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

Vantavendi (part 14)
21st October 2012
15:04 GMT


The Pax Romana very visibly tracks the retreating starships with its primary weapons, though it makes no move to accelerate after them. The trio of ships in question don't look anything special; small freighters with a light armament, more focused on speed than armour. None of them have any alert flags, but at the same time Marcus isn't the sort to go around picking fights. Not picking up any weapon fire and none of the ships look damaged in any way…

Not sure what's happened there.

"Orange Lantern Illustres to Pax Romana."

"Alpha Centurion responding. Were they friends of yours?"

"I have no information on those ships. Where were they flagged as coming from?"

"Timaron. A dead world."

"I know it. Commodore Amalak is one of my.. contacts in Vega. Useful fellow. If they're looking for more of their species I could send them his coordinates and contact details."

"They're not. They're looking for revenge."

"Ah."

"Did they hear of Superman from your lips?"

"No. That would have been an obvious mistake… But I didn't ask Koriand'r to avoid mentioning him. Or Adam Blake. Did they ask after him specifically?"

"No. They visited the Rao system and noticed that one of the moons had moved."

"Oh."

"They will not be the last. Krypton was known for its technological sophistication and military might. People have tried raiding the system before."

"And, what? They think that now someone has succeeded that must mean that the defences are off?"

"I suspect that they reached the conclusion that surviving kryptonians must be the ones who recovered their planetoid."

"So their plan is to visit every space-faring civilisation in the region to see who's putting them up?"

"Or perhaps see where they have established a colony. I don't believe that they have visited Earth, but it is possibly to decipher radio waves from the edge of a system. Superman's face is widely known. In theory, they could have heard of him over a substantial area."

"Not easily. Assembling an actual picture or coherent speech from outside the Sol system would require huge amounts of processing power and detection equipment. That's not something that a random group of freebooters could put together. But I… Take your point."

I look around.

"Just the Pax out here, then?"

"You sent your ships to the Alignment."

"Yes, but the Russians have that launch cannon and Starfire's ship, and the US must be working on something by now. I know that someone got hold of Doctor Knight's cosmic converter technology from somewhere."

"Disappointing, is it not?"

"Yes. Yes, it is. I don't suppose that the virmiru are likely to pass comment?"

"I imagine that you could get a message to them more swiftly than I could. They are a people given to making long term plans. Their emissary to this region would have left long before I began my return journey, and I have had no contact with them since."

"I don't suppose anyone in the Alliance of the Just has a spaceship, do they?"

"Not as far as I know. Most are 'street level', as you might say. Those that aren't usually limit their interest to terrestrial events. Does the Justice League not have spacecraft?"

"Martian Manhunter has one, but it's effectively an upgunned civilian ship. The Hawks have another, but it's not designed for deep space operations. Batman has a glorified rocket plane. Then it's just the Lanterns."

"Then it's a mercy that we haven't been invaded before now."

"Thanagar and the Alignment were heading this way, if it makes you feel any better."

"Do you have the matter in hand?"

"That's a long way down the 'plan' list. To my mind, raising a interstellar navy on Earth would be a pretty clear sign that I'd decided to take over the world."

"But bringing an external navy across the Rubicon was not?"

"That was just something I had laying around. There's a difference between riding to an ally's aid and taking over the mechanisms of their state."

"True, I suppose. Might it be advantageous for me to coordinate my patrols with the Justice League? I have been working under the assumption that they would have acquired a long range detection system of some kind, but if that is not so then the sensor system of the Pax Romana could serve."

"The Hawks were kind enough to volunteer some Thanagarian monitoring devices."

Because the League are still pretending that the Watchtower doesn't exist, despite the fact that knowing there was a neutral station which could serve as space traffic control and somewhere to get a general alert from could serve as an excellent bypass to 'who owns space' arguments. The sort of thing that most spacefaring civilisations have above their homeworld, even the ones that never unified politically.

"As well as their interdiction equipment. The very bare bones are covered, but that's about all. I'll pass your comments along, and give Batman a bit of a nudge about it."

