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

Darko · Feb 8, 2022

Ngamer11 said:
Was he also adopted by Diana in the Paragon timeline? If yes, does he stay at the Themysciran embassy, or is he living with the Kents instead as a second son due to Superman being more present in his life from early on?

Mr Zoat said:
Yes

Though he's probably staying with the Kent's.

Clark is more willing to be in his life but he let Diana adopt him since if he suddenly had a son then it would look very suspicious, but Match also needs some legal protection.

And he may be staying with the Kent's instead of say Clark's home since it would also be less suspicious.

PDV · Feb 8, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
By the time I'd reach the end of this universe the bit I'd started with would have started going wrong again.

"When we reach da end of da whole world, we'll turn around and march back." (x)

Mr Zoat · Feb 8, 2022

PDV said:
"When we reach da end of da whole world, we'll turn around and march back." (x)

I always preferred Morglum Necksnapper.

Mr Zoat · Feb 9, 2022

13th October 2012
09:56 GMT

"Every instinct I have is telling me that we're doing this wrong."

I shrug, ignoring the wingmen following us even as Jade tries to stare holes into them. Thanagarians aren't good at hiding their intentions, and our shadows either have no idea how to even try or they've been told not to bother.

"What, you've never been a distraction before?"

"Not exactly a high-status part of the job. But the distraction had something they-. Were…"

"Working.. on?"

She pulls her attention away from the wingmen and looks out across the valley below us.

"At least the view's nice. Those aren't thanagarian settlements, are they?"

I scan the organised fields lining either side of the river cutting its way through the landscape. "No. The towns have a small garrison, but otherwise it's almost entirely lizarkon."

"Are the thanagarians a minority on their own homeworld?"

"It's the lizarkon homeworld as well. The thanagarians like highly elevated places for their settlements, and… A lot of the smaller ones don't really have the sharp Upside/Downside divide that Thanaldar does. On the planet itself they slightly outnumber the lizarkons; the lizarkon areas are larger but have a relatively low population density. And… Then you've got the fact that thanagarians settle other worlds in this region, and occupy far more positions in the fleet…"

"They're not armed."

"Of course they're not armed. They don't even have that much in the way of machine tools."

There's a pause.

"Not going to say that it's inefficient?"

"It's obviously an inefficient way to farm. But that's not what this is about. It's about having an underclass to make them feel superior. They don't own the land, you know? It's rented."

"Not from a feudal lord."

"No, from the government. Or a government body, anyway. Darn, there's a Hitler quote about this-."

"About what?"

"Something about using pervasive instruments of state to erase other sources of identity. There aren't any lizarkon temples down there, or unsanctioned schools or anything that would promote or enable a resistance movement. Have you ever read Nineteen Eighty Four?"

"No."

I look at her, frowning. "Really? I'd have thought that something like that would be right up Ra's's street."

"Ra's was in charge of the entire League of Shadows. I only saw him a few times while I was training, and a few more when he gave me missions. Supervillains don't generally read dystopian fiction for pleasure."

"Leonard said that Mark Mardon does." She frowns at the name. "Weather Wizard?"

"Generally. Either they're just trying to get rich, or they've already got an idea they want to achieve and don't need to read a book about it."

"Reading doesn't necessarily hurt with that. There was a man who actually tried a scam from Neil Gaiman's American Gods and got away with it."

"What was it?"

"He dressed up as a security guard, hung an 'out of order' sign on a cash deposit slot outside a bank and told anyone who came to deposit the week's takings that he'd been hired to take them because the slot was broken. They handed it over and he gave them a receipt, and he put it in a secure-looking portable safe. At the end of the night…"

She raises her eyebrows. "That worked?"

"In the book they got away with it because the person who did it lived off the grid and moved around a lot. When it was discovered there wasn't any way to track them. The real world version pulled off the first part. I don't know how long they evaded the law for."

"Wouldn't they just phone the bank?"

"In the book, the fake guard gave an official-looking business card to anyone who asked. They had someone posing as the manager of the security company on the other end to field enquiries." I shrug. "It wasn't foolproof, but if people wanted to check and they were given a number to check on, most of the time-."

"People just take the obvious option and wouldn't bother to double check. How much did he get?"

"I don't know. A week's cash takings for half the small businesses in a town, whatever that is."

"I half want to try it, to see if it would work. Do the thanagarians have deposit-?"

"Please don't."

