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

Chojin Patriarch · Apr 21, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
6th February 2013
09:24 GMT -5

It's morning. We're here in the morning, in the open, and this… Should be a school day. Except there's nothing happening, even at the good schools. Even if the teachers turn up, people don't want to teach. Or get taught.

That's not exactly how it is in places where the Anti-Life hasn't taken over. Wally's still going to school, and so are Conner and M'gann. Mom… Hasn't really said.. anything, but I'm studying in my own time to try and keep up. I could get a transfer, but-.

How diligent of you, Artemis. Thinking of the day you can't run around out there in tights and leather, battling crime. Admittedly, being Dannered up makes your crime-fighting days likely to be a lot longer than most.

"Hey… Artemis?"

I look over at Dick for a moment, then go back to watching the Anti-Lifed thugs.

Heh. I would hope they've got their limiters off for the duration of this crisis. Though it has been, what, over a year since they got dosed by Paulphidian anyway. If they couldn't adapt in that time...

"Yeah?"

"Was this how..? Gotham used to be?"

I suppose he never did see much of the regular city life, after all. Plenty of its night life, though, if you catch my drift.

"How d'you mean?"

"My family travelled around a lot. I'd been on three continents before I ever came to Gotham. And I was pretty young. Even when I started as Robin, I didn't really know how bad things were."

Gotta remember, even if his family started here, he hasn't spent much time here before, well...

I frown. "Didn't Batman have you following him around every night?"

"Hardly. Training was every day. Fighting crime was one night a week. Maybe three if there was a holiday. I saw plenty of crime, but I didn't know how representative what I saw was of the whole of the city."

And once the Freaks starting crawling out of the woodwork, that would get even less representative.

He glances at his wrist computer, checking the feeds from the cameras he's planted.

"And I've read up on things since then, but it's not the same as seeing it. Do you remember?"

After all, a history book can only do so much for painting a picture of the life then.

"Dad didn't encourage me to socialise." But that's not a helpful answer. "No. Thanks to Mistress, there's only one gang in town. Back then, any of the gangs could be attacked by any of the other gangs. So walking around on the street first thing in the morning? That wasn't really something they did. Not outside the middle of their territory. And they walk different."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. These guys… They don't care who sees them."

Comes from being the big dogs.

I nod. "They don't-." Damn it. "They didn't used to walk like that after Batman cleaned up the city, because they cops started doing their jobs and they could get arrested. They didn't walk like that in the old days because the cops were paid off by one of the mobs and they didn't like it when people committed crimes without asking permission first."

"Were there this many?"

And there's always some young yahoo or new-in-town dolt trying to start shit...

"Ah…" I try remembering, but I wasn't all that old either. "I don't know. I think there were more other people around."

People aren't really living. They're just going through the motions. I've looked in on a few families when I visit Mom, and it's kinda like they're robots. Not modern robots. Complicated wind-up ones from the sixties, where they stumble around the place without knowing why they're doing anything, and if they're even a little at the wrong angle they'll trip over the furniture.

The purely mechanical kind, relying on precise timings that can foul up if there's so much as one hair out of place? I can picture it...

We're already seeing signs of malnutrition. Even if people aren't killing themselves, they're not taking care of themselves.

And on that subject…

Such is the nature of Anti-Life. Without a strong will to direct them...

"How are they managing the food supply?"

"Some of Poison Ivy's henchpeople got infected, and they set up some city farm plots. But food doesn't get produce all the time. Harvesting crops in the US doesn't happen for months. It's mostly imports that have shut down, and that was way down anyway after the Sheeda attacks."

Which is why granaries were so important back in the ancient times. Even with fewer mouths to feed back then. 'Society is only three meals from collapse' and all that...

"What about interstate trucking?"

"You can order stuff. We're still getting oranges in Happy Harbor. You have to get really demanding about it, but once things are moving, they tend to stay moving." He nods. "If we don't get this fixed inside a month, that'll get worse."

...Ironically, I could see karens serving as local middle-managers with their obnoxious resolve.

Another… Month..?

"Hey."

Yeah, looks bad, huh?

He's… Put his hand on my arm. I didn't notice-.

"If we can't get it fixed inside a month we can always do what OL said."

OL's said a lot of crazy things. Which one do you mean?

