Sungate (part 5)
Mr Zoat
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11th September 2012
09:54 GMT
Okay. So. Prior to Hinon's faction of Guardians leaving and joining the Controllers, the existing Controllers were pursuing other options as far as megaweapons went. One of the more notorious examples of their system-killers of choice were the sun-eaters.
I actually remember them from the comics, where one tried eating Sol and it took Parallax-Jordan killing himself to finally get rid of the thing. And another, where a member of the Legion of Superheroes… Ferrous Lad? Died, stopping it reaching an inhabited system. And I think Animal Man used one to gain stellar navigation and faster than light flight once.
In reality, they're nothing like that common. Once Hinon's faction joined the Controllers, they policed their stray pets properly rather than just letting them wander off. And their chosen storage site was a naturally occurring dimensional warp in the system containing the planet Minosyss. That dimensional warp has caused the matter in the system to display all sorts of anomalous properties, one of which is to make the innate matter manipulating powers of the maltusians… Unreliable.
And to get around that while still extracting what they wanted from the place, they decided that the thing to do would be to enslave the entire population.
Fortunately, that was a… Long time ago. The place has recovered, the descendants of the slaves have… Yeah, it was over a billion years ago. It's about as relevant as that time the proto-Moon hit the proto-Earth is to most humans. We know it happened…
The better educated ones know it happened, I should say.
But there's no emotional weight to it.
But, yes. Dimensional weirdness makes most forms of faster than light travel unreliable, so they don't have external trade. They don't have the fuel resources to build an industrial society themselves, so… There they are. Certainly not a bad place to live, the occasional physics anomaly aside.
The current rulers are a bit of a mystery. They flew in on what is basically a city built into a hollowed-out half-moon a couple of decades ago and took over pretty quickly. That was our first clue that the place is thaumically active. The Darkstars' best guess was that they were New Genesians, but it's the wrong part of the galaxy for them and… While the people of New Genesis aren't above being openly worshipped, they usually don't directly rule worlds under their protection. These people are doing just that, through a bureaucracy of local collaborators. No idea why they want to talk to me, but if N.E.M.O. can get a few dozen more magicians out of it then it's time well spent.
Not… Totally sure why Hinon wants me to pick up a staff… Sure, you can find someone like just about anyone somewhere on Earth, but school is back on so basically everyone on the team is unavailable. Except Canis, but… No. Amon could probably get the time away but I wouldn't want to undermine Adom's authority by offering him a place on the mission when he's supposed to be doing something else. Angelika? Not sure that a group of demigods would have the same instinctual respect for her that they would for someone who felt like them.
Diana and Alan are reasonable choices, except that I know Diana's working overtime on diplomacy to try and keep world governments working to repair the damage done by the Sheeda attack. Alan, on the other hand…
"Illustres to Blue Lantern Alan Scott."
My ring blinks. And then blinks a little more. And-.
"Yeah? Oh, hey, Paul."
Alan manages a wan smile, but he's clearly distracted.
"Are you free? I can call back."
"Sorry, son. Some crazy-. Cultist types broke into one of the Sheeda arms dumps. It's an all-hands for the Justice League."
"Understood. Don't let me keep-"
His face vanishes.
"-you."
That could well require the team's attention as well. Ah. Euanthe's busy with Brazil, Queen Hippolyta… Maybe? But she'll probably want a staff of her own and that… Might be a bit much for Themyscira.
Starting to think that turning up on my own would be the best idea. But Hinon specifically said…
Who the heck do I know who… Isn't…
I
step out and then
11th September 2012
12:56 GMT +3
appear inside the Temple of Hades, waving at the surprised-then-resigned priestesses as I fly for the doorway to Erebos. Down down down down... Despite having died, this bit doesn't feel any different. Though it is at least faster now that I've stopped worrying about being insufficiently reverential, though transitioning is still right out.
And out. Palace that way, and as I gain height I can still see the queues heading into the courtrooms. I'm a little surprised that Hades hasn't set up temporary accommodation or something, though I suppose that they don't really need it. Now, where would-.
"Lantern!" / "Oh, Lantern!"
Two women dressed richly in Greek fashion hail me from the walls, and I fly towards them. They want me for something, and I need directions. Can't say that I recognise either of them, either from past visits or from the statues on Themyscira.
"Ladies. What can I do for you?"
The shorter one covers her mouth with her right hand as the taller one laughs.
"You can apologise for not coming to see us sooner!"
"I'm.. sorry, but this is Erebos. And I have no idea who you are."
"Ah. Then I will introduce myself. I-" She puts her right hand on her chest. "-am Gaudia."
Not 'gaudy' in the modern English sense. Her jewellery is actually quite modest. Rather, she's a minor goddess, representing guilty joys. Which-.
"Which makes you Aporia."
Who I would have chosen as my patron goddess if 1) I was selecting on the same basis as I told Kon to select his patron and 2) I'd heard of her at the time.
"It does indeed. You haven't died again, I trust?"
"No, I'm here to ask Princess Melinoë to accompany me on a diplomatic visit. Do you-?"
"Oooooh."
Aporia lowers her hand as she and Gaudia giggle.
"Do you know where she is?"
"We were going to see her now." Gaudia masters her expression, though Aporia can't stop herself grinning. "She has busied herself recording the novel fears and paranoia of our new residents, but I'm sure that she'll make time for you."
"Glad to hear it. Lead-."
"Though there is one thing we would like to know in return."
"And what might that be?"
"What do a couple of sadly underappreciated goddesses have to do to persuade you to… What was the phrase?"
"'Put a ring on it'?"
"'Put a ring on it', yes. We both have an excellent understanding of desire." She raises her eyebrows and regards me accusatorially. "Why have you ignored us so?"
