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

Breadnaught · 2025-12-02T06:39:10+0000

Mr Zoat said:
'Plan Q'."

Christ, I forgot that even existed. I vaguely remember watching that series when it was new.

Chojin Patriarch · 2025-12-02T07:00:34+0000

Mr Zoat said:
8th August 2013
20:02 GMT -5

"…kids doing basic stuff." Sunset sounds reluctant. "So how urgent is this really? Circe wouldn't tell me."

I give Lex a polite nod as he sits down across from me, then return my focus to the communication screen. "It's not drop-everything-right-now urgent, but it is pretty darn important. We're looking for a way to induce thaumic activation in worlds that are otherwise inert."

No easy task, It makes sense he'd touch base with Sunset about this. While the Harmony magical system might not be the optimum setup they might prefer, it's probably a bit easier to seed than others. I'm sure the Tree would like to help them on that front.

"Yes, I know what you're doing, I just don't know why."

"Remember the one time we went into space, and you had a bit of an episode-."

Ah, shorn of the thing she's been able to sense all her life? I can imagine that would be a bit of a shock to the system.

"I did not!"

I generate a construct image of how she behaved when she realised that her magic abilities were falling away, and raise my eyebrows.

Like suddenly missing all input from a sense you know is still functioning. No wonder she was unsettled.

"I was surprised, that's not the same as-!" She closes her eyes for a moment. "But why doesn't Circe want my help with her project?"

"Because you're the thaumaturgist, and the pure research lends itself to your talents rather than hers."

Circe's talents laying more in illusion and transformation than direct manipulation of thaumic fields. Though i don't doubt she's been studying up since her Awakening and split with Hecate.

"So she's doing something practical, but important enough that it came up at your meeting. And it's difficult enough that she's actually having to focus on it."

"Sunset, we don't broadcast some of the things-."

"No, I get it, I get it. Is it illegal?"

Not that it being so would stop her, she'd just have to be a little more discreet, wouldn't she?

"I refer you to my previous answer." I lean forwards slightly. "Sunset, this isn't essential, but it is huge. If the team is successful, then we could introduce magic to the ninety nine percent of worlds in the universe than don't have it. Heck, we might even come to understand why there's an Element of Honesty and not an Element of Farming."

Farming by itself is probably a little too prosaic a thing to be represented by a lofty metaphorical thing.

Her face screws up. "What?"

"There are farmers and farms, there are farming special talents and cutie marks, and yet there's no farm-crystal making an Rainbow of Industry. Why do some things form Elements and other things don't?"

Ah, looking to introduce his own tailored elements, eh? It's got to be some measure of esoteric aspect to things, Something tied to the Dream, perhaps.

She frowns, perhaps trying to work out if I'm mocking her or not. "Okay… I guess. I'll need to use your boom tube."

I nod. "It's all yours."

Probably starting with taking readings of the thaumaturgical makeup of Equestria, Earth, and various other worlds she's familiar with to establish a spectrum of variances...

"Okay. Ah. Well, thanks." She ends the call, and I sag in my seat.

Lex raises his eyebrows. "Did you need to bring her in?"

I know Lex isn't the most mystical fellow, but even he should understand her expertise.

I shake my head. "New God thing. She is… Very good at both picking up things relating to her special talent, and conducting novel research. And my own soul instinctively recognises that. Queen Clea's experts are no doubt masters of their fields, but you heard her: Atlantis hasn't been researching this area."

That'd be a helpful aspect of Conquest: Knowing just who to assign to a task and when to let them work without oversight.

He nods. "Regarding my announcement… You really didn't know?"

"I can't say I'm shocked… I assume that he didn't tell you either?"

Given Savage seemed to treat the other members of the Light more like barely-trusted lieutenants than equals? Not surprising.

He frowns faintly. "I would have brought it up before now if he had. I remark upon it because I distinctly remember you saying that you gained his memories when you turned him into a construct."

"It was probably in there. I got hundreds of thousands of years of memories popping in and out of my consciousness at random. Since he never mentioned contacting aliens to me… Or you, by the sounds of things, I didn't bother asking."

Ah, that explains it: No index to the Construct-Savage's memory dump. And I doubt he cared to pay much attention in linear order, so...

"But we can get the details now."

I nod, pulling the Savage ring out of a pouch. "Do you want it? I'd stay, but I'm not sure I could prevent myself bellowing at him in frustration."

Can you trust Lex not to abuse the use of a Power Ring, even one as handicapped as a Construct-Lantern Ring?

"You didn't oversell it, then?"

"Lex, you're my peers. And I actually like you, all of you. This isn't an attempt at manipulation or deceit, and while I understand that you may still have some trouble with that idea, I do consider this to be an alliance of equals. And if you want, we can get a telepath in, and you can see exactly how I think about it."

Not that Lex would trust that so casually.

"I'm not that fragile." I look-. "Yes, I'm still seeing someone about… It. It's… Uncomfortable, but necessary. We all need to be at our best." I nod. "Will Savage answer me as a construct?"

I groan faintly, shaking my head. "He might, he might not." I take a firmer grip on the ring for a moment, and then toss it into the air. "Out."

