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

[Pinklestia]

They could just clone parts. That used to be a common medical practice on Krypton.

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And if Grayven desires it enough he can fix any problems with her body as long as she is alive. He does have that medical data.

 

[Coda]

It never ceases to amuses how Zoat nerf's everything BUT Power Rings.

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When I quoted this, I had misread you as saying "never ceases to amaze." (I'm without glasses for a couple weeks while I wait for a replacement pair to get shipped to me... frickin' vision insurance requiring a mail-in lab...) Had that been the case, I would have had to shake my head, because it really shouldn't be amazing by now.

However, I still must object at least a little bit. I don't so much think that it's "Zoat nerfs everything but power rings." The central conceit of the story is an exploration of what power rings can do given the canonically-demonstrated powers, a set of definitions and limitations, and a wielder that isn't constrained by the common tropes of comic books.

Zoatverse power rings are considerably more limited than the fullest set of powers we've seen in the broader DC multiverse, so in a certain sense even power rings have been nerfed (and you've certainly complained about that in the past). And it's been established that this universe in general is comparatively lower-powered than other DC universes, so it should be assumed that most things will be nerfed compared to the original source material. However, there are some things that he's improved on in some ways as well, and power rings aren't the only thing he's noted were underutilized.

In short, while it's true that lots of stuff is less powerful than in other comics, the main point is that the power sets are better defined.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Mr Zoat, this picture doesn't work anymore. Are there any others that could replace it?

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Okay, there's now a working picture. Not sure if it's the same one as was originally there.

 

[Sockmonkey]

Kryptonians aren't really nerfed much in this fic. They aren't Flash fast, but they're faster than accelerated perception can track, which is pretty darn fast. Plus Superman can dig through solid rock like it's water, so it's about mid-tier compared to all the stuff that's been shown in the comics.

 

[Zig]

Kryptonians aren't really nerfed much in this fic. They aren't Flash fast, but they're faster than accelerated perception can track, which is pretty darn fast. Plus Superman can dig through solid rock like it's water, so it's about mid-tier compared to all the stuff that's been shown in the comics.

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Which is way bufffed up from what Greg gave them in canon, being roughly speed of sound

 

[Mr Zoat]

12th August 2012
18:57 GMT

"No, I can think of no conceivable way that the broken remains of a power ring could provide the Reach with any advantage at all." Hinon doesn't look impressed. "Though on the face of it the claim isn't utterly preposterous."

"I don't suppose that you know anything about D'xe yourself, do you?"

"I did actually visit it once, back when its surface was still molten. It didn't impress me at the time, and it hasn't changed in that regard since."

"Do you know of anything that could make a Green Lantern go crazy?"

"Not an especial one. The Guardians chose green because of how stable it is. I suppose that a Green Lantern who was unable to reconcile contradictions in their own beliefs might be brought down by their own doublethink. Or fixate on an order long after the Guardians would have withdrawn it, and suffer from guilt. But there is no 'special' risk from using the green light."

"So the problem lay in the Lantern."

"Most likely. Though I feel that it's reasonable to criticise the Guardians for failing to see to the upkeep of their servants."

I nod. Unfortunate as it is, it looks like they really didn't learn anything from Sinestro. Put people in extreme situations and some of them don't respond in the way you hope they will. I mean… Alright, maybe they just don't have the personnel to do that, but they could easily assign Guy or another Honour Guard Lantern with appropriate training to deal with it.

"So either-."

"She's lying. Obviously. But I suppose that helping her won't hurt."

"Is it a concern that the Guardians are telling their Lanterns to lie to us?"

"I would hardly expect them to be happy about the situation. There are already more maltusians bonded to the orange light than there are Guardians. Unless they change, their Corps will either become extinct or become ours."

"'Ours'?"

The Hinon construct nods.

"It would be no great trial to find Controllers who would be willing to bond themselves to the green light. But they wouldn't be Guardians; their priorities and modus operandi would be different. That is what the Guardians can't accept."

"So, what, they'll just turn up on Oa one day?"

"I imagine that they'll make an offer to the senior surviving Green Lanterns first. If you can make personal lanterns, then it's entirely possible that there will be enough Green Lanterns with a similar ability that they feel that maltusian involvement is unnecessary. And in any case, it's unlikely to be occurring soon; Guardians aren't easy to kill. Find out what Lantern K'ryssma is playing at, and then let her continue playing."

