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

Not that the world's leaders have exactly covered themselves in glory recently."
Just because they were somewhat reluctant to admit they were the world's leaders doesn't mean they are doing a bad job of it.

"Orange Lantern. Anarky took something from LexCorp. Find out what happened. Find him, and get him into custody before Luthor decides to have him killed."
Batman's thought process: Paul will find out about Anarky, but will decide to do nothing about it because he is terminally averse to doing anything reactive or anything he can rationalise as someone else's problem. Fortunately he is still in the habit of following my orders.
 
I do find myself interested in where Batman's head is at these days.

My recollection is that pre-Anti Life he had gotten married to Talia and at least intellectually acknowledged that using his intellect to improve the world would be an improvement over using his fists, even if psychologically he still needed the satisfaction of physically beating down criminals. Batman was starting to change so much that he found himself unable to return the fear-creating mindset that would have enabled him to use a yellow power ring. So the SI forcibly altered his brain chemistry to let him use the ring, and then (at Batman's own request) put his brain back to baseline at the end of the crisis.

Batman didn't argue with Orange Lantern over what Orange Lantern had done, but he made it clear he didn't like it and that he doesn't like OL now. Which makes any idea of repairing relationship much harder. If Batman were arguing it wasn't necessary and was wrong, he and Paul could have a big utilitarian argument and talk about moral justification and all that. If instead Batman wants to take the line that he acknowledges the necessity, but it's made him dislike OL on a personal level and he doesn't want to be on good terms with him... well that's actually harder to argue with. Nobody is obliged to like anyone after all.

But what have the aftereffects been? Even if Batman's brain chemistry was returned to normal, it's still possible for him to reach that fear-inducing mindset with his normal brain. That's why he was a good candidate for the yellow ring in the first place. Is his marriage still working? How is his relationship with Robin? Is he doing anything with Wayne Enterprises in the aftermath of the antilife? What has all this done to his head? Batman formerly refused to utilize any major 'enhancements' but now he's wearing the yellow ring. Does it feel earned in a way that getting his body altered with the Danner formula would not? And what can he actually make the ring do, anyway? We were told that it's a slapdash model with an extremely poor control system meant to accomplish the bare minimum of "generate yellow light to contribute to summoning the life entity". Presumably Batman can fly using the ring and make constructs, but who knows what else. Certainly there's a lot of work to be done rebuilding the planet that a power ring could help with, but we have no idea if Batman is using it that way.

Unfortunately, Batman has been deliberately keeping his interaction with OL to a bare minimum. And on Paul's side, I get the impression he feels guilty enough about what he did to Batman that he wants to respect Batman's wishes and stay well out of his life unless there's a specific reason to be poking around.
 
"Maltusians." I use Stewart ring's ruthlessly plundered historical database to generate an image of what Maltus and its inhabitants looked like in the old days. "These people are basically the luckiest species ever. Well above humanoid norms for intelligence and early on in their history they merged with a species of semi-sentient bacteria that gave them steadily increasing levels of reality warping power. I've seen… Some of their records claim they were the first sentient species in this universe and if that isn't true I've seen no clear counter evidence."
Found links that don't work anymore due to the Green Lantern wiki no longer existing.

Edit: Found a few more.
"The Guardians-" I bring up a picture. Apparently this parallel has male and female Guardians. "-are one faction. Then you've got the Zamarons." Another image. The faces of senior Zamarons are a bit creepy. No noses, oddly shaped holes in the face for eyes and remarkably blank faces.
"And the Controllers, right?"

"Yep.

Edit 2: Found another one.
"Glow manipulation detected."

Edit 3: And another one.
Guardians and Martians. Oh heck. "Ring, are the ship's computers available?"
 
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I mean, the kid is nine, so his grasp of anarchist philosophy might very well match up with OL's description.
Still annoying to have OL be so confidently wrong though.
To simplify enough to piss off most anarchists, the actual political philosophy of anarchism is primarily focused on opposition to coersion, not (necessarily) opposition to leadership. The idea is that you can obey a leader if you want, but the leader can't force you to obey them.
The issues with scaling still exist, but there are also a lot of anarchists who consider that part of the point.
There's an argument to be made that the ideology could work fine in the kind of world where impoverished thirteen-year-olds can build mind-control devices.
I mean, I can't be assed to make it, but it could be made.
 
I mean, the kid is nine, so his grasp of anarchist philosophy might very well match up with OL's description.
Anarky isn't a very nuanced character anyway in most of his appearances due to author fiat but I do think that his raison d'etre being very shallow fits with his worldview.

He's young, self absorbed and talented in an utterly isolating way. Even if he wants to do good due to inherent social consciousness, he's biased to radical and extremist views in a bid to actually make a difference due to our social systems' inherent stability.

He could just as well be called Republikan, advocate for philosopher-kings and do terrorism against traditional democratic leaders and it'd be still entirely in character for him, just in a more utilitarian mindset.
 
