• The site has now migrated to Xenforo 2. If you see any issues with the forum operation, please post them in the feedback thread.
  • An addendum to Rule 3 regarding fan-translated works of things such as Web Novels has been made. Please see here for details.
  • RIP @Silver Swallow
  • The issue with logging in with email addresses has been resolved.
  • Due to issues with external spam filters, QQ is currently unable to send any mail to Microsoft E-mail addresses. This includes any account at live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com. Signing up to the forum with one of these addresses will result in your verification E-mail never arriving. For best results, please use a different E-mail provider for your QQ address.
  • For prospective new members, a word of warning: don't use common names like Dennis, Simon, or Kenny if you decide to create an account. Spammers have used them all before you and gotten those names flagged in the anti-spam databases. Your account registration will be rejected because of it.
  • Since it has happened MULTIPLE times now, I want to be very clear about this. You do not get to abandon an account and create a new one. You do not get to pass an account to someone else and create a new one. If you do so anyway, you will be banned for creating sockpuppets.
  • Due to the actions of particularly persistent spammers and trolls, we will be banning disposable email addresses from today onward.
  • The rules regarding NSFW links have been updated. See here for details.

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

Reader mode
Mr Zoat said:
Mid-Autumn, IC 690

It's been six years since the Saderan legions under Prince Zorzal El Caesar fought here. The lagomorph tribes who once lived here are physically stronger and faster than unaugmented humans, but have only cottage industry and little higher learning. Unlike most tribal societies I've encountered, they also have a highly uneven birth rate. Almost all of their children are female, with the few males being physically unimposing and getting closeted as a result.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Ah, a return to the 'Gate' world, and the continuation of Ringified-OL's story. And of course there are bunny-girl tribes, with a lady-heavy gender bias. I suspect we can guess what that subplot title refers to, then...

The other oddity is that the female warriors raid their neighbours to acquire male slaves whom them can rape and use for non-combat related labour. I'm not sure if there aren't enough of their own males to maintain the population or they just don't like sharing. They used to be a constant irritation in the Saderan Empire's border regions, which is one of the things that promoted the invasion.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm guessing their males just can't keep up with the demands of the ladies. Especially if they're not overly fit and strong.

The other is… It's not like the Empire doesn't know what happens when warriors fight soldiers. Slaves and new fertile land available at a relatively low price? Who could resist?

Prince Diabo's eyes shine with the orange light as he stares through the ground at the decaying remains beneath it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
An inevitability of such cultures. There must always be expansion, after all.

"How.. many died here?"

"I'm afraid that I don't know. This is a long way from my temple, and I wasn't paying specific attention to it when it happened. Why-?"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
And the legions probably didn't bother recording the deaths of 'primitives'.

"We tracked the progress of the campaign. Every.. battle. The legions didn't bother taking any of their weapons with them due to the low quality of the metal."

"Yes?"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Just plenty of prisoners, I suppose.

"I see the corpses of warrior bunnies, but very few weapons. And I see rope around their arms and legs."

"Ah. Probably the old or very young, then. Those who couldn't survive the march to the slave markets in the Saderan Empire proper."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Heartlessly pragmatic. And entirely what I'd expect of the psuedo-Roman Imperial troops.

"But there is work for the old and the young! And we were settling the area, they didn't need to march them anywhere."

"I'm not sure what you want me to say, Prince Diabo. The officers of the legion were looking for an easy profit, and other than the legionaries mustering out in the area, there weren't any settlers to pay them for the sub-prime slaves. They might have gotten less money than they theoretically could by only taking the most physically able, but it was a simple and reliable profit. If you scan in more detail-."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
...Oh. I certainly hope they kept records of who oversaw the sale of the captives, then, and question them about the loss of lives.

His eyes flare again.

"Small skeletons, and skeletons with a low mineral content. They were the old and the young."

"I'm a little surprised that you're surprised. When was the last time you saw an old slave in the market?"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I doubt they value intellect and learning in their slaves, especially if they consider them primitives.

"I live in the capital! Naturally, we get the highest quality slaves, that doesn't mean that the rest should just-. It doesn't mean that the rest should just be killed because it's too much effort."

"We are planning to start a rather large war."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
But there's a difference between the killing of enemies in hot-blooded battle, and the casual slaughter of captives in a cold-blooded desire for profit. I see Diabo is strongly inclined towards honourable and civilised wars, not this...

"There's a difference between fighting another nation and killing bound prisoners. Or do you not see it that way?"

"Oh, no, I agree completely. I just wanted to get you in the right headspace for your next meeting. And to see how assertive you have become."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Ah, an object lesson for the young man, then. Something to push him towards sympathy for the people he's meeting with. But not into full compassion, of course.

