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

[Mr Zoat]

it's (or "it is")

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Thank you, corrected.

Huh. Jack Chance's gun was mass-produced by the Reach, and everyone was worried that the OLC would lose its quality advantage. But in the most recent updates on the war, we always get 'and there's nothing the Reach does that actually matters against OLC in a fight.' And now Paul is worried that the crystals are a silver bullet.

I know the Reach built that super-fleet of ships with gravity manipulation/teleportation, as well as jammed-on anti-construct guns. Paul won against it, but…

I dunno. Did they figure out a counter for the guns? Is every OL just, in a fight against a scarab, relying on their ring AI to auto-transition them if they use that gun, like when Paul fights a Kryptonian like that last from the JSI? And do the crystals have a much wider radius of effect or something?


Also, it's hilarious that Jordan still isn't wearing armor. After the anti life, after the Sheeda, after saying he'd have to get armor because the reach was planning on infesting GLC space with those guns. He really is gods dumbest, most stubborn soldier, huh?

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Are you talking about crumbler ammunition? If I gave it to the Reach then I've forgotten, but the technique that the SI and Guy developed for ablative constructs is now used by most of the Orange Lantern Corps and it's a decent counter.

 

[Ngamer11]

Are you talking about crumbler ammunition? If I gave it to the Reach then I've forgotten, but the technique that the SI and Guy developed for ablative constructs is now used by most of the Orange Lantern Corps and it's a decent counter.

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I think it was something else, like the weapon of the Black Hand. Might be something else.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Spoiler: Last third of planning this update

"They're got gravity shields. I could probably damage them eventually-."

"Could you-? Work out the frequency of their shields if you shot them long enough?"

"The frequency?"

"Yeah."

"Of… Gravity shields?"

"Yeah. What, wrong word?"

"Didn't you.. study physics for-?"

"I'm a pilot. I studied aeronautics. You wanna talk about drag coefficients, I'm your guy. You wanna talk about black hole guns, I'll go get Atom."

"It's more likely that I'll lock them on blocking my singularity beam, which would mean that they couldn't deflect the missile. That still leaves point defences, assumes that the ships can't cover each other with their gravity shields, and that we can actually hit them."

"Got a way around that?"

"Don't use missiles. Use ballistic projectiles with warheads. With the three of us firing, we can cover enough of their potential location volume to be confident of hitting-."

"Lantern Gaart, you know how to make a railgun construct?"

"No, sir."

"That doesn't matter."

"If it's just the two of us-."

"Grand Admiral Thrawn taught me that if they can't track the projectiles, they have to assume that each observed firing is a real firing."

He frowns at the name, but he gets it. "So he just pretends to fire a bunch of times, and they'll have to evade."

"Or fire along the projectile's calculated approach vector. Depends how good they are."

"Can you shoot these things and fire the black hole gun at the same time?"

"Why would I need to? They're going to be ballistic."

"So fire them, wait until they're about to arrive and then shoot the ships?"

"Yep."

"Okay, it's a plan." He claps his hands together. "Let's get to work."

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Spoiler: 5th World

Does everyone recall the think tank of skilled individuals who put together the cure-tech patches which blocked Klarion's mind control? Well, The Light's mind control? The think tank had a telepathic connection going which vastly improved their coordination.

Obviously this chapter's plan demonstrates that a participant does not need to understand all of the physics or engineering involved in order to participate in the execution step. Consider how difficult this pickle would be for heroes other than this Paul though! He's a practically renaissance man of obstacle-nullifying because his ring's AI and his vast bag of tools. How many non-lantern characters have a real path to resolving a threat like this? Very few! But some of the necessary know-how might help bridge the gap.

The chance to summon up a connection to linked experts in physics, magic, or whatever... Seems like it could act as a potential to return to one of Paragon!Paul's favorite strategies at the start of With This Ring:

Phone a Friend.
It is a way to massively support weaker actors that may wind up assisting in the eventual Brother Eye/Batman assault, yes? Heck, Kid Flash is going to have to train up alchemist-biochemists to make his mark on the world. With that team linked up to aid a hero with limited experience, said hero should be able to spend more time supporting civilIans or fighting criminals. Meanwhile Arnold Munro's genetics team, with the right crisis or contract, could be linked to assist in a very different category of threat.

What I'm getting at, is that Paragon's earth has the potential to reach a greater state than Apokalips or New Genesis by using their mundane humans in a novel way, rather than repeating Apokalips' lowly caste system like Batman aims to. This probably has unique benefits that an Earth conquered by Renegade-Paul (Grayven) will miss out on.

Anyway. Consent is important, Bruceman. You're gonna make Robin into something that will end with you despising yourself, man. You're going to lose because you've given up lateral thinking to reach your goal(s) faster.

 

[Ardy]

Thank you, corrected.

Are you talking about crumbler ammunition? If I gave it to the Reach then I've forgotten, but the technique that the SI and Guy developed for ablative constructs is now used by most of the Orange Lantern Corps and it's a decent counter.

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It was the anti construct guns that weakened constructs, brought by the free lancers from earth and sold to the reach irl years ago, months ago at least in the war in story. No crumblers for the reach yet tho

 

[WereDragon]

But with an anti-construct silver bullet…

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Paul is going to be so vexed if he sends his report about this and five minutes later Controller Granny patches out the vulnerability.

