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

If Metron is so desirous of all knowledge, Paul should recommend him to interrogate Lucifer, the actual holder of all knowledge.

It would probably end badly for Metron, but who knows, maybe Metron could swallow his pride enough to make meaningful headway.
I am fairly sure Metron will decide that in the immediate, there are more fruitful avenues than looking for a guy who walked out of the universe a while ago.
 
Here's a quick 5-step plan to get rid of the Daxamites:

Now, now. As frustrating as they've been recently, Daxamites wouldn't even crack the top third if you ordered species from least awful at the bottom to most awful at the top. (Indeed, I'm not totally confident they wouldn't be somewhere below humans.)
 
I do wonder if the Guardians wouldn't benefit with a rotation out of the excess of green, just to feel the other emotions for a bit and then return to green and let another be free, to give them some perspective and the ability to look at things from the outside.

Oh, ABSOLUTELY. In fact, it shouldn't have that many side-effects to begin with, because they used to be able to feel the other emotions a long time ago before they sterilized themselves.

For those not familiar, in the comics Metron is the one who sold knowledge of how to make boom tubes to Darkseid.

…Okay, should we just kill Metron? At this point, being amoral is no excuse for being such a massive dick to everyone. He sounds like the kind of guy who would open up the Dark Multiverse and set Barbatos free just to see what happens.
 
If we go back to Grayven's mucking about with the Changelings, and he goes ahead with the plan of cloning Chrysalis, then I figure I might as well share that it isn't just the other hive queens getting an updated portrait. Chrysalis gets one, too.

Chrysalis_1.jpg
 
Back Channels (part 4) New
30th July 2013
23:38 GMT

Ken Lee starts in a very understated manner when I appear in front of him, before regaining his composure. "Oh El."

I blink at hearing him call me that, and for one strange moment consider the idea that Wallace might have visited here before me.

He raises his eyebrows. "Did I say something untoward?"

"No, I was just puzzled by the appellation."

"An abbreviation of your title 'Orange Lantern'. We shouldn't be disturbed -my wife took our children to visit her parents- but just in case we receive a surprise visitor I don't want there to be anything to overhear or-" He glances at my ring. "-see- which shouts 'alien'."

I nod, moving my rings to my toes before switching my clothing to something local-looking and minimising my environmental shield. He checks me over, then nods.

I look around at his… Home? Wood and plaster rather than stone or brick, but well made. Some of the more backwards parts of Themyscira are built like this, and the Daxamites don't have the advantage of indefinite lifespans. I don't know if being a lawyer would be a full-time job here or if he'd be a smallholder as well… But I probably don't need to.

"So."

"So, you want information."

"And you appeared to be a rational man when we spoke on the Watchtower."

"And you didn't kill me, despite having cause."

"Outside of the Reach war zone, I'm primarily a police officer. My aim is to detain criminals, circumstances permitting."

"And yet you had that powered lead ready to go."

"I knew that it would remove your powers and that it wouldn't kill you quickly. So it made a good low-lethality weapon."

"Hm." He nods. "I can tell you what I know, though that isn't everything. And-."

"You want something in return, yes. This isn't my first one of these. How much 'not everything' are we talking about?"

"I…" He sighs. "I'm not an Elder. I'm not involved in the decision-making when it comes to our reliquaries. Not… Usually. But I have done some work for the Yat family before, and Cara Yat consulted with me on the matter of precedence relating to their use. Then, when the Eradicator Program was activated, I was… I had a front row seat. As I said, I wasn't making decisions, but I was included in the councils where they were made."

"Alright, that sounds useful. What is it that you want?"

He looks away from me, towards a family portrait on one of the walls. Just below it there's a wooden chest, inside which-. Children's toys in wood and metal.

"Having children… Changes your perspective on some things. I'm not… Cara Yat's approach-. That's not how we usually do things, I don't want you to get that impression. I know it's difficult for her, her son being a heretic, but she was obviously being hysterical in how she was handling it. Or…" He shrugs. "Maybe I'd be like that if it was one of my daughters. I hope not, but I suppose I won't ever know."