The Renegade's never really invested into the study of Construct Lanterns, after all. His control of them is probably about as subtle as a choke-chain.

The ring glimmers and then… Unfolds, revealing Savage exactly as he was when I assimilated him.

Lex takes him in, and then raises an eyebrow at me. "It doesn't transform clothing?"

...Ugh, no-one wants to see that.

"He wasn't wearing any."

Savage takes a moment to look at his own translucent hands. And then he considers both of us. "Having difficulty already? And L Two, I thought that you understood."

Oh, put some pants on, you primitive screwhead.

"I wasn't expecting him to talk unprompted." Lex gives me a distinctly puzzled look. "Is he still..? Him?"

"Not sure, probably not. Savage, tell me what you thought you were doing, contacting the Reach?"

To some degree, he's acting as the Renegade wants him to act, I guess. Capable of communicating normally, but not of taking action without being commanded to.

"I realised that there was an opportunity. The Reach have too little presence in this part of the galaxy to bring their full might to bear. According to my plan, by the time they would have a presence on Earth we would already be proof against any attack they would be able to make. I can put you in touch with my contact if you like."

...Goddammit, he's an idiot. If he'd thought to do any research on the matter, he'd have realised the Reach are too crafty to be fooled that way.

Lex tilts his head back slightly. "That's surprisingly helpful of you."

"I've had setbacks before, L Two. And since you will be forced to enact my plan anyway, continuing to work on it is nothing that I was not planning on doing before… This. Because despite L Eight's claim to the contrary, I'm still alive. Eventually, I will recover, and the best way for me to ensure that things are still on track is to cooperate."

See what I meant about not considering them equals? Not even using their names, just calling them by their Light membership numbers...

I frown. "If only you were this rational before I made you a construct."

"I assure you, L Eight, that has not changed."

At least this way, he has a leash on Savage.

"Then explain Starman's ship?"

He smiles faintly. "I admit, that was a personal pleasure, celebrating the obsolescence of a man who once thwarted me. What have you done with it?"

Petty vindictiveness. Typically, really.

Lex's face is carefully neutral. "We have begun building a self-defence force. Humans have already-."

"No, that's-" He shakes his head. "-premature. Happening upon an alien weapon system such as the Doomsday or Warworld might be looked upon as a fortuitous accident, but building our own fleet will make it clear to anyone who notices us that we are an ascendant power."

Fortunately, Earth is easily overlooked. If some jackass wasn't sending out mailing lists of Earth tourism/conquest brochures...

I shrug. "And? There are no powers worth talking about in this region of space."

"But there are the sheeda." He watches our response. "Ah, I see that you've met them."

Bitch, the Renegade killed the Sheeda. And then used their remains for his own purposes.

I nod. "Met, and slaughtered."

"And hopefully you capitalised on them and the damage they caused properly."

True, he did make use of them.

"If by 'properly' you mean 'went to the future and fixed the universe', then yes."

He glowers faintly. "No, I didn't mean that."

Well, unlike you, Vandal, the Renegade can think past the tip of his sword-arm.

"Well, sucks to be you, caveman. I like fixing things."

Lex raises his left palm in my direction, and I stop talking before the bellowing starts.

And now we see what the Renegade meant by yelling at Construct-Savage.

"What was your plan to deal with the Reach's presence on Earth?"

"Simple. We would do their job for them, while ensuring that we could reverse it or use it for ourselves when the time came to remove them."

"Perhaps…" Lex looks at me, and sees that I'm not impressed with it either. "We can call doing precisely what our enemies want and hoping that we understand their own techniques better than they do 'Plan Q'."

Perhaps you'd like to bounce the Construct's head off the desk for a bit, Lex? I'm sure it'd help you feel better.

Heh. Two references for the price of one, eh? Vandal wasn't really someone concerned with foresight, was he? Fitting for his origins, but incredibly frustrating for those trying to unfuck his plans afterwards. Now would be a good time to actually ask the Construct-Savage just which off-world groups he tried to contact, and how much success he had with each...

Darko · 2025-12-02T07:17:18+0000

Mr Zoat said:
making an Rainbow of Industry

"making a"

Vaermina · 2025-12-02T07:27:16+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Vault Dwelling for Sanity and Profit (Fallout/SI) is pretty good.

CrazyNoVa said:
Then I'll try giving it a read, sometime.

Personally, I feel the ones I'm writing now that are in my signature are better.

Ngamer11 · 2025-12-02T07:28:08+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Savage takes a moment to look at his own translucent hands. And then he considers both of us. "Having difficulty already? And L Two, I thought that you understood."

Mr Zoat said:
"I've had setbacks before, L Two. And since you will be forced to enact my plan anyway, continuing to work on it is nothing that I was not planning on doing before… This. Because despite L Eight's claim to the contrary, I'm still alive. Eventually, I will recover, and the best way for me to ensure that things are still on track is to cooperate."

L Two was Ra's. Lex was L Three.

PJ739 · 2025-12-02T08:24:17+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Remember the one time we went into space, and you had a bit of an episode-."

"I did not!"

Link to the chapter please?