She smiles as I shake my head. "What next?"

"Down the mountain, walk into town and make conversation with the locals. Make it look like I'm thinking about recruiting. With any luck, once they work it out they'll scramble to put their preferred recruits in places we're about to go to."

Jade picks up her pack and slips it on over her back.

"What would you do if you did find someone?"

"Not a lot. Unless they were so perfect that I absolutely had to recruit them, it's not worth disrupting Bleez's work."

There aren't great paths down into the valley. I think this one was made by the passage of lizarkons over the centuries; the main road goes out towards the sea and most actual transport is handled by aircraft that the lizarkons can't legally own. Still, compared to that time Dad and I went up Cadair Idris, where there's a path at the bottom and at the top and actual mountain climbing the middle and we didn't know that in advance, it's not exactly challenging.

"So. Ballroom dancing, war gaming and long countryside walks."

"We're managing to not work a little."

"Yeah. Here and there."

"Is this what it's going to be like?"

I slow my descent slightly. "What what's going to be like?"

"I haven't been in a relationship this long before. Now we've got nothing to do but spend time together, we keep having distractions anyway."

"Life's what happens while you're busy making other plans."

"True, but I was hoping for something-."

"You chose the Darkstars over an office job with the Power Company. You like working as much as I do. Once the Reach are pushed back, we… Heh. I don't know. I mean, I try to have a plan but I'm in the same boat as you are. We're never going to have nothing to do, but we don't have to be not not doing it twenty four seven."

"'Not not doing it'?"

"You phrase it better."

"We don't have to avoid work just because we could."

"Yes." … "Well done."

Doccer · Feb 9, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
Jade picks up her back and slips it on over her back

pack
That's a neat trick!

Mr Zoat said:
"I half want to try it, to see if it would work. Do the thanagarians have deposit-?"

"Please don't."

I'd have said: "Not on any planet where we are known or likely to cross again."
Live a little Paul!

He'll you wanna spend time without work invading? Go contract up a yacht, sail out to the rings of [insert planet name here] then go fishing with her. Construct rods and everything. let the rings AI handle the fish generation.

NightmareWarden · Feb 9, 2022

I wonder which of Paul's quotes, anecdotes, and fun facts she winds up sharing with her coworkers.

Has Paul ever asked a Controller or other Malthusian about the Speed Force?

Bud-E · Feb 9, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
"Reading doesn't necessarily hurt with that. There was a man who actually tried a scam from Neil Gaiman's American Gods and got away with it."

"What was it?"

"He dressed up as a security guard, hung an 'out of order' sign on a cash deposit slot outside a bank and told anyone who came to deposit the week's takings that he'd been hired to take them because the slot was broken. They handed it over and he gave them a receipt, and he put it in a secure-looking portable safe. At the end of the night…"

She raises her eyebrows. "That worked?"

I had no idea someone tried Wednesday's deposit scam in real life? How much did they get?

Darko · Feb 9, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
What was it?"

"He dressed up as a security guard, hung an 'out of order' sign on a cash deposit slot outside a bank and told anyone who came to deposit the week's takings that he'd been hired to take them because the slot was broken. They handed it over and he gave them a receipt, and he put it in a secure-looking portable safe. At the end of the night…"

She raises her eyebrows. "That worked

The fact that the person doing the scam was a god could have helped with it if he used some magic to make sure it worked.

Chojin Patriarch · Feb 9, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
13th October 2012
09:56 GMT

"Every instinct I have is telling me that we're doing this wrong."

I shrug, ignoring the wingmen following us even as Jade tries to stare holes into them. Thanagarians aren't good at hiding their intentions, and our shadows either have no idea how to even try or they've been told not to bother.

I suspect it's the latter, likely as a warning to less savoury elements to 'not mess with these people'. Not quite a flat-out escort - I doubt OL or Jade would allow such a thing - but just making it clear that 'no, these two are not suitable targets, so you should look elsewhere, scum'.

"What, you've never been a distraction before?"

"Not exactly a high-status part of the job. But the distraction had something they-. Were…"

Because why just waste their time drawing the eye when they could actually try to accomplish something?

"Working.. on?"

She pulls her attention away from the wingmen and looks out across valley below us.

"At least the view's nice. Those aren't thanagarian settlements, are they?"

I doubt the birdies would deign to live on the ground, outside of their preferred mountain peaks.

