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

[CrazyNoVa]

Which one?

Mostly, because either they contradict earlier stuff or the quality is low. Now, I'm willing to ignore the original A New Hope novelisation where Palpatine was a puppet emperor, because the following films don't use that and neither do any of the other novels. But the Republic using an army of clones contradicts earlier material, so that goes. The Death Star being under construction while the Republic was a going concern? Also contradicts earlier material. Qwi Xux designed the Death Star, and she's not even born at that point. Kredduc who?

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Sorry, I meant Worm, but I should have made myself clearer.

Funnily enough, it's a bit of a recurring joke in the Star Wars fandom how many times both Expanded Universes kept retconning themselves. In the old EU, there's like four different prequels with four different explanations on how the Alliance got the Death Star Plans, Boba Fett had a completely different origin story before the Prequels came along, there's different accounts to exactly how the Rebel Alliance was formed, there's the sheer mindf*ckery of the unknown regions, all the weird shit that we saw in the old comics, etc. In the Disney EU, well...I think that one speaks for itself.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Sorry, I meant Worm, but I should have made myself clearer.

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Oh, Worm. Well, plenty of people reject Wards, I fully embrace operant conditioning as an explanation for Amy's behaviour which is an idea that I believe Wildbow hates, and I think the reason why tinker technology can't be reproduced got retconned twice? I have a lot less invested in Worm than 40K.

WHY DOESN'T THE ROGAL DORN HAVE A FLOOR YOU CHEAP BASTARDS!

 

[Steelplaza]

I wonder if any of the Kryptonians that Amalak murdered were living in a jurisdiction that has an interest and ability to pursue charges.

It would be kind of interesting if at this big, showy trial that might actually make interstellar news, someone shows up with a request to extradite Amalak for trial on one of the people he himself murdered.

 

[Ardy]

I just flat out reject large parts of it. Likewise, the only real Star Wars is the original expanded universe and there has been no Star Trek since Enterprise.

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You think enterprise is canon? Rape of men is comedy and genocide is fine thanks to the divinity of the prime directive?

Oh, Worm. Well, plenty of people reject Wards, I fully embrace operant conditioning as an explanation for Amy's behaviour which is an idea that I believe Wildbow hates, and I think the reason why tinker technology can't be reproduced got retconned twice? I have a lot less invested in Worm than 40K.

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Never retconned tinkertech, and as a fun note it was literally never called that in worm, it was a fanon term that fit really well so it came up once or twice in Ward, but not in worm. As for Amy, that makes no sense and never has. Not only does Victoria spent way more time with other people than she does with Amy, including the rest of her family since Amy doesn't fight with new wave, not a single one of them reacts like operant conditioning or like Amy does, nor does Victoria actually lose control of her aura during worm (she intentionally uses it to intimidate the neonazi in her interlude and skitter during the bank robbery, but I can't actually find a scene where it goes off without her consent) but people jump on it as an excuse for Amy raping Victoria, which was heavily alluded to, to the point where a large number of people called it when the chapter came out, but wasn't explicitly spelled out until the sequel, making them accuse the author of retconning it in.

Saying the rape victim "made" the rapist rape, mutilate, and mind control them, including making up reasons that are not in the story for it, really ticked off the author, can't imagine why.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

Oh, Worm. Well, plenty of people reject Wards, I fully embrace operant conditioning as an explanation for Amy's behaviour which is an idea that I believe Wildbow hates, and I think the reason why tinker technology can't be reproduced got retconned twice? I have a lot less invested in Worm than 40K.

WHY DOESN'T THE ROGAL DORN HAVE A FLOOR YOU CHEAP BASTARDS!

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Ah. So, I assume that Wildbrow isn't a big fan of Behavioural psychology or Pavlov's dog experiment then. Such things may not necessarily justify someone's actions, but they can explain them.

ONLY THE MAGIC PAIN GLOVE MAY EXPLAIN WHY ROGAL DORN DOES NOT HAVE A FLOOR.

You think enterprise is canon? Rape of men is comedy and genocide is fine thanks to the divinity of the prime directive?



