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

[Ngamer11]

That ended up being more pleasant that I thought. Now to corroborate her story.

 

[BR549]

Ah, now we know why they went ahead and sent those ships despite everything.

Beware Thanagarians bearing gifts.

 

[RoninSword]

I mean, if there is a red lantern around, that neatly solves the problem of the ring that Dox has on lockdown not having a lantern to charge with.

 

[McGraww]

That's actually pretty clever. I thought Shayera was a dumbass who willingly took the ring, but if you have an anger-based mind control device, simply smuggling it to Earth and handing it to Shayera works just as well.

 

[BlueMangoAdea]

Ah, now we know why they went ahead and sent those ships despite everything.

Beware Thanagarians bearing gifts.

Click to shrink...

Tbf, maybe the ones sending the gifts didn't know some other party smuggled in a red ring inside their gift.

 

[AmericanNumbers]

I feel like the Earth heroes for the most part don't understand that Paul is basically the equivalent of a cabinet member for the most powerful polity in the area (The Anti Reach alliance) and the man who holds the key to their biggest weapon (The Ophidian). Shayera is in deep water here and will only skate if Paul is willing to eat shit for her.

 

[Vaermina]

"This system isn't inhabited, so there's no legal code. I took you alive because I need information and -as I said- I like Katar, but I wouldn't go looking for legal niceties. Those delegates had families, and you're wearing the uniform of an enemy soldier."

Click to shrink...

You took her alive because if you had killed her you wouldn't be welcome on Earth anymore.

"Shayera, you were angry enough to use a red power ring. That's not a spur of the moment thing. And someone with the skill to make a red power ring can make another one."

Click to shrink...

Making people angry is what happens when you stomp around with no care for reality Orange Lantern.

As to them making more rings, good, because its past time you were forced to consider the long string of enemies you were making.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

18th September 2013
19:43 GMT

"Ugggh…"

Shayera tries to roll onto her side on her medical bed, but is stopped by the carbon nanotube re-enforced tungsten chains binding her arms to the sides. That jerks her awake, eyes staring around at her surroundings.

Click to shrink...

Necessary because of the low-level super-strength, of course. Hopefully the doctors have briefings on Thanagarian physiology, to avoid any accidental mis-diagnoses. ...Might have to watch for intentional ones, though.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

There's a brief pause, and then she checks her right wrist.

"I stuck it back on."

"Ah-." She checks the tubes going into her arms, and realises that she can't do anything about them. "What's happening?"

Click to shrink...

Well, at least she remembers what happened while raged-out, it seems. At least after the Ring was removed and before she passed out from pain and injuries. Not a significant period, admittedly.

"The conference is firmly into the nitty-gritty, there's an outline agreement more or less in place, the Thanagarian Empire needs a new High Mor, but apparently that's been true for a couple of days. You've been under sedation, because I wasn't sure how functional you'd be when you woke up."

Click to shrink...

Never know how lingering the rage effect might be, after all.

"What's the other tube?"

"Water, vitamins, and a thanagarian-safe mood stabiliser. Because it turns out that red power rings do a number on you… If you're not a New God. Which you're not. Or… Since the red ring I got from Draan Del Darr is still where I left it and I doubt very much that he's making any more, perhaps the problem comes from using knock-off versions, I don't know, Shayera, what the fuck?"

Click to shrink...

It's for sure a Qwardian plot. The Anti-Green is a clear signpost. So Kalmin might be looking for copyright infringers...

"I… I don't.. know."

"I know you don't like me, and I assure you that the feeling is mutual, but I didn't think you'd got to the point of trying to kill me."

"I-I didn't-."

Click to shrink...

She might have felt that way occasionally, but in the hyperbolic 'totally wouldn't, actually' sense.

"Oh, I assure you, you did." I half-turn, gesturing towards the display currently showing her medical information. "Would you like to watch a recording? As it turns out, you and the High Mor didn't manage to get a particularly high kill count, but to be fair to you neither of you had ever used a power ring before."

Click to shrink...

And being rookies, they were subtle as a brick to the face.

Her left hand clenches, tearing through the bed's padding.

"How clearly do you remember it? I assume you remember at least a little, given that you checked your wrist."

Click to shrink...

Given the nature of Red Ring use, it might be flashes of rational thoughts amidst a red haze...

She looks down at her abdomen, the wound that was there not visible through her shirt.

"It's… Blurry. I was… Chasing someone I hate-."

Click to shrink...

Yes, quite obvious target there. Hopefully while he patched her up, he took care of any possible organ damage that might interfere with her legacy.

"Hello!"

"No." She shakes her head. "More than.. you. I hated them completely. Nothing else mattered compared to killing… You?"

Click to shrink...

If you can point a Red Lantern at their desired target, then yes, they will single-mindedly pursue them.

"Yep, that was me. The High Mor used you as a distraction while he tried sniping the delegates. Where did you get the ring?"