I mean, the kid is nine, so his grasp of anarchist philosophy might very well match up with OL's description.
Still annoying to have OL be so confidently wrong though.
To simplify enough to piss off most anarchists, the actual political philosophy of anarchism is primarily focused on opposition to coercion, not (necessarily) opposition to leadership. The idea is that you can obey a leader if you want, but the leader can't force you to obey them.
The issues with scaling still exist, but there are also a lot of anarchists who consider that part of the point.
There's an argument to be made that the ideology could work fine in the kind of world where impoverished thirteen-year-olds can build mind-control devices.
I mean, I can't be assed to make it, but it could be made.
That doesn't quite fit with what I have heard about violent bomb throwing anarchists in the late 19th century or Batman Beyond's Mad Stan.
 
Starbate (part 10) New
15th January 2000
15:33 GMT -5

"Ma'man!" Colonel O'Neill smiles as he greets me and waves at the STG guards to lower their weapons. "How yah been?"

Heset stares around at the gate room in puzzlement, but I can't help but laugh.

"Hahahaa!"

O'Neill frowns and looks at Major Carter. "I didn't think it was that funny. Was it?"

She shakes her head awkwardly. "No, sir."

"No." I shake my head. "Your robot twin brother from Altair calls me the same thing. It amuses me how similar you are."

That makes him look more serious. "They were supposed to bury that gate."

"Heehaha!" I gesture to him with both hands. "Would you?" Carter raises her eyebrows at him, and he looks mildly disgruntled for a moment before shrugging. "But don't worry, thanks to me Altairan civilisation is up and running again including their military, and since everyone else thinks it's still a dead world it's unlikely that anyone is going to go looking there."

"And… You did that… Why?"

"Because they have stuff I want and I can't trade with them if they're all dead." I look around as the security personnel return to their normal stations. "So do you actually have Tok'Ra here, or..? Are they coming in next?"

O'Neill shrugs, steps back and gestures to the exit. "I'm sure you know the way by now. Are you gunna introduce your friend?"

I head for the door at strolling pace, noting the guards ahead and those falling in behind. "This is Damla, the host of Lady Heset. She's a Tok'Ra agent."

Carter gives her a surprised look. "Are you trying to arrange a prisoner exchange?"

"Ah, do the Tok'Ra take prisoners?" I shrug. "If they've got one of System Lord Bastet's Underlords then I'll consider it, but that's not why I'm here."

"So why are you here?"

"I wish to wrap them in cotton wool so they don't hurt themselves running with scissors."

Carter frowns, and looks to Damla for an explanation.

Damla moues with distaste. "Mammon has a rather low opinion of the Tok'Ra. He refuses to speak with Heset, and insists that I control our body."

"Your body." / "It's your…"

O'Neill grimaces as he realises that we said the same thing.

"…body."

I scan the area around us. "No Doctor Jackson?"

Carter shakes her head. "He and Sha're are taking a break from Stargate Command."

I nod. "Probably sensible, given everything she's gone through. The culture shock involved in living somewhere like this would be considerable for her. I… Doubt that they'd be interested, but please pass on an offer from me for them to visit Syrania. It's a little closer to what she's used.. to-." I frown. "Unless she's kept Amaunet's memories, in which case she's probably your leading expert on goa'uld technology and has enough experience of other cultures to fit in here almost effortlessly."

Carter and O'Neill both look slightly awkward for an instant.

Well, good for her.

One of the guards outside the meeting open the door and I stroll in, a short bald man in Tok'Ra gear seated at General Hammond's right hand. They both stand to greet me, Hammond indicating the man with his right hand. "Lord Mammon, this is.. Selmak, of the Tok'Ra."

The man nods in cautious greeting as I scan him. "I don't think-."

I take the opposite position to him at the table and offer him my right hand. He hesitates for a moment, clearly nonplussed, then takes it.

"Please to meet you, General Carter. I do hope that I'll mostly be talking to you."

His eyes shine for a moment as he recovers his hand. "Are you still sore about our last encounter?"

"No." I shake my head. "I honestly don't remember it. Now please go back inside, I want to talk to someone who isn't a moron."

Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill takes seats next to him, and Damla-.

I stare at her like she's an idiot, then make a shooing gesture with both hands. "You're a Tok'Ra. Sit over there with them."

General Carter and Damla share a quick look, then she complies with my instruction and takes the last seat on the far side of the table.

I smile broadly. "Now, the reason why I wanted to talk to you is that without Egeria to make more Tok'Ra, you're heading towards extinction. And that's fine, except that I don't get anything out of it first. So I had an idea: why don't I help you do what you should have done when Egeria started her rebellion, which you're all to stupid to do for yourselves?"

He regards me levelly. "And what would that be?"

I turn my head to the left. "Colonel O'Neil, you're a man of average intelligence. If you were in charge of a small group of highly intelligent and long-lived aliens, and you wanted to destroy the galaxy-spanning empire ruled by other members of their species where they kept its human residents in a state of technological primitivism in order to lord it over them as gods, how would you do it?"

He goes to answer, glances at General Hammond, then actually pauses to think it through. "I'd train up some soldiers and use them to acquire goold technology. Then I'd teach some humans how to use it. A few hundred engineers and scientists who understand what they're working on would give you a bigger R&D base then most System Lords. And since goold hate each other, they won't cooperate, share information, or check that the people attacking them are actually who they're pretending to be. I'd create a civil war while my people kept on getting stronger."

