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

[Mr Zoat]

Last Supper

Zerox
3rd Lunar Conjugation
Sun Resplendent

A view of the sea.

If you'd asked me a few days ago… Heck, a few hours ago, I would have guessed that if Mordru were inclined to even bother with a permanent stable home, he'd be the black-iron-and-granite-Fortress-of-Doom type. Like me. Alright, he'd have the souls of Demons and brutally slaughtered rivals bound into the fabric of the place instead of the Apokoliptian technology I use, but it would be a place designed to inspire a dread of the one who ruled there and to protect him against enemy incursions. A seat of power, that any looking upon it might know the nature of the being they faced.

Instead, he's got a relatively small and tastefully designed place with a good view of the Emerald Sea.

I mean, it's not small small. It's still a fortress in the medieval style with a thick stone curtain wall. But the wall isn't very high. It's not quite fairy tale castle, but it does lean more towards open spaces, courtyards and gardens than a purely defensive structure. I can see runic brass work attached to… No, it was attached to the stone by being melted and shaped in situ.

As for the bound souls of his enemies…

Suspended from the walls by relatively solid harnesses are what from a distance I took to be labourers, since they appeared to be either cleaning or otherwise working on the wall. Now that I'm closer, I see that they are in fact altering the runes laid into the brickwork, minor magics causing rock and metal to flow in their hands. But that's not the only thing I notice. I see that their robes are of a considerably finer cloth… If a little dishevelled, than would be wise for the work they are performing. Around their necks are ruby pendants attached to chains of the expected black metal, and despite the physically demanding work they appear to be engaged in they take care never to let the gem touch exposed flesh. Through the power ring on my right ring finger, I can taste the fear they feel for Mordru.

Hm. Well, Mordru was banished from the universe for a little under fifty years. I shouldn't be surprised that he felt the need to come down hard on his would-be successors.

Still, the sun is in the sky, the waves are breaking against the rocks and the sea birds… Um. Sort of bird-like creatures are calling to one another in the air around the rocky promontory this place is built on. And the walk; I do like walking. The whole thing is making me feel surprisingly relaxed.

Figures on the top of the wall gesture in my general direction, and I raise my right hand to give them a wave. While I might be able to sneak in, I really don't see any need to try. After all, I'm just one alien tyrant coming to see another with whom he is presently allied.

I expected that Alan would react positively to the news that my defection was feigned. Quite how strong the reaction was took me a little by surprise. I certainly wasn't expecting to get the orange personal lantern back until after completing the roundup of Light members. Still, it might well be useful. Crock and Dorrance could prove to be useful distractions, and this does open up the possibility of following through on my original impulse of assimilating the entire Light. Oh, the information I could get from Savage alone…

Of course, I have to survive this first.

I approach the gates, and… I'm not impressed. These clearly aren't built to survive sieges by conventional force. I could poke my little finger through that stonework. Then again, if you're an allegedly immortal sorcerer -and didn't care at all for the people nominally under your protection- I suppose that such things are really more for decoration than anything else.

The gates part, and a group of six… Oh my goodness, they're actually knights. Honest to goodness knights on the backs of some sort of six legged and vaguely insectoid creatures. There are two per creature, the ones at the front bearing a lance and the ones at the rear aiming crossbows with crackling green energy in place of bolts. Four such teams, and a leader in a plume-covered helmet on a lizard-emu thing. The riders and the people on the walls all look pretty Human, but that's so expected at this stage that I don't think anything of it.

Corpsman, that has been your downfall before.

I mentally roll my eyes at him.

Says the red skinned Human look-alike.

There are any number of physiological distinctions between Korugarians and Humans.

There are probably any number of differences between Humans and them. But if it makes you feel any better, scan.

"Halt, stranger. You approach the keep of the Sorcerer Lord Mordru. Explain your business here."

I come to a halt, smiling pleasantly. They fear him as well, though it's more in the way a subordinate might fear a superior of unpredictable moods than the outright dread of those working on the walls. Hm. Assuming they age as Humans do, they'd all be too young to remember when he was last here. Unlike their construction-worker colleagues.

"I am Grayven of Apokolips. I am an ally of Lord Mordru and am here to request an audience with him."

He frowns. "You sent no word in advance?"

"Apokoliptian codes of behaviour are unlike those of Zerox. Sending an emissary… Would imply that he wasn't important enough to warrant my personal attention." Because Apokolips has had boom tubes and two way video communications for millennia while you people still ride around on animals.

I mean, yes, Dog Soldiers ride around on animals too, but that's because the Elite make them, not because we pretend that it actually makes some sort of sense.

The man on the… Raptor-mu..? Emu-tor? Need to find out what those are called. He tries to look down on me. Well, he is just about taller than me while on beast-back, but he must weigh about as much as I did before my upgrades. He is… Not intimidating to me in the slightest. "Accompany us. I will show you to the Chief Acolyte. She will decide whether you may meet with Lord Mordru."

"My pleasure." He pulls on the reins to turn his mount around, and I rise off the ground on my aero-discs in order to follow him. That gets me a few odd looks. Apparently, while they're the bee's knees where magic is concerned, other forms of advanced technology have rather passed the natives by. I make a point of floating alongside the.. officer? I presume? While the other knights fall in behind us. "Who are those fellows working on the walls?"

"The former ruling council. They usurped Lord Mordru's position during his absence and are now enduring his wrath."

I nod. "Doesn't seem all that harsh, as wraths go. Not that I'm criticising his judgement, you understand."

"The pendants they wear drain virtually all of their magic from them. They are forced to exert themselves mightily to cast even the simplest spells." We pass through the gate… Ah, good, murder-holes and more brass rune plates. Into the part of the gate house between the inner and outer portcullises and gates, and then out into the courtyard beyond. Clean lines, well maintained… My respect to Mordru's architect. "And if they do not complete their appointed tasks, they are flogged."

"Even so…"

"They thought themselves this world's rulers, and now they are in constant pain. And every one of them will break from the strain before long. Lord Mordru simply wishes to get work out of them before their inevitable deaths."

I nod. "Surprisingly rational. In their place, many people would have opted for a cycle of torture and healing. Maximising their suffering. My own father would have done something like that… As well as the occasional false escape, to allow them to build up hope for him to crush."

He leans away from me slightly, shifting awkwardly in his saddle. "… Yeeees… This way, Lord Grayven."

Once it becomes clear that we're heading for an entrance to one of the enclosed gardens I make a point of accelerating ahead of him. Pointless macho posturing, maybe, but it does reinforce my character before any witnesses. There's very little chance that Mordru doesn't already know that I'm here. The reason I came by boom tube and walked was to give him time to prepare himself. The leading knight doesn't say anything, though he does keep coming rather than simply leaving me to wander around on my own.

The garden has a stone pathway around the edge and a variety of well-tended plants on near-turquoise pseudo-grass. I float over it to have a closer look at some sort of woody bush-analogue with frilly orange flowers. I wonder if Jade would like a cutti-?

"Milady Mirabai, this is Lord-."

"Grayven, yes. The master told me to expect him."

I turn to see a red haired woman with a blue facial tattoo walking down the steps from one of the castle's keeps. Her low-slung trousers and breast-accentuating waistcoat rather distract from the medieval aesthetic… But maybe that's just how women dress here? I give her a polite nod. "Lady Mirabai. Would you be so good as to show me to the master of the house?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

Falling Action

7th July
22:14 GMT

The hopes we had,
were much too high…

"This is my cause, this is my fight."

Way out of reach but we had to try…

"Shine through the void with orange light."

No need to hide, no need to run…

"I've claimed all within my sight."

'Cause all the answers come one by one.

"To keep what is mine, that is my right."

I drop the last of the ten metre tall rampart sections in place, Zatanna strolling over to activate the shielding spells that should serve to protect the rest of London from what we're about to do. Down Mayfair I can see the police barricades and the curious people watching from behind them. On the side streets just inside the police cordon wait ambulances, ready to ferry any of us who fall to St Mary's Hospital to the north. The set up of this has to be reasonably quick. This is going to get televised, and if a member of the League should happen to watch BBC News 24 at the right moment…

That's why I'm mostly using flight auras and null-grav clamps. It makes it that much harder to identify me as 'Orange Lantern', rather than 'some bloke in power armour'. Adom's keeping out of sight as well, for much the same reason. His actions have been enough to prevent him becoming an international pariah, but it would still be 'cause for concern' if he started flying around Britain without prior notice.

I'm.. making fists. I hold my hands out slightly, uncurling my gauntlets before returning them to my sides.