"Thank you. Are there other matters you wish to discuss?"

"Yesterday, a woman named Jill Carlyle attempted to kill the first Wildcat. That brought to light the fact that she was almost certainly responsible for a large number of deaths, and the League is investigating those. Three didn't appear to fit the pattern; they were Alliance members."

"And you want access to our records?"

"Records, personal recollections, anything that we could use to work out what is going on."

"I can arrange that. Who were they?"

"Vigilante, White Dragon and Black Orchid."

"Orchid?"

"Did you know her?"

"Yes, we worked together on several occasions. The other two I remember as short-sighted and violent, but she was intelligent and subtle. Has this Jill Carlyle killed a great many people?"

"Dozens of superheroes. We're not sure whether she's killed other people as well. We think she might be being controlled to an extent by evil spirits in her guns, but that's about as far as we've got."

"I see. Well then, let us return to the bosom of Tellus and I will gather the information that you seek."
 
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the ships look damaged in anyway…

'any way'

"Yes, but the Russians have that launch cannon and Starfire's

I think he goes by Red Star now.

I know that someone got hold of Doctor Knight's cosmic converter technology from somewhere."

Yeah.

It was from Vandal Savage unfortunately.

controlled to an extend by evil spirits

'to an extent'
 
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"That was just something in had laying around. There's a difference between riding to an ally's aid and taking over the mechanisms of their state."
That should say 'I',

I think he gues by Red Star now.
He doesn't, since he shouldn't have a reason to change his name, unless Paul pitched the idea offscreen and he decided that Red Star sounds cooler.

Also, is this foreshadowing a possible invasion of Earth from anti-Kryptonian aliens? I hope that if this happens, Paul explains that this is because back in the day, Kryptonians were basically advanced Nazis who saw all other species as inferior.
 
OOT here. Where is the Pax Romana from again? When did that show up in story?

(The ship, not the saying)
In the comics, Alpha Centurion had that spaceship. It just didn't appear in the story until now.

I think it was mentioned that apparently a marketing team chose the new name because it was apparently better.
Is this true Mr Zoat? Can someone find the quote that says this just to make sure?
 
21st October 2012
15:04 GMT


The Pax Romana very visibly tracks the retreating starships with its primary weapons, though it makes no move to accelerate after them. The trio of ships in question don't look anything special; small freighters with a light armament, more focus on speed than armour. None of them have any alert flags, but at the same time Marcus isn't the sort to go around picking fights. Not picking up any weapon fire and none of the ships look damaged in anyway…
Ah, patrolling the borders. How very Roman of him. Though the fact he encountered visitors is concerning. At least they turned away with a show of intent to defend the Solar System. The question now is, who are they?

Not sure what's happened there.

"Orange Lantern Illustres to Pax Romana."

"Alpha Centurion responding. Were they friends of yours?"
If he had, OL might not have been quite so pleasant on his greeting, methinks.

"I have no information on those ships. Where were they flagged as coming from?"

"Timaron. A dead world."
Ah... The Kryptonian-haters. Still hunting for survivors, eh?

"I know it. Commodore Amalak is one of my.. contacts in Vega. Useful fellow. If they're looking for more of their species I could send them his coordinates and contact details."

"They're not. They're looking for revenge."
...Well, shit. Hopefully they didn't get close enough to actually see anything important.

"Ah."

"Did they hear of Superman from your lips?"

"No. That would have been an obvious mistake… But I didn't ask Koriand'r to avoid mentioning him. Or Adam Blake. Did they ask after him specifically?"
On the other hand, if they heard about him, they'd also hopefully have been warned that 'Earth is fucking insane. Do not try anything!'

"No. They visited the Rao system and noticed that one of the moons had moved."

"Oh."
Because of course some asshole keeps visiting Krypton 'just in case one of them comes back'.

"They will not be the last. Krypton was known for its technological sophistication and military might. People have tried raiding the system before."

"And, what? They think that now someone has succeeded that must mean that the defences are off?"
HA. Let them get blown up. It'd just improve the average intelligence of their race.

