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The 'on' part is not entirely correct.
Good to know. It was mentioned in a previous thread that the Reach will try to infiltrate Maltus and then freak out after detecting Erdammeru. I hope we actually get to see that happen.
Good to know. It was mentioned in a previous thread that the Reach will try to infiltrate Maltus and then freak out after detecting Erdammeru. I hope we actually get to see that happen.
That was it, and it is supposed to be Erdammeru.I'm pretty sure you're misremembering the Reach originally tried to infiltrate Maltus, their ship taking cover behind what they thought was a moon but in reality was a (Maltusian-made, no Qwardian) super-weapon.
[Reads about Erdammeru]
Great DC has a Unicron...Moon sized planet killer elder god robot. We sure we have the right paul on this job? The one with Slipstream might have Primus on speed dial by now.
The ground shudders, and in the distance-. Close to or at our destination, I see a beam of yellow and orange light with… Black… Dots? Running through the outer parts, striking the ground.
Dammit, Orion. This is why Paul/Highfather can't take you anywhere nice.
As I said yesterday: Information is going to be hard to come by. Wars aren't kind on things like whatever kind of internet the locals had. I doubt any functioning systems remain, outside of a few nation's internal military networks. If that.21st January 2013
09:52 GMT
"Illustres to local Green Lantern. Respond, please."
Orion's got up to get a better look at our surroundings. Perhaps unfortunately, his astro-harness is a lot faster than the flight system of Jade's exo-mantle, so she's opted to remain at ground level. Volkreg doesn't have enough surviving information infrastructure for me to just read up on recent history, and we're far enough away from Maltus that N.E.M.O.'s file on the planet is… Well out of date. I got more up-to-date information from John Stewart's ring, and that was just a summary.
I mean, how long ago was the Butcher fought? A Generation? A Millennium? An Eon? How long have these beings been exposed to its traces?"Did the Butcher's blood do this, or was it just the locals?"
A quick sweep with empathic vision… There's more red than on most worlds I've visited, but there's a big war on. It's hardly a surprise that people are unusually angry.
The local Greenies might want to follow up on that, once all this is sorted out, I hope."Can't tell. I'd guess a little of both. I can't see anything that screams 'magically induced rage', but… That doesn't mean it isn't there."
Volkreg has a pangean continental arrangement. No moons of any size means that there's almost no tectonic activity. Almost all surface land area is connected to the rest, with only a few islands and the southern polar ice mass breaking that pattern. Which means that there are few natural barriers to land warfare. And of course visiting merchants have been happy to sell low-mass high-price things like weapons and orbital scans to the people on the ground in what I'm sure would be used as a salutary lesson on the value of the Prime Directive if this was a Star Trek episode. John's records just have that as a 'possible avenue of concern' rather than an active problem…
Ah, Liana, as seen linked in yesterday's post... And yes, that is an odd-looking facial structure."Illustres to local Green Lantern, respond."
The light around my ring flickers, then a face appears. Humanoid, with an oddly-structured face where two triangular plates extend upwards from her forehead.
I mean, if she is, it might be that you got her while off duty. She might well have been asleep when your call came in."What-?" She looks… Upset, actually. "Oh, I shouldn't-."
"Are you this Sector's Green Lantern?"
...Why do I get the feeling that's very recent? And if she's an Ex-Lantern, how is she even answering? Don't they usually get their rings confiscated?Her eyes dip for a moment. "No, not… Not any more. My name's Liana. Ex-Green Lantern."
"They why are you answering?"
In other words, you quit. Thanks to an incident with a planet-wide threat that its people apparently didn't consider worth averting..."My partner died recently, and I was… Discharged. Our replacements are in training, and we… I don't know. I assumed that the Guardians would assign an Honour Guard Lantern temporarily, but I guess they decided it wasn't worth it. There's not a lot… Happening here."
She frowns.
Which is going to have some consequences when the Guardians hear about it. Though it'll probably get wiped under the carpet..."Wait, who are you?"
"I am the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps, and I'm standing on Volkreg."
...Because of that. Not much you can do to stop someone with those sort of non-restrictions. Merely chastise them after the fact."Does your..? What rules of engagement does the Orange Lantern Corps use?"
"We do what we want, when we want, where we want."
And she knows that well, due to the aforementioned incident..."Oh." She blinks. "That's-. Without a request to intervene by one party, Green Lanterns aren't supposed to get involved in a planet's internal affairs."
"If you consider your job more important than millions of lives-."
