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

Oglymogly · 2025-11-12T06:20:49+0000

Oof, cliff hanger. It'll be a gut punch if Non manages to get Zod out and away safely. Should have put him off until Zod was transferred.

Signaller · 2025-11-12T06:28:33+0000

Is there a reason Non doesn't have a hyphenated name (in any continuity, AFAIK)?

Mr Zoat · 2025-11-12T06:33:24+0000

Signaller said:
Is there a reason Non doesn't have a hyphenated name (in any continuity, AFAIK)?

Many writers not checking each other's work.

thebishop8 · 2025-11-12T06:34:31+0000

Mr Zoat said:
"About five hundred. But if you think about it… Since they were kryptonian… They'd all be dead now anyway."

I try smiling, but he doesn't look amused. "That's not funny."

Yeah, that's pretty fucked up Paul.

Mr Zoat said:
Delvos Ungol

'Delvos' to 'Devlos'

Chojin Patriarch · 2025-11-12T06:56:32+0000

Mr Zoat said:
5th August 2013
19:43 GMT

Kal-El looks at the Phantom Zone projector for a moment. "Is there anyone else that you're going to want me to hand over?"

"Not as far as I know. The worst offender left is Jax-Ur, and he only murdered other kryptonians."

Also the longest-serving resident of the zone in some continuities, according to the Wiki. And considering they put him in there for blowing up a moon, I'd say his sentence was well-deserved...

"Do I want to know how many?"

"About five hundred. But if you think about it… Since they were kryptonian… They'd all be dead now anyway."

Not really the sort of black humour we need right now, OL...

I try smiling, but he doesn't look amused. "That's not funny."

"I apologise. Are you ready?"

Yeah, Clark isn't the sort of person to enjoy that kind of joke. Much too empathetic. There's a reason Blackest Night gave him a Blue Ring, after all.

He moves over to the control system, hands running through final checks. "Do you know of anywhere that would take the other prisoners? The ones who could reintegrate with society?"

"Any of the recovered worlds in the Periphery. Tamaran would probably take them. Ungara would probably be willing to. But..."

Though they'd have to ensure the planets chosen had red suns or close to, and an existing population that could deal with Kryptonians even if they somehow managed to gain some measure of empowerment.

"One of those is a war zone, another is rebuilding after decades of oppression and the last one is still recovering from an ecological disaster."

"They're mostly fine, as long as nothing happens to the space lens that's keeping their planet warm. The main problem was moving their population away from the newly uninhabitable areas."

Huh, another case for Mother of Mercy, perhaps? She'd be able to realign the planet on its axis. Though not without further disruption...

"Still, I don't think it would be right to hand kryptonian criminals to them."

"Parolees." Hm. "Timaron? Their planet is going to need a lot of work, and given the wavelengths their sun operates on they wouldn't be anything like as strong as you."

True, most of those still in the Zone would have more than served their sentence by now. Only the real hard cases would be left there. And Clark is likely to pardon them as long as they don't reoffend.

"I don't think that any of them have the knowledge required to do something like that. And I don't feel right about sentencing them to penal labor when they've already completed their sentence."

"Think of it more as earning their place. Or… Tartarath? No one's colonised it more due to its history than any practical difficulty."

Look at it more like... Transportation, like the English did, sending criminals to Australia and other colony states.

"What happened there?"

"A super-tartarathian warrior named Devlos Ungol conquered it, killing most of the population and cowing the rest into obedience. He then rampaged around the Sector before being defeated by Abin Sur."

A brutal and fortunately short-ish career.

His face stills. "He.. killed his own species?"

"A lot of them. The rest were killed by the defenders of the places he attacked. There might be a small number left somewhere but they're basically marked for death if most civilisation in that region find them."

Which means they are most definitely not going to object if someone else moves in on their homeworld.

"What sort of sunlight would they have?"

"Ah… Orange. They might get a small boost, but nothing worth getting excited about. Farmlands and shelter… Would be easy to put right with a little manual labour. And kryptonian xenophobia isn't a problem because there's no one else there and no one else wants to go there."

