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

[Jankl]

So is the Alpha effect a thing here? I know it's supposed to be the opposite of the Omega effect but I don't think we have seen in yet, if we ever will. Does Highfather have the Alpha effect because I figured that is what he might be using to undo assimilation.

 

[Duke Long]

OL has seen people restored from assimilation twice; first by Finality Man using omega beams and then by Highfather. So New God bullshit in both cases. Still, that doesn't mean that New God bullshit is the only way of doing it.

If the Guardians follow through on getting that assimilated Guardian who got turned into a ring restored, a front row view might let them figure out the trick themselves. Malthusians are the Light experts after all.

I suspect doing it with Light abilities would require Indigo light, which is the color that OL has had the hardest time getting his hands on. (He even had to use the Medusa Mask as a substitute for the White Light antilife cleansing since he failed to get his hands on a ring.) The logic is that while Orange is the color of avarice, taking ownership, Indigo/Compassion is the mirror image; the desire to give back to other people. It seems logical enough, especially as Indigo specifically plays well with other portions of the spectrum. So yeah, I figure Indigo light is what is needed to unassimilate people.

Click to shrink...

I like the logic, but I feel the need to mention that the assimilated Guardian has already been fixed by Highfather, we got to see a ceremony thing for it. Or by 'follow through' did you mean do the research after already having seen it happen? Because yeah, maybe they will figure it out.

 

[RoninSword]

OL has seen people restored from assimilation twice; first by Finality Man using omega beams and then by Highfather. So New God bullshit in both cases. Still, that doesn't mean that New God bullshit is the only way of doing it.

If the Guardians follow through on getting that assimilated Guardian who got turned into a ring restored, a front row view might let them figure out the trick themselves. Malthusians are the Light experts after all.

I suspect doing it with Light abilities would require Indigo light, which is the color that OL has had the hardest time getting his hands on. (He even had to use the Medusa Mask as a substitute for the White Light antilife cleansing since he failed to get his hands on a ring.) The logic is that while Orange is the color of avarice, taking ownership, Indigo/Compassion is the mirror image; the desire to give back to other people. It seems logical enough, especially as Indigo specifically plays well with other portions of the spectrum. So yeah, I figure Indigo light is what is needed to unassimilate people.

Click to shrink...

I mean, we saw Highfather turn the one Guardian back into himself from being a ring construct. This was in the aftermath of the actual Old God waking up.

 

[Mr Zoat]

7th September 2013
23:34 GMT

The first thing I notice about the bridge is that there isn't a convenient meat person control system added on to the existing plant-based system. The second is… The Shipmaster has… Dropped six objects which look like miniature gamma gongs on the floor next to Andar Pul. Pul himself looks… Rough. Unkempt. He hasn't shaved recently, his feathers are misaligned and his clothes are well lived in.

And there's a glowing orange sigil embedded in his chest.

Jade crouches down to examine the mini-gongs. "Do you know what these are?"

"Aside from the obvious, no. A personal weapon, perhaps? The ability to paralyse the entire world seems a bit… Excessive for most purposes, but perhaps they can manage finer control if properly configured?"

She stands, turning to Andar Pul. "Can he talk?"

"Can you?"

"Yes, certainly. It's marvellously liberating."

"Did you try to assassinate me?"

"Yes."

"And Bleez and Jade?"

"Your presence was really the only thing I factored in. The other two were largely irrelevant to my purpose."

"Which was?"

"Freeing myself and preventing Thanagar being manipulated by my domitor."

"Domitor? You were being controlled?"

"Yes. I am now, aren't I? I think I prefer being able to talk about this as opposed to being a puppet to another's will."

I glance down at the mini-gongs. "Those things?"

"Yes. I think everyone just thought they were jewellery."

"Right." I hold out my left hand and pull the brand off him, prompting him to breathe in deeply and his right hand to feel around for a concealed weapon that he's not carrying. "Start from the beginning."

"This is a conversation I should have with the High Mor first."

"Thanagar just shot me with its planetary defence system. And let me explain something to you that Lantern Dul might have skipped over. I am a member of the NEMO council. That means that I am one of the seven controlling votes on the actions of the largest military alliance in this galaxy. When we make a decision, more people than there have ever been thanagarians in existence go into action. And I know for a fact that at least three of my fellow council members prefer expedient decisions. Do you know what the expedient decision is in this case?"

"Install Hyathis as our ruler."

I half-smile under my helmet. "That's certainly a thought, isn't it? Your objective, therefore, is not to ensure that your actions are in line with the High Mor's policy preferences. It's to ensure that I remain at worst neutral. And while I've removed the brand and you can lie, do I need to point out how bad an idea-."