I scan the organised fields lining either side of the river cutting its way through the landscape. "No. The towns have a small garrison, but otherwise it's almost entirely lizarkon."

"Are the thanagarians a minority on their own homeworld?"

A highly effective minority, though. Innate flight would be a big force multiplier before you develop firearms.

"It's the lizarkon homeworld as well. The thanagarians like highly elevated places for their settlements, and… A lot of the smaller ones don't really have the sharp Upside/Downside divide that the Thanaldar does. On the planet itself they slightly out number the lizarkons; the lizarkon areas are larger but have a relatively low population density. And… Then you've got the fact that thanagarians settle other worlds in this region, and occupy far more positions in the fleet…"

I suppose they offer the lizarkons places the thanagarians themselves would be reluctant to inhabit...

"They're not armed."

"Of course they're not armed. They don't even have that much in the way of machine tools."

Because they might weaponise them, I suppose.

There's a pause.

"Not going to say that it's inefficient?"

Oh, she knows him well.

"It's obviously an inefficient way to farm. But that's not what this is about. It's about having an underclass to make them feel superior. They don't own the land, you know? It's rented."

"Not from a feudal lord."

Sounds kind of unpleasant, and easily abusable.

"No, from the government. Or a government body, anyway. Darn, there's a Hitler quote about this-."

"About what?"

"Something about using pervasive instruments of state to erase other sources of identity. There aren't any lizarkon temples down there, or unsanctioned schools or anything that would promote or enable a resistance movement. Have you ever read Nineteen Eighty Four?"

Instead, whatever beliefs they had, any culture of their own, is lost to history.

Tragic... And infuriating.

"No."

I look at her, frowning. "Really? I'd have thought that something like that would be right up Ra's's street."

Different people enjoy different things, you know. I mean, I doubt she reads bodice-ripper romance fiction, but stuff like '1984'? Kinda depressing.

"Ra's was in charge of the entire League of Shadows. I only saw him a few times while I was training, and a few more when he gave me missions. Supervillains don't generally read dystopian fiction for pleasure."

"Leonard said that Mark Mardon does." She frowns at the name. "Weather Wizard?"

Like I said, different tastes. Leonard, on the other hand, seems more the 'Playboy' type.

"Generally. Either they're just trying to get rich, or they've already got an idea they want to achieve and don't need to read a book about it."

"Reading doesn't necessarily hurt with that. There was a man who actually tried a scam from Neil Gaiman's American Gods and got away with it."

Oooh, do tell? Sometimes Truth is stranger than Fiction, after all.

"What was it?"

"He dressed up as a security guard, hung an 'out of order' sign on a cash deposit slot outside a bank and told anyone who came to deposit the week's takings that he'd been hired to take them because the slot was broken. They handed it over and he gave them a receipt, and he put it in a secure-looking portable safe. At the end of the night…"

And that would probably work. People, at heart, prefer to take the easy route when they can. When the easy route has a veneer of officialness? Yeah...

She raises her eyebrows. "That worked?"

"In the book they got away with it because the person who did it lived off the grid and moved around a lot. When it was discovered there wasn't any way to track them. The real world version pulled off the first part. I don't know how long they evaded the law for."

Depends on whether they got a good picture of him on security cameras. These days? More than likely he was found after a couple of days.

"Wouldn't they just phone the bank?"

"In the book, the fake guard gave an official-looking business card to anyone who asked. They had someone posing as the manager of the security company on the other end to field enquiries." I shrug. "It wasn't foolproof, but if people wanted to check and they were given a number to check on, most of the time-."

And none of them thought to go inside and do the deposit there...

People are lazy.

"People just take the obvious option and wouldn't bother to double check. How much did he get?"

"I don't know. A week's cash takings for half the small businesses in a town, whatever that is."

Easily in the range of ten thousand dollars or more.

"I half want to try it, to see if it would work. Do the thanagarians have deposit-?"

"Please don't."

Besides, a society this advanced? Most people would just make electronic transfers. Probably using simple cash cards loaded with 'walking around' cash...

She smiles as I shake my head. "What next?"

"Down the mountain, walk into town and make conversation with the locals. Make it look like I'm thinking about recruiting. With any luck, once they work it out they'll scramble to put their preferred recruits in places we're about to go to."

Not that OL would actually consider any of them, of course. Their allegiances would be too unreliable, at a minimum.

Jade picks up her back and slips it on over her back.