"Shouldn't I get a lawyer?"

"This system isn't inhabited, so there's no legal code. I took you alive because I need information and -as I said- I like Katar, but I wouldn't go looking for legal niceties. Those delegates had families, and you're wearing the uniform of an enemy soldier."

Click to shrink...

Fortunately, while he's not a cop, he does have some measure of arrest powers. Mostly by way of being the toughest thing around.

"Where am I?"

"You're aboard the battleship 'Bitter Scent', in an unnamed system in an area the Thanagarian Empire has marked for conquest. The locals aren't keen, and they're putting together a defensive pact."

Click to shrink...

So they have no reason to like her, even if OL tells them she's one of the good ones.

"We're not near Earth."

"I suppose that 'near' is relative, but no. Not in the same Sector. How did you get here?"

Click to shrink...

And don't be precious about it by saying 'you brought me here.' You know what OL means.

"I don't remember."

"Because we've got cruisers out checking local space. If you came here in a ship, then they'll find it."

"I don't-." She breathes in, and then out again. "I don't remember a ship."

Click to shrink...

So she flew there under RIng FTL. Being so angry she's not where she needs to be that that the Ring hauled her along at ludicrous speeds.

"What's the last thing you do remember?"

"It.. was-." She frowns. "Should I be talking to you?"

Click to shrink...

Would you rather talk to the Greenie? He's a lot less inclined to be kindly, given the destruction she wrought.

"That depends. Either, you're a colleague who had her mind altered by an artefact someone exposed her to, or you're a Thanagarian soldier who attacked one of her people's enemies. If it's the first, you tell me everything and there's no ongoing problem. If it's the second, that's fine, except that you'll be placed in a military prison facility until the Thanagarian Empire surrenders."

Click to shrink...

Or otherwise negotiates her being handed over as a political prisoner. And I get the feeling she and Katar will soon be persona non grata amongst Thanagar's High Command.

"I see."

"And that's the Geneva Conventions version. Traditional polaran treatment of prisoners involves deliberately infecting them with the Equalizing Plague!"

Click to shrink...

Presumably so the collective can batter down any 'unusual' mentalities back into a nice, conforming citizen?

I smile, and make jazz hands.

"… Fine. I was briefing one of the new shuttle pilots on Earth customs."

Click to shrink...

Well, then, a trail to follow.

I shrug. "I didn't think to check their ships for hidden power rings. But it must have been inert and depowered for me to not pick it up." I sigh. "Which means that there's a red personal lantern somewhere that we're going to need to track down. Thanagarians don't have a tradition of committing suicide to avoid capture, right?"

Click to shrink...

Not that death would stop OL from getting his information. Be it poison or self-inflicted harm, he can reverse it.

"No?"

"Then that pilot isn't going to enjoy what comes next. And neither are you."

"So it's military prison after all."

Click to shrink...

Don't be so pessimistic, dear. It's possible to forgive a lot in the name of politics and joint operations.

"No, but you're staying here until I can confirm your story." I take a seat, facing her. "Katar told me that you were thinking of requesting asylum."

"It-. Came up."

Click to shrink...

Oh? How into the idea were you, then? Was it enough to provide a suitable lever to direct a Red Ring rage?

"Shayera, you were angry enough to use a red power ring. That's not a spur of the moment thing. And someone with the skill to make a red power ring can make another one."

She affects a stony expression.

Click to shrink...

I'm sure they got plenty of useful data from her rampage, even if the Ring was captured. The next generation is bound to be more dangerous still.

"I think I've been clear about my motives and intentions. I want the Thanagarian Empire to stop expanding and free its slaves. To that end I have encouraged the formation of a defensive military pact and enforced peace with one of its enemies. The thanagarians under Hyathis's rule aren't being mistreated, and I'm happy-. I'm willing to take you there so that you can check for yourself."

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I doubt either of them would be entirely happy with the trip. Too much friction between them.

I give her a moment, but she doesn't say anything.

I shrug. "I'm an empath. I can tell you why you're angry if you like, but I suspect that will just make it worse."

Click to shrink...

Indeed, having the source of her anger rubbed in her face would just make it sting all the more.

She regards me for a moment, then jerks her head away. "Fine. I feel more at home on Earth than I did on Thanagar. I like it there. I like not having a downside as a matter of government policy. Katar would probably have talked me into staying, but you… Made me face it. How Thanagar is compared to Earth's ideals. The slavery and the ghetto for aliens and poor people. And knowing that our government makes it like that deliberately so that we'll do what they want. And I got angry at you because you made me confront it."

Click to shrink...

So, really, it's not OL you're ultimately angry at, it's yourself because you're noticing all the little things about your life that make it clear your government had been manipulating you... A big hit to her patriotism, leaving her feeling adrift...

I nod. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, if you'll excuse me-."

