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

Chojin Patriarch · Apr 14, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
17th November 2017
10:37 GMT

Captain Adam is sitting… On the top of the hyperblaster, which… Could kill him if it fired with him in that position. From here we can see the swirling hole in the universe being maintained by the hush tube generators.

"I thought that thing made more noise."

If the sound scales with the size, would you want something louder than, well, a dozen krakatoas? Still, I wonder if Nate will still go through with this plan. He and Physician seem to be the most likely to flip if the Renegade isn't true to his word.

"At that size it would deafen the dock workers and wake up everyone on the continent." I shrug. "The quiet version is bigger and requires more power, but it can be a lot more convenient."

The Absolute Dominion begins to accelerate, rising smoothly from its berth and moving towards the portal. Adam feigns taking a deep breath.

"This is okay for me, right?"

And when you've got power-plants as big as the ones powering this ego-beast of a ship probably are, well, energy cost is no great concern.

"You don't breathe. You don't have orifices. Your metal skin is proof against stellar radiation even if you had biology underneath to be adversely affected by it, which you don't." I sit down next to him just as we pass through the portal. "Your life is about-. No. Sorry. Your life from the moment you were pushed into the quantum realm has become very strange. You can't do a lot of the things you used to and you will.. almost certainly never get them back. Even aside from… Your family-. Well, you were a soldier. I assume you had periods of separation, but you never had entire days of not breathing."

...So, stuff like his nostrils and throat just end somewhere in his neck? Presumably if he ate anything, it'd just be converted directly into energy somewhere past his collarbones...

He looks at me askance. "Are you trying to..? What, reassure me?"

"No. It's just…" The bow of the Absolute Dominion emerges from the hush tube, pointing directly at the Earth. Adam's eyes widen slightly. "You got all the bad bits of this life right at the start, full force. But this… No normal human could do what you're doing right now. No normal human could sit on a starship as it flies through a hush tube into a vacuum and stare down at their planet. No human astronaut has seen this is the way that you are. And… There will be other good parts, too. I… Won't try and tell you that it makes up for everything you've lost, but… They do exist."

Ah, a sight he could never have imagined back in the day. Even with an active space program at the time, he'd probably never have qualified, and with his enhanced senses, the view is gonna be way richer.

"And there's no way for me to become human again?"

"Eh…" I frown. "Maybe? It's not an area of physics most of my species are interested in, but the universe is a big place. Help me out with killing my father and I'll point a few worlds out to you where you might be able to get help. Alternately…" Ah. I don't get the New God feeling from this Hippolyta that I get from Hippolyta 16. I really don't know if they're… Compatible with the Awakening in the way that humans 16 are. "I don't know. There are some things I could try, but again, I don't want to get your hopes up unduly."

So this 'Lyta isn't the daughter of the God of War. Not that that would have stopped Zeus from fathering a daughter on her even if she had been his granddaughter...

"Thank you for being realistic about my chances." He stares at the Earth for a few moments. "This… Do we really need to do this?"

"Define 'need'. I already killed the guy who was going to attack Earth. My father will send someone else for the other parts of the Father Box he left there, but will he do it soon? Could we put him off the idea by just giving him the Box? Maybe? Could Earth pull itself together well enough to make this unnecessary? Maybe? But I doubt it."

At least keeping one of the boxes in his possession makes it a lot harder to collect.

"I knew my war, the Vietnam War, wasn't going anywhere good. And here we are, invading the Earth because your dad's an asshole. He runs your home planet?"

"Yes."

And whatever else he could get his hands on, I suppose.

"Just one planet? You said that you ruled a bunch of planets. I'd have thought you could just out produce him.

"Apokolips is a completely industrialised super Earth. Its output is colossal, and he's had a lot longer to build up."

And that is an actual cosmological concept. And let's not forget, it's unlikely they build only on the surface.

"'Super' as in..?"

"Bigger. Not all small rocky worlds are the same size."

Not as in that little game making the rounds, with its' 'Managed Democracy' thing...

He nods. "I guess I just thought that a species as advanced as yours would have a whole lot more answers. Be.. wiser than we are."

I shake my head. "Technological advancement does not go hand in hand with wisdom. In fact, the opposite might be true. When you can do anything easily, there's no obvious reason to think things through first. When you can flee from your mistakes, there's no motivation to confront them."

