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

[Mr Zoat]

'rip off'

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No, that's a valid usage.

'magical rather'
'deep, slow' add a comma.
Need white quote marks for Mist here.

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Thank you, corrected.

Was that girl Ystin altered to be a Sheeda monster, or was she someone else?

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The SI doesn't know.

 

[Agent Orange]

Vaguely androgynous facial features, slim, shiny, ridiculous horned helmet (seriously, what was the point of horned helmets like ever)... Ystin(a) looks kinda like Marvel Loki in that get-up

The portal behind us flickers, Diana stepping through an instant before it fails.

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And then there were four.

Poor Batman He was so hyped up about finally being able to cut loose on completely acceptable targets. Even put his armor on and everything

So this is basically a one-way trip. Not quite a suicide mission, most of them are too tough for that, but very much depending on them winning...

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I dunno. The line up is pretty good but they failed to bring The Volunteer with them :/
They are a requirement for a successful mission. Not sure who would be the best fit. You need a high level psionic for the role. Martian Manhunter maybe.

 

[Flightless Man]

To be fair, Mythic Ares doesn't always have the best track record with...much of anything.

Spoiler: Not a Genie in This Bottle

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Really only like 3-5 Greek Deities have any real value, the rest are petulant children. I don't get why everyone is willing to say Ares sucks but every other god can be rein-visioned. And not only here, every DC greek god discussion basically say Zeus and Ares are always dumb assholes who can never be done any different way. Every other god i see redone has variations. Zoat gave a version of Hades i had never imagined, i want to see any other versions of gods i have a concrete image of.

 

[WereDragon]

It all looks just a little more rational, a little more standardised, than a normal superhero outing. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that.

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Interesting development. Grayven was unambiguously overjoyed at managing to get some uniformity amongst his costumed comrades.

"No. Pick a wall, tear it down."

Diana points her sword at the doorway. "Tear down a door. We all know that the Sheeda take prisoners, but we don't know where they're keeping them."

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Also less likely to smash through something volatile and or load-bearing unexpectedly.

 

[Pez]

Also less likely to smash through something volatile and or load-bearing unexpectedly.

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Also the points which would most likely be defended. Why go through the heavily defended castle gate when you can just tunnel or breach a wall?

 

[Agent Orange]

Why go through the heavily defended castle gate when you can just tunnel or breach a wall?

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Personal challenge? Alternatively: "Psh! Planning! I don't need no planing - enough brute force works just as well. Leeeeeroy-"

 

[Gantradies]

Really only like 3-5 Greek Deities have any real value, the rest are petulant children. I don't get why everyone is willing to say Ares sucks but every other god can be rein-visioned. And not only here, every DC greek god discussion basically say Zeus and Ares are always dumb assholes who can never be done any different way. Every other god i see redone has variations. Zoat gave a version of Hades i had never imagined, i want to see any other versions of gods i have a concrete image of.

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i mean, Zeus is a serial rapist, Hera, judging from what she did to heracules, is a serial murder/torturer (i dont think there's a specific real-world charge for mind control/mind-rape and body-puppeting),Eris started the Trojan war for shits and giggles,Poseidon got Ulyses's entire crew killed and spent years trying to screw with him because he dared to try and escape his psychopathic,man-eating cyclops son, was it..Athena, or someone else who balefully polymorphed/killed Arachne out of childish pique at being upstaged- i cant...clearly remember.

i mean, say what you want about the Æsir ,but at least they had SOME idea what responsibility was-and far more in the way of moral standards then the Olympians- i think the simplest/biggest difference is Between Zeus and Odin- the former just got given his lightning by Hephaestus/essentially mantled his father's/another titan's power depending on the account, whilst the latter got legitimately EARNED a good chunk of his wisdom/abilities through voluntarily going through days/weeks of "sweet-fates-please-just-let-me-die" suffering, and having his eye gouged out...

 

[Pez]

Not as expected! Can Jordan kill or not? Because if he can this really isn't the time to hold back.