Never retconned tinkertech, and for fun note it was literally never called that in worm, it was a fanon term that fit really well so it came up once or twice in Ward. As for Amy, that makes no sense and never has. Not only does Victoria spend way more time with other people than she does with Amy, and not a single one reacts like operant conditioning, nor does Victoria actually lose control of her aura during worm (she intentionally uses it to intimidate the neonazi in her interlude and skitter during the bank robbery) but people jump on it as an excuse for Amy raping Victoria, which was heavily alluded to, to the point where a large number of people called it when the chapter came out, but wasn't explicitly spelled out until the sequel, making them accuse the author of retconning it in.

Saying the rape victim "made" the rapist rape them, including making up reasons that are not in the story for it, really ticked off the author, can't imagine why.

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In fairness, nobody said that operant conditioning couldn't be a contributing factor along with all the other things that make Amy so messed up. Sometimes, a villain can have more than one reason for why they are what they are, and there doesn't always have to be just one singular cause.

 

[Ardy]

In fairness, nobody said that operant conditioning couldn't be a contributing factor along with all the other things that make Amy so messed up. Sometimes, a villain can have more than one reason for why they are what they are, and there doesn't always have to be just one singular cause.

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Except Zoat, who just said that it was why Amy raped, mutilated, and mind controlled Victoria. Also, again, losing control of the aura around Amy is not a thing that happened. The closest thing in the story to operant conditioning is that Victoria is the only family member to consistently reach out and try to be kind to her. Her dad tried, but depression so not consistent

 

[CrazyNoVa]

Except Zoat, who just said that it was why Amy raped, mutilated, and mind controlled Victoria. Also, again, losing control of the aura around Amy is not a thing that happened.

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Yes, I know that's what's he's arguing. And in turn, I'm arguing that there's a possibility that while Zoat may be right, there could have been more things that also contributed in making Amy what she is too. Pre-existing mental conditions and operant conditioning are unfortunately not mutually exclusive things, and it's entirely possible to have both.

 

[Ardy]

Yes, I know that's what's he's arguing. And in turn, I'm arguing that there's a possibility that while Zoat may be right, there could have been more things that also contributed in making Amy what she is too. Pre-existing mental conditions and operant conditioning are unfortunately not mutually exclusive things, and it's entirely possible to have both.

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Except there was no operant conditioning, no "aura theory" nonsense, it's flat out not in the book, made up for victim blaming. Hell, I personally think that people keep excusing it for the same reason the Wardens did, she's too powerful and useful a character to condemn her.

 

[AverusBlack]

Yeah, no. Fuck Amy. In the ear.

There is really no debate in 'is Amy blameless?'. Amy has chance after chance to make different choices and did not. Nobody was twisting her arm, nobody held a gun to her head. She's just so far up her own ass that she can't see the consequences of her actions and other people aren't quite real to her or she'd never be able to do the things she does.

I will turn this hill into the fucking Alamo. She's responsible for her own actions and her actions are monstrous.

I have nothing more to say on the matter.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

Except there was no operant conditioning, no "aura theory" nonsense, it's flat out not in the book, made up for victim blaming. Hell, I personally think that people keep excusing it for the same reason the Wardens did, she's too powerful and useful a character to condemn her.

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Yes, I know all that. Hence why it's purely hypothetical.

Yeah, no. Fuck Amy. In the ear.

There is really no debate in 'is Amy blameless?'. Amy has chance after chance to make different choices and did not. Nobody was twisting her arm, nobody held a gun to her head. She's just so far up her own ass that she can't see the consequences of her actions and other people aren't quite real to her or she'd never be able to do the things she does.

I will turn this hill into the fucking Alamo. She's responsible for her own actions and her actions are monstrous.

I have nothing more to say on the matter.

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Whoa, chill. Nobody here is saying she's blameless. Of course she's responsible for her own choices. I was trying to theorize the reason for why she became what she is. It doesn't justify her actions, but it does explain them.

After all, even if Zoat is right and operant conditioning is partially responsible, that doesn't mean Amy has no agency or free will. Again, it explains her actions and choices, but it does not justify them, because like you said, she deliberately chose to do something monstrous, and nobody forced her to do it.

What most people don't realize about operant conditioning (and behavioural psychology as a whole) is that while it can explain why people act the way they act and why they make the choices they make, it doesn't disprove the existence of free will, because at the end of the day, we still have the choice to defy the operant conditioning and walk away. But then again, if repeating the conditioning leads to something that we perceive as "good" for us, then why the hell would we even want to walk away in the first place?

