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

[NightmareWarden]

This Paul (Babylon 5 Paul) might have had a rather different run of things if he'd given the masked superhero experience a try. Being open his heroism and willingness to intervene, but cagy about his identity.

Most of the Pauls with a secret identity don't really have a private life though, hmm? There's the Leprechaun (Guardian) Paul-Knight from the Roswell cartoon, there's Suicide Squad angel Paul (involuntarily), uh... Gold Ring Paul COULD have a secret identity since he doesn't need to use the antithesis ring's "slave name" anymore, but his face would be somewhat public knowledge.

Uhh, it's hard to recall any other Pauls with secret identities.

 

[BR549]

Yeah, giving Delenn the full details of the project that produced Ironheart is going to be a nasty surprise for Psi Corps in the future, because you know that once Sheridan arrives and he and Delenn get together, he's going to know about it, and the last word you use to describe Captain John Sheridan is 'subtle'. Unless prefixed with 'emphatically not'.

Meanwhile in the more immediate future Mayan is going to get an absolute earful from Delenn...

 

[Vaermina]

Her eyes harden and her presses her ring-. And suddenly I weigh a good deal more.

I adopt a meditative pose and float into the air. And then I wait patiently.

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Oof... He doesn't have his ring set to auto block/dodge gravity weapons? He's very lucky Delenn only went for minimal power there.

I'm not sure Kosh really understands what the Ring is and can do, either. But it's the way of the Elder races to play mysterious...

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He sat in front of a Vorlon dreadnaught for several minutes and was scientifically examined by an actual Vorlon, they would have complete scans of the rings internal mechanisms.

Heck, they might have even pulled a reverse Orange Lantern and ripped a copy of its database and AI.

 

[Tzeentch]

"You do not understand the power which you wield."

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A phrase usually stated by people who tend to become a victim of said power at some point.

Talkative Vorlon Orange Ghost-Construct GET!

 

[teikan]

Hey Paul!" Eris waves as she heads in our direction

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I got the impression that she was avoiding him out of shame about the situation with the angels.

You want to carve my brain out of my skull!"

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I am for carnage!

"…obviously not going to work, but at least it will be over."

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From a narrative standpoint, it's a shame she agreed to have her memory erased.

I hear the cry of a bald eagle, and

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It would be funny if they emphasized that this is actually the bird's real cry, not the one Americans always use.

It's a shame the lantern never became American in this arc. Just imagine everyone's reaction to him eating a burger, applying for US citizenship, and changing his glow from orange to the US flag.

 

[Darko]

Gold Ring Paul COULD have a secret identity since he doesn't need to use the antithesis ring's "slave name" anymore, but his face would be somewhat public knowledge.

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Not necessarily.

He seems to have mostly focused on the League of Shadows, who he usually killed, and his only two public appearances were when he stopped those supervillains from rampaging and when he stopped some assassins, so his actual appearance may still be a mystery.

Oof... He doesn't have his ring set to auto block/dodge gravity weapons? He's very lucky Delenn only went for minimal power there.

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You do know that power rings are absurdly powerful enough that what Delenn did, even at full power, wouldn't strain the thing?

He sat in front of a Vorlon dreadnaught for several minutes and was scientifically examined by an actual Vorlon, they would have complete scans of the rings internal mechanisms.

Heck, they might have even pulled a reverse Orange Lantern and ripped a copy of its database and AI.

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Except the Maltusians aren't primitives that make it easy for others to scan their tech, so the most the Vorlons may just know is that it's a psychic weapon, but not the finer details.

 

[RichardWhereat]

If a poster posts in a forum, and no one reads it, did they really post at all?

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Yes, because I saw it before he deleted it.

 

[Ardy]

Planetary shields do indeed exist, but they require a lot of infrastructure that Earth doesn't have, and... It would be like building a force field which blocked ultraviolet light in a country that was undergoing a famine. It's not that it's not useful, it's that you've got more urgent things to deal with.

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Then it's a good thing he hasn't done something fucking stupid like tell the reach all about how interesting his home world is and also what it's called, that would be insane to let the reach, which he's acknowledged multiple times can get through the periphery to wherever they damn well please, know about earth when they want to destroy it rather than attack another yellow lantern like he already did to get Batman's ring in the first place

 

[Mr Zoat]

Then it's a good thing he hasn't done something fucking stupid like tell the reach all about how interesting his home world is and also what it's called, that would be insane to let the reach, which he's acknowledged multiple times can get through the periphery to wherever they damn well please, know about earth when they want to destroy it rather than attack another yellow lantern like he already did to get Batman's ring in the first place

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Do you think that the Reach has a list of every planet in the universe, with the names the natives call it?

