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

[Darko]

Environment shield, and reinforcing a conventional weapon. Nothing special so far. Though i don't think she's in a talking mood, OL.

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Paul will talk even when others have no wish to.

Especially then.

Sometimes, you just need more gun...

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More dakka.

Or, to put it crudely: "Dodge this!"

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Now I'm picturing Paul taking this opponent on as a student and teaching her by yelling 'Dodge!' a lot.

When she does dodge he'll be so proud.

Someday, OL, you will achieve almost enuff dakka...

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There is no such thing.

 

[theaceoffire]

That strikes me as an anti-Greenie tactic that's about to backfire on her since in the long run it's more productive to seize the ring and, possibly, the scarab after letting her push Yuna towards NEMO side by firing on the civillians rather than try to save said civillians and let her get away.

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Oh no you have to save the planet!

"...Nah."

... What!? Why not!?

"The planet is pretty annoying to work with, is not that important to the war, is unlikely to work with us or our allies in the future, and the destruction of it by the reach being recorded would actually be really helpful and convincing other people to not work with them. Overall it would make it really easy for me to capture this person and her equipment, make myself more powerful by having a significantly stronger orange construct, and recording this whole mess will make it super easy in the future to avoid being sent on political stuff like this."

But the people!

"Yeah I really don't like political stuff."

 

[Handlewithcare]

I mean. He came back from the dead already. He's not going to "stay" down. Offing him in this way is at best a tactical victory in a specific theater till he shows up again. Since he can teleport any distance, that doesn't stop him from showing up back where he died quickly.

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That's assuming the believe they killed him and he came back. From their perspective "really hard to kill and therefore even higher priority" makes more sense

 

[CTrees]

Probably busy keeping her distance (quite reasonably so) and arresting the Free Lancers. Anything less than an Illustres would be collateral at this level.

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Small chance OL killed her with that orange light flare. He *probably* would have gotten an alert that she was approaching, but if that flare disrupted her willpower, and temporarily dropped her environmental shield while in space...

From the previous chapter:

I turn in space, looking for the emerald glow-.

There are two of them. And they're fighting near the location of the Free Lancers' ship. Marvellous.

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OL headed immediately there (chapter ended with OL getting hit by the Scarab Lantern's energy pulse), so K'ryssma should still be in the area. Which ups the odds that OL accidentally killed her, if she didn't weather that AOE emotional attack as well as the scarab.

 

[king_karasu]

"It used to be in my watch."
"Where is it now?"
"In my shoe."
"Why?"
"'Progress'."

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This is mostly a guess from a half-remembered scene, but is it Austin Powers and were they talking about a phone?

 

[iamnuff]

This is mostly a guess from a half-remembered scene, but is it Austin Powers and were they talking about a phone?

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I remember a James Bond parody from before my own time, with a shoe-phone. Don't recall the name. The enemy faction was called CHAOS, and the spy org might have been CONTROL.

It had a more modern remake, but... O don't remember anything but a vague image of a tropes page.


... Google, don't fail me now.
'Get Smart'

 

[WereDragon]

and I stop cocking about.

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This seems like a largely pointless update.

 

[cereal_lurker]

I remember a James Bond parody from before my own time, with a shoe-phone.

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They also had a sandwich-phone.

 

[Mr Zoat]

This is mostly a guess from a half-remembered scene, but is it Austin Powers and were they talking about a phone?

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No.

'Get Smart'

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No.

 

[ironbabyjones]

The Naked Gun?

 

[Mr Zoat]

The Naked Gun?

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No.

 

[ironbabyjones]

Drat, my next guess is something by Groucho Marx or Woody Allen.

No, I use two dots to indicate a brief unplanned pause. Three indicates that they trailed off and stopped.

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You are the author and entirely allowed to do what you want. I was curious and checked, and the Chicago manual of style and the APA manual botch define ellipsis as having 3 dots. Chicago recommends adding a fourth dot if it occurs at the end of a sentence, though not everybody recommends that. Two dots are definitely considered "incorrect" in formal writing, but I hear that you're using it consistently and intentionally, so it's of course your call. Thanks again for the story, I know this has been a labor of love!

