With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

Frank Iannetta · Jul 7, 2021

This is another example about how alien Paragon's thought processes have become. He used to enjoy cooking and eating, and now he only eats to keep in practice. Interesting.

Ngamer11 · Jul 7, 2021

Frank Iannetta said:
This is another example about how alien Paragon's thought processes have become. He used to enjoy cooking and eating, and now he only eats to keep in practice. Interesting.

Technically, he enjoys the act of cooking. It's just that now he does it for others instead of himself primarily.

AverusBlack · Jul 7, 2021

Bruh is Zoat okay?

Assblaster5000 · Jul 7, 2021

AverusBlack said:
Bruh is Zoat okay?

He said he was house sitting, so he probably just had a bunch of free time.

Or he's finally gone mad from writing the same story for around half a decade.

Mr Zoat · Jul 7, 2021

Assblaster5000 said:
He said he was house sitting, so he probably just had a bunch of free time.

Or he's finally gone mad from writing the same story for around half a decade.

AverusBlack · Jul 7, 2021

Ooh, was just wondering. Usually when something doesn't get posted it's because something big, bad or both happened. Zoat's a million times more consistent than I am lmao

Mr Zoat · Jul 7, 2021

AverusBlack said:
Ooh, was just wondering. Usually when something doesn't get posted it's because something big, bad or both happened. Zoat's a million times more consistent than I am lmao

I'm posting in the evenings at the moment because I'm at my parent's house and don't have time to post in the morning.

AverusBlack · Jul 7, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
I'm posting in the evenings at the moment because I'm at my parent's house and don't have time to post in the morning.

Ah, I don't mean to grill you or anything. I was just curious.

Mr Zoat · Jul 7, 2021

AverusBlack said:
Ah, I don't mean to grill you or anything. I was just curious.

Grill? Not at all. I appreciate your concern for my well-being.

Mr Zoat · Jul 7, 2021

27th August 2012
08:49 GMT

"Back with us, Lantern Xor?"

He nods, slowly lowering the 'ultra strength' training loads back into the 'neutral' position. This portion of the gymnasium doesn't appear to see much use, but the heavy metal cowling protecting machinery that allows it to test even beings of his strength is in full working order.

"Yes. I apologise for leaving."

"Orange Lantern Corps. If you've got something better to do, go and do it."

He turns away from the machine, shaking his head.

"That is not sufficient. I should have controlled myself better."

"That's green." I shrug. "We're dealing with strong emotions and deeply personal issues. And we're not on a time limit here. If you need a few hours to think about things, that's fine."

"This was your intent. That I would come to know myself better."

"That's been something I've wanted from the start. But I'm also trying to learn what these sorts of emotional stress do for Orange Lanterns. If people need a little while to decompress after a study session, I can alternate between teaching two groups."

"Should we see if I have become stronger?"

"I'm not expecting that learning how to turn your ring off has made you stronger."

"No, but understanding my desires better should. Shouldn't it?"

"I honestly don't know. I noticed an increase in power when I achieved enlightenment, but I didn't check part way through to see if there was an improvement."

"So it would be useful knowledge."

"I suppose." I look around and spot the monk in charge. "Could we please use a sparring arena? Probably one of the big ones."

"I'm sorry Illustres, but we don't have a sparring arena that can reliably withstand the level of force that Lantern Xor can generate."

I shake my head. "Of course you don't. The arena is there to prevent accidental collateral damage. If we were actually intending to go all-out we'd head into space. And for any Lantern, their physical strength is the least of your concerns."

That's true even for someone like Lantern Xor, who can punch construct barriers down with his fists.

"Besides, there are plenty of ways to assess a Lantern's strength that don't involve wrecking things."

"As you say, Illustres." She nods. "This way, please."

Xor and I follow her as she leads the way out of the gymnasium, past a couple of conventional rings-. Ah, Lantern Dul is testing herself sans ring against two locals, attempting to maintain an appropriately orange frame of mind. Her opponents aren't so restricted and she's taking a.. bit of a beating. I suppose that's the challenge.

The monk briefly pauses in front of a fortified double door, then enters a code which causes it to clank open. Another press deactivates a force field.

"You are right." Xor nods. "This is not adequate for a Warhound."

