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

Slightly behind the times there, Allyn: He's got an upgrade and now calls himself Hephaestean. Surprised OL didn't mention it to you, but he can be excused given the state of Earth right now. He also probably never expected you consider going visiting..
Do you think he actually still has that upgrade?

After all, if he did wouldn't LePaul have gone to him for help with the Anti-Life broadcasters?
 
Why would Hephaestean lose the upgrade when the whole idea was literally to unbind the Titan of Technology and permanently fuse its power into Hephaestean?
Paul didn't go to him about the Anti-Life because an increase in power level (Hephaestus to Hephaestean) isn't going to help when they currently believe that Mannheim is using the Dream (and thus the source of magic) itself as a broadcaster.
 
Why would Hephaestean lose the upgrade when the whole idea was literally to unbind the Titan of Technology and permanently fuse its power into Hephaestean?
Paul didn't go to him about the Anti-Life because an increase in power level (Hephaestus to Hephaestean) isn't going to help when they currently believe that Mannheim is using the Dream (and thus the source of magic) itself as a broadcaster.
Because there was a huge retcon/rewrite.

And Mannheim is using technology to broadcast the signal. Which means that Hephaestean would be able to make it his bitch if he still had the upgrade.
 
I didn't think that Lowlies could use New God technology anymore than Karrakanians without Rhea's blood could.

The ones with some New God blood may be able to use some of it,, but only on the level of turning it off or on.

"I need to touch the device."

She looks at me for a-.

BOH!

Wha-?

She-. She punched me in the head hard enough to shatter my construct and-.

Agh!

That's why she's called Knockout.


Is this a good 'oh dear' or a bad one'
 
Hey, now, Allyn's no Lowlie! He's touched by a Titan, after all.

True, but how powerful is he?

Knockout has spent time around the most powerful of New Gods, so her idea of power is them.

Anyone below them is a Lowlie, even if they're a demigod.

He also probably never expected you consider going visiting...

He might have considered that some may want to visit what's essentially their ancestral homeworld.

Not surprising. It probably still held a lot of Allyn's essence in it. Or she just prefers blunt weaponry.

Or she may just prefer her fists, which given her domain could make them her most powerful weapon.

...Knockout, you do realise if you knock him out or kill him, then he can't work the machine for you? :rolleyes:

She may think that knocking him out will somehow help her.

Which it honestly may.

Heck if she kills somebody then she may potentially be able to either claim their knowledge and skills, or revive them to serve her.

Whoops, interruption! :confused: ...That's the planet with the Eye Priests, wasn't it?

Yep.
 
Paul didn't go to him about the Anti-Life because an increase in power level (Hephaestus to Hephaestean) isn't going to help when they currently believe that Mannheim is using the Dream (and thus the source of magic) itself as a broadcaster.

Yeah, Anti-Life isn't really concerned with power levels, but with mentality.

The more emotionally vulnerable you are, the easier it is for it to insert itself.

Heph has not had an easy life.

His dad threw him out and crippled and deformed him, his wife cheated on him constantly, his fellows mocked him etc.

That is not good for anyone's mental health, so he's out.

If he gets infected then every piece of tech is in risk of becoming a broadcaster.
 
Paul's favorite book
The Evil Overlord list?
The dull blue of the Scarab Warrior's tibia blade
What's a Tibia? I searched online but didn't get a good answer.
Grood's only construct is a construct Grood
Is it enveloping his body like a seamless mech suit?
I will express my gratitude to the Illustres for teaching me that at his funeral.
Assuming the Illustres doesn't outlive you or come back from the dead.
I can't help but be a little stirred at the sight of two fearless warriors unleashing their full strength without hesitation.
Stirred as in turned on?
Darkseid's shit-encrusted arsehole!
Do New Gods even need to take a shit?
 
Because there was a huge retcon/rewrite.

And Mannheim is using technology to broadcast the signal. Which means that Hephaestean would be able to make it his bitch if he still had the upgrade.
The only re-write in regards to Hephaestean was the actual fight chapters between him and Zeus, nothing to do with the actual power up.

In regards to the anti-life, perhaps Mannheim is using a piece of tech, but if he is, its New God tech, not regular tech. And that still wouldn't change the fact that they all currently believe the actual broadcaster is the Dream, since they can't find any regular Anti-life broadcasters.
 
What's a Tibia? I searched online but didn't get a good answer.
Patte-ravisseuse-legende_large.jpg

Stirred as in turned on?
Not sexually.
Do New Gods even need to take a shit?
Yes, unless they've got a very odd God-Name.
 
Yeah, Anti-Life isn't really concerned with power levels, but with mentality.

The more emotionally vulnerable you are, the easier it is for it to insert itself.

Heph has not had an easy life.

His dad threw him out and crippled and deformed him, his wife cheated on him constantly, his fellows mocked him etc.