"I suspect that they reached the conclusion that surviving kryptonians must be the ones who recovered their planetoid."

"So their plan is to visit every space-faring civilisation in the region to see who's putting them up?"
That's an interesting expansion of the 'door-knocking campaign' concept...

"Or perhaps see where they have established a colony. I don't believe that they have visited Earth, but it is possibly to decipher radio waves from the edge of a system. Superman's face is widely known. In theory, they could have heard of him over a substantial area."

"Not easily. Assembling an actual picture or coherent speech from outside the Sol system would require huge amounts of processing power and detection equipment. That's not something that a random group of freebooters could put together. But I… Take your point."
Yeah, interstellar space is noisy as heck. In terms of electromagnetic radiation, anyway...

I look around.

"Just the Pax out here, then?"
Disappointing, I know. You'd think Humanity would be more interested in defending its space now they know aliens exist... And aren't all friendly. Unfortunately, it's the crab-bucket problem writ large.

"You sent your ships to the Alignment."

"Yes, but the Russians have that launch cannon and Starfire's ship, and the US must be working on something by now. I know that someone got hold of Doctor Knight's cosmic converter technology from somewhere."
As others have noted, that's the young Russian superhero, since Koriand'r isn't using the name.

"Disappointing, is it not?"

"Yes. Yes, it is. I don't suppose that the virmiru are likely to pass comment?"
Alpha Centurion's backers, in case it wasn't clear by context. (No wiki entry for them, alas.)

"I imagine that you could get a message to them more swiftly than I could. They are a people given to making long term plans. Their emissary to this region would have left long before I began my return journey, and I have had no contact with them since."

"I don't suppose anyone in the Alliance of the Just has a spaceship, do they?"
...Let's hope not?

"Not as far as I know. Most are 'street level', as you might say. Those that aren't usually limit their interest to terrestrial events. Does the Justice League not have spacecraft?"

"Martian Manhunter has one, but it's effectively an upgunned civilian ship. The Hawks have another, but it's not designed for deep space operations. Batman has a glorified rocket plane. Then it's just the Lanterns."
Admittedly, keeping the peace out in the Black is their job.

"Then it's a mercy that we haven't been invaded before now."

"Thanagar and the Alignment were heading this way, if it makes you feel any better."
If he's heard of either, that's probably not reassuring, unless eh knows OL has basically convinced them against invading. And the Alignment is in no shape to do so anyway.

"Do you have the matter in hand?"

"That's a long way down the 'plan' list. To my mind, raising a interstellar navy on Earth would be a pretty clear sign that I'd decided to take over the world."
Again, the crab-bucket problem. 'Wait, he's making a space navy? He must be planning to conquer Earth!' As we saw in the Renegade's timeline...

"But bringing an external navy across the Rubicon was not?"

"That was just something in had laying around. There's a difference between riding to an ally's aid and taking over the mechanisms of their state."
Though doing the former and slowly transitioning into the latter is one way the Reach does it...

"True, I suppose. Might it be advantageous for me to coordinate my patrols with the Justice League? I have been working under the assumption that they would have acquired a long range detection system of some kind, but if that is not so then the sensor system of the Pax Romana could serve."

"The Hawks were kind enough to volunteer some Thanagarian monitoring devices."
Is that the cover story, huh? But having him work with the league is probably a good idea. If only to stop them stepping on each others' toes out here.

Because the League are still pretending that the Watchtower doesn't exist, despite the fact that knowing there was a neutral station which could serve as space traffic control and somewhere to get a general alert from. The sort of thing that most spacefaring civilisations have above their homeworld, even the ones that never unified politically.

"As well as their interdiction equipment. The very bare bones are covered, but that's about all. I'll pass your comments along, and give Batman a bit of a nudge about it."
Unfortunately, it would probably be seen as a threat by every nation other than the US (Because the League was mainly American...) And even they might be leery of it.

"Thank you. Are there other matters you wish to discuss?"