"What would you do if you did find someone?"

"Not a lot. Unless they were so perfect that I absolutely had to recruit them, it's not worth disrupting Bleez's work."

Hopefully that's going well for her...

There aren't great paths down into the valley. I think this one was made by the passage of lizarkons over the centuries; the main road goes out towards the sea and most actual transport is handled by aircraft that the lizarkons can't legally own. Still, compared to that time Dad and I went up Cadair Idris, where there's a path at the bottom and at the top and actual mountain climbing the middle and we didn't know that in advance, it's not exactly challenging.

Sounds like an amusing day out.

"So. Ballroom dancing, war gaming and long countryside walks."

"We're managing to not work a little."

Probably kind of hard to be good at having a holiday when both of you are basically workaholics...

"Yeah. Here and there."

"Is this what it's going to be like?"

Little unclear there, Jade. Remember, this is OL you're talking too.

I slow my descent slightly. "What what's going to be like?"

"I haven't been in a relationship this long before. Now we've got nothing to do but spend time together, we keep having distractions anyway."

Funny how that keeps happening...

"Life's what happens while you're busy making other plans."

"True, but I was hoping for something-."

Real relationships aren't all 'exciting moments' all the time. That sounds very tiring.

"You chose the Darkstars over an office job with the Power Company. You like working as much as I do. Once the Reach are pushed back, we… Heh. I don't know. I mean, I try to have a plan but I'm in the same boat as you are. We're never going to have nothing to do, but we don't have to be not not doing it twenty four seven."

"'Not not doing it'?"

Ah, OL, you and your sometimes-abusive way with words.

"You phrase it better."

"We don't have to avoid work just because we could."

"Yes." … "Well done."

Sounds like she's just choosing to shrug and roll with it... Probably the best way to live with OL.

Of course, no mention is made of what their tailing watchers are going to do while they're off a-rambling. I picture them leaning over the rail, watching them go, and arguing about whether they should follow or not. Which might be amusing. the sight of a couple of thanagarian heavies, clearly not geared up for where they're headed, trying not to stand out too much while OL and Jade have a chuckle at their expense...

...and looks out across valley below us.

...and looks out across the valley below us.

Vaermina · Feb 9, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
"You chose the Darkstars over an office job with the Power Company. You like working as much as I do. Once the Reach are pushed back, we… Heh. I don't know. I mean, I try to have a plan but I'm in the same boat as you are. We're never going to have nothing to do, but we don't have to be not not doing it twenty four seven."

That's now...

But what's going to happen in ten or twenty years when she's tired of the adrenalin junkie lifestyle and wants to settle down somewhere quiet and raise a family?

Cuchulin · Feb 9, 2022

Bud-E said:
I had no idea someone tried Wednesday's deposit scam in real life? How much did they get?

Knowing the story of how Wilhelm Voigt became famous and other similar stories I'm not very surprised.

Ciber · Feb 9, 2022

Vaermina said:
That's now...

But what's going to happen in ten or twenty years when she's tired of the adrenalin junkie lifestyle and wants to settle down somewhere quiet and raise a family?

Most people don't actually want to settle down. It's just that their failing body forces them to.

Rebu · Feb 9, 2022

Bud-E said:
I had no idea someone tried Wednesday's deposit scam in real life? How much did they get?

The IRL scam came first, just in case you were wondering.

goricnac · Feb 9, 2022

A perfect couple of workaholics

Mr Zoat · Feb 9, 2022

Doccer said:
pack

Thank you, corrected.

Bud-E said:
I had no idea someone tried Wednesday's deposit scam in real life? How much did they get?

Sorry, no idea. I just remember Gaiman mentioning it in an interview.

Chojin Patriarch said:
And none of them thought to go inside and do the deposit there... People are lazy.

No, this was after bank closing time.

...and looks out across the valley below us.

Thank you, corrected.

Ngamer11 · Feb 9, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
And him coming here does suggest that Mister and Missus Free are a bit closer to agreeing to join the League. Heh, the Frees, Fire, Ice and Red Rocket. Blue Beetle's a bust but if Booster Gold turns up we'll have the entire Justice League International line up available. Maxwell Lord was one of the people I checked out very carefully early on, but the Earth 16 version isn't telepathic and has no obvious reason to hate metahumans, meaning that the personality shift he underwent in the comics hasn't happened and hopefully won't.

