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

moralrelativity · Mar 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
with none of the under layer that marked the Callidus I saw out as odd.

under layer that marked the Callidus I saw out as odd -> underlay that marked-out the Callidus I saw as odd
I think it reads better that way but I think you'll probably disagree, Mr Zoat.

Chojin Patriarch · Mar 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
6 574 938.M41

I stare at the ring for a moment.

"There is one thing I didn't consider."

Hardly the best time to realise you might have forgotten something important, P'Aul. And probably not a good idea to go charging back into the council calling 'And one more thing!'

Bo'ohk tilts his head downwards slightly. "In the entirety of the universe, there is one thing you did not think of?"

"Alright, there's one relevant thing I didn't think of while we were being questioned."

Ah, the gentle ribbing of friends. Good to see Bo'ohk usign some more human social mannerisms.

"Is it something we need to go in and tell them?"

"No, it's just-. I know that daemons can be bound to objects. Or… Turned into objects. I said that this ring could be a pre-Age of Isolation artefact-."

Seriously? How powerful a daemon would have to be bound to produce something this powerful?

"But you did not say that it could be a bound daemon."

"Right. That might explain why it can draw power from the warp. And why travelling using it is so safe. Bound daemons… Sometimes they openly exert an influence on the people carrying them… There's a sword that a Space Marine called Garran Crowe uses that talks to him constantly. Others don't, or just create a general desire in the person using them. My ring only talks like a drone, but… Emotional impressions? That's basically what it does."

Castellan Garran Crowe. Famed for his incorruptibility, and trusted to wield a daemon blade in combat because of it. But he's something of an outlier, even amongst the powerfully sanctified Grey Knights...

"Would an ancient human sorcerer really have bound a daemon simply to have something that worked a little like a fictional tool?"

"Yes. The surprisingly thing would be that they were successful, not that they tried it."

I mean, who wouldn't try to reproduce some artefact they love from a manga, comic or book?

I sigh. Of course. Obviously it's a daemon. Good work whoever bound it; maybe the Emperor was into comics in his youth?

"But you have used it to destroy daemons."

Ah, P'Aul. Seeing malice where there is none. You're fitting right in to the 40k universe...

"I've transferred power from one daemon and… I mean, if this ring is a daemon, I've transferred it from one to another. That's normal daemonic activity."

"Is there a way to find out for certain?" I wince, and I'm please to see that he picks up on the expression. "Other than freeing the daemon, of course."

And boy howdy, would that ever be a bad idea. Not that it is a daemon, whatever their fears.

"A psyker with experience in sorcery would probably be able to tell whether or not there was a binding in place without damaging it. Good luck finding one we could trust being this close to it."

Bo'ohk looks at the ring. "Do you really think that is what it is?"

Most human psykers would be 'It belongs in the rightful hands of Humanity!' or claim it 'In the name of Chaos!' Eldar? I suspect they'd rather stay well away from it.

"Occam's razor says 'yes'. But honestly, I don't know."

"Okham… The simplest explanation is the most likely one?"

And sometimes, there's such a thing as overthinking it, boys.

"The one that requires least invention, yes."

"That is the way of thinking that led us to conclude that you were a psyker."

I wonder how long that assumption lasted?

"It's not automatically right, it's just right quite a lot of the time. It's-."

One of the room's doors opens, and two fire warriors armed with pulse blasters enter and do a quick visual inspection. Once that's complete they step aside and the Kor'O from the meeting walks in. Bo'ohk and I make a gesture of respect and she makes one of acknowledgement before… Dismissing her guards.

Huh. Looking for a private meeting, Air Caste?

Bo'ohk notes that, though I don't know if that's normal for tau or not. Tau don't really have the same sort of internal competition that humans do, so it isn't a matter of being concerned about them leaking to a political rival. As anti-Callidus measure, it.. seems ill-considered.

Scan her and scan the room.

Callidus assassins being known for their remarkable metamorphic capabilities. There's even tales of one impersonating Genestealers...

Ave, Lanterna.

No, looks like normal tau desires, with none of the under layer that marked the Callidus I saw out as odd. Similarly, the room only has the monitoring devices that are supposed to be there, and no focuses of warp energy.

But now you have that niggling feeling of doubt, don't you, P'Aul?

"Security is to your satisfaction, Lantern?"

"I limited my scan to this room, Admiral, but as far as that goes, yes." Is it rude to say 'well spotted'? It… Might be.

