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

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Mr Zoat, Jan 27, 2019.

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  1. Impartial Panic

    Impartial Panic I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    at this point I think Dox's plans involving Paul are if Paul is there only Chaos will follow.
    then he makes the preparations for when things get worse.

    Paul going to negotiations, some idiot will send a fleet to kill him.

    Paul on patrol, he'll likely encounter some SCP.

    Paul is buying ice cream, the city gets a giant fruit cake.
     
  2. Grimnar

    Grimnar Versed in the lewd.

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    While it Could be a false flag operation, there's also the possibility it's not.

    OL is their heaviest hitter, someone who can bring an Embodiment to bear on them if need be. That's a strategic weapon on a massive scale. They have already tried to knock him off the play field once before.

    Maybe they justified it as OL escaping the previous one. Maybe they don't really believe he can reconstitute his body.

    If not, gaining the Ire of trading planet that's exceedingly pacifist for his assassination is a good deal. These people are sheep. The Reach could appologise, pay some fines, renegotiate some trade deals, and then continue on as normal. They hardly lose anything on a strategic level, while striking a major victory.
     
  3. webxro

    webxro Benevolent Bystander

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    Are the Reach even capable of FTL beam weapons ? I mean are we sure it's not Gravy ? Or least some other party that is coercing the green lantern lady.
     
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  4. jonasquinn

    jonasquinn I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Of course you’re conveniently forgetting that Orange Lantern mind control is very obvious, there being dozens if not hundreds of survivors of Reach genocides in N.E.M.O refugee camps that would happily confirm his reports not to mention all the neighbouring planets that have witnessed them and the Controllers keeping extremely precise records about their conflict with the Reach
     
  5. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    It isn't that hard to make an FTL beam weapon. It's just not part of normal Reach doctrine as they're not that good.
     
  6. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    Found a broken link. Not sure what you would replace it with though.
     
  7. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    Works for me. Anyone else?
     
  8. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    It it's a picture with a red WTF?! pointing at Rogues breasts, then it works for me too.
     
  9. Vaermina

    Vaermina Well worn.

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    Okay... So then why did they try with a weapon even Zoat admits is both pathetic and the Reach suck at instead of just blowing up the entire planet?
     
  10. ironbabyjones

    ironbabyjones Getting sticky.

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    From an earlier chapter:
    I half expected OL’s survey to end in "Now, how do you feel about tabletop wargaming?"

    Regarding the latest chapter: it’s a nice, exciting twist! I’m really enjoying this plotline, trying to convince the indifferent and uninformed population that this distant-seeming issue is really important and affects them. Also, FTL beams? I’m sure OL will be happy to examine the wreckage if he gets the chance.

    *Given the... angles...
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2021
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  11. Grimnar

    Grimnar Versed in the lewd.

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    That's... not what he said.

    If OL had come alone, or his subordinate didn't inform him of a Reach fleet arriving, he wouldn't have put up a shield. And he would be dead.

    It was a pretty good shot, and they lose a flottila and some goodwill with some rando isolationists. Well worth the shot.
     
  12. Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    No, he's encountered those before. Remember when he was looking at some of the Traitor's ships? Those were actually designed around sniper cannons.
    No, I use two dots to indicate a brief unplanned pause. Three indicates that they trailed off and stopped.
     
  13. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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  14. Cuchulin

    Cuchulin Versed in the lewd.

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    Same here.
     
  15. Threadmarks: Negetiations (part 19)
    Mr Zoat

    Mr Zoat Dedicated ragequitter

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    12th August 2012
    22:28 GMT


    "doing, you off-mode writ-wrangler!?"

    I lean closer to one of the Reach functionaries who was backing away from the irate Negotiator but didn't keep an eye on the door.

    "Having trouble?"

    She freezes up, not daring to respond. The Negotiator looks around, eyes wide, and then returns his attention to his communicator.

    "And you didn't even manage to kill him!" … "Oh, and how is it better if he's a fake!? That just means they can all survive it!"

    "Negotiator?"