"And you're not conflicted about this at all?"

I look over to where Jade sits atop the already-completed section of rampart. Her new armour is made of mithril, but where Zatanna's version has runes designed to assist her spellcasting, Jade's includes scry wards and the same sort of invisibility generator that mine has. Thanks to Ted and his volunteers, we now know roughly what the safe level of exposure for a person to adapt to it is. Which is good, because this plan revolved around us coordinating precise levels of vengefulness and having her go psychotic on us would be very bad.

"Not at this stage, no."

"I never got this close to killing a Justice League member when I was a villain. You're the most straitlaced guy I know."

"Maybe you should expand your circle of friends a little."

"Are you sure that-?"

"I don't like the fact that I'm-. That we're having to do this. And I'm not looking forward to the arguments I'll be having with.. people I generally admire and regard as friends." Alan in particular, he's going to be disappointed, and I… And Diana's certainly up there. "But I don't doubt that this is the right thing for us to do."

The violet glow around Zatanna dies down as she takes a last look at the runic network covering the rampart. "All done here."

I nod, a gesture probably obscured by my helmet. Jade isn't entirely mistaken, of course. I.. had really wanted to leave Earth on a high note.

"Orange Lantern to team. Final preparations."

I watch Jade work the mechanism on the Ace of Chaos, check her ammunition and then vanish from view. We don't want her actually shooting Nabu unless something goes badly wrong, but each Chaos-laden shot should disrupt his magics fairly nicely. Zatanna's preparation simply involves her touching the Star Sapphire to her forehead and closing her eyes. Above me, my ring augmented vision shows me Rob just shrug while Adom adopts a more alert posture. John won't show himself unless… Until things get violent. He's too much of a trigger for both Nabu and Zatara, especially given his recent elevation. And as for the other participant…

I float down to the grass next to Zatanna and use a construct to pry open the packing case containing our last best hope for peace. Nabu may have point blank rejected my offer of a golem body, but maybe with a complete one here ready for him to examine he'll feel differently. Unlike the one we made for Mister Siskin, this one is made of the same super-inert metal as Zatanna's staff, threaded through with orichalcum wire. John's not… Capable of using Order-related magic any longer, but Sephtian was perfectly happy to help Zatanna with my 'proof of concept'.

I suppress a twinge of guilt about involving him without telling him what's really going on. The League, I can justify to myself. They brought it on themselves when they voted Nabu onboard. But if this does turn violent, that golem is enough to strongly implicate him.

I breathe in, then out. Just something I'll live with. Like.. whatever it was that happened to Teekl. Like lying to my friends.

Still, there are still some things I can do properly. Diana's at a diplomatic event this evening… This afternoon, to discuss the regulation of magic and arcane technology. Which means that she isn't going to be at the embassy.

Ring, dial the embassy.

Compliance.

"Hello they'uh Pawl. Diana ain't here raht now, if that's who you'uh aftuh."

"No, no, thank you. Could you please pass on a message for me? It's not urgent."

"Sure, sugar."

"Could you please tell her that I'm declining. She'll know what it's about."

"Alraaht. Ah made a note raaht heyuh."

"Thank you very much, Miss Candy."

Ring, hang up.

Compliance.

I turn in the direction of a nearby patch of woodland. "Are you ready, Mister Ondaate?"

The shadows flow into the shape of his face. Our wards don't do a thing to a man who's already here.

"Not all that easy to miss a Lord of Order. As long as one of you is alive, I'll stop him running."

"Thank you for your assistance."

The face nods, and then… All that's there is leaves and shadows.

"Mission starts, repeat, mission starts. John, bait."

There's a slight delay, then it's as if what little colour there is in our environment is gone, replaced by tones of grey which serve to give emphasis to the vivid red lines running across the ground. We don't know exactly what the normal Chaos ascension ritual looks like, but this should look exactly like the sort of big chaoticy thing that Nabu claims justifies his existence. He shouldn't be able to pass up the opportunity. If he does, I could try calling him in… But I'd rather not.

Heh. I'm fine with potentially killing a Justice League member, but misusing a radio is where I draw the line.

Hehehe.

"Okay, we're not waiting. John, apply the skull."

At this point the arrangement in the shed is irrelevant anyway. I don't know if Nabu just wasn't paying attention, but that should-.

A giant golden ankh appears in the air before us, Nabu materialising in the centre. Before his teleportation ankh has fully disappeared he raises his arms, firing a barrage of golden bolts at the glowing ground. The bait-magic fades immediately, colour returning to the surrounding area. Nabu lowers his arms, the golden protective aura in place around his body. He peers around, eyes alighting momentarily on Zatanna and myself before moving on. Having completed his review, he turns back to us, lowering himself to just above the ground. "Explain."

"This is a combination of intervention and ambush. I'm not prepared to tolerate you continuing to use Mister Giovanni Zatara's body. So we're going to have a talk about it, and if I'm not satisfied at the end we're going to take it back by force. Do you have any questions at this stage?"

 

[Mr Zoat]

Vega, Baby

10th July
16:26 GMT -5

One last look at Kon, Zatanna, Rob and M'gann, then the air around me buckles as I warp myself out of the atmosphere. In an instant I go from bright afternoon sunlight to the dark of near-Earth space. I re-checked the ring's instructions on long distance faster than light travel after leaving Alan. Help.. take my mind off things a little. Technically I could have initiated the long range warp from the ground, but there were more than a few warnings about that sort of thing. Unintended.. effects that can occur related to the sort of intense local spatial distortions that it requires. I'm not sure if they were completely relevant to an orange ring as opposed to a green one -I don't need to maintain the same completely clear image of what I'm doing in my mind that they would- but I accept that the Guardians know quite a bit about power rings by now. No sense in ignoring their guidance just to spite them.

I take a moment to look down on the Earth. It occurs to me that this makes an interesting.. book end. I'm not actually where I first appeared; though my point of entry appears to be stable relative to the Earth, it's in geosynchronous orbit somewhere over India. Still, it's a pretty similar view. And once again, I'm… Off into the unknown.

I am slightly better equipped to handle it this time, of course.

Though the challenge rating is somewhat higher.

Is it worth stopping off to talk to the Green Man? He's assigned to Sector 2626. I haven't received any situation updates since I assimilated John's ring at New Year, and its records from before that weren't exactly detailed. No sense giving a Lantern information they weren't expected to use, and it allows the Guardians to monitor exactly which Lanterns have access to what. I imagine that their Honour Guard get a bit more at-will access…

I don't know. At one level, I'm fully aware that I'm heading into a den of vile criminals. Getting information on exactly what's happening when I don't intend to interact with them in complex ways seems like a bit of a waste of time. One syndicate on the ascendance rather than another won't make any difference to my plans. And I don't really want to get… Bogged down. This is a reconnaissance/low-hanging-fruit-picking exercise, not an intervention-in-depth.

Keep myself ignorant to stop myself caring.

I should probably feel worse about thinking that.

Okay. Vega isn't actually 25 light years away. It's more like 60, but looks less due to the same thing that makes the stars stay close together. The lensing is another reason a lot of people assume it's a gravity-related phenomena, light from multiple stars seeming to combine into one. It is a bit odd… Oh, I'll just see if I can get one of the Controllers interested in it.

For a moment I consider warping to somewhere a little closer and taking a day off before proceeding onwards. There won't really be any safe harbours in Vega itself. No. I really want to.. do something right now.

Ring, plot warp to… To the border of the Vega systems.

Compl-.

The outside of the border. Near Rashashoon.

Compliance. / Warning. Vega system off limits to Lanterns. Do not attempt transit. Failure to comply is a court-martial offence.

I raise my right hand a little, looking at John's former ring in surprise. It's been so long since it's said anything that it had rather slipped my mind that it sometimes did.

Stewart-ring, correct me if I'm wrong, but that regulation applies to Green Lanterns, yes?

Statement applies to all Guardian operatives.

Am I a Guardian operative?

You have a Guardian-forged power ring.

That isn't what I asked.

E-error.

And what are your instructions regarding people who aren't Guardian operatives heading to Vega?

Any traffic not suspected to be criminal is to pass unobstructed.

Glad to hear it. So there's no actual problem with me going there, is there?

E-error.

I guess that's all I'm getting. Left ring, you have the course?

Affirmative.

Estimate transit time?

Two minutes subjective, approximately thirty minutes Earth time.

Alright then. Let's warp on out of here.

Initiating interstellar spatial warp. Stand by.

