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

Reader mode
Mr Zoat said:
"I'd like it if you could fix my injuries. My name's Nauca."
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Living proof that Varnathon's method would have worked. The q'ardajin are not inherently hostile to existence and could have been reformed into a non-evil civilisation if someone was willing to expend the time and effort.

or upon my return I will scour the rest of you from creation."
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Given both him and (theoretically) all of them are oblivion-cultists I don't see how this is a valid threat. His end-goal is to kill them all anyway. Their end-goal is to kill them all anyway.

"I suppose it is only reasonable that I do my part in teaching the next generation."
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If Paul or Dox have any degree of sense between them they will keep the younglings as far away from the oblivion-cultist as possible.
 
This just shows how much of a hero Paul is not. He's working for his own ends whatever they are. Not even sure if he's Good. This is on brand for him to reshape a society to something better but the feeling I get is he doesn't care/have time for it so..eh.
 
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Maxx Crowley said:
Almost feel sorry for Varn.

Can't help but feel OL just missed a golden opportunity, but hey, people complain all the time that he never makes mistakes or loses anything of value.
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Don't worry he will come out smelling like roses no matter what he does.

Are we getting a Renegade chapter soon? I don't think I can take much more of 'Paragon' Paul.
 
I too struggle to understand Paul here. Even an isolated and insular traditionalist Qward is an extinction level threat. It's a society run by and for evil mad scientists that are at least close to Human mad scientist level while at the same time far further up the destruction tech tree. Like, I'm not sure Dr. Sivana can make genuinely better weapons than many Weaponers, even if you exclude Kalmin. And we already know that With This Ring physics allow for a multiverse annihilating weapon that can be built with mortal schizo-tech. After all, Owlman existed in this story, bomb and all. And Paul plans not only to live forever, but to see many societies grow and prosper throughout eternity. He should be thinking a bit more long term than this. Because what are the chances that a Weaponer gets whatever inspiration Owlman had and sets up that thing? It's not like multiverse travel is out of the cards of a race of anti-Maltusians.

tl;dr ~ leaving nihilist super-scientists alive in the DC multiverse is always bad and shows a prioritisation of short term toys and contingencies over long term survival.
 
Rafin said:
I too struggle to understand Paul here. Even an isolated and insular traditionalist Qward is an extinction level threat. It's a society run by and for evil mad scientists that are at least close to Human mad scientist level while at the same time far further up the destruction tech tree. Like, I'm not sure Dr. Sivana can make genuinely better weapons than many Weaponers, even if you exclude Kalmin. And we already know that With This Ring physics allow for a multiverse annihilating weapon that can be built with mortal schizo-tech. After all, Owlman existed in this story, bomb and all. And Paul plans not only to live forever, but to see many societies grow and prosper throughout eternity. He should be thinking a bit more long term than this. Because what are the chances that a Weaponer gets whatever inspiration Owlman had and sets up that thing? It's not like multiverse travel is out of the cards of a race of anti-Maltusians.

tl;dr ~ leaving nihilist super-scientists alive in the DC multiverse is always bad and shows a prioritisation of short term toys and contingencies over long term survival.
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Yeah, I was wondering myself if Kalmin might have access to that particular owl-bomb story. It really seems like the kind of thing he would go for. Fortunately, Orange Grandma is keeping an eye on him, and definitely knows to keep that info away from him.
Paul says he's watching Kalmin, but we all know it's really Orange Grandma.
 
I can't wait for the reactions to this, especially from the Team when he offhandedly mentions it in the far future.

___________________________________

"Let me get this straight, you died. Again. Lost your enlightenment, then got it back by meditating on the desires of a whole race. Then you realized what the bomb was made of and immediately marched off to the vilest gathering of sentients in another Universe, and killed the boss and most of the leadership, and then left with their ex-dictator after he told them to be more evil or else," Artemis checks the datapad in her hands, scrolling through the mission reports again as if she hadn't read it correctly the first time.

"Technically, I didn't do the killing, Kalmin did. But yes, that is about the gist of things."

She shakes her head, "Honestly, why am I even surprised anymore?"
 
Handlewithcare said:
Hm. Oddly anticlimatic.

