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

O-oh. It's like looking at myself. And not just because I'm feeling what he's feeling. He sees the same potential in Qward that I see in Earth; not just serving an uncaring god but building a mighty empire across the stars.

HCV9YvU.png


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."
Wuuuuuuuuut? Where did that come from?
If he isn't selling qwa-matter and you don't have to worry about another evil empire for the glory of killing fir killings sake and you have him over enough if a barrel here to make sure your the only one he supplies anything to such as young grad students he needs to get rid of and you have a use for and you know hos desires are genuine why even bother to check his truthfulness if you're just going to kill him?
 
Wuuuuuuuuut? Where did that come from?
If he isn't selling qwa-matter and you don't have to worry about another evil empire for the glory of killing fir killings sake and you have him over enough if a barrel here to make sure your the only one he supplies anything to such as young grad students he needs to get rid of and you have a use for and you know hos desires are genuine why even bother to check his truthfulness if you're just going to kill him?
It's important to note that Varnathon is still a Qwardian, if anything the fact that he's a more intelligent and ambitious one just makes him more dangerous

It basically comes down to two options:

1) Side with Varnathon and not have to deal with Qward for a while but know that in the meantime it's becoming a more organised and insidious threat that he will have to deal with eventually, be it because Varnathon betrayed him or he was replaced

2) Side with Kalmin and have Qward go back to being a stupidly self-sabotaging, isolationist hellhole and maybe have to deal with them in future

As for why knowing the truth mattered, it's important for making an informed decision, it just so happened that this time it didn't change his mind
 
Because Kalmin totally hasn't build backdoors into all of his tech, including the ring that's keeping Alan alive.

That would be quite impressive, since Kalmin never made Alan a ring.

Once again for the peanut gallery- He made Alan a blue power battery.

Recharging off of that battery turned Alan's green ring into a blue ring.
 
That would be quite impressive, since Kalmin never made Alan a ring.

Once again for the peanut gallery- He made Alan a blue power battery.

Recharging off of that battery turned Alan's green ring into a blue ring.
To be fair, the process also altered Alan's rings in some ways, so it's not entirely implausible that Kalmin placed a backdoor. I doubt he would deliberately sabotage weapons he made, though.
 
It's important to note that Varnathon is still a Qwardian, if anything the fact that he's a more intelligent and ambitious one just makes him more dangerous

It basically comes down to two options:

1) Side with Varnathon and not have to deal with Qward for a while but know that in the meantime it's becoming a more organised and insidious threat that he will have to deal with eventually, be it because Varnathon betrayed him or he was replaced

2) Side with Kalmin and have Qward go back to being a stupidly self-sabotaging, isolationist hellhole and maybe have to deal with them in future

As for why knowing the truth mattered, it's important for making an informed decision, it just so happened that this time it didn't change his mind
Except Paragon talked Kalmin into wanting to be active in the destruction of everything instead of sitting there waiting for the Anti-Monitor.
 
Except Paragon talked Kalmin into wanting to be active in the destruction of everything instead of sitting there waiting for the Anti-Monitor.
Has he? In as much as he's convinced him to make weapons for the Corps sure but that's still a long way of from being at omnicide levels

And Kalmin has made no secret of the fact that he doesn't want to rule Qward so him wanting to be more active would change nothing about how Qward operates
 
Has he? In as much as he's convinced him to make weapons for the Corps sure but that's still a long way of from being at omnicide levels

And Kalmin has made no secret of the fact that he doesn't want to rule Qward so him wanting to be more active would change nothing about how Qward operates
Yes? It happened in Chapter 11.
"To oversee the designing of new destructive technologies to serve the Anti-Monitor's armies. But the whole point is to serve the Anti-Monitor. That's what makes us q'ardajin. Without that, we're… Just like everyone else. I might as well join the Psions!"

"I'm afraid that you missed the boat on that one."

"The Apokoliptians, then. I joined you because I wanted to get out of my funk before moving on to work that would actually advance the Anti-Monitor's goals. And now I find that I was never as faithful as I convinced myself that I was."

"I could be wrong."

"No, it makes too much sense. Aaaah, how far we've fallen."
 
To be fair, the process also altered Alan's rings in some ways, so it's not entirely implausible that Kalmin placed a backdoor. I doubt he would deliberately sabotage weapons he made, though.

Malthusian tech was shown to be emotion agnostic back when Paul found the Guardian ship and the Fist of the Guardians and powered both with the orange light.

So in and of itself, it doesn't seem charging it with a different color changes anything other than it's power source and hence power output.