After all, we're hard-wired as a species to repeatedly pursue any outcome that we, from our perspective, deem to be positive or profitable. So if repeating the same action over and over again leads to an outcome that we deem profitable, then our common sense dictates that we should repeat it.

 

[Vaermina]

I just flat out reject large parts of it. Likewise, the only real Star Wars is the original expanded universe and there has been no Star Trek since Enterprise.

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Lower Decks and Prodigy would like a word with you...

 

[Mr Zoat]

You think enterprise is canon? Rape of men is comedy and genocide is fine thanks to the divinity of the prime directive?

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Well, no, the prime directive didn't exist then. The prime directive has always been stupid. I also didn't like the conflict with the Romulans when the original series stated that they didn't have subspace communication back then and that was why they didn't know what they looked like. I also didn't like Archer blaming Tucker for that third sex alien's suicide or murdering his clone. However, people making bad decisions is something that I'm perfectly happy with happening in a setting.

I have also made a mental note to never bring up Worm again.

 

[Lord Ernest]

I have also made a mental note to never bring up Worm again.

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Personally, I thank you for that decision. That is true jumped-up elemental wisdom.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

I have also made a mental note to never bring up Worm again.

Click to shrink...

Personally, I thank you for that decision. That is true jumped-up elemental wisdom.

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Welp, I guess I know what I'm doing on April 1st.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Welp, I guess I know what I'm doing on April 1st.

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IRL or IFU?

 

[Mr Zoat]

12th August 2013
13:30 GMT

Kal-El lays his right hand on the Phantom Zone projector's activation switch. "Final checks?"

Unnecessary, but… I suppose it's a good habit to get into.

"Force field barrier…" I take a small stone out of subspace and throw it at the barrier, which easily deflects it. "Active, and strong enough to stop someone with mid-level super strength." I look inside the demarcated area. "Gold kryptonite exposed, green kryptonite shielded…"

He rejected my suggestion to see what black kryptonite did to Dru-Zod. He pointed out that turning him into a good person shortly before executing him would be extremely mean-spirited because there's no way that Amalak would accept that as being sufficient. And… Yes, I think he's right. I'm not sure what making Dru-Zod double-evil would do, beyond the fact that it might confuse the trial.

"Regular bindings in place. Are you wearing your radiation shield, sir?"

He taps his belt, nodding.

"Sub-Commander?"

She doesn't even bother looking at me. "Go teach your grandmother how to suck eggs."

"How long were you on Earth?" I scan it. "She's fine. Har-Zod, please do a system check."

His hologram looks blank for a moment, and then nods. "All systems functioning within normal parameters."

"Good show."

I turn to the audience. Kon, Mitchell, Arnus and Raquel, Arisia and Jordan, Ghia'ta and Carol, Beryl, Leonid, Zatanna, Amon, Ak-Var and Lar-On. Lar-On is here because while Dru-Zod didn't kill anything like as many kryptonians as he did timaronians, among those he did kill were Nar-On and Nela En-Kur, Lar-On's parents. We offered to allow the other survivors we've released to participate but none of them particularly wanted to and given that Amalak wants a quick trial, there's no real need to get everyone's testimony.

"Everyone got their shields?"

Jordan rolls his eyes, his environmental shield strengthening.

"If you get punched through another planet, don't come crying to me."

"I didn't the first time."

"Good man, keep up that attitude. Everyone else?"

In fits and starts they all make a point of showing me that they're wearing them, Leonid first through to Lar-On when he finds it.

"Thank you everyone who did what I asked, Lantern Jordan. Har-Zod, please raise the observer shield."

It shimmers into place around the viewing area. The only other observer is Non-Du, but he decided that actually being in the room… Wouldn't be a good idea.

I turn back towards Kal-El. "All set, sir. Twiddle the dials when ready."

He nods, turning the dials and keeping his eyes focus on the emergence point. A sort of dull grey shimmer appears in front of the projector.

"I'm looking for General Dru-Zod and Ursa Dou-Ka. If they could make themselves known."

The blur sort of undulates, and I imagine with discomfort that it's the result of the remaining prisoners 'fighting' against one another for a chance to leave. They know that some of them aren't there any more, and I imagine that a little hope might drive them to lash out in a way that no hope at all didn't.

"We're going to let more people out, but we can't do that until there's somewhere to move you to. Please, try to be patient. It's just a little longer."