I woukd really like to hear Pauls reasoning here, because a Qward that returns to it's roots really sounds less than ideal.
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I mean keep in mind that Qward's roots is being a society of isolationist, self-destructive assholes who occasionally commit an atrocity while waiting around for the Anti-Monitor to come back

Plus between Varnathon dying, no clear line of succession and Kalmin's threat it's entirely possible that the whole thing will collapse into a civil war, which would be even better!
WereDragon said:
Living proof that Varnathon's method would have worked. The q'ardajin are not inherently hostile to existence and could have been reformed into a non-evil civilisation if someone was willing to expend the time and effort.
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It's important to note that Varnathon didn't want to make Qwardian society not evil, just less self-destructively so
Rafin said:
I too struggle to understand Paul here. Even an isolated and insular traditionalist Qward is an extinction level threat. It's a society run by and for evil mad scientists that are at least close to Human mad scientist level while at the same time far further up the destruction tech tree. Like, I'm not sure Dr. Sivana can make genuinely better weapons than many Weaponers, even if you exclude Kalmin. And we already know that With This Ring physics allow for a multiverse annihilating weapon that can be built with mortal schizo-tech. After all, Owlman existed in this story, bomb and all. And Paul plans not only to live forever, but to see many societies grow and prosper throughout eternity. He should be thinking a bit more long term than this. Because what are the chances that a Weaponer gets whatever inspiration Owlman had and sets up that thing? It's not like multiverse travel is out of the cards of a race of anti-Maltusians.

tl;dr ~ leaving nihilist super-scientists alive in the DC multiverse is always bad and shows a prioritisation of short term toys and contingencies over long term survival.
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The issue there is that the Qwardians could have done the same thing at any point in the past, they know the multiverse exists and they know how to make planet destroying bombs, so either the thought has never and will never occur to them or they know it wouldn't work

Plus let's be honest, no matter how hard Varnathon tried there were always going to be people like Kalmin among the Qwardians and they would be more likely to succeed with his more organised system than in the traditional self-sabotaging one
Deadring said:
Yeah, I was wondering myself if Kalmin might have access to that particular owl-bomb story. It really seems like the kind of thing he would go for. Fortunately, Orange Grandma is keeping an eye on him, and definitely knows to keep that info away from him.
Paul says he's watching Kalmin, but we all know it's really Orange Grandma.
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Plus as soon as Kalmin found out that a human had already tried it he'd probably say it was "too easy" or "not deserving of the Anti-Monitor"
 
TangerineThing said:
I'm suddenly curious what the Q'ardajin word/name for the Anti-Monitor is and means. They surely wouldn't refer to themselves literally as the anti-matter universe, that's just translation, and monitoring probably isn't a defining feature they would use to refer to the Anti-Monitor.
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Qwa'ck
 
Just thought of the title of this arc. 'Anti-Thesis'. Varnathon's thesis on what Qward could be lost out to Kalmin's traditionalist nihilistic viewpoint.

I'm also reminded a little of Georgia and Sivana Jr. bickering over the validity of social sciences. Ironic as Varnathon was trying to socially re-engineer the Qwardians.
 
Siiracai The Supernal said:
I just thought of something terrifying while reading through the omakes over on SV. Taylor 'Queen of Escalation' Hebert being mentored by John 'kill a demon with a bigger demon' Constantine.
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Worm is barely hanging on as a world as it is, and you want to pair bug monster escalator woman with demon domino Lord Constantine? Even the OLC can't fix earth after that.
 
Lord Ernest said:
TL;DR better to leave Qward in the hands of the omnicidal crazies because they stay in their planet, than let them become an empire that would expand and become a headache in the same level or worse than the Reach.
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Ms. Not-Wearing-Leather-Bikini-Anymore is the student of an omnicidal crazy but AFAICT not omnicidal herself. She has professional pride in the craft of destruction and the implements thereof, but didn't seem to actually care about the cult of the Anti-Monitor. Genociding planets because new weapons call out to be used and morals are for lesser beings, not because it is a step towards their religious duty.

Which could still be pretty concerning if she or one of her successors invented a weapon which would destroy the universe, but stumbling on a design like that is a slim chance and she doesn't seem interested in seeking it out.
 
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THE END



The universe is almost empty.

Almost.

There are seven brilliant lights. The beings composed of lights are trying to escape the containers. All except the being in the orange container.