"Ah."

He turns back to me. "Mm?"

"Oh, I just thought… Never mind."

"I'm not abandoning my people, Oh El. I watched some of your transmissions when we entered your system." He shakes his head, whatever he saw clearly having disturbed him. "I will choose my words with more care than Cara Yat and say that your way of life is not for me."

"O.. kay..? So what are you asking this alien to give you? You're not getting the Doomsday, if that's what-."

"No."

"I can give you an emergency beacon, in case someone comes here in more force than your defences can repel."

"That-. That would be nice, but that is not what I want." I make a circling gesture with my right hand. "When our forebears came here, Kem-El infected us with a retrovirus that altered our DNA. We are cultural puritans. This is… Ever since I was told of his evil in my earliest schooling, it is almost as if there's something… Crawling, inside my body."

"You want me to turn you back into a regular kryptonian?"

"Myself, and my children. Can you do it?"

"Not your wife?"

"I'd like her to, but she considers being touched by alien technology to be worse."

"Or anyone else?"

"There's no one I could tell, not unless I wished to risk accusations of heresy."

"True ones."

"A few seconds under the effects of your ring would free me from a lifetime of Kem-El's retrovirus. Neither choice is entirely pure, but to my mind one is better than the other."

"Alright. Ah, do you have samples of Kem-El's retrovirus?"

"No? Do you need it? There might be preserved blood samples in the reliquaries, but I don't know for certain."

"Ideally, yes. I've only seen the genetic codes of a small number of kryptonians. Kem-El's work was clearly something that he intended to affect both the then-current generation and their descendants, which means that it affected your gametes. Without more samples, working on you would involve a good deal more guesswork than I'm comfortable with. If you're desperate, I might be able to do what you ask without them, but I don't think that's a good idea."

"I.. don't really know anything about how viruses actually work…"

I frown. "So how do you know what a retrovirus is?"

"I suppose I.. don't, really. We're just told the name and a rough description of what it did."

"Do you know what DNA is?"

"Again, not…" He shakes his head. "Not really. Do I need to know that?"

"Technically, no. Alright, do..? Are there any devices on Daxam which can detect power ring scans?"

"Not to my knowledge, but… Given what has just happened, I don't think anyone would be surprised if you were in the system and checking up on us."

"Fair point. Ring? General scan. Get me genetic profiles."

"Compliance."

Oooooooh. Huh. Right, so… That bit related to… The length of that molecule, which… Okay, that makes… As much sense as this sort of thing tends to. So if I sub out that part-.

Ah, yes, I see why it killed people. The side effect of doing that with a retrovirus… I wouldn't be as clean as a power ring.

"Yeah, I'm not… Taking a risk on that with what I know now. How long is your wife away for?"

"Four days. I gave us a margin like that because I thought that you might want to enter a reliquary."

I nod. "I can get more samples within that window. If I can't work it out from that, I'll… Try consulting with a specialist. Good day."
 
Hm. Does that mean you could theoretically go the opposite direction and make a super-Kryptonian that is recharged by most forms of radiation? He'd lose charge easily but that could be fixed with a permanent full body force field like a Power Ring.
 
Hm. Does that mean you could theoretically go the opposite direction and make a super-Kryptonian that is recharged by most forms of radiation? He'd lose charge easily but that could be fixed with a permanent full body force field like a Power Ring.

Technically, if you wanted a super-kryptonian, you could just stick one under a blue sun.
 
30th July 2013
23:38 GMT


Ken Lee starts in a very understated manner when I appear in front of him, before regaining his composure. "Oh El."

I blink at hearing him call me that, and for one strange moment consider the idea that Wallace might have visited here before me.
Admittedly, given the associations the 'El' name has in Daxamite society, your nickname could well be seen as a demonic invocation. But in this case, he's probably smart enough to know how to use your initials.