I grandly gesture at Colonel O'Neill with my left hand while staring wide-eyed at General Carter and, I hope, Selmak.

"Also, it's slightly above average, actually."

General Carter shakes his head. "We wouldn't have been able to get far enough away from goa'uld space to make that work."

"I'm doing it now. With System Lord Bastet's full knowledge and assent."

His eyebrows rise slightly, and he looks to General Hammond for confirmation. He gets a small nod.

"Why?"

"Because my ego isn't quite so fragile as some other goa'uld. Because humans learn too slowly and live too briefly to reach our level even if they are educated. Because Ra is dead and we don't need to follow his rules any longer. Because educated workers can do more than uneducated workers. Because it materially improves their quality of life and I do actually like my people doing better because of something that I did."

"I believe everything you said except that."

"It's a pride thing, not empathy. I did that. I saw that this was sensible, where no other goa'uld did."

"Alright. Let's say I believe you. What do you want from us?"

"Given that your campaign of spying and sabotage has achieved nothing and the goa'uld grip upon this galaxy is as strong as it ever was, I want all of you to come and work for me as teachers. Train my human citizens in the sciences. I've already got primary school teachers and now I need something more sophisticated. In return, I will ensure that the system of education we develop becomes to model for all of System Lord Bastet's domains."

"Why would I want to make Bastet stronger?"

"Because you're either doing this because Egeria hated Ra and programmed you to share that hatred, or you're doing it because you think goa'uld are bad rulers. I am offering to put you in a position where you can force me to become a good ruler by empowering my people, making them independent of me." I shrug. "Of course, if Selmak is just Egeria's meat robot attack dog then there's nothing to talk about."

He regards me for a moment, then turns to General Hammond. "George, is this guy for real?"

"As far as we can tell?" He nods. "Yes. He is."

"Then in that case… I think I'm going to have to see it for myself."
 
That doesn't quite fit with what I have heard about violent bomb throwing anarchists in the late 19th century or Batman Beyond's Mad Stan.
Yeah, anarchism in the 19th century didn't exactly have a reputation for non-violent tactics or target discrimination. Whether or not that reputation was entirely deserved or not is a matter of some debate.

Mad Stan is just an anti-social asshole using "anarchy" as an excuse to be an anti-social asshole, which, whilst a proud tradition among certain anarchist circles, is not the most intellectually robust form of the philosophy.
 
Well, that's a bold strategy. Literally inviting the known chronic saboteurs to your turf. I know Mammon has a pretty low view of them but it still feels like that's too much underestimation, no?

Still funny to see his interactions with SGC, though.
 
15th January 2000
15:33 GMT -5


"Ma'man!" Colonel O'Neill smiles as he greets me and waves at the STG guards to lower their weapons. "How yah been?"

Heset stares around at the gate room in puzzlement, but I can't help but laugh.
Ooh, back to Mammon!Paul? I see he's been keeping busy. It's been a couple of months in-universe, going by the timestamps. No doubt Bastet is early in her pregnancy and letting Mammon take charge a little more, hence him visiting Earth with Heset.

"Hahahaa!"

O'Neill frowns and looks at Major Carter. "I didn't think it was that funny. Was it?"
Sadly, you're not as funny as you think you are, Colonel.

She shakes her head awkwardly. "No, sir."

"No." I shake my head. "Your robot twin brother from Altair calls me the same thing. It amuses me how similar you are."
Though I expect little differences are starting to take shape. Could be years before they truly diverge, though.

That makes him look more serious. "They were supposed to bury that gate."

"Heehaha!" I gesture to him with both hands. "Would you?" Carter raises her eyebrows at him, and he looks mildly disgruntled for a moment before shrugging. "But don't worry, thanks to me Altairan civilisation is up and running again including their military, and since everyone else thinks it's still a dead world it's unlikely that anyone is going to go looking there."
And since most Goa'uld aren't clever enough to look up gate travel logs, no-one would ever know he was there unless they caught him about to leave.

"And… You did that… Why?"

"Because they have stuff I want and I can't trade with them if they're all dead." I look around as the security personnel return to their normal stations. "So do you actually have Tok'Ra here, or..? Are they coming in next?"
Right in front of the wormhole device with a noticeable splash zone isn't exactly the best place for a meeting...

O'Neill shrugs, steps back and gestures to the exit. "I'm sure you know the way by now. Are you gunna introduce your friend?"

I head for the door at strolling pace, noting the guards ahead and those falling in behind. "This is Damla, the host of Lady Heset. She's a Tok'Ra agent."
And that's a very significant way of introducing her. Given the fact most Goa'uld would be annoyed at best, raging at worst...

Carter gives her a surprised look. "Are you trying to arrange a prisoner exchange?"

"Ah, do the Tok'Ra take prisoners?" I shrug. "If they've got one of System Lord Bastet's Underlords then I'll consider it, but that's not why I'm here."
I see their relationship's progressing nicely, not that anyone there can see that emotional undercurrent.

"So why are you here?"