"Will do. Illustres out."

I deactivate my ring's communication system and sit back. Funny how the law works. There was a book I read… Decades ago now, where a young man won a aeronautics-themed game show and won a ticket to anywhere on Earth. But he wanted to go into space. Fortunately, the relevant UN body had determined that the rights associated with Earth citizenship extended upwards from the planet just far enough to encompass the space station he wanted to travel to. Thus, it was still 'on Earth', and they were obliged to pay for his passage.

Yuna law requires that anyone approaching the planet jumps through a lot of hoops. And it's not that much easier to leave. However, the definition of 'leaving' isn't what a person might at first assume that it is. So long as I don't board a ship I could teleport into low orbit without 'leaving', thanks to laws set up to enable skydiving. And

I can teleport

back because I haven't 'left'. Wonderful things, laws. The ship carrying the Reach's favourite couriers is just now landing under the hands of a local pilot, though this part of the small commercial shipping terminal is relatively empty.

I raise my right hand in greeting.

"Fancy seeing you here."

The Reach Negotiator turns to see me, and just for a moment cringes at the sight of me before smoothly recovering. I doubt that anyone who wasn't empathic would have noticed; his bodyguard certainly doesn't appear to have done so. No Scarab Warrior that I can see, though any of these might have the implant somewhere on their bodies.

"It is hardly strange. The Free Lancers have a long history as mercantile agents for the Reach. Do you intend to try to avail yourself of their services? I highly recommend them."

There are any number of things I could say here, implying whatever level of knowledge I might have about their scheme, but…

"I'm more interested in what they picked up for you."

"Ah-I'm afraid that all sales are final."

"If you'd taken five minutes to review the 'Free Lancers' record when you hired them, you'd know that's not the case. And even on Yuna, items can be impounded and confiscated if someone can prove that it was stolen from them."

"I assure you that our business here is entirely legitimate."

"Glad to hear it. Reach Negotiators are no fun to kill at all."

"I have personally always found the death of Lanterns to be instructive."

I nod.

"'By the manner of their deaths we shall know them'. Which doesn't really work with Scarab Warriors, because it's so hard to be sure which ones are volunteers and which ones are mind controlled."

"The vast majority are loyal citizens."

"Right, but were they loyal because they were born as a member of your species with all the rights and responsibilities therein, or are they loyal because you fiddled around with their brains and their independence dribbled out of their ear?"

"The first one. It-."

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask about that. Do you do that mind control thing to your own people as well, or is that an aliens-only thing? Do you.. just consider it normal and if the aliens can't cope that's on them, or do you actually think of it as a weapon?"

"Would you be happier if we conquered with overt force as you are wont to do?"

"Probably, yes. That sort of Empire would have to use local collaborators and auxiliaries, and eventually make at least some of the people they conquered into citizens. The Reach doesn't have to worry about that, so you don't bother."

"Before the war with the Green Lantern Corps, Reach policy was to carry out extermination campaigns. Subjugated species were put to work, ghettoised, and eventually eliminated."

"Huh."

"So clearly, your assumption was wrong."

"True, but… That means that you've had two goes, and been completely evil each time. You've basically gone from 'tragically misguided' to 'innately evil' in my mind, and the last time a species did that..."

I shrug, and the Negotiator takes a step away from me as the ship's main hatch opens. I smile faintly, then

step out,

reappearing in front of the vessel's disembarking crew.

 

[lancelot]

reappearing in front of the vessel's disembarking crew.

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...This is either trying entirely too hard ...Or not trying at all. I'm not sure which at the moment.

 

[Darko]

Not an especial one. The Guardians chose green because of how stable it is. I suppose that a Green Lantern who was unable to reconcile contradictions in their own beliefs might be brought down by their own doublethink. Or fixate on an order long after the Guardians would have withdrawn it, and suffer from guilt. But there is no 'special' risk from using the green light."

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So it's just the Lantern going crazy on their own without the green light doing them any actual harm like it would for orange or red.

his bodyguard certainly don't appear to have done so. N

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'bodyguards'

Would you be happier if we conquered with overt force as you are wont to do?"