That is not good for anyone's mental health, so he's out.

If he gets infected then every piece of tech is in risk of becoming a broadcaster.
That's not actually true.

Sufficient levels of metaphysical power can just straight up crush anti-life fragments, or even the full equation.
 
Counterpunched (part 23)
18th January 2013
23:51 GMT


I fly through the ship towards the boom tube.

"Drusa to Colos, I'm heading to the Citizenry ship."

"Cut the tether before you go. We'll be moving off once you're off the ship."

That's probably wise. Allyn might be able to keep the camouflage effect going while he's on the Citizenry ship, but if he moves through a boom tube in another part of the universe that situation might change.

"Understood." That shouldn't be-.

A female Darkstar is hurriedly donning the last parts of her exo-mantle, a woman I don't recognise shooting her with a purple beam-. A purple healing ray. This must be Darkstar Nguyen, the Illustres' lover. She wasn't part of the crew, which… Means that she was under cover on the Citizenry ship. She makes eye contact with me an instant before she clamps her helmet into place, and I crouch down next to the hull and picture the orange light moving ethereally through the hull and ingesting the tether.

"I'll deal with the Captain. You keep the ship in one piece."

I nod as I armour myself, then take the purple healing ray from the woman holding it. I don't know if Nguyen has the authority to give me orders, but she's the agent on-site and probably knows more about the situation than I do. Her head snaps back to the boom tube as she draws her-. Sword? Probably an Earth-sword with some sort of nonsensical ability.

Nguyen walks through the door cautiously, sword at the ready. I float through after her, ready to evade immediately if I need to.

Nguyen has her sword through the arm of a woman in green armour, presumably the captain. Local monitoring shows that the room is far too hot and radioactive for a conventional humanoid to survive unprotected, and the fact that Nguyen's sword won't come out shows that she's clearly tougher than most people.

BOOM!

No one would be stupid enough to open a boom tube without-

I catch sight of Grood crouched against a work station, clearly injured. I point the healing ray at him and fire it as Allyn flies off and Nguyen abandons her sword to duck under the captain's fist before shooting her in the face with her masers.

-a way to move the ship. None of us are in position, so the system designed to move the ship must already be in place because the Reach will shoot us dead if it isn't. Scan for-. Explosives? Calculate. Okay, technically-.

Alert! Reach ships-.

"Drusa to Lanterns. Brace."

The ships vibrates as the flaws in the explosive placements and the weakness in what's left of the hull make the explosive thrust uneven. All the explosives went off so I can't navigate with those-.

In slow motion in front of me Nguyen steps past the captain's swing and recovers her sword-. The captain's body was holding it in place by putting pressure on both sides of the sword without touching the blade itself. When she moved the arm the pressure was released. Zartok… Dances between the shots fired by one Scarab and the blade strikes of another, though he doesn't seem to have space to counterattack properly. The captain turns with Nguyen's movement, but-. She's not trying to hit Nguyen, she's-
Move. NOW!
BOOM!

-trying to open another boom tube. Has opened another boom tube.

I don't know whether destroying the generator shuts the tube down or not.

BOOM!

A new boom tube opens on the bridge, a huge figure-. That's Grayven. And whatever we thought happened to him and his ship, it looks like he's in perfect health.

The captain grins excitedly and she parries a swing from Nguyen, her counter going right through Nguyen's head as she phases. The Scarab Warrior fighting Zartok suddenly spins away, his armour morphing into a new gun which he-.
End.
Grayven's eyes flash red, a jagged line connecting him to the Scarab. The Scarab's armour… Evaporates, revealing a naked Reachian beneath.

"Lowlie."

"Hey, b-!"

"I see that my father's spy is still aboard." He looks at her with an expression of total contempt. "You are free to keep her."

The captain stops grinning.

"And I will do you the favour of shutting the boom tubes before the Reach fleet organises themselves to pursue you."

Zartok snarls.

"We do not need your pity."

Grayven turns his gaze upon Zartok. Muzzle the Yapping Hound.

"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHR!"

Grood's back on his feet. I.. don't think that picking a fight with someone like Grayven is a good idea. From the sound of it-. Was he the one who sabotaged the ship? We suspected that he didn't have a good relationship with Darkseid from the obvious lack of other Apokoliptian ships, but… If Darkseid was spying on him or foisting unwanted attendants on him...

Grood slashes into the flesh of the wounded Scarab, tearing through armour and flesh and-. Ripping the Scarab device out of its central nervous system in a shower of cerebrospinal fluid.

"HHHHHHHHRG!"

We've got an active Scarab implant? That's a major-

The Scarab glows for a moment and then decays into ash.

-victory.

Grayven looks around the bridge, the glow in his eyes fading slightly. Then he turns and walks back through his boom tube, which snaps closed behind him.

"How dare you treat me like a thrall!"

