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

Chojin Patriarch · 2026-10-26T07:05:06+0000

Mr Zoat said:
21st April 2258
19:28 G.M.T.

I smile as people duck into side corridors rather than come too close to the 'vorlon' in front of me.

"I can barely see where I'm going."

"Just bear with it."

You know, I was always under the impression that Vorlon Encounter Suits just sort of floated. It never occurred to me they might have limbs. And thus a way for a person to disguise themselves as one... Must have been the fancy drapery.

Because vorlon-style encounter suits aren't hard to make, and absolutely no one is going to stop a vorlon going wherever it wants. But nothing about being a non-telepathic telepath who's been working as a teacher really prepares you for carrying a big lump of armour plating on your shoulders and navigating by periscope.

Just imagine how bad it was for the poor suit actors in the show... They didn't have telekinesis to assist.

Alright, we're close, and-.

"Mister Underwood!"

We both stop, I turn, and-.

Oh, goddammit, an interruption now?

"Commander Sinclair." Mr. Ironheart rotates his periscope-head as best he can as I step towards the Commander to head him off. I created a variation on Ambassador Kosh's outfit for him, but I imagine that the commander has met more than a few vorlons and I don't really want him to get too close a look at my work. "What can I do for you?"

Especially if encounter suits are one-off pieces tailored to the wearer's preference, not off-the-rack rigs.

He looks at Mr. Ironheart's mobile bird hide. "I hadn't realised there were any other vorlons on the station."

"Narvethk was curious about how a human managed to live two hundred years. He's planning on heading to minbar next."

A plausible enough sounding name for a vorlon, I suppose. And suggesting he's a seeker of odd things is a good cover.

Fortunately, I know that the one vorlon on the station isn't exactly chatty, so hopefully the fact that he isn't talking won't seem that odd.

"Well… Mister Narvethk, I hope that you enjoy your stay on Babylon Five."

...You did make sure he can talk, right?

…

"Yes."

I think that probably sounded vorlon enough. Glad I put the voice changer in there.

Right, close enough indeed.

"Mister Underwood, I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk."

"Ah. Now?"

Ah, the perils of being notable enough to get the station commander's personal attention.

Commander Sinclair nods, smiling the most sincere fake smile I've seen today. "If it's not too much trouble."

Ah… I turn back to Mr. Ironheart. "Are you going to be alright finding your way to Ambassador Delenn's quarters?"

Oh, he has many questions, no doubt...

Mr. Ironheart points the periscope head my way and pointedly narrows the aperture.

I raise my right arm and point down the corridor. "That way to the end, then turn right. It's the second door."

I would assume her name is on the address plate or doorbell or whatever they have...

The periscope turns back around, and he starts slowly walking in the direction I indicated.

Ah… I'll catch up with him in a moment. "So what do you want to talk about, Commander?"

Probably not as graceful a glide as the real thing.

He smiles invitingly. "How was Minbar?"

"Ah, a bit overwhelming, honestly." I shake my head. "I'd have been lost without Mayan. The food wasn't as weird as I thought it would be… The people staring at me and wondering why I was there was… Off-putting, though Mayan's getting it much worse on Earth."

Nothing about the mysterious little building project, but I'm sure that's still something of a curiosity for non-Minbari.

He nods, looking empathically concerned. "She can't have expected a warm reception."

I sigh. "I think she did, actually. I'm not sure I understand why. Minbari don't appear to expect to have any real input in how their government works, she was a religious caste poet and just… Doesn't see the War as something she had any involvement in. But goodness me some of the Home Guard people I've run into make me weep for the future of our species."

It was very naive of her, and she's learning quite a bit about human responses to certain things.

"I've had a few run-ins with them myself. How popular are they back home?"

"I.. don't know. They can usually put a demonstration together wherever Mayan does a lecture, but they could just be bussing protestors around. I… Don't think the government would build five Babylon stations if there was a majority in favour of… Whatever it is they actually want. Spending that much money on something not related to defence after a major war couldn't have been popular anyway."