"Move to another planet?" Dick nods. Like a lot of things Paul says, that was somewhere between 'funny' and 'terrifyingly serious'. "But if you're right and people can be broadcasters, wouldn't we just bring it with us?"

"Don't worry about that. With a new colony, we wouldn't have enough food for everyone anyway."

Terrible calculus, indeed.

Heh.

"Oh, that's totally wrong."

Hey, he's not lying.

"No, Mister Atom checked the figures. Plants need all kinds of soil microbes, and if you have to introduce them to a new planet, that takes… A while. We'd actually have to raid about fifty sewage treatment plants for raw material."

I gag.

What better place for it. Dirty job, I know...

Right… Fertiliser, and microbes…

"Mister Atom was pretty sure we could fit it all in two oil tankers. We'd just have to reinforce them so Superman could carry them."

Though that would probably be enough to seed hundreds of hectares of fields...

"Hah!" I can't help smiling at that image. "Okay. Thanks."

"I got pranked by a robot with no sense of humor this morning. I feel like I need to up my game."

Heh.And I'm impressed you're admitting that, Robin.

"Mister Atom pranks people?"

"He's got a program for it. Oh, here we go."

Ah, back to work.

I lean over to look at his computer screen, and I see the truck doing deliveries for Mistress. She's set up a food-for-work program for anyone who can drag themselves over there. A lot of the people who take her up on that end up as part of her pseudo-Justified gang, and that's why we haven't wanted to risk getting too close.

Dick moves the screen so I can see its relative position. Okay. I notch a tracking arrow and raise it. Check distance, check wind speed, and… Loose.

Ah, taking the good old-fashioned method of trailing them, eh?

Two. One.

"Good shot, Arte. Clean contact."

Not bad for a mere human. I'm sure Celestial Archer would be impressed.

This type of tracking arrow actually disintegrates after the tracker gets attached. At this time of day, there's no way they wouldn't notice a regular one. This has got a transmitting shorter range, but…

"Robin to Canis. You're good to have breakfast."

Impressive trick. I'm assuming Nanomachines (son!)

"I'm sure that dining with such lowlies will bring back many memories."

"Happy memories?"

Eh, his idea of happy memories probably involves mass murder.

"Can I kill and cook them over their own fires?"

"Ah, that's a no?"

Still, he asked first. Progress?

"Then merely memories. Canis out."

I frown. "Are we sure this 'Mistress' chick even has an inner circle?"

I mean, what self-respecting evil leader wouldn't? Can't do everything herself.

"Anti-Life makes them loyal to her, but it doesn't give people skills they don't have. There's nothing in her personal history which shows that she knows how to run a gang or rule a city. Someone's helping her. But they're not big on phones, or we could just hack them."

"They don't have Apokoliptian technology, right?"

To be fair, most of the existing network structures pretty much run on automatic. But nothing says anyone has to use it.

"They shouldn't, but we've IDed a lot of ex-henchmen with them, and there's a lot of old supervillain tech around Gotham."

"So they could have anything Batman's enemies had."

Which is a hell of a lot of shit. From Freeze Rays to old Fear Gas. Mind control hats to Smilex sprayers...

Dick nods.

"Great."

On the upside, anything not breathable, you're a lot more resistant to.

Good to see the Team hasn't forgotten the art of covert information gathering. Though I don't doubt that somehow, this will end up in a grand melee of superpowers. The only question is which side will be the stronger. Though it sounds like even they aren't sure just who this 'Mistress' is. I guess Batman isn't sure, but has his suspicions that he's not sharing...

Back then, any of the gangs could be attacked by any of the other gangs.

Double Space.

Sockmonkey · Apr 21, 2023

I'm wondering what Thaanagar thinks about this. They're the interstellar power closest to Earth, and would not be thrilled to have a world controlled by Apocalypse right in their backyard.

crazygrox · Apr 21, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Which is a hell of a lot of shit. From Freeze Rays to old Fear Gas. Mind control hats to Smilex sprayers...

Venom is apparently common enough that every time the Justice League knocks down a factory producing the stuff for international distribution a new one pops up.

Not that amazing against heroes on it's own. But if you can source an autocannon, or have the suicidal justified/anti-lifers willing to wear around really heavy high-yield suicide vests, the extra equipment-carrying capacity Venom gives might be useful.

Mr Zoat · Apr 21, 2023

Darko said:
"the cops"
"produced"

Chojin Patriarch said:
Double Space.