Zartok glows brilliantly for a moment, his corona billowing as if he were planning to throw orange spears at the air where Grayven had been standing. Then he dims and stalks towards the heavily wounded Knockout. She doesn't seem to know what to do, though her wounds don't seem to bother her in the least.

"Knockout. It appears that you have been abandoned."

"How.. dare he? How dare he?!"

"Fairly readily, it would appear. If you-?"

"You can't just… Refuse a gift from Darkseid! It's unthinkable!"

"To you, perhaps. Not to Grayven. Can I take it that you aren't feeling particularly loyal to either the Citizenry or to Grayven at the moment?"

"Yes. I'll betray them both." She turns and grins at Darkstar Nguyen. "If this little sneak is the one who interrogates me. I like her attitude."

"That can be arranged. Drusa, contact Maltus. Tell them… Mission accomplished."
 
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That Godspeech, was it directed towards Zartok in regards to Grood? Or is that Grayven using his powers to somehow contact Paul and is referring Zartok as Paul's mutt, explaining why Zartok is so pissed?
Godspeech can be used as almost a spell, having a concrete effect. In this case "Muzzle the yapping hound" is used to silence Zartok directly. He is the yapping hound and Graven is the one muzzling him.
 
That Godspeech, was it directed towards Zartok in regards to Grood? Or is that Grayven using his powers to somehow contact Paul and is referring Zartok as Paul's mutt, explaining why Zartok is so pissed?
Zartok is angry that Grayven ignored him and treated him like he was unimportant. Zartok wants to build and lead an interstellar empire and a New God just dissed him by not even acknowledging him.
 
Knockout is surprised why? I mean seriously, she was raised/trained by Granny Goodness. She should expect to be abandoned given she is badly injured.
Because she literally can't understand why someone who's already met Darkseid, let alone one of her master's very sons, would do something as disrespectful towards the Lord of Apokolips as refusing one of His gifts.
 
18th January 2013
23:51 GMT


I fly through the ship towards the boom tube.

"Drusa to Colos, I'm heading to the Citizenry ship."
Ah, a few moments earlier, and on to Drusa's POV. I expect we get to see who the Darkstar attacking Knockout is, not that there's much doubt. But there's the matter of that extra Boom Tube. o_O Who opened it, and did anyone come or go through it...

"Cut the tether before you go. We'll be moving off once you're off the ship."

That's probably wise. Allyn might be able to keep the camouflage effect going while he's on the Citizenry ship, but if he moves through a boom tube in another part of the universe that situation might change.
Yeah, most New God power stunts do have a range limit. Unless you're hacking into something universal...

"Understood." That shouldn't be-.

A female Darkstar is hurriedly donning the last parts of her exo-mantle, a woman I don't recognise shooting her with a purple beam-. A purple healing ray. This must be Darkstar Nguyen, the Illustres' lover. She wasn't part of the crew, which… Means that she was under cover on the Citizenry ship. She makes eye contact with me an instant before she clamps her helmet into place, and I crouch down next to the hull and picture the orange light moving ethereally through the hull and ingesting the tether.
And the other woman would be Agnie, doing as she's told without really getting it.

"I'll deal with the Captain. You keep the ship in one piece."

I nod as I armour myself, then take the purple healing ray from the woman holding it. I don't know if Nguyen has the authority to give me orders, but she's the agent on-site and probably knows more about the situation than I do. Her head snaps back to the boom tube as she draws her-. Sword? Probably an Earth-sword with some sort of nonsensical ability.
The old saw always applies: A sergeant in motion outranks a lieutenant not in the know. ...And an explosives tech at a dead run outranks everybody.

Nguyen walks through the door cautiously, sword at the ready I float through after her, ready to evade immediately if I need to.

Nguyen has her sword through the arm of a woman in green armour, presumably the captain. Local monitoring shows that the room is far too hot and radioactive for a conventional humanoid to survive unprotected, and the fact that Nguyen sword won't come out shows that she's clearly tougher than most people.
And there's where we left them yesterday. Now, that Boom Tube...

BOOM!

No one would be stupid enough to open a boom tube without-
It looks like someone here is. Then again, this isn't exactly a stable situation anyway.

I catch sight of Grood crouched against a work station, clearly injured. I point the healing ray at him and fire it as Allyn flies off and Nguyen abandons her sword to duck under the captain's fist before shooting her in the face with her masers.

-a way to move the ship. None of us are in position, so the system designed to move the ship must already be in place because the Reach will shoot us dead if it isn't. Scan for-. Explosives? Calculate. Okay, technically-.
Ah, yes... Someone should probably go do something about them? Or at least rig them to explode safely.

Alert! Reach ships-.

"Drusa to Lanterns. Brace."
And there's the Reach shooting.