I mean, the Ring probably shimmered slightly. And Air Caste do have slightly better eyesight than most Tau.

"How far could you go?"

"In theory, the only limit is my mind. In practice, I could manage a 'smart scan' over this building and the surrounding area without difficulty. Further than that and I'd need to be looking for something in particular, and the simpler that thing is the further I could go. I've noticed that for large warp distortions it will just notify me."

Probably running on some passive desire of not dying in a warp distortion, I bet.

"There are so many things that could be achieved with a few dozen like you. I would send an exploration fleet, if we had the slightest idea where to send them."

"I could carry an exploration fleet to Segment Solar if you want, I just don't think that anything good would happen as a result."

And it'd be something of a one-way trip, if he couldn't stick around.

"I was referring to the ring. Do your ancient stories say where they come from?"

"That's… Ah… A planet called 'Oa', which is supposed to be located in the centre of the universe. As far as I know, my species never made it that far."

Well, technically speaking, anyway. That particular Ring didn't start out on Oa, after all.

"The centre of the universe. I don't believe that there is one."

"The writers at the time didn't know that. Though of course it relates to a fictional universe which could have one without is saying anything about the real universe."

Though it's not like the place wraps around on itself. As far as anyone knows, that is. The DC universe, at least, does have a defined boundary, and a centre.

"What did they look like?"

I generate a Guardian construct.

Heh. I wonder if they'll assume because the stories were made by humans, they looked human for obvious reasons?

"The ones on Oa looked like that, but there were other political subdivisions of their species who looked different."

"They had castes?"

Not when one could alter their own body as they pleased...

"No, the divides were political rather than functional. They changed their appearance to reflect their subculture."

"And what did the others look like?"

It probably sounds fantastical to the Tau. Gross physical changes aren't exactly something they can pull off, after all.

I generate Controller, both types of Zamaron and a Leprechaun. Oh, wait, Krona didn't look like them. Add one of him-.

The Kor'O… Is focusing her attention on that one.

Krona classic? Dressed in the 'I hate pants' old-school silver-age Maltusian style? Bet that's a sight.

"What are this faction's beliefs?"

"That's Krona. He wanted to peel back time to examine the start of the universe for himself. That resulted in him breaking it, and he was punished by being rendered incorporeal. He was the villain of his stories."

More fantastical hyperbole, of course, as far as the Tau are concerned... Except that Krona actually did exactly that.

She continues looking at him.

"What was the first non-human intelligent species that humans encountered?"

In this universe? There's a lore deep-dive.

"I'm not sure. Daemons, probably. I know that the Emperor was off gallivanting around the universe under his own power before the rest of us had steam power, and he met the c'tan Void Dragon. For the rest of us… Orks, I think, but that's based on one record and I… Probably couldn't independently confirm it."

"For the tau, we first gained confirmation that alien intelligences existed when we reached our innermost moon. There was a starship there, damaged, but functional."

Excuse me what the what now? Though that would explain some things...

I glance at Bo'ohk, but he looks just as surprised as I feel. Not common knowledge, then. That would have been… Two thousand years ago? Three? Three thousand years or so after the Imperium spotted that the tau existed and marked them down for extermination.

"After than, we encountered the nicassar and orks. The nicassar were conquered and incorporated while… I believe that you know of the orks. After the nicassar, the kroot and vespid were also incorporated. But none of the species we met as friends or enemies built ships like the first we discovered. We learned a great deal from that ship, though much of it was… Not anything we could use at the time. We still do not fully understand it. And we do not know the names of its creators."

...Interesting. Could it be as out-of-place as the Ring and its wielder, I wonder?

She turns back to me.

"Did not know. Your new project will be to interface with the ship's computers directly and allow us to finally grasp the full extent of its lessons and history. Once that is done, you may return to your current mode of operation."

Is that the Council's decision, or just a personal request?

"Of course, Admiral. Is.. that the final word of the T'au Aun'ar'tol?"

"Were you concerned about your relationship with Lar'shi Tsua'm Raard?"

I guess it is... Though I suspect they approve of the relationship as another lever to manage him...

"A… Little, Admiral."

"It is strange, but worth accepting considering the gains. To be completely open, if you solve this problem for me I would be willing to perform intimate acts with you myself."

...I don't know how I should feel about that...

She's about half a metre taller than me, stick thin, and… In her forties, which is eighty in tau years.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary."