"I wish to wrap them in cotton wool so they don't hurt themselves running with scissors."
A reasonable response to children getting themselves into trouble.

Carter frowns, and looks to Damla for an explanation.

Damla moues with distaste. "Mammon has a rather low opinion of the Tok'Ra. He refuses to speak with Heset, and insists that I control our body."
A quirky way of doing it, but given his opinion of the Tok'ra...

"Your body." / "It's your…"

O'Neill grimaces as he realises that we said the same thing.

"…body."
Heh, annoyed that he has the same feelings as the not-so-bad guy... Bet that's frustrating.

I scan the area around us. "No Doctor Jackson?"

Carter shakes her head. "He and Sha're are taking a break from Stargate Command."
Good for them. Let's hope nothing goes poorly.

I nod. "Probably sensible, given everything she's gone through. The culture shock involved in living somewhere like this would be considerable for her. I… Doubt that they'd be interested, but please pass on an offer from me for them to visit Syrania. It's a little closer to what she's used.. to-." I frown. "Unless she's kept Amaunet's memories, in which case she's probably your leading expert on goa'uld technology and has enough experience of other cultures to fit in here almost effortlessly."
Hopefully they aren't pumping her for information too much.

Carter and O'Neill both look slightly awkward for an instant.

Well, good for her.
Ah. Well, I hope they've been letting her take breaks.

One of the guards outside the meeting open the door and I stroll in, a short bald man in Tok'Ra gear seated at General Hammond's right hand. They both stand to greet me, Hammond indicating the man with his right hand. "Lord Mammon, this is.. Selmak, of the Tok'Ra."

The man nods in cautious greeting as I scan him. "I don't think-."
Ah, one of the leaders of the rebellion. Also Sam's father playing host.

I take the opposite position to him at the table and offer him my right hand. He hesitates for a moment, clearly nonplussed, then takes it.

"Please to meet you, General Carter. I do hope that I'll mostly be talking to you."
Really driving home that point, isn't he?

His eyes shine for a moment as he recovers his hand. "Are you still sore about our last encounter?"

"No." I shake my head. "I honestly don't remember it. Now please go back inside, I want to talk to someone who isn't a moron."
Presumably a previous encounter between Selmak in an earlier host and Goa'uld-Mammon's last lifetime.

Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill takes seats next to him, and Damla-.

I stare at her like she's an idiot, then make a shooing gesture with both hands. "You're a Tok'Ra. Sit over there with them."

General Carter and Damla share a quick look, then she complies with my instruction and takes the last seat on the far side of the table.
I'd be worried she's been in deep cover a little too long, perhaps.

I smile broadly. "Now, the reason why I wanted to talk to you is that without Egeria to make more Tok'Ra, you're heading towards extinction. And that's fine, except that I don't get anything out of it first. So I had an idea: why don't I help you do what you should have done when Egeria started her rebellion, which you're all to stupid to do for yourselves?"
Bit of a 'coming out swinging' moment there. No feeling spared.

He regards me levelly. "And what would that be?"

I turn my head to the left. "Colonel O'Neil, you're a man of average intelligence. If you were in charge of a small group of highly intelligent and long-lived aliens, and you wanted to destroy the galaxy-spanning empire ruled by other members of their species where they kept its human residents in a state of technological primitivism in order to lord it over them as gods, how would you do it?"
Serious answers, please. Hopefully that's coming across from Mammon's tone.

He goes to answer, glances at General Hammond, then actually pauses to think it through. "I'd train up some soldiers and use them to acquire goold technology. Then I'd teach some humans how to use it. A few hundred engineers and scientists who understand what they're working on would give you a bigger R&D base then most System Lords. And since goold hate each other, they won't cooperate, share information, or check that the people attacking them are actually who they're pretending to be. I'd create a civil war while my people kept on getting stronger."
Or, since there's already a civil war of sorts, exacerbate it and drag lesser groups into it.

I grandly gesture at Colonel O'Neill with my left hand while staring wide-eyed at General Carter and, I hope, Selmak.

"Also, it's slightly above average, actually."
...Just had to get that dig in, eh, Jack?

General Carter shakes his head. "We wouldn't have been able to get far enough away from goa'uld space to make that work."

"I'm doing it now. With System Lord Bastet's full knowledge and assent."
Of course, if their information is up to date, thanks to Heset, they know that's because he's wiled his way into her good books...

His eyebrows rise slightly, and he looks to General Hammond for confirmation. He gets a small nod.

"Why?"
...Really? Not looking to your woman on the inside first? ...Then again, she wouldn't know about that aspect of things, even before he learned her real intentions.

"Because my ego isn't quite so fragile as some other goa'uld. Because humans learn too slowly and live too briefly to reach our level even if they are educated. Because Ra is dead and we don't need to follow his rules any longer. Because educated workers can do more than uneducated workers. Because it materially improves their quality of life and I do actually like my people doing better because of something that I did."
In other words, because he's not a narcissistic arsehole with a god complex.

"I believe everything you said except that."

"It's a pride thing, not empathy. I did that. I saw that this was sensible, where no other goa'uld did."
Again, narcissistic arseholes with god complexes. It's be a rare goa'uld who could think it worthwhile...

