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

Ardy · Friday at 11:15 PM

Darko said:
And people have willingly joined groups or ideologies that are unpopular or illegal, so Smiley being a bad figure is not a deal breaker for them.

No one joins the nazis after living in a concentration camp, and EVERYONE ON EARTH got hit with the anti-life.

If Smiley revealing himself would get him more converts/power/influence, then Smiley could do that himself, and since he doesn't, then that's not really a reason to assume it's a bad idea.

It doesn't matter if you have a skeleton in your closet or you want power, even sociopaths horribly suffered under the anti-life, and all but the insane would prefer to lose influence rather than go through it again.

You keep acting like this is a pre-anti life world, when it very much is not. It'll take a generation before people are willing to stop taking it seriously.

Darko · 2026-10-17T00:05:25+0100

Ardy said:
No one joins the nazis after living in a concentration camp, and EVERYONE ON EARTH got hit with the anti-life.

If Smiley revealing himself would get him more converts/power/influence, then Smiley could do that himself, and since he doesn't, then that's not really a reason to assume it's a bad idea.

It doesn't matter if you have a skeleton in your closet or you want power, even sociopaths horribly suffered under the anti-life, and all but the insane would prefer to lose influence rather than go through it again.

You keep acting like this is a pre-anti life world, when it very much is not. It'll take a generation before people are willing to stop taking it seriously.

People can move on from things surprisingly quickly.

It's stupid, but it's true.

And while Boss Smiley does have the ability to mind control people, his power is subtle enough and different compared to the crushing brutality of Anti-Life that most people are not likely to make the comparison.

As long as Smiley gives them power without destroying their minds, then they'll do what he wants.

Ct613hulu · 2026-10-17T01:59:27+0100

Boss Smiley could also justify cooperation with him by claiming (likely accurately) that he is an enemy of Darkseid. We still don't have much information on Boss Smiley's true nature of long term goals but what we do see appears to be in natural opposition to the absolute oppression of Darkseid. They are natural competitors for control over humanity.

BR549 · 2026-10-17T06:10:50+0100

NightmareWarden said:
not quite a Thanatos Gambit here, but Smiler is well positioned to set those up regularly.

Xanatos. Thanatos is the Greek god of death.

(Note that it took me far too long to catch on that the main conflict in Gargoyles is the battle of David and Goliath...)

Frozen20XX · 2026-10-17T07:04:29+0100

BR549 said:
(Note that it took me far too long to catch on that the main conflict in Gargoyles is the battle of David and Goliath...)

... Don't feel bad, I didn't make the connection until I just read your comment...

Mr Zoat · 2026-10-17T07:53:17+0100

Penal

16th October 2013
15:32 G.M.T. -5

Beautia looks up as I descend from the sky, a pair of heavy duty purple healing rays held on a construct loading crane. "Thanks, Paul. This is great."

I set them down on the helipad tarmac. "I'm just sorry we can't build them faster. Themyscira doesn't-."

"Doesn't have any manufacturing-" She nods to the hospital porters, and they carefully load the purple healing rays onto transport dollies. "-and KordTech is busy, I know. Frankly, I'm surprised-." She frowns, then gives me her full attention. "Has something happened in Washington recently?"

"Y-eah."

Her face relaxes slightly, trying to divine more information from me. "Is it something you can tell me about? I already heard about Senator Leahy. "

"Something like that. A lot of people in Washington found a good reason to be more agreeable and cooperative to League efforts. Why do you ask?"

She glances back at the hospital. "I wasn't exactly ready to publish my final report yet. With something like this we like to have good information on how the device affects everything, just in case there's some corner case adverse reaction. But we've officially gone from a regular study to a 'technically-we're-doing-a-study-but-in-practice-it's-a-full-roll-out' situation."

"Are there any reasons to go slower?"

"Yes. We don't know what the long term affects are on cancer rates. But… If what you're really asking is 'Is it worth doing anyway?'…" She nods confidently. "Yes. Definitely. I'm just surprised that we're getting an official go-ahead."

"As opposed to what?"

"I.. guess the.. Justice League just telling us to do it? I'm still going to have to oversee the rollout, train the doctors and nurses, and… As you know, there's going to be a huge bottleneck when it comes to building them… We're not eliminating traumatic injuries worldwide just yet."

"Is there some reason not to celebrate that I'm not hearing?"

"I just got off the phone with LexCorp. They're fishing for a contract to supply us."

"Er… Certain unsubstantiated allegations aside, is there a reason to reject them? Surely we want as many purple healing rays in production as we can get?"

"He wants to provide them at cost."

"Oh no."

"It's a problem because-."

We're both nodding. "Because he must be making back the money somewhere, and if you can't work out where then you're being bamboozled."