...Just look at the Maltusians...

"Mistakes?"

I nod. "I've made a few. But then again… Too few to mention."

Well, not to anyone you're trying to dazzle with your infallibility, anyway.

He chuckles, shaking his head. "I'm sitting on a spaceship and an alien warlord is singing Frank Sinatra. Jesus."

"Never met him." I stand, opening a-

BOOM"

-boom tube to the bridge.

Not without time travel, anyway.

"Frank?"

"Well I didn't meet Jesus either, but I doubt that he was much of a singer. Come on."

...You never know, he might have been a great singer. Sadly, no-one ever bothered to note that.

He stands, and in defiance of physics he walks after me, back into the ship.

"Right, friends, and Hippolyta. Here's what we're going to be doing. We-."

There's probably already panic on Earth, because a holyshitfuckhuge Ship just popped out of nowhere nearby...

"We will turn the weapons of this ship upon the planet?"

Subjekt-17 sounds a bit too excited about the prospect.

Sev might need a leash, before he does something foolish.

"No. That would kill any other Subjekts on Earth. It's important that we only kill the people who need killing. So, Adam, you might not be up to date on modern communications technology, but it's a lot easier to make information widely available to the general population than it was back in your day. Mother Box?"

"Ping."

"Doing the thing, dear." I wonder if Adam noticed the increased electromagnetic signals while he was flitting about. Or maybe he hasn't thought to stretch those senses yet.

"I just released-."

"Ping."

"Excuse you? Who here has the psychic connection to every online computer on Earth?"

"Mother Box just released every dirty secret of every government on the planet to everyone, and removed everyone's ability to censor any of it. Honestly, given human governments, that's probably just going to overload things, but Mother Box will highlight anything relating to anyone who tries making any sort of public pronouncement. Meanwhile, I'll make a big speech explaining mankind's place in the universe and what I'm doing here. Once that's done, we're going to acquire the other two parts of Father's Box in case they're sending some sort of signal, and get to work preparing the Earth more generally."

So, ideally confuse everyone before they can get their brains in gear, hmm? No doubt Bats and company will show up during his first public appearance...

Hippolyta shakes her head. "How can you hope to take control of an entire planet?"

"It's a combination of things. Once I show how vile their existing leaders are and the benefits of joining my empire, I expect that a substantial number of people will volunteer to be ruled by me. I'll pick an area where they're in the clear majority and use that as a base of operations, expanding outwards with minimum force while bringing in my own administrators to make the transition function. Once things are stable, the public trials of literally everyone who used their authority to duck accountability will begin as a reminder why I'm better, and I'll get to work discovering why Father finds Earth so interesting."

Bets on which country throws their lot in with him first?

I smile at Captain Adam. "Captain, I realise that you're on the fence about the whole me-taking-over-Earth thing, but that file I showed you about how they did you over? Tip of the iceberg. Sometimes, you need to clean house, and this house is thoroughly rotted through. How good and noble the rules are doesn't matter if the enforcement is heavily biased."

"And… The rights guaranteed by the Constitution will still be there if you win?"

...Because that's the first thing he thinks to ask. How American of him.

"I'm abolishing the right not to incriminate yourself. That was added to guard against torture which I will not be authorising, but I intend to make heavy use of involuntary telepathy in the trials. It'll just take too long otherwise. That benefits the innocent as my telepaths can immediately establish their innocence and they don't have to go through months of imprisonment and the stress and expense of the trial itself. I already have a legal framework written up and ready to be put into use."

No doubt resulting in a lot of angry, our-of-work lawyers.

They'll have to get over it.

Physician raises his eyebrows. "And Tibet?"

"Independence from China. I'll be a hands-off constitutional sovereign."

Well, as hands-off as possible after picking up the first troops to cross the border and throwing them home...

Subjekt-17 glowers. "And killing humans?"

"I'll make you my official executioner. I'll make sure that everyone knows exactly what-"

Yes, I'm sure he'll be happy with that for a while...

BOOM!

"-the condemned are being.. killed-" Luna trots out of the boom tube. "-for. Luna, darling!"

Well, that's going to add to the firepower. And make for some interesting responses amongst the population.

I walk over to her and lean down to kiss her. She tilts her head back to meet me.