    "…that even-? No, my orders are clear. Die, and let your stupidity die with you." He deactivates his communicator, breathes in, straightens his robes, and then turns to me with a relaxed smile on his face. "It is my sad duty to inform you that the commanding officer of the gunboat that just entered your system is doing so in an ex-communial manner."

    "Meaning?"

    "Meaning that they have gone beyond their authority and do not represent the Reach. You may-." He cranes his neck slightly to look at Miss Arfat. "Your government is fully empowered to dispose of them as you see fit."

    "What's this actually about? I thought you'd at least wait-."

    "Can you at least credit us with being cunning enough not to shoot through four buildings on an unaligned world?"



    "I suppose that I can."

    "Yes, yes." Miss Arfat looks at me. "Given the known capacities of-."

    The roof evaporates, the second shot being blocked from hitting us by my construct barrier. As the light dies the damage-. There were six floors above us and it's gone right through, a crater about eight metres across having been blasted down until it hit my shield.

    "CAPACITIES of Reach warships, the Yuna government authorises the forces of N.E.M.O. to undertake hostile action under an Extraordinary Contract."

    "Thank you."

    I add a crosshairs to my visual field, centred on the cruiser that's taking the shots.

    "Back soon."

    I fly upwards and then warp, my passage jerking and then stabilising as the still active interdiction systems shut down. Space snaps back as I reach high orbit, the ships around me making best speed away from where they are.

    "Illustres to Lantern K'ryssma, in your own time."

    Can't really risk flying at faster than light speed right up to a Reach ship, but a low warp will take me to them at-

    My construct shield lights up with turquoise fury, which dies a few moments later.

    -a reasonable pace. Okay, they put an FTL gun on a cruiser. It's not that big and it's not that powerful, which is why they don't usually do this sort of thing. Why are they still shooting at me? Possibility one:-

    I fire a series of lightspeed energy pulses at them. If they've got FTL sensors -and they should- then I might get a lucky hit. But for the most part I want to keep their attention on me and off the unshielded planet and lightly protected ships.

    -they're trying to take my shield down with sustained fire. Not a terrible idea in the ordinary run of things, but their ship is undergunned and I'm me. Possibility two, the ship's on autopilot to shoot me. Or the people on board have stupid orders they're not willing to ignore.

    "Drusa?"

    "We're not all as fast as you, Illustres. I was needed to shield our ships against their escorts."

    "Fair enough. Are they dead?"

    "Three are. I've lost track of the fourth."

    "Notify the Yuna Defence Force and keep your eyes open. I've got the cruiser."

    "As you wish."

    Standard Reach communication protocols.

    Compliance.

    "You in the cruiser. Surrender and live on as organic beings. Resist and I will assimilate you. You have five seconds now."

    Okay, scans of the cruiser… I did get a couple of hits. Looks like I breached their hull. That… Shouldn't have happened. Standard shields would-. They didn't have standard shields. FTL weapons take a lot of power, but… That doesn't sound right. I mean, if this is their first cruiser with an FTL weapon they might not have finalised the design. I might be such a juicy target that they thought that the chance to off me was worth a few ships. Lucky me.

    Unlucky them.

    Empathic vision-. Oh. There are minds on board, but they've had their thought processes messed around with in a fairly brute force sort of way. I doubt that they're Reachians, but it should only take me-

    I block another shot.

    -a few moments to find out for certain.

    A volley of crumbler rounds punches through their weak… Environmental barrier, not even a weak military force field. Chunks of their fore gun vanish, and ring scans show it lose power. Right, interdiction field generators are usually there in that hull type… I'm close enough that I can fire orange beams and reliably pierce the hull and puncture them.

    I increase the degree to which I'm warping space, and then the ship is there just in front of me. In a pretty sorry state, but the hull is largely in one piece. I draw back my shield so that it just protects me… Looks like they gave up on point defences as well, but that's no reason to take stupid risks. Locate the crew, send out the filaments-.

    Two go out as they kill themselves, but I connect to the other seven just in time. Undermanned for a ship-

    "Identity theft in progress."

