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

[Chojin Patriarch]

16th September 2013
15:22 GMT

High Mor Krandor Vat entered the room last, the other Mors regarding him solemnly. He'd asked for one more crisis, damn him, and what a crisis he had. He'd reviewed the files on the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps at length, attempting to work out how he'd so badly misread the situation. Why would he go so far out of his way for a people who offered him nothing when he had matters of greater concern to attend to?

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Ah, seeing the fallout from OL's actions, I see. Right at the very pinnacle of the aeries. I'd say be careful what you wish for, but given that he got exactly that, it's a bit late. A solid show of self-control over his rage there, too.

Spoiler

Putting it together… Was a blow to the ego.

Why would he target the Thanagarian Empire when the Reach offended his morals more? Because his presence on Maltus undermined his nominal superior -something that Officer Hol had reporting that the Illustres had told his allies on Earth openly- and because they were using the war to unify the bonds between members of their alliance, and because -mighty as he is- he wouldn't be able to speed up the destruction of an empire as vast as the Reach by a significant amount.

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Oh, he'd have been quite happy to leave you alone, you know... But someone had to poke the sleeping dragon.

Why would he support Hyathis, when she offered him nothing? Because she would kill fewer people, and that was the outcome that a human 'super hero' should seek. And while Hyathis could offer him nothing, there wasn't much that anyone could offer him when he was already favoured by the Controllers. If she had to sweeten the pot, she could offer him a gentler hand when dealing with her defeated foes, but the intelligence reports Andar Pul assembled seemed to show that was her plan anyway.

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I see he finds the idea of minimising casualties somewhat questionable. The way he puts super-hero in quotations like that, given that Thanagar probably doesn't have any similar modern concept...

Why would he risk his life fighting Thanagar at all?

His eyes dipped as he reached his seat.

Because to him it wasn't much of a risk or an effort.

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Yes. You weren't worth his time. I know that must be a blow to your ego, but honestly... You aren't as big a threat as you thought you were.

It should have been obvious before. But he had gotten too used to regarding tales from Earth as… Light entertainment, useful mostly as a reminder of the manifold abnormalities that exist in the universe, but not relevant to other places. But Katar Hol had written to him of an intelligent god-construct, of an atmosphere filled with glowing eyes, of the Illustres reporting that he could teleport across the galaxy in an instant.

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I'm sure it sounded silly to you, gross exaggerations to try and inflate the danger rating.

A snake larger than Thanagar's entire star system.

It was indeed hard to measure the power of the most powerful of Lanterns. Hard to know what those things translated into in terms of raw destructive power.

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And now you have a damn solid example of it. Congratulations.

He sat.

"Mors of Thanagar. We must be honest with ourselves. This is a difficult situation."

Silence. These meetings were not the proper place for frivolities, but an exhalation, some rustling of wings…

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And soundly withheld statements of 'Yes, tell us something we don't already know, you old rooster.'

"We will not be able to revenge ourselves against Hyathis. The worlds she stole from us are, frankly, of little industrial value, save for the Forge of Vulcan. But in morale terms the damage is significant. This is the first time the number of worlds in our Empire has been reduced. The first time since this council was formed that our citizens have found themselves under a foreign sovereign."

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If you quint while looking at it the right way, I suppose.

He lets that occupy their minds for a moment. There is no sense in pretending this situation is anything like what they wanted it to be. There is no sense in pretending that he is announcing his retirement in a moment of triumph, an old foe ground underfoot and his successor in command of a secure empire.

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Ah, now we see why he pushed this foolish plan through, hmm? And it would have worked if not for one human.

"And according to our intelligence reports, the Illustres is organising an alliance amongst our first tranch of expansion targets. Based on his past behaviour, I suspect that this is merely meant to halt our expansion. Of the three stellar nations with significant naval forces, only one has shown an interest in action against us, but if the alliance is solidified we will have to abandon our scheduled offensive. Raiding may still be possible, but unless we wish to offer generous accession terms in competition to the alliance, it will achieve little."

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Surprisingly, 'tranche' is not a typo, it's a real concept. Interestingly applied to interstellar imperialism, but I can see why.

There was no appetite for that at this table. As there should not be.