Three years managing the Saderan Empire's gun development project has caused him to grow a bit more of a backbone. And he needed it. Alchemy isn't exactly a popular field for Imperial nobility, and it turns out that when the main delay in gathering materials is the time it takes to collect and boil vast quantities of excrement… Well, the isolated location of the works wasn't primarily down to a need for secrecy, and the smell also resulted in the place being run by slaves and a couple of slightly crazed alchemists who needed royal patronage.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
For the potassium nitrate needed for gunpowder, of course. Sulphur is easier, but, well... There's a reason classic D&D 'Fireball' material components include sulphur and guano.

The insults rather died off once he demonstrated the first wyvern-dropped barrel bomb, and ended completely when the first production model cannon battery was demonstrated against a stone wall.

"Then I suppose I should begin."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Heh. Especially amongst those who didn't see the Earth forces in battle, I bet. I see Ring-OL is pushing this world towards a more Renaissance-level of technology, whether the local gods like it or not.

He raises his left hand and I glow for a moment before we transition, appearing in the middle of a warrior bunny encampment near the edge of their former range. They were expecting him-. Us, but swords and spears are drawn despite how useless they'd be. I take a moment to study the women here, and it is just women. Bunny warriors from outlying territories who didn't hear their former queen's call to arms, reinforced by survivors and refugees. But this part of the country was sparsely populated for a reason. The soil is poor, there isn't much game, and the closest people they could raid have solid walls and defences. There was just about enough for their former numbers, but from the looks of things that is no longer the case. In addition, many are carrying wounds that haven't had time to heal, or amputations where the wounds couldn't be healed.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Desperate and starving. The kind of people that do foolish things that might get them killed...

Their best option was the raid the newly build Saderan settlements, but they know perfectly well what would happen if they tried that.

"I am Prince Diabo El Caesar. I am here to speak with your chief."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The Saderan legions would come back and finish the job they started, without mercy, of course. And the only Lapines remaining would be slaves...

Turning up without an escort, either of praetorians or blunderbusseers, is a statement in its own right. In other places it would suggest weakness but on Falmart, where everyone has heard of Apostles, it's a statement of power. 'I am the next thing to a god', it says. 'Take a shot if you like, I could do with a laugh'.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I wonder if the rabbit-folk have their own gods, or some who at least look at them with fond amusement, or if they got wiped out by stronger deities...

"I am Chief Eithne. What do you want?"

Muscular, not wearing much, clipped ears and manacles indicating a former slave. The chains attached to the manacles have had a leaver shoved into them to pry them apart, but I'd guess that the manacles themselves are more than their primitive metallurgy can deal with. She looks irritable and tired.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Removing them would be a good show of power and mercy, as would healing them, but I suspect Diabo would need to be more invested to muster that much Avarice.

"Hungry? Allow me."

He waves his left hand, and a table laden with foods appears from subspace. Cured sausage, jars of pickled and otherwise preserved vegetables and fruit, and a smaller quantity of fresh bread and fruit. Jugs of water and wine. Nothing that cost a great deal in the capital's markets, but all things the locals desperately could do with.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
They're probably subsisting on forage and hunting, but the more people around, the more they need to feed them and that isn't sustainable...

The local women can't quite help themselves twitch towards it, but they control themselves a moment later.

The chief looks bitter. "You know that we can't refuse. Just say what you want in exchange."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Kind of sad that they're so resigned, but she probably understands very well their tenuous position...

"The Saderan Empire will soon be at war. Next year, most likely. Certainly not longer than another year after that. Our former auxiliary suffered significant casualties during our war with the Men in Green. I wish for the warriors of your tribe to take their place. You would serve as scouts and skirmishers, under my command."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
And now I'm getting flashes of Viera, from Final Fantasy's Ivalice setting. Their warriors are probably not too different to what they'll be doing here.

"At war." She tilts her head slightly. "So the Empire will have fewer legions protecting its people."

"True. So it would take us a little longer to completely exterminate you if you tried to attack us than it would otherwise take. But that it part of why I'm making an offer at all."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Better to have them as friends than a distraction.

"And what do we get?"

"Food. Water. Our forbearance. And for those of you who complete the ten year term of service…" He looks around the gathering. "Imperial citizenship."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Which would mostly protect them from slavery, if nothing else.

There's a quiet intake of breath from all around.

"You would be granted an area of the former Warrior Bunny lands, and your occupancy would be recognise by the Empire. You would be subject to our laws… But you could actually live, rather than…" He looks around again, this time focusing on the tents and cook fires. "This."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
A very tantalising proposition. But can they open up long enough to consider it fairly?

The chief snorts. "And what is the chance that we will survive? What stops you killing us off just before that?"

