Apokolips.
Steppenwolf walked through a boom tube into one of the many hallways leading to the throne room inside the labrynth that was his fathers tower. He hated dealing with humans, very feeble minded creatures whose sole purpose according to him was to serve and he couldn't wait the day his nephew came to his senses. On that day he would lead apokolips forces and take that pitiful planet, starting with killing every justice league member available.
On this day though he had just met their contact who gave him a report of what happened the last two months. He had compiled everything into his mother box and intended to report his findings to Darkseid.
"Steppenwolf!" Kalibaks hoarse voice was loud and commanding as it resonated throughout the hallway forcing him to slow down his stride.
Screw the rankings. Screw him. Steppenwolf knew Kalibak got his position because of his bloodline and heritage, being Darkseids son. This gave him an advantage over everyone in Apokolips excluding Granny Goodness.
He made sure to Intercept any important intel meant for his father to cement his place in the heirarchy but Steppenwolf wasn't just anyone.
"What do you want!?" the tone in his base voice indicating he wasn't in the mood for any of his games.
Kalibak merely smirked towering over his fathers supposed uncle. He wasn't intimidated at all. When it came to raw physical strength he was far superior to him but that Electro-axe of his was what usually leveled the playing field. More powerful than his beta club. His father had personally handed Steppenwolf the electeo axe when he returned from a mission some thousand years back.
No one ever knew what the mission entailed and whether or not granny goodness was in the know. None dared to ask her.
What he knew was that his uncle was no match for him.
"Is that how to speak to your commander!" He sneered falling instep with him.
"I'm busy." Steppenwolf kept on walking. Darkseid knew he had returned and delaying would only make his presentation gruesome.
"What have you to report about the humans!?" Kalibak used a commanding tone clearly pulling rank on him. He hoped the news was worthy to warrant an invasion.
Ever since battling the confused invaders nothing of importance had happened.
Their ultimate weapon was also being dissected, studied and probably decommissioned in OA .
He needed to vent. To hit something and that kryptonian could do just fine. With him he could have a challenge. An evil smile formed on his face.
"I have nothing to report to you. Follow me if you want to be briefed unless you deem yourself worthy of receiving this urgent news ahead of our Lord Darkseid." Steppenwolf challenged knowing the parademons walking about heard it, no doubt waiting for his response. Anyone challenging their masters rule was an enemy and would be brought down regardless of their rank.
Kalibak knew he couldn't outright demand for the information after that challenge as it could show he deemed himself superior to their ruler who was always watching and these parademons.
They didn't know how he did it but Darkseid was omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent on Apokolips more so in his tower. He had hoped to combine his presentation with Steppenwolfs but the idiot proved to be a pain in his butt. He's lucky I didn't inherit the omega beams
Any news pertaining to earth was always dreaded as it ended with one of them suffering from serve omega beam burns because in all apokolips, only they could withstand it.
He fell in step with Steppenwolf and headed for the throne room.
The huge heavy door swung open to reveal the enormous dark room with the furies standing guard at strategic points who merely glanced at them as they moved to kneel infront of their masters throne.
Kalibak glanced at the patches of molten larva flowing and falling like waterfalls along the huge black rocky walls of the room. They simply dissappeared into the crevices at the bottom of the wall. No one knew how the lava made its way up here but the source was probably Apokolips very core.
His fathers huge throne was made up of the toughest rocks redesigned to allow small rivers of lava to flow between the rocks crevices. The backrest had lines of lava flowing down like a rivers tributaries before joining the various ones on the seat and continuing to flow till it disappears beneath the floor through the cracks.
That would explain the extreme temperature.
Steppenwolf on the other hand always wondered whether or not sitting on that throne was comfortable. Their physiology allowed them to be nearly invulnerable but constant exposure to that lava while sitting on that throne would surely be uncomfortable.
His nephew on the other hand always seemed to enjoy sitting on it for long periods.
Darkseid was standing, facing what was supposed to be a wall but was now a space overlooking almost half of Apokolips. The space proved useful during his regular flights around Apokolips or outer space. Darkseid could simply fly in and sit in his throne directly.
The huge muscles flexing beneath the invulnerable rock like skin attached to the arm currenly folded on his heavily armored chest. His blood shot red fiery eyes no doubt following every movement on Apokolips due to his advanced senses only rivaled by the kryptonians.
