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

boo600 · 2024-10-05T20:49:51+0100

1.025 mega-electrovolts. That's… small.

That's 3.829293706979^-29 megatons of tnt.

I suppose it is only the smallest readily available particles, but anti-matter can be ludicrously destructive. And it's still an absurd amount of power for two electron-mass particles.

Thank you, Mr. Zoat.

Ardy · 2024-10-05T22:21:56+0100

Mr Zoat said:
He might not, actually. He's too young for the eighties series and had a rubbish childhood. He'd probably vaguely recognise a picture of Optimus Prime, but he wouldn't necessarily know the name.

Perfect! Sets up drama when he finds out why he's been calling himself that with the Illustres suggestion

Mr Zoat · 2024-10-06T07:42:02+0100

29th April 2013
Should this hurt?

Smaller ones, I guess. They don't look like the scary things Paul showed me, and small ships are usually faster. And they're okay with shooting-

I should be moving.

-through their own station, so I'll fly… This one's pretty wrecked and the next one is that way, so that way-.

Everything flickers green for a moment, but… They're not shooting at me-.

Krillik. And… If those crates do have brains in them, the brains aren't as tough as us. I actually-.

This feels stupid.

I fly towards the ships, past the broken and melted bits of space station, and… A few floating bodies, but hopefully the ships can see me anyway. I start disrupting matter around me to make it a bit more obvious that they didn't kill me with their first shot. I'm not.. sure that will work, because the metal around me is pretty melty so I'm probably not hotter than it is. I should move a bit as well, make it obvious that I'm not floating junk. I hope-.

Is it-?

Ah, faster!

Green beams smash into the station around me as I fly-. And a lesson I-. Overheard from the school phys. ed. teacher: jink. Change direction, because if they just run in a straight line they can tackle you really easily. So I change direction, and-. Oh yeah, yeah, they were paying attention. Guess they're given up on this station-. Or trying to destroy the brains? Or the station's just big enough that getting shot like this isn't a problem? Or-.

The outside of the station shimmers, and-. It's harder to fly through. Not much harder, but I have to focus, and now the shots from the-.

Pfff!

They're not punching through, and they finally hit me. The ships are getting closer, but… That shot didn't really do anything. I'm not sure how tough the shields are compared to me, but those beams don't… Look as big as they were the first few times they fired. So either they're more focused and it's some sort of optical illusion, or they've turned the power down.

Why?

They're clearly fine with shooting their own people-. But they're rational about it. They don't just shoot their own for fun, or because getting beaten means that they get executed. Did they..? Think I killed everyone where I was?

Did I kill everyone where I was?

Don't know don't care because there's the interdiction system thingy. I-.

AGHFUCKINGFUCK!

And now I'm back inside the station…

Ah…

Not sure if I got turned around or not. I don't feel.. great, but-. Check for injuries…

Just for a moment I see what looks like a small cut on my right arm, but it.. sort of.. vanishes a moment later. That's nice, and-.

Right. They knew I was heading for the end zone, so they could just point all their guns-.

Okay, not sure how many ships there are but that looked like a lot of guns, so…

Why haven't they shot me again-?

Okay, moving, not thinking things like that. I was pretty close, so it's just a couple of-.

The wall next to me vanishes, and there's a green beam before-. There's a hole. They're just shooting me, and they don't care-. Do they even know that Krillik's here? Someone might have reported it. But-. Hang on, he's over there…

Uh…

So it's better for me if they shoot up their station, because it makes my life easier. I mean, I could try attacking those ships, but the bigger ones probably aren't that far behind them. And I don't really-. I guess we could move brains in them-.

No, no, that's stupid. We can't fly them and the Reach people won't fly them for us.

I wonder if the Controller can add mind control to us? Wouldn't have to be really good mind control, just make them think the Reach needs-.

AGH!

FUCKing assholes.

Quick check. My head… Aches a little? But that's about it. Looking across the… chasm where their interdiction system used to be, I think we're done here. Only problem is checking whether Krillik's ready… Because no communication system was going to survive that. And if they just shoot up the hangar, then we've wasted our time in trying to rescue them.

How should I..?

Okay. Are there any Reach people around..? There.

I fly through the wall and grab one in… A slightly fancier than normal spacesuit.

"You look important." He tries struggling for a moment, but doesn't get anywhere. "Important enough that your life has value. And you've seen me close up, which makes you doubly important. Open a communication line to your main cargo hangar and I'll let you live."

"You killed the last people you offered that deal to."

"I asked them an honest question, and they lied to me. But for you, the communication line is either on or its not. You can't lie about it because you don't know what I expect to be there."

"That won't stop you killing me afterwards."

"But even if I do kill you, you'll have delayed me a little. What else are you expected to do?"

"Just evacuate." He points his free arm at a wall terminal. "I need to touch that. I doubt you'd trust my suit array."

I let go. "Fuck up and it's your funeral. And yours ships are getting pretty shooty."

He walks over and presses some buttons. "I noticed. Frustrating… Writ-wrangler."