She rubs her forehead. "He's wanted to get more involved in the arcane technology market since you opened it up. It could just be a way to build his brand reputation."

"It's not just that. The Justice League took over funding a lot of government projects when the banking sector collapsed. This will involve the League paying him, which I'm sure he'll find profoundly satisfying."

"Oh. I was surprised when my research grant kept getting paid. I just thought that maybe Mannheim didn't mess up anything fundamental."

"Technically, he didn't mess up the Federal Government. It's just all the bits that it's connected to." I take a moment to think. Mr. Luthor is handling a lot of stuff to do with rebuilding. This isn't the first League-related contract he's taken, not by a long way. And it's a healing tool. "Do we have a real problem with working with LexCorp?"

"Can purple healing rays be turned into weapons?"

Can they? Baroness von Gunther's research was focused on non-destructive devices. Weaponisation potential wasn't something that she wrote about. From what I understand of how they work..? Not… Easily. Even if you messed around and reversed the energy flow… That would be really hard, because the system they work by causes energy to flow from high density areas to low density ones. If you try to make it go the other way around then you're talking about active uptake which requires a lot of energy to come from somewhere. With that much energy you'd be better off using a plasma gun outside of very specific circumstances, and it would need a lot of work.

More radical transformations… I do remember something from the comics called a 'purple death ray', but I've got no idea how it worked. Could you change a load of things and blast unhealth into someone? Maybe? Probably? But again, there must be easier ways to do it. Nothing else immediately comes to mind.

"Everything can be a weapon, but I can't see an efficient way to make it a weapon. I'd be more worried about them using it politically, but given the state of the world… We've got bigger problems than LexCorp returning to profitability."

"Alright, I'll-" My ring blinks. "-tell the administrator-."

"Excuse me." I move my ring to my ear. "Orange Lantern."

"The North American OMAC conversion facility has come under attack. Highest priority."

"Yes, Batman." Scan. "Beautia, sorry, need to go, keep up the good work."

Armour.

"Stay s-."

Transition.

16th October 2013
14:35 G.M.T. -6

Construct armour, full scan.

Turning people into OMACs doesn't take a lot of space, but between the training school, barrack, commissary, mass teleportation array, briefing rooms… I think the League -or possibly just Batman- bought an abandoned university campus.

There isn't much left of the actual conversion centre. Surrounding buildings have flash damage but no fires, suggesting a disintegration effect. Perimeter security… Walls and barbed wire still in place, though the force field dome is gone. Primary and backup emitters damaged, no collateral damage. Either an area effect attack designed to cause feedback or a large number of small devices. Main power plant, backup power plant and reserve batteries destroyed…

Relay scan results, deploy hydra heads.

Compliance.

With the teleportation system down, whatever OMACs live here wouldn't be able to return quickly. But the OMACs should be spread out all over the area, and I'm not seeing a single one.

I gesture towards the campus and the hydra heads fly out, searching for points of interest. Getting closer to the conversion facility… Yeah, disintegration is looking more likely. The damage pattern matches what NEMO demolition munitions-.

Ah Hell.

"Orange Lantern to Batman. Main conversion facility destroyed, moderate damage to other locations. OMAC garrison absent, no bodies detected. No hostiles detected. No radiation or other signs of ongoing risk. Recommend a full forensic examination. Staying on overwatch."

While I get hold of Jade.

"Orange Lantern out."

BR549 · 2026-10-17T08:04:03+0100

This is what happens when you don't feed your Darkstars before midnight.

RichardWhereat · 2026-10-17T08:10:07+0100

BR549 said:
This is what happens when you don't feed your Darkstars before midnight.

What happens when he gets his wet?

Tbryan · 2026-10-17T08:27:33+0100

RichardWhereat said:
What happens when he gets his wet?

We get an update in the NSFW thread

Cuchulin · 2026-10-17T08:29:33+0100

Tbryan said:
We get an update in the NSFW thread

LOL!!

Chojin Patriarch · 2026-10-17T08:58:37+0100

Mr Zoat said:
Penal

16th October 2013
15:32 G.M.T. -5

Beautia looks up as I descend from the sky, a pair of heavy duty purple healing rays held on a construct loading crane. "Thanks, Paul. This is great."

Heavy duty? For bulk use in emergencies or for faster, more potent healing on a single person? At any rate, their size seems unwieldy. I would assume these are going to be mounted on a stationary rig in an operating theatre somewhere...

I set them down on the helipad tarmac. "I'm just sorry we can't build them faster. Themyscira doesn't-."

"Doesn't have any manufacturing-" She nods to the hospital porters, and they carefully load the purple healing rays onto transport dollies. "-and KordTech is busy, I know. Frankly, I'm surprised-." She frowns, then gives me her full attention. "Has something happened in Washington recently?"