 

[Ardy]

Do you think that the Reach has a list of every planet in the universe, with the names the natives call it?

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When they've done business with the free lancers, who have been to earth and auction info to the highest bidder? Yes.

Edit: not to mention Grayven's presentation from a few chapters ago, where he noted its easier to find places the reach haven't sent negotiators/scouts in galaxy than where they have

 

[Jankl]

Then it's a good thing he hasn't done something fucking stupid like tell the reach all about how interesting his home world is and also what it's called,

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Would that even matter? At this point OL has his lantern corps to destroy any reach fleet they dares approach the Earth. It would be tantamount to suicide for them. He is actively at war with them after all.

 

[Ardy]

Would that even matter? At this point OL has his lantern corps to destroy any reach fleet they dares approach the Earth. It would be tantamount to suicide for them. He is actively at war with them after all.

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So you're saying that the there's already a NEMO fleet waiting to protect Earth from a reach fleet? Because there isn't, he sent the only fleet nearby home a while ago. Earth is effectively defenseless to the Reach barring lanterns and superheroes. The most he could do was, when the reach finally do show up, teleport back to NEMO high command and hope they have a fleet all warded up and ready to go so he could teleport them back in time for the, at best, second salvo of orbital bombardment of population centers. Which could be the same protocol for dealing with a yellow lantern invasion, but it wouldn't because while it would fuck up the reconstruction a bit allegedly (since food and transport links are already up and running to a non-everyone dies degree, as established multiple times so far) they already have a dozen lanterns and high end superheroes available to defend it from yet ANOTHER yellow lantern(s) attack.

Sinestro has attacked earth plenty of times before when going after Jordan, and, I hate to restate this, Paul has ALREADY KILLED a yellow lantern and stolen her ring.

 

[Valint]

"You do not understand the power which you wield."

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I wonder how much Kosh is able to sense about the power Paul is wielding. An avarice-fueled ring feels pretty squarely in "What do you want?" territory vs. "Who are you?"

Ironically for Paul's preferred fiction as to the source of his ring, the Controllers are a reasonable philosophical match for (non-Kosh) Vorlons, given they're both isolationists who are heavily on the Order side of the spectrum (with themselves naturally making the rules) and both have their preferred method of dealing with things they decide as Evil being 'burn it all (and maybe everything around it just in case)'.

 

[Darko]

So you're saying that the there's already a NEMO fleet waiting to protect Earth from a reach fleet? Because there isn't, he sent the only fleet nearby home a while ago. Earth is effectively defenseless to the Reach barring lanterns and superheroes. The most he could do was, when the reach finally do show up, teleport back to NEMO high command and hope they have a fleet all warded up and ready to go so he could teleport them back in time for the, at best, second salvo of orbital bombardment of population centers. Which could be the same protocol for dealing with a yellow lantern invasion, but it wouldn't because while it would fuck up the reconstruction a bit allegedly (since food and transport links are already up and running to a non-everyone dies degree, as established multiple times so far) they already have a dozen lanterns and high end superheroes available to defend it from yet ANOTHER yellow lantern(s) attack.

Sinestro has attacked earth plenty of times before when going after Jordan, and, I hate to restate this, Paul has ALREADY KILLED a yellow lantern and stolen her ring.

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Honestly there may not be a Watsonian reason for why Paul hasn't dealt with Sinestro.

The one that would make the most sense is that the Reach can't just attack Earth due to their treaty with the GLC, while Sinesteo has no such restriction.

 

[Mr Zoat]

So you're saying that the there's already a NEMO fleet waiting to protect Earth from a reach fleet? Because there isn't, he sent the only fleet nearby home a while ago. Earth is effectively defenseless to the Reach barring lanterns and superheroes. The most he could do was, when the reach finally do show up, teleport back to NEMO high command and hope they have a fleet all warded up and ready to go so he could teleport them back in time for the, at best, second salvo of orbital bombardment of population centers. Which could be the same protocol for dealing with a yellow lantern invasion, but it wouldn't because while it would fuck up the reconstruction a bit allegedly (since food and transport links are already up and running to a non-everyone dies degree, as established multiple times so far) they already have a dozen lanterns and high end superheroes available to defend it from yet ANOTHER yellow lantern(s) attack.

Sinestro has attacked earth plenty of times before when going after Jordan, and, I hate to restate this, Paul has ALREADY KILLED a yellow lantern and stolen her ring.

