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

Duke Long · Feb 9, 2023

WereDragon said:
Paul actively resists stability and has no need of a fixed home, already has an entire Lantern Corps worth of children he actively avoids raising or nurturing, spends most of his time repeatedly trying to get other people to take on challenges and embrace opportunities rather than doing things himself and spends no time with Jade outside of their 'dates'.

If you're talking about the spider babies as children, then he doesn't want those because they were designed specifically to manipulate him. I think it's very reasonable to want to have little to do with them even if he otherwise is interested in children.

Mr Zoat · Feb 10, 2023

20th January 2013
12:18 GMT

Jade's maser hits one of the robots in the chest, melting through its control systems and causing it to collapse onto the rubble-strewn ground.

"They're trying to lead us somewhere, aren't they?"

I nod as my ring goes through the programming of one of the robots I grabbed intact. They clearly weren't designed with fighting Lanterns in mind.

"Their behaviour is emergent. The actual program is relatively simple."

Like a shoal of fish. Or a flock of birds. There's no program which requires them to communicate with one another, just a programmed behaviour which is slightly altered when they can see one another.

Jade pauses for a moment and checks behind her, spotting the flankers who are supposedly driving us forward. "You mean that they're leading us around without an actual direction?"

"They were probably only released once organised resistance had broken down. Even if they ran into a group of soldiers, harrying them until they started to break mentally would be a viable tactic."

Jade accelerates, using her exo-mantle's thrusters to charge after the flankers. Immediately, the main mass from the front of us starts to close in where before they had been falling back.

"Reminds me of a book I read once. A fortified base has flamethrowers set up around the perimeter, and because they thought that the dangerous animals-"

Jade fires, hitting one of the flankers in the head. It doesn't collapse, but denied its sight organs its behaviour changes. It attempts to burrow into the ground, presumably so that it can use its seismic sensors to carry out an ambush later.

"-might work out a regular pattern of firing, they had it fire on an irregular pattern with… I think it was four? Interval changes. Any human who found themself caught outside could wait for the longest interval before trying to pass, but animals would be stuck."

"What are they doing now?"

Scan.

"The flankers are spreading out slightly, and some from the edge of the main mass are being drawn off."

Which replaces the flankers without anyone being designated as 'flankers' by a control program. I generate a plasma initiator construct and turn the majority of the oncoming wave into energised plasma. They weren't designed to be particularly resilient; their survivability as a group comes from their numbers.

"And now they're falling back."

"Because their behaviour changes based on how many of them there are around." She uses her flight system to drift slowly back towards me, while keeping an eye on the remaining flankers as they fall back. "So they wait until they're back up to a critical mass, then their behaviour will change back."

"Yes."

"Do you think Kalmin put a factory on the planet, or just dropped a few billion robots off?"

"Having a drop off point sounds easier to control, and there would be a small chance that a factory could be located and destroyed."

"He could just replace it. They didn't have any defence against orbital strikes."

"Sinestro's been to Earth a few times, but he's never made use of Dr. Crane's fear chemical. With a power ring, he could have found out about it very easily."

"Does it work on aliens?"

"It's… Generally affective against humanoids, though less so than against humans. It's not exactly a subtle thing. Against non-humanoids it usually doesn't do much."

"Space-faring species usually have better atmosphere purification technology than Earth. It wouldn't be as effective. And it wouldn't fit his strategy."

"Being a dick to Jordan doesn't require gas attacks, I agree."

"He hasn't done that for years. Supervillains can bear personal grudges while still pursuing a wider agenda."

"So he's got it, but he isn't going to use it until he thinks it's time to make large-scale attacks. And he's handing out replica rings because he's trying to find good recruits."

"Or he's trying to work out what makes a good recruit. Clarissi Dox is still doing that for the Orange Lantern Corps."

"Dox is trying to find out what makes an ideal recruit. We already know what makes good recruits."

Comic Sinestro had… Fear lodges? Recruits were exposed to their greatest fears, and then had to make a powerless ring spark, something like that? There was a significant die-off rate, and… That was on Qward, with Weaponers forging new rings for the recruits and presumably building other equipment as well. Because the Green Lantern Corps weren't watching Qward despite Sinestro's repeated involvement with them it came as a complete surprise. And that's not the case with us. While Qward's weakened state means that he probably could conquer it… No. There's no organisational structure to put himself at the top of. He'd need an army to actually take and hold the place while he upgunned his recruits and created a new power structure.

"Do you really think that Dox thinks that 'good' is good enough?"

"Oh, I know he won't settle for it, but he's recruited people who are just 'good' without having an aneurysm."

"Impressive."

"I thought so."

Hm. The robots are still falling back, still too clumped up for their 'stalk' program to activate.

"Jade-. I realise that your first try put you off the idea of using an orange power ring, but…"

"Do I want to try a yellow one?" She pointedly looks around at the devastation surrounding us. And then back at me to make sure that I was following her line of sight. "I'll pass."

"This.. is a Kalmin way of creating a yellow ring. I don't believe for a moment that this was actually essential."

In the comic, they ended up mass producing them in factories, so they must have worked out a way to avoid needing mass murder each time. If only because the Weaponers would have been much more cheerful if it was still required.

"If I had one, would seeing this start feeling good?"