At least OL realises he might have been a little harsh on her. The joy of not having all the information he'd like."I don't, and that's-! That's why I'm an ex-Green Lantern now."
I nod. "I apologise. What happened on Volkreg?"
...Well, crap. If nobody intervenes, that's gonna be a nuclear winter to come."Wars between city-states aren't unusual, and they usually don't amount to anything. I… Logged it was happening, and… Tried focusing on things I was allowed to do something about. And I know it kept escalating, but… How..? How bad is it?"
"Ash clouds, high enough that they're not coming down. I-."
Yeah, there's more than one way to fuck up your biosphere with nuclear weapons. Or without, if you consider natural disasters.
...Ooof. I find myself wondering if they knew what cracking their equivalent of Yellowstone would do, and if they cared."Someone nuked a super-volcano. They're looking at years without sunlight over most of the continent."
Obviously I'm going to fix that, but if the clouds have been up there for long enough then they might have gone through their grain stores already.
As a Sector lantern, that's a safe bet, yes. If nothing else, they'd want to get permission and an invitation to operate on the planet..."Oh… No… That's-."
"Did you have any actual contact with the people of this world? Do you know people in their governments?"
...Though if the planet is as divided as it sounds, I'm not sure if they'd have had to make separate arrangements with each polity."I… Did. I don't know if they're still alive… I'll… I'll send you my records. I don't know how much use they'll be-."
"Thank you. Were you discharged for trying to help Azmah?"
Ah... Her homeworld is another Butcher's Blood site, isn't it?"Did you hear about that?"
"No. I'm here looking for something, and…"
Whether any of those contacts will still be alive, or their governments functional, you'll have to find out for yourself, OL...
...Why do I get the feeling she'd want to come and assist, discharge or no discharge?"Examples of what I'm looking for might be there, too. Can you stay available for the rest of the day? I might need to contact you again later."
"Yes, I… You're going to help, right?"
Though she definitely seems the sort to care a lot about those under her care. Too bad the Indigo rings don't seek those with great Compassion..."Of course. I don't have the time to completely rebuild the place, but I can deal with their immediate problems."
"Thank you."
Let's hope things aren't too hot over there.End.
"Right, the closest major city is about twenty five miles due-"
Ah, picking up on that Godspeech, OL? You really need to pay more attention around New Gods...
...Yes, yes he would. I'm amazed you're bothering to ask.The ground shudders, and in the distance-. Close to or at our destination, I see a beam of yellow and orange light with… Black… Dots? Running through the outer parts, striking the ground.
"Would Orion-?"
At least he has intimidation on his side. The giant energy blast probably helped."If he thought he had cause." I attach a filament to her. "Moving in two, one."
The scenery flickers and then… Yes, a city that Liana mentioned. The surrounding fields are burned, and-. An entire army is backing up as Orion glowers at them, the crater he blasted with his astro harness smoking in front of them.
Yeah, you think you're hard, and then you meet a real god of war..."BACK, CRAVEN DOGS! FLEE! GO COWER IN YOUR HOLES! LEST I, ORION, ERASE YOUR WORTHLESS FORMS FROM THE FACE OF THE UNIVERSE!"
The army… Honestly, it's only a few thousand people, appear to realise that they've got no hope. They don't flee, but with the officers-
...And they're off to rethink their life, I hope.I can't see who's in charge so I'm going to assume that they were the subject of Orion's wrath.
-shout orders and their banners waving, they begin to retreat.
Oh, boy. Yet another sidequest sidetrack. Never fails. When you're in a hurry...There's a cheer, and I glance up at the walls-. Women, old men and boys. That's not good.
I need to get a handle on this.
...Why do I get the feeling that's very recent? And if she's an Ex-Lantern, how is she even answering? Don't they usually get their rings confiscated
Why do I get the feeling OL may well have to conquer the whole population in order to get them to settle down long enough for him to get what he wants? Because this situation definitely seems to be that bad. Though how amusing would it be if his actions end up butterflying away Razor's origin story? At any rate, things should be busy for a bit
"Then
How did she keep her ring? Doesn't it shut down or fly away or whatever?Her eyes dip for a moment. "No, not… Not any more. My name's Liana. Ex-Green Lantern."
"They why are you answering?"
No girls? Weird.There's a cheer, and I glance up at the walls-. Women, old men and boys. That's not good.
No, her ring was confiscated, but not the equipment that was used for interstellar communications without it.
Thank you, corrected.