"We thought that We would bare witness to your latest-"

Ah, Renegade. Living the Brony's dream. Showing off your waifu with pride.

"A-hah!"

"-bout of foolishness." She turns to Adam. "Doth your silver knight have some comment that he wishes to share?"

I'm sure he has many. The others... Probably not so surprised.

"You married a talking horse?"

I frown at him. "Not every intelligent species in the universe is bipedal, Captain Adam. And no. I married a pony."

She'll be quite popular with the ladies, at least.

So, then. The first steps of the 'invasion' have begun. And it looks like the Renegade is trying to make it a relatively bloodless one. Which will probably confuse the heroes when they turn up. And there's always the possibility of humanity doing something utterly foolish to throw a wrench in his plans. After the whole Kryptonian thing... There's bound to be a lot of plans for 'Alien Invasion' that were dusted off...

Lord Ernest · Apr 14, 2024

It was a nice conversation with Captain Atom and, honestly, a good enough plan to take the planet.

But I think he tanked his initial impression on his team with that display at the end. I mean, good on them for being so comfortable with PDA, but that was weirder than seeing Omnimam french kissing a humanoid bug, just saying.

Mquz · Apr 14, 2024

Stsword said:
This is the DCEU, or a weird alternative where Amazons don't have the superpowers they have in the DCEU movies anyway, neither of those things are established in this setting.

Although with the way Zoat likes making the universes conform in details, there is a good chance here.

I forget… did the Keanu Constantine movie have singing Gabriel? It's not technically DCEU but it might as well be. Is a good movie, if you separate it from the image of comics Constantine since it's just a vehicle for him to do cool Matrix stuff with demons involved and play a character somewhat similar to Constantine

Mr Zoat · Apr 14, 2024

Ngamer11 said:
Mr Zoat, how is Atlantis after getting back into contact with the rest of the world post Anti-Life? Because I remember that Cadbury needed their expertise for Dolmen Gates, and I think the world might want to have more things like that now that Earth is recovering.

I... I thought that they were still out of contact? Have I forgotten something again?

Ngamer11 · Apr 14, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
I... I thought that they were still out of contact? Have I forgotten something again?

You're right, they are currently out of contact. I meant what will Atlantis be like once they are back in contact with the rest of the world? Will they be willing to work on Dolmen Gates? Or will this cause them to decide they need to improve their nation's defenses at the cost of lessening their contact with the outside world?

Darko · Apr 14, 2024

Mquz said:
I forget… did the Keanu Constantine movie have singing Gabriel? It's not technically DCEU but it might as well be. Is a good movie, if you separate it from the image of comics Constantine since it's just a vehicle for him to do cool Matrix stuff with demons involved and play a character somewhat similar to Constantine

Nope, I don't think that version ever sang.

WereDragon · Apr 14, 2024

RichardWhereat said:
She's probably going to disapprove of Diana slapping Grayven about a bit. Why'd you bring her in?

The thing about equal partnerships is that sometimes the other party does things you might find inconvenient.

Ciber · Apr 14, 2024

How come the aliens always be invading earth when mars is right fking there?

Mr Zoat · Apr 14, 2024

Ngamer11 said:
You're right, they are currently out of contact. I meant what will Atlantis be like once they are back in contact with the rest of the world? Will they be willing to work on Dolmen Gates? Or will this cause them to decide they need to improve their nation's defenses at the cost of lessening their contact with the outside world?

I have no specific plan at the moment.

FeepingCreature · Apr 14, 2024

Ciber said:
How come the aliens always be invading earth when mars is right fking there?

Presumably, if they're invading Mars, we don't read it in Earth Stories.

Ngamer11 · Apr 14, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
I have no specific plan at the moment.

Good to know. Sorry for the confusion. On a separate note, would any of the Sivanas be willing to help out in improving the world now that it needs to be brought up from this disaster? And by that, I mean would any of them take Paul up on an offer to improve the world if he gave them one?

Mr Zoat · Apr 14, 2024

Ngamer11 said:
Good to know. Sorry for the confusion. On a separate note, would any of the Sivanas be willing to help out in improving the world now that it needs to be brought up from this disaster? And by that, I mean would any of them take Paul up on an offer to improve the world if he gave them one?