"I… Don't know. Several Yellow Lanterns have responded positively to seeing fear, but they were probably the sort of person who would like that anyway."

"And Kalmin would see it as a feature."

"Almost certainly. Or he wouldn't realise that there was another way to respond to it. H-?"

"How about another colour?"

"I met a parallel universe version of you who used a green ring. She was pretty good with it."

"I doubt our lives were that similar."

"Almost identical until you ran away from home."

"So do I kill Stewart or Savenlovich?"

"I could ask Malvolio? I don't think he's made any rings, but it should be well within his abilities."

Jade considers that for a moment. "I… Wouldn't mind a green ring. Depending on what the conditions were."

"Then I'll ask him. Now, let's try this world's rural areas."

Darko · Feb 10, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
behaviour with is slightly

"which is"

Mr Zoat said:
Sinestro's been to Earth a few times, but he's never made use of Dr. Crane's fear chemical. With a power ring, he could have found out about it very easily

He may either have just not searched for it, considers it cheating, or doesn't want to use things made by humans.

Mr Zoat said:
"Do you really think that Dox thinks that 'good' is good enough?"

"Oh, I know he won't settle for it, but he's recruited people who are just 'good' without having an aneurism

Scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Mr Zoat said:
"Do I want to try a yellow one?" She pointedly looks around at the devastation surrounding us. And then back at me to make sure that I was following her line of sight. "I'll pass

Yeah, I mean orange rings are bad, but yellow tends to bring out the sadistic side of its user.

Mr Zoat said:
In the comic, they ended up mass producing them in factories, so they must have worked out a way to avoid needing mass murder each time. If only because the Weaponers would have been much more cheerful if it was still required

I mean, the whole being enslaved part could have dampened their joy even if they were allowed to commit regular genocide.

Mr Zoat said:
"I… Don't know. Several Yellow Lanterns have responded positively to seeing fear, but they were probably the sort of person who would like that anyway

A problem with the yellow ring is that the recruiter most suited to its use are the ones that should not be given any power, especially power over others.

Mr Zoat · Feb 10, 2023

Darko said:
"which is"

Thank you, corrected.

Handlewithcare · Feb 10, 2023

So a weekend getaway for those two is a murder-robot hunting safari?

Chojin Patriarch · Feb 10, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
20th January 2013
12:18 GMT

Jade's maser hits one of the robots in the chest, melting through its control systems and causing it to collapse onto the rubble-strewn ground.

"They're trying to lead us somewhere, aren't they?"

I doubt they have a destination in mind. It's like a horror movie version of persistence pursuit: Chase them until their fear is at a peak. If they happen to die, well, time to go find another one to chase.

I nod as my ring goes through the programming of one of the robots I grabbed intact. They clearly weren't designed with fighting Lanterns in mind.

"Their behaviour is emergent. The actual program is relatively simple."

So I doubt they're smart enough to decide not to do what they're programmed to. Kalmin would not be that sloppy.

Like a shoal of fish. Or a flock of birds. There's no program which requires them to communicate with one another, just a programmed behaviour with is slightly altered when they can see one another.

Jade pauses for a moment and checks behind her, spotting the flankers who are supposedly driving us forward. "You mean that they're leading us around without an actual direction?"

Like little puppies playing chase. Too bad if their playmates stop moving. Find a new one!

"They were probably only released once organised resistance had broken down. Even if they ran into a group of soldiers, harrying them until they started to break mentally would be a viable tactic."

Jade accelerates, using her exo-mantle's thrusters to charge after the flankers. Immediately, the main mass from the front of us starts to close in where before they had been falling back.

And it seems they have responses for if the playmate turns hostile, of course.

"Reminds me of a book I read once. A fortified base has flamethrowers set up around the perimeter, and because they thought that the dangerous animals-"

Jade fires, hitting one of the flankers in the head. It doesn't collapse, but denied its sight organs its behaviour changes. It attempts to burrow into the ground, presumably so that it can use its seismic sensors to carry out an ambush later.

Massively redundant fallback programming. Definitely a Kalmin jam.

"-might work out a regular pattern of firing, they had it fire on an irregular pattern with… I think it was four? Interval changes. Any human who found themself caught outside could wait for the longest interval before trying to pass, but animals would be stuck."

"What are they doing now?"

That's a logical method. I hope it worked out for them, because it would be an easy twist for the animals to be smart enough to realise that too.

Scan.

"The flankers are spreading out slightly, and some from the edge of the main mass are being drawn off."

Not trying to encircle you, though? Presumably still some elements of 'scare them into running' in play...

Which replaces the flankers without anyone being designated as 'flankers' by a control program. I generate a plasma initiator construct and turn the majority of the oncoming wave into energised plasma. They weren't designed to be particularly resilient; their survivability as a group comes from their numbers.

"And now they're falling back."

To be fair, if they have a decent self-repair program, and the locals weren't heavily armed, damaged units could retreat and recover...

"Because their behaviour changes based on how many of them there are around." She uses her flight system to drift slowly back towards me, while keeping an eye on the remaining flankers as they fall back. "So they wait until they're back up to a critical mass, then their behaviour will change back."

"Yes."

Or worse, have them capable of fabricating more of themselves. With a population cap, of course. No point letting them paperclip their way into overrunning the planet.