...Horrified. Yes, that's how I should feel.

Argh.

Is there just something about P'Aul that has most Tau females he interacts with starting to have intentions towards his...

Greater Goods? Or am I reading too much into it? At any rate, this mystery wrecked ship should prove to be an interesting dungeon crawl... As long as it doesn't turn into a round of Space Hulk. Or maybe Space Crusade?

...And now I'm wondering how Tau would play in either game...

"After than, we encountered the nicassar and orks.

"After that, we encountered the nicassar and orks.

Darko · Mar 4, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Callidus assassins being known for their remarkable metamorphic capabilities. There's even tales of one impersonating Genestealers

Ah yes, she of the fuck-pouch.

NightmareWarden · Mar 4, 2023

What, did the Red Queen fling the ship to this universe? She stayed at Krona's tuning fork construction site after Time Trapper Paul manifested his timeline. Wait, could the Red Queen travel to 40k via the ship? She had manhunters and eternity to investigate the ship's functions. Motives...
She has a dream stone thing for her powerset. This universe's Warp could appeal to her or offer something of value.

DonLyn · Mar 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
But none of the species we met as friends or enemies built ships like the first we discovered. We learned a great deal from that ship, though much of it was… Not anything we could use at the time. We still do not fully understand it. And we do not know the names of its creators."

I really hope that ship is the Star Ship Enterprise or something, just for the joy of watching P'ol's desperate attempts at making sense of this universe's timeline/lore.

Vaermina · Mar 4, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Seriously? How powerful a daemon would have to be bound to produce something this powerful?

Not very.

Daemon Weapons are weird with what they can do. Like, there's one type of minor Daemon you can bind that basically creates a weapon that increases in power with every being killed... And it has no upper limit...

That said. Given his ring hasn't been effected by null fields that's probably just this Paul making up wild theories to throw the Tau off the track.

Chojin Patriarch said:
..Interesting. Could it be as out-of-place as the Ring and its wielder, I wonder?

No, that's a Canon thing. If I remember right it was an old human ship.

BR549 · Mar 4, 2023

Old ship, unlike anything else seen.

And she was very pointedly staring at the image of Krona.

I have a bad feeling about this...

Stsword · Mar 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
I'm trying to remember a word. It means something like 'define in precise terms' and I think it starts with a 'c'. Any ideas?

Are you perhaps thinking of quantify?

"To measure or judge the size or amount of something," hard c sound.

Mr Zoat · Mar 4, 2023

Darko said:
"surprising"
"pleased"

Thank you, corrected.

moralrelativity said:
under layer that marked the Callidus I saw out as odd -> underlay that marked-out the Callidus I saw as odd
I think it reads better that way but I think you'll probably disagree, Mr Zoat.

You're right!

Chojin Patriarch said:
"After that, we encountered the nicassar and orks.

Thank you, corrected.

I suspect they'd rather stay well away from it.

Honestly? Craftworld Eldar culture would probably let them handle it.

There's even tales of one impersonating Genestealers...

Meh'lindi could turn into a Genestealer Hybrid.

Krona classic? Dressed in the 'I hate pants' old-school silver-age Maltusian style? Bet that's a sight.

Excuse me what the what now? Though that would explain some things...

That's Warhammer 40,000 canon, by the way.

Is there just something about P'Aul that has most Tau females he interacts with starting to have intentions towards his... Greater Goods?

Tau can be very utilitarian. If he was into eating people, she's probably be willing to trade her right arm for that knowledge.

DonLyn said:
I really hope that ship is the Star Ship Enterprise or something, just for the joy of watching P'ol's desperate attempts at making sense of this universe's timeline/lore.

No, the tau got their warp drive from it and Star Trek warp drives work very differently.

Could be the Event Horizon.

Stsword said:
Are you perhaps thinking of quantify?

"To measure or judge the size or amount of something," hard c sound.

YES!

Senevri · Mar 4, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Is there just something about P'Aul that has most Tau females he interacts with starting to have intentions towards his... Greater Goods?

Yes. It's called 'Author appeal'.
More Watsonian, Paul hasn't kept his xenophilia exactly a secret, so it's an easy button to push.

Duke Long · Mar 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"I could carry an exploration fleet to Segment Solar if you want, I just don't think that anything good would happen as a result."

'Segmentum'?

Mr Zoat said:
"The centre of the universe. I don't believe that there is one."