"Alright. Let's say I believe you. What do you want from us?"

"Given that your campaign of spying and sabotage has achieved nothing and the goa'uld grip upon this galaxy is as strong as it ever was, I want all of you to come and work for me as teachers. Train my human citizens in the sciences. I've already got primary school teachers and now I need something more sophisticated. In return, I will ensure that the system of education we develop becomes to model for all of System Lord Bastet's domains."
Hmm... that might be pushing a little too fast, unless he means to introduce it carefully and gradually.

"Why would I want to make Bastet stronger?"

"Because you're either doing this because Egeria hated Ra and programmed you to share that hatred, or you're doing it because you think goa'uld are bad rulers. I am offering to put you in a position where you can force me to become a good ruler by empowering my people, making them independent of me." I shrug. "Of course, if Selmak is just Egeria's meat robot attack dog then there's nothing to talk about."
Oooh, shots fired.

He regards me for a moment, then turns to General Hammond. "George, is this guy for real?"

"As far as we can tell?" He nods. "Yes. He is."

"Then in that case… I think I'm going to have to see it for myself."
That's fair. Just don't get any funny ideas.

Seriously, I hope he plans to makes his changes to Bastet's domain slowly. Perhaps spin it to her underlords as improving the quality of their subjects' skills. The trick will be making them think it's to their benefit. One errant underlord thinking he knows better and, well... Things could get bloody. And that's also hoping that the Tok'ra can contain their inborn tomfoolery...
 
That doesn't quite fit with what I have heard about violent bomb throwing anarchists in the late 19th century or Batman Beyond's Mad Stan.
The thing about anarchy as a political theory is that if you gathered together 100 anarchists and asked them what 'Anarchism' is, you would get at least 101 different answers.
 
"I wish to wrap them in cotton wool so they don't hurt themselves running with scissors."

Carter frowns, and looks to Damla for an explanation.

Damla moues with distaste. "Mammon has a rather low opinion of the Tok'Ra. He refuses to speak with Heset, and insists that I control our body."
Ma'man was more generally polite in previous appearances. Seems like something has made him more confident of his position.
Couldn't imagine what. /sarcasm

"Also, it's slightly above average, actually."
I suppose he was a spec ops field commander. He cannot have been as stupid as he generally acted.

"Given that your campaign of spying and sabotage has achieved nothing and the goa'uld grip upon this galaxy is as strong as it ever was, I want all of you to come and work for me as teachers. Train my human citizens in the sciences. I've already got primary school teachers and now I need something more sophisticated. In return, I will ensure that the system of education we develop becomes to model for all of System Lord Bastet's domains."
I get the feeling that this move is aimed far more at re-educating the Tok'Ra than about getting some teachers.
High risk move though. Even with a Power Ring Ma'man is by no means immune to sufficiently indiscriminate assassination.
 
turn my head to the left. "Colonel O'Neil, you're a man of average intelligence.
With the occasional bout of brilliance.
"Also, it's slightly above average, actually."
I did say occasional! :V
General Carter shakes his head. "We wouldn't have been able to get far enough away from goa'uld space to make that work."
I call bullshit. There's literally planets that have been abandoned since Ra's rise to power with societies that have grown more advanced than the Taur'i are now. As well as planets that are perfectly habitable planets that have never had gates to begin with. As well as the same again with advance species on them. Even if Gou'uld space is literally all of this Galaxy there are plenty of gaps. You just need a ship and/or try old coordinates.
 
I call bullshit. There's literally planets that have been abandoned since Ra's rise to power with societies that have grown more advanced than the Taur'i are now. As well as planets that are perfectly habitable planets that have never had gates to begin with. As well as the same again with advance species on them. Even if Gou'uld space is literally all of this Galaxy there are plenty of gaps. You just need a ship and/or try old coordinates.
In Selmak's mind, the issue is that they'd need all Tok'Ra in one place, and then all it would take is a single fly-by by a small goa'uld ship and they'd be rumbled because it's not practical to hide an entire industrial society. They might get lucky, but they'd be better everything and they couldn't guarantee it. Getting away from goa'uld space makes a fly-by less likely and the plan far more viable.
 
Basically, Selmak is stuck in the same rigid and conventional mindset that almost all Goa'uld seem to suffer from.
Yeah I got that from Zoats reply. Selmak thinking he needs to put all his eggs in one basket. A few Tok'ra in a few planets with a core of humans to train so they can train others then use the humans drive of innovation and imagination to create new design philosophies till they are smart enough to make their own.
 
Found links that don't work anymore due to the Green Lantern wiki no longer existing.

Edit: Found a few more.



Edit 2: Found another one.


Edit 3: And another one.
Ugh. They've done a really thorough purging. I literally can't find the images those relate to. I'll try again this weekend.
 
I have been rereading the Renegade Paul fight with Luna against the ancient wizard, what's his name. Luna wanting to do some more super heroing after they put Atlantis back into the Ocean. Can we get an update on that, please. I would love to see Luna interacting with the justice league or the team. Wonder Woman is still in space being queen of the cannibal wannabe Amazons in Renegade Paul timeline. Shame, wanted some more interacting WW and Luna.
 