And no doubt anyone other than STAR Labs would struggle to produce the stranger aspects of the technology.

"Y-eah."

Her face relaxes slightly, trying to divine more information from me. "Is it something you can tell me about? I already heard about Senator Leahy. "

"Something like that. A lot of people in Washington found a good reason to be more agreeable and cooperative to League efforts. Why do you ask?"

Almost suspiciously so, in fact. A pity OL hasn't the time to dig into it, being pulled in so many directions as is.

She glances back at the hospital. "I wasn't exactly ready to publish my final report yet. With something like this we like to have good information on how the device affects everything, just in case there's some corner case adverse reaction. But we've officially gone from a regular study to a 'technically-we're-doing-a-study-but-in-practice-it's-a-full-roll-out' situation."

And any rare reactions will have to be found on the go. It would likely to be a rare occurrence on the level of metagena activation.

"Are there any reasons to go slower?"

"Yes. We don't know what the long term affects are on cancer rates. But… If what you're really asking is 'Is it worth doing anyway?'…" She nods confidently. "Yes. Definitely. I'm just surprised that we're getting an official go-ahead."

Ah, that would be an issue, I suppose. Given that Cancer cells can grow just as rapidly as normal cells under that sort of stimulus...

"As opposed to what?"

"I.. guess the.. Justice League just telling us to do it? I'm still going to have to oversee the rollout, train the doctors and nurses, and… As you know, there's going to be a huge bottleneck when it comes to building them… We're not eliminating traumatic injuries worldwide just yet."

So at this point it's a select few American hospitals thus far. With Beautia having to set each one up personally. A bottleneck indeed.

"Is there some reason not to celebrate that I'm not hearing?"

"I just got off the phone with LexCorp. They're fishing for a contract to supply us."

"Er… Certain unsubstantiated allegations aside, is there a reason to reject them? Surely we want as many purple healing rays in production as we can get?"

If Lex is involved, then he wants something out of this, you know that. Recognition for expanding production, perhaps...

"He wants to provide them at cost."

"Oh no."

"It's a problem because-."

Oh he is definitely angling for some benefit to himself for sure, then.

We're both nodding. "Because he must be making back the money somewhere, and if you can't work out where then you're being bamboozled."

She rubs her forehead. "He's wanted to get more involved in the arcane technology market since you opened it up. It could just be a way to build his brand reputation."

It can't be that simple, surely.

"It's not just that. The Justice League took over funding a lot of government projects when the banking sector collapsed. This will involve the League paying him, which I'm sure he'll find profoundly satisfying."

"Oh. I was surprised when my research grant kept getting paid. I just thought that maybe Mannheim didn't mess up anything fundamental."

...Or maybe it could be that petty.

"Technically, he didn't mess up the Federal Government. It's just all the bits that it's connected to." I take a moment to think. Mr. Luthor is handling a lot of stuff to do with rebuilding. This isn't the first League-related contract he's taken, not by a long way. And it's a healing tool. "Do we have a real problem with working with LexCorp?"

As we've seen, the engine of government is turning, but the gears are in neutral when it comes to government agencies functionality.

"Can purple healing rays be turned into weapons?"

Ah, someone in Paragon timeline finally realises...

Can they? Baroness von Gunther's research was focused on non-destructive devices. Weaponisation potential wasn't something that she wrote about. From what I understand of how they work..? Not… Easily. Even if you messed around and reversed the energy flow… That would be really hard, because the system they work by causes energy to flow from high density areas to low density ones. If you try to make it go the other way around then you're talking about active uptake which requires a lot of energy to come from somewhere. With that much energy you'd be better off using a plasma gun outside of very specific circumstances, and it would need a lot of work.

The Renegade managed it somehow.

More radical transformations… I do remember something from the comics called a 'purple death ray', but I've got no idea how it worked. Could you change a load of things and blast unhealth into someone? Maybe? Probably? But again, there must be easier ways to do it. Nothing else immediately comes to mind.

It's probably some clever technobabble thing.

"Everything can be a weapon, but I can't see an efficient way to make it a weapon. I'd be more worried about them using it politically, but given the state of the world… We've got bigger problems than LexCorp returning to profitability."

"Alright, I'll-" My ring blinks. "-tell the administrator-."

Honestly, given how big Lexcorp is, it probably represents a significant part of DC America's economy anyway.

"Excuse me." I move my ring to my ear. "Orange Lantern."

"The North American OMAC conversion facility has come under attack. Highest priority."

Oh, that's trouble. The Illuminati boys taking a more active hand, or someone else, I wonder?

"Yes, Batman." Scan. "Beautia, sorry, need to go, keep up the good work."

Armour.

"Stay s-."

Heh, she is a compassionate one, isn't she...

Transition.

