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

[Doccer]

The image appears in my mind. And that's a big ship, and it has friends with it.

I need to check what the Tollan can do to defend themselves.

Click to shrink...

Unless he has excellent shields than goa'uld standard I expect he won't be there long with those big honkin space guns.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Unless he has excellent shields than goa'uld standard I expect he won't be there long with those big honkin space guns.

Click to shrink...

You mean those fixed position sublight guns which Tollana has?

 

[Doccer]

You mean those fixed position sublight guns which Tollana has?

Click to shrink...

We've seen them blow up goa'uld ships before. Up until Anubis made a better shield. Granted I saw the Tollan being conquered like that as soon as I knew they were foolish enough to use guns as shields. Should have created a local navy force or an actual planetary shield. Or phase out their planet like that alternative Earth did.

 

[Mr Zoat]

We've seen them blow up goa'uld ships before. Up until Anubis made a better shield. Granted I saw the Tollan being conquered like that as soon as I knew they were foolish enough to use guns as shields. Should have created a local navy force or an actual planetary shield. Or phase out their planet like that alternative Earth did.

Click to shrink...

It doesn't matter that your guns can theoretically destroy the target if you can't hit it. I'm pretty sure that Mammon already pointed out the 'throwing rocks down the gravity well' option.

 

[Doccer]

throwing rocks down the gravity well' option.

Click to shrink...

Unless that means something more than, tractor beam or install rockets or simply push, rocks up to speed at planet I don't see how they can't blow up the rocks into pieces small enough to be unnoticed. Those things got excellent auto tracking.
Something smaller but tougher like Rods from God targeting the cannons to clear the way I see better arguments to slip past the tracking though.

 

[Stsword]

I really enjoyed the verbal beat down of the Nox here. They really are alien in how they think, in that they assume anyone powerful enough to attack them... Won't? I'm sure there's some logic there, but I sure don't understand it.

Click to shrink...

They have stealth tech that is generally good enough that people they don't want knowing their planets are inhabited won't find out. Generally.

And they have good enough medical technology that they can resurrect their dead, and apparently without any of that "drive you insane" stuff.

So their cultural viewpoints grew out of the privileged position that their would be enemies can't find them and even if they did their would be enemies can't hurt them.

And they decided this privilege was the same thing as moral superiority- They looked down on the SG1 for being primitive enough to resort to GASP! violence to defend against the Goa'uld. Their attitude was "Hopefully one day you will abandon violence and hide from the universe like we do and spend your lives meaningfully like us high on your own farts and contemplating your own navels."

 

[Solarman]

I really enjoyed the verbal beat down of the Nox here. They really are alien in how they think, in that they assume anyone powerful enough to attack them... Won't? I'm sure there's some logic there, but I sure don't understand it.

The rather large lack of empathy to the plight of the rest of the galaxy was very well lambasted here, but wasn't something I had seriously considered previously. So I really appreciate a chance to reconsider a part of my favorite childhood series, especially since fanfiction I enjoy of it is sparce.

That wham line was amazing, mad props for both referencing a amazing magic storyline and using it epically.

Thank you for the chapter!

Click to shrink...

The Nox are one of the four ancient powers (the Alterans/Ancients, the Asgard, the Nox, and the Furlings) that ruled the galaxy in an alliance--theyre also the only ones left in any real numbers in the material plane of this galaxy--the Alterans almost universally ascended to another plane of existence and punish any of their number who directly interfere with mortal affairs, the Asgard are busy fighting a losing war in their home galaxy against a rampant Von Neumann menace they accidentally created, and nobody's seen hide nor hair of the Furlings for almost as long as the Ancients have been ascended.

The best stuff the Goa'uld can bring to bear at this point isn't able to touch the Asgard or Nox--a single Asgard battleship built millenia ago will send entire Goa'uld fleets packing, and the Nox have such powerful stealth tech that they may as well not exist as far as the Goa'ulds' ability to wage war against them, and they probably have Asgard-level shield tech in reserve.

 

[Shotiegun11]

Isn't this the second Tollan planet, and Apophis has the upgraded shield's from Sokar this time that can just tank the Tollan guns that had previously held off the Goa'uld.

Edit: Ah no, I'm thinking of Tanith, a sub lord of Anubis. That'll happen later.

The Tollan should be able to repel this once their guns are back up, unless Zoat thinks they should lose.