The stars around me shimmer and twist, the Earth itself shrinking to a dot. Then my surroundings shift, patterns of light coming and going inside the stream. I'm going a lot faster here than I did when Kon and I travelled to the sun, but since I'm not heading directly towards a star the amount of light hitting me is a lot less. The stars… It's a bit like in Star Trek, where they turn into smears, but… The orange glow is rather obscuring it. I suppose I could just… Have the ring stimulate my visual cortex with a more accurate version, but… Not the same.

Maybe this was why Abin Sur flew around in a starship, rather than just recharging a whole lot? So he could see what was going on around him properly. Really appreciate it? Or maybe that was why the Indigo Lanterns in the comics had interstellar teleportation rather than having to fly from place to place. Give them time to appreciate things. Or… Make it so their interstellar travel either flat out works or doesn't.

Oh, damn it! I was going to stop just outside the Sol system to mark… Going outside it after completing my time in service! Slipped my mind. Ugh. Ring, make a note to remind me to stop there on my way back.

Compliance.

I mentally sigh to myself. Prince Markov was right; flying around might be amazing, but it can get really quite dull after a-.

Warp terminated.

10th July
16:57 GMT -5

The stars snap back into clarity and the constant orange glow fades back down to normal environmental shield levels. So. This is Vega.

As requested, this location is just outside the Vega moat.

Heh. And, looking, I can't tell it's even here. Because the thing about space is…

I turn in space, information on the relative location of the closest stars appears on my visual field, along with the distance both to me and to the worlds of the Vega systems… Yep, that's the Moat. Some things you can't see when you're right on top of them. Stewart-ring, everything match your records?

Stellar drift as expected.

I turn back towards Vega, data on my destination appearing before my eyes. None of Larfleeze's Construct-Lanterns around, I note. Long range scans show any number of small and medium sized ships, showing flags of various Gordanian clans and semi-legitimate traders. There's a Citadel Empire picket force, the ships looking noticeably better maintained than those belonging to the outsiders. Three distinct groupings: one close to the planet and two further out. Rashashoon is taxed, but what happens here is so much a part of the Citadel economy that its people aren't particularly oppressed by them. Unless they have the misfortune to be slaves, the trade of which is one of the many things that happen here.

Slavery isn't really a bulk thing here, though. Or rather, it is, but the bulk isn't traded. After the Karnans conclusively lost their long running war with the Gordanians for control of their shared homeworld, their entire population was technically enslaved. Mostly it just manifests as a 'not kicking your head in' tax. Bad, but liveable. As long as you keep your head down and don't have much in the way of ambition.

There are a few Branx ships as well. Hard, blocky, inelegant things. Those ones are armed merchants. While it isn't illegal to pirate inside Vega, it's generally a good way to get yourself killed. The Citadel doesn't like things that disrupt its income, and other groups -especially the Branx- will make a point of avenging a fallen comrade.

No Tamaranian ships, of course. They haven't had any since they went from client world to… Not sure what you'd call them now. 'Resource extraction source', perhaps. Or 'dehumanisation practice centre'. That's my next stop, but I want to take a look around, first.

Ring, check for interdiction fields.

Located. In addition to those based on the planet itself, the two Citadel fleets furthest from the planet possess additional devices.

Anything that would stop me?

Negative.

Alright then. Ring, warp to low orbit.

Compliance.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Tamanarama

12th July
11:03 GMT

The concierge waves as Felicity and I walk away from the front desk, left hand playing with one of the blank platinum disks I used to make payment. "Be sure to recommend us to your friends!"

I wave back absent-mindedly with my right hand as I hold my left to my ear. "Ring, connect me to the Thanagarian network. Flight Leader Karn, if at all possible."

Compliance.

Felicity steps out into the hotel's front garden, taking a moment to stretch in the natural sunlight. Though the off-worlder parts of the city are mostly set up to cater for piratical thugs, there are more salubrious venues for piratical chiefs and the occasional wealthy merchant or dignitary. Most things inside were scaled to be comfortable for those of a Citadelian build… And resilient enough to be survive being used by them. They were willing to change it around for we smaller-framed humanoids, but I told them not to bother.

"Blades of Alstair, Flight Leader Karn responding. If you want to hire us, you should get in touch with-."

"No no, nothing like that."

There's a slight pause. "Orange Lantern. I hear we've got you to thank for yesterday."

"Hey, that fight was all the Omega Men's doing."

"I was referring to the fact that our contract's being terminated early. And from the sounds of it we're not likely to get much work in this region for the foreseeable future."

"I'm not sorry for that." I stroll out of the hotel, Felicity turning to blink slowly at me. Affection and general contentment. "So, you all shipping out?"

"The commander's making calls. We're packed up and ready to leave, but we'd much rather have a job to go to. Even if it's just babysitting a merchant convoy." I hear an amused exhalation. "I don't suppose you've got any use for five thousand Thanagarian mercenaries?"

"What sort of naval units do you have?"

"Mostly small attack craft. We've got a cruiser and a support-carrier, but those are more our bases of operation than things we'd want to use in a fight."

Huuh. "What sort of level of risk do you take?"

"We can talk prices over anything short of an outright suicide mission, but we prefer jobs to be either quick, local or low risk. Personally, I wouldn't mind a quick strike attack commission. Get the rust off my mace before I forget how to use it completely."

"How about..? Training work? If a planet was remilitarising and needed experienced people?"

"You can't defend a whole planet with what we've got, but if the threat wasn't imminent? We'd probably take it. Where did you have in mind?"

"Ohhh… My homeworld is probably going to start getting serious about space travel in the next few years. Is there somewhere I can get in touch with you again without chasing you down?"

"We've got feedsite links on Thanagar and Alstair, but that sounds like a long term contract. If we're busy then we won't be able to take it."

I nod. "Fair enough. I was planning to head to Thanagar in a little while anyway. Good luck finding a commission."

"Good fortune doing… Whatever it is you're planning on doing. Karn out."

I lower my left hand, increasing my pace to catch up with Felicity. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, Mast-"

"You don't need to-"

"-er."

"-call me that. Particularly after-."

"You're the one who offered to brush my hair." Another blink. "How could I have known that you only meant my mane?" I close my eyes, bowing my head slightly. "Do I not.. please you?"

"I will.. say this once, and then I'd.. quite like to drop the topic. I… Have what some may regard as an excessively romantic view of sex. Plus, my empathic abilities make me unusually aware of what you're feeling, and.. I'm.. proud enough to only want to have sex with people who want to have sex with me, not one who doesn't object to it."

"That isn't what I asked."

I look over the tight-fitting and.. 'well ventilated' clothing she's wearing. I did offer to get her something else, but she seems to prefer it. "Yes, I find you attractive."

She nods, looking pleased. "Will we be travelling by ship or by your ring?"

"Ring. There shouldn't be a problem with us spending a few days on the surface."

"Kalista.. told me that the Gordanians keep away visitors. Would we not stand out?"

"Yes, but they don't have good communication infrastructure. And Gordanian intelligence isn't particularly good. They probably won't even know that we're there."

Her ears straighten slightly. A nod. Right then. Ring, my armour, Karnan-friendly space armour for Felicity and then plot route to near-Rashashoon space.

Compliance.

A filament touches Felicity, a slightly upgraded version of the armour I lent her yesterday manifesting around her. I tried to work out if there was a way to allow her ears space without making the helmet huge or compromising the protection it provides, but as far as I can work out there isn't. But apparently pinning them flat against her head isn't that uncomfortable. She shifts slightly awkwardly, trying to get comfortable without accidentally brushing her fur backwards.

"Three, two, one, transition."

The street disappears, replaced by local space. Far less busy than it was when I first arrived, though I see a couple of local tugs picking up debris from one of the earlier fights. Admiral Dakyn is still around, but his fleet is on the far side of the planet at the moment.

Ring, plot warp to interstellar space just outside the Vega seventeen system.

Compliance. Course calculated.

"Next stop, the edge of the Tamaran system's Oort cloud. Warp in three, two-."

"Will it hurt?"

"No, of course not. I'm warping the space around us, not warping us. Two, one."

Once more the starfield shimmers, our surroundings turning orange. Almost as soon as it starts it ends, and the only obvious difference is that the planet behind us has disappeared.

"Is that.. it..?"

"We're not quite there yet." But now that no one's watching… I hold my right hand out in her direction, orange mist floating through her faceplate as the brand evaporates. "I want to see what the Gordanians have on hand before we go any further."

Ring?