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To my knowledge, GL's being able to kill only became allowed after Sinestro's betrayal, and only against Yellow Lanterns, or "against all enemies of the Green Lantern Corps" (from the Book of Oa wiki page). I suppose it could be inferred that, since the Sheeda designed weapons and tactics specifically to fight "Harold Jordan" (aka Paul), they arean enemy to the Corps. The Guardians certainly wouldn't want enemies that are dedicated to killing some of their Lanterns.

Personal challenge? Alternatively: "Psh! Planning! I don't need no planing - enough brute force works just as well. Leeeeeroy-"

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Going where you're expected to go is overrated. Just poke tiny holes in the top corners of rooms to see what's on the other side. Open vaccuum? I'm sure the Lanterns can plug it easily.

 

[Agent Orange]

Going where you're expected to go is overrated.

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Oh, I agree entirely. The above "reasons" are what I'd expect of more meathead-y individually powerful Leagues. Ironically suggested by Paul 'pick a wall and blast' Nolastname here.

 

[Mastigos2]

Batman nods. "Understood. Orange Lantern, you're on point. Go through the second Doctor Mist gives you the signal."

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Kind of surprised OL didn't yoink people in with him via a construct.

 

[Agent Orange]

Kind of surprised OL didn't yoink people in with him via a construct.

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It's undignified. And it would rob them of the power up everyone gets from the Dramatic Entrance. If your cape doesn't flap in the nonexistent wind when you jump into the fray you miss out on a quite a bit of power.

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

Speaking of Ystin(a) of the Round Table. Does anyone know why is DC take on Camelot set in 8000 BC? Did they just pick a date out of a hat or was there some plot point about it?

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I briefly looked into that a while back, turns out that DC comics the story of Camelot is cyclical, and keeps happening. The version that the sheeda got mixed up in was 8000 BC with a proto Camelot long before there was an England to have it in. Then there was the version most folks know, the one where Merlin, Morgaine le Fey, Entrigan the demon, and the Other Shining Knight are from, in the medieval times you'd expect it to be in.

And it will happen again around....3000 AD or so? Because of course it does. Wonder what the Legion of Superhero's have to read in their history books about it.

 

[Agent Orange]

Camelot is cyclical, and keeps happening.

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What like Ragnarok? That's... Oh whatever. Thanks for the effort.

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

Weird things you stumble on when digging into dc comics history....there was a run a while back called Demon Knights, where Ystina shows up. um....it might be a bit confusing. Vandar Adg aka Vandal Savage was a member of that 'heroic' team with her back then. ...of course that was n52, and thus shall be stricken from the record.

 

[Darko]

Weird things you stumble on when digging into dc comics history....there was a run a while back called Demon Knights, where Ystina shows up. um....it might be a bit confusing. Vandar Adg aka Vandal Savage was a member of that 'heroic' team with her back then. ...of course that was n52, and thus shall be stricken from the record.

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Savage may be a monster by modern standards, but by ancient standards he may have been considered a heroic individual.

What it means to be a 'hero' has changed greatly over the millenia.

Still Demon Knights was pretty enjoyable for me.

 

[Mr Zoat]

To my knowledge, GL's being able to kill only became allowed after Sinestro's betrayal, and only against Yellow Lanterns, or "against all enemies of the Green Lantern Corps" (from the Book of Oa wiki page). I suppose it could be inferred that, since the Sheeda designed weapons and tactics specifically to fight "Harold Jordan" (aka Paul), they arean enemy to the Corps. The Guardians certainly wouldn't want enemies that are dedicated to killing some of their Lanterns.

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That was actually a retcon. Earlier Green Lantern showed them killing. Just read Jordan's fight with the Anti-Green Lantern Corps.

It's undignified. And it would rob them of the power up everyone gets from the Dramatic Entrance. If your cape doesn't flap in the nonexistent wind when you jump into the fray you miss out on a quite a bit of power.

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And -depending on what exotic defences the Sheeda have set up- potentially fatal.

American readers: what do you it when a sportsball player manages not to foul anyone?