"You, convincing us that you can be useful as free women, and not just as slaves. And frankly, what we're offering costs us little."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
But to them, it's so very, very much. He's certainly learned the benefits of negotiating from a position of power.

And having scouts with their physical abilities, who don't need hard-to-provision horses to remain mobile and effective, would be very useful. People remember Agincourt, but there were battles in the same campaign where the English were caught out of position and overrun. We need to make sure that doesn't happen, because it will be another generation before the Saderan Empire can be as profligate with manpower as it was before the gate opened.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
They took that many losses? Kind of impressive, especially with how quickly the conflict ended with Diabo's interference.

The chief is clearly on the verge of saying yes, but a little-

"I also took the liberty of purchasing others of your kind in the slave markets. Including two males. Naturally, the would be placed under your command."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Given his potential funds, he could probably have cleaned them out entirely. But this is only the hook, not the line or sinker.

-push, and her eyes light up, and he has her.

"I agree."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I see he's learned to use the more esoteric aspects of the Orange Light quite well.

Prince Diabo smiles, and gestures to the table.

"Then eat, drink and be merry. For tomorrow, you march."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
'We march' would have been more friendly, but I doubt he'd be walking with them either way. 😏

So, three years since the last 'Gate' segments. I'm surprised Ring-OL hasn't tried to leave yet, but evidently he'd rather beat the local gods at their own game, and a few decades as a Ring is hardly an inconvenience. And it looks like he's trying to change up the game, by bumping their tech level up a bit. Wondering how the local gods are taking that bit of gamesmanship?
 
néocorvinus said:
Did some of the Japanese got stuck on the wrong side of the Gate?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No.

Emperor Molt was fairly pleased that a few nobles decided to keep their Japanese slaves despite his proclamation. It allowed him to liquidate their estates to fund Prince Diabo's work.
Also, what were the names of the previous Gate arcs?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Gateway.
Late Summer, IC 687
Gateway (part 1)
Gateway (part 2)
Gateway (part 3)
Gateway (part 4)
Gateway (part 5)
Gateway (part 6)
Gateway (part 7)
Gateway (part 8)
Gateway (part 9)
Gateway (part 10)
 
Mr Zoat said:
No.

Emperor Molt was fairly pleased that a few nobles decided to keep their Japanese slaves despite his proclamation. It allowed him to liquidate their estates to fund Prince Diabo's work.

Gateway.
Late Summer, IC 687
Gateway (part 1)
Gateway (part 2)
Gateway (part 3)
Gateway (part 4)
Gateway (part 5)
Gateway (part 6)
Gateway (part 7)
Gateway (part 8)
Gateway (part 9)
Gateway (part 10)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Oh right, the Apostles and the setting with the dickish gods. Of course they'd mutilate their slaves' ears, how small-minded,
 
Chojin Patriarch said:
Heh. Especially amongst those who didn't see the Earth forces in battle, I bet. I see Ring-OL is pushing this world towards a more Renaissance-level of technology, whether the local gods like it or not.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Renaissance Level isn't actually disallowed, the Saderans just haven't reached that point yet. The Saderan Empire might top out at around the 13th century, but they aren't actually the most advanced culture on the planet.

The various small island kingdoms of the Avion Sea are around 15th century level, with gunpowder cannons, matchlock muskets and much better naval ships.

The reason the technology simply hasn't spread to the continent of Falmart yet is because
  • The Saderan Empire might be a major land power, but that doesn't automatically translate to being a major naval power and the Avion Sea is apparently far enough away that they struggle to reach it(if they even can).
  • The Avion Sea itself Balkanized after the previous unifying power collapsed, leaving a bunch of smaller island kingdoms so focused on each other that they can't even effectively coordinate to deal with their current pirate problem, never mind pick a fight with a super-sized land empire that could cheerfully field many times the number of soldiers or possibly even mages.
Maybe if a new power unified the Avion Sea, they could go all East-India trading company, but even then the conquest of India only happened because India was less unified than Sadera and the EIC took advantage of that.
 
Vaermina said:
How do we know they were willing? They had their memories erased.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

We don't. We only have their word for it, hence why I said "apparently".

Deadring said:
Unfortunately, no one in this universe has agency but Paul and the arc's designated agency haver. This wasn't always the case, but it's been so for a while.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

To be fair, they're all really busy doing other stuff and fixing the world, so we can't really expect them to always get involved in everything Paul is doing. Think of it like them having their own separate adventures apart from Paul, just like how DC heroes always have their own separate adventures from each other in canon.
 
Reader mode
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

  • ... and 5 more.
    • Total: 103 (members: 10, guests: 93)
    Back
    Top