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

While I do know that he has the sigil face inwards to obscure the fact that's he wearing a power ring, I wanted to know why he wears it on his left hand. And besides, who on earth is going to wear armour with the sigil of the Orange Lantern Corps and not have a ring?
I believe he puts it on his non dominant hand so that if he were to instinctively grab something and someone reacts by incapacitating/dismembering his hand, his ring hand would stay uninjured/attached.
 
The yawning abyss of inevitable oblivion.

Zon tak.
I find the inevitability of oblivion quite peaceful, actually, assuming some kind of afterlife doesn't exist.
Testing your ability to project constructs, OL? Wonder if it appeared as a skeleton in a robe or a young goth girl. :p
Natu would most likely look at him weirdly if the latter did show up.
I'm guessing that was 'Identifying Fear.' Though which word meant Fear, I couldn't guess.
Since the last time, the ring said, "Zon Nar" was in reference to Lysis attempting to charge the ring without modifying it first and the word "Zon" was repeated here, I'm going to assume that "Zon" means "Access" and so "Zon Nar" most likely means "Access denied" and "Zon tak" means "Accessing fear", which would make sense seeing that the ring most likely still operates on Indigo Tribe code.
And you never know, outside of his devotion to orderly society, he might be an affable gentleman. You don't get to be First Lantern just because you were good at making constructs.
Just because he's a bad guy, doesn't mean he's a bad guy.
 
Nam-Ek.
There is a mod for that which fixes almost every bug in the game.
They've had years. If they can't be bothered to even pay the fans for fixes they've already made, I can't be bothered to buy it.
It would be fun for a post or two nonetheless.
It would probably be a few posts of him wandering around with no idea what's going on, then running out of ring power and doing a normal blind Morrowind run. If he actually remembered Morrowind, he'd fly to Dagoth Ur and assimilate the Heart of Lorkhan. After that, play preblivion while trying to fix the Empire?
While I do know that he has the sigil face inwards to obscure the fact that's he wearing a power ring, I wanted to know why he wears it on his left hand. And besides, who on earth is going to wear armour with the sigil of the Orange Lantern Corps and not have a ring?
Just to be different, really. Green Lanterns wear them on the right.
Should probably be 'at the start' here.
Thank you, corrected.
 
While I do know that he has the sigil face inwards to obscure the fact that's he wearing a power ring, I wanted to know why he wears it on his left hand. And besides, who on earth is going to wear armour with the sigil of the Orange Lantern Corps and not have a ring?

Zoat's already answered this with 'it's to be different' but depending on culture which hand and finger a particular style of ring is on has meaning...a bit like flower language in that it's out there to convey some level of information.

It's a bit pompous but this and this covers a degree explanations for what all goes where (in their opinion).

It was something I looked up after going to a friends wedding and getting accused of a hidden engagement just for wearing a plain stainless band on my right middle finger.

I was never known for wearing jewellery, and actively avoid rings due to doing electronics work and not wanting to spot weld my hand to anything while working.

Just the Groom being shocked and still getting used to his own new bling that night. But having shared a table with an Ex didn't help with his vocal over reaction.
 
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I professes extreme doubt in concerns to his ability to actually do that.
I mean, while pretty much most of Morrowind's finale is deeply steeped in Metanarrative of TES - like the world being demiurge's dream and shit - the Power Ring is about enough of an out-of-context thing to at least count as major Daedric artifact.

It should be able to do something to the Heart, so it really is depending on how Paul in question goes about it- maybe not even resulting in him going the way of Dwemer.

Earlly story!Paul I doubt would beable to interact with the Heart in productive manner, but current'ish/timeskip-future Paul? Almost certainly.
 
I mean, while pretty much most of Morrowind's finale is deeply steeped in Metanarrative of TES - like the world being demiurge's dream and shit - the Power Ring is about enough of an out-of-context thing to at least count as major Daedric artifact.

It should be able to do something to the Heart, so it really is depending on how Paul in question goes about it- maybe not even resulting in him going the way of Dwemer.

Earlly story!Paul I doubt would beable to interact with the Heart in productive manner, but current'ish/timeskip-future Paul? Almost certainly.
Major Daedric Artifacts can't do anything to the Heart.

The only things that can, are things capable of altering the very fabric of reality on the most fundamental of levels.

