Reassembly II: Creatures of Light and Darkseid (M&M 3e)

[Quellian-dyrae]

Katie faced down the three lieutenants of Darkseid with a tight smile. Times past, a display like that might have worried her. Now? It just meant they were putting up a fight.

...What happened next did...not qualify as a fight.

And, you know, a part of Katie, it wanted to feel bad. It really did. Because ooh and eep and yikes and aww-ww! But, you know...

They were tough. They could take it.

Besides, they had attacked Go-Getters.

"I won't even waste my time," she told Janet with an amused grin, turning her magic towards the more important task of repairing the damage that the restaurant had received.

--

"Yay go team!" Katie cheered once the conflict had come to its inevitable conclusion. She looked to Rene with a brilliant smile. "You were awesome! Desaad's all, 'mwaha!'" She intentionally refused to draw out the "m" sound. "And you're like, 'No.'"

Of course, this did leave them with a bit of a problem. Namely, a small army of supers in a restaurant where they had already eaten all the currently-prepared pizza and evacuated the cooks. "...Okay, so, who votes Fred brings the owners back and I cast Haste?" she asked the assembled, raising her own hand into the air.

(If it seems silly that a haste spell would particularly speed up the time to prepare pizza, the great majority of which is just letting it cook, I will remind you that magic.)

--

Katie was still struck every time she went into space.

It wasn't her first time. She'd been up on the JLA's orbiting base with Fred a few times in the past couple months for Danger Room training. Still, she gazed out every window she passed.

She followed the S.W.O.R.D. officials' orders as given. She didn't even cheat by linking everyone up with Shared Awareness. The way the divination worked it was completely undetectable, but they had asked them not to use powers and not to talk with each other, and Katie respected their authority on the subject.

--

The defense's questions she answered as accurately as her perfect memory allowed and as...thoroughly as her past record should suggest. The detail with which she explained the casting procedure, functions, effects, and limitations of her Freedom spell could honestly only be explained by the realization that she was still trying to find excuses to teach Fred about proper counterspelling, but regardless should have been plenty sufficient to get across the point that it would have only worked on mind control. Her assessment of the Keeper's actions began with a play-by-play description (Katie kinda regretted her lack of experience with illusions), before she followed up with a detailed assessment of her own inferences and conclusions regarding what she had seen.

Then it was the prosecution's turn. Katie gave a slow nod, and for a couple moments, closed her eyes and drew in a breath. She wanted to get this right.

Katie's memory was perfect just in the general sense. This moment, this point in time where she had begun to believe that all hope might be lost, that the whole of her world might be doom, was seared indelibly into her mind's eye. Part of that was from the sound of the Keeper's voice, the look on his face, when he had spoken. She recalled the tears streaming down his face, his features twisted with his need to fight the compulsion that he was fully aware of, but unable to resist. She recalled the staggered, broken words, full of tight, tense pauses as he tried to keep them from escaping his lips. She remembered the tone of his voice. The realization. The failure. The despair.

She remembered it all perfectly. She did her best to communicate it, to match the look on his face, the pain in his voice. It wasn't hard. She just remembered how she had felt, standing there, watching the doom of her world descend.

". . . Bro-thers . . ." she growls, as though every syllable is being torn from her, "Pro-to-col . . . GA . . . LAC . . . TUS!"

A long pause. Enough to make it seem like she had finished, perhaps to prompt the prosecutor to open her mouth for her next question, before being suddenly broken.

"Do . . . you . . . see?" rasps Katie, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Do . . . you . . . see . . . what . . . be-falls . . .?"

Katie drew in a couple long, shaky breaths, wiping the tears from her eyes and face, before looking up to meet Jennifer's gaze. "Next question?"

Spoiler

Show

Routine Deception for 22 to emulate the Keeper's look and voice while reciting his words.

[CandyLaser]

Over the course of the week, Sarah was busy putting her part of the plan in action. Potence was better at coordinating with actual people; Sarah spent a lot of time worrying about logistics. Well, not 'worrying,' per se; after all, plenty of logistical problems go away when you've got millions of dollars, teleportation technology, and a hovering fortress stocked with drone workers. The immediate aftermath of the fight was a distraction; Katie's summons of heroes across the world, while impressive, was a bit of overkill. And once Lobo showed up, getting him to actually LEAVE required no small amount of effort. Ultimately, Sarah ended up locating a pod of space dolphins and using them as a lure to pull him away.

In addition to her logistical tasks, Sarah was also busy with her private projects. Building the weapon she'd received from an alternate self was priority one. Priority two was casting her extra-dimensional net wider to look for and recruit potential otherworldly allies. And priority three was researching the effects of the Skrull/Kryptonian plan to defeat Darkseid in those worlds where it had gone off as planned. That led her to...

The Trial

"Taking into account the multifarious differences between our world and even the closest parallel timeline makes it impossible to definitively answer that question," Sarah began. It was clear, from the first moment that she started talking, that Sarah was about to deliver a whole disquosition on the subject. Being precise was part of being a scientist, and she was in a court of law, as well - not the place for her to be imprecise with her words. "With the assistance of an alternate version of my grandfather, Sylvester Saturn, I have examined many worlds in which the Hekatomb ritual was carried out as planned and without impediment from Earthly forces. A full analysis of what happened in these worlds would take more time than we have, and would largely be irrelevant. I will thus confine myself to discussing three aspects of the plan. First, I'll talk about its moral dimension. Second, its likelihood of succeeding in its primary aims. Finally, its long-term effects."

She paused here to take a breath before launching into the rest of her testimony.

"The main problem with the Hekatomb ritual has to do with its moral nature and the acts which are required to trigger it. It involves, inevitably, the sacrifice of a sentient being. In this case, the plan called for the sacrifice of Superman, and while I have little doubt he'd sacrifice himself for us if needed, it does not follow from that that it's right for others to kill him. In addition, investing a Skrull or another Kryptonian with Superman's qualities would have involved a massive mental manipulation of everyone on Earth, conferring unearned status on the chosen Champion. Whether or not it would have been successful, the fact is that the ritual would have been both illegal and immoral.

Now, onto the subject of whether or not it would succeed at all in its stated aims. My investigations and projections suggest that it would. Not always, and not without side effects, but it's generally efficacious. In addition, its negative side effects never result in more casualties than Darkseid's invasion. So from a purely pragmatic angle, it achieves its ends. Hence my preface involving the moral nature of the ritual." For just a moment, Sarah thought about how odd it was for her to be saying that. Not too long ago, she'd have been going right for that pragmatic approach and letting the moral issue slide. Some part of her still wanted to do that. But her association with the other Misfits had brought her around to a more multi-dimensional view.

"While the Hekatomb ritual never resulted in more casualties than Darkseid's invasion," she went on, "there are many worlds in which we see a decade or two of increased political strife worldwide afterward, among other side effects. The magnitude and duration of these sorts of effects vary based on specifics of the ritual, and I've produced a small monograph summarizing what I know here. I believe it has been entered as evidence; my remarks now are an apt summary."

[SuperCracker]

Ronin

Ronin took satisfaction in the fact that he was right. Misfits+ overcame the New Gods with numbers and teamwork. The + part of the equation seemed to be working well enough together. Fred had been a part of so many teams that he could smell another one forming. After DeSaad dropped, Ronin took a deep breath and began to sheath his sword. He’d gone all-out and was fairly exhausted from the effort. He needed a moment to catch his breath.

