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

Reader mode
Some godspeech:
I can feel how much less happy with me Tamaran is. They are more willing to bleed for victory than not bleed for a negotiated settlement. I understand and to a degree sympathise, but it's a foolish impulse. I hope that we'll be able too drum that mindset out of the fleet at least.

The Citizenry doesn't really have guards, but some soldiers make a point of getting out of my way as I walk towards the doors to what used to be Astarte's quarters. The door opens as I reach my destination, and I spend a moment watching over Donna and Diana's shoulders as the giant silver snake on the wall monitor eats its way through yet another population.
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I step out into the all too familiar New God diagnosis room in Scott's basement. Barda's gone back into mid-level hostile from the barely catty level we had managed to achieve, while Scott…"

"Grayven. Sit down." "I'll never believe that people shouldn't have freedom, but maybe in your case you should exercise it a little less."

I sit down.

"So how badly have I messed up this time?" "I can no more defy my nature than you can."
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"It's definitely the Omega Force. Have you actually tried using it?"

"No, I'm not that stupid." "I don't like unmaking things."
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Mr Zoat said:
The Citizenry doesn't really have guards, but some soldiers make a point of getting out of my way as I walk towards the doors to what used to be Astarte's quarters. The
door opens as I reach my destination, and I spend a moment watching over Donna and Diana's shoulders as the giant silver snake on the wall monitor eats its way through yet another population.
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Unnecessary line break
 
Mr Zoat said:
Dox wasn't complaining and that's practically a ringing endorsement.
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Pretty much.

Mr Zoat said:
The
door opens as I reach my destination, and I spend a moment watching over Donna and Diana's shoulders as the giant silver snake on the wall monitor eats its way through yet another population.
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The sentence after 'The' should be brought closer.

Mr Zoat said:
giant silver snake on the wall monitor eats its way through yet another population.

I bite down my initial thought, and toss a noise-canceller down as the door closes.
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Probably want to snip at her that she's now ruling genocidal lunatics.

Mr Zoat said:
Diana remains entranced by the spectacle,
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Like watching a car wreck.

Mr Zoat said:
Why did they..? Do any of this?"

"How would I know?"
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As Peacemaker said, who knows why madmen do crazy things.

Though it's women in this case, and it's giant snakes eating people instead of leaving penises around.

Mr Zoat said:
The Controllers are fighting the Reach. They're a pretty evil empire on the other side of the galaxy. The Controllers can always use more ships and soldiers, and they're willing to build a planet for the Citizenry if they agree to provide both. The Reach are who Grayven was fighting before he heard about me, so the Citizenry are already familiar with them."
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Potential for the Citizenry to be destroyed.

Mr Zoat said:
That would mean encouraging their warlike ways.
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Or redirecting them to less psychotic ways.

More Orion rather than Kalibak.

Mr Zoat said:
"I never expected to rule Themyscira
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Not surprising, seeing as the queen is immortal.

Mr Zoat said:
I step out into the all too familiar New God diagnosis room in Scott's basement. Barda's gone back into mid-level hostile from the barely catty level we had managed to achieve, while Scott…"
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Remove the "

Mr Zoat said:
Grayven. Sit down." "I'll never believe that people shouldn't have freedom, but maybe in your case you should exercise it a little less."
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Good point.

Mr Zoat said:
"So how badly have I messed up this time?" "I can no more defy my nature than you can."
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But you should really, really try.

Mr Zoat said:
"It's not how badly you messed up, it's how badly you're messed up."
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But it can still be about how badly he messed up.

Mr Zoat said:
"It's definitely the Omega Force. Have you actually tried using it?"

"No, I'm not that stupid
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But you're still very stupid.

Mr Zoat said:
How it that possible? Darkseid absorbed the Omega Force to
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'is that'

Mr Zoat said:
So we'll have to ask Metron."
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Ahh, the clown man himself.
 
Mr Zoat said:
" "I'll never believe that people shouldn't have freedom, but maybe in your case you should exercise it a little less."
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^That godspeach^ from Scott.

All of a sudden I heard MK:4's FINISH HIM in my head. (Best sounding one imo, not that ive played many later games)

Once I stopped laughing my ass off that was.
 
Mr Zoat said:
10th September 2012
09:05 GMT

"…to people. Assess the mood of the place. This would be a frustrating time for them to turn on us."

"Yes, lord." Sinthia nods, then turns away to get in touch with whatever contacts she has amongst the Citizenry's citizens.
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Ah, over to the Renegade. Well, then. Are you going to be getting a check-up soon, Grayven? Yes, I know getting Grayven-16's forces settled and under control is important, but so is making sure he isn't lurking in your head somewhere, just waiting for the right trigger to emerge.