"No, I understand. I.. understand. Right, fine. Part of my area of responsibility is monitoring Hyathis, and Antares in general. And to do that I need local informants. That's not hard when there are three other stellar nations in the Antares system who hate her. I just have to make sure that my sources agree with one another and aren't collaborating to present a shared false picture."

He exhales sharply through his nose.

"Which is more of a problem now that Hyathis is on the verge of winning and they're actually collaborating on military matters. I was meeting with one of my agents…"

"You met with them yourself?"

"In a job like this, personal relationships are everything. They know what I want and that they can trust me to relate to them in a dependable way. But this time… It's hard to read alien body language, but they were more stressed than normal. I thought that their own government might be putting pressure on them, or they were worried about their navy being destroyed…" He shakes his head. "I was mobbed, and had-" He glances down. "-those things attached to me."

"And then you were on remote control?"

"I know what a gamma gong is. Instead of that, I was only allowed to take physical actions that advanced their cause."

"Their cause being?"

"War with Hyathis. They didn't say, but it's fairly clear that the Dhorians don't think they can hold her off, and that they don't think we're going to join in without prompting."

"And now you are."

"We've been reallocating resources to prepare for that war for a while. Even with the new supply of Nth metal, Hyathis is outproducing us. The only question was whether we wait until she's being forced to occupy the worlds of her rivals or assault her as soon as we were ready."

"You're going to occupy Alstair? Is that why so many auxiliaries have been recruited?"

"'Occupy Alstair'? When every grain of pollen would be against us? No, Alstair will burn. The occupation force is for the system's other planets."

"If you're in favour of it-."

"My preferred strategy is to wait. Occupying the other worlds will be easier once they've endured Alstairian occupation for a while. And I certainly will not do the will of people who took control of me."

"You melted an airbase."

"Unfortunate as that is, having an agent with my access privileges under enemy control risks far more."

"This ship?"

"The Antares stellar nations capture damaged ships from one another all the time. Getting it here wasn't all that hard. I just marked it as 'research materials' and then moved it using its own drive. I had access; I could classify the sensors scans." He looks around. "I doubt that we'll learn anything, but I'll suggest to my successor that they take it apart. It will be a good training exercise, if nothing else."

"So what happens now?"

"We may be a martial people, but a wartime level of preparedness isn't something we can sustain indefinitely. I'll need to review the situation in Antares-. Or rather, my successor will, and then advise the High Mor."

"Dhoria?"

"We'll have to kill the people who attacked me, but otherwise? I can't fault them for trying to survive. Not that it will be my decision."

I nod. As false flags go, not a bad setup. Persuading someone to do something they were inclined to do anyway-.

"And what about us?"

"If I'm asked, I will suggest that the High Mor give you some of our older aero-shuttles as compensation. I'm sure that they'd be useful to you given your world's current difficulties. Now, if you wouldn't mind calling in the Crows? I doubt that their interrogation will be as gentle as yours and I'd rather get it done as quickly as possible."

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

7th September 2013
23:34 GMT

The first thing I notice about the bridge is that there isn't a convenient meat person control system added on to the existing plant-based system. The second is… The Shipmaster has… Dropped six objects which look like miniature gamma gongs on the floor next to Andar Pul. Pul himself looks… Rough. Unkempt. He hasn't shaved recently, his feathers are misaligned and his clothes are well lived in.

Click to shrink...

So he may have been here several days at the bare minimum? A dishevelled state like this would have been noticed on duty. Or he was off-world and arrived here without stopping at home for a well-deserved rest...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

And there's a glowing orange sigil embedded in his chest.

Jade crouches down to examine the mini-gongs. "Do you know what these are?"

Click to shrink...

The sigil being the shipmaster's work, of course. The little gongs, though, that's a worthy question.

"Aside from the obvious, no. A personal weapon, perhaps? The ability to paralyse the entire world seems a bit… Excessive for most purposes, but perhaps they can manage finer control if properly configured?"

She stands, turning to Andar Pul. "Can he talk?"

Click to shrink...

Given the Gongs seem to influence muscle control, that's not an unreasonable suspicion.

"Can you?"

"Yes, certainly. It's marvellously liberating."

Click to shrink...

Good, not impaired in any way other than the Brand.

"Did you try to assassinate me?"

"Yes."

Click to shrink...

Well, that's answered. The real question is 'why?' though.

"And Bleez and Jade?"

"Your presence was really the only thing I factored in. The other two were largely irrelevant to my purpose."

Click to shrink...

Okay, good to know Bleez isn't under threat. From this little conspiracy at least.

"Which was?"

"Freeing myself and preventing Thanagar being manipulated by my domitor."