 

[DrThoth]

Complete tangent, but I just finished Over the Moon on Netflix and it's really making me want to see Chang'e show up in the story, just for fun. There've been hints of inter-pantheon communications, both humorous (Athena unsuccessfully wooing Sekhmet) and otherwise (Paragon asking Vulcan and Hephaestus to set up a meeting with other forge gods), so a full-blown divine gathering would be interesting (especially so if it's in the Renegade timeline).

 

[Maxx Crowley]

Can Jordan kill or not?

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Depending on the continuity at the time his ring either A) Cannot be consciously directed to kill (though nothing is stopping him from picking up a big fucking rock and dropping it on you). B) Can kill, but instantly shuts down. C) Can kill if the Guardians say okay.

Jack Chance got around the no kill thing by using his ring to beat the piss out of you THEN killing you with his gun.

When Hal went nuts, I believe Chance was pulled to Oa as something of a last resort (Before Sinestro was used as a last, last resort) as the "Deadliest" green Lantern...but Hal wrecked his shit anyway.

seriously, what was the point of horned helmets like ever

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Opera last I knew. I don't believe they ever existed outside of maybe a ceremonial garb.

DC greek god discussion basically say Zeus

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I don't read enough Wonder Woman to know how he's portrayed. But it's Wonder woman and he's a man...so probably not well.

Mythological Zeus kicked all sorts of ass, fighting off giant (and I mean GIANT) monsters like Typhoon, and did look after humanity.

Zeus is a serial rapist

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I mean, he often hid the fact that he was Zeus, but the sex was generally consensual. The outlier that pops into my mind would be Heracles' mother. Given that he shapeshifted into her husbands form to impregnate her. Granted, he WAS doing so to sire the hero that would save the gods, and the world, from Gaia's wrath in the form of the Giants.

Hera, judging from what she did to heracules, is a serial murder/torturer (i dont think there's a specific real-world charge for mind control/mind-rape and body-puppeting

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Hilariously, she had Zeus' permission for that. As Heracles wasn't...you know, doing hero shit at the time.

Also, in all the books I read, she literally "Smiled and forgot her jealousy" over every single kid Zeus sired once they died and she met them.

Poseidon got Ulyses's entire crew killed and spent years trying to screw with him because he dared to try and escape his psychopathic,man-eating cyclops son

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Dad's do get pissed when you blind their kids. I think Odysseus did other things to piss him off as well. Plus, God of the Wind Aeolus did do them a solid to get Odysseus and his crew home, but said crew fucked that all up.

given his lightning by Hephaestus

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Zeus' thunderbolts were forged by the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires in Tartaros, in conjunction with Poseidon's Trident and Hades' Helm of Darkness to defeat the Titans.

American readers: what do you it when a sportsball player manages not to foul anyone?

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English writer: I'm afraid I'm goint to have to ask you to English better. XD

What do we CALL it when a player doesn't foul?

Not fucking up mostly. I've never known there to be a certain term for NOT fouling. Clean play comes to mind. As does playing clean, or fighting clean.

 

[Stsword]

I briefly looked into that a while back, turns out that DC comics the story of Camelot is cyclical, and keeps happening. The version that the sheeda got mixed up in was 8000 BC with a proto Camelot long before there was an England to have it in. Then there was the version most folks know, the one where Merlin, Morgaine le Fey, Entrigan the demon, and the Other Shining Knight are from, in the medieval times you'd expect it to be in.

And it will happen again around....3000 AD or so? Because of course it does. Wonder what the Legion of Superhero's have to read in their history books about it.

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Camelot 3000 is not a future of the DC universe, just an alternate continuity.

One of the few futures that didn't get shoehorned in.

Currently the future of DC is Batman Beyond, Kommandi, Atomic Knights, Tommy Tomorrow and the Planeteers, Booster Gold, Electric Warrriors, Legion of Superheroes, and DC 1 Million.