Thank you, corrected.

Vaermina · Apr 21, 2023

Ngamer11 said:
I wonder if Paul should start making contingency plans for the Justice League for other potential disasters like this one?

Given that so far all his plans have provably made things worse...

That would probably be a bad idea.

Duke Long · Apr 21, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
This has got a transmitting shorter range, but…

'shorter transmitting range'?

Mr Zoat · Apr 21, 2023

Duke Long said:
'shorter transmitting range'?

Thank you, corrected.

Old Knife · Apr 21, 2023

Who's the Mistress anyway?

_The_Bomb · Apr 21, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Eh. If you link to the rotted links, I'll try and replace them. It's entirely too long for me to check all of them myself.

Alright. Did a bit of a reread while procrastinating finals and started quoting the rotted links I found. There's plenty more, as these are only the ones in the section I reread. Still, there's… quite a lot of them rotted, especially the images, which are almost entirely gone. Going forward, I strongly recommend you upload photos to Imgur and link to there. It's a much more resistant site and would be a far better host for anything you want to last more than a few years.

Mr Zoat said:
guess was that Captain Chaos was a shapeshifter

Mr Zoat said:
"I'm back!" He pulls his right hand free and raises it in exaltation. "It's me, I'm

Mr Zoat said:
"Dude."

"I'm back!" He pulls

Mr Zoat said:
associate with the Manhunters, each one split in colour between red and white. A handful of others are marked by a red circle surrounded by a gold ring. M'gann's

Mr Zoat said:
who are not Red."

Mr Zoat said:
Reminds me a little of the ending of Small Gods. Vorbis dies, and Brutha takes his body to the leaders of the invading

Mr Zoat said:
T'Pexor holds his amulet up to apparently empty space, and the ancient citadel of Z'onn Z'orr shimmers into

Mr Zoat said:
newer. But the main tower is essentially unchanged. That's where he remakes us

Mr Zoat said:
have I. I've seen Zamarons

Mr Zoat said:
like… A really skinny midget someone stuck a crocodile head on. Nothing I remember from any of Clarice's bestiaries, though 'vulnerable

Mr Zoat said:
And then the dragon flies up from

Mr Zoat said:
section of the ship's exterior

Mr Zoat said:
does not guarantee that the next person in his weight class will be as well. If people could be relied upon to treat one another well, we wouldn't

CTrees · Apr 21, 2023

Three (probably crazy) thoughts on the identity of Mistress:

1) someone who showed up for three issues in the 1960s that everyone forgot about, probably actually going by the name Mistress. This is Zoat we're talking about, after all.

2) Catwoman. She hasn't shown up in ages, but she has the sort of strong personality that could grab a leadership position in these circumstances.

3) Jennifer Gordon-Hewitt. She has shown up in story (searching Catwoman's appearances is what reminded me of her, actually). She's old, but she's in Gotham and she has an extensive collection of superhero and supervillain memorabilia. Which normally wouldn't lead me to guess "prospective warlord," but this chapter mentioned the old Gotham villain tech that's lying around for the taking... might also explain why she is *only* being called Mistress - if it was someone whose older name was well known by our recent viewpoint characters (like Catwoman), there might be a mix of names used.

dw7thdoctor · Apr 21, 2023

CTrees said:
3) Jennifer Gordon-Hewitt. She has shown up in story (searching Catwoman's appearances is what reminded me of her, actually). She's old, but she's in Gotham and she has an extensive collection of superhero and supervillain memorabilia. Which normally wouldn't lead me to guess "prospective warlord," but this chapter mentioned the old Gotham villain tech that's lying around for the taking... might also explain why she is *only* being called Mistress - if it was someone whose older name was well known by our recent viewpoint characters (like Catwoman), there might be a mix of names used.

I think that lady was killed by (I'm blanking on the name it's 7 am where I am) Paul's time travel rival.

CTrees · Apr 21, 2023

dw7thdoctor said:
I think that lady was killed by (I'm blanking on the name it's 7 am where I am) Paul's time travel rival.

Bah, you're right. I did search, but made a bad assumption that the search results were in any sort of order. So what I thought was the most recent appearance wasn't.

m_d · Apr 21, 2023

_The_Bomb said:
Going forward, I strongly recommend you upload photos to Imgur and link to there. It's a much more resistant site and would be a far better host for anything you want to last more than a few years.