And even that's a massive risk unless you have near perfect understanding of the underpinnings of reality, as the Dwemer would tell you if they hadn't erased their species from existence.
 
Lantern Conspiracies (part 14)
5th June 2000
18:12 GMT -6


It's strange, walking through Alliance headquarters like this. Most of the personnel are… I don't know if they're deliberately staying out of my way or if… Well, between Rinaker's betrayal and newly enthroned Director Walter Logan's new direction, they're 'considering their positions'. I doubt that he's looking at a palace coup; with Trueblood dead there isn't really anyone who might want to mount a direct challenge who has the internal support to be successful in doing so. But if enough people just quit, either because they think the organisation is illegitimate or because they don't want to reach an accommodation with aliens, then it will collapse and some branch of the American government will absorb its assets.

The two agents on guard duty outside of Director Logan's briefing room shift uncomfortably as I approach, but maintain their discipline. The left one nods.

"You can go right in. The Director and his other guest are waiting for you."

I'm not sure why Director Logan wanted to talk to me personally. Chauf's head of the Conduit, Mab rules the Banshee, Dorn leads the vampire… Contribution, and Jerich will be heading back to his people's homeworld just as soon as he can repair his hyperdrive. I don't have the authority to speak for anyone except myself. I don't even have the authority to speak for Percival.

Oh well.

I push the door open and step inside the meeting room. The Director smiles politely and nods at me from his position at the head of the table, while Dorn… Sits, on the far side of the table. He isn't using a disguise so his serpentine tail is awkwardly draped over his seat to avoid him towering over us. His face is expressionless, his eyes staring as if he were trying to pierce my faceplate.

The tip of his tail twitches slightly as my armour brightens slightly.

"Thank you for coming, Green Knight." The Director gestures to a chair opposite Dorn. "Please, take a seat."

Maintaining my robotic demeanour, I pull out the indicated chair and sit in it.

"As I said after we defeated the shadoen, I want to bring all of the alien inhabitants of the Earth under the Alliance's umbrella. And a part of that is… Resolving any outstanding disputes that might prevent people from working together. Mister Dorn has asked me to arbitrate a peace settlement between you and his Family."

I turn my head to look directly at Dorn, his face expressionless.

"You have been quite effective at attacking our operations. I want to know what it will cost me for that to stop."

I clasp my hands on the table before me, then remain motionless for a few moments. Then I move my right hand and reach down to pick up the text-to-speech machine one of the Alliance agents gave me as a replacement for my notepad when their sign language interpreter admitted that he didn't understand BSL.

My right hand glows green as I bypass the keyboard.

"Nothing."

Dorn's eyes flick to the Director for a moment.

"That could be interpreted in two different ways."

"We will never be friends. But your Family stepped up when you could have hid or fled. You have earned my forbearance."

"Oh." He doesn't really smile, but his posture relaxes a little. "That's-."

"But there are conditions."

He actually stays relaxed. "I had assumed. What are they?"

"Your Family stepped up. Intracom. Other unaligned vampire families remain targets."

Now he smiles. "When is the cut-off?"

"Two weeks."

The Director looks slightly puzzled. "Pardon me?"

Dorn turns to look at him. "The Green Knight has apparently decided that I'm the best person to lead not merely my family, but all vampires on Earth. I was planning on trying to pressure the others into accepting my leadership anyway, but being able to include protection from the Green Knight as part of the package will strengthen my negotiating position. He has built up quite a reputation." He turns back to me. "I assume you want something else as well."

"All thralls are to be released and compensated."

"That's a.. Hard sell."

"It is necessary. You are public now. Your technology will be in high demand."

The Director shakes his head. "Releasing advanced technology to national governments is risky. I haven't even briefed the President on what exactly it is that we have."

Dorn looks mildly pained for a moment, then waves his left hand. "We can withhold weapons technology if that's what bothers you. Intracom computer systems are still generations ahead of-."

"No. Weapons are necessary. We need to be ready for the next shadoen fleet."

The Director regards me levelly. "Do you have intelligence?"

"Analysis of shadoen computer systems. It will not come immediately, but they already know that their ships were destroyed. The next fleet will be assembled within a few years. The Alliance is not designed to manufacture advanced weapons in sufficient volume. Intracom could."