I'd want to double-check that result, just to be safe. Never know how kryptonian organelles will react to uncommon wavelengths like that, especially if the person is also an expert in their crazy martial arts.

"That sounds promising. I'll… Take a look. But first, let's see if we can find Non."

A few button presses, a dial turn and… A shadowy figure-

Good thing the system has a viewer function. Imagine how awkward it would be if the only way to interact was to open a full portal?

"Let me out, you bastards! Let me OUT!"

-appears for a moment, causing Kal-El to flinch slightly before turning the dial again and causing whoever that was to return fully to the Zone.

...Yeah, he goes to the back of the queue, methinks.

He sighs quietly before pressing another button and turning the dial.

"Who is it? Where am I?"

It is interesting that they can perceive the viewing aperture.

Another button.

"Uh. Uhff."

That… Sounds like a noise someone incapable of speech might make, but the silhouette is wrong. I look at Kal-El-.

True, Non was a big, beefy fellow. He'd be fairly distinct.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Huh? Wuh-? What?"

Sounds like the guy was trying to get some sleep, or just in a daze before you got his attention.

"I'm trying to find Non?"

"Wait, you've got a projector? Let me out, please! I've been here… Ah… I've been.. here.. so long, I… I-I…"

Shows just how draining the Zone is to its inmates. Those without the ludicrous mental fortitude of people like Zod.

"We.. don't really have anywhere to put you right now, but we're working on it. We should be able to get you out in…" He looks towards me.

Ah. Tartarath is ready for habitation, if we assume that people shoved into the Phantom Zone won't need psychological counselling… Heh.

If it wasn't traumatic, it wouldn't have been a punishment. Still an excessive one, but...

Probably shouldn't laugh.

Standard marooning package, with a few extras to account for the fact that they've served their sentence… Taking into account my own likely workload…

I like that he's actually got specs for 'minimum needs for survival' for marooning people. I take it that includes basic shelters, rations for them to survive on before they get a harvest in, and the tools and seeds to produce that harvest.

"Two weeks at most?"

"In less then twenty days."

I take it Clark's allowing for unexpected distractions.

"I… I-I-I-I don't know… It's-. It's so nothing!"

He turns back to me. "Can you do it sooner?"

Definitely want to make sure you provide some aftercare, though... Visiting psychological therapists, for instance.

"Ah… Alright, but the vetting process… We don't have records on what all of them did."

"Krypton's serious crime rate wasn't that high. I'll just release all the ones we don't know about."

While keeping the extreme ones like Jax-Ur in to prevent unexpectedly sudden behavioural backsliding, eh?

"And… I'll add a long-ranged zeta tube so that you can check up on the place."

He nods and turns back to whoever-that-is. "We'll get you out in a little while. Try to stay calm in the meanwhile."

Hopefully in a place out of reach to the inmates. An orbital station or something, with exosuits for people to use on-site.

"Help me!"

And he's gone.

Kal-El sighs, resting his right hand on the console for a moment.

There's that compassion and hopefulness showing itself.

"Chin up, sir. Now that you know it's happening, you can fix it."

"Yeah, but I could have done something about this years ago."

Could have, but didn't have anything pushing you to do so. Like a certain colleague with plans.

"But you can't do something about it years ago now."

He nods, entering new coordinates into the computer. And…

OL has a point. Clark didn't really leave Earth until after OL started running around in space. He couldn't really let the prisoners out on Earth, that'd just empower them and make them likely to go mad with power...

A large outline, a little taller than either him or me. Male, tense posture… And no sound.

"Are you Non, of the Kryptonian Self-Defense Force?"

Definitely a better fit than the last guy. Surprising that they found him this quick. ..>Then again, how many people are actually in the Zone right now? Less than a hundred?

No reaction for a moment, and then a cautious nod.

Double check the radiation shields and kryptonite… Superman glances my way and I give him the thumbs up.