She pointedly rattles her chains.

"As I said, I need to confirm your story first." I raise my right hand to my forehead. "Enjoy your stay in hospital."

Click to shrink...

Consider it an enforced vacation day. Hope the food's decent.

Shayera's got a lot to think about anyway, having been forced to see all the problems Thanagar suffers from that she'd been ignoring so far. Especially given the fact she grew up in an enforced slum system that existed purely so the government could have an 'other' it's okay to discriminate against. That's got to shake her worldview to the foundations.

 

[Steelplaza]

While empathic sense isn't a perfect lie detector, OL is probably already 90% sure Shayera's story is true. Probably he'll spring her on the grounds that she was unwillingly exposed to a mind-altering technology and can't be held responsible for her actions.

There's a lot of reasons Orion might have done better with a red ring. Being a New God, or more importantly being Orion, who has made a life's work of mastering his own rage. Having a better ring in the first place as well. If it was a Qwardian design, they almost can't help designing their rings to make the users worse. They are after all evil. Food for thought on what that yellow ring might be doing to Sinestro. (Double food for thought on Alan's blue ring, which seems fine, but how confident are we that Kalmin didn't hide something in there?)

 

[Darko]

You took her alive because if you had killed her you wouldn't be welcome on Earth anymore.

Click to shrink...

I don't think the League is going to banish him from Earth for killing Shayera in self defense because she tried to kill him, or for giving her to alien authorities so that they can execute her because she helped a fascist government kill several of their people.

Making people angry is what happens when you stomp around with no care for reality Orange Lantern.

Click to shrink...

The reality was that if he didn't stomp around then a massive war would have happened, or that the races that are currently creating an alliance would have been conquered by a fascist regime that uses slavery.

As to them making more rings, good, because its past time you were forced to consider the long string of enemies you were making

Click to shrink...

So a race of mad scientists that worship a being that wants to destroy everything are currently giving out rings that cause death and destruction, and are working with a fascist government that utilize slave labor, and according to you the fact that they're currently doing those things is supposed to be a good thing?

Wow.

I know you don't understand many things, but one little thing you see in superhero fiction is the fact that heroes tend to have many enemies, and this can be both a good and bad thing.

It's a bad thing since they have so many enemies, but it's a good thing since from a literary perspective it allows the writer to show what qualities the hero has or represents by putting them against someone that has the opposite qualities.

In this case it shows Paul fighting against a fascist empire that utilizes slave labor, and a race of omnicidal mad scientists.

That says good things about Paul's character.

And don't try to say that Paul's actions resulted in them becoming evil or something dumb like that.

They were already evil. The only thing Paul did was change who they targeted. But even then they would have still targeted those things, just at a later date.

 

[BR549]

(Double food for thought on Alan's blue ring, which seems fine, but how confident are we that Kalmin didn't hide something in there?)

Click to shrink...

I'd actually say 'pretty confident'. Kalmin is an evil omnicidal maniac, but he's also The Weaponer of Qward. When given a commission, he delivers his best work; even if he was inclined to slip in some extras, he wouldn't hide them, he'd boast about them, because he is the best there is at what he does.

Now, any and all other Qwardians...

 

[Mr Zoat]

Add a space between their sentences.

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

"you, neither"

Click to shrink...

I don't think that's necessary.

I'd actually say 'pretty confident'. Kalmin is an evil omnicidal maniac, but he's also The Weaponer of Qward. When given a commission, he delivers his best work; even if he was inclined to slip in some extras, he wouldn't hide them, he'd boast about them, because he is the best there is at what he does.

Click to shrink...

Also worth pointing out that Kalmin isn't the most skilled with hope, and he knows and accepts it. For now. Fear, rage and will, certainly, but he regards Alan's ring as a sort of prototype. His attitude was: 'can I make this at all and have it work properly?'

 

[hkim]

I don't think the League is going to banish him from Earth for killing Shayera in self defense because she tried to kill him, or for giving her to alien authorities so that they can execute her because she helped a fascist government kill several of their people.

Click to shrink...

Also, like - who's going to tell them? She flew out here using a power ring nobody knew existed into a place nobody knew she was, if OL didn't fess up it's unlikely anyone on Earth would know about it.

Granted, it's comix so someone would find out (and OL probably would fess up), but -

 

[timeForced]

OL deeeefinitely chose the chains as a petty revenge lmao. Could've been a bracelet and bars or handcuffs.

 

[Vaermina]

I don't think the League is going to banish him from Earth for killing Shayera in self defense because she tried to kill him, or for giving her to alien authorities so that they can execute her because she helped a fascist government kill several of their people.

Click to shrink...

She was mind controlled, they absolutely would.

The reality was that if he didn't stomp around then a massive war would have happened, or that the races that are currently creating an alliance would have been conquered by a fascist regime that uses slavery.

Click to shrink...