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Firstly, the Reach can't actually move an entire fleet across the galaxy that easily. They're on the other side of the galaxy. Lantern faster than light travel can be very fast, but you'll not that the SI still usually steps out when he needs to visit Maltus? It would take far longer for the Reach.
Secondly, if they did, every power (including the Green Lantern Corps) not currently involved in the war would get involved. They might do it anyway, except:
Thirdly, Earth isn't actually helping the war in any significant way. It would literally just be to spite the SI
Fourthly, Earth actually has interdiction fields now, and the Reach don't have a way to bypass those. Their fleet would arrive far outside of the Oort cloud, and effectively be sitting there while the locals scramble. It wouldn't be a great situation to be in, defensively speaking, but it's manageable.

 

[Ardy]

Firstly, the Reach can't actually move an entire fleet across the galaxy that easily. They're on the other side of the galaxy. Lantern faster than light travel can be very fast, but you'll not that the SI still usually steps out when he needs to visit Maltus? It would take far longer for the Reach.
Secondly, if they did, every power (including the Green Lantern Corps) not currently involved in the war would get involved. They might do it anyway, except:
Thirdly, Earth isn't actually helping the war in any significant way. It would literally just be to spite the SI
Fourthly, Earth actually has interdiction fields now, and the Reach don't have a way to bypass those. Their fleet would arrive far outside of the Oort cloud, and effectively be sitting there while the locals scramble. It wouldn't be a great situation to be in, defensively speaking, but it's manageable.

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Unless they figure out the bypass that the yellow lanterns are planning, since THEY are already persona non grata to the GL corps and it has accomplished nothing, have been for years. The risk of the sane and accomplished gigantic mass murderers or a small number of powerful lunatics, there's no reason why he should be afraid of the latter when everyone would just praise him for beating someone Jordan's already beaten

 

[Vaermina]

You do know that power rings are absurdly powerful enough that what Delenn did, even at full power, wouldn't strain the thing?

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Which is why he should have had it set to auto-respond instead of letting him get hit by the effect and then compensating for it.

Except the Maltusians aren't primitives that make it easy for others to scan their tech, so the most the Vorlons may just know is that it's a psychic weapon, but not the finer details.

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Feel free to show anything from this story showing the Maltusians put those sorts of defensive measures into their rings.

 

[Darko]

Feel free to show anything from this story showing the Maltusians put those sorts of defensive measures into their rings.

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The fact that despite the rings being around for a long time, less than a handful non-Maltusians have been able to actually create their own rings.

Now please provide proof that Vorlons can copy the tech of a more advanced race from a scan that lasted less than a minute.

 

[Vaermina]

The fact that despite the rings being around for a long time, less than a handful non-Maltusians have been able to actually create their own rings.

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You do recall that Zoat's story has actually explained why Power Rings are so hard to make?

And that it's not the mechanisms that make them hard to reproduce, it's the material.

Which I will admit the Vorlon's don't have, and probably can't create since it's dependent on the specific metaphysical laws of the DC multiverse.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Did anyone read Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps? I'm trying to remember the name of a Sinestro Corpsman who, upon hearing a Green Lantern call them a bunch of murderers and criminals, claims that he's never committed a crime in his life. I've been trying to find the page that I saw him on and I can't find it.

 

[Sockmonkey]

Wouldn't cracking down on yellows be a priority for the greens? Sinestro is on their most wanted list after all.

 

[Darko]

Wouldn't cracking down on yellows be a priority for the greens? Sinestro is on their most wanted list after all.

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They probably are tracking him down.

The problem is that the galaxy is a big place and Sinestro knows how the GLC operates, so he can hide from them.

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st April 2258
19:28 G.M.T.

I smile as people duck into side corridors rather than come too close to the 'vorlon' in front of me.

"I can barely see where I'm going."

"Just bear with it."

Because vorlon-style encounter suits aren't hard to make, and absolutely no one is going to stop a vorlon going wherever it wants. But nothing about being a non-telepathic telepath who's been working as a teacher really prepares you for carrying a big lump of armour plating on your shoulders and navigating by periscope.

Alright, we're close, and-.

"Mister Underwood!"

We both stop, I turn, and-.

"Commander Sinclair." Mr. Ironheart rotates his periscope-head as best he can as I step towards the Commander to head him off. I created a variation on Ambassador Kosh's outfit for him, but I imagine that the commander has met more than a few vorlons and I don't really want him to get too close a look at my work. "What can I do for you?"

He looks at Mr. Ironheart's mobile bird hide. "I hadn't realised there were any other vorlons on the station."

"Narvethk was curious about how a human managed to live two hundred years. He's planning on heading to minbar next."

