transhumansage
Versed in the lewd.
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what a shame. i think varny would make a better ally than kalmin. also is qward the only planet in the anti-matter verse?
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what a shame. i think varny would make a better ally than kalmin. also is qward the only planet in the anti-matter verse?
can you elaborate more on this? what are the interests that would be unsatisfied if he is left alive?
Why didn't you kill him!? You had a perfect opportunity!"
"I wanted his skills."
"Do you have any idea how many people he's killed?!"
"An entire planet driven mad with fear for Sinestro's ring alone."
"That's the least of it! Two species went extinct when he tested out the antithesis ring delivery system alone! He hunter down and dissected dozens of Green Lantern, then tortured them to death to try and work out how their connections to their rings worked!"
You're working with a man who genuinely wants to destroy all reality!"
We're a species governed by mad scientists! I'm in the process of changing our culture so that we'll become a normal empire, conquering people to exploit their resources and to swell our egos, not out of a sense of obligation to a god who quite literally wants to kill us!" He glare at me. "Why are you even here!?"
. I don't like deliberately making a society worse, but this is Qward we're talking about
probably talk Dr. Sivana into taking them on as graduate students
Being the Token Evil teammate.What exactly is Kalmin doing for OL again? Cause this seems like a really dumb move in the long and short term.
and knowing DC
what a shame. i think varny would make a better ally than kalmin. also is qward the only planet in the anti-matter verse?
can you elaborate more on this? what are the interests that would be unsatisfied if he is left alive?
Huh. I think Paul is thinking very long term? As in, he wants Earth to be the dominant power in the universe. And a reformed Qward Empire would be a competitor.
What exactly is Kalmin doing for OL again? Cause this seems like a really dumb move in the long and short term.
Honestly I can kinda get where Paul's coming from. Allying with Varnathon may be better for Qward but so long as the Antimonitor himself does not return then having a weak, divided and pointlessly self sabotaging Qward is probably better for the universe at large.
What exactly is Kalmin doing for OL again? Cause this seems like a really dumb move in the long and short term.
His ring is orange, after all.So Paul seems to be thinking like a video game character here- Taking the quest that means giving up loot? NEVER!
Thank you, corrected.
The SI originally hired him in case the Controllers betrayed him and he needed someone else to make rings.What exactly is Kalmin doing for OL again? Cause this seems like a really dumb move in the long and short term.
If his life was on the line then I think he would have made a ring, or had someone else do it.
No. There's actually an anti-matter Earth, though the SI hasn't visited it as yet.
Qward gets organised and so presents an active threat that knows where Maltus is.can you elaborate more on this? what are the interests that would be unsatisfied if he is left alive?
Thank you, corrected.
Mostly they were still alive. The rings tended to shut down if they were killed.If he tortured and killed them later then it should be 'vivisected'
And clearly that something is being a conniving snake with a talent for keeping his head attached in this culture... No doubt he'll say anything to survive. Let's see how well he handles this situation.11th July 2012
16:08 GMT
"I'm not-. Varnathon. He's-" Varnathon turns back to the students. "-probably a dozen t-units away by now!"
Different accent, difference cadence and different diction. I don't know if he's actually matching the man he looks like but he can't have gotten this far in life without being good at something.
I like her, she's got some brains in that head. This 'robot' is visibly acting more complex than any Weaponer would code it to be? Must be something special. So it's clearly in charge, even above the Council member accompanying it.
I'd say something about trigger discipline, but really, this is a combat zone. He can be excused for a twitch reaction. Do it again, though, and OL might get annoyed.I smile and send my heavy armour into subspace, replacing it with construct armour.
"Surprise! I-."
One of the students reflexively shoots me.
Ah, the Qwardian equivalent of the Dope Slap, I see. Probably a lot more effective at getting a message through thick Thunderer skulls, too."You know, I can see why you were assigned to medical experimentation."
The student next to him swivels on his heel and punches him in the face, knocking him to the deck.
I mean, she probably wouldn't mind you slashing and electrocuting him, given the shit she's been through today because of his policies... Suprised she isn't more concerned about her arm, really."Thank you. So, Varnathon, are you willing to accept that I can scan you through whatever disguise you're wearing, or do I have to stab and electrocute you until I work out how to turn it off?"
One-arm q'ardajin frowns.
"He's probably using a simple mass diffractor. A relatively small-."
I take it that's Varnathon forgetting himself there. After all, would the students even know what an Orange Lantern is? And of course, a good surprise is always the best way to expose someone in disguise..."Stab and electrocute, because it's not always about efficiency."
