With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Story Only)

[Mr Zoat]

17th April
07:23 GMT -7

"That sounds like a total disaster."

Doctor Roquette hasn't got any friendlier since last time I saw her. This is the first time I've encountered her on her own turf, and she's a good deal more self assured. She takes a sip of her second coffee of the morning while waiting for me to explain myself.

"No. A total disaster would have been one of the Star Hunters getting away, or reactivating a Mother Star. Or mind controlling our team."

"Uh huh."

"Fewer people were mind controlled by alien Starfish at the end of the day than were at the start. The two largest, most intelligent and most telepathically capable were killed-"

"I'm not sure you get points for it if they do it to themselves."

"-and we got several important leads on Devil Jizz supply on the east coast." Which is what the rest of the team are doing at the moment.

She grimaces. "Can you not call it that?"

"We.. rather felt that.. any of the other names made it sound 'cool'… I mean, the number of people who'd be interested in injecting themselves with something called-."

She holds up her right hand to stop me. "Fine! Fine."

"So, even though we're pretty confident that all of the remaining Starro-tech wafers got turned into actual Star Conquerors-"

"Who can now use magic."

"-we'd still like to increase our production of Cure-tech a lot. There are only a few laboratories in the world capable of growing Starro-tech wafers and people will notice if anyone starts walking around with a Star Conqueror on their face."

"Unless they just did what they did with Green Lantern."

I shake my head. "Guy lives on his own, doesn't have a normal job and can fly and it was still a risk. If Martian Manhunter or Miss Martian had scanned him or he'd actually had to stay away from his Star Conqueror for a prolonged period of time, the programming would have failed. It was a desperation move."

"And the Green Lantern Corps really couldn't track them down?"

"If the Green Lantern Corps could reliably locate Star Conquerors there wouldn't have been any on Earth. They took the ones we still had in captivity and they promised to look into it, but…" I shrug. "We checked the obvious potential hiding places: Liberty River and its offshoots, Gotham Reservoir and South City Park lake. They're not there."

"Great. Did Green Lantern know I worked on the original Cure-tech?"

"Iiiiiiii'm.. not sure. It was in the files, but he's not the best at doing the required reading."

"Oh great!" She sits back hard against the back of her chair. "Great, now I've got that to worry about as well."

"If you'd like me to help you improve your security here, I'm perfectly happy to do that. I can also leave you a couple of Praexis Demons as bodyguards… Permanently." Wait a second. "Or you could use your nanofog-."

"Current generation Fog only lasts twelve minutes outside a controlled environment! And it's incredibly expensive. I'd never get the University to okay me using it like that!"

"How 'incredibly expensive' is 'incredibly expensive'?"

"About half a million dollars for a thimbleful. And that's not even taking into account all the time it takes to make!"

I frown. "The League of Shadows had you make a nanofog container for them in two weeks."

"No, the League of Shadows read my work and spied on my laboratory for years in order to replicate my work. They only kidnapped me to rewrite the programming to do what they wanted it to do."

"Do you know what happened to their equipment? If you could get hold of it-."

"Yes." She nods. "Someone shot it with a railgun." Oh. Whoops. I suppose… Some of the things they had in storage… "And yes, getting their Fog containment vessel helped a little bit, but it's still a very expensive area of science without any profitable application."

"Your Fog can rebuild things, right?"

She sighs, finishes the last of her coffee and then stands, pushing back her chair. "I'll show you."

I follow her from the robotics office down the corridor and to the nanorobotics laboratory. She scans her key card to open the door to the outer laboratory. "After I got kidnapped, the Dean made some noise about upgrading security. All we actually got before the Justice League destroyed the League of Shadows were a few new keycard readers. Then we were deemed to not have 'exceptional need' any longer."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"What were they going to do against a supervillain anyway?" She walks forwards, towards a viewing window. "The nanotech gets created through here. The temperature and pressure are tightly regulated, there are force fields to keep contaminants out and the nanotech chamber is designed to only be remote accessible but I don't think for a moment that it would keep out a dedicated saboteur."

"How does it actually get made?"

"I came up with the designs and Doctor Raymond Palmer built the first generation of nanobots. After that, each generation have built their own successors."

"So… How many are in there at the moment?"

"Billions upon billions." Her voice is a little less aggressive when she says it. "They're too small to program so all the commands have to be handled remotely."

"And what can they make?"

"Just about anything if they've got the material. They have trouble handling anything much denser than lead and since they can't work on the subatomic scale at all they can't transmute matter. And you would not believe how long it took to convince Homeland Security they can't be used to build nuclear weapons."

"You've got a working nanofabricator?"

"Technically, yes. In practice there's almost nothing it can build that can't be created more cheaply using conventional means. And last month an ass of an ex grad student let a freshman in here and they thought it would be fun to shine a laser pointer at them."

"They're that fragile?"

"Like this? Yes. They're measured in nanometers. Proportionally, it's like you getting hit by a… A fifty kilowatt laser."

"Have you considered using magic to increase their resilience?"

"What?" She blinks, frowning. "No. Why would I?"

"An enchantment designed to protect mechanical devices could be placed in the vicinity of the fabricator and work without actually touching the Fog. And that's just off the top of my head." I tap my right fist against my lips. "I can get you the charm in a few hours, and I've got a power supply I can donate that will generate as much electricity as you want."

"That would… Help."

"I can pay for the increased Cure-tech production, and… There's a meeting I'd.. like you to come to next week. A few experts in their fields… Combining their efforts."

"Um. Anyone I know?"

"Sephtian. Ted Kord?"

"The guy who built the storm control drone?"

"One of our early successes. Normally, a species wouldn't have functional nanofabricators until they're a few hundred years more advanced than we are." I smile at her. "I'd like to shave a little off that, if you're interested."

"I'll… Check my schedule."

 

[Mr Zoat]

17th April
09:41 GMT -6

Jade and I watch from the study room door as Lynne and Miss Amane read up on Darfur's history and Miss Shimmer switches rapidly between her latest arcane tome and English and Atlantean Greek dictionaries.

This is… This place is starting to feel like home.

"She's certainly dedicated." I turn my eyes Jadewards without shifting my head. "When I was her age Dad made us do unarmed combat practice against him if we didn't study hard enough."

"Yes, but unlike your father I'm a decent Human being." A slight rise of an eyebrow. "Humanoid being, then. I haven't disciplined her in any way. I'm not sure if the anti-life exposure permanently.. beat the childhood out of her-."

"She seemed okay yesterday. She played with the other children."

"I presented it as a fait accompli and she made the best of it. She hasn't expressed any affirmative interest in seeing them again, she just sort of.. accepts it when I tell her it will happen." I exhale quietly. "It might be my fault. I'm not sure exactly how much of my nature was transmitted when I gave her a portion of my soul, but I am certainly no child."

"What would have happened to her if you hadn't?"

"I don't know. Apokoliptians don't usually research ways to reverse anti-life infections. But… Izaya might have made a better job of it than I did."

"Who's that?"

"Izaya the Inheritor. Highfather. Ruler of New Genesis. He probably wouldn't have spoken to me, but that version of Scott was on good terms with him." It's a distinctly bitter thought. "I seek problems out and fix them, but I worry that in this case I might have been better to.. restrain myself." She smiles. "What?"

"I'm not used to you being in Dad mode." And there's the other thing. "It's only been a few weeks. You can't expect to fix years of abuse so quickly."

I nod, reaching across the hallway to take her left hand in my right, gently stroking it with my right thumb. "I'm sure that you're right. I shouldn't.. get properly worried for a year or so."

"I'll look forward to it."

"Are you..? Sure that you're okay.. with..?"

"With you having a daughter?" She looks away for a moment. "It's not what I was expecting."

"It's not what I was expecting. Though I… I probably should introduce you to my family at some point."

"Including your father, who you described as being like my father, only Kryptonian."

"No, no, he's… He's actually a lot more dangerous than that. I was really thinking of Scott and Barda. I imagine that… Having someone else to talk to about this whole 'New God' thing would be helpful. And they're on Earth…"

"What other family do you have?"

"Two other brothers. That I know about. It's not like I keep track of what Father gets up to. I've never spoken to Orion, actually. He was sent to New Genesis when he was only a few days old. He turned out… Okay, in a partially civilised barbarian warrior sort of way. Kalibak grew up on Apokolips and he's a violent brute. I'd advise avoiding him."

"And your mother?"

A subject about which Father Box -frustratingly- had nothing to say. I settle for just shaking my head. Jade turns her attention back to the girls. "I was thinking…"

"What about?"

"This whole thing. When I left home, if someone like you had been there to take care of me…"

"In Gotham? I doubt that anyone who offered that would have been-."

"Not a pedophile, Grayven. Someone like you."

"Or Batman."

"Cheshire, the Girl Wonder. That could have been fun." She takes a breath. "The point is, once I was sure they weren't playing some sort of game or that it wasn't just Dad pulling an elaborate training exercise, I'd have really appreciated it. I probably wouldn't have been able to explain it to them… I'm not used to being in that sort of environment-."

I tug gently on her hand, pulling her across the corridor into my embrace. "Hey. This sort of environment."

She rests her head against my chest for a moment, before pulling back slightly to look up at me. "This sort of environment." I'm gifted with a small smile. "It still surprises me. How you can be so big and so gentle."

"I refused to bend to Apokolips' demands on my nature. And I love you. I understand that helps."

"Uhh. If you're going to do that, can you please do it someplace else!?" We look around to see Miss Shimmer glowering at us. "Can't believe Humans go into heat every month." She pulls her tome up in an attempt to block her line of sight to the doorway.

"Ah. Right. Well, we… Do need to be going. Lynne, we should be back by lunchtime. You can talk through what you've found out about Darfur then."

She looks up. "Okay Grayven." And then back down to her book.

Oh well. Father Box, hush tube to Lex's secure meeting room.

Ploong.

The portal opens behind us, and I turn around to lead Jade through it into the LexCorp building.

17th April
10:44 GMT -5

"What was that?"

I frown slightly. "What was what?"

"When Lynne said 'okay'." She thinks for a moment as I look over the room -a sort of relaxed, soft chaired meeting room- and realise that Lex doesn't have a me-weight chair in here. Mildly inconvenien-. "She called you 'Grayven'."

I nod. "She did."

"You introduce her as 'my daughter'."

"Yes, that's-."

"It bothers you that she doesn't call you 'dad'."

A little… "Lynne's father was a man named Cyril Wayland, and by all accounts he was a decent chap. Robin still goes by the name he had before Batman adopted him, as does Troia. They've been with their new families for years, virtually all of her life in Troia's case. Yes, I would like her to call me 'dad', but… I assume that she will once she feels completely comfortable with our relationship."

"Is that why you're so worried that you're doing something wrong?"

"Um. Maybe. Part of it." I make a shrugging gesture with both hands. "She asked to come here, to be delivered to me… Did I accidentally brainwash her? She just felt obliged to come here and doesn't actually want to? I feel the.. rightness of her being there, but I'm older, I have more experience with it. And I feel love for her on top of that."

She reaches up, laying her right hand on my shoulder. "You did the best job you could in a terrible situation. You have nothing to blame yourself for. When I left home, it was a long time before I could trust anyone-." She cuts herself off, looking away. "And she had it worse. I always knew that I could get away, if I had to. She didn't have that. It'll take a while-."

Our heads snap around as the door opens and Ms Graves walks in, just ahead of Lex.

Time for the professional stuff, then.

 

[Mr Zoat]

17th April
10:45 GMT -5

I step towards him as he comes fully into the room, my right hand extended. "Lex, good to see you."

The used car salesman smile is firmly in place as he takes my hand. "Likewise." He releases his grip and indicates the soft furnishings with his left. "Please, take a seat."

Heh. "I'd flatten those. Just a moment." High pressure office environment full of stressed people? There we go. The yellow strobes flick out over one of the soft leather chairs, fortifying the structure. "Right." I step away and carefully lower myself onto it. Gives slightly.. and… Yes. "You've got to remember, Lex, I weigh about two-fifths of a ton. Normal chairs just can't take the pressure."

Lex's eyes remain focused on my face while on the other hand Ms Graves' eyes flick uncontrollably to Jade. "I'll be sure to bear that in mind. Now." He sits down opposite while Ms Graves takes up position behind him. Jade remains where she was, hands unencumbered. She's -probably- a better fighter than Ms Graves, but doesn't have any of the personal assistant skills that have made her opposite number the de facto number two of LexCorp. "The Star Conqueror situation."

"The Atlantean study has been indefinitely suspended and the people involved are in hospital. All the Star Conquerors I encountered were completely disintegrated, no organic activity left. All examples of Starro-tech were also destroyed, with all members of the Atlantean expedition and the LexCorp research team accounted for."

He nods. "No records exist which could be used to prove any control connection between that laboratory and LexCorp."

"I assume you know how much Superman wants there to be and how much effort Batman will put into checking."

"I didn't get where I am today by leaving loose ends. Preliminary medical reports-" He holds out his right hand and Ms Graves puts a manila folder into it. "-indicate short term memory loss. They're being discreetly monitored, but I don't think that we will have anything to worry about on that front."

I nod. "The League suffered short term memory loss after we removed their Starro-tech at New Year, and the Green Lantern Corps' data on Star Conquerors confirms that it's normal for their liberated hosts."

"Their medical insurance was provided by a LexCorp subsidiary, so it will be easy for me to keep tabs on their recovery. Should I expect them to suffer any lingering effect of the aliens' presence?"

"You mean, will they identify with the Star Conquerors?" A shallow nod. I shake my head. "No, that never happens. And if the Star Conquerors had had time to fully reorder their thoughts they wouldn't have recovered. Assuming they follow the usual recovery pattern, they'll suffer a short term fugue with associated confusion, then nightmares, before gradually returning to their pre-infestation state. They should have made as full a recovery as they're going to within two months. Though it might be worth having a magic user examine them in case the chaos magic involved in the Starro-tech has some further effect."

Lex nods. "The Justice League has already sent Giovanni Zatara to examine them. Apparently, he didn't find anything." He puts the folder down on a coffee table. "Are there any other Star Conquerors under the Arctic ice?"

I shake my head. "There's no way to tell for certain without melting the whole ice cap. Any Star Conquerors still in there would have almost no metabolic or psychic activity and they know how to shield themselves from ring scans. I've planted some sensor drones and I'm sure that the Atlanteans will keep an eye out... That's really the best we can do."

"And if they appear elsewhere?"

"Yes, we need to talk about that. Lex, I really don't think that further investigation into the Star Conquerors is a sensible course of action."

"We can hardly protect ourselves through ignorance, Grayven."

"Star Conquerors are capable of interstellar telepathic communication. Telekinetic faster than light travel. The one that fled me might just have been trying to get away. Equally, it might have been going for reinforcements, or… My greatest fear, is that it was leaving in order to reactivate one of the really big ones."

He takes a moment to absorb that. "How big do they get?"

"Planetoid size. The Green Lanterns call them 'Mother Stars'. One of those anywhere near Earth, and this planet would be covered in Star Conquerors and that would be the end of Human civilisation. And if I'd been slower or a little unlucky, that could well have happened. Lex, I joined the Light because Humans aren't living up to their potential and I want to make that happen. I don't mind taking risks, either of my person or my resource base, but… For a fairly nebulous possible benefit, you risked everything to study these creatures."

"You disapprove."

"Risk and reward should be proportionate, and losing completely is not acceptable. Lex, I'm your alien guy. You don't have anyone working for you who knows more about this than I do. I accept that when this study started you didn't know quite what you were getting into, but once I fully joined the Light? You should have brought this to my attention."

"If you feel excluded from my decision making-."

"It's not about my feelings, Lex. It's about making effective use of our resources. LexCorp is your thing, I'm not disputing that. I don't.. expect you to share every little thing with me, but when it concerns the very reason why you brought me onto the Light in the first place, surely it makes sense to talk to me about it. Just as a consultant."

His eyes dip momentarily, then he nods. "You make a good point. I'll have a précis put together for you by Wednesday."

"Thank you. There are powers in this galaxy which humanity is not ready to joust with. Someday." I nod. "Hopefully sooner rather than later, but not yet."

"I am in your debt for preventing our reach exceeding our grasp. If there's anything I can do to repay-?"

"Yes, about that. I already know what I want in return." He raises his eyebrows slightly. "The Genomorphs."

"That's a… Fairly big ticket item."

"I don't want to own them. I want to know where they came from." I flick my hands upwards. "A functioning artificial intelligence in the nineteen thirties? Alright. It's surprising, but the circuitry which made it possible existed and a genius like Doctor Morrow could have come up with the programming. Interplanetary teleportation by zeta tube? Again, once you identify zeta radiation, quite possible. But a fully synthetic organic life form? If they'd been… Modified Humans, then I could credit it. They're not. They're novel. Humans don't have the technology to do that, and even if they did none of the Cadmus staff have the outstanding brilliance necessary for them to… Effectively do all the work in their heads. So, where did the original biological specimens come from?" Lex sucks in a breath. "Lex, if you've been raiding alien worlds I need to know about it."

"No, no." He smiles, shaking his head. "Nothing of the sort. Earth has no need to invade alien worlds for research material. Not when so many of them come here."

"Earth has had a statistically unusual number of visitors."

"As a boy, I found them fascinating. After I made my first few million, I began buying up alien artifacts, meteorites… At the start it was just a hobby. Then, Superman moved to Metropolis and I decided to take it a little more seriously."

"I'm sorry, can I just check: you know his name, right? Klarion had access-."

"Kal-El. But, yes, I know that he masquerades as Clark Kent." He chuckles. "It's funny, actually. One of my intelligence analysts correctly deduced his identity years ago using a facial recognition program. I fired her. It simply didn't seem plausible to me, that a man that powerful would choose to hide himself among mortal men." He sits back a little. "I'd apologise to her, but that would rather give the game away."

"So..?"

"My xenotechnology division was set up in order to study the alien materials and technology. Most of it was so badly damaged that we couldn't learn much. On the other hand, one meteorite I came to possess contained a minute fragment of what is now called kryptonite. Other pieces gave my company a notable advantage in several fields. But the one I found most… Puzzling, came from Cerro Galán in Argentina. Most of it was a fairly standard iron-nickel meteorite, but there were tiny grey.. fragments in it that were made of a far harder material. When they were fully analyzed, their physical structure was something like bone, but stronger than anything Human science can create. It took years of painful and extremely expensive investigative work before we could be certain, but it was once part of a living creature. The first Genomorphs were a result of our attempts to clone… Whatever it was."

"The G-Prometheans?"

"It didn't have anything quite like Human genetics, and my employees didn't have a complete organism to base their work on. But, yes, that was where the project started. Genomorph physiology proved quite mutable. The alternate forms are genuinely the work of the scientists of Project Cadmus. But their start.. came from somewhere out in space. And if you don't recognise it, it must have been a curious life form indeed."

 

[Mr Zoat]

17th April
15:12 GMT -5

Lex is swivelling his chair around as I approach his office window, his right hand held up slightly to forestall any action from the security team who are charging through the outer doors. I wave my left hand and then raise it to my ear.

Ring, dial.

Compliance.

Lex smiles slightly as the phone on his desk rings. Not that I can hear it from out here. He doesn't pick it up though. Instead, he negligently holds his right hand out to the side while continuing to observe me.

"Lex Luthor's office."

"Ms Graves, pleasure to hear your voice again. Orange Lantern two eight one four here."

"Good afternoon, Orange Lantern. If you can wait a moment I'll see if Mister Luthor is available."