Just need to be quick to avoid anyone else making a rush for any portal they open.

"I've ruled that your conviction is unsafe and I'm going to release you. Please cooperate with us, and we'll sort out your… Medical issue, as best we can."

That provokes a sort of grunt-snort, but no other reaction. Kal-El hesitates for a moment, and then turns the dial the rest of the way.

Probably bemused curiosity. It's probable that Kyptonian science couldn't have helped him, unlikely as that may sound. I assume the problem is something more than simply inborn muteness or a throat injury.

Hopefully Non was alone when they contacted him, or Zod might be standing right next to him when they open the portal. Fortunately, OL and Supes are prepared for that, as we saw. Better to get practice in now for when they need to get Zod and Ursa out for the trial, with someone less likely to fight back upon exit...

Z000 · 2025-11-12T07:20:18+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Many writers not checking each other's work.

also not like all Kryptonian share the same naming style

different region could have it own naming style

Vaermina · 2025-11-12T07:53:53+0000

I wonder if Superman will change his mind about the trial and execution when he finds out Ursa's pregnant.

Mr Zoat · 2025-11-12T08:40:55+0000

thebishop8 said:
'Delvos' to 'Devlos'

Thank you, corrected.

Do this too said:
"Still, I don't think it would be right to hand kryptonian criminals over to them."

Duke Long · 2025-11-12T09:22:01+0000

Mr Zoat said:
"A lot of them. The rest were killed by the defenders of the places he attacked. There might be a small number left somewhere but they're basically marked for death if most civilisation in that region find them."

'civilisations'

Devlos was so fucking cool, I still remember him fondly even though he wasn't in this story for long.

Mr Zoat · 2025-11-12T10:26:01+0000

Duke Long said:
'civilisations'

Thank you, corrected.

Steelplaza · 2025-11-12T13:01:42+0000

I appreciate the effort they're putting into where to "settle" the detainees, but I'm not sure if long term it'll be much use. The SI and Superman can choose where to drop these people, but if they are truly "released" then you can't make them stay there. Sure they won't have spaceships to leave on their own, but as we saw with Karsta some chapters back there are plenty of aliens around who would like to employ someone with Kryptonian powers.

Eventually word will get around, and aliens will stop by who will say, "Hey do you want to keep doing hard manual labor here, or would you like to come work for us in a yellow sun environment and be able to live in a high tech space age society again?" At that point we'll see whether the commitment of these Kryptonians to "don't live around aliens" or "don't be a farmer" is greater.

I know where I'm going to place my bets.

Mr Zoat · 2025-11-12T13:07:36+0000

Steelplaza said:
I appreciate the effort they're putting into where to "settle" the detainees, but I'm not sure if long term it'll be much use. The SI and Superman can choose where to drop these people, but if they are truly "released" then you can't make them stay there. Sure they won't have spaceships to leave on their own, but as we saw with Karsta some chapters back there are plenty of aliens around who would like to employ someone with Kryptonian powers.

Eventually word will get around, and aliens will stop by who will say, "Hey do you want to keep doing hard manual labor here, or would you like to come work for us in a yellow sun environment and be able to live in a high tech space age society again?" At that point we'll see whether the commitment of these Kryptonians to "don't live around aliens" or "don't be a farmer" is greater.

I know where I'm going to place my bets.

At which point the kryptonians will go 'urgh, aliens, shoo you foul sub-kryptonians', because did I mention they're pretty darn xenophobic? But, yes, they could leave. So what? Neither the SI nor Superman would have a problem with that. They've served their sentences. If they get into trouble again, that's a new problem.

taylozinsee_2814 · 2025-11-12T14:10:19+0000

Signaller said:
Is there a reason Non doesn't have a hyphenated name (in any continuity, AFAIK)?

I always imagined it's a name he got after his incident. Sort of like naming some mind wiped operative "Zero"

xSieg · 2025-11-12T14:51:29+0000

Steelplaza said:
I know where I'm going to place my bets.