"You're the Orange Lantern who-? I thought you'd kill him!"
Because Kalmin was more useful alive. Honestly, it's like he's not even paying attention. If Varnathon's received any information from the Reach alongside their payments for Qwa-Matter, the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps would be a major data point in it.He reaches up and touches his forehead, the disguise evaporating a moment later.
"Why didn't you kill him!? You had a perfect opportunity!"
And that's Canon, by the way. Thankfully later rings are less setup-intensive. Unless they really drove 3,600 (7,200 if matching the current Greens) separate planets to destruction to farm the fear..."I wanted his skills."
"Do you have any idea how many people he's killed?!"
"An entire planet driven mad with fear for Sinestro's ring alone."
Yeah, It's definitely vivisection if they were still alive to be tortured later, unless he scooped up more when the dissections failed to reveal any useful data. And honestly, I can see Kalmin ordering that."That's the least of it! Two species went extinct when he tested out the antithesis ring delivery system alone! He hunter down and dissected dozens of Green Lantern, then tortured them to death to try and work out how their connections to their rings worked!"
I nod.
"Do you have their names? It would help with their record-keeping."
That may sound callous, but remember, Enlightened OL has always been about 'Want the End, want the Means.' If he needs to work with a monster like Kalmin, than he will. What happens when Kalmin's usefulness is ended? Well, that probably depends on how evil Kalmin still is then..."You don't..? Care?"
"The fact that Kalmin's evil isn't exactly news to me. I'm a little surprised that you're so excised about it, though."
Well, it doesn't have to be right away, does it? That bridge can be crossed when it comes to it, after all."You're working with a man who genuinely wants to destroy all reality!"
"Yes?"
True, that. I expect the Controllers have a very close watch on him. Not to the point of annoying him, that could prove painful... But keep in mind, the Controllers are the people who made things like Sun-Eaters, too..."Why?!"
"I really need someone with his skill set. And there's only so much evil he can do when we're watching him so closely."
"Because I do have places to be, things to do. Get the state of my soul checked up on and all that.""I thought I was watching him, then you and the ginger-haired Green Lantern turned up!"
"Look, are you going somewhere with this?"
"Good god, it's strange to see this from the outside..." And yet, his approach is still flawed. People like Kalmin are still out there, ready to overthrow him and put things back the proper way. His position is precarious as hell because of that."I've been reforming q'ardajin society! The Council of Commanders are stupefied into indolence, the Thunderers reduced to menacing the few aliens who actually come here and the remaining Weaponers building for export! This is the least destructive Qward has ever been!"
"That's-. You're actually trying to make Qward less evil?"
Yes, please do, this should be amazing to hear."I understand your scepticism, but yes!"
One-arm points her gun at his head. "Explain yourself."
True, he does have a point. The problem is, as Darko noted, people will still suffer no matter how they operate. And if said Omnicidal God shows up, who do you think is going to be first on his chopping block, Varnathon?"We're a species governed by mad scientists! I'm in the process of changing our culture so that we'll become a normal empire, conquering people to exploit their resources and to swell our egos, not out of a sense of obligation to a god who quite literally wants to kill us!" He glare at me. "Why are you even here!?"
"You're trading with the Reach."
Except for the whole 'total annihilation field' effect Qwa-Matter can do. True, it's hardly as bad as some of the weapons they have ('Possible Theological implications', anyone?) But it's more likely to fuck things up worse when things inevitably go wrong. That is a big concern..."Probably? Who are-? The ones with no noses and beetle-themed elite soldiers?"
"Yes. You sold them qwa-matter."
"For which they paid extremely well. Access to their supply chains and distribution networks will enrich Qward without giving them anything radically different to the weapons they already deploy."
Yeah, you just realised... You. Dun. Goofed. He's seeing his future circling the drain right now, isn't he?"Are you aware that they're fighting the Orange Lantern Corps?"
He stares at me for a few moments.
"Oh eat my marrow."
No, you wanted idiots too uncaring, short-sighted or just dumb to question things changing. That sort of selection rarely works out well for any race in the future..."Why were we selected for medical experimentation?"
"Because to change the q'ardajin I need to be able to control them. I need at least one generation of Weaponers to not try and overthrow the existing order. I need stability."
Now, that sounds nice and all, but..."We learned all the lessons we were taught, we did all we were asked, and you decided that you couldn't use us."
"Yes, but that doesn't matter now! You, Lantern, you could take them. Take them back to your universe with you, and I'll continue to change Qward. I'll even agree not to sell to anyone in the matter universe. Grant me isolation and I'll make a Qward that has forgotten both you and the Anti-Monitor!"