"You know I can see him through the… Never mind." Huh. "Actually, while I've got you." I turn to my right, looking out across the city. And making it harder for anyone inside the building to read my lips. "Have you given any more thought to the cybernetic upgrade I offered you? I've acquired a few new options since I first made my offer."

"Thank you, but I am quite happy with the arm I have."

"But you could be more than happy. And that's what I'm all about: wanting stuff. I mean, look at your boss. He's rich beyond the dreams of ninety nine percent of the world's population, is in charge of a huge multinational company, but does he stop wanting stuff?" I realise that I've floated out of sight to the people inside the office and turn around to float back the other way. "Does he ever say 'okay, I've got enough now, time to spend the rest of my life playing golf'? No, he doesn't. There's always something new to want, and you can want a better arm."

No immediate response.

"Come on." I turn my empathic vision up a little. "I can see how much you'd like to never have to feel that slight.. pull you get when you wake up in the morning and-."

"Orange Lantern, are you trying to buy off my staff?"

"No, Lex. No. I'm trying to give a gift to an attractive single woman. Nothing untoward going on at all."

"Perhaps you could try to do that out of office hours?"

"Oh, please. She takes as many days off a year as you do."

"Amusing as this is..?"

"Right. Would you mind if I came in? I've got something rather serious-" I stop outside his window and turn to face it again. "-to talk to you about."

"By all means. I had the window redesigned to slide open after Superman's first unscheduled-" I phase and float forwards, passing through the window. "-visit. Ah." I lower my left hand and he puts down his phone as I walk around to the 'guest' side of his desk. He swivels his chair back around to face me. "What can I do for you?"

"Had a… Spot of bother yesterday."

"Yes, I heard. Giant.. Starfish aliens? Were you able to destroy all of them?"

"No. Most, but… A few of the smaller ones got away. We're looking, but I'd honestly be surprised if we located them by anything other than pure luck before they choose to reveal themselves."

"That's a little concerning."

"If you know a better way to find them, I'm all ears. But that's… All really tangential to why I'm here. Last time the League encountered these creatures, a scientist by the name of Stirling Roquette was crucial to us developing a way to immunise people against the form of mental control they were using. After the thing in Gotham I went to see her again, and… She had an early nanoforge prototype."

"I'd.. heard about her research. I hadn't realized things were quite that advanced."

"I hadn't either. To be honest, I'd rather stopped thinking about her. She's agreed to meet up with some other inventors of my acquaintance for a brainstorming session. You know, cross fields, see if they can help each other."

"I assume that this will be happening in KordTech?" I nod. "LexCorp wasn't developing anything in the weather control field, so I don't have to try downplaying the significance of his most recent product launch. I was actually quite impressed."

"It's like I told you when we first met. Tiny amounts of magic can improve conventional technology in so many ways… Thing is… I like Ted Kord. I like him a lot. But he's… He's a good engineer. A good scientist. I've seen him in action as a salesman and it's inspiring. He conveys his genuine enthusiasm for the product brilliantly and keeps his spiel to a technical level the audience can understand. He'd be a good project leader. But as a manager? As the head of a company? He's terrible. He's basically had to appoint someone to do the actual CEO work because as soon as something 'cool' comes in he can't resist heading down to the workshop to play with it himself. He tries to micromanage rather than letting the extremely capable people who work for him get on with it…"

Lex looks politely puzzled. "I'm not sure that I can help you with that. Unless you're.. trying to jump ship from your own creation?"

"No. That's the sad thing. I'm not." I sigh. "Because you'd be perfect for it. I look at you and I can see -I'm talking literally here- your desire to use all the tools of capitalism to strengthen the Human species. You're a far better manager than he is… I'd like to be able to give this to you. But I can't."

"Because your peers disapprove of me?"

"Because you're a member of the Light."

Four seconds pass as he regards me. "I'm afraid that I don't know who or what that is."

"Lex, if I could prove anything I'd have brought the police with me. I can't. There's no way you don't know that they exist, and if you weren't a member they'd be a threat to you and you'd be feeding me the information I'd need to destroy them. So you're a member. Maybe the leader, maybe not. Maybe they don't have one." I sigh. "But Savage is a member, and he was involved in that Ice Fortress thing last year. Which means that any technology a Light member gets their hands on would most likely end up getting used for something puerile rather than something productive. The sheer waste of resources used in a failed assassination attempt which -even if it had worked- would only have provided them with a marginal benefit… And I know they were studying Star Conquerors, and it looks a lot like they suffered a fairly critical containment failure. And as a result, we've got a species that the Green Lantern Corps had trouble with loose on a world ill equipped to handle them."

My eyes drift away slightly. "On my home parallel, there's a television series. It doesn't exist here. It's called 'Avatar: the Legend of Korra'. In the setting, there are people who can manipulate the classical elements: earth, air, fire and water. Each of the four ethnic groups have an affinity for one element, and the skills and modes of thought required to use it define their culture. Now, when I first saw it, I thought that anyone from the right tribe could learn to manipulate their element, just by studying the signature martial art. So, everyone had the same potential and it was just a matter of spending the time and effort. But by the time Legend of Korra started, it was clear that that wasn't the case. People were born with the ability or not. Those who had it could learn to improve it, but if you didn't have it, tough luck. So in the city the series is set in, there's an element manipulating criminal syndicate and the police force only recruit element users of one type. And unsurprisingly, that causes a great deal of resentment."

"The main bad guy in series one is the leader of the anti-elementalist movement. He's a water manipulator himself, but his hate is genuine and he can use his abilities to permanently remove the element control abilities of others. Thing is, it never occurred to him that he could use the exact same ability to give element control abilities to people who didn't have it. Assuming they didn't resist, it would only have taken him about thirty seconds a time. If he'd done that, everyone would have access to all the things that the elementalists could do, and if they chose not to develop those abilities… Fine. But he was too busy hating himself and encouraging others to hate that he never stopped to consider the alternatives."

I return my attention to Lex. "I want the Earth to be able to stand on its own two feet in the galaxy. I don't want it to be dependent on superhumans any more than you do, not ultimately. So: please. Tell me who the Light are. Tell me where they are. I'll go after them immediately. I'll destroy the whole organisation root and branch and destroy any evidence linking them to you. You won't be implicated at all. And then we can work on this objective we share together, without any of those short sighted idiots undermining it the whole time."

"Please."

Lex's eyes shift momentarily to his desk, and then return to me. "I'm sorry, Orange Lantern. I really can't help you."

I nod. I really shouldn't have expected him to… "Okay then." I stand. "Thank you for your time."

 

[Mr Zoat]

Demeanour

18th April
08:06 GMT -5

I slump slightly on the settee, staring blankly at the television screen. I think I'm watching one of those long running American situation comedies, the ones that aren't actually funny but use so much canned laughter they sometimes trick you into forgetting. The Earth 16 version of Two and a Half Men or Everyone Loves Raymond. Or whatever.

"Hey guysssss." The air displacement from Wallace's arrival blows past me. Huh. I'm a little surprised that he's here this early. "Ahh, is Oh El still moping?"

The noise generated by the movement of Kon's pen across his homework momentarily pauses. "Uh huh."

"Oh-kay." Kon's pen resumes its motion as Wallace walks past the kitchen table and into the living area. I don't turn around as he plops himself down in the armchair to my right. "Hey."

"Good morning Wallace."

"What're you watchin'?"

"Whatever this is."

Out of the corner of my eye I see him carefully watching my face, trying to gauge my mood. "Still bummed out about Luthor, huh?"

"Mm."

"You don't think you were being… Kinda optimistic there?"

I sigh. "If only he'd been a little more avaricious."

"I thought Lex Luthor was all about avarice."

"No, he… Isn't."

He leans forwards slightly. "So.. what is it based on?"

"He's… Red, yellow and.. green. The base is red. He's… His core personality was formed in anger. "

"Doesn't seem very angry to me. I've seen pictures… You know, after Superman stopped him doing whatever he was trying to do… He always looks calm, or… A bit angry, but I've seen Uncle Barry's rogues after they get taken down. They get.. seriously angry. Luthor always looks like he's just shrugging it off."

"No, I mean-. He's not angry. I mean, the way he thinks is.. defined by anger. Some time… When he was young, something made him so angry that he's never stopped thinking like that."

"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

"In his case… Yeah." I shuffle slightly on my seat. "He picked a fight with Superman when he first arrived in Metropolis because he literally can't stand the idea of there being someone he can't take down. It's like, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, The Ugliest Man. He can't stand the idea of there being someone looking down on him and judging him."

Kon's pen stops again. "Didn't the Ugliest Man kill God for doing that?"

Wallace blinks. "Huh?"

"In 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' by Friedrich Nietzsche, The Ugliest Man is a nihilist who hasn't learned how to create values or ideals for himself, but has genuinely rejected the ones normal in his society. 'Killing God' is.. probably a metaphor for rejecting the idea of revealed truth. For him, the morality of the church is at best one man's opinion and at worst an active attempt to deceive. But, without it, he can't really function."

"So you're saying… Luthor didn't take your offer because… You're too powerful?"

"I'm not sure. It could be that, it could be because he just can't accept something that good happening. Just.. instinctively suspicious. Or.. it might be that he's genuinely committed to the Light and is just taking the things he doesn't like them doing in his stride." I sag. "I just.. really hoped he would. At this point he's seen enough of what I'm doing to know-. In his head, to know that I mean what I say. He knows that the people I've brought together are producing genuinely revolutionary technology and are actually doing things with it. I should embody the things he likes about the Light better than they do, and without the baggage. It just.. didn't happen."

"What you gunna do now?"

"Nothing I can do. I can't make a stronger pitch than I did yesterday. I'll just… Keep doing what I'm doing and hope he comes around. Which he won't."

"I'm not really seeing how 'less Luthor' is a bad thing."

"He knows how international business works. He's a great organiser and he's genuinely committed to bettering the lot of the Human species. He'd have.. been a great help. But it's not going to happen." I raise my left hand slightly, unnecessarily pointing the ring at the television to turn it off. "So… Yeah. You..? Still on for tomorrow?"

"Psh, ye-ah. You really think my healing potions are something that can… You know, go all the way? I mean, they get a lot less effective if they're a couple of days old. They're not really something you can store."

"Sephtian can probably come up with some sort of enchanted bottle that can get around that. Prevent them losing their potency. Or…" Huh. "We could try seeing what happens when old potions are exposed to the purple healing ray?" I slump. "Sorry, I'm not really feeling the… Uplift revolution at the moment."

"You got a spare one of those purple ray things in your workshop, right?"

"Yeah. Um. All yours. Just.. don't try it on yourself without someone else being there."

"Obviously." He turns to his left, looking at the table where our team mates are hard at work. "You two looking forward to visiting Mars?"

"Um. Kinda… Nervous, actually. Meeting M'gann's family for the first time… Plus I.. can't actually breathe the air on Mars."

"Conner. I'm sure my parents will love you. I'm.. just.. not sure how they're going to feel about me."

Wallace looks puzzled. "Why? Because you haven't seen them for nearly a year?"

"I didn't exactly tell them I was leaving. Uncle J'onn checked with them after he found out I was on his ship, but…"

I half turn on the sofa so that I can actually see them as Kon reaches out with his right hand, laying it on M'gann's left. "They'll be fine. If they were really upset, they'd have said so when he told them."

"I'm…" Her head droops a little. "I'm not sure that them not being worried at all really makes me any happier. When you've got as many brothers and sisters as I have it's easy to get lost in the shuffle."

Wallace turns back to me. "You just dropping them off and coming back..?"

"No. I think… As a Sector Lantern, I should introduce myself to the Martian government. See if there's anything they want me to do for them. And I need to hear officially what they want to do about the whole 'Burning Martian' thing. And, it'll be my first time interacting with an alien civilisation in their own territory. Um, do you have any plans for spring break?"

"You bet I do! Once my homework's done I'm gunna hit the streets of Central City with Uncle Barry. He even said that if things are quiet I can handle it on my own!"

"Shame Artemis, Richard and Zatanna aren't off until next week."

"Yeah. Well." He shrugs. "It was the same last year. Y'know, for Rob."

"Geography done." Kon's pen clatters as he drops it on the table. "I'm free for the rest of the week."

Wallace looks around, frowning. "Seriously?"

Kon shrugs. "What can I say? The Genomorphs were pretty thorough."

"You know, they were looking for Human volunteers for knowledge implantation. If you're interested..?"

"Aaaaaaah…. Think I'll pass."

 

[Mr Zoat]

19th April
10:27 GMT -6

I smile as Guy steps through the boom tube, power ring crackling. "Lantern Gardner. Welcome to my home."

"Hey… Gray…" Guy looks around, as if-.

"Oh, come on Guy, I wasn't going to invite you here and then ambush you."

"Yeah, well." His eyes return to me. "You kinda come with a warnin' label these days."

I nod, the corners of my mouth turned down. "So I should stop holding my breath for an apology from King Orin?"

He frowns. "Apology? What for?"

"I am -effectively- the Apokoliptian ambassador to Earth, and he -the Atlantean head of state- did punch me in the face in an unprovoked attack. And then needed me to bail him out after the big Star Conqueror mind blasted him." Guy tilts his head forwards slightly, his eyebrows raised. "I'm not saying I was expecting flowers or anything, but a verbal acknowledgement beyond a grunt would be nice."

He shakes his head. "Gray, you're a part'a the Light now. You should be grateful he just punched you."

"Oh? I thought the League had principles. Ideals you held to above what an ordinary man on the street might reasonably be expected to do. King Orin punched me because he allowed his passions to override his reason, not because I was doing something for the Light. Heck-" I spread my arms out, indicating the room. "-it's not like I'm hiding. If you want to make an accusation, do it. I turned up in court when my life was on the line. I'd gladly do it for a lesser charge."

"Yeah, that's what Luthor says too."

"And he would. You see, Guy-" I turn, draping my right arm over his shoulder and leading him out of the embarkation room and into the rest of the base. "-being the 'good guy' is rather dependent on you doing certain things and not doing certain others."

He brushes off my arm, but keeps walking with me. "You do remember that time they killed thousands of kids, right?"

"I remember that time Klarion did and they called me in to kill him. You remember how the rest of the Justice League stood around like lemons when Nabu demanded Giovanni Zatara serve as his host-slave?"

"And that time they mind controlled the Justice League?"

"You remember that time we proved that the Guardians of the Galaxy wiped out nearly all life on Mars? And left mind control tech in all its inhabitants up to the modern day?" I glance at him, left eyebrow raised. "Whose ring is that you're wearing?"

"They were tryin' t'do the right thing and they fucked up. It's not the same as doin' it deliberately."

I nod. "Tell me: all that technology I added to the Watchtower in order to prevent a repeat of New Year. Any of it still there?" Guy glowers. "Thought not. I'll be sure to let the rest of the Light know that you're wide open again."

"I ain't on the League. I asked around on Oa and Salaak agreed to upgrade the Watchtower."

I nod approvingly. "Good initiative, Guy. I approve. And I hope that the League do as well." Okay, now to ease off. "While you're here… I realise that it's expected, so I'll ask. If you're interested in switching teams-"

"I'm not."

"-I've got a thing for redheads."

He stops dead, his mouth hanging open slightly in shock. I make a clicking noise in the left side of my mouth and wiggle my eyebrows.

His eyes narrow slightly and his mouth opens and closes silently a couple of times. Then he closes his eyes, shaking his head and chuckling quietly. "Oh, fuck you, Gray."

"Yeah, sorry. Redheads are overrated. Burn too easily." I carry on down the corridor, heading towards the meeting room. "But anyway, I'm sure there's a reason why you've finally taken up my invitation."

"The League wanna know what you're doin' in Darfur."

"Very little."

"If you wan'ed me to believe that, you shouldn't a' used a boom tube."

"But.. some employees of mine have been working there. We were about to do a debriefing. Would you like to sit in?"

"Yeah. Probably should. You know you got no authority to be there, right?"

"What, I don't have the permission of a government that's been a party to genocide for… Five years now? Imagine how that undermines my righteousness. Guy, I stopped going to your meetings because I've stopped being so angry. I stopped being so angry because I don't have to put up with the Justice League any longer. They had years, did nothing, and now sent you to protest my actions."

I reach out and press the door open button set into the wall. The security membrane in front of us fades out, giving us access to the room within. The League may like to use heavily reinforced doors for things like that, but security membranes combine the strengths of physical barriers and force fields without undermining the strength of the surrounding walls by having them slide into a slot. Unlike a force field the membrane will stay functional without an external power source and this one is exceedingly resilient.

"Hello girls." Miss Amane jumps to her feet, Miss Shimmer looks up for a moment and frowns at Guy while Lynne keeps playing with the wrist mounted quantum computer I got her for her birthday.

Just a little more advanced than Richard's.

I stride into the room and plonk myself down in my chair. "Lantern Gardner's going to sit in on this one. Just to find out how badly you've broken international law." Miss Amane is still standing, hands behind her back in an approximation of parade rest. "Iname, you may be seated."

"Thank you, Master!"

Guy's still hovering near the door. "Grayven, how old are these girls?"

I point to Miss Amane with my right forefinger. "Eighteen." To Lynne. "Twelve. And before you say anything, how old was Robin?" That gives him pause. "And…" My finger wavers a little at Miss Shimmer. "Miss Shimmer, how old are you again?"

"In Earth-years? I dunno."

"You're an alien?" She nods. "What planet 're you from?"

"We never really had a name for it. Grayven keeps calling it 'Wilson' and-" Minor glare at me. "-he won't tell me why."

"You don't have a name for it? So, what, you're pre-spaceflight?"

"I'm not sure. That depends on exactly where space starts. But not with spaceships or anything like that."

"Do you know whereabouts your homeworld is?"

She nods. "In a parallel universe." She looks at me. "Am I going to have to explain this every time?"

"No, Guy can put it in a report and then the League will all know."

Guy takes a seat next to me. "What kinda parallel-?"

"I used to be a Pony. A Unicorn. My home country is called Equestria and the majority of-."

Guy leans closer to me. "Grayven, is she-?"

She glowers. "I'm not crazy, and don't talk about me like I'm not here."

"Unless you can think of another reason for her native language to consist entirely of equine noises, it's highly probable that she's being accurate in her description. Also, I was there while her portal was open and her understanding of magic is far more advanced than any surface worlder of her age on Earth."

"Okay. Err…" He looks at Miss Shimmer. "So how come you're Human?"

"The stupid portal turned me into one. I just hope it turns me back when I go through again."

"How're you finding being Human?"

"It's horrible! I'm nearly bald, I can barely feel magic at all, I go into heat every month and I keep falling over because I've only got two legs! Two! And no tail!"

Guy clearly doesn't know how to respond to that.

"Okay girls. What have you been up to in Darfur?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

19th April
10:34 GMT -6

"…tested it carefully, and it turns out that just so long as Lynne doesn't keep up contact for more than a few seconds, anyone whose mind she touches recovers after an hour or two."

Curiously, the other two appear to be deferring to Miss Shimmer. I suppose -coming as she does from a planet of magic-using Ponies- she's far more experienced in these matters than either of them. The United States 50's military were trying to train Lynne in these matters but I suppose they didn't get particularly far before she was hauled off by SHADE.

"It wasn't too hard to use your drones to let us target individual warbands, then we could stun them. Once they were out of it, Iname could run through a boom tube, take all their weapons and food and move them somewhere else."

"Which groups in particular?"