The barrel of the metaphysical 'gun' is longer than the breadth of the Sol system, when Paul had first arrived on the moon of Terra. It was composed entirely of Black light, almost invisible in the emptiness of the universe. There was a white light, the size of a planet. In fact, it was a planet. An achingly familiar planet.

On the top of a mountain, in what would have been Rhode Island on the turn of Terra's third millenia AD, Paul meditated.

A godlike being in the armor of his ancestors floated down next to him. He wore a patch on one armband, the sigil of the Darkstars. "Illustres."

Paul turned, and smiled. "High Weaponlord Nauca. Are you here to keep your promise?"

The being who was once designated to be a test subject for showing too much free will, smiled at the second being in the galaxy, and the only being who was not a Qwardian, that he allowed himself to be subservient to.

"I said I would kill you last. If Kalmin's design works, the weapon will pierce the Source Wall, killing the Source itself. That will erode the Source Wall. He will then trigger the self destruct, and the incarnations of every emotion in the galaxy will devour themselves. It will be just the three of us, and we won't need emotions to kill each other. You will be the last, as the winner detonates you and him both with a Qwa Bolt."

"I'm flattered."

"You killed the Anti-Monitor. This isn't flattery, it is an honor."

Paul allowed Nauca to lead him off the planet. He had long since overcome death, which was useful, as all of the afterlives save the Ophidian's had been destroyed, and there was no more oxygen on that approximation of earth than there was in space.

He could see through the planet, the portrait of Terra as it used to be. He looked into its center, where seven figures were held contained within. The Endless, trapped by the White Light of Life, and magics Kalmin had appropriated from earth sorcerers. Even he had never managed to overcome those entities in his storied life.

The Dreaming was the source of all magic. Since it had already been destroyed, all magic now stemmed from Dream himself. Until he was destroyed, all of the magic he had, all of the magic in the known universe would be funneled into the only remained magical artifacts; the chains holding him and his siblings. Which would be broken when the Source was destroyed, and them along with it.

It was, above all, self-destructive. And that had ever been Kalmin's auteur.

The three of them stood side by side. "Well old friend, looks like it's finally time." Paul patted the ancient being on the shoulder. "Sooner or later, everyone in the Orange Lantern Corps gets what they desire."

Kalmin's smile was ferocious and predatory. "And this is literally as late as it will ever be."

"Was it worth it?"

"Oh yes. You have proven your worth to me, Illustres."

The planet of white light was loaded into the gun; the bullet that would kill the future.

It was fired.

Most would look at the Source Wall as it collapsed. But the Illustres of the Orange Lantern corps could only watch with a smile, at Kalmin's face. The last of his corps, the last of his friends, had finally achieved what he wanted in life.

It was wonderful.

The Source Wall faded, in time. The Entities ate each other. Surprisingly, the Ophidian was not the last one standing as the starving entities turned on each other, like wild animals freed from their cages. The Ophidian hadn't been starving since she'd been freed from Larfleeze's clutches. Paul waved goodbye, as she allowed herself to be devoured by Adara.

And then there was no emotion left. Paul couldn't appreciate his friend's faces as they faced each other in honorable combat. They each drew a Qwa-weapon, and launched themselves at each other. He felt a pang of familiarity, or nostalgia. The battle was decided in one strike.

Kalmin approached the Illustres. "Are you happy?"

"No. I am nothing but a weapon. But I am finally… fulfilled. I have killed what I was designed to kill. No more Destiny. No more… anything."

The Qwa-bomb erased them efficiently.









Kalmin opened his eyes.

"And so things begin again. How wonderful."

The Time Trapper hissed gleefully, the marking of the Orange Lantern Corps on her forehead shone as her purple cloak billowed.

"As they ever do. Just tell the Illustres I don't owe him any more favors."

The Infinite Man snorted in disgusted and wandered off, holding Krona by the nape of his neck.

Kalmin took the universe in as stars began to shine again, and the Endless were born, to give birth to new gods and make the universe in their image. He frowned, and prodded his body. It must have been remade after he'd destroyed it. But he wasn't one to use the tools someone else gave him. He'd have to make himself a new body. Paul would probably have some advice on that front. Kalmin was no weakling to need this body in this new universe.

"I'm… alive?"

Kalmin looked to his left.