"Probably, yes. That sort of Empire would have to use local collaborators and auxiliaries, and eventually make at least some of the people they conquered into citizens. The Reach doesn't have to worry about that, so you don't bother."

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Unless they went for extermination using pure force instead of the subtle methods like the Kanamits and Aschen used.

Before the war with the Green Lantern Corps, Reach policy was to carry out extermination campaigns. Subjugated species were put to work, ghettoised, and eventually eliminated."

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Yep.

Huh."

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Yeah.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

12th August 2012
18:57 GMT

"No, I can think of no conceivable way that the broken remains of a power ring could provide the Reach with any advantage at all." Hinon doesn't look impressed. "Though on the face of it the claim isn't utterly preposterous."

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Well, that's that idea soundly debunked. Which still leaves the question of just what the Free Lancers are bringing the Reach... And more importantly, how to prevent it, because whatever the reach wants, OL is well advised to stop them getting.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"I don't suppose that you know anything about D'xe yourself, do you?"

"I did actually visit it once, back when it's surface was still molten. It didn't impress me at the time, and it hasn't changed in that regard since."

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Probably smells marginally better. A bit cooler, less earthquake-y...

"Do you know of anything that could make a Green Lantern go crazy?"

"Not an especial one. The Guardians chose green because of how stable it is. I suppose that a Green Lantern who was unable to reconcile contradictions in their own beliefs might be brought down by their own doublethink. Or fixate on an order long after the Guardians would have withdrawn it, and suffer from guilt. But there is no 'special' risk from using the green light."

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Well, besides the whole overly stubborn demeanour, but people well-suited to Will are likely determined bastards anyway.

"So the problem lay in the Lantern."

"Most likely. Though I feel that it's reasonable to criticise the Guardians for failing to see to the upkeep of their servants."

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And they'd probably claim they don't have time to micromanage the welfare of 7200 regular Lanterns, never mind the additional personnel...

I nod. Unfortunate as it is, it looks like they really didn't learn anything from Sinestro. Put people in extreme situations and some of them don't respond in the way you hope they will. I mean… Alright, maybe they just don't have the personnel to do that, but they could easily assign Guy or another Honour Guard Lantern with appropriate training to deal with it.

"So either-."

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Who knows, maybe in the early days, Honour Guard Lanterns would have served as commissars, watching for unstable personalities... Back when they only had 3600 to deal with. Now they off-load picking new Lanterns to Mogo and trust that he selects people of good moral character as well as sufficient stubbornness.

"She's lying. Obviously. But I suppose that helping her won't hurt."

"Is it a concern that the Guardians are telling their Lanterns to lie to us?"

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Why would you expect the blue blockheads to do any different? Evidently they're not happy with competition.

"I would hardly expect them to be happy about the situation. There are already more maltusians bonded to the orange light than there are Guardians. Unless they change, their Corps will either become extinct or become ours."

"'Ours'?"

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Given how few Guardians there are... How hard would it be to subvert their monopoly on the Green Light, after all?

The Hinon construct nods.

"It would be no great trial to find Controllers who would be willing to bond themselves to the green light. But they wouldn't be Guardians; their priorities and modus operandi would be different. That is what the Guardians can't accept."

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Admittedly, they'd probably be hard bastards to begin with. And marinating in Determination will only make them more so...

"So, what, they'll just turn up on Oa one day?"

"I imagine that they'll make an offer to the senior surviving Green Lanterns first. If you can make Lanterns, then it's entirely possible that there will be enough Green Lanterns with a similar ability that they feel that maltusian involvement is unnecessary. And in any case, it's unlikely to be occurring soon; Guardians aren't easy to kill. Find out what Lantern K'ryssma is playing at, and then let her continue playing."

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Well, now his orders are laid out. Perhaps they'll get some dirt on the Guardians...

"Will do. Illustres out."

I deactivate my ring's communication system and sit back. Funny how the law works. There was a book I read… Decades ago now, where a young man won a aeronautics-themed game show and won a ticket to anywhere on Earth. But he wanted to go into space. Fortunately, the relevant UN body had determined that the rights associated with Earth citizenship extended upwards from the planet just far enough to encompass the space station he wanted to travel to. Thus, it was still 'on Earth', and they were obliged to pay for his passage.

