RichardWhereat
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
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- self insert young justice
CTrees
Chasing the ring
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Orange light shenanigans, probably. Branding, assimilation, rewriting desires. Or just letting it read his mind to learn his name.
Alternatively, Vandal Savage managed to kill it, I guess because it intended to die, as it was tired of being alone? So perhaps it would have intended to have OL kill it, as well. I didn't read this bit of the comics though - I'm just going by one of the wikias
Pinklestia
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He had got his lantern back by then and I don't think burning Martians had ever faced the light of avarice before.
The Ancestor
Mr Zoat
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January 8th, 1857
Midday
"Well that there looks like a wall."
Bart tried to cover up how relieved the idea that this whole thing wasn't going anywhere made him. Past the fairy trees lay a fairly steep incline, the sort of thing that could easily break a man's neck if he weren't riding real careful. The slope formed part of the edge of a pit, like someone pulled a plug out of the ground, or someone drilled a great borehole. There was a path around the rim, but if you missed it…
He tried to ignore the yellowing bones in the pool at the bottom. The one he caught a glimpse of before he pulled his eyes away looked like a deer, and if the local redskins knew not to come here that might be all there was.
But now they were as far down as the path went, and there was a solid-looking piece of stone projecting out of the stony root-bound soil.
"We come down in the wrong hole?"
He had some dynamite in his panniers… But he didn't think the redskins would want him blowing up their holy place, even if it was just a hole in the ground.
The guide took a pebble out of his belt pouch and tapped it against the rock surface, which melted and Bart found himself looking longingly back at the rim of the hole.
Scalphunter nods. "Magic. Strong magic."
"No." The guide put the stone back. "Nanofabricators."
Not magic? Bart frowned. What does that mean? 'Fabricate' comes from the Latin 'fabricationem', meaning building something. Nano… From 'nanos'? Dwarf? Put the two together and what do you get? A small building? Something small that builds? Alright, it wasn't a big hole that opened up, they'd have to lead the horses on foot, but-.
Hey now. How did a redskin know Latin?
Scalphunter frowns as the three of them dismount.
"Not magic?"
"It has been a long time since our tribe had a medicine man who could command spirits to make rock run like water. Even the greatest spells fade over time."
Bart shrugs as he followed them into the gloom.
"Alright, I'll bite. What the hell is a nanofabricator?"
Behind them, the rock… Grows back, putting them all in the dark for a moment before light starts shining down from somewhere near the stone roof. Bart takes a moment to peer up, but he can't tell exactly where it's coming from.
"Before men came to these lands, there was another, older people here before us. The Ancestor knew them while they lived here still."
"What did they call themselves?"
"The Ancestor taught us that they were called H'v'ler'ni. I have no record of what they called themselves."
That name didn't match any of the redskin languages Bart knew. And from the looks of it Scalphunter didn't recognise it either.
"What sort of people were they?"
"There are drawings here, if you want to see them. But it has been many generations, refreshed many times. I doubt that they show them as they are."
"What happened to them?"
"Disease. They met men who had diseases they had no knowledge of, and most of their civilisation died as a result."
Though there was no particular accusation in the man's voice, Bart couldn't help but think of what happened to every Indian tribe who ran into white men. Sure, he knew that Europeans used to throw rotting cow carcases over the walls during sieges to try and spread disease amongst their enemies so it wasn't like it was anything unique, but he'd seen whole redskin villages filled up with smallpox victims.
"And the rest?"
"Some fled. They may be a problem some day, but they will not be my problem. The rest changed themselves so that they would no longer be vulnerable to weaknesses of the body. Those are my problem. And if we are unfortunate, yours as well."
"We're already down here. Seems to me they're already our problem. And you haven't told me what a nanofabricator is yet."
"A machine. It makes very small things and puts them together. Rock is strong, but it is simple."
"Your tribe selling those?"
"It is part of the last H'v'ler'ni city. Their machines are more complex even than what the white men from Europe make. Even if it were possible to remove it, it would not be wise."