That’s when they got right back up and began to perform further villainous monolog. Ronin gave a small smirk and started to speak. “You think that’s all we’ve got? This isn’t even my final f-“

The beatdown that commenced was nothing short of epic.

"You'll get to say it one day, boss."

Ronin powered down to normal, sheathed Starsoul and immediately attempted to feed himself more pizza.

One Week Later

Ronin came to the trial armed. There was absolutely no way he would let himself be disarmed. Fortunately, he had an excuse. Starsoul also witnessed the events (and claimed it was Ronin’s legal counsel). He didn’t have a secret identity, so the whole world (or is it worlds, at this point) knew who he was.

His approved digital entertainment device had a knock-off Mario on it. Fred played silently. He cut a glance over towards Rachel at one point. He knew she’d be testifying. Awkwardness remained. Fred was thankful for knock-off Mario.

Testimony

Ronin took the stand, wearing shades and his X-Men outfit. Both were non-negotiable. He kept his sword in his lap as he was direct-examined by Jen. He answered her questions about the events as best he could. He deviated from the truth in one respect… an omission: he would not admit that the Phoenix Force went out of control. In fact, if he had the option, he wouldn’t talk about the Phoenix Force at all. Best not to air that dirty laundry on live television. Then the defense questioned him. Ronin understood the need for anonymity, but he disliked speaking to someone in this manner. It seemed cagey.

The question was met with a beat of silence. He answered with who had been released. As for those he had a prior relationship with. “Talia al’Ghul. I’ve fought with her father and his agents before. I’ve had little interactions with her.”

“And Rachel Grey. I’m her teammate in the X-Men, a former teammate in Excalibur. She’s my friend. She’s my family.”

Ronin, being Ronin, left it at that. He wasn’t a very wordy witness.

[Thokk_Smash]

"Maybe some time in a hospital bed will teach 'em respect for music," Zach says with mock-sadness and a shake of the head. He perks up at the mention of more pizza before he winces as if in pain.

"Oh, before I forget again, Potence, Saturn," he says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out several playing cards. "In all the excitement of Romania, I forgot to mention these things. They look kinda important, and more importantly, they've been burning a hole in my pocket. No, seriously, I think I oughta get checked out for magical radiation, see if these things made me sterile."

Zach makes a point to slap Builder on the back. "Thanks for the assist, big guy," he says with a wide grin and friendly tone. "The makeshift wall and bodily shield both, of course."

------------

The trip into outer space is...a new experience for Zach. For once, he is entirely silent on the way to the Watchtower, just taking in the sights of actually being in Earth's atmosphere.

------------

"Well, that kinda depends," Zach begins his response. He is lounging in the witness chair, seemingly unperturbed by the magnitude and gravity of the situation. "D'you want her attitude towards humans from before, or after we took out Kang? Actually, I'll give ya both of 'em, considering it shows her character n'all."

He settles into the seat a bit and continues, "At first she was patronizing, dismissive. She saw humanity like children who could not go a day without some petty squabble, with a strength of arms capable of wiping each other out in the galactic blink of an eye." He closes his eyes as he recalls her impressive monologue in that forest in Romania. "She would've sided with the Martian Manhunter if she thought humanity could totally unify itself for even an hour--her words, not mine. Man, if you could've seen the look she gave us after we got her to join up with us, well--lemme see if I can copy it." Zach's face shifts, his expression morphs into one of...disdain? Condescension? Infantilization? Pity? A slightly disrespectful cocktail of all four?

"Then she spent a month or two with us, helping to stop the American Civil War a few years early, freeing American slaves and generally working with us to make that world a better place. She fought Nazis and vampires and vampire Nazis with us. She offered herself to us to take as prisoner or leave on her own. She admitted that some humans are capable of something she thought was impossible for us. And in the end, in my opinion at least, she started to think of humanity as something approaching potential allies. A pretty good jump, considering the kinda short time she spent with us."

Spoiler

Show

Routine Deception of 26 to emulate the facial expression Tali had given in the linked post.

Routine Persuasion of 30 to endear himself to the judge/defense/prosecution.

[Llyarden]

Ciaran, on the other hand, had not been into space before. It was a thoroughly odd experience, though one that he didn't pay as much attention to as he might otherwise have done in other circumstances. Indeed, to anyone that paid him much attention while they were all sitting together waiting to be called, it might have been noticeable that he seemed...distracted, to put it mildly. A digital Rikku stood patiently on the screen of the game he'd been given, being taken down with a faint beeping noise, at which Ciaran looked back to the game and restarted it, starting the whole cycle over again.

There were an assortment of reasons for him being so distracted. One was, obviously, the fact that they were in space. That was a thing. Another might have been the fact that probably for the first time in his life, Ciaran was wearing a suit. But the main reason, without a doubt...was the blood he'd found on the inside of his mask after the fight in Go-Getters.

---

Ciaran answered the questions regarding his exploits with Nightwing and the Todds quite calmly. It wasn't that he wasn't embarrassed about some of the stuff that had happened - not noticing that 'Nightwing' had been using guns, for instance - but he'd also come to terms with the fact that it had happened. He didn't try to hide the fact that he'd been a proponent of following J'onn's instructions even before it'd been established that the law enforcement forces were a mixture of Skrulls and Kryptonians. He did point out that whether J'onn had stopped them or not it was unlikely that the six of them would have been able to defeat the fake law enforcement - but he didn't emphasise it too much. From his perspective, J'onn had only intervened directly to protect them, and ruined his own cover at the same time. He figured that would be obvious to anyone else listening to what went on.

"Well...if I'm honest, I didn't quite understand what was going on at the time," Ciaran replied to the faceless voice. "I barely understand it now. That said, from what I understood, the idea of infiltrating humanity, as law enforcement and so on, was what they were supposed to have been doing. But...taking on Todd's form, or...essence, or whatever it was exactly they were doing to turn into him - that wasn't."

[Starsign]

When it came to events of cooperation, whether they may be in construction, in studies, or in the nail-biting, adrenaline-fueled mess that is superhero combat, Rene knows when to let others take their turn.

This wasn't exactly on his mind when he saw Darkseid's minions get back on their feet about as quickly as they were taken down. The crowded group of heroes here had battered and beaten the three so swiftly that Rene felt like it was too easy. His reptilian legs shook mildly as the thought occurred to him that the battle was far from over.

Then Demon flies in with a large sword and a smile bigger than anyone's ever seen.

If that isn't a sign for Rene to bow out and watch, nothing is.

Specifically, the reptilian chose to wait over by a corner so as to not crowd the battle further. It was... a spectacle for sure, one of the most chaotic he's ever seen. He didn't want to really be seen by the rest of the Secret Warriors if they were around; he's not supposed to be seeing them again out in public. It's not like they needed help anyway; Rene was more concerned with what the increased chaos meant for the structure of Go-Getters. Rene's little additions did help but there's no denial that an extra dozen heroes or so, even when part of the fight is taken outside, does not do well with the building's floor and walls.

So instead he stayed back until things calmed down, relatively, inside the pizza place before he went to repair the small craters in the floor and the shattered glass from some of the windows. These aren't exactly grand repairs since he's working with minimal tools but Go-Getters did look better now than it did this morning. Today certainly went far better than many of his days with the Secret Warriors.

