RoninSword
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Illustres did get his ring to say the name Paul for him. It just seems like he forgets that that's a thing he can do most of the time.
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
-
- Tags
- self insert young justice
Darko
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Paragon does that, but I don't think renegade ever considered doing that.
Darko
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"a lot"
Darko
Connoisseur.
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The . at the end should be in godspeech.
Link is broken.
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
No, that's valid.
Darko
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This one seems to be broken too.
mastermenthe
Mint Thistle
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Of course there aren't, all three of those categories are all the result of being born as/by/from demons!
/s
Harem Tragedy (part 11)
New
Mr Zoat
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Late Winter, IC 690
That night
"…all of them, Senator. My impression is that they simply found that free men labouring on their own lands work harder than slaves labouring for their master."
Senator Karzel nods, clearly having a little difficulty with the idea. He's the leader of the peace-inclined faction of the senate, which is smaller than the groups that favour aggressive expansion but a good deal more unified. Diabo will need to make a favourable impression in order to rule effectively, but I doubt that will be difficult. Diabo would be happiest if he could avoid going anywhere near a battlefield ever again, and if that means that everyone else gets to avoid them then that's something that he's willing to accept.
"Then what do they do with prisoners of war, or criminals?"
"Well, that depends. According to their laws, prisoners captured in battle are generally held in confinement until the end of the war, at which point they would be returned to their homelands. Civilians who do not raise a weapon are left to their own devices. I saw reports of individual soldiers failing to live up to those standards; regardless of their artifice, men are men everywhere."
"Of course." The senator nods. "Is that what you meant by 'generally'?"
"Not entirely. There are some deeds considered so infamous that even in times of war they are considered punishable. A soldier found guilty of those would be punished, but in much the same way that a man would in times of peace. In practice, such laws were usually only enforced against weaker nations, but even the stronger ones must maintain the appearance of obeying them or lose the support of their allies."
"And… Tribute? I am struggling to accept that the victor does not demand some recompense from the vanquished."
"Yes, they demand money, territory, favourable trade treaties, changes in who governs the defeated nation… It would be as if-."
"As if we made tributaries, rather than-" He nods. "-seizing territory to rule directly. As… You did."
"If a nation keeps expanding, it will always have foes on its borders. If instead it offers generous terms for vassalage, unnecessary conflicts are avoided. And we can avoid needing to empty our fields to rebuild our legions from the losses taken during the brief war with Japan."
Senator Karzel has the look of a beggar who has just been given a pouch of gold and is waiting to be accused of theft.
"And… They would remain vassal states indefinitely? I would have thought that if the vassals come to outnumber the governing nation, those trade terms might rapidly be reversed."
"Of course not. Gradually, through the sharing of culture and technology the barbarian vassals would be raised from their barbaric state until they are culturally indistinguishable from the people of the Saderan Empire proper. Then, by their own will, they could choose to be annexed by the Empire, normalising trade and granting them representation in the Senate."
"That would be a very long term endeavour."
"Perhaps three or four generations. And it would pay for itself, and produce far fewer casualties and less resistance than outright conquest. Even our more restive vassals accept that we are the greater civilisation. I believe that they would willingly assimilate fully, given the opportunity."
And it doesn't hurt that several of those vassals owe him for preventing their armies dying to a man against Japanese guns.
"I… Believe… That my allies in the Senate would give any.. such proposal a favourable hearing, should it be put before them."
Diabo nods, smiling in a way which I think is genuine. Of course, wrestling control of the Hawk faction… S, will be significantly-.
"Brother! And Senator!"
And here comes Zorzal. This should be-
"Crowing of your victory before the craven, Diabo!?" Zorzal walks up to Diabo, shouldering Karzel aside, and slaps Diabo on the shoulder. "It seems that you take after me in more than just military prowess!"
-painful. But Diabo grins and bears it.
Come to think of it, Emperor Molt almost certainly didn't mention the pact to make Diabo crown prince to the current holder of that title, did he?
"Senator, would you give my brother and I the room?"