Darkseid had always been interested in Krypton's database before its demise.
Any attempt at invading their outposts when they were still conquering space was met with heavy resistance followed by immediate support due to their unique physiology especially flight.
Fighting a large number of yellow sun powered kryptonians proved to be annoying even to a being such as him and they serverly overwhelmed his forces.
All the research they had done regarding genetic perfection could have been useful to his mission of perfecting his parademon army.
He also wanted to capture one kryptonian so that desaad could study them. However, his plan halted when the kryptonians retreated and isolated themselves on their planet away from any other civilization who were equally scared of them and left them alone till their planet exploded with all their research gone.
He brought it up again when he spoke to Desaad about it after learning of Superman, a kryptonian wearing the symbol of the house of EL and an alleged protector of Earth.
He suspected superman must have escaped before the explosion and had therefore has access to some of Krypton's database. Especially their knowledge of the Anti Life Equation and use of the crystal technology.
His encounter with the kryptonian during earths invasion piqued his interest in acquiring that database.
Under a yellow sun the superman was a formidable foe, a lesser being would think him a Demi god. During the fight he noticed the kryptonian was holding back no doubt afraid of the damage that would be occur to the humans and property that got caught in the crossfire.
Getting blinded during the fight was a factor that facilitated his defeat and eventual expulsion from that earth.
He was actually impressed with the Amazon and the speedster and knew they would make a great addition to his furies. No one had ever managed to take out both his eyes because of the painful fiery end they met leading to a discovery that when injured he couldn't produce his omega beams.
His eyes had since healed with the omega effect adapting them to be able to fire the beams even when injured.
The omega beam was powerful enough to destroy planets, harm kryptonians and was able to catch speedsters. He recalled how the kryptonian was able to counter it for short periods of time with a form of heat vision powerful enough for him to feel it's heat through his hard rocky skin. It wasn't as powerful as his omega beam but still a good ability to add to his furies.
He needed to get his hands on him and the database he was sure to possess, an assignment he had tasked to his uncle. Judging by both their presence he knew Kalibak hadn't managed to intimidate Steppenwolf.
Steppenwolf looked up from his kneeling position, "Lord Darkseid, I have the information you requested." He spoke producing his mother box and tapping, connecting it to the throne rooma mother box.
Holograms were projected all over the room of the what their informant managedto dig up. It was still fascinating how the huge room that had the appearance of a cave founs inside an active volcano was so technologically advanced.
His father turned and scanned through them.
"Shazam is merely a child" Darkseid stated surprised the wizard would entrust such power to a human child no less. That would explain why he did not fight like an experienced warrior like the Amazon.
"Yes Sire." Steppenwolf agreed. "Our informant is trying to uncover the other heroes identities as well."
"Is this all you could find about the others!?" Thanos voice grew cold and his tone dissappointed. These couldn't be the only things they did since they arrived.
"They heroes are spending most of their time in that watchtower" a picture of it was projected. "The ones that leave are too fast for our contact to follow. He needs to be discreet." His father knew how useful spies were so he let it go
His gaze turned to Kalibak.
"The invasion was not successful and the guardians have one ship while the other is heavily secured with the Almeracan army.
The two commanders caught by the queen are also heavily secured in her palace." He reported what he found out on his own mission.
His father had known it was the invaders and wanted the other ship that crashed onto their planet. Possibly the hostages too.
Kalibak sensed Steppenwolf stiffen beside him and that only happened when omega beams came out to play. Growing weary, he thought back to what he might have said.
"So where are they?" Darkseid asked.
It dawned on him. Whatever his father decreed came to pass and he wanted that ship with all the prisoners and didn't care the means he used to achieve it. His will be done.
"They had 26 green lanterns lending a hand… more like rings in rebuilding their planet. Had we attacked it would've started a war with the guardians." Kalibak explained what his second in command had advised him when he was ready to take the planet with surprise. The absence of omega beams means he was in the clear.
"The human with the lantern is still an unknown. He is not an Almeracian because their queen is also searching for any information on him. He may be another Kryptonian." He suggested everyproof pointing towarsit; looked human, could survive in space
"He is not a Kryptonian. Keep searching" Darkseid commanded as the presence he felt had vanished some hours ago.
"Steppenwolf will join you. The attack on Almerac was widely broadcasted and someone out there knows something."