I know Zoat already replied to this but I'm of the same mind. There's no way their innate xenophobia is strong enough to resist going back to space-age comforts again AND becoming physical gods under the proper environment. But that's probably a good outcome, no? At the very least you're having proper kryptonians walking around and maybe banding together so they can try and revive the race.

It's not like they're short-lived under a yellow sun, after all. They have lots of time to build up reputation to try and build Neo Krypton.

Mr Zoat · 2025-11-13T06:18:26+0000

5th August 2013
19:48 GMT

He's… Not exactly what I was expecting. Green Nehru jacket and boots with white trousers, the uniform of the Kryptonian Self-Defence Force. I was expecting something darker, but I suppose he'd have been in uniform when he was arrested and there's no obvious reason why they'd have bothered letting him change. It's not like there was any point in precisely examining the legal ramifications of an armed coup, not with Jor-El using his newfound celebrity to stir things up. Drop him in the Phantom Zone, job done.

The man himself… Looks a good deal like the actor who played him in Superman II. Black hair gelled backwards with a central parting, thick beard and eyebrows… He's just sort of staring blankly ahead of himself with his mouth slightly open. A scan shows-.

A scan shows that someone mutilated his brain deliberately. I-.

He focuses on me, looking… Worried-? I'm glowing orange. Calm. I can fix that in a moment. Push that immediate desire back a little… He looks more relaxed as the glow recedes.

"I apologise."

"Non-."

Non turns to look at Superman, his eyes widening in surprise and fists clenching! His eyes move between the symbol of House El on his chest and his face-.

"No. My name is Kal-El. Jor-El was my father." Non doesn't look particularly relieved. "And whatever dispute you had with him stopped mattering forty years ago."

"Maybe we should do this without uniforms in future."

Kal-El glances at me and gives me a very small nod.

Non appears to be thinking that over, his eyes dipping. I force myself to remain calm as I see parts of his brain trying to light up and failing due to the-. Staying calm, and at least those parts will be an easy fix. After a moment he gives Kal-El a cautious nod.

"Great. This-" He gestures to me. "-is Orange Lantern. Have you heard of Green Lanterns?" Non nods, his bovine gaze returning to me. "Well, he's kind of like that. And he thinks that he can fix the damage that your brain's taken." It's slight, but the small change in his expression suggests that he understands the idea. "But it's not a certainty. You don't have to go through with it. If you prefer, there's a planet that we're opening up for colonisation by people being paroled from the Phantom Zone, and we can take you directly there instead. And then you can take as much time-."

Non raises his right hand, eyes locked on me and fingers pointing to the side of his head-. There's a scar. Why is there still a scar? Kryptonian chirurgy should have been more than advanced enough to prevent that.

I generate a construct of a 'standard' kryptonian brain, and an image of his. I'm not sure how much what happened to him has reduced his intelligence. Being dumb doesn't mean that he's dumb; damage to specific areas of his brain will reduce his capacity in the areas those regions handle but won't necessarily reduce his abilities in other areas. Watching his eyes, I think there's a degree of recognition when he looks at his own.

"Replacing severed connections is easy. Regenerating dead tissue is fairly simple. Replacing excised parts… Is something I'll have to best-guess. It won't restore you to how you were before, but it will allow you to relearn the skills that you lost. Alternately, I can just do the simple-."

He steps slowly closer, holding out his hands towards the representation of his brain. The he makes eye contact with me, his hands firmly grasping the healthy brain as his eyes bore into mine.

I nod, and gesture to a gurney. "Please lie down."

He complies, and I feel a momentary pang of sadness when I realise that in accordance with British medical practice there isn't anyone who can consent on his behalf to invasive brain chirurgy when his capacities are diminished. I mean, I've just been calling him 'Non', but Kryptonian male names have two parts and I've got no idea whether that's his personal name or his house name. Whether he gets everything back or not, everyone he ever knew…

I can't fix everything, but fixing his brain? Simple enough.