...Ooof. I find myself wondering if they knew what cracking their equivalent of Yellowstone would do, and if they cared.
I don't think he did. Defiant Stance feels more like a aura buff, like a WoW paladin.
Enlightenment means Paul feels "Of The Source" in a vague way, meanwhile Paul's tattoo are broadcasting some something like defensive Godspeech. Paul metaphysically looks like a New God on a deep undercover mission.OL, you're a good chunk of the way to being an ersatz New God yourself thanks to the oddball nature of your soul... That probably earns a bit of respect from New Genesis folks
He really is more habitually suited to using the power of Will, but that is in opposition to his Rage based nature. If Paul can pull this off, New Genesis gets an Enlightened Red Lantern that can reliably off-hand-wield a green power ring for dark souls parrying...That just makes him even more determined to master it, you know...
'-shouting orders'?They don't flee, but with the officers-
I can't see who's in charge so I'm going to assume that they were the subject of Orion's wrath.
-shout orders and their banners waving, they begin to retreat.
Thank you, corrected.
Well Red Paul said that Atrocitus forged his current red ring (because he didn't trust this red ring of unknown providence) and that it will turn to dust if someone else tries to use it (blood bound wqs the implication). Presumably any other red rings around (at least forged by Atrocitus) will do the same thing.So... Is there a reason LePaul's going to all this trouble to get a Red Ring when he could just track down Atrocitus and steal one of his?
While plausibly correct, if he's incredulous that blood is what it is, probably "Its".
Either "impressed"..."tended" or "impresses"..."tends".when the Butcher impresses itself on the corporeal universe, it tended to warp thing
We know the red rings in Young Justice don't work like that.Well Red Paul said that Atrocitus forged his current red ring (because he didn't trust this red ring of unknown providence) and that it will turn to dust if someone else tries to use it (blood bound wqs the implication). Presumably any other red rings around (at least forged by Atrocitus) will do the same thing.
Thank you, corrected.While plausibly correct, if he's incredulous that blood is what it is, probably "Its".
Either "impressed"..."tended" or "impresses"..."tends".
assure
I rather think the whole day has been rather stressful for them. So a strange alien flying around and shooting rays broader than their largest building and then haranguing them is probably going to be just a bit overwhelming.21st January 2013
09:56 GMT
"WHO COMMANDS HERE?!"
The people on the wall are clearly unsure whether to cower or run. Orion doesn't seem at all perturbed. I suppose that he's content in his position as a (New) God, so mortals needing to be told 'Be Not Afraid' is perfectly normal. Given that he can be a bit… Proud and assertive, in the comics, I should probably handle him in the same way as I handled Adom before I made friends with him.
Ah, Jade. Always putting in the real work while the glory hounds take the spotlight.My armour's communication system beeps, and I open the channel.
"On the left. Near the field hospital."
Do you really want her to suffer from having to talk to OL?I look over to-. Ah, yes. A local female who looks a little more together than the rest of the locals. Probably a good choice for a basic summary.
"Well spotted. Do you want to handle the conversation, or shall I?"
Or merely a lack of supplies to maintain more advanced weapons. Guns aren't much use when you've spent all your powder shooting. Except maybe as a long stick with a pointy bit attached by fixing bayonets."You have seniority." True. "I'll tell you if you do anything wrong."
The people are focusing their attention on Orion. There are a few ranged weapons here, but it's mostly spears and knives. Limited access to metal, perhaps? I subspace my armour and
Honestly, you're not that different to the locals... Different shade of skin, less facial lines...step out, reappearing
slightly out of sight next to the field hospital and dim my aura. I'm clearly not a local, but I shouldn't warrant the same level of excitement as Orion in full bellow-mode.
Well, that's the tone of someone's who's seen all the shit and has no fucks to give.And step into her line of sight, smile and bow my head politely. It's a fairly standard humanoid gesture, so she should be able to understand it.
"Are we being invaded by aliens as well?"
Three people is hardly an invasion, after all.Other physicians look up in alarm at her statement, freezing up like those on the wall.
"We're not invading."
...I take it that was the target of Orion's little demonstration earlier. From the sound of it, they won't be missed.That doesn't seem to reassure most of them, though the woman I'm talking to doesn't seem to care either way.
"I doubt that the late Kar Djann sees much difference."
Ah. I expect most smaller communities are in similar condition..."Intentionally. We're not intentionally invading. We're just here to pick up something we believe to be on your world, but couldn't help but notice that you appear to be having a rather widespread war."