Not unless said stations were military border outposts, and that would defeat the purpose of building them as diplomatic assemblies.

"I like to think we've proven our worth."

"Oh, getting representatives of different polities together regularly to prevent problems getting out of hand is clearly a good idea, it's just… I have to admit, I… I sort of assumed that by this point in history, this sort of negotiation would have been handled over some sort of… Space radio... Telepresence.. thing? Building a space station in the middle of nowhere seems… A lot of work for little extra return?"

From what I understand, they could only really send micro-bursts of data through the wormhole gateways? Presumably that bandwidth is reserved for important data uploads, and casual Zoom meetings aren't in the cards. Any major content updates would be carried on courier ships?

"This isn't just about the council meetings. We also all put on events so that we can learn more about one another's cultures."

I shrug. "I suppose that building up a personal rapport between representatives could be helpful. I've only been here a year, there are probably plenty of things I'm missing."

I mean, diplomats who have become friends - or frenemies in the case of G'Kar and Londo - are probably more likely to try and push resolutions that benefit each other...

"You really.. think you were in suspended animation for two hundred years?"

"No. No, that's clearly nonsense. I'd have noticed a cryogenic pod… Or whatever actually gets used for suspending animation… When I woke up, and there wasn't one. And also I was able to read my own obituary."

I wonder if they tried looking up 'Matthew Underwood' in Earth databases and got nothing?

"Your family thought you were dead?"

"Oh no." I shake my head. "They had a body. I kept most of my hair, which I suppose is nice. Eighty-nine isn't too bad."

Pretty much average for a human of the time.

He frowns. "How did they have a body?"

"Cloning, parallel universe…" I throw up my arms in bewilderment. "I don't know. I don't think I'm him, because he died and I'm still alive, but I can't really explain… That."

Just another impossible conundrum for Sinclair and Garibaldi to puzzle over.

"That… Ah…"

"No, I wouldn't believe me either." I fabricate a data crystal in my pocket, pull it out and hand it to him. "Feel free to confirm it with Earth records. My life really doesn't make sense."

"I'll…" He takes the crystal. "I'll do that. And you don't have… Any idea? Was there some kind of laboratory on the planet you woke up on?"

Ah, that'll make them especially confused when Earthgov sources say they got nuthin'.

"No, not that I saw. And why would anyone clone me? I wasn't anyone important. And that wouldn't give me my old memories; I died long before telepaths started appearing on Earth. My memories could be fake, but they're too detailed. I've checked: writing things that I think are in a film or television program down before watching it, and then getting someone to check the list against what happened… They're accurate. It makes no damn sense, but here I am anyway."

The most blatant, but hard to reason why, possibility is that someone fabricated an entire human life from zero for him.

"Did you get a genetic comparison done between yourself and your alter ego's remains?"

"What remains? I wasn't religious: I was cremated. And while I could track my sister's descendants down, after this many generations there wouldn't by much similarity between us. Ah." I smile, bowing my head for a moment. "But I doubt this is what you wanted to talk to me about. Is it about Miss Alexander? Because Psi Corps have been on at me about that."

And I suppose that might be reflected in whatever records Sinclair can get a hold of. PSI Corps would probably deflect any further inquiry, though.

"Not unless you have anything you want to tell me." I shake my head. "Then it's more… Have you heard of 'death of personality'?"

I nod. "Yes, it's how you not-execute people here in the future."

"And what do you..? Think about it?"

Compassionate yet cruel at the same time. Not wasting a useful human resource, for one.

"I mean, it's… Nice that you use telepaths to double-check jury decisions. Though I don't see why you don't just use telepaths in the first place. Uh. And since you're erasing a person's personal memories, it's basically the same as execution, but then you've got to do a whole lot of extra work to find something to do with the resulting new person…" I shrug. "I don't really get it, but then I didn't live through the history which led people to decide it was a sensible thing to do."

I would expect PSI Corps don't want to tip their hand at just how effective their strongest readers actually are.

"I was wondering if something like that might have happened to you."