16th October 2013
14:35 G.M.T. -6

Construct armour, full scan.

Going in heavy, I see. Something wrecking an OMAC facility has to be bad news, given the personnels' capabilities.

Turning people into OMACs doesn't take a lot of space, but between the training school, barrack, commissary, mass teleportation array, briefing rooms… I think the League -or possibly just Batman- bought an abandoned university campus.

Makes sense, really. Plenty of space, plenty of rooms to repurpose as needed...

There isn't much left of the actual conversion centre. Surrounding buildings have flash damage but no fires, suggesting a disintegration effect. Perimeter security… Walls and barbed wire still in place, though the force field dome is gone. Primary and backup emitters damaged, no collateral damage. Either an area effect attack designed to cause feedback or a large number of small devices. Main power plant, backup power plant and reserve batteries destroyed…

So something blew outwards from the centre? A stealth bomb placement, perhaps.

Relay scan results, deploy hydra heads.

Compliance.

With the teleportation system down, whatever OMACs live here wouldn't be able to return quickly. But the OMACs should be spread out all over the area, and I'm not seeing a single one.

And at worst, they can just fly back.

I gesture towards the campus and the hydra heads fly out, searching for points of interest. Getting closer to the conversion facility… Yeah, disintegration is looking more likely. The damage pattern matches what NEMO demolition munitions-.

Ah Hell.

That's not good. Because the only people with that sort of ordnance would be...

"Orange Lantern to Batman. Main conversion facility destroyed, moderate damage to other locations. OMAC garrison absent, no bodies detected. No hostiles detected. No radiation or other signs of ongoing risk. Recommend a full forensic examination. Staying on overwatch."

Not telling Batman the probable suspects outright, of course. He wants to make sure himself before he calls it in.

While I get hold of Jade.

"Orange Lantern out."

She and her team are going to have some explaining to do.

I'm not sure why Jade and her team would have done this, given they're basically working with the League while monitoring for possible black projects stuff, like an unofficial internal affairs team... But who else could get a hold of NEMO special armaments? Could the Light be running a false-flag operation, or has Jade's team gone rogue? We're bound to find out...

Vaermina · 2026-10-17T09:22:39+0100

Chojin Patriarch said:
I'm not sure why Jade and her team would have done this, given they're basically working with the League while monitoring for possible black projects stuff, like an unofficial internal affairs team... But who else could get a hold of NEMO special armaments? Could the Light be running a false-flag operation, or has Jade's team gone rogue? We're bound to find out...

Really? Feels a bit obvious to me.

They investigated the place and found out it was being used to create an army of mind controlled super soldiers. So the Darkstars did what they were trained to do and blew it up.

boo600 · 2026-10-17T09:45:21+0100

Mr Zoat said:
More radical transformations… I do remember something from the comics called a 'purple death ray', but I've got no idea how it worked. Could you change a load of things and blast unhealth into someone? Maybe? Probably? But again, there must be easier ways to do it. Nothing else immediately comes to mind.

"Everything can be a weapon, but I can't see an efficient way to make it a weapon. I'd be more worried about them using it politically, but given the state of the world… We've got bigger problems than LexCorp returning to profitability."

So the Light is going to get purple death rays, which bypass armor/constructs/inorganic cover, and Paragon isn't going to be prepared for them. Lovely.

Renegade did have a Father Box by the time he went to Themyscira; 'I just flipped it around' was… probably shorthand for something simple but difficult. (Apokalyptian tech is rather… focused.)

Mr Zoat said:
Relay scan results, deploy hydra heads.

Fuck yes. It's always nice when he remembers to take advantage of his own iconic ability.

Darko · 2026-10-17T09:59:02+0100

Chojin Patriarch said:
The Renegade managed it somehow.

The Renegade had an advanced piece of arcane tech in the form of Father Box, do modifying the ray wouldn't be that difficult.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Heh, she is a compassionate one, isn't she...

She sorta made it her thing in order to atone for the crimes her family did.

Chojin Patriarch said:
I'm not sure why Jade and her team would have done this, given they're basically working with the League while monitoring for possible black projects stuff, like an unofficial internal affairs team

Jade and her team were investigating Batman, so they either found something he was doing, or someone else was taking advantage of the facility.

Chojin Patriarch said:
But who else could get a hold of NEMO special armaments? Could the Light be running a false-flag operation, or has Jade's team gone rogue? We're bound to find out...

There were those Free Lancers that sold supervillain tech to aliens, so maybe the Light is in the galactic black market and bought some NEMO or Darkstar tech from the Reach, Grayven or Apokalips.

Vaermina said:
Really? Feels a bit obvious to me.

They investigated the place and found out it was being used to create an army of mind controlled super soldiers. So the Darkstars did what they were trained to do and blew it up.

