-be.
BOOM!
"Diana, I'm leaving this with you. Call Earth if you need help."
Abrupt, but she would have heard the child's voice. Even if she
didn't know about Lynne, she'd know the Renegade won't hesitate to help a child... One who
deserved it, anyway.
I step through the tube onto the bridge, Karras glancing around for a moment before returning his attention to the screen. At this point there's not much to do except wait for Dox to tell us where he wants us except that was my daughter.
"Summary."
Amazed he's not seeing
red yet... I suppose that'll be saved for if Lynne or the succupire kids are
hurt...
"Fleets are attacking Karna, Tamaran, Euphorix and our reserve units. Dox is directing us to Tamaran."
I nod. Orange Lanterns will fight much better for their own homes. "And their Grayven?"
So, focusing on the Renegade's more obvious allies. The homeworld of the gordanians, the Renegade's home base in the sector, and the next largest threat.
"No specifically Apokoliptian ships identified so far."
"Casualties?"
"In space, light on both sides. They're heavier on the ground. They're using boom tubes to perform raids on our shipyards and manufacturing centres."
Not unexpected, obviously. Presumably Grayven-16 intends to force them to rebuild to
his design once he's won.
I'm not too worried about ground attacks. We have Lanterns. Fights between gordanian warriors and Lanterns only go one way.
"No attacks on Hny'xx?"
The Kryptonian creche-world? I suspect any fighting there would end up messily, between Superman, the
Doomsday, and hundred of teenage kryptonians with military upbringings.
"No. Not yet."
The children thought it was a game, but putting super hard beams across every part of its internal space made boom tubing into the facility virtually impossible while not restricting the manoeuvrability of the g-elves significantly.
Interesting. Making the passages so tight that even a small Tube aperture can't be opened?
But no other Grayven. Why not? His ability to boost his servants with his god powers would be stronger if he were present, and he wouldn't even have to engage himself. If he's not here for the boost, he'd be better off attacking to maximise the advantage of his dreadnaught and omega effect. The only reason he's be hanging around would be…
Waiting for me? Waiting for Astarte? I mean, she wasn't exactly rushing…
He wants to be
seen beating you. Once you take the field, he'd make a beeline for you.
"Lynne, report."
"The keep opening tubes near me. I dealt with the gordanians but they've been sending robots. Knockout and Persuader are getting annoyed."
Since her powers can't affect mechanical brains...
yet. Good to hear she's not worried.
They would.
"You've tried relocating?"
"Four times. They're locked onto us."
The benefit of Grayven-16 having locked onto the
not-him fragment of 'Conquest' Lynne is holding.
But… How? There are other New Gods around; that was half the reason I asked Mr. Queen to come here. Three being in one place doesn't mean anything. Spies? Maybe, but there definitely wasn't anyone there when we discussed her fallback locations. Between my rings, our god senses and her telepathy there isn't anywhere to hide. So-.
She feels like me. And, presumably, him. Could he track her based on that?
Now you get it. Essentially, you turned her into bait. I mean, I'm not saying you did
wrong helping her, but... Choices mean
consequences, after all.
Could I track him like that?
I could go to her, but she's got boom tube access and… Frankly, Knockout and Persuader are two of my most expendable assets. Every robot-.
Yes, the dumb muscle ladies. Hardly the most powerful of New Gods, when it comes down to it.
"Apokoliptian robots?"
"I think so."
Apokoliptian robots are made to terrorise primitive people, but they're not actually that good against intelligent or well armed opponents.
So, largely a distraction for the Renegade's forces. Since they're
both.
"Lord Grayven!"
I look up at the screen as a new wave of enemy ships appear, jumping in behind our fleets near Karna and Tamaran. We've gone from local advantage to mild disadvantage, but Dox is already moving ships and Lanterns to counter them. I'd still put us ahead, and there's still no sign of Grayven 2. Assuming that all he has spare is his flagship and its escorts, once we get back we'll have a comfortable advantage.
Never dismiss the chance of
surprise reinforcements, Renegade.