"Uh. I don't think so. They-. People who've gone through that don't have any interest in their past life, whereas I do. I haven't found any records of anyone sharing my physical appearance, so I don't think anyone could have been turned into me. Have you..? Looked into it? Because I'd rather have a hard truth than an easy lie."

Heh, that's a nice turn of phrase that fits so well into the setting.

"No, and I did send a request for any relevant information to the Ministry of Justice. Though that would only cover a death of personality carried out as part of a judicial process."

I nod. "And if someone else had gotten hold of the technology, they wouldn't have any information. Well. This is who I am now, so… I don't think I'll waste time chasing after the chance. Thank you for letting me know."

Now, to catch up with 'Narvethk'...

I suspect Sinclair is walking away from this little chat with more questions than he started with. The random Vorlon wandering around in Underwood's company, for one. And I'm sure they'll find out Underwood didn't come aboard from any ship today. Never mind the suspiciously convenient data-slug he provided them about his background...

Mr Zoat · 2026-10-26T07:32:51+0000

Darko said:
"works. She was"

Thank you, corrected.

BR549 said:
There's also the fact that if they can use a telepath to determine your guilt what's to say they couldn't decide to use telepaths to determine who's guilty of precrime, and then you're suddenly living in Minority Report.

Babylon 5 telepaths can't see the future.

Chojin Patriarch said:
You know, I was always under the impression that Vorlon Encounter Suits just sort of floated. It never occurred to me they might have limbs. And thus a way for a person to disguise themselves as one... Must have been the fancy drapery.

How do you think the na'ka'leen feeder managed, then?

Darko · 2026-10-26T07:37:47+0000

Vaermina said:
This is very stupid given Matthew doesn't know what the Vorlon opinion on impersonators is.

So far the Vorlons haven't done anything to him despite the fact that they don't seem to like him, so him pretending to have a working relationship with them isn't exactly the weirdest thing he's done.

The Vorlons also don't seem to care about impersonators.

The criminal that used that memory erasing alien wasn't punished by them. Heck, he somehow went free and showed up in the Thirdspace movie.

BR549 · 2026-10-26T07:38:42+0000

Chojin Patriarch said:
From what I understand, they could only really send micro-bursts of data through the wormhole gateways? Presumably that bandwidth is reserved for important data uploads, and casual Zoom meetings aren't in the cards. Any major content updates would be carried on courier ships?

This falls in the category of 'it's been awhile', but they use tachyons for communications (this is another case of the sci-fi being hard-sounding but very, very soft once you start looking into it). StellarCom uses relay stations and allows for virtually real-time communications throughout EarthGov space. Presumably bandwidth is limited, though...

I suspect Sinclair is walking away from this little chat with more questions than he started with. The random Vorlon wandering around in Underwood's company, for one.

They're also on a very quickly ticking clock right now, because the moment Sinclair mentions "Narvethk" to Garibaldi, Michael is going to point out that no Vorlon ship has arrived at the station, and even if a Vorlon would deign itself to travel coach, no additional Vorlon has been registered as arriving at the station. Not to mention, as mentioned, Underwood having skipped entry procedures as well.

It wouldn't surprise me if the next installment of the B5 sidestory has Mr. Underwood in a nicely furnished room with pointed questions from Sinclair and Garibaldi directed his way.

Mr Zoat said:
Babylon 5 telepaths can't see the future.

It's not 1:1 precrime, true, but I was thinking along the lines of, say, 'the teep says this person has a tendency to think weird things about sheep, so we'll go ahead and haul them in for that'.

Neruz · 2026-10-26T07:59:09+0000

BR549 said:
It's not 1:1 precrime, true, but I was thinking along the lines of, say, 'the teep says this person has a tendency to think weird things about sheep, so we'll go ahead and haul them in for that'.

That would require redefining the laws to make thinking about crimes illegal though, which is unlikely.

Most likely the reason for it is that there just aren't enough telepaths available to check every single criminal proceeding, and keeping it to only doublechecking the results of major punishments to make sure also keeps normal people feeling like they have a say in the system.

boo600 · 2026-10-26T08:26:47+0000

BR549 said:
Sinclair and Garibaldi

Aren't those two the idiots who poked the Minbari? How the fuck are they still in power?