An image appears in my mind. One… Space station at a Lagrange point. An old Tamaranian shipyard seized after the last war, uparmoured and upgunned. It has interdiction field generators, but they're not set up to stop any form of FTL I use. Three clanships, modified for launching kinetic torpedoes. Orbital strike weapons that most people around here don't bother with because they're next to useless in ship-to-ship combat. Just the thing for killing thousands of unprotected civilians, though. Nothing I can't.. take…

Tamaranian life signs on the station. I'll need to make sure they're safe before taking aggressive action.

Ring, plot warp to Tamaran. The side of the planet away from the station.

Compliance.

Warp.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Control

16th July
11:27 GMT

Busy, busy.

I do a fly-by of The Space Station Formerly Known As Scratching Post, letting the rings display a detailed image on the inside of my helmet. Thanagarian work crews are already hard at work, ferrying materials back and forth from their carrier and the docking section. It'll be a while before it's turned into something they can conveniently dock with, so they're using shuttles to go back and forth for the moment. A few point me out as I pass, and I give them a wave.

It'll be… I don't even know how long until Tamaran is a functioning space age civilisation again, but at least they're starting to head in the right direction now. The Princes and Princesses Regent of the other states were beginning to arrive in Tamarus for talks as I left. How to rebuild, who gets to focus on what and who profits are going to have to be hashed out at the beginning.. and… Probably again and again as power relationships shift. Myand'r sounded pretty upbeat about the talks and Karras said that he'd try to stop his parents doing anything foolishly confrontational… I hope it goes well, but at this point it isn't strictly speaking my problem any longer.

Transition.

And I'm outside of the Liot'r system. With the interdiction fields fully engaged even I can't warp where I please in-system any longer. They'd probably turn it off if I asked -me being just about the most popular person on the planet at the moment- but I don't think it's worth the risk in case someone in Citadel Complex turns out to be unusually on the ball. And it's not as if I'm aware of time passing while I transition anyway. But, warping is faster and the next leg of my journey is a lot longer than the brief flight here from Earth.

I could fly directly to Maltus. I know where it is, and I could enter it at a crawl while shooting messages towards it so that they have plenty of advanced knowledge that I'm on the way. The thing is… If they didn't respond to that Guardian ship I sent them, I'm worried that I might have seriously misjudged them. Maybe they know about Larfleeze and don't want anything to do with the orange light. Maybe they think I'm more likely to be a threat or a hindrance than a boon and they don't want anything to do with me in particular.

So, I need more information. Going to Oa seemed like a bad plan, at least until I know for certain whether these Guardians are the Alpha Lantern-Third Army creating versions or the stern but basically reasonable versions. Going to Zamaron? Hah, no. Where does that leave?

Ring, plot warp for the border of Reach space.

Compliance.

The Reach is… Huge. Not galaxy-huge, but according to the records -an orange tunnel forms around me as the warp activates- that were on John's ring, pretty darn big. The periphery zone, the area they're attempting to subvert but haven't formally seized yet, is wider than the Vega systems at their broadest point. From those reports I had access to from Lanterns in that general area, that appears to be where Darkstars are most active. In fact, their membership appears to be split evenly between some sort of pseudo-insect and species whose worlds are falling under Reach control. Or which already have.

Reach ships are good. Advanced technology and highly skilled crews. Not peak technology; a Psion or Qwardian warship would be more dangerous, but I wouldn't want to have to fight more than two or three of their actual war cruisers. The ships they use in the periphery zone tend to be more like armed merchantmen, so unless they actually have a Beetle onboard I'm not all that worried about them. Sure, they can kill me with weight of fire, but they have the advantage of being Reach; I have no problem whatsoever with destroying them and killing everyone on board.

Of course, if they do have a Beetle… They used to be the Reach's go-to Lantern killers, and they're still allowed to serve as bodyguards to Reach 'Negotiators'. If I go to a planet they're trying to absorb there will be one. I'm not… Sure how much of their kill count came from Lantern reticence in using lethal force and lack of practice at large scale engagements and how much from their own power. I'd rather avoid fighting one until I can check.

And… Now my longest warp so far. Maltus is on the other side of the galactic core from Earth, and Reach space is beyond that. If we take Games Workshop orientation as 'correct' then Earth is in the galactic west, Maltus is east and Oa is northeast. That sounds a bit like they should be close together but they're really not. The galaxy is about a hundred thousand light years across and -outside the core and ignoring the halo- about a thousand light years thick. There's more than enough space between them for even their egos.

Of course, the thing about space is, there's lots of space in it. Most of everything is nothing, and most of the rest is black holes, stars and gas giants. Actual small habitable worlds are rare enough that they're not worth fighting over. A species evolving in a system with small rocky worlds will almost always find it easier to render the others habitable than to take a small rocky world somewhere else. And then they'll find it easier to build their own space habitats than conquer someone else's planets. Unless they're absurdly close together as they are in Vega at least…

The only reason to try conquering someone is that you're an arsehole.

And the Reach… Are massive arseholes.

Warp terminating in three, two, one.

Space snaps back into focus.

We have arrived at our destination.

Hm. Haven't made bad time. Thirty thousand light years in a few minutes. Ring, scan.

Compliance.

Nothing nearby. I mean, turning around, the starfield looks different as the core is now in the 'wrong' direction. Heh, I wave in the direction of Earth. See me in thirty thousand years. Right then. Ring, scan… Scan the planets around the border. I'm looking for Darkstars, anywhere they've been active. Preferably fighting the Reach.

A sensor array construct appears as the ring gets to work. The Reach are perfectly capable of shielding their secure installations and core worlds, but places on the periphery should be a bit more accessible. Particularly since I already know where to look.

Hm.

Darkstar activity detected on Urrigen.

Show me.

A planet appears in my mind. Post-industrial, maybe a century more advanced than Earth-. Than Earth Prime. Asteroid mining and some off-planet settlement. The inhabitants are standard pattern humanoids with green skin. No contact with other intelligent species until the Reach arrived. Looks like Reach presence is relatively recent… Good show, the societal dependency shouldn't be all that advanced yet.

Ring, plot warp to-.

Warning: will detected.

I raise my left eyebrow at the same time as my construct armour. Sure, I know that Green Lanterns patrol the border-.

There's a small flare of green as the Green Lantern appears. Oh dear. Green swimsuit, gloves and thigh boots? Someone failed-. And a red cloak. This is a member of their Honour Guard. However daft she looks, she knows what she's doing with that ring.

Though it doesn't look like she's been to the anti-me lectures yet.

Stewart-ring, who is she?

Honour Guard Lantern K'ryssma, formerly of Sector One Eight Nine Zero.

Ring, open channel.

Compliance.

"Hello there, Lantern K'ryssma. What can I do for you?"

The glow around her ring brightens for a moment. A scan, probably. "Oh. You."

"Me indeed."

"I had intended to warn you that you were about to enter Reach space, in case you were an innocent traveller or merchant. Since it is you, I imagine that you think you know exactly what you're doing."

"An accurate surmise."

"Therefore, my only concern is that the Reach may see your presence as a breach of their treaty with the Guardians."

"I'm going to be aiding Controller agents. It should be fairly obvious who I work for."

"True." She pauses. "Orange Lantern, I have seen Reach space expand by twelve systems during my time overseeing this region. The Guardians' treaty may be better than all out war, but I would be more than happy to see the Reach suffer a reversal of fortunes."

I nod inside my armour. "I'll see what I can do."

 

[Mr Zoat]

Headhunting

14th August
19:24 GMT

I get a few odd looks as I thread my way through the streets of the imaginatively named Korugar City. Actually, its name is rather emblematic of the political problems facing the whole of the planet. It used to be called Sinestro City, and before that it was a scrubby bit of nowhere whose sole claim to fame was not being part of the territory of any of the three belligerent powers whose conflict blighted the lives of everyone living on Korugar. When Sinestro took over he had the new planetary capital built here, making a point about new beginnings and moving on from old follies. The government he set up named it in his honour, a vote of thanks from the people he saved from neutronic self-annihilation. Then, when he was arrested by Jordan and his government collapsed, the new governors all wanted to move the parliament somewhere else but couldn't agree on where. Then they sort of agreed to a rotating system where they would go from old capital to old capital, but the money wasn't in the budget and the Anti-Nationalists didn't like the way it eroded central government and the smaller nations didn't like getting excluded and all the offices of state were in Sinestro City anyway…

"Wrong time place opportunity."