Magnificus and Beautia, certainly, but the first doesn't really have any disaster recovery related skills and the second isn't much more effective than a regular doctor. Thaddeus, Georgia and Junior? No.

FourthPear · Apr 14, 2024

Darko said:
Add a " at the end.

"Too few" isn't exactly accurate.

Given the fact that angels in this setting use their powers by singing, and Jesus was half angel, he honestly may have been a singer.

Hippolyta: Eh, I've seen weirder.

Adam: So...you're a zoophiliac pedophile.

…you realize Pony doesn't mean "baby horse", it means "adult dwarf horse" right?

Khornelius · Apr 14, 2024

Ngamer11 said:
How flummoxed is everyone at the sight of this terrifying alien invader making out with a pony? I also wish we could see their reactions to this.

Sorry, it seems like I couldn't get the image URL to work.

https://pin.it/7gR8DK9GO

Mr Zoat · Apr 14, 2024

FourthPear said:
…you realize Pony doesn't mean "baby horse", it means "adult dwarf horse" right?

It doesn't mean that either. It means 'equine who is perfectly healthy who naturally grows below this arbitrary height cut off''. Dwarfism is something different.

rdfox · Apr 14, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
And that would have been the biggest battleship back in the day. Carriers still wouldn't have proved themselves as the future of naval warfare by the time he underwent his 'procedure'...

I thought that the experiment on Captain Adam took place during Vietnam? If so, then no, carriers had definitely cemented themselves as the future of naval warfare by that time. Remember, the Pacific War in WW2 was almost entirely carrier-based, and the only battleships built after the end of the war (HMS Vanguard, the French Jean Bart) were legacy builds that started during (or even before) the war and weren't completed until postwar.

That said, the Black Dragon would have still been his go-to for comparing gun sizes, as she was reactivated out of mothballs in late 1967 for a 1968-69 combat tour providing naval gunfire support off Vietnam. (According to legend, her planned second cruise off Vietnam was cancelled when the North Vietnamese made it clear that they would not participate in any peace talks as long as "the battleship" was still in operation.) In fact, it makes it more likely that Jersey would be his choice; if he was from World War Two, he'd probably have gone with Missouri, likely by her popular nickname of "Big Mo," simply because she seems to have been the go-to choice in popular culture at the time.

Or, more accurately, after her arrival in 1944. Before that... he'd probably have just said "a battleship," since the Iowas were the first to have guns larger than the 16"/45 caliber guns on the Colorado class of 1923. (Quick lesson on naval gun parlance: gun sizes are given in two measures, the bore diameter in inches or millimeters, and then the barrel length in calibers, which is simply the number of bore diameters that add up to the total length of the gun. It's done that way because longer guns will have higher muzzle velocity and, typically, longer range than shorter guns, if you measure length proportional to bore--a 6"/50 caliber gun is the same overall length as a 12"/25 caliber gun, but the 12" gun is a lot stubbier and doesn't have time to get the shell up to the same speed. The 16"/50 caliber guns on the Iowas worked out to being 800 inches long, a solid 80 inches/2.03 meters/6 feet 8 inches longer than the 16"/45 caliber guns used on every other US battleship built from 1923 onward.) And honestly, it wasn't until after WW2 that the Iowas really got any sort of special status beyond being the newest and biggest; up through the end of the war, the battleship was still a major part of every Great Power's navy--it was only after the war, when most remaining battleships worldwide were retired (including all the American ones older than the Iowas) that the Iowa class started to be something unique.

FourthPear · Apr 14, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
It doesn't mean that either. It means 'equine who is perfectly healthy who naturally grows below this arbitrary height cut off''. Dwarfism is something different.

I know. It was just the easiest analogy I could make. Dwarf as in miniature, not dwarfism.

Stsword · Apr 14, 2024

Mquz said:
I forget… did the Keanu Constantine movie have singing Gabriel? It's not technically DCEU but it might as well be. Is a good movie, if you separate it from the image of comics Constantine since it's just a vehicle for him to do cool Matrix stuff with demons involved and play a character somewhat similar to Constantine

A comic book has Constantine playing poker with a group that includes what seems to be Movie Constantine, by the by.

So it seems there are some movie fans over at DC comics.

I'm actually now picturing an alt.Paul ending up in the Constantine movie- "Why do you look like Neo? Where did your accent go?"