"Nice city." Bart taps the rock wall with his left hand. "Rocky."
"They destroyed the surface when they left. What is left is underground."
"And you want to keep people away?"
"We want to keep people away for now."
Scalphunter frowns. "What do you mean?"
"We want to keep people away because it's dangerous. Far more dangerous than anyone except the Ancestor could understand. But it was his expectation that eventually man would be strong and wise enough to cope with it. Once that day arrives, we will happily stand aside."
He bows his head as they come to the end of the corridor, the passage opening out into a cave-. No, that ain't no cave. The walls are perfectly flat, painted white and far too angular to be natural. Their guide leads his horse to a wooden stall that doesn't fit the location at all, and Bart and Scalphunter guide their own horses in next to it.
"Mister Duvall didn't exactly strike me as the patient type, but maybe you could work something out. How long were you figuring?"
"The Ancestor said about three hundred more years."
Bart winces. "Yeah, he ain't that patient. So, does he know this place is here?"
"As far as we know, he only knows that there is something in our territory and that some of the tribe know where it is."
"Explains the attacks. He's trying to get someone to come forward."
Scalphunter scowls a little more as their guide leads them further inside… And Bart realises that the man never actually gave them a name.
"It would be easier to kill him."
The guide shakes his head. "Others will have heard. In time, they will come. It is unfortunate."
Bart nods. "That's one way of putting it."
"For many generations, my tribe believed that if we increased our strength, we would be granted the full power of this place. We heard the Ancestor's tales of athletic competitions of Ancient Greece, so we trained our bodies as they did. We lifted weights, ran, practised wrestling, archery and sword fighting. And we did not understand when he told us that would never be enough." He looks back for a moment as they come into a new room. "And then we met the white man, and his muskets and rifles and cannons. Then, we understood."
"They had cannons?"
"They have weapons more powerful than yours by many times the difference between a rifle and a bow. But those are not the problem."
In the next room there's some sort of display case. Bart walks over to take a close l-.
"What the hell is that?"
The guide doesn't spare it a glance, walking over to a metal wall and tapping his stone against it once more.
"That is the head of the Martian that the Ancestor slew. This is the problem."
The metal sheet drops slowly into the floor, and Bart braces himself for whatever's got these people so scared.
Looks like… A small white… Barn, with red lanterns inside. Confused, he takes a step closer. What's so scary about a…
Barn.
Bart takes a moment to look at the huge white and red… Thing.
"That a statue?"
"Yes. That walks and fires rays from its eyes that can transfer the spirit of the dead H'v'ler'ni inside it into the body of anyone it can see. Now, it sleeps."
Bart tears his eyes away from it, and-. And gets an idea of the size of the thing by comparing it to the Indians standing on the ground in front of it and the gantries around it. It must be about a hundred feet tall.
Scalphunter appears to be taking it better.
"Your tribe must fight this if it awakens?"
The guide stares at him with an incredulous expression on his face.
"Hah hah! Fight it? No. If it awakens my tribe will do as the Ancestor said and flee to the four corners of the world to try to find him or another like him, someone who might be able to contain it and return it to sleep. We want to keep Mister Duvall away for the good of your people, for they are the ones who it will turn its rage upon once we have fled. So, for their sake."
Bart nods. A difficult task. And worse, no obvious way to make money from it. He needed more information.
"So what could someone do around here that wouldn't risk it waking up?"
Midday
"Well that there looks like a wall."
Bart tried to cover up how relieved the idea that this whole thing wasn't going anywhere made him. Past the fairy trees lay a fairly steep incline, the sort of thing that could easily break a man's neck if he weren't riding real careful. The slope formed part of the edge of a pit, like someone pulled a plug out of the ground, or someone drilled a great borehole. There was a path around the rim, but if you missed it…
He tried to ignore the yellowing bones in the pool at the bottom. The one he caught a glimpse of before he pulled his eyes away looked like a deer, and if the local redskins knew not to come here that might be all there was.
But now they were as far down as the path went, and there was a solid-looking piece of stone projecting out of the stony root-bound soil.