Mr Zoat, I was rereading and found an error. That should say 'Rocket Red'.

Mr Zoat · Feb 9, 2022

Ngamer11 said:
Mr Zoat, I was rereading and found an error. That should say 'Rocket Red'.

Thank you, corrected.

Hell's Razer · Feb 9, 2022

Chojin Patriarch said:
I suspect it's the latter, likely as a warning to less savoury elements to 'not mess with these people'. Not quite a flat-out escort - I doubt OL or Jade would allow such a thing - but just making it clear that 'no, these two are not suitable targets, so you should look elsewhere, scum'.

Chojin I believe that Mr Zoat meant hiding it from empathic vision there, though it is entirely possible I am mistaken about it.

Coda · Feb 9, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
out number

outnumber

Mr Zoat · Feb 9, 2022

Coda said:
outnumber

Thank you, corrected.

Zig · Feb 9, 2022

Rebu said:
The IRL scam came first, just in case you were wondering.

It was done by Frank Abignale of Catch Me if You Can. They tried to film it for the movie as well, but people kept walking up to Leo to give him their money.

Mr Zoat · Feb 10, 2022

14th October 2012
08:15 GMT

"-you must keep it raised! The death toll if the city were-"

I glance upward at the base plate of the Thanagarian city of Enndupar as my construct struggles to keep the city aloft. I mean, it's not like I want these people to die but I'm literally supporting the caste system here.

"-to fall from this height would be-."

"Yes, yes, I know, thank you."

I duck as my shield construct fractures, an Nth metal railgun round narrowly passing over my right shoulder. Marvellous. Jade and I come to Thanagar's tourist hotspot and we weren't even here for a day when the local Seven Devils cult decided that now was a great time for an uprising.

What are they even trying to achieve here?

The head of the garrison -an overweight thanagarian woman whose name I haven't picked up- tightens the bandage around her corpulent left thigh. "I'm simply trying to provide you with something to focus on."

"I'm an Orange Lantern."

"I'm colour blind."

"But you can see the shape of the sigil, r-?"

A trio of thanagarians bearing the ritual scalp scars this particular cult seems to find appealing throw themselves over the parapet! One is immediately tackled out of the air by the last of the garrison chief's bodyguards, not even bothering to bring his mace to bear in favour of immediately increasing the distance between principal and assailant. Thanagarian aerial grappling is fascinating but I can't afford the distraction to watch an expert at work.

Sidearm up, levelled, lead the shot and avoid the thick Nth metal armour that the cult's elite appear to all have and fire fire fire until the cultist falls out of the air missing their right eye and the back of their head.

I do not appreciate having my subspace arsenal rendered unavailable by the thanagarians' 'precautionary measures'.

"HRRRRRRRK!"

The last cultist dives in, the garrison chief clumsily flapping in to jab at them with an Nth metal spear. The cultist rolls in the air and swings at the point with their mace, trying to knock it aside and open their target for a killing blow. The commander withdraws the point, but the spear is designed for positions where it's possible to keep an attacker at a distance, and flying attackers-

"Yeh!"

-with Nth metal in their bodies can manoeuvre around it. The commander is forced to wield the spear like a quarterstaff, pushing forward with her wings to block the next mace strike with the haft. That works, but she's knocked back, weight going on her injured leg for a second before it collapses and she falls to the ground!

I bring my gun around, firing but hitting Nth metal breastplate and the round shield carried in his off-hand. The commander takes advantage of the brief distraction to thrust from her prone position, the spear point skittering off her assailant's gorget.

"Darkstar to Orange Lantern."

The first cultist shoves the bodyguard into the wall and turns towards us, then staggers and drops to her knees, a knife embedded in her throat just under her chin.

The commander tries to rise, stumbling as she does so but managing to turn it into a second thrust that the cultist wasn't expecting. A cut to the cheek and he's forced to flap sideways, then-

"Agh!"

-reel as the bodyguard recovers enough to take a shot. It burned through the feathers of his right wing, and though that won't remove his ability to fly it will reduce his aerial agility.

"Go."

"We're in position. They've dug a shaft going deep under the mountain. It's heavily guarded and the priest is shouting praises to someone called-"

"Onimar Synn."

"-Onim-. If you knew, why am I down here?"

The surviving assassin throws his shield, which smashes edge-first into the bodyguard's right shoulder with a crack that tells of pulverised bones.