"Do you think Kalmin put a factory on the planet, or just dropped a few billion robots off?"

"Having a drop off point sounds easier to control, and there would be a small chance that a factory could be located and destroyed."

And you could always disguise a drop as part of a bombardment. Leave the locals feeling okay until the faint chirp of something not of this world sounds out...

"He could just replace it. They didn't have any defence against orbital strikes."

"Sinestro's been to Earth a few times, but he's never made use of Dr. Crane's fear chemical. With a power ring, he could have found out about it very easily."

Too indiscriminate, maybe? Or perhaps too crude for his tastes? No reliable way to control what fears the victim experiences.

"Does it work on aliens?"

"It's… Generally affective against humanoids, though less so than against humans. It's not exactly a subtle thing. Against non-humanoids it usually doesn't do much."

Very much taking to the chemical triggers for the fear response with a sledgehammer, really.

"Space-faring species usually have better atmosphere purification technology than Earth. It wouldn't be as effective. And it wouldn't fit his strategy."

"Being a dick to Jordan doesn't require gas attacks, I agree."

And really, that is a big part of his motivation, early on at least. Punishing the uppity human rookie for upturning his career and his world's stability because 'muh freedoms'.

"He hasn't done that for years. Supervillains can bear personal grudges while still pursuing a wider agenda."

"So he's got it, but he isn't going to use it until he thinks it's time to make large-scale attacks. And he's handing out replica rings because he's trying to find good recruits."

It is still early days, after all.

"Or he's trying to work out what makes a good recruit. Clarissi Dox is still doing that for the Orange Lantern Corps."

"Dox is trying to find out what makes an ideal recruit. We already know what makes good recruits."

Yes, but there's a gap between good and ideal. Usually involving a measure of insubordinate attitude, for one.

Comic Sinestro had… Fear lodges? Recruits were exposed to their greatest fears, and then had to make a powerless ring spark, something like that? There was a significant die-off rate, and… That was on Qward, with Weaponers forging new rings for the recruits and presumably building other equipment as well. Because the Green Lantern Corps weren't watching Qward despite Sinestro's repeated involvement with them it came as a complete surprise. And that's not the case with us. While Qward's weakened state means that he probably could conquer it… No. There's no organisational structure to put himself at the top of. He'd need an army to actually take and hold the place while he upgunned his recruits and created a new power structure.

Plus, you sniped Kalmin out of there, leaving less able Weaponers to work out Maltusian Spectrum technology from first principles...

"Do you really think that Dox thinks that 'good' is good enough?"

"Oh, I know he won't settle for it, but he's recruited people who are just 'good' without having an aneurism."

Because they provide useful experimental data. Once he has a clearer idea of an optimum recruit, he can focus on that, and see if it works or not...

"Impressive."

"I thought so."

Given how he was when you first recruited him, he seems to have loosened up ever-so-slightly.

Just a micrometer or two.

Hm. The robots are still falling back, still too clumped up for their 'stalk' program to activate.

"Jade-. I realise that your first try put you off the idea of using an orange power ring, but…"

I mean, she wasn't quite as bad as Robin. She managed to do what she wanted with it, then take it off without going all 'Mine!'

"Do I want to try a yellow one?" She pointedly looks around at the devastation surrounding us. And then back at me to make sure that I was following her line of sight. "I'll pass."

"This.. is a Kalmin way of creating a yellow ring. I don't believe for a moment that this was actually essential."

Besides, different universe, different rules. A Yellow Ring built on similar principles to the Orange would be more tied to your own fears, and channelling them...

In the comic, they ended up mass producing them in factories, so they must have worked out a way to avoid needing mass murder each time. If only because the Weaponers would have been much more cheerful if it was still required.

"If I had one, would seeing this start feeling good?"

I still feel like this whole 'kill a planet with fear' was more of a 'prime a central power battery' sort of thing. After all, did Sinestro's Rings work with a battery, or charge from ambient spectrum energy? Hell, pre-crisis, he could simply have skipped installing the 24-hour recharge restriction and gotten away with it.

"I… Don't know. Several Yellow Lanterns have responded positively to seeing fear, but they were probably the sort of person who would like that anyway."

"And Kalmin would see it as a feature."

Of course he would. His Ring design was intended to operate by empowering itself via others' fear, why not use people who enjoy causing it?

"Almost certainly. Or he wouldn't realise that there was another way to respond to it. H-?"

"How about another colour?"

I don't really picture you with any of the 'cool' end of the spectrum: Hope, Compassion or Love...

"I met a parallel universe version of you who used a green ring. She was pretty good with it."

"I doubt our lives were that similar."

Eh, there's always little differences, but...

"Almost identical until you ran away from home."

"So do I kill Stewart or Savenlovich?"

Sadly, yes. The Guardians do kind of have a monopoly on Green light.

"I could ask Malvolio? I don't think he's made any rings, but it should be well within his abilities."

Jade considers that for a moment. "I… Wouldn't mind a green ring. Depending on what the conditions were."

"Then I'll ask him. Now, let's try this world's rural areas."

Heh. Malvolio's bootleg Green Army may have it's first recruit. And all this talk of alternates reminds me: how's Gold Lantern been doing? (The former Anti-Green Paul in the pilot JL-cartoon-verse?)