"Yesterday, a woman named Jill Carlyle attempted to kill the first Wildcat. That brought to light the fact that she was almost certainly responsible for a large number of deaths, and the League is investigating those. Three didn't appear to fit the pattern; they were Alliance members."
More or less accurate. Now to see how he reacts to the names of the Alliance members...

"And you want access to our records?"

"Records, personal recollections, anything that we could use to work out what is going on."
And predict possible future targets. Because I can't imagine every remaining member of the Alliance has squeaky-clean records...

"I can arrange that. Who were they?"

"Vigilante, White Dragon and Black Orchid."

"Orchid?"
Hmm. Noteworthy.

"Did you know her?"

"Yes, we worked together on several occasions. The other two I remember as short-sighted and violent, but she was intelligent and subtle. Has this Jill Caryle killed a great many people?"
Sounds like a bit of a friendship growing there.

"Dozens of superheroes. We're not sure whether she's killed other people as well. We think she might be being controlled to an extend by evil spirits in her guns, but that's about as far as we've got."

"I see. Well then, let us return to the bosom of Tellus and I will gather the information that you seek."
He means 'return to Earth', folks. Tellus being an obscure Roman term for the planet. Amusingly, I know its conjunction towards humanity from 'Doctor Who': Tellurians.

Well, that went well. Hopefully he can provide some insight into the Alliance and assistance with the investigation. Or at worst, draw Crimson Avenger's attention. Seriously, I love seeing obscure and underused DC characters turn up in this story... There's so many of them, Mr Zoat could do this for years more.
 
HA. Let them get blown up. It'd just improve the average intelligence of their race.

Or it could make them more determined to get the tech since they know it can be done and potentially one of them would succeed.

As others have noted, that's the young Russian superhero, since Koriand'r isn't using the name.

Technically she is.

Her name means Starfire.

If he's heard of either, that's probably not reassuring, unless eh knows OL has basically convinced them against invading. And the Alignment is in no shape to do so anyway

Plus the Alignment may not be interested in any more military expansion.

Well, that went well. Hopefully he can provide some insight into the Alliance and assistance with the investigation. Or at worst, draw Crimson Avenger's attention

Yeah, seeing as he was a Roman soldier he may have participated in conquests that could make him a target.
 
Alpha Centurion is another character that is way more interesting here that in the comics. And it would make strategic sense for Him and his spaceship to be in the League given his power level and martial background. And while he wouldn't be in the mainstream DC universe for lack of popularity, I can't see Batman not pouncing on it when it's brought to his attention.
 
focus -> focused (I think, more by preference than rule)
Because the League are still pretending that the Watchtower doesn't exist, despite the fact that knowing there was a neutral station which could serve as space traffic control and somewhere to get a general alert from.
This sentence doesn't seem complete to me. I don't know how to describe it except to say I was expecting something like "would be the smart thing to do" at the end.
 
I'm confused? What happened in the mainline while alt-Paul was having tea with Adora?
 
I'm confused? What happened in the mainline while alt-Paul was having tea with Adora?

Paul is still investigating the Crimson Avenger murders and now he's come to talk to Alpha Centurion, a high ranking member of the Alliance, about them.

Apparently some enemies of Krypton heard about Superman existing and decided to kill him, but he drove them off.
 
'any way'
'to an extent'
Thank you, corrected.
I think he goes by Red Star now.
Has that been established in-story? Genuinely don't remember.
That should say 'I',
Thank you, corrected.
Also, is this foreshadowing a possible invasion of Earth from anti-Kryptonian aliens? I hope that if this happens, Paul explains that this is because back in the day, Kryptonians were basically advanced Nazis who saw all other species as inferior.
I'm pretty sure that he didn't say that.
OOT here. Where is the Pax Romana from again? When did that show up in story?

(The ship, not the saying)
Back when he first meets Marcus. He says that the Pax is the best reason for putting him on the League.
focus -> focused (I think, more by preference than rule)

This sentence doesn't seem complete to me. I don't know how to describe it except to say I was expecting something like "would be the smart thing to do" at the end.
Thank you, corrected.
 