"Because I need to hold up the city. I think they were planning to use the Downside population as a sacrifice."

"So am I killing them or not?"

I don't know anything like enough about Onimar Synn to answer that reliably.

"Destroying their equipment should be top priority. Ideally, neutralise any magic users nonlethally, but if they were planning a big sacrifice then a couple of dead priests probably won't be enough."

A flap-hop and another thrust and the spear goes right through the side of the assassin's face, though-

"Gughakha!"

-it doesn't disable him. He grabs the part of the spear just below the head and pulls, jerking it out of the commander's hands and through. He now looks like a dog carrying a long stick in his jaws, aside from the blood. I start reloading my gun as he turns his head towards me-

"Understood. Out."

-just in time for him to get smacked in the side of the head by the bodyguard, using his own shield as a bludgeon! He staggers back, and the bodyguard grabs the end of the spear and yanks, the weapon coming free in a spray of blood and teeth! The cultist swings clumsily with his mace, forcing the bodyguard back but allowing me to step forward, insert the barrel of my pistol into his eye and pull the trigger.

BANG!

The assassin collapses to the ground in a heap, and the bodyguard cautiously walks over to check on the commander.

"Your wound?"

The bodyguard shakes his head. "I'll live."

"I'd fix it, but…"

I glance up. I really hope that the technicians are going to fix the antigravity generators soon.

He picks up the assassin's mace and tests the balance.

"I'll live."

The commander's head twitches. "Responding. Good. Coordinates are available-." She looks up at me. "Lantern, pull your operative out. Ships are in position to bombard-."

"No. Onimar Synn feeds on souls. This was an attempt at mass ritual murder, most likely to feed him. If you bombard the place, you do their work for them. Don't bombard the place."

"Hold the bombardment. What do you suggest?"

"Riot control gear. Gas, tasers, do you have shotguns?"

"We have low wattage electrified plasma guns."

"Them. Get the cultists, remove them from the city, interrogate them and then execute them once the ritual site has been made safe."

"How do we make it safe?"

"I'd have to check. If you're pushed for time, fire usually works."

"Captain, the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps suggests that we need to treat this as a city riot. We've both done the training, and we've both been briefed on what these lunatics can do. Yes. Good."

She looks up at me.

"It will be done."

Ngamer11 · Feb 10, 2022

That went from zero to eleven pretty fast. Mr Zoat, what exactly are these 'precautions' that Paul mentioned? And will this get the higher ups to reconsider the pros and cons of letting Paul have his full arsenal when the Seven Devils attack again?

Darko · Feb 10, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
-you must keep it raised! The death toll if the city were-"

I glance upward at the base plate of the Thanagarian city of Enndupar as my construct struggles to keep the city aloft. I mean, it's not like I want these people to die but I'm literally supporting the caste system here

Ahh, so in just a few days all hell breaks loose.

Mr Zoat said:
Jade and I come to Thanagar's tourist hotspot and we weren't even here for a day when the local Seven Devils cult decided that now was a great time for an uprising.

So I was kinda right.

Mr Zoat said:
They're dug a shaft going

'They've dug'

Mr Zoat said:
and the priest is shouted praises to someone called-"

'shouting'

jasonh23761 · Feb 10, 2022

Silly Thanagarians, killing isn't always the answer.

I mean it could be if you were prepared to give up the whole planet but still.

Darko · Feb 10, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
13th October 2012
09:56 GMT

Zoat the time for both these chapters is the same.

The second one should probably be a few hours later.

Mr Zoat · Feb 10, 2022

Darko said:
'They've dug'
'shouting'

Darko said:
Zoat the time for both these chapters is the same.

The second one should probably be a few hours later.

Thank you, corrected.

Chojin Patriarch · Feb 10, 2022

Mr Zoat said:
14th October 2012
08:15 GMT

"-you must keep it raised! The death toll if the city were-"

I glance upward at the base plate of the Thanagarian city of Enndupar as my construct struggles to keep the city aloft. I mean, it's not like I want these people to die but I'm literally supporting the caste system here.

...I feel cheated. That went from 'pleasant countryside walk' to 'all hell breaking loose' real fast. That's some mood whiplash! On the other hand, it's probably a really lucky thing OL and Jade were here. I can't imagine how bad this would be if that thing dropped without resistance...

"-to fall from this height would be-."

"Yes, yes, I know, thank you."