Click to shrink...

Rules Lawyers. Got to love them, but some GMs hate them.

Yuna law requires that anyone approaching the planet jumps through a lot of hoops. And it's not that much easier to leave. However, the definition of 'leaving' isn't what a person might at first assume that it is. So long as I don't board a ship I could teleport into low orbit without 'leaving', thanks to laws set up to enable skydiving. And

I can teleport

back because I haven't 'left'. Wonderful things, laws. The ship carrying the Reach's favourite couriers is just now landing under the hands of a local pilot, though this part of the small commercial shipping terminal is relatively empty.

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Wonder how much the Reach paid to get some privacy? You'd expect some ships nearby.

I raise my right hand in greeting.

"Fancy seeing you here."

The Reach Negotiator turns to see me, and just for a moment cringes at the sight of me before smoothly recovering. I doubt that anyone who wasn't empathic would have noticed; his bodyguard certainly don't appear to have done so. No Scarab Warrior that I can see, though any of these might have the implant somewhere on their bodies.

Click to shrink...

Of course, they'd be likely to notice the scan. So until one of them beetles out, no telling if they can.

"It is hardly strange. The Free Lancers have a long history as mercantile agents for the Reach. Do you intend to try to avail yourself of their services? I highly recommend them."

There are any number of things I could say here, implying whatever level of knowledge I might have about their scheme, but…

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Why bother being subtle? You know you're not that good at it...

"I'm more interested in what they picked up for you."

"Ah-I'm afraid that all sales are final."

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Psssh! Just a matter of more money, then... Unless the Reach have a little extra leverage on them.

"If you'd taken five minutes to review the 'Free Lancers' record when you hired them, you'd know that's not the case. And even on Yuna, items can be impounded and confiscated if someone can prove that it was stolen from them."

"I assure you that our business here is entirely legitimate."

Click to shrink...

And terrestrial porcines might spontaneously become airborne.

"Glad to hear it. Reach Negotiators are no fun to kill at all."

"I have personally always found the death of Lanterns to be instructive."

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Even the ones who don't stay dead? Or is that just a matter of 'Well, we clearly need more gun.'

I nod.

"'By the manner of their deaths we shall know them'. Which doesn't really work with Scarab Warriors, because it's so hard to be sure which ones are volunteers and which ones are mind controlled."

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Not that the Reach probably consider there to be much difference...

"The vast majority are loyal citizens."

"Right, but were they loyal because they were born as a member of your species with all the rights and responsibilities therein, or are they loyal because you fiddled around with their brains and their independence dribbled out of their ear?"

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Because, you know, some of them might have had objections to being deployed into suicidal combat theatres.

"The first one. It-."

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask about that. Do you do that mind control thing to your own people as well, or is that an aliens-only thing? Do you.. just consider it normal and if the aliens can't cope that's on them, or do you actually think of it as a weapon?"

Click to shrink...

To be honest... If they were mind-controlled, they'd consider it normal anyway. Because they've been taught to, being mind-controlled and all.

"Would you be happier if we conquered with overt force as you are wont to do?"

"Probably, yes. That sort of Empire would have to use local collaborators and auxiliaries, and eventually make at least some of the people they conquered into citizens. The Reach doesn't have to worry about that, so you don't bother."

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And, of course, such populations have the disgruntled, the unbending, and the rebellious. Perfect for mounting a resistance.

"Before the war with the Green Lantern Corps, Reach policy was to carry out extermination campaigns. Subjugated species were put to work, ghettoised, and eventually eliminated."

"Huh."

Click to shrink...

So, fighting the Green lanterns just forced you to be sneakier?

"So clearly, your assumption was wrong."

"True, but… That means that you've had two goes, and been completely evil each time. You've basically gone from 'tragically misguided' to 'innately evil' in my mind, and the last time a species did that..."

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Well, let's just say they aren't around anymore... I wonder if word of what he'd been up to in Vega ever reached the Reach's ears?

I shrug, and the Negotiator takes a step away from me as the ship's main hatch opens. I smile faintly, then

step out,

reappearing in front of the vessel's disembarking crew.

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Oh, please tell me they really do dress like that in private, and it's not a show they're putting on for the customer... Because that means they're either having fun with their career, or just have naturally bad fashion sense...