 

[Flightless Man]

Depending on the continuity at the time his ring either A) Cannot be consciously directed to kill (though nothing is stopping him from picking up a big fucking rock and dropping it on you). B) Can kill, but instantly shuts down. C) Can kill if the Guardians say okay.

Jack Chance got around the no kill thing by using his ring to beat the piss out of you THEN killing you with his gun.

When Hal went nuts, I believe Chance was pulled to Oa as something of a last resort (Before Sinestro was used as a last, last resort) as the "Deadliest" green Lantern...but Hal wrecked his shit anyway.

Opera last I knew. I don't believe they ever existed outside of maybe a ceremonial garb.

I don't read enough Wonder Woman to know how he's portrayed. But it's Wonder woman and he's a man...so probably not well.

Mythological Zeus kicked all sorts of ass, fighting off giant (and I mean GIANT) monsters like Typhoon, and did look after humanity.

I mean, he often hid the fact that he was Zeus, but the sex was generally consensual. The outlier that pops into my mind would be Heracles' mother. Given that he shapeshifted into her husbands form to impregnate her. Granted, he WAS doing so to sire the hero that would save the gods, and the world, from Gaia's wrath in the form of the Giants.

Hilariously, she had Zeus' permission for that. As Heracles wasn't...you know, doing hero shit at the time.

Also, in all the books I read, she literally "Smiled and forgot her jealousy" over every single kid Zeus sired once they died and she met them.

Dad's do get pissed when you blind their kids. I think Odysseus did other things to piss him off as well. Plus, God of the Wind Aeolus did do them a solid to get Odysseus and his crew home, but said crew fucked that all up.

Zeus' thunderbolts were forged by the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires in Tartaros, in conjunction with Poseidon's Trident and Hades' Helm of Darkness to defeat the Titans.

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Your making a common mistake, greek/roman myths have so many real versions you cant say this is the definitive answer. your answer can be equally as right as someone else who is using a different era/region's version. You seem to have read versions which paint Zeus in a more modern/heroic light, I'm not against that. Why do DC fanfic writers seem to almost universally agree Zeus and Ares are shit, while every other god can be explored? I'm more annoyed by the laziness of it then anything. So if Zoat does bring them in, i hope they are more then the card board cut out versions used by so many.

 

[Agent Orange]

And -depending on what exotic defences the Sheeda have set up- potentially fatal.

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Almost every part of this assault mission is 'potentially fatal'. The line up chosen for it isn't exactly made of glass. If a mere act of crossing the portal onto the ship is potentially fatal then it doesn't matter whether they do it in a small group (or is it 'grape' if OL is towing them with his constructs?) or individually.

Re: Hal and killing. I meant whether he's allowed to kill in this particular mission or not? I ask because the first thing he does is blasting the weapons the sheeda guards were using (which made me think that he isn't allowed to kill) but then he blasted the head of that "prisoner" when it turned out she was a Changeling (which made me think that he is). It's a dangerous assault mission, can he really pick to leave some enemies in fighting fit but not the others? Is he just inconsistent? Did Mr Zoat just make a typo/change his mind mid scene?

 

[cereal_lurker]

Re: Hal and killing. I meant whether he's allowed to kill in this particular mission or not?

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Didn't the GLC also decide that this was an internal conflict between humans? Are the GLs allowed to intervene in a temporal-political dispute between rival human factions?

 

[Mr Zoat]

26th June 2012
15:50 GMT -5

Mister Allen has already cleared this flight deck, flies and their riders and ground crews torn open by a combination of supersonic fists and thrown projectiles. Blood has been splashed across Mr. Allen's costume, and I notice that he keeps clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Look."

He points out through the magic barrier covering the opening to the outside of the Castle, and as we follow his gesture…

There's a planet. Looks like it's Earth-equivalent, and… Ring? Yes, some signs of primitive civilisation. Some simple roads, slightly higher levels of illumination in some places than would be expected, signs of deforestation… But not lots of straight roads, not widespread light, no visible…

One visible satellite, big and yellow. But no smaller ones. Which… Could still mean that the world below is primitive, or at least non-industrial. The… Obvious alternative is that it's some sort of resort world and the reasons they don't have roads is a combination of readily-accessible air travel and a desire to get away from that sort of thing.