A massive war that would have been caused by... Him stomping around thoughtlessly...

So a race of mad scientists that worship a being that wants to destroy everything are currently giving out rings that cause death and destruction, and are working with a fascist government that utilize slave labor, and according to you the fact that they're currently doing those things is supposed to be a good thing?

Wow.

I know you don't understand many things, but one little thing you see in superhero fiction is the fact that heroes tend to have many enemies, and this can be both a good and bad thing.

It's a bad thing since they have so many enemies, but it's a good thing since from a literary perspective it allows the writer to show what qualities the hero has or represents by putting them against someone that has the opposite qualities.

In this case it shows Paul fighting against a fascist empire that utilizes slave labor, and a race of omnicidal mad scientists.

That says good things about Paul's character.

And don't try to say that Paul's actions resulted in them becoming evil or something dumb like that.

They were already evil. The only thing Paul did was change who they targeted. But even then they would have still targeted those things, just at a later date.

Click to shrink...

General reminder that the Qwardians haven't been confirmed as the source yet.

Also, Orange Lantern isn't a Superhero, he's an Anti-Hero at best.

 

[Steelplaza]

The biggest obstacle to making power rings seems to be having a central power battery. It's possible to make them without one, sure, but it's a pain in the ass because then you have to go find a sufficiently powerful source of the appropriate emotion and you get one ring/battery combo out of it, that's it. Alternatively, someone sufficiently enlightened in that color can make them by pulling the color energy straight out into it. We've seen orange rings/batteries and green ones forged that way. Presumably if you have both, like the Guardians and their power battery or the orange-aligned Controllers and their battery, the process becomes totally trivial.

All of this leads to two questions.

1. How do the Qwardians make those anti-thesis green rings anyway? They don't have a central power battery and presumably aren't aligned to Will. Maybe they capture green lantern rings and pervert them into anti-thesis rings? That seems like their style.

2. How did they make this red ring that got stuck on Shayera? All potential answers seem seem very ominous.

 

[Agumentic]

In Renegade timeline, Lysis made a red ring/lantern without much trouble, from what I remember.

 

[McGraww]

A massive war that would have been caused by... Him stomping around thoughtlessly...

Click to shrink...

Well, debatably. Him giving Hyanthis a connection to that plant world whose name I can't remember advanced her tech and gave her an edge in her system's war. That prompted Thanagar to attack. But like, Thanagar would've eventually attacked her anyway, since they considered her an existential threat, and they're a fascist, racist, expansionist empire.

Frankly, I'd say giving Thanagar a better source of Nth metal via Vulcan was probably at least as much why they decided to attack, except he only did that so the dumbasses would stop going to the Seven Devils to get it.

Similarly, the peace conference he set up is to protect worlds that were on Thanagar's To Be Conquered list anyway. At best he moved the timeline up a decade or two, because they needed a show of force after Paul wrecked their ships. But they only needed a show of force because all their neighbors hate them, because again, fascist, racist, expansionist empire.

 

[Vaermina]

Well, debatably. Him giving Hyanthis a connection to that plant world whose name I can't remember advanced her tech and gave her an edge in her system's war. That prompted Thanagar to attack. But like, Thanagar would've eventually attacked her anyway, since they considered her an existential threat, and they're a fascist, racist, expansionist empire.

Frankly, I'd say giving Thanagar a better source of Nth metal via Vulcan was probably at least as much why they decided to attack, except he only did that so the dumbasses would stop going to the Seven Devils to get it.

Click to shrink...

Thanagar was actively mellowing when Paul started stomping around, by the time all those other things reached a point where Thanagar was able to act the political will to do so might not have even existed anymore.

Similarly, the peace conference he set up is to protect worlds that were on Thanagar's To Be Conquered list anyway. At best he moved the timeline up a decade or two, because they needed a show of force after Paul wrecked their ships. But they only needed a show of force because all their neighbors hate them, because again, fascist, racist, expansionist empire.

Click to shrink...

I mean... It's probably just going to get them dead now because Thanagar has Red Lantern rings...

 

[McGraww]

Thanagar was actively mellowing when Paul started stomping around, by the time all those other things reached a point where Thanagar was able to act the political will to do so might not have even existed anymore.

Click to shrink...

Do we know that? We know there's a single reformist noble heir (Bleez). But she (a) doesn't have power yet, and (b) would only rule a single colony anyway.

 

[Mr Zoat]

All of this leads to two questions.

1. How do the Qwardians make those anti-thesis green rings anyway? They don't have a central power battery and presumably aren't aligned to Will. Maybe they capture green lantern rings and pervert them into anti-thesis rings? That seems like their style.

Click to shrink...

They originally built a Central Power Battery. They tried getting Jordan to help out training their Lanterns, but he turned them down. The rings that are around now are rings that were left over.

 

[Darko]

She was mind controlled, they absolutely would

Click to shrink...