I smile at the monk.

"Do you want to watch? You might find it educational."

"Yes. That's a requirement." She nods. "From the control room, with the secondary force field."

"Alright."

Xor ducks slightly to get under the lintel, heading into the arena. Ah, I see they have fortified doors at both ends. I wonder what this was designed for? The monk follows him part way, then opens a side door and heads upwards towards the control booth. Then I fly after Xor, emerging into the… Pretty barebones, arena. The walls are covered in an armoured material made of a combination of carbon nanotubes and ceramics. Were they focusing on heat resistance? I mean, it's still tough, but it wouldn't have been my choice for a super strength brawling arena. It's ten metres across and five high, so it wouldn't really be possible to use flight-based evasion here.

Xor turns to face me, looking up at the control booth as the monk takes her place and closes the fortified doors.

"What was this place built for?"

"Last time we had neophytes in Lantern Xor's weight class, they used this to perform our standard training exercises."

"With the.. shock poles?"

"We had some difficulty making the discharge strong enough. They had to replace them after each strike."

"Alright. Set it up."

Force fields shimmer into being around the walls, designed to absorb energy rather than block shots completely. It's probably a better design for a place like this.

"You may begin."

Xor and I walk to the middle of the arena. I remove my ring and lay it on the ground. Xor starts to do the same thing, then stops himself and closes his eyes. A moment later his ring falls off, landing next to mine.

"Do you practise pushing your desires away, Illustres?"

"No, but there wasn't much time between me learning that I could do that and me attaining enlightenment. There aren't that many uses for it in itself. Perhaps if a Lantern realised that they were having control difficulties?"

"Or avoiding empathic detection."

I shake my head as we walk away from each other.

"I'm afraid not. I'd still see the desires… I suppose it would allow them to dodge my empathic manipulation abilities."

I turn… Yes, that's far enough. I sit down on the hard floor, and he does the same.

I raise my left hand.

"Ready?"

He closes his eyes, taking a few moments to centre himself. Then he opens them again.

"Yes."

He raises his left hand and our rings rise into the air until they're half a metre off the ground exactly half way between us. Ever since I took Lantern Zartok's ring from his finger this has become a fairly standard 'test of strength' between Orange Lanterns. Initially, they tend to use it purely as a test of raw power, but now? Now a few understand that it's not about that. It's not about the power you can draw at the peak, it's about resting power. About the unity of one's desires.

I understand exactly why the rings should fly towards me, and the ring's systems react to that. My ring is already drifting my way, its systems finding my desires to be a perfect match for me. Xor's ring isn't immediately convinced-.

Ah, there we go. I feel it as Xor begins to apply himself. His ring begins floating towards him while mine slows.

I respond by increasing my focus, the rightness of my fingers bearing rings. Xor's ring stops again. We've done this exercise many times before and we're… Just taking the strain at the moment. I'm interested to see if he actually has become stronger.

Chojin Patriarch · Jul 8, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
27th August 2012
08:49 GMT

"Back with us, Lantern Xor?"

He nods, slowly lowering the 'ultra strength' training loads back into the 'neutral' position. This portion of the gymnasium doesn't appear to see much use, but the heavy metal cowling protecting machinery that allows it to test even beings of his strength is in full working order.

Subsuming psychological stress into raw physical effort? A logical enough way for him to work it out, I guess. Not the healthiest method, but good for keeping in shape...

"Yes. I apologise for leaving."

"Orange Lantern Corps. If you've got something better to do, go and do it."

That sounds rather more rude than I think you intended, OL. But I expect he takes your meaning. Hard to make someone powered by want do something they don't want to.

He turns away from the machine, shaking his head.

"That is not sufficient. I should have controlled myself better."

The only time you need to worry about control, Xor, is when you're channelling immense amounts of Avarice. No-0one blames you for needing a moment.

"That's green." I shrug. "We're dealing with strong emotions and deeply personal issues. And we're not on a time limit here. If you need a few hours to think about things, that's fine."

"This was your intent. That I would come to know myself better."

Because knowing yourself lets you push harder and faster. That's hardly a bad thing. Not everybody is ready for that kind of self-reflection, though...