Hopefully alternate Green Ring ideas would include better in-built functions than the original Guardians design. Automatic healing functions, for instance, or a safe operating threshold for environmental functions... But I suppose that's for Malvolio to work out for himself.Still, the idea of a ring-slinging couple sounds kind of amusing... Especially if their colours of choice are complementary.

Darko · Feb 10, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Plus, you sniped Kalmin out of there, leaving less able Weaponers to work out Maltusian Spectrum technology from first principles...

That female Weaponer that Kalmin knew could potentially make a ring, since she made one in the Renegade timeline.

FeepingCreature · Feb 10, 2023

Darko said:
A problem with the yellow ring is that the recruiter most suited to its use are the ones that should not be given any power, especially power over others.

I'd guess that the Doctor (Dr. Who) could productively wield a yellow ring. Though I don't think it'd be their primary over green.

dw7thdoctor · Feb 10, 2023

FeepingCreature said:
I'd guess that the Doctor (Dr. Who) could productively wield a yellow ring. Though I don't think it'd be their primary over green.

I think The Doctor could produce any of the colors although with some trouble with orange and violent. Hope, though he kind of did that in the episode with the year that never was with The Master during season 3 of New Who.

thebishop8 · Feb 10, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"I could ask Malvolio? I don't think he's made any rings, but it should be well within his abilities."

The last time Paul met with Malvolio, they talked about ring making and how neither of them knew how to do it yet.

Mr Zoat · Feb 10, 2023

dw7thdoctor said:
I think The Doctor could produce any of the colors although with some trouble with orange and violent. Hope, though he kind of did that in the episode with the year that never was with The Master during season 3 of New Who.

You don't remember the episode where he, Rory and Amy went to a resort planet and Amy ended up being stuck in a different timezone for thirty years due to quaranteen restrictions. Rory lambasts him for not checking and he says 'I don't travel like that'. Or there's that whole thing about him being jaded and needing to show wonders to other people in order to enjoy them.

The Unaligned Player · Feb 10, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Or there's that whole thing about him being jaded and needing to show wonders to other people in order to enjoy them.

So, Reverse Blue Lantern?

Duke Long · Feb 10, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
"Oh, I know he won't settle for it, but he's recruited people who are just 'good' without having an aneurism."

'aneurysm'

Mr Zoat · Feb 10, 2023

Duke Long said:
'aneurysm'

Thank you, corrected.

Rafin · Feb 10, 2023

What Kalmin did to that planet seems really inefficient. The death toll to fear production ratio means that many souls that could have been absolutely shitting themselves were instead just dead, producing no fear at all anymore. Most of the more creative terror tools were apparently only used after the blunt tool of semi-randomized orbital bombardement. An ideal fear production would have involved making suicide or murder by former neighbors/friends/family the highest cause of death, with each direct killing by Kalmin's tools being done to inspire at least one order of magnitude more fear than the deleted fear potential of the directly killed subject. Also, one would have to find a way to intersperse bursts of hope, to make sure that fear doesn't get supplanted by despair.

I guess a collapse of civilization would be both inevitable and useful, so whatever amount of death that would be projected to cause can also be considered acceptable collateral damage during the initial attack. But even then, one could combine complete societal collapse with artificial supply drops, to minimize more mundane and less useful death to logistical issues. Especially the kinds of death where someone just gives up and accepts starvation.

Duke Long · Feb 10, 2023

Rafin said:
What Kalmin did to that planet seems really inefficient. The death toll to fear production ratio means that many souls that could have been absolutely shitting themselves were instead just dead, producing no fear at all anymore. Most of the more creative terror tools were apparently only used after the blunt tool of semi-randomized orbital bombardement. An ideal fear production would have involved making suicide or murder by former neighbors/friends/family the highest cause of death, with each direct killing by Kalmin's tools being done to inspire at least one order of magnitude more fear than the deleted fear potential of the directly killed subject. Also, one would have to find a way to intersperse bursts of hope, to make sure that fear doesn't get supplanted by despair.

I guess a collapse of civilization would be both inevitable and useful, so whatever amount of death that would be projected to cause can also be considered acceptable collateral damage during the initial attack. But even then, one could combine complete societal collapse with artificial supply drops, to minimize more mundane and less useful death to logistical issues. Especially the kinds of death where someone just gives up and accepts starvation.

But presumably that would have taken more effort. This method clearly worked, so it could be argued that expending more effort when just this amount was sufficient would be inefficient. Doing it this way is only inefficient in terms of the amount of people you need, but even if Kalmin used a method that needed fewer people he'd probably just nuke the remainder afterwards.

dw7thdoctor · Feb 10, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
You don't remember the episode where he, Rory and Amy went to a resort planet and Amy ended up being stuck in a different timezone for thirty years due to quaranteen restrictions. Rory lambasts him for not checking and he says 'I don't travel like that'. Or there's that whole thing about him being jaded and needing to show wonders to other people in order to enjoy them.

you make some good points. Talking about Doctor Who/Green lantern crossover reminded me of this good fanfiction https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8124813/1/A-Dalek-Lantern that featured a Red Lantern Dalek and Yellow Lantern Master.

Mr Zoat · Feb 10, 2023

dw7thdoctor said:
you make some good points. Talking about Doctor Who/Green lantern crossover reminded me of this good fanfiction https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8124813/1/A-Dalek-Lantern that featured a Red Lantern Dalek and Yellow Lantern Master.