"We come down in the wrong hole?"
He had some dynamite in his panniers… But he didn't think the redskins would want him blowing up their holy place, even if it was just a hole in the ground.
The guide took a pebble out of his belt pouch and tapped it against the rock surface, which melted and Bart found himself looking longingly back at the rim of the hole.
Scalphunter nods. "Magic. Strong magic."
"No." The guide put the stone back. "Nanofabricators."
Not magic? Bart frowned. What does that mean? 'Fabricate' comes from the Latin 'fabricationem', meaning building something. Nano… From 'nanos'? Dwarf? Put the two together and what do you get? A small building? Something small that builds? Alright, it wasn't a big hole that opened up, they'd have to lead the horses on foot, but-.
Hey now. How did a redskin know Latin?
Scalphunter frowns as the three of them dismount.
"Not magic?"
"It has been a long time since our tribe had a medicine man who could command spirits to make rock run like water. Even the greatest spells fade over time."
Bart shrugs as he followed them into the gloom.
"Alright, I'll bite. What the hell is a nanofabricator?"
Behind them, the rock… Grows back, putting them all in the dark for a moment before light starts shining down from somewhere near the stone roof. Bart takes a moment to peer up, but he can't tell exactly where it's coming from.
"Before men came to these lands, there was another, older people here before us. The Ancestor knew them while they lived here still."
"What did they call themselves?"
"The Ancestor taught us that they were called H'v'ler'ni. I have no record of what they called themselves."
That name didn't match any of the redskin languages Bart knew. And from the looks of it Scalphunter didn't recognise it either.
"What sort of people were they?"
"There are drawings here, if you want to see them. But it has been many generations, refreshed many times. I doubt that they show them as they are."
"What happened to them?"
"Disease. They met men who had diseases they had no knowledge of, and most of their civilisation died as a result."
Though there was no particular accusation in the man's voice, Bart couldn't help but think of what happened to every Indian tribe who ran into white men. Sure, he knew that Europeans used to throw rotting cow carcases over the walls during sieges to try and spread disease amongst their enemies so it wasn't like it was anything unique, but he'd seen whole redskin villages filled up with smallpox victims.
"And the rest?"
"Some fled. They may be a problem some day, but they will not be my problem. The rest changed themselves so that they would no longer be vulnerable to weaknesses of the body. Those are my problem. And if we are unfortunate, yours as well."
"We're already down here. Seems to me they're already our problem. And you haven't told me what a nanofabricator is yet."
"A machine. It makes very small things and puts them together. Rock is strong, but it is simple."
"Your tribe selling those?"
"It is part of the last H'v'ler'ni city. Their machines are more complex even than what the white men from Europe make. Even if it were possible to remove it, it would not be wise."
"Nice city." Bart taps the rock wall with his left hand. "Rocky."
"They destroyed the surface when they left. What is left is underground."
"And you want to keep people away?"
"We want to keep people away for now."
Scalphunter frowns. "What do you mean?"
"We want to keep people away because it's dangerous. Far more dangerous than anyone except the Ancestor could understand. But it was his expectation that eventually man would be strong and wise enough to cope with it. Once that day arrives, we will happily stand aside."
He bows his head as they come to the end of the corridor, the passage opening out into a cave-. No, that ain't no cave. The walls are perfectly flat, painted white and far too angular to be natural. Their guide leads his horse to a wooden stall that doesn't fit the location at all, and Bart and Scalphunter guide their own horses in next to it.
"Mister Duvall didn't exactly strike me as the patient type, but maybe you could work something out. How long were you figuring?"
"The Ancestor said about three hundred more years."
Bart winces. "Yeah, he ain't that patient. So, does he know this place is here?"
"As far as we know, he only knows that there is something in our territory and that some of the tribe know where it is."
"Explains the attacks. He's trying to get someone to come forward."
Scalphunter scowls a little more as their guide leads them further inside… And Bart realises that the man never actually gave them a name.
"It would be easier to kill him."