Doccer · Apr 14, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
aut has seen this is the way that you

in

Mr Zoat · Apr 14, 2024

Doccer said:
in

Thank you, corrected.

RoninSword · Apr 15, 2024

Has Grayven heard anything back about Kara? He brought Justice Lord Superman to take a look because he was worried about her but I don't think there's been any follow up on or off screen.

Mr Zoat · Apr 15, 2024

17th November 2017
11:03 GMT

Huh.

Alright, I know that it's not actually that easy to modify intercontinental ballistic missiles to hit space-based targets even if they've got the fuel to reach them. I know that the general level of technology here isn't high enough to have other kinds of anti-ship weaponry.

But even so, I… Wasn't expecting nothing.

Ping.

Yes, I'm sure that you're doing a splendid job of matching crime with criminal. I just thought that the way chains of command worked, even if you did show someone that their commanding officer had multiple people murdered -for example- they just would choose not to believe it, or keep following orders until the military police showed up.

Superman must have gotten into space somehow when he fought Zod, surely?

Ping.

Well why didn't they just do that on the ground, then?

Ping.

True, I suppose. Still, they managed to whip up a proto-Doomsday thing pretty quickly.

"Alright, that should be enough time. Suit."

"By your command."

It looks a bit weird on someone with my dimensions, but maybe it will look better on television.

"And open a boom tube to a random city somewhere on Earth."

Ping.

BOOM!

"You coming, Luna?"

"Neigh." Adam covers his mouth with his right fist. "We believe that We shall watch from a safe distance this time."

"With me, lady and gentlemen."

17th November 2017
06:05 GMT -5

I stride out onto the streets of… Dallas. Huh. Usually I get somewhere a little more exotic when I randomise.

"Oh shit!"

Not a terrible exclamation, but he rather ruins it by just standing there.

"Good morning, citizen…"

Ping.

"Darren Molyneux, twelve years service at the post office and only faked ill health to watch a ball game once."

"Hey, I booked that, my manager just decided to be an asshole 'cause he wanted to watch the game too and couldn't get cover!"

"Even better! You're just the sort of person I'm proud to be Supreme Overlord of. Keep up the good postal service work."

"Supreme what?"

"I'm taking over the planet, Mister Molyneux. I've got a giant spaceship in orbit."

"Well…" He blinks uncertainly, then rallies. "What's that gunna do to gas prices, huh?"

I contemplate the question. "In the very short term, you'll probably see a small rise from the political instability. But as my administration gets going, I intend to replace ground-extraction with mass thermal depolymerisation before gradually transitioning over to full electrification with hyper-efficient batteries. What that means for you is that within three years the price at the pump will be about a tenth of what it is now, and the environment will be better."

He looks surprised. "Really?"

Really. And that's because I'll be working with existing infrastructure and because I've prepared the factory units that I need in order to make it happen. And because the factory units are designed to require manual labour which will actually result in them creating jobs in the places where they're stationed rather than eliminating them as it would if I switched to pure electric or car-mounted bleed torsion generators immediately. The increased efficiency just isn't worth stability loss on the non-military side of civilisation.

But I just nod. "That's the advantage of alien technology used to actually help people rather than just build weapons."

"How about guns?"

I take one of the Chinese plasma guns out of subspace and toss it to him. "Never fear a poorly trained dog again."

He catches it, staring at it in awe. "Well, Hell, you got my vote."

I smile and gesture to him with my right forefinger. "It'll be a dictatorship, but I appreciate the thought. Keep up the good work."

Not a lot of people on the streets at this hour. A few people opening up restaurants, or some really eager office workers. And there's the weirdly wedge-shaped town hall. Looks reasonably structurally sound, and it should crumple nicely when someone tries hitting us.

"That looks good. We'll do this from the roof."

Adam looks confused. "Why not the White House?"

"I'm not conquering America, I'm conquering the world. And that's a national monument I'd rather not destroy. This thing looks like someone built it upside down."

I rise into the air, carrying Hippolyta and Mr. Tenzin with me and depositing a drone camera out of subspace as I go. Broadcasts…

Ping.