I guess Mammon can always just have a 'I am a god.' Moment and deal with them all, but Zoat has had him avoid that so he probably won't begin stealthy doing it or just assassinating Apophis.

 

[Chaoswind]

Unless that means something more than, tractor beam or install rockets or simply push, rocks up to speed at planet I don't see how they can't blow up the rocks into pieces small enough to be unnoticed. Those things got excellent auto tracking.
Something smaller but tougher like Rods from God targeting the cannons to clear the way I see better arguments to slip past the tracking though.

Click to shrink...

You do know tracking a heat producing space ship in space is extremely easy, meanwhile tracking a gravity launched kinetic impactor that is as hot as everything else around it is actually very hard?

You even mention rods from god as a good counter to the defense emplacements even though gravity launched kinetic impactors would be rod of god in steroids...

 

[CrazyNoVa]

No. It's more 'if I'm stuck being alive then I may as well do something.

Nearly. The Zamarons have a romantic view of love. They wouldn't want someone like that even if they were effective.

Click to shrink...

Romantic, yet also kind of bizarre. In canon, the Zamarons aren't as evil as the guardians, but their definition of love is dubious at best, and downright alien at worst. Sometimes even to the point of Blue-And-Orange morality, especially in regards to brainwashing people.

They claim they're simply reigniting the inherent love in the hearts of their recruits, but Fatality eventually disproved that. They also seem disturbingly unfazed about some of their recruits killing their sector's Green Lantern and then encasing their entire planets in pink crystal.

All I'm saying is, the Zamarons' definition of "love" seems really fucked up, sometimes.

Yeah. I remember how Ghia'ta reacted when the Renegade decided that the first thing she needed to know about love was that sometimes it hurt through introducing her to Zatara. Though that does make me wonder if the Renegade's lessons for her will eventually cause her to become more skilled at using the violet light than her fellow Zamarons.

Click to shrink...

In the Renegade timeline it will put her ahead of the Zamarons her age. The elders already know.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, you'd think that the elders would at least try to teach that lesson to their recruits to help them become more powerful, right? But I guess not.

 

[Doccer]

You do know tracking a heat producing space ship in space is extremely easy, meanwhile tracking a gravity launched kinetic impactor that is as hot as everything else around it is actually very hard?

You even mention rods from god as a good counter to the defense emplacements even though gravity launched kinetic impactors would be rod of god in steroids...

Click to shrink...

No but I imagine seeing a giant flaming rock streaking thru the sky with the visible spectrum be simple enough. Rods from God be smaller and thinner target at least. And I don't recall seeing those things geared to point straight up. Though I would imagine the are set to cover each other if that's the case.

You do know

Click to shrink...

No I don't actually know. I am not a rock scientist nor a astrophysicist. Just a very basic understanding that things like Rods from God exists. It's why I am asking. It just doesn't seem possible for the Tollan's to not have consider meteor impacts. They maybe dumb enough to have a single line of defense of guns to act as a shield but those guns are displayed as an all or nothing weapon. Those rocks would have to go faster than those guns can aim. And as you said a ship be easier so the guns know what direction to point. Presuming of course that the ship isn't simply just that far out.
And if the Tollan's take direct control to account for any issues they should be fine.

 

[Chaoswind]

No but I imagine seeing a giant flaming rock streaking thru the sky with the visible spectrum be simple enough. Rods from God be smaller and thinner target at least. And I don't recall seeing those things geared to point straight up. Though I would imagine the are set to cover each other if that's the case.

No I don't actually know. I am not a rock scientist nor a astrophysicist. Just a very basic understanding that things like Rods from God exists. It's why I am asking. It just doesn't seem possible for the Tollan's to not have consider meteor impacts. They maybe dumb enough to have a single line of defense of guns to act as a shield but those guns are displayed as an all or nothing weapon. Those rocks would have to go faster than those guns can aim. And as you said a ship be easier so the guns know what direction to point. Presuming of course that the ship isn't simply just that far out.
And if the Tollan's take direct control to account for any issues they should be fine.

Click to shrink...

There are multiple ways of doing it.
High C fractional shaped kinetic vehicle: The "flaming rock" stage of approach will exist for a fraction of a second, then the speed of the shaped kinetic vehicle will be transformed into energy as it hits atmo, if shaped correctly then the energy will be released as a directional burst that is going to erase whatever it's hit with it.