So they didn't so much agree to leave it here as fail to agree on how to move it. Then came the issue of the name of the place, which clearly had to be changed. It actually stayed as Sinestro City for three years while they argued over it, the names of various national heroes being mooted and dismissed, sometimes for blatantly partisan reasons and at others because they'd done truly monstrous things against the people now being expected to use their name for the planetary capital. For a while they were just going to call it 'Capital City', but it was pointed out that aliens would probably find that confusing and the generic nature of it was just sort of silly.

So, the Anti-Nationalists suggested Korugar City. The city that serves as the planetary capital of Korugar.

Makes perfect sense.

Not a lot of aliens come to Korugar these days, and those that do tend to stick to the areas around the starport. I'm not sure exactly why, but Korugarians don't have much variation in skin tone. Unless they're wearing makeup, the red-purple is pretty much universal, and black or dark grey hair is near-universal as well. Actual grey, rather than black interspersed with white as it is for Humans. I see a few dyed hairdos, but for the most part the locals seem inclined to leave the individuality in the styling.

"Colouration skin advertisement?"

Probably a fascinating case study for a sociologist. Humans might organise themselves into groups based on physical appearances, but a society of humanoids who don't have those differences? Maybe I could dump Miss Leelyu here? Not like she needs to stay on Tamaran any longer…

"Sexual consideration."

Quite a few security officers around, and even more monitor drones. I'm putting out a weak disruption field, but that's legal as long it isn't strong enough to obscure conventional power sources or chemical residues. Korugar knows what power rings can do, and having gone two for two I doubt that the police would make an exception based on colour. Violence has -unfortunately- become a part of Korugarian political discourse since Sinestro's ejection from office, all of those who embraced the gun to fight the tyrant finding that their interests no longer coincide. And since one of the few things that the nationalists agree on is that they don't want their current Green Lanterns setting foot here, that's probably going to rumble on until either the planetary government fails or…

Heh, until the Sinestro Corps occupies the place and reunifies everyone.

"Taste debris poisoning."

Shouldn't really.. joke about that. As far as I know, Sinestro doesn't have a Corps yet and he hasn't been back here for years. But if he ever did, an awful lot of people would die.

Target in sight.

"Thank you."

Since I'm not wearing a power ring, I've got.. limited translation. I remember reading a book a while ago where it was commented on that most of the world reads the internet in broken text because the stuff they want to read is in English and as they don't understand English they use Google translate to change it to something they can read. And since no one off Earth speaks English I.. really struggled to get a commercially available translator that would work at all. I'm wearing a pair of goggles which -after a second or two- will best-fit any text I look at. English is reasonably flexible, but it's not this flexible.

And the spoken version…

"Warm animal paste cup!"

Well.

Most travellers hear the universe like this, unless they take the time to learn the local language. In an area where the same few languages get used people might fine-tune the system to something a little less stupid-sounding, but the rest of us are stuck with something rough and ready.

Or we get a power ring.

The café up ahead does a good business at this time of day. It's close to the city's largest hospital and we're just past the shift change. It's also close to the city's medical school, which means that former students who have moved on to public practice tend to come back here. Including the woman I want to recruit.

I know full well that under other circumstances she might have ended up joining the Green Lantern Corps. But this Sector has at least one perfectly capable Greenie at the moment, and as far as I can tell she wouldn't have been recruited for… Let's see, newly qualified doctor to fully qualified surgeon… Six years? Thereabouts. In the mean time, I need a chief of medicine who can heal by wanting people to be better.

She's sitting at a table, distinctive double triangle tattoo on her left cheek. She's drinking… A tea, probably. The liquid is translucent and a sort of brown-orange. She's drinking slowly and trying to wind down from the work day. The café is busy and there's a spare seat across the table from her.

And here comes the awkward bit. Because while what I say is:

"Would you mind if I sat here?"

What comes out is:

"Seat object presence?"

She looks up in mild surprise, her eyes widening slightly when she realises that I'm no Korugarian. She blinks as she masters her expression, taking a moment to study the structure of my face.

And while I suspect that she says something along the lines of: "Ah, yeah, sure."

What I actually hear is: "Uncertain, acquiescence to request."

I smile. "Thank you." That's a reasonably safe bet. I sit down opposite her and a waitress hurries in my direction.

"Ingestion query?"

I know nothing about Korugarian food. As far as I know, the only other Human to have eaten anything here is Jordan and I never asked him about it. On the other hand, Dr Natu's tea smells palatable enough. I raise my right hand and point to her mug. "Copy, please."

Already I'm simplifying my vocabulary in order to be more likely to get a sensible translation, even if I do end up sounding like an idiot. Korugarians are probably used to the idea of how these sorts of translator make you sound. I hope. The waitress seems to get the idea, nodding and walking back towards the kitchen area.

"Alien presence Korugar?"

The level of illumination here is quite good, and the café's monitoring systems aren't as good as those on the main street. I could probably get away with using the ring to translate what she says to me, but going the other way contains far too much risk that she'll spot that my mouth isn't moving in the right way to create the sounds I'm apparently using. I reach my left hand into the pocket where my ring is secreted, touching the inner surface with the tip of my middle finger. I then raise my eyebrows and give my head a small shake.

"I said, what brings you to Korugar?"

I remove my finger. "Job. Headhunter."

 

[Mr Zoat]

Spoiler: Original version

Headhunted

14th August
20:24 GMT

Water vapour has long since stopped rising from Doctor Natu's drink, and given how her cup is tilting in her hands the only reason that it isn't spilling is that she'd already gotten most of they way through. From the expression on her face I think that she's torn between disbelief and horror.

"You.. destroyed an entire civilisation."

I nod. "Clone, no change. No picture. No song. No dance. Always fight. No care hurt. Could destroy. Did."

She shakes her head as if to rouse herself, putting her mug down and making a grasping motion with her right hand. "Okay, I can… In theory, I could see how a clone race might be so similar to each other that there wasn't any deviation in their behaviour. Particularly if their total population was so small. And if the First was just using them as an army and they used slaves for all of their non-combat roles… All the slaves were definitely evacuated?"

"Yes. Checked."

"What about the ones on the planet?"

"Slave no trust." And I checked that too. A large garrison, some Psion technical people and no slaves to throw a wrench in the Citadel Empire's greatest point of vulnerability. "No work."

"Alright. And I suppose it counts as a military target. But all of their fleet that survived… When they were in control, you said that they mostly took the money and left the worlds they controlled to their own devices. Wouldn't they just go on the offensive? I doubt that the other worlds have the same protection as Tamaran if they're used to the Citadel dominating the space lanes."

I nod. It's true, of course. Even with Komand'r having free reign to kill any ships that misbehaved, the surviving Citadel Empire fleet elements were bound to try occupying and raiding to shore up their position. Removing them was the only way to start moving Vega towards being a healthy region of space, but a lot of people will die before we get there. How to put that in a context that doesn't alienate her?

"Tripartite War. Eight million die?"

"It's…" She looks down at her mug, stirring the dregs with a small stick. "It's hard to judge. It depends on exactly when you consider the war to start, and what deaths you consider to have been caused by the war specifically. In reality, the figure should probably be higher."

"Eight official figure?"

"Our.. government.. sometimes likes to play down how bad things were before…"

"Sinestro."

People on three neighbouring tables glance around when they hear me mention his name, tiny flickers of fear in each of them. Not exactly associated with the man himself; he's been gone long enough that they're pretty confident that he's not coming back. The fear is more from the idea of being associated with him, with the potential for social sanction and police action. I wonder if he knows exactly how much fear his memory and name evoke here? I don't know if he's been back since picking up his yellow ring.

Doctor Natu looks around, smiling nervously at the other tables in what I imagine is an attempt to convince them to ignore the ignorant alien. After they return to their own conversations she looks back up at me. "Yes."

"He not rule? More die?"

"That depends on whose version you believe. Probably, yes. In the longer term, with all of the purges..? I don't know. I like to think no one would have actually launched neutron bombs, but…"

"After.. him?"

"The purges were stopped, people were let out of prison. There was violence afterwards, but things.. stabilised pretty quickly."

"Better he not rule?"

"It's impossible to know for certain. I.. don't think it would have been."

"Better he not go?"

"No. Children shouldn't be sent to prison for littering."

"Bad thing go. Situation not perfect."

She nods. "The war was worse, and I can't really think of any other way it could have been stopped. So, what? You're saying that what your mercenaries did was the only way to stop the Citadel?"

Obviously, the version of events I've told her is somewhat edited. No mention of a power ring, and the fighting was conducted with equipment I provided by soldiers I hired rather than mind controlled.

"Before left, told mercenary contact. Work opportunity."

"What's the commission on something like that?"