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I'm pretty sure that he didn't say that.
I know Paul didn't. But he could say that Kryptonians kept isolationist for specieist reasons. Plus if he says that they also drove at least one species to near/certain extinction, that might cause some to equate that to Nazism. Also, the fact that more Kryptonians are showing up on Earth could draw more anti-Kryptonian alien attention.
 
Alpha Centurion is another character that is way more interesting here that in the comics. And it would make strategic sense for Him and his spaceship to be in the League given his power level and martial background. And while he wouldn't be in the mainstream DC universe for lack of popularity, I can't see Batman not pouncing on it when it's brought to his attention.

What exactly do you find more interesting about Alpha Centurion here than in the comics?

And Alpha Centurion was in the mainstream DC, both New Earth and post flashpoint, although the post flashpoint version is in name only, basically being the Roman equivalent of Thunderbolt Jaxon.
 
"Alpha Centurion responding. Were they friends of yours?"
I thought the head of the 'Alliance of the Just' was supposed to be a former Intergang member?
And then OL went off to go and talk to that guy.
Who was Alpha Centurion.
How did a Roman Legionnaire who got abducted by aliens, and then given a space ship and magic belt?... get recruited into Intergang?
 
And then OL went off to go and talk to that guy.
Who was Alpha Centurion.
How did a Roman Legionnaire who got abducted by aliens, and then given a space ship and magic belt?... get recruited into Intergang?
Alpha Centurion is a high ranking member, but he isn't the boss. The one who formed and leads the Alliance of the Just is a man named Vincent Edge. He is also "rumored" to be the godfather of Intergang. He had a moral revelation in his older years, and formed the Alliance of the Just as a way to atone for his sins.
 
I thought the head of the 'Alliance of the Just' was supposed to be a former Intergang member?
And then OL went off to go and talk to that guy.
Who was Alpha Centurion.
How did a Roman Legionnaire who got abducted by aliens, and then given a space ship and magic belt?... get recruited into Intergang?

Alpha Centurion is a high ranking member, but he isn't the boss. The one who formed and leads the Alliance of the Just is a man named Vincent Edge. He is also "rumored" to be the godfather of Intergang. He had a moral revelation in his older years, and formed the Alliance of the Just as a way to atone for his sins.

Pretty much.

Centurion is probably the most experienced member of the Alliance so that's why he's a high ranking member.

Vincent Edge was a former member of Intergang, practically its founder, but he had a heart attack or a stroke and during his recovery someone else took over.

After that, plus the existence of Hell and Heaven being proven, Edge decided that he'd pursue more legal means of success and started the Alliance of the Just as a way to atone.

When Paul talked to him he saw that Edge apparently had an idea of God as being like something from the Old Testament and didn't want to go to Hell for his sins.
 
How did a Roman Legionnaire who got abducted by aliens, and then given a space ship and magic belt?... get recruited into Intergang?

Not abducted by aliens, or given a magic belt (except in post flashpoint).

Alpha Centurion first showed up in an alternate universe where Superman didn't exist. Whether he died with Krypton, or Jor-El sent him to another planet, never revealed.

Alpha Centurion was the Superman of his world- hero of Metropolis, Lois's boyfriend, has a golden statue they erected for him after he heroically died protecting the city before his pool of "Aqua Vitae" resurrected him.

Then he showed up in the mainstream universe. Like two thousand years ago the Virimu showed up on Earth and made contact with the Roman Empire. They asked for the Romans to send their very best.

Alpha Centurion won the Olympic like games to have this honor, and was whisked away, where he was given an alien super suit and trained in its use among other aliens that the Virimu made contact with.

Thanks to time dilation, he arrives back on Earth 2000 years later and leads Lexcorp's armored superteam while Contessa was leading Lexcorp.

In his own series he discovers that he is in fact less like the Darkstars and more like the Reach Scarab warriors- The Virimu want to conquer Earth, and why be openly hostile when you can trick your victims into thinking you come in peace?

