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It's not exactly a secret that Paul uses mind control. The Reach probably told them to discourage them from working with the Orange Lantern Corps. Probably left out a lot of context.It's both interesting and worrying that they know about Paul's mind enslaving....
"The Orange Lantern Corps doesn't hold naked self-interest against people. If your company made a deal with the Reach to keep yourselves alive… Heck, I'd probably have done the same in your position. But we're going to be working with the people of this region and expelling the Reach with extreme violence. If you or particular members of your company have gained too much notoriety, then I'm afraid that we'll give you a show trial and then kill you because we're not offering you a chance to live because we're nice but more because you're not worth the bother."
I have to say, sacrificing innocents just because they gained notoriety and because it's convinient is out of character for OL. Unless you meant they gained that reputation by actually committing crimes.
It's not a secret on Earth.It's not exactly a secret that Paul uses mind control. The Reach probably told them to discourage them from working with the Orange Lantern Corps. Probably left out a lot of context.
Thank you, corrected.
There's a lot of theories that didn't pan out. Lone Gunman. Communism. Geometry.
Yep, he's taking them down easy as3rd July 2012
10:59 GMT -5
"…matter what you do to me, you damned bilge-rat!"
I suppose that in the grand scheme of things she's not wrong. I send a construct-spike up into the second cruiser's primary drive, my construct shield easily absorbing the fire from its frigate escort.
They're basically privateers, then. Private citizens given limited capacity to roam and raid anyone not flying Reach colours... Something that wouldn't fly on Earth, under modern rules of engagement.These clearly aren't Reach ships, just small fleets they hire to 'provide security' in the areas they're observing. Mostly to make sure that external parties don't get a better look at the Reach's true fleet capacity. And also to indulge in a little raiding here and there against targets who are reluctant to accept Reach 'protection'.
Probably dependant on how willing they'd be to change their ways, I suppose? I suspect they've grown quite accustomed to raiding, and just declaring 'Oh, they weren't Reach, so it's fine.'My construct sheer snips through the shielding around the frigate's dorsal turret and slices it clean off the hull.
Still, on the off-chance that they're a reasonably upstanding private security firm, I'd rather not slaughter them out of hand. Heck, Dox would probably hire them on in a slightly modified version of their current role if he thought they'd keep to the terms of the contract.
Nice guy OL. After all, killing them is a waste of useful resources. Whether it be any information they can provide, or their future service.Probably need to stick their ships back together a bit, first.
"I'm still perfectly willing to accept your surrender."
Wait, do they think he'll kill them if they surrender? Has the Reach been telling tall tales about Orange Lanterns?The cruiser that still has guns fires another volley… In my general direction. I'm close enough that sensor lag shouldn't be a problem, so I… Guess that their gunnery just isn't accurate against small targets?
"May I ask why you're do insistent about this?"
Hey now, he's only done that once. To a large group, anyway.I'm not transmitting to their communications array. I'm broadcasting to every communications device on each of the ships, which means that the entire crew can hear that I'm saying that not interested in fighting them.
"Because you're enslaving people's minds and forcing them to serve you!"
Honestly, what did they think they were doing? Did no-one on the crew stop and ask "Are... Are we the bad guys here?"I frown, scoffing as the sheers snip through the hull, severing a main power conduit and causing the ship's safeties to shut down most of the ship's systems.
"You work for the Reach."
Probably a shell company, funded by another company and another, in a chain reaching back to the Reach themselves. Plausible Deniability, and all that..."We do not work for the Reach!"
"You're a Security Fleet in the Reach Periphery. Who do you think you work for?"
As long as the 'development' is Reach space expanding. At the cost of local populations..."It's a development zone!"
"That's technically an accurate statement, yes."
In simpler terms: Come along quietly, or there will be trouble. ...Well, more trouble.I grab the now-disabled frigate and reduce its relative momentum to zero before shoving it into a cluster with the other crippled ships.
"In the same sense that I 'develop' a forest when I cut it down so I can build a mine. Look, you're running out of functioning ships. Once they all stop working the option for parole rather evaporates."
Sounds like the crew is taking matters into their own hands... Or whatever manipulation extremities they might have. No guarantee they're anthropomorphs.
Yeah, that's a pretty clear sign of surrender. Or some bizarre form of 'just kill us now, then.'"Commodore?"