Yeah, I was reading that when it was being posted on Space Battles. Shame it died.

DeathReaperZ · Feb 11, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Not Britain though: they drive on the right.

Gotta love how that's the differentiating factor.

Mr Zoat said:
Ah, there we go.

He spoke too soon about not fearing anything.

Mr Zoat said:
"I'm not in a position to fight the S-."

Not yet anyway, I'm sure you'll figure out how to fight an omnipotent being.

Mr Zoat said:
"No. I'll be able to make new friends. Meet… New people. Somewhere in the multiverse there's a problem I can fix, so I'll never be bored. Somewhere in the multiverse there's something new to see and do. I'm worried about not being with you anymore. Not… Seeing it with you"

Maybe we'll end up seeing Paul after thousands of years, having done everything he could do in his world, done and with everyone he knew dead. Perhaps we'll see him travel through the multiverse, to gain purpose.

Mr Zoat · Feb 11, 2023

6 569 938.M41

"I… I was not expecting you to be here."

Bo'ohk looks decidedly unsteady on his feet as he exits the domed temple where the T'au Aun'ar'tol meets, his honour blade strapped to his back. I can see cuts, bruises and… At least they let him bandage the worse ones. I turn so that I'm alongside him and offer him my arm to lean on.

"Ah-. Thank you, but I should not. I have allowed my physical conditioning to weaken. My seniors were unimpressed by my skill with the blade."

He scents something and then looks straight at Tsua'm, noting her distress at seeing a visibly ailing Aun. Next to her Kais is looking a little sympathetic, but he's been worked to exhaustion during both training and field assignments too often to worry about Bo'ohk being a bit banged up.

"Be at peace, Envoy. This was a necessary test of my beliefs and resolve. And since no other Ethereals are assigned to our group, it is helpful for my seniors to review my actions at times like this."

"Huh." I frown. "We don't really have a hand-to-hand specialist for you to train with."

Gremlin grins toothily. "I could have a go, boss. Build yah a real noice tinboy ta scrap with. Learn yah real good, it would."

"Thank you, Grem'len, but I have too many uses for my arms."

Kais draws himself up slightly. "We would welcome your participation during our training, Prince Bo'ohk."

"I thank you for your kind offer, Shas'Ui, but I think that I will focus on physical conditioning first. While I suspect that your team would be a little more gentle than the blade masters of the T'au Aun'ar'tol, at my current skill level it would only be a difference of slight degrees."

I hold out the ring slightly.

"Do you want me to fix you up?"

"No. These wounds are mine to bear. Ah. Perhaps that bench?"

Tucked away on the grounds of the temple are a number of small gardens set aside for contemplation. Or… Perhaps so that young Ethereals can be assigned to care for them as punishment duty. Tall bushes give the illusion of privacy, richly scented plants calm the visiting tau-

Gremlin wrinkles his nose.

"Bit wiffy, innit?"

-but don't necessarily have that effect on aliens, and wind chimes add to the air of peace. I hover as Bo'ohk leads us through the entrance and then over to the stone-wrought bench, where he gingerly sits down.

Kais takes up position just inside the entrance, out of sight from external observers. Tsua'm drops into a cross-legged position on the ground in front of Bo'ohk, and I can't help but wince slightly when I try following where she's folding her legs. With the robes she normally wears it's easy to forget that her ankle is a sort of second backwards knee. I sit down next to her, mirroring her posture, while Gremlin wonders over to sniff a flower, watching Bo'ohk out of the corner of one eye.

Bo'ohk opens his mouth to speak.

"Ow."

The way he immediately makes eye contact with me indicates that he meant it as a joke, which is good because otherwise I'd feel bad about chuckling. Tsua'm also relaxes a little, though seeing Bo'ohk battered is clearly not something she's comfortable with.

"I have spoken with the T'au Aun'ar'tol, and while they are clearly of the opinion that I would benefit from more oversight, they accept the utility of our research group and the substantial benefit of our actions."

I nod. "So..?"

"So we do not need to fear being turned into soylent caerulus. Tsua'm, the T'au Por'ar'tol wish to speak to you at length concerning your viewpoint on humans. It will not be adversarial; they believe that your interactions at close quarters for a prolonged period of time with P'ol may have given you an insight that others lack."

"I.. have.. not learned anything worthy of changing the Empire's entire policy."

"No, but you have learned a great deal that will help future generations of the Water Caste improve their interpersonal dealing with humans. There is a much lower threshold for changing training methods than there is rewriting our entire diplomatic relationship with the Imperium of Man."

Tsua'm's legs twitch as they instinctively try to adopt a mildly submissive posture, but her face is… Relieved?

I look away from her.

"Could make for very interesting lessons if they start teaching classes about-."

Ah!

Turns out that that shifted ankle makes tau mean kickers, even if their aim isn't that good. I smile at her as I rub the impact site on my left thigh.

"Kais, Shas'O Eur'tus will speak with you regarding the treatment of those suffering from war madness."

"I stand ready to assist."

"It is likely that the discussion will also involve her asking for advice on integrating those of the Fire Caste who struggle to master conventional doctrines into units in the field."

"She wants to know how to best use other Fire Warriors who think like me?"