They most likely knew that already, either because it's not that secret, or because Paul told them.

timeForced · 2026-10-17T10:09:28+0100

Depending on how automated the facility was Jade or whoever was in charge of an infiltration (if it was the Darkstars) may have prioritized secrecy. They are military infiltrators not undercover cops. OMACs could qualify as combatants.

WereDragon · 2026-10-17T10:18:16+0100

Mr Zoat said:
Certain unsubstantiated allegations aside

Unsubstantiated only because Paul, for reasons that stopped making sense a long time ago, refuses to investigate the malevolent megalomaniac.

"The North American OMAC conversion facility has come under attack. Highest priority."

"Yes, Batman." Scan.

Given their strained relations I'm surprised both that Batman is calling Paul and that he is making contact personally.

Neruz · 2026-10-17T11:26:38+0100

WereDragon said:
Unsubstantiated only because Paul, for reasons that stopped making sense a long time ago, refuses to investigate the malevolent megalomaniac.

I think Paul erroneously sees himself in Lex and really wants to believe that Lex can get through his ego and be the man only one Lex Luthor in the entire multiverse has ever been able to be.

Darko · 2026-10-17T11:34:29+0100

WereDragon said:
Given their strained relations I'm surprised both that Batman is calling Paul and that he is making contact personally

Batman may not like Paul, but he can't deny that Paul is highly competent.

Mr Zoat · 2026-10-17T11:45:57+0100

WereDragon said:
Given their strained relations I'm surprised both that Batman is calling Paul and that he is making contact personally.

He can get there really quickly, and will do so promptly.

Vaermina · 2026-10-17T18:20:28+0100

Darko said:
They most likely knew that already, either because it's not that secret, or because Paul told them.

No, actual mind control, not the thing Orange Lantern's been told it was and didn't do more then a surface investigation of because anything to do with Batman makes him uncomfortable.

Prince Charon · 2026-10-18T04:29:59+0100

Mr Zoat said:
Relay scan results, deploy hydra heads.

Huh. When did he assimilate a hydra (or is this a regular construct)?

RoninSword · 2026-10-18T04:36:02+0100

Prince Charon said:
Huh. When did he assimilate a hydra (or is this a regular construct)?

When Themyscira vanished from the planet as a defence against the Anti-Life. Getting into the Underworld used a different portal that had a spirit of a (the?) Hydra.

Ngamer11 · 2026-10-18T05:18:52+0100

Prince Charon said:
Huh. When did he assimilate a hydra (or is this a regular construct)?

RoninSword said:
When Themyscira vanished from the planet as a defence against the Anti-Life. Getting into the Underworld used a different portal that had a spirit of a (the?) Hydra.

It was specified that Paul only fought and assimilated the heads that were cut off.

Mr Zoat · 2026-10-18T08:22:40+0100

12th April 2258
14:03 G.M.T. +1

I'm sure that Mayan can keep herself out of trouble for a few hours, but just in case, monitor her.

A picture forms in my mind, of her reading poetry to a distracted class of eight year olds, which fades into the back of my mind as the Psi Cops walk back into the interrogation room I'm sitting in, the man handing me…

I look over the short document.

Ah… Yes, that certainly looks like a liability waver.

Lawyers?

None of us know human law well enough to assess it. / Seems conclusive to me, but a local lawyer would be better.

Huh. Honestly, that's fewer lawyers than I assumed I'd have.

On behalf of the politicians, I will tell you that you are sitting in a cell controlled by telepaths who have no reason to treat you well. The worth of a legal document in your hands may be judged by the number of other people who could attest that it exists.

Except we know that they can't do anything to my mind.

We don't know that. We know that a single telepath less than half as strong as them and with far less training struggled.

Ah, but I have a secret weapon.

Yes? / Oh? / We're in your head. You don't.

Because you don't remember it.

Eh?

Psi Cop Zhang Li dips his head slightly. "Mister Underwood?"

I look up, smiling broadly. "Looks fine to me. Are you doing the scanning?"

"No, I'll be asking the questions. My partner Miss Schmidt will be scanning you."

I glance sideways-. Still mildly hostile.

I nod, smiling. "You're really good at this good cop/bad cop thing. I'm genuinely impressed."

He actually hesitates, smiling slightly awkwardly. "I don't think I'm that bad."

I fold up the waver and put it into my pocket before scanning it and putting it into subspace.

"Right, let's get going."

"Do you know where Lyta Alexander is?"

"No."

"Do you know where she might be?"

Assuming that vorlons use hyperspace travel at a speed no greater than ten time what humans do..?

I shrug. "In theory, a lot of places? I really don't know where she was ultimately hoping to go."

Officer Zhang glances at his partner, who doesn't overtly respond but I do detect a brief period of increased activity from the telepathic centres of her brain-. She twitches very slightly, and Officer Zhang immediately returns his full attention to me.