"At the start of the war, rebels mostly targeted the government military and the government's militias mostly targeted civilians. But now, they're all pretty bad even if some are worse. So, we hit everyone we could find."

I nod. "And whereabouts were they taken?"

Miss Amane smiles. "I gave the food to the refugees."

"And the weapons?"

"Yes, those too. Just in case."

"That might create problems later, but I can follow the logic." I nod at Miss Shimmer. "Carry on."

"There was one group it didn't work on. They had a dark wizard with them, and he could protect them from Lynne's power." She creases her face in distaste. "He did it with the spirits of people he'd killed. I don't know exactly how his spell worked, but anything she did he somehow made his spirits get hurt instead of the people he was with. He knew we were watching, and he made them visible so we'd know what was happening. He had..." She shudders. "Bodies nailed to wooden pillars around their campsite…"

"Sounds like someone thoroughly in need of a good hard killing. Did you do it, or do you want me to-."

"No, he's dead."

"And how did you manage that?"

"I welded a knife onto one of your drones and made it fly into him at the speed of sound."

Guy's looking steadily more and more uneasy. I -on the other hand- just feel curious. "And what made you do that?"

"Celestia didn't mind me reading stuff on how to fight against dark magic. I recognised the sort of spell he was using. It only works against magic." She glances at Lynne. "And other supernatural attacks too, I guess. From how he looked I think he could probably have survived being shot, so what we did had to technically be mundane while still being very powerful."

"Sensible. What next?"

"They were… They were the worst group. And… We decided that we needed to make an example of some people…"

Miss Amane nods emphatically. "Otherwise they would just go home, pick up more weapons and come back."

"So I destroyed their minds. Permanently."

That's the first time Lynne's spoken in this debriefing. I feel a little concern as I carefully watch her, trying to work out how she feels about that. Obviously I want her to be able to kill people if she decides that it is the appropriate response, but I also want her not to be afraid of her own abilities.

"Okay, and how do you feel about that?"

"I saw the bodies. If I let them go, they'd just kill more people. Wasn't that what you said would happen?"

I nod. "It's what I would have expected to happen."

Guy actually shudders. "Grayven, Lynne, that's…"

"Guy, you got that ring in two thousand and three. That was the year that the Darfur War started. At any point you could have got involved. You didn't. I handed the matter over to three teenaged girls because I had more faith in their ability to resolve it than I did in yours. And they did. Miss Shimmer?"

"Um, well, we… We had some G-Trolls take the bodies down and bury them. That was.. all the fighting groups dealt with. That just left the politicians." She looks down for a moment. "There had to be a lot of people involved in organising it. Probably more who knew what was happening. But there were only three who had international arrest warrants. Iname cut Ali Kushayb in half while he was surrounded by his bodyguard."

Miss Amane nods. "He was the most evil."

"I used the drone's purple death ray on Ahmed Haroun and Lynne-."

Guy's eyes widen. "You gave President Omar al-Bashir a stroke on national television."

Lynne nods. "Yes. I did."

I nod. Hit all the major points there, I think. "Alright. Leave a few drones on observation duty and keep an eye on both what they see and on the news."

Miss Amane smiles, her eyes shining with joy. "Did we do the right thing, Master?"

"By your evaluative criteria of minimising death total while maximising effect, you probably did. I'd have been more overt and argued my point publically, but remaining unseen has its advantages-."

"That's..! That's it?!" Guy's staring at me. "You just had your girls kill a load of people, and you think they probably did the right thing?"

"Nothing can be completely predicted in advance." I gesture and a holoprojector comes to life, flicking rapidly through a series of Sudanese government documents. "Between observation scans and data intercepts, I have more than enough evidence here to convince me that they were involved in orchestrating mass murder. What did you want us to do?"

"If they had international arrest warrants, you coulda grabbed them and handed them over!"

I shake my head. Poor, innocent fool. "Guy, on Earth Prime there was a man named Slobodan Milosevic. He was president of a place called Serbia, it doesn't exist on this Earth. He was charged with being involved in commissioning genocide in nineteen ninety nine and finally handed over to the Hague in two thousand and one. Six years later he died of a heart attack, still a free man, having used every delaying tactic he could to stymie justice. Explain to me the virtue of obeying such a clearly dysfunctional system."

He regards me with growing horror.

"You know… Now I think about it…" Miss Shimmer taps her chin with her right forefinger. "The same thing happens in Equestria. I read up on dozens of ancient evils that Princess Celestia banished or imprisoned, but I don't remember anything about her flat out killing any of them. Which means that eventually they're going to get out. And given that they were bad enough to make Celestia angry enough to do that in the first place… They'll just go back to whatever they were doing. Hurting more Ponies. Which means that the whole thing was pointless. Huh." Her gaze grows a little distant, a small frown creasing her brow. "When I go back, I'll have to ask her about that."

I give her a stern look. "Aaaaah?"

"Oh. Um. And.. try to.. kill them myself?"

I nod. "Better."

"Grayven, this isn't right. They're.. kids."

"No, Guy. What isn't right is the innocent living in fear while the guilty reign triumphant and unimpeachable. I'd hoped that your father taught you that lesson."

He snarls. "Don't go there, Grayven."

"What? He beat you constantly as a boy and the Baltimore police department gave him a hero's funeral. Just? I rather doubt it." I shake my head. "You know Lynne's past, and Iname and Miss Shimmer are both legally adult. They solved a problem no one else was willing to with a minimal level of force. And if you try giving me disingenuous shit about it I'll treat you the same way I did Diana when she tried that."

"And… What exactly do you think is gunna happen now?"

"Girls?"

Miss Amane smiles and activates the holo display.

"…calling it 'a miracle' this morning, as fighting stopped all across Darfur. The reason? Early this morning every single gun vanished from the militias' hands." A picture of refugees celebrating. "Combined with the deaths of the men whom many believe to be the leading architects of this brutal conflict, it seems that this conflict might finally have been brought to a close. As to where this miracle came from, no one knows. The sheer scale of the task suggested the involvement of the Justice League, but they have so far not given official comment."

Miss Shimmer nods, and Miss Amane turns it off again. Miss Shimmer then turns her full attention to Guy. "With everyone in the area disarmed, an African Union or UN peacekeeping force could keep things under control. The Vice President can run the north and the south can peacefully secede. No one could have done this with a body count this low except the Justice League and they didn't want to stop it. So… Yeah. What I think is going to happen now is a lot less killing than would have happened without us." I smile. "Good work girls."

 

[Mr Zoat]

19th April
13:58 GMT -5

"Recognised, Orange Lantern, B zero six."

"Hey Paul!" That's a little odd. Ted was waiting for me just outside the zeta tube. The fact that there's a zeta tube on top of the KordTech building isn't a secret secret, but it isn't supposed to be common knowledge. He usually just waits inside the building.

"Good afternoon, Ted." I give his proffered hand a quick shake, and… He's putting his left arm around my shoulders. Okay, now I know something's not right. Behind his back I take my rune stone out of subspace while giving him a ring scan. No magic detected and no anomalies, aside from a slightly elevated heart rate. "Is something going on?"

"Lots of things are going on! We're, we're busy people."

"Okay. Ah, just a moment." I generate a zeta tube construct and then hold my left hand up to my left ear. "Okay Wallace, you can come through now."

A slightly tricky decision, but I think it was the right one. If he does this as Kid Flash then he can use the zeta tube whenever he wants. But -since none of the people we're meeting are on the 'approved for secret identities' list- he can't take his mask off or use any money he makes from mass production of his potions in his civilian guise. The alternative is coming here as Wallace West each time. No problem with people knowing his identity -unless someone tries kidnapping him for his alchemical knowledge I suppose- and no problem with him benefiting financially from his own work.

Unfortunately, that means that he can't use the zeta tube which so helpfully announces his identity to come here, because we can't think of a justification for 'Wallace West, intelligent but basically normal high school student' to have access to the League's secure transportation system. He can get the next nearest tube and run here… Though getting a bus or a taxi would be a better idea. Super speed might conceal the user's identity from everything but ultra speed cameras but the fact that someone is using it is very obvious.

Huh, kind of odd, that. At the moment regular people working out his identity is a bigger problem than supervillains doing it because the most notable supervillains already know.

Anyway, there are only so many times I can 'drop him off' here before it starts to look odd, so he's probably not going to be able to attend the weekly meetings. That and school. But a healing potion has such obvious utility that I couldn't not make this happen.

There's a flare of light and Wallace appears, dressed in the least superheroic way he could manage, carrying a satchel for his computer and a padded case for his samples. He blinks a little theatrically and looks around at the New York skyline, rube-ing it up magnificently. "Whaw."

"Hey there Wallace." Ted removes his arm and walks over to greet Wallace. "Paul said you had a healing potion for us?"

"Mister Kord? Ah, whaw." Wallace turns towards Ted and transfers his carry case to his left hand to shake Ted's hand. This action causes his satchel strap to slide from his shoulder and he scrambles to catch it with the hand now carrying the case. He awkwardly manages it, keeping hold of the strap as he shakes Ted's hand.

Think he may have taken the 'Clark Kenting' lessons a little too to heart.

"Just 'Ted' is fine, Wallace."

"Oh, okay. Um, just call me Wally. Everyone apart from Orange Lantern and my grandma do."

"Alright. I just.. need a quick word with Orange Lantern. Why don't… You take the stairs down. Janine can show you where we're meeting."

"Okay! Thanks Mister.. Ted."

Still giving it the 'innocent high school student' Wallace heads towards the stairs, rearranging the strap on his shoulder and looking back as if he's so totally thrilled to meet Ted that he doesn't quite believe that it's happening. He even does the Clark Kent thing of actually walking into the door because he isn't looking where he's going.

Ted leans closer to me. "Where'd you meet him?"

"Central City. I was at the university, talking to them about Leonard Snart. Pretty much just bumped into him."

Ted frowns slightly. "Doesn't Central City have a 'Doctor Alchemy'?"

"Sort of. The military took his 'Philosopher's Stone'-" And aren't interested in talking about it. Even I'm not sure where they stashed it. "-and his transmutation gun requires it in order to work. As far as we know he doesn't know how to make another Stone-" Though Alan was able to tell me about a couple of its former owners. "-so he isn't currently much of a threat. He used to be a chemistry teacher but as far as we've been able to tell he doesn't actually know anything about alchemy."

Ted frowns. "Name's kinda misleading."

"He originally called himself 'Mister Element'. If it makes you feel happier you can call him that."

"Wait, he wasn't a real doctor either?"

"Ted, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. That. Okay. Um… Well, the good news is that we managed to build a suit of power armor like yours with the invisibility system. And as far as we can tell, the mind altering effects are pretty minor."

"Good news. Wait, you haven't… Actually put someone in it without-."

"No! No. Well not exactly."

"Ted."

"We were doing test exposures with volunteer college students! We didn't give them power armor. That stuff's far too expensive to build a whole lot of suits for testing."

"Okay… That's a bit more reasonable."

"We did double blind short term exposure tests, they're all wearing monitors like the one's we're using to reverse engineer the Thinking Cap… They're showing signs of increased impulsiveness and a slight increase in aggression, but it's not enough to be worrying and Louis Crandell said that part of the effect only lasts a few months. I want to see if we can inoculate people with low doses before they start using it for real."

"A perfectly reasonable thing to test, but I'm kind of bracing for the bad news here."

"Iiiiit's Bobo."

"Bobo?"

"He's the Chimp we've been trying out some of our non-intrusive Thinking Cap designs on."

"Oh, how's that been going?"

"Oh, good. He can float small objects and create simple sensory illusions now."

I close my eyes, take a deep breath and then open them again. "Ted. Are you working up to telling me that there's an invisible telepathic monkey loose in New York City?"

"We don't know he's loose."

"Ted."

"'Cause, you know… He's invisible."

"Ted."

"I mean, we know he's not in his enclosure, but we're pretty sure that he thinks of the building as 'home' so he probably hasn't gone that far."

"What did we say, Ted? What did we say, when we first started this?"

"Ahhhh... No mad science?"

"Because our aim is to make people's lives better, improve the lot of the Human species and make enough money that the project is self-funding. What else?"

"You're… Fed up with well meaning scientists creating their own villains?"

"Completely fed up, Ted. Completely fed up." I squeeze my eyes shut again. "At least tell me that he hasn't got phasing or power armour."

"Why would we make power armor for an ape?"

"I don't know. Did you?"

"More of a test frame?"

"For goodness sake!"

 

[Mr Zoat]

19th April
14:05 GMT -5

Wooosaaaaaah.

I.. joked -when Ted and I started this- that we'd be lucky if we only created five supervillains doing this. That was why I insisted on detailed psychological screening for everyone who was going to be working directly with our novel equipment. It was why I upgraded his security so much. It was why each project had relatively narrow targets and anyone going off on a tangent was supposed to be reassigned!

NO. FUCKING. MAD. SCIENCE.

I was very clear. Very direct-.

Woosah.

Empathic vision on full, I take a look around the lobby. Nothing unexpected from the people around me and nothing to suggest the presence of an invisible ape. Orange lights strobe out from me as I run a full spectral scan. No, nothing on that either. On to the next location.

Seeing as how Ted's not an idiot, he's had Bobo's handlers leave a pile of fruit in his enclosure. Seeing as how Ted is probably only a little less annoyed about this than me, the handlers are in there combing each other's hair. Ted also tried to find a lady Chimpanzee, but it turns out that there aren't actually all that many Chimps in New York and most places aren't ready to turn them over for honey trap purposes.

Scan the corridor. Nothing.

Blasted Thinking Cap. If it was just invisibility I wouldn't have a problem. A weak omnidirectional pressure beam would reveal Bobo's location quickly enough. The problem is that the Thinking Cap doesn't quite do what I thought it did. After we acquired Dr. Hartford Jackson's research we found out (to my disappointment) that it isn't really a telepathy machine. It's a telekinesis machine. It can mind control people, but it does so in a fairly obvious brute force way and the one doing it doesn't get access to the contents of the victim's mind. The illusion creation function isn't as I had at first assumed a telepathic hallucination, but rather the application of what its inventor called 'mental force' on the environment, altering the properties of light in a particular area and causing false sensory feedback to anyone who touches what the user has 'created'. Oh, and it apparently increases the user's intelligence, which could well be why we're having this problem.

A few surprised faces look around as I open the door to a cubicle farm. KordTech's sales department. A lot of their stuff is special order, contracts being negotiated over a period of weeks to make sure technical reality and user expectations line up. Other stuff is actually kept in stock.

No ape.

And from the looks of things, if Bobo decides that he doesn't want to be found, it's capable of spoofing the ring.

I'm beginning to think that the Maltusians' reputation for paramount technological excellence was somewhat exaggerated.

On the other hand, Ted clearly has a non-implanted version of the technology which works. Yes. That's what I want to take away from this. And -depending on how much effort it takes to use- we might still be able to move into production. Or at least get something useful out of it. Mental illusions are useful, right? Unlike telepathy I'm not sure it's something that will be useful for me… But in power armour for general use, total invisibility would be blooming useful.

"Err, who are you?"

"Orange Lantern two eight one four." Nothing in the accounts office either. "Sorry to have bothered you."

"Is this about that Chimp that got away?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"Good luck."

I give her a polite smile. "Thank you."

Darn it! I'm not an ape behaviour specialist! But both Ted and I want this kept in house if possible and in community if not. I've never met Michael Maxwell or William Glenmorgan who are just about the only people in the superhero business who might be able to help. Bernhard Baker I've rather been avoiding, what with the whole Ambush Bug thing and how fourth wall breaking his comic was. Telepathy's an option, but M'gann is finishing her homework and making preparations for our holiday on Mars. I suppose I could pop by Gorilla City and ask for help, but I've got no idea how Bobo would react to the presence of a larger ape in his territory. Probably not well. Plus, he's been under the effect-.

Ugh.

Plus, he's probably been under the effect of the invisibility generator for a few hours. We're not exactly sure what that does to Chimpanzees, but the original version turned a well socialised laboratory assistant into a violent thief so I'm not all that hopeful. And now I'm remembering the scene in Lawnmower Man where the augmented ape tries to escape from the testing centre…

"Aaaagh!"

Theeeeere we go!

I transition into the canteen just in time to catch a table with a construct gravity plate before it can crush the startled cleaning staff. The front of a vending machine has been smashed in and something is making a mess as it rips into the goods contained within. A hungry and paranoid invisible ape.

At least it can't phase.

The table jerks off my construct and then flies back at me at full force. I create two draconic construct hands and catch it, gripping on to hold it against the force of Bobo's enhanced mental energy. I turn my head to the staff crouched down at the side of the room. "Sir, madam, I suggest leaving while the leaving's good."

They hesitate for a moment, then surge to their feet and sprint for the exit. Right, they're gone, PR restraint exercised. Ring, power armour.

Compliance.

Additional construct hands shimmer into being as chairs, tables and loose debris are hurled my way. Gas or tranquilisers, gas or tranquilisers? I send a filament in the direction of where I think he is and spray out a cloud of blue smoke. And… Nothing. Not even a traceable movement in the smoke. He doesn't want me to know where he is, so the Cap handles the rest. Correct what I thought earlier, that's bloody brilliant.

"Ooowaaah!"

Most of the debris falls from the air and while I can't see Bobo I can't really miss the heavy impact as a large Chimp wearing 'totally not power armour' slams into one of the tables I'm holding. The table cracks in two under the force but I've already interposed an orange hand to prevent Bobo coming through and striking me. Then the weight's gone. Okay, he can't fly with the Cap but he can use his telekinesis to boost his strength enough to do flying leaps. Assuming a slightly awkward fall…

Ah! Of course. I extend a construct to encompass the edges of the room and send orange lights strobing through the interior space, transmuting oxygen to nitrogen. An angry, physically active ape uses plenty of oxygen while the rings can keep me supplied without reference to local atmospheric conditions. Now I've just got to keep-.

One of the halves of the table Bobo jump kicked is suddenly shoved aside and I'm forced to create a construct shield to stop the oncoming ape train. Apes are wrestlers rather than strikers. Strong, but as long as I keep my barrier broad it should-. There's a series of impacts and it starts to crack slightly. It should hold long enough for oxygen deprivation to do its job. Then that should- There's another impact, weaker this time. -deactivate the enhancement he's getting from the Cap, which will give me the time I need to remove the armour, Cap and the invisibility module.

Something bangs on the floor, and I feel the pressure disappear from most of the tables I'm holding. Another bang, then a third, even weaker. Then a sort of gentle thump. I dismiss the floating hand constructs. Ring, add enough oxygen back into the air to prevent complete asphyxiation.

Compliance.

I extend thick probing constructs towards roughly where I think the recumbent ape is lying. They prod forwards gently, stopping when they meet solid resistance. Ape located. Pressure there and there indicates an arm and a shoulder which means that the head is here and this is the Cap. And the invisibility module is here…

A crisp covered and quite dishevelled Bobo appears on the ground in front of me. Time to get him out of this rig and back to his handlers.

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
08:12 GMT -5

Wolf looks up at her foster father with sad, soulful eyes.

"No."

She whines piteously.

"No. You can't come with us." Behind us, the Sphere rolls up the ramp onto the Bio-Ship. "We tried putting you in a spacesuit and you freaked out." Given how strong she is, it didn't take long for her to extricate herself. "Mars gravity is a third of Earth gravity and we can't breathe the air outside the caverns."

M'gann tilts her head to the side a little. "Um, actually? You probably won't enjoy breathing the air inside them. I mean, you could, but the pressure and gas mix are different to what you're used to."