Dorn grins. "Just selling off our existing stock alone could-. We could easily cover the costs of liberating our thralls. And we can compensate the.. poor unfortunate souls so cruelly enslaved by my predecessor."

Director Logan is significantly less sanguine about the idea than Mr. Dorn, but cautiously nods. "Subject to normal arms trading laws."

"Everyone saw the fleet, Director Logan. The cat is out of the bag. The horse has bolted. Those laws will be changed if it means panicking countries get what they think they need. Let us not pretend that you are not using that panic as well."

He nods resignedly. "It might take a little pressure off the Alliance if the US army could buy from a private company."

Dorn eyes me curiously. "This isn't what I was expecting. I assumed that you'd want a pound of flesh."

"The Earth is more important. However, since you are now committed to legitimate business practices, I will expect anyone who breaks the law to face punishment under established law. This is clemency, not immunity. In exchange, I will hand over vampire criminals to established authorities rather than killing them myself."

Dorn nods. "I imagine that they would prefer that. Today does seem to be the day for intelligent men to be honest. And I have no use for the unenlightened."

"I will also require your support on one matter."

"Name it."

"If we are integrating resident aliens into human society, it follows that they should be allowed to participate in policing the agreements we are signing."

"I thought this was a treaty agreed between signatories. If I have a problem with something, I will speak to Director Logan directly."

"That is impractical. We must become one civilisation, otherwise the trust we require will not exist. If the nature of vampire civilisation on Earth comes to too wider attention, it is likely that our agreement will be superseded by the wrath of the masses. Ultimately, Intracom must become a business that happens to be vampire owned and managed, rather than an extra-territorial hanse. We must all be committed."

He thinks for a moment, his eyes growing distant.

"You want me to find vampires to train as Alliance agents? Director?"

Director Logan nods slowly. "I wasn't going to rush that, but I'm not against the idea. As Robert Peel said, 'the police are the public and the public are the police'. If we're integrating our societies, that means vampires taking part in government and civil society."

He tilts his head slightly to the left. "And the Conduit will be similarly committed?"

"Yes." I dismiss my helmet. "We are."
 
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Dorn turns to look at him. "The Green Knight has apparently decided that I'm the best person to lead to not merely my family, but all vampires on Earth. I was planning on trying to pressure the others into accepting my leadership anyway, but being able to include protection from the Green Knight as part of the package with strengthen my negotiating position. He has built up quite a reputation." He turns back to me. "I assume you want something else as well."
This should be removed.

"Yes." I dismiss my helmet. "We are."
I can't wait to see their reactions to Paul's appearance and backstory.
 
5th June 2000
18:12 GMT -6


It's strange, walking through Alliance headquarters like this. Most of the personnel are… I don't know if they're deliberately staying out of my way or if… Well, between Rinaker's betrayal and newly enthroned Director Walter Logan's new direction, they're 'considering their positions'. I doubt that he's looking at a palace coop; with Trueblood dead there isn't really anyone who might want to mount a direct challenge who has the internal support to be successful in doing so. But if enough people just quit, either because they think the organisation is illegitimate or because they don't want to reach an accommodation with aliens, then it will collapse and some branch of the American government will absorb its assets.
Woof, talk about a time-skip in the course of this timeline. I assume the exposure of the alien infiltrator that was leading the Alliance and everything else mentioned here would have been an end-of-season grand finale type of thing. So big changes have happened and are happening...

The two agents on guard duty outside of Director Logan's briefing room shift uncomfortably as I approach, but maintain their discipline. The left one nods.

"You can go right in. The Director and his other guest are waiting for you."
Bit of a change since last we saw the Emerald Knight and the Alliance interacting. A lot less shooting, for one thing. :p

I'm not sure why Director Logan wanted to talk to me personally. Chauf's head of the Conduit, Mab rules the Banshee, Dorn leads the vampire… Contribution, and Jerich will be heading back to his people's homeworld just as soon as he can repair his hyperdrive. I don't have the authority to speak for anyone except myself. I don't even have the authority to speak for Percival.

Oh well.
I take it this Logan fellow is the series' main character's father? And quite the shift in allegiances amongst the non-human parties.