It took him a moment to place the weaponer, and then it came to him. It had been so long. "Varnathon!"

The other weaponer gave a start, and the whined. "Oh great. Killing me wasn't enough? You had to bring me back?"

"No, I think that was Paul's doing." Kalmin flexed. He'd definitely need to build himself a new body.

"The alien that you brought with you?" Varnathon looked around. "We're at the beginning of the universe! How!?"

"I destroyed the universe." Kalmin beamed proudly. "And it seems Paul called in a favor from Mr. Rugarth to ensure certain of us were here when it started back up again."

"You – but – " Varnathon looked around incredulously.

"The Weaponers will be reborn in this infinite loop. Don't go near them. I'm not upset with you for wanting to run an empire. I'm upset with you for taking the purpose of the Weaponers away from them, and lowering them to the level of any of the hundred substandard intergalactic empires. Go and rule one of them if that's your dream, but I want to see one of the other weaponers achieve their desires in this loop. Let them live their dreams."

"So… so that's it?" Hope must have been born again. He could hear it in Varnathon's voice. "You killed me, and now… now I'm alive again and you don't care what I do? Why!?"

Kalmin shrugged. "Paul always felt guilty over your death. He thinks you and he are alike. I'll not interfere with his wishes to give you a second chance. I've destroyed the universe. As long as you don't repeat your past mistake, I don't care what you do."

Varnathon looked enraged. "Wha – you – you didn't destroy the universe! It's right here! All you did was – was – turned it off, and then back on again!"

"I'm sure Paul sees it that way too." Kalmin shook his head. "I'll never understand him. Or you."

Varnathon looked hopelessly confused.

"Yes, I did essentially build a light switch for the universe. But I am the only one to ever build the switch. Let alone use it, praise be the Anti-monitor." Kalmin smiled sinisterly at Varnathon. "Go and raise a species to do with as you please, with their own culture molded in your image. I'm going to build myself a new body, and then… enjoy life. Don't corrupt the Weaponers with your ways again, or we will have words."
 
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Anti-Thesis (part 21)
11th July 2012
18:29 GMT

Hinon nods, a small smile on her face.

"Qward is in turmoil, their leader dead and their leadership decimated. A nearly entirely satisfactory outcome, and I wasn't actually expecting Kalmin to die. I'm actually quite-."

She leans to the left, looking behind me as Kalmin's new students trail after him. Several of them are staring around in half-cringed caution, but Daciya refuses to look either left or right, striding purposefully through the Maltusian city.

"And suddenly I'm not. Would you mind explaining that?"

"Would you mind explaining how a Controller with the powers you do and the senses you have didn't know they were here until you saw them with your eyes?"

"I could." Her face becomes oddly blank. "Why don't you explain it to me?"

"You're millions of years old. Your whole 'irritable old woman' persona is affected for my benefit."

"Not just for your benefit. My interactions with almost every non-Maltusian have improved since I started openly brow-beating them."

"It's what we expect. It fits in with our preconceptions."

"The vast majority of sentient beings from social species expect a degree of punishment when they step outside of accepted bounds of acceptable behaviour. Minor insults meet that need while also stimulating a desire for praise."

I frown.

"You don't need to act with me, Hinon Hee Hannanan. I'd much rather know the real you."

"I am very old, Illustres Paul. Without a shell personality I would barely be able to interact with young creatures like you. This is far more effective than the alternative. Trust me to know my business."

"I do. Alright, crotchety grandmother it is-."

Her face snaps back to life.

"I'm so glad that I have your approval. I don't know what I would have done without it."

I bow my head for a moment, smiling-.

"The q'ardajin, Illustres. Why are they here?"

"Kalmin wants to teach them how to be 'proper' q'ardajin. I want them to get used to interacting with other species as equals. Our ends are contradictory but our methods are the same: bring them here."

"You had the perfect opportunity to take the steps required to exterminate their wretched breed. Instead, you brought more q'ardajin here."

"Varnathon showed that they can be something else. Without prompting, even. We need to stop anyone trading with the Reach but I don't think that their species needs to go." Unless-. "Unless the Anti-Monitor is coming back and we need to deny him resources. Do we?"

"Not as far as we can tell."

"Then… That's why. Oh, and I need to schedule tests… Medical examinations, for myself. This whole incident has made me aware that no one knows what my healthy baselines are, and I need to fix that."