    -of this class. I'm convinced that the Negotiator on Yuna genuinely didn't know, but someone put work into this.

    "Identity theft complete."

    I pull my thralls into my ring… Ugh. Simplified thought processes. I can't even see who gave them their orders. I'll check the computer-.

    "K'ryssma to Illustres. I need help!"

    I turn in space, looking for the emerald glow-.

    There are two of them. And they're fighting near the location of the Free Lancers' ship. Marvellous.

    I warp, the intervening space vanishing into nothing as I pull my barrier around me as construct armour. If we've eliminated ships as a threat, that leaves either a Lantern -and if one of the Free Lancers has put the ring on I'm not helping- or a Scarab. Or-.

    A green blast destabilises my warp and knocks me back into normal space, the ring-wielding Scarab Warrior pointing her new ring at me.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2021
  16. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    Your luck is blessed by Eris.

    ...

    ...Actually...that explains a lot...

    Still not sure why you wouldn't help get it back.

    By getting it back you can earn some good points with the GLC, prevent criminals from getting their hands, claws or tentacles on it and causing major damage by either using the ring or studying it and making anti-Lantern weaponry that can harm Lanterns and could lead to the GLC suffering damage and thus making their duty to protect the galaxy a whole lot harder and difficult, or it can end up in the hands of the Reach who may use it to harm the OLC, your organization, and who knows, they may decide that they would like another war with the GLC, but now they have rings and Scarabs.
     
  17. DAT_NOOB

    DAT_NOOB Accused of writing in a far away land

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    OL: "It's either a lantern or a scarab"

    *Turns out to be a scarab lantern*

    That's actually pretty concerning...
     
  18. Shotiegun11

    Shotiegun11 Know what you're doing yet?

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    I don’t see this ending up being a hard fight.

    Adding a Power Ring to a Scarab does surprisingly little in terms of combat ability. There aren’t many weapons a Scarab can’t make that a Ring can. Especially with a Green Ring.

    She may have overwhelmed one Senior Lantern, but against 2 with no Power Ring training? I see this defaulting to a (Senior?) Scarab Vs (2) Senior Lanterns very quickly.
     
  19. FreeGod

    FreeGod If you see a God on the road fuck it!

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    Well it doesn't even have an hour worth of experience with a power ring and Paul has crumbler tech.

    Also he can likely just get the scarab to self destruct by trying to assimilate.
     
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  20. Handlewithcare

    Handlewithcare Versed in the lewd.

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    All assuming this is a real Scarab Warrior

    If it is, then this shoddy warship was a distraction to get the Ring and the Reach just wanted not to waste resources

    If it isn't, than this might very well be a false flag operation by Dox
     
  21. Ganurath

    Ganurath Apologizes For Nothing

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    I can't imagine the meat core of a mind control suit has much in the way of willpower.
     
  22. Ngamer11

    Ngamer11 Experienced.

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    It could be similar to the Antithesis Ring, which forcibly strengthens the wearer's willpower.
     
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  23. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    The Reach don't just give Scarabs to slaves.

    In YJ Black Scarab seemed to have his own free will, so this Scarab could be a loyal Reachian.
     
  24. Lone Courier 6

    Lone Courier 6 Wanderer of threads

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    The Meat Core might not Matter here, could be the Scarab's Willpower given the sorts of things that can use a Lantern Ring, like Sapient Math Equations.
     
  25. Chojin Patriarch

    Chojin Patriarch Veteran Lurker

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    Okay, that answers that question: The Negotiator was not aware of this flotilla's mission. And evidently is not happy with whoever did order it. At least OL will be able to get the all-clear from all sides to defend himself.

    Definitely a moment of 'Fornication, not this Excrement too? Fornicate. My. Life... Sideways.'

    Boy, the Reach are going to have quite the list of responses to OL, now. Mostly consisting of 'retreat on sight' or 'deploy largest possible weapons and pray to the great ledgers of the beyond that he is vulnerable to them.'

    Meaning they just got their asses thrown under the bus. With prejudice.