The still-mobile ships kill their acceleration and close what still-functioning gun ports they have.
Given he just shot his boss in the back? I'd say he's claiming it whether he does or not."This is Captain Graan. The commodore-."
"Say no more. Do you have the authority to negotiate with me?"
And you don't want that. It might prove to be.. terminal..."At the moment, yes. What are your intentions?"
"I'm going to check your crew for Reach plants or mental tampering. After that, you'll have a choice between leaving the region or remaining. I will warn you now that if you opt to remain, we will take a significantly closer look at what you've been doing in this region."
Rather reasonable, really. It all comes down to how nice a group of privateers they were..."And what else?"
"The Orange Lantern Corps doesn't hold naked self-interest against people. If your company made a deal with the Reach to keep yourselves alive… Heck, I'd probably have done the same in your position. But we're going to be working with the people of this region and expelling the Reach with extreme violence. If you or particular members of your company have gained too much notoriety, then I'm afraid that we'll give you a show trial and then kill you because we're not offering you a chance to live because we're nice but more because you're not worth the bother."
Because that will imply collaboration, and the next orange Lantern they face might not be so reserved as OL."I'm not-. We just do patrols."
"Then you probably won't have anything to worry about. And of course if you accept parole and come back while the war is still ongoing then we'll automatically kill you, so that's not a safe option."
Ah, the shooting's started elsewhere? I see Dox is wasting no time at all.Quick scan…
"I'm afraid that I'm going to need to rush you. My presence is required elsewhere."
So be very clear: Just how useful can you be to him?"Is that something we can assist with?"
"Possibly. I'm willing to suspend judgement and offer payment relative to the level of aid you are actually able to provide. "
So, that's the world they're hitting, the lightly-touched annexed planet. Anyone recognise the name? The DC Wiki finds nothing.I begin jamming communication out from the fleet. They can talk to each other, but they can't warn anyone else.
"We're liberating the Reach-held world of Callallan. Any data you can provide on Reach operations there would be appreciated."
Anything more than something even the most basic ring-user can manage to learn? Because they aren't really showing their best cards here."We have.. maps-?"
"We have maps. I was really more talking about-."
Because of course the Reach had infiltrators in the fleet. They're such control freaks, why would they allow anything to operate independently without being monitored?And there's the emergency transponder squawk Reach plants use.
"Excuse me a moment."
Not subtle, then. I wonder if the guy was a member of the crew before they started under the Reach, or if he joined after?I step out
and reappear next to… Oh, that's a bit obvious. They weren't even trying to keep their mind-state anything like it's original shape. I grasp the purple flesh of the plant's bald head and brand. Are they-?
Easily replaced tool, probably. About as valuable as a surveillance bug... in a Bond movie.The sigil shimmers into existence and the Reach-programmed 'security' operative drops their communicator.
No suicide device. Low priority, or a long term asset, I wonder?
I bet they thought they were safe when he flickered out of sight. Bet there were spikes of Hope..."Sorry, one of your crew just tried sending a message out. Looks like a class two neural overlay. Might I suggest vetting people in future?"
"You're-? On board?"
Pfft, no. As if OL would allow you a gun to shoot him in the back, or a horse to run away on?"Not on your ship. I felt that having a conversation remotely might make things easier. Make me a little less intimidating. So I'm afraid that I'm going to have to take this gentleman off your hands until we can get it removed. Can I ask-?"
"We will accompany you and offer you any and all aid. Some.. of our ships will need repairs-."
Basically dismantling his fleet's ships with about as much concern as, say, buttering a slice of bread, probably goes a long way into convincing him to play nice."No no, I'll just drag them with us. You're far too slow anyway. Please bare in mind that I'm going to be really upset if you try and backstab me."
"I will not forget."
Now, let's see what Dox and the NEMO fleet have been getting up to, eh?"Good show."
I
step
back outside the ship and drag the more distant vessels together.
"Warp in two, one, now."
Should these be 'shears'? In which case, the 'snips' in the first case might work better as 'snip'?
It's not a secret on Earth.
But Paul's in space dealing with the Reach.
Aside from the random Ring lanterns Larflees sent out being 'slaves' and such, Paul's first big public appearance in Vega, working for the queen of the spider guild, in front of all the other pirates started off with him mind controlling a potential assassin in front of everyone. I'm sure that story got around pretty quick in similar circles. And even if the story didn't filter down to them via the grape vine, the Reach themselves have likely started a anti Orange Lantern Corps PR campaign that would be more then willing to play spin doctor with what little they know so far.