I mean, if he were any other Lantern, the person prattling on would be a distraction...

I duck as my shield construct fractures, an Nth metal railgun round narrowly passing over my right shoulder. Marvellous. Jade and I come to Thanagar's tourist hotspot and we weren't even here for a day when the local Seven Devils cult decided that now was a great time for an uprising.

What are they even trying to achieve here?

Mass murder? Seems pretty simple to me. Their gods want souls, and they want lots of them. A veritable smorgasbord of death.

The head of the garrison -an overweight thanagarian woman whose name I haven't picked up- tightens the bandage around her corpulent left thigh. "I'm simply trying to provide you with something to focus on."

"I'm an Orange Lantern."

...I'm going to call her Emily. Worm fans will know what I refer to. Though I am surprised any Thanagarian could get that hefty. I'm guessing the only thing she usually flies is a desk.

"I'm colour blind."

"But you can see the shape of the sigil, r-?"

Hey, bizarre alien biology. She could well be Orange-Green colourblind... Or she's just dropping a ton of snark. Kind of a stress response, you know?

A trio of thanagarians bearing the ritual scalp scars this particular cult seems to find appealing throw themselves over the parapet! One is immediately tackled out of the air by the last of the garrison chief's bodyguards, not even bothering to bring his mace to bear in favour of immediately increasing the distance between principal and assailant. Thanagarian aerial grappling is fascinating but I can't afford the distraction to watch an expert at work.

Probably lot of joint locks aiming to interfere with the opponent's wings, or positioning them so that you don't hit the ground first...

Sidearm up, levelled, lead the shot and avoid the thick Nth metal armour that the cult's elite appear to all have and fire fire fire until the cultist falls out of the air missing their right eye and the back of their head.

I do not appreciate having my subspace arsenal rendered unavailable by the thanagarian's 'precautionary measures'.

Oh, yes, I foresee him having many words with whoever ordered that sort of thing put in place. And more than a few of them will probably be rude.

"HRRRRRRRK!"

The last cultist dives in, the garrison chief clumsily flapping in to jab at them with an Nth metal spear. The cultist rolls in the air and swings at the point with their mace, trying to knock it aside and open their target for a killing blow. The commander withdraws the point, but the spear is designed for positions where it's possible to keep an attacker at a distance, and flying attackers-

Lucky fellow. One wrong move and he'd have spitted himself like a turkey. Of course, that would benefit him anyway, because if he had any friends left, they'd have a free shot at Emily.

"Yeh!"

-with Nth metal in their bodies can manoeuvre around it. The commander is forced to wield the spear like a quarterstaff, pushing forward with her wings to block the next mace strike with the haft. That works, but she's knocked back, weight going on her injured leg for a second before it collapses and she falls to the ground!

And that is why you don't go hand-to-hand while injured, Emily. I can see why you didn't try to escape, but right now? Risky.

I bring my gun around, firing but hitting Nth metal breastplate and the round shield carried in his off-hand. The commander takes advantage of the brief distraction to thrust from her prone position, the spear point skittering off her assailant's gorget.

"Darkstar to Orange Lantern."

That would be Jade, of course. No doubt doing what she does best, and hunting shitheads down.

The first cultist shoves the bodyguard into the wall and turns towards us, then staggers and drops to her knees, a knife embedded in her throat just under her chin.

The commander tries to rise, stumbling as she does so but managing to turn it into a second thrust that the cultist wasn't expecting. A cut to the cheek and he's forced to flap sideways, then-

Someone's got a heck of a throwing arm. Unless that was the bodyguard's handiwork.

"Agh!"

-reel as the bodyguard recovers enough to take a shot. It burned through the feathers of his right wing, and though that won't remove his ability to fly it will reduce his aerial agility.

Still hurts like a mother-lover, though. At least it'll distract him a little.

"Go."

"We're in position. They're dug a shaft going deep under the mountain. It's heavily guarded and the priest is shouted praises to someone called-"

So, which of the Seven Devils is behind this little performance?

"Onimar Synn."

"-Onim-. If you knew, why am I down here?"

Oh, that arsehole. Yeah, kind of an easy bet, huh?

The surviving assassin throws his shield, which smashes edge-first into the bodyguard's right shoulder with a crack that tells of pulverised bones.

"Because I need to hold up the city. I think they were planning to use the Downside population as a sacrifice."