Click to shrink...

Interesting.

"Domitor? You were being controlled?"

"Yes. I am now, aren't I? I think I prefer being able to talk about this as opposed to being a puppet to another's will."

Click to shrink...

I see he has opinions about his personal freedom.

I glance down at the mini-gongs. "Those things?"

"Yes. I think everyone just thought they were jewellery."

Click to shrink...

So he was wearing them around other people? Surprising.

"Right." I hold out my left hand and pull the brand off him, prompting him to breathe in deeply and his right hand to feel around for a concealed weapon that he's not carrying. "Start from the beginning."

"This is a conversation I should have with the High Mor first."

Click to shrink...

He's not here. OL is. And questions will be asked. Answering would be in your best interest.

"Thanagar just shot me with its planetary defence system. And let me explain something to you that Lantern Dul might have skipped over. I am a member of the NEMO council. That means that I am one of the seven controlling votes on the actions of the largest military alliance in this galaxy. When we make a decision, more people than there have ever been thanagarians in existence go into action. And I know for a fact that at least three of my fellow council members prefer expedient decisions. Do you know what the expedient decision is in this case?"

Click to shrink...

Hint: It does not end with Thanagar remaining an independent state.

"Install Hyathis as our ruler."

I half-smile under my helmet. "That's certainly a thought, isn't it? Your objective, therefore, is not to ensure that your actions are in line with the High Mor's policy preferences. It's to ensure that I remain at worst neutral. And while I've removed the brand and you can lie, do I need to point out how bad an idea-."

Click to shrink...

Another option is simply stomping the government flat and NEMO ruling via a puppet dictator.

"No, I understand. I.. understand. Right, fine. Part of my area of responsibility is monitoring Hyathis, and Antares in general. And to do that I need local informants. That's not hard when there are three other stellar nations in the Antares system who hate her. I just have to make sure that my sources agree with one another and aren't collaborating to present a shared false picture."

Click to shrink...

So he basically also needs to keep them wanting to fight each other to encourage a lack of coordination. No alliances allowed unless they help to maintain the status quo...

He exhales sharply through his nose.

"Which is more of a problem now that Hyathis is on the verge of winning and they're actually collaborating on military matters. I was meeting with one of my agents…"

"You met with them yourself?"

Click to shrink...

I doubt he would trust an agent to do exactly what he needs done.

"In a job like this, personal relationships are everything. They know what I want and that they can trust me to relate to them in a dependable way. But this time… It's hard to read alien body language, but they were more stressed than normal. I thought that their own government might be putting pressure on them, or they were worried about their navy being destroyed…" He shakes his head. "I was mobbed, and had-" He glances down. "-those things attached to me."

Click to shrink...

Which might mean someone ordered them to do so. But who?

"And then you were on remote control?"

"I know what a gamma gong is. Instead of that, I was only allowed to take physical actions that advanced their cause."

Click to shrink...

Which suggests this is either a new variant of the 'technology' involved or a previously unseen application..

"Their cause being?"

"War with Hyathis. They didn't say, but it's fairly clear that the Dhorians don't think they can hold her off, and that they don't think we're going to join in without prompting."

Click to shrink...

...But what happens after? Did they expect Thanagar to just leave?

"And now you are."

"We've been reallocating resources to prepare for that war for a while. Even with the new supply of Nth metal, Hyathis is outproducing us. The only question was whether we wait until she's being forced to occupy the worlds of her rivals or assault her as soon as we were ready."

Click to shrink...

Doing the former means her forces would be weaker, but she'd have the forces of the Antares system available. The latter, they might be able to gain an alliance with the other worlds of Antares.

"You're going to occupy Alstair? Is that why so many auxiliaries have been recruited?"

"'Occupy Alstair'? When every grain of pollen would be against us? No, Alstair will burn. The occupation force is for the system's other planets."

Click to shrink...

Ah, I bet the Dhorians and their friends got upset when they realised that.

"If you're in favour of it-."

"My preferred strategy is to wait. Occupying the other worlds will be easier once they've endured Alstairian occupation for a while. And I certainly will not do the will of people who took control of me."

Click to shrink...

The trick being the timing of their attack. Too soon and Alstair won't be worn down by an occupation. Too late and the occupied forces will serve under Alstair...

"You melted an airbase."

"Unfortunate as that is, having an agent with my access privileges under enemy control risks far more."

Click to shrink...

True, same reason he couldn't trust agents to make contact, I suppose.

"This ship?"