The advantage this delivery has over normal DEWs is that the beam diffraction stage happens inside the atmo of the planet you want to hit instead of your own beam weapons back at the warship, the disadvantage is that your math needs to be very good and you may end up destroying the whole planet.

Low C fractional kinetics (still in the hundreds of kilometers per second) : Can literally be picked from the asteroids left over from the system formation, this means you can go with a shotgun approach and the target planet is going to suffer extinction level events by default even if they actually manage to shot some of them because the defense weapons do not cancel the momentum of the incoming ordinance.

The advantage of this is the amount of free floating ammo, also interception and deflection is only possible at significant range, once the kinetic vehicles are too close the entire planet is toast and fixed planetary defenses are specially useless because SPACE is 3 dimensional you can literally sent your vehicles from the most appropriate approach vector to guarantee the delivery of doomsday. The disadvantage is that a planet defended by a big enough fleet of warships can actually intercept them moderately easily, but if you are good with timing you can sent your kinetic vehicles from one side and then your battlegroup from the opposite side and the defenders would have to split their forces to save the planet.

 

[FreeGod]

Their FTL is nothing to write home about. Nor is their sensor tech given they couldn't tell someone had been marking their cannons.

Click to shrink...

Marking in context doesn't mean place any sort of mark on the cannons. It means carefully writing down their exact locations.

 

[Mr Zoat]

1st May 2013
15:31 GMT -5

"Is our son sick?"

I scan the gynoid, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Having seen Danette and Dr. Lockhart, she just isn't all that impressive. Her mind is several orders of magnitude more simple; it's basically a chatbot with a few standard behaviours to act as a framework.

"No, ma'am. Just a little… Roughhousing." Johanna frowns at me. "I'll take him to his room."

She nods and smiles. "Just through there. Second on the right."

"Thank you."

I take our assailant -who is still covered in frozen gel- through their apartment… Which looks like they took two normal apartments and knocked through a wall. The gynoid looks like a woman in her… Late fifties? Sixties? And the android in the living room looks roughly the same age. He looks around as we walk past.

"Bringing some friends over, son?"

"Just a quick visit, sir! We won't be staying!"

"That's quite alright. We're happy to have you."

Johanna is looking increasingly perplexed. "What are they?"

"Robots designed to give the appearance of a normal life. The documents on the lease say they're called Mary and Joseph Barker."

"And the icicle? Who is he?"

"No records. There's literally nothing on him here. No photographs, no written records, no old school reports… And no skin cells. I wouldn't be able to track him back to this apartment if it wasn't for the key."

"How about city records?"

I shrug. "Nothing. He has no records at all. I can't even find a C.C.T.V. recording of him."

"Is it the spell?"

"It could be." I shrug. "I'll ask Mister Bierce to check."

I push open the second door on the right, and… It's.. like a prison cell, or a cheap hotel room. There's a bed, and I can see that it's been used. There's a single light in the ceiling, and the switch on the wall matches the style of the other apartments. The carpet is the same, getting on in years but clean and in good repair.

I put him down in the corner.

"Nothing."

"Two robots and a new superhuman aren't 'nothing'."

"It's not Enginehead or Anarky. I'll try scanning-." She's looking around. "What?"

"A history lesson." She walks over to the wall near the bed and knocks on it. "Do you know what a priest hole is?"

"Yes, but I'm a little surprised that you do. It's a hidden room for hiding a priest used during the Reformation. I didn't think that Germany had them."

"I don't think they did." She keeps knocking. "I took a holiday to an rural hotel in England once. The manager told me about it. I don't think these walls are the right length."

"I'm a bit surprised that you didn't mention Anne Frank."

She glances back. "What do you think happened to her family on my Earth? The resistance used to try things like that in America too, but they were not so successful."

Scanning… Shows me nothing. But I've got the architectural plans on file, and I can manually measure the rooms. I already noticed that this apartment was too big-. No, other than the extra doorway everything is the right.. size.

Ah.

It's almost nice to see something that low tech. I make a crumbler ram construct and slowly introduce it to the wall. These rooms are the right size, but the upper level of the Justice bunker is next to it and lost a few metres. Which means…

There's a space. And inside-.