Maybe. However it is a fact that power rings still need their bearers to possess the emotion and goal in order to accomplish something, so the fact that Shayera wanted to kill Paul and those aliens is not a good thing.

A massive war that would have been caused by... Him stomping around thoughtlessly

Click to shrink...

You do remember that they were already in a tense situation with Hyathis long before Paul came around?

His actions just changed how it was conducted and ended.

General reminder that the Qwardians haven't been confirmed as the source yet.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, there are a lot of people that can give out Anti-Green and red rings.

Heck, you can buy them in bulk in your local Space Walmart.

 

[Vaermina]

Maybe. However it is a fact that power rings still need their bearers to possess the emotion and goal in order to accomplish something, so the fact that Shayera wanted to kill Paul and those aliens is not a good thing.

Click to shrink...

No, she just wanted to kill Orange Lantern.

And that's perfectly understandable given his thoughtless actions caused multiple planets full of Thanagarians to be enslaved by Hyathis.

You do remember that they were already in a tense situation with Hyathis long before Paul came around?

His actions just changed how it was conducted and ended.

Click to shrink...

They were in situation that had been stable for hundreds of years.

Now because of Orange Lantern Hyathis is on the road to becoming the next Reach.

Yeah, there are a lot of people that can give out Anti-Green and red rings.

Heck, you can buy them in bulk in your local Space Walmart.

Click to shrink...

Given this is an open multiverse fit, yes, there actually are a lot of people who can give them out.

 

[Darko]

, she just wanted to kill Orange Lantern.

Click to shrink...

Yet she also killed others and her actions resulted in the High Mor being able to kill others.

And that's perfectly understandable given his thoughtless actions caused multiple planets full of Thanagarians to be enslaved by Hyathis.

Click to shrink...

Hyathis doesn't utilize slavery. The Thanagarians do.

They were in situation that had been stable for hundreds of years.

Click to shrink...

Ha!

Now because of Orange Lantern Hyathis is on the road to becoming the next Reach.

Click to shrink...

She hasn't really done anything that's comparable to the Reach.

The Thanagarians however have done similar things.

Given this is an open multiverse fit, yes, there actually are a lot of people who can give them out.

Click to shrink...

Not a lot of people that would just give out power rings to random people, even with a multiverse.

The Qwardians however have the capability to make them, they've sold tech to aliens, and they may have a grudge against Paul.

 

[Mr Zoat]

29th May 2284
00:22 GMT -7

Stealth boys active, we press ourselves to the walls as a Mark 2 Sentry Bot stamps past us, heading towards the firefight near the gate.

**[An image of a pulse grenade and a sense of inquiry.]**

I shake my head automatically before transmitting **[a red cross]**. Sure, we could wreck it, assuming that the Washington Brotherhood haven't radically altered the programming, but that would reveal us.

Idly I wonder how Chinese stealth operatives managed this. We wouldn't be able to coordinate without telepathy, and I'm fairly certain that they weren't telepaths.

The robot stomps around the corner of the bunker corridor, and send a **[warning image]** to the paladins outside. Not the knights, though. They're not used to hearing voices in their heads in the middle of firefights and I'm worried that it might distract them. I feel a vague impulse of acknowledgement in return, then send the **[advance sign]** to my fellow infiltrators.

We're heading for the detention section. I'm not sure whether there's anyone there or not. Cascadia has been a bit of a mess since the main pirate groups along the Broken Coast allied together and outright conquered a lot of other groups, and then they themselves were conquered by the Washington Brotherhood. Plenty of time for people to go missing, and if there's a chance that some of them have information we need…

There were Black Paladins manning the exterior defences, but inside I've only seen robots. A lot of paladins who were sent to Alaska are unaccounted for, and we need to know where they are. And if we find prisoners alive, even better.

We reach a bulkhead door, tiny movements in the dust on the floor letter me tell roughly where my colleagues are. I crouch down next to the door, laying my right hand on its surface just in case someone opens it and dashes out. **[Reach through…]**

**[Defensive barricade with two Black Paladins, turret on the roof. ]**
**[The Paladins are fully alert, their implants easily holding boredom at bay.]**
**[Blood.]**
**[It's soaked into the walls and floors.]**
**[Pain.]**
**[It sings through the air.]**
**[A chirurgical suite, partially-disassembled corpse left on the chirurgical table. There are implants in the corpse, inactive.]**
**[Lines of fear lead towards the cells.]**
**[Fresh corpses lay splayed in the cells-.]**

**[One mind lives, and another Black Paladin marches towards-.]**

**Breach.**

Edward focuses on the door, interfacing his mind with the simple computer in the lock. A moment passes and it opens, the organic thoughts of the Black Paladins within imagining tactics and potential aggressors while the machine part guesses angles and arcs of fire.