Senator Karzel bows politely. "Of course, your highness. Prince Zorzal." He backs away in case Zorzal seems like shoving him again, but Zorzal is entirely focused on his younger brother.
"I even hear that you've picked up an entire tribe of bunny-whores! I don't think numbers trump rank, but I admire your libido! Hahaha!"
"I use them as skirmishers, Zorzal. I haven't touched any of them."
"Sticking to humans, huh? It seems like an odd thing to worry about -you're hardly going to marry them- but if that's what works for you-. Or is it the elf? Or is this new inner fire of yours fuelled by your lust for the Apostle? It-." Zorzal looks around the room, and finds it empty. "Alright, he's gone." He stops grinning, looking a good deal more serious. "Are you alright? That assassination attempt looked pretty serious, but you don't look wounded."
"I'm fine. The only one injured was Chief-. The leader of my auxiliaries. And she's made a full recovery."
Zorzal nods. And… Yes, it wasn't him. Nothing in his physiology suggests any irritation at that turn of events, and I can feel Diabo using the ring to check. "Still, suborning the praetorians wouldn't be cheap-. Or are they impostures?"
"If they are, they managed to acquire genuine armour and swords. I've arranged to have them held until I can interrogate them."
"Good. Do you want to borrow my torturer, or do you have your own?"
"I… Don't need a torturer. I have… Other options. What I think we should both be concerned about is this."
He takes the letter out of subspace and offers it to his brother.
"This was found on one of the assassins. A very similar letter was found on the other."
Zorzal shrugs, then opens it. He frowns as he sees the seal, then his eyes widen as he reads the rest.
"This-! I wouldn't-!"
"Wouldn't be stupid enough to give them written orders, yes, I'd realised that."
"Let me talk to the bowmen! I'll soon-."
"You're not thinking this through, Zorzal. Plenty of people might want to assassinate me, but how many could give the praetorians orders or get access to your seal?"
Zorzal frowns for a moment, then his eyes widen. "Father? Why?"
"I don't know. And I don't know for certain that it was him. I need to finish the interrogation, and then make enquiries."
"But why would anyone think that I'd want to kill you?"
"Because I made a deal with father; if I successfully developed black powder weapons, he agreed to make me crown prince."
Zorzal blinks. "What?"
"But he hasn't actually done it yet. He could be trying to play us off against each other, or-."
"You want to be crown prince?"
"Yes. I learned so much from the other world that I need to implement, and that will be easier as Emperor."
Zorzal scowls. "You'll find I'm harder to get rid of than that." He turns on his heel. "I'm going to find out who stole my seal, and you can put any plans for stealing my birthright out of your mind!"
That night
"…all of them, Senator. My impression is that they simply found that free men labouring on their own lands work harder than slaves labouring for their master."
Senator Karzel nods, clearly having a little difficulty with the idea. He's the leader of the peace-inclined faction of the senate, which is smaller than the groups that favour aggressive expansion but a good deal more unified. Diabo will need to make a favourable impression in order to rule effectively, but I doubt that will be difficult. Diabo would be happiest if he could avoid going anywhere near a battlefield ever again, and if that means that everyone else gets to avoid them then that's something that he's willing to accept.
"Then what do they do with prisoners of war, or criminals?"
"Well, that depends. According to their laws, prisoners captured in battle are generally held in confinement until the end of the war, at which point they would be returned to their homelands. Civilians who do not raise a weapon are left to their own devices. I saw reports of individual soldiers failing to live up to those standards; regardless of their artifice, men are men everywhere."
"Of course." The senator nods. "Is that what you meant by 'generally'?"
"Not entirely. There are some deeds considered so infamous that even in times of war they are considered punishable. A soldier found guilty of those would be punished, but in much the same way that a man would in times of peace. In practice, such laws were usually only enforced against weaker nations, but even the stronger ones must maintain the appearance of obeying them or lose the support of their allies."
"And… Tribute? I am struggling to accept that the victor does not demand some recompense from the vanquished."