The guide shakes his head. "Others will have heard. In time, they will come. It is unfortunate."
Bart nods. "That's one way of putting it."
"For many generations, my tribe believed that if we increased our strength, we would be granted the full power of this place. We heard the Ancestor's tales of athletic competitions of Ancient Greece, so we trained our bodies as they did. We lifted weights, ran, practised wrestling, archery and sword fighting. And we did not understand when he told us that would never be enough." He looks back for a moment as they come into a new room. "And then we met the white man, and his muskets and rifles and cannons. Then, we understood."
"They had cannons?"
"They have weapons more powerful than yours by many times the difference between a rifle and a bow. But those are not the problem."
In the next room there's some sort of display case. Bart walks over to take a close l-.
"What the hell is that?"
The guide doesn't spare it a glance, walking over to a metal wall and tapping his stone against it once more.
"That is the head of the Martian that the Ancestor slew. This is the problem."
The metal sheet drops slowly into the floor, and Bart braces himself for whatever's got these people so scared.
Looks like… A small white… Barn, with red lanterns inside. Confused, he takes a step closer. What's so scary about a…
Barn.
Bart takes a moment to look at the huge white and red… Thing.
"That a statue?"
"Yes. That walks and fires rays from its eyes that can transfer the spirit of the dead H'v'ler'ni inside it into the body of anyone it can see. Now, it sleeps."
Bart tears his eyes away from it, and-. And gets an idea of the size of the thing by comparing it to the Indians standing on the ground in front of it and the gantries around it. It must be about a hundred feet tall.
Scalphunter appears to be taking it better.
"Your tribe must fight this if it awakens?"
The guide stares at him with an incredulous expression on his face.
"Hah hah! Fight it? No. If it awakens my tribe will do as the Ancestor said and flee to the four corners of the world to try to find him or another like him, someone who might be able to contain it and return it to sleep. We want to keep Mister Duvall away for the good of your people, for they are the ones who it will turn its rage upon once we have fled. So, for their sake."
Bart nods. A difficult task. And worse, no obvious way to make money from it. He needed more information.
"So what could someone do around here that wouldn't risk it waking up?"
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Ngamer11
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Is Ra's al Ghul aware of the Ancestor? If he is, maybe he can get his son to stand down.
That should say 'that'.
Handlewithcare
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So is Paul the guide? Seems that way. And he is testing people to see what they will do.
Darko
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'if it was'
'took a pebble'
The second one.
'drawings'
That's most likely an uncomfortable subject.
I also think they used victims of plague in their catapults.
Plus it may be useless since they lack the industrial capacity to make use of it.
Ahh, that asshole.
Even with access to a Lazarus Pit he's not patient.
Granted, if he meets Hex soon then the Pit goes bye-bye.
That explains the evil spirit thing then.
You have a very Ferengi mindset there Bart.
Chojin Patriarch
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Well, that doesn't sound pleasant at all, no sir. It seems they're being brought to one of those plentiful-in-DC hidden ancient cities filled with advanced technology... But for what reason?
Yes, like so many other hidden cities, it's well protected, I'll bet. No doubt their guide's tribe plays a part in keeping it secret.
Ah, Americans. Always going to 'blow shit up' as their first option...Not unsurprising. If it isn't a city of advanced technolgoy, it'll be a city of advanced magic. Though at some point, they're basically the same thing.
Well puzzled out, Bat. And it's certainly a strange concept to an era where machines tend to be enormous things made of steel and iron, belching flames and steam...
You sound kinda disappointed, Scalphunter.
Whereas technology, if it's self-maintaining, can work for millennia.
Hidden overhead lamps, eh? Probably seem like magic to untrained tribesmen. But evidently someone trained the Guide's people... One guess who?
Given Shaman Paul would have been around for at least 100,000 years... I'm not surprised he was acquainted with many of the hidden peoples of DC Earth...
Ah, the age-old demonstration of succeeding too well. That's why you don't erase all diseases in your people. You just make them tough enough to shrug off infections.