Orange strands connect my rings to his head, forming a connection to his neural tissue. Be careful and monitor everything. I've never seen a kryptonian have a stroke before and I never want to. Note where blood vessels have been severed and clots formed… Clamp, clear, restore, follow where they go… Make sure that the parts that are still alive can get enough blood, analyse surrounding tissue in detail not for structure -I already did that- but for genetic expression. I have the calculation program for neural structure but it needs to be tailored based on what genetic switches were activated during his life. Which… Okay, got it, so I can generate new tissue here and here…

"Paul?"

"Going well."

"He's twitching."

I blink, focusing on what my eyes are showing me. "I could give him an anaesthetic, but-."

Non shakes his head with very slight motions, as if afraid that he'll yank my filaments out.

"But he doesn't trust us all that much at the moment and I suspect that last time he went under is when this was done."

Okay, kryptonian neural pruning… Due to their heavy historical use of cloned tissue I do actually have records on adapting cloned tissue to actual brains. A little alternation there and there and I've got something… Well, he's going to have confused flashes for a little while while everything beds in, but it'll work and his own body can sort out the rest in due time.

And… Done. Check again and again… Yeah. Huh.

I withdraw my filaments and stand back.

"That's the physical structure of your brain restored. Ah. I'll see if we've got a copy of the Kryptonian Stellar Navy's physiotherapy procedures, and get someone to run you through them."

Non is.. staring at the ceiling, unmoving. I ignore Superman staring at me and check… Yes, his brain's ticking over. None of the signs that would indicate a fit or a stroke. Patterns of activity are a little disjointed, but well below concern thresholds.

"He's just taking a moment, sir."

"…"

"Mister Non?"

His mouth moves with no sound coming out, almost like he's got a blocked throat and isn't quite able to cough. Or vomit.

"If you desire further medical assistance, then-."

"U-u…"

I step closer, trying to-.

His eyes focus on me as he sits up, reaching for me.

He takes my right hand in both of his, looking at me with complete focus.

"Thank you."

I smile. "You're welcome. Any side effects?"

"Dizziness, head ache, sensory aphasia… Nothing I wouldn't expect from having injuries like that repaired. They should fade, but even if they don't… This is far preferable."

He loosens his grip and turns to Kal-El. "Jor-El's son. You weren't born when I was sent into the Phantom Zone."

Kal-El blinks, surprised. "Did you know my father?"

Non nods. "Yes. I used to work for him."

Darko · 2025-11-13T06:28:44+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Non raises his right hand, eyes locked on me and fingers pointing to the side of his head-. There's a scar. Why is there still a scar? Kryptonian chirurgy should have been more than advanced enough to prevent that.

Maybe whoever did it wanted to leave a visual reminder.

Mr Zoat said:
. I mean, I've just been calling him 'Non', but Kryptonian male names have two parts and I've got no idea whether that's his personal name or his house name

You know the name Non sounds very similar to the name Kon, and we know that that name apparently meant abomination, so maybe "Non" is some kind of slur.

Signaller · 2025-11-13T07:13:53+0000

I wonder if the SI could use something like Wholeness Rightly Assumed to brute force repairs to other people, as they want to be, without having to think about it and without the risk of turning them into what the SI wants them to be?

Chojin Patriarch · 2025-11-13T07:36:14+0000

Mr Zoat said:
5th August 2013
19:48 GMT

He's… Not exactly what I was expecting. Green Nehru jacket and boots with white trousers, the uniform of the Kryptonian Self-Defence Force. I was expecting something darker, but I suppose he'd have been in uniform when he was arrested and there's no obvious reason why they'd have bothered letting him change. It's not like there was any point in precisely examining the legal ramifications of an armed coup, not with Jor-El using his newfound celebrity to stir things up. Drop him in the Phantom Zone, job done.

The whole process probably took mere hours between attempt, arrest and zoning. Which makes me worry that due process might not have been entirely followed. Whatever due process there was for court-martialling a rogue general and his followers, anyway...