Fortunately, I know that the one vorlon on the station isn't exactly chatty, so hopefully the fact that he isn't talking won't seem that odd.

"Well… Mister Narvethk, I hope that you enjoy your stay on Babylon Five."

…

"Yes."

I think that probably sounded vorlon enough. Glad I put the voice changer in there.

"Mister Underwood, I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk."

"Ah. Now?"

Commander Sinclair nods, smiling the most sincere fake smile I've seen today. "If it's not too much trouble."

Ah… I turn back to Mr. Ironheart. "Are you going to be alright finding your way to Ambassador Delenn's quarters?"

Mr. Ironheart points the periscope head my way and pointedly narrows the aperture.

I raise my right arm and point down the corridor. "That way to the end, then turn right. It's the second door."

The periscope turns back around, and he starts slowly walking in the direction I indicated.

Ah… I'll catch up with him in a moment. "So what do you want to talk about, Commander?"

He smiles invitingly. "How was Minbar?"

"Ah, a bit overwhelming, honestly." I shake my head. "I'd have been lost without Mayan. The food wasn't as weird as I thought it would be… The people staring at me and wondering why I was there was… Off-putting, though Mayan's getting it much worse on Earth."

He nods, looking empathically concerned. "She can't have expected a warm reception."

I sigh. "I think she did, actually. I'm not sure I understand why. Minbari don't appear to expect to have any real input in how their government works she was a religious caste poet and just… Doesn't see the War as something she had any involvement in. But goodness me some of the Home Guard people I've run into make me weep for the future of our species."

"I've had a few run-ins with them myself. How popular are they back home?"

"I.. don't know. They can usually put a demonstration together wherever Mayan does a lecture, but they could just be bussing protestors around. I… Don't think the government would build five Babylon stations if there was a majority in favour of… Whatever it is they actually want. Spending that much money on something not related to defence after a major war couldn't have been popular anyway."

"I like to think we've proven our worth."

"Oh, getting representatives of different polities together regularly to prevent problems getting out of hand is clearly a good idea, it's just… I have to admit, I… I sort of assumed that by this point in history, this sort of negotiation would have been handled over some sort of… Space radio... Telepresence.. thing? Building a space station in the middle of nowhere seems… A lot of work for little extra return?"

"This isn't just about the council meetings. We also all put on events so that we can learn more about one another's cultures."

I shrug. "I suppose that building up a personal rapport between representatives could be helpful. I've only been here a year, there are probably plenty of things I'm missing."

"You really.. think you were in suspended animation for two hundred years?"

"No. No, that's clearly nonsense. I'd have noticed a cryogenic pod… Or whatever actually gets used for suspending animation… When I woke up, and there wasn't one. And also I was able to read my own obituary."

"Your family thought you were dead?"

"Oh no." I shake my head. "They had a body. I kept most of my hair, which I suppose is nice. Eighty-nine isn't too bad."

He frowns. "How did they have a body?"

"Cloning, parallel universe…" I throw up my arms in bewilderment. "I don't know. I don't think I'm him, because he died and I'm still alive, but I can't really explain… That."

"That… Ah…"

"No, I wouldn't believe me either." I fabricate a data crystal in my pocket, pull it out and hand it to him. "Feel free to confirm it with Earth records. My life really doesn't make sense."

"I'll…" He takes the crystal. "I'll do that. And you don't have… Any idea? Was there some kind of laboratory on the planet you woke up on?"

"No, not that I saw. And why would anyone clone me? I wasn't anyone important. And that wouldn't give me my old memories; I died long before telepaths started appearing on Earth. My memories could be fake, but they're too detailed. I've checked: writing things that I think are in a film or television program down before watching it, and then getting someone to check the list against what happened… They're accurate. It makes no damn sense, but here I am anyway."

"Did you get a genetic comparison done between yourself and your alter ego's remains?"

"What remains? I wasn't religious: I was cremated. And while I could track my sister's descendants down, after this many generations there wouldn't by much similarity between us. Ah." I smile, bowing my head for a moment. "But I doubt this is what you wanted to talk to me about. Is it about Miss Alexander? Because Psi Corps have been on at me about that."

"Not unless you have anything you want to tell me." I shake my head. "Then it's more… Have you heard of 'death of personality'?"

I nod. "Yes, it's how you not-execute people here in the future."

"And what do you..? Think about it?"

"I mean, it's… Nice that you use telepaths to double-check jury decisions. Though I don't see why you don't just use telepaths in the first place. Uh. And since you're erasing a person's personal memories, it's basically the same as execution, but then you've got to do a whole lot of extra work to find something to do with the resulting new person…" I shrug. "I don't really get it, but then I didn't live through the history which led people to decide it was a sensible thing to do."