And a lot more screening. Karsta Wor-Ul isn't exactly enthusiastic about some of them.

...

Alright, she's not exactly enthusiastic about any of them, but she genuinely believes that some of them are going to be a detriment to their new society. But Kal-El is set on letting out all of the ones whose crimes were less serious than murder, so she's going to have to work something out.

The shadows in front of the projector resolve themselves into the outline of a man and a woman.

"What do you want, Jor-El? My sentence isn't over yet."

"Please confirm that you are Dru-Zod."

"Yes, I am General Dru-Zod of the Kryptonian Self-Defence Force. Were your calculations wrong, then?"

"And you, ma'am. Please confirm that you are Ursa Dou-Ka."

"I am."

She sounds rather proud of that fact.

"Alright." Superman turns the dial. "I'm bringing you out now."

He turns the dial, and… There they are. Ursa Dou-Ka is wearing what is essentially the same green and white uniform Non-Du wore, while Dru-Zod's version replaces the green with… Lilac? And includes a peaked cap with a sort of.. sun symbol on the front? She has pale skin and close-cropped black hair. He's pale-skinned and clean-shaven, and they're both less well muscled than I'd half-expected. Still fit, just… I suppose that senior officers don't really need the sort of athleticism that ordinary soldiers do.

Dru-Zod's eyes lock on Superman at once. He's switched over to kryptonian clothing for the occasion, though on Earth he'd still stand out like a sore thumb.

"You're not Jor-El.

"I'm Kal-El, his son."

Dru-Zod studies him for a moment longer. "Krypton is dead?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

He exhales angrily. "Fools." He takes a moment to steady himself while Ursa Dou-Ka looks around at the rest of us. "Why have I been released?"

"As the closest thing the surviving Kryptonians have to a ruler, I had to decide whether or not to grant an extradition request for the two of you. After a good deal of thought, I decided that I should. I've brought you out of the Phantom Zone so that-."

"Karsta-?" Ursa Dou-Ka does a double take. "Sub-Commander Karsta Wor-Ul." She comes to attention. "Sir."

Dru-Zod turns his gaze on Karsta-Wor-Ul. "Don't refer to her by rank. She's a deserter."

"I couldn't desert from a navy that didn't exist any more. At most, I violated the isolation laws, and that's-. That was just a slap on the wrist offence. You burned one of the Possession Worlds from orbit. I used to like Timaron."

"It was necessary, for there to be a chance for Krypton to live." He turns back to Kal-El. "I assume that's what I'm being put on trial for?"

Superman nods. "Yes. The trial will take place on Xudar, under Timaronian law." He gestures towards Arnus. "Icon has volunteered to provide you with legal counsel, and can represent you in court if you wish."

"The sentence?"

"If you're found guilty, you'll both be executed."

He smiles faintly. "A show trial, then." He looks down at the manacles, and puts his forearms into them. "I assume-?"

"RRRAWWWUGH!"

 

[Ngamer11]

He rejected my suggestion to see what black kryptonite did to Dru-Zod. He pointed out that turning him into a good person shortly before executing him would be extremely mean-spirited because there's no way that Amalak wouldt accept that as being sufficient. And… Yes, I think he's right. I'm not sure what making Dru-Zod double-evil would do, beyond the fact that it might confuse the trial.

Click to shrink...

That's missing an apostrophe.

"As the closest thing the surviving Kryptonians have to a ruler, I had to decide whether or not to grant an extradition request for the two of you. After a good deal of thought, I decided that I should. I've brought you out of the Phantom Zone so that-."

"Karsta-?" Ursa Dou-Ka does a double take. "Sub-Commander Karsta Wor-Ul." She comes to attention. "Sir."

Dru-Zod turns his gaze on Karsta-Wor-Ul. "Don't refer to her by rank. She's a deserter."

"I couldn't desert from a navy that didn't exist any more. At most, I violated the isolation laws, and that's-. That was just a slap on the wrist offence. You burned one of the Possession Worlds from orbit. I used to like Timaron."

"It was necessary, for there to be a chance for Krypton to live." He turns back to Kal-El. "I assume that's what I'm being put on trial for?"

Superman nods. "Yes. The trial will take place on Xudar, under Timaronian law." He gestures towards Arnus. "Icon has volunteered to provide you with legal council, and can represent you in court if you wish."

"The sentence?"