"That doesn't look Sheeda."

Ring?

"Nothing in my files on either the precise design or the general appearance."

Custom built? That suggests high-end resort, as low-end places will generally just buy a standard build, or… Use a ship. But I… Can't see any docking arms. Teleportation, perhaps? Could it just be an observation post? Someone watching the planet below? The alternative is that the planet's civilisation are fuel-trapped and trade with the more advanced civilisation who made the satellite…

"Mine either."

Doesn't matter. In any case…

"It doesn't look like the civilisation down there is populous enough for it to be worth the Sheeda harrowing it."

Mr. Allen rubs his hands together, inadvertently spreading Sheeda gore around. "Do you think that matters? You already offered them a new planet to settle."

Diana's eyes narrow slightly behind her visor. "Could it be a Sheeda outpost? Could they have left it here during one of their previous attacks?"

"Sheeda technology tends to look a certain way, but there's nothing stopping them making something a different way."

"It's a space station. We need to focus on the ship."

He might know something that I don't, but I'm only ninety seven percent confident that it's a station. Macro-teleportation is possible, so there's no particular reason why a mobile object would need an external thruster, or… Otherwise have an external element to its movement system. It's just that the vast majority do. Even amongst those few civilisations that can build them… Well, just look at how long it's taking me to convince the Justice League to build a global magic detection network. They could have built one a decade ago. Heck, the Justice Society could have built one if they'd been patient.

"Orange Lantern?"

"Wards are still up. I can fly out and have a look, but if the station's warded it's barely worth my while."

Physical directions don't mean much in the Honden, but by searching for desires relating to the planet below, I-.

Out, wyrmling, and dare you not darken my door again.

Gah! A green aura surrounds me and hurls me across the hangar and into the wall!

"I'm okay!" I float upright and take a moment to check myself over. "I'm okay."

Diana looks alarmed. "What happened?"

"I tried finding the Sheeda's desire networks in the Honden. Something felt me do it."

Jordan's holding his ring out in the place I was standing, green light strobing through the area as it scans.

"That was… Green Lantern energy."

I dart back to the exit portal, looking around… Haven't got a good angle but I can't see any stars. There's light, so presumably there's a local star somewhere, but that's it. That's not necessarily strange. Plenty of systems towards the galactic rim have a section of the night sky that's empty, and there are more than a few systems that have them obscured.

But.

A sparsely inhabited planet. A yellow space station. And a powerful Green Lantern.

"Jordan, can you reach the Guardians?"

"Probably, but they're not sending reinforcements."

"Ask for all information on a human man named Lord Malvolio of the Green Flame. If they say that they don't know who that is, scream at them until they decide to be helpful."

"If you already know-."

"If I knew enough to fight him, do you think I'd have been thrown across the hangar?"

Jordan manages a small smile. "I guess not."

"The Guardians and the Controllers barely exchange information about regular operations. They certainly don't talk about their mistakes. Wonder Woman, I strongly suggest that we clear the ship first. Whatever's going on here, disabling the ship denies the Sheeda a lot of tactical options. Destroying it flat out stops them."

"What have you heard of this 'Malvolio'?"

"Supposedly -and this isn't confirmed- he killed one of our Sector's former Green Lanterns, took his ring and kept it."

Mister Allen glances at Jordan.

"That… Does happen, sometimes. We don't just take people with clean scorecards. But if the Guardians let him keep a ring, they must have thought that he'd do an okay job. Why would the Sheeda be talking to-? You think they're making him the same offer they meant to make me?"

"If he's the ruling planets sort of Lantern… Like Sinestro, he might go for it. Or he might not. It might not even be him, but Guy can't do what someone just did to me."

Mister Allen nods. "So where next?"

Diana gives a small shrug. "We don't have a layout."

"Paul and I can fly outside, attack the other launch bays that way. There won't be any prisoners there, and I'm pretty sure we can handle any fighter defenses."