Until this prompted me to look it up, I also thought there was a centre to the universe. Huh.

Mr Zoat said:
I generate Controller, both types of Zamaron and a Leprechaun. Oh, wait, Krona didn't look like them. Add one of him-.

Is he making orange constructs, or holograms with colour? Just seems like he'd be missing some nuance if the former.

Senevri · Mar 4, 2023

transhumansage said:
can you cite the quote? who said it?

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Katillno · Mar 4, 2023

So what are the chances this ship is Maltusian?

theaceoffire · Mar 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
She's about half a metre taller than me, stick thin, and… In her forties, which is eighty in tau years.

So... Potentially a MILFy Mommy?

Mr Zoat said:
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary."

Hold up, we can negotiate this!

Mr Zoat · Mar 4, 2023

Senevri said:
Yes. It's called 'Author appeal'.
More Watsonian, Paul hasn't kept his xenophilia exactly a secret, so it's an easy button to push.

Not really. A tau admiral will have a pretty good understanding of the psychology of Imperial Navy officers, but won't really know much about humans in general. She knows that he's willing to have relations with a tau female, so is willing to do that in exchange for something else she wants. It's a trade. She doesn't find him attractive, and... At her age, probably doesn't even think about other tau in that way.

Duke Long said:
'Segmentum'?

Thank you, corrected.

Until this prompted me to look it up, I also thought there was a centre to the universe. Huh.

I only found out when writing it.

Is he making orange constructs, or holograms with colour? Just seems like he'd be missing some nuance if the former.

Constructs.

theaceoffire said:
So... Potentially a MILFy Mommy?

GOTR, really. Grandmother who's been On The Rack.

transhumansage · Mar 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Best Edition.

No, it's not that. Like, put a thing into numbers.

do you play the wargame on the tabletop? do you collect and paint?

Mr Zoat · Mar 4, 2023

transhumansage said:
do you play the wargame on the tabletop? do you collect and paint?

I played Tyranids in 2nd Edition. That's why I'm so bitter about everything that came later.

I have a Jokaero army that probably isn't legal or good, and a tank company which might be.

In other news, did you know that neither Abin Sur's daughter or Indigo-1 have canonical names?

transhumansage · Mar 4, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
In other news, did you know that neither Abin Sur's daughter or Indigo-1 have canonical names?

no i didnt. but that is interesting. are they going to be featured in this fic anytime soon?

Mr Zoat said:
I played Tyranids in 2nd Edition. That's why I'm so bitter about everything that came later.

whats the difference? let me guess, they were more than just all about the hunger (nom nom nom).

Vaermina · Mar 5, 2023

transhumansage said:
Whats the difference? let me guess, they were more than just all about the hunger (nom nom nom).

No, they were extraordinarily broken as an army.

Mr Zoat · Mar 5, 2023

transhumansage said:
no i didnt. but that is interesting. are they going to be featured in this fic anytime soon?

The daughter's dead, so no. Indigo-1, maybe. Thing is, their names are like quarrian faces: within the setting they're easy to discover.

whats the difference? let me guess, they were more than just all about the hunger (nom nom nom).

Ah, man.

Movement. In 2nd edition, units had a movement value. Marines, humans and orks had a movement of 4". Eldar moved 5". Tyranids generally moved 6". More than that, because things like running or moving through cover were a multiplier rather than a dice roll, movement was more predictable. And for each 10" a unit moved incoming fire was at -1 to hit. That meant that tyranids could run 12" towards the enemy reliably, be harder to hit with guns and the enemy couldn't run away faster than the tyranids could chase them. In 3rd, everyone moved 6", running wasn't a thing and there were no benefits to moving fast. As was stated in White Dwarf at the time, tyranids went from being the fastest race to being the slowest due to lack of transport vehicles or jump packs on their assault units.

Armour penetration. In 2nd, weapons and melee attacks had a save modifier. When something got hit, its armour save was modified by that amount. S6 genestealers hit with a -3 save modified, so most things didn't get much of a save. In 3rd edition, things either got their full save or nothing, and only power weapons and monstrous creatures bypassed armour. Genestealers went from being the scariest close combat unit in the game to being a joke that would bounce off tactical marines. Lictors went from one being a pain to needing broods of them to do anything at all.

3rd edition carnifexes had a 5+ invulnerable save, rather than the 3+ on 2D6 armour save they had in 2nd. This means that rather than being a tanky unit that needed heavy anti-armour weapons to deal with it, they now died easily to basic weapons that they used to be completely immune to.