Some sort of transmitter array, which prompts me to start using every sort of jammer that I can. An electronics workbench, some of the equipment taken from the bunker, and-.

The missing server from the LexCorp computer room. Which hopefully has Enginehead on it, or at least whatever it is that's preventing him from reactivating. No Anarky, but at least we've covered that part of the mission. And as Johanna said, identifying a mind wiped superhuman and his robot cover family is an interesting bonus.

I'm not even going to touch the server until Dr. Cochin takes a look at it. It doesn't look like it's plugged into anything, but some sort of hard to detect exotic connection is well within the realms of possibility.

"Who am I talking to?"

And a speaker. I think that's Lonnie Machin's voice under the voice changer, but Mitchell didn't get a recording.

"I am the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps. Am I speaking to Anarky?"

"I thought that you might address me by name, given how you've been studying me."

"I had an inkling that something like this might happen. I was actually planning to see if you wanted to try out for an orange ring once you got a little older."

"Why?"

"Parallel universes shouldn't be taken as conclusive proof, but they can offer an insight into what a person can do. Is Enginehead alright?"

"He should be. I used him to help me perform a data security breach but I didn't otherwise harm him." I think I hear a quiet huff. "Aren't you going to ask me to hand myself in?"

"I don't think you'd do… Whatever you've done here, and then hand yourself in. I mean, if you want to, or if you want to explain the whole thing to me and… I don't know, maybe I can help?"

"Help?"

"It's not like I like working with LexCorp, we just… Need each other at the moment because the world's in such a state. If you've actually got a better plan, well, I'm all ears."

"… Oh."

"And I don't know what you did to… The guy with the Mohican, but that seems rather out of character for you. Is there some way to turn him back? Give him his memories back?"

"Oh. I.. had assumed…"

"If you're going to do something extreme, it's probably best to double check with someone. Trust me on that. I don't think you'd be doing this without a good motive, but it's easy… If you don't have all the facts, to… Commit yourself in a way that's… Unproductive."

"I agree."

"Oh-? I… Wasn't really expecting you to."

"You really don't know what's going on. But I'll give you a clue. You see the transmitter?"

I look at it. "Yes?"

"If you destroy the curved part at the top, you prevent it from contacting its command hub. That will shut down its local effects. You can still analyse the rest. Good luck."

So that's what's blocking my scans? I suppose that if I take it apart carefully there shouldn't be any information loss. And then I can call in Dr. Cochin to check on Enginehead, and then get Mohican Man to S.T.A.R. Labs. I crumble a small hole in-.

And I can scan again, but it's the sudden flash of light from behind me that draws my attention.

Inside the ice Mohican Man has.. shrunk, and he's now frantically pounding on the ice with merely human strength.

What just happened?

 

[Ngamer11]

"I thought that you might address me by name, given how you've been studying me."

Click to shrink...

I'm a little surprised he noticed Paul studying him.

"It's not like I like working with LexCorp, we just… Need each other at the moment because the world's in such a state. If you've actually got a better plan, well, I'm all ears."

"… Oh."

"And I don't know what you did to… The guy with the Mohican, but that seems rather out of character for you. Is there some way to turn him back? Give him his memories back?"

"Oh. I.. had assumed…"

"If you're going to do something extreme, it's probably best to double check with someone. Trust me on that. I don't think you'd be doing this without a good motive, but it's easy… If you don't have all the facts, to… Commit yourself in a way that's… Unproductive."

"I agree."

"Oh-? I… Wasn't really expecting you to."

"You really don't know what's going on. But I'll give you a clue. You see the transmitter?"

I look at it. "Yes?"

"If you destroy the curved part at the top, you prevent it from contacting its command hub. That will shut down its local effects. You can still analyse the rest. Good luck."

Click to shrink...

I think I understand what's going on now. Anarky discovered the GPA/Checkmate and has decided it needs to go. Because he noticed Paul studying him and the fact that the JL is working with LecCorp, he assumed they were in on it. Now that he knows that isn't the case, he could become an ally in the future, especially as Paul's general mindset and methodology seems to at least somewhat align with his own.

 

[Prince Charon]

Yeah. I remember how Ghia'ta reacted when the Renegade decided that the first thing she needed to know about love was that sometimes it hurt through introducing her to Zatara. Though that does make me wonder if the Renegade's lessons for her will eventually cause her to become more skilled at using the violet light than her fellow Zamarons.