"If you're found guilty, you'll both be executed."

He smiles faintly. "A show trial, then." He looks down at the manacles, and puts his forearms into them. "I assume-?"

"RRRAWWWUGH!"

Click to shrink...

That was quick. Hopefully Zod and Ursa will still be executed at the end of this.

 

[Vaermina]

12th August 2013
13:30 GMT

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I'm surprised Orange Lantern's ring didn't alert him to Ursa's pregnancy.

 

[Zig]

I'm surprised Orange Lantern's ring didn't alert him to Ursa's pregnancy.

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I doubt he makes a habit of scanning every womb he comes across.

 

[BR549]

...my guess is that Lar-On just learned he can still transform, and it's not the moon that transforms him anymore.

Explaning to Amalak that Zod got mauled by the Kryptonian Hulk would be a rather interesting complication...

 

[Vaermina]

I doubt he makes a habit of scanning every womb he comes across.

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The standard scan he's been doing on everyone pulled from the phantom zone so for should have picked it up.

 

[Darko]

...my guess is that Lar-On just learned he can still transform, and it's not the moon that transforms him anymore

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Hmm, this may be it.

I honestly thought that Nam-ek got out.

Explaning to Amalak that Zod got mauled by the Kryptonian Hulk would be a rather interesting complication

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Amalak: Ehh, it's acceptable to me.

The standard scan he's been doing on everyone pulled from the phantom zone so for should have picked it up.

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Guess she's not pregnant here.

And even if she was it's not like it'll be some insurmountable obstacle.

Paul can just remove the fetus and place it in an artificial womb.

I don't think it'll be that difficult to convince Superman that letting someone that committed a genocide raise a child is not the best of ideas.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

12th August 2013
13:30 GMT

Kal-El lays his right hand on the Phantom Zone projector's activation switch. "Final checks?"

Unnecessary, but… I suppose it's a good habit to get into.

Click to shrink...

Better excessive preparation than getting sloppy. Especially when you get to the really troublesome people. Which I expect at least one will be getting extracted today. So the more ready you are, the better.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"Force field barrier…" I take a small stone out of subspace and throw it at the barrier, which easily deflects it. "Active, and strong enough to stop someone with mid-level super strength." I look inside the demarcated area. "Gold kryptonite exposed, green kryptonite shielded…"

Click to shrink...

Which stops the parolees from getting said mid-level strength, unless they have other exotic abilities.

He rejected my suggestion to see what black kryptonite did to Dru-Zod. He pointed out that turning him into a good person shortly before executing him would be extremely mean-spirited because there's no way that Amalak wouldt accept that as being sufficient. And… Yes, I think he's right. I'm not sure what making Dru-Zod double-evil would do, beyond the fact that it might confuse the trial.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, definitely impractical.

"Regular bindings in place. Are you wearing your radiation shield, sir?"

He taps his belt, nodding.

Click to shrink...

Amazing how effective it is for being so small.

"Sub-Commander?"

She doesn't even bother looking at me. "Go teach your grandmother how to suck eggs."

Click to shrink...

Always wondered about that phrase... If anyone doesn't recognise it, it's about trying to teach someone about things they know far better than you do. Usually because the person doing it thinks they're smarter by virtue of youth...

"How long were you on Earth?" I scan it. "She's fine. Har-Zod, please do a system check."

His hologram looks blank for a moment, and then nods. "All systems functioning within normal parameters."

"Good show."

Click to shrink...

Oh, they're definitely pulling out Zod and Ursa, then, if they're drilling this much.

I turn to the audience. Kon, Mitchell, Arnus and Raquel, Arisia and Jordan, Ghia'ta and Carol, Beryl, Leonid, Zatanna, Amon, Ak-Var and Lar-On. Lar-On is here because while Dru-Zod didn't kill anything like as many kryptonians as he did timaronians, among those he did kill were Nar-On and Nela En-Kur, Lar-On's parents. We offered to allow the other survivors we've released to participate but none of them particularly wanted to and given that Amalak wants a quick trial, there's no real need to get everyone's testimony.

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Quite the crowd, most of them non-kryptonians. Wonder if Zod will be happy about that or annoyed...

"Everyone got their shields?"

Jordan rolls his eyes, his environmental shield strengthening.

Click to shrink...

Is he really being an ass about this? Honestly, and they say the Green Light doesn't affect the mind.