"What?"

He finishes pressing buttons, then studies the screen-. I shove him aside, looking for Krillik. He's opened some crates-.

"The Writ is our sacred text. A Writ-wrangler is someone who takes part of it out of context to justify doing something idiotic like shoot up a productive space station as part of a weapons test when there are perfectly-"

My right ear… Buzzes, and I look around and he's pointing a gun at me. Fucker shot me!

"-good ways to test-." The barrel starts glowing again, so I disintegrate him and then turn back to the screen.

"Krillik, you done?"

"Yes! I've got brains and a shuttle! But I can't work out how to get out. I can't put together a stealth system that-."

"Can you pretend you're a Reach person evacuating?"

"Maybe. The emergency beacon's automatic, but they'll just pick me up. Escape shuttles aren't fast enough to-."

What? "You can just push the ship from inside, though. If they ignore you for long enough, you'll get away."

"Push-? I should have thought of that."

"Don't worry. Easy mistake. Get going. I'll-." Fuuuuuck. This is going to hurt. "I'll get their attention."

boo600 · 2024-10-06T07:47:21+0100

I see the Reach has Bible Thumpers.

Or rather, they see people who respond to 'Reach commit genocide = good" with 'I guess you're the bad guys" as BTs.

Chojin Patriarch · 2024-10-06T08:11:06+0100

Mr Zoat said:
29th April 2013
Should this hurt?

Smaller ones, I guess. They don't look like the scary things Paul showed me, and small ships are usually faster. And they're okay with shooting-

I should be moving.

Yeah, staying still in a shooting fight is a good way to get heavier ordnance zeroing in on you. Be it grenades, artillery or strategic-scale ship weapons... And even if they can't obviously hurt you with their guns, doesn't mean they can't make it hard to get away.

-through their own station, so I'll fly… This one's pretty wrecked and the next one is that way, so that way-.

Everything flickers green for a moment, but… They're not shooting at me-.

Right, still one interdiction generator online,. And even one is enough to produce the effect they want, even if it's at a reduced intensity.

Krillik. And… If those crates do have brains in them, the brains aren't as tough as us. I actually-.

This feels stupid.

While you could just abandon them, you have committed to rescuing the unfortunate. So leaving without them would feel a bit low.

I fly towards the ships, past the broken and melted bits of space station, and… A few floating bodies, but hopefully the ships can see me anyway. I start disrupting matter around me to make it a bit more obvious that they didn't kill me with their first shot. I'm not.. sure that will work, because the metal around me is pretty melty so I'm probably not hotter than it is. I should move a bit as well, make it obvious that I'm not floating junk. I hope-.

Joy of playing distraction. How to get the message across that you should be paid attention to.

Is it-?

Ah, faster!

Worst case, they ping you as some sort of delayed missile or something. I doubt they've got detailed information on the Effigy project yet.

Green beams smash into the station around me as I fly-. And a lesson I-. Overheard from the school phys. ed. teacher: jink. Change direction, because if they just run in a straight line they can tackle you really easily. So I change direction, and-. Oh yeah, yeah, they were paying attention. Guess they're given up on this station-. Or trying to destroy the brains? Or the station's just big enough that getting shot like this isn't a problem? Or-.

Or they just decided yeah, 'Fuck the people on it. Acceptable losses to kill enemy forces.'

The outside of the station shimmers, and-. It's harder to fly through. Not much harder, but I have to focus, and now the shots from the -.

Pfff!

Looks like the shields came back up, maybe? Or the ships are throwing their own interdiction fields out.

They're not punching through, and they finally hit me. The ships are getting closer, but… That shot didn't really do anything. I'm not sure how tough the shields are compared to me, but those beams don't… Look as big as they were the first few times they fired. So either they're more focused and it's some sort of optical illusion, or they've turned the power down.

Could be trying to dial in the energy needed to kill you without burning out their capacitors?

Why?

They're clearly fine with shooting their own people-. But they're rational about it. They don't just shoot their own for fun, or because getting beaten means that they get executed. Did they..? Think I killed everyone where I was?

Or something about the beam makes it less lethal to Reach personnel? Who knows?

Did I kill everyone where I was?

Don't know don't care because there's the interdiction system thingy. I-.

Right, time to get punching.

AGHFUCKINGFUCK!

And now I'm back inside the station…

...Hopefully they smashed you through the generator.

Ah…

Not sure if I got turned around or not. I don't feel.. great, but-. Check for injuries…

Just for a moment I see what looks like a small cut on my right arm, but it.. sort of.. vanishes a moment later. That's nice, and-.

Thank goodness for rapid healing abilities.

Right. They knew I was heading for the end zone, so they could just point all their guns-.

Okay, not sure how many ships there are but that looked like a lot of guns, so…

Note for Jevek: Upgrade the Effigy sensory systems for medium-distance space use.

Why haven't they shot me again-?

Okay, moving, not thinking things like that. I was pretty close, so it's just a couple of-.

Maybe they think they killed you?