Gone? Good. I find myself relaxing a little. With the various factions of Vega awkwardly co-existing with as little contact with possible it's been possible for me to perform flying visits by hush tube to reassure my allies that I'm me and that this is just a scheme to avoid further bloodshed. Myand'r got Blake to check me over, but he seemed willing to go along with it. The Tamaranean navy did… Okay. Frankly, it's not yet big enough to have a large impact separate from the Orange Lantern Corps, but Dox wasn't complaining and that's practically a ringing endorsement.
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Indeed. Anything in the range of 'satisfactory' is high praise indeed from Mr Control Freak. A pity he doesn't have Ratchet and the others to help him mellow out. Maybe throw some pliable Tamaranean ladies at him instead? And I see the Renegade's been keeping the important people appraised of matters.

I can feel how much less happy with me Tamaran is. They are more willing to bleed for victory than not bleed for a negotiated settlement. I understand and to a degree sympathise, but it's a foolish impulse. I hope that we'll be able too drum that mindset out of the fleet at least.
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Well, they do love their combat, whether it be up close and viscera-splattered or pummeling enemy ships form afar...

The Citizenry doesn't really have guards, but some soldiers make a point of getting out of my way as I walk towards the doors to what used to be Astarte's quarters. The door opens as I reach my destination, and I spend a moment watching over Donna and Diana's shoulders as the giant silver snake on the wall monitor eats its way through yet another population.

I bite down my initial thought, and toss a noise-canceller down as the door closes.
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A recording, I expect, as I honestly doubt Diana would allow anything like this to continue.

"Progress?"

Diana remains entranced by the spectacle, but Donna turns to me. She's clearly not taking this well. I'm-.
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Yes, should have put the work in previously, Renegade. But no, you wanted to play 'Sins of a Solar Empire: Vega edition.'

I'm…

I don't really know what I am. But becoming half Apokoliptian in fact hasn't made me more sensitive to slaughter.
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Given your usual approach beforehand, it's probably reduced your opposition to it.

"Why did they..? Do any of this?"

"How would I know?"

She's clearly not happy about that. "I thought you had the other Grayven's memories."
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Not like he would have known any more about them than you do. I suspect their encounter was random chance: His fleet comes along during a harvest, Astarte gets a tingle in her loins, next thing you know...

"Yes, but he only made contact with Astarte a decade or so ago. And they only started fighting alongside one another a little over a year ago. Grayven-. He's old, but the galaxy is a big place. And the memories I got don't really have a common point of reference so I can't even tell you how old." I nod at the monitor. "Look, I get it's horrific, but there's nothing much to be gained at this juncture by watching all of the worlds they murdered get murdered. Are any of them suitable for habitation in the short term?"
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Since I doubt Grayven would remember meeting some pissant warlord on some minor world alongside his Father. Assuming that even happened in this timeline. And I suppose Diana would say 'so they can be remembered', concerning studying the Citizenry's history of harvests...

"They are all heavily picketed." Diana shakes her head, her eyes remaining transfixed on the screen. "And I doubt that the Green Lantern Corps would be willing to leave the Citizenry their spacecraft."

"I can use the Orrery to create new small rocky worlds in Vega, but they wouldn't really be liveable for a while. Even if we use cold guns to speed up the solidification process, you've still got the atmosphere... Or rather, they wouldn't. Or soil."
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Presumably he employed the Orrery to settle down the stars Grayven-16 fiddled with, or threw Orange Lanterns at them until they got them stabilised... Meanwhile: Yes, terraforming is harder than it sounds. Nor is it in any way quick, without cosmic powers, anyway.

I shrug.

"Hinon… Controller Hinon had another option."

"If it is better than the nothing I have, I will hear it."
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Hmm... Using the Citizenry as disposable, deniable mercenary assets in the Reach conflict?

"The Controllers are fighting the Reach. They're a pretty evil empire on the other side of the galaxy. The Controllers can always use more ships and soldiers, and they're willing to build a planet for the Citizenry if they agree to provide both. The Reach are who Grayven was fighting before he heard about me, so the Citizenry are already familiar with them."

"That would mean encouraging their warlike ways."
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They're already warlike, Diana. At least working with the Controllers, they'd have someone with a big stick and a bigger carrot to run herd on them.

"Yes. This is what ruling somewhere that isn't an isolated island in the Aegean is like. This is what it means to leave your enemies alive. You will be constantly choosing between things you don't really want to do. Learn to enjoy it, or else you'll be miserable for a very long time."

Diana turns off the screen and then turns around to face me.
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Indeed, Diana. You can't spend all your life playing superhero. Someday, sooner or later, you're going to have to learn to rule things. Nothing is eternal...

"I never expected to rule Themyscira. And now that I must rule a people I find I am unprepared for it."