 

[Mr Zoat]

Chicago recommends adding a fourth dot if it occurs at the end of a sentence, though not everybody recommends that.

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No, see, that's actually logical.

Two dots are definitely considered "incorrect" in formal writing, but I hear that you're using it consistently and intentionally, so it's of course your call.

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If only people spoke formally.

Thanks again for the story, I know this has been a labor of love!

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[webxro]

I still think something is fishy. IDK what but I will keep my fishy thoughts.

 

[Pinklestia]

I remember when the main character once chastised people that talk during combat in the early ages of this story, and I noticed when he started doing it himself way back then, but this chapter made me laugh because he has become fully what he -well not hated, but for the purposes of meme- hated. Hehehehe

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Oh El loves to talk, talk talk talk, he is the kind of person I would half tune out if I had to deal with him every day.

 

[mastermenthe]

And then she forms a gun and fires a volley at the planet below us.

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...does this qualify as a breach of contract under the Green Lantern Corps Treaty?

I think it might!

 

[cereal_lurker]

breach of contract under the Green Lantern Corps Treaty

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It seems more like The Reach would argue that this was a GLC internal dispute, with a new GL recruit going crazy and therefore not a violation of the treaty.

 

[Darko]

It seems more like The Reach would argue that this was a GLC internal dispute, with a new GL recruit going crazy and therefore not a violation of the treaty.

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I'm assuming the Guardians have protocols in their rings that prevent certain people or species from wielding their ring.

I think that was the case for Martians here.

And though this ring lacks certain protocols, the Guardians can state that their rings do have such protocols, so the Reachian isn't a recruit.

 

[Ardy]

...does this qualify as a breach of contract under the Green Lantern Corps Treaty?

I think it might!

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nah, reach ambassador disavowed them.

 

[cereal_lurker]

the Guardians can state that their rings do have such protocols, so the Reachian isn't a recruit.

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The Guardians (via the Honor Guard) have been unwilling to admit the ring prototype even exists. Given their logic/intransigence, I don't think they would change that policy for a minor skirmish. Either way, it wouldn't matter as The Reach can just point to the incident as a user of Green Light attacking people, who else could it be but the GLC.

 

[Agumentic]

It seems more like The Reach would argue that this was a GLC internal dispute, with a new GL recruit going crazy and therefore not a violation of the treaty.

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It's more likely they'll simply follow the Negotiator's example and state that this was a rogue agent and they're very sorry it happened. And the first part of it might even be true.

 

[BlueMangoAdea]

I wonder if a will-enlightened lantern would not be driven mad by the prototype rings.

 

[iamnuff]

No.

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I mean...

It might not be where the line is from, but it's still probably the origin of the shoe-phone joke.

 

[Vaermina]

A volley of phasic rounds just in case, then a series of shots of focused wounding intent which pierce her armour in three places, blood spurting out before freeze-boiling in the vacuum.

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Shouldn't she be healing herself given the ring has no restrictions?

 

[Ganurath]

A Week in the Life of

10th April 2011
23:43

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10th April 2011
23:47

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Old correction, but CITATION!

It was just after midnight, and I was crossing the line between one of the nicest parts of town and the part of town where the crack whores and gangsters lived. The distance between the two was thinner than one might think.

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Should be very early on April 11th, not very late on April 10th.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Old correction, but CITATION!

Should be very early on April 11th, not very late on April 10th.

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Ah, the problems that come with not reading the thing you're inserting into. Thank you, corrected.

 

[Ganurath]

Ah, the problems that come with not reading the thing you're inserting into. Thank you, corrected.

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Coil was using both timelines to maximize the odds of the Undersiders' survival on that night, as well. It's unlikely that he would've been anywhere he couldn't take a call from a supervillain, let alone somewhere he could be mistaken for someone with a position of authority in the PRT, rather than a consultant with a history of field service that ended with an honorable discharge after a traumatic event.