The wall next to me vanishes, and there's a green beam before-. There's a hole. They're just shooting me, and they don't care-. Do they even know that Krillik's here? Someone might have reported it. But-. Hang on, he's over there…

Uh…

Well, that could be a possibility. It's unlikely he would have taken off if he found out the fleet's scouts were here.

So it's better for me if they shoot up their station, because it makes my life easier. I mean, I could try attacking those ships, but the bigger ones probably aren't that far behind them. And I don't really-. I guess we could move brains in them-.

No, no, that's stupid. We can't fly them and the Reach people won't fly them for us.

Never mind the fact that there's no real way to warn your teammates that you're aboard, short of trying to reach OL and have him pass it on. Unless you burn an Orange Lantern sigil onto the front or something...

I wonder if the Controller can add mind control to us? Wouldn't have to be really good mind control, just make them think the Reach needs-.

AGH!

FUCKing assholes.

Heh. Not particularly hurting him with their shots, just annoying him by knocking him about...

Quick check. My head… Aches a little? But that's about it. Looking across the… chasm where their interdiction system used to be, I think we're done here. Only problem is checking whether Krillik's ready… Because no communication system was going to survive that. And if they just shoot up the hangar, then we've wasted our time in trying to rescue them.

So... Find a helper?

How should I..?

Okay. Are there any Reach people around..? There.

I fly through the wall and grab one in… A slightly fancier than normal spacesuit.

Ooh, someone with authority.

"You look important." He tries struggling for a moment, but doesn't get anywhere. "Important enough that your life has value. And you've seen me close up, which makes you doubly important. Open a communication line to your main cargo hangar and I'll let you live."

"You killed the last people you offered that deal to."

They were lying assholes. Are you that dumb? Also, I guess he was monitoring Marty's movements, if he knows that.

"I asked them an honest question, and they lied to me. But for you, the communication line is either on or its not. You can't lie about it because you don't know what I expect to be there."

"That won't stop you killing me afterwards."

Little thing called trust. Might be an unfamiliar concept to you Reach folks.

"But even if I do kill you, you'll have delayed me a little. What else are you expected to do?"

"Just evacuate." He points his free arm at a wall terminal. "I need to touch that. I doubt you'd trust my suit array."

Good, he's decided to do the sensible thing. He knows what'll happen if he pulls anything.

I let go. "Fuck up and it's your funeral. And yours ships are getting pretty shooty."

He walks over and presses some buttons. "I noticed. Frustrating… Writ-wrangler."

Ah, some dissension amongst the ranks?

"What?"

He finishes pressing buttons, then studies the screen-. I shove him aside, looking for Krillik. He's opened some crates-.

Hopefully it's got access to any monitoring cameras.

"The Writ is our sacred text. A Writ-wrangler is someone who takes part of it out of context to justify doing something idiotic like shoot up a productive space station as part of a weapons test when there are perfectly-"

My right ear… Buzzes, and I look around and he's pointing a gun at me. Fucker shot me!

Ah. Asshole bureaucrats. Weapons test, eh? Presumably those green beams. Also, stupid move, sparky.

"-good ways to test-." The barrel starts glowing again, so I disintegrate him and then turn back to the screen.

"Krillik, you done?"

Can't fix stupid, alas.

"Yes! I've got brains and a shuttle! But I can't work out how to get out. I can't put together a stealth system that-."

"Can you pretend you're a Reach person evacuating?"

Could work, especially if they can detect the brains on board. Though that would also pick up that Krillik isn't a Reachian.

"Maybe. The emergency beam's automatic, but they'll just pick me up. Escape shuttles aren't fast enough to-."

What? "You can just push the ship from inside, though. If they ignore you for long enough, you'll get away."

...Play dead until they stop looking at you? Could work. Slow but possible.

"Push-? I should have thought of that."

"Don't worry. Easy mistake. Get going. I'll-." Fuuuuuck. This is going to hurt. "I'll get their attention."

You're right, it is going to hurt. Still, you chose to be the one playing bait...

Right, then. Time to make some noise and take some hits. Hopefully he can distract the relief ships long enough for Krillik to get safely away. And do it without giving them too much of a demonstration of his capabilities and resilience. Best way might be to blast past them and get them looking away from the station. Maybe smash one or two to get them to give chase...

Darko · 2024-10-06T09:51:02+0100

boo600 said:
I see the Reach has Bible Thumpers.

Or rather, they see people who respond to 'Reach commit genocide = good" with 'I guess you're the bad guys" as BTs.

The Writ is basically their instruction manual for how to conquer societies.

It's kinda like the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition; a set of practical instructions that have been given religious significance.

Neruz · 2024-10-06T10:07:59+0100

boo600 said:
I see the Reach has Bible Thumpers.

Or rather, they see people who respond to 'Reach commit genocide = good" with 'I guess you're the bad guys" as BTs.

Every culture has its selfish idiots who twist the rules to benefit their own personal agendas, even one as curated and designed as the Reach, it seems.

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

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