"That's been something I've wanted from the start. But I'm also trying to learn what these sorts of emotional stress do for Orange Lanterns. If people need a little while to decompress after a study session, I can alternate between teaching two groups."

"Should we see if I have become stronger?"

To be fair, I'm not surprised that Xor would think of relaxing as exercising and sparring. I suspect it was common amongst the Warhound teams.

"I'm not expecting that learning how to you're your ring off has made you stronger."

"No, but understanding my desires better should. Shouldn't it?"

After all, learning to manipulate those desires is half the point of this trip. Whether lessening distractions or improving focus.

"I honestly don't know. I noticed an increase in power when I achieved enlightenment, but I didn't check part way through to see if there was an improvement."

"So it would be useful knowledge."

Another reason for the trip. This isn't just about making these three stronger, after all. It's about developing a process to train others.

"I suppose." I look around and spot the monk in charge. "Could we please use a sparring arena? Probably one of the big ones."

"I'm sorry Illustres, but we don't have a sparring arena that can reliably withstand the level of force that Lantern Xor can generate."

You really think they'll be trading punches or waving shock-sticks around? Compare them, friend. Does it look like OL can throw down with Xor?

I shake my head. "Of course you don't. The arena is there to prevent accidental collateral damage. If we were actually intending to go all-out we'd head into space. And for any Lantern, their physical strength is the least of your concerns."

That's true even for someone like Lantern Xor, who can punch construct barriers down with his fists.

And that's without crumbler gauntlet constructs, too. The measure of a Lantern is the mind, not the flesh.

"Besides, there are plenty of ways to assess a Lantern's strength that don't involve wrecking things."

"As you say, Illustres." She nods. "This way, please."

Besides, if they break something, they can fix it easily enough.

Xor and I follow her as she leads the way out of the gymnasium, past a couple conventional rings-. Ah, Lantern Dul is testing herself sans ring against two locals, attempting to maintain an appropriately orange frame of mind. Her opponents aren't so restricted and she's taking a.. bit of a beating. I suppose that's the challenge.

She briefly pauses in front of a fortified double door, then entered a code which causes it to clank open. Another press deactivates a force field.

I'm guessing they do get some alien visitors with above-average strength, then, if the place is this toughened...

"You are right." Xor nods. "This is not adequate for a Warhound."

I smile at the monk.

I'm betting Warhound training rooms are very solidly reinforced, and have multiple layers of kinetic barriers? Since having two fighters, each weighing more than a metric ton, throw each other around might be a little hard on the flooring. And the walls. And anyone unlucky enough to get in their way...

"Do you want to watch? You might find it educational."

"Yes. That's a requirement." She nods. "From the control room, with the secondary force field."

"Alright."

Very sensible. Not that there's much risk of things exploding. As OL said, if that were likely, they'd have headed off-planet.

Xor ducks slightly to get under the lintel, heading into the arena. Ah, I see they have fortified doors at both ends. I wonder what this was designed for? The monk follows him part way, then opens a side door and heads upwards towards the control booth. Then I fly after Xor, emerging into the… Pretty barebones, arena. The walls are covered an armoured material made of a combination of carbon nanotubes and ceramics. Were they focusing on heat resistance? I mean, it's still tough, but it wouldn't have been my choice for a super strength brawling arena. It's ten metres across and five high, so it wouldn't really be possible to use flight-based evasion here.

Sounds sufficient for most species in the galaxy at large. Not everyone's as powerful as a Kryptonian, after all.

Xor turns to face me, looking up at the control booth as the monk takes her place and closes the fortified doors.

"What was this place built for?"

"Last time we had neophytes in Lantern Xor's weight class, they used this to perform our standard training exercises."

Heh. The joy of beings with above-average levels of physical resilience.

"With the.. shock poles?"

"We had some difficulty making the discharge strong enough. They had to replace them after each strike."

Sounds shocking.

Or not, as the case appears. I doubt making stronger tools would be worth it if they're not frequent visitors.

"Alright. Set it up."

Force field shimmer into being around the walls, designed to absorb energy rather than block shots completely. It's probably a better design for a place like this.

Even force-fields can be overpowered. Better to have both physical and energised protections, than rely solely on one or the other...

"You may begin."