Heh. That's a common problem with such things. Even today, artwork made in the renaissance period can fade and disappear. Though sometimes, it's easy to mess up the restoration...
While I doubt either of these guys is quite self-aware enough for an awkward silence, that can't be comfortable.
And for the most part, early occurrences were completely accidental...
Well, at least he's savvy enough to see how things are probably going to go...
That'd be like selling nukes to cavemen. I can't imagine how many ways that could go wrong...
I'd say premature, but he's probably only ever encountered things like Mesa Verde's Cliff Palace dwellings...
...That's rather specific...
Given the character of the era, that might be some time yet...
Always a fun contrast between the ancient and the 'modern' architecture. As for Duvall... I suspect he'll have to go jump.
...Which would put the likely time around the mid twenty-first century... Though knowing DC, it ended up being sooner in Canon...
...Well, he's not doing a very good job of it so far. Typical villain.
Not everything can be solved by killing, Scalphunter. A lot of things, but it's sometimes more trouble than it's worth.
And more and more often, I bet.
That's a fun image. A Native American holding their own Olympics.
If they're advanced enough for nanotech, I expect lots of ray-guns.
...Ohhh, shit. This place just got that much scarier.
...A Burning Martian is less of a danger than what he's going to show them? Oh, boy.
Red lights, huh? That's never a good sign.
Yeah, that's a kill-bot, that is. Nice self-censoring there, Bat.
...Howzabout you guys close the door, let it keep napping...
I bet he's already working out how to kill it.
...I really hope there's a few powered heroes able to take it down if it wakes up early...
I'm betting it would make, say, 'War of the Worlds' like a playground scuffle...
Convince Duvall, and people like him, that this place has nothing of value? Of course, the likelihood of success is... Abysmal.
I'm guessing Bat and Scalpie are getting read in to help keep this secret, then. I'm guessing the guide is a very good judge of character. If other heroes of the time get brought in on this, you might well end up with a proto-League... With any luck, they can keep things safe until the modern day... And Shaman Paul is probably still out there somewhere, so he'd probably show up.
Scalphunter frowns as the three of them dismount.
RichardWhereat
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Nah, Arkady is the son of Vandal Savage, and there's no way the two wouldn't know each other. That said, even if they hate each other, they'd likely have a sort of gentleman's agreement of peaceful conversations every now and then. Savage should be able to get his son to sit down.
Darko
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More like typical spoiled brat.
Icon may be around.
If that thing can take on a Kryptonian, then yeah.
Not sure if you really believe this or are joking, but Arkady is the son of al Ghul, not Savage.
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Radiant Knight
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It clearly says he's the sun of Ra's, not Savage.
Mr Zoat
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Aware of him, yes. However, Ra's would be more likely to want to try and capture him to discover the secret of his longevity than he helpful in this situation.
Thank you, corrected.
No. Wrong ethnic group.
Thank you, corrected.
Doctor Mist is around. Icon... Would probably opt to take no action.
He's not splitting WIS/INT there.
Thank you, corrected.
theaceoffire
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Does this mean a nanometer is a dwarf meter!?
How do I get through history and math class without ever finding this out!?
dxdragon
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This whole Bart, Scalphunter, and Ancestor stidestory is fascinating.
I'm honestly getting really invested in seeing where this goes.
Wonder how the reveal would be, when the Native Tribes come forth to the UN in the future, holding a press conference to reveal the Underground Archive of Ancient Alien tech. Minds would be blown!
Especially if they show off the Burning martian head, and any other alien stuff down there.
Kinda picturing a scene similar to the end of the Black Panther movie. (The Wakanda reveal)
I'm honestly getting really invested in seeing where this goes.
Wonder how the reveal would be, when the Native Tribes come forth to the UN in the future, holding a press conference to reveal the Underground Archive of Ancient Alien tech. Minds would be blown!
Especially if they show off the Burning martian head, and any other alien stuff down there.
Kinda picturing a scene similar to the end of the Black Panther movie. (The Wakanda reveal)
RichardWhereat
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Tolkien did a lot of worldbuilding.