"The Antares stellar nations capture damaged ships from one another all the time. Getting it here wasn't all that hard. I just marked it as 'research materials' and then moved it using its own drive. I had access; I could classify the sensors scans." He looks around. "I doubt that we'll learn anything, but I'll suggest to my successor that they take it apart. It will be a good training exercise, if nothing else."

Click to shrink...

That explains all that, at least.

"So what happens now?"

"We may be a martial people, but a wartime level of preparedness isn't something we can sustain indefinitely. I'll need to review the situation in Antares-. Or rather, my successor will, and then advise the High Mor."

Click to shrink...

He's assuming he'll be 'retired' before long, isn't he? To be fair, he did get mind-controlled by an enemy power. He's lost all credibility and trustworthiness.

"Dhoria?"

"We'll have to kill the people who attacked me, but otherwise? I can't fault them for trying to survive. Not that it will be my decision."

Click to shrink...

And for all we know,his replacement will be much more of a warhawk.

I nod. As false flags go, not a bad setup. Persuading someone to do something they were inclined to do anyway-.

"And what about us?"

Click to shrink...

It just took the right move in the right place. Not the first time we've seen that in human history either.

"If I'm asked, I will suggest that the High Mor give you some of our older aero-shuttles as compensation. I'm sure that they'd be useful to you given your world's current difficulties. Now, if you wouldn't mind calling in the Crows? I doubt that their interrogation will be as gentle as yours and I'd rather get it done as quickly as possible."

Click to shrink...

At least he's sanguine about the incoming torture.

Well, this is a frustrating little situation. Thanagar and Alstair will be going to war, it seems. Just a matter of who throws the first punch, and who gets hit by the splash damage. Thanagar's war machine is already spinning up to speed, so there's no real way to stop it, only slow its advance or nudge its aim...

 

[BR549]

Thanagar's war machine is already spinning up to speed, so there's no real way to stop it, only slow its advance or nudge its aim...

Click to shrink...

Once you've mobilized a war machine, there will be, inevitably, a cause to use it...

 

[Mr Zoat]

It just took the right nude in the right place. Not the first time we've seen that in human history either.

Click to shrink...

Truer words never spoken.

 

[Duke Long]

"The Antares stellar nations capture damaged ships from one another all the time. Getting it here wasn't all that hard. I just marked it as 'research materials' and then moved it using its own drive. I had access; I could classify the sensors scans." He looks around. "I doubt that we'll learn anything, but I'll suggest to my successor that they take it apart. It will be a good training exercise, if nothing else."

Click to shrink...

'sensor'?
or
'sensors''?

Pretty cool plot the Dhorians came up with. And these controlling gongs are also quite impressive. I wonder how they can tell that an action advances the plot. Clearly they aren't perfect if Andar was able to trick it like he did.

 

[Vaermina]

7th September 2013
23:34 GMT

Click to shrink...

Orange Lantern really needs to take a moment to clean up the Hyathis mess he made.

 

[Alan975]

Orange Lantern really needs to take a moment to clean up the Hyathis mess he made.

Click to shrink...

Eh, by that metric he'd have to keep tab on every world hes done anything on.
Right now, the only reason im seeing to not let Thanagar get run over is because some chats by the water fountain will get a bit mace-swingy.

What he has done 'wrong' is politely allow the pretense of neutrality to hold. Compare that to some of the groups hes been friendly with and it won't even be blip on the radar.

Personally, I'd really just like for there to be no more Thanagar, the entire place is such a bore that even political intrigue doesn't do it for me.

 

[Chaoswind]

Its hyathis genocidal? Her previous interaction with Paul and the fact she has meat subjects that aren't slaves points towards a fairly benevolent force in the Galaxy.

Also I thought the advantage Alistair got thanks to the computer technology Paul traded with them was offset by the damage "the green" overall took thanks to Darkseids meat puppet? Was the attack on the universal green something that had unintended consequences on the three known plant based civilizations? Are they more genocidal after Darkseid attempted to subvert the entire green? I wonder if the contact has made them more predisposed to violence or tyranical conquest.

 

[Darko]

preventing Thanagar being manipulated by my domitor."

Click to shrink...

"from being"

Its hyathis genocidal? Her previous interaction with Paul and the fact she has meat subjects that aren't slaves points towards a fairly benevolent force in the Galaxy.

Also I thought the advantage Alistair got thanks to the computer technology Paul traded with them was offset by the damage "the green" overall took thanks to Darkseids meat puppet? Was the attack on the universal green something that had unintended consequences on the three known plant based civilizations? Are they more genocidal after Darkseid attempted to subvert the entire green? I wonder if the contact has made them more predisposed to violence or tyranical conquest.

Click to shrink...

I think only Earth's Green was attacked.

Heck, Alistair may not have an equivalent in this universe.