In the comics, Sinestro was shown to have backdoors in his rings. He was shown to be able to make rings attack their wearers when Mongol got uppity, and post flashpoint it shown he can order yellow rings to explode, turning his own people into suicide bombers, whether they like it or not.

Since Sinestro isn't known for making his own rings but buying/stealing them from the Qwardians. I would assume the Qwardians put those backdoors in there.

So it is possible that Kalmin could make Alan's power battery explode quite prettily.

But I would be surprised to find out he could do the same to Alan's ring, since he didn't actually have anything to do with it.
 
Malthusian tech was shown to be emotion agnostic back when Paul found the Guardian ship and the Fist of the Guardians and powered both with the orange light.

So in and of itself, it doesn't seem charging it with a different color changes anything other than it's power source and hence power output.

In the comics, Sinestro was shown to have backdoors in his rings. He was shown to be able to make rings attack their wearers when Mongol got uppity, and post flashpoint it shown he can order yellow rings to explode, turning his own people into suicide bombers, whether they like it or not.

Since Sinestro isn't known for making his own rings but buying/stealing them from the Qwardians. I would assume the Qwardians put those backdoors in there.

So it is possible that Kalmin could make Alan's power battery explode quite prettily.

But I would be surprised to find out he could do the same to Alan's ring, since he didn't actually have anything to do with it.
That might just be based on Sinestro's mastery of the yellow light just like Paul can summon orange rings to him or turn them off.
 
Anti-Thesis (part 20)
11th July 2012
16:16 GMT


And while he's on the way…

"I'm sorry, I've been thinking of you as 'one-armed q'ardajin female'. What's your name?"

"Test Subject Daciya. And you are responsible for the loss of my arm."

"It was that or get eaten by a Devourer. And if getting eaten was more acceptable than getting saved by an alien, suck it up." Though… "How would you like a replacement arm?"

"I can design my own arm, alien."

"Why did I bother asking?" I raise my left hand. "I'm-."

"I'd…" One of the q'ardajin covering Varnathon with a small pistol looks my way, his shirt caked in blood. "I'd like it if you could fix my injuries. My name's Nauca."

"Not 'Test Subject'? Did your parents actually like you or something?"

"One way or another I don't think we're going to be test subjects after today. I'm.. bleeding quite heavily."

"Right."

An orange beam from my ring touches his chest, mapping his body and showing me his injuries. He's… Showing an impressive degree of fortitude, keeping himself functioning. He's certainly in a lot of pain, which I stop right away.

"Ah!"

Kalmin's never let me scan him properly, but I'm getting an excellent idea of how q'ardajin bodies work now. Patching him up is simple enough; even the implanted cybernetics are straightforward enough in function that I can work out what they're meant to look like.

"Better?"

He nods happily, smiling. "I'll kill you last, alien."

"I'm going to pretend that was a translation bug and you actually meant to say something nice there."

"What, do you want to be killed first?"

Several of the others are awkwardly smiling, so I'm going to assume that it's a q'ardajin expression. I turn back to Daciya. "How about I replace your organic arm, and you can cut it off later once you've built the replacement you want?"

"That-. What?"

This isn't working. Kalmin's approaching, and… I scan her, attach filaments to her shoulder stump to pin her in place and recreate her arm.

"Weaponer Lysis, is this sort of contrariness common amongst q'ardajin?"

"Test Subject Daciya's test scores indicated strong will and an inclination to self-determination. And having an alien touching our bodies like that…" She moues. "Repulsive. I can well understand."

"So are none of you interested in a job off Qward?"

"I'll take it." Nauca raises his right hand. "I'll take it. I'm looking for something safe, like assault infantry."

I nod. "I'm sure we can accommodate-." Kalmin flies over the rooftop and lands next to me, his eyes fixed on Varnathon. "Kalmin. One High Weaponlord."

"One craven. Has he tried to justify himself to you?"

"Yes."

Kalmin generates a new qwa bolt.

"Varnathon, you never fail to disappoint. What, were you trying to build a mortal empire? Something you could rule like a king while you traded with your 'peers'?"

I remove the construct muzzle.

"Yes you madman that's exactly what I wanted! Why do you want to destroy everything?!"

Kalmin's bolt stabilises, and he studies it for a moment.

"If I have to explain it, then I don't think you can understand."

"Kalmin, you have irreconcilable differences. You're not going to agree with one another about anything. If you're going to kill him, there's-"

Kalmin stabs Varnathon with the bolt, disintegrating him in a flash of light.

"-no point dragging it out."