"We have no treasures for you, alien. Anything portable of value has long since been traded to other merchants."
If OL is involved, it'll likely take all of five minutes of flying around collecting warlords and giving them a stern talking to..."I'm not looking for treasure; I have all the 'shinies' I want. I'm looking for the blood of the Embodiment of Anger, which I have reason to believe exists on this world. If you help me find it, I am perfectly happy to assist in bringing the current hostilities to a close."
"The last thing we need is more fighting."
...Oooh, awkward."I assure you, my techniques are quite efficacious. But if you aren't willing to countenance killing as part of the solution, I am perfectly willing to limit myself to exile. This world has a few islands that can sustain a small population but which don't have enough wood to build a boat for the journey back to your continent. Is that an acceptable alternative?"
"Is this how things are? Is the rest of the universe so violent that our wars are considered normal?"
Now, that pause sounded bad, but don't worry, it's not nearly as terrible as you're thinking...
Now, if he had his way, things would be a bit more quiet..."When things are as bad as they are now, most places would call a halt and focus on survival. But interstellar space is not in any general way 'peaceful'. Um. Sorry."
I look away from her.
But it's a very quick solution. As long as you're sure about the person you're giving the guns to."My own species was significantly more technologically advanced than yours before we had our first global war. And then twenty years later we had another one. I've got no wisdom that could fix this, beyond 'give a good person the biggest guns', and I doubt-."
"That is no solution."
And more than a few of the great Hellenic philosophers were part-time soldiers, Socrates amongst them."It's a temporary solution, because the wisest philosopher in the universe isn't much use if he's already been stabbed to death with a spear wielded by a practical philosopher. But you're right: it doesn't resolve things in the long term. So?"
She regards me cautiously. "Why are you asking me?"
Well, whatever help you can provide..."I don't know enough about Volkreg to decide myself. You seem slightly more together than everyone else. If you'd like to nominate someone else, I can talk to them instead."
"And all you want in return is help with your pilgrimage?"
Why can't it be both? After all, I doubt the Blood is that potent that a single small amount could enrage an entire world... But a little push in the right place..."It's more of a fetch quest than a pilgrimage. And the two tie together, because while it's possible that this-" I glance up. "-is people letting the worst aspects of their character run wild, it might also be the result of the Butcher's Blood even being on this planet. Or a combination of the two."
"And you will follow my direction?"
...Razer's wife. Well, small universe, isn't it?"As long as it leads me to the Butcher's Blood, I have no dog in this fight."
"Then I accept. My name is Ilana."
Jurisdictional issues. Very frustrating for those who wanted to help."I am the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps."
She frowns. "What happened to the Green Lantern Corps?"
Red tape. Sounds kind of appropriate in this situation, doesn't it?"Not a lot, but this is an internal Volkreg matter and there's no unified government to request intervention."
"So we suffer and die, because-?"
For all we know, the Volkergians evolved with much shorter tempers because of the Blood's presence."Sometimes it seems like the universe does you a favour, and a solution drops onto your lap. But it's unwise to count on it, particularly when the problem is caused by something that was here all along."
"This… Butcher's Blood."
A natural concern. Let's hope it's the latter (though Canon is on their side here.)"Or your own society. So, my guide, where do we begin?"
"Our militia. They were going to try to ambush Kar Djann's main army. I don't know if they're dead, or if he managed to sneak past them."
...Oh, right. Running away from the fist of an angry New God.I turn away, eyes glowing as I look for people with a desire to protect their homes.
"Bypass. Though the survivors that Orion chased away are going to run right into them as they retreat."
At least this little tragedy can be prevented."But there's no point now! We have to stop them!"
"Understood. Please come with me."
...Boy's got a hell of a set of pipes on him, doesn't he?I offer her my right hand, and she takes it. I transition us up to the battlement near to Orion.
"-WARFARE! TELL ME OF YOUR MYTHS AND LEGENDS, THAT I MAY DISCERN THE TRUTH!"
"You run right along, sweetie. Puppy here's just about run out of steam.""Orion, we're just going to go and recall the city's militia. Will you be alright here?"
Ping.
...Not that she can do much to stop him if he starts any trouble. At least, anything non-lethal."It will be some time before they recover from the shock of my arrival." He doesn't look around, and probably didn't see Ilana. "Return with their soldiers, and I will see what can be done with them."
"As you wish." Armour, private channel. "Jade, keep an eye on him please."
Hopefully without any casualties on either side.