The man himself… Looks a good deal like the actor who played him in Superman II. Black hair gelled backwards with a central parting, thick beard and eyebrows… He's just sort of staring blankly ahead of himself with his mouth slightly open. A scan shows-.

A scan shows that someone mutilated his brain deliberately. I-.

For reference: Non as portrayed by Jack O'Halloran. Handsome fellow.

He focuses on me, looking… Worried-? I'm glowing orange. Calm. I can fix that in a moment. Push that immediate desire back a little… He looks more relaxed as the glow recedes.

"I apologise."

I mean, he was probably surprised by the scan, but since you guys promised you could help him, I don't think he minds.

"Non-."

Non turns to look at Superman, his eyes widening in surprise and fists clenching! His eyes move between the symbol of House El on his chest and his face-.

Oh, he's got bad memories of that, I bet.

"No. My name is Kal-El. Jor-El was my father." Non doesn't look particularly relieved. "And whatever dispute you had with him stopped mattering forty years ago."

"Maybe we should do this without uniforms in future."

Good plan. Something a bit more casual, but business-y. No logos, though.

Kal-El glances at me and gives me a very small nod.

Non appears to be thinking that over, his eyes dipping. I force myself to remain calm as I see parts of his brain trying to light up and failing due to the-. Staying calm, and at least those parts will be an easy fix. After a moment he gives Kal-El a cautious nod.

So he's willing to work with you. Despite any misgivings he may be feeling. That's a good sign.

"Great. This-" He gestures to me. "-is Orange Lantern. Have you heard of Green Lanterns?" Non nods, his bovine gaze returning to me. "Well, he's kind of like that. And he thinks that he can fix the damage that your brain's taken." It's slight, but the small change in his expression suggests that he understands the idea. "But it's not a certainty. You don't have to go through with it. If you prefer, there's a planet that we're opening up for colonisation by people being paroled from the Phantom Zone, and we can take you directly there instead. And then you can take as much time-."

No, I think Non will want this fixed as soon as possible. He's lived with this long enough, in and out of the Zone...

Non raises his right hand, eyes locked on me and fingers pointing to the side of his head-. There's a scar. Why is there still a scar? Kryptonian chirurgy should have been more than advanced enough to prevent that.

Suggests it was a hack job, or inflicted by someone with very little care for his health. Perhaps someone wanting to leave him a reminder.

I generate a construct of a 'standard' kryptonian brain, and an image of his. I'm not sure how much what happened to him has reduced his intelligence. Being dumb doesn't mean that he's dumb; damage to specific areas of his brain will reduce his capacity in the areas those regions handle but won't necessarily reduce his abilities in other areas. Watching his eyes, I think there's a degree of recognition when he looks at his own.

At least they didn't do excessive damage in the process. Whoever did this was skilled, I suppose.

"Replacing severed connections is easy. Regenerating dead tissue is fairly simple. Replacing excised parts… Is something I'll have to best-guess. It won't restore you to how you were before, but it will allow you to relearn the skills that you lost. Alternately, I can just do the simple-."

He's had enough working examples of Kryptonian brains to get the details down, even if he didn't contact the ~~Dru-Zod~~ Har-Zod engram for anatomy data... (EDIT: Gah, too many Zods...)

He steps slowly closer, holding out his hands towards the representation of his brain. The he makes eye contact with me, his hands firmly grasping the healthy brain as his eyes bore into mine.

I nod, and gesture to a gurney. "Please lie down."

And it looks like Non is willing to take the full course, whatever the risk.

He complies, and I feel a momentary pang of sadness when I realise that in accordance with British medical practice there isn't anyone who can consent on his behalf to invasive brain chirurgy when his capacities are diminished. I mean, I've just been calling him 'Non', but Kryptonian male names have two parts and I've got no idea whether that's his personal name or his house name. Whether he gets everything back or not, everyone he ever knew…

It could even be some sort of code-name. A punishment for his crimes, perhaps, or something from his service. A field nickname or the like.