Anarkic (part 3) New
1st May 2013
08:47 GMT -5

"Ah, hey, Joannah."

Alan looks a little torn by the sight of Johanna. Obviously, he is aware of Jay Garrick's inability to sire a child and in other circumstances would be quite happy for him. On the other hand…

At least her costume doesn't actually have a swastika on it. I wonder how she wrangled that?

"Hallo, Blue Lantern. Are you leading this investigation? I assumed that Orange Lantern would be enough."

"No, no, I'm just.. here to smooth things over with the N.Y.P.D.. Paul can be a little…" He glances at me for a moment. "Well, they don't know him."

I snort as we walk into the police station where the fake delivery people are being held pending the completion of the investigation. Nothing about them really requires Justice League involvement: armed robberies are something we stop if we're there, but usually not something we investigate unless there's something exotic involved. Even the better equipped roof team aren't something we'd involve ourselves in unless it was an unusually slow month. We all know that the Justifiers' gear didn't just disappear when the Anti-Life infection was expunged, and plasma guns aren't that rare.

And maybe, objectively, LexCorp being involved doesn't really require us to get involved. But the thing is… We're not stupid. The world is just about stable enough that Lex could start his shenanigans again. Particularly if he thinks that someone's pulling something over on him and has that added motivating spite.

My mentioning the League taking over the world probably didn't help in that regard, even if it's objectively true-.

Ah. Would that-? Would he-?

Hm.

"Good morning, Sergeant."

"Good morning, Blue Lantern." The sergeant takes in the three of us and starts to look a little nervous. "Do we need to call in re-enforcements?"

"Oh, I shouldn't think so. It looks like these fellahs just got caught up in something a little bigger than they are. Do you mind if we talk to 'em?"

"Ah, they've actually done the smart thing of calling their lawyer and shutting up. You can talk to them, but I doubt they'll volunteer anything and anything they do say won't be admissible."

"We're not actually investigating them, so that last part shouldn't matter. And I'm not Batman. If they don't wanna talk, then they don't talk."

Alan shrugs, and I take a moment to smile and wave at the rubberneckers, causing them to turn away awkwardly and get on with their actual jobs.

"Alright, you've got the clearance." The sergeant walks out from behind the front desk and begins leading the way into the rear of the station. "Advantage of taking over the world, I guess."

"That's, ah… Not.. something we're actually doing."

He sniffs in amusement. "Orange Lantern seemed pretty sure."

Alan gives me a sidelong look for a moment. "Orange Lantern occasionally has a… A slightly screwy way of looking at things. I couldn't run the world even if I wanted to. Heck, he once met a parallel universe version of me who gave up when he couldn't even manage to run one city."

"Yeah?" The sergeant glances back at me as he opens up an interview room. "That so?"

"I'm not allowed to talk about the Justice League taking over the world."

Johanna waits until we're inside and the door is closed behind us before giving me a frown. And then giving Alan a frown. "Taking over the world? I understood that was not happening."

Alan makes a frustrated sigh and then gives me an equally frustrated glare. "That's because it isn't."

"They're going to give it back just as soon as it's on one piece again. Ever seen a really big building get demolished?"

She nods. "Yes?"

"Ever seen anyone stick it back together again with superglue?"

"No. Ah. Perhaps I should visit Angelika?"

"Why?"

"I do not want to take over a world. I was too close with the New Statesmen already."

"But if.. Overman overturns your Earth's order, you'll be even more politically significant." I shrug as she looks uncomfortable. "If you want to retire there are hundreds of safeish humanoid-inhabited planets where you could do it. I'd be happy to drop you off on one."

"Unt how would I get back?"

I blink. "Why would you want to?"

Footsteps outside, and we arrange ourselves around the interrogation table. Alan takes the seat, Johanna stands at his shoulder with her arms crossed and I lurk in the background as our man is escorted in.

"…don't even know why-" He turns away from the sergeant to at us. "-you o-ooooh."

Alan smiles warmly. "Hi there."

The suspect raises his hands. "Swear to God, I did not know he was Wonder Woman's son."

"Yeah." Alan nods as the sergeant puts the fake courier in the seat opposite him and then stands back. "That would have been stupid, but Diana wouldn't send me here about that. Funnily enough, we're not exactly here about what you did, either."

"So what you're saying is, I don't need a lawyer. I…" He nods. "I heard that one before."

"Listen, son. I don't care much about a break-in at some LexCorp office. Mitchell was fine, and you didn't actually manage to take anything. What we're worried about is what one of the other people took."

"What, those fucks with the plasma guns? I don't know anything about what they took. I don't have any idea who they are or who sent them."

"No, not them either. See, there was another guy in the building. A kid who's about to get way in over his head. And I'd like to find him before that can happen."

The man shakes his head, shrugging. "I don't know anything about a kid. All I saw was Wonder Woman's kid, that girl, and the guys in the black armour."

