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That would be legitimately hilarious.
Let us remember that Batman currently has an army of OMACs who are capable of fighting kryptonians and doing real damage to them. I hope the Thanagarians do invade Earth; be nice to see the OMACs do something useful for once.
That said, I think it's more likely they're fighting that plant queen and her new plant computer technology (that Paul gave her).
You have achieved Author Nirvana, having reached the highest of highs.....Getting it all Right.Wait...
Wait...
This can't be right.
Where are all the corrections?
"women"
As I thought, she's quite distressed at the damage she inflicted. Even though it's only going to last as long as it took him to get his Rings back. And yes, this OL is quite fragile compared to some alternates. His power comes in other forms.7th September 2013
21:30 GMT
"I am so sorry!"
I rotate my delightfully pain-free right arm as Bleez metaphorically hovers next to me. "Bleez, don't worry about it. It's a salutary lesson on the fragility of the unaugmented human body."
Maybe next time you do something foolish without your Rings.Jade didn't look even slightly concerned, which would bother me more if I wasn't perfectly capable of summoning my rings back to me, or even tapping into… The orange light directly.
Darn, should have tried that.
You think OL is that sloppy that that many people have gotten past all his other defences?"You're now on a very short list of people who've dislocated my right arm."
"Yeah, but the others are going to be supervillains! That's not a list I want to be on!"
...And so are a lot of we, the readers."Just my mother, actually."
Bleez blinks rapidly. Jade looks at me quizzically. And even the barwoman is staring-.
Huh. childhood can be a crazy time, huh?"Not like that. She picked me up by my arms and span me around a few times, and on the last one my arm came out of its socket. We went down to the local hospital and a doctor shoved it back in. Honestly, I don't even remember it."
The three women relax slightly. I point to the barwoman with my right hand.
Technically, yes. But i don't know how popular it'll be, given it's based on Earth music, if I remember right."Don't think I didn't see you paying attention."
"Not to you. My daughter's a fan of 'Lady Bleez'." Who now gets her full attention. "You got a new album coming out?"
Ah, I see she has opinions about her daughter's taste in music."Ah… I'm working on one now, but it probably won't come out for, like, a year? Maybe two?"
"I'll save up for noise cancelling headphones."
Dammit, now I'm getting such an Aethyta vibe from her. Older veteran who still has contacts in the service...Bleez nods. "So she can hear the sound better?"
"Sure. You all done drinking? 'cause if you catch a downdraft I'm gunna close up."
Oh, no... Purple Stuff...I smile innocently. "Do you have any fruit juice?"
"Ah." She blinks. "Sure."
She pulls a small bottle of something purple out from behind the bar, removes the cap with her thumbnail and plonks it down in front of me.
What, do you want someone with impaired decision-making in charge of a Power Ring?I pick it up, give it a sniff… Smells kind of floral and sugary. I shrug and give it a taste… Huh. It's actually nice, in a slightly bland and inoffensive way.
"Didn't realise that you were underage."
Plus OL likes to do contrary stuff in conventional situations."I'm not."
"Then why are you drinking that?"
"It's a cultural thing."
I'm picturing some sort of weak grape cordial.Jade regards me with mild curiosity. "How is it?"
"Probably not worth importing, but pleasant enough."
...You mean they're meant to be live and wriggling?"In that case, remind me to order one of those next time we come here."
"I'm sure the maggots are very healthy."
The barwoman flares her wings slightly. "Not really. This is pretty low quality stuff, honestly. I'm not sure they're even alive."
Soldiers will drink anything that can get them drunk, really. If it tastes good, that's a bonus."Your mother's recipe?"
"Yeah. She should stick to stuff she's actually good at, but soldiers will drink it."
Not a fun of chewy drinks, eh?"Huh. Well, thank you for not trying to bilk the tourists, but I'd have been happy to pay for better quality stuff."
Jade shakes her head, sliding her tankard to the side. "That's fine. I'll take one of those fruit juices."
Got to love drink names that sound like random throat-clearing sounds."You will? Uh, fine." Another bottle makes its way over the bar, and Jade picks it up and the barwoman turns her attention to Bleez. "You want anything?"
"Shaarch?"
With or without wriggling seasoning?"You really think we carry that here?"
"Better quality blurn?"
The barwoman moves away, heading for the kitchen area. "I'll see what I can do."
Well, good to have that guess confirmed.I give her a moment to get out of our immediate vicinity. "Jade, find anything?"
"They're planning for a major war."
Gee, nice to see her being so realistic about it."Are we?" Bleez looks around. "Just because an alert got called, that doesn't mean-."
"They're calling up lizarkons."
"Oh. In that case, yeah, we're going to war. Who with?"
Definitely a likely culprit, yes.
Guilt by association, I suppose. Part of his party, so part of his retinue.Bleez thinks for a moment, and then nods slowly. "Oooooh. That's why we were getting put in a glide pattern by Culture and Doctrine."
"Well, it's why I was. I don't know what they've got against the two of you. Any idea why they're going after her now?"
Oooh, boy. Somehow, I think she's made a big enough racket to get the attention of the neighbours, then.She wing-shrugs. "I dunno. Did you give her any super weapons lately?"
"No. I haven't been back there for a while, actually. And usually, when one of the Antares belligerents gets an advantage, the others gang up on them. That's why no one's managed to win."
Or Hyathis has overcome them. Wasn't she in a strong position last time we saw her?"Then maybe it's just… Unfinished business?"
Jade appears to realise something. "They've made a deal with the other powers."
Or the Hyathis angle could be wrong. Yes, it seems likely, but it could always be something else."I mean, that's just about possible, but what's changed? They could have done that the moment they reorganised their government after the Equalising Plague was cured."
She nods. "Do we need to find out?"
At least not in earshot of the public, anyway."Preventing huge numbers of deaths would be nice, but strictly speaking, no."
"Um." Bleez's wings are slightly unfurled. "Can we..? Maybe not commit espionage against my government?"
Ah, a to-go pack? Handy."Alright, we can-."
"Here you-" The barwoman marches back in with a cask- "-go." -which she puts down in front of Bleez.
Why do I get the feeling that's a big social gaffe in their warrior culture?"Um. I didn't bring an axe?"
I form an x-ionised blade and slice the top off for her.
I bet it reads as 'fetching a drink for your life-partner'.Both thanagarian women stare at me.
"What?"
Bleez wing-shudders. "See, wrestling is a friends thing, but opening a cask like that..? That's… Ah…"
Not the first time he's done something embarrassing in front of her.
Thank you, corrected.
It's not that it's sexy, it's that it's possessive.Did he swing the blade with his arm(s)? Or did Paul just open it with a construct strand for the muscle? Because I get the former being sexy, while the latter… no.
Americans use 'z'.
Fun story. I'm sure it's been said, but I quite like the anecdotes scattered throughout the story, it's realistic and I feel like I don't see it too often in other stories."Not like that. She picked me up by my arms and span me around a few times, and on the last one my arm came out of its socket. We went down to the local hospital and a doctor shoved it back in. Honestly, I don't even remember it."
Glide pattern is a good one. I've been liking these thanagarian chapters, fun to see their somewhat alien culture.Bleez thinks for a moment, and then nods slowly. "Oooooh. That's why we were getting put in a glide pattern by Culture and Doctrine."
So what would the stake of a war with Hyathis actually be? What would Thanagar or Hyathis be looking to achieve?