"Hyathis is willing to sell Nth metal to us, at a price slightly below what it takes us to transmute it for ourselves. Vulcan, naturally, has no particular attachment to us. Were we able to retake Conrall he would be content to work for us once more, but that is currently impractical. Perhaps more concerning, the treaty which I signed allows Hyathis to annex further Thanagarian worlds should she receive majority support from the people living there. Few of the Old Colonies have thanagarian majorities, and should her efforts at proselytism succeed the Illustres would support her acquiring them. I have already issued orders to improve their sensor networks and re-enforce their defence fleets in an attempt to keep her agents away, but I fear that we may have to dispatch Crows to train their civil defence forces in counter-insurgent operations."

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It'll be interesting to see how well it works, though. I suspect she'll still be able to snipe away a world or two before said training plan is enacted...

"Currently, we possess no weapons that could reliably kill the Illustres. He had little notice when our planetary defence network opened fire but was able to block it with no observed strain." Though Bleez may not be an entirely disinterested witness. "And according to reports from Wingman Katar Hol and Wingwoman Shayera Thal, he possesses the ability to transfer his consciousness to cloned bodies, which means that even were we to be extremely fortunate, it would only delay him for a short time."

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Which is probably insulting to them. Someone who doesn't stay dead when you kill them? That's unfair.

"I believe that the Thanagarian Empire must undergo a period of retrenchment and industrial construction. The New Colonies must be made economically significant faster than originally planned, and with supplies of Nth metal reduced we may as well put the space construction capacity to better use. We will also need to return to plans for non-Nth metal ships and technologies, as well as investing in additional Nth metal transmutation plants."

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In other words, they're going to have to pivot all their plans hard to compensate for this setback. That will discomport them, and mistakes will creep in...

Minor gestures of agreement around the room. Good. It would be disappointing if any of them decided to do something childish now of all times.

"Since the one positive thing we can say about the situation is that we do not have to worry about a direct military invasion, we should make use of the time."

"The other matter is that I am resigning."

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I suspect someone might have called for it anyway, given the failure of this strategy. Better to quit than be pushed, though...

That elicits a few more responses. Some perhaps thought that he might choose to die in office, repairing the damage that his misjudgement had caused until it killed him. And perhaps a few of the more generous ones might think that some missteps were inevitable. The Empire he would be leaving would be far larger than the one he received from his predecessor…

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I wouldn't be surprised if one or two hoped he would choose to fall on his sword in atonement, if only to ensure he wouldn't be looming in the background.

But he can see with the benefit of hindsight where he could have done things different to avoid this crisis. Things rarely go so badly wrong as the result of a single poor decision, even if there is a single cut can reveal the festering meat under the skin…

"I have not earned the quiet retirement of my predecessors. Rather, I will take action which may improve our position, but which will require this council's ignorance. The chance of success is not great, and I do not want blame falling upon the Empire should I fail."

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So, setting a few last plans to be maintained after his exit in hopes of mitigating the failures.

He reaches up, and removes the helmet of the High Mor from his head and lays it on the table in front of him.

"It has been an honour to serve Thanagar."

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And with it goes a hell of a lot of weight on his soul, eh? 'Heavy is the head that wears the crown' and all that.

None of them say anything as he rises and for the last time leaves the body that he's led for decades. That he's been a member of for far longer. And he's grateful for that. In any case, what would there be to say? And inside… He had thought that he might feel relief. Perhaps he might, were he retiring to live out his remaining years in leisure. But as things stand, he feels only disquiet.

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After all, he still has work to do?

This is something that he could have done at any point. His predecessor shared the required communication protocols, while advising him against ever using them. Tempting as the possibilities were, the cost in encouraging dependency would have been too great.

But now..?

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Interesting. Reaching out to someone undesirable? Someone the people would object to him being in contact with, hmm?

He reaches his office, also for the last time, and activates the secure communications array.

The response isn't immediate. Given that the line has stood unused for decades that isn't unreasonably, but given the significance of what he's doing he can't help but feel a little irritation.

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I can picture whoever's at the other end going 'What's that noise? Is someone calling us?'

"Yes?"

There's no face, and the voice isn't similar to any he's heard before. The system says that they're speaking plekesh, but that doesn't mean anything. Picking up a few new languages is the least of what they can do.