I mentally grip the relatively flimsy servos of the turret and pull, mechanisms bursting and cables crackling. That distracts the Paladins a little, and Noran ensures that they stay that was with a tossed plasma grenade. Both Paladins shoot it, causing it to disintegrate without going critical… But that creates enough visual distraction that Petuk can dash through the doorway and move around the concrete barricade.

Black Paladins have acute senses, but there's only so much they can take in at once.

Guy and Evan pull, and the Paladins account for the shift in their weight almost immediately… But it holds their attention as Petuk drops a pulse grenade at their feet.

P-pch!

The Paladins freeze, because their armour isn't quite hardened enough to prevent the electromagnetic radiation penetrating, and when you make a brain part robot you add robot problems.

The five of us dart inside, Stealth Boys shutting down as we do so. Guy and Evan take out their cutting tools, getting to work on the thin neck armour of the Paladins. Petuk readies another grenade just in case, and Noran, Edward and I sprint down the corridor towards where we can hear a mind desperately trying to find a weapon as the final Paladin approaches.

The Paladin awkwardly tries to look around as he hears up coming up behind him, but while power armour can be fast in a straight line it isn't fast at turning. A psychokinetic surge from me sends him flying into the wall at the end of the corridor at speed, slamming with a loud clang and falling to the floor.

"Someone there?!"

**Check the Paladin.**

A pair of nods, and Noran telekinetically pulls his plasma gun away while Edward begins subverting his armour. I get closer to the source of the voice, standing in front of the cell bars-.

The Circle of Steel operative inside is bruised and bloody, but otherwise in good health. He looks me over in confusion.

"I don't know who you are, but thanks."

I nod. "Not a problem. I'm glad that you're alive; the High Elder is going to want to debrief someone over this mess. Where-?"

"You're Brotherhood?"

"The Paladins -our Paladins- are smashing through the front right now." I look over the bars covering the cell. Solid steel buried in concrete. More than I can easily crack. "Do you have-?"

"The Immortal's here, in the base."

"Escape route?"

"He's isn't escaping. This place-. It was some kind of pre-War Enclave base, they stuck a load of soldiers they thought were loyal in cryo-pods, along with all their equipment. A couple of them wouldn't go along with what he wants, so they ended up-" He nods to the cell opposite. "-in here. The rest… I think they figure that so long as they're attacking China it doesn't make much difference who gives them orders."

"How many soldiers are we talking about?"

"Thousands. Power armor elites and infantry veterans. How many paladins did you bring?"

"Not thousands."

Enclave. But… They're not. The Enclave personnel on the Poseidon Energy oil rig had a century to dehumanise everyone not on the Rig. That's not the case with these people. Between the post-cryo confusion and culture shock, they're off-balance, but they… Should be persuadable.

To my right, Edward puts off the Paladin's helmet and Noran shoots him in the head with his own gun. Then Edward jogs over and taps the lock on the cell door, which clanks open. I step back, and the agent steps out.

"How are they planning on moving thousands of soldiers?"

"The old U.S. was building up to launch an invasion of Siberia from here. They left troop ships in concealed docks so the Communists couldn't spot them with planes or satellites." He steps out of the cell, checking left and right. "They've been ferrying stuff across the Bering Straits for months."

And we didn't spot it because… Why would we? Between the snow and storms it's hard enough to observe this part of the world at this time of year, and we only have so many eyes are far more pressing things to watch. Not sure why he destroyed the satellites now, but… I suppose that he didn't know that we didn't know. Or maybe the plan calls for an acceleration now?

I nod. "Do you know where the troops are?"

"It's where I got caught… What's the plan, sir?"

Thank you Chains of Commanding. Even Circle of Steel agents aren't good at ignoring authority.

"We try talking the soldiers around. You spoke to the ones they brought here before they got killed?"

"Yeah? You sure about this, sir? If the Immortal gets away…"

"We're going to have to go after his people in Asia anyway, but denying him an army will make him far less dangerous. Tell me where we're going."

 

[Vaermina]

Yet she also killed others and her actions resulted in the High Mor being able to kill others.

Click to shrink...

Her actions while mind controlled...

Hyathis doesn't utilize slavery. The Thanagarians do.

Click to shrink...

Then the Thanagarians on all those planets she seized are free to leave? Oh wait, no they aren't.

She hasn't really done anything that's comparable to the Reach.

Click to shrink...

That instant election without the Thanagarians being told about it was exactly the sort of thing the Reach do to take planets.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

29th May 2284
00:22 GMT -7

Stealth boys active, we press ourselves to the walls as a Mark 2 Sentry Bot stamps past us, heading towards the firefight near the gate.

**[An image of a pulse grenade and a sense of inquiry.]**

Click to shrink...

Yes, set a micro-EMP off inside their walls while sneaking around. That won't raise suspicions at all, no matter how hardened any of your equipment is. Slap that Sky Walker upside the head, Krono.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

I shake my head automatically before transmitting **[a red cross]**. Sure, we could wreck it, assuming that the Washington Brotherhood haven't radically altered the programming, but that would reveal us.