Xor and I walk to the middle of the arena. I remove my ring and lay it on the ground. Xor starts to do the same thing, then stops himself and closes his eyes. A moment later his ring falls off, landing next to mine.

I see he's getting used to doing that. Bet it still feels strange, though...

"Do you practice pushing your desires away, Illustres?"

"No, but there wasn't much time between me learning that I could do that and me attaining enlightenment. There aren't that many uses for it in itself. Perhaps it a Lantern realised that they were having control difficulties?"

Of course, Enlightenment self-corrects for that in most cases anyway. Still worth training for.

"Or avoiding empathic detection."

I shake my head as we walk away from each other.

"I'm afraid not. I'd still see the desires… I suppose it would allow them to dodge my empathic manipulation abilities."

Like, say, the abbot's unusual psychological makeup? Not suspicious at all?

I turn… Yes, that's far enough. I sit down on the hard floor, and he does the same.

I raise my left hand.

"Ready?"

Feels like some manner of duel. But with the weapons placed in neutral ground between the fighters, so they have to battle just to gain them...

He closes his eyes, taking a few moments to centre himself. Then he opens them again.

"Yes."

This is going to be interesting...

He raises his left hand and our rings rise into the air until they're half a metre off the ground exactly half way between us. Ever since I took Lantern Zartok's ring from his finger this has become a fairly standard 'test of strength' between Orange Lanterns. Initially, they tend to use it purely as a test of raw power, but now? Now a few understand that it's not about that. It's not about the power you can draw at the peak, it's about resting power. About the unity of one's desires.

And OL's resting state is ludicrously strong, thanks to Enlightenment. Good to see some Lanterns understanding that it's not about the horsepower at full throttle, but the idle.

I understand exactly why the rings should fly towards me, and the ring's systems react to that. My ring is already drifting my way, its systems finding my desires to be a perfect match for me. Xor's ring isn't immediately convinced-.

Ah, there we go. I feel it as Xor begins to apply himself. His ring begins floating towards him while mine slows.

I respond my increasing my focus, the rightness of my fingers bearing rings. Xor's ring stops again. We've done this exercise many times before and we're… Just taking the strain at the moment. I'm interested to see if he actually has become stronger.

So, the Orange Light equivalent of the simple shoulder lock-up grapplers tend to partake in at the start of a match.

Well, then. Time to see how much his little breakthrough earlier has improved Xor's control or weakened it. And I find myself wondering how Dul or Onik would do in the same match-up. Now, to see if OL if pleasantly surprised by a shift in Xor's skills..

Some corrections within this spoiler:

"

I'm not expecting that learning how to you're your ring off has made you stronger."

"I'm not expecting that learning how to turn your ring off has made you stronger."

The walls are covered an armoured material...

The walls are covered in an armoured material...

Force field shimmer into being around the walls...

Force fields shimmer into being around the walls...

Perhaps it a Lantern realised that they were having control difficulties?

Perhaps if a Lantern realised that they were having control difficulties?

I respond my increasing my focus...

I respond by increasing my focus,...

Darko · Jul 8, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
gymnasium, past a couple conventional rings

'a couple of'

Mr Zoat said:
She briefly pauses in front of a fortified double door, then entered a code which

'enters'

Darko · Jul 8, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
To be fair, I'm not surprised that Xor would think of relaxing as exercising and sparring. I suspect it was common amongst the Warhound

Everyone has their ways of taking a break.

Chojin Patriarch said:
You really think they'll be trading punches or waving shock-sticks around? Compare them, friend. Does it look like OL can throw down with Xor?

She may not know all that much about humans and assumed Paul and Xor were of similar levels of strength.

Superman looks like a muscular human yet he can probably take on Xor, who looks like the Hulk in terms of musculature, in a fight.

Appearances can be deceiving and all that.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Like, say, the abbot's unusual psychological makeup? Not suspicious at all?

While I will agree that the abbot seems suspicious I also have to point out that his mental state may not seem all that suspicious to someone that isn't suspicious.

He has a lot of willpower and self mastery, which wouldn't be that suspicious for a monk focused on the Green Light.

Bud-E · Jul 8, 2021

I'm a little confused how does calling their rings toward them show improved skill when he and every other Orange Lantern has already gained if not mastered this ability?

