Chojin Patriarch
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Not something in his historical records, I bet. Which means they likely never attacked in his timeline. I mean, given how much history gets lost simply because of time...13th September 2012
09:32 GMT -5
"So what was up with the Sheeda?"
Nylor face-shrugs, his bindings making his shoulders immobile.
Even in this age, with information as spread out as it is, things will get forgotten or confused. Just look at pop culture's tendency towards reboots with the same name..."I don't know. I never heard of them."
"Really? Because they seemed like a big deal. Even if Earth fought off the Harrowing Fleet, there would have been a lot of casualties. And it would have certainly influenced the Earth's reactions to the Reach."
And what would make them consider Trugg's timeline to not be worth attacking, hmm?Nylor sags as far as his bonds will allow him.
"You're forgetting something. What do the Sheeda want?"
And say what? "Hey, just so ya know, Humanity's future descendants come a-raiding every so often. Might not want to annex the place, yeah?" They'd laugh at him, then shoot him, and then laugh more."Raw material, food, slaves, a sense of superiority..." I nod. "If they looked back in time and saw a world devastated by the Reach, they wouldn't bother coming back."
"Bingo. Not t' this era. Maybe I should find a way t' warn Thanagar."
Joy of not working with self-centred lunatics and maniacs. The Light would only improve things if they got to be in charge, after all...Huh.
"Was that us?"
"More you than me. You did a whole lot more t' improve things than I managed."
And then he met them, and decided 'eh, this is fine' while setting his house on fire...With his protective charms gone Nylor can't stop me looking into his soul. And… He's more prideful than I am, but it's easier to be angry at historical figures who created a situation when you don't know them personally. When you aren't aware of the difficulties they were dealing with, or how they actually felt about what happened. For him, teaming up with Vandal Savage or Lex Luthor would be like me teaming up with Blackbeard or Cecil Rhodes. Or raging at Karadeg for not doing a better job of fighting off the Romans.
Meh, his ego would get in the way of any possibility of cooperation. Toss him in jail, monitor him, and if he's feeling a little more community-minded when he gets out, then look him up."I mean, I woulda if I could… Not like I was planning on not being important enough t' change history."
For a moment I think about trying to encourage him. Given how long he can expect to live, a few decades in prison are nothing that he can't manage. And given Ms. Waller's moves to enable prisoners to work off their debts to society, it wouldn't be that bad. And then I remember the murders he's implicated in, and what are most likely others he's committed as well. And the one he actually confessed to, of the Japanese collector he killed to take the first Bozo.
Given his enhancements, he's probably resistant to most forms of execution that people would use anyway.Japan has the death penalty, but that's usually reserved for serial killers. If he only murdered one person, he'd be realistically looking at a thirty year stretch… Though diplomatic pressure could result in him serving it in Belle Reve.
"You didn't know about Klarion, right?"
To be fair, you didn't think he'd do the things he did either, did you? Assimilating Teekl was an act of opportunity to beat a threat..."That he was deranged? Sure, but I don't make policy."
"That he was planning to murder that many children."
I doubt they'd sweat over any conventional threat. And... Big grey guy? Not ringing any bells, outside of... Ah, wait! Lantern Xor! Right. No way are you getting a ring, boy-o."I got told that I should prepare to get a hold of Starro's tissue samples while everyone was 'distracted'. I thought they were going t' call in a bomb threat."
I raise my eyebrows, looking unimpressed.
"Supervillain bomb threat. I mean, Gotham. Not what actually happened. Say, what's the chance of me getting the deal yah gave the big grey guy?"
You made your bed, Truggs, now you get to lay in it. And you chose to lay down with mad dogs... No crying when you get up with fleas."Remember when you said that if you'd known about me before you sided with the Light, you'd have picked me?"
He nods.
"That's the deal you'd have got if you'd changed sides then. Finish your sentence and we'll talk."
At least, one that couldn't be read as villainous posturing, anyway."You ever think that a retributive system of justice might not be all it's set up t' be?"