"It's that, or tear the ship apart from the inside. Faster but riskier for any prisoners."

"Attack from the outside. Flash and I will follow the corridors and attempt to find either the holding cells or the bridge."

I nod inside my armour, then Jordan and I jump through the exit and into space.

 

[Darko]

slightly higher levels to illumination

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'of illumination'

But not lots of straight roads, not widespread light, no visible…

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,not a lot of straight roads, no widespread light'

We needs to focus on the ship."

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'need to'

Out, wyrmling, and dare you not darken my door again.

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Well dragons are depicted as greedy in myths, so it makes some sense.

I was standing. green light strobing through the area as it scans.

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'standing, green light'

Add a comma between standing and green.

If they say that don't know who that is,

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'that they don't

 

[moralrelativity]

Poor Batman He was so hyped up about finally being able to cut loose on completely acceptable targets. Even put his armor on and everything

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Hahahahaha. I BET HE WAS!

 

[DrThoth]

Flash killing sophonts for the first time (in-story anyway, as far as I can recall) feels like it should have more emotional weight to it than it does. Maybe if we'd actually experienced the initial Sheeda invasion and what atrocities those left behind witnessed.

Glad Paragon figured out it was Malvolio quickly; it's an amusing parallel to Renegade having to deal with Starbreaker (who if he's a Sun-Eater should be a Controller mistake, I think). I don't think Guy is around but I'd like to see them face off.

 

[Agent Orange]

"Sheeda technology tends to look a certain way, but there's nothing stopping them making something a different way."

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Well there is this one sunny vampire fellow. He reeeeally disapproves of non-living tech. In a billion years or so he'll catch a bad case of Stealth Archer in the back

I dart back to the exit portal, looking around… Haven't got a good angle but I can't see any stars. There's light, so presumably there's a local star somewhere, but that's it.

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I am confused. Isn't the Castle Revolving in Earth atmosphere? Are Sheeda using a time / space portals instead of windows? Why would they keep them open? How would flying out through the portal help the A-team if they want to attack the Castle ship from the outside? Won't they just find themselves wherever (and whenever) this 'Malvolio' planet is? Or are we supposed to believe that this is yet another alt Earth? Is the Castle Revolving somehow orbiting several different Earths simultaneously?

I don't think Guy is around but I'd like to see them face off.

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Why didn't they bring Guy along?

I have a feeling we should start putting a definite article in front of his name. The guy man mainlined Ion and lived to tell the tale! If you emphasise The Bat and The Flash the why not The Guy - ya know which one

 

[Darko]

Poor Batman He was so hyped up about finally being able to cut loose on completely acceptable targets. Even put his armor on and everything

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Hahahahaha. I BET HE WAS!

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And the Sheeda even had zombies, so he would have been even more okay with it.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'of illumination'
'need to'
'standing, green light'
Add a comma between standing and green.
'that they don't

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Thank you, corrected.

,not a lot of straight roads, no widespread light'

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No, that's correct.

Why didn't they bring Guy along?

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Lanterns are around for strategic mobility, and Guy is actually a lot more reluctant to kill than ex-air force pilot Harold Jordan.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

26th June 2012
15:50 GMT -5

Mister Allen has already cleared this flight deck, flies and their riders and ground crews torn open by a combination of supersonic fists and thrown projectiles. Blood has been splashed across Mr. Allen's costume, and I notice that he keeps clenching and unclenching his fists.

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Okay, not prisoners. And it looks like Barry is going to need some therapy when this is all over. Lots of therapy...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"Look."

He points out through the magic barrier covering the opening to the outside of the Castle, and as we follow his gesture…

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I take it they're not near Earth anymore... Which may be a problem...

There's a planet. Looks like it's Earth-equivalent, and… Ring? Yes, some signs of primitive civilisation. Some simple roads, slightly higher levels to illumination in some places than would be expected, signs of deforestation… But not lots of straight roads, not widespread light, no visible…

One visible satellite, big and yellow. But no smaller ones. Which… Could still mean that the world below is primitive, or at least non-industrial. The… Obvious alternative is that it's some sort of resort world and the reasons they don't have roads is a combination of readily-accessible air travel and a desire to get away from that sort of thing.