Pinklestia
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Orange Light from a lantern made by the dreaming, maybe with one of the Enemies of Men aka "Greed" trapped inside it.
Anyone but Paul trying to use it would go bonkers.
Well if Doctor Silvana got it he wouldn't change much.
Bud-E
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Why do you think Doctor Sivana wouldn't change?
Doccer
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Ok so the guide ain't Paul.
But Paul is good enough that he'd be able to change his ethnic appearance so it's understandable to believe him to be Paul.
Even if it's a Larfleeze or Alan Scott time of Lantern it'd still have been enough time to git gud.
Darko
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I think he's subscribing to the belief that you can't break what's already broke.
Sivana is a mad scientist and is crazy, so the orange light can't affect his sanity since it doesn't exist.
At least that's what he's saying, I think.
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Bud-E
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If that's what Pinklestia's saying I don't agree the orange light magnifies desire for anything. He wants his wife back, he wants to protect his kids, he wants credit and acknowledgment for his inventions. Unless Sivanna mastered his desires and achieved some sort of enlightenment he won't be able to control himself from going off the deep end.
Pinklestia
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Cause at one point in the comics he was basically the human Avatar of Greed.
Yeah comics are weird.
Ngamer11
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Paul was able to see for himself that Dr. Sivana's soul structure was such that an orange ring wouldn't change anything. I don't remember where in the story that was though.
Galler
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I believe that it was when he was trying to convince him to give everyone access to his tech to fight off the Sheeda.
IIRC the SI described Sivana as being in a constant state equivalent to going Orange light crazy and that he would be a great Orange Lantern and that he would never give him a ring
Sungate (part 30)
Mr Zoat
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11th September 2012
20:32 GMT
"…believe that the collapse of Karrakanian civilisation was caused by the gods and not -as they claim- by the demigod descendants of Rhea amongst your own people?"
"Yes!"
With Thiva standing unhelmeted next to the non-Ascendant bridge crew, the physical difference between regular Karrakanians and Rhea's descendants like her is obvious. It's the difference between 'human with some reptilian characteristics' and 'actual reptilian alien'. She has a nose while they have nose ridges, her eyes are a little different… I suppose they must have told Athyns that he had an alien forebear.
"Do you have any physical evidence that you could show to me within a reasonable time span?"
Thiva takes a moment to master herself. "I.. do not. I was young when New Cronus left, and the destruction was so widespread that I… Doubt that anything survives."
I frown. "You don't know?"
"Sparta recovered me from the planet after the town where I lived was frozen. I was a little girl, and I don't think there were any other survivors. We couldn't live on the planet now."
"Would you go back if you had the tools to restore it?"
"That's-. We-."
A few of the bridge crew look mildly puzzled at the question. Thiva-.
"Wait, how old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Ah-. I know any number of competent adolescents-."
"Karrakanians are adults at fifteen."
"Right, but they're not usually given ship command at that age. Who..?" I look around the other Karrakanians, but there aren't any obvious signs of high rank. "Has seniority here?"
None of them answer, a few awkwardly dropping their gaze.
"You." I point to one with a slightly nicer cuirass than the others. "What is your rank?"
"Steersman. I'm not one of the Ascendant."
"Only the Ascendant have officer rank?"
The steersman looks at Thiva for… Direction? Permission? She nods.
"Our divinity grants us insight that others lack."
Theocracy. No, deiocratic oligarchy. Authority comes from their relationship to Rhea, who… Apparently made quite a positive impression on their society, despite everything that happened. Or the current ruling coterie just made that the official line.
They all seem rational, though. I can't imagine soldiers from Earth being this… Polite, to someone who forced their ship to surrender.
"And the New God technology? Where did that come from?"
"New..? God? You mean the Ascendant?"
I take the sword out of subspace once more.
"I recognise the technology. The people of the planet Apokolips and the planet New Genesis use similar designs. Rhea wouldn't have been familiar with it, so either your people developed it independently or you copied it from them. And while I could understand a civilisation borne of a titan developing similar technology, it's too similar."