"Mm."

Lysis regards Kalmin cautiously.

"He's dead. That's what you came here for. What now?"

"This is only part of what I'm here for. I need to contact the surviving members of the Council of Commanders."

"I doubt that they'll be willing to meet you again."

"They don't need to be physically present to hear my words."

She nods. "I'm sending you the communication protocols now. They should all be able to receive you."

"Who is in charge now?"

Lysis sneers. "Technically, Thunderlord Brikan, until the immediate threat is resolved and a new High Weaponlord can be chosen. Or if someone was feeling suicidally brave they could don the Weapons of Rengar and become Highlord. That used to happen a lot. It was a good way of excising the brash and stupid from our socie-. Ty."

She looks at Kalmin, and for a moment appears genuinely afraid.

"How does that work?"

"Rengar's blade and helm are unique qwa energy manipulation devices. Only someone who has mastered qwa energy could hope to wear them without being destroyed. Kalmin, is that what you intend?"

Kalmin bows his head slightly.

"I had considered it. Had the Council of Commanders been even a little less craven I may well have done it. But if the virtue of Qward rests on the shoulders of any one man then Qward is too rotted to be saved. To be worth saving."

"What, then?"

"Transmit my next words."

She nods, raising her right forearm slightly.

"Commanders of Qward. Inheritors of the traditions of the Anti-Monitor, who raised us from ignorance and gave us divine purpose. You have become weak, and in your failings you have made Qward weak. High Weaponlord Varnathon is dead by my hand but I will neither replace him nor name a replacement. You will become better. You will raise yourselves above your current lamentable level of mediocrity and become as you should be, or upon my return I will scour the rest of you from creation."

"These are the words of Weaponer Kalmin. Heed them."

He nods, and Lysis lowers her arm.

"I don't know if they'll listen or if none will hear me. Either way, the Anti-Monitor's purpose is served. And what will you do, Weaponer Councilwoman Lysis?"

"I find that watching you work has renewed my ambition. I will improve Qward or die trying."

Kalmin smiles. And it looks genuine.

"I'm pleased to hear it. And as for the rest of you…" He looks at the students. "I suppose it is only reasonable that I do my part in teaching the next generation."
 
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He nods happily, smiling. "I'll kill you last, alien."

"I'm going to pretend that was a translation bug and you actually meant to say something nice there

I think that was nice, by Qwardian standards at least.

filaments to his shoulder

'her shoulder'

I find that watching you work has renewed my ambition. I will improve Qward or die trying

And the cult continues.
 
I'm suddenly curious what the Q'ardajin word/name for the Anti-Monitor is and means. They surely wouldn't refer to themselves literally as the anti-matter universe, that's just translation, and monitoring probably isn't a defining feature they would use to refer to the Anti-Monitor.
 
"Varnathon, you never fail to disappoint. What, were you trying to build a mortal empire? Something you could rule like a king while you traded with your 'peers'?"

I remove the construct muzzle.

"Yes you madman that's exactly what I wanted! Why do you want to destroy everything?!"

Kalmin's bolt stabilises, and he studies it for a moment.

"If I have to explain it, then I don't think you can understand."
Are the hardcore Qwardians like Deidara from Naruto? Only finding lasting meaning in fleeting destruction? Like watching the Anti-Monitor at work was perfection and their efforts are pale comparisons until the end when the Weaponers unleash themselves in a hail of sound and fury?
 
I'm suddenly curious what the Q'ardajin word/name for the Anti-Monitor is and means. They surely wouldn't refer to themselves literally as the anti-matter universe, that's just translation, and monitoring probably isn't a defining feature they would use to refer to the Anti-Monitor.
The Rotinom!
 
11th July 2012
16:16 GMT


And while he's on the way…

"I'm sorry, I've been thinking of you as 'one-armed q'ardajin female'. What's your name?"
Wow, just saying it like that sounds kind of rude, OL. I mean, I doubt she sees it that way, but wow. Still, at least he can see the need for good book-keeping, :p or we wouldn't get constant timestamps...

"Test Subject Daciya. And you are responsible for the loss of my arm."

"It was that or get eaten by a Devourer. And if getting eaten was more acceptable than getting saved by an alien, suck it up." Though… "How would you like a replacement arm?"
If she's any level of devout, she'd probably refuse based on the fact it's an alien doing it. Besides, if you could replace it with a cool cybernetic arm laden with weaponry, why wouldn't you?

"I can design my own arm, alien."

"Why did I bother asking?" I raise my left hand. "I'm-."
Heh. Even he doubted that would work, eh?

