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

As far as we know, inferred from the Admiral's reaction, it's (one of) Krona's ship(s).

It is absolutely a trap of some kind, the only questions are (a) a trap for who and (b) how steering Tau technological benefited Krona.

Oh, well, there's also (c) is Krona watching them right now and laughing.

 

‘than a laboratory’

Second ‘the’ extraneous.

‘daemons’?

Reminds me of a cool fanfic I read where Slaanesh died and they were able to grow their souls with torment rather than just maintaining them against Slaanesh’s predation. Naturally they just got even more evil and powerful.

I’d forgotten that, it’s true that they don’t normally do psykers. My guess is that maybe they do have at least enough ability to do a low-level thing like reading a database, and they just don’t do it because they don’t want to get tortured for eternity after losing their souls to Slaanesh, so they’ll be forced to give up their souls to read the database? Doesn’t seem like a great idea to bring Slaanesh’s attention here, though.
Maybe Dark eldar had psykers in early editions and Zoat is using that? I’m not familiar with the old lore.

 

Wyches aren't exactly the technical specialists of the Dark Eldar culture, and tau don't have the psychic presence to use a lot of their stuff anyway.

It's really more 'whoops I didn't finish the segment I was writing, what have I got in the buffer'.

No. If you reach back to last time she was mentioned, her name literally means 'lantern'. Well, 'lantern light', technically, but 'gru' means 'lantern'.

In this story and back in the day, yes. In modern 40K they use fairy magic instead.

But they'd already featured in a Ciaphas Cain novel, so it was already too late.

Thank you, corrected.

It's more that the orange light ate the thing linking them to Slaanesh, so they can use baseline eldar level psionics reasonably safely. Assuming it isn't trapped, reading a database shouldn't strain them.

Dark Eldar came into being in 3rd Edition with literally no mention of them before that. I'm still mildly disapointed that there's never been a non-Citadel Journal Codex: Exodites.

 

That's definitely an invalind argument in general, there are lots of verbs that are synonymous but have different rules about when you can add objects and ablative clauses.

No, that's just memes, they still have genetic knowledge. The WAAAGH! field only helps a little

 

No, it's not that they don't do Psykers, it's that they straight up can't.

They functionally engineered the trait out of their race after the whole Slaanesh thing. And straight up kill any member who shows even the hit of potential and tries.

That's some major retconning to make your SI special there.

Because Slaanesh would have sent everything he/she had at the Tau at the slightest hint they had something that could actually do that.

 

Well, no reason to hide your author appeal on a relatively niche fanfic in a distant corner of the internet. Even though I've bought two OL t-shirts because of it.

 

“The Wyches flow through the elegant steps of battle, expressions of disdain twisting into savage smiles as they psychically feed upon each fresh scream of agony and pain.”
-wiki

Unless it was retcon’d and the wiki hasn’t caught up, this statement makes no sense if they have removed their base racial psychic capacity.

 

Wrong Wiki, you want Lexicanum if you're looking for accuracy.

However, Dark Eldar psykers are virtually unheard-of. The innate psychic abilities common to the Eldar race have atrophied within the Dark Eldar, partly due to their focus on physical athleticism. Furthermore, to use any psychic powers would draw the attention of Slaanesh, and is one of the few things expressly forbidden within Commorragh.^[1a]

 

That contradicts your earlier statement. That description does not say it was engineered out -- that description says that it was neglected in favor of other things. And we've already CLEARLY established across the lore that "psyker" means someone with noteworthy psychic ability, not someone with any psychic ability at all.

So it is entirely consistent that the Dark Eldar have below-Eldar-average but above-Tau levels of psychic ability.

 

is -> in

 

"virtually unheard-of" is pretty clear...

Like, if I remember my lore right there have been more Tau psykers then there have been Dark Elder. Which should tell you something about how rare Dark Elder psykers are.

 

Link's broke, m8.
Edit: And corrected in moments.

 

Thank you, corrected.

 

Hmm... Energy Constructs... In a region that I think had a Maltusian ship crashed somewhere nearish. I wonder if Tezumak would find a Green Lantern's power familiar. At any rate, let's hope this image stops his from lashing out.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Well, there are ways around that. A telepathic vocaliser or something, perhaps. Or.. .Tezumak's vocal cords should be fine. Perhaps a sensor pickup similar to a tracheotomy voicebox?

Ah, there we go. This would be all kinds of awkward if he couldn't communicate freely, after all.

Work like planting your golden foot up the arse of those responsible? I think OL can get behind that.

Well, that depends on the deity.

Which probably means she could easily overpower their wills again.

I wonder... There's hostages here who might like to exact some small revenge for themselves...

She's probably the best choice to check on them, yes. Very approachable.

Impressively brave, M'gann! I can't imagine she's comfortable with the flames, but helping a traumatised young boy is probably more important to her.

We can but hope. Except that we know she'll lose, and he'll just grow stronger for it...

OL, do we have to have the Constantine Plan talk again?

So no walking folks out inside the armour.

Well, at least they can get the priests mostly on their side. Wouldn't trust them in a fight, but they might be able to bluff their way to safety.

Which would leave whoever it belongs to in a pinch when this is done.