Click to shrink...

What chapter is that in, please?

I think I understand what's going on now. Anarky discovered the GPA/Checkmate and has decided it needs to go. Because he noticed Paul studying him and the fact that the JL is working with LecCorp, he assumed they were in on it. Now that he knows that isn't the case, he could become an ally in the future, especially as Paul's general mindset and methodology seems to at least somewhat align with his own.

Click to shrink...

OK, now I'm imagining Lonnie studying the cult of Eris, to see whether he wants to join...

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

1st May 2013
15:31 GMT -5

"Is our son sick?"

I scan the gynoid, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Having seen Danette and Dr. Lochhart, she just isn't all that impressive. Her mind is several orders of magnitude more simple; it's basically a chatbot with a few standard behaviours to act as a framework.

Click to shrink...

Can't judge all models by the bleeding edge, OL. Even if that bleeding edge was developed in the '30's, the Red elementals still hold up even after all this time. And are a lot sturdier than newer models too.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

"No, ma'am. Just a little… Roughhousing." Johanna frowns at me. "I'll take him to his room."

She nods and smiles. "Just through there. Second on the right."

Click to shrink...

Evidently not a sophisticated mind, either, if she acts like this. Though I expect the big brother behind the scenes is monitoring the situation.

"Thank you."

I take our assailant -who is still covered in frozen gel- through their apartment… Which looks like they took two normal apartments and knocked through a wall. The gynoid looks like a woman in her… Late fifties? Sixties? And the android in the living room looks roughly the same age. He looks around as we walk past.

Click to shrink...

If it wasn't so incongruous, I'd half expect him to be wearing a sweater vest and smoking a pipe... That's the vibe I'm getting from all this.

"Bringing some friends over, son?"

"Just a quick visit, sir! We won't be staying!"

Click to shrink...

Though I expect he'll be sending someone back to look into all this. Not his mission, after all, but it needs investigating.

"That's quite alright. We're happy to have you."

Johanna is looking increasingly perplexed. "What are they?"

Click to shrink...

Modelled after a period that America seems to almost fetishize, aren't they? As much as wouldn't stand out, though.

"Robots designed to give the appearance of a normal life. The documents on the lease say they're called Mary and Joseph Barker."

"And the icicle? Who is he?"

Click to shrink...

'Barker', eh? And such prosaic names, too. Not quick Buddy Blank, though.

"No records. There's literally nothing on him here. No photographs, no written records, no old school reports… And no skin cells. I wouldn't be able to track him back to this apartment if it wasn't for the key."

"How about city records?"

Click to shrink...

That assumes whatever gives him those powers allows him to shed skin. And that he's still human under that outer layer...

I shrug. "Nothing. He has no records at all. I can't even find a C.C.T.V. recording of him."

"Is it the spell?"

"It could be." I shrug. "I'll ask Mister Bierce to check."

Click to shrink...

More likely mundane electronic control. A super-computer hacking digital databases.

I push open the second door on the right, and… It's.. like a prison cell, or a cheap hotel room. There's a bed, and I can see that it's been used. There's a single light in the ceiling, and the switch on the wall matches the style of the other apartments. The carpet is the same, getting on in years but clean and in good repair.

Click to shrink...

Given that it's likely wired through his brain, it might well project a mental illusion of mundanity that isn't really there.

I put him down in the corner.

"Nothing."

Click to shrink...

Well, nothing obvious. Who knows what's lurking inside the walls.

"Two robots and a new superhuman aren't 'nothing'."

"It's not Enginehead or Anarky. I'll try scanning-." She's looking around. "What?"

Click to shrink...

Just because it's not part of your mission doesn't make it nothing, OL. Aren't you taking the idea of staying on task a bit too far?

"A history lesson." She walks over to the wall near the bed and knocks on it. "Do you know what a priest hole is?"

"Yes, but I'm a little surprised that you do. It's a hidden room for hiding a priest used during the Reformation. I didn't think that Germany had them."

Click to shrink...

Ah, it makes sense a speedster would have a decent send of space and distance. Second only to a teleporter, I bet.

"I don't think they did." She keeps knocking. "I took a holiday to an rural hotel in England once. The manager told me about it. I don't think these walls are the right length."

"I'm a bit surprised that you didn't mention Anne Frank."

Click to shrink...