Are being the good little shills they've been trained to be. 'Alternate' media on the other hand are getting everything out that they can. And in those places where alternate media is suppressed, Karna-TV is there with catgirls telling you exactly how repugnant your politicians are. I'll have to interrupt for a bit, but they can get right back to it in a little while.

And land, reinforce the roof so that it doesn't crumble, and…

Begin.

"People of the Earth! My name is Grayven, and I'm the reason that after being lied to for so long you now know exactly what calibre of people rules over you. Some of you may have expected that they were self-absorbed arseholes only interested in shoving money into their Swiss bank accounts. And some of you may have genuinely believed that they were good people. I trust that I have now disabused you both."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"Power is a drug like none other. And like any addict, those who allow themselves to become addicted will say anything, do anything, make any deal and indulge in any vice so that they can keep that high. It is not about achieving any particular end, it is about being able to achieve whatever end they want, and in that goal they are unified with each other and against the people they rule. No one on Earth has had the time to go through everything that I've shared, but you won't have to look far to find the proof of my words."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"You can also find my files on me. I've included reports written by my enemies and neutral parties for comparison. To be brief, I intend to conquer this world and clean house. I will punish the guilty and raise up the innocent. I will take your greatest champions and wield them against the greatest menace in the universe, and when that is done I shall leave you to your own devices."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"Accept me as your ruler. Accept my protection and the uplift of your civilisation. Accept the ruination of the evil and despotic. Become my people and know the full measure of my beneficence."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"I am currently standing in the American city of Dallas. Call me with any questions!"

Ngamer11 · Apr 15, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"You coming, Luna?"

"Neigh." Adam covers his mouth with his right fist. "We believe that We shall watch from a safe distance this time."

Does Adam have any suspicions that the Renegade is more benevolent that he appears to be thanks to Luna?

Mr Zoat said:
"People of the Earth! My name is Grayven, and I'm the reason that after being lied to for so long you now know exactly what calibre of people rules over you. Some of you may have expected that they were self-absorbed arseholes only interested in shoving money into their Swiss bank accounts. And some of you may have genuinely believed that they were good people. I trust that I have now disabused you both."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"Power is a drug like none other. And like any addict, those who allow themselves to become addicted will say anything, do anything, make any deal and indulge in any vice so that they can keep that high. It is not about achieving any particular end, it is about being able to achieve whatever end they want, and it that goal they are unified with each other and against the people they rule. No one on Earth has had the time to go through everything that I've shared, but you won't have to look far to find the proof of my words."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"You can also find my files on me. I've included reports written by my enemies and neutral parties for comparison. To be brief, I intend to conquer this world and clean house. I will punish the guilty and raise up the innocent. I will take your greatest champions and wield them against the greatest menace in the universe, and when that is done I shall leave you to your own devices."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"Accept me as your ruler. Accept my protection and the uplift of your civilisation. Accept the ruination of the evil and despotic. Become my people and know the full measure of my beneficence."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"I am currently standing in the American city of Dallas. Call me with any questions!"

I'm curious as to how this universe's Diana will react to Godspeech that's being broadcasted everywhere like this. Also, how much of Earth will be willing to just accept this? Because I'm getting Deus from Grrl Power vibes from how the Renegade is acting, and he's one supervillain that might actually do a good job as ruler of the planet.

moralrelativity · Apr 15, 2024

I am *really* enjoying this arc and rather hoping that Grayven heads here next.

Mr Zoat said:
now, and then environment will be

then -> the

hance1986 · Apr 15, 2024

More curious at what Batman's gonna say. "Martha." won't cut it.

Mr Zoat · Apr 15, 2024

moralrelativity said:
then -> the

Thank you, corrected.

Doccer · Apr 15, 2024

hance1986 said:
More curious at what Batman's gonna say. "Martha." won't cut it.

*Snrrk* Zoat should have Grayven say that to Batman just to see if Batman calms down or ask why he doesn't wanna be bros like Batman bonded with Superman due to that one factoid. Be a fun jab.

The Froggy Ninja · Apr 15, 2024

Ngamer11 said:
I'm curious as to how this universe's Diana will react to Godspeech that's being broadcasted everywhere like this. Also, how much of Earth will be willing to just accept this? Because I'm getting Deus from Grrl Power vibes from how the Renegade is acting, and he's one supervillain that might actually do a good job as ruler of the planet.