---

So what happened with Rene over the past week? Mostly catching up.

Spoiler: Catching Up

Show

WIP

---

Rene had been... somewhat reluctant at first when he was ordered to come to the trial. Most of this comes down to being worried that the skrulls and kryptonians would be leading him into a trap. After all, he wasn't invited to the trial beforehand so why would they do so now? He wasn't exactly given an answer when he asked. Yet he was arriving at about the same time as the other heroes he met a week ago; somehow all of them had been invited there long before Rene did. Giving it some thought however, Rene finds himself going right now to the trial, if only so he can help with what's going on with J'onn.

Rene still can't believe he's in space when he arrives there. It's space; it's a goddamn world for astronauts and cosmic superheroes. How would he have guessed he'd ever end up here. Not that it's easy for him take in as the whole place, from the windowless shuttles to the dull waiting rooms to the courtroom itself, is stripped of any and all fantastic elements and the ability to look out in space. The whole thing feels like a prison, not unfamiliar to the Spire. It's a miserable experience as he chooses to simply sit down and wait, not particularly interested in using any of the provided entertainment systems. He didn't see any of the Secret Warriors in his particular waiting room but he knows Fury has to be involved in the trial. He's got the Hunter captured and cooped up in the Spire right now and given he's the whole reason J'onn broke out of prison in the first place, Fury probably thinks he's got some sort of bargaining chip against the skrulls and kryptonians.

---

As soon as Rene's turn to testify comes around, he feels overwhelmed by the pressure. He'd never been in a courtroom before but if this are what Earth's ones feel like then he suddenly has a lot more respect for lawyers dealing with this **** every day. How in the world was he supposed to give a-

Shut up

Listen

...His mouth stays silent for a moment, contemplating the question again before answering. "Well, at first he had only been contacting me telepathically." Rene didn't want to actually talk about Quan-Dur or the warship if possible; it's likely they already know anyway and just want his opinion on J'onn. "But when he first did I was confused. I didn't know how far he was contacting me from. He wanted to help me because I was being tracked, putting everyone I was with in danger. I put myself in danger doing so but it helped protect everyone else and-"

Immediately Rene cuts himself off, realizing he was going off the topic at hand before recovering. "...I didn't trust J'onn for a bit even when he helped me destroy the tracker. But I think he asked because he didn't think it'd get so out of hand that he had to break out to come save me. And he did save me." There's no lack of gratitude in Rene's voice. "I think he trusts me a lot. He and I... I think he and I have similarities. We find ourselves a bit... alienated by those we live with, if not because of what we are but of what we've done. And we both want to help each other out, make up for the times we've saved each other and just... find a purpose in what we believe in and find someone to confide with." His mind can't get over the last thing J'onn had said to him. Something about that, and of his entire role in Druid's little dream segment, kept nagging in Rene until he let it out.

"I think J'onn, from what I know of him, looks at humanity as a people who can unify with themselves without the need of a ritual and sacrifice. He's seen it happen before; I've... seen it from him. They're group that are chaotic and fractured, but strong-willed. They disagree with each other but understand when to put their differences aside so they can work together." Rene's talk about humans sounds optimistic, though also warlike in a way. Yet how is he supposed to know what J'onn thinks? All Rene can do is make assumptions from what J'onn has said. "He wants to promote the peace between what he considers to be his homes. But I don't think he includes himself among humans, not right now. He thinks he's betrayed... almost everyone that he's lived and worked with. It's like a burden that he wants to carry." Rene can't bring himself to smile despite thinking of J'onn; such a great hero, such a tragic one. "I think he's been wanting to help others, and to help me. He wants to do what he can to help those he cares for, whether it's me or those he considers friends and family outside of Earth. It's like he wants to find a purpose in doing what he thinks is right."

Rene leaves it at that, having found himself speaking far more than he expected. Hopefully something of that crazy monologue makes sense and brings out some sympathy about J'onn.

Though it's funny when Rene thinks about it. J'onn wants to do whatever he can to help Rene, but as far as Rene knows, he is the one that owes J'onn a great deal.

[BlueHerring]

Spoiler: Augur

Show

Years of training and fighting paid off, as Augur's instincts kicked in. She instantaneously ducked under the fist, and flipped back and drew her tonfas in a fluid motion. Golden-hued lightning crackled along her body as she glanced at her sudden adversary. From the looks of things, he was the sort of adversary to focus more on taking hits than dodging them.

This would be easy.

"Surrender? I don't know the definition of the word!"

The longer segments of Augur's tonfas flared with a familiar white light, and Augur closed the distance between her and this 'Smasher' in a moment. With a blurring series of strikes, Augur slammed one critical blow after another into Smasher, driving the chi into her adversary like a knife through butter.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'm not actually sure what her current forms/moves are, so I'm just going to list them instead of doing the whole change in style free actions.

Split-Second Resonance, Blade of the Glorious Ancestor, Distance In A Heartbeat, and Cerulean Dragon Form makes up her current loadout.

Move Action: Agile Feint against Smasher. (1d20+16)[27]
Standard Action: All-Out/Power Attack Blade of the Glorious Ancestor: (1d20+15)[28]. If it hits, DC 30 Damage (Resisted by Parry), affected by Multiattack.
Extra Effort/Standard Action: All-Out/Power Attack Blade of the Glorious Ancestor: (1d20+15)[21]. If it hits, DC 30 Damage (Resisted by Parry), affected by Multiattack.

Status: -5 Parry/Dodge, Fatigued
Luck: 4/4
Hero Points: ?

[Lizard Lord]

Things seemed to wrap up quickly, just the way Howard likes it. It seemed for a second that it would be a pain to deal with when the Apokomooks (that's Apokoliptian mooks for short), got back up for round two, but then even more reinforcements showed up to defend this cheese stained grease trap. Howard just sat back and watched them work. Between Katie and Builder repairs were a breeze as well. Which is just a fine. Howard could use a break since tomorrow is certain to be a pain in the @#$. The court system always is.


____


This trial proved to be no exception to being a pain in the @#$ already as the advanced space age technology of S.W.O.R.D. is used to basically add as much red tape as they can. Like everyone else Howard is, of course, unable to see through the blurring that protects the lawyers' identities. Though Howard also knows that Jenifer Walters (AKA She-Hulk) and Matt Murdock (AKA who-the-@#$%-is-he-and-why-is-he-in-so-many-superhero-related-cases?) often seem to be involved most of the big superhero cases so safe money would on one or both of them being here in this one.


When the defense questions him he just kind of gives his story as matter factly as he can, doing his best to ommit any fourth wall breaking stuff.
Which is what makes the cross examination somewhat difficult as Howard just kind of scratched his head as he tries to figure out the best way to answer the question. After all, he can't just tell them that Darkseid took over as GM. Finally he thinks of a hopefully suitable answer. "He just kinda said what would happen and then it would happen, even if it didn't make sense fer it ta happen. I can't really say fer sure how he was able ta do it, though Death did mention sumthin' 'bout an "Anti-Life Equation" that sounded related to how he was making his plans happen. I gots no idea what that even is though. It just kinda sounds bad."