Dammit, OL... You had to go there?

She glances back. "What do you think happened to her family on my Earth? The resistance used to try things like that in America too, but they were not so successful."

Scanning… Shows me nothing. But I've got the architectural plans on file, and I can manually measure the rooms. I already noticed that this apartment was too big-. No, other than the extra doorway everything is the right.. size.

Click to shrink...

Perhaps not this room...

Ah.

It's almost nice to see something that low tech. I make a crumbler ram construct and slowly introduce it to the wall. These rooms are the right size, but the upper level of the Justice bunker is next to it and lost a few metres. Which means…

Click to shrink...

Like I said... What's in the walls?

There's a space. And inside-.

Some sort of transmitter array, which prompts me to start using every sort of jammer that I can. An electronics workbench, some of the equipment taken from the bunker, and-.

Click to shrink...

And I am totally picturing a giant mass of kirby-tech.

The missing server from the LexCorp computer room. Which hopefully has Enginehead on it, or at least whatever it is that's preventing him from reactivating. No Anarky, but at least we've covered that part of the mission. And as Johanna said, identifying a mind wiped superhuman and his robot cover family is an interesting bonus.

Click to shrink...

Ah. Well, at least they found some of what they were looking for.

I'm not even going to touch the server until Dr. Cochin takes a look at it. It doesn't look like it's plugged into anything, but some sort of hard to detect exotic connection is well within the realms of possibility.

"Who am I talking to?"

Click to shrink...

Ah, right. Communications device. I'm guessing Anarky was watching.

And a speaker. I think that's Lonnie Machin's voice under the voice changer, but Mitchell didn't get a recording.

"I am the Illustres of the Orange Lantern Corps. Am I speaking to Anarky?"

Click to shrink...

Ah, finally they meet, if not face-to-face yet.

"I thought that you might address me by name, given how you've been studying me."

"I had an inkling that something like this might happen. I was actually planning to see if you wanted to try out for an orange ring once you got a little older."

Click to shrink...

In about ten years time, since I doubt OL would stand for a teenage Lantern (Arisia doesn't count, she's almost older than he is.)

"Why?"

"Parallel universes shouldn't be taken as conclusive proof, but they can offer an insight into what a person can do. Is Enginehead alright?"

Click to shrink...

Good, staying on focus. Lonnie technically is a kidnapper, after all.

"He should be. I used him to help me perform a data security breach but I didn't otherwise harm him." I think I hear a quiet huff. "Aren't you going to ask me to hand myself in?"

"I don't think you'd do… Whatever you've done here, and then hand yourself in. I mean, if you want to, or if you want to explain the whole thing to me and… I don't know, maybe I can help?"

Click to shrink...

Hmm... I'm guessing said data breach was something to do with the psuedo-OMAC guy.

"Help?"

"It's not like I like working with LexCorp, we just… Need each other at the moment because the world's in such a state. If you've actually got a better plan, well, I'm all ears."

Click to shrink...

And better to have that intellect aimed at something productive rather than randomly lashing out.

"… Oh."

"And I don't know what you did to… The guy with the Mohican, but that seems rather out of character for you. Is there some way to turn him back? Give him his memories back?"

Click to shrink...

You're assuming a connection based on rather thin evidence, OL.

"Oh. I.. had assumed…"

"If you're going to do something extreme, it's probably best to double check with someone. Trust me on that. I don't think you'd be doing this without a good motive, but it's easy… If you don't have all the facts, to… Commit yourself in a way that's… Unproductive."

Click to shrink...

Ah, I see. Lonnie ran into him, most likely assumed he was connected to the league, mind-whammied him and left?

"I agree."

"Oh-? I… Wasn't really expecting you to."

Click to shrink...

He is a preteen boy, OL. He wants some form of direction, and it looks like he might be latching on to you.

"You really don't know what's going on. But I'll give you a clue. You see the transmitter?"

I look at it. "Yes?"

"If you destroy the curved part at the top, you prevent it from contacting its command hub. That will shut down its local effects. You can still analyse the rest. Good luck."

Click to shrink...

How convenient. I'm guessing Lonnie actually did study it.

So that's what's blocking my scans? I suppose that if I take it apart carefully there shouldn't be any information loss. And then I can call in Dr. Cochin to check on Enginehead, and then get Mohican Man to S.T.A.R. Labs. I crumble a small hole in-.