In 2nd edition, tyranids had upgrades called biomorphs which stood in for the wargear cards other races had. In 3rd they lost all of their equipment options. They still haven't got most of them back.

Someguy Somewhere · Mar 5, 2023

Around the advent of 3rd edition a lot of the character of armies changed from a collection of fairly individual and customized units into larger armies with more generic units. 3rd was a bit easier to learn and pick up, but early third was fairly generic and simple. I'd say it was mostly a 'how do I sell more minis' development because units got larger. 'Nids in early 3rd were a horde army where you didn't really customize models, you customized (barely) a whole unit and threw them down range. It was a rough time for hordes, and late 3rd where a few army lists started to get some real character back to them.

This was right around where the term 'Distraction Carnifex' came into vogue, where you would throw the big chunky meaty unit down range as a bullet sponge so your other units can get into range without being peppered to death.

Sorrow · Mar 5, 2023

Technically, if something really is infinite, then any or all of it can be the center... Because it goes on forever.

It also depends on your perception, so if we say the Earth is the center of our universe, then it is, due to our perception of it as such.

Mr Zoat · Mar 5, 2023

Butcher's Blood

20th January 2013
21:05 GMT

Sereaven still looks to be in a good condition as Ragnar and I fly towards Lantern Lacuray. The only real change is that the ships are formed up close to the planet rather than being in a dispersed formation to respond to raids. Inviting her to come along would have been a bad idea; I picked her up because I thought that defending her home would give her the power boost that she'd need to become relevant. Still, given how gung-ho most Orange Lanterns are, I feel that I've wronged her slightly. Hopefully this will make up for it.

"Illustres." She comes alert as we approach, drawing herself up slightly. "The fear demon will not be coming here?"

"Not any time soon, if the Guardians know their business. Which they generally do. So you've got a choice. You can go back to Maltus and continue your training, or you can accompany Lantern Ragnar and I on a diplomatic mission with a minimal chance of combat."

"There isn't.. any threat to Sereaven?"

"The Reach remains a threat to Sereaven, but I'm not aware of any new imminent threat to Sereaven, no. Parallax is going back to Oa and Joseph Harrolds has returned to his home planet."

"You left him alive?"

"Yes?"

"I-. Oh, I didn't mean to question you, sir."

"You can question, politely. As to why he's still alive, it's because we're not at war with him or his people at the moment. He hasn't hurt us or ours except while Parallax was in his head. Because we could take him alive without undue risk. And because I'm trying to be a little more discerning in who I kill."

Ragnar nods. "To be killed by the Illustres is an honour one must earn."

I try to smile in a way that indicates that she should ignore that comment.

"Where are you going?"

"New Genesis. Long way from here, so I'll probably have to tow both of you. It's mostly jungle, with a small floating city that has virtually all of their technologically advanced civilisation on it. No real relationship with any Maltusian faction, but I know the ruler's son and daughter-in-law. They're usually pretty friendly, in a slightly high-handed sort of way, so if you treat them like Maltusians who haven't forgotten how to breed you'll probably do alright."

"Will I need to talk to them?"

"Not for any negotiation. Talking casually is fine."

"How big an empire do they rule?"

"No, it's just the one flying city. They're just advanced enough that they can sustain a large spacefaring military without a particularly large population base."

Not sure why they don't expand, even if they limited themselves to taking a few uninhabited worlds to build new flying cities over. My guess would be that their nature encourages them to focus on their own individual excellencies rather than the strengthening of their society, but that is just a guess.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure why Mr. Free and Barda don't have children. This is our first major contact with Apokolips since Kanto tried to kill Canis. Before that, Darkseid was completely ignoring them. They had plenty of time to settle down and start a family. Barda certainly wasn't exercising her divine capacity for violence in any significant way… Maybe they're just not children-people.

"Then I would like to accompany you, Illustres."

"Rightoh. Illustres to local admiral."

"Admiral Scratch-Click here."

"I'm detaching Lantern Lacuray from your command to mine. That won't cause any problems, will it?"

"No. One more Lantern doesn't make much difference to our defence plans. Where are you taking her?"