Note about Imgur - under new ownership (MediaLab AI, Inc. since 2021) and with machine learning tools to remove images that may or may not comply with their new Terms of Service (see the Safety & Standards section in the Help section). We'll see. We all remember Tumblr's automated image removal tools flagging so many non-violating images right?
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...ve-explicit-and-anonymous-content-next-month/

Zig · Apr 22, 2023

m_d said:
Note about Imgur - under new ownership (MediaLab AI, Inc. since 2021) and with machine learning tools to remove images that may or may not comply with their new Terms of Service (see the Safety & Standards section in the Help section). We'll see. We all remember Tumblr's automated image removal tools flagging so many non-violating images right?
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...ve-explicit-and-anonymous-content-next-month/

Not just explicit pics that's bad enough. Any pics that were uploaded anonymously which has gotta be a large percentage of them, so anyone who uploaded there thinking it was more resilient, well we're about to see a whole lotta dead embeded pics.

_The_Bomb · Apr 22, 2023

Zig said:
Not just explicit pics that's bad enough. Any pics that were uploaded anonymously which has gotta be a large percentage of them, so anyone who uploaded there thinking it was more resilient, well we're about to see a whole lotta dead embeded pics.

It's really not a problem if you make an account. You can use a temporary email and make a nonsensical username and password once, and you'll never have to worry about images rotting again. Well, nothing lasts forever, but Imgur is going to be around for a long time.

Mr Zoat · Apr 22, 2023

3rd November 1999
21:18 GMT

I watch as the… Goblin? Their bodies are shaped like chimpanzees, though their faces look more like a bat's. Have to check when I get back. The goblin working as a nurse checks the bandages on one of his wounded fellows. Alliance plasma weapons are designed to be significantly less lethal than they could be, but they stun people with electrical discharges and skin burns, and despite what mythology might suggest goblins aren't only vulnerable to iron.

I get a few glances in my direction, but by this point they've more or less decided to ignore my glowing green form.

I'm still not sold on the 'secrecy' angle, but I don't think these people would be inclined to trust a human at this point. A glowing green man who just beat up an Alliance platoon on the other hand… I appear to be accepted. Percival told me that he used to use a form like this for when he had to fight things, and a few of these people appear to remember those stories.

It's not just human myths, it seems.

"Do you think he can't talk, or he's just choosing not to?"

Another goblin with two vampire plasma pistols attached to his belt glances at a green-skinned female of… A species I don't recognise. Her dimensions are more human-standard than the shorter goblins, and…

And I'm checking her out, which is a lot easier to get away with when your face is concealed from external view by a glowing green helmet that doesn't obstruct your vision.

"I don't know. Have you tried asking him?"

"No, he just followed us..." The goblin straightens up a bit, and adjusts his flat cap before facing me. "Green man. We owe you our lives. Thank you."

I ball my right hand into a fist, then bring it over to the left side of my chest, over my heart. Incline my head slightly, then straighten and lower my arm.

"You've… Fought with the Alliance before?"

No, not like that. Monitored to get some idea of how they operate, yes. Stolen equipment, yes. Fought a platoon of their soldiers in the middle of a city, no. And last time Percival went out like this the founders of the Alliance hadn't been born yet.

But I don't respond. The less I do to let anyone know the truth, the better.

The goblin gives me a moment, then turns back to the green woman. "I'm leaning towards 'can't talk'. Some sort of robot, you think?"

"Titani automata are usually bigger. And less green. Maybe he just doesn't like trasgu."

"What's not to like about us?" The goblin widens his arms in a gesture of appeal, causing the nurse to glance his way.

"We're not exactly human-appealing, Reddy."

"Why would a robot care about that?"

The green woman takes a step closer, red eyes trying to peer past my glowing visor. "Maybe he's just shy."

Shy around attractive women? Well, reserved, yes, but I've spent the last three months doing intense physical exercise to prepare for this role and I'm feeling a little more confident in my own appearance than I used to.

She raises her right hand up to caress my helmet, an action which due to her relative shortness requires her to come right up to me.

"We are very grateful to you, sir knight. Those beastly Alliance soldiers might have done all sorts of things to us if you hadn't… Cut in."

I reach up with my left hand, take hold of her right and bring it to the area of my construct mouth guard, miming kissing it before releasing my hold.