"Not much." Just making Amalak aware that there may be jobs available really isn't something he pays on. He only does commission if you handle to contract negotiation as well to make sure that there are definite offers of employment. Rashashoon at least isn't going to have to worry much unless there's a concerted attack of a sort I doubt that the surviving Citadelian ships are capable of mounting. The Branx can take care of themselves, as can the Okaarans. And fuck the Psions. "Not job."

"You did all that and it wasn't even what you were hired to do. What did your employers think about you starting a war?"

"Not care."

She sits back slightly, putting down her stirring stick. "They don't care about all the people who died, because it was a long way away and they got the new hires they wanted." She frowns. "Wait, you haven't said what happened when you attacked the prison yet. You killed a million people and you didn't even get the man you were looking for."

"Million… Maybe not."

"Alright. Up to a million. I don't know what to think; I've never met anyone who's killed that many people."

"Tripartite War commanders?"

She shakes her head. "I don't move in those sorts of circles. And I doubt they were quite as.. directly involved as you were. Does this sort of thing happen to you a great deal?"

"No. Perhaps future."

Actually, I rather hope not. I'm heading back to Earth soon -all being well- and if something like that happened on Earth… Alright, Klarion's total death toll might well have been greater… I mean, caused by me. Earth's home, I don't want to be in a position where killing that many people is the right thing to do.

"How did the people you hired to help you react when they found out that you weren't working for the Admiral you told them you were?"

For a moment I hear clearly the wailing sound they made when I removed the brands.

"Not happy. Very not happy."

"I can't imagine…" She shakes her head. "Did the security specialist you were trying to hire agree to work with you after all of that?"

"Yes. Not tell all."

"And if you're here then I assume that the attack on the prison went well?"

"Complicated. First, need example Dominator technology…"

Headhunted

14th August
20:24 GMT

Water vapour has long since stopped rising from Doctor Natu's drink, and given how her cup is tilting in her hands the only reason that it isn't spilling is that she'd already gotten most of the way through. From the expression on her face I think that she's torn between disbelief and horror.

"You.. destroyed a pirate base and killed everyone in it."

Obviously, the version of events I've told her is somewhat edited. No mention of a power ring, and the fighting was conducted with equipment I provided by soldiers I hired rather than mind controlled. And I've rather played down the numbers involved.

I nod. "Clone, no change. No picture. No song. No dance. Always fight. No care hurt. Could destroy. Did."

She shakes her head as if to rouse herself, putting her mug down and making a grasping motion with her right hand. "Okay, I can… In theory, I could see how a group of clones might be so similar to each other that there wasn't any deviation in their behaviour. Particularly if their total population was so small. And if the First was just using them as raiders and they used slaves for all of their non-combat roles… All the slaves were definitely evacuated?"

"Yes. Checked."

"What about the ones on the planet?"

"Slave no trust." And I checked that too. A large garrison, some Psion technical people and no slaves to throw a wrench in the Citadel Empire's greatest point of vulnerability. "No work."

"Alright. I know.. pirates kill a lot of people, so… I suppose that what you did is as near to lawful as places like that get. But if some of their fleet that survived… When they were in control, you said that they mostly took the money and left the settlements they dominated to their own devices. Wouldn't they just go on the offensive? Find somewhere new to set up shop and go back to their old ways?"

I nod. It's true, of course. Even with Komand'r having free rein to kill any ships that misbehaved, the surviving Citadel Empire fleet elements were bound to try occupying and raiding to shore up their position. Removing them was the only way to start moving Vega towards being a healthy region of space, but a lot of people will die before we get there. How to put that in a context that doesn't alienate her?

"Tripartite War. Eight million die?"

"It's…" She looks down at her mug, stirring the dregs with a small stick. "It's hard to judge. It depends on exactly when you consider the war to start, and what deaths you consider to have been caused by the war specifically. In reality, the figure should probably be higher."

"Eight official figure?"

"Our.. government.. sometimes likes to play down how bad things were before…"

"Sinestro."

People on three neighbouring tables glance around when they hear me mention his name, tiny flickers of fear in each of them. Not exactly associated with the man himself; he's been gone long enough that they're pretty confident that he's not coming back. The fear is more from the idea of being associated with him, with the potential for social sanction and police action. I wonder if he knows exactly how much fear his memory and name evoke here? I don't know if he's been back since picking up his yellow ring.

Doctor Natu looks around, smiling nervously at the other tables in what I imagine is an attempt to convince them to ignore the ignorant alien. After they return to their own conversations she looks back up at me. "Yes."

"He not rule? More die?"

"That depends on whose version you believe. Probably, yes. In the longer term, with all of the purges..? I don't know. I like to think no one would have actually launched neutron bombs, but…"

"After.. him?"

"The purges were stopped, people were let out of prison. There was violence afterwards, but things.. stabilised pretty quickly."

"Better he not rule?"

"It's impossible to know for certain. I.. don't think it would have been."

"Better he not go?"

"No." She shakes her head vehemently. "Children shouldn't be sent to prison for littering."

"Bad thing go. Situation not perfect."

She nods. "The war was worse, and I can't really think of any other way it could have been stopped. So, what? You're saying that what your mercenaries did was the only way to stop the Citadel?"

"Before left, told mercenary contact. Work opportunity."

"What's the commission on something like that?"

"Not much." Just making Amalak aware that there may be jobs available really isn't something he pays on. He only does commission if you handle the contract negotiation as well to make sure that there are definite offers of employment. Rashashoon at least isn't going to have to worry much unless there's a concerted attack of a sort I doubt that the surviving Citadelian ships are capable of mounting. The Branx can take care of themselves, as can the Okaarans. And fuck the Psions. "Not job."

"You did all that and it wasn't even what you were hired to do. What did your employers think about that?"

"Not care."

She sits back slightly, putting down her stirring stick. "They don't care about all the people who died, because it was a long way away and they got the new hires they wanted." She frowns. "Wait, you haven't said what happened when you attacked the prison yet. You killed hundreds of people and you didn't even get the man you were looking for. I don't know what to think; I've never met anyone who's killed that many people."

"Tripartite War commanders?"

She shakes her head. "I don't move in those sorts of circles. And I doubt they were quite as.. directly involved as you were. Does this sort of thing happen to you a great deal?"

"No. Perhaps future."

Actually, I rather hope not. I'm heading back to Earth soon -all being well- and if something like that happened on Earth… Alright, Klarion's total death toll might well have been greater… I mean, caused by me. Earth's home, I don't want to be in a position where killing that many people is the right thing to do.

"How did the people you hired to help you react when they found out that you weren't working for the chief you told them you were?"

For a moment I hear clearly the wailing sound they made when I removed the brands.

"Not happy. Very not happy."

"I can't imagine…" She shakes her head. "Did the security specialist you were trying to hire agree to work with you after all of that?"

"Yes. Not tell all."

"And if you're here then I assume that the attack on the prison went well?"

"Complicated. First, need example Dominator technology…"

 

[Mr Zoat]

Do-Over

13th August
08:57 GMT -6

I bend my head to the left and try turning to look at my right shoulder. No, no, it's not happening. I can't even feel the G-Gnome it weighs so little, and my neck just doesn't bend far-.

"Grayven!" Sunset strides into the workshop area, a heavy looking satchel over her shoulder. "I'm going to spend the weekend at Zatanna's!"

I give up on meeting the G-Gnome eye to eye and turn towards Sunset. "Sunset, I like to think that at this point we've developed a reasonable interpersonal relationship-."

She puts her hands on her hips, staring up at me in mild frustration. "You told me you didn't need me. You told me there weren't even any decent magic users in the Vega Systems. You can't possibly have-."

"And while Zatanna is in many ways an excellent match for you, I feel obliged to point out that her religion is rather down on same-sex pairings." Sunset cringes and then freezes, a look of delicious mortification on her face. "So make sure to use spells of concealment and sound deadening when her father is-."

"Stop. STOP!" She stares at me with furious incredulity in her eyes. "Where did THAT come from!?"

"While I don't have all that much to contribute to your arcane education, I feel that as your primary adult caregiver-"

"You-you're-you think you're what?"

"-it falls upon me to see to your moral instruction. Since Celestia was making such a hash of it-" She makes an amused snort and semi-nods. "-and your natural parents aren't here-."

And the funny's gone. She holds out her right hand in a Roman salute style. "Stop."

I stop.

"I'm not doing… Anything like that with Zatanna. We're friends. Good friends, who share a common interest. I still don't find Humans attractive like that-."

I tilt my head slightly towards the G-Gnome. "You know that internet access here is monitored, r-?"

