Olympia Savage comes to the monitor room where Cassandra Savage is working, and tells Cassandra that she's come of age. She gives her the younger woman an old journal and says that as the daughter of Vandal Savage, the contents are things that Cassandra should know. Once Olympia leaves, Cassandra begins reading from her father's journal.
In Western Mongolia, Vandal stands watch on a hillside. Olympia tells him that they've detected an armada approaching Earth, coming through the Kuiper Belt.
At Mount Justice, the team is on the beach relaxing. Brion is looking at a newsfeed about meta-humans in Markovia, and Halo strokes a starfish while Forager smashes a crab. Dick comes out with suits for the "Outsiders", Brion's is specially designed to be resistant to his lava.
Vandal approaches a meteor falling out of the sky, but a bear that he once fought finds him and attacks. The bear scratches Vandal's face.
Cassandra tells Vandal that they've patched in their satellites. Vandal calls Lex and tells him that an armada is coming, and Lex says that half the League resigned thanks to the restrictions he persuaded the UN to impose. The other Leaguers, the Green Lantern Corps, and Klarion are occupied thanks to Vandal's secret plans. Vandal says that he'll protect their interests himself and signs off.
Vandal kills the bear with a rock and then roars at the sky.
In her hotel room in Metropolis, Helga is making herself up when Jeff texts that he's in the lobby.
On the beach, Dick spars with Forager while Artemis throws rocks at a flying Halo. Halo falls out of the sky and Artemis assures her that she's learned control over her aura. Brion throws lava at Conner and manages to tag him, and Dick tells the Outsiders that they're ready for the next step.
On Warworld, Vandal contacts the armada and says that "his" Earth is off-limits to any invasion. The armada accelerates and Vandal activates Warworld's weaponry.
Vandal continues to the meteor despite the animal corpses strewn along the path. He finds the meteor and tries to touch it, and is overwhelmed with pain. He collapses as Neanderthals approach.
Hundreds of the armada ships are destroyed but the rest keep coming. More armada ships head toward Earth from a different direction, and Vandal figures that his opponent knows that Warworld can't be in two places at once.
The team on the beach make a fire and toast marshmallows, and Dick says that balance is key for species to co-exist. When balance is lost, it rarely works out well for the weaker group.
The Neanderthals approach the unconscious Vandal. He comes back to life, kills their leader, and the others bow down to him as Earth's first meta-human.
Vandal contacts Darkseid of Apokolips and says that their plan progresses. He tells Darkseid of the outside player attacking Earth, and states that he requires resources. Darkseid concedes that their arrangement grants Vandal the privilege, and Olympia sends the requisition details.
In the 13th century, Darkseid and his forces invade Earth to claim the planet. As Genghis Khan, Vandal launches an attack backed by two of his meta-human sons but are easily defeated. Darkseid is impressed with their unique genetic gifts, and Vandal proposes an alliance with Darkseid to conquer the galaxy together. Intrigued, Darkseid agrees with both beings knowing that in the end, Apokolips and Earth would fight a final battle.
Jeff and Helga go out to dinner and she asks how the Outsiders are doing. He apologizes for not getting her more time with them, and Helga concedes that the team has more experience training meta-humans than she does. Jeff assures her that they're still trying and she takes his hand.
On the beach, Dick tells them to each choose their code names. Halo picks "Halo", and Brion takes the name "Hot Lava'. The others snicker and say that they won't call him that, and Brion takes "Geo Force". Forager says that his code name is "Forager", and they begin their team maneuvers.
The second armada appear in the Oort Belt, and the Apokolips ships attack it. Kalibak, the fleet commander, contacts Vandal and says that he'll prove he's the only son of Darkseid that should concern Vandal. He sends out a meta-human and uses the implant to force him to explode, destroying the second armada. Olympia and Cassandra watch, and Olympia is disgusted at the waste of life that could have been controlled to serve a greater purpose. Vandal wonders why neither armada have responded to his hails, and sees a corpse floating through space with an alien starfish-like creature attached to its face. When he sees it, Vandal tells Cassandra that she will command Warworld and gives her the control diadem.
Vandal and his two children battle the star creature after it arrives to enslave Babylonia. One of them, Nabu, falls in battle but the other one, Ishtar, continues at Vandal's side.
Cassandra takes control of Warworld and uses the long-range sensors to detect another ship out of range of their weapons. Vandal realizes that's where he has to go.
Jeff and Helga return to Helga's room and they go in together.
Vandal teleports aboard the ship and kills the controlled soldiers on guard. He cuts the arms off of the giant Starro alien controlling the armadas and the soldiers, and it fires smaller stardrones at Vandal. Starro grabs Vandal while Cassandra opens fire on the ship when Warworld gets close enough, and he breaks free and smashes in its central eye as Starro shoots a stardrone onto his face. The drones die as Starro dies.
Vandal and Ishtar kill the star creatures, and they become known as The Light.
Dick congratulates the Outsiders on their progress and they celebrates with s'mores. Halo generates a green aura for the first time, creating multiple holograms of herself, and Dick says that they have to start over.
As Vandal collects the corpses and stores them on Warworld, Cassandra tells him that he will always be Earth's greatest hero and defender. Olympia says that she'll record the new chapter of Vandal's life, and Vandal tells her that his life can't be recorded because the knowledge might be released, foiling his millennia-long plans. Olympia says that her favorite story is the one of the bear because it's before Vandal became the Savior. Vandal breaks her neck and holds her, and Cassandra says that it was a mercy because Olympia's mind has been deteriorating for some time. She assures her father that Olympia died happily in Vandal's arms, and she'll bring him the journal and make the burial arrangements. Vandal tells her to do right by Olympia and leaves.
Written by Gadfly on Jan 18, 2019