[TheIronGolem]

Seeing Desaad get a serial beatdown from half the capes in Metropolis is awfully cathartic for Spider-Man, even if his own contribution is thereby dwarfed. Still, he can't help but be a little impressed - and a little more worried - that after getting dogpiled like that, Desaad is still upright and coherent enough to fire off another one of those cryptic threats he seems to like so much.

"Jeez. What is it with the ones who wear purple? They should do a study on that or something."

---

The Watchtower. Jimmy had been here a time or two, but only as Jimmy. This is his first time here as Spider-Man, which means he only mostly feels like he has no business being here. After Superman's recovery, he'd privately nursed a fantasy of being invited to join a newly-reformed Justice League. But the new League didn't seem much like the old one (despite the high roster overlap), and so it seems he'll only ever be here as a visitor. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

On the witness stand, Spider-Man shifts uncomfortably in his seat at Jennifer Walters' questioning. She's just doing her job, he realizes, and logically he knows that this information is relevant. But she's asking directly about Superman's condition after Weapon X, and being truthful about that means telling the world just how broken and vulnerable the Man of Steel had been. After all the time he'd spent taking care of Superman and keeping his condition hidden away, airing it all out now feels like a betrayal. As bad as this is for Jimmy, he imagines it must be so much worse for Superman. He's always gotten hints from the big guy that even at the best of times it's not easy to live up to what the world expects from Superman, and now here he is having his lowest and most vulnerable moments carefully explained and documented for posterity.

So Spider-Man tries to soften the blow where he can. He confesses, with complete honesty, that he doesn't know the details of what was actually done to Superman, only that he saw the effects that it had on him. He admits that he sheltered Superman in his civilian home for a time, but when it became clear that the Kryptonian had suffered from intermittent loss of control over his powers, he had sought help. He takes pains to stress that whatever had been done to Superman, it had involved both super-science and magic, and was far more than anyone could be expected to endure. And he never hurt or threatened anyone, Spider-Man notes at every opportunity.

Of course, Walters isn't content to let him just give the birds-eye view and leave it at that, so the webslinger is forced to retrace the steps he took bouncing from one hero to the next to get help for Superman. How the Richards-Palmer brain-trust/bromance couldn't come up with a cure, but was able to provide help keeping Superman calm and unpowered until a cure could be found. And how the first real breakthrough had come from treatment by Brother Voodoo (Spidey does not mention the name of Jericho Drumm, not being sure if the doctor is out of the phonebooth with that identity). Again, he states truthfully that he doesn't know the details of the treatment Superman had received, because he had not been present for the procedure. That he had spent that time traipsing through the dark spiritual reflection of New Orleans on a bizarre quest to rescue his own suit from a purple-skinned sociopath with mind-control powers (again with the purple!), he is fine with leaving unmentioned if Walters is.

Then comes the defense's turn:

<Can you inform the court as to the intent of the procedures done to Superman, please? To the best of your understanding.>

"I gotta admit", replies Spider-Man, "the best of my understanding isn't a whole lot. It's kinda out of my wheelhouse."

It's weird, he notes, being addressed by a faceless, unidentifiable voice in what is normally a public forum. Is this what civilians feel like when they deal with superheroes?

"But from what I gathered, it all seemed to be about just breaking him down to make him easy pickings for the Champion in that weird little ritual they cooked up. Like, uh-"

He thinks back to an analogy that had occurred to him back at Weapon X.

"Like fixing a title boxing match by, Idunno, drugging the champ beforehand so the challenger is sure to take the belt? Because the belt is magic or something? Okay, I don't get it either, but I'm not a freaky alien cultist."

[herodofcows]

Potence

Jen has been both a superhero and a member of the bar for years, and has therefore seen some pretty crazy things. Still, your dramatic reenactment earns you a murmured "Jeez, Potence . . ." before she resumes her questioning.

"And those were the only words he used? There were no other instructions for the purpose of calling down or coordinating the invasion? No further specific commands? 'Protocol Galactus' was the sum total of the commands given?"

Ronin

<I see. That must have been unimaginably difficult, to discover that your . . . teammate . . . had been an imposter.>

The defense seems to consider for a moment, and then move on.

<Can you tell the court the full extent of your, ah, 'super-powers', Ronin? What sort of things can you do that a baseline Homo sapiens could not?>

Sarah Saturn

<. . . I see. So, to summarize even further, the process they used was immoral, illegal . . . but ultimately would have worked. Thank you.>

The defense sits back down, and Jen rises to begin the cross examination.

"We're obfuscating an important question here. By your research, are there other timelines similar to our own in which Earth manages to hold off Darkseid? With or without alien help, if you can be so specific?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

This one's two Expertise (Dimensions) rolls, with one covering alien assistance and the other covering Earth on its own.

Thunderstruck

<I see. Would you say that she was in any way antagonistic towards humanity? Did she wish us ill, as a species?>

Spider Man

Spoiler: Insight DC 25

Show

Even through the blur, you can see the defense attorney's figure stiffen slightly at your analogy. Something hitting close to home, perhaps?

<I see. Had the, ah . . . procedure, or ritual been completed at the time of your rescue? Had Superman been fully subjected to whatever processes he was meant to undergo?>

The Builder

<I see. Can you describe for us the circumstances under which J'onn saw this unification occur? You said you'd seen it from him. What DID you see?>

Howard

There is a brief flurry of activity as Walters returns to her desk and consults quietly with the other lawyers assembled there.

"Were you able to discern any limits to this power? What you're describing sounds a lot like omnipotence. Is that how you'd characterize it, or were there constraints?"

Peregrine

<I see. You've described parts of your interactions with Mial-Zod, formerly Fist-of-Nightwing, and the Skrulls masquerading as Jason Todd. I'd like to focus in on some specifics. Were they rational actors, by your estimation? Did their motives make sense as part of the larger alien goals, as you understand them?>

Spoiler: Augur

Show

Smasher grunts and groans as your chi-empowered tonfas smash into his torso. You feel things shift and give under his uniform with every blow. A final ringing smash across his head sends him staggering back into a shattered building wall.

That blow should have been a finisher. You learned that blow from Dog Brother #1 himself. The fact that he is still standing is . . . unusual.

"To surrender is to stop attacking and submit! You are not exempt just because you do not know the word!"

His counter-blow smashes (oh! THAT'S where his name comes from!) into the side of your head. You take the worst of it unflinching, but there's no denying that it rings your bell a little.

"You are in violation of the Terran Superhuman Registration Act, and are as such an enemy to the Shi'ar Imperium and the Earth nation of America! STOP FIGHTING!"

[Lizard Lord]

Howard shifts in his seat a bit. "Honestly, at tha time omnipotence sounds 'bout right. Death dumping him seems ta have made him loose a lot o' those powers 'cept his mind control powers. Far as weaknesses at tha time go, well fer starters he didn't even seem ta try ta control myself or tha Misfits fer some reason. He was tryin' ta tell a story ta woo Death, so maybe he thought tha story would be better if he didn't. Either ways it freed us ta try and snap other folks he was controllin' out o' it."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Katie saw where Jen was going with this line of questioning, and she had to admit, it was a solid strategy.