She blushes slightly, but rallies immediately. "I was briefly curious. It was a phase. A short phase. That has nothing to do with Zatanna."

"Okay, well, you girls have good, clean and exclusively thaumaturgy-based fun without me."

"I-." She closes her eyes and shakes her head in an effort to throw off me. "That's not why I came in here."

"You can't use my car, you haven't taken lessons."

"I'm trying to be serious, Grayven. I read your files on Vega." I nod. "How.. many..?" She stops, looking down for a moment. "You're going to kill a lot of people, aren't you?"

"Yep. Probably.. like…" I make a gesture with both hands of mildly frustrated uncertainty. "Five..? Million? Maybe twenty? The Psions and the Citadel basically have to go, but neither has particularly large populations. The Gordanians… Yeah, don't know. I'm mostly planning on leaving that up to Michael."

"He eats people."

"Not often. It's more that his mouth is a weapon than a dietary decision."

"Look. I.. know.. Humans and Apokoliptians have a… Different attitude to killing than Wilsonian Ponies, but-."

"No we don't. You don't have Windigo reserves, do you? You don't let Discord out for a day every year. You don't let Nightmare Moon eat a few children every Nightmare Night. You live in an age of peace because in ages past somepony stabbed more than a few very nasty people to death with her forehead spear."

"And how many of those twenty million are going to be innocent?"

Ah. "Like, totally innocent, or.. below-?"

"Grayven." Ghia'ta walks into the workshop behind Sunset, taking in her obvious frustration. "Are you being… You, again?"

I grin. "Hard as I can! Oh, and Sunset wants help asking out Zatanna." Sunset's eyes widen as I stride past her. "Bye!"

"You do?" / "Grayven!"

I upgrade my stride to a jog. I've got to be honest here… At least with myself. This whole Vega expedition thing will be a lot simpler if I leave as many morality pets as possible behin-.

Vrrrrm.

Curses, foiled again. "Sphere." She rolls out of a side passage, frontal lighting section shimmering. "I thought that you were in New Hampshire."

Beep rev chirp.

"Now… Come on. The only reason-."

Beep.

"I did not. I was simply aware of her particular skill-."

Rev rev.

"Fine! Fine. You can come, but it's a planet full of DeSaad fanclones. Hold me back and I will laugh in your…" I point vaguely at her… "Front.. blob… Thing."

Beep.

"Really? Oh, that's actually helpful. Okay, we're assembling in the embarkation room-."

Rev beep.

She turns and accelerates ahead of me, heading towards the chamber where my troops are mustering. And doesn't that just sound splendid. I follow on behind her at a stroll. And… Ugh.

**Jean, checking connection.**

**I hear you, Mister Grayven. I do hope that wasn't too painful?**

**I'll live. Everyone assembled?**

**All bar you and Miss Ghia'ta. And I see that the Sphere has returned.**

**Yeah, I'm-** I glance back. **-kind of hoping-.**

There's a flash just in front of me as Ghia'ta appears. **Hoping what?**

I smile as honestly as I'm able. **Hoping that you were able to give Sunset the tutoring she requires without feeling that you need to rush.**

Corpsman, are these people really necessary?

That actually brings me up short.

Yes, Sinestro. Frustrating as they may by turns be, yes they are.

I can't talk to you when you're like this, Corpsman.

"Sunset refused to speak of her love to me." Ghia'ta drifts along besides me. "I fear that I simply haven't bonded with her as well as you have-"

Ghghahahahaghrhaha!

"-in the time that I have been here."

"I'm.. sure that she'll come around."

The doors are still flapping from the Sphere's passage, but I make a point of stepping heavily into them and throwing them wide.

**My people!** My people!

On the right Michael stands towering over the Redcap-Breed G-Elves and G-Gnomes he's going to be taking to Karna. Given that he basically looks like a Karnan demigod I suspect that he'll have little trouble integrating himself into their resistance movement. That and his absolute lethality. The Redcaps were a side project of mine when I considered the fact that G-Elves are worse fighters in almost every regard than Humans, as they aren't designed to handle guns. A few visits to some perhaps-not-entirely legitimate Martian arms dealers saw me trade some Earth-made laboratory equipment for some rather neat psychoreactive biotechnology. That, and quite a lot of laboratory time resulted in a breed of G-Elf with telekinetically augmented claws and a telekinetic defensive shield. And a nifty red skullcap thing that gives them the ability to actually control their new additions. Like I told Dubbilex: you don't need new breeds, you need to improve the ones you have.

In the centre, Miss Amane twirls her scythe like a demented giggling gothic majorette… Which.. I.. suppose is actually a literal description of her. The Sphere rolls to a halt in front of her and gives her a warble, prompting Miss Amane to stop and crouch in front of her and pat her on the top of her dome. And on the left…

Ahhh…

I walk over and pick up the techno-seed in my right hand, then heft it onto my shoulder as my drone swarm swarms. Since I'm not completely sure what sorts of weapons we'll be facing I made drones capable of countering just about everything I could think of. And Sunset Shimmer's work on the techno-seed is sublime.

I smile at my assembled forces.

**My people. Let's go do some good.**

 

[Mr Zoat]

Respite

16th August
06:27 GMT

My eyelids open, pale blue filling my field of view. There's a heavy weight on my right side leaning against me and I think I've drooled slightly on the pillow. Where-? Ah, yes… Of course. I try moving my left arm around a bit, but it feels like Jade's already left. I'm a little surprised that I didn't wake up when she did. Waking up at six was something I've done for a while… Though I suppose that after enough time passes any habit can fall aside.

I reach up with my left arm, pulling the sheet and duvet away from my free side a little and gently trying to slide myself in that direction. My right arm is stuck under… I twist my head to the right in order to look at Kon's sleeping face. Alright, don't want to wake him up. He's had enough trouble adjusting to GMT without-.

"Uugh."

Mission failed. His left arm reflexively tightens around my right, pulling it to his chest as he half-consciously tries to squirm into a more comfortable position. His eyes half open… Quarter open really, a moment later.

"Kon, I'm going to need that arm back."

He's actually pulled it far enough under him that I can feel M'gann on the far side. Flipping biofeedback circadian rhythm controls. I try pulling again. If he doesn't let go I'm going to have to either wake him up fully or put a glowing orange zero friction coating over my arm, and I don't really want to do either.

"Kon, you've got my arm there."

"Ugh?" He blinks blearily at me. I may have a built-in full wakeup in the form of my ring-derived control of my physiology, but the rest of my family have to make do with more mundane processes. "Uh?" His eyes clear a little and his grip weakens. "Oh, yeah, sorry. What time is it?"

I pull my right arm out from underneath him, rolling slightly to face him as I do so. "Half six."

"Upf." He turns his head away to face his pillow. "You, ah… You need me for anything?"

"No, I'm-." Oh, he's probably still too tired to remember. "Mother's visiting today. You shouldn't-."

His eyes come fully open, his arms coming up to allow him to raise his torso from the bed. "You-" He glances at M'gann's sleeping form. "Sure you don't want one of us to come with you?"

I reach over to him and pat him on the back with my right hand, gently pushing him back down. "I think it will take her a while to adapt to how Earth Sixteen is. Probably best not to crowd her right at the start."

"Okay." His eyelids dip again, and I lean forwards and kiss him on the lips before pulling away completely and getting off the bed.

Mother's visit today is going to be… Interesting. I walk towards the bedroom entrance, passing through the privacy screen and into the hallway. Somewhat essential when the earliest riser in the house doesn't have augmented vision, the screen blocks both sound and light which is why I'm not surprised that synthetic sunlight is streaming through the hall skylight.

Ring, clothes.

Compliance.

A set of clothing that is half suit and half Star Trek civilian wear appears around me. I frown for a moment but… Yeah, I guess that's appropriate. I walk-. I pause after a step and pull at the material until it settles in a slightly more comfortable way. Maybe make it a little looser? Okay. I walk through the dining room and into the kitchen. Now, what do I-?

There's a note on the work surface, and I pick it up as I head towards the fridge. I flick it open as I reach for the fridge door handle.

'Back 0630. Jade. XXX. P.S. Coffee and eggs.'

Ah, not this morning. But coffee and eggs I can do. I pull the fridge door open and lift out the egg holder at the same time as using the ring to pick up the kettle and float it over to the left kitchen sink. While the ring flips the kettle lid open and turns the tap on I put the eggs down on the work surface and take the orange juice carton and butter out of the fridge before closing the door. Next, I open the cupboard and take out the cafetière and the jar of beans. I use my ring to turn off the tap and float the now adequately filled kettle back over to its base station and turn it on. Frying pan and Pyrex bowl are down here, and I add them to the growing pile of utensils.