"Yes, they demand money, territory, favourable trade treaties, changes in who governs the defeated nation… It would be as if-."
"As if we made tributaries, rather than-" He nods. "-seizing territory to rule directly. As… You did."
"If a nation keeps expanding, it will always have foes on its borders. If instead it offers generous terms for vassalage, unnecessary conflicts are avoided. And we can avoid needing to empty our fields to rebuild our legions from the losses taken during the brief war with Japan."
Senator Karzel has the look of a beggar who has just been given a pouch of gold and is waiting to be accused of theft.
"And… They would remain vassal states indefinitely? I would have thought that if the vassals come to outnumber the governing nation, those trade terms might rapidly be reversed."
"Of course not. Gradually, through the sharing of culture and technology the barbarian vassals would be raised from their barbaric state until they are culturally indistinguishable from the people of the Saderan Empire proper. Then, by their own will, they could choose to be annexed by the Empire, normalising trade and granting them representation in the Senate."
"That would be a very long term endeavour."
"Perhaps three or four generations. And it would pay for itself, and produce far fewer casualties and less resistance than outright conquest. Even our more restive vassals accept that we are the greater civilisation. I believe that they would willingly assimilate fully, given the opportunity."
And it doesn't hurt that several of those vassals owe him for preventing their armies dying to a man against Japanese guns.
"I… Believe… That my allies in the Senate would give any.. such proposal a favourable hearing, should it be put before them."
Diabo nods, smiling in a way which I think is genuine. Of course, wrestling control of the Hawk faction… S, will be significantly-.
"Brother! And Senator!"
And here comes Zorzal. This should be-
"Crowing of your victory before the craven, Diabo!?" Zorzal walks up to Diabo, shouldering Karzel aside, and slaps Diabo on the shoulder. "It seems that you take after me in more than just military prowess!"
-painful. But Diabo grins and bears it.
Come to think of it, Emperor Molt almost certainly didn't mention the pact to make Diabo crown prince to the current holder of that title, did he?
"Senator, would you give my brother and I the room?"
Senator Karzel bows politely. "Of course, your highness. Prince Zorzal." He backs away in case Zorzal seems like shoving him again, but Zorzal is entirely focused on his younger brother.
"I even hear that you've picked up an entire tribe of bunny-whores! I don't think numbers trump rank, but I admire your libido! Hahaha!"
"I use them as skirmishers, Zorzal. I haven't touched any of them."
"Sticking to humans, huh? It seems like an odd thing to worry about -you're hardly going to marry them- but if that's what works for you-. Or is it the elf? Or is this new inner fire of yours fuelled by your lust for the Apostle? It-." Zorzal looks around the room, and finds it empty. "Alright, he's gone." He stops grinning, looking a good deal more serious. "Are you alright? That assassination attempt looked pretty serious, but you don't look wounded."
"I'm fine. The only one injured was Chief-. The leader of my auxiliaries. And she's made a full recovery."
Zorzal nods. And… Yes, it wasn't him. Nothing in his physiology suggests any irritation at that turn of events, and I can feel Diabo using the ring to check. "Still, suborning the praetorians wouldn't be cheap-. Or are they impostures?"
"If they are, they managed to acquire genuine armour and swords. I've arranged to have them held until I can interrogate them."
"Good. Do you want to borrow my torturer, or do you have your own?"
"I… Don't need a torturer. I have… Other options. What I think we should both be concerned about is this."
He takes the letter out of subspace and offers it to his brother.
"This was found on one of the assassins. A very similar letter was found on the other."
Zorzal shrugs, then opens it. He frowns as he sees the seal, then his eyes widen as he reads the rest.
"This-! I wouldn't-!"
"Wouldn't be stupid enough to give them written orders, yes, I'd realised that."
"Let me talk to the bowmen! I'll soon-."
"You're not thinking this through, Zorzal. Plenty of people might want to assassinate me, but how many could give the praetorians orders or get access to your seal?"
Zorzal frowns for a moment, then his eyes widen. "Father? Why?"