AverusBlack · Jul 8, 2021

Bud-E said:
I'm a little confused how does calling their rings toward them show improved skill when he and every other Orange Lantern has already gained if not mastered this ability?

It's one users desires VS another. The better the person is in tune with their desires, the more easily they can overpower the other persons desires, stopping their ring while calling their own to them. It's a test of introspection. How well do you understand your desires and how they mesh into your psyche? Does that understanding give you enough raw power through self-mastery to stop the other ring user while empowering yourself?

~~Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z~~

Ngamer11 · Jul 8, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
"Yes, she can."

Found an old error. Since this should be Paul talking, the quotation should be in Orange.

Vaermina · Jul 8, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
27th August 2012
08:49 GMT

So... They still haven't added a biometric user lock to the rings?

Handlewithcare · Jul 8, 2021

"We are here in this heavily fortified, forcefield protected arena. The die is cast, only one victor may emerge, you may now begin...with FLOATING RINGS BACK AND FORTH!"

blood thirsty crowd noises

Darko · Jul 8, 2021

Handlewithcare said:
"We are here in this heavily fortified, forcefield protected arena. The die is cast, only one victor may emerge, you may now begin...with FLOATING RINGS BACK AND FORTH!"

Truly a horrifying battle, the savages.

Mr Zoat · Jul 8, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
That sounds rather more rude than I think you intended, OL. But I expect he takes your meaning. Hard to make someone powered by want do something they don't want to.

Some corrections within this spoiler:
"I'm not expecting that learning how to turn your ring off has made you stronger."
The walls are covered in an armoured material...
Force fields shimmer into being around the walls...
Perhaps if a Lantern realised that they were having control difficulties?
I respond by increasing my focus,...

Thank you, corrected.

Darko said:
'a couple of'
'enters'

Thank you, corrected.

Ngamer11 said:
Found an old error. Since this should be Paul talking, the quotation should be in Orange.

No, I think that's Mother of Mercy.

BartlettMagic · Jul 8, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
She briefly pauses in front of

maybe change 'she' to 'the monk' or some equivalent. as it stands, the pronoun is a bit ambiguous, especially after just talking about Dul.

Mr Zoat · Jul 8, 2021

BartlettMagic said:
maybe change 'she' to 'the monk' or some equivalent. as it stands, the pronoun is a bit ambiguous, especially after just talking about Dul.

I think you're right. I'll change it.

Huttj509 · Jul 8, 2021

Bud-E said:
I'm a little confused how does calling their rings toward them show improved skill when he and every other Orange Lantern has already gained if not mastered this ability?

By way of analogy, moving my arm is easy. Arm wrestling someone is hard. If they're really good and sensitive to their muscles, they can gauge if my arm strength has improved, as I arm wrestle them on multiple occasions, even if I lose each time.

Mr Zoat · Jul 9, 2021

27th August 2012
09:01 GMT

The air between us glows orange as Xor's ring wobbles back and forth. He lost control of my ring fairly early but we kept going since his own is still in play. I'm confident that I could take it, but he's been getting continuously stronger as we've been going.

An evolution, or a genuine breakthrough? How much was that sense of obligation holding him back before?

"How is the new government coming along?"

"As well as could be expected."

"Felt like putting the boot in with the old officer corps? The people who approved the creation of the Warhounds might still be around somewhere."

There isn't even a wobble.

"If the Warhounds did not exist then I would have been strangled in my crib or starved to death on the side of the road. I can understand people trying to do something good but being restrained by their job."

"So you think that they created Warhounds because that was the only way they had to save orphans?"

"Even if they placed us in state orphanages to draft us into the regular army, the expenditure would not have been justified. Conscripting or enlisting free citizens is cheaper. The only unique facility we children had is that we could adapt to war bodies more easily. So that was the justification."

"And your trainers?"

"Followed the orders that were necessary to keep us alive. If the first generation had been failures, the program would have been cancelled. They did not choose the conditions to determine if the project had been a failure or not. If I am given a choice between a beating and a summary execution, I will choose the beating."

"And the politicians who decided that orphanages were an unnecessary expense?"

The wobble isn't from his anger or hatred. If that had been the problem then his ring would have shot into my hand. Rather, he appears to not have fully resolved his own desires on the subject. But the wobble only lasts a moment.