BoML · 2026-10-26T08:39:52+0000

Ooh, double feature! Let me at 'em...

Mr Zoat said:
I smile as people duck into side corridors rather than come too close to the 'vorlon' in front of me.

"I can barely see where I'm going."

"Just bear with it."

I'm betting this counterfeit Vorlon suit is better make then the mind feeder one. If you'd ever seen Kosh out and about, you could tell immediately that it wasn't one.

Mr Zoat said:
Because vorlon-style encounter suits aren't hard to make, and absolutely no one is going to stop a vorlon going wherever it wants. But nothing about being a non-telepathic telepath who's been working as a teacher really prepares you for carrying a big lump of armour plating on your shoulders and navigating by periscope.

Alright, we're close, and-.

Now, that's the rub. How authentic did he make it? I'm actually hoping it looks closer to Kosh's suit. Honestly, Ulkesh looked closer to Vorlon than what the mind feeder sported.

Mr Zoat said:
"Mister Underwood!"

We both stop, I turn, and-.

"Commander Sinclair." Mr. Ironheart rotates his periscope-head as best he can as I step towards the Commander to head him off. I created a variation on Ambassador Kosh's outfit for him, but I imagine that the commander has met more than a few vorlons and I don't really want him to get too close a look at my work. "What can I do for you?"

...Sinclair has only met Kosh. Now, I don't rightly know if The Gathering situation ended up in a stare down with several Vorlon encounter suits, but I very much doubt that happened.

Still, this is a conversation that Sinclair has wanted for a while.

Mr Zoat said:
"Well… Mister Narvethk, I hope that you enjoy your stay on Babylon Five."

…

"Yes."

I think that probably sounded vorlon enough. Glad I put the voice changer in there.

You're good, Babylon!Paul. Just as long it doesn't sound like Kosh's one.

Mr Zoat said:
Ah… I turn back to Mr. Ironheart. "Are you going to be alright finding your way to Ambassador Delenn's quarters?"

Mr. Ironheart points the periscope head my way and pointedly narrows the aperture.

*snerk* I can feel the exasperation in the body language.

Mr Zoat said:
Ah… I'll catch up with him in a moment. "So what do you want to talk about, Commander?"

He smiles invitingly. "How was Minbar?"

"Ah, a bit overwhelming, honestly." I shake my head. "I'd have been lost without Mayan. The food wasn't as weird as I thought it would be… The people staring at me and wondering why I was there was… Off-putting, though Mayan's getting it much worse on Earth."

...I'm wondering if there were any Warrior Caste members about? I'm guessing not, because they wouldn't have hesitated to get on Babylon!Paul's face about him being there.

Mr Zoat said:
He nods, looking empathically concerned. "She can't have expected a warm reception."

I sigh. "I think she did, actually. I'm not sure I understand why. Minbari don't appear to expect to have any real input in how their government works. She was a religious caste poet and just… Doesn't see the War as something she had any involvement in. But goodness me some of the Home Guard people I've run into make me weep for the future of our species."

Ah, nice to have that confirmed for me. And yes, it was...naive to think she'd get a warm reception. Pity Home Guard didn't get the memo after the nth arrest.

Mr Zoat said:
"I've had a few run-ins with them myself. How popular are they back home?"

"I.. don't know. They can usually put a demonstration together wherever Mayan does a lecture, but they could just be bussing protestors around. I… Don't think the government would build five Babylon stations if there was a majority in favour of… Whatever it is they actually want. Spending that much money on something not related to defence after a major war couldn't have been popular anyway."

It's the money that was seen as a waste, which could have been used in Earth Alliance. And really, they aren't fully wrong about it. Of course, things would have been better if Earth Alliance hadn't done an "oopsie" with the Minbari...

Mr Zoat said:
"I like to think we've proven our worth."