I can't fix everything, but fixing his brain? Simple enough.

Orange strands connect my rings to his head, forming a connection to his neural tissue. Be careful and monitor everything. I've never seen a kryptonian have a stroke before and I never want to. Note where blood vessels have been severed and clots formed… Clamp, clear, restore, follow where they go… Make sure that the parts that are still alive can get enough blood, analyse surrounding tissue in detail not for structure -I already did that- but for genetic expression. I have the calculation program for neural structure but it needs to be tailored based on what genetic switches were activated during his life. Which… Okay, got it, so I can generate new tissue here and here…

Ah, good, he does have the cheat sheet from Har-Zod. That'll make things a lot easier. Just a matter of how well Non's brain responds once it's repaired.

"Paul?"

"Going well."

"He's twitching."

...Maybe should have put a block on his voluntary muscles? Restraints might have been too much but...

I blink, focusing on what my eyes are showing me. "I could give him an anaesthetic, but-."

Non shakes his head with very slight motions, as if afraid that he'll yank my filaments out.

"But he doesn't trust us all that much at the moment and I suspect that last time he went under is when this was done."

...I see he's fine with it, then. Respect for his bravery.

Okay, kryptonian neural pruning… Due to their heavy historical use of cloned tissue I do actually have records on adapting cloned tissue to actual brains. A little alternation there and there and I've got something… Well, he's going to have confused flashes for a little while while everything beds in, but it'll work and his own body can sort out the rest in due time.

Well, things went better than expected for impromptu brain surgery.

And… Done. Check again and again… Yeah. Huh.

I withdraw my filaments and stand back.

Fingers crossed, knock on wood, all those lucky superstitious things...

"That's the physical structure of your brain restored. Ah. I'll see if we've got a copy of the Kryptonian Stellar Navy's physiotherapy procedures, and get someone to run you through them."

Non is.. staring at the ceiling, unmoving. I ignore Superman staring at me and check… Yes, his brain's ticking over. None of the signs that would indicate a fit or a stroke. Patterns of activity are a little disjointed, but well below concern thresholds.

Just thinking, I see. Feeling if he feels better. Probably employing some Torquasm trick to speed-run recovery, maybe.

"He's just taking a moment, sir."

"…"

And that feels like a relieved sigh, doesn't it?

"Mister Non?"

His mouth moves with no sound coming out, almost like he's got a blocked throat and isn't quite able to cough. Or vomit.

To be fair, his vocal cords haven't had to do any complex action in years. It might feel a little ticklish.

"If you desire further medical assistance, then-."

"U-u…"

I step closer, trying to-.

Perhaps a drink of water might help?

His eyes focus on me as he sits up, reaching for me.

He takes my right hand in both of his, looking at me with complete focus.

Ah, looks like he's feeling a lot smarter than he used to.

"Thank you."

I smile. "You're welcome. Any side effects?"

I imagine his voice is going to be a bit rough for a little while, until his throat gets used to talking again.

"Dizziness, head ache, sensory aphasia… Nothing I wouldn't expect from having injuries like that repaired. They should fade, but even if they don't… This is far preferable."

He loosens his grip and turns to Kal-El. "Jor-El's son. You weren't born when I was sent into the Phantom Zone."

...Boy, he's a clever one. I suppose he wouldn't have been a senior member of the military without being a smart cookie, after all.

Kal-El blinks, surprised. "Did you know my father?"

Non nods. "Yes. I used to work for him."

Dang! That is unexpected. ...Jor-El didn't do the surgery, did he?

Well, 'Non' is no longer mute. Wonder if he'll correct OL and Supes on his name, now that he can actually communicate. And it turns out he's got quite a brain behind the damage inflicted, eh? Let's just hope the modification doesn't come with a noticeable change of personality. OL had no record of his behaviour before it happened, did he?

Hopefully he's a good guy overall...