She, personally, didn't believe punishing the Skrull and Kryptonians was the right thing to to. Partly because of the mind control aspect - it wasn't right to blame a victim of mind control for crimes they committed, you had to blame the controller. Of course, this line of questioning flew right in the face of that reasoning - if Protocol Galactus was a single cohesive plan, even if the order itself was compelled, the fact that they had an entire plan in place for a global invasion just waiting to be triggered by those two words put the responsibility back on their shoulders.

But part of it was just that Katie didn't see the value in punishing them. They regretted it. Katie did believe, based on what she had seen, that the Raoists were likely already punishing themselves far harder than Earth ever could. The people of Earth might gain some satisfaction from punishing them...but what would really be best for everyone would be to give them an opportunity to atone, to repair some of the damage they caused.

So, while Katie would not lie or misdirect, she absolutely would seek any way to use the truth to make a case for leniency. But there didn't seem to be much of one here. Those were indeed the only commands given by the Keeper to trigger the attack.

Wait a minute. What was that?

Those were indeed the only commands given by the Keeper to trigger the attack.

"'Protocol Galactus' was the sum total of the commands given?"

...Huh.

"I...don't know, actually," she said, honestly sounding a little bit surprised herself. "I mean, yes, those were the only words he used. But as far as other instructions or commands, I actually can't say with certainty. I mean, thinking about it, it's kinda strange, right? Two words to instantly trigger an entire global invasion? Not just hundreds of ships throughout the world, but sleeper agents simultaneously revealing themselves and commencing to attack? That's like...hive mind levels of coordination. But then when he gave the stop order, it took some time to actually go through, and there were different response rates in different continents. So if they're really that coordinated, shouldn't they have all stopped instantly too?"

"Yeah, now that I think of it, that's really weird. So while I can't say for certain that Darkseid was also compelling the actions of the Skrull and Kryptonians directly, given the situation I can't honestly rule out that there were other commands being given that I was unable to perceive."

[Llyarden]

Ciaran took note of the apparent changes in Kryptonian politics that the warbling defence brought up, making a mental note to ask someone who knew more about these things than him once the trial was over what it meant. He supposed if Fist-of-Nightwing was some sort of religious templar title, it made sense that the Fist-of-Nightwing that they'd met would've lost his title after everything he did, though. "I...think," he began, slightly hesitantly, "when they were fighting people like Fisk, and Wayne, and Riddler, and all them...yes, they were still trying to do their whole 'unify the planet' thing. But going after Nightwing for his name - that wasn't, especially when as far as I know he didn't realise he was doing anything wrong in the first place and they didn't actually give him the chance to stop." Whether Nightwing would've actually changed his name Ciaran wasn't sure, but since the Skrulls hadn't given him the chance it was a bit irrelevant.

"I think the Skrulls realised at the end that what they were doing was wrong, because they tried to bring Fist-of...er, Mial-Zod, or whatever his name is now...in. I don't know how much of what they did was because of taking on Todd's essence, but at least one of them was...taken over, I think?..by Todd's emotions. Or at least they said he was," Ciaran corrected himself.

"As for Mial-Zod himself, he pretty much told us he was betraying his order and everything to try to kill Nightwing. So yeah, I definitely don't think he was trying to help the alien goals. And also definitely not rational."

[Thokk_Smash]

Thunderstruck

<I see. Would you say that she was in any way antagonistic towards humanity? Did she wish us ill, as a species?>

Zach adopts a thoughtful posture at this question: finger to his chin, brow scrunched up, legs crossed on the seat. "Well, I can't say she wasn't hostile towards me at first--although really, accidentally taking control of her will for a brief moment because I had the magic control ring from the bastard who mind-raped her would tend to put anyone off."

He gives an embarrassed grimace and continues. "But towards humanity as a whole? I wouldn't say she wished us ill. I mean, she was pissed off as all hell at humanity. Like, the rant she gave us about how much humanity sucks was really impressive, you should've heard it; and she did say we'd be free to murder and hate each other once they'd finished off Darkseid and their ritual-thingie had gone away."

"But the way she said it wasn't hateful or antagonistic, not even really spiteful, just...matter-of-fact. Frustrated. Like she'd just pulled a double-shift at work, then got called in early the next morning to train a first-day newbie."

He scratches his head and continues, "Like, imagine this: let's say a friend and I are getting a music hall ready for a big show. It's just the two of us and this newbie groupie to set up a gigantic dance hall for the show of our lives. Literally--if we don't ace this show, we are going to die. So my friend and I are taking it pretty goddamn serious, as well we should."

"But the newbie? He just can't do sh*t. Can't tell the head of a guitar from the body, doesn't know whether to plug the cords into the amp or up his a**...it's a damn miracle he can string a complete sentence together. My friend and I never wanted his help; he was foisted onto us at the last minute, and we were told to make do. The big day's getting closer; the guillotine is getting set up, the executioner is sharpening his axe with that psychotic smile all good executioners have; and we know if we're not ready for this show, we will all die, the groupie included. And I don't know about the groupie, but my friend and I? We like living."

He lets the end of his impromptu story hang in the air for a few seconds before he continues. "For the people keeping track at home, the groupie is humanity. Use any analogy you'd like: an incompetent intern working on a big case; an apprentice wizard assigned to help their master concoct a cure for a deadly disease; the Talisman's people were fighting a losing battle even before they heard of humanity. Just last week, a representative of Darkseid said Darkseid wanted to 'slay them root and branch' for quote-unquote 'defying' him."

"Her and her people are fighting for their lives against an enemy who's stacked the deck in his favor and can change the rules however he wants. She told us that unity is the greatest defense against Darkseid. That for all their species' power (really, a planet of people like Superman were taken out by this guy) they were unshielded against him; but humanity? We were naked and defenseless."

"I'm not saying she was correct in that assumption. That's Saturn's wheelhouse, not mine. But when she spoke to us in that other dimension's Romania, I didn't get 'hatred', or 'ill-wishing' from her. I got condescension, sure, and patronization. But more than anything, she was frustrated at us. 'Pull-your-hair-out' levels of frustration and despair at the fact that, from her point of view, humanity was just another weapon for Darkseid to use against her and her people. I'll say it again: she would've backed the Martian Manhunter in his desire to stop the plan if she thought humanity could work together for a fraction of a galactic second."

There's a ton more Zach could say, more opinions he could voice. But the coaching the defense team had given him had hammered into him to be concise and not to go too far beyond the bounds of the question asked. So he ends with, "She didn't hate humanity. She just loved her own people more."

[SuperCracker]

(forgive the potato quality, phone posting)

His expression didn't change. "It was upsetting."

As for powers...

"... Where do you want me to start?"

Ronin was the definition of a hodge podge of abilities. "My X-Gene expressed as hyperdense musculature. Superhuman speed, strength. The Phoenix Force caused a secondary mutation with limited telekinesis. I also have access to magical abilities and use of the Phoenix Force as a means to enhance my magical power."

He wondered what the purpose of this line of questioning was. Most likely to dig into the Phoenix Force.

[Starsign]

There is a slight pause as Rene considers the question asked of him. The nature of what Rene saw from J'onn is difficult to explain. How the hell do you try to describe a scene with words which had been from the mind of someone else? Couldn't they just mind control Rene and get it out of him like that? Not that Rene would want that. So many people have been in his mind now that he simply can't have freedom of thought.