I hadn't taken note of these things the first time around because I was too busy arguing with Vaermina at the time, but the talk about the SI's love of monologuing had me go back to see if Armsmaster missed an opportunity to be a sly dog.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Coil was using both timelines to maximize the odds of the Undersiders' survival on that night, as well. It's unlikely that he would've been anywhere he couldn't take a call from a supervillain, let alone somewhere he could be mistaken for someone with a position of authority in the PRT, rather than a consultant with a history of field service that ended with an honorable discharge after a traumatic event.

I hadn't taken note of these things the first time around because I was too busy arguing with Vaermina at the time, but the talk about the SI's love of monologuing had me go back to see if Armsmaster missed an opportunity to be a sly dog.

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As I understand it, only Tattletale has the ability to contact him. And she was unconscious. Once Coil saw them die in the model where he told them to run and hide, he was stuck with them going on the offensive as per his last orders until he could contact them. At that point Lord Protector is already in the city and he's seconds from being unmasked without there being anything he can do about it.

I.. don't see a date for him becoming Strike Team Field Commander, so assume that's already happened.

 

[Ganurath]

As I understand it, only Tattletale has the ability to contact him. And she was unconscious. Once Coil saw them die in the model where he told them to run and hide, he was stuck with them going on the offensive as per his last orders until he could contact them. At that point Lord Protector is already in the city and he's seconds from being unmasked without there being anything he can do about it.

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CITATION!

"Anyways, point of this explanation is this: Knowing we had an imminent fight with Lung coming, knowing Lung planned to pyrokinesis our general area until he rooted us out, got civilians to finger us or brought in enough capes to make life difficult for us, I called Coil. He said he'd help, told us to wait five minutes, then take the more direct route, straight into the heart of ABB territory.

"We go, we take out a contingent of ABB gangbangers and scare off Oni Lee. Then I get a call back from Coil. The other reality? We left earlier, went a different route. Got in a fight with Lung before you showed. You decided to attack both our groups while we were occupied fighting each other, worn out, only Lung was stronger at that time, too strong for you to do too much. By the time you realized you'd have to work with us to stop him, which wasn't long, it was too late. Lung was too tough."

I tried to picture that scenario.

"I got away, managed to call Coil, let him know what had happened. Coil, in turn, informed me in this reality, the one you remember. Told me to watch out for a junior hero in the area."

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What happened to make them die in the other reality, and how did he find out if Tattletale didn't live to make her call?

 

[Mr Zoat]

12th August 2012
22:32 GMT

Point defence constructs appear behind me, tiny pellets of matter firing at high speed to intercept what is almost certainly-. The anti-matter plasma detonates the moment the matter intersects with it. I didn't get the quantities quite right, but that should disperse it enough that it merely makes a large blast when it hits the atmosphere-proper. She tries taking a shot directly at me, but constructs don't contain matter and it's simple enough to contain it in a construct vessel.

Then my construct shears cut her gun off at the elbow.

She's still glowing, so I guess the gun was-.

The explosion washes over me, whatever anti-matter was still in the gun losing containment! The radiation isn't much of a problem, and there's no shockwave in space, but my construct armour has a few cracks in it by the time the energy wave passes over me. Nothing like the detonation of a power ring, so I'm assuming that she's wearing it somewhere-.

I'm assuming that she was wearing it somewhere else.

It looks like between the hole made by her arm-stump, the holes I punched and the fact that she was much closer than me to the detonation… She's somewhat cooked. Still alive -if barely- but not in any condition to actually fight. The gun arm… Yeah, a containment breach. Can't have been much anti-matter, because the arm is still recognisably arm-shaped.

This is an opportunity.

The host is in a coma, while the Scarab itself is at least somewhat active. It should be possible for me to remove it chirurgically as it looks like it's been forced into shutdown while still being functional enough that we could gain useful intelligence from it. I can't risk assimilating it, but...

Hm.

I could try altering its desires indirectly with orange light manipulation. I haven't tried that yet, and they might not be designed to self-destruct when I do that. I don't think that the Reach have any experience with that technique.