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I'm guessing this is something sinister, even supernatural. A Seven Devils cult, perhaps?

"I have volunteers. Myself, and one other."

There's a pause. They're probably having to check what he's supposed to be volunteering for.

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The way it sounds, they'd have to dig up an old log of responses just to find out. Thanagarians don't live that much longer than humans do, so anyone who used to work there must be old as heck and long gone.

"That is acceptable. However, another option has arisen, if you are interested."

It's not as if he was eager.

"Tell me more."

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This is gonna end up hitting OL, isn't it?

Well, looks like there are going to be consequences for OL's actions coming down the pipeline at some stage. What's the bet the other volunteer is the fellow who set the orbital lasers on OL back then? And who are these folks they're volunteering to anyway, I wonder... The Thanagarian equivalent of an Assassins' order? A Seven Devils cult? Guess we'll find out eventually.

 

[Sockmonkey]

Maybe a Qwardian?
Aaaand looking at the word I just now realized that it's just "guardian" slightly altered because comic book writers like making that sort of word pun when naming stuff.

 

[thebishop8]

Given that the line has stood unused for decades that isn't unreasonably,

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'unreasonably' to 'unreasonable'

Best guess is that this is a communication line to the Dominators, who might want to experiment on Thanagarians and the Nth metal in their bodies and enhance them in some way.

I don't think this is a Seven Devils thing. He says that the voice isn't like any he's heard before, implying alien, and it doesn't make sense to me that they would have anything he could volunteer for that could significantly change the situation.

 

[Duke Long]

Why would he target the Thanagarian Empire when the Reach offended his morals more? Because his presence on Maltus undermined his nominal superior -something that Officer Hol had reporting that the Illustres had told his allies on Earth openly- and because they were using the war to unify the bonds between members of their alliance, and because -mighty as he is- he wouldn't be able to speed up the destruction of an empire as vast as the Reach by a significant amount.

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'reported'

I'm impressed by how patriotic Thanagarian leadership seems to be. Given that they're a relatively normal evil polity rather than the engineered hyper-efficient evil polities we often see like the Dominion and Reach, I sort of expected them to be more selfish.

'unreasonably' to 'unreasonable'

Best guess is that this is a communication line to the Dominators, who might want to experiment on Thanagarians and the Nth metal in their bodies and enhance them in some way.

I don't think this is a Seven Devils thing. He says that the voice isn't like any he's heard before, implying alien, and it doesn't make sense to me that they would have anything he could volunteer for that could significantly change the situation.

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I had the same thought, since having long-standing cold projects fits with what we've seen of them. It feels a little weird for them to speak a presumably non-dominator language, but well within their capabilities if they want to be subtle.

Major problem is that I doubt the dominators would be that interested in a couple of thanagarians, since I'd expect them to have abducted a few already. Perhaps I'm underestimating Thanagarian security and the Dominion's desire for secrecy. Or perhaps the major value of the volunteers is knowledge of the Seven Devils? Can't recall if Seven Devils are thanagarian-only, but if they are it's useful to have some thanagarian cultists on payroll, particularly when they've recently demonstrated the ability to destroy a star system.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'unreasonably' to 'unreasonable'

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'reported'

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Thank you, corrected.

Can't recall if Seven Devils are thanagarian-only

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Oh gosh, yes. Including ex-thanagarian Blessed Ones and the like, those are fine.

 

[c3qo]

"I have volunteers. Myself, and one other."

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Ominous, especially for the plus-one. Is this Bleeze being punished for failing her mission? Maybe Shayera is angry enough to pursue a high-risk, high-reward power-up just to reach Paul's power level?

 

[WereDragon]

Rather, I will take action which may improve our position, but which will require this council's ignorance. The chance of success is not great, and I do not want blame falling upon the Empire should I fail."

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This will be a problem, well an annoyance at least, for Paul at some point in the future.

He seems oddly confident that his replacement will be someone with the same respect for the threats they face as he has. More likely the next High Mor will be a firebrand who thinks Krandor Vat's mistake was not being evil enough.

 

[nogoodnames]

The worst case entities he could be contacting are The Reach, Apokolips or someone on Earth. Whoever it is is old, powerful and organised.