So having his own memory to work with, Rene speaks off what he recalls. "Well I don't know the year but it was when J'onn was a member of the Justice League." As Rene speaks, he's taken away by his thoughts and memories, not once questioning what he says. "Darkseid had tried invading Earth; the Justice League were fighting him on an asteroid. There were attempts at neutralizing his power, Batman and Cyborg specifically. None of the heroes dared turn against each other as Kree and Shi'ar ships fought the parademons." He finishes, letting himself be silent for a moment as he pauses to think on something.

How the **** did Rene know all that?

Shi'ar? Kree? Rene doesn't even know what they are and he suddenly blurted out the names like some master encyclopedic. Was this part of the telepathic process? Did any information J'onn knew about the events transfer over to Rene? That'd explain a lot but it also doesn't exactly make for a good form of communication.

He wonders whether he should mention that this event is what led J'onn to his arguments with the skrulls and kryptonians and, eventually, his removal of the title of Champion. There's a lot Rene knows about J'onn that others might not, and what he says might not be within the context of the question. His reptilian mouth now stays silent as he waits for a response from the worryingly faceless court.

[TheIronGolem]

<I see. Had the, ah . . . procedure, or ritual been completed at the time of your rescue? Had Superman been fully subjected to whatever processes he was meant to undergo?>

"Beats me", Spider-Man says with a shrug. "I mean, it didn't look completed. They didn't have him in a chair with a cup of juice or anything. The Misfits had just pulled him out of one of those Empire Strikes Back glass pods, and he was - "

Again, it's hard to talk about Superman at his lowest point in public. It's bad enough what happened to the big guy; he didn't deserve to have it described in detail to an audience, especially when that audience probably included guys like Lex Luthor who would be just loving this part.

Still, he's under oath. And more importantly, this is the only way Superman's going to get justice for this hell that he was put through.

"He was in bad shape. Shell-shocked. Couldn't control his powers. There was Kryptonite everywhere, and Potence said there were all kinds of spells on him. No, I don't think they were done with him at all."

Suspicion tugs at Jimmy's mind like a child at its mother's apron. To his journalists' instincts, this feels like he's just been played. A softball question, the purpose of which isn't to get an answer, but rather to maneuver the recipient into position for a follow-up. He's done it a dozen times himself, and watched Lois do it a hundred times. Should have seen it coming. He's going to need to be pay very careful attention to what the defense does next, and how he responds.

[CandyLaser]

<. . . I see. So, to summarize even further, the process they used was immoral, illegal . . . but ultimately would have worked. Thank you.>

The defense sits back down, and Jen rises to begin the cross examination.

"We're obfuscating an important question here. By your research, are there other timelines similar to our own in which Earth manages to hold off Darkseid? With or without alien help, if you can be so specific?"

"Such timelines do exist. In general, we do better with alien assistance than without. In worlds like ours, alien assistance is very valuable. In order to maximize our chances of dealing with Darkseid, the ideal would be for us to work with alien assistance and to encounter Darkseid on a battlefield we've chosen and prepared. In particular, if Darkseid makes it to Earth, things go very badly for us, with or without alien assistance. In any case, my recommendation is that we turn the Skrulls and Kryptonians from enemies to allies in order to maximize our chances of success."

[herodofcows]

Potence

There is an audible murmur at your words from the newscasters in the back. You can hear the tap-tap-tap of fingers on touchscreens. Jen purses her lips.

"Hmm. Coordinated with a single word, but confused and disoriented when they have to stop. Perhaps a long-running plan, one that wasn't expected to-"

<Supposition. We have already heard testimony->

"-wasn't expected to need to stop once it started. I mean, the name alone-"

<The prosecution is making baseless claims->

A hullaballoo begins, and is only calmed by order of the judges. Jen looks less than pleased.

"Fine . . . Given your knowledge of the alien infiltration of Earth, as well as the magic, technology, and extranormal abilities on display, can you definitively rule out the possibility that the aliens possess the means to rapidly broadcast the signal for a pre-planned attack across the globe?"

Ronin

<The Phoenix Force, yes. I understand that the Phoenix is known to the Kryptonian and Skrull cultures as well. Can you describe your relationship to the Phoenix Force? Does it display sentience, in your own personal experience? Does it have wants or needs that it expresses to you?>

Sarah Saturn

Walters no-sells your call to unity, but you can hear the tapping of press fingers on tablets. You've caught SOME notice with those comments, no question.

"Let's go into those other timelines, then. I'd specifically like to ask about the other instances in which the aliens had arrived to fight Darkseid. What happens when they come with open offers of help, rather than trying to force their help on us in secret?"

Thunderstruck

<Thank you, Thunderstruck. No further questions.>

The defense returns to their seat, and Walters approaches you. She does not look like a happy camper.

"You said she loves her own people more than ours. Given the choice, do you believe she would choose her people over humanity?"

Spider-Man

<I see. So . . . you removed Superman in the middle of a delicate process. Can you say for sure that his state was the result of the process, or is it possible that his early removal->

A brief quibble ensues about leading the witness.

<. . . Do you believe his early removal might have caused the mental and physical issues Superman faced in the aftermath of his rescue?>

The Builder

<I see. And how did this experience affect J'onzz? Specifically, how did it affect his involvement in the alien invasion plans?>

Howard

Walters is looking slightly haggard as you give these answers.

"I . . . So, he purposely constrained himself from exerting complete control over events, all in the name of . . . telling a good story. And as such, you and the Misfits were able to free others from his control. How did you manage to do that?"

Peregrine

There's a brief bustle as you give this last bit of testimony. Walters in particular looks slightly elated.

<. . . So, the aliens actually sought redress against a rogue member of their collective? Fist-of-Nightwing was not simply given free reign to do as he pleased?>

Spoiler: Insight DC 20

Show

The defense is losing control of the situation. Something you just said gave the prosecution some serious ammo to work with.

[Lizard Lord]

Howard started to look exasperated himself. "Okay, fer starters, that's only I guess at why he didn't control us. Its not like he was just gonna tell me what his limits are or why he has 'em. As fer tha answer ta yer question; Its basically because Darkseid is a @#$%^& story teller. He made parts that didn't really make sense, includin' their own actions, and my pointing that out ta them seemed ta sort o' snap them out o' it. Well kinda. I think one or two o' them broke free still wit'out fully realizin' they had been mind-controlled. I mean only one stopped and flew off, the other one might actually o' been evil cause he kept fightin' til Ronin killed him. Tha Keeper realized he was bein' controlled and was clearly fightin' against it but needed Katie's magic ta actually win that fight."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Katie had nothing personal against Jen Walters, but she had to admit to being a little annoyed by her obvious effort to try to turn her point around. What probably bothered her most was the fact that the counter-argument she was making wasn't valid. It was a rhetorical trap that had no bearing on the actual matter at hand.

And, you know, look, Katie tried to hold herself above it, but she wasn't perfect. She wasn't immune to spite, nor to being competitive. So her response came out a bit more sternly than was her usual wont. Her voice was a bit more didactic, an unconscious imitation of Mr. Arlington's Lecture Voice. "I cannot. In fact, I can confirm they did have just such a capability, as that was obviously the manner in which the Protocol Galactus order was disseminated. In other words, we already know about that capability, and its continued existence has nothing to do with the point I was making. There is a difference between being able to give an order to an entire army at once, and for that entire army to be able to mobilize and initiate a global, coordinated strike within seconds of receiving that order. As to whether that would be possible with the capabilities of the skrull and kryptonians..."