Ah, OL. Subtle as a sledgehammer. I have the feeling he'll simply offer to buy whatever they're bringing the Reach. And make such a ludicrous offer the Reach can't outbid him. After all, it's not like he needs to know what the Negotiator wants, only that they want it. Or maybe the Reach guards will try and shoot him, giving him the perfect opportunity for a claim of 'self-defence'...

---

"Not an especial one.

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Something seems off here...

 

[Stsword]

So it's just the Lantern going crazy on their own without the green light doing them any actual harm like it would for orange or red.

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In the story Zoat based this storyline on, Lanterns discovered that the Guardians were hiding super-rings that never needed recharging and had no weakness to yellow.

While having the super ring made Kaylark go mad with power, in general the reponse was rage from the lanterns- "We've been dying because you @$$%$% decided hey, eh, giving us better weapons would be too much trouble, $%%$% you and the horse you rode in on, you @@$#$$%%%!"

Hal's response was "Well, i trust the guardians had a reason for that choice, so I figure the ring on my finger is good enough."

Since Zoat isn't using the yellow weakness, I assume he figured out some other advantage, because in general running out of power isn't that big a weakness.

Competent blue ring slingers are perpetual motion, alpha lanterns have built in batteries, and the Indigo tribe carry their staff shaped batteries everywhere they go. Yet I can't recall anyone saying "Oh no they're OP, please nerf!" Not over the not running out of energy thing anyway.

 

[Darko]

Who knows, maybe in the early days, Honour Guard Lanterns would have served as commissars, watching for unstable personalities... Back when they only had 3600 to deal with. Now they off-load picking new Lanterns to Mogo and trust that he selects people of good moral character as well as sufficient stubbornness.

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Mogo is best planet.

Though I'm not sure if the whole him giving rings is true to this story.

So, fighting the Green lanterns just forced you to be sneakier?

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The treaty did make it so they can't conqueror a planet unless invited.

Maybe their more subtle methods were also a part of the treaty, or the Reach chose to do things that way because it was more practical.

Because that means they're either having fun with their career

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You gotta enjoy your work.

Ah, OL. Subtle as a sledgehammer

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And that's an overstatement of his subtlety.

Ah, OL. Subtle as a sledgehammer. I have the feeling he'll simply offer to buy whatever they're bringing the Reach. And make such a ludicrous offer the Reach can't outbid him. After all, it's not like he needs to know what the Negotiator wants, only that they want it. Or maybe the Reach guards will try and shoot him, giving him the perfect opportunity for a claim of 'self-defence

Click to shrink...

Unless the Free Lancers are afraid of the Reach.

They've done business with the Reach so they may know how they operate, while they may not have even heard of Paul to be afraid of him.

 

[BlackCoat13]

I shrug, and the Negotiator takes a step away from me as the ship's main hatch opens. I smile faintly, then

Click to shrink...

That the 'I shrug' is in yellow means that Paul is the one displaying Fear, which, uhhh? What's he got to be afraid of? He wasn't even afraid when he died last.

 

[Ngamer11]

That the 'I shrug' is in yellow means that Paul is the one displaying Fear, which, uhhh? What's he got to be afraid of? He wasn't even afraid when he died last.

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It can also be used when a person wants to instill fear in others. Paul's showing the Negotiator how little he really cares about the lives of the Reach, especially after hearing that they're evil by choice.

 

[DiceArt]

That the 'I shrug' is in yellow means that Paul is the one displaying Fear, which, uhhh? What's he got to be afraid of? He wasn't even afraid when he died last.

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Doesn't have to be displaying fear, could be that it is inspiring fear.

 

[Dur'id the Druid]

Reach policy was to carry out extermination campaigns. Subjugated species were put to work, ghettoised, and eventually eliminated."

"Huh."

"So clearly, your assumption was wrong."

"True, but… That means that you've had two goes, and been completely evil each time. You've basically gone from 'tragically misguided' to 'innately evil' in my mind, and the last time a species did that...

Click to shrink...

It's rare to see one's own logic applied to oneself so quickly. Though I doubt the negotiator and the reach ever believed it would be, even when said directly to his face like that. The logic of a slaver or witch hunter, believing themselves to be exempt from their own Karma.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'bodyguards'

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As I understand it, it is a legitimate usage. A bodyguard of bodyguards.