Idly I wonder how Chinese stealth operatives managed this. We wouldn't be able to coordinate without telepathy, and I'm fairly certain that they weren't telepaths.

Click to shrink...

Some manner of compact radio system the locals couldn't detect, perhaps. I assume the US and Chinese were roughly on parity technology-wise prewar, but who knows what black projects they had?

The robot stomps around the corner of the bunker corridor, and send a **[warning image]** to the paladins outside. Not the knights, though. They're not used to hearing voices in their heads in the middle of firefights and I'm worried that it might distract them. I feel a vague impulse of acknowledgement in return, then send the **[advance sign]** to my fellow infiltrators.

Click to shrink...

Good to see such consideration for allied operatives.

We're heading for the detention section. I'm not sure whether there's anyone there or not. Cascadia has been a bit of a mess since the main pirate groups along the Broken Coast allied together and outright conquered a lot of other groups, and then they themselves were conquered by the Washington Brotherhood. Plenty of time for people to go missing, and if there's a chance that some of them have information we need…

Click to shrink...

And having some additional fighters on hand would be handy, even if they'd have to scavenge weapons on-site.

There were Black Paladins manning the exterior defences, but inside I've only seen robots. A lot of paladins who were sent to Alaska are unaccounted for, and we need to know where they are. And if we find prisoners alive, even better.

We reach a bulkhead door, tiny movements in the dust on the floor letter me tell roughly where my colleagues are. I crouch down next to the door, laying my right hand on its surface just in case someone opens it and dashes out. **[Reach through…]**

Click to shrink...

Which means this op is as much an information-gathering exercise as a final assault.

**[Defensive barricade with two Black Paladins, turret on the roof. ]**
**[The Paladins are fully alert, their implants easily holding boredom at bay.]**
**[Blood.]**
**[It's soaked into the walls and floors.]**
**[Pain.]**
**[It sings through the air.]**
**[A chirurgical suite, partially-disassembled corpse left on the chirurgical table. There are implants in the corpse, inactive.]**
**[Lines of fear lead towards the cells.]**
**[Fresh corpses lay splayed in the cells-.]**

Click to shrink...

Psychometry at work, with a bit of clairvoyance, I see. Not looking good for chances of survivors.

**[One mind lives, and another Black Paladin marches towards-.]**

**Breach.**

Edward focuses on the door, interfacing his mind with the simple computer in the lock. A moment passes and it opens, the organic thoughts of the Black Paladins within imagining tactics and potential aggressors while the machine part guesses angles and arcs of fire.

Click to shrink...

Ah, one alive, but not for long? Time to play big damn heroes.

I mentally grip the relatively flimsy servos of the turret and pull, mechanisms bursting and cables crackling. That distracts the Paladins a little, and Noran ensures that they stay that was with a tossed plasma grenade. Both Paladins shoot it, causing it to disintegrate without going critical… But that creates enough visual distraction that Petuk can dash through the doorway and move around the concrete barricade.

Click to shrink...

Joy of working telepathically. No hesitation between members of the team, knowing exactly when to move and where to.

Black Paladins have acute senses, but there's only so much they can take in at once.

Guy and Evan pull, and the Paladins account for the shift in their weight almost immediately… But it holds their attention as Petuk drops a pulse grenade at their feet.

Click to shrink...

Ah, right in the tailpipe, basically. Won't matter how hardened they are at that close a range.

P-pch!

The Paladins freeze, because their armour isn't quite hardened enough to prevent the electromagnetic radiation penetrating, and when you make a brain part robot you add robot problems.

Click to shrink...

That can't be pleasant or healthy. Probably triggering minor strokes as the mechanical parts discharge into the meat.

The five of us dart inside, Stealth Boys shutting down as we do so. Guy and Evan take out their cutting tools, getting to work on the thin neck armour of the Paladins. Petuk readies another grenade just in case, and Noran, Edward and I sprint down the corridor towards where we can hear a mind desperately trying to find a weapon as the final Paladin approaches.

Click to shrink...

One more, should be an easy kill, stealth or no stealth.

The Paladin awkwardly tries to look around as he hears up coming up behind him, but while power armour can be fast in a straight line it isn't fast at turning. A psychokinetic surge from me sends him flying into the wall at the end of the corridor at speed, slamming with a loud clang and falling to the floor.

Click to shrink...

Hard to keep your footing when you get hit by an invisible truck, after all.

"Someone there?!"

**Check the Paladin.**

Click to shrink...

Good, alive and rational. Shouldn't be too hard to ask the right questions.

A pair of nods, and Noran telekinetically pulls his plasma gun away while Edward begins subverting his armour. I get closer to the source of the voice, standing in front of the cell bars-.