I push the door open and step inside the meeting room. The Director smiles politely and nods at me from his position at the head of the table, while Dorn… Sits, on the far side of the table. He isn't using a disguise so his serpentine tail is awkwardly draped over his seat to avoid him towering over us. His face is expressionless, his eyes staring as if he were trying to pierce my faceplate.

The tip of his tail twitches slightly as my armour brightens slightly.
Now, now. No peeking.

"Thank you for coming, Green Knight." The Director gestures to a chain opposite Dorn. "Please, take a seat."

Maintaining my robotic demeanour, I pull out the indicated chair and sit in it.
Heh. Wonder how long he's been at this? Months now?

"As I said after we defeated the shadoen, I want to bring all of the alien inhabitants of the Earth under the Alliance's umbrella. And a part of that is… Resolving any outstanding disputes that might prevent people from working together. Mister Dorn has asked me to arbitrate and peace settlement between you and his Family."

I turn my head to look directly at Dorn, his face expressionless.
And that nicely explains what's going on with the 'Vampires'. I take it Dorn's group turned against the rest when the shadow war went hot?

"You have been quite effective at attacking our operations. I want to know what it will cost me for that to stop."

I clasp my hands on the table before me, then remain motionless for a few moments. Then I move my right hand and reach down to pick up the text-to-speech machine one of the Alliance agents gave me as a replacement for my notepad when their sign language interpreter admitted that he didn't understand BSL.
Understandable. I expect he at least checked it for tracking devices when they offered it to him.

My right hand glows green as I bypass the keyboard.

"Nothing."
And for laughs, I am picturing him using the voice of the Emperor from TTS. :p

Dorn's eyes flick to the Director for a moment.

"That could be interpreted in two different ways."
Which I'm sure he's going to elucidate in just a moment.

"We will never be friends. But your Family stepped up when you could have hid or fled. You have earned my forbearance."

"Oh." He doesn't really smile, but his posture relaxes a little. "That's-."
In other words, he won't come at you, unless you come at him first. Everyone else, though...

"But there are conditions."

He actually stays relaxed. "I had assumed. What are they?"
No doubt Vampire negotiations are always tense discussions.

"Your Family stepped up. Intracom. Other unaligned vampire families remain targets."

Now he smiles. "When is the cut-off?"
Ah, yes. He's seeing an advantage he can use.

"Two weeks."

The Director looks slightly puzzled. "Pardon me?"
The Emerald Knight has just given the snake-fellow a nice little bit of leverage.

Dorn turns to look at him. "The Green Knight has apparently decided that I'm the best person to lead not merely my family, but all vampires on Earth. I was planning on trying to pressure the others into accepting my leadership anyway, but being able to include protection from the Green Knight as part of the package will strengthen my negotiating position. He has built up quite a reputation." He turns back to me. "I assume you want something else as well."
Quid pro quo, sir. Even now, you're still not good guys, are you?

"All thralls are to be released and compensated."

"That's a.. Hard sell."
No take-backs. It's this or continue to be considered hostile.

"It is necessary. You are public now. Your technology will be in high demand."

The Director shakes his head. "Releasing advanced technology to national governments is risky. I haven't even briefed the President on what exactly it is that we have."
Well, better get on that. From the sounds of it, what fighting there was happened to be very public.

Dorn looks mildly pained for a moment, then waves his left hand. "We can withhold weapons technology if that's what bothers you. Intracom computer systems are still generators ahead of-."

"No. Weapons are necessary. We need to be ready for the next shadoen fleet."
...Because why wouldn't they come back? After all, Earth has shown they can resist. That makes them a threat.

The Director regards me levelly. "Do you have intelligence?"

"Analysis of shadoen computer systems. It will not come immediately, but they already know that their ships were destroyed. The next fleet will be assembled within a few years. The Alliance is not designed to manufacture advanced weapons in sufficient volume. Intracom could."
A generous time limit, but I suspect it will feel shorter just from bureaucratic delays.

Dorn grins. "Just selling off our existing stock alone could-. We could easily cover the costs of liberating our thralls. And we can compensating the.. poor unfortunate souls so cruelly enslaved by my predecessor."

Director Logan is significantly less sanguine about the idea than Mr. Dorn, but cautiously nods. "Subject to normal arms trading laws."
Give the US a discount. That should grease the wheels. :D

"Everyone saw the fleet, Director Logan. The cat is out of the bag. The horse has bolted. Those laws will be changed if it means panicking countries get what they think they need. Let us not pretend that you are not using that panic as well."