I assume more people are going to accept it than would be normal, considering he's blasting truth verification Magic so no one will think he's lying.

Khornelius · Apr 15, 2024

As a Texan, I really appreciate this chapter.
And Yes, that reaction was accurate. Man…I wish I could got a free plasma gun to show off to my friends and family.

Chojin Patriarch · Apr 15, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
17th November 2017
11:03 GMT

Huh.

Alright, I know that it's not actually that easy to modify intercontinental ballistic missiles to hit space-based targets even if they've got the fuel to reach them. I know that the general level of technology here isn't high enough to have other kinds of anti-ship weaponry.

To be fair, most kinds of inter-continental ballistic missiles are just that, ballistic. They go up, skim the edge of the atmosphere and fall down again. Actually breaking into orbit takes more fuel than most carry. Hence the sheer size of most launch vehicles.

But even so, I… Wasn't expecting nothing.

Ping.

"To be fair, it hasn't been that long since you appeared. Humans do take time to process new information..."

Yes, I'm sure that you're doing a splendid job of matching crime with criminal. I just thought that the way chains of command worked, even if you did show someone that their commanding officer had multiple people murdered -for example- they just would choose not to believe it, or keep following orders until the military police showed up.

And to be fair, doing otherwise without being absolutely sure you're in the right is pretty much career suicide. And few people have the courage for that.

Superman must have gotten into space somehow when he fought Zod, surely?

Ping.

"He didn't actually. The majority of his fight was over Metropolis, barring a short high-altitude moment or two." Honestly, I'm not sure the Kryptonian vessels even parked that high up. I think his rescue of Lois was the highest they encountered him.

Well why didn't they just do that on the ground, then?

Ping.

"You do remember the fight in Smallville, yes? Now imagine that in a large city." Even the deployment of their terraforming device was merely high altitude.

Maybe a kilometre up or so?

True, I suppose. Still, they managed to whip up a proto-Doomsday thing pretty quickly.

"Alright, that should be enough time. Suit."

Well, that was down to a legitimate super-genius dicking about with the kryptonian vessel.

"By your command."

It looks a bit weird on someone with my dimensions, but maybe it will look better on television.

And I can't help but picture Joe Fixit now.

"And open a boom tube to a random city somewhere on Earth."

Ping.

"Picking a place now..." Spin the wheel, let's see where he ends up.

BOOM!

"You coming, Luna?"

"Neigh." Adam covers his mouth with his right fist. "We believe that We shall watch from a safe distance this time."

Oh, he is just loving this, isn't he? I mean, one of his senses might well let him see dialogue as if it were in word balloons, so he can understand wordplay more easily.

"With me, lady and gentlemen."

17th November 2017
06:05 GMT -5

I stride out onto the streets of… Dallas. Huh. Usually I get somewhere a little more exotic when I randomise.

Oh, joy. America. Well, I hope he's got forcefields for everyone.

"Oh shit!"

Not a terrible exclamation, but he rather ruins it by just standing there.

Given the typical scale of destruction around superhero fights... Running would just means he'd die tired.

"Good morning, citizen…"

Ping.

"Here's his details. Nice fellow." Joy of being able to look up anyone on Earth with a thought... No-one's a stranger for long.

"Darren Molyneux, twelve years service at the post office and only faked ill health to watch a ball game once."

"Hey, I booked that, my manager just decided to be an asshole 'cause he wanted to watch the game too and couldn't get cover!"

...Well, damn.

Justified.

"Even better! You're just the sort of person I'm proud to be Supreme Overlord of. Keep up the good postal service work."

"Supreme what?"

Yeah, this is going to be where he struggles a little. Americans, and Texans in general, tend to be ornery about that sort of thing.

"I'm taking over the planet, Mister Molyneux. I've got a giant spaceship in orbit."

"Well…" He blinks uncertainly, then rallies. "What's that gunna do to gas prices, huh?"

Asking the real important questions, I see.

I contemplate the question. "In the very short term, you'll probably see a small rise from the political instability. But as my administration gets going, I intend to replace ground-extraction with mass thermal depolymerisation before gradually transitioning over to full electrification with hyper efficient batteries. What that means for you is that within three years the price at the pump will be about a tenth of what it is now, and then environment will be better."

...And Darren probably understood maybe half of those words.