No. He's me. There's something-.
I call up clan insignias on the ships in the first wave. Tearing Bite, Bloodied Claw, Gizzard Something-Or-Others… Yes, I suspected. Local clans, displaced by Tamaranean ascendancy. He's probably upgraded their ships a little and then released them to pin us down. They have to fight to have any sort of future, and since they're not loyal to him he doesn't lose anything when they die. The second wave have a more uniform clan emblem-.
So, gathering local forces with the lure of big prizes of slaves and wealth. Then using his own more dedicated and empowered troops to clean up those weakened by the trash.
"Daddy, they've sent golden women. I can't feel their minds, and-. Ah!"
Mother Box, boom tube.
<Grabs Malteasers> Ooh, things are gonna get
messy...
...Or not. It's
possible to interdict Boom Tubes?
Ping.
How did anyone block-? Persuader, Serve My Will.
Why Persuader? Because the lady with the time-displaced super-axe can cut anything, even
distance.
An axe blade slices through the air in front of me before suddenly being yanked away. I dive through the portal, appearing back on Tamaran and seeing a solidly built woman with golden skin hurl Persuader violently to the ground!
"Stop." "Halt In My Name."
Ah, will he recognise the femazon pirate? Eh, I doubt he'll care either way. (Sorry, no reminder link, even the DC.Fandom wiki doesn't recognise her name...

)
Gold woman turns away from the recumbent Persuader, smiley cruelly at me. Persuader's armour is battered and the left side of her chest is partially caved in.
"Are you our boss or their boss?"
Eh, that'll buff out. Quick hit of a purple healing ray, or a bit of mana...
Assimilate her. All Those Who Stand Before Me Die This Day.
Orange beams fly from my ring, slamming into the gold woman's chest. Her smile widens as they achieve precisely nothing.
Ah, yes... Her famed 'immunity to Spectrum energies'. At least we finally get to see the Renegade try to assimilate someone again. It's been a while.
"Their boss. Ours wants you alive 'if it's not too hard'." She cracks her knuckles. "How hard do you think you are?"
"Hard enough." Empower Loyal Vassal.
Not that you'd want to get near her. She probably likes it
rough. As in, '
broken pelvis' rough...
I storm forward, not bothering to draw my blade. No idea who this is, but my daiklave hasn't exactly proven reliable against high end targets. Goldie appears to appreciate the sentiment, coming towards me and throwing a right hook. I lean around it and grab her arm, straining to shove it aside to try and get at her neck!
"Idiot! No one overpowers Estrogina!"
At least now he has a name for your tombstone... Oh, wait, he's not going to bother
burying you...
She grapples right back, and she's strong enough that I'm not sure that I can win like this, which would be a problem if Persuader hasn't just gotten up with her axe at the ready.
"K-kh?"
Backstabbing with a Greataxe. Now
that's style.
Persuader's axe exits the left side of 'Estrogina's' body, having cleaved her in two. The shock causes her grip to weakened, so I thrust my arms forward and grip her shoulders.
"Sever the head."
Let's see how well that Spectrum immunity works when you're
dead?
The axe comes around again, a small amount of blood squirting into my face as her neck parts company with her shoulders. I drop her torso and catch her head, holding my left hand up to her neck hole.
"Assimilate."
At the least, you'll be able to find out what she knows of Grayven-16's plan. Probably not much, though, she's even dumber muscle than Knockout.
Assimilation in progress.
"Where's my daughter, Persuader?"
"They took her, master. The other two."
...Oh, boy. Better hope Grayven-16 is curious enough to not hurt her.
"Come closer."
She walks up to me immediately, no apparent concern for the fact that most Apokoliptians would kill her for a failure like that. Or that her own injuries might kill her in a moment.
To be fair, as long as the Renegade is concerned right now, all he needs her to do...
Assimilation complete.
I lay my left hand on Persuader's head and reach out for the other part of my soul. There it is.
"Cut open a portal. Now."
...Is open the way. Hopefully he remembers to leave a healing drone or purple ray set up on her...