I pause.
"You're looking blank. The upgrades you've made since leaving Karrakan?"
"We implemented those at Sparta's behest. She designed them."
"Do you have the evidence to prove that to a disinterested party? Because while that may not be impossible it is pretty unlikely. I mean…"
I take a hologram generator out of subspace and project images of Canis, Scott Free and Grayven.
"See the armour layout? The tron lines? How they glow?"
Thiva hesitates, but-. Ah. I've told her something that can't be incorporated into her current worldview, and she's trying to come up with any reason to ignore or reject it.
"Yes, I… See the similarity. But there are only so many ways to design armour."
"The workshop where Sparta came up with these designs. Is it on this ship?"
"No."
"How about the boom tube generator?"
"You mean the wormhole device? No."
"Does your current surrender agreement cover telling me where they are?"
"No."
Obviously I could compel her, but the Geneva Conventions prohibit the use of mind control on prisoners. And I'd feel a bit bad about it without an imminent threat.
"Fair enough. Is this ship's drive still under power?"
Thiva and the steersman both look at the bridge's control systems. The steersman appears to reach a conclusion, but hesitates to report it before his mistress can.
Read The Auguries.
"Yes. Slowly and clumsily. Though I will have to remain on board to operate the divine technology."
"Then please do so. Also, render aid to any escape pods that you can. I'm going to return to New Cronus to try and negotiate a truce. I'm convinced that Sparta has been keeping pertinent information from you, and it appears that the closest place I can investigate further is wherever she is. I assume that she has a way to contact you to confirm my version of events?"
"Yes, she will be able to communicate with me."
"Then you have your directions. Carry on. Hellwraith, keep an eye on them."
I fly towards the nearest airlock, the location… Something about them surrendering to me made it… Easy to tell where things are on the ship. And its approximate state of repair. Not sure whether I'm piggybacking on Thiva's New God abilities due to me dominating her, or if I'm sufficiently New God-like to do it on my own. I'd guess the latter, but I don't have the evidence.
I do need to go home for a day or so to check up on things. I'll have Canis take a look at a few samples. Maybe… Not suggest that he visit. Though I think he would find my spiritual growth interesting.
That, or amusing.
Flying out of the airlock I see that the cruisers are tractoring their crippled companions into the area of space they've established control over. They don't appear to be making any move to board and liberate the battleship, though if they have really deployed all of their Ascendants then they may not be able to.
Wait. I didn't feel the battleship getting shot, and we're… Definitely within the field of fire on the gun Theia was occupying. Why didn't she shoot?
Concerning. I angle my body and fly towards it at top speed.
20:32 GMT
"…believe that the collapse of Karrakanian civilisation was caused by the gods and not -as they claim- by the demigod descendants of Rhea amongst your own people?"
"Yes!"
With Thiva standing unhelmeted next to the non-Ascendant bridge crew, the physical difference between regular Karrakanians and Rhea's descendants like her is obvious. It's the difference between 'human with some reptilian characteristics' and 'actual reptilian alien'. She has a nose while they have nose ridges, her eyes are a little different… I suppose they must have told Athyns that he had an alien forebear.
"Do you have any physical evidence that you could show to me within a reasonable time span?"
Thiva takes a moment to master herself. "I.. do not. I was young when New Cronus left, and the destruction was so widespread that I… Doubt that anything survives."
I frown. "You don't know?"
"Sparta recovered me from the planet after the town where I lived was frozen. I was a little girl, and I don't think there were any other survivors. We couldn't live on the planet now."
"Would you go back if you had the tools to restore it?"
"That's-. We-."
A few of the bridge crew look mildly puzzled at the question. Thiva-.
"Wait, how old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Ah-. I know any number of competent adolescents-."
"Karrakanians are adults at fifteen."
"Right, but they're not usually given ship command at that age. Who..?" I look around the other Karrakanians, but there aren't any obvious signs of high rank. "Has seniority here?"