"I don't know. And I don't know for certain that it was him. I need to finish the interrogation, and then make enquiries."
"But why would anyone think that I'd want to kill you?"
"Because I made a deal with father; if I successfully developed black powder weapons, he agreed to make me crown prince."
Zorzal blinks. "What?"
"But he hasn't actually done it yet. He could be trying to play us off against each other, or-."
"You want to be crown prince?"
"Yes. I learned so much from the other world that I need to implement, and that will be easier as Emperor."
Zorzal scowls. "You'll find I'm harder to get rid of than that." He turns on his heel. "I'm going to find out who stole my seal, and you can put any plans for stealing my birthright out of your mind!"
Last edited:
Mr Zoat
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I'll just get rid of it.
Duke Long
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Extraneous full stop.
Huh, never seen that word before. Also, surprising how nice Zorzal is being. Did not get that impression from him.
Chojin Patriarch
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Ah, Diabo politicking already, I see. And from the sounds of it, explaining his actions during his campaign. Just getting his ideas in line before a full presentation to the government leaders, or a more directed 'Is this not a better way?' ploy, I wonder...
Heh, planning to be a king of peacetime, rather than a saddle-emperor.
Ah, discussing the modern Earth rules of war, I see. A much more reasonable methodology, when all involved keep to them.
Warcrimes are quite the logistical nightmare sometimes. And again, it depends on all combatants honouring the Rules.
Just have to be careful you don't leave the defeated nations seething so badly at their 'punishment' that they come back in twenty years for another go...
And the vassal states act as buffers to the ruling state. Easy enough to reinforce, strong enough to prevent direct invasions.
Not if the governing nation is so powerful it can't be beaten. Either by psychology or by military might...
A polite annexation, rather than a destructive and divisive war. Much better, if not as glorious for the guys who think power comes from their sword-arm.
Especially if promised a say in their governance, which they'd gain as a province within the Empire.
Heh. He's sniffing the bait, but hasn't bitten down quite yet...
Because of course there's multiple factions that favour war. Probably with their own preferences, such as 'wipe them form the land and replace them with our own people'...
And I bet this sort of thing is why the peaceful senators don't hold him in high esteem.
Well, that'll be a nasty surprise for him. Hopefully he accepts defeat gracefully. But I doubt it.
Probably grumbling inside about 'that cocksure fool.'
Though some of them probably have hopes of touching you, Diabo.
...Oh-ho, is the cock-o'-the-walk pose an act for a hidden measure of political savvy? I suppose he couldn't actually hold his title by muscle alone.
That's a good angle. Though it's probably a high crime to perform such an impersonation.
The drawback of old-fashioned torture is that the victim will say anything for it to stop...
...Whereas Diabo can employ some of the tricksier Ring functions to determine their truthfulness.
Well, that's not the reaction of someone who knew this existed, I see, unless he's a really good actor.
Evidence trails, after all. At least if he claimed to have commented about 'Diabo having a little accident' or something, that the assassins took more seriously, that would be plausible deniability.
Ah... Someone's playing games of succession, I see.
Presumably testing them to see how well one can be played against the other. After all, I suspect he wasn't happy about Diabo's little
Since that level of advancement would be a reasonable grounds for promotion.
Really? That's your problem with this, Zee?
...And things were going so well. Now he's on his guard and more than a little hostile.
At least Zorzal wasn't foolish enough to try and kill him then and there out of spite or anger. Probably based on his reputation with the Ring. Still, now that he knows his position is under threat, he's going to be trickier to deal with. What's the bet he decides to go out and start a ruckus about 'proving his worth as Crown Prince' and causing some foolish trouble?
B00ki5h
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If I remember correctly Zorzal was the second son and the emperor killed his own heir.
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
Which word?
Zorzal is perfectly capable of being pleasant, when he thinks that he should. To his harmless younger brother who'd actually managed something impressive? Yes, he'd be polite. That might change now that he knows that he's a political threat.
Kati was adopted... Probably. Like with many things that should have been covered in more detail in the original, it wasn't.