Kon turns his head back from where he's crouched in front of his pet. "I know. I did the reading." He reaches forwards to rub Wolf's face, and she raises her right paw and lays it over his left arm. Awwwww. Kon sags slightly, then gives her a last rub of the head with his right hand and stands up. Realising that she's lost the argument, Wolf makes a low moaning noise and then lies down to sulk.

Diana looks down at the family pet with a fond smile before raising her head to look at her son. "Kon, you have no need to worry. I will take good care of her."

"Yeah, I know. It's just, this is gunna be the longest we've been apart since I got her."

She puts her hands on the big softy's shoulders before pulling him into a hug. "She will still be here when you return."

"I know. Thanks, Mom."

"It is no trouble at all." She pulls away slightly. "Are you certain that you have everything you need?"

He nods. "Environment suit, check." Essential in order to avoid low pressure assisted autodefecation. Now with House El sigil decoration. "We've got food, water, and I'll probably be sleeping in the Bio-Ship."

"You should be able to eat at least some Martian food."

He grunts softly. "I'll give it a try. Some of us can't shapeshift our stomachs."

"Not voluntarily, anyway."

Diana turns her attention to M'gann. "Please pass on an invitation to your family to visit us whenever they like."

"Oh, I will. Buuuuut I doubt they'll go for it."

"Really? Have you told them that they would not have to endure mental isolation for more than a few seconds?"

"For most Martians, leaving your home city is a big deal. Even if it wasn't actually painful, leaving… Everything behind is definitely a minority interest. Sorry."

Diana nods. "Then I will simply have to find room in my schedule to visit them." She turns to me. "Paul. I trust that you have fully versed yourself in your duties as the prince's chaperone."

For a moment I feel a small worry that there actually is such a tradition. Ring, quick review? "There isn't any such role. Themyscira doesn't have a formal age of consent-" Kon and M'gann avoid looking at each other, their cheeks colouring slightly. "-because everyone's at least two thousand years old and the relationship between father and child wasn't considered important enough to have any particular social custom."

"It was a joke, Paul."

"Oh. Ahhh. Yes. I am fully aware of my responsibilities in observing Kon and M'gann at all times to ensure that their behaviour does not violate propriety, as well as restraining the hordes of amorous Martians who will no-" Diana folds her arms across her chest and waits for me to finish. "-doubt descend upon us upon our arrival."

"Are you done?"

I think for a moment. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmyes." I frown. "Though, thinking about it, Mister J'aarkn has had three and a half months to spread the word."

M'gann shudders. "I think that's more likely to convince people to avoid us."

"Yeah, but anyone who saw his memories and then sees us is going to think about it."

She bows her head slightly. "And if they do, I'm going to be the one who knows about it."

Kon puts his right arm around her shoulders. "If it gets too much, you could always turn into a Star Conqueror again. I don't think they even have-."

M'gann half turns and shoves him in the direction of the Bio-Ship's ramp. "Okaythanksforseeingusoffgoodbye!"

Diana smiles as Kon is hustled into the Bio-Ship. "So. Aside from preserving my son's honor, what is it that you plan to do on Mars?"

"Introduce myself to the Martian government. Mars is in two eight one four, after all. See if there's anything they need done, what they want to do about the whole Burning thing. See if I can get hold of some military grade Bio-Ship components."

"And what does M'gann think of that?"

"She wasn't keen, then the Bio-Ship caught two rounds of Starro tech. Which it wouldn't if it had defensive telekinetic fields or reactive laser interceptors. As it is I have no idea what the rules on selling Martian military equipment are."

"You could have asked J'onn."

"I did. He didn't know. Apparently it's never come up."

"Paul! We're taking off without you!"

I perform a short bow. "I will return the young prince unharmed on Saturday, Highness."

"Good journey, Orange Lantern."

I transition into the Bio-Ship cabin. The Sphere is just behind the pilot station. Kon has seated himself at the front left and Teekl has curled up in M'gann's lap where she sits on the pilot's chair. As a construct she has nothing to worry about from the Martian atmosphere, temperature or pressure. Not sure what the Martians will make of her, but then I'm not sure what they'll make of the rest of us either. Hopefully, between the White Martian warrior, the Human-Kryptonian hybrid who glows with the light of the sun and the enlightened Orange Lantern they'll be so overwhelmed with the strangeness that they won't bother commenting on her.

I sit down at the front right as M'gann triggers the hangar opening sequence and lifts the Bio-Ship off the landing platform. "Do you mind if we clear Earth's atmosphere before you transition us?"

"No problem at all." I swivel the chair around to face her as she turns the Bio-Ship nose up. "Any particular reason?"

Kon nods. "We haven't really spent much time in space. I think last time was back when you went and hid on the moon and we had to come pick you up."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And… We weren't really in the right frame of mind to enjoy it."

"Um. If you want to stop off on the moon or wherever, we can do that."

"Naah. But it might be fun to float around outside the ship for a little while."

"You do remember that you can fly, right?"

"It's not the same thing."

"Okay, well, you should probably get your pressure suit on then. Because it's not going to be pretty otherwise."

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
08:26 GMT -5

**What's the view like?**

M'gann's having the front screen of the Bio-Ship track Kon's spacewalk rather than display our front arc. We're well above the orbital plane of Earth satellites here and there haven't been enough launches since I performed my local space laundering last year for us to have much need to pay attention to exactly where we are.

**It's amazing. I can see whole weather systems from up here. I can see where one ecosystem starts to turn into another. You sure you don't wanna come out here?**

**I… Sort of.. had a recurring nightmare for two months after arriving on Earth of the exact situation you're in right now. Martians and big empty spaces don't mix.**

**Oh, ah, I don't have to stay here. If it's bothering you?**

**No, it's okay. We're still close enough to the planet that I can feel that there are minds there. I just don't want to risk turning around and there suddenly being nothing.**

"Would it help if we talked about something else?"

M'gann breathes in then out, giving me a slightly uneasy smile. "Please?"

"Human Resources." She perks up slightly. "Which side do you prefer to play?"

"I think I prefer the Machines? But, Kon's so good with the Ancient Ones that he usually takes them?"

"Okay, well, I prefer Machines too. But you can just play Machines versus Machines if you want."

"I thought that didn't really work?"

"Some units end up without the thing they were designed to counter. There's basically no point in Exotic Energy Detection if your enemy doesn't use magic or Dimensional Shamblers."

"You could still use it to track Ray Projectors."

"Yes, but how often would that come up in a game? That ability just got patched in when the game developers switched it from a strict Ancient Ones versus Machines to letting people play mirror matches." Okay, where to start? I'm hardly pro level myself, but playing against someone who had tactics and strategy programmed into his head before he spoke his first word has given me some insights. "Kon.. is.. much better than me at micro, and not much worse at macro-."

"What are those?"

"'Micro' is the ability to precisely and promptly control individual units. Usually it involves moving one unit around and keeping it alive, like a.. Scuttler that's dodging base defences while gathering information. Or moving a unit away from a fight when it's being targeted by the enemy and about to die, so you keep your force alive. 'Macro' is the ability to keep your economy growing and your production constant. So, Kon is good-."

She nods. "He's good at directing his units but not so good at directing his whole army."

"Basically. He can also be a bit inflexible once he's committed to an approach. When I play against him I know that if I let him play a standard game, he'll almost certainly win. So I don't. I scout early and often, work out what he's doing and work out how to counter that. I've also found that rushing the centre for resources and trying to hold it works pretty well, as long as you're prepared to pull things back when his army appears."

"My scouts usually just die."

"That's what they do. Usually, you have to assume that the information they gain will result in efficiency savings in your unit composition that make up for it. If you see a Goat Temple you know you're going to see a cheap creature rush. If you see a Planar Gate you're going to see fast, manoeuvrable units. A Spatial Beacon and you'll get a magic focused attack. Kon really likes flying units, so I tend to have an anti-air unit or two around."

"Um, you usually make a lot of Drones, though. Why don't you just buy Improved AA Tracking?"

"Because it doesn't do anything else and early game fliers usually die quickly enough to Drones that I don't need it. Sentinels work well enough against huge units, armoured units and dense concentrations of weak units that they'll be useful whatever he does." I think for a moment. "I mean, in the unlikely event that he's gone for a heavy Night Gaunt harass and you've got lots of Drones and Enhanced Combat Cogitation already researched it might just be worthwhile, but it's not going to come up very much."

"What sort of mix of units do you think I should use? I usually try building a few of everyth-" My face creases up. "-ing?"

I have a flashback to my efforts at playing Age of Mythology. "Don't do that. It's hard enough to use two or three unit types efficiently together. Fifteen or twenty will just be a mess. They all work better when engaging in particular ways which the others don't and… Most people just can't coordinate them all well enough. Plus, you're trying to counter what your opponent is doing and a lot of them won't do that."

"Okay, so, what units are good for scouting with?"

"Early on, Drone for the Machines and Night Gaunts for the Ancient Ones. Later on, Scuttlers and Dimensional Shamblers."

"Why not use Gaze of Yog-Sothoth? It doesn't cost much."

"Because to get a decent scout with it you have to keep your screen and cursor still over the thing you're looking at and that's always time you don't have to spend. You've got too much to do early game-" I hear the air move as the Bio-Ship's newly grown airlock cycles. "-and too much will be going on late game."

**Okay, yeah.** Kon strolls into the Bio-Ship's cabin, taking his helmet off as he does so. "Guess it wasn't that interesting."

"Okay, if you've got that out of your system…" Kon shrugs and sits down. "M'gann, how far away from Mars should I deposit us?"

"Patrol ships don't usually go more than thirty kilometers from Mars' surface. We.. should be okay appearing ten thousand kilometers away."

I unfocus my eyes as the ring shows me Mars space. "I'll take us out near Phobos. Get a nice view of it-" M'gann's and Kon's expressions both look a little vacant, though they're both looking my way. "-as we come in."

M'gann gives me a slight shake of her head. "It's.. just an ugly lump of rock. Once Martians realised-" Something flickers across Kon's face. "-that we couldn't go too far from other Martians we stopped travelling there." She stops talking for a moment or two. "I don't think we even went there as many times as Humans have been to your moon."

Silence again, and slight facial tics… "Okay, I may not be able to listen to your telepathic communication, but I am-" Kon looks away a little sheepishly. "-feeling a little excluded."

"Ah, well-."

"It was my idea." M'gann looks like she expects to be scolded or something. "I thought… If I got you talking about something, I might be able to… Hear you. Your mind. Just a little! Like I used to, before… Truggs…"

"Sneaky." The view outside the front screen doesn't exactly 'jump' as black with stars is pretty much black with stars, but there's now a dim lump of rock in it as well. "Clearly, I've" **underestimated how much this is bothering you. I'll… I'll try easing up on the blocking. While we're here. But I'm going to have to ask that you don't poke back, okay?**

She nods, smiling.

**Okay…** Um. Hm, this is actually a bit tricky. **[The game begins and I send instructions to the Harbinger to begin work on a Harvest Node.]**

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
08:32 GMT -5

The dim red blur I know to be Mars is slowly getting larger in the centre of the front screen.

**Can you feel them yet?**

M'gann nods, her eyes a little unfocused. **I've been able to hear them since we arrived.**

Kon looks curious. **What are they saying?**

She blinks, refocusing. **Oh no, I can't hear individual words. At this distance it's more like a background noise. I probably won't hear anything until we're a good deal closer.**

**Do you want me to apply the booster rocket constructs?**

**Ummm… Not yet.** She looks down for a moment, then up at Kon. **You realise… The Martians on Mars aren't going to be pretending to be Human. They're mostly going to look like [picture of default Martian physiology].**

**Yeah, I remember. And if any of them ask why I'm thinking about an ancient Martian made of fire, I tell them it was a horror movie.**

**Are we going to have any trouble getting in?**

**We shouldn't.**

**That doesn't sound very definite.**

**We don't have any laws against bringing aliens to visit. But.. that's-.**

**Because no one has ever tried.**

**Yeah. But everyone on Mars knows about Uncle J'onn, and we know what Humans look like from his first visit back after the zeta tube picked him up.**

Kon frowns slightly. **Earth had spaceships before he went back.**

**Not ones that could get to Mars reliably. Uncle J'onn sent his first message back using zeta beams.**

**I'm not sure I'd want to try getting from Earth to Mars in an Earth-built spaceship now.**

**Wait.** Kon blinks. **If Manhunter sent a message from Earth to Mars back in… When was it?**

**Nineteen fifty eight.**

**Why are we still taking a ship fifty years later?**

**Because -if you don't have a terminal at the far end- zeta tubes are hideously inaccurate. Mister J'onzz sent hundreds of messages out like a shotgun blast in the hope that someone would pick one of them up. He couldn't even put a beacon on them that someone on Mars could reliably detect because Martian communications technology runs on organic telepathy and he couldn't replicate that with fifties Earth technology.**

M'gann nods. **The patrol ship only found it because Uncle J'onn rigged the message pod to release an electromagnetic pulse on a wavelength the patrol ships could pick up.**

**Okay, but the League could put a zeta tube on Mars now, right?**

**Yeees, but you know how big the machinery needed for the zeta tubes the League uses on Earth is?** He nods. **Interplanetary travel using the technology we use now requires much bigger machines which use lots more power. Because the Martian technology base is so different to the Human one we can't easily make an organic zeta tube terminus.**

**So? Use Human technology.**

**We could, but we'd have to have a team on Mars full time in order to maintain it. And we'd have to have the power source imported, and they'd need either an air supply or more likely a full Human-friendly habitat. Communication from Earth by radio would have a delay of between six and forty four minutes, depending on what part of the planetary alignment cycle Earth and Mars were in. So, that's two huge zeta tubes that you have to send there at great expense by rocket.**

**Two?**

**In case something went wrong with the first one and it couldn't be repaired on site. It takes a long time to get from Earth to Mars by rocket even when they're close together, and we've got another year and a half until that happens again. They can't get replacement parts locally because: Martian technology. And if you want them to make their own they'd need all kinds of additional workshops and mining facilities.**

**You brought us here.**

**Yes, but if we're assuming that I'm available full time… Why bother with a zeta tube anyway? We're taking the scenic route here so Mars has time to see us coming. I could have just plonked us down on the planet's surface.**

**But you could set it up, right? Then they'd just have to keep it supplied and they could do that by zeta tube.**

**Yes, that's possible. But other than keeping the zeta tube existing, what are they doing? There's no trade between Mars and Earth. We can.. just about eat their food and they can eat ours, but the sort of zeta tubes that would be involved need so much power that it wouldn't be possible to trade a high volume of items. Data transmission is easy… Except-.**

**The technology base is too different for us to use theirs or for them to use ours.**

**Yep. Can't even send them television. Getting a few more Manhunters sent through on detached duty might be useful, but other than that?**

**What about diplomacy? Or.. defense?**

**At our current level of technology we'd have to go a long way out of our way to offend Mars, and Martians hate going that far away from other minds too much to want to come to Earth. Mars has space capable warships, but we can't borrow them because-.**

**The crew can't leave Mars.**

**They could function near Earth, but you really don't want to fight an invader near your planet. So, in summation, it could be done, but no one wants to enough to actually do it.**

**And… That's assuming other Martians even want them here.** M'gann shrugs. **Uncle J'onn worked as a policeman, and he didn't really see Earth at its best.**

**And that's leaving aside whatever other Martians have picked up about us from Mister J'aarkn.**

**I'm…** M'gann blushes slightly, her eyes momentarily flicking to Kon. **Really not looking forward to explaining that one to my parents.**

**Earth: sex and violence plan-** M'gann stiffens and her eyes glow. **-et. What?**

"A patrol boat has seen us and is asking me who we are. I'm just talking to them now."

I look over to Kon. "Excited to meet the in-laws?"

"Not really. I can just about tell male Martians from female ones but I don't think I'm gunna be able to tell M'gann's mom from her sisters. If they even come."

"My family back home had enough trouble when we tried to fit ten of us around the table for Christmas. I've got no idea how M'gann's parents manage with thirteen girls and seventeen boys."

"Staggered pregnancies." M'gann's eyes stop glowing. "We live a lot longer than Humans so there's no need to have all your kids at once. Most of my brothers and sisters are adults now. When we get home there will probably just be my parents and younger siblings." She looks over to me. **Please take us in. [An image of local space and Mars, the approved flight path clearly marked.]**

Orange light flows through the Bio-Ship, creating large gravity impellers on the rear of the ship as Mars begins growing rapidly in front of us.

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
08:39 GMT -5

"Okay, turn it off."

Mars completely fills the front window of the Bio-Ship as I remove my construct, our angle of approach meaning that I can just about see the yellow-gray edge of the Martian horizon near the top. "Construct deactivated."

M'gann nods. "Setting course for Mel'dilo'rn. ETA, four minutes."

"Is that them?" Kon points to something through the window, a tiny coloured speck against the rusty grey sands below us. Ring, magnify?

"Yes. They're going to monitor us as we approach. They're actually getting a bit…"

Kon looks mildly concerned. "A bit what?"

"Umm. Pushy? Intrusive? They're not interrogating me exactly, but they're certainly… Not being polite. One thing I definitely haven't missed about Mars is the racism."

The patrol ship itself is primarily blue in colour. It puts me in mind of a cross between M'gann's Bio-Ship and… Thunderbird 2? Or maybe Moya? Same sort of bulbous body section with trailing, disproportionately short wings. Of course, in the Martian atmosphere those wings can't be generating significant lift. Sensors, maybe? It flies using the same telekinetic system as this Bio-Ship, giving it similar aerial manoeuvrability. An Earth-built jet aircraft of similar size would wallow through the air, but not that thing. No weapons visible on the exterior of the hull, which at least means that they don't consider us to be an immediate threat.

"What exactly is your official status, anyway?"

"How do you mean?"

"Should we expect a truancy patrol to be waiting for us, wanting to know why you've skived off school for a year?"

Kon smirks. "That would be awkward."

"No, Uncle J'onn got all that straightened out before I joined the team. Technically, I'm a Manhunter cadet assigned to him for training, but everyone knows that that's only really true on paper."

"Well, you're a more powerful telepath than he is, and a better shapeshifter, so maybe not training you was the way to go."

"I'm not a better shapeshifter than he is." I raise my left eyebrow. "I'm really not. There's a lot more to shapeshifting than changing your shape." I frown, then Kon and I exchange puzzled looks. "You know what I mean. I've got a better range but there's a lot of skill involved in instinctively shifting your shape during combat. Uncle J'onn is a lot faster than I am, especially under stress. Ugh."

"Hey, I'm sorry-."

"No, not-. You. It's them. They're instructing me to reconfigure the Bio-Ship's hull. Apparently it's 'too militant' for a civilian ship."

"I thought it was registered as being owned by Mister J'onzz?"

"It is. But he's not here and they've decided to make an issue of it." She sighs. "Reconfiguring." I hear a slurping noise as the exterior wings retract and the cabin space behind us shrinks. The Sphere warbles in protest as it's nudged closer. "Sorry."

"Are people gunna be hassling you the whole time?"

"I-. No. Probably not. But everywhere you go, some people are just.. jerks."

"You know, if you want to go back to pretending to be green… Your mental defences are probably good enough now to keep casual enquiries out."

"No."

I hold up my right hand in surrender. "Okay, I was just-."

"No, I'm not-. Ugh." She slumps slightly. "I had a talk with Rocket about color prejudice-"

"Ooooowh."

"-and she said that pandering to bigots only encourages them."