I shrug. "I did say."

"You did." His keeps facing me, but his eyes point at his partner until she's fully recovered. "Have you ever had any contact with any telepaths who aren't members of Psi Corps."

"Yes."

"You.. are aware that all telepaths have to be registered with Psi Corps?"

"I am aware that all human telepaths have to be registered with Psi Corps. I am not aware-" He draws back slightly. "-of any such rule for telepaths of other species."

"There's… A slightly different process if they want to work in Earth Alliance space, but, no, in neutral or foreign territory human corporations are free to hire telepaths of other species."

"Sorry, you didn't specify. The other telepaths I've encountered-. Knowingly encountered, weren't human. As far as I know, the only human telepaths I've met are Lyta and the two of you."

"Alright, what species were they?"

"A couple of minbari when I was on Minbar, and a centauri when I was on Brakir. I didn't spend a lot of time with them."

There's a very quiet gasp from Officer Schmidt, which Officer Zhang ignores.

"Are you a telepath?"

"Not to the best of my knowledge. Doctor Hernandez did a scan of my brain during my check-up on Babylon Five. I assume that if I had the-" I wiggle my right hand at the side of my head. "-brain… Abnormalities? She'd have said something."

"Some doctors don't.. check too closely."

I raise my eyebrows. "They don't? I did want to make sure that my brain is healthy, it's kind of important."

Officer Zhang takes a moment to consider how best to answer.

"Doctors are required by law to report certain things to law enforcement; for example, if they believe a child is being abused. They're also supposed to report evidence of telepathic activity so that we can offer the appropriate support, but… Some feel that if no one's getting hurt it should be covered by doctor-patient confidentiality."

"That sounds like a bad idea."

"And it is." He nods. "But… It comes from a place of compassion, and that sort of thinking probably saved the lives of a lot of us back when the telepath panic was in full force. But, now it just makes things worse, and we only get called in after things have gone wrong."

"Huh. Uh, well, I haven't heard anyone's thoughts, so I don't think I am." I shrug. "You're the ex-" Another increase in activity from Officer Schmidt. "-perts."

"Did Lyta give you any impression that she was in contact with unregistered t-." He smiles. "Unregistered human telepaths."

"Not specifically. She said that she'd arranged to meet someone when I showed up, but that might just have been her trying to get rid of me. Or… They might not have been a telepath…"

"Did she give you a name?"

I shake my head. "No."

Another pulse, and-. Oough, I actually-.

Alright, talk amongst yourselves. Encourage her to leave.

I remember when… / This is a sloppy interrogation. / I've made my decision. / Mayan will wonder where you are.

Officer Schmidt slumps slightly, eyes watering, and I feel less ill.

Officer Zhang shoots her a glance, and then gives me his full attention, his brain lighting up too.

"Are you sure that you don't know where-?"

P-.

I catch myself before my face can hit the table, but neither of the Psi Cops can and hit it with a thud. I turn to the one-way glass and wave my arms!

"Hey! Get a medic!"

I sit back, as obviously unthreatening as I can, as another Psi Cop and a couple of Psi Corps medics dash in to check on them. The Psi Cop gives me a deeply suspicious look and has a hand on his P.P.G., but after a moment as I just sit there he appears to write me off.

One of the medics looks up. "Unconscious, no other obvious damage. I need to get them to-."

The Psi Cop nods- "Go." -and then he turns to me as an emergency stretcher is brought it, his face expressionless. "Thank you, Mister Underwood. I don't believe there's anything else you can do for us at this stage. Psi Corps appreciates your cooperation. We'll be in touch if we need anything else from you."

I nod and smile-

"Happy to help."

-and then head for the door without looking back.

RichardWhereat · 2026-10-18T08:27:02+0100

Mr Zoat said:
"Some doctor don't.. check too closely."

Doctors

Ngamer11 · 2026-10-18T08:27:03+0100

I always love seeing that defense used against those who don't know about it.

Darko · 2026-10-18T08:28:24+0100

Mr Zoat said:
She's have said something."

"She'd"

Yog · 2026-10-18T08:54:43+0100

I'm very surprised that they are letting him go, and will not be surprised at all when (not if) they try to kidnap and/or assassinate him later. An existence of anti-telepathy that can knock out P12s and wipe their short-term memories is not something Psi corps can allow to exist or become known.

Chojin Patriarch · 2026-10-18T09:13:28+0100

Mr Zoat said:
12th April 2258
14:03 G.M.T. +1

I'm sure that Mayan can keep herself out of trouble for a few hours, but just in case, monitor her.