"Yes, that would be helpful. And perhaps you should keep a few spare clones of yourself laying around, just so we're prepared for your next death."

"Ah. Maybe. I actually need to pop back to Earth first to make sure that I'm fully alive. I'll be back tomorrow."

"I will ensure that the physicians are lined up."

"Thank you."

I raise…

Do I really need to keep doing that? Copying Goku was amusing to start with, but it's honestly…

I snort.

Just as amusing now as it ever was. I raise my fingers to my forehead

step out, looking for large and long-denied desires to judge fairly and rule well, a desire I'm a part of as I saw to it being fulfilled. I see it and

reappear just outside Hades's palace, waving to a guard as I walk closer.

"Could you please let Lord Hades know that I'm here and would like to speak with him?"

11th July 2012
21:47 GMT +3

"You really must try to stop dying like this."

"I'm not doing it deliberately, my lord."

Hades gives me a look of mild frustration. It's almost paternal, really. After being told that I was visiting he decided to recess his court. Rather than being annoyed by the delay, the line of disorientated aliens outside were giving me grateful nods. It's nice to be appreciated.

"I suppose I should be grateful for that much. There are Discordians who would have done, just to vex me."

"No part of me came here, then?"

"'No part'..? By Gaea, what killed you?"

"A qwa energy blast wave. But dying in deep space far from a living world doesn't work like dying on Earth. I needed to take a few hours to stick myself back together."

"I can only apologise for the poor service I was able to grant you. Again."

"Thank you, but if I came here I might have felt obliged to stay. Though I… Was wondering..?"

"Give me a moment to fortify myself. … Very well, ask your question."

"As a god, you're tied to Earth's thaumosphere. But you get a lot of your power from Erebos, don't you?" He nods. "And as a titan, Erebos doesn't have that same restriction. Or.. does it?"

Hades looks down the line of petitioners, then points. "Look you there."

I follow his finger, seeing-.

"A gordanian?"

"He was on the wrong side of the ceasefire line. He tried hiding in that temple you built to me, but that only worked for a time before the mob killed him. But before his death, he read some of the literature you left and prayed to me, and that was sufficient."

"I'll let Mother of Mercy know."

"He's not the first and won't be the last. However, as far as I can tell Erebos's reach only extends to those who are on planets. It might just be that no one who has seen your work and become sufficiently devoted to me has died in space yet, or it could be something else. I genuinely don't know."

I nod. That's worth investigating further.

"Next question then: if Erebos connects to everywhere, how would you feel about a spaceport?"
 
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Mr Zoat said:
And suddenly I'm not
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Of course you're not.

Though we can understand why.

Mr Zoat said:
powers you do
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'you have'

Mr Zoat said:
I am very old
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Understatement of the eons.

Mr Zoat said:
"I'm so glad that I have your approval. I don't know what I would have done without it
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Probably go about with your life.

Mr Zoat said:
requires to exterminate
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'required'

Mr Zoat said:
Yes, that would be helpful. And perhaps you should keep a few spare clones of yourself laying around, just so we're prepared for your next death."
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Just be careful to not end up getting killed by Nazi shrimps.

Mr Zoat said:
looking for large and long-denied desire to
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'for a' or 'desires'

Mr Zoat said:
You really must try to stop dying like this."
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Easier said than done, Big H.

Mr Zoat said:
"I'm not doing it deliberately, my lord
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I don't think he believes you.

Mr Zoat said:
Hades gives me a look of mildly frustration. It's almost paternal, really
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Well he may have thought you were going to date his daughter and is probably getting some training in how to shame his future son-in-law in case you and she marry.

Mr Zoat said:
has been your work
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'has seen'

Mr Zoat said:
"A gordanian?"
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Looks like the temple thing worked.

Mr Zoat said:
"Next question then: if Erebos connects to everywhere, how would you feel about a spaceport
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Hmm, maybe he can build a temple on the Psion homeworld and the place where the Citadelians died.

There are most likely thousand of innocents souls there that can use a good afterlife and being stuck on dead worlds is probably a pain.

Hell I remember him telling Myandr that he couldn't find the bones of his parents.

Imagine him telling him that he can help him speak with them.

Is the next episode renegade focused?
 
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