"Raquel's got a bit of a thing about that."

Okay, I'm not going to pretend that modern America or Britain are post-racial utopias or anything, but her habit of interpreting most things in racial terms has become a little wearing. When she brought up the issue of remuneration for the descendants of slaves my asking if she would be willing to pay Americans of European descent for the actions of her own Barbar ancestors was totally a rational argument in no way spurred by my irritation.

Power ring genetic scans are a little bit cheaty in that sort of debate.

"No, I started using white skin on missions for a reason. I'm a White Martian and I'm not going to hide it."

"You shouldn't have to."

"You know… I've sort of been thinking. It might be possible for me or.. one of the Controllers to reverse whatever it was the Guardians did to your ancestors-."

"Oh, no. Mars does not need monsters like that back."

"I'm still not convinced that their nature wasn't the result of how they were socialised, rather than-."

M'gann stares directly at me. "**No.**" She exhales sharply. "I know you're.. trying to help, but… I don't think I can… Explain just how horrifying that thing was. Not to someone who isn't Martian."

Kon frowns. "I didn't think it was.. that scary."

"The molecular disruption technique it was using is something that's unheard of outside a handful of Red Martian mystics. It's supposed to be impossible for anyone else. And it wasn't like them, its mind was.. like… Fire. When I looked at it, I felt the same fear I feel when I look at an open flame. I don't know what would happen to Martian society if their existence became more widely known, but it could totally collapse our government."

"Wait. Are you saying that.. while you don't regard Whites as being inferior to Green you still regard both as being inferior to Reds?"

"Um." She cringes slightly. "A little?"

"M'gann. You know that's ridiculous."

"Yeah, well, it's not that easy to just change your entire way of thinking."

"Certainly it is. I managed to achieve complete unity with my desires inside ten minutes, and you're a telepathic shapeshifter."

"Okay, it's not that easy for me to do it. That part of Martian racism isn't something that I've ever suffered from, so I just don't… I don't have the same resistance to it. Respecting Red Martians is just something that you do."

"Alright, do you know the name of the Red I'm going to need to talk to while I'm here?"

"You could probably.. just talk to the Chief Administrator. I'm not sure if it's the same woman as it was when I left, but if it is then she's a Green."

"No. I want to go to the top, someone who's part of Mars' elite, someone connected to the planetary government."

"I.. don't know if he'll be willing to talk to you, but Mel'dilo'rn's reigning Prelate is Prince J'emm. Are you really just going to walk up to the government buildings and demand to speak to him?"

"Of course not. I'm going to insist that whoever I meet send a skivvy to inform him of my arrival. If he won't talk to me, that's fine."

"Okay, good."

"I'll just try other cities until I find a Prelate who will."

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
08:46 GMT -5

"Bringing us in no-" M'gann grimaces. "-w."

"The patrol ship again?"

"They're helpfully reminding me of landing procedures." M'gann's hands move across the controls. "As if I haven't been doing this for over a year."

"Are they saying anything about the rest of us?"

"There'll be a security screening, but I wouldn't worry about it."

"Do the people doing it know anything about Human weapons? Or power rings?"

"Probably not." She smiles the smile of a person who has outsmarted someone very annoying. "So it shouldn't take too long."

A short ridgeline appears on the horizon of the flat Martian desert ahead of us. Ring? Yes, artificial. There's a decent drift of loose sand built up along the near side, disguising its nature from cursory inspection. The Bio-Ship slows as it closes the distance and a portal oozes open in a gust of air. Positive pressure keeps the sand from getting anywhere awkward. The pressure difference appears to be only slight, so they must have developed a way to keep air in even if the entryway is open. The pressure difference between the surface and the inner caverns proper is far more significant. Presumably the difficulty in communicating through sonic means is one of the things which led so many Martian life forms to developing alternatives like telepathy.

The Bio-Ship is moving at little more than jogging pace as we pass through the entrance and start down the tunnel. There's a weak glow which I presume to be bioluminescent coming from the walls but it's rather patchy. Is that just where it grew, or is it a sign of poor repair? I turn to M'gann with a curious frown and she glances my way before following my gaze.

"This is the entrance for privately owned civilian vehicles. There's no rule that says Martians can't go up to the surface, but most of us don't have any reason to go out there. As a result it… Well…"

"Isn't a high maintenance priority."

"Right."

The tunnel curves off to the right and downwards. Martian cities are arranged in a series of large caverns which are more or less on the same level as one another. The buildings are set into the walls or rise out of the central floor area. They also do the Star Wars thing of having fragile looking platforms projecting out into the open air, held up by biotechnological telekinesis rather than more conventional antigravity systems.

What is it about advanced civilisations that makes them think that structurally unsound structures are a good idea?

The darkness ahead opens in the same fashion as the external tunnel entrance and I get a momentary impression of depth. Buildings like skyscrapers made of rock rise up on either side of a short plaza which leads to a drop into the cavern proper. Ahead, I can see tiny lights in the windows of the stalactite buildings which form islands in the tight streams of aerial traffic.

The first science fiction alien city I've seen in person.

And, yes, there's the slight pressure on my mind from the presence of millions of telepaths lightly probing their environment. A little distracting, but I'll probably get used to it. Don't really get this from the Genomorphs, but they're far closer to being a hive mind than Martians are and instinctively share information from their mundane senses rather than doing anything like this.

There are three standard pattern Green Martians naked but for a couple of straps waiting for us as M'gann brings us down. Just as we touch down she suddenly brightens up and I feel slightly dizzy for a moment.

"M-M'gann?"

She stares off into space for a moment, then snaps out of it. "Oh! Mom and Dad say 'hi'. They'll expect to see us when we finish here." She prods the cat still curled up on her lap. "Come on Teekl. Time for a walk."

Teekl raises her head and blearily peers up at M'gann. "Teekl not want walk. Teekl happy here."

"Well…" M'gann looks at me for a moment. "Ah..?"

"Teekl, there's a whole planet of people out there who've never seen a cat before!"

"Mrww?"

"Never, Teekl." I lean closer and she stares back at me. "Never seen one before. There's a gaping, cat-shaped hole in their lives and only you can fill it."

She tilts her head slightly to the side. "Teekl suppose Teekl grace funny smell people with Teekl magnificence." She rolls to her feet and stretches out, claws momentarily extending. Kinks worked out, she jumps to the cabin floor and starts growing up to her Tiger-sized form.

Kon meanwhile is standing by the exit, helmet in hands. "Am I gunna need this?"

"I'll have an environmental shield around you, but it's a good idea to have it with you. We'll probably be splitting up in an hour or so. M'gann, are you going to be able to park closer to home or is this it?"

"Uum… I should have a space. As long as D'harr hasn't passed her test yet, and Mom didn't mention it." She stands, walking towards the airlock and patting the wall as she goes. "Been a while since you've been in storage mode, hasn't it girl?" She looks at Kon, then her eyes slide past to the airlock. "It's probably best if I go first."

"Right." He steps away, the Sphere rolling after him. "Are.. you going out like that?"

"Like what?"

He smiles and inclines his head slightly. "Like a really pale Human."

She shrugs. "Martians don't really care about that sort of thing. And.. I'm.. actually more comfortable like this than in my Martian form now."

"Really?"

"Martian.. self image is.. more about how you think than how you look. I only really became conscious of my physical image when I moved to Earth, and, well,-" She shrugs, smiling weakly. "-this is it."

"I like it."

Her smile broadens as he pulls her into a clinch. "I know you do."

I start to avert my eyes, but their near-kiss is interrupted by Teekl nosing M'gann's legs. "Show funny smell people Teekl now."

Kon glowers at her. "Maybe we can take her to your uncle Ma'al's place and forget about her."

"Gggggggggggggggggggggggggggg."

"Okay, no dumping the cat." He waves his right arm at the airlock. "After you."

M'gann steps up to the exit, which opens to allow her in. We don't usually bother with an airlock when we're on Earth, but the pressure difference here makes it necessary. Thinking about it… "Kon, you know that the gravity-."

He nods. "Is about a third what it would be on Earth. I'll be careful."

There's a hiss as the air in the airlock is pumped back into the cabin, and then the ship-ooze noise as M'gann exits. Teekl nudges Kon aside for the next opportunity to leave. Uh? "Teekl, you remember you can phase, right?"

"Teekl will disembark with due majesty."

I exhale with amusement. "Okay then."

The Sphere warbles something, and Teekl responds by turning her head away with a snort. Then the airlock opens once more and Teekl struts through.

"Can't you phase as well?"

"Um. I can with my power armour, but this is a civil matter and I thought it was a bit militant."

"Yeah, but-" He shrugs. "M'gann said that Martians don't care about that kind of thing."

I nod. "True." I rise slightly off the deck as my armour appears around me. "See you outside."

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
08:51 GMT -5

Two au naturel Greens are standing just in front of M'gann, looming over her in an intimidatory pose which transcends species. Or possibly not. After all, that means that they're actually weaker than her at the moment, their mass being more spread out while hers is compact. Teekl is circling around them, tail flicking in frustration as they ignore her. I know they can feel her mind, M'gann remarked on how different it felt from what she expected a construct to be like. Ignoring her is deliberate. Not clever, lads.

Wait, lads? Ring? Okay, lasses then. Huh, and I don't know if it's a Human-brain-being-optimised-for-looking-at-other-Humans thing or a no-body-image thing, but they both look identical to me. Some sort of telepathic buzz going on between them, but with all that M'gann's been through on Earth I doubt that a couple of weak telepaths who think that they're intimidating can cow her-.

A large green hand tries to grasp my right shoulder and passes through me. I float away a little and turn to face the third member of the welcoming committee. Ah, this one's male.

"Can I help you?"

He stares, and the mild buzz at the edge of my mental shields increases slightly. By default Martians can't speak. Their original throats simply didn't allow it. It isn't really all that clear why their language has a spoken form, given their telepathy. Maybe it was the Guardians… Or maybe it's like Humans and sign language? Hm. Maybe he hasn't bothered with ears? I suppose they wouldn't serve all that much purpose here. I wiggle my fingers and extend my environmental shield around him.

"I said, can I help you?"

Another little buzz. Oh, come on, are we really going to do this?

"My barriers are up for a reason. If you've got something to say to me, say it out loud."

His throat shudders slightly as it reformats. I suppose I've become so used to M'gann's current ease at manipulating her protean form that I've sort of forgot how tricky she found it to mimic the male members of the team when we first met. I'm also wondering if Mister J'aarkn really was some sort of expert. Next comes a sort of spur growing from the sides of his head as… Ears designed by someone who's only ever seen pictures before emerge.

"Lower. Your. Mental. Shields."

"Hello there. I'm Orange Lantern two eight one four. What's your name?"

"Lower. Your. Mental. Shields."

"I get the worrying feeling that we're at an impass-"

"Now."

"-here." I hold up my right hand.. in a gesture he's probably not going to recognise… Oh well. "Look, I had a couple of encounters with hostile telepaths a while ago and since then-."

"I. Do. Not. Care. Lower. Your. Shields."

"Since then I've booby trapped my brain specifically to stop people like you."

"Then. Lower. All. Your. Defences."

"If they were the sort that could be turned off with thoughts they wouldn't be much use against telepaths, would they?" That doesn't appear to win me any points. Alright. **If it makes you feel any happier, we can talk-.**

For a fraction of a second I get a blast of associations, words, thoughts and images and up go the shields again. And someone's officially gone beyond the call of duty in being a dick.

I'm probably going to regret this in a minute or two.

…

No I'm not.

I land. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite appreciate how strongly you felt about this." I drop my shields, my mind completely open in a way it hasn't been since Roanoke. "What's my name?"

I blink, and he's collapsed to the floor. My armour's locked in place to keep me upright. Good work, armour. I reinstate my shields. Ring, time loss?

Nine seconds.

Huh. It does get easier.

I lift off the ground again and turn back to M'gann. Kon and the Sphere have disembarked and the whole little party is looking at me. **I warned him.** Actually, M'gann looks a little wobbly herself. Did she try taking a look at my head, or is that just the result of the haranguing she's been getting? No, don't worry about it. I can't really fault her if she was curious. I flare my environmental shield, making an effort to do the pseudo flame effect Alan has. **Right, you two. Have you finished hassling my friend? Because you're this close-** I hold out my right gauntlet, forefinger and thumb quite close together. **-to the official definition of interfering with an officer of the Corps in the execution of his duties.** If I were a Green Lantern working under a standard cooperation agreement. **Do you actually have a reason for holding us up?**

**There has been a rise in violent crime amongst the White population. The events concerning M'gann M'orzz's return are suspicious.**

**Is this rise in crime recent?**

**Yes.**

**Then it's fairly unlikely that someone who's been on Earth for a year is involved in any way. Anything else?**

**The presence of aliens on M'arzz-.**

**I'll be presenting myself to the Prelate later today. Anything of substance?** I wait for a moment. Nothing. **If you have any further concerns about M'gann's conduct you may refer them to Manhunter J'onn J'onzz.**

**I may do that.** The second Green inclines her head slightly. **You may depart. See that you stay out of trouble.**

The Sphere warbles and shifts into her supercycle form. Kon carefully leaps up, landing in the front compartment while Teekl flies to the rear. M'gann floats back towards the Bio-Ship. **Thank you. I'll.. maybe.. see you later?** The second Green turns away, walking towards one of the nearby buildings.

Kon looks baffled. **See her later? Why would you wanna do that?**

**You remember when I said I had three hundred cousins?**

**That was one of them?**

**Yeah… That was… K'hym.** We both look blank. **K'hym J'onzz.** Kon and I simultaneously give a slightly uncertain nod. **Uncle J'onn's daughter.**

**Manhunter has kids?**

**No, she's… Sixty seven Earth years old?** M'gann frowns. **I think that's right.**

I vaguely remember something about him having a family in the comics. I definitely remember it in Justice League Animated. But… With Mars not being genocided in this timeline… Obviously they'd still be alive. But he hasn't-. **Mister J'onzz has been on Earth for the last fifty six years.**

**Yes. She wasn't very old when the zeta tube accident happened. By the time he was able to come back…** She shrugs. **She was already an adult. She barely knew him.**

**What about her mom?**

**Aunt M'yri'ah was murdered.** M'gann shifts uncomfortably. **I mean, that all happened before I was born, but… I think that's why Uncle J'onn spends all of his time on Earth. He doesn't think he has anything here to come back for.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April

Actually, thinking about that…

"M'gann, what sort of time keeping do Martians use?"

I hear her voice come back through my armour's speakers. "For obvious reasons we don't base it on the sun. We've had several different ways of measuring time over the years, but modern M'arzz society divides a 'day' into six, and then each of those into six and, well, keep dividing into six parts."

"And is a 'day' a day? A Mars day, I mean?"

"I think we lose about a day a year. A Martian year. Sometimes there's a political movement that wants it to line up, but there's no real need to."

I don't think I'll have the ring mark time in recurring sixths.

09:08 GMT -5

We're getting more than a few stares as we fly along the edge of one of the consensus flight paths. Both M'gann and Kon are supposed to be in the 'vehicle' lane, while it isn't entirely clear whether my armour counts as a vehicle or as some sort of disability flight aid. And I've finally seen a few Martians who don't look identical! Okay, identical apart from colour, there are Greens and Whites in not entirely segregated groups all around us. And a few vehicles, all smaller than M'gann's Bio-Ship.

The Martians who don't look entirely Martian appear to be affecting parts of the Human physique. The effect isn't all that convincing for the most part. Some have Human-shaped arms, but kept their Martian dimensions and so look a little like some kind of fish-ape. Others altered the general shape of the head without bothering to change the features, pulling off a fairly convincing Skeletor look.

A few more are working hard to put me off sex for life.

A couple of the braver ones are floating a little closer to Kon than appears to be the socially acceptable distance to a fellow traveller. The Green on the left floats up alongside for a moment, then appears to think better of it and falls back. I suppose with telepathy and the social norm of constant mental contact news media of the sort we have on Earth probably aren't a thing. Why invent Twitter or Facebook when you can just stick things on your own brain?

M'gann turns the Bio-Ship away from the main flow of traffic and directs it through a short but wide tunnel between caverns. Kon and I follow along behind. I note that the edges of the tunnel have troughs containing.. some sort of.. plant? Looks a bit like a succulent of some kind. I suppose that's another point in the direction of 'alien'. So far I've seen buildings and bare rock but no gardens. No window boxes. Not even the little strips of greenery you get on roundabouts or the sides of roads. I know Martians have tree-equivalents… I suppose they just don't go in for decorative planting in works areas.

But it looks like they do in residential ones.

The cavern which the tunnel opens out into is far smaller than the one we just left and I can't see any bare rock. There are houses offset from one another in a step pattern, punctuated by balconies and verandas and miniature gardens sticking out in defiance of gravity. Dozens of Martians of all ages turn their heads up to look at us as we come in and start losing altitude. More than a few of the.. younger-but-not-child-size ones are mimicking Human appearance. Well, the Humanish appearance that Mister J'onzz uses, anyway. I guess that M'gann wasn't exaggerating about the regard in which he's held here. The mix of Greens and Whites is about even and they don't appear to be separating themselves apart in the way those in the main cavern were. Of course, I've got no idea if that means this is a mixed neighbourhood because those here reject typical Martian racialism or because it's cheap.

M'gann sets the Bio-Ship down on someone's roof… Though it doesn't actually land so much as go into hover mode. M'gann doesn't even bother using the door, she just phases through the hull with a delighted smile on her face. **Mom! Dad!** She flies fast in the direction of two nearby Martians, one Green and the other White. They spread their arms out, wrapping them around her as she flies into them.

That would be S'randa and E'ann M'orzz, then. The hug looks a little awkward; their forms are completely Martian and their arms don't bend quite enough to properly embrace her much smaller body. Doesn't look like it bothers her.

**M'gann! It is so good to have you back again.**

Kon brings the Sphere Cycle around in a circle before setting it down next to the Bio-Ship, which has gone back into storage mode. Then he looks at the family reunion going on a short distance away and hesitates.

Fatal mistake. Teekl is out of her seat in a second and nosing around the happy reunion, like a… Cat. An attention-seeking cat who unaccountably finds herself not the centre of attention. M'gann's White Martian father frees his left hand to awkwardly pat at her head, which appears to temporarily satisfy her.

I send my armour back into subspace as I descend myself, landing just next to Kon and extending my environmental shield around him. "Go on. Go and introduce yourself."

"I'm just.. gunna.. give them a few minutes."

From M'gann's direction I get a faint impression of a series of images, fragments of our team's endeavours. Both elder Martians lean back slightly.

**Not so quickly, M'gann. We are not all as telepathically capable as you are.**

M'gann shrinks slightly at her mother's comment. **Sorry, I just got so excited, I mean 'hello Megan'-**

**M'gann!** A small Green Martian -probably young rather than a dwarf- dashes out of their home and hovers next to her. **You're back!**

Hang on. I got a full list of her siblings… Younger and male-sounding means… S'monn. The fact that all but one of her twenty nine siblings are Green strikes me as a little odd, but since their whole coloured racial subgroup thing is an invention of the Guardians I suppose normal inheritance doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it.

