Chojin Patriarch
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So it's basically a kludge of different styles, probably made from memory by someone whose understanding of the technologies involved was probably less than perfect at the time. Sounds about right for Malvolio's work, then?26th June 2012
16:51 GMT -5
As we get closer, my ring starts identifying the technologies used in the construction of the space station. A.. slightly worrying amount is a partial match for Tartarath's technology, and I… Suppose that they would have been the most advanced species in our region of space when he left. Other bits and pieces could have come from more or less anywhere, though the general structure… There's a slightly narrower range of species who build spherical space stations, but… The separation of the sphere section implies that the people who build it didn't have artificial gravity and were using centripetal force to substitute for it. So… Built without artificial gravity and upgraded later? Emotional attachment?
And in typical advanced technological fashion, there's no actual door? I hope there's at least an emergency backup, and a backup for the backup? Or would that be hoping for too much common sense.There's an open hangar, with a thin green film over it. I can't see Lord Malvolio himself… If he's been here long enough he probably could run a construct from his throne room to the exit, but there doesn't appear to be a manual door and I'd be surprised if he went entirely without sleep. Sector Houses use a system like this-.
No. No, this isn't a converted Sector House. The technologies and layout are wrong. But that does look like a Sector House atmosphere shield.
That's a matter of opinion. Presumably, they're assuming Malvolio is managing the station's functions himself?
If they are the same species, maybe a different ethnic group? One of those 'That just raises more questions!' moments... Of course, that assumes they're actual people, and not some extremely skilled construct work...We pass through, and… I'm reminded of Emperor Palpatine's arrival on the Death Star. Ranks of soldiers and… Priests? Are lined up on either side, with a clear gangway between them. Some are the white skinned aliens I've seen so far, while others have pale orange skin. The pale orange ones are smaller, though… Without scanning them I can't say for certain that they're not the same species.
Maybe one of the shuttles you saw collected them? Or Malvolio ferried the Sheeda delegation over himself? That might have been beneath him, though... Just not enough data to be sure.Off to the far sides I see in-system ships which appear to be of local manufacture. I don't see anything obviously Sheeda, though. Have I misjudged? Would he have simply annihilated them the moment they arrived uninvited? If they were rude, that… Sounds possible. How desperate was the Queen?
Huh. So he brought along his offsider when he left Earth. Again, he may well be an extremely well-made construct. It all depends on assumptions...We touch down, and I release Diana as Jordan releases Mr Allen. Another humanoid is hurrying towards us along the open alley, this one… More human looking. That is to say, his skin is within the Caucasian colour range and he has both hair and a nose. He's wearing a blue jumpsuit, plain but for a white star with a small Green Lantern sigil in the centre and a white utility belt.
"Welcome, travellers! I am Wallace, squire to Lord Malvolio."
Nice to have it confirmed the Sheeda are here. And it sounds like he's older than he looks.He smiles, slowing as he reaches us.
"It has been so long since either my Lord or myself has crossed paths with anyone from Earth, and now two sets in the same day!"
Hmm... Were there any travellers before Malvolio? I mean, we know about Aurakles and his lot, but did they ever leave the Solar System?Diana nods, a polite smile on her face.
"It will be interesting to meet a men as well-travelled. No one on Earth has any idea that there have been humans in space for so long."
Well, that's more insight than I'd give Hal credit for. So used to the memetic version, all "Who the hell is Bruce Wayne?" ignorance and cockiness... (And yes, that's something from the early new 52 comics, a flashback to the formation of the League during an Apokaliptian invasion...)"To tell you the truth, I've almost forgotten what other humans look like."
"Do you and Lord Malvolio wanna go home?"
Looking good for someone pushing four hundred."I wouldn't presume to speak for Lord Malvolio, but for myself… I would be interested to see our former homeworld once more. It's been… Rather a long time."
"Yeah, I skimmed your court records. You left Earth when he did?"
I know, right? I didn't think the Green light was good for that sort of thing... Not as good as Blue or Orange, certainly..."Verily."
Jordan frowns. "How are you still alive? You've gotta be three hundred years old."
Huh... Still not sure if he's just forgetful in a 'one day blurs into the next' sort of agelessness, or if he's just a construct that thinks it was human. I could see Malvolio doing that, making a replacement for his best friend after he passed of old age..."I suppose that I must be." Wallace's nods solemnly. "I'd rather.. lost track. If… You'd like to accompany me, I'll escort you to Lord Malvolio now."
Yay. The joy of someone who knows how to keep his shit hidden.Diana nods, and Wallace turns away to lead us further into the space station. Diana and Jordan take the lead, with Mister Allen-. It's hard to see, but I think he's… Blurring slightly. Looking around while trying to look like he's staying in one place? I wouldn't have spotted it if I wasn't specifically looking for it, and I hope that Lord Malvolio doesn't notice. I on the other hand limit myself to passive scans. The station is shielded and appears to be using a kinetic energy induction system to maintain a near perfectly even internal temperature. Which means that infrared is just showing me the walls.
So not hurting the case for them all being constructs. Not even a twitch, or a sidelong glance at their visitors? That kind of discipline does not strike me as natural.The people who were lined up to greet us remain staring ahead at least until the interior door closes, glancing neither left nor right as we passed them. That's a little disturb-.