The ships vibrates as the flaws in the explosive placements and the weakness in what's left of the hull make the explosive thrust uneven. All the explosives went off so I can't navigate with those-.
Welp, time to ride that explosion across the finish line...

In slow motion in front of me Nguyen steps past the captain's swing and recovers her sword-. The captain's body was holding it in place by pulling pressure on both side of the sword without touching the blade itself. When she moved the arm the pressure was released. Zartok… Dances between the shots fired by one Scarab and the blade strikes of another, though he doesn't seem to have space to counterattack properly. The captain turns with Nguyen's movement, but-. She's not trying to hit Nguyen, she's-
Accelerating her consciousness, I see.

Move. NOW!
BOOM!

-trying to open another boom tube. Has opened another boom tube.
Ah, I see now. That second Tube that had Allyn worried was Knockout's doing, then.

I don't know whether destroying the generator shuts the tube down or not.

BOOM!
...And now a third one. This place is starting to get crowded.

A new boom tube opens on the bridge, a huge figure-. That's Grayven. And whatever we thought happened to him and his ship, it looks like he's in perfectly health.

The captain grins excitedly and she parries a swing from Nguyen, her counter going right through Nyguyen's head as she phases. The Scarab Warrior fighting Zartok suddenly spins away, his armour morphing into a new gun which he-.
Well, this fight just went up Shit creek without a paddle. Let's hope this is just a cutscene fight now.

End.
Grayven's eyes flash red, a jagged line connecting him to the Scarab. The Scarab's armour… Evaporates, revealing a naked Reachian beneath.

"Lowlie."
Oof. Did he just fry the Scarab out of its' host? Nasty/

"Hey, b-!"

"I see that my father's spy is still aboard." He looks at her with an expression of total contempt. "You are free to keep her."
Boy, that's got to suck for Knockout. Too bad, huh? :D

The captain stops grinning.

"And I will do you the favour of shutting the boom tubes before the Reach fleet organises themselves to pursue you."
I knew it, he does have remote control access to his little gifts.

Zartok snarls.

"We do not need your pity."

Grayven turns his gaze upon Zartok. Muzzle the Yapping Hound.
Well, that's rude.

"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHR!"

Grood's back on his feet. I.. don't think that picking a fight with someone like Grayven is a good idea. From the sounds of it-. Was he the one who sabotaged the ship? We suspected that he didn't have a good relationship with Darkseid from the obvious lack of other Apokoliptian ships, but… If Darkseid was spying on him or foisting unwanted attendants on him...
...Hell, this whole thing, Knockout's ship getting disable deep in enemy territory, seems like just the kind of convoluted plan he'd think was sneaky.

Grood slashes into the flesh of the wounded Scarab, tearing through armour and flesh and-. Ripping the Scarab device out of its central nervous system in a shower of cerebrospinal fluid.

"HHHHHHHHRG!"
I'm choosing to picture that as a howl of victory... :cool:

We've got an active Scarab implant? That's a major-

The Scarab glows for a moment and then decays into ash.
...Well, fuck. :confused:

-victory.

Grayven looks around the bridge, the glow in his eyes fading slightly. Then he turns and walks back through his boom tube, which snaps closed behind him.
...Hooray for mid-battle cutscenes, huh? :rolleyes:

"How dare you treat me like a thrall!"

Zartok glows brilliantly for a moment, his corona billowing as if he were planning to throw orange spears at the air where Grayven had been standing. Then he dims and stalks towards the heavily wounded Knockout. She doesn't seem to know what to do, though her wounds don't seem to bother her in the least.
Dang, I'm amazed Zartok didn't lose focus entirely there. What with all that anger.

"Knockout. It appears that you have been abandoned."

"How.. dare he? How dare he?!"
Honestly? Looks like he dared pretty easily, even if it cost him a whole Citizenry ship.

"Fairly readily, it would appear. If you-?"

"You can't just… Refuse a gift from Darkseid! It's unthinkable!"
Well, given that most of his gifts tend to be rather bad for the recipient, It's understandable.

"To you, perhaps. Not to Grayven. Can I take it that you aren't feeling particularly loyal to either the Citizenry or to Grayven at the moment?"

"Yes. I'll betray them both." She turns and grins at Darkstar Nguyen. "If this little sneak is the one who interrogates me. I like her attitude."

"That can be arranged. Drusa, contact Maltus. Tell them… Mission accomplished."
...I assume Darkstar Colos might have something to say about that. Then again, he probably decided to slip away quietly and resume his previous task.

Well, that's a pretty decisive way to end an episode there. A pity real life doesn't wrap up so easily. I expect most of the debriefing will happen off-screen, with OL making an appearance to check on Jade and discuss things with Team Zartok. Wonder how badly they'll get chewed out for going off-task like that, even accounting for their winnings?

...and the fact that Nguyen sword won't come out...
...and the fact that Nguyen's sword won't come out...
 

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