And it'd be interesting to see if they could lose that 'token evil' streak that Qwardians have been tarred with. Granted, they're probably too old to comfortably change that much, but it's worth the experiment.Ah, man. I don't like deliberately making a society worse, but this is Qward we're talking about. And he's right; I could drop a group of young q'ardajin off with Dox's Research and Development people… Heck, I could probably talk Dr. Sivana into taking them on as graduate students. Amalak would take them. He's probably got plenty of opportunities for ruthless, self-motivated young people with no next of kin.
True. I suspect most things are better than Medical Experimentation on Qward, though."Alright lads and lasses. How would you feel about working away from home?"
One arm lowers her gun slightly.
"Not excited, but it's better than medical experimentation."
Really, I can see OL seeing a lot of himself in Varnathon, but still..."That's a positive attitude if ever I heard one. Varnathon, I need to verify your story. You're wearing something that shields you against mental intrusion. Please remove it."
He touches his forehead cybergraft and… Ah, there we go. I can see him.
Why are these idiots always tearing everything down? Don't they see how much stronger we could be if we used our resources more efficiently?
'Mighty Empire across the Stars' does not strike the same note as OL's enlightened desire to uplift Humanity. I mean, yes, early on, Humans probably would be tempted to go the Empire route...O-oh. It's like looking at myself. And not just because I'm feeling what he's feeling. He sees the some potential in Qward that I see in Earth; not just serving an uncaring god but building a mighty empire across the stars.
And this is already raising hackles in the thread, I see. But I can see where OL is coming from. There are just too many variables to predict where Varnathon would take things in the long term. For all we know, he'd drive Qward into a hole, or trigger a social backlash far worse than what we've seen, triggering a new crusade against all life in the Matter universe. Or it might be like Legion's loyalty mission in ME2, where the final choice is really picking from two bad ends (and should have awarded Renegade points either way.)!Renegade Interrupt!
But it's just not in my interests to let him.
Hey, you never know, Mr Zoat might be following a 'golden path' playguide for this quest, that gives far better long-term benefits than the obvious ones we see. Handing Varnathon over to Kalmin might not see him promptly Qwa-bolted out of existence... Especially if their relationship values are just right.I stick a construct muzzle over his face.
"Kalmin, come to my location. We have him."
I'm a little surprised that you're so excited about it, though.I'm a little surprised that you're so excised about it, though.
Thank you, corrected.I'm a little surprised that you're so excited about it, though.
? Since they were alive, it's definitely vivisection, rather than dissection. I think?Mostly they were still alive. The rings tended to shut down if they were killed.
Seems like it would have been easier to work with multiple controllers. They are hardly a monolith.The SI originally hired him in case the Controllers betrayed him and he needed someone else to make rings.
But it's just not in my interests to let him.
I stick a construct muzzle over his face.
"Kalmin, come to my location. We have him."
There are just too many variables to predict where Varnathon would take things in the long term.
The thing is, Kalmin becomes a problem only if he succeeds at "fixing" Qward, which is a big "if", given how all the weaponers they've met reacted to his religious ramblings. Meanwhile, Varnathon was already succeeding in turning Qward more expansionist, which isn't exactly a good development.What exactly is Kalmin doing for OL again? Cause this seems like a really dumb move in the long and short term.
The thing is, Kalmin becomes a problem only if he succeeds at "fixing" Qward, which is a big "if", given how all the weaponers they've met reacted to his religious ramblings. Meanwhile, Varnathon was already succeeding in turning Qward more expansionist, which isn't exactly a good development.
There's no appreciable difference between destroying the universe and random acts of warmongering at the scale he can operate on in the foreseable future. Unless he manages to get Qward as a whole back on board. Which is what I commented on in the first place.No, Kalmin is a problem because he desires to destroy the universe.
He's working with OL because he believes that cooperating is allowing him ot develop better weapons and increase his potential capacity for destruction, but sooner or later he's going to stop working on increasing his potential destructive ability and start working on actually using that destrictive ability to realize his end-goal.
He'll turn his guns against the universe, because that's what his religion dictates that he has to do.
Better to shoot him in the back before that moment comes.
There's no appreciable difference between destroying the universe and random acts of warmongering at the scale he can operate on in the foreseable future. Unless he manages to get Qward as a whole back on board. Which is what I commented on in the first place.
He'd be killed and dissected if he stuck around.You should write a few chapters where Paul arrives in orbit around Qward in an alternate universe, instead of Earth.
He could probably do a better job than Varnathon, lol.