Something seems off here...

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No, it's like 'flammable' and 'inflammable'.

 

[Darko]

As I understand it, it is a legitimate usage. A bodyguard of bodyguards.

Click to shrink...

his bodyguard certainly don't appear to have done so

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Then maybe 'doesn't appear'

 

[Mr Zoat]

Then maybe 'doesn't appear'

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Someguy Somewhere]

That the 'I shrug' is in yellow means that Paul is the one displaying Fear, which, uhhh? What's he got to be afraid of? He wasn't even afraid when he died last.

Click to shrink...

It also shows up when one is instilling fear with their actions. In this case a minor shrug at the end of that statement lets the Reach fellow infer all kinds of horrible things to fill the gap. Grayven gets a lot more of these due to him purposefully instilling fear with his actions, even without direct use of his yellow ring.

 

[ForeverShogo]

The way that the Guardians just let the Reach abuse the invitation clause of the treaty is incredibly fucking stupid and just makes the Guardians look like callous dumbasses.

Guardians: You will no longer be allowed to conquer worlds unless a world explicitly gives you permission to do so.

Reach: What if we were to use mind control to force them to give us permission?

Guardians: We'll allow it.

 

[Handlewithcare]

The way that the Guardians just let the Reach abuse the invitation clause of the treaty is incredibly fucking stupid and just makes the Guardians look like callous dumbasses.

Guardians: You will no longer be allowed to conquer worlds unless a world explicitly gives you permission to do so.

Reach: What if we were to use mind control to force them to give us permission?

Guardians: We'll allow it.

Click to shrink...

The reason the Guardians haven't exterminated the Reach yet has been explicitly given in the story: because they can't hope to do so without concentrating their entire force, leaving a hundred other world ending threats without opposition

So the Reach went from laughably evil to disgustingly evil? Great. What is the long term strategy here? Keep going until we piss of someone powerful enough to completely wipe us out?

 

[jonasquinn]

The way that the Guardians just let the Reach abuse the invitation clause of the treaty is incredibly fucking stupid and just makes the Guardians look like callous dumbasses.

Guardians: You will no longer be allowed to conquer worlds unless a world explicitly gives you permission to do so.

Reach: What if we were to use mind control to force them to give us permission?

Guardians: We'll allow it.

Click to shrink...

To be fair it's not entirely callousness and dumbassery

It's kind of very important that the Guardians keep to their treaties since they're kind of the binding galactic authority and them being the ones to break them sends a very bad sign and it doesn't help that the Reach are capable of going toe to toe with the Greenies on a relatively even level so it's a serious dedication to go to war with them

That being said, yeah there's still some callousness and dumbassery involved

 

[DrThoth]

This insight into Reach history (I'm not sure how much of it is Zoat's invention or drawing from canon) is interesting; I'm still wondering about how their society actually functions and what governance structures are in place.
Did Paragon brand a Reach guy before? I don't remember what species the Reach-aligned agent on the planet with those extreme subjectivist horned aliens was.
I know he's given a time-scale of ten to sixty years, but as things stand, I think he could debilitate a lot of the Reach with his higher-order abilities. We know the Reach are careful to avoid pissing off Maltusians (I think Zoat had an anecdote about them getting decimated at one point in the past by pissing one off, which I think is canonical to this fic), but that's relatively easy to do because of the generally non-interventionist nature of Maltusians due to their cultural policies and history; Paragon can basically function as a Maltusian but without such restraints. I think he can justify drawing on the Ophidian and doing some mass desire alteration of the core of the Reach empire (or at the very least, just observing the patterns of desire there from an inaccessible metaphysical location should be very useful in gathering intelligence on an area that I don't believe any of the OLC and affiliates have ever had access to). I guess I just think drawing things out to a relatively conventional timescale benefits the Reach more than it does the OLC, when you have such a potent weapon in Paragon (especially if he makes his resurrective immortality more efficient).

I do find it a bit hard to believe that no useful data could be gathered from studying the remains of a power ring, from a civilization that can match the GLC in capability (though as Paragon did note, the Guardians didn't permit them to kill during their war).