"Failing to seduce a robot." The goblin-. Trasgu, I suppose, sneers. "We need to find a male of your species: that's just depressing."

Perimeter breach.

I jerk my head up, forcing the ring to show me the exterior of this Cold War era bunker. More Alliance soldiers, these ones carrying a greater number of plasma cannons. And since we're further away from population centres, they're using more of their mechs.

The green woman looks concerned. "What is it?"

I hold out my right hand, palm up, and generate a construct image of what I'm seeing. She gasps sharply, and looks to the trasgu for guidance.

"We can't fight that many. The back entrance?"

He looks at the wounded, who are wincing as they pull themselves to their feet.

"We'll have to. I'll set the charges."

"Those things can fly. There isn't anywhere to-"

There's an explosion outside as the mechs target their trucks. Most of their equipment was already offloaded, but there's no way to transport most of it now. This bunker isn't in official use any longer, and we're in an isolated location, so in theory they could just collapse the entrance and then come back later…

Ring, contact local police with alert.

They won't be able to do anything, but the Alliance seems to avoid killing regular police units. Another set of witnesses might force the Alliance to pull out. Or it might not.

Thing is, it's still the late nineties. It's phone communication only, and they've got no capacity to receive video transmissions.

Phone call in progress.

But… That's not going to be enough. They could just stun regular police. This is Britain, I don't think they even routinely issue tasers or CS sprays.

Contact the closest police armed response unit. Fake dispatch orders.

Orders fabricated. Emergency dispatch triggered.

That will create an awkward situation. They won't have anything heavy enough to damage the mechs, but an armed response unit will in theory be able to kill Alliance infantry.

I don't… Think they'll engage. The armed response unit will have records, and the moment they arrive on scene they'll radio their headquarters.

Reddy takes a moment to watch the wounded hobbling for the other exit, then draws his pistols. "Listen, Green Knight-."

I add the image of a shield to my self-concept and the ring responds, a tower shield with the green sigil on it shimmering into being. Then I march towards the front door.

"I was going to ask you to guard the retreat, but if you want to be the distraction I'm all for it. Knock 'em dead!"

Alliance plasma cannons have worse pulse confinement than the vampire version, and I know I can block those. But the Alliance are much more cavalier about maintenance and parts; they'll hose a target down and not worry about overheating and burnout because they can replace what they break more easily.

I hold out my right hand, and add a knightly arming sword to my self-concept. It's… A strange way to think, and a little disassociative. But it works.

Other goblins pull back from the front entrance as the Alliance mechs open fire. I'm a little surprised that they're not using breaching charges to open the door, but maybe they just assumed that we'd booby trap it and it would be easier to dig us out? The only other alien here is a hulking golem, vampire plasma cannon in one hand and the other a bare fist. He..? Looks down at me as I prepare to charge.

"You? Okay. The way I see it, we just need to take out their mechs. No way they can keep up without transport. After that, it's just about keeping them on us for as long as possible."

For a moment, I'm… Touched, both by his devotion and what he's assumed about me. I don't like these people well enough to die for them.

But…

I think I might find out whether I'm willing to kill for them. And if human history is anything to go by… I probably am.

I hold up my shield hand to show him my fingers, and count down to zero.

Massgamer · Apr 22, 2023

Not sure how it is in show but does seem more and more like Alliance treating all alien refugees as hostile and not bothering with diplomacy.

Darko · Apr 22, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
owe you of lives. Thank

"you our"

Handlewithcare · Apr 22, 2023

Massgamer said:
Not sure how it is in show but does seem more and more like Alliance treating all alien refugees as hostile and not bothering with diplomacy.

Spoilers!

That's being done deliberately by an alien infiltrator who has subverted the Alliance

This Paul doesn't even try to talk with them? What would Enlightened Self Interest Paul think!

RoninSword · Apr 22, 2023

Massgamer said:
Not sure how it is in show but does seem more and more like Alliance treating all alien refugees as hostile and not bothering with diplomacy.

I mean, you can't just enter a country illegally, call yourself a refugee and then be shocked when the government doesn't agree.
Replace country with planet. Why should that be different?

Edit: Keep in mind I have never even heard of this show, let alone watched it.