The Circle of Steel operative inside is bruised and bloody, but otherwise in good health. He looks me over in confusion.

"I don't know who you are, but thanks."

Click to shrink...

Ah, brotherhood-friendly. Good. That'll save any hostile aspect to the interrogation discussion.

I nod. "Not a problem. I'm glad that you're alive; the High Elder is going to want to debrief someone over this mess. Where-?"

"You're Brotherhood?"

Click to shrink...

Eh, long story. All you need to worry about is whether they're friend or foe, and given they basically saved your life, neighbour...

"The Paladins -our Paladins- are smashing through the front right now." I look over the bars covering the cell. Solid steel buried in concrete. More than I can easily crack. "Do you have-?"

"The Immortal's here, in the base."

"Escape route?"

Click to shrink...

Jimmy the lock, then. Either telekinetically, or via your technopath if it's electronic...

"He's isn't escaping. This place-. It was some kind of pre-War Enclave base, they stuck a load of soldiers they thought were loyal in cryo-pods, along with all their equipment. A couple of them wouldn't go along with what he wants, so they ended up-" He nods to the cell opposite. "-in here. The rest… I think they figure that so long as they're attacking China it doesn't make much difference who gives them orders."

Click to shrink...

...Well, shit. A ready-made wartime-era army, just itching to give the sino-communists what for... Perfect troops for the Immortal's plans.

"How many soldiers are we talking about?"

"Thousands. Power armor elites and infantry veterans. How many paladins did you bring?"

"Not thousands."

Click to shrink...

They're gonna need bigger guns, for a start. Air support and artillery at the minimum.

Enclave. But… They're not. The Enclave personnel on the Poseidon Energy oil rig had a century to dehumanise everyone not on the Rig. That's not the case with these people. Between the post-cryo confusion and culture shock, they're off-balance, but they… Should be persuadable.

Click to shrink...

If you can say the right things, tell them the right words. ...Or have a friendly face they'll trust.

To my right, Edward puts off the Paladin's helmet and Noran shoots him in the head with his own gun. Then Edward jogs over and taps the lock on the cell door, which clanks open. I step back, and the agent steps out.

"How are they planning on moving thousands of soldiers?"

Click to shrink...

Beyond hope for that one, then. Better to focus on the living...

"The old U.S. was building up to launch an invasion of Siberia from here. They left troop ships in concealed docks so the Communists couldn't spot them with planes or satellites." He steps out of the cell, checking left and right. "They've been ferrying stuff across the Bering Straits for months."

Click to shrink...

...Well, that's just prime. It looks like the newly minted coalition will have to invade Siberia to recover their countrymen and prevent another war. Let's just hope the Chinese can't see it.

And we didn't spot it because… Why would we? Between the snow and storms it's hard enough to observe this part of the world at this time of year, and we only have so many eyes are far more pressing things to watch. Not sure why he destroyed the satellites now, but… I suppose that he didn't know that we didn't know. Or maybe the plan calls for an acceleration now?

Click to shrink...

Or maybe he was aiming the EMP west, and the East Coast only caught the fringe of it.

I nod. "Do you know where the troops are?"

"It's where I got caught… What's the plan, sir?"

Thank you Chains of Commanding. Even Circle of Steel agents aren't good at ignoring authority.

Click to shrink...

It's the cross you chose to bear, Krono. No unbinding them now.

"We try talking the soldiers around. You spoke to the ones they brought here before they got killed?"

"Yeah? You sure about this, sir? If the Immortal gets away…"

"We're going to have to go after his people in Asia anyway, but denying him an army will make him far less dangerous. Tell me where we're going."

Click to shrink...

This is going to have the other commanders swearing when they hear about this...

Always one step behind the bad guy, eh? Though the fact the Immortal has thousands of wartime-era troops itching to get a shot at the Communists working for him is going to complicate matters. The New United States will have to mount their own invasion in order to drag them back, by the looks of it. And the Immortal will probably escape in the process...

 

[Darko]

Her actions while mind controlled...

Click to shrink...

With the device that requires her to have the necessary emotion and goal in order to do anything.

Then the Thanagarians on all those planets she seized are free to leave? Oh wait, no they aren't.

Click to shrink...

In the same way the people in downside on Thanagar have rights or a good quality of life?

No, Hyathis apparently actually cares about her people.

Also provide a quote that says they can't leave, or else everyone is just going to think you made it up like you usually do.

That instant election without the Thanagarians being told about it was exactly the sort of thing the Reach do to take planets

Click to shrink...

Except it isn't.

The people on the planets she took elected to have her rule them. They just didn't tell the fascist government about it.

And if I remember correctly, you first objected to that because the lizarkons, aka the people the Thanagarians treat as slaves or second class cheap laborers at best, don't have legal rights, so they shouldn't be allowed to have a say in their future and just let the Thanagarians keep enslaving them.