    ...The being has a point. From the looks of it, someone higher up panicked.

    :D Not a thought he ever expected to have about the Reach, I'll bet.

    Well, they're going for the big Darwin Award, aren't they? Evidently they're believers in the rule of 'Shoot until it's dead!'

    Both government's arses covered, then. Time for OL to engage in some judicious self-defence.

    Not wanting to be in the splash zone, I bet. Hope he's at least clear of the planet as a backstop at least.

    Yeah, not when they're throwing about their own FTL firepower. Not without some very strong shielding up...

    I am impressed that they're tracking him so easily. Must have some top-of-the-line sensors rigged up to allow them to follow a man-sized object moving at his speeds.

    Possibility four: They're not smart enough to be able to ignore those orders, whether through conditioning or simple idiocy.

    So, no more escorts, then.

    ...Shit. Likelihood that they've gone for the other high-value item in-system?

    And she's probably breathing a sigh of relief right now, knowing that she doesn't have to try and go after that cruiser.

    Oof, pulling no punches at all there. They've definitely got his dander up, what with all the collateral damage. Still, the moral obligation to offer a way to not die is done...

    Boy, sending an untested prototype with less-than-ideal defences? This smells fishier and fishier with every moment. There's no way the Reach would be that cocky or arrogant. They don't act openly unless they know that their chance of success is as high as it can be.

    Probably functionally lobotomised to minimise the effectiveness of any weapons OL is presumed to carry.

    A literal Glass Cannon boss, eh? Hopefully there's enough of their FTL beam weapon to analyse back on Maltus.

    Slow response time, from the looks of it. No automatic defence against Assimilation either...

    Apparently they had so little resistance, assimilation was near-instant. Well, that's indicative of something. Throwaway clones, maybe?

    Good thing OL can multitask.

    Well, shit. Either one of the Free Lancers decided to blow their payday, or...

    ...The Reach flotilla's real objective has just been advanced a step.

    Well, then. Time to see just how good OL is at real Lantern combat, not just sparring. Good thing he has a few Earth Bullshit™ tricks up his sleeve to throw at the Scarab. Hopefully the Super-Ring's capabilities aren't too far past a regular Green Ring. Or perhaps, worst case scenario, OL takes it for himself, Orange Lantern style. He can assimilate tech, after all.
     
  26. Darko

    Darko Connoisseur.

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    First time for everything.

    To be fair, it's a good rule.

    Their comic book villains.

    Even the smartest of them have their big moments of stupid.

    You will not cease calling to Murphy.

    He did do that to Stewart's ring.
     
  27. Ej190

    Ej190 Making the rounds.

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    I see Paul was totally expecting the Reach to loot the ring.

    Lantern fight time!
     
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  28. Someguy Somewhere

    Someguy Somewhere The Critical Fumbler

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    Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if this was a proper Reach Plan in the first place.

    The stupidity of the reach cruisers attack, the stripped nature of the ship....could just be a 'distraction carnifex' to get paul looking one way while they do something else....like grab the ring.

    But....as OL name dropped earlier, Grayven 16 is in this war. And mind control is a bit of a theme with Apokalypse. I could see HIM trying a false flag operation using captured vessels. Subverting the OLC's initial fleet engagement was something he planned and executed. I could certainly see them poking the bear (OL) for their own reasons.

    Removing Paul from the OLC makes His side of the fight look better to those that might rally to his flag rather then NEMO.
     
  29. DrThoth

    DrThoth I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Can Paragon order branded subjects to forget things? I kind of want to see him brand the Negotiator to find out who he was talking to, but I'm not sure if that potential information is valuable enough to break the rules of Yuna (though it very well might be; like he said, Dox sent him and not a diplomat for a reason).

    Googling 'writ-wrangler' or 'writ wrangler' doesn't lead to any apparently relevant results, is this a common British phrase? I'm presuming something related to bureaucracy fuck-ups.
     
  30. FreeGod

    FreeGod If you see a God on the road fuck it!

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    Plenty of missiles would be Paul's size. They would want to be able to track those as well.
     
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