"If you get punched through another planet, don't come crying to me."

"I didn't the first time."

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Though I bet it felt like you did.

"Good man, keep up that attitude. Everyone else?"

In fits and starts they all make a point of showing me that they're wearing them, Leonid first through to Lar-On when he finds it.

Click to shrink...

Good show, especially from those not used to this sort of craziness.

"Thank you everyone who did what I asked, Lantern Jordan. Har-Zod, please raise the observer shield."

It shimmers into place around the viewing area. The only other observer is Non-Du, but he decided that actually being in the room… Wouldn't be a good idea.

Click to shrink...

Too many bad memories, I suspect. Or Zod would look to him expecting the loyal follower he was before... Which would be its own trauma.

I turn back towards Kal-El. "All set, sir. Twiddle the dials when ready."

He nods, turning the dials and keeping his eyes focus on the emergence point. A sort of dull grey shimmer appears in front of the projector.

"I'm looking for General Dru-Zod and Ursa. If they could make themselves known."

Click to shrink...

Given the control motions, 'twiddling' is the most apt description, even if it isn't very technical.

The blur sort of undulates, and I imagine with discomfort that it's the result of the remaining prisoners 'fighting' against one another for a chance to leave. They know that some of them aren't there any more, and I imagine that a little hope might drive them to lash out in a way that no hope at all didn't.

Click to shrink...

Although they're technically indestructible while confined. I bet it still hurts when they hit each other, though.

"We're going to let more people out, but we can't do that until there's somewhere to move you to. Please, try to be patient. It's just a little longer."

And a lot more screening. Karsta Wor-Ul isn't exactly enthusiastic about some of them.

Click to shrink...

So the future colony could be a bit smaller than expected early on.

...

Alright, she's not exactly enthusiastic about any of them, but she genuinely believes that some of them are going to be a detriment to their new society. But Kal-El is set on letting out all of the ones whose crimes were less serious than murder, so she's going to have to work something out.

Click to shrink...

At the least, sorting out some sort of police force among those paroled first would be a good idea...

The shadows in front of the projector resolve themselves into the outline of a man and a woman.

"What do you want, Jor-El? My sentence isn't over yet."

Click to shrink...

Ah, there we go. The lovely couple themselves...

"Please confirm that you are Dru-Zod."

"Yes, I am General Dru-Zod of the Kryptonian Self-Defence Force. Were your calculations wrong, then?"

Click to shrink...

And I am definitely hearing him as MoS Zod....

"And you, ma'am. Please confirm that you are Ursa Dou-Ka."

"I am."

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...I'll stick with Donnerverse Ursa, though.

She sounds rather proud of that fact.

"Alright." Superman turns the dial. "I'm bringing you out now."

Click to shrink...

Let's hope they don't see that as an opportunity for mayhem.

He turns the dial, and… There they are. Ursa Dou-Ka is wearing what is essentially the same green and white uniform Non-Du wore, while Dru-Zod's version replaces the green with… Lilac? And includes a peaked cap with a sort of.. sun symbol on the front? She has pale skin and close-cropped black hair. He's pale-skinned and clean-shaven, and they're both less well muscled than I'd half-expected. Still fit, just… I suppose that senior officers don't really need the sort of athleticism that ordinary soldiers do.

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I expect the colour differences are rank or specialisations. Nice touch with the hat from the pre-crisis versions.

Dru-Zod's eyes lock on Superman at once. He's switched over to kryptonian clothing for the occasion, though on Earth he'd still stand out like a sore thumb.

"You're not Jor-El.

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I mean, given some kryptonian fashions... I assume this is more 'tunic and trousers' than 'tights and trunks' though. I won't knock the Raygun Gothic look, though.

"I'm Kal-El, his son."

Dru-Zod studies him for a moment longer. "Krypton is dead?"

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Probably not happy about all his worst fears being confirmed, I suppose.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

He exhales angrily. "Fools." He takes a moment to steady himself while Ursa Dou-Ka looks around at the rest of us. "Why have I been released?"

Click to shrink...

Yes, very much not happy. Though at least his anger is evidently directed at the Council that ignored him and Jor-El...

"As the closest thing the surviving Kryptonians have to a ruler, I had to decide whether or not to grant an extradition request for the two of you. After a good deal of thought, I decided that I should. I've brought you out of the Phantom Zone so that-."