**And-. Whaw!** He shoots over to stare into my face. **You're really good at looking Human!**

**One does one's humble best. You're quite good at looking Martian.**

**Duh, I am a Martianohmygoshyou'reoneofM'gann'sHumanfriends!**

M'gann leads her parents over in our direction. **Mom, Dad, this is Kon-El.**

Kon checks the environmental shield, then takes off his helmet in order to smile sheepishly at his girlfriend's parents. **Ah. Hi.**

**And this is Paul.**

**Pleased to meet you.**

**Welcome to M'arzz, both of you.**

**Thank you for inviting us.** He glances at me for a second and I nod my head in their direction. **My mom wanted me to pass on an invite to stay with us if you ever wanted to visit Earth.**

E'ann steps forward slightly. **That's very kind of you, Kon-El. If an insane Earth scientist ever hits us with an energy ray and teleports us there, we will certainly take advantage of that offer.**

**D-ad.**

Unsurprisingly, Kon doesn't know quite how to respond. **Ah, we understand zeta radiation a lot better now, and since Doctor Erdel found out Mars was actually, y'know, inhabited, we stopped testing it in this direction.**

M'gann nods. **The zeta tubes we use now are far too weak to pick someone up from this far away.**

I can well understand that what happened to Mister J'onzz would have left a rather bad taste in their mouths. **I think they were more thinking about-** I notice one of the more Human-looking Martians observing our conversation from a balcony above us focus her eyes on the top of M'gann's head, then begin growing hair on her own bald scalp. **-having me fly you there for a visit. It would be over in the blink of an eye.** I raise my hands. **No pressure. But the option's there if you want it.**

S'randa holds out her right hand in the direction of their home, and I feel a flickering image pass from her to her husband. **We receive the offer in the spirit in which it was intended. Now please, come inside. We are eager to hear all about your adventures on Earth.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
09:51 GMT -5

"One time-" Kon looks thoughtful as the senior members of the M'orzz family stare into space. "-Wally told me that when the Flash gets really excited about something, he just talks faster and faster until all anyone can hear is a kind of buzzing noise. I've never heard the Flash do it…"

I nod. When I started having trouble keeping up with the telepathic conversation taking place in the living room -a large open plan room with long Martian scale settees- I wound my barriers down a little, and then a little more, and… Then I stopped bothering. It's not words. Words I could cope with. I've been around when M'gann's gone full sugar rush before. But now she's sending out a storm of sensory impressions, sounds and thoughts and it's becoming increasingly apparent to me that she really holds herself back when communicating with the rest of us.

Or… Maybe if I dropped my barriers completely..?

No. Not until after Nabu.

I blink heavily as the sense impression of being a Star Conqueror hits me right in the cerebellum. Kon is actually disorientated enough that he reaches for his forehead with his right hand. I'm not sure whether not shielding at all or shielding more would have been better there. A moment later M'gann's eyes widen and she turns sideways on her seat towards the two of us. **Oh, I'm so sorry! I think I got a bit carried away. I mean, hello M'gann! I've never tried talking to you telepathically like that before.** She gives us a quick once over. **Are you okay?**

**Uh, yeah, I think so.** He shakes his head to clear it a little. **What was that?**

S'randa leans forwards slightly. **That was M'gann getting overenthusiastic.**

M'gann bows her head a little in embarrassment. **I'm sorry, there's just so much to cram in…** She looks directly at Kon. **Telepathy isn't just for transmitting words or pictures. It's not even just memories. I can transmit the idea of an experience, what it was like and an intuitive understanding of what's actually happening. I don't really do that much with the team, because…**

He nods. **It's kinda overwhelming if you're not a telepath.**

E'ann leans back against his seat. **It was a little overwhelming for us as well. J'onn has taught you to harness your abilities well.**

**Actually, that was more Henry. [An image, a snapshot of one M'gann's sessions with him.]**

**A Human? I remember J'onn saying that there were Human telepaths. I am surprised that he was confident enough in their abilities to allow one to instruct you.**

I raise my right eyebrow. **You..? Didn't tell them about..?**

She frowns at me. "No, and you weren't supposed to either."

"Oh." My eyes flick from her to her parents. "Um."

S'randa's eyes glow faintly. **Is there something you're neglecting to tell us, M'gann?**

She sighs. **One time, Uncle J'onn put us in a telepathic group illusion, so we could do a training session on dealing with an invasion of the planet without.. actually.. having to find someone to invade it. We were fighting them and… [The ice of the north pole, crashed alien fight craft smoking on the ice. Richard pulls a piece of machinery out of the ship and then the beam strikes him no!]**

**Did they end the scenario?**

**No. Uncle J'onn tried, but he couldn't. For a moment I was so convinced that it was all real that I altered everyone else's perception of what was happening. We went from a practice session to.. actually fighting an alien invasion.**

**[Idea of frowning] Why didn't J'onn enter your minds and remind you?**

**He tried, but he couldn't stop me changing his perception too. He became convinced it was real and forgot how he got there. It wasn't until everyone on the team.. except for Paul and I, 'died', that he remembered.**

**After that I suggested that he might like to find an alternate teacher for M'gann's telepathy classes.**

There's a brief something between her parents again. **I think I may want to record a message to my brother about that event. After you have explained it in more detail.**

M'gann sags slightly. **Yes, Mom.**

If that had happened closer to the time I would probably be celebrating his forthcoming ear bashing. As it is, I've long since gotten over my irritation with him. His sessions with M'gann these days focus on things that he actually knows, like how to conduct criminal investigation and interrogations with Martian superpowers.

S'monn suddenly perks up. **Hey, I thought you said that Kon-El and you were dating?**

Kon reaches across and picks up her right hand in his left. **We are.**

**And you haven't done full telepathic sharing before?**

M'gann's eyes widen in surprise. **S'monn!**

**Uh, no? Should we have?**

**Mum said that when she and Dad started dating-.** He stiffens. **Sorry, Mum. Sorry, M'gann.**

Kon frowns thoughtfully at M'gann. **You've never really talked about Martian dating customs. Is there..? Something you wanna..?**

**If you are not capable of telepathy-.** E'ann catches himself. **On your own initiative, I mean, the level of reciprocity required for that sort of contact might.. simply.. not be possible.**

M'gann shakes her head. **No, it is.**

**I know you may want it to be, but-.**

**I've… Done that. With a Human.**

**Oh.**

**I mean, it wasn't, ah…**

Kon looks distinctly curious. **Who are we talking about?**

M'gann clears her throat. Or at least mimes it. The sound really doesn't travel in this atmosphere. **Paul.**

He looks at me. **Ah. Really?**

**We did?**

M'gann is starting to go pink. **You remember… When we were in the desert in Bialya?** Oh dear. **You… Projected me… Feeling…**

Yes, I do remember, actually. Wait, so that was like Martian… **Um, for those of us whose species aren't usually telepathic..?**

**It's intimate, though not necessarily romantic.** S'randa looks at each in turn. **J'onn told me that Humans were usually monogamous. Though J'onn J'aarkn gave a rather different impression.-**

**Mom!**

I grin somewhat manically. **What sort of response has there been to his return?**

**You saw all of the people assuming a Human appearance?**

We nod.

**J'onn [Clear image of Mister J'onzz] never performed a detailed social study of Human civilisation. J'aarkn did, and he made his more scholarly pieces publically available. M'gann's brother [Clear image of a White Martian] was particularly piqued by the American civil rights movement.**

I think about complaining, but J'aarkn did spend most of his time in the United States. He'd know that part of the equal rights movement better than he would the equivalent in any other country.

**And he wasn't the only one. Unsurprisingly, the idea of people of one colour being oppressed by another and eventually gaining equality resonates with many White Martians. It's sad that a species that can't feel each other's personhood have done more work in that direction than we Martians have.**

E'ann holds out his right hand, not-palm pointing upwards. Uncertainty. **Even though the protests are peaceful, certain Green members of the establishment are attempting to crack down.**

M'gann scowls. **I noticed.**

**It's not worth spoiling your visit over.**

**No, but I was planning on visiting the Prelate anyway. I'll ask him about it.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
11:17 GMT -5

Welp. I can only hope that was as uncomfortable for Kon as it was for me.

Some combination of psi-baffles, mental shields, tattoos and standard traveller disinterest in those around them means that the Martians travelling around me generally don't know I'm there until after I fly in front of them and they see me with their own eyes. Their eyes don't widen and they don't cry out, but I had the ring match increases in mental pressure to me-observance and there's a definite sudden mental shout of some kind when they see me.

Heh.

Prelate J'emm's place of work is a large palace/office block near the middle of the city. Yes, I could have just transitioned there, but really it's only fair that his people get some warning. In the same way that Martians have telepathic computers they also have a telepathic real time thought sharing system, a more emphatic form of Twunter. I doubt that J'emm himself will notice the disruption I'm causing, but by now the police have probably heard it and I'm sure that… Some of the-

"Hey there!"

-Martians around here are police. The problem with no clothing being the norm is that there aren't any-

"Hey!"

-un..i..forms…

A Green Martian -who looks a lot like the Earth 12 default form Martians- drifts in front of me a little, waving both hands and smiling. Chest outline suggests but doesn't prove that the individual is male. Okay, he's basically having to shout to be heard. Environmental shield or ease up on the mental barriers?

Oh, he's just some guy. **Good morning.**

**Oh. Whaw. Is that a British accent?**

**Possibly slightly coloured by the American east coast and Themyscira, yes.**

**I don't think I could fly around like that. I mean, heh, in my own home, maybe. My family think I'm kinda weird for being this into Earth stuff already, but… Out in public?** My face goes a little blank. **Oh. Wait, is that rude? Don't be offended, I'm not trying to be rude. I think it's really impressive! I could never get the fingernails right. I just end up with spiky fingertips. They just seem so.. flimsy, you know?**

I bow my head slightly, then motion sideways with my right hand before leaving the traffic stream. My new friend follows me. We float for a moment while the traffic streams past.

**Permit me to introduce myself. Orange Lantern two eight one four. Born on Earth.** His eyes do widen. **To Human parents, to the best of my knowledge.**

**Really?**

**They might have lied to me for my entire life. Seems unlikely, though.**

**I didn't think Human rocket ships could get them to Mars! And we're not even that close right now. My name's Y'ok. Y'ok V'ira'an. Wait. Lantern as in 'Green Lantern'?** I hold up my hands, glowing rings clearly visible. **This is amazing!**

**Have the Green Lanterns ever come to Mars?**

**Yeah, but they didn't come here. Are you after some kind of Human supervillain? Or are we going to be attacked by space pirates?**

He sounds a little too excited about the prospect.

**No, really I'm just here because my friend M'gann needed a-.**

**M'gann M'orzz?!**

I briefly consider sarcasm. Then reject it. **Yes. She needed a lift, I was available.**

**Where are you going now?**

**I'm hoping to be able to meet Prelate J'emm. With the only two Martians to have spent any time on Earth living in his city, he seemed to be the obvious point of contact with the Martian government.**

**Are there going to be.. more Humans coming here?**

**Kon's already here. Probably won't be any others in the immediate future. Would you mind if we-** I gesture towards the next cavern entrance. **-talk and fly?**

He nods, though the motion extends far beyond the normal Human nod-arc. **Sure, sure.**

We rejoin the traffic and I note that the other Martians are now giving us a wide berth. **I couldn't help but notice that a great many Martians have adopted… Non-standard appearances.**

**Yeah, why wouldn't-? Oh, you can't do that.**

**If I really wanted to look different I could use the rings, but no, not by default. Is there a particular reason?**

**I guess it's… Martian society's really stable, you know? And then J'onn J'aarkn showed us how fast things can change on Earth and it's just… Whaw.** He blinks… Kind of. **You know?**

**You've seen his memories, then?**

**Everything he's made publically available so far.**

**Has he made the.. 'adult' stuff avail-.**

**Ahhhhh…**

**He did, then.** Y'ok looks a little embarrassed. **I don't find the idea of other species finding my own attractive unpleasant. What consenting adult sentients do in private is their own affair.** We fly through another tunnel. Royal palace dead ahead. It looks like a giant vaguely gothic stalagmite. **Exactly how big a subculture is..?**

**What, the..? The pornography, or-?**

**Earth-interest in general.**

**It's hard to tell. I mean, there's a lot of interest right now. J'onn J'aarkn's sharing things about everyday life we just didn't know before. But, how many are really interested? I don't know.**

**And the resulting civil unrest?**

**Like I said, we're… Really stable. Red Martians rule, Greens form the middle class and Whites make up the underclass.** I give him a mild glower. **I'm not saying it's right. I don't treat Whites any different. It's just.. how things are.**

**And Reds?**

**What about Red Martians?**

**It's curious to me. M'gann said the same thing; she didn't like the way society differentiates between Whites and Greens. But when I asked her about Reds, she didn't have a problem with their privilege.**

**Oh, I don't either.**

**Well, why not? In Human society, we haven't just moved away from a biological underclass, we don't really have biological rulers either.**

**Ahhhh. They're… Just… Majestic... I guess.. I.. can't really explain it.**

**Thank you. This has been enlightening, but this is my stop.** I head towards where the turn off for the palace appears to be.

**Um! I was wondering?**

**Yes?**

**Are you going to be taking anyone back with you?**

**M'gann and Kon, yes. Anyone else, I think it would probably be best it wait until formal diplomatic relations were established.**

**Ah. Yeah. I guess you're right.**

**Good talking to you, Y'ok.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
11:26 GMT -5

Since I'm on polite mode, I'm not scanning the interiors of individual Martians. On the other hand, I don't think anyone can reasonably complain about me using automapping in a building this large. Looking at the part of the building I've come into, it looks like the interior is either made of or coated in the same sort of programmable material that M'gann's Bio-Ship is made out of. Interior decoration is in blue and purple, though the meaning -if any- of the patterns is lost on me. There aren't any signs up -because telepaths- and there doesn't appear to be a reception desk.

On the positive side, I'm getting the occasional odd look but no one's actually tried to stop me yet. I've seen and been seen by a few Martians -all Greens- with the red Manhunter 'X' straps… Wait, are those Xs red for Red Martians? Or is it just a coincidence? Don't know. Oh, I can ask M'gann later.

Anyway, red Xs aside, I've also got no idea what the various items of clothing the Martians here are wearing mean. Do they work here? Are they..? Visiting? Petitioning? The rings can easily identify the Red Martians in residence, but I've got no idea which of them is Prince J'emm. I suppose this must be how blind people feel most of the time. I can get around, but this place was clearly designed to be navigated by people with a sense I don't have.

I pick a corridor which leads towards the centre of the building and fly along it. Walking appears to be something people around here don't do to travel long distances. Given Martian legs I suppose that makes sense. I think I remember a Prince Jemm from the comics. Didn't he get kidnapped by a Lex Luthor led incarnation of the Injustice Gang.. and have some sort of magic crystal? I definitely remember something about a crystal on his forehead, but I don't remember whether or not that was what the Joker used to warp reality at the end of the issue. And because I have perfect memory these days, I know that I'm not going to just remember later.

Oh, wonderful, vertical corridors. I remember these from the Telvanni manors in Morrowind. Okay, logic suggests that in a place where everyone can fly the most defensible location would be at the base, preferably under ground level. On the other hand Earth governments usually only go into a bunker if there's an attack in progress. And since he actually lives here… There we go. One Red Martian with a gem of some kind in his forehead near the top of the structure, with more than a few Manhunters between here and there.

Presumably, someone will stop me if I'm heading somewhere I'm really not supposed to be. Now that I know where he (probably) is, I could try going in from the outside. Phase my way in. Mmmm. No.

I step out into space and head upwards. Back downstairs… Downtube, the mix was about fifty fifty Whites to Greens. Assuming the colour I saw was their actual colour of course. Only a couple of Martians in this tube and they're both Green. Too small a sample to mean anything I suppose, but now I'm sort of looking for it. This passageway doesn't go all the way to the top of the structure and it looks like there's some sort of guard post. Martians don't go in for power armour due to the way it would impede their shapeshifting, but I'm seeing telekinesis enhancers and the same reinforced clothing Mister J'onzz wears.

Martian SWAT.

They're all Green, too.

I emerge from the top of the tube and ugh. Okay, they're on the ball. There's a telekinetic field around the exit. I could force my way through it, but a couple of heavies are walking over. They've also altered their bodies for their job: no membranes under the arms and a tougher epidermis and their external volume is slightly less than average as a result. They're knuckle walking but striking with their arms isn't really part of Martian combat.

"Hello there."

No apparent reaction. The telekinetic field may be impeding the sound, or it could be the transition of sound through the atmosphere. Or they might not be using ears. Well, I can't initiate telepathic contact, so until-.

I feel a probe that's notably more forceful than I'm used to outside of training.

**…identification. Continued mental resistance will result in imprisonment, a fine of-.**

**Quite alright chaps and or chapesses. Orange Lantern two eight one four. I'm here to see the Prelate.**

**Uh huh. I'm sure you are. But I'm telling you-** It's fascinating. I genuinely have no idea which of them is speaking. **-that you're going to drop your barriers or I'm going to leave you up there.**

Ring, armour, phase out.

Compliance.

The armour appears around me and immediately the external force is gone. I'm moving through the air and landing in front of them before they can respond. Dismiss armour and there's the force again. **The last Martian who demanded that I drop my mental barriers ended up unconscious when I obeyed. You should have access to the relevant report. Do you really want me to?**

They go completely still. Probably talking to someone telepathically. Hmm. M'gann did tell me that Martian magic users weren't Order order aligned so I'm not all that sure that they'd care about my plans for Nabu. No, I'm keeping my barriers up so that they don't learn about the Burners, whose existence isn't well known but isn't a secret on Earth. Of course, if there was significant travel between Earth and Mars that particular division would fall apart.

**What is the reason you wish to see the Prelate?**

**Two reasons. Firstly, because Mars falls within my area of responsibility and he's best placed to inform me of how I can best use my abilities in Mars' interests.**

I wait. I'm not disappointed.

**And the second?**

**I'm afraid that's a secret. I need to impart it to a member of the Martian government so that they can decide how to deal with the situation surrounding it.**

Another pause. If they were Human, they'd be relaying this to their commanding officer, or possibly their sergeant. They would then make a decision on whether to follow through on their initial impulse to arrest me or to grant me an audience with someone. I'm not really sure what the rank-comparison is, here. I imagine that if an American general wanted to speak to the mayor of a city on short notice that would be arranged in short order. The Green Lanterns haven't spent significant time on Mars and while I might be a 'known' around here thanks to Mister J'onzz I haven't exactly been farming rep.

**The Chief Administrator is prepared to meet you. You will wait here until an escort arrives.**

A Chief Administrator is essentially the Principal Private Secretary to the Prelate. For an introduction, that would be fine. To be honest, better than what I had any right to expect. But, in many places the role is occupied by a Green… And for a potentially world-shattering matter of political philosophy I do sort of need a Red. Even as I think it I realise that sounds every bit as racist as what the Martians do, but Reds genuinely have less fear of fire than the other types and often have training to resist it further. And if I'm going to share my memories of Mister Martian Made Of Fire, then I need someone who isn't going to freak out and broadcast it to the whole city.

**I appreciate the effort required to arrange that on short notice. But I'm afraid that it won't do. I need to speak to a member of the planetary government. The Chief Administrator isn't.** I raise my hands in a theatrical gesture of surrender.. which is.. almost certainly lost on members of a species with no native body language. I lower them again. **But really only the second item needs to go to the Prelate. Once it's in his hands I would be happy to talk about anything else with another official.**

**You are a disagreeable [Complex image I don't really understand but I don't think is supposed to be complimentary] Human.**

That was.. the other one. Whichever one wasn't the first one to address me. **Sorry about that. Is approval likely to take long?**

**It is granted.**

**Thank you. Whereabouts do I go?**

**[Smug grin sensation] Into a holding cell until his Eminence is ready for you.**

**Fair enough. If you'll be so good as to show me to this waiting room?**

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
11:53 GMT -5

I don't look at either of my escorts as the door membrane in front of us oozes open and Prince J'emm's previous meeting walk out. Greens, in their default Martian forms. They don't rise into the air until they're out of the entry corridor. One or two of them also take the opportunity to alter their bodies. Interesting. Using powers around the Prelate is a taboo, then?