"I suspect that the result will be several of those considered to be problematic joining our mission."

"The wisdom of the Shas'O is beyond reproach."

I wiggle my right forefinger at him. "Come on, Kais, this isn't the Imperium. No one's wisdom is beyond reproach, for we are all imperfect beings in the service of the Greater Good."

"Very well. It is beyond my reproach, being much greater than mine."

"P'ol, it…" Bo'ohk appears to ponder how to put something. "While what you just said is correct and orthodox… It is generally considered impolite to call Aun'Va an imperfect being to his face."

"Aun'Va wants to talk to me in person?"

"I am to present you to the T'au Aun'chiagor in three days."

That's… The senior most leaders of the five castes on T'au. Aun'Va will just be chairing the meeting, while the other four ask me…

"What do they..? Want to know?"

"To ascertain whether you are being utilised as effectively as you could be. With your strategic manoeuvrability being so much greater than that of our fastest ships, there are roles other than slow expansion and investigation which you could serve in. I believe that they also want to… Get a feel for your character. You are, after all, quite unusual."

"Isn't that unusual..?" I look around, but I suppose it's not like anyone here has been up before the T'au Aun'chiagor before. Bo'ohk and I were interviewed by the Lar'shi Aun'chiagor a grand total of once, when they needed to hear our team concept because that cut across normal caste organisational lines. Tsua'm pats my leg with her right hand while Kais just looks blank. "I thought that was the body which coordinated between castes, and they'd just… Assign interviewing me to someone and then discuss the result."

"It is not my place to speak for Aun'Va… But if I had to guess, it is because they wish to look you in the eyes. To confirm some of the strange things that our reports have relayed for themselves. And because much of what you might say impacts so many areas of life in the Tau Empire."

"Have any humans been questioned like this before?"

"No."

"Tsua'm, would you mind showing me to a tau tailor?"

She nods. "I will ensure that you are fully prepared."

"And…" Bo'ohk half-turns. "Grem'len. Por'O Choan'ah wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience concerning ork behaviour. It seems that we were unduly concerned about your reception."

"That's a relief, boss. But what about Faultless Boy?"

"They gave no indication. I suspect that they wish to assess the rest of us before even beginning to address that matter."

Chojin Patriarch · Feb 11, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
6 569 938.M41

"I… I was not expecting you to be here."

Bo'ohk looks decidedly unsteady on his feet as he exits the domed temple where the T'au Aun'ar'tol meets, his honour blade strapped to his back. I can see cuts, bruises and… At least they let him bandage the worse ones. I turn so that I'm alongside him and offer him my arm to lean on.

Ouch. I guess the old masters had opinions about his martial skills, then? I mean, while an Etheral's honour weapons are largely ceremonial, far too many have had to employ them in self-defence, after all...

"Ah-. Thank you, but I should not. I have allowed my physical conditioning to weaken. My seniors were unimpressed by my skill with the blade."

He scents something and then looks straight at Tsua'm, noting her distress at seeing a visibly ailing Aun. Next to her Kais is looking a little sympathetic, but he's been worked to exhaustion during both training and field assignments too often to worry about Bo'ohk being a bit banged up.

After all, he's been in far worse shape in his day in the limelight.

"Be at peace, Envoy. This was a necessary test of my beliefs and resolve. And since no other Ethereals are assigned to our group, it is helpful for my seniors to review my actions at times like this."

"Huh." I frown. "We don't really have a hand-to-hand specialist for you to train with."

Not for any measure of training, anyway. The Fire caste would be a bit too... Rough and ready for him...

Gremlin grins toothily. "I could have a go, boss. Build yah a real noice tinboy ta scrap with. Learn yah real good, it would."

"Thank you, Grem'len, but I have too many uses for my arms."

...P'Aul could grow them back, you know. Surely he's got that much practice with his Ring by now.

Kais draws himself up slightly. "We would welcome your participation during our training, Prince Bo'ohk."

"I thank you for your kind offer, Shas'Ui, but I think that I will focus on physical conditioning first. While I suspect that your team would be a little more gentle than the blade masters of the T'au Aun'ar'tol, at my current skill level it would only be a difference of slight degrees."

...And he'd rather not embarrass himself in front of the career soldiers, eh?

I hold out the ring slightly.

"Do you want me to fix you up?"

After all, you are one of his, and he likes to keep his ~~things~~ friends in good shape.

"No. These wounds are mine to bear. Ah. Perhaps that bench?"

Tucked away on the grounds of the temple are a number of small gardens set aside for contemplation. Or… Perhaps so that young Ethereals can be assigned to care for them as punishment duty. Tall bushes give the illusion of privacy, richly scented plants calm the visiting tau-

...Both?

Both.

Both is good. After all, finding productive use of the young's time is the duty of the elders.

Gremlin wrinkles his nose.

"Bit wiffy, innit?"

-but don't necessarily have that affect on aliens, and wind chimes add to the air of peace. I hover as Bo'ohk leads us through the entrance and then over to the stone-wrought bench, where he gingerly sits down.

No sense of romance, that one. Comes from Orkoids being asexual...