With the aid of the Virimu who stayed on Earth when Alpha Centurion left for space who went native- "You know, my people are assholes, and I kind of like humans. Let's stop this invasion!" Alpha Centurion saves the Earth from his patrons.

Pretty much never to be seen again.

So being heroic while working for shady people is very much in theme for Alpha Centurion.

Tech wise his suit, in the comics at least, doesn't have the do-anything robotics of Reach Scarabs, but is enough to make him Superman's equal, which certainly puts him above the Darkstars. Has his own space ship and a pool of healing water that will even resurrect him from the dead like his own private Lazarus Pit without the insanity. Whether his suit is that good here or if he has the healing pool in his ship haven't been mentioned that I can recall.

Then in Post flashpoint cosmology, Roman is a college kid who puts on a belt from a museum that gets him possessed by a minor roman deity with his own personality, so sort of like the Hulk but less "Hulk SMASH!" and more "Hey, where's the nearest bathhouse?"
 
Versus the Rake Men (part 7)
21st year of the reign of King Randor I
Season of Chill
307th day, 17th bell


This plan has gone somewhere it really shouldn't.

Adora née Despara is wearing a… Nice..? Tunic that I assume Prince Adam left in Grayskull at some point. I mean, Teela Na doesn't get a lot of guests, so it's either him or Sir Duncan, and it's nothing like large enough for him. The quality of the cloth is good and the fit isn't terrible and that's about as much as I'm qualified to say about it. She's looking around in guarded fascination at the festively-dressed city, smiling couples walking the streets and cheerfully greeting their friends.

Eternos doesn't exactly have a state religion. The nearest thing they have is the universal reverence the people hold for the Elders, but there's no temple or anything like that. I think that the royal couple are going to be doing a speech at some point, but I wasn't paying any attention to the arrangements because… I was either going to be in Castle Grayskull, or in its mistress.

And now I'm in neither, and probably in trouble.

Adora left the Sword of Power in Castle Grayskull, so all she's got are a couple of short swords she picked up from the castle's armoury. And that's good. It doesn't even stand out that much, as more people took to arming themselves as a response to Keldor freeing himself.

She left the Sword of Power in Castle Grayskull, with Evil-Lyn, who is now studying it. And that's bad. And because the Sorcerer/Sorceress needs to be on-site in case something… Unexpected happens, Evelyn Powers now has the power. She can't rewrite her own geas and she doesn't have the activation phrase for the Sword but I'm…

"What… Are they celebrating?"

"The… Older couples are celebrating love and familial bonds. The younger couples are tentatively celebrating their own relationships. The singletons are using the atmosphere to try and start relationships with other people embarrassed by their single state, with inhibitions reduced by the event and by intoxicating beverages." I glance awkwardly at her. "I… Suppose that's not something you have a great deal of experience with?"

"That question is irrelevant to our task. Why do they do this?"

"Why this event.. particularly?" A curt nod as she stares at a boy and girl slightly younger than her awkwardly failing to hold a conversation. "This sort of social ritual bonds a civilisation together by marking major stages in the lives of its inhabitants. Most people will marry at some point in their lives, and most will have children. It also serves to emphasise the significance of the pairing, and so reinforcing it and therefore the society which relies on those bonds for its strength."

"Are you married?"

"Ah-. No."

"Do you have children?"

"Not as yet."

"Good. A warrior in Hordak's service should be able to rise above the profligates and dedicate themselves to him in their totality."

"I'm… I'm getting a certain image of life under-"

"Hey, Orange!"

"-Hordak-." I turn, smiling, as Krass and Ekra-. I don't think I fully appreciated the size difference before I saw them next to each other with Krass out of armour. Good grief, he's got to be three times her mass. Four times. Maybe five. "Krass! Delighted to see you!"

Adora's going for her swords grab her arm and wrap it around mine as if I were her escort and pull her close enough with a solid enough grip that she can't take a fighting stance and start walking towards my good friend who is almost certainly setting off her 'threat alert' instincts because, my goodness, he's a big lad.