 

[BartlettMagic]

i'm happy to be back to YJ here... and i like seeing the High Mor's self-awareness. yes, moron, the facts were right in front of you, the Illustres is pretty fucking powerful. he had to have heard that entire civilizations had been wiped out by the Illustres in a single battle, so the fact that the Illustres had been underestimated at all should be extremely embarrassing.

i did a search, and Google AI (which obviously could be very wrong) told me that plekesh is a Thanagarian language, but i think the scene implies that the person being communicated with is adopting plekesh for the sake of the High Mor. my curiosity is definitely piqued. who would the Thanagarian High Mor reach out to? sure, Dominators maybe, but something about that doesn't feel right. given that the High Mor mentions that that option had been available for a very long time, i'm leaning Seven Devils cultists... although part of me thinks it would be extremely interesting for the contact to be the Sinestro Corps.

 

[CTrees]

I was thinking the Sinestro Corps. But I'm not sure if they've been around that long in this universe?

 

[Ardy]

first tranch

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I think this is supposed to be tranche

even if there is a single cut can reveal the festering meat under the skin…

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Even if a single cut can reveal the festering meat under the skin

 

[Austin Pharos]

A suicidal assassination attempt against OL after stepping down from his position as High Mor makes sense tbh. The guy is disgraced and staking his life on personally rectifying his mistake is probably one of the most honorable things he can do by Thanagarian standards.

Hmm I doubt OL would hold it against the rest of Thanagar either since the former High Mor is explicitly leaving the leadership in the dark.

 

[Mr Zoat]

I think this is supposed to be tranche
Even if a single cut can reveal the festering meat under the skin

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

 

[FuzzyZergling]

"Hyathis is willing to sell Nth metal to us, at a price slightly below what it takes us to transmute it for ourselves. Vulcan, naturally, has no particular attachment to us. Were we able to retake Conrall he would be content to work for us once more, but that is currently impractical. Perhaps more concerning, the treaty which I signed allows Hyathis to annex further Thanagarian worlds should she receive majority support from the people living there. Few of the Old Colonies have thanagarian majorities, and should her efforts at proselytism succeed the Illustres would support her acquiring them. I have already issued orders to improve their sensor networks and re-enforce their defence fleets in an attempt to keep her agents away, but I fear that we may have to dispatch Crows to train their civil defence forces in counter-insurgent operations."

"Currently, we possess no weapons that could reliably kill the Illustres. He had little notice when our planetary defence network opened fire but was able to block it with no observed strain." Though Bleez may not be an entirely disinterested witness. "And according to reports from Wingman Katar Hol and Wingwoman Shayera Thal, he possesses the ability to transfer his consciousness to cloned bodies, which means that even were we to be extremely fortunate, it would only delay him for a short time."

"I believe that the Thanagarian Empire must undergo a period of retrenchment and industrial construction. The New Colonies must be made economically significant faster than originally planned, and with supplies of Nth metal reduced we may as well put the space construction capacity to better use. We will also need to return to plans for non-Nth metal ships and technologies, as well as investing in additional Nth metal transmutation plants."

Click to shrink...

Extraneous quotation marks at the ends of the first two paragraphs (assuming you follow that stylistic rule).

 

[Silverias]

i'm happy to be back to YJ here... and i like seeing the High Mor's self-awareness. yes, moron, the facts were right in front of you, the Illustres is pretty fucking powerful. he had to have heard that entire civilizations had been wiped out by the Illustres in a single battle, so the fact that the Illustres had been underestimated at all should be extremely embarrassing.

i did a search, and Google AI (which obviously could be very wrong) told me that plekesh is a Thanagarian language, but i think the scene implies that the person being communicated with is adopting plekesh for the sake of the High Mor. my curiosity is definitely piqued. who would the Thanagarian High Mor reach out to? sure, Dominators maybe, but something about that doesn't feel right. given that the High Mor mentions that that option had been available for a very long time, i'm leaning Seven Devils cultists... although part of me thinks it would be extremely interesting for the contact to be the Sinestro Corps.

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It's possibly one of the cults?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Extraneous quotation marks at the ends of the first two paragraphs (assuming you follow that stylistic rule).

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I don't, but thank you for trying to guide me back to the straight and narrow.