Chojin Patriarch · Apr 22, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
3rd November 1999
21:18 GMT

I watch as the… Goblin? Their bodies are shaped like chimpanzees, thought their faces look more like a bat's. Have to check when I get back. The goblin working as a nurse checks the bandages on one of his wounded fellows. Alliance plasma weapons are designed to be significantly less lethal than they could be, but they stun people with electrical discharges and skin burns, and despite what mythology might suggest goblins aren't only vulnerable to iron.

Ah, one of many classic alien species from the 'golden age' of UFO encounters. And I'm guessing the more belligerent alien species make the Alliance a lot more willing to hit hard, ask questions later.

I get a few glances in my direction, but by this point they're more or less decided to ignore my glowing green form.

I'm still not sold on the 'secrecy' angle, but I don't think these people would be inclined to trust a human at this point. A glowing green man who just beat up an Alliance platoon on the other hand… I appear to be accepted. Percival told me that he used to use a form like this for when he had to fight things, and a few of these people appear to remember those stories.

So, pretty much confirmed outright that... <Sigh> Roswaul... is the glowing green knight previously encountered.

It's not just human myths, it seems.

"Do you think he can't talk, or he's just choosing not to?"

Heh. Not confident in the sound of his voice? I suppose his accent would be recognisable. Or maybe he's just trying to cultivate the 'silent man of mystery' image amongst them?

Another goblin with two vampire plasma pistols attached to his belt glances at a green-skinned female of… A species I don't recognise. Her dimensions are more human-standard than the shorter goblins, and…

And I'm checking her out, which is a lot easier to get away with when your face is concealed from external view by a glowing green helmet that doesn't obstruct your vision.

Can't deny the appeal of interestingly-coloured alien ladies.

"I don't know. Have you tried asking him?"

"No, he just followed us..." The goblin straightens up a bit, and adjusts his flat cap before facing me. "Green man. We owe you of lives. Thank you."

Now, how will he answer?

I ball my right hand into a fist, then bring it over to the left side of my chest, over my heart. Incline my head slightly, then straighten and lower my arm.

"You've… Fought with the Alliance before?"

I wouldn't call it a fight, given the capabilities of a Lantern Ring, even one in the hands of a relative rookie.

No, not like that. Monitored to get some idea of how they operate, yes. Stolen equipment, yes. Fought a platoon of their soldiers in the middle of a city, no. And last time Percival went out like this the founders of the Alliance hadn't been born yet.

But I don't respond. The less I do to let anyone know the truth, the better.

So presumably the last time the Alliance saw him, he just took them all down easy.

The goblin gives me a moment, then turns back to the green woman. "I'm leaning towards 'can't talk'. Some sort of robot, you think?"

"Titani automata are usually bigger. And less green. Maybe he just doesn't like trasgu."

Or maybe he's something neither of you have seen before. The galaxy is a big place, after all.

"What's not to like about us?" The goblins widens his arms in a gesture of appeal, causing the nurse to glance his way.

"We're not exactly human-appealing, Reddy."

Except in an ugly-cute way. Hey, it happens.

"Why would a robot care about that?"

The green woman takes a step closer, red eyes trying to peer past my glowing visor. "Maybe he's just shy."

...Dammit, why am I suddenly picturing him as dressed like Goblin Slayer now?

Shy around attractive women? Well, reserved, yes, but I've spent the last three months doing intense physical exercise to prepare for this role and I'm feeling a little more confident in my own appearance than I used to.

She raises her right hand up to caress my helmet, an action which due to her relative shortness requires her to come right up to me.

Ah, Percival had him working out, eh? A fit body benefits a fit mind?

"We are very grateful to you, sir knight. Those beastly Alliance soldiers might have done all sorts of things to us if you hadn't… Cut in."

I reach up with my left hand, take hold of her right and bring it to the area of my construct mouth guard, miming kissing it before releasing my hold.

Heh, playing up the chevalier image, eh?

"Failing to seduce a robot." The goblin-. Trasgu, I suppose, sneers. "We need to find a male of your species: that's just depressing."

Perimeter breech.

And I bet the lady is a little annoyed right now.

I jerk my head up, forcing the ring to show me the exterior of this Cold War era bunker. More Alliance soldiers, these ones carrying a greater number of plasma cannons. And since we're further away from population centres, they're using more of their mechs.

The green woman looks concerned. "What is it?"

The joy of working without more than a rudimentary AI. And it looks like the Alliance are unhappy.