"Kryptonians could individually act at such speed, but the coordination and the mobilization of the full army, complete with vehicles, rules that out. Individual skrull lack any sort of power of that magnitude. Super-Skrull could not accomplish it natively, they would have to duplicate another power capable of it. Off the top of my head, I can't recall any Earth super known to have been taken by the skrull who possesses a power of that nature and magnitude. I would need to check, but I'm pretty sure that even the most powerful telepath on our planet could not accomplish such a feat. There is only one member of the Skrull-Kryptonian Alliance that I believe has the potential personal power, and the proper powerset, to do so."

"The Talisman, as a Mage of Bindings, could have performed a spell that could link the movements and actions of her people in such a way as to perfectly coordinate such an assault. Using ritual practices, based on the feats of magic I know her to have realistically considered using in the past, I consider it probable that she could have performed the magic on a sufficient scale. It is my professional assessment that the Talisman is the only individual in their alliance who is realistically capable of the feat of coordination we witnessed during the Ten Second Invasion."

Katie paused for a beat, and in those couple seconds, she turned her gaze from Walters, sweeping it across the blank masks of the jury. She couldn't quite meet their eyes, but she came close enough. And then she looked back at Walters, and said simply and clearly, "And she was dead at the time."

Spoiler

Show

Persuasion to augment the point: (1d20+12)[22].

[Llyarden]

Ciaran wasn't quite sure whether to feel good or not about Walters' obvious grin. The aliens deserved to be punished for infiltrating humanity and killing perhaps hundreds of people. But he'd heard enough about the Ten Second Invasion - and, perhaps more to the point, trusted the people he'd heard about it from - to believe that they didn't deserve to be punished for that. Of course, the only questions he was being asked were not about the Ten Second Invasion, which made it a little difficult to make that point. He somehow suspected that Walters would try to combine the two, though.

"I can't really say," Ciaran admitted, before realising that that would sound a bit silly and clarifying. "I mean, yeah, the Skrulls that had been working with him turned against him, but they didn't have a hope of winning - they told us that much themselves. I guess it was a point of honour or something for them. Whether the aliens in general would've sent someone who actually could have brought Mial-Zod in when they got wind of it - assuming they ever did - I don't know."

"That said, if his name is Mial-Zod now and not Fist-of-Nightwing, I assume that he got stripped of that...title, or whatever the technical term for it is. So unless he did something else at round about the same time, I would imagine that yes, they, er, 'sought redress' for what he did."

[CandyLaser]

Walters no-sells your call to unity, but you can hear the tapping of press fingers on tablets. You've caught SOME notice with those comments, no question.

"Let's go into those other timelines, then. I'd specifically like to ask about the other instances in which the aliens had arrived to fight Darkseid. What happens when they come with open offers of help, rather than trying to force their help on us in secret?"

"Those outcomes are generally superior to outcomes in cases where they work in secret. There are outliers, of course, but overall the worlds in which we have open, fully informed alliances with alien assistance are among the best when it comes to dealing with Darkseid."

[SuperCracker]

There were too many people listening and reporting to talk about the Phoenix so openly. The world was already scared of mutants; best not to aggravate that further by stoking Phoenix fears too. Ronin kept his answers to the absolute bare minimum.

Can you describe your relationship to the Phoenix Force? “It resides inside of me. I do not know how or when it came to be there.” He omitted everything about being locked into a never-ending grudge match with the entity.

Does it display sentience, in your own personal experience? “Yes.” More than one if you count the psychic ghost of Jean Grey.

Does it have wants or needs that it expresses to you? “Never clearly; and only in dreams and visions.” He left out the part about killing "witches" and saving mutant kind. He left out the part where it sometimes has wishes very contrary to his own. Did anyone really think he was going to talk about that?

[Thokk_Smash]

Zach doesn't bat an eye at Walters' question and its obvious implications. He knows exactly how he is coming across. He knows exactly how inflammatory and provocative his choice of words can come across. It's just how he is; he can't be as persuasive if he tries to reign himself in. So he doesn't.

"Sure," he says with an unusual amount of bluntness. One might wonder where the rest of his word vomit is, and they are summarily answered in his next breath, "If your hypothetical choice is whether she'd choose her people over us for who to sit next to in a movie theater; or who they'd choose to play with in a battle of the bands."

He lets the absurdity of his examples hang in the air for a second before he continues. "Oh, wait, you meant whether the Talisman would choose to betray us for her people at some future point in time, didn't you? Sorry, I just thought such a silly question required a silly answer."

Before Walters or the judge can call him out on the remark, he barrels forward, "Because near as I can tell, the question that is the most relevant is whether the Talisman would choose her people over humanity if Darkseid says he'd spare them. That's what brought them here in the first place. That's the only reason they're interested in us at all, as allies against him."

"And it is my opinion that the chances of the Talisman choosing to betray us while Darkseid is still a threat is zero. Or if you wanna get nit-picky, it's a fraction of a percent that's so small it's got as many zeroes as Pi has numbers.

"Because I admit that it's hard to trust them after the Ten Second Invasion. They attacked us without provocation; they killed hundreds of humans in less than a minute; and they violated us in ways that we hadn't thought possible before. And for that, they should be punished. The Talisman knows how dark and horrific her peoples' crimes against us are; she told us she hopes that together, we can fight off Darkseid so she can be punished for what she and her people have done to us. And I'm not sure about the specific magic mumbo-jumbo, but if she feels that way, her people feel that way, too.

"So we have every right not to trust them. But what we can trust in...is their hatred of Darkseid. To beat a horse that's dead and gone, he committed genocide against her people by controlling them and forcing them to kill each other. And to turn against us is to turn against the last hope her people have of stopping him and getting justice. Essentially, betraying us would be close to trusting Darkseid not to finish what he started.

"It'd be like if, back when, you were given the choice to have Onomatopoeia as a next-door neighbor." He doesn't show any outward remorse at bringing up that specific villain. "I think I can guess at your answer to that hypothetical."

"So I do not believe she would choose her people over us in any way that is significant. I want her and her people to face justice as much as anyone. But in my opinion? We should punish them after we stop the omnicidal lunatic with a literal boner for Death."

Spoiler

Show

Crossing my fingers and toes; RNG, please, I'd like a good one on this one.

Persuasion: (1d20+20)[27], +5 if Attractive applies

[TheIronGolem]

<I see. So . . . you removed Superman in the middle of a delicate process. Can you say for sure that his state was the result of the process, or is it possible that his early removal->

And there it is, Jimmy thinks bitterly as the courtroom rumbles.

<. . . Do you believe his early removal might have caused the mental and physical issues Superman faced in the aftermath of his rescue?>

If he hadn't caught on to what was happening in time to brace himself, the symbiote mask would probably be making some very ugly faces right now - faces that might get Spider-Man labeled as a "hostile witness", or at least that would likely put his response in a pretty unfavorable light with the jury. Luckily, those few seconds of prep time are enough for him to swallow his anger at the implication that he and the Misfits are responsible for hurting Superman, and his response is merely icy.

"I don't know," says Spider-Man, "because like I told you, I don't understand any of the science or magic that they were using."