He nods resignedly. "It might take a little pressure off the Alliance if the US army could buy from a private company."
And no doubt the Joint Chiefs will be worried about other nations getting a jump on the technology. Because America.

Dorn eyes me curiously. "This isn't what I was expecting. I assumed that you'd want a pound of flesh."

"The Earth is more important. However, since you are now committed to legitimate business practices, I will expect anyone who breaks the law to face punishment under established law. This is clemency, not immunity. In exchange, I will hand over vampire criminals to established authorities rather than killing them myself."
And I suspect some will chafe at that restriction. Up until the Emerald Knight busts a few illegal operations.

Dorn nods. "I imagine that they would prefer that. Today does seem to be the day for intelligent men to be honest. And I have no use for the unenlightened."

"I will also require your support on one matter."
A nice idea. But sadly, I suspect there will be more walls built than bridges.

"Name it."

"If we are integrating resident aliens into human society, it follows that they should be allowed to participate in policing the agreements we are signing."

"I thought this was a treaty agreed between signatories. If I have a problem with something, I will speak to Director Logan directly."
In other words, building a better X-Com. He wants the unaligned groups to take part in protecting themselves, eh?

"That is impractical. We must become one civilisation, otherwise the trust we require will not exist. If the nature of vampire civilisation on Earth comes to too wider attention, it is likely that our agreement will be superseded by the wrath of the masses. Ultimately, Intracom must become a business that happens to be vampire owned and managed, rather than an extra-territorial hanse. We must all be committed."
And remember, while a person is smart... People are dumb, panicky animals. Don't count on public opinion taking it well that an alien species has been running a private empire within human culture for centuries... :D Just imagine the tinfoil-hat brigade going "I knew it!"

He thinks for a moment, his eyes growing distant.

"You want me to find vampires to train as Alliance agents? Director?"
And others, I suspect.

Director Logan nods slowly. "I wasn't going to rush that, but I'm not against the idea. As Robert Peel said, 'the police are the public and the public are the police'. If we're integrating our societies, that means vampires taking part in government and civil society."

He tilts his head slightly to the left. "And the Conduit will be similarly committed?"

"Yes." I dismiss my helmet. "We are."
Ah, nice. I bet that will be a shock to both of them.

Quite the unexpected return to this timeline. And quite the jump since the last time we saw it. A good eight or nine months in-universe, by my count. It would make for an interesting second season, though. Humanity adapting to the knowledge we are not alone, and learning that 'they' have been here for a long time. And the heroes caught up in trying to keep it all stable as they police the new status quo...


I doubt that he's looking at a palace coop;
I doubt that he's looking at a palace coup;
Mister Dorn has asked me to arbitrate and peace settlement between you and his Family."
Mister Dorn has asked me to arbitrate a peace settlement between you and his Family."
Intracom computer systems are still generators ahead of-."
Intracom computer systems are still generations ahead of-."
And we can compensating the..
And we can compensate the..
 
In other words, building a better X-Com.

Chimera Squad, really.

I'm forgetting who the Conduit actually are.

Did this Paul form a bloc of the non-vampire alien residents of earth offscreen? I think I remember some conversation about that being a goal of his, but I don't remember it happening.

From Wiki's rather awkward article:

Conduit: The Conduit is a confederation of members from many different alien races. Its main purpose is to safely move aliens throughout the planet and relocate survivors of the inter-species wars. Colonel Walter Logan was an influential force in negotiations with the Conduit, until he apparently set off a bomb at a Conduit safehouse, killing dozens of aliens. The Conduit is considered an enemy of the Global Alliance. It is eventually revealed that the bombing of the safehouse was caused by a Shadoen agent posing as Walter, as an attempt to destabilize relations between the Alliance and the aliens.
 
"up the text"
'will strengthen'
This should be removed.
I doubt that he's looking at a palace coup;
Mister Dorn has asked me to arbitrate a peace settlement between you and his Family."
Intracom computer systems are still generations ahead of-."
And we can compensate the..
Thank you, corrected.
No, I think it's intraneous. A few people hearing about it isn't a problem. It's if knowledge becomes too widely spread that their plan will fall apart.
 