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-02T08:27:27+0000

Darko said:
"making a"

Ngamer11 said:
L Two was Ra's. Lex was L Three.

Thank you, corrected.

PJ739 said:
Link to the chapter please?

Off-screen, I'm afraid.

AverusBlack · 2025-12-02T08:41:29+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Off-screen, I'm afraid.

The mental image of Sunset spazzing out because she can't use magic for simple shit like picking something up from across the room is really funny to me for some reason. All I can picture is her sitting on the floor hugging her own arms and screaming at a tablet that won't move.

PJ739 · 2025-12-02T08:42:28+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Off-screen, I'm afraid

Cool10007 · 2025-12-02T13:19:00+0000

Mr Zoat said:
"Perhaps…" Lex looks at me, and sees that I'm not impressed with it either. "We can call doing precisely what our enemies want and hoping that we understand their own techniques better than they do 'Plan Q'."

Eheheheh!

How you have grown, Lexie! It's nice seeing the two of them being friends.

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-02T13:19:27+0000

Mr Zoat said:
2nd March
16:08 GMT

"I was the first one to die, wasn't I?"

I nod sympathetically as Mr Queen sits up on the bier. "Yes. But I'd like to say that thanks to your valiant sacrifice none of the police or ambulance personnel were exposed, and most of the Consolidated Applied Sciences employees who were also exposed survived."

Thank me, corrected.

Darko · 2025-12-02T13:21:56+0000

Chojin Patriarch said:
Goddammit, he's an idiot. If he'd thought to do any research on the matter, he'd have realised the Reach are too crafty to be fooled that way.

Their whole thing is manipulating societies so that they can enslave them, so they already have that.

And Savage and the rest of the Light seriously did not consider certain factors about the Reach.

For one their arrogance made them consider the Reach as being their equals when that's just not true.

The Reach have a lot more resources than all of the Light put together.

Say one member of the Light screwed another one. The one that was screwed may not be able to retaliate because their resources took a hit.

The Light may have been able to screw that ambassador, but he could have just called on the rest of his people for help.

The Light also had an interest in the Earth and would generally try to avoid not destroying it beyond repair.

The Reach don't give a shit about that.

Ardy · 2025-12-02T13:37:14+0000

Uhhh, cauldron didn't do what the entities wanted, 90% of their efforts went to keeping earth stable, while destabilizing earth into a series of ever-warring cape-lead city states was item 2 on the agenda for the entities. The last 10 percent of their effort was spent on deliberately breaking the restrictions the entities put on powers so they could kill them. Again, the opposite of what the entities wanted.

Did I miss a reference?

Mr Zoat · 2025-12-02T15:24:46+0000

Ardy said:
Uhhh, cauldron didn't do what the entities wanted, 90% of their efforts went to keeping earth stable, while destabilizing earth into a series of ever-warring cape-lead city states was item 2 on the agenda for the entities. The last 10 percent of their effort was spent on deliberately breaking the restrictions the entities put on powers so they could kill them. Again, the opposite of what the entities wanted.

Did I miss a reference?

Was it, though?

They planned using Contessa's power. A power that is part of an entity, and will seek to inact the entity's objectives. They assumed that it was honest, trustworthy, and would always tell them the whole of the truth. Cauldron are the reason why the Endbringers are active. Cauldron are the reason why supervillain banking is a thing. Cauldron created the Nemesis Program. Why? Because they thought they were more intelligent than the thing giving them the plans.

Agumentic · 2025-12-02T15:27:50+0000

Mr Zoat said:
A power that is part of an entity, and will seek to inact the entity's objectives.

Wrong. Powers are entirely independent of entities and will gladly throw down with them if that's what their host wants.

boo600 · 2025-12-02T15:31:27+0000

They genuinely avoided using PtV for data (that's wht the Brockton Bay experiment happened; they didn't trust PtV as a simulator or a planning tool, only a manipulator/weapon). Since they couldn't use it to just kill Scion.

A lot of their dumbest plans are very much theirs. The results of less-than-perfect (to say the least) in an absolutely desperate situation with no good option, papering over their decision-making with powers (like Alexandria thinking faster). It's the exalted problem - until you reach unrestricted PTV levels, competence and wisdom just aren't the same.

Which isn't to say that using the shards against the entities was a 'good' plan - they hated it. But human civilization couldn't fight Scion, period. They had no other option in that particular regards, whatever their atrocities afterwards - trying to break the system and get capes that broke the restrictions was their only chance. Given that the Simurgh masterminded the Golden Morning, and they let her out? They did indeed save the world - something they genuinely believed they'd fail at.

Cauldron did a lot of dumb shit, but it's important to remember that they're not the Light - they didn't bring the monsters here, and they knew they were absolutely fucked from the get-go. Even killing Eden was a stroke of unimaginable luck - and frankly, the kind of thing that should have earned PTV more trust… if it hadn't had restrictions slapped on it as she died.

Which doesn't mean that they didn't commit unspeakable and unspeakably pointless atrocities, but what Lex is criticizing is the one thing that they never had any other option but to do. So.

If nothing else, at least he's learned what a Bad Plan looks like.

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

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