"I was wondering if something like that might have happened to you."

"Uh. I don't think so. They-. People who've gone through that don't have any interest in their past life, whereas I do. I haven't found any records of anyone sharing my physical appearance, so I don't think anyone could have been turned into me. Have you..? Looked into it? Because I'd rather have a hard truth than an easy lie."

"No, and I did send a request for any relevant information to the Ministry of Justice. Though that would only cover a death of personality carried out as part of a judicial process."

I nod. "And if someone else had gotten hold of the technology, they wouldn't have any information. Well. This is who I am now, so… I don't think I'll waste time chasing after the chance. Thank you for letting me know."

 

[Signaller]

Eighty-nine isn't too bad.

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So another 50-55 years of daily chapters (approx 20,500)? Excellent!

 

[Darko]

The people staring at me and wondering why I was there was… Off-putting, though Mayan's getting it much worse on Earth."

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With you they could have at least thought you were a Centauri.

If they knew you were human, then you may have experienced similar treatment to Mayan.

Minbari don't appear to expect to have any real input in how their government works she was a religious caste poet and just

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"works. She was"

"Oh, getting representatives of different polities together regularly to prevent problems getting out of hand is clearly a good idea, it's just… I have to admit, I… I sort of assumed that by this point in history, this sort of negotiation would have been handled over some sort of… Space radio... Telepresence.. thing? Building a space station in the middle of nowhere seems… A lot of work for little extra return

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It's also about learning to live together and cooperate.

Video calls may not be sufficient for that.

"I mean, it's… Nice that you use telepaths to double-check jury decisions. Though I don't see why you don't just use telepaths in the first place

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Mistrust of telepaths.

Though in this case there may also involve practical reasons that don't involve bigotry.

Other forensic methods can be replicated by practically anyone, but telepathy isn't a learned skill.

 

[Signaller]

Also, given that MU's original name is unthinkable, how did he get the records? Eg ask the ring about the sister then work backwards to all relations and get a summary?

 

[Darko]

Also, given that MU's original name is unthinkable, how did he get the records? Eg ask the ring about the sister then work backwards to all relations and get a summary?

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He might not be able to even think about his own name, but he can remember the names of his parents, siblings and other relatives.

He could have easily asked the ring to search for individuals named a certain name, born on a certain day, married a certain person on a certain day, etc.

 

[Irked]

Also, given that MU's original name is unthinkable, how did he get the records? Eg ask the ring about the sister then work backwards to all relations and get a summary?

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It's not technically unthinkable it's just that he can't think or say his own name without blacking out, and if a Telepath is scanning him when he does it then they get hit by the same effect when he's suffering it.

 

[BR549]

"Oh, getting representatives of different polities together regularly to prevent problems getting out of hand is clearly a good idea, it's just… I have to admit, I… I sort of assumed that by this point in history, this sort of negotiation would have been handled over some sort of… Space radio... Telepresence.. thing? Building a space station in the middle of nowhere seems… A lot of work for little extra return?"

"This isn't just about the council meetings. We also all put on events so that we can learn more about one another's cultures."

I shrug. "I suppose that building up a personal rapport between representatives could be helpful. I've only been here a year, there are probably plenty of things I'm missing."

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Out of universe, of course, the reason was that B5 predates (by only a few years...) the Internet and the subsequent boom in connectivity and communication. People meeting in person for everything of any importance was still simply the Done Thing.

In universe, naturally, it's as Sinclair says here - the point is to be a melting pot where people from every culture can actually meet and interact, which is a very, very important thing. No G.I.F.T. when you're talking face to face...

Mistrust of telepaths.

Though in this case there may also involve practical reasons that don't involve bigotry.

Other forensic methods can be replicated by practically anyone, but telepathy isn't a learned skill.

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There's also the fact that if they can use a telepath to determine your guilt what's to say they couldn't decide to use telepaths to determine who's guilty of precrime, and then you're suddenly living in Minority Report.

Also, given that MU's original name is unthinkable, how did he get the records? Eg ask the ring about the sister then work backwards to all relations and get a summary?

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He can use the ring to make a construct business card with his name on it. Paragon has done exactly that on multiple occasions.

 

[Vaermina]

Because vorlon-style encounter suits aren't hard to make, and absolutely no one is going to stop a vorlon going wherever it wants. But nothing about being a non-telepathic telepath who's been working as a teacher really prepares you for carrying a big lump of armour plating on your shoulders and navigating by periscope.

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This is very stupid given Matthew doesn't know what the Vorlon opinion on impersonators is.