I shrug.
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...Not even your mother. I'm sure someday she'd like to be able to step down in favour of you, retire to a little farm, and enjoy the rest of her long life. Perhaps with a certain general in tow.

"Technically, I can help with that. But you'd need to pledge yourself to me for me to be able to share my insight, and I don't think that's desirable. Or course, you… Could ask Queen Hippolyta to handle it. It's not like Themyscira really needs her."

"When things are more settled I will be discussing the situation with her at length. Including your suggestion that we simply wipe my aunt's memory."
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Probably a lot better than leaving her as she is, because she... She is not remotely the kind of person you want to let live, really. But since you won't take the sensible option...

"Do you have any plans for your cousin?"

"We are currently weaning her off all of the chemicals they were using to allow her to fight at our level. I do not even know if she will survive."
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Heh. Reminds me of all the stories where stuff Humanity takes for granted turn out to be exotic or outright prohibited in the rest of the galaxy. Like adrenaline.

"Knockout managed to knock some sense into Persuader. You could just hand Theana over to me. She won't enjoy it much and I doubt that she'll reform, but I'll make sure that she's better directed and controlled."

"I believe that she.. can be made whole."
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Oooh... Be glad you won't be working on it, then, Diana, because that is what you call a project.

"Oh, I do too. I'm just not sure that spending all the time that would be required to do that on a single individual while the future of the Citizenry is in your hands is efficient." My eyes dip as I shake my head. "I didn't mean for that to sound like I'm enjoying your discomfort. It's just-."

She nods. "These are the decisions that a person must make when they are a ruler."
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Yes, well. Perhaps you could find a suitably pliable candidate amongst the Citizenry's leaders who would carry on your policies, and hand the throne over to them... But I suspect that would not end well.

"Or not make them, and bear the responsibility for the outcome with none of the control. Alright, time for me to get checked out by Scott again. Donna, do you want a lift back to Earth?"

"No, I'm-. I'm going to stay. College will still be there in a year, and I-. You're right. I'm going to take some of that responsibility."
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...That's one hell of a gap year. Now why do I see Donna finding a place here, more than she ever might on Earth?

"Welcome to godhood. The hours are constant and the work is hard, but after a while you feel like a round peg finally being slotted into a round hole. Mother Box, hush tube."

"Ping."
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"I hope you weren't referring to yourself, dear."

I step out into the all too familiar New God diagnosis room in Scott's basement. Barda's gone back into mid-level hostile from the barely catty level we had managed to achieve, while Scott…"

"Grayven. Sit down." "I'll never believe that people shouldn't have freedom, but maybe in your case you should exercise it a little less."
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Heh, nice burn. And telling that you've made the New God of Freedom consider giving someone some restraint...

I sit down.

"So how badly have I messed up this time?" "I can no more defy my nature than you can."
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Yes, the nature of being a pigheaded fool who blunders through things and comes up smelling of roses more often than he does of fertilizer most of the time... I'd say maybe you need some time off, but the whole 'Grayven' thing's not going to make that easy anytime soon.

"It's not how badly you messed up, it's how badly you're messed up."

"Ping."
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"To be frank, you are a mess. I don't know how your Mother Box keeps you from falling apart..."

He glances down at his Mother Box and nods.

"It's definitely the Omega Force. Have you actually tried using it?"
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Oh, that's not good. I mean, sure, he's got a power-up out of the whole ordeal, but...

"No, I'm not that stupid." "I don't like unmaking things."

Barda regards Scott with a stony face. "How it that possible? Darkseid absorbed the Omega Force to become Darkseid."
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To be fair, I doubt what little of the power Grayven-16 held is anywhere near as potent as what Darkseid commands...

"I don't know. How does it feel?"

I shrug. "It doesn't feel like anything much. Though whether that's because I have so many memories of it being there that it doesn't feel strange, or because it's not as active as Life Equals Pain I don't know."
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...What if it comes with the risk of letting out Grayven-16's essence with it? And anything that makes you more like Darkseid? That's never a good thing.

He shakes his head. "That doesn't sound right."

No. It doesn't. "Or it's because it conflicts less with my nature. Eliminating my enemies is perfectly in tune with Conquest where being miserable all the time isn't. Any idea how we can store it outside of me?"
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Engh. That doesn't sound like the best idea. Having it out and about means someone could take the container from you.

"Why not just get the ponies to shoot it again?"

"Just keeping my options open. This isn't crippling me and I might need it."
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And Darkseid might notice a chunk of Omega Effect being Harmonised out of existence just a bit more easily than He did a bit of Anti-Life.

"I…" He shrugs. "I don't know how to do that, and I think if Himon did then he'd have said something by now."

"So we can't do it?"
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No, just that Scot's never seen it before. Or knows anyone who has. That doesn't mean someone out there knows some tricks about the Omega Effect...