"Oh, getting representatives of different polities together regularly to prevent problems getting out of hand is clearly a good idea, it's just… I have to admit, I… I sort of assumed that by this point in history, this sort of negotiation would have been handled over some sort of… Space radio... Telepresence.. thing? Building a space station in the middle of nowhere seems… A lot of work for little extra return?"

"This isn't just about the council meetings. We also all put on events so that we can learn more about one another's cultures."

And hopefully spot the potential pitfall's before they become...a huge effing mess.

Mr Zoat said:
"Your family thought you were dead?"

"Oh no." I shake my head. "They had a body. I kept most of my hair, which I suppose is nice. Eighty-nine isn't too bad."

Still wondering how to feel about that. I'm my case, I'd be either chewing this bit still, or doing everything I can to not think about it at all.

Mr Zoat said:
"No, I wouldn't believe me either." I fabricate a data crystal in my pocket, pull it out and hand it to him. "Feel free to confirm it with Earth records. My life really doesn't make sense."

"I'll…" He takes the crystal. "I'll do that. And you don't have… Any idea? Was there some kind of laboratory on the planet you woke up on?"

Oh, I'm sure he has ideas. Them being anywhere close to truth...that's the trick.

Mr Zoat said:
"Did you get a genetic comparison done between yourself and your alter ego's remains?"

"What remains? I wasn't religious: I was cremated. And while I could track my sister's descendants down, after this many generations there wouldn't by much similarity between us. Ah." I smile, bowing my head for a moment. "But I doubt this is what you wanted to talk to me about. Is it about Miss Alexander? Because Psi Corps have been on at me about that."

"Not unless you have anything you want to tell me." I shake my head. "Then it's more… Have you heard of 'death of personality'?"

...well, let's just go right in to the pertinent question, then.

Mr Zoat said:
"No, and I did send a request for any relevant information to the Ministry of Justice. Though that would only cover a death of personality carried out as part of a judicial process."

I nod. "And if someone else had gotten hold of the technology, they wouldn't have any information. Well. This is who I am now, so… I don't think I'll waste time chasing after the chance. Thank you for letting me know."

Yeah, that's a dead end, too. Better not waste time on it.

And yeah, as was mentioned, the minute Sinclair goes to Garibaldi, they're going to know that something is up.

Darko · 2026-10-26T09:32:55+0000

boo600 said:
Aren't those two the idiots who poked the Minbari? How the fuck are they still in power?

Ugh, no.

Sinclair and Garibaldi haven't done anything negative to the Minbari beyond fighting in the war.

They didn't start that war; they were basically just pilots.

Mr Zoat · 2026-10-26T11:35:18+0000

BoML said:
And yeah, as was mentioned, the minute Sinclair goes to Garibaldi, they're going to know that something is up.

Yea, and then Delenn's going to say that Narvethk's location is a matter for the Minbari government, and that's that. They might start to suspect that Mr. Underwood is a Minbari intelligence asset, but that's about it.

Odysseus2099 · 2026-10-26T11:42:56+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Babylon 5 telepaths can't see the future.

Centauri ones can. Which implies it might be possible for others to learn.

BR549 said:
This falls in the category of 'it's been awhile', but they use tachyons for communications (this is another case of the sci-fi being hard-sounding but very, very soft once you start looking into it). StellarCom uses relay stations and allows for virtually real-time communications throughout EarthGov space. Presumably bandwidth is limited, though...

The existence of tachyons hasn't been disproven, meaning they're still semi-hard. Or at least harder than options like Quantum Entanglement Comms which don't work under any theory of particle physics.

Mr Zoat · 2026-10-26T12:40:16+0000

Odysseus2099 said:
Centauri ones can.

Centauri can. Remember Londo talking about having a vision of his own death?

Odysseus2099 · 2026-10-26T13:10:42+0000

Mr Zoat said:
Centauri can. Remember Londo talking about having a vision of his own death?

IIRC Centauri in general can only see their own death, while Centauri telepaths could see the future more broadly. Admittedly it's been years since I've seen the show so I could be misremembering stuff.

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

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Chojin Patriarch

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HISSSSSS!

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I trust you know where the happy button is?

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