He looks surprised. "Really?"

Really. And that's because I'll be working with existing infrastructure and because I've prepared the factory units that I need in order to make it happen. And because the factory units are designed to require manual labour which will actually result in them creating jobs in the places where they're stationed rather than eliminating them as it would if I switched to pure electric or car-mounted bleed torsion generators immediately. The increased efficiency just isn't worth stability loss on the non-military side of civilisation.

Glad to hear he's thought it all out in advance.

But I just nod. "That's the advantage of alien technology used to actually help people rather than just build weapons."

"How about guns?"

...How you know you're in Texas.

I take one of the Chinese plasma guns out of subspace and toss it to him. "Never fear a poorly trained dog again."

He catches it, staring at it in awe. "Well, Hell, you got my vote."

Good luck getting it registered...

I smile and gesture to him with my right forefinger. "It'll be a dictatorship, but I appreciate the thought. Keep up the good work."

Not a lot of people on the streets at this hour. A few people opening up restaurants, or some really eager office workers. And there's the weirdly wedge-shaped town hall. Looks reasonably structurally sound, and it should crumple nicely when someone tries hitting us.

Heh. He's got it all worked out, huh? Even setting up the best angles for the inevitable super-punching display.

"That looks good. We'll do this from the roof."

Adam looks confused. "Why not the White House?"

...Eh, too cliche.

Everybody goes for the White House...

"I'm not conquering America, I'm conquering the world. And that's a national monument I'd rather not destroy. This thing looks like someone built it upside down."

...Yes, it actually does. Heck, it apparently got a cameo in 'Robocop' as an OCP building...

I rise into the air, carrying Hippolyta and Mr. Tenzin with me and depositing drone camera out of subspace as I go. Broadcasts…

Ping.

"You now own all radio, television and major streaming services. ...And people in the last group are trying to skip back to their videos."

Bet Earth is feeling a moment of deja vu right now, after what Zod's lot did.

Are being the good little shills they've been trained to be. 'Alternate' media on the other hand are getting everything out that they can. And in those places where alternate media is suppressed, Karna-TV is there with catgirls telling you exactly how repugnant your politicians are. I'll have to interrupt for a bit, but they can get right back to it in a little while.

Well, that'll get the attention of certain parts of the internet. No doubt there's already fan-art being drawn...

And land, reinforce the roof so that it doesn't crumble, and…

Begin.

Because naturally it's not built to take several people who weight close to a ton.

"People of the Earth! My name is Grayven, and I'm the reason that after being lied to for so long you now know exactly what calibre of people rules over you. Some of you may have expected that they were self-absorbed arseholes only interested in shoving money into their Swiss bank accounts. And some of you may have genuinely believed that they were good people. I trust that I have now disabused you both."
Know That I Speak The Truth

Heh. Off to a good start. Both with the text of his speech and the Godspeech subtext.

"Power is a drug like none other. And like any addict, those who allow themselves to become addicted will say anything, do anything, make any deal and indulge in any vice so that they can keep that high. It is not about achieving any particular end, it is about being able to achieve whatever end they want, and it that goal they are unified with each other and against the people they rule. No one on Earth has had the time to go through everything that I've shared, but you won't have to look far to find the proof of my words."
Know That I Speak The Truth

Kind of a backhanded version of the 'Great power, great responsibility' speech. But it works.

"You can also find my files on me. I've included reports written by my enemies and neutral parties for comparison. To be brief, I intend to conquer this world and clean house. I will punish the guilty and raise up the innocent. I will take your greatest champions and wield them against the greatest menace in the universe, and when that is done I shall leave you to your own devices."
Know That I Speak The Truth

Which is better than most would-be invaders.

"Accept me as your ruler. Accept my protection and the uplift of your civilisation. Accept the ruination of the evil and despotic. Become my people and know the full measure of my beneficence."
Know That I Speak The Truth
"I am currently standing in the American city of Dallas. Call me with any questions!"

And if the soon-to-be Justice League is actually gathering, they're on their way.

All right, the ultimatum has been delivered. Now for the inevitable challenges from the planet's defenders, whether civil, military or superpowered... I expect the internet is already blowing up about this. I suppose if nothing else, he's been more polite about this than their last alien visitors. At least until the inevitable face-punching begins.

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

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