"I'd…" One of the q'ardajin covering Varnathon with a small pistol looks my way, his shirt caked in blood. "I'd like it if you could fix my injuries. My name's Nauca."

"Not 'Test Subject'? Did your parents actually like you or something?"
I guess Daciya just takes her life-assignment seriously? This guy, though... He seems a lot more pliable.

"One way or another I don't think we're going to be test subjects after today. I'm.. bleeding quite heavily."

"Right."
Yeah, let's make sure he doesn't bleed out, before you lose a useful grunt. I mean, he's evidently not much of a Weaponer. So he would have been a Thunderer hopeful.

An orange beam from my ring touches his chest, mapping his body and showing me his injuries. He's… Showing an impressive degree of fortitude, keeping himself functioning. He's certainly in a lot of pain, which I stop right away.

"Ah!"
Oh, my. Quite a bit of relief. I guess one of his cybernetic implants prevents pain from causing too much feedback in his nerves. Not deaden it entirely, that would be asking too much of a Qwardian device.

Kalmin's never let me scan him properly, but I'm getting an excellent idea of how q'ardajin bodies work now. Patching him up is simple enough; even the implanted cybernetics are straight forward enough in function that I can work out what they're meant to look like.

"Better?"

He nods happily, smiling. "I'll kill you last, alien."
...Presumably that's a nicer phrase in Qwardian culture than it sounds.

"I'm going to pretend that was a translation bug and you actually meant to say something nice there."

"What, do you want to be killed first?"
You can try, bucko. Best not to annoy the fellow you'd be counting on for a ride off this rock...

Several of the others are awkwardly smiling, so I'm going to assume that it's a q'ardajin expression. I turn back to Daciya. "How about I replace your organic arm, and you can cut it off later once you've built the replacement you want?"

"That-. What?"
Having two hands would make it easier to make a new arm, after all. I would not be surprised if she actually would cut it off later, though.

This isn't working. Kalmin's approaching, and… I scan her, attach filaments to her shoulder stump to pin her in place and recreate her arm.

"Weaponer Lysis, is this sort of contrariness common amongst q'ardajin?"
Given she was pegged for a Test Subject under Varnathon's selection criteria, I'd say she was the sort of independent thinker he didn't want around, yes.

"Test Subject Daciya's test scores indicated strong will and an inclination to self-determination. And having an alien touching our body like that…" She moues. "Repulsive. I can well understand."

"So are none of you interested in a job off Qward?"
To be fair, they probably consider all other places to be hellholes unworthy of their presence. That strikes me as the Q'ardajin way...

"I'll take it." Nauca raises his right hand. "I'll take it. I'm looking for something safe, like assault infantry."

I nod. "I'm sure we can accommodate-." Kalmin flies over the rooftop and lands next to me, his eyes fixed on Varnathon. "Kalmin. One High Weaponlord."
Discussion tabled for later, then. And Assault Infantry being safer than this? :D Methinks he'll be the unflappable badass of any squad he's put in, because he has literally always seen worse...

"One craven. Has he tried to justify himself to you?"

"Yes."

Kalmin generates a new qwa bolt.
Well, that tells us his thoughts on the matter. I guess he really does not want to hear any excuses.

"Varnathon, you never fail to disappoint. What, were you trying to build a mortal empire? Something you could rule like a king while you traded with your 'peers'?"

I remove the construct muzzle.
To be fair, that's exactly what he was doing. Dress it up as nicely as you like, he was the man in charge, and he was unlikely to want to let go of any of that power. ;) Why am I talking about him in the past tense? Varnathon's already dead... :sneaky: We just have to wait for reality to catch up...

"Yes you madman that's exactly what I wanted! Why do you want to destroy everything?!"

Kalmin's bolt stabilises, and he studies it for a moment.

"If I have to explain it, then I don't think you can understand."
Yeah, these two would never have got along. It'd be like matter and anti-matter.

"Kalmin, you have irreconcilable differences. You're not going to agree with one another about anything. If you're going to kill him, there's-"

Kalmin stabs Varnathon with the bolt, disintegrating him in a flash of light.

"-no point dragging it out."
Kalmin wasting no time delivering sentence, I see. Well, then. What next?

"Mm."

Lysis regards Kalmin cautiously.

"He's dead. That's what you came here for. What now?"
Now? Now you get to fix Qward. I can tell Kalmin's not interested.

"This is only part of what I'm here for. I need to contact the surviving members of the Council of Commanders."

"I doubt that they'll be willing to meet you again."