It was the anti construct guns that weakened constructs, brought by the free lancers from earth and sold to the reach irl years ago, months ago at least in the war in story. No crumblers for the reach yet tho

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For details see Negetiations and Onslaught

 

[BlackCoat13]

If this anti-construct crystal stuff is only found on this planet, destroy the planet! Seriously this shit is way to dangerous to let anyone have, and the fucking Apocalyptians know about it? Are already using it? Yeah, it's gotta go. Even the Guardians would say it's the right call.

 

[Neruz]

If this anti-construct crystal stuff is only found on this planet, destroy the planet! Seriously this shit is way to dangerous to let anyone have, and the fucking Apocalyptians know about it? Are already using it? Yeah, it's gotta go. Even the Guardians would say it's the right call.

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While Yellow Element is one of the rarest materials in the galaxy, it probably can be found elsewhere as well: If nothing else in the Green Lantern animated series it can be found naturally on a Class G Planet in the Forgotten Zone, where jellyfish people mine it for food.

 

[Silveraith]

"They're got gravity shields. I could probably damage them eventually-."

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They've got or They have.

 

[Mr Zoat]

They've got or They have.

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Darko]

Ah yes, because leaving bodies around worked out so well for you last time.

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Yes, it did work out quite well.

Seeing as he was destroyed with qwa matter, and had to use a clone body after his original was completely destroyed.

 

[hkim]

"Probably, but if so, Legion's saving them for a major Reach target."

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LEGION is usually capitalized, isn't it?

 

[Mr Zoat]

LEGION is usually capitalized, isn't it?

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I've written it a couple of different ways. I'll change it.

 

[boo600]

Specifically:

Ah… I don't think so. They used combat robots but they weren't anything special." He frowns. "Oh, and Chance had a gun that can drain the energy out of constructs."

Juah-!

"That's somewhat significant, Lantern Jordan."

"Sure, but you've been destroying constructs with those crumbler things for over a year now."

"Yes, but the Reach doesn't know how to make them. If the Free Lancers shared that technology… We've got to go on the offensive right away. We can't let them work out how to work it into their strategies." I exhale somewhat sharply. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"Ahh… No, I don't think-. Look, I'm sorry. I've run into so much weird technology that it didn't really stand out at the time, and this was.. years ago."

"Don't worry about us, worry about you." He frowns, puzzled. "The peace with the Reach was never going to be a permanent thing. The Reach now has the design for shutting down-. Can you just send me the file?"

"Yeah, sure. Why exactly should I be worried?"

"Peace between the Green Lantern Corps and the Reach can't last. But they aren't just going to declare war on you one day, or try sending Scarab Warriors after isolated Lanterns. They're going to sell the technology to anyone who wants it. Below cost. For now they're going to be focusing on retrofitting their ships to fight us, but once they've got the production line set up they're going to make sure that every space capable enemy your Corps ever fights has one."

"And you're sure our treaty doesn't cover that?"

"The wording of your treaty has been studied by the Controllers at length. If they don't use it themselves, there's nothing stopping them selling to whoever they want. You can arrest weapon merchants who sell in violation of local law, but there's nothing that would trigger a war in there."

He clenches his jaw. "God damn. I guess I'm going to have to start wearing armour after all."

"And not before time, but that's not all. Did you ever copy Guy and start using that Halla stun pistol thing? Because you can dodge to save your environmental shield, but any ship with decent flak can shoot out your offensive constructs."

"This is a whole can of worms…" He sighs. "I'll send you the recording, but I'm going to need to talk to the Guardians about… Everything."

"Tell Earth's other Lanterns first. Alan needs to get over his aversion to armour. Maybe Dame Carol can give you all some pointers. Or you can wait for me to come back, but I.. think I'm going to be here for a while."

"Do they know where Earth is?"

"Not as far as I know. But between me and that fleet there's a trail. I mean, the way I normally move isn't easy to trace and the fleet took reasonable precautions, but…"

"Great. Great."

"N.E.M.O. has very effective anti-infiltration strategies if you want a look. And that L.E.G.I.O.N. fleet hanging around two eight one four has an unlimited licence to hunt down and kill anything associated with the Reach, so if a Reach 'trade' mission does turn up you can just clue them in and then turn around."

"Right. I'll get on that. Jordan out."

His face vanishes.

And I scream, very quietly.

"Aaaaaaaaggghh…"

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Ring, mess… Message to Clarissi Dox. I can't-. I need to confirm this is actually happening before going crazy-. Oh, there's Jordan's file of Chance shooting him in the middle of a Lantern versus Lantern fight and shutting his ring down. Yes, thank you Jordan, that would have been helpful to know.

Message… Ah, 'new information from Lantern Jordan indicates that the Reach may be deploying a highly effective anti-construct weapon, recommend all Lanterns move to fully sealed armour, more information to follow'. Send.

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One shot can shut down a power ring outright, and at significant range. They can also shoot down constructs, and built a fleet based around that + gravity ships.

Paul won, but it was clear the Reach would be making it lethal to be a green lantern, without any way to really stop them. I did wonder why that plotting wasn't being revisited - newbie GLs being escorted (or dying in unprecedented numbers), mention of Guy and the others being unavailable because of training/the galaxy being on fire as pirates become GL proof en masse, descriptions of their armor (well, we got some of that with the Sheeda).

And it was never really given a reason to be dealt with? And Dox agreed their advantage was about to disappear… but then we have Paul (post anti-life, I think) going 'nothing they have can match us.' I thought that might be because of Xalitan and those like him, or an off-screen countermeasure because you got bored of the Reach as villains.

I suppose that could still be the case? It can't be that Krona's bullshit patched the issue, because this was post-Krona. But perhaps Jevek's nonsense patched it retroactively, by accident?