And I can't immediately tell how super strong the person who did this was. Or what sort of superstrength it was. Kinetic force absorption? Enhanced muscle fibres? Force Fields? The Reach can probably work out a way around that last one. Telekinesis? That would go along with the Burning Martian powers…
I doubt he'd heard of 'Invincible' before his arrival here, so it's unlikely he'd have any inkling of the possibility of Viltrumite powers.
"Effigy did this?"
Jade floats a short distance away from me in her exo-mantle, sensors scanning the damage and on board AI most likely comparing it to other records on file. I asked her to act as my second opinion because while I have been keeping track of the general process of the war, she's been doing a good deal more than that. I didn't even know that Mr. van Wyck was here until he told me.
And it's a good chance to have some quality time working with her.
"According to the L.E.G.I.O.N. support flotilla, yes. Is that surprising?"
"He's never engaged anything this large before. Other than one scarab, and he had a L.E.G.I.O.N. platoon supporting him for that."
I suspect the Scarab would have had the upper hand in most runthroughs of that fight.
Based on what I've observed, I'd have thought that if he didn't kill the scarab quickly then its superior endurance and regeneration would let it win eventually. L.E.G.I.O.N. marines… Are pretty much doomed if they get a scarab's attention. They don't even have the evasion options that a pre-me Darkstar team would have, and the most they could do would be to call in heavy ordnance from the fleet or air wings.
Which explains why the Scarabs were so fearsome to them, before the Lanterns came along.
"So what has he been doing?"
"Reconnaissance in force. He flies to somewhere that the fleet is about to attack, flies up to their defences or command centres faster than they can intercept and then burns them to ash."
So, pretty much a near-undetectable reusable missile with brains. Not a bad job, but not a pleasant one.
"Wouldn't he get intercepted by a scarab every time?"
"The Reach doesn't have an unlimited number of scarabs. And he really hasn't done anything that the fleet couldn't have done without him, he just makes it less expensive."
Which would probably be a useful thing, given they're still beholden by economic concerns.
"That's still valuable work."
"It's nothing compared to this. As far as I can tell, he punched through that ship in a single attack run."
So he graduated from 'living missile' to 'living torpedo'.
Reach ships of this class don't have the greatest armour, but it's still highly advanced, and the ships have anti-attack craft turrets and… Had escorts. If they had the ability to interdict lantern F.T.L. then they would actually be tricky to attack. Not for me or for the more powerful Lanterns, but the newer ones…
Well, any rookie probably needs a good kick in the ass to pull their socks up. Running into these ships might be just that.
I mean, it's only been a couple of years. By Green Lantern Corps standards we're all new.
"Did he get injured?"
Keeping in mind that a lot of Greenies don't last more than what, five years themselves? With only the truly talented living past that?
"Not as far as the survey team can tell. He did get hit, but it didn't look like he noticed."
"Does he usually notice? I'm not sure how protean his body is."
That is a good question, given the other Martian abilities he's been given. Would Jevek have deemed that a worthwhile modification to include, or just...
"He's been injured in the field before. No medical reports, so I assume that his healing is superhuman."
"He works directly for a Controller. Even if a report was submitted, it might be blocked. And a Controller could easily heal whatever injuries he had."
...Having it take the shape of a potent healing factor might work.
I scan the wreckage, calculating the force needed and comparing that to the force of impacts that I know about. Kryptonian, Adom, my own heavy construct attacks, various things I still have on file from Lantern Stewart's ring…
It's not peak kryptonian, but it's not far off and I don't know if he was giving it his all.
Hmm.
So, Superman might be
slightly stronger than an average Viltrumite, but he wouldn't have the same killer instinct. Would still be an interesting fight to observe from a safe distance.
Okay, reserve my earlier statement. If he's capable of this and this is something that we can do en masse… It's we Orange Lanterns who are going to be… Well, not entirely obsoleted. But transformed from front line combatants to supporters, using complex manipulation in place of raw power. It would be a bit like if we could get hold of kryptonians… If kryptonians could fly faster than light under their own power and didn't have heat vision.
You'd be the multi-tool to their sledgehammer. They can wreck stuff, you'd rebuild it.
"Is this a problem?"
"Inter-service rivalry has never not been counterproductive. Hinon's worried that Jevek is doing something untoward… I don't know. Mister van Wyck has repeatedly put himself in the line of fire when he didn't have to. He wants to make something of himself… And I can't imagine what Jevek might want that would involve acting against N.E.M.O.. I mean, he's a Controller. What more power could he want?"
Sometimes it's not about power for power's sake, OL.
"What did Draan Del Dar want?"
Ah…
Ah, yes, the so-called 'expert' in Red Light use that messed up Orion.
"To feel emotion and pain again. Ah. Right. But Jevek has connected himself to the Orange Central Power Battery. I doubt that he has the same issue."
She raises her left eyebrow. "That doesn't preclude him from having a different issue."
Like, say, blindness to anything outside his own wants. Even Maltusians aren't immune to Spectrum energy overloads, right?
"True." I exhale through my environmental shield, watching as the water vapour freeze-boils in the vacuum. "So I assume that you don't think I should walk up to him and ask him."
"I don't think you should walk up to him and ask him."
It's put him on the defensive, make him feel like you're calling him out for some perceived slip-up...
"So what should I do?"
"Did you get on with Effigy?"
"Well enough for someone I worked with once."
Certainly well enough to chat with casually the last time you saw him.
"Try working the human angle. Normally I'd say that I could investigate Jevek, but… He's a Controller. He doesn't need a supply chain and there's no way I could sneak into his laboratory."
Ah… "I… You remember that I told you about the tuning fork Krona used, right?"
Kind of makes me wonder what technology Jevek is using to pierce the vibrational barriers of the multiverse.
"Hundreds of copies of me chained to a giant tuning fork? I'm almost offended that I wasn't invited."
"Hinon thinks that he's using the same sort of technology. Not sure what for. I mean, I've met parallel universe versions of me without doing that. I've been to parallel universes without doing that."
That's kind of atypical, OL. Most people don't even
realise there are multiple universe to travel between.
"Kidnapping people from parallel universes could be a problem."
"Krona has an obsession with the formation of the universe. Jevek… Jevek had plenty of opportunities to work with Krona, but hasn't-. At least, hasn't since Krona was cast down. Even if he's using the same technology, I don't see why he'd use it in the same way." I sigh again. "I'm the Orange Lantern Corps' observer on their mission tomorrow. I'll try being more friendly with Mister van Wyck, see what he says."
He might say something he doesn't realise could be troublesome, certainly. But Jevek doesn't keep him
that in the loop...
"Have you read his file?"
"I wrote most of his file. Jevek didn't bother, and I wanted to check who he was."
Heh. Sounds about right, both for OL and jevek.
"I'm not an empath, but I was trained to understand people. No real family, no close friends. He's looking for a new family. Something to be part of."
…
Ah, that's a 'Solid Snake has nothing to say, but has to respond' moment if ever I saw one.
"I heard that silence. I didn't say it was a bad thing. But he's not going to react well to anything that threatens the life he's made here. Including things that threaten his Controller."
"I'll certainly bear that in mind."
Heh. She really does know him so well. Hopefully it won't end up with Marty trying to punch OL's head off.