Wait, do they think he'll kill them if they surrender? Has the Reach been telling tall tales about Orange Lanterns?
Honestly, what did they think they were doing? Did no-one on the crew stop and ask "Are... Are we the bad guys here?"
So, that's the world they're hitting, the lightly-touched annexed planet. Anyone recognise the name? The DC Wiki finds nothing.
You think Geometry is a discredited theory? Like On the list of bad science it goes young earth creationism, followed by triangles and rhombuses?Thank you, corrected.
There's a lot of theories that didn't pan out. Lone Gunman. Communism. Geometry.
There is a difference between known unknowns, and unknown unknowns.Frankly this is the sort of mistake that it is reasonable for a very smart person to make- I just hope it isn't indicative of other issues due to Dox taking on too much personally.
I mean, I'm sure the other Orange Lanterns have been turning others into constructs which is a much more permeant version of enslavement compared to Paul's branding. It was mentioned in earlier update not to attempt to turn Scarabs into constructs since they had suicide devices.It's both interesting and worrying that they know about Paul's mind enslaving....
You'd be surprised what private military companies can get away with.They're basically privateers, then. Private citizens given limited capacity to roam and raid anyone not flying Reach colours... Something that wouldn't fly on Earth, under modern rules of engagement.
Not necessarily. Depending on how they're organised, it might go to the next most senior captain, who would probably be on one of the other ships.Given he just shot his boss in the back? I'd say he's claiming it whether he does or not.
Almost none of the named worlds will be canon worlds, as I don't think any Reach-held worlds get named in canon.So, that's the world they're hitting, the lightly-touched annexed planet. Anyone recognise the name? The DC Wiki finds nothing.
Thank you, corrected.Should these be 'shears'? In which case, the 'snips' in the first case might work better as 'snip'?
I'm quoting Joey Tribbiani. I wanted to find a video clip of the episode where he says it, but couldn't find one.You think Geometry is a discredited theory? Like On the list of bad science it goes young earth creationism, followed by triangles and rhombuses?
That tessellating tiles are juat a hoax perpetrated by M.C. Escher then?
I wanna say a thing about the Reach claiming Paul has Mind Control, they might not know it to be true, but that doesn't mean their PR wing cannot claim it to be true, it could be a happy coincidence for it to be true.
Paul did make his big galactic debut when he mind controlled that assassin in Vega, so they may have found out about that when they researched him.
Other Orange Lanterns have probably also mind controlled someone, so the Reach may have found out about it from observing them.
Also the Reach were allied with the Light, so they may have told them about Paul's abilities.
Vega is a long way away from the Reach. The only obvious way for them to find out would be if Grayven told them, and I doubt that they'd take his word for it.Paul did make his big galactic debut when he mind controlled that assassin in Vega, so they may have found out about that when they researched him.
Vega is a long way away from the Reach. The only obvious way for them to find out would be if Grayven told them, and I doubt that they'd take his word for it.
It's... Would really more like Mercia hearing about the Chinese defeat in the Goguryeo–Sui War. They... Might, after enough time passed, but it would be a long time later and fourth or fifth hand.i could legitimately see it as believable that they got Intel/rumors from Vega, and did research to confirm them-
the Citadel might have been a relatively localized power bloc, but we're still talking an entire star-fairing power/race obliterated in less time then the average CITY falls to an invasion against land/air/sea-bound forces ,especially prodded given rumors from their connections to the light-
you could liken it to a good chunk of old Europe sitting up and paying attention when japan dismantled the Tsarist Russian navy in the war before ww1-still a distant problem, and still a second/third-class power getting stomped against the curb, but it was one of the minnows that did it...
It's both interesting and worrying that they know about Paul's mind enslaving....
Thank you, corrected.
A while ago someone brought up a character from Jason Blood's comic who studied magic scientifically, and was able to separate Blood and Etrigan. Does anyone remember what the character's name is?
Thank you. Just a name check on the Renegade side at the moment.Elphius Levi.
He basically made a sludge composed of foreskins and liposuctioned fat to separate them.
You planning on adding him in this story?
Will it be in the paragon or renegade side?