None of them answer, a few awkwardly dropping their gaze.
"You." I point to one with a slightly nicer cuirass than the others. "What is your rank?"
"Steersman. I'm not one of the Ascendant."
"Only the Ascendant have officer rank?"
The steersman looks at Thiva for… Direction? Permission? She nods.
"Our divinity grants us insight that others lack."
Theocracy. No, deiocratic oligarchy. Authority comes from their relationship to Rhea, who… Apparently made quite a positive impression on their society, despite everything that happened. Or the current ruling coterie just made that the official line.
They all seem rational, though. I can't imagine soldiers from Earth being this… Polite, to someone who forced their ship to surrender.
"And the New God technology? Where did that come from?"
"New..? God? You mean the Ascendant?"
I take the sword out of subspace once more.
"I recognise the technology. The people of the planet Apokolips and the planet New Genesis use similar designs. Rhea wouldn't have been familiar with it, so either your people developed it independently or you copied it from them. And while I could understand a civilisation borne of a titan developing similar technology, it's too similar."
I pause.
"You're looking blank. The upgrades you've made since leaving Karrakan?"
"We implemented those at Sparta's behest. She designed them."
"Do you have the evidence to prove that to a disinterested party? Because while that may not be impossible it is pretty unlikely. I mean…"
I take a hologram generator out of subspace and project images of Canis, Scott Free and Grayven.
"See the armour layout? The tron lines? How they glow?"
Thiva hesitates, but-. Ah. I've told her something that can't be incorporated into her current worldview, and she's trying to come up with any reason to ignore or reject it.
"Yes, I… See the similarity. But there are only so many ways to design armour."
"The workshop where Sparta came up with these designs. Is it on this ship?"
"No."
"How about the boom tube generator?"
"You mean the wormhole device? No."
"Does your current surrender agreement cover telling me where they are?"
"No."
Obviously I could compel her, but the Geneva Conventions prohibit the use of mind control on prisoners. And I'd feel a bit bad about it without an imminent threat.
"Fair enough. Is this ship's drive still under power?"
Thiva and the steersman both look at the bridge's control systems. The steersman appears to reach a conclusion, but hesitates to report it before his mistress can.
Read The Auguries.
"Yes. Slowly and clumsily. Though I will have to remain on board to operate the divine technology."
"Then please do so. Also, render aid to any escape pods that you can. I'm going to return to New Cronus to try and negotiate a truce. I'm convinced that Sparta has been keeping pertinent information from you, and it appears that the closest place I can investigate further is wherever she is. I assume that she has a way to contact you to confirm my version of events?"
"Yes, she will be able to communicate with me."
"Then you have your directions. Carry on. Hellwraith, keep an eye on them."
I fly towards the nearest airlock, the location… Something about them surrendering to me made it… Easy to tell where things are on the ship. And its approximate state of repair. Not sure whether I'm piggybacking on Thiva's New God abilities due to me dominating her, or if I'm sufficiently New God-like to do it on my own. I'd guess the latter, but I don't have the evidence.
I do need to go home for a day or so to check up on things. I'll have Canis take a look at a few samples. Maybe… Not suggest that he visit. Though I think he would find my spiritual growth interesting.
That, or amusing.
Flying out of the airlock I see that the cruisers are tractoring their crippled companions into the area of space they've established control over. They don't appear to be making any move to board and liberate the battleship, though if they have really deployed all of their Ascendants then they may not be able to.
Wait. I didn't feel the battleship getting shot, and we're… Definitely within the field of fire on the gun Theia was occupying. Why didn't she shoot?
Concerning. I angle my body and fly towards it at top speed.
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Darko
Connoisseur.
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'while that may not'
The Geneva Conventions haven't stopped you before.
'Not sure whether'
Just ask Scott.
That's less trouble.
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Doccer
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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I was gonna say that!
Vaermina
Well worn.
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I guess the fact that the Titans/Gods once fought the New God's was part of the memory's Paragon lost when he had his everything blown up...