Technically, he doesn't need to know, and spreading that information risks other people who shouldn't hear about it. But the Reach finding out that I'm talking to New Genesis doesn't really cause a problem for us, They're not going to involve themselves in this war whatever I say, and the Reach could find that out by asking them politely. Which, to be fair, would probably be what they'd start with. And while the Reach might make common cause with Apokolips to keep me distracted, there's no way they'd pursue an actual alliance. Which means that they don't have much of a motivation to stop me talking to New Genesis about something not related to their war with us.

If anyone's feeling uncharacteristically rational.

Heh.

"New Genesis, but not for anything that will affect our war with the Reach. It's just that some things can't be left until a convenient time."

"Understood. Scratch-Click out."

"Right. Now, we're going to be warping to a system that's quite a long way from New Genesis so that I can try to communicate with them."

I could go back to Earth and borrow a boom tube, but that risks someone on the Apokoliptian side hearing about it and taking action.

"Yes, Illustres."

Ragnar looks thoughtful. "Do they have a duelling tradition?"

"Yes, though unless someone's very eager, I'd rather that you held off-."

He holds up his hands, palms facing me.

"I am a prince, not an uncultured barbarian. Of course I would learn their customs before duelling on their soil."

I think he sees the scepticism on my face.

"The Orange Lanterns I challenged, we went to neutral grounds before fighting."

Ring, check-.

"Outside of their worlds' cities, you mean."

"Yes, of course."

That would… Probably work for New Genesis. The way that nation states work with regard to claiming territory on Earth isn't universal. Betrassus still has substantial areas between settlement that technically aren't controlled by anyone.

"I'll trust your judgement on the matter."

"Thank you, Illustres."

Oh, he'll name his terms in advance.

I extend tethers to each of them, plotting a course and warping space as we connect. I… Think that Ragnar could cope with a brief dip in the Honden at this point, but Lacuray is far too new to consider it.

"Three, two, one, warping."

The system vanishes to our rear, stars blurring around us. This sort of faster than light travel actually… It's pretty, giving you the chance to watch the universe fly by. Stepping out lacks that, though it's so much faster that I almost always use it.

"This is gratifying, Illustres." Ragnar grins. "Every time you show me something like this, I am shown the path to my own improvement. When we have more time I would like it if you would critique my own technique."

"Certainly. I'd be happy to. Lantern Lacuray, how to you feel about being the furthest travelled member of your species?"

"A combination of awe and terror, Illustres."

"A very sensible attitude. It never pays to become habituated to what we can do. Warp terminating in three, two, one."

Handlewithcare · Mar 5, 2023

This makes me think of a Star Trek Paul.

Zoat, would he like the Feds or would he consider them complacent or something? Would he try to argue with them about Augments? What would a talk with Q look like?

There actually exists a Labtern/2009 Trek crossover comic, so it even would be semi-cabon that Rings work in Trek.

Darko · Mar 5, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Butcher's Blood

I'm guessing we'll be seeing Big Red this episode.

Mr Zoat said:
diplomatic mission with a minimal chance of combat."

So there's going to be a lit of combat.

Mr Zoat said:
Joseph Harrolds has returned to his home planet."

"You left him alive?"

"Yes?"

"I-. Oh, I didn't mean to question you, sir."

No, you should always question him.

Mr Zoat said:
his head. Because we could take him alive without undue risk

Well that's not exactly the case anymore.

Mr Zoat said:
And because I'm trying to be a little more discerning in who I kill."

I think that you'll feel that he's worth killing fairly soon.

Mr Zoat said:
Come to think of it, I'm not sure why Mr. Free and Barda don't have children. This is our first major contact with Apokolips since Kanto tried to kill Canis. Before that, Darkseid was completely ignoring them. They had plenty of time to settle down and start a family. Barda certainly wasn't exercising her divine capacity for violence in any significant way… Maybe they're just not children-people

They may have escaped Darkseid, but that doesn't mean that they're no longer afraid of him.

As long as he's around then any child they may have is at risk of falling into his hands, and they probably don't want that to happen.

Lord Ernest · Mar 5, 2023

Is it Red Light of Rage time? So Ysmault and 5 Inversions visit, possibly?

It's funny that Ragnar has grown on me. Especially in comparison to that Zartok guy and his unabashed Starscream personality.

Chojin Patriarch · Mar 5, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Butcher's Blood

20th January 2013
21:05 GMT

Well, that title has meaning. The obvious one is that OL will be looking into avenues for a Red Ring... But let's not take that as read. I mean, he could easily run into the Butcher itself, or come into conflict with some warlord with a reputation for bloody combat...