I hold out my right hand, palm up, and generate a construct image of what I'm seeing. She gasps sharply, and looks to the trasgu for guidance.

"We can't fight that many. The back entrance?"

Looks like Roswaul is going to have to fight...

He looks at the wounded, who are wincing as they pull themselves to their feet.

"We'll have to. I'll set the charges."

...Or a lot of these people will die.

"Those things can fly. There isn't anywhere to-"

There's an explosion outside as the mechs target their trucks. Most of their equipment was already offloaded, but now there's no way to transport most of it now. This bunker isn't in official use any longer, and we're in an isolated location, so in theory they could just collapse the entrance and then come back later…

Well, rude. Not like they could have run for them in front of the Alliance's guns.

Ring, contact local police with alert.

They won't be able to do anything, but the Alliance seems to avoid killing regular police units. Another set of witnesses might force the Alliance to pull out. Or it might not.

Still, if it can make them back off a little... More of the wounded might make it to safety.

Thing is, it's still the late nineties. It's phone communication only, and they've got no capacity to receive video transmissions.

Phone call in progress.

Imagine taking that call at the station.

But… That's not going to be enough. They could just stun regular police. This is Britain, I don't think they even routinely issue tasers or CS sprays.

Contact the closest police armed response unit. Fake dispatch orders.

True, the British police have never been the most aggressively armed of peacekeepers.

Orders fabricated. Emergency dispatch triggered.

That will create an awkward situation. They won't have anything heavy enough to damage the mechs, but an armed response unit will in theory be able to kill Alliance infantry.

And the amount of back-and-forth shouting will help distract the attackers.

I don't… Think they'll engage. The armed response unit will have records, and the moment they arrive on scene they'll radio their headquarters.

Reddy takes a moment to watch the wounded hobbling for the other exit, then draws his pistols. "Listen, Green Knight-."

Anything to slow the Alliance down, after all. And the sheer public nature of the encounter might raise some alarm bells upstairs, so to speak.

I add the image of a shield to my self-concept and the ring responds, a tower shield with the green sigil on it shimmering into being. Then I march towards the front door.

"I was going to ask you to guard the retreat, but if you want to be the distraction I'm all for it. Knock 'em dead!"

Pfft. They could barely hurt him. If he got distracted.

Alliance plasma cannons have worse pulse confinement than the vampire version, and I know I can block those. But the Alliance are much more cavalier about maintenance and parts; they'll host a target down and not worry about overheating and burnout because they can replace what they break more easily.

I hold out my right hand, and add a knightly arming sword to my self-concept. It's… A strange way to think, and a little disassociative. But it works.

So they may injure themselves trying to damage him. Tough luck for them.

Other goblins pull back from the front entrance as the Alliance mechs open fire. I'm a little surprised that they're not using breeching charges to open the door, but maybe they just assumed that we'd booby trap it and it would be easier to dig us out? The only other alien here is a hulking golem, vampire plasma cannon in one hand and the other a bare fist. He..? Looks down at me as I prepare to charge.

"You? Okay. The way I see it, we just need to take out their mechs. No way they can keep up without transport. After that, it's just about keeping them on us for as long as possible."

This would already have been over, if he'd had a more user-friendly Ring. Bet that's why Mr Zoat picked Green for hard mode.

For a moment, I'm… Touched, both by his devotion and what he's assumed about me. I don't like these people well enough to die for them.

But…

The Alliance are clearly in the wrong here. Don't feel too bad about chastising them.

I think I might find out whether I'm willing to kill for them. And if human history is anything to go by… I probably am.

I hold up my shield hand to show him my fingers, and count down to zero.

Assisting an ingroup is a powerful drive, after all. And Roswaul has thrown in with them...

Well, this should be noisy. Wonder what the series protagonists will make of this display? Because an armed response like this seems excessive for a group they expect to have large numbers of injured and thus handicapped in a straight fight. Or perhaps someone is taking advantage of this to escalate matters a little.

...thought their faces look more like a bat's.

...though their faces look more like a bat's.

The goblins widens his arms in a gesture of appeal...

The goblin widens his arms in a gesture of appeal...

Perimeter breech.

Perimeter breach.

moralrelativity · Apr 22, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
point they're more

they're -> they've

RichardWhereat · Apr 22, 2023

RoninSword said:
I mean, you can't just enter a country illegally, call yourself a refugee and then be shocked when the government doesn't agree.
Replace country with planet. Why should that be different?