Kais takes up position just inside the entrance, out of sight from external observers. Tsua'm drops into a cross-legged position on the ground in front of Bo'ohk, and I can't help but wince slightly when I try following where she's folding her legs. With the robes she normally wears it's easy to forget that her ankle is a sort of second backwards knee. I sit down next to her, mirroring her posture, while Gremlin wonders over to sniff a flower, watching Bo'ohk out of the corner of one eye.

Such is the nature of ungulate leg structures. Probably more comfortable than seiza, too.

Bo'ohk opens his mouth to speak.

"Ow."

Heh. Loosening up a little in private, eh? Guess that shows how comfortable he is with them.

The way he immediately makes eye contact with me indicates that he meant it as a joke, which is good because otherwise I'd feel bad about chuckling. Tsua'm also relaxes a little, though seeing Bo'ohk battered is clearly not something she's comfortable with.

"I have spoken with the T'au Aun'ar'tol, and while they are clearly of the opinion that I would benefit from more oversight, they accept the utility of our research group and the substantial benefit of our actions."

In other words: 'We're not entirely convinced yet. Keep up the good work, but don't screw this up.'

I nod. "So..?"

"So we do not need to fear being turned into soylent caerulus. Tsau'm, the T'au Por'ar'tol wish to speak to you at length concerning your viewpoint on humans. It will not be adversarial; they believe that your interractions at close quarters for a prolonged period of time with P'ol may have given you an insight that others lack."

...Caerulus? Imperial for... Blue?

Ha! Though... They do realise P'Aul is not your typical human of this era?

"I.. have.. not learned anything worthy of changing the Empire's entire policy."

"No, but you have learned a great deal that will help future generations of the Water Caste improve their interpersonal dealing with humans. There is a much lower threshold for changing training methods than there is rewriting our entire diplomatic relationship with the Imperium of Man."

Ah... Because P'Aul is less adversarial with them, he's easier to use to learn how to manage other humans.

Tsua'm's legs twitch as they instinctively try to adopt a mildly submissive posture, but her face is… Relieved?

I look away from her.

Yeah, I don't think she's going to enjoy this, no matter how polite things are.

"Could make for very interesting lessons if they start teaching classes about-."

Ah!

Careful, P'Aul. Never seen a horse kick someone? Ungulates...

Turns out that that shifted ankle makes tau mean kickers, even if their aim isn't that good. I smile at her as I rub the impact site on my left thigh.

...Have very powerful legs.

"Kais, Shas'O Eur'tus will speak with you regarding the treatment of those suffering from war madness."

"I stand ready to assist."

Given he went through it and came out the other side mostly fine, albeit with a little poke to snap him out of his funk...

"It is likely that the discussion will also involve her asking for advice on integrating those of the Fires Caste who struggle to master conventional doctrines into units in the field."

"She wants to know how to best use other Fire Warriors who think like me?"

Heh. Quite the irregular unit forming, then?

"I suspect that the result will be several of those considered to be problematic joining our mission."

"The wisdom of the Shas'O is beyond reproach."

A regular dirty dozen, eh? A Bad Company, perhaps...

I wiggle my right forefinger at him. "Come on, Kais, this isn't the Imperium. No one's wisdom is beyond reproach, for we are all imperfect being in the service of the Greater Good."

"Very well. It is beyond my reproach, being much greater than mine."

...Though if you happen to think, say, that they're REMFs who haven't seen the sharp edge of a battlefield in far too long, best keep it to yourself?

"P'ol, it…" Bo'ohk appears to ponder how to put something. "While what you just said is correct and orthodox… It is generally considered impolite to call Aun'Va an imperfect being to his face."

"Aun'Va wants to talk to me in person?"

...The old tau's heart is in good shape, I hope? And his temper?

"I am to present you to the T'au Aun'chiagor in three days."

That's… The senior most leaders of the five castes on T'au. Aun'Va will just be chairing the meeting, while the other four ask me…

The grand high muckity-mucks. The big cheeses. The grand council of poobahs. They must really be curious, then.

"What do they..? Want to know?"

"To ascertain whether you are being utilised as effectively as you could be. With your strategic manoeuvrability being so much greater than that of our fastest ships, there are roles other than slow expansion and investigation which you could serve in. I believe that they also want to… Get a feel for your character. You are, after all, quite unusual."

Though I doubt they'd rely solely on him for, say, hauling colonisation fleets at FTL in realspace... He's not really much of a military superweapon, after all, for all the power of his Ring.

"Isn't that unusual..?" I look around, but I suppose it's not like anyone here has been up before the T'au Aun'chiagor before. Bo'ohk and I were interviewed by the Lar'shi Aun'chiagor a grand total of once, when they needed to hear out team concept because that cut across normal caste organisational lines. Tsua'm pats my leg with her right hand while Kais just looks blank. "I thought that was the body which coordinated between castes, and they'd just… Assign interviewing me to someone and then discuss the result."

I suspect nothing about anything you've been involved in has been conventional, P'Aul...

"It is not my place to speak for Aun'Va… But if I had to guess, it is because they wish to look you in the eyes. To confirm some of the strange things that our reports have relayed for themselves. And because much of what you might say impacts so many areas of life in the Tau Empire."

"Have any humans been questioned like this before?"

And how many guns will be pointed at him, given the fact that his Ring means he's never unarmed? Seriously, a Ring-slinger would be one hell of an assassin.

"No."

"Tsua'm, would you mind showing me to a tau tailor?"