"But," he continues, "here's something else I don't understand. I already told you I don't get magic or super-science...so how come you asked me this question, instead of someone who does? Like Brother Voodoo, maybe? He's the one who got Superman back on his feet."

Stop now, Olsen. You've made your point. Don't say what you're about to say...

"You gotta know that, right? I just spent fifteen minutes telling the prosecution about it, after all. I'd be pretty insulted if it turned out you weren't listening."

Seriously. Cut it out. This isn't help-

"I mean, I know trials can get boring and all, but those Angry Birds will still be there later."

And with that, Jimmy's common sense stalks off in a huff, because it sees no point in sticking around if it's just going to be ignored. Maybe it'll give his tact or his self-esteem a call, see if they want to go bowling or something.

[Starsign]

Rene pauses to think again as he's ask this relatively simple question. The answer is, of course, anything but simple. No doubt J'onn had a lot of things on his mind during that battle way back, much less afterward when he confronted others of his own kind. This is heading into territory which Rene is unfamiliar with, talking about stuff which he had only seen as a glimpse of one's life. This is starting to feel like one of those situations like the warship in the way that J'onn described it... How did he describe it? All the cards placed against Rene or something? It's something like that where he's wandered into a situation he can't do anything about, asked of questions he cannot reasonably answer which would bring doubt from others towards J'onn.

...That or Rene's becoming a doomsayer over the slightest discomfort; it's hard to tell.

He takes another deep breath before answering the question proper. "After the battle, he was amazed at what humanity did, and how humanity worked alongside other aliens. He..." There is a very brief pause as Rene remembered one emotion which crept into J'onn at that time: doubt. The word itself is a chill feeling just solely because of how much weight it can carry. Rene can't really say that word in particular, even when it may have truly been the case. "Reconsidered the plan. He didn't tell it to anyone but went back to the Supreme Command about it. It was an argument, but not one with violence... And he was stripped of his title as Champion."

He waits a moment before continuing, attempting to be brave speaking while also a bit uncomfortable with the whole cross-examination. "I think J'onn was simply replaced for the plan and he wasn't supposed to have any involvement anymore. As far as I know, he went back to being a member of the Justice League until he was imprisoned." Rene thinks back once again before concluding. "Since the attack I think he wanted to promote peace and truth between his people and Earth's rather than go along with the plan. I don't think he made that decision lightly either... In short, he believes there's a way to stop Darkseid without the need for sacrifice or manipulation."

[herodofcows]

Spoiler: OOC Note

Show

A couple of folks are going to be dismissed from questioning this round! Your characters will now be sent to a waiting area. You're free to RP a conversation there!

Potence

Jen gives you a cool look.

"Okay then. So, their communications weren't instantaneous, just quick enough. But you raise an interesting point: there IS a difference between giving an order and mobilizing a coordinated global strike. For the one to lead to the other . . . perhaps that WOULD require on-the-fly coordination from some hyper-powerful entity. Or, perhaps, they were ready and willing to enact Protocol Galactus at a moment's notice. If it please the court, I can call our next witness to discuss the disposition of alien forces before the Ten-Second Invasion.

"Thank you, Potence. No further questions."

Ronin

<I see. Now, we have testimony suggesting that you manifested the powers of the Phoenix during the Ten-Second Invasion. During the time of that manifestation, were you in control of your actions?>


Sarah Saturn

Walters smiles with a quiet note of triumph here.

"So, they COULD have aided us successfully without the need for subterfuge, or without this little secret invasion of theirs. Thank you, Ms. Saturn. No further questions."

Thunderstruck

Rrrrrrrk

At the mention of Onomatopoeia, you hear a slight tearing sound of fabric. It takes but a moment to realize that Walters' pantsuit has just popped a few seams and is threatening to shred off of her body.

Normally, that might be somewhat exciting for someone as lusty as Thunderstruck! But that's kind of a problem: when dealing with Jennifer Walters, far too many people focus on the "She" and less on the "Hulk".

"You . . . rrrrah . . ."

She takes a moment to compose herself, but the damage is done and she knows it.

". . . no further questions."

Spider Man

The tone of the defense counsel is illegible thanks to the series of distortions in place, but the speed at which they jump on your comments suggests someone ready to rumble.

<Precisely. You are not an expert. You and your companions did not have an understanding of the procedure, nor the possible effects of your interference. Any damage inflicted upon Superman, permanent or temporary, cannot rest solely upon the shoulders of the aliens. Do you dispute any of this?>

Spoiler: Insight DC 15

Show

They REALLY want you to point out that the endgame of the Hekatomb ritual was going to kill Superman.

The Builder

<Thank you. No further questions.>

The defense sits, and Walters rises up. She comes at you with a clinical gaze.

"Did J'onzz take an active role in revealing the alien plan once he became convinced of its flaws? What steps did he take to stop the alien plan . . . if any?"

Howard

". . . Interesting. So, the aliens were in some cases able to snap out of it when it was pointed out that their actions were nonsensical, or against their best interests? Was there a case in which an alien was able to beat the effect unaided, by noticing the discrepancy between what they wanted and the actions they were being forced to undertake?"

Peregrine

The defense waves an indistinct hand at you. Walters and her assistants are feverishly writing things down.

<Thank you. No further questions.>

[SuperCracker]

Ronin gazed impassively at the human-shaped thing that was the defense counsel. Instead of directly answering it, he took the first opportunity to elaborate. “Rel’Kor was an evil man who reveled in the things he did. He was the one subjecting Superman torture. He was the one that was going to kill Superman to complete their ritual and brainwash us all. I watched him tear apart his own men at that lab. He only stopped trying to kill Potence and Rikku when I cut him down.”

“At the prison, he was eager to finish what we started. The order was an excuse for him. His first act was to smash the floor and kill many prisoners and staff. He did it without much of a thought; like one swatting flies. My response was clear.”

“I fought him. I killed him.”

A brief pause.

“The Phoenix did influence my actions, but only after I had decided to take them. I was a gun, and I pointed myself and fired. This all occurred after the Invasion began.”

He raised a hand to halt the lawyer before he could ask another question or make another comment.

“We’re dancing around the real point. The Skrulls and the Kryptonians that came with them are very much guilty of a number of crimes. The systematic kidnap, imprisonment, and impersonation of people we know and love. The torture and attempted sacrifice of Superman. The murder of Martha Connors. I’m sure there’s more we don’t even know about.”

“But the Invasion was Darkseid. It wasn’t them. Hold them accountable for what they actually did. And if they want to partially atone by fighting with us for our survival; let them.”

[Lizard Lord]

"Well no, they needed it pointed out ta them. They weren't able ta notice any o' tha stuff that didn't make sense which, again, don't JUST include their actions. There was other stuff like time loss, jumping between locations, not ta mention tha I was being dragged along wit' no invite or desire ta go wit'. Not even tha Misfits were askin' 'bout that stuff. Seriously no one, not tha Misfits or all those bigwigs that were at tha meetin' 'bout tha Skrulls had thought ta ask what I was even doin' there. And tha Misfits still didn't ask when I get ported ta the prisoner exchange were it all goes down. So I figure there had ta o' been some sorta mental block that kept them all, Misfits and Kryptonians alike, from realizin' tha stuff that didn't make sense. So no they weren't able ta realize that what they were doin' was nonsense on their own, but I don't think that was really their fault either."