"Why must justice and retribution be at odds?"

"No reason at all, depending on the system. How do you feel about retroactive law? Because I doubt that you could prosecute them under existing law."

"An agreement on the tribunals will be part of the peace settlement which ends the civil war. Government officials who believe that they will be only lightly punished have already either killed those who want to fight on or placed them in 'detainment' so that they can assuage our bloodlust. They will agree to what we ask."

"And who is 'we'?"

"Me. Lantern Canar has given advice, but I have followed your lead when dealing with Green Lanterns in places where they have clearly failed is concerned."

"And Onigar?"

The ring jerks a metre in my direction before Xor regains focus.

"Are we expanding our focus?"

Which is the closest he'll get to accusing me of cheating. It was a little sneaky, switching from avarice skill to empathic disruption. But…

"I can talk about Jade if you like."

A quiet grunt.

"In theory, it should be possible for anyone to use different colours at one time. Your constructs are powered by your avarice; other colours only weaken them inasmuch as they distract your focus from that."

"I shall wait to experiment with that."

"Probably wise. Ready to get stronger?"

"Yes."

Lantern Xor desires most strongly to conform to his own ideas of honour. Part of that is repaying his obligations; on one level he doesn't want to keep me-

Xor trembles.

-from getting this ring.

It starts floating my way.

"Xor, I want you to get better. You're not doing me a service by letting me win."

"I am not letting you win."

"Xalitan. I'm proud of your achievements, and once the war with the Reach is over it will be your example that I use to demonstrate to new generations of Orange Lantern Corps Sector Lanterns what their job is. But the obligation, the.. gratitude you feel towards me, you need to refocus it."

"You want me to beat you."

"I want you to get stronger. I don't mind losing the occasional test to make that happen, though I'll.. be annoyed with myself if it keeps happening. As you want to build an honest and honourable society, I want to build an Orange Lantern Corps that is a force for good. You're part of that. Your excellence is my excellence."

I point to the ring.

"And that's your tool. You'd be a good man one way or the other, but you wouldn't as effective as you are without it."

He nods solemnly.

"On a related note-"

I smile as the ring begins drifting back in his direction.

"-have you had any trouble with the Dominion?"

"None. Will they be next, after the Reach?"

"Probably not. Not if they keep going the way they are. Rebuilding after this war is going to take a lot of effort, and honestly Apokolips is more dangerous. And of course, without an imminent threat the N.E.M.O. alliance might break up."

"That would be foolish."

"Sure, you and I know that, but we've got privileged access to information. Most stellar nations will see that the regional threat is gone and that they have good relations with their neighbours and disarm. They certainly won't want another war right away, if at all."

"I.. see. I will stand with you in whatever wars follow."

"Thank you, Lantern Xor. I appreciate the faith you show in me."

Hm. I take a deeper look at Lantern Xor's desire network. It's still not as unified as mine, but there aren't any major irregularities. He's done well to bring his desires and ideals into alignment. But this is still slow going.

"Come on Lantern Xor, don't keep me waiting. This ring is the instrument by which you realise your desires. Take it."

"Very well."

He catches it in his left hand as it rockets towards him, his environmental shield reappearing. I cease my attempts to pull it and nod respectfully.

"Well done. Now let's go and find Lantern Dul. We need to work on her defences."

Bloodalchemy · Jul 9, 2021

Regular psychology bores me. But for some reason spiritual/magical psychology never ceases to be captivating.

NarniaWarlord · Jul 9, 2021

Bloodalchemy said:
Regular psychology bores me. But for some reason spiritual/magical psychology never ceases to be captivating.

This is vague enough that i can't be sure if you are talking about drugs or not.

Simonbob · Jul 9, 2021

The monks are probably watching.

And finding this to be fascinating.

Darko · Jul 9, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
lead where dealing with Green

'lead when'

Mr Zoat said:
have you had any trouble with the Dominion?"

This is the Dominators government or domain?

Mr Zoat said:
And of course, without an imminent threat the N.E.M.O. alliance might break up."

The Dominators do seem to be something like a miniature version of the Reach in some ways, so some of those members may be interested in stopping them.