"I know it's not. But I do believe in the efficacy of retribution. You should have at least sent the superheroes of this era a message, Nylor."
Evidently they didn't improve any in the centuries between the current war and Trugg's era."Yeah." He nods. "I think you're right. Might not of done anything, but at least I could tell yah I tried. I tell yah, I was spitting jealous when I found out what you were doing with magic."
"The Reach not into magic?"
Now that's a callback. And a nice sense of rightness, using an idea from a dream to draw the Dreaming forth."Couldn't use it on most of the worlds they moved human to. Which meant they thought it was useless. What's your plan for getting around that restriction?"
"Study the Dream and work out how to make it connect to other places more intensely. Mother of Mercy gave me a vision where we.. had a thing called a Root of Yggdrasil which maintained an artificial connection, but I don't now whether those can actually exist or not."
Or some clever researcher could find himself having a daydream that provides that 'A-Ha!' moment. It all depends on how Dream feels about the plan."Was it actually a root of Yggdrasil, or was that just a brand name?"
"Brand name. It was actually a complex piece of thaumic engineering. I've got Venturia researching it now, but it will probably be decades before we get anywhere."
Though most of them don't have the firehose of mana that Earth has. They've had to make do with a mere garden hose."And then, magic everywhere. No aliens are going to be ready for that."
"A few will be. Earth's not the only place with a magic tradition."
Oh, hell! Was Truggs just stalling?!"But no one will be on our level."
"Yes, that's the-."
The floor explodes next to me! I see a brief blur of blue and red through the concrete dust before red light lashes out-
Don't tell me, he's got a Bizarro.
Though I suspect that's the only damage done, Silver Age Kryptonian and all..."Someone, report!"
There's a bang as New Kara hits one of the cylinders and crumples it to wreckage as she keeps going, her impact being absorbed by the second cylinder.
Well, this is a surprise. I have no idea where she's from, but the art looks decidedly late-90's or early-2000's. I see a Bat there as well..."You do not bear the mark!"
Ah. Another Supergirl. Blue miniskirt and long-sleeved halter top with red cape. Her eyes glow red, her teeth are.. weirdly distended and there's a red 'S' burned into her forehead. The skin on her legs and hands appears to be cracking up to reveal a red light glowing from within.
Yep, the asshole was stalling. Presumably he got a message off while Kara-1 was kicking in the door, and the result is only just arriving...
Ooh, I spy some Torquasm Rao. For reference, that's a Kryptonian Martial Art which supposedly lets the user tell Physics to shut up, sit down and hold their beer.I glance-. He's causing the skin on his forehead to bioluminesce an 'S'.
Noriel and Angelika fly up through the hole, Angelika tanking zombie Supergirl's heat vision and metabolising it.
Presumably following some programmed command related to the 'S' symbol. Let's hope it doesn't get out of hand."No mark!"
Zombie Supergirl blurs forwards, striking Angelika on the side of the head before dipping under Noriel and punching her in the stomach!
Ow. I hope she's resistant to heat and flame... Otherwise she's gonna be out of the fight until she recovers her vision..."You're just compounding your-"
The zombie fires heat vision directly into Noriel's eyes-.
"Ah!"
Looks like Angelika's got things handled for now.-before backhanding her, sending her spinning into the ground, cratering the concrete. But with that heat vision boost Angelika's moving faster, fly-kicking zombie Supergirl directly in the kidneys and unlike the zombie she knows not to let up. Rather than kick and retreat she keeps on, shoving her target into and then through the wall!
"-problem."
Enough to kick anyone's arse, especially since they include a Silver Age Kryptonian. While we haven't seen the extent of her abilities yet, I suspect Kara-1 will be able to settle things quickly... Once she pries herself out of the wreckage...
So, something of Trugg's personal collection, or aid sent by one of his allies in the Light? At any rate, I suppose it'll fall to the Supergirls to handle it while OL continues to mind Truggs. It evidently has a narc on for them anyway. Though I would not be surprised if simply painting the mark of El on their foreheads would make it shut down.
Double Space.