A picture forms in my mind, of her reading poetry to a distracted class of eight year olds, which fades into the back of my mind as the Psi Cops walk back into the interrogation room I'm sitting in, the man handing me…

Eight-year-olds who are probably incredibly fascinated by the 'head-bone lady' even in this future era. Especially since there's very few to no aliens on Earth, so they'd never have seen one in the flesh before.

I look over the short document.

Ah… Yes, that certainly looks like a liability waver.

Though I'd be worried about the fine print that pertains to you. Especially details about what happens if, say, you die during the interview...

Lawyers?

None of us know human law well enough to assess it. / Seems conclusive to me, but a local lawyer would be better.

I wonder how knowledgeable the Brakiri engram would be in law, even if they weren't practicing. I imagine contract law is a big focus on their world.

Huh. Honestly, that's fewer lawyers than I assumed I'd have.

On behalf of the politicians, I will tell you that you are sitting in a cell controlled by telepaths who have no reason to treat you well. The worth of a legal document in your hands may be judged by the number of other people who could attest that it exists.

...Well, at least he can make it hard for them to 'disappear' him, if only by transitioning away.

Except we know that they can't do anything to my mind.

We don't know that. We know that a single telepath less than half as strong as them and with far less training struggled.

Well, it's not the most impulsive thing an Orange-ringed Paul has done.

Ah, but I have a secret weapon.

Yes? / Oh? / We're in your head. You don't.

Ah, I know what he's talking about...

Because you don't remember it.

Eh?

...Even if they don't.

Psi Cop Zhang Li dips his head slightly. "Mister Underwood?"

I look up, smiling broadly. "Looks fine to me. Are you doing the scanning?"

"No, I'll be asking the questions. My partner Miss Schmidt will be scanning you."

Ah, tall, blonde and distant. I would guess she's a higher-rated reader. Assuming different people have different proficiencies, she maybe more talented at passive sensing...

I glance sideways-. Still mildly hostile.

I nod, smiling. "You're really good at this good cop/bad cop thing. I'm genuinely impressed."

He actually hesitates, smiling slightly awkwardly. "I don't think I'm that bad."

Ah, self-deprecating humour. Trying to put Mister underwood at ease, no doubt. He's very well trained.

I fold up the waver and put it into my pocket before scanning it and putting it into subspace.

"Right, let's get going."

...I bet he can use that trick to play 'Doctor with bottomless pockets.'

"Do you know where Lyta Alexander is?"

"No."

Good, the wrong question. Matthew knows where he last saw her, but her current location? Nope.

"Do you know where she might be?"

Assuming that vorlons use hyperspace travel at a speed no greater than ten time what humans do..?

Now, that's more on the right track, but alas...

I shrug. "In theory, a lot of places? I really don't know where she was ultimately hoping to go."

Officer Zhang glances at his partner, who doesn't overtly respond but I do detect a brief period of increased activity from the telepathic centres of her brain-. She twitches very slightly, and Officer Zhang immediately returns his full attention to me.

...He's being entirely truthful. She's not going to get much unless she digs deeper, and that has its risks.

I shrug. "I did say."

"You did." He keeps facing me, but his eyes point at his partner until she's fully recovered. "Have you ever had any contact with any telepaths who aren't members of Psi Corps."

That's a rather open-ended question. I mean, he's probably assuming 'humans only' but still...

"Yes."

"You.. are aware that all telepaths have to be registered with Psi Corps?"

...A critical misunderstanding. Humancentric worldviews can be a drawback.

"I am aware that all human telepaths have to be registered with Psi Corps. I am not aware-" He draws back slightly. "-of any such rule for telepaths of other species."

"There's… A slightly different process if they want to work in Earth Alliance space, but, no, in neutral or foreign territory human corporations are free to hire telepaths of other species."

And it's probably a bit frustrating to be reminded that other species do have telepaths. It probably lets them feel special being telepaths amongst humanity.

"Sorry, you didn't specify. The other telepaths I've encountered-. Knowingly encountered, weren't human. As far as I know, the only human telepaths I've met are Lyta and the two of you."

"Alright, what species were they?"

Good, that's the right question.

"A couple of minbari when I was on Minbar, and a centauri when I was on Brakir. I didn't spend a lot of time with them."

There's a very quiet gasp from Officer Schmidt, which Officer Zhang ignores.

Either she felt a sting from his defences, or she's surprised at how much he gets around.

"Are you a telepath?"

"Not to the best of my knowledge. Doctor Hernandez did a scan of my brain during my check-up on Babylon Five. I assume that if I had the-" I wiggle my right hand at the side of my head. "-brain… Abnormalities? She's have said something."

Which he very much wouldn't unless he wanted strongly to modify himself that way. And I doubt he would feel that need to without good reasons.

"Some doctors don't.. check too closely."

I raise my eyebrows. "They don't? I did want to make sure that my brain is healthy, it's kind of important."