I wonder if the Superman Expy survived in this timeline considering in the Roswell show he died in spectacular fashion because the aliens that had conquered his homeworld had equipped all their ships with weapons that could kill his kind going forward.
 
I wonder if the Superman Expy survived in this timeline considering in the Roswell show he died in spectacular fashion because the aliens that had conquered his homeworld had equipped all their ships with weapons that could kill his kind going forward.
His name is Jerich, and yes. Trueblood still died because there was no reason for the SI to be at Alliance HQ.
 
Well, flying would be legal. That's nice. But I don't know what Daedra the SI would have to make a deal with to keep his ring,

Well the Aurbis (universe) was created with a sound and the sound persists to this day with every action adding to the harmonies of the Aurbis, we know that there is a green lantern that affects the world through sound so maybe that Paul would affect the world through tonal magic, word walls could be his recharge points until he meets the Gray Beards or the last living Dwemer for instruction heck the Psijiic order might be interested enough to poke their nose out of their collective ...library.. and do something.

and there aren't really enough medium scale enemies to occupy him.

I guess I would have to know what you would consider a medium scale in Nirn, but you have all of Akavir to worry about, Atmora, the original lands of men and dragon has been stuck in an unnatural freeze since the second age and no one knows why. The questions of what the Redguards did to the Left Hand elves (I love that name) when they escaped their destroyed continent. And then the most important question, Why is Ius extremely agitated? You would need to learn how to speak to the wombats for that info.
 
Well the Aurbis (universe) was created with a sound and the sound persists to this day with every action adding to the harmonies of the Aurbis, we know that there is a green lantern that affects the world through sound so maybe that Paul would affect the world through tonal magic, word walls could be his recharge points until he meets the Gray Beards or the last living Dwemer for instruction heck the Psijiic order might be interested enough to poke their nose out of their collective ...library.. and do something.

I guess I would have to know what you would consider a medium scale in Nirn, but you have all of Akavir to worry about, Atmora, the original lands of men and dragon has been stuck in an unnatural freeze since the second age and no one knows why. The questions of what the Redguards did to the Left Hand elves (I love that name) when they escaped their destroyed continent. And then the most important question, Why is Ius extremely agitated? You would need to learn how to speak to the wombats for that info.
The one person we know of who experimented with Tonal Magic ceased to exist shortly after.
 
The one person we know of who experimented with Tonal Magic ceased to exist shortly after.

Vaermina Response: The one person we know of who experimented with Tonal Magic ceased to exist shortly after.

One person? Tonal Magic is the magic the Dwemer built their empire with, some times literally built things with, Soltha Sil learned it well enough to understand how to use Kagrenac's tools to give the Tribunal God like powers, the thu'um is the same power just with different rules on implementation.

If you are talking about Arneil, he vanished while using Keening on a warped stone gem, he voided the warranty, but he didn't use any Tonal magic himself. And we have no proof he is dead, he may have just gone to where all the other Dwemer are.
 
Vaermina Response: The one person we know of who experimented with Tonal Magic ceased to exist shortly after.

One person? Tonal Magic is the magic the Dwemer built their empire with, some times literally built things with, Soltha Sil learned it well enough to understand how to use Kagrenac's tools to give the Tribunal God like powers, the thu'um is the same power just with different rules on implementation.
Yes, and we have no idea how either the Dwemer or Soltha Sil learned it.

So Arneil is the only one we can say for sure tried to figure it out through experimentation.

If you are talking about Arneil, he vanished while using Keening on a warped stone gem, he voided the warranty, but he didn't use any Tonal magic himself. And we have no proof he is dead, he may have just gone to where all the other Dwemer are.
From your own link.

"Arniel Gane's shade can be seen wandering the area around the College of Winterhold after his quest line has been completed."
 
"Arniel Gane's shade can be seen wandering the area around the College of Winterhold after his quest line has been completed."

Responding to Vaermina.

That doesn't prove shit, this is TES, someone seemingly being a ghost just means that they're still around in some capacity and it could very easily be the case that he's alive and well in some adjacent dimension/plane. It also goes directly against what you first claimed of him ceasing to exist at all.