I'm not a lie detector, but taking a look into his soul… He wants to get out, to get back to a familiar environment where he feels safe and can maybe find out what went wrong because… Because he's worried that he was set up... By…

Ugh. You'd think I'd see a face or something but this sort of thing isn't handled directly by the involved party unless they're already looking at a life sentence. It's obviously not Stagg, if only because he's not this brazen. Not against Lex Luthor. Edwin Alva would be my first guess, but it's not as if LexCorp has a shortage of people that would love to take a swing at it.

If they had a patsy. Preferably, one with a record of working for someone else.

"The orders you received relating to LexCorp. Did-?"

"What order?"

"Yes, yes. The orders you received. Did anything about the tone seem off to you? The.. wording, or the grammar? I'm just wondering… If it actually came from where you think it came from."

Ah. There we go.
 
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Alan looks a little torn by the sight of Johanna. Obviously, he is aware of Jay Garrick's inability to sire a child and in other circumstances would be quite happy for him. On the other hand

Nazi.

At least her costume doesn't actually have a swastika on it. I wonder how she wrangled that?

Maybe she asked Overman for one.

No, no, I'm just.. here to smooth things over with the N.Y.P.D.. Paul can be a little…" He glances at me for a moment. "Well, they don't know him."

Weird. Crazy etc.

Alan gives me a sidelong look for a moment. "Orange Lantern occasionally has a… A slightly screwy way of looking at things

I wouldn't say "occasionally" or " slightly".

glances back at me as he open up

"opens"

"Unt how would I get back?"

I blink. "Why would you want to

Because she may want to go back home.
 
https://forum.questionablequesting....young-justice-si-story-only.8961/post-4240305

Considering your legend I expected better. Or were all of your battle magics cast against defenceless civilians, even in the days of antemergerentur Atlantis?
It's meant to be 'pre-sinking'. Though according to Google it translates as 'they would drown'.
That should say 'received'.
Thank you, corrected.
 
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"The orders you received relating to LexCorp. Did-?"

"What order?"

"Yes, yes. The orders you received. Did anything about the tone seem off to you? The.. wording, or the grammar? I'm just wondering… If it actually came from where you think it came from."

Ah. There we go.
Let's go, baby! We've turned this into a Shadowrun crossover. Impersonating a Johnson, likely with no intention of paying at the end? Anarky, you are too clever for your own good.
 
1st May 2013
08:47 GMT -5


"Ah, hey, Joannah."

Alan looks a little torn by the sight of Johanna. Obviously, he is aware of Jay Garrick's inability to sire a child and in other circumstances would be quite happy for him. On the other hand…
Yes, I expect her origins do make interactions with her awkward. At least they're not holding them against her. So, time to talk to the Lexcorp theives, I see. Wonder what they'll learn?

At least her costume doesn't actually have a swastika on it. I wonder how she wrangled that?

"Hallo, Blue Lantern. Are you leading this investigation? I assumed that Orange Lantern would be enough."

"No, no, I'm just.. here to smooth things over with the N.Y.P.D.. Paul can be a little…" He glances at me for a moment. "Well, they don't know him."
No, I think the issue is that they do know him... As 'The Cake Man.' 😏

I snort as we walk into the police station where the fake delivery people are being held pending the completion of the investigation. Nothing about them really requires Justice League involvement: armed robberies are something we stop if we're there, but usually not something we investigate unless there's something exotic involved. Even the better equipped roof team aren't something we'd involve ourselves in unless it was an unusually slow month. We all know that the Justifiers' gear didn't just disappear when the Anti-Life infection was expunged, and plasma guns aren't that rare.
Only real concern is where they got it, really, and regular police can handle that.

And maybe, objectively, LexCorp being involved doesn't really require us to get involved. But the thing is… We're not stupid. The world is just about stable enough that Lex could start his shenanigans again. Particularly if he thinks that someone's pulling something over on him and has that added motivating spite.
So the display of action might persuade him to hold off a bit? Clever.

My mentioning the League taking over the world probably didn't help in that regard, even if it's objectively true-.

Ah. Would that-? Would he-?

Hm.
And this is why you don't get to talk to the press without Batman's okay, OL.

"Good morning, Sergeant."

"Good morning, Blue Lantern." The sergeant takes in the three of us and starts to look a little nervous. "Do we need to call in re-enforcements?"
Not with two Lanterns there.

"Oh, I shouldn't think so. It looks like these fellahs just got caught up in something a little bigger than they are. Do you mind if we talk to 'em?"

"Ah, they've actually done the smart thing of calling their lawyer and shutting up. You can talk to them, but I doubt they'll volunteer anything and anything they do say won't be admissible."
Ah, smart crooks. Well, if they were smarter, they wouldn't be here in the first place...

"We're not actually investigating them, so that last part shouldn't matter. And I'm not Batman. If they don't wanna talk, then they don't talk."

Alan shrugs, and I take a moment to smile and wave at the rubberneckers, causing them to turn away awkwardly and get on with their actual jobs.
...Wonder how many of them were eyeing the hot girl in not-spandex?

"Alright, you've got the clearance." The sergeant walks out from behind the front desk and begins leading the way into the rear of the station. "Advantage of taking over the world, I guess."

"That's, ah… Not.. something we're actually doing."
That weariness... The whole League has been catching comments like that, huh?