He's grinning a big, dopy grin and I'm happy that he finally took the plunge and I'm really hoping that this is just a brief 'hello' before they go somewhere else, because this could really go very badly.

"I didn't think you were coming! I thought you were busy with-." He tries to work out how to refer to Grayskull without directly mentioning it. "Y'know."

"Something came up, and I had to get someone to cover for me while I attend to it."

He looks at Adora. "Uh… Huh…"

Not mentioning the fact that she's half my age, because we both remember what happened last time that came up.

"Despara is new to Eternos and I decided to show her the city at its best. Despara, this is my good friend Krass and his beau Miss Ekra."

Ekra nods her head politely. "I'm glad that you're visiting during the festival. You're really seeing the city at its best."

Adora… Stares at them for a moment.

"… Hello."

My smile probably looks a little unnatural. "She's a little shy. Look, have you seen Sir Duncan? I need a word."

"Oh yeah! He actually came this year too! Ah, last time I saw them, they were in the big park, but… I dunno if they're still there." He thinks for a moment. "I'd… Probably leave them alone? Man-at-Arms doesn't get a lot of time to himself, and… It's a festival."

I nod. "You're probably right." I take a half-step back. "We'd best be getting on. You two have a nice evening."

"Oh? Oh! Okay." He shyly lays his right hand on Ekra's entire left forearm and they share a slightly bashful smile, before proceeding down the street.

Adora watches them like a hawk as they go, waiting until they disappear around a corner before returning her attention to me.

"Who. Was. That?"

"Krass. Sergeant Krass. A member of the Masters of the Universe, the kingdom's elite military unit."

Her swords leap for my throat, and are blocked by two orange construct shields.

"Traitor."

"We don't have the raw power for a direct attack. Gathering intelligence requires making well-placed contacts. People who will tell you things if you buy them a drink, or show you the guard's equipment because you showed an interest." I raise my hands, pushing against the inside of my shields to move her swords away. "I take it that Hordak's horde has no need for such subtlety?"

"Little." Eyeing me suspiciously, she sheathes her swords. "I am done with this pretence. I will explore the city for myself. Follow me or do not."

She stalks rides past me, heading in the direction Krass came from.

Can't let her go off on her own, but I should probably give her a little space. I create a sound-deadening aura around me and walk after her, hanging back and using the ring to keep track of her in the crowd.

Okay, getting her to recognise who she is… How. Photography doesn't exist here. Queen Marlena actually did have a camera when she first arrived, but it stopped working years ago. There's no picture of the young princess that I could arrange for her to 'accidentally' find. Which leaves…

I sigh and put my hands on my amulet. Using magic for something simple is usually fairly instinctive, training mostly revolving around how to use it under stress. In this case, reaching out to someone who shares a connection to Grayskull…

"Sorceress, I apologise for contacting you-."

I get a momentary image of big and strong and reliable and comforting before she limits my view. Glad things are doing well.

"I am glad that you approve. What is it, Orange Lantern? And why do I feel you away from Castle Grayskull?"

"Right, yes, there's a good reason for that, but first… Do Eternians have unusually good memories, and is there a spell for restoring things that have been forgotten?"

"What has occurred?"

"Well, on the positive side, Princess Adora's back."

"What?!"

And I see Sir Duncan stiffen at the surprise she expressed openly.

"And she's been totally brainwashed by Hordak and Friends. She thinks I work for Skeletor and I'm keeping an eye on her. So… Memory spell?"
 
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She left the Sword of Power in Castle Grayskull, with Evil-Lyn, who is now studying it

This is not so good.

She can't rewrite her own geas and she doesn't have the activation phrase for the Sword but I'm…

But she could still start up some shit.

This sort of social ritual bond

'bonds'


'as of yet'

He looks at Adora. "Uh… Huh…"

Not mentioning the fact that she's half my age, because we both remember what happened last time that came up

Ahh, so you too have trouble admitting your age.

something simply is usually fairly instinctive,

'simple is'

I get a momentary image of big and strong and reliable and comforting before she limits my view.

Ohhh, my.
 

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