09:54 GMT
Okay. So. Prior to Hinon's faction of Guardians leaving and joining the Controllers, the existing Controllers were pursuing other options as far as megaweapons went. One of the more notorious examples of their system-killers of choice were the sun-eaters.
I actually remember them from the comics, where one tried eating Sol and it took Parallax-Jordan killing himself to finally get rid of the thing. And another, where a member of the Legion of Superheroes… Ferrous Lad? Died, stopping it reaching an inhabited system. And I think Animal Man used one to gain stellar navigation and faster than light flight once.
In reality, they're nothing like that common. Once Hinon's faction joined the Controllers, they policed their stray pets properly rather than just letting them wander off. And their chosen storage site was a naturally occurring dimensional warp in the system containing the planet Minosyss. That dimensional warp has caused the matter in the system to display all sorts of anomalous properties, one of which is to make the innate matter manipulating powers of the maltusians… Unreliable.
And to get around that while still extracting what they wanted from the place, they decided that the thing to do would be to enslave the entire population.
Fortunately, that was a… Long time ago. The place has recovered, the descendants of the slaves have… Yeah, it was over a billion years ago. It's about as relevant as that time the proto-Moon hit the proto-Earth is to most humans. We know it happened…
The better educated ones know it happened, I should say.
But there's no emotional weight to it.
But, yes. Dimensional weirdness makes most forms of faster than light travel unreliable, so they don't have external trade. They don't have the fuel resources to build an industrial society themselves, so… There they are. Certainly not a bad place to live, the occasional physics anomaly aside.
The current rulers are a bit of a mystery. They flew in on what is basically a city built into a hollowed-out half-moon a couple of decades ago and took over pretty quickly. That was our first clue that the place is thaumically active. The Darkstars' best guess was that they were New Genesians, but it's the wrong part of the galaxy for them and… While the people of New Genesis aren't above being openly worshipped, they usually don't directly rule worlds under their protection. These people are doing just that, through a bureaucracy of local collaborators. No idea why they want to talk to me, but if N.E.M.O. can get a few dozen more magicians out of it then it's time well spent.
Not… Totally sure why Hinon wants me to pick up a staff… Sure, you can find someone like just about anyone somewhere on Earth, but school is back on so basically everyone on the team is unavailable. Except Canis, but… No. Amon could probably get the time away but I wouldn't want to undermine Adom's authority by offering him a place on the mission when he's supposed to be doing something else. Angelika? Not sure that a group of demigods would have the same instinctual respect for her that they would for someone who felt like them.
Diana and Alan are reasonable choices, except that I know Diana's working overtime on diplomacy to try and keep world governments working to repair the damage done by the Sheeda attack. Alan, on the other hand…
"Illustres to Blue Lantern Alan Scott."
My ring blinks. And then blinks a little more. And-.
"Yeah? Oh, hey, Paul."
Alan manages a wan smile, but he's clearly distracted.
"Are you free? I can call back."
"Sorry, son. Some crazy-. Cultist types broke into one of the Sheeda arms dumps. It's an all-hands for the Justice League."
"Understood. Don't let me keep-"
His face vanishes.
"-you."
That could well require the team's attention as well. Ah. Euanthe's busy with Brazil, Queen Hippolyta… Maybe? But she'll probably want a staff of her own and that… Might be a bit much for Themyscira.
Starting to think that turning up on my own would be the best idea. But Hinon specifically said…
Who the heck do I know who… Isn't…
I
step out and then
11th September 2012
12:56 GMT +3
appear inside the Temple of Hades, waving at the surprised-then-resigned priestesses as I fly for the doorway to Erebos. Down down down down... Despite having died, this bit doesn't feel any different. Though it is at least faster now that I've stopped worrying about being insufficiently reverential, though transitioning is still right out.
And out. Palace that way, and as I gain height I can still see the queues heading into the courtrooms. I'm a little surprised that Hades hasn't set up temporary accommodation or something, though I suppose that they don't really need it. Now, where would-.
"Lantern!" / "Oh, Lantern!"
Two women dressed richly in Greek fashion hail me from the walls, and I fly towards them. They want me for something, and I need directions. Can't say that I recognise either of them, either from past visits or from the statues on Themyscira.
"Ladies. What can I do for you?"
The shorter one covers her mouth with her right hand as the taller one laughs.
"You can apologise for not coming to see us sooner!"
"I'm.. sorry, but this is Erebos. And I have no idea who you are."
"Ah. Then I will introduce myself. I-" She puts her right hand on her chest. "-am Gaudia."
Not 'gaudy' in the modern English sense. Her jewellery is actually quite modest. Rather, she's a minor goddess, representing guilty joys. Which-.
"Which makes you Aporia."
Who I would have chosen as my patron goddess if 1) I was selecting on the same basis as I told Kon to select his patron and 2) I'd heard of her at the time.
"It does indeed. You haven't died again, I trust?"
"No, I'm here to ask Princess Melinoë to accompany me on a diplomatic visit. Do you-?"
"Oooooh."
Aporia lowers her hand as she and Gaudia giggle.
"Do you know where she is?"
"We were going to see her now." Gaudia masters her expression, though Aporia can't stop herself grinning. "She has busied herself recording the novel fears and paranoia of our new residents, but I'm sure that she'll make time for you."
"Glad to hear it. Lead-."
"Though there is one thing we would like to know in return."
"And what might that be?"
"What do a couple of sadly underappreciated goddesses have to do to persuade you to… What was the phrase?"
"'Put a ring on it'?"
"'Put a ring on it', yes. We both have an excellent understanding of desire." She raises her eyebrows and regards me accusatorially. "Why have you ignored us so?"
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