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Oh, boy. I think I remember that from previous discussions of other Lanterns...

"That doesn't look Sheeda."

Ring?

"Nothing in my files on either the precise design or the general appearance."

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Not enough organic material, for one. Sheeda do have reasons for their Eldar-meets-Giger aesthetic...

Custom built? That suggests high-end resort, as low-end places will generally just buy a standard build, or… Use a ship. But I… Can't see any docking arms. Teleportation, perhaps? Could it just be an observation post? Someone watching the planet below? The alternative is that the planet's civilisation are fuel-trapped and trade with the more advanced civilisation who made the satellite…

"Mine either."

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So, Hal hasn't encountered this before. I wonder, if he tried to access somewhat more high-security files on this matter... What response would he get? I mean, Honour Guard rank probably gets him a decent security clearance, but this is probably above even that pay-grade.

Doesn't matter. In any case…

"It doesn't look like the civilisation down there is populous enough for it to be worth the Sheeda harrowing it."

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Or whoever owns that satellite is too dangerous for them to risk annoying. Which makes me wonder why they're here.

Mr. Allen rubs his hands together, inadvertently spreading Sheeda gore around. "Do you think that matters? You already offered them a new planet to settle."

Diana's eyes narrow slightly behind her visor. "Could it be a Sheeda outpost? Could they have left it here during one of their previous attacks?"

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Or another of Melmoth's little experimental worlds? There's nothing to say that Columbia was the only world he was using as a petri dish for his experiments.

"Sheeda technology tends to look a certain way, but there's nothing stopping them making something a different way."

"It's a space station. We needs to focus on the ship."

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And Barry, bringing them back on task. I assume that's Barry, focusing on something other than his little massacre. Seriously, he's honestly the least ready for something like this...

He might know something that I don't, but I'm only ninety seven percent confident that it's a station. Macro-teleportation is possible, so there's no particular reason why a mobile object would need an external thrusters, or… Otherwise have an external element to its movement system. It's just that the vast majority do. Even amongst those few civilisation that can build them… Well, just look at how long it's taking me to convince the Justice League to build a global magic detection network. They could have built one a decade ago. Heck, the Justice Society could have built one if they'd been patient.

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On the topic of manoeuvring thrusters... It's always a good idea to have a physical backup, if your primary drive system packs it in. Sure, your ship may be so massive that they have hardly any effect, but acceleration in space is hardly capped... As for the Justice League's laziness? I'm sure they don't want to shake up the status quo. A network like that could easily be seen as intrusive by many a government...

"Orange Lantern?"

"Wards are still up. I can fly out and have a look, but if the station's warded it's barely worth my while."

Click to shrink...

Honestly, Barry's got the right of it. This should be a minor concern. Grab a live captive Sheeda if you want to know what's up with it. Honestly, they're acting like a typical RPG player group, focusing on some random detail of the local setting instead of, you know, the evil lich summoning a zombie army. They're going to obsess over it until said army rolls over them and they go "What the hell, DM?!" in complete confusion...

Physical directions don't mean much in the Honden, but by searching for desires relating to the planet below, I-.

Out, wyrmling, and dare you not darken my door again.

Click to shrink...

...What.

Gah! A green aura surrounds me and hurls me across the hangar and into the wall!

"I'm okay!" I float upright and take a moment to check myself over. "I'm okay."

Click to shrink...

Okay, someone's mainlining Will. Someone who's able to sense someone accessing another colour's elemental plane, and block it while physically attacking them... That's bad.

Diana looks alarmed. "What happened?"

"I tried finding the Sheeda's desire networks in the Honden. Something felt me do it."

Click to shrink...

And objected quite emphatically. Oh, boy... One of the Guardians' mistakes again...

Jordan's holding his ring out in the place I was standing. green light strobing through the area as it scans.