Officer Zhang takes a moment to consider how best to answer.

Not the first time a medical professional hasn't mentioned it, I suppose.

"Doctors are required by law to report certain things to law enforcement; for example, if they believe a child is being abused. They're also supposed to report evidence of telepathic activity so that we can offer the appropriate support, but… Some feel that if no one's getting hurt it should be covered by doctor-patient confidentiality."

Yes, I'm sure they have very strong offers of 'appropriate support'. Which can be read as 'indoctrination into PSI Corps loyalty.'

"That sounds like a bad idea."

"And it is." He nods. "But… It comes from a place of compassion, and that sort of thinking probably saved the lives of a lot of us back when the telepath panic was in full force. But, now it just makes things worse, and we only get called in after things have gone wrong."

At which point they take the 'rogue telepath' into custody and 'educate' them in the proper use of their talents, I bet.

"Huh. Uh, well, I haven't heard anyone's thoughts, so I don't think I am." I shrug. "You're the ex-" Another increase in activity from Officer Schmidt. "-perts."

"Did Lyta give you any impression that she was in contact with unregistered t-." He smiles. "Unregistered human telepaths."

Ah, nice to see him catching himself. the precision is appreciated.

"Not specifically. She said that she'd arranged to meet someone when I showed up, but that might just have been her trying to get rid of me. Or… They might not have been a telepath…"

"Did she give you a name?"

A convincing alibi, even if they don't believe him.

I shake my head. "No."

Another pulse, and-. Oough, I actually-.

Okay, time to raise the walls against the intrusion. A reading that deep is probably uncalled for.

Alright, talk amongst yourselves. Encourage her to leave.

I remember when… / This is a sloppy interrogation. / I've made my decision. / Mayan will wonder where you are.

Heh. And they'll feel his train of though become a whole interchange.

Officer Schmidt slumps slightly, eyes watering, and I feel less ill.

Officer Zhang shoots her a glance, and then gives me his full attention, his brain lighting up too.

Ah, he's going to stick his oar in too? Bad idea.

"Are you sure that you don't know where-?"

P-.

I catch myself before my face can hit the table, but neither of the Psi Cops can and hit it with a thud. I turn to the one-way glass and wave my arms!

Thinking his name. The perfect defence.

"Hey! Get a medic!"

I sit back, as obviously unthreatening as I can, as another Psi Cop and a couple of Psi Corps medics dash in to check on them. The Psi Cop gives me a deeply suspicious look and has a hand on his P.P.G., but after a moment as I just sit there he appears to write me off.

One of the medics looks up. "Unconscious, no other obvious damage. I need to get them to-."

Best option at this point: Play dumb and look innocent.

The Psi Cop nods- "Go." -and then he turns to me as an emergency stretcher is brought in, his face expressionless. "Thank you, Mister Underwood. I don't believe there's anything else you can do for us at this stage. Psi Corps appreciates your cooperation. We'll be in touch if we need anything else from you."

I doubt they're going to leave it at that. Especially once the two cops wake up.

I nod and smile-

"Happy to help."

-and then head for the door without looking back.

Still, better not to push his luck. Get gone before the heat hits.

Something tells me PSI Corps isn't going to leave it at that, but it'll take time for them to get in gear. With any luck he'll be well away off-world by the time they make the decision to 'bring him in' for deeper interrogation. But this is going to be a concern for some time, I bet. Hope he's up to the task.

Mr Zoat · 2026-10-18T09:32:44+0100

RichardWhereat said:
Doctors

Darko said:
"She'd"

Thank you, corrected.

Yog said:
I'm very surprised that they are letting him go, and will not be surprised at all when (not if) they try to kidnap and/or assassinate him later. An existence of anti-telepathy that can knock out P12s and wipe their short-term memories is not something Psi corps can allow to exist or become known.

The problem there is that he's a public figure living somewhere safe, and he appears to be able to neutralise their main advantage when it comes to covert assassination. Honestly, they didn't really care about Lyta all that much, but... He's clearly not using a device whose existence they could suppress or a technique they could learn to get around. The most likely possibilities as far as they're concerned are that either he has some sort of random mutation which makes his brain alien... Or he's a very high level telepath himself.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Ah, tall, blonde and distant. I would guess she's a higher-rated reader.

She's a Psi Cop, so P-12.

Yes, I'm sure they have very strong offers of 'appropriate support'. Which can be read as 'indoctrination into PSI Corps loyalty.'

I'm not a fan of the Horus Heresy series, but one thing I think was a good idea is that most worlds welcomed the Imperium. I imagine that most telepaths like having people around who feel what they feel and just roll their eyes at the whole 'Maternis, Paternis' thing. Most commercial telepaths aren't going to have much to do with the Corps after finishing their training.

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