He raises his eyebrows. "Did I say something untoward?"

"No, I was just puzzled by the appellation."
He could also have been swearing. Perhaps your Ring just translated what he said as 'Oh, 'ell.' 😏

"An abbreviation of your title 'Orange Lantern'. We shouldn't be disturbed -my wife took our children to visit her parents- but just in case we receive a surprise visitor I don't want there to be anything to overhear or-" He glances at my ring. "-see- which shouts 'alien'."

I nod, moving my rings to my toes before switching my clothing to something local-looking and minimising my environmental shield. He checks me over, then nods.
Good thing they don't go in for open-toed sandals.

I look around at his… Home? Wood and plaster rather than stone or brick, but well made. Some of the more backwards parts of Themyscira are built like this, and the Daxamites don't have the advantage of indefinite lifespans. I don't know if being a lawyer would be a full-time job here or if he'd be a smallholder as well… But I probably don't need to.
Being a lawyer isn't necessarily a high-paying job here, either? He knows the law and advocates for or against people, but largely doesn't get called on much. That could be a thing?

"So."

"So, you want information."
Yes, very astute. truly, the Kryptonian intellect is staggering. :p

"And you appeared to be a rational man when we spoke on the Watchtower."

"And you didn't kill me, despite having cause."
Would have been rude. You looked like you'd been dragged along against your better judgement.

"Outside of the Reach war zone, I'm primarily a police officer. My aim is to detain criminals, circumstances permitting."

"And yet you had that powered lead ready to go."
Mention the Boy Scouts of America, and their motto: Be Prepared. Or 'Hope for peace, but prepare for war'.

"I knew that it would remove your powers and that it wouldn't kill you quickly. So it made a good low-lethality weapon."

"Hm." He nods. "I can tell you what I know, though that isn't everything. And-."

"You want something in return, yes. This isn't my first one of these. How much 'not everything' are we talking about?"
As in, were you privy to inner circle-type stuff with Cara Yat (whose job in Daxamite society we still don't know) or are you just a junior advocate caught up in something big?

"I…" He sighs. "I'm not an Elder. I'm not involved in the decision-making when it comes to our reliquaries. Not… Usually. But I have done some work for the Yat family before, and Cara Yat consulted with me on the matter of precedence relating to their use. Then, when the Eradicator Program was activated, I was… I had a front row seat. As I said, I wasn't making decisions, but I was included in the councils where they were made."
...So Cara Yat is privy to activities involving the ancient technology. Good to know.

"Alright, that sounds useful. What is it that you want?"

He looks away from me, towards a family portrait on one of the walls. Just below it there's a wooden chest, inside which-. Children's toys in wood and metal.
Ah...The worries of a loving father. Safety for his family and himself.

"Having children… Changes your perspective on some things. I'm not… Cara Yat's approach-. That's not how we usually do things, I don't want you to get that impression. I know it's difficult for her, her son being a heretic, but she was obviously being hysterical in how she was handling it. Or…" He shrugs. "Maybe I'd be like that if it was one of my daughters. I hope not, but I suppose I won't ever know."
You can only hope so.

"Ah."

He turns back to me. "Mm?"

"Oh, I just thought… Never mind."
I won't ask what that was about. OL wondering if he'd be the same someday, perhaps...

"I'm not abandoning my people, Oh El. I watched some of your transmissions when we entered your system." He shakes his head, whatever he saw clearly having disturbed him. "I will choose my words with more care than Cara Yat and say that your way of life is not for me."
Hey, that is annoyingly traumatic for most humans too. At least those above the age of about five...

"O.. kay..? So what are you asking this alien to give you? You're not getting the Doomsday, if that's what-."

"No."

"I can give you an emergency beacon, in case someone comes here in more force than your defences can repel."
And while it might raise questions if OL turns up when that happens, the safety net will be invaluable.