"That was… Green Lantern energy."

Click to shrink...

Thank you, Captain Obvious. Well, I suppose Diana and Barry needed the info... Though i suspect Diana has at least a little empathic sense capable of picking that up...

I dart back to the exit portal, looking around… Haven't got a good angle but I can't see any stars. There's light, so presumably there's a local star somewhere, but that's it. That's not necessarily strange. Plenty of systems towards the galactic rim have a section of the night sky that's empty, and there are more than a few systems that have them obscured.

But.

Click to shrink...

Oh, yes. You recognise this, don't you? Where's that DC Wiki... <Dig dig dig>

A sparsely inhabited planet. A yellow space station. And a powerful Green Lantern.

"Jordan, can you reach the Guardians?"

Click to shrink...

That's assuming you're still in the modern day. I mean, you checked, but how reliable was your equipment, really?

"Probably, but they're not sending reinforcements."

"Ask for all information on a human man named Lord Malvolio of the Green Flame. If they say that don't know who that is, scream at them until they decide to be helpful."

Click to shrink...

Ladies and Gentlemen: Lord Malvolio. And I notice that sneaky confirmation that the Guardians are staying hands-off on the Sheeda situation. Good to have that confirmed.

"If you already know-."

"If I knew enough to fight him, do you think I'd have been thrown across the hangar?"

Click to shrink...

He's powerful enough in Will that it's like trying to fistfight a hurricane. If he decides to act, you'll be snuffed out like an ant...

Jordan manages a small smile. "I guess not."

"The Guardians and the Controllers barely exchange information about regular operations. They certainly don't talk about their mistakes. Wonder Woman, I strongly suggest that we clear the ship first. Whatever's going on here, disabling the ship denies the Sheeda a lot of tactical options. Destroying it flat out stops them."

Click to shrink...

And it's the mission you came here for. Just hope that Malvolio is content to ignore you for now. If he gets curious, maybe aim him at the Sheeda?

"What have you heard of this 'Malvolio'?"

"Supposedly -and this isn't confirmed- he killed one of our Sector's former Green Lanterns, took his ring and kept it."

Click to shrink...

Presumably he's just omitting details to cover up what he does know. Or he honestly doesn't remember too much more, even with the Ring's recall...

Mister Allen glances at Jordan.

"That… Does happen, sometimes. We don't just take people with clean scorecards. But if the Guardians let him keep a ring, they must have thought that he'd do an okay job. Why would the Sheeda be talking to-? You think they're making him the same offer they meant to make me?"

Click to shrink...

...Oh, hell. Yet... We've seen what happens to Spectrum-based tech in Starbreaker's presence on the renegade's side. Which means they're probably not planning to have him come and try to kill him.

"If he's the ruling planets sort of Lantern… Like Sinestro, he might go for it. Or he might not. It might not even be him, but Guy can't do what someone just did to me."

Mister Allen nods. "So where next?"

Click to shrink...

Back on task, gentlemen and lady. You've got raiders to stop...

Diana gives a small shrug. "We don't have a layout."

"Paul and I can fly outside, attack the other launch bays that way. There won't be any prisoners there, and I'm pretty sure we can handle any fighter defenses."

Click to shrink...

...Would the Sheeda even have space-fighters? Could their fly-steeds manoeuvre in vacuum? I know, magic, but...

"It's that, or tear the ship apart from the inside. Faster but riskier for any prisoners."

"Attack from the outside. Flash and I will follow the corridors and attempt to find either the holding cells or the bridge."

I nod inside my armour, then Jordan and I jump through the exit and into space.

Click to shrink...

Hopefully, this doesn't poke the 450-year-old dragon any further. Or backfire badly otherwise. Best hope is that the Sheeda are confused as to how there are two different coloured Lanterns flying around.

Well... That escalated quickly. Here's hoping that nothing else pops up, or this will turn into a huge fustercluck...I get the feeling this will end with a meeting with Malvolio, and with any luck, the Sheeda's defeat.