Ow. Yeah, that guy's out of the fight. And I should think dropping a city would be pretty bad for those on top, too. Certainly worse for the unfortunates underneath, but imagine all the people trapped inside buildings or unable to take wing to flee.

"So am I killing them or not?"

I don't know anything like enough about Onimar Synn to answer that reliably.

I can see the Thanagarians being reluctant to discuss their greatest monsters. Especially if they were thought of as myth by this era.

"Destroying their equipment should be top priority. Ideally, neutralise any magic users nonlethally, but if they were planning a big sacrifice then a couple of dead priests probably won't be enough."

A flap-hop and another thrust and the spear goes right through the side of the assassin's face, though-

Double ow. Unfortunately, unless she caught bone, that ain't a knockout.

"Gughakha!"

-it doesn't disable him. He grabs the part of the spear just below the head and pulls, jerking it out of the commander's hands and through. He now looks like a dog carrying a long stick in his jaws, aside from the blood. I start reloading my gun as he turns his head towards me-

Oh, he's high on something to be that inured to pain.

"Understood. Out."

-just in time for him to get smacked in the side of the head by the bodyguard, using his own shield as a bludgeon! He staggers back, and the bodyguard grabs the end of the spear and yanks, the weapon coming free in a spray of blood and teeth! The cultist swings clumsily with his mace, forcing the bodyguard back but allowing me to step forward, insert the barrel of my pistol into his eye and pull the trigger.

Talk about painting the town red. This has to one of the most brutal fights we've seen for a while.

BANG!

The assassin collapses to the ground in a heap, and the bodyguard cautiously walks over to check on the commander.

Not bad considering one of his shoulders probably resembles meatloaf right now...

"Your wound?"

The bodyguard shakes his head. "I'll live."

Adrenaline's a helluva drug, huh? He'll be feeling that soon enough.

"I'd fix it, but…"

I glance up. I really hope that the technicians are going to fix the antigravity generators soon.

I expect there are going to be very pointed questions asked in the halls of power about how they got at them in the first place...

He picks up the assassin's mace and tests the balance.

"I'll live."

"I ain't got time to bleed..." And I just picture OL reacting much as the second fellow in that clip does.

The commander's head twitches. "Responding. Good. Coordinates are available-." She looks up at me. "Lantern, pull your operative out. Ships are in position to bombard-."

"No. Onimar Synn feeds on souls. This was an attempt at mass ritual murder, most likely to feed him. If you bombard the place, you do their work for them. Don't bombard the place."

Yeah, that might not be as big a meal as an entire town, but I expect there's quite a few goons running around in there.

"Hold the bombardment. What do you suggest?"

"Riot control gear. Gas, tasers, do you have shotguns?"

Won't guarantee non-lethal, but at least less will end up dead.

"We have low wattage electrified plasma guns."

"Them. Get the cultists, remove them from the city, interrogate them and then execute them once the ritual site has been made safe."

I love that he takes it as given they will die. No mercy, after all.

"How do we make it safe?"

"I'd have to check. If you're pushed for time, fire usually works."

Fire works for most things. Heck, do it right and it even works on creatures made of fire.

"Captain, the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps suggests that we need to treat this as a city riot. We've both done the training, and we've both been briefed on what these lunatics can do. Yes. Good."

She looks up at me.

"It will be done."

I'm sure they'll go out of their way to take the cultists alive...

Welp, so much for his holiday. Still, at least he got a couple of weeks before something went ploin-shaped. That's practically a new record!

And preventing a messy situation popping up on Thanagar will probably go a long way to smoothing some ruffled feathers here and there. Let's just hope Bleez isn't caught up in any of this mayhem.

Darko · Feb 10, 2022

Chojin Patriarch said:
...I feel cheated. That went from 'pleasant countryside walk' to 'all hell breaking loose' real fast. That's some mood whiplash

As if you weren't expecting it.

Chojin Patriarch said:
...I'm going to call her Emily. Worm fans will know what I refer to. Though I am surprised any Thanagarian could get that hefty. I'm guessing the only thing she usually flies is a desk

If she was just in charge of administration then it's possible she stopped working out.

Though even a hefty person can be a dangerous fighter.

Cuchulin · Feb 10, 2022

jasonh23761 said:
Silly Thanagarians, killing isn't always the answer.
I mean it could be if you were prepared to give up the whole planet but still.

Indeed, the dead tends to be quite hard to get answers from.

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