Had a bit of a brainwave about the whole Diana-Cottus situation while I was waiting. If he made Diana there should still be a sympathetic link between the two of them. I'll need John.. or Sephtian or someone to check it. Once I know that for certain I can try talking to one of the other Hekatonkheires about the whole incident. I could try talking to the Titans they've got imprisoned in there. They don't have access to most of their power, after all. But the Hekatonkheires are wardens rather than inmates and should be my first port of call.

**You may enter.**

My escort's mental voice again. I think I've worked out which is which. I step forwards into the corridor and there's a very slight resistance as the telekinetic fields note that I'm here. M'gann didn't say anything about assassinations being common, and given how every Martian seems to respond to Reds I'm having trouble imagining someone attacking him. Oh. The corridor turns from the normal techno-organic to bare stone, with material drapes tied in arcs across the smooth cut surfaces. Purple, with no blue. Maybe significant, maybe not. But the bare stone is interesting. Is this a ceremonial space, then? Historically significant? An ancient reception hall which the rest of the palace grew up around?

The doors at the far end are stone as well, though they glide effortlessly apart in the grip of someone's telekinesis as we approach. Inside is a fairly small round room, perhaps six metres in diameter. On the far side a large Red Martian I presume to be Prince J'emm sits on a stone throne. He's notably more muscular than other Martians I've seen, though otherwise the only differences are the golden diamond shape which appears to be either attached to his forehead or actually imbedded in it and the purple cloak he wears about his shoulders.

Three Green Martians are present, along with one other Red in a short blue cape. Ah, so it does indicate rank! Each has an organic personal computer similar to the one M'gann showed me a couple of times while she was still getting used to Human computer systems. Civil servants, presumably? No, one has the Manhunter 'X'. An officer? I stop a few metres from the throne and bow from the waist.

**Prince J'emm. Thank you for agreeing to see me.**

There's a slight pause. **I am told that you were quite insistent.**

His mental voice puts me in mind of Mister Freeman's, only a bit more… Round? Not as gravelly.

**I apologise for my breaches of propriety, but I strongly believe that this matter warrants your personal attention.**

**I have no objection to important matters of state being brought to me, but you are undermining my officials by rejecting their oversight. More, you are making me do the same.**

**I believe that when you hear me out you will decide that I acted correctly.**

I'm still in the bowing position… Which he's probably not recognising. Silly of me.

**Then what is this secret matter which a Red Martian must hear?**

**Are you familiar with 'controlled molecular destabilisation'?**

Prince J'emm raises his right arm so that his upward pointing fingertips are just in front of his face. Then the very tips of his fingers shimmer like those of the Burning Martian we encountered in the Oan ship back in January. Every other Martian in the room shrinks back while he takes the time to look at it before turning it off. **Yes. I am trained in the use of the technique myself, though I can only sustain it for a few seconds.**

I create a construct screen which is opaque from the back and float it in his direction. Once everyone else is out of line of sight of the far side I create words in the local Martian written language. 'Imagine a Martian who could maintain that over their entire body indefinitely'. I give him a few seconds to read it, then dismiss the construct.

**That may be of importance.** I don't hear anything else, but the three civil servants and my own escort file out. The guards stop just the other side of the stone door while the rest head out down the corridor. **I do not know if your understanding of our civilisation is incomplete or you are merely arrogant, but such an individual would have a truly remarkable capacity for psychic self control. Has M'gann M'orzz demonstrated such a capacity?**

**Goodness gracious, no.** I narrow my focus as much as possible. **[Image of other Red Martian, interrogative.]**

**I would need a better and more concrete reason to dismiss S'yrra. Continue.**

I relax my focus. I can only hope he's being sensible about this. **A quarter of an Earth year ago the team of which I am a member was sent to investigate a spacecraft on the floor of one of Earth's oceans, near the Northern Pole. [Map image.] When we reached the bridge we identified it as belonging to the Maltusians. A little further on and we found the remains of dead Martians. [Image of my team walking through the surgical suite.] The ship's records suggested that it visited Mars-.**

**Ten thousand years ago. Or twenty thousand Earth years.**

Oh shit, do they know about this? **Yes… How did you know?**

**I am not unfamiliar with conspiracy theories. You would hardly be the first person to suggest alien involvement in our world's environmental catastrophe. Or to believe in their truth hard enough to fabricate memories to show me. I hope that you will be able to provide slightly more evidence.**

**The Manhunter J'onn J'onzz reviewed the site after the mission was over. My colleague M'gann M'orzz was also present during the mission and can corroborate anything I tell you.**

**And the ship?**

**Returned to its owners. Their dead were on board as well. I took copies of the ship's records and can make them available to you.**

**Very well. So, these Maltusians caused the catastrophe?**

**As far as I could tell, the damage to the Martian surface was caused by both sides in the conflict between them and your forebears, a now extinct type of Martian.**

**It stretches my credulity that prehistoric Martians could best a species of spacefarers in combat.**

**We encountered one such Martian. The individual in question had kept itself alive in the ship's one animation suspension pod. I can remember the fight with perfect clarity if you want to see it.**

**Show me.** My eyes flick to S'yrra. **Just me.**

**[An image of the Burner, the moment we opened the doors to its pod.]**

**A combat form. Our armed services use them.**

**Brace yourself.**

**I hardly think that necessary. I have experienced fights vicariously before.**

**[The Burner moves and I'm on fire.]**

"G-guh!" J'emm slumps forwards. S'yrra moves closer putting his… Um. Their arm on his shoulder. **No, I am… I am well.**

**That shouldn't be possible, should it? A Martian shouldn't be able to even think that.**

**Unless they were insane or some sort of transcendent mystic, no.** He straightens up. **This is concerning.**

**There's more, and it doesn't get better. Do you want to see it?**

**Yes.** The gem on his forehead glows faintly. **Show me everything.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

20th April
11:58 GMT -5

Prince J'emm looks more than a little wilted as I finish showing him our fight with the Burner. S'yrra has fallen to a sitting position, hands clasping… Ring, coin toss.

Result is: Heads.

Clasping his head. He isn't squeezing his eyes shut or rocking back and forth or any of the other things a Human might do when faced with something so horrifying… Though, thinking about it… I'm not sure that I've ever had that paralysing response to anything. I mean, I knew how horrifying confronting some of my desires would be and I just did it anyway. I've fought Demons, supervillains, soldiers… Blume scared me but I didn't just huddle under the mountain until he went away. Even back on Earth Prime when my thanatophobia struck I didn't get paralysed, I just.. found something to do to keep my mind off it until it died down a little. Hm. When I have another crack at the Cottus thing I should have another chat with Thana about the nature of my soul. Hades seems like a decent guy, but if I'm heading there I'd like to be able to continue my work.

Wonder if the Controllers would be willing to make a non-Nekron associated black power ring for me, just in case?

**What. Other evidence do you have. What else did you see?**

I create a sound baffle around the room and then hold out my left hand. A projection of the Guardian who recorded the logs appears. "…difficulties, I continue to believe that rehabilitation is possible. Preserving the natives in their own habitat will be.. somewhat difficult now…" The image glitches. "…increasing sophistication. It is almost as if our presence here has provoked them to unify. How groups with whom we have not had direct contact are even aware of us I am not…" Another glitch, and the Guardian is replaced by a time lapsed image of the surface of Mars. "Simply destroying the natives and recreating them using genetic samples would be far easier. Still, we are resolved not to resort to such methods, even…" The image jumps forwards. "I did not properly anticipate the damage this conflict would cause to the planet's surface." We watch as chunks of surface are scoured of plant life. "The combination of telepathy and physical mutability enable them to fight us with surprising effectiveness, given their lack of technological…" Another glitch, and the map now shows the modern, barren Mars. A new Guardian appears. "…resettled into cave systems we constructed in areas already cleared. We have avoided leaving any trace…" Another glitch. "… different forms. The 'red' variant is least modified, though all three colours possess the comportment and empathy we were aiming to engender."

I don't see a particular reaction from either Red Martian. Given what we saw, I suppose it would be surprising if they did know. I suppose that in cases of ancient conspiracy I'm just trained by popular culture to suspect the ones who benefit from it. I think this situation justifies an empathic scan. S'yrra glows with yellow, uncertainty about the state of his mental universe and horror at the idea of becoming something like the Burner. Prince J'emm is.. harder to read. Certainly nothing which looks like guilt. Though I suppose if he's got good enough self control to essentially set his hand on fire then he could probably suppress that as well.

"Their natural telepathy means that the control system will be passed from one generation to the next in the womb without the need for constant intervention. Time will tell which…"

**They dared-!**

Again, it's weird. I can feel his anger through our mental link. It's not like just seeing it, like this it's so much more immediate. I'm getting the set of assumptions which lead to the anger, not in the clinical, removed way vision gives them to me but as if they were my beliefs, beliefs from my own culture.

There's a series of flickers. "… y colleagues have expressed concern that our modifications have reduced their aggression in too great a degree. Our predictive models show that it is possible that their civilisation will remain introverted as a result. Self isolating. Having reviewed the data in depth I have recommended a continual monitoring…" The image changes to show the Burner. "…intelligence, unusual in its kind. I will attempt to initiate mental contact. Perhaps we will be able to complete the conversion peacefully when they see that we have their best interests at heart?"

**Unsurprisingly, there were no further recordings. It looked like the remaining Burners killed the Guardians, their security robots and any modified Martians still on board before putting themselves in suspended animation. The one we encountered appeared to have sabotaged the other units to make sure that his remained powered for as long as possible.**

**Is there more?**

**I found this map.** I replace the image of the Burner with the globe showing pre-war Mars. Or Ma'aleca'andra, I suppose. **There may be more, but I won't be able to find out until I can talk to the Controllers. They have contact with the Guardians and may be able to access their records of the event.**

Prince J'emm takes a moment to think about things. **You were right to bring this to me. I will need to bring this to the royal conclave. Do you believe that there are any other 'Burning Martians' still in existence?**

**I'm sorry, I have no idea. It.. seems unlikely. They didn't seem like the 'deferred gratification' type and we've had no reports of rampaging fire monsters.** I pause for a moment as I contemplate my answer. **That also match the other parts of the description.**

**What became of the one you did encounter?**

**We recharged the ship and sent it to its owners' homeworld with a warning about what was inside. I don't know enough about Controller justice to know what they'll do with it. They might recreate the original work to turn it into a modern Martian, they might kill it out of hand or they might try something else.**

**We will need some time to decide what to do with this information. Can I assume that the fact you brought it to me first indicates that you do not intend to release it?**

**I don't intend to release it anytime soon, no. If I thought that the Red Martians were planning to sit on it indefinitely I might start dropping hints…**

**No, that would not be practical. Though we do need to be careful about how the release is presented. Thank you, for the information and your forbearance. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?**

**Yes, but nothing else is secret. You can call your retinue back in if you like.**

**I think it would be best for me to take a little time to get my thoughts in order first. As I feel now I could not guarantee that they would not feel something of my discomportment.**

**Alright. Then I'd like to present myself as this Space Sector's Orange Lantern. I'm based on Earth, but if there's anything the Corps can do for the people of Mars, you can tell me and I'll try to get it done.**

**Can you undo the damage done to the surface of our world? Can you restore the species lost? Can you cause the iron in our world's core to spin, granting us a magnetic field capable of turning aside the radiation which now deluges our planet?**

**Can I theoretically do that? Yes. But it wouldn't be safe for me to try spinning your world's core without knowing a lot more than I do about planetary physics. But the Controllers are thousands of years old. When I consult with them, I will speak to them about Mars and ask their advice. As for the damage done to your biosphere, I will also ask if they have records from that period. Or if their cousins the Guardians do. If so, then I will make them available to you. You could use them to start building nature reserves on the surface using artificial shields.**

**I will thank you in advance for the information. As for the reserves, I already sponsor several such sites. M'gann M'orzz's uncle Ma'alefa'ak J'onzz is responsible for one.**

**Yes, I'm planning on visiting him before I leave. Anything else you want?**

**Many minor things. Nothing worthy of your time.**

**I understood that there is some minor civil unrest?**

**There are flare ups every so often. It is an inevitable part of governing a large community. I myself do not agree with the intentional disadvantaging of my White subjects.**

**But advantaging your Red subjects is fine?**

He pauses before replying. **In light of what I have just been informed, I may need to reconsider many things.**

**One last question then. There are things I could do to make travel between Earth and Mars easier-.**

**No. Having borne witness to the upheaval caused by the limited contact we already have, I will not support any move to increase the frequency of such contact. I will take no action to stop you pursuing such an end yourself, but I will speak against it when asked. I do not believe that the time has arrived for a deepening of relations.**

I nod, then realise that they probably don't know what that means either. **Very well. Then I will take my leave. Thank you for seeing me.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st April
00:36 GMT -5

Ma'alefa'ak places his hands on his lap and leans forward slightly. "It all makes sense so far, but I still don't understand what brought you here now." He smiles at M'gann. "Not that I'm complaining about seeing my favourite niece a few days early, but I'd have thought that you'd want to spend more time in the city."

M'gann and Kon give me the evils while I look sheepishly at the floor. Noting that I'm suitably shameful, M'gann turns back to her uncle. "Paul didn't really understand the way information propagates through a telepathic civilisation. As soon as Paul went into the palace Y'ok was busy sharing our location with everyone who had an interest in Human culture."

"Sorry."

"Maybe… Since I've been on Earth… I've just got used to people not prodding at my thoughts."

Kon grimaces. "The whole cavern was standing room only. Guess I know how zoo animals feel."

"I doubt it." Ma'alefa'ak strokes his chin with his right hand. "From what J'onn has told me of Earth, the zoos in the wealthier parts of the world have educational and conservation purposes. What you experienced was closer to rubbernecking."

Kon slumps. "Or a freak show. Was J'aarkn responsible for that?"

Ma'alefa'ak shrugs. "How would I know?"

"Oh. Ah. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I've, ah… I'm over a hundred and thirty Earth years old. If I wasn't used to the idea that I'll never touch someone else's mind by now, I'd have gone crazy." He waves his arms out to the side. "And as you can see, I haven't."

"If you don't mind me asking, your body language is remarkably Human. How..?"

"All the technology J'onn sent to Mars for our anthropologists to pry into was designed to work in the Earth's atmosphere, and under Earth gravity." He looks out of the window, towards the nearest habitat dome. "In the end, they decided it was easiest to store anything they weren't examining here rather than build a special room and learn how to shapeshift into something that could cope with the environment themselves." He nods to himself. "It was a godsend for me. You know how all Martian information technology is telepathy based?"

"Oh goodness. That must be…"

He nods. "Difficult, to say the least. On the other hand, I've gotten pretty good at shapeshifting. I'm also Mars' leading print author."

Kon looks impressed. "Really?"

Ma'alefa'ak grins. "There isn't all that much competition, is there?" Kon and I both look horrified. "Oh, come on. If I can joke about it the least you can do is laugh with me."

We both give him an awkward cough-laugh.

This is really strange. The comics have been roughly accurate about almost everyone I've met, and yet Ma'alefa'ak could win an award for 'Martian least likely to unleash an apocalypse virus on his species'. For goodness sake, he runs a wildlife reserve. And he even looks Human-ish. Certainly more Human than Mister J'onn's normal appearance. I'm not sure if his piercings are actual metal or just shapeshifted bits of skin, but they certainly make his face look like a face rather than a blank mask.

"And the, um, body language?"

"Unlike M'gann, I didn't spend all my time watching situation comedies." M'gann fidgets at the comment. "I watched the documentaries too. There was one on Human body language. To me it was a revelation. Martians usually communicate intent telepathically, even when we're speaking out loud. And Humans do the same by waving their hands around and stretching their face a bit? I can do that."

He leans forward. "Don't tell anyone this, but some days? I take on a completely Human shape. I just walk around, check on the animals, put on some old Earth radio program…" He shrugs. "I guess… I always thought that -to a Human- I'd seem ungrateful. Virtually all Martians are telepathic, but Humans aren't. I've still got shapeshifting and telekinesis. Humans… Most Humans, don't get those."

"You know, it might be possible for me to fix whatever means that you can't-" His face twitches slightly. "-use telepathy? If you wanted?"

He shakes his head. "If you'd offered when I was younger, I'd have jumped at the chance. As it is…" He sweeps his right arm towards the window. "You see any other Martians out here?"

We are pretty much in the middle of nowhere. "M'gann's here?"

"Most Martians aren't telepathic prodigies like M'gann is."

"I'm not.. that strong."

Ma'alefa'ak nods insistently. "Yes you are. There might be some Red Martian prince or princess somewhere who's stronger, but I doubt it."

Kon looks thoughtful. "M'gann said she could feel other Martians when we were near Phobos. I guess I kinda assumed that was.. normal."

"Wait a second." I look at M'gann askance. "When we picked Mister J'aarkn up, you said that when Mars and Earth are close together, you could hear Human thoughts. He asked why you weren't getting tuition on Mars, then he cut himself off. I wondered at the time if it was a racism thing." M'gann shifts uncomfortably. "Was it?"

"Not exact-." / "Pretty much."

M'gann rolls her eyes at her uncle. He stares intently at her face. "The rolling eyes means something, doesn't it." He pokes his right forefinger at her. "Don't tell me, I'll get it in a minute."

M'gann decides to ignore him. "It's… Unusual for Whites or Greens to be as powerful as I am. I don't think I could find a tutor-."

"But if she were Green, someone would probably be willing to bend a few rules for her." Ma'alefa'ak shakes his head sadly. "Don't get.. confused, just because all of those fans of Earth culture turned up at M'gann's house. Most Martians don't want anything more to do with Earth, and most Martians regard the racial hierarchy as immutable. We're fairly liberal around here, but most cities have strict formal segregation. M'gann's parents wouldn't have been allowed to marry in most places."

Kon looks crestfallen. "I guess I hadn't realised that it was really that bad."

"Just because we're telepathic, doesn't mean that we can't be assholes too."

"Can we.. talk about something else? Please?"

The three male members of our gathering avoid each other's eyes while we try and think of something.

"What's a 'rabid Ma'alefa'ak'?" Oh, looks like that wasn't what M'gann had in mind. Press on anyway. "I mean, having met you, you seem pretty even tempered."

Ma'alefa'ak sits back. "Funny story. I'm pretty much Mars' most experienced conservationist…" He chuckles to himself for a moment. "Which should give you some idea of how popular an area it is to work in. So, the city of El'dila was expanding into a new cavern, and the diggers notice that there are a whole series of little tunnels running all through the rock. So they naturally think it's some sort of animal. I get called in, but some idiot decides to carry on digging-. Which is illegal, by the way. We don't have enough biosphere left to be that cavalier with it. They carry on digging, and eventually they break through into a pocket cavern… And then they get attacked from all directions by the animals whose home they just invaded."

Kon looks puzzled. "But Martians are telekinetic."