Sereaven still looks to be in a good condition as Ragnar and I fly towards Lantern Lacuray. The only real change is that the ships are formed up close to the planet rather than being in a dispersed formation to respond to raids. Inviting her to come along would have been a bad idea; I picked her up because I thought that defending her home would give her the power boost that she'd need to become relevant. Still, given how gung-ho most Orange Lanterns are, I feel that I've wronged her slightly. Hopefully this will make up for it.

Nice to have a name for the local rookie. Now, if I could only remember their faces...

"Illustres." She comes alert as we approach, drawing herself up slightly. "The fear demon will not be coming here?"

"Not any time soon, if the Guardians know their business. Which they generally do. So you've got a choice. You can go back to Maltus and continue your training, or you can accompany Lantern Ragnar and I on a diplomatic mission with a minimal chance of combat."

To be fair, I'm not sure the latter option will be safer. Still, a chance to work with two of the strongest Lanterns in the Corps? Hard to pass up...

"There isn't.. any threat to Sereaven?"

"The Reach remains a threat to Sereaven, but I'm not aware of any new imminent threat to Sereaven, no. Parallax is going back to Oa and Joseph Harrolds has returned to his home planet."

Presumably she knows enough about the situation to know who they are. If only to know who the danger is and that they could have done.

"You left him alive?"

"Yes?"

Which we know is bound to bite him in the arse sooner or later.

"I-. Oh, I didn't mean to question you, sir."

"You can question, politely. As to why he's still alive, it's because we're not at war with him or his people at the moment. He hasn't hurt us or ours except while Parallax was in his head. Because we could take him alive without undue risk. And because I'm trying to be a little more discerning in who I kill."

Bit late for a no-kill run, but easing off on causal gibbing should improve your karma somewhat...

Ragnar nods. "To be killed by the Illustres is an honour one must earn."

I try to smile in a way that indicates that she should ignore that comment.

And goddamn, I can picture that smile. Slightly worried eyes, with a sidelong glance and a tightening of the cheeks...

"Where are you going?"

"New Genesis. Long way from here, so I'll probably have to tow both of you. It's mostly jungle, with a small floating city that has virtually all of their technologically advanced civilisation on it. No real relationship with any Maltusian faction, but I know the ruler's son and daughter-in-law. They're usually pretty friendly, in a slightly high-handed sort of way, so if you treat them like Maltusians who haven't forgotten how to breed you'll probably do alright."

I'm guessing the Ring's Database naturally has very little info, hence his impromptu briefing.

"Will I need to talk to them?"

"Not for any negotiation. Talking casually is fine."

Just try not to blab any sensitive information you might know... Though given her rank, that's probably not much.

"How big an empire do they rule?"

"No, it's just the one flying city. They're just advanced enough that they can sustain a large spacefaring military without a particularly large population base."

They joy of being able to open portals to simply step into whatever warzone they need to.

Not sure why they don't expand, even if they limited themselves to taking a few uninhabited worlds to build new flying cities over. My guess would be that their nature encourages them to focus on their own individual excellencies rather than the strengthening of their society, but that is just a guess.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure why Mr. Free and Barda don't have children. This is our first major contact with Apokolips since Kanto tried to kill Canis. Before that, Darkseid was completely ignoring them. They had plenty of time to settle down and start a family. Barda certainly wasn't exercising her divine capacity for violence in any significant way… Maybe they're just not children-people.

I'm guessing producing children is a bit of an undertaking for them. More than just the physical involved, for example.

"Then I would like to accompany you, Illustres."

"Rightoh. Illustres to local admiral."

Ah, the transfer of command, eh? Though his rank lets him bypass most of the paperwork... Hopefully.

"Admiral Scratch-Click here."

"I'm detaching Lantern Lacuray from your command to mine. That won't cause any problems, will it?"

"No. One more Lantern doesn't make much difference to our defence plans. Where are you taking her?"

...A bit awkward to just say it like that, but I bet Lacuray had no illusions about her usefulness. Not that it'd have stopped her fighting.

Technically, he doesn't need to know, and spreading that information risks other people who shouldn't hear about it. But the Reach finding out that I'm talking to New Genesis doesn't really cause a problem for us, They're not going to involve themselves in this war whatever I say, and the Reach could find that out by asking them politely. Which, to be fair, would probably be what they'd start with. And while the Reach might make common cause with Apokolips to keep me distracted, there's no way they'd pursue an actual alliance. Which means that they don't have much of a motivation to stop me talking to New Genesis about something not related to their war with us.