"So we'll have to ask Metron."

…

Oh bother.
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Indeed. Going to the one New God who might as well be God of Curiosity might not end well. And even if he doesn't play you in hopes of finding out something new, you may find the answers he gives you to be more than you wanted...

Oh, boy. Metron. His Pre-Flashpoint comics version, for added context. Known well for his constant curiosity and complex plans to learn all the things. Some of which don't pay out for millions of years. And I have no doubt he will be very interested in learning about the Renegade's... Unique circumstances and soul structure. This... Will be interesting in every sense of the word.
 
Chojin Patriarch said:
Indeed. Anything in the range of 'satisfactory' is high praise indeed from Mr Control Freak. A pity he doesn't have Ratchet and the others to help him mellow out. Maybe throw some pliable Tamaranean ladies at him instead? And I see the Renegade's been keeping the important people appraised of matters.
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I doubt he's all that into one night stands and he may want a woman that can intellectually challenge him.

Though he may get together with Komand'r.

She not as smart as him but she's looking for a husband to increase her prestige and I doubt Dox gas all that good taste in women, so he may be crazy enough to get togetherwith her.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Since I doubt Grayven would remember meeting some pissant warlord on some minor world alongside his Father. Assuming that even happened in this timeline.
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I don't think it did.

Chojin Patriarch said:
And I suppose Diana would say 'so they can be remembered', concerning studying the Citizenry's history of harvests...
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Also so she can see just what she's working with.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Heh, nice burn. And telling that you've made the New God of Freedom consider giving someone some restraint...
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He's a Paul.

It's to be expected.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Indeed. Going to the one New God who might as well be God of Curiosity might not end well. And even if he doesn't play you in hopes of finding out something new, you may find the
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If he's like he was in the series then he may be more interested in seeing how renegade deals with Omega Effect without helping him.
 
Chojin Patriarch said:
Oh, boy. Metron. His Pre-Flashpoint comics version, for added context. Known well for his constant curiosity and complex plans to learn all the things. Some of which don't pay out for millions of years. And I have no doubt he will be very interested in learning about the Renegade's... Unique circumstances and soul structure. This... Will be interesting in every sense of the word.
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A human who became like a New God, got infected by Anti-Life, went on a quest to regain his humanity, then ate a New God, then purified himself from the Anti-Life, then was eaten by a New God only to come back and gain control of his body with the help of his allies.

Yes, Metron will be very interested.
 
Pinklestia said:
A human who became like a New God, got infected by Anti-Life, went on a quest to regain his humanity, then ate a New God, then purified himself from the Anti-Life, then was eaten by a New God only to come back and gain control of his body with the help of his allies.

Yes, Metron will be very interested.
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Don't forget the Pony Magic!
Metron will likely give up alot to learn something that doesn't exist in any DCverse!
 
Mr Zoat said:
"The Controllers are fighting the Reach. They're a pretty evil empire on the other side of the galaxy. The Controllers can always use more ships and soldiers, and they're willing to build a planet for the Citizenry if they agree to provide both. The Reach are who Grayven was fighting before he heard about me, so the Citizenry are already familiar with them."

"That would mean encouraging their warlike ways."

"Yes. This is what ruling somewhere that isn't an isolated island in the Aegean is like. This is what it means to leave your enemies alive. You will be constantly choosing between things you don't really want to do. Learn to enjoy it, or else you'll be miserable for a very long time."

Diana turns off the screen and then turns around to face me.

"I never expected to rule Themyscira. And now that I must rule a people I find I am unprepared for it."

I shrug.
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Mr Zoat said:
She nods. "These are the decisions that a person must make when they are a ruler."

"Or not make them, and bear the responsibility for the outcome with none of the control. Alright, time for me to get checked out by Scott again. Donna, do you want a lift back to Earth?"

"No, I'm-. I'm going to stay. College will still be there in a year, and I-. You're right. I'm going to take some of that responsibility."

"Welcome to godhood. The hours are constant and the work is hard, but after a while you feel like a round peg finally being slotted into a round hole. Mother Box, hush tube."
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These two quotes epitomize what I've come to love so much about Grayven and his path. In the last five years I've been regularly reading WTR, this has easily been in my top five chapters. Well done Mr Zoat, well done indeed.

Also I hope Donna finds herself in this little gap year and establishes herself more. Ah who am I kidding, I'm just happy she gets something to do.
 
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Pinklestia said:
He used Anti-Life to kill the other one so... we don't really know what the heck happened unless the Author says so.
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He actually stabbed him through the eye with the Sword of the Fallen.

He did expose him to the Equation previously, but it didn't stick.

Grayven has had exposure to it before and has some resistance.
 
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