And I can scan again, but it's the sudden flash of light from behind me that draws my attention.

Click to shrink...

Sounds like the OMAC just powered down.

Inside the ice Mohican Man has.. shrunk, and he's now frantically pounding on the ice with merely human strength.

What just happened?

Click to shrink...

I can't help but think of henshin hero-type logic. Lose the power, immediately lose the transformation...

Hopefully this pattern doesn't continue in the search: OL tracking down a possible location, only for Lonnie to have already finished his business and moved on. On the other hand, looking into this pseudo-OMAC and ensuring Enginehead's safety could pin OL down for a bit. hopefully we get some answers as to what this is all about at some point...

 

[Rebu]

OK, now I'm imagining Lonnie studying the cult of Eris, to see whether he wants to join...

Click to shrink...

"I'm chaotic but not that chaotic. Come back when you're older, kid." -Eris

 

[Mr Zoat]

Modelled after a period that America seems to almost fetishize, aren't they? As much as wouldn't stand out, though.

Click to shrink...

They're from the original OMAC comic. Issue... 4, I think? After wiping his memory they find him a childless couple to stand in as his parents. They're in the comic for about two pages and are never seen again.

I rather like to think that the short run of OMAC is how most superhero careers go. They do alright at the start fighting people who aren't prepred for them, but their supporters aren't ready for the backlash and die to regular thugs. A few months in they get overconfident and pick a fight with an established supervillain and then DIE.

 

[Vaermina]

Oh, I get it.

This is Brother Eye with an extra helping of Anti Orange Lantern tech.

 

[Prince Charon]

"I'm chaotic but not that chaotic. Come back when you're older, kid." -Eris

Click to shrink...

I think you're thinking of something other than what I was thinking of. Yikes!

 

[Ngamer11]

What chapter is that in, please?

Click to shrink...

It happened in Episode 54: Vega, Baby.

 

[Prince Charon]

It happened in Episode 54: Vega, Baby.

Click to shrink...

Thank you. Easy to find, since there's only one Renegade segment in that episode.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Thank you. Easy to find, since there's only one Renegade segment in that episode.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I'm... I'm going to be toning that down.

 

[Lord Ernest]

Yeah, I'm... I'm going to be toning that down.

Click to shrink...

What, the Renegade segments or the lack thereof?

 

[Chaoswind]

Yeah, I'm... I'm going to be toning that down.

Click to shrink...

This makes me uneasy, the alternative Paul POVs usually came when there was a "break" in the original Paul adventure IE Paul finished fighting so instead of watching him write a report we get Grayven trolling Celestia for an update or two... nowadays the switch between Paul's happens too often and if was OK when we had hints of an overarching narrative (all Paul's being kidnapped by Krona, or the most recent contact with Controller guy), without that the constant switches get tiresome and taxing.

 

[WereDragon]

The disjointed, constantly switching narratives have made the last couple of chapters significantly less enjoyable.

 

[Darko]

Ah, it makes sense a speedster would have a decent send of space and distance

Click to shrink...

Watch the Charlotte anime to see what happens when a speedster doesn't have those things.

In about ten years time, since I doubt OL would stand for a teenage Lantern

Click to shrink...

I think he'd be fine with it.

Provided the teenager can safely use the ring and not abuse their newfound power.

 

[Steelplaza]

I'm starting to suspect that Paul's assessment of Lonnie as being highly intelligent but not a superhuman genius was incorrect. It seems far more likely that Lonnie was simply so intelligent (and paranoid from an early age) he was able to fool all the tests and play at being a bright-but-not-superhuman intellect to outside observation.

I don't think Orange Lantern can tell intelligence levels from brain scans or anything. Like if he had a Sivana and a normal person next to each other, he couldn't put up scans of their brains next to each other and say "ah yes, this is how Sivana is different".

 

[CTrees]

On the perspective shifts, if that's what's fun for Mr Zoat, then that's what he should write, because that's what has kept us getting daily updates for over a decade. And honestly, I'm having fun with both the Anarky and Mammon storylines, so I have no complaints there. If the shifting perspectives are confusing or jarring, you could just wait until the arc is over and read each perspective the full way through before switching.

I could not possibly care less about the magical deformed horses equines, though. I haven't started skipping those days yet, but I've been tempted.