He also wacked a warped soul gem with a dagger designed to cut reality, the man was about as far from being scientific about this as can be. Yagram is also likely still around somewhere, which means learning how to use tonal architecture is very much still on the table so long as one can restore his memories, which with TES magic and a Power Ring is far from impossible. Tonal magic more generally is as simple as talking to The Greybeards or the spirit of a Swordsinger, though both are arguably less refined.
 
Prep Time (part 11)
15th February 2013
18:32 GMT -5


A brief application of orange light gave Tuppence a military uniform, and she's got dour down without any added training. I've duplicated the dress and face of a researcher from the Gotham branch of S.T.A.R. Labs named Doctor Alistair for myself , and I can duplicate their knowledge base reasonably well through the use of my power rings database. None of it will pass detailed examination if S.T.A.R. Philadelphia can check a central database, but… Someone with a key card already inside the building and dressed correctly? It's unlikely that anyone would check in detail under normal circumstances. If they do and I can't talk my way out of it? Then it goes from a stealth mission to a combat mission.

"Cain't y'all jus' wipe their computers?"

"Not the usual easy way with my ring. I could build an electromagnetic pulse generator and activate it to fry every circuit for miles around… And leave it in active mode so that they couldn't just connect to an external database to double check."

"Raight. That."

"Except an E.M.P. going off just before we turn up is a really obvious sign that we're up to something, and S.T.A.R. Labs may well be shielded against electromagnetic radiation at levels that won't melt people too."

She frowns-.

"Oh, you'd be fine. You're tough enough and heal fast enough that you could take it. But my general feeling is that if we have to kill a million people then it would probably be better to just back off and have a rethink."

"Uh… Huh."

Okay, rings in my pocket, put the car in gear and pull out of the car park. I don't drive a lot and my car has a slightly different control setup but I can just about remember how these things work. Indicate, turn, ignore the instinctual feeling that I'm on the wrong side of the road and accelerate. The buses appear to be driving within normal safety parameters, so I do the same. It's interesting to have to look at my surroundings rather than using ring mapping. No other traffic around, but given the more limited number of traffic cameras in Philadelphia compared to London I don't think I need to worry about them checking my precise point of origin.

A few minutes of safe driving and we're pulling into the car park of S.T.A.R. Labs Philadelphia. We passed a few guards in the street but there doesn't appear to be anyone on duty here.

Tuppence goes to open her door and then hesitates, looking at me for guidance. I give a very shallow nod because there are cameras on the front of the building, and she exits the car before coming around and opening my door. I step out of the car and begin walking towards the front door of S.T.A.R. Labs Philadelphia without looking back, trying to emulate the odd facial expression of people who accept the Anti-Life. It's… Mostly blank, but there's a slight hint of both happiness and ferocity that… Doesn't naturally occur in sane people. People who don't particularly have anything going on in their heads but will happily throw themselves at anything that they're told to.

There's a 'clunk' behind me as Tuppence closes the door, and then she walks after me. Her pace is slightly faster than mine so that she'll catch up, but not fast enough to draw attention. I guess she's learned something since she got out of Belle Reve. Or she's just been watching spy films, I suppose.

The card reader is mounted on the side of the door, and there doesn't appear to be any other mechanism to check my identity. The card should be enough, and there's no reason for the person I'm pretending to be to put his other hand in his pocket, but this is a potential point of failure.

I swipe the card and push at the door.

The magnetic lock doesn't disengage and I reach up to swipe my card again-.

There's a buzz and a light changes from red to green as it opens.

Back to calm, I push it fully open as I stride inside, Tuppence following behind-.

"Halt."

A.. robot that puts me in mind of the ones Bialya…

It wasn't Bialya. It was Mannheim. That's why Queen Bee agreed to see-. Getting rid of competition? Or just.. trying to concentrate power in Adom? I'm not sure.. why-. Not relevant right now.

The robot is pointing some sort of Apokoliptian weapon at us. I could easily evade with my rings and Tuppence could either dodge it or tank it, but it makes more sense for our characters to comply.

"Present identification."

I hold up my card, face forward. I hear a slight rustle of fabric as Tuppence gets hers out and does the same. The robot deploys a sensor to scan each of them before returning it to its housing.

"Personnel authorised. Explain presence."

"I was ordered to come here."

"Inadequate."

"I do not ask questions. Mannheim is."