Z000 · 2025-11-13T07:52:32+0000

Signaller said:
I wonder if the SI could use something like Wholeness Rightly Assumed to brute force repairs to other people, as they want to be, without having to think about it and without the risk of turning them into what the SI wants them to be?

he would need some way to tap into their desire to be whole and then run that through his ring but that probably a bad idea

BR549 · 2025-11-13T08:18:18+0000

Chojin Patriarch said:
Well, 'Non' is no longer mute. Wonder if he'll correct OL and Supes on his name, now that he can actually communicate. And it turns out he's got quite a brain behind the damage inflicted, eh? Let's just hope the modification doesn't come with a noticeable change of personality. OL had no record of his behaviour before it happened, did he? Hopefully he's a good guy overall...

On the one hand, he was zoned for being complict with Zod and Ursa.

On the other hand, presuming Zod was his commanding officer at the time, he might have genuinely believed their acts to be For The Best Interests Of Krypton, as opposed to Zod's 'because I can'. And apparently in the comics he was shown as being A Friend To (at least Some) Children.

...on the gripping hand, whose account do we have of what actually happened, for those who weren't the direct ringleaders...

Mr Zoat · 2025-11-13T08:32:23+0000

Signaller said:
I wonder if the SI could use something like Wholeness Rightly Assumed to brute force repairs to other people, as they want to be, without having to think about it and without the risk of turning them into what the SI wants them to be?

No.

Chojin Patriarch said:
The whole process probably took mere hours between attempt, arrest and zoning. Which makes me worry that due process might not have been entirely followed. Whatever due process there was for court-martialling a rogue general and his followers, anyway...

When a man openly admits to it, there's only so much you can do to spin it out until the next coffee break.

He's had enough working examples of Kryptonian brains to get the details down, even if he didn't contact the Dru-Zod engram for anatomy data...

Do you mean Har-Zod? The Admiral Dru-Zod thing was just a recording.

B00ki5h · 2025-11-13T08:47:33+0000

Signaller said:
I wonder if the SI could use something like Wholeness Rightly Assumed to brute force repairs to other people, as they want to be, without having to think about it and without the risk of turning them into what the SI wants them to be?

Z000 said:
he would need some way to tap into their desire to be whole and then run that through his ring but that probably a bad idea

*Edit: Zoated*
I would lean towards no, due to the subject, not being in a proper state of mind and OL rings feeding off desires. Willpower would at least bar the user from making changes when they are drunk or concussed do to lack of focus, orange would be a bad case of Doug from UP! Everything's fine until something is fixed a new input comes in and suddenly !Squirrel!

Dur'id the Druid · 2025-11-13T11:56:57+0000

Well, this is gonna reveal some unpleasant secrets of the house of El I suspect. Or Non is going to do a snow job of reframing history to his benefit.

Bolo · 2025-11-13T13:57:01+0000

Still think the idea of dumping random "criminals" on a random planet in the middle of nowhere is a good idea. It's better then doing nothing for sure but incorporating them with in a structured environment with oversight would be better. They are the last of a civilization.
Interesting new developments!

boo600 · 2025-11-13T14:23:43+0000

Mr Zoat said:
"I can talk about Jade if you like."

A quiet grunt.

"In theory, it should be possible for anyone to use different colours at one time. Your constructs are powered by your avarice; other colours only weaken them inasmuch as they distract your focus from that."

I should have posted this earlier (just after one of the invincible segments), but it's not just Grayven. It is indeed consistent for people to learn to use multiple colors pre-enlightenment.

Doesn't contradict what Zoat said; I just wish I'd posted it earlier.

The Froggy Ninja · 2025-11-13T14:45:26+0000

Chojin Patriarch said:
...Boy, he's a clever one. I suppose he wouldn't have been a senior member of the military without being a smart cookie, after all.

In OTL he wasn't. He was a scientist friend of Jor-El who got black-bagged by the Science Council for trying to lead a separatist movement after finding out about the core instability. The lobotomy made him violent enough that Zod grabbed him for the coup, but he wasn't previously military.

Not sure what, if anything, has been established as different in this timeline.

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