Edit: Keep in mind I have never even heard of this show, let alone watched it.

Especially when most of the myths of your people are evil, or you prey on human.

Darko · Apr 22, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Dammit, why am I suddenly picturing him as dressed like Goblin Slayer now?

I now can't stop picturing him yelling "GAAAHBLINNSSS!" whenever he speaks.

And making people drink goblin urine.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Ah, Percival had him working out, eh? A fit body benefits a fit mind?

Aside from making him physically stronger, it can make him more willful.

Working out can be stressful and painful, so it can help to have a strong will.

BR549 · Apr 22, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Perimeter breech.

Should be 'breach', unless they used the butt (or breech) of a *really* big gun to do it.

Mr Zoat · Apr 22, 2023

Darko said:
"you our"

Chojin Patriarch said:
...though their faces look more like a bat's.
The goblin widens his arms in a gesture of appeal...
Perimeter breach.

moralrelativity said:
they're -> they've

Thank you, corrected.

RoninSword said:
I mean, you can't just enter a country illegally, call yourself a refugee and then be shocked when the government doesn't agree.
Replace country with planet. Why should that be different?

1) Because the Alliance has no legal authority
2) Because a lot of them entered before those countries existed
3) Because genuinely can't leave.

Take the banshees, for example. The Republic of Ireland came into existence in 1922. They've been in Ireland for a lot longer than that. Why should they need the Irish government's permission to stay? Take sirens. According to Homer, there were sirens around when the Trojan War was happening, somewhere between 900 and 600 B.C.. Modern Greece won independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830 A.D.. Even the Kingdom of England is only 1100 years old, and Percival is far older than that.

Ti-Yet would like nothing better than to take his people home. But they were brought to Earth as slaves and have no access to spacecraft.

Prince Charon · Apr 22, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
1) Because the Alliance has no legal authority

Yeah, that's pretty important. Not uncommon for the protagonist-group in these sorts of shows, though.

Mr Zoat said:
2) Because a lot of them entered before those countries existed
3) Because genuinely can't leave.

Take the banshees, for example. The Republic of Ireland came into existence in 1922. They've been in Ireland for a lot longer than that. Why should they need the Irish government's permission to stay? Take sirens. According to Homer, there were sirens around when the Trojan War was happening, somewhere between 900 and 600 B.C.. Modern Greece won independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830 A.D.. Even the Kingdom of England is only 1100 years old, and Percival is far older than that.

Ti-Yet would like nothing better than to take his people home. But they were brought to Earth as slaves and have no access to spacecraft.

Well, that says a lot more about the situation. Might still be an issue for the modern governments if/when they find out, though (because politicians being hypocrites happens a lot), but a pretty useful thing to argue in court. An 'alien' who was born in the UK isn't an alien, after all, but the court would still need to decide whether a non-human is a person.

Mr Zoat · Apr 22, 2023

Prince Charon said:
Well, that says a lot more about the situation. Might still be an issue for the modern governments if/when they find out, though (because politicians being hypocrites happens a lot), but a pretty useful thing to argue in court. An 'alien' who was born in the UK isn't an alien, after all, but the court would still need to decide whether a non-human is a person.

Um... Maybe.

Unlike the United States, most European countries don't count you as a citizen just because you were born there. Britain doesn't, Italy doesn't, and I think Ireland stopped a few years ago because people were taking the piss.

moralrelativity · Apr 22, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
they'll host a target down

host -> hose ?

Azure Mirage · Apr 22, 2023

The whole thing I took away from Roswell Conspiracies was that a bad boss will and can get you into trouble more often than not by withholding information.

The Paul of the setting got information immediately upon arrival and a job offer for ring charge and pay. So far I am loving the whole X-Com vibe and I think the series took a lot of hints from that game series and other sources naturally now that I am older and can buy all the games I was too broke as a kid to play and or learn of.

I can appreciate the attention to detail immensely as always with Zoat's work when he slips into another media setting. How the characters act like they did in the show and or setting considering reboots and alternate universes are a thing.

I am also glad there was a mention of working out for the sake of physical fitness by the SI due to not having an Orange ring to automatically perform Biomancy due to latent desire. Too many ignore the cardio thing, you really need endurance to survive short fights that drag out into long ones. So constant training is a must and heck, anime does love its training montages as an example.

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