8th January
22:33 GMT
A decidedly
worried M'gann is already crossing the room towards the huddle of White Martians as I step out of the hush tube. Several start
backing up immediately, but one of them steps forwards and… They're having a telepathic conversation. A moment passes and everyone simultaneously turns to look at me for a second, then returns their attention to her.
…
Maybe I should have brought a G-Gnome along or something. I
can let one of them through my shield without letting other people through, probably due to them not really being 'people'. Or perhaps due to them being my.. employees.
Or vassals.
One of the Whites shifts into a somewhat more humanoid shape, then walks closer to M'gann. The rest of the Whites turn and walk out, except one who heads my way. He stops quite close to me and looks up at my face.
…
"If you're trying to talk to me telepathically, it won't work. I block
everything."
He blinks, then his neck bulges slightly as he gives himself the ability to speak. "That sounds lonely."
The voice is… Slightly high pitched, chirpy? I'd
guess young female, but I'm working off human norms there.
"Most species in this galaxy don't have telepathy. Most people ever born will never have their mind directly touched by another."
"Oh. I… I can't imagine it."
I smile. "Not a fan of Mister J'aarkn's work? He had direct contact with-" The martian in front of me
cringes. "-a great
many humans-."
"I… Ah… Wasn't.. watching his work for the social commentary."
"That's a shame. He struck me as a rather thorough man. But what did you want to talk to me about?"
"T'ronn told us that you were the one who made M'gann into a Red Martian. Is that true?"
"No, it-. That's a rather dramatic oversimplification. Reds are what martians look like when they don't have Guardian programming compelling them to look Green or White. I am capable of removing the programming, I just… Well, initially, I only knew two martians and only one of them was interested. Later on, when the demonstrations started in earnest I didn't want to add fuel to the fire." No, come on, be honest. "Or spend the rest of my life breaking the mental bonds imprisoning your species. I'd have to do each of you
individually and frankly I've got better things to do."
"I see." He blinks. "Ah..?"
"You want me to do you."
"Ah… Yes."
I extend my left hand in benediction. "You have to
really want it."
"I
do."
"No, look." I clench my left fist and point to my ring's sigil. "This ring's powers are dependent on
avarice. I wanted to help M'gann. You?" I shrug. "I'm indifferent. So
you have to want it. For at least a few minutes, becoming
free has to be the most important thing in your life."
"Free..? From the Red Martians?"
"From any impediment preventing you from coming fully into the power that is your right, be it from the Red Martians, the Guardians-" Other Whites. "-or your own fears and weaknesses. You must single-mindedly
want it. Your single-minded desire must-."
"I don't think I can.. do that?"
I shrug and lower my left fist, raising my right in its place. "This one runs on
fear. I could create a circle of fire around you, if that would be easier?"
"Ah..?" He backs up. "No, that… Sorry I-? Bothered you." He backs up
more, nearly bumping into M'gann and T'ronn on his way out.
M'gann sighs. "Grayven, he was forty two. That wasn't necessary."
"It was if I don't want every member of the local resistance bugging me to remove their programming. And I didn't
lie-"
"Ping."
"-to-." Hm. "No, I don't think that would work on a martian. Might be worth considering
later, though."
T'ronn stares at Mother Box. "Why do I understand what the box meant by 'ping'?"
"Martians use telepathic biotechnology. New Gods like myself use arcanotechnology; it speaks to the
soul." I regard him carefully, but he hasn't had enough contact with humans or M'gann to have internalised the body language yet. "Do you understand the situation?"
"B'enn B'lanx wants all out war. And you want
me to prevent it...
Somehow."
"Sort of. I don't know enough about Mars or Martian society. I just need…
Someone who could plausibly take a leading role. Someone who was at least
known to White resistance organisers. I was going to ask M'gann to do it, but apparently you're the man of the hour."
"I.. wouldn't go that far. It was all just-."
"Just
spontaneous,
yes, I know, that's why it's so
frustrating." Honestly, if Apokoliptians were this badly organised Father wouldn't have needed to bother with
Grace. "But that doesn't matter. In a situation like this, where no one has legitimacy or even knows what legitimacy
looks like, leaders are the ones who
lead. B'enn B'lanx is
leading. Karmang is
leading. And I've got no idea who else -if anyone- is doing the same thing."
"
Hundreds of White organisers. I mean, what we were doing was illegal in a lot of places, so we had to be careful. But I know a lot of names and-. Well,
fake names, but I could get in touch with them."
"Could you get them together in one place?"
"What? Now?" I nod. "No? Travel is restricted, and the organisers I know are too busy organising local groups to do anything… Wide scale."
"I can teleport them, you, or anyone else. And to the best of my knowledge no one on Mars can track hush tubes. The White leadership needs to agree on a
broadly unified position and nominate a spokesman who can deal with the Planetary Council. There doesn't
need to be a leader-" Though there should be, and probably
will be. "-just someone who can speak for Whites. Because if there isn't a reasonable person, all they'll hear is B'enn B'lanx."
"Maybe they
want to hear B'enn B'lanx."
M'gann looks scandalised. "T'ronn!"
"I've… There are a
lot of angry Whites out there, M'gann. And I.. was.. speaking to them, meeting them. We got things thrown at us because Mum and Dad were different colours in
Mel'dilo'rn. And our city's supposed to be
liberal. I've met Martians in our position whose neighbours
mindscoured them."
M'gann gasps quietly.
I shrug. "Do you think that things will be
better if you have a worldwide civil war?"
"No, but convincing people to calm down-."
"I'm not saying 'calm down', I'm saying 'channel your rage productively'. Come up with a list of demands they can address, give them someone they can negotiate with. Because if you don't, B'enn B'lanx will be
making the running."
He thinks for a moment.
"Can you teleport me to places now?"
"Yes."
"I'll need to talk to a lot of people to set this up. The first place we should go is probably…"