"It's a bit hard to focus well enough to use controlled telekinesis when the thing's already trying to bite your face off. And they couldn't be detected through telepathy and they had teeth as long as your finger. They were lucky that there was a squad of Manhunters around. When I finally got there and had a look at them, I realised that the locals couldn't hear their thoughts because they had the same thing I did: complete blocks on mental communication. Instead, they communicate by firing sonic pulses through the rock. Once I knew that, I could work out how to lure them into a trap. We can go and see them later, if you like."

"And they named them after you as a.. thank you?"

"Heheh. I think it was a bit more mean-spirited than that. I think I could have done without it, to be honest. They should have done what M'gann said and call them-"

"Hey!"

"-De'lefz'ad. Hahahah!"

Ma'alefa'ak appears to find it hilarious while M'gann looks embarrassed. Kon gives a small shrug. "What does that mean?"

"Mister Bitey Beast."

"I was eight!"

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st April
01:09 GMT -5

Look at all this stuff…

M'gann brought her original 'Hello Megan' tapes to Earth with her, and they still occupy pride of place on her shelves even though you can't buy VHS players new anymore. I'm looking at all the things Mister J'onzz brought to Mars which she couldn't take with her when she stowed away with him.

When he finally got back in contact with Mars he was able to convince them to send a Bio-Ship for him. Or rather, he requested one and his former commanding officer -a man named R'oh K'arr- cajoled and browbeat people until it happened. Since no Martian could make the journey, the Bio-Ship had to be pre-programmed and unmanned and launched at just the right time to cross when the planets were nearing alignment. There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong and because they couldn't send a message back Mister J'onzz had no idea it was coming.

"Is any of it any good?" Ma'alefa'ak nods in the direction of the bric-a-brac. "Our anthropologists have long since finished with it. I was going to tell M'gann that she could take whatever she wanted with her."

"Depends what you mean by 'any good'. To be honest, it's all too far behind current technology to be desirable while not being old enough to be antique. Some of it might have value to collectors." Oh. "I'm not keeping you awake, am I?"

He waves it off. "No, I was…" He frowns slightly, his eyes going distant. "I have trouble sleeping, sometimes. I don't know why…"

"Worried about civil unrest in Mel'dilo'rn?"

"Hah! Civil unrest." He shakes his head. "Mel'dilo'rn is quiet. Pleasant, liberal… There are places you wouldn't know we were a caste based society at all."

"Earth isn't exactly a social utopia, you know."

"Your species never consigned an entire subspecies to an underclass."

"We've had castes-."

"It's not the same thing. From a Martian perspective, that's one caste segregating parts of itself. Move to a new area and work hard, who'd know the difference?" He smiles faintly. "It's not as if most Humans can read minds. And, yes, I know about the American civil rights movement. But again, that only affected dark skinned Humans in one country."

"It was more than one country. The whole post-colonial-."

"Okay, but J'onn didn't bring me videos about those. The point is, there were always countries where dark skinned Humans ran things. They were in the army, the civil service, the government… Pale skinned Europeans only ran your world for a few hundred years. Mars… We've been like this for our entire recorded history. There are things White Martians cannot do. Anywhere."

"Couldn't they found their own city?"

"Sure. But it would still come under the planetary government. They'd still have to have a Red in charge of things, and they couldn't stop Greens coming in."

"Huh, you didn't do it."

"Doing what?"

"Everyone I've heard since I came to Mars has abbreviated White Martian or Green Martian to White or Green, but Reds are always Red Martians."

"Maybe I've just gone crazy, out in this place by myself. Or.. maybe, not being in constant mental contact with people who think Reds are the greatest thing ever gives me a greater degree of mental flexibility."

"Okay… So, what's keeping you awake? I was surprised by how quickly you answered the door when we got here."

"What's keeping you awake?" He gestures behind us. "M'gann's asleep in the guest room and Kon's back in J'onn's Bio-Ship."

"The power ring means that I don't need a lot of sleep. I still habitually keep Earth hours, but I don't really need to. Without Earth's day and night cycle I just forgot to turn myself off. So?"

"Nightmares."

"Oh, um. I'm sorry to hear that. Do you get them a lot?"

"They come and go, and at the moment they're coming." He leans against the wall. "I've had them for years. I'm used to them, but they're still a bit inconvenient at times."

"Doesn't… If you've had them for a while, isn't there someone you could see? A doctor, or something?"

"Sure. But they're all telepathic. Since they can't just look into my head, they're a bit outside of their area of experience."

"Um… If you think talking about them would help, I'd be happy to listen?"

"I suppose it can't hurt. I'm not sure that it really needs much analysing."

"So what was.. this one about?"

He shakes his head. "They're always the same. I'm walking through a Martian city. All around me, people are on fire… And I'm not scared of the flame, but that's… Horrifying. I usually wake up there. If I don't, I start seeing the faces of people I know. And…" He trails off, his lips tightening. "It starts to feel… Good. That's the worst part. When I wake up, there's a moment when I'm not sure if I still like it or not. It scares me, sometimes. Which I suppose is the healthy response."

"You're not afraid of fire?"

"Usually I am. After I woke up the first time I actually saw the whole thing through, I tried burning some hydrocarbon liquid. I thought that if I was the only Martian who wasn't telepathic, maybe I'd be the first who wasn't afraid of fire?" He shakes his head. "No luck." He looks at me with curiosity. "So? What does Human dream analysis say's wrong with me?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say general undirected resentment, probably stemming from your exclusion from Martian society. Do you remember when it started?"

His gaze grows vacant. "No… Sometime before J'onn came back for the first time…"

"M'gann said that the two of you didn't get on. I was a bit surprised-" I sweep my hand across the store room. "-that you had all this stuff."

"I don't know. Something…" His frown deepens. "Something… Happened, when he got back… I don't remember exactly what it was. Maybe I… Said something..? I'm not sure. I've tried patching things up since…"

"You don't feel any resentment towards him?"

"No." He considers his answer for a moment. "I suppose I'd quite like to be as telepathic as he is. But I wouldn't take his abilities from him in order to get that."

"He does have the advantage of living surrounded by people without telepathy."

"Things would probably have been better if it had been me who got hit by the zeta beam. But.. I believe in this project. Making Mars live again the slow way. I wouldn't leave it now."

"You… Don't have any children yourself?"

"There's a telepathic component to Martian reproduction. Even if I was in a.. relationship where the subject came up, I'm effectively sterile."

"I.. hadn't.. realised-."

We turn as there's a dull trill from one of the alarms. Ma'alefa'ak immediately throws off his sombre mood and walks back towards the living area. "Looks like someone's paying us a visit."

"Anyone I know?"

"Probably M'gann's brother T'ronn and a few friends. They visit me fairly regularly." He smiles. "Because the best place to organise a covert civil rights movement-."

"Is somewhere no one wants to go."

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st April
01:25 GMT -5

**T'ronn! [Giant beaming smile!]**

M'gann tackle-hugs her White brother off his flying.. Bio.. platform thing, both of them floating into the thin Martian air. She's had to modify her Humanish form slightly for the low pressure. She could have had her shapeshifting clothes form an environmental suit, but she decided against it.

The rest of the party watch them. Five Whites and two Greens. All of them -T'ronn included- are in minimally modified standard pattern Martian forms. They're probably saying things to each other but at this distance I can't pick it up unless they decide to direct something towards me. I guess having M'gann around has spoiled me with the power of a once in a generation telepath.

Ma'alefa'ak smiles at the scene. "I was worried they might miss each other."

"How long has this been going on?"

"A few years. J'aarkn's return widened the appeal, but it's not as if White Martians weren't aware that they were getting a raw deal."

"Does M'gann know about it?"

"She knows that her brother and his friends like to meet up here." He glances at me sidelong. "T'ronn was thinking about involving her, then she said that she wanted to join the Manhunters. Since she ran off to Earth I don't suppose it matters."

"Can Whites do that?"

"In Mel'dilo'rn? Sure, if their record is completely spotless. With the arrangement she's got now I don't think it matters. Even if she wasn't a Manhunter on paper she could make a life for herself on Earth."

"Seems a few too many for a secret meeting."

"Martians… Who aren't me, at least, don't do things solo. Most of these guys and girls will be spending time tending to the animals."

"Why?"

"Making memories. It's not foolproof, but having definite memories of spending time here not discussing the overthrow of the existing social order makes it harder for anyone who might take issue with that to spot that they've been doing it."

I nod. Makes sense.

Kon peers blearily out at them, before exhaling lightly and shaking his head. "I'm going back to bed. Tell M'gann's brother I said 'hi'."

"Okay."

He turns away and trudges sleepily back in the direction of his temporary bedroom.

"Is it late, where you're from on Earth?"

"Middle of the night." The sun's still up outside. "And Kon can't control his circadian rhythms like M'gann and I can. What sort of time is it here?"

"Early morning." The party of Martians on the outside draw nearer to the airlock. Ma'alefa'ak turns away from the window and heads towards the internal side. "I live by the planetary day, not the standard day they use in the caverns."

"I'd have thought that the animals would be most active during the hours of darkness. If they're all burrowers."

"No, they're not. A lot of them have lived in the caverns as long as we Martians have. They're used to open spaces and light… Though not this bright."

"Did you design the biomes yourself?"

"Not entirely. They're based on designs we had for off-world habitats." He sighs. "A purpose they'll probably never be used for."

"I know… Martians have difficulty, when they can't feel other people's minds. But how many people would they actually need? For long term settlement, I mean."

"I don't think anyone knows. M'gann could come out here on her own, but everyone else who's tried that ended up feeling distinctly unwell until they got into range of my menagerie. And we're only about a hundred miles from the nearest city."

"Mister J'aarkn mentioned that he hallucinated during his journey to Earth."

"He probably did. Our early space explorers had the same difficulty. Patrol ships have crews of fifty or so these days, just to make sure the people they actually need are at full capacity."

The opening to the inside of the airlock oozes open and M'gann emerges, dragging T'ronn along with her. **T'ronn, this is my Human friend Paul, and this…** She blinks. **Where's Kon?**

**He went back to bed.**

**Oh. I suppose it is kind of early. Ah, Paul, this is T'ronn.**

I hold out my right hand. **Pleased to meet you.**

He regards my hand for a moment, then his body starts to shift. His arms shorten, fingers clustering towards the end of the limb and being joined by two extra digits. His face smoothes, hair extends from his scalp, his torso contracts and he gains a slightly more upright posture. Lastly, his belt expands to cover his increasingly Human body and I'm left looking at rule 63'd version of M'gann, complete with chalk white skin and grey-black hair.

**Hello.** He takes hold of my hand. **I am T'ronn M'orzz. M'gann has told me a great deal about you.** The left side of his mouth turns upwards and I feel-. **[My arms around her his chest, under her breasts his pectorals. My bare chest pressed against her his naked back. My face nuzzling her his neck. Her His giggles chuckles like silver bells a babbling stream.]**

I bow my head slightly. **I'd be more worried about what Mister J'aarkn was saying about us if I thought the idea of having a race of telepathic shapeshifters finding us sexually attractive-**

M'gann looks scandalised. **T'ronn, what did you just-?!**

**-at all problematic. Guess he didn't edit his own bias out of everything.**

**M'gy didn't need his help to find Humans attractive. Huh.** He looks down at his legs as the rest of his group file in behind him. **Certainly easier to walk around like this.** He tilts his head to the side. "Uncle Ma'al, where do you want us today?"

"That depends. How many more are coming?"

"Two more groups, I think."

"Nice to see you kids so interested in your natural history. So who wants to clean out the B'ool enclosure?"

M'gann's eyes widen. "You have B'ool here?"

"Little ones." He smiles. "No takers?" No one says anything. "M'gann? You want to show your brother how much you've learned from J'onn?"

"Ahhh…"

**Do you like seeing people suffer?**

That was one of the other Martians. Not sure which… Ring, is there a way to tell which of them is doing that?

Confirmed. Options available.

No, I don't think sticking collars on them is really-.

"Uncle Ma'al?" I look around to see Ma'alefa'ak.. clasping his head, unsteady on his feet. M'gann reaches out to support him. "Are you okay?"

"Ah… Ah…" Ma'alefa'ak pulls his hands away, straightening up and his fingers clenching into fists. "Yes, I'm… Sorry. I didn't mean I was actually going to let you loose on the B'ool unsupervised. Let's.. start with the Sho'keer instead. T'ronn, could you show the others where the protective gear is?"

He nods. "Sure, Uncle Ma'al." He looks a little concerned, but Ma'alefa'ak appears to have recovered.

Bit odd. But, I suppose that I'm better equipped to handle dangerous animals than they are and I don't know anything about Ma'alefa'ak's particular condition. Well, if M'gann doesn't look seriously worried.. I'll just.. leave it for now.

 

[Mr Zoat]

21st April
03:47 GMT -5

The acid spat by an adolescent B'ool splatters off my construct barrier. **Remind me why you want to preserve these?**

T'ronn moves the vacuum into the puddle of B'ool… Excretion, and activates the suction. **If Whites were involved in those sorts of decisions, I wouldn't need to be here.** "Hey, Uncle Ma'al!" Ma'alefa'ak looks around from where he's slathering what looks like quick-drying cement onto the sides of an injured adult B'ool. I note they don't try puking super acid on him. "Paul wants to know why we're preserving this species!"

"Urrrruuughhhlllgh." The B'ool Ma'alefa'ak is tending to objects to its treatment. Ma'alefa'ak responds by putting his hands on its… I'm not sure what that is. It calms down immediately.

"That's a complicated question. We don't actually need any of these animals. We can maintain our atmosphere ourselves, either with plants or synthetically. We can grow meats in laboratories-"

"Urrrrrugh."

He smiles fondly at his patient. "-not that I'd want to try eating one of these fellows. I don't think it would affect anyone's lives adversely if we let them go extinct."

"Uncle Ma'al, I'm not sure what you think you're arguing-" T'ronn pulls the partially corroded nozzle out of the waste trench, regarding it with a wary eye. "-but I'm not hearing a reason to keep doing this."

"Optimism, T'ronn." Ma'alefa'ak sits back, checking his patient over one last time before giving it a pat. It dutifully squirms away. "The optimistic belief that some day we will be able to turn the surface of M'arzz into something we can live on. That we can turn it back into the verdant world the fossil records tells us it once was. We don't have enough species left that we can toss away any of the ones we still have. These guys were apex predators and their bodily secretions formed an important part of the ecosystem they used to live in."

"Maybe we could just import nicer animals."

"You know, there's some evidence that the caverns our ancient forebears moved into after the disaster were dug out by B'ool."

I suppose that might be true. The Guardians' records don't specifically say how the caverns were made, and the B'ool's acid spit is mostly used for melting rock rather than attacking things.

"They don't have any B'ool in them now. I'm not convinced that our ancestors-" Ma'alefa'ak is watching the B'ool wriggle away. "-made the wrong decision." Ma'alefa'ak doesn't answer or turn around. In fact, he looks a bit out of it. "Ah, Uncle Ma'al?"

Nothing for a moment, then he jerks his head around. "I'm sorry. You were saying?"

"Ah… Don't worry." He wiggles the vacuum. "I think I've got it all. What do you want me to do with it now?"

"We need to take that to the microbiology laboratory. The bacteria living in the B'ool's digestive system are one of the best insights we have into the surface of ancient M'arzz, as well as an indicator of their general state of health."

T'ronn sighs. "I think I can see why you're the only one who lives out here."

"No, I'm the only one who lives out here because-." He cuts himself off, frowning.

"Because you're the only one who can, I know." T'ronn lets go of the vacuum and instead levitates it beside him as we walk towards the exit to the large B'ool enclosure.

"So, what exactly are your people doing to undermine the Green/Red hegemony?"

"Civil disobedience. We share information about companies or people who have strong apartheid tendencies and agree not to have anything to do with them. We also monitor and publicise incidents of violence committed against White Martians with semi-official sanction."

"I'm a little surprised that sort of thing can happen in a telepathic society."

"Why?"

"Because they can't just pretend it didn't happen. The victim would have a memory they can share. Right?"

"I'm doing this-" He momentarily lifts the vacuum. "-in order to create cover memories to hide my political work. Manhunters are much better at it than I am. If they want to they can just erase a memory from someone's mind, and it's even easier for them to edit their own."

"Have you considered using Human recording devices? They're not telepathic. It wouldn't be that hard to make a wireless transmitter that was small enough to wear so that even if the device was destroyed there would still be a record."

"That could work." The three of us come to a halt as the inner airlock door oozes closed behind us. "You'll have to show me how to use them."

He and Ma'alefa'ak alter their shapes for the external environment. I note that the elder Martian completes his change slightly ahead of his nephew.

Pressure dropping.

I should have spotted it before now, but Martian airlocks don't flush air, they extract it, telekinetically drawing useful gasses out of the small locked chamber before opening it to the outside. Given that the caves they live in aren't interspersed with airlocks it hardly comes as a surprise that Martians are masters of atmosphere retention techniques. Or maybe they are interspersed with them? I wouldn't necessarily recognise a telekinetic airlock, and I didn't notice anything particular on our way in.

The outer door oozes open and T'ronn leads the way out onto the Martian desert surface. The air here isn't completely still, but there's still little enough wind that footprints and other markings tend to linger for a long time. Wonder why there aren't any paths? Sure, he couldn't make enclosed walkways due to the risk of escapes, but putting a few stones down? Then I see T'ronn floating just above the ground. Which is probably even easier to do here than it is on Earth. Right. Different assumptions.

**T'ronn? You there?**

**Yeah, what is it?**

**The civil disobedience stuff you're describing to me sounds pretty peaceful. Not.. saying that you're lying or anything, but if it were Humans I imagine that some members of the group would want to be a bit more… Forceful. Direct. You know?**

**Yes, it's.. not a universal approach. There are Whites who want to be more aggressive about things.**

I look around, taking in the other domes. Looks like M'gann's team (her, Z'üm and Cha'rissa) have finished with the Sho'keer, and they've got the Sphere with them in trike mode carrying a couple of large containers of Sho'keer eggs. I suppose with creatures that practice r-selection reproduction these sorts of habitat would allow them to successfully reproduce far more than they would have been able to in the wild. And creating a habitat big enough to actually replicate an area of ancient Mars would be a massive undertaking.

**And?**

**What happens in a fight when one side has all the apparatus of state and the other side doesn't?** Ah. **Some… [A complex mental image stressing extreme ingroup bloodline loyalty and superiority and the exclusion and/or destruction of everything else.] They want-.**

**I'm sorry, can you give me a moment? That was a more complex image than I'm used to dealing with.** How could I parse something like that? Strong…

**Oh. Right. Sorry. I guess in words it would be something like… Hyper.. clan..?**

A name I recognise from the comics. If I remember correctly they were a group of White Martians who posed as superheroes. I think they had mental influence satellites as well, which was sort of necessary to explain why anyone would turn their backs on the comic book version of the Justice League. And that's about all that I remember. Of course, with Mars still being inhabited and colour being inherited rather than being a result of mental state, if they exist they'd have to be something else. **And what do they do?**

**They want to kill anyone who takes advantage of us. They've killed Manhunters… They've even killed Red Mar-.**

**Stop. Try saying it as 'Reds'. Leave off the 'Martians'.**

**Is that really..? Alright, ah, they've.. even.. killed Reds.** Darn, it isn't an absolute compulsion. **I don't want to tear down Martian society. Mostly, things are pretty good here. But people are angry, and a lot of Whites who don't want to join them give them a degree of.. respect. Kinda hard to explain to someone who's just been on the receiving end of a unwarranted Manhunter mindfray why they should care about the Green who did it getting the same done to them.**