He sniffs in amusement. "Orange Lantern seemed pretty sure."

Alan gives me a sidelong look for a moment. "Orange Lantern occasionally has a… A slightly screwy way of looking at things. I couldn't run the world even if I wanted to. Heck, he once met a parallel universe version of me who gave up when he couldn't even manage to run one city."
Yeah, you know how much work goes into that? No thanks!

"Yeah?" The sergeant glances back at me as he open up an interview room. "That so?"

"I'm not allowed to talk about the Justice League taking over the world."
Suspiciously specific. Don't want Bats mad at you, after all.

Johanna waits until we're inside and the door is closed behind us before giving me a frown. And then giving Alan a frown. "Taking over the world? I understood that was not happening."

Alan makes a frustrated sigh and then gives me an equally frustrated glare. "That's because it isn't."
It's more like... A caretakership. House-sitting.

"They're going to give it back just as soon as it's on one piece again. Ever seen a really big building get demolished?"

She nods. "Yes?"
Might well have been involved a time or two, depending on her durability while accelerated.

"Ever seen anyone stick it back together again with superglue?"

"No. Ah. Perhaps I should visit Angelika?"
...Yeah, that about sums up Earth Sixteen.

"Why?"

"I do not want to take over a world. I was too close with the New Statesmen already."
Heh. On the other hand, they aren't having to do paperwork, are they?

"But if.. Overman overturns your Earth's order, you'll be even more politically significant." I shrug as she looks uncomfortable. "If you want to retire there are hundreds of safeish humanoid-inhabited planets where you could do it. I'd be happy to drop you off on one."

"Unt how would I get back?"
I suspect she'd happily disappear into the masses.

I blink. "Why would you want to?"

Footsteps outside, and we arrange ourselves around the interrogation table. Alan takes the seat, Johanna stands at his shoulder with her arms crossed and I lurk in the background as our man is escorted in.
No need to tell who's going to be good co and bad cop, huh?

"…don't even know why-" He turns away from the sergeant to at us. "-you o-ooooh."

Alan smiles warmly. "Hi there."
Yeah, just walking into that room would be a pants-wetting moment.

The suspect raises his hands. "Swear to God, I did not know he was Wonder Woman's son."

"Yeah." Alan nods as the sergeant puts the fake courier in the seat opposite him and then stands back. "That would have been stupid, but Diana wouldn't send me here about that. Funnily enough, we're not exactly here about what you did, either."
And honestly, I believe she wouldn't. After all, Mitchell is tough enough they couldn't hurt him if they tried. Physically, at least.

"So what you're saying is, I don't need a lawyer. I…" He nods. "I heard that one before."

"Listen, son. I don't care much about a break-in at some LexCorp office. Mitchell was fine, and you didn't actually manage to take anything. What we're worried about is what one of the other people took."
Bet that's kind of embarrassing. Going in sneaky like that and they still didn't get their target.

"What, those fucks with the plasma guns? I don't know anything about what they took. I don't have any idea who they are or who sent them."

"No, not them either. See, there was another guy in the building. A kid who's about to get way in over his head. And I'd like to find him before that can happen."
Ah, and here we go. Did they even see Anarky at all, or did he do the perfect stealth job?

The man shakes his head, shrugging. "I don't know anything about a kid. All I saw was Wonder Woman's kid, that girl, and the guys in the black armour."

I'm not a lie detector, but taking a look into his soul… He wants to get out, to get back to a familiar environment where he feels safe and can maybe find out what went wrong because… Because he's worried that he was set up... By…
Pity he isn't as sharp on Fear as he is on Want.

Ugh. You'd think I'd see a face or something but this sort of thing isn't handled directly by the involved party unless they're already looking at a life sentence. It's obviously not Stagg, if only because he's not this brazen. Not against Lex Luthor. Edwin Alva would be my first guess, but it's not as if LexCorp has a shortage of people that would love to take a swing at it.
Yeah, no way would these guys be hired directly by the big boss of a corporation. There'd be a half-dozen layers of plausibly-deniable separation between them.

If they had a patsy. Preferably, one with a record of working for someone else.

"The orders you receiving relating to LexCorp. Did-?"
Now, will they own up to it, or not?

"What order?"

"Yes, yes. The orders you received. Did anything about the tone seem off to you? The.. wording, or the grammar? I'm just wondering… If it actually came from where you think it came from."

Ah. There we go.
...Oh-ho. Perhaps Anarky did a little sneaky messaging...

Well, then. They got the job on false pretenses, huh? Or rather, someone spoofed an e-mail address or two. And I wouldn't be surprised to find the other team also got paid to hit the site by an 'anonymous' employer. Not surprising, since Anarky is supposed to be a master hacker for his age. So their first step will be untangling the chain of contacts...
 
Well, then. They got the job on false pretenses, huh? Or rather, someone spoofed an e-mail address or two. And I wouldn't be surprised to find the other team also got paid to hit the site by an 'anonymous' employer. Not surprising, since Anarky is supposed to be a master hacker for his age
And if he left a trail that could be followed back to Stagg or Alva then he may want to start a conflict between Luthor and them.
 
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