 

[Stsword]

The way that the Guardians just let the Reach abuse the invitation clause of the treaty is incredibly fucking stupid and just makes the Guardians look like callous dumbasses.

Guardians: You will no longer be allowed to conquer worlds unless a world explicitly gives you permission to do so.

Reach: What if we were to use mind control to force them to give us permission?

Guardians: We'll allow it.

Click to shrink...

In Young Justice Season, after a two year time skip, the GLC is still at war with the Reach.

So the choice was to let the Reach do the occasional conquest/genocide, or ignore all their other duties for years.

The Guardians applied the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

And note, the Blue Beetle scarab landed on Earth 4 thousand years ago.

So it took the Reach 4 thousand years to conquer Earth.


The Reach are apparently in no hurry to conquer worlds or just flat out not that good at it.

 

[Vaermina]

For all Paragon likes to think this is a war they have in the bag, it's not.

The planets the Reach have lost so far have been so unimportant to the Reach that they don't even have the standard planetary self destruct charges. But once they actually loose something important? Or get hit hard enough that they actually feel it? It will turn into a war of planetary attrition. And that's not really something Legion can win since they are loose federation held together by ductape fighting an actual Empire.

 

[Radix]

The way that the Guardians just let the Reach abuse the invitation clause of the treaty is incredibly fucking stupid and just makes the Guardians look like callous dumbasses.

Guardians: You will no longer be allowed to conquer worlds unless a world explicitly gives you permission to do so.

Reach: What if we were to use mind control to force them to give us permission?

Guardians: We'll allow it.

Click to shrink...

But that is the thing, the Reach isnt open about it. At least not in a way that can be proven.

The Guardians are the closest thing to an intergalactic authority in the universe. If they break the treaty without clear cause it could bring their neutrality into question which could unravel other treaties and negotiations.

 

[moralrelativity]

The way that the Guardians just let the Reach abuse the invitation clause of the treaty is incredibly fucking stupid and just makes the Guardians look like callous dumbasses.

Guardians: You will no longer be allowed to conquer worlds unless a world explicitly gives you permission to do so.

Reach: What if we were to use mind control to force them to give us permission?

Guardians: We'll allow it.

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Yep. For creatures that are billions of years old, they're not particularly savvy.

 

[mastermenthe]

So the Reach went from laughably evil to disgustingly evil? Great. What is the long term strategy here? Keep going until we piss of someone powerful enough to completely wipe us out?

Click to shrink...

The point of being this sort of evil is not to do evil, its to repeatedly annoy and nag at the Origin/Creator/Source about how the freely gifted capacity for free will that lets The Reach do evil in the first place is the real evil and is inherently unwanted and that it would be very nice if the Origin/Creator/Source were to utterly Excrutiate everything, or at least fix their own mess in a way that is properly permanent, pretty please? or else the Reach will use every trick in the book to nag at the conscience of the Origin/Creator/Source for eternity?


Something like that.

 

[Mr Zoat]

12th August 2012
19:01 GMT

"Hello there!"

A grinning male humanoid in blue and red greets me with apparent warmth. Empathic vision shows me something rather different, a man driven to acquire the most potent weapons that he can and with absolutely no scruples on what he does to get them.

If we could trust him to stick to a contract, he'd be an excellent Orange Lantern.

"Hello indeed. I am the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps."

"Harrow is the name I go by. My friend's name is Chance." He points a thumb at the grizzled man wearing a tricorn hat. "And the lady there…" The woman in purple. "That's Risqué."

"Doesn't look that risqué." I smile. "But maybe I've spent too much time on Tamaran."

"I don't think I'm particularly harrowing, and I've never seen Chance leave a hand of cards to chance for as long as I've known him." He shrugs. "Names are what you make of them, Illustres."

"Mine's fairly literal. People call me 'Illustres', and-" I intensify my environmental shield. "-I make light."

"Would that be a power ring?"

"Long way from here to D'xe?"

"A long way from a lot of places."

I hold out my left hand.

"I meant, have you been incommunicado? The existence of orange power rings isn't a secret."

I don't think I'm radiating orange light in any metaphysical sense, but his eyes glow and he's not even touching a ring. That sort of thing makes me think 'strong but crazy'.

