented peace. War is gone. Disasters are erased before they can happen. You are safe, and you are happy."

"But that is not enough. The universe is far darker and more dangerous than you imagine. To be content with peace on a single planet is shortsighted and foolish. It is like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, believing