"Acceptable. State purpose."

"S.T.A.R. Philadelphia holds materials relevant to the Demonic Metamorphosis Nectar research program. I was dispatched to confirm its location and transfer it to S.T.A.R. Gotham."

"Logged. Continue your assigned task. All is one in Mannheim."

"All glory to Mannheim."

The robot doesn't retreat or lower its guns, but why would it? It's in the best place to do its job. Right, main storage is that way, but that's one of the places where other people are likely to be, and the more people we run into the higher the chance of getting identified. The research laboratories are next to it, and have the same problem. Even if I can just open the door with this key card.

But I can check the lists of objects in storage from anywhere inside that same section, including the hot desking office. It's probably in use; nothing I've seen suggests that the Anti-Lifed people don't value record keeping. But people won't be anything like as alert there.

So I lead the way away from the reception area as if I was heading for main storage, then take a turning just before I reach it and head toward the office block. A few people pass us by, but they only give us a dead-eyed glance before continuing with their own tasks.

I keep looking blank. Tuppence is giving them suspicious looks, but that works for her character.

Another swipe of the card, and we're in to the office. Let's see. Need a desk that's not immediately in anyone's direct view, but doesn't look like I'm trying to hide. And a view of the door, because if we're spotted they probably won't escalate to destroying the entire building before trying a squad of soldiers and a couple of robots first.

That one, that will do.

I sit down, slide my key card into the slot and then touch my ring to get access to Doctor Alistair's log-in details. Give it a moment… And I'm in. I can navigate the records easily enough because I've used this system when logging objects recovered from supervillains. They don't appear to have made any changes, but I wouldn't necessarily know if they've set up something to notify someone if anyone accesses a particular record. Would the Apokoliptians care about the Medusa Mask? I wouldn't have thought so, but I can't be certain.

So I check for objects that relate to my stated purpose first. No demonic tissue in storage at all. Drugs… Yes, quite a lot, and they're experimenting with more in a way that I'm sure is going to cause more problems later. Venom, Blockbuster, Fever, Tar, Smilex, Danner Formula, and a few things I'm not immediately familiar with.

Nothing relating to Devil Jizz, which is a mercy.

Now I switch to the relic archive. Medusa Mask… Listed as missing. As of… The date of the Anti-Life broadcaster activation.

But… Missing. They wouldn't list it as missing if they'd taken it themselves. Would they? That wouldn't make sense. Can I call up security footage from here? That would help cover the stuff that Agent Carlyle didn't-.

The door opens, and I navigate away from that page as a guard walks in. For a moment I think it might just be a patrol, but then he walks towards me with purpose.

"Doctor Alistair."

"Yes."

"The boss will speak with you. Follow me."
 
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For a while at the beginning of this arc I'd thought the GLs might already have the mask, but it being in star labs is too central to this plot for us to go with that even if I was inclined to go looking for evidence of my impression.
 
I sit down, slide my key card into the slot and then touch my ring to get access to Doctor Alistair's log-in details. Give it a moment… And I'm in. I can navigate the records easily enough because I've used this system when logging objects recovered from supervillains. They don't appear to have made any changed, but I wouldn't necessarily know if they've set up something to notify someone if anyone accesses a particular record. Would the Apokoliptians care about the Medusa Mask? I wouldn't have thought so, but I can't be certain.
That should say 'changes'.

The door opens, and I navigate away from that page as a guard walks in. For a moment I think it might just be a patrol, but then he walks towards me with purpose.

"Doctor Alistair."

"Yes."

"The boss will to speak with you. Follow me."
I really hope they aren't referring to Mannheim here, because Paul isn't ready for round 2 yet.
 
A.. robot that puts me in mind of the ones Bialya…

It wasn't Bialya. It was Mannheim. That's why Queen Bee agreed to see-. Getting rid of competition? Or just.. trying to concentrate power in Adom? I'm not sure.. why-. Not relevant right now.

Can someone remind me what is this about? I have a faint memory of the attack on Kahndaq, which then resulted in some kind of meeting with Queen Bee and her death by Adom.

But I can't recall robots in Bialya, except for maybe a silly one that had a copter-hat, and I thought The Light already had contacts with Apokolips by themselves, not through Mannheim and Intergang, so I can't see where the Illustres found the connection.
 

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