Goodness. That would be funnelling a lot of Willpower through it. Enough, say, to make an entire planet-sized construct and it's population, so realistic that they have their own emotions?Jordan gasps and I'm… Not far off doing that myself as we walk into an antechamber and see… What looks suspiciously like a Green Central Power Battery standing tall as the centrepiece in the middle of the room. A quick ring-assisted comparison to the one I saw on Oa shows that it's somewhat smaller, though still far larger than any personal lantern. A… Bit larger than the industrial lanterns used in the larger Sector Houses, though I suppose that it could simply be an obsolete model that Malvolio got hold of. Its vibrant glow shows that it's definitely still active. If that's what it is, that might explain how he's kept his ring charged for so long.
For all we know, Malvolio made it based on the design of a personal lantern, simply scaling up without the restrictive software of its model. I shudder at the sheer power it would take to do so, though. By now, he could probably rival a Guardian for sheer control of Spectrum energy.Except… Why wouldn't the Guardians pull the plug? The data I got from John's ring and from Hinon made it clear that doing that was very much an option. Was it..? Did they used to use lanterns which didn't have that function? Because if there's a way around the usual lockouts, that's something I need to know. I don't want to ever have to fight a Larfleeze who knows I'm coming.
At least it doesn't seem to be disrupting my ring.
The dance of stately manners. Something Malvolio would be intimately familiar with from his Earthly youth...The corridor out is wider, and leads to a grand staircase leading up to gold doors embossed with the green sigil. If the yellow weakness existed in this continuity, this would be a really stupid colour to use to decorate a space station. As it is, it's merely gaudy in the extreme.
Wallace knocks on the door three times, and after a moment of 'remember whose home this is' waiting the doors slowly begin to open.
Yeah, wouldn't do to go poking in the presence of your host. Now that you're presumably aware you can do it, maybe you can go poking around the Honden for transtemporal logs of her Avarice. At least for the times she's been in the present and relatively recent past...I see Lord Malvolio himself almost immediately, and the Sheeda courtiers a moment later. The Sheeda are keeping their appearance as humanoid as possible and generally appear to be conducting themselves with decorum. And-. There's Gloriana Tenebrae.
I don't look inside her. Aside from anything else, I don't imagine that I'd see anything that would actually help me achieve my objectives. Just a cavalcade of malicious decisions made for personal satisfaction. Anarawd is rationally self-interested. Melmoth is just vile, and I doubt that the woman who usurped him would be any better.
And this way, you make yourself seem like dumb muscle. A mere bodyguard for the real diplomat. Not that Diana needs it, does she?Wallace remains still until the doors are fully open, then proceeds forward in a slow and stately fashion. As we follow him I contemplate switching to my formal robes… No. This is still a combat mission, and I'm still in a room with some very dangerous people.
To be honest, he may well have modified himself over the centuries to better fit his status. To be blunt, he'd have left one hell of an impression in his day otherwise. The mask? I got nothing.Malvolio doesn't appear much moved by our arrival, remaining slumped in his beautifully wroughtchairthrone. He really does look like a medieval take on Alan, red and green clothes combined with a tiny mask, which he wears… Why? I mean, at least Alan had a reason to conceal his identity. I can't imagine that Malvolio has any human family he actually knows left alive after all this time. And speaking of human… As we get closer and I can better estimate his size… He's either not human any more or at least not wholey human. He's about two metres tall but there are humans who are taller. It's that he's too broad, too muscular, and his proportions are off. His hands are large enough to envelop a normal person's head but honestly it's his head that's most obviously abnormal. It's expanded to match the proportions of his muscles, which makes it grotesquely large by human standards.
From that pic you posted of his speech, he looks fairly normal, if slouched. But at that scale, his goblet would have to hold a liter or more of fluid... Imagine a cup holding a gallon of wine, American readers...I mean, if you saw him on his own from a distance you probably wouldn't notice it, but like this…
...That is a lot of green light. He's definitely closer to a Guardian than a human at this point. And really, I'm amazed he'd take Glory-Bra at her word. Wouldn't she look like something out of contemporary depictions of hell to him? Seriously: Head tentacles."Lord Malvolio." Diana bows, and after a momentary delay on Jordan's part the other League members do the same. I can't really bow properly in this armour, but I lean slightly along with them. "Thank you for inviting us into your home."
"Long has it been since I have spoken with men and women from the world of my birth. And now two distinct types stand before me. Queen Gloriana claims dominion over the entire globe, and appeals to me to aid in the realisation of her claim. Who are you, and why do you seek me?"
He may well understand the use of pseudonyms from highwaymen or the like? Though that's not the best association... Maybe he'd think of it as a courtly title?"I am Princess Diana of Themyscira. These are my colleagues…"
Always a bit of a puzzle when dealing with people from other planets. Do you use the real name or their title? Or course, an alien wouldn't know that 'Flash' wasn't his real name, but that doesn't help when dealing with an exotic human like Malvolio.
Wow, okay, just drop the bomb, Diana. As for Malvolio paying attention to Hal... Who knows what manner of senses he has now? He might well have done a detailed scan of each of you the second you set foot on the station."Green Lantern Harold Jordan, the Flash, and Orange Lantern Paul."
Oddly, Malvolio doesn't appear to be focusing on Jordan to any great degree. I would have thought that for better or worse that's where his eyes would fall.
"And we would ask your aid in bringing the few remaining Sheeda to justice."
And now it turns into a courtroom drama. The story just goes into all manner of genres, doesn't it? I predict Glory-Bra will have a lot to say about what Diana just announced. No doubt we'll see her reply tomorrow. And hopefully, at some point, Malvolio introducing her to a giant green pimp-hand of courtly respect.
...or at least not wholely human. (Not sure on the spelling, but the spellchecker picked it up.)