You're right, it's not a good plan. This is extremely foolish, OL.

Which is probably more than they told him, since why explain things to a thrall?

A rather motley collection of sprites, imps and spirits, then.

It won't start making you change shape or something, will it? Like the jaguar/eagle guy?

No harm in asking, certainly. Somehow, though...

...I don't think you'd be that lucky. If Sod's law is any guide, she'll be right under Tlazolteotl's gaze.

...Not helpful, T.

Fortunate. Let's hope that the process isn't too painful, though.

Eesh. The kids are going to need so much therapy after this.

Well, the bits have got to sort themselves out, lacking any surgical precision like yours.

To be fair, it probably won't take him long, if you stop arguing with him.

Kind of fatalistic, aren't you? Then again, given their religion...

Some would say that's a good thing, given, you know...

All right. If nothing else, having a local expert might make things quicker.

Honestly, this Tezumak is kind of an entertaining guy. From what we've seen of him thus far. It'd be fun to see him stick around, learn about the modern world, and probably be annoyed by cultural appropriation of his gods' images. And Adom could use another old buddy hanging out with him. Though I get the feeling Tezumak will more likely sacrifice himself to free his gods from Mannheim...

 

"Tezumak"

"than the one"

 

I think it would be funny if this Tezumak guy sticks around and tries to sell his religion to a modern audience.

Like imagine all of the religious denominations with stalls lined up with curious people reading the offered brochures.

"Ok so what does having my heart painfully cut from my chest actually get me?"

Tezumak swallows his pride as he adjusts for modern standards. "Your soul will be crushed between the Sun God's mighty thighs and your sins cleansed in the holy fires of her womb."

The prospective customer looks at the imagery of a sexy Aztec dommy mommy sun goddess. "SOLD!"

 

Thank you, corrected.

 

These two should swap places, since Break Time (part 25) was posted after Xenopsychology (part 18).

 

That should say 'taken'.

 

Yeah, that would just be silly...

 

Well it would if the god in question is themselves a giant.

Unless she wants some physical protection.

But it's probably bigger than a mortals.

"he's doing"

 

Using it a bit like a dowsing rod, eh>? Better than sticking it into yourself, at least. Though I have the feeling that would basically represent OL accepting defeat and the Anti-Life. At which point the story would be over. And we know it won't end here.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Worrisome is what it is. That suggests Mannheim has been draining everything in his path.

Ah, answering the wrong question, eh, OL? Or at least, the one you assume he was asking.

Gratifying to know you like OL. This little buddy-0cop sequence would be much more awkward otherwise.

Not quickly, I suspect. So he would have been worn quite thin by the trials.

The joy of his origins being so... Ambiguous in the comics. You can say just about anything about his people, because they would predate anything modern by centuries. And we all know how... Loose the modern world's grasp of such ancient times is...

Given the other option would be a greeting at gunpoint, this is probably better.

Flowing this openly, or at all?

Okay. So this is something much more recent. The sin-eating lady's work, then.

...Oh, hush, Mannheim. You'll get your turn to monologue soon enough.

Let's hope Tezumak can work that out before you get to the boss...

Could be trouble, if she's planning to cross over.

He's got a point. None of the local Gods saw this coming, I bet. Which makes me wonder about the circumstances of the lady's membership of their pantheon. Wouldn't be the first time a minor god has been integrated into another culture's deities, though she might have had the shittiest position. (What do I mean? Look up the theories about the migratory history of Ishtar and Aphrodite.)

...What's the bet Robert 'Cornwall Boy' Marrack is lurking in the building somewhere?

I mean, it's not without precedent in fiction, giant transforming buildings...

...And, the local deities do seem to be quite large folks. If yon earth goddess was anything to go by.

Which Mannheim probably might object to, given that he's intending to take the same position.

Which is no doubt a much more difficult task.

At least there's a likely source of leverage upon her. If she's working with Mannheim, he may have offered her the lives she needed. If not...

Huh. Someone's getting excited.

...Ah. That's probably not good, then.

Smart move. Those could have been used as an attack vector. Though you might have to make new hearts for whoever those belonged to if they're still kicking.

If you can. I suspect Mannheim will have a different goal in mind.

That'll be the other local gods, then. And definite proof that Tlazolteotl is working with Mannheim.

Not quite the reaction I'd expect. Either she's high as a kite, or she's about to...

...Well, shit. Just in time to see Manheim get his win.

On the up side, that kind of wound's not necessarily fatal around here.

Well, they found Mannheim. And Tlazolteotl . And Nuala! Just a moment too late, though. From the sound of it, he's set all this up as some sort of... Amplifier? For the Anti-Life and his own power. Probably related to the geomantic energies used by the transmitter towers. But targetted at the spiritual realms of the Earth rather than the material... Smothering the competition, as it were.

---

Tezumak takes the left side and I take the right.

 

Though she may wish it was.

And getting rid of some obstacles on Earth, like Adom and Billy.

 

Thank you, corrected.

 

’heads’ or ‘each head’?

 

Can someone remind me who Nuala is? I don't recognise the name.

 

Nuala is the elf they were tasked to find and rescue.