Chojin Patriarch · Jul 9, 2021

Mr Zoat said:
27th August 2012
09:01 GMT

The air between us glows orange as Xor's ring wobbles back and forth. He lost control of my ring fairly early but we kept going since his own is still in play. I'm confident that I could take it, but he's been getting continuously stronger as we've been going.

After all, there's no point in simply crushing him. Such a victory would rarely encourage improvement in all but the oddest of people. If you're crushed so easily after trying your hardest, then what point is there in trying to improve?

An evolution, or a genuine breakthrough? How much was that sense of obligation holding him back before?

"How is the new government coming along?"

Heh. Distraction to weaken his focus, casual poking to test his ability to maintain it, or genuine nudges to see if he can push through whatever wall he seems to be struggling with? Why can't it be all three?

"As well as could be expected."

"Felt like putting the boot in with the old officer corps? The people who approved the creation of the Warhounds might still be around somewhere."

In anyone else, I suspect there'd be a hint of revenge in there. But for Xor, there's no honour in punishing those who just followed their orders. Those who showed genuine sadistic tendencies would probably not have lasted long, either noticed by allies or struck down by one of their prospects in a fit of rage.

There isn't even a wobble.

"If the Warhounds did not exist then I would have been strangled in my crib or starved to death on the side of the road. I can understand people trying to do something good but being restrained by their job."

How very Spartan of them. Then again, they likely suffer from overpopulation, don't they? If you aren't going to be useful to society, then why keep you around?

"So you think that they created Warhounds because that was the only way they had to save orphans?"

"Even if they placed us in state orphanages to draft us into the regular army, the expenditure would not have been justified. Conscripting or enlisting free citizens is cheaper. The only unique facility we children had is that we could adapt to war bodies more easily. So that was the justification."

More a convenience than a compassionate act. I'm sure some told themselves giving the orphans a chance to be useful was a good thing, but people are always capable of self-delusion when it's necessary.

"And your trainers?"

"Followed the orders that were necessary to keep us alive. If the first generation had been failures, the program would have been cancelled. They did not chose the conditions to determine if the project had been a failure or not. If I am given a choice between a beating and a summary execution, I will choose the beating."

I can't imagine any culture that would choose execution, if the culprit was given the choice. I'm sure one with a known chance of reincarnation while retaining memories might, but I can't imagine how such a society would function.

"And the politicians who decided that orphanages were an unnecessary expense?"

The wobble isn't from his anger or hatred. If that had been the problem then his ring would have shot into my hand. Rather, he appears to not have fully resolved his own desires on the subject. But the wobble only lasts a moment.

Hard to focus on want when you're not sure of what it is you do want... At least he remained centered enough to make it a minor flutter.

"Why must justice and retribution be at odds?"

"No reason at all, depending on the system. How do you feel about retroactive law? Because I doubt that you could prosecute them under existing law."

"An agreement on the tribunals will be part of the peace settlement which ends the civil war. Government officials who believe that they will be only lightly punished have already either killed those who want to fight on or placed them in 'detainment' so that they can assuage our bloodlust. They will agree to what we ask."

Surprisingly reasonable of him. Are the other Warhounds following his lead in this, or do others have their own preferences, though? What if the tribunals don't rule how he'd prefer them to? Will he accept it, or...

"And who is 'we'?"

"Me. Lantern Canar has given advice, but I have followed your lead where dealing with Green Lanterns in places where they have clearly failed is concerned."

Hopefully with less rubbing the Guardian's noses in it. OL might get away with it as Agent Orange, but you are not so significant... Though I'm sure Xor is experienced at dealing with haughty 'superiors'...

"And Onigar?"

The ring jerks a metre in my direction before Xor regains focus.

Really, OL? Bit of a low blow there. This is a contest of Wants, after all. To further the arm-wrestling comparison: That was like yelling "What's that?!' and shoving your opponent's arm while they glance sideways.

"Are we expanding our focus?"

Which is the closest he'll get to accusing me of cheating. It was a little sneaky, switching from avarice skill to empathic disruption. But…

On the other hand, seeing if he can hold focus is worthwhile. Still cheap, OL.

"I can talk about Jade if you like."

A quiet grunt.

Bit of an unfair advantage you have there, OL. Maybe if or when he achieves Enlightenment, you can try that again.