You're assuming showing up in formal, if humble, robes won't offend them?

Or are you counting on the gesture to impress your dedication to the Greater Good and break the ice?

She nods. "I will ensure that you are fully prepared."

"And…" Bo'ohk half-turns. "Grem'len. Por'O Choan'ah wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience concerning ork behaviour. It seems that we were unduly concerned about your reception."

...How anti-climactic. Hooray for rational leadership?

"That's a relief, boss. But what about Faultless Boy?"

"They gave no indication. I suspect that they wish to assess the rest of us before even beginning to address that matter."

...And probably digest the fact that this team found a newly-formed daemon that seems oddly orderly and compassionate. At least towards Humans.

So, things going well on that front, I see. Let's hope that P'Aul doesn't offend everyone too badly during his meeting. I suspect the elders will be somewhat forgiving of any breaches of protocol, given he's a gue'la. And his teammates getting to have their own influence in their respective fields, I see. Good for them!

..they believe that your interractions at close quarters...

...they believe that your interactions at close quarters...

... integrating those of the Fires Caste who struggle...

... integrating those of the Fire Caste who struggle...

...when they needed to hear out team concept because...

...when they needed to hear our team concept because... (Or possibly 'hear out our'?)

Mr Zoat · Feb 11, 2023

Chojin Patriarch said:
Not for any measure of training, anyway. The Fire caste would be a bit too... Rough and ready for him...

Fire Caste don't actually do hand-to-hand drills. They regard it as weirdly backwards.

...Though if you happen to think, say, that they're REMFs who haven't seen the sharp edge of a battlefield in far too long, best keep it to yourself?

Field Shas'O fight on the front lines. Once they get moved from the field they're usually fairly old.

...they believe that your interactions at close quarters...
... integrating those of the Fire Caste who struggle...
...when they needed to hear our team concept because... (Or possibly 'hear out our'?)

Thank you, corrected.

Duke Long · Feb 11, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Tsau'm, the T'au Por'ar'tol wish to speak to you at length concerning your viewpoint on humans.

'Tsua'm'

Mr Zoat said:
No one's wisdom is beyond reproach, for we are all imperfect being in the service of the Greater Good."

'beings'

Mr Zoat · Feb 11, 2023

Duke Long said:
'Tsua'm'
'beings'

Thank you, corrected.

Vaermina · Feb 11, 2023

Mr Zoat said:
Fire Caste don't actually do hand-to-hand drills. They regard it as weirdly backwards.

That must be news to the Fire Caste given they are directly shown doing hand-to-hand drills in a number of sources.

boo600 · Feb 11, 2023

Vaermina said:
That must be news to the Fire Caste given they are directly shown doing hand-to-hand drills in a number of sources.

Sources, or this is a Vaermina post.

Oh.

Vaermina · Feb 11, 2023

boo600 said:
Sources, or this is a Vaermina post.

Oh.

The novel fire warrior.

What's worse though? Martial Art's is literally listed in the 7e Tau Codex as part of the Code of Fire which the Fire Caste lives by.

Assblaster5000 · Feb 11, 2023

Vaermina said:
What's worse though? Martial Art's is literally listed in the 7e Tau Codex as part of the Code of Fire which the Fire Caste lives by.

Responding to Vearmina.

Firstly "martial arts" doesn't just have to be hand-to-hand, it can also include the usage of weapons, which is far more typical of Tau military strategy than punching someone.

Secondly, 7E is, in part or entirely, non-canon as far as this story is concerned. Nothing in sources past 3E matter unless Zoat says otherwise, so pulling from those sources for what's "right" in this AU fanfiction is entirely pointless. More so than normal anyways.

Vaermina · Feb 11, 2023

Assblaster5000 said:
Responding to Vearmina.

Firstly "martial arts" doesn't just have to be hand-to-hand, it can also include the usage of weapons, which is far more typical of Tau military strategy than punching someone.

Secondly, 7E is, in part or entirely, non-canon as far as this story is concerned. Nothing in sources past 3E matter unless Zoat says otherwise, so pulling from those sources for what's "right" in this AU fanfiction is entirely pointless. More so than normal anyways.

I'm guessing you weren't aware that though it's called the 7e Tau Codex it's actually the 3rd edition Tau Codex.

Assblaster5000 · Feb 11, 2023

Vaermina said:
I'm guessing you weren't aware that though it's called the 7e Tau Codex it's actually the 3rd edition Tau Codex.

Replying to Vearmina.

Third Edition of Warhammer 40k. I said absolutely nothing about codex edition, though I suppose I could have clarified I meant the game generally rather than The Tau specifically.

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

Glomerulus

Dedicated ragequitter

Connoisseur.

Dedicated ragequitter

Versed in the lewd.

Veteran Lurker

Connoisseur.

Not too sore, are you?

Getting sticky.

Umm, ackchyually...

Dedicated ragequitter

Agony that desires to meet Extinction

Glomerulus

Dedicated ragequitter

Not too sore, are you?

Glomerulus

Getting sticky.

Dedicated ragequitter

In the Void.

Dedicated ragequitter

Veteran Lurker

Dedicated ragequitter

Glomerulus

Dedicated ragequitter

Well worn.

Welp

Well worn.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Well worn.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Users who are viewing this thread