Don't be too sure, OL. Never underestimate the foolishness of villainy.

If anyone's feeling uncharacteristically rational.

Heh.

Ah, good, you're not that naive.

"New Genesis, but not for anything that will affect our war with the Reach. It's just that some things can't be left until a convenient time."

"Understood. Scratch-Click out."

Honestly, it's well overdue. But sadly, OL is easily sidetracked, as we well know

"Right. Now, we're going to be warping to a system that's quite a long way from New Genesis so that I can try to communicate with them."

I could go back to Earth and borrow a boom tube, but that risks someone on the Apokoliptian side hearing about it and taking action.

And popping out of a Boom Tube laden with energies that New Genesis would recognise as the Anti-Life probably wouldn't endear you to them.

"Yes, Illustres."

Ragnar looks thoughtful. "Do they have a duelling tradition?"

...Please, don't go triggering any feuds... Though I'll bet you'll end up fighting Orion at some point...

"Yes, though unless someone's very eager, I'd rather that you held of-."

He holds up his hands, palms facing me.

Man, seeing so many hints about Ragnar versus Orion...

"I am a prince, not an uncultured barbarian. Of course I would learn their customs before duelling on their soil."

I think he sees the scepticism on my face.

...So many hints...

"The Orange Lanterns I challenged, we went to neutral grounds before fighting."

Ring, check-.

I'm guessing because a challenge on his own ground or theirs could be taken as grounds for war?

"Outside of their worlds' cities, you mean."

"Yes, of course."

Not that those he challenged would have stopped themselves from responding...

That would… Probably work for New Genesis. The way that nation states work with regard to claiming territory on Earth isn't universal. Betrassus still has substantial areas between settlement that technically aren't controlled by anyone.

"I'll trust your judgement on the matter."

In other words, 'Don't make me regret this'.

"Thank you, Illustres."

Oh, he'll name his terms in advance.

Heh, even OL is expecting him to get into trouble...

I extend tethers to each of them, plotting a course and warping space as we connect. I… Think that Ragnar could cope with a brief dip in the Honden at this point, but Lacuray is far to new to consider it.

"Three, two, one, warping."

Let's not marinate the rookie in Avarice yet.

The system vanishes to our rear, stars blurring around us. This sort of faster than light travel actually… It's pretty, giving you the chance to watch the universe fly by. Stepping out lacks that, though it's so much faster that I almost always use it.

"This is gratifying, Illustres." Ragnar grins. "Every time you show me something like this, I am shown the path to my own improvement. When we have more time I would like it if you would critique my own technique."

And once again, we're reminded that OL just hasn't taken the time to just enjoy flying around for a long while...

"Certainly. I'd be happy to. Lantern Lacuray, how to you feel about being the furthest travelled member of your species?"

"A combination of awe and terror, Illustres."

"A very sensible attitude. It never pays to become habituated to what we can do. Warp terminating in three, two, one."

Best to take your own advice there, Illustres.

Well, there's a lot of ways this could go. Especially with Ragnar and a rookie lantern riding along. But I have no doubt that OL is hoping for the best, and planning for the worst. Let's hope it's not hate at first sight, though. Too much depends on OL not messing this up...

Ganurath · Mar 5, 2023

Handlewithcare said:
This makes me think of a Star Trek Paul.

Zoat, would he like the Feds or would he consider them complacent or something? Would he try to argue with them about Augments? What would a talk with Q look like?

There actually exists a Labtern/2009 Trek crossover comic, so it even would be semi-cabon that Rings work in Trek.

Warhammer 40K Paul likes the Tau, which are basically the Federation, so I don't see why the favor wouldn't carry over.

Darko · Mar 5, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Well, that title has meaning. The obvious one is that OL will be looking into avenues for a Red Ring

He did think that Orion would make a good candidate for a red ring.

He has the rage and it's directed at the correct target.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Don't be too sure, OL. Never underestimate the foolishness of villainy.

Nothing scarier than an idiot.

Chojin Patriarch said:
And popping out of a Boom Tube laden with energies that New Genesis would recognise as the Anti-Life probably wouldn't endear you to them.

It'll either be a repeat of the first time he met with the Frees, or they may think that he's escaped Apokolips and is looking for shelter.

Which is kinda true.

DAT_NOOB · Mar 5, 2023

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