"In theory, it should be possible for anyone to use different colours at one time. Your constructs are powered by your avarice; other colours only weaken them in as much as they distract your focus from that."

"I shall wait to experiment with that."

And we'll be looking forwards to that day. But for now, OL, leave off.

"Probably wise. Ready to get stronger?"

"Yes."

Heh. On that, we're all agreed.

Lantern Xor desires most strongly to conform to his own ideas of honour. Part of that is repaying his obligations; on one level he doesn't want to keep me-

Xor trembles.

-from getting this ring.

So you think he's holding back as not to offend you? Hell, of course you do, you can see it.

It starts floating my way.

"Xor, I want you to get better. You're not doing me a service by letting me win."

"I am not letting you win."

Well, you're not acting like it, Xor. You're sandbagging, aren't you?

"Xalitan. I'm proud of your achievements, and once the war with the Reach is over it will be your example that I use to train new generations of Orange Lantern Corps Sector Lanterns what their job is. But the obligation, the.. gratitude you feel towards me, you need to refocus it."

"You want me to beat you."

To be fair, the gratitude is many-fold. Freeing him from imprisonment on Earth. Giving him service in the Corps. Letting him work to free his people from oppression. Any one of those would be a life-long debt to someone as honourable as him.

"I want you to get stronger. I don't mind losing the occasional test to make that happen, though I'll.. be annoyed with myself if it keeps happening. As you want to build an honest and honourable society, I want to build an Orange Lantern Corps that is a force for good. You're part of that. Your excellence is my excellence."

To be fair, losing would give you a reason to continue improving. At this point, you don't really have a great push to develop your skills beyond curiosity, given that the Reach hold few surprises anymore. A friendly rivalry with a student? That's a worthwhile, and safe, impetus.

I point to the ring.

"And that's your tool. You'd be a good man one way or the other, but you wouldn't as effective as you are without it."

And some still call it a weapon... Goes to show you how smart the average Green lantern is, much less the rest of the galaxy.

He nods solemnly.

"On a related note-"

I smile as the ring begins drifting back in his direction.

Good, he's stopped playing around, eh?

"-have you had any trouble with the Dominion?"

"None. Will they be next, after the Reach?"

Maybe as a palate cleanser or a cooldown.

"Probably not. Not if they keep going the way they are. Rebuilding after this war is going to take a lot of effort, and honestly Apokolips is more dangerous. And of course, without an imminent threat the N.E.M.O. alliance might break up."

"That would be foolish."

When have politicians ever not been short-sighted after wartime ends?

"Sure, you and I know that, but we've got privileged access to information. Most stellar nations will see that the regional threat is gone and that they have good relations with their neighbours and disarm. They certainly won't want another war right away, if at all."

"I.. see. I will stand with you in whatever wars follow."

Oh, Xor... He just got done telling you he doesn't want you to follow blindly like that...

"Thank you, Lantern Xor. I appreciate the faith you show in me."

Hm. I take a deeper look at Lantern Xor's desire network. It's still not as unified as mine, but there aren't any major irregularities. He's done well to bring his desires and ideals into alignment. But this is still slow going.

Still not close to Enlightened, of course. Every moment of love or rage he feels would shake that web, or tear holes in it...

"Come on Lantern Xor, don't keep me waiting. This ring is the instrument by which you realise your desires. Take it."

"Very well."

You haven't got all day, after all. Things to do, people to assist.

He catches it in his left hand as it rockets towards him, his environmental shield reappearing. I cease my attempts to pull it and nod respectfully.

"Well done. Now let's go and find Lantern Dul. We need to work on her defences."

Oh, he was sandbagging, though not as much as I thought he might have been. That little... Clever, boy, very clever.

A nice bit of manly bonding. And a good look at how far Xor's come since we first met him. Thus far, he really does look like the most likely candidate to gain Enlightenment, barring some surprise from Dul or Onik. Still, there's always a chance of failure... It's all a matter of finding the right levers to set the ball rolling.

AverusBlack · Jul 9, 2021

Chojin Patriarch said:
Still, there's always a chance of failure... It's all a matter of finding the right levers to set the ball rolling.

Indiana Jones has words to say about that analogy

With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

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