"They don't need to be physically present to hear my words."
Indeed. You probably couldn't get them out of their panic bunkers with a singularity's gravity well by this point. I mean, they won't even have had time to change their pants, I bet!

She nods. "I'm sending you the communication protocols now. They should all be able to receive you."

"Who is in charge now?"
Whoever it is must be sweating enough bullets to fill an armoury over whether Kalmin's coming for them next...

Lysis sneers. "Technically, Thunderlord Brikan, until the immediate threat is resolved and a new High Weaponlord can be chosen. Or if someone was feeling suicidally brave they could don the Weapons of Rengar and become Highlord. That used to happen a lot. It was a good way of excising the brash and stupid from our socie-. Ty."

She looks at Kalmin, and for a moment appears genuinely afraid.
Yeah, that stuff looks about as subtle as I'd expect of Qwardian armour design. Presumably it atomises anyone unworthy enough to make the attempt to wear it...

"How does that work?"

"Rengar's blade and helm are unique qwa energy manipulation devices. Only someone who has mastered qwa energy could hope to wear them without being destroyed. Kalmin, is that what you intend?"
And what, become king of this shithole? He's already said he has no interest in ruling them...

Kalmin bows his head slightly.

"I had considered it. Had the Council of Commanders been even a little less craven I may well have done it. But if the virtue of Qward rests on the shoulders of any one man then Qward is too rotted to be saved. To be worth saving."
The rot's gone beyond what a single charismatic hero could undo, eh? So, how long until you drop a Qwa-bolt into the core and blow it all up, then?

"What, then?"

"Transmit my next words."

She nods, raising her right forearm slightly.
Here we go...

"Commanders of Qward. Inheritors of the traditions of the Anti-Monitor, who raised us from ignorance and gave us divine purpose. You have become weak, and in your failings you have made Qward weak. High Weaponlord Varnathon is dead by my hand but I will neither replace him nor name a replacement. You will become better. You will raise yourselves above your current lamentable level of mediocrity and become as you should be, or upon my return I will scour the rest of your from creation."

"These are the words of Weaponer Kalmin. Heed them."
In other words, shape up or be erased. And those words will likely trigger a civil war as every yahoo who thinks he or she has the silver bullet to fix things makes a play for power...

He nods, and Lysis lowers her arm.

"I don't know if they'll listen or if none will hear me. Either way, the Anti-Monitor's purpose is served. And what will you do, Weaponer Councilwoman Lysis?"

"I find that watching you work has renewed my ambition. I will improve Qward or die trying."
And if she takes the seat of High Weaponlord, it'll be over the corpses disintegrated memories of her rivals. And she will reform Qward along the lines Kalmin would want: Non-expansionist, insular other than studying weapons technologies, and devout.

Kalmin smiles. And it looks genuine.

"I'm pleased to hear it. And as for the rest of you…" He looks at the students. "I suppose it is only reasonable that I do my part in teaching the next generation."
And the students are probably feeling a creeping dread ooze up their spines. Are any of them wondering if they can go back and let the Devourers eat them? x3

See? This is why OL let Varnathon die. When the dust settles, Qward may find itself stronger, if smaller, but Kalmin's threat will still be hanging over their heads. And it's all the more likely that Qward will be destroyed, because there is no way they can live up to his standards. Short of the Anti-Monitor popping back up and saying 'you have done well, my chosen people,' anyway... :D
 
. I mean, he's evidently not much of a Weaponer. So he would have been a Thunderer hopeful.

He may be a Weaponer, but lacks some of their philosophical inclinations.

Oh, my. Quite a bit of relief. I guess one of his cybernetic implants prevents pain from causing too much feedback in his nerves. Not deaden it entirely, that would be asking too much of a Qwardian device.

Or he's just really resistant to pain.

Presumably that's a nicer phrase in Qwardian culture than it sounds

Like a Sontaran complimenting someone by saying they hope to kill them.

Yeah, these two would never have got along. It'd be like matter and anti-matter.

I don't know.

Paul and Guy did alright when they went there, and Kalmin has been doing well in the matter universe.

Now you get to fix Qward

Not sure that's possible.

So, how long until you drop a Qwa-bolt into the core and blow it all up, then?

Hopefully soon.

And she will reform Qward along the lines Kalmin would want: Non-expansionist, insular other than studying weapons technologies, and devout.

Don't forget omnicidal, cultish and fanatical.

Short of the Anti-Monitor popping back up and saying 'you have done well, my chosen people,' anyway...

When he shows up I'm blaming you.

Murphy loving bastard.
 

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