"Karsta-?" Ursa Dou-Ka does a double take. "Sub-Commander Karsta Wor-Ul." She comes to attention. "Sir."

Click to shrink...

Fitting, since she basically outranks Ursa and maybe Zod. And becoming the governor of the colony just enhances that...

Dru-Zod turns his gaze on Karsta-Wor-Ul. "Don't refer to her by rank. She's a deserter."

"I couldn't desert from a navy that didn't exist any more. At most, I violated the isolation laws, and that's-. That was just a slap on the wrist offence. You burned one of the Possession Worlds from orbit. I used to like Timaron."

Click to shrink...

Well, that makes it a little more personal for her.

"It was necessary, for there to be a chance for Krypton to live." He turns back to Kal-El. "I assume that's what I'm being put on trial for?"

Superman nods. "Yes. The trial will take place on Xudar, under Timaronian law." He gestures towards Arnus. "Icon has volunteered to provide you with legal council, and can represent you in court if you wish."

Click to shrink...

He's being very calm about all this. I suppose there's little point in him arguing, given his clear depowering.

"The sentence?"

"If you're found guilty, you'll both be executed."

Click to shrink...

I doubt he's surprised, of course. What he did was inexcusable, and he was (not) punished for it by the Kryptonians. EDIT: And I have the memory of a gnat, because he was only punished for the insubordination, not the genocide...

He smiles faintly. "A show trial, then." He looks down at the manacles, and puts his forearms into them. "I assume-?"

"RRRAWWWUGH!"

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Oh, come on! He's going quietly! Is Ursa doing something, or..?

I'm sure Zod isn't being as passive as he seems to be without reason. I suppose his time in the Zone burnt all the anger that fuelled his actions on Timaron. Or he knows something everyone else doesn't about the events that took place... I'm sure we'll see soon enough. But first, whatever happening will need to be sorted out.

 

[Darko]

I doubt he's surprised, of course. What he did was inexcusable, and he was punished for it by the Kryptonians

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Nope, he wasn't.

He was punished for trying to overthrow the Science Council, not because he committed genocide.

 

[Duke Long]

Superman nods. "Yes. The trial will take place on Xudar, under Timaronian law." He gestures towards Arnus. "Icon has volunteered to provide you with legal council, and can represent you in court if you wish."

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'counsel'

 

[BlackCoat13]

there's no way that Amalak wouldt accept that as being sufficient.

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would

 

[Mr Zoat]

That's missing an apostrophe.

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Thank-.

would

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Wait a second-!

I doubt he makes a habit of scanning every womb he comes across.

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I don't insult your fetishes...

'counsel'

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Thank you, corrected.

Also, future me? Remember to add Ursa's surname in.

 

[Vaermina]

Guess she's not pregnant here.

And even if she was it's not like it'll be some insurmountable obstacle.

Paul can just remove the fetus and place it in an artificial womb.

I don't think it'll be that difficult to convince Superman that letting someone that committed a genocide raise a child is not the best of ideas.

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You realize there's a pretty big difference between believing a criminal shouldn't raise their child and ripping said unborn child out of a criminals body to grow in tube?

The most reasonable Superman is likely to be in that circumstance is to insist that Ursa's sentence be defered till after the baby was born. And even that is unlikely because it's Superman we're talking about and Ursa's actual culpability is a lot less then Zod's.

 

[CTrees]

Amalak: Ehh, it's acceptable to me.

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"Also do you have a recording I can watch?"

 

[Darko]

You realize there's a pretty big difference between believing a criminal shouldn't raise their child and ripping said unborn child out of a criminals body to grow in tube?

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Not really.

Once a pregnant convict gives birth the child is taken away.

This is more or less the same thing, just that it happens earlier than usual.

The most reasonable Superman is likely to be in that circumstance is to insist that Ursa's sentence be defered till after the baby was born. And even that is unlikely because it's Superman we're talking about and Ursa's actual culpability is a lot less then Zod's

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She was still a high-ranking member of the military that helped him.

And Superman doesn't seem to have any objections to Zod being executed, so unless it's discovered that she objected to it but was overruled then I don't think that he's going to try all that much to stand up for her.

And if the baby exist then as I mentioned previously the artificial womb is always an option if Amalak doesn't want to wait or if Ursa decides to use it as a hostage.