Heh. Power rings never stop being awesome.

Power ring generated blades neatly slice open the shells of four eggs and I add them to the bowl. Another set cut an ounce of butter from the block and drop it into the frying pan, which I place on the hob manually before turning it on. Using the ring for everything would just take all of the fun out of it. I add a sprinkle of salt and a few grinder-rotations of black pepper to the bowl and then use a construct whisk to thoroughly blend it.

How much bread is there left? Ah, good. Jade generally prefers her scrambled eggs on their own but I prefer the difference in texture that comes from eating them with toast. I lift the lid off the bread bin and use the ring to cut two medium thickness slices from the loaf. I then float them over to the grill before putting the lid back down. The butter has melted, so I pour the whisked eggs into the frying pan and pull a wooden spoon out of a drawer to keep beating them. The kettle makes a quiet clicking noise as the water reaches boiling point and I use that as my cue to create a grinder construct and tip coffee beans into it. Blades whir and butter crackles as the smell of breakfast fills the kitchen.

I hear our house's front door open as the eggs start to solidify and I'm tipping ground beans into the cafetière as Jade walks in wearing her exercise clothing. Oh, I love seeing her abdominal muscles covered in sweat, her slightly laboured breathing causing them to tense and relax slightly.

"Is my coffee ready yet?"

"Do you want me to brew it properly, or do you want to drink it like a savage?"

She wipes her forehead with her towel as she walks across the kitchen. "Which one's quicker?"

"Savage it is."

I pour the just off-boil water into the cafetière and use a construct spoon to give it a stir. "I'd suggest giving it a-" She drapes her towel across the back of a kitchen chair and approaches me with a smile. I turn the half toasted bread and have the ring take control of the egg mixing, turning away just in time for Jade to reach me.

"How was your run?"

"Quiet. I think I'm the only early-riser on this whole space station."

"People like to keep their own time zones. I only mandated GMT for the clocks because that's the space standard."

"I'm not complaining." She approaches to within touching distance, studying my face. "Looking forward to seeing your Mother today?"

"Um. Yes… No, that sounds wrong." I use the ring to put the lid on the cafetière and take a mug off the rack for her. "It's just, it's been so many years that I'd adapted to the idea of never seeing my fam-. You know, my parents, again. So the fact that I'm going to today just feels slightly strange rather than being exciting."

Another filament slices another ounce of butter from the pat and deposits it in the Pyrex bowl while I reach behind me and turn off the hob.

"I suppose that makes sense." She looks around the cooking area. "Mm. Coffee and eggs. Where's the third thing?"

Hm.

I smile as I bend down, her arms going around the back of my neck as we press against each other.

Life is good.

16th August 2016
06:33 GMT

 

[Mr Zoat]

Authority

21st August
18:29 GMT

Ms Mallor looks down at me as I sit cross-legged on the roof of the plain structure built to contain the Orange Central Power Battery. She's one of the political prisoners we liberated from Starlag along with Vril Dox, her exotic abilities putting her on the Dominators' 'to be researched' list.

"I understand that I am not to be included in your tuition session."

"That is correct."

"Why? Do you think that I am incapable of focusing my wants? Or that I would be driven insane as that creature in your cells has been?"

Her desires are a rather harmless mix of loyalty-affirmation with regards to her civilisation and a drive for… Interestingly, not revenge against the Dominion but she definitely wants them pushed back. Talok VIII fell under the Dominion's expanded sphere of influence some time ago, but they only heard about her comparatively recently. She knows that she's the only reason the Dominion bothered threatening her world and that they'd leave it alone once she was in their custody. That's why she surrendered herself rather than try fighting it out or running. Admirable behaviour.

"No."

Unfortunately, it makes her unsuitable for an orange ring. At least at this stage.

"Then why? Dox said that he had given you final refusal on his proposed candidates?"

"He has. But my selection criteria are quite specific." I open my eyes and look up at her. She's wearing a figure hugging blue/black body stocking thing. I didn't realise that look was popular outside of Earth-native superpeople. "Would you like some tea?"

"Tea?"

"It's a drink from my homeworld, made by putting dried leaves-."

"I know what tea is, I just don't understand why you're offering it to me."

"I don't want you to think that I harbour some sort of personal dislike for you. I want this to be a discussion rather than a confrontation. So: I offer you tea."

"Very well…" She hesitates for a moment as I wave my right hand vaguely to my right and bring a teapot and two china cups in the traditional style: white with blue artwork. "Why do you consider me inadequate?"

"I don't. Sugar?"

A mild frown. "No."

"Milk?"

She pulls a face. "I'm an adult. I don't drink milk."

I won't ask about lemon. I create a construct strainer and place it over the first cup, then pick up the teapot and begin pouring.

"You understand that the Orange Lantern Corps we're building is primarily designed to fight the Reach?"

"Yes."

"Orange ring users are unavoidably driven to satisfy their desires. You might well intellectually know that, when evaluated dispassionately, the Reach are worse than the Dominion. But the Dominion matters to you in a personal way which the Reach doesn't." Cup filled adequately, I stop pouring and move the strainer to the second cup. "Whatever you have decided that you should accept, it is the Dominion whom you truly wish to fight. As such, your effectiveness as an Orange Lantern would be impaired in the fights we are actually going to engage in. And that's assuming that you didn't suffer from the mind-altering effects of the orange light, and simply decide to go after the Dominion on your own initiative."

"I'm not so easily distracted." I put the teapot down, disintegrate the tea leaves in the strainer and then dismiss the strainer, and pass her a cup.

"That doesn't help. Forcing yourself to concentrate on something is a green light thing. Do it too much while wearing an orange ring and your ring would turn itself off. Given your other abilities, you might survive losing your environmental shield while in space, but it would significantly reduce your effectiveness."

She inclines her head slightly as she raises the cup to her face and sniffs it. Finding the smell not too repulsive, she tentatively takes a sip just to humour me and then puts the cup straight down again. "I understand that, but I believe that after training with other Lanterns and Darkstars I would come to see them as much as my people as I do other members of my species. And if I were exposed to the Reach's wrongdoings, I would come to loathe them just as much as they do."

I nod. "Quite possibly. That's how I learned to focus the orange light to serve my team mates' needs." I pick up my cup and take a mouthful. I don't actually.. like tea, but as a non-narcotic social tool it is quite useful.

"Then why-?"

I hold up my right hand to stop her, then swallow. "Because I haven't ever taught a proper class before. With Princess Komand'r and Princess Koriand'r I could afford to give them personal attention at all times. Here, I'm going to have to create a training program that others can carry out without my immediate supervision. That significantly magnifies the risk. So I don't want to take anyone who doesn't have the ideal psychological characteristics. In other circumstances, when I have a better idea about what I'm doing, I might consider you. But not for the first batch."

She looks down as she considers my answer, then reluctantly nods. "What other circumstances?"

"When Hinon's had a chance to study what happens when orange power rings interact with someone who has a link to the Shadowlands."

A thin wisp of tenebrous mist manifests around her, parts of her body suddenly looking as if they were drawn in place using a thick black pen. "What do you know of the Shadowlands?"

"That it's the former resting place of the Great Darkness, and is now a source of considerable arcane might as well as being inhabited by some rather disturbing creatures. An acquaintance of mine by the name of Richard Swift draws his power from there as well, and a handful of other individuals have abilities that are sufficiently similar that they may well come from there as well."

"The Great Darkness. That is what your people call the Father of Shadows?"

"It's… Likely that we're talking about the same being."

"When I was younger, I felt its rising. Ever since then, I've been able to control shadows, move them and make them physical. I've never met anyone else who could say the same. Is that how it was on your world?"

"I don't.. know for certain. For most of them the time line is possible. Except the Shade and Simon Culp, who got theirs about a hundred and eight years ago. When the Great Darkness would still have been there." Huh. Hadn't considered that part before. "Which is a little disturbing, now that I think about it. Though it might explain why they're so much more powerful than all of the others."

"They..?"

"But anyway, I hope that you consider staying on anyway. You might get offered a power ring eventually, and even if you don't I'm sure that the Darkstars would love to have someone with your abilities."

"Will you take me with you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I've never met someone else with my abilities before. When you return to your homeworld, will you take me with you?"

Um. No reason not to, I suppose. "Alright, yes. Though I'll warn you now that I don't know how long it will be until that happens." She nods. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"