"Though I imagine the fact that we're at war with the Reach is a more immediate concern."

"Not at all! We're not called 'Free' Lancers because we're under contract! We love bidding wars!"

"Then you do not-" The Negotiator steps forward, his bodyguard fanning out slightly. "-intend to honour your commission to the Reach?"

"It seems that what we've picked up might be a little more valuable than we thought. We'd be fools to let an opportunity like this to slip through our hands."

"And the closest N.E.M.O. planet is closer than the closest Reach planet, and the closest N.E.M.O. fleet is a lot closer than the closest Reach fleet. And I'm here, of course."

Harrow doesn't seem unduly bothered. "It's up to the client to arrange delivery after the hand-off. And since you're not just attacking our ship, it seems to me that you're obeying local law."

"Yes, though I want to be clear that I'm nothing like as obsessive about the principle as the Green Lanterns are."

"Meaning..?"

"Meaning that depending on what you even have, I have to decide how much it will affect the progress of the war. And then I have to decide how badly we need it and whether we need to avoid offending certain parties more or less than we need it. We don't have a multi-million year legacy of lawfulness to live up to."

"Ooh." He holds up his hands. "Consider me warned."

Risqué regards me sceptically. "The Reach are offering us a Scarab implant."

"You know those things mind control you, right?"

"None of us are planning on wearing it. We have sophisticated analysis engines and a contact book full of technical specialists. We're going to reverse engineer the technology."

"Good luck with that. What would I have to offer you to outbid that?"

"Do you have a Scarab?"

"Unfortunately, no. They've started building self-destruct systems into them that make them rather tricky to capture."

Though I do dimly remember… A Booster Gold comic where he got hold of a Scarab after the Rock of Eternity blew up. This continuity doesn't have a Booster Gold… Yet, anyway. And I couldn't find anyone called Jamie Reyes wearing any sort of beetle-themed armour. I could ask William to ask Jebediah whether or not he's got a Scarab, but Jebediah had no real reason to work with me after I killed Nabu.

Wait, was it Jebediah or Nabu..?

"How about a power ring?"

"If you want a long-term contract, I'd be happy to give each of you one. There are very few mortals who can forge rings, and you gaining the ability would make you very valuable to us."

"I hate to repeat myself here, but what part of 'Free Lancer' suggests that we want to be under contract?"

"It's the way your eyes are glowing. Your dominant trait is avarice. I can give you a ring, I can give you access to technology far more advanced than anything the Reach has. You can fiddle around with it to your heart's content and all we'd ask in return is that you share what you learn."

"We're not really looking for that sort of commitment."

"I see why you came to Yuna."

"Hah! Yes, they are a bit like that, aren't they? But that doesn't change the fact that I've already got a generous deal lined up. If you can't outbid the Reach, then… Well…"

He shrugs with exaggerated insolence.

I nod. He has a point, but at this point I don't even know what he has. Asking after that Scarab that might be on Earth would be the next logical step, and… Would Kalmin be willing to trade his antithesis ring?

"Simply knowing that you have something that the Reach want isn't quite enough to make me want to sell the farm. What is it-."

Chance snorts. "You don't even know?"

"I heard a report that you acquired a power ring, but I have no idea whether I should believe it or not."

Harrow reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box.

"There's a standing bounty from all sorts of people for an intact power ring." I smile slightly. Naughty K'ryssma. "But what we got is a little different. We didn't get the full story, but it looks like the Guardians were trying out a new design… But didn't have the bugs all worked out yet."

The small box partially liquefies, revealing the green…

Huh.

Green power rings usually have the green sigil on a circular face. This one is.. slightly darker in colour, with the outline of a square in place of the normal sigil. I can feel the focused will associated with it so it's definitely genuine, but…

Why would the Guardians make something like that, much less actually issue it?

"Have you tested it?"

"How could I do that without tipping off the Guardians? I don't want to get dragged to Oa and stuck in a sciencell."

"In that case, I'm going to need to consult with other parties. Can you hold onto it for a few days?"

"Certainly. I think the bidding might just get interesting."

 

[BlueMangoAdea]

The small box partially liquefied, revealing the green…

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Liquefies for present tense?

Ooh. Prototype ring? I wonder if the design could be adapted for an orange ring.