"That-. That would be nice, but that is not what I want." I make a circling gesture with my right hand. "When our forebears came here, Kem-El infected us with a retrovirus that altered our DNA. We are cultural puritans. This is… Ever since I was told of his evil in my earliest schooling, it is almost as if there's something… Crawling, inside my body."
Huh. That's an unusual response to hearing something like that. Or maybe not? I don't know, I'm not a Daxamite.

"You want me to turn you back into a regular kryptonian?"

"Myself, and my children. Can you do it?"
Well, that's an interesting challenge. It wouldn't really alter any aspect of their day-to-day life, outside of removing their lead 'allergy', would it?

"Not your wife?"

"I'd like her to, but she considers being touched by alien technology to be worse."
So a pretty orthodox Daxamite woman, in other words.

"Or anyone else?"

"There's no one I could tell, not unless I wished to risk accusations of heresy."
And doing it to someone without their will would be morally iffy. Though it could help Sodam Yat.

"True ones."

"A few seconds under the effects of your ring would free me from a lifetime of Kem-El's retrovirus. Neither choice is entirely pure, but to my mind one is better than the other."
Honestly, he has a point. If he's so emotionally troubled by it, then go for it.

"Alright. Ah, do you have samples of Kem-El's retrovirus?"

"No? Do you need it? There might be preserved blood samples in the reliquaries, but I don't know for certain."
Power Rings may seem magical, but they do have limits.

"Ideally, yes. I've only seen the genetic codes of a small number of kryptonians. Kem-El's work was clearly something that he intended to affect both the then-current generation and their descendants, which means that it affected your gametes. Without more samples, working on you would involve a good deal more guesswork than I'm comfortable with. If you're desperate, I might be able to do what you ask without them, but I don't think that's a good idea."
And most definitely check any testing with someone far more proficient in genetics than yourself, OL. Hinon, perhaps, or another Controller in that field?

"I.. don't really know anything about how viruses actually work…"

I frown. "So how do you know what a retrovirus is?"

"I suppose I.. don't, really. We're just told the name and a rough description of what it did."
So for all he knows, it's literally a magic potion. I mean, the general level of Daxamite society... It sounds kind of medieval.

"Do you know what DNA is?"

"Again, not…" He shakes his head. "Not really. Do I need to know that?"
Eh, not really, I guess.

"Technically, no. Alright, do..? Are there any devices on Daxam which can detect power ring scans?"

"Not to my knowledge, but… Given what has just happened, I don't think anyone would be surprised if you were in the system and checking up on us."
Though if they could detect it to the point they knew it was in your house, that might throw some shade on you.

"Fair point. Ring? General scan. Get me genetic profiles."

"Compliance."


Oooooooh. Huh. Right, so… That bit related to… The length of that molecule, which… Okay, that makes… As much sense as this sort of thing tends to. So if I sub out that part-.
At least the Ring is doing the heavy lifting of analysis. I mean, Kryptonian-related DNA is goddamn complex. I think one novel I read ('The Death of Superman' adaption, basically) posited that it used four-strand structures? Merely copying what they could got them Suoerboy, though.

Ah, yes, I see why it killed people. The side effect of doing that with a retrovirus… It wouldn't be as clean as a power ring.

"Yeah, I'm not… Taking a risk on that with what I know now. How long is your wife away for?"
Since even the most well-designed retrovirus can mutate. They're honestly lucky he didn't cause a plague.

"Four days. I gave us a margin like that because I thought that you might want to enter a reliquary."

I nod. "I can get more samples within that window. If I can't work it out from that, I'll… Try consulting with a specialist. Good day."
A Maltusian, I presume.

An interesting angle of investigation for OL. If he can avoid detection, he can get some useful intel about Daxamite society he didn't have before, such as the retrovirus samples, some manner of catalogue of what tech the Elders have, that sort of thing. The hard part will be managing the 'avoid detection' part, especially if the Elders have advanced sensors in place...
 

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