The armour is slowly growing back over the holes. I think that's an automatic thing, but just in case…

No. Just get the ring. There are other Scarabs.

The green light is at its most intense in the middle of her chest, behind the strongest part of her armour. Makes sense, but a precise application of crumbler probes there and there, and a small x-ionised blade…

Another spray of vaporised blood and the ring comes free, along with a chunk of armour and… Genetic scan? Modified duthellian tissue. Probably not a volunteer, then. Probably as brain dead as the ship crew. The ring looks about as it did in its former display case, though now it's got a little more of a glow to it.

I raise my right hand.

Come to me.

The ring gleams and begins drifting my way-

"Illustres?"

-while the Scarab Warrior's armour bulges with shifting armour plates and semi-organic cables. I think the Scarab is trying to bypass the damaged tissue, but they're not really intended to work like that. I let the ring settle onto my right ring finger, the environmental shield fighting against my orange one for a moment before being put in its place.

"Illustres here. Are you in one piece, K'ryssma?"

"I will heal. Do you have the ring?"

"Yes."

I look at the new ring on my finger. Guy let me fiddle with his ring a grand total of once. I could… Sort of make constructs, but they were… Not great. Abstract mental focus isn't a skill I've really developed. Still, I can manage a basic-.

Warning! Unnatural Mental Influence detected!

A rotating cube construct that… Agh, every cube in my-. Off off off!

The cube vanishes in a puff of green.

I look down at the ring.

Before I left, the Green Lantern comics were… Increasingly showing the Guardians as… Dodgy. The Alpha Lanterns were the worst thing I remember them intentionally doing… I don't know. I haven't gotten the impression that the local Guardians are like that. But… Larfleeze exists here. So they've been lying about that. Hinon confirmed that the Massacre of Sector 666 happened.

And this ring just tried to hotwire my brain into making better constructs. Better green constructs.

"Yes, I've got it."

How trusting do I feel right now? I mean, K'ryssma hasn't been particular honest with me about what's going on, and… Frankly, the Guardians abdicated any responsibility regarding the Reach when they signed their treaty. And I… Really don't want to have to deal with Guardians in evil mode. This ring looks like something that could end up taking them in some very unpleasant directions. But they've already got the technology anyway, and making an issue out of this might worsen relations between our organisations. I should probably-.

"And I'm sending it to Maltus. Invite the Guardians to address any complaints to the Controllers, and remind them that a little honesty goes a long way."

"That is not yours to take."

I look at it. I could make it orange, but that might damage it.

"The Controllers gave the ship back, didn't they? I put the work in, so I'm claiming the reward. If you want my help in future, start by being honest. End."

I look around local space. Doesn't look like the Reach shot at anything not on the planet's surface.

"Illustres to Lantern Drusa. Cruiser and Scarab Warrior neutralised. Please secure the remains of the Reach ships in the hold of one of our cargo ships. Dump other cargo if you have to; those are going to L.E.G.I.O.N. intelligence."

"And the Scarab?"

I generate a construct chirurgical unit, blades at the ready. I've seen our data on removing Scarabs, and… It's never been done entirely successfully. If I keep her alive I could have our wizards take a stab at it, but I think that's taking an unnecessary risk. Find the Scarab, find the Scarab… Ah, they actually put it in the skull rather than on the upper spine this time, how creative. Crumble the built-up armour around the head, insert construct nutrient feeds into the brain…

Good.

Take a snapshot of the brain. They might… Would they have had to leave this one a bit more compos mentis than the others? Not sure. Examining Scarab Warriors post mortem is always a little difficult. The Darkstars didn't bother trying to keep them in one piece before I arrived, and it hasn't become more of a priority now that they theoretically can.

Three, two, stab and shield!

And I have a brain. The Scarab should register the host's death a second later, but if I use an animation suspension-.

The Scarab atomises.

Though I'm pleased to note that a lot of the armour stays in one piece this time. Too badly damaged to fully self-destruct? Worth knowing.

Next step, then. These remains and this brain go onto a cargo ship in the most secure storage unit I can build, then I'm heading back to the planet to do some arm twisting.